A Good, Old-fashioned Southern Courting
by Ster Julie
Rating PG-13
Code: Mc, S (S/Mc)
Sequel to Longings
Act 1
The Doctor Went A-Courtin'
Froggy Went A-Courtin'
Froggy went a-courtin' and he did ride, a-hu
Froggy
went a-courtin' and he did ride, a-hu
Froggy went a-courtin' and he did ride,
He had a nick-nack-nack by his side, a-hu,
a-hu, a-hu
(as sung by Elvis; words & music by peretti
/ creatori / rodgers)
--ooOoo--
"I want a good, old-fashioned Southern courting,"
Spock had said.
Leonard McCoy chuckled to himself as he brushed
his hair ever so carefully. This day would see the beginning of that "good, old-fashioned
Southern courting," whether Spock recognized it as such or not.
The doctor reviewed his plan. First, he would escort Spock to and from as many functions as he possibly could, including meals, duty,
meetings, and recreation, always walking the Vulcan to his cabin door, but never entering, at least, not at first.
Next would come a series of gifts, innocuous
tokens at first. Then, when Spock caught on what was happening, more romantic
symbols, perhaps even some poetry.
Leonard longed to share a slow dance with
his darling, but Spock was the musician, not he. If he could get his "pipes"
in working order, McCoy thought that he might serenade his love. After all, those
many years singing tenor in the church choir had to have prepared him for this moment, no?
The good doctor was planning to leisurely
rub two sticks together to start a slow burn in the Vulcan. By the time Leonard
was ready to consummate his love for Spock, the Vulcan would be afire with passion for him.
Their ardor would be sweet as peaches in late summer and as spicy as Vulcan's Forge at high noon.
McCoy addressed his reflection in the mirror. "Ready or not, Spock, here I come!"
Act 2
A Paper of Pins
Paper Of Pins
I'll give to you this paper of pins
If
that's the way our love begins
If you will marry me, me, me
If you will marry me.
I'll not accept your paper
of pins
If that's the way our love begins
And I'll not marry you, you, you
No, I'll not marry you.
Well,
I'll give to you my hand and my heart
So we may marry and never part
If you will marry me, me, me
If you will
marry me.
I will accept you hand and your heart
That we may marry and never part
And I will marry you, you,
you
And you will marry me, me, me
Yes, I will marry you
(American Folk Ballad, composer unknown)
--oOo--
Spock looked at the small, wrapped package
on his desk. There, tied with a scarlet ribbon, was a small box of the incense
he preferred. Attached was a handwritten note that read: This is to replace the incense I used. Leonard
Spock shook his head. He knew that Leonard has tried to cover his tracks by burning some of Spock's incense whenever he broke
into the first officer's quarters, but he had never used much. Spock knew that
the small canister was unreplicated, thereby quite expensive and he considered returning it to McCoy. The dear doctor would most likely be insulted if he did, so Spock instead placed the tin next to his assenoi.
It was as Spock was falling asleep that
he realized that Leonard had to enter his cabin without authorization again to leave the gift.
Spock sighed.
Act 3
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
--ooOoo--
Spock was awakened 2.35 minutes earlier
than his prescribed time for rising. He could hear gentle strumming coming from
his beside alarm. A familiar tenor voice was softly singing.
Let me call you sweetheart, I'm in love
with you.
Let me hear you whisper that you love me,
too.
Keep the love-light glowing in your eyes
so true.
Let me call you sweetheart, I'm in love
with you.
("Let Me Call You Sweetheart" words by Beth Slater Whitson, music by Leo Friedman)
Spock stayed in his bed, bemusedly listening
to the dear doctor's voice.
"Good morning, Sunshine," Leonard's voice came from the speaker. "I
will be by to collect you for breakfast at precisely 0600, so you best get a move-on."
Spock was so taken aback by the doctor's
words that he did not reply to the message, but instead leapt from his bed and into the facilities.
As Spock was washing his hair he realized
that Leonard had yet again entered his cabin without authorization in order to reprogram his alarm.
Spock was becoming fond of these covert
entries into his quarters by the good doctor and looked forward to each one as an adventure.
What would Leonard do next?
Spock secretly hoped it wouldn't end.
Act 4
You Fill up My Senses
--ooOoo--
McCoy didn't know what was harder, asking
Captain Kirk for an overnight pass, or convincing Spock that camping in a real, honest-to-John forest was logical.
"Why should I consent to sleeping in
primitive conditions when I have a perfectly comfortable and warm bed in my quarters?" Spock asked.
"These woods are in a very mild climate,"
McCoy assured, "and I had Chekov scan the planet. Where we're headed is undergoing
their version of Indian Summer. I guarantee you will not be cold."
"Then there are the insect and other
fauna to consider…" Spock continued, not warming up to the idea.
"I'll use a portable screen," McCoy countered.
"The frequency of such screens is quite
annoying to someone with hear as sensitive as mine," Spock pointed out.
Leonard took a deep breath so calm himself. "Fine, so I'll use good old mosquito netting."
"There may not be mosquitoes on this planet," Spock observed.
"Now, don't be difficult," McCoy pleaded. "C'mon, Spock! I'll make it worth your
while."
Spock
was curious. "How?"
"You'll see!" Leonard smiled.
"Give me an hour to set up camp. I'll leave to coordinates for you in
the Transporter Room."
"Bones,
what are you up to?" Jim Kirk asked as he helped McCoy set up camp.
Leonard had to think fast. It
wouldn’t do for word of their budding relationship to reach the captain's ears without Spock's consent.
"I thought that, if I shared something
with Spock that I really liked," McCoy said, "maybe we wouldn't fight so much."
"I thought you two lived to argue," Kirk observed with
a smile.
"Nah,"
McCoy replied. "It gets stale pretty fast."
Leonard surveyed the camp. He had bedrolls, food, water, and hand tools,
with netting draped around the perimeter of their camp. There was a sturdy log
for sitting and a ring of stones around a cheery campfire. "Did I forget
anything, Jim?" he asked.
Kirk smiled. "Just your lady love."
Leonard's head snapped up at that. "This looks so romantic. All you need is music."
"Yeah, right," McCoy laughed nervously. "Me
and Spock, romantic! Get out of here and let me start repairing some bridges."
The captain flashed his famous Kirk
Grin as he pulled out his communicator and requested beam-up.
As soon as the captain was gone, Leonard
hurried to the ice chest and pulled out the portable audio system.
Moments later, Spock arrived.
Unlike McCoy, Spock was still in uniform
"I did not know that I should have worn other clothing," Spock said as he took in Leonard's
jeans, flannel shirt and vest.
McCoy smiled at the sight of Spock in the moonlight. "My fault," he said. "I should have said something."
Spock cocked his head to one side.
"Why do I hear music?"
Leonard drew nearer to Spock and bowed.
"May I have this dance?" he asked sweetly.
Spock stared at him with wary eyes.
"You know that I do not dance," he said.
"No," Leonard countered. "What you told me was, 'I do not dance in public.'" McCoy
swept his arms around him in a wide circle. "We're not in public now, Spock,"
he said. "Only this planet's version of crickets will witness our dancing." Taking Spock's hands in his, Leonard started moving in a box step to the music.
Spock kept his eyes on the small rhythmic
steps his Leonard was taking and soon had the pattern down. McCoy pulled the
Vulcan's chin up so that their eyes met as they moved closer into a proper dance hold.
The doctor loved how the moonlight cast a bluish glow to Spock's shiny hair.
He drank in the trusting features of his love. "Music, start over, 10
decibels higher," Leonard ordered. Soon the gentle strains began again, this
time loud enough for Spock to hear the words.
Leonard kept his eyes fixed on Spock as he sang along.
You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again
Come let me love
you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you
Let
me always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again
You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like
the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill
up my senses
Come fill me again
("Annie's Song" by John Denver)
At the conclusion
of the song, Leonard took a stunned Spock's hand and bowed over it properly, planting a gentle kiss. "Thank you for the dance, kind sir," he said. Then the doctor
led the Vulcan over to sit on the log before the fire as he pulled out a container of fruits and vegetables for them to share.
Spock balked when Leonard tried to feed
him a carrot dipped in a white sauce. "I do know how to feed myself, Leonard,"
he said.
McCoy looked at Spock in exasperation. "Yield to the logic of the situation!" the doctor exclaimed. Spock obediently opened his mouth. Leonard ever so slowly
pushed the small carrot into Spock's mouth, then closed it. He kissed away the
sauce that had dropped onto the Vulcan's lip.
Spock was so stunned he nearly forgot to
chew. This was going to be an enjoyable evening, he surmised.
Once their repast was finished,
Leonard sat on the ground between Spock knees and stretched his feet to the fire. McCoy's
back rested against Spock's chest and his hands settled on the Vulcan's knees. Every
time he spoke to Spock, Leonard made sure he pressed back just enough to feel the beginnings of a reaction from his Vulcan. As a warm flush passed through Spock, he had a good idea how he was going to keep
warm that night.
Act 5
Tea for Two
--ooOoo--
Spock finally put his finger on what was
different about this … meeting … with McCoy. The good doctor was
not escorting him to this "simple tea party."
Spock had noticed that, ever since he had
found Leonard in his quarters that day he had gotten food poisoning while on a landing party, Leonard has escorted him to
his duty station, to the Mess Hall, to the Transporter Room even when the doctor wasn't assigned for landing party duty, and
to and from his quarters.
Three times a week since the food poisoning
episode, Spock found small gifts or other types of surprises. The latest was
a naughty limerick about their dance in the woods.
McCoy had given to Spock, repeatedly, without
requesting or requiring anything in return. The doctor had even shunned
Spock's attempts to reciprocate. "Let me do this," he had pleaded.
Spock wondered what the good doctor had
planned for this simple tea party.
Tea For Two
Picture you upon my knee
Just tea for
two
And two for tea
Just me for you
And you for me alone
Nobody near us to see us or hear us,
No friends or
relations
On weekend vacations,
We won't have it known, dear,
That we own a telephone, dear...
Day will break
and you'll wake,
And start to bake a sugar cake
For me to take for all the boys to see.
We will raise a family
A
boy for you
And a girl for me
Oh, can't you see how happy we would be...
(Music by Vincent Youmans, Lyrics by Irving
Caesar and Otto Harbach, Book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel)
"Come," Spock heard over the happy ditty
coming from Leonard's audio system. He entered McCoy's quarters and found the
doctor seated behind a desk piled with finger foods and a large pot of tea, the fragrance of which Spock found exotic and
enticing.
Leonard held out a hand to his Vulcan. "Welcome, Spock," he said cheerily. "Have
a seat."
Spock looked about for another chair. "What seat, Doctor?"
Leonard looked around in mock surprise. "Hmm," he mused. "Well, Spock, you'll
just have to make do."
"'Make do'?" Spock repeated.
Leonard indicated his lap. Spock balked at the idea. Leonard snagged the Vulcan's hand
and pulled him onto his lap without too much resistance.
"Where is this going?" Spock demanded.
"What's wrong with snuggling?" Leonard
countered as he snaked his arms around Spock's waist.
"At our last encounter," Spock accused,
"you knowingly left me with a raging … need."
"We weren't ready," McCoy answered. Leonard held a finger to Spock's lip as he began to protest. "I knew we weren't ready because I hadn't prepared you," the doctor continued. "I know that you have had relations with women only. It's
a whole different dynamic when you make love to a man."
Leonard reached behind Spock and grabbed
something off the counter. "Which brings me to today's gift," he added, putting
a white computer disk (again tied with a scarlet ribbon) into Spock's hand.
Spock turned the unmarked disk in his hand.
"What is this?" he asked.
Leonard pulled Spock closer. "That, my heart, is a technical manual that I created just for you on the … mechanics involved in
male love," he explained in a low voice. "You can look this over later. And I am sure that you will need this when you are finished." With that, McCoy pulled out a ribbon-bedecked jar.
Spock examined the unmarked container. "What is this?"
Leonard smiled gently. "It's lubricant," he answered, grinning at the verdant flush that tinged Spock's ears and cheeks. "The use of lube is covered on the disk. When
you are ready, we'll take that next step." McCoy reached to the desk and poured
Spock a mug of tea.
"What if I want to take that step now?"
Spock asked in a sultry voice as he held his mug to Leonard's lips.
"I thought." McCoy paused to sip the tea Spock offered him. "I thought
we'd go away at our earliest convenience to somewhere beautiful." McCoy paused
to kiss Spock's cheek gently. "And discreet," Leonard kissed Spock's other cheek. "And without any nosy neighbors." The
doctor then put some gusto into an assault on Spock's lips.
"I'll check our orders," Spock said breathlessly.
-
When McCoy was suddenly called away on
a medical emergency, Spock decided to stay and clean up the remnants of the sandwiches, sweets and tea. He popped the tape into Leonard's computer and studied the good doctor's "technical manual." It began with a matter-of-fact recitation of male anatomy and male-on-male relations. Spock appreciated that candor. But ever so slowly, Leonard's
voice on the tape began to get more and more seductive. The images went from
anatomical slides to more pornographic images. Spock grew quite warm as
he felt overcome by another "raging need."
-
Leonard sat in Spock's cabin, his eyes
trained on the view screen. There had been no medical emergency for him. The good doctor knew that Spock couldn't resist watching the tape Leonard had created. Connecting to the small camera he had set up in his own cabin, Leonard was able to
watch Spock's reaction to the tape. McCoy laughed aloud as he followed the Vulcan's
gaze from his lap to the jar of lube and back.
Leonard rose from the desk and spoke toward
the screen. "I'm a-comin', beautiful," he drawled. "I'll take care of your 'raging need.'"
Their trip to "someplace beautiful" would
have to be one of their own making.
END