Vulcan Lavender

{FOURTEEN}

Uhara had been right, Jupite decided. Shore leave would do her good.

The ocean air was salty and fresh; and for once, Jupite didn't feel like she was tasting the fragrance of lavender. She sighed as she leaned against the rail of the sail boat. Standing at the bow, she could look out across the vast swath of water and watch the boat cut a path through it.

Jupite glanced backwards at the group of people also aboard the ship. Kirk, Bones, Uhara, Chekov, Scotty, Sulu, and of course Spock. Plus the guide at the rudder. Everyone seemed happy to have some time off, even Spock seemed more relaxed. She smiled, of all the frustration and inconvenience and unwanted attention this sickness gave her, it had also thrust her right into the center of what looked to be a circle of very good friends.

Chekov was always willing to help, Kirk never let a dull moment pass, Scotty had lots of entertaining stories that were only made even more funny with his accent, Uhara was both the voice of reason and the instigator of shenanigans, Sulu could always come up with something witty, McCoy had always been a sort of secondary father figure but it had reached new heights, and Spock... well, he was Spock.

Small creatures reminiscent of rays chased the boat, jumping out of the water and landing back with loud thwaps. It was an entertaining scene, watching them belly flop into the ocean. Percussion Rays, the guide had called them, named for the booming drum-like noise that the belly flopping created when listened to underwater. He assured them they were relatively harmless, although very very heavy.

The ocean here was extremely salty, making it nearly as dense as the Black Sea on Earth. So the ocean creatures had to be even heavy and more dense to prevent them from just floating on the top.

Everyone was already covered in salt from the sea spray that misted up as the boat cut a path through the water. "Jupite, come on!" Kirk hollered, "We're playing Never Have I Ever."

Jupite smirked but made her way to the back of the boat to join. "What are we? Middle schoolers?" She asked.

Uhara smacked her arm playfully, laughing, "Oh please, it's harmless fun and you still totally want to play."

Everyone held up five fingers. "I'll go first," Kirk said, "Never Have I Ever... had a girlfriend." Scotty, Bones, Spock, and Uhara put a finger down.

"Uhara?" Kirk screeched, "What!"

Uhara flushed red, "It was back in High School. There wasn't much more than kissing, but yeah I had a girlfriend. But alright alright. Never have I ever... talked back to authority."

Everyone but Uhara, Jupite, and Chekov put a finger down. Although everyone turned to give a bewildered look to Spock.

"I believe this is the time where I defend my answer." He stated. "I have, on occasions, acted emotionally; and it was during such a time that I rudely answered back to someone of authority."

"Course nearly everyone has snipped at Jim... he counts right? Cause he's Captain?" Scotty commented causing laughter to ripple through the group.

"Nevwer have I evwer... erm" Chekov began, "been rejected." Kirk, Uhara, Bones, and Jupite put a finger down.

"I'm feeling a little targeted." Kirk mused.

"Jupite," Uhara said, "Spock never actually rejected you though, right?"

"He totally did!" Bones answered coming to Jupite's defense... in a rather odd way.

"No no," Uhara insisted, "he didn't explicitly say he didn't like you."

Jupite opened her mouth to try to change the subject. "Well Spock," Kirk interjected, "did you?"

Everyone turned to the half Vulcan, who upheld the seemingly perfect poker face dispite the awkward subject of debate. "I do not see a reason to discuss this topic. Chekov did not explicitly state that the rejection was coming from me, or romantic at all."

While true, his answer sent a pang of pain through Jupite. Ouch, that hurt.

"It's my turn," Jupite began, "Never have I ever... gotten drunk."

"Oi!" Scotty hollered, putting a finger down, "If you're talking about targeted questions."

Another ripple of laugher went through the group.

Uhara, Bones, Kirk, Chekov, and Spock also put a finger down.

"I'm getting nervous." Uhara chuckled, looking down at her sole remaining finger.

"You've never gotten drunk?" Chekov asked Jupite.

Jupite shrugged, "Not much of a fan of alcohol. More importantly, you have?"

Chekov turned red, "The drinking age in Russia is younger than the international one."

"Drunk Spock is something that sounds very funny." Sulu mused.

"Alcohol does nothing for me, and my drunkenness was not intentional." Spock replied coolly.

"Wait, how did you get drunk if alcohol doesn't make you drunk?" Jupite asked.

Uhara leaned towards her. "It was the chocolate." She giggled, "I got him a bottle of chocolate wine for Valentine's day once. It was labels dessert wine so he thought it would be fine. Drunk Spock is very cuddly."

"Uhara," Spock interjected, the tips of his ears looking very green, "I do rembee us agreeing to not share that information."

"Sorry, couldn't help it. Vulcans getting absolutely shitfaced on chocolate is too funny to pass up." Uhara winked.

"It's Bones's turn now." Jupite reminded, trying to save Spock from the embarrassment of the tales of his drunken shenanigans. Not that she wasn't interested.

"Never have I ever," Bones began, "been a medical marvel."

Jupite and Kirk put a finger down.

"What was your medical marvel?" Jupite asked Kirk.

"I died," Kirk said, "and then came back to life."

"Woah."

"No no, don't praise him. Him dying was the result of him doing something incredibly stupid." Bones snapped.

"It worked, it saved the ship, and you were able to bring me back, so no big deal!" Kirk defended. Jupite got the impression that they'd had this argument before, expecially with Uhara rolling her eyes like she had.

"I believe it is my turn." Spock interjected before the two could start a real debate on the subject. "Never have I ever-" the boat lurched.

"What the hell?" Bones shouted.

Jupite stood up on reflex, jolts like that had always meant there would be patients. It proved to be a mistake, as the boat jolted harshly again and she was sent toppling back. "Jupite!" Uhara shouted, leaping up and grabbing her by the arm to keep her from getting tossed off the back of the boat and into the water.

"Why is the boat bucking?" Kirk asked the guide.

Uhara and Jupite shuffled to open seats away from the edge of the boat. Bones righted Jupite's O2 tank, which had fallen over when the boat had first jolted.

The boat gave another wobbly lurch, and then took a deep nosedive. Jupite gave a short scream as she and many others were tossed into the air. She landed sideways into the water with a hard slap and her had was ripped from Uhara's as something dragged her under the dense water.

She writhed, trying to keep calm as she sank slowly down. The air in her lungs had been pushed out of her when she landed and something was pulling her down in the water. Something... her O2 tank! On wheels it wasn't too hard to manage, but the tank and compressed oxygen was very heavy and sank in the water.

Her thoughts were getting fizzy as she tugged uselessly at the tubes attached to her. She was going to pass out, she was going to drown...

Haha cliffhanger! The virus has forced me to stay home and I got notifications of people liking and commenting this fic. I had honestly completely forgotten about it oopse!