You are in luck! This one is not scary!

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Leonard stopped his hover car in front of the Kirk farmhouse.

It was mid-October and the house was decorated for Autumn and Halloween with pumpkins, ghosts, black cats, leaves and witches. It made Leonard smile.

No matter what everyone thought of Jim, he could be entirely sentimental about such things.

The Enterprise crew was on an extended leave after the end of the five-year mission. Most had signed up for a second one, very few had not. Though Leonard had been dubious about going on another, Jim had wheedled him into with a…

“Bones, I need you.”

He’d already spent a month visiting with his daughter and he intended to go back once this task was over. He didn’t really know how he’d got roped into it, actually.

He got out and went up the steps to the front door. Along each step, Jim had placed pumpkins. At the top was a white one.

Leonard knocked and as it took a really long time for the door to be answered, he realized he had stupidly not let Jim know he was coming. Maybe Jim wasn’t even there.

But then finally the door opened and a bleary-eyed Jim stared out at him.

“Bones?”

“Jim! You look like hell. You been sick?”

“What? No. Come in.” He held the door wide and Leonard noticed that save for the kitchen, there were no lights on in the house.

He looked fully at Jim for the first time.

Jim wore only a pair of pajama bottoms. His hair was askew. He had dark circles under his eyes and what looked like bite marks on his chest and neck.

“I’ve interrupted something, have I?” Leonard asked with a smirk.

Jim just gave him a look. “Coffee?”

“I don’t want to be any trouble.” He glanced at the stairs. “Is she up there? Let me guess. Orion.”

Jim snorted. “You’re always trouble. Coffee or not?”

He was already making a pot, so Leonard agreed.

“So…Orion?”

“No. And he’s sleeping.”

“Wore him out, huh?”

“Something like that.”

Jim bent down and reached into the fridge. He took out half and half and a plastic box. “Pumpkin donuts.”

“You went all out.”

“Mm. These are a couple of days old, but they should still be good. I’m starving.”

Jim brought them to the table, poured two mugs of coffee and then sat down. Leonard joined him.

“Thought you were in Georgia.”

“I am.”

“I have something to tell you, Bones. This is Iowa.”

“Hardy har har. Think I want to be here? Bothering you on your leave? I was with Joanna.”

“Then…?”

“M’Benga and Starfleet contacted me. The Vulcans are looking for Spock.”

Jim frowned. “Spock? Why? What’s wrong?”

“Guess there’s something going on with a lot of the surviving Vulcans. Many of the younger ones have been going into pre-mature…uh…there’s this thing. Called—”

“Pon Farr.”

“You know about it?”

“Spock mentioned it to me some time ago. At that time, he expected if he went through it, it would be with Uhura. He wasn’t sure as he’s only half Vulcan.”

“Right. So I guess they haven’t been able to reach him to find out if he’s having some of the symptoms. Because I’m CMO of the Enterprise they asked me to try to find him. He’s not on New Vulcan and Uhura hasn’t heard from him.”

Jim took a bite of a donut. “They’re not together.”

“I know. But I thought if he was desperate and he had no one else he might seek her out. Hasn’t though. I tried contacting you for the last few days but you haven’t been answering, so that’s why I came here.”

Jim winced. “Sorry, Bones. I’ve been, uh, busy.”

Leonard smirked. “So I know now. Some of the younger ones facing it have been having trouble mating and that’s why they want to check on Spock. See if he’s experiencing any of this.”

“Trouble mating? Like what?”

Leonard shrugged. “The urge is there but the equipment’s not working. They have medical personnel and healers working on it to save them. I doubt there’s—”

He stopped as he heard footsteps on the stairs.

“Jim? I woke and you were not—”

Leonard felt his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

Standing at the bottom step of the stairs was a naked Spock. He looked a bit dazed and flushed.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, sweetheart. Bones arrived looking for you.”

Spock blinked in Jim’s direction, but he said nothing.

“I needed some food too. I’ll be right back. Go up to bed and I’ll be there in no time.”

“Jim.”

“I promise, Spock. I’ll be right after you.”

Spock barely glanced at Leonard, but he nodded, gaze a little lovesick as he looked at Jim, but then he turned on his heels and went back up the stairs.

“You could have said he was here,” Leonard said sharply.

“I was protecting his privacy,” Jim murmured, sipping his coffee. “He’s, uh, in Pon Farr right now.”

“So I gathered. You and—”

“Yep. We’re bonded. And I gotta say, he’s had no trouble with his equipment.” Jim finished his coffee and donut and stood. “I really need to get back up there as it’s not over.”

“Clearly.”

“You can stay if you want, but I gotta warn you it might get loud.”

Leonard pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m torn. Part of me thinks I should stick around for it to be over so I can check you two lovebirds medically, but the other part of me can’t wait to get out of here. Either way, I’ll notify M’Benga and Starfleet and Vulcans that Spock’s fine.”

“Thanks.” Jim headed for the stairs. “If you decide to stay, there’s a room down here to the left of the stairs.”

“How much longer has he got?”

“Hell if I know. This is the end of day three. See you, Bones. Soon or not.” Jim chuckled and then made his way up the stairs, favoring one cheek as he did so.

Leonard sighed. He probably needed to get his medical bag out of his hover car and stay a few days.

Idiots.