Disclaimer: Unfortunately, still not mine.

Sorry this is so late (again). I had my uni graduation, trouble with wifi and the blistering heat has made it nearly impossible to do anything but wilt against a chair and eat ice lollies. So I haven't had a chance to reply to reviews, but I figured you'd rather get the chapter than a note from me, so here you are!

The heel of Uhura's boot tapped the tiled floor in a staccato beat, her knee jiggling as she bit the nail of her thumb.

Scotty had ran up to the Bridge the moment Kirk and Spock had beamed down to New Vulcan. "Worrying is dangerous when yer alone, laddie," he'd said to Chekov, who had frowned in question when the red-headed Scotsman had stepped out of the turbo lift.

In her opinion, it wasn't any less dangerous in a group either.

They were all fidgeting and sighing – even Sulu was drumming his fingers on the console and shifting in his seat, uneasy.

They didn't know how long they'd be waiting but she hoped that it wouldn't be too long. She didn't think that she could cope with her churning stomach if Kirk's debriefing with Sarek dragged on.

But then again she didn't want him to hurry back without Spock in tow.

She huffed and dropped her chin onto her arm as she slumped forward across her console.

"Chin up, darlin'," McCoy said as he plonked a cup of tea in front of her. "Moping about it won't change the outcome."

She raised an eyebrow but sat up, cradling the hot mug in her hands.

"Don't shoot me that look," he said, a shadow of a smile lifting his lips as he turned to lean beside her chair. "Jim always gets what he wants"

Uhura snorted and McCoy grinned. "Well, almost everything." He winked in allusion to Kirk and Uhura's first meeting, before pushing off and handing a cup to Chekov.

"You're not worried are you, boy?"

Chekov shook his head and sucked his bottom lip, taking the cup and resting it on his knee. "I think Spock will come back, but I don't know for certain. There are many reasons why he should stay with us but there are many reasons why he shouldn't. It's up to him." He shrugged and brought his cup to his lips, avoiding eye contact with everybody.

Uhura sighed and did the same. She was tempted to open communication with Kirk but it would be unprofessional to call him for what was essentially gossip.

She hadn't seen Spock since he had left his and Chekov's chess game until the following day when she started her shift. He was stood, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at his monitor with a concentration that wasn't disturbed by anything going on around him.

She'd kept quiet, sneaking furtive glances at him throughout her shift that she was sure he'd picked up on. Occasionally he would take a deep breath and his torso would move slightly, as if to turn towards her, but he always stopped before their eyes could meet.

As the relief crew stepped forward to take their positions, Uhura's stomach leapt with excitement that had been building for the last three hours. As she stood and looked for Spock, a smile graced her lips with the intention to ask him if he wanted to join her for dinner.

But it fell when she saw him stride towards the turbo lift and the doors closed with him alone, eyes fixed firmly on the floor.

"He said he needs to meditate," Chekov said glumly. He patted her arm softly and she looped hers through his and leant her head on his shoulder.

And neither of them had seen him since. He and Kirk had beamed down as soon as they could, which unfortunately was at a time when Uhura was tossing and turning in her bed.

"I did get used to seeing him roaming the corridors," McCoy said, eyes unfocussed, staring at the ceiling contemplatively. "And he is a useful chap to have around."

"Doctor!" Scotty said, pressing his palms to his cheeks and widening his eyes mockingly. "Are you admitting you want the hob goblin to return?"

"What happened to your indifference?" Sulu asked, voice unaccusing but amusement warming his features.

McCoy glared at them. "I was stating facts, not opinions."

They were quiet after that, working as diligently as they could under the circumstances and sending reassuring smiles when their wandering eyes met a worried glance.

The silence was about to reach breaking point with how wound up Uhura felt, but it was broken by Scotty's comm buzzing, telling him to get back to the transporter room.

"Must dash," he said, winking at her as she jogged past. She thought she was going to be sick.

She stood up and began pacing. "Why couldn't I have gone down there with them?" she said, somewhat rhetorically.

"Because you weren't needed," McCoy said wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"And because it wouldn't have been fair," Chekov added with a smirk that helped to cool her ire.

She threw herself back into her seat and resumed tapping her heel against the floor again as the minutes dragged on and her stomach twisted itself into more knots.

They jumped when the quiet hissing of the turbo lift broke the tension and they all turned to the doors with held breaths, waiting with unbearable tension to see who was arriving.

The doors slid open to reveal a blonde head with a self-satisfied smirk. He stepped forward with open arms as if embracing a crowd.

And behind him, a tall dark figure emerged with an impassive expression and Uhura choked out the breath she was holding with a hand to her chest.

She beamed at him as he strode past her on his way to the Science station, and she could have sworn that there was a shadow of a smile when he looked at her.

The crew were watching him and congratulating Kirk discreetly, smiling at him and mouthing their 'well dones', but she knew that Spock wouldn't be anywhere he didn't want to.

And that made her extremely happy.

Ta Dah! That was the final chapter of 'One'. I have planned the next section (not surprisingly called 'Many') which will centre on a courtship on a starship and though it was sensible for this to end here as the pace will change considerably.

Because of my increasingly busy life, I'm not going to post the story until I have a substantial back-log of chapters. I don't like updating irregularly because readers forget what happened in the last chapter, if they keep reading at all. I'll probably bombard you with one-shots for the time being. I hope you understand.

I want to say thank you to everyone who read, favourited and reviewed! This is the most 'successful' story I've written so far and I want you to know how grateful I am :)

See you soon,

Aniseed.