Jim was always messing around on the bridge, whether it was throwing frisbees that the crew had picked up while on shore leave over the heads of Chekov and Sulu while they performed their duties - mostly to get a jump out of them - or talking to himself in different voices and accents and more than occasionally impersonating his crew members. With positively no contest, his favorite person in the crew to pick on was Spock and he donned a detached Vulcan drone of his voice and used large (and sometimes entirely made up) words.

Today the esteemed Captain was tossing grapes up into the air and catching them in his mouth, almost always successfully. The days were mangled together and he was beginning to forget or be too absent minded to care to do a captain's log for every day, as he should. The boredom of absolutely nothing going on until the enterprise reached her next destination was getting to everyone, but especially Jim. He threw another grape into the air, and caught it in his mouth, smiling in satisfaction and self-pride. The captain's blue eyes scanned the bridge, he took in several distinct qualities. Sulu and Chekov were chattering happily as they steadily went about their jobs, Uhura was, as always, not paying him any mind. Bones was, for some reason, on the bridge, as he always was for some absurd reason but Jim never wanted to order him back to the sick bay - he figured it must get lonely at times, and depressing at others. He glanced at his first officer, who was staring in wonder, but quickly looked away and back to his duties.

Jim smiled to himself again, surrounded by his family, his crew, he was always content - that is, as long as they were all happy and safe, as they were.

Uhura turned to face Jim just as he caught another grape in his mouth. She was usually stern but he and the rest of the crew had gotten her to loosen up more often, and though she was still by far the most professional among them, she cracked a smile.

"You are needed in engineering, Captain." She quickly turned back to her job, and went back to work.

Jim stood, nodded, and didn't bother to ask what for. If there was something wrong with his ship, he would know. He was in tune with the Enterprise as a father is with his daughter, or as one twin is with their twin. The enterprise was this precious glimmering light that kept his family safe, and he would know if there was ever anything wrong. Anyway, Scotty would have made it clear that the situation was urgent if it was.

Back on the bridge, Spock stared at the small, purple and green fruits that Jim had been tossing. He tried very very hard to contain himself, but the second he realized that no one was paying attention to him or the fact that the Captain had simply left the grapes lying around, he walked over to them. He picked one up, examined it, then looked around the bridge once more. No one was looking still, so he gently tossed the fruit up and tried to catch it in his mouth, as Jim had. He had no success. The grape hit his nose and then fell onto the floor. He glanced around again - still no one had seen. He picked up another grape, and tried to toss it again. This time it hit his eye. Spock kept watch for several more times, before becoming so very involved in tossing and attempting to catch the grapes but failing every time that he only barely heard Chekov's small exclamation of "Keptin on zee bridge". He scrambled away from the chair, and up the back of the bridge to leave, pretending he had something to attend to.

On his way out, he found Bones, arms folded and grinning as if he was a five year old and Christmas had just come on the Enterprise a month early.

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Yes, doctor?"

"Well that was damn graceful."