Chris turned the bridge over to Buck and stepped onto the turbo lift. He'd let his anger fester long enough. "Computer, locate Lieutenant Richmond."

"Lieutenant Richmond is in the guest officer's quarters, cabin three," the metallic female voice said immediately.

"Deck three," Chris commanded. In seconds he was standing outside the entrance to the guest quarters. To his surprise, JD Dunne stood a few feet ahead of him, looking very uncomfortable.

"Ensign Dunne," Chris called. "Aren't you supposed to be back on duty in," glancing at his watch, Chris finished, "fifteen minutes?"

"I - I wanted to talk to Char - - Lt. Richmond," JD began awkwardly. He had an enormous amount of respect for the captain and suddenly decided to turn it all over to him and let him handle it. "She's been saying stuff about Vin, Captain. Telling anybody who'll listen that he's a freak. That he can't do things - things like... you know," the boy blurted out, his face bright red.

"And?" Chris demanded, his green eyes blazing furiously.

"She called him a - a faggot," JD's voice lowered on the last word. He wanted to hide under a rock somewhere.

"I'll take care of it," Chris said in a clipped angry voice. Seeing JD's distress, he put a hand on the young officer's shoulder. "Vin's got a good friend in you, son. Tell Commander Wilmington I said your tardiness is excused," he said quietly.

Straightening, JD nodded to the captain gratefully and hurried to the lift.

It only took Chris a minute to find Charlotte's door. Knocking, he kept a tight lid on the animosity he felt towards the woman. She was a Star Fleet officer and it was his job to give her the guidance she so obviously needed. No matter how outraged he was over her rudeness, he had to behave professionally. Don't forget your outrage over the way she treated Vin, a little voice jeered inside his head.

"Captain?" Charlotte sounded surprised. He's just a man, after all, she thought and smiled sweetly at him. "Come in," she breathed huskily.

"Lieutenant Richmond, I'm here as a Star Fleet captain," Chris told her flatly. "And nothing more," he added harshly, seeing the way she let her robe fall open to expose her scantily clad body.

Reddening, she narrowed her eyes at him. "What is it, Captain?" she asked abruptly, and tied her robe closed.

He came right to the point. He didn't want to spend any more time with her than he had to. "This is about Vin Tanner."

"The Vulcan?" she smirked, saying the word 'Vulcan' as if it were something distasteful.

"There are things you don't know about Vin, one of them being how easy it would be to hurt him... and I'm sure you don't give a damn about him, anyway, so, I am ordering you to stay away from him."

She feigned shock. "Captain Larabee, I assure you..."

Chris didn't let her get any further. "You're behavior on the bridge this morning was totally unprofessional and more than that, it was downright rude," Chris informed her scathingly. "And the rumors you're spreading about Lieutenant Tanner constitute conduct unbecoming a Star Fleet officer."

Charlotte opened her mouth to protest angrily, but Chris held a hand up and stopped her. "Don't bother with excuses, Lieutenant We both know what you are."

The lieutenant's mouth gaped open in indignation, but Chris didn't give her a chance to speak.

"I have no direct authority over you. However, I do run this ship. And, if you put one foot outside of this cabin while you are on board, I'll slap you with insubordination charges so fast your head will spin. Got it?"

Charlotte's eyes narrowed, but she hissed, "Yes, sir," at Chris's departing form.

Vin stood outside the door to sickbay trying to decide what to do. He paced back and forth chewing on his lower lip. The information on the computer hadn't told him anything he didn't already know. He finally made up his mind and marched straight for the doors. They opened and he stepped inside sickbay.

"Hey Vin," Nathan said when he saw the Vulcan. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah Nathan," Vin said quietly. "I think there's something wrong with me."

"You feeling sick?" Nathan asked quickly moving to the Vulcan's side.

"I ain't sure," Vin admitted. "I feel like I have butterflies in my stomach whenever I look at her."

"I see," Nathan smiled when he realized what Vin was talking about.

"But that's not all Nathan," Vin continued, feeling less embarrassed. "When she touched my penis and began to stroke it and stuff nothing happened. I know it's supposed to get bigger and I should have felt something but I didn't feel nothing."

Sometimes Vin's straightforward approach surprised Nathan and this was one of those times. He knew Vin was young for a Vulcan and many physical things confused him. He was glad Vin felt comfortable talking with him but he never expected he'd have to give Vin lessons on the birds and the bees. He suddenly understood why his own father had been so embarrassed when he'd had to do the same thing.

"Come over here Vin," Nathan said as he walked towards the diagnostic table. "Have a seat."

Vin hopped up on the table as Nathan went to get his tricorder. When Nathan walked back towards Vin he smiled. Vin was swinging his legs back and forth like a kid. Nathan had an idea what was wrong with Vin but he couldn't be sure. Vulcan's were very private about their sexual activities so there was very little information available, but one thing he did know was that the Vulcan equivalent of puberty was not the same as it was in humans. They developed fully into adults well before they matured sexually, and he suspected that was why nothing had happened when Lieutenant Richmond had touched Vin.

He wasn't sure what attracted the Vulcan to her. Nathan had only met her once and disliked her instantly, even more so after he'd heard about the incident on the bridge. Chris was furious with her over that. The captain was protective of his entire crew, but he seemed to realize that Vin, because of his unusual background, needed a special amount of attention. By all accounts, Vin's parents had been elderly and quite eccentric, but they'd also been gentle souls, as had been the other member of their research team. Three adults raised Vin with no other human contact for 12 years, and in a way, their kindness and patience with the Vulcan child had done Vin a disservice; It simply didn't occur to him that anyone would intentionally be cruel to him.

Vin watched as Nathan walked towards him.

"Lay back on the table Vin," Nathan instructed. "I'm going to give you a full physical."

"OK," Vin said as he stretched out. Nathan passed the medical tricorder over the Vulcan. "So Nathan what do you think is wrong? I sure hope you can fix it. I want Char...I mean Lieutenant Richmond to like me."

"Let's see what we can find," Nathan said. He knew he wasn't going to find anything but he continued the exam anyway.

Nathan ran routine diagnostics and also tested Vin's hormone levels, and other signs that would indicate his level of physical development on a Vulcan scale. He'd entered the Academy at 19, because he'd passed the test normally given to humans. A Vulcan candidate would have been much older, but the records also indicated that Vin would not have passed the test given to Vulcans. While his IQ was well above the norm for a human, he was not able to process information as efficiently as he would have been able to had he been raised by Vulcans. Chronological age was meaningless at the Academy, anyway. Some species were mature adults before their age hit double digits, while others were adolescents at 75.

The only thing that had changed from Vin's last exam was his weight. He'd lost five pounds, but judging from his records, he could just as easily have gained ten. Nathan wasn't surprised about Vin's fluctuating weight. The Vulcan never sat still and was always doing something. He also loved to eat, usually anything with a high sugar content.

He put everything away and Vin looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" Vin asked.

"Vin let me ask you something," Nathan began. "How old were you when they found you?"

"My parents said I was five," Vin answered. Nathan knew he was talking about his adoptive parents since Vin had no memory of his Vulcan family.

"Was that your real age or how old they thought you might be?" Nathan persisted.

"I ain't sure, why?" Vin asked becoming confused.

"Come on Vin, let's go sit on the couch," Nathan suggested.

Vin sat up and hopped off the diagnostic table. He followed Nathan over to the couch and sat down next to him. He figured there must be something terribly wrong with him since Nathan kept evading the question. He could see Nathan was nervous.

"It's bad isn't it." Vin stated.

"Huh, what?" Nathan asked confused.

"I'm really sick ain't I?"

"No, Vin, you're fine," Nathan said trying to figure out how to explain.

"Then what's wrong?" Vin asked. "I know what I'm supposed to do. I used to watch the stallions and the bulls on my parents' ranch."

"Well....um, that's good," Nathan replied stumbling over his words. He hadn't expected that from Vin. "But have a look at these readings." He punched some buttons on the tricorder and handed it to Vin. His tests had revealed that while he was an adult male by standards of human appearance, his skeletal development, hormone levels and other indicators of physical maturity were, by Vulcan standards, still not fully realized. "I think your problem is that you might still be too young."

Vin was surprisingly calm about that revelation. "So you think my body isn't ready for sex," he nodded. "So that's why my penis didn't become engorged when Lieutenant Richmond stroked it?"

Nathan coughed in an effort to hide a smile. "Probably," he said, shaking his head. Leave it to Vin to come right to the point. "But I can't be sure. There's very little information available about Vulcan sexuality."

"Can I ask you something else," Vin said.

"I guess," Nathan said warily, dreading the question.

"She called me a faggot," Vin said. "I know what the word means, but I don't understand why she called me that."

"Well Vin," Nathan said calmly. Inside he was seething with rage. How dare that bitch call Vin that! "Do you know the biological history of the Volarian Royal snake?"

"Sure," Vin said with a smile. "When they aren't reproducing the males and females have no contact with each other. They please themselves sexually with others of the same sex..." His face clouded as realization hit him. "Oh... she didn't like it when I said JD is my friend... she was mad because she thinks I'd rather have sex with him?"

"That's right," Nathan said. "Now, in the first place, if you did, it would be none of her damn business, but..." He wasn't sure how extensive an explanation was required, so he opted for brief and honest. "When Lieutenant Richmond called you a faggot she wasn't being nice."

"Oh," Vin said in a hurt voice. "I thought she liked me. She said she did, then she kissed me."

"Maybe she's just not the right women for you," Nathan suggested trying to make Vin feel better.

"I reckon," Vin said half-heartedly.

Nathan could tell he was still hurt and confused. He put a reassuring hand on the Vulcan's shoulder. "Vin... there's nothing wrong with you. When your body is ready for it to happen, it will. That is one of nature's oldest certainties."

Vin nodded and smiled slightly. "Thanks Nathan."

The chief medical officer watched as Vin walked through the sliding doors. Nathan could tell Vin was upset by what he told him. He knew this was the first woman that Vin was interested in and it looked like he had fallen for her hard. Nathan just hoped she wouldn't hurt him any more.

+ + + + + + +

Vin stood outside the doors and thought about what Nathan told him. It was possible his body wasn't ready yet but he felt he was inside. Vin figured it must be something he was doing wrong. The Vulcan decided to go find the one person who seemed to have the most luck with women. If Buck couldn't help him, then no one could.

Buck Wilmington was gasping for breath after choking on his beer. A man shouldn't take another man by surprise by asking him what Vin had just asked him.

The Vulcan smacked him on the back, almost hard enough to crack his ribs. Damn little elf didn't know his own strength. He held up his hand so Vin wouldn't hit him again, while he tried to stop coughing.

Inez had heard Vin's question and turned her back to him, but Buck would have bet all the gold-pressed latinum in Ezra's stateroom that she was laughing.

Vin, as usual, was unaffected. He simply stared at him with those blue eyes of his waiting for an answer.

Buck composed himself. "Well, now, you see, Vin, that ain't really somethin' one person can teach another. When the time is right, you just kind of know how to do it."

Vin sighed. "That's what JD said."

Taken aback that he had no more to offer Vin than the young, and, he surmised, inexperienced Ensign, Buck felt he had to say more on the subject. He leaned closer to Vin so Inez wouldn't hear their discussion. "Are you telling me you don't get hard? Ever?"

Vin shook his head.

Buck stroked his chin. "Well, I'll be damned," he muttered. "I could see where that might be a problem if you wanted to entertain a lady in the proper way..."

"I don't want to entertain her, I just want to have sex with her."

Buck, unfortunately, was taking another ill-timed sip of his beer and choked on it, again.

"You should go see Nathan about that cough," Vin said, concerned.

"Never mind... my cough..." Buck coughed. After a few moments, he composed himself. The Vulcan was still looking at him expectantly. "Okay, first of all, it's best if you keep that particular thought to yourself..."

Vin frowned and was indignant. "I wouldn't say that to her, Buck. I thought this discussion was man to man. Men talk about these things."

Buck should have laughed, but, instead, he felt an unexpected twinge of sympathy for Vin. The Vulcan never seemed to quite know exactly how to fit in. He'd often wondered what special brand of hell the Academy must have been for him. "Well, now.. That is true, ain't it? Okay, I tell you what. You have Inez over there whip you up one of those hot fudge sundaes you like so much, and then we'll go to my cabin and maybe ol' Buck can teach you a trick or two."

Unfortunately, Buck put his beer to his lips again at the same time Vin said "We're going to have sex?"

The boy was hopeless.

Buck gave up on the beer. If he inhaled any more, he would drown in it.

"No, son. But, there are ways to please a woman where you don't need to rise to the occasion, as it were. I'll explain them to you."

+ + + + + + +

Three hours later, Vin felt lightyears wiser. He'd heard about some of the stuff Buck had explained to him when he was at the Academy, but he'd never really paid much attention. None of the women there thought about him in that way. The human women figured since he was a Vulcan, he wasn't interested, and the few Vulcan women he'd known weren't even interested in real Vulcan men.

Buck put his arm around him as he was preparing to leave. "Now, Vin, you know what you can do, but I feel I gotta tell you, Charlotte Richmond ain't worth you sufferin' any more hurt over. She's a slut. You know what that is, Vin?"

"I think so..." Vin said, but Buck could tell he wasn't getting through to the young man.

"She's gonna..." Buck started to say 'chew you up and spit you out' but knowing Vin, he'd probably take that to mean Lt. Richmond was a cannibal. "She just ain't a good woman, Vin."

"Your mother worked in the pleasure domes," Vin reminded Buck. JD had told him that. "Was she not a good woman?"

"My mother was a saint," Buck said. "And she never, ever used a man just to shame him." Vin looked at him, bewildered. "You ain't gettin' one word of this, are you, kid?" Buck sighed.

"I'm not stupid, Buck."

"Well, what do you want from her? 'Cause it's a sure bet if it's starlight suppers and romantic walks in some holodeck program, that ain't gonna happen."

"I don't want romance, Buck. I just want... I just..." The Vulcan fumbled for words.

"What Vin? Just come out and say it. I know you can do it," Buck joked.

But Vin was serious. "I just want to be like you and the others."

Aw HELL! What was he going to say to that? Buck thought. And then, he realized, there was nothing he could say. Vin was just going to have to take his lumps with that bitch and get his heart broken, just like he and probably every other man on the Maverick had at one time or another. But, he felt he should offer one more piece of brotherly advise. "Vin, you can ride a horse, right?" He already knew the answer to that. He'd seen Vin ride when they'd run the old west scenario on the holodeck. He'd grown up around horses - or their equivalent - and he was an excellent rider.

Vin nodded. "You know that, Buck."

"Do you remember learning how?"

Vin frowned, "Not very well. I was really small."

"Did you ever fall off? Get thrown?"

Vin nodded. "I broke my arm once."

"But you got right back up on that horse, right?" He could see Vin understood. "I'm tellin' you right now, Charlotte is like them horses. She's gonna try to hurt you. If you want to go for a ride, anyway, you gotta know that, and you gotta get back in the saddle after you fall. You understand me?"

Vin nodded solemnly. He turned and headed for the door, but turned back and smiled. "Thanks, Buck."

After the door closed, Buck plopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh. "Don't thank me yet, kid." He asked the computer to find the Captain.

ELEVEN

"What is it Buck?" Chris demanded as he entered Buck's cabin.

"We've got a problem," Buck informed Chris, as he handed him a shot of plain whiskey. It was all Chris ever drank.

"What?" Chris asked worriedly, his fingers clenched around the glass.

"Looks like the elf is about to become another notch on Lt Richmond's g-string," Buck responded with a thin humorless smile.

"Goddammit Buck, make sense!" Chris declared angrily.

Buck poured himself a drink and threw it back, before he answered. "He's probably knockin' on her door right now," the big man said sadly.

+ + + + + + +

"Who is it?" Charlotte's sultry voice called from behind her closed door.

"It - it's Lieutenant Tanner," Vin replied hesitantly.

He heard nothing for a few seconds and was about to turn and walk away, when the door slid open and suddenly Charlotte was standing in front of him.

Vin's mouth dropped open at the sight of her. She was wearing a gauze negligee, that did nothing to hide her body.

"Come in," she laughed musically at Vin's obvious shock. Taking his arm, she led him into her cabin. "What can I do for you?" she purred.

"Uh . . . uhm, I . . . I." Vin couldn't remember what he'd come for and he didn't think he would be able to make his mouth form the words if he did.

"Let me guess," Charlotte said silkily and left his side to ease herself gracefully down onto the sofa. She leaned against the back, with her legs parted slightly, and her breasts straining against the thin material of her negligee. "You've realized that you really do want me?"

Vin could feel his ears and cheeks getting hot and he could only nod in response. He was determined to try some of the things Buck had told him would please a woman.

"Well, come on over here then, lover," Charlotte's delicate hand patted the couch beside her.

Vin gulped and moved to stand in front of Charlotte. She laughed at his obvious discomfort. Her long fingers slid up his hand and back down his arm. "Relax darling, Charlotte knows how to take good care of you."

Vin sat down stiffly beside her and tried to will his body to respond. Maybe if he touched her, it would do what it was supposed to. And, Buck had said that women liked being touched. So, Vin leaned against Charlotte and kissed her tentatively on the lips.

To his surprise, Charlotte grabbed his head with both hands and held it tightly, while her tongue entered his mouth. Her body was sliding against his and Vin was determined to keep kissing her and touching her, until his body reacted the way it should.

The Vulcan put a hand on Charlotte's breast. He felt nothing remotely like what he thought he should feel, but apparently Charlotte liked it, because she was purring again and she pushed over him, until he was lying back against the sofa and she was straddling him. Both of her breasts were out of the negligee and she leaned down so that they were near Vin's face.

Buck... what had Buck told him to do now? Vin thought frantically. Kiss them, yeah, that was it. Buck had said women liked it when you kissed their breasts. He leaned a little closer and put his lips on one of her breasts. Her nipples became instantly hard, and he wondered helplessly why his body wasn't responding.

Charlotte was ecstatic. She was going to be able to tell all those bitches who looked down their noses at her, that she'd had the Vulcan. He wasn't very adept, and truthfully, even though he was cute, she didn't find him very sexually attractive. The only reason she was willing to be with him was because he was a Vulcan. Still, she moaned and purred on cue, because she did want him to finish the act. Now, that Captain Larabee, that was one hot man. Charlotte was certain that she wouldn't have to fake anything if he were the one with his mouth on her breast. She could feel moisture between her legs, just at the thought of Chris Larabee's rock hard body.

Vin was dutifully trying to please Charlotte. He wished his body would hurry up and react, but it wasn't. Nothing at all was happening, except that he was having a lot of trouble remembering what Buck had told him to do.

Charlotte reached down between Vin's legs to stroke his cock, and was outraged when she realized that it was still flaccid. Willing herself to remain calm, she thought that maybe Vulcans just needed more stimulation. So, she undid the front of his uniform and slid down his body seductively. "You're gonna love this," she purred, just before she engulfed his flaccid organ with her mouth.

Vin couldn't understand why she would even want to do that, but he did know he was supposed to like it. And he did, sort of, because it felt a lot better than her pulling on it, but he wasn't getting hard like he knew he was supposed to. Dammit, he thought in frustration.

Charlotte's anger was growing. Fucking Vulcan wasn't getting hard at all. Not even with her tongue licking his balls or her mouth sucking him like a damned three-tongued android pleasure giver. What the hell was the matter with him? He really was a freak!

"You bastard," she hissed, pulling away from his limp penis. "You just can't get it up at all, can you? Good thing, I've got a real man handy. Come out now," she called to the head.

To Vin's shock, a nude and very erect Lieutenant James stepped into the room. "Damn, Charlotte," he ignored Vin and addressed her. "You are so hot, I was gonna come just watching you work."

Charlotte got off her knees and made her way over to James. "Don't worry, you're not gonna have to just watch anymore. This damned little freak is hopeless."

Vin couldn't believe what was happening. James had been in the head the whole time watching them! How could Charlotte have been doing what she was doing knowing someone else was there? And, what was she doing now?

Charlotte was determined to get even with the Vulcan for making her look like a failure. She pleased men - normal men. How dare he come here, when his cock didn't even work? She'd show him how she handled a real man.

James' arm snaked out and grabbed Charlotte. He pulled her roughly to him, his eyes never leaving Vin's. "Just watch a man at work, boy. Maybe that limp dick of yours will learn something." He then pushed Charlotte up against the wall and kissed her hard. His hands squeezed both of her breasts and one traveled between her legs.

Vin saw the way Charlotte spread her legs, to give James access. He tried to tear his eyes away, knowing that this was not something anyone should witness another person doing, but he couldn't. He was both repulsed and fascinated at the same time. How could Charlotte do this? How could she do it in front of him? He thought he might throw up when he saw James push Charlotte down to her knees and begged her to suck him. And to his disgust, she took him in her mouth while her eyes remained fixed on Vin.

Vin quickly fastening his uniform and darted out of the cabin, the sound of their mocking laughter ringing in his ears.

Chris stormed down the corridor to the guest quarters. When he was standing outside her door he heard voices, and he almost changed his mind and let them work it out themselves, but he didn't want Vin to be hurt. The captain hit the call button and waited.

"Is that you Vin?" Charlotte called. "Decided you needed another lesson?"

"Yeah come on in and maybe I'll let you suck me too, faggot," James sneered.

Charlotte was laughing and kissing Lieutenant James when the door slid open. She looked up and wasn't prepared to see Chris Larabee. She knew she could get almost any man to do her bidding with a smile and a sway of the hips, but the man standing in the doorway was not one of them. She knew she was in trouble when she saw the anger in his deadly green eyes. Lieutenant James turned around to make another comment and went deathly pale when he saw Captain Larabee. He quickly backed away from Charlotte gathering his clothes and headed for the door. Chris didn't move and James was forced to look at him.

"You're confined to quarters," Larabee growled.

"Yes sir," James said and Chris let him by.

Once he was gone Chris stepped into the cabin letting the door close behind him. He was happy to see Lieutenant Richmond was afraid of him. He walked over to the couch as she gathered pillows to cover her nakedness.

"If you invite anyone else to these quarters for the duration of your time on this ship, or if I hear you've stepped outside this door," Chris said icily, "I'll throw you in the brig."

"You have no right!" she said defiantly.

"Lady, I don't give a fuck whether I have the right. I'll do it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," She said raising her chin hautily.

Chris turned his back on her and walked out the door. He commanded the computer to lock her door as he tried to cool his seething rage. He knew he had to find Vin but he didn't want the Vulcan to see him this mad. When he was again under control he walked over to the computer panel.

"Computer locate Lieutenant Tanner," he said

"Lieutenant Tanner is in his cabin," replied the mechanical female voice.

Chris couldn't believe his luck. Usually Vin would find a place to hide so he could think. He made his way to the Vulcan's cabin and and waited as he let the call button chime. He overrode the lock when there was no reply. He stepped inside to find Vin's communication badge on the table.

'Damn," Chris cursed.

The computer said Vin was in his cabin because his badge was there. Chris left the cabin and headed for the bridge. Vin could be hiding anywhere and he needed the sensors on the bridge to locate him. When the turbo lift doors opened on the bridge and he stepped out. Ezra was the first to notice him and he'd never seen the captain this angry.

"Lieutenant Standish," Chris barked. "Scan for Lieutenant Tanner throughout the ship."

"Aye sir," Ezra said and turned back to his console.

"Well?" Buck asked.

"You were right Buck, Vin didn't stand a chance," Chris said. "He's run off to lick his wounds. I found his communicator in his cabin."

"Damn!" Buck yelled. "I should have stopped him."

"He wouldn't have listened," Josiah said. "Vin had to learn this lesson the hard way."

"I suppose," JD agreed. "But she had no right to do that to him."

"An pray tell, where is the black widow now?" Ezra asked as he continued his scan.

"Locked in her cabin," Chris answered.

"Pity," Ezra said. "The bilge would have suited her personality better."

Chris heard mumbled agreements from the others. He waited patiently for Ezra to find Vin.

"Got him," Ezra said with a smile.

"Where?" Chris asked dreading the answer.

"The old stellar cartography dome," Ezra replied.

"Well damn," Buck exclaimed. "That's sure is the furthest he can get form people."

"He couldn't pick somewhere close to hide," Chris lamented, although he should have known better. Vin had 'hidden' in the dome before.

"I could have you beamed over Captain," Ezra suggested.

"You know intership beaming is prohibited," Nathan said. "It's too dangerous. Except in medical emergencies."

"Well looks like I'll have a chance to calm down before I get there," Chris said.

"If ya's ain't back in three days we'll send a search party," Buck said with a laugh.

+ + + + + + +

Vin lay on his back staring up at the stars. He heard the door open and knew it was Chris. He wasn't surprised the captain had come looking for him. Chris cared about him, not the same way his parents had, but... well, he couldn't explain it, it was just something he felt. Chris sat down next to him and said nothing. That's what Vin liked about the captain. There was no need for words between them at times like this.

Chris looked down at Vin and waited. He knew the Vulcan would talk when he was ready. Chris knew he was probably confused and didn't know where to start. He had stopped at Ten Forward and picked up some old-style candies that Vin liked. He knew the Vulcan always felt better when he was eating chocolate and had programmed the replicator to make them. They were tiny pieces of chocolate covered in colorful candy shells. Chris opened the container and held it out to Vin. The Vulcan sat up with a smile and took a handful. Chris smiled as he watched Vin pick out and eat all the green ones first.

"How did ya know Sarah was the one?" Vin asked him thoughtfully.

"Uh," Chris stammered, taken by surprise. Of all the questions he hadn't been prepared for that one.

Chris looked into Vin's expressive blue eyes and he could see Vin hadn't asked to make Chris uncomfortable. Chris's mind quickly focused on the terrible accident that claimed the life of his wife and son. He rode out the pain in his heart the image conjured then suppressed it. Chris dragged up happy memories from where he had stored them and smiled.

"I'm sorry Chris," Vin apologized when he saw the pain in Chris's eyes. "You don't have to tell me."

"No," Chris said softly, "I want to... Buck and I were on shore leave on Regal IV," Chris said with a smile. "We were invited to a party and she was there. I couldn't take my eyes off her; she was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. Somehow I found the courage to ask her for a dance."

"And you just knew, right?" Vin asked.

"At first I didn't," Chris answered. "But she did."

"Were you able to have sex with her?" Vin asked innocently.

"Vin let me explain something to you," Chris began, taking no offense. "Lieutenant Richmond isn't your typical human female. She just likes to bed men because it makes he feel powerful. Most human females aren't like that."

"So Sarah wasn't like that?"

"No she wasn't," Chris said. If anyone else but Vin had asked a question like that Chris would have killed them. "Sarah and I became friends first, then lovers."

"I thought Charlotte was the right one," Vin admitted. "But when she touched me I didn't feel anything."

"You're still young Vin," Chris said. "Vulcans might differ in their development from humans."

"That's what Nathan said," Vin sighed. "I just wanted to be like everyone else. I wanted to fit in."

"I know," Chris said. "But you already fit in and being a Vulcan makes you unique." He grabbed the back of Vin's neck and shook him playfully. "Makes you special to all of us."

Vin smiled shyly. "Do you think I'll ever find the right mate?" he asked, eating more of the candies.

"Someday the right person will come along and you'll know," Chris said.

Vin looked away. "Hope you're right."

Chris and the others were very fond of Vin, and sometimes, it was easy to forget how alone he really was. It made Chris sad that there wasn't anything he could do about that. "The others are worried about you. Ready to head back?"

"I reckon," Vin said standing up. "Thanks Chris."

"Anytime," Chris said.

Two days later Lucas James and Charlotte Richmond were well on their way to becoming little more than bad memories. James' uncle had pulled strings to get the incident report concerning his impropriety with Richmond expunged from his record, but Larabee didn't really care about him. It rankled him more that Richmond had once again managed to walk away from another victim without so much as a reprimand. Vin had been a willing participant, and he couldn't bring misconduct charges against her without bringing them against Vin, also.

Nonetheless, Ezra managed to call in a few well-placed markers and a last-minute change in orders saw her transferred to the Camodius Cluster. That system contained one sun and two planets, Camodius 12 and Camodia 14. Its inhabitants were unique in that the males and females lived on separate planets, and Lieutenant Richmond was assigned to the communications outpost on Camodius 12, the 'female' planet. She would not see another man for a long, long, time.

She had appealed to friends in Starfleet but they refused to help her and bring down the wrath of Chris Larabee upon themselves. She could have resigned her commission , but it was all she knew, unless she decided to open a brothel somewhere.

+ + + + + + +

Before Lieutenant Richmond could answer the call bell on her cabin, the Chief of Security opened the door himself. She smiled her most winning smile at him.

"My dear black widow I'm immune to your wiles," Ezra said. "Gather your bags, your shuttle has arrived."

Charlotte was appalled when he left her to carry her own bags. She shouldered them and followed him to the shuttle bay. Ezra loaded her onto the shuttle and then sat back to watch Buck 'supervise' the crew of planet inhabitants as they loaded a cargo vessel with trade goods.

Supervising a dock crew was not one of Buck's duties, but the women of Camodius 12 were legendary for their beauty - and their unattainability. Commander Wilmington was never one to shirk from a challenge.

In short order, Vin and JD had joined him on the observation deck. The view, Ezra had to admit, was spectacular. The Camodian females came in every shape, size and color a man could imagine, and their 'uniforms' were not actually clothing, but only minimum protection for the more sensitive components of their anatomy.

"Damn, they're practically naked!" JD put it succinctly, his jaw agape.

"Yeah," Vin said, "you can see their butts wiggle."

Ezra almost laughed at the expression on the faces of both of the younger men, although he was somewhat surprised to see the young Vulcan was just as interested as JD.

The two of them looked at him and in unison said, "What?"

Ezra shook his head and walked away.

Vin didn't know what Ezra thought was so funny, but he didn't let that interfere with his enjoyment at watching the scantily clad Camodian females. Looking at their exposed backsides and barely concealed breasts made him feel funny. It gave him a sort of warm, tingly feeling deep in his belly. He wasn't sure what it was, but, he knew he liked it.