As usual, there's as much to decipher in what Spock's not saying as what he is, and it's only Jim's particularly determined brand of stubbornness that carries him through to the other side.

"Spock," his says, voice gentling somewhat, "Come sit down. I get this kind of conversation makes you uncomfortable, but I kind of think I have that effect on you in general, so I'm just going to go with it." And yet, as soon as he's begun, Jim pauses. Aboard ship things had been different - they'd had so many duties to distract them, by the time they came together each day as Captain and First Officer, it had felt necessary. Natural. Jim doesn't want to force things, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss that, nor miss the friendship he could swear they'd been slowly evolving towards.

"Do you always secondguess you're this much?" he asks. "Or is it just this place? Our...unique situation here."