It was odd to see McCoy being the last to get his plate. Spock raised an eyebrow seeing the lag his way to the table. Uhura was speaking in fluently in a foreign language that Scotty was familiar with and they were both speaking in it fluently. It was in German. They were discussing about a group of kids who had come by an hour earlier and listened to their tales of how the day was when they were younger. The discussion was quite private. McCoy slowly sat down where he usually sat except Jim wasn't with him.

"Where is Jim?" Sulu asked.

McCoy looked up toward Sulu.

"Don't tell us it's happened." Chekov said.

"Grimm jumped onto Jim's lap." McCoy

The table went silent at the mention of the cat's name.

"Who is Grimm?" Spock asked.

"Sweet Hill's cat," McCoy said. "One of many."

"There is more than one cat?" Spock asked.

"Yes." They said.

Spock had a look of disbelief on his face. How could it not become apparent that there were more than one cat in the nursing home? It was highly improbably for cats not to be in the same room for six months for someone who had just made themselves home. Unless there is a probability in which it is possible. There was always room for the slightest of all. Spock found it odd that everyone was sad over a cat landing on Jim's lap.

"Why does a cat matter when it lands on someones lap?" Spock said.

"These cats hate being on old people's laps." McCoy said. "They avoid the healthy like the plague. Every time they sit on someones lap in here, they are goin' to be dead within the week. It is a well known bad omen."

"Bad omens are illogical, doctor." Spock said.

"Oh shut up." McCoy snapped back.

"If he isn't here for dinner then he vill be in the death ward." Chekov said, sadly.

"Cats cannot determine death." Spock said.

"The cats predicted Khan's death." Sulu said, with a straight face.

"When I first came here I tried tae pet one and they kept runnin' away from me." Scotty said. "I only got scratches when I tried pettin' them. They would only sit on the restin' residents. Until they started dyin'."

"Cats are defensive when it comes to being chased." Spock said.

"They also predicted the earthquake Aura was about to undergo two months ago." Uhura added. "They can see things we can't see. They can hear things we cannot hear."

"Are you not the one who wants to believe in the impossible?" McCoy reminded Spock. "Like the story of kid I told you about becomin' part of the sky." He twirled a finger in the air aimed at the ceiling. "Now don't tell me you could feasibly believe it because of the wizard part."

Spock raised an eyebrow.

"It was logical the way you set it up." Spock said.

"Ah," Chekov said. "You told Spock one of many myths about the Aura lights? The ones historians are fiercely against?"

"Yes." McCoy said. "And I did play Aura's anthem."

"I do not remember hearing Aura's anthem." Spock said.

"Which version?" Sulu asked. "The cat one? The bird one?"

"Or is it the cloud one?" Chekov asked.

"I told him the sky one." McCoy said.

Uhura smiled.

"That one." Uhura said. "The one that involves Gaunti's son and Hauzi's son."

"Yes, that one." McCoy said.

"Not a bad choice introducing the ambassador into Aura's mythology." Uhura said.

"I was unaware it has its own mythology." Spock said.

"Oh, you never heard of the lost city?" Chekov asked. "The City of Gallous?"

"Negative." Spock said.

"It is the equiwalent of losing Florida on a smaller scale." Chekov explained. "It used to be sprawling with life. To this day they are still excawating it on the east coast. In fact the mostly russian starship Pitrov discowered this planet after the original Enterprise." Chekov leaned his arm on the table picking up the sandwich in one hand with a dreamy look about his face. "It had seweral adwentures along the neutral zone. Ve found a habitable asteroid while on patrol."

"Didn't it get lost?" Spock inquired.

"She is still on patrol." Chekov said.

"Like the fifty submarines lost in world war 2." Sulu said.

"The thin' is Spock . . ." McCoy said. "We are going to lose the core of our submarine that isn't on patrol."

"I refuse to believe that Jim is dying," Spock said. "When I mind meld with him, his katra did not show any signs of decaying and becoming smaller." McCoy raised an eyebrow. "It was like I was staring at a perfectly healthy katra to a young man in his youth."

"And what about mine?" McCoy asked.

"I did not venture toward your katra, doctor." Spock said. "It was a emotional transference."

"You mind melded with Jim and you saw his soul." McCoy said.

"You requested I not look into your past and I respected that." Spock said, as Chekov was eating his sandwich. Now it was Spock's turn to raise the eyebrow. "Would you like to experience a mind meld after lunch?"

McCoy took another bite from his sandwich.

"Let me think about it." McCoy said.

"As you wish." Spock said.

Not much had changed the startling kiss with Spock five days ago. The conversation they had shared was more or so rather confirming what their relationship had been earlier and nothing more than that. McCoy was beginning to wonder if there was something more to explore with Spock, relationship wise. Though McCoy felt like the Vulcan was keeping back a question that was bugging him. The silence between them indicated that there was. At least in the dreams he picked up on that before asking dream Spock what was on his mind. The Vulcan would open his mouth and McCo would wake up. It was getting annoying having these dreams.

"So when are you going to visit the death ward?" Sulu asked.

"Jim is not dying." Spock said, adamantly.

"But when it comes, are you going to make your goodbye?" Sulu asked. "Before it is too late."

Spock considered his last conversation with Shawk that was face to face. His last conversation with Admiral Strong. He felt regret at not wishing Strong a long and prosperous life. At the time that Strong and Spock had last met, it was for a Endeavor reunion anniversary. Four hundred thirty people were still around. Strong and Spock had often crossed paths so it seemed unnatural for months afterwards that the man wasn't walking around with a easy going smile on his face and a pair of shy first officers by his side. Rest of the thirty had died off under various circumstances. Spock did not reply for a few minutes reflecting in the past. He recalled the fond farewell with Doctor Leland. Years after they had reconciled.