Small World 

	“Mail’s in,” Nyota Uhura announced as she handed Commander Spock a datapadd and flopped another one in front of Dr. Christine Chapel at the officer’s breakfast table.  She upset Chapel’s cup and it sloshed scalding hot coffee onto her hand.  The doctor scowled, “Thanks.”
	“Morning to you too Grump,” Nyota replied and took her usual seat next to her friend.  Jim Kirk glanced over at her from his spot between Spock and McCoy’s empty seat, “No mail for me?”
	“Nothing priority, sorry sir, I just deliver it,” she apologized.  
	Kirk shrugged and went back to his daily net reading.  There were no major news stories so the media people were having to rehash stuff twenty years old.  
	Christine went to the priority message immediately.  It was a wedding invitation.  She read through it and then calmly requested, “Captain I’d like to take a couple weeks leave.”
	Kirk looked concerned, “Nothing wrong I hope?”
	“No, nothing serious, my cousin is getting married and wants me to be in it,” she replied.  
	“Ah, well sure we’re not busy right now,” Kirk decided informally.  “Make sure to fill out the form though cause I’ll forget.”
	“Okay,” Chapel answered and went back to her mail.  
	Commander Spock had only half listened to the conversation.  He was expecting a reply on an article he submitted.  He opened the priority message.  It was from his first cousin.  It read: 
	Elizabeth Anne Carrington and Bradley Wayne Grayson request the honor of your presence at the event of their marriage, June 29…  
	“Dr. Chapel would your cousin’s name happen to be Elizabeth Anne Carrington?” Spock asked curiously.
	“Uh-huh, but how did you know?” Chapel asked confused.  
	“Because your cousin is marrying my cousin,” Spock answered and said to Kirk, “And he also wishes me to take part in the ceremony.”
	Kirk was amazed into near stupidity.  He shrugged, “Sure, she would have needed a shuttle pilot anyway.”  
	Spock went back to his mail but Uhura was too stunned to let him alone, “That is the craziest…  Who would have thought that you two would have cousins who would end up getting married?”
	Kirk nodded in agreement.  Christine shrugged, “Well, it’s no surprise to me.  I mean that Brad and Beth Anne are finally getting married.  They’ve been dating since kindergarten.  It is a surprise that Spock is related to Brad, but it shouldn’t be.  Your mother still uses the name Grayson doesn’t she?”
	“Yes she finds it easier to use for introductions and formalities than her married name,” Spock replied.  
	Kirk shook his head, “I know this sounds silly but I just can’t seem to picture you with Human cousins.  Did you spend any time with them as a kid?”
	Spock recalled, “I spent two summers with my Human grandparents, at age seven and age fourteen.”
	“Who were grandparents at 7 and 14?” Leonard McCoy asked coming in late on the whole conversation.  
	“No one Bones.  Spock here has Human cousins and he was telling us about them,” Kirk answered as McCoy started to sit down.  He narrowed his eyes, “Him?”  
	“Yes.”
	“I don’t believe it,” McCoy said.  “I know I’ve met his parents but you can’t tell me that booby prize from a Cracker Jack box has real cousins.” 
	Spock tried not to sigh from the insult.  He replied quietly, “Not only do I have real cousins I spent time with them as a child.”
	McCoy started to get back up, “Well, it’s about more than I can stand.”
	“Where you going?” Uhura asked.
	“I’m gonna lie down.  I may need medical assistance if I don’t calm down,” he grumbled and went over to the chaise next to the table and lay down.  
	Christine Chapel had been thinking ever since Spock mentioned he’d spent time at his grandparent’s home.  “You said you were fourteen when you visited one summer?”
	“Yes,” Spock said.  
	“Do you remember an incident with a bicycle and a bloody nose?”
	Spock suddenly cocked one eyebrow and he said, “Yes I do.  It was one Sunday at a church picnic and Brad was trying to teach me to ride a bicycle.  I lost control and catapulted over the handlebars to land in a ditch.  I had a bloody nose and since none of the other children had seen green blood before they ran off screaming.  Only one girl…”
	Chapel finished with a smile, “With brown curls, red hair ribbons, front teeth missing, and a black eye handed you a handkerchief and said:  Don’t worry I did the thame thing yethterday.” 
	Spock pointed at her, “You?”
	“None other,” Christine laughed.  
	“Well if you were childhood playmates how come you didn’t know each other till you came aboard?” Uhura asked.  
	“I never knew his name,” Christine said.  “All I knew was that when Brad introduced him this guy starts rattling off his family tree.  Brad just called him cousin so that’s what everyone else called him too.”
	Spock put his two cents in, “And I only heard Dr. Chapel referred to as Little Sister or Sissy.”  
	“True,” Chapel answered with a nod, but she was flabbergasted.  After almost ten years she finds out that that goofy alien kid she’d met when she was eight was the man that not only turned out to be her commanding officer but she’d had a torch for for years.  It was a small world indeed.  
Spock was still remembering, “I believe I owe you a debt of thanks.  She taught me how to swim as well as turn corners on the bike without falling over.”
“Just takes practice. That’s how I got the black eye.  I lost the teeth when I fell out of the tree house at Stark’s Pond.”
Stark’s Pond… Spock could picture it in his mind as clearly as if he could look out a window at the view.  That’s where they spent most of the time in the tree house that had a tire swing that hung over the water.  He’d nearly drowned in that pond when he realized he didn’t know how to swim.  
Nyota was perplexed, “Wait a minute.  Spock is what… six, eight years older than you are.”
“Six,” Spock answered.  
“So you let an eight year old girl teach you how to swim?” Kirk asked incredulously.
“Well not really,” Chapel replied.  “He was trying to learn on his own and I happened along.  I just gave him a pointer or two and stood ready to run for help.  Besides I was tall for my age.”
That vilified the entire situation apparently.  
“Stop it, stop it,” McCoy begged from the chaise and got up, “I can’t stand it.  All these years and he’s had these normal Human childhood incidents all along.  I gotta go to bed, the damned green blooded…”
He stumbled off muttering and shaking his head.  For once Spock had the last word, and it was a good one.