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When La'an learned of Starfleet Command's decision to allow pets aboard starships on deep space missions because they supposedly benefited the crew’s morale and mental health, she knew that this was a disaster waiting to happen. The logistics were a nightmare, having to meet all of the animals' needs. Luckily, most pets of the crew of the Enterprise were in the easy-care, low-security risk category - fish, rodents, cats, dogs or the alien equivalents of such. She could deal with Doctor M'Benga's precious carps or Lieutenant Ortega's cheeky parrot which she wanted Uhura to train to curse in Vulcan, but when she stumbled across Captain Pike on the way to the shuttlebay, riding his stocky Shetland pony, Sir Neighs-A-Lot, down the hallways, greeting her with the worst old western cowboy impression imaginable, she knew she needed to be prepared for anything.
And then she met Spock's pet…
She didn't know what kind of pet she expected the stoic pushy half Vulcan to have, but certainly not an almost 300 kg heavy sehlat and La'an had no clue how the giant beast was supposed to fit into his quarters.
"You gotta be kidding me!" the chief of security exclaimed as Spock led the animal resembling a mix between a brown bear and a saber-toothed tiger with thick fur and a pair of long fangs on a small leash out of the shuttle they had taken from space dock due to the animal being too big for the regular transporter chamber.
"I assure you, Lieutenant, I-Chaya is of a patient and gentle disposition and well trained. She will not cause any disruptions on the ship," the chief science officer promised as his eyes met her stern gaze. Next to the sehlat, the hunk of a half Vulcan looked almost like a child. "Captain Pike has given me permission to use one of the dormant storage rooms as a kennel for I-Chaya to stay in addition to my quarters."
Putting her hands on her hips, La'an remained skeptical but nodded in response, having no time to discuss the logic of him bringing such an animal on the ship. The sehlat sniffed the air as if having caught an interesting trail and trotted towards La'an. While the other crew members occupying the shuttlebay retreated with their fear of the large creature written all over their faces, La'an was unphased by the sehlat’s approach. She knew how to deal with wild animals and predators. She had survived the Gorn - a fat teddy bear didn't scare her.
She was caught off guard for a moment when the animal snuggled up to her like an overgrown puppy, almost knocking her over with its massive weight. The sehlat rubbed its head against La'an's middle, clearly wanting to be petted. Deep vibrating sounds reminiscing a cat's purring rumbled out of its chest. La'an let her fingers run through the thick and at the same time soft fur coat and scratched the animal behind the ear, which I-Chaya seemed to like a lot. The chief of security couldn't help but smile, feeling a fuzzy warm feeling spread inside her chest while watching the intimidating beast become a complete lap dog beneath her touch. Her eyes flickered to Spock who's been watching their interaction in obvious fascination with his characteristically raised eyebrow.
"It appears that I-Chaya likes you," Spock said. "She usually does not take to strangers that fast with sehlats being very protective and territorial."
La'an lowered her hand and stepped away from the animal to straighten her uniform. She had a reputation to uphold that didn’t allow public snuggles with giant teddy bears. I-Chaya tried to follow her, looking for more cuddles, but Spock held her back with a Vulcan command and a soft tug on the leash.
La'an waved off as she headed towards the exit to meet with Doctor Sanchez for their weekly appointment as part of Starfleet recovery assistance. "Whatever. Just make sure the thing stays in your quarters and doesn't destroy the ship."
"No way!" La'an groaned when Doctor Sanchez welcomed her in his office, made her sit down on the couch and after a short conversation to catch up on La'an's current mental state and progress, placed a small brown fur ball in her lap. Feeling unease creeping up her spine, she looked down at the thing which turned out to be a small dog staring up at her with big black button eyes. "What is this!?!"
"That is your new pet. Her name is Runa," Sanchez explained with a big smile plastered on his face while he sat down in his chair across from the couch to study La'an's reaction the way any psychiatrist would.
"I have no pet."
"You have one now. It's part of your therapy. It is scientifically proven that pets have a positive therapeutic effect on patients suffering from post-traumatic stress. So you will take care of Runa. Captain's orders!"
La'an stared at the shrink in annoyance. "Can I get a fish instead?"
Doctor Sanchez shook his head in laughter, wiggling his finger at her like scolding a truculent child. "You can't cuddle a fish, Lieutenant. Just look at the cute little fella and tell me you don't want to cuddle it."
La'an pulled a face and ignored his comment, wondering what she had to do for Doctor M'Benga to certify that she was allergic to dog hair. For minutes, she used all of her persuasion skills - which weren't a lot to begin with -, any logical argument and threat she could think of in hope to make the shrink revert this ridiculous decision, but it was no use and there seemed to be no point in keeping on arguing with him. For some reason the man was convinced that it was a dog missing in her life that would solve all of her personal problems - which didn't seem very professional at all.
Reluctantly she submitted to her fate and left the shrink's office with her new "best friend".
On the way to her quarters, La'an scanned the instructions on the PADD she had received by Dr. Sanchez. The list of how she needed to take care of her new emotional support pet seemed endless - a special diet, regular vaccinations, suitable chew toys… How could such a small animal be so much work?
Sighing, she looked at the puppy in her arms, who was literally giving her puppy eyes, as she waited in front of the turbolift, and she felt something tug at her heartstrings, the helpless little fuzzball stirring some unknown motherly instinct inside her. She didn't have much hope of training Runa to be a guard dog that would prove useful at work, but perhaps Doctor Sanchez was right and having company would be good for her. Despite being used to being on her own, she did feel lonely a lot of time.
When the doors of the turbolift slid open and La'an was about to step inside, she almost collided with Spock, who seemed to be on the way to his quarters with I-Chaya in tow. The massive sehlat almost took up the entire space in the small chamber, leaving little room to breathe for the science officer.
"I'll take the next lift," La'an announced while Runa began to whine and squirm in her arms. The little dog wrenched herself out of La'an's grasp and before La'an could stop her, she had already jumped into the turbolift. Acting on instinct, La'an lunged after the dog, right before the doors closed and the lift started moving.
The chamber was even more cramped than feared with hardly any room to move, leaving La'an and Spock having to stand toe to toe, so close that their bodies were almost touching. Due to the height difference, La'an was staring straight at his broad chest. Runa was dashing around their feet barking with excitement.
"I was not aware that you had a pet," Spock said, breaking the awkward tension between them.
"Yes, that's new," La'an replied, tilting her head up to look at his face and immediately regretting the decision in their current position. They hadn't been this close to each other since their mind-meld and Spock's face was too close, his eyes too dark and intense and La'an started to feel dizzy, her stomach fluttering.
Runa kept jumping and high-pitched barking around the turbolift in a playful manner, trying to get I-Chaya's attention. It was a funny sight with the tiny dog trying to boss a creature more than six times its size around. The sehlat turned in the direction of the little dog, trying to chase it. The sudden shift of the animal threw La'an off balance and pushed her against Spock, her hands braced on his chest on their own accord, feeling taut muscles beneath her fingers.
She apologized, a deep blush heating her cheeks as she avoided Spock's eyes, wondering why the turbolift was taking so long to reach deck 6 with the officer's quarter.
Meanwhile, Runa and I-Chaya seemed to have become great friends within minutes and wanted to play with each other. Spock tried to keep the furry colossus in check with a sharp command in Vulcan, but I-Chaya ignored him. Once more, the sehlat shifted its position and this time, it was Spock who was being shoved against La'an, pushing her against the wall of the turbolift. The half Vulcan hovered above her, his firm body pressing against her, his eyes boring into hers. For a moment, La'an's mind was blank, her mouth agape. Her pulse quickened and the temperature in the tiny chamber seemed to spike.
"My apologies, Lieutenant," Spock said, his deep voice sounding lower than usual, more husky.
"It's… It's fine," she muttered, holding her breath for the rest of the ride, which thankfully didn't take that long anymore.
When the doors of the turbolift finally opened, La'an wasted no time, grabbed the little dog and rushed out of the lift. Runa tried to squirm out of her grip again, whimpering miserably, and I-Chaya tried to follow them into the empty hallway, almost as if the little ball of energy and the gentle giant didn't want to be separated, but Spock managed to restrain the sehlat until the doors slid close again.
La'an exhaled in relief, shook off the goosebumps elicited by Spock's proximity and went to her quarters. As soon as she walked through the door, she had to fight the urge to turn and run. She wasn't really surprised to see Una waiting for her or to find that her quarters had already been set up for her new pet while she's been gone. There was even a dog bed looking like the captain's chair standing in the corner.
La'an narrowed her eyes. "This was your idea, wasn't it?" she spat at the other woman in accusation as she dropped the dog to the ground. Runa immediately began to explore her new home and sniffed at everything, wagging her little tail excitedly.
The tall Illyrian looked at her apologetically and held her hands up in a peaceful gesture as she stepped towards her. "The Captain and I think it's a good idea if you have someone to cuddle with. Someone to take care of and in return helps you form an emotional connection," Una explained and squeezed La'an's shoulder. "I don't like seeing you so isolated. It's not good to spend so much time alone and since you're not interested in dating, this is the best alternative."
La'an rolled her eyes. "For the records, I don't need help with my love life. If I want to date someone then I will!" La'an clarified while trying her best to keep a certain science officer out of her thoughts. "But you're really forcing me to have a dog because I don't let you play matchmaker?"
"Absolutely!" Una exclaimed without missing a beat with so much conviction that La'an couldn't stay mad at her well-meaning friend. "Don't worry, I'm sure you will fall in love with Runa in no time."
La'an sighed. "Maybe you're right."
Both women shared a smile and turned just in time to witness La'an's new pet pee on the carpet with no remorse.
After taking care of Runa - and cleaning the carpet -, La'an was looking forward to a relaxing shift on the bridge with nothing to do but catch up on the most boring security reports, but to no one's surprise, the peace and quiet she had hoped for didn’t last for too long with the pets on board.
"Yeoman Colt to Lieutenant Noonien-Singh, please report to Lieutenant Spock's quarters. There's been a security breach."
La'an groaned so loudly that the rest of the bridge crew turned to her in surprise.
"Everything okay, La'an?" Captain Pike asked as he studied her with the same worried expression her father used to give her. "Everything okay with the new members of the crew? Is Runa okay?"
"Everything is fine, Captain. Runa is fine, I just need to check something."
"Good. I don't want to brag but getting you a dog was my idea. Una's and mine, I mean. We always have the best ideas together," the captain clarified. The infatuation lacing his tenor as he said Una's name was hard to miss. "Something cute to cuddle for the most fierce chief of security. With all the pets on the ship, we didn't want you to feel left out."
La'an gritted her teeth against the sarcastic remark sitting at the tip of her tongue. She knew Captain Pike meant well, just like Una, and that she shouldn't hold their almost parental overprotectiveness against them… but they didn't make it easy not wanting to get back at them right now.
"Thank you, Captain, I will… make sure to remember this."
Grumbling under her breath, she stomped off the bridge and headed for Spock's quarters. As soon as she stepped out of the turbolift she saw the damage. The red door had been torn open, as if someone or something had tried to gain entry by brutal force - or rather, tried to escape from inside the quarters. The walls around the door were covered in huge scratches and bite marks from long claws and sharp tusks. Spock was waiting for her standing in the battered doorway looking puzzled, but there was no sign of the suspect responsible for the destruction.
La'an felt a shiver run down her spine at the sight of the science officer remembering what happened between them in the turbolift, but she was too annoyed with him at the moment to linger on those other feelings bubbling inside her.
"Didn't you say your pet won't cause any troubles?" she grunted and folded her arms in front of her chest as she faced Spock, her eyes narrowed. At least, the half Vulcan had the decency to look remorseful.
"This is… unexpected. We can track down I-Chaya with my tricoder," he suggested. His gaze fell on the phaser rifle that La'an had picked up from the armory. He frowned. "I do not think it will be necessary to stun I-Chaya. She is not aggressive."
"She cracked your door like an egg, but you should have thought about that before bringing her on the ship. It's my job now to clean up your mess so I get to decide what's necessary." She motioned for him to follow her with a sharp nod of her head and brushed past him without sparing him another glance.
Together, they went looking for the missing sehlat in tense silence, following the tricorder's signal and the signs of destruction down the hallway - scratches on the walls, scattered tufts of fur. They didn't have to look too long though as the tricorder led them straight to La'an's quarters with its doors having been torn open in the same way as Spock's. The interior of her quarters was in ruins, looking like a drunk mob of Klingons had been having a wild party there, and in the midst of all the chaos, I-Chaya laid sprawled out on La'an's bed - or more precisely, on what was left of it, for the bed had collapsed under the animal's immense weight - while Runa was curled up in the fluffy fur on top of the giant creature, both asleep and snoring soundly.
"It seems I-Chaya and your new pet have taken a liking to each other," Spock pointed out. "Fascinating."
La'an groaned - which she noticed she's been doing a lot the last couple of hours since the pets arrived on board. "And they seem to have taken a liking to destroying my quarters!" Spock hummed in agreement though he didn't seem that phased by his pet destroying her bed and seemed to evaluate the damage as nothing but a peculiar science experiment.
"Perhaps it would be wise to arrange what humans refer to as “play dates” for them as long as they are staying on the ship. To prevent a repetition of this kind of incident," the chief science officer suggested. La'an glanced at him sideways and noticed the pointy ends of his ears turn a slightly darker shade of green as Spock averted his eyes, which had to be the Vulcan equivalent of a human blush. He continued, "Of course they cannot be left unsupervised. The logical conclusion is for us to chaperon their meetings, even if that means we would have to spend additional time together off-duty."
Maybe it was her imagination but his voice didn't sound as flat and emotionless as usual, but he didn't sound disappointed at the prospect of having to spend more time with her off-duty either. Hearing his words, letting the meaning sink in and remembering their encounter in the turbolift, La'an couldn't help her heartbeat skipping a beat, couldn't stop the warmth spreading through her body. She was barely able to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her lips that wiped away the irritation she’d felt for him seconds before.
"I guess you're right."
The words slipped easily off her tongue, tasted of something akin to hope, though what she was hoping for exactly she wasn't sure of. But maybe it wasn't just her new pet that was going to chance her life.
Spock's eyes flickered towards hers, their gazes locked for a moment before they both hastily turned away, diverting their attention back on the two troublemakers sleeping peacefully on the rubbles, looking inseparable and like the most unlikely pair - much like her and Spock…
"You also owe me a new bed," La'an reminded him.