They were close. Bones swallowed, the feeling inside him more like prey than predator, and for a fleeting moment he wondered if-

"Maybe you should have allowed them some liberties," Bones finally managed to get out, that unsettled feeling again inside him, like swimming in the deep end of the pool. He never won a verbal sparing match with the Vulcan, and wasn't sure why he persisted in them. "I'm sure you would have enjoyed it as much as they would."