It had been a few months after the destruction of the Enterprise, and, despite Starfleet's efforts, it would have taken a long time to see her successor plough the skies; Enterprise's crew was scattered across the Galaxy, waiting to be reunited once again on the deck of the Starfleet's flag ship – Kirk, McCoy and Chekov were serving on the Endeavor, Mr. Scott was teaching classes at the Academy back on Earth, Sulu was on the USS Concord, and both Spock and Uhura had chosen to take a sabbatical of sort, getting to know anew the Vulcan society and the new planet they had started to call home – and it was indeed on New Vulcan that the Endeavor, in the third month of her yearlong exploratory survey, found herself.
"It's been very kind of you to have us all here, Nyota" As the men from the Enterprise were busy arguing about Kirk's constant lack of protocol, Uhura was enjoying the sunset from her current residence, overlooking marvelous red mountains. At her side, Dr. Georgia Chase – Captain Kirk's half-sister, and McCoy's wife, xeno-botanist on loan to Starfleet – was staring in awe at the sight as well. "You were right, the sunsets are hard to beat here."
Nyota shrugged, smiling a little; with the complicate hairdo and the long, white dress, she was a far cry from the woman Georgia had gotten to know when she used to hang around Jim at the Academy, back in the day. And yet, her essence was still there. "Even is Spock and I are in no hurry to set foot again on a ship, we're glad we could have you here today. I was starting to miss Jim's antics."
Georgia chuckled, leaning with her back against the elegant railing in some sort of metal. "Trust me, you wouldn't say that if you'd know him your whole life, but, I have to say, I kind of agree – hearing Len complaining about Dr. Groffus isn't the same as when he is annoyed with Spock."
Both women laughed; but then, as they looked at the first stars appearing in the sky above, they fell into silence; it wasn't comfortable, but rather, heavy, and filled with things left unsaid.
"Are things all right with Dr. McCoy and Jim, Georgia?" Nyota asked her, a kind hand on the younger woman's shoulder. Georgia took a big breath, and shook her head no.
"No, we are fine, better than fine, actually. My company was already a subcontractor for Starfleet, so it's not like there's something new with what I do and how I do it, and Len and Jim are back on track. What got me thinking, actually, was… being here." She admitted, blushing a little.
"Here? Are you actually worried about me, Georgia?" Uhura smirked, acting a little dramatically for both women's amusement, but Georgia shook her head- she was smiling too, although hers was a little tainted.
"No, actually, it was seeing the picture on the mantelpiece. It's… it's them, isn't it? The crew from the Enterprise- the other Enterprise, I mean, the one from that alternate future timeline."
Georgia's eyes got distant, and she stared at the ground, lost. She didn't need to add that it was a timeline where she didn't exist, for Jim's father had lived a long life and Wynona never married that drunk loser who happened to be Georgia's father – her gaze spoke millions words left unsaid, more than she could actually say with her own voice.
"Ehy, Uhura, I hope you're not saddening my wife!" McCoy strolled onto the terrace, and hugged his fresh bride from behind, leaving a tender butterfly kiss on her neck, smiling, he nuzzled her vanilla-scented air, and caressed her now flat belly – only a few months from Joanna's births, and yet Leonard couldn't wait to be a father once again. He loved his daughter more than life itself, but, as he and Georgia hadn't been in a proper relationship at the time, he hadn't been able to enjoy the pregnancy to the fullest, nor he had been there all the way. He wanted to do it again- this time, their child would have been desired first and conceived later, not the other way around.
Uhura smiled, of that peaceful and understanding smile of hers, and gently squeezed Leonard's shoulder as she passed him. "Enjoy the sunset with your wife, Doctor- I'll check on the plomeek soup meanwhile."
Leonard turned Georgia in his arms, and quizzically looked down at his wife – even with the heels, she was still a good eight inches shorter than him. "What's wrong, darling? You miss Joanna? I know it's the first time we're going out without her, but she is in good hands with Carol. Still, if you prefer to come back to the Endeavour I'll…"
But Georgia shook her head, cutting him short, her hands on his strong, big shoulders. "No, it's not that. I mean, I do miss Jo and I constantly worry about her like crazy, but I know she is safe with Carol and that I can't spend the whole evening calling to know what's going on…."
"Then, what, darling?" He asked her, his voice heavy with his southern accent, as he cupped her cheeks, running his thumbs over her soft, pale skin.
Georgia lowered her gaze, then, she took a heavy breath, and freed the weight she was carrying. "I saw the picture of you all in that other future, and…. It got me thinking."
"I thought that Jim had already told you about…."
She nodded, biting her lips. "Yea, I… I knew that it existed. That it exists. But, seeing it first hand, it's… it's different. Like… it's real? And I started wondering if maybe Jim wouldn't have preferred living there – in a world where I don't exist but where he still has his dad."
Leonard sighed heavily, looking at sky like for some kind of illumination about how to deal with his wife and this whole situation. It was official. He hated time travel and alternate dimensions just as much as he hated space.
"Sweetheart, Jim loves you – it doesn't mean anything that you don't share his surname. You are his little sister, and that's a fact. If he wouldn't care about you, would he have punched me the way he did when he found out that it was me who got you pregnant?"
She pouted. "I know, but, still…."
He smiled, nuzzling her nose as he held her close. "Besides, from what I know, there was a George Kirk there, so, you kind of were there, only, it was an alternate version of you, and I gotta say, honey- I've seen weirder things happening when it comes to alternate realities. A world where I was Spock's best friend and your brother had been raised by Klingons, one where the crew's sex was switched, one where we were robots – in another we were all speaking and walking damn plants, for God's sake!"
"Infinite possibilities, infinite outcomes – somewhere out there, there could very well be other us who met and fell in love, and others who went their separate ways…"
He kissed her once, a gentle peck on her lips. "Still, I don't see any version of me saying no to you that evening at Jim's party. I think that every Leonard McCoy would have followed you home, and decided that you were it for him."
"You smooth talker. If you keep that up, you may even get lucky today."
"Ah, honey, you found me out. You really know me better than myself." He sighed, smiling a little as he joked around with his wife. "Still are you sure it's all right? You know you can always talk with me or Jim if something bothers you…"
"Yeah, I'm fine, and it was kind of stupid, I know that now. I just, I guess I just had to say it out loud to actually realizer how silly I was being."
"You weren't silly, darling, you were just being true to yourself. As long as I've know you, Georgia Samantha Chase-McCoy, you've always put others before you. You've got a big heart, honey, and that's one of the many reasons I fell in love with you."
She laughed, one of Leonard's favorite sounds in the whole universe, together with his daughter's nonsensical mumbling. "You are definitely going to get lucky, mister."
"Good, because, I gotta say, Mrs. McCoy, I've got plans for you – plans that definitely involve a total lack of clothes on both our parts. Besides, I've been told it's Valentine's Day back on Earth. We have to have sex, it's like, an unwritten law or something."
Playing with his dark hair, Georgia smiled. "Well, doctor, if you'll be as handsome as your counterpart in your old age, I think I could agree to be on your plans for a long time to come."
"Oh, so you think I'll be handsome in my old age?"
She nodded as they started to kiss, the sun gone, replaced by the pale light of a huge moon hovering before them.
"You about ready for Ambassador Salek's special plomeek soup? The sooner we finish dinner, the sooner we'll be back on the ship with our kid."
"Oh, and here I thought you wanted me naked in your bed, ready to be ravished by you, Lieutenant Commander!"
"Well, that, too, wife dearest, but first comes quality time with our daughter, then sexy time with you."
"Sexy times? Really, Leonard?" She lifted an eyebrow, smirking.
"Dammit, I spend too much time with your brother." They laughed, and Leonard, once they were in silence, staring onto each other's eyes, sighed. "Something else on your mind, honey?"
Georgia gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Just one thing, honey- as a doctor, you should really have a talk with Scotty about going easy on the snacks. I mean, you saw how many pounds he will put on, right?"
Leonard laughed and shook his head. "Never change, my love, never ever."