The New Year's Kiss
Both of them had dates to the Starfleet New Year's Eve Party on Deep Space 2.
But…
Captain Jamie Kirk was kind of attracted to the station's 2IC Commander Andrew Barrett. He was nice, funny, good looking – exactly the right company for the party, a good time and no strings attached later. The only problem was: She found herself again and again glancing across the room to Doctor Leonard McCoy.
She suddenly realized that she didn't want to start the year like that. The no-strings-thing seemed so wrong. She longed for something else. Something she thought to be a bad idea.
For a moment she looked to Andrew again, but her glance drifted after a few moments once more to the other end of the large hall to Leonard.
The Doctor was chatting and flirting with Keyla Harper from the diplomatic corps on Deep Space 2. She'd asked him to go with her to the party and he thought she was beautiful and nice. The only problem was: His couldn't focus on what she was talking about. He caught his mind over again drifting to Jamie Kirk. He just didn't dare to look inter her direction.
Midnight was now approaching and Keyla got flirtier, clearly looking forward to a kiss at twelve. And perhaps more after that.
Leonard suddenly wasn't. The date was nice. Keyla was great. But his heart wasn't in this. There was not even the previous attraction to her anymore.
Right now he wanted nothing more than to get out of the hall, maybe even off the space station. He almost hoped for some kind of emergency, pulling him away from the party.
No, scratch that. The party was fine. What he really wanted was a different company.
Now he did it – he glanced to Jamie Kirk.
He startled when their eyes locked and he realized that she was already looking at him.
Jamie smiled over the distance.
Leonard smiled back. Concentrating on talking with Keyla became even more difficult. He tried again and listened to her telling him about her latest diplomatic achievement. But this was a boring topic for a date or New Year's Eve.
"Hey, Bones."
He startled again and turned his head. Jamie was next to him and Keyla.
"Good evening, Ambassador Harper", Jamie also greeted the woman.
"Oh, Captain Kirk. Isn't this a wonderful party. And Leonard is great." Keyla smiled at him. "It's nice to end the old year and start the new one like this."
Leonard tried to smile back, but he only managed it half-heartely.
Jamie slowly nodded. "Yeah…"
"Okay, folks, it's almost midnight!" a cheerful voice sounded across the room. "You better find someone you can kiss!"
"Already did", Keyla said with a wink to Leonard.
"About that…" Jamie began to both's surprise.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," the ambassador quickly replied. "Where is your date? Did something happen?"
"In a manner of speaking…"
Leonard studied Jamie's expression. She was kind of nervous. That was something she rarely was. He wondered if Commander Barrett was right and if something happened. "Jamie?" he whispered confused by the situation and the look she was giving him.
Jamie took a deep breath and started telling the truth: "I realized that it was five minutes till midnight and that I was with the wrong person."
Now Keyla's face fell. She slowly connected the dots, noticing how Jamie and Leonard glanced at each other. "Oh…"
Then she let out a short laugh of disbelief. „I called Lieutenant Sulu crazy when he told me earlier that this date was a bad idea and that the two of you had something going on you both weren't ready to admit yet. Looks like he was right after all."
She shook her head and emptied her glass of Champaign. "I wish you a happy new year and good luck with your relationship." Her tone was genuine, but with a hint of hurt.
Jamie and Leonard watched her walking away, before their eyes met again.
"Well, uhm…" The doctor tried to say something, but just didn't know what. He felt his heart beating faster.
"Ten… nine…" the voice from before called.
"I also realized that I was with the wrong woman", he admitted quietly.
"… eight… seven…"
Jamie closed the remaining distance to him. "And now?"
"… six…"
"Not anymore." He smiled.
"…five…"
She grinned. "This will change everything."
Leonard's arms slowly slid around her waist. "I know."
"… four... three…"
Her hands came to rest on his upper arms. "So…"
"…two… one…"
He leant in and she smiled again.
"Happy New Year, folks!" the voice called and cheers followed.
Jamie's and Leonard's lips met. The kiss started chaste and gentle. Then it got more heated and went past a simple new year's kiss when he pulled her even closer.
They finally had to come up for air and noticed – but ignored – some cheers and happy whistles around them.
"I have some new year's resolutions", Jamie whispered, reveling in the feeling of his hands on her back. "No more meaningless dates – no more one-night-stands."
"Oh?" the doctor replied teasingly with a grin.
"Yeah." She also grinned. "What's yours?"
"Showing a wonderful woman how much I love her and making a relationship work."
The Captain felt her cheeks getting a little hot. It was one thing going for a goal, but reaching it could still be a surprise. Even for one Jamie Kirk. "What a coincidence. The relationship-thing is second on my list", she teased him, slid her hands into his neck and pulled him into another kiss.
"Oi, you two, get a room!"
They parted and saw Scotty with a bottle of something strong in his hands.
"Aye, Sir", Jamie replied with a wink. She grabbed Leonard's left hand and pulled him with her.
Some amused and happy glances followed them.
Sulu stepped next to Scotty and took a sip from his Champaign. "You won the betting pool, didn't you?"
Scotty smirked and drank from the bottle. "Oh, yes."
Sulu shook his head. "Damn, I really thought it would take one or two more hours with their bad dates."
"Maybe you'll win one of the others", Scotty slurred. The alcohol was now getting at him. "I say they get married in one year and she'll be knocked up in two."
Sulu glanced at him intensely for a few moments. "Married in six months, pregnant in less than a year."
They just grinned at each other, silently agreeing that it absolutely didn't matter who would turn out to be right – it was only important that both things would happen sooner or later.
