Nice Day for a White Wedding

"We're what!" She looked at him dumbfounded.

"We're married." Kirk tried not to smile; he could tell she was finding the whole situation surreal to say the least.

"Says who?" She was gesticulating with her hands wildly as she spoke.

"The people of Vass." He shrugged his shoulders unintentionally.

"Well…they're wrong!" The words sputtered out as she covered her face with her hands.

"Okay." He agreed, not wanting to make the situation any worse than it already was.

"Okay?! That's all you're going to say? Okay?" He felt like a child being chastised by their Mother, he began picking at the loose thread on the right arm of his uniform.

"What do you want me to say?" Realising the thread would possibly undo the entire seam he crossed his arms across his chest, interested to know her plan.

"Tell them they're wrong!" He impolitely scoffed in response, she delivered the retort as if there was any other answer.

"Sab, I don't know what to say?"

"I just told you what to say Jim! They're wrong!" Kirk looked at his Security Officer, he'd never seen her so manic. She was always so calm, collected, the voice of reason. This had really upset her.

"I wouldn't worry." Kirk tried a softer approach.

"And why, preys tell do you say that?" Sabine looked at him expectantly.

"It's only acknowledged on their planet." Kirk offered up.

"That's still a problem." Clearly that hadn't done the trick Kirk thought to himself.

"I know, but it's better than nothing. Look, I don't think there's much we can do. We don't want to disrespect them by making this an issue." They'd been stood talking for the fifteen minutes, finally Kirk took off the wreath of flowers around his neck, placing them on the table in his ready room. Taking the seat behind his desk he signalled for Sabine to take the seat opposite. He was hoping that sitting down would bring an air of calm to the discussion.

"No, we wouldn't want that!" Until Sabine had noticed Kirk take the wreath off she had forgotten about the one she was sporting on her head. At the time, when they were planet sidethe wreaths had appeared to be a cultural symbol of acceptance. Now, she almost felt ridiculous not realising at the time that the symbolic placements of the wreaths were very clearly linked with matrimony.

"They don't have divorce on the planet." Kirk watched her pull the wreath from her head with disdain and threw it onto his desk. Her brown hair was mussed and she was trying her best to pat it down.

"Of course they don't." Rolling her eyes Sabine sunk further into her chair.

"We're not married anywhere else, we don't need to tell anybody, nobody will know." She looked at him hopefully for a moment, finally some light at the end of the tunnel.

"But we'll know, I'll know. Oh God! My Mother is going to kill me!" Kirk's optimism disappeared.

"Sab." He leant forward and tried to get her attention.

"My Father will be broken hearted."

"Sab." She wasn't listening he knew it.

"What will my Brother say?!"

"Sab." Her hands were covering her face again.

"Married to Jim Kirk, I'll never live it down."

"Sabine!" He was surprised himself at the volume with which he shouted her name.

"What?!" Sabine looked at him in alarm, she took a deep breath and began counting to ten in her head.

"Calm the hell down!" She nodded in response.

"Sorry."

"Is it that terrible to be married to me?" He laughed it out but there was a part of him that was curious as to what her answer would be.

"I didn't mean it like that Jim, It's just, we're not even dating!" Her volume had lowered and her tone had calmed down, she smiled back at him gratefully.

"No, we're not."

"I mean it's funny really, you and me? Can you imagine?" She added glibly, not really thinking about what she was saying.

"Yeah." Kirk replied wistfully.

"What is it?" Sabine picked up in Kirk's change of demeanour, creasing her brow she looked at him confused.

"What?" He seemed to snap out of his own thoughts.

"Nothing, I was just thinking." He busied himself with a PADD on his desk.

"About what?" She wasn't going to let it drop, there was something on his mind, she could always tell.

"About you and me." He looked up over the PADD at her.

"What about you and me?" Now she really was confused.

"You really are oblivious sometimes Sab." He laughed again;in that annoying way that made her feel like she was missing out on the joke, or even worse, like she was the butt of it.

"I don't understand Jim."

"Clearly." He rebuked, a little more tersely than he had intended.

"Why are you picking a fight with me?" Sabine was getting aggravated at their back and forth, she didn't like not knowing what was going through that strange head of his.

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are! We might as well be bloody married the way you're carrying on!" Sabine stood and straightened her uniform, she felt mucky and tired. She just desperately wanted to go to her quarters and get a shower.

"Just forget it." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"Fine, I'll forget it along with the fact we're married!"

"I wouldn't worry." Kirk watched her stretch her arms above her head. Five days they'd been planet side, the whole ordeal being exhausting but a hell of a lot of fun.

"Don't start that again!" Sabine pointed her finger at him warningly.

"Fine." She began walking towards the door but stopped and turned on her heel.

"How can they think we're married? Don't we need to…consummate it?"

"Now you're talking." Kirk really did enjoy teasing her.

"Jim!"

"No, I don't think so, honestly Sab, I just thought it was a local custom, a celebration. I guess they thought we were…" He didn't know how to finish the sentence.

"What?" She asked expectantly.

"I don't know."

"Why would they think that?" Kirk wished he'd never said anything.

"I don't know."

"You don't know much do you!" Sabine was frustrated again, she was way too tired to be having this conversation with her Captain.

"Now you're overreacting." Kirk felt beyond tired, rubbing his eyes he looked at her exhausted.

"I am not!"

"Am too!"

"Permission to be dismissed Captain."

"Permission granted." As the door opened and she was standing in the threshold she whispered a warning.

"I swear Jim Kirk, if you mention this to anybody, if this ever gets out I swear I will kill you and make it look like an accident and nobody will ever know it was me. Ever."

"Okay."

Three Weeks Later

Sabine Parker cleared away her lunch tray and stood waiting for Nyota Uhura.

"Thanks for lunch." Uhura smiled at her warmly as they began walking down the corridor.

"You're welcome. Are you free next week?"

"No, sorry. I am the week after though, same time?" Uhura asked, moving to one side as a flurry of Ensigns flew passed them.

"Sure, okay well I better be getting back." Sabine took the left turn as Uhura carried on towards the turbolift. "See you later Nyota." Sabine shouted after her.

"See you later Mrs Kirk." Sabine stopped in her tracks when she heard Uhura's reply. All the colour in her face drained away and she could feel the anger bubble in her gut.

"I'll kill him."