DISCLAIMER: We own nothing.
Here we are again. This is a sequel to Age Before Beauty, but can be read without that.
Chapter 1
The day had progressed abnormally well, or at least, for the Enterprise it had. The away mission was completed successfully, something that had turned out to be an anomaly when it came to James Kirk.
At the present moment, the Captain, CMO, and a security detail of 2 awaited their beaming. Commander Spock was left in charge of the ship.
"Scott to landing party, Scott to landing party! Come in!" The voice of the chief engineer came across the comm. Jim looked to Bones and grabbed the device.
"Kirk to Enterprise... Whatsa matter, Scotty?"
"Are ye beamin' up, sir?"
"Yup."
"I'm gunna hafta beam ye up in pairs, the transporter's actin' up again..."
Bones turned to Jim. "Oh, fuck no, Jim! I ain't beamin' up and gettin' all lost in transit!"
Jim grinned in return and clapped Bones on the back. "Don't worry, man. It'll be fine! Beam up the security detail first, Scotty," Jim spoke into the comm.
"Two to beam up, Cap'n."
The two redshirts disappeared in a golden haze and the remaining pair stood awaiting their turn.
"This sucks," Bones huffed and crossed his arms.
"Don't be such an infant!" Jim laughed and put his hands on Bones' arms.
"Don't quote me back to myself..." Bones trailed off as Jim rubbed his arms in a reassuring manner.
"Energize," Jim said into the comm. and the pair disappeared.
Back on the Enterprise, Scotty finished the transport of the Captain and CMO. The lights of the transporter dimmed and in its wake-
"Uh... Scott to bridge."
"Spock here, Mr. Scott. What seems to be the problem?"
"Uh... Ye better get down here, sir."
"Mr. Scott?"
Scotty stood uneasily in front of the comm, unsure of what to say. "It's not somethin' I can explain without ye seein' fer yerself..."
"... I'll be there shortly."
Scotty turned back to the transporter and stared at its occupants. A young Jim Kirk and Leonard McCoy looked back at him.
Spock walked swiftly through the hall focused solely on making it to the transporter room. His calm demeanor was misleading, as his mind was swirling with the worse possible scenario that could have happened. When he reached the door to the room he (mentally) heaved a sigh of relief at the lack of medical officials in the area. They are not hurt. This time he did sigh audibly.
The door swooshed open to the sounds of screaming children and Scottish curses. Spock quirked his eyebrow and stepped in.
"Jimmy, c'mon. Why don't ya come here so I can put yer clothes on?" Scotty stood in the middle of the room holding a pair of jeans and a shirt. A toe headed boy of five ran around wildly shrieking and giggling as he would get close to the engineer then dart away as soon as he reached for him.
"NO!" He said sticking his tongue out. Where Spock stood Scotty could easily see him; the child, however, did not. He turned around, eyes closed as he giggled and ran right into Spock's legs. His smile dropped as he looked up, and up, and up until he looked into Spock's ochre eyes. The twinkling blue eyes shone with innocence and ignorance, but they were still the unforgettable eyes of the Captain. "Whoa! You gots pointy ears!"
Spock raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. And you are small, James."
Young Jim crinkled his nose in disgust. "Am not! And don't call me that! My mommy calls me that and I don't like it."
"Then what would you prefer?" Spock asked.
"Jimmy!" Apparently, his enthusiasm was never lacking even as a child.
"Very well, Jimmy. Will you allow Mr. Scott to dress you?" Jimmy looked over his shoulder at the ruffled man.
"I can dwess myself."
"Your behavior suggests otherwise."
Jimmy smiled. "You talk funny, Pointy."
"Pointy?"
Across the room, a small, timid voice answered Spock. "It's 'cus a yer ears, mister." The child was a bit small for his age, but he seemed to be more mature than Jimmy. His eyes were a deep chocolate and twinkled.
"I coulda answered by myself, Lenny!" Jimmy whined.
"You're such a baby!" The former doctor shot back.
"Am not!"
"Are too!" Perhaps the younger McCoy wasn't as mature as previously thought. They continued to bicker back and forth, moving closer to each other. The sound was grating on Spock's sensitive ears.
"ENOUGH!" The boys looked to the Vulcan in shock. As soon as their shock diminished, tears filled their eyes. "It will do you no good to cry, Leonard and James." They continued to sniffle, but listened. "Seeing as you are already dressed, Leonard, you will sit there quietly. James," he paused until the boy looked up from the ground, "you will get dressed, with help or not. If either of you speak, there will be consequences." The threat was an empty one, but it gave the wanted response. Both of the boys did as they were told, Jimmy taking the clothes from Scotty's hand and putting them on. Spock walked over to Scotty, looking him straight in the eye and said simply. "You will fix this."
Scotty gulped at the intense look that Spock gave him. He wasn't dumb- he heard the unsaid threat aimed at him. "A-aye, sir. I'll get righ' on it." Scotty snapped a salute and turned back to the transporter controls.
Spock looked at the two children sitting on the platform. Jimmy was sitting at the edge and tapping his hands on the seat, looking around in curiosity. Leonard was quieter, sitting almost behind Jimmy and looking at his hands. Their previous distress was forgotten. The commander was unsure as to what to do with the pair of them, child care was not in his repertoire.
"James-"
"Jimmy. I tol' you that!" Jimmy had turned to face the Vulcan and shot him an indignant look.
"Indeed, you did. Jimmy, then. Come, we must go to Sickbay." Jimmy looked at Spock in horror, but Leonard showed the first signs of interest at the mention of sickbay.
"I don' wanna go!" He stomped his feet and crossed his arms.
"I wanna see it, Jimmy," Leonard spoke quietly, but he managed to draw Spock's attention.
Jimmy looked at him in shock. "Why?"
"Cause I'm gonna be a doctor!" Leonard spoke proudly and Spock felt warmth spread through his chest as he listened to Leonard proclaim his future occupation. "We should go!" He jumped up and pulled Jim with him in Spock's direction. "We're ready to go, Pointy!"
Ah, yes, "Pointy". That needs to be addressed. "My name is Commander Spock. You may address me as Spock, however."
"You're a Commander?" Jimmy asked in awe. "My daddy was a Commander and a Cap'n. He's dead though." He dejectedly looked down to his feet.
"Your father was a brave man, something I can assure you, you will be." Spock rarely spoke with so much emotion, but something about a sad child- this sad child- made him much more... human.
"Yeah, Jimmy, you'll be a captain and I'll be a doctor, and we'll be awesome!" The boy squeezed Jimmy's hand in encouragement as they continued to walk towards Sick Bay.
His blue eyes brightened even more as he looked up at Spock. "Spock, can we meet the Cap'n af'er we go to stupid Sickbay?" Beside him Leonard harrumphed. "I'm sorry. Lenny, but I don't like the doctor's office. They always stick hippos in me."
"I believe you mean hypos, Jimmy. As for your previous query, the captain . . . is on a mission and is unable to beam back onto the ship." It was alarming how easily the lie came to him.
Upon entering Sickbay Spock ordered Chapel to get Dr. M'Benga then directed the boys to a separate room. "We must wait for the doctor; you can sit if you would like." In an almost comical display the boys looked from Spock to the bed that was just below their chins, then back again.
Spock, who had turn around to see if the doctor had arrived yet, felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down to see the ever constant cerulean eyes of Jim. "Umm, we can't get up there Spock." He looked over to the bed then back at the boy.
"I see." Without hesitation he picked Jimmy up and sat him on the edge of the bed, doing the same to Leonard. "Do you require anything else?"
"Are we gonna get stuck with hippos?" Jimmy pouted.
"It is called a hypo as I have already stated. I will not know whether or not you will need one until the doctor has taken a look at you." Jimmy paled, while Leonard smiled brightly.
"Ya mean we might get a shot? I love shots!" Some things never change.
"You're not gonna make me get one are you, Spocky?"
What is this infatuation with adding a 'y' to the end of words? It is the least bit amusing. "If it is needed, I cannot stop it from happening." As soon as he said it, he knew he had made a mistake. Large tears streamed from Jimmy's eyes and down his cherub-like cheeks. His sobs filled the small, cubicle-sized room, and made Spock's ears ring. Leonard covered his ears and rolled his eyes. Spock was at a loss of what to do. Just as he gave up all hope- and yes, Spock knew that hope was an emotion- Chapel and M'Benga walked through the door.
"What the-? Spock, who the hell are these kids?" Chapel asked. It seemed McCoy was rubbing off on her. M'Benga had already started looking over the boys- Leonard sitting there happily while Jim continued to whimper and cry.
Before he could explain, quietly, M'Benga exclaimed, "Captain Kirk? Dr. McCoy?" If Spock weren't a pacifist, M'Benga would have been in a lot of pain.
"What does he mean Spocky?"
Spock did not look at M'Benga with annoyance in his eyes; he was a Vulcan after all. He ignored the doctor and turned to the two former officers. "The doctor... heard the pair of you talking about you future careers. He was only attempting to give you reassurances that you would indeed become what you desire."
Jimmy and Leonard looked at Spock in awe. "Really? You mean it?"
"Vulcan's do not lie," Spock said reassuringly. "Now, it is of the utmost importance that you listen to the medical staff as they examine you both." Leonard nodded his head and looked at M'Benga as he approached him.
"Leonard, I'll examine you, if that's alright." Leonard nodded with enthusiasm and M'Benga moved him to another biobed. "Spock?" Leonard called over the doctor's shoulder.
"Yes, Leonard?"
"You- you'll be here... when I'm done, right?" Where there was confidence and excitement, there was now uncertainty and fear.
Spock walked over to Leonard quickly and placed a hand on his back in a soothing manner. "Of course, Leonard. I will wait until you are finished." Leonard nodded and was taken to be examined. Spock turned back to Jimmy, who was watching Chapel warily. The head nurse was preparing a tricorder; some hypos were on a surgical table.
"Now, I'm going to scan you for- uh..." The nurse scrambled for the appropriate words. "To see if anything is wrong with you. You look alright, but we can't be too careful." She made to begin scanning and Spock turned to leave, assured that the young captain was in good hands. But as he reached the door, a voice stopped him.
"Spock!"
Spock turned to see that Jimmy had pushed himself off of the bed (which most certainly caused bruises to appear on his knees Spock thought in exasperation) and ran towards the retreating commander. "Jimmy, you must allow Nurse Chapel to conduct her examination." Spock kneeled and held Jimmy by the shoulders. Large blue eyes looked up at him in desperation.
"Will you stay?" Spock's heart swelled.
"If that is what is necessary for you to allow the nurse to do her job, then yes, I will stay."
"Good."
Leonard sat cheerily while M'Benga administered the hypos; Jimmy, however, clutched Spock's hand. Even if Spock had wanted to pull his hand away he couldn't have because the tears that settled in the corners of the boy's eyes were- even for a Vulcan- heartbreaking. Still after Chapel and M'Benga had given them the go-ahead and the three were walking towards the mess, Jimmy grasped the Vulcan's fingers. Following his lead, Leonard took Spock's free hand.
"Where are we going, Spocky?"
"We are going to the mess hall for dinner." Spock nodded to a few ensigns who were staring at them in confusion. When they saw him nod they looked away embarrassed. There was much more staring as they stepped into the mess. The boys clung tighter to Spock's already over-sensitive hands. To get their minds off the sudden silence Spock spoke. "What do you want for dinner?" The distraction worked.
"I wan' a mac n' cheese with a hot dog!" Jimmy exclaimed, swinging he and Spock's hand.
Leonard grimaced. "Hot dogs are icky. I wan' chicken nuggets with," he pursed his lips in thought, "ooh, those smiley face fries!"
Jimmy's eyes brightened. "I love those! I changed my mind, Spocky, I wan' those fries not the mac n' cheese." A few ensigns that were close to the group giggled at the adorable little boys.
"Very well." As they neared the replicators Spock heard the chatter pick up again. They got their meals (Spock holding all of the trays) and sat in a corner table. Half way through their meals Scotty sat down with them. Spock stared pointedly. Scotty leaned close to talk to him privately.
"It's gonna take a while to fix, Spock. We need a new wire and the closest space station to have the one we need is Alecar." Spock swallowed slowly.
"That is nearly a month away, Mr. Scott." He looked warily- or as warily as a Vulcan can look- over to where Leonard and Jimmy sat playing with their french fries.
"Aye Spock, I know." He, too, was looking at the young Captain and CMO.
"See what can be done in the meantime, Mr. Scott," Spock said to the engineer, who just nodded and left the table. Spock returned to his meal and observed Jimmy and Leonard. Overall, Jimmy seemed as outgoing as he was in adulthood- he was loud and charming, same as before. Leonard, however, was not nearly the same. In adulthood, the doctor was brash and, to use a word of Jim's, growly. As a child, he seemed quiet, shy, and less opinionated. Spock assumed the personality change was due to the doctor's divorce.
"And then you put the ketchup on 'em and they look like they got in a fight!" Jimmy was proudly showing off what was meant to be a bloody smiley-face french fry. Leonard looked at it in horror.
"Why would you make it look like that?"
"I dunno," Jimmy said as he shoved it into his mouth, along with the remainder of his hotdog. "Cause it's silly?"
Leonard just huffed and returned to his food. Spock looked on in (not) amusement.
Upon finishing their meals, Spock deemed it time for bed, and so began to make his way to the quarters the three had previously shared. "I regret to inform you that I do not have clothing for you to wear to bed. It seems that you will have to wear what you are currently wearing to sleep in."
Leonard and Jimmy groaned. "I don' wanna wear this! It's not good for bed!"
"Yeah! Only Frank makes me wear not-pjs to bed!" Jimmy spoke and Spock's chest constricted tightly. Jim had only mentioned the abuse served at the hand of his stepfather, but it was enough.
"I do not have the time to reprogram the replicator in order to have suitable clothing." The pair of them looked at Spock through baleful eyes. Spock (did not) sigh and relent. "Do you have an idea of your own?"
Jimmy pulled Leonard into a huddle and the pair of them whispered back-and-forth. Or, at least, Jimmy whispered and Leonard inputted where and when it was needed. Finally, a consensus was reached and Jimmy turned back to Spock, who had done his traditional eyebrow raise. "We would like to borrow [Jimmy looked pointedly at Leonard who nodded his head] some shirts."
Spock looked between the two. "They will be quite large."
"Tha's ok!"
"Very well, then." Spock produced two of his science uniform shirts and gave them to the kids. Despite their appearances, the uniforms were actually quite comfortable- they had to be, for there were times when a person could be on duty for several shifts without an opportunity to change.
As Spock looked at the two forms that wore his shirts, he allowed himself a small smile.
"Now that that is settled it is time for bed." Spock ushered them onto his bed and the boys were adamant about Spock being in the middle. This was new to Spock, seeing as he was used to Jim being in the middle. "Lights ou-"
"NO!" Jimmy and Leonard shouted, Jimmy actually covering Spock's mouth with his hand. "We can't sleep until you tell us a story."
Spock quirked his eyebrow. "A story?"
"Yeah! Like Goldilocks!" Len yelled.
"Or a princess who lives in a big castle and a knight in shining underwear comes to save the day!" Jimmy cried.
"It's knight in shining armor, dummy!" Len growled.
"You can't calm me that, Lenny! I'm gonna tell on you! Spock!" Jim shouted. "Lenny called me a dummy."
"I am aware, Jimmy. Leonard that is not appropriate," Spock scolded.
"I don't care if it's not propriate, he is a dummy."
"And you're a stupid head!" Jimmy stuck out his tongue.
Spock sighed softly. "That is enough boys. Would you like for me to not tell you a story at all and make you got to bed?" Their eyes widened comically. "I will take that as a no." The two nodded and snuggled closer into Spock's side. I believe this is what my mother did when I was a child. "Once upon a time there lived a boy. . ." Within minutes they were sound asleep.
Spock gazed at the two forms sleeping on his bed. Letting out an audible sigh he thought, Only Jim and Leonard would find themselves in this situation. He turned to his desk to finish some reports. If he was to be the acting captain until the transporter was fixed, he would need to alert Starfleet Command- Admiral Pike, specifically. Throughout Jim's Starfleet career, Pike had been on the young captain's side. Many in the admiralty would love to see Jim taken from his command. If they got wind of the Enterprise's current... situation... there would be no doubt that Jim could lose the ship he had come to call home.
The report was long and detailed, describing, fully, what had transpired since the Captain and CMO had beamed up. Halfway through the report, Spock heard whimpering coming from the bed.
Turning, Spock surveyed the bed- Jimmy was resting comfortably, having spread out across the surface. Leonard, however, was tossing and turning. Before Spock reached him, he had rolled off of the side of the bed and onto the floor, causing him to awaken with a cry.
"Leonard, are you alright?" Spock asked as he crouched down to Leonard's level. He scooped the child into his arms and moved them both onto the edge of the bed. Leonard remained cocooned in Spock's arms.
There was some sniffling before a reply was made. "I-I'm a'right, Mr. Spock."
Spock flinched involuntarily at the name used to address him. "Spock is fine, Leonard. What is troubling you?"
"It's nothin'. I'm ok."
A frown graced Spock's features before he turned Leonard around to face him. Large brown eyes looked up at him in confusion. "Leonard, if you do not inform me of what ails you, I cannot help you."
"I-I-I just wanna go home!" The flood gates opened up and Spock clutched Leonard's small form closer to his chest. "I miss my mom and dad!"
Spock rubbed his back in a soothing manner. "It will be fine, Leonard. You have Jimmy and I, we will be here with you."
Leonard sniffled a little more and clutched him tighter. "Really?"
"Really."
"Yeah, Len. I'm not gunna go anywhere!" Jimmy had woken up and crawled over to the pair. He wrapped his arms around Leonard's back, resting his head on Leonard's neck.
The trio sat like that for several minutes, before Spock realized that Leonard had fallen asleep in his arms. Whispering to Jimmy, "I believe it is time for us to retire."
Jimmy nodded and this time, Spock lay down himself, with Leonard in between himself and Jimmy.
Normally, when Spock awoke in the morning he would have to stealthily (which for a Vulcan isn't hard) climb out of bed and be careful not to wake Jim and Leonard. However this morning he awoke to a bouncing body on his chest and giggles. He opened his eyes to find Jimmy with a wide grin on his face. Leonard sat to the side with sleepy eyes and mussed locks. "Mornin'. Spocky! I'm hungry." Jimmy said.
Spock quirked his eyebrow. "Good morning, Jimmy. I believe we must prepare ourselves for the day before we can eat." Jimmy frowned as Spock picked him up off of his chest and placed him next to Leonard. "I am going to shower, I will be out shortly. Do not get into trouble." Once the bathroom door swished behind him, Jimmy shot up, ripping off the large uniform shirt and pulling on the clothes he had worn the day before.
Leonard looked on in confusion. "What are you doing?"
"I'm getting dressed, dummy."
Len looked on curiously. "But why? Spock said we have to 'pare ourselves."
"And that's what I'm doin'!"
"Ohh." Leonard jumped off the bed and followed in suit. Once they were both dressed Jimmy started for the door. Leonard grabbed his hand to stop him. "Where you going? We can't leave without Spock! He'll think we're gone forever!:
Jimmy huffed. "Yes we can. And we won't get lost because he's like, almost Captain and can find anyone, 'cus he's Spock."
"Really?"
"Yeah, c'mon!" Jimmy pulled Leonard through the doors and ran off in the direction- he thought- was the Mess hall.
Spock stepped out of the bathroom towel-drying his hair. "Jimmy, Leonard. If you would like to bathe then we must do it quickly. I have had one of the ensigns-" He stopped abruptly when he saw that the boys were not in the bedroom anymore. "Jimmy, Leonard?" He quickly searched the quarters and found that they were no longer in the room. Spock definitely did not panic.