APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE FOR THE LANGUAGE, BUT IT'S BONES, SO...HAS TO BE DONE.
THAT BEING SAID, HOPE YOU ENJOY!
GOD BLESS AND GOOD DAY!
~THE LUPINE SOJOURNER
Being a bartender means you learn a lot about the utter depravity men are capable of. Women, too. Humans in general- -though aliens are not without guilt, as well- -can be ruthless to each other, petty and embittered to the point of brutal vengeance on their wrong-doers.
That being said, I oftentimes find myself feeling for the victims, left to pick themselves up after all was said and done. Alcohol seemed a popular coping mechanism among our kind (and several species of aliens, too). Then he walked in. He sat at the bar and ordered two whiskeys on the rocks, puffy eyes mainly denoting lack of sleep. "Damn woman…" He groans, shooting an entire whiskey straight back. He was quite handsome with his square jaw, slightly grown out black hair, and the lukewarm dark brown eyes of someone who's been dragged through the Seven Rings of Hell in mere hours. "Taking the entire planet with her!" He says, shooting the other drink back.
"Slow down; you'll get alcohol poisoning." I tease, unable to help it. He merely scoffs and orders two more drinks. Sighing, I refill his glasses and hand them back. "So, mind telling a humble bartenders your troubles?" I ask, leaning my elbows on the counter. The man sighs.
"First, I think I should introduce myself." That wasn't uncommon, but something about this guy made my heart skip a beat. He was so...genuinely polite. A good person who'd just been dragged through the mud. "Leonard McCoy, soon to be Medical Officer McCoy." I nod.
"Rowena Scott, about to be Medical Officer Scott." I tell him. He raises a brow.
"You're enlisting, too?" He asks. I nod.
"Yeah, soon as I study some more and get a little more in my bank. Dad wasn't thrilled when I told him, but it's what I want, so Mom talked him off the ledge, so to speak." Leonard nods, sucking back a third drink. He then smirks and slides the other to me. I roll my eyes. "Good heavens, you're bold." I tease, nonplussed (or so I told myself). It wasn't the first time I was chatted up or hit on by a patron at the bar, after all. I could handle it. I slide the drink back. "I'm still working, Leo." Leonard frowns.
"'Leo'?" He parrots, looking like he's sucking a lemon. I chuckle.
"Yeah. Shorter than 'Leonard'." I say with a shrug. I then turn and serve another patron and by the time I get back to Leonard's chair, I am left with four empty whiskey glasses and a money note with a handwritten one tucked under it.
Been fun meeting you, Rowena. Way things are going, might be seeing more of you. So, here's my vidscreen information.
Listed below that was the series of numbers and letters that would sync our two vidscreens. Again, this wasn't the first time this had happened, but this was the first time I pocketed the note. After Monty graduated, I'd been getting more and more lonely. Maybe I just wanted someone to talk to.
=#=#=#=#=
Next time I saw him, I was waiting for patrons. It was a slow day, and I was incredibly bored at only two hours into my shift. He was suddenly seated at the bar.
"Two whiskeys, on the rocks." He croaks, and I take a second to drink in just how bad he'd gotten in the two days since I'd last seen him. He hadn't shaved or trimmed his hair, he hadn't showered, and he was wearing the same clothes. As I am pouring the drinks, his fists slam on the counter, startling me a little, and I almost spill the whiskey. I then realize that he'd already been drinking tonight. I frown. How was this guy still functioning?! "The nerve of that woman! Actin' like it's all my fault!" He slurs, downing a drink as easily as he had last time, but I knew those puffy eyes were from both too much drinking and crying (but mainly drinking), but lack of sleep certainly didn't help matters.
"Leo, seriously, slow down!" I snap.
"Seriously, stay out of it." He retorts, gripping the other drink protectively. I sigh.
"I think you should tell me what's happening with you before I have to take you to a hospital." He sighs.
"Prob'ly. Look, it's a story you prob'ly hear a lot here." He says, sipping the second whiskey, twirling the rest thoughtfully. "I met a girl, thought it was love, married too soon, whole nine yards." He groans, scrubbing his hands over his face, sighing heavily. "Want to hear the rest?" He asks, eyes down. I tilt my head. Here was something new; I'd taken rants, screams, sobs, but not polite requests if I actually wanted to hear his tale. For that reason alone, I agreed.
"Eh, it's a slow night, anyway." I quip, leaning my elbows on the bar with a shrug. He chuckles without humor.
"Well, and this is the difference 'tween me an' the rest, most likely; I only joined the medical field because of my daughter." He gulps down another hefty portion of his drink, as if to steel himself for what he's about to say. "My little girl, Johana...she's sick. Real sick. And my woman blames me fer the whole thing, like I gave Johana the- -" He chokes off, beginning to sob. I feel my heart shatter and I decide to ignore whatever protocol told me to do about people like this, because in this moment, Leo needed a friend, not just a bartender. So I come out from behind the bar and give the man a hug. "I just...there's nothing to be done, and Ellen just...she just ignores that and guilt-trips me!" He cries. I rub his back comfortingly.
"That's just her messed up way of trying to process all this, I'm afraid. I am so sorry she's making you feel this way." He clutches me tighter to him like I was a lifeline and he was a drowning man. I blush, but don't move to end the contact.
"And now we're gettin' divorced with a dying daughter to top it all off." He then straightens up, gently pushing me back. "So, I should be getting back. It's my night to take care of Johana." I exchange looks with an employee just arriving who seems to pick up on what was happening. No way was I taking this guy anywhere but home to sleep the alcohol off.
"...Fine, just go." He says, waving me on. I grin.
"Thanks!" Leo looks at me strangely.
"What're you doing?" He asks, speech slurring slightly. I roll my eyes, taking his arm over my shoulder.
"What do you think, genius? You're too drunk to even call a ride, much less get there in one piece. I'm taking you home."
"Winnie, yeh don't have t- -"
"Yes, I do. Now shut up!"
=#=#=#=#=
Thus began a very unlikely friendship involving me giving him half-off ice cream- -but don't tell the manager!- -instead of whiskey whenever he wanted to go to a bar, as I found serving ice cream to be a far better job for me than serving drinks (plus it pays better). And Leo had somehow known I'd switched jobs, showing up at my new work rather than a bar.
Doesn't mean he didn't have a flask on him at virtually all times, but it was at least a start. I quickly learned that Leonard liked Butter Rum with pecan pieces...and a little extra rum. I'd pretend not to notice and we became inseparable. We talked about a lot of things, but mainly it was just to let Leo rant about his ex-wife.
"I mean it! She really took the whole damn planet!" He was saying currently. "She's stripped me of everything! All I got left is my bones." He grumbles, stirring his ice cream absently. I crack a smile. Leonard notices. And groans.
"Seriously?" He asks. I shrug.
"You are a doctor." Leonard sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It fits."
"I'd really rather you not call me 'Bones', darlin'." I grin and shrug.
"I was just teasing." I then laugh at myself and McCoy joins in.
=#=#=#=#=
"You sure about this?" He asks, puffy eyes searching my own. I nod shakily. Why did he invite me again? This was extremely personal for him. Why am I here?
"Y-yeah, I'm sure." I had to do this. For him and to honor my promise to be here for him.
"Not too late to- -" We're interrupted by a snide, snivelling voice.
"Oh, Lennie, how decent of you to show up." I turn and see a snobby, well-dressed woman with completely exaggerated expressions and features. I instantly hate her, even before I deduced that she was the satanic ex-wife Leonard was so fond of ranting about. I scowl.
"Of course he'd show up, Ellen!" I snap. "It's his kid's funeral!" The woman glares right back at me. Then huffs.
"Have fun with your new toy, Leonard." She drawls, dragging her nail across his chin as she stalks away.
"That woman! That is so messed up!" I growl to myself. Leo glares after her, then deflates and his lips tremble as he takes a breath.
"She is going to be the death of me." He groans, voice wavering. I shake my head, exhaling slowly to regain control of myself.
"Let's just find our seats. As far away from that beesh as possible." Leo chuckles weakly.
"'Beesh'?" He asks. I smack his arm playfully.
"Oh, hush!" Unfortunately, the funeral starts as soon as we are seated and all cheer dies.
=#=#=#=#=
"So...what did Ellen mean by 'toy'?" I ask, confused, a few days of screwing up my courage later.
Leonard sighs. Since the funeral, he'd been different, more...friendly, but less inclined to discuss Johana or Ellen, really. He suddenly became interested in me and my favorite things and wants and desires.
I never told him the one thing I wanted most; him, happy and genuinely content, finally moving past this awful experience. I didn't want to jeopardize the friendship we'd formed, the trust we had between us.
"Well...she seems to think I've rebounded from our divorce...onto you." He replies I grimace a little at the uncouth mental picture that conjured up, despite the blush in my cheeks.
"Oh. Well, you do seem quite fond of me." I tease, poking his side. He gives me a genuine smile.
"Of course I am. Everyone else just pities me. You're the only one actually trying to do something to help. I like that about you." I blush a little and smile.
"Oh, really?" I reply. "And here I thought it was my witty one-liners." Leo laughs.
"Oh, those really help your case, believe me." I grin widely. I was more happy than I probably should be at the knowledge that Leonard Horatio McCoy (yes, his middle name is Horatio; feel free to do what you will with that knowledge), God of sarcastic, witty one-liners, enjoyed mine. It was a nice, warm feeling, really. But platonic, pure and simple.
...I think.
=#=#=#=#=
I raced down the street to the park Bones and I usually meet at, giddy and bouncy. After all, it wasn't everyday you got this kind of good news! Then, just as I prepare to step off the pathway and make my way up to our usual meeting spot on the crest of a hill, I trip, nearly spilling our ice cream everywhere, when out of nowhere, a strong figure sighs, grabs the back of my shirt, and hauls me back a step so I can regain my balance. I spin, already knowing who it was, grinning wildly.
"Hey, Leo!" I chirp, thrusting his ice cream into his hands. "I got accepted!" I exclaim, unable to keep it in any longer. He stares at me for a second, then he starts laughing.
"That's great! Me, too!" He then side-hugs me easily as we walk to our usual spot. "For a little while, I was worried for yah, but...you somehow managed it." I roll my eyes.
"Oh, stop! You helped me study for the entrance exam! I'm sure that's part of why I passed." Leonard shrugged.
"That, and you're pretty much the smartest girl I know." I blush a little and tuck my hair behind my ears. Damn, he's smooth.
"Hey, now. I'm not a bartender anymore. No need to sweet-talk me." I reply, slipping out of the embrace to sit down. He just rolls his eyes and sits beside me.
"I'm just stating facts, Winnie." I blush even more and turn my head.
"Over exaggerated facts." I mumble. Leonard gently grips my chin and makes me look at him. His eyes...I've never seen them like that. They're completely happy and warm and...it's truly a miracle he can look like this, after everything he's been through.
"Rowena, you are amazing. I mean that. You just...give and give and- -ah, to Hell with it!" Then, he's leaning in and grabbing me and suddenly I'm leaning in, too, and we're kissing and it's everything I thought a first kiss should be. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it." He whispers when we break apart for air, his hands still on my shoulder blades where he'd gently pulled me in. I can only sit there processing everything for a few seconds.
"...What are you apologizing for, Leo?" I then ask, smirking. "That was…" Unable to verbalize the extent to which I'd enjoyed the kiss, I decide to show, not tell, and pull him in for another kiss.
=#=#=#=#=
"I don't want to fly there." He groans. I roll my eyes.
"Come on, Leo. We have to fly there. No other way."
"Then tell them 'thanks, but no thanks' for me, will yah?" I shake my head fondly, spinning him around and shoving him onto the shuttle.
"Oh, no you don't!" I chirp, steering him deeper inside. "You've already paid tuition, buster! Get on the shuttle already!" He groans and starts walking on his own.
"Fine. I gotta take a whiz. Be back. Save me a seat, will yah?" He grumbles, slouching off to the bathroom, his head nearly brushing the ceiling. I sigh in fond exasperation, watching his back fade away as I move to reserve two seats. As I focus on buckling in, I hear a passenger take the seat two down from me, as I'd placed my bag on Leo's seat, telling an African-American woman he 'still didn't get first name'. I look up to see a handsome blonde man with sharp, enticing blue eyes. He smiles politely at me once he was through giving an equal smile to the other woman. I smile back.
He then looks away and I reach over to pull out a book to read on the hour and a half long shuttle ride to the Academy. Then, after a few minutes of reading, I frown, wondering what was taking Leonard so long. I sigh, putting my bookmark in, setting it down on my seat, and walking over to the bathroom.
"Leo? You in there?" I ask, knocking softly on the door.
"Yeah, Win. I'm here." He grumbles.
"It's been five minutes. You okay?" I press. He groans.
"I was thinking...I'd just hang in here." He replies vaguely. I frown.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"For how long?"
"...The whole ride." I roll my eyes. He'd mentioned something about a severe dislike of flying, but this was ridiculous.
"Leonard, really. Come on. I'll be right beside you. It'll be- -"
"Sir, you need to get out of the restroom immediately. We cannot allow anyone to be in there when we're about to take off." Came an officer's voice and a woman came into view a second later, opening the door and dragging Leonard out. "If you need a doctor, sir- -"
"I don't need a doctor, dammit! I am a doctor!" Leo snaps back in reply. I sigh, turning to the woman.
"So sorry." I mumble. "I'll just- -"
"You need to get him back to his seat, ma'am." She cuts me off. I nod.
"I had one! In the bathroom! With no windows!" Leonard replies snappishly as he stubbornly resists my tugging toward the seats.
"You need to return to your seat, now!" The woman huffs, quickly losing patience.
"Leo, are you- -" I begin to ask, but he interjects.
"I'm fine, Winnie!" Leonard sighs, wrenching his arm free. "I just suffer from aviophobia, which means fear of dying in something that flies!" I frown at the revelation, but set it aside for now.
"Sir, for your own safety, sit down or else I'll make you sit down!" She replies, glaring up at him. After a few tense seconds, Leonard deflates, subtly taking my hand, nodding and moving to sit.
"Fine." He growls.
"Thank you." The woman replies hotly. I sigh and smile at the woman, even as Leonard tugs me toward my seat gently.
"So sorry, again." I mumble. She just sighs and walks away. I then buckle myself back in. "Want to listen to my music and borrow a book?" I ask. "I gotta few." He shrugs as Captain Pike's voice clears us for takeoff.
"I'll be fine, long as we're holdin' hands, darlin'." He mumbles, and I swear he has a tint of red to his cheeks. "Though, I may throw up on yah." He growls as he lets go of my hand for a second to grab the harness, peeking over at the blonde guy on his other side. "Either of you." I shrug.
"You could also aim for the floor." I point out. The blonde man on Leonard's other side looks over at to him.
"I think these things are pretty safe." He muses. Leonard glares at him.
"Don't pander to me, kid. One tiny crack in the hull, and our blood boils in thirteen seconds. Solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats. And wait til yer sitting pretty with a case o' Andorian Shingles. See if yer still so relaxed when yer eyeballs are bleeding!" I roll my eyes, refraining- -barely- -from chuckling.
"Babe, those tragedies are a million to one chances. Just breath, picture our hill, okay? Butter Rum ice cream on a hot day, just enjoying the sun." Leonard smiles.
"Thanks fer trying, but space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence."
"Oh, don't be overdramatic. Besides, alien sickness spreading to humans is not common." I reply, waving off his concern. The guy beside me just smirks and manages an even, deadpan voice for his next words.
"She's right, and, I hate to break this to you, but Starfleet operates in space…" Leonard nods, digging in his coat pocket.
"Leo, don't." I caution softly.
"Yeah, well, ain't got no place left to go; the ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce. All I got left's my bones." He says, taking a sip from a flask. I sigh.
"And that wonderful, happy personality." I mumble. Leo scoffs.
"Everyone else is too fricking depressed; figured I'd lighten the mood." We simultaneously burst into laughter for a few seconds before Leo offers the flask to the guy. He takes it.
"Jim Kirk." He introduces before he takes a sip.
"McCoy. Leonard McCoy." Leo replies, accepting the flask back. Jim nods.
"And this is?" He asks awkwardly, gesturing to me. I smile and reach across Leo to shake his hand.
"Rowena Scott."
And thus began a slightly strange, but all around enjoyable, friendship between the three of us.
I FEEL LIKE I BUTCHERED BONES' CHARACTER HERE, BUT IT WAS SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE, I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO CARE TOO MUCH. I DID TRY TO KEEP HIM IN-CHARACTER, THOUGH. LET ME KNOW IF YOU THINK I SUCCEEDED!