"Honey, I'm home!" Called the Captain of the Enterprise as he stepped through the doors of his quarters after a long day of hobnobbing with the brass and certain ambassadors who must be impressed by any means possible. He hated that, but it went along with being a starship captain, so he'd gritted his teeth and endured it. Jim was especially grateful to return to his family after this type of day.
"In here, darling!" came the answering voice of his wife from the next room. He strode through the door eagerly, stripping off his grey dress jacket as he went.
Carol was sitting in the cozy recliner in their bedroom, feeding their month old son, David. Jim stopped short, awestruck by the sight of his much loved family.
"Hi, beautiful," he breathed, tiptoeing forward. Carol smiled and tilted her head up for a kiss, which he very willingly gave. Little David nursed on unfazed.
Jim smiled at the sight of his son's greedy suckling. "Kid's got quite an appetite, just like me."
"Of course," Carol said fondly, running a finger over the tiny cheek. "He's a Kirk. Needs lots of nourishment for that super charged metabolism. How did it go today?" She asked her husband.
Jim rubbed his son's bald head lovingly before he sat down on the bed to change into civvies.
"Tolerable. Stuffy ambassador schmoozing all day. They seemed to like our family friendly operation, though. Nobody thought I would be content in a non-exploratory role, but they've seen how we've made the adjustment and they're kind of impressed. Barnett said we set a record for most babies born to a starship crew in one year."
Carol laughed. "That doesn't surprise me one bit. The bridge crew alone has six, going on seven!What was the total?"
"Thirty nine," answered the Captain. "I guess lots of couples wanted to take advantage of the kid-friendly version of the Enterprise."
"It is rather nice," said Carol, putting David on her shoulder and patting his little back, "the excitement of space travel without so much danger for you to throw yourself head first in."
Jim nodded sheepishly. "You and Uhura get together today?" he asked her as he returned from replicating some pizza. She was busy changing David now, which made him keep a clear distance.
"Yes, we did, actually. She says the twins are crawling everywhere now. Spock's been doing a lot of baby proofing."
Jim smiled at the picture of his first officer going over every inch of his rooms, covering up and putting away anything deemed hazardous. Spock and Uhura had nine month old fraternal twins, Soren and Seleste. They were getting to a very adventurous stage of their development and kept their parents on high alert.
"Don't tell anyone," he added mischievously, "but those little pointy-eared darlings have Bones's heart in the palm of their hands. I caught him babysitting willingly the other day, sweet talking them in the cutest southern style. David's going to be jealous."
"Somehow, I think he'll manage," said Carol amusedly. "He gets fawned over plenty enough by everybody else. Leonard's just practicing up for baby McCoy. Here, Jim. Take him for a bit while I get something presentable on."
She handed the infant off to a very willing Jim, who carefully cradled his tiny offspring. Fatherhood had been a daunting prospect to him while Carol was pregnant, but from the moment David was born Jim loved that little man very much. Carol thought the sight of her husband staring down in wonder at newborn David was a sight she'd forever cherish and couldn't get enough of.
The baby blinked up at him through sleepy blue eyes that Jim couldn't yet tell whether they were more like his or Carol's.
"Hey buddy, you gonna go nigh-nigh soon? I bet you've had a full day. All that eating and sleeping, and filling your diaper, and fussing's got you all worn out, huh?" David gave a huge yawn. "I'll take that as a yes," Jim whispered, grinning, and placed a kiss on the wee forehead. Presently the baby's eyelids drooped shut and his breathing evened out in slumber.
His wife tripped back into the room moments later, dressed in a loose sweater dress, tights, heels, and sparkly earrings. She looked stunning. The two of them were meeting a group of friends for an elegant dinner and movie night. Lots of babysitters were needed, but they had plenty of volunteers and they all enjoyed an evening of socializing.
Jim gently laid his son down in the bassinet and tucked him in carefully. Carol came up beside him and put an arm around him. "Janice will be here in a few minutes to watch him. He's just so sweet, isn't he?" She whispered, the beautiful motherly glow on her face. "Completely precious," Jim agreed, "and you look gorgeous, babe." He leaned in and kissed her again.
Everybody in their little group had plenty of interesting stories to share about life with little ones. Scotty and Gaila had year old Fern, who was just starting to walk and as bubbly as her mother. Bones of course had Joanna and Christine was seven months along with Baby boy McCoy. Bones refused to reveal the name, mostly to frustrate Jim.
Sarah and Hikaru were the parents of Demora, who was just a week older than David and a little beauty with a full head of dark hair and eyes just like her father's. Jim felt not a little pride as he surveyed the group gathered around the table that evening. He had been a part of all of their weddings and now he was a part of the circle of growing families sharing a journey together.
That night as he spooned with Carol, pressing kisses into her neck, he realized something. "Carol, having a stable family is the greatest thing, isn't it? I never really had one and I told myself I was just fine that way, but I was wrong. I wouldn't ever want to miss this: what I have with you and David."
Carol laid her hand on top of his and basked in his warmth. "Both of us know how badly family can hurt you and now we finally have the positive kind," she whispered. "It's wonderful, Jim. Tiring sometimes, but that's parenthood. I'm glad I met you." He smiled in the darkness.
"Me too, love. Me too." They slipped into a peaceful sleep cuddling together. (Well, four hours of it anyway.)