Author's Note: I recently watched Star Trek Into Darkness and I love all the characters! This fanfic is about Scotty and various members of the crew. I also kind of just made up a lot of Scotty's back-story. I don't own the rights. Read and review! Also, a creeper is one of those things that roll under a car.

When I Need Someone I Will Look To You

It was one of those nights when everything seemed to keep Scotty awake. The temperature in his room was too hot, but it would be too cold as soon as he lowered it. His blankets kept falling off and his sheets ensnared his limbs at every turn. Running a hand through his thinking hair Scotty sat up and called the lights on. He grabbed his uniform from the hanger over his chair and secured his tool belt around his waist before heading down to engineering.

The walk down to his area was quiet. Hardly anyone roamed the ship during the scheduled night. Of course there would be people on the bridge, and a few people in engineering and medical but not enough people to notice Scotty in his usual section of work. He stared at the part he'd been working on for the past week and was designed to finish tomorrow. His fingers roamed over the interlacing parts in the machinery. Of course none of the others would realize how truly special this part was, it was one of Scotty's original inventions.

In Starfleet the higher ups had discouraged Scotty's inventions but now Kirk promoted them. Anytime he came to the captain with a new idea for engineering the captain would give him a smile and say that as long as the ship ran smoothly he would be more than happy to command a 'Scotty improved ship.' The pipes shined back at him as he stood there with his hands wrapped around his tool belt. With a contented sigh he pulled out the creeper and lay down on his back. Within a second he was under the suspended part. There was something comforting about working on the ship.

It brought back memories of him in his dad's car garage, fixing the engines. It wasn't just cars that he fixed though. He would fix anything he could get his hands on. His mother was always telling him not to touch things, which might be why he was such a hands on person. He felt the need to at least lay a hand on every piece of machinery. He could remember his father's booming voice and his rough calloused hands pulling his own out of the engine. The other mechanic had accidentally turned on the car while Scotty's hands were still near the engine. He remembered choking back tears as his father shoved the burned hands under cold water. The older man had told Scotty not to cry, after all Scotty was the one who hadn't listened-it was his own darned fault.

Which came to another point-Scotty could lose track of time, of the rest of the world if he had his machines with him. Now even the engineer knew machines couldn't replace people, he wouldn't want them to. Except there had been more than a few occasions when it would've been easier to have an android for a friend. It had been his senior prom, right before heading off to Starfleet when he picked up a girl. She had agreed on the condition that he would fix her data pad. He had realized she was using him but some small part of him hoped, prayed that she said yes becaue she found his company appealing. But he was wrong. She had danced to one song with him before going off with the prom king. And so Scotty spent the night alone, peering into his punch cup, the drink the color of his burned hands.

Then he went off to Starfleet and everything had gone well until he accidentally transported that darn dog. And so Scotty had found himself as the outcast yet again, but this time he was half starved on that forsaken base. One day Kirk had shown up and flipped his life right way up. And for once in his life Scotty felt encouragement from someone.

The rest of the crew was plenty nice as well. While sometimes Spock could be cold, the Vulcan would quirk an eyebrow at Scotty's latest invention and say, "fascinating" before glancing at the blue prints and questioning the engineer about the finer points.

Uhura was so sweet. She would listen to him gripe about his issues in the lounge and sometimes they would play an old virtual game. In return he would listen to her talk about the latest in Starfleet and the other gossip aboard the ship and more than once he found himself helping her personally with her own technology and mechanical problems. But he would do anything for his friends.

And then there was the good doctor who seemed to have just as many secrets as Kirk and just as many rings under his eyes as Scotty did. They were good drinking buddies, but those meetings were limited and rare. Often times it was the doctor running down to engineering seeing Scotty electrocuted or burned or with some other injury. The doctor told him he was second in disasters only to the captain himself.

But of course Scotty had a special small spot for Ensign Chekov. The teen had impressed him with his knowledge of the starship and interstellar travel. Scotty saw him as more of a pupil who he needed to guide in the right direction. And Scotty did that well; he always had more problems for Chekov when the younger man was bored. He constantly welcomed his help in engineering when he saw the scrunched up, tense shoulders and the small pout gracing Pavel's features. Usually the problem would come out in a quick burst of Russian and Scotty would keep working, only stopping to give orders to a lieutenant or respond to the captain. And then Chekov would take a deep breath and tell Scotty in English what was wrong. Sometimes Scotty would laugh at the other man's problems, which admittedly wasn't the nicest, but he could do worse. Other times he would tell Pavel to just accept the outcome and move on. And Pavel would swear in Russian but he would keep working next to Scotty.

When said ensign showed up staring down at Scotty that night the older man could tell something was wrong. Sliding up for a minute he questioned the boy.

"What're you doing down here laddie? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

Chekov grinned sheepishly, his curly hair falling in front of his face.

"I could not sleep and thought you could use some help?"

Scotty took out another creeper and laid it down next to his own. The kid grabbed a tool from Scotty's kit before lying down. They were maybe five minutes into repairs when Scotty saw the Russian tightening an already tight bolt.

"Something wrong lad?"

Chekov came out of his stupor, his eyes widening before he shook his head.

"Nyet, just thinking"

Scotty continued fixing the machine as Pavel lowered his arms, his eyes staring into the interlocking parts.

"Something on your mind?"

Chekov exhaled loudly his eyes closing, his head swiveling to look at the Scots man.

"It is my mother's birthday today"

Scotty waited for the other man to continue, his hands covered in mechanical fluid.

"I could not get my transmission to go through, too much interference,"

With a loud bang, the part started buzzing. So the lad was homesick? Scotty was feeling a bit homesick himself tonight.

"If there's one thing I've learned about mothers, it's that they always seem to know when you're thinking about them. Besides, if you were down on Earth who would be my go to ensign?"

Chekov smiled, but it didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"Do you ever miss your mother sir?"

"Aye, of course. But I just think about the good times we had and I don't' feel so lonely anymore."

Chekov gave him a sleepy grin. Scotty carried the conversation, hoping the other man would head back to his room for much needed sleep.

My ma signed me up for rugby when I was sixteen,"

His hands slipped on the oily part. Chekov suppressed a yawn while looking at him, waiting for the older man to continue.

"I didn't know the first thing about the sport and our team was absolute rubbish. I remember my first game I got the ball once before a member from the other team twice my size came at me and knocked me unconscious."

Pavel let out a shocked gasp. Scotty leaned his head to the left as if he could still fell his skull connecting with the other man's body.

"And when I woke up an hour later my am was shocking my shoulders wondering how I could make an entire car from spare parts but I couldn't side step another man."

The machine started to glow a faints blue before they slid up from under it.

"I had embarrassed myself and my family name and yet my mother defended me in front of my father. My old man had much of the same reaction but my mother instead said I'd been very brave, holding my ground. I would never forget that day, and not just because I still have the stitches in my skull to prove it."

Chekov laughed, his eyes drooping closed. Scotty put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him toward the turbolift.

"I'm sure your mother would agree with me that you need your sleep,"

With a small nod the ensign left for his room. Montgomery sat down on the chair and held his head in his hands. It had been a long time since he thought about that incident. An even longer time since he actually talked about his mother. Because when he didn't talk about her he could almost, almost ignore the fact that his own mother was six feet under and never got to see his graduation from Starfleet or his new uniform and station aboard the enterprise. She only knew the scrawny Monty who couldn't play rugby for his life but seemed to always try, always try for her.

He liked to think she would be proud but something gnawed at him. He could imagine her cutting up food in front of a kitchen counter while yelling at him to hurry up and find a nice girl. He could hear her tell him to stop 'gallivanting among the stars and settle down with a nice girl, someone who would cook for him, none of that replicator nonsense.'

Feeling significantly more tired but equally weary Scotty headed back to his quarters to catch the last hours of sleep.