Disclaimer: Not mine, nor do I make money from these characters. I'm just playing with them.
Spell checked, proof read, unbeta'd
A/N: First time writing for Star Trek; be kind, eh?
I work for the Canadian military (as a civilian) in a unit that oversees sub repair. Subs come in for Short Work Periods (SWP) which is a regularly scheduled maintenance (about every eight months or so), so I figure that Starships will have the same deal. Just pretend Enterprise is in the vicinity of Earth when its SWP comes up. So I'm using some lingo and other ideas—cuz you know, Starfleet is like the navy...so yeah.
And lastly, I figure McCoy thinks of himself in terms of his first name, Leonard, while Jim thinks of him with the nickname, Bones. Hence the difference. Also, I may be playing just a little with the various names Bones goes by.
It's Lonely Here Without You
"I can't believe that you have to stay up here," complained Leonard, folding his arms across his chest. "It's the first time we're home in a year and a half, and the admiralty makes you stay on ship?"
Jim sighed beside him, his eyes distant, staring out the window in his ready room. Leonard frowned at Jim's silence. It's not like they haven't been over this off and on again for the last three days when Jim had received his orders. Heated arguments and Leonard ranting to a stony Jim, but nothing he said would convince Jim to fight the orders and now he was stuck, about to disembark for home, just four days before Christmas and Jim was staying in space dock, overseeing a Short Work Period repair and meetings with engineers and admirals. It was monumentally unfair and the injustice of it all grated on his already frazzled nerves.
"Listen, Bones, I would really like to go with you and spend Christmas with your family, but I can't. Enterprise needs me here."
"Goddammit, Jim!" growled Leonard, pacing from the wall to the window in front of Jim's desk.
"Bones." Jim's quiet call brought Leonard up short and turning to look at the man behind the desk; his captain, his best friend, and his lover. He glided between his roles effortlessly, charming his way into not only his heart but that of his crew and those they met. It annoyed him that he was being handled.
"What? You can't make me like this. You should be there." Leonard's tone slipped from annoyed to sad against his will.
"I know; I'm sorry."
Leonard snorted derisively and turned to glare out the window, his back to the man seated at the desk. He planned on being grumpy and angry until he could convince Jim that he ought to just skive off and come home with him. Until then he'd make sure Jim knew that he was being a right ignorant prick.
"Bones—"
"Captain to the bridge." Spock's voice cut over whatever Jim was going to say. Leonard glared at the speaker in the ceiling and wished that bloody hobgoblin Pa'nar syndrome that struck hard and fast and made him a weeping mess.
"Bones, I got to go prepare for docking. I'm really sorry that I can't come, you know that, right?" A warm hand fell on Leonard's shoulder, draining his anger. "Please don't be mad at me, you know I have to take care of the ship."
"Yeah," said Leonard with a sigh. He covered Jim's hand with one of his own and gave it a soft squeeze. "Sorry for putting you in a tight spot, I just wanted…" In the window, Leonard could see the space dock slide into view and below it, Earth. Jim tightened his hold for a moment and then pulled away, leaving Leonard to his thoughts.
Just before the doors could open, he heard Jim pause. "I'm going to try to get Christmas Eve off, hopefully before midnight your time. I do want to be there, Bones."
Leonard looked over his shoulder, locking his gaze on Jim's. God, he had the most beautiful blue eyes. He could spend forever just staring at them. He nodded once and watched as Jim left, the sound of the bridge briefly filling the ready room then it was once again quiet. He sighed loudly in the quiet of the room bracing one hand on the thick windowpane he rested his head on the back of his hand. The space station grew larger by the moment. Smoothly, the ship manoeuvred around until it was between the planet and the station, easing into position. Leonard watched until he felt the moment they were under the station's control and then pushed away from the window and slipped out of the ready room.
On the bridge there was lots of excited chatter. Leonard caught snippets of plans being made; who was going where and seeing who. He glanced at the captain's chair, but Jim was busy ordering the final docking and talking with the station. Leonard slipped out without announcing his presence and made his way down to Sickbay. They had at least another two hours before crew would be allowed to disembark for leave and he wanted to make sure all his work was filed before he left.
"Bones, what are you still doing here?" Jim asked by way of announcing his presence in Sickbay. Leonard started, whirling around to glare at Jim.
"I'm working, idiot; thanks for the heart attack." His desk was now strewn with PADDs that he had knocked sideways when Jim had startled him. He frowned at the mess. Now he'd have to put them back in order.
"No problem." Jim grinned at him and Leonard rolled his eyes. He wanted to be angry again, really he did, but when Jim was like this, like a hyper kid, he can't stay angry for long. "You almost done, I thought I'd walk you down."
"Yeah, just give me a minute."
As Leonard worked, he could feel Jim's eyes on him. Usually he didn't mind that Jim watched him avidly like this. He claimed that he liked to watch Leonard's hands move; said they were graceful. But right now, it felt like a good-bye and that didn't sit well with him. He put away the last PADD and turned. Jim's eyes flicked upwards and met his. And then it hit him, it was a good-bye. For the first time in the year and a half they'd been in space and the three they'd spent at the academy they'd be apart—not that the distance was great, not considering the technology they had available to them.
"Jim… This sucks," Leonard crossed his arms and glared. Jim pushed off the wall and pulled his arms apart, slipping between them to rest his head against Leonard's collar bone, holding him tight.
"You sound like your daughter," said Jim against his throat, chuckling softly. Leonard rubbed his hands, one into Jim's neck, and the other along the man's spine. "Though, if she glares like that now, she'll start to look like you. Not that that's a bad thing, but I'm thinking she'd rather forego the stubble and the crankiness."
"Brat," grumbled Leonard, nuzzling his nose against Jim's temple and breathing in the scent of him.
"Doctor McCoy, I'm going to head out now—oh!" Christine Chapel stopped abruptly in the doorway to his office, a hand raised to her mouth in surprise. Jim turned in his arms, looking over at the head nurse with a smile. "Well, at least you two aren't fighting anymore."
"What's the point, this idiot is married to his work first," grumbled Leonard, giving Jim's neck a gentle squeeze.
"Yeah, but I'm married to you second," said Jim, smiling up at him next. Yeah, hard to stay angry with that around, that's for sure, thought Leonard. He shook his head at Jim and rolled his eyes, because he was exasperating even if he did love the idiot for it.
Christine came into the office. "I'll just get my Christmas kisses and then I'll be off." She went up on tip toes and kissed the side of Leonard's cheek, laughing lightly as he grumbled and shifted in embarrassment. Jim took his kiss on both cheeks and then gave two back, making Christine blush lightly. "You're such a flirt, James Kirk." She swatted at his arm playfully and then turned to leave. "Have a good Christmas, you two."
"Shall we go, too?" Jim asked. He reached up and wiped away the faint trace of lipstick Christine left behind from Leonard's kiss and smiled as Leonard barely endured the treatment. They made their way through the ship to the airlock, joining up with more of the crew as they also made their way into the station.
The space station was crowed with family members waiting for crew to exit. Excited cries and lots of hugging filled the air. But the sense of excitement didn't reach Leonard. He followed Jim, not really watching anything, just thinking once more how shitty this was turning out to be.
"Daddddyyyy!" A squeal of delight in a voice he only barely recognized snapped Leonard's head up, searching the room.
"There." Jim tapped his arm and pointed. Barrelling down towards them, a small girl—not that small anymore—dressed in a deep red dress and wavy brown hair combed into a high pony tail was running towards him with her arms spread wide.
"Oh my God," he whispered, immediately dropping to one knee to catch the precious projectile. Joanna crashed into his chest, knocking him sideways into Jim's legs, her arms wrapping around his neck and holding his head close to hers. His baby was getting big and he hurt for how much he was missing.
"Daddy, I missed you," she said, squeezing him so hard it hurt. He didn't ever want it to end.
"Jo-bean, I missed you too, baby," Leonard murmured into her hair. He looked up at Jim to find him with suspiciously wet looking eyes. Jim combed through his hair, smiling.
"I arranged for her and your mother to come up to meet you. I knew you wouldn't have had them come all this way. But, since I couldn't go…"
"Grams didn't like the shuttle, but she was brave and held my hand and I saw the Earth and the Station through the window. I even got the touch the shuttle controls, daddy!" Joanna pulled back to bounce in front of him, smiling and eyes alight. Leonard pulled his gaze away from Jim's and grinned at his daughter.
"That's awesome, Jo-bean, you must've liked that a lot," Leonard said, smiling in answer to his daughter's enthusiasm. His eyes took in all the changes since the last time he'd seen her, how she'd grown and how long her hair was getting, to how her face was changing and loosing some of her baby fat.
"I did! And you know what, daddy? I want to be a pilot so I can fly out to meet you in space whenever I like!"
"Now that would really make my day, honey." Leonard stood, lifting Joanna up into his arms. Joanna rested her head on his shoulder and began twirling the hair at the back of his neck through her fingers, humming. Jim's arm fell over his shoulders and pulled him into a half hug. He kissed the side of Leonard's mouth and smiled. Leonard's chest hurt for how much loving this man meant to him.
"Lenny, you're looking good. A bit tired, though."
Leonard turned to find his mother several paces away, looking as spry as ever, wearing beige slacks and a turtleneck sweater. Her gray hair was pinned in its usual twist at the back of her head. Jim's arm fell away as he leaned down to kiss his mother on the cheek.
"Hi mom, how've you been doing?"
"Oh, same as always just a little bit older is all."
Leonard smirked and Jim snorted. Jim had told him that he believed his mother had discovered the secret to not aging when he looked at Leonard's family snaps. According to him, the proof was in the fact that even as the years passed she continued to look awesome and in the next breath, said Bones would look even awesomer at that age. "Mom, let me introduce you to Jim Kirk, captain of the Enterprise, and if we had better luck, he'd be coming with us."
"Nice to meet you, Jim. I hear—"
"Daddy, daddy? When we get home, do you want to take me horse riding?" Joanna asked, lifting her head from his shoulder to look into his face.
"Sure I do, honey. Are you spending Christmas with us or mommy?" Leonard heard his mother drilling Jim with questions. He wanted to come to his rescue but Joanna wanted his attentions and who was he to deny her when he rarely saw her.
"With you, silly. Mommy has me all the time."
"That's very nice of her; I'll have to comm her and thank her." Not that he relished that idea, but it wouldn't be wise to piss off his Ex until after Joanna went back. He didn't want to ruin his good luck by picking a fight or generally acting like he normally would.
"You know what? I picked out a present for you. I saved up my credits all by myself and I went and picked it out. And I wrapped it with real paper I made at school; with a ribbon and everything."
"That sounds lovely, Jo-bean, I'm sure I'm gonna love it."
Jim's voice cut through their conversation, drawing him back. "Well, ladies, I escorted the good doctor to you, so you had better take care of him for me. I have to get to a meeting at HQ and if I don't leave soon I'll be late, and I don't want to get grounded, do I Jo?" Jim reached over and tickled Joanna's nose making her squirm in Leonard's hold while she giggled.
"Jim—"
"I'll contact you soon," said Jim, patting his shoulder as he left for a deeper part of the Starbase.
"He seems like a good man, Lenny. I'm happy for you two," his mother said, placing a hand over Joanna's back and going up on his toes to give him another kiss.
"Yeah? Thanks, that means a lot."
"Daddy! Let's go on the shuttle again!"
Two days later and Jim was no closer to being able to get away for Christmas Eve. The engineers had found a stress crack that ran the length of the main lateral strut and that meant emergency meetings and planning sessions on how to best replace the faulty piece before Enterprise was ordered back out. Jim barely had time to talk with him and when he did manage to get Jim on the comm he sounded tired and stressed. The skeleton crew on Enterprise was working around the clock to help the various maintenance trades finish the Short Work Period on time but Jim said he was going to force them off the ship tomorrow to make sure they got some R&R because they'd burn out at this rate. This order didn't seem to apply to Jim, Leonard found out, as he was making plans to take the duty watch so that the crew could leave.
In Georgia, all the McCoys had gathered at his mother's home and it was cousins and aunts and people he wasn't even sure were related to him, shaking his hand and commending him on his excellent work 'out there'. Many of the relatives were in town in hotels or being put up in neighbour's houses.
Even with all these people around, even with his daughter glued to his hip and following him around like a little duckling, he felt alone and lonely for Jim. The house was decked with all the Christmas decorations that his mother had collected, plus all the decorations her mother had collected and so on for four generations of McCoys. It was beautiful and homey and all Leonard wanted to do was curl up in front of the wood burning stove with his arms wrapped around one precocious, annoying Starfleet captain.
"Lenny!"
Leonard looked up from the book he was trying to read, his daughter's head in his lap, sound asleep. His mother popped her head around the corner. "Yes, mom?"
"Lenny, you've been mopping around here like your dog just died and it pains me to see." Leonard flushed red. He hadn't thought his loneliness was that obvious. "So, me and my sisters were thinking, if this captain of yours can't come to us, what do you think about taking the clan up to him?"
"Ah…" The clan; all of them? All fifty-five of them piling into a shuttle and somehow getting clearance to board Enterprise just so Jim didn't have to be alone. While the thought was nice, he wasn't too sure if it was even possible. How on earth would he find someone willing to do the passes they'd need without alerting Jim that it was happening? Who on earth could he call for that kind of favour? And not to mention willing to do all that work so close to the holidays.
"Christ, mom, I don't know. The security clearances alone…" His mother smacked his shoulder hard. "Ow! What?" He rubbed the sting away, glaring at his mother.
"Lenny! Taking the Lord's name in vain; shame on you."
"Sorry," replied Leonard, but his mind was already running through everyone he knew at Starfleet who he might be able to pull some favors, and came back with too few who fit the bill. Jim would know someone, Jim knew everyone it seemed sometimes. "I don't think it'd be possible; maybe the three of us, sure, but all fifty-five. It's impossible. Besides, he may still get away."
"Okay, honey, just a thought." His mother patted him on the shoulder and went back into the kitchen.
He knows he's being a jerk, the biggest fat jerk in the whole universe. Oh and mustn't forget a liar. Straight to Bones' face and he didn't even twitch to see the pain his 'obligations' caused him. He was a jerk and he didn't care but that Bones was currently dirt side. Well, that's not true, he did care, because he wasn't with Bones, but he didn't care that he was missing all the trumped up Christmas stuff. Instead he was sitting in his quarters in a virtually empty ship doing paper work.
And the lies didn't stop; he made up a story about the lateral strut, counting on Bones' lack of knowledge of mechanics to see him through the lie. And he didn't even answer half of Bones' comms, pretending to be busy and it fucking hurt, but he didn't like all the Christmas stuff. He felt bad for disappointing him and Bones' family and did what he could to make up for it, calling his mother and arranging for her and Joanna to meet Bones at the station. He could see that it was really appreciated to have them there.
Seeing Bones with his daughter was the best. He could see how much it meant for Bones to see his daughter away from his ex-wife. She was a gorgeous little girl and he could see the best of Bones in her. When she grew up and the boys took notice, she was going to drive her father nuts trying to keep them away from her.
He chuckled as he pictured Bones sitting out on the front porch glaring at the boys. And of course he'd be there quipping smart-ass remarks to work Bones into a righteous anger and make Bones fight with himself not to do something permanent, or at least that would leave marks. Maybe he'd tell Bones how he used to try to get girls to notice him at that age, point out each tactic that the boy du jour was now using and rate their successes.
His musings were interrupted as his communicator beeped at him again. Jim sighed and figured that he couldn't put it off forever. He flicked open his communicator. "Kirk here."
"Jim."
Jim closed his eyes in guilt. "Hey, Bones. How's it going down there?"
"Not as great as it could be if you were here."
"I know…I'm sorry. I am trying."
"Yeah.... Miss you."
Jim squeezed his eyes shut and let his head bang against the table top softly. "Miss you too. How's it down there?"
"It's bloody chaos. But...Jo is stuck to my side. She's following me everywhere and hanging off of me. It's real cute; she's asleep in my lap right now... If I did one thing right with Jocelyn, it's her. Sometimes I can't believe I made her, you know? She's so fucking smart and damn, she's beautiful. She wants to be a doctor now too. She's mimicking all my mannerisms and I'm choking half the time to not cuss around her because she's even starting to talk like me. Joss will be pissed."
"Sounds like fun," Jim forces out, thankful that Bones can't see him because even if his voice sounds normal, he knows his face would betray him. He doesn't know how he'll be able to face Bones once he's back from leave.
"Yeah, and mom's doing her dammest to fatten me up, so no cracks about my waistline when you get here tomorrow, got it?"
"I'll try my best, but I call it like I see it," joked Jim, knowing he wasn't going to be able to 'make' it tomorrow. Something would come up that would prevent him from getting planet side. He had already figured out everything he needed to say and how to make it so that if Bones got suspicious and decided to check up on him, he'd find everything was legit and on the up and up.
"You know, I don't think I said how proud I was of you," Bones said suddenly.
"Oh? How so?" Jim felt a frisson of guilt twist in his belly.
"Well, the fact that you were willing to come down and meet my family over Christmas was big for me. If the admiralty hadn't of interfered you'd be here now enjoying a beer and good ol' home cooking."
"Yeah, it sucks," agreed Jim softly. They fell silent and Jim thought about all the shitty Christmases he's had and how he doesn't want to even think about how artificial and contrived this holiday was. He just can't stand to even think about this time of year because then he has to remember all the times he didn't have his mom, or all the times Frank got on his case, telling him how he didn't deserve a present and mockingly giving him lumps of dirt because he didn't even deserve a lump of coal. That's not even including all the Christmas beatings he earned by being a smart ass. And then there was the other stuff, harder to think about that he's still denying and doesn't want to even consider. He's blocked those things far away in the back of his mind, but it makes him loath the holidays. All of it left a bitter taste in his mouth. In classic Kirk coping method he misdirected, lied, and played it off.
"Listen, I should go. I got to check in with the—"
"Jim?"
"Yeah?"
"Jo and I are waiting for you, so don't be too much longer, okay?"
Later that night, Leonard commed Scotty and asked him what he thought about pulling a surprise on the captain who was stuck in orbit. Of course the man was up for it, and no, he didn't need to worry about interrupting his Christmas, he's free as a bird. Plus Scotty would never say no to anything that sounded even remotely fun and said he knew what to do. Five hours later, Scotty commed him back and said that everything was under control and all he needed to do was get everyone up to the station. The man was a miracle worker, truly.
He told his mom what had happened, and the women of the house went into a frenzy of cooking. The smells that filled the kitchen were divine and he was hard pressed to stay away and not sample one of everything, and it didn't help him but Joanna was able to get more tastes then he was. She certainly knew how to turn on the charm.
And there was only twelve hours to go until Christmas Eve.
Early that afternoon, half of the McCoys left by transporter, the others by shuttle with the food was divided between everyone. Since he hated the transporter more then shuttles, he went with his daughter on the last shuttle leaving for the station. Jo was electrified at being on a shuttle so soon after her last ride and talked Leonard's ear off and she was hard press to stay seated. He enjoyed every minute of her excited chatter, eager to share his daughter with Jim and show him how great she was. They arrived an hour later and met Scotty. Passes where handed out and everyone was escorted to the airlock.
The plan was to set up in the formal dinning hall and to open the partition to accommodate them all. Scotty thankfully thought ahead and had gotten tables from the mess and placed them along the walls. Kirk hadn't been seen according to Scotty so Leonard thought that meant he was busy either in his quarters or in his ready room. When Leonard asked about the repair to the strut thingy, Scotty didn't have clue to what he was talking about.
That's when it clicked for him.
Jim was lying on his bed one arm thrown over his eyes when the comm trilled at him again. He reached over and plucked it off his bedside table, flicking open the device. "Kirk here."
"Jim, I'm an idiot."
"Oh? This is a startling turn of events. I'm usually the idiot, or the infant, or the brat, or—"
"Yes, but I messed up," said Bones, sounding serious and upset.
"What happened? Is it Jo?" Jim sat up in bed, trying to plan how fast he could get the transporter to work in order to beam down to wherever Bones was and be there for him.
"No, no, it's you—"
"Me?" Jim felt as though he was missing something important because why would Bones call himself an idiot in relation to him? He was the idiot (according to Bones). Of course, Jim didn't consider himself an idiot—handsome, yes, idiot, not so much.
"Yes—would you shut up and listen to me!" Jim barely had the chance to mumble a confused 'sorry' before Bones began to explain. "I was so caught up in my plans and my Christmas that I didn't think about you. I'm sorry that I didn't consider how this time of year affects you and sorry that I was an ass and pushed so Goddamn much; and you just bore it all with that stupid smile on your face—"
"Hey, my smile isn't stupid—"
"—And you let me go on and on. My God, man, why didn't you say something? I know I pressured you into sort of agreeing and put you in a tight spot, but why didn't you feel like you could talk to me about this?"
Jim hears a familiar sound in the back ground and wonders why he's hearing that when Bones is at his home. "Why do I hear turbolift doors opening?"
"Jim, pay attention, for God's sake," Bones hisses. "I'm trying to apologize to you and you're asking inane questions."
"Inane...?"
"Why didn't you tell me you didn't want to celebrate Christmas with me? It would have been disappointing, hell it was disappointing that you couldn't come with me, but no more then if you didn't want to come. I would have stayed with you, if you'd just ask me. I hope you know that. I would probably have enjoyed drinking and watching movies with you more then being surrounded by family."
"Bones, I didn't want to make you stay with me when your daug—"
"And you even went as far as to bring my mother and Jo up to meet me. How on Earth did you get Jocelyn to agree to lettin' me have Jo for the holidays anyway? She mentioned that you called her two weeks ago. We were in the middle of a diplomatic mission two weeks ago. How did you think of this and not tell me? When did you? And you're talking with my mother too—what did she say to you by the way?"
Jim paused; just to be sure Bones was done. He's just been asked more then a dozen questions, all of which he doesn't want to tackle, so he concentrates on the last one. "Nothing really." Anxious flutterings turned his stomach into ice as his mind races. Through their time at the Academy they never worried about celebrating Christmas with anyone but themselves. And it usually entailed lots of alcohol, watching some movie and making derisive comments about the plot. Bones didn't ask him any questions and Jim never offered. It was safe like that and now all of a sudden it was dangerous. The rational part of his mind tried to tell him that Bones' family couldn't be anything like what he's not considered family all his life. They were probably depressingly normal, upstanding people that were nice and shit.
Bones grunts and Jim becomes distracted at the sound of it. His thoughts are pre-programmed to turn to sex and naked Bones and more sex whenever he heard that sound. "Well," says Bones, "I'm sorry, but—"
The door to his quarters slides open. Jim looked over, wondering if it was one of the NCO's coming to give a report, but that can't be right because he's dismissed most of them by now. There should only be no more then ten people on board at the moment and none of those ten would need to come to his quarters to talk to him.
"You're coming with me," said Bones, clicking his communicator closed with a snap. Jim's mouth is open, but he doesn't even think about that. He's also staring, and that's also something he doesn't think about. Bones is dressed in civvies. Faded blue jeans that look like they've seen lots of wear, frayed at the cuffs and just a little too long for Bones in the leg because the pant legs seem to pool at his ankles and that's hot because Bones is tall already. His pale blue button down shirt is open at the neck and the sleeves are rolled up past his elbows. His dark hair is messy and he's got the most delicious five o'clock shadow that Jim wants to lick lots. Bones never listens to him that he should forget about shaving and leave it like this. And he wonders where the hell Bones was hiding these clothes because they're really fucking hot.
Bones rolls his eyes at him and strides across his room. "Com'on kid. We got places to be." A warm hand takes hold of his elbow and tugs him off the bed and all Jim can do is stare at Bones' eyes like he's never seen them before. Maybe his brain is broke because he can't find any words to say, so he just looks.
"You might want to leave that here," Bones remarks, taking Jim's communicator out of his limp hand and clicking it shut. He dumps it on a low table as he's pulling Jim with him and heads for the door.
"How are you here? What about your daughter? You just left her?"
"I couldn't let you be here alone," Bones tells him gruffly. "And maybe I understand that you hate Christmas, but just do this thing for me and I'll make it up to you any way you want, okay?"
"Okay," agrees Jim, not really sure what the hell they're talking about, but the promise sounds good enough that he'll go along with it. Also, he's glad that Bones is here. Even if he hates Christmas he likes Bones and being without Bones for the past three days was a lot harder then he'd thought it would be.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you so quiet?" Bones asks, frowning at him and arching his eyebrow. Jim can't stop staring and his mind slowly supplies him with the theory that maybe he's in shock, so he smiles instead. Bones leans in and sniffs. "You haven't been drinking, so what is it?"
"I'm just happy you're here."
Bones does that sexy grunting again and leads him to the turbolift. They only go down three levels and Jim gets really curious. When the doors whoosh open, he can hear boisterous chatter and recorded Christmas music and smell cinnamon and turkey along with pine. He's really fucking confused and slightly angry that there are people on board when he's specifically ordered them to go on leave.
"What the hell—I told everyone to leave," grumbled Jim, striding down the hall. Bones keeps pace with him, saying nothing. Jim follows the sounds and smells until he rounds a corner. The doors to the dinning hall are locked open and he can see a crowd of people milling about, talking, drinking, and laughing. The hall is transformed. Tables line the wall, covered with Enterprise's formal linen and are laden with food. There are fresh cut pine branches all over the place and Christmas decorations that Jim doesn't even know where they came from on the walls. He doesn't recognize anyone but can see security passes, so they've gotten someone's permission to be here, most definitely not his own.
"Sorry, Jim," Bones says beside him.
"What is this?" Jim demands, turning to Bones with a frown. "Who allowed these people here without my knowledge?"
"That would be me," grumbled Bones. "I wanted you for Christmas, and mom thought we ought to take it to you since it was looking like you wouldn't get away. I thought so too until I figured that maybe you were avoiding it. But by then it was too late. I'll make it up to you, but please just spend an hour here and then I'll help you sneak away. Okay?"
He knew how much Bones wanted to spend Christmas with him this year. A proper Christmas and not the drinking and hanging out kind. He pressed his lips as he looked sidelong at Bones, meeting his openly pleading look. "Fine. I'll do this for you," Jim says, catching Bones' hand with his, giving it a squeeze and letting go.
Though they were standing in the doorway, they hadn't been noticed yet by anyone inside. Everyone was eating and drinking, laughing easily. It looked just like what Jim imagined Christmas to be but never had the chance to experience himself. "So what now, we just go in there and start mingling or what?" asks Jim, running a hand through his short hair feeling put out and unaccountably shy.
"If you don't mind too much, they're all here to see you and bring you some old south Christmas; please let me say a few words," says Bones, turning so that he can look into Jim's face.
Jim nods and Bones smiles at him, taking his hand in his. He feels slightly self-conscious about that since they don't often touch one another in public, but he goes with it, thinking that Bones must have a reason to do so. With a tug, Bones pulls him into the room. The deeper they go, the more they get noticed. Jim nods and smiles tightly at those they pass. He gets pats on the shoulder that make him feel like he's five-years-old from the men, and the women twitter behind their hands—that at least is a reaction he's used to no matter what time of year it is. Everyone talks like Bones, but with a much thicker accent so that sometimes he's not even sure what's being said. It's a little bit overwhelming and names are getting thrown at him. Usually he's good at this but today, he's just Jim.
Bones stops in the middle of the room and without letting go of his hand, he taps a fork into the side of a serving platter that looks like it's been handed down for generations judging from the hairline cracks marring the porcelain. All eyes turn to them and Jim's shyness returns even stronger and that's just weird, and he's fighting with himself not to squirm or hide behind Bones, because that's just fucked up. He's a captain of a starship and he wants nothing more then to hide from view and all this trumped up happiness.
"Right," Bones says loudly, coughing into his hand. The assembled people turn and wait expectantly. Jim fights off a smirk at Bones' expense. The good doctor never did like public speaking. "I'd like to introduce you to Jim Kirk, here, and you know…have a good Christmas."
Jim looks at Bones and arches an eyebrow at him. The back of his neck is red and he's not looking at anyone.
"Good heavens, Lenny, what was that?" someone called from the side. The gathered people laugh while Bones turns even redder. Jim immediately put aside his unease and grinned along with everyone. He decides that maybe he'd be nice and all, and save Bones from embarrassment.
"Well, I must say that it was quite a pleasant surprise to find all of Lenny's family here to spend Christmas with me." Bones gives his hand a squeeze and when Jim looks over, he's glaring at him for calling him 'Lenny'. "As you know, Starfleet's mission means we are often far from home when the holidays arrive, but the fact that Bones—I mean, Lenny—has such a giving family means a lot to me." Bones gets knocked sideways and they both look down to see Joanna wrapped around Bones' leg grinning up at her daddy. "But this isn't the time for speeches, let's eat!" says Jim. The crowd laughs again before going back to their conversations.
"Seriously, don't call me Lenny, it's bad enough that my family does it," Bones tells him. He's rubbing a hand over Jo's hair but he's looking at him. "Alright?" he asks.
"Yeah, sure Lenny." Jim grins at Bones' look of annoyance. That, more then anything makes Jim feel much better about being ambushed.
Pressing his lips, Bones finally releases his hand in order to swing Jo up into his arms, settling her on his hip. "Jo, you see this man here?" Bones asks, nodding his head at Jim.
"Yeah, daddy, course I sees him. Sheesh, and I know who he is. He's daddy's sweetheart."
Jim grinned at her accent and gave her a wink.
"That's who you should give that parcel too," Bones says in a stage whisper so that Jim can hear.
"The one that you got, daddy?"
"Hmhmm. Wanna get it for me, please?"
"Okay!" Joanna squirms in Bones' hold until he puts her back down and pushes her way through the crowd.
"What did you do, Bones?" wonders Jim. Bones doesn't answer, but he does step closer and with an arm around Jim's lower back, pulls him close.
"Just a little somethin'. We never did do the Christmas thing back in school, but I'd like to change that. Not that we have to do any of the things anyone else does for Christmas. But just us and sometimes Jo and mom—you're mom and brother if they want to. But you know, family, because you're my family now too, okay?"
"Family…? Does that mean I can call you Lenny too?" asks Jim, a mischievous smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.
"I'd rather you didn't. I like 'Bones' just fine."
"Too bad, that might be fun." Jim smiles at Bones but the dichotomy between his spoken words and the tumultuous spin his internal centre was going through made him slightly sick. He is so taken aback to be considered family that he isn't sure how to react other then letting his smart mouth take over. But Bones is really fucking smart and knows Jim's tricks very well by now. His eyes focus on him intently, knowingly.
There is no chance for Bones to question him or try to find out what's got Jim so freaked because that's the moment Jo came rushing back, a shiny bag jerking in her hand as she ran to Bones. The little girl crashed into Bones' leg and laughed breathlessly. Bones smiled down at her indulgently and takes the bag from her franticly waving arm and passes it Jim.
With some trepidation, Jim takes the bag from Bones and pulls apart the handles. Inside, he finds a blue velvet box that's slightly bigger then his fist. He takes the box and drops the bag. The lid cracks noisily over the din of conversation and inside the box a delicate glass tear drop ornament was tucked snugly into the moulded bottom. Within the center of the ornament delicately chiselled snowflakes twinkled in Enterprise's overhead lights.
"Do you like it, Jim?" It's Joanna asking. He looks at her, seeing her bounce with excitement and joy. "Daddy put our names inside," she tells him, not letting him answer the first question. Jim thinks that's kinda funny, that she's inherited Bones' penchant for talking over everyone—or maybe it was just him and he was just that lucky to have two McCoys give him their undivided attentions like this.
"Did he?" Jim asks, looking back at the box and pulling out the bulb. Holding it up allows the snowflakes to refract the light. He searches the interior looking for their names. Suspended within the glass is Bones' name, then Jim finds his own and then Joanna's. They are all together, forever, within the ornament. It's highly symbolic and how the hell did Bones get their names inside the ornament?
"I figure that we can, you know, maybe have a tree one day, and that'd be our first ornament. We can collect them…or something," Bones says, low for him and Jo to hear. "Jo'd want that, you know. And so would I."
"Bones." Jim tries to say more, but he's got nothing. Instead he carefully puts the ornament back in its box and crowds up close to Bones' side, kissing his cheek. He wants to kiss Bones on the mouth, but not while the kid is watching them both like a hawk. It seems to be enough for Bones who smiles and takes his hand.
"Let's get you some good ol' southern cooked dinner."
--end--