((A/N well hey there c: this is a sequel to a previous fic i have written called Alienation and Acceptance. i'd suggest reading that one first so you can get an understanding about some references that may be made, and so some of this doesn't sound so out of left field. for those of you who did read AaA, i told you i'd get you a sequel! hehe. i ended up falling in love with writing adie and bones...and pretty much everybody else in star trek...so this was kind of a given, lol. anywho, normal disclaimer, i own nothing but adie. and the news reporter. so please don't take my nameless and personalityless news reporter. lmao. i'd love some reviews, and thanks so much for reading! enjoy!))
Six months had passed since Lieutenant Adellia had finished dealing with the mess from the radiation and attacks from rogue Romulans. The crew of the Enterprise had been grounded for many reasons since they returned—their ship had suffered a lot of damage, some of which hadn't been thought of while they were in the heat of battle, so of course it went ignored. James Kirk's health had only just begun to get better, and he almost would not allow the ship to go without him as a captain. Some crewmembers hated how long they'd stayed on Earth when clearly they had things they could be doing.
Adellia was one of those crewmembers. She enjoyed the time she had been spending with Bones, her boss slash "significant other" (as much as Kirk teased her about it, she could not find herself saying the "b" word). She'd forgotten how much she didn't enjoy staying on Earth during those six months. She had made friends with those aboard the Enterprise, but other than that, didn't find herself doing too much on the big blue planet. This waiting period was excruciating for her. Without the Enterprise, she wasn't sure she had a purpose.
She was raised on Earth, but her experience was anything but pleasant. Being half Vulcan, she was immediately looked at funny on a planet mostly popular but human beings. Vulcan was always an option, of course, but she hated to think about how much worse it would be on that planet. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she didn't lose out on a huge opportunity to try and connect with those people. Unfortunately, now that it was gone, she regretted how little she visited that big red planet.
Bones, however, did not mind the waiting at all. Dr. Leonard McCoy (which was his proper name, and for the life of him, he could not remember how he got his nickname) enjoyed his job, certainly, but the environment…he could still take or leave being out in space. He was having a fine time spending his days with Adellia, or going out drinking with Kirk, Spock, and some more of the boys. He decided he preferred a quiet life over chasing Romulans and weathering dangerous levels of radiation, but something told him that quiet life would not be had for very long. Their ship was almost fixed, and Kirk was getting better—he could feel the stars getting closer already.
Through these six months, Bones and Adellia had been together casually, but had yet to make any serious commitments. As far as they went, they were just a bit over friends, and their relationship was anything but important to anyone else. Kirk still had to tease Bones for dating "one of them green-blooded hobgoblins", and Adellia had to put up with the newfound attention from the officers aboard the Enterprise who were friendly with Bones. This was a new and slightly worrisome experience for them, but so far, they'd made through it.
Adellia was over at Bones' house one average day, sitting on the couch with him and talking over the news. "So I said to him," Bones started, grinning from ear to ear as he clutched a brown bottle of beer by the neck. "I said, you don't know who you're messing with tonight, bub. And he tries to hit me, and punch me, but he was so drunk that it took me literally about one punch to really knock him out. And Kirk just starts rolling, he's laughing so hard, and all of that guy's friends just walks off, leaves him there drooling on the ground." He smirked widely down at her, as if it were a period on his heroic tale. He pushed a hand through his dark hair, still parted neatly (for now), and waited for an appropriate response.
"Sounds exciting," Adellia said, honestly (in spite of her cool, even tone), and she shrugged. "I suppose that is a good reason not to drink, when you go out. Perhaps you were chose as the designated flier that night for a reason?" she asked, pointedly. He did drink a lot. It wasn't a horrible habit, like it could have been, but she still didn't exactly love how much he drank. And she tried not to pester him about it—Adellia was doing everything within her power to refrain from being one of those significant others.
"Maybe, or maybe it was just because I drew the short straw," he said, and he looked to the news, his eyebrows rising, but he added in a tiny smirk. "What's…what the hell is this?" Bones asked as soon as a news story caught his attention, and the two of them turned to the television, curious.
The anchorman began to go into a story about a group of tourists traveling near Cardassian space who were taken over, questioned, and now imprisoned for a number of infractions they cause by entering a certain kind of space. No word had been heard from the Cardassians or the humans, but early in their stay ("Enslavement is more like it!" Bones snapped suddenly), they caused a malfunction in a star the Cardassians used for an energy source. They had it blinking, in order to send a signal for help to any Federation planet that happened to catch it.
"That was the star I saw, when we landed!" Adellia exclaimed suddenly, and she sat back, frowning a little bit. A bit of guilt was circling around her head. "I just thought it was a star that was dying, or something, though…I didn't ever think it could be a cry for help," she mumbled, looking disappointed in her eyes. She should have reported it, should have mentioned it to somebody, surely they would have found it at least a little intriguing…
"Well, how were you supposed to know? Hell, you were probably the only one who caught it…these guys have been missing for months," Bones said, already hearing the thought process in her head. She sighed, and he put an arm around her shoulders, mostly just to shut up that thought process that was still going on between her little pointed ears.
"That's a shame…most people who are held there can't be brought back, with all the regulations that go into it. Extradition isn't usually used, since obviously I'm sure most of those tourists were perfect, law-abiding citizens," Bones continued, and with his other hand, sipped some of his beer from the dark brown bottle. "They'll probably try, but, I mean…they probably won't be very successful."
"There is a possibility of them being rescued," she said, but it was obvious in her voice that she did not believe herself. A few moments went by, and as a story about a new Tribbles petting farm popping up in the area, she looked back up to him. It was painfully obvious that she was uncomfortable with something, and Bones just couldn't wait to find out what she was uncomfortable about. "Do you think we will be given an assignment within the next few days?" she asked.
Bones frowned. "Hard to say. They say there's still some repairs to be made, but Jim's all better, so…why?" he asked, looking down at her nervous expression. Which made him even more nervous, honestly. Every time she took the time to look anxious like this, his own anxiety was usually not far behind.
"Well, I suppose I was wondering if perhaps you would like to meet my father. He has been talking about visiting me down here, now that he's accumulated vacation time. You would like him, I think," she said, and she smiled. She knew this was a big step for two people, to meet each other's parents so formally like this. Adellia wondered for days whether or not this was too soon, because she had no basis to go on. This was important in adult relationships; she knew that much. But was six months way too soon? Was it too late? Was she being completely paranoid for no particular reason? She looked up for any reaction from Bones.
He picked up his glass, and gulped down some of the drink, wincing as he did. He set the drink back down and let out a sigh. His blue eyes looked forward to the television, but it was obvious he was not paying any attention. He'd taken this time to formulate a response that wouldn't discourage her, but hopefully give her a good idea as to where he stood with all of this…nonsense. "Well, I mean…if your old man wants to see you, and meet me, I don't see a problem with that. My parents are all the way back in Jackson, though, so I don't think they'll be traveling up here any time soon." He took one more sip, just to busy himself.
That was a small hint, from him to her. Bones wasn't sure when this would become more serious, but apparently the time was now. He knew the significance of meeting her father, and he hoped the two of them had no preconceived notions about Bones. He was still hurting, mistrusting, and hesitance about anything to do with seriousness (or at least, that's what Adellia usually assumed). As far as he was concerned, the two of them were just enjoying the moment. He was positive she was on the same page, but…maybe she wasn't.
Adellia just sort of nodded, and looked away. Already she felt like a fool for bringing it up. What made her think he would be ready for moving on a little bit? She shifted a little uncomfortably, and Bones removed his arm from around her, leaving her to curl up on the opposite end of the couch. The silence between them was deafening, but in her head, questions and speculation continued to move. She wondered why she bothered with emotions, why she couldn't just choke them down like any normal Vulcan.
She'd noticed that the more time they spent together, the more distant she felt from him. He was still stuck on square one, and she didn't have the heart to try and push him further. The last thing Adellia wanted was to push him too far away—she had a great thing, here, and she would do almost anything to protect it. He was one of the best things to happen in her life. At the same time, it had been six months now, which seemed like a century for most people. Right? Adellia sighed to herself, and looked up to Bones, looking a little sick about all of this already. And it had only just begin.
"Hey, Bones? Can I talk to you about something—" she started, when his phone began to ring. She rolled her eyes a little bit and for just a small moment, but smiled up at, and nodded for him to go ahead and answer the phone. Hopefully, this conversation would be forgotten by the time he hung up, and she could go back to try and choking down her emotions.
Bones answered it with an apologetic look towards Adellia, but in the back of his head he was thrilled she was interrupted. He said the typical greeting, knowing who it was already. "Hey, Bones. Pack up," Kirk said from the other side. It sounded as if he were in a party or a bar, based on all the voices in the background. Bones could hear clinking glasses, yelling, and some obnoxious music with a serious bass line.
"Why? Are we getting orders soon?" Bones asked, and Adellia looked up, curiously. Orders, thank goodness, she thought. Then I can get off this big blue disaster.
"It looks like we'll be getting them tomorrow. Ooh, and tell Adie to pack up, too." He paused for effect. "We both know she's there," Kirk continued, and he snickered at his uncanny ability to know about his friend's habits. "Hey, you should come down here. Me and Scotty are tearing up the place, and he needs a good wingman!" he yelled over the people who had come up behind them. "Besides, it's the last night on ground—a good enough reason to celebrate for you! Take off the ball and chain for just one night."
Bones sighed. "Um…" he mumbled, and he looked up to Adellia, who smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'll come out there. Be there in twenty. And tell Scotty to stop using that star pick-up line, it's damn tired," he said, smirking, and he hung up the phone. He looked back over to her, and he smiled. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked, and he stood up, going to get ready. For what, he wasn't sure, but people tended to look respectable at a place like this.
She shook her head. "No, I don't at all," she replied, and she honestly didn't. Adellia wasn't going to hold him back…again, she didn't want to be that kind of significant other. And besides, the longer he was away, the more distant that conversation would get "Go out and have a fun time, Bones. I should go home and pack anyway, if we are indeed getting orders to ship out tomorrow." She, too, stood up, and stretched a bit.
Bones put his hands on her shoulders, and pulled her close for a small peck on her lips. "We'll talk when we find the time, alright? I'll see you later, darling." He nodded, and left to go and get changed, knowing she knew the way out. He meant that, too…Bones may have been a jerk sometimes, but he knew when something needed to be said. He was no shrink, but he'd listen to her.
Adellia sighed, watching him go off, and she let herself out to try and pack what she could. Her cheeks were tinted green as she made her way out, and she prayed he would just forget about all that she had to say.
((A/N also, in case anyone was wondering (i know you all had to be pining for this information), the title and some of the fic was inspired by a Muse song called "Starlight". it's a gorgeous song, i highly recommend youtubing it c: again, thank you so much for reading. this is the first sequel i've ever written, so...hopefully it goes down well, hehe.))