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When they rematerialized on the Enterprise no one said a word. Sulu and Uhura exchanged a glance.

'Captain!' Scotty exclaimed, rushing forwards ' The computer picked up an extra molecular set this time round, I don't know-'

'It's ok, Scotty. We know what it is.' Jim told him.

Scotty's eyes travelled to the sleeping baby nestled against Bones's chest, wrapped up in his blue medical tunic. His eyes widened.

'What the bloody hell is that!?'

'That' is a baby.' Bones told him, rolling his eyes. His moved his arm to better cradle the baby, who snuffled into the sleeve of his black undershirt.

'Aye, but Doctor, babies don't just grow on trees!' The Scot told him.

Bones' eyebrow nearly disappeared into his hair.

'Oh, really?' the Doctor exclaimed. 'Gee, I must've missed that lesson at med school.' Scotty gaped at him as he walked off the Pad.

Jim watched him, 'Uh, Bones…where are you going?' he asked, acutely aware everyone was watching him.

'To Medbay.' Bones told him, peering down at the bundle in his arms. 'Gotta check him over and as far as I know there are no lactating females aboard the ship. Little guy's gotta be hungry.'

Jim nodded and made to follow him, but Carol caught his arm. 'Where are you going?' she asked, eyes wide. Her face was pale and she brushed her blonde hair from her face.

'I gotta go…need to go with-' Jim's mouth gaped like a fish as he pointed, but Carol wouldn't let go of his arm.

'I've got something to tell you. I didn't want to tell you like this' Carol took a deep breath. Jim eyed her warily, Bones hanging by the doorway.

'Jim…I'm pregnant.'

Jim let out a surprised shout. 'Oh…' he scratched the back of his head. 'That's uh…that's…great. Wow.'

Carol smiled and threw herself into his arms, Jim too stunned to move. Bones felt his stomach crash into the floor. He walked quickly out the door before Jim could say anything else.

-x-

'Uh…sir?'

Bones gave Christine a look and put the baby down on a biobed. He looked down at the little boy. His son. Small tufts of blonde hair haloed his head, small fingers flexing. When he was awake earlier he had the biggest hazel eyes Bones had ever seen. A perfect mix of Jim and himself.

'Where did you find him?'

'Captain Idiot touched something he shouldn't've done' Bones told her, running the tricorder over the infant. 'Damn fool started a machine and I tried to stop him, Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt' Bones gestured towards the sleeping boy. 'Baby'

'Wow…congratulations?' she offered.

Bones ran a tired hand down his face. 'Thanks…'

The door to sickbay flung open. 'Bones!' yelled Jim, striding forwards.

This startled the baby awake and he started crying immediately. His little face flushed and he balled his fists up, lungs heaving as he screamed. Bones sighed, but didn't say anything. He'd done this before. He took the baby into his arms gently and hushed him.

'Shh…don't cry, darlin'… your dad's just got a big mouth, is all.'

Jim stayed quiet and just watched. 'Bones, what the hell are we going to do? I can't have a baby!'

'By the sounds of it, you're gonna have two' Bones told him over the baby's screams. 'Congratulations, by the way.'

'Shut up' Jim told him, sitting down heavily on a chair. Christine moved away, leaving the trio alone.

Bones watched him as he gently shook their baby. Now Jim looked younger than ever, much more the Jim he had fallen in love with years ago. He looked stunned, numb.

Bones wondered where Carol was right now.

He knelt down in front of the Captain, the baby having fallen back asleep.

'Hey' he whispered. He reached out and gripped Jim by the knee. 'It's not all bad.'

Jim scoffed, looking at the floor. 'Not all bad?' he repeated.

Bones shook his head. 'It was an accident; no use cryin' over it now. It's done.'

Jim looked at him, eyes wide as the baby snuffled in Bones' arms.

Bones watched as Jim studied the kid, as his mind worked. He raised the baby in his arms.

'Here you go' he said before he maneuvered the baby into Jim's arms.

'Bones, I…' spluttered Jim, but some sort of instinct must've taken over because the Captain moved his arms to accommodate his son, cradling his head gently. The baby didn't stir, just continued to slumber.

'He's tiny.' Jim murmured, touching his finger against a tiny hand. He smiled when the baby captured the end of it.

Bones looked at the readings on his equipment. 'Newborn.' He agreed. He looked down at the pair.

'We need to think of a name' he mused.

Jim's head shot up again. 'A name?'

'Well, yeah.' Bones knelt down on the floor again and ran a hand through the infants blonde hair. 'Unless you wanna call him 'Baby' all his life?'

Jim looked down at his son. 'What about…Oliver…? No, I don't like that…'

'You know,' Bones said, 'If me and Joce had a boy, we were gonna call him Daniel.'

Jim thought about it. 'Daniel Oliver…Kirk?' he asked, looking at the Doctor.

Bones smiled. 'Kirk-McCoy' he amended. Jim smiled back.

'Hello, Daniel Kirk-McCoy.' He said to his son. Daniel slept on. Bones raised an eyebrow when Jim sniffed.

'He smells…different…' he said.

Bones chuckled, 'That's the newborn smell; you'll miss it when it's gone.'

Bones felt protectiveness and love unfurl within him as it had when Joanna was born. He wondered if Jim felt the same.

After a few moments, Jim broke the silence.

'Carol's mad. Real mad.' He said, not looking at Bones. 'She wanted to tell me about the pregnancy tonight. Announce it to the crew tomorrow.'

Bones nodded, looking at Daniel. 'It was an accident. No need to be mad; there's nothing we can do about it now. There's gonna be two babies on board and that's that.'

Jim groaned and buried his head into Bone's shoulder. Bones patted him on the back, rubbing his arms comfortingly.

'Jim.'

Jim looked up as Carol spoke, the science officer looking sullen. She didn't look at Daniel. Her eyes were shining as if she'd been crying.

'Are you coming back to our quarters?' she asked, ignoring Bones. 'We need to talk.'

Jim looked at Bones and then back down to Daniel. 'Yeah…' he muttered, 'Bones…could you?'

'Sure.' Bones gently scooped Daniel up, resting his head on his shoulder.

Jim looked guiltily back at him as he followed Carol out the ward. As the door closed Bones just shook his head, sitting back in the chair Jim had vacated.

What a mess.

Christine tentatively walked over, a small brown bag in her hands. 'Baby stuff' she said, setting it down on the bed. Bones nodded tiredly.

'Thanks'

Christine nodded. She looked down at Daniel.

'He's cute. Like his Dad'

Bones snorted, thankful for the joke. 'Think very carefully before you say which one' he warned, standing up and picking up the bag.

Christine smiled at him.

'Geoff ok to be on shift for a while?'

'We got it covered, sir.' Christine promised.

Bones nodded in thanks and walked out the door. As he walked down the corridor he noticed he was attracting odd looks. But he didn't care.

This is not how he had imagine today would've gone. If only Jim hadn't touched the machine… But now the little guy was here.

He sighed, punching in the access code to his room. He looked down at Daniel. It didn't matter how it happened. It happened. Now he had to deal with it. With or without Jim.

His door opened and he walked in, the lights coming on automatically.

'Doctor.'

Bones wasn't surprised to see Carol here. He just sighed, put down the bag, sat down on his sofa and nestled Daniel against his chest.

'I'm sorry.' He said, before Carol opened her mouth.

'I don't care.' Carol told him. 'Jim and I are having a baby.'

Bones nodded in understanding, feeling his heart speed up in suppressed anticipation of an argument.

'Jim and I love each other. We're going to be a family. We don't need this.'

'I'm not stopping you, darlin''. Bones told her, glancing down when Daniel sneezed. Carol showed no reaction.

'I don't doubt you love him. But you need to accept Daniel. He and your little'un are gonna be half-siblings. I don't wanna to fight you' He was a grown man, already had another child; they needed to deal with this situation as adults.

'Our baby and yours are going to have nothing to do with each other. And if you think we're raising our baby in space, you need to think again.' Carol told him.

Bones blinked. 'Jim said that?'

Carol looked shifty. 'Jim will come with me. He doesn't know I'm here talking to you. But I know he'll agree. We need to raise our child together. As parents.'

'Ah.' Bones understood; Carol needed to set down the rules, to make sure Bones understood that he and his son meant nothing. Carol's child was the most important. He swallowed his anger; it was a natural reaction, a mother's instinct to protect her child.

'I think you need to leave.' He told her, standing up. He shifted Daniel in his arms for better hold. 'I'm sure you need to rest.'

Carol shot him a venomous look, eyes narrowed. She left the room in silence.

Bones listened to the quietness of the room. To Daniel's little huffs of breath.

'Well, kiddo.' He looked down at his son.

'Looks like it's just you and me, darlin'.