Chapter 4
by Starsinger
They're back on Earth, and Jim is fussing. Why should he not. It's Iowa, and it's September. It's going to get cold really quickly. Don't own them.
Bones smiled. Jim fussed like a…well an overly anxious expectant father. Jim made sure T'Nara's coat was warm enough, that she had enough warm clothes, after all she would be in Iowa during the coldest part of winter, and various other items he thought she would need. "Honestly, Jim, were you this bad when Carol was pregnant?" T'Nara asked.
"Worse," Gary responded. "And she wasn't carrying twins," Jim scowled at him. The space between his brows decreased. Bones had heard about Carol and David, but had yet to meet them. Jim told him that David had just turned nine, and would be dropping off a present for him in Iowa. They boarded the shuttle to Riverside where Tiberius would be picking them up. Spock, Uhura, and Gary were joining them. Scotty was making a trip to see family in Scotland, while Finney, Sulu, and Chekov would meet them in San Francisco.
Jim gave up when T'Nara batted away his hands while she buckled herself in. Bones briefly wondered if he had been that bad when Joss had been pregnant with Jo. "You can go see her while we're here," Jim leaned over and told him. Bones briefly smiled as he leaned back into the seat and closed his eyes. He wished he didn't have to choose between this and beaming up or down. Fortunately, in T'Nara's condition, the shuttle was the preferable form of transportation.
The shuttle landed and they all disembarked from the shuttle. Warned of the number of people expected, T showed up with a number of people and vehicles. Standing beside T was a pair of young people who instantly recognized those coming off the shuttle. "Dad! T'Nara!" the boy called, running toward them. Uhura smiled. David seemed to be a miniature version of his father. Blonde haired, blue eyed, and sunny disposition, he hugged his father with enthusiasm.
The other young person was just a little more restrained than her counterpart, despite being four years younger. She waited until she was halfway there before breaking into a run. "Daddy!" she called. Bones opened his arms and swept her up in his arms. She was talking to him almost as fast as David was talking to Jim and T'Nara. "And Mommy said I could stay here until you left for San Francisco, and that she'd meet us there!"
"Jo, you remember when I said I got married a few months ago?" Bones asked.
"You said it was a bonding ceremony," Jo told him. "And that you were one of two husbands to T'Nara," Jo told him.
"That's right, Jo. You've met Tesla," Bones told her. She nodded. "And you met Jim. This is our wife, T'Nara," Bones said, pointing out T'Nara.
Jo studied the woman a moment before being asked to be put down. She walked over and looked up at T'Nara, "May I touch your belly?"
T'Nara gazed down at the young human before nodding. "Thank you for asking, go ahead," she said.
Jo leaned forward and placed both hands on T'Nara's belly. David copied her and shortly they both had wide eyes on their faces. "One of the babies kicked them," T'Nara said. All the adults nodded as they piled into the hovercars waiting for them.
The farm was exactly as Jim remembered it. Horses and cows dotted the rainy landscape as the fields lay fallow for the coming winter. He could hear Dan barking from the front porch and smiled. They exited the car with Jim helping T'Nara from it. The Sehlat population had been reduced to two, Tesla and a young female that had joined the headlong dash onto the ship escaping Vulcan's destruction. She was unattached, but T had taken a liking to her, and she liked Earth. For some reason he'd named her George.
Tesla, George and Dan waited impatiently on the porch, none wanted to venture out in the cold wet weather unless absolutely necessary. Jim reached down and stroked Tesla's ears. She butted her head against his hand and followed him into the house. Uhura and Spock settled in front of the fire while Jim, Bones and T'Nara went upstairs with T, David and Jo trailing behind. Bones had explained to Jo and David on the ride why T'Nara was remaining behind until the babies were born.
T'Nara entered the attached bathroom and emerged in her pajamas before easing into the soft bed. Jo squealed, "You're wearing the Little Mermaid pajamas I sent you!" Jim smiled and knew T'Nara was secretly amused as Jo climbed into bed and hugged T'Nara's side. She allowed it. Jo and David were as much her children as the ones not yet born. T entered with a Sehlat cub. Tesla had been pregnant just before the Enterprise left orbit and had given birth two weeks earlier. The litter had been four cubs, two boys and two girls, and there was already a clamor on New Vulcan for the cubs.
"She was scratching at the enclosure we're keeping them in. I figured I'd bring her out to meet everyone," Tiberius told them. The little animal started trying to swim toward T'Nara, her little legs moving madly. T'Nara shook her head and held out her hands as the cub was placed in them. She brought the cub to her chest and stroked her. "You have decided on me, have you?" she asked softly. "I'll name you Kylie," she ended. Jim smiled. It was a name T'Nara had liked the moment she'd heard it.
T closed the door behind the young family. They'd be here a few days and then T'Nara would be left behind. T had made sure there was plenty of food for a vegetarian diet including some from New Vulcan cultivated from food carried on the fleeing ships. Earth had added remaining seeds to a store that had been kept since the 20th Century of Earth of various plants in case of catastrophic climate change. He'd even consulted experts on what would be needed for the fetuses. Although she would not eat meat, he could add certain non-meat substitutes, such as nuts, for everyone's health. Tiberius was determined to do his part to keep his granddaughter and her babies as healthy as possible. He went downstairs to join his other guests.