Chapter Eleven

"But he said that you are, you are the future, He said that you are, you are the future And the future looks good, The future looks good..." - The Future Looks Good, OneRepublic

It was strange when she thought about it. Life seemed to work in mysterious ways, bringing people together and tearing them apart. The truth was, they would have never met if it wasn't for T'Mhal and his damned experiments. Emily was beginning to realize that more and more after thinking it through. Which left her wondering how long it would take for T'Mhal to make a comeback and ruin everything, again. She knew a confrontation between them was inevitable. The problem was, they had no idea what T'Mhal or his followers even were. The only thing they had to go by was the fact that they called themselves 'The Ancient Ones'.

Shaking her head at the thought, and glancing at the man who was now her husband, Emily realized she had a lot to be thankful for. She would have never pictured herself in this position years ago. Marriage never seemed like something that was within her grasp. She almost smirked when she caught the look Leonard was giving her after waking up that morning. After spending the last five years together, she'd gotten used to seeing how disheveled he looked in the morning. Even so, she still loved waking up in the early mornings just to find herself meeting his warm eyes.

"Good morning to you too," she giggled when he trailed kisses along her arm. Words weren't even needed to describe how much she loved moments like these. It wasn't long before she found herself cradled against him, and their eyes met. She just wanted the moment to last. After everything they had been through together, it felt right being able to call him her husband. And the fact that Leonard had taken that step meant more to her than she could ever admit out loud. "We still have a party to look forward to."

"Don't remind me. I'm not lookin' forward to seein' what the kid has planned for us," he muttered crossly, probably wondering himself why the hell they agreed to let Jim decide when and where the 'party' should be held. Given the circumstances, and the fact that they didn't necessarily have a proper wedding ceremony, Emily couldn't necessarily blame Jim for wanting to take things into his own hands. "How are you feeling?"

Emily tilted her head to one side, wondering where he was getting at with that question, "How exactly am I supposed to feel after last night?" she asked with a coy smile, ignoring the scowl that followed seconds later. Technically, she knew what he was talking about. After having a few drinks and finally reaching the realization that they were officially married, it had been a wonderful evening filled with pleasure and love. "Leonard, it's not like we don't know what happens every few nights."

"Yeah, but last night was different," he reminded her, and Emily couldn't hide the smirk that followed as she snuggled against him. She wasn't in any hurry to leave his side, or the warm bed for that matter. While Jim had given them the night off, they still had work to do. She hated admitting that they would need to get up and begin their shifts. "You're my wife, now."

"Are you going to keep reminding yourself of that every time we have sex?" she asked, the mocking innocence in her tone enough for Leonard to roll his eyes.

She was thankful Jim had given them the night off. Despite Leonard's protests, she realized they could both use the break. She knew Leonard used work as a distraction from his fear of 'metal deathtraps'. And for her, work was a distraction from her claustrophobia. She had gotten so used to working from one department to the other that it became almost second nature. The only time she ever stopped was when she managed to work herself to the point of exhaustion. That was usually when Leonard or Jim would step in, giving her a much needed order to take a break.

"Probably." There was a pause as Emily found herself staring into his eyes. She was only just beginning to realize how lucky she was. Not only for finding the one person in the world who was willing to put up with her, but for marrying him. She couldn't have asked for a better husband. "I love you, Emily."

Her expression softened as she brushed a hand gently across his chest.

"Love you too, Leonard," she reminded him as their lips met.

Neither of them wanted to get up at that moment. Though, they didn't necessarily have a choice in the matter. Emily made a point to stop by and see how Julia was coping since making the decision to take classes while working on the Enterprise. She knew that Julia would have a difficult time adjusting to the strenuous schedule, but, she would be there to help.

Sure enough, Julia was already wide awake and working on some artwork when Emily arrived in what used to be her quarters. She'd gotten Julia some art supplies while they were on a shore-leave at one point, much to her friend's relief. With Julia being the artist she was, her mind was constantly working on new ways of developing work. This was no different, when Emily saw her working on a sketch of the Enterprise.

"Morning, Em," Julia grinned from ear-to-ear when she noticed her arrival. "I'm just finishing my latest sketch."

"I've noticed… it looks amazing," she breathed out after noticing Julia had etched in every detail and shading of the Enterprise.

Though, judging from the look Julia was giving it, she wasn't satisfied.

"It's not quite what I was hoping for, but, it's better than nothing," she sighed. "I can't seem to get the shading right – it's kind of hard to judge when I haven't seen the ship in person."

Emily nodded in understanding. Julia was always hard on herself as she critiqued her own work. Not that that surprised her – Julia had pointed out that as an artist, one always had to look at their flaws. Once that was said and done, Emily took a seat on the bed and noticed Julia had pretty much made the room her own.

Paper was scattered across the floor, along with previous artwork Julia had finished. Though surprisingly, Julia had kept everything else the same. Emily almost smiled when she saw the picture she had kept during a Christmas party just a year after classes started at the Academy. She could still remember taking that picture when Jim and Leonard convinced her to leave her dorm that evening. He hadn't been the least bit happy when she managed to put on an ugly sweater on him and sign him up for that contest. Julia caught the look in her eyes and smirked knowingly.

"This one's my favorite," she murmured after taking the picture. "Took a while to convince Leonard into wearing the Santa hat, and Jim managed to sign him up for an ugly sweater contest at the Academy."

"I can only imagine how annoyed Bones was with that idea," Julia chuckled with a shake of her head.

She smirked in amusement at the prospect of seeing Leonard in an ugly Christmas sweater. Emily almost laughed when she remembered Leonard had pretty much forced her into wearing the same one, so they ended up in a matching set. It was at that point when everyone had begun guessing that they were somehow a couple. Having to explain that nothing was going on between them had been challenging enough without Jim adding to the fun.

"Have you thought of what field you want to sign up for?" Emily asked when she set the picture back down and looked at Julia cautiously.

Julia's smirk turned to a frown the moment Emily brought it up. She knew it wouldn't be easy for Julia. Living aboard the Enterprise was a huge adjustment in itself. Taking classes and working at the same time was even worse. It was possible, though. She knew Chekov was learning on the job after Scotty offered to teach him the basics of Engineering.

"Okay, call me crazy, but I was thinking of looking into Engineering," Julia admitted after a moment of silence followed. Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise, wondering where the heck that came from. "I've been talking to some of the other Ensigns on the ship, and Scotty isn't that difficult to work with. Plus, I can do a lot with Engineering."

For a moment, Emily was tempted to ask who she'd been talking to with what little time she had available. Then she had to remind herself that Julia hadn't started her classes just yet. She still had a lot to discuss with Admiral Archer as well as Jim before enrolling in these classes. So, Julia was left with exploring the ship while she had nothing else to do. Which could be both dangerous and a good way for her to figure out what respective field she wished to work in.

"Are you sure you want to sign up as a red-shirt, Jules?" she asked cautiously, knowing of the infamous red-shirt curse.

Technically, it was more of a silly rumor that red-shirts had targets painted on the backs of their heads. Emily could still remember hearing Jim complaining about it during their heydays at the Academy. It was part of the reason she was thankful she chose to become a Liaison. Because she would have chosen something along with lines of Engineering or Security had things gone differently.

"Positive," Julia nodded, the firmness in her voice enough of an assurance for Emily. "You know, I'm actually looking forward to seeing how this goes… it's kind of like a new journey, for me."

"You're telling me," Emily sighed in agreement, knowing full-well what Julia meant. She had gone through the same problem when she first woke up in this world. With everything that was happening, she was amazed they had time to do anything that didn't require strenuous work. "I should get going; my shift is about to start any minute," she added after noticing how late it was.

"I'll see you later tonight," Julia called after her as she left.

Emily gave her a small wave, knowing that Julia would be just fine on her own.

…

Julia couldn't hide the smirk that followed when Emily left. She knew a lot could be said for her friend. Emily probably knew just how lucky she really was to meet someone like Bones. The fact that she was married to the guy, now, was enough to leave her mind spinning with shock. Maybe she should have seen it coming. After all, Emily and Bones were a lot alike. They both cared a lot for their friends. They both had a temper that could easily put anyone to shame.

She shook her head at the thought as she closed her sketchbook and set it aside. Barely two weeks aboard the Enterprise, and Julia was beginning to understand the way things worked on the ship. It was completely different from what she expected out of the movies.

While she was familiar with the command crew and how they operated, Julia had only run into a few Ensigns and Lieutenants who worked in Engineering. One such Ensign had taken interest in her when she ran across him. Ensign Thomas Brooks was his name, and he was the one who convinced her to enroll in Engineering.

Once she was finished getting ready, Julia took the chance to head down to the mess hall. She'd already agreed to meet with said Ensign after their last encounter went so well. She could still remember the surprise she felt upon first meeting him. Compared to meeting the command crew, Brooks was far more down to Earth and easy to talk with. He didn't seem to judge her based on where she was from and whether she was smart enough to be enlisted in Starfleet in the first place.

I know I don't belong in this world, she thought after reaching the mess hall. But that doesn't mean I won't keep trying to find my place.

She wasn't like Emily, who found adapting to entirely new ways of life easy. Heck, she'd panicked the moment those creatures took her. But meeting the Captain, Doctor McCoy and seeing Emily again gave Julia the courage to take on the challenge that Emily had. Even if it killed her in the end.

…

The party that Jim had in mind wasn't necessarily what Emily or Leonard were expecting when they reached rec room 3. Emily blinked in surprise when she saw the command crew there, even Spock, when they arrived after their shifts ended. She exchanged a knowing look with Leonard after realizing where this was headed.

Most of the crew was aware of the fact that they planned on getting married. Though, it wasn't entirely clear how that would happen, or when. To their relief, Jim had kept quiet about it up until then. So, when they found out what the party was for, no one was really surprised. Emily almost smirked at the thought when Jim passed her a glass of bourbon, along with Leonard.

"Considering how long the two of you have been putting up with each other, I think at least a celebration is deserved," he remarked, gesturing to the rest of the crew as they said their congratulations.

Emily only rolled her eyes at that, especially since she knew Jim brought up a valid point. The fact that anyone was willing to put up with her should say something. Especially when that someone was Leonard. Seeing the look in his eyes said everything when he realized what Jim was implying.

"Does it feel any different, being married?" Sulu asked when he and Chekov joined Emily as Leonard shared a few words with Jim, whose expression wavered slightly.

Emily could only guess what words Leonard would have to express how annoyed he was at that moment. He hated being put on the spotlight unless it was a medical emergency. Even then, he did his best to avoid being caught in the limelight. Not that she couldn't blame him. She herself wanted nothing to do with the constant attention they were given in regards of the command crew.

"Honestly, it doesn't," she admitted with a shrug. "But, something tells me it hasn't really sunk in, yet. I'm still waiting for someone to wake me up."

In reality, this did feel like a dream. She remembered the irony of it when she first woke up in this world, and believed this to be nothing more than a dream. That thought process quickly dissipated upon meeting Pike, and when he told her to enlist in Starfleet.

"It takes a while for that reality to sink in," Sulu nodded in agreement. "Shouldn't take long, though. You and McCoy are perfect for each other."

"Aye. It is good to see someone vho can hold their own against the Doctor," Chekov put in, looking slightly sheepish as he Emily smirked in amusement.

They'd had their fair share of arguments throughout those five years of knowing each other. Emily wasn't the first to admit that their shouting matches were infamous throughout the ship. She could hold her own against Leonard, and often gave him a run for his money. She supposed that was one of the many reasons they'd gotten along so well from the very beginning… though, something told her that it was more than that.

"Thanks, Pavel," she replied cheekily, not missing the fact that Chekov blushed when she used his first name. "I'm surprised Spock of all people agreed to go along with this party," she added when Uhura joined them moments later with a knowing look in her eyes.

"He thought it would be pleasing to engage in such social activities," Uhura replied, and Emily almost smirked when she realized how alike Uhura sounded when talking about him. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you, Nyota," Emily gave her a sheepish nod. While they didn't talk much outside of their usual shifts, she respected Uhura as much as she respected the rest of the crew. It didn't take Leonard long to reach her again the moment he could. Emily couldn't hide the smile that followed as she leaned into him. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you're actually smiling, doctor."

"Yeah, well, I've finally got something to smile about," he remarked thoughtfully, pulling her in close.

"You two are so cute together." And, cue the scowl that followed seconds later when Julia pointed that out after finally joining them. Emily wasn't the least bit surprised with her reaction, as annoying as she could be at times. "Sorry, had to ruin the moment. Kirk dared me."

"Of course he did," Emily retorted after catching Jim's smug look from across the room.

Some things never got old. The rest of that evening went by in a similar manner, with everyone passing on their congratulations in their own way. The good news was, the party had gone surprisingly well. Emily was expecting all sorts of chaos from the crew, given the fact that everyone treated their whole relationship like it was some circus act. Whatever the case, she knew that the future looked good, and that there was a lot to look forward to in their case. Because, they had each other, and she couldn't ask for anything better.

AN: Well, this chapter feels like it was kind of boring, and doesn't necessarily cover a lot... hopefully that isn't the case for you lovely readers /: But, in other news, I got to see Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find them. Needless to say, I was not disappointed in it. Ended up getting the soundtrack just after getting home from the movie XD

MidnightPenguin - Glad to hear it. It's kind of hard having a proper ceremony on a Starship, when I think about it. But, a one-shot will definitely be on the way. Just not entirely sure when. As for a baby, you'll find out soon enough when that rolls around the corner ;)