"Din Lugh"

A Star Trek-the Original Series (TOS) fan-fic/Alternate Universe (set mainly after "Wrath of Khan").

A/N: This story is Scotty-centric, and I do not own any rights to these "Star Trek" characters and tales. I am using a timeline of my own design that runs with movies II-V, more or less (notice that I ignore ST-"The Motion Picture"). I started writing this fan-fic more than 30 years ago and only recently decided to dust it off a bit to see where it takes me.

Summary: Scotty has family members elsewhere in Starfleet and the Klingons would love to capture one or any of them.

Rating: T for now; may change in later chapters. Sexuality strongly implied.

Pairings: MS/NU, others as needed.

Chapter 11/?

Healing

The tinny electronic chime of the alarm clock was rudely intruding on his rather enjoyable erotic dream and he tried to grumble it away, reaching a heavy hand to his left, toward the nightstand where the device usually rested. Trouble was, Scotty wasn't in his own quarters so his nightstand (and bad-mannered alarm clock) weren't within reach. He lifted his head off the pillow, momentarily confused.

"Mmph—oh hell, where is that bloody thing?"

To his right, he felt and heard a sleepy, altogether feminine giggle. "Over here. I've got it, love." At last, the ringing was silenced.

Scotty smiled in the dark, finally recollecting the past night's very enjoyable activities; it went far to explain why his legs and back were so pleasantly sore. It also went far to explain why he was sleeping in the nude and was not in his own bed, an occasional and not unheard of circumstance. He placed a kiss to the side of the woman's forehead just as she clicked on the light. The brightly colored night kerchief she wore (to protect her hair) looked cheerful at that ungodly hour of the morning.

"Hmm, good morning Commander Uhura," he murmured with his eyes closed, feeling her turn toward him, cradled in his right arm. The warmth of her body against his had to be one of the best feelings he'd ever known.

"And a good morning to you as well, Commander Scott," she answered, her warm breath tickling the side of his chest. She caressed the soft hairs there, drawing her fingernails gently back and forth, raising gooseflesh.

Scotty yawned, stretching his left arm up and back to grip the headboard, feeling taut muscles protesting as he tucked his forearm under his head. "What time is it?"

"Zero five zero five," Uhura told him in her best communications officer voice.

The engineer chuckled. "Och dear lass, that is far too early for me. I'll be needing my beauty sleep else I may get run out of the senior staff meeting."

"Aww, you poor man," she said, sitting up and smiling at him as the sheet fell partly away. His gaze wandered down to the tops of her bare, full breasts (where he had in the last eight hours placed a line of tiny love marks), and then back up to her face. "I was hoping you'd be a good laddie and wash my back for me before we have to report for duty at zero eight."

Scotty's eyes twinkled naughtily at her. "Oh aye, and what if I'm a bad 'un?" Uhura bit her lower lip, white teeth gleaming against her delicious coffee-colored skin and she leaned down to whisper in his ear. Her delighted, flirty laughter echoed in her quarters as she got up and headed naked toward the bathroom.

Whatever it was that she said, he gulped noisily and followed her, grinning broadly, to the waiting shower as fast as his feet would carry him.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

As calm and collected now as she'd been quivering and crying out in pleasure as her climax overwhelmed her just an hour before, Commander Uhura walked with her hand companionably tucked into the crook of Scotty's left elbow. They made their way to the main turbolift that would take them to the largest of the ship's mess halls. When the lift doors whisked shut, Scott steered her to one side so that her back rested against the wall. He deftly hit several control panel buttons in sequence, temporarily disabling the lift between two decks. He gave himself about thirty seconds delay before the maintenance alarms would sound.

He kissed her lips, quickly deepening the kiss, both moaning as their tongues danced. "Thank you, Nyota, my lovely, lovely lass," he said, pulling back slightly to look in her eyes; Scotty appreciated how beautiful she looked, even in her uniform and he always made sure to tell her so. "For last night and for this morning."

Uhura smiled the smile of a well-satisfied woman and she reached up with her thumb to dab a bit of lipstick away from the corner of his mouth. "I enjoyed it too; you're welcome." She straightened the gold pips on his collar, smoothing down his tunic as he stepped a pace back, gave a voice-recognition command and the lift continued on its way.

"You truly are the most understanding woman I know." Scotty cleared his throat and they couldn't resist a brief laugh; the couple had moved well beyond the stage where they skulked about the Enterprise looking like they'd had too much sex and not enough sleep. They were both decorated and mature officers, comfortable enough in their own skins to enjoy their love for each other as well as their duties.

I love you, mouthed Scotty as the lift doors opened to admit First Officer Spock. Uhura's bright smile was still on her face as she greeted the tall, slender half-Vulcan.

"Good morning, Mr. Spock," she said cheerfully. "Would you care to join us for breakfast before the Captain's meeting?"

Spock raised an eyebrow and nodded greetings to each one in turn. "Indeed, I will, thank you, Ms. Uhura. Mr. Scott."

One had to know him really, really well to know that he was delighted to see them happy together.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Scotty did not begin to worry about his young cousin until the third day. After their drinking session on that afternoon, Connor Scott had essentially disappeared. As a Constitution-class starship, the Enterprise was a large vessel, and he could have been anywhere. The worried chief engineer went first to Dr. McCoy, who had far more experience in dealing with young people on a personal level. McCoy's own daughter, Joanna, now a very successful and well-reputed medical doctor on Earth (Charlotte, North Carolina) in her own right, had been fifteen once.

"I'm sure he's fine and I know for a fact that Chief Borden saw Connor in the dojo the other day working out at three-thirty in the blessed morning," Bones replied, offering little in the way of advice. "It's not like he got off at our last stop or anything." Scott started to protest but Bones raised a hand.

"Now, come on Scotty, trust me. I'm sure he's fine. People deal with their grief in lots of different ways. In fact, he's probably off running the hull with that great big hound of his, thinking things through. Sorting laundry, so to speak." McCoy smiled kindly at his old friend's discomfort, remembering how helpless he had felt when Joanna was born—and he was a fully-vetted doctor who had completed a year-long pediatric medicine rotation.

"Aye, I know all that. I'm just a wee bit worried," he said with a shrug. He looked a little sheepish. "I'm not used to, you know…"

Leonard McCoy could not help laughing, happy that Scotty joined along with him. "Hell, be glad Connor's not a girl. Jesus! Joanna was a real basket case at this age. Boys and stuff." He smacked his own forehead in mock exasperation.

The burly Scot nodded over at the Kentucky bourbon company framed advert that rested on the doctor's bookshelf behind his desk. "You know, doc, if we take him with us on shore leave someday I'd bet a week's pay that he could drink you under the table."

"Speak for yourself," snickered McCoy, his blue eyes sparkling. "But let's give it a couple of years before we try, we don't want to stunt his growth. You know you could've run the computer to find him, or have Uhura or Borden page him."

Scotty shrugged again, this time a bit guiltily. "No, that was her suggestion too and I asked Nyota not to do it. It would be too much like spying on him." They both laughed at his "mother-hen" attitude.

"As his doctor, and your best friend, I'm sure he'll turn up when he's damn well ready."

-/-/-/-/-/-

Later in the day, Commander Scott mulled over what the doctor had said. He knew engines and machines, most of which tended to stay put. Young people, on the other hand, moved around a lot. Sighing heavily, Scotty went back to reading reports. His desk was laden with stacks of reports, technical journals and spare parts, but he knew where everything would be in a moment's search. He firmly believed in the balance of a neat cabin, a meticulously tidy tool room and a "lived-in" chief engineer's office, at least until it was time for an inspection: as chief engineering officer, he didn't bother to inspect his own office. Nearly an hour had passed when he heard a rap at his open door. It was Connor.

"Good afternoon, Cousin," he greeted politely, standing in the doorway.

Scotty had been frowning down at some figures on the materials report he was reading and his expression momentarily remained the same as he looked up. "Afternoon, yourself. Glad to see you're back," the engineer said curtly. At Scotty's subtle nod, Connor came in and sat across from him. At attention? wondered Scotty to himself.

"I apologize for causing you and Commander Uhura to worry," he began. When the older man made no response, he added quickly: "Did I?"

Montgomery Scott tried, and failed, to maintain a stern visage. At Connor's stricken look, he immediately softened his expression. "Of course I was worried, laddie, we both were. But Dr. McCoy advised me to wait until you were ready to come around on your own."

The young man nodded, relieved. "I've just been off thinking, and running, up on the hull. It's ideal for that sort of thing. Montgomery kept me company."

Curious, Scotty couldn't help asking: "How many laps did you put in?"

Grinning, Connor shrugged; Scotty's own endearing expression. "I dunno, I lost count. We just went around, and around, and around. I am verra close to the one thousand mark, though."

Scott looked closer at him. Connor looked haggard and tired with dark circles under his eyes, but he had obviously just showered since the top of his red hair was still damp. "How are you doing, lad?"

"I'm alright, better anyway. I'll just get something to eat and then go sleep awhile." He paused, but looked as if he had something more to say. "What happens now, Scotty? We don't have a strong case, and from what I've read, the Klingons wouldnae be very concerned regardless of what evidence we had."

"What do you want to do?" asked Scotty. "It's ultimately up to you, but I'll help in every way I can. You know that."

"Aye. Is it true that you came into Starfleet straight out of engineering school?"

Wondering where this would lead, the chief engineer nodded. "Fresh out of exams and onto a space traveling ship."

Connor considered this a moment. "Then I want to go to the Academy, and study both engineering and linguistics. That's the best for me, in their memory." He looked directly at his cousin, eye to eye. "I want to be a Starfleet officer, like you."

TBC