Heya!

Okay, so here's another chapter. There will be a short epilogue, that will hopefully not take months to write.

I'm sorry for taking so long but... I finally have my driver's license! *yaiy*

Anyway, I hope this time I didn't accidentally put 'Stiles' or 'Derek' or something instead of the usual names. That would be embarrassing. I did read through it! But I'm bad at finding errors when I'm distracted. So, please, if you find any, tell me immediately, I'll try to fix them as soon as I can!

Talltree-san: Thanks! And uh, not an epilogue, but a chapter is okay, too, right? :)

Guest1: ...All 'buttholes' are elastic. You would not believe what people manage stick up there.

ShayLove: Thank you! I'm glad you're still reading my stories, I did miss your reviews! And goodness, am I glad I didn't make Bones too OOC. That would have been terrible.

Guest2: Here's an update!

Enjoy!

Secret World

Chapter 13: shaking it up

Jim awoke to the sound of Bones' voice talking quietly. While he did not manage to decipher individual words, he was able to determine that the doctor's Southern drawl had become a tad more prominent, softening whatever he was saying into a low drone. Peeling his lids apart, Jim glanced at the chronometer above the door, humming softly. Six hours had passed since the birth of their child, which meant that his nap had turned into a three-hour-long coma.

Not surprising, considering that he had thrown an impressive tantrum upon being annoyed by another bout of smaller contractions. No one could blame his hormone-addled brain for not remembering that the placenta was supposed to come out, too.

Once that had been over and done with, Jim had started to doze, not even complaining when Spock carried him to the bathroom to clean him up. He could not remember much afterwards apart from the fact that Leonard had strapped a portable regenerator to his abdomen and then dressed Jim as if he was a toddler.

Turning his head, Jim gazed past Spock's sleeping form, curled up tight in the remaining space of their nest, which had been rid of the bloodied towels and the plastic sheet. Leonard was sitting beside the nest, propped up by pillows, a blanket over his legs and Soryn in his arms. The man was talking to the baby in hushed tones, the small boy staring up at Bones with wide, blue eyes as he suckled on the bottle that was being given to him.

"'ey, Bo's," Jim slurred, taking care to speak quietly as to not wake Spock.

The Vulcan-hybrid might not have been the one to give birth, but Jim did not want to imagine what it must have been like to watch the labor progress without being able to help or at least ease the pain.

Bones looked up, smiling lopsidedly, "Mornin'. You doin' alright?"

Jim nodded, wincing when he shifted just slightly, "Still sore, though."

"That's about the only thing those regenerators can't get rid of," Bones' shoulders twitched upwards in an approximation of a shrug, mindful of the nursing infant resting against him, "There's a bottle of water behind you. You need to drink something."

Jim grumbled and twisted as much as he could, arm flailing until he was able to grab onto the bottle. Dragging it into the nest, he uncapped it and took a long sip. He had not realized how thirsty he had been until now. After having reduced the bottle's content considerably, Jim lowered the bottle and spoke up, "Did you write down Soryn's weight and all that?"

"Of course I did, you idiot. He was born on November the fifth, weighs 6.8 pounds, is around twenty inches from his tiny adorable toes to his fuzzy head, and officially entered the world at two forty-seven in the morning. The exact measurements are written down and I already filled out a birth certificate for your little bundle of joy," Bones stroked his fingertip over Soryn's cheek, gently dislodging the nipple from the baby boy's pink mouth.

Jim watched in rapt fascination as the doctor flipped a cloth over his right shoulder and lifted Soryn up, cupping the baby's head as he patted his back. For a minute, nothing happened in the relative silence that had gathered within the room. Jim was about to open his mouth, when Soryn released a rather impressive, squeaky burp that caused Spock to startle awake with a snort.

Jim laughed at his husband's confused face, "Hey, there, Spock."

Spock raised a hand to rub at his eyes, "Jim."

"Leonard and Soryn," Bones piped up, "Now that we have introduced ourselves once again, I have a dozing baby in my arms and I really need to get up and take a leak."

"Did you just do a Timon impression?"

"Did I what?"

"Nevermind," Jim held out his arms, "Give me my baby boy, you can go pee."

"Wow, already using smaller words, huh, Mommy?" Bones handed Soryn over with care, brushing his palm over the fuzzy tufts of black hair covering the child's head, before he stood and left the room.

Jim pouted as he settled against the side of the nest, cradling Soryn in his arms as the baby blinked at him with his big, round eyes. A smile quickly took over Jim's face and he reached up to trace the ridge of Soryn's tiny, pointy ear. A soft flush tinged the baby's face a healthy mint green. His eyes were a bright blue and Bones had issued a tentative guess that they might stay that way.

Soryn had been dressed in a bright yellow onesie, the picture of a turtle taking over the front of the garment. Bones had pulled a pair of additional socks over Soryn's feet, for which Jim was particularly grateful. He did not want his son to get cold and possibly sick because of it.

Spock planted his head onto Jim's shoulder, long fingers touching their son's smooth cheek. Soryn turned his head a tiny bit, mouth opening to reveal greenish gums and a tiny, forest green tongue. Jim cooed when Soryn began to whine and squawk, waving his short arms through the air, "He's so small, look at his stubby arms, Spock."

"I can see them, Jim," Spock muttered, touching Soryn's upturned nose.

The baby scrunched up his face in response, gurgling with roaming eyes, bright with curiosity.

They marveled at the tiny miracle they had created for a long while, until Bones finally returned and held up his communicator, "Your Mom has no shame, Spock, calling someone while on the toilet, honestly."

Jim looked up from where he had been staring at Soryn's adorable little hands, "Why do you take your communicator with you when you're on the toilet, Bones…?"

Bones rolled his eyes, "It's been half an hour since I went to the toilet, Jim. Amanda called to ask about whether or not everything is alright, since she couldn't reach your comm. unit yesterday. I told her everything was alright and that you'd be introducing her to someone soon."

Jim grinned, "What did she say?"

The doctor huffed out a fond sigh, "She says to tell you that she's glad everyone's okay, but that she'll have to make sure of that herself. Sarek and Amanda will be coming to Earth as soon as possible."

"And knowing Amanda, 'as soon as possible' has a maximum of eight hours," Jim snickered as he rolled his eyes, moving his arms to hitch Soryn up a tiny bit to allow the baby's cheek to rest against his chest more comfortably, "Alright, then, let's try to straighten up the house a little and maybe make ourselves look a little more presentable. I probably look like a train wreck."

"Yeah," Bones drawled, "But a cute one. Spock, help your husband out of that thing you call a nest and get dressed in proper clothes. I'll try to cook something that won't irritate Sarek's delicate palate."

"…Irritate Sarek's delicate palate," Jim snickered, "Say that three times in a row."

"Shut up, Jim, and get dressed."

Jim drew a face as the doctor left the room once again, leaving them with their babbling baby. They rested for a moment longer, watching the boy in Jim's arms loll his head from side to side, whining and humming as Soryn's eyes roamed around the room, clearly confused by his surroundings. A soft laugh escaped Jim's lips when the baby knocked his tiny fist against Jim's nose, "Someone's active, huh?"

"It seems that Leonard's worst fear has become reality. Our son will be just as troublesome as you were," Spock said, allowing his son to wrap his hand around Spock's index finger.

It took them almost half an hour before they managed to heave themselves out of the nest and get dressed. And another five minutes to figure out how to change Soryn's diaper. Needless to say, Soryn was not amused and Bones was laughing hysterically by the time they arrived downstairs. The doctor had somehow managed to create a dish made up of roasted vegetables, potato gratin with rennet-free mozzarella and a delicious looking sauce. Jim was rather impressed, considering that Bones had vehemently denied being able to cook.

Upon being asked about it, Bones had gestured to Jim's cook book lying on the counter. It was more of a folder containing Jim's recipes and Bones had used it to ensure that he would not mess anything up. Still, Jim applauded the man for managing everything perfectly and not blowing up the kitchen.

They ate and stowed the large amount that remained in special containers that would keep the food from cooling out and losing its consistency. Jim immediately returned to the carrier they had placed Soryn in, lifting the dozing baby out and against his chest to coo at his son. He was still fascinated by the fact that he had created this tiny being, a new human. The thought was insane.

Another hour went by and Bones announced that he needed to get back to his apartment and take a long nap. He certainly deserved one.

"Alright, I put the formula in the cupboard above the sink on the right side," Bones tied his shoes quickly and reached for his car keys, "Dribble some of it on the inside of your wrist to see if it's too hot, or maybe take a sip, whatever you're comfortable with. Spock should already know all that, but you know what Spock's like when it comes to making food, right, Jimmy?"

Jim laughed, taking Soryn's hand to wave at Bones, "See you soon, Bones. Take care, alright? It's still raining."

"Will do, Jimbo. Have fun and I hope Amanda will let you spent a few more hours alone with your baby boy," Bones leaned forward and kissed Jim's cheek, then stroked Soryn's cheek and finally patted Spock's shoulder, before leaving the house to rush through the pouring rain to his car.

They watched the doctor leave then closed the front door and retreated to the living room.

For a while, all they did was stare at their little miracle, watching him squeak and squawk whenever they had to shift him around a tiny bit.

"Oh, we should call Sam," Jim gestured towards his communicator, "Come on, he's gonna be so angry if I don't tell him soon!"

"Do not be ridiculous, Jim," Spock reached for the communicator anyway and held it out to his husband, the gadget already beeping as the call went out.

"Hello, Samuel Kirk speaking?"

"Hey, Sam!"

"Jim! Hey, you doing okay? The storm last night was pretty harsh, is everything alright over there?"

"We're all good. But guess who decided to join the party early?"

"…Seriously? You- what did you name him? Is he healthy? Did you get to the hospital okay?"

"Yes, seriously. We named him Soryn and he's perfectly fine. As for the hospital… uh, no, Bones kind of had to deliver him in the bedroom."

Sam's laughter echoed out of the communicator and was soon joined by Aurelan's, "Only you, Jimmy. Only you. You're lucky your best friend's a doctor, honestly. This is ridiculous. We'll come over in a few days to meet your little guy, okay? We're gonna give you some time to get used to him, you'll need it, believe me. Having a kid is awesome, but it's hard work."

"Yeah, I noticed," Jim groaned, cooing at Soryn when the baby gave another squeak, "I'll think twice about having another one. My night was everything but fun."

"Ugh, Jim, I really don't want to hear about it. Peter's birth was scary eno- ow! Aurelan, why?"

"Because you're an idiot. Jimmy, your brother fainted and knocked himself out on an unused heart monitor about halfway through. He missed the gory parts entirely."

Jim started to laugh, calming himself when Soryn started to squirm, "Goodness, that's awesome. Spock didn't faint, luckily. I might have murdered him afterwards if he had."

"No, you wouldn't have. I thought about it, but once Peter was there and Sam woke up… I was too happy to consider murdering Sam for fainting on me," Aurelan sounded a little exasperated, but her voice carried a fond lilt.

"I guess that's true," Jim sighed, smiling down at Soryn, "Oh, Spock's parents will be over sometime today. They'll probably stay a while, so you might get to meet them. Be prepared though, Spock's Dad is a textbook example of a Vulcan."

"I'm sure we can handle that. If not, Peter might be able to break the ice," Sam responded, then huffed out a long suffering sigh, "Alright you three, have fun, Peter just upended his play-do cans and they landed on the carpet. Talk to you later!"

"Bye, Sam!" the call was dropped and Jim held the communicator out to Spock, "Looks like we're in for an adventure, Spock."

Spock lifted an eyebrow and placed the device back onto the coffee table, "I was of the opinion that the adventure had started when we decided to become bondmates, Jim."

"Oh, ha-ha, Spock," Jim dug his index finger into the Vulcan-hybrid's side, wiggling it a tiny bit, causing Spock to squirm ever so slightly, "How about we go and get Soryn settled in his room? He should know where he's going to sleep, right?"

Nodding, Spock rose from the couch and helped Jim to his feet. Together, they made their way back up the stairs and into the nursery. Jim turned on the lamp by the side of the crib, not particularly enjoying the dim light spilling in through the window. Golden light illuminated a small space of the room, making it look warmer in an instant. Jim bit his lip and lowered Soryn into the crib, brushing his palm over the boy's fuzzy hair.

Soryn gazed up at him, eyes drooping after a while before sliding shut. The baby breathed out a soft sigh and stopped flailing his short arms about a moment later.

Spock moved to lean over the crib, activating the baby monitor clasped to one of the bars and shifted to press his mouth against Jim's ear, "Do you wish to leave?"

Jim nodded, grabbing the second baby monitor in the same motion, "Yeah, let's go, he needs his sleep."

Quietly, they left the nursery, pulling the door halfway closed and scurrying back down the stairs. Jim flopped down onto the couch, groaning as he planted his feet on the coffee table, "I don't know if I want to sleep some more or kiss you for the duration of Soryn's nap."

Spock sat down beside him, "That does sound like a serious dilemma."

Jim grumbled and tucked his head against his husband's chest, prompting Spock to loop an arm around Jim's shoulders and pull him against his side, "I think sleep is something I need, but making out like teenagers is pretty tempting, too."

"I do not believe you are in the condition for any sexual endeavors you might wish to pursue, Jim," Spock pressed a kiss to Jim's temple.

"Ugh," Jim grunted, "Fine. More sleep it is."

Albeit he had not intended to actually do so, he dozed off about ten minutes later, waking to the sound of Spock speaking, "Mother, please-"

"I missed you two so much!" Amanda exclaimed and Jim opened his eyes to see her squeezing Spock as hard as she could, while Sarek tilted his head up a tiny bit, eyes rolling to glance at the ceiling in the Vulcan approximation of a fond eye roll, "It was terribly quiet without you and Sarek's been on so many meetings the past three weeks-"

"Mother, Jim is sleeping, please, he-"

"'m awake!" Jim called out, scrambling to get up and off the couch and managing to get his leg caught on the coffee table, sending him face first into the carpet, "Ouch."

"Jim!" Spock was at his side within a second, lifting him up and to his feet, "Are you alright? Have you injured yourself?"

"No, I'm okay," Jim laughed, face blazing red with embarrassment, "Perfectly fine."

Amanda shuffled closer and tugged him into a tight embrace, pulling away to cup his face between her hands to scrutinize him, "You look so tired… oh, we should have waited a few days before coming over, I'm so sorry, Jim, you probably wanted to have more time to get used to everything."

She looked so crestfallen that Jim immediately began to shake his head, "No, no! I… I think it's great that you're here now, Manda. There's a lot of stuff I don't know about taking care of a baby. Bones is a big help, but he can't be here all the time either."

Amanda laughed, "Okay, okay. I get it. Now, where is your little one?"

"Upstairs, sleeping," Jim answered, gesturing towards the staircase, "If you're quiet, we can go and have a look."

Spock's mother nodded and latched onto Jim's sleeve, dragging them towards the first step. They ascended the stairs at glacial pace, careful to avoid any sort of squeaking and creaking that might occur. It took them almost five minutes to reach the top of the stairs and Jim was certain, if Sarek would allow himself to do so, the Vulcan would be laughing his ass off at their ridiculous behavior.

Upon reaching the nursery, they were surprised by Soryn's quiet gurgling, indicating that the baby had been awake for a little bit at least. Jim moved over to the crib, smiling down at his son, "Hey there, sweetheart," he whispered and reached down to lift Soryn out and against his chest, cupping the back of the baby's head with a careful hand, "Look who's here to meet you, Soryn. It's your grandma and your grandpa."

Soryn gave a tiny squeak and started to mouth at Jim's shirt, eyes trained on the fabric in front of him. Amanda chuckled, kissing Soryn's hair and holding out her hands, "Can I hold him?"

"Sure?" Jim bit his lip and dislodged his shirt from Soryn's mouth, cooing when the baby whined at being deprived of his new chew toy.

He then placed Soryn into Amanda's arms, watching as she expertly shifted the baby to rest against her breast, tiny head cradled in the bend of her elbow, "Oh, he's beautiful, Jim. And he has your eyes!"

"Yeah," Jim laughed, leaning into Spock when his husband stepped behind him to wrap his arms around his waist, "He's perfect."

Sarek, who had been standing in the doorway until now, moved closer, peering over his wife's shoulder to look at his grandson. Soryn scrunched up his face and squawked, arms waving clumsily through the air. Something in Sarek's eyes softened and the Vulcan reached out to brush the tip of Soryn's tiny ear. The baby stopped squirming and Jim had a suspicion that Sarek was using his touch telepathy to calm Soryn down a tiny bit. He did not ask, however, Spock had mentioned that telepathic contact between parents and child was something that was encouraged in Vulcan culture, because it ensured the baby's mental health.

Amanda decided that it was Sarek's turn to hold Soryn and shifted, planting the baby into her husband's arms, who looked a tad overwhelmed.

Jim bit his lip to keep from guffawing at the way Sarek's eyebrows rose towards his hairline, creating a hilariously shocked expression upon the Vulcan's face. Behind him, he could feel Spock's chest vibrating with suppressed laughter, "Don't worry, Sarek, he won't bite, I promise."

Sarek glanced up, shooting him an unimpressed look that made Jim realize just how alike Spock and his father were in certain situations. It took another moment before Sarek's shoulders relaxed and he moved his arms into a more comfortable position to cradle Soryn in. A second later, the baby was once again asleep, sucking at the edge of Sarek's expensive pullover.

Jim felt his chest tighten and his eyes might have been a little wetter than usual. He was happy.

And life… life was perfect.

Cheesy ending, I know. And I don't care~