Well here we are. The end of Enterprise Adventures. It was a long ride that was four years in the making, but I'm glad it's finally finished. However, this isn't the end for this series. We have, coming next (and by next I mean in the next ten minutes) Blending, Acceptance, Charm and Honesty, the mirror of Blind, Depressed, Dissolute and Hopeless. It will cover the first couple weeks that my Crew/OC couples spend on Earth upon the completion of their five-year mission, before they embark on their next mission.

Their next mission? Final Frontier. Coming soon.

But for now, live long and prosper.

o.O.o

Chapter 21 – The Future Looks Bright

Five years

"Do you, Hikaru Sulu, take Pavel Chekov to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"And do you, Pavel Chekov, take Hikaru Sulu to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"Mister Sulu, your vows."

"Ahem. Pasha, I knew from the moment we met that we would spend our lives together. Granted, I didn't think we'd be getting married, but I knew we would always be together. You were my best friend for the longest time, and I never wanted anyone else by my side. Now look at us. There's no one else I would want to share this with."

"Awwwwww."

"Mister Chekov?"

"Da. 'Karu, I lowe you more zan anyzing. I zink I hawe alvays lowed you a little bit and I am excited for a future vith you. I vant to serve vith you and grov old vith you, and make sure zat no one makes you valk ze plank. I am so happy zat ve found each ozer and I vould newer trade it for anyzing."

"The rings, gentlemen."

"With this ring, I thee wed."

"Wiz zis ring, I zee ved."

"Let us all witness these events here today. If anyone has any objections to these two being joined in matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

…

"Alright. The vows have been said, and so I now pronounce you husband and husband! You may kiss your groom!"

Sulu caught Chekov in a steamy kiss and the assembled crewmembers cheered. Kirk reached behind the arch, pulled out a box of flower petals, and tipped them over the unsuspecting couple. They jumped apart, confused, then laughed and batted the petals away.

"Get outta here you lovebirds!" Kirk said. Without needing to be told twice, the pilot and navigator grabbed the other and rushed from the Rec Room. The congregation followed them, all heading to the Mess Hall for the reception.

This was the third wedding Kirk had officiated that week, as there seemed to be an influx of crewmembers wanting to get married before they reached Earth. He tugged on the collar of his formal uniform and took to the corridors, following the noise.

The party was in full swing. People danced, talked, ate, and talked some more. The happy couple waltzed in the centre of the dance floor, their friends surrounding them. He saw Spock and Zia, Uhura and Yeto, McCoy and McFarland and Scotty and Redcliffe. The various couples swayed on the spot or waltzed, and watching them sent a bolt of pain through the Captain.

He shouldn't feel sad watching them, he knew. After all, in two short weeks he would hopefully be among them with his own lady, but for today he was alone.

Scotty and Redcliffe weaved their way over to him.

"Beautiful ceremony, Capt'n," Scotty called over the music.

"Aw, thanks! Who'd you palm the kids off to?"

"Keenser," Redcliffe said. She turned to Scotty. "You don't think we should comm him, do you? They're getting to be a bit of a handful…"

"He'll be fine," Kirk said. "You guys just enjoy some time off."

"Good advice, Capt'n." Scotty grinned, saluted, then grabbed his girlfriend's hand and pulled her towards the buffet table.

He was approached by Uhura and Yeto next, his CCO practically pulling her boyfriend's arm from its socket in her haste.

"Captain!" She smiled, clearly a little tipsy. "This's a great party! Did you plan it?"

"They did." He pointed to the happy couple. "You guys enjoying yourselves?"

"Oh, loads." Uhura planted a quick kiss on Yeto's cheek. "Never know, a wedding might encourage a certain question…"

"It's been six months," Kirk said, frowning. "What's the rush?"

"We're not getting any younger." Yeto shrugged. It was true. Kirk didn't like the idea of being in his thirties any more than Uhura did, and he wondered how long it would be before there were more little devils running around.

"He'd have to ask my mother's permission first," Uhura said. Kirk plastered on a smile.

"What a gentleman."

Yeto seemed to notice his discomfort, and tugged Uhura's hand.

"Wha-"

"Let's get another drink!"

Kirk nodded his thanks, then wandered over to where McCoy and McFarland shared a bottle of bourbon. McCoy noticed the look on Kirk's face and held the bottle out.

"Drink." He did. "What's the matter?"

"I just… miss Jamie." The bourbon burned his throat and he coughed. "That never gets better."

"It does," McFarland said. Kirk handed her the bottle.

"What's the plan for you two on Earth?" he asked.

"Caitlin's meetin' my daughter," McCoy said. Kirk gaped.

"Joanna? And Jocelyn?"

"It's kinda hard to meet Joanna without the Ice Queen somewhere nearby, so yeah." McCoy didn't look too happy at the mention of his ex-wife, and took another swig of bourbon. "It's not like she'll let me have Joanna for the day without makin' sure I ain't a mess first."

"But you have the day with her?"

"Yeah." McFarland held her hand out for the bottle, which McCoy handed over. "Leonard wrote Joanna a letter, asking to see her, and she agreed. So, Jocelyn couldn't do much anyway to stop her."

"Then my baby asked if I was seein' anyone, an' I said yeah, an' she asked to meet Caitlin!"

Kirk had never seen McCoy smile quite like that before, but he decided he liked when his CMO smiled like that. It was almost… carefree.

"Will you be seeing Jamie?" McFarland asked.

"You know it. First thing I'm doing once I've given my preliminary report to the Admirals is go to her house and not leave for an astonishing amount of time."

"Gross," McCoy muttered.

"Bones, you remember what I was like at the Academy." Kirk allowed some of his womanising charm to shine. "Do you know how long it's been since this Captain got any tail?"

"Not as long as either of us, that's for sure," McCoy countered."

"What, more than seven years?"

"Way more," the pair chorused.

"Stop ganging up on me," Kirk whined. McCoy laughed, McFarland drinking beside him, and Kirk marvelled at how changed his CMO was. He wasn't grumpy or… grumpy. He was happy. A girl had actually made him happy. "Meanies."

He returned to the rest of the part, offering congratulations to Sulu and Chekov for their nuptials, then grabbed a plate of meat and roast vegetables from the buffet table. It was then that he came across Spock and Zia, both eating their own plates of roast vegetables.

"Hey, Captain," Zia said, waving. He grabbed the seat next to her.

"You guys having fun?" he asked.

"Yeah, there's been some good music. What about you?"

"Oh, it's not too bad." He felt bad talking again about how much he missed Jamie, especially on Sulu and Chekov's day. No one needed to be bothered by his own loneliness on their big day. "The food is awesome."

"I know right? This is, like, my second plate I think." Zia gasped then started giggling. Both Kirk and Spock turned to see what she was looking at, and spotted Uhura and Yeto engaged in a rather passionate make-out session.

"She appears inebriated," Spock said.

"Uh, yeah?" Kirk shrugged. "It's a party."

"Something tells me their neighbours are going to complain again." Zia smirked and winked at the Captain. He doubled over with laughter and tried not to think about how little he wanted to think about Uhura and Yeto getting it on.

"She wants him to propose," he said, once he had control of himself again. He glanced between the two Vulcans. "When'll you two tie the knot? It's been yonks."

They exchanged a glance.

"We are not certain," Spock said. "The time has not yet appeared… right."

"There's no such thing as the right time." Kirk shrugged. "You should just do it. Get married. You're already bonded."

"What about our families?" Zia asked uncertainly. "I'm sure my parents would want to be invited to my wedding…"

"Why don't you do a video call?" Kirk suggested.

"That is…" Spock blinked. "A good idea."

"Yeah, a really good idea." She looked at Spock. "We should get married. I can't imagine doing it anywhere else."

"Maybe in your quarters?" Kirk ducked the vegetable that Zia threw at him. "Sorry, couldn't resist.

"Just because you aren't getting any doesn't mean you're allowed to develop an unhealthy interest in everyone else's sex lives," Zia said haughtily.

"Damn, Spock, I might have to steal her. Talk dirty to me."

"You shall not." He could almost imagine Spock rolling his eyes.

"Dude, I was joking." While he wouldn't deny he'd been attracted to Zia when they'd first met, there was none of that attraction now. Like he wanted to risk Spock's wrath anyway. A hasty retreat would be prudent. "So… when would you wanna tie the knot?"

"In two days," Spock said, turning his gaze to Zia. He automatically relaxed when he looked at her. How the hell did someone manage to do that to Spock of all people? It was a superpower in itself. "Do you object?"

"No! Two days sounds perfect." She smiled widely, her cheeks flushing slightly, and looked down at her food.

"This'll probably be my favourite wedding to officiate," Kirk said, taking a bite of… pork? After this plate, he might get adventurous with some of the fancy Russian dishes Chekov had laid out.

Which he did. He ate a plate of Russian pie, danced with various members of Alpha-shift, got incredibly drunk, and just managed to stumble to his quarters and pass out.

o.O.o

Zia bounced Shintai on her knee and watched Lexis do the same with Clifford. "They're getting really big."

They sat in the Rec Room that had been repurposed into a children's playroom. Colourful toys littered the floor and messy drawings coated the walls.

"Don't remind me. They've already started walking." The Takret pressed a kiss to her one-year-old son's forehead. "Soon they'll start talking, and then the Captain'll hire someone to be a teacher, and then we'll have a school on board."

"I get the feeling there'll be a lot more children soon," Uhura agreed. She sipped her coffee and looked up from her report. "Are you looking forward to introducing your kids to their grandparents?"

"Oh, I can't wait!" Lexis grinned. "They were all so disappointed that I'd never had kids and now I can go 'hey, these are your grandbabies'. I can't wait for them to meet Scotty either. They had no idea he existed."

"I've already told my dad about Yeto and he's coming to San Francisco to meet him. I can't imagine how that'll go down."

"It'll be fine," Zia said. Shintai grabbed for her ears and she let the toddler grasp the sensitive flesh. "So, Spock and I are getting married tomorrow and I wanted you to walk me own the aisle, Nyota."

"Ohmygod yes I would love that!" Uhura put down her coffee mug and pulled Zia and the toddler into a hug. "Wait, tomorrow?"

"Yeah, well, why not? We're home, all our friends are here, and we're already bondmates." She patted Uhura's back, then Shintai squealed from being crushed.

"Sorry." Uhura pulled back. "So, tomorrow?"

"Yeah…"

"You scared?"

"A bit yes, a bit no."

"It'll be fine," Lexis said.

o.O.o

Zia stared at the closed doors, sweating in her science blues. She felt really stupid with her hair done up really nicely because she was basically in her work uniform. Her usually straight hair was curled and pinned, and she wore a splash of make-up to enhance her facial features.

"Are you ready?" Uhura whispered. Zia looked at her, heart thumping in her torso, and took a shaky breath.

"No, but let's do it anyway."

The door hissed open, Zia tightened her grip on Uhura's arm and inhaled, and they walked into the Rec Room. Traditional Vulcan music played as she walked down the aisle and she spotted three viewscreens dotted among the congregation: her parents, Sarek, Jamie.

It was a small service. Yeto, McCoy and Caitlin sat on one side, with a spare seat for Uhura, while Sulu, Chekov, and Scotty and Lexis and their children sat on the other side. Kirk stood at the altar with… her gaze settled on her groom.

Spock stared at her, his face for once publicly displaying his love for her. He looked exactly as he'd always looked, and she wouldn't change a thing.

Uhura walked her to Spock, then let go and took her seat. The music stopped.

"Dearly beloved," Kirk said, "we are gathered today to witness the Terran union between Lieutenant Zia Abbott and Commander Spock, um…"

"S'chn T'gai Spock," Zia whispered.

"Commander S'chn T'gai Spock." Kirk stumbled over the pronunciation, but the sentiment was sweet. "They came to us as lost souls, he, with the blood of both Vulcan and human, and her with the blood of Vulcan but the upbringing of humans. Neither had ever had a place where they truly belonged, but here they found a home. They found meaning, and purpose, and a family unlike any other. I mean, we're in constant mortal peril all the time so it's a weird family dynamic."

"Jim," McCoy said warningly.

"You'd be the grumpy uncle," Kirk muttered. "Point is, they found each other, and I'm sure I'm not the only person here who thinks they're totally sweet."

"Yeah, lots of toothaches," Uhura said.

"Anyway, with the power invested in me, I will marry them today, in sight of you all. Do you, Zia Abbott, take Ch'gen… T'ge…"

"S'chn T'gai," Zia whispered.

"S'chn T'gai Spock to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"And do you, S'ch… Spock. Do you, Spock, take Zia Abbott to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"Miss Abbott, your vows."

She took a deep breath. "Spock, I know a Terran wedding isn't the traditional way that Vulcans do things, but we've already done things the way Vulcans do them. I think it's only right to get married the Earthen way, for my parents, and your mother. We're acknowledging the two halves that make us, us, and I couldn't imagine going another day without doing this. Without being your wife." She flushed. "I love you, and I can't imagine being without you."

Spock's emotion threatened to make her cry. He was having such a hard time controlling it back there.

"Mister Spock?"

"Zia, I…" He inhaled, and the congregation whispered among themselves. Few had ever seen Spock like this. "Your sentiments echo my own, as do the Captain's. We belong on no one planet, but on this Starship, we are home. I wish to honour my mother, today, who cannot be here, by marrying a woman I know she would have loved more than I." Spock took her hands. "You are an incredible person, t'hy'la, and I am truly blessed to have met you, and connected with you, and fallen in love with you and earned your love in return."

Zia blinked back tears.

"The rings?"

Lexis stood and carried a sleepy Clifford up to the altar. She reached into the toddler's pocket and pulled out two rings, made by Scotty from pieces of the Enterprise.

Spock slid her ring onto her finger. "With this ring, I thee wed." It felt perfect nestled against her promise ring.

She did the same with his ring. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Let us all witness these events here today. If anyone has any objections to these two being joined in matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

There was absolute silence, then Kirk clapped his hands together.

"Alright. You've said your incredibly touching vows, and so I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss your Vulcan!"

Zia's breath hitched, and Spock closed the distance between them and kissed her.

In front of everyone.

Cheers and applause erupted from those watching, and Zia almost passed out from the force of Spock's emotion. How was it possible to love someone as much as they loved each other? Did others love each other the same? Did some love their partners more?

They pulled apart, and the cheers died away. She looked into his eyes and laughed, for there was no one who mattered but him.

o.O.o

"I'll never get used to Vulcan food," McCoy said. He sniffed his milkshake. "I wouldn't've agreed to come to your reception if I knew I couldn't have bourbon."

"Just wait until after dinner," Caitlin said. "I think Vulcan food is lovely."

"Damn vegetarians," McCoy muttered. Caitlin smacked him playfully.

Instead of a raging party, Spock and Zia had requested a quiet dinner with those who had attended their wedding. The dinner was also a serving of Vulcan food, prepared by the bride and groom, and it had caused waves among the wedding party.

"So," Kirk said, standing with his glass, "a toast, to the happy couple."

Everyone toasted Spock and Zia, then took deep droughts of their drinks.

"I have an announcement to make with you all," Kirk continued. "Once we get back on Earth, we're cleared for an entire year of shore leave!"

The room was split even with those happy for the break, and those who couldn't imagine a year without working.

"It won't all be sunshine and rainbows," the Captain continued. "I've been contacted by Admiral Barnett, and he has a special mission for all of us."

"All of us?" Lexis asked.

"Yep, all of us."

"What's the mission?" Sulu asked. Kirk winked.

"I'd tell you, but I'm not sure of the details myself."

"If Admiral Barnett requires us, we must deduce that we will be teaching at the Academy," Spock said.

"Teaching?" Chekov squeaked.

"Maybe, maybe not, who knows?" Yeto said.

"I think a special mission sounds exciting," Zia said, smiling widely. She pressed her fingers against Spock's. The table broke out into chatter about what the mission could possibly be, and Spock watched all of his friends in awe.

When he was a child, he never would have imagined he would end up with so many friends. Enough to fit on both hands. Glancing at Zia, he knew she was in the same position. He was truly blessed to have found these people, and he never wanted to lose them.

o.O.o

Twelve days later, the Enterprise dropped into orbit around Earth, and Spock and Zia stood and joined the Bridge crew, staring at the beautiful blue orb through the viewport. Their fingers twined together, and he pressed a quick kiss to her temple.

'We are home, t'hy'la,' he whispered.

'We're above Earth, silly. We were already home.'

'So sentimental.'

'So sappy.'

'I love you.'

'I love you too.'

They watched as the Enterprise docked on the nearest space station, signalling the conclusion of their five-year adventure.