"Just when you think you've seen everything," McCoy said before another fit of laughter. If it wasn't for the fact that he mentions it regularly, you'd never know that he was supposed to be a medical professional. Pavel already felt like crap and he was hungry… again. That is the last time he agrees to help anyone with anything.

"Are you okay?" Jim finally asked quietly. Suddenly, the room was dead silent. "Do you feel okay… other than… you know?"

"I'm hungry," Pavel said with a chuckle.

"I'll have Rand bring you something," she smiled, tapping something into her communicator. He was sure that the others noticed the shift from her usual command attitude to the worried girlfriend but none of them would mention it. "What do you want to do?"

"I get to decide?" he asked.

"It's your body," Jim said. "Whatever you choose, I'll back you." He could hear the layers to her statement. As his captain, she had his back. As his girlfriend, she would support any decision he made.

"I'd like to know what it is before I decide anything," Pavel said, answering his question.

"The DNA is yours, far as I can tell. Problem is the that your body isn't built to… gestate and medical science has only come so far. When it grows, it'll probably kill you," McCoy said, manipulating the hologram of Pavel's sixth intercostal space. According to Commander Spock, they were dealing with an embryo moving into the fetal stage even though Pavel was only impregnated the day before.

"What about an artificial womb?" Sulu asked as Yeoman Rand walked into the room, sat an apple, a container of trail mix and a cup of tea in front of Pavel and handed a PADD to Jim before leaving just as quietly as she entered. He realized as he listened the others that he was probably eating Jim's usual snacks since there weren't any peanuts in the container at all. Watching her go into anaphylaxis is not a fun experience.

"One of a few things we don't have on the ship," Scotty answered. "I got a team brainstorming but I cannae guarantee that we'll have what we need before something happens to the lad. That thing is growing fast."

"We also don't know what'll happen if we… disconnect the embryo from a living… host," McCoy said.

"I'll do it," Jim said. Pavel wasn't sure if he actually heard her right. She was offering to take the baby and carry it herself. That's crazy, even for her. "Woman have been having babies since the beginning of time, it's what parts of my body were built for. It sounds like all we need is an actual womb and I just happen to have one. We use the transporters and transfer the baby from Pavel to me."

"Jim, you can't just…" McCoy started but -surprisingly- Spock stopped him.

"The child poses a threat to Lieutenant Chekov's life if it remains in his body, especially with it's accelerated growth rate. Surrogacy is the only option currently open to us. As Chekov's significant other, the captain would be the most logical choice to carry his child to term safely," the first officer pointed out. This is probably the first time Spock called one of Jim's ideas logical.

"I can do the transporter work," Scotty said with a smile. "I'll just need to get the right readings from McCoy to make it as seamless a transition as possible. Of course, it's all up to the lad."

"Well?" Jim looked at him with a smile.

"I would be honored for you to carry my child," Pavel said. As soon as the words came out his mouth, he felt his face heat. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Yes, you did," she said with wink. "Bones, Spock, Scotty, work out the logistics and let me know when you want us in the medbay."

"Now's as good a time as any," McCoy told her.

"The brass is gonna love this," Uhura chuckled.

"We're not gonna tell them for the time being. Let us handle one thing at a time," Jim smiled. "Bones, we'll be down in a minute. You're all dismissed."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Pavel asked as soon as they were alone. "We never talked about… any of this."

"Never really thought about it to be honest," Jim said with shrug as she walked over and stole a bite out of his apple.

"Hey, pregnant guy here," he chuckled.

"Not for long," she smiled.

"So, I know you better than you think I do, so I'm gonna ask again. Are you sure about this?"

"Truth? I never thought you'd want to have kids with me."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a crazy danger magnet and my idea of home and family is a mess."

"I happen to think that you would make a great mother," Pavel told her.

"You do?" Jim gave him a look between shock and disbelief.

"Yes, I do," Pavel said, taking both of her hands in his. "Didn't think it'd be this soon."

"Technically, you're the mother," she smiled.

"My point still applies. You have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I have ever known. Whatever happens, I know that you will not let anything happen to this child or any other child. Though, explaining it too the admirals is going to be very interesting."

AN: So, this one is actually getting another part.