Chapter Twenty Six
"If all I can do To keep her here with me, I'll remember you Won't you remember me, And when I don't know what to think I'll think about you..." - I'll Think About You, We Are Messengers
It was early in the evening when Emily found herself sitting wedged beside Julia, with Uhura and Jaylah sitting across from them at one of the cafes. Jaylah was scheduled to leave for Starfleet Academy within a week, and wanted to experience all she could in Yorktown before her departure. That meant spending time with the new friends she'd made during their time on Altamid.
For Emily, it was a relief to get out of the dwelling and spend some time with friends. She never realized until than how stifling it was sitting around doing nothing. It didn't help when she had her over-worried husband hanging around her shoulder all the time. While she understood where Leonard was getting at, there were times when she just needed to get out and stretch her legs. Besides, he and Jim were out drinking, now after she'd convinced him to go out and see what was up with the Captain.
"I do not understand why there are so many choices on the menu," Jaylah remarked while trying to figure out what she wanted for dinner.
She wasn't used to the huge variety, and Emily couldn't hide the smile that followed as Uhura helped her out with the different options. She knew it was overwhelming for Jaylah, who had been living on Altamid for so long. Jaylah was only just beginning to adjust to life outside another planet where multiple choices in food was readily available for them.
"So, have you and Bones thought of getting an ultrasound done?" Julia asked, glancing at Emily self-consciously while fiddling with the straw in her drink.
Emily took a sip of her own drink while eyeing Jaylah's choice longingly. She knew that drinking alcohol was limited with the baby on the way. If it was anything stronger than a glass of wine – forget it. She hated not being able to drink alcohol while she was pregnant.
"We have been planning on getting one done," she sighed as she tried sitting up straighter, "The problem is, we're both busy… Yorktown has a shortage of doctors, and Leonard's one of the few willing to work until he falls on his ass."
"The man needs to take a break," Uhura rolled her eyes after they finished ordering their food. "Even Spock is taking this time off as a chance to meditate and reflect on what has happened."
Somehow, that wasn't entirely surprising to Emily. She knew that Spock had been greatly affected with the loss of Spock Prime. Not for the first time, she couldn't imagine what that must have felt like. When Leonard told her that Spock had actually cried over the matter, she knew that it wasn't easy.
"I take it the two of you have made up since then?" Emily asked, curious as to how Spock and Uhura had rekindled their relationship.
Before Krall's attack on Yorktown, they had been avoiding each other. Their distance was likely on par to what Leonard had told her while he was stuck on Altamid with Spock. She had a feeling that once Uhura became more aware of what was bothering Spock, she would understand what the problem was.
"I'd like to believe that we've reached a mutual understanding in our relationship," Uhura replied as Jaylah and Julia watched the two women curiously.
With everything that was happening, Emily couldn't blame Julia for her lack of interest in 'relationship' talks. As for Jaylah, she wasn't entirely sure what the alien woman had experienced in her past. The rest of their dinner had gone by in a similar fashion. By the time they were finished eating, Emily was exhausted and ready to go back.
It wasn't long before Emily and Julia found themselves walking back to their dwellings after parting ways with Uhura and Jaylah. Jaylah wanted to get the full experience, which included a movie and possibly shopping afterwards, if Uhura was up to it. Uhura was a real trooper, sticking with Jaylah and showing her what life was like beyond Altamid. Emily didn't know how she did it, but then again, Uhura had always amazed her with what she was capable of.
"I'm surprised you're not tired of dealing with Bones' overprotective side," Julia pointed out when they stopped for a moment.
Emily merely grinned back sheepishly, knowing full-well what Leonard was like when it came to worrying about her. Not that she didn't blame him – she did have a tendency to throw herself into unusual and dangerous situations. He had finally gotten used to how she acted when it came to protecting those she cared about. But he would always grumble and complain about it. And that was part of the reason she loved him so much. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind, despite the fact that she would just go against orders if it meant keeping everyone safe.
"Are you suggesting he's stifling me?" she asked, glancing at her friend in amusement.
"No, I just… guess I'm a little jealous," Julia finally admitted. That was enough for Emily to look at her in disbelief. "I mean, you've got Bones, Nyota's got Spock… I never realized how lonely I was until now."
Emily nearly rolled her eyes when she realized where she was getting at with this. While she knew that Julia had been happy being single for the duration of her time in this world, it must have been overwhelming for her. She suddenly wrapped her arm around Julia's shoulder, pulling her in close.
"Jules, do you honestly think you're ready to handle the drama of being in a relationship?" she deadpanned.
Julia seemed to ponder that for a moment before grimacing.
"Good point," she shook her head in agreement. Though, the doubt in her voice was obvious enough. "Still, I wonder if choosing to stay was the smartest choice I've made."
At least you were given a choice, Emily thought bitterly, realizing that she had never been given the chance to choose between this world and theirs. Yet, she also realized that even if she was given the choice, she would have chosen this world over theirs any day. After meeting Leonard and Jim, her life had been turned upside down in more ways than one.
"You ever make any choices you regretted in our world?" Emily asked curiously when they reached their dwellings.
Julia's wasn't far from theirs, having chosen a smaller apartment where she didn't spend much time inside in the first place. Julia looked at her in surprise, before pondering over that question.
"Not really… I mean, I never got to meet that someone special in my life like you and Bones," she admitted with a shrug, "Mom and dad were always supportive of whatever decisions I made. Which I guess is where the real trouble began. I always knew that I wanted to be a musician and an artist, but the problem was, I didn't know what I wanted more."
Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise at that. She had always seen Julia as the kind of person who had her entire future already mapped out. Even in this world, Julia was already thinking of what she would be doing when the five-year mission was over. She planned on continuing her career as an artist, and wanted to expand her path as a musician with all the different instruments that were available.
"How is that a problem?" Emily crossed her arms over her chest as Julia leaned against the wall, chewing the bottom of her lip sheepishly.
"Well, there were too many choices." Julia looked at her with an expression that said it all – she had been stressed. "All I ever wanted to do was make mom and dad proud of what I accomplished."
She held back a sigh as she understood all-too-well where Julia was getting at with that. There were so many times in the past when she would wonder if her parents were proud of what she had accomplished. If they had known that she was in Starfleet and made a career out of it, and was on the verge of starting a family, she wondered what they would have thought of it all. She shook her head at the thought, realizing that dwelling on the past wouldn't get her anywhere.
"Where are Bones and Jim?" Julia asked when she followed Emily inside, noticing the place was, as usual, immaculately clean.
Both she and Leonard were neat-freaks, unsurprisingly. And while it was just a temporary dwelling, even she thought the place could use a bit of decorating here and there. Though Julia didn't bother saying it out loud. She knew from experience that Emily preferred keeping things neat and tidy, despite the lack of color or life in that.
"They went out drinking," Emily shrugged as she reached the kitchen counter, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and tossing it over. Julia fumbled before catching it. "I figured Leonard could use it as a chance to figure out what's bothering Jim. Seems the only time he ever talks about personal things is when he's either drunk, or drinking."
"Awe, Bones really does care about him." Julia smirked in amusement as Emily rolled her eyes. Of course he cared about him. Leonard wasn't going to admit that Jim was like a brother to him. Emily, on the other hand, had always seen Jim as more than just a friend. He was the kind of person who cared about everyone, even the people who could care less about him. She supposed that was what made him so special. "Was something bothering him?"
Emily bit back a sigh, leaning against the kitchen counter as she ran a hand through her hair. When she last talked to him, he seemed distant. Like something was on his mind and he couldn't quite shake it off. She understood what that was like, especially with the baby and everything else that had happened recently.
"I don't know," she admitted. "I think he's blaming himself for what happened with Krall's attack… and everything else."
"That does sound like something he would worry about," Julia shook her head. "But, it isn't like he has any control over what happens. And, we all chose to go along with it."
"My point exactly," Emily nodded in agreement.
She chewed the bottom of her lip as doubt clouded her thoughts. Emily realized with a start that their decisions were theirs to make alone. She would gladly follow Jim wherever he went, because he was not only her Captain, but, her friend.
Julia was ready to say something else when the door suddenly slid open. Emily almost smirked in amusement when she caught the scowl written across Leonard's face upon seeing Julia there. While the two of them may not get along too well, he did his best to ignore her presence. Which was easier said than done with Julia's loud mouth.
"I think I'll take that as my cue to leave—"
"You aren't goin' anywhere, Thompson." Julia froze at the glare Leonard was giving her.
It took everything Emily had not to laugh at the sight. She could still remember the awkwardness of their first encounter aboard the Enterprise. Julia never really gave Leonard a chance to recover from the initial surprise of meeting her for the first time.
"Leonard, you reek of alcohol," her nose wrinkled in disgust as she reached him.
"Yeah, well, blame Kirk," he rolled his eyes, eyeing her up and down. "Damn kid managed to spill the last of his tequila all over me, didn't even give a second thought about it."
Even Julia rose an eyebrow at that. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, suddenly aware that this was a conversation everyone should hear. Emily held back a sigh as she wrapped her arms around him. She knew it was going to take a while for her to calm him down when he was this riled up. A combination of the alcohol and Jim's rant would have likely led to Leonard's growing list of frustrations.
"How'd your talk go with him?" she asked warily.
"I don't know what to do with him," Leonard shook his head as he leaned into her. Emily blinked in surprise as she felt his warm hands wrap around her waist. Despite reeking of alcohol, she couldn't resist resting her chin on his shoulder. She knew this was anything but easy for him, dealing with both Jim's antics and being stuck in a Starbase far from home where they were most comfortable. With a heavy sigh, she welcomed the feeling of their bodies pressed together, despite Julia watching them warily from a safe distance. "The kid wants to use himself as bait to catch the asshole who ran him over. Mentioned it felt like the right thing to do."
"Is he out of his damn mind?" she asked in disbelief, eyes widening at the thought.
"What do you think I tried talkin' him out of?" Leonard grumbled, huffing in frustration.
Emily let out a sigh of her own and buried her face into his shoulder. She realized that whatever he or anyone else tried convincing Jim of, he'd just do it anyways. He was the kind of person who broke the rules just for the hell of it. She'd seen him do so multiple times. And of course, he was willing to take whatever risks he could to keep everyone else safe.
"You know, if it's any consolation, this might be his way of redeeming himself."
Hiding a knowing smile that followed, Emily knew Leonard wouldn't like that idea when Julia spoke up. Despite the obvious tension between them, Julia had become less afraid of speaking against Leonard over the years she'd arrived in this world. Something that hadn't gone by unnoticed by Leonard.
"It's not," he muttered, "And I'll be damned if the idiot decides to get himself injured again."
"Yet, he'll somehow find a way to drag you into it," Emily laughed as she caught Leonard's expression.
"Of course he will," Leonard shook his head, clearly aware that Jim would go out of his way and do something stupid again.
"Jim's the kind of person who'll go out of his way just to make sure that everyone's safe," Julia put in apprehensively, earning looks of surprise from both Emily and Leonard. "At any rate, I should probably get going. You two need some alone-time."
She really has grown up, Emily realized when Julia took the moment of silence as a chance to leave. It was hard to believe this was the same best friend they had rescued nearly three years ago. Three years ago, Julia would have wrinkled her nose in disgust at what they were doing and made shrewd comments on the matter. She knew the brunette wasn't fond of anything intimate. But Julia was aware of how close they were.
Emily exchanged a knowing look with Leonard once Julia was gone. She was trying to hide the sheepish grin that followed after catching his hazel eyes dance with uncertainty.
"I know that look," he muttered after noticing the gleam in her eyes.
"Yeah…" She paused before sliding her hands down to his waist, earning a groan as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, "It's usually followed with you dragging me to the nearest bed where we either continue the conversation, or pass out from exhaustion." She smirked in amusement as she caught the glare that followed. "Whatever happened to getting an ultrasound done?"
Silence followed. She hadn't missed the way his face faltered.
"You're not afraid of the results, are you?" she pressed, suddenly feeling wary of what might come out of getting an ultrasound done.
She realized there could be consequences for being from a different world. The thought had never occurred to her until finding out that she was pregnant. But, by than, it was too late. There was no changing the inevitable. And now, more than ever, she wanted this child. Not only because it was their child, but, because it was a moment in their lives they had both been waiting for.
"Darlin', I'm anything but afraid," he sighed after pressing his forehead against hers. Their eyes met, and Emily could see a hundred questions burning within those hazel depths, "I'm worried about you."
Of course he was. It was only natural. Emily swallowed back the unease that followed as she wondered what would happen in the next five or so months. Her body had already begun to adjust to acclimate the baby growing within her belly. The hormones had already begun to make themselves clear in ways neither of them were expecting.
"Leonard, the last thing I want is to worry about the future," she murmured, feeling his hands wrap around her waist once more. For all the playful banter that went on between them, she relished these moments. Where it was just the two of them, and they could be themselves. "Neither of us have any control over it, and there's no point in worrying over something that'll just cause more stress."
"I know." Another sigh followed as Emily found his eyes searching hers. "You know, I hate it when you use logic against me."
"Well, you do suffer twice when you worry," she smirked in amusement, kissing him once more on the cheek. Leonard just grumbled inaudible words at that. "So… does this mean we can go tomorrow? Without you worrying over every little detail?"
"Fine," he finally agreed with her, realizing there was no point in arguing.
Emily couldn't hide the triumphant grin that followed as he squeezed her gently. She couldn't wait to see what their baby was going to look like.
AN: There may not be much action in these next few chapters, but I'm just writing what comes to mind, for now. I'm really looking forward to reaching the next part of this story, even if it takes a while. I also got to see The Shack a week ago. And let me tell you, it's worth seeing. It'll make you cry, trust me, but it's worth it, and an huge eye-opener. I'm off to read the book, now :) Also, huge thanks to Bridget619 for reviewing!
Bridget619 - Thank you, I'm glad you thought it was :) That was entirely my intention ;)