Two Years Later
"Tell me a story Aunt Nancy." David peered up at Nancy from his bed, the blanket comically tucked tightly under his chin. His blonde curly hair was all mussed and his blue eyes were blinking heavily.
"I'm going to get in trouble with your Mummy and Daddy, David. It's already past your bedtime and don't you have a busy day tomorrow?" Nancy smiled warmly. "Mummy told me you were learning about the Roman Empire with Miss Wood, which sounds very exciting!"
"Please." Nancy watched as he struggled to keep his eyes open, she would probably only get through the first sentence before he was off in the land of nod. "I promise I won't mess, I'll turn over and go straight to sleep, please."
"Alright, just a short one," Tucking him in even tighter Nancy stroked the curl from his forehead. "Once upon a time on the planet Kronos there was a great warrior…"
"Carol, listen to me…"
"I have listened Jim, the answer is still no." Carol sat back and finished the wine in her glass, setting it back on the table she crossed her arms resolutely. Kirk turned to McCoy.
"Help me out here Bones." He pleaded with his friend.
"Ha! Not a damned chance Jim, I learnt a long time ago not to try and change the mind of a woman fixed on a decision." McCoy laughed at the look of distress on Kirk's face, Kirk exhaled theatrically and rubbed his hands over his face.
"Ugh fine, whatever. Don't come running to me when they work out why you're really going to Saldunnis Six!" Kirk stood and rested on the back of his chair.
"Really Jim?" Carol looked at him as if he was a petulant child. "You're taking this ship into the Delta Quadrant, that's no place for a child!"
"And uncharted space is?!" Kirk replied hotly, McCoy looked to David's bedroom door, hoping that the sheer power of thought would make Nancy walk out right then and there so that they could leave. Carol took a deep breath and stood up, closing the gap between her and Kirk. Taking his hand she smiled at him sweetly.
"It's six months Jim, no time at all. I can complete my research away from the prying eyes of Starfleet, finally get that whole chapter of our lives behind us and David will be safe, it'll be good for him to be with new people and in new surroundings." She paused and kissed him softly. "Plus it'll give Nancy a break from babysitting!" She added jokingly.
"I don't like it Carol." Kirk all but sulked.
"I know you don't but you can concentrate on being Captain for once, with no distractions."
"Don't do that, you and David are not 'distractions'." Kirk kissed the top of Carol's head.
"Okay sorry, but you know what I mean." They looked at each affectionately until McCoy, clearing his throat pulled them out of their thoughts.
"Sorry Bones." Kirk said sheepishly, McCoy just waved his hand dismissively.
"He's asleep." Nancy announced as she walked back into the room and sat down on the chair besides McCoy, his arm reached round and rested on the back of her chair protectively.
"I don't know how you do it Nance, it takes me five stories to even get him to settle!" Kirk shook his head in a mix of admiration and disbelief.
"You have to do the voices Jim, I told you." Nancy laughed, snuggling in under McCoy's arm.
"I can't speak Klingon!" Kirk looked at Carol hastily knowing he'd let the cat out of the bag.
"Nance! For the love of god I told you to stop telling him Klingon battle stories at bedtime! Last time he slept in our bed for a week!" Carol admonished. Nancy, looking decidedly guilty stared at Kirk. "Don't look at him like that, he struggles through Timmy's Little Red House!"
"Hey!" Kirk tried to be offended, McCoy balked with laughter and Carol couldn't even keep a straight face anymore. Laughing, the four friends bid each other a good night and Nancy and McCoy started walking back to their quarters.
"How do you think Jim's going to manage, without Carol and David around?" Nancy asked as they walked side by side.
"He'll be fine." McCoy answered simply, stepping into the living room Nancy went straight to the bedroom, slipping off her shoes and undoing her belt. "Need a hand?" Turning she saw McCoy leaning against the doorframe, unbuttoning his own shirt as he spoke.
"Yes please." She turned and indicated to the zip of her dress that ran the length of her back. McCoy sat down behind her and gently with his thumb and forefinger began to pull the zip down, Nancy found herself closing her eyes as his fingers grazed her back.
"You're good with David." McCoy commented as he pulled the dress from her shoulders slowly.
"He's a cutie, it's not hard really. The kid's already whip smart." Nancy stood and McCoy instinctively followed.
"Nance?" She heard the nervousness in his voice, turning she looked at him earnestly.
"What is Leonard?" Her dress was off her shoulders and draped over her chest, being held up by her arms still in their sleeves. McCoy stroked her shoulder with the back of his hand, his gaze travelling over her clavicle to the curve of her breasts.
"Do you want children?" He looked at her then and she could see there was no fear in his eyes, or worry. Bringing her arms up and around his neck she looked up at him lovingly.
"You have a strange take on foreplay Leonard?" Rolling his eyes McCoy made it clear just by his look that he was asking a serious question. "I decided very young that I wasn't going to have children." She answered honestly and then after a moment, "Is that alright?" She asked him tentatively. The subject had never come up before, neither had marriage or getting a pet for that matter. McCoy bent down and gave Nancy a long loving kiss.
"Of course Darlin'."
"Are you sure? I know you have Joanna but…" McCoy interrupted her.
"Nance, it's alright… really. I feel the same way" He reassured her.
"I was just hoping for some chickens one day." She said between kisses after a while.
"Chickens?" McCoy mumbled against her neck.
"Yeah, every farm has to have chickens." McCoy stopped what he was doing and pulled back, looking at her happily.
"You want chickens?" What he was really asking was did she want to spend the rest of her life with him and live out their twilight years on a farm in Georgia. Nancy nodded her head. "My god Woman I love you." Pulling her into an embrace the pair kissed passionately, at some point Nancy's dress fell to the floor.
"I love it when you call me 'Woman'." She laughed, feeling just that perfect amount of happy, content and silly.
"You do, do you?" McCoy smirked, puffing his chest out which only resulted in Nancy laughing more.
"You've got an early shift tomorrow Leonard." Nancy reminded him.
"I'll manage." McCoy dismissed haughtily, and then with a yelp from Nancy pulled her down on to the bed.
Six Months Later
"Where are they Bones?" Kirk was peering over the top of the crowd disembarking the shuttle.
"Christ Jim, give it a minute will ya?" McCoy answered impatiently.
"What if they missed it, Carol would have commed me though, wouldn't she Bones? She would have commed me if they had missed it…"
"Jim!" McCoy shouted resulting a few of the people around them jumping in fright. Kirk took a couple of deep breaths.
"You're right, sorry."
"No need to apologise Jim, I know the feeling." McCoy patted his friend on the back supportively thinking back to when Nancy was gone for only two weeks, he hadn't slept a wink.
"DADDY!" Kirk's head snapped up and upon seeing David running towards him, choked back the lump in his throat that immediately appeared. As the Father and Son embraced tightly Carol stopped just behind.
"He's been looking out the window trying to see you the entire way here." Carol widened her eyes comically and as Kirk hugged his Son McCoy gave Carol a friendly kiss on the cheek.
"Thank God you're back." He whispered in her ear.
"That good huh?" Carol smiled, knowing McCoy was only pulling her leg. With David now in his arms Kirk gave Carol a long kiss.
"I missed you." He said, leaning his head on hers.
"Me too." Carol whispered back.
"Please don't leave again." Kirk looked at her intensely.
"We won't, I promise." Carol kissed him back and then pulled David into her arms. "Well, make yourself useful Gentleman and get the bags." With that Carol started off walking leaving the pair staring after her.
"Well Jim, you happy?" McCoy smirked at his friend.
"Yeah Bones, I am." He answered as they began to follow, bags in hand.
"Well, I guess that makes us both a couple of pigs in shit then…"
"Come again?" Kirk asked confused, McCoy just laughed in response.
"Come on before we get ourselves into trouble." McCoy put his arm round Kirk's shoulders and the two men set off, happy knowing that they were with the people they loved and sharing the life they treasured.
The End
