Annie woke up early the next morning snuggled against Leonard's naked chest. She rolled out of bed and, after slipping back on her sweatpants and t-shirt, made her way to the kitchen.
She realized that they had left the broken glass on the floor and she set to work cleaning up her own mess.
She tried not to think about the reason she had dropped the glass in the first place. Seeing Ubel's face again had almost been too much for her. So instead she focused on what had happened after. She had expected to be more frightened and perhaps more hesitant. But whenever something had reminded her of Ubel, she simply stopped and thought about the man she was actually with and her hesitations would fade away.
A knock on the door broke her out of her thoughts. She tossed the broken glass in the trash and unlocked the door to open it.
"Jim!" She exclaimed, hugging him. As worried as she was about getting her friends involved, she was relieved to see him. He moved out the doorway so that Spock and Uhura could enter behind him.
"Where's Bones?" Jim asked, looking around.
"Right here," a southern voice grumbled from the kitchen entrance.
"Come on in," Annie invited. Everyone gathered in the living room.
They took seats around the room, sharing worried glances as they did so. Bones held Annie close as she told them the story of what had happened.
"He said he would return in three days," she finished. "And to say my goodbyes because I wouldn't be returning for a long time."
"What does that mean?" Uhura asked.
"His statement precludes that he will be returning Annabelle to Earth in the future; however, we can assume that it will be in the state that he had originally intended," Spock noted aloud.
"A weapon for the Klingons," Jim added for him. Everyone turned and looked at Annie. Uncomfortable in their gaze, she wished she could shrink from view. Bones felt her shift in discomfort and tried to draw the attention away from her.
"So what do we do?" He asked no one in particular.
"Well, we have three days," Uhura offered. "Counting today, that gives us until Saturday." Bones tensed.
"Damn," he muttered. Jim looked up at him sharply in confusion.
"Why? What's Saturday?" He asked.
"The wedding," Annie finally spoke up. She stood up out of Leonard's arms and walked over to stare out the window. She turned around laughing bitterly. "I shouldn't have come after all." Bones sat up to go to Annie but Jim was closer and nodded to him as he embraced their friend.
"You know that's not true. God forbid this had happened while you were alone," he assured her. "Besides, who would have charmed Bones's parents?" He felt Annie chuckle slightly in his arms. Pulling away, he kissed her lightly on her temple.
She finally turned to face the rest of the group but still continued to wrap her arms around herself.
"So what is the plan?" She finally completed Bones's question. Jim thought for a long minute.
"Well, first things first, you and Bones have to go on as if nothing has happened. You're here for a wedding and that shouldn't change now," he offered. Uhura nodded.
"I agree. I think it would also be best if Spock, Kirk and I stayed away for the next couple days. On Saturday we can monitor you both from a hotel so when he does come, he doesn't plan for all of us," she strategized.
"An astute plan, Nyota," Spock said. "We can use the wireless ear comms to communicate but I agree, for the time being, laying low is our best option." Bones stood up.
"It's settled then. Business as usual until he returns," he confirmed. Jim clasped him on the back reassuringly.
"We'll get him," he said, though Annie suspected it was for his own benefit as well.
It was almost nine when Jim, Spock and Uhura finally left the house. They made promises to meet up early Saturday morning to ensure everything was in place. Then Uhura and Spock would return to the hotel and Jim would remain nearby just in case. For the first time in nearly twelve hours, Annie finally felt like she could relax.
Annie spent the next day getting to know Leonard's family more. She spent several hours in the gardens with Emily before Melissa asked to steal her away. She insisted on buying Annie a dress for the occasion. Annie attempted to decline but the bride claimed "Southern Hospitality" and Annie found herself out of excuses.
Bones was waiting for Annie when she got back to the house. He wondered where the dress was that Melissa had taken Annie out to get in the first place but she laughed as she told him that the bridesmaids had taken it, insisting that it meant she had to get ready with them in the morning.
"They're all very lovely people," she added, chuckling to herself. Leonard relished in the fact that Annie looked so happy and content.
"Well, I'm glad you had fun," he laughed himself as he kissed her. It was meant to be a chaste kiss but upon pulling away, Bones noticed her looking intensely at him. He leaned back in for another kiss, this time holding her to him.
He gently ran his tongue over her lips and she opened them, letting him enter her mouth. He brought his hands to grab her waist and pull her towards him as she wound her arms around his neck. His mouth left hers to trail down the side of her jaw and neck, leading her towards the couch as he did so. She felt the solid piece of furniture against the back of her legs and almost tripped as he continued to kiss at her collarbone, advancing still.
He kissed back up to her mouth as she fell backwards. His strong arms gathered her up and laid her down gently on the couch as he laid down nearly on top of her. She felt his hands under her working at the zipper on her dress. She leaned up slightly so that he had room to maneuver his hands.
He stopped kissing her for only a moment, looking into her eyes to confirm that she wanted to continue. She smiled fondly at him and ran a hand over the side of his face.
"I love you," she whispered. It was all he needed to hear as he recaptured her lips and set to work unzipping her dress.