Five

The next few days consisted of getting classes together and figuring out where she stood at the Academy. After sending and receiving many messages from Admiral Marcus and Captain Pike, Emily quickly learned that her courses were on par with that of what one considered unhealthy. She'd risen to the challenge though.

She was more than determined to prove herself after finding out how few liaisons there were aboard Starships. Though if she was being honest with herself, it was also a valid excuse not to graduate from the Academy and continue moving forward in life. She wasn't in any hurry to work aboard a Starship, despite the stories that were regurgitated by instructors and older Cadets.

Another problem she ran into happened to be in the form of her sister. Sarah Hayes was exactly like she expected. She was two years younger than herself, with short dirty blond hair and light brown eyes. Sarah was everything Emily expected her to be. She was judgmental, much like their parents had been.

She was closed-off to the world, having only had a small taste of the freedom Emily experienced thanks to Coulson. As a result, she was terrified of talking to anyone older than her. Though Emily hadn't missed how she tried talking to McCoy or Kirk from time to time.

The whole thing was made even funnier as she noticed how uncomfortable Sarah was around both men. McCoy was indifferent to it all. Emily hadn't missed how he seemed to recognize Sarah through someone, though he couldn't quite pinpoint who exactly. She had a feeling it wouldn't be long until McCoy figured it out if she didn't tell him the truth. Considering she'd only told him about her family's history once, she wasn't too surprised that he didn't recognize her.

Kirk was a whole different ballpark. She saw the spark of mischief sweeping across those blue eyes. Kirk liked stirring trouble wherever he went, and it seemed as though he could get away with it through the bat of his eyelashes. She suspected that was how he'd gotten through most of his life without getting his ass arrested.

Kirk had also tried weaving his way into her life throughout the first week of classes. Since she shared more than a few classes with him it was impossible to avoid him entirely. She knew he was trying to get to know her better after seeing her on the shuttle ride with McCoy. And after seeing how close they were throughout that week, he had little doubt they were seeing each other. Though they did a good job at hiding it in public.

Then there was the few times he tried flirting with her. Those first few times had ended in miserable failure on his part, particularly on one bad day where he'd earned a black eye from her. It was then that Kirk finally understood the meaning of 'off limits', and it was also around that time when Nyota Uhura had begun spending more time with her.

They shared a few classes at the Academy and it was easier to get along with her than most Cadets. Not only that, but it seemed as though Uhura wasn't caught off guard by the rumors that spread across campus.

"I only wish it had been me," she'd said one afternoon in the mess hall. Emily just smirked in amusement as Uhura and her roommate Gaila, a pretty looking Orion woman, sat around the same table. "He hasn't stopped trying to figure out my first name."

"Be thankful he hasn't given you a nickname yet," Emily retorted while taking a bite out of her sandwich. "Leonard hasn't stopped complaining over the fact that Kirk keeps calling him 'Bones' whenever they're in the same room. It's driving him up the walls."

"You seem pretty close," Uhura remarked after noticing the affection in her voice when she spoke of McCoy. Emily stiffened in surprise, but Uhura only smirked in amusement when she was caught red-handed. "I wouldn't be too worried – most folks around the Academy have been talking about how terrible his bedside manner is. He's made a couple of Cadets cry on the first week."

Emily snorted in amusement at the thought of McCoy pulling off that stunt. She knew he wasn't above putting people in their place if they'd done something stupid. McCoy was well aware of how to be gentle around those who were terrified of being in a hospital.

It didn't help knowing that he was still closed off to those who didn't know him that well. When Pamela tore him apart before their divorce, McCoy had become guarded and closed-off. She knew it was a defensive shield to protect himself from getting hurt again. Experience had taught her exactly how to deal with his behavior, and McCoy had learned how to deal with her in the process.

"It's obvious he loves you," Gaila suddenly put in. Both Uhura and Emily threw her looks of disbelief, but Gaila merely shrugged it off. "All I'm saying is, his hormones are rolling off of him in waves. The strange thing is, yours are harder to scent."

She rose an eyebrow in surprise as she realized what Gaila was implying. Apparently Orion's had a way of telling whether or not someone was sexually involved. And almost at once, heat rose to her cheeks as she understood where the redhead was going with that bit of news. She tried distracting herself with an uncomfortable bite of her sandwich, though not without earning a smirk from Gaila.

This wasn't the first time someone had pointed out how different she was from everyone else. There were times when she wished she knew more about herself than she was aware of. The few things she did know wasn't enough information to go by, and that was enough to cause a major headache on her part.

"We've only actually been back together once before we got here, and that was almost two weeks ago," she muttered.

"It doesn't matter," Gaila pointed out with a knowing look. "Orion's have a sixth sense when it comes to sexual behavior from men and women. And it's obvious from across the room that he has strong feelings for you."

She didn't know what to say as Gaila's words sunk in. That afternoon had been a whirlwind of conversation with Uhura and Gaila. Uhura wasn't thrilled with the idea of openly talking about sexual encounters, though she hadn't argued with the fact that Emily jumped into the conversation. Emily almost smirked as she recalled the look Uhura gave her when she realized that she and McCoy were that close.

Uhura had known that they knew each other from the time they enlisted into the Academy. But that was about the only information she had gotten from their relationship. At least until Gaila pointed it out. She could already imagine the dozens of questions that would follow, but to her surprise and relief, Uhura didn't press for more information.

It was well into the evening by the time she and McCoy made arrangements to meet up that same day. His choice of food and drinks happened to be a bar not far from the Academy. Though this one didn't happen to be crowded with other Cadets who would recognize them. Emily was more than happy with that notion; the last thing she needed was more Cadets openly talking about how close they were. Her conversation with Gaila was still ringing in the back of her head.

It doesn't matter what he really thinks of me, she reminded herself. I'm just happy we can be together without worrying about someone threatening his life.

When she spotted him waiting for her outside the bar, she knew he'd had enough for that week. She almost smirked when she saw he'd ditched his uniform for a gray t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Her own uniform had been tossed to the side shortly after, replaced with a grayish blue blouse and a pair of jeans. McCoy rose an eyebrow when she reached him, not missing the fact that her eyes hadn't left his.

"Thank God there are bars close by," he muttered after kissing her without hesitation on the lips. Emily couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she returned the gesture. "How was lunch with Uhura?"

McCoy had met Uhura a few times throughout their first week of classes. Uhura was a different breed of friendly. She was one person Emily would have rather stayed on her good side with than her bad side. Kirk was already seeing the results of staying on her bad side, though at least she hadn't given him a black eye… yet.

"It was… different," she replied while they ordered drinks. McCoy rose an eyebrow as he sat beside her. "She introduced me to her roommate, Gaila. Gaila seemed nice enough, if not a bit straightforward."

It wasn't until smirking that she caught McCoy stiffening in surprise. Then she felt a fresh wave of embarrassment as he realized what she meant by that. Gaila was an Orion through and through. She was friendly and definitely passionate about her culture. Emily suspected she would make a good friend if she had the patience to deal with her long enough.

"Sometimes I think you enjoy torturing me," he complained when he realized she wasn't being serious.

Emily gave him a playful nudge as she took a sip of her bourbon. She was grateful Tony was the one who introduced her to the drink. Nearly ten years ago they had been sitting in the backyard passing around a bottle of bourbon. While those times were long-gone, she often found herself thinking of those nights where they would all get together and share a few drinks and stories.

"So I take it your first week at medical was rough?" she guessed when he finished his first glass quickly.

"Barely a day into my shift and a couple of idiots came in with one of their fingers nearly cut off," he rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Apparently moving furniture around in the dorms is near impossible when you're trashed."

She smothered a laugh at the mental image that followed of a couple of Cadets stumbling into medical with blood oozing everywhere. She could already imagine what he said to them after realizing they were bleeding all over the floor. McCoy was very much like his father when it came to scolding those who were harmed because of stupid decisions.

"That was probably some form of a ritual or something," she said cheekily. "Couldn't be any worse than the 'initiation' ceremony Jake tried using on me."

McCoy's nose wrinkled in disgust as memories of that incident came rushing back. She'd spent hours leaning over a toilet once it was over, but she was damn-near proud of earning everyone's respect after the matter. Jacob had been thoroughly impressed with the fact that she hadn't been afraid to rise to the challenge.

"I still don't know how you managed to hold it down for that long," he remarked.

"Well, I did want to prove everyone wrong. I think he was just as shocked that I went through with it," she replied with a shrug.

They fell into a comfortable silence after that. Emily allowed the sound of music to lull her into drinking more. She didn't miss the fact that McCoy was well into his fourth shot. She knew this first week had been stressful. Not just because of the shuttle ride, but because of meeting a new roommate and having to deal with the stress of classes as well.

"What about that blond that kept trying to worm her way into our table? You seemed to recognize her," McCoy suddenly cut in.

Emily cringed at the thought of having to explain how they were related. She'd only seen videos and images of her old family in the past. After everything she had gone through, she'd learned to overlook that part of her past and move on. To suddenly have it thrown right back at her was like a kick in the teeth. She knew she would have to face that part of her past sooner or later, but she had not intentions of confronting the situation head-on.

"She's my younger sister," she explained warily. McCoy didn't seem surprised. "My parents decided to have another kid two years after the Kelvin incident. I guess they figured she was someone they could mold into their liking."

Not to mention she could be controlled through fear. Emily had been terrified of their father, but that was for a whole different reason. She was still terrified of running into him at the Academy. She knew it was a strong possibility that her parents would stop by to provide a lecture or something along those lines. A shiver of unease crawled through her at the thought of seeing them again.

"Pa was never overly fond with the way Doctor Hayes worked," McCoy admitted after they chose to pay off their tabs and leave. Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise when he brought up an uncomfortable topic. He rarely talked about his father's line of work because it brought back so many memories. "I'm beginning to understand why."

"You can't exactly fault him for running his own practice," she pointed out. McCoy threw her a look of surprise. "There are some people on this planet and outside of it who fear the unknown… and truthfully, I was probably about as unknown as one can get. And the way he expressed that fear was through anger."

"Since when did you become a psychiatrist?" he snorted in disbelief.

It surprised him that she was willing to accept her father's behavior. Yet she was expressing the Stockholm syndrome, something of which wasn't all that uncommon towards those who lived with years of abuse. He knew that was also likely the reason she had been willing to forgive him so easily, even after the shit he pulled on her. He suddenly took hold of her hand and gave it a light squeeze, knowing full-well there was so much left unsaid about her parents.

What bothered him more than anything was the fact that he'd been so eager to learn from Doctor Hayes. When he reached out to the older doctor, he did so knowing that his own father hadn't been thrilled with him signing up for an internship. It wasn't until then that McCoy understood why his father had been so worked up.

"I'm not," she admitted with a shrug. "But I do know that holding onto anger isn't a wise choice. If I was still angry with you then we wouldn't be where we are today."

McCoy seemed to take her words into consideration. He realized with a start that she made a valid point. As much as he hated to admit it, neither of them would be where they were today if she hadn't forgiven him. He suddenly found himself feeling grateful over that notion. She was a hell of a lot more than what people made her out to be.

"Fair point," he nodded in agreement. It was only until walking a few more steps that he seemed to realize they were at a crop of civilian apartments. "Is this where you're staying?"

"The agency was 'kind' enough to accommodate space for me outside the Academy," she explained when she caught him eyeing the complex curiously. "Imagine my roommate's surprise if they found out what I can do, along with some of my other problem areas."

"I can just imagine the complaints that would follow," McCoy snorted in amusement before turning to face her. "I know we haven't talked about that night in the motel room, but…"

"It isn't as if we've had the chance to process it," she reminded him with a pointed look. She couldn't hide the sheepish smirk that followed when she noticed how uncomfortable he suddenly looked. "Like I said before, I'm not above breaking the rules or allowing myself a little guilty pleasure."

Emily smirked in amusement as her arms wrapped around his neck. McCoy didn't push her away or pull her off like she expected. Instead, his hands reached her waist as he held her close. She soon found herself swimming within warm hazel eyes. She knew it had been a busy week for them. And since it had been a week since their last sexual encounter, her mind kept returning to that moment in the motel room.

"True, but I crossed the line that night," he admitted with a guilty look.

Emily chewed the bottom of her lip as she led the way into her room.

"I'm not entirely surprised that it happened though," she said quietly. It wasn't until meeting his piercing gaze once more that she found herself smiling. "Leonard, I've never stopped having feelings for you… hell, I don't think they'll ever go away. You mean too much to me."

His face softened as he realized what she meant by that. McCoy wasted no time in capturing her lips with his, relishing the way she felt against him. Not for the first time, he found himself wondering how he could have abandoned her the way he had. Emily let out a sigh of contentment as his hands reached her ass, holding her close against his chest.

"There's something I should've done a long time ago," he suddenly put in. Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise when he reluctantly pulled away, though only for a brief moment as he reached for something in his pocket. "I know Pa expected me to give it to you, and I should've…"

"Leonard…" Emily couldn't help but stare at the ring in amazement when she realized what he was implying.

Before she could finish, McCoy suddenly took hold of her hand and gave it a light squeeze. An all-too-familiar feeling of electrical shockwaves swept through them, this time stronger than before. Emily's face melted into a smile when she noticed his thoughts were a whirlwind of a mess. Though he tried piecing them together, it was obvious he was nervous. She almost smirked at the thought, realizing with a start why that was the case.

"I was scared that day at the hospital," he admitted guiltily. "Hell, I was afraid of losing you that day you woke up in the ICU… never thought that fear would actually become a reality."

She held back a sigh before suddenly kissing him back without hesitation. McCoy relaxed seconds later when she accepted the ring, slipping it easily onto her finger. She couldn't help but grin when she noticed how easily it slid onto her finger, almost as if it was made for her. The feeling of her lips meeting his was enough to send his mind in a familiar haze.

"I've waited this long for you, Leonard," she reassured him. "I think it's safe to say that won't change anytime soon."

"You shouldn'tve waited as long as you had to though," he pointed out. Emily held back a sigh as he held her close and kissed her thoroughly on the lips. "I was a damned idiot for pushing you away the way I had."

"We both were idiots," she let out a quiet sigh. Her eyes were bright with something other than their usual mischief as they locked with his. "No matter what happens between us, I'll always love you, Leonard. Those feelings will never go away."

"Yeah, we were idiots," McCoy agreed with her on that notion. "Hell, I'm still an idiot for wanting nothing but to get lost in you."

Her grin merely widened when she realized what he meant by that. She could feel the tent forming within his jeans, telling her everything she needed to know. She pushed him forcefully into a nearby wall, knowing full-well he could take whatever she offered. McCoy wasn't taken aback by her sudden forcefulness. If anything, it only seemed to turn him on when her hands reached for his belt. She wasted no time in undoing the buttons and pulling down the zipper, slapping away his hand when he tried stopping her.

"Let me at least return the favor," she snapped without meeting his questioning gaze.

McCoy was already aware of where she was headed with this when she finally pulled down his boxers. She smirked when she saw how hard his cock was already. They'd only teased each other a few times at the bar that evening. But between talking about what happened that week and everything else, she knew he was in need of a release.

She knelt down and tenderly kissed his shaft, not missing the way his legs almost gave in to the strange sensation. Once she was on her knees, she wrapped her hands around his cock and began massaging him gently. McCoy struggled to hold back the groan that followed. His hands raked along her hair carefully, knowing full-well the last thing on his mind was to hurt her.

"Fucking hell, Em!" he finally barked when she wrapped her mouth around him.

Emily's smirk widened with amusement as she took him in fully. She knew what this was doing to him. Massaging his balls didn't help, and the further she went, the harder it was for him to maintain control. She struggled not to laugh at his expense when a slew of curses soon followed. Her head bobbed up and down as his cock began to throb in her mouth, telling her just how close he was to cumming.

She quickened the pace, realizing with a start that his emotions were going haywire. She was only just beginning to understand how the bond between them worked. While she could feel his emotions and hear his thoughts roaring in her mind, she suddenly found herself wondering if he could hear and feel hers. Before she had the chance to figure that out, he came into her mouth. Emily almost laughed at the explosive amount that followed. She hadn't realized until then just how worked up he really was.

"Good Lord woman, I've missed your mouth," he swore after recovering from his orgasm.

"And people say I have the potty mouth," she snorted in amusement once she swallowed it all. She couldn't help but grin as McCoy pulled her up and kissed her without hesitation. "You are my Imzadi, Leonard."

The word Imzadi held so much more of a meaning to her than anything else she could imagine. She wasn't sure where she heard it from, but she knew it described the way she really felt about McCoy. And the moment she said it out loud was when he looked at her with renewed curiosity.

"What does that mean?" he asked curiously.

"I'm not sure," she admitted once he kicked off the remnants of his clothes and his shoes. Emily struggled not to laugh as she led the way to the couch, knowing full-well he was far from finished with her yet. "It's a word I've learned over the years… It has a meaning, but I don't know what that meaning is exactly."

"Can't be any worse than being called a pain in the ass by your ex-wife," he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

She couldn't help but tilt her head to one side at the mention of his ex-wife. As much as he complained about Pamela, she noticed with a start that his thoughts were focused mostly on her. She couldn't help but wonder if that was part of the reason behind those constant arguments they'd had in the past.

"I want you," she suddenly changed the subject as she kissed him once more, this time with passion.

"Glad to hear it," McCoy grunted in response while prying her shirt and her jeans off. The suit came off seconds later; Emily knew how much he hated dealing with it, and she couldn't necessarily blame him. Her undergarment was quick to follow, revealing just how wet she was from their previous escapade. "Someone's a little excited to see me."

He added the last part with a knowing smirk as his fingers slid easily across her moist folds. Emily nearly rolled her eyes in annoyance at the callous way he spoke. Though she knew at that point he was just teasing her like she had been doing to him. McCoy wasted no time in inserting a finger into her warm entrance, amusement sweeping across his face when her walls clenched around them within seconds. She bit back a groan of anticipation as he began thrusting his fingers into her. A combination of his fingers and his warm lips wrapped around her neck was enough to drive her senses wild.

"Leonard," she let out an embarrassing groan when his fingers thrust faster into her. The mounted pressure of his other free hand rubbing along her clit only fueled the flames, and it wasn't long before the dam was ready to burst. Her hips thrust forward in time with his fingers, causing her to explode with an embarrassingly loud moan. "That was a cheap shot."

"And yet you still came for me," McCoy retorted with a smirk of amusement.

Emily just rolled her eyes when he kissed her once more. His cock was hard once again from the sounds she made, and it didn't take long for him to push himself into her with one heavy thrust. The moment their bodies melded into one was like nothing she could describe. His thoughts had suddenly become loud and clear, and it was the most intimate she had ever seen him. She wanted nothing more than to get lost in the experience… he loved this almost as much as she did, if not more.

McCoy thrust into her while capturing her lips with his. The feeling of his tongue grazing along her lips was enough for her to oblige willingly, and soon their tongues were fighting for dominance. Neither of them were willing to give in until the need for air demanded it. Though that didn't stop McCoy from wrenching himself into her as her moans became louder and more erotic. He enjoyed it when she howled his name out loud. She almost laughed at that, realizing with a start that this was a side of him that few people if any were lucky enough to see. It wasn't long before her walls clamped around him, begging for him to go deeper and claim her as his.

"Fucking hell," she practically growled when her fingers dug into his shoulders.

He was using the couch's surface to support the extra weight, though that didn't stop them from rocking into the floor in the process. He slammed into her one final time, releasing his warm seed into her as he let out an embarrassingly loud groan of his own. Emily let out a shuddering breath as she leaned her head against the armrest of the sofa. The feeling of his cock still inside of her was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. Though all too quickly, he reluctantly pulled out and collapsed beside her.

"Is that what Imzadi means?" he finally asked after catching his breath.

Emily only laughed in response before kissing his bare chest. She would explain to him what it really meant. And maybe he would be more open to having a bond after all. Either way, she planned on telling him the truth. One way or another, he deserved that much.