Scotty whistles as he makes his way through the corridor. He's had the tune stuck in his head all day long and he can't quite think of the words that go along with it. It's driving him mad.
He's been behind schedule all day thanks to an overly eager ensign who thought he was going to revolutionize warp drive but instead, fried several circuit relays. McCoy's PADD's all fixed but in all the craziness he forgot to message the doctor to come get it today. With alpha shift long over, McCoy has to be back at his quarters and probably getting ready to turn in by now.
Their cabins aren't that far apart and the doctor seemed to want the PADD as soon as possible, so it couldn't really hurt if Scotty just drops it off. Maybe he can invite the couple out for a drink one night? At the very least he can catch a glimpse of their mysterious stranger for himself and gain some insight on exactly what the good doctor is hiding away.
He presses the computerized door bell and waits.
And waits.
He's just about to conclude that they've either gone to bed or gone out for the evening when the door slides open. He stands there gaping, unsure what to say when he realizes it's not McCoy that answered. There's a little disappointment that the guy doesn't have sixteen eyes and three heads as his mind processes the entirely regular looking person before him.
"What?" snaps the blond, sticking his head out the door to look up and down the corridor.
"Ummm," answers Scotty, not sure what to make of the man standing before him or the hostility. He holds up the PADD and points to it. "I fixed McCoy's PADD?"
"Thanks," says the blond snatching it out of his hand and tapping it on.
"You must be Jim," says Scotty regaining his wherewithal and extending his hand. The young man doesn't take it, just starts tapping away at the PADD like he's forgotten Scotty's even there or an inconvenience that will disappear if ignored.
"I thought you could use the extra computing power and memory and I added a program too," shares Scotty, reaching over to point out the new features he added. He knows he was asked not to but sometimes you don't know what you're missing until you get something new. He also can't help himself.
Jim steps back quickly letting the door slide shut in Scotty's face without so much as a word leaving the engineer standing there awkwardly. So much for trying to be friendly.
A hypothesis has been nagging Spock all night. It's disrupted his meditation and since science waits for no one, he might as well test it out. The start of his day is only two and a half hours away anyways.
The corridors are dimly lit to simulate night and there's a calm silence that's settled over the ship as she runs on a minimal gamma shift. The only crewmen up and about are those on duty, so it takes Spock a moment to conclude who is wandering the corridor at this hour.
He hasn't had an encounter with Jim McCoy since picking up the shuttle Leonard requested so as he and Jim wouldn't have to deal with the chaos that happens during launch. He has heard other crewmen recount encounters with the civilian McCoy that has left a lot to be desired.
While Spock has no desire to 'make friends' as it were, with his crew, he has made a point to become familiar with each soul that is willing to give their life on his orders. Jim has been the exception until now.
There aren't many places to go on this level; mostly science labs that Jim has shown no inclination towards, storage and weapons lockers which he has no access to and astrometrics, which Jim has a standing reservation for and frequents regularly. It doesn't explain why he appears to look lost now.
There's confusion on his face as he paces up and down the corridor, and walking in circles at each junction. He's looking frantically around like he's lost his way in the maze of the ship.
"Can I help direct you somewhere?" asks Spock, coming up behind Jim.
Jim flinches noticeably, his hand wrapping tight around his cane as though bracing a weapon. He turns sharply, standing up as straight as his leg will allow and pins a scrutinizing death glare on Spock. "Do I look like I need help?"
There's bitterness and accusation in Jim's tone that suggest he doesn't believe he does but Spock has been watching him and come to the conclusion that he must. "Yes."
Jim softens a little. His hand gripping the cane never relaxes. A lost look washes over him as he looks down the corridor. "I'm just looking for... I can't seem to find astrometrics."
"It is in the same place," assures Spock, slightly confused at Jim's confession. One of McCoy's stipulations to joining was that Jim be allowed a specified block of time in astrometrics alone, a time that Jim has made repetitive and frequent use of.
He's about to ask if Jim is in need of medical attention when Jim snaps, "Fuck off then!"
It's a clear act of insubordination. Since Jim is not technically apart of Starfleet, there is no standard form of discipline for such an incident. Spock weighs his options. He'll try and speak with McCoy later. "Room c-469," offers Spock. Jim just stares blankly. "On the left."
"Right." Jim still doesn't seem inclined to move.
Spock raises an eyebrow. Humans are often curious, but Jim is especially so. "Do you require assistance getting there?" he inquires. Perhaps Jim is physically incapable of making his way there right now.
The scowl returns to Jim's face sending the lost look retreating to the dark shadows of his features. "I don't need your fucking help," he snaps, turning in the right direction. "I'm not a god damn invalid or a circus freak," he adds as he starts to amble towards the lab. He walks away with purpose and certainty, which was missing when Spock first laid eyes on him tonight.
"Curious," mumbles Spock, before heading towards one of the science labs.
Sulu can't hide the bounce in his step. It doesn't matter that it's two in the morning; he'd be up at any time for this. It's been far too long since he's heard his daughter's voice and like a drug, he's going through withdrawal. Uhura and Scotty managed to work some magic and correlate a time that Sulu could set up a personal communication with home by bouncing the signal off some old relay bacons, otherwise he'd have to wait another two weeks before the ship is in proper range to allow for personal communications to be sent.
He grabs his PADD and heads to one of the crew dining rooms to grab a plate of cookies and milk. It's tradition: to share a meal and talk about all the things that did or are going to happen in the day. Being light years away, means he has to miss most meals but when he gets the chance to call home, he and Demora share a plate of cookies, no matter the time. Ben's never enthusiastic about cookies before breakfast, but who can say no to tradition and their sweet, little girl with big, heart melting, brown eyes.
He arranges his plate and glass and props up his PADD. The window on screen pops open and there's Demora's smiling face. "Morning, daddy," she greets with the biggest smile.
It makes Sulu weak in the knees. "Morning, sweetheart," he replies while he catalogues every curve of her face and every slight change in her appearance that has occurred since the Enterprise left orbit. Ben waves in the background as he tirelessly works to get breakfast cooked and Demora's backpack ready for school.
"I lost a tooth," she says, pulling her cheeks wide apart to show off the new gap she's sporting.
"Look at that." Sulu can feel himself beaming at the excitement his daughter has for another milestone in her life but underneath there's a small twinge of disappointment that he missed being there in person.
"It was wobbly and got stuck in my apple and popped right out. Papa says if I put it under my pillow a fairy will come and give me toys. Is it true?"
"I guess there's only one way to find out. You'll have to put it under your pillow and report back your findings."
"I hope the fairy... leaves..." The screen flickers and freezes before gong black.
"No, no, no," mutters Sulu, frantically entering codes and troubleshooting options to re-establish the link.
The bright orange words 'lost signal' are a dagger in the heart.
"Damn it!" snaps Sulu, slamming his fists down against the table. There's never enough time with his little girl but they barely said hello this time. It's certainly not enough to hold him over for another two weeks when the ship is in a better position.
"You can get that signal back you know," say Jim stopping next to Sulu's table, coffee mug and plate in hand with his cane hooked over his arm.
There isn't another soul in the dining room and frankly, Sulu thought he was completely alone. He's not entirely sure he's not hallucinating this encounter, except that there is only one person aboard the ship that he hasn't seen before. This must be the mysterious Jim McCoy. "Ummm, how?" he asks, slightly thrown by the unexpected company.
Jim looks like he's going to tell Sulu, but then thinks better of it. "Just let me," he says grabbing the PADD. He frantically taps away at it so fast Sulu can't quite tell what he's doing but there's diffidently a few sub routines and ship's programs he shouldn't have access to being played with.
The picture pops back up. "Daddy's back," cheers Demora with the connection restored.
"How'd you do that?" whispers Sulu.
Jim shrugs and says "You learn some tricks trying to foil a Romulan plot to destroy Earth while a prisoner on their ship," causally like it's an everyday thing. He takes a seat opposite Sulu so he's behind the PADD and not on video with him, and snatches a cookie off Sulu's plate. He sits there quietly eating his pie while Sulu continues his conversation with his daughter.
"She's cute," Jim says when Sulu's finally ends his call. "They always are at that age. Let me guess, horses and princesses?"
Sulu nods. It's a little weird sitting across from someone who's been the topic of conversation for weeks but no one had anything concrete to say about and have them ask about his daughter's interests.
"Joanna liked horses and princesses at that age."
"You have a kid?" Sulu's kind of surprised, though he's not sure why. He knows very little about the doctor and even less about his supposed husband. It seems unfair to have a notion in his mind as to whether he would have a kid or not.
"God no. That would be negligent on someone's part," insists Jim, with a laugh. "Bones... Leonard, has a daughter. I'm her Uncle Jim," he says with a bright beaming grin. "Uncles are cooler than parents anyways. All the fun none of the rules."
Sulu gives Jim a half smile, the one that knows exactly what it's like to spoil someone else's child but has since learned the error of loading up a child with sugar and excitement from experiencing it as a parent. "How old is she?"
"Old enough that she's arguing the merits of the practicality of moving in with her boyfriend while she attends university in the fall." There's a wistful look in Jim's eye as he remembers what it's like to be that young with the whole universe open to you.
"Definitely not the princess and pony phase." Sulu's already having nightmares about that phase and it's still over a decade away.
They both look towards the door as it hisses open. Leonard stumbles in sleepily, rubbing his eyes. His hair is mussed up and his uniform shirt slightly askew like he hastily threw it on with little concern for appearances.
"One more and it's party," cheers Jim. It's extra boisterous in what was a quiet space. "Evening, Bones. Or perhaps morning?"
"Jim what are you doing?" asks Leonard around a yawn. Jim had said he was staying in tonight, so imagine his surprise when he rolled over to find Jim's side of the bed empty, the sheet cold and even the astrometrics lab empty.
Jim leans forward across the table closer to Sulu and whispers conspiratorially, "I was never here," waving his hands like a magician making someone disappear. He picks up his cane and strolls over to Leonard, wrapping his free arm around the doctor's waist. "I miss the farm. Woke up and I had this weird craving for bacon and eggs," he says as the pair heads back to their quarters.
"You're a sadist," huffs Leonard.