Welcome back, the last time. I think they deserve a party, or at least a little get-together, to round things off. This is it. Prepare for banter, strange human customs, and some last realisations. Thank you for reading this far, have fun reading this as well.
The next day, Jim caught Spock alone before their shift.
"Could you report to the forward observation lounge after this shift? Say, half an hour afterwards?" he asked as they rode the lift to the bridge.
"Yes, Captain," Spock said. "May I ask what for?"
"You may ask," Jim said, grinning wickedly at his friend. "Wait and see."
All through the shift, Spock had the feeling that he was the victim of a conspiracy. The looks Jim, Uhura, and Chekov exchanged at times seemed to speak of a shared secret. Shared among the three of them, not with Spock, though. He would have to wait and see indeed, it seemed.
As ordered, he made his way to the observation lounge sometime after his shift. He went through the sliding door exactly at the appointed time, stopped in his tracks, and barely managed to suppress a sigh.
Christine noticed his expression from across the room. She must have looked similar when she had entered five minutes ago. Commanded here by Leonard, she had been faced with the same sight as Spock now was: a makeshift bar, champagne in a cooler, a side-table with a cake, and their friends already assembled. In the short time since she had arrived, she had learned that Pavel and Hikaru had somehow managed to have the kitchen personnel make the cake in record time, Uhura had procured the champagne, Scotty and Leonard had contributed the bar, and the whole idea had been Jim Kirk's of course.
Joining the small company in the middle of the room, Spock found himself confronted by Mr Scott who was manning the bar.
"What's yer poison, Mr Spock? The champagne's for later."
"I will take a water," Spock said, glossing over Scott's inappropriate use of the word 'poison'.
The engineer shook his head. "Nay, I cannae have ye drink only water on yer weddin' night, laddie."
Spock raised an eyebrow. "My wedding night is in the past already." He realised by McCoy's gleeful smirk and the wink that accompanied it what he had insinuated. "I will have a whisky," he said quickly before the doctor could say anything.
The two of them stepped aside to join Christine at the steering wheel while Mr Scott continued handing out his scotch.
"Well, I guess love really is blind," McCoy murmured as he leaned against the pedestal between Spock and Christine.
"I am not sure which one of us you meant to insult. I can assure you that I have many good qualities."
"First and foremost, your modesty," McCoy said, frowning up at the Vulcan. "Really, Chris, I don't see what you find so appealing," he continued, still looking up at Spock, intent on teasing him.
Christine waved Leonard down to whisper something in his ear.
The older Doctor's look softened.
"Of course." He nodded and smiled up at the Vulcan. "Didn't know you had it in you, Spock. You're positively romantic at heart."
"I see no reason for you to insult me."
"It was a compliment, Spock."
Spock's eyebrow rose even higher. "I fail to see the compliment in your statement," he said icily.
"That's no surprise. Some things never change," McCoy sighed with mock disappointment. "You're a constant of Vulcan stubbornness."
"Why, thank you, Doctor," Spock said.
Uhura interrupted. "If you boys have stopped bickering like an old married couple, I'm sure the bride would like to cut the cake now."
Christine shared a grin with Uhura, and pulled Spock along, towards the cake some metres away.
Jim, who had been listening in earlier, leant next to the doctor.
"I'm afraid your position's been filled, Bones."
McCoy shrugged and took a sip of whisky. "I call it a division of labour. She gets the part with the married couple, I the old and bickering."
"What did I miss, Bones?" Jim asked suddenly. "I didn't see it coming."
"No one did, Jim. And isn't that the point? They were so comfortable with each other that we accepted it as the norm."
"But why? Why those two?"
"For once you can't understand Spock, eh, Jim?" McCoy murmured gently. "I regret to say, she's his logical choice."
Jim let this sink in. It wasn't every day that McCoy's instinctive understanding of Spock went above his. But maybe he had a point. He could see nothing illogical about this.
He turned on McCoy, suddenly curious. "What did she say to you?"
"I…I can't tell you, Jim, I'm sorry. Ask her yourself, and she'll probably tell you," he said and shrugged apologetically. Then his eyes glittered cheekily and he smirked at his friend. "Why'd you never make a move on her?"
Jim reacted horrified. "Bones! What are you insinuating?"
"Nothing, Jim," McCoy said innocently. "I just…wondered if you've ever entertained the notion. You have a thing for…women."
"Now you're exaggerating," Jim huffed. "I know my reputation, but not with members of my crew!" He glared at McCoy, knowing full well he was being provoked but continued nonetheless. "She is attractive. But…I never saw her like that. She was my subordinate most of the time!" Then, he added in a calmer tone, "Besides…She was always out of bounds in more than one way."
McCoy nodded and clapped Jim on the shoulder. "I know, Jim. It's alright, I'm sorry, I was just poking fun at you."
Jim glared at McCoy, making it very clear what he thought of this kind of fun. Eventually, though, he followed him to join the others around the cake.
Chris Chapel took the knife.
"Come on, Spock," she said, grinning.
Spock looked perplexed.
"Put your hand on mine, we'll cut the cake together," she said, and he complied, still perplexed.
They cut a piece out of the dark cake, a process that could have been more efficient if they had done so individually, as far as Spock was concerned. But traditions were not always efficient, so he decided to wait and see how this event would unfold.
Christine slid the slice of cake onto a plate Mr Scott had offered.
"Thanks, Scotty. Now, open up, Spock."
"Excuse me?"
"Your mouth. Open up."
She was holding a small piece of cake on a fork and motioned for him to do the same, smiling mischievously all the while.
Spock complied again, becoming more certain every second that traditions were seldom efficient. He took the piece of cake into his mouth, just as Christine's lips closed around the one he had offered.
Behind him, McCoy snickered good-naturedly to himself, inaudible to the humans present, not, however, to Vulcan hearing.
"Hm, this is delicious, Pavel. Where did you get the recipe?", Chris asked when everyone had received a slice of cake.
"You'll have to thank Hikaru for that," young Chekov said.
"Congratulations, you two," Sulu said, standing next to Pavel as always.
"Why thank you," she said and laughed lightly. "Were you very surprised at the news?"
Hikaru dithered. "Actually," he began, "I was very little surprised." He smiled cheerfully as he continued. "I was surprised when Pavel told me Mr Spock had gotten married. Or bonded. But I was not surprised to whom. In fact, I immediately guessed it was you."
"Well," Chris joked, "I guess in the end, Spock and I were the most surprised."
Pavel shrugged. "But were you really?"
Some distance away, on one of the sofas in the lounge, McCoy was sitting next to Spock. He gestured towards Christine chatting with Pavel and Hikaru.
"Since when, Spock?" the doctor asked.
"I got the official notification concerning our bond from Vulcan High Command on the day before we started our shore leave."
"Spock, that's not what I meant," Leonard McCoy said, shaking his head softly. He narrowed his eyes at Spock. "Since when do you love her?"
Spock froze, his gaze flickering over to McCoy, then quickly away again. Very slowly, the Vulcan raised an eyebrow.
"I do not know," Spock said quietly, stood up stiffly, and left, towards the object of his concern.
McCoy watched him go and smiled.
"That long, huh?" he muttered to himself before he got up as well and followed him, joining their group of friends at the wide panorama window.
Uhura pressed a flute of champagne into his hands, then proceeded to hand out champagne to the others as well.
"Thank you for the effort," Spock said into the round when everyone had a glass. "You did not have to do this, there was no need for such a gesture."
He indicated the cake, the makeshift bar, the champagne, the group huddled together at the window.
"We know," Jim said, smiling tenderly. "That's why we had to do this. It's the way old friends do."
Spock nodded in acceptance, with maybe a small burst of contentment, even if he would never admit it. Next to him, Christine's fingers brushed against his lightly and he could feel her happiness. Maybe it would not hurt admitting to his own once in a while.
Jim raised his glass in a toast.
"To the bonds that bind us."
Spock raised one eyebrow.
"Love," Jim clarified. "Fate." He shrugged and added in a soft undertone, "Family."
Spock looked into the round of officers, into the faces of his friends assembled around him.
He nodded slowly and raised his glass as well.
"To the bonds that bind us."
The End.
Thank you, to whoever is reading this, I hope you liked it. If you did, feel free to tell me via review or message. This story is concluded, but they'll be back! And maybe there are other, bigger, adventures in store for them.