"So, where are we headed?" Jess said as she walked out of her dorm hall next to Leonard.
"Some place I hope you'll like. I found out about this little hole in the wall down by the bay. It's a bar, but not like those headache inducing bars Jim usually drags me to. This one is a little more akin to our taste, I think."
"Oh? How's that?"
"Well, I happened to overhear your music the other day—you like 20th and 21st century country music, right?"
Her face morphed into a wide smile and her eyes lit up. "Yes! Leonard McCoy, are you telling me you found a country bar?"
He was so thrilled by her excitement that he thought his heart my pound right out of his chest—not that it was medically possible. "I did."
Suddenly she leaned up and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "You're amazing, you know that?"
"Can't say that I do, but I sure could get used to hearing it from you, darlin'."
"Keep talking to me in that sweet accent of yours, and I'll keep tellin' you, handsome," she said with a wink before looping her arm around his as they walked across campus. They were quiet a few moments when she noticed Leonard glancing around occasionally. "Everything okay? You look a little nervous, like you're looking for someone or something to jump out at us."
"Jim threatened to sneak after me and find us. He's dying to meet you."
"When do I get to meet your best friend slash roommate slash bane of your existence?"
"I'm putting it off as long as possible," he grumbled.
She slowed down. "Why? Do I embarrass you?"
He stopped all together and turned towards her. "Are you kiddin' me? It's the exact opposite, darlin'. It's Jim who will surely do something to embarrass all of us."
Jess reached up and squeezed his arm in a comforting gesture. "Len, your friends aren't going to scare me away. And I've heard enough tales about Jim Kirk to know well enough how to handle him."
He smiled down in admiration and turned back, holding his arm out for her to loop through his again. She did so and they began walking again. "Alright. Next time he begs me to meet you I'll see what we can do. But don't say I didn't warn ya."
"Duly noted."
Two months went by. Their first date had gone amazingly, as did their second, third, and the consecutive dates that began happening once a week. Jim had behaved remarkably well, in Leonard's estimation, when he first met Jessica. Tonight, Leonard was at Jessica's dorm room and they were both 'studying' for exams the following week. Indeed they both had their PADDS open and in front of them, but there were also several open, empty beer bottles on the table strewn between the two of them, indicating that they'd strayed from hard-core studying and into more casual conversation as they stared at the words that were beginning to get blurry.
Neither were sure exactly when they'd gotten drunk, or when and how the conversation ended up where it did. But they went from talking about getting older, and the differences between living alone and with someone else. it was Leonard who was the first to say something that sobered them both quite a bit.
"Darlin' there's only one person on this planet I'd even consider spending the rest of my life with, and she's sittin' across from me."
As soon as he'd said it, his face turned pale. Her eyes went wide and flicked up to him. She watched his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard before he finally got the guts up to drag his eyes away from his own PADD and to her.
"What'd you say?" she didn't mean for her voice to come out so close to a whisper.
"I—I think you heard me. Best not repeat it."
"Did you mean it?"
"Pretty sure I did. Drunk or not, I'm pretty certain about some things."
"Leonard, I—"
He lowered his gaze and then pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers before rubbing his hands over his face. "Don't, darlin'. Just don't say anything. Let's just pretend I didn't say it. I'm sure it'd be better that way. I—I should probably go—" he pushed away from the table and moved to stand.
"No!" She called out, following suit.
He closed his eyes for a moment as his head spun and he regained his bearings. He needed to escape before his embarrassment and his drunken state caused him to do or say anything else either of them would regret.
"Please, Len. Don't go."
He was already backing away towards the door. She couldn't seem to move from her place at the table.
"Listen, darlin'—Jess—I… I've embarrassed you, I've embarrassed myself. I shouldn't have drunk so much. I should've known I'd say something to screw this all up. I think it'd be best if we both just sleep this off—"
And just like that he stumbled out of her room and the door slid shut behind him.
"But I didn't get to tell you that I feel the same way," she whimpered to the closed door.
Two days later, Jess was walking across campus, PADD hugged close to her chest, eyes down. She'd woken up and cried again. Since he walked out of her dorm room she hadn't heard anything from Leonard and she was brokenhearted that it might be the end of their relationship. Had she scared him off? Had he scared himself off with his confession? Or had he quickly realized he didn't really mean what he'd said and was worried she'd be clingy? Whatever it was, he wasn't making any attempts to clarify, apologize, or anything at all—so she was left devastated. She was certain her eyes were probably bloodshot red but she'd given up on caring. She was headed to class, taking the most direct route possible, and was coming around the corner when she careened right into someone coming from the other direction. She fell backwards and landed on her rear end.
"Whoa there!" the male voice called out.
Her eyes shot up and sure enough, it was Jim Kirk. A split second later and her eyes darted to his right, where Leonard McCoy now stood staring wide-eyed at her. Her heart felt like it might break in two all over again and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before getting herself up off the ground and brushing herself off, avoiding eye contact with either man. "Sorry," she mumbled and started to walk away.
"No wait, Jess—" It was Jim Kirk calling after her, not Leonard. She kept walking.
She heard low voices from behind her as the two men seemed to share tense words. Moments later, a hand reached out to grab her shoulder. "Jess, wait."
It was Leonard. She froze, eyes still downcast towards the ground.
"I wanted to apologize—for making things so awkward on Saturday night. For what I said…"
"Not for avoiding me for two days?"
"That too, I guess."
"So if you're apologizing, I guess that means you really didn't mean it. What you said. It was just some crazy drunken loose-lipped mad raving. We were just a casual thing. Nothing serious. Sure. Thanks for the apology. Bye." She began walking again as she began to lose what remaining grip she had on her emotions. A tear fell down her cheek.
"Wait—what?" she heard him say from behind her. "You think—I mean—casual? What? Jess!" Moments later he was pulling at her shoulder again. "Jess, wait. I think there's a misunderstanding."
"Yeah, I guess so," she said, unable to control the shakiness in her voice. She tried to pull away, but he was holding onto her by the arm and not letting go.
"No, no, no—I mean. Jess—yes, I've been avoiding you. But I shouldn't have. And it wasn't because of what you think. I thought—I thought my confession would make you uncomfortable. I thought maybe I'd taken it to too serious a level, too fast. Jess, I told you that night, even drunk, I know a few things for sure. And what I know is that what I said wasn't a lie. There is only one person on this earth I could spend the rest of my life with, and I'm lookin' at her."
Finally she pulled her gaze up to find him gazing down at her. His gaze went from one of worry to firmness as he took a deep breath and stood taller.
"It's a crazy, mad, universe, Jessica Patton. I came to Starfleet to run away from my ex-wife. If there is a God, he's laughin' his rear end off about this. Because somehow in running away I ran right into you. I never expected, never anticipated, never could have dreamed of meetin' someone like you, darlin'. Fallin' in love wasn't in the four-year academy plan, sweetheart, but it sure happened. But how could I ever expect you to feel the same way for me—the washed up grumpy old doctor? I had a terrible marriage—you had this wonderful magnificent thing with David and it was torn from you. I can't match that. How could I ever live up to what you deserve? How could I—" Suddenly he was shushed with a finger to his lips.
"Leonard Horatio McCoy, do yourself a favor and shut up, okay?" She said gently, but firmly. She then swallowed and took a deep breath before continuing. "Do not presume to tell me who I can and cannot love, Leonard. I never, ever imagined that I could love again after David died. You're not wrong—what I had with David was special. And I never would have imagined I could be lucky enough to have something special like that again. But, Len, I think a little part of me fell in love with you that first day we met, looking out over San Fransisco Bay. And a little more the next time, and even more that first time you showed up on my doorstep, helpless with your broken PADD." They both chuckled, relaxing into the moment a little easier than the intensity the conversation had begun with. "By the time we went on our first date, I knew I was in deep, deep trouble. I love you, Leonard McCoy, and not even your grumpy, pessimistic determination that you can't possibly be happy in this life is going to change the way I feel."
Leonard raised a hand to her face and gently brushed his fingertips along her cheek. "I love you, too, Jess," he whispered before leaning down and kissing her.
There was a relieved groan behind them. "Ah, thank goodness. I'm telling you, it has been a miserable two days, Jess."
Leonard and Jess both smiled mid-kiss and reached out, simultaneously shoving Jim Kirk away.
"Hey!" he yelled, but had they been watching, they would have seen the wide grin on his face.