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Life settled back into a comfortable rhythm as the months passed. Jim and his team continued to work on the peace treaty as they explored the border that stretched the length of the Neutral Zone between Federation and Klingon space.

Their meetings with the Klingons were tumultuous at best. The representatives for the Klingons included Chief Garazha, whom Jim remembered as being K'Temoc's Clan Chief. They had met when Jim had gone to Qo'noS to witness Harrison's execution. K'Temoc, a Klingon Jim actually thought of as a friend and whom he had first met years ago when they had been sent to monitor reports of recent activity on the deserted Tarsus IV planet, was not high enough on any chains to grab a seat at this table.

In addition to Garazha, there were six other Klingons, all of whom had their own opinions, and all of whom wanted to debate each point on the list Jim had sent them to the last detail. Demands and requests went back and forth for months before Jim felt like they were actually starting to make progress.

Six months after they initiated contact with the Klingons to begin the official negotiation process, Jim felt confident enough to send their current draft to the Admiralty. They weren't anywhere near done, but it was getting to a point where Jim thought they might be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and this draft wouldn't immediately have the Admirals throwing it back in his face at least. It had only taken twelve tries to get to this point.

Jim actually lost that bet, he had thought it would take at least fifteen. He should know better than to bet against Uhura.

While Jim was debating the finer points of the treaty and keeping all of this from his crew, he and Carol decided to officially announce their engagement. It wasn't like they had been keeping it a secret anymore – Carol had been wearing her engagement ring since the command crew had seen it – but until they made the official announcement with the Admiralty, it had felt a little like they were trying to hide it still.

Of course the crew was thrilled. Jon and Richard both sent him personal congratulations, and Chris forwarded the news segment that covered how Starfleet's most eligible bachelor was finally off the market. It confused Jim, since he had been 'off the market' for years, and the press knew that already. They had led quite a dirty - and fortunately brief - smear campaign against Carol when they had caught the couple kissing good bye before Jim headed off to Qo'noS with the Yorktown to witness Harrison's trial by the Klingons. Fortunately, Jon shut them down pretty quickly. After that, Carol had seemingly disappeared from the news cycle – they still reported on Jim's exploits, but Carol barely rated a mention.

Chris tried to contain his amusement as he reminded Jim of the ruthlessness of the press. Until there was an actual ring involved, Jim would still be considered eligible.

It annoyed Jim to no end, but he and Carol put up with it, grateful for the support of their friends and family. It was easy to feel slightly removed from the news cycles this far away from Earth. They had told everyone on the ship, along with their family and closest friends before announcing it to the Admiralty, so by the time the stories circulated throughout various news outlets across the Federation, anyone who mattered already knew. No mention of any dates for the ceremony were set though; they would likely wait until they got back to Earth, to allow for friends and family on the planet to attend the celebration as well. Carol wanted her mother there, and Jim couldn't imagine getting married without his cousin Cory. Hopefully they could arrange it for the USS Parks to be docked at Earth at the same time, allowing Chris and Shay to be there. Actually, that was pretty mandatory – Jim had already promised Chris he wouldn't do this without him.

Other than Jim and Carol's announcement, the rest of ship life was pretty calm. April and McCoy were still debating dates and locations and trying to decide on any small details they could in the meantime – a shore leave a couple months earlier had allowed April to take Joanna, Uhura, and Carol dress shopping, and they had all found dresses to wear for the ceremony, whenever and wherever it may be.

Things seemed to be going pretty well. The Admiralty rejected the draft of the treaty Jim sent them of course, but they sent it back with fewer points crossed off and changes to be made than he had thought they would, so at least there was some good news.

It took another three months before they felt they were getting closer to a final draft. That's when Chris and the Parks began getting more involved, setting up the peace talks, as they had decided to call them. Invitations went out to over two hundred Federation members.

There was a lot of hesitation, so the Parks and the Enterprise spent another three months visiting almost fifty different representatives, convincing them of the importance of their attendance, and getting promises to send delegates. It took months of hard work and perseverance, but in the end they would have a one hundred percent attendance rate among invitees.

The date was some eight months away, and the talks would last two weeks. The new Yorktown space station was tapped to be the location. The station had officially opened and been christened half a year earlier, and was already thriving. There were approximately five hundred permanent inhabitants, many of whom were related to Starfleet in some way. The station was independent of any planet or race, but was still run and staffed by Starfleet enlisted or contractors. They were seeing regular traffic from multiple Federation races, and business in the small city-in-space was booming. Even though only about five hundred people lived there full time, it was rare to see less than a thousand people occupying the station on any given day.

Once the official invitations for the talks had gone out, Starfleet issued the announcement. Jon did a press interview alongside Admiral Nogura, sharing details of the new Klingon treaty that was being negotiated and how it had led to these peace talks, how the treaty would be finalized at the talks with Klingons being invited to the table at a Federation event for the first time in history. The old treaty this new one was replacing hadn't come anywhere close to the level of cooperation they were experiencing today. Both Admirals stressed that the Klingons weren't joining the Federation, but this was a level of peace that would eclipse any false promises they had had before.

When the news broke on the Enterprise, the level of awe his crew had for Jim reached a whole new level. It was shared slightly among the rest of the team who had been working on this, but Jim was the big name being bandied about as he was the one leading them.

Beyond awe though, it was pride. This was a huge step forward for the Federation, and their Captain was responsible for it.

Jim bore it all with humility, giving vast amounts of credit to the rest of the team whenever he could, and they all buckled down and continued to work. Just because it was public and there was an end date in sight, didn't mean they were anywhere close to being done.

Three months before the talks, McCoy and April sought Jim out to discuss their wedding. "We decided to do it at Yorktown," McCoy said simply without any introduction as he sat down on Jim's sofa.

Jim looked up from the PADD he had been buried in, acknowledging the two doctors' presence with a nod, before his brow furrowed in confusion as he processed McCoy's statement. "Do what?" he asked for clarification.

April shook her head and smiled at McCoy's vague statement, sitting down in the chair next to the couch. "Our wedding," she explained. "We decided that that made as much sense to have it there as anywhere else. Admiral Willis will be at the talks, and we've both worked with him and like him, we thought he could perform the ceremony."

Jim nodded slowly. Rear Admiral Willis was head of the Medical Track at the Academy. He was also famous for being one of the few Admirals who really liked to get his hands dirty. In the same way Jon tried to teach at least one upper level Engineering or Command course each year, Willis took regular shifts at Starfleet Hospital so that he could work with patients and keep his skills sharp.

"I think we can definitely arrange it," Jim replied. "I'll talk with Commodore Paris and reserve a space, why don't you look at some of the food options and see if there's anyone you'd like to cater the reception." April smiled, and McCoy nodded. Jim pursed his lips in thought, considering what else they needed to organize. "Put together a list of who you want to attend, or at least get me a number so I can make sure the space is big enough."

"Yeah, we're working on invitations and all, but it's going to be a small list," April said. "Mostly the command crew and everyone in Medical. Maybe a few more, but that's about it."

Jim grinned. "I'm really happy for you guys, and glad you're finally doing this."

McCoy sighed, and April shrugged. "It does feel like it's been forever," she admitted, looking at her fiancé. "But we waited for it to feel right, and it finally does." McCoy nodded in agreement.

They spent another few minutes discussing logistics, before April stood up, shooting a significant look at the other doctor in the room. "We should let you get back to work," she said, glancing at the abandoned PADD in Jim's lap. "I'm sure you're probably really busy."

Jim grimaced. "I'm not sure how much sleep I'll be getting in the next few months," he admitted. "It's like a nonstop stream of requirements and demands." He shook his head. "Why did they put me in charge of the negotiations if they weren't going to let me do my damn job?"

April winced sympathetically, and dragged her fiancé out before he could say anything insensitive.

Jim chuckled lightly, and got back to work.

XXX

A few months later, and the Enterprise docked at Yorktown. The talks were scheduled to begin in two weeks, and while most delegates wouldn't be arriving until then, Jim made sure they were early so they could be on hand for the last minute preparations. Chris, Shay, and the Parks had been at the station for a week already. Jon, Richard, and other Starfleet representatives from the Admiralty had beaten the Enterprise by about a day. Ambassadors Sarek, Shras, and Maab were scheduled to arrive the next day.

They had another week before the Klingon representatives would get there – they would spend the week before the talks began working on last minute details. The hope was that they could finish by the first day of the talks so that everyone involved in the negotiations could participate, but they had planned to sign the treaty on the last day, just in case there were setbacks. Though the negotiations may still be taking place, they had still planned a few key discussions and lectures for the group to attend together.

Jim would have to spend most of his time with the Klingons, but the others had the opportunity to step out and attend other events if they wanted. Spock and Uhura were planning to stay with Jim and the group, but the other two members of the team were less certain. Jim made sure they knew they were welcome to join him with the Klingons, since they had put in so much work to get to this point, but he didn't want to keep them from anything else if they were interested. Lieutenant Shraeter had a few events in mind he wanted to attend but for the most part would stick with Jim and the others, but Vlox's father, the Tellarite Ambassador to Earth, was planning to attend and would be on few panel discussions; Vlox was hoping to listen in on at least those talks, as well as spend some time with his father.

For the rest of the Enterprise crew, they were invited to the talks but were not required to attend. Many of the senior crew members would be attending, but attendance would likely be less frequent among the more junior ones.

April and McCoy decided that their wedding should be soon after they arrived. Jim had offered them a few days off for a honeymoon, so they could have that and be back to work in time for the talks. Not that they planned to go anywhere else, but Yorktown was a state of the art station, and had all kinds of opportunities to take advantage of.

Jim had booked them a suite at the best hotel/spa combo the station had, and when McCoy tried to protest, he just shoved the card into the doctor's hands and told him it was nonrefundable.

McCoy gaped at him for a minute, and then shook his head, sighing. "Thanks, Jim. Seriously, for this, for organizing the ceremony, for everything."

Jim blushed lightly, embarrassed. "You're my best friend, Bones," he replied. "I'd do anything for you."

McCoy deliberately didn't take it any further, knowing that any further gestures of appreciation would just be met with more embarrassment. "Same," he said instead. "You know Jo-Jo's going to drive you crazy, right? Are you sure you can watch her? Won't you be busy with the Klingons?" Jim had offered to watch Joanna while the newlyweds had their mini-honeymoon.

Jim shrugged. "We'll be fine. Carol will probably be the one spending the most time with her honestly, and Kevin offered to help out, but I'll be around as much as possible. Just enjoy yourselves, we'll take care of Joanna."

McCoy held in a shiver at the idea of Kevin taking care of his daughter; he had been reluctant ever since he had come back from work one evening years ago to find them staging a battle with pillows and whipped cream. It was obvious to him how much the Ensign cared for his daughter, and he knew Joanna loved spending time with him, but sometimes it was hard to tell which one was the kid. But he was always grateful to have such a large family willing to step in and help out, so he just nodded thankfully, and headed back to his room to make sure Joanna was packed and ready to spend the next few days on the space station.

As he finished packing his own bag, he remembered back to a conversation they had all had months ago, where he had promised that if they ever stopped at this station, he was staying on the ship. He snorted lightly. He should have known better.

XXX

The next day, McCoy and April wed in a very small ceremony in one of the private rooms in Yorktown.

Aside from the command crew, the entire medical department was there, as well as a few friends like Kevin who worked in other departments.

McCoy was wearing his dress uniform, as were most of the guests, including Jim. Uhura and Carol had on knee length dresses in a pale lavender color. Joanna's dress was similar in cut and style, but it was a dark purple.

April's wedding dress was a vintage floor length sheath style, ivory with gold embroidery covering it entirely in a subtle floral pattern. It had a sweetheart neckline, and short off the shoulder sleeves.

Jim stood next to McCoy, while April had Joanna immediately to her left, Carol and Uhura standing just behind her. The rest of the guests were seated a short distance away. They all watched and listened with smiles as Admiral Willis led the pair through the ceremony. Soon enough he was pronouncing them man and wife, and April and McCoy kissed to the sound of cheers.

Joanna was right next to them, beaming happily. As soon as the new husband and wife separated, they immediately drew her into a hug.

That was followed by congratulations from the other guests, and they moved towards the buffet table that had been set up off to one side, everyone grabbing dinner and moving their own seats from the ceremony to make groups so that they could eat and talk to each other.

The only thing McCoy and April had requested was no speeches, so there was no pressure on either Joanna or Jim as maid of honor and best man to come up with anything. Instead, it was a quiet and enjoyable evening celebrating their friends, before McCoy and April left for their short honeymoon, and the rest of the guests departed for their rooms – most would be staying on the ship; considering how many people were expected to attend these talks, it made sense to have most Federation personnel remain in their quarters on their ships rather than try and squeeze them in with the thousands who were supposed to arrive in just a couple of weeks.

Jim, Uhura, and Spock were the only ones among the wedding guests who were staying in rooms at Yorktown, since they were part of the Klingon negotiation; so the trio said good bye to the other guests and left with Carol and Joanna towards the rooms they had been given on the station.

XXX

The next week passed in a haze of preparations and plans. Jim was busy with the rest of the treaty team, and more days than not wasn't able to get back to his room until well after Carol – and Joanna, for the first few days – had gone to bed.

Finally, the night before the Klingons were due to arrive, Jim was pleased to say that everything was ready. He had wanted to spend some time with the fiancée he felt like he had been neglecting over the last couple of weeks, no matter how much she understood, but Carol had already made plans for a girl's night in with Uhura, April, and Joanna – nails, make up, facials, the works.

Jim thought it was for Joanna's benefit more than anyone else – she had been pushed aside a little over the last couple weeks, as everyone else was pretty busy. Kevin had jumped in to ensure she didn't spend all her time alone, but the others had still felt bad. Especially April, she wanted to make sure Joanna knew that even with the wedding and official documents – they had sent the adoption papers in a few days before the wedding – nothing had changed in their family dynamic and the teenager was still a priority with her parents.

In any event, Jim wasn't invited to join them, so the Captain was left to cajole Spock into joining him and McCoy for a drink instead. He contacted Chris as well, and the Admiral was eager to accept. They had all been on the station together for a week already, but because their duties had been so separate, intense, and time-consuming, Jim still hadn't even seen the older man.

Chris met them at the bar in question, bringing Shay along. The Captain wasn't staying however, she just wanted to see Jim before she headed off with some of her friends from the Parks for a relaxing evening of their own.

The biggest shock to Jim, however, was the baby bump he could clearly see Shay sporting as the couple approached.

He leveled a wide-eyed look at Chris as Shay grabbed him in a tight hug.

"Is that…?" he pulled back, and Chris moved in for his own hug.

When the two separated, Chris grinned. "I wanted to tell you in person. Four months," he said, looking at his wife. "It's a boy."

Jim offered them a congratulations, as did McCoy and Spock. Shay accepted with a nod, before saying her good byes. "I just wanted to say hello and to congratulate you for all the work you've done with the treaty. I'm off to the spa. You boys enjoy yourself."

Chris gave her a kiss, before she left and he followed Jim and the others into the bar.

They grabbed a table in the back, and spent a while catching up. Chris was eager to hear about the Enterprise's latest missions, and Jim listened with interest as Chris told them about some of his own exploits. The one subject none of them touched was the ongoing search for Kodos. The man had been missing for over a year now, and Chris hated to admit it but the trail had gone cold months ago.

They were on their third round of drinks when Chris turned to Jim with a smile. "You know, Shay and I have been discussing names a lot lately. The one we keep coming back to is James."

Jim set his drink down, stunned. He would never have expected this. "Seriously? I mean, are you sure?"

Chris' smile widened, though there was a small twinge of anger for everyone in Jim's life who had taught the kid that he didn't matter. "Jim, very few people in my life have made as large an impression as you have. And if my son grows up to be anything like his godfather, I will count myself the luckiest parent alive."

Jim started to smile, and then Chris' words caught up to him and he swallowed. "Godfather?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "I would never consider anyone else, Jim."

Jim's smile returned. "I'm honored."

McCoy and Spock stayed quiet through this conversation, but both offered their congratulations to Jim as well. Spock didn't fully understand what the role of godfather was, but McCoy had grown up in a large Catholic family, and it was an important responsibility to him. He only wished Joanna's godfather hadn't run for the hills the moment Jocelyn had decided she no longer wanted to be a parent. Considering Joanna's godfather was Jocelyn's brother though, it probably shouldn't have been that surprising.

Chris grinned at the congratulations and at Jim's excitement as the title sunk in. "So, what about you? Do I hear wedding bells any time soon? You guys have been engaged for what, a year?"

Jim grimaced and took a sip of his beer. "More than," he allowed. "We actually considered doing it here, briefly." He shrugged. "You and Shay would be here, plus Jon and Richard… but then this asshole," he nodded in McCoy's direction with a slight smile, ignoring the doctor's spluttered retort, "decided to upstage me and get himself hitched instead." He shook his head and his smile widened. "We decided it would make more sense to wait until we're back on Earth in a couple years. Cory's still in California, and I wouldn't want to do this without him. Plus Carol's mom is in London." He took another sip of his drink. "We're not in any rush. And I already promised we won't do it without you."

Chris raised his glass in a mock salute, and they turned the conversation to other topics.

It was much later when they were all separating to their own rooms – McCoy back to the ship and Jim, Spock, and Chris to the rooms they had on the station – when the doctor pulled Jim aside, letting the others continue walking. "You didn't have to wait for me," he said, feeling slightly guilty. "We wouldn't have been mad if you and Carol got married here as well."

Jim immediately shook his head. "I was joking," he smiled. "Promise, we didn't decide against it because of you. I really want my cousin to be there, and Carol didn't want to do it without her mom."

McCoy didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded slowly, and they continued back to their rooms.

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