Chapter 5: Husband and wife

Leonard McCoy smiled, getting up from the chair behind the desk, when Jamie Kirk entered his office. She smiled automatically back and locked the door behind her.

"Should I be worried, Jamie? You're in Medbay. Voluntarily", he teased, went around the desk and leant against the edge, crossing his arms.

"Worried might not be the right word. I guess 'shocked' will be fitting soon." She stepped a little closer.

Leonard slowly let his arms sink again and wrapped them around her waist, when she finally stood right in front of him. She placed her hands on his chest. It felt oddly natural and casual.

"And why is that?" he asked, but wasn't really interested in an answer right now. His gaze locked onto hers and he caught himself getting lost in the bright blue of her eyes. He enjoyed having her so close and in his arms.

Jamie decided that the news could wait a few minutes, leaned in and kissed him.

"You call that shocking?" he chuckled.

She also laughed. "I didn't mean that. I would've used some very different words then." She gave him a meaningful and suggestive gaze.

Leonard just looked at her confused, but didn't move and kept his arms around her waist. Yes, it was really very, very nice to hold her like this. But it wasn't easy so keep his hands in place. He really had to concentrate to not let them slide south to the hem of her uniform dress.

"Okay, so, there's a slight... uhm... hiccup with our engagement", she started. "And no, I don't want to back off. Don't worry." She ran one hand over his check and into his hair.

He smiled again at that gesture, but was still confused.

"It's more like... we kind of skipped a step again without even knowing it. "She chuckled.

"Could you stop speaking in riddles? You're giving me a headache, Darlin'."

Hearing that term of endearment Jamie forgot for a moment what she wanted to say. Her hand was still playing with his hair and she pulled him into another kiss, before she spoke again. "We're already married. Like really and legally married", she blurted out.

Leonard stared at her and was about to ask if she was joking, but he saw in her expression that she was serious and that it was true. "How?" was all he managed.

"Carah 3", she simply answered. "Uhura told me a few minutes ago. As of last month they are a member of the Federation which means that marriages entered there are legally acknowledged."

"Didn't we sign a 13-13b?" he asked knowing that it was probably a pointless question.

"Signing isn't sending..." she replied and braced herself to be yelled at.

Chapter 5: Husband and wife

He just looked at her - his wife. He wanted to ask what had gone wrong with the paperwork, but wasn't able to form the words. Usually this would be one of those moments he'd get angry. But somehow he wasn't. He didn't care about what had gone wrong.

"Say something?" Jamie bit her lip, still expecting him to flip out and start to scream. "The paperwork was complete, but then the Indri incident happened... and I forgot about the PADD... Uhura too... you didn't ask if I sent it... which is totally okay, of course, because it's my fault... but, well, now we are legally married by Federation law... Please say something?"

Leonard still looked at her. He stayed calm, even drew her a little closer, cupped her cheek with one hand, letting it slide to her neck and pulling her into another kiss. A slow and very romantic one.

Jamie actually blushed. "You're not mad? Or angry? You're not starting to curse at the Carah or Federation law? Or yell at me for getting us into this situation?" Now she was highly confused.

And he was smiling. "As you said earlier - when do you ever do something the normal way?"

That remark made her smile too.

"And what we decided to do is already done now - we're married. No Starfleet wedding circus. No guest lists. Not sending invitations. Makes everything kind of easier." But despite his words he also contemplated if there could be a possibility seeing her in a wedding dress and doing the whole thing right and proper.

"We still have to tell everybody. Especially our families and Starfleet Command", she reminded him. "And that wedding wasn't exactly how I imagined it."

He raised his eyebrows in a mix of surprise and amusement. "Oh? So you did image your real wedding? Maybe even our wedding?"

She winked at him and now ran both hands through his hair. "I exercise my right to remain silent."

He chuckled and sighed in pleasure at the movements of her hands. Her entire body leaned now against his and he was temped again to rid her of the uniform dress. Damn, what a day - from best friends to being married in a few hours. "You do realize this isn't the time and place to catch up on the wedding night... Mrs. McCoy?" He wasn't sure, if that last part was wise to say, but he couldn't stop himself.

Of course, Jamie tensed a little in his arms. She was startled hearing him call her by that name. And it may or may not turning her on a little. But some other idea did too. She smirked. "Don't worry, Mr. Kirk, I can wait until tonight."

He wanted to protest about that name, but didn't get the chance. She pulled him in a kiss that was as sweet as the one he'd gave her only minutes before.

"That's not how it works", he teased.

"In which century are you living? That's exactly how it works, Mr. Kirk."

"How about hyphenating?"

She pursed her lips thinking about it, smiled, then tried saying it out loud. "Jamie Tiberia Kirk-McCoy."

His heart pounded hearing that name. It took his breath away that this marriage became so real so quickly. Did they really jump from annoyance to proposal to being already married to casually making important conjugal decisions between kisses in his office?

Jamie gave him a bright smile. "Okay, I'll hyphenate. As captain I go by Kirk. It would be confusing having a Captain McCoy and a Doctor McCoy. As your wife you can call me whatever you want", she whispered against his lips.

"Back at thinking about the wedding night, Darlin'?" Leonard presumed and knew he was right.

"Maybe..." Then she sighed, freed herself from his arms and stepped back to pause certain ideas and thoughts. "Okay, dinner in my quarters tonight..." She turned and started to walk to the door, but turned around again and let out a short laugh. "Which could be... our quarters?" she corrected herself. "The captains suite is bigger, so...?"

He closed the distance and kissed her again. It amazed him how easy the words came. Or maybe it simply had to be like that, because they knew each other so well and because their love was born from an unconditional friendship. "Yeah, I'll move in with you. And tonight we'll sort out the rest. Perhaps there are a few things left to not do backwards but in the right order", he chuckled.

The captain tilted her head. "Telling the crew, for example?"

"Not sure on which list that one goes."

She giggled and suddenly realized one very important thing on top of the backwards list. "I love you, Bones."

Those words sent a shiver along his spine and he couldn't help himself. He had to kiss her again. "I love you too."