Chapter 11: Special edition

Author's note: Finally, the big moment...

I'm actually not sure yet how far the story will go. When I wrote the first chapters I hadn't planned to write the real wedding. Now... well, we'll see... ;)

Jamie Kirk-McCoy had a hard time to keep her amusement about the situation to herself. Even though she didn't like the secrecy. The crewmembers she passed in the hallways looked curiously at her, trying to figure out if something had changed. She greeted everyone as usual and started her shift as usual.

At lunch time the captain and the doctor met in the mess hall and irritated everyone else by behaving completely normal. Or at least appearing to do so.

"You could at least tell me, you know", Leonard said in a low voice and made eye contact with her over the table.

She just smiled at her husband and took another bite of her lunch. "Where's the fun in that?" She winked at him. "Today."

He thought about the ring in his pocket. "A time frame would be nice. I don't want to be in the middle of a surgery when the message pops up everywhere."

Jamie wished she could just reach out and take his hand. "Did you schedule any surgeries?"

"No."

She gave him an amused smile. "See?"

Returning the smile he shook his head slightly and decided to tempt her telling him, even if that meant to give his surprise away. "I want finally to be able to give you that ring", he whispered.

That got her attention and surprise took over her smile. "What ring?" Jamie whispered back.

Leonard smirked. "The one I was almost put on your finger while you were sleeping to see your surprise when you'd wake up. But then I chose to wait. I want to give it to you the minute that white alert is out."

She tried to suppress a giggle. "Didn't we have enough the public displays at all our alien weddings?"

"Ah, but those were forced or not real. Call me foolishly romantic, but I want to put a ring on your finger and kiss you senseless in front of everyone."

"You could do that at our wedding on Earth", Jamie teased.

"Oh, I will..." he gave back in a very suggestive tone.

She held his flirting gaze as well as possible without giving anything away to the crew scattered around in mess hall. "Dessert", she simply said then.

It took him a few moments to realize what she meant by that. His heart skipped a beat. "Really?"

She nodded.

Leonard let out a short laugh and went on with his lunch, trying not to eat too fast. Jamie also finished her food and carried the conversation on with some work related topics.

Uhura, Spock, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov shared a table and carefully eyed Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy two tables away.

"They're behaving as usual", Sulu remarked.

"Why should they not behave in this manner?" Spock asked curiously, taking a last look on the PADD in his hands, then put it aside.

Uhura chuckled. "The marriage, Spock", she reminded him. "We still don't know what they'll do about it."

"Yeah", Sulu added. "We're trying to figure it out."

"I see." The commander looked directly to the table with the captain and the doctor.

"Don't stare at them", Scotty hissed.

Uhura giggled. "At least not that obviously."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "This is very odd."

"Them?" Sulu asked.

"No - you", Spock answered. "Instead of watching them and, as I presume, speculating, you should simply ask them what you want to know, Lieutenant Sulu."

"It's more fun to see what they're doing and if they give something away", Scotty said with a smirk. Then he got an idea. "Commander, did you notice anything unusual about them in the last two days?"

"I do not think it would be wise to partake in your speculations about Captain Kirk's romantic relationship with Doctor McCoy."

"So, you think there is a relationship?" Chekov inquired.

Spock gave him and the others a confused look. "I beg your pardon, I was under the impression that its existence was already common knowledge at this table?"

Uhura sighed. "More like common wishful thinking."

Scotty and Sulu exchanged some smirks. Even Chekov grinned.

"So..." Sulu started. "What exactly do you know, Commander?"

"Their body language is quite obvious, although they are trying to hide it."

Uhura, Chekov, Sulu and Scotty looked over to the other table, then to Spock again. They still didn't see what Spock did.

"Also", Spock added, "Captain Kirk was quite flushed when she returned from Medbay yesterday."

"Ha!" Scotty made.

The mess hall filled up more and every table was taken twenty minutes later. Many crewmembers had PADDs with them. Some worked while eating, some carried them just along.

Jamie noticed the senior bridge crew and their curious glances. She smiled to herself and Leonard when she had finished her chocolate cake dessert.

"Brace yourself", she finally whispered to him.

A few moments later ping sounds went off all around them on the PADDs and even on the wall screens. Actually, on every single screen on the whole ship. When Jamie Kirk-McCoy did a hack she did it very thoroughly.

So, there was a pop-up on every single computer device on the Enterprise flashing the following words:

White Alert Special Edition
by Captain Jamie T. Kirk-McCoy

Yeah, you read right.

Long story short:
We finally admitted our feelings.
Doctor Leonard H. McCoy has been promoted to the captain's husband.
On duty I'm still Captain Kirk, but I'll carry both last names.

We're already started moving in together. Any help with the boxes is welcome.
(Scotty, please make a new door sign for the captain's suite, thanks)

We'll have a real, non-accidental, non-forced
wedding ceremony back on Earth. Details will follow.

But for now, I may kiss my husband!

Your one and only and extremely happily married
Jamie Kirk-McCoy

The first seconds after the pings were dead silent, then the first squeals of surprise and joy, cheers and clapping started. All hell - in the most positive sense - broke loose.

Jamie slowly rose from her chair and barely waited until Leonard also was standing before grabbing him and doing what her message announced - kissing her husband. Her hands clutched the fabric of his blue uniform shirt and Leonard's arms slid around her waist.

Somewhere in the crazy cheering of the crew Jamie heard Uhura call out an excited "Oh my God", Scotty screaming a proud "You go, lass" and there was also Sulu saying "We were right".

Jamie grinned, when she finally let go of her husband's lips and shirt.

Leonard kept his arms around her. "You just couldn't wait, could you? I wanted to kiss you like that", he laughed.

"You still can." She grinned and winked. "Haven't yet gotten that ring you promised."

He let go of her and took one step back, still surrounded by the cheering crewmembers. When the officers and crewmen saw that the doctor was pulling something out of a pocket the room became quite very fast.

The crowd was even bigger now. Some of them obviously were calling others to join them in the mess hall.

"Our timing and the order of this whole relationship and wedding thing is a little messed up", Leonard started, taking a look around and blushing a little, given the big audience. "So, my... wife doesn't have an engagement ring, let alone a wedding band. We need to change that." His eyes locked on to hers. "Darlin', today you get the engagement ring, the other one will follow on Earth."

"Awww" and "Ohhh" from all around accompanied the reveal of the ring he was holding between three fingers. Leonard took Jamie's left hand and slid it onto her ring finger.

Jamie looked in awe at the ring she instantly recognized as the one Leonard's mother had worn the day she'd met her the first time. An heirloom.

And the realized two things. The first: She had to ask him later how he came to have his mother's ring. The second: Somehow in the past two days she'd fallen even deeper in love with him and couldn't wait to walk down the aisle for real.

Leonard smiled at her amazed face, kissed her hand wearing the ring, then pulled Jamie into his arms again and kissed her. Not senseless, but passionately enough for the crew to explode into cheers again.