Author's Notes:
Okay so this chapter is twice as long as the others and I considered making it into two but it needed to be all together. I want to keep the plot moving!
Reviews are greatly appreciated and will motivate me to finish this!
Both men were dead quiet for a second. Amanda began to fidget awkwardly so Leonard spoke up first. "This week?"
"Yes. It seemed only logical. You are already here and you are going to get married eventually. Why not do it now?" she asked.
"Mother, that does not seem to be a sufficient amount of time to plan such an event," said Spock quickly. Relief washed over Leonard; Spock would get them out of this.
"Don't you worry about it, Spock. I'll take care of anything. I just… can't wait to see my baby get married. It's just that so many things can happen out in space. You two have very dangerous jobs and I can't even stand to think of how terrible it would be if one of you got killed before the wedding. I'm sorry for sounding so pessimistic. But I worry about you every day, Spock. And now I'm going to have a son-in-law to worry about too. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I consider you family already, Leonard. And I want you to be family, right now."
After the emotional speech from Amanda, Leonard's relief turned to doubt. This was going to be harder than he thought.
Amanda tried to convince them some more. "I can make you all the clothes you need for the ceremony and we can use the roses from my garden. I'll bake a cake and decorate. You won't have to worry about a thing. It'll be perfect."
"I see no… logical reason why we should not be wed this week," said the Vulcan, somewhat defeatedly.
"Uh, Amanda, can Spock and I have a second to talk it over? This is a big decision," said Leonard.
"Oh, yes, of course," she said, quickly leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.
"What are we going to do?" asked the doctor.
"Our options seem very limited at this point. The most obvious one is to get married and later file for an amicable divorce."
"Or we could just tell her the truth," Leonard put forward timidly, but he could tell by the look in Spock's eyes that that was not an option.
"That would deeply hurt her to know that our relationship is a lie. Also she would have to find out about my break-up with Joel in order to explain ourselves."
"Yeah, you're right. We can't do that to her. I guess divorce is always an option. But won't she find that a little hard to believe?"
"On the contrary, 56.7 percent of all Terran human marriages end in divorce. It is fortunate that the ceremony will be Terran, for Vulcan marriages are not as easily broken," pointed out Spock.
"If the marriage isn't real than divorce isn't that hard, is it? You and Jim have been accidentally married in some weird alien ritual before, haven't you?"
"Affirmative. The divorce process was easy and unemotional. Unlike your previous experience with divorce."
"Damnit don't remind me," Leonard grumbled. "I guess we'll have to go through with this then."
"It is the most logical choice."
"The things I do for you and your mom," Leonard muttered as he got out of bed to get dressed.
"So?" Amanda was anxiously waiting for them when they entered the living room.
"We have found your suggestion most logical. We shall go through with the wedding this week," Spock announced.
Jim spat out his coffee. "What?"
"Amanda suggested we get married this week, Jim. So naturally, we agreed it was a great idea. Don't you think so?" asked McCoy.
"Um yeah, yeah. I just wasn't expecting it to be this soon," said Jim, quickly catching on.
"Yeah, us neither," he replied.
"Well congratulations, you two! This wedding is going to be amazing!" Jim smiled. McCoy shot him a subtle glare, causing him to shut up and drink his coffee.
"Well, we have a lot to do before the wedding! First things first, let's get you two some tuxes!"
Amanda was a surprisingly good tailor in her free time and was able to easily make Leonard and Spock traditional Terran tuxedos for their fast approaching wedding. They stood patiently in her workshop while she pinned the fabric up to them and took careful measurements. After his tux was nearly completed, Spock watched his mother carefully poke pins into the fabric his future husband was wearing. He had to admit, the doctor looked very handsome in a tuxedo.
"Oh, Leonard, you're going to look so beautiful in this!" Amanda beamed.
"Thank you, you're doing a mighty fine job at making these," he replied.
She blushed. "Oh, Spock! He's such a gentleman!"
"Yeah, he sure is lucky to have me. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" asked Leonard.
Spock couldn't help but blush a little bit. "Yes, dear."
The doctor slightly chucked at that but was quickly interrupted by begging jabbed in the wrist by one of Amanda's pins. "Ouch!"
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she quickly apologized, removing the pin.
"Nah, it's okay. Don't worry about it," he quickly dismissed it, but Spock had already made his way over to his side.
"May I see?" he asked.
McCoy chuckled. "It's just a pin prick, Spock! What are you gonna do? Kiss it better?" he asked, voice full of sarcasm. But much to his surprise, the half Vulcan did just that. He pushed Leonard's sleeve off his wrist, found the little dot of red human blood that the pin had left, brought his wrist up to his lips, and briefly kissed it. McCoy looked at him with shock and confusion. He hadn't expected something like that from Spock, but then again, he had snuggled with the man all last night. "Um, thanks, I guess."
"You are welcome."
Amanda was surprised she didn't faint from the sweetness of it all. "Alright now, let's get these tuxes finished up so we can pick out a cake."
The first cake Amanda baked for them was a carrot cake that neither Spock nor Leonard particularly liked so Leonard suggested she make a classic chocolate cake. It looked beautiful when Amanda set it down in front of them, and it tasted even better.
"Oh my God! This is the best chocolate cake I've ever had!" McCoy exclaimed. "Spock, you've got to try it!"
"Leonard, I believe you are aware of the effects chocolate has on Vulcans," he replied.
"So what? I'm not asking you to eat the whole thing! Just try a bite!"
"I do not wish to be under the influence of chocolate at this time. I will take your word for it."
"Oh come on! Live a little!" urged McCoy, grabbing a fist-full of cake and attempting to shove it into Spock's mouth. But his Vulcan reflexes were too quick for the old country doctor and he moved out of the way. "Oh, so that's how you wanna do this?" A devious grin coming over McCoy's expression.
When Jim came into the room he found his best friend chasing his other best friend around the room with a fist-full of chocolate cake and screaming, "Get back here you green blooded hobgoblin!"
"Are they always like this?" Amanda asked Jim.
"Yeah, pretty much."
Standing in front of the mirror in their completed tuxedos two days before the wedding, Leonard McCoy thought he and Spock looked very spiffy indeed. "You look gorgeous, Spock," he said.
"You also look very aesthetically appealing, Leonard."
He couldn't help but blush at that. He was going to make some comment on how close the wedding day was when Ambassador Sarek walked into the room. "Spock, may I have a word with you?" he asked in emotionless monotone.
"Yes, Father. Please, excuse me, Leonard," said Spock as he left.
"Alright, come back soon," he said as the Vulcans left the room. He stood in front of the mirror for a good five minutes, grinning like a fool in love, day dreaming of his wedding and thinking about how handsome Spock looked in his tuxedo.
That's when he suddenly realized what he was doing and his heart sank. "This isn't a real wedding," he frowned to himself. "I can't do this!" he desperately hissed at the man in the mirror. "I can't fake marry Spock! This isn't real, this is all a lie! He probably doesn't even like me! Oh what the hell was I thinking! And Sarek! He's not going to approve of this! That's probably what they're talking about right now! Oh God I can't do this!"
He buried his face in his hands and tried to keep himself from crying. He suddenly felt sick. Without another thought he walked out of the room, out of Spock's house, and then started running.
Back in the house, Spock stood emotionless as his father expressed his disapproval. "Son, you were raised a Vulcan. You have been continually shunning your Vulcan upbringing, first by joining Starfleet and now by marrying this illogical human! Are you ashamed of your heritage?"
"No, Father. I am honored to be Vulcan but I am also proud to be human. I made a good career for myself in Starfleet and I am very content with my job and my relationship. I do not wish to marry a Vulcan."
"Why not?"
Raising his voice slightly, Spock retorted, "Maybe it has not occurred to you that I find humans and their illogical emotions very endearing. Perhaps you have not considered that humans make far more passionate lovers, perhaps you have not considered that I love Leonard because he is so perfectly human and possibly you have forgotten that you married an illogical, emotional human and that as a result of said marriage I am half human!"
Needless to say, Sarek was quite shocked by his son's outburst of anger. "It is true that I have married a human, Spock. But it is because I love her. You have not even formed a mental bond with Leonard."
"This is true. But I do love him and we will be bonded."
"Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt, but have you seen Bones, I can't find him anywhere," said Jim, popping into the room.
All of Spock's anger instantly turned to panic. "I last saw him in my bedroom."
"Wasn't there. I even tried calling him but he didn't take his communicator wherever he went."
"I must go find him!" said Spock, already heading towards the front door.
"We are not done talking, son," Sarek tried to stop him.
"Yes, we are. Leonard may be in trouble and I will stop at nothing to help him. I do not care what you say, Father, I'm in love with him." That shut Sarek up.
"You want me to come with you, Spock?" asked Jim.
"No, I must do this on my own." And with that, he was out the door, grateful for Leonard's footprints in the Vulcan sand.
Propped up against a rock in the dry, hot, quiet, desert just outside of town, Leonard McCoy brought his knees up to his chest, buried his face in his hands, and wept. What had he been thinking? He couldn't marry and divorce Spock. He just couldn't do that. He was so engrossed in his despair and his sobbing that he didn't notice when a familiar Vulcan crouched down next to him. "Leonard? Are you alright?"
Through tearful red eyes he looked up. "Spock!" he sobbed. "I can't do it!"
"Cannot do what?"
"Pretend to marry you!"
"I understand it is a very complicated and difficult lie, but we will get through it," Spock tried to assure him.
"No, that's not it! I can't fake marry you because I love you!" he admitted.
"I know," said the Vulcan quietly.
"You don't understand. I don't love you just as a friend, Spock! I'm in love with you! I dream about you every night and think about you every day!"
"Leonard." Spock was ignored.
"You're so beautiful and you're just so God damn perfect! You're a green blooded pointy eared Vulcan but it's so amazing when you show emotions and it just breaks my heart to see you hurt!"
"Leonard?"
"That asshole Joel made the biggest fucking mistake of his life by dumping you! If I was lucky enough to have you I would never let you go! I would never hurt you like that! He doesn't know what he's missing! I would treat you right!"
"Leonard?"
"And these past few days I've gotten to see what it's like to be your fiancé and life has never been so… perfect! What I wouldn't give to be able to wake up to you every morning and comfort you when you have a bad dream and pick out wedding cake and kiss you and hold you!" Here Leonard began to cry all over again.
Spock grabbed the crying man's hand and pressed their fingers together but McCoy was oblivious to the Vulcan kisses being bestowed upon him. "Leonard?"
"But what I am thinking? I know you can't possibly feel the same way. I mean, what would a perfect wonderful guy like you want to do with a grumpy old country doctor like me?"
Desperate to stop the self-destructive flow of words from the human's mouth, Spock grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a very human kiss on the lips. Leonard was stunned for a few seconds and just sat there, letting himself be passionately kissed by the love of his life. Soon, he comprehended what was happening and deeply returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around Spock's neck and leaning into him. As their tongues met, Spock moved his hands to the meld-points on Leonard's face and the insecure doctor felt all of his emotions and desires being reciprocated.
As they toppled over into the sand, Spock on the bottom, they separated and breathed heavily. "I love you too, Leonard," Spock managed between breaths.
Leonard wanted to say something sweet or romantic, but he was overcome by his desperate need to get out of the hot Vulcan sun. "God, it's really hot out here. And it's not just you," Leonard commented.
Spock nodded. "It is above tolerable temperature for humans." He stood and scooped Leonard up into his arms to carry him. "Let's get you home."
The doctor wrapped his arms around the Vulcan's neck and rested his head against his shoulder. "Thanks, sweetheart."