I would like to send a giant Thank You to all the wonderful readers of this story! I am very glad you enjoy it.
And now for Part Two...
Opening his eyes, Kirk struggled to piece together where he was and how he got there. Something was gnawing at him on the inside, like the remnants of a dream he had forgotten. Had he been dreaming? Yes, he must've been, he thought, as memories slowly began to reform themselves in his head. Thoughts of Halkans and transporters and universes where things were strange.
But all of that must've been a dream, thought Kirk in relief. It was all a strange dream and he was in his quarters on his Enterprise where things made sense.
Kirk looked around. Except he wasn't in his quarters. He was in sickbay. And not the sickbay he recognized either. A strange sickbay.
There were big, bright bouquets of flowers on every bedside table. And next to the flowers on Kirk's table was a stuffed teddy bear wearing a yellow shirt. Hoping to spot McCoy somewhere, Kirk looked up to find Nurse Chapel making her way towards him. Well, some version of Nurse Chapel anyways. Her blonde hair was braided back with flowers weaved through it.
"Oh, Jim!" she smiled broadly, flashing all her teeth. "I'm glad you're awake. These are for you." She extended a long, flat rectangular box towards him. Kirk took it.
"Go on," Chapel encouraged. "Open it!" Kirk did. Inside were dozens of lumps wrapped in paper.
"Chocolates?" asked Kirk, confused.
"Oh, Captain!" said Chapel, giggling. "Haven't you ever heard the saying? A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!"
"Uh, thanks," Kirk said, putting the lid back on the box of chocolates. "Hey, listen, do you know where McCoy is?"
"Jim!" came a voice from the other end of sickbay. Chapel and Kirk turned their heads to see McCoy coming out of his office and walking their way.
Chapel turned back to Kirk and smiled at him. "There he is," she said cheerfully. Then she patted his arm, "I'll see you later, Jim. Got work to do!" Kirk stared after her as she strolled away whistling.
"How ya feeling?" McCoy asked when he arrived next to Kirk's bed.
"Fine," said Kirk dismissively. "What exactly happened?"
"Well," McCoy tilted his head. "You transported here from another universe, you fainted in the transporter room, and you just woke up in my sickbay," he finished, shrugging as though this was an everyday occurrence. But, who knew? Maybe this kind of stuff happened all the time here.
"You're fine though," McCoy said, studying Kirk's hard face. "I did some tests on you once we got you into sickbay. You're fully functional on both mental and physical levels. Whatever that ion power surge did, it didn't leave any after affects on you."
Kirk let out a frustrated breath. "What about with Spock? Did he figure out if he can get me back to my universe yet?"
"Hmmm," McCoy pursed his lips and picked a flower from out of the vase beside the bed. "Don't know." Kirk stared in partial amazement and disgust as McCoy lifted the flower to his nose and sniffed it. "I can comm him if you want," said McCoy as he placed the flower back and moved his hand toward the intercom in the wall.
Kirk held up a hand. "Is he on the bridge?" At McCoy's nod, Kirk asked, "Can I… see the bridge?"
"Well," McCoy thought for a moment and then shrugged. "I don't see why not." Kirk nodded in thanks and got out of the bed.
"But before you go," said McCoy, just as Kirk started to head towards the doors, "would you like a cup of hot chocolate?" Kirk stopped in his tracks and stared incredulously at the doctor. Where was the man who prescribed Romulan ale as a cure-all?
Almost as if he was answering Kirk's thoughts, McCoy smiled and said, "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down."
Kirk nodded slowly. "So I've heard," he muttered and high tailed out of sickbay as fast as he could.
Walking down the halls of the Enterprise, Kirk marveled at the fact that it was identical to his ship and yet so different at the same time.
Almost everyone he passed had a giant smile plastered on their face. He was met with many enthusiastic 'Hi, Captain!'s and a couple even pulled him in for a one armed hug. And many of the crew members, Kirk observed, had what looked like hand-knitted scarves around their necks.
Getting in the turbolift that would take him up to the bridge, Kirk held his breath. He almost closed his eyes before the doors opened, scared of what he might find on this universe's bridge. Streamers? Discoballs? A circus complete with clowns and acrobats?
The doors swished open and at first glance Kirk found that the bridge looked... normal. In fact, for a moment, as he stepped out of the turbolift and made his way over to the science station, he could almost imagine he was back home, on his own bridge. His crew- Sulu, Chekov, Uhura- they were all at their stations, exactly as they would be on his Enterprise.
But as he got to Spock's station, he noticed something. Sitting on Spock's console next to his computer panel, was a teddy bear, much like the one next to Kirk's bed in sickbay, but this one had on a blue shirt.
"Uh, Spock?" Kirk asked the Vulcan who was studying the monitor in front of him.
Spock snapped his head around and said, "Captain!" and before Kirk knew it, he was wrapped up in a tight Vulcan embrace again. Only slightly taken aback this time, Kirk patted Spock's back a few times and decided to just let Spock hug it out.
Spock let go and backed up, taking in Kirk's expression. "I apologize. I regrettably failed to momentarily realize that you are unaccustomed to such… actions."
Kirk lifted a hand and waved him off, "No, no, Spock. It's okay. I don't mind. You can hug if that's your… your thing."
After a short moment, Spock gave a quick nod and turned back to his monitor. "I have been studying the magnetic storm, Captain, as well as the computer records from the moment that you transported-"
"Spock," Kirk interrupted. He was only partially listening; he was distracted by something else. Kirk picked up the blue shirted teddy bear and held it up. "What is this?"
"That," said Spock, reaching out and grabbing the bear, "is a stuffed animal. Although not scientifically accurate, it is supposed to be an inanimate likeness of a member from the ursidae family."
Kirk shook his head. "No, I know what it is, Spock. What I mean is- why do you have it?"
"It was a gift, sir," Spock said, holding his bear closer. "From Ensign Chekov. He provided them to the whole bridge crew." Kirk frowned and looked around the bridge. Sure enough, Uhura had a teddy bear next to her station wearing a red shirt. A yellow clothed bear sat on either end of Sulu and Chekov's console.
And Chekov, Chekov was listening intently to the conversation and smiled as Kirk made eye contact with him. Chekov grabbed his bear off the console and squeezed it, then he stood up and walked over to Kirk and Spock.
"They are wery cute, ya?" Chekov asked Kirk.
Spock answered, "Indeed," and wrapped his arms around Chekov.
Wow. Never in his wildest dreams would Kirk have ever imagined Spock and Chekov hugging while both holding teddy bears.
As the two officers broke apart, Chekov turned to Kirk and held up his bear. "This is Dunyasha. Did you know that teddy bears were inwented in Russia?"
A smile crossed Kirk's face as he shook his head. Well, at least some things were a universal constant. Kirk faced Spock again and nodded towards the bear in his hands.
"Did you give yours a name?"
Spock looked down at his bear and then set it on the console as he whispered, "T'Pel."
Kirk chuckled and then let out a sigh. This place was so different then his universe. He walked over to the captain's chair and hesitated. But at the encouraging looks he got from Chekov and Uhura, he sat down in it.
It was amazing, how it felt exactly like his chair. And even though this was technically the first time he had sat in this chair, it felt like he had sat in it a million times before.
"You look down, Captain," Sulu commented, swiveled around in his chair to look at Kirk.
"I'm fine, Mr. Sulu," said Kirk quietly.
"Well, I know something that should cheer you up," said Sulu, as a grin started to form. "I think you'll like this Captain. I made it up myself."
Kirk frowned, but he saw the rest of the bridge crew brighten up. He could almost feel the excitement radiating off of Chekov and he heard Uhura's squeal off to the side.
And then Sulu started to do something Kirk never would have thought he'd see in a million years. Sulu started to sing:
"Star trekkin' across the universe."
And then the whole bridge was singing, Spock included:
"On the starship Enterprise, under Captain Kirk,
Star Trekkin across the universe,
Only going forward 'cause we can't find reverse!"
They stopped and Kirk sighed. Whew, it was over. Everyone was looking at him expectantly.
"Oh," Kirk said. "That was… very nice, Mr. Sulu."
"It's your part now, Captain," said Sulu.
"My… part?"
"Yes. Now you say, 'Lieutenant Uhura, report'."
"Oh…kay," Kirk looked over to Uhura with her big red bow and tentatively let out, "Lieutenant Uhura, report."
Uhura smiled and took a deep breath. Then she sang:
"There's Klingons on the starboard bow,
Starboard bow,
Starboard bow,
There's Klingons on the starboard bow,
Starboard bough, Jim!"
And once again everyone joined in for:
"Star trekkin' across the universe,
On the starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk,
Star trekkin' across the universe,
Only going forward, still can't find reverse!"
Kirk couldn't help it; he let out a laugh. As silly as the song was, it was kinda catchy. All eyes were on him again. Kirk got the hint and looked to Sulu who prompted, "Analysis, Mr. Spock."
Kirk swung around in his chair to smile at Spock. "Analysis, Mr. Spock?"
Spock took his cue and started:
"It's life, Jim, but not as we know it,
Not as we know it,
Not as we know it,
It's life, Jim, but not as we know it,
Not as we know it... Captain."
Spock finished and his eyes smiled at Kirk as Uhura picked up her part:
"There's Klingons on the starboard bow,
Starboard bow,
Starboard bow,
There's-"
Uhura stopped as something beeped at her station. Looking at her monitor she tapped a few things on the screen and adjusted her earpiece. She looked up at Kirk and said, "Captain, there actually are Klingons on our starboard bow."
Yep, I went there. That song is 'Star Trekkin' by The Firm and if I included it in my story then you know it's crack.
Stay tuned for the exciting (well, more like 'fluffy') conclusion in Part Three!