Disclaimer: I own no part of this ever expanding franchise.

Everything's Relative

The Enterprise was in orbit around New Vulcan having received a report that another ship had encountered a potentially hazardous situation and they were to wait from them and give any assistance needed. The bridge crew waited anxiously as the other Starship entered the sector.

"The Constellation is hailing us, Captain."

"Put it on screen, Uhrua."

The screen blurred for a moment and the face of Matt Decker filled it.

"Kirk, we've had recent contact with a spatial anomaly on a return to New Vulcan to drop off Ambassador Sarek. A vessel came out of it and the ship and it occupants are being held here, but the ambassador believes that a Vulcan elder, Selek, can help us. We've been ordered to contact you and have you bring him to us as soon as possible."

"He is onboard right now we'll have him beam aboard your ship immediately."

"Of course…Captain."

James sat up as straight as he could in his chair.

"Thank you, Captain Decker."

The man nodded stiffly and the viewscreen went back to showing the stars.

James got up from his chair and walked stiffly to the turbolift; Spock quickly joined him.

"He doesn't respect me," James said.

"In his mind you have not done enough to earn it."

"Saving Earth and the rest of the Federation isn't enough?"

"An achievement made by luck and more talented crewmembers is the opinion of some."

"Yours, Spock?"

"If I did not think you a capable commanding officer, if a bit…unorthodox, I would have no wish to serve under you."

James smiled and touched him on the shoulder. Spock drew away from the contact and James frowned and put his hands behind his back.

"We don't have to be like them you know. You said it yourself, whatever our destines might have been have changed."

"Those were my words, but it seems I have a reason now to wish it was not true."

"What?"

"He has offspring. It was not a subject I had given great thought to before, but now…we have so few children and I find…his to be logical and restrained. Both fine representations of Vulcan culture."

They said no more and arrived at the proper cabin to find their counterparts at the desk with half-finished game of chess between them.

"Sorry to keep doing this, but we need you."

XXX

"Ambassador Sarek."

"Ambassador Selek, my apologies for disrupting your schedule, but an incident has occurred that you may be able to help contain."

"I will give any assistance that I can of course."

Sarek looked over to Jim who had wisely decided to remain silent until he knew just what was safe to discuss and with whom.

"You believe it necessary to have a personal guard?"

"He is my liaison and all personal issues with him will have to be discussed alone at a more appropriate time."

"Of course."

Sarek and Decker led them to the brig.

"I don't believe it would presumptuous to say that in your time hybrids are more common, Selek."

"They are."

"I thought as much, still, the captain has two prisoners aboard and there is a small, but perceivable chance that you would know their loyalties. If they can be integrated as you have it would be a great benefit to the colony, they are part Vulcan."

Spock's heart jumped at those words. He quickly pushed that excitement down. There was no evidence it was them. As he had told Sarek they were not the only Vulcan hybrids in existence in that time period. They also had neither reason to be here, nor reason to be near the anomaly in their own universe. He had his Jim, and his McCoy, that was more than enough. It was likely a research time sent to study the black hole and been trapped in it that was all.

He approached the cell thinking that, after all that had already happened, nothing would surprise him anymore; and he was wrong.

"Father!"

Not taking his eyes off them he spoke to Decker.

"Release them."

"Sir?"

"Do it."

The barrier fell, they rushed to him, and he enveloped them in his arms.

"Selek, you, you did not tell me you have children." Sarek said, something akin to pride and pleasure slipping into his voice

"It did not seem relevant," he answered, letting go of his children. "…Leonard, Amanda. It fills my heart to see you here. I am at quite a loss to explain it however."

"We traveled through the black hole to learn of you status," Amanda said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "You are looking well."

He was they on the other hand did not look well at all. They appeared tired and pale, possibly nothing; an effect of the journey to this universe, but still.

"Are you well?"

Their eyes focused on the floor.

"We are healthy enough given the circumstances," Leonard said evenly.

"What are the circumstances?" Spock asked. They were too much like him. If one was too general they would consider a broken bone in their definition of being fine.

They looked up again to disclose the situation, and were stopped when they, at last, saw the man standing behind their father.

"I…I do so enjoy being right," Leonard said, his joy palpable.

A man seen so often in images now stood before them; flesh and blood.

He recognized them, of course, he had asked Spock to show him more memories of them and so they were familiar. Still to see them before him now, he was not quite sure what to make of these two people that he had been told were his.

"Daddy."

That broke the trance. Spock stepped back and Jim went over and hugged them.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but Jim kept a firm grip on them as they finally pulled back, expecting at any moment to have them dissolve into nothingness.

"Let me look at you!"

He could see everything at once in them. Features of Spock and him blended so wonderfully together. They were beautiful, they were perfect, they were…young.

Jim tilted his head in question. "I don't mean to give offense, but shouldn't you both be older?"

"A side effect of our calculations when traveling through the black hole. It compensated for the time displacement." Amanda's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "It would be wonderful opportunity to study it further."

"Now wait just a minute no one's going to be studying anything! I don't care who you know. You two can't just start wandering around here like you own the place."

"I propose taking them to New Vulcan. It would place them under our jurisdiction as I'm sure Starfleet has other matters they wish to deal with. If no one has any objections," Sarek offered.

Amanda and Leonard were thoughtful for a moment. "This undertaking was personal its consequences obviously will not be. You must do what you think is best," they responded.

Decker looked at them and then to the ambassadors.

"If Kirk wants to be a captain by dealing with one insane man from the future he can deal with all of them."

With that they were free to go. Sarek went with them as, logically, the Enterprise could return him to New Vulcan just as easily as the Constellation. Personally he could not leave his family alone.

"Lieutenant Bell to Enterprise, five to beam aboard."

Quickly they materialized in the other ship. Leonard and Amanda took in the sight of the two men standing near the transporter controls. The full impact of just what had happened making itself known.

"Potentially a new phenomenon in cosmological physics, a distortion of space and time that has linked two realities," they said, their eyebrows arched. "Fascinating."

Jim chuckled.

"Oh, they're yours all right."

While Spock acknowledged his father James stood there with his jaw on the floor for almost a full minute before his voice finally started working again. "Is everyone from your universe going to pop-up here!"

"Highly unlikely, Captain," Amanda responded, stepping down from the transporter.

"Indeed, I would calculate the odds at less than 1.889%."

The younger Spock looked at the man, who could only be described as a black haired, ruffled, version of his captain the resemblance was so strong, with…with his eyes. "How do you arrive at such a conclusion, Mr…?"

"Captain Kirk. I did not suffer all those years at the Academy to be called anything else."

Spock looked affronted. "I don't believe I have committed any actions that deserve such disrespect."

Leonard nodded sheepishly. "My apologies I have been under great physical and mental strain recently and I am lashing out unduly, sir."

"You know it might be a good idea to have them go to sickbay and get checked out," Jim said, his anxiety beginning to mingle with his husband's over their bond. There was something wrong with their children.

James sighed. "Fine, come on," he said, and led the motley gang into the hallway.

"You have not answered my original question," Spock said, as he fell in step with Leonard. "How can you be certain that others will not follow you?"

Both Leonard and his sister looked away from him and to their father.

"You have been presumed dead, and when communication with Starfleet is achieved the family will make it official…for all of us."

"Why?" Spock Prime asked.

"It will be easier for Starfleet to deal with two legends that died in the line of duty than to file all the paperwork for a court martial."

"Court martial?" Jim asked.

"Our duty to the common good demanded action," Leonard continued. "Still we knew the answer would be no if we asked Starfleet. We went anyway."

James smirked and turned to his Spock. "Logical and restrained huh?"

Spock was saved from having to answer by the yelling from the other side of the sickbay door.

"You can't just do that! I'm the chief medical officer not you!"

"Sonny boy, I was out hopping galaxies in this tin-can when you weren't even a glimmer in our father's eye. I can work my sickbay blindfolded so don't tell me how to do my job."

"You aren't staying! It's not your anything-and get away from that! That's my good brandy!"

The doctors' argument came to an abrupt halt as the turned to see the group that had come into the room.

"Oh, shit!"

"An apt description of the situation," Leonard said, as both eyebrows went to his hairline.

Both doctors grabbed a patient and the older McCoy looked over Leonard's shoulder as Amanda stared at him.

"I apologize on behalf of my sister. She is rather enamoured with you. She went through three hard-cover copies of your book in her first year of med-school."

Both McCoys looked stunned.

"I wrote a book?"

"The stupid thing actually sold?"

"It was a good book, and standard reading if I may remind you Leonard," Amanda said, as she settled into the examination bed.

"Not over summer break it wasn't," he answered smugly.

The elder McCoy was sorry he'd asked and quietly went about watching the lights of the biobed flicker and listened to the alarms ring.

"Pulse: 242, blood pressure is practically non-existent." He smiled down at his second namesake. "He's a Vulcan all right."

The younger McCoy looked over Amanda's vitals. "Pressure and pulse are high but within human limits. You are mildly anaemic though."

"I suffered severe blood loss while the leg wound was open. The numbers will reach optimum levels again with time and rest."

"Do I dare to ask how you were injured?"

"We aided the evocation force of Romulus in our universe. In actuality we were the evocation force."

Spock Prime looked stricken. "No! No one else was to be there. It was I who went. No one else need shoulder responsibility for my failure."

"Failure?"

They got up and went over to him.

"Hey, I wasn't finished!"

They searched his face with their eyes and put a hand on either one of his shoulder, concern for him evident in their every move.

"You are not a failure. Your actions have secured the future of so many in the galaxy, starting with the refugees from Romulus. Hundreds of thousands have been saved. We consider it an honour to serve that. Of course…there were sacrifices for that, Spock."

Spock Prime was nothing short of devastated as he pulled his children fully against him; letting them bury their faces against his neck. For Jim it was, to coin a phrase, fascinating to watch him act as a dad. He was so comfortable with touch when it was theirs. While all he could do was stand there and feel guilty that he couldn't even remember the names of his in-laws that they were all mourning.

"I grieve with thee," Jim said, and even to his own ears the words sounded hollow.

Having heard those new voices the older McCoy had grabbed a tricorder and was back to inspecting them from every angle.

"How long have you two been like this?"

"3.5 weeks," Amanda answered.

McCoy muttered several unflattering words under his breath and Amanda let go of her father to look at him.

"Our minds were prepared to take on such a responsibility, Doctor, and so the side effects should remain minimized for sometime."

"I'm going to administer Lexorin just to be on the safe side. This kind of stuff is unpredictable."

His younger self raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Don't ask," he answered wearily, and headed for the medical supply cabinets.

Amanda watched carefully as he prepared the hypospray.

"Keep the dosage low we do not how we will reaction to such medication."

As McCoy pressed the hypospray into their shoulders in turn Sarek watched them.

"You hold katras. The remaining elders can perform the ceremony much earlier than we have thought possible."

"It should not be an event to look forward to," Spock said solemnly.

"I agree."

Amanda and Leonard looked at the alternate version of their grandfather.

"Why is it?" they asked.

Jim gestured back to the biobeds.

"You two might want to sit down for this. It seems we all have a lot to talk about."

(End Chapter 7)