From the first time Kirk met Spock, he knew that Spock was special. Kirk even knew he had feelings for the Vulcan, Half-Vulcan.
But no one ever expected this!
"Why did future me let you go on this mission! I must have hit my head or someone must have kicked my ass. What was he- I thinking?" Kirk had woken up from his "unexpected nap" and was not too pleased with the fact that he let a pregnant Spock go on an away mission. "Bones, why didn't you stop me?"
"The Hobgoblin over there wouldn't take no for an answer, nor would he listen to any reason, but don't worry. I ran some tests before he tried to beam out, the baby wasn't hurt. Vulcan's are made of tough stuff. You should- never mind. It may change the future," Bones snickered at Kirk's suspense.
"Oh come on! It's not like everything will change. I'll still have my good looks, Spock won't stop being logical, Scotty will still love sandwiches, Bones will always inject me with something potentially dangerous, Uhura will work the Com, Chekov and Sulu will brush hands and blush before looking away. All that and, apparently, with kids. Oh isn't that fun?!" Kirk sounded sarcastic and enthusiastic.
"I do not see the problem," Spock interrupted, Kirk had almost forgot he was here. "He and I are perfectly fine. No harm to either of us."
"L- Look, I- I don't care. If you were hurt on the away mission or if anything happened and I couldn't get to you then I would never forgive myself. I'm glad I sent Bones, he would be one of the guys I would trust my life to, but he's not me." Kirk sighed, burying his face in his hands. "God you guys really must have convinced me or something."
"It was nothing like that," Spock answered. "It was simple logic that stated that I would be safe in the company of Doctor McCoy and Mr. Sulu. That and you have calmed in your older age."
"Hey!" Kirk yelled, "I'm not that old!"
"Jim, you're 35."
"See? Still young," Kirk defended his older self, though he was still mad at him. "Alright, so without destroying anything is there anything important that I need to know? Besides Scotty and Spock and Uhura and Chekov having children. Which, by the way, is kinda weird."
"Nothing of immediate importance. Some near-death experiences, fights between crew and between relationships, stars exploding, the usual." McCoy answered. Well at least everything was normal. As normal as it could get on a flag ship anyway. Kirk looked back at Spock. If he looked close enough he could see a small bump forming from his abdomen.
"Scotty's working on the transporters as we speak. I will get you back where you belong and when I do you better kick my ass for being so stupid." McCoy laughed at Kirk's request, knowing he didn't really mean it. Spock, on the other hand, tilted his head questioningly.
"Why would I want to harm my T'hy'la?" Kirk and McCoy stopped laughing.
"Spock, he doesn't mean in seriously. He means make sure that he remembers this sometime in the future when you want to do this again." McCoy explained.
"Woah, woah, woah, wait," Kirk said, he was still stuck in the past. "What's a T'hy'la?"
"So, uh, tell me about… him," Kirk asked the other Spock. They had been sitting in the transporter room for over three hours just talking about everything. "How's the younger me doing? I bet he looks much better, but age can do that to a person. How's everyone else doing?"
"The Captain and crew or doing well." Spock replied curtly. He couldn't think of anything that he could possibly say. "Why?"
Kirk looked at him surprised, "Why what?"
"Jim, I think he's asking about your relationship status. Why did you chose him, the other you never got around to the whole Por Farr thing yet. Too early." McCoy added helpfully, not taking his eyes off Scotty and their daughter. He had a daughter!
"Well," Kirk began, "if memory serves me right I gave you your first Tribble just before kissing you. Just before you go into Pon Farr I will express, what would you call it, other desires that I wish to have with you. That will change things for us in ways I rather not express, but everything works out. We become, what's the word you always use, T'hy'la."
"What about the children?" McCoy broken in. He just couldn't get over the fact that someone could be able to have two males, or females, have children.
"Some Doctor comes up with a mathematical equation where a person can temporarily change their genetic code, making them more of the opposite gender. It ends up working if our favor. That's how Pavel's carrying twins and Uhura's having a baby, given she would have had one anyway, or how Spock, Scotty, and I carried before." Kirk explained, giving McCoy a hint as to what he would do sometime in the future.
"You carried? Who'd you carry?" Carol asked, coming back in the room, she had handed off the children to another capable hand because she had no clue where anything on his ship was.
"The twins, Spock went into Pon Farr. His genes were more dominant at the time and that's why they take after him. They were really quite as babies, never cried, always slept, perfect pair, for first time parents like us." Kirk responded. "They also take after you in height. They're a little shorter than Amanda is."
"Wait, so you didn't try to sleep with Pavel?" Sulu looked between the two.
"What?! No! Chekov's a friend, but his your- never mind. The point is that I have never, will never, and would never try to sleep with him. He's that baby of the Enterprise far too young for anything like me. You, on the other hand, suit him quite nicely." Kirk smirked at Sulu's flushed face. "Oh come on Sulu! It's so obvious! It's like everyone, but you know what's going on! It's right infront of you! Literally!" He pointed to the round bellied Chekov.
"So Spock and I were wrong? You guys weren't doing that?"
Both Kirk and Chekov made a face, "God no, I would never do anything like that! He's been making eyes at you since before you arrived on this ship. He ended up crying one night because he saw you having drinks with the new female engineer. He took everything the wrong way, but when I ran to yell at you, and punch you in the face, you said it was all a misunderstanding. I ended up locking you guys in a closet. I never knew what happened to you because I forgot about you, still never let me forget that."
"Vell, zhat eet becauze you leet us in vhe clozet for zhree days before Spock found us," Chekov smiled remembering what had happened all that time ago.
"Then what's my story? How did Uhura and I, ya know, this?" Carol pointed to the small bump of Uhura's tummy. "I know I'm….. fascinated…. with her, but this? This is a surprise to me."
"Scotty locked us in a shuttlecraft by accident and you have a panic attack, didn't know that you didn't like small places. I'll let your imagination run wild with that. Either way it happened and there's nothing we can or want to do about it. Everything turned out much better than we expected, we've had healthy birth after healthy birth and we couldn't ask for anything more." Uhura explained. Everyone, pregnant or not, seemed extremely happy with everything.
"Aye think if we can set everything back the way it was before I set to repairin', than we might have a chance in sending everyone back home." Scotty answered some unspoken question he made up.
"Really? That's great! How long do you think it'll take though?"
"A day of two. Took me that long to repair the stupid thing." Scotty set to it, going back under the control table and fiddling with the wires.
"Alright, so it'll take a day or two, where's everyone going to stay?" Kirk shrugged his own question off, "Spock will stay with me until this is fixed, Bones, since you and Scotty already live together, you're with him. Now for the question of Sulu and Carol." Kirk tapped his finger.
"She can- she can stay with me," the still somewhat stunned Uhura offered. Carol smiled at the stunned women. "But that doesn't mean you're allowed to be touchy feely."
"Aw fine, I'll leave that to the other me. Now for the problem of Sulu, why not Chekov? Isn't he the obvious choice?"
"No, their not getting along at the moment. Maybe I could just set everyone up in their own rooms. It's not like everyone suddenly forgot that they had their own room at one point. Does everyone remember where their rooms even are?" He was answered by a chorus of unsure grunts and head tilting nods. "Alright, we'll only let certain people know about this, not everything mind you, but enough. I tell everyone that their was a transporter malfunction and you guys don't feel so well and so not to be disturbed."
"That could work, but Spock will have to stay with you." McCoy said.
"What? Why?" Kirk asked, surprised.
"He, how do I say this, his body won't allow him to stay away from his T'hy'la for too long. Since you and future you are the same it should work out. We just have to be careful about the little goblin- child. I don't think he would be too uncomfortable about these arrangements." McCoy explained.
"Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do. It's not like anything bad can happen," his crew gave him a look. "Okay, nothing too bad."
"Captain, what is this?" Spock held up a thin black collar, one that was usually used for an animal of some kind. He had a feeling that he would not like the answer very much. "Is there an animal on board?" Spock turned to see the flushed face of his future Captain.
"Don't mind that, it's nothing. Just something My Spock and I use from time to time. He usually- never mind just put it down." Kirk made an effort to not touch Spock as he removed the collar from his hands. "Sorry about the whole set up, it won't be easy, I know, but it'll only be a few days. Two, three at the most. Scotty will want to see his husband soon and Cherry will want her father."
"Why have Mr. Scott and Doctor McCoy called their child Cherry while that is not her birth name?" Spock questioned.
"Don't tell Bones this, but when Scotty was pregnant, and even before that, he craved cherries almost as much as sandwiches. Then when Jo was five she snuck out of bed and ate a whole thing of cherries. She was sick for days, but went right back to eating the stupid things. She has a long list of cherry stories actually." Kirk laughed thinking about all the times that had to do with Cherry or eating cherries.
"Spock," Kirk called, "whatever may or may not happen in the future, I need you to know that nothing will change between us. The younger me and you. There will be some very…. disturbing things that you'll find out about me. Just trust me. I need you to trust everything I'm going to do, there are things that- never mind. Forget I even said anything. Just know that that even if I'm an ass, I still need you in my life." Spock gazed at the Captain with a confused puppy look.
"Captain-" Spock started.
"Jim," McCoy broke in.
Kirk gave his First Officer a sympathetic look. "Yes Doctor?"
"It seems we have been sent a surprise. You better get down here," McCoy beeped out. Kirk motioned for Spock to follow him as the exited the Captain's quarters. They entered the turbolift together, heading for transporter room.
"Alright Scotty, give me some good news," Kirk boomed as he strode in, Spock behind him. McCoy gave him a grunt as he turn and handed Kirk a small piece of paper.
"Might not be the news you wanted, but it is news." Kirk looked at the small note. It was written to him by him.
'Dear me,
'If we ever meet I will kick your ass. Seriously, I can't believe that you would sent your pregnant T'hy'la on an away mission! What made you think any mission, especially one that has anything to do with us, be safe?! You should have kept a closer eye on him! I know we can be stubborn bastards but really?
'And if you get this send me a response. I need to know if it actually got through, if it did then I think we're ready to send everyone back. Spock says that everyone has to be standing where they were before, okay a lie, but they have to be close to it. Also, have you told anyone about our, ya know past and such. I know I should tell everyone, but I'll get around to it.
'Going on, Scotty says whatever was able to make this anomaly will happen again at 0800 hours. It will only last a few seconds, but I think we can make it if we're fast enough. I have to ask you to believe me and trust me. Get ready if this goes wrong, we might have to keep our…. counterparts.
'Good luck,
Jim T. Kirk.'
Kirk read and reread the note before laughing. "Oh god," he laughed harder, "Sp- Spock, you should- should read this!" He laughed harder. Spock too the note gently and read it. For a split second he flushed green, but quickly went back to being his normal Spock self.
"Captain, it is almost 0800 hours. We have 12 minutes before we have to be on the transporter pad. I believe we should call Mr. Sulu, and Ms. Uhura to the transporter room." Kirk nodded still laughing and now holding his sides.
"Oh come on Jim, it's not that funny!" McCoy sighed when he didn't stop. "What ever then, I'm going to go get Uhura and Sulu. Spock, don't leave this room," he pointed to the inside of the room and walked away to go find Uhura and Sulu.
"Okay, okay I think I'm good now." Kirk whipped his eye. "Oh that was just too much. I bet the other McCoy told him to write it too. I wish I could have met the younger me, seems like a nice guy."
"Okay we're ready to go. I found these two in the mess hall, they were talking with their lovers in this time. They were almost reluctant to go. Any way are we good here?" McCoy looked at Kirk and Scotty.
"Yes Darlin', I think I was able to put everything back to how it was before I fixed it. This little note helps prove that. Alright enough talk, everyone on the transporter. We have one shot and we can miss it. How much longer to we have Spock?" Scotty asked.
"Fifty seconds, Mr. Scott." Everyone stepped up to the transporter pad. Spock held out his hand in his usual manner. "Live long and prosper, farewell Captain, Mr. Scott." Kirk waved as Scotty moved the controls to energize.
"Tell the other me I said hi!" Kirk called as they disappeared.
When vision came back to Spock he realized he was back to the Enterprise. "Hey Spock," Spock looked up to see Kirk standing in front of him. "Is it you? Like the real you?" Spock looked around, this was the right place. He could tell.
"Yes Jim, I believe were are, as you would call it, 'home,'" Kirk sighed in relief and hugged his best friend.
"Welcome back guys," KIrk pulled away, greeting his other crew members. "Look Sulu, I know that you think me and Chekov did something together, but we didn't. We just-"
"Don't worry about it Captain, I know what really happened." Sulu smiled at his commanding officer. Just then, Chekov come in the room looking for Sulu.
"'Karu! Are you okay? Zhe Kep'tin zaid zhat you vere not veeling vell," Chekov went to inspect the helmsman. Sulu went to object, but Kirk cut him off.
"Actually Chekov," Kirk patted Sulu on the back, "Sulu still isn't feeling well. Why don't you take him back to his quarters. He might faint on his way back and we don't want that now do we?" Chekov shook his head frantically and clung to Sulu.
"Are you weally not okay? You nowt veeling vell?" Sulu played it off and tried to leave, but Chekov followed him like a lost puppy.
"So Scotty," Bones started, "do you like cherries?"