There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship. - Author Unknown
A/N: Well, folks, as you probably guessed, this is the end. I'm really pleased with how this whole story turned out. It was my first multi-chapter fic in a while. Thank you so much to everyone for all your kind reviews and for actually just staying with me for this. You guys and gals are the absolute best :)
Epilogue
I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.
~Jules Verne
The cat made random appearances on the Enterprise over the course of the next two years. Bones and Jim had affectionately named her Stella, and the crew followed along. Stella, when she visited, could most often be found in the quarters of the bridge crew Minnie had worked with, the engine room, the weapons bay, or the rec room. She even joined them on the bridge once or twice. Chekov was always happy to see Stella, and so was Sulu. Chekov had confided to Bones that the day after Minnie's funeral, he and Sulu had found Stella on their balcony. He later heard from Sulu that the cat had done wonders in calming the highly distraught Chekov.
"As soon as he started petting that cat, he was fine. It was amazing."
For the last six months of the mission, Stella was a permanent fixture aboard the Enterprise. She could always be found with Jim, Bones, Spock, Chekov, Sulu, Uhura, or Scotty. She was an essential detector of moral fiber and alerted the crew to more than one unsavory character before major harm could be done. The crew adored her completely. They fed her scraps in the mess, played with her in the rec room, and let her lay about the engine room/weapons bay/med bay/bridge. Even Spock, a stickler for regulations, enjoyed the presence of Stella.
"Dr. McCoy," he asked one day, "your naming the cat Stella wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Minerva's middle name was Estelle, would it?"
Bones merely replied, "Certainly not, Mr. Spock," with a smile and walked away, even though he knew that Spock knew he wasn't being entirely truthful.
"You know, doctor, Stella eez wery remarkable cat. I zhink zhat she can predict ze future!" Chekov once said, "She knows vhen somezhing bad eez about to happen. Da, she eez wery smart."
Bones was inclined to agree. Stella sat by the transporter pad during away missions, and if something bad happened, she would start to meow loudly even before they got the transmissions from the team. If the sound became a sad sort of yowl, they knew someone was badly hurt or dead. This occurred only twice during those six months. The first time it was because Sulu had received a life-threatening injury on a moon where every living thing was a plant. Unfortunately, this did not preclude them from being deadly, and Sulu's fascination with plant life made him all starry-eyed and unfocused on the actual mission. Chekov was terribly upset by this turn of events, hovering over him and frantically switching between English and Russian. Uhura tried to keep him calm, but only Stella seemed to be able to do that job. She stayed with the Russian the whole time until Sulu woke up.
The second time, it was Spock. When the Vulcan arrived in the med bay, Bones was amazed that the man was even still alive. He was covered in green blood and lacerations. Jim was on the verge of tears.
"He saved me, Bones. He saved my life. I wasn't paying attention and- dammit!"
Bones reassured him that Spock would be in the best hands during surgery- his own. The CMO worked furiously to patch up his friend, anything but calm as he did so. When he walked out to alert Jim to Spock's status, he found the captain pacing with Stella in his arms. Jim never left Spock's side, and neither did Stella. Later, Spock attributed his quick recovery to the presence of Jim, Stella, and (on occasion) Bones. That was a month before the end of the mission.
"I'm gonna miss this, Bones," Jim said two weeks later, "God, they'll probably try to give us all desk jobs."
The doctor snorted, replying, "Starfleet's wonder boy? Behind a desk? I doubt it. Me on the other hand…"
They laughed about it, but the mood on the ship was a combination of joy and sadness. Everyone was telling everyone else how to keep in touch once they were all separated. It was all very emotional. The last time they docked at Earth, the alpha shift bridge crew disembarked last, with Jim, Bones, and Spock at the rear. Sitting at the foot of the ramp was Stella, eyes closed, looking as though she were grinning at everyone. She even rode the shuttle down to Earth with them. It was there that Bones received another surprise. His mother was there to meet him: a sweet, grey-haired woman with a perfect Southern accent. She brought someone with her. With her stood a girl of about thirteen with curly dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, grinning widely.
"Daddy!" she yelled, running to him and jumping into his arms.
Bones couldn't even speak he was so happy. He just hugged her as tight as he could, not even caring that he was being stared at; it was a good stare anyway. Finally, they broke apart, and Joanna launched into the story of how she and Gramma arrived there.
"See, Momma didn't really want me to ever see ya, but I always got my way anyway. She always sent me to Gramma's to do it. You remember that. Well, about two years ago, this cat done showed up on our doorstep, and I ain't never had a cat, and Momma let me keep her! She was awful pretty. I called her Belle. She- hey! That's Belle!"
Joanna was pointing right at Stella.
"How'd she get here?! She went missin' six months ago! I always liked her 'cause she reminded me of you 'cause of the spot on her chest. It looks like the Starfleet thingy. It's how I got Momma to let me come see you today with Gramma. What's she doin' here though?"
"We called her Stella. She went up into space with us."
His little girl's blue eyes went wide with awe, and she asked, "Can you tell me any stories about her on the ship, Daddy?"
"I think I can. My friends here probably can, too. Why don't you and Gramma come to dinner with us? You up to it, Ma?"
Mrs. McCoy smiled brightly, saying, "I think so, Len. Your friends all seem like very nice people."
Dinner was delightful. Joanna was regaled with tales of Stella the Space Cat, her eyes wide the whole time despite her thirteen years. She gasped in all the appropriate places and asked all the right questions, while Mrs. McCoy listened with the same bright smile on her face at all times.
"Daddy," she asked at long last, "do you think Stella's special?"
"What do ya mean by special, hon?"
"Well, I heard about your one friend from Starfleet, Minnie," she answered nervously, "I remember seeing a picture of you, and Jim, and her together from when I was still little. I heard she… she died, and you were coming to Earth for her funeral. I had asked Momma if I could come see ya, but she said no 'cause a funeral weren't no place for me. Stella showed up a few days after that. She was an outdoor cat mostly. Y'know, she'd come and go whenever she pleased, but always for only a day or two. Then, six months ago, she disappeared. She showed up on the Enterprise six months ago. That's impossible unless… well, I think she's…"
Bones prompted Joanna with a look he often used on Jim for the same purpose. She motioned for him to come closer and whispered, "I think she's an angel. Like when Nana sends ladybugs."
Bones just grinned at her.
"Y'know what, Jo? We thought the exact same thing."
At that point, he looked out the window and found Stella sitting contentedly on the sill, smiling at them. She then hopped off the sill.
Everyone at the table was smiling.
Angels have no philosophy but love.
~Adeline Cullen Ray
If trouble hearing Angels song with thine ears, try listening with thy heart.
~Meriel Stelliger
Whether we are filled with joy or grief, our angels are close to us, speaking to our hearts of God's love.
~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994
There it is! I hoped you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Any final reviews will be greatly appreciated and will also really brighten up my day :)