Raxsah: Ugh, Stupid Strike… Is it sad that I wish we were in school?
Jeck: Not really. It's the third day we're off of school since the strike started, it's okay to want to go back. 'Cept right now, since we're Harvest Mooning it up. :D
Raxsah: Hahahahaaa, it's almost as addicting as Sims. Almost.
Jeck: Almost. Farming is fun, but Sims is pretty damn awesome too. (I can't say anything though, I'm more of a Harvest Moon fan)
Raxsah: Yeah, Anyway, we're back, and on time this week. I blame the Strike though. If we were actually at school we wouldn't be updating. Not with Prom around the corner.
Jeck: Not at all. We've got a whole bunch of stuff left to plan, tickets to buy, a tux to buy (for me) and a dress to fit (for Raxsah). We're busy people, you know?
Raxsah: Chya, get dates to actually cooperate. Busy life. Anyway, We're glad people liked the last chapter. It was a bit steamy.
Jeck: :3 Oh yes it was. And not to worry, there shall be a bunch more in the future. Much more.
Raxsah: Yes, because in reality, we're almost done. Almost, we're in the stages of planning the end at the moment.
Jeck: Yeah, like right now. This very second. *clap, clap, clap* It's gonna be awesome. Then we've got some editing to do, title selections, and random banter between the two of us before you guys will be seeing any of it. :D
Raxsah: Random banter that really has nothing to do with the story half the time. We get so off topic so easily. It's a little sad.
Jeck: Look at the banter, now look at the story, now look at the banter, now look at the story. That is not related. :D (Five points to whoever can name where this is from.)
Raxsah: Hahahahaaa, I have skillz. Anyway, I don't think we have any warnings about this story… I think it's pretty safe. Save for the references and language.
Jeck: Yeah, no steamy love scenes this chapter. We'll give you a warning (or a heads up in some cases). And we don't own Star Trek related stuff, just for the record. Just our own characters and the plot. Now onto the story goodness! :D
Chapter 7: Get the Party Started
"Hey Ryan," Claire said happily as she took a seat in front of her computer. It had been a long day in sickbay and she was exhausted, but she kept reminding herself to call her brother ever since her conversation with Jim earlier that day.
"Claire-bear!" Ryan said excited as he face appeared on the screen. His dirty blonde hair was cut really short and his normally clean and shaven face bore many cuts and bruises. He had a bit of stumble on his face and his right eye was black, blue, and swollen.
"Oh my god, Ryan! You look like hell!" She exclaimed as she got a good look at him. Ryan shrugged, a smile still on his face.
"I'm living through hell. It's like boot camp here and all the guys hate me for no reason, but I love it here! It's great!" Claire was concerned, but smiled. She hadn't seen her brother this happy since he started out on the Berlin.
"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," she told him as he nodded.
"So how are you doing, Claire-bear? I've missed you tons!" Claire went on to explain how McCoy invited her to the upcoming dinner, meeting Riley, and all that went down on the space station just the day before.
"There hasn't been a dull moment since I got back on this ship!" Claire exclaimed, causing Ryan to laugh.
"It sounds that way. Poor Riley though," he said in a sympathetic voice.
"Yeah, it's horrible. He's been blaming Jim though," Claire explained, causing her brother to raise an eyebrow.
"Jim?"
"Yeah, Captain Kirk. I don't know any other Jims," Claire said, obviously confused by her brother's question.
"Since when have you and the Captain been on first name basis?" She paused and shrugged.
"Since… now? Why?" Ryan just raised an eyebrow.
"It's just… weird. What, did he give you a puppy or something?" he asked. Her eyes went wide and she stood up.
"Fuck, I forgot about Rocky!" she said, walking away from her desk.
"What? Wait, Claire! Who is Rocky?" he asked. Claire picked the small puppy up and sat back down at the desk.
"This little guy is Rocky. My new puppy!" she said. Ryan just tilted his head to the side.
"You… have a dog," he said. She nodded and brought Rocky up a bit so Ryan could see him.
"Isn't he cute? Liam gave him to me." She said giving Rocky a piece of beef jerky.
"Is Kirk alright with him being aboard?" he asked.
"I asked him, he said it was alright." She put him down and turned back to her brother, who let out a yawn.
"You tired?" she asked. He nodded.
"Yeah, boot camp is kicking my ass." She frowned.
"Well, once it's over it's over," She said.
"Ain't that the truth…" there was a small silence between them.
"So… do you know where you will be assigned after boot camp?" she asked. He shook his head and went to run a hand through his hair, but stopped when he realized he pretty much had no hair.
"No, I don't. I can put in a request, but they'll put me where I'm needed." She nodded and watched him yawn once more.
"I'll let you go, I'm sure you have tons of work to do tomorrow." She said.
"Yeah, hope everything works out. Personally I'd hate to be in your position," he said. She laughed.
"I could say the same thing about you," she replied. He laughed and shook his head. He looked up and sighed.
"I'll talk to you soon, okay?" she nodded.
"Yeah… I love you," she told him.
"I love you too, get some sleep."
It never ceased to amaze Claire how twelve hours of sleep could make you feel brand new. Not to mention that a night with no awkward sex dreams was refreshing as well. She took a nice long shower and put on a brand new uniform. Her message from McCoy, saying she had the night shift, put her in a relatively good mood. It also gave her time to read a few things about Starfleet surgeons.
However, her time off was quickly spent. So, after she fed and made sure Rocky was exercised, she headed back to work. The minute she was met with Alex running up and engulfing her into a hug. She stumbled a bit and awkwardly hugged back.
"Uh, what is the occasion?" she asked.
"I'm so glad you are here," he said before pulling away.
"Uh, why?" she asked.
"I think Pam grabbed my ass," he whispered.
"You sure it wasn't Liam? That's more believable." He paused then shook his head.
"No, it was definitely Pam." Claire looked past him to Pam, now seemed to be shouting at a nurse.
"She's PMSing, she just wants to have sex. I have to work now," she said. Before she could walk away, he grabbed her arm.
"You alright?" he asked. She paused before nodding.
"Yeah, why?" she asked. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Alex, are you okay?"
"I want to have sex, I'm sorry, I know you said no but… you're pretty hot. Not like Laura Croft hot, but pretty sexy. How can you tempt me?" she ran a hand through her hair and glared at him.
"Go fuck Pam, I'm not having sex with you." Before she could walk away, he pulled her aside and pressed his lips onto hers. It was passionate, and full of lust, but she felt nothing and pulled away.
"Claire…" he whispered. She shook her head.
"Alex… I'm going to break up with you soon," she replied. He pulled away and looked down.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"Alex… you can still have my pudding cups." He gave a chuckle and nodded.
"Thanks Claire." She nodded and walked up to the med station and glanced over to Kirk's bed. He was still in his bed, but was having a deep discussion with two other people. One, she recognized as Spock, the ships first officer, the other was a dark skinned woman she didn't know.
"Doctor Conaway, glad to see you well rested," Nurse Chapel said. Claire smiled and grabbed a patient chart.
"Twelve hours of sleep will do that to you. Maybe you should invest in it," Claire suggested. The nurse chuckled and shrugged.
"Maybe later. By the way, Captain Kirk needs someone to check his stitches." Claire nodded and looked over.
"Is it safe to go over?" she asked softly. Nurse Chapel glanced over before shrugging and going back to her chart.
"Go for it. If you need back-up, your boyfriend will help you out." Claire took a deep breath and nodded. She made her way over and stopped a few feet behind the group.
"Captain, I know you think the universe revolves around you, but if this event doesn't go smoothly we could be in trouble," the woman said.
"I agree with Lieutenant Uhura, you must spend more time preparing for the Andorians arrival." Claire took a deep breath and moved forward.
"Excuse me, Commander, Lieutenant, I'll just be a second," she said, moving past them. She glanced at Kirk, who gave her a smirk, she just rolled her eyes and picked up his chart.
"You know, you'll have to get a tux. The Andorians have decided that they wish to experience Earth culture, and the event coordinator is insisting all men wear tuxes and ladies wear formal dresses," Uhura said. Kirk rolled his eyes.
"Fine, you going to wear that green dress you wore our second year at the academy? Spock would love that dress, it was very flattering on you," he said.
"I believe anything Lieutenant would choose to wear would be flattering. Her body type is quite-"
"I think he gets it, Spock," she muttered. Claire put down her chart and turned back to him.
"I need you to lift your shirt," Claire said. Kirk smiled even wider and pulled it up.
"I could take my pants off too, if you want," he said. She rolled her eyes and went to take off his bandage, but stopped when she heard Uhura take in a small gasp.
"Are you really going to take that off right here?" she asked. Claire furrowed her eyebrows.
"Um… I believe so. I need to make sure his stitches are still intact." Uhura made a face.
"I suppose we'll finish this later. No offense Captain, but I really would rather not see… that." Kirk nodded.
"Yeah, I should be out in a day or two, right?" he asked. Claire paused then nodded.
"Yeah, assuming your stitches heal up," Claire replied. Spock gave a nod.
"We shall return later than. Captain, Doctor." Claire gave a nod and watched as the two left. She then turned back to Kirk.
"So, now that the sickly sweet couple is gone… you want me to take off my pants?" he asked. She glared at him and sat down on the chair to get a better look at his stitches.
"Aren't you busy doing something other than trying to get me in bed?" she asked.
"At the moment… no, nothing at all." She glanced up just in time to see him give her the classic Kirk smirk.
"I thought you were helping plan some tricked out prom," she muttered.
"Oh that, usually I just sit back and put on a monkey suit when they tell me. I only really get involved with the fun stuff." She stood up and began to rewrap his bandage.
"So if it involves some sort of violence you are all over it, but when it comes to a party, god forbid you bring out the tux." Jim chuckled, but it was genuine, and it made her stomach set off a ton of butterflies.
"Damn, I think I left the monkey suit back at home. I could always go naked if you'd like," he suggested. Her face turned bright red and she took a deep breath in order to calm herself.
"I'm sure you can get a monkey suit, it's not that difficult to find," she said.
"I guess. I can stop by after the dinner and you can see me in my monkey suit glory." She rolled her eyes and finished dressing his bandages.
"I'll see you in your monkey suit glory regardless. I should probably find a monkey dress," she said, muttering the last part.
"You're going to be there?" he asked. She nodded.
"Yup," she replied.
"Did you bring your old prom dress with you?" he asked. She chuckled.
"I think my mother would kill me if I ever wore a dress twice," she muttered. Jim raised an eyebrow.
"See, now you have to explain…" he said. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"Not much to explain. I went to a lot of parties growing up, that meant a lot of dresses. I bought a dress for every occasion. I'm pretty sure I have more than a hundred stashed in my closet back home," she muttered.
"How did you find a hundred parties like that to go to?" he asked, trying to sit up.
"Don't sit up, you'll be stuck in here longer if you do," she scolded.
"Come on, no way you went to over a hundred prom wannabe parties."
"You'd be surprised. There was always some upscale party in New York," she said. She picked up his chart and wrote a few things down.
"You grew up in New York city?"
"Yeah, why? Where did you grow up?" she asked.
"Bumble-fuck Farmville. Not nearly as big as New York city," he said, he almost seemed as if he were in awe at the fact. For some reason, he just couldn't picture this girl growing up in a place like New York.
"It's not nearly as big as you think. Have you seen it?" she asked.
"Sadly, no. I lived in the country my whole life, until I went to Starfleet. I've never seen New York." She smiled.
"You're from the country? Never really pictured you to be a farm boy, Captain."
"I thought you were calling me Jim?" he asked. She laughed and put his chart down.
"I'm at work," she replied.
"I'm a patient…" She just shot him a look.
"You need to get some rest, you're healing up pretty well."
"So, why don't you meet me before the party and you can help me get into my Monkey suit," He suggested. She lowered the level of his morphine a bit and took a look at some of his other stats.
"That'd be a little pointless, since you wouldn't want to put it on in the first place," she muttered. A wicked smirk made it way on his lips.
"Is that an invitation?" he asked. She turned red and gave an awkward cough.
"N-no, I was just. Um, you really should get some rest. I'll check on you later," she said.
"Oh, I bet you will."
Five days later
"What do you mean you don't have a dress?" Liam shouted as they sat down. Claire sighed and handed Alex her dessert, out of habit.
"I've been too busy to even think about it. Between taking care of Rocky, and being a doctor, finding a dress was one of the last things on my mind," She snapped, taking a bite of her pasta.
"Well you need one, the damn dinner is tomorrow night! You can't look shabby at a high end Andorian dinner party," Liam said. Rupert and Colleen joined them at that time.
"Who's going to the Andorian dinner party?" Rupert asked.
"Claire got invited to escort Doctor McCoy there," Alex said, almost inhaling his food. Colleen raised an eyebrow.
"Like… as a date?" she asked.
"No, it's more like… you don't piss me off as much as the other doctors, so you can go," Claire replied.
"So, what's the problem?" Rupert asked.
"There is no problem," she replied.
"Uh, yeah there is! You don't have anything to wear to this party!" Liam snapped.
"Don't wear anything at all," Alex suggested.
"Alex!" Claire hissed.
"Come on, the minute you walked in you'd have the Andorians worshiping the ground you walked on. Or your rack," he said. She smacked him on the back of the head.
"Jerk," she snapped.
"I have a dress," Colleen said.
"Why do you have a dress?" Rupert asked. She shrugged.
"I wore it to my graduation, it's a bit longer than the average graduation dress, but it's nice. I just couldn't leave it home," she admitted.
"Really? You think it would fit?" Claire asked.
"Maybe, I might have to take it in a bit, since you are so tiny," Colleen said. Rupert raised an eyebrow.
"She can't be much smaller than you, I mean… she might be a few pounds lighter than you, but she's pretty much the same," he said. Claire crossed her arms and looked away, while Liam and Colleen just gave each other looks.
"Dude, she's talking about her rack. Colleen is about a D, where Claire comes in at a nice B," Alex said, finishing his dinner and moving to his dessert. Claire smacked him again and Colleen kicked him under the table.
"You are such an asshole," Liam muttered. Alex shrugged and leaned back in his chair. He paused before nudging Claire.
"Hey, Kirk is heading over here," he whispered. Claire didn't even flinch as he walked by, giving her a smirk.
"Claire…" he said. She gave him a half hazard smile.
"Jim," she replied. He continued walking. The table was silent as they continued to stare at her. She glanced up and suddenly became self conscious. "What?"
"You're on first name bases with the Captain?" Alex asked. She looked around the table and suddenly felt self conscious.
"Stop staring at me," she said.
"You went from totally ignoring the guy, to being on a first name bases. What the hell happened in sickbay?" Liam asked. Claire turned bright red and took back her pudding from Alex.
"Hey!"
"I need it," she muttered.
"Claire…"
"We just… talked. Like normal human beings, and we became friends." Liam looked hurt.
"Better friends than you are with me?" he asked. Claire rolled her eyes.
"No, you'll always be my number one gay boyfriend." Liam smiled and finished his dinner. Colleen sighed and rested her chin on her knuckles.
"I'll tell you one thing, this ship never gets boring."
She hissed in pain as she felt her 'friend' poke her with the needle. Colleen simply giggled and continued to fit the dress in order for her to wear it. Liam was on the other side of the room, petting Rocky and going through all of Claire's make-up.
"Ouch, damn Colleen, you keep pricking my boobs," Claire hissed.
"What boobs?" Liam asked. Claire glared at him and looked down at the dress. It was a strapless and right under the bust held tight to her curves for a couple of inches before flaring out. The only thing separating the bust and the skirt was a dark piece of cloth, and two lines of fake diamond design.
"Is it supposed to get lighter the farther down you go? Or is that because you didn't wash it right?" Claire asked, amazed at how the dress went from being black to turning into a light grey at the bottom.
"This is the way I bought it, why? Do you not like it?" Claire shook her head.
"No, it's great! I've never had something so simple. It's perfect!" Liam raised an eyebrow.
"Something so simple? What did you wear to prom?" he asked.
"If my mother would let me sell it, I could buy the whole Orion slave trade," she muttered. Colleen raised her eyebrows.
"Exactly, what do your parents do for a living?" she asked.
"One personal question a day, you all have reached your limit!" she said. Colleen finished her stitching and took a step back.
"I don't believe I asked a personal question," she muttered, looking at the dress.
"You guys grilled me about Kirk at lunch, that is a personal question," she stated. Colleen rolled her eyes.
"Whatever, what do you think Liam?" she asked. Liam looked up and smiled.
"Oh, girl… I can make you look smoking!" he said, putting Rocky down.
"Should I be worried?" she asked.
"Darling, if there is one thing I can do it is give a makeover." Claire rolled her eyes and walked into the bathroom, carefully taking the dress off and hanging it up. She quickly changed into her sweatpants and tee shirt and exited the bathroom.
"Hey, have you talked to Ryan lately?" Claire asked, tying her hair up in a ponytail.
"Uh… yesterday, I think. Why?" Colleen asked. Claire just shrugged and sat down on the bed.
"Just wondering, I haven't talked to him recently," she said. Rocky jumped up on the bed and rested in her lap. She began to absentmindedly pet the little puppy in her lap.
"He's been pretty busy. The last time I talked to him he actually fell asleep on the phone," Colleen said, picking up all her things.
"Poor guy, I will never understand the appeal of the security division. Other than the fact that I heard all the guys work out with no shirts on," Liam muttered, a wicked smirk on his face.
"You are such a pervert," Claire muttered.
"Coming from the girl who dated Alex Chambers," Colleen replied. Claire rolled her eyes.
"He's not that bad of a guy, he can be nice." Colleen raised her eyebrows.
"He must really be good in bed then," she muttered. Claire shrugged her shoulders.
"I guess so," she replied, diverting her attention to Rocky who was busy trying to pick a fight with her pillow.
"What do you mean, you guess so? Surely you've got something to compare it to?" Colleen asked, surprised by Claire's dry answer. Liam giggled from where he was sitting.
"Oh, I'm sure she has. However, she's not sleeping with him. Nor is she really going out with him." Colleen and Claire both turned their attention to him.
"Wait, what? How do you know that?" Colleen asked anxiously as Claire glared intently at Liam.
"Liam!" She yelled, causing Liam to giggle some more.
"What, I can't help it! I'm a gay gossiper!" He defended, holding up his hands in his defense.
"I don't get it…" Colleen said slowly, trying to figure out what Claire and Liam were talking about. Even Rocky was staring at them with his head tilted to the side.
"What he means is, we're not going out anymore. I broke up with Alex today," Claire explained, trying to save her butt. She liked Colleen, but she really didn't want it getting out that her dating Alex was all fake.
"Oh, but you still gave him your pudding cups at dinner?"
"I gave him my pudding cups before we were going out," Claire replied, causing Liam to start giggling again on the other side of the room. Claire turned her attention back to glaring at Liam as he began to snort.
"That sounds so dirty. That boy can take my pudding cups any day." Both Colleen and Claire put their faces in their heads as the mental image of Alex and Liam crossed their minds.
"Liam, just shut up!"
"Wow Dr. McCoy, you clean up well," Claire said in awe as she approached the doors leading into sickbay. McCoy stood outside, fiddling with his tie. His hair shone in the light from the hair gel that kept his hair leaning to the left.
"It's just a simple dinner, Dr. Conaway," he replied, clearly agitated by the fact that he was dressed up.
"I don't know what it is with men on this Starship and not liking to wear tuxedos. And I was just starting to think that I had you calling me by my first name." McCoy scoffed at her comment as he held out his arm in a polite manner. Awkwardly, Claire took his arm and allowed him to lead her towards Shuttle Bay 4.
"This is a formal dinner party and I count this as you working on the clock. Unless you'd like to go scrub down sickbay with the rest of the doctors…" He trailed off, smiling as he heard her gulp at such a thought.
"No, I'm fine here." McCoy's mischievous smile intensified at the panicked tone in her voice.
"That's what I thought. Now let's get this night over with." They continued their journey through the ship in silence. Every once in awhile, Claire glanced over at McCoy whose smile was soon replaced with a scowl. Once they entered the lift, she turned to him.
"Don't like parties?" She asked. He gave her a forced chuckle.
"More like I don't like parties that serve alcohol to Jim." Claire nodded. The lift took them down to the floor they needed and they wordlessly continued to navigate through the ship. After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, they reached Shuttle Bay 4.
"So, have you ever met a Andorian?" she asked. He paused before shaking his head.
"Not personally, why?" she shrugged.
"No reason…" the doors opened and they both walked in. All the equipment that had been stored in the bay was now removed, and tables were placed all around the room. There was a few lights hanging around and there was a large carpet spread out on the floor, making it seem a bit more like a dining room and less like a shuttle bay.
"Doctor McCoy, am I right?" Claire glanced over and tried to close her jaw as a blue man walked toward her, followed by a woman who was also blue. Both had antennas sprouting from their heads. McCoy gave a nod.
"Yes sir, and you might be?" he asked.
"Name is Kevol, I am something of a doctor myself. This is my daughter, Lida. She is thinking of joining Starfleet." Lida did not pay attention to her father, her attention was drawn to Claire.
"Nice to meet you, this is Doctor Conaway, she is one of our newer doctors on the ship. She also seems to be an inspiring surgeon." Claire glanced at McCoy and gave him a small smile.
"A surgeon? You don't meet many of those in Starfleet. It is a pleasure," Kevol said. Claire smiled politely and shook hands with him. When she turned to shake Lida's hand, she was surprised to find the Andorian barely a few inches away from her.
"Uh, hello…" Claire said, suddenly feeling very awkward.
"You have interesting markings. I noticed every female has different ones. Is that common?" she asked. Claire raised an eyebrow.
"Are you talking about my Make-up?" she asked. Her eyes were covered with a dark eye shadow, and the darker eyeliner made her grey eyes pop. Her lips were painted a slightly darker red, and she didn't even bother putting blush on. In Liam's words "If Kirk is there, you'll already be red as a tomato."
"Make-up? What do you mean?" she asked. She raised her hand to touch it, but her father stopped her.
"Lida, you are being very rude," he told her. He turned back to Claire. "Forgive her, she has never seen a female human before." Claire shook her head.
"It's fine, I've never met an Andorian before." Kevol gave her an appreciative smile and continued his conversation with McCoy. Lida began asking Claire a million questions, every now and then getting too close for comfort.
"How do you get your hair so curly?" Lida asked. Claire paused and touched one of her curls. Liam and Colleen decided her normal straight hair was not god enough for this party, and ended up giving her loose curls.
"I used what we call a curling iron." Before she could say anything else, Lida reached out and touched one of her curls. This also caused the Andorian to get extremely close to her. Claire was almost relieved when Kirk walked over to them.
"Good evening Kevol. And Lida, you're looking as ravishing as ever," Kirk greeted, taking Lida's hand a giving in a kiss. Claire's cheeks bore the faintest red as jealousy washed over her body from the attention that Kirk was giving Lida. Why should I care, she thought. Even if he was really, really hot. Claire shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts of the sex dream she had not too long ago.
"I apologize, but I need to take Bones and Claire," Kirk said politely as he gestured to the two doctors.
"Don't apologize at all. I'll just catch up with Dr. McCoy later." Kevol said, waving off Kirk's comment as if it were nothing. Lida took a few steps towards Claire, invading her personal space once again. She took both of Claire's hands within her own and bowed her head.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Dr. Claire. Thank you for the knowledge you have bestowed upon me." Claire smiled in response as Kirk grabbed both her and McCoy by the arm and drug them away.
"Making new friends?" Kirk asked with a sly smile, leaning down to whisper into Claire's ear. She took a deep breath and instantly caught a whiff of his cologne. It was very sweet, and reminded her of old spice, but it seemed to have a newer flavor to it. She could hear him give a light chuckle, and her face went red again, but for an entirely different reason.
"Leave her alone, Jim. Who are you escorting tonight anyway?" McCoy asked, elbowing Kirk in the side, who pulled away from Claire.
"No one. As an unmarried Captain, I'm expected to come alone. It's such a shame, but there's no rule that says I have to leave alone," he explained, sending a wink in Claire's direction. She merely rolled her eyes and continued walking towards the main seating area.
"You never stop, do you?" She mumbled
"Jim, stop flirting with my doctor," McCoy shot, nudging Kirk in the side again.
"I can defend myself, Dr. McCoy," Claire said in a defensive manner, but McCoy just brushed her off.
"I'm aware, as is Jim. However, he doesn't listen to anything with a pretty face and is possibly attached to female genitals," he explained, causing Claire to choke back her laughter. True, it was slightly offensive towards her, but it was true none the less.
"That sounded like it was offensive," Kirk stated, clearly not fully listening to McCoy's words. Instead, his eyes were practically glued to Claire.
"It was, now just start this damn dinner."
"You know, you look really beautiful tonight, Claire." Her cheeks turned red once more and she tried to repress the smile coming to her lips.
"Thank you, you look nice yourself," she said. She wasn't lying either. His hair still looked as if he had just gotten out of bed, but his tux was pressed, and he reminded her of a blonde James Bond. Not that she would tell him that.
"That's it? I say you look beautiful and you tell me I look nice?" he asked. She shrugged and walked to the table with McCoy. She went to pull out her chair, but McCoy did it for her, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Uh… thanks?" she asked.
"Southern hospitality, my mother raised me to be a gentleman, regardless of the occasion," he told her. She gave an awkward smile and sat down. Kirk went to sit down next to her, but McCoy shoved him out of the way.
"Bones…" he whined.
"Don't start with me Jim," he snapped. Claire simply looked to the person next to her, surprised to see Montgomery Scott sitting next to her.
"Hello, your that doctor that saved the captain, Doctor…" he trailed off.
"Doctor Conaway, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Scott," she said, shaking his hand.
"It's Scotty… Conaway sounds familiar, are you sure I haven't met you before?" he asked.
"You met my older brother I believe, Ryan Conaway." Scotty looked as though he was thinking before he nodded.
"Yes, now I remember. How is the old boy? I heard he was on the Berlin." Claire frowned and nodded.
"Yeah, he's back at Starfleet, going through the security program I believe." Scotty frowned.
"Poor bloke, well… I'm glad his sister was smart enough to stay on a ship. You seem like a very good surgeon," he told her. She blushed and smiled.
"Thank you. So, did you bring anyone to this little party?" she asked. He nodded and took a sip of his brandy.
"Yes I did, but now that I see who McCoy brought, I wish I brought someone prettier. I didn't realize McCoy was trying to show us that babes join the medical field. I saw that nurse Chapel, she's lucky my one and only love is to the starship." Claire laughed and took a sip of her own drink.
"Yeah, I hear that engineers have more fun. You know, with all the drinking games and all," she said. Scotty's eyes brightened.
"You enjoy drinking games?" he asked, almost as if it was the best news he heard all day. Claire shrugged.
"I've only participated in a few, but I'm not that good. I usually make it to the last three standing then pass out," she admitted. He laughed and lifted his brandy.
"Well, I can relate. To being the last three standing," she giggled and toasted with him.
"To the last three standing," she repeated. She glanced down the table to see Jim flirting with Lida again and took a bigger gulp of her drink.
"You have something going on with the Captain?" Scotty asked. She turned bright red and shook her head.
"No, no. I just… he's um…" She trailed off, not sure how to continue the sentence.
"He get's that a lot," Scotty told her. Claire nodded as she chugged some more of her drink.
"I'm sure he does."
"Welcome everyone! I'd just like to say a few words before dinner is brought out," Kirk began. Claire was surprised as she listened to his speech about maintaining peace throughout the galaxy, starting with keeping the ties strong within the Federation. However, she couldn't help whispering with Scotty about how ridiculous he sounded as he went off on his love for Andorians and their culture.
"That's the biggest load of shit I've ever heard," Scotty whispered, causing both of them giggle shamelessly. Kirk didn't stop his speech, but shot a glance in their direction. Not long after, Kirk finished his speech and dinner was served.
"Ummmm… what's this?" Claire asked, using her fork to move the thick yellow substance around on her plate.
"Andorian specialty. Don't say anything, just eat it," McCoy instructed. He looked down at his own plate before pulling something out of the inside pocket of his tux jacket. Claire watched as he quickly injected himself with a hypo-spray before turning back to his food.
"Um, what was that?" Claire asked, gesturing to the hypo-spray. McCoy paled before passing it to her.
"It temporary removes taste from your taste buds. Just use it and shut up." Claire followed McCoy's instructions, feeling a wave of cold wash over her tongue, before her taste vanish entirely.
"Wow, that's so cool," Claire said, shoving a spoonful of yellow mush in her face. McCoy nodded.
"Eat up. I figure since the Captain has to choose a dance partner after dinner, you're probably going to be his first choice." she almost choked on her dinner.
"What? Why?" she asked.
"You kidding? Jesus woman, I don't know why. For some reason the man has decided that chasing after you is about as much fun as actually having sex. Don't ask me why, but he has." She sighed and ate the rest of her dinner. When she was done she glanced back at McCoy.
"Why?" she asked. McCoy finished downing his fourth whiskey.
"Why what?" he asked.
"Why is he so out to get me?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow.
"I thought I said-"
"I need to know so I can get it to stop!" she hissed.
"I don't know. Either way, you have two choices. You can either cave and have sex with him, I guarantee it will stop after that. Or, you can keep ignoring him until he gives up," McCoy told her, finishing off his dinner.
"How long do you think it will be before he give us?" She asked. McCoy sighed, obviously getting annoyed with her asking him questions.
"Hell if I know. I'm surprised he's lasted this long in the first place." McCoy paused then looked at her, as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle. She became very self conscious and looked away. When he still didn't look away, she faced him once more.
"What?" she asked.
"He's never gone after a girl this hard, and this long, before. I don't know why either," he muttered. She turned red and watched as they brought out dessert. She raised an eyebrow and turned toward Scotty.
"Is it just me, or is the only dessert they have on this ship is pudding?" He chuckled and shrugged.
"Well, you can't deny how delicious it is," Scotty muttered. She nodded and ate a bit of her dessert. After a few bites she simply began moving the pudding around in her bowl.
"This is why Alex usually get's the pudding cups," she muttered.
"Are you going to eat that?" She heard a voice ask. She looked up and noticed Spock was sitting across from her for the first time. She noticed he had finished his dessert and was now looking at her own.
"Uh, no. Would you like the rest of it, Commander?" she asked. He simply nodded and grabbed the bowl from her, causing her to raise an eyebrow.
"Um…" Scotty chuckled.
"Spock has a sweet tooth for pudding, we're not sure why," he told her. She nodded and sat back in her seat. She glanced down and saw how Lida was now openly flirting with Kirk. For a moment she was hopeful that he would pick Lida to dance, yet, she was suddenly jealous of the female Andorian. For what reason, she was still not sure of.
"Alright, dinner has been served, we are well fed, I believe it is time for the real party to be started," Jim said while standing up. "I say everyone find a dance partner and let's get kicking." Before anyone could move, Spock spoke.
"Captain, I believe you are forgetting that you are to be the first one to dance. Since you are here alone, you are also permitted to choose your partner," Spock told him. Jim shot him a look but smiled to everyone else.
"Of course, how could I forget. I suppose I shall choose my partner now," he said. He glanced over at Lida, who smiled brightly at him. A long moment passed and everyone was sure he was going to ask her, that is until he moved away from the table and positioned himself behind Claire. His hand was held out next to her, and she looked up into his bright blue eyes.
"Care to dance?" he asked, his Kirk smirk visible for everyone to see. She glanced around the room, noticing everyone's eyes now on hers. She weighed her options, wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to say no, or if she should've just caved. She eventually gave a nod and placed her hand in his.
"I'd be delighted," she replied, letting him pull her up. The both of them walked to the dance floor, and she suddenly wished she was invisible. Being in the spotlight with a ton of people watching her was not one of her favorite things in the world.
He moved forward and she almost jumped at his arm wrapping around her waist, but reminded herself that she had agreed to the dance. She lifted her arm to rest on his upper arm, and noticed the smirk was still on his face, making her want to smack it off his face more than anything. Soon she found her hand in his, and they began moving.
"Thank you for saying yes," he said softly.
"Not like you gave me much of a choice, Captain." he frowned slightly.
"What happened to Jim?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.
"Technically I'm on the clock, and so are you." He sighed and they continued dancing. She noticed a few other people had begun to pick partners and dance, and she didn't feel so embarrassed. She looked back at Jim, who was staring straight at her.
"What?" she asked.
"You really do look beautiful tonight," he told her. She blushed and looked down at his black tie.
"Thanks," she replied. A silence came upon them for a second.
"I, uh… I'm sorry to hear about you and Chambers…" he muttered. She looked up, a shocked look written all over her face.
"How did you…" She trailed off and gave a heavy sigh. "Liam…"
"Told a nurse, who told Uhura, who told Spock, who mentioned something to me," he said. She rolled her eyes.
"It's like high school all over again," she said. He laughed and they danced in a comfortable silence for a while.
"I'm… sorry to hear that things didn't work out," he told her. She raised an eyebrow and held back a scoff.
"Liar, your happy we're not together anymore," she said. He shrugged.
"Maybe. But if you makes you feel better, I'll pretend that I'm sorry." She looked into his bright blue eyes, and she actually saw that he was genuine. He may not have been sorry about her and Alex's 'break-up,' but he was willing to pretend he was. And for once, it might not have been to get in her pants.
"Really?" she asked. He nodded, and then in a split second, a wicked glint came to his eyes.
"If you come back to my room, I'll make you forget all about him," he said. She rolled her eyes and gave a heavy sigh.
"Why do you do that?" she asked.
"Do what?" She continued to look into his gorgeous blue eyes before she answered.
"Why are you so sincere, kind, and genuine one minute. Then so cocky, arrogant, and pigheaded another?" she asked. His face became a little serious as he looked down at her.
"That's just how I am," he answered. She paused before nodding.
"Okay," she said. He raised an eyebrow.
"Okay?" she nodded once more.
"You are who you are, nothing can change that. I just…" she trailed off.
"You just?" she looked down for a second before looking back up to meet his gaze.
"It's nice to see the kind, sincere, Jim Kirk." He paused, his gaze never leaving hers. It looked as if he was thinking hard about something, and the fact that she had no idea what, scared her. After a second the song ended and Claire pulled away from him.
"So soon?" he asked, a smirk coming to his lips once more.
"Thank you for the dance, Sir," he took her hand and kissed the back of it. The moment his lips touched her skin, she felt as if she had a jolt of electricity, and her heart sputtered as if dancing itself. His lips left her hand and she suddenly felt cold.
"The pleasure is all mine," he replied. She watched as he let go of her hand and walked off, probably going to ask some random blonde to dance. As if on autopilot, she turned around and sat back at the table, her glass of champagne was now filled with Andorian ale.
"And so?" McCoy asked, a slur attached to his words.
"And so what?" She snapped, forgetting that McCoy was her commanding officer, though it appeared as if he wouldn't be commanding anything that night.
"Did you give in or are you going to keep leading him on?" McCoy asked, gesturing to one of the waiter's to bring over more whiskey.
"I'm not leading him on, he's leading himself on. I've said 'no' what feels like a hundred times. We're just friends," Claire stated, folding her arms angrily. She felt herself slowly becoming more and more defensive at McCoy's personal questions.
"Ay, you're friends now. That's some improvement," Scotty injected, his accent a little more thick as his words began to slur. Obviously, McCoy wasn't the only one knocking back the alcohol.
"We just got to a bit of talking, that's all," Claire defended, feeling herself getting doubled teamed by the two drunken men. A waiter walked over and filled McCoy's glass, leaving to go fill another alcoholic's cravings.
"Let's see how long you remain friends then, shall we?" McCoy shot, taking a nice long chug from his glass. Claire pushed her chair out and rose from her seat, her face bearing a tint of red from the anger that was continually building up.
"Thanks for the invite, Dr. McCoy, but I think I'll be leaving now," she said, trying to sound polite, yet not hiding her agitation with the doctor.
"Don't want to enjoy the Andorian culture any longer?" He asked, knowing full well of her reasoning behind the retreat. He smiled into his whiskey, his bitterness fully out in the open. Scotty sensed the growing tension and turned to his other side to hold a conversation with the Andorian sitting on his other side.
"No, I just don't want to be grilled about my personal life by my commanding officer any longer. Maybe I'll go check in on how the other doctors are doing," Claire suggested, walking away from the very drunk McCoy.
"Suit yourself, Conaway." she rolled her eyes and left the shuttle bay. She quickly made her way to the lift and hit sickbay's level. She leaned against the wall of the lift and ran a hand through her hair.
She couldn't be leading him on. She had made it very clear to him that she wasn't going to date him. Yet the more time she spent around him, the more she could feel herself slipping. His infectious smile was enough to make her melt into a puddle, and one look into his bright blue eyes made her knees week. She was beginning to fall, and fall hard.
The doors opened and she walked straight down the hall to sickbay, passing everyone working and sitting down on a empty medical bed in a corner. She pulled her knees up to her chest and watched as her dress flared out around her and off the bed. She didn't even have to glance over to know who sat next to her.
"You miss me?" he asked. She simply began playing with the hem of her dress.
"Yeah…" she said softly. Alex raised an eyebrow as he leaned back and watched her carefully.
"You alright? You didn't lose the dog again, did you?" Alex asked. She shook her head and looked back at him.
"No, just… thinking." He watched as she continued to play with the hem of her dress. They sat in silence before he tried to speak once more.
"So… do you-"
"I like him! I can't believe I actually like him!" she snapped. Alex just watched as she left the hem of her dress alone as she leaned back.
"Like who?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Jim fucking Kirk…" she sighed, burring her face in her hands, as if she were embarrassed. Alex gave a nod and was silent for a minute.
"You… like, like him?" she nodded.
"Yes…" she muttered.
"The kind of, I think your hot and I want to date a few times, have sex, then break up and have friends with benefits sex for a while?" he asked. She let her hands drop and looked at him.
"No, more of a, I'm willing to date to see if this is going to lead to more than sex, type of like." He took in a deep breath and shook his head.
"Not good," he said.
"You're telling me," she said. He laughed and watched as Liam walked over and laid down on the bed so his head was in her lap, and his legs laid over Alex's.
"I don't think this bed is big enough for the three of us," Alex muttered.
"You're just uncomfortable because Liam has a man crush on you and him being so close creeps you out," Claire said.
"Yeah, stop being such a loser, Alex…" Liam muttered, grabbing Claire's hand and checking her nails.
"Whatever," Alex muttered.
"So, Claire… why are you here and not at the awesome tricked out prom?" Liam asked. Claire shrugged and took her hand back from Liam.
"Not as tricked out as I thought it would be. It's kind of a crappy night," she muttered.
"If you want, we can go out for some pudding," Alex suggested.
"Ugh, I'm tired of pudding. They just served us a ton at the damn prom…or… the dinner thing," she mumbled. Alex's eyes went wide.
"And you didn't bring me any back?" he asked.
"Spock took the rest of my pudding. Apparently he has a sweet tooth for pudding," she muttered. Alex frowned.
"You're cheating on me?" Liam looked up at him.
"You two aren't even going out!" he snapped.
"She's cheating on our pudding friendship," Alex said. Claire rolled her eyes and looked over a few beds, where Riley was sedated.
"It's such a shame," she muttered.
"Yes it is, how can you just cheat on my like that?" She rolled her eyes at Alex.
"I was talking about Riley. He lost everything in one day, and now he can't even be awake long enough to grieve properly," she said sadly.
"We'll probably take a bit off him every day until he can remain calm when awake. Till now, he needs to be sedated. He's too violent," Liam said. Claire nodded and leaned against Alex.
"I miss my brother," she whispered. Alex frowned. He wanted her brother here as well. He remembered how laid back she was when he was here. It seemed that after she talked to him, she had a burden lifted off her shoulder.
"I miss your brother too," Liam muttered.
"I miss having sex," Alex said. Liam sighed and nodded.
"I miss it too," he replied. Claire gave an absentminded nod.
"Yeah…" Alex and Liam looked at her, almost shocked. "What?"
"You miss having sex?" Alex asked. She rolled her eyes at him. Liam looked up at her, as if he could read her by staring at her.
"Well?" he asked.
"Well what?" she asked.
"How can you miss sex? I mean, you're not exactly one to go out and try to have it," Alex told her. She looked at him and then let out a deep breath.
"Yes, I'm not a damn Virgin Mary. I have had sex before. I like sex. Sex is fucking awesome. I just don't want to have sex with the first space loser that is offering it. I'm tired of sex being only sex. I want it to mean sometime when I do it," she said. A nurse walking by paused and raised an eyebrow, but walked away from them after a look from Liam.
"So… you want to make love, not have sex," Alex clarified. She paused before she nodded and looked up at the ceiling.
"Yeah… I think so," she said softly.
"Way to go, Claire. Don't you dare settle. You're too fierce for that," Liam said. Claire chuckled lightly and patted his shoulder.
"Thanks, Liam… that means a lot."
"All in a days work."
To Be Continued...
Raxsah: Did you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it?
Jeck: I enjoyed writing it! And now the best part… let's address our reviewers!
WWESupernatural102292
Jeck: Well, I'm glad that some people are actually taking the time to read our play banter. For the record, last time I hadn't taken my meds and I was all, but raping Raxsah. :3 Thank you for your kind words about our writing. We may not be the greatest writers ever, but I think we do a damn good job getting the point across. Stay tuned for more Kirk/Claire goodness. (yeah, like it was a TV show or something)
Raxsah: Yes, sometimes we get a little crazy. We have issues, but our issues make for good writing. I don't know what Jeck is talking about. We are freaking fantastic writers, we just sometimes get lazy. Hahahaaa. Yes, Kirk/Claire will definitely be more often. I think I favor her over Ryan sometimes. That might be because she's flirting and all with Kirk. :D
writestyle
Raxsah: Just keep writing, writing, and writing, writing, writing, and writing, writing, and writing, writing. Hahahahaa, sorry, I couldn't help myself.
Jeck: We shall!!!!!
WhatsGoingOn
Jeck: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Never fear, for there shall be more Kirk and Claire in the future.
Raxsah: Yes, I will make sure there is more Kirk and Claireness in the future. ;D
Parallel Days
Raxsah: Yes, Love scenes are nice. I'm not sure this is the best chapter. It's not my favorite chapter… I think my favorite chapter is like… not this one. Hahahhaaaa, I'll let you know when my favorite one come up. You'll have to keep reading to see if it'll be alright, because we're evil like that.
Jeck: Well, I'm glad to see that the hot and heavy scene was a success. You just got to keep reading for more. Sounds like a good weekend. It's nice to come back and read another good chapter of our story.
Jeck: Well that takes care of all the reviews this week. More reviews are always nice. And we've got a poll question for all our readers. Which do you like more; Sims or Harvest Moon? You know where we stand. :D
Raxsah: Yes, So, thanks to everyone who did the whole favorite and alerts thingy too, we appreciate it. Hopefully we'll see ya next time.