Wow wow wow! I was so overwhelmed with all of the positive feedback you guys gave me! I really appreciate all of it!
They really inspired me to get writing, so I cooked up this little piece which has been floating around in my head for a while.
This is just a one-shot that's pretty fun and fluffy. Nothing too dramatic here!
Please please review with your thoughts or criticism! I would love any and all feedback!
Shore leave.
It's a concept that Amelia had heard about during her long three years at Starfleet Academy, most often coming from the upperclassmen or returning officers who have nothing better to do than tell the tales of their time in space. She'd even asked Pike about it once, though he had given her the boring and fatherly response of 'shore leave is rarely necessary'. Still, it hadn't dashed the young captain's hopes of someday partaking in a short vacation with the crew of her very own starship.
It is three months, twelve days, and nine hours into the Enterprise's five year mission when Amelia starts to really believe that a bit of a break might actually be necessary. And she really does mean necessary. Not the usual Amelia Kirk philosophy of 'let's take a break and have some fun' type of "necessary".
The crew is antsy and maybe even a bit paranoid after a close run-in with some Klingons. Even Spock seems a little off, not consistently battling against every one of Amelia's decision. Bones is his usual critical and cynical self, only shedding his serious doctor exterior when both he and Amelia find an overlap in their off-duty time to sneak away to their quarters to sleep or reacquaint themselves with one another.
The captain herself is generally frazzled. She tries to hide her nervousness whenever taking a trip down to engineering because she'd be happy to never go near that stupid warp core chamber entrance door ever again. The added task of being responsible for the hundreds of people aboard her ship for a whole five years only contributes to a lot of tossing and turning at night that even McCoy can't find a suitable cure for.
She's on the bridge and sitting peacefully (for a change) in her captain's chair when one of the crew members rattles off something about nearing a Federation planet. The idea of a brief shore leave pops into her head and then she's shooting more questions at the red-shirted girl, asking the specifics of the nearby planet.
When she hears that it's called Paradisus, Amelia can't help but raise an interested eyebrow at how similar the name is to the word paradise. The crew girl's speech tells of a luxurious vacation-like planet, filled with beaches, tropical forests, fun, and hotels to accommodate the ever arriving guests. Spock is being called to her side only a moment later, tasked with providing his insight on whether or not a short break would be a logical idea. To her surprise, he agrees with a nod and a comment about how he's always been interested in visiting the famous planet of Paradisus.
It only takes a few seconds for Amelia to send out a ship wide message which announces the Enterprise's three day shore leave on the approaching planet. There are excited murmurs around the bridge as the ship pulls away from its original course and veers towards the fascinating planet.
The sun is hot and the people are friendly and Bones is smiling and the entire crew seems to be enjoying themselves as soon as they set foot onto the planet's surface and gradually make their way away from the starship. There's a greeter waiting to show them to their hotel, an orange skinned man with black hair whom had been sent after the Federation had cleared the Enterprise's landing on the tropical planet. He takes a quick liking to Captain Kirk, grinning and placing a bright hand on her shoulder as he leads the crew to their destination. The close proximity and touchiness last until Bones makes his way forward, shooting a narrow eyed look at the Paradisian. Amelia chuckles, linking her elbow with the doctor's as their guide slinks back a bit.
Apparently the hotel owners are thrilled to be hosting the crew of the famous Enterprise, because Amelia and McCoy find themselves stepping into a gorgeous and large hotel suite equipped with a feather soft mattress beneath a billowy canopy. She hurries out onto the large patio giddily, taking in the beautiful view of the beach that the elevation helps to provide. She hears the chatter of people filling the streets below paired with the exotic calls of animals radiating from the tropical vegetation to the far left of their hotel.
Then there are arms slipping around her waist and Bones is chuckling as he carries her shorter form into the suite, only letting her free once he tosses her onto the sizeable bed. He falls down beside her and they talk for a while, sometimes staring at the ceiling, sometimes staring at each other. Amelia loves being able to simply enjoy her doctor's company, fully devoting her attention to him for the first time in the last three months filled with stressful duties aboard the Enterprise.
They're rolled on their sides and facing one another when their lips finally touch after an hour of discussion. One kiss sparks up a whole lot more kisses, along with the shedding of Starfleet uniforms and tangling of limbs. Amelia lets go of her commanding Captain facade for a while, because she's in a gorgeous place with her gorgeous Doctor McCoy and it really couldn't get much better than this.
Her blonde hair is down and she's outfitted in only some underwear and a too-big blue Starfleet uniform shirt when Amelia finally gives in to opening the door and facing the incessantly knocking visitor. She isn't completely happy to see Uhura and Carol Marcus standing before her, because these three days are supposed to be her time away from her crew. At least, this first night is.
Uhura immediately raises both eyebrows upon seeing Amelia's choice of clothing and lack of pants, to which the barely-clothed Captain shrugs. The gesture sends Carol talking, explaining to Kirk that her presence is required for a "girl's night out". She scrunches up her nose in a way that could be received as disgust. She can barely handle wearing dresses, as her non-regulation Starfleet pants and gold uniform shirt suggest, let alone devote an entire night to girlish activities even though Uhura and Carol are her friends. Besides, she's planned to take it easy for the rest of their first day of shore leave, spending the remainder of it in her hotel room with McCoy.
Then Bones comes strolling around the corner, tugging his black Starfleet tee shirt over his head in the process since his blue science officer top is otherwise occupied. The girls give him a wave as Amelia simultaneously shoots him a look that reads 'please help me'.
However, Bones doesn't come to her rescue. Instead he nods back at his fellow crew members, urging that Amelia really should go have fun with them. She starts to protest about not wanting to leave him here all alone, but the doctor only shakes his head and insists that he'll catch up with Scotty or Sulu. Then she starts protesting everything in general, getting into exaggerated hand movements until Bones gives her the look.
It's the look that he always has on his face when she's becoming a bother or acting slightly too childish for her age. She would often see it on his face during all of her medical check-ups throughout the years, mainly whenever she began squirming at the use of his stupid beeping scanner. It's the look that always makes her angry for a moment and knit her eyebrows in frustration, but she's come to know it as McCoy's thing. Later on she always ends up appreciating the fact that he knows how to reign her craziness in without too much of a hassle, and she loves him for it.
The look fades from Bones' face as Amelia sighs and mutters that she'll need a minute to get changed before embarking out on their girl's night endeavor, finally shutting the door in their way-too-pleased faces. She sulks away from the entrance, McCoy directly behind her as she makes her way towards her own clothes that had been tossed in different locations around the room. Amelia swaps clothes quickly, exchanging the blue top for her own gold one. She dresses in her pants and slips on her boots, finishing by swooping her hair up into a ponytail all while Bones looks on silently from the foot of the bed.
She approaches to plant a quick kiss on his lips before promising to be back later on that night. They share a playful smirk as she places his shirt back in his hands, adding on a wink just because. He quickly sneaks in another kiss, because he's learned to never take chances for granted, especially when it comes to his beloved Amelia Kirk.
She's strutting out the door a minute later, following behind her communications and weapons specialists. As all three start chattering, she begins to think that maybe a "girl's night out" isn't such a horrible idea after all she's been through in the last year.
The girl's night ends up including a lot of dancing and talking and walking and drinking. Amelia knows that the old her would usually go all out on the latter, but something in her gut tells her she shouldn't get way too tipsy. She thinks the feeling must come with being a Captain and always feeling responsible for the people around her. Despite all of the numerous offers and urges to drink more than three alcoholic beverages, Amelia denies, constantly thinking that if anything bad were to actually happen, she would need to be sober enough to spring into action.
Unlike the Captain, Carol and Uhura have no problem whatsoever with letting loose and drinking to the point of giggling and stumbling around. It's almost strange for Amelia to see the normally proper and collected Uhura like this, but she figures that everyone deserves the chance to get a little wild every once in a while. Having only known Carol for a few months, she has no idea if this is her usual behavior when it comes to alcohol.
They're at their third bar, a breezy and open place with colorful lights set right on the beach, when it happens. Amelia is going on about something to do with the ship when she mentions Spock's name, immediately catching Uhura's attention and causing the Lieutenant to sigh and place her head in her petite hands. At first the other two girls are surprised, worried that something has happened between Uhura and her half-Vulcan boyfriend (though Amelia thinks it's odd to refer to Spock as anyone's boyfriend). That is until Nyota launches off into a slurred speech about how much she loves Kirk's First Officer and begins to gush over every mushy detail of their relationship.
It sends Lea and Carol into a fit of laughter and successfully catapults the three women into the type of discussion that is included on every girl's night, no matter the age or occupation: talk about boys. After Uhura's rant, Amelia is bombarded with questions about her and her Chief Medical Officer. She mainly provides them with vague answers, though she knows they can't really tell the difference based on all of the alcohol and foreign beverages they have already consumed.
Carol starts spilling secrets next, once they've all had their fill regarding the Captain's relationship. Carol doesn't have a significant other, but she eagerly chats about all of the crushes she's developed and all the flings she would like to pursue. Amelia coughs back a laugh of surprise when the weapons specialist dreamily confesses about her interest with Scotty, and how his accent is apparently the 'greatest thing in the whole wide world'. It's a bit of an odd pair to consider at first, but Amelia internally shrugs and goes along with it with a smile on her lips.
Then she's choking on her water and spitting it out into the glass because Carol lets it slip that she and the rest of the medical staff secretly refer to Bones as Doctor Gorgeous. Amelia decides she isn't surprised out of anger or jealousy, but because that is actually very funny and soon enough she's cracking up along with her two friends. She can't help but note that she agrees with the med staff and makes a mental note to "accidentally" slip that nickname in one day when she's calling Bones up to the bridge.
The night doesn't continue on for much longer after that, because Uhura and Carol are losing steam and all Amelia wants to do is crawl back into a bed with the comfort of knowing that she isn't shooting throughout space at warp speed. So the trusty Captain ushers them up from their seats and away from the beachside bar, which luckily isn't that far away from their hotel. The stroll through the warm and heavy air is filled with stumbles and giggles and a lot of comments from the two intoxicated Starfleet members about how thankful they are for one another and for Amelia. She laughs along with them, even linking arms in a sisterly way, since she knows any alternative would mean that her friends would most likely fall flat on their pretty faces.
When she makes it back up to her own room, she's tired and it's two in the morning and there's a sheen of sweat on her skin, but she's smiling to herself. Amelia quietly makes her way inside in order not to wake Bones, who appears to be sleeping soundlessly. She tiptoes into the extravagant bathroom for a quick shower that hopefully rids her body of all odors that come along with being in a bar and towel dries her hair to the best of her ability.
The bed shifts a little as she wiggles underneath the covers, turning to face a now noticeably awake McCoy who smiles upon realizing her presence beside him. He greets her with a sleepy voice and half open eyes, and they briefly detail each other on their experiences. She's happy to hear that he ended up finding Scotty, Sulu, and even Spock, and struggles to hold in a chuckle when her minds recalls Uhura and Carol's gushing over the boys. There are a few more words exchanged and a goodnight kiss before they both call it a night, and Amelia is happily falling asleep beside Doctor Gorgeous himself.
The next two days are even more fun for the crew, and include various activities that one does on a beautiful tropical planet such as Paridisus. There's a hike throughout a rainforest and a trip to a dancing club and a few more visits to various bars. Amelia even manages to haggle Bones into sneaking down to a deserted part of the beach at one in the morning. He does a lot of muttering about hating the feeling of sand in his toes, but Lea just knows that he enjoyed himself in the end.
Their last hours of shore leave bring with them a feeling of sadness, but also a bit of contentment because Amelia has definitely missed the Enterprise and surprisingly wants to get back to the duties that come along with captaining it. The same orange skinned man is there to escort them back, but entirely avoids Amelia at the sight of Bones walking right beside her. She shoots the doctor a subtle questioning look, to which he responds by shrugging and speaking an innocent 'what?'.
Then they're back onboard the precious starship, everyone settling into their usual positions. Amelia catches sight of Uhura and wiggles her eyebrows, making fun of the Lieutenant's slight lingering headache. She can easily see that the shore leave was a positive thing for her crew members, and not only because it helped a lot of them get some healthy sun on their usually pale skin. There's a lighter atmosphere aboard the Enterprise, which makes a smoothly running voyage a whole lot easier. It isn't long before they're hurtling back into warp and off to their next destination, their Captain eager to see what is next for her and her trusty crew.
So the whole "Doctor Gorgeous" thing is based off a hilarious tumblr post I saw, so the credit for that idea totally goes to whoever posted that.
Also, please note that these one-shots are NOT in chronological order, and just a random collection.
I hope you guys enjoyed this, and please please review!
Answer this: what situations would you like to see me write about? Fun? sad? adventurous? dramatic?
Please post your answers in a review or PM me!
xo, liz