Wow!! This story is officially my most reviewed EVER!!! Actually, it's my most reviewed, alerted, and favorited. That's huge to me!! I never thought anyone would even read this, never the less take time to make their appreciation shown. I'm floored. I seriously need to thank all of you for being so completely amazing.
Now, after all that excitement, I need to do a bit of housekeeping. I'm phasing out the original opening line. It's becoming a little cumbersome, and that's one thing I never wanted this story to be. The chapter titles will continue in a similar fashion, though, so as not to disrupt that flow. Also, I've hit a bit of a block. I want to write a proper date for Natalia and Chekov, but find myself at a complete loss as to what to have them do. So I want to hear from you guys what you think their perfect date should be. It can be as cute or as weird as you want it to be, just so long as they aren't doing anything too illegal. Remember, they are only seventeen.
But anyway, here's the official chapter eleven. It kind of wraps everything up from the last few, and may be followed by one more that is around the events of the movie. I haven't quite decided if I am going to write anything for graduation or not. But anyway, her'es the chapter, and thanks for being so amazing!!!!
Natalia had expected a nice rest when she finally returned from the Enterprise, a few days of solid sleep and some real food, to start. She was sorely disappointed.
Her first stop was to Medical, where a man she had never seen before ran a quick check of her basic functions, making sure she hadn't caught a space disease that was eating her brain. She understood that step. What she found annoying and unnecessary were the hours spent in interrogation rooms as Starfleet tried to figure out how three different men had been captain of the new flagship in a span of twelve hours. After repeating the same story four times, she was released, with just a gruff word to take care of herself. She rolled her eyes, and had she not been so damn tired, she would have informed them that he plans had revolved around that idea, and it was them and their stupid questions that had made that so difficult. Still, it hurt to even think that much, so she didn't chance the effort to say it, and started wandering through the building, gathering her bearings.
She found the mess hall, exactly where it had been, thankfully buzzing with activity. It seems she wasn't the only one hungry, and she looked around she saw that the majority were Enterprise crew. Her first stop was the food counter, where she took whatever they gave her. She wasn't about to be picky. Grabbing her tray, she turned, and made a beeline towards the first familiar face.
"Natalia!" Sulu waved her over, and she smiled, taking a seat across from him. "You look dead on your feet."
"Pot calling the kettle black." She said, and he smiled. None of them looked particularly well, and it wasn't long before their table of two had grown to include Scotty and a few other engineers, Uhura, and even McCoy and Kirk showed up. One person was noticeably missing, but Natalia pushed it aside, trying her best not to worry. When she heard her name being called by a voice she didn't expect to hear again, it became much easier.
"Natalia, there's someone over there calling for you." Uhura looked up and over the younger woman's head.
"I heard." Natalia stood up, not quite realizing what she was doing. She turned, and despite a few cuts and scrapes, she saw that Rachel was unharmed.
"I thought you were dead." Rachel said softly, her hand shaking in front of her face.
"Same here." Natalia started walking, not of her own accord. The two friends were barely a foot apart now when the spell was broken. The hugged each other tightly, tears springing up instantly. They were both talking at once, catching just part of the conversation.
"I didn't know where you had been assigned."
"The other ships didn't make it."
"I should have just asked."
"Wait." Natalia shook her head, wondering what was happening. "Where were you assigned?"
"The Enterprise, silly." Rachel explained. "I was down in Medical the whole time. We were quite busy, after all."
"You were there and I didn't know it?" Natalia shook her head, a little confused.
"I didn't know you were there either." She said. "I had heard Chekov do the announcement, but I didn't know that you were with him. I mean, I hoped you were, but there was no way to be sure. I should have asked Dr. McCoy. He was on and off the bridge enough."
"I thought you had died." Natalia said, and Rachel laughed, grabbing her friends arm and steering her back to the table.
"Well, I haven't, so stop worry and eat something. You look like death warmed over." She forcefully pushed Natalia back into her chair, and the young woman stared at her food as though she had never seen it before.
"Ms. Downing." McCoy was the only one who knew the new arrival, and he greeted her. His voice seemed to wake something up in Natalia, and she rounded on the doctor, her eyes blazing.
"You could have told me she was safe the whole time." She said, and even McCoy looked slightly nervous at the ferocity she was staring at him with.
"What, me?" He raised his eyebrows. "I didn't even know that she was your friend." He paused, as if something had hit him. "Oh, wait. I did, didn't I?"
Natalia nodded. "We were practically glued together here, and you had lunch with us more than once, Bones."
"It slipped my mind." He shrugged, though he did let mild concern show. "I'm sorry, Nata. I would have if I remembered."
She froze at the nickname, the worry she had been trying to avoid suddenly flooding her. She turned her anxious gaze to every possible entrance, and found them all still. She ran a shaking hand through her hair, her eyes looking everywhere, and coming up empty. Rachel watched her, and shook her head.
"He'll be here." She said softly. Natalia nodded, not believing her.
"Chekov?" Sulu asked, and Rachel nodded. The two exchanged a quick look in which Rachel tried to convey how deep their relationship was.
"I just want to see him." She said, her mind running over what had happened in the day, and how she needed him now.
"So you're finally admitting that." Rachel said to herself, earning a few odd looks from the rest of the crew.
"Yes." She snapped. Rachel looked worried now, and took her friend's hand. Natalia shook her head, instantly guilty. "I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't meant that. I'm just worried."
"He's fine." Uhura said from Natalia's other side. "You saw him get off the shuttle. Nothing could happen to him between then and now."
"I know." Natalia nodded. "I just…don't believe." Uhura nodded. Natalia sighed, and returned her attention to the soup she had been given. It was simple and very satisfying, so she concentrated on eating with everything she could. The table around her began to buzz with conversation again, and she worked on every spoonful, slowly feeling her body mellow out with the help of nutrients. She was so absorbed eating, she didn't notice as the chatter died out, and everyone turned to look at her. Finally, she looked up, and jumped back slightly with surprise.
"Yes, can I help you?" She asked, regaining her sarcasm quickly.
"Turn around." Rachel said softly.
"Why?" Natalia said, but turned…
Her eyes landed on the most perfect sight she had seen. Chekov was standing just a foot behind her, looking tired but otherwise whole. His blue eyes found her brown ones as she turned, and she watched as thousands of emotions swam through them, trying to tell her everything he couldn't say out loud. She stood slowly, and suddenly his hands were in hers, pulling her towards him. In the next second he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him, and she buried her face in his chest. She held onto him, her breathing erratic but slowly calming.
"Well, that's new." Rachel said softly.
"Where were you?" Natalia found her voice, and she lifter her head, finding his eyes.
He shrugged gently, a smile playing at his lips. "Apparently I am so difficult to understand, they needed me to type out my story." He explained. "Only after I had told them four times."
She laughed, more out of relief than actually amusement. She ran a hand over his shoulders, letting his presence calm her.
He kissed her cheek gently, moving to her ear to whisper. "Come with me."
"You need to eat." She argued, her maternal instincts kicking in. "Your body is spent."
"They feed me while I was typing." He said, his lips brushing against the sensitive spot under her earlobe. "Please, Nata. I need to know you are fine."
She melted at his tone and the way his lips tickled her gently. She nodded, disentangling herself just long enough to grab her tray from the table, ignoring the looks she received from the rest of her companions.
"See you guys later." She said, a bright smile at her lips. She ignored the shock from her crewmates and headed towards the door, stopping only to get rid of her tray. Chekov linked his hand through hers, and together they walked across the campus and to her dorm room. Her access code was in quickly, and the door had barely closed when his lips found hers.
She was caught in his arms, between his body and the door. This time he wasn't hesitant, but anxious. His lips were firmer, his movements quicker, as he allowed every urge he had repressed while they were on the bridge finally escape him. She pulled him closer, every touch reminding her that he was here and whole. Her fingers danced across his shoulders, snaking into his curls. When they finally separated for air, she took his hand, leading him to her bed. She saw anxiety cross his eyes, and she smiled gently.
"I just need you to hold me right now." She said. "I'm tired, and I won't be able to sleep unless you're here with me."
He nodded, understanding. He lay down next to her, their noses just barely touching. He took her hand, lifting it to his face and kissing the inside of her wrist. She shivered, moving in closer. He wrapped his arms around her, his lips touching her forehead as she drifted off to sleep.