Chapter 13: Love, the final frontier…
"Am I freaking out?" I asked Johnna.
"…Just a little." She replied after a second.
When I started hyperventilating, she backtracked.
"Whoa, it's okay, I mean people get nervous before they get married. It's fine."
"But what if it isn't fine? What I totally miss my cue, or like I trip or something or…"
Johnna shushed me, listening to music. "Gotta go. See ya out there." She walked away surprisingly fast in high heels, meeting with Uhura and Shyana briefly before stepping out of view.
"You ready?" McCoy asked.
"Yeah…no…I feel like I'm gonna throw up."
"Just nerves." He told me. "All right let's go."
McCoy walked me to the alter, since my father wasn't there. I thought that the whole wedding thing was probably bringing back some memories from his marriage to Jocelyn but he never said a word about it.
I'll always remember the way Pavel looked that day, smiling so brightly it light up the entire room.
I didn't even listen to half the words Kirk said, as I was to busy staring into Pavel's pretty brown eyes, but when he came to, "Until death do you part," I started tearing up, and said in a rasping voice, "I do."
I could almost here Becky snickering behind me. The little bugger had managed to get out of wearing a dress, but right now I didn't care. The song she played on her cello was Pachabel's Canon, and I could tell without looking at her that she was sick of it.
"I do," Chekov said his accent thick with emotion. Russian were extremely emotional people so I wasn't surprised to see that he was on the brink of tears too.
"Then you may kiss the bride." Kirk said.
We kissed for a long five seconds, with Becky laughing her but off a few feet behind me. Sulu hooted, making us both blush bright pink.
Pavel took my hand, leading the way back down the aisle.
We had the reception party down in the banquet hall.
The first dance was of course the first thing we did. It was to a beautiful piano piece called, Where are you now, written by George Winston.
"You look beautiful." He said quietly, while we slowly danced. I lifted my head off his shoulder to say, "And you look handsome." He smiled again, that lopsided grin that was always my favorite.
"I was wondering…" I started, he looked at me his eyes still bright.
"Yes?" He said, seeming amused.
"Do you want kids?" I managed to say. He didn't lose stride with the song. "It depends." He said thoughtfully, twirling me around. "Coming from Russia, ve find children to be a gift. But it's your decision."
"You totally avoided the question." I said in mock exasperation.
"Yes, then. I do vant children. But I vould prefer to vait until ve have finished our five years aboard zhe Enterprise." He said truthfully. He locked eyes with me, trying to decipher my reaction.
"Okay." I said simply as the final chords from the song evaporated. I didn't mind waiting. In fact I wasn't even sure I wanted kids.
Everyone clapped loudly and piled in all around us to give their congratulations.
I smiled widely as Becky came over, looked at us both and said through laughter, "You guys are smiling like a guy who sees a double rainbow after to much LDS."
"You mean LSD?" I asked. After so many hours of watching House, I had things like this memorized.
"Whatever," She said, and ran off to continue her cello playing.
For a second I felt really faint, and I almost panicked, thinking I might be having another one of those attacks.
Pavel squeezed my hand and pulled my face closer to his, to look me over.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," I said softly, "I'm just kind of woozy. Can we sit down for a while?"
"Of course." He answered quickly. After we took a seat, he looked around the crowd casually, probably trying to find McCoy.
"Your ribs bothering you?" He asked.
"No. I'm a little hot is all."
Pavel chuckled tensly. "That's for sure."
I finally felt ready to return to the fun after about ten minutes, no longer wishing to stay still while the party continued without us.
At one point, someone we hadn't really known came up to us both, and started laughing. Becky, who was standing right next to me, took one look at the guy and started laughing too. And the guy didn't have a normal laugh either. It was a crazy laugh. *
Kirk stared off into the distance, swirling Saurian Brandy in his glass. McCoy came over and stood next to him, silent.
"Do you think—." Kirk started then looked at McCoy to make sure he was listening and continued, "—that those two will be happy forever."
"I'm not really a good person to ask that question, Jim" But McCoy sighed answering anyway.
"I think they will be, Jim. The way he looks at her." McCoy shook his head, unable to find words. "Their both so young, but I don't doubt they love each other. I don't believe either of them would even think about cheating on each other. Hell, I bet you my salary they won't even notice half the people around them."
"That's just it Bones. I envy them."
"So do I. I miss having a family, but I'm an old man now. Not much I can do anymore when it comes to love."
"I know. And I'm not that far off." Kirk sighed a threw back the last of his brandy. "You know why I'm always getting into relationships with the women on the ship?"
"No, but I can guess."
"Because, I'm lonely. It seems that as Captain, it's impossible to find someone who wants me and not just Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise."
"I know," McCoy said carefully, "but unless you actually leave Starfleet, change your name, and grow a beard to hide behind, it's not gonna be easy."
Kirk turned sharply to look at the good doctor. "Are you saying I have no chance at love?"
"No. But it's not gonna be as easy as you think to find someone you'll really click with." McCoy gazed at the happy couple. "They were lucky enough to be assigned to the same ship, have the same interests and goals. If things had been different it's possible they would've never met."
McCoy sighed again and shook his head. "Sometimes love is a gamblin' game. Never who's gonna hit the jackpot." He added quietly to himself, "And you never know who's gonna lose it all in the next round of poker."
Once the guy had left, still laughing like a hyena, Becky confronted me saying, "It's about time. I thought he would never propose," She dodged a angry poke and said, "Anyway, have fun loverboy." She said directed at Pavel, whom looked mildly interested. Becky morphed in with the crowd, working her way back to the other people playing instruments. Becca was there, switching between piano and viola along with Kirk who was no doubt trying his charm out on her.
"She hasn't called me zhat for vhile." He said thoughtfully.
"Becky's called you 'loverboy' before?" I asked. That was funny. I called him that in my mind.
"Da. As a joke. Every time you veren't around she asked if 'poor loverboy missed his Jenny'."
"Did you?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Of course! Vhat a silly qvestion!" I smiled at him.
We did so many things that day. We played games, we danced, we learned new things about new people. We made new friends, made happy memories. It was one of the greatest ever days in my life, and I'm sorry to say that it had to end sometime.
At one point Pavel frowned, making me worry.
"What's wrong?" I asked him. He said nothing, only pulled band out of my hair, releasing the short braid.
Now he said, " In Russia, only vomen who are not married braid their hair."
I smiled. "Whatever you say husband."
"Only zhe best for my beautiful bride."
I smiled even wider, and lay my head on his shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you too." He said softly. We danced together in the middle off the night, surrounded by friends and new found family, content with our lives as husband in wife.
"You know what though?" I told Pavel
"I never found out The Romulan Secret." I said thoughtfully. "But I don't really think I need to know." Pavel smiled, and we continued on dancing, long after there wasn't any music playing.
Love, the final Frontier. These are the voyages of Jenny Hoffmann and Pavel Andreievich, their life long mission, to love each other utterly and completely. To boldly go where they can never go in a starship.
The End