"You look delicious in red." Jamie raised an eyebrow at him.
"I always wear red, Bones."
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Big difference between that uniform and this dress, darlin'."
She didn't think it was anything special, Donna loaned her a red sundress with little white polka dots and Jamie added her white Converse sneakers. She was pretty sure that the dress was actually brought for her since it fit perfectly and she was smaller than Donna. It also didn't escape her notice that Joanna's dress was white with red polka dots and she was wearing red sneakers.
"I think they wanted me to match the family," she whispered against his lips before giving him a kiss. Donna's dress was similar to hers the dots were just bigger. Mama Ella's dress was white with red flowers. Bones, David and Fred were all wearing jeans, boots and different red and white button down shirts. Bones' shirt was red and white plaid with the sleeves rolled up, Fred's plaid was short-sleeved, red, white and black and David's was red, white and brown. She didn't see Mama Ella's sisters, Josephine and Anna Mae, but she was sure they matched, too. Bones looked the part of a good son of the south and Jamie thought it was very, very sexy.
He kissed her neck, "Well, think of it as acceptance. This place is still a little old school. When you get there, you'll see it. Mama is the oldest of the Holbrook family, there weren't any boys which is why mama still carries the name. Dad's family has always been the doctors around here; I guess you could say that our families have always been polite society and old money."
Jamie considered what he said, "Sounds like this place still has southern belles and debutante balls."
"It does. If you were born here, you would've done all that stuff a few years ago. Since you weren't, this is my family's version of introducing you to the society in these parts," Bones gave her a look like he was trying to get her to understand something.
"Your family didn't publicly acknowledge Jocelyn, did they?"she asked.
He shook his head, "Didn't need to. Jocelyn's family is on the same level as ours. She was fine until she disgraced the name; the Darnell's don't deal with her much anymore, outside of seeing Joanna. The Treadway's ignore her and Clay too, according to mama." What was he saying? He looked at her and smirked as realization dawned.
"They're pulling you off the market. They're telling everyone that you're taken?"
Bones smiled and nodded, "I know we didn't talk about it, and I'm not running to the altar, but if I ever got married again, it would be to you. By showing up with us, mama is making sure that you are viewed as a member of the family. My future wife, if we ever decide to get married." Misses Jamie McCoy had a nice ring to it but she wasn't going to let herself go down that road. Jamie blushed bright red and rested her forehead on his shoulder.
"You're such a sap, Bonesy," she muttered. He held her face in his hands and kissed her.
"Only with you. Come on, the strawberries await, darlin'."
The group split into two with Jamie, Bones, Donna, Fred and Joanna in Fred's hovercar and David, Ella, Josephine and Anna Mae in David's.
"Wow," Jamie couldn't believe her eyes, there were people and red everywhere, she could even smell strawberries in the air.
"This is just the beginning," Fred told her from the driver's seat.
They all walked into the strawberry social together, they stopped every few minutes for Ella to say hi to people and to introduce Jamie. She stuck with Bones and Donna as much as she could but there's no saying no to Mama Ella. Eventually, the women went over to the booth for the pie contest, Bones gave her a kiss and told her to have fun, he was going to take Joanna to play some games.
"Who is this lovely young lady, Ella?" Jamie turned around to find an older version of Jocelyn standing behind her.
Mama Ella looped her arm with Jamie's, "This is Jamie Kirk, she's with Leonard. Jamie, this is Marybeth Darnell, Jocelyn's mama."
Jamie nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Misses Darnell." Contrary to popular belief, she had manners, Hoshi made sure of it.
"I've never seen you around here, Miss Kirk. How do you know the McCoy family?"
"Leonard and I attend Starfleet Academy together. I'm studying to be a command officer with a secondary focus in engineering. We met at the shipyard in Riverside on the shuttle. I had to keep him calm."
Pike didn't put up a fight when she asked for a sub-focus, there were a few cadets who did every year, she, Gaila and Uhura took engineering classes together on top of their primary stuff.
"He still hates those things?"MaryBeth asked with a smile.
Jamie chuckled and nodded, "He's getting better, a pilot friend of ours offered to teach him how to fly. We figure that he'd feel better if he had some control over what's going on. He'll have his first lesson when break is over."
Marybeth laughed, "You'll have to send holos, that boy has never liked flying."
"Yes, ma'am." Jamie had a nice conversation with Marybeth; she was nothing like her daughter.
A little while later, the pie contest got underway. Jamie was so excited that the pie she made with Donna came in second place. Of course, Mama Ella and her sisters took first.
"Just like every year," Donna whispered to her. She found Bones and Joanna throwing tarts at some teenager while Fred was taking holos.
"Get in there, Jamie," Bones' brother-in-law told her with a nudge. Bones picked Joanna up with one arm and pulled Jamie close with the other, she looked at him and smiled as Fred captured the moment.
Jamie laughed when Donna poked her shoulder, "Damn supermodels."
Bones shook his head, "Not me."
His sister wasn't having it, "Yes, you and your daughter and your girlfriend. You look like supermodels. Brilliant supermodels at that."
Joanna looked at her aunt, "Etek a'le ashau du, toz'ot Donna. Did I say that right, Aunt Jamie?"
"Mostly," Jamie smiled. Donna, Bones and Fred all looked at the two of them. Jamie chuckled, "It's Vulcan, she said 'We still love you, Aunt Donna.' Her pronunciation is pretty good."
Donna looked at her then Joanna and back at her brother, "See what I mean? She's teaching Joanna Vulcan. Did you know she speaks Vulcan?"
"If memory serves, Jamie speaks Standard, English, Italian, French, Russian, Andorian, Romulan, Vulcan and a little Klingon. I forgot something, didn't I?" Bones asked her.
Jamie nodded, "Tellarite and Denobulan. I'm learning Orion slave tongue from Gaila and Japanese from Sulu. Uhura said she'd help with my Klingon."
Donna rolled her eyes, "Is there anything you can't do?"
"Well, I'm not a doctor. I'm also an orphan with parental and trust issues. That count?" Jamie offered.
"I guess," Donna said with a shrug. The two women burst into laughter; it only got worse when Fred chimed in.
"I think your girl is flirting with my wife," Fred whispered to Bones.
Her boyfriend shrugged, "Wouldn't be the first time. Jim flirts with everybody, but she always comes home with me."