Slow Way Home
Chapter 28
[Day 35 of 45]
Pavel walked down the hallways. Nobody noticed the teenager who made his way toward the commander's office. Toward Jim's quarters.
Despite everything he still wanted a bit of normalcy which was lacking in his life right then. Jenna was dead. The twins were on earth so he couldn't willingly babysit them. And he had no lessons. The only thing left was Jim but she'd been extremely busy recently.
He just needed to talk. To spend time with her, missing the old brother-sister like relationship they'd had on earth. So he walked toward the door and signaled the occupants.
The door opened. Inside he found Jim who looked extremely tired though she perked up upon seeing him.
"Pavel," Jim squeaked before reaching out and pulling him in for a hug.
"Jim," he muttered, wrapping his arms around her waist. After a moment he stepped back.
"Well get in here," Jim said before escorting him into the room. "It's been too long. I've missed hanging out with you." She said those words which were the same ones he'd been feeling. Then she led him to the couch.
"Me too," he stated as he followed behind her. "How have the bliznetsy been?" She frowned and he realized he'd momentarily slipped into Russian. "Twins."
"Okay. According to Jory's teachers he's finally settled in Intellect at about sophomore in high school level," Jim told him and he nodded, unsurprised. He was smart – a certified genius. He shouldn't be that smart but between his telepathic snooping and his love of reading (which Pavel believed he learned from him mom's mind…) he was an extremely bright and overly smart kid.
"And Mandy?" he asked.
"She and the girls got in another fight," Jim said with a sigh while grabbing for her tea. She took a sip before making a face. It must have been cold if the look was anything to go by. Instead of taking another drink she sat the cup down.
"Were they hurt?" Pavel asked worried.
"They had to use a bone mender on each girl. The guy was sixteen and harassing an older student," Jim said with a hand clenched.
"A cadet?" Pavel asked.
"No. He was the son of an Admiral who got kicked out of several school so he went into the Starfleet learning center," Jim informed him. That's when the door to the quarters opened and Jim's husband entered the room.
His brown eyes glanced at Pavel before heading over to the desk. Jim and Spock shared a glance but nothing more. As he sat down she turned her attention back to Pavel.
"What about you? How are you doing…" Jim asked, trailing off. He swallowed knowing he meant about Jenna. His Jenna.
"Okay," he muttered. His eyes looked down at his hands. He thought of her black hair, her laughing smile, about the way she used to tell him when he was being stupid.
"Oh Pavel," Jim muttered before wrapping him up in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and felt tears sliding down his cheeks. He'd thought he didn't have any tears left. Apparently he was wrong. Her hand rubbed up and down his back soothingly.
Slow Way Home
Vera Ellen was in the captain's private cordoned off room. She was looking at his chart, making sure he was still stable. Seeing everything was alright she turned her back to the captain and started for the door. That's when the Captain spoke, startling her.
"You're Vera," Pike said and she froze, turning to look at him.
"I am," she admitted, confused why he would know that.
"The twins talk about your daughter regularly, mostly Mandy but still," Pike informed her and a smile crossed her face as she thought of her daughter and Mandy. They were good friends. Jim's description of that foursome really did fit; Mandy was the leader, Jory the brain, Joanna the mouthpiece, and Providence the muscle/tech. They would make the perfect crew one day.
"She talks about you too. Were you aware she tends to call you 'Grandpa Chris' when her mom isn't around to hear her," Vera told the man who smiled brightly despite his sickly pallor.
"I wasn't aware but it shouldn't surprise me. She's slipped and called me that before to my face," Captain Pike told her and she could see he didn't mind. From the look on his face she could see he adored the girl as if she were his granddaughter. Then again, anyone could see how strongly he felt for Jim so that was only natural.
"You should be resting," Vera told the Captain who rolled his eyes.
"All I've been doing is resting," he argued and she chuckled.
"That's a Jim thing to say," she teased and he smiled.
"There was a reason her father and I were best friends," he informed her. She smiled before giving him a look.
"You still need to rest, captain. Don't make me drug you to make you sleep," She warned him and he smiled before agreeing. She left the room as she watched him easily slide back into sleep. Biologically, he may not have been Jim's father but she saw a lot of him in her friend's actions whether either of them realized it or not.
Slow Way Home
Jim was getting ready for bed when she heard Spock enter the room behind her. S he turned to smile at him but noticed an odd look on his face. It worried her because that look was not a good look.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"We have been on the Enterprise a month and four days. In that time, you have not menstruated," he said and she felt her cheeks flame bright red. "We have been sexually active the last two and a half weeks. Are you pregnant?"
Her heart sank. She went to sit on the bed before motioning for him to do the same. She'd told him she couldn't have kids but… she needed to explain better.
"I'm not," she informed him. "I can't get pregnant Spock."
"I was informed I could not father, yet we have Amanda and George," Spock reminded her. She knew what he was saying but she couldn't feel a little hurt. Not because of him but because of her situation.
"Yours was biological. Mine is because of damage done and severe scaring left behind. According to S'Nau there is a ninety-five percent chance I will never be able to conceive again. If, by some miracle, I did conceive then there is only a one percent chance I would carry the child to term and have it survive. My chance of survival would be even less than that. About point oh-two-five percent chance of survival, actually," she informed him. "It also would be difficult for me to conceive since I rarely have a period – maybe once every four to five months. So no, I'm not likely to get pregnant," she informed him.
She hoped she wasn't breaking Spock's heart but he needed to know.
His hand reached out to grab hers, his finger rubbing along hers in a Vulcan kiss. She felt his grief through the bond – knowing that he would never see her pregnant, and if he did then it would mean her death or the death of the child.
Sighing she leaned back against the mattress and he wrapped his arms around her. She knew it would be hard but they would make it.
Slow Way Home
Bones was sitting in his quarters worrying. It was what he did best after all. Gaila was lying in the bed beside him while he sat there thinking over everything that had happened.
Jamie Tabitha Kirk was a trouble maker. Trouble Magnet may have been better because a lot of times she didn't seek it out – it just found her. Beside her was her Vulcan. He was a wild card in the scheme of things.
He seemed so logical and in control until Jim was brought into the equation. Bring her in and his logic flew out the window and his need to protect her, his emotions took over.
Pavel Chekov was young. He was grieving. Bones didn't know how he'd react if anything else went wrong. After all, he was still a boy. He was moody, hormonal as it were. Throw in the grief of losing his girlfriend and the stress of being onboard a starship and who knew what would happen.
Then there was Vera who was trying to hide her grief. She wasn't very good at it. She was also just as worried about her daughter as he was his, and Jim was worried about her children. They were far away from their protective parents.
Last but not least – there was Gaila for him to worry about. Just a few days ago she'd had a dizzy spell though she tried to assure him she was fine. Still, she'd been refusing to let him look her over. She kept telling him he was a worrywart.
So he was to wound to sleep. His mind kept thinking of the crew, and those that had become his family.