Hello! [enter all the usual apologies re: real life intervening and putting my (un)lucrative fanfiction career on hold at inopportune times]. If you're still around, drop me a review! I love this story too much to abandon it (and things are about to ge D). LLAP x

Forty Six

When Leonard walked into his quarters at eighteen hundred hours after almost forty-eight hours in Sickbay, he could feel that something was different.

Not a wrong different, exactly, but certainly different. Frowning, he walked further into the room and turned the lights up, simultaneously hearing the sounds of the shower running in the bathroom, and a seeing a note stuck onto the screen of his computer that hadn't been there when he'd left. A quick glance inside the bedroom revealed Victoria's lab-coat thrown on the bed and her shoes lying on the floor next to it; at least now he knew who was occupying his shower. Curiosity only halfway satisfied, he walked back to his desk and took the note off the screen to read it.

Happy birthday, my Leo. I have a surprise for you. Check your email, and turn on the screen at 1810.
– V xoxo

Leonard smiled despite his mood, and the digital clock on the wall in front of him blinked the time, giving him just under five minutes to follow her instructions. Wondering how she'd known he'd come back at that time – he hadn't seen anyone on his way out of Sickbay – he sat down at the desk and pulled the screen towards himself. He didn't know who had told Victoria it was his birthday, or even the fact that he was a Leo – did she actually believe in that crap? – but he didn't have it in him to be annoyed at her. There was a part of him that didn't even want to think about his birthday, because it was the first time in eleven years he hadn't received a call from his daughter. He didn't even know what time it was on Earth, and he couldn't risk making the first move – not now, not when he wasn't there to talk to lawyers and fight custody battles that ever should have gotten this ugly in the first place. He had wanted the day to pass by, but that was too much to hope for; he had expected the wishes from everyone in Sickbay, and Jim had told him to drop by after his shift, but other than that the day had gone by without incident. Of course, he should have known Victoria wouldn't have let it pass by without something.

At 1809, he turned on the screen and picked up his comm, scrolling through his emails lazily as the computer started up. Instead of hearing the usual chime that indicated it was on, however, he heard a dial-tone, an odd crackling sound, and as he looked back up at the screen, he blinked in surprise to find his daughter's face reflected in it.

The comm fell out of his hands and clattered onto the floor. "What the –"

"Hi, Daddy," Joanna giggled. "And no, this isn't a recording," she added. Her hair was longer; she also looked thinner, but Leonard didn't know if he was imagining it. She was smiling too widely for him to care though. "Happy birthday."

"What are you doing?" he demanded. The panic was outweighing his happiness at seeing his daughter again. "Joanna, you can't –"

"Calm down," said a soft voice. At first, Leonard thought someone had entered his room, and his eyes immediately flickered to the doorway of the bedroom. He couldn't hear the shower anymore, but he couldn't see Victoria either. Instead, another person slid into the frame on the screen, and he found himself staring at his mother. Her blue eyes, so unlike his own, crinkled at the edges as she smiled. "It's all taken care of, love."

"Ma, what's going on?" he asked. The sight of his mother took some of his panic away; it was no secret she had sided with Pam in the divorce, and she would never do anything to jeopardise the alliance she had with his ex-wife that gave her access to her oldest grandchild.

"Ugh, this is why I told Nanna we should have let the lawyer call first," Joanna groaned, while Melanie McCoy nodded in agreement. "You're so paranoid, Dad. Check your email."

Dumbly, Leonard picked up his comm from the floor, barely able to tear his eyes away from the screen. His emails had refreshed in the few seconds he'd looked away from his comm; there was a new one, right on top, from someone called Katherine Bright. There was no text, simply a file attached that needed an electronic signature. He had to skim the first page twice to understand the contents. It was a custody agreement. A new custody agreement.

He flipped to the last page.

With his ex-wife's signature already on it.

"You can read it later," said Joanna, interrupting his stunned silence. "It's your birthday present. Uncle Jim set it all up; Katie's a friend of his, she told me he got in touch and asked her if there was any way she could help you with Mama's new custody requests since you're not due back on Earth for ages."

Jim? That made no sense. Leonard had never told Jim about his latest problems. Only one person had known about that, and she was currently using his shower. Leonard looked at his mother and daughter in confusion. "Who the hell is Katie?" he blurted out.

"Language," admonished Melanie. "That's your lawyer, dear. Well, your new lawyer. Apparently she waltzed into Pam's lawyers office and wrangled us a new custody agreement. A much better one than the one you signed all those years ago." The underlying accusation was clear in her tone, even as Leonard tried to ignore it: because you couldn't keep your marriage together.

"I get to stay with Nanna every other weekend and when you're back on Earth I can spend the summers and every other Christmas with you," added Joanna, oblivious to the tension. The smile on her face made his heart ache. She hadn't sounded this happy in months, not since the boarding-school fiasco the last time he'd spoken to her, when she had been sullen and refused to tell him what was wrong. "Isn't that great? It's so much better than the two weeks Mama would let me go to San Francisco every year. And you've met Katie, Dad. She was Tori's friend, remember? We met at that wedding you took me to."

"Who is this Tori?" asked Melanie curiously. "Joanna keeps mentioning her. I thought Katie said Jim Kirk sent her."

"Yeah. He probably did," said Leonard, a little too sharply. He was stunned, too stunned to process everything now, but the mere mention of Victoria's name caused him to react automatically. "Tori's just an old friend of Jim's."

With all the innocence of eleven years of age, Joanna turned to her grandmother and began telling her the story that Leonard was surprised she remembered so well: of Ben and Sulu's wedding, and the nice pretty red-haired woman who had talked to her like she was a grown-up, and made fun of Jim Kirk to boot. Melanie listened to every word with an adoring look on her face, probably registering none of it, just happy to have her granddaughter back in her arms. Leonard knew the feeling. He barely heard what Joanna was actually saying; instead, he let her chatter wash over him as he sat back and smiled, relishing in the opportunity to look at her. But he also hated how much she'd grown up, in just the few months he hadn't been allowed to see her. His eyes soaked up every new expression, every careless action, committing them to memory with the irrational fear that this was all a dream, and he'd wake up with another hangover and the helpless, empty feeling that came with realising he could do nothing about his situation, not without being there himself… and a better lawyer.

"You need a better lawyer."

Victoria had said those exact words to him, weeks ago when he had found Jim passed out in her quarters on his birthday. Then she had cried about seeing Demora on a livestream and refused to let him comfort her because she felt guilty that he couldn't see his own daughter the same way.

And Katie was Tori's friend.

No, it wasn't possible. She couldn't do that, not with how paranoid she was about anyone learning where she was, who she was. He knew she had no contact with anyone as Victoria More except her father, and her relationship with him was tumultuous at best, from what he'd heard. There was no way she could have pulled off something like this. And yet… as Joanna and his mother bickered about what exactly Katie had said about how she knew Jim, his eyes drifted up past the screen to the open door of his bedroom. If the soft sounds coming from inside were any indication, Victoria was out of the shower and listening to every word, but hadn't run out in surprise at hearing his conversation.

So, it wasn't a surprise to her.

"Well, just tell Jim Kirk thank you for getting us our grandbaby back," said Melanie, finally addressing her son and pulling him out of his thoughts. She kissed the top of Joanna's head and stood up from her seat, clearly getting ready to leave. "I'll let you two chat now. Happy birthday, love." She blew him a kiss, and was gone.

As they heard the door click shut behind her, Joanna giggled. "I didn't want to say it in front of Nanna, but Mama was so mad," she snickered, and Leonard's lips twitched up into the first smile he'd felt on his face in two days. "She totally thought you'd been plotting something for weeks when you didn't answer that first lawyer's email. I told her that Uncle Jim was probably doing all this without even telling you, and I was right, wasn't I?" dumbly, Leonard nodded. She had no idea how right she was. Joanna giggled again. "You should have seen everyone's faces. Katie was so cool about it too. Maybe I should be a lawyer."

"You can be anythin' you want," answered Leonard automatically. This was too much to take in. He needed to read the custody agreement, talk to Jim, talk to Tori, who still hadn't left the bedroom, even though he was sure she could hear every word. There were questions racing through his head, but he didn't want to think about them. Not yet, anyway. Dropping his comm back on the desk, he raised a hand and gently touched the screen, right against Joanna's cheek. He felt a lump rise in his throat. "I missed you, kid."

Joanna sighed. "I missed you too, Dad. But we can talk all the time now," she added, her eyes glistening with excitement. "Uncle Jim sent me my own PADD, and it has a secure line just for you! I thought he'd be with you right now," she scrunched up her nose in confusion. "I wanted to say thanks."

"Why would he be with me?" asked Leonard in amusement. "He ain't my room-mate anymore."

"Oh, because of your – actually, never mind," she cut herself off abruptly. "Did you have a nice birthday?"

"I was workin'," he shrugged, and Joanna made an offended sound. "I can't take a day off just for my birthday, honey."

"You should! Maybe next time I can come on one of your missions with you, if it's on your birthday," suggested Joanna, and she looked so hopeful that Leonard didn't have the heart to tell her that would only happen over his dead body. "You should have a party. You're always working."

"I don't like parties. I like workin'," he said simply. Joanna hummed in acknowledgement, but they both didn't say anything after that. The older she got, the more Leonard realised just how well his daughter knew him; even now, she merely smiled and let him stare at her, because she knew he wasn't the type to give emotional speeches. But he had tried so hard for years to make sure that, no matter where he was, his daughter knew he loved her. And now, seeing the genuine delight on her face at seeing him again, and knowing she could speak to him whenever she wanted now, made him feel, for the first time in years, that she knew how loved she was.

"You wanna tell me about school?" he asked finally, wanting to hear her voice again.

Joanna laughed. "School's boring, Dad. You're the one in space. Why don't you tell me a cool story for once?"

"I'm just a doctor," he reminded her. "I don't have any cool stories."

"You're such a liar. Uncle Jim always says he would be dead without you, at least twice over."

"Jim exaggerates, honey."

"Sure," she laughed again. It was his favourite sound. "Well, I was going to go have dinner with Nanna and Gran, but if you want to keep talking I can stay. Or I can call you later this week. With my new PADD."

Leonard's lips twitched at her pointed tone. "Go have dinner, sweetheart. You better say thank you to Uncle Jim for the PADD. And don't –"

"– use it after dinnertime except on the weekends," Joanna finished the sentence for him and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Dad, I know. And I did say thank you to him. I'll give Gran your love," she added. "She wanted to talk to you too, but she's cooking, and she said she already called you last weekend."

Leonard's smile grew at the mention of his grandmother; his father's mother, Ellen McCoy, who had probably been the only reason aside from his daughter that he'd gone back to visit Georgia so often after joining Starfleet. God, he missed her too. "You do that," he said finally. "Text me your PADD details and I'll call you tomorrow on my break." It was the weekend on Earth, if he remembered.

"Okay," Joanna beamed. "Bye, Dad! Love you, happy birthday again!"

"Love you too," he said softly, and Joanna gave him an excited wave before the call ended, and he saw his own reflection in the screen as it went blank. He didn't move after that, still staring at the screen as his thoughts raced a mile a minute. He was happy, and overwhelmed, and utterly confused; and he was so distracted by his conflicting emotions that he didn't even realise Victoria had entered the room until she wrapped her arms around him from behind, hugging his shoulders as she kissed his temple.

"Hi," she whispered. "Happy birthday." He didn't say anything, merely rested a hand on her elbow, his mind still reeling. She rubbed his arm soothingly. "Joanna was right. Katie's a friend of mine, and I asked my dad to get in touch with her. She used Jim's name as a reference and I told him to vouch for her if your mother called him. The secure line was Jim's idea. My dad and I have one too." He still couldn't speak. Victoria sighed. "I know it might be a little out of line, and I know you didn't ask for my help, but –"

Leonard pushed himself up off his chair and turned to face her, cutting her off abruptly. Victoria was chewing her lip nervously, and there was no trace of surprise in her eyes, just guarded anxiety. It confirmed his suspicions immediately. He took her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing against her cheeks gently. The anxiety seemed to vanish at his touch, and her eyes sparkled with happiness. They were green again. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? The only word he could utter in response to the actions of the beautiful, incredible, perfect woman in front of him was, "Why?"

"I just wanted to help," she whispered, smiling softly. "I didn't even realise how sad you've been until I heard you talk to her just now. You sounded so happy."

Leonard let out a shaky breath. "Darlin', I…" he trailed off. He was speechless. Victoria didn't seem to mind. Her smile was patient while she waited for him to collect himself. "Thank you," he said finally. As soon as he said it, he felt the dam of emotion he'd built inside him break, and pulled her closer until she was crushed her against his chest. "Thank you," he whispered into her hair, trying to ignore the way his eyes were stinging.

Victoria wrapped her arms around him just as tightly. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Just long enough for Leonard to collect himself, and for him to show, in some utterly pathetic, inadequate way, just how thankful he was to Victoria. It wasn't enough, though. Even when he pulled back to kiss her and took his time desperately trying to pour everything he couldn't say into the kiss, it didn't feel like enough. But Victoria was smiling when they broke apart, and laughed a little breathlessly when he rested his forehead against hers.

"Wow," she whispered. "You sure know how to thank a girl."

Leonard chuckled, and then finally asked another question that had been confusing him. "Who told you it was my birthday anyway?"

"Jim, of course," said Victoria, and Leonard grimaced, knowing what was coming next. "I'm supposed to trick you into following me to his quarters in about five minutes for your surprise party."

Leonard groaned softly. "You mean he told you to do it so I didn't bail?"

"Pretty much," she grinned, and kissed him again. "Don't bail," she murmured against his lips. "I'll make it worth your while later."

"God, I hate how perfect you are sometimes," he sighed. "Makin' everyone else look incompetent without even tryin'."

"Actually, I'm just selfish," she said, and he could tell from her teasing tone that she was trying to lighten the mood. "I'm the sad one in this relationship, remember? You were stealing my thunder."

He didn't want to laugh, but he did, and Victoria beamed. Satisfied that he was over his emotional moment – he wasn't, but he was better at pretending now – they broke apart and Leonard reluctantly went to get ready for the surprise party he had no desire to attend, while Victoria sat down on the couch to wait for him.

They were forty minutes late, but everyone was barely expecting McCoy to show up anyway, so it was still a success. Victoria, despite his protestations, left him alone to be fawned over by his friends – Julia had kissed his cheek and given him a hug as soon as he'd walked in, and Leonard's incredibly adorable blush still hadn't gone away as other crew members came over to shake his hand, pat him on the back, and generally tell him how great they thought he was. Victoria didn't talk to anyone, feeling content to sit in a corner with her drink. Twice, before she had even finished her glass, Leonard broke his conversation to bring her a new one, and it was sweet to see that he was actually having a nice time. Despite the fact that he had complained the whole walk to Jim's quarters, she could tell he was in a good mood after talking to Joanna, and tolerated the attention much better than he normally would have. It was only when Jim tried to make a – drunken – speech two hours in that she saw his patience begin to wear thin, and took pity on him. The next time he came over to her with a fresh glass, she shook her head and discreetly indicated the door with her eyes. Gratefulness clouded his features, and he immediately began saying his goodbyes while Victoria slipped out before him, unnoticed.

She had promised to make it worth his while, after all.

They were just about to fall asleep, Leonard's arm wrapped around her waist as her back was pressed against his chest, when Victoria suddenly remembered something.

"I never even asked you what you wanted for your birthday," she said sleepily, interrupting whatever he was thinking about. She knew he wasn't asleep either; he had been rhythmically stroking her hair for over fifteen minutes without pause. "Did you? Want something?"

"I think you've beaten any present I'm ever going to get for the rest of my life, doll," said Leonard dryly. "Don't worry about it."

"Still," insisted Victoria. She rolled over onto her other side so she was facing him. "If you could have anything?"

Leonard knew exactly what the answer to that question was. He'd been thinking about it for hours, since the second he'd realised she was the reason he had his daughter back. But he couldn't say it. "Nothin'."

But she had seen his hesitation clear on his face. "Come on," she wheedled. "Anyway, it doesn't have to be realistic. Want a planet? I could give it a try. If I can do this, I can pretty much do anything."

Leonard snorted. "No, Victoria, I don't want a damn planet."

"But you do want something."

He hesitated. "Maybe."

"C'mon," she nudged his nose with hers playfully. "Hypotheticals only. Please?"

"Fine," he sighed. "Hypothetically?"

"Of course."

"No hard feelings?"

"Nope."

"In an ideal world?"

"That's the best kind."

"Fine," he said again. He took a deep breath. He was going to have to blame this on the three glasses of bourbon tomorrow. "I'd want to be able to introduce you. To Joanna."

"Oh," she blinked. "But I've already met her, remember?"

Leonard pinned her with a hard look. "I know. Not like that."

Instantly, he regretted telling her the truth. Victoria froze in his arms, and he shut his eyes wearily. He should have gone along with her joke, said he wanted a solar system and been done with it. Cursing himself, he opened his eyes after a few seconds and glanced at her warily. Her face was blank, but her eyes were sad. Fantastic.

"You asked," he said gruffly.

"I did," she agreed, her voice quiet. To his surprise, she merely buried her face into his chest and sighed. "That's really sweet, Leo." He didn't answer, but noted a recurrence of the nickname she'd addressed him with in her note. Maybe he wasn't the only one with an affinity for endearments after all. "Maybe if I wish for it on my birthday as well it'll come true. At least the next two," she added, and the forced lightness in her voice made his heart hurt.

Stupid, perfect, beautiful Victoria.

"Yeah," he whispered, going back to stroking her hair. "Sure, darlin'."

!

Spock was just finishing up some paperwork in his rarely-used office on Science Deck when the buzz from the door came.

Mildly curious, he looked up from his computer. "Enter."

Lieutenant Homer stepped in as the doors slid open, and Spock raised an eyebrow. Curiouser and curiouser. The lieutenant was never here this late. That was normally something Natira Woodville did.

"Sorry, Commander," Homer apologised. "I saw the light on and thought I'd drop this off before heading out."

"That is quite efficient, Lieutenant, thank you," nodded Spock. "Are these the files I requested?"

"Yes, sir. Findings from all the recent planetoids we've been on, readings from scanners we left behind, and a list of personnel who were part of all away missions," said Homer. He crossed the room quickly and handed Spock a PADD. "I took the liberty of highlighting some anomalies I noticed as well. I can send them to Dr. Woodville tomorrow for a second look, if you prefer."

"That would be quite satisfactory," nodded Spock. Homer didn't look offended. That was good. It meant he knew Dr. Woodville was better at the job than he was, and didn't resent her expertise. It also meant the workings of his department would be harmonious. "What anomalies did you find, Lieutenant? In summary, please."

"A few of the planetoids are giving off readings that suggest there have been Terran species visiting it after our departures," said Homer, and Spock frowned. He noticed. "Yeah, I thought it was weird too. So I cross-checked my findings with the Bridge and Engineering and the ship hasn't picked up any signals from a vessel behind us, which is rare as well unless they're cloaked. But the data suggests –"

"– we are being followed," said Spock flatly, completing his sentence for him. Homer shrugged. Spock did not react. At least, not outwardly. "Thank you for your work, Lieutenant."

"Sir," Homer nodded, and turned around to leave. Before the doors opened, however, Spock stopped him.

"Oh, and, Lieutenant?"

Homer turned around immediately, and saw that Spock was already scanning the PADD. "Sir?"

"I apologise, I did not recall that Dr. Woodville is currently occupied with the vaccine project we assigned to Dr. McCoy and her that is due shortly," said Spock, not looking up from the PADD. "There will be no need to ask her to take a look at these readings. I will do so myself and send a report to the captain if needed."

Homer nodded. "Of course, sir. Dr. Woodville has been very busy, after all. That makes sense."

Yes, mused Spock, as the door shut behind Homer and he was left alone in his office again. Dr. Woodville has been very busy, indeed.