A/N
Bit of an angtsy one, but big changes are coming ;)
Chapter Fifteen
T'hy'la.
Jim ignored his bondmate, continuing to tap his fingertips on the armrest of the chair he was sitting in.
Ashayam, your anxiety is troubling, please try to-
Spock no. I can't relax. I can't even imagine what he's going through right now.
Spock reached across and captured Jim's restless hand in his own, giving it a comforting squeeze.
"Anybody hungry? I could go for some food, can I get anyone anything?" Joanna asked, getting to her feet.
Everyone looked up apart from Jim who continued to stare at the floor of the waiting room.
There were mumbles of negative responses from David, Emily and Christopher. Jim said nothing, so Spock requested food on his behalf, and coffee, white with two sugars because that's how Jim had it as a treat to himself on occasion.
"It's been forever," Emily whispered as she glanced at the clock again.
"No it hasn't. It's been like six hours," David corrected and she aimed a kick at her brother.
"Children," Spock said calmly and they both ceased, falling back into silence.
Christopher looked between his two parents, the strain easily visible on both of their faces.
Jim looked thin and pathetic in his too-large sweater and worn old jeans, his face pale and taut with worry. He hadn't been to work since Leo had slipped into his trance just over two weeks ago, spending a lot of time at his son's bedside instead.
Spock showed his worry a lot less prominently, but looked unusually tense, his brown eyes simmering with confined emotion.
They'll be ok, and so will Leo.
Chris gave a weak half-smile as David sent the message through their bond.
In two weeks they'd become a lot closer, learning to control the bond and get used to each-others presence in their minds, figuring out not only how to share thoughts and convey messages easily, but also to shield things they wished to keep private.
Joanna returned and forced a cup of coffee and a toffee-apple muffin into Jim's hands. Jim ate about two bites before setting it down and going back to staring unresponsively at the floor.
"Jim, your body mass has-"
"Spock. Seriously. Not the time to be bitching at me to put weight on. I know. I know ok? You think I feel good like this? No, I don't. I'm stressed, and this is what happens when I get stressed so… get off my back," Jim growled. David, Emily and Chris all pretended not to hear and looked away quickly, but Joanna watched their interaction with interest.
"I am simply concerned about you, that is all," Spock said quietly before shrinking back into his seat.
Jim closed his eyes and let his head fall into his hands, elbows on his knees as he sat hunched over.
I'm sorry. I'm just so worried, the last thing I can think about is eating anything right now.
Spock didn't respond with a message of his own, he simply touched his bondmates knee lightly, leaving his hand there for a few seconds before removing it, hands clasping neatly in his lap.
There was a tense thirty minutes of silence before Seren appeared in the doorway of the room and everyone looked up hopefully.
"Chris, can we borrow you?" she asked and he looked startled for a moment before standing up, dragging David with him.
"Oh that's ok David, he'll only be a minute," she said calmly and Chris shook his head, a clear message of 'where I go, he goes' radiating from him.
"Come on then," she said and the two young men followed her from the room.
"How's he doing?" Chris asked his sister urgently as they strode down the corridor.
"It went really, really well. Between Dr McCoy and myself we managed to remove the entirety of the tumour and barely touched any other parts of his brain. We're more optimistic of a full recovery, the healing trance has given him time to fight really hard and he's done incredibly well."
Chris and David exchanged a glance, the tiniest flicker of a smile across the Kirk's face.
"So what do you need me for?" Chris asked.
"A bit of blood if you'd be alright to spare some? Yours is a much better match than mine, and he doesn't need a lot, just a little to keep him ticking over," she said and Chris nodded instantly.
"Yeah, sure, I can do that. When he wakes up tell him he owes me a thousand credits for it," he said and Seren gave a small chuckle, leading them into a room near to the operating theatre.
David was amazed at how much of a baby Chris was over the blood donation, especially considering it was entirely painless. He squirmed and grimaced and theatrically looked away as the green liquid drained from his arm.
"Holy shit how much did you take?!" he gasped as Seren finished and removed the IV line.
"That's a standard donation size; you'll barely even miss it. You've got over ten pints of this in your body, one to your brother won't kill you," she said, then ordered him to stay sitting for a minute to make sure he wasn't going to faint as she took the blood away with her.
"You're such a pussy, giving blood is nothing," David scoffed and Chris frowned.
"I hate anything medical. All of it freaks me out. I remember when we were kids and you had your tonsils taken out and I wouldn't go with Jim to visit you in the hospital because I hated the smell of the place so much," Chris said and David nodded.
"I remember that, it sucked a lot being trapped in that room for an entire day while I was waiting for my throat to heal. I can't imagine like two hundred years ago when it'd take a week to do that, regenerators are amazing," he said and Chris nodded.
Their eyes met for a few moments, a strange warm feeling spreading inside David's mind, sourcing from the bond. He quickly looked down at his scuffed sneakers, scratching the back of his neck.
"Alright drama queen, have you recovered from your ordeal? I'll walk you back, let everyone know Leo's out of theatre and up in recovery," Seren interrupted their awkward moment.
She led them back through the maze of hallways to the waiting room.
"He did great, and he's been moved up to recovery. Once he's been stable for an hour you can see him, but not all at once," she said and Jim finally looked up from the floor. Spock's hand was on his knee again in a caring manner that didn't go unnoticed to their daughter as she left the room again, turning quickly to rush off towards the recovery ward to monitor her younger brother's vitals and to check in with Dr McCoy who'd completed the surgery.
In her rush to get to the elevator, Seren crashed full-force into a man walking the opposite way down the corridor, sending the pile of PADD's he was balancing awkwardly in his arms clattering to the floor.
"I'm so sorry, here, let me help you get those," she said without really looking at him, quickly bending down to help pick up the items scattered all over the floor.
"It is quite alright, I do not require your assistance," he said in a toneless voice. She looked up and did her best to hide her surprise.
"You are a partial Vulcan," she said, intrigued.
"Yes, as are you," he noted, spotting her ears where her long hair was pulled back into a plait.
"I… I'm sorry, I didn't know there were any others here in San Francisco. Outside of my family I've never met any other hybrids," she said, looking at him carefully as she stood up and handed him back his things. She noticed how incredibly careful he was to not touch her hands as she did so.
"I see," he said shortly and she gave a small smile which he did not return.
He looked around her age, with dark black hair and eyes that were almost as black. Sensing that he clearly wasn't in the mood to chat, she excused herself.
"Sorry again for bumping into you. I'd better go. Nice to meet you," she said and he looked at her strangely.
"You have apologised for the same action three times in the space of thirty-seven seconds. It is entirely illogical to offer an apology more than once," he said flatly and she nodded.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she said as she turned to walk away.
"However, I accept your apology, and agree with your assessment that you should take better care to look where you are going in future," he said and she smiled to herself.
"I'll be sure to do that."
Visitors were only allowed two at a time to see Leo.
Jim immediately and selflessly offered his place to Emily who gratefully accepted it, going into his room led by her father and with Christopher behind her who looked very unsure of himself without David at his side.
Leo was laying sprawled on his stomach, face turned to one side. The back of his head where it joined his neck was covered in a clean white dressing which was much smaller than she imagined it would have been. For some reason she had pictured his entire head being cut open, but it seemed there was only a small incision just above his neck. He wasn't breathing on his own and had a tube in his mouth they both knew was forcing air into his lungs while he was under such heavy sedation.
Emily took a deep breath and willed herself not to cry. Chris appeared to be doing the same.
"Alright guys, couple minutes okay? Then Jim and Spock and then he needs to rest," Bones said tiredly.
"Thank you," Chris said gratefully and the doctor nodded, leaving the room.
Emily slowly sank into the chair beside Leo's bed and gently picked up his hand.
"Hey, you did great today," she said quietly, thumb rubbing small circles on the back of his hand.
"And you stole half my blood," Chris added, taking his twin's other hand in his own.
"It wasn't half."
"It felt like half."
"It was less than ten percent."
"Half. I feel faint," he said dramatically and she rolled her eyes.
"Wake up soon so you can kick his ass?" she sighed and Chris smiled weakly.
"Hopefully he'll wake up soon, I miss him a lot," he said in a rare moment of true sincerity.
"Me too," she said quietly, leaning over and placing a feather-light kiss on his cheek. Chris smiled a little bit at them and glanced up at his brother's vital signs on the monitor.
"That looks better than it has the whole time he's been here," he said, noting the shift towards the 'green' zone and away from the red.
"It's been creeping up slowly," Emily said, lightly brushing a stray eyelash off Leo's cheek.
"Healing trances are meant to be really powerful, I did some research and apparently he could have even cured himself if he knew what he was doing with it," he said and Emily narrowed her eyes.
"Wait. You know long words like 'research'?" she asked and he frowned.
"I'm not just a pretty face," he shrugged.
They were silent for a few minutes, both fixated on the young man before them and every shaky inhale he took.
"I'll give you guys a minute," Emily said, standing and giving Leo's hand one final squeeze before setting it carefully back down on the bed.
Chris gave a short, grateful nod as she left the room silently.
He took a deep breath.
"I feel stupid talking to you when I know you can't hear me," he said, running his hand over his twins too-warm forearm.
"Feel like I'm going mad, talking to myself even."
He fell silent and stared at his counterpart for several long minutes. They really did look different now, for the first time in their lives. Leo was a lot smaller than him, and paler too, his hair a little longer and messier than Chris' short crop, though now missing a chunk out of the back that would be sure to irritate him until it had grown back.
"Guess they couldn't keep us totally identical forever," he sighed, unable to help himself and lowering his left hand to his twin's face, trying to meld with his mind.
There was absolutely no response and he retracted his hand, deeply regretting having attempted it.
"I'm sorry... I just… hoped maybe you were in there somewhere," he mumbled quietly, falling silent again until the door opened and Jim shuffled into the room, Spock close behind.
Chris caught both of their eyes and wordlessly excused himself from the room, feeling like he could barely breathe by the time he reached the hallway outside.
The next twenty-four hours would be crucial, he knew that it was the tipping point, but he didn't want to be anywhere near it.
"You alright? You look a little… off," David asked and Chris nodded stubbornly.
"I'm fine."
"Chris I can feel that you aren't. Don't be worried, he's in really good hands here and he-"
David was cut off as Chris slammed him into the wall, fists curled in his jacket and snarl on his face.
"Leave me alone."
Christopher dropped him and within seconds was gone from the hallway, racing through the endless white corridors in search of the daylight outside. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't get away from the suffocating silence inside his twins mind. It felt like he wasn't in there at all.
"Chris!"
He didn't look back at David who'd chased him out. He crossed the street hurriedly, and headed in the direction of his apartment, leaving David standing staring after him, confused and frustrated at his lack of understanding of Chris's outburst.
To say that Jim was emotionally compromised by seeing Leo after his surgery would have been an understatement.
Spock managed to coax him gently to the car, and then get him home. He hadn't said a word the whole time.
"Jim?"
He ignored him as they walked up the driveway to the front of the house, Jim letting himself in silently, leaving the door open behind him for Spock to follow.
Spock did so and closed the door behind himself, following Jim into the living room and removing his own coat and slipping off his boots. Jim had left both items of his own on.
"Remove your coat Jim, there is no requirement of it inside the house," Spock attempted and Jim said nothing, just stared blankly at him.
His mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to say something, but didn't, couldn't.
"I will assist," he said stepping forwards and carefully unfastening Jim's grey woollen coat one button at a time before pushing it back off his shoulders and removing it, taking it and hanging it neatly in the hallway beside his own.
Spock walked back over to Jim and stood directly in front of him, forcing him to look at him.
Their eyes connected and Spock took both of Jim's hands in his own.
"I love you," he said quietly and Jim nodded slightly.
They were silent for a few long moments before Jim tore his eyes from Spock's, closing them for a moment before speaking.
"I'm going to go and lie down for a while," he said stiffly.
Spock released his hands and Jim left the room, clumsily kicking off his boots in the hallway before padding upstairs in just his socks.
Jim shrugged off his sweater and pulled his belt out of its loops, dropping both items onto the floor before crashing onto the bed fully clothed and face down, falling instantly into a light slumber that he was only roused from when he felt a pair of warm hands gliding over his back.
"Spock, what are you-"
"Ashayam, relax, allow me," he said softly, thumbs tracing the elevated peaks of every protruding vertebrae of Jim's spine. Jim whimpered at the touch, and again as Spock's hands reached his tense shoulders and immediately began to work the knots out of them.
He didn't know how Spock got his shirt stripped off him, or when he closed the blinds or lit the candles he normally kept for his meditation, but he was aware of Spock's hands on his back, kneading, caressing, helping him relax, his voice in his mind reminding him to breathe, slowly, in and out.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Talk to me, T'hy'la. Do not feel you must restrain your emotions when we are alone.
Jim screwed up his face. His body felt so relaxed now, with Spock's hands easing his tired and tense muscles, but his mind was stuck on that image of Leo laying in the hospital, looking so completely and utterly pathetic.
"What if he dies, Spock?" Jim whispered into the pillow and Spock's hands stopped moving over his skin. "I mean, I know we haven't really talked about it… but now it seems more… real, more like it's a possible outcome. I mean, Bones said it went better than they expected, but what if? What if something goes wrong? Or his heart gives up? Or there's some other complication?"
Spock was silent as he contemplated his response, placing a small kiss on the back of Jim's neck before speaking.
"Then we will, as I believe you would say 'cross that bridge if we come to it.' Our son is one of the strongest people I have ever met; he is not likely to give up his fight having come so far."
"Spock you don't understand what I'm saying," Jim sighed.
"I'm talking about if he dies. Actually dies. How would we even begin to heal from that?"
Another few seconds of silence passed and Jim turned, his eyes meeting Spock's dark orbs which were suddenly brimming with tears.
"We will not," Spock mumbled. Jim pulled him into a hug, Spock's emotional control faltering.
"I'm sorry Spock, I didn't mean to upset you I just… he can't even breathe for himself right now. It's like the day he was born all over again, except this time I can't sit beside that incubator and watch him breathe until I fall asleep, I have to be here, I'm not allowed to stay with him," Jim sighed.
"You are aware of the risks of secondary infections due to his over-exerted immune system, it would be wise if he received the fewest possible visits from the fewest possible people in order to minimise the chances of this happening," Spock said in monotone. Jim nodded against his shoulder.
"I know. And that's why I know I'm doing the best thing for him by staying here but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel like a bad parent," he said and Spock took his hand.
"That could not be further from the truth. You are an excellent parent, Jim, you always have been."
"But right now? And he's there all alone? I should be there. You know, I can't stay here, I'm going to be with him," Jim said, launching himself out of the bed and scrambling for his shirt. He threaded his belt back through the loops of his jeans whilst Spock watched him silently.
T'hy'la, I know you are doing this for what you believe are the right reasons, but it is for the best if you stay-
"I'm not like you Spock. I can't just switch off my feelings when they become inconvenient. When he was a baby I swore that for his whole life, I'd do whatever he needed me to do for him, and right now that means sitting with him. I don't find it easy to leave the people I love when they need me most," Jim said spitefully, turning and leaving the room.
Spock let his twinge of hurt at those words seep through the bond, wanting Jim to know the effect they'd had on him.
Since he had returned home, he'd tried his best with Jim. The circumstances were incredibly difficult with all of the various drama, but Spock had tried to be affectionate to his mate, tried to explain he was sorry for leaving for so long. Though Jim claimed to have accepted his apologies, Spock felt sometimes that Jim didn't really know what he wanted and in the last two weeks had been steadily pushing him away.
It was a distinct possibility that Jim was paranoid about Spock leaving again, and every time he felt himself getting too close to his husband, would push him away again to save himself from getting hurt if he were to leave again.
David pressed the button again. He could hear the chime going off inside the apartment so it was definitely working, and he knew Chris wasn't at his parents house, or the hospital, so was likely to be inside.
There was a muffled scrambling noise from inside the apartment and David stayed very still as he tried to listen to it.
"Chris?"
The scrambling seemed to increase, getting louder as it neared the door.
David tensed as the door slid open, ready to attack if whoever was inside wasn't Chris.
"Jesus! The hell happened to you?" David demanded. Chris was crawling along the floor, spaced out expression on his face and unable to walk. A rush of concern spread through the younger man, never having seen his friend in such a mess.
"I don'member," he slurred and David quickly entered the apartment and closed the door.
"Damn it Chris, look at the fucking state of you! What did you do?" he asked and Chris' eyes rolled back in his head.
"I d'no."
David immediately pulled his communicator from his pocket, trying to reach Jim but failing.
"Come on, lets get you on the couch or something," David said, hooking his arms one under each of Chris's armpits and trying to heave him to his feet.
"You need to try and stand up, ok? I'm not strong enough to pick you up, so you need to push down with your legs and stand up," he said clearly. Chris made a feeble attempt at standing and failed miserably, leaving David to drag him over to the couch.
"What do you weigh now huh? Like three hundred pounds or something?" David grunted as he was able to just about lift his friend so he was sitting on the couch.
Chris didn't answer, his head lolling back uselessly.
David felt a deep rush of concern for his bondmate.
"Did you drink something?" he asked gently and Chris nodded, eyes squeezed tightly closed.
"Ok, that's good. What was it?"
Chris didn't answer, staying very still.
"Chris? Do you remember what it was you were drinking?"
"I don' know," he managed out, forcing his eyes open and staring up at David blearily.
"Hey, that's fine, I'll figure it out," David said, giving Chris' shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
David was no doctor, but he knew right away something was very wrong with his friend, more than could be caused by just drink alone.
"Did you… take anything? Like anything you maybe shouldn't have?" he asked and Chris giggled feebly.
"Everything," he said surprisingly clearly.
"What do you mean everything?" he asked and Chris shook his head again.
"Hey, I'm going to help you and we're going to go in the bathroom, ok? And I need you to throw up for me," David explained as he began to half drag half help Chris stumble to the bathroom.
David racked his brain, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn't call his father, he was sleeping, off duty for a few hours after Leo's surgery. Seren was caring for Leo, so she wasn't really an option either, unless she'd be willing to leave him in the care of another doctor.
"Here you go buddy," David said, fighting to keep his voice steady as he got Chris to kneel in front of the toilet.
He didn't take much encouragement to empty his stomach.
David knelt beside him and rubbed his back until all the gagging subsided. Chris leant his face against the cold porcelain.
"Hey hey, don't do that, I know you never clean this thing," David discouraged, helping Chris sit back against the wall.
"I do clean," he protested weakly, closing his eyes and resting his head on his knees, panting for breath.
David fetched a washcloth and held it under the warm water for a few moments until it was soaked before wringing it out and taking it over to Chris, handing it to him before realising he was far too useless to be able to wash his own face.
Trying not to think about much it reminded him of his Pon Farr, David helped Chris to wash his face, brush his teeth and drink half a glass of water.
For a few brief moments David contemplated calling emergency help for Chris, but quickly dismissed that solution when he realised that if Chris had taken anything illegal, he'd get thrown in jail.
"I'm going to take you to bed now, okay?" David explained clearly and Chris giggled feebly again.
"Takin' a-vantage," Chris slurred and David shook his head.
"No, not taking advantage of you, just real worried about you, and you need to be layin' down. Can you walk?" he asked and Chris tried to heave himself to his feet, losing balance and almost falling face first onto the bathroom tiles.
"Hey, no, let me help you."
A few minutes of struggling later David managed to get Chris to his bedroom, but making him actually get into bed was proving more of a challenge. He sat stubbornly on the floor, refusing to move.
"I'll leave you here to sleep on the floor," David warned and Chris shrugged.
"Good."
"No, Chris, not good. You don't want to sleep on the floor when your bed is right there. See, look how comfortable this is," David said, sitting on the edge of the bed and patting the spot beside him.
Chris stared at him blankly and David sighed.
"What's the matter huh? What's wrong?" David asked quietly and Chris turned away as his eyes filled with tears.
David got up off the bed and walked over to sit beside Chris on the floor.
"Hmm? Hey, talk to me, it's okay," he encouraged gently and Chris sniffled.
"Leo's gonna die."
"Now don't talk silly. Leo isn't going to die, I promise you," David said firmly as Chris stayed stubbornly looking at the floor.
Before he really thought about what he was doing, David had one hand on the side of Christopher's face, and was turning it gently so he would look at him.
"I promise you Christopher. Leo is going to be okay," he said softly and Chris blinked back tears, nodding slightly.
"That's not everything is it?" David asked quietly, blue eyes piercing into Chris' dark brown ones through the half-light.
"Jim doesn't love me, and Spock doesn't love me, and your dad hates me, everyone hates me," he mumbled, eyes going out of focus before he struggled to regain control and look at David.
He shook his head slightly.
"Nobody hates you silly."
"Everybody hates me."
"No they don't. And of course Jim and Spock love you, they're your parents! They're going to love you forever, no matter what happens. My dad doesn't hate you, and nobody else hates you. Why do you think that?" David asked gently and Chris tumbled forwards into his arms, holding onto him for support and mumbling into his shoulder.
"Always been too busy with Leo to notice I even exist."
"Now you know that aint the truth. They always tried their best to treat you two the same, and ok sure, Leo has needed some extra help from time to time… but he can't see, of course he's going to need help sometimes. Just take a deep breath Chris, none of this is true, dunno where you're gettin' it from," David said in what he hoped was a soothing tone of voice.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Chris asked, pulling back enough to look David in the eye.
"Because I'm your friend. Hey lets go lie down? Yeah? Get all wrapped up in the bed to keep warm?" David tried to persuade as he noticed Chris was shivering.
He nodded weakly and finally allowed David to get him tucked into his bed, still fully clothed.
"You're gonna leave now," Chris mumbled sadly and David shook his head.
"No. No I'll stay, if you want me to stay," he trailed off and Chris nodded, closing his eyes again. David carefully climbed into the bed beside him, but didn't get under the blankets with him, nor touch him, he just lay beside him, close enough to be comforting but far enough away to not be encroaching on his personal space.
They were silent for a few minutes, Chris taking slow, shuddering breaths that made David even more worried about him and what he'd done.
"You want to tell me what you took before I got here?" he asked quietly and Chris fumbled in the drawer of his bedside cabinet, pushing a bottle of pills and a crumpled candy wrapper into his hand.
"Chocolate and anxiety medication. Interesting combo there."
"Chocolate always makes me sick," Chris muttered.
"Thought it made you drunk?"
"Drunk then sick," he corrected and David nodded. The pills were prescription, so at least obtained through legal means, and there were plenty left so he hadn't swallowed all of them.
"How are you feeling? Do I need to call somebody?" he asked and Chris shook his head.
"No I think just you seeing me like this is enough," he said with a weak attempt at a laugh. David didn't laugh.
"I'm worried about you," he admitted before he could stop himself.
"Why? You don't care about me. Not like I care about you."
Chris shifted a little and turned so he could look at his friend beside him. Their eyes met in the half-light and David moved a little closer.
"Of course I care about you. Seeing you like this? God, I thought you were trying to kill yourself or something, you scared the shit out of me," David whispered, unable to keep the genuine worry in his voice hidden.
"Like you'd care if I did," Chris said bitterly and David put his hand on the side of his face.
"Of course I'd care. And Jim and Spock would care, Emily and Joanna and Seren would care. A lot of people love you and care about you, and you need to tell people when you feel like this, not just run away and lock yourself in here and poison yourself. I… hate seeing you like this. It'd really upset me if you did something stupid to hurt yourself," he said and Chris blinked, all of a sudden looking very sober indeed.
David did everything he could to fight back the urge to let every new feeling he'd been having for his friend come tumbling out of his mouth in that moment, fighting harder still to keep the information hidden from his bond with Chris, preventing him from seeing it.
"And why would it upset you?" Chris probed further, not even the slightest hint of a slur in his voice.
"Because… god damn it," David muttered, eyes flicking from Chris' eyes down to his lips and back up again.
"Because…"
He paused and took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest as he moved a few inches closer, barely a centimetre between them now. His hand on the side of Chris' face moved down to his jaw, thumb tracing the corner of his lips. Chris closed his eyes and David closed the gap, pressing his lips to the part-Vulcan's in a tender kiss. He could taste minty toothpaste and salty tears and pulled away quickly.
"I'm sorry I-"
"David… don't stop."
"I have to. I can't… I can't do this," he whispered, shaking his head and removing his hand from the other's face.
"Why? I don't understand."
David stood up quickly, doing his best not to look at the pathetic form in the bed, confused and upset and no doubt now feeling worse because of him.
"I don't understand either. I wish I did," he sighed, meeting Christopher's eyes once more before leaving the apartment without looking back.
It was warm. The breeze ruffled his hair as he stood alone in the sun, cooling water of the encroaching tide lapping at his bare toes.
He took a few steps further out into the water, feeling the sand between his toes, the coolness of the waves around his ankles now. The horizon stretched out before him, infinite and golden. He wasn't certain if the sun was setting or rising.
"Hey, wait up!"
Turning, he smiled.
"Hey dad, what took you so long?"
Jim ran a hand through his hair and laughed.
"I was trying to persuade Spock to come join us, but you know what he's like with water."
Leo laughed.
"Yeah. He's like a cat."
"Yep. You'd never catch him doing this," he said, crashing into the water, kicking it out before him and sending silvery glistening droplets flying. He was wearing a short sleeved white shirt with the top two buttons unfastened, hanging loosely and rippling in the warm breeze. His beige pants were rolled up enough that he could stand beside his youngest son in the water without getting them wet. He looked the furthest thing from a Starfleet captain, so relaxed now out of his uniform.
"I've spent a long time waiting for the day we could do this, just look out at the ocean together," Jim said softly and Leo nodded.
"It's nice," he said quietly.
Jim and Leo stood in silence for a long while, looking out at the azure ocean and golden sky, the colours melding together in the line of the horizon.
"Hey Jim, where are we?" Leo asked, suddenly realising he had no idea.
Jim didn't answer but continued staring out into the distance.
"Hey promise me something?" Jim asked and Leo nodded.
"Yeah sure, anything."
"Never give up," he said and Leo hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Yeah, of course not. Never," he said and Jim nodded and smiled.
They both fell silent and remained there for long enough that they both lost track of time, standing in the sun as it rose and bathed them in it's warming glow.
A/N
Thank you guys for being so patient in waiting for this one, I know I've been a little slow this week, and I know this isn't the longest chapter in the world, but I promise I'll make it up to you with what's coming up! I've been ill this week so haven't been feeling the best so I apologise if this chapter is full of mistakes (I'll be sure to fix them when I properly proof-read in the morning, just really wanted to get it posted for now).
That little part at the end is significant, so don't forget about it or write it off as random. Big, BIG things happening in the next two chapters so stay tuned. Thank you as always for your reviews and continued support, it really means a lot :) As ever, I'd love to hear what you think!
