Chapter Forty

"My arrest? What are the charges?" Chris asked incredulously.

"We can discuss that when we get to HQ, but would you please come with us. We don't want to cause any trouble here," the larger man spoke again and Chris snorted.

"No. No we do not. Listen guys, as fun as it sounds to come with you, I actually can't. I can't leave the house right now because my son is here, and we're watching a movie and hanging out, and I also make a rule to never leave the house in sweatpants, so… goodnight," Chris said, going to shut the door and finding it blocked as the smaller man placed his hand on the panel to stop it from moving.

"You don't have a son."

"You clearly don't check public record do you? No you're right, biologically he's David's son, but I adopted him and I'm co-parenting him, and I'm the only one home right now taking care of a two year old, so unless you're going to leave a minor home alone and drag my ass out of this house, I'm not going with you," he said more firmly and the larger man blinked.

"Get the kid," he instructed of his slightly smaller colleague, lunging forward and grabbing Chris, pinning him effectively to the door as the other man crossed into the house and went straight for the living room.

"Don't touch him! Leave him alone!" Chris yelled as he heard Thomas start crying from the lounge.

"I said leave him alone! If you give me five minutes I can get somebody to come over and take care of him, leave him out of whatever this is," he pleaded, fighting against the grip the large man had on him.

"Probably better he comes with us, we need to test him too," he said, wrestling Chris so his chest and stomach were pressed against the door and forcing his hands behind his back and cuffing them there. Extremely conscious of his belly pressed tightly against the wall he craned his neck to see Thomas being held by the smaller of the two men and fighting against his grip, thrashing and squirming.

"It's ok buddy, we're just gonna go answer a couple of questions for the police here and then we're gonna come home and finish our movie, and Dad will be back then too, ok?" he said in a forced calm voice.

"Can you take these damn things off me? I'll go willingly, just let me hold him," Chris asked of the man who'd pinned him to the door. Thomas was as upset as Chris had ever seen him and it was breaking his heart.

The officer looked at him for a long moment before uncuffing him so he could scoop Thomas up into his arms and hold him tightly.

"It's ok little man. We just have to go and answer a few questions for the police here, I'm sure it's all just a big mistake and we'll be back home before you know it," Chris explained calmly though he was certain Thomas must be able to feel how hard and fast his heart was hammering against his ribs.

The officers allowed Chris to remain unrestrained during the car ride to HQ, but when they arrived insisted on cuffing his wrists together as a 'precaution'.

"Precaution my ass, I could break these if I really wanted," he grumbled as he was led down a long corridor he had never been down before, Thomas being carried by the smaller of the two men and kicking and screaming the entire way. Chris felt a strong surge of pride that Thomas was putting up such a fight and causing such a scene. He focused hard to try and send a message through his bond with David.

Something is going on. I've been dragged out of the house and into HQ in handcuffs. Thomas is with me and whoever these assholes are that have arrested me.

Chris was led further down the corridor until they turned left and entered a room with a metal table, a chair on either side.

"Sit down," instructed the officer who had been leading Chris.

Not really seeing another option, Chris sat on one side, placing his cuffed hands on the table in front of him.

"I know my rights, and I get a phonecall. I also don't think we need to terrify an innocent child anymore, do we? So let me call David to come collect him, and then I'll talk to you but until then I'm not saying a word about anything," Chris said firmly. He maintained a resolute silence as a few questions were directed at him. They were simple questions, asking him to confirm his identity and date of birth, as well as his current track with Starfleet. He could hear Thomas still crying loudly in the hallway outside and it felt like a physical pain in his chest to not be able to comfort him.

The officer dropped a communicator onto the metal table, the clang startling him a little.

"One call," the man grunted and then left, closing the door behind him.

Chris picked up the device and opened it, beginning to dial David's frequency and then realising that David probably wouldn't be the best help for him right now, and if he only had one call, he needed to use it wisely. He deleted the digits he had entered and started fresh, waiting just a few seconds before the call connected and a welcoming British accent greeted him.

"Admiral McCoy."

"Hi Carol, its Christopher. I'm sorry to bother you at home but I was hoping you could help me? Some gentlemen from an as-yet undisclosed subdivision of Starfleet have dragged me down to HQ in handcuffs. They haven't told me yet what I'm under arrest for, and I haven't been able to speak to David or Leo," he blurted out quickly but calmly. His heart was hammering against his ribcage so fast and hard it was physically hurting him.

Carol was silent for a few seconds.

"I'll be right there. Is Thomas alright?" she asked and Chris chewed his lip.

"They brought him with us and he's pretty upset. I can't see him right now, they've got me in a metal box of an interrogation room and he's in the hallway where I can hear him screaming but I can't see him and he can't see me. I only get one call and I'm certain they're listening to this, and I need to see Leonard too as soon as possible, about a medical issue," he said calmly and he heard her take a slow inhale.

"I'm getting in the car right now. I should be with you shortly," she said crisply and then cut off the call. Chris put the communicator back on the table and waited. A few minutes later the officer returned, this time with a man in a medical uniform in tow who settled into the chair opposite Chris.

"Hello Christopher, my name is Doctor Hunt. I'm one of the medical staff based here at HQ," he said with a horrible false smile.

Chris leant forward slightly in his seat, making firm eye contact with the Doctor.

"Fuck you," he said clearly and the Doctor smiled more widely.

"I wasn't aware that you and McCoy had a child. No prizes for guessing who the biological father is," he said smarmily and Chris chuckled.

"You'd do better if you left our son out of whatever this is," Chris attempted to sound threatening, but fell short. It still hit him square in the chest every time he said or even thought the words 'our son'.

"You guys did a pretty good job keeping your relationship quiet. Until the whole proposal thing happened. Was that him you just called? David? I hope you asked him to come and pick up the kid, he's making a scene."

"Well if you could put him somewhere where he can see me he probably wouldn't be upset. I think it's actually a technique used by terrorists who take hostages to keep them apart where they can hear but not see each other, like a psychological torture, right? Which you're currently inflicting on not only me, but on a two year old," Chris said, managing to keep his voice perfectly level despite the pain in his chest.

"So what made you two decide to have a kid? And so young too, McCoy would have been barely nineteen when that boy was conceived. Did you use a surrogate, or was there an accident somewhere in the past hmm? Seems odd that you guys didn't use the approach that Dr McCoy and your sister are having such great success with. Or would your body not stand up to that kind of strain?" he asked and Chris narrowed his eyes.

"Shut about him. About both of them. What do you want with me? Why am I here?"

The doctor placed a PADD on the table, a security video from the main engineering bay starting to play. A few moments into the footage Scotty entered the frame, and just a few moments after that he was slammed into the front of the shuttle Leo was working on, held in place by his upper leg which was trapped. Chris held his breath as he watched Leo spring into action and forcibly bend the crane arm, warping the shape of it so that he could free Scotty and get his belt around his leg to try and stem the alarming amount of blood.

"This was a few hours ago. The last individual to sit in this room with that kind of strength is the reason you are even alive today," the doctor said and Chris looked up to meet his eyes again.

"Khan?"

"Bingo."

"Wait… wait a second. You think Leo and I, and Seren, have abilities that match what Khan was capable of?" he asked and the doctor nodded.

"You're not as stupid as I had anticipated."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Chris bit back and the doctor's lip curled.

"Sass will get you nowhere with me Mr Kirk. I can assure you that you will want to cooperate with me," he said flatly and Chris prickled.

"Or what?"

"Or what? Or… we push you to prove how dangerous you really are, and then get you placed into cryogenic sleep like the rest of them. How does that sound? Then McCoy will be left to raise the accident all by himself," he finished with a smirk and there was a loud metallic clang as Chris momentarily lost control and slammed the handcuffs into the table.

"Settle down now Kirk. Temper temper," he scolded and Chris lowered his eyes to the floor.

"Now we'd like for you to join us for a few tests in medical tonight, voluntarily of course," he said with a false smile and Chris felt sick.

"What kind of tests?" he asked quickly.

"Just some routine scans, blood tests, you know, nothing too complicated. We can actually get started here if you don't mind?" he smiled the horrible sickly smile again and opened the briefcase he had brought with him, removing what looked like a standard tri-corders bigger brother.

"I want a lawyer. I want a member of the admiralty here too. If this is to do with Starfleet I have the right to request a senior officer be present. I don't consent to you taking any scans of me," Chris said finally after gathering his thoughts and supressing his rage. He could still hear Thomas whimpering faintly in the corridor and it was only serving to further fray his nerves.

Hunt took the scanner out of its case and activated it, a series of whirring sounds being made by the device as he stood up and moved closer to Chris who recoiled in his chair, though he really had nowhere to go. Hunt scanned him for a long few moments and Chris just held resolutely still and silent.

"Oh but Chris, there's already a member of the admiralty here," Doctor Hunt finally smiled as Admiral Mitchell rounded the corner into the room.

"I always knew. I always knew the three of you were like him. I could never prove it, and I was never allowed to force investigation on you when you were minors, and then without probable cause… but then today. Well it's like Christmas came early," he said with a warped grin.

Hunt set down the scanner and took a few steps to Mitchell, leaning in close and mumbling in his ear two words that Chris' sensitive hearing was able to pick up though a human would have missed it. Two words that set off his most primal, protective instinct as he now felt that not only was he under threat, but his child was too.

He's pregnant.

"You're insane. And I want a lawyer. You know, in fact as a dual citizen of Earth and Vulcan, you're breaking Federation law by not allowing me to contact a representative of my second homeworld," Chris attempted feebly, still keeping his eyes locked on the ground and Mitchell looked at him intently, Hunt turning back to face him and staring at him too now with a strange look on his face.

"Nice try Kirk. You're entitled to entirely squat from New Vulcan, you've never even been there," he quipped back. Again, Chris did not look up. He tried to keep completely blank and not react to how threatened he felt.

"Admiral. If I may interrupt, you are in fact incorrect," a crisp, deep voice interrupted from the doorway and Chris looked up so quickly that he almost hurt his neck.

"Section four, paragraph seventeen, page one hundred and forty-seven of the regulations pertaining to citizens of dual federation heritage states that any such citizen charged with a criminal offence shall retain the right to contact a representative of either homeworld of their choosing, including, should they choose, a representative from each planet," Spock continued smoothly, his face completely neutral as he took three more carefully measured strides into the room. Chris could no longer hear Thomas crying in the hallway and strained his ears trying to listen for him.

Mitchell looked like he had been slapped, and the Doctor had the same sour smirk on his face.

"Under what charges have you detained Christopher tonight?" Spock asked and Mitchell opened his mouth to answer before closing it again, allowing Doctor Hunt to speak in his place.

"He is being detained under section twelve of the dangerous species act," he said and Spock didn't hesitate.

"And as section twelve of the dangerous species act pertains strictly to non-federation species, you will see that your charge is invalid. Christopher, upon your arrest do you recall if you were read your rights?" Spock asked and Chris shook his head.

"Indeed," said Spock, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well then it appears, Admiral, Doctor, that there have been several errors this evening. I understand that Leo was involved in and injured in an incident in the engineering bay and that he is now recovering upstairs in med bay. I request that you see to it that he is discharged immediately, so that he may convalesce at home under the supervision of his primary physician and myself. Christopher, have you been permitted to contact a legal representative before being interrogated?" Spock asked and Chris shook his head again.

"Indeed another shortcoming. Admiral, it is almost as if you are unfamiliar with your basic Starfleet regulations regarding treatment of a prisoner. Should you require refreshment of this knowledge, I will be happy to provide you with extracurricular tuition on these matters. My office is located near to the main doors into the lecture area, where I believe you personally had it relocated to. Please do visit at your convenience; I will be only too pleased to assist in helping you regain your knowledge," Spock finished speaking and Chris fought the overwhelming urge to laugh at the look on Mitchell's face. He looked like he had been slapped and was slowly turning an alarming shade of puce as the rage boiled inside him, making him so incredibly angry he was unable to verbalise anything at all.

"You're just in time for the good news Spock, before we break it to the media. You're going to be a grandfather. It appears Christopher here and his human friend have had another little accident. You'd think at least one of them would know how to use contraception, right?" Hunt waded in and Spock didn't react. Chris could feel sweat running down his back. Would they really stoop so low as to leak this to the media? Was there anything he could even do to stop them? Questions raced through his mind faster than he could come up with answers.

"A miracle and a blessing upon our family, doctor," said Spock expressionlessly. "Now I am even more concerned by the manner in which Christopher has been treated tonight, if what you say is true. It would perhaps be wise to release him from your custody immediately. Extreme stress such as this is undesirable during pregnancy, particularly during a high risk pregnancy such as one by a physical male," Spock said with just a hint of a threat to his voice. Mitchell gave a single nod to Hunt, who motioned into the corridor.

A guard entered the room and unlocked Chris' handcuffs and raised his arm to the doorway, indicating he could leave. Spock gave Chris a meaningful glance and he shot up out of his chair as fast as he dared and followed his father from the room.

In the corridor far enough down to be out of earshot he found David in his gym kit holding Thomas tightly to his chest. Spock made a hand gesture for them all to remain silent and Chris just gave David a meaningful glance as they all followed Spock along the long series of winding corridors until they reached the main atrium where he finally stopped.

"Now that we are in a pubic area of the building once again I must inform you that Admiral Mitchell and Doctor Hunt were acting outside of both Starfleet and Federation laws and policies. What has happened tonight is highly irregular but it is important you know that you have broken no laws. They should not have arrested you, and they most certainly should not have removed yourself and Thomas from your home. Are you well?" Spock asked and Chris blinked slowly, just staring at David and Thomas stood a few feet away. Thomas was curled around David's torso, arms looped around his neck and David was smoothing his untidy hair back, talking softly to him and comforting him.

"I feel kind of shaken… a little nauseous, but I'm ok. Thanks for saving me in there," he said gratefully and Spock gave a single nod.

"You are welcome. Carol regretted she was unable to interrupt the interrogation herself, but she was ensuring Seren was not bothered by any other Starfleet officers, at my request. As I was in my office upstairs it was far quicker for me to come down here and interrupt them."

"Was Seren tracked down?"

"It appears that they were unable to locate her, as she was in surgery with Doctor McCoy at the time. The doctor is eager to see you and Leo and ensure your wellbeing," he said and Chris gave a single nod.

"We should go home then, I guess," David said awkwardly and Chris looked tense. He wanted to speak to Spock alone, and he wanted to speak to David alone. He needed to break the news to him. The last thing he wanted was for him to find out through the media.

"I don't want to go back to the house. I feel kind of uneasy about it," Chris admitted and Spock looked at them both for a moment.

"You would be welcome to return with me, and the offer of course extends to Thomas and David," he said, stealing a lingering glance at the young boy. Chris hadn't seen Spock interact much with him, he got the impression he was made a little uneasy by him.

"Does Joanna know about any of this?" David asked.

"I am uncertain. Your mother may have informed her, but it is unlikely as of yet," Spock answered and David nodded.

"I don't want to tell her anything dramatic has happened, don't want to stress her out or anything," he said protectively. Since Joanna had announced her pregnancy David had become incredibly protective of his older half-sister, Chris wondered if he would become that protective over him when he found out the truth.

"Do you know how Scotty is? And Leo?" Chris asked and Spock looked tense.

"I am uncertain. I believe the latest update was that they were contacting Nyota to make the decision," he said and David looked confused.

"What decision?"

"On whether to amputate his leg. I understand the damage was severe and he will likely recover more fully should his own leg be removed and replaced with a prosthesis. I was going to attempt to contact her to offer my support at this time," he said and Chris nodded.

"Jesus. I don't envy her having to make a decision like that. Call her Spock, and get Leo out of here too, we'll head to your house and get Thomas down for the night. Does my old room still have the double bed?" he asked.

"Your bedroom remains unchanged," Spock answered quickly, removing his communicator from his pocket and bidding goodnight to the two young men, Thomas already asleep in David's arms, emotionally exhausted from his ordeal.

The drive to Spock's home was tense, with many questions being thrown around about what may have gone on. The news that he was expecting their child was sitting on the tip of his tongue and Chris just couldn't get it out. David was already so stressed, so worried, it was just one more thing to cause him further anxiety. Chris tried to call Leo several times and got no answer. He also tried to call Molly Scott and didn't get an answer from her either.

They arrived at his previous childhood home and Chris immediately questioned if he was doing the right thing by staying there that night, if he would have been better to just go home with David and Thomas, but something was telling him he wanted to be under the same roof as Spock, just in case. Despite how distant they had become, he knew Spock would always have his back.

"What if… what if this all has to do with Hughes?" David asked quietly as they sat in the driveway for a few seconds.

"Why would it be anything to do with her?" Chris asked, confused.

"I mean… it's all mysterious, don't you think? She left me that crazy message, saying she was sick and was going to die within a few years, then you said that when they took you and Thomas from the house they said they needed to 'test him too'… test him for what? What could you have, and then Thomas also have too? What could she have had that both you and him could have?" he asked thoughtfully and Chris screwed up his face in concentration before a very unpleasant thought crossed his mind.

"You said Hughes' parents died right? When she was small?"

"Yeah, she was nine."

"And then she was what… in the care system? Starfleet raised her?" Chris pressed and David shrugged.

"I guess so. I'm not enormously familiar on her history."

"You never asked her about her life?" Chris asked and David punched the steering wheel hard enough that the car jolted.

"Damn it Chris, no I didn't! OK? I met her at a bar, I went back to her place, and we didn't do a whole lot of talking. I met her again a week later, again… not a whole lot of talking. Then I was on the ship with her for a couple of weeks and to begin with she was a complete asshole to me. The only time she actually opened up and talked to me about anything was aboard that Orion ship and like hell do I remember anything she said to me," he ranted, slumping back in the seat and looking defeated.

"What if she told you something important when you were on that ship together? What if she told you the answer to all of this and you just can't remember?" Chris asked and David looked at him suspiciously.

"What exactly are you suggesting here?"

"I mean what… what if we did like… a really deep meld. If I got my mind totally, completely empty and then got into yours and… dug out all the memories from when you were on that ship? See what she told you? If you think this is all linked to her?" Chris offered and David stared at him for a long few seconds.

"Do you think Starfleet experimented on her? Made her… like the augments? Like Khan? Tried to make her into a… weapon?" David asked and Chris shrugged.

"Maybe she told you. Maybe I can find it inside your mind wherever it got buried," he offered again and David looked uncertain.

"I need to think about all this," David said finally and Chris nodded.

"We should get him inside and down for the night," he said, inclining his head back at Thomas who was fast asleep in his car seat.

Mumbling an agreement, David got out of the car and carefully extracted Thomas from his seat before following Chris into the house and up the stairs. Being in this house always made him uneasy because it felt like a raw aching wound without Jim there to greet them.

"Professional baby whisperer," Chris smirked as he crept up beside David who had managed to get Thomas inside, upstairs and undressed without the boy even stirring from his slumber.

"He's not really a baby. Even just in the time he's been with us he's grown and changed so much. He's getting so big," he sighed and Chris shot him a sideways glance.

"Don't worry, we can make more of these," Chris pointed out with a smirk and David blushed a little. He was testing the water really with his comment, seeing how David responded to any talk of another baby.

"Someday another one would be really cool," he admitted and Chris chuckled, feeling relieved that David's reaction had been only positive to the mention of another baby someday.

"He's so great. He's so smart too with all his words."

"Well you read to him a lot which is going to help," David pointed out as he tried to carefully manoeuvre the sleeping child's legs into a pair of pyjamas.

"I like reading him stories. Reminds me of Jim reading to all of us when we were kids. You remember that far back? On the ship? He used to get us all together in him and Spock's quarters and sit us in a circle on the bed and then get in the middle and read us all the classics," Chris said fondly and David frowned.

"I don't really have any memories of being on the ship. I was too young," he said as he carefully finished pulling Thomas' pyjamas on.

"If you ever want to share mine all you ever have to do is ask, maybe I could even help you dig back far enough to get to your own."

"Yeah maybe," David said absently as he carefully tucked Thomas into the middle of the bed, his dark hair scattering messily on the pillow.

"Little man needs a haircut," Chris chuckled, reaching out to run his fingers lightly through the messy curls.

"Nope. I like his curls. They're not coming off. I prefer yours a little longer like this too," David said, affectionately messing up Chris' hair with one hand.

"Really? I feel like a hot mess," Chris shrugged him off.

"Nah, just hot," David smirked a little and Chris rolled his eyes. Between the few things he and Leo had left around at the house when they moved out, Chris was able to track down some pyjama pants for both himself and David. He found an extra old tee that belonged to Jim and before putting it on drew it in close to his face and inhaled deeply, a sharp pang in his chest at the familiar scent of Jim's aftershave.

"I miss him a lot right now," David spoke up from the doorway and Chris startled, glancing round.

"Yeah. Me too. I have a lot of questions about being a good father. He would have loved Thomas, I'm so sorry he'll never get to meet him," Chris sighed, inhaling deeply from the shirt again and sitting heavily on the bed in Leo's old bedroom.

David sat beside him and gently took the shirt from his hands and took his own deep breath from it and closed his eyes. When he opened them they were a little glassy with tears.

"We should get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a shit-storm," David said quickly before Chris could comment.

They didn't say anything else and silently got ready for bed before settling down on either side of Thomas and trying to get to sleep.

Chris kept himself partially awake so he would hear Spock get home and when he did a short while later and David and Thomas were asleep he crept from the room to find his father at the bottom of the stairs.

"Were you able to make David aware of your pregnancy?" Spock asked quietly and Chris held his gaze for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

"It wasn't the right time to tell him, not with everything that's happened tonight."

"I believe you may not have much choice. Doctor Hunt will be able to add the scans he collected from you tonight to your medical record at Starfleet, something which is not confidential to staff members. I do not believe it would be difficult for him or Admiral Mitchell to coerce somebody into leaking the information to the media," Spock said as he slid off his shoes and placed them neatly by the door, then gestured with his eyes towards the living room.

Chris went in first and Spock followed, closing the door behind him.

"I took the liberty of contacting Doctor McCoy. He is on his way here now to examine you himself. It would appear he was already aware," Spock said, with the tiniest hint of jealousy lacing his voice, perhaps jealous that Bones had found out before him.

"You sound almost happy Spock," Chris sighed, relaxing back into the couch a little.

"I did mean what I said to the Doctor and Admiral. A child is a blessing upon our house and clan. When did you become aware of your ability to carry a child?" Spock asked and Chris chuckled.

"Well, I found out last Sunday morning after the wedding. Bones confirmed it for me, and he's been chasing me all week to go in so he can get a better look over me but I've been ducking him. I'm uh… I'm a little scared if I'm honest Spock," he admitted and Spock inclined his head slightly.

"May I?" Spock asked, reaching his hand forward and Chris hesitated for a moment before giving a small nod and moving his own hand aside. Spock placed his hand against Chris' belly, his fingertips pressed more carefully against him. He closed his eyes for a moment and kept his hand entirely still, looking deep in concentration before opening his eyes and withdrawing his hand.

"The child is almost psi-null," he said with a curious expression.

"Well… I mean, if they're Vulcan hybrid but removed by a couple of generations I guess it would get weaker, right?" Chris shifted uncomfortably as he felt the strange fluttering inside his abdomen again, Spock holding his hand completely still in a way that Chris was sure meant he could feel it from the outside too.

"I am uncertain if any such child exists for comparison," he finally answered, looking mesmerised by the tiny movements under his hand.

"I think David will probably want a girl," Chris said, shifting subtly in a way that gently suggested to Spock it was time to break their physical contact. Spock understood and retracted his hand.

"Do you have a preference?"

"I've never really thought about it. I just want my body to be able to get through carrying them. Seren told me a while back that if David and I ever were to try their procedure I wouldn't be a viable candidate because of my injuries. Hopefully it isn't causing them any issues just yet," Chris said, feeling odd talking about a being he had only just learned existed.

"I believe between Seren and Doctor McCoy a solution will be found to ensure a successful pregnancy," Spock said, obviously meaning well but fuelling the little bit of doubt in Chris' mind that he might not be able to do this.

They sat and chatted a while until Spock's comm chirped, Bones letting them know he was there. Chris got up and sidled to the door, opening it slowly. Bones looked at him and narrowed his eyes.

"Bones I'm sorry, I should have come to you earlier this week like you asked and-"Chris began and was cut off as the doctor stepped into the house and grabbed him in a firm, fatherly hug.

Chris automatically returned it, somewhat awkwardly, and then stepped back when he was released.

"I'm glad you're safe kid, sounds like Starfleet have some rogue agents in their ranks, anything could'a happened to you! Now that's over with, get in the living room and get on the couch," he instructed and Chris smirked at the instant reoccurrence of the doctors' usual gruff bedside manner, doing as he was told. Bones grabbed a few medical bags from his car and followed him into the living room, giving Spock a short nod in greeting.

"Alright kid, gonna hook you up to a few things, none of this will hurt. I need you to ditch the sweatshirt and shirt," he requested and Chris did as he was told. He removed the sweatshirt first, one of David's he'd stolen, and then Jim's old tee-shirt. He noticed the painful recognition in Spock's eyes as he removed it and placed it aside.

"Alrighty then, let's see what's going on here," he muttered to himself, setting about opening the numerous bags and cases he'd brought with him. He connected a basic wrist cuff to Chris' left wrist, sending his vitals to a PADD he set on the coffee table. Next he placed a series of small, circular devices all across his abdomen and chest. Each was adhesive and held itself in place. The ones on his chest looked different to the ones on his abdomen. Bones then depressed the small button in the centre of each of them one at a time before removing a similar device only larger from its case and placing it on the coffee table alongside the PADD. He pressed the control in the centre of it and a hologram sprung from the device of an odd shaped lump, smaller than a football but a similar off-spherical shape, Chris frowned at it.

"What's that? Looks like a potato," he commented and the doctor muttered something that didn't sound like anything good.

"It's your uterus. Damn it kid you're way too small," he answered, meeting Chris' eyes very briefly before his eyes scanned downwards, looking at his abdomen.

"Let me take a few layers off the holo," he said, fidgeting with yet another PADD for a long few minutes before the hologram changed. Chris exhaled heavily as the three-dimensional image of the baby appeared, hovering above the coffee table and rotating slowly. Their head was down and legs folded, arms tucked in close. As they rotated Chris's eyes skimmed over the image, brimming with a few tears, especially as they rotated further and Chris' spotted something…

"It's a boy," Bones said softly, eyes also fixed on the hologram.

"I don't know what to say. He's incredible," Chris breathed, watching the hologram with rapt attention. The baby moved a little, flexing his tiny fist and scrumpling his face momentarily. It was hard to make out who the face most resembled, the ears were certainly his, tiny and pointed, though his little scowl a moment ago had looked like David.

"Go wake David up," the Doctor instructed Spock and Chris opened his mouth to protest.

"Chris. We talked about this at the weekend and you told me you would tell him. You're at roughly twenty-five weeks. The time for keeping this from David to protect him is long gone. He's coming out of there in the next five weeks at most, because the uterus has latched onto your liver for its blood supply. It's far too dangerous for you to go to full term, your liver function is already way out according to these readings," the doctor explained seriously and Chris looked between him and Spock and the hologram for a long few moments.

"Okay. But let me do it, I'll wake him," Chris said, pressing the thumb of his left hand to his left temple and focusing hard on their bond.

Hey wake up. I've uh… got some life changing news for you.

A few seconds later he heard the beginning of stumbling around upstairs, then after another long few seconds footsteps on the staircase.

"You ready to treat someone for cardiac arrest Bones?" Chris asked lightly and the Doctor smiled.

"Almost had to treat myself for it," he sighed running a hand tiredly through his hair.

"Chris what in the hell-" David began as he rounded the corner of the room, rumpled with sleep and blinking in the bright light. It took him a few seconds to take in the scene before him. Chris sprawled on the couch shirtless and covered in scanners, Spock sitting very close to him, far closer than he usually would. Containers of medical equipment littered the floor, his father standing near to Chris and holding two PADD's stacked together, and finally the hologram hovering above the coffee table – life sized and in real time.

"You should sit down," Bones said and David just stared at Chris.

"David. Sit down before you fall down," he said more firmly as the colour began to visibly drain from David's face as he started to understand what was going on.

"Come here," Chris said softly, his dark eyes locked onto David's blue ones as if there was nothing and nobody else in the room. The human took a few steps into the room towards the couch and then crumpled ungracefully beside Chris who turned to him and moved closer, reaching out and taking his bondmates face into his hands tenderly, moving forward and pressing his forehead against the humans.

"Chris," David forced out in a choked voice.

"Yeah?" Chris asked softly, their foreheads resting together, eyes locked, lips barely a centimetre apart.

"Did we make a baby?" David asked and everyone in the room chuckled, even Spock made a sound that sounded almost like a tiny chuckle.

"We did," Chris answered, barely above a whisper.

David let out a choked dry sob, eyes closing for a second and re-opening swimming with tears.

"That's… pretty cool," David breathed and Chris grinned, surging forwards and kissing him soundly. As Chris began to pull back, David pushed forward, his hands finding the sides of Chris' face. When they parted they both sat in a stunned silence, just holding eachothers faces in their hands and looking stunned but both grinning stupidly.

David sniffled and his father cleared his throat, causing him to glance at him. He indicated the hologram with his eyes and David turned his attention to the image, taking in their unborn child for the first time.

"Damn. He's got your everything, did you clone yourself or…?" David asked and Chris chuckled.

"I think he looks more like you."

"I am certain this debate can be settled in only a few short weeks," Spock added smoothly.

"A few weeks? How many weeks are we in?" David asked and Chris' heart gave a little flutter at how he worded the question as 'we'. He was so relieved David hadn't immediately run from him.

"We're looking at around twenty-five weeks. Chris we need to monitor you really closely, and you need to be gaining some serious weight. Baby is not doing good on their weight percentile, so you gotta up your calories okay? David, feed him up, that's an order," Bones instructed firmly. "Also, stay the hell away from the gym, don't do any exercise this guy tells you to do. The only thing you're allowed to do now is light activity, gentle walking, swimming… nothing crazy. You may find it uncomfortable to lay flat on your back, that's because you shouldn't be doing it until after the baby comes now. No drugs, no alcohol, no chocolate, no excessive amounts of caffeine. Do I make myself clear?" Bones asked the two young men and both nodded obediently. David shifted a little uncomfortably about Chris not being allowed to lay on his back, that was why he'd been so unhappy in that position the other night.

"Oh… and for the sake of all that is good in this universe, no rough sex," Bones said bluntly and Chris snorted as David blushed crimson.

"Not my fault David can't control himself…" Chris mumbled with a smirk and David shoved him. Bones pretended not to hear them.

"So are you experiencing anything unusual to your normal routine? Any food cravings?" Bones asked, making some notes on one of the PADD's.

"Uh… I'm extra tired, maybe a little emotional, I've been meditating longer to deal with it, and I've not had cravings, just aversions to almost everything," Chris admitted. Sensing his bondmate was getting cold, David snagged the soft blanket draped over the back of the couch and wrapped it around Chris' shoulders, placing a gentle kiss at his temple and then resting his hand on his knee as the older man continued to answer Bones' questions.

"And is your sexual function all working as it should?" Bones asked, looking stubbornly at his PADD and not at Chris.

"Wow Bones, that's kinda personal, at least buy me dinner first," Chris smirked, David blushing again.

"Answer the damn questions," Bones snapped and Chris stifled his laughter.

"Yep. All systems normal. Maybe actually a little more excitable than usual, but David's been working out a lot so…I attributed it to that," Chris trailed off, unable to resist the opportunity to make the doctor uncomfortable. Bones looked up with narrowed eyes.

"If I hadn't sworn an oath to do no harm…" he threatened vaguely, both Chris and David laughing now at his empty words.

"If you can make it to twenty-eight weeks then I think we should take it," Bones said seriously and Chris and David looked at each other.

"Twenty eight weeks as in… three weeks from now?" David asked and the Doctor looked at him incredulously.

"I believe I taught you to count. Yes. Three weeks from now. Baby needs to gain some weight and then get out before the uterus trashes Chris' liver entirely. I'm also not entirely convinced your skin will stretch enough where your scarring is, so we don't want you getting too big because it could cause issues. I want to check on you every three days, maybe even daily, and that's not negotiable," he insisted as Chris opened his mouth to argue.

"So Spock, what did Jim like to eat when he was expecting, hmm? Because I think this baby is hungry and Chris needs a home-cooked meal," the doctor said, obviously trying to get Spock involved.

"I already ate tonight," Chris answered quickly and David gave him a sideways glance.

"You're eating again," he said firmly and Chris sighed.

"I believe I know what you need," Spock said, rising from the couch beside Chris and padding silently into the kitchen.

Bones looked between David and Chris and the hologram, not missing the extremely serious look David was giving Chris.

"You… you were carrying him when you came aboard that Orion ship to bring me home," David said quietly and Chris looked thoughtful for a second.

"Yeah, I guess I was," he agreed.

"Didn't you have a full medical workup when you got back to the ship?" Bones asked and Chris shrugged.

"I refused medical care initially so there were more resources available for people who needed them more. I guess I just got a quick once-over because of pheromone exposure," Chris dismissed, now sniffing the air as the smell of whatever Spock was cooking drifted into the room.

"Alright kid let me get those things off you," Bones said, approaching the couch, David raising a hand to stop him.

"Could we have a second, before you take the holo away?" David asked, setting one hand protectively on Chris' abdomen. Bones nodded and clapped his hand on David's shoulder briefly before leaving them to have a moment of privacy.

He made small-talk with Spock as he cooked, Plomeek soup, and then headed back into the room a few minutes later with a large bowl of the bland smelling dish.

"He kicked me in the face!" David protested, pointing at the hologram. Chris was smirking.

"You put your face where he could kick it…" Chris defended.

"How do you think Thomas is going to handle this?" Bones asked as he was finally allowed to disconnect the scanners from Chris and put them carefully away back in their case.

"I think he'll be a good big brother. He's caring and smart and he'll want to help his brother learn and grow," answered Chris before David could respond.

"No more talking from you. Eat," David said firmly, picking up the soup from the coffee table where Spock had placed it, handing it to Chris who looked at it tiredly. David raised his eyebrow threateningly and Chris looked defeated, taking a cautious mouthful. He looked undecided for a moment before moaning in pleasure.

"Oh god. That's the stuff," he groaned, digging in for more. Spock quirked an eyebrow and David stole a bite of the dish to see what he was missing out on.

"It doesn't taste like anything?" David frowned as Chris continued to practically keen over the soup.

"Exactly," Chris grinned. They sat in relative silence until Chris had finished eating and pulled his shirt and sweater back on, giving a small shiver as he did so and then yawning widely before looking startled and looking down at his own abdomen.

"What is it?" Bones asked, concern creeping into his expression. Chris reached out for David's hand and brought it over to his stomach, placing it down carefully. He held David's hand in place for a few seconds, staring at him in wonder until David jolted his hand away, looking amazed.

"Holy shit! How haven't you noticed that before?" David asked and Chris laughed.

"He hasn't kicked me like that before! Not really, maybe only once or twice. Baby likes your cooking Spock," Chris smiled and Spock's expression softened.

"Yourself and your brother responded in a most similar fashion. I had hoped this may be the outcome," he said, looking confused as Chris beckoned him over.

"Feel," he offered, allowing Spock to place a tentative hand on his abdomen again. For a few seconds all Spock felt was the soft texture of the sweatshirt covering his skin but then he felt a distinct thud against his palm.

"Leonard, you should also experience this," he said, giving up his space for the Doctor to move in and place his hand instead, getting kicked almost instantly.

"Well aint that just the darndest thing. Eat up Chris, little guy needs his strength," he ordered and Chris nodded dutifully.

"You guys want to tell everyone else yourselves or am I allowed to tell your mother?" he asked and David looked at Chris for a second.

"We'll tell everybody tomorrow, just in case Mitchell wasn't bluffing and he'll actually go to the media with it. We should also probably make our own announcement and get ahead of it, so we're in control of the story breaking. Did you get any news on Leo?" Chris asked and Bones shook his head.

"Carol tried to. He's in Starfleet medical and they won't release him. She got an update on Scotty though, he's stable at least," he said heavily and Chris nodded.

"Do not concern yourself for your brother for now, I am certain he will be fine," said Spock and Chris pulled a face.

"Fine is unacceptable. Fine has multiple definitions," he pointed out and Spock opened his mouth the respond just as the front door to the house opened and there was a commotion in the hallway.

"Spock? Could you give me a hand?" Seren's voice called.

Spock rose from the couch without hesitation, the others following. They found Seren in the hallway, Leo leaning heavily on her, twisted expression on his face and gasping for breath.

"Leo you idiot," Bones hissed, taking one look at the young man and helping Seren hold him up, helping him into the house and towards the other couch where he settled down and lay completely still on his side, breathing shallowly.

"How were you able to get him discharged from Starfleet medical?" Spock asked Seren who mumbled a response.

"You did what?" Bones asked her to clarify and she spoke up.

"He did a Jim Kirk special and discharged himself from medical care, against my instructions. He's arrhythmic, he needs-" she began and Leo held up a hand.

"They were going to experiment on me, they so much as told me that," he argued weakly and Bones delved for his medical kit once again, scanning Leo quickly and his face turning extremely stern as he did so.

"Damn it Leo you're in no fit state to be pulling a stunt like this!" he scolded as he returned to digging through his medical bag.

Seren now had her eyes on David and Chris, Chris hadn't noticed her looking as he was fixated on Leo but David had, and was crumbling under her stern blue gaze. He felt almost as though she was reading his mind without touching him, which though he knew it was impossible, it still felt that way.

"Hold still kid, this is gonna hurt," he warned gently as helped Leo wriggled out of his shirt, then positioned two devices on Leo's skin, one on either side of his heart.

"What… what are you gonna do?" Leo asked with alarm as Bones stepped back and made sure nobody was touching the young man.

"Oh… nothing. We'll go on three. One, two-"

Leo cried out in pain as Bones went on two and the devices shocked him.

"Motherfucker!" he hissed as Bones began removing the two electrical instruments.

"It hurts less if it's a surprise," Spock said flatly, with a look at Leonard referring to an incident a long time ago on a strange planet, of which Spock still bore a small scar on his abdomen.

"Arrhythmia is gone," Seren noted, taking a fresh scan.

"And now he needs to sleep. David, could you give me a hand to carry him upstairs?" he asked and Seren looked at them both quizzically.

"Would Chris not be more suited, as he is more equal in strength and body mass to Leo?" she asked and Chris looked guilty.

"I'm not allowed to do any heavy lifting right now. For maybe another couple of weeks, maybe a month or two if I'm lucky," he said vaguely and Seren's expression flickered.

"Are you…" she trailed off and Chris gave a non-committal half shrug.

"Christopher, share your news with your siblings," Spock prompted as though Chris was a very young child.

"Alright guys. David and I may have accidentally reproduced. We're having a boy, I mean… another boy," he spilled and Seren and Leo both stared at him for a long moment.

"You're shitting me," Leo finally spoke, tone completely flat and facial expression definitely verging on angry.

"We're not kidding Leo," David answered, looking a little confused by Leo's negative reaction, his hand settling protectively on Chris' shoulder.

"Medically it is inadvisable-" Seren began and then stopped, looking at the two men.

"Under strict supervision, perhaps. It would not be feasible to reach full term though," she finished, expression still a little grave.

"We already talked about that. We're gonna go for twenty eight weeks and see how we're doing, then just take it day by day," Bones interjected.

"Why are you guys acting like I've done something wrong?" Chris asked quietly.

"Leo's in a lot of pain right now, he's probably not thinking straight," David tried to justify.

"Leo's fucking jealous," Leo admitted, his frown fading. "But I'm happy for you guys, so long as Chris doesn't die. So yeah. Don't die. Someone please help me get to a bed?" he asked wearily and David hesitantly let go of Chris' shoulder to help Spock drag Leo upstairs.

"You don't seem very happy for us either," Chris pointed out to Seren in an accusatory tone and she looked guilty.

"I am of course happy for you. From a medical standpoint I am concerned, and I think I would feel more reassured if I were able to go over your scan results myself. But please don't mistake my concern for not being happy. Did you save a holo?" she asked and Bones handed her a small chip Chris hadn't noticed him making a copy of. She located a handheld player from the shelf behind her and watched the image as it sprang to life and rotated slowly above her outstretched palm.

"He's a handsome little thing, and advanced… I assumed you were telling us you were at twelve weeks, not in excess of twenty-four," she said finally, with a small smile.

They sat in relative silence until Spock and David reappeared, Thomas clinging to David's hip as he had been disturbed by all the commotion of getting Leo upstairs and into his bed.

Seren left, bidding them goodnight. Bones wasn't far behind, with a promise of weighing Chris every day if he had to in order to ensure appropriate weight gain. Spock left them alone in the lounge for privacy, heading upstairs to bed.

Chris and David lounged together on the couch, Thomas half asleep laying with them.

"Should we tell him?" David asked after a long silence.

"Should we tell him and then tell everyone?" Chris asked and David looked up at him.

"I don't doubt the story will have broken before the morning. I'd rather be in control of it. We can announce it in our own way. It's our baby, we should get to tell people, not some asshole Admiral," he said firmly and David looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding.

"How do you want to do it?" he asked and Chris looked uncertain for a minute before coming up with an idea he thought might work.

"I've got an idea, but we need to tell Thomas first," he said and David nodded, gently sitting Thomas up to much protest from the sleepy toddler.

"I know you're tired, I know. It's bedtime really soon. But first, we have to tell you something really important ok?" David said softly and Thomas nodded.

"You're going to be a big brother. You're going to have a little baby brother soon," he explained and Thomas looked at them blankly.

"Brother?" he asked and Chris nodded.

"Yeah. Like how Uncle Leo is my brother, you're going to be a brother too. You're going to have a little brother to play with," he explained and Thomas looked at them both sternly.

"Do I have to share toys?" he asked finally and they both burst into laughter.

"Maybe when he gets older, but when he first gets here he's going to be too little to play with any of your toys. He's just going to do a lot of sleeping and crying," David explained.

"Where is he?" Thomas asked and David looked to Chris, who rolled up his shirt to expose the small bulge in his abdomen.

"For now he's growing in Chris' belly. Until he gets big and strong enough to come out and meet us all. You can touch him, gently see," David explained, guiding Thomas' small hand onto Chris' abdomen and pressing it lightly.

"He might be sleeping now, but sometimes when he's awake he might move and you might be able to feel it," Chris told him and Thomas looked up at him with a huge grin on his face. He pressed the side of his face against Chris' exposed skin and hugged his arms around his waist, holding still there. David placed his hand on the back of Thomas' head, and Chris lowered his right hand to settle on the side of his small bulge, left hand using his personal comm. to snap a quick picture looking down, with the top of Thomas' head, David's hand, his own hand, and his belly framed in the shot.

"When you're done giving him a hug we can go to bed, okay?" David asked softly and Thomas nodded, his face still against Chris. They ended up sitting there on the couch with Thomas clinging onto Chris until he fell asleep on his feet and David had to scoop him up to carry him upstairs. As they settled down to bed Chris was able to show David the picture he'd taken.

"You should use that to announce it. Post it on your socials page, people will freak out for it," he said as they curled up under the blankets together.

"But it has Thomas in it, you don't want his picture out there," Chris said and David shook his head.

"It doesn't have his face in it, the top of his head like that is fine for me, and it's a nice picture, the four of us," he said with a small smile and Chris grinned, leaning across to kiss his bondmate.

"I like the sound of four of us," he smiled as he pulled back.

He edited the picture slightly, cropping it a little and deciding he preferred the colours muted into black and white, before he posted it to his social media account. He still had a huge following from back in his modelling and acting days, before David and Starfleet and his injury. He rarely ever posted anything on it these days. He added a simple caption '#4, coming soon' before ensuring the device was set to silent and placing it to one side.

He lay awake for a long while, long after David had drifted off beside him. His mind strayed to Jim, and how much he would have loved to know that they were raising Thomas, and now that Chris was going to a biological parent. His memory drifted back to the day a long few years ago, before he left for rehab, when he knelt in the cold beside Jim's grave in the middle of the night and he promised to make him proud. He hoped he was succeeding.