Thank you to everybody who read or review the last conversation. You are all absolutely wonderful. Please note that the first email here was only written about two days after the email that Sulu received on day 148. The second one was written two days later, yet they are reaching the Enterprise email server at the same time. Devon really did a number on their email system.
Also, you've noticed that I've changed the summary and the title of the story slightly. I realized that my original plan to do the whole five year mission in emails was overly ambitious and would result in way too much filler. So we are only doing the first year or so now with a time skip epilogue portion that will take us to my original stopping point.
The original subtitle applied to my original ending and I'm doing something slightly different now. The new title comes from the Mike Shinoda song Make It up As I Go, which I think fits the story better. It also keeps with the song subtitles of the first two stories. The theme song for Dear Spock was Eminem's Beautiful. The theme song for Dear James was Pink's Fucking Perfect. I can't think of a better theme than Make It up As I Go for this story.
New summary from A3O: Follow-up to Dear Spock and Dear James. The five year mission is a go. Jim is trying to figure out how to be Spock's first officer and husband while dealing with the lasting consequences of nearly dying. Spock tries to figure out how to give Jim what he needs while balancing his responsibilities as captain. Sulu is trying to figure out how to be a good dad to Demora and partner to Ben light years from both. Leonard and Nyota are trying to figure out how to raise a preteen in space with enough baggage to fill the ship. No one knows quite what they're doing. However, they are the best crew in Starfleet, which essentially means they'll just make it up as they go. A collection of letters, emails and other written correspondence from the first year of Enterprise's five-year mission.
New summary from fanfiction dot net:
Sequel to Dear James and Dear Spock. The 5 year mission is a go. Everybody's trying to balance their work and family responsibilities. No one knows quite what they're doing. But they are the best crew in Starfleet, which essentially means they'll just make it up as they go. A collection of emails & other written correspondence from the first year of Enterprise's 5-year mission.
Day 160: It really does take forever to get email in space
From: Benjamin_2254
To: SuluHG2260
Subject: Never ever go to the fertility clinic of the greater Bay Area
Time arrived: 7/31/2260 00:00:01
So, I went to see Shawn yesterday and the fact that I needed to take another day to process before I could send you an email probably tells you all types of things about how badly that meeting went. So apparently Shawn was right in letting the DNA test happen and even wiser in deciding to have a second team duplicate the results just in case they tried something. So, I should just tell you immediately that baby K is not Zack's biological daughter, but she is mine. I kind of fainted when I found out.
So, the first time around Zack's parents did a DNA test to prove that K was their granddaughter. And she totally 100% is their grandchild. However, this time Shawn being Shawn, he decided to run the paternity test against Zack. The Johnsons couldn't do that last time around, but because of Shawn still having Starfleet connections and the fact that I now know Admiral Chen personally, we were able to access my deceased husband's Starfleet DNA profile. And to all of our surprises, that proved that baby K is not Zack's biological daughter because the fucking fertility clinic screwed up and Zoe was implanted with a batch two embryo. I think it's a small miracle that they didn't accidentally fertilize Zoe's donor eggs with her brother's sperm. Obviously, they are that incompetent.
I guess I should start at the beginning. When we first got married, Zack and I decided that when we had kids the first child would be Zack's genetically and the second child would be mine biologically. We didn't want to do a three child embryo or something involving more genetic engineering. Instead we would use a donor egg that looks like Zack and vice versus. Eventually, Zack's sister Zoe agreed to be our surrogate and was willing to donate a few eggs to the cause. After two attempts she got pregnant, but apparently, she got pregnant with an embryo created with my sperm and her egg.
The fertility clinic has no idea how that happened or at least that's what their lawyer is telling us. Shawn and team are looking into it. Theoretically, the embryos created from Zack's sperm are still in storage. I hope they are anyway. I am paying for it.
You and I haven't talked about it, but I kind of wanted another kid someday in addition to baby D. We can totally raise three together. I didn't want to take that option off the table by putting the embryos up for adoption. Of course, at the time I thought they were embryos created with my sperm but knowing that they're Zack's doesn't change that.
Now I am extra glad I did that because this is my last piece of Zach. Honestly, I cried a lot in the last day. Too much. I am pissed and angry and I have another meeting with Sean in an hour to decide what we're doing about the fertility clinic. Should I sue? I don't know. I don't want K to think that I love her less because she is not Zack's biological child. Because she still is his. If he didn't die, he would have loved her so much and now I'm crying again. I don't need this.
I don't even know what this is going to do to the custody case. It changes things because Zoe isn't going to possibly let her parents try to take her kids. Nor should they, because she's alive to fight back. It may even make things easier, Zoe has been by my side the entire time on this. I haven't even told her yet. That's also part of today's meeting with Shawn and our new lawyer, Ms. Lee, formerly of Atlanta. Like just hired yesterday new.
I will write more later. Love you. Wish you were here.
Xxxxx
From: Benjamin_2254
To: SuluHG2260
Subject: Acclimating to reality
Time arrived: 7/31/2260 00:00:01
Another day, another letter to you. Maybe things are just that screwed up. Writing to you is how I cope. Although, I promise not to write again outside of an emergency until I hear from you. Liz told me that Enterprise is under a communications blackout due to your current location. Of course that happens now. I hope you at least got the first message before that happened.
So Zoe totally has my back. She also fainted when she found out K is her baby, but she cried a little too. After long discussions with the legal team Zoe has decided against signing her parental rights away. Shawn says that will give us more of a chance going up against her parents. Besides, she has always adored K. She has also been baby K's favorite babysitter whenever she's in town so we'll work things out.
I'm now glad I had you and Sue to show me the best way to navigate a nontraditional family. I like how you two can just work things out and be best friends for each other. You both have a really great relationship. So I'm hoping we can copy you guys.
Also, after very long discussions with Ms. Lee, our new attorney (whose own father makes the Johnsons almost seem like not evil people) and Shawn, we decided that we will be suing the fertility clinic because who knows what other families they did this to. We want to know why it happened to keep it from happening again. Zoe Is pushing for it. Zoe is also totally convinced that K is too young to realize what's going on so she probably won't have issues due to the lawsuit. She knows that we adore her to pieces no matter what.
I don't know how this is going to effect the lawsuit with the in-laws. Shawn says from a purely legal perspective it's a good thing. K's other biological parent isn't dead and I am still alive and her biological father and I have more parental rights because our legal system didn't see me as an equal parent before despite the papers and the marriage certificate and 200 years + of case law.
You can tell I'm just angry and sad and furious and I'm probably just rambling into the microphone right now so please forgive me if this is totally incoherent. I just need to talk to somebody and you're it right now. Zoe is still processing and I'm not quite ready to tell Liz yet, but I will soon. Probably when I pick up baby K today.
There's another lawyer meeting tomorrow, but this time with the other team being there. I'm sure the in-laws know the truth by now. It's like my life consists of playgroup, office hours, and lawyer time. I'm just glad that Liz is willing to take care of K whenever I have to spend quality time with the lawyers.
How did you win the in-law lottery? Zoe is like the only good one. Although your family is an improvement, but I am still getting to know everybody. Although K has been invited for a sleepover next weekend so we shall see. I'll send pictures. Write back whenever you get these rambling messes of emails.
Xxxxxx
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: OK the ship email system has suspicious timing and two of your messages pushed through at midnight. So at least I got to read your thoughts on what's going on before we talked. Although the fact that Liz arranged this chat has me worried enough.
Enterprise Lt. Commander Sulu: So I should probably apologize for being unavailable for so long at such a crucial time. Although I heard through Jim, who heard from Liz that the Johnsons are dropping their custody suit. Is that a good or bad thing?
Dr. Ben Johnson: I would like to say they dropped the suit because they knew Zoe wouldn't budge 1 inch and their lawyers told them they no longer have a legal leg to stand on, but after today's legal shenanigans, I realize it's because they just want a piece of Zack. That's all K ever was to them, and now that she is not Zack's child, they don't actually want her. I still don't know how Zack is even related to them because they're just awful. His dad more than the mom but she's still going along with it.
Dr. Ben Johnson: And I forgive you for not writing back. Liz told me what happened and I'm so sorry for your loss. Those poor kids. Liz is over there right now breaking the news. She told me what was happening because I am watching Desi right now. Liz felt it was best that she not be there because she's not sure how the girls are going to take it.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: Liz is probably right about that. I'm not sure how they're going to take it. They've already been abandoned once. I'll probably ship some letters off to my sister once I can get a readout of what's going on. Also, I really want to know what sent you over the edge today? Were the in-laws really that bad?
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: Oh by the way, Leonard believes your new lawyer is his former sister-in-law although not that former because he still claims her. Says she was the second best thing he got out of that marriage. And her father probably is worse than the Johnsons, if the things Jo Jo has told me is any indication.
Dr. Ben Johnson: Kevin is sending me text messages. They handed the letter to your brother-in-law about five minutes ago. He broke a wall and possibly his hand. I am glad I have the baby. Desi says hi and No. No is her favorite word right now.
Dr. Ben Johnson: They are suing me for Zack's embryos. And I'm not surprised Miss Lee was the best thing Dr. McCoy got out of his marriage. Zoe is like my favorite right now.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: Of course no is Desi's favorite word. I am not surprised about breaking a wall. Also glad you're keeping the kids.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: I hate to say it, but I'm not surprised they're doing this. I kind of felt that they were only trying to get K from you because they wanted a piece of Zack. It wasn't about her. How are you feeling about this?
Dr. Ben Johnson: Kevin says your sister is crying, but she is glad you wrote a personal letter because she didn't want to read some meaningless platitude by a faceless Starfleet member about Alicia. Are they sending the ashes back to earth? Liz asked me to ask that. Or Kevin. I hate when they text me from the same phone because sometimes, they really sound alike.
Dr. Ben Johnson: I thought that way too for a while and I think this annoys me more because K is still their grandkid, but now she is Zoe's kid not Zack's kid and well she doesn't matter. Zoe is the one that cut them off because of how they treated Zack. Do they just see the kids as a second chance, or maybe to repent for their sins? Questioning is something they never did when Zack was alive. They hated him. They hated me. I just don't even know how to process this right now.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: Yes, Alicia's ashes are being sent back. I made sure of that personally. As far out as we are, I expect it's going to take about a month. The kids might get there sooner.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: Oh I should tell you that as of tonight I am no longer sharing a bathroom with my Captain and his husband. This is because Jim and Spock are adopting or at least fostering Jim's dead brother's illegitimate child that nobody knew about until about five days ago. We didn't even know that he was Jim's nephew until Leonard did a DNA test. His mom didn't say anything before she died. Yes, it's a total mess.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: I am sorry that your in-laws are like that and I'm sorry they were like that to Zack and Zoe. Blood doesn't always make a family. It's love. I'm just saying if you want to have a third child, I'm OK if you want to use the embryos from Zack. It will be a true yours mine and ours situation.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: We could totally try to talk Sue in to being our surrogate, but I don't think she wants to get pregnant again. OK unless it gets her off of the Hamilton because I think she starting to really hate her ship. She's a very overworked and underappreciated first officer who's being gossiped about by everybody.
Dr. Ben Johnson: Kevin says thank you for the update about the ashes and the Peter situation. Apparently there was a family discussion about it yesterday or rather earlier today our time, but they didn't know the outcome.
Dr. Ben Johnson: Yeah I don't think Sue wants to be pregnant again anytime soon. Apparently, she had morning sickness the entire time last time. It's a surprise she managed to stay on ship for as much of her pregnancy as possible. It's something we can talk about after the five-year mission because if we are going to have another kid you're going to be here at that time. Also, I'm not sure if I want to deal with the Johnsons if we bring a Zack kid into the world.
Dr. Ben Johnson: I am realizing that blood really doesn't matter. Your found family is kind of wonderful. I mean Liz made sure we could talk and this is really helping even though I can't see you.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: I definitely think I want to be present during the pregnancy. I am sad I missed the ultrasounds and everything else with Desi. I mean I have the video files, but it's not the same. I would've loved to have felt Desi kick. I also heard Desi kick Sue's bladder constantly, so yeah definitely never going to get pregnant again outside of another catastrophic contraceptive failure.
Dr. Ben Johnson: Well she is your free pass and only free pass by the way, so you could end up giving Desi a biological sibling. Kevin and Liz are coming over to get D. Apparently, they're going to take the kids to get cheer up ice cream after being told their mom is dead. Apparently, ice cream cake will be involved.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: Family tradition. That's how Sue found out about her father.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: How are you going to proceed legally? Do you know yet?
Dr. Ben Johnson: I don't want them to have Zack's embryos because I don't want them to raise another child to hate themselves if they're different. They just expected so much and I can't do that to an innocent baby.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: But at least you don't have to worry about them taking K.
Dr. Ben Johnson: They don't even want visitation anymore. It's like one extreme or the other. I'm going to need extra time in therapy just to work all this out.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: Are you seeing someone?
Dr. Ben Johnson: Yes. Liz insisted. It's been helping.
Enterprise. Lt. Commander Sulu: That's good. OK Nyota is telling me that our allotted time is up, but I'll write to you again in a couple of days. You might not see it for about a month, but I will write. Love you.
Dr. Ben Johnson: Love you too. I'll send pictures. You know Desi is going to dive headfirst into the ice cream cake. What is it with that kid in cakes?
To be continued.