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toboldlygohome · 10 months ago

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"Patch Me Up, Doc"

Leonard McCoy x Reader

Summary: When disaster strikes on the Enterprise and the unavoidable happens, Bones is there to patch you up again.

Character(s): Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, James "Jim" Kirk, Christine Chapel

Warning(s): Wounds, Minor character death, Violence, Cursing

Leonard wasn't sure how his day could possibly get worse. Three cases of Ankarian flu, several engineers came in with all manner of abrasions and burns, and an ensign went into anaphylactic shock. All in the last two hours.

The one thing he had been looking forward to all day was seeing you. Today you were scheduled for your bi-monthly physical. Despite the engineering department being notorious for having the most casualties, you were one of the few exceptions.

You were always careful and aware of your surroundings and you never made silly mistakes. It was one of the things Leonard really liked about you, but that also meant he didn't see you as much as he'd like to. At least you were taking care of yourself. If that meant he only got to see your beautiful smile a few times a week, it was worth it.

Leonard looked down at his PADD and frowned. You were late, which was very unlike you. He had tried to call you multiple times, but you weren't answering any of his messages. After about thirty minutes of waiting, Leonard dialed Scotty.

"Hello?" Scotty said. In the background Bones could hear what sounded like a hundred hammers banging on pipes. That was his first clue to what was holding you up.

"Scotty, where is-" Leonard started, but was cut off by the head engineer.

"Ah! Doctor, what can I do you for?"

Bones huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lieutenant Y/L/N is late for her medical exam," He grumbled.

"Oh yeah! She mentioned something about that. Is it that time already?" Scotty asked. "We're a little busy down here. I'll send her up when we get this figured out." Suddenly there was a loud hissing sound. It was so loud that Leonard had to pull the communicator away from his ear.

"Dear god man! what's going on down there?" Bones talked over the static.

"Something strange is happening with the warp core. We're running on a power shortage."

"Power shortage? What do you mean, power shortage?" Bones implored. As if in response, the lights dimmed with a dangerous sounding hum before brightening again. "Ah. That power shortage."

"Losing power up in med bay!" Scotty announced to his crew before responding to Bones. "Don't you worry doctor, we have all hands on deck to figure out what is draining the power. When we do, I'll send your lass up for her physical."

"How long is this gonna take?" Leonard furrowed his brows.

"Oh at the rate we're going at, I'd say a couple hours at least-"

"A couple hours?! Forget it. Just tell Y/N I'll get with her later to reschedule." Bones ran a hand over his face.

"You got it lad!" Scotty hung up.

An hour went by and the power outages were growing more frequent. Leonard couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. But of course he was a doctor, not a psychic.

Bones busied himself at his desk filling out some patient reports, when a low rumble coursed through the ship. It vibrated the floors and walls, shaking the contents of Leonard's long forgotten coffee mug. When the shaking slowed, the lights slowly faded out and didn't turn back on.

"What the hell are they doing down there? Opening a god-damned back hole?" Bones shoved aside his chair and stormed out of his office.

The nurses in the medbay already had out their flashlights and were pulling open the automatic doors, which had frozen in place with the power outage.

"Back up generators should be switching on any minute" Nurse Chapel said as she fiddled with her PADD screen. They waited in tense silence for the lights to come on. When nothing happened, Leonard grabbed a flashlight of his own.

"I'm getting to the bottom of this mess." He grumbled and marched toward the door, only to be thrown against the wall by some strange force. The nurses, biobeds and all manner of medical equipment felt the impact as well. Dimly, Bones registered a loud boom from deep within the enterprise that rattled his insides. What followed was the sound of emergency sirens and flashing red lights.

"Everyone okay?" Leonard called out as he pulled himself up. There were various murmurs of agreement as the nurses regained their balance. Dr M'Benga rushed in soon after, along with a steady flow of medical personnel. Everyone worked in a frenzy to prep the medbay for...whatever it was that was happening.

"Jim! medbay to bridge! Pick up dammit!" Leonard hollered into his communicator over the blaring sirens.

"Bones! Read you loud and clear!" Jim responded.

"What in god's name is going on? are we under attack?!" Leonard could barely hear himself think over the sound of the red alert.

"Not entirely sure."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, i'll get back to you on that. Right now I need a medical team down in engineering ASAP!"

Leonard felt his stomach drop. That must have been where the explosion was. 'All hands on deck' Scotty had said. So many people were down there. He was down there.

You were down there. Dammit.

Leonard hung up and grabbed his kit "Alpha shift, you're coming with me to engineering. Beta and Gamma shift, stay here and get ready. I have a feeling we're gonna be busy."

~~~

Down in engineering, you struggled to stand. Your legs felt weak and your head was pounding. The room was spinning and it was unbearably hot. You couldn't hear anything at first, the ringing was so bad. Then the ringing turned into sirens, then into shouting. Your eyes adjusted to the lights.

There was fire everywhere. The whole engine room was a mess of destroyed systems and fallen cross beams. You couldn't recall what happened at first, then slowly you remembered the alien device. the one harvesting the power. There must have been multiple, and they must have been bombs.

Amid the grogginess, you heard your communicator beeping. It was Scotty.

"M'here boss" Your voice sounded much more hoarse than you were expecting. you must have been screaming when you went down.

"Where are you? I've been trying to find you!" Scotty yelled from the other end.

"I'm by the eastern bulkhead." You pushed yourself up on your knees to survey your surroundings.

"That's perfect! Captain says they see an unfamiliar ship closing in. Given the circumstances, we can assume it's not too friendly."

"Affirmative," You whole-heartedly agreed as you struggled to your feet.

"We haven't enough power for shields. The captain needs us to redirect all the power to the warp coils."

You huffed, catching your breath. "Consider it done, be careful Scotty." you hung up and hooked your communicator to your belt. The smoke was terrible and it was hard to breathe, but you had a job to do. You grabbed a rogue toolkit and rushed toward one of the massive power panels. On the way there, you saw something that froze you in your tracks.

It was an ensign trapped under a large pipe. She appeared to be incapacitated. You dropped everything and rushed over to her.

"Nella! Can you hear me?" You cried out. She didn't respond. "Nella, I'm going to get you out of here! Just hold on!"

You grabbed one end of the pipe and started lifting, but it wouldn't budge. "Come on!" You grunted, putting everything you had into it. You pulled and pulled, but you couldn't free her alone. "Help! over here! Someone!"

Footsteps. Your prayers had been answered. Dr. McCoy came rushing around the corner with his med kit and those strong arms you needed right about now.

"Leonard! Thank god, I need your help! She's trapped, I can't get it myself!" You swallowed the lump in your throat. You were so glad to see him, Bones always seemed to appear just when you needed him.

Leonard froze when he saw the ensign on the floor and held up his tricorder.

"Come on doctor, we gotta get it off of her" You said through gritted teeth, fighting to lift the pipe off your fellow engineer.

Leonard's scanner beeped and he sighed. "Y/N, I... I'm sorry." He placed a firm hand on your shoulder.

You froze, trying to comprehend what he meant by that. "You...what?" You asked in a daze.

"She's gone Y/N," he squeezed your shoulder.

You let go of the pipe and turned your gaze to the ceiling. You were on the verge of a breakdown and you needed to stay calm. There were other people, living people, who needed your help right now. You pressed the heels of your palms to your eyes and took a deep breath.

Leonard moved his hand to your back. "Lieutenant, we have to go."

You steeled yourself, grabbed your tool bag from the ground and darted toward the power panel. Leonard grunted and hurried after you.

"The doors are this way! where are you going?" Bones caught up with you as you navigated the mess of wires, pipes, and rubble.

"To redirect the power!"

"Slow down dammit, you're injured!"

"If I don't transfer the power to the warp coils, all of us are gonna be dealing more than just a few bumps and scrapes, Doctor"

"What you have there is not a 'scrape' Darlin' you've practically sprung a leak!"

"Perfect! You can follow my blood trail!" Everything was going wrong. This was one big, terrible nightmare. The floor shook again and you stumbled forward into the power panel. Leonard fell into you from behind, that was when you noticed the searing pain in your side.

"Shit," you winced.

"What did I tell ya?" Leonard grumbled as he helped you up. You reached for the controls, only to find the displays were fried. With a cry of defeat, you slammed your fist into the keyboard.

"Nothing can ever be EASY, can it?! Time to get creative then!" You went to the side of the panel and pried it open to reveal it's mechanical innards. "You work on me, I'll work on this!"

Bones didn't need to be told twice. He dove into his medical bag for his hypo spray and bandages; meanwhile, you were looking for the command cable that would allow you to divert all the power coming into the panel to the warp coils.

You ignored the sting of the hypo entering your neck and focused on finding your coveted wire.

"Lifting your dress Lieutenant." Leonard warned, already gripping the bottom hem.

"Do what you gotta do doctor, modesty is the last thing on my mind right now." You groused as you dug deeper into the panel. Not that modesty was an issue, you were wearing leggings after all.

He lifted your dress and winced on your behalf. Bones gave it some sort of antibacterial spray that burned like hell despite the pain medicine he injected you with. The barrage of what you assumed to be phaser cannons didn't lighten up. The floor kept shaking, but neither of you payed it any mind.

The world seemed to slow as you finally found the cable. "YES!" You beamed, ripping it out of it's socket.

"Woah, woah, woah. You're messin' up your bandages!"

"No time for bandages! I have to get these cables into that panel" You pointed across the destroyed engine room. "That'll reroute the power, then we can get the hell out of here!" You struggled to stand amid the shaking and Leonard hoisted you up. If the circumstances weren't so terrible, you would have relished in the feeling of his arms around you. Unfortunately, time was of the essence. Once you were on your feet, you were already running through the wreckage to the panel. Leonard was hot on your heels, shielding his face from the flames as he ran.

A powerful crash sent you flying forward yet again, knocking the wind out of you. Behind you, Leonard was in a similar predicament. You didn't stop. All you had to do was plug it in, then the enterprise would finally be out of danger. You tore into the panel. This time you knew just where the cord was supposed to go. You ripped the old cord free and replaced it with the new one.

Instantly you felt the ship lurch forward. All at once, the shaking stopped. The familiar hum of the warp coils lulled you into a sense of ease. You were back on your feet, the ground steady beneath you. You turned and found Bones, pulling himself off the ground. Your relief was immeasurable. It was all over. The ship was safe.

Leonard was safe.

You smiled so brightly, Bones was sure it out shined even the brightest star in the galaxy.

Unfortunately for you, the universe was against you that day. You took one step toward him and your world lit up. You saw nothing. The only thing you felt was pain. The last thing you heard before drifting away was the sound of Leonard, crying out for you.

~~~

An incessant beeping stirred you from your slumber, that and the terrible ache you felt in every part of your body. It took a long time for you to work up the courage to open your eyes, but when you did, you were blinded by the overhead lights in the medbay.

You groaned and tried to shield your eyes with your arm, but you just felt so weak. Instead, you closed your eyes and hoped your head would stop throbbing

"Lights at 50%" A familiar voice drawled.

You peeked your eyes open again and hummed approvingly at the light levels.

"Hey darlin'...how are you feeling?" Leonard asked as he sat on the edge of your biobed. He looked so tired. You just wanted to reach up, take his face into your hands and hold him until he fell into a restful sleep.

"Like I was swallowed by the sun and spit back out again." You tried to smile.

"Well, at least you're feeling something." He placed the back of his hand on your forehead. "I'd be mighty worried if you felt nothing at all."

You closed your eyes and sighed, relishing in his gentle touch. "How are you feeling?" You asked softly.

He chuckled lowly and slowly pulled his hand away. "You nearly get blown to bits and you're asking me how i'm doing?"

"Have you slept?" You ignored his question.

Leonard sighed "you are something else... Not yet. Don't think I could fall asleep if I tried," he reached up and tapped on the screen of the biobed to check your vitals. You wanted to say something, anything. You wanted to thank him, reassure him, tell him you'd do it all again if you had to.

"I'm gonna check your bandages sweetheart. It might sting a little, but I'll try to be gentle," he said whispered.

"I trust you Len," you gave him a tired smile.

Bones pulled back the sheet on the bed. Your arms were all bandaged and one of your legs was in a cast. You couldn't see the rest of you under the hospital gown. The cold air stung your burns and you clenched your teeth. Leonard pulled up the side of the gown to check your cut. You had nearly forgotten about that wound amidst all your new ones.

"Just as I thought," he muttered "Time to change your bandages. Y/N, are you-"

"Patch me up, doc." You closed your eyes and tried to relax.

Leonard frowned and heaved a sigh through his nose. He brought his hands to the bandages, but stopped just sort of cutting them off. He was much quieter than usual. You were used to his grumpy complaining, his witty banter. His silence was unsettling, his hesitation even more so.

"Bones?" You whispered.

"Y/N, I...." He trailed off and looked at you. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. The sight of him so distraught... You didn't know what you were feeling. You focused hard and ignored the pain as you lifted your arm.

"H-hey, don't-" he started. You ignored him and brought your hand to his cheek. He closed his eyes and swallowed thickly.

"I'm not going anywhere..." You said softly. "Not now, not ever."

"You can't possibly promise me that darlin'..." His voice came out as a broken rumble.

"I can't promise you that I won't get hurt... I can't promise that I will never be in danger. But I can promise that no matter what happens to me, I will always come back to you... who else would I trust to make me better again?" You brushed your thumb over his cheekbone. He ghosted his fingertips over your hand and pressed a tender kiss to your palm.

It was then that you knew everything had changed.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Leonard whispered against your skin.

"I wish you'd hold me in other ways too," you giggled.

Leonard smiled and shook his head. "We'll discuss all that when you're better."

"Well, then you'd better get a move on doctor~"

#leonard mccoy #fanfic #Leonard McCoy x reader #Bones x reader #star trek #star trek x reader #bones #star trek fanfiction #x reader #mccoy/reader

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440mxs-wife · 2 years ago

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Written in the Stars

Pairing: Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy x F!Reader. Other Characters: Jim Kirk, Nyota Uhura, Cmdr. Spock, Christine Chapel (mentioned).

Word Count: 8029

Warnings: Soulmates, show-level violence, Away Team member injury, mutual pining, a smidge of angst due to perceived unrequited love, but FLUFFFFF

Summary: When Dr. McCoy got married, he knew she wasn’t his soulmate, but it didn’t matter to him. After the divorce, he figures he’s missed his chance, due to his age and previous marriage. The Reader joins the crew as the new Science Officer aboard the Enterprise, assigned to Cmdr. Spock’s team. She hasn’t met her soulmate yet, but she seems drawn to a particular member of the Enterprise crew. Could these two lost soulmates have found each other at last?

A/N: If you’ve been tagged here, it’s because you’ve interacted one or more times on a McCoy story of mine, or we’re moots. Whether you like or reblog, I am eternally grateful for your support. If anyone else would like to be tagged on any future Karl Urban character postings, please let me know. Thank you, and enjoy the show!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dr. Leonard McCoy joined StarFleet and was assigned to the Enterprise after a few unfortunate events. He left for the five-year mission right after his divorce, having known full well that the woman he married wasn't his soulmate. It didn't matter though, because Leonard didn't believe in that stuff. He was impatient, not interested in living alone anymore, therefore not waiting to find his soulmate. At the time, he'd loved Jocelyn enough to marry her. Only she didn't love him enough to want to stay married to him, or so she'd said.

Of course he had his soulmark, just like everyone he knew had one, with his shaped like a starburst and visible on his wrist. At his age, though, he felt that he should have met his person by now, the one he was destined to be with forever. So after the fiasco with Jocelyn, he'd stopped looking, figuring he'd missed his chance. Which is precisely when his soulmate appeared, and where he least expected it.

The Enterprise was making a scheduled stop at Starbase 42 to pick up supplies and some new crew members. Capt. Kirk had sent over the files, which Dr. McCoy decided to review before the ship reached its destination. Most of them looked pretty routine, a couple of ensigns for Engineering, three for Security. Then there was your file.

According to your bio, you were to be assigned to the Science Department, under Cmdr. Spock. You had been in StarFleet for a bit longer than the average crew member, and had risen to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander (LCmdr.). However, to Dr. McCoy, that only meant you carried a wealth of life experience with you. The only family you had left were your two brothers, each with their own families, and a best friend who became more like your sister.

Leonard glanced at the clock and noticed it was time to head to the transporter room to greet the new additions to the crew. Though the information in your file was fairly standard, Leonard couldn't help but give yours a bit more attention than the others. It was like he was drawn to it, wanting to dive into it and find out all there was to know about you. He arrived at the transporter room and walked in, finding Capt. Kirk and the other officers waiting. "All right, Jim. I'm here, so let's get this show on the road," he grumbled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the shimmering light-particles of the transport beam disappeared, you had re-materialized aboard the Enterprise. It was your dream assignment, to be on StarFleet's flagship, and you looked forward to working with Cmdr. Spock. And of course, you were excited to be serving with Capt. James T. Kirk, one of the most decorated and colorful captains in StarFleet. But almost as soon as you appeared on the pad, you felt a pull in another direction, something you hadn't experienced before.

Once everyone had arrived, the captain introduced himself and the other commanding officers. Your companions handed over their orders, then exited the transporter room to be shown to their quarters. You stepped forward and handed your paperwork to Capt. Kirk and introduced yourself in the process.

"At ease, Commander," Kirk smiled. "We're a little less formal and bit more family around here, not that I don't run a tight ship," he explained.

"Of course not, Captain, and thank you. I'm honored to be here," you responded.

"Your credentials are impressive, Commander," Spock commented. "I am looking forward to working with you."

"I'm fortunate to be on your team, Cmdr. Spock. Thank you," you acknowledged before turning your attention to the dark-haired man in the blue medical uniform. He was standing off to the side, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. As you took in his appearance, his furrowed brow seemed to relax and you felt that same pull as when you first arrived.

Your silent observance of the man by the door did not escape Capt. Kirk's notice. He walked over to where the man was standing and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Commander, this is our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Leonard McCoy. Bones, say hello to our newest crew member," Kirk grinned.

You stuck your hand out in greeting. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. McCoy," you remarked.

"Likewise," he replied as he took your hand and shook it. The instant your hand touched Dr. McCoy's hand, a jolt of electricity shot up your arm. It surprised you, but you kept your hand in his. What the hell was that? he thought. Instead, he inquired aloud, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, sure, everything's fine, Dr. McCoy. I'm kind of a little nervous. May I be shown to my quarters, please?" you asked.

"Right this way, Commander," Spock gestured with his arm for you to precede him out the door.

When you reached the doorway, you popped your head back inside and caught Dr. McCoy's attention. "By the way, hope to see you around, Dr. McCoy," you winked and left the transporter room.

"So, that was inter--" Kirk started.

"Jim, no comment necessary," McCoy muttered. Despite his gruff reply, there was the ghost of a smile on his face, thanks to the Enterprise's new science officer. Interesting indeed, he thought.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once inside your quarters, you started to unpack your bags. You hung up your uniforms in the closet and arranged your toiletries in the bathroom. The rest of your personal items were placed throughout your room. You were surveying your work when you heard a chime at the door.

Your visitor introduced herself as Nyota Uhura, Communications Officer. While you unpacked, she perched on the end of your bed and you got to know each other. She brought you up to speed on herself and life on the Enterprise.

The topic came around to your personal lives, Uhura mentioned that she and Cmdr. Spock discovered they were soulmates a few years ago. "What about you? Have you met your soulmate yet?" she asked.

"Sadly, no, not yet. But I hope my posting here will put me closer to finding out who it is," you replied, thinking back to your electrifying encounter with Dr. McCoy.

"Oh, really?" Uhura was leaning forward, her curiosity piqued. "Who do you think it is?" she wondered.

"Hmm, not sure, but I've been having this certain feeling, like whoever it may be, he's here onboard this ship. Add that to one of the many reasons I'm glad I'm here," you chuckled.

"Well, we're glad to have you. There's a 'Welcome to the Enterprise' party going on later in the recreation area. It's a chance for us to get to know you all, and for you to mingle with the senior officers," Uhura mentioned.

"Sounds great, I'll be there. Um, about what time?" you inquired.

"I believe the captain said it'll be getting started at 1900 hrs.," Uhura replied, then checked the time. "Oops, I'm supposed to be meeting Spock in a few minutes. See you later at the party?" she asked.

"You bet, I'll probably see if I can take a quick power nap before then. Want to be well-rested before meeting up with everyone so I don't say the wrong thing," you replied nervously.

"I understand that, but don't worry. Everything will be fine, and I already have a feeling you and I are going to be great friends," Uhura remarked as she walked to the door.

"Thank you, and I'll see you later," you called. Once Uhura left, you crawled into your bed and settled in for a nap. You made sure to set an alarm to give yourself time to get ready for the party, then closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back in his quarters, Dr. McCoy was reviewing some information on his PADD when his door chimed. At first, he ignored it, because he rarely had visitors and didn't want to be disturbed. When it chimed again, he rolled his eyes and strode to the door. He opened it, only to find Capt. Kirk on the other side, grinning from ear to ear. "What do you want, Jim? I was in the middle of something important when you interrupted me," he bristled.

"Hey, Bones, good to see you," Kirk replied as he breezed past his friend and plopped into a chair.

"Make yourself at home, Jim, by all means," McCoy stated dryly. "Whatever it is, the answer is no."

"Wanted to drop by and let you know there's a 'Welcome to the Enterprise' party for all the senior officers to mingle with the newbies. Now I know none of them are medical, but it would be nice if you'd put in an appearance. By the way, that new one on Spock's team was pretty cute, wasn't she?" Kirk asked.

"Jim, I haven't got time for this. Besides, what are we, in high school?" McCoy retorted.

Kirk shrugged. "Looks like the two of you shared a moment in the transporter room, that's all," he remarked.

McCoy rolled his eyes at Kirk's observation. "There was no 'moment', it was an introduction. Stop trying to make something out of nothing. Except it didn't feel like 'nothing' when our hands touched, he thought. "Look, I'll try to swing by, if I get a chance. Good enough?"

"That's the spirit, Bones! See you later," Kirk hastily replied, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder before bolting out of the room.

McCoy shook his head, then went back to where he'd left his PADD. He picked it up, intending to read, but instead stared off ahead, deep in thought. What would it hurt to show up for a drink or two? I suppose that would count as 'putting in an appearance', he reasoned with himself.

His mind made up, Leonard changed into a more casual attire of jeans with a hole in the right knee and a navy-blue Henley. He left the top two buttons undone and pushed the sleeves up to his elbows. He slipped on his well-worn dark brown cowboy boots and dabbed on some cologne before heading out the door to the rec area.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You entered the rec area a little after 1900 hrs., when Uhura said the party would be starting. As soon as you walked in, your eyes scanned the area for her or anyone else you recognized. Fortunately, the captain soon spotted you and waved you over to his table.

On your way to meet him, you wandered past a beautiful mahogany pool table with clawfoot legs. It was covered in blue felt and had leather nets under each of the six pockets to catch any one of the fifteen brightly colored orbs. Hmm, wonder who might be up for a game or two later, you thought as you ran your hands along the rails.

There were two open chairs on the captain's left side, one putting you next to him or, the other, Lt. Uhura. You chose to sit next to Uhura, who immediately stood to give you a hug and raved about your outfit. You were wearing jeans with a pastel purple, off-the-shoulder peasant blouse, along with your black suede ankle boots. Around your neck was a teardrop pendant of your birthstone on a delicate silver chain.

You were about halfway through your first margarita, when you heard a deep voice behind you ask, "Is this seat taken?"

Turning around, you were pleasantly surprised to see Dr. McCoy standing behind you, a glass of bourbon in his hand. "Um, n-no, Dr. McCoy," you stammered. Way to go, you berated yourself with a mental facepalm.

"Relax, Commander," McCoy chuckled. "Please call me Leonard."

You gave him your name in return, stating it was better than being called "Commander" all the time. "Especially with so many of us around," you joked.

The captain finally noticed that Dr. McCoy had joined the table and taken the seat next to him. "Bones, you made it after all. Good to see you!" Capt. Kirk exclaimed.

"Why thank you, Jim, I was beginning to wonder if you were even going to notice," McCoy replied.

The doctor's nickname used by the captain did not escape your notice, but you filed it away to ask about later. "So, Leonard, tell me about where you're from," you started.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Your conversation with Dr. McCoy stretched far into the evening, the two of you asking questions to better get to know each other. Eventually, your Q & A transitioned to the pool table for a friendly game of 8-ball. One by one, the others left the recreation area and returned to their quarters. Neither you nor Leonard noticed you were the only ones left until you were deep into your third game of pool, with you lining up your shot.

Standing up after watching the #15 roll into the corner pocket, you looked around at the empty recreation area. "Leonard, what time is it?" you asked.

He checked the time and was surprised at the hour as well as the deserted room. "It's after midnight. Guess time really does fly when you're having fun," he grinned. "Your shot, darlin'," he drawled. You noticed his Southern accent was a bit more pronounced after a few rounds of bourbon.

"Okay, but after I knock in this #12, I'm on the 8-ball," you smirked. You took your time to survey all the angles before settling in to take your shot. With a smooth, fluid stroke, the cue ball connected with the object ball, which went in the side pocket. The 8-ball was of little challenge to you as well, sailing into the exact pocket you intended.

"Well, I guess that's the game, then," McCoy remarked. You gave him a small curtsy before placing your cue stick on the table and returning to finish your drink. "Where'd you learn to play like that?" he wondered.

"Had a pool table in the basement growing up. I used to spend quite a few hours a day, practicing until I was good enough to win against my brothers and all their friends. Then I met my best friend at the Academy, and we took turns, um, how shall I say this? Oh, yeah. Separating the new recruits from their money," you grinned sheepishly.

Leonard threw his head back and laughed. "You are full of surprises. Which leads me to my next question, and feel free to punch me for it if you want, but I have to know. How is someone as lovely and fascinating as you are still single?"

You felt your cheeks grow warm with the compliment. "Well, I won't punch you for asking a question like that. The simple answer is, I haven't found my soulmate yet."

McCoy gave you a sideways glance, one eyebrow raised. "You believe in that? One person, one heart, all that?" he wondered.

"Sure I do, don't you?" you replied. "I mean, a person as handsome and charming as you isn't attached to anyone either. Why is that, if you don't mind me asking?" you quizzed.

"I don't mind you asking, darlin'," he replied, then took a sip of his drink. "I was married once, but it didn't take. At the time, I loved her, and even though she wasn't my soulmate, I didn't care. I was too impatient in my youth and didn't want to be alone the rest of my life, so we got married. When I came onboard here, I was fresh off my divorce. When I met Jim, I told him that my ex got everything, and 'all I got left is my bones'. Probably why he calls me that," he muttered.

"Hmm. And here I thought it was because you were in the medical field. You know, a doctor used to be called a 'sawbones', I figured that's where it came from," you quipped.

"I guess it could go either way, although your explanation is a little less depressing," Leonard conceded.

You reached over and covered his hand with yours, trying to ignore the small spark at the contact. "Your soulmate is still out there, waiting to be found. I'm just sure of it," you remarked.

McCoy gave you a hopeful smile. "You think so? I guess I figured that with my age and jumping the gun and marrying Jocelyn, that I missed my chance," he replied.

"What do you mean, 'with my age', you're hardly an old man, Leonard. Besides, I'm betting that you haven't missed your chance, so keep the faith," you winked. "Come on, Doc, it's late. Walk me to my quarters?" you asked.

McCoy drained the last of the bourbon from his glass and stood up from the table. His grin grew wider as he held out his elbow for you to take. "Shall we, shweethahrt?" he said in his attempt at a Bogart impression.

You laughed as you looped your arm through his, and he tucked it in closed to his side. "Leonard, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," you answered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And it was. At first it was you and Dr. McCoy, two friends sharing breakfast together on most, if not all, mornings. Sometimes the captain, or Spock and Uhura would be there, which made for lively discussions. But you were most content with the days it was just you and the good doctor enjoying each other's company.

It wasn't just the mornings, you took turns hanging out in each other's quarters, watching old movies or reading together. Other times, it was sharing stories about your lives, your families, even your Academy days. Being with Leonard was a comfort for you, a natural and easy friendship to fall into.

The first time you noticed your thoughts wandering from friendship to more was one night you were cooking dinner in McCoy's quarters. Your room was not equipped with a kitchenette, only a replicator, so Leonard offered to let you in to his to make dinner. He had some last-minute duties in the MedBay, but said he would join you later.

You were putting the finishing touches on your Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli casserole to put into the oven, when Leonard strode through the door. He stood behind you, put his hands on your shoulders and glanced down at the dish. "That looks amazing, sweetheart," he grinned and gave your shoulders a squeeze before heading to the showers.

As you watched him walk away, you couldn't help but notice how domestic the whole scene was, and how comfortable it all felt. Leonard coming home to you after a difficult day in the MedBay, to see you making dinner. Of course, it could also just as easily be the other way around, with him in the kitchen, waiting for you to come home. Then you shook your head to clear those thoughts. Although the two of you had become best friends, that still kept you in the "friend zone", right?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leonard reached for his towel to dry himself off after his shower. Coming back to his quarters to see you in his kitchen was a comforting sight to see, not to mention how natural it felt. Like it had been that way for years instead of the months since you'd gotten to know each other. Lately, there was many a night he'd lain in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if you were having as much trouble sleeping as he was.

Ever since he met you in the transporter room, Leonard knew there was something different about you, but couldn't put his finger on it. That night the two of you spent in the rec area at Jim's "welcome" party was one of the best he'd had in a long time. Sitting and talking with someone, finding out you had like interests and similar values was refreshing for him. You were sweet, intelligent, and you made him laugh, something his friends thought he needed more of in his life.

Most of his time was spent in the MedBay, caring for others, but there were times when he wanted someone to care for him. You certainly fit the bill for that as well, such as when you stopped by with a coffee for him on one of your breaks. Or when you sneaked into his office to hide scraps of paper with jokes written on them to make him chuckle. And your home cooking was some of the best he'd had since the last time he visited his ma on Earth.

There were dozens of reasons why and multiple occasions when he wished there was more than friendship between you. However, after his experience with marriage to Jocelyn, he was a little hesitant to pursue anything beyond friendship with you. Jim would probably say he was "spooked", whereas Leonard would counter that he was "protecting his heart".

Early on, you'd admitted to him that you believed in soulmates and were still looking for yours. He'd been down the road once where he ignored the concept, if only to avoid being alone for the rest of his life. You deserved that one person, that one heart that Fate had decided truly belonged with you. He'd never want you to settle for a life with him if he wasn't your soulmate. Thus, he continued to keep things with you in the "friend zone".

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A couple of weeks later

"You want me to do what, now?" you asked the Captain.

"I know you heard me, Commander," Kirk replied. "It's a few weeks until Valentine's Day, and I think it would be a great idea to have a celebration. Music, food, drinks....and you dancing with a certain country doctor would certainly be all the entertainment I'd need for a while," he smirked.

You, on the other hand, rolled your eyes at his obvious matchmaking attempts. "Jim, we're just friends. And I resent your insinuation that Dr. McCoy would want anything to do with me beyond that," you retorted.

"Why is that so hard to believe, that Bones would be interested in you as more than a friend?" Jim persisted.

"Because...." you murmured, your gaze dropping to your hands in your lap.

"'Because....' why?" he gently prodded.

You huffed in exasperation. "Because I'm me, and he's....handsome, witty, fascinating, charismatic and could have any woman in the universe he wants. I've seen him at those diplomatic functions, Jim. Women more or less throwing themselves at him, hanging all over him and what does he do? He just smiles at them and turns on the Southern charm. Soulmate or not, what chance do I have," you whispered.

"Wait, he's your soulmate? How do you know? More importantly, why haven't you told him?" Kirk peppered you with questions.

"You're just full of curiosity today, aren't you?" you sassed. "I saw his soulmark on his wrist, and it matches mine here." You tilted your head and pulled your hair back to reveal a matching starburst behind your left ear. "I've been in love with him since that 'welcome' thing you arranged, when we talked and shot rack after rack of 8-ball till after midnight. But I want him to love me for me, not due to some pre-destined, matching tattoo on our bodies."

Kirk stepped out from behind his desk and took the chair next to you. "Listen. I've been friends with the man for a long time. I've seen him at those diplomatic galas, and let me tell you that I haven't seen him look at any of those women the way he looks at you," he explained.

"Now I know you're out of your mind," you snorted. When Kirk tried to protest, you held up your hands. "Stop. Okay? I'll do as you ask, plan your little Valentine's Day party for the crew. It's a nice idea, and I think we're due for some fun around here. Just please quit trying to push me and Dr. McCoy together, huh?" you pleaded.

Kirk reached over and sandwiched your hand in his. "Although I know I'm right, I will honor your wishes and stop forcing the issue with you and Bones. Fair enough?" he asked.

You nodded and stood up from your chair. "Yes, thank you, Jim. I appreciate it. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my quarters, trying to figure out how to put this thing together," you replied. You gave him a weary smile before exiting his Ready Room.

Jim waited until you were out of his office before voicing his thoughts. "I may have agreed to honor your wishes, but that doesn't mean I can't go at it from Bones' point of view," he vowed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The following week, you were busy transforming one of the large, rarely-used conference rooms Jim set aside for you into a sea of red, white and pink. There were pink paper hearts attached to the walls, along with red cutouts shaped like Cupid with his bow. The long conference tables would be used for food and drinks, and were set up along the outside edge of the room.

You were scanning through the food and drink list on your PADD when Leonard walked in. A bright smile graced your face at the sight of your best friend. "Why, hello Len! What brings you here?"

Leonard scanned the room before answering. "So this is the 'secret project' you've been working on for the past week," he replied. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I started in the lab, then I checked your room. Had to ask the ship's computer for your location," he remarked.

"Yeah, sorry, Jim put me in charge of this, so here I am. And it's not a 'secret project', as you called it. We have all these decorations and the tables will be full of drinks and all kinds of foods," you explained. "While we're on the subject, I have something to ask you, Leonard."

"Oh? What's that?" he wondered.

"Well, this is going to be kind of a formal, dressing-up kind of thing. And there'll be music and dancing, so I was wondering....if you'd like to go with me....as my date?" you asked.

Leonard froze. A date? he thought. His heart wanted very much to take you up on your offer to accompany you to the party. He could picture you all dressed up in a formal gown and your hair perfectly styled, a veritable vision of beauty. His next mental picture was of the two of you walking into the party with your arm safely tucked into his side. His brain, however, reminded him that this was a Valentine's Day dance, and you two were not romantic partners, only friends.

You must have heard his brain's internal reminder loud and clear and interpreted his hesitation as a decline of your invitation. "You know what, never mind. It's all right. Forget I asked," you backpedaled. "I'm sure you have much more important things to do than go to a stupid dance with me," you muttered as you gathered your PADD and other supplies.

"Wait a minute, where are you going?" McCoy implored.

"Uh, I forgot I told Cmdr. Spock that I would come into the lab later and see if I can make some more progress on my assignment," you explained. "So, I'm sorry, but I can't meet you for dinner tonight, Dr. McCoy," you added, then hurriedly left the room without a backwards glance.

Leonard stood gazing at the floor, hands on his hips and shaking his head. As he stood in place, he was trying to figure out what just happened and how he knew he had to fix it. Uhura was watching your interaction with Dr. McCoy since he joined you, so she walked over to him. She placed a hand on his arm to get his attention. "Dr. McCoy, are you all right?" she asked.

He looked over to see the concern in Uhura's eyes. "I....I don't know," he rasped. "I think I made a huge mistake with her and I may need your help."

She led him over to one of the chairs, where he filled her in on his conversation with you. Uhura listened intently, waiting for him to finish providing as much information as he was willing to share. When he finished, she was silent as she thought about her response. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to say the first thing that comes to your mind." McCoy nodded. "Are you in love with her?"

"Yes," he immediately answered.

"As a friend, or more than a friend?" Uhura asked.

"More," McCoy hastily replied. A startled look crossed his face at the realization. "I'm in love with her," he whispered. "But she said she was still looking for her soulmate, and I don't know what her soulmark looks like or where it is."

"Dr. McCoy," Uhura gently chided. "Do you really need visual confirmation of her soulmark to know that you belong together? From that first night, everyone could see it, based on how the two of you looked at each other, how you interacted. How long did it take you to realize that everyone had left?" she giggled.

McCoy grinned. "We didn't really notice much of anything outside of ourselves until after midnight. She'd just beaten me two games out of three at 8-ball," he chuckled ruefully. "I have to find her and tell her," he declared as he hastily stood up.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. I don't know if now is the best time to tell her," Uhura warned, taking his arm to stop him.

"Wha--why shouldn't I tell her right away how I feel about her?" McCoy asked, confused.

"She may not be in the right frame of mind to hear it right now. Think about, Dr. McCoy. She gathered up her courage to ask you to be her date to the dance. When you hesitated to answer, her brain told her not only was your answer 'no', but that you didn't reciprocate her feelings. That's why she bolted out of here, she was trying to protect herself from embarrassment, from her heart being broken any further. Give her some time, then try and talk with her again," Uhura advised.

"How long should I give her?" McCoy asked.

"Try again after a couple of days, Doctor. She should be ready to talk by then," Uhura replied, gently patting his arm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You checked your notes again, frustrated that the data was not matching up with the results. Irritated, you pushed away from the table and flopped onto a chair. You closed your eyes as your fingers massaged your temples, trying to stave off the impending headache.

"Are you all right, Lieutenant?" Cmdr. Spock asked. "It is late, and I have observed that your evenings are usually spent with Dr. McCoy. May I ask why you are here instead, working?"

You took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Cmdr. Spock. Just trying to keep my headache at bay, that's all," you replied, managing a weak smile.

"If you are feeling a pain in your head, I am certain Dr. McCoy can relieve it with a hypospray," Spock suggested.

"Not when he's the cause of the headache," you muttered.

A puzzled look crossed Spock's face. "I do not understand. Is there some sort of problem in your relationship with Dr. McCoy?" he inquired.

You took a deep breath before explaining the events of the afternoon, beginning with Capt. Kirk's assignment of the Valentine's dance. Then you told him about asking Leonard to be your date for the dance, and how mortified you were when he declined your request. "The only relationship I have with Dr. McCoy is one of friendship. Though my feelings for him have gone beyond the friend level, I should have known better that his do not, and likely never will."

"To assume that Dr. McCoy does not think of you as more than a friend without his express verbal confirmation is not logical," Spock replied. "You must ask him how he feels about you."

"Since when are the human heart's desires logical? Anyway, I'm sure I've already embarrassed myself enough for one day. Permission to return to my quarters?" you asked.

"Permission granted, Lieutenant. I sincerely hope that your personal difficulties with Dr. McCoy will soon be resolved," Spock offered. "It is also not logical for two people as compatible as the two of you to be separated."

"Thank you, Commander," you remarked. "For your counsel and your understanding." You gave him a small smile, then left the lab.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You had almost reached your quarters when the captain requested you to come to his Ready Room. "On my way, Captain," you replied, tapping your communication badge. In your head you grumbled that you hoped his request had something to do with real work and nothing to do with Dr. McCoy.

In the captain's office, you were briefed on an upcoming Away mission, in which you would play a part. A fairly routine mission, you were tasked with gathering soil and mineral samples that would be catalogued upon returning to the Enterprise.

The area where your team would be working had been declared as deserted. That meant you would not be at risk of encountering any difficulties from any local inhabitants of the planet. All in all, a good mission to help me gain experience as part of an Away Team, you thought as you stepped onto the transporter pad.

You also hoped that going on this mission would also help you sort out your feelings about Leonard and figure out your next move. As much as you didn't want to, you were going to have to distance yourself from him. It'll only be for a couple of days, you reasoned. When I get back, Len and I should probably have a talk about what happened and what it means for us going forward. Decision made, you picked up your PADD and reviewed the parameters of the Away mission.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For the past two days, the MedBay environment was not the most pleasant place to be. Dr. McCoy had been more demanding and grumpier than usual. His staff had no idea that his thoughts revolved around you and how badly he needed to talk to you. He was trying to do as Uhura suggested, by giving you time to yourself. When he could no longer wait to speak to you and confess his feelings, he put Dr. M'Benga in charge and left the MedBay to find you.

He checked your quarters first, but when there was no answer, he figured either you weren't there, or you knew it was him and didn't want to answer. He left and headed down to the conference room, but no one there had seen you for the past couple of days. Finally, he tried the lab, praying to find you there. When he asked Spock where you were, nothing could've prepared him for the answer he received.

"What do you mean, she's on the Away Team?" McCoy demanded.

"I should think my response is fairly self-explanatory, Doctor," Spock replied.

McCoy rolled his eyes. "She's not ready for an Away mission yet, anything could go wrong down there!" he exclaimed.

"On the contrary, the Commander has proven to be more than competent in performing her duties. The captain and I felt that this relatively low-risk mission was the perfect one to introduce her to this aspect of her duties," Spock explained.

"Since when does something deemed 'low-risk' ever turn out that way? You don't understand, Spock, I can't lose her," McCoy implored. "Not before I've had a chance to tell her I love her," he whispered.

A faint smile graced Spock's features. "It appears I was correct in my theory regarding your feelings towards her," he answered. His tone that could almost be considered smug, if not for the fact that he was half-Vulcan. At the confused look on Leonard's face, Spock relayed the conversation the two of you had after he'd found you in the lab working.

"So she cares about me like I care about her," McCoy murmured. "What time are they scheduled to be back? I have to be there right when she gets back so I can tell her how I feel. I've already wasted too much time," he muttered, then jumped up from his chair. Before he could walk out of the lab, Capt. Kirk was at the door.

"Good, you're both here. The Away Team is returning to the ship ahead of schedule. It appears that they ran into some problems on the planet's surface. Something about a run-in with a band of native inhabitants," Kirk explained. "Possible weapons discharges and there may be injuries," he reluctantly revealed.

"StarFleet's report stated that the area in which the Away Team would be working was declared as deserted," Spock pointed out. "There should have been no reason for any discharge of weapons."

"You see?? This is exactly what I was talking about, Spock!" McCoy exclaimed, his arms waving in the air. "How could you send her down there, Jim? She's not ready for something like this," McCoy snapped.

"I chose the team based on their skills and how it matched the intel we were given. Do you really believe I like putting people I care about in harm's way??" Kirk retorted sharply. "I have a job to do, but so do the two of you. And right now, the Away Team is depending on you to carry out those duties to the best of your ability. The personal stuff can be sorted out later, all right?" Kirk barked. "For now, let's just get everyone home and safe."

Spock and McCoy nodded and each of them went their separate ways to begin assisting in the missions aftermath. Kirk was on his way back to the bridge, while Spock was gathering his equipment. "Captain?" McCoy called out before Kirk had fully exited the lab.

"What is it, Bones?" Kirk asked wearily.

McCoy walked over to join his captain at the door. "I'll be in the MedBay, standing by for any casualties," he replied, then started down the hall.

"Thank you, Doctor. And Bones?" Kirk added, causing McCoy to turn and catch Kirk's gaze. "She'll be all right. Besides, you probably owe her a dance, right?" he smirked.

"Among other things, Jim," McCoy admitted before finally resuming his path to the MedBay.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When McCoy returned to the MedBay, it was a flurry of activity. The casualties had already arrived, only three of whom were being worked on by multiple teams. Head Nurse Christine Chapel met him near the entrance to give him a PADD with a rundown of the injuries. He had just started scanning the list when he heard, "DOCTOR!! Dr. McCoy, we need you over here!!"

McCoy all but sprinted to BioBed #3 and was shocked at the sight before him. You were the injured party, with a stab wound to your left shoulder that had seemed to stop bleeding. There was a moderate head laceration near your hairline, but its bleeding also looked to be under control. However, it was the 6-inch gash across your stomach that was of utmost concern, because it was still steadily leaking blood.

"Oh darlin'," McCoy whispered as he pushed your hair back from your face and tucked it behind your ear.

"Hey, Dr. McCoy," you rasped, which sent you into a minor coughing fit.

"Shh, take it easy, sugar. We're going to take good care of you, get you all patched up good as new," he soothed.

"Len....'m sorry....about earlier," you wheezed but were thrown into another coughing session. "Ow, it hurts," you whimpered.

"Hold on, sweetheart, I'll get ya something to take away the hurt," McCoy promised. One of the nurses promptly handed him the hypospray containing the pain med. Leonard gently rolled your head to the side for better access to your neck. He pushed your hair out of the way and pressed the hypospray to your skin and delivered the pain medication.

When McCoy withdrew the instrument, he was startled when he saw your soulmark behind your left ear, a starburst that matched the mark on his wrist. It was you. You were his soulmate, the one he should've waited for and he was the one you were waiting for. As he stood next to you, he felt the bond between you grow, as it sent a wave of warmth through his body.

You somehow found his hand and took it in yours, giving it a gentle squeeze before dropping it. The movement and seeing your hand hang limply at your side was enough to snap Leonard back into action and tend to your injuries. "All right, let's get this bleeding stopped so we can close up this gash and clean up these other wounds," McCoy ordered, getting back to the task at hand.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For some reason, you couldn't move your right hand due to some sort of weight on top of it. You were having a hard time opening your eyes as well, though you did manage to crack them open halfway. There was an IV in your left arm and as for your right side, you smiled when you saw a familiar crop of dark hair. Leonard was hunched over the edge of your bed, his head resting on his elbows and covering your hand. You could only imagine how tired he must be after the events of the past few hours.

The Away mission was your first since you came aboard the Enterprise, and not exactly the low-risk scenario as mentioned in the file. The briefing said the area had been declared uninhabited, but the natives you encountered proved otherwise. Some of their weapons were rudimentary by StarFleet's standards, while others looked confiscated from other unsuspecting visitors.

You were the first to be attacked, by a stab to your left shoulder and blow to the head, then all hell broke loose. The wound in your midsection was caused when you stepped in to defend a fellow crew member. You were relieved when you saw the familiar surroundings of the MedBay, and even more relaxed when Leonard's face appeared. However, you'd have given anything to take away the pain and worry you saw in his eyes as he hovered above you, assessing your injuries.

Gingerly, you felt around on the bed for the call button, not wanting to disturb the doctor sleeping at your side. Your slight movement caused him to lift his head and for his eyes to immediately zero in on yours. A sleepy yet relieved smile graced his face as he slowly reached up with his right hand to cup your cheek. "Hi," he whispered.

"Hi," you whispered back. "How long have I been out?"

"About twelve hours," he answered. "You had me worried there, sweetheart," he murmured. "I thought I wasn't going to get the chance to tell you something very important."

"I'm here now, though. What is it you wanted to tell me?" you asked. You shuffled around in your bed, trying to raise yourself to a more upright position. Leonard saw what you were doing and helped to rearrange the pillows and angle of the bed to where you wanted it.

Leonard returned in his chair and pointed it so that he was gazing directly at you. He brought your hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. "Ever since Jim handed me your file, I knew there was something special about you. I felt it when we shook hands in that transporter room, and I think you felt it too," he replied.

You nodded. "Felt like electricity shooting up my arm," you smiled.

"Exactly. The more I got to know you through the time we spent together, the more I believed in the idea of a soulmate. I only dared to hope you were mine. I saw the mark behind your ear, so now I know you that are the one I belong with in this life. Even without that, darlin', I fell for you anyway. Your kindness, generosity, your gentle spirit and so many more reasons are why I love you," Leonard remarked.

You could've been knocked back unconscious with a feather. Of all things you thought would happen when you woke up, a love confession from Leonard wasn't anywhere near the list. Although it made you happy to hear that he loved you in return, there was also a part of you that was having doubts.

Leonard mentioned that he'd seen your soulmark, and that he'd fallen for you anyway. Jim knew about the matching marks, and how you wanted Leonard to love you for who you were, not some cosmic tattoo. You'd put your heart on the line once when you asked him to the dance, and it didn't end well. Did you dare take that kind of chance again?

"Sweetheart, please say something," he implored hoarsely.

"Guess this means you owe me a dance?" you replied with a watery smile, as you decided to take the leap. "Len, of course I love you, and not because of some mark put on us by Fate. You are the one I've been searching for, and you're well worth waiting for."

That was all the confirmation Leonard needed, and more. He stood up from his chair and walked around to the left side of your bed. You scooted over a bit to leave room for him to sit on the edge of your mattress. Leonard placed a hand on either side of your face and tilted your head up to meet his gaze. As his left thumb gently caressed your cheek, you latched your hands to his wrists, with your finger tracing over his soulmark.

Leonard leaned his head towards you, tenderly brushing his lips over yours at first, then returning with more passion. His soft yet insistent lips moved with determination, expressing the depth of his emotions for you. When he nipped at your bottom lip, you gasped in surprise, creating the perfect opening for him to slip his tongue in to explore your mouth. Your sweet sound of pleasure that escaped seemed only to spur him on.

The kiss broke before the alarms could be set off on the BioBed for your elevated heart rate or any other escalated vital signs. Leonard leaned back slightly to give himself and you a chance to catch your breaths. He gingerly brushed the hair back from your face and tucked it behind your ear. "So beautiful," he whispered.

"And all yours," you whispered back. Your hand drifted up for your fingers to run through his dark locks, your nails scratching his scalp. The gesture earned you a deep sigh from him and he closed his eyes in contentment. "Have been for a while now, you know," you added. "I love you, Leonard McCoy."

Leonard opened his eyes and smiled softly. "And I'm all yours, my body and soul belongs to you. I love you too, sweetheart," he remarked as he touched his forehead to yours.

The two of you stayed like that, holding each other, until the sound of a throat being cleared broke the silence. Leonard turned his head slightly then rolled his eyes at seeing Capt. Kirk and Cmdr. Spock. The captain wore a look of smug satisfaction at seeing his two friends finally getting together. On the other hand, Spock's face held a look of concern about your recovery from your injuries.

"Guess you can't outrun Fate, can you, Bones?" Kirk crowed. "Seriously, though. I'm happy for you two," he winked.

Spock turned to you. "It would seem that you have received sufficient confirmation of Dr. McCoy's feelings towards you, correct?" he asked.

"Complete confirmation, Spock," you answered. "Did you come to gloat too, or was there something else you needed?" you inquired.

"Vulcans do not gloat. I am merely checking up on the health of one of my team members. It is fortunate that Dr. McCoy was able to successfully treat your injuries and put you on the road to recovery," Spock observed.

"Fortunate indeed," you concurred. Off to the side, you spied Uhura making her way to your bedside under what looked like quite a head of steam.

"I leave you two alone for five minutes, and you're down here causing trouble. Hi there honey, Dr. McCoy," Uhura greeted you and Leonard. Her words to you and Leonard were in direct contrast to those she aimed at Kirk and Spock. "All right, these two need their rest, so off you go. Bye sweetie," she winked. After your friends exited the MedBay, you and Dr. McCoy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Never want to be on her bad side," Leonard quipped. "Alone at last," he murmured, brushing the back of his knuckles on your cheek.

"Just the two of us now," you replied. You shuffled over further in your bed to make room for Leonard. He settled in next to you, curling his arm around you and guiding your head to rest on his shoulder. You slung your arm around his midsection and snuggled into his warm embrace. "Sweet dreams, Len. I love you," you mumbled.

"Goodnight, my love," he whispered, kissing your temple and closing his eyes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tags: @marvelouslytrekking @spacedancer1701 @anna-phora @hailbop1701 @writercole @lassie-bird @huffle-pissed @phoenixisred @wayward-dreamer @erindiggory @strangesgirl @dumpsterhippie @genevablog26 @lokis-deares @medicatemedrmccoy

#leonard mccoy x reader #leonard bones mccoy x reader #bones mccoy x reader #bones x reader #star trek aos #karl urban character x reader

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whitebloodywings · 4 months ago

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RP Infos!

Heyy! You can call me Pearl, I'm 22 years old genderfluid and I consider myself an adv-lit/novella writer.

This blog was created to publish rp ads and share information about me and my characters. My overall goal is to find roleplay partners who are as enthusiastic as I am!

Below I made a list of the fandoms that I'm interested in writing and the couples from each of them. Regarding the OCs, you can click on each one of them and read a detailed sheet about them.

Fandoms: (in bold are the characters I will be playing)

Good Omens:

Aziraphale x Crowley

• X-man:

• Charles Xavier x Erik Lehnsherr

Shameless US:

Ian Gallagher x Mickey Milkovich

Lip Gallagher x Female OC

Star Trek:

Spock x James T. Kirk

Female OC x Male/Female/NB OC

Christine Chapel x Leonard “Bones” McCoy

Harry Potter/Marauders:

Remus Lupin x Sirius Black

Female OC x Male/Female/NB OC

Star Wars:

Leia Organa x Han Solo

Female OC x Male/Female/NB OC

Marvel Cinematic Universe:

Natasha Romanoff x Steve Rogers/Matt Murdock/Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes/Clint Barton (platonic or romantic)

Female OC x Male/Female/NB OC

The Mortal Instruments/Shadowhunters:

Alec Lightwood x Magnus Bane

Female OC x Jace Herondale/Sebastian Verlac

Female OC x Male/Female/NB OC

Merlin BBC:

Morgana Pendragon x Any CC or OC

DC:

Female OC x Male/Female/NB OC

Red, White and Royal Blue:

Prince Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor x Alex Claremont-Diaz

Red Queen:

Female OC x Male/Female/NB OC

Percy Jackson:

Female OC x Male/Female/NB OC

Plus, I'm totally open and interested in fandomless plots! I leave my OCs for these plots below so you can learn more about them.

Fandomless Plots:

Medieval/Fantasy setting:

Female OC (Pérola)

Female OC (Jessica)

Modern setting:

Female OC (Mayra)

Female OC (Jessica)

Female OC (Mary)

Female OC (Paloma)

I only rp on discord!

I only rp with +18 people.

I look for partners who actively contribute to the plot and thread and who are excited about our characters and the plot.

Be communicative! If something doesn't look good or you just don't want to continue with our rp, just tell me! Please don't block me without any explanation and disappear!

I'm fine with NSFW or SFW. I'm open to pretty much any kink and have very few limits and triggers, so if there's something you want to try just let me know.

I love talking ooc.

If you are interested in writing with me, please get in touch or like this post and I will contact you! I am available in dms. Thank you for reading this far and I hope we can have lots of fun together!

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sl-walker · 1 year ago

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Ad Astra News - 5/21 - 5/27

State of the Archive

Currently the archive is up, running and stable on otw-archive. Technical issues include: Links from e-mails not landing on the correct subdomain, so if you want to join up, you have to add beta.adastrafanfic.com/[insert validation link] in order to validate your account. If you don’t want to or can’t, though, just hit me up and I’ll do it from the back end! Another technical issue is that dates/times aren’t populating correctly on newly posted stories, but that’s a pretty minor thing. If you see a bug, let me know!

If you do join up and want to post, please make sure you read the Tagging FAQ.

The original eFiction archive will become a static-only monument on September 1st, 2023.

Weekly Challenge # 6

On our chat server that starts with a D, the current challenge is New Homes; between 100 and 700 words of fic about new homes, be they literal places, new ships, new crews or people in general.

Stories Archived

Star Trek: Enterprise

By Jespah

The New House - G - Malcolm Reed/OFC

By @merfilly

The Unquiet End - T - Takashi Kimura/Hoshi Sato

Star Trek: The Original Series

By @beatrice-otter

Undiscovered Stars - G - James T. Kirk/Lando Calrissian (SW x-over) The One Great Choice - T - Cleante al-Faisal, T'Shael, Jasmine al-Faisal

By @merfilly

A Breath of Fresh Air - T - Emony Dax/Leonard “Bones” McCoy Dreams - G - Hikaru Sulu Feelings - G - Spock Introspection - G - James T. Kirk Diplomacy - G - Mara, Pavel Chekov Storyteller - G - Nyota Uhura Serenity - G - Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Julian Bashir (x-over with DS9) So Much - G - Montgomery “Scotty” Scott Enterprise - G Contemplation - M - David Marcus/Saavik Strong Ones - T - Una Chin-Riley/Nyota Uhura A Gift - T - James T. Kirk/Spock One Friend Lost... One Gained? - G - James T. Kirk A Shore Leave to Remember - G - Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Nyota Uhura Necessary - T - Leonard “Bones” McCoy The Sound of His Engines - G - Montgomery “Scotty” Scott Frayed - G - Christine Chapel Sippin' Time - G - Leonard “Bones” McCoy Complications of Empire - G - Kang Farewells - G - Christopher Pike Just One Man - G - Leonard “Bones” McCoy Change of Command - G - Christopher Pike, Robert April Points of Communion - M - David Marcus/Saavik She Would Have Known - G - Spock Acceptance - G - James T. Kirk, David Marcus Memories of Smoke - G - Nyota Uhura Assumptions - G - Spock, Sarek

By @sl-walker

'Cross the River - G - Spock Iron - T - Montgomery “Scotty” Scott & Spock Not Too Soon - G - Sarek, Amanda Grayson, Spock Maps, Rules and Moderation - G - James T. Kirk & Leonard “Bones” McCoy

Star Trek: Alternate Original Series

By @beatrice-otter

Those Left Behind - G - Christopher Pike, Sarek

Star Trek: The Next Generation

By @beatrice-otter

the simple secret of the plot - G - Guinan/Jean-Luc Picard Hope of Thee (The Zombie Remix) - G - Lwaxana Troi, Kestra Troi Processing - T - Data, Deanna Troi Reboot: The Chase - G - Jean-Luc Picard (x-over with Stargate:SG1) Reboot (Legacy) - G - Jean-Luc Picard (x-over with Stargate:SG1)

By @merfilly

Game in Town - G - Q Intimidated - G - Worf Admiral Compensations - T - Jean-Luc Picard Fell For Him - G - Beverly Crusher

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

By @beatrice-otter

Nerys and the Emissary - G - Kira Nerys & Benjamin Sisko In Due Season - T - Prophet/Joseph Sisko (Rape/Noncon) Ornament - T - Kira Nerys, Lupaza

By @merfilly

In a Different World - T - Elim Garak (Mirror)

Star Trek: Voyager

By @sl-walker

Idle - G - Kathryn Janeway, Chakotay

Expanded Universes

By LordMcCoveyCove

Communiques - G The New Threat - M - Tenth Doctor (x-over with Doctor Who)

#star trek fanfiction #star trek fanfic #star trek original series #star trek the next generation #star trek deep space nine #star trek voyager #ad astra fanfic #please feel free to signal boost!#i dunno if i'll be able to do this every week #but hey #it's worth a try

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ghost-king-kai · 1 year ago

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The Requesting Hall Guidelines

Welcome to the request guidelines! Here you can be informed of my dos & don'ts, characters & fandoms available, and rules in The Requesting Hall.

Please review (or at least skim through) these rules prior to sending a request to the hall.

Request Rules

Be sure to keep asks and requests respectful.

Make sure the request is detailed enough for me to write for.

Anons are welcome! (if you'd like a specific designation, feel free to ask)

The Dos & Don'ts

These are the types of requests I do and don't do.

I Do...

x Male!Reader

x GN!Reader

x Transmasc!Reader

x NB!Reader

Fluff Fics

Angst Fics (Heavily dependent on the topics)

Platonic Fics (Familial, Teammates, Colleagues, Crewmates, Etc.)

Character Concepts for Reader (As long as the idea is feasible)

Oc Requests & Asks

I Don't Do...

x Fem!Reader

x Transfem!Reader

NSFW/Smut (Besides implications)

Triggering Topics (Sexual Assault, Rape, Abuse, Self Harm, etc.)

Fetish Requests

Character Ships

Characters Available For Requests

The listed characters and fandoms are the ones I am usually inspired to write on the regular or as of right now but that doesn't mean you can't ask if I write for a specific fandom or character that isn't on this list, especially if it's from the list in the Kingdom Directory.

Marvel

Specify Timeframe

Available for Romantic Requests: Peter Parker (Only Tom & Andrew Portrayals)

Platonic Only: The Avengers (Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, Thor Odinson, Clint Barton, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Peter Parker, The Vision) [All Together & Individually] The Marvels (Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, Kamala Khan) [All Together & Individually] Etc. (there are literally so many characters-)

Specify Adaptation & Timeframe (I mostly do DCAU & Young Justice, though)

Platonic Only: The Bat Family (Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown) [All Together & Individually] Jon Kent (Supersons Comics Series Version) The Team (Dick Grayson, Wally West, Kaldur'ahm, Artemis Crock, M'gann M'orzz, Connor Kent) (Young Justice TV Series) [All Together & Individually]

Persona 5

Specify Timeframe

Available for Romantic Requests: Ren Amamiya

Platonic Only: The Phantom Thieves (Ren Amamiya, Morgana, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makoto Nijima, Futaba Sakura, Haru Okumura) [All Together] Futaba Sakura Zenkichi Hasegawa Goro Akechi Sophia

Criminal Minds

Specify Timeframe

Platonic Only: The B.AU. Team (Aaron Hotchner, Jason Gideon, David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia, Alex Blake, Luke Alves, Tara Lewis) [All Together & Individually]

Star Trek

Specify Timeframe

Strange New Worlds

Platonic Only: The Crew (Christopher Pike, Una Chin-Riley, Hemmer/Pelia, Joseph M'Benga, Christine Chapel, Erica Ortegas, Nyota Uhura, Jenna Mitchell, Spock, La'an Noonien-Singh, George Samuel Kirk) [All Together & Individually] James T. Kirk

Discovery

Platonic Only: The Crew (Michael Burnham, Saru, Sylvia Tilly, Adira Tal, Keyla Detmer, R. A. Bryce, Joann Owosekun, Hugh Culber, Gen Rhys, Paul Stamets, Jett Reno) [All Together & Individually] Cleveland Booker

Kelvin Timeline

Platonic Only: The Crew (James T. Kirk, Spock, Montgomery Scott, Keenser, Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu, Leonard McCoy, Nyota Uhura) [All Together & Individually]

Resident Evil

Specify Timeframe & Version

Available for Romantic Requests: Leon S. Kennedy

Fair Warning: Fandoms and characters will be added and removed a lot over time. Apologies in advance if a character or fandom you would like to request disappears overnight. Inspiration comes and goes and this section just reflects what and who I am gladly willing to write for at the time.

#the requesting hall guidelines #kingdom directory #addressing the masses

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ao3feed-spirk · 11 months ago

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Star Trek IV: The Journey Continued

read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/52589551 by Atalanta_714 Five years after the end of their first five year mission, McCoy is grounded and engaged. (Finally!) Uhura is working for Section 31, although she'd rather a job that involves more peace treaties and fewer guns. Scotty is still repairing ships, while Sulu is still mourning the loss of Chekov. And Spock? Last they heard, Spock was living a life of total isolation on New Vulcan. Every year they gather in San Francisco to catch up, but this time, someone's missing. Jim. When no-one can get hold of him, they begin to worry. Turns out Jim was assigned a mission so secret and so dangerous, no-one will tell them where he went, or where to look for him. But the crew of the Enterprise have already lost too much to risk losing more, so they set off to rescue their Captain. Along the way they reunite with old friends, battle devious god-like beings, and maybe even save the Federation from a terrifying new threat... (This is basically how I imagine the mythical Star Trek 4 to look, so it's written as a film script, and also why I didn't think Chekov could be in it. This means this is basically an action movie on AO3. But don't worry shippers! They'll still be a few romantic moments.) Words: 334, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Multi Characters: James T. Kirk, Spock (Star Trek), Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Nyota Uhura, Christine Chapel, Carol Marcus, Jaylar, Hikaru Sulu, Q (Star Trek), Trelane (Star Trek), Q Continuum Characters (Star Trek) Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock, Christine Chapel/Nyota Uhura, James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Spock, Keenser & Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Pavel Chekov & James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Spock & Hikaru Sulu & Nyota Uhura Additional Tags: Hurt Spock (Star Trek), Hurt James T. Kirk, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Action/Adventure, Action & Romance, Hurt Sulu, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, crossover with the continuum, space battles & car chases & other action sequences, i wrote this because I want a Star Trek 4, Jaylar has the best music taste, acdc, sequel to Star Trek: Beyond, Adventure, Humor, Uhura is a badass I thinks she deserves more time in fanfics, Past Spock/Nyota Uhura, WARNING Chekov is dead in this fic, RIP Antony Yelchin we miss you x read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/52589551

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #spock/kirk #kirk/spock #spirk #spockxkirk #kirkxspock

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rssspockuhura · 2 years ago

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The Way I Loved You | James T. Kirk x Reader

Warning: Some M/M works might show up here because the Spock/Uhura tag is used in ref to S/U as a side pairing, past pairing, etc. Currently there is no way to filter and exclude feeds on Ao3 to get only S/U F/M works.Solution. Read at your own risk.

by misaverawrites

James T. Kirk and you are best friends, have been since your days at the academy, he has you placed on the U.S.S. Enterprise at the beginning of it's five year mission. The only issue? You both have been pining for one another since your academy days, and everyone knows it. These five years together on the U.S.S. Enterprise are going to feel very long unless one of you decides to say something.

Words: 908, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M

Characters: James T. Kirk, Reader, Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Spock (Star Trek), Carol Marcus, David Marcus (mentioned) - Character, Christine Chapel, Nyota Uhura, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

Relationships: James T. Kirk/Reader, James T. Kirk/You, James T. Kirk & USS Enterprise, James T. Kirk/Carol Marcus (past), James T. Kirk & Carol Marcus, James T. Kirk & David Marcus, James T. Kirk & Crew of the Starship Enterprise, James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Reader, Spock (Star Trek) & Reader, Spock/Nyota Uhura

Additional Tags: Friends to Lovers, Kissing, Breaking Up & Making Up, Flirting, Best Friends, Crew of the Starship Enterprise as Family, Daily Life on the Starship Enterprise (Star Trek), BAMF Crew of the Starship Enterprise, James T. Kirk & Spock Friendship, Genius James T. Kirk, Insecure James T. Kirk, POV Second Person, Eventual Smut, Eventual Happy Ending, History, James T. Kirk is a Good Captain, Fluff, Angst, Smut, Father James T. Kirk, Title from a Taylor Swift Song, Song: The Way I Loved You (Taylor Swift), Not Actually Unrequited Love, Love Confessions, Denial of Feelings, Blood and Injury, Blood, Poison, Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a Good Friend, Mutual Pining, Pining, Coma, Panic Attacks, Dissociation, Past James T. Kirk/Carol Marcus, Mentioned Carol Marcus, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Slow Burn

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/47185735 via AO3 works tagged 'Spock/Nyota Uhura' https://archiveofourown.org/works/47185735

Need an Ao3 invite? Don't want to wait? Get one via LiveJournal or Dreamwidth. Remember to check out the Spuhura fanworks community on livejournal. Follow rssspockuhura for Spock/Uhura fanworks from around the web.

#spock #uhura #spuhura #star trek #stxi #stxii #stid #nutrek #ao3feed #star trek into darkness #star

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serenitydiviness · 1 year ago

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Line Without Hook- Spock x OC

This chapter was a nightmare to finish, but it is done! The regular uploading schedule for this is usually Wed/Sat. However next chapter might either be early or late! Thank you to anyone who liked the previous chapters :)

AO3 || FF.NET

Summary: Six years ago, Yeoman Serena Zuriñe embarrassed herself by giving a drunken confession to her mentor, none other than one Commander Spock. Now she finds herself face to face with the Vulcan man she had planned on avoiding the rest of her life. What could possibly go wrong? slow burn. Fake marriage. Spock/OC

Chapter 3:

Serena felt more at ease once they entered the vessel. She looked around before finding the check-in line.

Janice was running it, Serena noted. That gave her a sense of ease. Janice seemed nice. Nyota as well. Christine Chapel, however, made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. She shook her head before she got to the front of the line.

“Serena, right?” Janice asked. “I’m sorry. I know we spoke earlier, but I've—”

“There is no need to apologize,” Serena assured. “It is kind of you to remember my name.”

“I’m glad I got it right on the first try.” Janice laughed. “Alright, you… it looks like we have a last-minute change, so you’ll share a room with… oh, your friend.”

Serena nodded. “She and the good doctor bonded.”

“You’re telling me,” Janice said. “So I’m guessing the room sharing is a formality.”

“Her flirtations are rarely serious,” Serena said.

“Right. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to imply—”

“She and the doctor have shown a fairly short interest in each other. It is logical to jump to the thought.” Serena said. “I hope I did not come off as rude.”

“Not at all,” Janice assured. “Vulcans are very to the point, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then you weren’t being rude. You were stating facts.” Janice gave an assuring smile. “Let's get some drinks once we’re settled.”

“Of course.” Serena smiled back.

“Well. Let me go ahead and interrupt the happy couple.” Janice said with a giggle.

“I want to watch,” Serena said.

****

To say, Annaleigh found Dr. McCoy—ahem, Leonard, as he insisted upon— to be charming was an understatement. She giggled a bit as he recounted a story about a Vulcan blood transfusion he had completed.

“I got the last word on both of them.” He said with a bit of a laugh.

Annaleigh batted her eyes, smiling all the same. “Handsome and quick-witted. Leonard, I might just fall in love with you.”

“Well, if you keep batting those pretty hazel eyes at me, I might make an honest woman out of you before this mission is over.” He teased.

“Well, I’ll have to make you an honest man first. You are an incorrigible flirt.”

“I could take you to dinner as a start?”

“Doctors!” Janice called, walking over with Serena. Annaleigh could see the small smirk on Serena’s face. She returned the look.

“Oh Janice, everything ok?” Leonard asked, switching into his professional mode. Annaleigh could have swooned right then.

“Yes, just needed to get Dr. Scott checked in and settled.” Janice nodded.

“We’ll talk more about dinner later, Leonard,” Annaleigh said as she and the two other women walked off.

“Oh, we must.” He called before heading off.

“Dinner?” Janice grinned.

“Leonard?” Serena raised a brow.

“Well, ladies, he wants to make an honest woman out of me?” Annaleigh brought a hand to her chest dramatically. “Who am I to deny him my presence.”

“You’re a flirt.”

“Prude.” Annaleigh teased. “At least I’m getting somewhere with my man.”

“Your man?” Both Janice and Serena looked at her incredulously.

“He will be before the mission is up.” Annaleigh nodded confidently. Yes, she’d make Leonard McCoy make an honest woman out of her, and she’d be more than happy to make an honest man out of him.

“I like you two,” Janice said with a laugh.

“Because we’re entertaining,” Serena asked.

“Oh, very much so.” Janice laughed.

“Well, Janice, I think we’re going to be fabulous friends.” Annaleigh nodded.

****

Serena was glad they were settled. She pulled out her PADD to look through her rotations. She looked intently through them, wondering if, for a moment, Spock would be in any of those rotations.

“Trying to find out if you’re gonna be stuck with your hunk?” Annaleigh asked as she plopped onto the bed.

Serena gave an uncharacteristic groan, covering her face.

“Trying to avoid him?” Annaleigh asked.

“Anna, how does love work when you’re both barely human, and you’re pretty sure the other person is only nice to you out of politeness,” Serena asked as she fell back on the mattress. She could feel conflicting emotions slowly taking over any Vulcan propriety.

“A miracle, mostly,” Annaleigh responded honestly. “Though it looked like he was ready to get you alone as soon as he could.”

“I suppose. I wound up apologizing for that night.”

“I still can’t believe you did that. Even less that it didn’t warrant a diplomatic issue.”

“Clan V’los and Clan S'chn T'gai are political allies. But he was married at the time.”

“Damn, you slut.”

“They’re divorced now.”

“Get drunk and go confess again.”

“Anna, why are you like this?”

“I’m an illogical sentient mass run completely by electricity and unfathomably reckless.”

Serena laughed. “You are. If you do end up involved with the doctor, I may just start believing in miracles.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Anyways, we promised Janice we would meet her and Nyota for drinks.” Annaleigh said as she stood. “Can I borrow a dress?”

“Of course.” Serena nodded as she forced herself to sit up.

“You should wear that cute prairie dress Doris got you for your 24th birthday. The brown one. It’ll look so cute with your necklace.”

“That sounds acceptable.” Serena nodded, touching her necklace blankly.

“You know,” Annaleigh said as she rummaged through Serena’s closet. “You could just get drunk again and make him wish he had answered you immediately.”

“Anna,” Serena said with a shake of her head. “I’ll be okay. It’ll take a few days, but I will be okay.”

“You’re a terrible liar for a Vulcan.”

“I’m being sensible.” Serena huffed before going to grab her clothes to change.

“You wanna jump his bones and commit a carnal marriage!” Anna sang.

“I could say the same about you and the doctor!”

“I’ve made it no secret that if Leonard McCoy asks me to share a bed, we’ll be sharing a bed for life.”

“Whore!”

“Prude!”

***

Leonard walked into Jim’s office, all too pleased with himself.

“You seem to be in a good mood, Bones,” Jim said.

“I’ve got a beautiful woman working med bay with me. And I might take her out to dinner.” Leonard replied as he took a seat. He gave a teasing glance to Spock. “Say, Spock, how are you planning on wooing your girl.”

“I do not have a girl to plan to woo,” Spock said with a frown.

“Really?” Leonard looked like a small child at Christmas. “I heard, from Annaleigh, that you were quite sweet on our new toxicologist.”

“She is my friend, and I treated her accordingly,” Spock replied.

“Well, if that is the case, why don’t Jim and I have friendship necklaces?” Leonard asked, watching Spock. He could see the small moment of emotion that passed through Spock’s eyes.

“What’s this about friendship necklaces?” Jim asked with a laugh.

“Oh, can I tell him?” Leonard asked teasingly.

“I had a piece of jewelry I had no use for and gave it to Ensign Zurine. It is not being sweet as you so callously put it.” Spock replied.

Jim laughed, seeming a bit out of it. Leonard glanced at Spock, who returned a concerned look.

“You alright, Jim?” Leonard asked.

“Just in thought, Bones,” Jim replied.

“You sure?”

“Yes, I’ll be going to the bridge soon. Go, catch up with your lady friends,” Jim shooed them off.

****

Spock and Leonard shared a glance before Leonard got up and left. Spock watched the captain before speaking.

“Does this deep thought have to do with the incident on Psi 2000?” Spock asked bluntly.

“I was worried you’d ask that,” Jim said with a laugh. “I suppose a bit of jealousy hit watching Bones flirt with our new doctor.”

“You have had numerous flirtations, Captain; I fail to comprehend the reason for your envy.”

“A flirtation is rarely serious.”

“Because it does not guarantee a shore to walk on?”

Spock watched as Jim flinched a bit. “Yes, Mr. Spock. You don’t have to call me out.”

Spock looked at the wall. “I will point out anything that will negatively affect the ship.”

Jim laughed a bit. “It could be that, or perhaps you have found yourself in a similar predicament?”

“I do not believe so.”

“Really? I may not be so keen on the Vulcan ways, but you don’t tend to stare as much as you have been this day.”

Spock raised a brow. “I do not follow, Captain.”

“Let’s just say I know something you don’t want me to know.”

“Like?”

“Oh, Spock,” Jim grinned. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

Spock frowned and shook his head. “I’ll see you on the brig.”

“Aren’t you going to the rec room?”

“Why would I go to the recreation room?”

“Oh, Janice mentioned she, Serena, and Annaleigh would be having drinks.”

Spock raised his brow at the casual use of the women’s names. He tilted his head and looked at Jim curiously.

“Something wrong, Mr. Spock?” Jim gave an all too innocent smile.

“Nothing, Captain. I shall see you on the brig.”

*****

Serena watched as Annaleigh entered the rec room. It was hard to ignore such a loud person, she thought. She smiled at Janice, who was waving them over.

“Hello, Janice.” Serena greeted with the Vulcan salute.

“Serena!” Janice smiled. “Annaleigh, get over here.”

Annaleigh strutted over and sat down. “Hello, my dear!” She said with a laugh.

Serena shook her head and took her seat.

“Are the quarters okay?” Janice asked.

“They are acceptable and received with great gratitude.” Serena nodded.

“Oh, absolutely fabulous,” Annaleigh nodded. “So, what’s the 411 on the fun around here.”

“We’ll if we’re not on the verge of death, we have music nights, card nights. Lots of different things to boost morale between us all.” Janice said.

“Music nights must be nice,” Serena said, unable to help a soft smile.

“Are you fond of music?” Janice asked.

“Fond of music? If this girl weren’t so position-obsessed, she’d be the first Vulcan Pop star on earth.” Annaleigh teased.

“Music is a form of art that serves as a good basis of logic. It must be precise, full of intent, and pleasing.” Serena said. “It is the manipulation of sound in its most perfect form.”

“You sound very impassioned about music.” Janice smiled.

“My father was passionate about music. It was his passion after the stars.” Serena nodded.

“Doesn’t your name mean a song or something in Vulcan?” Annaleigh asked.

“She who sings for Glory… if you pronounce it correctly,” Serena confirmed.

“So your name isn’t Serena?” Janice asked. Serena could easily see her confusion.

“Serena is how you would pronounce it in English and how it is translated into English documents. However, the correct pronunciation is a bit more difficult.” Serena explained. “My name comes from the expression She Who Sings For Glory.”

“I see… Do we pronounce Mr. Spock’s name correctly?” Janice asked.

“Yes.” Serena lied, knowing full well Spock would have her head if she ever explained how to pronounce his name. She would never understand that man’s utter need to remain as vague as possible. She knew Vulcans were private. She was quite private in her dealings. But Spock, in her mind, lived for the dramatics of it all. She had heard the same of his father from her father and grandmother.

Annaleigh gave her a strange look before shrugging. “Let’s drink?”

“We only have synthetic alcohol. Is that okay?” Janice asked.

“Probably for the best. We do not want a drunk Vulcan. They’re impossible.” Annaleigh teased.

“Drunken humans are worse,” Serena said with a roll of her eyes.

“Only if we’re trying to forget something.”

Janice giggled as she stood to go grab them drinks. Serena sighed a bit, slouching forward. She felt exhausted the longer she stayed there. Still, she had promised, and she knew Annaleigh would probably be upset if she left.

“Just two drinks, and we go to bed?” Annaleigh asked.

“I will have one, and then you can enjoy your night. Besides, I’m sure you’d like to enjoy Dr. McCoy’s presence.” Serena teased.

“You’re right.” Annaleigh nodded sagely.

“Here you ladies are!” Janice said as she brought them drinks.

“Thank you.” Serena nodded.

“You’re an Angel, Janice,” Annaleigh said.

“Oh, I try.” Janice laughed.

Serena smiled as the idle chat began. She listened as Janice and Annaleigh shared stories of their experiences in the academy. She was happy to be partially aware of the conversation, too tired even for her thoughts.

“Serena,” Annaleigh’s voice snapped her out of her trance. “What was the name of that one group you liked?”

“ABBA?” Serena replied.

“Yes.” Annaleigh nodded.

“Why?”

“We were talking about music, remember?”

“My apologies; I was lost in thought.”

“Do you want to call it a night?” Janice asked.

“I will retire. Please enjoy your evening.” Serena said. “We should do this again soon. Thank you for the drinks, Janice.”

“Of course! See you tomorrow!” Janice nodded.

“I’ll see you in a bit.” Annaleigh waved.

Serena nodded before heading off. She let out a tired sigh as soon as she was alone. She knew it would likely be a bit before Annaleigh would return to the room, so it would be fine if she went to a different rec room.

If her memory of the map she had was correct, there was a rec room nearby that she could also go to. She thought for a moment longer and decided it would be better to go t her room. She was exhausted. Any more excitement could wait.

#spock x oc #sta trek #star trek #star trek fanfiction #janice rand/jim kirk #bones x oc #leonard mccoy x oc #chapter 3 woot

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bearsinpotatosacks · 4 years ago

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Cream and Two Sugars- A McChapel fic

Sickbay was quiet, something he would never say aloud due to the infamous rule of "Never say it's quiet because it soon won't be". They'd done all the physicals, the check-ups and the shots, in fact, he was quite surprised at how quickly they could get work done with a day away from emergencies and a crew that would cooperate.

Leonard was trying to get some work done, trying being the opulent word. Christine had just come back from the labs, where she'd been working on some project just to keep up her skills from the long lost days of her scientific career.

Her hair was up today, he could see the lack of tension in her neck. She was behind him now and whistling a tune to herself as she wrote up her findings.

He tried to look back at his PADD to read the report but the words muddled together into the same scribbled nonsense. She stood up behind him and grabbed his mug, her perfume swirled around his head. He gulped.

"Len," She was the only one allowed to call him that. "Coffee?"

"Yeah, but without all that cream and sugar shit you put in yours,"

"I have my tastes and you have yours,"

He scoffed, "Taste's one thing, masking that taste is another,"

The mugs clicked in her hand as she placed them under the duel-stream coffee maker inset into the wall. She started to hum just as she replied, "Just because you have to consume everything as bitter as your soul, doesn't mean I do,"

With that he shot up, discarding the stylus onto his desk as he rushed across the room to her side. He heard her breath catch in her throat as his warming cologne, her floral perfume and the steaming coffee scents all mixed.

Christine had held his interest for a few months now and he had a sneaking suspicion that she did too. He knew there was a possibility she didn't, that her heart still belonged somewhat to Spock. But now the first officer was wholeheartedly in love with the Captain he thought he might have a chance.

"I think we both know my soul ain't as bitter as my coffee," He made sure his words stroked the exposed skin of her neck.

"I don't know, there's little evidence to say otherwise,"

He feigned shock, "Little evidence, have you ever seen me being kind to a child, or one o'those ensigns barely out of the Academy. I think you'll find that I am a very considerate and gentle person-"

She started to prepare her coffee when he turned her around to look deeply in her blue eyes. They gulped in unison and smiled. Both of them knew they were being silly, all these comments and the severe lack of personal space between them.

"Well, you could've had me fooled,"

She leant in and closed her arms around his chest, taking his scent in with deep breaths. He returned her embrace but held back slightly, wanting to nuzzle and kiss her neck, rub circles into her back and hold her tight enough to never let her go.

"Come on Leonard, show me this gentle side of yourself you're so proud of," She said.

She pulled her head back and saw him pull away when she leant in to kiss him. That fiery thrill in her stomach dissipating immediately. Had she been wrong? Maybe she'd missed the signs or let her infatuation mask reality?

"Leonard, did I read this wrong?"

He stood a few steps away when she reached for him. His own fire turned sour, almost purple as guilt became the fuel.

"No, I-"

"No? Then why are you pushing me away? We both want this, what's stopping us?"

He didn't reply. All she got was a look of despair, a sad longing in his eyes. She'd waited for Roger to show her she was truly worthy of devotion but he couldn't. His research was his devotion, never her. Spock had caught her eye and her will but he too had a reason, although a much more valid and understandable reason, not to return her feelings. She couldn't be rejected again, not after she'd been given a whiff of Leonard's splendorous love.

"Is it Starfleet? Because I don't care about them, I've always told you that. They may have trained me as a nurse but they can't control who I share my affections with," She still got no reply. "Perhaps because you're my boss? Well we both know that you've never treated me as your subordinate, everyone is in this sickbay is equally as needed and equally as busy, that's what you always say,"

He shook his head and clenched his hands. His body tensed, he was holding himself back.

"Then what? I know the looks we've shared mean something, the jokes and he touches. So if you're not going to do something about it then I deserve to get a reason why!"

And with that, he exploded, "Because I'm ten years your senior! I've had time to live and screw up and train and have kids and be married and get divorced and chase the possibilities and you're just getting to the good part,"

"You're getting to the part where you might start experimenting with people differently, you know what you like but you want to know how you like it. You're right in the sweet spot of having all the opportunities to get promoted and train to get whatever role you choose. None of that should include settling with a crotchety old coot who doesn't know if he's gonna stay in Starfleet or go home or go somewhere else entirely."

He stepped into her body again and took a moment to caress her face. She shuddered under his hand, letting herself relax and close his eyes, listen to the sounds of his voice.

"I can't offer you stability, I can't offer you a willingness to go off gallivanting to who knows where. I've felt trapped in a relationship before and I don't want you to realise when you're my age that you wasted your time on a crush that got too deep when you could've been out realising who you are,"

She held onto his hand and moved it from her face. They looked away from themselves, distracting themselves withdrawing abstract shapes on the backs of their palms. A rushing blush flooded her cheeks, and his too when she checked.

Why couldn't he accept that she wanted him? Was he that lacking in self-confidence or had someone taught him wrongly over years of disagreements?

"How do you know what I'll want in ten years? And why do you get to say what I should do in my thirties," She knocked his forehead with hers and lowered her volume so only he could hear it. "I've done my experimenting, I've had my major bad relationship and my heartbreaking unrequited love. Can't we have this?"

Their hands broke apart as she ran her hands over his chest. He was lean, not too muscular and not too thin. His scrubs were smooth over her hands as she lifted their heads and prepared their lips to kiss.

"Why can't we have this? Who told us we couldn't?"

"No one,"

Their eyes locked and everything internally stopped, dropping to the floor as her head floated just within her grasp for her to pull herself back together so she could truly enjoy this.

"Then why don't we give it a try, Len," They chuckled lowly at the nickname. "Why don't we try?"

She closed the gap and everything snapped back into place again. Her thoughts flew out of her head. His hands drew across her waist, running through the few loose hairs falling out of her bun and holding her still with a single grip.

They broke but dove back in. She'd never had something like this before. It wasn't passionate, she didn't have the urge to rip their clothes off and truly discover each other right there in the empty sickbay. Instead, it was home. It was warm blankets and old holofilms, family recipes and days spent in bed as snow fell outside.

He hummed as she pulled away to lay her head on his shoulder and lazily stroke the creases in his undershirt. They stood breathless for a moment before she whispered.

"How about we have a proper date?"

"Sounds like a good idea, how about twenty hundred hours in the mess hall on deck eight?"

"Deck eight? But no one goes there,"

He gave her that charming smile and her stomach swooped. "Exactly, no one goes there,"

They met in the middle again and fell into a routine. Her tongue flashed against his bottom lip just as he broke off and twisted his head to plunge in again. His hands grabbed a hunk of her dress in one hand as they bent slightly and bumped into the counter.

"Ehem, doctor,"

They turned with a gasp to see the Captain and the First Officer at the door to sickbay. Jim had that goofy smile on his face and Spock simply raised an eyebrow.

"I was going to say were you listening to Uhura's announcements, but you clearly were occupied," He made a signal for Bones to follow him. "We have a possible concussion on the bridge, come along,"

Leonard gave a wave to Christine and rubbed his face a few times in a failed attempt to hide the raging red flush on his face. She merely laughed and sipped her coffee as he left sickbay.

"Captain, did you get McCoy? Chekov says he's feeling drowsy," Uhura's voice said through Jim's communicator.

"Yes, we have him now, on our way up, Lieutenant,"

"Where was he Captain, I was beginning to think my transmissions weren't going through,"

"Oh not to worry, Lieutenant, Doctor McCoy was just having a meeting with his nurse," He said with a grin just as he collapsed to the floor after tripping over Leonard's outstretched foot.

"Oh sorry Captain, did I trip you up?" He said, changing his tone from joking to serious when he added. "And how about we start acting professionally, you know, how we're meant to?"

Spock gave one of his ghosts of a smile and stated simply, "That seems like far too great of a task for you Doctor, considering how you were just acting with Nurse Chapel,"

Leonard made a mental note to add more security on his office door just as he stepped onto the bridge and caught as woozy Chekov in his arms.

So, I wrote this in one night after having a day of major McChapel feels. Also, Christine is born in 2237 in TOS? I always thought she was closer to Bones' age but I guess not. I hope you enjoyed this, tell me if you did!

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