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The first time Spock saw McCoy after his death, he was just a bluelike shadow, a smudge hiding under a tree away from anyone who could possibly see him. Just standing there like one of those neo cubist moving statues they would sometimes see in museums. Dead but somehow alive, not paying any attention to the world they were in.
McCoy was just there, staring at his family as they all gathered up, his daughter Joanna, his granddaughter Kate and his great-granddaughter Joycelin, all three in black. And next to them Spock stood as was his rightful place as the deceased’s husband.
Spock shook his head back then, dismissing the shadow as a creation of his own fantasy mixed with his aching heart, that had recently lost its other half.
After the ceremony, the shadow wasn’t there anymore and didn't show up until Spock had been going through Bones’ old stuff, deciding what he should give the McCoy family and what he should keep.
That time the shadow was standing in a dark corner, now having a form and even a face. Spock stared at him for a while, slowly remembering all the cases where Vulcans could see their joined ones after their death. Their bond being so strong that they were coming back to life through the eyes of their other halves.
It would certainly make sense for this to happen to them, they were bonded, joined, more than other Vulcan pairs, after that unfortunate event involving Spock’s death.
He started to see Leonard more and more, in the corner of his eye, in the mirror, sometimes when he opened his eyes in the morning for the first time. And Leonard started to see him too. Sometimes smiling a bit like the Georgian devil he was, sometimes just nodding and looking him in the eyes.
There were stories of katras surviving in one body together with the rightful owner, getting stronger and stronger after not having any other place to be.
Spock knew one day he would start talking too. One day he would become just another person living in Spock’s body and since that day it would be like the old times, constant bickering.
~~~
Joy.
Spock wasn’t really sure if he heard it really, or just kind of felt it in his head, when it had happened. Leonard’s great-grand-daughter was visiting, finally picking up a box with Leonard’s stuff that was meant for her. Mostly books, some old diaries, an isolinear chip with music, and an old t-shirt Joycelin loved so much when she was younger.
And she was still somehow smiling even though the war with Dominion was raging all around them and she spent most of her time trying to tie up and heal all the unfortunate young officers.
“Maybe I will live long enough to listen to that,” she muttered when she found the chip.
“You can always listen to it on your way back to Starbase 375.”
“I don’t think I will feel like doing that. Listening to happy music while everything around me is on fire and slowly dying,” Joycelin said and packed everything back to the box, shutting it tightly.
“On the contrary, you should keep your mind up and try to occupy it with something else than the war,” Spock said, noticing Leonard standing in the shadows behind Joy.
“It’s not that easy. And… I… I don’t know. There’s going to be a huge battle, they will try to get back to Deep Space Nine. Estimated losses are huge and I…”
“You are a doctor, not a soldier. You should not occupy your mind with that. Your job is to heal people, not win wars.”
Joycelin was standing still, tears slowly showing in her eyes, holding the box tightly and Spock could see how Leonard moved slowly closer as if he wanted to comfort her, to pray away all those thoughts. He would have normally hugged her, that was what he always did. But Leonard wasn’t here anymore, not really, and all that was there to calm Joy down was Spock.
Joy’s communicator crushed the silent scene, calling her back to the ship that was preparing to leave. Joy tapped her com and said she will be there soon and then looked at Spock.
“You have to go,” he said, despite how obvious it was. She nodded collecting all her things.
“Joy.”
“Hmm?” she rose head.
He didn’t say a thing, he just remembered all the times Leonard hugged her and tried to copy his slight raise of arms in a welcoming manner.
Joy chuckled, shook her head, and then crashed into Spock’s arms, hugging him tightly. And Leonard smiled watching them in silence.
“You know you didn’t have to do this, I know Vulcans find a physical touch more intimate than Humans,” Joy mumbled.
“On the other hand, touch is quite important for Humans. As your great-grandfather, I should not deprive you of it.”
“And you are half Human too,” Joy chuckled when she let him go, stepping back and checking all her things one last time.
“That is indeed correct.”
“Bye, grandpa. Wish me luck,” she said and tapped her combadge, slowly starting to disappear in the transport beam.
“Live long and prosper.”
And don’t get killed.
After that day, Spock was carefully following the Dominion war news and Leonard with him, always standing or sitting near, sometimes muttering something to himself, both dreading the day the name Joycelin Leo McCoy would show up on the casualty list.
~~~
Whose fault is this? Leonard once asked during lunch, while sitting opposite Spock. Spock looked at him, raising his eyebrow.
That I am here with you , with you Leonard smiled and pointed slowly to his head with his finger.
“I believe it is mine. I am the one with telepathic abilities after all.”
Don’t you say, Sherlock.
“Our katras have been so entangled after you have saved me and I have married you, that after your death it must have found its place inside my head,” Spock explained.
So it is your fault , Bones smiled wickedly and tried to play with the leaves of a deeply crimson flower they had in the middle of the table. In Spock’s imagination, the leaves moved as Leonard went through them with his fingers.
“I have said so Leonard.”
Doesn’t hurt to repeat, just to be sure your amazing brain doesn’t forget it.
“I assure you, my dear, that I am not going to forget it any time soon. Especially with you by my side,” Spock said and watched McCoy who seemed to be very much interested in something Spock couldn’t see or guess.
I will make sure of it , Leonard said in the end.
Spock nodded and returned his attention to his lunch that was now a piece of meat with french fries instead of a salad.
Spock looked at Leonard who was grinning like a child that just got a better Christmas present than his younger sibling. He must have somehow taken control and swapped the meals in the replicator that was built in the table.
~~~
It would still take months since that accident for them to be completely comfortable with each other, sharing a body, but soon Leonard stopped switching Spock’s meals for meat out of fun and Spock started to read more human crime novels.
They would lie in the bed as if they both had solid bodies, Spock would hold the PADD and Leonard would just less than nod when he wanted the page to be turned.
And sometimes… sometimes when even Leonard wasn’t around or he wasn’t paying attention, Spock would let a slight movement of the corners of his lips go unpunished and he would continue to watch his husband as he always wanted, as he always did.