Chapter Text
The admiralty pounding on his mothers door at the ass crack of dawn was not what Leonard was expecting when he woke up alone in his childhood bedroom on the farm.
But Jim and Spock apparently were as they opened the door, fully dressed and looking ready for a fight.
Leonard hustled back to his old room to try and make himself look more presentable, idly wondering why they hadn’t woken him up. Even better, how hadn’t he heard them?
He had fallen asleep between them on his old double mattress, there hadn’t even been room for the three of them to stretch out but somehow they made it work.
He wasn’t sure why the thought still plagued him but he was relieved that they were still able to find comfort in each other so easily, even off the Enterprise. For some reason the thought that proximity and necessity were the only reasons they were able to make the bond work niggled in the back of his mind. He blamed Jocelyn for that.
Leonard could admit that he had been completely exhausted by the time he had gone to bed. After helping his mom clean up after dinner, he’d helped Spock get the three older kids to sleep while Chris helped Jim get Will situated in Joanna’s old bassinet. Thank god his mother never threw anything away.
He’d stayed up late into the night talking with his mom, catching up on things they’d both missed and had eventually just fallen into bed, Jim and Spock had already been passed out by that point.
Peeking in on the kids, Leonard couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the girls passed out back to back on the floor in the little pillow fort they had continuously rebuilt since the twins had moved into the McCoy farm.
As a dad Leonard felt a little bad for Sitak who had commandeered Joanna’s bed and was surrounded by pillows on all sides so nothing could touch him. Part of his late night had him trying to finagle Sitak’s medicine with very minimal success. Sitak didn’t have as many side effects now but his actual pain management was pretty weak by Leonard’s usual standards.
Grabbing one of the pre-prepared hypos off the nightstand, Leonard carefully made his way to Sitak and gently placed it against his arm. Sitak immediately startled, eyes blowing open wide to stare up at Leonard.
“Shh, it’s ok kiddo. Go back to sleep.” Sitak nodded his head sleepily.
“Yes Father.” Sitak was out before he could see the surprise on Leonard’s face.
While the kids had taken the new family dynamics like whiskey over ice, they hadn’t actually spoken about it. He was starting to wonder if he was the crazy one here because while he still had a million and one questions it seemed like everyone else was just rolling with the punches.
Then again the more he thought about it the more he wondered if they were moving too fast.
If he was ‘Father’, did that make Jim ‘Dad’? Would the kids all use the same words? Joanna had never called him Father a day in her life and until recently Jim had just been Jim, Captain Jim or even Uncle Jim. The thought of Joanna calling Spock ‘ko’mehk’ didn’t really bother him but the thought of her calling Spock ‘mom’ conjured images of Jocelyn hunting them down and accusing them of replacing her. Custody battles were not something he wanted to deal with ever again.
He’d need to actually talk to Spock about that, it’s not like Jocelyn didn’t deserve to be erased and after what she did, she stood absolutely no chance in court anymore. But the irrational fears still lingered.
Leonard could feel the warmth of Spock’s mind checking on him as his thoughts started to spiral, which only served to make him feel embarrassed wondering if maybe it was too soon to be deciding who would be called what by which child.
Trying not to think ‘too loudly’ Leonard carefully made his way to the staircase just as Will started to cry. Knowing it was probably a good idea to bring ‘evidence’ down to the admiralty that were slowly getting louder and louder in his mother’s kitchen, Leonard turned back around to grab Will. Poor kid was probably hungry anyway.
Chris smiled sleepily at him from the otherside of the doorway, already holding Will in his arms and trying to sooth him.
“I was going-”
“Probably a good idea.” Chris murmured, keeping his voice low. He had a good idea of what Leonard planned to do after the scene the Doctor had made at the hospital on Sitak’s behalf.
“You’re not coming down?” Leonard couldn’t help but ask as Chris passed Will over.
“Not a good idea. Wouldn’t want the admirals to think I swayed you three.”
“You know there’s going to be rumors either way.”
“Absolutely, which is why I shouldn’t stir the pot.” Chris looked at Leonard, seeming just a little bit more awake now. “I’ll support you three in whatever you plan to do… career or otherwise.”
Leonard blushed, again no one had actually talked about what was going on between the three of them but somehow everyone knew and was completely onboard.
“Th-thanks.” Leonard nodded, not sure what else he could say.
Chris could tell he’d embarrassed him. “No need to thank me. If you three are happy that’s all I care about. That’s all I ever-”
“Believe me Chris, Jim knows. You know Jim, he’s gonna be hot and cold about it until he figures out how to put things together in his own head. He’ll get there, he just has a lot of questions that I don’t think you or your chips can answer.”
“Like what?” Chris asked, genuinely curious.
“Well I think the biggest one is why Winona bothered to screw you over so hard if she had no intent of actually raising Jim anyway. That's my most pertinent question at least.”
Chris nodded his head. “I spent years wondering about that too. My best guess is that she just wanted to hold on to the last thing George really left in this world.”
“If she couldn’t have George at least she had his son? Was she always so jealous-”
“Just what are you accusing me of?!” Jim’s voice echoed up the stairs, sounding furious.
Leonard and Chris shared a worried look.
“That’s my cue.” Leonard said as he marched down the stairs with Will in his arms.
He was greeted by the sight of three different admirals, he couldn’t name a single one of them, standing around his mother’s kitchen island with Jim and Spock on the opposite side.
Jim had his arms crossed over his chest, never a good sign, it meant he was getting nervous and defensive. Spock on the other hand remained in parade rest with her hands behind her back. It was only the brief lessons she had shared with them on Vulcan mental control that let him see that she was downright furious at the moment. The admiralty probably thought she looked bored.
“Believe me, Captain , an investigation will be launched-”
“Excellent, I just sent in my complaints to the DOD as well. I’m sure an investigation will be launched within the next 24 hours. I’m glad the admiralty is on top of this too.” Leonard interrupted.
Jim and Spock both stared at him with wide eyes. He could feel Spock mentally trying to question him while Jim looked betrayed. Leonard kept the smug look on his face, not giving anything away.
“Bones…?” Jim sounded like he might actually cry.
“See, there you go Captain, your Chief Medical Officer has the right idea-”
“Damn straight I do. Believe me sirs, we’ll have whichever Admiral caused this disaster in prison by the end of the week.”
“Excuse me?”
“I beg your pardon?” All three admirals jumped into a defensive position. Leonard didn’t need Vulcan teachings to read their very human body language. He’d cornered them in their own bullshit.
“Well of course, someone disregarded Admiral Marcus’s orders to keep his daughter and newborn grandson grounded on the Mars Colony. Since Marcus wasn’t aware that his daughter was even on the Ketut it was someone with seniority over him. As CMO it is my duty to launch an investigation on such gross negligence, as well as whatever caused the accident that killed the crew of the Ketut and the almost death of young Will here.” Leonard said, showing off the baby for everyone to see.
The admirals shared a wary glance before the one who had been arguing with Jim cut back in.
“While that is your job, what makes you think it was an admiral?”
Leonard scoffed, “Are you accusing the Mars Colony officials of negligence too?”
“Of course not-”
“Shame. Because I am.”
“Bones…” Jim said, this time in a much more wary tone. Leonard ignored him.
“This boy was born on the Mars Colony and yet there are absolutely no records of his birth or Carol Marcus’s pregnancy. That tells me several doctors and at least a dozen nurses should have been involved and are either stupid, falsifying documents or were told to keep their mouths shut by someone who outranks them entirely. Now either the Fleet and the Colony are to blame for lack of pre and post-natal care or her records were wiped from public record.”
“Now Doctor, that-”
“I’m not finished.” Leonard interrupted, starting to get in the admiralty's faces. “Then somehow Carol managed to walk onto the Ketut, with an infant and continue on as a Science Officer for several months before her tragic death. There’s an entire space station that just let her do this or someone told them to ignore it. That or security is incredibly lax. And finally an entire crew, a small one I’ll admit, but a crew of the Fleet just chose to keep mum for one woman and her child? If that isn’t gross negligence I don't know what is! The Fleet, the Mars Colony and the state of Iowa will all be involved in this lovely mess and I can assure you, someone is going to prison!”
“The state of Iowa?” Jim couldn’t help but ask as the kitchen went silent for several seconds.
“It’s against the law for serving members of the Fleet to not inform or be informed of a pregnancy or birth.” Leonard answered, looking at Jim before turning back to the admirals. “Someone helped Carol hide this from Jim and since Carol is now dead Jim is the only remaining legal guardian and can no longer serve actively in the Fleet. As CMO he has been ordered to take a leave of absence until his affairs are in order.”
Leonard finished proudly, feeling like he had covered most of his bases. He’d need to give Chapel some sort of award for helping him get everything situated while he was pulled in a dozen different directions. That woman was a saint in his books and had started digging the second Will had been beamed aboard the Enterprise.
The admirals all seemed to just sort of nod along as they put everything together.
“And the reason the Fleet was not informed of this before the Enterprise’s arrival on Earth? If the Captain could no longer serve his second in Command should have taken over until a replacement could be provided.”
“As you are all well aware,” Spock interjected, not willing to let Leonard stand alone in this. “I was not fit for duty and it is on record that several admirals refused to allow me leave to care for my own son who almost died as well.”
“While my Chief Engineer can certainly handle the burden of command when the need arises, I saw no reason to stress him any further. Especially for an unknown period of time. Besides, the fallen crew of the Ketut needed to be returned home to their surviving families.” Jim added.
Shockingly that seemed to finally cow the admiralty as they bowed their heads slightly. Whether in shame or true grief, the trio wasn’t sure but Leonard was damn well ready to kick them out of his mother’s house.
Either way the Fleet was in for a huge PR nightmare.
“Very well, you’ve given us a lot to discuss.” The admiral who had been the most silent finally spoke up, moving to leave the premises. The other two seemed like they wanted to continue arguing but they gave in for now.
Leonard assumed they needed time to either lick their wounds or go bury whatever evidence they could find. Thankfully they all knew the crew of the Enterprise was already a few steps ahead of them.
If Leonard could have physically kicked them out of the door without any repercussions he would have, thankfully Eleanor was there to open the front door for them as she came out of her room. She had obviously been listening in on the conversation as she was dressed like she was going out and wore a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.
Leonard knew that look all too well.
“Thank you for coming.” Eleanor said as she held the door open for them. “Shame you’ll be missing breakfast. My biscuits and gravy has won first prize in eight different county fairs!”
Jim and Spock looked a little horrified that Eleanor would invite the admirals to breakfast after the standoff they had just had but Leonard only shook his head as he made his way to the fridge for Will’s bottle and to start a pot of coffee.
“Well thank you ma’am-” One of the Admirals started a little awkwardly but Eleanor cut him off.
“But I know y’all are so busy. A shame really. Have a good day gentlemen!” Eleanor slammed the door shut with a huff just as they stepped down off her porch.
Spock and Jim could only stare at her as she leaned against her front door.
“Woof. What a mess. I can’t wait to see what the tabloids say about this one.” Eleanor said, all smiles once again as she made her way to the kitchen. “Oh good, you started the coffee.” Eleanor gave her son a hug, reaching for her own mug. “Might need to add a bit a whiskey to mine today.”
Leonard laughed with his mother, “Same.” He had already gotten the bottle down from the shelf, pointing it towards Spock and Jim, “Want some?”
They both shook their heads in the negative as they cautiously took a seat.
“I’m confused, why’d you invite them to breakfast?” Jim asked.
“I didn’t.” Eleanor winked at him.
“But you just-”
“Honey I didn’t invite them, I simply told them it was a shame they were missing out.” Jim only looked more confused. “Oldest rule of the South hun, never let them see you get mad. Just get even.”
“How does inviting the admiralty to breakfast make us even?” Spock asked. No amount of math held the answer to her question.
“She’d have poisoned them.” Leonard answered as if it were obvious.
“And I’d have gotten away with it too!” Eleanor laughed again.
“Ma-” her son warned.
“What? Who’s old Bean gonna tell?!”
“Who is old Bean?” Spock asked.
“One of the family pigs.” Leonard and Jim both answered.
“He’s out back if you wanna-”
“I want to feed Bean!” T’Arev shouted as she came barreling down the stairs, her hair only half up as she raced to the back door with only one shoe on.
“T’Arev.” Spock admonished just as Eleanor shouted, “Slops already on the fence kiddo!”
The back door swung shut and T’Arev was long gone.
Leonard could feel the questions building in his mates minds.
“Pigs ‘ill eat anything, including a dead body.”
“There’s enough shit in that pin-” Eleanor explained.
“Literally and figuratively.” Bones added.
“-that even if the authorities came lookin’ they’d never find anything that would stick in court.”
“Geeze Eleanor, I didn’t know I had to be afraid of you too!” Jim joked.
“Kill ‘em with kindness sweetheart and they’ll never see it coming.” Eleanor winked before turning back to her cooking, leaving Jim and Leonard to shake their heads.
After a few minutes of mostly silence Spock stood up to see if she could help.
“I am curious Eleanor, why do you have only one pig? From what I saw last night the McCoy farm-”
Eleanor laughed, “Well, I technically have a couple thousand pigs all over the planet.” Spock’s shocked look had her laughing again. “I only own 5 male pigs. All of them are male Heritage breeds that I sell to stud for other farmers. Bean’s my personal favorite, David gave him to me as a wedding present.”
Spock felt Leonard’s emotions drop at the mention of his father but Eleanor didn’t seem to notice.
“A pig seems like an odd wedding present.”
“Nah” Eleanor waved Spock’s comment away. “When David and I met, the farm was only a peach orchard and had been for most of my life. My parents weren’t big on raising animals, except for a few chickens to keep a steady supply of eggs. I joined the Academy to get my degree in Animal Husbandry and Sustainable Agricultural Development.”
“Had you hoped to join one of the colonies?”
“Yep.” Eleanor looked towards a few pictures on the wall. “But then I fell in love. Halfway threw school my two older brothers ran off with their girlfriends within a month of each other. My father was so pissed he left the farm to me and me alone. Which was good because he died of a heart attack my senior year and my mother peacefully followed him in her sleep. David was my rock and I couldn’t just sell 17 generations of family history. David hated space anyway so the decision to stay wasn’t too hard. He took my name to keep the farm under the McCoy name when we got married and joked that he felt safest with both feet planted firmly in the Georgia clay.” She wiped at her eyes a little tearily but she was still smiling.
“He proposed at graduation and gave me Bean the day we walked down the aisle. Bean was David’s way of telling me he appreciated what I gave up too and would support me however he could. Heritage breeds are hard to come by and worth a ton if you can properly breed them, Bean’s a Duroc. Rusty and Clancy are Red Wattles, they are up north right now but should be back next week. Spot and Sir Oinks are Large Blacks and are probably hanging out in the woods foraging for truffles. That’s the other real money maker on the farm, truffles. At this point the peach and apple trees are just for fun-” Eleanor paused, looking towards Jim.
Spock turned as well to see what had distracted her and found Jim covered in milk and Will mouthing at Jim’s shirt.
Leonard had disappeared.
“Need a hand there Jim?” Eleanor laughed, making Jim look up at them, just as shocked as they were.
“What in the hell?” Leonard shouted coming back into the room with a bleary eyed Joanna half asleep on his shoulder and Sitak staring at his PAD in his other arm.
“Language!” Eleanor and Sitak both shouted, startling Leonard.
Bones rolled his eyes looking towards his mother, the Queen of swearing and the one who taught him! “Since when?!”
Eleanor pointed towards Sitak with a smirk on her face as her son set them down at the table.
“Since swearing is disrespectful and studies show it can have an impact on a child’s development.”
Leonard looked at Sitak a little surprised by his answer.
“Most of those studies are ancient and religiously biased as well but I do not believe Father would like Will’s first words to be insults either.” Sitak added as both of his Fathers looked at him. Sitak could feel they were impressed with him.
“Fair.” Leonard sighed, knowing he'd have to work on that. “Alright, so… what happened?” He asked as he looked over Jim once again who was still dripping milk.
“The lid just popped off!” Jim shouted pointing at the plastic ring that had rolled under the table just as T’Arev ran back into the house covered in mud.
“Grandfather! Are we going to the ranch today!?” T’Arev shouted up the stairs.
“Ask your Mom!” Chris shouted back from the upstairs bathroom.
“Ko-mehk!” T’Arev began to shout, even though her mother was standing right there. She paused, seeing the milk all over the kitchen table and the plastic ring on the floor. “Why are you using the plastic canning rings for Will’s milk?” She asked, sounding seriously confused.
“Um, because they are for holding the bottle nipples in place?” Leonard offered, wondering why that was so strange to her.
Her eyes went wide and Leonard could feel her horror.
“Oh. You should replicate new ones.” T’Arev said, offering no explanation as her face became a dusty green.
“Why?” Leonard and Jim asked at the same time just as Sitak hollered that he’d do it.
T’Arev didn’t answer.
“T’Arev…” Spock warned.
“I um… used them as cookie cutters?”
Leonard shrugged, “That’s not that bad-”
“For bug butter for the owls…”
“What?” Several voices, including Chris, asked.
T’Arev wasn’t sure how to answer that.
“Wait, are you talking about those Barn Owls?” Eleanor asked. “T’Arev, I told you to stay away from them and let nature take its course.”
“I wasn’t going to let them die just because a cat killed their mother! Domestic cats are not a part of the natural ecosystem. Letting them die is just helping extinguish their species!” T’Arev argued.
“Is it weird that she already sounds like you?” Jim whispered towards Leonard who couldn’t help but blush at the comment.
Leonard opened his mouth to argue that she still shouldn’t be messing with wild animals but the words just wouldn’t come to him. He understood what she was trying to do and didn’t want to discourage her.
Unless Spock said otherwise.
“Here you go Father!” Sitak cheered as he stumbled back and handed Jim three new rings and Spock quietly refilled Will’s bottle.
“That still doesn’t explain why it just popped off.” Leonard said instead of arguing about the owls. He might have to go check the barn himself but they were relatively harmless creatures.
T’Arev fiddled with the ring she picked up off the floor as she examined it.
“The talon marks most likely affected the seal.”
“Talon marks?!” Leonard grabbed the ring and sure enough there were several very deep scratches. “T’Arev… do you have any idea how-”
“Actually…” Joanna finally spoke up in a mousey voice looking embarrassed. “It wasn’t T’Arev who got too close…”
“Joanna…” Eleanor and Leonard echoed. Spock and Jim gave each other worried looks, not wanting Joanna to feel singled out any more than she already had been, even unintentionally.
“We were crushing bugs together to make bird food soup for the babies-”
“Bug butter.” T’Arev corrected.
“- and the lids made good circles! I didn’t think they were important since they’ve been in the same drawer forever!” Leonard tried not to sigh, knowing it was true. Those rings hadn’t been touched since Joanna had been weaned off the bottle herself.
“Ok, but how did that lead to this?” Jim asked knowing they were all thinking it as he pointed at the ring.
“I um, well T’Arev told me to leave them on the ground but I wanted to try and be like the princess in the bird movie-”
“Ugh, The King’s Falcon? Sweetheart, that’s a movie, not real life.” Leonard tried to explain. The movie had been one of Joanna’s favorites for years. The witch, not princess, tamed a wild falcon with magic and it became her familiar. None of that was possible in the real world.
“I know! I just put my hand out with my fingers down like Captain Chris showed us when we fed the horses!”
“Oops.” Chris laughed quietly.
“They were only like this big!” Joanna held her hands up to approximate the owls size, hoping it would prove her point. A soda bottle sized Strigidae could still cause damage to a six year old girl.
“Jo-”
“While I do not feel that you should be punished for being curious,” Spock interrupted. “All three of you need to be more cautious.” T’Arev and Joanna both started to roll their eyes. “For your own safety and for Will’s. He will start copying you whether you like it or not.” The three children looked towards their youngest sibling.
Will was happily gesturing towards Sitak in no discernible pattern as he watched the boys every move.
The trio could feel all three childrens guilt.
“Alright!” Chris said, clapping his hands, startling everyone as he changed the subject. “Now that’s all handled, I need to pop over to the ranch-”
“I want to go!” All three kids shouted, making Chris smile.
“-I figured I could take the kids off your hands for the day. Give you three some time to figure things out and keep an ear out with the Admiralty.”
Bones looked between Spock and Jim, sure he had questions he wanted to ask, but they were by no means something that needed to go in a briefing.
Spock glanced at her own comm a little wearily, while Jim looked like he was ready to go to this ranch himself.
“Uh, or we could all go with you?” Jim offered not even looking away from his father. “I don't think there's anything that needs our immediate attention and if there is Scotty just has to call.”
Chris gave him a funny look before biting his lip nervously.
“That-” Chris sighed, deflating a little. “So, something I haven’t mentioned-”
“Uh-oh.” Eleanor said, only half serious. Chris glared at her.
“-AND it’s not something that I’ve really talked to anyone about besides a few select people.”
Spock facepalmed behind them.
“I can not believe I forgot about Janet.” She shook her head wondering where her mind had gone.
“Janet?” Jim asked, slow to remember who that was as Chris winced. “Wait, your mom Janet?”
Chris nodded his head, “Your grandmother, yes. She-” Chris sighed again, rubbing at his forehead.
“Janet has severe dementia.” Spock answered.
“Very severe.” Chris sighed. “Most days she doesn’t speak or eat. On ‘good’ days her mind is somewhere between when Annette and I graduated high school and just before the Kelvin incident. If you try to tell her any of what’s happened since then she breaks down. It’s best not to correct her.”
“I have only truly spoken with her once myself.” Spock admitted. “The first time she met me I tried explaining that I was a science officer on her son’s ship and it just did not compute for her. She believes the twins are children of some of the ranch hands and likes to joke that she never thought Vulcan’s would like working with horses.”
“Can’t say I blame her.” Leonard snorted, trying to imagine Spock shoveling horse manure.
“She doesn’t remember anything? She doesn’t ask about George or me or-” Jim stuttered, not sure why that upset him so much. “She never saw me when you had custody of me?”
Chris grimaced again, taking a seat amongst them and glaring down at the table for a brief second.
“No. My parents were stationed at a Deep Space colony shortly after we graduated from the Academy. Ships out were few and far between and my dad kept telling my mom to wait to visit so he could go too. Even when they found out ‘Nett had cancer my dad wanted her to wait because ‘he deserved to see her too’ but never took any time off to do so. Mom never forgave him for that either. By the time they’d heard about the Kelvin you were already at the hospital on Earth with me. Mom took the next flight out, with my dad cursing her out for leaving him every step of the way. Unfortunately it was a cargo freighter, it didn’t make it to Earth until two days after ‘Nett died.”
“Jesus. I’d have shot David for something like that.” Eleanor couldn’t imagine ever leaving her son to fight cancer alone, let alone missing the birth of a grandchild.
Chris rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Believe me, I thought about it. He and I were already pretty low contact anyway. I could have forgiven him for missing Jim’s birth, considering the circumstances. But not being there for Annette was really the final nail in the coffin for me. I’m not sure how my mom managed to drag herself back to the colony after Annette’s funeral, which my father also missed, just to get her stuff. By the time she made it back to Earth I was already fighting Winona for custody.”
“Pfft. I’d have bought a new wardrobe.” Eleanor mumbled into her coffee.
Chris just nodded his head knowingly.
“No one was allowed to see you except for parents-”
“But Una and Annette were-” Jim interrupted.
“Genetically speaking, Annette was your mother. She was allowed to visit you and Una was her wife. They were also already living at the hospital for Nette’s cancer treatments so it's not like the nurses could have stopped them even if they tried.”
Jim sniffed, not sure if he should laugh or cry at that, his mom sounded like the kind of person he would have been proud to know.
“So, you are all welcome at the ranch but it's not just horses and rustic desert scenery.”
Jim and Leonard shared a brief look, Leonard was more than willing to go.
“I will stay here.” Spock said. Everyone turned to her a little surprised. “My mother is unreachable, I have a feeling it is not good news.”
“Did they move Sarek to a new facility?” Leonard asked.
“I do not know. My mother has not answered any of my calls. Sybok could not get ahold of T’Pau and went to the Consulate as well but he has since stopped answering. I may head there myself.”
Chris gave her a worried look. “The ranch can wait. Do you want us to go with you?”
Spock looked like she might actually be considering it but she shook her head.
“No. I will be fine. If-”
“You know I hate that word.” Chris grumbled.
“I will call.” Spock said sternly.
“You sure Spock?” Jim asked as Bones tried to round up the kids.
“Yes. The bond with my mother is quiet. Unusually so-” She could feel the worry building in Leonard and Jim’s minds. “She is perfectly- healthy, but it's almost as if she is meditating, which I know she does not do.”
“And Sybok?” Jim asked.
“His mind is heavily shielded but also frantically busy. If something has happened to our father it would make sense that the consulate is trying to debrief him for any duties he needs to fulfill in our father's stead.”
Chris quickly scrolled through his data PADD. “Nothing in the news.”
“Unless T’Pau is trying to keep it under wraps.” Leonard offered. “Might not want the galaxy to know that the former Ambassador to Earth basically went insane.”
Spock and Jim nodded their heads in agreement, it could indeed be a catastrophic political storm if any of Sarek’s previous acquaintances tried to refute any past negotiations.
“I’ll keep an ear on the idiot box.” Eleanor offered, turning the TV on to see if anything was on the news yet as she cleaned up the kitchen.
Chris gave Spock another once over before sighing in defeat, “Kids?! Ready to go?”
“Aye Captain!” The twins saluted as Joanna jumped up shouting, “Yes sir!”
Chris smiled, waving Jim and Leonard to follow them out the door.
Spock and Eleanor waved goodbye from the porch, silently watching as their family walked to the transport station down the street.
“You sure you don’t want any company?” Eleanor offered. She knew Spock didn’t have a good relationship with her father but it was never easy to lose a parent.
“Thank you Eleanor but I would rather do this on my own.” Spock tried to imagine the treatment Eleanor would receive at the Vulcan consulate. Her own standing there was less than stellar, she’d rather not risk Eleanor causing a scene.
“Just let me know if that changes.” Eleanor nodded walking back inside as Spock flipped open her comm and hailed the Enterprise.
“Scott here.”
“Have you slept?” Spock asked instead of her normal greeting.
Scotty barked out a laugh, “Aye, had dinner with me mum and nipped a quick trip to Ny’s sister for breakfast. Now do ya need anything or are we just shooting the breeze?”
Spock smiled at her comm. “I need a quick lift to the Vulcan consulate.”
“Ugh, what happened now?” Scotty asked. Spock could hear him flipping a few switches.
“I do not know. No one is answering me at the moment.”
Scotty muttered something under his breath that sounded like ‘stingy, pencil pushing perfectionists and their superiority complexes’ but Spock graciously pretended not to hear.
“Aight, I can get you across the street. The consulate building is shielded.”
“That’s not a good sign. Have you heard any news?” Spock asked, instinctively stepping off the porch, awaiting transport.
“Not a lick up here. I’ll have Ny keep an ear out for ya.”
“Thanks Scotty.”
“Energizing.” Scotty called as Spock was atomized, instantly appearing in front of an eerily quiet building.
“Scotty?”
“Aye?”
“Keep comms open and silent. Something is definitely going on.” Spock said as she quickly assessed the new security at both the front and side entrances. They were stone faced, even for Vulcans, and they were armed.
Traffic was slow as Spock crossed the street, the air felt charged with an unknown energy.
“Do you have any idea what is going on?” Spock asked a young Vulcan woman who was standing in front of the entrance gate. They could see the energy coming off the security shield around the building.
The young woman turned around, visibly startling at Spock’s presence.
“Commander Spock!” She quickly saluted. Spock’s eyebrow rose, this woman seemed almost human in her nervousness.
“Ensign…?” Spock recognized her as one of the newer Fleet initiates.
“Ensign T’Pia ma’am!” She said just a little too loudly, for a Vulcan.
“Has something happened, Ensign T’Pia?”
“We do not know ma’am. Ensign T’Ren and I came for our monthly check-ins but the guards will not let us through.”
“Have they said anything?”
“No ma’am. We even tried asking if we needed to reschedule our check-ins but there has been no response. Silas tried calling but only received an automated message that the consulate is busy.”
“Silas?” Spock asked distractedly as she tried to think of another way into the building.
“Ensigns Silas and Selah are also with us for check-ins. They went around the building to see if someone would answer-”
“Pardon me, are you Commander Spock of the USS Enterprise?”
Spock spun to see who had addressed her, eyes widening ever so slightly at the sight of a news crew shoving a microphone in her face.
“Yes.” Spock answered as plainly as she could. Surak help her, Sarek really must have died if a news crew was already here. Why hadn’t she been called? What could her mother and brother possibly be doing that they could not spare a single minute to call? A simple message? She couldn’t-
“Is it true that you and freshly graduated Captain Kirk, the youngest Captain in the fleet, abandoned a mission to return to Earth for ‘personal’ reasons?”
“I beg your pardon?” Spock couldn’t help but bark. Her bond with her T’hy’la blew wide open, whether it was intentional or not Spock didn’t care.
Screw Sarek, whomever spread such lies could only come from one place. Their crew would rather die than betray her and Jim with such garbage accusations. That left the Admiralty.
They were trying to cover their own trail and now she could prove it.
“Rumor has it-”
“Rumor?” Spock scoffed, surprising the human news crew and the ensign beside her. “I believe the proper term is the Starfleet Admiralty.”
The reporter holding out the microphone blanched but recovered quickly.
“My sources are confidential-”
“Your source can only come from one place. My four year old son almost died in a drunk driver incident here in Atlanta. The Admiralty refused my parental leave because I had a duty to my crew. Commander McCoy’s daughter was abandoned by her birth mother at a public station and was similarly injured in the accident that nearly killed my son yet he too was denied parental leave. Starfleet sent our crew to the other side of the quadrant where we found Captain Kirk’s ex had secretly had a child, his child . Someone not only helped her cover it up but also helped her get back into space with her newborn infant.
Starfleet, the Mars colony and the state of Iowa are all included in the ongoing investigation and you want me to believe that your so-called sources are confidential?” Spock knew she was losing control of her emotions but she did not care. “Three Admirals were at Doctor McCoy’s family home first thing this morning and left not even two hours ago. They are trying to cover their asses before anyone else makes a statement by shifting blame.”
The other Ensign’s were suddenly behind her. Spock didn’t need to see their faces to feel their shock and confusion.
“C-can you prove any of what you claim to be true?” The reporter stuttered, suddenly realizing they might not be on the right side of whatever was about to unfold.
“Yes.”
“Of course.” Sybok’s voice startled everyone present as he stepped forward proud and sure.
“Ambassador-” One of the guards tried to stop him but Sybok waved him away as he stepped through the gates.
“And you are?” The reporter asked as the cameraman turned towards him as well.
Sybok gave them a wide smile. “Ambassador Sybok of Vulcan. My father Sarek has retired, my sister,” Sybok pointed at Spock, “is needed inside. Is there a reason you are delaying her?”
The reporter foolishly tried again.
“What evidence do you have against the Starfleet Admiralty for these allegations of military evasion?”
“I personally do not possess any such documents, but you may contact our grandmother, Grand Magistrate T’Pau. She sent several requests for my sister to be given family leave when my nephew nearly died. All of them were ignored. The fact that a child was born with no legal registration and somehow allowed into space where he too nearly died is reason enough for the Enterprise to return. The fact that said child was discovered to be Captain Kirk's son has no bearing in the argument. They would have needed to return the child to Earth to find his next of kin either way. Perhaps Starfleet has changed their rules, but it is also customary to bring the remains of the dead back to their home planet for proper death rights, is it not?”
The reporter quickly tried to cut in to save face but Sybok was apparently just getting started.
“I know humans make assumptions that Vulcan’s have no emotions but even we allow our scientists and explorers time off to grieve and care for their loved ones. The Vulcan fleet also allows those who serve to have their children close by.” Spock was wide eyed as Sybok turned towards his sister and the Ensigns gathered behind her. He was creating a scene on inter-planetary television, on purpose . “Perhaps it is time to look into returning to the Vulcan fleet? Starfleet obviously does not care about the next generation of explorers.”
The cameraman choked as did the reporter.
“Now sir-”
“Ambassador.” Sybok corrected.
“Ambassador.” The reporter quickly corrected. “Starfleet is a very family friendly organization-”
“That remains to be seen. If what you say is true, why was my sister denied the right to return home when her son and daughter were injured? I could claim xenophobia-” Sybok heard several gasps around him. “But that would not account for Starfleet’s failure to allow Dr. Leonard McCoy leave when his own daughter was abandoned at a starbase. Nor would it explain why Starfleet is trying to shift blame on a young Captain who only discovered he was a father a few days ago.” Sybok got just a little too close to the reporter for either of their comfort. “Tell me again Starfleet is ‘family friendly’.”
The human gaped, trying to form any sort of sentence but nothing was forthcoming.
“As I said before, my sister is needed inside.” Sybok finished with a finality that left no room for argument as he spun around to face Spock and the four Ensigns behind her.
“I am sorry you were all kept waiting. Please, come inside and I will personally sort everything out.”
Sybok shielded them with his robes like a mother protecting their young as he led everyone inside and the reporter was left praying they still had a job.
“Sybok…” Spock managed as they walked inside.
“That was a very impressive scene Ambassador.” T’Pia said, as if it were something to be proud of.
Sybok actually smiled at her. “That was my plan. I thank you for noticing…”
“Ensign T’Pia.” She said, quickly saluting Sybok.
“Ah yes, the dutiful daughter. How fitting. You are all here for check-ins correct?” Sybok asked, they were all still standing in the foyer. The Ensigns nodded. “Ms. Stella!” Sybok called out.
A young human woman, probably around Spock’s age, came running out of an office, stumbling slightly with all of the paperwork she had in hand.
“Coming Ambassador!”
“Ms. Stella, these four Ensigns need to complete their monthly check-ins. If you could please see-”
“Sorry Ambassador but you have another call.” Another human said as he ran up to Sybok with a communicator in hand.
Sybok tried not to sigh as Stella laughed.
“I’ve got this Ambassador.”
Sybok genuinely smiled at her, “Thank you my Star.” Sybok said as he walked away with the communicator and the other man following dutifully behind him. He seemed oblivious to the blush that was now burning the woman’s face as he walked away.
Spock mouthed the words ‘my Star’ questioningly. She had never seen this woman in her life. She had never seen a human working at the Vulcan consulate unless they were accompanied by a Human Ambassador.
Just as she was starting to wonder if she had entered the right building, or maybe even the right dimension after the scene Sybok had just made, Stella turned to her.
“Alright then, and you ma’am?”
“I’m sorry?” Spock asked, not sure what she wanted.
“Are you here for check-ins as well?” Stella turned a PADD towards Spock.
Spock easily recognized the form from when she was still at the Academy. A way to make sure the Vulcan students were being treated fairly and had been taking care of themselves. At the time she had hated it because she was the only Vulcan student and the humans had treated her marginally better than the Vulcans. It had been more stressful to fill out the form surrounded by disapproving Vulcans than to actually suffer any teasing and torment from the humans.
“Oh no, this is Commander Spock-” T’Pia tried to explain.
“Oh yes! You must be here for your mother, Lady Amanda! Let me get these Ensigns out of here and I’ll take you to the rooms Ambassador Sybok assigned her.”
Before Spock could even question why her mother suddenly had rooms at the consulate, Stella quickly led the Ensigns out and past the guards. The guards did not hide their displeasure at Stella’s presence but she didn’t seem to care.
“So Commander-”
“Spock is fine. Why is my mother in a room here?” Spock finally asked as Stella led her up the staircase and down one of many hallways.
“Oh, well-” Stella blushed, looking at the floor awkwardly, “Apparently there has been a few issues with your father. I am not privy to all of the details but at some point your mother fainted. Syb- I mean Ambassador Sybok, asked one of the consulate members to call you but they apparently didn't feel like doing their job. They escorted Lady Amanda to a room and locked her in-”
“Who-” Spock was furious, about to demand where this Vulcan was so she could arrest them herself.
“Not to worry ma'am. Ambassador Sybok was suddenly getting noise complaints from other visiting dignitaries and that is when he found out Lady Amanda had been locked away and you had still not been called. He rounded up most of former Ambassador Sarek’s secretaries and aids and told them if they thought this was an acceptable way to treat anyone, let alone his step-mother, they would all be fired. The one who locked Lady Amanda in a room called him a- I'm sorry if I say this wrong, a v'tosh ka'tur?”
Spock gaped at the woman, appalled that someone in the consulate thought so poorly of her brother.
“I'm not sure what it means but Lady Amanda was infuriated by it. She stomped up to the Vulcan who said it, called him a worthless bastard and punched him in the nose!”
Spock pinched the bridge of her nose. That sounded exactly like something her mother would do.
“She broke her hand, and the guys nose, then yelled at the entire room that if she heard anyone speak that way about her son again she'd personally feed their corpse to the le-matya.”
Spock buried her face in her hands. That definitely sounded like her mother.
“Ambassador Sybok fired three of them last night and two this morning when he found out that you still hadn't been called. Anyone else who might have been on their side definitely isn't anymore.” They stopped suddenly in front of a door at the end of the hall.
“I am terribly sorry no one contacted you. I tried this morning but we had already been put on lockdown.”
“Why is that exactly?”
“I'm not 100% sure actually. Several things happened at once and Sybok has been bombarded… and slightly understaffed.” Stella giggled at the last part.
Spock didn't bother to correct the woman for not using Sybok’s title. She was starting to guess that this human had a small crush on her brother.
“Do you mind if I ask ma'am?”
“Hmm?”
“What does that insult mean?”
Spock looked away for a brief moment.
“It is honestly a rather dubious insult, V’tosh Ka’tur. It means a Vulcan without logic. When the teachings of Surak first entered Vulcan society, the people were split. Many followed Surak in the ways of logic, others did not. Another war broke out and those that refused Surak’s teachings were cast out. Those who left Vulcan eventually became the ancestors of today's Romulans. Calling my brother a V’tosh Ka’tur means that they think he is too emotional, that he doesn't support our people or the ways of Surak. They are insinuating that he is a traitor like those who were forced out hundreds of years ago.”
“That doesn't sound like Sybok at all. And how speciesist to insult Romulans as a whole!”
“I know. The sad part is that Sybok does not reject logic, he rejects hiding his emotions. He and many others strive to find a balance. He does not fear becoming overly emotional like so many of our people do.”
“Well, I think you and Sybok are perfect examples of what balance can look like in a Vulcan.”
Spock was stunned yet again to hear that from someone who hardly knew her. “I have no problem with most Vulcans, but I swear sometimes it seems like they are just purposefully trying too hard.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course! Now your mother is in here. After getting her hand fixed she was given a light sedative but Sybok thinks her bond with your father is affecting the drugs in her system. She was a little out of it so he insisted she wait until someone could pick her up.”
Spock nodded as she moved to open the door. At least now she knew why no one had managed to contact her.
“Have a nice day ma'am!” Stella said as she started walking back down the halls.
“Stella?” Spock asked, already half way through the door.
“Yes?” Stella turned back to face her with a kind smile on his face.
“He loves to learn.”
“I'm sorry?” Stella gave her a confused look.
“My brother. He likes to learn new things. It can be about absolutely anything, knowledge and new experiences thrill him to no end.”
Stella started to blush again. “Oh, I- uh…”
“I'm not sure why but his favorite fruits are kiwis, but only when they are still sour.”
Spock walked into the room, not sure what else she could say, and closed the door.
Stella was left staring and blushing like mad for several seconds before she gathered enough of her wits to get back to work.
Spock smiled at her mother who was asleep in a chair by the window.
“Mother?” Spock asked, trying not to startle her.
Amanda blinked slowly around the room.
Spock could feel it now, the sedative still slowing down her mother's thought process.
“Spock?” Amanda tried to focus on the figure at the door. “Oh Spock! You're here! Finally! You won't believe the night I've had!”
Amanda tried to get up but swayed dangerously.
Spock quickly rushed up to steady her.
“Woah. Sorry sweety, I'm a bit-”
“You are still suffering from the side effects of a sedative.”
“Three broken fingers!” Amanda said proudly as she drunkenly showed Spock her hand that was already healed. “But it was worth it to break that asshole's nose! He called poor Sybok a-”
“I know, mother. But I am curious, why did you faint in the first place? Has something happened?”
“Oh that's right! I needed to call you! T’Pau had your father moved to a facility on Betazed!”
“Why?” Spock couldn't help but ask. Surely Sarek hated that.
“Research? Something about better medical studies for brain chemistry? I can't really remember.”
“And this information led you to faint?”
“No! Sarek hijacked a shuttle!”
“What!?” Spock demanded.
“He tried to crash it into Mount Seleya!”
“For what purpose?”
Amanda started to cry, Spock suddenly realized she hadn't gotten any confirmation on what exactly had happened to Sarek. Maybe he was-
“The shuttle logs only got some fragmented data but he shouted something about returning home through the rift! The shuttle crashed and it took the emergency crew hours to find him!” Amanda yelled through her tears. “He- he- he's in a coma!”
Spock held her mother tight as they both began to cry. Spock for her mother who was in so much pain. Amanda for the man she loved but hardly knew anymore.