Chapter Text
Men of Shadows
Chapter 1
“It's a wonderful thought that every day
has something to celebrate.”
Millie Florence
Leonard looked around the large Yorktown Special Events room. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, including Jim. The guests had thinned out a bit, some opting for an early night. Truth be told, too many of the Enterprise crew were still mentally and physically exhausted, still traumatized by everything that had happened to them. It was hard to process it all, and Leonard’s mind shied away from dwelling on the horrors of what they’d been through; the battle with Krall’s bee drones, the crew having to abandon the ship, the destruction of their beloved Enterprise, the death of so many of their wonderful crew, the surviving crew imprisoned on Altamid by Krall’s men, and finally their ultimate rescue and return to Yorktown.
It was all thanks to Jim that so many of the crew survived; his brilliant, courageous, wonderful, Jim. If anyone deserved this birthday party it was Jim. At first, Leonard had debated with himself whether it was too soon to celebrate, but after talking it over with Spock, Uhura, Geoffrey, Pavel, and Sulu, they’d all agreed it would be good for the crew to get together. It would be good for them to have a low key celebration to reconnect with each other, but, they all agreed, it was imperative to keep it from Jim as a surprise; Jim, who never wanted or expected a fuss made about his birthday. Nyota volunteered to decorate the room, (very minimally, she assured Len) and, Pavel told them emphatically, they must have cake! Hell yes, Leonard assured him, there would most certainly be cake.
Cake was an absolute necessity, because this was a very special birthday for Jim. It was his 30th, and Leonard would be dammed if this very special date was not acknowledged and celebrated in some way. Everyone he’d talked to agreed with the sentiment.
In his own head Leonard recognized how sappy he sounded when he talked about Jim’s birthday, (it was just this one time, he assured himself firmly) but he didn’t care. Jim deserved it; he deserved every good, wonderful, special thing that was in Leonard’s power to give him. Thus, this surprise birthday party.
For a minute, when they’d first entered the party venue and Len had seen Jim’s surprised face, he’d been uncertain he’d done the right thing. But then Jim’s sky blue eyes had turned to Len and he’d smiled that sunshine smile that made his face even more beautiful, and Len knew he’d absolutely done the right thing.
Just a little while ago the four of them, Jim, Spock, Nyota, and Leonard, with some of the other crew members standing behind them, gazed out of the room’s huge picture window looking at the massive skeleton of the new ship hanging in the Yorktown Engineering Bay. In a few months that skeleton would be their new ship.
Looking at the bare bones of Enterprise-A, their new home to be, the four made a commitment of sorts, to finish their five year historic mission serving together. Two more years of exploration, of finding strange new worlds, new life, new civilizations, new challenges. Leonard would have stayed with Jim anyway, or resigned his commission, or gone back to Earth with him, maybe back to Starfleet Medical to do research; just as long as they were together...that’s all that mattered to Leonard, and to Jim too.
His glance swept across the room again. Drinks, food, and cake were almost gone now, and Jim was now talking with a new group. It was Scotty, Pavel, and Ben Sulu this time. He was waving his arms, talking a mile a minute, no sign of winding down or tiredness in the long lean body. His black eye was finally fading. He’d steadfastly refused to let Leonard get rid of it. Everything else, Leonard had fixed, the dislocated shoulder, the cracked ribs, the wrenched knee, the lacerations on his face, the bruises all over his body, but not the black eye.
“No, Bones, leave it. It’s a reminder for me. Every time I look in the mirror it reminds me we survived, that we prevailed. Once more we took down a mad man bent on revenge and destruction. It reminds me that evil can be overcome and that good does win out if we give it a chance and fight hard for it.”
Throat tight with suppressed emotion, Leonard voiced what he and the remaining crew felt. “Good won over evil because of you, darlin’, because of people like you. You saved us, saved us again, Jim.”
But Jim had shaken his head. ”Not just me, Bones; we did it, all of us together. Do you think I would still be here if it hadn’t been for you? For Spock? For Uhura, Scotty, and Pavel, for Sulu, and Jaylah? Not a chance in hell!”
He’d kissed Len then, kissed him so gently, so softly, clinging to him tightly, surrounding him in such loving arms, it had made Leonard’s heart thud loudly in his chest. “No, Bones, it was all of us, all of us working together as a team,” Jim had murmured into his mouth between kisses. And no matter how often Leonard kept repeating that it was Jim who’d saved then, saved Yorktown, Jim wouldn’t budge.
It’d been a little more than two weeks since the final confrontation with the drone bee ships and Jim’s fight with Krall. Their rescue ship, the old Franklin, Jaylah’s house, was still in the main plaza pool where they’d had landed (a bit broken now by their rough landing). Starfleet engineering crews would be coming soon to salvage it, keeping it together as best they could while towing it to the Mars Utopia Planitia Base for a full restoration. Later on it would be displayed with other historical ships at the Starfleet Flight Museum in San Francisco.
The USS Franklin (NX-326) was old, a mid 22nd century Freedom class ship, the first Terran Fleet ship capable of reaching warp 4. It had been captained by Balthazar Edison, who’d become the mutant Krall. It was now a valuable artifact from Starfleet’s past, a past when Starfleet was just beginning its mission of exploration and peace keeping.
For the first week after Krall’s defeat, the Enterprise crew had come together every day to attend funeral services for their fallen comrades, those whose bodies the Yorktown recovery personnel had been able to find and recover. For the others, lost forever in the vastness of space, there had been memorial services. All the families of their fallen crew had received letters of condolences hand written on real paper by either Jim or Spock. It was a duty dreaded by every commander, a heartbreaking, emotionally draining, intense task, but both the Captain and his First Officer felt honored to perform this last service for each one of their fallen crew. Every letter had been difficult and heartbreaking to write, but Jim hoped the families who received them would find some semblance of comfort and closure in them.
Every evening after his hospital shift was over, after making sure PTSD counseling schedules for the crew were on track, after visiting the recovering Enterprise crew still in the hospital, Leonard would walk across the plaza to Jim’s temporary office, firmly close the office door behind him, and wipe the traces of tears from Jim’s face. He’d kiss him fiercely, tell him, “that’s enough for today, darlin’,” then gently man handle the unresisting exhausted Jim back to their apartment. There he would undress Jim, push him into a hot shower, get some nourishing food in him and put the grief stricken, devastated Captain to bed. The next morning Jim and Spock would be at it again, until a few days ago when they’d finally finished. Jim, grieving and emotionally drained, and Spock, even more quiet and stoic then ever.
Leonard glanced around the room once more and was mildly disappointed to see that Commodore Paris hadn’t come. He knew she was overwhelmed with work, but just this week Jim and Spock had started going in to help her with all the paper work; the clean up requisitions, damage inspections, and reconstruction contracts necessary for the rebuilding of parts of Yorktown. There had been a lot of physical damage, and, sadly, some deaths and injuries of both Starfleet and Yorktown civilians.
Hikaru Sulu came up to Len, with a second glass in hand, but Leonard shook his head. “I already had my one allotted drink, Hikaru. I’m on call for the hospital.”
“You’re always on call, Len.”
“Yeah, all of us are, we have to be. Geoff, Christine, Tonia Barrows, and all the med techs and nurses who are left. There not enough personnel left at the hospital. The Chief of Staff tries to rotate the on-call rota, but until she gets replacements, that’s the way it’s gotta’ be.”
Sulu gestured over to the group with Jim. “Should I go rescue Ben, you think? I kind of have the feeling those four are talking ship talk, and Ben is looking a little bewildered,” he grinned at the expression on his husband’s face.
Leonard snorted. “I know the feelin’ well, but Ben’ll excuse himself when he’s had enough. That’s what I do.”
“It’s a great turn out, Len. Jim looks happy.”
“Yeah, he does, doesn’t he? I was a little worried for a minute there when we came in, but I think it was just the surprise of it all.”
Sulu nodded and yawned widely. Leonard looked at him in amusement.
“Sorry. Ben and I are turning into old geezers, we’ve been going to bed early every night. The days when I could stay up until the wee hours of the morning are dead and gone. Demora gets up at 0630 to be ready for the school hover bus. Don’t know if you knew they’ve started classes back up now, and the pre-K and K children are picked up at 0730. Demora is very happy to see her little friends again, and Ben and I are enjoying the quiet during the day,” he chuckled.
Leonard laughed. “If we could only bottle that Demora energy.”
“Yeah, well just don’t give any of it to Jim. That man is never still, has more energy than anyone I’ve ever met. I don’t know how he manages to sit in that Captain’s chair for so long every day.”
“It’s because he also has a formidable ability to focus. That chair means the world to him, it’s his way of connecting with his crew, committing to their welfare.” He swallowed hard. “The loss of so many of our crew broke his heart, Karu. He feels like he failed them.” Len saw the heartbreak in the sky blue eyes that looked at him every morning and evening.
“Jim didn’t fail us! He saved us, he saved us all!” Sulu sounded utterly shocked. “We’d all be dead, Yorktown destroyed, if it hadn’t been for Jim. He saved Ben and Demora. I’ll never be able to repay him for that.”
Leonard sighed. “I’m tryin’ real hard to convince him of that.” And Len was trying. He listened, supported, and consoled...when Jim would let him.
“We’re all going to make sure he realizes it, Len. I’m passing on the word to the Command crew and to Ben.”
For a second, Leonard looked alarmed, but then thinking it over, he nodded. Jim needed to know how much he’d done for his crew, for Yorktown, for everyone. Somehow he needed to be convinced. Maybe if everyone helped, eventually he would be. “Just don’t make it too obvious or it’ll backfire on us. You know how Jim is. He refuses to show any vulnerability to his crew, so tread very carefully.”
“I know how he is, Len. He always has to be the bad ass, the fearless, controlled, stalwart Captain who never shows his pain. Don’t worry, we’ll be careful. But one way or another Jim is going to know how much we love, respect, and appreciate our Captain, how much he’s done for us.” He glanced over to the group. “I better go rescue Ben and get on home. Good night, Len, great party.”
“Night, Hikaru, Tell Demora Jim and I’ll be by to see her this weekend. Thanks for invitin’ us for dinner.”
“She’ll be at the door waiting for you guys,” Hikaru grinned.
Leonard poured himself a glass of tea and leaned against the bar. He waved to Ben and Sulu as they left the room. Jim glanced up, caught the wave, excused himself and came over to join Leonard.
“Hey good looking, what’s cooking?”
“Hey, birthday boy. Looks like everyone’s enjoying themselves and that huge cake is mostly gone. Glad the candles are out now or it might’ve set fire to this fine event center,” he teased, smirking at Jim.
Jim grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way they did when he was truly happy. ”Hmmm. How easily we forget that there’s a certain hottie in the room who shall remain nameless, but, who, if I remember correctly, is six years older then moi.”
“Who?” Leonard blatantly scanned the room. “Oh, you mean Scotty? Cain’t say I ever thought of him as a hottie, but whatever floats your boat, Captain, darlin’.” Leonard chuckled at his own wit, dimples flashing prominently.
And Jim whose knees invariably got weak when Bones’ dimples were on full display, leaned in and softly kissed one. “Thank you for this, Bonesy, everyone is having a great time, and it’s all thanks to you.”
“And you, Jim. None of us would be here without you. Yes, that’s the truth, Jimmy, believe it,” he added, as Jim emphatically shook his head. He looked deep into the blue eyes gazing at him so lovingly. “Are you enjoyin’ yourself, darlin’?” Len asked softly.
“I am, Bones. I needed this, needed to see all of us together again. We needed to put aside our pain, forget the horror, the trauma, the sorrow we’ve gone through...even if it’s just for a short time. The crew needed it too and it looks like everyone came.”
“Everyone except Commodore Paris. I invited her and I’m kinda’ disappointed that she didn’t come.”
Jim looked at him in surprise. “I didn’t realize you’d invited her?”
“Yeah, I did. I know she’s swamped with work, so thought a little relaxation would be good for her too, she’s good people.”
“She is, and it would have been.” Jim gave him an affectionate, indulgent smile. Bones was always the mother hen of all he surveyed, and that included everyone in Yorktown; the crew, the Yorktown civilians, Starfleet officers, and the enlisted personnel. He couldn’t seem to help it. He was, to his very core, a nurturer, a healer, a fixer upper of anyone and everyone he saw hurt or suffering.
“What do you think of the new ship? She’s looking great, isn’t she?” He poked Bones in the rib and chuckled. “Can’t believe you actually called her our future home, Doctor ‘Space is Disease and Danger’ McCoy.” Jim glanced up at him through his lashes, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
“Shut it, you. Yeah, I know I did, but that was because...”
Whatever Leonard was going to say was interrupted by the buzz of his communicator. He looked at the screen, read the message, answered it, and sighed.
“It’s the hospital, Jim. The on-shift surgeon needs a consult for a head injury they just brought in. Doesn’t think it’s serious, but, if possible, he’d still like a second opinion this evening. I don’t blame him, head injuries can be tricky. I hate to leave the party, though.” His hazel eyes were regretful as he looked around the room and then at Jim.
“It’s fine, Bones. You go ahead, you’re needed at the hospital. I can understand the doctor wanting a second opinion from the best neurosurgeon in Fleet. Anyway, I doubt if anyone is going to stay late, we’re all still pretty tired, and some of us have to work tomorrow. Commodore Paris told Spock and me not to come in until 0900, said our mountain of paper work could wait for an hour, that it would still be there. So you go on. Want me to call a hover to take you to the hospital?”
“Naw, I think I’ll walk. It’s not far, and the walk will do me good, give me a chance to get a good look at the star field around us; you know, the one you’re always raving about. What was it you told me? “This place is an engineering and construction wonder. You can see the stars 360 degrees”. Haven't really had a chance to do much stargazing, so now’s a good chance to do it.”
“Leonard McCoy! Who the hell are you, and what have you done with my Bones? You? Eager to see the stars? Since when?” Jim’s eyes were bright, bluer than blue, lit with mischief.
“Since I started hanging out with you, kid. Purely in self defense. Had to, if I wanted to keep up with my star crazed lunatic.”
Jim laughed softly, but stopped his teasing. “I saw Ben and Hikaru heading out early.”
“Yeah, Demora has school tomorrow, so it’s an early morning for them. School bus comes at 0730, Karu said. Told Sulu we’d see them this weekend for dinner. Demora apparently wants to see Uncle Jim and Uncle Bones real bad, and who am I to say no to that sweet child.”
“Not me! It’s impossible to say no to that adorable little face. I’m happy we’re having dinner there. I’m also happy the primary school was a priority for cleanup, repair, and reopening. The Commodore said it really didn’t get much damage, but the engineers had to check that structurally it was perfect.”
“God yes, cain’t be too careful with stuff like that when it comes to the children.” He sighed and pried himself away from the bar. “Better get going, Jim. If it gets too late, I’ll message you to see if you’re back at the apartment or if I should come back here.”
“All right, I’ll see you either there or here.”