Chapter Text
The future...
“Professor Kirk?”
Jim looked up from the book he was reading, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. “Yes, Cadet?”
The cadet, a male, squirmed uncomfortable now that he had Jim’s attention. “Is it true when you were captain of the Enterprise you actually had your children on the ship with you?”
“He definitely did!”
Jim smiled at the young girl, woman really, with the long blonde pony-tail who came up the aisle toward them. “Em!”
“Hi Daddy.”
Emily stopped next to the cadet. She wore her ensign uniform, newly promoted, like a proud peacock. Science blue instead of Command gold, though.
She smiled at the blushing cadet. “My fathers had me and my brothers on the Enterprise. It was an incredibly educational and meaningful experience.”
“Uh. Thanks. Thanks, Ensign Kirk.” He turned back to Jim. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sir.”
“Sure thing.”
They both watched him leave, then his daughter turned to him with a frown.
“Daddy, what are you still doing here?”
“Uh oh. Were you sent to fetch me?”
“Yep. Dad has dinner warming for you and the boys. He sent me when you ignored your messages.”
“Oops.” Jim glanced at his communication device and saw numerous messages from Spock. “I’m in trouble.”
“You sure are.” Emily came around the desk and peered at the book in front of him. “Not even a Starfleet text book. Dickens.”
“Well.” He shrugged. “I was grading tests, but I got bored.” He laughed. Rose from his chair. Grabbed up his PADD and the book and shoved them into his brief case. “I didn’t know you were coming for dinner.”
“The Excelsior ships out at the end of the week. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with my family.”
Jim sighed. “As if I had forgotten. I don’t want to think about it though. You’ll be on a ship without your family.”
“One of us had to do it.” She took his arm as they exited the classroom.
“I’m not some feeble old fool who needs to be helped from the room, you know.”
Emily laughed. “Hardly. As Uncle Bones would say you’re fit as a fiddle.”
Bones had been a part of their lives ever since Emily had been born, and Jim had even talked him into being his CMO later on the Enterprise. Really was one big happy family.
Their top floor apartment was just a couple of blocks from the Academy. Chosen for the location, location, location, as the realtors liked to say, and the spectacular view of the city from the floor to ceiling windows in the living room.
Jim, of course, still preferred their family living quarters on the Enterprise. Always would, he supposed. But life was made up of changes and everyone had to adapt to them, even Jim. And Spock.
Spock greeted them as soon as they approached the door, opening it wide and giving Jim one of his looks.
“Hiya, sweetheart.”
“Was it Dickens?” Spock directed this question to their daughter.
“How’d you know?”
“I gave him that book for his last birthday. Come inside.”
Emily kissed her Dad on the cheek and then moved into the apartment.
Spock took Jim’s hand, kissing him both in the Vulcan way and the human way. Neither way ever got old, no matter how many years passed between them.
Their sons, twin boys now quickly approaching fifteen, were seated at the dining room table. George barely looked up from his video game to give Jim a quick grin, and Satok, named after an uncle of Spock’s, put his own hardback book on the table in front of him, his rather elegant eyebrows, reminiscent of Spock’s own, arched.
“We’ve been waiting,” Satok said. “I’m hungry.”
Jim laughed and ruffled his hair, which he knew the boy found distasteful. “So sorry.”
“Don’t pay attention to them, Daddy, they haven’t stopped eating snacks since they got home from school.” Emily seated herself at the table and ignored Satok when he stuck his tongue out at her.
The twins just had the barest hint of point to their ears, but both had deep dark eyes like Spock. Emily had the bright blue of Jim’s eyes. Her biological father had blue eyes too.
“Need help?” Jim asked his husband.
“I do not. Sit at the table with the children.”
Jim couldn’t help but smile. They would always be the children to him and Spock. He supposed when they were well into their thirties or even older.
He took his seat at the end of the table, opposite where Spock would sit and looked in admiration at the beautiful kids he had created. He’d done his best with Spock’s help to keep them safe on the Enterprise. The crew had helped too. And they’d all made it through. With a few scares, yes.
They’d been an experiment and they’d fought hard for the children to stay with them. And even now there were those who did not agree with having children and family together on a starship.
But in every way, all of Jim’s dreams had come true. All because of Spock.
That day when Spock had come upon him having a particularly bad bout of morning sickness, when he’d just come to the realization he was about to be homeless and pregnant.
Spock really was his savior and it had taken Jim a long time to realize Spock was the real thing.
“Jim?”
Spock stood right next to him at the table, about to put his plate of food down in front of him. Some kind of mushroom risotto dish from the look of it. Jim smiled.
“This looks delicious.”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fantastic. Just lost in memories, really.”
“Memories?” Spock murmured.
“Of how we met. How we got here. To be this incredible family. How lucky I really am.”
“While I do not believe in luck normally, ashayam, I believe that luck was with me when you found me,” Spock replied.
Jim laughed. “You found me, remember?”
“I remember quite well, Jim. Fate allowed you to find me.”
He shook his head, too content to argue with his husband, who now squeezed his hand, and then went down to his own seat at the dining room table.
“Put the game aside, George,” Spock reprimanded.
“Okay, Dad.”
“Well, now,” Jim said. “This will be one of the last dinners we’ll have as a family together for some time with Em leaving on the Excelsior soon. Let’s enjoy the time we have.”
“Oh, no,” George said under his breath. “He’s not going to start quoting Dickens again is he?”
Emily laughed.
“Hey now,” Jim protested. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
Satok rolled his eyes.
Spock cleared his throat. “I think, perhaps, it was only the best of times.”
Jim smiled at him, from across the table, eyes shining. “Yeah. Yeah it was.”