Completion 12/?
Completion
Chapter 12
Marissa hummed to herself as she watched Abby eat her breakfast. She’d already had some oatmeal and four hardboiled eggs. That had been weird. She’d been staring at the replicator stirring the brown sugar and cream into her oatmeal when the craving had just popped into her mind. The one egg, with generous sprinklings of salt and pepper, had tasted so good she had three more. Apparently she needed the protein. She was contemplating getting another one when the door to their quarters slid open.
“Dada!” Abby chirped, climbing down from her chair and running to him. She giggled as he swept her up in his arms and gave her a quick kiss.
Marissa’s smile froze when she saw him wince. It went away when she saw the bruise on the side of his face and a bloodied lip. “What the hell happened to you?” she asked in confusion. Setting down the breakfast dishes she had begun to pick up, she walked toward him worriedly. “And where did you go? You didn’t even say anything.”
“Dada gots ouchie,” Abby said, her little fingers reaching up to touch Jim’s split lip.
“Yes, I do baby girl,” Jim told her, his eyes skidding away from Marissa. “So don’t touch, okay?”
Abby nodded solemnly. “No touch de ouchie,” she repeated. “Poor dada.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed. “Unca Bwones make better?” she asked. In her world, Uncle Bones always made things better.
Jim smiled lopsidedly. “Soon,” he told her. “Dada needs to take a shower and get dressed. Then Uncle Bones can fix me right up.”
“Otay,” Abby said, leaning to get down. She’d had enough talk and was ready to play.
Marissa didn’t miss the way Jim grimaced when he put Abby on the floor and how he put a hand to his left side as he straightened. She frowned. “All right, what happened?”
“My, uh, sparring partner might have been a bit over enthusiastic,” he said, though it was more like a question as he watched to see if she would buy his explanation.
“Uh huh,” Marissa commented, her lips pursing as she lifted up his shirt and took in the mottling bruise on his ribs. “And you felt like sparring this morning, why?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
He shrugged. “It sounded like fun.” Once again, his statement came out sounding more like a question.
“Sure,” Marissa looked at him skeptically. “I’ve been back four days now. You’ve barely left my side unless it was to go to the bridge and you’ve always told me before you leave and now you want me to believe that you decided that sparring sounded like so much fun that you had to leave before I woke up?”
Jim took a quick breath, like he was going to start spinning a tale that she would believe, but deflated when she gave him a serious frown. “Yeah, I didn’t think you’d go for that,” he admitted on a sigh.
“Yeah, not at all,” she agreed, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at him. “Why were you fighting this morning - and who the hell with?”
Jim looked at her and then Abby and the door to their bedroom, before coming back to Marissa. “Can we not do this in front of Abby?” he finally asked softly.
Marissa’s eyes narrowed further, before she nodded.
“Abby,” she called out, her face transforming with a smile. “I’m going to help dada with his ouchies, okay? We’ll be in our bedroom.”
Abby’s head shot up and she looked between her parents and the bedroom with a frown.
“You can play your piano,” Marissa suggested. “We can turn it up so that we can hear it while dada gets fixed. I’d bet he’d like that.”
Jim nodded. “That would be awesome, baby girl. I love it when you play your piano,” he said with a fixed smile. He knew that Marissa and Spock thought Abby was some kind of prodigy when it came to her piano, but he still couldn’t see - or hear - it. He loved his daughter dearly, but it still sounded like noise to him. At least she didn’t bang on the keys.
Jim followed Marissa into the bedroom. Damn if he didn’t like watching her ass sway when she walked. She’d lost a lot of weight, too much in his opinion, but she still had an ass that he longed to touch and caress. It really was unfortunate that there was no one around to entertain Abby. After the adrenaline rush from the fighting, a good romp in bed was always a nice chaser.
Turning so that she could rest against the low dresser near the bathroom, Marissa crossed her arms and frowned at Jim, looking at him expectantly. Yeah, in the mood she was in there was no way he was going to be able to talk her into sex, even if Abby wasn’t in the next room.
“Well,” she prodded when he appeared to be struggling for words. “What happened to you? You look like you got into a fight.”
“You should see the other guy?” Jim offered with a hesitant grin.
“Oh, should I?” she asked skeptically, her eyebrow lifting in a way that was totally reminiscent of McCoy.
Jim shook his head. “No not really. Besides,” he added with some disgruntlement. “I’m sure Bones has already cleaned him up.”
“Cleaned him up, but not you?”
“Yeah. Umm, Bones said I had to talk to you first,” he finally responded, feeling like a school boy reporting his bad deeds to mommy.
Marissa gave a huffing laugh at that, but nothing else as she waited for Jim to explain.
Fighting the urge to pace and defend himself - because he knew it was useless and because he knew he had acted like an impulsive idiot, Jim finally sat down on the bed, his hands clasped loosely together between his knees as he looked up at Marissa, ready to get this over with.
“You were sleeping,” he started. “Under the covers and all curled up. I…well, it woke me up.”
Frowning slightly, Marissa apologized. “I didn’t mean to wake you up. Was I dreaming again?”
Jim shook his head. “No, not then. That’s not why I woke up.” He shrugged and looked at her sheepishly. “I tend to wake up when you’re not in my arms; when you move away from me,” he admitted.
“Jim…” she sighed, her voice softening.
“Yeah, so,” Jim continued, clearing his throat uncomfortably. He didn’t like seeing the sadness in her eyes and he didn’t like reminding her how messed up he had been - and apparently still was - because she had been missing. “It was early, but only barely and I thought I might be able to wake you up, you know, for a quickie before Abby woke up.”
This time Marissa’s lip quirked up. “I’m sure you did. I still don’t see how this fits in to you getting into a fight this morning. If you needed some sort of release I would have been more than willing.”
“I know,” Jim replied with shrug. “It’s just that when I went to wake you up; when I touched you, you grimaced and pulled away from me, frowning. And when I tried again you said…you said, “no, Jason. Don’t.”
Marissa gaped at him, her mouth open in shock. “I said…”
Jim nodded, not wanting to hear it from her lips again.
“And you thought, what?” she asked, the shock fading away as the pieces of his story began falling into place. “You thought Jason did something to me and then rushed out of here to defend my honor?” she said incredulously.
Jim cringed slightly at how absurd it sounded. “Basically,” was all he could say.
“And why would you think that Jason, of all people…” she asked, her voice rose slightly, but then lowered as she glanced over at the open bedroom door. “How could you even…Jim, I told you how he led us; kept us going. How much I respected what he did and how he kept it together.”
“I know,” Jim admitted, feeling ashamed.
“What the hell, Jim? What were you thinking?” she demanded, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.
“What was I supposed to think?” Jim went on the attack, not liking the feeling of being scolded. He was the captain here, after all. “I touch you, and you flinch away saying some other man’s name - a man that you just spent four months with, by the way -begging him to ‘please, don’t.’ What as I supposed to think, Marissa?”
“You were jealous,” she said softly, as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her.
“No, I wasn’t jealous,” Jim said angrily. “You flinched, Marissa. You begged him to stop. I wasn’t jealous, I was pissed off that he had hurt you when I had trusted him with your safety.”
“Jason would never hurt me, Jim,” Marissa stated. “He wouldn’t.”
“I know that now,” Jim said bitterly, rubbing his cheek. “I didn’t know it then.”
Sitting down on the bed next to him, Marissa took his hand. “Why didn’t you ask me? I heard you leave. I was awake enough, you could have asked.”
Jim looked at her earnest face and then down at their clasped hands. Squeezing her hand, he shook his head slowly. “I…I didn’t want to hear you say it,” he admitted. “If you confirmed it and…and cried, I’d have to stay here with you and…I really wanted to kill the bastard.”
“Oh, Jim.” She leaned against his shoulder. “That’s just…” she shook her head. “Why would even think that Jason could have done something to hurt me? I would have told you if something had happened.”
“Would you?” Jim asked pointedly. “Honestly, would you have told me?”
“Of course,” Marissa responded, pulling away slightly to look at him, a frown on her face. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Maybe because you didn’t want to upset me,” Jim countered. “Like why I didn’t want to tell you about your father or the auditor and all that other shit. Maybe you were so relieved to be back that you just wanted to put it all behind you and forget about it. Maybe it wasn’t that big of deal…in your mind, but it was enough to make you uncomfortable and you didn’t want to upset me. And after last night, I thought…”
“Wait, wait,” Marissa interrupted him. “What about last night? Nothing happened last night.”
Jim snorted. “I’m not an idiot, Marissa. I didn’t fully get it at dinner, but when I heard you this morning…”
“Nothing happened at dinner,” Marissa protested, her brow wrinkling in confusion. “Dinner was nice. I enjoyed it.”
“But you barely spoke to Roth,” Jim pointed out. “And when he touched you…you stiffened, your smile froze for a second and then you took Abby from me like a shield.” He watched as her face reddened slightly. “What was I supposed to think? And then when we made love…” His free hand came up to his neck. “You marked me, Marissa. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it, but you’ve never done that before. I thought it was because of…of what we talked about; the auditor and…and Carol and all that shit, but this morning,” he shook his head, “yeah, that wasn’t what came to mind.”
“Oh, god,” Marissa whispered, her face bright red as she stared at his neck. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…it was just that you were there, under me and…”
“Hey,” Jim nudged her with his shoulders. “I said I liked it. Anytime you want to ride me like that, I’m all for it, but this morning,” he paused, trying to find the right words. “I thought it might not have been about just us. I thought it might have been your way of…of staking claim.”
“It was, probably,” Marissa admitted, staring pointedly at their joined hands. “But it had nothing to do with Jason. Not consciously. And at dinner, I wasn’t…I mean…”
“You can’t tell me you didn’t act differently towards him,” Jim interrupted her with a scoff. “You were laughing and joking with Scobee and Onizuka but Roth barely said a word all night and you barely looked at him and when you did, it was just brief glances. I put it off as me not being used to seeing you around men I’m not familiar with. But then when we left you hugged everyone but Roth.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Marissa admitted after a few moments of silence. “Nothing happened. He looked out for me, made sure I got up for my shifts and had enough food. I’m pretty sure he gave me some of his rations towards the end. I owe…we owe him a lot, Jim. He worked hard to get the array up and working. He was a great leader; to us and the M’Qtobauans.”
Jim looked over at her, her face lowered so that he couldn’t see her expression. From the set of her shoulders he would bet anything that she was feeling uncomfortable.
“You know how he feels about you,” he stated softly, “don’t you?”
Her head shot up, and her wide eyes sought his. If it was possible her cheeks turned even redder. “You know?” she asked surprise.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “I was so surprised when he said it, I let him sucker punch me,” he said ruefully, rubbing gently at his jaw.
Marissa’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why? Is it so surprising that someone might be attracted to me?” she asked, her voice low as she tried to pull her hand away from his.
“Shit, that’s not what I meant, Mariss,” Jim immediately replied, tugging at her hand. “I was surprised because he actually admitted it to me, not the fact that he loves you.”
Shaking her head, Marissa pulled away and stood up. “He doesn’t love me,” she said, wrapping her arms across her chest, almost defensively. “It’s…it’s just a crush. I mean, we were stuck together for four months and you had put him in charge of me and my safety, and when he found out I was pregnant…” she looked bewilderingly at Jim. “It’s just a crush because…I never encouraged him. I never…”
“Hey, hey,” Jim said, standing up and pulling her into his arms even as she resisted stiffly. “I never said you did anything. And crush or love…I really can’t blame the guy,” Jim said with a small smile. “I can totally see the appeal.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Marissa snorted lightly as she leaned into Jim, allowing him to put his arms around her. “I just…I wasn’t expecting it,” she admitted softly. “He’d become such a good friend, but…”
“What happened?” Jim asked. “How did you…did he tell you?”
Immediately Marissa started shaking her head. “Oh, no. No. He never...he would never,” she stumbled. “He knew how I felt about you; how much I missed you. You’d think Judith would have been my…my shoulder to cry on - being the other female, but it was Jason. He took care of me, Jim,” she told him earnestly. “He took care of all of us, but especially me. He made sure I slept and that I had enough to eat. When I was depressed he’d make me talk; listened to me cry. But he never…he never even hugged me and I probably could have used a hug or two,” she said wryly with a sniff.
“And then one of the M’Qtobauan women in the infirmary asked me about him. She asked me if humans did not…if mates did not touch in front of others,” she said, embarrassed. “She was really curious about the differences between humans and M’Qtobauans and she was always asking questions. She assumed because of the way he watched over me that he was my…”
“Mate,” Jim finished for her, his voice heavy.
“Yeah,” Marissa agreed, pressing her face into his chest. “I had no idea and then Jason walked up behind me and overheard what we were talking about and…I’ve never seen someone so embarrassed. So then it was kind of obvious, you know? I even asked Judith what she thought and…Then all hell broke loose and we were under direct attack and then you showed up and…I just put it out of my mind. He was never more than a friend to me, Jim,” she told him honestly. “A good friend.”
Jim smiled softly down at her. “I believe you Marissa. And it doesn’t really matter. You’re mine.”
Looking up at him, Marissa lifted an eyebrow at him, a small grin on her face. “Feeling territorial, are we?”
Jim kissed her, his lips firmly pressing against hers as he forced her to open for him, though she didn’t put up much of a protest. Tipping her head back, she gave in to his onslaught, her body melting against his. “I’d show you territorial if the munchkin wasn’t awake,” he told her. “I…”
Whatever he was going to say was cut off by a plaintive cry from the other room. They looked up, a rush of adrenaline flowing instantly through their veins, but before they could take two steps Abby was standing in the doorway, her face covered in tears.
“I’s go potty,” she sobbed, throwing herself at Marissa’s knees. “I’s sowry.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Marissa said, picking up and giving her a hug. “It’s okay. It was an accident.” This wasn’t enough for Abby who continued to sob pitifully as she was hugged and patted by her parents.
Jim and Marissa exchanged pained expressions. It didn’t take a genius to realize that Abby’s suddenly reverting back to needing diapers, though she refused, was in direct response to Marissa’s sudden reappearance and most especially the massive tantrum she’d thrown the other day. They’d discussed it and even talked with McCoy about it. The doctor told them not to worry. She’d been young when she first became potty trained and reverting back to wetting her pants wasn’t a stumbling block, it was just her way, probably subconsciously, of getting attention. Jim and Marissa were in no way ignoring her, but she was still just a baby, barely a toddler despite her vocabulary and accomplishments, and she needed her parents.
They agreed to treat her wetting her pants as no big deal and to continue on as usual, neither rewarding nor punishing the mishaps, and hopefully she’d be back on track soon enough.
“I know,” Marissa said to Abby, pulling away so she could see her face. “I need to go talk to Ms. Maria and Veronique and dada needs to shower and go see Uncle Bones. What do you say we get you cleaned up, Abby-girl, and then go visiting and then we can meet dada at daycare. Do you think Ms. Daugherty will let us play in tumble town with the other kids?”
Abby looked at her suspiciously. “You pway too?”
“Of course,” Marissa agreed with a smile. “I could use some play time.”
“’n dada?”
“Me too,” Jim agreed. “Besides, don’t you miss your friends, Abby?”
Abby shrugged sullenly, resting her head on Marissa’s shoulder, but they took that as a yes.
Jim kissed them both. “I’ll see you soo…er later,” he corrected himself. “Say hi to Ms. Maria and Veronique for me, Munchkin.”
~
Jim stepped into Medical and scanned for McCoy, but didn’t see him right away.
“Chapel, where’s Bones?” he asked, walking over to her desk.
“Captain,” she nodded, her blue eyes cataloguing his bruised jaw and probably the stiffness in the way he walked towards her. “Do your injuries have anything to do with why Lieutenant Roth was dragged in this morning by Dr. McCoy?” she asked, one eyebrow lifted in a pretty good imitation of her boss. “Never mind,” she continued when Jim started to grin at her, leaning on the desk. “I don’t want to know. Dr. McCoy is in his office.”
“But I had such a good story for you,” Jim said with a wink.
“I’m sure,” she said in a deadpan voice. “I’ll wait to hear the real story from reliable sources.” With a quirk of her lip, she went back to whatever she was working on, effectively dismissing him.
“No respect,” Jim muttered as he crossed the room to McCoy’s office. “Bones,” he exclaimed loudly, causing the other man to jump slightly in his seat and then glare. “Your staff gives me no respect.”
“What have been telling you all this time, Jim,” McCoy asked. “Respect has to be earned.”
“Ouch,” Jim replied, giving McCoy a wounded look.
McCoy ignored him. Instead he stood up and led him back out of the office and to one of the bio beds. “Well, you don’t look any worse for wear. Marissa didn’t do any more damage?”
“As if,” Jim scoffed as he hoisted himself up onto the bed, watching McCoy pull the privacy curtain.
“Yeah, you’re right,” McCoy nodded, already running his tricorder over Jim’s face. “I don’t imagine she’d do anything with Abby around.”
Jim glared at his friend, his lips pursed and frowning. “Ha, ha.”
“What the hell set you off this morning anyway?” McCoy asked. “Take off your shirt.”
Gingerly complying, Jim removed both his shirts and let McCoy scan his ribs. “Roth didn’t say?”
“Nope,” McCoy replied absently as he looked over the read outs. “Nothing broken. Roth was pretty quiet. You cracked one of his ribs, by the way.”
“Shit,” Jim said, running a hand through his hair. He hadn’t meant to hurt the man - well, he had, but that was before he knew what was really going on and now he just felt like a heel.
Grabbing the regen, McCoy took hold of Jim’s chin and began to run it over his bruised cheek. “Well, he’s fixed now. That was the worst of it. But I’m still wondering…”
Jim sighed. “He…he’s in love…with Marissa,” Jim admitted.
McCoy looked at him expectantly. “And what? You had to beat him up for it?”
“No, that’s not…that’s…shit.” He let out another deep sigh.
“Hold still,” McCoy scolded.
“See, Marissa was sleeping and I was going to wake her up and she flinched and said ‘no, Jason, don’t.’ What was I supposed to think?” he demanded.
“Ah,” McCoy nodded, a knowing look on his face. “So you heard that, jumped to the conclusion that he’d done something to her and raced out of your quarters to beat the crap out of him.”
“Basically,” Jim admitted sheepishly.
“And you didn’t wake up Marissa to ask her what she meant or why she’d say something like that,” he continued.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Jim.”
“Yeah, Bones?”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Thanks, Bones,” Jim said wryly, trying not to move his mouth as McCoy repaired his split lip.
“That’s what friends are for, kid,” he said. “At least that explains your expression when he cold-cocked you. He’d just told you, hadn’t he?”
Jim shoulders slumped. “Yeah, and I felt…” he shook his head slowly now that McCoy had moved on to his ribs, lifting his left arm so that his elbow pointed at the ceiling, giving the doctor full access to his bruised side. “Then he told me why he fell in love with her - Marissa claims it’s just a crush because they had to spend so much time together, but…I don’t know. I heard what he said and how he described her and…it just…I can see where he’s coming from.”
“Because you love her too,” McCoy nodded.
“Yeah,” Jim agreed. “She’s mine.”
Both McCoy’s eyebrows rose at the vehemence of Jim’s statement. “Wow, that’s a bit possessive.”
Jim rubbed at the mark on his neck. “I’m not the only one,” he replied.
McCoy frowned briefly. “Yeah, I don’t want details, thanks.”
“I can understand how Roth feels about her, I can,” Jim explained. “But he only knew her for four months. I’ve known her for years now. And we have Abby and Shea and…”
“Wait, wait,” McCoy held up a hand. “Who the hell is Shea?”
Jim looked at him, confused, but then he realized McCoy didn’t know. “The baby. She doesn’t want to name him Tiberius. She wants to name him Seamus, Seamus Leonard. Shea for short.”
“Oh, well,” he said, nonplussed. “That’s better. Leonard still sucks, but…”
“Eh,” Jim shrugged. “It’s better than Horatio.”
“True,” McCoy nodded.
“But, like I was saying, we have years together and two kids and she’s going to be my wife.”
Placing the regen down, McCoy snorted as he tossed Jim his shirts.
“What?” Jim asked suspiciously.
“Have you asked her?”
“What?” Jim said, pulling his head through his undershirt. “Of course. On M’Qtobau when we rescued them.”
Crossing his arms, McCoy looked at Jim patronizingly. “As I recall you told her you were going to ask her to marry you, kid. There were several witnesses. And in my experience, when a woman gets engaged she normally can’t stop talking about it. Marissa’s probably talked with half the ship since she’s been back, at least briefly, and there ain’t no one talking about your upcoming nuptials. She doesn’t even have an engagement ring or nothing and I know you have that big shiny rock hidden somewhere.”
Jim stared in shock, his command gold shirt forgotten in his hand.
“You complacent son of a bitch,” McCoy chuckled. “She’s made this whole thing too easy on you. You didn’t even have to work to get her.”
Now Jim bristled. “Abby and Marissa are the best things to ever happen to me, Bones.”
“I know, kid,” McCoy immediately agreed. “I just kinda always hoped that when you got hooked by some girl she’d lead you on a right good chase, make you suffer a bit. Instead, you slide into being a father and husband, basically, without any troubles. That can make us lesser mortals jealous, you know?”
“Roth says I don’t deserve her,” Jim said softly.
“Well, no you don’t. But for some reason she seems to love you,” McCoy replied unperturbed by Jim’s glare. “I think you two are a pretty good match up - and good for each other. Someone’s got to keep you in line. Lord knows I try, but I could definitely use the help.”
Jim mechanically thanked Bones as he left Medical and spent the rest of the day in a thoughtful haze. He met up with Marissa and Abby at the daycare and had a good time playing with Abby and the other kids. They’d enjoyed lunch with everyone there and then gone back to their quarters to let Abby and Marissa nap. He’d spent most of the afternoon preparing his statement for the upcoming “trial” on Galdonterre as well as going over Spock and Selek’s reports, making sure they had everything they could to take down Franks and Dekker.
Their dinner and evening was low key. They remained in their quarters and just enjoyed each other’s company, watching a vid before putting Abby to bed. And when he came to bed and Marissa had turned to him and given him her special smile, he had been more than willing to do whatever she wanted.
Now, sated, with Marissa curled up against him, her legs intertwined with his and her head resting on his chest, Jim’s mind drifted back to his conversation with McCoy. He really hadn’t asked her to marry him, he realized. He’d insinuated that he would ask and she’d said that her answer would be yes, but he hadn’t gone further. At the time it had been enough, but now he realized that it so wasn’t. They hadn’t even discussed when they would get married - before Shea was born or after.
He’d kind of assumed that they’d have Pike marry them on Galdonterre, but that meant that only the crew would be present. There wouldn’t be time for her family to arrive and Marissa would probably want Janine, her best friend, there. Didn’t little girls dream about their weddings? He didn’t think Marissa was any different.
McCoy was right. He was an idiot.
Realizing there was no way he was going to be able to sleep now, Jim began to run his hand up and down Marissa’s exposed shoulder, his other hand playing with the fingers on his chest. She only hummed and snuggled a little closer. So, he squeezed her shoulder and said her name.
This time she responded with a questioning hum, but still didn’t come fully awake.
Just for a moment Jim thought about letting it go and letting her fall back asleep, but then he found himself asking, “Did you mean it when you said yes?”
She raised her head and blinked at him sleepily, her expression bewildered. “Huh? Wha’?”
Jim smiled, rubbing her cheek where it had pressed against his chest and left a mark. “Did you mean it when you said yes?” he repeated.
“Yes t’ wha’, sweetie?” she asked, turning her face into his hand like a kitten.
Jim let his fingers card back through her hair, his thumb now stroking the shell of her ear. He could feel himself blushing, but he couldn’t look away from her sleepy eyes as she blinked slowly at him, a small confused frown on her face.
“I said that when we got back to the ship I was gonna ask you to marry me,” he explained, “and you said your answer would be yes. Did you mean it?”
That seemed to get her attention and she sat up on her elbow. “Uh…yes?” she finally responded.
Jim let out a huge breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding.
“I meant it then and I mean it now,” she said, her lips quirked up in a wry smile. “But, you know Jim, for all that you’re a master strategist, you could’ve picked a better time. Twice now you’ve woken me up to ask me to marry you. I’m not gonna give you a third chance.” She leaned down to kiss him briskly before returning her head to his chest, chuckling slightly. “Yes, I will marry you. Now shut up and go to sleep.”
He chuckled too, feeling her smile against his skin. “Nope, wake up,” he told her, wiggling his shoulder under her head. “I want you to have something.” Untangling himself from her various body parts, that did not seem to want to relinquish him, Jim rolled over towards his nightstand. Pulling open the drawer he fumbled in it for a moment. When he’d found what he was looking for, he sat up and twisted around to face Marissa, who was also sitting up in bed, the sheets held loosely over her chest as she watched him bemusedly, her hair in total disarray over her shoulders.
Taking a deep breath, he reached for Marissa’s right hand, his other hand clutching the small deep blue velvet jeweler’s box. He cleared his throat softly and then looked directly at her, his expression serious, but his eyes twinkling. “Marissa Rose O’Donnell; I love you more than I know how to express with mere words. Will you do me the honor of agreeing to be my wife?” he asked simply. Triggering the box to open, he held it out to her, displaying the ring he’d hidden for almost a year now.
Marissa tore her eyes away from his piercing gaze to see what the box contained and gasped. She immediately recognized that the ring matched the earrings and necklace he’d given her months ago. “Jim!” she smiled, the tears already starting to flow. “Oh my gods.” She reached out a trembling hand, letting it hover over the ring, knowing that this was something he’d had long before she’d disappeared.
Looking back up into his eyes, she cupped his face with her free hand, her other still clenched tightly in his. “Yes, James Tiberius Kirk,” she said formally, “I will marry you.”
After a soft kiss, she leaned back and watched as he removed the ring from the box. She extended her left hand and he gently placed the ring on her finger, holding it in place when he reached the base. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles and then leaned forward to kiss her once again; this kiss morphed into a deeper one, and after a long time they came up for air their foreheads resting together as they smiled goofily at each other.
Marissa laughed giddily. “Okay I’m awake now,” she told him. “You want to fool around?”
Jim’s eyes crinkled as he tried not to laugh. “Damn it, Mariss. I’m a starship captain, not some sex god! How much stamina do you think I have?”
Smiling impishly, Marissa ran a hand down his chest, trailing her fingers through the soft hair under his belly button, to her goal, which was half hard already. “Plenty,” she whispered against his lips.
Jim groaned at the feel of her hand on him. “If I must,” he said, already pressing her back into the bed.
“I insist,” Marissa told him, already tipping her hips towards his, her leg wrapping around his hip and pulling him closer.
“Far be it from me to disappoint my future wife,” Jim said as he nuzzled her breast, letting the warmth of his breath play over her nipple.
“See,” Marissa sighed, “you already have this husband thing down.”
Jim bit her lightly on the nipple, causing her to squawk and then moan as he soothed it with his tongue. “As you wish.”
Please review
I was informed last night by my lovely, kind and wonderful beta reader, RoyalPinkDogs, that I should post this chapter, lest you all forget about me and the story. She phrased it as a suggestion, but I know how to read between the lines and I don’t want to disappoint her. J
That being said, I don’t have chapter 13 written yet. I’ve had some medical concerns (all good now) and I’ve started a new job, so I feel like I’ve been trying to find my feet and a new rhythm to my life. It will come and hopefully the chapters will start flowing…but don’t expect regular postings. I’m sorry for that.
And for those of you playing along at home - the proposal scene? Totally written by Royalpinkdogs months ago. She’s been waiting patiently (mostly) for me to get here. I think it’s the perfect Jim proposal, don’t you?
Cheers - RA