Fanfiction Constellation: Lyra pt. 3/3 (completed)
Title: Return of the Tot
Author: AtticusFinchFan
Warnings: None
Summary: Lyra’s released from sickbay, gains mobility, meets Amanda, and is welcomed back to the bridge…what a day.
A/N: Unbetaed. I’m at work right now, but just wanted to get this posted. I’ll fix it later.
This is the end:
Lyra spent the remainder of the week and the beginning of the following one in with the general population in Sickbay. Many, many people visted. Some stayed for hours on end, but they all eventually left. Only one stayed. Sat in the same chair he had permanently occupied for almost a week, only days ago, Spock watched over the toddler. He’d swat her hands away if they were poised to scratch, as per the instructions of Dr. McCoy, or tell her off gently if he managed to catch her when she thought she was stealthy enough to scratch before he saw.
When Dr. McCoy verified that Lyra was not contagious or susceptible any longer, and after giving Chapel and McCoy ample time to say their goodbyes to the spotted toddler, Spock wasted no time in taking Lyra and disappearing to his quarters. All he had wanted was a fresh bowl of Plomeek soup and a comfortable bed. Not to say that he wasn’t grateful to Dr. McCoy for allowing him to stay with Lyra for the duration of her treatment, but even a Vulcan could only take so much of sleeping erect in a high back chair before his body started rebelling. His had. The first pangs had started a few days ago and had slowly escalated. It would take a short meditation session to work out some mental and physical kinks sometime after Lyra fell asleep that night before Spock knew he would be able to attempt the bed.
Setting the toddler down, Spock headed directly for the mysterious box which sat precariously on the edge of his desk, and of which he was absolutely certain hadn’t been there when he had been in his quarters last. He gave the tag attached a cursory glance. “To: Blondie From: Everyone on Alpha shift.” And then quickly lifted the lid. Inside, wrapped neatly within beige tissue paper was a miniature replica of the standard female Uniform in Science Blue. Attached to the collar was a note, written (actually written on real paper) from the Captain to Spock, telling him that it may not fit right that minute, but it should in a couple weeks and that if he was coming to work the next day, could he please put her in it? Even if it didn’t fit because he, along with most bridge crew, was dying to see it on her.
A small intake of breath from behind him had him turning on a dime towards Lyra. She looked at Spock, smiled her infectious (if he hadn’t been a Vulcan he would have been infected) grin and gasped again as she started rocking back and forth on her heavily padded behind. “Oh!” tiny fingers found her mouth, but before Spock moved to remove her fingers, Lyra yanked them from her mouth with a wet pop and without missing a beat, she grabbed the edge of the side table beside her with both hands and effortlessly pulled herself to her feet. For the first couple seconds she wobbled slightly on but adjusted her grip and held tight until she was sure of herself and then turned to Spock and grinned again. “Awe,” she cooed, “baby.”
Eyebrow met hairline as Spock answered. “Indeed.”
-=-
A couple hours later, as Spock watched Lyra hobble around, a nervous sounding Ensign’s voice permeated the room suddenly.
“Commander Spock here, Ensign, go ahead.”
“A call for you, sir, from Vulcan.”
“I’ll accept it. Please thread it through to my quarters.”
“Right, sir.” And then the Ensign was gone.
He took a final glance in Lyra’s direction and then quickly moved towards the vidscreen. It flickered a couple times and then flashed and suddenly he was eye to eye with his mother. His eyebrow raised a fraction of a millimeter, his mother smiled. They were both obviously quite pleased to see each other.
“Mother,” he said in an even tone.
Amanda’s smile grew. “Hello, Spock.”
“I trust everything is well.”
She nodded. “Just fine, thank you, Spock.” Amanda sobered somewhat as the sparkle in her eye grew. “Spock, I heard the most wonderful news, I was just contacting you to see if it was true.”
It didn’t take a Jim to know what she meant. “The child?”
Her eyes grew wide in time with her grin. “So it’s true! Oh, Spock, that’s wonderful! Is it there with you now? May I see it?”
“Her name is Lyra, mother.” He said easily as he turned a bit in his chair and called Lyra to him. Unsurprisingly, Lyra wobbled her way over to him without so much as a fuss. When he had the toddler seat safely in his lap he turned his chair back towards the vidscreen. It only took Amanda a second to react, even less time for Lyra to reach towards the screen with wet hands. “Oh Spock,” she laughed affectionately, pressing her hand against the screen in time with Lyra’s. Lyra blinked once, twice, and then realized her hands were being followed by the person on the screen and threw her head back as her body convulsed in a full bodied giggle.
Spock watched the affection flitter clear across his mother’s face in fascination. “She’s adorable.”
“Yes,” Spock agreed. “as I have been told by several members of the crew.”
“How did she get aboard ship?”
“We are, as of yet, uncertain. Mr. Scott found her a couple of earth weeks prior one morning when he came on duty. We believe she is from Earth’s distant past.”
“What a wonderful mystery.” Amanda’s lips pursed for a moment and then her head tilted ever so slightly. “Spock, has that child had an infection recently?”
“Ah, very good eye, mother.” Spock complimented and eyed the top of Lyra’s blonde head. “She has in fact just gotten over a strain of the Varicella Zoster virus.”
“I knew it! Chicken Pox!”
“She became deathly ill.” Spock confirmed.
Amanda’s smile quickly morphed into a frown as she eyed Lyra. ”Poor dear.”
Something caught the toddler’s attention and her eyes were suddenly on the screen, staring straight at Amanda. Like the woman hadn’t been there, visible and talking about her for the past number of minutes. Lyra gasped slightly, “hi!”
Amanda Laughed. “Hi Lyra, how are you?”
“Mother I do not believe she can fully grasp what you mean.”
“I know, Spock,” she smiled gently. “There’s no harm in trying though.”
Lyra stared wide eyed for a bit and then gasped again and pointed at her chest. “Baby!”
“You are, that’s right.” Amanda smiled at the toddler and then pointed to Spock. “Spock is my baby.”
Nobody seemed to notice Spock’s ears as they turned a rather deep shade of green. “Mother…”
Lyra gasped yet again. “’Pock! Baby!?”
“That’s right, Lyra! Good girl! I’m Spock’s mother.”
“Awe,” Lyra cooed as she craned her neck up to eye Spock, who was looking down at her. “’Pock, baby. Ma.”
His cheeks quickly tinged as Amanda laughed out loud. “She’s incredibly quick, Spock. Even if I am just saying so myself.”
The two adults continued to talk for a while until a large, loud yawn interrupted them. Spock looked down at the toddler just in time to see her tiny face contort almost comically. Amanda smiled softly. “Looks like we’re keeping someone up, wouldn’t you say Spock?”
Spock nodded in agreement. “As it would seem.”
The toddler blinked a few times and then gently settled against Spock’s chest and shoved her fingers in her mouth; much to the chagrin of the Vulcan. “I apologize, mother. This is an extremely recent development.” He admitted quietly, not looking his mother in the eye.
“Don’t worry, dear.” Amanda soothed. “She’ll grow out of it. All children develop a bedtime quirk. You use to incessantly rub your left ear when you were tired.”
“I do hope you are right. Her actions would be quite unbecoming when she grows.”
“Do you think she’ll be around that long?”
“I do not know, but I do not believe Mr. Scott currently knows how to even attempt to return her to her time.”
“Well I hope she stays a while. Your father hasn’t seen her yet.”
If Spock had been human his eyes would have rolled skyward in reaction to her statement.
“And she’s good for you.”
Spock continued without missing a beat. “I have to go, Mother, I shall talk later.”
Amanda smiled knowingly before bidding her son goodbye.
-=-
The next morning, with her blonde hair in small pigtails and dressed in her tiny uniform, Lyra wobbled onto the bridge with Spock walking slowly besides her holding her hand.
Uhura was the first to notice the couple as they exited the lift. But, as soon as the woman smiled everyone turned. Jim grinned at the sight and jumped from his chair. “Well, I’ll be.”
“Yes,” Chekov agreed in his broken English. “I did not know Devushka could walk yet.”
“I assure you, Mr. Chekov,” Spock answered, looking down at Lyra with a quirked eyebrow. “This is quite a recent development. As soon as we returned from Sickbay last evening I put her down and a mere five minutes later she was standing, holding tight to a corner of a table. She managed to reach her cot last evening with only a hand for assistance.”
“Oh Spock! That’s Fabulous!” Uhura exclaimed, getting up from her seat. She smiled slowly as she knelt to Lyra’s level. Upon realizing who it was infront of her, Lyra grinned and raised her arms, which meant she let go of Spock’s hand and promptly fell on her bum. Shocked by the sudden change Lyra dropped her arms again and just stared. Uhura laughed out loud and took the child into her arms. “Such a big girl, eh Sweetheart?” She readjusted the drooping collar of Lyra’s dress and grinned. “And in such a nice outfit.”
“Yes, I believe I must thank you. Your kindness is appreciated.”
“Oh Spock, it was nothing.” Uhura said.
“Yeah,” Jim agreed. “I think we had more fun ordering it than was necessary, but it was worth it. She looks great.”
“Blue seems to be her colour, doesn’t it Spock?” Sulu smiled.
Suddenly remembering his dream Spock could do nothing but nod his head ever so slightly. “It would seem to be, Mr. Sulu, you are correct.”
“Yeah, well,” Uhura interjected in a false indignant tone of voice. “Don’t let that stop you from anything you want to do, Sweetheart. I bet red would look good, if not better on you.”
“Here, here!” Scotty, who had yet to make his presence known, agreed loudly and proudly.
Jim looked over at him and rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face.
“If you would do so, Uhura, Lyra must go into her pen so I can see to my work.”
“Sure Spock.”
Uhura spun quickly on her heels to the delight of Lyra and then stomped towards the playpen. “Let’s go, Sweetheart,” she carefully lowered Lyra. ”You have to go in here for now until its time to go home again with Spock, ok?”
“’Pock!” Lyra mimicked.
Uhura laughed and kissed her forehead gently before straightening her back. “Yeah, Spock.”
Jim watched the exchange with a fond smile on his face, and then when Uhura had turned back to her station, he leaned towards Lyra and whispered in her ear. “It’s good to have ya back, Blondie.”
-END-