The family reunions had taken place and Bones was convinced he'd be washing tears off of the medical bay floor for years to come, but they'd had to be debriefed after, so setting the computer to record Jim had begun asking them what Starfleet would need to know about the planet and their adventure. The kids were honest and Jim was proud to see his son had learned the hard lesson of humility he had had to learn far too late in life - give credit where it was due and take the blame when you needed but never try and do everything yourself. They'd been smart, resourceful, by the sounds of it their teamwork had been incredible too. Poor Kaiyo couldn't remember anything beyond escaping the Gemini and the guilt in Elizabeth's eyes was almost too intense for her father to bear, but Chris had firmly stated she wasn't too blame and the rest of the group had quickly backed him up. The account of what happened was precise, clear and gut wrenching for their parents to hear. They hadn't wanted their kids to face this kind of danger so early on. Kelon had checked on Kaiyo three hours later, patiently waiting his turn and occasionally speaking to help Chris explain the parts he struggled with, and when he declared Kaiyo completely free of Nia influence Chris was quick to add in that since they had had a hand in destroying their village it was only fair they helped them rebuild. Fistrinn had quickly backed him up by rattling off some Starfleet regulations and Jim had had to concede, on record, that that was what they'd do.

"They're as insufferable as we were." He'd muttered to Spock, who simply shrugged and watched his son with pride. The children were all asleep now, their parents having retired to their quarters too to get some rest too, finally able to get a good night's sleep now they knew their kids were safe. All but two of them remained safe and sound in their beds, one following the other silently with the intent of getting him back into his bed before her father found out they were gone and murdered them both. Chris inhaled and exhaled deeply, releasing the tension of the past few days with a whoosh of air and a roll of his shoulders. His muscles were sore, he was tired, slightly hungry too even after the good meal they'd had before bed. Still he couldn't sleep. Fistrinn had made a damn good list of his faults during their fight and they'd been keeping him up ever since. His eyes roamed the stars, drawing patterns between the silver specks and imagining his own ship flying among them. Could he really be a captain? He'd gotten them out alive sure but as Fistrinn kindly pointed out they had quite a few scrapes…well Anton did. Maybe it was just Anton then? The kid was a bit of a klutz. Maybe he could blame it on beginner's luck? Wait that only worked the opposite way around, it was for good luck, not bad-

"What's got your shoulders all hunched up like that hick?" the familiar southern drawl came from a person he had thought was fast asleep.

"Why aren't you – actually never mind." He shook his head, knowing she'd simply fire his own question back at him if he asked why she wasn't in bed. "I thought you were asleep." He settled on that and risked a glance her way, drawing in a sharp breath at the sight of her in her pyjamas. Bones had insisted on bringing them with him because they were her favourite and he knew she'd want them, those rubber duck shorts barely covering mile long legs.

"Heard you get up and followed ya, so make my trip worth it and tell me what's eatin' at your tiny hick mind." She retorted, and Chris was shocked to see no glare on her face now, just a frown, a frown of concern. Chris exhaled again and focused back on the stars, noting how she shifted uncomfortably beside him.

"I messed up." He said quietly, "A few times actually." She gave him an unamused 'so what' look, and he knew she didn't understand. Elizabeth grew more and more angry with him while Chris continued to degrade himself and beat himself up for everything he'd done, regurgitating the list of mistakes Fistrinn had compiled and crossing off all the things on the list that made a great captain that he didn't possess or do.

"But Chris-"

"Anton suffered so much and that's on me! A captain is supposed to protect his crew and I made Anton walk on a broken leg and then got him poisoned! I might as well have been the one hurting him Lizzie, maybe I should just give up and-"

"Christopher Kirk would you shut your goddamn trap a minute?" she demanded exasperatedly. Chris finally looked down at her and she could see the pain in his eyes. The two teens suddenly embraced, a mess of limbs tangling together in an effort to get as much contact comfort as they could. Bones's eyebrows rose when he watched his daughter hesitantly begin stroking the boy's hair, holding him tight. The minute he had found them missing he had contacted Jim who had suggested they check here first - of course he knew his son well enough to be right. "You ain't gonna do that." She said quietly, her voice ringing in the silent and dimly lit room. Chris didn't move, simply inhaled the scent of fresh soap and shampoo from the crook of her neck, letting her hand play through his dirty blonde locks, relaxing him, lulling him into a more peaceful state of mind. "You ain't givin' up on your dream Chris. Everyone makes mistakes, I made some too…and don't you go tellin' me again that what happened to Kaiyo ain't my fault! I feel like it is and I gotta live with that just like you gotta live with Anton's sufferin', but that don't mean everyone else feels the same way, and just like you keep tellin' me I'm not to blame I'll remind you every damn day that you were brilliant Chris Kirk. You were born to be a captain, but even the great ones gotta start somewhere."

Chris was touched by her speech and visibly crumbled into this girl's embrace. Elizabeth was forcing herself to be gentle, forcing herself to be open to the horribly foreign feelings fluttering around in her heart because with Chris she felt…warm, wanted. As cold and aloof as she appeared to be that was all she had ever really wanted to be, she simply wanted to be wanted. Chris pulled back to look her square in the eye, eyes tracing every feature of her face in an attempt to brand them into his memory. If this was the last time they were ever this close he wanted to remember exactly the way she looked at him, but something else caught his eye and surprised him more than the emotional speech she'd given.

"You're smiling, Miss McCoy." He said, a tired smile playing on his lips, "I told you I'd make you smile." She rolled her eyes and did something she'd only ever done in front of her father - Elizabeth McCoy actually laughed. Chris looked taken aback before a slow smile crept up onto his lips. "My god, she laughs too!" he cried dramatically, "Are you really my Lizzie or is there some Nia in you?" he asked teasingly, poking at her sides playfully. She drew back then, suddenly looking serious. He wondered if the physical contact was a step too far.

"I wasn't aware I was your Lizzie." She retorted. Chris ducked his head a little and had the grace to look embarrassed.

"And here's the awkward part." He chuckled nervously, "Lizzie about that kiss…"

"I didn't mind." She blurted, cheeks heating up as she looked away towards the stars, then grimaced and looked back towards the door instead. Damn stars were too close. Chris blinked in shock, heart pounding in his chest as he hesitantly reached for her hand, clasping it in his own tightly. He could feel her sweaty palms and guessed she was nervous, hell, he was too.

"So…you wouldn't mind if I did it again?" he asked quietly, oceanic blue eyes staring down into hers with an emotion so intense she couldn't quite describe it. Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, to stay something, anything…no sound came out. Chris carefully used his free hand to cup her cheek, leaning in slowly to give her time to form some sort of protest. Elizabeth couldn't make any, because beyond her own confusing feelings she realised that deep down, she wanted it to happen. She drew back sharply when his lips touched hers, the split second of contact shocking her and kicking her flight or fight into gear. Chris looked rejected but quickly covered it up, dropping his hands and apologising quietly.

"I…I don't know how to feel." She mumbled. Chris arched an eyebrow at her but Elizabeth shook her head, "I don't know how to tell you what I'm feelin' either, hick." She sounded almost frustrated with herself and Chris gently clasped her shoulders, looking her over with scrutinising eyes before a small grin tugged at his lips.

"I get it…well Miss McCoy I can wait." He declared, "I can wait."

"You'll be waitin' a while ya arrogant little bastard." She grumbled, shaking her head and crossing her arms defensively over her chest.

Chris chuckled,
"You can stop doing that you know. I've ignored every attempt to rebuff me since the moment we met, why break the habit now?" The question hung in the air between them before Elizabeth suddenly grabbed his ear and dragged him from the room. Chris winced and groaned, protesting as she dragged him along before they entered medical bay and he became silent. Bones McCoy was standing with his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently, having escaped the observation deck to reach medical before they could and not give the impression he was spying. The glare on his face was identical to his daughters signature sour expression. Tapping his wrist he raised an eyebrow, his stare penetrating through Chris and making him shudder.

"You're gettin' slower babygirl." He chastised her gruffly, the relief in his brown eyes clear. Elizabeth simply rolled her eyes,
"Ten points knocked off for a stubborn patient." She insisted.

A smirk twitched his lips up as Chris scrambled for his bed and obediently lay down, not wanting to incur any more McCoy wrath as Bones kissed her forehead affectionately.

"Only five now you're over sixteen." He reminded her.

"Wait you make a game out of-"

"Sleep!" Elizabeth and Bones both rounded on him at the same time with identical glares and Chris quickly closed his eyes. The McCoy's slapped a quiet high five before Bones tucked his daughter in again and said a quiet goodnight.

Planet Surface:

Chris wiped the sweat from his brow before getting a firm grip on the log at his feet and nodding at Fistrinn. Heaving it up, they carefully made their way down behind the waterfall into the former Aran home. Most of them were tending to the Aran tree, removing rubble from the doorway and healing the roots with a poultice of herbs Elizabeth had helped them to make while a few helped with the physical repairs to be done. Every house was burnt to the ground and all of the old wood had had to be thrown anyway. Max was quite gleefully helping two Aran cut up the logs with his phaser and Chris shook his head with half a smile tugging at his lips, a fond gleam in his eyes.

"I swear Max is going to invent some kind of W.M.D someday." He chuckled. Fistrinn arched an eyebrow, his expression as unamused as ever.

"That would not be a thing to smile about." He said in a stern tone.

Chris rolled his eyes,
"It's a joke Fistrinn." He groaned.

"I explained the concept of humour did I not?" Spock asked as they wandered over. They had been helping rebuild the houses for hours now and all needed a break. Chris stretched his aching back as Fistrinn quietly confessed he simply didn't find it funny. Jim chuckled and clapped his sons shoulder, glancing around at the rebuilding work going on with pride.

"How's it feel to watch your masterpiece come to life?" he asked. Chris grinned, shoulders back and chest puffing outward.

"I can't believe Kelon let me help design the new village." He confessed, "I can't wait to build the pool!"

"Why would the Aran need a-"

"Fistrinn buddy lighten up!" Chris exclaimed, clapping his shoulder and leading him towards the food beamed down from the Enterprise, a small feast. Anton and Kaiyo had stayed on board the ship, Anton was still too injured to move and Kaiyo understandably didn't want to come back. Elizabeth however was currently the foremost expert on Aran physiology and the planet's plant life, so was leading the medical team quite proficiently to give the Aran health checks and clean any remaining wounds. The little girl who had taken such a liking to her before was helping again much to Bones's amusement. Another flower crown had been placed on her head as she approached the food with Bones, deciding their lunchbreak should be spent as one unit.

"Nice headdress lass." Max chuckled, phaser in his belt while Scotty made some last adjustments to a blueprint for the new bonfire pit they were going to build.

"I'll castrate you with that phaser of yours." Elizabeth promised, picking up a water bottle and taking a long drag. Chris smirked a little and threw his arm around her shoulders, undeterred when she threw it off with a pointed glare.

"I see it, Lizzie of the lillies." He said with a chuckle as she smacked his arm hard. "Ow!"

"As I believe you say, you had that coming." Fistrinn noted. Jim snorted a laugh as Bones glanced at Spock with a rare grin,
"Well damn, kids funnier than you."

The little girl came running up to her again and Elizabeth knelt down to speak to her, absent mindedly handing her a cupcake as she did so. She held up the bowl with the herbs she had collected and Elizabeth looked them over approvingly,
"Neeha, somala comos tinew." She nodded as the girl skipped off happily.

"When did you learn Aran?" Chris asked in surprise. Elizabeth shrugged casually but her eyes were telling him it was a haunting and still vivid memory.

"I had the Nia in my head, the language is the same." She answered. Chris handed her a bottle of water without replying and the kids headed off for the lunch, sitting beside Kelon who conversed with Chris easily. Jim still marvelled in his son's achievement. He'd not only saved his friends but befriended an alien race, a race that he'd made first contact with. Elizabeth was smirking slightly at something Chris had said before she wiped the smirk from her face and glared at him instead.

"I'll say it again Jim, your boy better keep it in his pants." Bones asserted gruffly. Jim raised an eyebrow, glancing between his friend and their kids a few times.

"In his defence, she was more than happy to kiss him back the other day." He protested. Bones's eyes bugged slightly and Jim clapped his arm with a grin, "They're kids Bones, besides I've got a good gut feeling."

"I haven't." Bones grumbled as they went to join their kids. Bones sat near his daughter, surprised to find the topic of conversation on her mother of all people, he stayed quiet as Elizabeth ranted to Chris about the letter. He had known it would upset her but not this much. Chris however seemed to have it all planned out in his head, calmly assuring her that if she didn't want to be anywhere near Carol Marcus she didn't have to be. Elizabeth looked ready to protest but Chris cut her off,
"You're an adult Lizzie, you have every right to say no if you don't want to see her and if she's too persistent…you have us."

He offered her a goofy smile as Fistrinn sighed,
"I do not agree with you however I have agreed to defer to your judgement and will offer my assistance. Should your mother attempt to make contact I am sure we can…fend her off." Elizabeth looked touched for a moment before she hid the look and scowled at the floor, ripping the bread in her hands apart quite viciously.

"Yeah well, we'll see." She grumbled. Chris swallowed the last bites of his sandwich and nudged her with his elbow, a playful glint in his eyes.

"If all else fails we know a great planet we can send her too." He joked. Elizabeth actually cracked a small grin at that.

"Now you're talkin' hick." She smirked.

"I've been thinking about that, how can you get away with calling me a hick when you're more of a hick than me?" Chris wondered with a smirk. Elizabeth snorted, a rare and mischievous glint in her eye.

"Because you're a dumb one." She retorted, "I got something between the ears, you ain't got nothin' there, hick." Bones chuckled and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"That's my daughter." He said proudly.

The day passed with a lot of hard work, and by the time the sun was setting up above they had built a multitude of huts and had almost completed the village, minus Kelon's house of course who had insisted his be the last to be built and his people were provided for first. Now, the bonfire was blazing and the rest of the crew had come down to join in the festivities. All their parents were sat with them as Kelon addressed his people surrounding the bonfire with words that touched Jim more than he could say.

"Our home if rebuilt, our sacred sanctuary restored and our people safe from the threat of the Nia…this is all thanks to our new friends. Christopher, Fistrinn, Elizabeth, Maxwell, Anton…they have all brought something invaluable to each and every one of us and there will be no way of repaying their deeds. All we can offer is our friendship and hope it is enough for you to accept." Kelon held out a hand to Chris who rose and grasped it firmly, a smile on his face and gleam in his eye that made his father sit a little taller.

"Kelon, you've nothing to repay us for, if anything we owe you. You've been generous and honest from the moment we met and it's an honour to call you a friend." Chris said sincerely. Elizabeth was sitting by the little girl again, hair done in an intricate crown braid that incorporated her flower crown this time. All their children were painted, colourful streaks adorning their faces and the backs of their hands. Jim had never been prouder to watch his son than he was watching him embrace Kelon while the Aran all jumped to their feet, singing and dancing and hooting. Max let out a loud laugh and was up and dancing with them around the fire, Anton rolling his eyes as Kaiyo sat beside him, hand in hand and speaking quietly in Russian to one another. Bones watched his daughter be tugged to her feet unwillingly by her little friend, forced to dance with her as the little girl giggled and laughed joyously. Chris was watching her over the fire, seeing the soft smile on the girls face as she came closer and closer until the little girl pushed her into him. Chris caught her in surprise, steadying her with a hand on her waist as Elizabeth gasped in shot.

"Even the kids think they should be together." Jim sang teasingly in his ear, watching the look on his sons face and knowing it well, "You know, it might not be all bad…it's the same look I give Nat." Bones frowned slightly. Jim and Natalie had been inseparable when they finally got their act together and Bones had witnessed the incredible lengths Jim would go to for his wife. Chris stared down into the chocolate brown eyes blinking up at him, softly tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear and resting his palm against her jaw.

"You're glowing, Lizzie." He murmured, eyes tracing the amber shine on her face cast by the firelight. The shadows under her eyes looked a little longer but Chris didn't see them as a blemish or stain on her face, more of a testament to her hard work.

"I'm scared hick." She whispered. Chris's eyebrows knitted together but (in a strange reversal of their roles) Elizabeth smoothed the crease out with her thumb while he chuckled.

"You know what? Me too." He whispered back, "I like you Lizzie…a lot."

"I don't know how to like people." She confessed, the innocence in her brown eyes shining while Chris leaned down unconsciously, their foreheads pressed together, noses touching in a tender display of affection.

"It's a learn as you go thing." He breathed against her lips before finally claiming them. Elizabeth stiffened, the uncertainty clear in her trembling fingers as they clutched then released his shirt before she finally made up her mind and curled her fingers tight into the fabric. Chris was faintly aware of the cheering from Max and Anton (who had surprised his father with his outburst) but was more concerned with the searing feeling in his veins, the flipping of his gut, the burning feeling of her hands moving to his shoulders.

"Hey!" Bones protested, turning white while his friends laughed at his expression. Elizabeth blushed embarrassedly but turned to her father long enough to yell,
"Cool it dad!"

Chris laughed, turning her back towards him to kiss her fiercely as Max bounded over to clap his shoulder.

"Finally!" the Scot crowed happily. Chris smirked a little and spun her out, forcing her to dance with him as Lizzie scowled – for the first time in forever Bones saw the hint of a smile waiting to break out on her lips. Anton was still on crutches, but struggled to his feet to offer Kaiyo his hand, the pair standing in place and moving gently to the beat while Max took a child under each arm and spun them around with a laugh. Fistrinn sighed and moved to put some more logs on the fire, only to be pulled up by the little girl that loved Elizabeth so much and forced to dance in an awkward display of rigid movements and a Vulcan style grimace. Jim chuckled a little, looking at each of the kids around him in turn and the village they had rebuilt. He flashed forward a little, Chris in red robes with a diploma in hand declaring him an official captain, his own leather backed command chair and a bridge full off crew ready for their orders. Chris Kirk was going to make a hell of a captain he thought, they'd all make one hell of a team.

"Boldly go you guys." Jim muttered, "Boldly go."

Hey guys!

I cannot believe the amount of support you have given me for this story…I'm sorry to have to tell you it's over! Thank you so much for all of the reviews and the messages you've sent me, they've kept me writing and meant so much. I honestly do not know if I'll write a sequel to this TheMasterOfFanfic555, I'm about to get very busy moving to uni and settling in there and I have to redo my transformers fic (I promised them a Dark of the Moon sequel I started ages ago and need to finish and start posting :/). If the inspiration hits me however you'll be the first to know through an update on this story, I promise! I absolutely love every single reader who's stuck with me on this story and really can't thank you enough for all your kind words!

Best wishes to you all,
JessBubble