Disclaimer: I have no rights to Star Trek, I just like playing with the characters!
This is set at the end of the Enterprise's first 5-year mission.
Making it Official
Captain James T. Kirk would never admit to being nervous in this situation. Really, it was a silly thing to be nervous about. Everything that was going to happen had been scripted, all the players were in place, he was ready.
Nevertheless, his stomach fluttered a little when he stepped into the mess hall, which had been rearranged into rows of chairs, instead of the usual scattered tables. People were milling around, but began to take seats as they saw him come in and proceed to the open area by the windows. His dress uniform felt stiff and overly warm. He pulled out his notecards one more time, rehearsing the words even though he knew them very well; they hadn't changed in hundreds of years.
Jim stuck the cards up his sleeve just in case, then straightened and nodded at Lieutenant Ma, who picked up his cello and began to play. The assembled crowd quieted as the resonant opening notes filled the room.
At the far end of the room, the door opened, and Commander Spock stepped in with Lieutentant Uhura on his arm. Their dress uniforms were pressed smooth, the metallic trim gleaming in the light. Their boots were recently polished, and shone as they stepped together down the aisle. There was gentle whirring from several cameras, including McCoy's -- he was the official photographer for the event. Spock held his shoulders with his accustomed dignity, and his face was as carefully blank as ever, though his eyes seemed to sparkle. Nyota's face was split in a huge smile, and she walked confidently and gracefully in her tall shoes and crisp uniform. They came to a stop in front of Jim, and with a glance dropped their arms to their sides and put some space between them.
The cellist played the last note, which sweetly faded into silence. Jim took a deep breath.
"Thank you all for being here today, as we come together to celebrate the marriage of two people who are not only our shipmates of the past five years, but who have become good friends to all of us. I am incredibly honored that Spock and Uhura have asked me to officiate their wedding here, which is the first of three celebrations they will have. Their common interest in Starfleet and the work we all do has brought them together, and they wanted all of us to know how important we are to them. Later, they will be honoring their families and heritage with two more ceremonies, and they've promised to take lots of pictures."
The crowd chuckled at that, and Kirk smiled, emboldened. His friends looked pleased and relaxed as he continued. "Of the three weddings, this is the official one, the one that will legally make them husband and wife. However, they have decided to break with Starfleet tradition a little and write their own vows."
The couple turned to face each other, and Spock took Uhura's hands in his, gripping them tightly. Her eyes gently closed, and she breathed slowly and deeply. It was the first time Kirk had ever seen his first officer publicly touch another person's skin for more than a brief moment, and he knew that through this touch they could feel each other's emotions. It affected him more than he had thought it would, and struggled to keep his professional demeanor.
"Nyota," Spock began. His voice was deep and gentle, but carried easily through the room, and over the PA to the rest of the ship. "You know that I struggle for words in situations such as this -- you are a far more gifted linguist than I. In lieu of poetry, I will simply say that there is nothing I find more logical than giving myself as your husband on this day. I promise to be everything you need me to be, forever."
Their eyes met, and the gaze was so intense that Jim had to glance away. He had officiated a couple of weddings in the past few years, but they had never been this intense. The air was humming.
"Spock," Nyota said, and her voice was saturated with emotion. "When we first met, I would never have believed that you would be the one to teach me what true love is. But now, I find that my love for you is stronger than anything I have ever felt." She smiled, and he visibly squeezed her hands. "I must also say that I find nothing more logical than giving myself as your wife on this day. I promise to be everything you need me to be, forever."
There was a collective sigh from those assembled, and Jim took a moment to find his voice before he spoke again. "Please repeat after me. I, Spock, take you, Nyota Uhura..."
"I, S'chn T'gai Spock, take you, Nyota Uhura."
Kirk's breath caught, and there was a little gasp from the crowd. He had never actually heard Spock's full name before. The alien sound underscored for him that this was not just a marriage between two humans, like the ones he had been to before. This was a union of two different species. But he was a professional, and continued despite his surprise.
"To be my lawfully wedded wife."
"To be my lawfully wedded wife." They made eye contact and held it, both breathing deeply.
"I vow to love and honor you for the rest of my life."
"I vow to love and honor you for the rest of my life."
When Spock said the word "love," Kirk nearly lost it again. They must be radiating some kind of telepathic emotional field, he decided, and steeled himself to go on. He gave the same words to Uhura, and felt the same flare of intensity when she tried to wrap her tongue around his full name. He could tell it wasn't quite right, but knew that if any human could pronounce that name, it was her.
"I vow to love and honor you for the rest of my life," she finished, and all three of them breathed a little sigh of relief. They were almost finished.
Kirk stood up a bit straighter; this was his favorite part. "As Captain of this ship, and by the power vested in me by Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, I now declare you husband and wife."
Uhura's face broke into another huge grin, and the room erupted into applause as they stepped together, still holding hands, and kissed. It was short and simple, but full of restrained passion. When it ended, they parted slowly, and their faces lingered within a few centimeters of one another for a few more seconds. The cello began to play, and the couple turned from each other and began to float back down the aisle. There were whistles and cheers, and brightly-colored confetti flew through the air.
When they finally made it out the door, Jim snapped back into the realization that he was still at the front of the room, still had a bit of official business to do. "Thanks for coming, everyone. There will be a reception in the Shuttlebay at 1800 hours with snacks and dancing. See you there!" He waved, stepped off to the side to Bones, breathed a big sigh. "Got some good pictures?"
"You bet," Bones said, glancing at the camera's display as he reviewed the shots he had taken. "That was pretty damn intense, you can even see it in the pictures."
"I've got a frame we can load those into," Jim said. "We can have it waiting for them at the reception."
Bones chuckled. "Sure you don't want to give it to them now?"
Jim felt his neck turn inadvertently red. "If you were getting the same sex vibes from them as I was, you won't even want to be on deck three! I feel like this all was so intensely personal for them, I almost feel bad watching it. Knowing what's going on in his quarters right now."
"If they even made it that far," Bones agreed.
Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you thought. I drew a little illustration for this, which I will post at Spock_Uhura on Livejournal when I get it in a digital format.