You Can't Be Too Careful [Star Trek/Leonard "Bones" McCoy Love Story]

[37.] Stuck With Me

[37.] Stuck With Me

We stayed in Georgia for a few more days. I finally got to know Leonard's parents even better without the stress of the lawsuit. Leonard's smile had returned, as did my peace and happiness. For the first time in years, things finally seemed settled. We weren't in imminent danger or trying to solve some incredibly intricate problem. Of course, these were the things that had built the bond between us, but after all of the striving for calm, we had finally seemed to attain it.

We called Jim as soon as everything with Nancy had settled. He congratulated us on our hard work, and then demanded that we come back home as soon as possible. I then proceeded to call Astrid, who proceeded to stay almost the same thing, but with a few more colorful words and dramatic flair. After much debate, we agreed to be back at Starfleet by the end of the week. To be fair, Jim still wanted to discuss his plans for the five-year mission with us, and had waited patiently while we figured out the mess that Leonard had been thrown into.

As the week neared to a close, we agreed to have one last feast together before heading back. Leonard and I decided to do the cooking so as to give Eleanora and David a break.

"Do you cook?" I asked him as we drove to the nearby farmer's market to get ingredients.

"I have a little in the past," he replied. "I'm not terrible, but not the greatest either."

"I've never cooked," I commented, a little more to myself than to him.

He grinned at me. "This is going to be a glorious disaster then, isn't it?"

"Hey!" I laughed. "I'm a fast learner. We'll be fine."

"I'm so sure," he teased.

We spent the rest of the ride there teasing each other about our mutual lack of cooking skills. When we arrived, we were already prepared to know almost nothing about what we were doing, and decided to turn it into an adventure rather than a chore. The farmer's market was filled with colorful, sweet-smelling stalls, and I was enthralled to be around fresh produce and to get a taste of what it was like to live where Leonard grew up. We spent the next hour picking out our supplies and getting to know the vendors, who were all very sweet and helpful (as our complete obliviousness was more obvious than I'd like to admit). When we finished, it was nearing evening. Arms loaded full, we made our way back to the truck, and then back to the house.

The next two hours were filled with hilarity. The only other times I had laughed that hard in my life were with Astrid. My spirits were soaring as I was able to share such antics with the man I loved. For so long I had never thought I would find someone who would ever understand me as my best friend did. And while Astrid would always remain my best friend, I knew that Leonard understood and treasured my heart as much as she did, and I noticed it in most in the simplest moments.

At around seven o'clock, we called David and Eleanora down for dinner. As soon as they saw us, they burst out laughing. We had set the table with their nicest plates and silverware and laid out the food in elegant arrangements. Leonard and I, on the other hand, did not match the aesthetically pleasing setup. We were covered in flour, sauce, vegetable shavings, and several other assorted foods and ingredients. But we didn't care, and neither did they.

After spending another two hours talking and eating, we finished with dinner. Eleanora and David offered to clean up since we had done the cooking. I thanked them, but noticed a strange twinkle in Elenora's eye as she looked past me to Leonard. I turned to face him, and he simply smiled at me.