Christmas - GGAU #8
Title: Christmas
Pairing: Spock/Uhura, Kirk/McCoy
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~1500
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or it's characters. Don't own Gossip Girl either. Never will either.
Summary: Gossip Girl AU. Nyota and Jim celebrate Christmas the only way they know how: by buying ridiculously expensive gifts and going ice skating.
Warnings: None... wait, what?
Notes: I felt a little left out after reading all the wonderful space_wrapped fics and wrote this in an effort to increase my holiday spirit. I'm still busy, but I got straight A's this quarter, so it was worth it. :) This fic is for sunriseinspace, who suggested I write about Winona (which is not to say that your other idea won't eventually get written, bb) and a big thanks to astoria_potter for looking this over for me.
Nyota sighs wistfully as she watches the skaters twirl around on the ice. Spock was supposed to meet her at the rink, but he had to cancel at the last moment, citing an impromptu brunch with his father that he couldn’t refuse. Nyota had told him that it just meant more time for Christmas shopping, but she still feels a little pang of jealously watching the families happily sail around on their skates.
Just as she’s about to leave, her vision is suddenly filled with a grinning blonde almost as bright as the ice. He’s dangling a pair of skates in front of him. Her skates. “Care to join me?” Jim asks.
Nyota laughs happily and takes them from him. “Kirk, you may just be my knight in shining armor.”
“As much as I’d like to take the credit, I can’t,” he says as she slides her feet into the boots. “Spock called. He said, and I quote, that ‘as much as Nyota insists to the contrary, I feel that someone accompanying her to the ice rink would not be unwelcome. See to it that disappointment does not mar her experience with the holiday season.’ So. To sum up, Spock is your bitch, and I’m apparently his. Which is something I really prefer not to think too long about.”
Nyota feels a flood of warmth at Spock’s subtle way of taking care of her. “Be that as it may. You didn’t have to come, and I appreciate it.”
Nyota loses track of time on the ice. Her mother used to take her when she was little, and it’s always been one of her favorite holiday memories. And Jim is just as enthusiastic as she is, twirling, going backward, and falling flat on his backside without shame. By the time they finally drag themselves off the rink, he’s pink-cheeked and his eyes are brighter than ever. “Shopping now?” Nyota invites him. “I still have to pick up a present for Gaila. I was going to head over to Bendels.”
“Oh, I could never say no to Bendels,” Jim says in a falsetto, fluttering his eyelashes. His usual grin returns and he offers his arm. “Lead the way, Sis.”
**
Jim is good company. He keeps up a happy stream of idle chit chat as they meander through endless displays and gives her an honest opinion of everything. By the time they leave the store, Nyota has found the perfect gift for Gaila and she’s flying high on holiday cheer. “Want to stop by somewhere else? I thought you might like to get a present for Winona,” she offers tentatively.
Jim surprises her by ducking his head shyly. “Uh, actually, I already got her something.”
Nyota’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I was actually hoping you could help me with part of it. It’s just- she’s been trying really hard lately, you know? It doesn’t make up for the seventeen years of hell she put me through, but… I feel like I should let her know I appreciate it.”
“Why, Jim Kirk,” she smiles. “You really have grown up.” She pulls him in for a hug, not caring when she sees a cell phone in her peripheral vision. “Come on. Let’s go home so you can show me this present.”
**
“Bones and I were going through a stack of old pictures in David’s office a few months back,” Jim explains as he roots through his own desk. “And we came across a couple of pictures from when we were toddlers. So we had this idea that we could frame those pictures alongside ones from this year and give them to our moms. Aha!” He brandishes a photo in his hand and heads over to where Nyota is perched on his bed. “Bones’ is from Halloween because Helene was there. This is from right before my third birthday.”
Nyota takes the photo carefully and stares. Toddler versions of Len and Jim sit at a much younger Winona’s feet, who looks as regal as a queen as she sits with a straight back and a half smile. Jim digs a bag from Saks out of his closet and pulls out a silver photo frame with two sides and slides the photo in one of them. “So I was hoping you’d have a couple of pictures of me and Bones for us to put in the other sides?”
And she instantly knows the perfect one. Jim and Len, wrapped up in the same scarf, Len rolling his eyes to the heavens at some lame joke Jim had told while Jim gives the camera a joyful grin. “I think I just might,” Nyota says, heading for her computer.
**
The twenty-second finds Nyota squeezed on the couch with her head on Spock’s shoulder and Gaila’s feet in her lap. Len and Jim sit across from them, bickering and being generally adorable. It’s been their tradition for as long as Nyota can remember: opening presents three days before Christmas because half of them were usually gone with their families the day of, and Jim and Gaila were always too impatient to wait.
That much certainly hasn’t changed. Jim has already started to fidget. “Presents?” he finally bursts out.
“Wow, Jim,” Len rolls his eyes. “You really have grown up. You waited a whole five minutes longer this year.”
“Six point three five seven minutes, to be exact,” Spock pronounces solemnly, but Nyota can see the tilt to his lips indicating amusement. It makes her snuggle deeper into his shoulder.
“All right, Computer, you’re up first then,” Jim scowls and tosses Nyota’s gift over before leaning over and blowing a raspberry squarely in Len’s neck. As he squawks in indignation, Nyota watches Spock carefully unwrap the black and gray Hermès scarf and trail his fingers over the silk and cashmere.
“Thank you, Nyota,” he says. “The color ensures that I can wear this with almost anything all winter. It is a very practical gift.” It’s about as close to raving as Spock ever gets.
She smiles up at him. “I love you.”
His response is soft, but no less sincere. “And I love you, Nyota.”
**
The change is noticeable in their family celebration this year, and not just because they can honestly be called a family now. Sam calls and there is no shouting. Jim jokes around with her father and doesn’t actively avoid his mother, and Winona smiles a lot more and makes tentative affectionate gestures toward her son. When he hands his gift over, she insists he sit next to her.
Her eyes mist over when she sees the contents. “Oh, Jim.”
“Bones gave one like it to his mom, but Halloween themed. Nyota helped by giving us the pictures from this year,” Jim explains. “Do you like it?” She opts to hug him rather than put it into words. Jim looks confused for a split second before wrapping his arms around her in return.
**
Later that night, she hears a soft knock at her door. Jim enters, and Nyota’s eyebrows shoot to her hairline. “Wow, did Santa bring you politeness for Christmas or something? Since when do you knock?” Jim sticks his tongue out at her like the mature manchild he is and plops on her bed.
“I wanted to show you something,” he says handing her something. “My mom gave it to me after dinner.” It’s another old photo. But this one is of a very pregnant Winona, a small blonde child that can only be Sam, and a man Nyota has never seen before but instantly recognizes.
“Your dad?” she breathes.
“Yeah. My grandmother hid it from my mom after he died and she destroyed all his pictures. Good thing, too. Winona says it’s still a little hard to look at.”
And then she remembers. Jim’s birthday is the fourth of January. His family is sitting next to a Christmas tree.
“So this was taken-”
“Two weeks before he died. Yeah.”
Nyota presses her lips together to prevent any noticeable trembling. “I’m sorry, Jim.”
“Don’t be.” Jim says, and he sounds like he actually means it. “I’m not gonna lie, it sucks that he’s not here today. It sucks that David isn’t here. But if they were, I would still be pining over Bones and you wouldn’t be my sister. I have to believe that these things happen for a reason, you know?”
Nyota remembers the day her mother was arrested for embezzlement and draws her knees up to her chin. Spock had come over that day to hold her hand and tell her that he sincerely believed it was the best possible outcome for the welfare of herself and her father. Two weeks later, she kissed him for the first time.
“Yeah, I do.”
It’s not the best Christmas ever. David and George are still dead. She hasn’t seen her mother in six months. Sam’s sudden reappearance is still messing with Jim’s head. But all things considered, it’s not half bad.
“Merry Christmas, Jim.”
He smiles and kisses her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Nyota.”
Pairing: Spock/Uhura, Kirk/McCoy
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~1500
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or it's characters. Don't own Gossip Girl either. Never will either.
Summary: Gossip Girl AU. Nyota and Jim celebrate Christmas the only way they know how: by buying ridiculously expensive gifts and going ice skating.
Warnings: None... wait, what?
Notes: I felt a little left out after reading all the wonderful space_wrapped fics and wrote this in an effort to increase my holiday spirit. I'm still busy, but I got straight A's this quarter, so it was worth it. :) This fic is for sunriseinspace, who suggested I write about Winona (which is not to say that your other idea won't eventually get written, bb) and a big thanks to astoria_potter for looking this over for me.
Nyota sighs wistfully as she watches the skaters twirl around on the ice. Spock was supposed to meet her at the rink, but he had to cancel at the last moment, citing an impromptu brunch with his father that he couldn’t refuse. Nyota had told him that it just meant more time for Christmas shopping, but she still feels a little pang of jealously watching the families happily sail around on their skates.
Just as she’s about to leave, her vision is suddenly filled with a grinning blonde almost as bright as the ice. He’s dangling a pair of skates in front of him. Her skates. “Care to join me?” Jim asks.
Nyota laughs happily and takes them from him. “Kirk, you may just be my knight in shining armor.”
“As much as I’d like to take the credit, I can’t,” he says as she slides her feet into the boots. “Spock called. He said, and I quote, that ‘as much as Nyota insists to the contrary, I feel that someone accompanying her to the ice rink would not be unwelcome. See to it that disappointment does not mar her experience with the holiday season.’ So. To sum up, Spock is your bitch, and I’m apparently his. Which is something I really prefer not to think too long about.”
Nyota feels a flood of warmth at Spock’s subtle way of taking care of her. “Be that as it may. You didn’t have to come, and I appreciate it.”
Nyota loses track of time on the ice. Her mother used to take her when she was little, and it’s always been one of her favorite holiday memories. And Jim is just as enthusiastic as she is, twirling, going backward, and falling flat on his backside without shame. By the time they finally drag themselves off the rink, he’s pink-cheeked and his eyes are brighter than ever. “Shopping now?” Nyota invites him. “I still have to pick up a present for Gaila. I was going to head over to Bendels.”
“Oh, I could never say no to Bendels,” Jim says in a falsetto, fluttering his eyelashes. His usual grin returns and he offers his arm. “Lead the way, Sis.”
**
Jim is good company. He keeps up a happy stream of idle chit chat as they meander through endless displays and gives her an honest opinion of everything. By the time they leave the store, Nyota has found the perfect gift for Gaila and she’s flying high on holiday cheer. “Want to stop by somewhere else? I thought you might like to get a present for Winona,” she offers tentatively.
Jim surprises her by ducking his head shyly. “Uh, actually, I already got her something.”
Nyota’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I was actually hoping you could help me with part of it. It’s just- she’s been trying really hard lately, you know? It doesn’t make up for the seventeen years of hell she put me through, but… I feel like I should let her know I appreciate it.”
“Why, Jim Kirk,” she smiles. “You really have grown up.” She pulls him in for a hug, not caring when she sees a cell phone in her peripheral vision. “Come on. Let’s go home so you can show me this present.”
**
“Bones and I were going through a stack of old pictures in David’s office a few months back,” Jim explains as he roots through his own desk. “And we came across a couple of pictures from when we were toddlers. So we had this idea that we could frame those pictures alongside ones from this year and give them to our moms. Aha!” He brandishes a photo in his hand and heads over to where Nyota is perched on his bed. “Bones’ is from Halloween because Helene was there. This is from right before my third birthday.”
Nyota takes the photo carefully and stares. Toddler versions of Len and Jim sit at a much younger Winona’s feet, who looks as regal as a queen as she sits with a straight back and a half smile. Jim digs a bag from Saks out of his closet and pulls out a silver photo frame with two sides and slides the photo in one of them. “So I was hoping you’d have a couple of pictures of me and Bones for us to put in the other sides?”
And she instantly knows the perfect one. Jim and Len, wrapped up in the same scarf, Len rolling his eyes to the heavens at some lame joke Jim had told while Jim gives the camera a joyful grin. “I think I just might,” Nyota says, heading for her computer.
**
The twenty-second finds Nyota squeezed on the couch with her head on Spock’s shoulder and Gaila’s feet in her lap. Len and Jim sit across from them, bickering and being generally adorable. It’s been their tradition for as long as Nyota can remember: opening presents three days before Christmas because half of them were usually gone with their families the day of, and Jim and Gaila were always too impatient to wait.
That much certainly hasn’t changed. Jim has already started to fidget. “Presents?” he finally bursts out.
“Wow, Jim,” Len rolls his eyes. “You really have grown up. You waited a whole five minutes longer this year.”
“Six point three five seven minutes, to be exact,” Spock pronounces solemnly, but Nyota can see the tilt to his lips indicating amusement. It makes her snuggle deeper into his shoulder.
“All right, Computer, you’re up first then,” Jim scowls and tosses Nyota’s gift over before leaning over and blowing a raspberry squarely in Len’s neck. As he squawks in indignation, Nyota watches Spock carefully unwrap the black and gray Hermès scarf and trail his fingers over the silk and cashmere.
“Thank you, Nyota,” he says. “The color ensures that I can wear this with almost anything all winter. It is a very practical gift.” It’s about as close to raving as Spock ever gets.
She smiles up at him. “I love you.”
His response is soft, but no less sincere. “And I love you, Nyota.”
**
The change is noticeable in their family celebration this year, and not just because they can honestly be called a family now. Sam calls and there is no shouting. Jim jokes around with her father and doesn’t actively avoid his mother, and Winona smiles a lot more and makes tentative affectionate gestures toward her son. When he hands his gift over, she insists he sit next to her.
Her eyes mist over when she sees the contents. “Oh, Jim.”
“Bones gave one like it to his mom, but Halloween themed. Nyota helped by giving us the pictures from this year,” Jim explains. “Do you like it?” She opts to hug him rather than put it into words. Jim looks confused for a split second before wrapping his arms around her in return.
**
Later that night, she hears a soft knock at her door. Jim enters, and Nyota’s eyebrows shoot to her hairline. “Wow, did Santa bring you politeness for Christmas or something? Since when do you knock?” Jim sticks his tongue out at her like the mature manchild he is and plops on her bed.
“I wanted to show you something,” he says handing her something. “My mom gave it to me after dinner.” It’s another old photo. But this one is of a very pregnant Winona, a small blonde child that can only be Sam, and a man Nyota has never seen before but instantly recognizes.
“Your dad?” she breathes.
“Yeah. My grandmother hid it from my mom after he died and she destroyed all his pictures. Good thing, too. Winona says it’s still a little hard to look at.”
And then she remembers. Jim’s birthday is the fourth of January. His family is sitting next to a Christmas tree.
“So this was taken-”
“Two weeks before he died. Yeah.”
Nyota presses her lips together to prevent any noticeable trembling. “I’m sorry, Jim.”
“Don’t be.” Jim says, and he sounds like he actually means it. “I’m not gonna lie, it sucks that he’s not here today. It sucks that David isn’t here. But if they were, I would still be pining over Bones and you wouldn’t be my sister. I have to believe that these things happen for a reason, you know?”
Nyota remembers the day her mother was arrested for embezzlement and draws her knees up to her chin. Spock had come over that day to hold her hand and tell her that he sincerely believed it was the best possible outcome for the welfare of herself and her father. Two weeks later, she kissed him for the first time.
“Yeah, I do.”
It’s not the best Christmas ever. David and George are still dead. She hasn’t seen her mother in six months. Sam’s sudden reappearance is still messing with Jim’s head. But all things considered, it’s not half bad.
“Merry Christmas, Jim.”
He smiles and kisses her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Nyota.”