For Better or Worse-Part One

"Quiet down in there, all of you, and that includes that four-legged slobbering carpet, too!" Bones had had about all he could take of shrieking little girl voices, barking dogs, and the total insanity that had been going on since Christmas following Scotty's proposal to Uhura... Between the wedding showers, and the arrival of guests from all over known space, and the constant stream of giggling and plans for the wedding proper, he thought that they should just paint the Enterprise pink and get it over with... Oh, not that things were being neglected, or the crew's eficiency was anything less than the best, but the whole air of the ship was of anticipation, and, in his opinion, just plain goofiness... After all, it was just a wedding, wasn't it? People get married all the time, don't they? And they don't get crazy, do they? No, they don't... But for some reason, everyone on board was so excited over the coming nuptuals that it seemed the topic of conversation everywhere... And everyone seemed to have a part in the preparation... Even he had a part to play, as he had been asked by Uhura to walk her down the isle, and he was very glad to stand in for her father,who could not be present... What really got his goat tonight was having to babysit the Three Bear's Club, which consisted of his daughters Joanna, and Ellie, and Amanda Winona, the daughter of Jim and Spock... He loved all three little girls dearly, but he had a low tolerance for the squealing, and chattering, and barking from Flynn, the Irish Setter that belonged to Mick McInnis, who had gotten permission from Jim to keep Flynn on board for a while...
As Bones ws thinking these long thoughts, a particularly loud barrage of high-pitched shrieks of laughter and a volley of gruff barks resounded from the next room, which had been his living room until the Three Bears took it over as their 'camp-out' area for the night... With all the planning and parties and whatnot going on, there had been no available 'aunties' to watch the little ones, and he had taken the job... He snorted, and grabbed one of his slippers, and threw it through the open door of his bedroom to get their attention, and as he started to holler for peace and quiet, he heard Flynn give a yelp, and three little voices at once started berating him...
"You almost hit Flynn, Daddy! You scared him to pieces!" "Why are you throwing things, Dad?" "Bad Unky Len! I'm gonna tell Papa and Daddy on you!" Bones rolled his eyes Heavenward, and silently prayed for patience as he got up and went to survey the 'damage'... He was met with withering looks and a dejected look from Flynn who was surrounded by the little girls, all petting him and soothing him in best little girl fashion... This had all the earmarks of being a loooong night...
Next morning, after very little sleep, a slightly blurry Bones turned over custody of the little ones and Flynn to 'Aunt Kimmie' and 'Aunt Kitty Kat' who were going to get them occupied and out from underfoot... Bones sighed, and started getting ready to go on duty, laying out his uniform and such... When it came to his boots, though, they were nowhere to be found... He started looking, and still no boots... What the devil, he thought, and went to his closet to get another pair, and to his surprise discovered that he had no boots... Nor slippers, nor gym shoes, nor any sort of shoes whatsoever... As he stood there, a thought hit him... The girls! Somehow they had made off with all his shoes as he slept... Great! But where had they hidden them? As he started to search in earnest, a horrible thought came to him... He had just last week taught Amanda Winona how to use the disposal unit... Could it be possible? Nah, she wasn't tall enough to reach it without... help... Good grief! That's it! They were all in it together! Just wait till he caught up with those three... As he punched in his code for a new pair of boots on his cabin replicator, he was already phrasing the Sermon from the Book of Threats he was going to give them... As the replicator beeped, he looked in puzzlment at what he drew out of it... A pair of pink satin ballerina slippers... Ok, he thought... Musta punched in the wrong code, and punched it in again, being very careful to put in the correct code... The look on his face was priceless when he saw what was there this time... a pair of swim fins with flowers on them... After several more attempts which got him a pair of ruby slippers, a pair of ice skates, and a pair of green elf shoes complete with curled up toes with bells, he threw up his hands in disgust, and , realizing he was already late for duty, pulled on an extra pair of socks and headed for Sick Bay, grumbling under his breath, and vowing swift and terrible vengance on a certain trio of hooligans... Needless to say, his unorthodox footwear was the talk of SickBay, and many a snicker was heard, though not in front of him, of course... And the news of this soon reached Uhura, who decided it might be time to make a field trip to the planet below, and take the little ones with her, to keep them out of Bone's way, at least until he had a couple hours to cool off...
She happened to be off duty, so she went to 'Aunt Kimmie's' quarters, and gathered the girls and Flynn around her... She knelt down, so as to be on eye level with them, and spoke very solomnly to them, saying,
"I want to ask you three rascals for a favor... How would you like to help me with the wedding? I just so happen to need two bridesmaids, and a flower girl..." At this, the girls squealed with delight and began chattering away, and Uhura gave them all a hug, and said,
"Well, now that that's settled, how would you like to come down to the surface with me and help me gather up some very special flowers to decorate the chapel with? Ensign McInnis is going to come along to help us, and if you like, we can take Flynn, too... He needs a good run, and I'll make us a picnic and we'll have such a good time... What do you say?" And again a chorus of squeals and giggles, and Uhura gave a sigh of relief... This would keep the Bears out of trouble for a few hours, and she was looking forward to gathering the flowers, as Ensigns Hilde and Julie had told her about them... They were anxious to have some specimens for the hydroponics lab as well... Evidently these were only known to grow here, beautiful rose-like flowers that were shaped like tiny hearts, and in a galaxy of beautiful colors, just like the material Scotty had given her for her wedding dress... She hadn't told the little ones that their dresses were going to be made of the same material, with sashes of their favorite colors... Scotty had given her more than enough to do her dress and theirs too... Oh, it was going to be beautiful, she thought to herself, and these flowers would be perfect... She had  contacted Scotty's sister, and she had sent a huge boquet of white heather, so Uhura could have some for her bridal boquet, and plenty to decorate with... Scotty would be so surprised... Hilde and Julie were helping her make her dress, and the little one's too... Now to get the picnic ready, and let Mick know that it was on for the rest of the afternoon...
The captain was in his usual place on the Bridge, and was thinking that he'd never seen his crew so excited about anything as they were about the upcoming nuptuals... He was so pleased that Scotty had asked him to do the honors and marry them in his capacity as captain... It had been a long time since he had done so, and it always tickled him, and especially so this time, seeing as it was to unite two of his dearest friends... He thought he was going to have to kick Scotty in the rear to get him to pop the question, and now that he had, Jim was as excited as anyone about it... He remembered he and Spock's bonding day, and the ceremonies on Earth and on Vulcan, and the memories were rich and sweet, and  made his heart swell with love... He glanced over at Spock, sitting quietly at his science station, always a reasuring presence, steady and reliable as the stars around them... As if he had heard Jim's thoughts, Spock turned slowly to face him, and raised his eyebrow ever so slightly, and Jim felt a gentle touch in his mind, the softest of caresses through the bond they shared... Jim gave him a soft smile, and Spock turned once again to his work... Jim hoped that Scotty and Uhura would have the same sort of love between them as he and Spock knew...
"Mr. Scott, I am sorry you can't be spared to go with the ladies this afternoon, but they are in good hands... And I need you to keep an eye on those odd fluctuations you noted in the transporter power levels... In fact, let's send them down in the shuttle, just to be on the safe side... Ensign McInnis is a good pilot, and I'd feel better if they didn't use the transporter just now... Mr. Spock, any thing new to report on those weather patterns you were worried about earlier?"
"Captain, Vulcans do not worry, as you well know...I mentioned them only because they were in the vicinity of the area where Lt. Uhura intended to land... The last time I checked, the upper atemosphere in the area was still a bit unsettled, but I seen no danger, as long as their visit is not a prolonged one... According to my data, these storms are usually worst after sunset, and can cause interference with communications... I would advise them returning well before there is a liklihood of such an occourence..."
"Ok, Spock... I think we can arrange that, I'll make sure they understand, and I'm sure it will be fine..." And turning to an obviously worried Scotty, said,
"They'll be fine,Scotty... Ensign McInnis will see to it, and besides, what can happen? They're just gonna pick some flowers, and have a picnic... Now, can an we please get back to work?" And with that, they all settled down to business again...
The little girls were all very excited to be going down to the surface, and even Flynn was excited, jumping from port to port, trying to see out all of them at once... Mick too, was secretly pleased at this one last chance to be near Uhura... He was happy for her and Scotty, but the little torch he held for her still burned, and just to be near her, for any reason, was a source of joy for him... After touchdown, he helped the little ones out, and turned Flynn loose to run, and turned to help Uhura out... He held out his hand to her and as she took it, he wished again that it was his face she saw in her dreams...
The landing site was perfect for their purpose, a large open area at the base of some fairly high hills,  the shuttle resting in a field of amasingly colorful flowers... No wonder she wanted these for her special day, for they were truly beautiful, and the little ones were running about, laughing and shouting, and Flynn ran too, barking and rolling around like a puppy... Uhura cautioned the girls to stay close, and she began laying out the picnic in the shade of the shuttle... Mick stood close by, scanning the area, and alert for any signs of anything that might spoil their afternoon's holiday... After being on the ship for so long, and things having been so quiet, a break in the routine was very welcome, out in the sun and fresh air, watching the little ones laugh and gather flowers, and seeing Flynn acting like a puppy again... It was all just perfect, and after a few minutes, Mick began to relax... After all, what could happen here, on this beautiful day...
The next few hours passed quickly, what with Uhura and the girls gathering bunch after bunch of the wonderful flowers, and loading them into the shuttle's storage bay, and then the picnic, which she had carefully planned, making sure everyone had their favorite treats to enjoy... She had even found a huge bone for Flynn, which he enjoyed totally... There were chicken salad sandwiches for her and Joanna, and tofu salad for Ellie, and peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches for Amanda Winona, and roast beef sandwiches for Mick, along with homemade sugar cookies provided by 'Auntie Elf', and several thermoses of pink lemonade, and iced tea for the adults... All in all, it was a grand picnic... So grand in fact, that as they ate and went again to pick even more flowers, no one, not even Mick, realized that it was growing late, and that off on the horizon, clouds were beginning to form...
Back on board the Enterprise, Scotty was beginning to worry... He had been trying to reach the shuttle to let them know it was time to return, and was unable to raise them... The static was pretty bad, and he asked Spock if he would give it a try... Spock had no better luck, and as he was turning to notify the Captain, something caught his eye on the board in front of him... As he quickly confirmed what had caught his attemtion, Scotty leaned in over his shoulder, and exclaimed:
"Mr. Spock! What the divil is that??" and pointed to the screen in front of him...
Spock turned to the Captain and said;
"Captain, there is a rather large disturbance forming very quickly at the site of the shuttle, it would appear that I misjudged the rapidity and severity of this weather pattern... I suggest we attempt to get them out of there as quickly as possible..." Jim turned to Scotty, and told him to get another shuttle ready to go and get them, only to see Scotty's stricken face as he replied:
"Captain, I canna do it now... The storm has totally blocked all communications, and will be makin' any shuttle useless, for the same storm will knock out the power as well... An' we canna use the transporter, twoud be too dangerous, I have'na been able to fix the power fluxuations..." and his voice trailed off as the situation's gravity sank in... Jim's face was a study in concentration, and finally he said:
"Well, it's not as bad as all that... They have the shuttle to shelter in, and plenty of food and water... As long as they stay inside the shuttle, they'll be fine, and Mick is there to handle things... Let's keep trying to get a hold of them, and keep an eye on them as best we can from here..." He looked over at Spock, who was busy trying to establish a comm link to the shuttle, and then at Scotty, whose stricken face said more than words ever could... His darlin' was in danger, out of his reach, and the wee ones with her, and only Mick to protect them all...
Down on the surface, it was much as Spock had said... The sky had quickly become clouded over with thick, dark clouds, and the wind had turned cold and had picked up speed, making it seem even colder... Uhura and Mick quickly gathered Flynn and the girls into the shuttle, and though they tried to call the ship, no link could be made... The little ones were beginning to be frightened, as the wind began to howl about the shuttle... Worse yet, the power was getting weaker, and soon it would be gone... If it kept getting colder, they would have no way to keep themselves warm... Mick took Uhura off to one side and spoke softly so the girls could not hear:
"We can't stay here, there's no way to keep ourselves warm... do you think we can make it to the little cave the girls found? We could at least have a fire there, as my phaser still works, and I can make a barricade to keep the wind out... There were plenty of trees nearby, and branches to use for the fire and as a barricade... If we hurry, we can make it easily... What do you think?" Uhura thought for a moment, then spoke softly:
"I think you might be right, though I hate to leave the shuttle... If the wind gets much worse, it might roll it right over, and us with it... All right, I'll gather the rest of the food and drink, and you get all the emergency supplies we have on board... If you can carry Amanda, and I can hold tight to the other two, we might be able to make it allright... It's only about a hundred yards away..." and so saying, they rapidly gathered what they could, and reassuring the girls that they were going on an adventure, set out as fast as they could for the cave, with Flynn running ahead of them... It was hard, carrying their supplies, and Mick carrying Amanda... The other girls held on tight to Uhura's hand, and to each other, the wind getting stronger and stronger, and the temprature dropping rapidly, but they finally made it to the little cave, and as Uhura herded the girls into it and grabbed Flynn, Mick hurridly brought in armfuls of wood, and dragged bigger branches to the mouth of the cave, and built a makeshift barricade... Finally he used his phaser to start a small fire, and they had light and heat at last... The girls huddled together around Flynn, whose firery red fur was warm and comforting to them... Uhura had managed to bring a couple of blankets along with the food, and soon they were all wrapped snugly by the fire... The girls and Flynn were wrapped in one of the blankets, and Uhura had the other one, Mick saying he didn't need it... He was determined to keep watch over his little group, and would let nothing, not even the end of the world, keep him from protecting them... He knew he had a reputation on board of being sort of irresponsible, and he was set on proving that he could do this right and not screw it up somehow... He would watch over them, and keep them safe, and deliver them all safe and sound...
As the storm grew, the girls tried to be brave, but the constant howling of the wind, and the cold were making it very hard... Joanna, being older, tried to tell the little ones stories, but she didn't know that many, and soon ran out of things to tell them... Uhura told them stories of her home, and sang them songs about lions, and elephants, and the wild forests and the grasslands there... They ate some of their picnic, and drank, and by then, the girls were getting tired, so Uhura got them to lay down close to Flynn, and covered them with the blanket... They tried to sleep, but frightened little girls have trouble falling asleep, so Mick volunteered to help... As Uhura kept watch, Mick told them stories of Ireland... Leprachans, and pookas, and pots of gold, and stories of games the children play there... And when he had run out of stories, he began to sing, in a sweet, low tenor... Songs of love, and of the rolling green hills, and of brave men fighting for what they knew was right, and songs of the sea, and the sailors who braved it to go a'fishing, and as he sang so sweetly and ever so softly, the little ones drifted off to sleep, caressing Flynn's soft fur... Uhura came back to sit by the fire at Mick's side, and placing a hand on his arm said softly:
"Thank you, Michael... That was so lovely, and it calmed them so well... I'm so glad you are here..." And she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, and pulled the blanket around them both for warmth... Mick was nearly speechless, and mumbled something about it being his pleasure to help... They sat in silence, watching the fire, and hoping the storm would soon pass... As time went on, Uhura's eyes grew heavy, and her head dropped down... Mick, seeing this, put his arm around her gently, and laid her down, wrapping the blanket around her, and laying down close beside her, drifted off himself, thinking that even though they weren't out of danger just yet, he was happy to be able to be this close to her... Poor Mick, that torch will burn forever...
Back on the ship, Scotty was near frantic, pacing about and constantly trying to make contact with the shuttle, and working on getting the transporter up and running again... Spock was attempting to asist him, and Jim kept an eye on the screen tracking the course of the storm... He was attempting, in vain, to keep his mind off the danger his little girl was in, trusting in Uhura and Mick to keep her safe... He couldn't afford to be distracted right now by thoughts of losing her, losing that life that he and Spock had brought into the world... No, he had to brush it away for now... Bones, in Sick Bay, paced and prayed for his two girls, both so precious, both such a part of him...
Something woke Mick from his doze, something familiar... It was Flynn, growling deep in his chest... As he groggily looked around, he saw Flynn standing at the mouth of the cave, hackles up, and teeth bared... As Mick got to his feet, he drew his phaser, and crept close to Flynn to see what he was growling at... As he drew next to the dog, he saw, through the barricade, what looked like a figure, though it was hard to make out in the darkness... the storm had died down somewhat, and over the lessening wind, he heard what sounded like a hoarse couging, something like a panther's rough growl... By this time, Uhura had awakened, and she saw what was happening... She crept across the floor of the cave, and as Mick turned to wave her back, the barricade was suddenly burst wide apart, and they could see plainly what was there... It was humanoid in form, but only barely, the torso was twisted and gaunt, the head turned on a thin neck, and thin arms wrapped in wirery tendons reached out to them, the hands had four fingers ending in ragged talons... The face was twisted in a snarl, long canines flashing, and red eyes glaring out under heavy brows... Mick had no time to see more, as the thing leapt right at him, claws sinking into his shoulders, and foul breath chuffing into his face as the thing tried to bite... It was strong, much stronger than it looked, and it knocked Mick off his feet at once... Uhura screamed and leapt across the small cave to protect the girls, who had awakened at the thing's roar... Flynn leapt on the thing's back, biting and tearing at it, as Mick struggled to clear his phaser and fire... As the thing bent it's head to tear out Mick's throat, he finally got the phaser free and fired point blank into the thing's face, tearing it's head off and spraying it's reddish-grey blood all over Mick, and Flynn, who would not release his hold on the thing's shoulder... As Mick pushed the body off him, and grabbed Flynn's collar to lead him away, Uhura rushed over to him, and started to examine his wounds...
"Oh God, Michael, are you allright? Let me see, here sit down, you're bleeding, oh, your poor shoulders, are you bitten anywhere..." all the while wiping at his wounds with the blanket, and trying to get the first aide kit open, to stop the bleeding from the wounds on his shoulders... Joanna and Ellie tried to help, handing her things from the kit, and Amanda Winona stood by his side, little hands holding the sides of his head, and crooning something softly to comfort him... As Uhura assessed the damages, Joanna heard the sound of a communicator beeping, and picked it up off the floor where it had fallen in the struggle... She flipped it open, and they heard the sound of Scotty's voice:
"Mick! Mick! Can ye hear me , laddie? Respond! We're comin' as fast as we can... Our shuttle will be there in 5 minutes... The storm is blowing over now, and we're comin' fer ye... Uhura, lassie, I'm comin'... And the wee ones, are they safe? Please respond..." And Joanna proceeded to tell him that, yes, they were all safe, except for Mick, who had saved them from the monster, and was bleeding, but that Aunty Uhura was fixing him up, and that Flynn had helped, and that he and Mick were so brave, and.....
Later, back on the ship, after much hugging and smooching on Scotty's part, Uhura sat with Amanda Winona on her lap, the little one snuggled up to her and almost dozing, while Bones examined Mick and treated his wounds... Joanna and Ellie sat nearby, refusing to leave until they were sure Mick was going to be allright, and a little reluctant to leave the vicinity of their father, who had nearly broken down and cried for joy to see them again, and had held them to his heart and thanked God for their safe return... Jim and Spock (well, Jim, at least) had done the same with WinniePooh... (Amanda's nickname, courtesy of Bones) As Jim had held her in his arms, face buried in her curls, Spock had stood beside them, saying nothing... But he reached out a hand that trembled slightly, and caressed those same curls very gently, and could that have been a single tear that crept down his cheek? Stranger things have happened...
Scotty came in, to escort Uhura to their quarters to get some rest, and he asked Bones again if she was allright... Before Bones could answer, Winnie Pooh raised a sleepy head and softly said:
"She's ok, Unky Scotty... But the puppy needs something to eat..." And so saying, fell back to sleep again... Uhura laughed softly, and said:
"Yes, little one, I imagine Flynn could do with a good meal..." And handing the sleeping child to her fathers, turned to go with Scotty to their quarters, as Scotty had sworn a mighty oath not to let her out of his sight again, at least until the wedding... Scotty went to the bed where Mick lay, and grasping his hand, and givng it a mighty shake,  leaned over Mick and said:
"Laddie, there are nay enough words to thank ye for giving my darlin' back to me... So, I was wonderin' if ye might do me th honor of bein' my best man... I'd be that proud, to have ye stand up with me... Say ye will, boyo.." And Mick, nearly speechless again, replied:
" Mr. Scott, it would be my pleasure..." and nearly fainted when Scotty wrapped him in a bear hug that would have killed him entirely, if he'd been any stronger, so it would...

And so ends Part One of this tale, and Part Two to be following, and that's the truth of it...