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seren_ccdEpilogue
The kyan oryza sativa was well received throughout the quadrant. It immediately improved negotiations between outposts and filled a large gap in many rural areas. The Kalpharians were generously rewarded for their assistance and included in all trade negotiations.
It was, however, made quite clear that the planet was not going to be turned into a rice producing factory. The rest of the world was welcome to use the new prototype of planting, the Kalpharians would stick with their traditional ways.
No one saw any reason to argue the point.
Once back on the Enterprise, Christine did three things. One) She scheduled her first appointment with the resident psychologist, Dr. Noel, to discuss what had happened to her on the planet. Two) She pressed send on her message to Starfleet Medical stating her intention to return to finish her doctorate. And three) she made love to Leonard H. McCoy as often as they could both stand it.
Turned out, they could stand quite a bit of it.
Inevitably, she suffered from nightmares. Dreams in which water flowed all around her and covered her face while her hands were useless at her sides. On the nights when McCoy was there, he'd pull her close and murmur in her ear, slowly waking her from the terror. She'd go through the exercises that Dr. Noel had taught her, calming her heart rate and evening her breaths. Then she'd turn in his arms and press her face to his neck while his hands rubbed her back.
The nights he wasn't there, she often wished he was.
Six months after the visit to Kalpharia, Christine finished her sessions with Dr. Noel and three weeks after that she was on her way back to Earth.
Going back to San Francisco and Starfleet Medical was an exercise in surrealism. She recognized faces from her Academy days and the diner over on King Street still served the best Andorian clam chowder this side of the quadrant. But, it was the small things that got to her.
And of course, she was perfectly aware it was all in her head, but it took her forever to fall asleep without the steady hum of engines or to walk down a hallway and not see Janice or Uhura or Gaila grinning about something.
Sleeping alone was not at all pleasurable either.
By her fifth day back, after she’d seen her family that had flown over for a quick visit, she was determined to finish this thing once and for all and get the hell back into the sky.
Her thesis was good. She knew it was. The questioning and trials went well. She’d spent enough time listening in on negotiations on away missions to be able to spot a trick question in a heartbeat, so there were no surprises.
She’d been told it would take at least a year for her to finish and go through the final doctoral processes.
Christine did it in eight months.
Which brought her to her current position of exiting a shuttle that had just arrived on Station Omega IV. The Enterprise was due to dock at the station for repairs any minute, so Christine started walking towards the bar where she was going to meet McCoy. Her step quickened at the thought of actually being able to touch him. Vidscreens were wonderful inventions (and she really owed Uhura big for making sure all those private comm messages stayed private), but not exactly a suitable replacement for the real thing.
Christine really wanted the real thing.
In every way possible.
She fought the urge to skip.
After all, she was an actual MD now and they did not skip.
Her pace picked up anyway.
However, just as she saw the sign for the bar, an explosion rocked the north tower. The floor trembled beneath her feet and without hesitation she took off towards the cries for help.
She rounded a corner near the blast and could see injured people in the midst of dust and debris. She started to call for all available medi-kits and extra dermal regenerators when a wonderfully familiar voice yelled behind her, “God damn it, Chapel! It is so typical of you to be right in the middle of a crisis.”
“Well, it's god damn typical of you, McCoy, to bring chaos to a perfectly calm space station.” She turned her head and met his eyes. “You always have known how to show a girl a good time.”
His eyes sparkled as he rushed to assist a medic with a man with a broken arm. "Let's hope Jim figures out what the hell is going on and then I'll show you just how good a time, Doctor Chapel."
She turned away to assist a young woman with a bleeding forehead and thought that the sound of his voice calling her 'doctor' was probably the nicest thing she'd ever heard.
the world throws its light underneath your hair
forty miles from atlanta, this is no where
going to georgia
-the end-
The kyan oryza sativa was well received throughout the quadrant. It immediately improved negotiations between outposts and filled a large gap in many rural areas. The Kalpharians were generously rewarded for their assistance and included in all trade negotiations.
It was, however, made quite clear that the planet was not going to be turned into a rice producing factory. The rest of the world was welcome to use the new prototype of planting, the Kalpharians would stick with their traditional ways.
No one saw any reason to argue the point.
Once back on the Enterprise, Christine did three things. One) She scheduled her first appointment with the resident psychologist, Dr. Noel, to discuss what had happened to her on the planet. Two) She pressed send on her message to Starfleet Medical stating her intention to return to finish her doctorate. And three) she made love to Leonard H. McCoy as often as they could both stand it.
Turned out, they could stand quite a bit of it.
Inevitably, she suffered from nightmares. Dreams in which water flowed all around her and covered her face while her hands were useless at her sides. On the nights when McCoy was there, he'd pull her close and murmur in her ear, slowly waking her from the terror. She'd go through the exercises that Dr. Noel had taught her, calming her heart rate and evening her breaths. Then she'd turn in his arms and press her face to his neck while his hands rubbed her back.
The nights he wasn't there, she often wished he was.
Six months after the visit to Kalpharia, Christine finished her sessions with Dr. Noel and three weeks after that she was on her way back to Earth.
Going back to San Francisco and Starfleet Medical was an exercise in surrealism. She recognized faces from her Academy days and the diner over on King Street still served the best Andorian clam chowder this side of the quadrant. But, it was the small things that got to her.
And of course, she was perfectly aware it was all in her head, but it took her forever to fall asleep without the steady hum of engines or to walk down a hallway and not see Janice or Uhura or Gaila grinning about something.
Sleeping alone was not at all pleasurable either.
By her fifth day back, after she’d seen her family that had flown over for a quick visit, she was determined to finish this thing once and for all and get the hell back into the sky.
Her thesis was good. She knew it was. The questioning and trials went well. She’d spent enough time listening in on negotiations on away missions to be able to spot a trick question in a heartbeat, so there were no surprises.
She’d been told it would take at least a year for her to finish and go through the final doctoral processes.
Christine did it in eight months.
Which brought her to her current position of exiting a shuttle that had just arrived on Station Omega IV. The Enterprise was due to dock at the station for repairs any minute, so Christine started walking towards the bar where she was going to meet McCoy. Her step quickened at the thought of actually being able to touch him. Vidscreens were wonderful inventions (and she really owed Uhura big for making sure all those private comm messages stayed private), but not exactly a suitable replacement for the real thing.
Christine really wanted the real thing.
In every way possible.
She fought the urge to skip.
After all, she was an actual MD now and they did not skip.
Her pace picked up anyway.
However, just as she saw the sign for the bar, an explosion rocked the north tower. The floor trembled beneath her feet and without hesitation she took off towards the cries for help.
She rounded a corner near the blast and could see injured people in the midst of dust and debris. She started to call for all available medi-kits and extra dermal regenerators when a wonderfully familiar voice yelled behind her, “God damn it, Chapel! It is so typical of you to be right in the middle of a crisis.”
“Well, it's god damn typical of you, McCoy, to bring chaos to a perfectly calm space station.” She turned her head and met his eyes. “You always have known how to show a girl a good time.”
His eyes sparkled as he rushed to assist a medic with a man with a broken arm. "Let's hope Jim figures out what the hell is going on and then I'll show you just how good a time, Doctor Chapel."
She turned away to assist a young woman with a bleeding forehead and thought that the sound of his voice calling her 'doctor' was probably the nicest thing she'd ever heard.
the world throws its light underneath your hair
forty miles from atlanta, this is no where
going to georgia
-the end-
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no subject
Date: 2010-10-20 04:23 pm (UTC)So awesome and wonderful, hon! I'm sitting here doing a happy dance in my chair. All the promise that was evident when you started writing this whole series has more than been fulfilled. *smishes*
For this particular episode, I loved how you started each chapter with the present-tense, ohshit scenario. It kept the tension building nicely, at first because I wanted to see how Christine ended up in that situation, and then because I wanted to see how she got out.
And speaking of tension, lovely UST that finally got resolved! Yay!!!! (and the artwork you got?? hothotHOT!)
okay, I think I'm out of coherence so I'll just go back to grinning madly and doing my happy dance. ;)
no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 08:05 am (UTC)I'm really happy that the present tense sections worked well. It was something new that I wanted to play with and had fun doing.
I love my artwork. She did a bang up job. It's absolutely gorgeous.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-20 06:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 08:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 08:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 01:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 08:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 05:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 08:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 06:04 am (UTC)Enough about that, though. Good story. It's too bad there wasn't more Kirk/Rand in it (I've yet to find a decent and long story with those two), but it's alright. Maybe next time. Until then, congrats on finishing your Big Bang.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 08:11 am (UTC)As for Kirk/Rand, keep your eyes open, I think there is going to be a massive story in the next couple of weeks posted.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 09:32 am (UTC)I suppose it would be correct to say that I (and many others I'm sure) are living vicariously through reboot!Rand, making her out to be all that we had hoped and would have loved TOS!Rand to become.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 11:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-22 08:57 pm (UTC)This story is like a TOS episode with all the sexual fun we always missed *G*
Thanks for sharing!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-24 01:27 pm (UTC)Thanks again for commenting!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-24 01:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-24 04:03 pm (UTC)Also, I forgot to mention how much I loved Spock and McCoy's exchange when they were with Kirk reading profiles. "However, if I may be of assistance--" SO AWKWARD! :D It was kick ass.
Anyway, yes. I loved this-- hard. You rock. And stuff! (I'm turning incoherent, so let's just leave it there. >.>)
no subject
Date: 2010-10-25 10:33 am (UTC)I love Spock and McCoy snarking at each other, it's my favorite part of the episodes, while Kirk just sits there smirking at them.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-28 03:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-28 07:52 am (UTC)Thank you again so much for everything!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-30 09:42 pm (UTC)And the banter. Oh the banter. :D
Overall, I ♥ ♥ ♥ this fic.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-16 11:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-07 01:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-16 11:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 11:15 pm (UTC)Very well done - loved Christine in peril and that she didn't give up trying to rescue herself no matter how hopeless it seemed. Loved the girl-talk, loved the snarky charm of the McCoy/Kirk/Spock trio and adored the UST between Chapel and McCoy (and its subsequent resolution...mmmmmm...)
A lot of lines made me laugh (the whole thing about the medikit and "you have met our captain, haven't you" - *snorkle*) - but gotta say, though, this line:
"Contrary to popular opinion, I am your commanding officer"
made me giggle like a madwoman for about two minutes. Oh, poor McCoy - just give it up already...
*sighs happily*
Great fic... :)
I also love the ending - perfectly peaceful station...until the Enterprise showed up...bwahahahaha!!
no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 10:21 am (UTC)This story was a real challenge to write. It was one of the first super plotty things I tried and I'm so glad people liked it.
Poor McCoy indeed. He knows who really runs things. ;D