"Glad you've been keeping busy," Jim said at last.

"Yer angry. I get it." Leonard sighed and tried to rein in his accent. "There was no reason for me to stay with ya'll. You're both real space cadets, have been since your academy days together. You like exploring the unknown, the danger. You need to be free to explore and do the things you do."

He looked around. Jim was sitting back in the chair with his arms over his chest. Spock had his hands clasped in his lap.

"But not me," Leonard swallowed down the lump in his throat and continued. "I'm not cut out for space with all my phobias. I'm just holdin' ya back. Bein' saddled down wit kids isn't for you and bein' stuck on Earth with me isn't for ya, either."

Spock reached over and took Leonard's hand in his. Leonard shivered at the tingles shooting down his arm. "You did not give us the choice, Leonard."

His eyes searched Spock's and saw sadness. He turned to Jim. "Would you be able to give up space so easily?" When he got no answer he turned back to Spock. "After hearin' how Nero nearly wiped out your people in this reality and hearin' how they still struggle, would you have been able to turn your back on them and settle here to be with me and these children?"

"As they are partly mine, I would have sought a way to compromise. Perhaps have you and the children move to the colony or request the Enterprise be refitted to allow for families."

Leonard held up his hand and shook his head. "No way Jose. Not after hearin' 'bout how you was treated. I'd be kicked off the planet for startin' an interstellar incident for someone botherin' my little hobgoblins." He balled up his work and set the yarn and needle to the side. "And I'm not raisin' my babies on no tin plated death trap. If some space disease doesn't get 'em, some trigger happy, hostile alien race will."

Jim ran his fingers through his hair as Spock sat quietly with a slight frown on his face.

"Listen," he licked his lips and swallowed hard. "I don't want anything from you. We've been fine on our own."

"Leonard-"

"Bones-"

He held up his hand. "I understand if you can't decide or don't want this. So much has happened in the last few months. In a way it's a new world and if you want to pursue other...relationships it's fine."

Spock crossed his arms over his chest. "Leonard, I do not understand. Why would you think that we are interested in pursuing other relationships? Logically, because so much has happened, we should want to stick with that which is familiar."

"Look, I don't delude myself. I'm older than both of you. You were probably only attracted to me because you didn't have many options before. Plus that fraternization rule in Starfleet made it hard to get with anyone of the crew." 

He paused for a moment thinking over all of Jim's exploits.  That fraternization rule never seemed to stop him.  There had been several crewmembers Jim had gotten with and Leonard wasn't convinced he hadn't had a piece of Yeoman Rand a time or two.  Shaking his head, he continued.  

"But it's different here." He looked at Jim. "If there are younger, more attractive people you wish to pursue, then by all means. Have at it."

Spock looked back and forth between them. The energy between his two humans crackled with intensity. Clearly he had missed something. "Jim, to what is Leonard referring?"

Jim held Leonard's gaze. "I dunno. You'll have to ask him."

Leonard broke their little staring match and looked at Spock.  So he was playing Captain Oblivious.  Fine.  So be it.  "Jim here seems to think my unattached counterpart is quite the looker."

Spock frowned and tilted his head to the side. "Clarify."

Leonard leaned back with a crooked smile on his face. "Jim was fawning all over my younger counterpart the last time he and I were together."

"I just said you were good looking!" Jim huffed.

"No. You said - and I quote- 'he's extremely good looking. He's got that tight little body and those hazel eyes that turn green when he's upset."

Spock whipped around with a look of horror mixed with anger. "Why would you say that to Leonard?"

Jim's shoulders went up to his ears and he held his palms up. "It was a compliment! He looks good at any age. I just wish I'd known him sooner."

The frown on Spock's face deepened. "Surely, you could see how such statements would upset Leonard."

"They're basically the same person!"

There was a tic working in Spock's jaw. Normally it was Leonard working every ounce of his patience and making him remember the teachings of Surak. "On the contrary. While they share many characteristics and features, they are fundamentally different people. Just as you and I are different from our counterparts, so too, is he.  How could you be ignorant of something like that?"

Jim sprang to his feet and started pacing. "Oh for heaven's sake! It's not like I would sleep with him!"

"You wanted to," Leonard muttered.

Jim's eyes narrowed. "How do you figure?"

"Oh, come on, Jim!" Leonard rocked and rolled trying to stand before Spock helped him to his feet. "You called me his name!"

Jim started to walk up to him but stopped when Spock stood between them. "What? When?"

"When we were having sex you called me McCoy!" Leonard jabbed the air in front of his chest. "You never call me McCoy in bed, Jim!"

Spock crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed those brown eyes on Jim who had paled. Leonard wiped angry tears from his eyes.

"How would you feel if I complimented your younger self right before I called you Kirk while in bed? While you were buried deep in me, my mind was on a younger James T. Kirk with blue eyes instead of hazel?"

Spock arched a brow and turned to look at Jim.

Jim pursed his lips together and looked down at the floor. He wouldn't like it. Not at all. "I...apologise. Until this moment, I hadn't seen it that way."

Leonard scoffed and rolled his eyes. "No kiddin'."

One mystery down. Spock thought carefully of what he would say next. "Leonard, while I understand your anger with Jim and desire to leave him, I fail to understand why you chose to abandon me as well. I was not there. I did not do anything to upset you. Why did I not deserve to know about the children or your unhappiness?"

Running a hand through his hair, Leonard sighed.  He'd been sighing a lot it seemed.  "I tried to tell you but something always came up. You always put the needs of the many before the few or, in this case, the one. I didn't want you to feel that you had to choose and then be filled with regret for the one you did not choose."

"Regret is a human emotion. You know that I-"

Leonard held up his hand. "Yer barkin' up the wrong tree iffn you think I'm finna swallow that horseshit."

Spock started to reply but stopped when Leonard's hand covered his mouth. Damn literal  Vulcans! No way he was about to unravel that mess of colorful colloquial language he just let out.

"It means I'm not buying your nonsense about not feeling regret. You do. I know you do. I see it in your eyes. You would feel you sacrificed your children for a whole planet or a planet selfishly for your own children."

Spock gave a slight nod of understanding.

Leonard sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "Besides, you and Jim are both younger.   Everyone wants a piece of you.  People fall all over themselves to be next to you.  You can start over. Help your people or traipse all over the galaxy together...or whatever without restraints."

"You assume that is we want. That that is what I want."

Leonard looked between the two men. Jim was looking at the floor. "Isn't it?"

"If it was, would I be here?" Spock replied.

"You sure you want to be here?" Leonard sat back down and rubbed his stomach. "Be stuck on Earth with kids?"  Clearly Spock wasn't thinking of what he'd be giving up.

"I do not consider being with you and raising my children as being 'stuck.' After all that has happened, the fact that you even thought to continue the pregnancy and raise them alone is admirable. You, too, could have started over and done something else with your life."

"I didn't consider any other options."

Spock turned to their other partner. "What about you, Jim?"

Jim looked up and crossed his arms but didn't say anything.

"You've been awful quiet," Leonard muttered.

Jim rubbed his chin with his thumb. "I'll be honest, I don't know that I'm cut out for domesticity, Bones. This pregnancy is a total surprise."

"I know."

"You didn't even consult us about it."

They'd actually had a few random conversations here and there before the experiment and Spock's pon farr.  At the time, both had been okay with having children at some point.  "I was only testing to see if the falutero took and its viability. We'd tried a few times before and they all failed. The potency of Spock's sperm wasn't a variable I had considered."

Jim smiled. "Sounds like bad science to me."

Before he could respond, Leonard's stomach rumbled loud enough for them to hear. Leonard felt his cheeks warm up as he gave his stomach a light pat. He'd forgotten he was gathering the herbs for his tea when Jim and Spock showed up.

"I need to feed these guys." He grabbed the arm of the couch and tried to pull himself up. "Gimme a sec. I'll make us something."

Both men took one of his hands and put a hand at his back for support. Leonard grunted as he was pulled to his feet and rubbed his lower back.  They were so close he could smell their colognes. He licked his lips and rubbed his stomach in an effort to calm his racing heart. Jim stepped back so Leonard could wobble past him.

Once in the kitchen, he filled the kettle and put it on the stove. What a day and it was still early enough for breakfast. "Have a seat. This won't take long."

"Do you require assistance, Leonard?" Spock asked walking towards him.

Leonard smiled at his thoughtfulness. "No, darlin'. I got this." He set about making the tea he had been meaning to make and a light breakfast with toast, fruit, and cheese while Jim and Spock spoke amongst themselves.  Leonard tried not to think about what the topic of their conversation could be. 

Everything came together rather quickly. Despite his rejection of their help, Jim set out the dishes and Spock had gotten the silverware and retrieved the mugs from the living room for cleaning. Soon as the tea finished brewing, he set everything down on the table and then sat in the chair pulled out for him by Jim.

"Well, dig in," Leonard smiled.

Spock took a look at the spread. "These are all Vulcan foods."

"Mmhmm." Leonard spread the jam over his toast. "They prefer mostly Vulcan foods for breakfast and lunch and human foods for dinner."

"They sound well rounded to me," Jim smiled tearing a piece of his bread.

"They are. Even though Spock is vegetarian, it seems they recognize my body's need for protein and desire for meat."

Spock arched a brow.  "Fascinating."

Leonard couldn't help but smile. How he missed constantly hearing that one word. They chatted while they ate. Jim and Spock told him about their eight week mission with the other Enterprise and updated him on what was happening on the colony and their Enterprise.

Sarek had been surprised to see another incarnation of his son. A much older Spock they called Spock Prime, had been sucked into this time and stranded on Delta Vega. He had helped defeat the crazed Romulan Nero and lived out the rest of his days on New Vulcan. He'd died a few years prior to their arrival so Spock hadn't been able to meet him.  He had been told that Spock was more attuned to his human side and clearly not afraid to show emotion from time to time. 

Enterprise was being refit to the technological standards of this reality and would serve as a diplomatic vessel in a year or despite prior reports. Jim lamented how she was now going to be a ferry boat for pompous politicians. He felt reduced as a captain. Gone were the glory days, darting out into danger and exploring the unknown.

"Now that you have consumed enough nutrients to pacify the children, we need to resolve our earlier conversation," Spock said gathering the dishes and taking them into the kitchen.

Leonard sat back in his seat and put his hands on top of his stomach. He didn't want to talk anymore. "I told you guys all I had to say." He looked over at Jim. For all his anger and bluster earlier, Jim had been mostly silent.

"However, you never said whether or not you wanted us to stay and try to work out our problems." Spock walked back into the room and set a glass of water next to Leonard. "You never said that you wanted us to do this together."

Leonard melted at the pleading look in Spock's eyes. "I do, Spock. Bless my soul. I have missed you guys somethin' fierce. But I'm not selfish enough to bind you to me."

Spock put his hand over Leonard's and smiled. "I would be amenable to staying here with you." He held his other hand up with his thumb, ring, and pinky fingers folded. Leonard smiled and pressed the tips of their index and middle fingers together. Spock leaned down and kissed him gently.

They both looked at Jim.

Jim folded his hands together on top of the table. "This domestic thing isn't really for me. You and Spock are good at that stuff. Taking care of others. You can be content staying in one place, doing your research or teaching. That's not me.  I'm a starship captain.  It's what I've trained for.  It's what I know.  I need to be out there. Sitting still would...," he looked up into Leonard's eyes.  "Well, you know."

Leonard nodded.  He could definitely understand Jim's feelings.  It hurt none the same. There was a small part of him that wished he was more important than anything out there. That Jim would try to fight for their relationship. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"I'll provide for them, of course," Jim hastily added.  "And see them as often as I can when I'm on this side. I just..."

Leonard stood and waddled up to him. He ran his fingers through the side of Jim's hair. "It's fine, Jim. That's honest and fair."

Jim stood and wrapped his arms tightly around Leonard, squishing them together. "You don't hate me.  Do you, Bones?" he whispered.

Leonard kissed the side of his cheek and sighed. Though his heart ached, he forced himself to smile. "No. I couldn't if I tried."

Jim and Spock stayed and helped Leonard with his chores and whatever else he needed to do for the day. Spock cooked dinner and Jim helped clean up. Later, they sat down with Leonard to watch a movie. It was the first time the three of them had spent an entire day together uninterrupted in six months or so. He tried to stay upbeat and enjoy the company of the two men he loved. His heart ached at all the changes they'd been through in such a short time and that their new circumstances meant the romantic end of one of his relationships.

As his thoughts turned despondent, slender fingers massaged his scalp and lightly pulled his hair. Leonard leaned into the touch and closed his eyes as calm washed over him. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.