Ambassador Pax and Admiral Kirk's Quarters

James sighed. "What happened after he blew up Vulcan?" he asked softly.

He hoped the bastard was dead, otherwise, he was going to hunt the man down. He would have no qualms about it. And he had an idea that Junior might help him achieve that goal.

"He was defeated before he could reach Earth," she said simply. "By you. I fear, my dear, you coming to the rescue in the nick of time is yet another universal constant."

She smirked. No matter what, it was in Jim's nature to save the day.

James laughed, resting his head against hers, arms tightening slightly around her. "That sounds just about right for me, though." A pause as he reveled in the feeling of her being back in his arms. "What about Nero? What happened to him?"

"He perished in the ensuing battle," Pax stated. "His ship exploded and he and his crew were killed."

Despite the awkwardness of before, there could be no discomfort when lingering in Jim's embrace. There was nothing but the feeling of comfort, of safety, and of belonging there, wrapped up in his arms.

James gave a small of sigh of relief. "Good." His hands itched to bury themselves in her hair. To undo the intricate updo she had it in. In the two months he had been in the Nexus, he had missed her. Desperately. He couldn't imagine how she'd felt for nearly 100 years.

"You do realize I'm never letting you out of my sight again?"

She sighed against him. "The thought had passed my mind. After so long without you, however, ashayam, I cannot imagine ever letting you out of mine."

It was true. Pax had missed him dearly, and to lose him again would be devastating after feeling him against her once more.

James grinned against her temple. "Glad we're on the same page, kitten," he murmured. "I'm so sorry you had to live without me for so long." He knew that sounded a little bit narcissistic, but it was true. When he'd disappeared, they'd thought they would have years together.

"I am too," Pax murmured. "But you are here now, with me, and that is all that truly matters, is it not?" She had spent so long without him, and she intended to spend every moment of the rest of her life making up for lost time.

James pulled back from the hug to grin down at his wife. "You're right. As always." He brought a hand up to cup her cheek, and pressed a sweet, soft kiss to her lips. He never wanted to let her go.

Pax kissed him back with a smirk. "And you are infuriatingly charming. As always."

"You love me anyway," he murmured, grinning at her, eyes alight with love and amusement. He pressed another kiss to her lips.

"What else did I miss?"

"Me," Pax replied with a playful grin, lacing her arms around his neck. She pressed another quick kiss to his lips. "That is the primary thing I can recall at this time, ashaya."

Jame chuckled. "I think that's obvious, kitten," he said, eyes laughing. "You're playful now. Care to share with the class?" One of his hands made it's way to start undoing her hair.

Pax smirked. "I am happy," she stated simply. "It has been too long since I have been this happy, and suddenly you are here and I do not know if I will ever be unhappy again." He began to undo her hair, and she realized that no one had seen it undone since he had undone it last.

James grinned. "If I have anything to say about it, you will never be unhappy again, kitten," he said, turning her around so that he could find a particular bobby-pin. When her hair was partway out of it's confines, he leaned down slightly to press a kiss to her pulse point. He pulled back and continued to work with her hair. He set the bobby pins on the table and the hair tie slipped around his wrist. He turned her around again. One hand settled on her hip, the other in her hair as he pulled her in for a kiss. "I love you," he murmured, just before pressing his lips to hers.

Pax kissed him back like she hadn't kissed him in a hundred years. She kissed him with her arms laced around his neck and her eyes closed and her heart fluttering in her chest like she was young again, and he was too. She kissed him like no time had passed at all.

"I love you too," she said breathlessly when they pulled apart once more. "I have always loved you."

James' hand worked it's way through her hair as he moved to her neck. "That's good to hear," he whispered against her pulse point, "because there is no way in hell you are ever getting rid of me again." He moved up to his wife's ear. "Now, what do you say we move this into the bedroom?"

She chuckled, the sound that escaped her lips dangerously close to a purr. "You have been in my presence for less than three hours," Pax murmured, "and already you are sexually propositioning me. 100 years and you are still the same Jim you have always been." There was affectionate laughter in her tone.

"It's because I love you. And admit it, if I didn't, you'd think something was seriously wrong with me." He bit down gently on her earlobe. "So, shall we?"

Pax purred again involuntarily as he bit down on her ear in just the way she preferred. "We shall," she said breathily. "I believe we have an excess of lost time to make up for."

And with a flirtatious, playful glimmer in her eyes, she led him to the bed.

((NEW THREAD))

Jim and Pock made their way through the ship until they were standing in front of Ambassador Pax's door. He pressed the doorbell and waited for a response.

Ambassador Pax, who had been seated at her table, looked up from the steaming cup of tea before her at the door. "Enter," she said.

Behind Pax, James was pacing as the two entered. He couldn't believe Ferrus had pulled that shit. He really couldn't. He paused to get a good look at the younger two people in the room. Jim's face was a perfect blank mask, not showing whether he was angry or upset.

However, if one knew what one was looking for, and James did, one could tell what Jim was feeling.

He was upset and scared. It only served to increase James' outrage at the situation.

Pax watched at Pock entered. Her face was carefully guarded, emotionless and devoid of any hint as to what those dark irises held in terms of thought. The older Vulcan could guess, though. Anger, anxiety, sadness, a desire for revenge against the man who sought to hurt Jim in this way. They were things that, in the younger woman's position, Pax herself would feel.

Did feel.

"Would you like to sit?" she inquired of the younger officers.

Jim thanked her and sat down at the table. James followed suit, sitting next to his wife. "How are you two doing?" he asked, truly curious.

Jim shrugged. "I'm not happy about this, if that's what you're asking."

"I wouldn't expect you to be," James said.