Enterprise Bridge

A grin lit his face, "When we were alone, I would call you kitten. One day, you pressed me to tell you why I called you that. I told you it was because of the--"

Jim paled. "Are you sure this is the story you want to tell?" he asked, cutting the older man off.

James looked at Jim, eyebrow raised. "She did say personal and only something I would know..." He looked between the two younger people on the bridge and grinned. If that was Jim Kirk, then the young Vulcan beside him was clearly a younger version of his wife. "And that apparently, you know too." James turned back to Pax. "I told you it was because of the barn cat that my parents own while I was growing up and how you reminded me of her. We'd had that cat since she was a kitten, and I thought it fitting."

Jim blushed, grateful Uhura had cleared the room of any non-essential personnel before they had gotten there. He buried his face in his hands, embarrassed.

Pock lifted an eyebrow at her own Jim, face painted with curiosity. "Interesting."

Pax's face was shocked, but her eyes still laughed. It was still a sad, heartbroken laughter, but it was a laughter nonetheless, and anything was an improvement over the ever-looming sadness in her heart. "That it is, Commander," she said. "Admiral, I believe that the man is who he says he is, impossibly. Or at least he is some version of him."

James gave a mischievous grin, one that used to grace his face whenever he played a prank on Bones.

Jim just groaned into his hands, face still bright red. "Shit," he muttered. "Fuck me sideway. Shit." He had really never meant for Pock to find out that he called her kitten because of that stupid barn cat. "Shit, shit, shit."

James rolled his eyes. "It's not that bad, kid."

Jim looked up at him, a glare on his face. "Not that bad, my sweet ass."

Pock choked on the laughter that threatened to boil up out of her throat. Pax just shook her head. If he wasn't really her Jim, her beloved husband, and this was a trick...

It felt so easy, so natural, to shake her head at one of his pranks. To laugh at him. To watch him smile as he said something with that infectious, infernal charisma she both loved and hated. If he was not her Jim, would it not be better to pretend blissfully, just for a while, and love him again, as opposed to continuing this life without him?

But to lose him again, after having him once more?

She'd never survive it. Not again.

Was it worth it to shatter against the cold, hard Earth if it meant that just for a moment you got to fly?

Jim finally felt comfortable enough to lift his face to look at the screen. "We'll be at Earth in..."

"Half an hour, sir," Sulu said, eyebrow raised at the spectacle he had just witnessed.

James grinned again, this time at his wife. He had a bit of a hard time believing that that it was that easy to convince her that it was really him, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"We can continue this in San Francisco, Admiral," Pax said. "I can assure you, if that man is the same man I married, you are in no danger. Just keep him away from anything caffeinated or in a miniskirt and he will refrain from embarrassing the entirety of the Federation." Her voice was teasing.

Pock, on the other hand, was still watching Jim closely, her eyebrow raised in amused inquiry.

James' face dropped and he gave her a semi-hurt look. He knew she was teasing, but he wasn't that bad! "Oi!" he said, "I can have caffeine!"

Jim's face was back in his hands, muttering that he was never going to be like that man. Never, ever. He looked up. "Kirk out," he said, and Uhura cut the feed.

((NEW THREAD))

The next day, at her station, Pock punched in a sequence of numerical codes. The screen warped, showing her a convoluted and complicated diagram of space and astrophysical proximities in relation to mathematical calculation. She punched a few more numbers. The screen changed again.

"All clear, Captain," she said diplomatically. "We are successfully on course."

Jim looked up at her. "Perfect, thank you, Commander." He looked back down at the report from Security and continued to skim it.

He continued to go through reports when Lt. Uhura's voice broke the silence. "Captain, Admiral Archer wants to speak to you."

He turned to face Uhura. "Put him on."

"He's insisting that this conversation be in private. Just you and Commander Pock, sir."

Jim turned to Pock, raising an eyebrow in a silent question.

Pock turned to him and met his gaze imperceptibly, standing without a word. An ensign moved to take her station temporarily, punching a few numbers of his own.

"I believe we should indulge him, then, Captain," she said coolly. Internally, however, curiosity burned in her blood. What business did Archer have with them that he could only discuss in private? It was most odd.

Jim stood. "Mr. Sulu, you have the conn."

"Aye, sir."

He looked over at Pock. "Let's go see what Archer wants."

((NEW THREAD))

Jim settled into his chair, after relieving the Gamma shift officer.

"So," he said, "what did I miss?"

In front of him, Sulu gave a brief explanation of what Jim and Pock had missed the previous day, which turned out to be a whole lot of nothing. They'd dropped Pax and James off, and would pick up some Commodore to take him to his next posting.

Jim was not looking forward to kowtowing to the man.

Pock took her place at her station promptly, a courteous nod to the rest of the crew alerting them of her entrance. She was thankful that no one had noticed anything off with them, to signal that they had engaged in sexual relations the evening before.

She listened attentively to Lieutenant Sulu divulge the events of the prior day, and none of them struck her as immediately pressing. In fact, it seemed relatively monotonous.

Good.

They'd had enough excitement for awhile: monotony was a gift.

The first hour of the shift passed without much to note.

Seemingly without need, Uhura started fiddling with her station. "Captain," she said, turning to face him. "We've received a message from Starfleet. They want us to divert to Planet M, and transport a prisoner to Andor for trial in a Federation court."

Jim turned to look at Uhura, brow furrowing. "Did they say what the charge was?"

"No, sir."

He nodded slowly. "I see." He swiveled back to face Sulu and Chekov. "Chekov."

"Plotting now, sir," Chekov said. "Route laid in."

"Warp 6, Mr. Sulu."

Pock's eyebrow lifted in interest.

"It is curious, Captain," she said offhandedly, "that the charges would not be mentioned."

Jim just shrugged. "It is. I know some planets are touchy about revealing charges over interstellar communications."

Pock nodded. That was a distinct possibility.

"This is true, Captain."

Jim frowned slightly. "How long, Sulu?"

"An hour, sir," the helmsman said.

The hour passed much slower than Jim would have liked. They entered orbit around the planet and Uhura contacted the government there, as per protocol. The governor appeared on the screen. "Governor," Jim said, nodding a greeting.

Pock took her position beside the Captain, appearing staunchly professional as she nodded curtly towards the man in greeting.

"Captain Kirk," the governor said.

"Who are we transporting?" Jim asked, leaning forward in his chair.

The governor sighed. "First, I must explain something. Planet M started out as a poor colony, with a high poverty level. We received monetary aid, and picked ourselves up. Since then, we have helped those who are without means. Orphans, the elderly, and the like."

Jim's stomach clenched. He hoped this wasn't going where he thought it was going.

Pock noted the almost imperceptible sadness that entered Jim's eyes. Her own stomach dropped like a stone at the sight of it, fearing the worst though knowing that to be illogical. She should be calm, she knew. She knew naught of what Jim was feeling.

Rather, she turned to the screen and paid close attention to what was being said.

"Our Attorney General rose to his position through the normal means, through winning the election ten years ago." A deep breath. "He has been visiting the orphanage closest to his office. Sometimes he even offered them positions in his office."

Jim clenched the arms of his chair. Please no...

"There is evidence that he physically and sexually abused the children," the governor said, voice flat. "The people here are rioting in the streets, demanding that the Attorney General be all but lynched. We need you to take him to Andor to stand trial. It would not be fair, here on Planet M." He met Jim's eyes. "Please, Captain."

He nodded slowly. "We will send down a security team to bring him aboard. Kirk out."

Pock stood rigid in the face of what the man said. It was disgusting, and terrible, but she compressed her emotional distaste for the logic in the situation. The man deserved a fair trial, and it was their prerogative to deliver it as Starfleet Officers.

Jim, it appeared, did not agree.

Jim could hardly breathe. His own childhood was flashing before his eyes. He turned to Pock, barely seeing her. "I... I am..." He tried and failed to take a deep breath. "I am emotionally compromised by the mission at hand."

He stood, waiting for Pock's reply.

Pock stifled any emotional response of her own in the wake of duty, hard as it was.

"Then as your first officer I ask you to relinquish command of this vessel unto me," she said diplomatically. "Do you do so?"