Title: Something Simple
Author: Athar Riordan
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Summary: Sometimes something simple, can make a dark day seem brighter. Post- Into Darkness. Mentions of Tarsus IV.

Author Note:

Okay, so this little piece came out of the blue after I found the beginning of this little shot on a note on my phone. I didn't really plan the Tarsus mention, but it just seemed to natural to insert it, that I left it in. I hope you don't mind little Allie appearing again (she was previously seen in a Tickly New Year), but I just love the pairs little dynamic - and I couldn't forget Bones :)
Please do let me know what you think, this is my birthday gift to you... on my birthday... Yeah, that was hmmm...
Anyway, this hasn't been beta'd so apologies for any mistakes :)

Jim Kirk awoke, to the feeling of tiny fingers on his back. Remaining still, so as not to alert the other to his waking; Jim kept himself as relaxed as possible as the tiny fingers ran themselves carefully over the near invisible lines he knew to be there. They were reminders of a darker past; a past he hoped the little girl who knelt on the bed at his hip, would never experience herself.

Pulling his mind somewhat back to the present, Jim remained still as he felt the mattress dip slightly as little Alyssa's knee moved slightly as her fingers traced one of the longer lines - one of the thickest ones, Jim's mind supplied, as memories of a laserwhip coming down once more as answers were demanded, resurfaced. Timing his next move carefully (as he tried to shake of the memory of a now barren planet), Alyssa's small hand was almost to the top of his shoulder, when Jim moved in a fluid motion to pull his hands from beneath the pillow they had been resting beneath - and turned himself around to catch the little girl; who let out a childish scream which quickly melted into giggles as Jim began to tickle the little girl until she was breathless.

"Daddy… Daddy Stop." The little girl cried between breathless giggles, while her small legs kicked out in front of her from where Jim now held her to his chest.

"You want me to stop?" Jim asked, as his chin came to rest among short blonde waves, as the lighter sound erased the darker memories of moments before.

Upon feeling the bobbing of the head beneath his chin, Jim's fingers stopped moving as his hand came rest over the girl's heaving rib cage; which expanded and contracted beneath them. Safe. Alive.

A silence fell between father and daughter, as Alyssa's loud breathing slowly settled down just as the sunlight that had been filtering through the blinds finally reached the large bed the pair were situated on. Jim was more than content to hold the little girl throughout, as he felt himself relax while his body half-curled around the smaller body on his lap. He couldn't remember the last time Alyssa had crept up on him like that, something which caused Jim to frown slightly as he pulled the little girl a little closer to him.

"You okay, Baby Girl?" Jim asked, after silence reigned for a time; planting a kiss into Alyssa's hair as he began to absently rub his thumb up and down the top of the little girl's bare arm as he unconsciously kept check of the little ones heart rate.

Bones had noted from an early age that Alyssa's heart rate appeared to speed up more than usual when she became too over excited or exerted herself more than usual play. It didn't seem to affect the youngster, in fact it seemed to help her sustain her abundance of energy far longer than her age mates, but it was something that was closely monitored just in case. The fact that Alyssa's heart rate had returned to normal so quickly helped Jim's own heart rate return to it's regular rate following a night and morning full of uneasiness.

"Uh huh," Alyssa supplied, with a bob of her head as her own tiny hands held onto Jim's bare biceps; her legs now still, as she listened to her fathers steady heartbeat and using the sound to help regulate her own breathing - Just as her Daddy and Poppy had been coaching her to do when her heart felt like it was going super fast. As much as she could, the little girl looked up toward where her father's chin rested on her head. "Daddy sad?"

Jim frowned, as he moved his chin so that he could meet his young daughter's mirroring blue eyes. "I'm not sad, Baby Girl. What- What makes you say that?" he asked, as father and daughter held each others gaze.

Alyssa was the first one to look away, as she attempted to burrow further into Jim's chest. "Always sad today," the little girl confided, as she tightened her grip on the larger arms around her - or tried to, but her hands were still too small to make much of a difference as she felt her father tense at her words. "Don't want Daddy t'be sad."

Jim swallowed, as Alyssa tried to bury herself into him.

One of traits Alyssa seemed to have inherited from Jim (which had been known to give a certain half-vulcan a cause for pause once in a while) was her curiosity and penchant for connecting the dots. When Jim had been younger, and his mother was off world, those personality traits had been something he had been ostricised for - Frank himself, had tried to stamp out the curiosity that would lead to calls from school simply because the explanations being given weren't enough to quench Jim's sponge like brain. But now as a parent himself, Jim encouraged those traits; even if that did result in multiple reports of the youngster being found in areas aboard Enterprise that could easily give a certain doctor a coronary.

Now however, it would seem that no amount of distractions from Bones, Spock or Uhura over the past few years when Jim was not at his best had stopped the little girl from making a connection between the date and her father's mood. The anniversary of Tarsus was something Jim had initially celebrated with a large amount of alcohol followed by a bar brawl or a one night stand that wouldn't be remembered. But that had changed over the years - especially since he had met Bones; but it would seem that those who knew him best, could see beyond the facade Jim would pull on should he be on shift of the day of such an anniversary. The Tarsus anniversary was the one date Jim hoped he would never have to explain to his daughter - and if he had to, he hoped such explanation could be staved off until the bubbly girl in his arms was much, much older.

"I'm okay, Baby Girl," Jim murmured, as he loosened his hold, as Alyssa twisted in his arms so that she was kneeling in his lap, with her small hands on his shoulders. Jim smiled at the concerned look on the little girl's face, and brought the hand not supporting her back up to brush a blonde wisp of hair behind a small ear. "It's just sometimes Daddy remembers something and it makes him sad for a while. But he's okay later - especially, when he gets a hug from his favorite girl." Jim explained, as he ran his hand over Alyssa's hair and brushed his nose against hers.

With the subtle suggestion, Alyssa moved forward to wrap her thin arms around Jim's neck; her head coming to rest on Jim's shoulder as her blue eyes found one of Jim's scars as her arms tightened slightly.

Jim closed his eyes, as Alyssa's immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. Bringing his arms up to encircle the little girl, Jim opened his eyes to find Bones leaning against the door frame, ankles and arms crossed as he watched the pair.

'Are you okay, Darlin?' Bones mouthed, not wishing to interrupt the pair.

Jim glanced down at the blonde hair blanketing one of his bare shoulders; one of his hands now resting on the smaller head, as his rested his head on top - before he gave a slight nod to the Georgian Doctor.

'Thankyou,' Jim mouthed.

Bones offered a small smile and a nod of his own. When you're ready Darlin, the doctor seemed to convey in the silent form of communication the pair had perfected over the years.

Fin.