Disclaimer: Anything from the 2009 Star Trek is not mine.

A/N: I've edited this story quite a bit. Not so much the first chapter but there is definite changes to the second and so forth. Granted only two chapters have made it on here but the story has been developing for quite some time now. I hope you like it and, as always, reviews are welcome!

Chapter One

Nothing but blue waters, white clouds, and the shapes of the continents lay before me. A grin smeared across my face as I beheld my planet. The serene feeling at seeing my home made everything else fall away, a moment that stays with you for years to come. The sandy beaches, the forests, the caves…everything that made life exciting. The only exception being space. The thrill of flying, of going to other words, of knowing that there is more out there. Traveling to unknown places, making alliances and learning as much as possible. It was a single thought and yet it felt like it lasted forever. Coming out from the depths of my mind the only sounds I heard were coming from the small single-person ship that I'm the pilot of. I looked up to see a picture of my parents. I hadn't been home in quite a while. But I would be home soon. They would be happy to see me.

"Welcome home, Grace."

"Hey, boys." I smiled at I was greeted at the base.

Hearing the whistles I looked to see my old friends coming towards me.

"Grace!"

"Will!" I said as he embraced me.

"It's been too long." He smiled.

"Yeah, but I'm home now." I grinned and made my way inside.

Everything was the same. Even my locker was the same. I changed quickly, letting loose my long brown hair, finally freeing it from being pulled back for so long. The pictures of Will and I were still there. The smile on my face faded. He looked good. Too good for how we had left things. It was hard but necessary. It had to end. Or so I kept telling myself. I was always away, he didn't like space. It just wasn't meant to be.

"You okay?" Will asked as he leaned against the locker.

"They're still here." I smiled up at him.

"If you wanted them gone I figured you'd just do it yourself." He replied.

I nodded, "Yeah."

"Can I take you home?"

"Of course."

Home…it was going to be awkward. The drive alone seemed to be far too short. San Francisco hadn't changed a bit. The traffic, the mass amount of people, the never ending lights…yup, home. Just on the outskirts of the city the large house came into view. It was modest and yet people knew who lived there. Will drove up the drive slowly, giving me time to pull myself together.

"You gonna be okay?" He asked me.

"Wanna walk me in?" I asked in response.

He chuckled, "Sure."

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Are you that afraid to face your parents? It's only been a year."

"A year where I never told them where I was and only rarely contacted them. And it's not parents plural that I'm worried about. Just my dad."

"Yeah, I figured as much."

"You know me well."

"Well enough to know that you're stalling. Now, get out of the damn car."

I groaned and opened the door, swinging my bag over my shoulder. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before going up to the door. I pushed the door open, the familiar smells filling my nostrils. I could smell my mom's perfume, dinner cooking in the kitchen and, as odd as it sounded, the smell of my dad's shirts. The clothes were all washed with the same detergent but his always smelled different. Something that's stuck with me for as long as I could remember. There was the sound of clicking as the two family golden retrievers came skidding into view. I immediately bent down and embraced the two dogs. Giddy at the site of them. Their tongues licking anything they could place them on. I laughed before someone cleared their throat. The dogs immediately looked up before calmly walking and sitting at my father's sides. I stood, leaving my bag on the floor, and stepped toward him.

"Hi, Daddy." I smiled sheepishly at him.

"Grace." He said without a smile.

This was what I was afraid of. Him not yelling, him hardly saying a word would be more painful than if he did yell, or at least spoke his mind. He was not known for his quiet tongue.

"You're not going to say anything?" I asked him timidly.

"What is it that you'd like me to say?" He asked. I didn't have a response to that. "Other than…welcome home."

I looked up and a grin was on his face. Immediately relaxing, I moved into his arms, hugging him like I had never hugged anyone. "I missed you." I told him as tears filled my eyes.

"I missed you too." He smiled. "Thanks for getting her home, Will."

"You're welcome sir. Grace, see you around?"

"Yeah." I told him.

"Now, come on. Your mother will be eager to see you."

"I'm eager to see her too." I smiled.

It seemed like old times. My mom cooked dinner and we ate as we talked about everything that had happened while I was gone. I filled them in on the missions I had been on. The places I had gone. I spent most of my time on Vulcan. As an ambassador I traveled to several planets, bringing peace and knowledge from everywhere I had been. It seemed the only place I never went to was the one place I belonged to the most. I knew my father was proud of me. I knew that he was pleased to hear of my success and even my failures along the way. My mom was always afraid of me being in space but she knew my reasons and in the end was happy with my choices. Yet, at the same time, I knew both would be happier if I just stayed at home. If I had taken a job on base, watching screens, and translating messages. I would have been safer but I loved the freedom of space. There was nothing better than that.

"Did you ever go to Romula?" My father asked.

"No, not so much." I told him.

"From what I understand, Spock has been dealing with them." My mother added.

"And that's why I've hardly ever gone. He's doing a fine job. He's doing everything he can. It takes up a lot of his time. I'm needed other places."

"You've gone far." My mother grinned at me.

I smiled back, "I have too much Dad in me."

"And that's a good thing." He said pointing a finger at me.

I laughed and nodded. It was true. I loved being like my father. He was a fantastic man. Known for his bravery and loyalty of his crew in his prime. He was amazing. Since I was a child I wanted to be exactly like him. He was my idol and my best friend. Even if he didn't know that.

And as much as I wanted to stay and to enjoy my parents and life on earth, the call from space was always present. It took only a few short months for me to return to my ship, knowing that I would need to leave. I couldn't handle being grounded anymore. I loved it here but I needed to fly. I needed to be up there. It would be hard, but I would promise to not be gone long. Come back every few weeks or so depending on my journeys. It would be worth it. It was always worth it. A little talking, a little combat, and some home time were all that I needed to survive.

Earth was once again a round ball behind me. It looked beautiful from space. The stars around you and the beautiful planet sitting amongst them. I smiled before making the decision to go see Spock. It had been a long time since the last time I had seen him. A visit was due and he always had wise words to tell me. After seeing him I always felt smarter and more prepared for the world around me. I was in the middle of deep space when a shock wave hit me, a black hole appearing in front of me, seemingly from nowhere. The pull was too strong and I soon found myself in its grasp, moving closer and closer to it. I tried to break free but it was no use. I was pulled through, coming out into chaos. A massive ship was in front of me. As it started to shoot I went into warp, only it was two seconds to late. Right before I was gone, the back of my ship was hit. As I came out of the warp I lost control. Keeping it long enough to send for help as I crash landed back onto Earth.