Second Choice
Disclaimer: Star Trek isn't mine and unless I become a billionaire it never will be (but if I did own it K/S would be cannon as would Scotty/Uhura and Chekhov/Sulu).
A/n: This is the alternative ending to my multi-chapter fic No Other Choice and part of the Choices Series. This is set after chapter six of No other choice and is a one shot. Major Character Death warning.
"Where's my uniform?"
McCoy ignores Jim and rolls over and goes back to sleep. At least until Jim wakes him up again by shaking him.
"Come on bones you can go back to sleep when I'm on duty, I don't know where my uniform is."
McCoy's head pokes out of the pile on his bed.
"Is over there, bottom drawer."
And then he promptly falls back asleep. Jim eventually manages to find his uniform and goes through his usual morning ritual and the heads of to the bridge with a smile on his face, totally looking forward to being back at work. That nice pleasant feeling only lasted for a few minutes (the time it took to get to the bridge). Jim steps out of the lift and onto the bridge where his smile dies instantly, he feels like he has been punched in the gut because sitting in his Chair (yes it's a capital letter but its awesome, it swings and everything)is Spock who looks at Jim like he's the only thing in the world. Jim understandably begins to panic. Spock gracefully gets up out of Jim's chair.
"What are you doing here? Why aren't you in the brig?"
Spock takes a step towards Jim. Jim begins to hyperventilate; the bridge crew look worried.
"I was released from custody and have reported for duty as required by regulations."
Spock takes another step forward and Jim takes a step back.
"Stay from me."
Jim bolts from the bridge and goes back to his and McCoy's quarters, he almost collapses as soon as he gets through the door.
"Bones, wake up, please. I need you."
Hearing the panic in Jim's voice McCoy wakes up instantly.
"Christ kid what's happened?"
"They released him from the brig. He was on the bridge, he was in my chair. They let that animal sit in my Chair."
"Calm down Jim, here sit, while I get you connected to Pike."
A few minutes later and Jim is looking at his pseudo-father Admiral Christopher Pike.
"Why is Spock allowed on my bridge?"
"We cant charge him."
Jim looks shell shocked, McCoy comes over and puts a gentle hand Jim's shoulder. McCoy looks pissed.
"Because his father is the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth, and he has used his diplomatic immunity to protect his son. We cant do anything to punish him, we cant fire him, cant transfer him, we cant even demote him."
"What am I going to do? I cant trust him, I hate him, I cant even bear the idea of even being in the same room let alone being with him on my own. When I went onto that bridge today, he looked at me like nothing had happened."
"I'm sorry Jim. I don't know how to help you, but there is nothing I can do, if his father wasn't a diplomat and a good one at that we might have been able to swing something. I'm sorry Jim, there's nothing I can do."
Jim looks away, brain working furiously, then an idea comes to him.
"So let me get this right you cant demote, transfer or fire Spock because that will be seen as punishing him which according to the law you cant do?"
Pike nods, clearly wondering where this is going.
"What if you don't demote but promote him?"
"How would that punish him?"
"He doesn't want command he told me so after the Narada incident and he wont be on my ship so I don't have to see him everyday."
"Didn't... weren't... aren't you bonded to him?"
"Yes but because I never consented it's not legally binding and you can transfer him."
"It's not? Give me half an hour to make sure and I'll be back in touch."
Half an hour later
"You were right kid, you can get Spock off your ship, I've arranged for the USS Pegasus to rendezvous with you in three hours. Their first officer Gary Mitchell is willing to transfer over temporarily until you can find a replacement, their captain is retiring and so Spock will take over, he'll have to pick his own first officer of course. I'll send over the paperwork for you to sign, send it back as soon as possible. Do you want to give Spock the good news? Or can I have the pleasure of him finding out he will no longer be on the Enterprise?"
Jim swallows deeply.
"No I'll do it, the sooner he is off my ship the better."
"You'll also have to promote or transfer someone to fill the position of Science officer as I am aware that Spock currently fills that role as well."
Jim nods his head.
"I know, I've been thinking about that and have a couple in mind."
They end the call and Jim stands up.
"Do you want me to come with you kid?"
Jim nods and McCoy sighs, he grabs a clean uniform and gets dressed. Once McCoy is dressed they leave their quarters and head up to the bridge. Spock gets up out of the captains chair when he sees Jim enter the bridge.
"Captain on deck."
"Lieutenant Sulu, please change our current heading. We are to meet up with the USS Pegasus for a personnel transfer."
Jim takes a deep breath and using all of his command training turns to Spock.
"Congratulations are in order Mr Spock."
Spock looks completely confused and takes a step forward, Jim holds his ground.
"Captain? I do not understand."
"That's just it Spock, you are being promoted to Captain of the Pegasus and her first officer is transferring to work here."
"I do not wish to be a Captain, also we are bonded and current star-fleet regulations does not allow the separation of bond-mates."
Jim his most lethal smile which worries Spock.
"Fortunately we are not legally bonded, and the paperwork has already gone through. I suggest you start packing as we are due to rendezvous with the Pegasus in how long ensign?"
Jim looks over at Chekhov who quickly works out the current ETA to the Pegasus.
"2.68 hours sir."
"Huh 2.68 hours, I suggest you leave commander. Now."
Spock opens his mouth to speak but then closes it, he looks around the bridge and finds no support not even from Uhura; she refuses to even try and catch his eye, so he acquiesces and leaves. Spock walks into his quarters to find it in the same state he had left it;bed rumpled, now rotting fruit on the floor, a smashed comm unit and the remains of Jim's trousers and underwear by the bathroom door. Images come to the front of his mind and start to play like a movie making him remember everything he has done to his captain in excruciating detail, a dry sob rips through his throat and he collapses onto the floor.
"Oh T'hy'la I cannot leave you. What have I done? What can I do to fix this?"
The next two and a half hours pass in relative quietness on the bridge, Jim tries not to think about who was recently sat in his chair. Jim hopes that his new first officer will be able to work in the team. He glances over at Uhura every so often and she looks back at him but he cannot fathom what she is thinking. McCoy continues to hover over Jim who he knows is still shaken up by the confrontation with Spock and is generally being a pain in the ass to everyone on the bridge but it cheers Jim up because it makes him feel like everything is normal.
"Sir, we are within communications range of the USS Pegasus. Hailing frequencies open."
"On screen lieutenant."
The view screen changes to the bridge of the Pegasus, and reveals the Captain and first officer. The captain is a sixty year old balding male with distinctive green eyes, the first officer is a tall thirty year old male with golden buzz-cut hair and brown eyes. The first officer's (Gary Mitchell) eyes light up when he gets a good look at Jim.
"Captain Stewart, Commander Mitchell. It is a pleasure to speak to you."
"Captain Kirk, I have heard good things about you."
Jim internally winces but smiles outwardly.
"Looking forward to retirement Captain?"
"Yes, I look forward to having a peaceful nights sleep with no interruptions."
Jim smiles, he is just getting used to having a broken sleep pattern.
"I look forward to working with you Captain Kirk."
Jim turns his attention to the first officer and smiles again.
"And I look forward to working with you."
The conversation lasts until the two ships meet, then Jim makes his way down to the transporter room with McCoy. They are in the room for only a few seconds when Spock enters the room, McCoy immediately stands in front of Jim in a protective move. Spock's eyes tighten when he sees McCoy move, Spock takes a step forward but is stopped when the transporter chief lets them know that the Pegasus is hailing to let them know that they are ready to transfer the personnel. Jim gives the okay and Spock stands up on the transporter pad.
"Jim..."
"Energize lieutenant."
Before Spock can finish what he is saying he is enveloped in the transporter beam and transferred to the Pegasus. Once Spock is gone Jim takes a deep breath and feels relief for the first time since Spock attacked him. Jim doesn't have much time to breath before the lieutenant tells him that commander Mitchell is ready to be beamed aboard. Jim gives the nod and the transporter room is filled with a transporter beam and Gary Mitchell steps off the pad and down into the room.
"Hello Captain, permission to come aboard?"
"Granted."
Two months pass and Jim slowly starts to come out of his shell once again, he finds out he is pregnant with Spock's child but decides to keep it as he is severely lacking in the family department and he has always wanted children to show them the love and affection he was deprived of as a child. Jim moved back into his old quarters when Scotty arranged for the bathroom to be sealed off from the first officer quarters and for the first officer and science officer to share bathrooms instead. Jim had to turn down Gary Mitchell for a relationship after Gary made an overture. Jim didn't explain why except to tell Gary that he wasn't gay and so was only interested in women. Gary took it with good grace which calmed Jim down as he was tired of being so tense and scared.
Then came the mission to Eliser Prime and Kodos.
Jim and Gary Mitchell beamed down with a group of diplomats and a couple of security guards, it was blood bath. Gary was killed immediately when he sacrificed his life to save Jim, and the security team was killed in the next two seconds, Jim led the diplomats away from Kodos and the aliens but they were picked off one by one. Eventually there was only Jim left and he was caught by Kodos and his help.
"How did you escape from Tarsus?"
Kodos smiles at Jim.
"The same way you did, I walked onto a ship and was flown back to earth, thanks to your actions I was able to pass myself off as one of the victims long enough for me to escape but that's not important anymore, you were supposed to beam down here with that half breed freak Spock. Where is he?"
"I kicked him off my ship."
Kodos smiles.
"Oh yes of course he raped you, oh how silly of me to have forgotten. I apologise."
"How did you know that?"
"How do you think? I have a spy on your ship. Now I was going to spend time enjoying your body but unfortunately it would appear that one of your people managed to get off distress beacon before the shielding went back up, it covers the whole planet but we have lower the entire thing to beam down from a ship, it's a prototype but it has served it's purpose. Much like you have. Say your goodbyes James."
Jim takes deep breaths and brings up all of his courage in the face of his childhood nightmare.
"Fuck you Kodos."
Kodos tuts and smiles again, he lets his eyes sweep over Jim's body in a derogatory way.
"Oh no James there is no time for that mores the pity."
With that Kodos points his phaser at Jim's head and pulls the trigger.
On the other side of the quadrant Spock wakes in his captain quarters screaming, he feels his bond snap. There is a tiny thread of the bond left which connects Jim and Spock but it is so faint and Spock knows in that second that Jim is dead and there is no chance of a reconciliation between them, no chance for Spock to beg for forgiveness, no chance to win Jim back and Spock decides that it it is too much. With the loss of his soulmate, his T'hy'la Spock follows Jim into the afterlife in the vain hope to see Jim again. His body is found the next day by his first officer, the cause of death is unknown causes.
The end
A/N: Please review.