[Chapter thirteen-B-sixteen years later]
Jim was back on Starfleet's campus. He was there for the graduation of his sixteen year old son.
Jim slipped into the auditorium, and smiled as he saw his son standing waiting to be called, he would be called last, not because he'd almost failed but because he had more graduation subjects then any other kid there, he was also the youngest.
"And last but not least George S. Kirk, who not only is our youngest graduate but also the one with the most diverse subjects that he is graduating in. Congratulations, Joey." The man handed Joey the diploma.
"Thank you." Joey smiled.
The ceremony ended and the graduates found their way to their parents.
Joey's smile hadn't fallen at all, as he found Jim.
"Can you believe it, mom, I graduated!" Joey said, excitedly.
Jim shook his head. "we knew you would three years ago when you started Starfleet, love."
"They might even assign me to the Enterprise, mom. After all your stories, I would be able to meet the characters in them." Joey said, happily. "And I get to meet…"
"Jim!" A familiar voice yelled as a brown haired, hazel eyed man walked over wearing Starfleet issued doctor blues. "What the Hell are you doing here?" the man asked, glaring at Jim.
"Bones, this is my son, Joey, Joey this is Bones." Jim said by answer as Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, Scotty, and Spock joined them.
"We all figured." The older man snapped, then punched Jim in the face.
"Hey!" Joey yelled, jumping to grab the next punch from Spock. Joey barely managed to push the half Vulcan away as Jim straightened; Joey went to throw a punch of his own but stopped when Jim grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't get suspended before you even start, Joey."
"Mom, he started it!" Joey said.
"George, you listen to me, I don't care if he started it, you walk away." Jim said. "Even…"
"Even if they call you a Vulcan's whore, slut or any other degrading name." Joey sighed as he interrupted Jim. "He didn't call you anything though."
Jim shook his head. "Joey this is the Enterprise's senior crew, Spock, Sulu, Chekov, Uhura, Scotty, and Bones." Jim said pointing to each one.
"So…"
"Joey, I kind of deserved it. I just left nearly seventeen years ago, without an explanation." Jim explained.
"Fine, but that's no reason the Vulcan should punch you. Logically he should realize that he could have killed you or given you a concussion." Joey glanced at Spock, before turning back to Jim. "Obviously, he allowed his human emotions to over rule his Vulcan logic." Joey finished.
"You don't really have much room to talk, kid." Scotty said in Spock's defense, "You're half an' half, too."
"I actually have plenty of room to speak as I am more human then Vulcan, Mr. Scott."
"Okay… Joey, enough matching wits." Jim interrupted.
"Wait…" Uhura said, "if he's sixteen, only part Vulcan, and your mysterious one nighter with the secret love…Oh my Stars!" she exclaimed, hands over her mouth, "Why did you never say any thing, Jim."
"I did tell you, Uhura. It was stated clearly to me."
"But they both have a right to know."
"Joey knows, Uhura. How dare you think I'd deny him his father." Jim snapped, angrily "I am never going to be my mother. Joe has never been my reminder, never an obligation, and he never will be."
"And what about Joey's father, Jim, what about him? Doesn't he deserve to have a say in his son's life? It takes two to raise a child well."
"No, it doesn't, Joey's done just fine with only me."
"Why didn't you tell him, Jim?"
"Do you know what it's like to be an obligation, Uhura?" Jim asked, "to know that you're not wanted, that you're not a choice, just a ghost to the person who is the center of you're world. Do you know how it feels to realize that even though they're the center of your world the only reason you're in theirs is because of who your father was?"
Uhura shook her head.
"I do, I didn't want that for Joey, I didn't want Joey's father to look at him as an obligation because it really hurts to watch your mother crying over seeing someone without being able to touch them." Jim told her.
"Jim, maybe he was laying to himself, too." she said.
"Vulcans don't lie, Uhura," Jim snapped, having forgotten about the others.
Their eyes widened as they put the pieces together to get the bigger picture.
"Jim, tell me it's a lie, that you did not have a kid the hobgoblin." Bones said desperately.
Jim looked at Bones as he whispered, "I can't." with tear filled eyes before running from the Starfleet buildings.
Spock was frozen, staring at the teen who had just graduated, Jim's son, his son, the son he had never met because of Jim. Spock's fists clenched before they relaxed, he had practically told Jim he would never like him like that and that it was an experiment which would only last that night, not going beyond that. He'd chosen to turn off the road they could have had that night, the road Spock Prime had taken with his Kirk, it was his own fault that he didn't know his son, that his son was glaring at him like he was the reason for every bad day Jim had had while the boy was growing up, and Spock realized that it was his fault. He had forced Jim on this path, the one of single parenthood.
Joey had remained silent while Jim had talked, he turned to Uhura now.
"You are not nice to question what my mother has lived with for the last sixteen almost seventeen, years. Mom gave me everything he could. On some days I could see pain, sorrow, and tears but he never regretted keeping me." Joey said.
"Vhat do you mean 'keeping you'?" Chekov asked.
"He thought about putting me up for adoption, Mr. Chekov, had a couple picked too, just hadn't told them yet, because he didn't want to get their hopes up, he chose to keep me last minute." Joey answered.
Joey turned to Spock. "Why are you still here? Why haven't you gone after him?" Joey asked.
"I have no right to go after him." Spock told Joey.
"Why not he loves you still, he never cut you out, you were always there, not in person but spirit, he told me stories, told you'd be proud, taught me Vulcan, and when I wanted a Vulcan haircut he got it for me, even though it made me look like you. Sure you have a lot to make up for but that's beside the point, Mom forgot one important fact about when he said 'Vulcans don't lie' he forgot you weren't all that Vulcan." Joey smiled. "Go after him, dad, he needs you as much as you need him."
Spock nodded and walked quickly in the direction Jim had gone, hoping that Jim was where he was heading, where Spock thought he'd go.
Jim lay on the grass looking up at the stars. He was next to the Enterprise, he really couldn't help it, the Enterprise had always been home to him before Joey, it had taken him closer to his parents.
A noise made Jim sit up and turn. Spock stood a little ways away from, hands by his side, just standing there.
"Spock? What do you want, is Joey…"
"Joey is fine, Capt…Jim, he sent me after you." Spock said, approaching Jim and sitting next to him. "Jim, I was lying that night, I apologize, you were not just an experiment, you were much more." Spock said turning to face Jim and resting his palm on Jim's cheek.
"Spock?" Jim asked, looking into Spock's eyes. "Please don't break my heart again."
"I can't promise that, with being on the Enterprise, but I can promise I will always be in love with you, Th'y'la." Spock said and kissed Jim on the lips while entwining his free hand with one of Jim's.