Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek.
A/N: I am not a huge writer of fanfiction, I just mostly read it. But I thought of this idea and was really happy to write this. This story will be able 3 chapters, depending how it goes it could be more. I guess it could a love/hate story for everyone, I don't know how people will react to this but I think the plot is good. Reviews, welcome ;)
'I don't get why the fuck I even came home' Jim thought as he sat in a rental car in the parking lot of the only bar in Riverside, Iowa.
He had been crying, his face still streaked with tears. He wiped his cheeks uselessly with his sleeve. This wasn't like him at all, he never cried. Anyone on board the Enterprise could tell you that, well maybe everyone except Doctor Leonard 'Bones' McCoy. But McCoy would tell you, the only thing he had ever seen Jim cry over was his family. While the Doctor hadn't seen him cry very often, every time he had it would somehow involve his father, a fight with his mother, his brother finally calling him, or how none of his family ever showed up for an important ceremony or event.
It was about seven months or so after the Narada Incident now, Jim Kirk had been Captain of the Enterprise ever since. It was nearly Christmas, and the Enterprise was docked for routine maintenance and a shore leave for her crew. They had been in space for seven months, the deserved a break, especially since, the were the best damn crew in all of Starfleet. Jim, now regretting his decision, had come home for the first time in almost four years. His mother had known he was coming, she had seemed enthusiastic about the visit at first, when he had commed her a few weeks before asking her if she would mind. It wasn't as awkward as he thought it would be, but within about three hours of his stay she had started yelling at him about how 'he'd never live up to his father' and something about him being an 'imposter' of his father. The screaming had probably went on for a good hour before he storme d out of the house to the car and now here he was, in the parking lot of the bar where he had made the decision to join Starfleet, a decision that changed his life forever.
It's not as if Winona Kirk hated her son, she was more scared of him then anything thing else, or that's at least what Jim had concluded long ago. He was the spitting image of his father, his eyes seemed to hold his soul. These ideals and fears had caused Jim to spend his entire life in the shadow of his dead father, and yet, after all the shit his mother had put him through with all her ex-boyfriends, her marriage to that abusive fucker, her constant trips off planet, and Taurus...but let's not even go there, the kid still loved her. He couldn't understand what he had done to deserve all that, but he still loved her. Maybe it was simply because she was his mother, but either way he would never stop wishing, even if it were just once, that she would look at him and not have the same haunted gaze in her eyes that he always saw. He wished that she wouldn't always see the ghost of his father when she looked at him. And here he was again, crying over his mother and he had no where to go in this dead-end town but the bar. He wasn't really in the mood to face people who had thought him a miserable failure all his life, but they knew about his achievements now, he guessed. He had gotten comms and messages on his PADD from the most random people ever since the Narada Incident. Many of those people were from out here, nieghbors, teachers, even people he had gotten into a bar fight or two with.
He was finally composed enough to go in, but he sat there for a few more minutes, just contemplating how funny life was. Four years ago, Kirk had been living a dead-end life, and one night at this place had changed everything for him. His life was so much better now, yet, he still couldn't let go of his past apparently. He had found where he belonged, finally. He felt that the Enterprise and her crew had been the only real home and family he ever had. His 'family' had offered him places to go for these holidays, knowing full well his home life wasn't ideal. Hell, even Spock who didn't celebrate Christmas had invited him back to New Vulcan for the shore leave, but for some reason Kirk had come back here. 'What the fuck is wrong with me?', he wondered as he looked down at his lap. His PADD suddenly chimed, and he looked at the message Bones had left him:
Just wondering how things are going with you Jim, the offer is always on the table for you to come down to Georgia. You better be taking care of that arm too.
Jim smiled at the thought of one of his best friends, caring about him even now when they were on Shore leave. The last sentence made him smirk, he was still be overprotective, as usual. Jim had cut his arm pretty badly on an away mission, another away mission that had gone to hell about a week ago. Bones had fixed him, yet again. His arm was wrapped thickly in gauze even now, so it had been a really bad and deep gash. Kirk, decided not to answer right now. He knew he couldn't lie well to Bones even over a PADD typed-out message.
He got out of the car, finally, ready to face whoever was in the bar. It couldn't be worse then facing his Mother. It was moderately crowded, it always was, he concluded as he walked through the door. People immediatley began recognizing him, TJ Miller, a kid he hadn't seen since middle school was the first to congratulate he assumed, neighbors and just regular townfolk began crowding him. Even an old boss of his, some older mechanic, named Henry came up to talk with him – even after he had threatened to sue Kirk for trashing his shop after being fired about seven years ago. The cops were here, as they always were breaking up fights at this joint. They had arrested Kirk before, for stupid things he had done, all those years ago. Hence the three misdemeanors that still stained his record. They even came up and talked to him about everything ranging from his last night here to his accomplishments in Starfleet.
When he was finally able to, he sat down at the bar, in the stool he always used to sit in. He simply ordered a Corona, he wasn't in the mood to get shit-faced tonight. His reputation, even at the Academy was one involving heavy drinking and coming back to the dorms late after a bar-fight, but over the past three or four years he had thoroughly improved his habits. That's not to say he wouldn't ever get into another barfight or he would never get totally wasted again, but he was much more controlled then he had once been. His thoughts disolved as a group of about 4 typical drunken brawlers walked into the building. He had probably seen them before, but he didn't remember their faces. They walked over to the far corner of the room and sat at a table, yelling annoyingly loud.
'They WOULD sit right near me' Jim thought rolling his eyes. He noticed they kept eyeing a younger guy a few seats away from himself, he was surprised to see this kid here, he didn't recognize him. No one but locals ever came here. The kid couldn't be older then 18 or 19. He was a bigger guy, as in rather buff and strong. He dressed exactly like Kirk had when he was that age. Actually, he was wearing exactly what Jim was wearing now. A leather jacket, jeans and a white t-shirt (except his had the Starfleet insignia on it, of course). He had obviously had a bit much too drink. Jim was soon lost in thought again and didn't notice one of the drunks get up, after yelling insults at the kid for a few minutes. A sudden shatter of glass caught his attention. He looked up to see the drunks ganging up on the kid as he was sprawled on the floor, the glass he had been holding shattered around him. Blood was gushing from the guys nose and one of them went to punch him again.
Jim, thinking quickly, got up and put himself between the kid and the brawlers. "Honestly, you have nothing better to do with your pathetic lives then pick on a kid at a bar," he said daringly. This was becoming all too familiar.
He received a punch or two for that before the cops stepped in and dragged the group of drunks outside. The kid, embarrassed, probably had ran to the bathroom. Jim followed, not only to wash the blood off himself but to see if the other guy was okay. The second he walked into the bathroom he received a glare he wasn't expecting.
"What the hell was that for? Trying to look like a big hero, yet again!", the kid said in disgust.
"Why did I help you? You know what, I really don't know what possessed me to help you out, maybe because sometimes when I was your age, I wanted help with things and never received it. Maybe I wanted to be different then most people, different like the one guy whoever helped me out in my life," Jim replied back, calmly, stemming the blood from a cut about his eyebrow.
"Oh, because I am so sure your life was oh-so-difficult," the kid said, slight surprised at Kirk's reaction. Watching Spock perform diplomatic procedures with hostile aliens had taught Jim to behave the same, with great patience yet silent determination. He was a proffessional now, he wouldn't bring himself to lash out at a kid, no matter how arrogant the comments he was making were.
"I bet I could give you a run for your money, kid," Jim replied with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Damn, he was becoming way to much like his First Officer. The kid snorted, and Kirk glanced at him. The kid finished cleaning his wounds, improperly of course, and walked out of the bathroom without so much a backwards glance at Jim. He exited the bathroom soon after to find the kid still sitting at the bar, drinking another shot of whatever. He sat next to him and smirked at the kids eye-rolling.
"Why the hell are you following me?", the kid complained. This whole incident tonight was reminding Jim of something he remembered very well.
"What's your name, kid?", he asked, not sure what to expect. The guy looked at him with a disgusted face and just simply said "CJ, CJ Pike". This night had just gotten way more interesting, especially now that Kirk knew why he had decided to come home when he had so many options laid out for him. He was brought back here for a reason.