Closure 1

Jamie was glad the burning pain was finally gone and she didn't have to see Spock's sad brown eyes staring at her through the glass.

Life didn't hold much appeal for her now that Khan had taken so much from her and she had gone into the Warp core without hesitation to save her crew.

"Honey, please tell me you didn't get yourself killed already."

Her spirit leaped at the sound of Chris's voice. She hadn't heard it since the disastrous Daystrom incident that took his life and left her alone again. Turning around, she saw him standing (or was it floating?) there in front of her with that exasperated, but fond expression she was familiar with.

"Well, I was just doing captainy things," she shrugged sheepishly, "Trying to keep my ship from crashing and my crew from dying. Unfortunately, it required a little...adjustment of the Warp core, which was sabotaged. I hate to say this, but your mentor has a few screws loose."

She yearned to get nearer to him, but didn't know if it was all an illusion and he would vanish if she got closer.

Chris's face went from appalled to angry to devastated as he listened to her explanation, quickly coming close in spirit form and pulling her to him. She thought he was looking better than he'd been even before Nero.

"Oh, Jamie. I was beginning to suspect something was up but I never dreamed he'd gone that far. With the radiation you must have been exposed to... Shoot. That's one awful way to die. I failed you, honey, and I'm sorry."

"You didn't fail me, Chris," she whispered. "I should have seen that Marcus was deceiving me. Why else would he put a compromised widowed Captain back in the chair? If I'd listened to Spock, things would never have come to this."

"You listened later and prevented even more innocent deaths, Jamie. I'm very proud of you, you know."

He brushed a hand over her cheek, which she surprisingly could feel, and she leaned against him the way she used to when they were having a moment, smiling shakily as she remembered him saying those words their last night together.

"Do I get to stay with you forever?" She asked hopefully, looking her fill in his wise grey eyes. The last time she'd seen them, they'd been empty and lifeless, and she'd just missed getting to say goodbye.

"Not yet, sweetheart. You've got someone else on earth who cares deeply for you and is fighting his hardest to bring you back."

"You mean Bones? That man never knows when to give up. You'd think I was his own sister or something."

"Or something," Pike said mysteriously.

She put her hands on her hips and stared.

"You're not implying Bones likes me THAT way. That's just...impossible," She declared indignantly. "He's always stabbing me with hypos and calling me a pest, nuisance, or infant and telling me how old I make him feel. Besides, I don't want anyone but you. I love YOU. I don't want to get over you."

She buried her face in his shoulder, not wanting to ever leave. She needed him badly.

With an understanding sigh, Chris wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"I know, beautiful, and I love you too, but your time's not up yet. I'm grateful beyond words we had this time for closure, but Leonard needs you to come back. Did I ever tell you about the shovel talk he gave me when we got married?"

"No. What did he say?"

"He strongly hinted that Centaurian slugs would be the least of my problems should I hurt you. He was unusually intense about it and I read between the lines that is was more than a brotherly concern, but didn't hint I knew his secret."

Jamie giggled at the thought of her gruff friend threatening Chris. Bones wouldn't hurt a flea and they both knew it, but it was the principle of the thing that counted.

She could feel herself getting heavier and heavier and realized she was fading out.

"You're right, Chris," she acquiesced. "I think it's time for me to go now. I promise I'll do a better job of respecting the chair now that I've learned my lesson."

He chuckled and gave her a kiss goodbye.

"Good, but never forget I love you."

"I won't, Chris. Love you."

With these words, she was pulled back to her body, eyelids blinking open to see Bones's grumpy, tired face staring down at her.

"Don't be so melodramatic, you were barely dead," he grumped.

Jamie grinned up at him despite the renewed ache of missing her husband because Chris was right, she'd never be alone. She'd have the support of her chosen family to get her through this.

"Nice to see you, too, Bones," she managed to croak out.

Unnoticed to her, the doctor's "legendary" hands were shaking with the depth of his relief.