A/N Sorry don't own or make anything off these.

I'm finally getting back into writing again, RL has sort of settled down (knock on wood). I decided to do some editing on Meetings and Joanna, I was reading through them to get a feel for where I'd left off and spotted a bunch of errors and just silly typos. So no new content -YET. Yes there will be a new chapter of Joanna soon. take care


TARSUS IV 2246

Temporary Acting Commander Christopher Pike hurried across the makeshift Starfleet compound towards the sound of a scream coming from the small mess set up for the group of recently rescued children. As he got closer he could here raised voices. There had been strict orders about these kids because of all they'd been through, and it was sounding like someone was going to be in serious trouble.

As he jogged through the door he took in the group of kids huddled against the back wall, the older ones trying to stay between the younger ones and the six adults in the room; some were swearing at the group of adults and glaring daggers at what they obviously believed to be a threat. Pike's eyes stopped as he saw one of the kids pick himself off the floor and face the men.

"They're not going anywhere unless you get someone they know in here, Sir." The boy said shaking his pale blond hair out of his face and fixing defiant bright blue eyes on the leader of the officers. "Why would they just trust that you are who you say after what happened here? All I know is you aren't from the Perseus." His tone was antagonistic but his face was almost calm except for the temper making his eyes blaze.

"We have our orders to take these kids over to medical so get out of the way, Kid" the officer replied and Pike identified him as Lt Connors off his own ship the Republic.

When the boy didn't move Connors took a step to the side and grabbed the arm of the dark haired girl standing at his shoulder. Everything seemed to happen all at once; the girl screamed, and the boy shot forward and delivered a blow to Connors' stomach hard enough to make the Lieutenant release the girl and double over slightly. As she stumbled out of reach, Connors' swung a backhand blow that caught the boy across the cheek and sent him crashing into a nearby chair as Connors turned back to the group.

Suddenly a loud piercing whistle filled the room and all eyes turned to Pike, the adults snapping to attention. "What the hell is going on in here? And you'd better have a good explanation when you get back to the Republic, Lieutenant!" Pike snapped angrily and watched all six adults as well as the kids flinch at his tone. "Connors you're on thin ice already, so grab your bully boys and report back to the ship, you and your friends are relieved of duty. And take these scientific parasites with you I'm pretty sure if you were supposed to be here these kids would know it," he finished with a hard glare that had the group hurrying out the door.

When they were gone Pike took a deep breath and relaxed slightly, 'Now to try and fix the mess those idiots made,' he thought.

"Wow, you can whistle really loud." A voice said causing Pike to turn back to the kids. The blond boy was sitting up watching him almost calmly as the other kids hung back.

"Thanks Son. Are you alright?" Pike asked, slightly surprised that the boy didn't seem more effected by the blow or fall.

"Yeah I'll be fine," he replied as a small boy of about four, scrambled through the group and crawled into the his lap. As he looked down at the little one, Pike noticed the split lip and rapidly darkening bruise on his right cheek. "Don't worry Kev." Pike heard him whisper as he slowly crossed the room.

"Kevin!" several of the older ones hissed as Pike reached them and knelt down to make sure the older boy was alright. The child just wrapped his arms around the boy and watched him with fear filled dark eyes.

"Calm down, Son, I'm not gonna hurt either of you, I just want to make sure you're alright." Pike said softly, keeping his hands in plain sight, and looking straight at the older boy. Close up Pike figured he was roughly thirteen, slightly small for his age, but his blue eyes were too knowing for a thirteen year old. His comment to Connors about the Perseus made Pike think that he wasn't one of the survivors, but even if he hadn't been with them through the massacre, he was definitely one of them now.

"James, is he?" Kevin asked fearfully, glancing rapidly between the two of them.

"Yeah Kev he's safe," James answered, gently shifting his grip on the child.

"H-How did you know James needed help?" the girl Connors had grabbed asked softly.

Pike chuckled, "I heard one of you scream and the raised voices, so I had to come make sure you were alright."

"Oh" she said looking around the group slightly embarrassed. And Pike was sure he heard at least one mutter something about JT and training.

"Jimmy?! What's going on in here?" came a slightly frantic call from the door. Pike turned to see who had snuck up on them.

"Mom, I'm ok." James called back gently nudging Kevin off his lap so he could stand, but kept Kevin's hand in his, as his mother hurried over.

Now that she was closer and no longer silhouetted against the sunlight, Pike recognized her instantly even though it had been thirteen years. "He got into an altercation, Winona, but he should be fine." Pike told her, as she stopped in shock at the sight of her former classmate and friend.

"Chris? Oh my God, how did you get here?" she asked before turning her attention to the kids. "Jimmy, what happened?" she demanded bending down to check his injuries.

"I heard the kids yelling and came to investigate and found him helping defend the kids from an overzealous quartet of security, and two scientists. Fortunately or not for them, they're going on report and I'm going to make sure that our security chief throws the book at them." Pike explained before Jimmy could say anything.

"Thank you Chris. I take it you're on the same ship?" Winona asked as she hugged her son, who just rolled his eyes at the rest of them over her shoulder.

"Yes the Republic for the moment, and don't worry, our chief's a family man and I know he won't go soft on them, so I shouldn't have to use the Acting First Officer card. Captain Gabriel 's fed up with them and their bully-boy tactics as well." Pike said as she checked over the rest of the kids. "May I help you with them?" he asked. "I don't have a lot of free time but I'd like to do more than direct clean up and searches."

"You'll have to ask Dr Puri about that, we're trying not to overwhelm them right away, but I don't think he'll turn you away. If you want to ask him you can help me walk them to medical." She told him then turned to the kids. "Dr. Puri sent me to get you because Tomas is our of surgery and awake." She said bringing cheers and smiles from the kids. "Follow me and First Officer Pike." Winona instructed as she picked up Kevin and headed for the door.

The next few weeks were both heartbreaking and rewarding for Pike as he helped with the cleanup as well as getting to know and finding homes for the kids in the group.

The girl that Connor's had grabbed, Cassie, had told him about the boy that had led and in many cases rescued them from Kodos' hunters, JT. Right after the Intrepid under Captain April had arrived they'd heard the fighting and he'd gotten close enough somehow to realize that help had arrived and had promised to bring help back. Instead it was Jimmy that that had found them. When Pike had asked about the other boy no one could tell him anything other than that a badly injured boy had wandered into the compound and told them about the kids. No one seemed to know anything else about him.

James, as he insisted everyone, other than his mother, call him, was the one that suggested to Pike that a self defense course might be useful. Some of the older kids knew a few basics but not much beyond a few punches. All the kids seemed to soak up the basic lessons that he put together for them, especially James who managed to end up being as much his assistant as his student over the next two months, as families were found for the kids and they slowly left Tarsus IV for the last time.

It took roughly six months of hard labor to finish what they could and leave the planet empty except for the graves.

Life moved on and while Pike never forgot Tarsus IV, and he figured no one else who'd been there could totally forget, it moved to the back of his mind. Especially after they got back to Earth and he was once again in command, this time of the Yorktown, and patrolling the Klingon Neutral Zone.

So it was with a bit of puzzled shock that roughly nine years later he was hit with a strong sense of déjà vu, trying to figure out why the slurred statement from the kid he'd just rescued from a bar fight with four of his cadets, sounded so familiar. 'You can whistle really loud.' Then suddenly it hit him, but there was no way that this could be George and Winona's youngest. But under the blood and bruises he was about the right age if his rapid calculation was right, and before he passed out, Pike had gotten a glimpse of blue eyes. Still it never hurt to check, so with the bar tender's help, he carefully shifted the almost unconscious young man to the floor and made sure he wasn't in immediate danger from his injuries.

"So who is he?" Pike asked as they stepped back.

"Jim Kirk, biggest troublemaker in the state and possibly this part of the country." The bartender replied shaking his head.

Pike was stunned; still it might be a coincidence. "What about his folks?" he asked after a minute.

"His mom works at the labs out by the shipyards, but word goin round is that they aren't speakin; Dad's dead, you should know that, he was on the Kelvin. There was a stepfather, but he's locked up somewhere now for abusing Kirk and his brother. The brother hasn't been round oh roughly nine years, took off just before they found out bout the stepfather." The man explained starting to clean up as he filled Pike in on the fight.

Pike hurried back out to the front of the bar quickly used their terminal to look up Jim's file. What he saw wasn't pretty. Juvenile pickups for underage drinking, fights, trespass. Then a few B&E's, reckless driving, DUIs; the list kept going. Everything started after he and Winona would have gotten back from Tarsus. But Pike also found signs of the boy he'd met, top marks in school, plus a list of computer courses longer than his rap sheet that he'd passed with top marks as well as several degrees, one awarded just yesterday. It was the college aptitude tests that blew him away they were off the charts. The kid was a genius and here he was picking bar fights. Pike had to shake his head in disbelief. 'Well here goes nothing.' He thought. 'I'll do what I can to get him some help George. This is no place for him.' He promised his late friend as he headed back into the bar. 'I hope he's still got Winona's common sense.' Was his last thought as he stepped through the doors to find Jim sitting at the table with another drink. With a quick glance up and a silent plea for some kind of help he sat down across from Jim.