The excitement in the air was tangible, the delighted expressions of the former crewmates seemingly lighting up the pathway. It was ten o'clock in the morning and the sun was already pretty high in the sky, beating down and illuminating the happy scene. Cadets walked around them, looking at them curiously before recognising the infamous crew and hurrying past with their heads bowed, whispering furiously. Chris could see the pure joy in his dad's face. A crew he had brought together so long ago that had remained inseparable friends despite the odds against them, had finally come back together. They were all hugs and smiles and greetings. The other kids stood by their parents, looking slightly wary and nervous, so Chris decided it was his charisma that would have to break the ice. Dropping his bag on the floor he stuffed one hand in the pockets of his cargo shorts, waving with the other.

"Hey, Chris Kirk." he introduced himself, "They seem happy enough right?" he joked, nodding at his mom who was enthusiastically hugging the dark skinned woman he thought might have been her best friend Nyota Uhura.

"It seems so." one of the two girls agreed, stepping forward and extending a hand. Chris shook it with a grin, eyes raking up and down her form to evaluate the girl as she introduced herself, "It's nice to meet you all, I'm Kaiyo Sulu." Her caramel coloured skin reminded Chris of a leggy blonde he knew back home in Iowa but he quickly pushed that thought out of his head…it was one of a few flings he preferred to forget if he was honest. She was rather petite, barely coming up much further than the middle of his chest - then again Chris was a rather tall six foot two already. Her jet black hair shimmered like black satin when she tilted her head and her dark eyes held such depth that one glance told him she was highly intelligent. Clearly she and her father were of Japanese descent, and Chris wondered briefly if she'd ever been to Japan because her accent was strangely smooth and hard to place, much like her father's.

Chris glanced around at the rest of the group, watching as a tall boy that had come with the small Scotsman eagerly lunged for her hand. He was clearly quite enthusiastic and Chris chuckled as he pumped her arm vigorously, ignoring her slightly horrified expression.

"That's a beautiful name lass. I'm Maxwell, but everyone calls me Max so you can call me Max too." he insisted. He was fairly tall, maybe a few inches shorter than Chris but still tall and looking very much like a mini version of his father, his Scottish brogue rather heavy but still understandable. His blue eyes shone with excitement and his scruffy brown hair was haphazardly fluffed on his head. He didn't appear to be too muscular but must have had one hell of a grip because Kaiyo cradled her hand briefly with a small grimace before forcing a polite smile. Chris watched as Max tried to drag the Vulcan kid into the conversation next.

He stood taller than Chris at six foot four, towering over his mother and coming up an inch taller than his father who had (like his son) clasped his hands behind his back. His hair was in a similar bowl cut to his dad's but with his mother's dark brown hair and his father's big brown eyes were circling the group, sizing them up. Chris could see the pointed ears that signified his part Vulcan genes poking upward toward the sky, the almost graceful arcs of his thin black brows gave him a more intellectual look.

"I am Fistrinn." he stated, inclining his head politely and adding, "It is pleasing to make your acquaintance at last." Chris felt a knowing smile tug at his lips; his dad had warned him of how impassive and blunt Vulcans could be. Fistrinn seemed to gravitate towards Kaiyo who had politely greeted him in Vulcan much to his surprise. If Chris was perfectly honest, he was pleasantly surprised himself at the emotion that flit through the Vulcan's eyes. He wasn't as stoic as his father and that made him just a little more bearable. Chris's eyes landed on the only boy to have not spoken yet. Stepping forward he offered him a hand and shook it firmly, seeing the boy's dark green eyes shine with relief. He introduced himself as Anton Chekov, and Chris watched Kaiyo's expression change completely before she spoke in what he guessed was Russian. Anton's face lit up and he animatedly responded to her in his mother tongue, beaming with joy as she grinned with pride.

"So you've got a talented tongue then?" Chris asked with a charming grin, making Kaiyo blush a bit. She had gravitated towards the nervous Russian boy and both looked up at him with varying expressions. Kaiyo appeared amused at his attempt to flirt but Anton seemed almost confused as to what he was implying.

"I have an affinity for languages yes." Kaiyo agreed, "I hope to be a communications officer one day." Max bounced into the conversation with his usual perky demeanour, throwing an arm around her shoulders and nearly knocking her off of her feet.

"Ah! We could be working on the bridge together lass! I'll be a top class tactical navigator and I'll use my skills when yer struggling to negotiate peace." he chirped.

Kaiyo laughed slightly,
"What about you Anton? What do you want to be?" she asked him.

The Russian boy hummed slightly,
"I would like to work in engineering." his heavy accent made him speak a little slower so his words were understandable but Chris was impressed with the fluency he spoke both languages with. Max quickly struck up an animated conversation with him about what that would be like and what his courses would entail at Starfleet, leaving the poor nervous kid to try and keep up as Kaiyo muttered things to him in Russian that made him smile. Chris had barely noticed her before (she hadn't exactly made an attempt to introduce herself) but seeing Fistrinn's gaze locked on someone to his right he turned away from the loose group of teens and the gaggle of parents to see her stood by herself, scowling at the ground as she hugged her waist, hair blowing in the wind.

Fistrinn stepped forward, looking down at her as her head snapped up and she stared at the Vulcan boy before her. Her expression was fairly bitter, with her eyebrows furrowed slightly and her lips pressed into a line while her narrowed eyes glared up at him. Chris noticed (with some amusement) that her expression was identical to a man he assumed was her father. Both appeared to be quite grumpy despite how happy he could see the man was to be with his father and the rest of his friends again through his actions.

"You seem distressed." Fistrinn noted, "You do not wish to be here so why did you come?" Chris almost choked on the air he was breathing, deciding to hurry over to keep the peace as the girls expression became that much more sour,
"My dad made me." Her accent was as southern as her fathers, if not a tiny bit heavier. Chris guessed she'd never been out of wherever she was from for a long period of time to make it a bit more subtle.

Fistrinn cocked an eyebrow,
"Your father cannot make you do anything. It is you who has allowed him to force you into this situation." he replied, and surprised Chris with hint the hint of sarcasm in his voice. The girl's eyebrows rose incredulously on her head and Chris could hear his dad behind him, muttering about how 'she's inherited the eyebrow thing from you Bones'. The girl's arms folded over her chest, a scoff escaping her lips as her stinging glare raked over the taller boy.

"Oh really? It's my fault huh? And I'm supposed to spend six weeks with you." she huffed. Chris quickly stepped in to try and ease some of the tension beginning to ripple between them, envisioning a fist fight breaking out.

"Hey, Chris, Chris Kirk. You're Mr McCoy's daughter right?" he guessed. The girl whipped her head around to face him, her sour expression falling back into her less threatening bitter one as opposed to the venomous glare she was aiming at the Vulcan boy. Her eyes were the colour of dark chocolate, beautiful and honest and less grumpy than the rest of her face, and they complimented her skin tone wonderfully. She was a light bronze colour, flawlessly tanned to perfection with a slender hour glass figure. Her hair was blonde, dead straight near the top but ending in loose curls that she'd pulled back into a ponytail. Suspicion clouded her eyes and Chris cocked an eyebrow slightly as she nodded once, begrudgingly shaking his hand like it was going to bite her.

"That's me." she agreed. Chris saw Fistrinn walk away with a slight huff and chuckled,
"I think you made him mad."

The girl just rolled her eyes a bit, staring after the Vulcan with that sour expression back on her face. If looks could kill Chris had no doubt the Vulcan boy would be six feet under and then some.

"Pointy eared bastard." she grumbled under her breath, "And people say I'm rude." Chris almost laughed, but thought it best not to as he gestured towards the group behind them,
"You should come meet the others. They're pretty cool you know...fair warning though, Max is a little overzealous." he smiled, attempting to be friendly and not come off as trying to hit on her.

She wrinkled her nose a bit, her eyes sizing up the group and her expression telling him she didn't like that idea at all. Chris was acutely aware of his father's gaze, knowing it well from childhood and sensing it on his back as he interacted with the girl. Seeing he was getting nowhere, he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him, taking the full force of her glare as he tugged her along and chuckling as she demanded he let her go.

"You can't spend six weeks on your own so suck it up and say hi." he said encouragingly. The girl just huffed and glared heatedly at the ground, almost looking as though she wished it would swallow her whole.

"I don't like people and people don't like me so quit trying, hick." she growled.

Fistrinn sighed,
"A fact that is painfully obvious, you are not very endearing." he agreed, the sarcasm heavy in his tone. His mother scolded him but the girl just scoffed,
"Don't agree with me pointy, it creeps me out." she shot back.

Chris rolled his eyes a little, running a hand through his already tousled hair and shrugging at his dad.

"She's a lot like her farther Georgie." he chuckled, clapping his shoulder. His dad was the only one who got to call Chris Georgie, something Chris made blatantly clear to anyone who tried it. "Chris, this is Bones. Bones, Chris grew a little taller since you last saw him." Jim Kirk smiled proudly at his son who shook hands with the grumpy looking man, surprised when he actually smiled a bit.

"Damn well has. Last time we met the kids were what? Three?" he guessed. Chris became vaguely aware of the girl bickering with Fistrinn about derogatory references to his ears and Bones rolled his eyes, "Dammit Liz, would it kill you to be nice for five minutes?" he grumbled.

Chris raised an eyebrow,
"Liz? So, you're called Elizabeth then right?" Chris questioned, gaining the attention of both Fistrinn and Liz. The girl sighed a little, looking done with the whole ordeal.

"Congratulations Kirk, you have a brain cell." she scowled at him and Chris grinned,
"Several actually, not bad for a hick huh?" he teased.

She huffed, a small smirk gracing her features,
"It's a miracle you know how to get dressed in the morning." she remarked with a sneer.

Chris knew it wasn't meant as a snide comment (even as Fistrinn protested it was) and burst out laughing, walking over to sling an arm around her shoulders much to her annoyance. Fistrinn eyed him confusedly as the other teens eyed the girl warily, clearly not seeing the endearing side of her like Chris was beginning to.

"I think that you need to learn to lighten up." he announced, seeing Bones watching amusedly, folding his arms over his chest.

"Good luck with that kid." he chuckled gruffly. Elizabeth groaned,
"Dad!" she complained. Bones just shrugged in response and his daughter shot him one last pleading look, "Please don't make me do this!"

Bones just sighed,
"Relax baby girl, you're in good company, even if you don't see it." he promised, reaching over to put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly.

"Yeah, it won't be all bad." Max chimed in while she shrugged off Chris's arm.

"Fine, fine." she grumbled, "But don't expect me to smile about it."

Chris grinned,
"Wouldn't dream of it Lizzie, you smile when you're ready and maybe, if we're lucky, we might just be able to make you laugh to." he quipped, "We're short a helmsman but we could make our own crew." he added playfully. Seeing Elizabeth's annoyed but confused look he elaborated, "Well we have communications, navigation, engineering, tactical, I'm assuming science and I'm in the running for command, you're medical right?" Elizabeth just sighed, nodding once and rolling her eyes skyward, hands twisting into the hem of her shirt being the only sign she was nervous now.

"Wonderful, so we can run a ship we just can't fly one." she said sarcastically.

"Must you always be so pessimistic?" Fistrinn asked with a sigh. She glared at him again and Chris couldn't help but see a pattern forming, endeavouring to keep the pair at least three feet away from one another at all times.

"I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist." she retorted bitterly. Fistrinn opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it apparently and closed it again. Their parents watched with varying degrees of amusement as their children got to know one another, continuous bickering breaking out between Fistrinn and Elizabeth. Bones and Spock shared a look that spoke volumes – for once in his life the Vulcan looked amused.

"They're just like we were." Bones noted.

Spock nodded once,
"Then it seems only logical to conclude that they will one day form a strong friendship." he reasoned. Bones rolled his eyes a bit but hummed in agreement, giving Jim an irritated glare after he had nudged him in the ribs when Elizabeth's eyebrow rose in an identical way to his.

"She's so like you." he chuckled. Kaiyo and Anton seemed to have hit it off and Hikaru and Pavel were immensely enjoying watching the pair of them try to learn Japanese together. Spock and Nyota watched Fistrinn allow a ghost of a smile to cross his lips when speaking to Chris, already well aware that a great friendship was forming their as it had once done between Spock and Jim.

"Max is all over the place." Natalie laughed, nudging Scotty who merely chuckled in response,
"Aye, he's an energetic lad but he can be a wee bit boisterous." Scotty admitted.

They watched as Max clapped Chris's shoulder hard enough to make him stumble, but the sandy haired blue eyed boy merely laughed it off and hit him back playfully. Kaiyo and Anton tentatively engaged Elizabeth in conversation, the girl's bitter expression breaking into a slightly softer one that let Bones know she had resigned herself to the fact she was here to stay and was trying to play nice. She didn't smile (just as she had promised) but they seemed to grow less weary of her and more accepting of her attitude. Chris and Fistrinn joined them eventually and despite the roll of her eyes Elizabeth seemed to accept the Vulcan's presence, Max's animated ramblings about all things explosive keeping them all entertained. Their parents at least were satisfied that over the next six weeks, they would look out for and after each other.

The former crew of the now retired Enterprise glanced at one another with secret smiles - they were almost certain they were looking at the future bridge crew of Starfleet's future flagship.

"We're still on for the dinner later right?" Jim checked with his friends, winding an arm around his wife's waist and brushing his lips over her temple. They all immediately nodded their heads and turned to see one of the Academy instructors hurrying to greet them. She was a small woman with corkscrew curls that spilled in an auburn wave over her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright and unnatural icy blue and her skin was so pale she was almost translucent. Her grey uniform almost camouflaged her among the silver buildings on the horizon. It was almost as though she didn't want to be seen. She held a clipboard in her hand and glanced at the teenagers all getting along happily (well somewhat happily in Elizabeth's case) with an almost predatory gaze. It made Bones' skin crawl even though he passed it off as just the nerves of having to spend so long without his daughter.

"You are all here for the summer camp, yes?" she checked, bright eyes raking over the teenagers and before landing on their parents. Spock's head cocked when he saw the satisfied look in the glowing orbs of her eyes and glanced at his friends to see if they had spotted it to, but nobody else appeared to be uncomfortable and so he brushed it off as a trick of the light. The teens fell silent, knowing it was time as their parents merely gave a silent nod. "Please collect your bags and sign next to your name." she instructed with a dazzling smile. Jim noticed their hesitance, even the enthusiastic Max seemed unwilling to make a move and he realised they were all nervous. Six weeks was a long time when they were used to living with their families, but he was proud to see Chris step up like the leader he wanted to be and sign the sheet, grabbing his duffel bag and turning to face the others with a grin.

Fistrinn was next, then Max, and after a quick and not too reassuring complaint about solar flares (that Bones reprimanded her amusedly for) Elizabeth lead the way for Kaiyo and Anton. With all of their bags shouldered the teens endured last minute hugs and kisses, and Chris couldn't help but hang back for the reluctant Elizabeth as she said goodbye to her dad. Just like a good captain he made sure no man was left behind. Bones kissed her forehead gently, pushing her back to get a good luck at her face.

"You can call anytime you want remember." he reminded her quietly, not letting go of the grip he had on her shoulders. She nodded her head, no longer looking grumpy but more forlorn than anything. Jim sent Chris a very obvious look and knowing how much his dad's friendship with Bones meant to him and nodded in agreement - he would look after Elizabeth as best he could.

"Love you baby girl." he murmured gruffly, clearly fighting tears.

"I love you to daddy." she whispered, giving him one last bone crushing hug before she pulled back, her bitter expression back on her face, "But I still hate you for making me do this." she added.

Bones chuckled,
"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." he admitted, giving her a little push as Chris helpfully called out she was going to be late if she didn't hurry up. Elizabeth cast an annoyed glance over her shoulder and rolled her eyes.

"You know, my daddy warned me about boys as persistent as you." she called back, but Chris Kirk could have sworn there was a hint of a smile fighting to grace her lips. She held back however and Chris was left wondering what a smile would look like on her. She looked beautiful with a scowl and he could only imagine a smile would make her radiant.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Chris promised her, slinging an arm over her shoulder and walking with her towards the rest of the group. Their parents watched as they were led towards one of the shuttles that had touched down on the pathway for them. Bones looked at his old friend with a slight glare, the deadly intent behind his eyes making Jim raise an eyebrow at him.

"Jim, I'm fond of you...but your kid better keep it in his pants." he warned him. Jim just laughed and shook his head.

"He's got a little more humility than that Bones...he'll ask you first." Jim replied, grinning at the dark glare on his friends face while his wife tried to placate the man imagining what it would be like to castrate a Kirk. "So...how about we go catch that movie then?" Jim suggested. There were general hums of agreement from the group (who were looking forward to seeing their movie and then spending dinner together) for it had been far too long since they'd met up like this, and with the weekend to catch up they were looking forward to seeing what they could get up to, wondered what trouble they could cause. Turning, they watched the shuttle that held their children lift off, heading in a wide arch up towards the Space Dock so they could get on the ship they needed to reach Tarsus IV, unaware that their children were looking down on them. Chris had sat himself on the left near the window, Elizabeth cocooned between him and Max with Kaiyo, Anton and Fistrinn sat behind him. He heard her sigh slightly and shot her a comforting smile, seeing the discomfort on her face.

"Well here we are, boldly going where...most kids have admittedly gone before." Chris chuckled. Elizabeth merely shot him an unimpressed look.

"Six weeks of this." she grumbled, "God help me."