The Captain was slapped back into consciousness literally. His first view of the world was blurred from motion as his head snapped to the side under the assault, and his mind whirred frantically as he tried to figure out what the hell was happening and why his head was pounding so badly. He quickly worked out that the hijacking and Adrian wasn't just a nightmare; the pain he felt and the beating he had taken was very real. His burning lungs and cracked ribs were testament to that.

"No, no. You're not getting away from us that easily." Adrian sneered and tightened his hold on Pike's uniform. Chris blearily looked up into his captor's face and remembered the maddening events leading up to this moment with perfect clarity, he remembered not being able to breathe and watching the world grow darker. God knows how long ago that had been but if he had to guess he would say probably no longer than a few minutes.

He screwed up his face as a particularly nasty wave of nausea rocked his body. The last thing he wanted to see was Adrian's sneering expression but he couldn't afford to fall back into the darkness again, his crew needed him. Adrian lost patience waiting for his captive to wake up properly so he slapped him again. Pike felt his teeth smash into his gums cutting them, but honestly the slap actually did more harm than good; the shock of the contact helped to ground him in the here and now.

When Pike looked more aware and less likely to simply drop away again Adrain let go of his shirt, and Chris slumped back against the base of the Captain's chair. He focussed on simply breathing normally when the change in position sent shooting pains up his side, breathing was easier said than done with a broken nose and lungs that burned with every breath. He had taken some beatings over the years but he could scarcely remember feeling as drained as this, sadly he was getting far too old to treat his body this way. In the past he had been at least able to defend himself, Adrian wouldn't let him do that not after the incident in his quarters; the man was a coward.

The Captain scrutinised his crew's condition and let out a sigh of relief as he saw that everyone was present and accounted for, although he frowned when he saw evidence of a few of them being knocked around. He connected the dots and realised the new marks probably appeared after the scuffle he had heard earlier.

He clocked each of the hijacker's positions and tensed when Adrian passed nearby, thankfully he carried on walking to speak with his first officer. Chris locked eyes with each of the crew in turn to try and offer any reassurance he could, strangely he saw sympathy on most of their faces. Maybe it was possible he looked worse than he felt.

A Captain was supposed to be a beacon of strength and something the crew could look to in times of crisis and draw strength from, so Pike schooled his features and masked the worst of the pain, smiling at each of his crew reassuringly. He had no idea how much good the action really did but morale was crucial in situations like this, and they needed to rely on each other if they were going to make it out of this mess in one piece.

Without warning alarms blared throughout the bridge and a mechanical voice blurted out that control had been lost, Pike watched as each panel died one by one all appearing with the same error message. Chis couldn't help but smile as he watched the chaos, someone had been busy elsewhere on the ship and this little stunt had Burnham's fingerprints all over it.

"What's going on?" Adrian shouted wildly, pointing his phaser at each crew member in turn.

The leader eventually rounded on Pike and pointed his phaser at his head. Pike thought it best to answer before his face was used as a punching bag again. "Your access has been revoked, you've lost control of the ship."

Adrian turned as if to walk away then changed his mind in the last instant, bringing his foot round in a blinding roundhouse kick that slammed into Pike's shoulder sending him toppling to the floor in an agonising heap. Chris groaned miserably and wished he had just kept his mouth shut, no matter what he seemed to do Adrian always lashed out at him.

"Get it back for us!" Adrian yelled and kicked his captive in the stomach nastily.

Pike coughed violently and was dismayed to taste blood creeping up his throat. He wanted desperately to curl up into a ball and clutch his stomach protectively but sadly that wasn't possible at the moment. The Captain hacked in each breath until his lungs stopped tightening, and he remained on the floor figuring if he managed to drag his body back to it's knees he would just get knocked down again.

He blearily glared at Adrian who just scowled and stalked off to talk to his people, pointing animatedly at the crew then the panels which blared with warnings and alarms. Pike watched the hijackers all talking on their communicators most likely trying to get in contact with others on the ship, Chris felt a spark of hope when he saw them all have problems. The hijackers had appeared in control and confident a few minutes ago but now they were falling apart at the seams and panicking badly.

The Discovery crew remained quiet as the hijackers frustrations grew and they began hitting unresponsive terminals, sometimes even firing phaser blasts into them. Pike stated to get edgy when Adrian started pacing in front of him. When it looked like he was about to turn his questions on the crew Pike pulled the mad-man's attention back onto him.

"You know this can't last. There's only a handful of your men against a hell of a lot of us."

It definitely did the trick in getting Adrian's attention. The man stiffened and turned to glare down at his captive, his muscles tensed with barely contained rage. "Yes we are few, but we have you Captain."

Adrian gripped Pike's shirt and pulled him to his knees, the phaser coming to rest against his chest. Chris eyed the phaser warily then met Adrian's hateful glare. "That doesn't matter as much as you think it does, my crew do not need me to retake control of this ship."

He really did believe that, the crew was greater than a single man and the bridge had already had power taken away. Adrian was fighting a losing battle but he just refused to see it. Pike watched Adrian's face twitch and was half expecting a punch to the jaw again, what he did not expect was to see the hijacker beam as if he had just had a brain wave.

"You're the Captain." Adrian grinned as if Pike needed reminding.

Chris had no idea where the hijacker was going with this. "So what?"

Adrian leaned closer and explained his great plan. "So you can override this control with your access codes."

Oh shit, he hadn't bargained on Adrian knowing or even utilising that fact. It was true a Captain's command codes could override anything Burnham had put in place, especially as he doubted they would have had a chance to block him out, only starfleet command could do that. Sadly he realised a second too late that his horror was painted all over his face, also it didn't help that his poker face was completely awful. Adrian smirked triumphantly. Knowing denial wouldn't help Pike chose the path of resistance.

"Go to hell." He spat into his captor's face, fully expecting his defiance to met with swift violence. Adrian was nothing if not predictable, the violence came quickly and brutally, with kicks aimed at his mid section repeatedly.

Pike curled up into a ball and grunted with each impact, feeling his insides bruise and bend miserably. He lost count of the kicks and realised Adrian may keep this up all day, that was until the beating suddenly stopped just as quickly as it had started. The Captain blearily sought out his attacker and worriedly saw Adrian staring at the kneeling crew members with that stupid brainwave idea on his face.

Adrian threw Chris a wicked grin before he stomped over to the crew and grabbed Tilly by the arm, realising he could get what he wanted another way. Pike painfully dragged himself to his knees and felt genuine fear for the first time, not fear for his own life but fear for the lives of his crew. Adrian dragged Ensign Tilly over and forced her to her knees forcefully causing her to cry out in shock. Pike wanted to lash out and would have done if his hands weren't restrained as they were, hurting him was one thing but hurting his people made his blood boil.

Chris swallowed the lump in his throat and fought down the nausea brought on by the image of Tilly with a phaser pistol held against her head. He tried to catch her eye but she was busy staring at a spot on the floor trying to ignore the weapon poised to steal her life.

"Leave her alone you son of a bitch." Pike spat out venomously.

Predictably Adrian didn't take the threat well. He held the phaser like a bat and smashed it across the Captain's face. Pike's head snapped to the side and blood splashed out of his mouth grimly. Chris shook his head until he stopped seeing multiple Adrian's and glared at the hijacker defiantly.

Adrian lost his temper again and grabbed Tilly's jaw forcefully, forcing it up and jamming his phaser against her neck. "Do you want me to hurt her?" He sneered nastily.

Pike blocked out Adrian's threats and his own fears, he latched onto Tilly and sought her terrified eyes. Out of all the people on Discovery Ensign Tilly was one person he would never forget, as soon as he had met her he had been drawn to her bubbly nature and compassionate heart. She would make a great Captain one day and he was going to make damn sure she made it. Eventually she met his stare and tried to put on a brave front, but he could tell she was struggling. They had all watched their Captain being damn near beaten to death by the man that now held a phaser against her neck.

He ignored Adrian's threats and focussed solely on her. "Tilly, keep looking at me. You're going to be alright I promise."

He realised the effect probably wasn't exactly as he would have liked considering the promise was coming from a guy who looked like he did, but he needed her to believe in him. Tilly straightened noticeably and Chris was humbled to see her nod, putting her faith in him without a moment's hesitation.

Adrian growled in frustration and released her chin, striding over to Pike losing what little patience he had left. He slapped him hard across the face and demanded. "Codes now."

Not for the first time in his life Chris was torn between two impossible options. Option 1: Give Adrian the codes he needed to lock out the rest of the crew and continue this hijacking, most likely resulting in more innocent casualties and deaths. Option 2: Hold out and possibly be killed but more likely have to watch his crew be tortured and killed until he gave in. Looking at Tilly now he knew option 2 was something he couldn't commit to. He couldn't watch Adrian hurt his people.

Chris was about to spill everything when the doors to the bridge swooshed open, and shock grenades flew through the air. Pike watched Adrian's gun being brought up so he reacted on instinct, getting to his feet somehow and charging full bodied into the hijacker. His body slammed into Adrian's just before the man aimed at Tilly fully, he still pulled the trigger though but thankfully the shot went wide. Pike was too shocked to realise how close that had been when gravity kicked in and they both crumpled to the ground with Chris briefly on top.

Unluckily for Pike his hands were still restrained behind him so surprise was the only advantage he had and now it was used up, so what followed was far from a fair fight. Chris yelped out in shock as Adrian pushed him up and off him, and he landed heavily on his back next to the hijacker which sadly stole his breath again. Not that he had much time to be concerned about his ribs or lack of oxygen.

In the next few seconds Adrian unleashed unbelievable fury, pounding his fists into every inch of the Captain he could get his hands on. Eventually Adrian got fed up with half-hearted violence and clasped his hands round his victim's throat, choking off what little breath Chris had left. The hijacker managed to get a hell of a lot of painful shots to his face and chest and even began strangling the Captain, before someone finally stunned his ass and he was dragged off.

Chris coughed and hacked the air back into his lungs, thankful the heavy weight that had been pressing against he chest had now disappeared. He rolled onto his side desperate to relieve some of the pressure on his chest and breathed in blissfully sweet oxygen, already feeling bruises forming round his neck. He had been worried for a moment that Adrian was actually going to kill him, he probably would have done if he hand't been stopped. Looking into his crazed eyes was just like looking into the face of a frenzied animal, he wouldn't have listened or stopped for anything.

When the Captain felt like he wasn't going to pass out from oxygen starvation he blearily looked through the haze and smoke, clocking that all the hijackers were either stunned on the floor or being handcuffed by the security team. He counted each crew member off in his head and was relieved to see Tilly unharmed nearby. She smiled at him gratefully and he smiled back, thankful that Michael had made sure he kept his promise to her.

Speaking of Michael she suddenly cut through the smoke and dropped to the ground next to him, concern painting her features as she took in his condition. She helped him up into a sitting position carefully and got set on opening up the cuffs.

"Are you alright Captain?"

The cuffs clicked open so Pike did the thing he had wanted to do for the better part of an hour, he brought them round front and clutched his chest. His shoulders ached from the sudden movement but that was so minor compared to his chest and face he ignored it completely, it was blissful to have use of his hands again.

He was aware Burnham was hovering closely and waiting on an answer, her frown deepening the longer she scrutinised his injuries. Pike suddenly felt very self conscious and wanted to wave her off. "I'm alright, just a little beat up." He croaked in what had to be the most unconvincing voice in the universe. Chris decided it best to try and get to his feet to prove just how okay he was.

His fear was confirmed when Michael threw him a disbelieving look, and he could tell she was half tempted to keep him on the ground forcefully. Thankfully though she took pity on her Captain and helped him to his feet, providing a steadying arm when the room span for the first few moments. Pike glanced round the bridge blearily and watched officer's retake control of panels.

"How's the rest of the ship and crew?" He managed to cough out.

"All under control Captain, and all the hijackers are in the brig or heading that way." Pike didn't miss the fact that Burnham held a steady grip on his arm like she was expecting him to drop dead any second, maybe he was because he certainly didn't feel so hot.

"Any casualties?"

His heart dropped as he caught a flash of sorrow and guilt cross her face, like she was blaming herself for something. He feared the worst until she explained her reaction. "Just injuries, but honestly you're the worst off."

Ah that would explain the guilt. Burnham had a tricky history with Captain's. Still he was alive and honestly him being worst off was the best case scenario in his books. "Good."

Pike watched each of his crew pick each other up from the ordeal and jump right back into the thick of it, he felt immensely proud of each and every one of them. Out of nowhere he felt ridiculously light headed and felt his knees almost drop out from under him. Michael obviously clocked it too so she guided him over to the Captain's chair and deposited him gently in the seat, pulling out her communicator and barking an order into it. "Medical assistance required on the bridge."

Chris held his head in his hands for a few minutes and rode out a wave of nausea, he opened his eyes and was about to wave off the order when he caught her serious gaze. "Don't even say it Captain or I'll get them to sedate you, you look like hell."

The Captain held up his hands meekly and leaned back in the chair wearily and completely drained of fight, it was wise to know when to admit defeat and this was clearly one of those times. Burnham was incredibly stubborn and he could barely get the best of her when he had control of all his faculties. "Alright Burnham, I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute."

His head was pounding louder and louder with each passing second and the blaring alarms really weren't helping. Chris wanted rest and more importantly peace and quiet for just one minute. The Captain didn't even realise when he drifted off; maybe he had hit his head harder than he thought.

Strangely his sense of smell was the first thing to return, he wanted to screw up his face in disgust as he recognised the smell of antiseptic which could only mean one thing: he was in sick bay. Pike drifted back into the land of the living slowly, flexing each of his hands and fingers when he finally felt the feeling to return to them. Chris felt sore all over and every muscle ached agonisingly with each breath. Despite the misery he was grateful he could now breath without feeling like his lungs were going to collapse, and he was also thankful that the pain was far better than what he experienced on the bridge.

Chris blearily opened his eyes and blinked until the sick bay was actually recognisable. He glanced around his immediate surroundings and clocked an IV attached to his skin, linked up to various heavy duty pain killers if he were to guess. That's the only way he could feel this blissful after the almighty beating he had taken from Adrian.

He almost jumped out of his skin when he noticed someone sitting next to his bed, someone who was sitting in the seat staring at him with her hands clutched nervously in her lap. When the Captain spotted the person's uniform and familiar red hair he worked out his secret watcher was Ensign Tilly.

He managed to focus on her face and after a few moments her features became more clear. She looked anxious under the scrutiny so decided to wave. "Hi." She squeaked.

Pike wanted to frown but managed to keep it off his face not wanting Tilly to misconstrue such an reaction to her presence. He wanted to frown because she seemed a little more sedated than usual, and he was almost certain that he had never heard so few syllables come out of her mouth.

So instead Chris smiled, wincing a little as the cuts on his face pulled. "Hi." He croaked back, happy that his larynx hadn't been too bruised.

It was a surprise seeing someone next to him other than a Doctor but it wasn't exactly and unpleasant one. He had been a little worried about Tilly on the bridge so it was good to see she was doing oaky.

"Sorry for interrupting you like this and I know you need your rest and I'm sure Doctor Pollard will kick me out any second but…" Tilly was rambling now which was much more like her.

The problem was it caused Pike to laugh, which was not good for his ribs so he groaned and clutched them painfully straight after. "And oh god now I'm hurting you." Tilly fussed over him as his ribs ached and the bed cover slipped.

Pike waved her off and wheezed until his coughing subsided. "It's alright Ensign, what did you want to say?"

Tilly looked nervous again and could hardly meet his eye. "Thank you, you saved my life and probably a lot of others."

Ah, so that's why she was here. He felt humbled that she had been waiting by his side and oddly a little embarrassed, what if he had talked in his sleep or did something else equally mortifying. "I didn't do much." He eventually replied, downplaying the event.

"You always do that." Tilly accused.

Pike frowned. "Do what?"

Tilly sighed heavily and seemed to forget her nervousness. "You're too humble Captain, we all see how much you do for this crew."

The Captain blushed heavily and was too gobsmacked to reply for a good minute, he never knew what to say in situations like this because he was not used to the attention. "Thank you Tilly."

He saw her glance at his injuries and his bandaged chest causing his mind to drift back to the bridge. Tilly had almost been killed and he wanted to know how she was coping after the hijacking nightmare. "How are you coping Ensign?"

Surprisingly Tilly smirked at him. "Michael says you like to change the subject."

Chris blinked a few times and felt his mouth open and close a few times, if he was honest he was a little lost for words. Michael had talked about him and his habits to Tilly. It's not like it wasn't true but he didn't like the fact that he was so transparent. Tilly was fighting back a smile and he figured it was probably because he looked pretty stupid opening and closing his mouth like a fish, at least someone was finding it amusing.

Tilly eventually showed him mercy and dropped the psychoanalysis act, smiling kindly. "Are you going to let me say thank you now?"

He finally got control of his motor functions and chuckled warmly. "Yes, and it was no trouble."

She glanced to each of his injuries in turn, brows raised with disbelief. "You call this no trouble?"

Pike glanced down at all the bandages swaddling him. "It looks worst than it is." He really had no basis for that but from his experience it was usually the case.

Tilly didn't look convinced. "You look like you've been hit by a shuttle."

Pike barked a laugh careful of jolting his ribs. It was nice to see Tilly becoming less nervous around him; he liked it when she was herself. "I feel like it too."

Her expression turned somber and she looked at him sadly. He suddenly realised how difficult it must have been to watch the beating he had been given. A wicked idea popped into his mind, usually he wouldn't play like this but he felt comfortable around Tilly and she needed cheering up. "Can I let you in on a little secret?" He whispered conspiringly.

She perked up and nodded excitably, leaning forward so he could whisper. "It's a rite of passage for any Ensign to help their Captain escape sick bay." He smiled at her just like he did the moment they first met, when he made her believe she had broken his finger.

Tilly laughed heartily picking up on his joking nature in a heartbeat. She swatted his arm playfully. "Nice try Sir but I'm not that green."

Chris hummed as if impressed. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't wipe the infectious grin off his face; Tilly was a great person to be around if one needed their spirits lifted. They smiled at each other in companionable silence for a while before Tilly noticed she still had her hand resting on his arm. Pike also caught her staring at his uncovered chest appreciatively a little too long before she noticed what she was doing and jumped away as if burned.

"Oh, umm sorry you probably want to be left alone." She started babbling turning almost as red as her hair; she was starting to get to her feet eyes darting to the exit.

Pike gripped her arm gently before she got too far away. "I was actually rather enjoying your company."

Tilly's eagerness to leave was forgotten instantly and she pulled into his touch. "Really?"

Chris smiled sincerely and nodded. He definitely wanted to get to know Sylvia Tilly better; she was intriguing, kind and funny. Besides he didn't want to be alone at the moment. "Yes, really. Please stay if you want to."

Tilly agreed and retook her seat next to his bedside, talking animatedly and forgetting her fears and anxiety. The unlikely pair sat chatting in sick bay for hours about everything and nothing, during that time Pike fell in love with Tilly's humanity, her compassion and most of all her infectious laugh.

Finis

A/N - And that's it for this short story, hope you enjoyed it :) I've always liked the Pike/Tilly ship so thought I'd give it a go just slightly this time. Anyway I'm planning a new Discovery story which is turning out to be my longest yet!