Chapter Three

Nyota Uhura looked around the teeming shipyard bar, eyeing the smattering of civilians. In the back of her mind, she kept reminding herself that just because she wore a uniform didn't actually make her any better than any of these people. But she was better than them, she rationalized. After all, she couldn't see a single one who would come close to making it into Starfleet if their pathetic townie lives depended upon it. Reaching the bar after stopping for a quick social-visit with some fellow recruits, she placed an order. She ordered a shot of Jack Daniels along with the other drinks.

"Make that two, her shot's on me." A voice piped up.

"Her shot's on her." Nyota rolled her eyes and shot the townie a sharp look, "Thanks but no thanks." Either he didn't get it, or he just didn't care.

"Don't you at least want to know my name before you completely reject me?"

"I think I'm fine without it." Oh how wrong she was! He gave her funny kind of smile that did something to her, something…like she'd seen it before.

"You are fine without it." He shrugged, "It's Jim. Jim Kirk." Kirk? Nyota almost choked. No way! There was no way it was him! She kept her mouth shut, it was really hard and it hurt to play cruel.

"Y'know, if you don't tell me your name, I'll have to make one up for you." He was trying so hard to get her to just look at him, and she finally caved.

"My name's Uhura." There, last name was safe. There was no way he'd remember a girl he dated for a weekend one year ago.

"Uhura?! Really?" His entire attitude changed and she crossed her fingers, prayed for forgiveness, and turned to face him. He wore a bizarrely pained look, "I hate to ask, but is your first name Nyota?"

"Yes, yes it is. Why?"

"You don't remember me at all, do you?"

"Did I ever know you?" Ouch! That was low, even for Nyota. She regretted it the minute she said it.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were someone I knew." His whole demeanor, once again, changed completely, "My mistake, sorry for bothering you." He pushed away from the bar and started to walk away. Nyota couldn't believe what she'd just done, and hated herself. Either she could ignore it, or she could fix this. It was Jim alright, even in the dark bar she'd recognize those blue eyes, that unruly blonde hair He hadn't gotten that far away, she reached out and grabbed him by the back of his jacket. He stopped, but he didn't turn around.

"Let go."

"Please…"

"Sweetheart, look, you're nice, but…it's not us."

"Jim." She lost her grip as he shrugged her hand off and he walked away. It occurred to her just then that he had been completely sober, and asking her name at all had taken a lot of guts. He was out of his element in the bar, his place was on the fairgrounds, in the rodeo arena.

"Boyfriend?" the bartender asked, having witnessed the entire thing. Nyota picked up something, she didn't know precisely what drink it was, and took a sip. She nodded.

"Yeah, sort of."

"He was sober, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Look, it's not my place, but that's Jim Kirk. To a lot of folks around here, he's a hero. Go after him, get him back."

"I don't deserve him if I treated him like shit." She wanted to crawl into a hole and cry. She was used to rejecting complete strangers, and doing it without blinking. But when she rejected someone she knew and loved, that was a big problem.

"Get him back. Don't sit here feeling sorry for yourself, go after him." The bartender actually took the glass away from her and pointed to the door. Nyota didn't waste another minute. Scrambling from her perch, she ran after Jim. The parking-lot was like a tomb compared to the bar. She saw Jim right away, he was off to her right, leaning against a motorcycle and staring up at the stars. She stopped a safe distance away.

"Jim?"

"Who the hell were you trying to impress back there, Nyota? Do you have any idea how much that hurts? I'm used to strangers shooting me down, not former girlfriends!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you." Bad excuse, really bad excuse.

"I told you my name, how could you not know me? Unless you forgot about me?" He snorted, "I understand, that's fine and all. After all, you're the sophisticated city-girl. I'm the dumb country hick."

"You're not dumb, and you're not a hick!"

"Then what am I? Hmm?" he turned and looked at her, "What am I?" Nyota didn't answer right away, she wasn't sure what the right answer was. Or if there was a right answer. Her silence was her doom. He made a strange sound, a snicker or something like that, "I thought as much. Good to know you remembered me, Nyota." He looked at her for a long time and she was absolutely shocked when he sat down and started the motorcycle. Was he leaving? Not that she blamed him or anything. She stood back and watched him ride off into the night and wished she could make things right again. When she returned to the bar alone, the bartender didn't say anything, he just handed her something strong and pointed to an empty corner table so she could sit alone. A hundred ways that encounter could have gone differently rolled through her head and she hated herself for hurting Jim like that. She wasn't expecting to see him again, not after she'd treated him like trash. Several male recruits tried to hit on her, she brushed them all off with snippy remarks and a cold shoulder. She didn't want them, she wanted Jim.


Well, this wasn't how Chapter Three was supposed to turn out. It was originally much happier and almost fluff, if I have to be honest. Hurt!Jim, how I hate doing that to him. I'll make the next chapter happy, I promise! If you have any suggestions, let me know!