Thank you to everyone who read or reviewed the last chapter.
Thank you to Teddy Bear for being my beta.
I know some will be upset that I am going to do an original character but I felt it was necessary to tell the story I wanted to tell. However, if anybody wants to do Scotty, Chekhov, or Sulu in this universe please contact me.
The idea for this section comes from the very infamous quo used in the T'hy'la footnote in the novelization of the original first Star Trek movie.
How would Jim Kirk in the alternate dimension deal with nosy reporters asking questions about his sex life? Especially when he has been followed by reporters his entire life. That's the question I've tried to answer. Although this particular reporter fell for the Jim Kirk charm instantly.
Note: Not that I can understand the star dates completely in the new universe but based on things in the film and the commentary track I'm going to assume Jim was born at beginning of January 2233.
In this story, I have the Tarsus genocide occurring slightly later than it did in the prime reality. I'm making the assumption that the rapid advancement in technology impacted what happen on the colony.
Warning: This chapter is going to deal heavily with what happened on Tarsus IV. For that reason alone, I have to raised the rating to M. This chapter will contain mentions of multiple sexual assaults, abuse of a minor, genocide, terrorism, and other unpleasant things that we try not to think about.
Part four: Jane Que Public: We Made You
Just because someone is famous does that mean we as the public have a right to know everything about their life? Does the fact that they have become a public person mean they no longer have an expectation of privacy? Do we as a society have a right to put their life under a microscope and judge everything they do based on what we think we know about that person? Do we the people have the right to judge this individual simply because they exist in the public sphere?
The concept of the Celebrity or the public figure has existed for millennium in one form or another throughout the galaxy. Although these cultures were distinctly different they had important public figures such as rulers, sports figures, war heroes, and performers of the arts. In all of these cultures individuals were exalted due to some particular ability that made that individual special or because they just happen to be born to the right person. Sometimes a person becomes famous for having a special talent such as the ability to act, sing, or maybe to be a good leader. Some individuals are famous simply for being famous like the hotel heiress Kyoto Hilton who comes from a very long line of people who are celebrities because of their last name and doing silly things like getting busted for possession of an illegal substance.
Jim Kirk was a celebrity because of a heroic father who died saving his life along with 800 others, surviving a premature birth during the middle of an evacuation in Klingon space, saving earth from a psychopath bent on revenge, and having baby blue eyes that make little girls (and maybe boys) all across the galaxy use his image as the wallpaper for their PADDs. That's just the tip of the iceberg as to why after almost three decades Jim Kirk was still famous.
Throughout the centuries, those who have been deemed a celebrity by a particular culture are expected to allow their lives to be an open book. This was supposedly the price of fame and power. The public desired to know every thing about this individual from what they like to replicate for breakfast to who they slept with Friday night. At some point during the evolution of journalism it became her job to feed the public the information they crave regardless of the ethics involved. Sometime during the early 21st century people stopped caring about what their government was doing and decided it was more advantageous to focus on which celebrity was sleeping with which other celebrity. Maybe people were just to war weary back then.
Her pen name is Jane Qeu Public, she lost her real name about the same time she lost her journalistic integrity. In journalism school Jane wanted to be a classic journalist who did award winning pieces that exposed corruption at the core of Starfleet and the Federation. Instead, she began her career writing puff pieces about certain pop stars, of who, wrap their vintage cars around trees, and then get off with a slap on the wrist, with 30 days probation and a stint at rehab that did not work. Now she writes usually fluffy pieces that might as well be recruiting propaganda for Starfleet with some exception.
She was only seven months out of journalism school when the Kelvin incident happened in January of 2233. The only job she could get post graduation was to serve as the assistant for the star of a celebrity gossip show. So instead of writing articles about why Starfleet wasn't devoting more resources to finding the ship that attacked the Kelvin, Jane was in Iowa chasing around the widow of George Kirk and the blue eyed baby born in space. She was disgusted with herself for participating in this horrible display of behavior but she had college loans to pay.
Winona Kirk was a broken woman who looked like she was going to break down crying at any moment. Being chased by reporters from every planet in the Federation looking for an exclusive did not help matters at all. Mrs. Kirk was wary of the reporters and made sure to keep her baby boy covered at all times. That made all the 'journalists' covering the story angry.
After two months of trying to get an interview with the allusive woman almost all other reporters left. Jane personally thinks it's because they couldn't deal with Iowa in winter any longer. January and February in Iowa is beyond freezing and it was snowing all the time. Fortunately as someone who grew up in a similar climate she could deal with it.
Jane's boss left her behind in Iowa to get the story much to her dismay. Basically her boss told her that if she didn't get the story she should not even bother coming back.
One day in March that year, as Jane was sitting at one of the cafes in riverside putting her resume together to get a job that was not as demeaning, she saw a woman who was struggling to get inside with her four year old son and obviously newborn baby that wouldn't stop crying. Maybe it was the sunglasses or the dye job but she didn't recognize the woman as Winona Kirk. After Jane managed to get the little boy to stop crying by singing a song, the woman in sunglasses started talking to her as she waits for her order.
"Why are you in Iowa? You're obviously not a local." The woman asked taking a drink of her water as Jane kept rocking the adorable baby.
"I'm a journalist or at least that's what I went to school for. Because I owe a small fortune in student loans and have no living parents to fall back on, I was forced to take a job were my boss wants me to chase down some poor widow so we can write some sob story article that will keep the public from asking why after more than two months we still haven't found the ship that attacked the Kelvin. This morning my boss asked me to go through the poor woman's trash, completely forgetting the fact that most people currently recycle everything. That's why I'm currently trying to find another job before I completely lose my soul and become another Barbara Sawyer."
"So you think it's wrong what they're doing to the Kirk woman?"
"Completely, she's morning her husband and dealing with becoming a single parent in the most horrific way possible. Instead of giving her time to adjust we are making her life miserable just to feed the public's supposed right to know. It is just not right."
That conversation is how Jane gets her exclusive. Jane's interview with Winona Kirk manages to get one million hits in the first hour after being posted on March 22, 2233. Most people just wanted to see the images of the beautiful blue eyed baby that was born as his daddy died. Even at just over two months, Jim Kirk still played for the camera and instantly became a star. Most people thought it was cue that he kept trying to grab her chest area during the interview as she held him. She should've realized something was wrong when Mrs. Kirk would hand her baby off to anybody who was willing to look after him.
Though the interview allowed her to keep her job and receive a nice pay raise, Jane felt dirty. She did not want to take credit for something like this and decided to use a pseudonym. This was when Jane Qeu Public was born.
Individuals throughout the galaxy craved to know more about the newly anointed baby blue eyes celebrity and as one of many journalists she's more than happy to oblige to keep her ratings up.
Every year when Mrs. Kirk was actually on earth, she would drag her two boys to the Kelvin memorial service. For those first few years, after drinking one too many glasses of whatever alcoholic beverage was on hand, Winona would end up crying in one of the bathrooms leaving her two children in the hands of that nice reporter lady that little Jimmy like so much. Even after Winona marries that abusive prick she still would leave the children with Jane during her annual crying jag in the ladies room.
Jane hated these events because it seemed like Starfleet was using the dead as a recruiting tool and she as a supposed journalist was giving Starfleet the resources to do such a thing. In all the years she was forced to cover the ceremonies only two good things happened. First, she met her husband at the 10th annual ceremony because he had to be there for some reason. He's currently a high ranking Starfleet admiral but he had just been a captain back then.
The other good thing was her conversations with Jimmy. Every year she was there they would always talk. When he was little they would talk about his teddy bears and why he didn't like his mommy's new boyfriend who later became his stepdad. When he started school they talked about how under stimulating his classes were and what girls he had a crush on.
Actually, it was her that said they were girls. Even in this day and age when she does an interview she never asked people about their partner or significant other. She asked male guests about their girlfriends or wives and female guests about their boyfriends or husbands. Really how was she supposed to know that Jim Kirk would gender neutralize her question when responding? Even before he was a teenager, he was good at answering questions without actually answering them.
Jim was a pro at providing BS non-answers to relationship questions long before he saved earth because he already had decades of practice with non-answers. When Jim was eight, Jane would ask him about how his mom was doing emotionally, he would talk to her about Winona's career or what they did when she came to visit last time. Jane would be so caught up in his explanation that she doesn't realize Jim never answered her actual question about Winona's mental health. He didn't lie he just didn't provide an answer that actually answered her question.
Before he turned 11, when she asked Jim about the various bruises covering his body he would go into some long dialogue about riding his bike in the woods. He never actually said that the bruises came from falling off his bike but he implied it enough that one would believe that was the answer. Of course, that didn't work forever and eventually she discovered that Jimmy was black and blue because of his stepfather.
When James was 11 Jane was in Iowa to cover the Dedication of the shipyard named after George Kirk. She was surprised Winona and Jimmy were not there, but according to Jane's then brand new boyfriend Winona was on a mission and could not get back in time. Even then, she knew that was Starfleet BS speak for 'she didn't want to come, but we don't want anybody to know that, because it would look bad'.
Although Jimmy wasn't there in body, he was there in spirit. All the locals were talking about either his love life or the fact that he drove a vintage convertible into a ravine a few days earlier. The locals were more focused on the fact that Jimmy was already beating the 'girls' off with a stick before he hit his teenage years then the car incident being a cry for attention.
She was quickly asking herself, why did Jimmy need attention? Her reporter instincts told her something big was going on. Before she knew what she was doing she found herself traveling the dusty road up to the Kirk farmhouse.
Even at the height of dealing with her husband's death, Winona's house was still immaculate. That day the inside was a mess. Liquor bottles and beer cans littered every space with a unconscious Frank lying face down on the carpet in the living room. She banged on the door for 10 minutes before she finally walked in and found a bruised and battered 11 year old Jim Kirk lying in his room. To this day, she still has no idea where Sam was when his little brother was getting attacked by that excuse of a human being and she really didn't care why the 15 year old didn't call the cops. After what she saw no excuse was good enough. (Don't get her started on the fact that Winona didn't come back until the police showed her pictures of what Frank was doing to her baby.)
In addition to being covered in bruises and having two black eyes, Jim had two broken ribs, a fractured wrist, and internal bleeding. If she didn't barge in there when she did, who knows what would've happened. The doctors were just grateful that she brought him in when she did.
The police and child welfare services obviously didn't give a fuck or maybe they were so overworked they didn't have time to give a fuck. Once Jimmy was safe, she started investigating this story like any good reporter and found out that for years school teachers and neighbors had called CWS and the cops about their suspicions but nothing was done.
Jim didn't want her to run the story. He didn't want anybody to find out what his stepfather was doing to him. He didn't want their pity. He didn't want to be any more different than his classmates. She knew for a fact that a story about the child of the dead war hero being beaten by his stepfather as the local child welfare system did nothing to prevent it would generate millions of hits and just maybe get the system changed. A part of her knew that this child deserved to deal with the situation with some dignity and not have another painful part of his dysfunctional childhood splashed across PDDA screens no matter how newsworthy the story was. However, the apathy and neglect in the system needed to be exposed.
For not the first time in her career, Jane was at a real moral impasse. Does the public's right to know trump an individual's right to privacy? In the end, she decided that this story needed to be told but Jim Kirk's name did not need to be part of this story. The series of articles called Story of Child X eventually won her a few awards and public outcry resulted in major overhauls of CWS throughout the Federation. In addition 36 instances of child abuse were reported within the first 24 hours after the article was initially posted. Who knows how many lives were saved because Jim Kirk story change the system.
Her choice not to make Jimmy the poster child for abused children somehow resulted in him trusting her which is why a few years later he risked contacting her during what would be known as the Tarsus massacre where 17,192 people were viciously murdered for having the wrong skin tone or eye color and another 542 people died of malnutrition.
Tarsus IV was a disaster from the beginning. People blamed the fungus and the scientist inability to kill it for causing the famine that allegedly triggered the massacre. In reality the massacre was caused by poor planning and public apathy. It probably didn't hurt that they put a races nut job in charge with a god complex, who probably idolized Adolf Hitler and thought Rwandan was a good idea.
Originally, only 8000 colonists were supposed to be on Tarsus IV but due to breakthroughs in technology at the time, 24,123 colonists were on the planet at the time of the famine. According to a source that chooses to remain nameless, Starfleet received reports of the colony needing aid within 72 hours after the food shortages began but did not consider the situation a priority because only 24,000 people were on the colony. Aid would get to the colony but it wasn't scheduled to happen until six months after the federation first received a call for assistance.
Seven weeks after her source told her about the initial reports she received an anonymous video file containing footage that caused her to spend 15 minutes throwing up in the bathroom. The file contained scenes of murders, vicious rapes, and bloody corpses lining the streets of the colony. There were people fighting over any scrap of food almost to the point of death. She recognized Jim's voice as he explain that people were willing to do anything to keep from starving or being murdered by the protection forces including trading sexual favors for protection and food.
The most painful were the images of the starving children. Although it's been decades since starvation has been a major problem on earth, the images looked like something out of earth's history books. How did it get so bad so fast?
She cried for a moment before she realized that she needed to act quickly. She knew instantly Jim was the one who sent her the file because he trusted her to do something. Who knew how bad things were now or how long it took for the video file to reach her.
Being married to a captain has its advantages sometimes and soon she was able to secure a meeting with the right person at Starfleet and FAID. At first they put her off by telling her that aid was on its way and would get there as fast as it could. Her anonymous source already told her that that was a lie. Obviously these people were still under the delusion that they were just dealing with the famine and not chaos. She showed the two people the file she received from Tarsus IV. After working in the new version of Washington, DC for over a decade at that point she was not shocked by the callousness of career politicians and was not even surprise when they didn't shed a tear. Seeing the bloody bodies did not change their plans or priorities. They actually told her it just wasn't economically feasible to send aid faster. She thought she would never see the day when a price tag was put on a sentient life.
The only thing she had on her side was public outcry and the well love child of a fallen war hero that happened to be on that planet. Jane threatened to release the unedited footage and let the galaxy know that Jim Kirk was one of the children on that planet. They didn't quite take her threat seriously until she started posting some of the actual footage on the net.
Three days later a ship with relief supplies and peacekeeping forces was on its way at top speed to the planet. Three months after the ordeal began relief supplies made it to the desperate colony and those in charge were arrested for everything from hate crimes to genocide.
She was the only reporter on the colony. She was the only non Starfleet person that saw the devastation first hand that did not survive the ordeal. She was the one who witnessed the forensic anthropologists digging through the mass graves and ashes. She's the one who witnesses the relief workers deal with scared children who don't trust anyone. She listened to their stories. The children had a right to be scared because many of them were brutally assaulted physically or sexually. The scary thing is these were the lucky ones that never made it to the execution chamber. She kept the extent of the sexual assault on Tarsus to herself. She couldn't victimize these children or anyone else anymore than they already had been by people who were supposed to protect them.
She tried to stay objective as she reported the story but when James Kirk was involved, her objectivity went out the window. She was the only person that he trusted on the colony. He was even afraid of the aid workers. Jane was the only person that Jim would talk to and she knew what he went through to protect a group of children. She probably could have become a celebrity journalist by telling the story of how the hero's son who was barely a teenager traded sexual favors in exchange for promises of protection from one of the female leaders. (This occurred a few days after Jim saw his aunt viciously murdered after being sexually assaulted by members of the protection forces.)
His relationship with the unknown woman was also how Jim managed to transmit the real evidence of the atrocities occurring on the planet. He assumed that if the public knew what was really happening aid would get there faster. His quick thinking was the reason why relief supplies got there three months sooner than originally planned.
Again, she was in a moral quandary. Did the public really have a right to know everything that happened at the expense of the privacy of a child who went through something that no one should? Jane knew the story needed to be told, but she wasn't going to victimize this child or anyone else on that planet again.
The only written record of Jim Kirk's actions on Tarsus IV is located in a Starfleet file that is so classified that her husband probably cannot even read it. Even a sugarcoated version of the Tarsus massacre was a ratings winner. The trial and subsequent execution of Governor Kodos was the most streamed media event in 50 years. Despite this she still got fired when her boss found out she wouldn't tell the entire story. Maybe it was for the best.
The thing that probably made her the most upset out of everything was the extreme apathy of Winona Kirk. According to an unnamed source, not once during the time that Starfleet and the Federation were keeping the Tarsus situation quiet did Winona question why her son was not contacting her. Maybe if she said something the aid and peacekeeping forces would have arrived sooner.
Once Jim arrived back on earth, Winona was not there at the hospital. Then again neither was Sam. Jane was so pissed off she was ready to apply for custody of James herself if Winona didn't do something soon. For almost two months she tried to get in contact with Winona every day under the guise of getting more material for the Tarsus story even though she had no intentions whatsoever of using Jimmy's name. Winona finally came back to earth when Jane not only threatened to sue her for custody, but also air the family's dirty laundry all over the net. In hindsight maybe she should have just taken James and ran.
When James was at the academy years later, they talked a lot about the lost time between him returning to Iowa and James finally coming to San Francisco. Jim floundered under the eyes of an apathetic mother who just got lost in herself again. There were high amounts of sex, drugs, and binge eating during the years before Jim found himself in Starfleet. Jane tried to write him a few times during the lost years, but he never wrote her back. She finds out later that he no longer saw her as someone he could trust and Jim feels that she betrayed him by sending him back to Winona. That's okay because she feels like a traitor too.
During those last years she became an old school blog journalist keeping her pen name reporting on everything going on in San Francisco. It was easier to do than her old job after she became the mother of two beautiful little girls and her husband became an Admiral. After Tarsus she was not emotionally ready to deal with hard hitting stories but she couldn't do celebrity gossip either. When her children were entering kindergarten her blog became a show. She did the entertainment show equivalent for the San Francisco political scene.
Her favorite moment on that show was when Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan did the Vulcan version of open mouth shock when she asked him about the end of his son's bond to T'Pring and his decision to join Starfleet academy for a segment on arranged marriages in some cultures. He probably would have faint if she told the ambassador about his son dating a highly decorated captain who just happened to be male.
Jane has known about Pike's personal preferences for a long time. Pike is a friend of her husband and a friend of hers. She isn't going to sell her friend out for the sake of ratings for something that the public doesn't have the right to know about. She's not like her first boss Barbara. Although she overheard him talking to her husband about his boyfriend, she already knew. If he came on her show to promote Starfleet or talk about some mission she would eventually ask him if he had a girlfriend. Pike would always hedge her questions with a smile and copious amounts of double talk Jane refers to as Starfleet BS speak. When she receives confirmation she just did not ask those types of questions anymore.
What amazes her so much is she could pick up on Pike's doublespeak easily, but she completely missed the signs with Jim. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she never saw Pike making out with some barely dressed individual that she assumed was female as he manages to destroy her husband's vintage 21st century Ferrari.
The first time she sees Jim after more than eight years is just after he is responsible for a gigantic keg rolling into her husband's car that destroyed it because he was probably too intoxicated to use some sort of technology to move the alcohol. Because she hated that car and is convinced her husband loved it more than her sometimes, she invited Jim in for tea instead of calling the police.
They talk about how bad things were for him with Winona after he returned. She feel so guilty for sending him back there that she lied to her husband about how his car was destroyed. She blames the idiot who decided it was a good idea to put the house for the Dean of Starfleet Academy at the bottom of a hill by the liquor store where most students buy copious amounts of illegal alien alcohol. (That's the reason why the same thing happened to Admiral Archer's car six months later. She kept a lot of things that Jim did from the Admiralty and the public because it was none of their business and she was still guilty about the Winona thing.)
After the first car incident, they met for lunch or coffee every couple of weeks to talk about his classes and whatever girl he was sleeping with at the time. Actually she was the one who asked him about his girlfriend and not significant other. His cerulean blue eyes must have deactivated her BS detector, because she never perceived any deceit in his half truths.
Besides she didn't need Jim to feed the illusion that he was the original skirt chaser when the rumor mill was doing a good job without any help. If her husband didn't know that she actually did change Jim Kirk's diapers as a child he probably would have believe the rumors about James screwing the wife of the academy Dean. Even though Pike told her about the Purple Hills incident to get her advice as a mom on how to keep Jim from getting expelled, she still did not put two and two together.
Even after two more years of lunches with Jim she still was under the impression that Jim was a proud heterosexual. First he flirts with every woman around even her. Of course, she knows it doesn't mean anything because it's part of his personality. So when she sees him flirt with the occasional guy she just assumes that it doesn't mean anything. He becomes an expert at dodging the girlfriend question by diverting her attention to other things like her children.
She assumes he does that because he doesn't want to answer the girlfriend question because he is embarrassed by his sleeping around ways. She doesn't think it's because Jim doesn't trust her not to put his sexual orientation all over the net.
Twenty-five years post Kelvin and most people outside the Starfleet community don't remember what happened that day which is a shame because history was doomed to repeat itself very soon. At that point Jim isn't news anymore, at least not until he 'cheats' on the Kobayashi Maru. Then he becomes infamous for a completely different reason.
She is not surprised that he did it because this is the same person who did very unpleasant things to get her the Tarsus video file. She knew he couldn't tolerate any no win situations so of course he sees changing the parameters of the test as a valid strategy for winning. She tells her husband this, but he doesn't believe her.
Richard lets her sit on the hearing after she employs her special persuasion techniques. Using sex on your husband to get what you want is not cheating. She's the only non Starfleet person there, but people will not question why the admiral's significant other is on campus especially when she's dressed in all black to blend.
She really is shocked to see Chris's old boyfriend so angry when he is accusing Cadet Kirk of cheating. After years of interviewing various dignitaries from Vulcan including Spock's father she instantly realizes his behavior is abnormal. Why did Jim make him so angry?
When Jim and Spock approach each other for the first time she swears she feels some electric current in the air crackling and sizzling around the room. The moment they met she knew something major just happened. She just was not aware of just how major that moment was.
She should have known something was going on by the fact that Spock's words actually caused Jim to visibly show that he was unnerved by the low blow of mentioning Jim's father. Jim is usually good at not letting people see how damaged he is inside. Jim even managed to keep a stiff upper lip during the aftermath of Tarsus, but at that moment Jane could see pain in his body language.
At the time she doesn't have a moment to think about it because her husband's assistant walks up to him and gives Richard a PADD. She instantly recognize his 'things are about to go to hell' expression just before he orders the cadets to the hanger bay.
She has a communicator out sending messages to her contact at the Vulcan embassy before she chases her husband down outside one of the classified briefing rooms. He doesn't tell her anything new about what's happening as he kisses her goodbye. She doesn't see her husband again for five days.
The next five days are a nightmare and something straight out of a science fiction novel. At first nobody believes that the images of Vulcan imploding are real even after they see images of a giant drill landing on the green of Starfleet academy in San Francisco. Nobody wants to believe that six billion individuals were murdered in cold blood by a group of terrorists. After Tarsus, she is already aware of the true levels of depravity an individual could achieve under the right conditions. However, more importantly she is aware of the depths of heroism some people are capable of.
She is not shocked that Jim Kirk was instrumental in preventing earth from suffering the same fate as Vulcan. She's not even that shocked about finding out he was able to do this despite getting stranded on an ice planet that makes Iowa winters look like Florida paradise. She doesn't find out about the strangling incident until much later under a completely different context that she doesn't want to talk about. (TMI)
Those first few weeks are insane. In the weeks after the destruction of Vulcan she spends a lot of time at memorial services in the capacity of the admiral's wife. The services for the thousands of students lost were the worse. The loss of young life is always painful but it was worse because of the vultures surrounding the perimeter trying to get a shot of the grieving family members. She's glad she was there as the admiral's wife and not one of the pariahs chasing down grieving family members to feed the interests of the public who craved such images. But hey as long as they're watching pictures of grieving family members they cannot ask important questions such as why the report detailing a transmission about a Klingon armada being destroyed was 'lost' due to the incompetence of the person who received the report from the cadet who intercepted the transmission.
The worst media circus occurred at the funeral of Amanda Grayson, the wife of the former ambassador of earth and the mother of one of the individuals who saved it. Jane obviously doesn't believe that the reporters were delusional enough to think they would actually get a shot of Spock mourning the death of his mother in public. They did get some spectacular shots of Spock's girlfriend crying. (Jane didn't see that relationship coming at all. She swore Spock was gay and not bi or pan. That relationship was obviously a rebound thing because if the new lieutenant really loved Spock she would know better than to hold a Vulcan's hand when you are bursting into tears. Her emotions must have been making the whole thing more intolerable for Spock.)
Considering what she heard about what happened between Jim and Spock on the enterprise she was shocked to see Jim at this particular memorial service. He was dressed in black civilian clothes and stuck to the back. She would not have even noticed he was there if she didn't hear Jim telling a reporter to fuck off and leave Spock alone. Really she should have known something was going on even then because Jim was being protective.
Jim was the complete opposite of the girlfriend. No direct hand contact and Jim did a really good job at keeping his emotions to himself. Maybe he actually did pay attention that day they covered Vulcan culture in class. When Jane went to call to check up on her kids she overheard a really interesting conversation that told her that maybe Jim actually cared about Spock in some way. Jane just wasn't sure in what way.
"I know you're probably still mad at me for what I did on the bridge." She could sense the sincerity in Jim's voice as she tried to leave the coat check area but couldn't because they were blocking the door.
"Vulcans do not get mad." She heard through the door.
"Tell that to my neck. It still hurts when I move to fast."
"Your actions were logical under the circumstances." Spock said avoiding the neck comment that she didn't understand at the time.
"Logical or not, I should not have said those things about your mom. I don't know you at all, even though I would like to eventually. I had no right to make that type of assumption. I was being a complete dick and I'm sorry."
"What do male gentle organs have to do with your behavior?" Jane is pretty sure she heard a laugh or maybe a sigh at that point from James.
"It's an expression. It means that I did something to you that I should not have done. Of all people, I should know what it's like to lose a parent and you didn't deserve that."
"I accept your apology. Although it is somewhat illogical to apologize for something that cannot be changed it was inappropriate for me to use your father at the discipline hearing. After the death of my mother I understand how inappropriate my words were."
"Great, you just reminded me I still have to go through that trial. If they expel me after we saved earth, I'm going to seriously hurt you." Without seeing Jim she could tell his words were in jest.
"That is biologically impossible because I am at least three times stronger than you are. In addition, Starfleet has no cause to expel you because I have dropped the charges. It seems illogical to pursue such a thing now. I will not be in Starfleet much longer because I have decided to help rebuilt my population." Because everything went quiet for a moment she thought it was safe to open the door instead she saw a completely miserable look come over Jim's face. They were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't even notice she kept the door crack.
"Thank you for dropping the charges, but you can't leave." She hasn't heard that type of panic in Jim's voice since she told him that Winona was coming to take him home.
"I assure you it is physically possible for me to leave."
"I wasn't talking literally. I get that you want to help your people but you can do that from your position in Starfleet. Either way, call me if you need someone to speak too. Even though I was too little to remember how it happened, I do know what it's like to lose a parent." That's when she saw Jim squeeze Spock's hand.
Because at this time she is 100% sure Jim Kirk is not in to guys, she assumes either Jim thinks he is giving Spock the Vulcan version of a hug or he was slightly drunk the day they went over how not to touch a Vulcan. This doesn't make sense because unlike the rebound girlfriend Jim wasn't touching the other Vulcans. Jim and Spock also stayed touching like that for several minutes forcing her to walk out of the coat closet and ruin the moment. What was going on here?
Jane pushes what she saw that day out of her mind even after she heard that Commander Spock was staying in Starfleet much to Jane's husband's relief. Let's just say nobody else in Starfleet, who was halfway familiar with Jim Kirk's infamous reputation, wanted the first officer position. It isn't until she spends a month on the Enterprise watching the Jim and Spock show first hand does she wonder if her previous assumptions about Jim Kirk were false and there was another reason why Spock took the position.
Due to the mass casualties during the battle of Vulcan, getting people to join Starfleet became a top priority. 80% of the entire cadet class of 2258 was lost. To help rehabilitate Starfleet's image, someone other than her husband had the brilliant idea to have a reporter live on a ship for a month and write a series of articles about it.
If she didn't see video of it, she would never believe that her name was randomly selected out of an actual hat. She was sure her husband wasn't happy about being alone with the kids for two months while she was on assignment. She personally thinks that she was chosen because she had the good sense not to print something that could endanger the federation. Slightly more than six months after the destruction of Vulcan she finds herself on the federation flagship in hopes that she will create a brilliant piece of recruiting propaganda.
During her time on Enterprise she actually discovered there's a one in two chance that at least one member of the security team that happens to be wearing a red shirt will get killed during an away mission. That particular piece of information is kept out of her article on the need to improve the training of security staff.
She also picks up on the unusual closeness between first officer and captain instantly. They were completely in sync with each other. It's like they've known each other their whole lives but she knows that's not possible.
For example during a 30-minute interview where she spoke to the two about a previous mission they finished each others sentences 25 times. Jim also touches Spock's hand 17 times and used the Jim Kirk puppy dog eyelashes six times to get his way. For some reason she felt like she was interviewing a married couple.
If Jim and Spock seemed like the perfect married couple, Spock and his girlfriend seem like a couple on the verge of divorce. If the girlfriend tried to touch him when on duty, Spock would push her away or lecture her on the inappropriateness of physical contact when on shift. If the lieutenant tried to engage Spock in a non work related conversation, he would redirect or completely ignore her. Jane never saw Spock do that with Jim.
Even if everyone thought Commander Spock and Lieutenant Uhura were the perfect couple, Jane knew better. Jane and Jim were probably the only two people who could pick up on the fact that Spock wanted to run away every time Nyota tried to kiss him in public. Did she know that it was completely unacceptable for a Vulcan to engage in a human kiss in public? Jane was under the impression that Starfleet officers had better culture training then that.
She saw Spock in love before and could obviously see that the connection just wasn't there with the rebound girl. Of course, Vulcans don't scream their love from rooftops but their subtle things that anyone can see if you're looking close enough such as little looks and touches. Chris brought his boyfriend to her house enough times when they were together for her to know how Spock acts when he love someone. Spock does not act this way around the rebound girlfriend.
However, Spock does act this way around Jim. She's pretty sure she saw Spock smile for 0.5 seconds when she told him that she actually taught Jim how to play chess. The last time she saw Spock smile, was the last time she saw him kiss Pike.
Considering she knew about Spock's previous lover, she wasn't that surprised he had a crush on his captain. However, there was just no way Jim had a crush on his first officer. Straight guys do not have crushes on their male first officer. Of course, when has Jim Kirk ever acted the way he was supposed to? She should have known better.
If she looked at the situation assuming Jim was not the poster boy for heterosexual player, she could obviously see the 'schoolboy with a crush' behavior on Jim's part. Jim was always touching Spock. He was always making excuses to spend time with Spock. Her husband was a captain once and she is sure he never spent that much time doing paperwork with his first officer back then. (If he did, they are going to have one very serious conversation.) Also during her time on Enterprise, she noticed Jim stare at his first officer's backside 138 times. Someone would not do that if they didn't have a crush on the person.
At first, she thought she was seeing things because no one else saw the couple in love behavior. When she did individual interviews with members of the bridge crew, everyone but Dr. McCoy and one other person assumed Jim Kirk was sleeping his way through the female members of the crew and several of the visiting dignitaries. A certain 17-year-old Russian crewmember who will remain nameless accused her of being one of Captain Kirk's latest conquests in front of Spock and Jim.
"Although Captain Kirk is quite reckless I seriously doubt he is stupid enough to carry on a sexual relationship with Admiral Barnett's wife. Do you not have somewhere to be ensign?" The individual in question was down the hall before he could suffer a Spock stare of death. It was so cute to see Spock defending Jim.
"Seriously I don't know why they think we are sleeping together or that I am fucking the entire crew for that matter. I've been a very good starship captain lately."
"I believe the rumor about you and Mrs. Barnett originated at the academy." Spock said quickly.
"Not that my husband ever believed it back then." She said with a laugh as they walked out of the cafeteria.
"You're still very hot for a woman who is about to hit 50, but even at the height of my man whore days I would not sleep with somebody who actually changed my diaper and gave me a bottle as a baby no matter who that person was married to." She was too caught up in Spock's reaction to notice that Jim's statement was gender neutral.
"You changed the captain's diapers?" Spock asked in shock for him. She was just about to answer 'yes' and leave it at that but Jim wanted to tell the whole story.
"Before she was married to Admiral Barnett and had her own show, she was pretty much force to cover things no one else wanted to, to pay her college loans even after she managed to get the first interview with the Kelvin widow AKA mom. This meant that she was forced to cover the Starfleet memorial service commemorating the Kelvin attack for the first decade. According to my aunt, my mom got completely wasted at the first memorial service and spent the entire time crying in the facilities. Of course before she got completely smashed she handed me over to reporter Jane."
"Jim has always been picky about whom he will let close to him. For some reason he's always liked me. That's how I ended up changing his diaper in the middle of the service. I think I have pictures somewhere." She is surprise that Jim actually told Spock anything about how crappie his childhood was. Jim usually answered such questions with a wink and a smile after he gives a BS non-answer. Yet for some reason Jim was actually comfortable enough to let Spock see the truth.
She could lie to herself and say that the connection she was seeing was the beginning of a friendship, but that would be a gross understatement of the truth. Yet what she was seeing was incomplete conflict with her assumption that Jim was straight. One of her assumptions must be false, but which one?
After she saw Jim try to get his first officer to give him a back rub on the bridge, on the day they finally allowed her to observe, two days before she would depart, she knew she needed to ask Jim.
"I'm not asking you this question as Jane Public or even the admiral's wife, but as someone who has known you since you were an infant. Are you in love with your first officer?" He laughs at her but she can tell its force.
"People like me don't fall in love. People like me don't fall in love with someone like Spock." If anybody else said that to her she probably would have fell for it.
"I knew I was being crazy. I mean you're obviously straight but"-then she stops herself midsentence realizing what Jim really said. "You didn't answer the question James. I didn't ask if people like you fall in love. I asked you if you were in love with Spock. Do you love him?"
"You're convinced I am straight, yet you are still positive that I'm in love with Spock?" He asked in shock.
"All the evidence is pointing in that direction. Yesterday you touched his hand 29 times in a very indecent way. By the way you stare at him it's obvious you feel something other than friendship. But it just doesn't make sense with your skirt chasing reputation. However, when has anything about love ever been logical?"
"It looks like your reporter instincts are getting rusty in your old age. One of your assumptions is completely false." He said almost smugly to her.
"Don't give me that. I know you are in love with Spock. I see those glances and I know you know what a Vulcan kiss is. I'm surprise his girlfriend hasn't killed you yet." Jane said in her defense.
"I meant your other assumption."
"Oh."
"I'm not heterosexual, but I am not homosexual either. I consider myself pansexual. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy women. I actually like the physical aspects of sex with women better than sex with men. However, I haven't had a single relationship with the woman that has lasted more than a couple of days and you know this. All my long-term relationships have been with guys. My sexual preferences are not going to end up as your lead story tomorrow are they?" She actually laughed when he said that.
"I'm a reporter, not a teenage gossip queen or Barbara Sawyer. Whom you sleep with is none of my business. If I felt such a thing was news worthy I would have reported the fact that Christopher Pike became the first gay admiral in Starfleet history."
"You know about that?"
"He used to bring his boyfriend to my house for Sunday dinner all the time. That was a messy breakup. That particular significant other was not good at expressing his emotions at all."
"Can you at least tell me who said boyfriend was? Chris would never tell me."
"No. You'll figure it out eventually. So you're completely in love with your first officer?" She said cryptically.
"How do you know this?"
"It's a gift. I know you. I also know that you're probably scared."
"I'd rather deal with an army of Klingons. I somehow manage to fall head over feet in love with my straight first officer who has a girlfriend." Okay apparently Jim really doesn't know about Spock being Chris's ex.
"I promise I will be there for you whenever you need me but maybe you should call Pike. He's been in your position before and he will understand." Of course, the real reason she's asking him to call Chris is so he can tell Jim that Spock is his ex boyfriend.
"You would have been like the best mommy ever. Can't you stay longer?"
"I have to get back to my other kids. E-mail me when you finally get it together. Also when the Russian kid finds out you're sleeping with Spock I want video footage of his reaction."
"If I get a miracle, I will tell you first."
Of course, Jim doesn't e-mail her when he and Spock finally get together a few months later. She finds out about their new relationship by 'accidentally' reading the paperwork that her husband signed off on to approve their relationship. She was angry and sent a six page e-mail to her little Jimmy. She told him that she better be the first one that finds out about the wedding.
The next couple of years were interesting. Jim and Spock's relationship was probably the best-kept secret in Starfleet. She was pretty sure no one knew except for a small inner circle of people because that was what the couple wanted. No one likes living in a fishbowl. If Jim and Spock's relationship was public knowledge to the crew, she was sure that a few crewmembers would be perfectly willing to make a small fortune by selling out their captain and first officer to the highest bidder.
Jim does listen to her request about the Russian kid and sends her the video file. It's essentially computer enhanced security footage of that now 18 year old walking in on his commanding officers 'making out'. His shocked puppy dog expression was absolutely priceless and almost makes Up for Jim not telling her immediately.
Eventually other people, including reporters, noticed the closeness between Jim and Spock, resulting in rumor starting to appear in some of the more tabloid like publications. Fortunately, Jim left on good terms with most of his ex boyfriends and no one was willing to sell him out to Gossip World.
Every time Jim did an interview the significant other question did come up. Jim's responses were absolutely hilarious.
"I'm a starship captain. I don't exactly have time to go clubbing when I am trying to keep the planet from getting blown up."
"I did not exactly get a lot of action on my last shore leave. I think I ended up kidnapped by somebody. I get kidnapped a lot."
"There are rules about sleeping around with the crew and I just don't feel like picking up an alien STI from a random hook up."
"You know I never understand why reporters automatically asked that question. We just survived one of the greatest terrorist attacks in Federation history were six billion individuals were murdered and you want to ask me about who I slept with last night? Where are your priorities?"
"Contrary to what you think I don't sleep with everyone on my crew. Could you imagine how many STIs I would catch if I did something that stupid?"
"I have no trouble whatsoever with anybody loving whoever they want to love. I am proud to serve a Federation that recognizes all types of relationships. However, whom I date should not be a matter of public interest, when I actually have no time to date someone."
"When you are exploring new planets, you don't usually have time to meet someone. I'm sure some day I'll find the perfect individual for me. Maybe I already have."
"I don't exactly have the time to read the tabloids so I was completely unaware of the rumors about me and Spock sleeping together. I know Spock has encountered such rumors because he's such a multitasker, and has no trouble surfing Gossip WorldNet as he is writing reports. He usually dismisses the wild accusations with the Vulcan equivalent of the middle finger. Personally, I believe in physical and emotional love in all its many forms involving sentient beings from across the galaxy. When it comes to relationships of the carnal, I have found the best physical satisfaction with the females of various species. Honestly, do you think I would be happy with getting laid only once every seven years?"
She was rolling on the floor laughing even if the person next to her was upset because Jim use the term 'getting laid' during the interview. Richard should just be happy that he didn't use fuck, screw, or bang.
Considering the extremely high birthrate on New Vulcan right now, Jane is surprised anybody is still buying the Vulcans only have sex every seven years thing. It's like the entire society is hopped up on Viagra 69. Spock's answers are just as funny but they usually involved a raised eyebrow AKA the Vulcan middle finger.
"Of course, I was with the captain during shore leave. It is the duty of the first officer to make sure their captain is not killed, kidnapped, or get into bar fights with a sentient being twice his size. It is easier to do this if I am actually with the captain during these times."
"Of course, I was at the captain's side during that particular diplomatic reception. It is the duty of the first officer to make sure the captain does not cause an intergalactic incident by using the wrong fork, accidentally become engaged to a dignitary's child, or swell like a balloon because he decided to sample the local cuisine even after being told several times not to."
"In Vulcan culture it is taboo to ask someone about their relationship status. Considering everything my people have gone through in the last few years I hope you would respect this."
"Yes I have heard several of the rumors about the captain and myself. Despite significant scientific advancements in reproductive technology, it is still impossible for a human male to carry a fetus to term. Although certain 'male' Vulcans have the ability to become pregnant, the prerequisite events have not yet occurred."
She initially told Jim and Spock how funny some of their BS non-answers when she found herself back on Enterprise a little more than three years after she left. She was there to cover some major diplomatic conference on Babel and Enterprise was her transport. The Starfleet press office thought it would be a good opportunity to show off their golden boys again and invited her along with a few other members of the press to come on board. Jane went along with it because she was able to get exclusive interviews with most of the Ambassadors being transported on Enterprise.
"I promise not to ask any relationship questions. If you give me one of those fake BS answers, I'm going to start cracking up on camera and everybody will know you're lying. Considering Spock's father will probably be watching the interview live it just wouldn't be good for anyone." She said to Jim as they were preparing for the live transmission.
"First, my non-answers are not that funny. Second, Sarek already knows. I am every parent's dream future son in law.
"You're the ultimate catch as long as you're not trying to get with my daughter. Yes, your lines were funny. Let's see last time you said, "Honestly, do you think I would be satisfied with getting laid only once every seven years?" of course, this is after you mentioned the Vulcan version of the middle finger. That was too much."
"Actually I got that from a friend but I adjusted the language to make it actually sound like something I would say. I'm glad you found it funny. Your husband did not, which is why we have diplomatic babysitting duty. Anyway, how are the kids?"
"They're driving their father absolutely crazy by being teenage girls. He can deal with thousands of cadets and certain Admirals I hate but not his own children. However, you already know that because you asked me that question when I got here. Speaking of the Admiralty, I need to talk to you about something important that I overheard the other day."
"Has your husband figured out that you overhear a lot of stuff on purpose?"
"Not yet and I never print anything classified. A bunch of the admiral's including the one I affectionately refer to as Admiral KKK, who is an absolute ass, wants to assign Spock to the Mandela to prove once and for all how incompetent you are."
"You've got to be kidding." Jim said with a laugh.
"Unfortunately, no."
"They cannot separate us because our relationship is sanctioned by Starfleet."
"Not exactly, you don't qualify for spouse assignments unless you are legally married by Federation standards. Unless you put a ring on it, Spock could be moved to the Mandela."
"Then I guess I have nothing to worry about." She saw this suspicious glimmer in Jim's eyes, but did not have time to ask any questions because they were going 'live' in five minutes and her assistant was busy fixing her makeup.
"This is Jane Que Public coming live or as live as possible when you are light years away, from the USS Enterprise for a special edition of Federation Today. We have a treat for you tonight. We are interviewing Captain James T. Kirk and his brilliant first officer Commander Spock. Gentlemen, thank you for being here today.
"It's a pleasure to be here Jane." Jim said as he winked at the camera.
"Let's get started. Would you mind telling us a few things about your latest mission here to Babel?
"Jane let me say how refreshing it is to have the interview start out with questions about the mission not my personal life." Okay now she was confused as to why Jim was mentioning this.
"As it's been pointed out to me a million times, I am not Barbara Sawyer. Who you love is none of my business."
"This one time I think it's OK if you ask."
"Jim what are you doing?" She heard Spock ask just a low enough so the microphone wouldn't pick it up.
"Coming out, if that is okay with you?" Spock's only response was a tiny nodded her to ask the question.
"Do you have anyone special in your life?"
"Yes. I guess it was 3 ½ years ago when I completely fell in love with the wrong person at the worst possible time. That's okay because he loved me too." She actually heard a couple of gasps from a few of the crew members not in the know. It could not be the members of the Vulcan delegation watching in the wings because Vulcans do not gasp.
"So who is this special being? Why do you feel it's necessary for you to declare your feelings for him on a 'live' media stream that will probably be seen by billions of beings throughout the Federation?"
"The person I am head over feet in love with is my first officer." Again, she heard people gasping. Honestly why could they not see this? Sarek sat on the side looking smug for a Vulcan. The rest of the Vulcan delegation look scandalized because Jim was touching Spock's hand.
"A little while ago an old friend of mine pointed out the inequities of Starfleet's policy on tandem assignments. I was already planning on asking later tonight, but I felt like killing two birds with one stone." She held her breath as she actually saw Jim turned to Spock.
"Don't expect me to get down on one knee. I've never been one for tradition."
"Or anything else involving regulations of any type." Spock said out loud.
"That's why you love me."
"Indeed," The Vulcan delegation was starting to show visible shock at that by Vulcan standards.
"I think I fell in love with you the moment you accuse me of cheating on the Kobayashi Maru. I've been falling more in love with you ever since. You are my best friend. You are the first individual I completely trusted to protect me and never leave me. I want to grow old with you. Will you stay with me forever?" Jim said as he pulled out the simple engagement ring.
"It is impossible for me to spend forever with you. I will not live for an indefinite amount of time even if I will outlive you."
"Okay let me rephrase the question. Will you spend the rest of my life with me?"
"It is possible that I may die before you due to some unforeseen accident."
"I'm trying to ask you to marry me here. Do you always have to be this…" Jim is stopped in midsentence as Spock pounces on him and pulls him into a human kiss so powerful that Jim goes backwards and falls to the floor. Yet the two never break apart until almost a whole minute later. Even she was shocked to see this very public display of affection. If it wasn't for Vulcan control she was sure certain members of the Vulcan delegation would be unconscious.
"Is that a yes?" Jim asked as he is panting for breath.
"That is a yes." The two start kissing again until she reminds the pair that this entire thing is being transmitted to the entire galaxy. They broke apart and continued on with the interview as if nothing happened except for the fact that Jim was completely disheveled and Spock's cheeks were green.
After the interview was over, she heard Lieutenant Commander Uhura notify Jim that Admiral Barnett was on the line.
"Why am I not surprised? Send it to my room." Jim said with a sigh.
"Actually Admiral Barnett would like to speak with his wife first."
"So let me guess you saw?" She said as soon as she walked into the room alone to face her husband on the screen.
"Yes, all of us did except for Pike, who has a life. A certain Admiral that is looking for any excuse to get Jim out of Starfleet, has been calling me nonstop to schedule an emergency meeting of the Admiralty. Personally, I would love to know how Jim found out about the need to marry Spock now."
"He may or may not have found out about plans for the Mandela."
"Do I want to know how he found out?"
"No. If you don't ask additional questions I will do the thing with the body paint after I get back the next time the girls are at sleepovers."
"Did you know he was planning on proposing on the broadcast?" He asked changing the subject wisely.
"Did you notice the shocked expression on my face as the interview was being hijacked?"
"Good point."
"I can't believe that kiss. Good luck with certain idiots that I absolutely hate. I love you and the girls. I'll be back as soon as the intergalactic version of UNGA is over."
Three weeks later, when she returns to earth she finds herself on San Francisco week. She thought she was there to talk about the progress made at the Babel conference instead she was there to talk about Jim Kirk's sex life. Let's just say a lot of people were shocked by Jim Kirk's coming out. Little girls were crying.
"So what you're saying is Jim Kirk is now less of a hero because he allegedly lied about himself for four years, despite everything he has done including literally saving the lives of practically everyone in this room? That's ludicrous." Jane said in anger after one of the other guests made some stupid comment.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. How can you be a hero to the people if you're lying to the people?" The infamous Barbara sawyer replied.
"He didn't lie about something important that is actually relevant to federation security. He did not even lie he just didn't give you an exclusive. Those that had a right to know knew about their relationship. Just because you are a public figure doesn't mean the entire federation should know about your love life. Something should stay private."
"Public figure's have a different responsibility. They owe it to the people to be completely honest."
"I believe in honesty when it's actually about a real issue. This is about the right to privacy. I am married to a public figure. Honestly, I don't want my sex life all over the net. What I do with my husband is private. I personally feel Jim Kirk has the same right to privacy as anyone else. Thanks to vultures like us, the only way he could have that privacy is keeping completely quiet about this. Who Jim Kirk sleeps with does not change his character. He still saved earth and he's done a million different acts of heroism that you know nothing about. "
"Maybe that's why you're being so defensive. You're obviously not impartial because you are an Admiral's wife. You're being the good wife helping cover up your husband's mess."
"I realize I'm not impartial and I'm not claiming to be. Unlike you, I actually know the two people in question beyond stereotypes and conjecture. I have known Jim since he was an infant. I've seen the caliber of his personality early on. You don't know anything about the true depth of his character. I've known Commander Spock for a long time as well. If you still believe that someone is less because of who they sleep with you, you are in the wrong century. Maybe the real issue here is he was secretly dating a guy for three years."
"I'm not saying that. I'm perfectly fine with him being gay. I'm saying we as the public have a right to know."
"No we do not have a right to know. It's none of our business. If someone who is famous wants you to know who they are sleeping with, they will tell you. I came here to talk about the Babel conference and some of the very important issues going on in the federation right now such as illegal slavery or the rebuilding of the Vulcan population. Instead we are here acting like teenagers talking about who's sleeping with who. This is ridiculous."
"It's what the public wants to see. Celebrities owe us that much because we made them."
"Jim Kirk made himself. All I am saying we have no right to put our celebrities in glass houses just so we can throw stones once we find out they are not who we think they are. Nobody is his or her public persona. That is why it's called a public persona. Go throw stones at your own glass house."
No one said anything else after that. Although her old boss was quite pissed off when she found out that Jane actually was invited to the wedding of the century.
A/N: Only two more individuals to go