Disclaimer: The rights to Star Trek belong to Gene Roddenberry, and NuTrek belongs to J.J. Abrams, Orci, and Kurtzman.

A/N: Contains mild slash. Don't like, don't read. Thanks! Enjoy the last chapter, guys!

Ch. 4: Unexpected

.~.

Captain Kirk and Ensign Chekov stepped out of the turbolift and on to C deck. Jim's heart was pounding in his chest, and his palms grew sweaty. He'd faced all kinds of dangers in space, but he'd never had to face a mutiny! If anything, Jim had always thought he could depend on his crew to come through for him in any situation. But now? Now, not so much.

He had to admit, it hurt – a lot. Bones and Spock's betrayals especially stung. Did they really only see him as a means to advance in rank? He thought that he and Spock had become friends during his first year as captain, and he knew that he'd been friends with the doctor since their early days at the Academy. What terrible thing had he done to deserve being treated this way? Sure, he sometimes disagreed with Spock about the best course of action to take in diplomatic situations. And he'd been known to skip out on trips to Sickbay from time to time. But did those things really constitute a conspiracy to remove him from command?

Maybe they thought he just couldn't handle the job. Jim's stomach churned at the thought. He thought he'd proved himself capable time and time again with each successful mission, but there had been some disasters in the mix. His track record wasn't perfect by any means. The Enterprise lost more security members than any other Federation ship. Had he risked their lives needlessly? Jim didn't think so, but perhaps Bones and Spock had a different opinion. And what about Scotty, Uhura, and Sulu? Hadn't he spent much of his free time trying to grow closer to his chief engineer, chief communications officer, and pilot?

Perhaps his reputation at the Academy was too extreme to overcome, but Jim had tried, really! He stopped flirting while on duty (except on occasion with Spock – that was too much fun to give up), never slept with a member of his own crew, and only drank when he was on shore leave. Not only that, he actually took the time to memorize the Starfleet regs. If that wasn't dedication, Jim wasn't sure what was. He would give his life to ensure the safety of his ship and crew, especially certain members in particular…

Kirk was so lost in thought when he and Chekov turned the corner that he almost ran smack into the man formerly known as Cupcake.

"Captain, there you are." Giotto skidded to a halt, just missing colliding with Kirk. "Everyone's been waiting for you. Good luck, sir." The hulking red-shirt gestured towards the auditorium.

"Thanks, I'm going to need it," Kirk said grimly. "It's been a privilege serving as your captain, Giotto."

"Uh, thank you?" The security chief scratched his head, as if confused by Jim's statement. He quickly excused himself as if he was in a hurry to be somewhere, leaving Kirk and Chekov standing alone in the corridor.

Perhaps Giotto hadn't been one of those involved in the mutiny, then. The thought cheered Jim a tiny bit, even though it didn't really matter. He took a step forward, but a small voice stopped him from moving any further.

"Keptin, are you certain you must do zis?"

"Yeah." Jim patted the young ensign on the back. "I got this. Take care of yourself, Pavel."

"You too, sir."

"You might want to follow a few steps behind me," Jim cautioned. "Whatever they have planned for me, I don't want you to get caught up in it."

"I can do zat." The relieved Russian watched as his captain entered the pitch black audience chamber, and then waited a few seconds – okay, maybe ten – before entering himself.

Jim crept into the audience chamber, not sure what or who was waiting for him. As soon as Chekov came in and the door shut behind him, the room fell into darkness. Jim couldn't even see his hand in front of him – it was highly disconcerting. Why didn't the crew just mutiny already? Couldn't they make it quick and painless? What did dragging things out accomplish, except to torture Jim even more?

"Keptin, I have zis strange feeling zat we are not alone."

Kirk had felt it too. The hairs on the back of his neck pricked up as he heard a rustling on the other side of the great hall. How many people were in on this conspiracy, anyways?

"Hello?" Kirk called out, sounding uncertain. "Who's there?"

"SURPRISE!"

All at once, the lights came on in a blaze, illuminating the previously dark chamber.

"What the..." An astonished Kirk blinked his eyes, to find Pike, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, and Sulu at the front of the room, beckoning him to join them. The rest of the seats in the auditorium were filled with off-duty crew members, who had gathered for the occasion. Kirk knew he had nowhere to run, so he strode to the front of the room to meet his doom, chin held high. If this was to be his end, then he would go bravely. He barely noted the gold streamers hanging from the ceiling out of the corner of his eye.

"Congratulations, Jim!" Bones pulled him in for a bear hug. "I told you that you could do it."

"Congratulations?" The baffled captain could only stand there as McCoy affably crushed his middle. He breathed a sigh of relief when McCoy released his constrictive hold. "For what?"

"For earning the right to keep the Enterprise," Spock elaborated. "Your report indicates that you have, I believe the Terran expression is, 'passed with flying colors'.

"You-you mean you're not going to mutiny against me?" Kirk stammered.

"Of course not." The Vulcan looked at Jim strangely. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Gee I dunno," Jim said sarcastically. "Do you, Pavel?" A sheepish Chekov had almost made it to the exit, but Giotto, who had popped up out of nowhere like a daisy, dragged him up to the front. The Russian laughed nervously.

"It certainly looked zat way… but I guess I vas wrong."

"Jim, was that why you came to my quarters earlier?" A concerned-looking Pike asked. "I was so busy trying to keep you out that I didn't listen as well as I should have."

"Yeah," Jim admitted.

"I'm very sorry, son," the admiral apologized. "I hope I didn't scare you too badly."

"I just about had a mild heart attack, but I'll get over it." Kirk beamed at his mentor. "So how exactly did I score on the repot?"

"Overall, in according to the data collected on your actions over the course of the past year," his First Officer began, "it has been determined that, and I quote-"

"That Jim is a great Keptin," Chekov finished, bravely interrupting the Vulcan's long-winded speech.

"Yes, that is essentially correct," Spock conceded, with a twitch of his eyebrow.

The audience began to cheer their captain, and at that moment, Kirk's eyes began to water, as he was touched by all the trouble his crew had gone to in order to throw him a surprise party. It was a special moment, and of course those always got interrupted on the Enterprise.

"Dr. McCoy!" A frazzled Scotty burst into the auditorium, breathing hard. "I just heard the captain was-" he trailed off to find Kirk waving at him, standing at the front of the room. "Captain Kirk!" He squeaked.

"It's alright, Scotty, he knows," McCoy assured him.

"Phew," sighed the Scot.

"That explains his crazy behavior," Jim mumbled under his breath. Then he spoke up, addressing his bridge crew. "There's still one thing I don't get. Why didn't you guys let Chekov in on the secret?"

"Are you kidding?" Hikaru chuckled. "He couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it."

"I suppose zat is true." Chekov made a face but he eventually agreed. Then, the Russian turned to the Asian pilot. "Vell, Hikaru, I guess zis means I'm not breaking up with you."

"You were going to break up with me over this?" Sulu's mouth dropped open in shock. He pulled the Russian aside and they began to argue in heated whispers. Everyone knew from previous experience it was best just to leave them alone.

"This seems like as good a time as any to present Captain Kirk with his gift of appreciation." Pike approached Jim in his wheelchair, handing over a cube-shaped package wrapped in gold paper.

"Be careful, Keptin, it might be a bomb!" Chekov cried, and Hikaru shushed him.

But Kirk disregarded the ensign's paranoid statement. He was certain that his crew didn't want him anywhere but in the captain's seat. He'd earned that right all by himself, with Spock's help of course. Jim quickly tore open the package to reveal the best present he could've asked for.

"My medal!" He cried. An additional stone had been added, to signify the permanence of his captaincy. "It looks shinier than ever. Wow, you guys are awesome."

"May I, Captain?" Spock offered, and Kirk nodded. He stood tall and proud as Spock carefully pinned the gleaming honor on his uniform.

"Speech! Speech!" Scotty yelled from his place between Uhura and Sulu.

"Fine," Kirk chuckled, and waited for the noise level in the room to drop. "I'd like to thank everyone who helped me achieve my dream of becoming the permanent captain of the Enterprise. I couldn't have done it without everyone working together and giving 110%. My crew is like my family to me; the Enterprise is like my home. I'm thrilled I get to keep both. Also, even though I'm now secure in my position, I promise to continue to perform at my optimum level. Now, let's eat!"

Amidst the cheering and fanfare, Jim zeroed in on Spock. The Vulcan, he was surprised to note, was also scrutinizing him as well. Kirk flashed him a brilliant smile, wondering if he'd ever feel comfortable around Spock to ask him out someday…

.~.

Present day, San Francisco

"Daddy, who took the medal from you room at the beginning?"

Jim looked over at his adopted daughter sitting up in bed, a young half Vulcan, half Romulan named Saavik. It was to her that he'd recounted the story.

"I don't think I'll ever know." Kirk shrugged. "The thief left no clues."

"That statement is incorrect, Jim," said Spock, joining them on Saavik's bed. "I suggest that you scrutinize the medal further."

Kirk turned it over, and to his astonishment, he found tiny foreign markings on the back of his most prized award. Or rather, the markings used to be foreign. He'd learned how to read Vulcan since that fateful day Spock pinned the medal on his uniform to commemorate his permanent captaincy.

"Hmm," Jim muttered as he tried to decipher the minuscule writing.

"What's it say, what's it say?" Saavik asked eagerly.

Jim glanced over at Spock, whose expression was unreadable.

"It says,

K,

Congratulations, t'hy'la. Live long and prosper,

-S "

Jim glanced up at his bondmate in astonishment.

"You knew, then?"

Spock chuckled softly, intertwining his two forefingers with Jim's. Their bond hummed with the familiar warmth that had their touch provided.

"I had a human hunch."

THE END

A/N: Thanks for all your reviews, everybody! I'd also like to encourage you to review the other Star Trek stories you read, because from what I've heard everyone's review count is down. I know there are plenty of Trekkie readers out there – don't be shy. Drop us a line!

Also, I will soon be starting on a story about K&S raising Saavik as their adopted daughter – this was just a little preview of that. (It will be third in the T'hy'la Chronicles series.) Stay tuned!