Two Days Later

USS Enterprise

"It's not much, but I don't mind sharin' it," Leonard said quietly as he led Arianne into his quarters, which were on the same deck as Spock's and the Mess Hall. "I could give you your dad's if you…"

Arianne sighed, gazing at the sparsely decorated quarters, "It's fine," she replied in a tired voice.

Leonard nodded, "You can have my bed," he offered kindly. "I'll sleep out here on the couch."

"Could you sleep with me?" Arianne asked softly, touching Leonard's arm. "You're warm."

Leonard looked surprised, "Darlin', I'm not about to take advantage of you just because I knocked you up," he replied in a concerned voice. "You had some food, but you and that baby need rest too."

Arianne scowled, "I know you're angry that I didn't tell you and you think I told Spock!" she snapped in an upset voice as she stormed into the bedroom. "I didn't tell Spock anything about it, you idiot!"

"If you didn't tell Spock, how did he find out?" Leonard replied in an upset voice. "Spock's…"

Arianne swore as she stormed out of the bedroom, "Spock's able to figure crap out that the rest of us can't, Leonard Horatio!" she shouted. "While I've been stuck on that frozen rock for the last three months, you've been up here and safe! You have no clue what those Romulans put me through before they shot me off into space in a cramped pod. You're a great doctor, but you suck at everything else!"

Swearing angrily, Arianne stormed out of his quarters, leaving a shocked and angry Leonard alone.

Captain's Ready Room

"Would you care for some spice tea, Ensign?" Spock asked tonelessly as he got a cup of spice tea from the replicator and moved his chair back behind his desk using his legs. "It may help you feel better."

Pavel didn't reply, deeply shaken by the fact that he was on medical restriction from duty and confined to quarters because of his self-harming. He had been given a pair of clean clothes to wear over the many bandages he now sported all over his body. Leonard had personally gone into his quarters, sorted through his few things, and had removed everything that could be used to do further self-harming.

"Ensign Chekov, please respond to my query," Spock replied patiently. "Would you like some tea?"

Pavel shook his head, but didn't say anything, "I have read Doctor McCoy's report on your self-inflicted injuries and the steps he has taken in response," Spock spoke tonelessly. "Please explain yourself."

"I am ze reason your mozzer eez dead, keptin," Pavel spoke softly. "I vas not fast enough."

Spock sighed, but said nothing, "Your fazzer and ze ozzer Wulcans all hate me and your fazzer has sent me seweral messages berating me for my veakness," Pavel spoke softly. "I also lost Quirk and Keptin Pike because I vas not able to lock onto zem. Ze shields on ze Romulan wessel vere too much…"

"I will converse with the Vulcan elders about their behavior, but your self-destructive behavior must cease immediately," Spock replied tonelessly. "You are a capable officer and if you continue in this behavior, it will end up destroying you and if you are lost, your abilities are lost to the Enterprise."

Pavel sighed, "Yes sir," he replied softly. "Lieutenant Pike coming back has calmed me a beet…"

"I would ask you to confide in her about your troubles," Spock spoke tonelessly. "I…"

There was a gasp on the Bridge and Spock frowned before getting up and going out to investigate, only to find Leonard standing by the command chair, "I thought she'd be up here," Leonard said bitterly.

Spock raised an eyebrow in confusion and Leonard looked around at the skeleton Gamma shift crew before sighing, "Arianne and I had a fight and she took off," Leonard admitted in a worried voice.

"What exactly did you say to provoke her into leaving?" Spock asked in a curious voice.

Leonard scowled, "I would advise you to give Lieutenant Pike some space and then attempt to apologize," Spock said tonelessly as he moved over to the command chair and sat. "I would also recommend that you focus on improving her health instead of engaging in conflict with her, as I will need every able-bodied officer to be on duty when we arrive at the location of our next assignment."

"Next assignment?" Leonard asked in a shocked voice. "I thought Starfleet was toast when…"

Spock sighed, "We are going to be scanning the Earth for survivors of the Narada's drill attack," he replied tonelessly, cutting Leonard off mid-rant. "I have decided that Lieutenant Pike will serve as my First Officer as her condition allows. We are currently en route to what is left of the Earth."

Leonard frowned, "I guess I'd better start working on an apology, then," he replied quietly.

"Sir, I am going to go to bed," Pavel said in a quiet voice as he came out of the Ready Room.

Spock turned to Pavel and nodded, "We will continue the discussion in the morning, Ensign Chekov," he said tonelessly, content when Pavel nodded. "Be sure to get some supper before you rest."

Leonard sighed and followed Pavel off of the Bridge, anxious to see if he could do something right.

San Francisco, Earth

Anxiety filled Jim as he stumbled through the door of the dilapidated house, terrified about what had went down while he had been at the store. Captain Pike was asleep in his bed, his wheelchair close if he needed anything. The table was filled with supplies that had been painstakingly put together.

"Jim?" Captain Pike called out sleepily, knowing Jim had returned. "Did you get the groceries?"

Swallowing hard, Jim felt his way over to the sink and proceeded to throw up, prompting Captain Pike to wake up, "Jim?" Captain Pike asked in a concerned voice, eyeing Jim's shaking hands. "Your hands…"

"We have to get out of here," Jim breathed in an anxious voice. "Marky blew up the store."

Captain Pike frowned as Jim felt his way over to the bed and helped him sit up, "I was looking at some Intermediate Braille books to get with the groceries and there were other people in there getting stuff," Jim explained in an anxious voice, his hands trembling. "There's not many left around this area because they've all moved inland to try and escape the cold, but the few that are left besides us are civilians with bad tempers. One of them had a gun and Marky warned the dude to cool it or he would set off the…"

"The Academy's been cordoned off since the drill," Captain Pike replied softly. "It has supplies…"

Jim nodded and shakily helped Captain Pike from the bed into the wheelchair before tossing an empty duffel bag from the bedside table in his lap, "We can't go there because it's colder and your lungs will get worse," Captain Pike said softly as Jim loaded the bag with supplies. "It's right next to the ocean."

"I'll be fine," Jim said as he felt around the small house for things they could carry. "I need my Braille…"

Captain Pike sighed and wheeled around, helping Jim fill the bag with things including food, medical supplies, PADDs, and Jim's Braille collection. He then felt Jim covering him in a coat and blankets from the beds, "Where's your jacket, Jim?" Captain Pike asked calmly, knowing Jim was cold and scared.

"I've got it," Jim replied, feeling his way into his heavy burlap coat. "Let's get out of here."

The sky darkened as Jim pushed Captain Pike and the supplies out of the house and down the heavily damaged streets towards the Academy grounds. It was gradually getting colder and snow fell every day, as Nero's drill had damaged the planet's weather patterns to the point of a permanent winter.

It was relatively easy to get on to the Academy grounds, as the fence was very haphazard and nobody would bother them because survivors didn't want to get too close to the ocean and freeze to death when they could go to the warmer inland where there were actual resources. Jim had repeatedly suggested to Captain Pike that he cut his losses and go inland where he could get help because although he was in a wheelchair, he was able to see and be useful to what remained of society, but Pike had refused to leave him alone in San Francisco to die and had helped him through his impairment.

Because Jim was legally blind and couldn't remember the layout of the Academy due to Nero's torture, Captain Pike had verbally directed them to the dilapidated Medical building where there was ample food stored due to Dr. Puri's obsession with disaster preparation and ample medication for Jim. They had settled in one of the old surgical rooms and Jim had unloaded everything before taking a rest.

As Jim rested on a surgical bed, Captain Pike silently used his tools to access the small communications console to see if he could somehow send a message off-planet concerning their current situation.

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