Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its characters or ideas, I'm just borrowing them, but Alex is mine. Several scenes are based on the 2009 Star Trek movie and they are not my own.

A/N: Check it out! An update before 2014! So the new movie has spurred me into action and given life back to this muse, as expected. I've again written a bunch for future stuff, but I'm still a little bogged down on the current stuff, which is still taking place during the 2009 movie. I'm trying to be a bit of a perfectionist in getting the dialogue right (and, of course, now that I've said that, I'm sure my mistakes/wrong quotes will become very apparent) so it's slow going. But I will say I'm writing way more than usual, and going to try and post longer chapters.

Also, I LOVED ST:ID and can't wait to get into it.

Side note, I'm actually not sure what the Starfleet regulations would be for families working together on a starship. I am acting on the fact that it's acceptable given Beverly and Wesley Crusher worked together on the Enterpise. But if anyone thinks I've missed the mark, let me know and I'll work on fixing it!

Without further delay, here's the next chapter. Hope you like it!

Update: Thanks cflat for the point about the me vs my in a few spots, no idea how I missed that, but I've fixed it. :)

(ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST)

The shuttle bay was a barely organized chaos as officers and cadet rushed around. The cadets were ordered to report the Commanders stationed throughout the bay based on their last name. Alex nodded to McCoy and Kirk as they moved towards the K-O location, and she headed for the P-T section.

Alex's steps faltered, as they usually did, when she passed the Orion girl that Jim was currently sleeping with. She was in an excited conversation with Uhura, and neither noticed that Alex's pace suddenly quickened to get past them. It was an incredibly juvenile reaction, but she wasn't hurting anybody so Alex was able to convince herself that it was acceptable.

She stepped up beside Sulu as names started to sound through the bay. The commanders were assigning posts. Jim, Bones, and herself had always hoped to get an assignment together, but she knew that based on their performance they should end up on the Enterprise. And she knew that since her father was the captain of said ship she wasn't likely to get assigned there. It didn't bother her as much as it used to, given recent events maybe some separation would be useful. But then, it wouldn't be a little bit of separation. They would hardly see each other, and there would be that chance that each meeting could be their last.

None of that mattered now. Given the emergency situation the assignments would be completely out their control.

"Hey," she said quietly to Sulu. He was about to reply when her name was called.

"Pike! USS Enterprise. And see me afterwards."

Alex froze. That couldn't be right. While families were allowed to work together on starships, it was still frowned upon for a new cadet to work directly under a family member until they had completed the probation period. True, she did have a very successful history with Starfleet that may have been taken into consideration. But the last time she'd spoken to her father they'd agreed she'd be assigned elsewhere to at least start with.

Several other cadets were called while she stared ahead blankly, trying to process the information, and then, "Sulu! USS Enterprise. Also see me afterwards."

Sulu glanced at her. "I figured they'd stick us together but on the Enterprise? I thought you said you'd requested not to be stationed there?" Alex just shook her head.

"I have no idea what's going on."

They both stayed in place as the crowd dispersed towards their respective shuttles. The Commander approached them, though she already looked distracted as she continually checked her P.A.D and updated information.

"Pike, Sulu, you've been assigned to the Enterprise as the lead tactical officer and helmsman. The currently assigned officers, Likos and McKenna, are both off duty due to a case of lungworms. This replacement has been ordered by Admiral Barnett. Captain Pike is most likely not aware of it, and given the urgency of the situation there is no time ensure he signs the proper paperwork. Please make sure he's aware of the new situation. Here are your papers, and new uniforms will await you when you arrive on the Enterprise. Good luck." She turned to leave but Alex stopped her.

"Wait, I –"

"You have your orders, Lieutenants." She was very specific with the title. She stopped for a moment, and then added, "Lieutenant Pike, I recognize your relationship with the Captain but I trust you'll do your duty and that it will not be an issue." With that she turned again and walked away.

"Did we just get promoted?" Sulu asked, slightly stunned.

"Yep," she replied, just as surprised as he was. They stood there for another second as cadets rushed around them.

"We should go," he said eventually, still unmoving.

"Yep," she repeated. Another moment passed and they didn't move. Then she grabbed his arm and pulled him with her towards the last departing Enterprise shuttle. They moved inside and split up to take the two remaining seats on board. As it so happened she found herself beside Jim. A very sick, miserable looking Jim.

"What happened to you?" She said immediately, forgetting formalities and the fact McCoy was beside him, meaning they were all headed to the same place, which should have been a wonderful suprise.

"Alex! What are you doing here?" McCoy asked at almost the same time.

"Replacement for sick officer." She explained quickly.

"Jim's on academic suspension. I gave him a vaccine so he'd look sick enough that I could take him on board as a patient." McCoy said, again at the same time that she spoke, though the last part was much quieter and she almost didn't catch it.

"Are you kidding me?!" She was horrified.

"We need him and you know it." McCoy replied with a level of finality. "Also, it's done now," he added, recognizing her expression. She was severely annoyed; it was extremely cocky thinking to assume that one cadet could change the course of events on a starship. But it was indeed done, and she had bigger problems, so there was no point in worrying about it now.

Jim let out a low groan, and Alex realized he was shaking slightly. "I might throw up on you," he said to McCoy. In any other situation Alex might have laughed, her mind taking her back to that first moment on the shuttle three year ago.

Leonard had turned away from them and was staring out the window. "You guys gotta look at this." Jim responded with a grunt and wrapped his arms tighter around himself. He really did look like he was going to throw up.

"Jim, look!" McCoy pulled him closer to the window.

'What?" Jim leaned over, and Alex leaned in as well. She was practically on top of Jim, and she could feel how badly he was shaking. He was also radiating heat like a furnace. She was about to snap at Leonard again for his careless thinking when -

There it was. The Enterprise. They were approaching the spaceport and she couldn't take her eyes off it. It was beautiful. The newest ship in the fleet and it showed. It was massive and shone brighter than any other ship at the dock. She'd seen pictures, knew the schematics, knew the layout, but to see it in person. Magnificent.

"Wow..." Jim muttered as their shuttle went over nose of the ship to loop around to the shuttle bay. Alex could only nod in agreement. The sight of their new ship made everything much more real.

Jim sat back and continued to shake slightly. Alex reached over to grab his hand in sympathy and ran her other hand over his back. He glanced at her and she tried to smile, but she was suddenly overwhelmed with nervousness and fear. His eyes widened slightly as he recognized the look in her eyes. He was obviously having trouble, but still he leaned into her and said in an attempt at a comforting voice, "It's going to be ok. We're ready for this."

She managed a tight smile. "I sure hope so."

At that moment the shuttle landed and she was whisked away in a whirlwind of activity. She lost track of Jim and Bones, but had to assume they knew where they were going. Somehow she was handed a new uniform and instructed to change, and then she found herself headed towards the main deck with Sulu at her side. He was pulling at his collar, looking uncomfortable. She would have chided him if she wasn't constantly pulling her skirt down. Why did they make them so short?

They arrived at their destination, taking a moment to absorb the beauty of the ships command centre. It was the newest technology, and for cadets –lieutenants- trained as they were it was amazing. Alex found herself extremely eager sit at her station and get familiar with it. First things first though.

Alex nudged Sulu, who promptly snapped his mouth closed. "Go take your station; I'll inform the Captain of the changes." He nodded and headed forward.

Alex approached the Captain's chair where her father sat reading a P.A.D. and gently passing orders to the crewman around him. He didn't notice her at first, so she stepped into his view and waited patiently.

He looked up after a moment and his eyes widened. She couldn't help but grin at his stunned expression. Captain Pike regained his composure almost immediately.

"Cade-" He stopped himself as he took in her golden uniform and tried again. "Lieutenant? Something I should know?" He raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously.

"Orders should be coming along anytime now sir. I've been promoted and assigned to the Enterprise in place of Likos. Lung Worms. Similar case for previous Cadet Sulu." She paused. "If I had to wager a guess I'd say it seems they didn't have any other more... seasoned officers available." She glanced around and noted that the crewman in the general vicinity weren't paying strict attention so she stepped forward, leaning in closer to her father. "I know this isn't what we'd talked about, but I'm game if you are."

He eyed her for a moment before breaking into a grin that matched her own. "Take you station Lieutenant Pike. And congratulations on the promotion." She gave him a nod of thanks and turned to sit near Sulu and a young boy she hadn't met. Her grin grew as she settled in and began checking levels and reports.

She glanced up as her father greeted a science officer who had just arrived. It was the Vulcan, Spock, who had just, for lack of a more mature phrasing, tattled on Jim. She flinched slightly, instantly realizing that his presence on the ship would complicate things greatly for McCoy and Kirk.

"Ladies and Gentleman, the maiden voyage of our newest flagship deservers more pomp and circumstance then we can afford today. The christening will just have to be our reward for a safe return. Carry on." The Captain took his seat again and hit the main comm. "All decks this is Captain Pike, prepare for immediate departure. Helm, thrusters."

Sulu responded smoothly, "Moorings retracted, Captain. Dock control reports ready. Thrusters fired, separating from space dock." He sounded confident even though she noticed a slight tremor in his hands as he worked the controls. Alex watched the main viewport as the ship slowly turned around to face open space, along with the rest of the fleet.

"The fleet's cleared space dock Captain. All ships ready for warp." Sulu relayed.

"Set course for Vulcan," her father responded, spinning in his chair to face forwards again.

"Aye aye Captain," Sulu replied. "Course laid in."

"Maximum warp. Punch it."

Adrenaline rushed through her. This was it. She was in full control of the tactical response of a real starship about to embark on her first mission. Something she'd been working towards pretty much her whole life. She knew that whatever they were about to face was going to be important, and not a moment for joy and excitement, so she let herself feel it now, before the mission was fully underway.

And that adrenaline abruptly faded when she realized nothing was happening. The rest of the ships jumped to warp speed around them, but they weren't moving. Slowly but surely everyone else on the bridge became aware of this fact and turned their heads to either glance at the Captain, or at the clearly confused helmsman. She cringed inwardly as her father spoke.

"Lieutenant, where's Helmsman McKenna?" He was using his gentle voice, one he used to teach that was filled with patience, but she saw slight exasperation in his eyes. She cringed further.

"He has lungworms sir," Sulu replied, though he was still facing his station. Either in one last attempt to fix the situation, or in order to gather his courage to face the Captain and the rest of the crew, who were now staring openly at him. "He couldn't report to his post." With that he spun around and she was pleasantly surprised to see a calm, professional face addressing their Captain. "I'm Hikaru Sulu."

"And you are a pilot, right?" Pike questioned, never losing eye contact with the not-quite-shaking-recently-promoted cadet in from of him.

"Ah, very much so sir," Sulu replied with a nod. He turned back to his station, but not before shooting her a look that screamed "help me" but he didn't look at her long enough to see her response of "I've got nothin', sorry". "I'm uh... I'm not sure what's wrong here..."

The Captain shared a look with Commander Spock before asking, with a slight tone of levity, "Is the parking brake on?" He drew out the question and raised his eyebrows at Sulu. Alex knew he wasn't actually annoyed, more so trying to teach Sulu something, but she still wanted to shoot him a glare that told him to leave the poor guy alone.

Sulu actually smiled as he answered, which made Alex take back her thoughts of glaring, "Uh no. I'll figure it out, I just uh-"

Spock had clearly had enough of this exchange. "Have you disengaged the external inertial dampener?"

Sulu seemed to deflate slightly, and took a moment to compose himself before hitting a few settings at his station. "Ready for warp sir."

She glanced back at her father, who wore a smile and it widened slightly when she caught his eye. "Let's punch it."

Before she knew it they were off and settling into warp. The initial excitement she'd felt was background noise now as she re-checked her instruments, ensuring all weapons systems were functioning. Sulu's – it wasn't a screw-up, I'm not going to call it that – mistake had brought everything into focus. This wasn't a game anymore. There were consequences to each of their actions, and she had to give all of her attention to the task at hand.

"Engine's at maximum warp Captain," Sulu reported after a few moments. She shot him a smile and he returned it, looking relieved and embarrassed.

"Russian whiz kid, what's your name? Chenko? Chirpov?" The captain questioned the crewman beside Sulu.

He spun around immediately. "Ensign Chekov, sir. Pavel Andreievich." Alex found she was staring at the kid. He couldn't be more then 18 years old, but he held himself with stature of a seasoned officer. Interesting.

"Fine, Chekov, Pavel Andreievich. Begin ship wide mission broadcast."

"Yes sir, happy to." He replied immediately and turned to his station. "Ensign authorization code nine-five-wictor-wictor-two." The computer shot back a not autherized messaged and Chekov looked annoyed. "Aghhh, ensign authorisation code," he repeated, louder and slower. "Nine-five-wwvvictor-wwvvitcor-two." The computer beeped a positive and he was granted access. He looked pleased before letting out a quick sigh and starting into his message to the ship.

"May I haff your attention please. At twenty-two hundred hours, telemetry detected an anomaly in ze neutral zone. What appeared to be a lightning storm in space. Soon after, Starfleet received a distress signal from ze Wulcan high command. Zat zer planet was experiencing seismic activity. Our mission is to assess the condition of Wulcan and assist in ewacuations if necessary. We should be arriving at Wulcan within zree minutes, thank you for your time." He ended the broadcast with a satisfied smile. Then he turned to look at her, and she realized she was staring again. She smiled warmly at him, hoping he knew it was completely genuine and not at all mocking him. She had a feeling he was the type to be mocked at the academy. He looked at her for a moment more before smiling slightly in return.

"I'm Cadet Alex Pike," she introduced herself. "Lieutenant." She corrected herself quickly. "Sorry, not quite used to that yet."

"Ensign Chekov," he said in reply. "Pleased to meet you Lieutenant Pike." He paused, as though considering asking a question. She wanted to say call me Alex but knew that wasn't appropriate. And while asking to be called Pike may be, it definitely wasn't when anyone asking for Pike would most likely mean the Captain. She'd have to settle for the full 'Lieutenant Pike' or 'Ms. Pike'. Chekov hesitated a moment more before asking, "You have a relation wiz ze Captain?"

It was her turn to hesitate. There was no reason to keep a secret, as anyone who knew her name would know, but she still felt like she shouldn't say it. It wasn't a necessary feeling; Starfleet was known to make exceptions when it came to family, and relationships, when working on a Starship. Those in that situation were of course monitored more closely to assure they performed their duties without distraction. It was more common than one might think, and it certainly wasn't frowned upon by most members of Starfleet.

"He's my dad," she responded after a beat.

"Ah, I see ze resemblance," Chekov replied, flashing her another small smile.

"Really?" She was surprised. Most people didn't comment on any physical traits that she may have taken from her father.

"Yes, in your smile." He looked slightly abashed all of the sudden, as though he shouldn't have spoken. He quickly turned back to his station.

"Thank you Ensign. That's actually very nice to hear." He rewarded her with a nod, but didn't turn around. He was extremely professional, that much was clear. She turned back to her station and was about to run another status check when a commotion distracted her.

"Captain!" Jim?! Alex spun in her chair to see Jim rush onto the bridge, followed closely by Leonard and another cadet she instantly recognized as Uhura.

"Jim! Get back here!" Bones was shouting as he trailed their frantic looking friend. Uhura was shouting as well, and Alex lost track of what everyone was saying. The only thing that stuck out was Jim.

"Captain Pike, sir,we have to stop the ship," he cried out desperately as he skid to a stop in the middle of the bridge. Her father was out of his seat in a heartbeat, looking something close to furious.

"Kirk! How the hell did you get on board the Enterprise?" He questioned, his voice taking a dangerous tone. There were many reasons why he'd be angry, and the foremost was, which in all fairness was bothering Alex as well, his disregard for protocol as he stormed onto the bridge and disrupted everything when they were minutes away from their destination.

"Captain, this man is under the influence of a severe reaction to a vaccine," Bones replied, stepping in front of Jim and holding him back. "He's completely delusional. I take full responsibility," he had raised his voice to speak over Jim who was trying to cut him off. When he finished Jim jumped right in.

"Vulcan is not experiencing a natural disaster; it's being attacked by Romulans." He had said it so quickly Alex was sure she misheard him. He must actually be having a reaction to the vaccine, because that conclusion didn't make any sense.

"Romulans," the Captain replied, skepticism clear in his voice. "Cadet Kirk, I think you've had enough attention for one day. McCoy, take him back to medical, we'll have words later." To anyone else that statement would have finished it. The Captain had given orders and they were to be followed. But of course, that didn't stop Jim Kirk.

"Aye Captain," McCoy responded with a nod, and a look of almost relief, until he realized Jim was still trying to push past him. Alex was struck by the look of horror and desperation on Jim's face as he pushed forward.

"Sir, that same anomaly was one you saw – "

"Mr. Kirk," Captain Pike had turned back around, clearly surprised that Jim was still addressing him.

Spock chose that moment to jump in. "Mr. Kirk is not cleared to be aboard this vessel Captain."

"By Starfleet regulation that makes him a stowaway," Spock continued as Jim replied over him. "Look, I get it, you're a great arguer, I'd love to do it again with you soon."

"I can remove the cadet from-" Spock was cut off by an outburst from Jim.

"TRY IT! This cadet is trying to save the bridge." Jim looked ready to punch the Vulcan in front of him, but he only stared him down, his breathing quick and shaking.

"By recommending a full stop mid warp during a rescue mission?" Spock responded in kind. Jim took a breath then promptly proceeded to ignore him and turn back to the Captain.

"It's not a rescue mission, listen to me, it's an attack." Alex's blood ran cold, because she believed him. He seemed so sure that she couldn't believe anything else.

"Based on what facts?" Spock didn't exactly sound angry or annoyed, but given that he was Vulcan she shouldn't be able to discern any emotion from him.

The bridge fell quiet as they waited for Jim to responded, obviously as taken with his confidence as she was.

"That same anomaly, a lightning storm in space that we saw today, also occurred on the day of my birth. Before a Romulan ship attacked the U.S.S. Kelvin. You know that sir, I read your dissertation." Jim had been addressed Spock, rather angrily, but turned to the Captain to verify his point was getting through. Her father turned his head, considering the information. "That ship which had formidable and advanced weaponry was never seen or heard from again. Kelvin attacked a place on the edge of Klingon space and at twenty-three hundred hours last night, there was an attack. Forty-seven Klingon warbirds destroyed by Romulans sir. It was reported that the Romulans were in one ship. One massive ship." Alex's blood turned to ice at that point. His argument was completely logical when based on that information.

Her father obviously didn't harbour the same trust she did, because he asked, "And you know of this Klingon attack how?"

Jim turned to stare at Uhura, his gaze followed by Spock and the Captain. She stared at Jim for a moment before speaking. "Sir, I intercepted and translated the message myself. Kirk's report is accurate."

"We're warping into a trap sir. The Romulans are waiting for us, I promise you that." Jim's voice held pure steel and confidence.

Captain Pike turned to Spock for his opinion. "The cadet's logic is sound," Spock said, without giving the expected impression that it hurt him to admit it. "And Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in xenolinguistics, we would be wise to accept her conclusion."

"Scan Vulcan space, check for any transmissions in Romulan," the Captain ordered, addressing the communications officer.

"Sir, I'm not sure I can distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan," the officer replied, correctly admitting what some might see as a weakness immediately, instead of wasting time. He'd been trained well.

The Captain turned to Uhura. "What about you? Do you speak Romulan? Cadet-"

"Uhura," she responded. "All three dialects sir."

"Uhura. Relieve the lieutenant."

She took a deep breath, obviously drawing in strength and composure, and nodded. "Yes sir."

"Hannity, hail the U.S.S. Truman."

"All the other ships are out of warp sir, and have arrive at Vulcan, but we seem to have lost all contact," Hannity replied, glancing up with a worried look.

"Sir, I pick up no Romulan transmission, or transmission of any kind in the area," Uhura added.

"That's because they're being attacked," Jim stated with a level of finality. Everyone paused and stared at him, coming to the same conclusion.

"Shields up, red alert," Pike said calmly, taking his seat in the Captain's chair once more. Everyone spun back to their stations. Alex entered the commands to alert the rest of the ship and Chekov readied the shields.

"Arrival at Vulcan in five seconds," Sulu announced, hands steady on the controls in front of him. Alex found herself holding her breath as she stared at the viewport. "Four-three-two-"

They came out of warp into a field of debris, and the entire bridge erupted into gasps and shouts of surprise.

"Emergency evasive!" Pike ordered. Other shouts of status and commands filled the bridge as everyone did their part. It wasn't enough, and they hit the starship –oh my god they are destroyed starships – closest to them, throwing everyone to the side. She kept hold of her seat and righted herself immediately.

The Enterprise shook violently as the hit more debris, but an answer to the Captain stated that deflector shields were holding. Sulu was manoeuvring them as best he could, as her father ordered changes in their course.

Half a Starfleet vessel floated ahead of them, looking frightfully dead in space due to the lack of lights or any signs of activity. "Drop us underneath them Sulu."

Sulu responded with a look of concentration as he angled the Enterprise underneath the damaged ship. Alex would have nightmares about the scene before her, ships torn to shreds, bleeding out into open space, parts of the ships and their crew.

They almost made it underneath, but Alex clearly head the thunder of one of the nasals scraping the ship above them. And then they were past it, in from of them was the largest and darkest looking ship Alex had ever seen. It had tendrils everywhere, curving forwards to give it a seed like shape. It sent shivers up her spine, seemingly giving off a sensation of pure darkness.

"Captain, they're locking torpedoes," Spock declared, pulling her back to reality.

"Divert all auxiliary power from port nasals to forward shields," the Captain ordered as the ship in front of them fired on them. The first torpedoes barely missed their nose, but the next ones hit their mark on the ship below them. The medical bays, Alex thought in horror as the ship rocked with the force of the hit.

"Status report!"

"Shields at thirty-two percent! Their weapons are powerful sir, we can't take another hit like that!" Sulu responded, his hands flying over the controls. Alex's hands moved quickly over her own controls, as she diverted power from damaged laser canons and torpedo bays, preparing to launch a counter attack if – when , she thought, a level of vengeance creeping into her veins – the Captain ordered it.

"Get me Starfleet command," Pike said in response.

"Captain," Spock replied, his voice steady but she knew it was going to be bad news. "The Romulan ship has lowered some kind of high energy pulse device into the Vulcan atmosphere. It's signal appears to be blocking our communications and transporter abilities."

Her father barely gave him time to finish before ordering, "All power to forward shields, prepare to fire all weapons."

"Aye Captain," she confirmed the order, and watched as her station lit up with green lights as crew members below loaded the torpedo tubes. She turned her head slightly to watch the Captain out of the corner of her eye, waiting for the order to fire.

Suddenly Uhura jumped up. "Captain, we're being hailed."

Suddenly a Romulan appeared onscreen, taking a second to adjust the camera on his face. "Hello," he said, extremely casually but with a matching level of confidence. Just the way he said that one word terrified Alex. He was too calm after the devastation that had just occurred.

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike, to whom am I speaking?" Her father answered with his own matched confidence, but she knew it was from years of training and experience. There was no way he was calm on the inside.

"Hi Christopher, I'm Nero," Nero responded with a nod of greeting. Alex grit her teeth, forcing herself to not glance backwards and look for Jim or Bones. She had no way of knowing if she was visible onscreen, and this wasn't the time to share looks or thoughts.

"You've declared war against the federation. Withdraw, I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan Leadership at a neutral location." The Captain said, appearing un-fazed by the Romulan's casual greeting. He won't agree to that, he can blow us out of the sky any second, Alex thought, terror gripping her. But then, he hadn't yet. She doubted he'd stopped to say hello to the other ships he'd destroyed, so what was happening now?

"I do not speak for the empire," Nero cut in. "We stand apart." He tilted his head slightly, suddenly looking towards where Spock and Jim were. "As does your Vulcan crew member, isn't that right Spock?" Everyone turned to look at Spock as he rose, confusion slight on his features. Several thoughts rushed threw her head, some of which were so he can see the whole bridge and HOW DOES HE KNOW SPOCK?

"Pardon me, I do not believe that you and I are acquainted," Spock replied, ever the Vulcan with his polite response.

"Oh we're not... not yet." That left everyone in a confused silence. Nero took the opportunity to continue. "Spock, there is something I would like you to see." He didn't elaborate, and Alex did glace back this time, seeing Spock with his eyebrows a tiny bit furrowed and tilt his head slightly in question, and catching a moment of Jim looking severely agitated behind him.

"Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. As you can see from the rest of your armada, you have no choice. You will man a shuttle and come aboard the Narada for negotiations."

No.

Nero signed off and everyone turned to the Captain for his response. Alex's fingers still hovered over the weapons console, ready to fire at any moment. She itched to do it, in order to exact justice and to stop what she knew was about to happen. Her dad would go to that ship. And he probably wouldn't come back.

She knew she was right when he rose from his chair, looking determined.

"He'll kill you, you know that," Jim said quietly.

"You're survival is unlikely," Spock said in the same tone, agreeing with Jim. When her father didn't immediately respond, Jim tried again.

"Captain, we gain nothing by diplomacy. Going over to that ship is a mistake."

Spock seemed to have the same need, as he added, "I too agree, you should rethink your strategy." Alex was surprised at how they could both have the same meaning, but use entirely different words. It showed the immense difference between the Vulcan and her friend. At the same time, she was grateful that they both spoke up, saying what she couldn't in her position.

"I understand that," was all Captain Pike said in acknowledgment of their pleas. "I need officers who've been trained in hand to hand combat."

Alex's heat skipped a beat and she met eyes with Sulu. She nodded slightly, and he raised his hand. "I have training sir."

Alex turned back towards the Captain and raised her own hand. "I do as well."

Her dad seemed to hesitate for a second, eying them both. "Come with me," he said in a grim tone a beat later. "Kirk, you too, you're not supposed to be here anyways." Alex rose and followed the group of men off the bridge.

"Chekov, you have the conn," her father ordered as he stepped onto the life.

"Ay-Aye Captain," she heard Chekov respond before the door slid shut behind her.

As they walked, obviously heading to the shuttle bay, Jim fell back towards her for a second. "What are you doing?" He asked his tone sharp and accusing.

"What?" She wasn't sure what he meant.

"Advanced hand to hand combat?" He sounded frustrated. "I know you've got some training from when you were a kid, but I think the Captain was asking for something more than that."

She actually came close to growling at him, anger at his accusation leaking through before she could contain it. "First off Jim, the Captain is well aware of my abilities, so if he thinks they are acceptable, then it shouldn't even be a question from you. And second, ever since that bar fight in our first semester I've been taking classes. Sulu and I graduated from the advanced class together. If you weren't so busy – " the word came out as a snarl, and she surprised herself with the level of venom in it. This wasn't the time or place to get into that problem. "- you might have known that."

He looked taken aback. "I didn't-"

"I know you didn't," she cut him off with a sigh, regaining some semblance of control. "Sorry, stressful situation. Let's just leave it at I've got your back." She avoided meeting his eyes, trying to regain her composure. Maybe there was some truth in not working with family. If she couldn't even keep it together with the minor situation of drama, how was she supposed to make the hard choices? Especially given that her father was about to fly into the lion's den. She gave herself a mental slap. You are better than this Pike.

She could feel Jim's eyes on her, and he seemed to want to say more, but the Captain started speaking.

"Without transporters we can't beam off the ship, we can't assist Vulcan, we can't do our job. Mr. Kirk, Mr. Sulu, Ms. Pike, Engineer Olson, will space jump from the shuttle. You will land on that machine they lowered into the atmosphere that's scrambling our gear, you'll get inside, you'll disable it, then you'll beam back to the ship. Mr. Spock, I'm leaving you in command of the Enterprise. Once we have transport ability, communications back up, you'll contact Starfleet, report what the hell is going on here. And if all else fails, fall back, rendezvous with the fleet in the Laurentian System. Kirk, I'm promoting you to first officer," her father rattled off orders quickly and efficiently, not bothering to add any words that weren't completely necessary. She watched him with admiration and pride, before her eyes widened and she realized his last command.

"What?" Jim said, shocked.

"Captain?" Spock cut in, sounding equally shocked and somewhat annoyed. "Please, I apologize, the complexities of human pranks escape me." She stared at the Captain, knowing full well he wasn't joking. He'd once confessed to her how much faith and hope he had in Jim, saying he'd one day make a fine Captain just like his father. Of course, as he got to know Jim a little better through Alex, his opinion had changed subtly. Still, the move to promote Jim wasn't completely out of left field. Though it was entirely unorthodox.

"It's not a prank Spock," her father replied calmly. "And I'm not the Captain, you are." Spock just stared at him, clearly trying to process what Pike meant. "Let's go," her father ordered, moving into the lift in front of them. Jim actually gave Spock a small smile of triumph, and Alex sighed with annoyance as she brushed past him and into the lift.

"Sir after we knock out that drill, what happens to you?" Jim asked as he followed her. Excellent question.

"Well, I guess you'll have to come and get me," Pike replied in an off-handed matter. "Careful with the ship Spock, she's brand new." And then the lift slid shut. Seconds later it opened again and they were headed into the shuttle bay. Several crew members were already waiting with space suits for them, Engineer Olson included. When did he order down to get the suits? Alex thought as she pulled on a golden suit, matching Sulu. Jim seemed to have only a blue option, probably because he wasn't actually on the ships roster, so he had to take whatever fit him. Engineer Olson was chatting in a rather animated matter with another red-shirted crewmember about the charges he carried.

As she adjusted her collar she glanced up and shared eye contact with her father. Her breathing had quickened in the last few moments and she was already sweating in the suit, both from the heat and from nerves. He looked at her with slight smile, and at that moment it all clicked into place. She was going to do this, she was going to play her role and be a good officer, to make him proud. She was not going to dwell on what might happen to him, or what the future would hold for her personally if anything did. Right now, and until it was safe or it was responsible not to be, she was Lieutenant Pike. She had a duty to the Enterprise, its crew, and the people of Vulcan. They would all come first and foremost. It wasn't a question of whether she could ignore her worry for her father, or her feelings for Jim, or her insecurities about her current friendships. They didn't exist in her current reality. She was a Starfleet officer, all that mattered was the mission.

As the revelation struck her, it filled her with strength and confidence. She returned his smile with a grin of her own, fierce and calm. His smile grew to mirror hers, and she saw relief and pride in his eyes. This was who he needed her to be.

Once everyone was ready the loaded onto the shuttle. Alex could here orders and flight preparation from the front of the small shuttle as her father took the pilots seat. The rest of them filed into the back and got seated to wait for takeoff.

"You brought the charges right?" Jim asked Olson. He seemed worried, and she noticed the three men were also covered in a sheen of sweat. Everyone was nervous.

"Oh yeah!" Olson replied, excitement filling his voice. "Can't wait to kick some Romulan ass, right?"

"Yeah," Jim replied, mostly to placate the man.

"Hell yeah," Olson replied, practically bouncing in his seat. Alex eyed him, a flash of foreboding crossed her mind. He seemed too... volatile.

They all fell silent as the shuttle left the bay and circle around to head for Nero's ship. Then Jim seemed to get an idea, and turned to Sulu and herself. "So, what kind of training do you have?"

"Fencing," Sulu replied with proud smile. Alex found herself grinning too, when Jim just stared at him with his mouth opened.

"Pre-jump," her father ordered. They all began to pull on their helmets and check their suits on last time. The doors to the cockpit slid shut, in order to keep it sealed off from open space.

"Gentleman, and lady, we're approaching the drop zone. You have one shot to land on that platform. They may have defenses, so pull your shoot as late as possible."

Alex grabbed the handle in front of her, gripping it tightly and trying to control her breathing. This was it. An exercise she'd done in simulations, but never in reality. Fear tinged adrenaline soared through her.

"Three... two... one." Suddenly they were slammed upwards, pulled onto the ceiling in preparation for the drop. "Remember, the Enterprise won't be able to beam you back until you turn off that drill." Pike paused, and Alex found herself holding her breathe. "Good luck."

And then the floor gave way and they were plummeting towards the surface of Vulcan.

(ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST) (ST)

So what do you think?

I was on the fence about how to add Alex into the movie, because on one hand I want to preserve what the movie did with the existing characters and not toss an OC in to mix it up and do all the right things and seem totally perfect in the scenarios (hindsight is 20/20!). On the other hand, it would be kinda boring if she just sat back and watched events unfold. I'm trying to walk the line and keep it exciting while staying true to the movie. So I decided to have Alex jump right in! (Hahaha...haha...ha... get it? :P)