Hello all!! Okay, I'll be perfectly honest when I say that I'm not terribly happy with this chapter. I'm not sure why but it was extremely difficult to write and I actually re-wrote it twice before ever settling on this version. I had originally planned for Frank to find out about Pike's meeting with Spock and McCoy but the more I thought about it the more I decided Jim needed at least a little bit of a break O.o Jeez, I've beaten him half-senseless already... So I changed it to this in defeat. And I still don't like it!! -.-; *Le sigh* I'm sorry, I'm kinda frazzled with finals so if this chapter isn't my best work then I sincerely apologize!! O.o I really hope the next one turns out better!! XD

The crowd in the bar was large this time of night, waitresses bustling in and out of the sea of people clumped together in in tight groups. Nearly every television in the room was tuned to a different sports channel and there were a few games of pool going on in one of the far corners. While this bar wasn't quite as seedy as Mavericks, it was just far enough away from the Academy that no one would recognize him here. Jim winced faintly as he took a deep breath and finished the rest of his beer.

He'd spent nearly the entire day in one of the open computer rooms on campus. Word had traveled fast about his "resignation" earlier in the day and several of the younger cadets would wander by his chair, hesitating as if they wanted to ask him something before giving up and walking off. The attention was getting to be too much and Jim had called it a night, choosing to go completely off Academy grounds to avoid any unnecessary confrontations. The information he'd managed to gather and put to use had been worth it though; he just needed to make a few more adjustments and everything would be done.

The room smelled heavily of alcohol and cigarette smoke which made it even harder to breathe. His chest ached with each breath he took, the painful inhales stretching out the gashes in his back and the exhales pressing sharply into his broken ribs. He'd cleaned a lot of the noticeable blood off his face and arms but he couldn't do much about the consistent trickle down his back. It was pretty pointless trying to bandage the cuts as well; unfortunately he had been born human and couldn't reach his back. His head swam dizzily throughout the evening and there were a few times when he had to force himself to stand up just to keep from passing out at his computer desk. He was in pretty bad shape and he knew it but if everything worked out tomorrow then he would never have to worry about Frank again and he'd be free. If it didn't…well, he didn't want to think about that at the moment.

Jim squeezed his eyes shut, wincing beneath the broken nose and black eyes. He'd gotten plenty of strange looks during the evening, some people even offering to take him to the hospital but Jim would just smile politely and decline. Hospitals were definitely not something he wanted to deal with right now. Granted, it would probably be more helpful than he wanted to admit but for now he was fine with a beer and place where no one knew his name.

A pretty blond waitress passed by his table and Jim reached out to touch her arm. "Can I get another beer?" He asked, smiling lightly at the young woman's startled look. Her eyes softened after a second and she nodded.

"Of course. Anything else?"

Jim thought for a second, chewing absently on his busted lip. "Yeah, a shot of Jack. Straight up."

"His shot's on me." A voice said from somewhere behind him and Uhura slid into the chair opposite him.

"Crap."

"Nice to see you too." Uhura snapped back, smiling at the waitress as she walked away.

"How did you know I was here?" Jim asked, still stunned by the lieutenant's appearance.

"I got a tip from someone at the Academy." Uhura replied, turning back to face Jim. "Everyone's looking for you." Her dark eyes filled with concern as she took in the full extent of the damage. "Jesus Kirk…what the hell happened to you…?"

Jim frowned, looking at the table. So much for no one knowing his name. "Just had a rough couple of days." He said finally, flashing her his trademark grin.

"Bullshit." Uhura's eyes narrowed in a mixture of irritation and concern and she leaned forward so she was closer to him. "Jim, I'm not stupid and neither is the rest of your crew…" She sighed, softening her voice and reaching out to touch his bruised, bloody knuckles. "Please…just tell us what's going on and we can help you…"

Jim looked down and shook his head. "I can't."

The lieutenant blinked in surprise and raised and eyebrow. "You can't?"

"No, it's just…it's complicated…" Jim sighed and looked out into the mass of nameless faces that filled the bar, wishing he could be one of them. He took a shallow breath, biting back the grimace that tried to follow it, and looked back at her. "This is something I have to do on my own. Besides, its better this way."

Uhura's frown deepened and she crossed her arms. She may not think Kirk was the greatest person in the world but that didn't mean she wanted to see him beaten and broken like he was now. "Why not?" She asked finally, watching his face carefully. "Why is it so hard to ask for help and accept that fact that maybe some of us want you back on the ship?"

Jim stifled a smile and refused to meet her eyes for a second. Saying that must have taken a lot of guts for her and he wasn't going to make it worse with his usual sarcasm. He sobered up and leaned back in his chair, trying to take a little bit of pressure off his injured ribs. "My mom told me when I was little that my father used to have this code he followed even to his death. A "Captain's Code" he called it. For him it meant that the safety of your crew comes before anything else, no matter what the situation." He paused as the waitress reappeared beside their table and set the drinks down. Uhura handed her a handful of bills, telling her to keep the change and turned her attention back to Jim. The younger man hesitated for a split second before continuing. "Uhura, becoming Captain of the Enterprise was probably the best thing that ever happened to me…it's the only thing I've ever managed to do right in my life." He shook his head bitterly and downed the whiskey, chasing it with the beer and wincing as the stout alcohol burned his split lip. "But I have to live by that code as well and right now I've found a situation where you guys come first."

For a few seconds, Uhura didn't know what to say. She had never seen this side of Jim Kirk before, the serious, compassionate version of the man who had become her Captain. It was surprising after having known him as the cocky playboy for the past three years.

"Listen, everything will work out." Jim said and was almost able to pass off a carefree smile. "I just have to handle things on my own for a while."

"But Kirk-"

Jim shook his head, cutting her off. "Uhura, trust me okay?"

She wanted to protest further, to argue and convince him that whatever he was doing was going to destroy him. But for some reason the words wouldn't come and all she could do was nod. She was proud and worried for him at the same time. She wanted to encourage him and talk him down in the same sentence. It was an odd mix of emotions, one she wasn't entirely sure she liked, but she found she could think of absolutely nothing to say at the moment. "Jim-"

But Jim was already standing, pushing his chair in and dropping his nearly full beer into a trashcan next to the table. His movements were stiff and measured but he offered her an easy smile and winked. "I'll be fine." He said, answering the question that had been sitting on the tip of her tongue for the past ten minutes. He leaned across the table, giving her a friendly peck on the cheek before turning and walking out of the bar.

Uhura sat speechlessly for a seconds, unable to say or do much of anything. Jim's demeanor and change of character had been surprising enough but when he kissed her she hadn't wanted to punch him through the wall. It felt like goodbye, like she would never see him again after he'd left and a feeling of dread clenched in her stomach. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small communicator and turned it on. She needed to tell Spock about the meeting.

OOOOO

The dust hung in the air in the parking lot like a fog and Jim stifled a cough as he exited the bar. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep for about four days but he still had a lot to do before rest was an option. He stepped out into the parking lot, walking slowly and digging his hands deep into his pockets. He still had Bones' old ID card so he could go back to the computer lab when he got back to the Academy. No one would be in there this time of night so it would be a good time to finish his project. He turned onto a quiet side street, away from the crowded bar, and walked down the sidewalk, contemplating the rest of the structural diagrams he'd found earlier in the day.

"Pretty girl." A voice said from a darkened corner and Jim froze instantly, the muscles in his back becoming rigid and stiff. "What did you two talk about?"

Jim's eyes narrowed and he turned to face the shadowed form of his step-father. "It's none of your business." He snapped sharply, fist clenching at his side. "How the hell did you find me anyway?"

"I followed you." Frank explained easily, flicking the cigarette he had into the dirt. "So, what's her name?" He asked, inclining his head back in the direction of the bar. When Jim didn't answer Frank simply shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "I could go ask her myself."

"You stay the hell away from her." Jim growled, stepping forward and closing the distance between them in an instant.

"Ohh, I see." Frank chuckled darkly. "She's important to you, isn't she?" He laughed again and stepped a little closer. "So what is it Jim? Is this the real deal or do you keep her around because she's a good fuck?"

Jim swung before he could stop himself, crashing his fist into Frank's jaw and sending the older man stumbling backwards into the wall of the building behind them. His muscles still ached from the fight earlier but he couldn't help it, he wasn't going to stand by idly while Frank insulted his lieutenant. He was breathing heavily, gritting his teeth against the pain in his ribs, and clenching his fists so hard his knuckles had gone white. "If you ever say anything like that about her again, I'll kill you."

Frank smirked, spitting blood, and lunged, grabbing Jim by the front of the shirt before he could avoid it. He jerked him forward, slamming him violently into the rough brick of the building and punching him solidly in the back. Jim gasped as the impact jarred his already broken ribs and staggered just in time to get a knee to the jaw. He collapsed onto the ground, stunned from the blow but coherent enough to avoid another one. He grabbed Frank's ankle and pulled sideways sharply, knocking him into the hood of parked car. Frank growled in rage and grabbed Jim by his collar, hoisting him up easily and throwing him into the windshield. Glass buckled and shattered beneath him and Jim vaguely wondered how many concussions he'd gotten in the past twenty-four hours.

With another burst of strength, Frank hauled Jim off the hood of the car and dropped him unceremoniously onto the ground, pinning him to the ground with his knee and wrapping his hand around his throat tightly. "I'm getting really sick of your shit kid." He growled, fingers tightening with each word.

"Funny…"Jim gasped, struggling weakly beneath him. He was too disoriented to do much of anything else. "I could… say the same… for you…"

Frank gave one last painful squeeze and let go, leaving Jim gasping for air on the ground. He rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket, pulling out a thin, flat object that looked a lot like an old fashioned cell phone (ha!). He pressed in a few codes into the screen and held it down for Jim to see. "See this?"

The screen was a mess of smaller screens, each one showing a picture of a different room on the Enterprise. It showed the engine room, the Bridge, the medical bay, and several other stations vital to the ship's survival. Each one was displayed in crystal clear clarity, every detail magnified despite the small size.

"I've already implanted a viral code into your ship. If you think I won't upload it right now and watch the entire thing blow sky high then you're sadly mistaken."

"How…did you get onboard…" Jim gasped, spitting blood from his newly split lip. He'd read somewhere that you can swallow a pint of bloody before getting sick but he wasn't really up for testing that theory.

"I didn't." Frank smirked, holding out a blank card with a thin black strip on one side and a barcode with a number on the other. "You did. All I had to do was wait for everyone to leave and then feed the virus into each system on your ship. You know, you're onboard security systems are very easy to bypass." He smirked again and his eyes darkened. "As far as anyone else knows, you hijacked your own ship and created a doomsday virus for the Enterprise from the Academy. Everything I did was with your ID, Jim. Everything that happens will trace back to you."

Jim felt a cold weight settling his chest and it was suddenly much harder to breathe.

Frank smiled darkly and sat back. "Your ship leaves for its next mission tomorrow morning at 8am." He glanced at his watch and then back at the younger man. "I'd say you have about seven hours before I make the Enterprise a fireworks display."

Jim winced again and growled deep in his throat. There was a chance Frank was bluffing and nothing had been done to the ship but he wasn't willing to test it. Especially not since he'd managed to get video feed from the ship. "Fine…Just leave them out of this, alright?"

Frank smiled and patted the side of Jim's cheek roughly. "Good boy. Meet me at the repair yard in the morning and I'll keep the virus dormant. But if you screw me over again…" He faded off, glaring down at Jim. "Well, be sure to kiss that pretty little girl goodbye for good." He winked and stood, leaving Jim laying bleeding and dazed on the sidewalk. The countdown was on and he had less time than he thought.

Woot!! Okay, so just to clarify, there is no romance between Jim and Uhura, the kiss was just for friendship :) I fully support friendship fics between them but can't bring myself to do romance =P Hope you liked it!!