All right people, this is what you been waiting for. At least I think it's what you been waiting for.

Disclaimer: Really, don't see the point for these things since with the Internet anyone can look up and see that Firefly and Star Trek isn't mine. Frakkin' geniuses.

A Reader in the Stars

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Chapter Nine: Meetings and Greetings

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McCoy grumbled when the girl (still did not know her name) stopped at a shopping center. Her response to his grumbling was that he threw up on her shoes. That shut him up for a minute. At least she hadn't demanded that he paid for a new pair. Settling in his seat, he closed his eyes and was determine for a two hour nap when he felt someone pull him up.

Looking up, it was the girl who had a good grip on his arm and was giving him a look that said he was going to go too.

"Hell no. I'm a doctor, not a mule. You go and do your shopping. I'm staying right here."

The girl pursed her lips before, in a flurry of movement, McCoy found himself outside of the car and on his ass.

"Come on. You need to stretch your legs out." She said calmly and then hauled him to his feet. The girl was pretty strong for a little thing. He obeyed. There was no point if this girl was going to kick his ass around for not doing what she wanted.

She led him straight into the heart of the place without pausing to look at a map or even to ask anyone for a location to buy shoes. The girl must have done this a dozen times or so.

"Been here a lot then?" he asked drily as he noticed the looks that some of the people were giving him. He knows that he was not the best looking man around, but he was pretty sure that they were staring at his poor appearance. Screw them, it's not like they had to live on the clothes of their backs.

"First time. I shop at the coast." Came the answer and she grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a tiny shop that he vaguely remembered from his ex-wife was some top of the line expensive brand. He could see the personnel giving them dirty looks. While the girl did not look like a washed up drunk, she was a far cry from some of the shoppers with their expensive clothes and designer purses.

She ignored them all and went straight to one pair of sandals. Taking the display, she studied it for a minute for before going to another pair. The process was repeated a couple more times before she finally took a box underneath one display of black leather sandals with a two inch heel and marched up to the counter. Flashing a credit chip, she gave the cashier a bored look. The chip went through the machine and she took it back and pulled the sandals out of the box.

"Let's go." She said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the store. Looking back, he could see the cashier looking bewildered with an empty box on the counter. McCoy couldn't blame the girl. That was the quickest shopping trip in the history of womanhood. "Not finished. We need stuff for you."

"Now wait a damn minute! I'm not your dam-oww!" he yelped when he felt pain coming from his pinky. The little chit was giving him her you're-stupid look.

"You don't have anything. You can't survive on with clothes smelling like booze. You need some new clothes, some toiletries unless you want to share with your roommate, maybe even some toys. Boys like toys or something like that. Wash had dinosaurs. We need to get some." She muttered and dragged McCoy to another direction.

They spend the next three hours shopping for him. The little mite forced him to try on piles of clothes at a time before she was satisfied with a few shirts and pants. Then they went to look at shoes and bought him three pairs. She wanted to get him five, but he managed to stop her from doing that. Soon they stopped at a shop that sold men toiletries and she got him the necessities of hair care, shaver, and others. While star ships have sonic showers, the academy still has the water ones.

The last two shops were a toy store and one shop that sold luggage. She had bought one medium size suitcase and a small set of dinosaur toys. They were the cheap kind that was made out of plastic and were in a set of vibrant colors and patterns. Unlike the ones with the holovids and the robotic ones, she explained that the good old fashion toys were more fun.

"I can do more with them without stupid bits of machinery to mess it up." Was her explanation to his silent question. McCoy kept wondering just how this girl was able to figure out what he was thinking, but he chalked it up to the look on his face. The cashier at the toy counter had the exact same face that he had- he was sure of it.

Lunch was spent at the food court where the girl had ordered a selection of hamburgers, fries, and sodas. McCoy could now confirm that the girl stayed skinny by metabolism only since her portions of the meal were just as large as his own. Taking a bite of his own, his tongue danced to the juicy combination of beef, ketchup, mustard, mayo, onion, tomato, lettuce, and pickles. The fries were made just right, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. A large slurp of his soda proved that it was made from a mix of syrup and carbonated water.

"At least you managed to find someplace with decent food." He grumbled as he finished his burger. She gave a nod at that.

"I need to have standards on food. Miss Mabel says so."

"Miss Mabel? How'd you know her?" he asked curiously with a smirk.

"She witnessed you throwing up on my feet."

McCoy winced at that.

"Not one of my finest moments. How long until we reach Starfleet anyways? It's a long stretch of land between here and the coast."

"Only another day of driving for you. There's going to a recruitment crew with one of the personnel there that I know. He'll take you there. I still have a road trip to finish." was the answer.

"Road trip? Normally those things going along with friends miss."

"My friends are busy. Two of them are out of country, the other is part of the recruitment group so you'll see her, and my best friend is stuck in a star base on the Delta quadrant. I don't want to spend time with boring people. Plus, you're funny." The girl replied with a smile.

He blinked at the answer. Was that a good thing or a bad thing that young girls think that a twenty-eight year old was amusing fun.

"You remind me of this man ape, the man they called Jayne." She said with a giggle. McCoy's lips curled in a snarl. "He was crude, arrogant, ignorant, and loved guns and women in two ways. Loose and fast."

"Listen here missy! You've only met me just last night. What gives you the right to-"

"I said you remind me of him. The two of you have the same build, height, and coloring. Your accent is slightly different then his but similar. But I know you're not the same and that's what makes it funny. Any good he does is purely accidental. You'll always be hero." The girl said with a soft smile.

For a moment, he felt his breath taken away from the sight. She was a pretty thing and if he were younger, he would try his hand at flirting. But he was older and supposedly wiser. No decent young thing would want a broken man for a first love or any love. Picking up his trash and dumping it on the tray, he put his mind to other things.

"You finished? We need to get a move on if you want me to do this Starfleet gig." He muttered. The girl's smile widens and she quickly placed her trash onto the tray.

"Thank you kind sir." She said with a perfect Southern drawl. He gave a grin that felt almost foreign on his face.

"You're mighty welcome, ma'am."

***

The rest of the trip was silent except for the music. They made stops at small roadside diners and gas stations. River had provided McCoy a PADD to keep him occupied while she spent her free time to comm her friends. Spock had already returned from his job at the star base and had been trying to convince River that if would be beneficial if she just came back with Pike.

She only promised him that she would think about it. To be honest, she wanted to see if McCoy would be okay once he reached San Francisco. The poor man needed a friend to help him out if only to prevent him from becoming a hermit. Plus, it would be good idea to catch up with Pike.

Her talk with Sulu consists of his family and the classes that he was planning on taking for the next term. He was going to be back to the academy in a couple of days and he was hoping that she, Spock, and Chekov would hang out one last time before classes start.

Chekov had chatted happily with her on a possible dissertation on some topic or another and wanted her input on some of sources that he found. He expressed great joy on the possibility of celebrating their return before the term started.

Her comm with Uhura was short and to the point. It was hard to make friends with someone who had a grudge against you.

"So, are you a cadet at the academy and needed credit to recruit a doctor?" McCoy asked during one of their stops for food.

"Nope." River answered before she dug into her macaroni and cheese. Licking the excess cheese, she chewed quickly before she went on. "I'm on vacation. I recruited you out of luck."

McCoy snorted at that before he took a chuck of his steak and devoured it. For some reason, the places she picked end up being ones with decent food. His steak was grilled just right with mushroom gravy and caramel onions.

"You got connections there or something?"

River nodded her answer and took a big gulp of lemon iced tea.

"Best friend is a commander and I know some of the recruiters. He always says that we need more doctors instead of star struck cadets interested in the glory of Starfleet. While you were sleeping it off, I read a few of your papers of on the ethics of graphing xeno cells with human tissues. Your work had an amazing amount of research on several alien races and their biology for a small country doctor. You also have a strict ethics code that Starfleet finds rare in a science broad education. You think every patient as a person, not a species. Starfleet needs that."

The man felt his cheeks flush at the compliment. He had been always congratulated as a genius in the medical field on breakthrough work and research. People commented on his dedication and his workaholic attitude, but no one had ever mentioned his ethics and manners.

They kept silent after that and River paid for the meal like she did with everything else. She hoped that McCoy would not get all noble about paying her back. Sometimes it good karma to help someone out no matter the cost.

***

It was nearly seven in the evening when they reached the small town in Iowa that was three miles away from the site where the Enterprise was being built. McCoy only mentioned that it would years before anyone would get him to set foot on a star ship. That was when River told him that they would take a shuttle for the rest of the trip.

Seeing the man freak out was just as fun as freaking out man ape.

After setting up a room in a small motel for him, they parted ways with River threatening to wake him up with he did not show up in the morning. McCoy went straight to the nearest store that sold liquor and River went around searching for Pike.

She found him at the site of the star ship looking over the mass of construction with pride in his eyes.

"It's too big." River said and slid up beside him. Pike gave a grin at her.

"She's going to be going on a five year trip, commander. She needs the bulk. How was your road trip?"

"Fun. Ate a lot of good food and danced. Picked up a good doctor too. Bet you didn't find anyone better." River replied with a smirk. Pike's eyebrow went up in surprise.

"A doctor? You didn't kidnap them did you?"

"Just away from his plan to drink his life away. He's qualified to start working for Starfleet now with just a few courses or so. He might even get interested in studying some other courses that would expand his knowledge." River answered smugly. Pike whistled at that.

"So you managed to pick a professional down on his luck? Lucky. I got kids who want in for the uniform and a chance to go up in space. Hopefully we'll make something out of them. Have you had dinner?" he asked.

"Not hungry. We just ate before we reached here. There's this nice little place that made this delicious apple pie topped with a sprinkle of fresh cheese about twenty or so miles from here. They also had a good recipe of macaroni and cheese."

"You know, your ability is being wasted on your frivolous quest for good food." Pike muttered as his stomach growled from hunger.

After catching up on each other's lives for the next half hour, River went back to town while Pike ordered someone to get some take out for the rest of the crew. She checked on McCoy to see that he was drinking himself under but the reason was a decent on. He was drinking to forget about tomorrow's flight with a shuttle and she could accept that. She comm Spock and told him that she was going to join everyone else back the academy.

"Because you're my best friend and you're bored without me." She declared. Spock raised an eyebrow at her declaration.

"I am not bored, River. I am merely concern for your well being in arriving in a timely manner. It would do no one any good if you arrived late and are unable to do your duties as an educator."

"Boob. Cadet Uhura is nearby. Is there anything you want me to say for you?" River taunted. Spock gave near silent snort and his eyes narrowed just two millimeters.

"I will see the two of you tomorrow. There is no need to pass any form of communication when we are to meet so soon."

"Shy boob. The regulations may say no on dating but it doesn't hurt to be friendly. We could ask her to join us on our little gathering at Shiao Giah. Cadet Sulu and Cadet Chekov will be there so it won't look like you're trying to date her." River drawled with a roll of her eyes.

"If you wish for her to join us, then that is your choice. I will see you tomorrow at 1000."

That was the end of their conversation. River shook her head at Spock's denial. He could say that he was keeping a professional distance between his commander status and not taking advantage of their cadets. River knew that his attraction to Uhura was serious enough for him to use his own friend to set up a meeting outside of campus.

She checked on McCoy one last time to see that he was dozing on the bed. Reading his sleeping mind, she figure that he had about a bottle worth of bourbon in his system and was not in any danger of dying through the night. Pulling the blanket over his slumbering body, she combed his hair away from his face.

Funny, his hair was like the Captain's.

Closing the door behind her, River took the time to expand her mind out to the thoughts in the air. Shifting through them, she easily found where Cadet Uhura was and the rest of the cadets that Pike brought with him. It wouldn't hurt to extent her invitation now. After all, Spock was unintentionally counting on her.

Walking through the night, she took her time getting to the small bar when she felt Uhura's thoughts in a panic. Worried, River rushed into the bar, yanking the door and nearly ripped it from its hinges.

The scene before was something that she was used to- a bar fight. A quick assessment showed that four cadets were fighting against one young man. Receiving all the thoughts she saw the scene as if she were there. Apparently the young man was hitting on Uhura and one the cadets punched him. Zeroing in on the large cadet, she scowled. It was one the idiots who actually passed her class. However, she needed to stop this right now.

One cadet had a beer bottle and was aiming it on the prone man's face when she grabbed his wrist and twisted it and the body to the floor. She was about to say something when she stopped another cadet's punch with her other hand. Apparently this one she had never seen before. Hooking one of her legs against his, she yanked and then jumped kick the idiot in the middle. Someone grabbed her from behind, trapping her arms to her side. Rolling her eyes, she bent forwards before snapping her head back and her skull meet a soft crunch of a nose breaking. Once the restraint lacked, she grabbed the arms that originally held her and threw the idiot over her shoulder. It was the idiot who started the whole mess.

Looking over to the last cadet, she smirked as he stood still. She could hear his thoughts that were in panic and fear. He knew just who she was and what it would cost for the three to attack a senior officer.

A loud whistle pierced the air. Looking over to the door, she saw that Pike and some of the crew stood there. Pike looked at the whole scene and then scowled.

"All of you, out. We'll discuss this as soon as Commander Tam reports to me just what the hell happened." He ordered. Many of the cadets paled as they realized the young female looking civilian was actually one of their commanding officers. Uhura gave a look over to River who just gave a wink. She would invite Uhura in the morning.

As the cadets rush quickly out of the bar, the young man who was currently sprawled on a table gave a bloody grin.

"You whistle really loud." He commented. River giggled at that. Then the young man lifted his head up a couple inches to look at her. "And you kicked ass."

Pike sighed and shook his head while River's giggles turned in laughter. There was something funny about this young man. She walked over to lean forward until their foreheads were touching and their breaths were mixing. She could smell the scent of booze, blood, sweat, and something that was engine grease mixed with a scent that she could only describe as male.

He was damn good looking and shiny.

"Kid, don't even think about it." Pike warned the young man who looked like he wanted to close the distance between their lips. "She's too young for you."

River pulled away to pout at Pike.

"I'll be eighteen soon." She grumbled. The young man gave a grin at that as she pulled him up from his sprawl on the table. He leaned against her and whispered to call him when she does. Giggling, River poked a bruise that she knew he was feeling and he hissed.

"So mind telling what happen here?" Pike asked looking over at River. She rolled her eyes.

"He," River pointed to the young man. "was hitting on Cadet Uhura when Cadet Matthews threaten him to leave. He insulted Matthews and Matthews punched him. That got him into fighting with another three cadets. I would have stopped them for good if you hadn't come in."

Pike snorted at that.

"Then I would have four incapacitated cadets and I would need to replace them, Tam. I think you smashed that one's nose too well."

"I brought the doctor, besides it's their fault for attacking me. They should have known better." River stated while she grabbed some napkins to help clean up the blood on the man's face.

"So who's our guest here today?" Pike asked nodding towards the young man.

"James Tiberius Kirk." River and James answered together. Both men blinked in surprise but for different reasons.

"Hey, how did you know?" James asked frowning.

"George's kid?" Pike asked with shock.

River rolled her eyes at the two.

"You're the talk of the town." She told James. It was true, everyone in this town was thinking about this trouble maker, like the bartender there. Then she turned to Pike. "His father is George Kirk."

"Holy shit." Pike murmured. That got James to narrow his eyes.

"Yeah, so I'm the kid with the dead dad, what's it to you?"

Pike was silent for a moment before he looked over at River. She could read his silent request for to talk with James alone. She sighed and then began to walk slowly away.

"I'll see you later then Captain. Night Jim." She called out. She paused at the doorway when she read the thoughts that came from Jim. She giggled. Here was someone that man ape would appreciate when it came to women most of the time. Doing a pose that she often seen Inara do, she placed her hand on the door way and twisted her body so she could look over her shoulder. Placing her other hand on her hip she set her eyes at half mast and pursed her lips into a small smile.

That got the thoughts going from her legs around his hips to his hands in her hair. She held that pose before she collapsed into a laughing fit. Pike shook his head at her little act.

"Good night, Tam." Pike stressed.

This time she left with a wave of a hand.

***

McCoy was sleeping peacefully when she checked on him in the middle of night. Making sure that there was an empty bin in case he got the urge to throw up, she left to wander a bit. The night was cool for a late summer day and it was refreshing compared to the heat of the day. She noticed that the light in the bar was still on and she felt tormented thoughts of one James T. Kirk. Walking in the bar, she saw the bartender was still sweeping the broken glass and wood that were still scattered on the floor and that Jim was sitting at a table playing with a star ship shaped salt shaker.

Without saying anything, she sat at the empty chair across from him. She saw half empty glass of whisky and she sipped it. It was different from the stuff that Kaylee made but it was slightly weaker. She held the bit of whisky in her mouth feeling the heat before she swallowed it. It didn't burn as much and she was glad that it went down smoothly.

"I thought you were underage." The man teased half heartedly with a smirk. River raised an eyebrow like Spock does when he was faced with a stupid statement.

"I am." She answered and took another sip.

They sat there in silence. River began to read his thoughts about the conversation with Pike, about his father, his life, and why. What good reasons would there be to be in Starfleet that has done nothing for his family? Starfleet took his father's life, took his mother away from him and Sam, gave him a step father who could never understand, and left him nothing but a hole in his soul. Why the hell should he care?

For a moment, River could feel something familiar about this young man before her. There was something about him that reminded her of home. Reaching out, she took one his hands and squeezed it.

"I knew a man once. He used to be an idealist and a great solider. He never gave up. Even if the world was crashing down, he jumped in with guns a blazin'." River began with a small smile. Jim raised his eyebrows at that. He was thinking that Pike had told her to do some magic about recruiting him.

"So?"

"So, he lost everything one day. He lost many of his friends. He watched people he knew die slow deaths that they never deserved. He lost any trust he had for his ideals. All he had was one good friend, a few credits, and the clothes on his back. He had no one else to turn to. No one would help him."

She could tell that Jim was taking a slow interest in what she was saying. He still thought she was making up stories to get him to soften up.

"That man one day went to buy a ship. The dealer was showing him ships that were old but still serviceable and popular. But instead of buying one of the used still flashy ships, he chose an old nearly extinct model that wasn't even prettied up to be sold."

"That's moronic. What? He fell in love with it at first sight?" Jim mocked. River gave a smile at that.

"That's what happened. His friend called him an idiot for wasting credits on an old clunker that was going to cost more in repairs then the ship itself. But that man saw something in that ship that called out to him. He spent, borrowed, and even stole to get that ship to work. He found himself a pilot, a good mechanic who loved that ship as much as he did, and even found a doctor who kept the med bay to serviceable level. He gave that ship all the love he had and that ship gave back just as much. Do you know why?"

She now had his full attention. He was hypnotic about the story of the man and the ship. There was a fierce light in his eyes.

"Why?" he asked softly. His grip on her hand was tight.

"Because that ship was his and he was her captain. A pilot can maneuver her out of danger or get her to fly the best damn dive in the world. A mechanic can fix her and keep her in good working condition. But a captain? He does something that no one can do better. He loves her. He loves her because deep down she is a part of him and he is a part of her. No ship will ever forget their captain and no captain will ever leave her alone. Your father gave up his life to save those eight hundred lives. He didn't do it alone."

Pulling her hand away she could tell that what she said had affected badly enough that his hand was shaking. Quietly, she refilled his glass with the whisky.

"You have a choice here. You can stay here and live a decent life if you try. You can settle down and grow some roots. No one will blame you for it. It's a good life." She said softly. He looked down at the glass, but she pulled his chin up so she could stare into his intense blue eyes. "Or, you can get up and take the chance. Take the chance in getting your own ship and become her captain. You can find love with any organic being, but you rarely find love like being the captain of your own star ship."

With that, she left him sitting at the bar.

***

Morning came and River woke up groggily at 0700. She dressed quickly and then went into McCoy's room to wake him up. He smelled like booze and she shoved him in the shower, threatening that she would wash him up if he didn't get out in ten minutes. He managed with grumbling curses but her time limit didn't give him enough time to shave.

"We need to eat or at least you need to. All that bourbon isn't good for you if you didn't get that protein and vitamin C in you." She scolded.

"I'll probably throw it back up once the piece of tin starts flying." He muttered. She rolled her eyes at him before dragging him to the local diner.

The food was not as good as the other places, but the bacon was decent and so were the eggs. River ate a large breakfast while McCoy picked most of his food. She gave up in getting to eat and began to eat his portion as well. It was never good to waste food back home and she was not going to start now.

"You should eat as much as possible. You'll be stuck with crappy replicated food soon enough." She warned.

"As long as they can replicate acceptable booze, I could care less." McCoy retorted but forced himself to finish his eggs before River could.

They arrived at the docking port by the Enterprise by 0745. River made sure that McCoy's luggage and her own were in before forcing into the shuttle to take a seat. She took time to discuss with Pike about the possible punishments of the four cadets (which was suspension from going out of campus for the rest of the fall term) when she felt a buzz from a far.

It was a curious one of wariness and excitement. There was a sort of possessiveness tone as a flash of a constructing star ship filtered into her mind. Smiling, she looked up at Pike.

"Looks like that Kirk boy is signing up Starfleet."

A slow smile spread over Pike's face. River could see the hope and the pride on his face as a small figure came closer in a fast pace.

"I knew he would."

James T. Kirk rode his motorcycle close to the shuttle before handing the keys to a nearby crew member who admired it. Looking over where River and Pike stood, he nimbly walked up the steps to the shuttle.

"Four years? I'll do it in three." He promised arrogantly and winked at River. She gave him a smile and a nod while Pike shook his head.

"Get in there." He ordered. Jim entered into the shuttle and a few seconds later, Pike and River heard a loud bang.

"Ow!"

River laughed at that while Pike sighed before grinning at her.

"It's going to be exciting now." He said before shooing River inside.

***

River walked in and gave cold glares that had the injured cadets staring down at their feet.

"You're lucky that most of you have passed my course. Last night's incident would have guaranteed that you need to retake it. Let this be a lesson while you're stuck in the academy grounds for the rest of your fall term. Starfleet doesn't need people who start fighting against petty insults. Klingons and Romulans would have said worse and instead of being suspended, it would have caused your deaths and war for the Federation." She lectured. Once all four heads nodded, she left.

There were emotions of anger, injustice, and fear in all their thoughts but none would dare to go against her or Pike's decision.

Heading towards the cockpit, she came across a mess that was hilarious. McCoy apparently was hiding in the restroom stall and the attendant found him. The man was making a fuss out of his phobia and the intelligence of the attendant. River could feel that the patience of the woman was coming to an end.

"What seems to be the problem here?" River asked politely. The attendant looked over to her with a mix of relief and wariness while McCoy glared at her.

"She want me to sit here when I had a perfectly decent on in the stall where there aren't any windows." McCoy ranted.

Frowning, River motioned the attendant to move along before she leaned over at McCoy and maneuvered him to an empty seat. Placing her hand on his chest, she looked up at him. She could feel his heart pounding from the stress and that his thoughts had stilled to stare down at her.

"The stall doesn't have seatbelts. You'll bang your head against the wall and get a concussion. No one will be there to help you." She said with a pout. There was moment where he was caught off guard and River took that chance to sweep his feet under him and landed his butt on the seat. Before he could get up, she straddled his lap and quickly fastens the harness. "There. No point in getting out now."

Turning over to the side, she noticed Jim was the neighbor and he had a shit eating grin on his face. Reading his thoughts she shook her head at him.

"No, I won't do the same if you do that." She told him as she got up from a shocked McCoy. Jim gave a mocking sad look.

"Awww, how did you know? Besides, aren't you still a minor?" he teased. River bent down and patted his head.

"Worry about yourself and Uhura isn't going to give you her name." with that she skipped away.

"Does that mean you know it?!"

River was close to the cockpit when-

"DAMMIT! I'M A DOCTOR NOT SOMEONE WANTING A LAP DANCE!"

She laughed and closed the cockpit door.

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This is my longest chapter and I think it's my best one yet.

Shiao Giah – this is the name of the hot pot restaurant that River and Spock goes to. I figure to give the place a name.

As of right now, I'm confused on whom to pair River up with. So just for the heck of it, I'm going to have same interesting moments with River and the entire male cast with the exception of Pike, Nero, and Spock Prime.

It could be viewed as romantic but it's all going to be affectionate until I decided on the pairing.

Hope you love it and please review!