A/N: new chappie! and yes, this plot line is taking way more than three chapters, lol! i really dont care, we're just gettin more depth into Jacque's character, and such, right? anyway, new chappie! enjoy!

Chapter 14: Something More

Kirk headed toward the lift to the bridge the next morning, thinking of Jacqueline. She'd been acting strange lately, and now she was refusing to see him when he asked if she wanted to hang out with him. It was starting to unnerve him just a touch. He glanced up to see Charlie as they passed each other in a corridor and greeted him.

"Captain?" Charlie called, stopping him and they stood face to face. "I'm supposed to ask you something."

"Alright then," Kirk smirked that charming smirk of his and nodded, "Go ahead."

"Why shouldn't I…" the boy began and stopped, trying to find the right words. "I don't know how to explain this."

"Saying it right out usually works," Kirk replied, paying close attention to him.

"Well, earlier today when I was in the corridor, I saw…" Charlie trailed off again, thinking before he continued, "When Jacqueline…When Ensign Fabian was…" He looked around as Kirk waited for the boy to get his thoughts together, patiently. Charlie suddenly leaned over and patted Kirk's behind, saying, "I did that to her, and she didn't like it." Kirk kept his scowl at bay as Charlie continued, "She said you'd explain it to me."

"Me?" Kirk echoed, holding back the irritation in his voice at the thought of this kid touching his girlfriend that way. Maybe that was why Jacqueline had been acting so strangely? "I see. Well…uh…"

Kirk trailed off for a minute, now finding himself at a loss for words as he tried to explain this to this boy who was barely younger than himself. He gave a frown as he ran a hand over his mouth in thought before saying, "There are certain things you can do with a girl that, uh…"

Don't go there, Jim, he warned himself as he trailed off again then opted for saying, "There's no right way to hit a woman, Charlie. Man to man is one thing, but when it's a man and a woman it's…Well, it's different," He looked at Charlie who looked almost utterly confused and asked, "Do you get it?"

"I don't know," Charlie admitted and Kirk sighed inwardly at the whole conversation.

"Captain Kirk," Uhura called over the intercom near the two of them and he thanked God for her interruption as he nearly ran to the thing to answer her.

"Kirk here."

"Captain Ramart of the Antares is on 'D' channel, Sir," she said.

"On my way to the bridge, Uhura," Kirk said and headed past Charlie toward the lift, but the boy followed him.

"Can I come with you?" he asked, excitedly.

"I don't think so, Charlie," Kirk replied, still walking.

"I won't get in the way, I promise," Charlie said, still keeping up with him as they entered the lift. Kirk was about to argue, but thought better of it. The boy needed experience. Let him see how things were done on a starship.

"Hold the lift!"

The two looked down the hall to see Akiko racing toward the lift and Kirk held the doors open for her to enter. She slid in with a smile as the doors closed and stood on the other side of Kirk.

"Heading to the bridge, Sir?" she guessed, and nodded hello to Charlie.

"Yeah," Kirk nodded, shortly then frowned and asked her. "Why are you going to the bridge?"

Akiko glanced over at Charlie who seemed occupied with looking at something before she replied, "I wanted to make sure my friend wasn't overwhelmed on the bridge."

Kirk gave a frown at that, thinking she meant Spock for a moment, but then realized she had to be talking about Jacqueline. Spock would never be 'overwhelmed by anything. And as he realized who she was referring to he couldn't help but wonder why Jacqueline would be overwhelmed. Then he glanced at Charlie as the lift stopped and remembered how Akiko had glanced at him before answering, but he had no time to think about it as he stepped onto the bridge and toward Uhura who was sitting at her console, Spock next to her as she tried to get a clear signal from the Antares. Akiko stepped up next to Spock who glanced at her for a split second as Kirk leaned over the console.

"Kirk here, Captain Ramart," he spoke into the console as Charlie stood a few steps away.

"Captain," Ramart called from the console, obviously in duress. "We're just barely in range. I've got to warn---"

He was suddenly cut off and nothing came from the console. Not even static making Akiko frown up at Spock, but he didn't look at her.

"Re-establish contact," he ordered gently to Uhura as she worked on the console.

"They're not transmitting, Sir," she reported.

"Keep trying."

"It wasn't very well constructed," Charlie spoke up and all eyes turned to him to stare, but no one said anything as he lowered his gaze a little.

"Spock, sweep the area of the Antares transmission with our probe scanners," Kirk ordered, turning back to lean next to Uhura.

"Affirmative, Captain," Spock nodded, heading toward his post, meeting Akiko's gaze for just a moment before she turned to look at Jacqueline who had been standing with Sulu the whole time.

Charlie hadn't noticed her yet, but Jacqueline had noticed him, and her eyes were wide as she gripped the back of Sulu's chair, making her knuckles turn white. Akiko caught her gaze and held a finger over her own mouth to silently signal that she stay unnoticed and Jacqueline nodded, turning back to lean over the console next to Sulu as Akiko turned her attention back in time to see Kirk turn to Charlie.

"You think something happened to the Antares, Charlie?" Kirk wondered with an evaluating gaze on the boy.

"I don't know," Charlie shrugged with a slight shake of his head.

"Picking up some debris on our scanners, Captain," Spock reported, turning everyone's attention to him.

"What about the Antares?" Kirk asked with a frown and Spock worked on his console a bit more before turning back to the captain.

"The debris is what's left of the Antares."

Uhura and Akiko stared wide eyes at Spock before turning to Kirk who in turn looked to Charlie for his reaction. The boy lowered his head slightly, looking away from Kirk's intense stare. A call from the intercom on his chair drew his attention.

"Captain Kirk from ship's galley."

He stepped toward his chair to respond, "Kirk here."

"Sir, I put meatloaf in the ovens for the Thanksgiving dinner. There's turkeys in there now. Real turkeys."

A slight chuckle came from Charlie, drawing everyone's attention to him but he covered his mouth, his smile disappearing as he turned and headed into the lift. Kirk gave a frown of thought as Akiko turned to head toward Jacqueline.

"He's gone now," she whispered over her shoulder and the short-haired brunette gave a sigh of relief before turning back to lean on the console. "He didn't even notice you were here."

"Thank goodness," she muttered and Sulu frowned at her.

"What is it about this kid that freaks you out?" he wondered.

"Stuff happens around him," Jacqueline explained. "Weird stuff." She looked back to Akiko. "You saw it, just now, didn't you? That ship was destroyed. The whole thing about the turkeys. It's because he's here."

Akiko glanced away in thought before looking back and deciding to change the subject by asking, "Did you find someone to introduce him to? A lady someone, I mean."

"Yeah," Jacqueline sighed, running a hand through her hair. "She's an ensign cadet too…" She trailed off with a frown and looked at Chekov. "Hey, Pav? What was that girl's name again?"

Chekov shot a wide-eyed gaze at Jacqueline before registering her question and turning back to his console, replying, "Tina."

"Right," Jacqueline nodded, looking back at Akiko. "Tina."

"Is she pretty, Chekov?" Akiko smiled at him and he looked up at her again, this time with wide eyes and a slight blush before he turned back to his work.

"Da," he nodded, making Akiko's smile widen.

Jacqueline gave a scoff at the boy's embarrassment. She couldn't help but think how different he was from Charlie. Innocent yet less creepy. She caught some movement behind Akiko and smirked as she realized what had made it as Akiko frowned at the smirk. Jacqueline nodded behind her and she spun around with a frown which turned to a warm smile when she met Spock behind her.

"Yes, Commander?" she asked when he said nothing.

"I was wondering if you would like to join Captain Kirk and I in one of the Rec Rooms," he said, holding his hands behind his back. "I thought you might like to learn how to play three dimensional chess."

"That sounds wonderful!" Akiko grinned, but quickly turned to Jacqueline who only grinned at her friend's worry at leaving her.

"Go on," she waved off, starting to turn toward the console again. "Maybe I'll head there myself a little later."

"You sure?" Akiko wondered, concern thick in her voice.

"I'm fine, Sparky," Jacqueline assured her, not looking from the console. "Go have fun learning. I know you'd rather be doing that than watching over me."

"Not true," Akiko called as she followed Spock to the lift and Jacqueline only rolled her eyes as they left.

Rec Room Three...

"Fascinating," Akiko smiled, leaning on the table, her chin in her hands, supported by her elbows leaning on its surface as she stared at the three tiered tower with chess pieces set around.

"Jeez, you're starting to sound like Spock already," Kirk noticed and Spock lifted a brow at his captain's tone as they continued playing 3-D chess. He moved a piece from one level to the next and Akiko frowned at the move, Spock catching it as well.

"Your mind is not on the game, Captain," he noticed as Kirk waited for the commander's move, glancing at the board in wonder. Spock moved a piece from the second level to the first, calling, "Check."

Kirk slumped a bit with a slight sneer.

"The Antares?" Spock guessed and Kirk looked at him in thought before voicing his concerns.

"A survey ship with twenty men aboard lost," he began. "No reason. Captain Ramart didn't think anything was wrong. I can't figure it out."

"My concern is more immediate," Spock voiced, drawing Kirk's attention. "The boy."

"I usually don't have trouble following you, Spock," Kirk said then added with a small smirk, "You being the most predictable of my crew."

Akiko gave a slight giggle, making Spock shoot his gaze to her, lifting a brow of wonder at what she found so amusing and making her smile apologetically.

"He seemed to know what happened to the Antares before we did," Spock explained, turning back to Kirk.

Before he could reply their attention was drawn to the door when it swooshed open. Akiko sat up properly when she saw Charlie standing in the doorway, a grin on his face. After everything she'd seen happen around him, and the way he unnerved Jacqueline, she was now a little more on edge when he was around.

"I'd call it a pretty long reach for evidence, Spock," Kirk murmured, not wanting the boy to hear him before he called over his shoulder, "Come in, Charlie."

As the boy stepped in and leaned on the table next to Kirk, the captain moved a chess piece, making Akiko frown slightly at the move, but Spock called it, saying, "And again…" he moved a piece, "Check."

Kirk examined the tower before moving another piece and calling with a smirk, "Checkmate."

Spock looked at the board in what could have been described as disbelief then sat back slightly in defeat, commenting, "Your illogical approach to chess occasionally has its advantages, Captain."

"I'd prefer to call it inspired," Kirk corrected making Akiko roll her eyes. He sounded so much like Jacqueline when he argued.

"As you wish," Spock nodded, slightly, looking like a parent giving in to a child's trivial whim. "At any rate, the game is yours."

Kirk gave his charming smirk before looking up at Charlie and asking, "Do you play chess?"

"Oh, I watched them play on the Antares," Charlie nodded, hesitantly as Kirk stood and Akiko moved her chair a little closer to Spock's, thinking that since Kirk was leaving, Charlie would too, but she held back a groan of disappointment when he asked, "Can I try?"

"I place you in the hands of our chess master," Kirk smiled, gesturing that Charlie take his seat as Spock began rearranging the board again and glancing toward Akiko.

She gave a slight pout as Kirk walked out of the room and Spock caught it, making him lower a hand and run his fingers ever so slightly over her knee, out of Charlie's gaze. She looked at him with a slight blush and widened eyes, but he only kept his gaze on Charlie.

"The principle of three-dimensional chess are basically mathematic, Charlie," Spock explained, still arranging the board as Charlie turned back to watch him. "You put the white here, and the black on the secondary level---"

"I know what it is," Charlie interrupted in a low tone as he sat. "Let's play."

Akiko frowned at the look on the boy's face, sitting back a little as Spock looked at him in slight surprise at his interruption but said nothing as he adjusted his chair, slightly. Akiko watched three moves pass between them in the game and Spock shook his head at the boy when he made the last one.

"That was a mistake, Charlie," he explained and the boy looked back at the board, examining it.

"No it wasn't," he argued, still looking at the board.

Spock moved a piece and called, "Checkmate."

"No, it isn't," Charlie argued again, almost snapping at him and Akiko found herself reaching for Spock's hand under the table in concern.

The commander glanced at her when she latched onto his hand then turned back to Charlie's glare, unaffected by it.

"If you'll excuse us," Spock nodded, not giving the boy the satisfaction of arguing with him as he stood, his hand slipping from Akiko's as she stood with him. "I think it's time the two of us got back to work. Do you not agree, Miss Suzuki?"

"Y-Yeah," Akiko sputtered with a small nod as she watched Charlie look back at the board, still trying to figure out what he'd done wrong. "I gotta get back to engineering…"

"I will escort you there, if you wish," Spock assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder as she didn't move.

She gave another nod as she started toward the door, still staring at Charlie who didn't seem to notice they were leaving. A sudden chill ran down her spine and she held it until they were out of the room. When she shivered, Spock turned to her with a slight frown.

"Are you alright?" he wondered and she looked at him with wide eyes, shaking her head only slightly.

"I think you and Jacqueline are right about that kid," she murmured, making him stop and turn to face her and she stopped as well. "There's something…odd about him."

"Are you certain?" he asked and she nodded.

"Spock, I want you to promise me to look after Jacqueline if I'm unable to," she requested. "She's on the bridge with more often than she's with me."

"I shall strive to keep her safe for you, Akiko," he nodded.

"Thank you," she smiled in relief. "I have to go now. I'll see you at lunch."

Spock nodded as he watched her walk away, turning back in time to see Charlie marching down the hall in the opposite direction, a scowl over his face. He turned a corner and almost rammed into two girls, not noticing who they were or even thinking of stopping until he heard Jacqueline's voice.

"Oh, Charlie," she called, making him instantly stop and turn to her as she smiled, "I was looking for you." She stepped away a bit to reveal a pretty blonde next to her and introduced, "I'd like you to meet Tina. She's an ensign cadet, like me." She smiled at the adorable blonde, not missing the fact that Charlie was staring at her and not Tina. "This is Charlie Evans."

"Hello, Charlie," Tina called and he glanced at her with a twitch of his mouth and a small nod before shooting his gaze back to Jacqueline, making her uneasy.

"I-I thought you might enjoy meeting someone your own age," Jacqueline tried.

"Can I talk to you?" Charlie asked her then shot his gaze to Tina adding, "Alone."

"Charlie, Tina's---"

"Excuse me," Tina cut in, not masking her irritation as she straightened, saying, "I must be wanted, somewhere."

With that the blonde marched off down the hall and Jacqueline felt the girl's anger as she turned back to Charlie saying, "That was rude and completely uncalled for, Charlie."

"But I don't need her, I wanna talk to you," Charlie explained, matter-of-factly.

"That's no excuse," Jacqueline replied. "You'd better learn that right now. You have to live with people, Charlie. You're not alone anymore."

"But she's not as…" he tried, starting to sputter again as before. "She doesn't---She's not the same. Not like you."

Oh, crap, it's what I thought, Jacqueline thought to herself, her heart pounding in her chest in panic as Charlie stared at her with those brilliant, seemingly innocent blue eyes and continued.

"She's just a girl," he said. "You're…You smell like a girl. All the other girls on the ship, they…they look just like Tina. You're the only one…who looks like you. You can understand, can't you?"

Jacqueline swallowed, hard as he still stared at her with that intensity she knew too well but in all her years of flirtation had never returned. There was something behind it though, and that was the something that had always scared her about him, ever since they'd met.

"You know about…being with somebody?" Charlie continued. "Wanting to be… If I had the whole universe, I'd give it to you."

Lord, please, make him stop, she prayed, silently, but he didn't.

"When I see you, I…I feel like I'm hungry, all over. Hungry. Do you know how that feels?"

Jacqueline bit her lower lip, staring at him in utter fear, but he wasn't taking the hint.

"I-I gotta go," she finally sputtered, inching away as he only stared at her in wonder. "I gotta…I have work to do so I…I gotta go, Charlie!"

She almost ran down the hall and into a lift, pressing a button out of impulse, only able to think of one person who'd be able to take her mind off of this, even for a few moments. Once the lift stopped she hurried out of it, and on the familiar path to Kirk's quarters, her heart pounding in her ears as she pressed the button next to the door, praying he was there and not on the bridge. He was usually in his room right now.

"It's open," Kirk called from inside the room and the door swished open as Jacqueline stepped a little closer to it then fully into the room just as Kirk sat up his bed, setting the book he was reading aside. He frowned as the door closed behind her and he saw her shallow breathing and frightened gaze, making him stand and step toward her, asking, "What's wrong, babe?"

She didn't say a word as she met him halfway and threw her arms around him, her lips planting themselves to his. He felt her need for comfort through her kiss and said nothing as he slid his arms around her, pulling her closer as he slowly stepped them toward the bed, spinning them around and lowering them onto the mattress as they never broke the kiss.

A/N: and...yeah. poor Jacqueline, right? lol! reviews?