October

Bayside Shelter and Soup Kitchen – San Francisco

"Pumpkins?" Spock asked tonelessly, quizzically peering at the group of pumpkins on the table.

Mark nodded as he took markers out of his supply drawer, "I'm going to donate some to the hospital and some to the Academy after we carve them," he replied calmly. "You know how?"

"My mother taught me," Spock replied calmly. "However, I was never much for drawing."

Mark chuckled and handed Spock a marker, "It's basically triangles," he replied gently.

Spock reluctantly uncapped the marker and started drawing faces on the pumpkins, frowning when he heard footsteps in the common area of the shelter, "People are a bit early for the supper rush, it seems," Mark said calmly. "Keep working, I'll find them something to do."

Mark silently left the kitchen, "…Are you the proprietor of this establishment?" Spock suddenly heard Ayel's cold voice ask. "We seek shelter and information about the surrounding area…"

"This is a shelter and soup kitchen," Mark replied calmly. "There are plenty of beds."

There was a silence and Spock's eyes narrowed when he heard the click of a gun, prompting Spock to burst into the common area. Ayel and three Romulans were all pointing small guns at Mark, who looked terrified, "Well, if it isn't Spock, son of Ambassador Sarek," Ayel hissed.

"Disarm yourselves before I contact the authorities," Spock said in a sharp voice.

Ayel smirked and raised his gun, prompting Spock to use martial arts moves to forcibly disarm all four of the Romulans. Mark quickly gathered the guns and glared at the Romulans.

"Watch yourself, Vulcan," Ayel hissed. "You wouldn't want to die like George Kirk did."

Spock's eyes narrowed and quickly widened as Ayel lunged at Mark and promptly stabbed him in the leg with a knife he had kept hidden in his coat in case he was disarmed. The three others lunged for their guns, but Spock got to one first and shot all three Romulans in their feet without hesitation before shooting Ayel clear in the shoulder, sending him off of Mark.

"LET'S GO!" Ayel roared, swearing under his breath as he stumbled to his feet. "LIGHT IT UP!"

As the Romulans scrambled out of the soup kitchen, Spock ran over to Mark and immediately used his uniform jacket as a tourniquet to keep the knife stable. Suddenly, there was a loud woosh and the entire building suddenly became engulfed in flames and breaking glass.

Swearing under his breath, Spock used all of his strength to lift the injured Mark and haul him across the common area to the front doors. Trembling anxiously, Spock managed to get them both outside and sank to his knees exhausted as he struggled to get his phone from his coat.

Student Union Building - Starfleet Hockey Academy

"The lists were posted!" Christine called out as she hurried past the patch of grass where Jim and Pavel had been quietly going over notes for their upcoming class. "Come on, guys!"

Pavel shrugged, "I vant to stay studying," he replied. "You can go eef you vant, Jeem."

"I'm fine," Jim replied quietly. "I don't expect to have made any of the teams."

Pavel sighed and put his books in his bag, "Come on," he replied calmly. "Please?"

Jim gave Pavel a look, "All right," he relented, shoving his books back in his bag.

Pavel smiled as he led Jim into the crowd and they eventually made it to the list that was posted on the bulletin board. Jim was very surprised to see that he was listed under the Enterprise Team list, as his tryout had been private with Pike and only a few days ago.

"You made ze Enterprise Team," Pavel said, beaming. "I knew you vere good enough."

Jim shrugged, choosing not to say anything, "Advanced Communication is going to start soon and you know how Spock does not like latecomers," he commented, eager to escape.

Pavel nodded and followed after Jim as he squeezed through the crowd and noise to get out into the fresh air. As they walked the path towards the classroom section of campus, they noticed a group of professors including Captain Pike and Dean Archer all speedwalking in a crowd towards the faculty parking lot, all of them deep in frantic, whispered conversation.

Wondering what was going on, Jim and Pavel watched as Captain Pike broke away from the group and ran to the parking lot before they continued on towards the classrooms.

When they arrived at the proper classroom, however, they were surprised to see that Professor Marcus was sitting at Spock's desk, "Ah, hello there," Professor Marcus said in a calm voice.

"I sot Professor Spock taught zis class?" Pavel asked in a confused voice. "Eez he all right?"

Professor Marcus shrugged, "Spock's unavailable today and I was asked to substitute teach," he replied calmly as he looked at the class list. "You two must be Jim Kirk and Pavel Chekov, right?"

"Yeah," Jim replied nervously. "I heard you came from London to teach here. Why?"

Professor Marcus looked amused and was about to speak when students started filing into the classroom, most of them immediately confused when they saw Spock was missing.

San Francisco General Hospital

"…There were a crowd of people coming for the evening meal that reported seeing Romulans trigger explosives outside the shelter," Spock heard a concerned voice say. "It is very fortunate that this young man was able to rescue Doctor Piper, but he also suffered minor injuries…"

Spock suddenly felt a hand gently touch his arm, prompting him to open his eyes, "Spock," Captain Pike, who had broken every traffic law to get to the hospital as fast as possible when he had gotten a call about Spock being there, said calmly. "Don't be alarmed. You're safe."

"I do not remember anything after retrieving Doctor Piper from the shelter," Spock spoke weakly, realizing that he was laying on a bed in the emergency room. "What happened?"

The nurse who had led Captain Pike to Spock sighed, "You managed to get a call to emergency services, but you passed out just as paramedics were arriving," she explained quietly. "You sustained some smoke inhalation and some minor burns, but you're going to be fine."

"Doctor Piper was stabbed by a Romulan named Ayel," Spock replied, his voice weak. "They…"

Nodding, the nurse sighed, "Doctor Piper will be fine, but he had to have surgery to have the knife removed," she replied calmly. "Your burns were treated, but you'll be kept for observation tonight unless you can get someone to supervise you at wherever you live."

Spock nodded, too tired to argue, "Dean Archer asked Professor Marcus to teach your class today," Captain Pike spoke calmly. "The police also want to talk to you about the incident."

"I would prefer to return to campus," Spock spoke weakly. "I just need quiet and rest."

Captain Pike frowned, "I do not wish attention brought upon myself or the Vulcan Embassy that would cause further animosity between us and the Romulans," Spock stated tonelessly, frowning as he suddenly broke into a massive coughing fit that caused him to double over.

Almost immediately, Spock felt himself being gently laid back and a mask being placed over his face, "Get some rest," a gentle voice said. "You're not ready to be released from hospital."

London, England

The view of Big Ben did nothing to comfort Nero as he stood at the bridge, on the phone with one of his many allies and aghast at what he had just heard about Ayel and three others. He was appalled that Romulans had attacked a civilian and had been bested by Spock, son of Sarek.

"This will increase the negative opinion that the world has towards the Romulans," Nero hissed into the phone, careful to be quiet as he was near the prison and the hospital where he was going to visit and did not want to be overheard saying things that could get him arrested.

The voice on the phone replied by saying that Ayel and his friends had been seen by homeless bystanders and were now wanted by the police. The caller then said that Spock had rescued a civilian doctor and the news was just being sent to the media now and he was a true hero.

"I will be going to visit prisoners as part of my diplomatic duties and that cannot be refused me as it is considered community service," Nero replied calmly. "I will call again fairly soon."

Ignoring the caller's protests, Nero hung up and put the phone away before entering the dreary prison and approaching the desk, "I am Ambassador Nero of Romulus and I have come to visit prisoners as part of the treaty regarding community service that exists between our nations," he spoke calmly, trying to sound diplomatic. "Is there anyone who is allowed visitors?"

"There are a few, Ambassador Nero," the guard replied. "I will take you to them."

Nero nodded and was silent through all the customary searches, only smiling when he was led to the cell where Finnegan had resided since his deportation, "Arthur Finnegan, Ambassador," the guard explained, gesturing to Finnegan as if he were nothing more than a display.

Finnegan eyed Nero silently as the guard left to allow for privacy, "You look far too young to be behind bars," Nero spoke calmly, eyeing the young man. "Why exactly are you imprisoned?"

"I punched Jim Kirk in the face," Finnegan replied quietly. "He's this geek who got into the hockey academy because of who his dad is. He wasn't going to do anything about it, but a Vulcan named Spock used his status to get me charged and sent this hole in London."

Nero raised an eyebrow, deeply intrigued that George Kirk's son was at the Starfleet Hockey Academy and was friends with Ambassador Sarek's son, "The dude was in prison, but he gets to stay and I'm expelled for putting the skinny brat in his place," Finnegan spoke angrily. "I'm not even allowed in the United States for a long time now because I was on a student visa…"

"I am sorry to hear that," Nero replied in a fake sympathetic voice. "My sympathy is with you."

Finnegan nodded and sighed, "I can arrange work release for you if it will improve your situation," Nero offered, hoping to gain an ally. "My diplomatic powers allow me to do this."

"I guess that would be okay," Finnegan replied quietly. "Anywhere's better than here."

Nero nodded and silently left, standoffishly regarding the guard as he left and silently returned to the area that separated the prison from the hospital. As he was a diplomat, the guard at the desk merely nodded and returned to his newspaper as Nero went off into the hospital area.

It didn't take long for Nero to reach the visitors' foyer and he immediately noticed a fair-haired woman in pajamas and a housecoat silently tending to a small altar in the corner that had two electric candles on each side along with several handmade cards and small paper wreaths.

The feeling of the whole hospital was one of sadness and Nero slowly approached the woman, "A visitor," the woman spoke without turning around. "It's been a very long time…."

Nero remained silent as the woman turned around, revealing herself to be Winona Kirk, "Hello," Nero commented, wondering if Winona would remember who exactly he was.

Winona nodded and turned back to the altar, "I've got to make sure this stays nice," she commented in a nervous voice. "My friends, the Uhuras, were killed so very long ago."

Nero nodded, but said nothing, "We had something in common, the Uhuras and I," Winona spoke shakily. "Our children forced us here, but I have to keep living and thinking about how much Sam and Jim did to me. I raised them after George died and they do this to me…"

Winona sniffled, "I just wish I could end it and make them watch," she spoke softly enough that only Nero heard her words and felt himself coming up with a plan. "I don't wish to continue."

Determined to cause as many problems for the Hockey Academy students as he could by making real life interfere with their ability to play well, Nero began to formulate a plan.

Starfleet Hockey Academy

"Professor Marcus?" Jim asked quietly, approaching the desk as everyone else left the classroom to either get supper, study, or relax. "I was wondering where Professor Spock…"

Professor Marcus sighed patiently as he stacked the assignments into a folder for Spock to mark later, "Spock is unavailable and probably will be for the rest of the week," he replied calmly, knowing very little except that Spock had been involved in a fire somewhere downtown.

"It's not like Spock to take off and not tell anyone where he is," Jim argued just as the doors opened and Dean Archer came in walking Porthos on a leash. "He's not that irresponsible."

Dean Archer looked concerned, "Kirk, don't you have things to do?" he asked calmly.

"Sir, where is Spock?" Jim asked worriedly. "It's not like him to just disappear."

Dean Archer was silent for a moment and sighed as he silently turned on the television that was behind the desk and used for educational purposes. There was a well-dressed reporter standing in front of the ruins of what Jim recognized to be the shelter where he often talked to Mark.

"What happened?" Jim asked, reeling at the thought that Mark might actually have died.

Dean Archer sighed, "There was a fire there that was started by Romulans, but the owner of the shelter managed to escape with minor injuries," he explained. "He's at San Francisco General…"

Anxiety filled Jim as he fled from the classroom and towards the bus stop at the edge of campus, ignoring the shouts from Dean Archer and Professor Marcus to come back. It didn't take long for the bus to arrive and Jim managed to pay the fare with some pocket change.

It didn't take long for the bus to get to the stop that was close to the hospital and Jim painstakingly composed himself enough to get inside. He made his way to the admit desk and was shocked to see Captain Pike and a nurse standing beside a bed where Spock was asleep with an oxygen mask over his face. Jim knew then that he had to see Dr. Piper for himself.

Swallowing hard, Jim peered at the admit board to try and see where Dr. Piper was and he was so immersed in looking that he didn't see Captain Pike approach, "Jim?" he suddenly heard.

"Captain Pike, where's Mark?" Jim asked nervously, not caring that he was caught being there.

Captain Pike gave Jim a look, "I…I've been talking to him ever since I got really drunk that one night and ended up there," Jim confessed quietly. "He…he's been helping me work things out."

Nodding, Captain Pike watched as Jim fidgeted nervously, "Do you want to visit Doctor Piper?" he asked quietly. "He's an inactive Starfleet kinesiologist that went into general medicine…"

"He told me," Jim replied quietly, feeling self-conscious. "I just wanna see if he's okay."

Captain Pike sighed, "The board says that Doctor Piper is currently in surgery," he replied, suddenly noticing that Jim was squinting at the board. "Where are your glasses, Jim?"

"I woke up this morning and they weren't on my nightstand, sir," Jim replied nervously. "I asked Bones if he had seen them and he hadn't, as we got up around the same time this morning."

Captain Pike frowned and Jim sighed, "You look really pale," he commented quietly, wondering if Jim had had a chance to get anything to eat that day. "When is the last time you ate?"

"My…my wallet's also missing," Jim stammered. "I keep it on the stand next to my glasses."

Nodding, Captain Pike reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell-phone, intending to call the Academy and initiate a campus-wide security check for Jim's missing items. Jim looked reluctant, but didn't say anything in protest because he knew Captain Pike truly cared.

Christopher Pike Hall - Starfleet Hockey Academy

Alarm bells sounded as several uniformed Security officers entered the residence hallway and began knocking on dormitory doors, "What's going on?" Leonard asked as he opened his door and saw Giotto standing there looking serious. "Is this some sort of Academy drill?"

"Dorm search ordered by Captain Pike," Giotto replied firmly. "Exit your dormitory now."

Quickly realizing that Jim must have told Pike about his missing glasses and wallet, Leonard silently exited the dorm and stood in the hallway while Giotto went into the room. A few moments later, Giotto emerged with a small scanner in hand looking very satisfied.

"Your room's cleared," Giotto said sternly. "You can resume your normal activities."

Leonard nodded, but lingered in the hallway and watched as several students, including a confused looking Pavel, were sent into the hallway by Security. Pavel spotted Leonard and wandered over to him, deeply relieved to see someone he knew was accessible.

"Heekaru eez at hees flyeeng classes," Pavel spoke shakily. "Vas someseeing stolen?"

Leonard nodded, but didn't say anything, "…Out in the hallway right now!" an angry voice shouted down the hallway. "I don't care if it is a study group! Pike's orders were clear!"

Cursing filled the hallway as Nyota, Gaila, and a guy Leonard recognized as Benjamin Finney emerged from the library looking irritated, "Finney, hold it!" a voice rang out. "Come here!"

Instead of obeying orders, however, Finney ran towards Leonard and Pavel with the intention of escaping, "STOP!" voices shouted angrily. "YOU'RE UNDER ARREST FOR THEFT!"

Swearing under his breath, Leonard promptly drop kicked the approaching Finney, sending the younger cadet to the ground and quickly planted himself on top of the man's legs when Finney tried to get up, "Wow, McCoy, you should get into Policing," Hendorff commented in an awed voice as he approached them, having seen Leonard's moves. "Where'd you learn that?"

"I'm a bit of a martial arts expert," Leonard replied calmly, moving so that Security could cuff and lift Finney from the ground. "I take it he's the one who stole Jim's glasses and wallet?"

Nodding, Hendorff and two other Security officers hustled Finney out of the residence hall.

San Francisco General

"…Thank you for acting so quickly," Captain Pike said calmly as he held his cellphone to his ear, silently watching as Jim gathered food from the hospital cafeteria vendors using borrowed money. "I'll talk to Kirk about it, but keep him detained until then. See you later."

With a sigh, Captain Pike ended the call and returned the cell-phone to his pocket just as Jim returned to the table with a tray filled with food and a bottle of juice. As Jim set the tray down, he silently reached into his pocket, extracted the change, and handed it over to Captain Pike.

"Academy Security just called me," Captain Pike spoke calmly. "They found your things on Benjamin Finney and he's currently being detained at Security until I talk to you about it."

Jim nodded and sat down, "Did you want to charge him with theft?" Captain Pike asked.

For a moment, Jim was quiet and sighed, "Yes," he spoke quietly. "I don't have a heck of a lot of stuff and I've read the Academy manual, so I know theft is against one of the regulations."

Captain Pike nodded, "Finney had a janitorial job that included keys to everywhere on campus and that's probably how he got into your dorm," he reasoned as Jim began to eat his food.

Before Jim could reply, a nurse suddenly came into the cafeteria wheeling Spock, who was looking significantly flustered and wearing his street clothes, in a wheelchair, "Spock?" Jim asked in a concerned voice, having never seen Spock so unglued. "Are you okay?"

"Newspaper and television reporters showed up and wanted to talk to this young man about his heroics, but Mister Spock became anxious enough that I thought it best to move him," the nurse explained in a concerned voice. "The doctor on call is concerned about the situation…"

Spock sighed, "I am well enough to leave if it would be allowed," he replied quietly.

"Spock, you look really tired," Jim commented quietly. "Are you okay by yourself?"

Spock gave Jim a look and Jim fell quiet, "Spock, you can rest at my place for a couple of days," Captain Pike commented firmly. "You probably should have supervision as a precaution."

"Very well," Spock replied quietly, making no effort to move. "I can wait for you to finish…"

Jim silently finished off the food, frowning as Spock's phone suddenly went off. Spock slowly reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, frowning as he studied the message.

"My parents were made aware of the incident," Spock spoke quietly. "They are on their…"

There were suddenly footsteps and Jim was surprised to see Sarek and Amanda come into the cafeteria, both of them looking concerned, "Spock," Amanda said, running over to Spock.

"Thanks for the food, Captain Pike," Jim spoke, rising because he wanted to leave quickly.

Anxiety filled Jim as he quickly left the hospital because he had never been comfortable with watching families interact with each other because of his own experiences. He knew that Sam's wedding was in November and wanted to go, but didn't know how hard it would be on him.

Light rain was falling, so Jim remained close to the building, trying to figure out how he was going to get back to campus. There were footsteps and Captain Pike suddenly came outside.

"Did you want a ride back to campus?" Captain Pike asked in a concerned voice. "Jim?"

Jim sighed and shrugged, "I bet Finney took the money in my wallet," he finally said in an anxious voice. "I was trying to save money so I could get the bus to Sam's wedding. I collected bottles and stuff all over campus and took it to this little recycling depo near the bridge…"

"The Academy will replace whatever is lost or damaged," Captain Pike replied gently. "I think Spock will be spending time with his parents for a while, so let's say we go back to campus."

Jim nodded and quietly followed Captain Pike to his car in the nearby parking garage.

Christopher Pike Hall - Starfleet Hockey Academy

"Is Finney coming back?" Carol, who had been studying when McCoy had stopped Finney from fleeing what he had done, asked as she came into the common area and saw Nyota, Pavel, Hikaru, M'Benga, Leonard, Scotty, Gaila, Christine, and several other second year students clustered on to couches and chairs while vending machine food and books sat on the tables.

Nyota shrugged, but didn't say anything because she thought that there was no way Finney could steal and that Jim had simply left his stuff somewhere. She also didn't trust Carol enough to say anything in front of her because she could simply go tell her father what was said.

"Are you reading another medical text, M'Benga?" Scotty asked, seeing a book in M'Benga's hands that was big and probably had a lot of medical jargon in it. "Ye will wear yer brain out."

M'Benga sighed, but said nothing, "I wonder if Finney stole anything else from other dorms?" Hikaru asked in a worried voice. "I thought the Academy screened all the students they…?"

"We did screen Finney before we hired him for a student job, Sulu," Captain Pike's voice filled the common area as Captain Pike and Jim came into view. "Jim, Security will be over in a bit."

Nodding, Jim moved over to the table and sat, as all of the couches and chairs were full, "Please search your dorms and make note of anything that's missing," Captain Pike spoke firmly. "I'll…"

"How do we know Kirk didn't just leave his stuff somewhere and Finney happened to find it?" Nyota asked in a cynical voice, disbelieving Kirk's story. "Finney would never steal anything."

Jim paled, suddenly doubting if he had left his things somewhere and forgotten, "Miss Uhura, your comments are inappropriate," Captain Pike spoke firmly. "Why are you so cold?"

"Kirk's been to jail!" Nyota seethed angrily as she shot out of her chair. "He's an ex-con!"

All eyes were suddenly on Jim and he began to feel very light headed, but remained seated so that he wouldn't faint, "It's public record if you know where to look," Nyota said sharply.

"I…It's true," Jim replied shakily, feeling a headache coming on. "I was in jail for a bit."

Pavel suddenly swore and shot to his feet, glaring daggers at Nyota, "I am sorry zat your mozzer and fazzer vere keeled, but eet does not geeve you ze right to make ozzers feel inferior because of zeir past!" he shouted angrily. "Are you going to hate me ower vat happened to me?!"

Everyone watched with wide eyes as Pavel went over to the table and sat down beside Jim, "Pavel, watch your mouth!" Hikaru said in a shocked voice even though he was amused.

"People swear," M'Benga commented dryly, amused by Pavel's sudden outburst.

Gaila looked worried, "Guys, Uhura's been through a lot," she spoke, trying to remain calm.

"She needs to stop acting like a spoiled brat," Carol commented in a concerned voice.

Nyota glared at Carol, "At least my father wasn't planted as a teacher here in order to spy on the Romulans who might or might not be in the city!" she shouted, her rage fully blown.

Anxious whispers filled the common area and Carol flinched as if she had been slapped, "The Romulans attacked a local doctor and bombed a building, or did you not see the news?" Leonard spoke up sharply, having seen some of the news while doing his homework. "I'm personally relieved that the Academy wants extra people here to look after all of us."

"Spock saved that local doctor from dying," Captain Pike cut in. "I thought you, Uhura…"

Nyota sighed, "Spock and I are no longer together," she replied softly. "His choice."

"Do you really think Spock wants to be around someone who is so hateful?" Jim asked.

Nyota scoffed as she turned on her heel, "At least I know I'm loveable," she hissed.

Swallowing hard, Captain Pike marched over to Uhura and taking her arm, he led her down the hallway for a conversation. Jim silently rose from the table and returned to his dorm, relieved that his wallet and glasses were back on the bedside table where he always kept them.

Starfleet Hockey Academy

"Do you think Mark Piper would actually come back to work for the Starfleet Team after what happened in Riverside?" Dean Archer asked quietly, gazing at Phlox from across the desk as a repeated newscast of the shelter fire played on television in the background. "He's been…"

Phlox sighed heavily, "I know for a fact that both Mister Kirk and Mister Spock have visited him on separate occasions, as they have asked me for off-campus passes," he replied calmly. "I believe that their interactions with Doctor Piper have warmed him to the idea of returning."

"He's probably got no love for Romulans," Dean Archer agreed. "Especially after this."

Before Phlox could reply, the phone rang and Dean Archer quickly answered it, "Jonathan Archer," he said in a firm voice, frowning as the person on the other end spoke very quickly.

There was a heavy silence as the call ended, "That was the prison in London and it seems that Ambassador Nero has used his diplomatic powers to take Mister Finnegan on as a household employee in his Romulus mansion," Admiral Archer spat angrily. "He's given him amnesty."

Phlox paused before speaking, "Unfortunately, unless Mister Finnegan commits a more serious crime, there isn't much that can be done," he finally replied. "Is that all they had to say?"

"Ambassador Nero is also lobbying to arrange a hockey game with teams from other Asian regions as an attempt to make peace," Admiral Archer spat, his worry growing. "He also wants to invite the Academy and pretend as if we're friends. I don't trust his intentions, Phlox. The Romulans are planning something and I feel like it could cause great turmoil in the tensions in Asia and also among Academy students. Apparently, this is all in the planning stages and we'll be informed of when it's happening."

Phlox nodded and Dean Archer sighed, his heart heavy with worry about the future because it seemed like neither the Academy nor the other regions invited to play would have a choice over participating.

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