Okay, I could have posted this a couple of days' ago, but, I kid you not, my internet decided to shat itself. That's never happened before and the stupid company was closed over the weekend. Nice for some.
Anyhoo, all fixed now!! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its characters, storylines and/or anything recognisable. I own everything else unless specified. Plagarism, even in the smallest form is abso-fucking-lotuely annoying and pisses me off beyond belief.
The Chapter title is taken from the song of the same name by Shakira. I'm not a fan of hers but I like this song. Please don't judge me!!

Without further adieu, here we go!


24 hours earlier...

Her head resting on his rock hard chest and the feeling of his even, shallow breaths that matched his even, shallow heartbeat as though it was his own language. Showing up at the bar last night, Uhura had felt her heart explode with happiness and took it as a sign that maybe, just maybe, things were starting to repair themselves.

She felt smugly victorious, lying in his arms and quickly pushed the victorious feeling aside as soon as it popped up.

Later in the day and with a smile across her face that nothing could ruin, Uhura entered Spock's quarters and the first thing that she noticed was the bag next to the door. A grey duffel bag that was obviously packed; her heart sank along with her shoulders. Used to Spock travelling, going off planet for diplomatic missions over the course of their relationship, she knew that this time it was a personal trip.

"I must speak with Vulcan High Command." His voice was soft and quiet, as though he was worried about hurting her feelings which she knew he was, but his actions still stung. After the night before, his coming to the bar, she had believed that maybe, just maybe, he had decided to stay with Starfleet, stay with her.

A trip to see Vulcan High Command, the men who ruled his people with logic and zero emotion as opposed to the woman who stood in front of him, usually so full of fire and life, her irrational decisions always making him question his logical nature and ponder the ramifications of his human side more so than he usually allowed.

However, the Nyota that stood in front of him, eyes still on the lone grey bag was broken, tired and drained. Her losses were not to be underestimated, whilst Spock had lost his mother, Nyota's close friends' made up her family and their deaths were as brutal as Amanda's.

"When will you be back?" She finally asked just to fill the silence that hung in the air, still refusing to look at him, refusing to let him see the tears that were welling in her dark eyes.

"I am unable to calculate a specific time frame," He told her, his voice only an octave lower than businesslike and as she nodded, he crossed the room to stand in front of her, lifting her chin with his fingers. When she ripped her jaw from his touch he felt as though an ice blanket had wrapped over his shoulders and his dark eyes turned questioning, "I want to comfort you."

"Then leave. Do what you need to do."

"Your words suggest encouragement, yet I am lead to believe by your tone that you are angered by my actions," He started, sighing when she looked to her shoes again, still avoiding his eyes admirably, "Look at me." She raised her chin stubbornly and he could see the veil of tears that she would not let fall, he sighed imperceptibly.

"I'm confused. Not encouraging, not angry. You're unsure of whether to return to the rebuilding of your people or to stay with Starfleet, I get that, but while you're unsure, I'm left in the balance of wondering whether or not the man I love is going to return to me or his arranged marriage. I can't ask you to stay here, in Starfleet, for me. God, Spock! Do I act the role of petulant girlfriend and beg you to not to leave me?! Or do I ignore what my own heart wants?"

She felt as though she had betrayed herself by saying those words aloud and immediately dropped her chin down again, this time he didn't stop her, merely kissing the top of her head.

"I apologise for... everything."

"Whatever Spock. Be with your people." She tried not to let the bitterness seep into her voice, determined not to let him see her cry. He picked up the grey bag and regarded her once more, her eyes steely.

"I shall let you know of my safe arrival. Will you be okay until I return within the week?" It was something that she always requested when he left and like she would ever tell him that she wouldn't be okay, her voice held nothing but bitterness and repressed anger and her words were short, chopped off at every syllable.

"Don't bother, I'll be fine."

***

24 hours later...

An eye opened after a few long moments of willing it to and mentally lying to herself that the light would affect her, nor would opening be of said eye make her want to be violently ill. Her neck was twisted at an odd angle and spikes of pain shot down her neck, spine and her left leg, stemming from her hip and when that damn eye finally cracked open, she realised that somehow, she had fallen asleep (read: passed out) partially sitting, slumping and lying against the side of her bed on the floor.

The only reprieve was that the parts of her that weren't in excrutiating pain were numb. Saving their torture for a later moment.

After she entangled herself, she managed to half crawl, half drag herself to the bathroom, reaching up to fumble for the button to release the door open up the wall whilst keeping her eyes closed – movement + hangover = barf.

What she wasn't counting on was the figure passed out on the bathroom floor, Uhura's jeans half off, her shoes on the wrong feet and as she woke, cursing and unfolding herself slowly much like Charlie had done moments ago as Charlie's stomach heaved.

Three hours later, both girls had emptied not just their stomachs but every other organ in their bodies that held any kind of substance, liquid or matter. All the while cursing themselves, the men in their lives and anything else that sprung to the few brain cells that were still relatively active in their minds.

As Admiral Archer and Charlie walked the halls at a slightly slower pace due to Charlie's shuffling like an old person towards another meeting, he said nothing of the fact that when Charlie arrived to his office, she was still wearing her sunglasses and was about five seconds slower to respond to anything that he said than usual. Finally smiling at her with a mixture of former wild child pride and fatherly concern, he addressed the issue head on.

"You know that Medical can clear hangovers up, makes life a lot easier."

"It's illegal."

"I think that would be the least of offenses on your record. If you want to go to Medical, I don't mind."

"I'll be fine." She replied, rubbing her temples absentmindedly and concentrating on the floor in front of her, muttering to herself incoherently. Her muttering stopped abruptly except for a quietly uttered curse from behind Archer as they entered the large conference room, filled with a small scattering of Admirals, three Chancellors and then the faces that greeted her – Uhura, Jim, Bones, Sulu, Chekov and Scotty. The crew from the Enterprise, the hierarchy that held their futures in their palms.

Scotty saw her shocked expression and smiled, sitting formally in his chair.

"You didn't know it was an 'all in' either?"

"Not too sure what I thought actually." She admitted, sneaking a glance to Bones who was talking with two Admirals quietly, she guessed about Pike's condition.

"How are you feeling?" Chekov asked quietly with large, innocent eyes as she set her things down and slid into her chair next to Uhura.

"Absolutely amazing."

"How much do you remember?" Sulu questioned, his eyes dancing and she rubbed her temples, forcing a thin, wry smile.

"Absolutely everything."

The meeting called to order and as the people around them spoke, the "heroes" of the Enterprise sat silently, either trying to come to grips with the company they found themselves with, or ignore the suffocating tension in the room. It was almost tangible and strung across the table like a tightly tuned guitar.

"Where is Spock?" Someone asked finally and as the posse of hung over Cadets, Lieutenants and the lone Russian Ensign snuck glances at Uhura, the woman visibly stiffened but said nothing.

"He is meeting with Vulcan High Command regarding some personal issues." One of the Admirals piped up formally sounding Vulcan himself, a few pairs of eyes still remained on the obviously uncomfortable Uhura. Add some more tension to the room and it was stifling.

Bones tried not to openly stare at Charlie across the mahogany table but as she purposely avoided even looking in his direction, he kept sliding his tired hazel eyes to hers in the vague hopes that she would glance back with a look that told him that he hadn't messed up too damn badly.

It was beyond ridiculous now and the tension between the two had escalated past boiling point, they were past the point of no return, this was their cliff, all he had to do was jump. And hope that she didn't hate him enough to let him crash and burn.

"...and then of course, there is the issue of Cadet Kirk's academic probation – " One of the Chancellor's voices cut into the wandering thoughts of everyone in the room, seven voices cried out in aghast unison.

"What?!"

"You've got to be kidding! The lad saved the bloody planet!" Scotty boomed, Jim was glaring at each member of Starfleet as though he wanted to pull a phaser yet uncharacteristically said nothing.

"Cadet Kirk cheated an academic test and then was brought aboard the Enterprise illegally. There are certain things that we can't overlook," Was the calm reply, Bones' voice was pure anger.

"That is absolute crap! The entire Battle of Earth was a no win situation yet he beat that!"

"Were your calculations also used that time, Cadet Houston?" Admiral Turch tacked on tauntingly and Charlie dropped her PADD loudly onto the table, wincing at the clatter that hurt her entire body. Her eyes narrowed and her thumb jerked in Chekov's direction, though her eyes didn't move.

"No, Ensign Chekov's were. Which was a good thing, or we'd all be having this meeting from inside an imploding black hole, you know, dead and all." She snapped, the Chancellor who had spoken originally held up his palm for silence.

"I was merely going to acknowledge that the matter had been disregarded entirely."

"Might want to get in quicker next time," Sulu half-snapped, half-joked, the Chancellor chuckled affably and consulted one of the datapads that lay at his fingertips.

"Just out of curiosity, how are the repairs to the Enterprise coming along, Mr. Scott?"

"Uh, very well Sir. The hull is nearly completely fixed which is quite a feat as most of it had to be replaced completely." The Scottish accent was businesslike, Admiral Archer piped up with a tone that was clipped and cold.

"Replaced entirely? Was that absolutely necessary?"

"Absolutely, Sir. To repair it would take even more materials and man power. Why? Do you have a problem with the Starfleet approved practices?" Scotty asked back, his tone matching Archers, the older man glaring menacingly across the table.

"Well, first of all you send my dog to god knows where and then you send the ships' only warp core into a black hole? I'm sorry if I'm a little sceptical, Mr. Scott." He replied, Scotty just rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat, his accent could be heard but his words couldn't which was obviously a good thing.

"He got us out of there, if he hadn't ejected the core we would have been dragged into the black hole. Sir." Jim finally spoke quietly; blue eyes icy much like the ones from the girl sitting next to Archer who nodded in agreement.

"Not to mention that he beamed Jim, Pike and Spock aboard at the same time – will you back off?" Charlie asked irritably and for a moment all Jonathan Archer could do was smile – two pairs of angry blue eyes stared him down and if Chris Pike had seen it would have been delighted.

"Fair enough. Engineer Scott, I apologise." He relented after a moment, Scotty looked like he'd been slapped across the face and gulped, his eyes not daring to venture to the now similar smirks that Jim and Charlie wore.

"Apology accepted, thank you Admiral."

"Though why I'm apologising for him butchering my dog..." Archer muttered under his breath, accepting the slap that Charlie issued to his arm, "Without him, I wouldn't be here right now. Who else would be your lackey?"

"Whoever they would be, I'd think that they'd be slightly less hung over." Archer shot back in a whisper, already irked at having to apologise within the last five minutes, backing down from Charlie's tirade was not an option. She blushed but said nothing, eyes turned downward.

The meeting ended shortly thereafter and as everyone filed out, Admiral Barculo taking Bones with him immediately, Charlie collected her things and hung back, snagging Jim by the hem of the plain black undershirt that he wore.

"What's up?"

"Huh?" He replied, clearly something was on his mind – he had been all but completely silent for the entire meeting which was unlike Jim Kirk, he hadn't cracked one joke, which was unlike Jim Kirk and now his pale blue eyes were troubled which, again, was unlike Jim Kirk.

"I asked what's up."

"Oh. Nothing, just got a lot on my mind. How are you feeling? Last night was..." He trailed off, at a point where he had no idea what to say in regards to the whole Charlie and Bones thing. Hell, if the Battles hadn't pushed them together then he had no idea what would. But he doubted that Nancy, a bar wench and a jealous streak a mile wide helped any situation.

"Last night was last night. I'm fine. Jim, what is it? You were all but mute in there and you look like someone just killed your puppy."

"Check with Engineer Scott, he has quite the knack for that." Admiral Archer scoffed as he passed, Jim barely registered the comment and that fact worried Charlie even more.

"Come with me." Jim instructed suddenly and lead the way to an empty lecture hall a few doors down, shutting the door behind a now almost sick with worry Charlie.

"You're worrying me." Her voice was a plea for him to open up if not for his own benefit for hers and as she sat nervously on the desk at the front of the room, Jim paced, his eyes on the carpet and his bottom lip twisting between his fingers.

"I need to tell you something and I need you to be calm about it. Actually no, I need you to freak out. Actually, I'm not sure – "

"Jim!"

"This is huge. Like, incomprehensible huge."

"Oh my god – she's pregnant." Charlie breathed, feeling all of the blood in her body turn to ice at the thought.

"What?! Who?"

"I don't know, no girl specifically, just any random you've hooked up with."

"No! No one is pregnant!"

"There was a scare?"

"No one is pregnant or anything like that! God damn it, they've given me the Enterprise!" Jim cried, enjoying the moment of peace and quiet that doubled as stunned silence.

"Given you the Enterprise as in a mini replica of...?" Charlie asked slowly after a moment, her voice giving away her shock. Surely Starfleet hadn't given him the Enterprise? As in, given to Captain?

"No, given as in promoting me to Captain, given," Jim's voice was barely a whisper and one of his two best friends could see a scared little boy standing on the verge of a very large cliff hidden under his brash exterior. However, she also knew that said little boy would rather fling himself off the cliff than walk a safe path to wherever. A few more moments of stunned silence passed before Jim spoke again, his eyes boring holes into her, "Say something."

"Uh..." Was all that Charlie could manage, her jaw hanging comically.

"I want you there. On board, as my right hand. I get to choose my crew." The little boy was slowly disappearing and the excited young man with the galaxy in his palm was emerging, his voice losing its hesitance and gaining excitability.

Another moment of shocked silence passed, Jim looked to her and amended his invitation, "Think it through first. But I can't imagine being anywhere without you, Tex."

"Oh my god." She finally managed; her mind completely blank – James Tiberius Kirk, the guy who pulled the fire alarm at the ripe age of 24 to get out of a test was going to be Captaining the pride of the fleet?

Christ, they'd gone into a third parallel universe, hadn't they?

"Talk to me." Jim was standing in front of her and looked nervous, she looked up at him and felt a grin spread over her jaw.

"Oh my god!" She finally cried, jumping into his arms for a tight hug, feeling him lift her off the ground and laugh quietly.

"Thank god."

"Oh my god!" She cried again and when he set her down, the second wave of words hit her and it was Charlie's turn to pace, Jim sitting on the desk like she had moments ago, smiling as she babbled.

"They gave you the Enterprise? Just like that? What about Pike, are they sure that he isn't going to recover? What about the rest of the fleet- ooh, there are going to be some mad people gunning for your blood, Jim! What's your mission? When do you leave? When did you find out – god, it wasn't before last night was it? Why didn't you say anything in the meeting?" She finally stopped and turned to him, scratching her head and not hiding the confusion on her face.

"Pike is going to be promoted to Admiral status – even if he makes a full recovery, he needs a lot of time to heal. And they want the fleet deployed as soon as possible, Enterprise included. To prove that we aren't as vulnerable as some may think."

"Fucking Klingons." She glowered and though he smiled, he still watched her carefully. She'd been put through the ringer yesterday and last night though she would never admit it; a bombshell might just finish her off.

"I leave as soon as I have a crew, we've been trained, debriefed and whatevered and I found out this morning. Chancellor Barnett asked me not to say anything until after the meeting."

"You haven't even graduated!"

"I'd say that what we went through classifies as final exams, don't you? Tex, what we did out there, what we saw and conquered wasn't just amazing by our standards; it was fucking amazing by everyone's! Don't you get it – we've been being tested over the past couple of weeks!" He cried and immediately, her face contorted into a confused frown.

"Test?"

"Sulu's been reprogramming flight navigators for nearly every ship, Scotty's been in charge of repairing the damn ship itself, Chekov has probably been proving nuclear physicists over the galaxy wrong, Admiral Barculo has been up Bones' ass, you've been doing all of Archers' diplomacy stuff, Uhura breaking down transmissions under some other Admiral's eye – don't you get it? They've been watching us to make sure that what happened out there wasn't a fluke and see how we handle everything!"

"But... whoa." Another stunned silence hit her as Charlie realised that Jim was right – they'd been tested from the moment that they had returned.

"I know, right? I've got another meeting, are you going to be okay? Will I see you for dinner tonight?" He asked carefully and she nodded, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, squeezing her shoulder.

"Sure." He ducked his head to catch her eyes after a moment, he could see the shock reverberating through her and in a twisted way was glad – he felt odd that shock hadn't hit him yet and at least she could be shocked for the two of them.

"Hey – you need to talk to him." He finally told her, no names necessary as he headed for the door, she narrowed her eyes.

"Shut it Jim – I'd hate to go all Rambo on your newly Captained ass."

"Love you too, Tex." He laughed, disappearing and the second that he was out of sight, she yelled out.

"Jim!"

"Yeah?" His head poked around the edge of the doorframe, his smile wide.

"Congratulations." He winked and disappeared again, giving Charlie a moment to collect her bag, her mind whirring with a million things but barely grasping a single thought.

***

Jim entered Medical with a strange sense of foreboding - though he was there to tell Bones his big news, the fact that he had a Vulcan hand print across his neck meant that more than likely Bones would use the time to stab him with god knows what else.

"Hi Jim," One of the Nurses winked at him as she passed and he delivered a wink back, hearing an exasperated tut behind him and he rounded, expecting to see Bones. Surprised to see Chapel with an annoyed look on her face he faltered for the briefest of moments before recovering and flashing a charming grin.

"Can you at least take three steps into the place without hitting on one of my Nurses?"

"Jealous Chapel?"

"Exceedingly. Your better half is dealing with a patient; he should be out in a moment." She replied over her shoulder as she disappeared into another room. Minutes later Bones emerged and after Jim managed to usher him into Bones' own office, he broke the news to his best guy friend to the same stunned silence.

"Well I'll be damned," Were the first words to leave Bones' lips and he reached out to shake Jim's hand, "Congratulations."

"Thanks. I want you there also – I want you to be my CMO." Bones rubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw as he processed the thought – a star ship? He had always imagined himself on a Starbase, it had never really occurred to him that he could be a CMO on a ship until the recent disaster, "Think it through though, I don't expect any answers right this moment." Jim added, slightly stung that neither of his best friends had jumped at what he thought was an amazing opportunity – he would have. Hell, he had.

"I never thought about being a ships' CMO is all Jim. And god knows with you in charge, that place will need a more than qualified surgeon and a team of magicians patch you alone up, regardless of the rest of the crew." He half-joked and as Jim grinned, Bones' eyes narrowed.

"You're still bruised?"

"I tell you that I've been promoted to Captain and the first thing that you want to do is stick me full of drugs?"

"Call it practicing should I take your offer." Came the dry retort and a hypo was prepared as a scan was taken, the two men discussing the news in greater detail.

"How did Charlie take it?" Bones finally asked, the girl's name twisting very slightly in his throat.

"She was speechless."

"Alert the media."

"No shit. Then she babbled." Both men smiled and this time, Jim refrained from handing out relationship advice seeing as a hypo was well within reach and though his 'numb tongue' had been funny in retrospective, he didn't fancy re-living the experience.

***

"Cadet Houston, a word?" She certainly had a few that sprang to mind, but turned and smiled at Admiral Turch as he peered from his office door.

"Of course Admiral."

"I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?" He asked, indicating that she sit in the seat opposite his desk.

"No Sir, of course not."

"How are you coping with everything?" He asked and she nodded slowly.

"I'm fine Admiral. Thank you for asking."

"We all lost a lot that day."

"Yes Sir." There was no barometer large enough to gauge how badly she didn't want to talk about the Battles with Admiral Turch. Yes, a lot had been lost, she was still mourning her friends, but there were also other things that were keeping her a fragile, internal mess.

"Have you given much thought to the future?" He asked out of the blue and she balked, collecting herself quickly.

"As in...? Sorry Sir, I'm not entirely sure what you mean."

"I take it by now that Jim Kirk has told you of his promotion and offered you a place aboard the Enterprise." He was watching her carefully but she didn't mind, this was the businesslike Admiral that had been one of her Professors over the past three years.

"Yes, he has."

"And have you accepted his offer?"

"Not as of yet. I, um, need to think it through. His news was definitely a shock."

"It was to me also. But before you take his offer, I'd like to propose one of my own." Her blood ran cold and panic swelled up inside though she had no idea why, gulping hard.

"An offer?"

"There's a research vessel, crew of 150 – 200 leaving in three weeks. I'm sending you the mission specifics now, I'd like you to read them through; give me your thoughts. I think you'd make an excellent addition to the team." He told her and to say that she was floored was an understatement, gaping at him for a few moments and feeling her PADD buzz in her bag with mission specifics. She was having mission specifics sent to her from an Admiral. That thought alone hit home and she coughed, nodding.

"Thank you Admiral, I definitely will look it over." She managed and the man smiled, appraising her.

"I'd expect a few more of these in the coming days, Charlie." Were his parting words as she left his office in a daze, already pulling the PADD from her bag.

***

Admiral Barculo watched as Bones dealt with one of his patients and caught the Doctors' eye, beckoning him over as soon as he had dismissed the ailing Cadet with a wave of his hand and some under-the-breath grumbling. The two men headed into the office that Bones had been using but was yet to claim as his own and oddly, Barculo took the seat usually reserved for visitors, leaving a slightly thrown McCoy to take the one on the business side of the desk.

"What, Admiral?" He asked tiredly – it had been a day full of curveballs, on one that he was nursing wounded pride and personal dramas nagging his mind also.

"You have possibly the worst bedside manner that I've seen in all my years," McCoy snorted and folded his arms over his chest, "But possibly the best hands and raw talent."

"Raw?" Came the quipped reply complete with arched eyebrow.

"You're not exactly a seasoned Starfleet professional, you know."

"Considering I haven't even graduated yet, surprisingly, I agree." He watched as the Admiral's eyes widened slightly with the reminder that the man sitting opposite him was still pending graduation... hell, he hadn't even finished his classes, worked as a Doctor aboard a ship getting treated like a slave by the CMO aboard, let alone all of the grunt work that a shitkicker straight out of the Academy usually got stuck with.

Though, as he glanced at the desk mounting high with files and paperwork, a 'to-do' list visible and crowded with tasks, Barculo realised that McCoy was doing all of the above with zero choice.

"I have no idea how they can make you kids go back to class after everything has happened," The older man mused, shaking his head slightly and though there were no details or plans to re-start classes for the remnants of the graduating class, there were promotions being handed out. Go figure, "Which is one of the things that I wanted to talk to you about." He added, standing and ordering a coffee from the replicator in the large office.

"You wanted to talk to me about classes?"

"I want to talk to you about the CMO position I'm more than sure Jim Kirk has offered you."

"I haven't accepted." That caught the Admiral off guard and he glanced at the other man curiously, Bones just shrugged, "I hadn't ever imagined myself aboard a ship. And with Jim as Captain? A ship that size? You need the most experienced CMO for that."

"Experience doesn't always outweigh talent, remember that. And though I'm still unsure of whether giving Jim Kirk the Enterprise, and allowing him to choose his own crew, is a good idea, I think that you would be bored at a Starbase."

"Starbases are likened to an Earth ER."

"In a manner of speaking, yes. However, at a Starbase, you're the second, sometimes even third Doctor to get to the patient – if injuries are extensive and irreparable on the spot, their ships' Doctor or Nurses do what they can and then ship the patient to the Starbase. Sometimes the most potent action is the patchwork, sometimes which is the most detrimental to the patients' care. At a Starbase, it's your job to fix their mistakes and still have the patient pull through." If he didn't know better, Bones would assume that Admiral Barculo, the Chief of Medicine was dissing Starbase roles and a lot of CMO's and their staffs in one hit. The man was famously acid tongued (another parallel between the two); Bones sat back in his chair and sighed.

"Not that being a CMO isn't what I want – It's just a big ask."

"Everything behind those doors was a big ask, yet you've handled that admirably." Barculo pointed over his shoulder, indicating the infirmary behind them and Bones nodded – he wasn't going to sugar-coat it, the last couple of weeks had been a big ask. And as morbid as it sounded, it was thrilling and he had loved nearly every second of it. He relayed that information and the Admiral beamed, nodding.

"And it seems to me, though I barely know him personally, Jim Kirk is the type of man who will need a highly skilled CMO aboard. He, and the people I assume will be his senior crew, aren't exactly the type to shy away from a fight. Yourself included, of course."

"I'll pretend that isn't an insult." Came the dry reply, Bones' thoughts heavier now than they had been over the day – damn Barculo and his damned food for thought. Though he was right – could he handle the idea of someone else patching Jim up? Not getting on his case to get to Medical after he gets his ass kicked? God forbid, if Charlie ended up on his surgical table on some random Starbase, butchered and made worse by a hack CMO's hand, would he not blame himself?

"It isn't, it's a compliment. You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger. And that brazen attitude and quick skill is exactly what we need out there. You'll help more people out there than you will sitting behind a desk and pulling the occasional surgery on a Starbase somewhere. Trust me." Admiral Barculo pushed himself to stand as McCoy's PADD beeped; he reached for it without looking.

"You're telling me to take the Enterprise gig?"

"I'm simply offering an opinion. I'm old, I miss being out there in the thick of things. Starbases are great for the equipment and facilities that ships can't carry, but if you really want to help, then a ship is the best place for that. Also; as a CMO I think you've more than excelled."

"Thank you Sir."

"Just think it through, okay?"

"Will do." Was the quiet reply as the Admiral left, Bones stared at the closed door for a moment before cursing to himself and glancing down to his PADD.

***

Charlie had been transfixed to her PADD since Admiral Turch had sent through the mission briefing, though it was taking her numerous tries to read each sentence.

Jim was going to be Captain of the Enterprise.

She could be an Ensign on board, millions of light years away from San Francisco, potentially with all of their friends...

Was Bones going? Would he be Jim's CMO? She hated that she couldn't storm into Medical and find out what he was thinking; what his plans were. Though she probably could, her behaviour the night before had more than likely been a neon sign as to her feelings for him – she was humiliated, felt sick to her stomach and after Jim's bombshell, anything else heavy would be the end of her.

Chancellor Barnett had requested a meeting with her for later that afternoon and after her class ended, she made her way towards' the Chancellor's office, her stomach in knots. It was a large office and the man's assistant lead her in, her tall Chancellor towering over the scared Cadet, pointing to an antique, ornate chair that sat opposite his desk. A bizarre choice of furniture but his entire office looked like an antique store, artefacts on the walls except for a large painting, intricately carved desk and chairs. Oddly, it felt like a museum rather than Starfleet.

"Is been awhile since we've had a chat, Cadet Houston." He smiled and she nodded meekly, folding her hands into her lap.

"Yes sir." Though he'd been in some of the meetings that she had accompanied Admiral Archer to, one-on-one conversations between the two were rare. Which, to her, was a good thing.

"When was the last time that you were in my office?" He mused conversationally and she flushed, looking to her boots.

"Um, I believe that it was first semester of second year."

"What was that for?" The man knew, he was clearly enjoying watching her squirm and it frustrated her – were all men acting like fools for a reason over the past 24 hours? - and set her jaw, looking him in the eyes.

"Shipping charges. Which were dropped."

"Right. Well, your disciplinary record is spotted at best, but your academic record is pristine. You're one of our shining stars, Miss Houston."

"I work hard, Sir."

"Play hard also, it appears." He mused, a twinkle in his eye and though she didn't want to appear rude, she was getting more frustrated and the Chancellor was clearly toying with her.

"I'm sorry, have there been any charges or reports of my behaviour lately that need to be discussed?"

"No, no. Either you've stayed out of trouble or managed not to get caught – I'm not sure which I'd prefer."

"Seeing as you have an order of Romulan Ale on back order Sir, I'm going to assume the latter." She replied through pursed lips and when he laughed, she relaxed in the slightest.

"Let's also assume that I believe that is your only business trade going on, shall we?"

"Suits me." She wasn't sure what he knew and though she had been marginally well behaved lately, she wasn't about to divulge anything.

"Your work aboard the Enterprise was nothing less than stellar, you know." He told her conversationally, watching as she nodded respectfully.

"Thank you, Sir."

"How did you feel about it all?"

"I'm not sure. There wasn't much time to reflect."

"True. From what I've heard, you had quite a lot thrown at you."

"When would that be, Sir? When the rest of the fleet was already butchered by the time that we got to them so we were of zero help to our friends, where our Captain was held hostage by an angry, future Romulan or where one of my best friends was saved from a black hole with .76 of a second to spare to have the crap kicked out of him by the Acting Captain, to be thrown off the ship to return using technology given to him by a future version of the guy who marooned him in the first place? Or would it be the fact that I gave the order to fire on said men?" She asked almost rudely, the Chancellor didn't flinch.

"Pick any of the above. That must have been difficult."

"I'm sorry Sir, but was there a point to this meeting? I have to finish grading papers."

"I'm assuming that you have heard of Jim Kirk's promotion?"

"Yes."

"And I also assume that he has offered you a position aboard?"

"Nothing specific, but yes."

"I think that you should take it. You handled yourself admirably during both Battles and it seems unfair to me that we're promoting Jim Kirk, but not you." He mused again and though she agreed, Charlie felt her breathing constrict.

"I've also been offered a position aboard a research vessel by Admiral Turch."

"I had a feeling Arthur would get to you," He smiled knowingly before consulting a datapad briefly, "Any position that you decide to take and should you desire the responsibility, it would be my honour to promote you to the position of Commander."

***

Uhura stared into her tea, unable to get the large grin off her jaw.

She was going to be the Chief Communications Office aboard the Enterprise.

It was literally a dream come true, her goal from the moment that she had decided that Starfleet was the place for her and the moment that she had heard about the Enterprise being built. Prepared for years of slugging it out in the pits down in the guts of the ship, she was a Cadet, well, soon to be Lieutenant as the position entitled and the job was hers.

It was too good to be true.

Damn Jim Kirk, for all of the trouble that he had caused, for all of the frustration that he had caused her, since their first meeting in the bar back in Iowa – finally, after three years of trouble had finally proven his worth. Never had she imagined that he of all people would hand her dream job to her on a silver platter.

She would call her parents later, when realisation had sunk in a little more, but Spock? She had already stopped herself nine times from sending him a message; if he wasn't determining her to be a factor in his life decisions, then neither was she. Though that fact stung – she loved him more than she thought possible, where did that simple fact fit in? Did love really conquer all? She had her dream job, was her dream man in her grasp also?

***

Commander Houston.

Commander Charlotte Houston.

Commander Charlotte freaking Houston!!

She wanted to scream, dance and was sure that she looked like an idiot, walking the halls of Starfleet. Suddenly they seemed so much smaller and on numerous occasions, she was sure that she let out something resembling a strangled shriek.

Admiral Archer smiled kindly as Charlie re-entered his office, wordlessly handing him a PADD and though he took it, didn't acknowledge it.

"I take it that you've heard about Jim Kirk's promotion?"

"Sure have." She said nothing of her own, wondering if he knew already.

"You seem over the moon about it." He joked, indicating that she sit down and when she did, he could see just how much the news had taken its toll on her.

"It's a shock. Of course. I mean, Jim Kirk as Captain of the Enterprise? Don't forget Admiral, I know that man better than I know myself."

"Which is why I'm assuming that he has asked you to be a part of his crew."

"I couldn't give him an answer straight away. I'm a horrible friend," She muttered, burying her face in her hands for a moment, the thoughts destroying her good mood. It should be a clean cut decision, right?

"No, you're reviewing your options. Which, god forbid, is the smart thing to do in your position, Charlie."

"That would be 'Commander' to you, thanks." She grinned and his smile matched her own, standing up from his desk and pulling her into a tight hug.

"Congratulations. Wow, you're only two ranks down from me... that is a scary, scary thought." He mused and she laughed, sitting back down.

"I figure that within six months I can be your boss." She joked and they spoke about her promotion for a few more minutes, having him on her side was something that though she joked about, Charlie hoped would never change. Admiral Jonathan Archer was a wonderful man and dare she say it, she was starting to realise that he may have also quietly been one of her greatest allies.

"How many classes have you taken over the three years that you've been a Cadet?" He asked suddenly and her expression was a mixture changed to one of annoyed frustration and confusion.

"I can barely remember my middle name at the moment let alone schematics of my supposed education."

"I remember asking you in the first year why you took so many classes and you told me that though you knew that Starfleet was where you needed to be, you had no idea whereabouts within. I remember because it struck me as odd – a smart girl, a determined girl – focussed as all hell but no idea on what."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. But I must admit – I think diplomacy is where your talents excel."

"You just want me to take your workload."

"That and it's the truth." He fixed her with an unblinking stare for a moment and she sighed, tipping her head back.

"I love learning about new life forms."

"And you're good at it. For someone with an attitude like yours – "

"Charming and effervescent?"

"Sarcastic and short tempered. For someone with an attitude like yours, I must say that you're oddly diplomatic and empathic when it comes to people you don't know personally." He smiled, she raised an eyebrow.

"Pot calling the kettle black much, Admiral?"

"I'm just saying that a star ship would be the best place to learn about new life forms. A ship as in the Enterprise, or even a research vessel." Ah. So he knew of Admiral Turch's offer.

"That's always what I imagined – myself on a research ship, spending months at a time in one place. Or being on the bridge of a ship..." She trailed off, shaking her head after a moment, "It's just a shock."

"You know, my best friend was the Head Engineer on the Enterprise during my reign. Of course the ship was about one-eighteenth of the size that it is now, but having Trip onboard made life... easier." He divulged and she nodded respectfully, knowing that Trip Tucker had died in mission. Not that she wanted to bring it up with Archer, but the thought of any more of her friends dying before her eyes was something that haunted her every day since the Nero fiasco.

"I imagine."

"Though not always, mind you. He was a little like Jim Kirk, a bit of a troublemaker – had an opinion about everything. A Southern boy though, a good heart."

"Bones is a Southern boy, a good heart." Her voice was barely a whisper by now.

"And so far, over three years, the four of you have managed to cause more than your fair share of headaches. I don't even want to know how many times the three of you were brought up in faculty meetings," He smiled and she looked proud, shrugging.

"Just keeping you on your toes."

"I'm just saying that having your friends aboard, being in a role that you have the support of love and friendship with... Charlie, it makes life infinitely easier."

"I imagine that it does. However, like you have also pointed out, Jim and Bones get themselves into a lot of trouble. I can't be their cleanup crew."

"Funny, I was going to say that they're yours quite often," He remarked dryly and she rolled her eyes, "The Enterprise, in all of its glory is a sight to behold. I had the time of my life on there, I'd hate for you to deny yourself that for whatever reasons." His eyes were kind and she nodded, her thoughts heavy within her mind.

"I'd hate that too."


Author's Notes: Jim Kirk as a Captain. I can't help it, I know that he's Captain Kirk, but I can't help but shake my head at the thought of this Jim as a Captain. :)

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