As Felicity trudged up the steps to the back of the lecture hall she felt as if she were treading water. She developed a sudden longing for the days of elementary school where all the teachers would automatically have the names of their students labeled on an individual desk. If that was the method used in Starfleet, Felicity's life, at this moment, would be a lot easier. Rather, Felicity found herself almost tardy for class and as a result, she was without a seat. But, as the Greek Goddesses of Fate would have it, Felicity's saving grace was the one person that made her feel uneasy.
Felicity was counting the steps that it took to get to the back of the class room. She climbed the fourth to last step, I don't need to do anything. She then climbed the third to last step, I just have to tolerate him. She then climbed the second to last step, I won't have to do much. And, now she found herself on the final step of the stair case only one foot away from James T. Kirk, I won't really have to talk to him. Felicity then caught him looking her way, and her stomach morphed into knots. Right?
"I should have known that I would be seeing you again," Kirk said to Felicity with a small smile on his lips.
Kirk kept his eyes on her as she unwillingly moved closer. Once again, she was at a loss for words. And, once again, she needed to find something to say.
"Ditto," Felicity murmured. Although, Felicity was incapable of carrying on a conversation, she thought it better for her to keep their conversations short and simple. Class was just starting and she needed to focus. She didn't need a distraction. And, frankly, he was too much of a distraction. But, even though, "ditto" served as a simple answer, she meant what she said. She should have known that she would be seeing him again. Star Fleet wasn't that big of a campus. And, frankly both of them had someone in common, her father, Christopher Pike.
Whether Felicity liked it or not, the stars were aligned for them to meet. Even if it meant meeting in the most awkward of circumstances. Felicity grudgingly recalled the image of Kirk standing bare skinned in her dorm room. She also remembered the phrase he used, "Especially if the historian just happens to be a cute little brunette." It was practically destiny. Later, Felicity would be kicking herself over her inability to foresee the future.
Felicity stepped on the final step of the stair well. She was now on the same level with Kirk. Felicity felt herself relax a little bit taking note that Kirk was fully dressed in a red cadet uniform like everyone else. Felicity reckoned that it seemed odd for him to be dressed in red like everyone else. If there was anything she could deduce about Kirk, it was the fact that he needed to distinguish himself. And, that was probably the reason why he chose to sit in the back of the room.
"Why don't you sit down?" Kirk suggested, pulling her chair further out for her. "You seem a bit out of breath."
"Yeah…" Felicity said, realizing she was hyperventilating as a result of her fast paced hike from Evan's. "Thanks," she said, before slipping her bag off her shoulder and placing herself in the seat next to his.
She then accidently brushed her elbow against his. "Sorry," she said timidly.
"No problem," he said, not at all fazed by her movements.
She began to empty the necessary materials out of her bag and place them on the white table top in front of her. Despite Kirk's presence, she began to carry on as if it were a regular school day. She had her datapad, her pen and a real notebook with real paper for taking notes. She had everything she needed for class. At least one thing managed to go right today, Felicity thought.
As she continued to organize her things, she caught Kirk looking at her with an amused expression. "What?" she questioned, innocently.
"Nothing," he said with a smirk. "I've just never seen someone so prepared for one class before."
Quizzically, Felicity looked over her materials. She didn't understand what was so different about the way she equipped herself. She liked being ready for class. "Well, I believe in being prepared," she said, slightly vexed. "There is nothing wrong with that," Felicity then moved to turn on her datapad dismissing Kirk. To her, it was perfectly normal for someone to have all the tools needed for school.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way," Kirk said, noticing that he may have offended her accidently. "It was just an observation. I'm sorry if it came off…as discourteous."
She granted him a sideways glance, wondering if he really was being sincere. He gave her another soft smile. And, her stomach formed another knot. She looked away from him and turned to look at the blank table top in front of Kirk. She realized he had no materials whatsoever. There was absolutely nothing there. Felicity had surmised that her father had made arrangements for Kirk to have the necessary materials for school. Felicity remembered her father typing on his datapad over breakfast. It seemed that Christopher Pike was taking the time to finalize any of the arrangements he made for Kirk. Only academic advisors had the authority to prepare their advisees in such a way. Those materials should have included a uniform, a dorm room, a class schedule, campus map, datapad, 500 credits to start, and other necessary supplies. So, why didn't Kirk have any of them out in front of him?
Before Felicity could inquire about Kirk's lack of materials, the sound of high heels clicking against the floor could be heard from the hallway and a short woman with curly black hair dressed in a black uniform entered the classroom. She first set down her tablet and synced it to the projector attached to the lecture hall's ceiling. From the woman's actions and the way she commanded herself upon entering, it was clear that she was the professor. And, the entire class was silent in response. The class knew they were the inferior ones in this situation. Unlike everyone else, Felicity immediately recognized the woman as Dr. DePree. In a moment's time, DePree began to write on the chalk board.
"Some of you may know me, some of you may not, but I am Dr. DePree,"she said, as she wrote her full name on the board in cursive. "And, I will be your Astronomy professor this semester."
"Although, most of you must already know some of the basics regarding the topic of Astronomy Starfleet requires that all first year students take this particular course. And, why does Starfleet mandate that you all take this course? Because it's an assurance that when you all are in the confines of deep space you'll know exactly what this is…"
DePree then used a wireless remote to project an image of what looked to be gas and dust encircling a circle in the midst of space. Felicity recognized the image immediately. It was a black hole.
"In my opinion, this object, in particular, is one of the most fascinating objects found in outer space. If you haven't figured out what this object is it is in fact a black hole."
"Does anyone know where the term "black hole" comes from?" DePree then asked the class.
For a good thirty seconds, the entire class was silent. Large classes usually motivated group polarization which then enabled an achingly long silence. The silence tended to last until someone with enough grit decided to speak. Or more specifically, when Felicity chose to finally answer the question.
Felicity raised her hand in a way that was similar to the way she did in elementary school. Her arm was outstretched in the air above her head making it more likely for her hand to be seen.
DePree saw Felicity's hand from the back of the room, "Yes, cadet."
"Ma'am the term "black hole" was coined in 1967 by American astronomer John Wheeler. He used the term in a statement he made at the NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies."
"Why, yes that is in fact true," DePree nodded her head in agreement. "Although, Einstein first predicted the existence of black holes in our universe with his theory of general relativity. Wheeler was the first to coin the phrase "black hole." Very good. Now does anyone know when the first black hole was discovered?"
Felicity looked around the room waiting for a response from her classmates. And, Kirk seemed uninterested in anything the professor had to say. But, another moment of silence passed and Felicity rose her hand again.
DePree nodded to Felicity granting her permission to speak once more.
"A black hole was first discovered in 1971," Felicity answered.
"Yes, that is true as well," DePree returned with a slight smirk. "By the way, what is your name Cadet?"
"It's Felicity-Pi" Felicity stopped herself. She was about to say that her last name was Pike. Potentially, creating the very problem she hoped to avoid. She feared being treated differently because of who her father happened to be. She blushed, seeing the number of classmates staring at her. She needed to say the correct last name to prevent their stares from lasting any longer. "Its's Felicity Clark, Ma'am," she finally said in the correct fashion.
"Well, its nice to meet you Cadet Clark," Dr. DePree said, before moving on to continue her lecture on black holes. And, with that everyone turned their stares away from Felicity and back to DePree. Well, almost everyone. Everyone except Kirk.
Instead of paying attention to the lecture, Kirk was leaning on one of his elbows with a hand cupping his chin as he peered at her inquisitively. Felicity began to worry. Was he looking at her that way as a result of her almost saying Pike? She hoped he wasn't on to her.
"What is it?" she whispered to him, attempting to not be disruptive towards the lecture.
"Your name is 'Felicity'?"
"Yes," Felicity said quickly, she began to take one of her pens and write in her notes. Luckily, he was only curious about her first name.
" 'Fe-li-city' ," he repeated again, making sure he was annunciating every consonant and vowel in her name. "I've never met a Felicity before."
"Really," Felicity glanced at him. She had never thought of her name as unique. It was something she had to live with like most people. She had never given her name a second thought. It was just a name, after all. But, she was somewhat flattered that he had never met someone with a name like her's.
"Yeah…I've met a Rebecca, a Louise, a Hannah, a Sarah, a Camden, a Jillian, an Abigail, a Lori, a Taylor, a Kate, a Fiona..." he licked his lips, as he recalled the names of the women he 'met' over the years. "And, a Janice."
Felicity rolled her eyes. She realized he was reminiscing about the girls he encountered on his sexual escapades. "Good to know," she murmured, returning her attention to DePree.
As she was about to title her paper with the words "Astronomy Notes Day One" Kirk's voice broke her concentration once more.
"But, never a 'Felicity.'" He said, still posed on one of his elbows. He then framed his lips into a smirk. "I like it."
As she didn't know how to respond, Felicity bit the inside of her cheek and her cheeks began to warm. He confused her. And, he kept her attention away from the lecture. She wasn't sure if she would be able survive a whole semester sitting next to him. She remembered her father's request over breakfast, You want me to help him, Dad. But, who's going to help me?
"Kirk, shouldn't you be taking notes?" she whispered to him discreetly.
"Jim," he said in return.
"What?" She was even more confused now.
He spoke with a twinkle in his eye, "Please call me, Jim."
Again, she chewed the inside of her cheek. "Okay…" she breathed out, giving in to his request. "Jim…" she was unused to the way his first name fell off her lips. It was an informal action for her to take part in, but even as strange as it was, a warmth enveloped her chest. She ignored it and asked her initial question again, "Shouldn't you be writing things down?"
He shook his head, "Don't need to."
"Why?" she questioned with eyebrows knitted.
"Cuz," he said. "It's already right here," he then tapped on the temple of his forehead.
Felicity's eyebrows remained knitted. Jim was certainly an odd one. She always needed to write things down. That was how she learned. And, that's how she remembered. Did he not do the same? The loudness of DePree's voice brought Felicity's attention back to the front of the room.
"So, just to review what I just discussed about black holes, can someone please tell me the two key parts of a black hole?"
Similarly, the class was silent just as they were at the beginning of DePree's lecture. No one was answering and frankly, this time, Felicity couldn't provide an answer this time. She looked down over her notes, seeing a white blank page. She couldn't reply to DePree's question even if she wanted to. The whole class was all on their own. So, much for taking notes, Felicity thought before planting her pen on the tabletop.
Fifteen long seconds had passed before someone bothered answering. And, to Felicity's surprise, that person in particular was Jim.
"It's the event horizon and singularity," Jim said, looking as if he didn't want to answer in the first place.
DePree looked Jim's way surprised that another student had answered her. DePree then followed up with another question, "Yes, and can you explain to me what they do?"
Jim cleared his throat, "The event horizon is the boundary marking the limits of a black hole. When something enters the event horizon nothing at that point can come out. Not even light can escape it. In the case of what a singularity is, it is the center of a black hole covered by the event horizon."
Felicity's jaw dropped slightly. She couldn't believe he had managed to pay attention to the lecture while he was distracting her. But, then she recalled his high aptitude test scores. He didn't need to pay attention. He was already a genius. Felicity just managed to forget how intelligent he was.
"That is true as well," DePree said in approval. "And, what is your name, Cadet?"
Jim glanced at Felicity and hesitated, "Its Kirk, James T..."
Everyone in the room suddenly turned their eyes to Jim, whispering amongst themselves. They all had just realized something Felicity had figured out days ago. Jim was the son of acclaimed Starfleet hero, George Kirk. The son of a national hero was in their class and they couldn't stop staring at him. They were staring at Jim the way Felicity was scared of being looked at. How could he possibly endure it?
"Kirk?" DePree said, inquisitively and one of her eyebrows arched. "As in the Hero of the U.S.S. Kelvin?"
For a faint moment, Felicity saw something in Jim's eyes falter. But, it disappeared as soon as he gave his practiced smile. "Yeah, the one and only," Jim then winked at one of the female cadets situated at the bottom of the stairwell. The female cadet giggled in response. Jim's actions caused Felicity to roll her eyes.
DePree chuckled at Jim's flirtatious actions towards one of the other students, "All right, Kirk, thanks for answering my questions. Next time I call on you I may want to be a little bit more careful to let you get the spotlight. Your father was an honorable man it's a shame that he passed. He was a very good officer. Thanks again, Cadet Kirk."
"No problem," Kirk added, maintaining a cheeky grin before sitting back in his chair. As he sat back, Felicity caught him giving a dejected expression. Although, he could give a smile that could make a girl weak at the knees, it couldn't hide the emotions he tried to conceal. Felicity saw the same emotions she saw in his mugshot from her final night in Iowa. It was the look of sadness and loss, Felicity herself, was more than familiar with. Jim laid his hand in his chin, keeping his eyes on the blank white space in front of him. He tapped his fingers along the desk and stared at the whiteness. Felicity inferred, Jim was thinking about his late father and imagining what his life would be like if George Kirk were still alive.
For the rest of the class period, Jim remained quiet, not speaking another word to Felicity. In contrast, Felicity attempted multiple times to pay attention to the lecture, but she couldn't help but contemplate whether to reach out and grab Jim's hand. Felicity wanted to squeeze it gently in reassurance. She wanted to let Jim know he was not alone. She knew his loss and sadness. Felicity knew what it was like to be without a parent. However, at least for Felicity, she knew what it was like to experience the love of that fallen parent. Felicity knew what it meant to be loved by a mother even if it was shorter than Felicity had liked. But, Kirk, on the other hand, never met his father. He didn't know what it was like to experience a father's embrace. He didn't know what it was like to experience a father's love. In consequence, Jim had grown up a lonely boy. And, Felicity didn't want him to be alone anymore.
A/N
Just wanted to say I know its been awhile since I last updated, but I have good reasons. When I'm not writing fanfiction, I'm usually writing papers, planning oral presentations, and studying for exams. Speaking of which, next week is finals week so it will be highly unlikely that I'll be updating this story.
Anyways, I just want to say thank you to all my readers especially those who have left reviews, favorited and followed this story. I appreciate the positive response. It motivates me to keep writing. Additionally, if there is a criticism someone as for this story please feel free to leave a review or message me. I will certainly take what you say into consideration.
Sincerely,
Angela a.k.a. Fearless by Past