When Leonard woke up the sun was shining in his room. He opened his eyes to a soft warmth, groaning contently. It felt good to be home; he missed it after being away, even if it was only for a few months. The house had a smell that reminded him of his childhood, of tea and peach trees blowing in the wind.

He pulled his covers back, stretching his arms and yawning. He cracked his back, missing the soft mattress already. His bed at the academy wasn't even close to being this comfortable.

Leonard placed his feet down on the hardwood floor, breathing in.

He was going to spend the whole day with Jo. He hadn't done that in a long time. She was now old enough to remember when he was around, and when he wasn't. He was going to try to make sure he wasn't forgotten.

It was then he remembered that Jim and Jo were going to the park. They had to be there by then, it was nearly eight o'clock.

After grabbing some clothes, he headed to the shower across his room and put the water on as hot as he could stand it, relishing the pounding on his back. Jocelyn was going to call him. She didn't trust him anymore, even though Jo was there with him and her grandma (and Jim, but they didn't know that).

She was probably going to yell at him for some reason or other. He wished he could spend time with his daughter without worrying about custody and whether or not he was going to see his little girl ever again.

He moved his head under the water, squeezing the handle.

No, he couldn't dwell on it. It was going to be fine.

After cleaning himself off, he dressed and went back into his room, groaning when he heard the sound. His computer was already signaling the call. Stepping over to his desk chair, he heaved himself down and sighed before clicking that accept call button.

Jocelyn's face immediately showed on the screen.

"Leonard."

"Hello, Jocelyn."

"How's Jo?" she crossed her arms.

"She's happy and excited to see me and Ma. Also, don't worry, I put her to bed on time."

His ex narrowed her eyes, then continued. "Where is she? I want to talk to her."

"She can't come on the call right now," Bones grit out, nervous. Maybe he shouldn't have let Jo go with Jim…

"Why not?"

"She's at the park."

"Alone?" she exclaimed.

"Of course, not Joss, she is with a trusted friend and they should be on their way back now." Bones was scowling now, getting more and more irritated with the situation.

"You let my baby go out with a person that I don't know?!"

"There are a lot of people that I'm friends with now that you don't know. Jim happens to be one of my most trusted friends." Leonard stopped, realizing he meant that too. Somehow the infant had wormed his way through his walls and gained his trust.

"I'm coming to pick her up." What? No.

"Joss, be reasonable. I never get to see her." He was becoming desperate and he couldn't stop the emotion from seeping into his voice.

"No, Randy and I will be there as fast as we can."

She ended the call.

Leonard was frozen. She was going to take Jo away from him again. He probably wouldn't ever see her again. He placed his face in his hands. He knew it was too good to be true. He didn't deserve to see his child, what was he thinking? He didn't even know why he tried to be a better man, why he joined Starfleet.

For some reason, thoughts of Jim interrupted his self-pity. Jim Kirk was the only person since his divorce that stayed, that didn't leave or abandon him. No matter how grouchy he got, or how much he yelled at him for being reckless or for getting into fights, Jim never left. Maybe that's why he trusted him so much, the man was dependable.

Little did he know how dependable Jim really was.


Jim and Joanna walked out of the park full of dirt and looked like they went rolling around in the grass. The soil smudged their pants and painted their faces.

They both were wearing their own flower crowns, Jim's was made of dandelions with covers while Joanna's was made of blue and yellow wildflowers. He was carrying the leftover rocks and sticks that she couldn't bear to leave in his shirt. Joanna was holding a small bouquet and Bones' crown in her small hands and smiling the widest Jim had seen when she wasn't with her dad.

Bones was a very lucky man.

They walked slowly down the sidewalk, relishing the warm weather. Jim couldn't remember a time when he had the time to do this—not that he ever did as a child. But he never really spent time with someone other than Bones or one of his one-night flings, and he never had spent time with a six-year-old kid before.

He studied the little girl again with a warm smile. He loved the way her entire body bounced as she walked, full of energy and happiness. She was the spitting image of innocence. Kids always pulled at his heartstrings. Maybe his turbulent past made him realize the value of life.

Jim looked back at the sidewalk in front of them as they reached the corner before Bones' house. He squinted at the porch and could make out the blurred image of his friend. The man was getting out of his chair as he no doubt saw them and started to walk to meet them.

They had just reached the road they needed to cross when Joanna saw him.

"Daddy!"

She started talking a mile a minute, explaining what they did at the park and anything else that came to mind. Her mouth never stopped moving, not even to breathe. Jim knew that Bones wouldn't be able to hear a word she was saying.

Jim drifted his eyes to his friend with a smile before it faded from his face in confusion.

Bones was holding his hands out to her—not to hold her, he realized, but to stop her. His face had gone frantic, and he seemed frozen in place.

Joanna had stepped out into the street.

Jim stepped out to stop her, reaching out to grab the small child back to safety. He had just turned his head to look for cars, what he saw almost made his heart stop.

A car was hurtling down the street—it was going at least 20 miles over the speed limit. It was going too fast, there wasn't any time to stop her.

Too fast. Too fast.

Not enough time.

That's when she dropped her flowers. The plants seemed to fall in slow motion as Joanna bent down to pick them up, not a care in the world. She was still talking, not realizing the terrified looks on Bones' and Jim's faces.

No, no, no, no, no.

Jim was not going to let anyone take little Joanna McCoy from the world.

He sprang from his spot near the sidewalk and sprinted with long strides to the little girl, her hands still wrapped around the stems. He swiftly grabbed her by the waist and threw her with a grunt at the man who he knew would keep her safe.

He let himself smile when he saw her in Bones' arms before the car smashed into his body and sent him into oblivion.

He only had one thought as he faded to blackness.

She's safe.