'KNOCK KNOCK'

"What! I am busy." McCoy yelled from his office.

Carefully nurse Chapel opened the door of his office. "Uhmm doctor McCoy, admiral Pike is here to see you."

Bones looked up from his work. "Pike is here? He should be with Jim. Is Jim with him? Is he hurt?"

Suddenly Pike stood next to nurse Chapel. "Jim is fine Doctor McCoy. Thank you nurse Chapel. I got it from here."

"Of course sir. If you need me I will be around." Nurse Chapel said before she left and Pike closed the office door.

"I thought you would be on Jim watch?" Bones asked with his arms crossed.

"I was. Cut the attitude Leonard. I am still your superior officer. I think we need to talk." Pike said and sat down in a chair.

Leonard sighs. "What do we need to talk about sir?"

"Sit down McCoy. I am not having this conversation with you standing there."

Leonard sat down. "What conversation are we talking about and before we have this conversation, where may I asked is Jim?"

"Jim is with mr Scott."

"Alone! Scotty is not a responsible..."

"Wow calm down. I listen to you, you know. Luitenant Uhura is with them. He is safe."

Leonard took a deep breath to calm himself. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"You, me and this whole situation."

Leonard raised an eyebrow. "You, me?"

Pike smiled sadly. "You see me as a threat."

"I don't see you as a..."

Pike held up his hand. "Yes you do. Don't deny it. I see it. I heard it. You think I am here to take Jim away from you. You think that I think you can't take care of him."

"That's not what I..."

"I talked with Spock you know."

"That damn..."

Pike did not let him talk. "Is thinking, strangely, exactly the same way as you do. You know what I admire about you two? You two are always there for Jim. No matter what happend. You two are there. You protect him. And now that he is little, you two are like two overprotective big brothers afraid their little brother gets hurt."

"We are..."

Pike held up his hand again. " And I think Jim is damn lucky to have you. You two are exactly what Jim needs." Pike said softly.

McCoy sighs. He felt now ashamed about his behavior towards Pike. And now he saw all those emotions on Pike's face... " You are important to him too, sir. He needs you also. You are his surrogate father."

Pike smiled a sad smile. "I told you I knew Jim when he was little right?"

Leonard nodded.

"The first time I met him, he was still a baby. Winona... Winona wasn't in a good place. Always angry, sad. But Jim, Jim with his big blue baby eyes, was always looking happy. I offered Winona to help her out with taking care of Jim and his brother. George was my best friend. He told me when they got pregnant with Jim that I would be Jim's godfather."

"I didn't knew you were Jim's godfather. He never told me." Leonard asked curious.

Christ sighs. "That's because Winona didn't let me. George just got to name Jim before he died. Winona got angry with everyone in Starfleet. She didn't even let me hold Jim. Jim was hers. I didn't see him again until he was four years old."

"Like he is now."

"Yes like he is now. I blamed myself for not keeping in touch with the Kirk family. Maybe I could do something before it got out of hand. But if I think about it Winona would probably move away to a place I couldn't find them. And then I would lose them forever.

When I saw Jim, he had some unexplained bruises on his body. He was tiny and it looked like all the joy you once saw in his eyes when he was a baby was gone. All you saw was that frightened look in his eyes, afraid he did something wrong. Jim and I talked for awhile but he never answered my questions about the bruises. Well that is not true. He told me a story but it was a story that I didn't believe and couldn't leave those bruises. And then..."

"Then what?" Leonard asked softly almost afraid to ask.

Pike took a deep breath. "Winona came out of the house. Drunk I believe. When Jim saw her he suddenly hides behind my legs. He was trembling."

"He was afraid." Leonard confirmed.

"Yes. Winona yelled for him to get in the house. And Jim ran to the house as if his life depended on it. I walked to Winona. I wanted some answers. She told me to mind my own business. Just because Jim looked like George didn't mean I could demand answers from her. It was the beginning of a shouting match until Jim's uncle arrived with Jim's brother. To say it simple about what happened. I had to leave or it wouldn't end well for me or the brothers. The last time I saw Jim before I stepped in my car, he was looking through the bedroom window with tears in his eyes. I left him. I immediately tried everything after that to get Jim out of that house."

Leonard closed his eyes. "Why didn't it work?" He asked softly.

"No proof. Shortly after my visit they left. I didn't find Jim until he was a teenager. I then found out his brother left him two years after my last visit. He didn't do anything to help Jim when he walked away. He blamed Jim that he got hurt at home. It was Jim's fault. He was the Kelvin baby who looked like his father."

"So what, he just left him!" Leonard asked in disbelief. "Didn't even get help for the situation his brother was in??"

"No. In Sam's eyes it was Jim's fault that the Kirk family fell apart. This was the price he had to pay. That Leonard, is why I am so happy and glad he has you and Spock. Jim needs to know what brothers are for. To feel the love, to feel wanted, to feel the safety of his brothers protecting him.

I am not here to take him away from you two Leonard. I would never do that. I just want to be here for him to help him and for the two of you. I want to offer my help I couldn't give him when he was really this age."

"You are still blaming yourself. Chris I am sure you did everything you could. You said it yourself they moved away and I am sure you looked for him."

Pike nodded. "Everyday."

"Now then. That is what matters. And you are still here for him. Have you ever told Jim this?" Leonard asked curiously.

Pike looked confused. "Told him what?"

"That his father wanted to make you his godfather."

"No never. Besides I am not his godfather no matter what George told me before he was born. I wasn't in the end."

"Maybe you should..." suddenly there was a knock on the door and the noise of a child crying. Leonard and Christ looked at each other. "Come in"

Uhura came through the door with a crying Jim in her arms and Scotty was walking panicked behind them.

Bones and Chris stood immediately up. "What happend?" Bones asked.

"Bones" Jim sniffed and held his arms out for him. There was a cut on his forehead that was bleeding through the napkin that Uhura held on it.

Bones immediately took Jim in his arms. "It was an accident. I didn't saw it... and then... Honestly Leo it was an accident." Scotty told him panicked.

"Okay slow down tell us what happened?" Christ asked while Leonard tried to calm Jim down.

"We were playing with the ship we made." Scotty begins.

"But there was a problem in engineering. People were running and Jim got away from us." Uhura told them.

"He was trapped in the flow of people that ran next to us and the schip fell out of his hand. He searched for it but an engineer didn't see him and fell over him. Jim fell with the ship in his hands. I think it cut his forehead." Scotty finished.

"My ship broke" Jim sniffed.

"We will make a knew one Jimmy. I promise." Scotty told him.

"Better the ship than you honey." Uhura said.

"They are right kiddo. Did you have lunch with him?" Leonard asked as he gave Jim to Chris.

"No not yet." Uhura told him. "We would bring him back to you. Our shift is starting soon."

"Alright. We got him. Why don't you go to your shifts. We can handle it from here." Leonard said and Uhura and Scotty nodded before they left.

"Chris can you sit down with him? I have to get the dermal regenerator and a tricorder." Chris nodded and sat down with Jim who had his arms around his neck and legs around his middle.

A couple of minutes later Leonard came back with the medical equipments and sat down next to him while running the tricorder over Jim's body.

"He wouldn't let go to sit better on my lap." Chris told him. Leonard smiled.

"No, he is like a little monkey when he wants to cuddle."

"I am not a monkey." Jim told him.

"Oh no, well I think you are a cute little monkey who likes cuddles." Leonard said and tickled him a little while reading his tricorder.

Jim smiled. "No, Chris just can give good hugs."

"Oh that is it. What about me and Spock then?"

Jim lifts his head up. "You two can also give good hugs but other hugs."

Chris looked down at him. "Why are my hugs different?"

Jim lay his head down on his shoulder again. "They just are. But all the hugs are good if I can cuddle." Jim laughed. Chris and Leonard had to smile at that.

"Alright darlin. I have to heal your cut now. You have to hold still while I am doing this. Do you understand?" Jim nodded and Leonard starts the procedure. Chris ran his hand up and down Jim's back to keep him calm and begins to hum a song unconsciously. Leonard let him.

It was almost done when Leonard saw Jim's eyes begin to close. "Don't fall asleep yet kid. Just another minute and then we have to eat lunch."

"Don't want to eat. I am good here."

Leonard put the dermal regenerator away. "You can sleep later Jimmy but I think Leonard is right. You first have to eat."

Jim shook his head. "Don't want to move."

"Well I think we can have our little lunch here, don't you think Leonard?"

"I think that is a good idea. I will get us something." Chris nodded and moved Jim so he was sitting good on his lap. With his back against his chest. He held his arms around Jim middle to keep him still because he wanted to turn immediately around again.

Soon Leonard stepped back in the office with lunch and smiled at the sight of Chris and Jim. "Let me guess, he wanted to turn."

"How did you know?"

Leonard gave Chris and Jim their lunch. "He always does when he wants to sleep instead of eating. Come on Jim sit up. The sooner you eat the sooner you can snuggle again."

Jim sighs and took a few bites of his sandwich. "I'm done."

Christ finished his own sandwich and looked down at Jim again. "Don't think so kiddo. I am still seeing half a sandwich."

"Don't need that anymore. You can have it."

"No can do kiddo. You need to grow. And you need to be healthy. Come on sit up again."

"Nooo" Jim said dramatic and kept turning his head so he could lay down on Chris chest.

Leonard decided to keep quiet. This was a battle between Jim and Chris. He knew with Joanna if someone else got involved in the conversation it was a lost battle. Besides he wanted to know how Chris handled Jim's behavior if he was tired and had to eat.

"You will not sleep or cuddle if don't eat. Now you can eat it yourself or I will force feed you."

Jim shook his head. "I can eat on my own."

"Yeah let's see it then."

"When I want to eat I do it on my own. Not now. I had enough Chris. Please."

Chris sat Jim down up again. "You know big boys eat by their own." Chris said and held a piece of the sandwich to Jim lips. Jim sighs and opened his mouth. Only for three more piece before Jim shook his head and closed his eyes while sitting up.

"I think he has enough for now. He is too tired." Christ said softly but looked for approval from Leonard.

"Yeah. He ate at least. It's more we could hope for. You did good."

"Can he sleep? He is fine right? With the fall and everything." Christ asked concerned while he repositioned Jim so he was more comfortable. He immediately snuggled dieper into his chest.

"Everything was fine. He needs his sleep also. Do you need me to call Spock to bring him to his room or are you good? I still got work to do so I can't look after him at the moment." Leonard asked while he stood up.

"No I am good. I got my PADD right next to me so I can work. Well that is if I could stay here in your office?" Christ asked.

"Yeah sure. If I need my office I will let you know. Well I should probably find Chapel right now. I will see you both later." Leonard said and walked out of the office. Just before he closed the door he turned around again.

"Chris, thank you for telling me your story. I understand you better now. And I apologize for my behavior. I should have realized. My mind was only on protecting Jim. You are part of his family too. We should help each other."

"We are helping each other. We all need some help and understanding once in awhile. Now go do your job."

"Yes sir." Leonard said before he closed the door.

Chris looked down at Jim. "Well kiddo it looks like it's just you and me. This time I will not let anything bad happend to you. I got you kiddo."