As Kirk woke up all he saw was white. Well white and a little girl holding onto him. Was this why his shoulder hurt? He remembered what happened. Lydia hadn't done anything to get kicked off the Enterprise. Besides, even if she had she was one of the only engineers that had work on the Enterprise itself. It was Lydia's pride and joy. She knew the Enterprise better than anyone currently working on it did. It wouldn't be logical for Spock to throw the best engineer he had for the ship of it. So the only other option was that she had followed him there.

For a moment he didn't know what he wanted either kill her or kiss her. She was his partner in crime being in a desolated planet without her would have been horrible. Still he really wished that she could have stayed safe for once. Yep definitely kiss her. So that's what he did, or almost, because at the last minute he chicken out and just gave her a kiss on the forehead. Hey baby steps.

"Computer… where am I?"

"Current location Delta Vega Clam M Planet, unsafe. You have been ordered to remain in your pod until retrieved by Starfleet authorities."

"Bite me," Kirk told the computer turning to Lydia. "Lydia, Lydia wake up." Kirk said shacking her a little. "Come on Lydia open your eyes."

Lydia was coming to so Kirk opened the pod making a blast of cold air hit them both.

"That's too cold," Lydia said coming to. "Where are we?"

Moving around to make sure she was comfortable Kirk turned toward her.

"Hey are you alright? How are you feeling?"

"Like I hit my head on this pod after coming after you," Lydia said with a small smile. She turned to look around herself trying to see what they actually had with them. After all, even if the crew had given Jim everything he might need she had actually jumped in here so she had absolutely nothing.

"Here take this," she said giving him a jacket.

"No you use that one I will take the lighter one."

"Jim I don't need it. I don't mind using the lighter one. I promise."

"Lydia look at me," he said. "Put the jacket on please," he said caressing her face. It took Lydia a moment to react. This wasn't the first time he had done this but it felt different right now.

With a smile, she took his hand and smiled at him. "Fine but don't come to me when you are freezing."

Smiling back, Jim pulled her up and they started to climb. It was a tube of snow almost 30 feet high only to get to the middle of nowhere.

"SONOFABITCH-BITCH-BITCH! THERE'S NOTHING HERE! YOU NECK-PINCHING MOTHERF-!" And he went on a little more, but Lydia let him have it after all she would be screaming as well if he wasn't the one doing it.

"Lieutenant's log, supplemental," "What are you doing?" "I'm preparing a testimonial for my Starfleet court martial assuming there's still a Starfleet left."

As they keep walking looking for somewhere to get away from the cold.

"Acting Captain Spock - whose only form of expression's apparently limited to his left damn eyebrow - has marooned me and Lieutenant Talbot" "not me remember" "on Delta Vega in what I believe to be a violation of security protocol 49.09, governing the treatment of prisoners aboard a st…"

"SHHH"

"What?"

"Listen."

They heard a nearby growl. Looking around they don't see anything. Turning following another growl, a thing came out of nowhere. Jim taking a small step toward Lydia seemed to be set it off, so they started running from it. It's gaining on them, they know without a doubt. So they were pretty surprise when a red, 30 feet tall, hundred eye thing crashing through the ice. Holy Shit! This thing is much worse!

They start running again because if the first thing was going to eat them this thing would eat them as well. Pulling Jim Lydia ran without thinking were she was going. All she knew was that if she ever made it to the Enterprise she would make sure Spock regretted this for the rest of his life. Unfortunately they didn't see the end of the massive mountain snow mountain and they started falling down it.

They looked up only to see the creature stop at the edge. For a moment, just a moment Jim and Lydia thought they were safe. Until the ice under the creature broke and it fell as well.

So they continue to run.

Finally, after much stumble they finally got to a cave. Yet the thing was still coming after them. Lydia had twisted her ankle and it was hurting. Jim was trying to get her as far away from the monster going as fast as he can. Still somehow, the creature reached out and actually grabbed him. Pushing Lydia as far away as he could Kirk tried to hold on to anything.

"Jim!" Lydia tried to get closer to Jim.

That's when out of nowhere a figure appeared with fire in his arms waving it around. At least that's what it looked like to Lydia. With that, the creature backed off. Who knew that a 30 feet tall creature would be afraid of a little fire?

"Jim, JIM! Are you ok?"

"Lydia," said Kirk getting up and moving towards her. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I think so."

"What about your ankle."

"It's not that bad I promise." And because Kirk has never been one to just sit around he took her ankle in his hand to make sure.

"Hey... thank you..." Jim said to the man that had just saved their lives. Figuring out that Lydia was right about her ankle stood up to look at this new guy bringing Lydia up with him. He needed to find a good place to make sure she could rest. This guy had fire so maybe he had a camp somewhere.

"... Jim?

Stunned Kirk looked at this man giving Lydia some side eye to see if maybe she knew who he was. "- how d'you know my name?"

"How did you find me-? Does Starfleet know of my presence?"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?"

Lydia looked at this man trying to understand who he was. She could see something in his eyes; it was almost like heartbreak. Almost like the cruelest twist of fate was that Jim didn't know him.

"I have been... and always shall be... your friend."

"No, I don't know you - the only Vulcan I know isn't exactly a buddy."

"You are James T. Kirk. Your father is George, as is your brother. Your mother's name is Winona - you were born in 2233 –"

"I don't understand."

Lydia was coming to a realization though. She was grasping what was going on. Because there was only one Vulcan that Jim knew that had this confection with him. There was only one person this could be.

"I am Spock. One hundred and thirty years senior to the Vulcan you know."

"Bullshit."

After a few minutes where Jim decided to concentrate completely on Lydia they had finally sat down around a fire that Spock Prime, as Lydia called him, had made.

"Let me see your ankle," Jim said as he pulled her ankle to him.

"Jim I promise I am alright. I think it was more like a moment scared than anything else. It's not even swelling."

"Ok, ok," Jim said taking a deep breath for a moment. Then he took a sit next to Lydia. He needed a moment to understand what was going on.

"It's remarkably pleasing to see you again," guess the Vulcan wasn't going to let that happen. "... especially after the events of today."

"Old friend," Jim turned to the Vulcan. "Sir, I don't have any idea how you know what you know. But I don't know you and if you are Spock you would know we're not friends. You hate me. You marooned me here for mutiny..."

"Mutiny?" asked Spock Prime. "You are not the Captain?"

"You're the captain right now," Lydia spoke up for the first time. Spock Prime turned to her watching her. "Pike was taken hostage."

"... by Nero." Spock Prime said in realization and horror.

"What do you know about him?" Jim asked.

"... he is a remarkably... troubled Romulan." Then moving towards Jim he extended his arm. "... Please. Allow me - it will be easier—"

"What're you doing-?" Jim asked stopping him before he could touch his face.

"I think I know, just trust him Jim." Lydia said turning to Jim. Spock Prime turned to her with a smile. He knew who she was and was so happy that she was here. At least something good came from Nero's decisions.

A skeptical beat later Jim decided to listen to Lydia and let Spock Prime touch him.

Lydia listen as Spock Prime seemed to be reciting a mantra under breath.

"Our minds... one and together...One hundred and twenty-seven years from now everything ends."

Then Spock's eyes snapped shut and Jim jolted next to Lydia. She could feel the energy in the air as her arms hair stood. Yet both Spock and Jim were now completely still.

Then Jim inhaled sharply and almost fell over.

"Jim!" Lydia said holding on to Jim as she saw him come to. She could see something had changed within him. Whatever Spock had showed him was emotionally draining she could see that much.

"Forgive me..." Spock told them, seeing Jim relying on Lydia for a minute. "Emotional transference is an effect of the mind meld."

"... so you do feel..." Jim said looking at Spock now with sympathy.

""Cthia" is the stricture that binds our emotions... but few of us are that perfectly Vulcan." He watched as Jim wiped his eyes on his sleeves. Turning to Lydia he said, "I could show you if you wish."

Lydia eyes opened so comically that Jim let out a laugh.

"No it alright I believe you," she said gaining a smile from Spock as well.

"We must go" Spock said standing up. "There's a Starfleet outpost not far from here."

But there was something else Kirk had to know before they could go any further.

"Where you came from... did I know my father?"

"... yes you both did. You often spoke of him, Jim, as your inspiration for joining Starfleet."

There was a moment where both Jim a Lydia couldn't move. They had known their fathers. How were they supposed to be alright with that. Somewhere in some other universe, they had lived with their fathers' right there.

"You should know. He proudly lived to see you become captain of the Enterprise."

"... Captain?"

"A ship we must return you to as soon as possible."

"All right then. You two stay here I will make sure everything is clear out there. Take a moment to breathe you look like you could use it," Lydia said moving to the entrance of the cave.

"It's good to see something of the things Nero change were actually for the better."

Turning away from where Lydia had walked off Jim looked at Spock and asked him, "What do you mean?"

"You and Ms. Talbot. I have never seen you together before."

"What do you mean?" This actually got Jim's attention. Lydia and he had been best friends their whole lives always one following the other. So, how could someone who called himself his best friend had never seen them together.

Taking a moment to think about what he was going to say Spock gave a look toward Lydia once more. Just because he would tell Jim does not mean that she should have to hear too.

"I will tell you this but only if you promise not to dwell on it. In our time Ms. Talbot actually followed her father and ended in another ship," he said.

"So you have meet then?" Was he not understanding Spock?

"Unfortunately no," Spock said looking away from Jim.

For a moment, Jim looked at Spock. There was something here. "What are you keeping from me," he asked. Whatever it was couldn't be good. They had done the whole mind meld thing. If Spock couldn't tell him this then whatever it was could not be good.

Spock looked at his friend and made a decision. "I will tell you this for one reason only. I want you to remember Jim that even when life takes something away it gives something back." Taking a deep breath, he started his tale.

"It was a month into our first journey together. We had been becoming close friends for a while and you had already told me about her. How you grew up together, how she was like your shadow at some points, how YOU were like her shadow at others. Your fathers were the best of friends and so were you both. You were so proud of everything she had accomplish. You used to tell me that one day she would surpass even my Vulcan intellect.

"That's why it was so hard when I found you that day. You had been absent all day from the bridge and everyone was worried. Even Dr. McCoy did not know where you were. Finally, I found you.

"You were sitting alone and in the shadows. When I asked you what was wrong you gave me a communication that had been send to you personally. Ms. Talbot's ship had been attacked and she had been killed."

Jim could barely breathe. It was like every breath, thought, notion had left him. In another world, he had known his father, yes, but he had also lost Lydia. It was as if the universe had been mocking him. You can have one or the other, not both. He couldn't move, yet it was like his legs couldn't hold him either.

"You were never the same after that. You told me that day that you had been in talks with the Federation to transfer her to the Enterprise. You said that your argument was that if she had helped design the ship's system then she should be on the ship in case it needed her. You blamed yourself. Said that if only you had been quicker, had acted sooner, she would have been in the Enterprise by then."

Jim wanted to scream and at the same time, nothing was coming out of him.

"In time you moved on. Fell in and out of love. Yet I always wondered if maybe the reason you could not seem to find what you were looking for was because you had already found her and lost her."

Seeing his friend hurting Spock turned completely toward him.

"Jim, I am telling you this because here you have her. If there is one pain I can take from you at least let this be it. She is here with you. Do not forget that."

Finally, thought had come back to Jim and he looked at Spock straight in the eyes.

"What am I supposed to do with this information?" he asked Spock.

The Prime though was ready with an answer that he hoped would always help his friend.

"Live."

"Everything alright?" Lydia had come back into the cave and Jim looked at her. It was like he was seeing her for the first time.

Spock looked at Lydia and with a smile he said, "yes, everything is as it should be."