Lydia and Jim now are watching the Narada go down with the man that murdered their fathers. Now the question is could they get away fast enough to have their happy ending?

They were back on the Enterprise.

"Bones we need a little help here," Jim said moving Pike from his arms to the incoming medics.

"We're gonna need gastric stimulators, let's prep him for surgery, now!" He told the med techs that had come in as he scanned Captain Pike for injuries.

With a look at each other Jim and Spock took off to the bridge. Pike was safe, that didn't mean that the fight was over. Nero was still on his ship.

"Keptin!" Chekov said as Kirk walked onto the bridge. "The enemy ship is losing power- its shields are down!"

Moving to stand next to Lydia, he took her hand looking at the screen.

"Hail them - now!"

Then Nero appeared on the screen. The Narada Bridge looked chaotic.

"This is Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise - your ship is compromised - too close to the singularity to survive without assistance - which we are willing to provide."

"Captain," Spock whisper to him. "What are you doing?"

"We show them compassion," he said back to Spock. "It may be the only way to earn peace with Romulus. It's logic, Spock! I thought you'd like that."

"No, not really, not this time."

"I'm with him on this one Jim," Lydia said looking at Jim then back at Nero.

"I would rather suffer the death of Romulus a thousand times than accept assistance from you."

"You got it," he said turning from the screen and taking Lydia and Spock with him. This would be the last time they would see the man that destroyed their lives. "Lock phasers! Fire everything we've got!"

The screen went dark as they saw the already weaken ship go down into the black hole.

"Kirk to Engineering: get us out of here, Scotty!"

"You bet yer ass, Captain," Lydia moved to the Engineering liaison position to try and help Scotty from the bridge.

The Enterprise was trying to do the quantum leap, but the black hole was too big it was sucking the Enterprise up. The pull was so strong that the Enterprise couldn't move at all.

"WHY AREN'T WE AT WARP?!"

"We ARE JIM! We are trapped in the gravity well! It's got us." Lydia was doing everything she could.

"GO TO MAXIMUM WARP! PUSH IT!"

Scotty, who had been on the comms with Lydia trying to move the Enterprise shouts back to be heard over the engines. "I'M GIVIN' HER ALL SHE'S GOT, CAPTAIN!"

"ALL SHE'S GOT ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH! WHAT ELSE D'YOU GOT Lydia?!"

For a second she stopped to think about what was happening. This was just another problem she had to fix. That was all. She turned back to her computer to verify the statues of the core.

She turned back to Jim. "IF WE EJECT THE CORE AND DETONATE, THE BLAST COULD BE STRONG ENOUGH TO PUSH US AWAY BUT I CAN'T PROMISE ANYTHING!"

"DO IT DO IT DO IT!"

"Scotty eject the core I will detonate on my side, Do it."

Scotty slammed the activation panel and the core ejected. When Lydia saw that the cores were where she needed them to be she detonated them one by one creating a domino effect that was able to propel them forward enough that they were away from the explosion. At least now, they were safe.

The crew looked around at each other. They were all sitting on their sits gripping their chairs until their knuckles had turned white. Still they were safe, finally.

"This assembly calls Captain James Tiberius Kirk..."

The whole academy was here to watch James T. Kirk be named the Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The only one missing was Spock, but Lydia was sure she knew where he was.

"Your inspirational valor and supreme dedication to your comrades are in keeping with the highest traditions of service and reflect utmost credit to yourself, your crew, and the Federation. For your... unique solution to the Kobayashi Maru, it is my honor to award you with a commendation for original thinking. By Starfleet Order 28455, you are hereby directed to report to Commanding Officer, USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief."

With a nod, Jim turned and walked towards Admiral Pike who had entered in his wheelchair. You could see it in his eyes. The pride of the moment. Kirk was his biggest pride and joy and everyone in the academy now saw what he saw all those years ago in the bar.

"I relieve you, Sir." He said after saluting Pike.

"I am relieved. Congratulations, Captain." With a smirk, Pike pins the medal to Kirk's chest. Yes, he could not be prouder.

"Thank you, Sir," Kirk said. Then he turned to the crowd. With shining eyes, he watched as everyone applauded, but they landed on Lydia. No matter where they were his eyes always landed on Lydia.

He walked to his crew and gave them all hugs and accepted their congratulations. As Jim talked to the crew, Lydia saw something up on the hangar. Spock Prime was watching. It made Lydia wonder what it must have been like in his world. Was he missing it? Or was reliving all of this worth it to him. She would have loved to know how that world Spock and Kirk really worked with each other.

Lydia was getting her things ready for the travel. Her apartment was going to be on hold until she came back from the mission. She wasn't really sure if she should keep it but she didn't know how long they would be gone or how long, once they came back, they would actually stay. She was ready though, finally she was going to space to do what she always wanted to do, explore it.

She still had a lot of work to do. After all, just because she was on the Enterprise didn't mean others wouldn't ask for her consultation. Already Jim had said that he would give her an office where she could work on her other works. She had projects not only from the federation, but also from other systems as well.

There was a knock on the door. Lydia moved to open it to find herself face to face with Jim.

"Hey are you ready," he asked as she let him come into the apartment.

She turned to get her backpack while Jim picked the bag that was on the floor.

"All ready," she said with a smile. Putting the bag back down Jim walked closer to Lydia.

"Are we ever going to talk about what we said on the ship before?" he asked getting as close to Lydia as possible.

With a smile, she stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him to her. He definitely looks good in his gold chair, she could get used to it.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I know I haven't been the best guy when it comes to girls and relationships, but I would never do anything like that to…"

"Jim do you love me?"

"Yes," he said without hesitating.

"Then we start there," she said and pulled him in for a kiss. A kiss that would last for a while.

Yes, Jim thought, he would definitely listen to Spock Prime and LIVE.

As they walked into the bridge, Lydia walked to the engineer liaison desk. Jim took a moment to look around him at his crew. All around him he saw his crew getting ready for the new journey. Still young and fresh face they were not children anymore. Yet somehow, they were still in charge of the greatest starship ever built.

"Maneuvering thrusters and impulse engines at your command, Sir," Sulu.

"Weapons systems and shields on standby," Chekov.

"Dock control reports ready. Yard Command signaling clear," Uhura.

"Scotty how are we?"

"Dilithium chamber at maximum efficiency, Captain," Scotty.

"Same ship, different day," McCoy.

"Everything ready on your command Captain," Lydia.

Yes, they were all here. All but one person as the science console was empty. It made Kirk feel incomplete. Guess he would have to accept it.

"Mr. Sulu," said Jim turning from the science console. "Prepare to engage thrus—"

"Permission to come aboard, Captain," they turned to watched as Spock came in wearing his blue shirt. The whole crew was waiting with bated breathe. Could this mean what they thought it meant.

"Permission granted."

"As you have yet to select a first officer, respectfully, I would like to submit my candidacy. Should you desire, I can provide character references."

"It would be my honor, Commander. Maneuvering thrusters, Mr. Sulu. Take us out."

"Aye, Captain."

As the ship maneuvers out of dry dock, Spock takes his place next to Kirk. Gold and blue, side by side. Like it was always meant to be.

Spock Prime watched as the Enterprise took off. He looked at the pendant around his neck turning it on to see his Kirk. One last message from so long ago.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you... I know I know, it's illogical to celebrate something you had nothing to do with, but I haven't had the chance to congratulate you on your appointment to the ambassadorship so I thought I'd seize the occasion... Bravo, Spock - they tell me your first mission may take you away for a while, so I'll be the first to wish you luck... and to say... I miss you, old friend."

"I miss you too old friend."

"I suppose I'd always imagined us... outgrowing Starfleet together. Watching life swing us into our Emeritus years... I look around at the new cadets now and can't help thinking... has it really been so long? Wasn't it only yesterday we stepped onto the Enterprise as boys? That I had to prove to the crew I deserved command... and their respect?"

"I know what you'd say - `It's their turn now, Jim...' And of course you're right... but it got me thinking: Who's to say we can't go one more round? By the last tally, only twenty five percent of the galaxy's been chartered... I'd call that negligent. Criminal even - an invitation."

"You once said being a starship captain was my first, best destiny... if that's true, then yours is to be by my side. If there's any true logic to the universe... we'll end up on that bridge again someday."

"Admit it, Spock. For people like us, the journey itself... is home."

As Spock looks at the Enterprise going into space. He knows that even if his Jim's words were not about this specifically, logically, still they were coming true once more. Spock wasn't sure if he would ever go back to his world but he knew that THIS Kirk and Spock would have some amazing travels as well.

Space... the final frontier. These are the continuing voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission... to explore strange new worlds... to seek out new life forms, and new civilizations... To boldly go, where no one has gone... before...