Hey, everyone! Here's the next chapter. This took me a tremendous amount of time mostly because the majority of everyone really wanted a de-aged Kirk (a very popular request) which caused a lot of problems because I don't really like kids and they don't like me either. So, uh, it was really hard for me to write a kid Kirk. And I tried really hard to be as accurate as possible regarding a child's behavior with abuse. Hopefully it's okay.
This one-shot is split into two sections - otherwise it'd be way too long. I haven't finished the second part completely, but hopefully you'll still stick around for it. I have so many issues with this chapter - personally, I really hate it. Really, really hate this and I'm completely unsatisfied with it. Sorry if I let you all down. I did try; this was probably the hardest chapter I've ever written.
As usual of these types of stories, I took a lot of liberties, so again, if you see any discrepancies or if you have something that you want me to change (because I'm all for changing things for the better), please let me know.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this...
Disclaimer: I do not own any Star Trek franchise.
No Into Darkness spoilers.
VI
The Cat's Out of the Bag Part I
It started with a seemingly innocuous message on Jim's PADD. No one really paid any attention to the sound of its ping or to Jim typing something back with a frown on his face. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary - not even when Jim abruptly stood and gave Spock the conn before walking out of the Bridge. It was only until the next Alpha shift when their Captain did not appear that the Command crew became worried.
Minutes before that shift, Jim had sent a ship-wide message that he was going to be on Earth for a few days to settle some business with Admiral Pike and that Spock would be Acting Captain until he returned. While Jim's words were plausible, the Bridge crew couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious of Jim's actions. Why would he have left without a word to any of them? Spock hadn't even been aware of any specific Starfleet-related communications between Pike and Jim, who talked constantly, trading stories and chatting about the inane details of life like old friends. But they kept their personal lives separate from their professional (though the line blurred from time to time - mostly when Pike was trying to cover Jim's ass). Any time Starfleet was involved between the two, Spock knew about it, but he was unaware of this "business" that Jim mentioned in the message.
Spock shifted restlessly on Jim's chair before he decided to comm Dr. McCoy for answers.
He pressed a button. "Bridge to McCoy."
"McCoy here. What do you want? I'm busy."
"I merely want to inquire the whereabouts of Captain Kirk."
"Didn't he say he was in San Francisco?"
"Negative. He said that he was 'on-planet', but he did not elaborate further."
"And you just automatically assumed that I know everything that's going on in Jim's life?"
"Yes."
There was a sound of a huff on McCoy's end. "Look, whether or not I know what's going on, I still wouldn't tell you anyway, you nosy pointy-eared bastard."
"Doctor..."
"Just let it go, Spock," McCoy interrupted with a sigh. "This isn't something you should be poking around in."
"I assure you, Doctor, I will not 'poke' Captain Kirk."
"Don't give me that, you damn hobgoblin. You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. You leave Jim alone, ya hear? He'll tell you what he's doing on-planet if he's good and ready. Don't badger him. He's got enough on his plate. Now leave me alone. I have some vaccinations I gotta administer. McCoy out."
There was a moment of silence when McCoy hung up. The air was heavy with more questions than they had started with.
Uhura swiveled around to frown at Spock. "He said 'if' Kirk is good and ready, not 'when'. Do you think this has to do with that fake Betazoid Ambassador? He didn't tell us anything then either."
Spock just looked directly in front of him, staring out into the black, starry abyss. He suppressed a shiver as he remembered Jim's past, locked away in those steel boxes. "I sincerely hope not."
Because Spock wasn't sure that Jim could go through those memories again.
He wasn't sure if he could.
It really was unfortunate that the universe wouldn't give him or the rest of the crew a choice about the matter.
They were in for the surprise of their lives, whether or not they wanted it or not.
"No, no, no! Tha' ain't rite!"
"Vhat do you mean? Ze calculations are correct!"
"Ah don't think yer rite, laddie. Ye fergot to calculate in particle acceleration and trajectory of atoms."
"Zat is basis of my calculations! Your reviring vill cause an internal implosion and reconfigure ze molecules inwolwed."
A beeping distracted Scotty and Chekov from their argument in the transporter room and Scotty quickly reached out to reply.
"Scotty 'ere," Scotty said into the communicator.
"It's me," came Jim's tired voice. "Beam me up, Scotty."
Chekov and Scotty glanced at each other, wariness in both their gazes. Jim had been on Earth for a little over a week with completely no word. Not even McCoy had heard back from Jim, which made everyone all the more nervous.
"Aye, aye, Capt'n," replied Scotty.
The Scot's finger was inches away from beaming Jim back when Chekov childishly smacked his hand away.
"Ve hawe not completely fixed ze transporter! Vhat if Keptin is harmed vhile ve beam him back?!"
"Dun't worry, laddie. It'll be fine," replied Scotty as he pushed the button.
He would come to regret those words for the rest of his life.
McCoy pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes screwed shut. He silently counted to ten and opened his eyes, hoping that the view in front of him had changed. But Chekov was still holding an absolutely terrified child with blond hair and bright irises of sky blue. Oddly enough, he was wearing clothes that fit him: jeans with a black leather jacket and a simple grey shirt beneath it – no doubt the clothes that Jim had beamed up with.
"So you're telling me that, after messing around with the transporter, Jim came back on board like that? You've gotta be shitting me," growled McCoy.
"In our defense…" started Scotty.
"Don't even start. How the hell did this even happen?"
"Ve vere vorking on a modification for ze transporter vhen Keptin called for beam up. Because of some reviring issues…" he shot a glare at Scotty who sheepishly looked away, "ze Keptin somehow returned…mini."
"You know what, I don't even want to know. You can go tell the hobgoblin what you did and then you will fix it, you understand me? And if you tell anyone else about this, I will make your life very miserable," McCoy all but hissed. And then held out his arms. "Give me him."
Chekov made to obey, but James clung tighter to the Russian, whimpering slightly.
The sound made McCoy's chest ache and he instantly changed tactics. He lowered his tone, make his voice soft and warm. "Hey kiddo, my name is Bones. What's your name?"
James looked at Bones with a suspicious expression. "James…" he whispered back, immediately ducking his head away.
"It's nice to meet you, James. I just want to make sure that you're not hurt. Is that okay?"
James raised his head a little, but made no move to reply.
Bones swallowed hard, knowing the exact reason why this Jim was so shy and afraid.
He bent down a little so that he was at eye-level with James and smiled warmly, erasing all traces of grump or annoyance from his face. "James, I promise I won't hurt you. I'd like to be your friend, but only if you want to. Can we be friends?"
James hesitated, but a thoughtful look spread across his face.
"Please?" Bones asked once more.
Something about his tone and his expression mollified James and he reached out his tiny arms for Bones.
Bones willingly and happily hugged James to his chest.
There was a clicking noise and Bones' small smile instantly transformed into a scowl. "Did you just take a picture of me?"
Scotty shifted to hide slightly behind Chekov who shook his head hard, his curls bouncing comically.
McCoy rolled his eyes. "I'll deal with you two later. Now get. And other than the hobgoblin, you tell no one, you hear?"
The two scampered out immediately as Bones turned to set James down on the biobed and glanced at him. James had fair skin – much whiter than the adult Jim. His hair was ruffled and sticking up in all directions; his blue eyes were wide and full of innocence, and when he smiled, his dimples showed.
All-in-all, as much as Bones loathed to admit it, James was cute. But James was too small to be six. He wasn't as pudgy as kids his age should be and he looked at Bone with well-hidden suspicion in his all-too-knowing eyes.
Yes, Bones was aware of Jim's childhood. He knew about Winona's negligence and Frank's abuse. He knew of Jim's scars that would never disappear and which broken bones had mended ever so painfully. He also knew that if he removed Jimmy's shirt, he would be met with purple and bluish-green bruises covering the kid's torso, arms, and probably his legs as well.
And he was terrified to look.
In that instant, James' weary eyes caught sight of his fear and flinched back, hugging his knees to make himself into a smaller ball.
Clearly, the young boy knew how to read expressions and body language well – a protective mechanism to predict and hide himself if he needed to.
And damn did that make Bones so fucking angry at Frank and Winona.
Wiping his face clean, he let a comforting smile stretch across his face. "Jim, do you mind if I do some scans on you? I'd like to make sure that you're nice and healthy."
He slowly pulled out a tricorder, making sure that he made no abrupt movements that would frighten James. "I'm going to run this tricorder over you and it'll tell me if you have any owies, okay?"
The little kid nodded, but as soon as the tricorder began humming, he shifted. There was an error ping. Frowning, Bones tried to get another reading, but James moved again, resulting in another unsuccessful data read.
It took a very specific timing and a very specific movement for such a thing to occur. A tricorder was built to be used out in the field, with little children who could never sit still, and in all types of situations. For it to be rendered useless took such skill that it was nearly impossible to do it properly, let alone twice in one sitting. It spoke of years and years of experience and avoidance of medical tools.
And James was probably only six.
What the hell had Frank done to him?
Bones sighed and backed away. "Alright, James. I get it. No tricorders. Just tell me if you're alright?"
James gave him an odd look coupled with distrust, but nodded anyway.
Bones opened his mouth to ask another question, only to be interrupted by Spock rushing into the Sickbay. If anyone were to ask later, he would deny the glimmer of worry in his eyes.
"Doctor, I heard from Mister Chekov that something happened to Captain Kirk upon his return?"
McCoy crossed his arms and gave Spock a long glance. "Yeah. The two idiots managed to screw up the rematerialization," he responded as he nodded towards the kid before him.
The Vulcan stepped around to get a better view of his Captain. A frown could barely been seen on his face, but it spoke volumes of his concern. He turned to McCoy. "Do we have a course of action?"
"You're the Acting Captain here, Spock. You tell me."
"Is he physically sound?"
"Yeah, he just reverted back to when he was six-years-old, I think. How that happened, I have no idea, but you guys better fix it," he hissed.
Spock cocked is head slightly. "You seem to be hiding something, Doctor. I understand the urgency; however, I do not understand the tone underlying your words. Is it something I need to know?"
McCoy stepped a little closer to Spock and spoke quietly into the Vulcan's ear. "You've been in his memories. You know, and you know that the last thing Jim wants is people knowing his past. We need to get him back to normal before the entire crew finds out."
"Understood."
"I'll keep an eye out for him here while you go do what you need to do."
"That may be a problem, Doctor."
"And why is that, you damn hobgoblin?"
"Your patient is missing."
"The hell…?!"
Bones swung around to see that the biobed was vacated, with not even an indent in the sheets to indicate that James was ever there.
"Damn it, Jim!"
He grabbed his communicator. "McCoy to Bridge. A small child, about the age of six, with blond hair and blue eyes, is lost on board. Someone find him and bring him to me immediately."
"Bridge to McCoy. Understood. Should we make a ship-wide broadcast?"
McCoy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, much like what the adult Jim did when he was flustered. "Yeah, go for it."
In seconds, McCoy heard Uhura sending out the news and Spock was already on his way out.
"Spock," McCoy called.
Spock turned around. "Yes, Doctor?"
"Find him. Keep him safe."
"From what?"
McCoy hesitated, and looked at the spot where James had once sat. "That's a question we'd all like an answer to."
The search for the missing kid had sent the entire ship into frenzy. Rumors about him spread like wildfire. No one knew who his parents were and some actually started to think that Chekov was his father, simply because of his described blonde hair. Chekov spent most of his time with red-tipped ears as Uhura and Sulu teased him endlessly about it.
Despite searching for over two hours, no one had even caught a glimpse of the kid. Spock watched quietly as Chekov and Scotty sprinted past him, looking under tables and desks. James was truly gifted in hiding.
Uhura nudged him. "Who's the kid, Spock?"
"I cannot answer that."
"Then it has to be related to Kirk. You're only ever quiet when it comes to covering his ass."
Spock raised an eyebrow, but remained reticent.
"Bulls-eye. Is the kid his? Is he even on board yet?"
"Nyota, your time would be better spent looking for the child."
"Fine, fine. Do you know the kid? Kids tend to stick with what they're comfortable with, like a favorite recollection or place."
He paused, thinking. While he knew about Jim's past, he didn't know enough to answer that question.
Luckily, he didn't have to before Scotty came running in. "Spock, ah know where he is. Keenser said tha' he saw the laddie up in the vents."
"Any chance we can get people up there to search for him?" asked Uhura.
"No. The only uns tha' can get up there are Keenser, Chekov, and Jim."
"And sending people up with the kid will only frighten him further. What should we do, Spock?"
"We will continue performing our tasks as normal. Perhaps the normalcy will placate the child to join us."
An Ensign approached them. "Commander Spock, Admiral Pike is on the line for you."
"I will take it in the Captain's ready room. Everyone else, please return to your duties," Spock said before turning curtly on his heels to answer Pike's call.
Pike was already waiting patiently on screen when Spock entered the empty room. He was smiling softly, but the lines on his face had deepened, speaking of new worries.
"Good to see you, Spock," greeted Pike.
"And you as well, Admiral," returned Spock, inclining his head slightly as a gesture of respect.
"Where's Kirk? Isn't he supposed to be back on board already?"
"There has been a slight complication."
Immediately, alarm spread across Pike's worn features. "What happened? What did he do?"
Spock cocked his head in confusion. It was normal for Pike to become worried about Jim and the situations he tended to find himself in, but this reaction was more exaggerated - much like Dr. McCoy's when he was asked about the reasoning behind Kirk's beam-down to Earth.
"Why do you assume that Captain Kirk did anything? Is this related to the business that the Captain had on-planet?"
Pike sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. "He didn't tell you. Of course he didn't..."
"What is it that the Captain has not informed me on?"
"It's not my place to say if he hasn't yet. What's this 'complication' that you mentioned?"
Despite Spock's illogical urge to pressure the answers out of Pike, he just squared his shoulders and succinctly summed up what happened.
"According to Ensign Chekov and Lieutenant Commander Scott, there was a transporter malfunction and Captain Kirk has regressed to a child-like state."
"Regressed? As in he's sitting on your ship exactly as he was when he was a kid?"
"Dr. McCoy estimates that Cap-...Jim," Spock corrected, "Is approximately six-years-old."
"Six? And what's the state of his mind? Is it of him now or of him then?"
"From the brief interaction we have had with him, it seems that his mind has also regressed to the time when he was aged six."
Pike stood abruptly, panic in his words, "Then please tell me no one tried to touch him."
Spock's eyebrow raised. "I was not aware that you knew of Jim's childhood."
"Spock, where is Jim now?" asked Pike, completely disregarding Spock's curiosity.
"I am sorry to inform you that we cannot determine his location. He has taken to the vents to hide before we had the chance to calm him."
"He always did have a knack for hiding. Does the crew know who he is?"
"Dr. McCoy, Ensign Chekov, Lieutenant Commander Scott, and I know of his true identity."
"Keep it within the Command crew. I'll be over in half-an-hour."
"Sir, I do not understand why it is that you are boarding the Enterprise at this juncture."
"If you want Jim out of the vents so you can fix this damn thing, then you need me. I'll be taking the next shuttle up. Make sure you broadcast my arrival throughout the ship so Jim can hear. Don't use my title. And tell McCoy to get his ass to the dock. We're going to need him too. Pike out."
Then the screen went black.
As baffled as Spock was, he knew better than to disobey a direct order from Admiral Pike, especially when it involved Jim.
Sweeping out of the ready room, he pulled his communicator out and made a ship-wide broadcast. "This is Commander Spock speaking. Christopher Pike will be boarding this ship in approximately thirty minutes. Dr. McCoy, please greet him in the dock hall. That is all. Spock out."
He pressed a button on the turbolift, taking it down to the shuttle dock. As the doors opened, he found the entire Bridge crew and Dr. McCoy waiting for him - all with curious and worried expressions.
"Spock, why's the Admiral coming on board?" asked Sulu. "Does this have to do with the missing kid?"
Both Chekov and Scotty shared a guilty look - something that was not missed by their friends.
From that, Sulu connected the few dots he had and blurted out, "The kid has got to be related to Kirk!"
"I can neither confirm nor deny that," Spock answered.
"You might've as well told them with that, you damn hobgoblin!" snapped McCoy as he started to pace.
The doctor rubbed his face wearily, sighing heavily. "We should tell them, Spock."
"You are the one who adamantly protested against such an action."
McCoy swung a wild arm to gesture at Chekov and Scotty. "Out of the seven of us, four already know! Sooner or later, someone's gonna squeak."
"Dr. McCoy, it is an unlikely circumstance that I agree with you; as such, when it does occur - specifically concerning the wellbeing of the child - I tend to not waver in my convictions. I believe that it is the best course of action if we continue in our current efforts to discover the child. Admiral Pike has agreed and is extending his hand to help us until this matter has been resolved."
"Of course he would, but he's going to end up telling the Command crew anyway. It'd be better if it came from us."
"You were aware of Admiral Pike's involvement with…the child?" Spock asked, almost slipping up with his surprise.
"Yeah." McCoy continued pacing. "I don't know everything, but I know enough."
"And you still wish to tell the remaining members of the Command crew?"
"Not everything. Just who the damn kid is. It'll make it easier on us to keep an eye out for the idiot."
Spock considered it and found no fault in McCoy's words. "I understand. Shall I explain?"
"Oh, for heaven's sake! We know that the kid is Kirk!" burst out Uhura.
"What?" McCoy and Spock rounded on her.
She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, no one told us. You two aren't exactly the most subtle peas in the pod; it's not hard to make the connections. I just figured it out."
"I do not understand that reference…" muttered Spock.
"Doesn't matter. Relax, you two. No one but the people in this room know who the kid is, and it'll stay that way. We promise."
"What did you mean by 'not everything'?" Sulu asked.
McCoy shrugged off his question and diverted, "When is Pike coming?"
"It seems that he is arriving now."
The warning lights had already started flashing and sounds of something metallic latching onto the outside of the ship reached their ears. As the doors began to order, Spock, Nyota, Chekov, Sulu, and Scotty both subconsciously straightened – their Starfleet training kicking in. McCoy, on the other hand, merely crossed his arms and grumpily tapped his foot in impatience.
All of them missed the thudding above their heads while the doors to the hanger opened, to reveal the one and only Admiral Pike.
The older man was wearing the standard grey uniform of Starfleet and leaning on a cane, though not quite as heavily as a few months ago. With worry written across his worn face, he walked slowly, capturing the gazes of each member of Enterprise's Command crew.
"Where's Jim?" he asked, his voice holding the same steel as Jim's when he was in his "Captain" mode.
"We do not know," Spock replied, "As I had informed you earlier."
Pike didn't question further and instead glanced around the hanger. He stepped forward, searching. "James? James, you can come out now. James?"
There was a sound of clinking behind them and they all swerved around to see the metal vent on the ceiling slamming open with a loud thud. James dropped to the ground, scampering forward and tripping slightly before jumping into Pike's arms.
James hugged Pike tightly; his small arms wrapped around Pike's neck and he buried his face into the older man's shoulder. The small boy was trembling and as he shifted around to grasp Pike better, the crew could see tears running down his cheeks, even though he made no crying sounds.
"Shh, it's okay, James. You're safe, I promise," murmured Pike as he rubbed the boy's back comfortingly.
"I'm sorry," whimpered James, "I'm so sorry. I was scared. Please don't tell Frank. Please don't tell Frank!"
Chekov, Sulu, and Scotty mouthed "Frank?" to each other, but otherwise remained silent.
"I would never. You know that, James."
"I didn't mean to run away. I don't even remember running away. I swear!"
"It's alright, James. I know you didn't. There was an accident and you were brought on board the flagship Enterprise. These people here are my friends. Is it alright if I introduce you to them?"
James just buried his face into Pike's shoulder.
"I promise that they're really nice and that they care about you, James."
"Why?"
The solitary question made everyone's heart ache. Suddenly, McCoy and Spock's odd behavior and the lack of knowledge of Jim's past made sense.
And it was like a hard punch to the gut.
How in the world did they not know about this? Jim was always so cheerful, caring, and laid-back; he smiled more often than not. They had assumed that his commitment issues with relationships were the cause of a bad heartbreak – not this. Not abuse and neglect.
How had they never noticed how much pain Jim hid?
"James, I would like nothing more than be your friend," Spock said.
"His name is Spock," Pike added, "He's a Vulcan. You've read about them, haven't you?"
James didn't respond, but stared at the Vulcan with a bit of bafflement in his eyes. Slowly and tentatively, he reached out, curiosity deep in his blue irises.
Spock simply stood motionless and let the little child run his small fingers over his sharp ears. Amusement and fondness showed in his brown eyes. James read it easily and nodded as he withdrew, glancing over at the others who all greeted him with smiles.
"I'm Sulu."
"Uhura."
"My name is Pavel."
"Scotty, sir."
He nodded at each one individually until he came to a stop at McCoy and remembered Bones' warm, comforting arms when he was hugged. He looked at the doctor with unusual trust as he let his head fall tiredly against Pike.
"Heya, kiddo," smiled McCoy. "Nice to see ya again."
"You talk funny, Mister Bones," James finally said, making Bones the first official person he really spoke to besides Pike.
Bones couldn't help it and grinned broadly, feeling as if he had won a battle. All his brotherly affection for his best friend leaked through his usually gruff expressions.
"I'm from Georgia. We all talk funny from down there," McCoy drawled, purposely making his accent heavier and eliciting a small smile from the young kid.
James pulled slightly away from Pike to look at the elder man's face. "Mister Chris, can I play with Mister Bones?"
"Of course you can, champ. But only if 'Mister Bones' is okay with it."
He turned his big, blue eyes onto McCoy. McCoy could almost see the uplifting ears of a puppy on James' head and he melted in an instant.
"Come here, Jimbo," Bones said. "Let me show you around the ship. You're gonna love it."
As Pike passed James to the doctor, McCoy leaned in to speak quietly into the elder man's ear. "The cat's out of the bag. You might as well explain it to them."
Pike sighed. "He didn't tell them."
Bones hefted James to hold him better in his arms. "He didn't tell them about why he left, let alone this. Did you expect otherwise, Chris?"
"No, I guess not."
James tapped Bones impatiently on the shoulder. "Mister Bones, aren't we going to go see the ship?"
He chuckled and started walking away from the baffled Command crew, murmuring inane stories to the child, making quiet childish giggles fill the tense atmosphere.
They all watched the two leave and once the doors shut behind them, silence reined.
"Jim didn't have the greatest childhood," said Pike, his quiet voice cutting through the air like a knife.
"Yeah...kinda figured that out," swallowed Sulu. "And I'm not sure if I want to know what happened."
"It's not pretty, that's for sure," scoffed Pike. He crossed his arms. "Look, I know Jim doesn't want any of you to know this, but you need to if you're going to take of James until you fix this entire fiasco."
"It started with Jim's birth. You know about the Kelvin incident and how George Kirk gave his life to save 800 lives. Winona never really bounced back from that. From the moment he was born, Winona couldn't look at Jim without seeing George, so she didn't and took off to the stars. I know Jim doesn't blame her; she suffered a hard loss."
"But you blame her," Uhura said softly.
Pike just gave her a sad smile. "She did the best she could, and Jim would tell you that too. What I can't forgive her for is the fact that she left him with Frank - her second husband. He didn't take too kindly to taking care of another man's child and he was a drunk. When he drank, he became violent. Jim didn't manage to successfully leave until he was about twelve or thirteen."
"I tried to do what I could, but Winona couldn't believe that Frank would raise a hand against her children. Even if she did, I don't think she would have done anything. Jim didn't...exist...in her eyes."
"Vhat do you mean by zat, sir?" asked Chekov.
"And 'children'? As in, multiple kids?" frowned Sulu.
Pike gave him a confused look. "Jim has brother. You didn't know?"
"Jim has not informed the crew about Sam," answered Spock.
"You knew?" hissed Uhura. "And you didn't tell anyone?"
"It was not my place to tell."
"Regardless," Pike said, giving them all hard looks, "I'm not telling you any of this for you to pity or pester Jim later. I'm telling you because you need to know how to handle him at his current age. James is going to be particularly sensitive to facial expressions and body language. He is a master at reading people because he had to learn. Even at the slightest inclination of anger, fear, or irritation, James will pick it up in an instant – a skill that I'm sure hasn't changed. His reaction at that age was to hide or manipulate the circumstances to his advantage. Let him do what he wants until he is comfortable enough to initiate things."
"Don't touch him unless he lets you. Don't make any sudden movements and for God's sake, never raise your voice against him. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir!" they all snapped.
"Good."
"Sir, may I ask what your connection was to James?" Spock asked carefully.
It was an innocent yet loaded question, and Pike, being who he was, knew exactly what Spock was truly asking.
"You mean why I didn't take him out of his abusive home? I stopped by to visit a few times when he was young, but I'm ashamed to say that I didn't realize anything until it was much too late. I only made the connections after he had left." Pike shook his head slowly, "Jim was skilled from the very start in hiding his pain and emotions. He still does it. The only difference now is that I can usually see through his bullshit and help him if I can."
Pike straightened his back, a glimmer of command back in his eyes. "Lieutenant Scott and Ensign Chekov, fix the goddamn transporter and get your Captain back to his normal age. The rest of you, I expect absolute silence regarding this matter, or it won't be me that you'll have to deal with. Spock, you're with me. We need to talk."
"Yes, sir."
The two strode off in the same direction as McCoy and James, leaving behind an emotionally compromised Command crew who had absolutely no idea what to do now.
"Spock, the issue of Jim aside, there's something important I have to tell you," said Pike as he walked alongside the Vulcan.
"Is this why you called earlier?"
"Yes. Starfleet has gathered intel that a small rebellion force on Earth is planning an attack on the Enterprise. The target is not the ship, but Jim himself. From the data, it seems that they want to take Jim hostage and make an example out of him."
"When do these rebels plan to attack? And with what method?"
"We can't be sure. That's all we have, so the most we can do is just issue a warning."
"Do they know that Jim has returned to the Enterprise?"
"Yes, which is why I think they'll be making their move soon. When we informed Jim of this, he insisted on returning earlier to spring a trap for them, despite my advice against it. Starfleet can't help without making a huge mess out of everything and Jim is out of commission as of this moment, so it's up to you guys." Pike stopped and grasped Spock's upper arm firmly. "Spock, keep Jim safe."
"I will make every endeavor to do so," Spock replied.
"Good. I need to head back now. I'm going to say goodbye to James before I go."
As if on cue, James came running down the hall, a huge smile on his face and Bones chasing behind him with an equally large grin. He ran smack into Pike's legs and hugged it tightly.
"Whoa, there, James. What're you doing?" laughed Pike, hauling James up high above his head and settling him against his hip.
"Mister Bones and I are playing a game!"
"Sounds like fun!" Pike kneeled down to set James down and be at eye-level with him, an apologetic smile on his face.
Instantly, Jim's smile disappeared and a wary look filled his expressions. Minutely, his small body tensed, as if ready to run at any moment.
"James, I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I've got some important work to do. Don't worry though. Mister Bones and Mister Spock here will take good care of you, alright?"
Quietly, James nodded, looking down and scuffing his feet.
"Sorry, son," murmured Pike as he ruffled James' hair.
Bones came up to them and placed a strong hand on James' shoulder. The young boy flinched a little, but obviously forced his body under control and backed up to press against Bones' shins.
"James, say bye to Mister Chris," Bones said softly.
"Bye…" mumbled James.
"Bye, James. I'll see you soon, I promise." Pike straightened and turned to Spock. "Remember what I told you, Spock. McCoy, I'm leaving James to you. I'll contact you soon."
He gave James one last fond look before sauntering back the direction in which he came from. With each step that he took, James withdrew into himself and Spock could easily read the panic in Bones' eyes.
The Vulcan knelt before James, keeping a slight distance from the boy so that he would not accidentally touch him. "James, do not feel sad. Dr. McCoy, the crew of the Enterprise, and I will keep you company. You need not fear Frank any more. We can promise you that."
James glanced up, curiosity clear on his face.
"What would you like to do, James? If it is within our abilities, we will fulfill any of your desires."
"Can…can I touch your ears, Mister Spock?"
McCoy hid a snort behind a cough.
Spock ignored him and leaned his head down. "Yes, you may."
James burst into a smile and ran his fingers over Spock's right ear. He giggled, but that quickly died when he noticed Uhura, Chekov, Sulu, and Scotty coming up behind the Vulcan and he pressed closer to Spock.
"Do not fear, James. They will not harm you."
"They just wanna be your friends, Jimbo," added Bones. "And Chekov over there? He's a mathematical genius. If you ask him nicely, he'd be more than happy to work over some problems with you. Or if you're not up to that, Sulu is wickedly good at telling stories. He can tell you all about our crazy Captain and his adventures."
James perked up immediately and scampered over to Chekov. "You like math, Mister Pavel?"
"I love math! Vould you like to see the vork I do?"
"Yes, please!" James reached up with his right hand and Chekov quickly took it, talking rapidly as he led James down the hall.
"Who would've thought that Kirk is a secret nerd?" Sulu wondered out loud.
McCoy chuckled. "If he wasn't so worked up about maintaining his reputation, Jim would've long ago become nerdy cohorts with that kid genius of yours. You know, Jim probably could give Chekov a run for his money. He's smarter than most people give him credit for."
"I don't believe that. Pavel isn't the youngest Navigator in Starfleet for nothing."
"Wanna bet? Hundred credits on Jim beating Chekov."
"Hell yeah. You're on. Compete when Kirk's back to normal?"
McCoy held out a hand and Sulu shook it with a mischievous smile.
The doctor returned it easily. "It's gonna be fun to take your money." He glanced at the others. "Anyone else want to join in?"
"I'm in. My bet's on Chekov," Uhura answered.
"Ah bet on Jim," grinned Scotty.
Nyota turned to her ex-boyfriend. "What about you, Spock? You betting?"
Spock raised an eyebrow. "It is against Starfleet regulations to gamble onboard, Nyota."
"Shoulda known he was gonna be a wet blanket," muttered McCoy.
"However," Spock continued, "I see no harm in participating."
Sulu cheered. "So who do you think is going to win, Spock?"
"I believe Jim will win."
"What? No way!"
"As the saying goes, 'the evidence will speak for itself'."
"So, we're settled. We just gotta get Jim back to normal," McCoy said.
Spock was immediately on it. "Mister Scott, please continue your work on the transporters. Mister Sulu and Nyota, please return with me to the Bridge and monitor the ship. Admiral Pike has informed me of a possible attack on the Enterprise and I would like to be prepared." He turned to McCoy. "Doctor, locate Mister Chekov and James and proceed to bring them to the Bridge as well."
"Why?"
"Must you question everything I ask of you, Doctor?"
"I'm going with 'yes', otherwise it'd just be too easy for you."
Spock would've sighed if he wasn't Vulcan. "I would like James to be nearby in case anything were to happen. I have promised Admiral Pike that I would 'keep an eye' on him."
"Why couldn't you have just said that from the beginning?"
"As you said, Doctor, it would be too easy for you."
"Damn green-blooded bat, you've been hanging out with Jim too much. Getting too snarky for your own good. It's too early for this. I'm out," grumbled McCoy, stalking off.
Scotty laughed wholeheartedly at McCoy's retreating back. "Ah'm gonna go work on the transporters. Commander, send Chekov down when ye see 'im. Ah need his 'elp."
And then he was gone too.
Sulu puffed out his cheeks and crossed his arms, looking at Spock and Uhura warily. "Well, this is going to be fun."
Uhura watched a very tense Spock head down the opposite direction of Scotty, and sighed. "Yeah. You said it…"
It seemed that the Command crew didn't have to go very far to find James and Chekov. Both were immersed in some complex mathematical equations over Chekov's station. The two barely even noticed that Spock, HIkaru, and Uhura had come onto the Bridge. They whispered, made rapid movements and scrawled all over the PADD without once looking up.
"You made a mistake!" exclaimed James.
"I did not! The equation of special relativity is t times one over the square root of one minus v squared over c squared."
"But the velocity depends on what you observe, so your math is wrong."
"That is true, but you are looking from different perspective, little one. If you look at this…" Chekov circled something on the PADD, "This component becomes this." He scribbled something down.
James frowned, looking at the equations before him, until a light bulb lit up above his head. "Oh! I see!"
"Oh my God…we're so going to lose this bet, aren't we?" muttered Sulu to Uhura.
"Not necessarily. He got it wrong, didn't he?" she whispered back.
"He's SIX-years-old!" he hissed back.
"Damn. Uh, maybe he doesn't work on this kind of stuff as he gets older. He might be rusty when he's the Captain of the Enterprise."
Spock hid a smile and stepped towards the two, glancing over the work that they were doing. Chekov was teaching James about time dilation, which described how time and space were relative depending on the speed of the observer. It was a complex theory and James was indeed quite spectacular at grasping the concept at such a young age.
He loathed to disrupt this transfer of knowledge, but getting James back to normal was priority. "Mister Chekov, Mister Scott requires your assistance in the transporter room."
"Yes, sir. Little one, I vill be back soon."
"But…" James' lips wobbled.
"Do not worry, James. I will keep you company. Would you like to sit in the Captain's chair?"
James shook his head. "I don't like space. Don't like ships," he said, much to everyone's surprise. The great James T. Kirk didn't like space or ships when he was a kid?!
"What would you like to do then?"
"Where is Mister Bones?"
"Looking for you, I presume."
"Can I…?" he trailed off, once again unsure of himself.
But since Spock was Spock, he understood exactly what James wanted and he coolly pulled out his communicator and spoke into it. "Spock to Dr. McCoy."
"McCoy here. Have you found the kid yet?"
"Yes. He is on the Bridge and asking for you. Where is your location?"
"Deck C and heading to the turbolift. I'll be there in two minutes."
James started bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation and Spock smiled inwardly.
"No need, Doctor. James will find you. Spock out." Spock nodded towards Sulu. "James, Nyota will take you to the doctor."
"Come on, let's go, James," smiled Uhura.
James gave her a suspicious look, his expressions almost bordering on surprise.
She held out a hand – an offer that James didn't accept. The child took a step back, his wide blue eyes shocked. Dodging her, James grasped onto Sulu's pants and hid behind him.
"Uh…" said Sulu, a little confused on what to do.
"Mister Sulu, would you accompany James to locate Doctor McCoy?" suggested Spock.
"Okay. James, shall we go?"
The kid nodded and tentatively took Sulu's hand; he shot Uhura one last, confused glance before the doors closed behind them.
"What was that?" exclaimed Nyota. "I thought it was Frank that abused him. Wouldn't he be more afraid of men?"
"Winona neglected Jim as a child. Perhaps he is simply unused to the attention from a female. Do not take offense to it, Nyota."
"I'm not. I don't. I just…" she sighed. "I don't know. It bothers me more than it should to see this side of Jim. I never expected this. Am I a bad friend for not knowing any of this?"
"Jim is amazingly apt at keeping things 'close to the chest'. Do not take it to heart, Nyota. The only one who was not fooled was Jim himself."
She huffed, crossing her arms tightly, as if hugging herself. "Yeah, I guess…" But the turmoil within her had not subsided. She was a crappy friend, no matter what anyone said, and she was going to do everything in her power to change that. Jim was always there for her, even when she shoved him away, and she would be damned if she didn't reciprocate.
"Slow down there, James," chuckled Sulu as he chased the young boy down the hall where McCoy stood waiting with a smile. A grin was threatening to burst his face and he loved it.
Jim had always seemed so open, being so talkative, but the more he talked, the more empty his words were. Jim knew everyone's past and present and while he often laughed and shared stories with others, it usually led to nowhere – only fueling the previous misconceptions people had of him. Now, Sulu knew that they were only reinforcing the mask that Jim had created.
They were all fooled by his arrogance, smiles, and aloofness, making people believe that he always had everything handed to him on a silver platter because he was a hero's son.
No one could have expected Jim to have such a torrid childhood, suffering from God knows how many years of abuse. It made Sulu sick to the stomach, and quite frankly, admire Jim more than he thought he could. It took strength to be able to become someone as amazing as Jim was now – to overcome such harsh obstacles in life with such flair.
Sulu smiled as he heard James make airplane noises as he ran in circles around McCoy's legs. He noticed a group of seven men walking down towards them, looking at the child with such confusion on their faces. They were all Caucasian, wearing the usual red shirts with pristine polished, black shoes.
He was about to warn James to be careful, but the young child beat him to the punch. James skidded to a stop, staring at the men with fear in his eyes.
"James?" Sulu called out, his footsteps quickening.
James whimpered as the men gave him an odd glance, even as they passed by him.
Sulu was beside him in seconds and instantly, James grabbed onto him.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong, kiddo?" asked McCoy, bending down to be at eye level with Jim.
His little fingers dug into Sulu's arm. "They're bad men," he whispered.
"What do you mean? They work on this ship, James. Don't worry."
"No…they're bad men."
McCoy was immediately on guard. "Sulu, have you seen those men before?"
"No, but I don't know everyone on this ship. I'm not Kirk."
"They look like they're heading to the Bridge…"
"Mister Spock!" James exclaimed and took off running in the direction where the men had gone.
"What the hell was that?" shouted Sulu as he and McCoy went after him.
"James reads people like books, remember? If he says someone's bad, that means that they're about to do something," McCoy hissed. "Fuck. Why the hell can't we catch up to a fucking six-year-old?!"
James had reached the turbolift and the door was closing quickly.
"Shit!" Sulu shouted, pushing himself faster, but he was still too late. The doors nearly slammed into Sulu's nose.
He pressed the button from the turbolift several times, but the light never returned to the small button. Something or someone had shut the turbolift off. Twisting, Sulu rammed his fist against the switch to set off the red alert klaxon, but nothing happened.
"Shit, what the hell do we do now?" asked Sulu, turning around the look at McCoy.
McCoy ran his fingers through his hair, his entire posture sagging in defeat. "I have no idea. Let's get the wonder kid and see if he can get us back up to the Bridge."
"What about James?" questioned Sulu, following McCoy down the other way.
"He's a genius. He'll figure something out."
"And if he doesn't?"
McCoy just gave Sulu a long look. "You really think that hobgoblin will let anything happen to him?"
Sulu cocked his head, considering McCoy's words before nodding and moving on. "Yep, he's in good hands." He glanced at McCoy's tense back and felt worry lick at him. "I hope…" he muttered.
Spock crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "I do not believe I heard you correctly. You wish for us to hand over our Captain – a hero of the Federation – to you so that you may torture and make an example out of him?"
The sarcastic question of "are you fucking serious?!" hung heavily between the seven men and the Vulcan, and neither were moving an inch.
Each of the seven men was burly; their muscles were bulging out against their tight shirts – almost like Dr. McCoy when he accidentally put on Jim's clothing. All of them had out their phasers that were set on kill and holding them against each of members on the Bridge.
"Yeah, you heard right, you fucking alien. Now where the fuck is Kirk?" growled the leader – an Caucasian man with a brown mustache.
"As you can see, he is currently not on the Bridge."
"Then where the hell is he?"
"How did you get on board?" Spock asked, completely ignoring the man's question - unfazed by his anger.
"Your security is almost ridiculously lax when it comes to letting Redshirts on. No one bats an eye."
"I will be sure to enforce stricter regulations regarding that matter then."
"Where is Captain Kirk?" he roared, punctuating each word with a shake of his phaser.
Spock eyed the weapon. With how tense the rebel's hand was, there was a 43.9% chance of him accidentally firing it and harming a crew member, and Spock just knew that Jim would give him hell later if he didn't 'logic' his way out of this.
Choosing his words carefully, Spock answered slowly and deliberately. "Captain Kirk is not on board."
"Do not lie to me, Vulcan. We know that he boarded immediately after the funeral!"
Uhura's curiosity spiked at the word 'funeral' but she remained reticent as her brown eyes noticed a slight movement behind the men. She tilted her chair, glancing towards the turbolift entrance.
Hidden well behind a corner was James, pressing his small body against the wall, making him almost disappear into the shadows the Bridge. He was frowning and if Uhura could read him correctly, there clear determination on his face. She recognized that look – it was something she saw on adult Kirk right before he did something incredibly stupid and brilliant at the same time.
Oh shit.
"Vulcans do not lie. Captain Kirk is not aboard the Enterprise."
"Then comm for him. Tell him to come back. But if you even hint at our presence, I will kill you."
"And what if I refuse?"
James had started to move, creeping forward ever so silently. Like a mouse, he avoided the men and made his way unnoticed around the circular Bridge to crouch underneath Chekov's usual station. Immediately, he snuck down the PADD that they had played with earlier and started typing furiously on it with both hands.
Through all of this, he was completely quiet – he made absolutely no sounds. Sadly, it was probably a skill that he had gained through his years with Frank.
He made one more swiping movement and then suddenly, the entire Bridge began blaring loudly and obnoxiously as red lights flashed around them.
"What the hell?" shouted one of the rebels over the sounds. "I thought you turned them off, Johan!"
"I did! Someone must've overturned the program!"
"Didn't you say only someone from the Bridge could do it, you fucking imbecile?" snarled the leader.
"Don't call me that, Mikhail," growled Johan, working hard on a PADD he had pulled out of his jacket. "You were the one that fucking said that Kirk came back on board!"
"Shut up! Look, there's a freaking kid under the console over there!" exclaimed the fourth one, pointing directly at James who was trying desperately to disappear against the legs of the table.
The man who had spotted James ran forward to grab him. James had nowhere to go and ended up scurrying out into the open to find someone or something to hide behind. Spock quickly intercepted the rebel and Vulcan pinched him, just as Johan got the klaxons to shut off. The rebel went down like a sack of potatoes. Instantly, all phasers were set on Spock and he could only freeze where he stood between James and the rest of the rebels.
"Who the fuck is that kid?" questioned Mikhail.
"He is related to a member of this ship," Spock answered, again skirting on the edge of truth.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Uhura inch closer to James. James had frozen again, his entire body tense and he refused to break eye contact with the floor. He had curled up into himself again, making him seem so much smaller than he already was. As much as Spock wanted to comfort him, there was nothing he could say or do to protect him now that he was under so much scrutiny.
"Boss," Johan said, holding up the PADD that James had worked on, "He's the one who overrode my program."
Mikhail's face twisted in ugly anger and he stomped toward James. With each heavy thud, James flinched and hugged himself tighter, but he made no move to get away. He had, after all, learned from Frank that running or dodging only made things worse.
"Whose kid are you?" hissed Mikhail. "How the hell did you know how to do something that like that?"
"Boss, we're not gonna have much time after that alarm. People are gonna know we're here," muttered a Redshirt rebel.
Mikhail ignored him and whipped out a hand, slapping James resolutely on his cheek.
Everyone on the Bridge cringed at the loud sound and expected James to start bawling, but the young boy did nothing. He didn't even flinch, though his body did jolt with the momentum.
His blue eyes raised high and looked directly into Mikhail's. Those blues seemed to drown Mikhail, consuming his entire soul in a single look. As if James could see completely through him, see his every secret, every hurt, and everything he had ever hid from himself and the world.
For a brief second, Mikhail was wholeheartedly and truly afraid of James, and he wanted nothing more than to rid the boy of his eyes once and for all.
He raised his hand again to strike James, but Uhura launched herself forward, wrapping herself around James so that her entire body covered his. Mikhail's fist struck Uhura in the head and she fell onto her side, bringing James down with her.
Unnoticed by all on the Bridge, the turbolift behind them opened to reveal Sulu and a full force of a security team. They stormed out, shouting and barking out orders for the rebels to surrender and put their weapons down.
The rebels obeyed, knowing when they were outgunned, except for Mikhail. Mikhail swung around, still reeling from the overwhelmingly sick feeling he got from James, with his phaser out.
"Boss!" shouted Johan as a warning, but he was too late.
Three or four phaser beams struck Mikhail directly in the chest and he was dead before he even hit the ground. All in all, it was a very anti-climatic end to the rebel leader.
"Are you alright, Nyota?" Spock asked, approaching her.
Uhura was already sitting up, rubbing her head with one hand while the other was wrapped tightly around James. He was clutching her uniform tightly, his wide eyes full of fear and guilt.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry," she responded, giving Spock a smile.
McCoy swooped in, gingerly touching her head while glancing over James. There was a reddening mark on his cheek and the edges were already tingeing purple. He forced down his anger at the rebels for hurting James when he was already this vulnerable and let all of his concern bleed out.
"James, are you okay?" he asked quietly.
James didn't maintain eye contact with the doctor. He alternated between watching the Sulu, Spock, and security empty the Bridge of the remaining rebels and Uhura. Her slender fingers were running comfortingly through his hair, and every time he looked at her, there was bafflement clear on his expressions, as if he could hardly believe that Uhura - a woman - actually knew that he existed and even cared for him.
Bones lightly touched James' arm, trying hard to ignore the flinch that it elicited. "James?"
James nodded, again mute.
"Thank God," Bones sighed in relief
James tugged at Uhura's sleeve and then pointedly glanced at Bones.
The doctor smiled, understanding his silent question. "Yeah, she's alright."
Relief was clear on his little face and he tentatively hugged Uhura for a brief second. Before he pulled away, he whispered, "Thank you, Miss Uhura."
Uhura smiled warmly at him, happy that his distrust of her had faded away. It was completely worth the pain. "Anytime, James."
" James, how did you know how to repair the red alert?" Spock asked, drawing James' attention.
"There's no way he could do that. He's six-years-old! Even Kirk has limits to his genius!" protested Sulu as he came up to them. He plopped down right next to James and ruffled his hair like he would to a little brother. Despite his words, his proud smile spoke otherwise.
James gave them a shy look and started playing with the edge of his shirt. "Frank would sometimes lock me in a ship at his work. After the first two times, I learned how to program different things. Mostly just how to unlock the ship or blare the alarms so someone might hear," he said quietly.
While the others froze in horror, Spock merely schooled his expressions into a calm mask and nodded at James. "You are truly a gifted individual, James."
"Really?"
"Yes. Thank you for aiding us, James. We would not have recovered without your help."
James' smile could have lit up the entire Enterprise and Spock willingly returned it, almost shocking McCoy and Sulu to their spots.
Before anyone could give Spock grief about it, his communicator went off. "Spock here."
"Commander, have ze rebels been taken care of?" came Chekov's voice.
"Yes."
"Zen could you bring James down to ze transporter room? It has been fixed."
"We think," added Scotty, his voice sounding a little distant.
"Mister Chekov, how sure are you that the transporters have been repaired?"
"Fairly certain."
"Understood. We will be down momentarily," responded Spock.
"Can't believe he actually found the time to fix the transporters as well as getting the turbolift working," muttered Sulu.
All of them started to get to their feet, not noticing the panic that flashed across James' face.
James barreled into McCoy, just as he was getting up, and tackled him to the ground. Taken by surprise, McCoy struggled to prop up his elbows to look at the child sitting on his stomach.
"I'm sorry, Mister Bones! I didn't mean for Miss Uhura to get hurt. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble. Please don't send me back home!" James cried out. "I don't wannna go back!"
Bones rubbed James' back comfortingly. "We're not sending you back to Iowa, kiddo. Promise. We will never let you go back there."
"Really?" For the first time since they've been with him, hope shone in James' eyes.
"Yeah, Jimbo," smiled Bones.
"Then can I stay here with you guys? I like you and no one's ever been this nice to me before, except for Sam and Uncle Chris, but I don't see them often anymore." He looked down at his scuffling feet. "Haven't seen Sam for awhile now."
Both Spock and Bones felt a rush of anger at Sam for leaving his brother all alone in Frank's hands, but at the same time, neither could blame him for doing so. Uhura and Sulu could only suppress the horror at the realization that Jim's brother had abandoned him when he was six. And Jim still came out stronger on the other end? They couldn't help but respect Jim far more now.
Spock knelt down beside James and McCoy. "I am sorry, little one, but it is not safe for a child to be onboard this ship. As you have seen, danger seems to follow us around. We cannot, on good conscience, bring an innocent child like yourself, along with us."
"Then where are you sending me off to?" asked James. The resigned tone made everyone's heart clinch.
"We're taking you to see Mister Chris," replied Uhura, sweeping over and bending down to ruffle his hair affectionately. "Is that okay with you?"
James nodded and let himself be maneuvered so that Bones could get up while holding him.
Bones adjusted his grip once. "Come on, kid, it's time to bring you back to your real home," he said as he walked to the turbolift. "You're going back to where you belong."
James rested his head on Bones' shoulder and smiled. "I like the sound of that."
Bones chuckled. "I like it too."
There was a small farewell party, composed of the Command crew, for James gathered in the transporter room. In the brief period they had James, they had seen a whole new side of Jim that didn't know about, and unwittingly, they had grown attached to the child. Despite showing signs of neglect and abuse, James was adorable when he felt that he was safe. And it meant the world to the Command crew that James actually felt safe around them. There was such a huge degree of trust in that small gesture that it made all the difference in the world.
Scotty sniffed as Bones hugged James one more time, saying his goodbyes, before gingerly placing him on the transporter pad.
"Ah'm gonna miss ya laddie."
"Me too," James said quietly.
Uhura stepped forward and hugged James tightly before stepping back. "You'll be fine, James. You're going to grow up to be the greatest man in the entire universe. Never forget that."
"Don't forget to practice your math, little one!" Chekov called out from the controls.
"You're the coolest kid I've ever met," Sulu added, "You're clever and extremely smart; don't be afraid to use it."
They all stepped back as to not interfere with the transporter.
"Farewell, James," said Spock. "I will see you again."
"Bye," whispered James.
Spock nodded at Chekov who pressed a button.
White lights swirled around James and his breathy "thank you" drifted into the room before his small form was completely engulfed. But the white lights never truly faded. They shifted and expanded, compensating for a larger body.
When they dissipated, James was gone, replaced by an older version of himself. He was lying supine on the transporter pad, unconscious, wearing the same clothes that James did, but the shirt and pants seemed to be two sizes too big. From a distance, the Command crew could see how emaciated the teenager was; bruises and lacerations covered his skin.
Sulu immediately ran forward to check on Kirk, jumping onto the transporter pad and kneeling down next to the prone figure. "Jesus," swore Sulu, "What the hell happened to him this time?"
Spock swung around, "Mister Chekov, did you not inform me that the transporter was fixed?"
"We did say 'maybe'," Scotty added.
"How old do you think he's about now?" Uhura asked Sulu, ignoring the conversation behind her.
"I'd say about thirteen? But it's hard to tell. He's as thin as freaking stick!"
"Thirteen?!" yelped McCoy, making Spock swing back around with something akin to fear in his eyes.
"Uh, yes?" replied Sulu, confused.
"Mister Sulu, immediately remove yourself from Jim's vicinity," Spock barked out.
"What?"
"Get away from him, you fucking moron!" yelled McCoy, but they were both too late.
Because that was when J.T. woke up.
And he was not pleased...
To be continued.
So, how was it? If it's bad, please let me know what I can change to make it better. I really hope I didn't disappoint anyone and I'm sorry if I did. But the next chapter will be up relatively soon (promise it won't be a month's wait time again), so please stick with me.
Anyway, the reason why this installment is longer than the rest (and hence, split into two sections), is because I couldn't decide between de-aging Kirk to a kid or J.T. from Tarsus, so I did both. Next chapter has to do with J.T.
Um. I guess that's it. Please don't hate me if you don't like this chapter. I promise I'll do better next time around when I write about Chekov and Jim getting held hostage (and then Spock getting hurt and Jim using his survival skills to save them both after that). Torture and pain, I can do. Kids? Not so much.
Anyway, as always, thanks for reading and please review!
~ Kanae Yuna