Chapter 13

The Extinguished Light

No one under Jim's command had ever doubted their Captain's innocence for even a second, so when Wolff whirled onboard with all his minions, the outsiders were immediately under constant scrutiny and met with some unsubtle hatred. But they didn't find any need to be suspicious of Wolff or his men. That was until the Enterprise arrived at Zenobia.

The moment that the Enterprise was docked in Zenobia's outer atmosphere, the crew had the distinct sensation that something was off. Putting aside the fact that they were all silently adamant againsy the new leadership, it was still unusual for all of the Command crew to beam down onto the planet. Even for delicate diplomatic situations, Jim had never left the Enterprise without a Command officer (probably because he knew of his ability to attract trouble wherever he went).

Though it bothered them, they moved past it. Jim was the most thorough Captain that they had ever served, and that was saying something, considering that some of the more senior and experienced officers onboard had been deployed more than twice under different Captains. They couldn't expect every Captain to be like Jim – strong, dependable, and caring. To know the crew for who they were - their lives, their dreams and aspirations - and uphold the ideal that no man should ever be left behind. To everyone else, Ensigns were expendable. Jim never once thought that, just because he was Captain, that his life weighed more than anyone else on the ship. There was no one else like James T. Kirk.

So when their remaining Command officers – the one solace they had after the Captaincy was switched over to Wolff – didn't return within a few hours, worry gnawed at all of them. Though Wolff did comm in and let them know that they were staying on planet for diplomatic reasons, instinct screamed at them, telling them to not believe him, and they would be fools to not listen.

After all, it was one of Jim's rules: always trust your instincts. And if they didn't trust in themselves, they certainly trusted Jim. So when they tried to contact at least Spock or McCoy and found themselves blocked by Wolff's men, they didn't hesitate to retaliate.

Wolff's men did not have the same training as Jim's men. Not even close. They stood no absolutely chance against the Enterprise's crew. Within minutes, all of Wolff's men were knocked unconscious and thrown into the Brig.

At this point, panic started to arise once the Ensigns realized that all their communication capabilities were shut down by some sort of complicated virus that only Scotty, Spock, Chekov, or Kirk could've overwritten. But they weren't concerned for themselves: their Command officers had, more than likely, been led directly into a trap, and were stranded on planet with a potential psychopath.

It was not something that the crew of the Enterprise would stand for.

Anyone who was even remotely trained in combat spent the next couple of days completely geared up for battle at all times. They took shifts to sleep to ensure that they would be well-rested for when they were needed, but they never strayed far from the transporter room.

Medics kept vigorous watch alongside with the fighters, keeping their medicine bags well-stocked and prepared for any form of triage that may be required when they finally reached the planet. Those who had technological backgrounds worked tirelessly on the virus and tried to overcome it. Though they knew that they may not have had the capabilities to overwrite the intricate and complex program, they never gave up and continuously tried thousands of different methods.

Even if they couldn't overthrow the program themselves, they had faith that their Command officers would meet them halfway. A rotating shift of people tracking and monitoring for any sort of communication from the planet was set up. Alarms were created to immediately send a signal down to the transporter room at first contact.

But progress was slow and the crew was seconds away from blowing a hole in the ship and just parachuting onto the planet, though they knew it wasn't truly an option unless there was no other way. They were docked too high up in the atmosphere. Their equipment, as advanced as it was, wouldn't have been enough to let them land on land without any damage.

By the third day, they were at the end of their rope and were already gathering the explosives necessary, consequences be damned. So when lines of foreign code started to scroll across their screens, the whole crew froze and watched carefully. The signal was weak and didn't do much except punch a tiny hole in the firewall and the crew waited with baited breath as the engineers frantically worked on their end, trying to reach the other end as quickly as possible. About ten minutes later, their screens exploded with massive codes that meticulously destroyed whatever was trapping them in the air.

Minutes later, Chekov's sweaty face broke through. They were extremely stunned to see Chekov, knowing full well that he hadn't been onboard when they left for this mission, but at the same time, they weren't. Who else could it have been?

And then he told them to beam down to their Captain Kirk.

Chekov's presence made even more sense now. Hope flew through each and every crew member. They all let out a collective sigh of relief. Their Captain was back. They were all going to be fine.

Little did they know that true tragedy was about to befall them, and it was one that they did not know if they could recover from.

The sight of carnage and massacre was not new to the Security team of the Enterprise, but the fact that it was caused by their Captain Kirk, singlehandedly, was something that they hadn't seen before. Yet, somehow, they weren't surprised by it. Kirk always did have a reputation to be particularly blood-thirsty and vengeful when his people were threatened.

They had heard about what happened to Treadway when McCoy and his kid were put in danger; hell, Kirk had even brought Komack down a peg because Chekov was shot on a clandestine mission. And Wolff had held the crew captive onboard and their Command crew prisoners. What laid before them was just an iota of what Jim could or would do.

It was their responsibility, as Kirk's protectors and bodyguards, to make sure that he didn't shoulder the burden alone.

Lieutenant Giotto stepped up beside Jim, putting one grounding hand on Jim's shoulder. He could feel Jim relax minutely at the realization that everyone was still standing with him, and it only sharpened Giotto's resolve and anger at Wolff more. "What are your orders, sir?" he asked, a growl making his words sound deeper.

Jim's grey eyes steeled. "Show no mercy. Bring them to their knees."

His command was chilling, sending shivers down everyone's spine. But Wolff had done something completely unforgivable. He had locked them all up on the Enterprise with no idea what had happened to their Command crew - their family. And he had framed their beloved Captain - the one who had proven his devotion and loyalty over and over again to them, the one whom they loved so much in return – and forced him into his current, bloodied state. With so much pent up anger and frustration, there was no hesitation left.

They would make these men pay for every drop of blood that they had drawn from their Captain.

"Sir, yes, sir!" came the unified cry of Jim's proud crew, and it turned into a battle cry as they rushed forward as one, with Jim leading the charge.

The battle was over within minutes. Wolff's men weren't equipped to handle the full might of the Enterprise's crew. Their archaic guns stood no chance against the crew's superior weaponry and phasers, which is most likely why Wolff had trapped the ship in the sky. Many of the soldiers had been coerced into fighting for Wolff and immediately dropped their weapons with their hands held high at the sight of their saviors.

With the loss of those numbers, the majority of the rest of Wolff's army lost their will to fight at the mere sight of Jim's men. They weren't fools to know that the odds stacked heavily against them. A few continued to fight, but those were indisposed in seconds. The remaining fighters, at the sight of their fallen comrades, just gave up and surrendered.

There was barely any fighting after that. It didn't take long for the crew to subdue Wolff's army and storm the castle. Jim barely did anything before his men had complete control over everything.

Jim let the Security team start to wrangle Wolff's army together. Those who weren't preoccupied with Wolff's soldiers spread out into the woods, searching for any other threats. Jim knew that they would soon reach the villagers, who would no doubt follow the Starfleet officers back to the castle to find their loved ones. It was just a matter of time before their arrival.

Medics beamed down to help treat those who were wounded, both friendly and not. The numbers were far less than expected. There were more dead than living, but their injuries were severe. Jim had not held back.

He, himself, just stabbed his sword into the blood-soaked ground, picked up a gun and tucked it in the back of his pants, and meandered off, waving away anyone who had tried to come to his assistance. His body was aching and all he wanted to do now was just sit down before he was forced to move again. But before he completely walked away from the battle, Jim made a split second decision and called out to Giotto.

Giotto, luckily (or perhaps on purpose), had not gone far from Jim, and snapped immediately to attention. "Yes, sir?"

"Give me your communicator," Jim said, holding out his hand. Giotto didn't hesitate to lay his communicator into Jim's palm.

Jim immediately started typing in something. "There are a few kids that are hiding in a cave about three miles from here. The coordinates should be around here." Jim handed the communicator back to Giotto. "Tell the Enterprise to beam you there and bring them here. Most of them are very young, so beam them here if you can. I don't think they can make the trek. Hand them off to Chekov and McCoy. They'll know how to take care of them."

"Understood, sir. Who are these kids?"

In lieu of answering, Jim just kept going with his instructions. "They might not trust you at first, so make sure you let them know that I sent you. Better yet, here…" Jim slid off Thea's bow from his shoulder – it was the one weapon that Jim made sure remained undamaged – and gave it to a very confused Giotto. "Show them this and they'll know that I sent you. Take good care of them, Giotto. Keep them safe."

"What are you going to do, sir?"

Nonchalantly, Jim shrugged and pointed at a big rock about six feet away from them. "I'm going over there and sit for a bit. It's been a long day."

"Do you need you need medical care?"

Jim shook his head. "Not yet. Give it to those who need it first."

Giotto just nodded, thinking that Jim just didn't want to be treated by anyone other than McCoy, though the real reason was far from it. "I'll be sure to send Doctor McCoy to you as soon as I find those kids."

Later, Giotto would blame the heat of the battle and the adrenaline rushing through him for missing the very important fact that Jim hadn't gone off to search for McCoy, Spock, Sulu, Uhura, or Scotty himself. It was a screaming red flag, but Giotto missed it. And he would blame himself for years for not keeping a closer eye on his Captain.

Jim airily dismissed Giotto with a small wave of the hand and silently made his way to a large boulder and sat down on it. By the time he looked back, Giotto was already disappearing into a whirl of white lights, so he moved his attention elsewhere.

Quietly, he watched as the crew busied themselves with their respective duties - healing, comforting, guarding. Someone brought down sheets and covered the bodies that had been laid out respectfully.

Time passed, so much to the point that it felt like Jim was losing pockets of time, even though he knew that it was due to the exhaustion that was pulling at the edges of his consciousness. He blinked and suddenly, the villagers had arrived at the castle. Those who had been forced to fight for Wolff were immediately reunited with their loved ones. Others discovered where their family members were laid to rest and openly wept over them.

It was an absolutely tragic scene. But that was what war did. No matter what reason a war was started - no matter if it was for the right or wrong reasons - everyone still lost in the end. By the time the smoke cleared and the tears were shed, there was no difference between right or wrong. There were no sides at the end, just dead bodies lying on the battlefield.

It was those who were left behind that were the ones that felt the pain of their choices. Of losing someone that was almost as important as breathing to them.

It was the same thing, time after time. And Jim couldn't feel anything anymore. He was just empty inside. There was simply nothing left.

So he closed his eyes and blocked out the sounds of bone-crushing grief all around him. He needed to focus on something else anyway. He had accomplished about ninety percent of his plans: he had provided enough of a distraction so that Chekov could free the people trapped on the Enterprise and McCoy, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, and Sulu while he was at it. Now that Wolff's army was taken down, Jim's part in the bigger scheme of things was done. The rest, he knew that his crew would handle it.

He had one more thing left on his list, but he needed to gather enough strength to do it first. He breathed calmly through his nose as he categorized his injuries. He could feel blood dripping from all his cuts and wounds. It was quite serious, but not enough to be life-threatening yet. Jim still had some fight left in him.

Dimly, he heard someone shout that they had Wolff and Greenaway tied up in the throne room, and Jim slowly opened his eyes.

Well, that was his cue.

Achingly, Jim forced himself to his feet one more time.

He had just this one last thing to do.

Then he would give himself in to whatever fate had in store for him.

Wolff and Greenaway were kept apart from each other on other sides of the throne room. Both were bound with their arms behind their backs with zip ties and forced onto their knees by Starfleet officers. Each had three guards who had phasers locked onto them.

They hadn't made it very far when their army fell to Jim and his men. Greenaway had been caught first, hiding in a closet in one of the back crevices of the castle. Wolff was dragged off the parapet, snarling and fighting every second of the way, but in the end, there wasn't much he could do against the strong forces of the Enterprise and was forced to surrender alongside his uncle.

That was where Spock, McCoy, and Chekov found the two when they came out, searching for Jim. Spock and McCoy stopped briefly to ask the guards where Jim was and getting a brief summary of what had happened outside. They were more than content to ignore Greenaway and Wolff to continue to look for their Captain, but the second Chekov saw Wolff, he made a beeline towards him with anger and determination blazing in his eyes. Though confused, Spock and McCoy followed Chekov to stand before Wolff.

A flash of surprise crossed Wolff's face when he saw Chekov, but he quickly schooled it into an amused expression. "So, you were who Kirk was hiding all this time. The queen. The lynchpin in his whole plan."

Chekov's cocked his head proudly and defiantly. "Yes."

"How did you do it? How did you remain undetected for so long?"

"The Keptin knew not to underestimate you either, Mister Wolff. He knew you vould have him under vatch. The first thing he did vas make a scrambler out of the scraps from the shuttle vreakage. It jammed any cameras vhenever it passed by one. Kept me hidden from beginning to end."

Chekov reached behind him and threw the small device he had in his pocket at Wolff. It hit Wolff in the chest and fell to the floor with a clank. Spock noted that it had been made from scratch. It was quite an engineering feat, but Spock wasn't surprised at Jim's genius anymore.

"And Kirk provided the distraction needed for you to get to the castle undetected," finished Wolff. "No wonder he so readily showed his face. He fought an entire army single-handedly to make sure that you made it here without any obstacles."

"He nearly von," Chekov shot back.

"What about my virus? Kirk bought you at most thirty minutes to an hour of time. Even with your skills, it should've taken longer than that to break through it and overwrite it."

"I admit, your virus vas a vork of art. The Keptin thought so too."

"I'm honored."

"You shouldn't be. It vas easy once you knew vhat to look for. All ve needed to do vas punch a hole through the firewall first." From his other pocket, Chekov pulled out a slightly larger device. It had no casing and the microchip plate was laid bare. He simply held it up to let Wolff see it clearly. "An amplifier. It vasn't enough to overwrite your virus, but enough to lay groundvork for vhen I got my hands on the console. The Keptin provided more than enough time for me."

Chekov tossed the amplifier aside, useless now that it had fulfilled its function. His face twisted with anger and fury. "You do not get to hurt anyone else anymore. You don't get to touch the Keptin anymore."

He bent forward, his body language mimicking that of Jim's when he was threatening someone. It was terrifying coming from Jim – it was even more terrifying from Chekov because no one expected it from him. But then and again, Chekov usually had others to be angry for him (namely Jim). But when that anchor was lost in his own sea of anger? There was nothing to stop Chekov.

There was a snarl on his face now. "I vill personally ensure that you are thrown into your personal hell, Volff. For every moment that you have hurt the Keptin and my friends, I vill make you suffer tenfold. That is a promise. One that I vill never break for as long as I live."

Chattering and low voices reached Chekov's ears and he pulled away, distracted. Children of varying ages were being led into the throne room by Uhura and Scotty with Sulu ushering those lagging behind.

There were almost twenty kids of varying ages, from five to late teens, that trailed in. They all looked terrified and most of them were crying. Scotty and Sulu looked completely worn out and overwhelmed at the emotional state of the kids while Uhura was clearly taking everything into stride.

When she saw Spock, McCoy, and Chekov, she immediately went up to them. "Where's Kirk?" she asked.

"Uncertain," Spock replied. "But I have been informed by these Ensigns that he is alive and was last seen resting outside. How are the children?"

"Unharmed and wanting their parents."

"Their parents should be outside," McCoy supplied. "You and Scotty should take them to them. We got this."

Uhura nodded. "Keep me updated on Kirk."

"Right back at you, if you find him first."

Before she turned, she glared harshly at Wolff and slapped him solidly across the face. The smack was so loud that every person present in the throne room winced. A bruise had already begun to blossom on Wolff's face.

"Monster," she hissed. She turned curtly on her heels towards the kids. With a few quiet words, she and Scotty began guiding the crying children outside.

Sulu remained behind and placed an arm against McCoy's shoulder, leaning onto the doctor. McCoy could feel heat radiating off of the pilot and was immediately concerned, but Sulu just shook his head. It wasn't the time. Not yet. They had to deal with Wolff first and find Jim.

"I have a question for you, Wolff," Sulu said, turning a bit to look at the bound man. "You captured all the children as leverage against the villagers. Why did you go to such extent to protect them?"

Wolff was genuinely confused. "What are you talking about, moron? Those kids should've just rotten down in the dungeons."

"See, that's what I figured. A bastard like you would never care for another human being, let alone children. So why is it that we found the kids completely fine? In fact, there was a force-field of some sort that would repel us from touching the bars until we told the kids that we wouldn't harm them. It was weird. I've never seen anything like it before."

Greenaway suddenly cried out. "It's the Goddess! We had her in our hands the entire time!"

Both McCoy and Sulu frowned, confused. "Goddess? Who's the Goddess?"

"A deity that the people of this world believe in," came a familiar, but tired voice.

Spock, McCoy, Sulu, and Chekov snapped their heads around to see Jim standing at the opposite entrance, closer to Greenaway.

He was covered in splotches of blood and he wasn't standing completely straight, but he was alive. Relief rushed through his friends so hard that they almost sank to their knees with it.

"Jim!" exclaimed McCoy, taking a step towards Jim.

His entire body was poised to run to Jim at a moment's notice. Jim just tilted his head at McCoy, his grey eyes flashing with the light, and the sight of it stopped everyone in their tracks. They had never seen such lifelessness in Jim's eyes before, like he had completely just gave up and gave in. His expression didn't even change when he saw his friends and the tenseness in his shoulders never relaxed.

"I'm fine," Jim said succinctly. The tone of his voice was nonchalant and it was obvious that he was merely placating his friends for now. It was almost as if he had no patience for their concern.

He slowly walked forward, but not towards them. Instead, he came to a stop in front of Greenaway, his eyes taking in the bound man. There was a beat of silence as Jim tilted his head, contemplating Greenaway in his entirety.

Those grey eyes stripped Greenaway to his bare, blackened soul. For a split second, Greenaway saw the darkness that Jim was emitting, giving him the illusion that what stood before him wasn't quite human anymore.

Fear like nothing he had ever felt before consumed Greenaway. The glint from Jim's eyes were like daggers stabbing him in his heart, making ice run through his veins. Jim's stance was causal and he was silent, but yet, he was an unmoving wall that Greenaway could never hope to knock over, bring down, or overcome. Jim was a titan, completely void of any emotion, and that was what made him so much more dangerous than before. Because Jim was now a man who had lost himself, which meant that he no longer cared what happened to himself so as long as he accomplished what he set out to do.

Greenaway had no doubt that Jim's endgame involved him. He just knew that here, before him, was his end.

Jim read the fear that was leaking from Greenaway like a running faucet. He basked in it. Reveled in it. When he finally spoke, the words were calm. He was in no hurry, after all. He would finish what he came here to do.

"I wanted to make you suffer for what you did. But with my crew, there's a possibility that they might save you, because they're that good and that kind. I'm not. I won't risk it," Jim said quietly, his voice barely above a low whisper, but with the echo in the throne room, his words was clearly heard by his friends.

Immediately, alarm spiked in Chekov and his feet started moving before his mind even caught up to it. All he knew was that Jim was about to jeopardize his entire future, and Chekov had to stop him, but deep down, somehow, Chekov just knew that he would be too late.

In one swift movement, Jim pulled out the gun that he had hidden on his person and raised his hand. He stared coldly into Greenaway's eyes as he took his aim.

At the first sight of the weapon and realization of what Jim was about to do, Spock, McCoy, and Sulu rushed in as well. Chekov was only a few feet ahead of them, but they were still too far.

Peripherally, Jim saw and heard his friends, yelling at him to stop. He ignored them completely. There was nothing in this world that could possibly stop him from doing this one last thing now.

His finger tightened around the gun. "This is for the girl who was stronger and better than we could even ever dream to be. See you in hell, Greenaway."

With absolutely no hesitation and no regret, he pulled the trigger.

The mixed look of fear and shock on Greenaway's face was still there when the bullet plunged its way through the dead center of his forehead. He toppled over, dead before he even hit the ground.

Jim was still looking at Greenaway when he felt the gun being wrestled away from him. He didn't resist. Slowly, he raised his head to see Bones shouting at him. Sulu and Spock were right next to him with matching horrified expressions. Spock had the gun that he had taken from Jim, but that didn't make much of a difference now. It was too late.

"What the hell were you thinking, Jim?!" yelled Bones, shaking Jim's shoulders, "He had surrendered! He had been captured! You just killed a prisoner in cold blood in front of witnesses! You're going to be arrested for this, Jim!"

Jim didn't react. He coldly cocked his head, his face completely void of any expression. "It had to be done. Arrest me if you want. I don't care. It had to be done."

Shock took over McCoy. "Jim, what the hell happened out there?"

Jim shrugged. "Are you going to arrest me or not?"

"Keptin…" pleaded Chekov, his voice strained.

"No, Chekov," Jim commanded. "Talk and I won't forgive you."

Chekov snapped his mouth shut so hard that they could hear his teeth click together.

The tension was broken when a young voice sliced through the air. "Jim!"

Jim turned to see Liam running towards him with Giotto closely behind. Liam barreled straight into Jim's legs, making Jim wince when the impact jostled his wounds. But he made no move to hug Liam back. Instead, he pushed Liam away and looked at him.

"What are you doing here, Liam? Where are the others?"

"They all found their parents or relatives." Liam looked down at his scuffling feet. "I didn't have anyone else."

Jim would've flinched if he still felt anything. "The Enterprise will help you, don't worry."

The odd wording stood out. Jim said 'the Enterprise' instead of saying that 'he' would help, but he didn't even seem to notice that he slipped up. Jim was already turning away from Liam, meaning to push him over to McCoy, but Liam just tugged on Jim's sleeve.

Jim completely froze, an internal battle waging on as he fought the urge to rip his arm away and run and hide in the darkness where no one could find him or listen to that tiny voice in his shattered soul, screaming at him to help the poor boy.

Quietly, Liam asked to the floor. "What will happen to me now? I'm all alone now."

Yes. Liam was barely a teenager and he had no one left. All because Jim wasn't strong or fast enough. It was his fault. He had to take responsibility. He had made a promise after all.

Jim gently moved Liam's hand, making him let go of his shirt. "You won't be alone for long, Liam. Starfleet will help find any living relatives and see if they are able to take you in."

"And if they can't find any? What if my relatives don't want me?"

"Then they'll figure something out. You won't be alone."

"Can I stay with you?" Liam's voice was so small, so thin.

He was looking at the ground and completely missed Jim's full body flinch. His friends, especially Chekov, did not.

"You'd want to stay with me? After all that happened?"

Chekov could hear Jim's unspoken question of "After Thea?" and it broke Chekov's heart a little more.

Liam nodded. "You said you'd save us. You did. My sister said that you're a good man. So I'd like to stay with you."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Liam."

"Why not?"

Because Jim couldn't look at Liam without seeing Thea and feeling the guilt destroy him from inside out. Because Jim couldn't even keep her alive, let alone a teenage boy. What right did Jim have to take care of Liam? He would ruin the poor boy. Liam had suffered more than enough. Jim would not subject Liam to the misery and chaos that always followed him around. Jim swore that he would save Liam, and that included from himself.

Jim shook his head, saying the first thing that popped into his head. "I'm still a wanted fugitive from Starfleet – wanted criminal number one."

"But you said you were framed for that crime."

"I was. But I killed Greenaway, and I will not deny or fight against those charges. No matter how this plays out, I won't be in any position to take you in, Liam."

At the mention of Greenaway, Liam shifted to look at Greenaway's body. He was silent for a moment as the realization that the man who was responsible for his sister's death was dead now too. "I…don't know how I feel. He's dead. I should be happy. That man caused so many deaths. Families were torn apart by him. My whole family was murdered by him. But I don't feel happy. I don't feel anything." He looked up at Jim with tears in his eyes. "Shouldn't I be pleased that he's dead?"

"You have a good heart, Liam. Your sister raised you right. You and your sister believed in the sanctity of life, even if it's someone as wrong as Greenaway. You don't feel happy because someone's dead."

"But it's Greenaway…"

"And you're a better person than he will ever be. He would've been happy."

"What about you? How do you feel now that he's dead?"

Jim didn't even hesitate. He didn't have to. He was the same as Greenaway and Wolff. He wasn't a good man, let alone a better person. So all Jim did was tilt his head and smile coldly. "Satisfied."

All of a sudden, Wolff shouted loudly across the room. "Don't think you've won yet, Kirk!"

Everyone's head jerked up to see Wolff on his feet with broken zip ties on the ground near his feet. His two guards had been knocked out and were both sprawled on the floor. He had taken full advantage of everyone's attention on Jim and Liam that they hadn't even heard him make his move.

He lifted a gun that he must've hid somewhere under his clothes – Starfleet officers wouldn't have had archaic guns on them – and lifted it to point at Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, and Chekov, who all straightened out of defiance. They were too strong to let a lick of fear touch them at the prospect of a madman with a gun.

"Just give up, Wolff. You can't win," McCoy snarled.

"All I have to do is kill one of you and Kirk will break completely," Wolff responded with a manic grin on his face.

They all flicked their eyes towards Jim. It was true, what Wolff said, but worry didn't flash across Jim's face. There was only bloodlust.

"Sure," Jim said, taking a step forward, distancing himself from his friends. "You might be able to kill one of them. But make sure that you make the right decision on who you decide to shoot." Jim's face contorted into something menacing and terrifying. "I have no qualms in tearing you apart from limb to limb, Wolff. I've already killed Greenaway. What's one more death on my hands? I won't even lose sleep over it."

The grin on Wolff's face just spread. "I know exactly who to shoot." Wolff's gun moved just an increment. Jim read the trajectory easily and immediately knew who was in the line of fire.

Spock, Sulu, and Giotto lunged at Wolff, not even caring if they were throwing themselves into danger. They were going to protect Jim, injuries be damned, but Wolff paid them no attention. He would take down his target long before they even reached him.

He pressed the trigger and the sound of the gunshot rang in Jim's ears. Jim didn't even have time to think. His body moved instinctively and before Jim even realized it, he was in front of Liam, a solid shield to the incoming bullet.

The impact against Jim's chest made his body jolt, forcing him back a step. At first, he didn't feel anything. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The sounds around him were muted. He could see Liam move around to stand before him, his small hands reaching for him. He could see Liam's face frantic and his mouth opening and closing as he shouted silently at him.

Blearily, Jim looked down. His shirt was becoming slick with blood at an alarming rate. He felt his right arm move through molasses as he reached up to touch the left side of his chest.

His hand came away dripping wet.

Suddenly, all his strength left him and he dropped to his knees. He should have felt the collision against the hard, unforgiving ground, but there was nothing. He suddenly couldn't breathe anymore; there was no more oxygen left in the atmosphere. There was something wrong with the lights. He could see them, but they felt off, like he was seeing everything through a translucent sheen.

Then, all of a sudden, the pain slammed into him, constricting his chest so harshly that it literally felt like all his muscles had twisted into a mess of knots that could never be undone.

He let out a small, inaudible gasp as everything swirled into focus, crystallizing as he came to a simple realization: he was dying.

Gravity pulled on him and the world tilted nauseatingly. Arms circled around him as he fell. He would have flailed in surprise, but his body felt like complete lead, and he no longer had the strength to move himself. The arm supporting his back held him up in a limp, sitting position with his right side pressed against a solid chest. He knew that warmth. It had always spoke of safety and kindness. It had grounded him, filling the empty void in his soul. That warmth had never failed him, even at the end.

The ice within his broken soul cracked and it cried for the love and friendship that he had, reaching out like a young child reaching for its mother. Jim leaned in, feeling the rapid heartbeat of his best friend, his brother. With each beat, Jim felt it draw him out from where he had retreated to hide from all his pain and grief. The darkness that had enveloped his very being was disappearing like the night turning into dawn.

Tears started to burn in Jim's eyes. His tongue felt too thick and the pain was making his body shake like a leaf caught in a gale. But when he looked up at McCoy – no, Bones – his eyes were as clear and blue as the cerulean sky. And then there was no more pain. Only relief that he would die as himself – the version of himself that he could be proud of. The one who had a family and love.

He felt Bones putting pressure on his chest, trying to stifle the flow of blood. Distantly, Jim made the connection that he had been shot in the heart, at least based on the location where Bones' hand was pressing down on. He couldn't be completely sure. There was a numbness that was quickly overshadowing any sensations left in his body.

Words above him started to trickle into his consciousness. Bones was rocking him without even realizing it, murmuring to Jim. "No no. You can't do this to me, Jim. Don't this to me. You're going to be fine, ya hear me? You're going to be fine."

Jim smiled weakly at Bones, his teeth dyed in blood. "I thought...I thought we said...no lies...between us." His voice already so weak. He could barely get the air he needed to speak.

"I'm not," replied Bones, his tears falling on Jim's cold, numb cheek. "You're going to make it, alright? You're going to be okay."

Jim reached up, gentleness and acceptance in his eyes, and laid his left, trembling, bloody hand on Bones' cheek. There was an overwhelming sense of relief that washed over him. He was done. He had saved his family. He had saved Thea's kids. Now he could finally pay the price of causing all that misery, all those deaths, in his wake. He could finally rest...

"It's fine, Bones. It's fine..."

He took a shuddering breath, his eyes fluttering for a brief moment. But he forced himself to open them again for the sake of his friend. Because he knew better than anyone the pain of being left behind, and he was so, so sorry that he was doing it to Bones. Bones, who had been there through thick and thin with him. Bones, who loved him unconditionally like the brother that Jim should have had, and whom Jim loved back in the same way. Bones, who had lost so much already, and here was Jim, being selfish like usual and leaving first.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry," Jim whispered.

Bones could feel his best friend's - his brother's heartbeat slow, fading as his body succumbed to the abyss. But even as his pulse grew weaker, Jim kept his dulling, blue eyes on Bones. "You're going to be okay, Bones. You'll be okay…" Tears escaped from Jim's blue eyes and dripped down his temples. "Please…"

Jim couldn't get the rest of the words out, but Bones knew that Jim was trying to say anyway. Jim wasn't pleading with Bones to save his life or to forgive him. He was pleading with Bones to be okay – to keep going even though he wouldn't be there. Bones understood because that was what he always told to Jim whenever he had had a close call. He understood, but it didn't mean that he could accept it.

As if Bones could live in a universe that didn't have Jim Kirk in it.

Such a world would be so utterly bleak and dark. The stars couldn't shine without Jim Kirk setting them alight.

"Don't leave me, Jim," Bones cried softly, leaning down and pulling Jim up simultaneously to press their foreheads together. "Please. Don't leave me."

"'m sorry…" Jim murmured, his voice barely above the sound of his fading breaths.

His eyes blinked slowly once, and fluttered shut.

Jim sighed just once as his hand fell. A trail of blood was left on Bones' cheek.

The feel of Jim's heartbeat came to a slow, stuttering stop.

And that was it. The light was extinguished.

James Tiberius Kirk was gone.

To be continued...

*Ducks head* Umm...sorry it took so long to update and then I end the chapter on a cliffhanger? Please don't kill me! I actually have the next chapter almost pretty much done so I hope to have it up in the next week or so, so you won't be waiting long, promise!

Anyway, besides the fact that you probably want to kill me now...WHO'S EXCITED FOR THE NEW STAR TREK MOVIE THIS WEEKEND?! I, for one, will DEFINITELY be going to watch it. :D

Hope you liked to chapter! I know it's a bit short, but please review anyway!

Cheers,

Yuna