"Hello," Jim said into her phone while they were heading to the church. "Are you sure?" She listened to whoever was on the other end before she sighed. "Send me the details. I'll take Spock, you go home and get some sleep."

"Everything okay?" Leonard asked as soon as she hung up.

"Sulu found the Nero brothers," she told him.

"And?"

"And I know one of them," Jim sighed as she tapped out a text on her phone. "So, I'm gonna head down to Washington and talk to him."

"You want me to come?" he asked, he wasn't entirely sure why.

"I don't kn… All doctors have to do psychiatric training, right?" she asked.

"Yea. At the very least, it teaches you how to interact with your patients. Do meaningful interviews."

"Pathology?"

"That too. This going somewhere?"

"Half-curiosity."

"The other half?" Leonard asked.

"Wondering how well you did in both," Jim sighed.

"You know my pathology is pretty good. And I could've picked psych as my specialty, if I had the temperament to sit around talking all day. Why?" He was beyond curious, now.

"Because I need a mostly objective opinion with clinical experience. Go tell Gaila and Jo that you're going with me. Between me, you and Spock, maybe we can actually get some answers," she told him with a smile.

"You still haven't told me what Sulu found," he said.

"Shannon Nero changed her and her son's names to Garth. When she got married, her youngest son, who was still a minor, was adopted by her husband, Tobias Finney. Which means, we get to have a chat with Ben," Jim told him. "Go, so we can get outta here."

"I know our date wasn't all that great but you don't need back up," Ben chuckled when he let them into his house.

"I'm not here about that. Can we come in?" Jim said. Ben walked into the living room as Jim, Spock and Leonard trailed in behind him. Leonard noticed that the acting sheriff and her second in command were scanning the room as Ben offered them all seats. Jim and Leonard sat on the couch while Spock stood next to them. "I need to ask you about your family."

"That's a short conversation, my parents are dead," Ben shrugged.

"You know that's not true," she scoffed.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Finney gave her a look.

"Your father is incarcerated," Spock said. "You also made no mention of your brother."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ben looked at them. Jim opened the file in her hands and handed Finney a picture. "Who is this?"

"That's your father, Eric Nero. Twenty-seven years ago this January, he shot and killed an Iowa City police officer after your mother called nine-one-one reporting a domestic disturbance. PD found you and your brother hiding in a closet. As a matter of fact, the officer who found you later became sheriff of this county. All of which, you know," Jim said.

"You think this guy's telling you the truth? He could just be telling you what you need to hear about your daddy's death," Ben said.

"The inaccuracy of Sheriff Pike's recollection is highly unlikely," Spock pointed out. "Also, considering that Kirk made no mention her father, it means you are far more informed than you appear."

"I did some research," Finney shrugged.

"In your position at the clerk's office," Leonard said, remembering the few details that Jim gave him about Ben from what seems like forever ago.

"Yea. Look, as fun as this is…" Ben started.

"Where's your brother?" Jim asked. They all looked at her.

"I don't know," Finney said. "Why?"

"Because I'm pretty sure he was in my house, trying to kill me. Sheriff Pike is paralyzed. There are three dead women, one of which was my cousin. I need to ask Kelvin some questions. If you help me, he has a chance."

"If I don't?" Ben asked with a smug smirk.

"I will send him to you in a box," Jim growled.

"That sounds like a threat," Finney said, standing up.

Jim stood toe-to-toe with Ben, "I don't make threats, Ben. That was a promise. Bones, Spock, let's go."

"So," Leonard said as they walked to the cruiser. "That went well."

"He's lying," Spock said.

"I know," the southerner nodded. "He's putting on a good show but he's scared of someone. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's his brother. He was here."

"You noticed the stack of bedding too?" Jim asked.

"Yea. And the boot prints just inside the door. They're about two sizes too big for his feet," Leonard said as they got into the car, Spock behind the wheel.

"Maybe I should get you a badge," she chuckled.

"Should we assign someone to observe him?" Spock asked.

"Already on it," Jim smiled as she held her phone to her ear. "Hey, Chief, it's Jim Kirk." She paused for a second. "Actually, it is about the sheriff's stabbing. I got a guy who might be involved. I just left his brother's house and I'm pretty sure that it's one of them but I need time to connect the dots." Jim didn't say anything for a few moments. "I'll email you the details in the next few minutes. Thanks for the help." She paused again. "I'll tell him but I'm sure Chris wouldn't mind a few visitors other than me and Captain Robbins." Jim chuckled. "I know. Thanks, Chief." She hung up. "Washington PD is sending a plainclothes officer over here to keep an eye on Finney. We gotta figure out what the endgame is. I'd love to talk to their mother but Sulu said he couldn't find anything in the system on her."

"Did he try medical records? Everyone has them somewhere, if we can track her down that way, we can talk to her," Leonard told her.

"That's not something we automatically have access to," Jim said, glancing back at him.

"If only you knew a doctor," Leonard smirked. He doesn't automatically have access either but he has a better chance of getting his hands on the information than they do. "Just give me a place to start."

"Alright," she smiled. "Let's head to the station and see if we can't answer some burning questions."

"Yea, like why one or both of Nero's sons wants to kill your mother," Leonard chuckled.

Jim nodded, "Why don't we ask her?"

"I can't believe you had them drag me down here," Winona said when she walked into Jim's office. Granted, Jim was the acting sheriff and she could've used Chris' office but she wasn't ready to go there just yet.

"I didn't have anyone drag you anywhere," Jim said. "I simply asked Greg to drive you down here. Since there's someone trying to kill you, I figured you wouldn't put up that much of an argument. Then, I remember that you're more stubborn than I am. Now, can you have a seat so we can talk?"

"Now you wanna talk to me," Winona scoffed as she sat in the chair next to Leonard. "I suppose we need witnesses."

"This is an investigation, so Bones and Spock stay," Jim told her mother. "Why do the Nero's sons have a problem with you?"

"I don't know. Ask them," the older woman said. Leonard wanted to laugh as he realized that Jim got her attitude from her mother. He didn't say anything, he kept reading the files on the tablet in his hands. Winona sighed and stood up. "Now, if it's all the same to you, I'm gonna go see my son."

"Sit down," Jim said, authority lacing her tone. Winona glared at her for a moment before returning to her seat. "Janet, Beth and Marla all appear to be surrogates for you. Everything in my gut is telling me that one or both of them is involved and the only connection they have to the area is you."

"Their mother," Winona said.

"She's dead," Leonard said, looking up from the tablet in his hands. "She died a year ago, almost to the day we found Janet Wallace's body. It's what cops and shrinks like to call a stressor. A reason for a criminal to... snap."

"The anniversary of their mother's death, combined with victimology and proximity lead us to believe that you are, in fact, the true target of these killings. We have exhausted all other avenues of investigation," Spock said. "You are the only plausible lead that remains."

"I still don't know why they would be after me. If anything, I should be angry with them," Winona said.

"It wasn't their fault. I don't even think this is fully their fault either," Leonard sighed. Jim's mother raised an eyebrow. "Shannon Nero or Garth or Finney or whatever we're calling her was bipolar, according to this."

"Fifty-three percent of all serial killers have some form of mental illness in their family," Spock added.

"There's a part of the brain called the hypothalamic region of the limbic system, the most primitive part of the brain. There's no conscience or judgement. In most kids, healthy relationships with one or both parents counters the hypothalamus and teaches control of emotions. Given the abuse that Shannon, Ben and Kelvin suffered, it's safe to assume that Kelvin never learned that control and that Benjamin's control may not be all there. Just like Jim," Leonard told her.

"Are you saying Jim's crazy?" Winona chuckled.

"No, he's saying I'm impulsive, which is mostly true," Jim said. "You think Kelvin is a psychopath?"

"Yes. I read everything Sulu found on him and I can almost guarantee it. Ben's harder to figure out. Your mother doesn't know why they want her dead because I doubt they know. Probably some perceived injustice," Leonard sighed.

"Psychopaths are incapable of sympathy or empathy and take no responsibility for their actions. They often consider themselves above others and are usually remorseless and/or narcissistic. The very existence of the Kirk family could be considered an affront, though you did nothing wrong," Spock said.

"So, how do we combat that?" Winona asked.

Leonard sighed, "I don't actually have an answer for you. Psychopaths can almost mimic emotions well enough to fool someone. Skilled in deception, they may actually appear charming, friendly or even likable. Other psychopaths will engage in severe antisocial behavior, including crimes against people or animals."

"So, we're back at square one," Winona sighed.

"No," Jim said. "I don't know what we're gonna do next but we're definitely getting somewhere."

"She doesn't hate you as much as she thinks she does," Leonard told Winona while they waited on Jim and Spock to talk about whatever they were talking about without them in Sulu's office.

"You would probably know better than me," Jim's mother sighed. "It's not that she hates me, or even that she thinks she does, she shut me out."

"You were supposed to protect her and you didn't," he said.

"Funny how she doesn't talk to me but she talks to Frank after…"

"The abuse he inflicted on her and George when they were younger. He admits it. He apologized for it. Invited her to group therapy with him. Hell, they're at a point where they can even joke about it. You want her to act like it didn't happen but it did. It's part of who she is, for better or for worse. You wanna ignore that but that's not Jim's style. Bad things happen, she tries to learn from them. To grow from them. She can't do that if she doesn't acknowledge them."

Before they were ever a thing -there's still no title to their relationship- Jim and Leonard spent a lot of time talking. Most of the time, Jim just told him what she was thinking but it was the things that she doesn't say that gave him the biggest insight to who she is. Even her explanation of her relationship with Frank was full of things unsaid. Leonard got why she could forgive her abuser but not her mother. As far as Jim was concerned, Frank was in the same boat as her for a long time.

"You don't understand," Winona told him.

"I know I don't, I don't have the whole story and it's not really my place to ask," Leonard sighed. "Having said that, I am a parent. Jo's a little older than Jim was when you married Frank so I can see what Jim's problem is. Joanna may not agree with me all the time, she may not even like me all the time but she knows with every fiber of her being that I would rather hurt myself then let anyone hurt her, including her mother. She knows that she can tell me anything, anything, and I'll listen. Your daughter doesn't have that. The only thing you've ever shown her is that someone else was more important and most of the time, it was a dead man. All Jim wants is for you to tell her that she's not crazy. She wants you listen and hear what she has to say. To know that you understand. To know that nobody is gonna hurt her. Things she should've gotten from you a long time ago. Things that Chris gave her. Things that Frank wasn't able to give her until recently. I'm pretty sure that's why she talks to him."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"According to Jim, despite the abuse, he did try to be her dad. She doesn't even remember interacting with you that often. She remembers her birthdays as being somber. Remembers things being about George senior… even now. I mean, I can see that you're not over his death and I haven't known you that long. You think Jim, George junior and Frank didn't notice?" he asked.

Winona gave him a look. Leonard was under the impression that she never considered that. He honestly doesn't know how she didn't get that, unless nobody bothered to point it out. Considering that Jim and her mother can't actually have a productive conversation, that wasn't crazy.

"It wasn't like that," Winona said.

"Frank lived in the Kirk house, on the Kirk property, with the Kirk children. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that it took a toll on him, trying to live up to George Kirk's legacy. I don't know about George junior, but it's something that Jim still deals with. Something that she'll probably always deal with. As the son of a dead man who followed in his father's footsteps, I understand what it means to be compared to my father. But unlike Jim, I at least knew the man. I have memories of him and advice from him. I have something to temper the comparisons. Jim doesn't. Jim has her mother holding on to one man while bringing another into her life and not considering the toll it took, and still takes, on any of them."

"She didn't say all that," she looked at him.

"Of course not. She knows that talking about her feelings doesn't get her anywhere. That's your doing too."

AN: So, we know who the Nero boys are. For those who aren't TOS watchers *disappointed sigh* Benjamin Finney was the Enterprise records officer who faked his death and tried to get Kirk court-martialed. Spock and Bones figured it out and Finney was the one who ended up in trouble. Kelvar Garth or Garth of Izar was a fleet captain and hero of Axanar who tried to destroy a planet, killed his XO and 2nd officer when they managed to stop him and was committed to penal colony for criminals with mental problems. He captured Jim and Spock but the pair managed to outsmart him. The Kelvin is obviously the ship that George and Winona served on and I decided to use that as Garth's first name.