AN: Editing done! Warnings for character death and angst ahead!
A year and a half later, Jim found himself racing against time and circumstances to save Vulcan and it wasn't until the Enterprise's First Officer had beamed to the surface of the crumbling world that Jim realized what he had to do. He pounced on the transporter controls and put in a set of coordinates. Then he mounted the receiving pad.
"Chekov, the instant you hear back from me, I want you to beam us up, do you understand?"
"Yes, sir! Where are you going?"
"To Sarek's estate." He dropped to one knee and bowed his head. He touched down in the courtyard, and raced into the house. It wasn't empty, the household was rushing to evacuate. He grabbed one of the attendants, "Where is the baby? Where's Ninli?"
"With her nursemaid, sir."
"Nursery. Damn it!" Jim sprinted up to the nursery, following the hysterical wailing. He took Evangeline from her terrified nursemaid and banished the woman from the house, "Get out while you can! Find a transport and get off-world! Just go!" He hit his communicator, "Kirk to Enterprise, Mr. Chekov, beam us out!" He was beamed out of the estate and back to the Enterprise along with the First Officer and the Council of Elders. They had been picked up from the Katric Arc. Jim couldn't allow himself the relief of surviving, the empty receiving pad and the crestfallen expression on Sarek's face told him Amanda had not survived. He slipped away to Sickbay before Sarek could see him, he didn't want to face the man with so many people around. When he showed up in Sickbay just a few minutes ahead of Commander Spock's party, Bones was on him like a shark on blood.
"Jim! What happened? You look terrible!"
"Amanda…didn't make it, Bones. She didn't make it." Jim almost crushed Evangeline, "She…she didn't…"
"I'm so sorry, Jim. Is Ninli okay?"
"I think so." Jim surrendered his daughter to Bones and collapsed on the nearest bio-bed. Getting out of the dive-suit didn't take long, and Jim grimaced as his hand reminded him that it had been broken. After checking Evangeline, Bones turned on him with a hypo-spray, osteosetter, and a half-hearted scowl. He held his tongue, trying not to cry. Amanda was gone, she was just…gone! His sadness made him reckless and Jim got into a fight with Spock over going back to Earth in pursuit of the Romulans or to join the main fleet in the Laurentian System. That difference of opinion constituted mutiny when he fought back against the security officers, taking them both down, and Spock had him tossed off the ship while he was still unconscious.
About an hour later, Jim was back on the Enterprise thanks to the intervention, or interference depending on how you looked at it, of an old, half-crazy Vulcan who claimed he was Spock's older, wiser counterpart from a different universe. A different universe where Jim had known his father, and gone on to be captain of the USS Enterprise. When he got back to the bridge, Spock was not happy to see him, but Jim was ready for him.
"I don't care what they say about Vulcans, I can't believe you don't want to take revenge on the man who just murdered four billion Vulcans, destroyed your home-world, and killed the woman who gave birth to you! You just stand there as if it doesn't matter!"
"Do not presume to dictate emotionality to me, Lieutenant."
"Bullshit! I knew your mother, Spock! Amanda Grayson was a wonderful, caring woman who loved you!" Jim took a minute to beg forgiveness for what he was about to do, and looked Spock right in the eye, "She loved us both, if that's any business of yours, but I seem to be the only one between us who's bothered to show how much it hurts that I'll never see her again!" Spock went right for him, but Jim was ready and they battled back and forth across the bridge. How he was more fit for command than Spock Jim didn't know, but the old man had insisted that he had to emotionally compromise Spock and take over command from him. Spock was stronger, but Jim was more determined, and flipped the Acting Captain onto his back, kneeling on his chest.
"Stop fighting, Spock! God damn it, just admit you're half-Human and that half of you is devastated!" he snapped, "Give up, Spock." When the body beneath him went lax, Jim got to his feet and held out one hand to Spock, who stared at him, "Oh, for fuck's sake, would you suck up your bullish Vulcan pride and take my hand? Damn you, Spock!" Fury radiating off of him in palpable waves, Spock seized him by the hand and Jim dragged the First Officer to his feet. Spock reacted to the onslaught of emotion he got from that contact, Jim saw it.
"That…was you?"
"That was me, Spock. Yes." Jim saw no point in denying it. Spock pulled away from him, reported to a flabbergasted Bones, and left the bridge. Sarek stayed long enough to see Jim take the command chair before going after his son.
"Kah-if-farr." Sarek rested one hand on Jim's shoulder in a familiar, firm grip as he prepared to leave, "Klee-et, khart-lan."
"Nemaiyo, Sarek. Sochya eh dif." Jim spared Sarek a tense smile and watched him leave. Then he got them turned around and made an announcement that Spock was no longer in command of the Enterprise, plans had changed accordingly. Time to kick Romulan ass or die trying.