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On Earth Part II

Jim's about a meter away when Uhura says, "Captain James T. Kirk," with a wide smile.

"Jim?" says Admiral Berret.

"Is that you?" says Admiral Komak.

And suddenly Jim realizes he must look a lot worse than he thinks. And he feels like what he is; a rough, scrawny grunt among ambassadors, ambassador's sons, and admirals. But he smiles anyway and holds out his hand to the big wigs.

"The Roach," says Spock. The line is delivered low, without inflection, but Spock's gaze on him is a little too hard. It's a fact and an insult wrapped up together in a pretty package.

"What?" says Komak.

Jim looks down, jaw locked in a smile. Some of us didn't have desk jobs during the war is on the tip of his tongue and he's biting it back.

"Oh! That was you?" says Uhura.

Jim looks up and blinks, because she knows it was him; he joked about it in their little email exchange. "Yeah?" he says wondering where she's going with this.

Coming forward, Uhura slips her hand around Jim's forearm and smiles brightly at the admirals. "Gentlemen, this man alone is credited by the Romulans with uniting the Bajorans with Bajor's persecuted Cardassian minority."

Jim tilts his head; okay, he might have had a hand in that. But, really...the Romulans think so?

Uhura smiles. "That's quite a bit of cross species diplomacy, Captain. It's not good for your shoot 'em up reputation!"

The admirals laugh and Jim can't even look at Spock, because he swears he can feel the fury rolling off the half Vulcan in waves. He cocks his head and says, "Well, I'll do what it takes to win. Even if it means being diplomatic."

The admirals laugh again.

Releasing his forearm, Uhura says, "And the uprising on Bajor cost the Romulans the equivalent of 792 billion credits."

Jim keeps his smile. He has no idea if she's making it up.

"792.47 billion credits," says T'Elle, coming to stand by Uhura.

"Oh, that's right," Uhura says, tapping her lip. "And how many agents did they put on the ground on Bajor? I believe it was 4,035."

"4,045," says T'Elle.

"Of course, of course," says Uhura, closing her eyes and raising a finger as though she's admonishing herself for getting it wrong. Jim blinks. Uhura's too meticulous to forget these details - if they're true. She's putting on a show to let his accomplishments sink deeper into the brasses' minds.

She's fluffing him. In public.

He tries to keep his jaw from hitting the floor.

"It's no surprise you don't know," Uhura says to the admirals. "These details come from the reports of the Romulans themselves. Most haven't been translated into Standard yet."

The admirals blink.

Shaking her head, Uhura looks at Jim. "The accomplishments of R & D and our agents on Romulus so often get touted. But if it weren't for the rebellions staged on dozens of worlds, if it weren't for our men and women fighting on the front, we - our intelligence and R & D would have been worthless."

Admiral Komak comes forward and starts pumping his hand. "Well done, Jim," he says. And Berret, says, "I suppose we should have expected as much from you."

Stepping back, Komack smacks Spock on the shoulder. Spock blinks. Komak says, "And now you and this guy are up for the same job! So good to know we're choosing between

Starfleet's finest for the Deep Space Nine position."

An almost smile on his lips, Spock tilts his head at Jim. "The position at Deep Space Nine offers much opportunity for scientific discovery, and the potential for the discovery of new technologies with each new species we interact with. The risks posed by such new technologies and species may be great as well. The commander of the station will have to be able to be able to evaluate such threats quickly and logically."

It's Spock speak for I-am-so-much-smarter-than-you. "I'll just have to get me a damn fine science officer," Jim says trying to keep his smile on.

"Oh, look," Uhura says. "Aren't those the Bajoran and Cardassian Ambassadors? They'll be interacting with the new Deep Space Nine commander a great deal. I would really like to meet them."

Jim looks at her. She's smiling and it's sweet and wicked and wonderful all at once. "Well, I happen to know them," he says, finally getting in the swing. "They served with me in the Bajoran resistance. The Bajoran ambassador even invited me to her daughter's wedding."

"As the groom?" says Berret.

Komack laughs and Jim winks. "Now gentleman, my reputation may be somewhat overplayed."

"Would you introduce me to them?" says Uhura, taking his arm again and God he loves this woman.

"Of course," says Jim. He nods at the Admirals, Sarek, whose face looks...thoughtful, and Spock, whose mouth is set too firmly neutral. Spock looks like he's about to take a step forward, maybe even ask to join them. But before he can, T'Elle steps in front of him and says, "Now Mr. Spock, I would like to hear more about the researchers serving under you. I believe they were primarily Vulcan, am I right?"

Jim can't really think about it because Uhura's squeezing his arm and pulling him across the room. Everyone is looking at them, or maybe just her, because she does look beautiful this evening, even more than usual, in the lavendar number, with her hair swept back. Jim has a feeling like vertigo, or like he's flying, and he knows this is how it is meant to be: the two of them together, maybe giving each other a hard time in private - Hell, he could never respect her if she didn't, but in public a team ready to take on the galaxy. This woman makes him a better person. This woman makes him a stronger person. And suddenly he wants something besides just Deep Space Nine. Maybe even wants it more.

He ducks his head closer to her; he can smell her perfume and her shampoo and her. It makes him feel a little heady but he manages to speak. "Thanks for the hand back there."

She stiffens a little bit; her eyes go hard. "You deserve the job - now don't blow it."

Smirking, he whispers, "You mean, no fights at the bar tonight?"

She smiles, doesn't answer that, instead says, "T'Elle said you stopped by. Why didn't I see you?"

"Spock was there. It seemed like a private conversation. I didn't want to interrupt."

Her jaw tenses. "I wish you had."

He squeezes her arm tight and says, "I promise you I'll never not barge in again." She laughs and he's wonders if he knows how deadly serious he is.

All eyes seem to be on them, and he whispers, "You look great tonight."

She looks at him, and her eyes, they're all melty again, and Jim thinks his knees are going to go to rubber.

"You..." she starts to say.

"I look like shit. I'm getting that," he says with a shrug, but he doesn't want to talk about it. "I'm fine. And I really want to hear about what you've been doing these past few years, besides basket weaving."

He winks and she smiles, but before she can answer, up ahead, Nolack, Jim's friend and the Cardassian Ambassador calls out, "James! I was blinded by the loveliness of your companion and didn't see you."

And then Jim's making introductions and everyone is talking about the new station, and it's the type of chit-chat Jim can handle, and Uhura definitely can handle. She knows a surprising amount about Deep Space Nine.

There is a sound like someone hitting crystal with a fork, and then an older guy, gray haired and in a white robe moves towards a podium Jim hadn't noticed before.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he calls from the podium and Jim and the room go quiet. "As head of the Diplomatic Corp I'd like to welcome you all tonight..."

He drones on and on, a little about Jim, a little about Spock, about diplomacy and how important it actually was to the ending of the recent conflict - which makes Jim rolls his eyes. Boots on the ground and in the lab ended the recent conflict. Anyway it's all stuff Jim has heard before, but he's happy, and perhaps not so subtly edging closer to Uhura. He's just figured something out something, big and important, and it makes him feel woozy and complete. As soon as old guy stops talking he's going to go for it. Maybe ask Uhura to get a drink with him later...play it by ear from there.

And then the head of the Diplomatic Corps says, "And I'd like to announce a new position among the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador to the Gamma Quadrant."

Jim blinks. This is new and may concern him.

"The Gamma Quadrant Ambassador will be stationed on Deep Space Nine."

There are murmurs, and glancing around the room Jim notices Spock is staring hard at him and Uhura.

Looking back towards the podium, Jim grumbles, "Just what I need. Some bureaucratic PADD pusher looking over my shoulder." Hey, he's among friends, why pretend?

The man at the podium says, "The new ambassador is here tonight. She has a Doctorate in Applied Linguistics from Oxford University, and has a deep interest in studying the effect of the Romulan occupation on Bajoran slang..."

"How delightfully obscure," says Nolack.

Jim snorts. Uhura draws away from him slightly.

"...Which I'm sure she'll be able to pursue while at Deep Space Nine. She speaks over 12 Federation Languages, Bajoran, Romulan - all three dialects I'm told, and Cardassian being just a few. And she also has experience in Starfleet."

Jim suddenly feels as though the air pressure in the room has dropped precipitously. He hazards a glance in Uhura's direction.

"You may have helped save the galaxy from Romulans, twice" Uhura whispers. "But you are still a child." She heaves a breath. Frowns. "Good luck, anyway."

The gray-haired guy says, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Dr. Nyota Uhura."

Jim's eyes go wide. He remembers her dark chocolate skin, the musculature so natural it only could have come from living on a high gravity world - like Hell, she spent the war in cold gray Oxford. And suddenly he knows, she's still working for Starfleet Intelligence. She's not just going to be some bureaucratic PADD pusher. His stomach twists. He could not be any more in love with her...and he just really fucked up.

His mouth opens, but before he can say anything, Uhura smiles at the crowd and makes her way to the podium as though nothing is wrong, as though the whole world didn't suddenly collapse down upon itself.

Jim looks at Nolack and the Bajoran Ambassador. They're just blinking at him.

Jim looks up to Uhura, and scowls as she begins addressing the crowd with a professional easy smile in that sultry voice of hers.

There he was, thinking about all she could do for him and all his interests, not thinking about her and her interests. This...is a setback. But he knows what he wants now, and dammit, he's James T'Kirk and he doesn't believe in no-win scenarios.

A/N:

I told someone that even though I can imagine a bad Spock I can't imagine Uhura falling right into anyone's arms after a big breakup like that - and I can't even imagine her getting involved with someone in her chain of command. Hence the elapse of time.

One more chapter to-go, gotta do the "One Time/Happily Ever After"! So, are you happy for Uhura now, or kind of worried for her? *Snickers*

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