7.

Two years later…

It was inevitable. The moment Jim noticed the two women passing by them…

"Hello, ladies."

The fact that he hadn't tripped down the stairs while doing it would've been impressive – if it wasn't a usual occurrence. Jim seemed to keep his eyes on every woman that crossed his path, it was something Leonard 'Bones' McCoy had come to learn in the three years he'd known him.

And once said ladies has passed, Jim turned his attention back to Bones, "I'm taking the test again."

And Bones almost tripped on the stairs himself, "You got to be kidding me."

"Yeah, tomorrow morning and I want you there."

"You know, I've got better things to do than to watch you embarrass yourself for a third time. I'm a doctor, Jim, I'm busy."

"Bones, it doesn't bother you that no one's ever passed the test?"

"Jim, it's the Kobayashi Maru. No one passes the test, and no one goes back for seconds, let alone thirds."

The Kobayashi Maru was a training exercise used to test a Starfleet member's decision-making skills in a high stress situation. It was a test that wasn't meant to be passed. It presented the ultimate no-win scenario.

And speaking of no-win scenarios…

There she was. Blonde hair pulled up. Bag slung over her shoulder. Uniform on. Striding confidently to wherever she was going.

"See you later, Bones," Kirk bade dismissively and quickly headed down the path.

Jim Kirk had just reached her, and opened his mouth, when he heard a very firm and resounding, "No."

It had become habit now. Nearly every time Jim crossed her path, he would inevitably ask, "One drink."

And every time Buffy would say, "No."

Kirk turned to face her, walking backwards in the process. "Come on."

And again, "No."

In the past three years, Jim hadn't been this interested in a girl since he discovered he was interested in girls. Sure, he flirted, and sometimes slept with, most of the women he came across. Uhura constantly evaded him, naturally, but there was something about Buffy Summers. Beautiful, stubborn, mysterious, Buffy Summers that made him hang on a little bit longer. She hadn't been around much the last two years, off on missions and away from the academy since she graduated. And every time he saw she was either heading somewhere, preoccupied by her PADD, or in Pike's office. If she ever fraternized with other cadets, he never saw it. Then again, he was busy 'fraternizing' with cadets himself.

"It's just a drink."

Buffy stopped walking, "Not according to the many, many women I know."

People talked and sometimes those people talked around Buffy who couldn't help but eavesdrop on the gossip.

Kirk smiled and stepped closer, "So you've been asking about me?"

In the last three years it had become habit. He would ask and she'd say no. Jim Kirk had built up a reputation since being at Starfleet and Buffy was not interested in being involved with his reputation. When he first started asking, she knew it was all a game to him, one in which she was not interested in playing. Then there was that whole thing about learning the entirety of the new world she now lived in, which came with plenty of backlog history to understand. She had to learn customs, new world orders and technology she was wholly unprepared for. And for a girl who nearly failed Keyboarding 101 in high school, it was not an easy thing to do. So, she said no and continued to say no.

Buffy had tried dating, a failed of two experiments, and she tried having flings, a failure of one experiment. Blips on her radar that were barley worth remembering. She just wasn't ready for anything serious or casual. She barely had footing on her life and that meant no Jim Kirk. Ever.

"No. But I'm very capable of learning from their mistakes."

Jim couldn't help it, she was so close, and he leaned in a little bit more, close enough to smell the vanilla scent of her hair. "But at least it'll be a fun mistake."

Buffy humored Kirk because he was relatively harmless. He flirted, a lot. It was almost his schtick at this point, and though she'd never admit it to anyone, she wavered on exactly one occasion two years ago. He was cute and charming – and she wanted to forget life for a moment. Luckily, she snapped out of it when she saw him flirting with the waitress…and the other waitress…and the bartender…

One random night, Buffy had stopped by a local bar for a drink after leaving Pike's apartment. Frustrated of how Starfleet kept treating her as an anomaly that should be routinely tested, she wanted to not think. She was a glass of wine and two fruity and a half drinks in when she saw Kirk near the bar. Her emotions and hormones were heightened, her judgment was dampened, and she was tired of being little Miss Lonely. She finished the rest of her cocktail, rose from her seat determined to be reckless for one night and was just about to head over when she saw him flirting with the waitress…and the other waitress…and the bartender – impulse died right then and there, and she left. That was the first and last time Buffy allowed herself to be reeled in by Jim Kirk – even if he didn't know it.

Buffy was very much sober now and levelheaded enough to not be taken by his boyish charms.

"That's not what I heard," she shot back.

Jim reeled back. "Wh-what did you hear?"

Buffy smiled slightly and said nothing as she stepped around him.

But Jim couldn't let it pass. "Come on. What did they say?"

Buffy turned back to face him, steps still in motion, "Don't you have a test to study for?"

Then she turned back around leaving a puzzled Jim behind her. A Jim with a slightly bruised ego – slightly.

Taking the test once caused some whispers, but taking the test three times caused some gossip. Buffy wasn't surprised when she heard Jim's third attempt at the Kobiyashi Muru, it was in his nature. Something she admired but would never tell him. His ego, bruised or not, was already so big, she was surprised he could get through doorways.

Walking into Pike's office, Buffy slipped off her bag and took a seat in front of his desk. "Did you know Kirk was taking the Kobiyashi Muru again?"

Pike gave a small snort of amusement, eyes still on the device he was currently tapping on. "He is determined."

"I think you mean pig-headed."

Pike smiled. "You know, I'm surprised you can walk around with that giant chip on your shoulder."

Buffy pouted. "It's not a chip."

"Boulder then?"

Buffy narrowed her eyes. "I hate you."

"Yep, that's why you're here every day."

"It's not every day."

"Just the days with daylight, then?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and ignored hm. She reached down and fished around her bag, pulling out something bulky and had not been common for ages.

And that's when Pike focused his attention on her. "Why do you insist on collecting those things?"

Buffy sighed quietly. "Nostalgia, mostly. They make me feel…I don't know. It's like a piece of home. And it's nice having that. Small proof that my past existed in comfy, normal ways."

It had been half a decade since Buffy awoke from her cocoon. A confused butterfly in a strange new world. Pike often forgot how lonely she could be, living in a world that had grown far past the one she remembered. He had grown used to her presence so much that it was hard to remember a time she wasn't in his life.

So, Pike nodded and gave her a sad smile, there wasn't much he could say – but he did hold out his hand so he could inspect her relic.

Buffy eyed his open palm warily, "It took me four months to find this, so be careful."

Pike nodded humoring her, "I'll do my best."

Carefully, she placed the book in his hands. A hardback with a bright illustration on the worn cover. Of a boy with dark hair and glasses.

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

Buffy gave a proud nod. "I'm up to five out of the seven books. And it hasn't been easy, I tell ya."

"Where do you even find these?"

"If there's one thing I've learned, it's that people love holding onto their junk," she responded. "Two were a gift as you remember," she said and he nodded. "The others in antique stores, which is still highly disturbing to me, or through a friend of a friend of a friend."

Pike opened the book and a sense of familiarity he shouldn't have been able to feel washed over him. There was something about the feel of rough pages between his fingers that gave him a sense of wistfulness. Of black printed words on paper that would never glow. The smell of mustiness and the sight of near invisible fibers that permeated the air. A piece of Earth's past, of shared knowledge for generations to come.

Buffy saw the confusion and reverence on his face. A tug gripped her heart. Giles. How he had loved books and knowledge. How he gently fingered pages like they would break, just like Pike was doing now. With a silent, deep breath, Buffy shook off the memory and focused on Pike and his curiosity over ink and shredded trees. This was home now. And Pike…Pike was someone she will forever be grateful for.

"Have you seen the movies?" he asked, focus still on the book pages he flipped.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "The originals. The remakes. And the remakes of the remakes."

Pike gave a short laugh. "I guess you can call them modern Shakespeare."

Buffy snorted at the suggestion and Pike smiled as he handed her book back to her.

And they soon settled in a quiet comfort for hours, Buffy reading her antiquated book and Pike reading reports on his high-tech device of glowing light.