Moving onto the Enterprise was actually pretty cool. Jamie has never really had a space that belonged to her. Of course, someone was already in here.

"I like what you've done with the place." Jamie took a breath; she didn't know what to say to the Admiral standing in her quarters holding a holo of her with Bones' daughter, Joanna. How did he get on the ship and in her room without her knowing? "Your yeoman let me in, before you ask. Nice girl. I think I owe you an explanation."

Jamie sat down and watched Pike; he was standing but his chair was in the room. He explained that his anger at her being in command wasn't about her, it was about everyone's perceptions of her. He was asked, repeatedly, if they were engaged in a sexual relationship or if he had helped her grades in the academy by the brass during his briefings. There was a long list of officers waiting in the wings for her to fail just so they can take the ship. Jamie knew that the Admiralty was doing this for the PR. Pike was even assigned to keep an eye on her… that was part of his new job, keeping Jamie in line.

"You're gonna make mistakes, we all do. The difference is that everyone will be watching for yours. You're young, female, gorgeous and the daughter of a hero, you will always have to watch what you do. I'm upset because you don't get the growing pains that the rest of us had. You earned your stripes in battle, now you have to command in peace and it's not easy. I was hoping to let you grow and get comfortable before you took command of a ship, because I always knew you'd do it. And I am a little pissed that they gave my ship to a cadet, if only just a little."

Jamie smiled, "You think I can do this?"

He nodded, "Of course, you can. I just don't think you should until you've had a few more years. I hope you prove me wrong. It's what you do best. No matter what, I believe in you, kid." Pike sat down next to her, "There's something I want you to do."

Jamie nodded, "What, sir?"

"The Captain's Oath… I want to hear you say it."

Technically, the Captain's Oath was different depending on the command you got. Jamie knew the oath; she said it in Archer's office when she was officially named the commanding officer of the Enterprise. She figured that Pike just wanted to make sure she know what it meant, so she took a breath and said it.

"Firing thrusters and impulse engines at your command, ma'am," Sulu said as she stepped on the bridge.

Chekov spoke next, "Veapon systems and shields on standby."

"Dock control reports ready, Captain," Uhura said with a bright smile. Still not her favorite person but they'll work on it.

Jamie smiled, "Bones!" He gave her a look and huffed. "Buckle up." He mumbled something that she didn't hear as she sat in the command chair and hit the comm, "Scotty, how we doin'?"

She heard the smile in the engineer's voice, "Dilithium chambers at maximum, Captain. Get down!" Jamie chuckled; the last part must've been for Keenser.

"Sulu, prepare to engage thrusters," she ordered the helmsman; it was time to leave.

"Permission to come aboard, Captain," she looked at Spock as he stepped off the turbolift.

"Permission granted," she stood.

"As you have yet to select a first officer, respectfully I would like to submit my candidacy. Should you desire I can provide character references."

She smiled at Spock, "It would be my honor, Commander." He nodded in amusement –yes, Vulcan amusement- and made his way to the science station. Jamie sat down, "Maneuvering thrusters, Mister Sulu."

"Thrusters on standby," her pilot told her.

She took a breath, "Take us out."

He nodded, "Aye aye, Captain."

Paperwork was a bitch, especially when you piss off the brass. They just finished up a mission on Beta III dealing with the lost USS Archon. From what Pike didn't say, something else was going on down there. Jamie would bet a bottle of Orion Whiskey that Starfleet knew what that something was. She was just glad that her team didn't get themselves killed.

The young Captain was brought out of her thoughts by the buzzer to her door going off. "Enter." Jamie looked up from the PADD she was staring at as Sulu entered.

"Hey."

She smiled, "Hi. Wanna sit?" She shifted so that there was room for him to sit with her. "You alright?" she asked as she reached over and gently touched the bruise forming under his right eye. He nodded, caught her hand and kissed her palm.

"I'm sore but I'm better now."

"That was bold," Jamie smiled. Sweet but bold.

He shifted but didn't let go of her hand. "Wasn't too much?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No... That was a good one." She felt like a teenager, blushing like a school girl whenever he talked to her. Wouldn't be so bad, except Jamie and Hikaru talked to each other a lot and people were starting to notice. They weren't a couple like Spock and Uhura but that didn't stop crew members from wondering and talking about it. She could admit that there was a thing, she wasn't sure what it was but it was there.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before he touched her cheek, "You're tired."

"What gave me away?" Jamie asked with a sigh.

"I can tell," Hikaru said as he stood up and pulled the exhausted officer to her feet, "Come on, G.I. Jane, you gotta get some sleep." She would've argued but he was right and she didn't have the energy to fight with him. Jamie was already dressed for bed in a tank top and shorts so all she had to do was get in. This wasn't the first time that Hikaru had forced her to go bed; it was better than Bones and the hypos. Her favorite helmsman kissed her temple, "In you go."

She smiled as she laid down, "Stay."

He looked at her, "You sure? I mean people…"

"Already talk. I'm not asking you to have your way with me. Stay, please."

He nodded, "Okay." Hikaru tugged off his boots, pulled his shirts over his head and took off his pants before climbing into her bed. She ordered the computer to turn off the lights as wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest, "Better?"

"Much," Jamie sighed before she drifted off into the first peaceful sleep she's had since becoming Captain.

"Okay, okay, stop watching that," Hikaru groaned. She shook her head at him.

"Come on, Hiri… this is the best part," she chuckled.

They had an interesting few days. The ship was assigned to monitor the planet Psi 2000 as it disintegrated. Spock and Lieutenant Tormolen went to the surface to retrieve the six-person science team that was there only to find that they were dead.

Long story short, Tormolen brought back a contaminant and infected a bunch of the crew before he died. Bones fixed it but not before Jamie, Spock, Sulu, Nurse Chapel, Riley and plenty others caught it. Jamie has no memory of when she was under but Spock tells her that she wasn't as bad as some of the others. He had a breakdown about his mother, Riley took over the ship, Chapel professed her love for Spock but it was Sulu that make Jamie smile when she watched the footage.

He walked on the bridge, shirtless with katana in hand, and challenged the staff to a duel. Uhura got herself too close and he wrapped his arm around her waist, "I'll protect you, fair maiden."

The communications officer laughed, "Ha, keep dreaming."

Jamie wanted to laugh but she couldn't bring herself to. "Hey, Hiri," Jamie said. His attention turned to her as she moved closer and distracted him enough for Spock to give him that Vulcan nerve pinch thing. "Man, you gotta teach me that sometime."

Spock looked at the security officer next to him, "Take D'Artagnan here to sickbay."

"Spock made a Three Musketeers reference; I can't believe he said that. I can't believe I did that. I'm so sorry, Jamie."

She chuckled, "It wasn't your fault. You got infected when you and Kevin tried to help Tormolen… which is what you should've done. The infection was like extreme intoxication. It lowered everyone's inhibitions."

He smiled, "So what did you do?" She shrugged and told him what Spock told her about her love/hate rant over the Enterprise, her frustration at people only seeing her father's legacy when they look at her and how she apparently confessed her love for someone on the ship. "Who?"

She blushed, "Just some guy."

Hikaru took her hand, "Anybody I know?"

Jamie shrugged, "Maybe."

"You know… I don't like to be summoned," she said with a smile as she entered the hydroponics lab.

Sulu was leaning against a work station, "I know but I want to show you something."

Jamie never came in here unless it had to do with a mission; she's a danger to plant life. Sulu, on the other hand, loves this place. He's got a ton of science proficiencies but botany seemed to be his favorite. Most of the lab was for official work and fresh fruits and vegetables but there was a section designated for pet projects and relaxing. Jamie followed Sulu to that section of the lab.

He stopped then looked at her, "You'll like this." He moved to stand behind her and Jamie looked at the flower growing in a small basin of water.

"That... that's a Chocolate Cosmo." Chocolate Cosmos are flowers native to Mexico that were all but extinct. They are this beautiful red, maroon-like color and they smelled like chocolate.

"It is," Sulu chuckled.

She faced him, "Aren't they almost extinct?"

"Yes, they are," he smiled. "Well, in the wild they are. I engineered this one for a girl."

Jamie smiled, "Must be some girl."

Hikaru nodded, "I happen to think she is. Happy Birthday, Jamie."

They took the ship from her. She knew it was coming but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Jamie took the punishment with her head held high. Fuck them if they think she was going to apologize for stopping Nibiru from being destroyed. She didn't argue with Pike when he told her, which shocked the hell out of him. She simply said, "Lives are more important than regulations. I've watched too many people die to ever apologize for saving someone. If it costs me my command, so be it."

"You okay?" It was Sulu knocking on her door.

"Nope. You heard already?"

He nodded and she let him in, "Just the senior staff. Pike is keeping everyone but Spock… he's getting transferred and you're Pike's new first."

"Yep… they took her from me and they're forcing me to swallow a demotion on my own damn ship," Jamie sighed. Sulu pulled her into a hug and she rested her head on his shoulder. "April was right."

Robert April was the captain of the old Enterprise who was believed dead until Jamie, Spock, Sulu and Hendorff found him on Phaedus IV in the middle of a civil war. He managed to take control of her ship for a little while.

As pissed off as she was, something he said struck a chord with her, "Feeling trapped? Forced into making choices you don't want to make? They promote us because we show leadership and initiative… because we show that we make the tough choices that others can't… but once we're in the chair, they bind us with their rules and take away everything that got us the job in the first place. The Prime Directive is just a fancy way to say 'do nothing'. Sit by and watch while whole species die."

He was right. Leaving people to die wasn't in her playbook… it just wasn't. April may have went about helping the Phaedans the wrong way but she didn't fault him for it and she told Spock as much. All this technology and knowledge is useless if not to help others.

"You did the right thing, Jamie. Even if the brass doesn't see it."

"You think so?" she mumbled into his chest. Jamie felt him chuckle.

"I was there too. I know so. We all do. If it wasn't for the fact that they were keeping you on the ship, we all would've walked. I don't think Pike likes any of this, either. I got the impression that he doesn't want your chair but he's taking it so they don't give it to some random officer that we don't know."

He was trying his damnedest to make her feel better but it wasn't helping. Before she could say anything, her communicator beeped. It was Pike; they were being called to an emergency session at HQ.

"I gotta go, something's going on."

He kissed her temple, "Go change and I'll drive."

She kissed him on the cheek, "You're a good person, Hiri."

He smiled, "So are you."

"I believe in you, kid."

Jamie has had her fair share of bad days and this… this was a very bad day. "Attention, crew of the Enterprise. As most of you know, Christopher Pike, former Captain of this ship, and our friend… is dead. The man who killed him has fled our system and is hiding on the Klingon homeworld, somewhere he believes we are unwilling to go. We are on our way there now. Per Admiral Marcus, it is essential that our presence go undetected. Tensions between the Federation and the Klingon Empire have been high, any provocation could lead to an all out war."

She glanced at Spock before she continued, "I will personally lead a landing party to an abandoned city on the surface of Qo'noS, where we will capture the fugitive John Harrison, and return him to Earth so he can face judgment for his actions. Alright, let's go get this son of a bitch, Kirk out."

Spock walked over to her, "Captain, I believe you made the right decision. If I can be of assistance, I would be happy to accompany you on the away team."

"You, happy?" Jamie asked with a laugh.

"I was simply attempting to use your vernacular to convey an idea."

"Thank you, Mister Spock," she smiled. She knew that she should've let another ship take this mission. They were too close, she was too close. Pike is dead. He died in Spock's arms after that lunatic shot up the Daystrom conference room with them in it.

Marcus ordered them to shoot a bunch of torpedoes at Harrison, the man responsible, but Jamie wasn't going to. Shooting anything at the Klingon homeworld is not on the table today, especially since the ship is disabled. Chekov was standing in for Scotty who quit when Jamie asked him to sign for the torpedoes. Jamie's heart broke but she wasn't going to ask her friend to go against his morals.

"Sulu, time to our destination?" she looked at the helmsman.

He glanced at her, "Twenty minutes, ma'am. But that's twenty minutes in enemy space that we weren't counting on."

"Guess we better hop to it," Jaime nodded. She turned to face Uhura and Spock. "Lieutenant, how's your Klingon?"

Uhura stood tall, "It's rusty, but it's good."

"Good, you're coming with," the captain told the other woman. "This isn't gonna be a problem, is it? You two, working together?"

The communications officer answered first, "Absolutely not."

After Uhura gave him a look and walked away, Spock replied, "Unclear."

"I'll meet you in the shuttle bay," Jamie sighed. She didn't need whatever drama they had going on. Spock nodded and left the bridge to get ready.

"Jim, you're not actually going down there, are you?" Bones walked over to her and asked. "You don't rob a bank when the getaway car has a flat tire."

Jamie smiled and hit the comm for Engineering, "I'm sure Engineering will have us all patched up by the time we get back. Isn't that right, Mister Chekov?"

"Yes, Keptin. I'll do my best, ma'am," Chekov told her.

Jamie took a breath and looked at Hikaru, "Mister Sulu, you have the con. Once we're on route, I want you to transmit a targeted comm-burst to Harrison's location. You tell him you have bunch of real big torpedoes pointed at his head. If he doesn't play nice, you're not afraid to use 'em." A look she's never seen before crossed his features. "Is that a problem?"

"No, ma'am," Hikaru sighed. "I've just never sat in the chair before."

"You're gonna do great, Hikaru," Jamie smiled. She needed to go get ready but her best friend stopped her before she got to the door.

"Jim, wait… You just sat that man down at a high stakes poker game with no cards and told him to bluff. Now, Sulu's a good man, but he is no Captain."

"Well, for the next two hours he is. Look, I know you and Spock are getting a kick outta questioning every fucking decision I make but you know me well enough to know that I would cut off my arm before I left anyone in command of this ship who couldn't handle it. Sulu is one hell of an officer. He's got this." Bones nodded as other crew members looked on. Jamie had another thought, "And enough with the metaphors, alright? That's an order." Jamie walked towards the exit, she stopped long enough to issue an order, "Mister Sulu, make sure that the K'normian ship is ready to fly." She didn't wait for a reply, she knew he'd take care of it.

She went into her quarters and changed into jeans, a loose tank top, her favorite leather jacket and her old-school combat boots before grabbing clothes for the security officers. She, Spock and Uhura met on the turbolift and heard Sulu over the intercom, "Acting Captain Sulu to shuttle bay two. Please have the trade ship we confiscated during April/Mudd incident last month, fueled and flight ready. Captain Kirk is on route to you right now."

"Mister Sulu, I think we found our man. You let him know you mean business."

"Aye, Captain," he replied over the comm. A few seconds later they all listened to him, "Attention, John Harrison. This is Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Enterprise. A shuttle of highly trained officers is on its way to your location. If you do not surrender to them immediately, I will launch our entire payload of advanced long-range torpedoes, currently locked on to your location. You have two minutes to confirm your compliance. Refusal to so will result in your obliteration. If you test me, you will fail."

Holy shit! She was leaving him in the chair more often. That was equal parts badass, scary and hot. She shared a glance with Uhura, who nodded her agreement.

Jamie flew the team through the area and listened to Spock as he explained to Uhura –and Jamie- that he did care despite what both women thought. The moment was ruined by the Klingons showing up and forcing them to land.

Uhura tried to talk to them but it didn't really help. Harrison –the Harrison they were sent to destroy- saved their asses and then he surrendered. She hit him… hard… a lot. She's only human.