Jane had just exited Jack's office when two Starfleet officers dressed in formal uniform approached her.

"Jane Kirk?" The older one of the pair asked her looking her over from head and toe; obviously not matching the tired, worn out eight months pregnant woman in front of him to the glossy Star Fleet poster girl Captain she had been.

"Yes" Jane answered curiously; what the fuck did Starfleet want? They had not tried to contact her once since she had sent the genetic matching to both them and Spock nearly a month ago now. So why were they bothering now?

"My name is Lieutenant Pierce and this" He gestured to his companion "Is Lieutenant Kent. We have been ordered to retrieve you and to bring both you and Captain Spock to Starfleet head quarters." Pierce informed her.

Jane raised one eyebrow at him (At least being bonded to Spock had allowed her to learn that trick!) "I don't think so" She told him flatly "As I am no longer a Starfleet officer you have no right to detain me or to give me orders."

Jane flinched as she heard Jack's office open and then heard the familiar footsteps of her husband as he exited the office.

"Jane is correct." The Vulcan Captain told the two officers "As she is no longer a member of Starfleet, you do not have any authority over her to demand she accompanies you anywhere. As per regulation 345, section 57 – which states no Starfleet officer has the right to take a civilian into Starfleet custody or protection unless they are in danger or it is a matter of Starfleet security"

Obviously his Vulcan hearing had allowed him to overhear their demands.

Jane rolled her eyes; at least she could always count on Spock to know and be able to correctly quote Starfleet regulations.

"See boys" She told them, a fake smile on her face "Not going." And with that she attempted to walk past them but she quickly found her path blocked.

"Please Miss Kirk" Lieutenant Pierce told her regretfully "Do not make this any harder than it has to be; we have our orders from Admiral Pike. We are to escort you to Starfleet"

Reaching out to take her arm, the Lieutenant quickly drop it a second later when Spock intervened harshly ordering him to "Remove your hands from my bondmate, Lieutenant"

After one look at the placid yet obviously enraged Vulcan's face and realising his mistake the officer did so quickly.

"What does Pike want?" Jane asked him tiredly; would this day never end? It did not look like she was going to get to go home to rest anytime soon.

"I was not privy to that information" The man told her stiffly "But I would imagine it is pertinent to Starfleet security" He sent this piece of information to a stony face Spock.

"If I do not go with you, Starfleet is just going to harass me until I give in aren't they?" Jane said realistically.

"I would not use those terms" Pierce told her stiffly "But as it is of apparent upmost importance that you report to base I would say essentially you are correct."

"Fine" Jane threw her hands up in the air "At least it will give me a chance to give the fleet and Pike a piece of my mind." She smiled maliciously at the officers and Spock "And believe me after their treatment of me, I have quite a few things I would like to say."

The ride to the San Francisco's Starfleet headquarter one was an awkward one full of tense silence as she resolutely ignored Spock and the other Starfleet officers presence; she may of been left little choice but to accompany them but it did not mean she had to appreciate their heavy handed tactics.

After the blessedly quick ride to Starfleet headquarters Jane quickly found herself, and Spock, hustled towards what she quickly recognized as the quickest route to Pikes office and before she knew it she was staring at the door of her former commanding officer and mentor.

Watching as Pierce gave a sharp knock at the door Jane swallowed heavily as she heard Pikes familiar voice call out "Enter."

Kent quickly opened the door and gestured for both her and Spock to enter.

"Admiral" He addressed the man behind the desk "Captain Spock and Miss Kirk as ordered."

"Thank you Lieutenant" Pike told his subordinate gravely as he looked at his former protégé and the woman both he and the entire flee had treated so wrongly "You may leave now."

Both Pierce and Kent sharply saluted before spinning around and hastily exiting the room.

"Jane please have a seat" Pike gestured towards the overstuffed chair at the other side of his desk.

Her feet aching, as is common at the late stage of pregnancy Jane was presently in, Jane sank down into the chair before fixing Pike with a deadly glare "Would you be so kind as to explain why I was extended such a gracious invitation by your goons to come visit you?"

Pike winced; he knew Jane would not take kindly to being ordered to Starfleet HQ but he had had no choice; he had no time to prepare or retrieve her himself as he had spent most of the morning in meetings concerning what had happened to make this meeting so important.

"As you can imagine" Pike began, tiredly rubbing one hand over his eyes – it had been early morning when command had woke him up with this... problem "As soon as Starfleet was informed via your lawyers letter about the genetic profile that invalidates all of Starfleet's charges against you relating to your dishonourable conduct due to behaviour unfitting an officer we began to send out feelers through all the planets you had last contact with to see how this... unfortunate situation arose."

"My pregnancy" Jane stated firmly "Is not an unfortunate situation; I love and want my child."

"As do I" Spock interjected softly

Pike winced; that is not what he had meant "You misunderstand me, Jane" He told her "I meant the unfortunate situation that led to you being dishonourably discharged and grounded on earth, the circumstances that led to yours and Spock conceiving even though he is clinically sterile, a fact that led to Spock's and your entire crew belief that you had been unfaithful to him and that your pregnancy was a product of your extramarital affair. "

"I think" Jane told him tartly "That would be obvious. It would be through the lack of respect and trust shown to me by my supposed nearest and dearest" At this she looked accusingly at Spock.

"A regrettable but understandable event" Pike sighed "You must know Jane that Spock has submitted to further testing from Starfleet medical since we learnt the truth about your conception; and all test come back negative towards him being able to father children."

"We concluded therefore that your pregnancy was made possible via alien intervention; possibly using technology we ourselves have no knowledge of."

"Fascinating" Jane said in a slightly patronizing tone; did Pike have a point here?

"A fact" He went on "That was proven today when we received a transmission from the high command of V'tga.

"V'tga?" Jane probed through her memory before recalling the lovely tranquil planet and the tall, lavender humanoids that inhabited it.

Beings that she and the Enterprise had made first contact with over 9 months ago; just before they started star charting.

There had been a few language barriers between the V'tgas and the Enterprise crew. The V'tga's had a complex language made up of both words, telepathic communication as well as body language so despite Uhura and the Universal Translators best efforts it had sometimes been hard to translate the meanings behind their actions.

But for once the natives had been friendly and very hospitable and a trade agreement had been quickly if roughly hammered out by Kirk, Spock and the V'tga's representatives; with plans for it to be followed up by trained diplomats at another time.

"Yes" Pike replied heavily "Do you recall their parting gift to you?"

"A plant?" Jane guessed hazily.

If memory served correct it was a plant as lavender as its givers.

A plant that the high T'achi of V'tgas had been most insistent should be both kept in Jane's quarters and be used to make a sweet tea for Jane to consume each morning.

The first cup of fore mention tea had been given to her in the gifting ceremony at a time where she could hardly refuse and it had been quickly scanned by bones and deemed drinkable with no foreseeable medicinal benefits or even any side effects.

She had enjoyed it so much that with further study by her protective CMO and with his approval, after he had scanned it for god knows what; she had begun to enjoy a cup of it with her breakfast.

"Why" Jane brow furrowed; it's not like a plant and a cup of tea could get her knocked up. If anything Spock would have had to drink it to make that viable and he hadn't; he had steadfastly refused when she had offered him a cup a couple of times.

Human and Vulcan's taste buds were completely different.

"According to the representative that commed us today it is a fertility plant used by unfertile couples on Vtga to achieve conception. Apparently the woman drinks the tea which boosts her fertility and changes some chemical in her body that enhances sperm viability. The plant then releases an inhalable chemical that makes the male partner sperm fertile when he" Pike closed his eyes blushing profusely "Ejaculates into the tea drinking woman mixing their essences and bonding both chemicals together to ensure viable sperm. Or so I understand the process"

Jane blushed as well at that; this was just like having the birds and bees talk with your parents.

"So this is how Jane became pregnant with my child?" Spock questioned. "Yet how did they know about... our troubles in that department."

"Further investigation of the V'ga people have shown them to be empathetic not just telepathic, I would suppose one of our newest friends sensed it."

"And being a race who placed high regards on child bearing and families they decided to rectify our situation?" Jane concluded

"Yes" Pike confirmed before turning to face Jane and Spock "You must understand however that the downside of this is when Spock provide specimens of his sperm for testing without you, Jane, being in the picture it is still unviable. It is only when you has been drinking the tea and you have been engaging in sexual relations that his sperm will be fertile."

Turning to face Jane "That is why Spock's results kept on come back sterile; it is a two part process and to be viable his sperm needs to come in contact with your... "He left it hanging still blushing.

"Yet if either Spock or Starfleet had bothered to throw out any 'feelers' eight months ago we could have discovered the truth back then; without me being thrown out of Starfleet and being rejected as a slut and a whore by everyone I have every loved."

"Starfleet takes full responsibility for their lack of investigation into this unfortunate matter" Pike told her "I have orders from command and with your approval, the brass is willing to reinstate your commission and I am in the process of organizing the overturning of your dishonourable discharge and the back paying of all monies and wages owed to you."

"While I will welcome the monies owing to me and the written and public apology I am sure that the admiralty and high command is in the middle of issuing me" Jane gave Pike a hard stare "Please tell me why I want to rejoin an organization that has show so little faith in me? That has treated me so disgustingly? I have" She told Pike "No plans of taking my wayward bondmate back so why should I forgive Starfleet when they have tarred me with the same brush he did?"