Chapter 10 – Just a Kiss

The night was still young. Kirk had worked extra hard to make sure everything was right. that no one would bother them. Because they had made contact with the world they were currently hovering around, he was constantly getting called up even when he wanted to be alone. He saw the disappointment in Sarah's eyes when he'd barely been able to say hello and give her a happy birthday peck on the forehead before someone asked for his approval on something or another. He swore Sarah should also be in recon with how silent the little squirrel was and how easily she slipped away. Ugh!

Finally, FINALLY, he managed to escape it all, calling Sarah to meet him at the Halo Deck which he had reserved and told Spock to take care of whatever he could, giving his Official Captain Approval to sign anything and everything he deemed necessary that came his way that night. From what he understood she hadn't even bothered, letting her sister have all the fun. Well! Tonight that would change. He grinned as he stood in front of the double sliding doors, dressed in a simple white t-shirt that clung to his body, and black slacks with blue-black dress shoes. He was giddy, and while she constantly teased him about his "perfect hair" he made sure to comb it about three minutes ago.

Sarah sighed for the hundredth time since Bria had practically kicked her out of her room to go down to see Jim. She tried to tell her that he was busy, and she didn't want to interrupt him. Not that Bria tolerated it, insisting that she go anyway. So...there she was walking down the hall to the Halo Deck where Kirk was supposed to be waiting. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, just that...she didn't want to trouble him with something as trivial as her birthday when he had to run a /whole ship/. Oh well...

Putting on a smiled when she saw his figure, Sarah blushed lightly at seeing him in something other than his uniform. He looked freaking hot, actually whereas she must look sloppy in her favorite pair of worn blue jeans and size-too-big wolf t-shirt, /and/ wearing flip-flops. Maybe she should have listened to Bria and dressed up a bit, but she really wanted comfort clothes. "Hey, sorry. If I had known you were going to call me here I would have dressed nicer."

"That's perfectly alright, you won't be in that long with what I have planned," Jim thoroughly enjoyed her wide eyes and whole her whole face turned into a ruby, "/Not/ like that, though your reaction is what I was going for." He laughed heartily, and motioned to her, holding out his hand, "Have you eaten? Be honest, because depending on your answer I can do two different things." He pressed the code to open the Halo Deck and the doors swished open.

"You and Bria love to make me blush. It's not fair." Shaking her head, Sarah took the man's hands as she fumbled with her ever present necklace. "I actually forgot to eat honestly. I guess I was just...caught up with other stuff and it never clicked since I opted out of cake."

"You don't like cake?" Jim asked curiously, blinking, and they stepped inside. The doors swished behind them and he pressed the security code to keep everybody else out, but they could leave. Honestly she looked adorable in what she was wearing, "Okay, I'll start simple." He went to the consol and his fingers flew across the buttons. Soon, the room shimmered and changed, creating a cozy, romantic, indoor restaurant. Their table was by a small mote area with a half-wall protecting it and keeping people from falling in. It was set up already with food and candles...food that Jim had learned were Sarah's favorites, and he hadn't tried some of it, so there was plenty for both. The candles were her favorite scents, too.

Sarah's eyes widened as she took in room, blushing at how everything had such a warm feeling. The explanation that she hadn't simply felt like having cake at the time died on her lips instantly. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the warm vanilla and sandalwood scent from the candles as well as the delicious scents of the food. The brunette opened her eyes to glance at the eatable items and grinned at the display. Being a woman of simple tastes, there was ramen and sweet and sour chicken, stuffed mushrooms, fruits, and a few others. Oh, she felt absolutely spoiled, "W-wow, okay one: you didn't have to do this, two: I /really/ under dressed for this."

"No you didn't," Jim looked sheepish with a soft tint to his cheeks, "Take another look."

Confused, Sarah looked down at her clothes only...they /weren't/ the clothes she had on a moment ago. Instead of her comfort clothes, she now wore a plain, navy blue blouse with a snug fitting, long sleeve pull-over, nice tan dress pants, and black flats. Utterly amazed by this, Sarah giddily turned in place, grinning at how it felt /real/. She even tugged at the pull-over to see if it moved separately from the blouse, which it did. "This is just too cool." Sarah looked back at the Captain, blushing at his admiring look, "Thanks."

"When you leave it'll change back to the clothes you came here in," he smiled, "Food's real and will stay in your stomach, though. I had this all planned out. I hope what you're wearing isn't too snug, Bria had to tell me your size." Jim walked over to her and took her hand, leaning down and pressing his forehead to hers affectionately. They'd both been too shy to kiss, which was odd for him in the first place, but Sarah was special and deserved to be treated as such, so this worked fine, "Happy 26th birthday, Sarah."

Sarah smile shyly up at Jim, her heart skipping a beat with how his tone was soft yet firm enough that she had no doubt he meant it. She...never felt so special before as she felt right then looking into his gorgeous blue eyes. "Thank you, Jim." she managed to get out without stumbling over her words.

"Let's dine," Jim kissed her forehead and then led her to the table, pulling out the chair for her before going to his own seat. "Most of this stuff I've never had before. I know they're all your favorites, but what are you going to have first? You've had a couple of these on our lunch dates in the mess hall, but Bria said some of them you haven't had in a long time." He rubbed the back of his neck, "It may seem like Bria basically planned this for me, but I swear I tried to go off of what I already knew."

"I believe you," Sarah giggled, "I'm just...hard to get information from, so going to Bria is a reasonable resort." She looked over the foods excitedly before picking what she wanted first; stuffed mushrooms. Her eyes softened as she put some on her plate. "I haven't had these since my mother made them...I guess I just...forgot about them. I forgot about a lot of these foods, actually."

"What was she like? If you don't mind my asking," Jim asked gently, deciding on taking one of the two small bowls of ramen, "Tell me about your family." He wasn't much of a mushroom person, so there was only just enough for her. He had told her about his, it was only fair, though she didn't have to.

"Well...I guess I had a typical family. A mom, dad, two older sisters, and an older brother." Sarah shrugged thoughtfully as she poked at the mushrooms with her fork. "My mom...she was a strong woman. Whenever something happened to me, she was right there to comfort me. When I was little and had nightmares, I would run into hers and my dad's room with a blanket and my pillow and lay down on the floor on her side of the bed. I always woke up the next morning cuddled in her arms. She'd even take off work if I was sick to look after me."

"She still stayed loving, strict, protective, and clingy as I grew up. In my late teen years, I found this annoying. I guess...I never realized that one day I wouldn't have her around, so opted to have my independence...I...I miss her..." Sarah swallowed and forced back the stinging in her eyes. "I miss all of them really...even my knuckle-head brother...but especially my sisters and my parents. My dad was the comedian. I got my humor from him, or should I say I learned it from him. He was stern, though, and was thick headed at times, but I loved him nonetheless. My sisters were loving, irritating, and wonderful like Bria. I just...I just wish I could have at least had a chance to say goodbye."

"I totally get it," Jim reached out and squeezed her hand, "Don't cry, baby," he soothed. He hated seeing her sad, "I can tell you this for sure...they'd be proud of you and how fare you've come. The results from your tests came back from the Federation today...they instantly promoted you to Lieutenant. They were highly impressed with your knowledge, and they've been having someone research Fylakas history."

Sarah sat speechless as her lips tugged up into a smile, the warmth of his hand easing the ache in her heart, "R-really? That's great!" She bowed her head for a moment and rubbed away the liquid trying to seep out of her eyes. It was her birthday after all, and she had such a wonderful man there to celebrate it with her. "It would be really cool to know about those like Bria and me...I'm sorry to a mood dampener. How about we get back to eating before it gets cold?"

He was relieved and he nodded, giving her hand one more squeeze before letting go. He found he rather enjoyed ramen, and after they had eaten a good portion of their food he spoke up again, "It's not uncommon for science and engineering officers to be promoted faster than tactics or even medical officers, because the latter have to prove themselves on the field where you and Spock and Scotty take care of the fine details and make sure everything works right. Not that you don't fight ever, but that's the /general/ operation."

"Really? Well that's cool, it means Bria is exceptional. She's always been that way to me at least. I'm just the typical Mary Sue." Sarah grinned, moving onto the ramen. Because it had been rather easy to find and carry, the sisters had ate quite a bit of ramen over the years. Simple to fix, quick, and it could even be eaten dry if they couldn't stop to eat. Having to eat the dish constantly never dampened her love for it. "So what about you? What did you do to become Captain? I mean I honestly wouldn't have pictured you as a Captain, no offence. You just...seem young for the job."

"That's a long story, though I guess it'll help pass the time until we're done eating," Jim chuckled, "In my 'before' story I left off with the bar fight...well, Christopher Pike the Captain of Starfleet Enterprise at the time stopped me and talked to me afterwards while I had tissue hanging from my nose. After thinking about it, I decided 'why the hell not?' and by morning I was at the shuttle base. That's where I met Bones..." he rambled off his story, pausing only to eat or drink, laughing at parts, getting pissed off at others, and was genuinely upset with himself when he mentioned the fight with Spock to 'emotionally compromise' him after Planet Vulcan had been destroyed and his mother killed. Then the fight with Nero and just barely making it out of the gravity force of the black hole. Then the promotion back at the Academy and assigning Spock as his First Officer and taking off for their next adventure.

"I still haven't apologized to the guy...though I guess it's just a mutual, silent agreement not to talk about it," he sighed and shook his head. The table had been empty of food for a while now, and he looked at Sarah and her expression, "So, there you have it, how I became Captain."

Sarah gave a half smile as she messed with her fork, "Why don't you try when you see him again? A belated apology is better than none. It'll clear your mind and settle any negative thoughts that may or may not still linger. Who knows, Spock may surprise you, but one thing is certain: you'll never know if you don't try." It clearly bothered the man that he had to do such a thing to Spock. Maybe it would help them both if he apologized.

"I'll think about it," he smiled and nodded, "Well, shall we move on to the main event?" He stood up and scooted in his chair back in, and waited until Sarah stood as well, "Computer, end simulation." The room shimmered back to normal, Sarah gaining her previous clothes. Jim walked over and took her hand again, bringing her closer to the wall and made her face it, "Now, stand right here and close your eyes. No peeking." He murmured in her ear, and made sure she did as he asked before jogging back to the console. After entering in the code, he watched as the room transformed into a large ballroom with people dancing around and random chatter.

Glancing down at himself he saw the white and gold royal tunic, black pants and brown boots. Walking over to Sarah, he stood a little breathless at how she appeared. He had guessed correctly where the window was going to be, and her reflection was crystal clear. Swallowing thickly, he joined her, and placed his hands on her arms just below the sheer blue "jacket that cut off at the middle of her back and barely covered her shoulders, "You can open your eyes now."

Suppressing a shudder at the warmth of his hands, Sarah opened her eyes excitedly. What she saw made her breathless, eyes wide, mouth agape, and nothing like a lady she was dressed like. She stared at the navy blue dress in the reflection of the window, her hands shakily moving to the sequenced corset top and down a bit again to the fabric. It...looked just like the night sky with white beads and patterns scattered across the main of the dress. Now the woman had been in some pretty dresses before, particularly her prom dresses which were silver and blue, in their respected order for the years, but this...She felt like a princess, a beautiful one at that. "I, heh..." Sarah tried to say, trembling as she brought a hand up to her mouth, "I-it's beautiful...I-I love it."

Stepping away, she turned to Kirk and immediately blushed at the sight of him in his prince-like attire. Oh he was /spoiling/ her! And the ball room too! It was /huge/, full of dancing people and all the workings of a party. This...this was the second best birthday ever, right next to her first one she shared with Bria. It was like he had picked it out of a dream. Sarah would actually have a fairytale ending...or at least a fairytale night. "I...I don't know what to say."

"Let me fix that," Jim was grinning ear to ear and he stepped back one more step and bowed to her, one arm going across his stomach, the other doing a flourish, "My I have this dance, mi'lady?" key-word activated, a lovely piano tune started up, and he held his hand out to her, looking up though his blond eyelashes with his sky blue eyes.

Blushing darker, as per usual, Sarah let out a breathy laugh as she curtsied before taking his hand, "How can I refuse, good sir?" Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she half worried that it might bust as he pulled her close to begin the dance. Before he could begin, however, Sarah stopped him, "Um...I-I've never danced before." Always one to watch, but never had the opportunity to partake. The story of her past. Now she felt bad too, he went to such lengths to even match a song- which was...familiar, but she couldn't quite place the tone- to his words just to play at the right moment, and she couldn't dance. And she had agreed to dance too! "I'm sorry."

"Just let me lead," he murmured and without anymore protest he spun them onto the dance floor. He had listened to the original song after asking Bria about it, and then after falling in long with it, he looked up a piano version. He'd listened to both over and over again until the words were stuck in his head, "I've never opened up to anyone..." he sung softly under his breath, "So hard to hold back when I'm holding you in my arms..."

At first she had been so focused on not stepping on his feet, Sarah almost missed the lyrics he whispered. Instantly her mind put a connection between the music and the lyrics. "This...this is," the woman smiled as he nodded. "You really went all out thinking about this..." Her emotions bubbled up and she had to bow her head as she bit her lip to keep from showing the moister in her eyes. He made her feel so wanted, so...centered in the moment. No guy had ever done that before, or at least none that had wanted anything substantial with her. Kirk had found away to make her feel beautiful and important all in less than a few minutes...Oh she was such a big sob, but this...this really touched her.

"We don't need to rush this...let's just take is slow..." Jim sang, using that line to half comfort her and half to follow the music. He spun her and danced faster as the chorus hit, "Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight, just a touch of the fire burning so bright," he smiled, loving how the dress swished and moved around her so beautifully.

Deciding to be brave for once, Sarah joined in singing, granted that it was a bit shaky since she was still ringing in her emotions, "And I don't want to mess this thing up...No, I don't want to push too far..." She smiled up at Kirk, half noting how amusing it was that she had such a tall man. The other half made instant connections between the song and their relationship as of yet. "Just a shot in the dark that you just might be the one I've been waiting for my whole life..."

"So baby I'm alright…" Jim absolutely adored the sound of her singing voice, and they sang the next line together, "With just a kiss good-night…" It was soft and gentle again and he brought her close to him, stepping in time to the music yet again. He didn't want to break the moment by saying something out of sync with the song, so he'd wait.

Since they were closer now, Sarah laid her head against his shoulder since she was confident enough now that she wouldn't step on his feet. Everything else just...faded. It sounded corning and cheesy, but it was truly like how everyone said it would be. "I know that if we give this a little time...It'll only bring us closer to the love we wanna find..." And she wanted that kind of love with Jim. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and confess all her feelings of love for this man, but this...this was just as good. When ever they could reach that point, Sarah knew it would be that much more special. "It's never felt so real,"

"No it's never felt so right," Jim grinned and the chorus picked up again, but this time instead of spinning her away from him, he just danced faster and held her tighter, and they sang together, "Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight, just a touch of the fire burnin' so bright…No I don't wanna mess this thing up, I don't wanna push too far…Just a shot in the dark that you just might, be the one I've been waiting for my whole life. So baby I'm alright…with just a kiss good-night." He loved how calm and comfortable she was in his arms, "No I don't wanna say…goodnight…" He sang the next part himself, "I know it's time to leave…"

"But you'll be in my dreams..." Sarah closed her eyes as they continued the rest of the song together, "Tonight...tonight...tonight. Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight...just a touch of the fire burning so bright...And I don't want to mess things up, I don't want to push too far...Just a shot in the dark that you just might be the one I've been waiting for my whole life..." She paused when Kirk sang, 'So, baby, I'm alright,' before singing her own part which lead them to joining once again, "Oh, let's do this right...with just a kiss good-night...kiss good-night..."

The song came to an end and he looked at her adoringly, "You're a lovely singer, and you danced just fine once you stopped thinking about it," he brought his hand to her cheek and caressed it. Piercing blue locked with lovely green-blue ones. They were panting softly from dancing and singing at the same time, but he didn't want the magic to end so soon. Swallowing thickly he decided...it should be okay. Leaning down, his eyes gradually closed until he was brushing his lips with hers, and he pressed a little more firmly in a nervous, chaste kiss.