Walking Out of The Shadows

Chapter 2

Reviews are loved! Please review or PM me, advice loved and needed. Knows I'm on the right or wrong track. Sydney's past will be revealed, through conversations and people being nosey.

Sydney sighed as she went outside and took out the PADD from her purse and looked up the name James Kirk. She knew she recognized the name Kirk, she was a Star Fleet brat, and knew that name had came up during dinner conversation.

"We should be heading home," Uhura said as she came up on the other woman.

"I really need to put a bell on you," Sydney said. "Go on, I'm going to wait out here for dad," she told the other woman.

"I'm pretty sure I heard the Captain say go home," Uhura told her.

"He did, luckily for me he can't give me a demerit for disobeying his orders until tomorrow," Sydney said. "I'll see you tomorrow," she told the other woman.

Uhura looked at her. "You're looking up the townie aren't you?"

Sydney looked up at her. "I still have some of my security clearance from Enforcement, I'm curious."

"Curious as a law enforcement agent or curious as in he's cute and you want to know more about him?" Uhura asked.

Sydney brought up her hazel eyes and looked at her. "Seriously Ny?"

Uhura looked at her. "He is kind of cute, in a farm boy way, and no one would blame you for looking twice at him. You didn't die in that fire, Syd."

"Nyota I'm not going to have this conversation with you," Sydney told the other woman.

Uhura took the PADD out of her hand. "You have been honest with me since the day we met about everything, but you clam up when I even broach the subject of Max with you. Just because he died, doesn't mean that you can't have a conversation about him, about the good times and the bad. And it certainly doesn't mean at 24 that you shut your heart out to the idea of anyone else," she told her friend. "I'm not saying go hop in bed with the townie, you deserve a lot better then him, but what I am saying is don't give up on the idea of love," she begged her friend as she handed back her PADD. "I shouldn't have teased you about it, but it was so damn easy," she told the other woman. "Plus whoever you decide to see, whenever you decide it's right, is going to have to pass the best friend test. And he certainly wouldn't," Ny told her.

Sydney shook her head. "Go on back to the barracks, I'll come by in the morning," she said as she took the pad. Both women heard the door open and stood at attention as Captain Pike went out.

"Cadet Pike, Cadet Uhura, I thought I told you both to leave," Pike said.

Sydney spoke first. "It's my fault, sir. I thought I'd wait here for you and Uhura didn't want to leave me alone," she explained.

Pike nodded. "Cadet back to the barracks, I'll see you tomorrow," he ordered Uhura.

"Yes sir," the young black woman said as she glanced at Sydney before she left.

Chris maneuvered himself in front of Sydney and looked down at her. "Want to try the truth this time?"

"I could never lie to you," Sydney answered. "I saw how you reacted the name Kirk, and I knew that I recognized it so I decided to look it up. George Kirk's son, quite a delinquent in his youth, trouble with the law even now, border line genius," she answered reading over his file and looked up at him. "Did you give him you can do better speech?"

Chris looked at her. "Yes, you know me to well," he told his daughter.

"I've only been your daughter for 24 years, and I recognized the look," Sydney informed him. "Go on home, I'm going to go talk to him."

Pike looked at her. "Do I even have to ask why you would want to talk to him?"

"Well, I am your daughter, and us Pike's love to take on hard cases," she answered. "Plus, I've dealt with a few delinquents in my time on the border colonies, maybe I can throw out some points that you didn't," she answered. "Night dad," Sydney said as she kissed his cheek and went into the bar.

Kirk looked up as he took another sip of his drink. "See I knew you liked me," he told her as she sat down. "I thought Pike ordered all his little sheep back to quarters. Aren't you afraid that you'll get in trouble?"

Sydney rolled her eyes. "Don't you think you've had enough of those?" she questioned as she nodded to the drink.

"I'm a big boy," Kirk answered. "So did he send you in here? Thought maybe a pretty face would get me to agree to sign on to Star Fleet? He order you to flirt with me?"

Sydney burst out laughing. "Oh you're an ass, you know that? No, my father likes to think that I'm still a virgin," she said with a small smile as she watched his face register what she said. "Sydney Pike," she answered.

"You're his daughter…great," Kirk replied. "So I'm surprised you didn't tell him I got a cheap feel," he said as he ordered another drink.

"Make that two coffees," Syd ordered the bartender. "Why? It was an accident and I did take care of it," she told him. "So, I can guess what my father said, but he didn't tell me, and I didn't ask."

"She can have the coffee, I'll take the drink," Kirk told the bartender as he looked at her with his blue eyes. "So why are you in here?"

Sydney shrugged. "You aren't the only one who ever had a bad hand dealt to you in life, and everyone needs someone to talk with."

Jim laughed. "Oh that's rich coming from you," he said as he took the drink.

"Why?" Sydney asked.

"Please, you had your father around, you're probably daddy's little girl, apple of his eyes, can't do anything wrong. Probably your mother dotes on you. You probably got a boyfriend who gives you anything you want, probably have him on speed dial, and when you leave here will go over there," Kirk told her.

Sydney tensed at the mention of a boyfriend and watched him. She laughed as she shook her head. "You're an ass," she told him again. "I don't have a boyfriend, not anymore," she told him. "You think you're the only one who got a bad hand? I'm sorry about your dad, and I'm sorry that your mother wasn't there. Yeah, my dad and I are close, we had some trouble when I was in my teens. But my mom? When I was 4 she decided that she had enough of being a wife and mother. Left in the middle of the night when dad was out on assignment, left me with cereal for a week, haven't heard from her since. I knew how to contact Star Fleet Emergency services, dad had made sure of that, and dad was back in two weeks. I was mad, and I did take it out on dad when I was a teen, but he supported me, knew I needed to rebel. My dad sees something in you, he believes in you, and he's giving you a chance that no one else has given you the chance."

"Why do you or your father care?" Kirk asked.

Sydney shrugged. "We just want to help if we can," she told him as she stood up. "It's up to you if you take the offer. You can wallow in self pity or you can take control of your life," she said. "But at some point you have to take control of your life and stop blaming everyone else," she told him as she walked out.