Title: The Tripping Place 3/9
Characters/Pairings: Spock/Jim, Jim/Bones, future Jim/Spock/Bones, Pike, Archer, Uhura, Scotty
Warnings: kinky/rough sex, mentions of past rape/abuse, minor character death, a bit of self harm, Tarsus and everything related to it, accidental bonding, major angst
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just like to play with them.
Summary: Following the defeat of Nero, the trip back to Earth is full of surprises. After the destruction of Vulcan, Spock begins experiencing odd, unexplainable symptoms that have him questioning his sanity and his ability to hold his position. When Spock is no longer able to hide his problems, Dr. McCoy's diagnosis comes as a shock to all. Secrets of the past come to light, discoveries ensue, and no one is prepared for the ramifications.
Notes: This is a slight crossover with The Sentinel. No knowledge of the series is needed to read this

After the Vulcans, Captain Pike, and extra crew were picked up and their stocks replenished, Jim suddenly had a lot of time on his hands. He'd really expected Starfleet to relieve him, or send orders for him to hand over command to Spock or another. When they didn't, he decided they were just going to let him sweat. He knew all the techniques, having taken all the classes and passed them all with flying colors. He just didn't expect to have to have them done to him so soon in a non-training environment.

That night he snuck into Bones' quarters, and his friend lifted the covers and gathered him close when he climbed in, finally allowing himself to cry for all the grief that he'd felt from the children. He wanted to sob and scream and rail about the unfairness of it all, but kept silent, his tears the only testament to the pain he felt inside. Bones made no comment on the tears just held him close, and Jim did not mention the doctor's own.

Jim briefly wished he had the Vulcans' control, but threw out the idea just as quickly, knowing that such a thing wasn't for him. He understood their need for control, but it was not the same for him. His empathy, while slightly similar to their telepathy, was not to be controlled and he knew it would hurt him if he tried. It was both a curse and a blessing, though he'd never embraced it as such until recent years when Bones patiently showed him that there was some good in it.

Exiting the doctor's quarters early the next morning, he was startled to find Spock walking down the hall.

Spock, for his part, did not appear surprised and greeted, "Good morning, Captain," before continuing on his way.

Well, that was weird, Jim thought, but continued on towards his quarters to get ready for the day. When Spock didn't bring it up again, he forgot all about it.

When he wasn't bugging Bones in the sickbay (the doctor told him that if he showed up one more time without a good reason to annoy him, that he would give him a reason to need to be in there, though Jim knew that his friend would never follow through with the threat), he was trying to get a rise out of the Vulcan. Really, it was too easy sometimes.

There was an added bonus that it just seemed to piss off Uhura, and he couldn't help but enjoy any rise he got from her. He wondered what was going on between her and Spock, but picked up enough feelings from both of them to know better than to question it, as it wasn't his business. As Captain or even just Acting Captain he had no reason to interfere as long as the relationship wasn't coerced, wasn't between one's direct superior and their subordinate, and did not interfere with ship business. He was doing his best to act as professional as possible, knowing that everyonewould be giving reports on him and his actions. The slightest misdeeds, the smallest overlooked details, could be used against him, so he tried his best to prevent that.

The rendezvous with the space station was anticlimactic as it was tiny, and held little in the way of entertainment. What it did have was the rare parts they needed. Repairs went more quickly than expected under Scotty's watchful eyes and in almost no time they were on their way back to Earth on low warp.

When they finally reached the solar system there was mass excitement, and Jim knew everyone had been as bored as he, and they didn't even have the added thrill of an infinite amount of paperwork to make it that much better. If he never had to fill out another report it wouldn't be a minute too soon. Maybe that was their plan, he thought insanely. They were trying to drive him mad with paperwork so they had an excuse to discharge him. Jim snorted at his own inanity.

Finally beaming down and feeling the Earth beneath his feet was amazing after over a month of the constant vibrations of the ship. He was unsteady on his feet, swaying as though the ground was moving under him. He'd heard of such an event with sailors of old. They'd gotten so used to being on the sea that they had to relearn to walk without movement beneath their feet.

He was taken to a sterile, white room, illuminated by an overly bright florescent light that flickered and buzzed annoyingly. The room contained nothing but a table with two chairs on either side. He expected someone to follow him in, but as the door closed behind him and the click of the locking system slid into place, he realized they were going to let him sweat it out some more. The two-way mirror wasn't obvious, but he knew it was there, could feel the people on the other side, their curiosity, disbelief, anger, fear, and so much more. He took a deep breath, fighting to control the sudden onslaught of emotions, wondering if the people on the other side had seen his sealed file, if they were purposely torturing him. However, he knew that was unlikely.

Not wanting to let them see his nerves or show weakness, he forced himself not to pace, no matter how much he wanted to, feeling like one of those pitiful caged cats at one of those old-times zoos that pace the length of their cage endlessly, seeking a way out that they would never find, a hopeless look in their eyes, a need for freedom that they would never receive. Sliding down the wall, he sat, not knowing how much time passed, but it seemed like an eternity, and he mused that the Vulcans' internal clock must really come in handy in situations like these.

He jumped to his feet as the lock clicked, and wasn't surprised to see Admiral Barnett. Who he was surprised to see was Admiral Archer. The man rarely made appearances these days due to his age, and Jim had never seen him in person, only pictures. Despite the pictures being decades old he still recognized the man. He had aged well. But the sight of Archer got Jim's fear rising and made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. They were pulling out the big guns for this. The man was a legend for a reason.

While gesturing towards a chair, Barnett addressed him, "Cadet Kirk, take a seat."

There was no request in his tone, only an order. And the way he said 'cadet' when it was still protocol to call him by his current title no matter how temporary it was, was an unveiled insult.

But he was surprised by the look Archer shot the other man, "Barnett! Don't be rude."

Jim suddenly wondered if he was going to be part of a good cop, bad cop routine. Been there done that. Even had the shiny medal to prove he was a veteran at it. But this was different. He had never cared then, and now that he did the odds were very different and he did not like it one bit.

When Archer turned to face him, Jim felt himself start to sweat but forced himself to keep his face straight. "Now, kid."

Jim couldn't help but bristle at the word, even knowing that to the man everyone must seem like a kid. But it was too often an insult. The only one that could get away with it without complaint was Bones.

"No need for that. Relax. We just have a few questions for you. Your crew's going through the same."

That's when the drilling began. They wanted a play by play from how the hell he got on the Enterprise to begin with all the way through stepping back onto Earth. He knew they knew it already. He filled out the paperwork… a dozen times. But he told it. And then he told it again. And again. And again.

The questions were endless. How did he know that it was Romulans? Why did Pike make him First Officer? Why did Spock step down as Captain and why did Jim not return the command to him when Spock was again fit to lead? What did Jim think he would get out of threatening the Admiralty?

At that last question, Jim finally had enough and exploding, standing suddenly, sending the chair crashing to the ground and causing the other men to stand as well when he shouted, "No one should ever have to starve! No one! Especially not children! I don't care if they were Vulcan and could go longer without food than humans. They were still children. That's never going to happen under my watch. You had the resources. It wasn't a hardship for you to send a ship and supplies. I wasn't going to be the next Kodos when the Federation could prevent it. "

Jim suddenly shut up, but it was too late. The look Archer gave him was appraising.

The man turned his head to look at the security that Jim hadn't noticed entering the room after his outburst, and ordered, "Get out."

One of them protested. "But sir?"

There was a dangerous edge to his voice. "Don't make me repeat myself."

The men couldn't exit fast enough at his words.

Turning back around, Archer's stare seemed to see right through him, read the value of his soul. "Pick up your chair and sit down."

Jim hesitated.

"Now!" the man practically growled.

Jim scrambled to do as he was told, suddenly feeling like a little kid about to be punished for something he hadn't done. Sitting down, he squared his jaw and met the man's eyes, daring him.

"You were on Tarsus IV."

It wasn't a question, so he didn't bother to reply. He was sure that the man had seen his file, but from the small startled sound from Barnett, the other man had not known.

"You were JT, the boy that rescued, fed, and led over thirty other children scheduled for execution, often at the price of himself, and then disappeared as soon as rescue came."

"Thirty eight," Jim gritted out as he clenched his jaw so hard that he was afraid for his teeth. No one had called him that name in over a decade, and he could have done without hearing it.

"They all lived."

Jim swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. He'd tried looking for some of them, those that he knew the full names of, but it had been hard. Their files were sealed, and while he knew he could hack them, he couldn't do so without being detected. He didn't want the attention. He was good but not that good.

"Some of them think you died for them. A few are still searching for you. They all want to thank you."

Jim could not stop the tears this time.

"You, at age twelve, did what starship Captains four times your age could not have done. You're a natural leader, and you won't ask anything of your crew that you yourself are not willing to do as well. People look up to you for that, respect you and listen to you for that. All traits that are in low supply these days. That's why I'm promoting you to Captain of the Enterprise."

Jim wasn't sure if it was him or Barnett that shouted in surprise, "What?" Maybe it was both of them.

Barnett did say, "Jonathan. Have you lost your mind?"

Archer just went right along as though he hadn't heard them. "Of course it's not official yet. We'll have a ceremony where Christopher is officially promoted to Admiral. While he will likely make a near full recovery, it will take time, and he is also of the mentality of not asking others to do what he can't. He's also feeling his age. We'll name you his successor at the time. You naturally still have to finish your schooling, but I'm sure that won't be a problem."

At the announcement, a roar filled Jim's ears, and while he saw the man's mouth moving it was in slow motion, and he didn't hear one word of it. The unexpected news that he was not being court-martialed but promoted, and the sudden relief knowing that Pike was going to be alright blindsided him. As the world grayed around the edges, he didn't notice the man get up, nor did he feel Archer catch and lay him gently on the floor as the world finally went black.

Jim woke suddenly, and jerked upright, looking wildly around, just knowing this wasn't his room and he'd had the strangest dream. He swore Archer had promoted him to Captain of the Enterprise. Crazy talk. He relaxed when he finally realized it was a hospital, having spent no small portion of his life in them.

The door unexpectedly opened and Bones entered. Jim couldn't help but grin. It wasn't often that he saw the other man in his civvies, and the sight always made him smile. His fashion sense was unique.

Bones grinned back, happy to see him awake. "Well, lookie here. Seems you finally decided to grace us with your presence again in the land of the living."

Jim opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was a croak. He coughed and then moaned at the pain the action caused as he realized his mouth and throat were painfully dry.

Bones was suddenly there with a cup of water, slowly tilting it into his mouth and telling him, "Slowly, slowly, too fast and you'll be sick."

It was always the same, but Jim still wanted to gulp it down.

"You've been out over forty eight hours, severe exhaustion and dehydration they say. Well no fucking wonder when they kept you locked in that room for 17 hours after a 15 hour shift."

Jim hadn't really listened until he heard the part about the room. "It wasn't a dream?" he asked, voice still rough.

Bones cocked his head. "What wasn't a dream?"

"Archer."

Bones smiled wildly, "Only you could spend seventeen hours in interrogation and come out with a promotion." He sobered quickly. "Jim, you need to be careful. Some of the Admirals are gunning for you already. They're saying that Archer has finally lost it, but no one will publicly go against him. The word spread real quick. There was obviously a leak and the press already is having a field day. It's hell out there. You're the new poster boy of the Federation."

"But your crew's backing you. A large portion of them have signed up to go on with you, and even more are clamoring for places on the ship. All the final choices are yours, of course."

"Wait, wait, wait, just stop. This is bit much to take in right now. I haven't even graduated yet." Jim reached up and rubbed his suddenly aching temples.

"So what? You'll finish your classes. Hell, I'm sure they'll waive some of them for you. And don't be coy. You know you could have tested out of most of them if they had let you. Not all of us are blessed with perfect auditory recall. But look on the bright side, you don't have to worry about your commission like the rest of your classmates, after all, your position's already set in stone. You never do things by halves do you, kid? Not only the youngest Captain in history, but also the only one to be promoted before he even graduated." Bones laughed. "Only you, Jim." Quickly sobering, he looked at Jim seriously. "Your dad would be proud, kid."

Grabbing McCoy's hand, he grinned, and blinked rapidly against the tears he wouldn't allow to fall. "And you Bones, where are you going to be while I'm out exploring space? They give you some cushy job here at the hospital?"

McCoy gave him a look that said 'you idiot.' "Where the hell do you think I'll be? Someone has to keep your skinny ass alive and it sure isn't going to be some green doctor who's never set foot on a spaceship. Running into space won't get rid of me that easily."

Jim just laughed happily. "Says the man who was so afraid of space that he wanted to lock himself in the bathroom in the shuttle. Don't ever change. Oh, hey. How's Pike?"

Bones sobered instantly. "The best experts in the field are working on his case, but even with all of our medical advances, spinal cord damage is still a very hard thing to overcome. Right now his outcome is guarded but optimistic. He's already regained some sensation in his legs. There's hope that he'll be able to walk again, but that'll be months, maybe even years down the road and will require extensive physical therapy."

Jim just nodded, happy to hear that his mentor would recover. "So that's why I was offered the Enterprise."

"No, or at least not the whole reason. There's nothing saying that Pike couldn't still captain the ship, despite his physical condition. You're like him in many regards. He's not comfortable asking the crew to do what he himself is unable to do, so they're promoting him to Admiral."

Jim blinked. "He's going to hate it. Whatever happened to Spock?"

"I've seen him around campus a few times. There's talk that he's leaving Starfleet to help with the Vulcan relocation and settlement."

"What? Are you serious? There's no way. He never said anything to me about it. I want him as my First Officer, no one else."

Bones sighed. "That might be easier said than done, man. The brass isn't all that happy with him right now, seeing as how his decision almost got Earth destroyed."

Jim just gaped at him in disbelief. "But we saved it. And he was emotionally compromised. That's got to count for something right?"

"Yeah, it means that he wasn't outright court-martialed. They're reviewing the events right now. But it doesn't look good according to rumors."

"But his planet had just been destroyed, his mother died right in front of him. And I was able to stop him."

"Jim." Bones paused. "I think you're too involved in this to see clearly. Yes your points are valid. But try to look at it from Command's eyes. He assaulted a fellow officer. They saw my report. Don't give me that look. I wasn't going to lie for that green-blooded hobgoblin after what he did to you, no matter the situation. And his actions…" He paused as Jim sat up. "What are you doing?"

"Springing myself. What's it look like? And you're helping. We have a meeting to crash."

"Dammit, Jim. What are you planning on doing? Throwing yourself at their mercy? Didn't you hear a word I said? They're gunning for you and this would be the perfect thing to add fuel to their fire. Don't do this."

Through McCoy's lecture, Jim shut the door, and began opening and closing the cabinets around the room, grumbling about hospital gowns and easy access, and not practical to barge into a meeting while wearing them. Coming up empty handed, he turned to find Bones staring at him. "Done ranting yet? Go find me some clothes, or I'll leave in this, and you know I will."

Bones grumbled and went looking, knowing that Jim wasn't bluffing, having seen it before. Raiding the storeroom, he found some spare sets of clean scrubs, grabbed a pink one out of spite, and hurried back before Jim got impatient and left without him. Throwing the bundle at Jim, who just raised an eyebrow at the color, Bones hastily turned around as Jim stripped out of the robe, completely unabashed by his nudity. As long as he'd roomed with the other man, Bones thought that he'd be used to Jim's lack of modesty by now, but apparently not.

Hearing the door open, he turned to find Jim already dressed, impatiently waiting for him, giving him the patented 'hurry up, you're wasting my time' look. McCoy sighed and followed him, wondering just what he was getting himself into this time. His life had been so much simpler before Jim. (But so very boring, a part of his brain told him. He told it to shut up. He liked boring.) "So where the hell are we going anyway? Or do I even want to know what harebrained scheme you dreamt up this time?"

Quickly walking through a maze of halls that he'd never had the need to enter, Bones wondered just how the hell Jim knew where he was going. He also wondered if he was about to kiss his career goodbye. Finally stopping at a door, he a moment to read the plague on the outside 'Fleet Admiral Jonathan Archer' before entering a door and being told by the secretary that Archer was busy and that they would need an appointment to see him. He apologized profusely to her as Jim barged though the next set of doors to where Admiral Archer and who knows who else were meeting, and knew this was the end of his career.

Jim was surprised to find that the office was only occupied by Archer and wondering what the hell was going on.

Archer told the still screeching secretary, "Melissa, no, don't call security. Please excuse them. I was expecting them. Please close and lock the door behind you, and hold all calls for the time being."

Once the door closed, Jim let loose. "What the hell are you playing at, old man?"

Bones winced, slapped his hand over Jim's mouth, and interjected, "He didn't mean that, Admiral Archer, sir." Then turn Jim. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"Yes, he did. Dr. McCoy, let him speak. You'll get your say too." Bones straightened at his name, and wondered why he needed a say, but while he was not happy about it, he did as he was told, and dropped his hand.

Jim shot Bones a dirty look. "You can't discharge Spock. I won't work with anyone else as my First Officer. It's either both of us or neither of us."

The smile that crossed the old man's face put Bones ill at ease and he had to ask. "Pardon my language. With all due respect sir, what the hell is going on here?"

"Don't lose that spunk, kid. Now that little rumor going around is just that, a rumor."

McCoy's grabbed Jim's arm as he felt him tense next to him, hoping to restrain him before he did anything rash (well more rash than he already had).

"Commander Spock was never any danger of being discharged. In fact, we tried to offer him a Captaincy, but he turned it down, citing the reasons circulated in the rumor, and handed me his resignation."

Jim let out a startled, "He what?"

"I understand his reasons but I of course didn't accept it. So if you want him, it falls on your shoulders to convince him to stay. You have until the Enterprise departs in two months time. If he isn't on it, I'll appoint someone for you."

Bones finally spoke, barely restrained fury in his voice. "Is this some kind of a game to you? An old man meddling in everyone's lives because he's bored? If Spock wants to resign that's his choice, and I'm sure he has good reasons."

Addressing McCoy, he began, "I've lived a long time, seen the world change around me, as I remained unchanged. Some of the changes were good and others not so good. I've seen hundreds of Captains both good and bad, but few were great." Turning to Jim, he continued, "I see that greatness in you, but what makes a great captain different from all the others is his command team. This is something that's gone to the wayside over the years, but I believe it's invaluable. A Captain with a good command team can do extraordinary things, but they can also ground him, and keep him on track. They can't be afraid to tell him he's wrong, but when he's right they'll back him against all odds. That's what Starfleet is missing. That is what I see in you."

Bones didn't look convinced, and poor Jim just looked confused. "I don't understand."

Archer just smiled. "You'll understand in time. Now get out of here and go convince that Vulcan that he's where he's needed. Also, apologize to Melissa on your way out. You'd better send her a nice gift as well. It's so nice hard to find a competent secretary these days, and I don't want to lose her. "

Neither man noticed as Spock's future counterpart stepped out from behind a door, or the conspiratorial glance the two men shared.

Bones dragged the still-flabbergasted Jim from the office, apologizing to Melissa as he went, though she didn't respond other than a small huff of dismissal.

After a silent walk, they finally made it outside the building. Jim commented, "Well, that was interesting."

Bones just sent him a 'well no shit, doofus' look. "I knew I shouldn't have joined the military. They told me it was safe and drama free, but of course I get dragged into plots and politics."

Jim grinned, "It's not that bad. Now let's go find a Vulcan."

McCoy raised his hand and tried to back way. "Oh no, no, no. You want him as your First Officer. You convince him. Don't expect me to help."

Jim gave him the puppy dog eyes. "You heard Archer. We're all part of that command team. You have to be part of this too." Grabbing Bones' arm, Jim dragged the man along despite his protests.

As always feedback is appreciated.