Potential

Title: Police Intervention

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Star date: 2245.31

Age 12

Riverside Police Station

Officer Jose Rodriguez

Officer Jose Rodriguez sat at his desk going over the 'paperwork' for his latest arrest. Why do they call it paperwork when it has not involved actual paper for over two centuries? It was the Kirk kid again. Jose was beginning to think that he spent more time with that boy than he did his own kids. He looked over towards the boy and shook his head. He was sure that chair had the kids name engraved on it. It was so sad. It was obvious that the young man was brilliant. If he would stop using the brain God gave him for mischief he might have a chance to get out of this godforsaken town.

Rodriguez had tried many times to figure out why the kid acted out. Was it boredom? The town was small and dead and had little that would keep a kid as smart as Kirk busy. It wasn't like the schools here were known for their accelerated curriculum as his high school teacher wife has pointed out many times. Maybe Jim was just looking for something exciting to do.

He studied the boy for a few more moments then shook his head. No, Jim wasn't board he was hurt and angry. Maybe the boy was lashing out or trying to get attention. He knew that the kid's mother was never home. She worked in space and apparently had little time for her children. Rodriguez could still remember the first time the police droid brought Jim in a year ago; the kid had nearly killed himself driving a vintage car over a cliff.

The Mother's reaction had sickened Jose. She had been more concerned about the car the boy had destroyed than she had about her son. It had taken everything he had not to start screaming at the woman through the Comm. about how her son could have been killed. She did an even bother to come back to deal with the situation in person. Apparently, Jim was little more than an afterthought to her.

The Stepfather hadn't been much better. The man had refused to pick the young man up for two days and when he did come he look like he had the hangover from hell. Smith had been tempted to refuse to release the boy into his custody but was overruled by his idiotic superior who just happened to be a drinking buddy the stepfather. Sometimes Jose wonders if he should have called child services or at lease give the step dad a sobriety test. After that day, Kirk had become almost a permanent fixture in the station.

Jose finished processing James and walked over to take a seat next to the child. Kirk was on a bad path and he would only get so many chances before he either killed himself or did something so bad that they locked him up for good. He could see the boy's promise, he just needed to refocus his attentions on more positive activities. Things that weren't illegal. What the young man really needed was a positive role model. Maybe if he had someone to look up to he would try and do better. Jose took a deep breath and decided to try to connect with the kid. Hopefully he could save him. He had to try.

"Hey Jim how are you doing? Do you need anything?" Jose winced. He was going for friendly but that was a terrible way to start.

The boy shrugged his shoulders before asking his own question. "Is Frank coming to get me?" The boy asked indifferently.

"We're still trying to reach him. I'm sure he stepped out for a bit and will be back soon. I doubt you'll have to be here much longer." Rodriguez tried to sound reassuring but he knew that Jim was well aware that it could be days before his Stepfather came to pick him up. Jose was screwing this up royally. He needed to connect with the kid. An idea popped into his head and he had to fight down a smile.

"Look Son, I'm going fishing this weekend and could really use some company. Would you like to come with me?"

The look Kirk shot him was cold and full of disgust. "I'm not your son." He turned and stared off in another direction, clearly he was saying that the conversation was over.

Jose took a deep breath and decided to give it one more shot. If friendly didn't work maybe stern authority figure would. "James you've got to stop this." The boy ignored him. "If you don't straighten up you're going to end up in jail or Dead. You're really smart and I know that you know what you're doing isn't right. Please try and be the great person I know you can be."

Kirk never even twitched. Jose shook his head and returned to his desk. The kid didn't get it but that wouldn't stop him from trying. He would try again the next time Kirk was brought into the station and if that didn't work he would try again the time after that. He wouldn't give up on James Kirk. The boy was special and Jose Rodriguez had a feeling that he was to do great things one day, if he didn't kill himself first.

Except, James never came back to his station. Jose originally hoped the maybe he did actually get through. Four months later when he arrested Jim Kirk's no good stepfather for another DWI, he found out that the incident that spring was the last straw and Jim was sent to live with his aunt and her husband. Jose personally thought that was a good thing. With good parental figures maybe James would be okay. Maybe Tarsus IV was just the thing Kirk needed to keep him from becoming another statistic. Any way, it was out of his hands now.

Author's Note: Thanks to Misscar, a wonderful Beta. Please review! I didn't get any feedback for the first chapter and I need to know what you think of the story. Do you like it, would you like something different, does it suck so bad that no one can stand to read it? Please give me answers to these burning questions!