Jim's eyes opened to find himself in a familiar room only it was. . . blue.

"Captain." Spock said.

"Yes, Mr Spock?" Jim's own voice sounded different.

"Why were you in the tube?" Spock asked.

Jim's eyes opened and he faced in the direction of Spock. He looked different. He did not look at all like the Spock he knew. Jim could feel . . . young again. He decided not to alarm the Vulcan by how young he felt. There had to be a logical explanation for this.

This is Spock, your first officer and science officer, one of the many surviving Vulcans from the destruction of Vulcan by Nero.

It was a voice, a distant voice that belonged to the body of this young man.

"I . . . do not remember," Jim said. "The empath . . ."

"She has been saved by the Vians," Spock said. "I was recovering from my emotional attack." He had his hands behind his back. "They used the memory of my mother falling into the center of what had been my former home to attack me."

Alternate Universe, Jim assumed, just my luck.

"I grieve with thee." Jim said.

Spock appeared to be surprised.

"Pardon me, captain?" Spock asked.

"I grieve with thee." Jim repeated himself.

And in came a familiar figure.

This is Leonard McCoy, former roommate at the academy, now Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise and best friend.

"Spock, I told you that you didn't need to stay over night."

"I have only just arrived in here, doctor McCoy."

"You look like you have been up all night."

"That is because you are reflecting your current mood and your worry toward the captain," Jim looked over to see that Bones was, in fact, the one who had stayed up. His hair was a mess. "Your worry and concern for the captain is understandable. Now that he is awake, you may return to your sleeping patterns."

Jim was smiling, beaming, really as he had a laugh.

"What is funny?" Bones asked.

"This," Jim said. "I missed this."

Bones and Spock shared a compelling confused reaction, with the Vulcan raising his arched eyebrow. He had missed, indeed, these conversations between his medical officer and science officer. It was a lot like old times. Bones raised a eyebrow at the younger man then he came right over.

"Jim, are you feeling all right?" Bones asked.

"I feel better than I did before!" Jim said. "Now, if I may."

"Er, Jim, there's a little problem with that." Bones said.

"What is it, doc?" Jim asked.

"The girl wasn't able to heal a injury on your legs," Bones said. "You are going to need some bed rest and a good rehabilitation."

"I feel perfectly fine." Jim said, moving his legs. "Ahhh, that sure feels good."

No aching leg.

No tiresome feeling haunting the admiral.

No being an old relic.

"Captain, may you please roll down your socks?" Spock asked.

"Sure." Jim said.

Jim rolled down his socks to reveal a healed wound.

"Well I'll be dammed," Bones said. "She healed you."

Jim found his way to his quarters quite easily, and it was something more of a 'big wide room with stuff that belongs to a young man who has not grown up'. He had to file a log to himself, or, go to the most known source to talk to. His Spock. Jim sat down in the chair then meticulously went through the memories giving himself a array of time allowing Mr Spock to have the conn. Perhaps he would be of some help to understand this scenario.

And in the memories he saw his old friend was not middle aged but now, in fact, old.

Jim initiated contact with Spock Prime with a communications.

"Hello," Jim said, with a grin. "Old friend."

"Hello, captain," Came the Vulcan's reply. "Why have you called me?"

"Guess who I just met?" Jim asked.

"Edith Keeler." Spock said.

"I have yet to meet her, again," Jim said. "I met Gem!" He waved his arms, flailing them, really. "Well, sort of,kind of, I only SAW her before I lost consciousness for likely the second time . . ." Jim paused, frowning. "No, third time."

Spock Prime appeared to be amused.

"Apparently you have some of my memories." Spock said.

"Spock," Jim said, turning his face into a serious one. "I was just yanked from the dead into this young man."

The look of amusement faded on the Vulcan's face.

"Oh really, captain?" Spock Prime asked. "This is very ill of you to speak this way. Whatever trick you are trying to pull, stop it."

"How long has it been since I died? Why did I not get my wrists injured and instead. . ." Jim waved his hands, trying to figure out the right words. "This . . ." He paused. "You think I am making this up, Spock, don't you?" His eyes became daggers. "How long has it been since I died?"

"I made my peace with his death,captain," Spock Prime said. "It wasn't easy to get over his death for the second time."

"The second . . ." Jim was struck with a image of the younger Spock on his side, unresponsive, his vision getting blurred at that image. Jim closed his eyes. "I am really screwed up. I am gonna find that kid. Maybe he is still here." He tapped on the side of his head earning a 'you are very ill, captain' reply from Spock Prime. "I know. I know. I know. I don't sound like myself." He grinned. "By the way, I just realized something."

"And what is that?" Spock Prime said.

"Today is actually your birthday." Jim said.

"Jim, please don't-" Spock Prime started to say but got cut off.

"Happy birthday," Jim started to sing. "Happy birthday to you, Mr Spock, happy one hundred fifty-ninth birthday to you!"

"Captain, never do that again." Spock Prime said.

"I don't sound as sweet in this body, that's a disadvantage." Jim said.

"Captain," Spock Prime said. "When I meet you again, may I suppress those memories you have of my timeline?"

There was silence.

"I miss the ship." Jim said, finally ending the silence after five minutes.

"You are on the ship, captain." Spock Prime said.

"I miss home. I miss . . . Our ship. The old girl. The Enterprise." Jim said.

"Captain, I do not understand," Spock Prime said. "What do you mean?"

"Forget it," Jim said. "End call."

Jim slid his elbow on the table. He was alone and scared out of this situation. Jim put his hands together contemplating what to do. The current stardate was January 1st, 2259. Perhaps, he could do the search mentally for the James T. Kirk of this timeline on his own and repair the boy's captaincy to the best of his ability with his two best friends. A smile curled up on the side of Jim's face as he came to the solution. Jim stood up then stepped aside, then pulled the chair in. Now, today, starts his mental search.

He can't be that much of a bad captain, surely.

Not with Admiral James T. Kirk around.