Here's the kiss-and-make up. Jim just can't hold grudges, and we ALL know how guilty Nyota feels about the fiasco at the bar. I hope this makes my readers happy! Mostly dialogue, sorry about that if it's long-ish.

Chapter Four

After leaving The Liftoff, Jim Kirk couldn't help but wonder if things could have turned out differently. It wasn't that he was unused to being turned down, really he wasn't. But, like he'd told Nyota Uhura, he was used to being shot down by complete strangers, not former girlfriends. And despite the fact they'd only dated for a weekend, Jim counted her among his most memorable relationships. He knew she was in Starfleet now, but did she really think wearing a uniform actually made her better than the rest of the world? That she was too good for people like him? He didn't remember her being that way, and had to remind himself three days wasn't enough to know someone. Instead of going home to his place, he headed for Danny's. Jim groaned when he saw the car parked outside next to Danny's truck. Captain Pike was obviously in town, Jim had just brushed elbows with his recruits. What the hell was he doing here? Pocketing the keys to his bike, Jim went into the house and found Danny and Pike sitting in the living room, chatting like the old friends they were.

"Jim! You're back early!"

"Yeah, well, I know when I'm not wanted somewhere, Uncle Chris." He hung up his jacket, "Looks like a full shuttle this time."

"A few empty seats, but not many. What's wrong?"

"Absolutely nothing." He smiled and went upstairs. They didn't have to know he'd gotten shot down by a former girlfriend tonight. Pike didn't stay long, and Jim locked his door to keep Danny out. He came by and rattled the door, but when Jim didn't respond he said goodnight and went to bed.

The clock read roughly midnight when Jim saw headlights on the driveway. His room looked over the front of the house, so he knew when someone was coming. Going to the window, he looked out to see if it was Pike coming back. That was Pike's car, but the person who got out of that car was not Pike. Jim groaned and rested his forehead against the window. How the hell had Pike found out about Nyota? Had she said something? When Jim heard her footsteps on the stairs, he flicked on his light and went downstairs after pulling on a pair of sweats. Danny was sound asleep, so he didn't hear it when Nyota knocked on the door. Jim opened the door to her and wanted to ask what the hell she thought she was doing, would she please make up her bloody mind, but none of it got said. Nyota, when he opened the door to her, was crying.

"Guess the uniform doesn't make you better than everybody else, does it?"

"I'm so sorry, Jim! I wish I could tell you how sorry I was!"

"Mind my asking how you convinced Captain Pike to drive you out here?"

"She didn't, Jim. I insisted." Pike called from the car where he watched them, "I don't know what went wrong between you kids, but you have until that shuttle launches to make it right. I'm not leaving until this mess gets cleaned up." The unspoken "or else" was obvious. Jim just wanted to know how Pike had even found out about it, and decided he really didn't care. Nyota had come all the way out here just to say sorry, that took guts. After turning him down at the bar, she'd come back to apologize, to admit that she'd been wrong. Jim looked out at the car, then at Nyota, who was waiting for him to turn her away.

"Did you bring anything with you?"

"Just a backpack. Captain Pike has the rest."

"Do I have to come back out here tomorrow, Jim, or can you get her to the launch in time?" Pike called out.

"I'll get her there, captain." It was the least he could do. Satisfied but not entirely sure leaving the two of them was the best idea, Pike took off to get whatever sleep he could before corralling three dozen recruits onto a shuttle at eight in the morning just to get them to San Francisco. Jim let Nyota into the house and locked the door, leading her upstairs through the dark house. Nyota had a bizarre request to make of him and asked if she could use his shower.

"Sure. Why?"

"I feel disgusting. I spent hours in that stupid bar trying to get up the nerve to come out here and apologize."

"How many of those creeps tried to hit on you?"

"Too many. One of them offered to make you sorry, I told them you weren't the one who needed to be made sorry. You hadn't done a damn thing except say hello."

"Come on." He pulled her off his bed and led her down the hall to the bathroom, where he pulled down a clean towel and dug out the soap and shampoo he'd found somewhere and bought it because it reminded him of her.

"It won't wake Danny up, will it?"

"Shouldn't. Take your time, babe." He backed out of the bathroom, closing the door, and headed for his bedroom. Twenty minutes later, Nyota came back wrapped in a towel…and absolutely nothing else. She carried her uniform in her arms, Jim had the feeling she wouldn't be wearing it again until she had to. Knowing exactly what lay hidden by the towel, he had to smile. He also had to wonder how many other guys knew about the butterfly tattoo on the small of her back. It was the one that had teased him at the county fair last year, playing peek-a-boo between the waistband of her jeans and the hem of her shirt. Or the heart-and-angel wings tattoo on her left shoulder. She closed the door of his bedroom and he patted the mattress in invitation. Tossing her uniform into a corner, she sat down and quietly let her hair down from the towel. Jim smiled and ran his fingers through her damp hair, wondering if he was still the only person allowed to play with Nyota's hair. Leaning in, he kissed the tattoo on her shoulder. That was all for him, in the middle of the heart was the single letter J. She smelled good, she smelled clean, just like he remembered her. Jim got up for a minute and rummaged around in his dresser, coming up with a clean tee-shirt she could wear, and a pair of boxers too. Nyota just smiled and pulled the tee-shirt over her head, pulling her hair into a damp bun. Sliding over on the bed, she snuggled against his side like a cat seeking affection and he held her close.

"Did I say sorry?"

"Yeah, you said sorry. Nobody's perfect, trust me, I know." Jim kissed her on the temple, "So, when did Starfleet start sounding good?"

"They made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

"So, you're a Cadet, you're obviously studying…what's your focus?"

"Xenolinguistics. You're not stupid, but I'm pretty sure you have no idea what that is."

"Study of alien languages, morphology, phonology, syntax." Jim smirked, "Means you've got a talented tongue."

"Prove me wrong, why don't you?" Nyota smirked, "What about you?"

"Danny wants me to get out of rodeo, I just don't know where I'd go or what I'd do."

"Well, what are you good at?"

"Besides riding horses and showing off in front of crowds?"

"Jim." She poked him in the ribs. She knew he was good at a lot more than just showing off for people, though he was awfully good at that too.

"I've got a bachelors in computer engineering and I got my General Federation Pilot's License."

"Not bad for a rodeo cowboy from small-town Iowa." Nyota smiled up at him, "Starfleet could probably use somebody like you."

"No, no, no way." Jim shook his head

"Give me one good reason why you think Starfleet's a bad idea."

"My dad was an officer of Starfleet when he died." Jim frowned, wondering why that never seemed to be reason enough to not go to Starfleet. It was usually everybody's best reason to join.

"Oh. And you don't want to be remembered for that?"

"I'm Jim Kirk, not just George Kirk's poor unfortunate son who had the bad luck to be born the same day he died."

"Oh, Jim."

"See why I don't want to go to Starfleet?"

"I still don't think it's a good reason. Your dad was George Kirk?"

"Yep. He was captain for twelve minutes, he died saving eight hundred people."

"Jim, you've lived your whole life living with other people telling you that you were too much like your father. That's not fair to you, and really not fair to your father's memory."

"What would you suggest I do?"

"Go to Starfleet Academy and make a name for yourself. Prove them wrong about you, Jim, show them that you can be something."

"Y'know, Danny told me something like that when I became a rough-rider. He said he knew I was destined for greater things than pandering to the dimwits who try to knock over milk-bottles with a baseball."

"Then do it for Danny! Reason enough right there!"

"You really want to me to come to Starfleet, don't you?"

"It'd be nice to tell the dimwitted hopefuls I've got a boyfriend who's also in Starfleet and not a long-distance boyfriend."

"So you don't have to shoot down any unfortunate souls who make that mistake?"

"No, so you don't have to kick their asses later." Nyota smirked. Jim rolled his eyes.

"Nice to know you think me capable of kicking some idiot's ass." Jim snickered, "It's kind of funny. Pike's been hoping I'd stop in that office since he started recruiting for Starfleet and I was old enough to know better. I always said no thanks. He never tried that hard to talk me into it, I think he knew why I wasn't interested."

"Come with me, Jim."

"To San Francisco?"

"Please?" She gave him that look, the one he just couldn't say no to and he rolled his eyes.

"If just to see the look on Pike's face when I not only drop you off but follow you onto that shuttle." He smirked and leaned in to kiss her, to get a taste of that oh-so talented tongue. She tasted like his peppermint toothpaste. She pushed until he fell back against the pillow and he reached over to turn off the bedside lamp. Jim just smiled as she used him for her personal pillow and fell asleep listening to her breathe.

There, Chapter Four. Again, sorry for the long-ness. They did a LOT of talking, kissed, and made up. What'd you think of the tattoo on Nyota's shoulder? Want more? Click and REVIEW, my darlings!