Chapter Five

Christopher Pike checked his watch again and kept an eye on the recruits he'd managed to drag up this round. They had a few minutes, but not a whole lot of time to just sit around and ogle. It was close to launch when he heard the rumble of a motorcycle. It was Jim Kirk, keeping his word. Seeing Jim with one arm around the waist of one of his recruits, flashing that million-dollar smile that to this day made girls swoon, didn't surprise him the way it should have. He watched them approach the shuttle.

"Did you kids make your peace?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. There should be a few seats left." He waved them onto the shuttle and didn't miss how Uhura was in civilian togs this morning. She wore a short, short denim skirt and zebra-stripe tights, short boots, and an off-the-shoulder blouse that bared her shoulders and revealed a tattoo on her left shoulder. Yep, she was definitely Jim's girl. And something told Christopher they were both perfectly okay with that. Jim hadn't asked, and neither had he. Paperwork would get done once they were in San Francisco, he had to take what he could get when it came to Jim Kirk. And if Jim wanted to follow some pretty girl with a wit to match his straight onto that shuttle, then god bless him.

Finding a seat wasn't that hard, but Jim had his reservations about his right-hand neighbor. To his left sat one of the recruits, but to his right, completely by herself and staring at everyone with big, blue eyes, was a little girl. She had blue eyes and curly blonde hair, and wore a pair of pink polar-fleece footie-pajamas. She hugged a teddy-bear and a blanket like they were all she had left in the world. Jim sat down beside the little girl and looked across the aisle at Nyota, who looked absolutely stunned. What was a little girl doing on a shuttle full of Starfleet recruits?! Jim leaned over and peered under the seat. A pair of duffel-bags and a backpack were stuffed under there.

"Nyota."

"What?"

"Under the seat. Look."

"Oh." Nyota saw the bags, "Okay, good." So she wasn't all by herself. Jim looked at his pint-sized seat-mate and wondered where her parent/guardian was. She just looked right back at him, hugging her teddy-bear more tightly. A commotion towards the back of the shuttle got his attention away from the little girl and he looked up.

"Sir, you need to take your seat."

"I had one!" an irritated voice snapped, "In the bathroom, with no windows!"

"Sir, it's for your own safety." The flight-officer was trying to reason with an unreasonable passenger. Jim looked up as the flight-officer finally wrangled her impossible passenger into his seat with a threat to make him sit if he didn't do it himself. The man looked like a bum, but Jim knew he was the little girl's father. As the man fought with his harness, Jim chewed his lip.

"How did you talk the recruiting officer into letting you bring your daughter?"

"She's all I've got left, kid, if that's any business of yours." The man looked at him, "Why do you care?"

"You don't usually see children on the recruiting shuttles. Where did you come from?"

"Savannah. This is Joanna."

"I'm Jim."

"Then name's McCoy, Leonard McCoy."

"So what takes you to San Francisco?" Jim asked as they shook hands.

"Ex took everything, left me Joanna, and said get out of her house."

"Jesus Christ. How long have you guys been on the road, then?" Divorce then. Bad way to go. Jim felt sorry for him.

"A couple months."McCoy shook his head, a man without anywhere to go and nothing left to him but his daughter and whatever they had in their bags. Between them, Joanna suddenly unbuckled her harness. Before anyone could scold her for doing something dangerous, she let herself down from the seat and looked from Jim to her father and did the damnest thing Jim had ever seen a child do. Without a word, Joanna shuffled over and climbed into his lap. Jim, a complete stranger, was her new seat of choice. Nyota just smiled.

"She's adorable."

"Joanna, this is my girlfriend, her name is Nyota." Jim introduced them, holding Joanna close.

"She's pretty. You're a nice man." Joanna turned around and hugged him, Jim wanted to cry.

"Are you okay with this?" he turned to Joanna's father, who just smiled.

"She don't like strangers, this is not like her at all."

"Blame the stress. I don't mind if you don't." Jim was oddly reluctant to let go.

"Nope." McCoy shook his head. He introduced Nyota and McCoy and the flight was actually pretty enjoyable. Joanna dozed off on his shoulder during the last hour and it just about killed him. When they touched down, it didn't even phase Joanna. She stirred and made a noise, but she didn't wake up.

"Kid sleeps like a rock, Bones." Jim sighed and swore to commit that expression on Pike's face to memory for all time when he came off the shuttle with Joanna wrapped in her blanket, asleep on his shoulder, teddy-bear dangling precariously from one hand. And to be honest, Jim didn't care one little bit what the recruiting officer thought.

After settling in at Starfleet Academy, roommates despite their different tracks, Jim found cranky old Leonard McCoy to be a decent person, and he fell in love with Joanna. He nicknamed his roommate Bones, which both amused and annoyed the man. While they were in Basic Training, the Academy's idea of hell, Bones had his mom watch Joanna for them. Jim didn't actually see Nyota again until he decided to join the Linguistics Club just for the hell of something else to fill his non-existent spare time with.

Well, there's Chapter Five. I had a different plan for Joanna and Bones, but I did some serious editing and changed some stuff around. It was too much for one chapter and I wasn't sure if people would like it. So, speaking of like, what'd you all think of Jim's intro to Joanna McCoy? Remember to click and REVIEW!!! Thanks!