Chapter Sixteen

The atmosphere of the bar was normally loud and vivacious, but not tonight. The sound of the Blues tune in the background droned on. Only a few people stumbled around, drinking their sorrows out of a bottle and expecting miracles like getting their job back or finding the perfect date. Pike took a sip out of his class and thumped it down on the counter. The young bartender came over and refilled his drink. She wiped down the counter, blinking her eyes lashes at him. Pike stared at his silent communicator. He'd turned it off, but still looked at it like he expected Jim to call. The bartender leaned forward, giving a little peak of her cleavage, but the man still didn't look up. She sighed and straightened up.

"I haven't seen you in here before. Normally, I know my regulars on a Tuesday night."

Pike took a sip of his drink. "Yeah, I don't usually go out."

The bartender ran her hand down the neck of the bottle. "Shame. You should come out more often." When he didn't answer, she tried another approach. "What's on your mind tonight?"

Chris shook his head. "Bad day."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No thanks. It's personal and I can't talk about it."

She tucked one ankle behind the other and slid her hand down the counter. "If you change your mind, I'm a really good listener."

Pike opened his mouth to say something, but before he could a surprise visitor plopped down next to him.

"Admiral Mitchell?" Chris shot up from the stool, almost knocking his glass over in the process.

"At ease, Commander. We're both off duty." Dressed in civilian clothing, Admiral Mitchell looked comfortable as he turned to the bartender. "A glass of ice water please."

The bartender scurried away to fetch it, leaving them alone.

"You're a difficult man to find," Mitchell said, glancing over as Pike took another drink. "I talked to your boy about two hours ago. He said he comm'd you, but you didn't answer, so he called me instead."

"Is he okay?" Pike turned his head quickly.

"Yeah, he's okay. He just had a bad dream and didn't want to tell Winona about it. Kid wouldn't tell me details, but I can guess what it was about."

Chris shook his head. "I don't know if I can keep doing this."

"Doing what?" The admiral leaned on his elbows. He accepted his water from the bartender and spun it around, watching the round ice cube move.

"I became too attached and I can't find a way to separate myself from the situation. Sir, my actions –"

"Pike, if you were to separate yourself from Jim now, it would only hurt the boy," Mitchell interrupted. "You've given him a second chance. You saved Jim Kirk's life and have helped bring him back from near death."

"But I can't continue to save him. You know his mother can't care for him, despite her desire too. She sent Jim away because she couldn't take care of him!" Pike pushed up from the bar and motioned for the bartender to settle his credits for the night. He didn't say anything as he stepped out into the cold rainy night.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as he stood under the awning. Admiral Mitchell came to stand next to him.

"Jim gets to make the choice if he wants to stay with Winona or with you. We have to let him make this decision on his own."

Pike felt the emotional pain twist his stomach and he felt sick. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. "I understand."

"No, you don't understand. The kid wants to protect his mom and take care of her. At the same time, Jim knows he is safe with you. Whatever happens, you can still be in Jim's life. He needs a father figure. While you are on Earth, you could make sure Jim is okay and take him for dinner or get him to talk. Jim needs you. Give him a little space to make up his mind."

Pike nodded, unable to say anything. The admiral reached up and squeezed his shoulder. The two stood in silence as they stared out at the rain. After a moment, Mitchell released Chris's shoulder.

"You should get home. You can an important meeting at 0800 hours and then Jim wants to see you at 0900." Admiral Mitchell paused. "I can't imagine how you are feeling, but I can tell you that you're gonna get through this. Both of you will make it through this." He sighed, motioning to a transport car. "I'll give you a lift home. I have a meeting with Captain Marcus in the morning and I'm going to need sleep to put up with him and his agendas."

Knowing Captain Marcus well, Pike nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it, son. We'll get through this. Jim's going to be a great Captain someday and so will you."

Chris smiled as his two important guests arrived in his office. Tommy and Kevin walked with their mouths open wide and gawking at everything. As soon as they saw him, both boys ran to give him a hug.

"Chris! We missed you!" they exclaimed together.

"Hi kiddos! What are you doing here?"

Kevin grinned. "Admiral Mitchell helped make us an appointment to see you. We wanted to thank you for everything. All of the others kids made cards too." He held out a stack of brightly colored papers.

Tommy held tight to his stuffed monkey as he stood a step behind his friend. The scars on his face had faded, but Pike could still see a little discoloration in the kid's eye. The doctor said he'd never fully heal and his vision would degrade later in life. Despite the fact that Tommy's memories of Tarsus would fade, he'd always carry those visible scars. Tommy stuck a thumb in his mouth and smiled around it. He came over and grabbed Chris's hand, pulling him to the desk.

Pike set the cards down on the table as he started flipping through the various stick figures and scribbles of the kids he'd rescued. One of the drawings made him pause. It was clearly a drawing of him, standing in the cave with the kids, but he was wearing a red superhero cape along with his uniform.

Chris smiled. "I like this one."

"One of the girls drew it for you. We all think you are a superhero," Kevin answered.

Pike swallowed around the lump in his throat. "Thank you, but I'm not a superhero. I was just doing my job as a Starfleet officer."

"We know," Tommy spoke up. "I want to be just like you someday."

"Me too. We both wanna join Starfleet when we are old enough."

Chris knelt down and hugged the two again. "That is wonderful news. We can surely use two great officers like you both. You are very brave kids."

"Have you heard from JT?" Tommy frowned and it broke Chris's heart a little.

"Yeah, he's doing well."

"We miss him." Tommy squeezed his monkey. "Can you tell him that we miss him?"

"Yeah. I can tell him."

Kevin took Tommy's hand. "We better go. Admiral Mitchell said we couldn't stay for long, but we wanted to thank you one more time and say good-bye."

"Hey, it's not good-bye," Pike interrupted. "My door will always be open for you to come visit me. I want to make sure that you guys grow up to be great men, though I don't doubt you will. We'll stay in contact."

Both boys grinned. "Thanks Chris!"

Pike promised to set up a date to take them to the beach to play as the two boys jumped up and down. He made a note in his schedule to contact their guardians. The two darted from the room, leaving Chris alone with the pictures and his thoughts. He glanced at the clock. Less than an hour until he heard from Jim to find out his decision. He'd need caffeine before they met.

Pike stood with his hands in his pockets, watching as the waves crashed upon the shore. He couldn't meet with Jim inside his office. It felt too stilted and confining. Jim did better outside and he really liked the water. Chris sighed as he moved the sand with his shoe.

"Hi." Jim's voice was soft.

Pike turned to see Jim standing behind him, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and it looked like he'd barely slept. He wondered if Jim had had nightmares. He had no doubt that Winona's presence probably didn't stop them.

"Hey Jim, it's good to see you. How are you?"

"I'm okay." He walked forward and stood beside Pike. "How're you?"

"I'm fine."

The two stood in silence as they listened the waves crash against the shore. Pike opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. He had to let Jim make his decision in his own time. He didn't have to wait long before Jim spoke.

"I tried to call you last night, but you didn't answer. Admiral Mitchell said he'd find you and make sure you were okay. I'm sorry about yesterday."

Chris turned quickly. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left so quickly and I should have answered your comm…. I just…" He hung his head.

"I know. It's hard for me too. I remember living with my mom before Tarsus and it wasn't good. She's never been able to be a mother, but I know she does care deep down." Jim swallowed. "She's my mom. As much as I want to stay with you, she's my only family and I can't leave her. I'm sorry."

It felt like rocks settling in Pike's stomach as he knelt next to Jim, not caring about getting sand and dust on his uniform. He fought to keep the emotion from entering his voice, but failed. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Jim. I want you to be happy and if you want to live with your mom, I won't stand in your way."

"I feel guilty. You've done so much for me and I can't repay you."

"Jim – I don't want you to repay me. I want you to have a chance to grow up and be a kid again, even if you think it isn't possible. You deserve to be loved and to laugh." Pike cleared his throat. "It doesn't have to end our friendship. You need a father figure in your life and I want to be there for you. I need to be there. I can take you to football games and teach you about girls."

Jim smiled. "I'd like that."

"Besides, I want to make sure you become Captain someday. You'll make a great Captain, Jim."

Pike laughed as a grinned crossed the kid's face. "Of course, I will. I'll be the best Starfleet has ever seen. I'm gonna change the world."

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you saved the world a couple of times. You're stronger than I could ever imagine. I'm proud of you, son. Your dad would be proud of you."

Jim nodded. "I'm sure he would, but I'm happier that you're proud of me."

Chris started to say something, but didn't as Jim wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly. He relaxed and tried to keep his emotions at bay. He wasn't going to lose Jim. He just might not get to spend as much time with him as he wanted. It was going to be okay. Jim broke the hug and pulled back so he could see Pike's face.

"Thank you for everything. You saved my life and someday, I'm gonna repay the favor."

Chris laughed. "I don't know if you'll need to, but I'll hold you to that one. If I ever need someone, I know who I can count on." He cleared his throat and stood up. "How about I play hooky for the rest of the morning and we go have a late breakfast. I haven't eaten yet. Have you?"

"Nope. I'm starving." Jim grinned as he looked toward the sidewalk. "Race you!"

The two took off running as they laughed. Pike knew it wasn't going to be easy for Jim, but he promised to stay in the kid's life and to make sure he was okay and that he made it. He wasn't going to give up on him.

That was the last chapter – thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! I will be posting the epilogue soon, which will be a few little snippets from Jim and Pike as they are older and how the changes converged with the timeline. And if anyone is curious, yes I did make the scene with Pike and Mitchell similar to when Pike finds Jim at the bar after he loses the Enterprise in "Into Darkness". Just a little fun there! Thanks again! Please review!