Pride and Punishment

"James calm down!" Victoria called as Kirk practically hurried through the courtyard before the San Fransisco Fleet Headquarters where Pike had been stationed upon his relief of duties as captain of the Enterprise, "You're like an over excited puppy!"

Kirk shot her a saucy smirk, "Is that code for you wanting to put me on a leash?"

She gave him a sarcastic smirk back, "I prefer handcuffs."

"Well, well, well, you know…I think I might just have…"

"Buy me a drink first," she nudged him, it had become her 'thing' to say to him when he got a bit too rambunctious in his innuendo and flirting. Even though he had bought her a drink or two in the past, she always said it as a means to remind him he was getting a little ahead of himself or that it wasn't the right time…though she was sorely tempted to keep it up, if just to make Spock uncomfortable.

"I do not understand your level of excitement," Spock remarked, "A summons such as this does not engender thoughts of praise or reward."

"Spock," Kirk rolled his eyes, "I'm telling you this why he called, I can feel it!"

"Your feeling aside, I consider it highly unlikely we will be selected for the new program."

"Why else would Pike want to see us? Well, besides wanting to see his daughter again…" he winced at that, Pike had NOT been a fan of him introducing himself (jokingly) as the man's son-in-law when they'd gone to tell him they were together.

Pike punched him.

Hard.

And then started shouting about how dare they run off and get married without telling him, how he thought they weren't together, how he thought they hated each other, and so on. Victoria, who had warned him against doing that joke to the man and had fully expected her father to go off that way, started to time the rant. A half hour later though, she was getting just as annoyed as he was sure Spock felt for all humans but never showed it, and finally broke character and told her father the truth. She'd even told him the entire truth, how they'd been exiled to Delta Vega, how they'd met Future-Spock there and what he'd told them about their future in his universe.

Pike had been remarkably calmer after finding out that his baby girl hadn't just randomly gone to Vegas and eloped, though he didn't apologize to Kirk for punching him. He hadn't even bothered to ask the man's permission to court his daughter. To which Victoria had laughed heartily at that, citing it wasn't the middle ages, she didn't need her father to give his blessing on who she dated.

After that, Pike was just as he always was, though he was a little more familiar and open with Kirk as a result of finding out his daughter loved the man.

Yes, she'd even told her father that, how she really felt about Kirk, but in private. She was probably more nervous to admit that to her father than she was to one day actually tell Kirk how she felt. She'd sat down with him and had a long conversation with her father about it. Surprisingly…despite his first exclamations of shock that they were together…he'd actually been expecting it to happen and was truly more surprised that it had taken them that long to see it happen than anything. According to him, he'd looked back as he was leaving the bar in Iowa when they'd recruited Kirk, and seen the two of them officially meeting for the first time and seen it. There was something in the way they looked at each other that had led him to think that the boy would one day be his son-in-law. In the end, she was just happy her father had accepted them.

"Forget about seniority, they gave us the newest ship in the Fleet!" Kirk cheered, "Who else are they going to send out?"

"I can think numerous the possibilities..." Spock began.

"I can list them," Victoria added.

"You guys, a five-year mission!" Kirk just went on, ignoring their thoughts that this might be a punishment more than a reward, "That's deep space, that's uncharted territories. Think how incredible that's going to be."

Victoria started to smile, but not at his excitement, more so at the fact that the two Cadets, now members of the Fleet, that he had flirted at just before the Kobayashi Maru test a long while ago had walked past.

And Kirk hadn't even batted an eye at them as he smiled at HER.

~8~

For however smiling Victoria was when they'd been heading to Pike's office, she frowned twice as much once they were inside it, standing before the man as he sat at his desk, a file in his hand as he perused it, "Uneventful."

"Admiral?" Kirk blinked, not sure what was uneventful.

"That's the way you describe the survey in Nibiru in Captain's Log," Pike looked up at him.

"Yes sir, I didn't want to waste your time going with the details."

Pike eyed him a long while, something Victoria knew from ample experience that he did when he wanted you to come clean about something without prompting, but, when Kirk remained silent, Pike continued, "Tell me more about this volcano. Data says was highly volatile. If it were to erupt, it would wipe out the planet."

Victoria closed her eyes a moment, working out what must have happened and decided she might as well dig her own grave, her being there meant he knew she was involved and had helped plan it and hadn't tried to stop it when she could, "It could wipe the planet out," she agreed, "But volatility dies down at times. Doesn't look like it'll erupt."

"No, it doesn't," Pike frowned at her.

"Our data could have just been off," she shrugged.

"Or maybe it didn't erupt because Mr. Spock detonated a cold fusion device you created inside it, right after a civilization that's barely invented the wheel, happened to see a Starship rising out their ocean on Kirk's orders. That is pretty much how you describe it, is it not?" he looked at Spock.

"Admiral..." Spock began.

"You filed a report?" Kirk looked at him, betrayed.

"You really thought he wouldn't?" Victoria scoffed.

She'd been afraid he'd do that. It was Vulcan nature. Spock had caught her once sabotaging one of the shuttles, making it so it couldn't take off. It was for a good reason though! Kirk had the insane idea that they'd be able to help another ship under attack by darting out there in a shuttle, past their enemies, and drawing the fire towards the shuttle instead. She'd HAD to secure it down and make sure it wouldn't go or Kirk would have gotten himself killed.

Spock had filed a report about that as well, but with Kirk and not Starfleet in general. And now she was cursing herself for not having kept an eye on the transmissions to the Headquarters to make sure Spock wasn't going to send a report to them. But, in all fairness, Kirk had distracted her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kirk demanded of the Vulcan.

"I incorrectly assumed that you would be truthful in your Captain's Log," Spock stated flatly.

"Yeah," he scoffed, "I'd would've been if I didn't have to save your life after YOU defied the orders of the acting Captain at the time," he gestured back at Victoria, making her sigh and realize that was another reason she was probably there. It was HER device that they'd used and she HAD been captain the moment the two left the ship, meaning she could have easily ordered the mission aborted but hadn't.

"A fact for which I am immeasurably both grateful and guilty, and is the very reason I felt it necessary to take responsibility for the actions taken by..."

"Spock, just stop," Victoria shook her head, squeezing the bridge of her nose. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately, getting headaches from listening to Kirk and Spock argue. It wasn't the same as when SHE or Kirk argued, theirs was actually serious and non-understanding or comprehending where as hers and Kirk often learned from each other during it, "You're not helping."

"Yeah," Kirk nodded, "Don't be so noble, Pointy, if you weren't also throwing me under the bus."

"Pointy?" Spock frowned, "Is that a derogative reference?"

"Gentlemen," Pike cut in, before glancing at Victoria, "Are they always like this?"

"Worse," she scoffed, "I've had to start taking migraine medicine," she grimaced.

Pike frowned at that, all too aware of his daughter's dislike for medicines of any kind, for her to have to resort to headache relief because of the two men was a testament to how badly they could argue and grate each other's nerves at times. And he highly doubted their arguments were as playful or light as the ones he'd seen Kirk engaging Victoria in.

"Starfleet's mandate is to explore and observe, not to interfere," he continued.

"With all due respect sir," Victoria cut in, "If Spock and Sulu had listened to us, everything would have worked out just fine and the natives wouldn't have seen hide or hair of us."

"That's a technicality Tor," Pike pointed at her.

"I am Vulcan, sir," Spock at least made an effort to defend her argument, "We embrace technicality."

"You giving me attitude, Spock?" Pike narrowed his eyes at the Vulcan.

"I'm expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously, sir. To which you are referring?"

"Out," he pointed at the door, "You're dismissed," he waited till Spock stepped out of the room, the Vulcan hesitating a moment before going, and shut the door before he turned back to the humans.

"Let me guess," Victoria spoke before he could open his mouth, "You've never been more disappointed in us."

Pike offered her a small smile, "More the opposite really."

"What?" she blinked, NOT having expected that.

"I'm…proud of you Tor," he told her, "The both of you," he glanced at Kirk as well before looking at his daughter, "I'm proud of your concern for the natives, and I'm proud of your initiative, your plan, had it worked, would have been genius, your actions DID save numerous lives and, unlike with the Kobayashi Maru…this time you broke the rules to benefit others and not yourselves. So yes, I am VERY proud of you," he took a deep breath, "That being said…there are MASSIVE issues with the events surrounding Nibiru, decisions and actions that cannot be defended," he gave them both a hard look, glancing at Kirk, "Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass you are?"

"Victoria reminds me countless times of just how much sir," Kirk smirked.

Pike did his best not to smile at that, he was…happy to see that his daughter was able to hold her own against Kirk. He knew the boy was charming, confident, cocky, and also…commanding in presence. He'd been just a little concerned that Kirk would be too casual with his daughter, almost brushing her aside, or that he might (though it went against everything he knew of the boy) be using her to garner more favor with HIM. But when he'd seen them bickering, seen Victoria arguing with him, shooting back witty retorts, seen how…gentle and considerate Kirk was with her…and found out that they'd gotten together before he'd even realized what her last name was, he'd felt better about the situation. He could tell that Kirk cared a great deal for his daughter, and that meant the world to him.

"So, tell me what you did wrong," Pike challenged, sitting back down, "What's the lesson to be learned here?" he held up a hand, "Don't…say anything Tory."

He knew she'd work it out, had probably even told Kirk what was wrong with the plan after it had happened. He expected that of her, having been around him so long, growing up on ships all through the Fleet, being better acquainted with the rule book that probably even Spock was. He knew she'd work out the flaws in it all, the rules broken, but he wanted Kirk to learn it for himself.

"Never trust a Vulcan," Kirk said instantly.

"James," Victoria nudged him, "Be serious."

"You can't even answer the question," Pike sighed, before answering it for him, "You lied."

"I lie all the time," Kirk shrugged.

"You lied on an official report," Victoria told him, "That's ten times worse."

"You think the rules don't apply to you because you disagree with them…" Pike started.

"Victoria's the same way, sir," Kirk defended, Victoria nodding to that, she really was, "That's how she talked me into signing up in first place. And that's why YOU gave me your ship."

"I gave you my ship because I and my daughter saw a greatness in you...and now I see you haven't got an ounce of humility. I can't even ask her opinion anymore because she's biased in how smitten she is with you."

"Dad!" Victoria cried, horrified he'd bring that up into this, her cheeks starting to turn pink, but luckily Kirk didn't notice as he frowned at Pike, more offended by his words than his words about Victoria's opinion about him, all THAT told him was that he wasn't the only smitten party of this relationship.

"What was I supposed to do?" Kirk shook his head, "Let Spock die?"

"You're missing the point…"

"I don't think I am, sir. What would you have done?"

"I would not have risked my First Officer's life in the first place!"

"So you agree you WOULD have tried to save the planet then," Victoria pointed out how he hadn't said he wouldn't have bothered trying to rescue the planet, only that he wouldn't have put his First Officer in a situation like that.

"I would NOT have," Pike tried to backtrack, but they could hear it in his voice, he'd slipped up just then. He sighed, "You were supposed to survey a planet, not alter its destiny. You violated a dozen Star Fleet regulations that I KNOW Tory had to have cited to you in warning so you could probably come up with loopholes for each of them. But what's worse is that you almost got everyone under your command killed!"

"Technically they were under MY command while he was on the surface," Victoria defended, "Both he and Spock appointed me temporary captain while they were on mission."

"But he did return in time to make the final command to fly the Enterprise over a volcano," he countered.

"And no one got killed," Kirk cut in, "You know how many crew have I lost since…since I took command?"

"That's your problem," Pike turned back to him, "You think you're infallible…"

"Not one."

But Pike plowed on, "You think you can't make a mistake, it's a pattern with you. The rules are for other people."

"Some should be," Kirk agreed, but even Victoria had to shake her head at that, knowing that was the wrong thing to say. You could think it, sure, act like it, fine, but you didn't ever admit it to a Fleet leader.

"And what's worse is you're using blind luck to justify you playing god," Pike shook his head, quietly admitting, "I AM proud of you James, Tory," he looked at them, "But given the circumstances, this was brought to Admiral Marcus's attention. He convened a special tribunal to which I was not invited…" he looked at them a long while, "You understand what Starfleet regulations mandate be done in this point?"

"Dad no," Victoria shook her head as Kirk frowned, realizing what her father was trying to delicately say without having to say it.

"I'm sorry Tor."

"What?" Kirk looked at her for explanation.

"When a captain is deemed unsuited or ill prepared for command…the Fleet takes the ship away from them," Victoria told him quietly, "And sends the captain back to the Academy for more preparation."

"Admiral, listen…" Kirk turned back to Pike, not wanting that to happen, not wanting to lose the Enterprise…because Victoria had also said that they removed the CAPTAIN, no one else, to return to the Academy. If that happened…he'd lose his crew, but worse yet…he'd lose Victoria.

"No," Pike shook his head, "Why should I listen? You don't listen anybody but yourself! So I can't listen. You don't comply with the rules, you don't take responsibility for anything, and you don't respect the chair. You know why...because you're not ready for it."

Kirk let out a breath, feeling like he'd been punched in the gut at that.

~8~

Victoria stepped into a bar, smiling slightly as she saw Kirk sitting at the bar, nursing some sort of alcohol, a woman sitting beside him, trying to make eyes with him, trying to catch his attention, but Kirk was oblivious. She smirked to herself as she walked over, sliding onto the stool beside him, shooting the woman a victorious look when Kirk immediately turned to her, as though sensing it was HER and not some other woman come to bother him. The woman rolled her eyes and got up, storming away as she waved after her.

"How did you find me?" Kirk asked her.

"I traced the tracker in your comm.," she shrugged, "Hacked right in and…I'm joking James," she laughed, seeing his eyes widen at the thought that she'd done all that, because to do so was considered a felony among the Fleet when not in a life or death situation, "I know you. You always come to bars like this when you're depressed. I always wondered why?" she looked at him, "You used to hang out at that bar in Iowa, yeah, but you said you'd just go there when you were bored. You didn't go to many bars in the Academy unless you were really in a sorry state…"

Kirk shrugged, "Every time I went, I knew you'd come after me because of that."

She blinked and started to smile, turning to the bartender, "One Cardassian sunrise," she called, the bartender moving away to go make the drink, "So you always came to these mopey little bars, because you thought I'd worry and run to check on you?"

"Worked like a charm," he grinned, taking a gulp of his drink and signaling to the bartender for another, "Was the only way I could get you alone half the time, just…us, no other Cadets, no Bones or Uhura, just…the two of us."

"You could have just asked me on a date," she remarked, nodding at the bartender as he brought back her drink.

"Would you have said yes?" he eyed her.

She paused, considering that, "For YOU…I might have."

He smiled at that, "First time we ever met was in a bar."

"When you got your ass handed to you on a silver platter," she cut in.

"No I didn't."

"You so did. And I had to step in and save you…"

"That's not what happened."

"Yes it is," she said sing-song, "You were a wreck James."

"I was not!"

"Oh really, so it was a fashion trend in Iowa to have wads of napkins sticking out of your bloody nose?"

"Alright, it was...quite a fight," Kirk sighed, starting to smile, "A really good one," he looked at her a moment, "I think I fell for you the second Cupcake went down."

"What?" she laughed, that was the weirdest thing she'd ever heard him say.

"Not my fault," he shrugged defensively, "Any girl who can take out a grown man twice her size with one punch is not someone you let go of."

"I nearly broke my hand because of that," she pointed at him, "Swore I'd never do that for you again."

He grinned widely, "And yet you punched Spock, didn't you? For the same reason?"

She rolled her eyes, "And I learned from my mistake when I really broke my hand that time. NOT going to happen again James. You get in a fight, you're on your own."

"I feel so warm and fuzzy at your concern," he remarked dryly.

"Good," she smirked, nudging him, "You better."

He let out a long breath, taking the last sip of his drink, "So…why'd you come after me this time?" he asked.

"There's um…something you need to know. Spock and…and I, we both got notices."

"For what?" he frowned.

"Reassignment," she told him, "But…it was conditional."

"How so?"

"Spock and I, since I was a part of the whole fiasco in making the bomb and Spock was the one to go down with it…we were both reassigned. Spock's going to the USS Bradbury, and I'm heading to the USS Constitution."

"And what was the condition behind it?" last he heard, only HE was being punished, not them.

"You get reassigned back to the Enterprise instead of the Academy, as dad's First Officer. They gave the Enterprise back to him and he argued you back into the crew."

"What, by kicking you out?!" Kirk nearly shouted, outraged for her, "You're his daughter!"

"And it's rare for family to serve on the same ship as it is unless is a married couple," she reminded him, "With all the probations and detainments in the Academy, there was hardly a chance we'd be allowed to serve on the same ship as it was. If I didn't have any marks against me at all, there would be a better chance for me and dad to be on the same ship in a service capacity. It was either he gets captain, or I stay as a liaison, and liaisons are easier to come by than captains."

"So you're out…and I'm back in?" he shook his head, "How is that fair?"

"It's not," she shrugged, "Dad made a good case for you, told Admiral Marcus that he believed in you and that you deserved a second chance. The rest was just Marcus's conditions."

"I don't know what to say Tory…" he breathed.

She reached out and put a hand on his, "There's nothing to say Jim," she told him, "Eventually we'll all make our way back to each other. I am…very possessive of my things, I'm not about to let you go."

He smiled at that, "I'm not going to let you go either," he reached out and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, "I…Victoria I…if I'm going to be stuck on the Enterprise without you, there's…there's something I need you to know before you go to the Constitution."

"What?" she tilted her head, inadvertently leaning into his touch.

He smiled, taking a breath, "I think I might…I mean, I know that I l..." he closed his eyes and let out a frustrated breath when the comm. in his pocket went off.

"Get it," she nodded, "You can't risk anymore marks on your record either."

Kirk sighed, running a hand through his hair, frustrated, but knowing she was right, so he picked up the comm. and looked at the message on it, "An emergency session at the Daystrom," he frowned.

She nodded, "We should go."

He nodded as well, starting to get up, only to pause, "WE?"

She smiled, "Apparently, Spock's report against you also contained a 'glowing' report about my five minutes as acting Captain," she rolled her eyes, "I've been assigned as the First Officer on the Constitution."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, knowing that she didn't like the captain and commanding roles, she'd spent her life preparing for a path in engineering, and now, just because of who her father was, she was being pushed into the commanding positions. He understood now why she hadn't wanted anyone to know Pike was her father, they seemed to expect her to suddenly follow in his footsteps and be a captain instead of realizing she was meant for engineering.

"Me too," she shrugged, "At least we get a little bit longer together though."

He smiled and took her hand, the two of them heading out to get ready for the meeting.

~8~

Victoria and Kirk walked through Daystrom only an hour later, both of them in their uniforms from that morning, "Damn it," Kirk muttered, spotting Spock across the room and heading towards them.

"I told you he was reassigned to the Bradbury," Victoria reminded him.

"Captain!" Spock called, pushing his way through the crowd as they reached the lift.

"Not anymore, Spock," Kirk sighed, "First Officer," he gestured at himself and Victoria, "The both of us, because of you. I was demoted, and you and Victoria were resigned," he swallowed hard at that, he just…he'd barely been away from Victoria for longer than a class period in the last four years.

Their relationship was still so new, they'd barely been going together a year…something that had won Uhura quite a lot of money in a pool apparently. They weren't sure who had started it, but there had actually been a pool going around for how long they'd stay together. Most bet on a few months, those who knew Kirk's exploits by reputation but didn't know him personally and his relationship and friend ship with Victoria. Others bet a little longer, almost a year but not quite, mostly because Victoria was not a girl they could see someone giving up easily. Bones had voted for two days…though when they found that out he'd said it was because he'd honestly thought one of them was going to murder the other in that time, so it wasn't that he'd actually bet they'd break up. Uhura was the only one who had bet that it would last longer than a year, just how long they didn't know. Spock, as shocking as it was to learn from Uhura, would have probably won if he'd actually officially participated instead of making an off comment to Uhura about it.

He'd said that he suspected they would become one of the best teams, perhaps partners, in the Fleet, and that he doubted they would separate 'until death do they part' as the humans would say. Uhura had been shocked to hear that Spock apparently thought they would get married one day, having thought that sort of thing wouldn't be something that a Vulcan would concern himself with. But his words had been enough for her to bet longer than a year, that and she knew how much Victoria had actually liked Kirk despite the fights. They were both now suspicious that Spock might have met his future self at one point, it would explain why he'd decided to stay with the Fleet instead of help his people rebuild on the New Vulcan colony.

"It is fortunate that the consequences were not more severe," Spock remarked.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Kirk muttered.

"Spock…look at it from this point of view," Victoria added, "YOU and Uhura…won't see each other again for a very long time."

Spock blinked, as though he hadn't considered that part of it all. If he really had been reassigned to the Bradbury...Uhura wouldn't give up the Enterprise, the best ship in the Fleet, for the Bradbury nor would he want her to. He looked between Kirk and Victoria, as though realizing they were in the same boat as him, "Captain, it was never my intention to..."

"Not Captain," Kirk rubbed a hand down his face, "I saved your life Spock. You wrote a report, I lost my ship and now I won't get to see my girlfriend except on messages for who knows how long."

"Commander," Spock amended, "I see now I should have alerted to the fact that I submitted the report."

"Spock, you should see now that you never should have written the report in the first place," Victoria cut in, "Did you see any other member of the crew that concerned that they felt they had to draw up a report on their Captain?"

Spock's mouth turned down in the corners at that, no…no one else BUT him had thought to write a report on the situation.

"Look, I'm familiar with your compulsion to follow the rules," Kirk added, "But, see Victoria and I, we can't do that. Where we come from, if someone saves your life you don't stab them in the back."

"Vulcans cannot not lie."

"Then I'm talking to the half-human part of you. Right? Do you understand why I went back for you?"

But before the Vulcan could answer, the lift doors opened and an older black gentleman was standing there waiting for them, "Commander Spock?" he glanced at Spock, "I'm Frank Abbott, USS Bradbury. Guess you're with me."

Spock hesitated for a moment, not wanting to openly call someone else his captain, "Yes, Captain."

Kirk just shook his head and stepped out of the lift, Victoria sighing, "You know…I think he's actually going to miss you," she told the Vulcan, "I think we both will."

Or at least…they'd miss the Spock they hoped he might one day be, the Spock that had cared about them both so much on Delta Vega, the Spock that had been a true friend. He was on his way, but this…she hoped this wouldn't derail all the progress Spock had made in truly becoming a part of the crew, of the family, instead of the aloof and distant Commander.

A/N: Oh boy...we all know what might be coming next :'(

Some notes on reviews...

Yup, Victoria got in trouble both because she was the leader in making the cold fusion device and also because she was acting captain for a little bit :(