Disclaimer: They aren't mine.

Warnings…just like before. Torture. Genocide. Language. You should know the drill by now. I'm giving you some plot exposition here, so that you can know what's going on planet side, but I still want the focus of the story to stay on Pike and Jimmy.

And this one of the longest chapters I've ever written. Sorry you had to wait so long for it.

The morning came far too early for Pike's liking; he was stiff in places he hadn't known he had. He blinked the sleep from his eyes, and looked around blearily. Jimmy was still held tight in his arms, cuddled against his chest, one hand tangled in Winona's quilt. He looked much younger when he was asleep. It spoke volumes about how much Jimmy trusted Pike that he had not moved away during the night. Pike felt a surge of protectiveness shoot through his chest, as he petted Jimmy's blond hair.

He was keeping this one.

Pike didn't care how. It didn't matter if he had to resign to do it. He was keeping Jimmy. God, had he even just made that decision?

Pike shook his head. He needed to think about this. If it was really going to be a possibility, then he needed to make some plans for it, before ....well before anything actually.

But there were plans to make.... Later.

Right now he needed a shower and a change of uniform. He gently lifted Jimmy off his chest and transferred him to the bed. Pike was careful to keep him face down. He didn't want Jimmy to wake up on his back or anything. The kid snuffled a little in his sleep, reaching to keep his grip on Pike, but Pike's hand in his hair seemed to sooth the boy back into a full state of sleep, his hand still fisted in Pike's tunic. Pike smiled at Jimmy, God, Chris, you've got it bad, before disengaging the grip from his shirt and heading for the bathroom.

The shower was hot and exactly what he needed; it loosened some of the stress in his shoulders. He pulled on a fresh uniform and walked back into his cabin, where his eyes went immediately to his young charge. Jimmy was sound asleep, face to the window. He was curled in a tight ball, the quilt mostly hanging off of him. Pike pulled the quilt over the boy's scarred back and allowed himself to touch the boy's hair again. It was just like George's had been. The same exact color. His eyes were exactly like George's also. But the boy's features were more fragile than George's had been. Pike could see Winona in him too. He was definitely both their son.

Enough wool gathering, Christopher, you have work to do.

Pike tugged the quilt upwards and carefully covered Jimmy's shoulders. Pike put his hand against Jimmy's forehead to assure himself that the boy still had no fever. Jimmy felt fine to Pike, but he was moving restlessly. Pike crossed to the selection of hypos left by Dr. Adamson, and picked up one of the sedatives to which the doctor had said the boy was not allergic. Pike pressed it gently to the boy's neck and watched him settle slowly into a deeper sleep. He knew that Jimmy could use the extra sleep. Pike glanced at the other hypos in the set, and selected one of the vitamin boosters. He gently pressed that against Jim's neck also, and was relieved to see that it did not apparently disturb the boy's slumber. Pike checked the quilt one last time before turning on the lullaby Adamson had returned to him. Pike set it to repeat and left the cabin.

He had a staff meeting this morning about the situation on the planet below. After retrieving his coffee, he settled himself at the head of the table and put Jimmy from his mind temporarily. "Any issues before we begin?" he said.

One of the ensigns near the back of the room raised a hand. "We have a small situation, Commander. " Pike vaguely recognized her as one of the people assigned to monitor the children. Jimmy's children.

"Oh?"

"Many of the children have been hiding or hoarding food," she said.

Pike's eyebrows rose. "I think that makes sense, given the circumstances." He couldn't exactly get upset over something like that.

She nodded. "But its inconvenient. They aren't hiding just non perishables. Some of the food is rotting, commander, and we're finding it all over the ship."

Pike knew he should take this seriously. But he couldn't. He tried very hard to stifle his laugh. "Is this all the kids? Or just the younger ones?"

She hesitated. "We aren't sure, sir. They're reluctant to trust us." Of course they are. Pike was surprised they were trusting anybody.

"I'll talk to Jimmy about it," he said. Whatever it was that had bothered them, Pike was willing to bet that Jimmy could sort it out. "In the mean time, maybe give the kids food in small doses. Don't refuse them food or anything, but only give them as much as they can eat in one sitting. If they want more than that, give them a bag of something that won't spoil. If it makes them feel secure to hoard it somewhere, then let them. It's the least we can do. I'm sure they'll stop eventually."

"Yes, commander." She nodded at him, and then she looked slightly hesitant.

"Is there something else?" Pike asked.

She didn't respond immediately. "Well, sir, a lot of the kids...they want to know about how JT is doing. They seem especially reluctant to take our word where he is concerned. What should we tell them?"

Pike smiled. "You can tell them that he's doing well, and he should be back up and about in a few days. They may have my word. You can even say that I will come down and talk to them about him. I think they'll accept that. " Pike didn't blame them for being wary. He also didn't blame them for wanting to know about Jimmy. Pike was already loathe to let the kid out of his sight, and he hadn't know Jimmy nearly as long as any of the children.

"Is that everything not on the agenda?" Pike asked. As there were no replies, he decided to move on. They had a lot of ground to cover today. Literally and figuratively. It was going to be a long meeting, and Pike had to beam back down the planet.

"Security. Report."

Lieutenant Daniels, Chief of Security, spoke up. "We have finished combing the governors mansion, commander. We have confiscated Kodos' personal computer, and have some hopes as to ascertaining his identity."

"Good. That's excellent news."

"Yessir. Further it has given us some leads as to where the governor may currently be hiding." Well, that was definitely good news. "But the security on it is formidable, and we've tripped some flags in it that have caused the encryption to increase."

Pike thought about it for a moment. "Can you hack it yourselves or would you like me to assign some people from the science section to help you?"

The man looked thoughtful. "We can try, sir, but a little help would never go amiss."

Pike smiled. Help seldom did. Maybe he'd assign someone from tactical as well. And possibly engineering. Pike wanted that computer to open like a flower.

"Any thing else?" Pike asked.

"Yessir. We have secured over seventy percent of the colony. Some of Kodos forces remain in hiding in the mountains, but we think we have gotten the majority of them. We are now concentrating our efforts on locating Kodos and his personal guard. This is hindered by some extent by the fact we don't know who he was or what he looked like."

Pike grunted. "I know someone that does."

Daniels looked startled. "I know some of the kids have seen him, but we weren't sure about the veracity of their recollections...." He trailed off. He must have seen the storm brewing on Pike's face, because he back pedaled quickly. "I mean, those kids, they've been through a lot...and we didn't want to make it worse."

Pike nodded, the furor in him backing off somewhat. When had he gotten so protective that he started taking person offense to insults directed Jimmy? "You can send someone to my cabin, and have them talk to Jim about it. I know that he's seen Kodos: maybe he'll know which of the other ones have as well. You can take all of their recollections and put a composite together."

Daniels looked mollified. "Good idea, sir."

Pike nodded. He'd thought so, or he wouldn't have suggested it. "Anything further?"

Daniels shook his head, so Pike figured it was time to move on to the science division. He wanted to know more about the fungus that had caused the crop failure. A blue shirted man stepped forward to explain what they'd learned about the blight so far. It was completely lethal. You couldn't eat the plant once it had been infected or you would be subject to death by slow poisoning. It was a perfect fungus, seemingly almost engineered to attack that specific kind of tritacaline.

Pike heard something in that. "Was it engineered?" he snapped.

The science officer looked around nervously. "We aren't sure, sir. It might have been. It's awfully perfect. But we don't know why...."

Neither did Pike. He couldn't think of any reason anyone would want to purposely infect the colony. They had no resources. It made no sense. He squeezed the bridge of his nose. "Well, look into it. Anything else?"

The science officer shook his head.

"Communications, what've you got?" Pike wanted to get this over with. He had a hell of a headache. And he still had to meet with the captain and the press later today.

Communications officer Wells, was one of the most interesting looking humanoids Pike had ever seen. She was Andorian by birth, but had been adopted by a human family at some point in her life. She dressed and carried herself like a human would. It was ...disconcerting. But still she was a capable and competent officer, and the crew liked here. Her voice was quiet and lilting, and had an odd, ethereal quality to it. "I have managed to get messages out to the families of most of the children, sir. All except James Kirk."

Pike's stomach clenched. "Yeah, there's uh, ...no one left to notify. All his family is dead."

"So he'll become a ward of Starfleet. I will notify the office of-"

"You can belay that, Lieutenant." Pike growled. He actually growled at her. Get a grip, Chris. She's not trying to take him away from you. And it was that thought more than anything that brought home to him exactly how deep he was in.

She actually flinched backwards. "But sir, standard protocol dictates..." She trailed off, likely uncertain as to whether she really wanted to be arguing with him in this mood.

"I am aware. I have filed papers for temporary custody of Mr. Kirk until such time as we can figure out what do with him."

Why the hell had he said that? He'd done no such thing. But he couldn't allow Jimmy to be sent to an orphanage. Not after everything the kid had already been through. Although, thinking about it-it would make decisions about what to do with him somewhat easier for the time being. He'd have to actually file those papers immediately after this meeting, though. Ugh.

"Is there anything else?" Pike nearly spat the question, he wanted to be out of this meeting now. His migraine was growing by the second.

"The press corp keep asking when they'll be allowed access to the planet and the survivors," Wells began tentatively. Yeah... it was definitely a big headache now. Pike hated reporters.

"Tell them I'll answer as many of their questions as I can at this afternoon's briefing."

She nodded. "Very well, sir."

"Good. Anybody have anything to add?" Pike asked.

They shook their heads.

"Very well, dismissed." As they stood and headed out, Daniels stopped Pike with a hand on his arm.

"Sir."

"Yes, Daniels what is it."

The other man looked uncharacteristically hesitant. "Sir, we... we found this in the mansion."

Daniels held out a small box, about twelve inches square, made of some kind of dark wood. There was an antique clasp on the front, for a look which security had obviously broken. Pike raised his eyebrows at Daniels.

"Open it, sir."

Pike opened it to find a collection of letters and holos. One of the envelopes bore the letters JTK. Pike looked again at Daniels for explanation.

"They're records. Medical, academic...and some other things." He glanced at the envelope still in Pike's hand. The way he'd said other things made Pike's stomach plummet. "We haven't looked at that one, sir. I knew how you felt about the kid, so..."

Pike nodded, his stomach tight. This could be the key to what Kodos wanted with Jimmy. He forced himself to swallow. "Okay. Thanks. Lieutenant, I appreciate your coming to me with it. "

Daniels nodded, looking relieved. "I just...I thought some of it...might be private, sir."

Some of it certainly might be.

Pike returned the envelope to the box and set it aside for a moment. He had some paperwork to fill out, after all.

When he returned to his quarters later that morning, he found Jimmy sitting up in bed, apparently on a holo conference to another part of the ship. Pike raised his eyebrows. He didn't remember having allowed Jimmy access to the computer. He shook his head; he probably ought to have expected this. Any twelve year old that could play double agent, steal a disruptor and carve out a niche for thirty kids, probably wouldn't have a hard time hacking a computer terminal. Jimmy was talking animatedly to someone on the other end, who Pike could only assume was one other kids. He noticed that Jimmy had managed to program the replicator to spit out something in his size as well, as his torso was fully covered to the neck. He was being careful to hide his scars from the person on the other end, Pike thought.

Instead of acting chagrined at being caught, Jimmy bestowed upon Pike a smile so brilliant, it took his breath away for a moment. That was how every child ought to look. That was how Jimmy ought to look. It was an expression the likes of which he hadn't yet seen on Jimmy's face. If it took the rest of his life, Pike was going to see this boy smile like that again.

Despite himself, Pike smiled back. He ought to be chastising the little bugger for hacking his system, but really, he couldn't help but be impressed by the kids ingenuity. Jimmy was used to making due for himself. Pike couldn't, wouldn't punish him for that.

"Gotta go, Matt," Jimmy said. "Pike's back. Tell Tom and the others that I'm fine, and I'll be out soon."

Pike spoke up. "Don't make it sound like you're in prison."

Jimmy beamed at him as he signed off the comm. "Might as well be. " The words were bitter, but the tone was light, so Pike didn't figure that Jimmy was too mad.

Pike grunted, trying to prevent his smile. "You'll be allowed out soon. I just want you to be a little stronger."

"I know." Jimmy said, for once not pushing for an argument. "You filed for custody of me," Jimmy said. He said it flatly, without emotion. Kid could have been a Vulcan for all the emotional control he had sometimes.

Pike started. He shouldn't have been surprised that Jimmy knew that, but he was. "Do you have a flag on your file, or something?"

"Yeah," the kid said, looking sheepish. "You tripped it when you sent the application."

"What? Really?" Pike was astonished. He'd been joking when he asked Jimmy that. He hadn't know the kid was that good of a hacker. Getting into a locked terminal was one thing. Flagging records at Starfleet protective services was completely another.

"Yeah, um, I put it there right after mom died. When she sent me to live with Aunt Margot, we had a bunch of offers of people to adopt where people wanted me because of my dad."

Of course they had. Who wouldn't want to raise the child of one of the Federation's greatest heroes? They wouldn't know a thing about Jimmy, but what did that matter. Gods-had those people been stupid enough to site George as a reason for their application?

God Damn it. Pike cursed himself. He should have checked on Winona earlier.

"I'm sorry."

Jimmy shrugged, looking away. "No big deal. But I flagged my file so that I could see people who applied before they got custody."

Pike raised an eyebrow. He'd have to remember to not ever underestimate this one. "You deny those applications too?" Judging from what Kirk had already told him, the kid might have been capable of it.

Jimmy shrugged again. That meant yes. After a few minutes, Jimmy spoke. "Only a couple. People from Starfleet that I didn't know personally. And Kodos."

Pike stared. "Kodos."

Jimmy nodded.

"Kodos wanted to adopt you?" If someone had turned Pike's brain off with a switch, he felt he still wouldn't have been more struck dumb than he was right now.

"I don't know about adoption. But he wanted to be responsible for me, yeah. And he tried." Jimmy wouldn't meet his eyes. Pike didn't know what had happened to the kid, but he looked like whatever this existed between him and Kodos, Jimmy felt responsible for it.

Pike crossed the room and dropped to his knees; he looked deep into the too blue eyes. So like George. "Hey. Hey....it's okay, Jimmy. Whatever happened, its okay. It's not your fault."

Jimmy just exploded. "Don't say it's not my fault, you weren't there. You don't know." The kid was screaming, throwing everything in reach.

Pike started, momentarily taken aback by the child's fury. Not knowing what else to do, he swept the kid into his arms, and held him tight, restraining the flailing arms against the still too-thin frame. Pike could still feel the bones of every limb and every rib through the boy's sweater. It pained him more than the force of Jimmy's blows, which weren't weak by any stretch of the imagination.

Winona must have taught him to punch and jab, Pike thought wryly. He smiled despite himself.

At some point, Jimmy's furious tantrum released into sobbing, which was no less furious. It seemed Jimmy Kirk did nothing halfway. Pike continued to restrain the boy against his chest until the worst of the heaving stopped. He stroked the boy's back, as he had the night before, and murmured about how everything would be alright. God, Pike thought, I'm ridiculously out of my depth. Someone else should be doing this. But that was you felt in any emergency. Until you realized that no help would be forthcoming. Then you took a deep breath and dealt with it yourself. So that was what Pike did. Eventually, after quite a long time of hysterics and hiccuping, Jimmy relaxed into a sort of wakeful sleep, as Pike cradled him against his stomach.

Pike ran his hands through Jimmy's hair. He wondered how many of these emotional breakdowns he was in for, not that he blamed the kid for needing to vent. God knows he'd been through hell. "You still with me, kiddo?"

Jimmy nodded, drowsily.

Pike continued stroking Jimmy's hair. "So...I tripped your flag."

"Yeah." Jimmy's answers were sluggish and half asleep. Pike didn't wonder. This was the longest the kid had been up since he'd been transported to sickbay.

"And....?" Pike desperately wondered what Jimmy thought of his attempt for custody.

"I put it through." The boy's voice was so soft that Pike barely heard him.

"What did you say, Jimmy?" Pike tried (and failed) to prevent his heart from racing. Why did this matter so much?

The kid was barely awake, but he somehow found the strength to say again. "I put it through." Jimmy was slurring his words now.

"Why?" Pike asked. He'd honestly been expecting rejection, or at least a fight about this.

It took Jimmy a little while to answer. He snuffled quietly against Pike's shirt. "You're okay. You're nice to me...and you watched out for my kids and stuff....got hurt protectin' me... " Jimmy trailed off.

"Jim?" Pike asked.

"I figured we could try it out," Jimmy said.

Well, alright then.

Pike looked down a few seconds later and found Jimmy sound asleep on his chest. He smiled fondly at the bright head and pressed a gentle kiss against the golden hair. Try it out, indeed.

Whatever Jimmy might feel, Pike already knew he was in this for keeps.

Please read and review. I like reviews. I haven't been getting many of them lately, and it makes me wonder if my writing has gone all to crap and no one wants to tell me. Man up and tell me, people.