I do not own Star Trek 2009 or Supernatural

The problem with being awesome, Dean reflected forty eight hours after laying Vern out cold, was that eventually the people jealous of your awesome caught up with you and then tried to steal your awesome.

Take for example, one Gordon Walker, currently trying to lord it over an exhausted Jim Kirk and take credit for not blasting the Enterprise into oblivion. Dean would have gone to help his buddy, but he was just so damned tired.

Evidently Kirk was of the same opinion, curtly cutting Walker off and turning to Spock, waving a dismissive, weary hand at Chekov, who scurried off the bridge like his shoes were on fire. The rest of the bridge crew had already been relieved of duty after they were reasonably sure neither the Enterprise nor the Impala were going to fall apart on the spot. The Romulans were locked up. Potemkin was undergoing a review of her actions. Walker was probably trying to salvage what was left of his career.

And both Dean and Kirk were under the microscope. Admiralty was still pissed at Kirk (damn, Dean was sorry he'd missed seeing Kirk with his feet up on the admirals' beloved conference table). Finding a spy and saving ambassadors not withstanding, they had stolen two ships, hacked numerous Starfleet operations, broken who knows how many laws and now the Romulans still weren't exactly sure if they wanted to recruit or execute Jim and Dean.

Slumped in Spock's science officer chair, Dean didn't care as long as he got a shower and bed soon. Preferably with a visit to Bones or Ellen first because his hand still hurt like a bitch.

He was starting to hope everyone had forgotten him when the Enterprise's elevator doors swished open, interrupting Walker's mindless babbling. A short, non-descript man in a plain gray suit and a very yellow tie stepped out with a wry, whimsical smile. "Walker, I see you're still an ass and only borderline competent. Why don't you go back to your little extermination project on BC-2634?"

Walker's mouth gaped angrily and the man raised his eyebrows. The volatile IO subsided and the newcomer's smile grew. "Excellent. Now, if you'd get lost? I want to have a very short conversation with these gentlemen before they fall asleep on me."

Walker stormed off the bridge without looking back and Kirk plopped into his captain's chair. "Who the hell are you, what do you want, make it fast and make it short." Kirk's voice was full of gravel and he rubbed his eyes blearily. In six hours, Admiralty wanted Enterprise liaising with the Romulan ruling council to catch Kerlyn and Kirk was pretty sure he'd need at least five hours of sleep to be functional.

The man's grin seemed ever-present. It was starting to make Dean's face hurt just watching. "I'm Tom Gabriel, Supervisory Intelligence Officer. You can call me Gabriel." Both Kirk and Dean barely swallowed a groan. Another one? "Yes, I know, we're not exactly your favourite people and you're exhausted."

"Then why are you still here?" Dean demanded irritably, since Kirk seemed to be sleeping with his eyes open. Gabriel ambled about the bridge, eyeing the smoking, seared sections with distaste and Dean had to swallow the urge to flip him the bird. They'd fought hard to win so of course the ships were a little dinged. Hey, the Impala was still venting atmosphere sporadically. They could hold this powwow over there. SIO Gabriel would have real fun in zero gravity and atmosphere. Dean's poor best girl was floating dead in space.

Gabriel's voice snapped Dean back to reality saying that he was there "to tell you to be careful tomorrow," looking at Dean, "and that I'm coming with Captain Kirk tomorrow." Kirk managed to glance over and glare. "Admiralty's orders," the IO continued. "Starfleet's intelligence analysts have determined that the likelihood of the Romulan ruling council allowing you to take Kerlyn into custody is very slim. I know," Gabriel held up a hand, "you two probably guessed that. But this is a perfect opportunity for me and my people to drop off an agent. I'd like to take that chance."

Kirk sighed. "I don't give a damn. Be on the ship before we leave. I'm going to bed." He heaved himself out of his chair and lurched off the bridge. Dean followed him.

"Well, they're rude. Though why I was expecting anything else is beyond me," Gabriel muttered to himself, eying a sparking console with mistrust. "And how this dinged up ship is going to get us there is also a mystery."

Impala

Dean watched the Enterprise blip out of sight the next morning, still scrubbing at his face and inhaling coffee like it was oxygen. He did not envy Kirk at all. Instead of another little jaunt into Romulan territory, the Impala was going straight to space dock for another refit and all they had to do was keep tabs on all the Romulans and one spy. It was going to be easy-peasy, despite what doom-and-gloom Sam thought and that pansy Gabriel's cryptic warning.

That was when the brig breach warning whooped through the bridge and Dean was tempted to pitch his scalding mug of coffee in the speaker's general direction. Of course the Romulans were going to break out despite lacking in clothing and weapons. Resourceful bastards.

He ordered security to assess the situation, bawled for Sam, locked out Engineering and the bridge and picked irritably at the cast on his right hand. Dean waited, trusting Jo and her boys to handle it (that and Ellen was still pissed about him breaking his hand on a Romulan's face. If he busted it again, she'd promised to let it take the old-fashioned eight weeks to heal).

"Situation under control, captain," Jo calmly reported ten nerve-wracking minutes later. "Unfortunately Lieutenant Reuter is dead. I believe that was the Romulan objective, sir, and am afraid Reuter died without imparting important information."

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered. "Thank you Commander." Now he had to tell the Admiralty that he'd lost the Romulan spy and wouldn't that just look suspicious. Good thing he'd stayed on the bridge, right within the beady range of the cameras. Of course, they'd say his famously loyal crew had anticipated his deepest desires (please no. That would be awkward as hell) and allowed the Romulans to assassinate Reuter.

This morning was not getting any better.

Enterprise

I must not kill the annoying Supervisory Intelligence Officer, Kirk thought carefully as he gritted his teeth and tried to think happy thoughts. At least SIO Gabriel was competent and his people kept their noses out of Enterprise business. But he was so energetic, always chewing on a lollipop in the crunchiest, noisiest way possible, always asking questions, always so damned irritating. At least Kirk had had possible grounds to pitch Walker into the brig.

The worst part was that Uhura seemed to think Gabriel funny, Chekov kept stealing his lollipops and Spock clearly didn't mind the man after he demonstrated a working knowledge of theoretical wormhole physics.

Bones didn't like Gabriel either, said he was a smarmy sugar-hyped child and that was decent consolation. Bones' support still didn't help Kirk's urge to hard-vacuum the SIO twit though.

And the Romulan ruling council were being a bunch of annoying jackasses. Kirk's small supply of sympathy had run out a long time ago, back when the Romulan respresntative had inferred that Kirk had orchestrated the whole grand rebel conspiracy (including Pike's kidnapping) just to make himself look good.

He kept his shoulders carefully square and glared at the Romulan representative over his view screen. "Gabriel's men are clear," Spock murmured in his ear.

"Regrettably, esteemed Representative," Kirk said with internal relief and glee, "we must return to Federation space. Enterprise is being recalled by Starfleet. I trust the Romulan ruling council will continue the manhunt for Kerlyn."

The Romulan representative happily let the nosy Enterprise and her normally persistently perceptive crew scoot back to Federation space. "Of course they're going to let Kerlyn run around loose, now they have a scapegoat for any covert sabotage," Kirk muttered to himself as he stood under his shower a full twelve hours later. Enterprise was dawdling home so that when they faced the firing squad, her crew would be sharp and alert.

"Captain to the bridge! Admiral Pike calling!"

Or faced the firing squad now, you know. Doesn't really matter where it takes place as long as you dodge the bullets.

Kirk stood smartly at attention as Pike's image snapped on screen. "Kirk, I trust things went smoothly?"

"We didn't find Kerlyn but Enterprise is in one piece and the refuse safely jettisoned if that's what you mean."

Gabriel squawked mildly as Kirk smirked. Food, lovely sleep and a shower had him back to his usual smart-ass self and Gabriel was going to learn that Captain James T. Kirk gave as good as he got.

Pike's mouth twitched before he marshalled himself. "General consensus of the admirals is that we're going to ignore your actions. No medals, no reprimand. It didn't happen. We'll refit the Impala and send you two back out into space where hopefully you can do less damage." Pike grinned when Kirk muttered something about making a habit of saving the Federation and ungrateful admiral bastards. "Of course, all our security protocols are going to be overhauled, including the ones you…bent."

Damn. Now Chekov would be tied up for a week re-establishing all their little informative shortcuts that shouldn't exist. Maybe he and Ash could work together?

"You're assigned to the Beta quadrant. The Impala is going to the Gamma quadrant," Pike continued smoothly and Kirk cursed. Other side of the galaxy. Definitely on purpose.

"And your people get a week's shore leave on Earth with the Impala. Unofficially? Well done and you have my personal thanks. I'll be telling Winchester the same thing, even if you two goons did goof my rescue."

Kirk gave his best boy-next-door smile. "Why sir, we weren't rescuing you. You don't need rescuing, not ever. We were just there to save you the hassle of hijacking a Romulan ship!"

Pike laughed wholeheartedly and Kirk grinned as the screen snapped off. Pike needed to laugh more.

Maybe the Enterprise and Impala needed to stage an admiral intervention. You know, kidnap Pike properly, haul him off to a planet with beaches and drinks with umbrellas, pitch his communicator into the bowels of the Enterprise's engineering bay and force Pike to get a tan.

Kirk liked this idea. He was pretty sure Winchester would too. He scribbled a note out on his PADD and sent the text message to the Impala.

They began plotting.

Unknown planet…

Kerlyn muttered darkly under his breath. He knew his remaining followers were worried that he was going insane. He wasn't worried. He knew he was already there, already insane. He could see clearly now, see clearly without the restriction of sanity, operate without boundaries, see the goal. He'd lost everything, everything, everything to those upstarts.

Pike, Kirk, Winchester.

Should have killed the brother, should have killed the admiral, should have killed the girl, should have plunged them all into deepest despair when he had the chance.

He wouldn't make that mistake again.

Failure. The word rang like a death knell in his head, gonging off the sides of his skull with reverberating pressure until he felt his brain would explode in a messy smear of stinking grey and green. Failure – that which true, great Romulans could not abide.

Failure.

He'd wait and plot and come again, again, again and take everything from them, their Federation, their ships, their Earth, their crews, their lives after they begged him for life, for mercy, for death.

And then he'd laugh, surrounded by fire and blood and pain, laugh and wreak havoc until the memory of his failure was nothing, ground into finest dust underfoot and poured as triumph into the foundation of his new glory.

End of Part One