Uhmmmmm hi. I know it's been like forever and a day since I posted on this particular story but...life happened. School, work, boys, work, school, school and oh yeah more freaking school. And ADD is a meanie...I get distracted waaayyy too easily. Anywhos this is going to act as a transitional chapter into the next installment of the Adventures of Lara Sheppard (! :P) ya I know it's lame but hey go with it pwetty pwease...? So ya this is just a collection of one shots that I thought summed up what I wanted to have happened to Lara and the others and that leads into the next part (i.e. next movie).

BTW! Who else can barely contain their excitement for the next movie? I know I can't! Woo!

Ok enjoy have fun, love!

Disclaimer: i do not own star trek...I only own Lara.

"This assembly calls Captain James Tiberius Kirk, your inspirational valor and supreme dedication to your comrades as in keeping with the highest traditions of service and reflect the utmost credit to yourself, your crew and the federation. It is my honor to award you with this accommodation. By Starfleet order 28455 you are hereby directed to report to Admiral Pike of the USS Enterprise to report for duty and his relief." Jim shook Admiral Barnett's hand and turned toward Pike who was in his clean Admiral's suit and sitting in a wheelchair.

After a pause Jim spoke, "I relieve you sir."

"I am relieved," Pike said looking up at Jim with a bright smile on his face.

"Thank you sir," Jim said grinning.

"Congratulations Captain," Pike said then took his hand, "Your father would be proud."

Applause started to build and rise higher and higher. Jim turned to look at the crowd, still grinning. He met eyes with his crew and soon met eyes with Lara. She was smiling widely at him and felt tears threaten to run down her cheeks. His father would be very proud of Jim and she knew how much Jim had dreamed of this moment. Lara laughed quietly and put her hand over her heart, telling Jim in their own way that she loved him.

"So, we move out tomorrow?" Lara asked settling down at their table.

"That is correct missy, I'm very excited," Scotty said across from her. Lara giggled at his thick Scottish accent. All of the Enterprises officers had decided to go out to celebrate their successful mission and Jim's new title.

"I just wish we could have gotten a few more days of shore leave," Uhura said looking over at Spock, who if Vulcans could blush would be a deep red color by now.

"Yeah just a few more days would have been perfect," Jim said slipping his hand into Lara's underneath the table. She smiled at him and thought back to their several days together. Granted most of those days were spent inside but they enjoyed themselves, one way or another.

As the officers chatted and shared stories and laughs Lara couldn't help but finally feel a sense of peace. She finally found a family again after being alone for so long. The death of her parents had been sudden and unforgiving. Her only support was Jim and his mother and although she would be eternally grateful for the help, the hole she felt in her heart couldn't ever be filled the right way again. But looking around now at her friends and colleagues she realized that although she may not have a mother or father, she had brothers and a dear sister and a love that she had been long waiting for.

Lara reached for her wine glass and raised it above the table, "To us, the friendships we are sure to build and the memories I can't wait to make with you all."

The others smiled and grinned while raising their various drinks as well. "To the Enterprise," Jim said and everyone echoed. They all drank and laughed afterward, not knowing the darkness that was ahead of them.

"God damnit Jim go!" Lara yelled at him over the various explosions and quakes.

Jim held his ground, shoving his phaser back into its holster he grabbed her shoulders, "I'm the captain here and I say we are all leaving. This entire facility is coming down on top of us and I don't need you arguing with me."

Lara stared up into his eyes, so clear and full of hope. They had come to an underground and namely abandoned Starfleet facility to recover data that had been lost in what looked like a Klingon attack. But when they set down and the ground team-Lara, Jim, Spock and Bones-had landed they saw evidence of something entirely different. Since the facility was underground they had to access it through a tunnel, dropping down using grappling hooks attached to their belts. Once they reached the floor of the caves they saw that whatever had attacked this place had come from inside the labs. Whatever Starfleet was working on here had attacked the scientists. And unfortunately, they found the attacker.

The thing couldn't even be called human anymore. Radiation and exposure to the many chemicals in the lab had morphed the failed project or…person into a pure horror. It was full of rage and running on instinct only wanting to kill and eat, and in this case it was the four Enterprise officers standing in its path. They had taken the thing out but Lara's quick planning of aiming a mining laser right at the mutation's chest caused the rest of the rubble and equipment to fail which then caused the facility to fall apart and collapse on itself.

Now they had finally made it up using the elevator but it wouldn't hold. Lara had her hand pressed firmly on the elevator's main console trying to keep it in place as Spock carried an injured and hobbling Bones out of the caves. Lara looked up at Jim and smiled at him, "You know if I release this, the elevator will collapse and send us both down. Enterprise cannot lose its captain."

"And the captain can't lose his girl," he said almost pleading, squeezing her shoulders.

Lara felt the tears burn and threaten to fall but she held them back, she didn't need to make this any harder than it had to be, "Alright, take my grapple and use it to hook up to the edge of the entrance. Once you've got it pull me with you."

Jim released the grapple from her hips and did as she said. Swinging and releasing the grapple when he heard the clink of the medal attaching to the rock. As he turned back he felt Lara wrap her arm around his neck and pull him in for a short, passionate kiss. "I love you." She said and then quickly kicked him hard in the stomach, releasing her hand from the button on the console.

It all happened in slow motion after that. Jim looked down at her and felt the scream rise out of his chest. Her hair had fallen out of its braid, fanning out around her as the lift fell down, screeching and sparks flying. He reached a hand out for her calling her name and shouting out his protests. Maybe if he shouted loud enough it would reverse time and he could be in her place and she could be on the ship, safe and alive.

Jim's grapple or rather Lara's grapple pulled him into the wall of the cave hard. He felt numb and his hands fumbled with the release as he tried to pull himself away from the wall so he could jump back down and get her. "Jim no!" Bones called for him, running at him on his bad leg and grabbing him around the waist.

"Get the hell off me! I can save her! She's still alive!" Jim shoved Bones off him ignoring the man's cry of pain and made to jump down the cave again. Just as he was leaning back for the leap over the edge the elevator hit the bottom of the cave system, causing the rest of the facility to quake violently. The walls of the cave began to fall and rubble hell all around him, kicking up smoke and ash.

"Captain we must vacate the area at once!" Spock's even stronger grip came around Jim's waist and pulled him off to a safe area where Bones was limping toward as well. Jim still fought and thrashed against the Vulcan's hold calling out for Lara and trying to pull rank against his officers.

Spock looked over at Bones, "Doctor if you would."

And before Jim could even begin to realize what they were doing, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and then the darkness too him over.

The funeral was long and depressing. Jim could hardly stand all the formalities he had to go through. All the cameras, all the music…Lara loved music. And the tears, so many tears. Even Pike shed a few. And because Lara had no immediate family, Pike was the one to receive the flag. He was the closest thing she had to a father. Lara hated funerals too.

Three months. Three months to the day that she had died. Jim sat in his quarters and sifted through old pictures of the two together. He came to the last picture they ever took together. It was on one of the days of their shore leave after the battle with Nero. They had taken a trip to a beach and spent all day in the sands and waters. He remembered that moment like it was yesterday.

Lara laughed and dug her toes deeper into the sands as she watched Jim try and fail for the third time to build a sand castle. "You are terrible at that."

He looked over at her, "Well you try it if you're so damned good." Lara laughed again, bronze skin glistening in the sun, contrasted wonderfully against her coral bikini. She sat up and moved next to him taking a large ball of sand into her hands and then paused,

"You remember that time we tried to bake a cake? But ended up getting in a cake batter fight?" Jim smiled at the memory and how good Lara looked splattered with yellow cake batter.

"Well how could I…" he stopped when he felt the soft thump of wet sand on his chest. He heard Lara laugh and then squeal as he jumped on her, burying her in sand. They rolled around back and forth, throwing sand and taunts at each other. Finally when they were too tired they fell on their backs, panting and laughing.

Jim looked over at her. She had sand in her hair, skin glowing and eyes bright from laughter. He realized then that he'd never love any woman as deeply as her ever again. Lara's laughs died down to small giggles. "Hey," she said reaching for her bag and pulling out a small silver camera, "Take our picture. Go on, please?" She pouted at his look and Jim gave in. He took the camera from her and pulled her head onto his shoulder and snapped the picture, forever capturing the moment he realized how madly in love he was with Lara Nicole Sheppard.

Jim smiled sadly at the picture. Lara's head was on his shoulder and she was smiling widely, laughing at her own expense. Jim had his head down in the picture, smiling down at his love. The sand was everywhere, in her hair, in his and all over their faces. They looked so happy in that captured moment, so at peace and so unafraid of what they might lose.

He ran a finger over the picture before shutting down the program, a lone tear falling down his cheek. Jim made to stand but stopped when his console beeped, telling him he had a message. It was a video file but the video was corrupted and the feed was terrible. Luckily there was a message attached to the video. He opened it and began to read.

Captain,

This may come to you at a difficult time but I've seen the feeds and know how the funeral went. It was incredibly depressing, how cliché. If I am correct it has been exactly three months since my death. Three months and now if you receive this message when I assume you will then it will be two hours and five minutes after the precise time that elevator fell down the shaft.

If you don't connect the dots by now then let me say it plainly. It is me, Lara talking to you via this message. But you should know something James. I am not the Lara you grew up with. I have transcended that person and am now better than I ever was. I no longer feel the need to serve Starfleet. Now that I know the truth of my parents' death and the truth of that laboratory we found I no longer wish to serve a group of people built on lies and deception. I have been shown the truth, and I have embraced it and grown stronger.

Do not search for me. The Lara Sheppard you knew is dead. She does not exist anymore. I have a new name now, and the one who found me and helped me see truth has enlightened me. He has brought me out of the ashes and into the light, I do not need Starfleet or anyone anymore…only him. Just him.

This message will be deleted as soon as you close it. Or it will delete itself after a time. I know you would try to keep this message open as long as possible. But it is not possible Captain. Lara Sheppard is dead, let her die and do not open old wounds. Do not tell anyone else of this…we will know if you have.

Goodbye Captain, until we meet again

Lara Harrison.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa? :D Leave a review/comment/flame if you want. I mean don't be mean but be honest but not mean honest...constructive. Ok lots of love thanks for reading bye!