Some of you might have noticed the title change. I was trying to do the whole first story and second story titles are both lyrics from the same song, but I just wasn't liking it. I couldn't find any other lyrics from that song that I felt really fit, so I decided to go with Imagine Dragons' Demons, which is one of my all-time favorite songs.

I am so amazed at the interest! Thank you to everyone who responded, telling me how excited they were for the sequel. It's really incredible for me, to hear about how much you've been waiting for this, even after two years. I was a little worried the interest would have died down, but as one reviewer commented, this was a really good time to release this story, right after the new movie when people are diving back into the world of Fanfiction. And to the reviewer who said you had to re-read the first story before getting to this one… me too! I think I re-read Another Little White Lie about three times, at various points while writing this, just so I could remember what had happened (and that's not counting the hundreds of times I just went over certain chapters, hunting for very specific details). It means a lot to me that you wanted to read this story enough that you went back to the first one! I know a lot of people would decide it wasn't worth it, it had been too long, and they don't have the time or inclination to go back to the beginning, so I'm truly humbled that you made that effort.

Second note: I'm fudging the timeline a little bit. Didn't want anyone to get confused, but the Into Darkness stuff isn't going to happen as quickly as it does in the movie verse.

(last note: not all author's notes will be this long. Sorry about that!)

Disclaimer: I just own the plot

The rest of the weekend passed peacefully; Jim spent most of his time with Joanna and McCoy, acting the dutiful part of loving uncle. The young girl improved dramatically with the addition of a second member of her family, her fever going down within a day, and soon after that, she was back to being her usual cheerful self.

McCoy sometimes playfully joked that Joanna loved Jim more than him, even with the slightly guilty expression that occasionally appeared on his friend's face at the words. He knew that Jim didn't want to take his daughter away, but Joanna loved spending time with her cool, fun, totally kick-ass uncle.

That didn't mean that the kid didn't love her father as well, and she had spent many a day over the last year following McCoy around Medbay, her sunny smile and cheerful personality bringing a lightheartedness to the normally serious ship hospital.

Joanna had been the start of what McCoy privately termed an epidemic. Once Jim had approved him bringing his daughter on board, he had received appeals from several other personnel, requesting to bring their children along as well.

Over the last year since they had defeated Nero and come together as a crew and as a family, the number of kids had grown; they had left San Francisco a year ago with seven children between the ages of four and seventeen. When they docked last week, ten children had disembarked – two of them only a few months old, and one that had been picked up as they passed by a planet housing a Federation colony where one Ensign's sister had been raising the single mother's child.

It made Jim very happy to have families on board – he had always thought that his childhood might have been a little better if Winona had taken him and Sam along with her, rather than leaving them behind with Frank.

And after a year, it was clear to the Admiralty that having kids on board starships wasn't as horrible an idea as they had thought, and so they began advertising the option to the other ships. Shay had informed him that she now carried roughly fifteen children on the Yorktown, and though it took some getting used to, she couldn't hate the change. While the idea of having kids on starships hadn't exactly been forbidden before, it hadn't been an option Starfleet had really advocated for, so not too many people brought their kids along.

Overall, Jim thought that things were going pretty well; he was pretty sure the Admiralty didn't know what to do with him at times, but with Pike, Barnett, and Archer on his side, a lot of little things that toed the line were let slide. True, anything serious had to be passed along to Admiral Komack, Jim's direct superior, but they left out as much as they could, much to Jim's relief.

Jim wished he could just report to Pike and be done with it, but because of his personal relationship with the older man, the rest of the Admiralty wouldn't let that happen. Komack was an asshole and a stickler for the rules, but Jim supposed it could be worse. He could have gotten stuck with Garovick.

And he still got to talk with the Admirals he was closest to – Pike, Barnett, and Archer – to use as a sounding board.

All three were very interested in his adventures, and made sure to keep themselves informed. Though Komack may have been his official superior, having Archer and Barnett involved was a blessing; it kept Komack in line, knowing that the others were keeping an eye out. Komack might like to pretend otherwise, but the truth of the matter was that Archer and Barnett were both higher up than him, and well-liked; he would be an idiot to cross them.

Even Pike was gaining ground; his actions with the Narada had made him a bit of a hero, just like Jim. He was also the youngest appointed Admiral in Starfleet history, which added to his former title of youngest appointed Captain, a title that had been usurped by Jim just a year earlier.

So all in all, Jim thought things were going pretty well. It was that thought he clung to as he watched Archer throw a PADD down on his desk as he glared at the young Captain.

"I don't care what your report says, Kirk. Do you really expect us to believe that one of your Security officers got swallowed up by a giant sunflower?"

Chris and Richard snickered behind hands that were meant to hide their smiles, while Jim just shrugged. "Technically I don't think it was actually a sunflower," he mused, only making Chris and Richard laugh harder. "Is it still a sunflower if the petals are blue and purple? And we got him back in the end, so what's the problem?"

Archer growled, and threw a pen at Richard as the larger man guffawed.

The taller man dodged the missile easily, which only made Archer more irritated.

"That's not the point," the distinguished Admiral huffed.

Jim looked at him questioningly. "Then what is, sir?"

He failed to completely hide his grin when Archer lobbed another pen, this time at him. He ducked easily, and gave the older man his most earnest pout. "I just report what I see, Admiral," he protested. "I couldn't make this stuff up!"

Archer could do nothing but huff again, as he collapsed back into his seat. "I'll give you that," he allowed. Jim smiled, and Archer rolled his eyes. "Strange missions aside, though, how're things going up there? Any issues you didn't want to put in a report?"

All of them knew what Jon was really saying; all three Admirals in this room had wanted to be the ones in charge of assigning missions and handling the Enterprise, but because of their relationship with the ship's Captain, that idea had been vetoed pretty quickly. They were sure that Komack and Garovick had teamed up to put the idea down, but they could do nothing about it.

It would have been easier if they were handling Jim, because he actually trusted them. If there were issues, Jim would come to them for assistance, and they would be able to keep a closer eye on him.

But Jim didn't trust Komack, and they all knew it. He would leave things out of the reports he compiled, and he wouldn't share everything. It walked a fine line between duty and insubordination, and Jim probably only got away with it because he would pass on some of those things to Pike, who would then – if necessary – get Archer and Barnett involved, so that they could cover Jim's ass.

Jon and Richard were working on getting Chris to take Komack's place, but it had to be done quietly, without raising a fuss. It was all politics, and as much as they enjoyed their profession, things like this just came with the territory. Komack and Garovick represented one side of the Admiralty, while Archer and Barnett represented the other. Most Admirals lay between the two, leaning towards one side or the other.

Archer and Barnett were working towards getting more of their colleagues on their side. Once they did that, they would be able to cut Komack and Garovick off at the knees, and get them to leave the Enterprise alone.

Because that's what it boiled down to, though none of them said it. The Enterprise was the flagship, and her crew were some of the best and brightest in Starfleet. The Admiral who controlled them, in effect, had major sway over both Starfleet and the Federation. That's why Archer wanted Chris to take control; because he knew that Pike didn't care about any of that shit, and he just wanted Jim and the rest of the crew to be safe. Even better, he wouldn't abuse the power the way Komack was. It had been a year of Archer having to contend with his fellow Admiral's attempts of inserting himself above his authority, and quite frankly, he was sick of it.

Jim's sigh interrupted Archer's thoughts, and he turned his attention back to the Captain.

Knowing that all three Admirals were paying him close attention, Jim forced a smile on his face. "Nothing too worrying," he assured them. "Having kids on board is interesting, but definitely not a bad thing. And you know how things are, out in the black. Rules and regs are great, but sometimes the situation demands improvisation."

Richard shook his head slightly. "We can understand that, Jim, but the rules are there for a reason. We've all done the best we can to keep some of your more… chaotic actions from Komack, but you need to try a little harder. There's a line that shouldn't be crossed."

Jim's eyes flashed dangerously, as he straightened in his seat. Inexplicably, Richard found himself swallowing harshly. "Sometimes we're put in situations where people's lives are on the line, and when that happens, that line that you're talking about? It gets awfully hard to see."

Chris laid a hand on Richard's arm, cautioning him silently, before he faced Jim. "We understand," he assured the younger man. "We were all Captains as well, however long ago it may have been." His eyes narrowed as he glared at Richard.

Jon coughed, clearing his throat. "In any event, we're all very impressed with the record you've accumulated. You're doing a good job, Jim, whatever this Neanderthal says," he lightly shoved Richard. The other man huffed but nodded his agreement. "Anyway, you're going to be docked for a while. I know you're anxious to ship out again," he overrode Jim's protests, "but the upgrades will take a few weeks. We'd like you and your command crew to give a few lectures to the current class of Cadets."

Jim groaned, lowering his head to his hands. "You just love to torture me, don't you," he grouched.

Jon laughed loudly, while Chris chuckled and Richard shook his head amusedly.

"You all did a pretty good job last year, when you were filling in for the first and second year instructors after the Narada incident," Archer reminded him. "It was agreed that you would perform admirably again."

Jim glared at the distinguished man as he let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine," he agreed. "But I want it known that I am doing this under duress. And we better still have free time. This is a shore leave for us." He knew there was no point in arguing. These orders hadn't come from Jon, no matter that it was this Admiral who was giving them. This was Garovick, acting as head of the Academy, and Jim knew he had to obey.

Jon nodded his agreement, and handed the Captain a PADD. "You'll find the details here. Your leave has been extended another few weeks, which will take you through the end of the current semester."

Jim raised one eyebrow, as he observed the Admiral. "I'm guessing there's a reason for that," he said archly.

Jon shrugged with one shoulder, and held up another PADD. "That's the files for the top of our current graduating class. You have been approved to select ten Cadets to take with you when you depart in six weeks. You know how things are here, Jim. Our current model of training Cadets will have to be put on hold for the next few years. We will be graduating Cadets in three years, after which they will spend six months in a training role on board a starship, to allow for hands-on learning."

Jim opened his mouth to speak, but Chris spoke over him, cutting him off. "It wasn't our call, and you have no say in the matter either, Jim," he warned. "Komack wants you to take on new blood, so look through those files, and take your pick. Be grateful that you're getting to pick."

Jim closed his mouth with a snap, realizing that Chris was right. Komack could just have easily forced these new officers on him without giving him a choice. At least this way he could make sure that the newly graduated Cadets were up to the Enterprise's standards.

He took the PADD from Jon with a muttered thanks, and left the office.

XXX

Jim met up with his command crew for dinner that evening, where he shared the news that they had all been tapped to speak in various classes at the Academy.

Unsurprisingly, the information was met with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

McCoy grouched and complained about being asked to work with the current senior level Medical Track Cadets, while Chekov was excited to be asked to speak to the current senior class of Navigations Cadets. Sulu thought it could be cool to show the senior class of pilots some of the maneuvers he had learned on the fly, during some of the more outrageous missions the Enterprise had completed over the last year.

Uhura and Spock didn't have hard feelings one way or the other; they understood the need, but they weren't exactly excited. Uhura would be talking to the senior Xenolinguistics class about some of her experiences with acting as translator in the field. It was all well and good to learn the languages, but there was something to be said for being able to use what she had learned in the classroom, in a practical setting. Spock would be speaking with the Ethics class about first contact.

Jim was pretty apathetic about it. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he wasn't quite dreading it. He just didn't really think he was that great a teacher. But they wanted him to talk to the senior Engineering class, as well as a compilation of the more promising Command Track Cadets, so Jim would comply. He wasn't an idiot, no matter how many times Bones called him one – at this point, Jim was fairly certain Bones equated it to a term of endearment, rather than a slur against his intelligence.

They had all helped out the year before, after Nero, when the Academy had been scrambling to deal with the loss of so many officers and instructors, so it wasn't like they had never taught before. But Jim had seen that as a necessity, not a choice. As a Captain, he could think of a hundred other things he should be doing, than teaching a class of Cadets. He had a ship to get ready for departure, after all. Why couldn't he just spend the next month with Scotty? The Engineer had been fortunate to be exempt from this demand, since he firmly believed that he had to be on board overseeing the upgrades, or something would go horribly wrong.

The fact of the matter was, Jim knew that politics was rearing its ugly head at Starfleet. Jon and Richard were fighting a very quiet battle against some of the other Admirals, such as Komack, with both sides struggling for control.

What outsiders – and in reality, most Starfleet personnel – didn't realize was how truly complicated and intricate the command structure was. Some would assume that an Admiral was an Admiral, but Jim knew that there was hierarchy, even at the highest level of command.

Archer and Barnett were pretty high in the chain of command as Rear Admirals, having held that rank for a while; being well respected both in Starfleet and in the Federation added to their position of superiority. Each had a long list of commendations and awards, and impeccable records as Captains. Archer was in charge of Fleet Operations, while Barnett headed up Fleet Tactical. Both departments were considered vital to Starfleet, and thus, the Admirals who ran them were given more power than those without a significant command post, or one of lesser importance.

Chris was quickly gaining ground, with his record and his ability to connect with everyone. People liked Chris because he was charming and knew how to talk to them. He didn't hold a specific command yet, but because of his attitude and record, it didn't diminish his position like it might someone else.

Komack, head of Fleet Security, and Garovick, who ran the Academy, appeared to be the other end of the power struggle. Both were hard men who tended to rule through fear. True, both had long careers in Starfleet, which came along with their own awards and commendations, but they weren't the sort of men people would follow out of loyalty or trust.

Most of the Admirals fell somewhere in between the two groups; not really taking sides, but leaning in one way or another. For instance, Admiral Felna tended to agree with Archer on most issues, while Admiral Kawaoki usually backed Komack. Admiral Marcus generally tended to keep himself completely separate, never appearing to favor one side over the other.

So even though he hated being paraded about as a 'hero of the Federation', Jim just sucked it up and did as he was told. There was a time to question authority, and a time to hold his tongue, and Jim had spent his whole life learning the difference. Everything he had been through – Winona, to Frank, to Tarsus – had given him an intricate knowledge of how to read both people and situations.

When McCoy showed no signs of shutting up, Jim threw him a glare. That, above all else, got the irritable doctor to stop talking. He was used to Jim feigning irritation at him, but he had never seen the Captain outright annoyed.

"Give it a rest, Bones," Jim said, his tone unintentionally showing the group how tense he was feeling. "We know your feelings on the matter. I'm sorry to inform you that you don't have a choice."

McCoy swallowed harshly and nodded, making an executive decision not to push Jim any more on the subject. Clearly there was something more behind this whole idea to have them teach, and it was rubbing Jim the wrong way.

Jim coughed lightly, uncomfortable with the scrutiny his command crew was now giving him, and stood up. "I'll see you guys later," he said quickly, before leaving the table and making for the exit.

Once the Captain was gone, the rest of the immediately turned to Spock, hoping he might have an explanation.

If he had been completely human, the Commander may have offered up a confused shrug. As it was, he simply sipped his tea calmly. "The Captain received these orders from Admiral Archer earlier this afternoon. I cannot comment or speculate on his reaction."

McCoy almost let out a growl. "Jim wouldn't be this tense if it was something Archer asked him to do. Where's this really coming from, Spock?"

The half-Vulcan felt like rolling his eyes, but he refrained. "I believe the orders originated from Admiral Garovick. Admiral Komack may have also been consulted, acting in his role as Admiral in charge of the Enterprise."

That certainly explained things a little. Not completely, but a little. All of them knew that Komack was fraying Jim's last nerve, with his combination of ordering the Enterprise on milk runs, combined with dangerous assignments that more often than not resulted in serious injuries.

Any type of protest was met with a harsh glare and reminders that he had no authority to turn down a mission given to him by a direct superior. And Garovick had always seemed to have it out for Jim, at least, according to the young Captain. They all remembered his comments of the Admiral's dislike for him, when he had been questioned over the Narada incident, a year earlier.

So put in context, they could possibly understand a little of why Jim was acting so unlike the cheerful Captain they all knew and loved.

With a groan, McCoy stood up. "Well, if I'm going to have to deal with a bunch of infant wannabe doctors, I better get some rest. See you all later."

Without a backwards glance, he left the dining hall. The rest looked at each other, before deciding to follow the doctor's lead, each heading for their own beds.

XXX

With their newfound duties, the Enterprise command crew found themselves suddenly busier than they had expected to be during this particular shore leave.

They barely got a chance to see each other over the next couple of days, with most of their spare time being taken up by grading and working on lesson plans. More than one cursed the Admirals for not giving them more warning, so that they could have gotten some preparation done ahead of time.

Jim made sure to spend his evenings with Bones, and consequently, Joanna. He quickly apologized for his outburst, which McCoy immediately waved off. He understood.

Joanna clearly could not get enough of her uncle, and insisted on sticking close by whenever he came over.

And Jim loved the girl as if she were his own, never getting tired of the way she would run at him to give him a huge hug whenever she saw him.

It made McCoy smile every time, but he refrained from teasing his friend (too much), knowing how inexplicably self-conscious the younger man could be. Really, for someone who was the youngest Captain in Starfleet history, savior of the Federation, and as well-liked as he was, Jim had some major confidence issues.

The next week passed in a similar vein, with the command crew guest speaking in classes, Jim never getting a moment to himself, and McCoy grumbling about how the Cadets were getting stupider by the year.

Towards the end of the week, Jim started taking his lunch break in a secluded corner of the quad, just to get away from colleagues, Cadets, and anyone else who seemed to be staking out the Academy, just to talk to him.

It was getting really annoying, and Jim needed some time alone, just to be able to think.

That's what he was doing as he absentmindedly ate his lunch, while most of his attention was focused on the PADD in his left hand – reports from Scotty, who was neck deep in upgrades for the Enterprise.

A hesitant cough drew the Captain out of his reading, and he looked up, trying to keep the annoyance from showing on his face, however he felt about being interrupted. Was it too much to ask for these people to just leave him alone for an hour? The last week had been filled with people asking him about his travels over the last year, or how he had made Captain so young, or how he had defeated Nero. If it wasn't Cadets, it was instructors, or other Starfleet personnel. It was exhausting, keeping a polite exterior and treating each person who came up to him with nothing but calm and collected interest.

The man standing in front of him now was wearing the red uniform of a Starfleet Cadet, and Jim forced himself not to sigh in exasperation. "Can I help you?" he asked courteously.

The young man bit his lip, his posture indicating that he was trying very hard not to fidget. After half a minute of silence, he finally took a deep breath. "Erm, Captain Kirk?"

Jim felt his shoulders square automatically, as he sat up a little straighter. "Yes? How can I help you, Cadet?"

The Cadet swallowed harshly. "This is going to be a little… I mean… Sir, my name is Kevin Riley, I just…"

He was cut off as Jim stood up abruptly, his face pale as his eyes widened. "Kev?" he whispered, shocked.

Kevin felt his lips quirk upwards. "JT?"

Jim nodded slowly, still staring at the confident young man in front of him. He hadn't seen Kevin since he was about fifteen. Kev had only been seven or eight, living with his aunt and uncle in Sacramento. They had corresponded a little over the few months afterwards, but that had tapered off quickly, as both were swept up in their own lives.

If Kevin had thought it through, he probably wouldn't have launched himself at a superior the way he did. But it wasn't Captain Kirk standing in front of him right now. It was JT. His hero. The leader who had saved his life, and the reason he had joined Starfleet.

Jim took a half a step back before he adjusted to the sudden weight of a full-grown man in his arms, but soon enough he was hugging Kevin back just as tightly.

After a minute, Kevin sniffed and pulled away. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking down at the ground.

Jim smiled softly. "It's all right," he assured the younger man, before his smile dropped and he forced himself not to fidget. "Do you want to sit down?"

Kevin nodded quickly, and they both sat on the bench Jim had been occupying.

The silence was deafening, as they each tried to come up with something to say. Finally, Kevin cleared his throat. "I wasn't sure, at first." Jim looked at him, questioning, and Kevin shrugged. "When I first saw the newsvids reporting on how you had defeated Nero and the Narada last year, I thought you looked familiar, but I wasn't sure. But up close, I really had no doubt. You haven't changed that much since the last time I saw you."

Jim let out a small snort. "I guess not," he agreed.

Kevin smiled self-consciously. "This is going to sound a little odd, but you're the reason I'm here." Jim raised an eyebrow, and Kevin sighed. "My uncle didn't really understand, and outright refused to let me join. I graduated early from high school, almost three years ago." He shrugged. "My aunt and uncle thought I couldn't handle the stress of a typical school environment, after everything, so they had me homeschooled. I was pretty introverted for a while there, so I basically did nothing but study all the time. Made it pretty easy to get my diploma early."

Jim nodded slowly. "You would have been underage when you enlisted then. How'd you manage that?"

Kevin let out another sigh. "My aunt came to my room after my uncle and I got into a huge fight over it. She wanted to know why I was so set on joining Starfleet. I told her about you. I mean," he looked down, his gaze focusing on his lap. "I've told them a little about you over the years, but they never wanted to hear about Tarsus, and I didn't really want to talk about it either. It worked. But I told my aunt about how you had had nothing, but you had protected us anyway. You kept us all going, with nothing more than the hope that things would get better. I told her that I wanted to join Starfleet because I believed in that ideal, that faith that things can always be better." Kevin blushed as he looked back at Jim, whose expression was somewhere between shock and embarrassment. "My aunt signed the forms to allow me to enlist, without my uncle's knowledge or permission. He tried to raise a fuss, but my aunt talked him out of it." He looked down again. "I haven't spoken to my uncle in nearly three years."

Jim reached out and rested a hand lightly on Kevin's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kev," he said sympathetically.

Kevin nodded jerkily. "I know I'm not the only one out there with family issues, it just hurts that he can't understand why I want to live my own life."

Jim sighed. "I understand. Your uncle still loves you though, Kev, I'm sure of it. He's just scared."

Kevin shrugged. "Still. It's my life."

There was a moment of silence, before Kevin shook himself off and forced himself to smile. "Anyway, here I am, three years later, about to graduate."

Due to the condensing of classes for the next few years, Kevin's entire class would be graduating after three years instead of four; Archer had told Jim that Starfleet would be doing this for the next five years, having Cadets graduate in three years, and then spend a further six months training on board starships, instead of spending that fourth year in San Francisco. They would remain Cadets for those six months, before officially becoming crewmembers, either on the ship where they served their training, or in another placement.

Jim furrowed his brow in confusion. "How is it possible that we went to the Academy together for two years, without crossing paths?"

Kevin tilted his head to one side. "Well, you were Engineering and Tactical, and I'm Navigations. Theoretically, it is possible that we wouldn't run into each other, and to be honest, without seeing all that coverage of you last year, I'm not sure if I would have recognized you."

Jim nodded slowly. It did make sense, it was just very strange.

Kevin cleared his throat. "So have you talked to any of the others since joining Starfleet?"

Startled by the change of subject, Jim took a moment before answering. "Not regularly," he admitted. "I'm keeping an eye out of course," he smiled slightly.

Kevin chuckled. "Of course," he agreed.

Jim shrugged. "April finished her Residency. Tom's been a hotshot in the science world for the last few years. I've read a few of his papers, they're all pretty intense." He let out a long breath of air. "Cory is going for a PhD in History. He should be finished sometime this year or next. I've checked on some of the others as well, but they're pretty spread out."

Kevin nodded understandingly. "But it's cool that you've been keeping tabs."

Jim snorted. "And yet somehow I completely missed you enlisting."

Kevin chuckled lightly, and Jim shook his head. After a minute, Jim looked at his comm. and grimaced. "I'm late to meet Bones. We've both got the afternoon free." He turned back to the Cadet. "You want to walk with me? I'm heading to the medical building."

Kevin nodded agreeably, and the two stood up. The walk to the medical building across campus was filled with light banter and easy conversation.

When they reached the building, Jim could see McCoy waiting for him out front, and winced. He knew the doctor didn't like to be kept waiting, especially since it was eating into the time he could be spending with his daughter.

Jim turned to Kevin, and noticed the younger man glance at his watch. He smiled. "You should get to class. I'll talk to you soon, yeah?"

Kevin nodded quickly. "See you later, JT." He gave Jim a quick hug, before hurrying off back the way they had come. Jim watched him go for a minute, before he looked back at McCoy.

The doctor had noticed him, and was heading in his direction, so Jim just waited.

McCoy peered in the direction the strange man had disappeared to, as he sidled up to Jim's side. "Who was that?" he asked by way of greeting.

Jim shrugged. "An old friend," he replied vaguely.

McCoy scowled, but didn't press, recognizing that Jim didn't want to talk about it.

Jim glanced at his friend, and almost smiled, seeing the curiosity in the older man's gaze; he also saw acceptance there, and knew that, as interested as McCoy was, he wouldn't push. He would wait for Jim to tell him.

Wordlessly, the two started making their way towards the Academy daycare center. That was a relatively new development, but after Nero's attack, Starfleet had gotten many more applications from parents who needed somewhere for their kids to stay while they were in class, so the Academy had started a daycare and after school center. It was only after that, that they appeared to realize how many parents they already had enlisted – before the daycare had been implemented, most parents had had to pay for nannies and babysitters if they couldn't get friends or relatives to help out. This daycare was a much cheaper option.

Joanna was clearly having the time of her life when McCoy and Jim arrived, but she immediately dropped what she was doing to launch herself at her father as soon as she spotted him. "Daddy!" she yelled, hugging him with all the ferocity a six-year-old could manage.

McCoy hugged her back just as eagerly. "Jo-Jo," he grinned.

Joanna pulled back and beamed up at him, before she shifted her attention. "Uncle Jim!"

Jim made a show of pretending to be knocked back as she threw herself at him. "Hey squirt," he grinned. "How's it hangin'?"

Joanna tilted her head up to look at him, her mouth curving into a lopsided grin that showed a gap front and center where she had just lost a tooth a few days earlier.

McCoy smiled at the sight; he knew that no matter how much time passed, he would never get tired of seeing his daughter and Jim together. His best friend was so good with Joanna, and the little girl adored her uncle.

He let them have a few minutes, before he cleared his throat. "Come on kiddo, let's go get some ice cream."

Joanna beamed at her father, and let Jim pick her up, before the trio headed off towards the Academy gates.

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