Sorry this is later than I usually try to post. I just finished my first week of grad school, so I'm a little frazzled and overwhelmed right now! Anyway, here it is, enjoy!

Disclaimer: don't own

Jim told his friends that he had to get back to work the next morning, and that they were welcome to hang around, but it really wouldn't be that much fun for them.

After protesting half-heartedly, most of them decided to head back to San Francisco Saturday morning. McCoy tried to get Jim to take a break, but Jim told him that he really had to finish everything by the middle of next week, so he couldn't take a day off.

The doctor didn't like it, but he didn't press, and simply got back on the shuttle with Sulu, Spock, and Nyota. Scotty and Pavel had both decided to stick around a little longer. Scotty relished the chance to work on such a project, and to pick Jim's brain in the process, and Pavel was just as eager. Since they both had some experience in the field, Jim welcomed the assistance.

The next few days passed peacefully, and by the time Tuesday rolled around, Jim was more than ready to get the hell out of Iowa. He didn't think he had gotten a good night's sleep in a week.

Scotty had kept in constant contact with the Enterprise, but he had left Gaila in charge of the upgrades, and he at least mostly trusted her to keep everything on track and moving forward for a couple of days. If there were any big issues, she had promised to let him know.

Tuesday evening, the shuttle was all prepped and ready to go, and Jim spent a few minutes saying his farewells to the design team, as well as Commander Peterson, with promises to keep in touch and continue to help out after the Enterprise shipped out again.

The Commander held out his hand, smiling genially at the young Captain. "It was good to see you again, Jim."

Jim shook the offered hand, smiling tightly. "You too."

Peterson chuckled softly, though his expression was mostly somber. "I remember putting you on that shuttle when you were fourteen. Black eye, hunched frame, you looked terrified." Behind the Captain, Scotty and Pavel exchanged worried glances. Peterson sighed. "I distinctly remember hoping that I would never see you again. You were too good for Riverside, and I didn't want you to ever come back." He shook his head. "I'm glad that I got to see you again, and that you're doing well. You take care of yourself, Jim."

Jim nodded shortly, and led his two crewmates onto the waiting shuttle.

It was obvious that both men wanted to question Jim, but they held their tongues.

It was about halfway through the trip back to San Francisco when Jim finally spoke, his gaze focused on the window and view of the clouds outside, rather than the two men sitting next to and across from him. "Commander Peterson has been stationed in Riverside since before I was born. I used to spend a lot of afternoons hiding there, when I was younger. He and his crew taught me how to strip and build computers, and how to hack. I thought it was the most ironic thing, a Starfleet officer teaching me how to hack computers. But I learned quickly; computers made sense to me, in a way people never did."

He shuddered lightly, and drew himself out of his morbid thoughts and memories. He turned to face his friends, smiling weakly. "It was a good escape, and it's probably the only reason why I ever thought I could be anything other than a screw up." Pavel frowned, and Jim shook his head slightly. "Riverside is one of those quiet old towns where everyone knows everyone, and everyone is probably related in some way. Most people who are born in Riverside, grow up in Riverside, die in Riverside. Can you see me ever being happy with that?"

Both men immediately shook their heads, Scotty with a clear scowl on his face, while Pavel looked contemplative.

"When we first met, you had a black eye," the young Russian commented quietly. "The Commander mentioned a black eye when you left."

Jim winced. "Yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "That was just a couple days before I went to Russia to find you."

Scotty looked between the two, confused. "Ye went looking for Chekov?"

Jim looked like he regretted phrasing it like that. He really didn't want to get into that whole history. Pavel also looked uncomfortable, so Jim took a deep breath and summarized in as few words as possible. "Pavel's sister and I were good friends when I was a teenager."

Scotty looked over at the Navigator, surprised. "You have a sister?" The younger man had never mentioned any siblings.

Pavel looked down, his eyes brightening slightly with unshed tears. Jim reached out and rested a hand lightly on the kid's arm, and Scotty understood suddenly. His eyes widened and he immediately backpedaled. "Sorry, Chekov. I didn't mean to…"

Pavel shook his head immediately, still not speaking, but Jim nodded gratefully at the Engineer, and the rest of the flight passed in silence.

XXX

When they returned to the Academy, all three separated to their respective apartments with muted good byes. It wasn't that late in California, but it felt later, with the time change.

The next morning, Jim found himself pressed back into service as a makeshift teacher, giving two lectures back to back – the first to the senior level Engineering class, and the second to the Command Track Cadets.

It was after one by the time he was able to make his way to the cafeteria for lunch; truthfully, he wouldn't have even thought about eating, if he hadn't received a rather forceful message from Chris telling him in no uncertain terms that if he heard that Jim had skipped a meal, he would be in trouble. Jim had to smile at the message. It was just like Chris to make such demands without making it seem odd or uncomfortable.

Jim had just sat down with his tray of what he assumed was a cheeseburger and fries – he wasn't one hundred percent certain, and made a mental note to go grocery shopping so that he wouldn't have to eat at the cafeteria more than necessary in the next few weeks – when he suddenly found himself not alone.

The Captain looked up sharply when someone slid into the booth across from him.

Carol smiled smugly at having been able to catch him off guard. "You don't call, you don't write. One might think you weren't interested at all, Captain."

Jim grimaced slightly. "I'm sorry, Carol. Things have been really busy lately. How have you been?"

Carol shrugged, picking up the orange off of her tray and taking the peel off. "I'm all right, Jim. How are you?"

Jim smiled softly. "All right." Carol glared at him, but there was no real heat to it. "I spent the last week working with the design team on the new warp core; I only just got back into town last night."

Carol raised an eyebrow. "I know you said that your thesis was the basis for the Constellation class warp core, but I didn't realize that meant you still spent so much time working on it."

Jim's smile widened minutely. "They're doing a redesign, for implementation within the next couple of years. My model is the base, so they refer to me as a consultant. Even when I'm off planet, I still have input. We've been working on the new design for well over a year now, but this was the first chance I had to actually go out there in person." He didn't mention how often he had ducked the offer to visit while still at the Academy, just because he didn't want to have to go back to Riverside.

Carol nodded slowly. "Well, now that you're back in town, maybe we could get together sometime?" She bit her lip nervously as she waited for an answer, hoping that she didn't sound too forward.

Jim observed her nervousness, feeling something like a fluttering in his stomach at the realization that she had just asked him out. Had she just asked him out? He nodded agreeably. "I'd like that," he replied, the corners of his eyes crinkling with his smile.

Carol let out a deep breath, relieved. "Good," she said stiltedly, wincing as she realized how that had sounded.

Fortunately, Jim found it amusing. "How do you feel about nature?" he asked suddenly.

Carol looked at him, confused. "It's nice," she said slowly.

Jim nodded quickly, standing up and picking up his tray. He hadn't really eaten anything off of it, but Chris couldn't really blame him for that, could he? The food looked like a grayish blob. He wondered if there was something wrong with the replicators, because he certainly didn't remember the food being this disgusting when he was at the Academy. "Meet me at the Cochrane Quad on Saturday morning, ten o'clock. Dress appropriately."

He disappeared into a throng of students passing by, and by the time the crowd had dispersed, the Captain was gone, leaving Carol staring at the spot she had last seen him, confused and startled. "Dress appropriately?" she muttered to herself as she stood up. "What the hell does that mean?"

XXX

Chris pulled Jim into his office later that afternoon, glad that he had actually managed to catch the kid, who had been doing a pretty good job of avoiding him all day.

Jim sighed resignedly as he dropped into the empty seat across the desk from the Admiral. "I'm fine, Chris."

Chris glared at the younger man. "Bullshit."

Jim rolled his eyes, but didn't contradict the Admiral.

Chris' gaze softened. "Spock mentioned that things got a little heated at the bar. You want to talk about it?"

Jim shook his head quickly. "Not really." He refused to meet Chris' worried expression, his eyes focused on the desk. After a moment of silence, he shrugged. "It was just a slap in the face from a past I've worked hard to put behind me."

Chris nodded slowly, his eyes kind and understanding. "All right. I won't force you to talk, but you know I'm here, if you want to."

With what seemed to be an insurmountable effort, Jim withdrew his mind from his morose thoughts; he shook himself off and sat up straighter, forcing himself to actually look at Chris as he nodded. He smiled slightly, but it did nothing to reassure the Admiral, as Jim stood up and made his way to the exit.

He turned around just before opening the door, a strange look on his face that made the older man a little nervous. It reminded him of many years earlier, when Jim was just starting to realize that Chris wasn't going to disappear again. "I don't," he fidgeted, chewing his lower lip in thought. Chris made a questioning noise, and Jim snapped back to attention. "I don't want to talk, but I appreciate the offer."

Chris nodded, just once. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."

Jim inclined his head, and beat a hasty retreat.

XXX

Saturday morning found Jim waiting nervously for Carol to meet him on the quad outside of Cochrane Hall. He was wearing jeans and a gray t-shirt. A Starfleet Academy Athletics sweatshirt was tied around his waist, and a backpack was slung across his shoulder.

"I'm assuming I'm dressed appropriately then?"

A hesitant query startled Jim, and he turned around quickly to see Carol standing behind him. He smiled and nodded, taking in her outfit – jeans, t-shirt, sweater, and sneakers, just like him. "Perfect."

Carol pursed her lips. "I don't suppose you could tell me where we're going now?"

Jim shook his head, gesturing for the blonde to follow him. "That would spoil the surprise."

He refused to answer any more questions about what he had planned, as he led Carol to a transport parked nearby. The drive was quiet but not uncomfortable, as Carol observed the scenery around them, trying to figure out where they were headed.

Finally, Jim pulled into a parking lot and parked next to several other transports. Carol got out, confused. "Where are we?"

Jim smiled, hiking his backpack up onto his shoulder. "Bear Valley Trailhead. You said you liked nature, so I thought we'd go for a hike. This trail has some pretty amazing views."

Carol nodded, a wide grin stretching across her face. "I approve," she said simply.

Jim chuckled, and the two quickly made their way towards the trail.

It was a beautiful day for a hike, as the two slowly wound their way up the trail. It was intense, but not exhausting, and they kept up a steady stream of conversation: comments on a pretty flower, or when they spied a glimpse of the bay through the trees. Carol told Jim about hikes she would take with her mother, back in England.

This led to a discussion of Carol's childhood overseas, her studies at Oxford, and her decision to follow her father's footsteps into Starfleet. It got slightly more awkward when the conversation shifted to Jim's decision to follow in his own father's footsteps, but Carol seemed to be quick to catch on to which topics should be avoided. There seemed to be a lot about Jim's past that he didn't like to discuss, but he never automatically shut her down, so she felt like there was a possibility that he may open up in the future, if they kept spending time together.

By the time they reached the summit, both were out of breath.

Jim grinned as he took a seat right at the edge of the cliff, setting his backpack down and pulling out several drinks and sandwiches, as Carol plopped down next to him, tired but exhilarated.

"This is amazing," she marveled, taking the sandwich Jim offered her and biting into it eagerly. "How did you find this place?"

Jim shrugged, taking a bite of his own sandwich. "I used to go running out here on weekends, when I was at the Academy," he explained.

Carol nodded in understanding, and the next few minutes passed in silence, as they ate their lunch.

Once the food had disappeared, the two spent the next hour talking. Both shared a love of space and the stars, and Jim had to wonder why Carol had never been assigned to a ship before.

Carol shrugged disappointedly. "My specialties have always been more suited to labs," she admitted. "I would love to work on a starship, but there always seems to be a lab that has more need for my services. But I am hoping that will change soon." She glanced at him sidelong. "I put in an appeal several months ago, and received word from Admiral Archer a few days ago that they are advancing my request."

Jim smiled widely. "That's great. So what's the next step?"

Carol sighed. "I believe they need to find a ship with the lab space and mission parameters to allow for my placement."

Jim furrowed his brow. "It sounds like you just need a ship with an exploratory mission. That shouldn't be too hard. Your specialties are molecular biology and applied physics, right?"

Carol nodded. "I also have a specialty in Advanced Weapons Technology. I would love to be assigned to an exploratory mission, but most of the alpha fleet already has their science crew."

Jim tilted his head to the side. "There's always room for more."

Carol's eyes widened. Was Jim saying what she thought he was? "Jim…" She stopped and took a breath. "I don't want you to do anything simply because you like me. I'm not batting my eyelashes here to get you to do something for me. I don't want to use you. I'm not looking for a job offer here."

Jim shook his head, cutting off her protests. "I'm not promising anything, but I'll talk to Archer. However I feel about you has no basis on your skill set. I promise Carol, if I don't think you can do the job, I won't approve your appointment to the Enterprise. But I don't think that will be a problem." He smiled, and after a moment, Carol returned the gesture, if a bit hesitantly.

"If you're sure," she said doubtfully.

Jim set his water bottle down and took one of Carol's hands in his, forcing her gaze to meet his own earnest one. "I care about my ship, Carol. I might like you, but if I didn't think you had the skills to keep up, I would never even consider approving your placement on the Enterprise."

Carol nodded slowly, believing what he was saying. She was relieved that he wasn't doing this simply because they may or may not be on a date right now. "Thank you," she said softly. "I know it seems like I'm just trying to get a placement on a ship –"

Jim immediately shook his head again. "You definitely don't," he smiled. "I get it, Carol. You want to feel like you're moving forward with your career, and you want to work on a starship. But you don't want to use nepotism or favoritism to get there, and you're worried that you're using me to further your career. But please, don't worry about that. I swear, I'm not going to do anything rash, and I won't even consider extending the offer until I've looked at your record and work experience."

Carol nodded again, and opened her mouth to speak, when a soft chime cut her off. Jim shrugged apologetically and pulled a communicator out of his backpack. "Kirk here."

Carol listened with interest as the gruff overtone of Admiral Komack sounded from the small device. Jim rolled his eyes at her, his expression exasperated, as he confirmed that he could be available to meet with the Admiral in a few hours, and hung up.

Putting the communicator away, he sighed resignedly. "It seems we have to cut this short," he apologized, standing up and dusting his pants off. "I'm sorry, but apparently Komack just can't wait until tomorrow."

Carol stood as well, handing him her water bottle so that he could put it into his backpack. "That's all right, Jim. I had a great time. You shouldn't keep Admiral Komack waiting any longer than necessary. I've heard he's not a patient man."

Jim snorted. "You got that right," he muttered. "Come on, let's start heading back," he said louder, and the two made their way back towards the trail.

XXX

It was nearly three hours later that they were pulling back into the same parking lot they had departed from, at the Academy.

Jim cut the power to the transport but made no move to get out. He looked over at Carol. "I had a lot of fun today, Carol. Thanks for coming with me."

Carol smiled. "I had a good time as well. Thank you for inviting me."

Jim sighed and opened his door. "I should probably change before meeting Komack. He's got to be angry enough as it is, being kept waiting this long."

Carol pursed her lips, a twinge of annoyance crossing her face. "It's his fault for demanding to speak with you on a Saturday. You did have the day off, did you not?"

Jim chuckled and nodded. "I did," he confirmed. "But according to him, I should always be on duty."

Carol shook her head. "Even Captains need a break every once in a while." They circled the transport and began walking back towards the housing section. All Starfleet officials who had apartments on campus lived in the same general area, across campus from the Cadet housing units.

They reached Jim's building first, and the Captain paused before walking inside. "Are you doing anything tomorrow night?" he asked curiously.

Carol smiled slightly. "Well, I did have a date with an article on agarose gel electrophoresis and a carton of leftover Chinese food, but I'm open to other offers."

Jim laughed lightly. "How about dinner then. Say, seven o'clock?"

Carol nodded quickly. "Thank you for saving me from the boredom of academia and the possible food poisoning of week old leftovers. I will see you tomorrow night."

Jim laughed again. "Come by my apartment then. Unit 203."

Carol smiled. "Sounds perfect."

With those plans set, Jim disappeared into the building, and Carol decided to head back to her own apartment to change as well.

XXX

Komack really was an ass, Jim thought, as he returned to his apartment after a trip to the grocery store near campus. There was no need for the man to demand a meeting yesterday afternoon, and then follow it up with multiple messages all evening and this morning. Honestly, Komack had to be one of the only people actually working this weekend. Even most other Admirals had taken it off.

That meeting was just Komack's attempt to assert dominance and control. Another way of showing Jim that he was beneath the older man.

Jim rolled his eyes as he thought about the Admiral's dressing down about how it had taken so long for Jim to stop by his office, not caring that Jim hadn't actually been on campus, and that he had come as soon as he could.

With some effort, he managed to put those thoughts out of his head. What would happen would happen, and if Jon, Richard, and Chris had anything to say about it, Komack would be knocked off his high horse soon enough.

Instead, he decided to think about his upcoming dinner with Carol. He had thought about taking her out, but decided that it would be a nicer evening if they ate in. He might not be the best cook in the universe, but he did know a few things. His aunt Marie had taught him a few tricks during the year and a half he had lived with them, and he had taught himself a little more over the years.

But that thinking just led down another dark path, so Jim forced his thoughts towards what he was cooking tonight. He hoped that Carol didn't have any allergies or aversions to lasagna.

It was seven o'clock exactly when a chime sounded through the apartment, and Jim opened the door to find Carol standing there, looking nervous. She was wearing a simple black dress that showed off her arms and cut off abruptly just above the knee.

Jim smiled. "You look great," he complimented the woman, before stepping aside. "Come on in."

Carol did so curiously, looking around the barren living room. Jim shrugged by way of explanation. "I don't spend a lot of time on Earth, so I didn't really see the point in decorating."

Carol shook her head. "I understand." She took a deep sniff, catching the aroma wafting in from the open kitchen. "It smells lovely, Jim. I didn't realize when you asked me to dinner that you would actually be cooking."

Jim shrugged again, this time embarrassed. "I'm not the best cook, but I can at least feed myself. I'm making lasagna, I hope that's all right."

Carol smiled widely. "It sounds perfect. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Jim returned the smile. "I was about to start a salad, if you'd like to help with that."

Carol nodded, and followed Jim into the kitchen.

"Wine or beer?" Jim asked, making for the cabinet with his glassware.

"Whatever you're having," Carol replied.

Jim took two glasses down, and picked up a bottle of red wine. "Red seems to go, right?" he queried.

Carol chuckled. "If you'd rather have beer, I'm fine with that."

Jim nodded, relieved, and put the wine down, going over to the fridge instead and pulling out two bottles. The wine was a gift from a friend, and had been sitting in his cupboard for over a year. He really wasn't a wine guy, but he appreciated the thought.

He uncapped the beer bottles on the edge of the counter, and handed one to Carol. They clinked bottles, before each taking a long swig.

Carol was happy to help get the salad ready, and soon enough, Jim was putting down the casserole dish on the small table set up in the eat-in kitchen. Carol followed behind, carrying the salad bowl as well as a loaf of bread.

Jim hid a grimace at his apartment set up. He wished he had an actual dining room, but units like that were reserved for families; dining rooms only came in the apartment units with three or more bedrooms.

Carol didn't seem to mind, however, and took a seat next to the window, smiling. "This looks amazing Jim."

Jim grinned, serving her first, and then himself.

The first few minutes were filled with complements from Carol, praising his cooking skills, even though Jim said multiple times how he really wasn't that great, he just knew how to cook a few dishes well.

Carol rolled her eyes. Why couldn't he just accept a compliment? "So how did you learn how to cook?" she asked curiously. It seemed almost like a dying art in this day and age, the ability to cook for oneself. Most people just used replicators for their food. She had certainly not had much opportunity to learn, growing up.

Jim looked slightly uncomfortable. "I lived with my aunt and uncle for a while when I was a teenager; my aunt taught me."

Carol nodded slowly, wanting to ask more questions, but sensing that he didn't really want to talk about it. "Well, she taught you well. I am suitably impressed."

Jim smiled, and helped himself to seconds.

After dinner, Jim waved off Carol's offer to clean up, and left the casserole dish soaking in the sink, while they adjourned to the living room, settling comfortably into the couch with their drinks.

"So how much longer is the Enterprise going to be docked at Earth?" Carol asked, leaning slightly into Jim's side contentedly.

Jim obediently lifted his arm and slung it across her shoulders. "We're staying until the current class of Cadets graduates in a few weeks," he informed her. "I have to select ten Cadets for placement on the Enterprise, and we're sticking around so that they can join us when we ship out."

Carol nodded, understanding. "You don't seem pleased with that," she observed carefully, twisting slightly so that she could look at him.

Jim shrugged, taking a sip of his beer. "It's not that I don't understand the reasoning, and we really do need the Cadets to graduate earlier, and get their placements. We lost a lot of personnel last year, particularly amongst the senior Cadets. It's just…" He sighed and looked at Carol. "I guess I don't like the idea of having a crew forced on me. The people I work with now, most of us were together last year, when we stopped the Narada. We already know that we can work together, that we work well together. I'm not sure how new people will mesh."

Carol nodded again. "That makes sense, but these Cadets need to get experience, and you are able to pick which ones will be serving with you, correct?"

Jim inclined his head. "Yeah. I guess it's not that bad. I'm just making it sound worse than it is."

Carol bumped his shoulder with her own. "Well, now that you've realized that, you can get past your depressing outlook on the situation. These Cadets are going to be on your ship to learn, and it's your duty to ensure that they receive a proper education."

Jim snorted. "I'm not sure how anyone got the idea that I'm a good instructor. At the Academy, with these Cadets. What the hell do I know about teaching?"

Carol raised an eyebrow. "Well, you must be doing something right, or they wouldn't be asking you."

Jim shrugged, and maneuvered the conversation towards topics that didn't include work.

It was over an hour later when Carol yawned and stretched, standing up stiffly. "I should really get to bed," she said regrettably. "I didn't realize how late it was."

Jim glanced at his watch and nodded, standing as well. He walked Carol to the door, where the woman paused briefly. Before she could talk herself out of it, Carol stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a light kiss to Jim's cheek. "I had a wonderful time," she said softly.

Jim smiled. "Me, too. I'll see you later?"

Carol nodded. "Maybe we can get lunch together sometime this week."

Jim's smile widened. "Definitely."

Carol beamed and gave him one last farewell, before she left.

Jim watched her walk down the hall for a minute, before he turned back to his apartment, heading to the kitchen to clean up.

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