Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek

True to his word, Jim reappeared on the Bridge half an hour later, with a vivid bruise on his forehead the only indication of his previous injury. Spock stood up immediately upon his entry, and moved to stand at a rest position directly behind the Captain's chair.

Uhura glanced at Jim out of the corner of her eye as he settled back into his chair. "Are you sure McCoy cleared you for duty?" she asked archly, knowing that the Captain had a habit of escaping Medbay far earlier than the doctor would have liked.

Jim grinned at her cheekily. "When have you ever known me to go against doctor's orders, Lieutenant?"

Uhura knew she wasn't the only one rolling their eyes at that statement. It had only taken a few months into their mission after the Narada incident for the crew to realize that Jim had both a natural talent for getting into trouble, and an uncanny ability to piss McCoy off by escaping Medbay before the doctor cleared him.

Jim shrugged good-naturedly, knowing what they were thinking.

Spock cleared his throat. "I believe the Lieutenant was merely indicating your propensity for disregarding Doctor McCoy's instructions, Captain," he stated calmly.

Jim held a hand to his chest. "You wound me, Spock," he said dramatically. Several officers had to cover their smiles. "How could you think so little of me? I have always listened to our esteemed Chief Medical Officer."

Spock inclined his head stoically. "Indeed."

Jim nearly snorted. And people said Vulcans had no sense of humor. Even an idiot could have picked up on the sarcasm in that one word.

Glancing at his First Officer, Jim made a tactical decision not to respond. He knew he would lose. And judging from the look in the Vulcan's eye, he knew it as well.

Jim cleared his throat. "So, where are we?" he asked, turning his attention to Sulu and Chekov.

The Pilot and Navigator hid their smiles as they assured Jim that the Enterprise would reach Setlik within the hour.

Jim was glad that they could get all of this sorted out by the end of the day, and levered himself out of his chair with an inaudible groan. Even if the injury he had sustained had been minor, he had taken a rather hard fall when the Cardassian ship had fired on them.

He turned around to face Spock. "I assume you contacted the Admiralty and informed them of the situation?" he asked.

Spock nodded. "Yes, sir. Admiral Komack instructed us to return the captured citizens to Setlik III. He expects your report as soon as you are able."

Jim barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "I'm sure he does," he muttered under his breath.

Spock nearly pursed his lips in thought, or perhaps confusion. He considered briefly leaving the conversation as it was, but something compelled him to add, "The Admiral did appear to be vexed that he was not able to speak with you directly."

Jim let out a half laugh but didn't elaborate. Of course Komack would be annoyed that they had already begun the trek to Setlik, and had taken charge of the crew of the Gum Bokter, taking the initiative and making the logical steps on their own, without consulting him first. And he'd be even more annoyed that he hadn't had the opportunity to take out his frustrations on Jim directly. "I will contact the Admiral after we reach Setlik."

Spock inclined his head. "Of course, Captain. The crew of the Gum Bokter is currently residing in the brig. Admiral Komack instructed us to release them to the custody of the nearest starbase once we conclude at Setlik III. The Cardassian ship is secured in shuttle bay."

Jim nodded and settled back down, as the next hour passed quietly. McCoy commed the Bridge when they were nearly there, and informed the Captain that all of the rescued citizens were in good health and there was no need for further medical attention for any of them.

Jim was relieved to hear it. He hadn't thought there were any serious injuries amongst the thirty-two rescued prisoners, but it was good to have that verified.

Within fifteen minutes, they were dropping out of warp above the planet Setlik III. The view from the screen showed a planet covered by clouds. A few flickers amongst the swirling white mass indicated lightning activity. Possible issues with the transporters then, Jim mused. Even as high tech as transporters were, they could still go to pieces awfully quickly.

A quick comm. to Scotty confirmed Jim's thoughts. They would need to take shuttles down to the surface.

Jim stood up. "Lieutenant Uhura, did you manage to contact the planet? I'd hate for our rescue to fail in its final stage because the colony thought we were hostile and shot us out of the sky as we tried to return their citizens."

Uhura grimaced slightly. "That would not be ideal. Unfortunately, the planet's communications system still hasn't come back online. I'm transmitting universal peace messages on all frequencies, just in case they can pick up incoming calls."

Jim pursed his lips, thinking. "Good. Spock, you're with me. Sulu, you have the con. Uhura, tell Doctor McCoy to meet us in the shuttle bay and inform Security to bring the rescued citizens."

Uhura nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."

Jim and Spock left the Bridge, making their way down to the shuttle bay where they met up with McCoy and the thirty-two prisoners they had liberated from the Cardassian ship.

Jim smiled brightly at the crowd. "We haven't been introduced yet. I'm Jim Kirk, Captain of the Enterprise."

One of the men in front stepped forward. "Thank you, Captain, for your help. Those assholes would have sold us as slaves as soon as we crossed the border to Cardassian space."

Jim's smile dimmed minutely, but he nodded readily. "Well, let's just be glad that didn't happen. We're going to get you all back to your homes safe and sound." He paused briefly, and then continued, "We've been unable to contact the planet's surface, so we haven't been able to inform anyone down there of the situation."

The man nodded. "They knocked out the communications array first, and we don't really have many engineers or technicians amongst our colony, so it's possible they haven't been able to fix it yet."

Jim tilted his head to the side, and then pulled out his comm., sending Scotty a request to come down to the planet with them. Putting the device away, he refocused his attention on the citizens in front of him. "I've just asked my Chief Engineer to join us. He should be able to fix your communications in no time."

The man smiled in thanks, and Jim began directing them into shuttles.

It took two shuttles to hold all of them, and the man Jim had been speaking with assured Jim that they didn't have any long-range phasers that would knock them out of the sky before they had a chance to land and explain.

XXX

They landed in a field designated for spacecraft, just a short distance away from the main town. The colony itself was small, roughly five thousand people. It was set up with one city and outlying homesteads.

Because of the size, it was only logical that their arrival was met with what had to be at least a third of the colony. Standing in front, gripping phasers tightly, were a trio of adults who appeared to be in charge.

Jim disembarked first, his hands held up in a peaceful manner. "I'm Captain James Kirk, of the USS Enterprise," he greeted. The people relaxed only slightly. "We recently came across something I think belongs to you."

There were several cries in the crowd as the freed prisoners began to exit the shuttles. Some ran towards the crowd, others had some of the crowd running towards them. Jim knew that many families must have been torn apart by the Cardassian ship.

The trio of adults in front stepped forward, putting their phasers away. "Thank you, Captain, for your assistance," the woman said gratefully. "I am Kara. These are my colleagues Horace and Bertram. Together, we run the colony." She shook Jim's hand firmly.

Jim smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. This is my First Officer, Commander Spock. My CMO, Doctor McCoy, and my Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Commander Scott. We've been trying to contact you since we intercepted the Cardassian ship, with no response. We assumed your communications array was knocked out, which your citizens confirmed before we came down here. Mr. Scott is here to fix it."

Kara beamed gratefully. "Thank you so much, Captain," she repeated. "We're not a well-armed colony. We have put forward requests several times for a security-manned space station, due to our proximity to the Cardassian Union, but Starfleet felt that the threat wasn't big enough to warrant building and staffing the station."

Jim nodded in understanding. "We are very sorry for what has happened here," he assured her. "I can understand the desire to have more security; however, it is quite an expensive endeavor. I will be making a report to Admiral Komack shortly, and I will recommend Starfleet place an outpost here, at the very least. I know this isn't the first time the Cardassians have raided Setlik III."

Kara exhaled, relieved. "Thank you again, Captain. And you're right, this isn't the first time, just the most devastating."

Jim thought he understood why, as he turned to speak with a few family members who wanted to thank him personally. Scotty wandered off with a guide to go take a look at the communications array, while McCoy was kept busy reassuring everyone that the rescued prisoners were in good health.

The Narada incident had shaken everyone up, not just the Federation. The Klingons and the Cardassians were testing their borders. Even the Ferengi had been venturing beyond their own space with more frequency than normal. Nero had struck a hard blow to the Federation with his attack. He had simultaneously wiped out one of the founding races of the Federation, as well as most of the third and fourth year Cadets in Starfleet.

Starfleet had been weakened, and everyone knew it. So now they were testing the limits, to see what they could get away with. Like raiding a Federation colony and kidnapping nearly three dozen citizens to sell into slavery.

It infuriated Jim, but the only thing they could do was keep putting their faces out there. Letting people know that Starfleet was still operating, that the Federation was still strong. Yes, they had lost much when Nero had attacked, but they weren't broken. And with time, they would recover.

XXX

True to Jim's estimation, it took Scotty less than two hours to fix the colony's communications. Kara and the other leaders thanked Jim and his crew several more times, before they boarded the shuttles back to the Enterprise once more.

"Not a bad end to the day," Jim commented idly as the pilot glided the shuttle into the bay.

McCoy glared at him, while Scotty nodded and Spock just stared impassively ahead. Jim sighed.

McCoy glanced over and smirked as he slapped the back of Jim's head lightly, as the shuttle landed with a gentle thump.

Jim winced dramatically. "Jesus Bones, don't know you know I hit my head earlier?"

McCoy rolled his eyes. "If you're really feeling that ill, I'm sure we can head up to Medical. I might need to keep you overnight though."

He rolled his eyes as Jim predictably backpedaled. "You know, I'm suddenly feeling much better." He beat a hasty retreat as the shuttle doors opened. "Alpha shift's over," he called back to the others. "See you tomorrow!" If anyone asked later, he definitely was not running away from his CMO, though McCoy would tell a different story. He was simply walking very quickly, as he headed back up to his Ready Room to contact Komack for an update, before going off shift.

McCoy snorted. "Infant," he grumbled. Scotty was grinning amusedly as the Doctor gave him and Spock a halfhearted wave as he hurried off to pick up Joanna. The young girl had been loath to let him and Jim out of her sight after what had happened earlier, but had consented to let Jim return to the Bridge once the dermal regenerator had finished its work, only if she could stay in her daddy's office for the rest of the day. Christine Chapel had offered to watch her when McCoy went down to the planet, and since Alpha shift was indeed over, it was likely McCoy would find the two in the mess.

XXX

Late that night found Jim and Carol cuddling on Jim's bed, hands entwined as the blanket bunched up beneath them. Carol knew she should head back to her own room soon, but she was too comfortable to move.

Jim smiled sleepily at her, knowing what she was thinking. "You could stay here," he offered.

Carol rolled her eyes. "And what would people say about that?" she asked archly. "This is a starship, Jim. The walls have eyes and ears, and I'm convinced that if the crew stopped gossiping, those walls would fall down without the wind to hold them up."

Jim snorted. She was right, and he knew it.

Carol idly twirled the edge of the blanket around one finger. "Jim, what are we?" Jim raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak, Carol was talking again, the words tumbling out of her mouth at nearly warp speed. "I mean, I know we said we were going to take it slow, and see what happens, and I really like spending time with you. But I just don't know where we're going, and that scares me. I'm a scientist, I need to know facts. And –"

Jim cut her off abruptly, leaning in to kiss her. Pulling back, he smiled gently. "I know," he said softly. "You like your facts. I'm the same way. I like to know where I stand with people. So what do you want?"

Carol bit her lip. "I really like you, Jim. And I want to see where this goes. I think we could have something. But… I just worry about…"

Jim nodded knowingly. "You're worried about Starfleet and Command."

Carol shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry. I know it's complicated, because you're the Captain."

Jim squeezed her hand comfortingly. "It's not quite as frowned upon as most people think," he told her. Carol looked up, the question clear in her eyes. Jim smiled. "Look at Spock and Uhura. They've been together since the Academy, though if you ask for the official story, it didn't happen until after graduation." Carol rolled her eyes. Of course no one would want it known that Spock had engaged in a sexual relationship with a Cadet while he had been an instructor.

Jim sighed. "The only real issues revolve around relationships where one of the participants is a direct superior. It's tricky because I'm the Captain, and therefore, everyone on this ship reports to me, but it's not impossible. Uhura reports to me, not Spock, so there are no problems there. And there are a surprising number of relationships on board."

Carol turned slightly so that she was facing him directly, propping herself up on one arm. "So where exactly does that leave us?"

Jim sat up. "Technically, you report to Spock. Like I said, being Captain makes things more difficult , but Spock, as the Chief Science Officer, is your direct superior." He looked down at his lap uncertainly. "If you… I mean, if you want to make it official, at least with the crew, Spock would take over your reviews and performance evaluations." He looked back at Carol. "At some point, we would need to clear it with Command, but I'm a little hesitant to go that far until we know for certain that this will work. Does that upset you?"

Carol sat up as well, smiling as she took Jim's hand in hers. "Not at all," she assured him. "I don't want to announce it to everyone and then have it not work out. Besides," she glanced away, her jaw clenching tightly, "if we told Command, my father would find out, and I just… he's far too fond of attempting to control my life. I don't want him to try and mess this up."

Jim nodded. "Then we tell Spock? We keep it on ship for the time being, and reevaluate at a later date?"

Carol chuckled. "How very scientific, Captain."

Jim kissed her gently. "Well, I am a scientist at heart."

Carol pulled back after a minute, her gaze worried. "Are you sure we won't have any issues? I don't want everyone on the ship gossiping, or believing that I only got my position because I'm sleeping with the Captain."

Jim sighed. "I won't lie, there will probably be some rumors like that. That's just life. But I doubt most will look at it that way. You've been on this ship for several months now, you've made friends who wouldn't think that." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "To be perfectly honest, I'd place good money on most of the ship already knowing about us." Carol thought about arguing, but she knew he was more than likely correct. "We just continue to do our jobs to the best of our ability, and the rest will follow."

Carol smiled, feeling better at Jim's steady calm. She leaned forward and captured his mouth with her own. When they pulled apart a minute later, both were breathing heavily. Carol wrapped her arms around Jim's neck. "How is it you always know what to say?" she asked, her eyes flashing with amusement. Jim shrugged, his own bright blue gaze twinkling. Carol tilted her head to the side. "But I'm still not spending the night."

Jim pulled away, startled, until he saw Carol's grin. He frowned. "Minx." He gave her one last kiss. "It's late, you should get going."

Carol nodded and crawled out of the bed, having to untangle her legs from the blanket.

Jim walked her to the door, where they lingered for a long moment. He reached up and gently brushed her hair behind one ear. "I'm not promising this is going to be easy," he said quietly. "God knows we've got all the odds stacked against us. With our jobs, and then there's me and my inability to let anyone in." Carol made a sound of protest, but Jim shook his head. "I know what I am, Carol, and I know you know it as well. How long did it take me to pull my head out of my ass and agree to give this a shot?" Carol sighed and nodded reluctantly. Jim smiled. "I don't trust easily. I don't share my feelings, and I'm stubborn as hell. But if you're willing to deal with all of that, well, who am I to disagree?"

Carol lightly slapped his chest, but she was smiling. "You don't give yourself enough credit," she admonished. "So do we really need to say it in explicit terms?"

"What, exclusive?" Jim asked curiously. Carol nodded slightly, her eyes a little worried though her expression was calm. Jim grasped her hand tightly. "You're the only woman I want to see," he assured her. "I might not be the best at relationships, but when I date someone, I don't mess around."

"Haven't you only had one girlfriend before?" Carol reminded him.

Jim shrugged. "One serious one, yes. I'm not a monk, but I'm not in the habit of sleeping around, despite my reputation. I think people labeled me like that because I was dating Gaila, and as a whole, people are far too judgmental of the Orion race. But everyone I get involved with knows where I stand."

Carol nodded understandingly. "I'm sorry if it feels like I'm making you say all this out of some need to prove to me you're serious. I didn't mean it like that."

Jim leaned in, giving her a light kiss on the forehead. "You like your facts," he repeated softly, pulling back. "I think we both needed to hear it."

Carol smiled, standing up on her toes to kiss him. "Have I mentioned lately how amazing you are?" Jim mock-preened, and Carol pulled back, rolling her eyes. "Now I really need to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

She left quickly, knowing that if she stayed any longer, she would give in to temptation and stay with Jim for the rest of the night. And even if they had made the decision to solidify their exclusive relationship, they still didn't want it known all over the ship before Alpha shift the next morning, which was what would happen, if she spent the night.

XXX

Besides a quiet conversation between Jim and Spock before shift the next morning, the couple made no real mention of the change in their relationship. Spock was understanding, and agreed to take the lead on any of Carol's performance reviews or – should it be necessary – any disciplinary action. He approved of Jim's forethought, and cautioned him against keeping it from the Admiralty for long, but allowed the couple their obscurity for the time being. When Jim explained their reasons for keeping it from Command, the Vulcan acquiesced, recognizing the truth to the Captain's words.

Even if they didn't say anything to anyone else, Jim's command crew was far from stupid. It took McCoy about a day and a half to figure it out, but Jim was able to deflect his teasing by asking the doctor how things were going with April. While McCoy was spluttering denials, Jim was able to escape the inquisition.

After three days of Uhura noting the increased frequency of Jim hovering around Carol on the Bridge, leaning over her shoulder or touching her arm covertly, the Communications Officer knew that the two had finally gotten over whatever block had been stopping them before. She was happy for them. Carol was a great person, and Jim deserved to be happy. Even if it had upset her when he and Gaila had broken up, she knew that Carol fit better than her former roommate. Gaila had tried, harder than she ever had, to remain faithful, and she had been successful for several years. But the Orion just wasn't that kind of girl, or maybe Jim wasn't the right guy, and so they had broken it off, choosing to preserve their friendship rather than end up resenting each other in the future. And they were still good friends, which made Uhura happy.

So the Communications officer would wait for Jim and Carol to tell her, but she didn't think they were fooling anyone in their attempt to keep it a secret.

It took Sulu and Chekov a little longer, but the pair finally clued in when they saw the two cuddled together on a couch in the main rec room a week after Jim's conversation with Spock. They backed out immediately, and managed to contain their smiles until they reached the mess hall.

The only reason Scotty was the last to know was because the Chief Engineer was rarely seen by the rest of the command crew; he spent most of his time in the bowels of the ship, and only occasionally resurfaced to reassure the others that he was still alive.

Still, when he caught Carol and Jim at dinner one evening, sitting far too close to be entirely platonic, it was hard to come up with any other explanation. Chekov and Sulu, standing next to him, confirmed his thoughts with knowing smirks, as they all headed to grab trays of food.

Jim and Carol knew that people were figuring it out. It wasn't like they were hiding it, after all. But other than being on the receiving end of a few more stares than normal, it didn't really interfere with day-to-day life. Yes, Carol was getting tired of the whispers, but the Captain was always a hot topic for gossip, and with a Captain as good looking and popular as Jim, the Science officer knew that the entire ship was paying attention to his love life. Especially considering the – mostly fabricated – reputation he had had back at the Academy. It was amusing for them to see the man in a committed relationship.

Thankfully, none of Carol's concerns came about; no one glared at her accusingly, and she heard no rumors about how she had gotten her position by screwing the Captain. If anything, people were looking at her with more admiration than usual. On a starship that spent most of its time in space with its residents acting as more of a small city than anything else, the significant other of the Captain – the leader – merited more attention than if they were all stationed back on Earth. Essentially, Carol could be seen as something like the First Lady.

Especially with a crew as close knit as the Enterprise was. Jim had been more concerned with someone mentioning something to a friend or a relative, and then having the news reach Command's ears before he had a chance to formally announce it – something he and Carol were loath to do just yet.

But thankfully, the crew recognized that their Captain wasn't ready to share just yet, and no one said anything. They loved their Captain. They would protect him with every last breath, and that included keeping their knowledge of his new relationship with Lieutenant Wallace to themselves.

So life passed quietly in the weeks that followed their rescue mission. The crew of the Enterprise had learned early on in their mission that serving on board a starship was really long bouts of boredom and quiet work, only occasionally interrupted by excitement and craziness.

Other than the Captain's new relationship, the only real fire fueling the gossip mill was the will-they-or-won't-they drama between Doctors McCoy and Vanderbilt. McCoy still vehemently denied anything, but April always responded to inquiries with a wink and a smirk.

There was also that rumor that Chekov and Sulu were having a torrid love affair in the botany labs after hours, but no one could actually confirm it.

In other words, everything was normal. Or as normal as life on a starship could get. For the most part. Carol was bemused to notice a definite increase in invitations from the command crew to spend time after shift together. She would say it was just that she had become good friends with them over the last few months, but she knew it was more because she was dating someone they all considered to be family. She suspected they wanted to vet her or something, to make sure she was worthy of the Captain's affections.

Uhura vetoed that idea when Carol flippantly suggested it one evening, the Communications officer laughing prettily in a way that drew more than one lustful eye across the mess hall where they were currently eating dinner.

"That's not it at all," she assured the other woman easily. "I want to spend time with you because I like you. You're a good friend, Carol, and I have a feeling you're here to stay, so I want to know you better." Carol looked down, embarrassed. Uhura set her bottle of water down and leaned forward. "Carol, Jim doesn't let people in easily. The fact that he's committed to a relationship with you says a lot. So if he's that serious about you, then you're important to us."

"Us?" Carol asked curiously.

Uhura nodded. "The command crew. We're a family. You're a part of that now."

Carol swallowed. It sounded so serious and intense when put that way. She felt a sudden weight descend, demanding she live up to the role placed upon her. Uhura smiled gently, as if knowing what the Science officer was thinking, and Carol shook her head slightly. "So how are things going with you and Spock?"

The Communications officer shrugged, taking a bite of her salad. "Well," she replied succinctly. "Spock and I have been together for a while. Our relationship has settled into that level where we understand each other, without having to work too hard."

Carol tilted her head to the side, interested. "How did that happen?" she queried. "Jim said you got together at the Academy, but kept it quiet until after you graduated."

Uhura nodded ruefully. "It wouldn't have looked good," she admitted. "Spock was an instructor and I was a Cadet. Even though we waited until he wasn't my instructor anymore before we went on our first date. Command doesn't like to see that kind of fraternization." She sighed fondly. "I still remember Jim threatening Spock if he ever hurt me."

Carol raised an eyebrow. "He did what?"

Uhura grinned. "Not directly," she amended. "He and my roommate Gaila had just started dating officially, so I threatened him. Well, I tried to," she said, shaking her head at the memory. "He just got so…" she sighed. "He told me how great it was that Gaila had people who cared about her. And then he told me that if Spock ever hurt me, he'd hurt him."

Carol snorted, and Uhura laughed. "Yeah, I know. I doubt he would actually do anything physically, but it was still a nice sentiment. And I know that if I had needed him, he would have been there in a heartbeat." She pursed her lips and amended, "that shouldn't be in the past tense. Jim would do anything for his friends, and I have never doubted that if I ever need him, he will drop everything to be there."

"So you and Jim met at the Academy?" Carol asked curiously. "I've heard bits and pieces of stories that involve all of you, but I don't really know much about how you all met. You seem so much closer than a normal command crew."

Uhura nodded thoughtfully. "I guess that's because we are," she agreed. "And it goes beyond that whole disaster with Nero. We've all known each other since the Academy or before. I mean, Jim and Chekov have known each other since Pavel was eight. I met Jim right before he enlisted."

"Yeah?" Carol was really curious. It was so amazing to see the way this command crew supported their Captain. They were like one unit, each one anticipating what was needed, and working to complete an overall goal seamlessly without needing instruction.

Uhura smiled fondly. "A training exercise I was on was headed back to San Francisco when our shuttle malfunctioned. We set down for the night at the Riverside shipyard. Admiral Pike – well, he was a Captain at the time – allowed us to have the evening for ourselves, so most of us headed to the local bar."

Carol furrowed her brow. "And Jim was there?"

Uhura nodded slightly, though her expression was a little overcast as she remembered the last time she had been in Riverside. "I didn't know who he was at the time. He just said he was in town to check on the Enterprise's progress. He was consulting on the flagship's warp core design. I was fascinated; I mean, he was just a year or so older than me, and had already completed a master's degree and was working to design Starfleet's future. His model is now being used in all Constellation Class starships and from what I can glean from him – which isn't much, that man really doesn't like to talk about himself," she rolled her eyes, but her voice was amused, "he's still an auxiliary member of Starfleet's design team, and he's working to improve and upgrade the model for the future."

Carol blinked slowly. He had briefly touched on the subject when they had first met, but not in much detail. "He failed to mention all of that to me," she said archly.

Uhura snorted. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Anyway, he tried some cheesy pick up line with me, but I could tell that he wasn't really looking for a hook up, so I thought I'd amuse him. We were actually having a good time, before one of my idiotic classmates interrupted." She paused and pursed her lips. "I probably shouldn't talk about him like that. Cadet Garth was on the Farragut last year. But, and I hate myself for saying this, I don't think anyone really misses him. He spent his entire tenure at the Academy trying to sleep with half of San Francisco. He had a reputation for being pushy and refusing to leave a woman alone when she told him she wasn't interested."

Carol frowned. "Did he ever –"

Uhura grimaced. "I don't know. If he did, I didn't hear anything. But he refused to hear the word no with me that night, so Jim stepped in. Admiral Pike broke the fight up a few minutes later, and next thing I know, Jim is sitting down on that shuttle headed to San Francisco."

"Just like that?" Carol was stunned. Everything Uhura was telling her fit with what she knew of Jim's character, but it was still amazing to hear about how he had stood up for a girl he barely knew, and then apparently decided to just enlist in Starfleet on a whim.

Uhura nodded. "Jim's always struck me as a live in the moment kind of guy. I think he enlisted because Pike talked him into it, but he didn't put too much thought into it beforehand."

Carol pursed her lips. "He told me that Admiral Pike dared him."

Uhura stared at the woman for a moment, before snorting. "Yeah, that sounds like Jim." She picked up her empty plate and stood up. Carol followed her actions, and the two made their way to the waste receptacle. "Jim's like a brother to me. I don't always get why he does what he does, but I love him all the same. You might be good for him, but mark my words, Carol," she paused to throw her trash away, and then turned to face the Science officer, "you hurt him, and I will end you."

Carol blinked, startled.

Uhura smiled slightly to take the bite out of her words. "Jim's good at taking care of himself most of the time, but sometimes he needs us to watch his back. Even if he doesn't realize it." She glanced at her watch. "I'm meeting Spock in a few minutes, but I'm glad we had this talk. Welcome to the family, Carol."

The blonde watched Uhura walk away, still stunned at the sudden change in attitude. Finally, she shook herself off and left the mess hall.

XXX

Interestingly, Carol found herself having similar conversations with other members of the command crew over the next couple of weeks.

Scotty's went a little something like, "Yer a good lass, Carol, glad to have you with us. You take good care of my friend or I'll jettison you out an air lock. Hand me that spanner, would'ya?"

McCoy was a little less subtle, but he got his point across fairly easily, what with the heart attack-inducing glare and the "I know how to kill you and make it look like an accident." If it hadn't been so disconcerting, Carol might have found some amusement in the number of talking to's she had gotten; wasn't it usually the guy who got the 'hurt her and we kill you' speech? Carol supposed it only spoke more to Jim's character, that his friends were so intent on making sure she didn't break his heart. Not that she was planning on it, but still.

Sulu and Chekov decided to tag team it, and practically kidnapped her one evening after supper, cajoling her into monitoring their chess match; apparently, whenever they tried to play, one always ended up accusing the other of cheating.

The conversation started off innocently, with Sulu and Carol bonding over some new scientific articles that had recently been published. After about half an hour, Carol began to realize that neither man sitting next to her really cared about what was going on with the game in front of them, and they abandoned the pretense, moving the conversation more to their pasts, and getting to know each other as friends.

Sulu grinned eagerly when Carol asked about how he and Jim had met. Uhura had mentioned that the command crew had known each other for years, and she was curious. "I was seventeen," he told her, pushing the chessboard away, wondering absentmindedly why he and Chekov even bothered. Sure, Chekov knew how to play, but the kid had never really spent much time studying the game; and Sulu just agreed to the games to amuse the younger man. "Jim must have been about fifteen at the time. Some idiot dropped in on my wave, and he and his friends took offense when I called him on it. Jim helped diffuse the situation. Three on one odds, I didn't really like my chances, so I was glad to have the help."

Carol raised an eyebrow. "Seems like he's good at helping out, like that. Nyota told me about how they met."

Sulu nodded. "Yeah, Jim's always good to have at your back."

Carol bit her lip in consideration. "So you've really known him for a while."

Sulu smiled. "Well, Pav met him first, but I like to think I'm the runner up."

The Russian grinned widely. "He was visiting Russia, and helped me when I got separated from my parents."

Carol chuckled lightly. "Yeah, Nyota said you've known him for over ten years now? That's pretty awesome."

Pavel kept grinning. "He's like a big brother. A lot of kids teased me in school because I was so advanced, but Jim was always there to help me. He told me that one day they'd all be working for me, and they'd regret the way they treated me."

Carol laughed. "That sounds like Jim."

Pavel nodded, his curls bouncing with the movement. "We kept in touch. I sent him questions about theories and equations, and he would give me clues to figure it out myself."

"That sounds like him as well," Carol replied, still smiling.

Sulu shook his head fondly. "Yeah, Jim's really good at leading without being overbearing. You can see it in the way he Captains the ship."

Carol tilted her head to the side. "I know what you mean. He really is an amazing Captain. I'm very impressed with the way the crew follows him."

Sulu leaned forward in his seat, expression serious. "Jim's not just a Captain to us, Carol. We're a family. Jim doesn't want to just be the guy in charge, because we live together; we see each other day in and day out, for months and years on end. He wants to be someone that people can come to when they have issues, or if they need to talk. We follow him because he's already proven that we can trust him. Right from the start, he proved how far he would go for us. Hell, he jumped off a drill two thousand meters in the air on the off chance that he might be able to save my life."

Carol winced at the visual. Of course she knew the stories; she had heard it all, from her father, from the news outlets, from various colleagues. And then when that hadn't been enough, she had read all the reports she could get her hands on.

Sulu leaned back and smiled. "And it's not just my story. Jim didn't need to jump off a drill for everyone, he sure as hell didn't have to do it for me. But he hangs out in the rec room after shift, he eats meals with different members of the crew – from the command crew right down to the Ensigns and Crewmembers. He always has time for anyone who needs it. He's got this amazing ability to be a superior, a big brother, and a friend all at the same time. I have no idea where he learned it, but he's good at taking care of people."

Pavel glanced away uneasily, hoping that no one questioned him on his silence at the turn this conversation had taken. He had a pretty good idea where Jim had learned how to lead, and he really didn't want to share.

Fortunately, Carol and Sulu seemed to realize that they were essentially talking about Jim behind his back, and shifted the conversation to other topics.

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