Happy New Year everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek

Roughly four years after their last visit, five years after the start of their mission, the Enterprise returned to Earth.

Everyone was incredibly excited to get the chance to relax and spend some time with their families, before they returned to space and another five years. Jim hadn't received a single request to retire or transfer, so the crew would be full of old faces when they shipped back out in two months. And this time, Jim had gotten promises from the Admirals that they wouldn't have to commit themselves to any duties while on Earth. This shore leave was a vacation, and he didn't want to have to worry about classes, or tests, or anything to do with the Academy. He'd be busy enough making sure everything was ready for their next five-year mission, but he wanted his command crew to be able to actually enjoy their shore leave this time.

The crew scattered almost immediately upon their return, everyone planning visits to various family members or friends scattered across the globe and nearby planets.

Sulu was staying in San Francisco, because his parents still lived in the city, but Uhura was meeting up with her sisters in Uganda, where they were currently vacationing with their significant others. Scotty had even willingly left the ship, after being forced by Jim to take at least five days off before he came back to lead the team that would be working to install the upgrades. His order was only successful because Jim himself would still be around and able to make sure no mistakes were made. So the Engineer reluctantly agreed to go back to Scotland to visit his brother.

McCoy took Joanna and April on a short trip to Georgia to visit his mother, before April had to return to the Academy to sit all the tests she needed to pass in order to finally be a full-fledged Starfleet officer. She'd spend most of the first month completing those tests, but she was glad to finally be done with it.

Chekov let Sulu convince him to tag along and stay with his family for a few days. It hurt the young Navigator, to not make the trip over to Russia, but he hadn't managed to have a single conversation with his father that hadn't ended in a yelling match at any point in the last four years. He had tried. He had called his parents a few times when their location in space had allowed for ship to Earth communication for those outside of anybody located at Starfleet Headquarters or a Starfleet base. But no matter how understanding and supportive his mother tried to be, it couldn't make up for his father's utter lack of ability to be civil. Why couldn't he understand that Pavel wanted to live his own life? If he had been so against it, why on Earth had he even given his approval to let Pavel study at the Academy in the first place?

Kevin headed out to Sacramento for a couple of days, to see his aunt. His uncle had never understood his desire to join Starfleet, and they hadn't talked much since Kevin had left, but his aunt had invited him, the last time they had spoken, so Kevin thought he owed it to her to try and make peace with her husband.

Gaila was sticking around for a while, on Scotty's request most likely. While the Chief Engineer trusted Jim to take care of their ship, Gaila had quickly worked her way up to second in command of the Engineering deck, and if Scotty couldn't be there to oversee the upgrades, he wanted someone who had more free time to actually watch over the team who would be working on the ship. Jim would be around, but unlike the Captain, Gaila didn't have other duties to attend to while also trying to oversee the many upgrades scheduled. Jim understood Scotty's desire to have someone trustworthy on board, and promised the Orion that once their Engineer returned, she would be free to take her shore leave. Gaila was very understanding, and happy to provide a watchful eye to the crew working on their ship.

Jim and the command crew were the last to depart, and they all said their goodbyes before most of them left, while the Captain and Spock headed towards the administrative buildings in silence. They would spend the rest of the day being debriefed on their mission, after which Spock was planning to take a transport headed for New Vulcan, to visit with his father for a month, before coming back to spend the last month of their shore leave assisting Jim in preparations for when they would depart on their next five-year mission.

The debrief went… well, it went. Komack was an ass, and he felt the need to call attention to every minor infraction he felt Jim and the crew had committed over the last five years. He was particularly sore about Jim contacting Archer for any advice, not that he was aware of anything the other Admiral had told the Captain – both men were stubbornly silent on everything they discussed, but Jim didn't want him to know that Archer had pretty much told him to do the exact opposite when it came to dealing with those Klingons they had met on Tarsus.

Komack also had a few choice words to say over Jim's command decisions on Nibiru. Apparently, he was supposed to just 'let nature run its course'. Never mind they had saved an entire race from utter decimation, without straight up violating the Prime Directive.

Jim took it all in stride, biting his tongue to keep from returning a few of the jibes, knowing that it wouldn't help anything. He didn't need to make things worse for himself, or Jon, Richard, and Chris. They were working on a plan. He just wished it wasn't taking so long.

Finally, Komack released them, and Jim said his farewells to Spock. They separated in the lobby of Cochrane Hall as the Vulcan headed for the shuttle hangar and Jim went in search of Chris, leaving his First Officer with the assurance that he would call if he needed anything, and taking the same promise in return.

Chris was with Jon and Richard in Jon's office when Jim found him, and the three Admirals were quick to invite him to join them, offering up smiles and hugs and comments of how glad they were to see him again. It had been four years, after all, since the last time they had all been in the same room.

Jon immediately waved off any of Komack's reprimands with praise for the actions Jim had taken, both on Nibiru and at many other points over the last five years. "Honestly, Jim, Komack just wants to assert dominance, but you're not going to get any grief for Nibiru. It was really impressive, I have to say, the way you were able to reprogram the transporter."

Jim looked down, embarrassed. He hadn't realized Spock had included that in his report. His own report had been bare details, just stating that they had managed to retrieve Spock from the volcano and had halted the eruption with no loss of life.

Jon shrugged. "Komack's just upset because you're doing well and the universe loves you. I think he wanted you to fall flat on your face once you were given command officially. So the best he can do now is resort to taking you to task for every instance where you used innovation and toed the line, even though your actions were successful and you never outright broke a single rule."

Jim smirked slightly. "Don't worry so much about my constitution, Jon. I've got thick skin, and Komack's an ass. I know better than to take anything he says seriously."

Jon smiled. "Good. And just to let you know, you're going to get a commendation for your actions at Nibiru. Komack aside, the rest of us were suitably impressed."

Jim jerked one shoulder in a facsimile of a shrug, but his expression showed his gratitude.

Jon sighed lightly. "You should get out of here, Jim. Go enjoy your shore leave. Have fun, don't work too hard, and for God's sake, try and actually relax for once."

Jim rolled his eyes, knowing that Jon wasn't upset, just worried that he was running himself ragged by doing too much all at once.

Chris stood up, cuffing Jon lightly on the shoulder as he gestured for Jim to join him. "I like that request. Come on kid, the bar's calling your name, and I'm buying."

Jim immediately joined him, a grin on his face as he replied, "You know, all of a sudden, I'm feeling very thirsty. And you already offered, old man. No take backs!" They disappeared into the hall, but Jon and Richard heard Jim say in an amused tone, "Are you at least going to let me change first?"

The door closed before they could hear Chris' reply.

XXX

It was nearly an hour later that saw Chris and Jim sitting next to each other at the bar, both changed out of their uniforms, each with a half-drunk beer in front of him.

The evening passed quickly as the two lost themselves in stories of past adventures. It was two beers later that Chris finally broached the topic he had been meaning to bring up with his young friend.

"So the Yorktown's due back in about five weeks," the Admiral hedged, taking a swig of his drink and setting the bottle down noisily.

Jim nodded slightly, glancing over in an invitation to continue. "That's good. You haven't seen Shay in a while."

Chris shrugged lightly, looking down. "Yeah, it's been almost a year since they were here last."

Jim pursed his lips, waiting for Chris to get to whatever point he was trying to make. It didn't take long.

"They weren't going to stop by so soon, but we've been working on an idea, that's finally shaping up. I'm going to accept a post on the Yorktown as a diplomatic officer. It's not in the line of command so there are fewer requirements for physical ability."

Jim blinked, surprised, before he smiled. "That's great. I'm happy for you."

Chris nodded graciously. "Yeah, I'm glad I'll be able to actually see Shay on a daily basis. That's something I've really missed, ever since I accepted the Captaincy of the Enterprise. And I miss space."

Jim looked away guiltily. It was easy to forget sometimes, that if it hadn't been for Nero, Chris would still have that seat on the Bridge of the flagship.

Chris sighed, knowing the direction the other man's thoughts had turned. "It's not your fault, Jim. Just… bad luck. Anyway, before we ship out, Shay and I have decided that we're going to get married."

That certainly got Jim's attention. The two had been together for as long as Jim had known them, and it always seemed to work for them, but he could understand the concept of wanting the formality of a wedding.

Chris smiled happily. "It worked for us, just being together. But we decided we want more. And we want a family. I know it might not seem like it at times, but we're not actually that old. We want kids. For that to happen, we need to actually be living in the same place. And I know we don't need to actually be married to have a family, but we want to."

Jim was still slightly shocked, but he hid it behind a congratulatory smile. "Seriously, Chris, you'll make a great dad."

Chris beamed, understanding the compliment behind the words. Jim knew he'd be a good father because he already was. Even if neither of them really admitted it in so many words – apart from that one awkward conversation after Nero when Chris had been laid up in Medbay – the meaning was there, the understanding was there. Chris was the only real parent Jim had ever known. His aunt and uncle on Tarsus had tried, but they had been killed before he had really gotten to the point of being able to let himself trust them in that way.

After another few minutes and an order to the bartender for some top shelf scotch to celebrate, Jim coughed awkwardly. "So what's going on with the whole Admiral situation? You got any more intel that might help get control?"

Chris sighed wearily. "Intel, sure. Whether or not it's useful…" he shrugged. "We're still working on it." He swallowed, turning the glass in his hands as he stared at it. "I know we told you we were working towards me taking over as your superior, but when this opportunity on the Yorktown arose, I couldn't turn it down." He looked up, his eyes pleading for understanding. "The only change in the plans is that it will likely be Jon who takes Komack's place. You have to understand, Jim, my heart still belongs in space. That was always my dream, and I'm not quite ready to give up on it yet."

Jim was quick to nod, shifting slightly in his seat so that he was facing Chris more directly. "I get it, Chris," he promised. "I'm not mad, swear. I'm really happy that you're able to get back up there." He smiled. "If anyone understands the draw, I do."

Chris returned the smile, reassured. "Thanks. And I was wondering…" he bit his lip, looking down again. "Well, it's just…" He rolled his eyes, wondering why this was so hard. "Jim, would you be my best man?"

Jim leaned back slightly, startled. "Are you sure?" he asked, confused. "I mean, Jon and Richard –"

Chris shook his head, looking up to meet the Captain's bewildered gaze. "I want you, Jim. Jon and Richard are good friends, but that's all they are. Very good, close friends. You're family."

Jim actually felt himself choke up a little. He nodded slowly. "I'd love to."

Chris grinned and took another sip of his drink. "It'll be small. Jon's going to officiate, and we're going to have the ceremony at my parents' place, in Mojave. Shay's inviting a couple friends from the Yorktown, but other than that, I think Richard and Spock are the only others I really want to be there. You can bring Carol, of course." His grin widened slightly at the small blush that worked its way across Jim's cheeks. He was happy to see the young man in such a steady relationship. Even if most of the Admiralty – well, all of the Admiralty except him – were unaware of the flagship Captain's relationship, Jim had told him in confidence, and once the Captain had explained the measures they had taken to remove the appearance of impropriety, Chris had relaxed and been happy to hear more. He was pleased that Jim was opening his heart to someone. The kid deserved to be happy.

Jim nodded, taking a sip of his own drink to hide the embarrassment, and let Chris change the subject, talking about some of the upgrades that were scheduled to be implemented in all Constitution Class starships over the next few years. Jim was well versed in the upgrades – he had helped design a few of them.

And the rest of the evening passed amicably.

XXX

It was a very quiet few weeks; Jim spent most of his days at the Academy, not really taking the fully relaxing break that most of the rest of the crew had opted for, but he had a lot of duties he couldn't completely abandon, not if the Enterprise wanted to be ready to ship out on time. He compromised with Carol by spending only part of the day working, and the rest doing something 'fun', which for her meant everything from the beach to one of the many museums that were littered across the city.

He spent time with his friends that were in the city or nearby, and with Chris helping him work out wedding details – including but not limited to helping him to wrangle his stepmother into something more reasonable than a ten course meal for dinner. Apparently she was very excited to see her stepson 'finally settle down', never mind that he and Shay had been dating and living together for nearly two decades. According to Chris, his parents were very excited to meet Jim. He refused to outright say what he had told his parents about the younger man, but Jim figured he had probably told them a lot, considering their lengthy friendship. They had been friends for over ten years now. And Chris was close with his parents, he would have told them all about the son of his best friend.

God damn it, he'd probably talked their ears off about his genius, his role in the design of the new warp core, his ascension to Captain at such a young age. Jim could sometimes wish Chris didn't openly show so much pride in him, but he also couldn't deny that he liked having someone treat him like a son every now and then.

Jim also met up with Cory a few times – the younger man was officially on the tenure track at UC Berkley, already impressing his colleagues and other historians in the field. Jim got to meet Cory's girlfriend as well, a woman his cousin had met in the library at two o'clock in the morning in the last year of his studies, when they had both been practically living there trying to complete their dissertations. Jim and Carol had a very pleasant dinner with Cory and Amanda. Cory and Carol were nearly cut out of the conversation completely when Jim and Amanda began discussing her dissertation – she was the proud owner of a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, and she nearly squealed with delight when she learned that Jim had practically designed the newest model of warp core that was being used in Starfleet's Constellation Class ships.

When the couple broke up for the night, Jim gave Cory a light hug and a slap on the back. "Marry that girl," he murmured into his cousin's ear.

Cory pulled back and glared at him, though there was no real heat in his gaze. "You just say that because she's one of the few who knows what you're talking about when you get all Engineering-y. Sometimes I swear it's like she's a female you." Amanda looked over, intrigued, catching the last part of the conversation but not sure how it had started.

Jim grinned. "If by that you mean dashingly handsome, brilliant, chiseled good looks, suave and charming, and did I mention good looks, and –"

Carol cut him off, slapping a hand over his mouth with a roll of her eyes. "Ignore him. He has absolutely no idea what he's talking about."

Cory nodded, a longsuffering sigh escaping his lips. "I know. It's a pity he can't be trained, but at his advanced age, I don't think there's much we can do."

Jim protested, his voice muffled by Carol's hand. "I'm one year older!" He removed Carol's hand lightly, and gave her a soft glare, before shaking his head amusedly. "Seriously, Cory, I'm really glad you're doing well, and I'm really proud of you. I had a great time tonight."

Cory blushed slightly, happy with his cousin's praise – after everything Jim had accomplished in his life, there was no higher compliment for him.

Jim turned to Amanda and offered his hand. She shook it, and he smiled. "It was great to meet you, Amanda. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon. Don't be a stranger though, if you ever want to talk about engineering with someone who actually understands. And if you ever want a tour of the Enterprise, just let me know."

Amanda grinned. "I will definitely take you up on that. It was great to meet you too, Jim, Carol," she glanced over at the other woman and nodded. "I had a wonderful time."

With one last round of farewells, the two couples separated, heading for their homes.

XXX

Carol frowned worriedly as she stepped onto the 'lift that would bring her back down to the ground floor of Cochrane Hall. Talking with her father lately had always set her teeth on edge, but today seemed to have stepped it up a notch. He wasn't happy with her life choices, but she had made perfectly clear when she had pushed for assignment to the Enterprise that if he tried to block her or shuffle her off to a safer commission, she would make his life a living hell, and lodge a formal complaint. Admiral Marcus may be relatively high in the command structure, but even he would not fare too well to rumors of less than professional behavior. But today, something had seemed… off. She had gone to him hoping for a civilized discussion, because she had a few questions that she needed answered.

As Jim had been spending most of his time working, by default, Carol had often found herself doing the same, since she really didn't have anywhere else she wanted to go. Her mother was too busy to spend much time with her if she tried to make the trip over to England, and she didn't really have any other family to visit. She had visited with a few friends in the San Francisco area, but for the most part, she had been immersing herself in learning about the newest technology and weapons upgrades.

That was what had prompted her to seek out her father; if it hadn't been for the special project she had come across, under his purview according to the file, she wouldn't have bothered making the trip up to the top floor of Cochrane Hall. She and her father really did not get along. But it was some sort of missile defense from what she could determine, and she was curious.

Of course, Admiral Marcus was not an accommodating man, and refused to appease her desire for knowledge, leaving her with more questions than she had arrived with. She wondered, as she stepped out of the 'lift and headed towards her apartment, whether she should mention this to anyone. She didn't know what her father was doing, but she didn't want to raise a fuss if it was really nothing.

Her concern was only further heightened when she settled in at her computer to waste the hour before Jim would finish overseeing the upgrades on the Enterprise and come join her for dinner.

She had been locked out of all the files concerning her father's special project.

XXX

The last week before the Yorktown returned passed peacefully. Jim's command crew all returned, and they spent some time catching up and jumping back into work, preparing their respective departments for departure in a month. Most of the crew had returned or was scheduled to return within the next week or two, to ensure that everyone was present and prepared when the ship was scheduled to leave.

The day after the Yorktown's arrival, Jim, Carol, Shay, Chris, Spock, Jon, Richard, and two of Shay's friends from her crew all boarded a small shuttle and made the trip up to Mojave. By ground transport it would have been a five-and-a-half-hour trip, but by shuttle it was made in just over an hour, and Chris' parents lived on a farm with plenty of room to land without worrying.

The trip gave Shay a chance to catch up with Jim, telling him about the Yorktown's plans to remain docked at Earth for a month, to unwind and get Chris' new appointment in order, before they would head back out. They still had another year and a half left of their five-year mission.

Jon and Richard were surprised at the inclusion of Lieutenant Wallace, and startled to hear that she and Jim had been officially dating for nearly four years; neither one was thrilled at the circumvention of protocol, which mandated that Captains disclose their personal relationships, especially if they were both serving on the same ship, to avoid any potential calls of misconduct. They were mollified slightly when Chris told them that he had known, and that Spock had been conducting Carol's performance reviews from the moment their relationship became serious. It still wasn't exactly by the book, but Jim was well aware of his infamous status within the Federation. His girlfriend would receive far more scrutiny than he wanted to subject Carol to, especially without knowing if they would last. Put like that, both men had to reluctantly agree, with the stipulation that the couple make it official with the Admiralty as soon as they returned to Headquarters. Jim and Carol acquiesced, knowing that they couldn't continue to keep it a secret much longer. And after this long, they weren't as worried about breaking up as they had been when they had first made the decision to keep their relationship off the books.

Charles and Liz Pike were waiting when they landed, and wasted no time in greeting their son and soon to be official daughter-in-law, before smiling greetings at the rest of the group.

Jim blushed, embarrassed, when Liz immediately gathered him in a welcoming hug. "I am so pleased to finally meet you!" she gushed, beaming as she pulled back and cupped his face with both hands. "Chris is always telling us about your latest achievements. So proud of you." She smiled at her stepson, shaking her head lightly at his sudden discomfort. "Don't let him try and pretend different, dear. He really is very proud of everything you've done. And so are we."

She led him inside, leaving the rest to follow as she continued to talk, bringing up a few stories Jim had shared with Chris over the last few years, and how impressed she was with his quick thinking, somehow still managing to come off motherly as she gently berated him for getting himself into such dangerous situations.

Chris was half a step behind, hoping to stop his stepmother from going into complete grandmother mode. He had told his parents a lot, and they had been bugging him to bring Jim out to meet them for years, but the timing had never worked. He hoped they could rein it in a little this weekend.

Unfortunately, his dad managed to distract him by telling him to help get everyone settled into their rooms, and then joined his wife who refused to let Jim take care of his own bag. Carol grabbed it along with hers, and with an amused smile, headed upstairs behind Chris, to get settled in the room she and Jim would share.

Jim was feeling very out of his depth as he suddenly found himself cornered by both of Chris' parents now. Charles, noting the discomfort, smiled to ease the young man's worry. "You're not in trouble, Jim, don't look so scared!" He offered Jim a bottle of beer, and Jim took an uneasy swig. Charles' smile widened. "Honestly, the way Chris talks about you, I would have thought you were my own grandson."

Jim turned red, looking at the floor as he took another sip of his drink.

Liz beamed happily. "You're part of the family, Jim. Just accept it, and make sure you come out to visit the grandparents every now and then."

"Liz." Chris' stern reprimand was evident even in just the one word. Chris shook his head, dragging Jim away, and towards the kitchen so that he could grab a drink for himself. "I'm sorry about them," he offered, his voice soft. "I promise, I don't actually talk about you that much. I think they just think if they annoy me enough, I'll give them some grandkids to spoil."

Jim raised an eyebrow, leaning against the counter as he watched Chris pull a covered dish out of the fridge. The kitchen was more old fashioned than most, Jim had noticed. Chris' parents lived in a farmhouse that had likely been built around the same time as the Kirk farmhouse in Iowa, and it hadn't been updated in much the same way, with mostly wood furnishings, older appliances, and doors that you actually had to push open with your hands. "Didn't you just tell me a few weeks ago that you guys wanted kids?"

Chris pursed his lips, setting the dish in the oven to warm up before grabbing his drink and joining Jim. "Yeah, that's true now," he admitted, shrugging lightly. "I was always more focused on my career than starting a family, as is evidenced by how long Shay and I have put off this wedding. Neither of us really cared too much about making it official, and we were both always more interested in space and exploration than kids." He looked down briefly. "But times change. It's not that we thought we didn't want a family back then, it's just that other things always seemed more important."

Jim nodded, understanding. He often felt the same way. "Your parents seem nice." He shrugged lightly, his hands fiddling with the bottle distractedly. "It's kind of nice to be wanted."

Chris bit his lip, glancing over at the young Captain. "Have you talked to Winona recently?"

Jim shook his head, taking a large swallow of his beer. "Not since Frank's funeral." He lowered the bottle, his gaze fixed in front of him, refusing to look up to meet the Admiral's own sympathetic one. "I don't need or want her in my life," he said stoically. "We might share DNA, but she was never a mother. Legally, she hasn't even been that since I was twelve and she signed her rights away to her sister. She never bothered to get them back after Marie died, which should say something about the level of her caring." He forced himself to look at Chris now, offering up a tired half-smile. "It's fine, Chris. Don't worry so much."

Chris watched him as he headed back to the living room, his gaze worried despite himself. "I always worry about you, kid," he said softly, before shaking his head ruefully and following Jim.

XXX

The wedding ceremony was simple and short. Shay refused to wear anything close to a full length white dress, and was instead outfitted in a light blue dress that had off the shoulder short sleeves and cut off abruptly at her knees. The others were all in Starfleet dress uniforms, while Liz was dressed in a simple summer dress, and Charles wore khakis and a button down short sleeved shirt.

Dinner afterwards was a cookout, as Charles manned the grill and the small group ate on the grassy lawn, blankets set out to protect their clothes from getting stained. It was a very low-key afternoon, and suited Chris and Shay just fine. They had no desire to host a large formal event; the official ceremony was only a piece of paper, after all. Or, bytes on a piece of technology, since printed out marriage certificates had fallen out of style right around the time they stopped using paper for everything.

It was early evening when Jon's communicator chimed, and with an apologetic shrug, he moved off to the side to answer it.

He returned a few minutes later, looking grim. "Someone just blew up the Kelvin Memorial Archive in London," he informed them, his eyes darting around the group of officers.

His words had an immediate effect, as they all began standing up and clearing their dishes, knowing what the appropriate response was to that information. Their vacation was over, and it was time to go back to work.

Charles and Liz immediately shuffled everyone inside to change and gather their belongings, insisting that they would clean up, and not to worry about it.

Chris hung back with Shay and his parents while Jon went to get the shuttle ready, and the others made sure they had everything they had arrived with. "I'm sorry to marry and run," he said sheepishly.

Charles rolled his eyes and gave his son a hug. "You go save the world, Chris. It's what you do."

Liz hugged him as well, and then Shay, before grabbing Jim as he tried to take his bag out to the shuttle. She gave him a tight hug and rubbed his back comfortingly. "You be careful too, Jim. And don't forget to come visit!"

Jim nodded, still slightly uncomfortable with her easy acceptance of his presence in her life. It seemed so amazing to him, that Chris' parents didn't need anything more than their son's obvious affection for him, to consider him part of their family. "Thank you for having us," he said in reply, before Jon called out for them all to board, knowing that they needed to get back to the Academy as soon as possible.

Charles and Liz watched as the shuttle lifted off, their arms wrapped around each other and their heads filled with worry for the group on board. Bombing a Starfleet building was no small act, and a side effect of having a son in Starfleet meant that they could imagine all kinds of scenarios for what was going on and why, as well as what might come next.

Charles tightened his hold on his wife. "They'll be fine," he said reassuringly.

Liz's only response was a troubled sigh.

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