Chris

"What are you smiling at, sweetheart?" Jamie asked. Chris smiled at his wife, she was sitting on the floor playing with their son.

"I'm glad I didn't take your advice," he told her. Jamie raised an eyebrow. "When I was on the Lake you kept telling me to go out on a date with that nurse. Saunders, I think her name was." Chris talked to Jamie as much as he could while the Lake was out. He told her about how Saunders kept flirting with him and her advice was to take the nurse on a date. "She likes you Chris, what's the big deal? You never know, she could be the future Mrs. Pike." He chuckled, "That's sage advice from a 16 year old." Jamie laughed, "Well, according to Fed law, I am old enough to get married. Honestly, Chris, I've seen too much crap in this universe to not go for something, I refuse to have regrets. Ask yourself if you'll regret it later."

"I'm glad you didn't listen to me, I would've been heartbroken if you can home with a girlfriend. I wouldn't trade being your wife and the mother of your child for anything. You always wonder how you got so lucky but I'm the lucky one. You found me."

Charlie decided to jump in, "Found mama."

Chris smiled at his son, "Yea, I found mama. I'm a lucky guy, buddy."

"Lucky daddy."

Jamie

"The Admiralty Board has decided to uphold the field promotion made by your commanding officer, you are hereby granted the rights and privileges of the rank of Captain. You are to report to Rear Admiral Christopher Pike, USS Enterprise, for duty as his Executive Officer."

She really shouldn't be surprised, Chris and Jamie talked about this for weeks before the orders arrived, so she knew they were coming. The brass offered her command of a small ship but she turned them down to stay on the Enterprise. Chris decided to stay as well, she's not sure what he said to the admirals but he talked to her after he made his decision, "Greatest thing about being an admiral is the option to pick your ship and since you built this one for me, there's no way in hell I'm letting someone else take command." He was walking with some assistance and Bones says he'll be on his own feet before the ship is ready. Once the Enterprise is repaired –she and Scotty were working on it- they were all going back.

Chris officially offered the senior staff their jobs. Spock was staying on as science and second officer, Sulu as chief helmsman, Chekov as chief navigator, Uhura as chief communications officer, Scotty was the chief engineer, Bones –begrudgingly- accepted chief medical officer, Kelso transferred over from the Yorktown and joined Chekov's team with Kevin, and Jamie was the first and tactical officer. Most of the crew on the ship was staying, there were few who turned Chris' offer down; his father was one of them.

Charlie decided to stay in San Francisco, he didn't want to go back into the black. Jamie understood. Charlie liked space just fine but unlike her and Chris, it's not where he was meant to be. He had taken an assignment at the Academy; no one better to wrangle cadets then Chief Pike.

Because she was working on the repairs, Chris assigned Jamie the task of finding a spot for the school/daycare area. She found the perfect –safest- spot, it was literally the most central location in the saucer section of the ship. They were going to have twelve children on the ship, the youngest was one year old and the oldest was thirteen. Jamie was also working on the Captain, First Officer and CMO's quarters. The three rooms were next to each other and she had a few ideas on what to do with them.

"What are you working on, Jim?" her friend asked as he sat down. Jamie was meeting Bones for lunch, she decided to do some work while waiting for him.

"Drawing up the plans for our quarters."

He raised an eyebrow, "What about 'em?"

"I don't need mine. I'm converting it into space for Charlie and Joanna. I gotta move a few walls and add a door on your side. We'll be neighbors. I just don't want to separate them. They're like a smaller version of me and Sam, or me and Cody," she smiled, and as much as she knew he wanted to glare, he smiled too. Their kids were so much like them it was scary, they were bright, brave, adventurous and loyal to each other. Jamie had a feeling that Mini-Pike and Mini-McCoy were going to rule the universe.

"So, a five year mission. Who's bright idea was that?" he asked. When Bones found out, he gave her a death glare but otherwise didn't say anything, might've been all the brass that was in the room at the time.

"Technically, it was Archer's. Considering that he's the man who went to space back we didn't know much of anything about what was out there and explored things that no one would ever have imagined, I doubt any one could argue with him. Dude is seriously badass. I hope I'm that cool when I'm 138 years old," Jamie said. That earned her a laugh from her friend.

"Think you'll last that long, Jim?"

Three Weeks Later

The big story came when Jamie was with Scotty, Chekov and Kevin in Riverside. Monty called up to her, "Lass, you should see this." Jamie hopped down out of the Jefferies tube that she was working in.

"'Sup, Monty?" He nodded towards the screen, 'Enterprise Hero also Tarsus Four Survivor.'

"Is that true?" Jamie heard an engineer ask. No one was supposed to know about Tarsus, how did they get this information? Kevin looked at her.

"How?" the kid asked. She shook her head and grabbed her comm.

"Answer, answer, answer," she mumbled.

"Hey, Jimmy. I'm a little busy, so as much as I love you, make it quick," her cousin said. She rolled her eyes.

"It's public, Cody." He didn't ask what she meant, he just sucked in a breath.

"How?" he asked.

"I don't know, I'm gonna comm Chris and Archer. I just thought I'd give you a heads up, Kev and I just found out. Cody, I'm sorry. The only reason anyone went digging is because I had to be the damn hero," she muttered.

"This isn't your fault, Jimmy. You did the right thing, you always do. They should have asked before they released the information but it's okay. I have a case, after that I'm going to head home. Let me know what the Admirals say. I love you, cuz," Cody said. He always knew how to make her feel better.

"Love you too."

Cody

Her holo was everywhere; Jamie was a hero. And thanks to the news about Tarsus, people wanted to know everything about her, and it wasn't long before people started asking him –and Zane- questions. It got so bad that Jamie had reluctantly agreed to talk to the press if it meant that they would leave her family alone. Cody was sure that everyone in the Federation was watching this. Starfleet's office of Public Relations set up an interview with Lucy Delgato, this century's version of Barbra Walters. Spock agreed to do the interview with her and the rest of her friends were at the condo with Chris.

"Hey, it's starting," McCoy said. They all looked at the screen.

"It has been three months since the destruction of Vulcan. The two officers leading the charge against the renegade, will discuss what was going through their minds, what it took to stop him and where they go from here. In their first interview, let us welcome, Captain Jamison Kirk and Commander Spock." Jamie and Spock were wearing the black academy instructor uniforms, sitting next to each other at a table. They looked good, Jamie like more serious version of herself. "Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, welcome."

"Thank you for having us. Glad we could be here, well I am. Spock is probably running a list through his head of what we could be working on right now," Jamie said. That earned a laugh; Jamie was using her charm.

Spock spoke, "We currently working on nineteen projects."

"I think we should just dive right in, Captain. What have you been doing since returning to earth?"

Jamie smiled, "Spending time with friends and family, working on the Enterprise's repairs and assisting Admiral Pike with forming a crew." Spock looked at the woman.

"I have been doing the same," the Vulcan stated before the woman asked. That question was fine but it was the only one as they got progressively worse through the interview, even Spock was getting agitated –Nyota noticed- and there came a point when they were all ready to throttle this Lucy chick.

"Do you think your experience on Tarsus Four has an effect on how you perform as an officer?" the woman asked. Jamie took a second before she answered.

"Everything that you go through in life effects who you are. Tarsus was horrific. I watched people who loved me die to protect me. I saw people killed for no reason at all by a man with a sideways view of humanity. One of my closest friends was six years old and every time I see him, I remember his mother handing him to me and fighting off the enforcer so that we could run. I remember the times my cousin and I didn't eat, making sure the smaller kids didn't starve. I remember the faces of the men I had to kill to protect them. I remember the men who tortured me for their location after I sent the S.O.S. I remember the feeling of safety that washed over me when a Starfleet officer found me and literally gave me the shirt off his back." She took a breath, "It's all a part of who I am. The scars that no one sees. You can let it break you, or you can choose to use it to do better. I use it."

Everyone was shocked silent. Cody looked over at Kevin, the kid had tears in his eyes. Cody remembered when Jamie and Percy came back to the cave with seven kids. Kevin clung to Jamie and she just held him. Mister and Misses Riley lived down the street from them and knew his dad. They had been on the colony since it started, its where Kevin was born. Cody always thought they were nice and even though he was small, Kevin would try to hang out with the bigger kids. There were times when he would spot Jamie just sitting with the little boy, looking up at the sky. When food became an issue, Jamie would give up most of hers to the six year old.

"She doesn't deserve this. She kept me alive. She kept us all alive," Kevin whispered. Cody couldn't agree more. Jamie spent enough time dealing with people who thought she wasn't anything more than George Kirk's daughter but no one ever bothered to really look at who she is, she didn't deserve this. Especially now, she saved the world.

Cody remembered what Jamie was like when she first arrived on Tarsus; she was beaten, under-weight, heartbroken and ready to die. He swore that he would never let anyone hurt her like Frank did. Looking around the room, Cody smiled at the fact that she held her head high, worked her ass off and created the family she never got to have. She loved these people and they loved her back. She once told him that, "they all remind me, every day, that I'm not alone. They are all different, but they all make me a better person."

"Mama!" Everyone chuckled at Charlie as he and Joanna walked into the room. He climbed into Zane's lap, "that mama and Uncle Pock?" Cody watched as his husband kissed Charlie on the head and allowed the small child to sit on him.

"Yea, lil man. That's mama and Spock." Cody smiled, he was going to miss having Jimmy, Chris and Charlie around when they left for that five year mission. He was going to miss all of them, if he was being honest.

"How long 'til Spock loses it?" Cody asked. He wasn't as close to Spock as Jamie was but he was still his friend. Anyone who knew Spock was well aware that you don't mess with his mother, his girlfriend or Jamie. Lucy was going at them hard and Jamie put on a good front but he could tell that she wasn't happy. Spock was harder to read but Nyota could see the cracks in his armor.

"I give the laddie five minutes," Scotty said from the other end of the couch.

McCoy, who was sitting on the floor with his daughter, shook his head, "Nope, she's pissing Jamie off. Spock won't let it go on for much longer." The southern doctor was right, it was less than two minutes when Lucy asked the question that pissed Spock off.

"There are many people wondering how you came to be in command of the flagship and if it wasn't because of family ties. Admiral Pike was the youngest Captain at thirty-one years old. You just broke his record at twenty-five. Is it safe to say that who your father is played a role?" Spock twitched, not good. Cody knew that this lady was poking the bear, as the saying goes. Jamie was a hero who earned her strips. Cody watched as Jamie smiled and answered.

"I was assigned to the Enterprise as First Officer a year before the ship was even finished. I worked for Starfleet for almost a year before I enlisted. After my actions on the Farragut and the commendations that came from those actions, I was offered XO spots all over the fleet but I couldn't pass up the chance to serve on Enterprise. During the Narada incident, the captain left the ship, leaving me in command and Spock as my XO. I've known Admiral Pike for a long time, he was proud when the brass decided to let my field promotion stand, he always thought I'd break his record," she told the other woman.

Chris chuckled, "I said that years ago. I was right." Cody always thought that she was going to blow everyone out of the water, she had to. Her parents were heroes, to be anything less wouldn't sit well with Jamie. She never sought out being the hero, she was just the one willing to put it all on the line for the people around her, just like George and Winona had. Saving those kids on Tarsus was just the beginning for her, even saving earth wasn't the biggest thing she was going to do. Lucy didn't let it go.

"But you're George Kirk's daughter, isn't safe to say that your success in the fleet is because of your name?" Jamie didn't get a chance to answer as Spock spoke.

"Captain Kirk has an outstanding service record. She worked for Starfleet prior to her enlistment, she assisted in saving one vessel and the crew of another during those nine months. We attended the Academy together, she was second in our class, I graduated ahead of her by only a fraction of a point. It is disrespectful to Captain Kirk and everyone she has served with to discount her dedication and abilities because of her parentage. Her accomplishments are her own." So, this was the Vulcan version of cursing someone out. Cody could admit he never wants to be on Spock's bad side.

When the interview was over, Chris took a breath, "She's been going non-stop since we got back, between dealing with the Admiralty, attending all the memorial services, taking care of me and Charlie and working on the ship, she needs a break." Cody was going to speak up but his husband beat him to it.

"How 'bout we take the little guy with us?" Zane offered. Whatever argument Chris was going to have, died when he looked at little Charlie.

"I go with Uncle Z and Uncle Cody, daddy. I'll be good," Mini-Pike said. Chris smiled. Cody chuckled, guess that settles it.

Chris

"Where did they all go?" Jamie asked. He knew that Jamie wasn't expecting the near empty condo that she walked into.

"They decided to give us a break, Cody and Zane have Charlie," he told her. She let out a breath and took her uniform jacket off.

"Archer isn't happy, that is not what fleet P.R. agreed to. She managed to upset Spock, which not an easy thing to do. I've only seen it once in the seven years we've known each other and it was because someone was disrespectful to his mother," Jamie said with a sigh.

"Well Spock has dubbed you as family. She pissed you off, don't think I missed the flash of anger in your eyes." The thing about knowing each other so well is that he could see through her.

She shrugged, "I am pissed but to be honest, I'm more sad then anything, I expected it. I hoped that she wouldn't go there, that my record was enough, but I guess it's not." Jamie shook her head, "I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to be good enough, Chris. It's like my life is nothing more than the sequel to my father's. All the stuff I've done, everything I've survived, it means so much more then my name. I'm not George, hell, I don't even know a lot about him. I saved the world. I saved the world and all they see is him."

This is why he hated interviews. Jamie only agreed to do it so that they would leave Cody and her friends alone. Chris could see the tears in her eyes, he got up and stood in front of her.

"Look at me, J." The way he said it left her with no room to argue and she did as he said. "You are my wife, the mother of my child, a damn good officer and an amazing friend. You are so much more than your father's name. If the universe doesn't want to see that, it's their problem. Don't you ever feel like you aren't good enough, if you do, tell me and I'll set you straight. You have so many people who love you for who you are, not who your father was."

She smiled, "I love you, you know that, right?"

"I do know that. I love you more," Chris said as pulled her into a kiss. When he pulled back, she smiled.

"Nope. Not possible," Jamie whispered. He kissed her neck.

"Wanna bet?" he said as she slid her hands under his shirt.

She chuckled, "What good would betting do?" Chris smirked as she pulled his shirt off of him and continued, "In a competition of who loves who more, we both win."

"Very true," he pulled the black uniform undershirt over her head as she walked them to their bedroom.

AN: Yes, I kept her as XO even thought she was promoted to the rank of Captain. I didn't want to do that flip-flop from STID. Besides, on an Episode of TNG, Riker goes to another reality where he's an Admiral in command of the Enterprise. That whole line about Admirals picking their ships was my version of what Riker said.