Jamie

"We only have about an hour before the Rip closes, I don't want to be here when it does. You two, get over to that ship and end this so we can go home. Please be careful." Chris gave them their orders, as much as it pained him to send her over there.

"We will," she told him. "I guess that means another space jump."

To get onto the Gorn Commander's ship, they were going to have to use the jump suits and hope they missed the debris in their way. Sulu –space ninja, that's her new nickname for him- shot a hole in the side of the ship for them to enter through. As they made their way through the enemy ship, they discovered enhancement equipment. "Bones, you got any thoughts?" she asked her friend.

"It appears that the Gorn are using genetic engineering. I'd bet you it's not only to make themselves better but to change the other species that they conquer. Be careful over there, Jim. Wouldn't want to have to cure ya of ugly," the doctor told her. Jamie laughed, leave it to Bones to lighten the mood.

"Kirk, you have to get a move on, we're taking massive damage, and shields are down to 30 percent," Chris warned her over the comm.

"Understood, sir," she acknowledged. They had to disable the targeting platform if the Enterprise was going to have a fighting chance. They hacked a tactical console and that disabled the ship's weapons.

"Thanks for the assist, ma'am, we may just make it out if here alive," came Sulu's voice over the comm.

"Happy to help, Sulu. Keep 'em safe." Jamie looked at Spock, "Okay, that's done, where would they be keeping T'Mar and Helios?"

Spock scanned the system, "It appears that they have moved the Helios Device and T'Mar to the core of the vessel. They have reactivated it." That's where they went. Jamie and Spock had to fight off the Gorn Commander to even get close enough to destroy the device. "I will keep his attention, you must destroy it. Those pillars over there are keeping it powered, you must disable them to get to T'Mar." Spock kept the large Gorn busy while Jamie blasted the Helios Device into nothingness. She freed T'Mar just as Spock killed the Gorn and the whole place started to collapse in on itself.

"Get us outta here, Scotty," she called into the communicator. A few seconds later the three of them were being beamed back to the Enterprise as the other ship exploded. Hopping off the transported pad, Jamie looked at Scotty, "If I wasn't already married, Monty…"

He laughed, "Yea, yea, lass. Get your arse to the bridge."

Chris

"Mister Sulu, get us the hell outta here, now." Sulu was already putting the commands in before Chris stopped talking.

"Yes, sir," the pilot replied. Jamie, Spock and T'Mar entered the bridge as Sulu maneuvered them back to the Milky Way just as the Rip was beginning to close.

"You three alright?" Chris asked.

"I am unharmed, sir," was Spock's reply.

Jamie went with the usual, "I've had worse."

And T'Mar said that "Seeing the doctor would be wise." Chris sent the trio to McCoy and after they made through the Rip, he ordered Sulu to head to New Vulcan.

"You have the con, Sulu. Uhura, with me." Chris and the communications officer entered the turbolift and he gave the command for sickbay. "You did an extraordinary job with the Gorn, Lieutenant."

She smiled, "Thank you, sir." Chris could understand what Jamie and Spock saw in Uhura as an officer and as a person. She was brilliant, compassionate, dedicated, loyal to her friends and crew, and she was dangerous when provoked. He knew she wanted to check on Spock, even though she wouldn't say it. The joys of being the officer in charge was that he could take her with him to sickbay and no one would bother to say anything about it. When they walked into sickbay, it was a mad house. "Chapel, where are they?"

The nurse looked up from the young engineer she was working on, "Doctor McCoy took them in a private room. We're low on space, so I think he's patching up all three of them in there together." T'Mar was the worst of the bunch, the Gorn had tortured her like Jamie had thought they would. Spock was had a bunch of minor injuries that didn't require medical attention. Jamie had a some minor injuries and she banged up her side.

"How bad?" he asked as he walked into the room. His wife looked up at the sound of his voice but it was McCoy who answered him.

"Bruised ribs. I gave her something for 'em. She should take it easy for the next two days. And no lifting anything, even Charlie," the doctor told him.

Jamie chuckled, "Can't promise that, Uncle Bones." The doctor rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. "How are the small people?" She hadn't had the chance to ask earlier. She knew they'd be safe but he could tell that she still wanted to know.

McCoy answered her, "Oh, they had a blast."

"Bones," she looked at her friend. Chris decided to intervene.

"They're okay. I think we need a few more of those areas on the ship." T'Mar looked around the room at them, McCoy spoke before she could ask.

"We got a dozen kids on the ship, they have a 'safe area.' When in lockdown, the room seals, it goes into self-containment mode with its own power and life support system. It has to be opened by multiple voice-prints. I can admit it's cool."

"I understand, this is a ship for exploring."

Jamie laughed, "Ow. Sorry, the last Vulcans we encountered practically called us crazy for not being a warship." T'Mar nodded.

"We're heading back to New Vulcan, we have some of the survivors on the ship in addition to you," Chris told the exhausted young Vulcan. "I'm recommending commendations for the whole lot of you. You all performed above and beyond. Chris was a proud commanding officer, this was the kind of mission that shows what crew is made of. It showed that the Narada incident was not a fluke, these officers knew what they were doing and they did it well. Without regard for their own lives, they did what was necessary to protect the Federation. Looking at the people in this room, he stopped counting how many times they put themselves on the line in the past two days. They all talked for a while until McCoy kicked them out.

"All right, let's leave T'Mar to rest. I'd pull you two off duty but I doubt you'll listen to me. Just don't do anything stupid and stay out of trouble," the southerner grumbled. He pointed at Jamie, "Especially you." Mock hurt crossed Jamie's features in that classic 'who me' look.

"Aww, you do love me, Bonesy," Jamie said. Chris watched as the doctor rolled his eyes.

"I have no idea why," McCoy told her. Chris laughed at them.

"Except you do, Leonard," Chris said.

The only thing more unlikely then Jamie and Spock's friendship, was Jamie and McCoy. She and Spock were oddly similar, they had different approaches to most stuff but in their differences was a symmetry; they fit. With McCoy, there was no real reason for them to be friends, they just were. The man was a medical genius but Jamie had never been a fan of doctors; Phlox and Phil were practically family so she ignored their profession. Before Leonard had custody of his daughter, he would drink himself silly when he wasn't in class or working and Jamie would let him sleep on their couch. "How am I the responsible one? I'm younger than both of you."

The more Chris thought about it, the more he saw the Jamie that Cody and Kevin knew, the girl from Tarsus, when she was with McCoy. She took care of people, McCoy needed her to keep an eye on him as much as the doctor kept her from getting herself killed. McCoy was a man who had nobody on his side, his ex-wife took the whole world from right under his feet and dangled his daughter over his head. Jamie gave him a team, a place to start, a reminder that he wasn't alone. When he offered McCoy the job as CMO, he expected a 'no' but the doctor just asked if Jamie was going to be on the crew, he would stay if she did. Most men would feel threatened by their wife's relationship with another man -or woman- but Chris understood it well enough not to be bothered, they needed each other. As much as McCoy grumbles, there wasn't much he wouldn't for Jamie.

Jamie

"Wanna go get Charlie?" she asked him as they got back to their quarters.

Chris looked at her, "Not right now. He's with Uncle Kevin and Uncle Pavel. Lemme see." He helped her pull the tank top over her head, his eyes roamed, stopping at the large bruise beginning to form on the left side of her torso.

"I'm fine, Chris. Doesn't even hurt." She knew that nothing she could say would make him feel better.

"I sent you over there," he sighed,

She nodded at him, "Yea, you did. I was the best person for the job and you know it. Who else could you have sent?" She was right and she knew that he knew it. They really hadn't run into many issues serving together. Yes, they had a couple of crew members that were picked up after the Narada who questioned the two senior officers being married to each other, their ability to do their jobs and other crew members backing them up had put a quick end to the detractors. He always sent the best people for the job, in this case, Jamie and Spock were the best options he had.

She was so lost in thought that she was only half expecting it when he pulled her into a kiss. One hand at the small of her back, holding her against him, his other hand tangled in her hair. Slowly, they made their way to their bedroom without breaking contact. Jamie pushed his shirt over his head and ran her hands down his chest.

"I doubt that this is what Bones meant when he told me to take it easy," she teased.

Chris stilled, "I'm sor…"

"Don't finish that sentence, Christopher. I was kidding. So, I got banged up, not the first time," she said.

He looked at her, "J, are you…" She kissed him, he was going to try to talk her out of it but she wasn't going to let him, he wanted to be a gentleman –which was sweet- but she just wanted him. They shed the rest of their clothes quickly and made it to the bed. Chris kissed her neck and along her collarbone, taking in every cut and bruise she received during the mission.

"Look at me," she whispered. When he brought his gray eyes to her blue, she smiled, "It's not your fault, Chris. We got pulled in the middle of something and we did what we had to do. This is not your fault." She pulled him down for a kiss, wrapping her legs around him. He brushed his fingers down her side causing her to shudder as he slid into her, his grip on her was firm yet gentle. It was like someone lit a fire against her spine, the warmth spread through her body as she moved to meet his thrusts. Chris closed his eyes and touched his forehead to hers.

Jamie could tell that he was scared, she didn't need to be a genius to know that. It was how she felt every time he left the ship, even more so when the Gorn held him and Uhura on the bridge. Jamie kissed his chest, his neck, his jaw, his lips as they moved together. She could admit that she was terrified when they went through the Rip, she didn't want to know what would've happened to them if they got trapped on the other side. His movements increased, they became faster, deeper, harder; she could tell that he was close, so was she. "Chris," she whispered against his lips; her body arched and her vision blurred as her orgasm raced through her, Chris followed a few seconds later.

Jamie wasn't sure how long they stayed wrapped up in each other but she knew they'd have to get up at some point; she wanted to see her son. The giant lizards made a mess of the ship; the thought drew a laugh from her. Chris gave her a look.

"Are you laughing at me?" he asked in disbelief. Jamie shook her head and kept laughing.

"Giant lizards or dinosaurs. Ha! We almost got wiped out by giant lizards." She was laughing so hard that there were tears rolling down her face, he looked at her for a second before joined in her amusement. As terrifying as the whole thing had been, there was some hilarity in the situation.

"I'm never gonna look at lizards the same again, J," he finally said.

"Me neither," she muttered.

Nyota

New Vulcan was a mess, hadn't these people been through enough. Uhura and the crew of the Enterprise were helping wherever they could, but for right now, she was going to join Lady Amanda and Kirk for lunch, they took Charlie and Joanna with them. Nyota had been pleasantly surprised to hear the little boy speak near perfect Vulcan when she first spoke to him, "Uncle Spock taught me," was the answer he gave when she asked where he learned it. She laughed when Kirk told her that the Admiral felt left out that because he didn't understand them.

She smiled at the stories of Spock and the almost four-year-old spending time together. Seeing it with her own eyes warmed her heart, watching Spock with Charlie and Joanna gave her a glimpse at what he would be like as a father. They had yet to talk about children, if she was being honest, they didn't talk about a lot of things. She was so worried that she asked Kirk for advice, the woman was Spock's closest friend. Kirk told her to give him time, "Spock 'is a child of two worlds' as his dad likes to say. Most of the time, he's Vulcan with a dash of human. There are times when he can be very Vulcan and times when he can be more human than usual, right now those two parts of himself are in conflict. Between the Narada destroying his home and the colony on Darien 224 plus this whole thing with the Gorn, Spock's at war in his head. What I've been doing and what you have to do is just be there, don't push but don't walk away. When he's ready, he'll let you know." Nyota appreciated that she wasn't the only person keeping an eye on Spock. She liked that Kirk and Spock were friends, the adventurous woman got Spock to see his human side. Together, the two of them helped his humanity shine through. Nyota's thoughts were cut short by their arrival at their destination.

"Alright, Charlie, Jo, eyes on me," Kirk had knelt down to their level and spoke in that gentle yet commanding mama tone. "You guys know that Vulcans have emotions but they're very serious, even the kids. We have to be on our best behavior… even me." The two children chuckled, said 'Yes, ma'am' and 'Yes, mama' before they took each other's hands. They walked into the home of the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth and his aid met them inside, Kirk greeted him in Vulcan and told him that Lady Amanda was expecting them. Before he could show them where to go, Lady Amanda and Ambassador Sarek entered the room.

"You brought the children," the older woman said. Lady Amanda ignored her and Kirk to greet the little ones, Joanna smiled and Charlie laughed as they hugged her boyfriend's mother.

"Jamison, Nyota," came from Sarek.

"Hello, Ambassador," they said in unison. He looked at them both and then turned to Kirk.

"Jamison, as I am to understand it, you had a hand in preventing further destruction to this colony," Sarek said.

She nodded, "Spock and I ran into T'Mar and she needed our help with the device she and her father were working on. His death is such a lost for all of us." Nyota hadn't spoken to anyone about the details of the mission, although she got to read the reports. Surok was a great man by all accounts, one that Spock admired. She didn't ask about Spock's relationship with T'Mar but it felt like something had been there.

"Indeed, Surok was a great mind. You have my thanks on behalf of the Vulcan people," he said. Jamie nodded as Sarek made his way past them, he had a meeting to attend. He left the girls and Charlie to their lunch.

"He's an interesting man," Nyota said to no one in particular.

Lady Amanda laughed, "You have no idea, dear."

Nyota wasn't sure what to make of Sarek, he gave her and Spock his blessing to marry but other then that, she didn't really know him. Kirk had told her that the easiest thing to do was talk to him. At times, it seemed like Jamie was more Spock's girlfriend than she was. Sometimes she wondered what Spock and Jamie would be like as a couple. Anyone who watched them for five minutes could see how they work together, it was magnetic, one moves and the other counter-moves. Kirk had talked to her after the whole Nero thing about what she and Spock were to each other, she was relieved to know that the blonde had only ever viewed Spock as a friend or brother. Once she realized who Kirk was married to, the whole thing made a lot more sense. People wanted to link Kirk with anyone they could think of, Nyota remembered the fiasco surrounding her pregnancy. Spock was on the list of possible fathers with their friends Mitchell and Kelso, Kirk's cousin Cody -because someone dropped the ball and didn't check- and his husband, Zane were also on the list. That wasn't even the whole list, just the people they had holos for. What was funny to her was that nobody ever said that the then-Captain Pike was her husband and the father. It's not like people didn't know they were married and the information was in her file.

"Miss Ny," Joanna was trying to get her attention.

"Yea, sweetie," she knelt to the little McCoy's level.

"Are you and Uncle Spock going to get married?" Leave it to the kids to ask the hard questions.

"I don't know, Jo. I don't know."