Chris

"I don't like this," Chris said to her.

"I haven't said anything yet," Jamie chuckled. She, Chris and Spock were heading towards the medbay. Spock spoke before Chris could.

"Since we cannot take the ship from the outside, the only way we can take it is from within. As a large boarding party would be easily detected, it is optimum for you take as few members of the crew as possible. You will meet resistance requiring personnel with advanced combat abilities and innate knowledge of that ship. This indicates that you plan to align with Harrison, the very man we were sent here to destroy," her friend said.

"We're pawns, Spock," she said. "Me, Harrison and who knows who else. That man over there tried his damnedest to destroy everything that makes me who I am. I think to all the lives he took trying to turn me into a weapon... into a monster and it almost worked. The people I loved that died because he wanted something from me. I lived through hell because of him and there is no way that he gets to walk away. Harrison is my best option and it's obvious that he's not on Marcus' side, which means we can work together," Jamie said. Chris could understand her feelings, her life should've been so many things, tragic shouldn't have been one of them.

Spock looked at Chris, "Admiral, we cannot allow her to do this. I believe that, at this moment, you are both incapable of making the wisest decisions possible." Before Chris could speak, Jamie turned and looked at her friend.

"You're right!" Jamie yelled. "What I'm about to do, it doesn't make any sense, it's not logical, it is a gut feeling! The same feeling that has kept me alive through everything that's been thrown my way. If my Commanding Officer thinks that I can't be affective, he has no problem letting me know. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I only know what I can do. Fight... like I've always fought." Spock and Jamie both looked to Chris.

"We're short on options and Harrison is our only way onto that ship at this point," he told them. She nodded and they continued to medical. He didn't want her to go but there wasn't anything else they could do without options, if that ship gets away, they were all dead. The other three ships had it down for now but once it was repaired, Marcus was going to kill them all and run. They walked into McCoy's domain and Chris walked right up to Harrison.

"Tell me everything you know about that ship," he ordered. The man looked at him, then Jamie.

"Dreadnought Class, two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry, modified for minimal crew. Quite a bit of Kirk and Scott's ideas made it into that ship but unlike most Federation vessels, it was built solely for combat," Harrison told them Chris glanced at Jamie, who stepped next to him.

"We don't move now, he gets away. We have one shot and the pair of us are the only people on this ship who can stop him, I'm going over there. You coming with me?" she asked.

Harrison nodded, "I am with you, Captain Kirk."

Jamie

"Are you sure about this, Jim?" It was the third time Bones had asked her.

"It'll be fun, Bonesy," she quipped.

"How will you know that the hatch will open?" Bones asked her that one a few times too. Jamie rolled her eyes.

"Because, Chekov and Uhura wrote that code," she answered. "Never bet against them, you know better." They had the Bradbury send a message to the Vengeance, when they got close enough, Uhura would send the other part of the hack and open the hatch. Chris pulled her aside for a second before she put her suit on.

"Come back to me, J," it was a cross between an order and a plea. She pressed a soft kiss against her husband's lips.

"Always," Jamie whispered. Chris looked over her shoulder at Harrison.

"You aren't gonna have a lot of time," Chris said. "If she dies over there... I will kill you."

Harrison nodded, "Understood, Admiral." Chris nodded before he left them to return to the bridge.

"Ready, Monty?" Jamie asked. Scotty was not thrilled about this either.

"I don't know about this lass," the Scot told her. "Those hatches are very wee... you know, small. It's four square meters tops. It's gonna be like... jumping outta moving car... off a bridge... into a shot glass."

Jamie laughed, "It's okay, I've done it before."

"I saw the holos of that," Harrison laughed. It was at the academy, she and Gary made a dare, they agreed to never talk about jumping off that bridge again. It's times like this when she really wished he was here, Mitchell would not only understand, he'd be right next to her. Scotty gave them a look and she smiled. "It was with Gary. It was vertical. We jumped onto a... uh... it doesn't matter." Jamie and Harrison took their positions and waited for the bridge to give them the order to go.

Spock spoke, "Jamison, before you launch, you should be aware, there is a considerable debris field between our ships. The other vessels will attempt not to draw any attention in your direction. Admiral Reed will beam over from the Endeavor when you have secured the ship."

"Got it," she said.

Leonard

"Tell me this gonna work, sir," he was standing next to Pike.

"I honestly don't know, McCoy," the admiral sighed. They could hear Jamie and Harrison talking to each other over the comm.

"You ready?" Jamie asked.

Harrison replied with, "Are you?" Great, those two are like blood buddies now or some shit. He wasn't jealous... okay, he was. This murderer just swooped in and took his best friend. Now the pair of them were going on a crazy mission and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Alright, fellas, pull the trigger," Jamie told them.

"Launching activation sequence in three...two...one," Spock counted down. The door opened and launched the two officers into space. Leonard watched his friend glide through space on the screens; if it wasn't for the fact that she could get herself killed, he might have thought it was cool.

"Sir, Kirk is headed for collision at point three-two," the officer at Jim's usual station warned. Spock told Jim to correct.

"Copy that, Spock," she answered. Leonard had moved to one of the data walls and was monitoring her vitals.

"Jim, you're way off course, darlin'," he said when he noticed where she was.

"I know, I know! I can see that, Bones," she replied. He really didn't like this. He would tell her how to fix it but he didn't know how.

"Use your display compass, Kirk," Sulu told her, "You must correct precisely thirty-seven point two-four- three degrees."

She replied with, "Got it. I'm working my way back." Everything was fine for a second. "Dammit!"

"What is it, Kirk?" Pike asked her.

"My helmet was hit," she answered. Chris nodded and told her they'd keep an eye on it. How can Pike be so calm? Leonard didn't get it. Looking at the man you would think he just sat down for morning tea, he was so relaxed. Jim was his friend but she was Chris' wife and the Admiral looked like this happened all the time.

"Imminent collision detected," Sulu told them. "Harrison, use evasive action, there is debris directly ahead."

Harrison responded, "I see it." As soon as he moved they lost his signal.

"Did we lose Harrison?" Spock asked.

Sulu answered, "I don't know, Commander. I'm having trouble tracking him in all this debris."

If Leonard didn't know any better, Spock was wishing death on the guy or something. Leonard had an odd relationship with Spock. He found the man to be cold, even for a Vulcan. It wasn't until Vulcan was destroyed and he watched Spock with his family that he understood him a little better. He also understood why Spock and Jamie were friends. She kept Spock human, almost in the same way she kept Leonard sane. Spock was only half Vulcan, so he had to prove to others that he could be logical, attempting to be more like his father then his mother. People are so quick to assume things about Spock and ignore him but Jamie broke through. Leonard and Spock were only alike in that they were scientists but they were polar opposites, Jamie said, "Spock is logic and you're passion. You two are like fire and ice."

Jamie's voice pulled him from his thoughts, "Was he hit?"

"We're trying to find him now," Pike told her.

"You need to adjust your target destination to one-eight-three by four-seven-three degrees," Sulu gave her another course correction.

"That's going to be a problem, my HUD cracked, I'm flying blind," Jim told them. Leave it to her to damage her helmet and kill her Heads Up Display.

"Captain Kirk, without your compass, hitting your target destination is mathematically impossible," Spock was just a ray of sunshine.

Jamie chuckled, "Spock, remind me later to talk with you about your bedside manner… or lack of."

"Sir, she's not gonna make it," Sulu told Chris. A second later, Harrison was back on radar.

"My display is still functioning," the idiot outside the ship said. "I see you Kirk, you're two hundred meters ahead at my one o'clock. Cut to your left, a few degrees and follow me." Thank God, Leonard wasn't a fan of this Harrison guy but Jim was next to him and not dead, so for the moment, he'll let his dislike go. Spock started to count them down while one of the other officers gave them their distance. They had already deployed the hack for the hatch.

"…three…two…now."

Jamie

That was fun, mostly. Harrison looked at her, "They'll know we're here. I know the best way to the bridge." She nodded, they both pulled off their suits and Jamie handed him a phaser.

"It's locked to stun but theirs won't be so let's not get shot," she said before she followed him. Together, the reluctant partners made their way through the enemy ship. Jamie didn't like that they had to walk but the turbolifts are easily tracked and Marcus would have them trapped in a cage. They were taking a path along the engine room. The Vengeance crew couldn't use their weapons without destabilizing the warp core, which gave Jamie and Harrison the advantage. "What's the crew complement on this thing?" she asked. There was nobody around at all.

"The ship is designed to be controlled by minimal crew, one if necessary," Harrison told her. That would be useful, maybe after all this was over, she and Scotty could take a look. They turned a corner and walked right into a guard. Harrison took the guy out while Jamie dropped the one that came in behind her.

"You alright?" Jamie asked once all the hostiles were down.

He nodded, "You?"

"No damage. Let's move," she said. They found their way to the bridge, Harrison entered first and Jamie was right behind him, both of them shooting. Out of the corner of her eye, Jamie saw Carol take down one of the officers. "Carol, you okay?"

"Yes, Captain," the other woman replied. Harrison and Jamie aimed their weapons at the Starfleet Admiral.

"Admiral Alexander Marcus, under the direct authority of Admirals Jonathon Archer, Richard Barnett, James Komack, Christopher Pike and Malcolm Reed, I am placing you under arrest for treason against the Federation," Jamie told the man.

He glared at her, "You're not actually gonna do this, are you?"

"Admiral, get out of the chair," she said. Marcus just sat there glaring at them.

"You better stop and think about what you're doing, Kirk," Marcus growled. "You had better think about what you did on Qo'noS. You made an incursion onto an enemy planet and killed a Klingon patrol. Even if you got away without a trace, war is coming! And who is gonna lead us? You! If I'm not in charge, our entire way of life is decimated! So you want me off this ship, you better kill me."

"I'm not gonna kill you, sir. But I could stun your ass and drag you out of that chair. I'd rather not do that in front of your daughter. You remember her, right? The little girl who followed you around growing up who wanted to be like her dad. Is this the legacy you want to leave her with? I've spent my entire life living down my father's last actions. The question is: What are you going to leave for Carol to live down, sir?"

"Dad, it's over. Please, just do as she asks." Tears rolled down Carol's cheeks, "Please, dad." All the fight left him and he stood. Jamie went to the console in front of him and hit the commands to talk to the other ships.

"We have the bridge,"she told Chris, Archer and Reed before dropping the shields. A second later, Admiral Reed and security teams from the other ships beamed in.

"Good work, all of you," the admiral said to them.

"Am I under arrest too, sir?" Harrison asked.

Reed nodded, "We have to debrief you then we'll go from there." Harrison handed Jamie his weapon and placed a hand on her arm.

"It was an honor, Captain. Perhaps we'll see each other again," he said.

She smiled, "Maybe we will." Reed stood next to her as the security officer took Harrison. "What's going to happen to him? He was under orders. Living with what he did is gonna be hard enough."

"We'll get the whole story from him, plus all the intel you and your crew collected. His identity wasn't released so maybe he'll get to go back to the fleet," Reed told her. She nodded at the old admiral and comm'ed the Enterprise and closed her eyes, "there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like…" She felt the familiar swirl of the transporter surround her body. "…home." She opened her eyes and smiled at Chris and Scotty. "Can I file my report later, sir? I'm exhausted." He nodded his head.

"Brass needs it, but Archer says you can turn it in tomorrow. We'll be docking in a few minutes at Starbase One."

December 2259

Jamie

This isn't what she wanted to be doing the day before her son's birthday but it needed to be done and Chris told her that it was only going to bother her if she didn't go. She had spent many nights since they got back looking out the window or watching Charlie sleep, Chris would drag her back to bed but she didn't sleep. She met Admiral Reed near the entrance to the brig area of the headquarters building.

"How is he?" she asked. Reed glanced at her as they walked down the corridor.

"Physically, he's fine. Mentally, I think it's finally sinking in that he almost killed a ship full of the fleet's best and brightest to start a war," Reed told her. They walked into the room and sat down next to each other. A moment later, Alexander Marcus was brought into the room and sat in the chair across from them.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Kirk? Or is it Pike? I never got why no one uses your name, I mean it is your name. Then again, people wouldn't take you seriously if you used Pike, the hero's daughter and the Captain's... well, Admiral's wife. Guess it was a good thing that you kept it to yourselves for a while. Well, mostly. Section 31 knew the whole time. Nice tattoo by the way, is the 'CP' for your husband or your son?" If Marcus thinks that anything he just said is gonna get to her, he's wrong. Jamie just looked at this man, more and more about her life unfolded in the reports that Harrison gave her and Reed. It made her sick to think that someone had that kind of control over her.

"Why?" she finally asked him. He looked at her.

"Because there's no way to respect someone who appears to have everything handed to them. Or why am I curious about the two letters on the side of your ribcage? Well I..." She interrupted him.

"No, why did you send Frank to me and my mother back to space? Why kill Sam? Why did Kodos torture me? Why kill Hoshi? Why me, Marcus? Why did you pick me?" she asked.

"We are each our father's child, you more than most. Your father was a genius, a trait that you no doubt inherited from him. I tried once, to get him to join Section 31, he turned me down claiming that his family was more important. It was such a waste, all that brilliance holding itself back to study amongst the stars instead of defending our planet. The war is coming and we needed someone to lead it, someone who thought like your father did, but someone who had also lost too much to care about life. We've been in a Cold War with the Klingons since 2223 fighting over planets and systems. They think themselves better than us and we're merely an annoyance. How many lives were lost fighting with the Klingons in this non-war? I want to end them before they decide to end us. You, you were to lead us, you just needed an incentive to become what we needed. You're a natural leader but you had to be broken, to see the worst in order to become better."

Jamie stopped him, "You had humans do bad things to me so that I'd hate aliens? Your logic is flawed."

He smiled, "It isn't, I wanted you to hate everything, even Starfleet to some extent. I needed you to be vicious, ruthless, heartless. Your intellect mixed with your anger was supposed to lead the war. I didn't count on Pike or your love for him. I tried to kill him, a few times but he just wouldn't die." Jamie already realized that Chris was the unknown in Marcus' plans for her, the one thing that Marcus tried to control but couldn't keep away from her. She thought to all the times he went out in the black and got hurt, and she wondered if Marcus had anything to do with it.

"And the Romulans?" she asked. The look of surprise on his face told her that he didn't think she would figure it out.

"They were useful. We needed something from them and they wanted something from us, a deal was made. You killing Nero showed them just how much damage one human could do with the right reasons. Since we all what to be rid of the Klingons, working together was just a temporary alliance. A way to get earth back to where it used to be. I believe Paxton said it best 'I am returning Earth to its rightful owners. I am giving Earth back to humanity, back to Human beings. It is my life's work, it's what I was born to do, and there is no one – not an alien, not a Human – that will stop me from achieving it.' The Romulans would rather work with us than against us, especially if you're involved." She didn't know how honest that was.

"Paxton was a xenophobic terrorist who also said 'We do not seek war but if the aliens do not leave and force us to fight, I make this solemn promise to all of the sons and daughters of Earth, our future will be secure, because Humanity will prevail.' No one is forcing us to fight, for the most part. You started this. It's a chain reaction, even with me. You can blame my husband but the truth is, I'm the leader you wanted, I'm just not for your cause. You thought that killing everyone around me would drive me to hate, but instead I put such a value on life that I would die so that others don't have to, I would even die for you," she said honestly. "That's what your real problem is, you still see the little girl that was manipulated, but I'm not little and not easily manipulated either. You're scared." The way he looked at her told her everything she needed to know, the man was terrified of what he became and what he did. She didn't need anything else, she looked at Reed, "I'm done, sir." The Admiral nodded as they stood.

"Wait," Marcus called to them, "Carol, she hasn't come to see me."

Jamie nodded, "Do you blame her? She warned you on the Enterprise, she picked her side. I doubt this will mean anything to you, but I forgive you." He looked at her in surprise, "I wouldn't have the two most important people in my life if it wasn't for you. So, for them, I forgive you."

AN: Paxton was also played by Peter Weller in Enterprise in the episodes Demons and Terra Prime. He tried to get the aliens to leave earth and made a baby from Trip and T'Pol's DNA.