"This better be good," Bones groaned. Jamie wasn't in the habit of waking him up at two in the morning but she couldn't resist, not after the message she just received. It was very good. She handed him her PADD.

"Read that," she told him. He blinked his eyes opened and she could see them adjust to the light from the device.

… in light of your actions, it has been decided by this board to uphold your battlefield promotion. You are officially granted the rights and privileges of the rank of Captain. You will receive your orders from Admiral Richard Barnett within the next twenty-four hours…

"They made you a captain?" She smiled and nodded at the question.

"They made me a captain." Jamie couldn't believe it either. Bones pulled her against his chest and kissed her.

"Congratulations, darlin'."

Jamie smiled, "I feel like I'm gonna piss a bunch of people off."

He chuckled, "You saved all their asses, let 'em be pissed. Wait 'til we tell the others." Jamie knew that they were all keeping their ranks; Pike had hinted as much when she went to see him in the hospital a few days before. Jamie figured that he was putting his team together for when he was back on his feet but now, she wasn't so sure. "

You think they'll give me a ship?"

Bones shrugged, "They might. I don't know."

Jamie nodded against his chest, "Will you go with me, wherever they send me?"

"Nowhere I'd rather be, darlin'. Now go back to bed. We have somewhere to be tomorrow," he told her.

"Bones," she whispered into the dark.

"Yea, darlin'?"

She kissed his neck, "I'm a Captain." He chuckled and rolled them both over so that he was on top of her.

"You aren't gonna let me sleep are you, Captain?" Bones asked with a smirk.

Jamie looked up at him in the dark, "Say that again, it's really hot."

She could see the smile cross his features, "What, me calling you Captain?" She nodded as he slid the shirt over her head, "Captain Kirk. Are you gonna let me sleep?"

Jamie wrapped her legs around him, "Sleep is so overrated, Bones."

He chuckled and kissed her neck, "True." They didn't get much sleep at all.

Everyone left in the third and fourth year classes fit in the assembly hall, it was really sad. Jamie looked around and noticed that their families were all there too. The McCoy's and Kirk's stuck together since she and Bones introduced them to each other when they got there a week ago. Peter, Alexander and Joanna were inseparable; the little girl looked out for the young boys like she was their big sister. Jamie also spotted the Mitchell's, who were sitting next to her brother. They were a nice couple who stood by their daughter-in-law and their son's friends. Jamie knew Gaila would be a Mitchell for life. The woman who currently occupied her thoughts reached over, grabbed her hand and whispered.

"Do you know what this is about?" Jamie shook her head at Gaila.

"No clue," she whispered to her friend.

Admiral Barnett got started by giving a speech about honor and valor. He talked about dedication to service and made most of them cry. Then he looked at her, "This assembly calls Captain Jamie Teresa Kirk." Jamie looked at Bones and at Uhura; they both smiled. Jamie felt like she'd been set up, the look Spock gave her when she passed him confirmed it.

"Sir," Jamie stood in front of the admiral.

"Captain Kirk, your inspirational valor and supreme dedication to your comrades is in keeping with the highest traditions of service. And reflect utmost credit to yourself, your crew and the Federation. It is my honor to award you with this commendation." Barnett pinned the medal to her uniform. Jamie wasn't expecting any of this. The promotion was beyond anything she could think of but this was something else. "Per Starfleet regulation two-eight-four-five-five you are hereby directed to report to Admiral Pike, commanding officer, USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief." What? Command of the Enterprise. They just made her a captain and now she was getting the flagship. Are they insane? Jamie stepped away from Barnett and walked over to the newly promoted admiral.

She stood at attention in front of Pike, "I relieve you, sir."

He smiled, "I am relieved." He reached up to shake her hand, Jamie took his and felt him squeeze.

"This is your fault, sir… Thank you."

Pike smiled, "Congratulations, Captain. You have a proud father, kid. No matter what." He winked at her and she nodded. Jamie turned to look at her friends who all smiled and gave her thumbs up. A bunch of people wanted to talk to her or shake her hand but they got beat by a little boy.

"Aunt Jamie!" Peter collided with her and wrapped his arms around her legs. "My aunt is a hero," he told the older officers who tried to get to her. Jamie picked him up and shook hands with one arm occupied by her nephew as he played with her medal.

She skipped the reception and she wasn't alone. There was a bar near campus that most of the cadets went to all the time, that's where they went after Aury, Donna and Ella took the kids to the apartment. "When I first met Brax, he poked me in the side and called me squishy… then he laughed and pounded his chest in that way he used to do. I knew instantly that he was gonna be my friend. I can't believe he's gone," Jamie said to her friends, Sam and Fred. They were tossing stories around about Gary, Brax, Lee and Kevin.

"I remember when I met your friend, Kelso… I thought I was looking in a mirror," Sam told them. Jamie laughed, they all thought that the two men looked alike but to hear one of them say it was something different.

Bones shook his head, "I hated Gary. Well, I didn't really hate him…"

Gaila laughed, "You hated that he got to Jamie before you drummed up the courage. He told me that if you would've said something, he would've backed off. They weren't a couple." Bones looked between the two women.

Jamie smiled at Gaila, "I was right, Gai."

The Orion nodded, "Yep, men. Even when they win they still gotta beat their chests… at least Braxim made it cool." They all laughed at the look Bones gave them.

Jamie held up her drink, "To Braxim, the man was truly one of a kind. And Lee, who made us laugh and kept us honest. To Gary, the flirt who met and married his match. And to Kevin…" Jamie's words got caught in her throat.

Bones finished for her, "To Kevin, our little brother and the only person as tough as Jim." Everybody raised a glass and toasted their lost friends. The group started talking about their friends some more when Jamie took a glimpse out the window and spotted a man leaning against the wall across the street. She grabbed her jacket and whispered to Bones where she was going.

"I don't see you for years and now you're popping up all over the place. I saw you earlier, by the way."

He smiled, "What can I say, J.T.? Wanted to see my favorite girl get her commendation. Congratulations, Captain." Trip put his arm over her shoulders as they walked down the street for a little while.

"It's surreal, one day everything is… what it is and the next… most of our friends are dead and a whole planet is gone. I'm sorry about Vulcan, Trip. I wish there was something more I could've done."

He chuckled, "You did everything you could. Don't start blaming yourself." Trip laughed, "I will miss that house though."

She smirked, "You mean my house?"

He nodded, "Yep. How you and the gang holding up? I heard about your friends."

"We're holding. It sucks but the only option is to 'accept the things we can't change' or however that saying goes."

They headed back towards the bar, "You and your friends are the best of us. Back when Jon took the NX-01 out, he had to recruit from all over the place to put the crew together. We had all kinds of growing pains but you... you attract greatness. Your friends from Tarsus, the friends you made here, me, Hoshi, Pike. You surround yourself with amazing people who are willing to lay down their lives to do the right thing. No matter what happens, remember that. I better get you back to your doctor."

Jamie smiled, "He has a name, Charles."

He nodded, "That you never use. Tell him I said hi." Trip kissed her on the forehead, "All joking aside, you did good. I'm proud of you." And just like that, he was gone again.