"Sulu, get us to Cerberus, as fast as we can go. Spock, you have the con. Uhura, walk with me," Jamie said as she and Uhura walked out of the ready room. The two women entered the turbolift before anyone could ask them anything and headed straight to sickbay. They didn't have to look for her best friend when they got there.

"What did you do this time, Jim?" Bones asked.

"We need to talk to you," she said. He looked at her, then Uhura, then back at her.

"What's wrong?" Jamie pushed her best friend towards his office. As soon as the door closed, she took a breath.

"We received a distress call from Cerberus," Jamie told him.

Cerberus was a planet in the Beta Quadrant. According to the message, there was an attack and now a food shortage. If that wasn't reason enough for Jamie to rush there, Bones' daughter, Joanna, went to school on the colony.

"Jo?" he asked.

She looked at her best friend, "We don't know."

"Who attacked?" Bones asked.

"Don't know that either," she said.

He looked at her, "What do you know? You're the big fuckin' hero who knows everything else. Why don't you know?" Jamie knew he wasn't really upset with her, it was just a bad situation that his daughter was caught in the middle of.

"Leonard," Jamie used his first name for the first time in years. "I will find her, I promise. I will get your daughter back to you, even if it kills me." She walked out of his office before either of them said something that they'd regret later.

Anyone who knew Jamie well knew that she loved Bones' daughter with all her heart. The kid was part of the patchwork family that Jamie put together. Mini-Bones –as Jamie sometimes refers to Joanna- was very much her father's daughter. Smart as hell and sarcastic to boot, Jamie instantly loved the little girl who dubbed her 'Aunt Jamie' during their first meeting. She wasn't placating her friend when she told him that she'd find his daughter, there's nothing she wouldn't do for that little girl.

She walked onto the bridge and sat in the command chair that Spock vacated. She took a breath and looked around the bridge, "We're responding to a distress signal from the colony. There was an attack and now a food shortage." Jamie paused, "Doctor McCoy's daughter is among the colonists." For a moment, nobody said anything. Then Hikaru turned in his chair and looked at her.

"We'll find her, Captain," the pilot said.

With anyone else, it would've looked like an officer reassuring his Captain. With Jamie and Hikaru, she knew what he wasn't saying, 'We all love that little girl and we'll find her, even if it gets us killed because Joanna is family.'

Solving the Cerberus mess was exhausting to most of the crew; to Jamie it was like living in a nightmare. A sequel of Tarsus Four with her best friend's daughter as the lead. There was a ship going over the details of the attack while the Enterprise was tasked with relief efforts. The brass was shocked that she didn't fight her orders but she wasn't really worried about them. Her memories wouldn't leave her alone and it didn't help that she was worried about Bones.

In what seemed like forever, but was only about a day, she kept her promise to her grumpy doctor and found his little girl. Joanna was a smart kid, she programmed her communicator to send out what looked like a junk signal. It was actually a message that Jamie decoded using Joanna's favorite book -The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- as the key. The kid knew that her dad and Aunt Jamie were coming for her and she hid in a small storage closet at the school with two of her friends.

"Hey, Tinker Bell. You okay?"

She chuckled and nodded, "Yea. Just watching the kids sleep. I thought I got over what happened to me but I keep slipping into memories of Tarsus. How do I tell them that it doesn't go away?"

Hikaru sighed, "You just do. Be honest with them like Pike always was with you. At the end of the day, you respected him for it." That was true.

After Tarsus, the Starfleet officers kept telling her that it would be okay, that life would get easier or get better but it didn't. Jamie found herself in more bars than she cared to remember for nine years trying to drink that massacre out of her mind when Chris showed up. She didn't like what he had to say but she respected the fact that it was the truth. He forced her to look at what she was doing with the life her father and brother both died to give her and realized that she was wasting a very precious gift.

Jamie kicked off her boots and went to take a shower. This whole mission was her definition of hell and she just wanted to go to sleep. After drying off and pulling one of Hiri's t-shirts over her head, she crawled into bed with him. He ran his fingers along her jaw, "It might not get better, but you don't have to carry it alone anymore. Me, McCoy and the rest of our friends, we got your back."

She chuckled against his chest, "You know, for the first time in my life, I actually believe that."

Jamie and Hikaru were eating dinner with the rest of the senior staff and Joanna when Chekov threw down the challenge. "Terms of endearment in alphabetical order. Go."

She sighed and went first, "You couldn't pick something harder? Angel." Hiri nodded,

"Babe," Hikaru countered.

Jamie smirked, "Cutie pie."

"Darlin'," he said in his best imitation of Bones causing them all to laugh.

"Egg with eyes," she said. "Before any of you say anything, it's a Japanese thing."

Hiri nodded, "Yea, my dad says it to my mom all the time. Flower."

"Gum-drop," she said with a laugh.

He smiled, "Honey-bunny."

"Inamorato."

Bones looked at her, "What does that mean?"

"A man who is loved. It's Italian," Uhura said with a chuckle.

Hikaru looked at her, "Joy."

"Kitten."

"Love," her boyfriend smiled. Bones rolled his eyes as the girls all swooned. She smiled,

"Muffin."

"Ninja."

Scotty shook his head, "That doesn't count, laddie."

"Except it does because that's her term of endearment for me," Hiri pointed out.

Jamie shrugged, "Old man."

He looked at her, "Precious."

"Queen," Jamie smirked.

"Rose."

"Sugar," Jamie noticed that many of the refugees were watching.

Hiri tapped his chin, "Teddy bear."

"Now, it vill get interesting," Chekov chuckled.

"Unique," Jamie smiled.

Her boyfriend nodded, "I like that one. Valentine."

"Wonderful. Bring it," she said.

Hiri laughed, "Mmmm… I got nothing for X. Yam."

"Złotko. It's Polish, means gold. You skipped one so, I win. We gotta find one for X," she said.

Joanna laughed for the first time since they found her. Hiri looked at her, "Well, there's the Joanna McCoy that kept me distracted when Jamie was in the hospital. Sup, kid?"

"Hi, Uncle Hikaru. She kicked your butt," Mini-Bones smiled.

"Only because her brain is almost as fast as Spock's," he told her. "If this was a throw down on the mats, I'd win."

Jamie rolled her eyes, "You just keep telling yourself that, Robin Hood."

Jamie was trying to decide what she hated more; dignitaries, mingling with dignitaries or getting dressed up to mingle with them. The Enterprise got the refugees to Alpha Centauri Four just in time for her to get ordered to attend the Federation's Annual Achievement Gala on Earth. To add insult to injury, she was also told to dress up for the event, meaning no uniform. Spock, as Ambassador Sarek's son, was going to this thing too.

"Well?"

Hikaru stared at her, "Uh… Wow. You look beautiful. I mean, you always do… it's just… wow."

"So better than I thought," Jamie laughed.

"I don't know what you thought but I'm gonna say yea, probably," he smiled. "You look like a goddess. Maybe Athena, the goddess of wisdom, courage, strategic war, mathematics, strength and a bunch of other stuff."

Jamie's look was simple but still elegant; she was wearing a floor-length, shimmery white dress with a halter neckline and strappy silver shoes, she also let her long blonde hair fall down her back and went light on the makeup.

"As awesome as she was, Athena was also a virgin and we both know I'm not."

"Okay. How about Helen of Troy and Sparta? The face that launched a thousand ships. The ideal beauty," Hiri said, his smile brightened.

Jamie sighed as she ran her fingers along the Starfleet insignia on his chest, "Does that make you Prince Paris of Troy or the Spartan King Menelaus?"

"Menelaus," he chuckled. "Paris was a jerk who used the Gods to help him steal Helen from her husband and caused a war that lasted a decade. Menelaus got her back in the end and he was a Spartan, which is badass." Jamie looked up at him and he chuckled, "You aren't the only one who reads the books on Greek mythology, gorgeous."

Jamie nodded, "Tell me again why I'm going to this thing."

Hikaru touched her chin, "Because the Admirals told you to. Look on the bright side…" She raised an eyebrow and Hiri smirked, "I get to help you take this dress off later."

"Now that is the bright side. Are you sure you wanna go? I wouldn't wish one of these dinner things on my enemies."

"It'll be fun because I'm with you," he chuckled. "Besides, you're the famous one; all I have to do is look good and get your drinks."

"Well, you always look good." Good was actually an understatement. "Handsome. Sexy. Dashing, even." He was in his dress gray uniform and he looked damn good in it.

"That so, Miss Kirk?"

She took a deep breath, "It is, Mister Sulu. I'd show you but we have somewhere to be."

"Jamie," a voice said behind her. She turned from her conversation with Admiral Barnett to look at the person who called her name.

"Winona," the young captain said as civilly as possible. She didn't know her mother would be here, she wasn't too surprised though. Jamie noticed Hiri, Spock and Uhura as they each tried to make their way over to her.

"We should probably talk at some point."

She looked at the beautiful woman who gave birth to her, "This isn't the time or the place."

"So direct, just like your brother," Winona said. Before Jamie could respond, Spock showed up.

"Captain," he said. She could tell he was worried. He gave her a look and Jamie just shrugged.

"Commander Spock, this is Commander Winona Thomas. Winona, this is my First Officer, Commander Spock, Ambassador Sarek's son," she introduced her mother to one of her closest friends. Spock looked at Winona with a somehow colder expression than usual.

"Commander Thomas," he said dismissively before looking at Jamie. "Captain, Doctor Daystrom has expressed interest in speaking with you."

Jamie smiled, "Can't pass up a chance to talk to him, now can I? The Enterprise will be here for a week maybe we can meet up and talk?"

"I would like that. I'll see you in a few days?" Winona asked. She nodded at her mother as Hiri and Uhura reached them.

"You okay?" her communications officer asked.

"Yea," Jamie smiled. She looked at Hikaru, "Come on, we're going to meet Daystrom." He offered her is arm and the walked away from her mother.

"You sure you're okay?" Hiri whispered. She nodded as she held onto his arm.

"I have you, how could I not be?"

He rolled his eyes, "One day, that charm isn't gonna work on me."

"I most certainly hope not, King Menelaus."

Jamie wasn't surprised that Hikaru insisted on going with her to see her mother and her second step-dad. She didn't know much about Jack Thomas but he seemed to be a vast improvement over Frank. The two men didn't hover after introductions; they sat at a different table.

"He's cute. Is it serious?" Winona said.

Jamie sighed, "Yes. Please tell me that my love life is not why you wanted to talk to me."

"No. I uh… I owe you an apology," her mother said. "I owe you a lot more than that but I can't change the past. I was an idiot. After your father died, I did everything I could to forget him. Including ignore you." Winona looked at her hands before she locked her eyes with Jamie's, "I can tell you I'm sorry until I'm blue in the face but it won't change what I… let Frank do to you. Or what happened on Tarsus. All I can do is hope that one day you can forgive me for being so blind."

"Already did." Her mother looked at her and Jaime sighed, "A couple months ago, we wouldn't even be having this conversation; I hated you. Then I almost died. I never understood why you fell apart the way you did until the Enterprise was falling out of the sky with my family in it. It's easy to say that I saved the ship for all of them but… but the truth… the truth is that I did it for one person. I don't know what I'd do if he died. I don't… I don't have the words… I woke up from that coma and I finally understood you. I was sitting at Pike's funeral, Hikaru was holding my hand and I just… got it. I would rather die than live without him. So, I forgive you."

Winona nodded, "That's more than I deserve. I know we won't be close but maybe we could try to be friends?" Jamie nodded,

"I'd like that. So, what's my new step-dad like?" Her mother chuckled and waved the guys over.

"He's Frank's opposite."

Jamie chuckled, "And here I thought all hope was lost."

"You ladies talking about me?" Jack asked. They both nodded and Jamie realized that she and her mother shared many of the same mannerisms.

"Jamie asked what you were like."

The older man smiled, "I'm a nerd. I teach physics at Berkeley." She couldn't stop from giggling. Jack looked at her, "Did I say something funny?"

"I'm working on my Astrophysics dissertation. Jamie is helping me revise it," Hikaru told him.

Winona gave him a look, "I thought you were a helmsman?"

"I am, but I'm also a combat specialist, an astrophysicist and a botanist," Hiri told her. "A good chunk of the Enterprise's crew have multiple focuses, including our captain." Winona looked at her and Jamie nodded.

"Tactician, engineer, survivalist, combat specialist and I dabble in physics," Jamie shrugged. "It's not just me though. Spock's a little bit of everything. Chekov is physics, engineering, navigation, weapons… who knows what else, he just turned eighteen. I can't wait to see what he's like at our age."

Hikaru nodded, "McCoy is a surgeon but he does research on different conditions, he also has a PhD in psychology. Uhura is a linguist, a communications system specialist, a cryptologist and a navigator. Scotty is engineering, physics, weapons and navigation. Hendorff is ground security, ship security, survivalist and engineer. We're all flight rated on the small stuff. The two of us, Chekov and Spock can fly the Enterprise. That's just the senior staff."

"And people think you're an idiot?" Jack chuckled.

"I'm pretty, I'm young and my father was a hero. It's easier for them to just think I'm dumb," Jamie said. "It actually works in my favor a lot of the time. People expect me to fall for their bullshit, I play along until I get what I need, then I flip the script."

Jack laughed, "You sound like Winnie. She laughs at the idiots who think they know what they're doin' and end up getting schooled by her."

Her mother smirked, "Never been a dumb blonde…"

"…will never be a dumb blonde," Jamie finished.

The two women looked at each other and Winona sighed, "Your brother taught you that?"

"He tried to tell me about before but he couldn't remember a lot of it," Jamie admitted. "He did say that you taught him that."

Winona nodded, "I got it from your father at the academy. What was junior like?"

"Tough, smart, sarcastic, friendly, funny, brave. He saved my life. People call me a hero but… I'm just a girl trying to do what her big brother told her to do."

They all looked at her and Jack asked, "What was that?" Jamie smiled,

"Fight for myself and for the people who aren't able to do the same."

I don't own Tinker Bell