Disclaimer: not mine

There was a contingent of Starfleet officials waiting for them when they arrived, but fortunately, they weren't expected to stick around for long right there. Apparently, the Admirals had gotten a rundown from Shay earlier – she and a contingent from the Yorktown had disembarked by way of transporter the day before, and Shay had told Jon and Richard some of what had been going on, so when Jim and the rest arrived, the Admirals just welcomed them home, and promised them that they would talk more in the morning.

That was fine for McCoy, who wasted no time in dragging Jim off to Starfleet Medical.

Jim didn't protest. Well, he did, but that was only because McCoy jerked his arm a little too hard in his desire to get him fixed up.

McCoy winced as he let go of Jim's arm. "Sorry," he muttered, apologizing as he led Jim towards the hospital.

Jim shrugged lightly. "S'alright," he replied.

McCoy shook his head. "No, I shouldn't have grabbed you like that. I just want to get those injuries healed. I hate that you've been walking around with broken bones for weeks."

Jim shrugged again. "I've had worse."

McCoy growled. "I hate those words," he grumbled. "You and Pike have both said it, but it doesn't make me feel any better."

Jim just smiled softly. "It's all right, Bones. I mean, it's not all right, but it's all right. Does that make sense?"

McCoy looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "No."

Jim snorted. "Yeah, I didn't think so." He sighed. "Look, we've been friends for several years now, and you know a lot about me, but there are some things I just don't want to talk about. Can you just… trust me? Trust that I know my limits?"

McCoy bit his lip. "I do trust you, Jim. And I know you know your limits. Christ, I just spent almost three weeks watching you walk around with multiple broken bones, including a fractured knee and torn ACL, and apart from your command crew, I don't think anyone else was even aware that you were hurt! How is it possible for you to be so good at hiding injuries?"

Jim looked away. "Practice," he replied, his voice distant and quiet.

McCoy shut up at that. He wasn't sure he wanted to push his friend any more than he already had. He hated mysteries, but did he really want to know?

Yes. He did. But he wanted Jim to feel safe telling him. He would wait, however long was necessary, until Jim felt he could tell him whatever it was. He wouldn't push and pry, because he had his own secrets as well, and he wouldn't want someone to try and get him to open up before he was ready. He still hadn't told Jim about his daughter from his disaster of a marriage, or the fact that his ex-wife hadn't let him see little Joanna since the divorce.

They reached the hospital at that point, and McCoy immediately had him admitted. Jim didn't think he really needed to spend more than the necessary time required for setting the broken bones, but he knew by now not to argue with the doctor.

It would take several sessions with the osteoregenerator to heal all of Jim's injuries, so he settled in for a long and uncomfortable day.

McCoy left Jim alone for a little while to go check on Pike, and then came back to spend the rest of the day at his friend's side. Jim protested that he didn't have to, but McCoy didn't listen. Though his words may have said otherwise, secretly, Jim was pleased. He was touched that the doctor cared so much about him.

The heavy piece of equipment finished its job late in the evening, and Jim was already so exhausted he could barely sit up, so McCoy gave him a mild pain reliever to help deal with the lingering effects, and tucked him in with a smile as he saw that his friend was already asleep before he had even administered the hypo.

"Get some rest, Jim," he whispered, resting a hand on the kid's shoulder. "You deserve it."

With those words, he then went to go find the nearest break room. It was too late to make his way back to the Academy and his dorm room. He was tired, having gotten probably about as little sleep as Jim had over the last few weeks.

XXX

The next morning, having received an official summons from the Admirals, Jim reported for debriefing.

McCoy didn't like it, he would rather have kept Jim at the hospital for another day, but he couldn't argue with the brass, so he had to let the kid go.

McCoy received a message as well, telling him to report for his own debriefing. Archer was seated at the front of the room he was ordered to report to, along with one of the Admirals he knew had a background in the medical field, and they wasted no time in getting down to business. Fortunately, it was fairly straightforward; they asked him questions, and accepted his answers. He had to account for his decisions as CMO, and defend his actions, since technically, he was still a Cadet. But he was also a doctor, and the most qualified one on board after Puri had been killed, since the only other 'sort of' doctor was an intern.

It was lunchtime by the time the Admirals told him he was free to leave, and McCoy nodded, heading out to find the rest of his friends.

He met up with the others outside the building, as they had all finished around the same time.

"How'd it go?" Nyota asked, observing him curiously.

McCoy shrugged. "All right, I guess," he replied. "I didn't really feel like they were cross examining me, but at the same time, I'm a Cadet who just spend the last few weeks acting as CMO, so they were basically making me defend every decision I made."

Nyota nodded, understanding. "Me too," she agreed. Pavel and Hikaru nodded as well.

"We got the same feeling," the Pilot chimed in.

"Da," Pavel said. "Like they thought we weren't good enough to hold those positions."

"The Admirals simply wished to ascertain your reasoning behind your decisions," Spock informed them, his expression blank. "It had nothing to do with your capabilities. Had you not been able to perform your duties, the Captain would not have kept you in those roles."

McCoy noted with interest that the Vulcan was still calling him 'Captain', even though, technically, they were back on Earth, and Jim was probably back to being a Cadet again.

Hikaru shrugged. "Barnett certainly felt like he was cross examining me."

McCoy frowned. "Barnett was in there with you?" Hikaru nodded. "Hmm."

Nyota raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" she asked.

McCoy looked at her. "Archer was with me. Is it strange that the two Admirals that seem… close to Jim didn't take part in his debriefing?"

"It was decided that we should refrain from taking part to avoid showing any signs of favoritism."

The entire group spun around in surprise to see both Admirals in question join them.

Archer snorted, rolling his eyes. "Kid could use a friendly face, but no." He dragged out the last word, sounding derisive.

"Is he still in there?" McCoy asked, looking towards the building.

Barnett nodded, glaring at the building behind him as well. "Probably will be for a while. I don't know what's going on, but his debriefing is going to be a lot more intense than yours were."

Spock frowned minutely. "It is time for the noon meal. Surely they will allow a break at some point. The Captain is still recovering from his injuries. Skipping a meal would not be wise, particularly since he has done so quite frequently over the last two point eight weeks."

McCoy looked at him in amazement. "How the hell did you know that?"

Spock looked at him. "It is the duty of the First Officer to be aware of his Captain's strengths and weaknesses."

McCoy still looked surprised. He knew Jim had skipped a lot of meals on their trip back, not always intentionally, but he hadn't been aware that anyone else had caught onto that detail. He didn't like Jim's less than healthy diet on their trek back, but knew that part of it was that Jim just got caught up in his duties and forgot to eat, but some of it was just that all of his injuries made just the idea of food an unpleasant one, so he couldn't be too annoyed at the kid.

Archer shrugged helplessly. "I'm not sure if they're planning on giving him anything," he informed them.

Spock narrowed his gaze, and without another word, headed inside the building.

McCoy raised an eyebrow. Interesting. Apparently, Jim had recruited another loyal follower. It was amazing, how the idiot could inspire such loyal friends and not even realize it.

Spock made his way towards the room where Jim was being debriefed, and did not even bother knocking before he entered.

The two Admirals looked up, annoyed, as the Vulcan walked in. Jim was standing at attention in front of them.

Spock clasped his hands behind his back. "Pardon me, Admirals. I believe it is time for the noon meal. Captain Kirk will be available to answer more questions for you in an hour."

Admiral Garovick spluttered a little, but when Archer appeared behind Spock and leant his support, he agreed reluctantly. "Very well. Don't forget, Kirk, that you are forbidden from discussing anything about this debriefing with anyone outside of this room. We expect you back here in one hour."

Jim nodded courteously. "Thank you, Admiral."

He then followed Spock and Archer out of the room. "Thanks, he murmured to the Vulcan as they walked. "I'm fairly certain they weren't going to let me go until they were done, and even if Bones did heal everything yesterday, it'll feel good to sit down for a while."

Jon frowned. "I should have a word with them," he commented.

Jim looked over and shook his head. "I don't need you to fight my battles," he replied. "Thanks, Jon, but I'm fine."

Jon looked like he wanted to argue the case, but knew that Jim was right.

Spock watched the interaction, wondering just how it was that Kirk and Admiral Archer came to be on such familiar terms. Not many could get away with calling the formidable man by his given name, and none of those were Cadets.

They reappeared outside, and Jim's command crew wasted no time in surrounding him protectively and dragging him off to the mess hall, where Scotty proceeded to ply him with sandwiches.

Jim smiled and did the best he could, but even he had to draw the line at three. He had no idea how the Scotsman managed to eat so many. Where did he put them all?

Barnett and Archer joined them for a few minutes, before they left to go check on Chris. Jim told them to send the Captain his regards.

All too soon, Jim had to return to his debrief, and the rest of his former command crew was left to worry. They spent the rest of the day together, Gaila joining them as they decided to head to the beach, not wanting to spend more time on campus, reminded of so many of their classmates that were no longer there.

McCoy sent Jim a message telling him where they were, so that he could join them when he was done, before they left.

When they got there, Nyota and Gaila spread out two towels and lay down, while Scotty, Pavel, and Hikaru immediately headed for the water.

McCoy and Spock both took seats near Nyota and Gaila. McCoy pulled out a PADD, though he couldn't really force himself to focus on what was on the device. All of his thoughts were centered on his best friend, who at this moment was being grilled by a couple of stuck up Admirals who didn't seem to care that he had saved all their asses.

Spock spent most of the afternoon watching the doctor out of the corner of his eye, while appearing to take in the beach scenery around him.

It was later afternoon when Jim flopped down next to McCoy, letting out a long sigh as he closed his eyes.

"Jim?" McCoy asked, worried.

Jim groaned. "It's taking all of my willpower right now not to just go to Jon and tell him to do whatever the hell he wants to Garovick."

"I don't think Archer would mind," McCoy commented, setting his PADD aside.

Jim huffed, opening his eyes as he sat up with another groan. "But if I let him fight my battles now, that's all they'll see, from here on out. They'll never respect me."

Spock nodded with approval. He admired the reasoning Kirk was using. It would be easier to let Admiral Archer handle Admiral Garovick, but Kirk was thinking about the future as well, and any situations that may arise thereafter.

"Your reasoning is sound, Captain," he commented. "Have the Admirals finished their debriefing?"

Jim looked at him, smiling slightly. "Yes," he answered. "And it's Jim, Spock. I'm not a Captain anymore. As a matter of fact, you outrank me."

McCoy snorted, but Spock simply inclined his head.

Nyota and Gaila noticed Jim's arrival at that moment, and came over to say hello. Shortly after that, Scotty, Pavel, and Hikaru returned, and the group spent a while longer talking and comparing their debriefing sessions. For the others, it was fairly straightforward. It was only Jim who had to spend an inordinate amount of time defending his actions, and none of them were really sure why. It wasn't like he had done anything wrong.

Jim sighed. "Garovick doesn't like me," he told them. "He thinks I'm 'riding the coattails of my father', or something like that." He shrugged. "I don't know, but he's always given me a hard time."

McCoy growled. "Just say the word and he'll be ripped apart by two Admirals."

Jim chuckled and shook his head. "Thanks but no thanks. And it'll be three, soon." They looked at him, and Jim shrugged again. "Word on the street is they're planning on promoting Chris."

"How the hell did you hear that? You've been stuck in one room all day," McCoy wondered.

Jim just smiled.

"Speaking of Admirals, how is it that you're so close to the two most powerful men in Starfleet?" Hikaru asked, looking at his friend with poorly hidden awe.

Jim looked embarrassed. "Richard was sort of like a mentor for my dad. My dad served under him back when he was a Captain, and on Richard's recommendation, he got offered the First Officer position on the Kelvin." They all looked surprised at that, and Jim nodded. "Yeah, talk about guilt. Anyway, a couple years before I enlisted, Chris and Shay came out to hear me defend my thesis and watch me graduate from MIT, and Jon and Richard sort of followed them. Since then, they've always just sort of been there. Jon was the one to recommend my work to the Enterprise design team. He might try and downplay it, but the man knows his way around engines."

"Must be nice, to have the most influential Admirals at your beck and call," McCoy drawled.

Jim glanced over at the doctor and shrugged. McCoy studied his friend, and frowned. Under normal circumstances, Jim would come back with some quip of his own. That he didn't just spoke to his overall exhaustion.

"Come on," he said, standing up and gathering his things. "Let's go get some dinner."

They all agreed and followed suit, heading back to the Academy. It had been a long day, and somehow, they knew that the next few months probably wouldn't be much easier.

XXX

Their small group disbanded for the next day, as family members had come to town to see their relatives. Jim was there to see Pavel's parents embrace their son, sobbing with relief, and was glad that they had not had to go through the pain of losing yet another child.

He watched as Hikaru almost ran into the grasp of an older woman, who looked so much like him she couldn't be anyone other than his mother, while Nyota immediately hurried towards a trio of women in their mid to late twenties who must have been her sisters.

Scotty let out a shout as he barreled towards a man with a scruffy beard, causing everyone around him to laugh.

Jim and McCoy found themselves off to the side, watching. After a few minutes, Jim suggested that they go get some breakfast, pointedly ignoring McCoy's grumble that a drink would be a better option. It was still a little early for that.

By mutual silent agreement, they ended up at a small café off campus, with large cups of coffee steaming in front of them.

Neither one really spoke until their food had appeared. Jim cut into his pancakes, before setting the fork down and sighing. "I can't help but be jealous, you know," he commented idly.

McCoy looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

Jim shrugged. "I'm trying out this whole 'talking' thing. Chris seems to think that trust is an important factor in life, so just go with me on this. I mean, we've been friends for years, how many serious conversations have we had?"

McCoy shook his head. "I'm not the touchy feely type," he replied.

Jim snorted. "Me neither. It's just… their families all came here, they were worried…" He looked down at his plate. "I don't think my mom even knows I joined Starfleet."

"Isn't she also…?" McCoy asked hesitantly.

Jim nodded. "Doesn't make her care about me at all." He picked up the fork and started stabbing his pancakes halfheartedly.

"When was the last time you saw her?" McCoy asked, wondering if he was supposed to be asking questions. What did Jim want, here?

Jim bit his lip. "My stepdad's funeral. The day before I joined up. Why do you think I was in Riverside that day? I promised myself when I left that I'd never set foot in that hellhole again."

McCoy raised an eyebrow, and Jim shook his head, sighing again. "Long story. Frank was a bastard. I told Winona that, when she kept talking about how great a guy he was. I just couldn't take it any more. It was like she was talking about a different person. I mean, how the hell could she know who he was? It wasn't like she was ever dirtside long enough to find out."

McCoy frowned. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jim put the fork down with slightly more force than necessary, and looked back up, his eyes weary but accepting. "She wasn't a mother, Bones. I don't know why I kept expecting that, or why I thought it would be any different when I went back. I let her guilt trip me into going to the funeral, even though I couldn't care less that the asshole picked a fight with the wrong guy and got himself killed."

McCoy's heart hurt, listening to his friend describe just a little bit of what his life had been like, growing up. He hated dredging up the past, but he figured, the least he could do was show the kid that trust was indeed a two way street.

The doctor sighed. "You're not the only one with a messed up past, Jim." Jim looked confused. "I told you about my ex-wife, but I never told you that we had a kid." Now Jim looked surprised. McCoy bit his lip. "Her name's Joanna, and I haven't seen her since the divorce. Jocelyn… she won't let me see her. When I left Georgia, it was because I literally had nothing. I couldn't even see my own daughter." He was ashamed to hear the threat of tears in his voice.

Jim reached over and rested a hand on McCoy's arm. "How old is she?" he asked softly.

McCoy sniffed. "Five," he replied, just as quietly.

Jim frowned. "The divorce papers…"

McCoy shook his head. "Jocelyn's father's a big shot attorney down there. He wrote it up ironclad. I blew through my savings trying to fight it, but there's no way."

Jim smirked, removing his hand from the doctor's arm. "Haven't you learned by now, Bones? There's always a way."

McCoy furrowed his eyebrow. "Jim… don't. You'll just make it worse."

"How?" Jim asked reasonably. "How could it get worse?" When McCoy didn't say anything, he shifted in his seat. "You already have no rights to your own daughter. They can't do anything else. Besides, if there's one thing I know, it's that everyone deserves to know their father."

McCoy looked up sharply, and Jim nodded, his gaze steely. "Trust me, Bones, Joanna needs you."

"But what could you do?" McCoy asked, unwilling to let himself hope.

Jim smiled. "You forget, Bones. I've got Admiral Archer in my corner. One call from him to the Attorney General, and your ex-wife's big shot attorney father doesn't stand a chance."

McCoy nodded. "Thank you, Jim," he said, his emotions making his voice choke up. "Even if I could just see her. I just want her to know who I am."

Jim's smile widened. "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to Jon."

McCoy smiled, for the first time since he had had to leave his baby girl, actually feeling like there might be a chance.

As the two finished up their meals, McCoy felt the need to say something about what Jim had told him. "You know, everything your mom and stepdad did… Jim, it wasn't your fault."

Jim nodded easily. "I know." McCoy looked surprised, and Jim shrugged. "Believe me, it took a while to get to that point, but Chris is really persistent."

McCoy pursed his lips, and inclined his head. "Just as long as you do believe it. And I'm glad the bastard's dead too."

Jim smirked. "I wish I could have thanked whoever killed him. He made my life a living hell growing up. Why Winona thought it would be a good idea for me to go to the funeral…" he shook his head.

McCoy frowned, as they stood up and left the café. "You left when you were a teenager, right?"

Jim nodded as they headed back to campus. "I was fourteen. I just couldn't take it anymore."

"Where'd you go?"

Jim smiled softly, looking at the looming buildings of Starfleet Academy ahead of them. "Chris. I knew I could trust him, and he wouldn't send me back."

McCoy nodded. "And after that?"

Jim shrugged. "I traveled. I didn't like to spend too long in one place, so I spent years just seeing what was out there."

"And no one had any issues with a kid traveling alone?"

Jim shook his head. "I was pretty good at working for rides and meals, and I looked older than I was. And when I was sixteen, I got myself emancipated."

McCoy raised an eyebrow. "Last I checked, parents actually need to waive their rights in order for a judge to sign off."

Jim smirked again. "True. But Winona created a bit of a loophole when she foisted me off on her sister, when I was twelve. She signed away her rights, and never reclaimed them. My aunt and uncle died, which is why I ended up back with Frank. So technically, I was an orphan for several years, until I turned sixteen and decided to become a legal adult."

McCoy shook his head. "I'm sorry you had to go through it."

Jim sighed. "It sucked. Life sucked for a while, but I survived. No use crying over what I can't change. It's time to focus on the future."

"And what's that?" McCoy asked, glancing over at his friend.

Jim smiled. "Space. Exploration. Joanna." McCoy inhaled sharply, and Jim met the doctor's gaze with his own steady one. "We'll figure it out, Bones. You'll see your girl again."

McCoy swallowed and nodded shakily, as the two walked through the gates to the Academy.

XXX

Jim spoke with Jon about McCoy's situation, and the Admiral promised to look into it. He pulled up the copy of the divorce papers, and was appalled at how weighted they were in the wife's favor. Basically, McCoy was left with the clothes on his back. Jocelyn got the house, the money, the car, the kid, everything. McCoy had indeed tried to fight it, but he hadn't had the resources to take on his father-in-law.

Deciding that it was a cause he should be helping out with, if for no other reason than Jim had asked him, he made a call to Attorney General Marcus Robbins, and called in a favor to get him to take on the case.

The two exalted men pulled Jim and McCoy into Jon's office for a few hours and discussed the possibilities.

"The way I see it, we have two options," Robbins informed them. "Mr. Darnell could be seen as a subjective attorney, due to his relationship with your ex-wife. I looked over the divorce papers he drew up, and I believe that he misconstrued your ability to be a father. If the case is presented the right way, it may be possible to sue for full custody."

"What's the other option?" McCoy asked curiously.

Robbins pursed his lips. "The safer course to pursue would be to approach Mr. and Ms. Darnell and offer a joint custody arrangement. Due to your job with Starfleet this would give Ms. Darnell more time with Joanna anyway, but she would need to consult you with parenting decisions, and she would be obligated to share the details of your daughter's life with you. School pictures, report cards, any problems, and the like."

McCoy nodded, thinking. He looked over at Jim. "What do you think?" he asked, overwhelmed.

Jim bit his lip. "It's your choice," he replied. "Is Jocelyn a bad mother? Because no matter what your personal feelings are, taking Joanna away just to spite Jocelyn will only hurt Joanna. If she's a good mom, then you should at least consider that when making your decision."

McCoy sighed. "Why couldn't you make this easy for me," he muttered.

Jim smiled. "Also think about what Joanna's life would be like if you had full custody. Would you take her with you, or leave her with relatives? Raising a kid on a starship isn't always safe or constructive to a healthy lifestyle. But at the same time, leaving a kid behind to wait for their parent to come home can be worse."

McCoy knew that Jim knew what he was talking about. He was speaking from experience. He looked back at Robbins. "Can I talk to Joanna and Jocelyn before I make a decision?"

Robbins nodded. "I'll make a call and set up a meeting. Getting her agree to bring Joanna might be a challenge, but I'll let her know you're considering suing for full custody, and this might go a long way in making that not happen."

McCoy thanked him, and left the room. Jim spent another moment thanking Jon for his help, before he also left.

XXX

A meeting was arranged for a few weeks later, so Jim threw himself into life at the Academy in the meantime. It went unspoken but agreed that he would be accompanying McCoy to Georgia when the time came.

Classes at the Academy had pretty much come to a grinding halt for a while. The first and second year Cadets were getting experience in the labs, taking on duties that Instructors normally saw to, but due to the demand to outfit eight Starfleet ships, many had been sent to assist at Vulcan. Now, there was a need to fill those empty spots, and the Cadets were eager to help out any way they could.

After a week of doing next to nothing, Jim was officially ready to scream. Jon had told him that they were graduating the third and fourth year classes at the end of the current semester, but that was still two months away.

Most of the first and second year classes resumed after a week, but there weren't enough Instructors for all of them, until Jim and several other upper level Cadets decided to lend a hand. Nyota took on most of the introductory language classes, while Pavel began instructing several mathematical engineering and programming classes. Hikaru jumped feet first into teaching a first year pilot course, and Jim was happy to take on as many of the introductory weapons and combat courses as he could. He also took over a first year computer programming course, and a second year Engineering course, so his schedule was quite full, but he liked it that way. It gave him less time to think about other things, like the fact that his class was so empty now.

Scotty was spending most of his time on board the Enterprise, assisting – or rather, leading – the repairs. He kept Jim updated frequently, something Jim appreciated, since technically, he wasn't in command of the ship anymore, so there was no real need to give him any details of the progress.

Based on Scotty's reports, Jim figured the ship would be ready for launch shortly after he and his friends graduated. They had managed to fix a lot of little things while they crawled home, so the only real major issue was replacing the warp core and some of the more major damage that they hadn't been able to fix with the equipment and staff that they had on board. Jim spent several days aboard the ship helping them install the core, since it was still his design, so he knew the ins and outs best.

Scotty was drooling at the chance to pick his brain over the piece of technology, and the two barely remembered to return to Earth that evening.

Jim also met with the alternate Spock again. He felt uncomfortable in the older Vulcan's presence, mostly because the way the Ambassador looked at him, with a mix of amazement and friendship, was very strange to him. Older Spock thanked him for dealing with Nero, and congratulated him on everything he had accomplished.

He also knew that his Spock met with the alternate version of himself, but he didn't ask either one for details, respecting their privacy.

XXX

As graduation day loomed closer, Cadets became more worried, as they wondered where they would be placed. Jim wasn't concerned, as he already knew he had a spot waiting for him on the Enterprise. The only thing he didn't know was in what capacity. He was fairly certain they weren't going to give a just graduated Cadet captaincy.

He decided not to waste too much time thinking about it, though, since worrying wouldn't really solve anything.

Though they didn't say anything, he knew his friends were also thinking about their own placements. He didn't know why though; after everything they had accomplished together, did they really think they'd be assigned anywhere else?

McCoy was still worrying about his meeting with Joanna, and what a placement would mean for his daughter, should he decide that gaining full custody would be in her best interest. Jim tried to help as best he could, telling him that no matter what, he would stand behind the doctor's decision. Though he didn't say it, McCoy appreciated Jim's efforts, and the kid really did know how to make him feel better.

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