Jim sat at his desk, twiddling a knight in his fingers as he stared at the board set up before him. His unfinished game with Spock, which he had been quite impressed he remembered well enough to recreate, was his battlefield of thought for the day. It, like his present situation, held something he had missed in the placement of the pieces. He knew it because he could feel it humming in his blood, a sensation he had honed through years of peril and command that he was inclined to listen to.

Except he'd been staring at it for two hours already and found diddly squat. The sun had gone from a considering light on the horizon to a fully-fledged fireball, but the route to victory was still so clear-cut it would have been obvious to a beginner and there wasn't a single trick waiting no matter how hard he tried to find one. After going in a few circles, he began to suspect that that fact was the something that he'd missed.

Jim slowly set his last move back. Nothing. He pushed Spock's bishop back into place.

Jim stared at the board. Now something was wrong. Mentally, he played white's next moves with victory in mind. Rook on knight's two, king to-

Jim shot to his feet.

He'd been in check.

Spock threw the game.

Now he remembered the funk he was in, how unsure of himself he felt going into that awful mission. The careful consideration in Spock's eyes as he blocked his own victory for Jim's benefit.

'Buyer's regret, happens all the time,' echoed in his memory 'why do you think your beau wouldn't sleep with you before purchase?'

With new and terrible clarity washing over him, Jim depressed the comm button on his desk.

"Janice."

"Yeoman Rand."

"Have Spock brought to my office, please."

There was a silence, then "Aye, sir."

The door swished open behind him, and Jim, for once, felt no need to hide away in shame. He rolled the black king between the fingers of his right hand contemplatively.

Spock could only see the Admiral's back in the dim room, perched as he was on his desk. There was a chess game set beside him, already very much underway.

"You called for me, Admiral?" Spock intoned, a thousand unspoken questions in his voice.

Jim's lips thinned. He reached back and set his king on the board.

"I did." he turned around.

Spock sucked in an audible breath. His shock was palpable, in his eyes and the lines of his body, all so familiar, all so dear to Jim.

"You?" he all but whispered.

"How does white move?" Jim asked.

Spock's eyes darted to the board. "What...Jim."

"How. Does. White. Move."

Spock hesitated, then, feeling bit like he was dreaming, he came forward to look at the board, fighting to focus on the strategy.

"There is no way to win." he said at length.

"Not anymore, no. Play."

Spock recognized the configuration then: their unfinished game from all those years ago. He took the move he had planned at the time.

"Check."

"Checkmate in two." Spock confirmed faintly.

"It looks like white loses." Jim said with quiet intensity. "It would take some divine move to save it now."

Spock looked into Jim's eyes and nodded "There are none left to me."

"No," Jim agreed "but I have one."

Jim tipped his king.

The silence in the room was thick with things unsaid. Spock waited. He didn't deny or confirm what Jim now knew. He didn't have to.

Jim slammed his fist down on the table, rocking the pieces on the board. "Damnit, Spock, how could you think I wouldn't come!?"

Spock pulled back slightly, his expression guarded. "You did not."

"I was in a coma!" Jim shouted.

Spock flinched, though not in fear, and swept his gaze over Jim as if checking for residual damage.

"I-"

Jim cut him off.

"Half of the crew was in the morgue! I couldn't even eat by myself when I woke up. As soon as I was able to walk I dragged myself to the academy but you were already gone." his voice cracked on the word, and he spoke the rest quietly "Spock, I loved you." Jim deflated, an old, raw wound showing in his eyes.

"My...decision was logical." Spock said, the words quiet and hollow.

"Logical, Spock? Because you were saving me from a mistake you thought I was making?" Jim shook his head "I've spent months afraid of what you'd say - that you'd tell me you hated me, that I should never have come back into your life. Somehow this is worse." he continued, bone-deep sorrow in his voice as he did. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to leave you. I never stopped searching."

Spock's eyes zeroed in on him, shocked "You looked for me?"

Jim rounded the desk to stand closer to Spock, who followed him with an intense gaze and swayed into his space when he came close as though Jim was his magnetic north. Jim bravely set a hand on Spock's elbow, hoping his heart would reinforce his words.

"Of course I did. Everything that bitter old woman told you about me, about us - she was wrong, Spock." Jim wasn't sure if it was him shaking or Spock "I searched. I searched for so long but I never found so much as a trace of you. I would have missed you again if I hadn't seen Jane." he smiled slightly "Other than the hair, she's so much like you."

"On the contrary, her behavior is governed primarily by your reckless nature." Spock said, a bit too light for the moment.
Jim laughed, though, a higher note with the stress. Then his expression turned compassionately serious again.

"I registered her as my heir when you got here. She's free." he said quietly, and Spock's breath caught "I know this isn't what we planned, but at least I can give the two of you good lives. Even if something happens to me, I'll see that you're never on the block again-"

Jim was cut off by the press of Spock's lips against his own. In a lightning quick-move, Spock had cradled Jim's face in his hands and swooped down, kissing him softly as though none of the past ten years had happened. Jim's hands tightened on him, and for one, blissful second, he let himself press back. Then, with more strength than he knew he had, he pulled away.

Spock blinked down at him, slowly looking mortified.

"I- I apologize. I should have - I know nothing of your life now, if there's someone...or you no longer wish-"

"Stop." Jim implored, a thousand thoughts scrambling for enough coherency to fill the air between them.

"There's no one. It's always been you." Jim circled Spock's wrist with his hand "But you don't have to do this - I don't mean to buy your affections. I just want you to be..." Jim's not sure how to phrase it. Safe, content, cared for.

Spock took a slow, shaky breath, his fathomless gaze trapping Jim in its depths. "I know."

"Are you sure?"

Spock looked very much like he wanted to quiet Jim with his lips again, but refrained.

"It has always been you." Spock repeated.

Jim let out a breath it felt like he'd been holding for months, years, even, and spent a timeless minute staring into eyes he thought would never look back at him with anything but contempt again. He hoped Spock was picking up the sweeping affection in his heart, the relief and love broadcasting loud enough to be heard through the contact along his jaw.

Blinking the slight blur from his vision, he gestured to the sofa against the wall.

"Sit, Spock. There's a lot left to be said."

After the sun had wheeled entirely overhead and given way to stars, when Jim and Spock had stumbled back into their easy affection so quickly that it hurt something deep in Jim's chest to have waited a moment longer than needed, the comm on his desk went off.

Both of them started and Jim wondered when they had gotten so close to one another. Reluctantly, he pulled away and stretched to reach the button.

"Kirk here."

"Got a little girl out here who wants to say goodnight to her two favorite people." Bones drawled, satisfaction at the turn of events clear in his voice.

Jim looked to Spock as he replied "Well, we shouldn't keep her waiting. Bring her up."

He stood from the couch, stretching the kinks from his body.

"Did you inform him of your intentions to speak with me?" Spock asked. He was more content than Jim had ever seen him, and that easy forgiveness hit his soul with a sting and a wash of soothing, like water on bone-dry earth. Absently, he trailed his fingers over the back of Spock's hand as he moved away.

"The entire house probably heard about this before you even reached the door."

"They know?" Spock asked, and Jim knew he didn't mean about the late call.

"They know that I've kept us in separate orbits." Jim poured them each a cup of tea. "Bones and Janice do. I assume Christine and possibly M'Benga are aware of some of the more...pertinent details, surrounding Jane's origins."

He handed the cup to Spock just as the door opened. Bones gave the scene a once-over and sent them the growly look that said he was downright touched. Jane did the same scan before dropping her gaze to the floor.

"It's about damn time." Bones grumbled, rubbed his eyes suspiciously, and said a quick goodbye to a quiet Jane before disappearing.

Jim walked closer to her, curious over her sudden fascination with her feet.

"What's wrong?" Jim asked, leaning over to be closer to Jane's level.

Jane avoided his eyes, a frown fixed on her lips.

"Jane?"

"Are you going to hurt daddy?"

Jim blinked a few times in quick succession "No, of course not. Never."

She looked up at him through her lashes, not an ounce of belief in her eyes.

"Master did."

"Jim, if I may?" Spock cut in, standing, and Jim made a disbelieving sound at the question before getting out of the way.

Spock crouched in front of Jane, his expression gentle.

"Jane, do you remember when you asked me why you didn't have any siblings like the others?"

Jane nodded, her gaze skittering over to Jim as she did so. Jim himself felt he might understand what she was feeling a bit, now that he realized what Spock was about to do.

"It's fine if he hears. What did I say?"

Jane frowned, but spoke despite her reservations "Because master wasn't the other person who helped make me. The other person was somebody you-" she stopped, clamming up like she couldn't bear to tell Spock's secret.

"Someone I cared for greatly. Someone who was kind, and good, and nothing like our master, and because of that you were born. You remember?"

Jane nodded. Jim tried to keep from shaking.

"Jane." Spock tilted her head up so he could look her in the eye "Jim was that other person."

Jane jerked where she sat, eyes wide and snapping to Jim before darting back to Spock.

"But he was hiding from you."

Spock raised one eyebrow. "He believed I was angry with him."

"Why?"

"Because he is foolish."

"Spock." Jim chided shakily.

Spock turned the raised eyebrow on him in reply. Jim edged closer again, and Jane looked up at him.

"Really?"

Hell, Jim thought, she's asking me. He nodded, more nervous than he had been since the morning. Jane didn't react at first. Then she hung her head, and Spock rested a hand on her arm as her shoulders began to shake.

"Spock?" Jim asked, fear clawing at his throat. He'd take it all back if it would help.

"She is happy." Spock said, his voice even as Jane scrubbed at her eyes.

Hesitantly, Jim reached out to rub her back and gave Spock a look that telegraphed his disbelief.

"She has not had much joy in her life." Spock provided "it is difficult for her to process."

Spock hasn't led him astray before, so Jim takes a leap of faith and reaches out to gather Jane up into a hug. She latches onto his shirt, trembling breaking into sobs, and Spock stokes her back soothingly.

They locked eyes over her head, Spock's eyes soft, and Jim realized he could only be thankful for his exile now, because without it, he would never have found his family.

-Three weeks later-

Jim watched the clouds pass overhead through the grid, the leaves on the tree at the edges of his vision rustling in the light breeze, and listened to the quiet shiff of pages turning beside him and the distant crashing of Jane mucking about in the wilder parts of the garden.

He turned his head on the grass to look at Spock. Spock's eyes shone with concentration as he read, darting back and forth with inhuman speed that Jim knew was his 'leisure' pace, the sunlight gleaming off his hair almost blindingly. After a moment of this he realized that the speed of his reading did not match the occasional page-turning, which meant he wasn't paying attention. Smiling, Jim brushed their fingers together.

Spock looked at him, raising one eyebrow in question, and Jim smiled wider.

"Physics not holding your attention like usual?" Jim asked.

"On the contrary. Mister Scott's theories are fascinating. I would like the chance to debate him again one day - I can see that I may have been mistaken about Thy'lek's work."

"He'll be delighted, I'm sure. Not a lot of people can go toe to toe with him on physics."

After a moment of consideration, Spock closed his book and turned to face him better.

"Jim," he said softly "there is something-"

Spock and their tranquil afternoon were both violently interrupted when a starship blasted by overhead, scraping the barrier with a noise like none Jim had ever heard as it passed.

"What the hell?!" Jim shouted, on his feet in an instant. A second later the barrier rippled and collapsed in a way that looked suspiciously like the cause came from inside the citadel, letting in the wind that should very well have been buffeting a house on the top of a cliff all along.

Before he had more than a moment to strategize, three forms sparkled into life not ten feet from them.

"Jim!" Bones shouted, running out of the house with Rand and a phaser.

"Hold your fire!" Chapel shouted over the racket.

The forms coalesced into Commander Sulu, Captain Scott, and Commander Chekov.

"Good to see you, Admiral!" Scotty called with a mischievous shine in his eyes that, in Jim's experience, had always spelled trouble.

"Scotty!" Jim replied "Mind telling me what the hell is going on?"

"Aye sir. The formal verdict on your trial came in last night - there's a ship right behind us that's coming to arrest you."

Jim felt a wave of dread crash over him. It hadn't mattered so much, before he'd found Jane and Spock again, that this was the outcome he couldn't avoid. But now? Now there was a fire in his chest begging to burn a path to freedom, whatever the cost.

"You need to leave," he made himself say, thinking as quickly as he ever had "if they find you here they might think the worst and arrest you too."

Scotty's grin turned wicked. "A bit late for that."

"What? Why?"

"We might'a stolen the Enterprise again."

"You what?! Return it! My god, if you hurry they might give you a slap on the wrists-" Jim shouted at the same time Scotty yelled:

"She was already in the decommission lot! We're doing them a favor, saving them all that manpower-"

"Which charges was he found guilty of?" Rand demanded over them.

"All of them." Sulu replied grimly.

"I don't see why that's-"

"Jim," Rand interrupted "the docking bay. They'll seize your assets to pay for damages."

It felt like ice water had been dropped over his head. He looked at Spock, whose expression had frozen over into grim resignation.

"Bones, if you get the car right now you could get to the spaceport in time to outrun them."

"Or." Scotty said with more manic joy than Jim thought was necessary "Ya' could git your things and see if these new bloated monstrosities can stand up against the old girl."

Jim opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to iterate all the reasons that was a terrible idea all at once.

"Scotty, even we can't run the Enterprise with a crew compliment this small."

"Others already on board." Chekov said, wincing as he heard himself.

"The UT's a bit wonky." Scotty said by way of explanation "They got her in a few pieces before we rescued her. But you get the gist."

Jim blinked between them.

"Who?"

"Uhura, Giotto, a few others. We're waitin' on you."

"But your careers." Jim tried, looking at Sulu "You want to be a Captain."

"Not in this Starfleet." Sulu said, determination and anger in his eyes.

"I..." Jim watched Jane pop out of the bushes finally, eyes big, and looked at Spock.

"Space is no place for a child." Jim said, half dismayed and half considering.

Spock tilted his head slightly "She would disagree with you."

"Jim." Leonard said grimly "It's the best life she'll get out of the options."

He watched her wander out of the bushes, questioning gaze sweeping over them all, and knew they were right. Leonard would run with them if Jim asked, but he was, as he would say, a doctor and not a smuggler. If they were caught (more of a when) Spock would be sold back to the highest bidder and Jane would be on her own with nothing but a disgraced family line to show for it.

He rubbed a hand over his face, disbelieving.

"We are bringing the rebenok and lampochka?" Chekov asked incredulously, tipping his thumb at Spock and Jane.

Jim shrugged and smiled at Spock. "I guess so."

Sulu frowned along with Chekov, but Spock allayed their fears quickly.

"I am proficient in twelve subjects, including warp theory, to a doctoral level. I assure you I am quite capable of serving on a starship."

Jim smiled fondly at him. Then he raised an eyebrow at Bones, who'd blocked his line of sight with the tricorder he'd been waiving over Spock in an agitated manner since Chekov spoke.

Spock waved him off finally. "There is no need of that, Doctor, as I am quite aware of my condition."

Bones gave Spock the look that he gave people when all the shouting he wanted to do couldn't happen fast enough for him to pick a starting point. Jim took a few steps closer, slightly concerned.

"Spock?"

"Chekov just called him a light bulb." Bones said by way of explanation.

"What?" Jim looked Spock over "Why?"

"He's got the best eyes on the ship, that's why-"

"Doctor, if I may. I was in the process of informing him when our guests arrived."

"Informing me of what?" Jim asked he walked so he was standing in Spock's bubble of personal space. That close, if he squinted, he caught a tiny glow about Spock's ears, one he'd mistaken for the shine of the sun earlier.

"Jim." Spock stared, then stalled.

"You have thirty seconds or I do it for you. I've had enough of you two not talking to last a lifetime." Bones snapped.

Spock shot him a look that was surprisingly close to a glare before turning his eyes back to Jim. He sighed quietly, then an approximation of his usual stoicism fell over his features.

"It...was my belief that Jane was something of a...unique incident. It appears I was wrong."

Jim frowned. Spock was very confusing when he wanted to be, and he was having a bit of a rough day all of a sudden. He felt like this should be easy, but it wasn't computing.

"Had I know this, I would have taken precautions, however that is moot now. The child is not corporeal, at the moment-"

Jim snapped to attention "Spock, what are you saying?"

The very tips of Spock's shimmering ears turned green "If we so chose, Jane will have the sibling she desired in roughly four months."

Jim's jaw dropped. He put his other hand on Spock's other shoulder, not sure if he was supporting himself or Spock, and said quietly "You're-?"

"The human words do not adequately explain what I currently am, however I suppose 'preparing to yield' would suffice."

"That's what plants do." Jim muttered a bit hysterically. "You're not going to seed."

Spock shrugged. "Debatable."

Jim fought back a rising smile "But how?"

"Now that I am aware of it, I have come to understand. My katra is working with singular focus to ensure the child's survival, despite the difficulty. That is why I was nearly invalidated last time. It is taking a great amount of my control to maintain the required processes." Spock blinked, his eyes refocusing "Jim, all I would have to do is stop them if this is not what you want. At the moment, my katra is simply expanding. There will be no separate soul until it gains its corporeal form."

"No." Jim gripped Spock's shoulders tightly for half a second, then loosened his hands "Unless it's not what you want. I...I would be delighted. If Jane had a sibling."

Spock leaned closer, and Jim knew his answer without needing to hear it.

"Do you think we can do it, Spock?" he asked "Run away to the stars and live happily ever after?"

"If the bad times in our pasts could happen, then it stands to reason that good times of equal value are possible."

"It stands to reason." Jim echoed, smiling, and the corners of Spock's mouth curved up in response.

Jim turned slightly to address his crew.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get out of here."