"Bones, calm down. We're going to figure this out."

At least, those were the words Jim wanted to say; the words he had been trying to force out of his mouth for the past ten minutes. Instead, he'd watched Bones pace about the office in somewhat of a daze, fighting to keep the memories at bay.

Once Joanna had settled down enough, Christine had whisked her off to take a "secret tour" of medbay's "special" rooms. In other words, anywhere Christine could take the girl that seemed exciting or out of the ordinary.

Since then, Jim could count on one hand the number of times Bones had stopped to take a breath.

"What am I supposed to do about this, Jim? I can't let Jo go back to her! How long has this been going on? Is it all my fault for leaving? I mean," Bones ranted, carding a hand through his hair, "it's not like I wanted to, or had that much of a choice either. I can't tell her to stop because she won't. I don't think she ever really listened to me… I can't take this to court because she'll absolutely destroy me—just like she did last time. The divorce was a mess, Jim. Her father's a lawyer, and she used that to take my house, my baby, my dog, even, and my business practice. I couldn't find a job at any hospital within a hundred miles of the county line—and I probably still can't! Jim, you don't know what she's capable of, she'll—"

Jim was on his feet before he even knew what to say. He just knew he had to reach out his slightly trembling hand and steady it against his friend's shoulder.

"Bones," he said softly. That was as good a start as any and it put a halt to the doctor's frantic ramblings. "Breathe."

At first, Bones didn't look like he wanted to, but Jim took the first step and soon enough, they were taking deep breaths together.

Breathe.

It's not about you this time. It's about Bones. Bones and that precious baby.

Still, Jim struggled to suppress an oncoming shiver. Seeing those bruises blossoming on that little girl had made him feel the phantom pain of Frank's fists against his skin all over again.

Breathe, Kirk. Breathe...

"This is what we're going to do," Jim began, voice firm. Captain Kirk was much better equipped to handle this situation than little Jimmy from Riverside. "We're going to take it one small step at a time. If you try to think about the big picture, you'll probably give yourself a heart attack. So just breathe for a minute and then we'll sit down and figure out what to do next. Not next down the line, but next next. What we're going to do within the next ten minutes."

Bones sucked in a breath, still very clearly on edge, but at least he was taking in air now.

"Well, I'm not giving Jo back to her. No way in hell."

"Good. See, that's good. That's a start. How long do you think Jocelyn will let that slide before she says something?"

The doctor just shook his head. "I have no idea. She's such a wildcard these days..."

"Okay." Jim flashed a tight grin. "We don't have to think about that right now. Why don't you just get Jo and take the rest of the day off?"

Bones couldn't have looked any more shocked if Jim had slapped him right then and there. "Jim, I can't just take the rest of the day off. I have patients waiting for me out there! I have reports, I-I have physicals, I have—"

"M'Benga and Nurse Chapel," Jim reminded. "And a daughter who needs you now more than ever. Bones, take the rest of the day off. That's an order."

Though scowling up a storm, Jim could see the relief begin to ease into Bones' shoulders. "You know, I hate it when you do that."

"I am your captain. It's sort of my job."

With a huff, Bones shook his head. "Fine, fine."

"And Bones?" Before his friend could go find Joanna, Jim added, "Don't think too far ahead."

Bones' smile was grim. "Easier said than done, but I'll try."

"Just remember, she's on your turf. Her father isn't here. I'm involved now, so this just became a Starfleet matter, which means she has to play by Starfleet rules."

Though Bones nodded, Jim could see the tension carving deep lines into his face. Then, he was gone. Off, hopefully, to spend the day with Joanna.

Jim knew Bones wouldn't be able to keep his mind off the looming and inevitable battle with his ex, but at least it was a start.

After all, he could barely keep his own mind off it.

Maybe that's a good thing. Blowing out a sigh, Jim sat back down on the couch. Because if anyone can do anything about this, it's you.

Right.

Proving that a captain's work was truly never done.

Right…

Jim cupped his hands together, resting them against his chin.

Right, I'm on it.

Inhale, exhale.

In a minute…

He just needed a minute.

It had been years… He'd spent years burying the past. Years trying to get over it and move on.

You're good. You're fine.

Jo's not. Focus on that.

Right.

That was as good a start as any.

The first inklings of resolve crept through his chest.

Maybe no one had helped him much as a kid. Not with that, anyway. Maybe Sam had left him and his mom had been too distant to care. But Jim was here now, and in a position of power.

Maybe no one had helped him, but he could help Joanna.

In a minute…

Just… give me a minute…

A few long minutes and several steadying breaths later, Jim kicked himself into action. Nothing was ever accomplished by hiding from a problem.

And he was done hiding from the past.

Don't talk about it and it'll be like it never existed in the first place, that had always been his motto. Well, besides the one about not believing in no-win scenarios, of course.

It was time for a change in mindset

Now, as Jim stepped out of Bones' office, he felt his resolve strengthening. The best way to win battles was with a weapon called Experience, and it was about damn time he put the pain of his past to good use.

On his way out of medbay, he caught sight of Bones talking with Christine, little Jo nestled in his arms.

Good.

Smiling, Jim made a beeline for the bridge.

"Keptin on the bridge!" He hadn't even set foot out of the turbolift when Chekov's exuberant voice rang through the air.

Sulu quickly clamped his own mouth shut, exchanging a mild glare with his station partner.

"That's two for Sulu, three for Uhura, zero for Spock, and a grand total of five for Chekov so far this week," Jim tallied. Exactly when the "Captain on the Bridge" competition had officially started, he couldn't recall, but he had to admit it was entertaining.

"May I remind you," Spock said, "that I've chosen not to participate in this. Stating that the captain is on the bridge is simple protocol and shouldn't be turned into some sort of game."

"Yeah." Jim gave Spock's shoulder a quick pat. "But I'm counting you in anyway. Uhura, contact Admiral Davis. I'll take the call in my ready room. Spock, you're with me, and Sulu, you have the con."

He could feel Spock's curious gaze burning into his back as they retreated to the office space off the side of the bridge.

Patience, Spock.

"The wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce."

Jim steeled himself against the weight of the future. One step of the time, just like you told Bones.

"All I've got left now is my bones..."

He'd heard enough about Jocelyn over the course of their time at the academy to know none of what was about to come would be easy.

Life isn't easy. That's why we fight.

That's why we're all warriors.

Frank had taught him how to fight, whether the man realized it or not. He would never owe that bastard anything, but he couldn't deny that his skin was a lot thicker than it would've been if—

There are no ifs. What happened happened.

Right.

All he could do now was continue to move forward.

"Captain?" Spock's head was tilted slightly to the side when Jim glanced up.

"Right, sorry. You're probably wondering what we're doing." Jim slid behind his desk and started up his communications hub.

Spock took a seat opposite him instead of replying.

After a breath, Jim launched right into things. "What do you know about Starfleet's handling of child abuse cases?"

Spock blinked, clearly thrown for a loop, though Jim knew he'd never admit it. "I believe when it comes to legal matters, Starfleet's proverbial arm only extends as far as itself. I cannot recall any instances of Starfleet interference in legal cases pertaining to civilian life."

"Bingo," Jim said, grinning as Spock only furrowed his brows deeper. "So, what happens when a case like that involves Starfleet personnel?"

Honestly, if Spock's brows dipped any further, Jim doubted their ability to keep from sticking together forever.

"A case involving the abuse or neglect of a child by a member of Starfleet," Spock began slowly, "would end in nothing short of a court martial and custody being taken away from the being in question."

Jim shook his head. "No, Spock, it's nothing like that. But it does involve a Stafleet officer, so does that mean we can handle this case on Starfleet terms or do we have to refer it to a civilian court?"

"I would think such a case would fall into Starfleet's legal jurisdiction, though I am still confused as to your point."

"Let's hope Admiral Davis agrees with you, or else this thing is going to be one hell of a mess."

"What thing, Jim?"

For the first time since arriving on the bridge, Jim hesitated. Bones hadn't exactly told him not to tell Spock, or anyone for that matter, yet just the thought of talking about it felt wrong.

Like it's none of your business.

No. Jim clenched a fist. Jocelyn had made it his business when she brought her screwed up drama onto his ship.

"All right, Spock," he said after a long moment, "what I'm about to tell you is highly personal, so it stays between us until I say otherwise."

Spock nodded. "Understood."

"Good." Sucking in a deep breath, Jim gave a semi-detailed account of the afternoon's events. "Remember that whole thing with Joanna and Bones' ex-wife? Well, it just got a whole lot worse..."

Leonard's fingers did their clumsy dance about his daughter's hair, weaving strand after strand until something resembling a braid hung against Joanna's back.

"How does it look, Daddy?"

Unable to hold back a wince, Leonard huffed, "Well, it's definitely... something." As she hopped off the couch to find a mirror, he added, "Sorry, baby, Daddy's a little out of practice."

The delighted squeal that floated out of the bathroom was unexpected, to say the least. "It's way better than Mama's!"

A cold chill shook Leonard's frame.

Focus on the present. It's all gonna be fine.

Will it...?

"'Sides," she went on, her little feet padding back across the floor, "now that I'm here, you have lots and lots of time to practice!"

"That's one way to look at it," Leonard replied, chuckling. "Come on, then. Let's give it another try."

Plopping down on the couch once more, Joanna waited for Leonard to undo the brain, her body antsy with excitement.

"Can you try a fishtail one this time?"

Leonard couldn't help but scrunch his nose. "A what now?"

"A fishtail."

Because that was so much clearer.

"Uh… Why don't we work on perfecting a regular brain before we get into all the crazy stuff..."

With a nod, she jumped tracks as she glanced about. "Your room is so big!"

"Yeah, it's a nice size," came Leonard's half-hearted reply. If he poured all his focus into the next braid, he might just get it right this time…

Besides, a more intense focus on the little miracle sitting in front of him would keep his mind off Jocelyn, who insisted upon bombarding his thoughts every other minute.

It was just so like her.

Can't even leave my mind alone, can she?

Typical.

When he'd first brought Joanna to his quarters, he had tried to get her to talk a bit about what happened.

"Who did this to you?" Beyond gentle, Leonard had sat her down on the couch and slid up her sleeve.

"Mama" had been the soft reply.

"Do you know why?"

She'd just shrugged.

"Do you remember how many times Mama's done something like this?"

"Are you taking me back to her?" At this, he'd wrapped his arms around her.

"No, baby, of course not."

I promise.

Though she'd seemed contented by this, it had put an end to the questioning, leaving Leonard with no more information than he'd already had.

After a longer than necessary tour of the room, in which Jo spent several eternities examining Leonard's few belongings, and a quick stint of jumping on the bed—an activity Leonard had to pass on lest he accidentally break the thing—they had resorted to braiding.

A calmer, far more engaging activity, to say the least.

It had been two years since he'd last seen his baby, but she still had just as much hair as ever.

"Okay," Leonard said a short while later. "Go take a look at that one. I think I just might've gotten it this time."

"Then we can do a fishtail?" she asked, bouncing off the couch.

"We can sure as heck try."

Another squeal had him grinning as she flitted back into the bathroom.

Steeling a moment to sigh, Leonard ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what Jim had up his sleeve—if anything—but he couldn't see this ending in anything short of utter hell.

He could still remember what it felt like to walk in on Jocelyn that fateful night only to find her wrapped in the arms of someone else. If he hadn't been so bone tired from everything at the hospital and…other things…Leonard probably would've grabbed his shotgun and run them both off the property right then, right there. Instead, he'd simply collapsed against the doorframe, using up the very last of his strength to keep his knees from buckling.

That had been the real turning point, but if Leonard was being honest with himself, their relationship had been disintegrating long before that night.

She had been the one caught cheating—and not even trying very well to hide it, really—yet she'd convinced him that their failed marriage was his fault.

Most days, Leonard found he still believed her…

"Daddy!" Startled out of the past by the alarm in Jo's voice, Leonard shot to his feet. "There's a weird man in your bathroom!"

Anxiety quickly faded into humor as he made his way over to Jo.

"Look!" By the time he stood in the doorway, she was pointing her finger at a bewildered engineer. "He just came in! He didn't knock or anything!"

Leonard waved a hand. "That's just Scotty. This is his bathroom, too. We share it because, see over there?" He pointed to the open door across the floor. "That's his room."

"Is it as big as yours?"

"Nah," Leonard said with a smirk up at Scotty, crouching to Jo's level. "I think mine's bigger."

"Wait 'til I pull up a map, laddie. Then we'll see who's room is bigger." Within the span of a millisecond, Scotty's face went from indignant to utterly confused. "I feel lek I'm missing something here. What am I missing?"

"Jo, this is Montgomery Scott, our chief engineer. Scotty, this is my daughter, Joanna."

Scotty blinked for a moment, clearly trying to wrap his head around, well, everything. Before he could say much, though, Jo stuck out her hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Scott."

"Uh," he said, accepting her greeting with a shake, "you, too, lassie. And ye can jus' call me Scotty."

"Good, because your other name is too hard." Jo made a face, earning a hearty laugh from the Scotsman. "Look at my braid! Do you like it? Daddy did it for me."

As Scotty's brows shot up, Leonard rolled his eyes. "You did that?"

"What? Like it's hard? I'll have you know I used to be a pro."

"But he's out of practice," Jo whispered, cupping her hand to her mouth and turning to Scotty. "I don't think he even knows how to do a fishtail."

"Hey, I said we'd figure it out, right?"

Bending down, Scotty flashed Jo a very conspiratorial smile Leoanrd wasn't sure he cared for… "Why don't we show him how it's done?"

"Oh, don't tell me you know what she's talking about."

Scotty's smirk widened and he took Jo's hand, letting her lead him into Leonard's quarters.

"See," Scotty began once Leonard had joined them with crossed arms and a skeptical stare, "ye have tae know th'proper way tae start. After that, you're on Easy Street, so tae say."

"Do I even want to know where you learned how to do that?"

"Donae tell me ye never had a little sister."

"Well, sure," Leonard conceded, "but Donna would skin you alive if you so much as breathed on her hair. She was very… particular."

"Well," Scotty said, his fingers adeptly twisting up Joanna's dark locks, "my sisters made sure I knew how tae do their hair, jus' in case Ma wasn't around tae do it."

"Lucky you." But Leonard was smiling as he took a seat in the chair across from the couch.

"I wish I could have a sister," Jo pouted. "Mama says no."

And just like that, he felt his smile falter. Briefly meeting Scotty's gaze, he hoped the don't ask was written plainly across his face in big black letters.

Apparently, Scotty got the message and finished up the braid.

"All right there, little lass. Go take a look." The second Jo dashed back to the mirror, Scotty lowered his voice. "Where did she come from, Len?"

"Well, you see, when a mama and daddy love each other very much..." Indulging in a brief chuckle at the sight of Scotty's expression, Leonard shook his head. "She and my ex came along with the rescued tourists."

Scotty winced. "Sorry, lad, I didn't realize ye were separated."

"Divorced," Leonard corrected, trying to keep his tone light. "Apparently, the mama didn't love the daddy as much as she used to. But it's been over five years since, so..."

"That does'nae mean it stops hurting."

"Yeah, well..."

"Daddy!" The return of his baby gave the conversation a swift and merciful death. "Scotty is the bestest braider! He did it, he did it!"

Leonard laughed as Jo twirled around, showing off her hair. "I feel like I can't even be offended. How did you even do that?"

Scotty just smirked and wiggled his fingers. "That's nothing. Joanna, how would ye like a halo braid?"

"You mean like an angel?"

"Exactly. Here, I'll show ye. Doc, ye'd best pay attention so ye can learn a thing or two."

Scotty and Joanna were almost two peas in a pod. Watching their antics, Leonard was able to let go of the cloud of impending doom that hadn't left him since he'd learned of Jocelyn's presence on the ship.

For a short time, at least.

Once he tucked Joanna in for the night, however, the gloom returned like a blaster shot to the chest.

Jocelyn. He swallowed, staring down at his precious girl. She took everything.

And she's going to do it again.

Scotty's hand on his shoulder and a quick nod toward the doorway was an invitation Leonard wouldn't have refused on a good day, and in that moment, he practically melted into the suggestion.

"Did you two part on amicable terms?" Scotty asked as they settled in his quarters, both bathroom doors open so they could listen for Jo.

Readily accepting the glass of scotch, Leonard sighed. "Try the exact opposite end of the spectrum."

"Messy, then?"

"That's an understatement." The reminder that his only child slept in the next room was the only thing keeping him from downing the entire glass in one go.

"Ye mentioned th'girl's mother is here, too." Scotty took a sip of his own drink, eyes crinkled in empathy. "Where is she, if ye don't mind my asking."

"If I said who cares, would you think I'm an awful human being?" Another gulp warmed his chest. "Sorry, Scotty, it's just... Well, it's always been complicated with Jocelyn, but this afternoon, things got a whole lot worse and I don't know—" He cursed his voice for cracking and made a vain attempt to mend it with some more liquor. "I don't know what I'm gonna do."

"Ye don't have ta tell me a thing," Scotty said, voice soft and caring, "but if ye do, might ye start at th'beginning...?"

"Right, sorry." Massaging the growing creases between his eyebrows, Leonard took another sip or two.

Scotty had always been an easy soul to talk to. He didn't judge, didn't jump to conclusions, and he didn't try to fix everything all at once. He just... listened.

That mixed with the alcohol is why Leonard found himself spilling the entire story from the beginning. The beginning beginning. The one in which he met Jocelyn on karaoke night in a Nowheresville Georgia bar. How they had originally bonded over classic country music and their shared wanderlust.

He told Scotty about their whirlwind romance and the unexpected baby, the shotgun wedding and settling down into family life shortly after. About the dog and their beautiful ranch-style, only really skipping the part about Dad and—

Don't think about that right now.

Or ever.

How he came home to a cheater, to a broken heart, to a broken family.

How Jocelyn took everything from him before he could even catch a breath.

How Jim had found the bruises…

He shivered at the thought of the bruises, quickly downing the last of his drink.

"That's where we're at, Scotty," he said, his voice barely a whisper, throat raw from talking and eyes glassy with emotion. "That's where we're at…"

Scotty bit out a heavy curse before refilling Leonard's glass and placing another hand on his shoulder. He didn't say anything, but Leonard hadn't expected him to. In fact, he'd been hoping the Scotsman wouldn't.

Clinking his glass against Leonard's in a half-hearted cheers, Scotty took a drink.

Leonard followed suit, still keeping his baby in the back of his mind.

"That witch will'nae get away with this, laddie," came Scotty's soft reassurance a moment or two later.

"I hope you're right, Scotty. I hope you're right…"