A Mirror of Fate Stardate 2259.159

Elyse didn't want to, but she had no choice but to contact Pike. She needed to warn him about what was happening since he was due to arrive very soon and certainly wouldn't be expecting to see Kirk. She was pacing back and forth as he answered. "Christopher, we have a serious problem. Kirk...is alive."

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Scarlett had left the bridge, but Spock had not gone with her. She didn't like that and she wanted to know what was going on. However, she had just witnessed Kirk's wrath against Elyse and she did not want that inflicted upon herself. But Spock was hers and that gave her the courage to step back onto the bridge. She witnessed Spock performing a mind meld with Kirk. She didn't understand why Spock would be doing such a thing to him. Then, she saw that Spock was without his collar. "What's going on?"

McCoy didn't answer her. Spock saw it all. His childhood, his upbringing, his joining Starfleet. He saw himself, shaking hands with Kirk and the together on away missions. Kirk picking him off of the ground. Spock picking Kirk up off the ground. He also saw Amara and the love they shared. The Federation and all of the alien races that were joined together for mutual advantage. He let Kirk go.

"Scarlett," Kirk said. "Spock is to be my...advisor, he will not need the collar," Kirk said. "Spock and McCoy are both my advisors and will have the formal rank of Lieutenant," Kirk said. "Scarlett, go find Spock the proper uniform," Kirk said but Spock put a hand on his shoulder.

"That will not be necessary Captain, I will obtain my own uniform," Spock said. "Scarlett, the Emperor is coming, I need someone...to advise me. You will do. Come, lets greet him...you too doctor," Kirk said. He saw something flash between Scarlett and Spock but he wasn't certain what.

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"Kirk, is alive? Do you have any idea, what kind of position, this puts me in? I am commanded to release these weapons to Kirk. I am...disappointed in you Elyse. I had high hopes for us but now...now I have larger concerns to deal with. Don't speak to me again. If I need you, I will summon you," he said and the communication was quickly cut off.

Pike seethed and threw his glass across the room. "Emperor, shall we stop the delivery?" he asked. "No! We can't stop it! Prepare for our arrival!" He snapped and took hold of his anger.

Scarlett found herself becoming rather upset. She was in love with Spock and she feared that now that he had freedom that she would never be with him again. She feared she had just lost him. Spock was everything to her. Her parents were incredibly wealthy and never had time for her. They had focused all of their attention on Silas and as a result she had been very lonely. Spock had helped fill in that loneliness, but now he had no reason to stay with her. Spock would be able to see in her eyes everything she was suddenly feeling. She didn't say anything though. She just quickly moved past him.

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Elyse threw her communicator against the wall. She had just lost everything. Being the Captain of the Defiant...becoming Empress...even Leonard. She trembled with anger. She saw Nathan looking at her and he would know she was on the verge of doing something drastic.

"Elyse, we need to be smart about this. If you go after him now, when he has so much support...you won't survive...none of us will," Nathan warned. "There is something...odd...going on here. Kirk suddenly here? The testimonials to his death were...convincing and overwhelming," he said. "We need patience and select our moment. Things are changing and the Alliance is growing," He said.

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Spock decided not to go to Scarlett, not yet. She kept a collar on him and asked him if he loved her? An odd sentiment to a slave. The fact that he did love her though was even more surprising. But...now, what he has seen...he needed time to reflect on it. "If you excuse me Captain, I need to meditate," Spock said. Kirk nodded.

"Well Jim, you're the Captain now, shall we go see the Emperor?" McCoy asked. "Have him come to me," Kirk said and grinned as he moved back and sat on his throne? Well, it was a throne of sorts.

Elyse listened to Nathan and she slowly unclenched her fists. He was right of course, but that still didn't change her anger towards the situation she was now facing. She poured herself a drink and then poured one for Nathan. She handed him the glass and looked at him. "You're all I have left now."

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Scarlett eventually walked back onto the bridge. She saw Kirk glance her way, but she didn't say anything. She just sat down at her station to wait for the Emperor. A lot had happened in the last few hours that she was trying to process. Losing Spock though, that was a difficult thing for her to wrap her head...and her heart around.

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Amara eventually allowed herself to be led back to her quarters by Elyse. There was nothing she could do there in the Transporter room. Elyse started to leave, but Amara didn't want to be alone.

"No...please don't leave. I...I don't want to be alone right now."

"No, there are several of the crew who are still with you...and the Doctor," Nathan said. "Collar, no collar, he's still into you Elyse," Nathan said.

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The Emperor was met by a small Entourage...not an encouraging site. But, he didn't expect much, not now. He and his guard moved to the bridge. Kirk sat on his throne when the Emperor and his guard came in. Kirk stood and gave the salute along with McCoy and Elyse and the other bridge officers.

"I'm sorry there wasn't anyone to greet you properly. I've just come back from an attempted assassination," Kirk said. Pike feigned outrage. "What!? The attempted assassination on an Empire Captain!? Obviously some plot from the Alliance...I vow to you Kirk, when I get my hands on them...they will live the remainder of their lives in pain amplifiers!" Pike said. "I appreciate the sentiment Emperor, but you let me worry about the Alliance. I will crush them like I have before," he said. "Scarlett, get the Emperor some refreshment," Kirk said and gestured to his throne. "Please," Kirk said and Pike grinned as he sat down. His guard fanned over around him.

"So, you have something for me?" Kirk asked. "Indeed, Quantum Torpedoes, with 10 times the yield of a Photon Torpedo," he said. "Excellent, I will put them to good use," Kirk said.

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Elyse moved over to the replicator though she remarked at how nice the room was. 'Tea blend 56, hot," she said and a cup of herbal tea appeared. She brought it over to Amara.

"They wont stop until they find him Amara. Spock is convinced that James went somewhere," she said.

Elyse forced herself to return to the bridge with Nathan. She saw Leonard look over at her and she glanced at him as well. Elyse stood when Pike came in and she saluted. She hated the cold look he gave her and she began to truly fear for her life. Between Kirk, Pike, and those that supported Kirk she knew she needed to watch her back. Her grand plans of putting herself permanently in Pike's bed began to fade away. She didn't know what she was going to do now. 

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Amara gratefully accepted the tea. Much like Spock and Scarlett's quarters, Amara and James kept their quarters very private. It was their sanctuary and their place to truly be themselves. Since learning that they would never have children of their own, James and Amara's relationship became even stronger and more intimate as they poured their love into each other. However, James wasn't there and Amara couldn't stand the thought of being there alone. 

"Yes, but where and how will we find him or bring him back?"

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Amara was anxiously waiting for any news from Kal and his team that their mission to steal the Enterprise had been successful. Even though the ship wasn't well guarded, it was still going to be a dangerous mission and the thought of losing Kal after losing her parents and James was almost too much for Amara to take. She paced and chewed at her fingernails, a bad habit she had when she was anxious. One of their supply ships had arrived earlier and dropped off what supplies they had been able to smuggle. It wasn't nearly what they needed, but Amara knew they had to take what they could get.

It had been a tough fight and they lost 2 and 3 were injured, 1 critically but the Enterprise was theirs. The skeleton security that they encountered were not crack troops and Kal and his men had seized the ship. There were alot of desperately needed supplies as well and Kal had them beamed up to the ship as they got the engines running. The repairs had almost been complete, he was happy to find out. Certainly something they could manage. Kal was all in black and he took off his hood and his gloves. His rifle was still on his back as he stood at the Helm and disengaged the docking clamps. Another member of his team was at the science station. "Kal, I'm detecting 2 Terran ships enroute," he said. "Well, we won't be here for them to harrass...Engineering," kal said in the intercom. "We need to go," Kal said. "The Warp coils are heating up Kal, just another few minutes," he said. Then Kal began to think that this was all too easy. "Gail, are the internal sensors online?" he asked. "Yep, this ship is in great shape," she said. "Scan for anything unusual," he said.

She began the scan but that didn't stop him from leaving. "Battle stations, we're going to take out everything we can before we leave," Kal said. He shifted the weapons panel to his right and he piloted with his left. He grinned with the effort, he never felt more alive than he did at the helm of a ship like this. The ship pulled away from the space dock and he fired phasers at it and it went up in flames. He made a turn and took out another drydock and then another before he steered the ship away and went to high warp.

"Gail, mask our warp trail," Kal said. "Kal, there is a large wuantity of Veridium on the ship,"she said. "Well well, a Trojan Horse after all," he said. "Lester...lock on to the Viridium on board and beam it off the ship," Kal said. "I sir...uh Kal," he said.

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The Emperor spoke a bit more with Kirk but it was clear he really wanted to leave. Kirk offered to dine with him but he suspected that Pike thought he might try to poison him. That actually made Kirk laugh but it wasn't easy thinking that way about him. Pike had been his mentor and he was a good man. This Pike was not and he wasn't upset to see him go.

Late that evening Spock hit the chime on Scarlett's door.

Kirk wanted to find a way back. But he had no idea how. he wasn't a scientist. he decided to go to Elyse's quarters. Dangerous but he wanted answers. McCoy decided to go with him and besides their blades they were unarmed. He didn't need to chime, he just walked right in.

Scarlett was undressing for the evening. She heard the door chime and she put on her silk robe. She opened the door and was surprised to see Spock there. She suddenly felt awkward around him, which she didn't like, and she wasn't sure what to say. "Yes?"

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Elyse was still in uniform. Like in his world, Elyse was quite a beautiful woman, although here her eyes were much harder and colder. She was a woman of great ambition, but she was also talented and very good at her job. She looked over as her door opened and she stood when she saw Kirk and Leonard enter. She tensed up and immediately went on the defensive. She said nothing though. She just looked at him and waited for him to speak.

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When Amara saw Kal, she could tell by the grin on his face that they had been successful. His excitement was contagious and she grinned and laughed happily as he picked her up and spun her around. As he set her down, they shared a deep kiss. As their lips parted, he rested his forehead against hers and they just stood close together. "I was worried about you."

"May we...speak?" Spock said. When she didn't look like she was going to let him in he sighed, internally. "Please?" He said softly.

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"Elyse, How are you doing? I had an interesting discussion with the Emperor. They need someone to Captain a ship called Enterprise, do you know of it?" He asked.

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Kal was very happy with their success and having Amara to come home to made it all that much sweeter. "We took on a lot of supplies as well and destroyed 4 drydocks as we left. "We lost Rory and Valerie, hows Alex, did she keep her arm? she took glancing shot from a disruptor," he said. But he really didn't want to stop kissing her. He did though, eventually. "You were right, it was a trap. They stowed a large amount of Veridium in the cargo bay. We beamed it off. If we didn't look for it, it would have been easy to find this place," Kal said. "I sitll think we need to go through the ship more carefully," Kal said. "But not tonight...tonight...I'd just like to celebrate," Kal said as his hands moved to her hips.

Scarlett looked at him another moment before she stepped aside and let him in. The door closed behind her. She feared what he was going to say to her. He no longer had any reason to stay with her, so why would he? She wanted to try and delay that conversation for as long as possible. "Would you like some tea?" she asked, but then really didn't wait for him to respond. She just walked over to the replicator. Spock always got her tea for her so it was strange for her to get some for him. 

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Elyse found this conversation with Kirk very strange after what had happened on the bridge before. She eyed him suspiciously. "It's currently undergoing repairs."

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Amara smiled at Kal. The Alliance having possession of the Enterprise was going to be a huge boost for them. Their current ships were all much smaller and far less powerful. "Yes, I think we should celebrate," she said with a smile as she pulled gently away from him and went to go pour them each a glass of Romulan ale. Aurora was in her crib and woke up and began to fuss.

Spock waited for her to retrieve the tea and sat down with her. She knew the tea he liked, but he knew her to be a very intelligent woman. "You feel...threatened now that I no longer have the collar. You liked being in control," Spock said. "You know you didn't need the collar. I gave my word Scarlett. You Terrans are ruled by your own dispositions. You are not to be trusted and so you distrust everyone. A horrible way to live. These years we've learned alot about one another. You are an intelligent woman and a good scientist...when you care to be," He said.

"Kirk is not who you think he is. He is not like Elyse or the Emperor. And neither are you," he said. "Even as a slave, I've come to understand and care for you Scarlett. But I'm not certain you'd want things to continue without having power over me," Spock said.

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"It is but it's nearly finished. I know you were the one that tried to have me killed. But would you be satisfied with your own command, if its not the Defiant?" he asked. "I want to build my own fleet and use it against the Emperor," Kirk said.

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Kal stepped over and picked up the baby. She was a wee sweet thing. The baby appeared to be upset and he could guess why. "Aye, she's hungry," he said as he softly shook her which did seem to help a little. "She's a bueaty Amara," Kal said. "Like her mum," he said.

Scarlett was visibly surprised by what Spock said. She looked at him and then down. "To be honest, I feared you would leave me if I let you go. I truly didn't like having the collar on you, but why would you want to stay otherwise? You're all I really have. My parents could care less about me. I think they would have been happier if Silas had been born an only child. Without you...I would be alone."

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Elyse's confusion began to grow. First, he tells her that he knows it was her that tried to kill him, and then in the same breath he offers her her own ship to Command? However, it was the last thing he said that caused her to blink at him. "You want to build a fleet to use against the Emperor?"

Just then, Kirk's communicator went off. It was Ensign Uhura, who had taken over for Amara as Communications Officer. "Captain, we've just received word that the SS Enterprise has been stolen by the Alliance." 

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Amara smiled as Kal held Aurora. She gently took Aurora from him and handed him his drink. She turned her back to him as she fed her. However, she glanced over her shoulder at him. "I still haven't had any word from McCoy. I'm starting to get worried about him. I hope nothing has happened to him."

Spock's eyebrows drew up at Scarlett's question. "Why? because we're in love," Spock said plainly. "I know I do not show it but I have come to...appreciate our...quiet moments and I have come to desire them...and you," Spock said. "But, I am an alien. It will not help you to engage in a consensual relationship with me Scarlett," he said.

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"Understood, Kirk out," Kirk said. 'Well, that will complicate things. And yes, Pike has grown soft. And Finally, I find someone with the guts to try and take me out," Kirk said with a grin. "McCoy, go ahead and do that thing, we talked about, I'll catch up to you later," Kirk said and McCoy sighed and let himself out. He needed to put Nathan in the brig and he wouldn't need to beg for help to do that. Just about every woman on the ship wanted his hide flayed into strips for him.

"You're a...beautiful, young woman Elyse, doesn't it make sense that you're mate, is an attractive, young man? Someone who is strong enough to not just win you, but keep you," Kirk said as he began to pour on the charm. His eyes almost glittered as he smiled at her and he stepped up to her. Beefore she could do anything he reached up and took hold of her arms. His grip on her was like iron. "Together...we can overthrow the Emperor. And I will marry you and make you an Empress," Kirk said as he kissed her. Not a friendly kiss. A hard, passionate kiss. He imagined he was kissing Amara when he finally returned home.

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"McCoy can take care of himself. We've learned that there is a Klingon ship that has added itself to Elyse's fleet. I think we might be able to persuade its Captain to help us when we attack the Defiant. Our smaller, more nimble ships can move in close and make it hard for them to target them. McCoy can bring down their shields and we hit them with everything we got," Kal said as he took a sip of his drink.

Scarlett looked at Spock when he admitted that he loved her. She felt a few tears actually come to her eyes. “I don’t care if it will hurt me or not Spock. I love you and I need you in my life. We can leave...join the Alliance.”

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Elyse watched Leonard as he left her quarters. She knew her feelings for him ran deep, but she was beginning to suspect that perhaps he didn’t feel the same for her.

She looked back at Kirk and as he spoke she couldn’t hide the look of surprise on her face. Was he lying to her? Trying to trick her? But then when he kissed her she couldn’t help but imagine the two of them overthrowing Pike. Between the two of them it would be easy. As he pulled back from the kiss she looked at him. “You spurned my advances before.... What about your wife? She’s still out there with the Alliance.”

Spock looked into Scarlett’s eyes. She did sound serious. Almost desperate. But he had been at her beck and call for years. He would not forget how she had treated him and it was easy to say what one would do but doing it is another thing altogether.

“I think we could do some good here but I can’t forget how that collar felt,” he said. He hadn’t touched the tea, the tea wasn’t really what he wanted. He wanted to clear the air with Scarlett, but how to do that? “Perhaps though, the alliance is where we may end up or I fear there will be another collar,” Spock amended. He could sense how fast her heart was beating. And he also sensed his own. He needed her to understand that he was not her slave. He had to break her of that habit. The tea was a good start.

“I will stay here in your quarters. And ever night, when I come, you will disrobe and lay in your bed until I am ready for you,” Spock said without any emotion. He needed to know she was serious. Some humans dallied with aliens because it was a kind of perversion for them. He would not let her think that. And what they had was not perverted. Scarlett was a very beautiful woman but he was emotionally attached to her now. Even so he leaned back in his chair as he waited and sipped his tea.

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“My ‘wife’ picked the wrong side. Ambition can be applauded, lack of faith can not,” Kirk said. “If you agree I will make you my first officer. But things can not be what they were Elyse,” he said as he held her in his arms. “Your loyalists, I need you to make them out for me. Nothing will be done about them, I just want to know you’re with me. If we fight and go against one another, all we’ll ever be is what we are now. And I want more,” Kirk said. “Now, I know you and McCoy are a thing. I can live with that as long as you’re my number one,” Kirk said. “I’ve put Nathan in the brig, his actions against the crew have made it impossible for them to be objective toward him. We need discipline, and accountability. No more plotting against one another. We are an arrow, aimed at the Emperor,” Kirk said.”You have much to gain if you stay with me and much to lose if you don’t, it’s your choice but you can not refuse to pick a side,” Kirk said and then kissed her again and took a few liberties with her. He had always wanted to touch her. When he pulled back he looked at her. “I’ll send the doctor to talk to you if you’d like,” Kirk said.

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The next day Amara finally received a communication from McCoy.

‘Kirk Is alive, those reports were wrong. He has taken control of the Defiant and the Emperor has delivered the new Torpedoes to his ship. He has a Klingon battlecruiser at his command as well, and intends on loading the new torpedoes onto his ship. If we added the Enterprise, we’d have 3 ships with the new torpedoes. Kirk is having Scotty reverse engineer them’

It felt strange, hearing such orders come from Spock. Spock had always done as she had commanded, but now she felt the tables had turned. She knew why he felt he needed to do this. Not to embarrass her, but to re-balance the power between them. Scarlett had solely held it for many years, and now it would be Spock's turn for a time. In the end, the power would balance itself out. 

She felt his eyes on her. There was a lack of emotion in his voice, but the emotion was still there...hanging in the air between them. Spock was waiting to see what she would say, but she decided not to speak...but to act. She stood and before his eyes she began to undress. She removed every piece of clothing and then she moved to her bed and laid there. Scarlett came from an extremely wealthy and powerful family. She could have easily acquired a new Vulcan slave if that had been what she truly wanted. However, what she was doing would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she truly loved Spock and would do whatever it took to remain with him.

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Elyse went to bed that night with many thoughts swirling around in her head. Killing Pike...marrying Kirk and becoming Empress. However, at the back of her mind Leonard was always there. She didn't smile when she thought about marrying Kirk, but she did smile when she thought about marrying Leonard. However, she would no longer (and could no longer) force him to be with her. If he didn't care about her then there was nothing she could do about it. 

The next morning Elyse went to Kirk and handed over the list of her loyalists. 

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That night, Amara had fallen asleep in Kal's arms. Nothing sexual had happened between them, but just being in his arms was comforting. The following morning, after Kal had left, Amara finally received word from McCoy. However, his communication was not quite what she had anticipated. She nearly fell over when she read that Jim was alive. She needed to talk to him...in person. 

She communicated back to McCoy and told him that she needed to talk to Jim in person. She have him the exact coordinates to transport him to, with strict instructions not to let him see the coordinates. Amara loved her husband, but she wasn't certain she could fully trust him and she wasn't ready to reveal yet that the Alliance base was on Vulcan. The coordinates would put him directly in her quarters.

Spock took his time and drank his tea as he looked at Scarlett. He said nothing as he idly sat there and enjoyed the view. He could tell that what was happening bothered her but she continued to just lay there like that for him. When he had finished his tea he stood and disrobed. Again not in any real hurry and even in the dim light he saw enough of her body to excited him. He liked how pink her cheeks were as if she were embarrassed to be viewed by him. He drew up toward the bed and he saw her eyes shift to take him in. All of him and then she looked up to his face. She would not see any emotion on his face. But his body had reacted to seeing her. He laid down atop her and then proceeded to make love to her, long into the night.

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The Defiant was patrolling near the old Klingon border. There were still some colonies and often Empire ships would patrol there to show their superiority. Kirk was just playing the game they’d have him play, for now. Kirk accepted the list and he decided to disperse them as thinly as possible by changing duty shifts around. Elyse was still a full Commander and he had officially instated her as the executive officer. The policy of...taking liberties with lower ranking personnel was abolished and anyone caught acting without honor was subject to review and punishment.

Everyone in the Pain amplifiers had been remanded to the brig and only those loyal to Kirk watched over them. He did not want to suddenly have dead prisoners and he had no time to review their situations. Kirk had met up with Scotty and Keenser who had been reinstated in Engineering and he had Scotty supervise the installation of the new warheads into interchangeable magazines where he could swap back to Photon Torpedos if he wanted to. He told Scotty he’d try to get Sofia back but without know where the ship she was on, was, it would be difficult.

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Kal had been avoiding Amara. Once the Alliance found out about Kirk being alive, he didn’t feel right about what they had been doing. He had thought about them being together and being Aurora’s father but now that just wasn’t going to happen. It wasn’t resentment that kept him away, it was, in his opinion, just the right thing to do. Amara had tried to contact him but he didn’t answer when he knew it was her. He signed up for as many patrols as he could get. They had 3 ships that could cloak, 2 older Klingon Birds of pray and a newer Romulan Scout ship. He preferred the older Klingon ships, they were a bit larger and much more well armed. Cloaked patrols had engaged Empire ships in the past after they jammed their communications first. This was one of the main reasons they were able to remain where they were for so long.

Doctor Lagasho, an Orion was the chief doctor for the Alliance and she and Amara had become close over the last year. They told one another everything and had known of Kal’s interest in her months ago but said nothing in hopes it would phase out. When Kirk died she was pleased that Amara seemed to accept him, especially for the baby’s sake but now, she worried that Amara might feel awkward about him and Kal would feel awkward toward her. She came in to check out the baby.

“Well, she’s a healthy little girl, Amara,” Jidda said. “Have you heard from Kal? I haven’t seen him in a couple of days,” she asked offhandedly as if it wasn’t all that important. “He seemed...quite taken with Aurora,” she said as she put away her tricorder into its case. They didn’t have alot of them to go around so they had to be careful with them.

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That evening McCoy had gotten up the courage to talk to Elyse but he wouldn’t do it in public. He hit the door chime on her door.

Doctor Lagasho had been the one to deliver Aurora three months ago and Amara couldn't believe how big she was getting already. It relieved her to know that she was healthy. "She certainly has a healthy pair of lungs," Amara joked as she took Aurora back into her arms. She looked over at Jidda and sighed a little as she thought about Kal. "He's doing some patrols. I think he's avoiding me now that we know Jim is still alive. I'm actually meeting with Jim tonight on the Romulan scout ship. I'm going to bring Aurora with me. He deserves to at least meet his daughter." 

She put Aurora back into her carrier and she looked at her. "I will admit that I have feelings for Kal...possibly deep feelings...I mean how could I not after everything we've been through. But Jim being back complicates things."

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Later that evening Amara boarded the Romulan scout ship with Aurora and she took it to the meeting coordinates. The ship was cloaked, but Jim had the exact coordinates to be transported inside the ship. Through McCoy, he had agreed not to share the coordinates with anyone and to come alone. The ship was in place and now she just waited to see if he would come.

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Elyse was back in her quarters. She was still in uniform and was going through reports. She looked up when she heard the door chime. "Come in."

Kirk wasn't certain about this but McCoy was insistent. Kirk knew if he was going to add the Alliance into his plans, he needed to speak to them. Well, now he had the opportunity and he understood the need for secrecy. If anyone caught wind of this they just might kill him.

McCoy operated the transporter himself and he beamed Kirk over to the coordinates Amara gave him. He was prepared to beam him back quickly incase she wasn't there. Kirk materialized on the bridge of the small, Romulan ship. To his surprise, Amara was there waiting for him. "Amara?" Kirk asked not expecting to see her but then, this was't 'his' Amara. He could tell by how her eyes looked. This one, looked...older, as if stress and a hard life had been the way of it for her. It didn't stop him from moving and hugging her fiercely though. He felt her hugging him back.

"This is dangerous Amara," he said but then she pulled back and kissed him. Her kiss was the same. Soft and warm and urgent. And her brilliant blue eyes. Kirk wondered what the Kirk was like here? Did he look older to? "It's been too long," he said as he brushed her hair back and held her face in his hands. He smiled a swarm, loving smile.

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McCoy sighed and came in and let the door close behind him. He turned and locked it incase anyone else could just waltz in on them. "You doing your own reports now? Well that's progress," McCoy said dryly. "I came to gloat, if you're wondering why I'm here. I asked Kirk to put you in a collar for a few years to see how you liked it but he refused. I don't know why, you tried to have him killed. Are you fucking Nathan?" McCoy asked all of a sudden. "And the Emporer?" He added peevishly like it all still made him angry. Which it did.

Amara was pacing and, as usual, chewing at her fingernails, but then suddenly he appeared. At first, she was afraid to believe it was truly him. However, as he stepped over to her and pulled her into his arms and hugged her, she melted against him. She wanted to kiss him...she needed to kiss him. She pulled back and pressed her lips against his. She felt him kiss her back. A warm, familiar feeling of love swept through her as their kiss continued and all too quickly it was over. She looked up into his eyes. "Nine months," she said. "And then you had to go and die on me. I can't explain the pain I felt when I learned the news. It was as if someone had reached into my chest and pulled out my heart."

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Elyse looked up at Leonard. She was rather surprised to see him in her quarters. She just sat there quietly while he spoke. She waited until he had finished before finally speaking. "I was," she told him honestly. "But I'm not anymore. What does it matter to you?"

Ok, now it was the moment where he could tell her the truth or lie to her. In their universe he would never like to Amara unless it was critical that he did. Here, now...he wan't certain that it 'was' critical. He was going to find a way back and then there would be no Kirk here. Everyone would need to get used to that. Kirk kissed her several more times and then she kissed him. He missed Amara...so very much. Having her here, his or not, was comforting. She even smelled the same.

"I need to tell you...alot Amara. And our time is short," Kirk said.

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"So i didn't even have that part of you. Well, I don't know why I should be surprised or bothered by that but I am. I'm not certain I factored into your plans at all," McCoy said. but knowing that she was having sex with so many people, probably even more than that, made a bitterness enter into his voice.

"Did you care for me at all!? Or was it all just, some sick game for you!?" McCoy asked angrily.

Amara shook her head. "No, I have something...no, someone to show you," she said with a smile on her face. It was then that James might notice the carrier on the floor a little ways away. She crouched down and picked something up and then walked back over to him. Looking down into her arms, James would see an infant...no more than 3 months old. She was slowly waking up, but she didn't cry. She smiled at him. "Jim, this is your daughter...Aurora."

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Elyse stood up and looked at Leonard. She was extremely confused. "Of course I cared about you, but you didn't care about me. I tried to get you to love me, but every time you would look at me I only saw contempt. You have your freedom now so why are you here?"

McCoy laughed. "Love you? With a collar around my throat? With your hand on the punish me now button 24 7? You know I wanted to go to the alliance. If you couldn't let me go you should have done what you thought was right and stopped me. Not hold me prisoner...for years," McCoy said. "Did it give you pleasure to hurt me whenever I crossed you?" McCoy growled. He couldn't help it but he was getting angry. "You turned me into an animal and laughed at me. How is that supposed to make me love you?" he asked forcefully. "You were so blinded by your ambition that you did not see," McCoy said.

Kirk's eyes grew large and his heart skipped a few beats. His mouth curled up into a smile the moment she set her into his arms. "Aurora?" he asked as he shifted back the swaddling. She was a very cute baby and Kirk's eyes welled up. He knew his Amara would never get pregnant. In this moment, he wished that she was. "She's beautiful," Kirk said and kissed her cheek. The baby was sleeping soundly and cooed every now and again.

Elyse looked at Leonard. "I stopped you from going over to the Alliance to save your life. Nothing I've ever done has been good enough to gain the love from my parents. Pike...Nathan...neither of them cared about me either. I wanted someone for once in my life to actually care about me instead of just use me." When Leonard pointed out that she was using both Pike and Nathan as well tears actually came to her eyes. "Because it's all I know how to do. I didn't grow up in a family that showed love. Ruthless ambition was ingrained into me. Do you think I truly like being the person that I am? No, I hate her with every fiber of my being, but I don't know how else to be. I...I'm sorry for what I did to you. I know you won't believe me and I know its not enough...but I am sorry."


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Amara smiled as she watched Jim with Aurora. "Your mom and I have decided that she has your nose. I was afraid you might never meet her, but now we can end this and the three of us can be a family." She smiled at him. "So, how does it feel to be a father?"