Note, this is just us ranting. If you scroll down a bit you shall be able to read our story. But why wouldn't you want to read our rants? It's pretty awesome. Just for the record.

Raxsah: Hello, Welcome to our little world!
Jeck: Controlled and run by none other than the Queen of All Things, I mean… yeah, no that's what I meant.
Raxsah: Yeah, I don't know what to say to that. I mean, I AM the Queen, but… well… ANYWAY! If you didn't know by now, you are about to read a Star Trek story.
Jeck: No really?
Raxsah: Yeah, really. It's a magical tale, filled with many original characters, drama, romance, action, fluff, and inappropriate jokes that make many people uncomfortable in regular society.
Jeck: And pudding, lots and lots of pudding filled fun.
Raxsah: Dude, the pudding isn't even in this chapter, it doesn't come in till next chapter… I think…
Jeck: Maybe? Perhaps… well, it's a major part in this story at least! Probably more important than both of our characters!
Raxsah: … yeah, I can't deny that. But pudding is fucking amazing.
Jeck: I know, you ate some like a half hour ago.
Raxsah: Creeper. ANYWAY, we have decided we should probably warn you about this story.
Jeck: We have potty mouths. :D
Raxsah: And VERRY dirty minds.
Jeck: And very bad spelling, apparently.
Raxsah: Only sometimes…
Jeck: It's sad that spellcheck just fixed what you typed… HOW IS SPELLCHECK NOT A WORD!?!?!?
Raxsah: IDK???!!!! Oh, we're very random and get off topic A LOT!!!
Jeck: And when we say off topic, we mean into Sarah's pants in which case we get into a lot. lol
Raxsah: Only on Thursdays.
Jeck: Wait a second…
Raxsah: SO ANYWAY, We hope you enjoy this story, and… stuff.
Jeck: Yeah, we don't really own Star Trek and there are a shit load of trekkies would shoot us with their phaser thingys to get the rights to it. Everything else, we'll go ninja on their asses to keep. Like the plot and the characters and shit that aren't part of Star Trek.
Raxsah: Can we own Chris Pine? He's not part of Star Trek.
Jeck: That's called slavery.
Raxsah: Right… so… We don't own Chris Pine?
Jeck: No, we don't. That cardboard cut out that you sleep with every night doesn't count.
Raxsah: Damn. =( Oh well… We like Reviews, they make us happy.
Jeck: And for the record, we're two separate people. Not someone with a major disorder.
Raxsah: Not that there is anything wrong with major disorders… we just… don't… have one… right?
Jeck: LET'S START THE STORY NOW!
Raxsah: o.O

Chapter 1: Take It To The Limit

This day was the day that every cadet waits for. At least, that's what they told her. She wasn't so sure that was the case for her. She stood next to her brother, his stony grey eyes staring at their Platoon Sergeant as he yelled out ship assignments. She pressed her lips together and faced forward once more, her hands desperately trying to pull her skirt down so it appear as short.

"Conaway, Ryan… U.S.S. Berlin," the Platoon Sergeant called. Claire glanced up at her older brother and smiled. She was glad that he had gotten the ship he wanted.

"Conaway, Claire… U.S.S. Enterprise." Claire didn't fail to notice the looks of some of the cadets sent her way. Almost everyone who was assigned to a ship practically begged to serve upon the Enterprise and she just happened to be lucky enough to actually get the chance. Although, she could not say that she truly cared.

"Alright, that is everyone. Tomorrow you will report to your assigned ships and will depart. Enjoy your last night as cadets. Godspeed." All the cadets broke away and Ryan looked down at his sister.

"Well, I'm glad you got assigned to the ship you wanted. I'm sure half of the cadets in our year would kill to serve on the Enterprise. You're one lucky duck." Ryan smiled as he ruffled his sister's light blonde hair.

"Stop that, you know I hate it when you do that!" She exclaimed as she batted his hand away. He merely laughed as he pulled away.

"Well, who knows how many more times I'll be able to do that? We probably won't be seeing each other for awhile after tomorrow. I bet you'll miss it," he remarked with a cocky attitude as he ran a hand through his spiked dirty blonde hair. As much as she hated to admit it, she would. She had been with him since she was born, and she couldn't remember a time where she wasn't with him.

"Hmm, well, I might miss it. I'd say I'd miss it in a few more weeks." Ryan chuckled as he draped an arm over his sister's shoulders in a brotherly fashion.

"Don't deny it, you'll miss me. Who else is going to get your butt in gear when you start to slack off? Especially on the Enterprise," Ryan told her. She made a face even though she knew it was the truth.

"I'll live… for a bit. How about you? Do you like your assignment?" She asked as they exited out of the ship bunker.

"I couldn't be happier. I've been trying to get on the U.S.S. Berlin since our second year at the academy. Some of the best up and coming engineers are on that ship," he explained as they continued to wander through the halls of Starfleet Academy. It had been his dream since one of his best friends in their second year of the academy was assigned to it. Griffin had told him nothing, but good things about the Berlin and Ryan had made it his goal to join him.

"Yeah, I know. You wouldn't shut up about it for three whole years!" Claire gently elbowed her brother in the side and he removed his arm.

"At least I had a goal. You've just been cruising through your medical courses since you got here. Maybe serving on the Enterprise will keep my little sister in line," Ryan said hopefully. The truth was that he worried about her. She didn't really seem to have much of a direction, other than doing something in the medical field. She also tended to get herself into some trouble with her friends.

"Yeah, maybe. Hey, I was talking with Trisha and she wanted to know if you are free. A bunch of people are going to the local bar to celebrate graduation, are you in?" she asked, changing the subject. Ryan gave a heavy sigh as he pulled away from his sister.

"You want to go out and drink the day before you have to show up for duty?" Claire raised an eyebrow then nodded.

"Uh, yeah," she said. She knew her brother tended to shy away from the party scene, being a bit more interested in his car than partying. However, she knew that he needed to get out and have a drink every now and then. She also knew that is she begged him enough, he would cave.

"I don't know, Claire…" She stood in front of him and gave him the best puppy dog eyes she could.

"Please Ryan. I heard some of the crew members from the ships might be out enjoying a few bars themselves. You might meet Griffin there, or better yet, a crew member from the Berlin," she said, trying to persuade him. Twenty-two years she had been making him cave with that look and he was still no where close to resisting. With a heavy sigh, he nodded.

"Fine, alright. But I'm not going because you used that face. I'm going to try to find Griffin or another engineer from the Berlin," he told her, trying to defend his masculinity. She rolled her eyes, knowing full well that the puppy dog look still worked.

"Whatever you say, Ry."

Later That Night

"You know I hate you, right?" Ryan mumbled as they drove into the parking lot of the bar. Claire smiled from behind the wheel as she pulled into a parking spot.

"It wasn't that bad," she tried to reason, but he shook his head.

"I am never letting you drive my car again. All the time I spend on this baby and you only end up driving on the rode half of the time!" He exclaimed, jumping out from the passenger's side of the car. He quickly walked around his car, making sure that there were no dents or nicks in it. Claire crossed her arms and watched as her brother surveyed the car, every now and then stopping at a certain area.

"There is nothing wrong with your car, Ryan. Honestly, it wasn't that bad!" She told him.

"You were going to race a police officer if I hadn't stopped you!" He snapped, his eyes stopping at what looked to be a small scratch. He gave a sigh of relief when he realized it was only the reflection of a light.

"He was asking for it. Gosh, it's just a car!" Claire said, turning around and heading toward the bar. Ryan followed after her.

"It is not just a car. I worked forever on that thing!" Claire shook her head.

"You are so exaggerating. Come on; let's just go have some fun." Ryan ran a hand through his hair, but entered the bar with her nonetheless. Claire immediately saw Trisha and the rest of her friends. She gave her brother one last look before running over to join them. Ryan sighed and gave the bar a once over.

"Well, it's better than spending the night alone, I guess," he muttered to himself as he approached the bar.

Claire walked up to her friends and smiled. Trisha smiled and pulled her friend into a hug.

"Everyone, the newest doctor on the U.S.S. Enterprise has arrived!" The rest of the people at the table cheered.

"Congratulations, Claire. Who would've thought that the laziest doctor in Starfleet could've made her way onto one of the top ships of the fleet?" Samuel, her friend from the science department, said.

"How did you do it?" Another girl, Crystal, asked.

"Well, shit happens when you sleep with the Admirals," Trisha told them. They all laughed and Claire shook her head.

"Oh come on, Claire… we're just joking." Claire smirked.

"Whatever, you're all just jealous that I happen to be the lucky one and you all get shitty assignments." The group laughed and ordered a round of drinks.

"Here's to getting shitty assignments!" Trisha toasted.

"To shitty assignments!" The rest of the group cheered.

Ryan glanced over at his sister's group of friends, already foreseeing that he would be driving her home tonight. He could only pray that she would not throw up in his car. Again.

"Don't look so stressed out. You're in a bar, for Christ's sake!" Ryan looked up from his beer to see one of his oldest friends walking up to him. Griffin had let his chocolate brown hair grow out a bit and his bangs were pushed to one side to reveal his icy blue eyes.

"I'm not stressed out. Just a concerned older brother," Ryan explained, nodding to his sister and her friends. Griffin glanced over at their table before turning back to Ryan.

"Dude, you need to lighten up. The two of you were assigned to different ships. You can't always be there to protect her." Ryan nodded as Griffin sat down next to him.

"Wait a second, how did you know we were assigned to different ships?" Ryan asked. Griffin chuckled.

"I overheard today in the ship bunker. I was actually talking to the chief engineer of the Enterprise, Montgomery Scott," Griffin informed him as he took a drink. Ryan stopped mid-sip of his beer.

"The Montgomery Scott? You know him?" Ryan asked excitedly.

"Yeah, the Enterprise once helped the Berlin when we were attacked by Klingons. He's actually around her somewhere." Griffin didn't have to look too far before Montgomery Scott made his appearance.

"Griffin, old boy, how have you been?" He asked, offering Griffin a handshake.

"Mr. Scott," Griffin greeted with a smile as he took Montgomery's hand in his own.

"It's Scotty around here." Griffin nodded.

"Scotty, I'd like you to meet one of my best friends, Ryan Conaway. He's a new engineer on the Berlin, one of the best in my opinion." Scotty looked over at Ryan and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you. I believe Griffin has said a thing or two about you before!" Ryan seemed to beam at this information.

"Really? That sure was nice of him." Ryan replied as Griffin gave him nod from his seat.

"Of course. Ryan graduated at the top of his engineering class and he'll be joining me on the Berlin tomorrow morning." Scotty nodded as he put back a shot of vodka.

"Good to hear. There are never enough engineers in the universe. Things go wrong and it's your job to sort them out. None of these starships would be nearly as successful without a well bodied engineer to keep them running smoothly," Scotty informed the two younger engineers. Griffin put a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"This Conaway is going to do great things in the engineering field." Griffin stated.

"This Conaway? There's more?" Scotty asked as he turned his attention to Ryan. Ryan scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah, I have a sister. She's in the medical field. Actually, she's been assigned to the Enterprise." Scotty looked a bit surprised, but nodded.

"Really? Huh, wait. You know, I think I heard someone mention her. I'm not too sure. Well, I hope she's ready for what's ahead of her. Serving on the Enterprise is quite exciting," Scotty muttered. Ryan nodded and took a glance at his sister, who was laughing with a bunch of her friends.

"I hope so too," he muttered. Griffin noticed the look on his friend's face and quickly changed the subject, letting his friend get distracted in conversation with one of his idols.

Claire began laughing hysterically at a joke her friend told them, though she was sure that most of the reason she that it was so funny was because of the small amount of alcohol in her system. When she was finished laughing, Claire took a glance at her brother, smiling when he saw he was talking to two men. It was good to know that he could still have a good time.

"Claire, I'm going to miss you!" cried Trisha while latching onto her arm. Claire laughed lightly at her friend, contributing her sudden touchy feely mood to the many margaritas she had just downed.

"I'm going to miss you too, Trish," Claire told her best friend as she tried to pry her arm free.

"No, don't leave me!" Some of the other people in the bar shot her strangle looks, but Trisha completely ignored them.

"I'm not going anywhere yet. I just like having feeling in my arm." Samuel grabbed Trisha's collar.

"Come on Trisha, let go." Reluctantly, Trisha let go of Claire's arm and decided instead to rest her head on her friend's shoulder.

"You know Claire-bear; some hottie at the bar keeps looking over at you," Trisha slurred at Claire. She looked up and noticed the man at the bar was indeed staring at her.

"He's probably still in his third year at the academy and wants to try his luck with older women," Crystal said nonchalantly as she sipped her drink. Samuel shook his head.

"Actually, I think that's Captain Kirk." Claire blushed at the thought of the Captain Kirk even looking her up. She knew he was probably looking at someone else, but liked to entertain the thought of it for a while.

"Hmm, well… he must be really drunk if he keeps looking at me," Claire said, taking a sip of her drink. Trisha shook her head.

"Claire, you're totally hot! If I were a lesbian, I would fuck you. Even if your boobs aren't as big as mine." Samuel rolled his eyes.

"Trisha, now you're just embarrassing yourself. How do you expect to wake up tomorrow?" He asked.

"With the help of a lot of alarm clocks going off and my roommate," Trisha replied. Claire was about to say something, when someone walked up to their group.

"Hello, ladies… and guys," Crystal turned around and her jaw dropped. Claire was also a little dumbstruck. In front of them stood the one and only, Captain Kirk. His bright blue eyes shinned though the dim lights of the bar. She felt her stomach tighten just at the sight of him.

"Captain Kirk," Samuel spoke, since none of the women seemed capable to. Kirk nodded to at him and walked up to Claire's seat. Her heart began to speed up a bit as he got closer, and she was sure that the funny feeling in her stomach was only getting worse.

"And who are you?" He asked in a seductive tone of voice. Claire stared for a minute, her vocal chords failing to respond to the question that needed to be answered. Her whole body felt like it was on fire.

"That's Claire. And she's single," Trisha interjected without a moment's hesitation. Kirk smiled.

"Really? I'm single too, imagine that!" Claire managed to get a laugh to slip through her lips, which she was slightly thankful for. The warm feeling that had spread throughout her body seemed to get worse and worse as Kirk leaned in closer and closer.

"Imagine that," she repeated, not sure how to reply. Kirk moved so he was standing between her seat and the seat next to her's.

"So, what is a cadet such as yourself doing here while being single and stunning." Claire turned a light red and shrugged, trying to regain control of the situation.

"Enjoying my last night on earth, I suppose," she answered. She looked past the Captain to her friends, who were all smirking and silently laughing at her.

"Last night? So does that mean you have been assigned a ship?" She nodded.

"Yes, Captain Kirk," she answered.

"Please… call me Jim," he instructed her. She heard her friends giggle, but decided to ignore them.

"Okay, Jim. Yeah, I was assigned to the Enterprise today. So tonight's my last night on earth," Claire explained as Kirk signaled for more drinks to their table.

"Well, lucky me then. I'll be happy to have you as a part of my crew. So, what's your field?" His voice was almost a whisper, but it might just have sounded that way to Claire whose heartbeat echoed through her ears.

"I'm a d-doctor." For once in her life, Claire found herself stuttering. Trisha laughed at her best friend's behavior and let out a little snort, causing everyone at the table to look at her. At the distraction, Kirk's arm found its way to the small of Claire's back. When she didn't protest, Kirk just smiled. From across the bar, Griffin caught sight of Claire.

"So Ryan, why don't you tell Scotty here about how you wrote an essay on his theories for your final engineering paper?" Griffin suggested, trying to distract Ryan from noticing his sister and the man practically hanging off of her.

"Really? That sounds interesting. I'd love to hear about it some other time. Tonight is a night for relaxing. I'm actually here with Captain Kirk." Ryan nodded and glanced around the bar looking for the Captain. His eyes stopped when they reached his sister.

"Excuse me, Mr. Scott. There's something I need to take care of." Griffin cringed as Ryan slammed his drink down on the table and marched over to his sister's table. Griffin rubbed his temples. It was going to be a long night.

"Where is he off to?" Scotty asked. Griffin ran a hand over his face and watched as his friend made his way toward his sister.

"He's off to make an ass out of himself and get landed in the brig, that's where."

Ryan crossed the room, practically shoving people out of the way. He thought that perhaps he had been mistaken when he saw his sister from across the room, but it was not the case. He saw the man's hand inching slightly lower than the small of her back and felt his hands clench into fists, practically drawing blood. He walked up to them and all her friends became silent. Claire noticed the silence and turned around.

"Oh hey Ryan, you having fun?" Claire asked. She seemed to have just noticed the Captain's arm around her and turned red. This sight made Ryan clench his fists even harder.

"Up until just recently," he hissed through his teeth. Jim turned around and offered him a smile.

"I thought you said you were single?" He asked as a smirk plastered itself on his face when he saw Claire turn scarlet. Claire might not have known how the legendary Captain Kirk was among women, but Ryan knew and he wasn't about to let him try and take advantage of his sister.

"She is single. And that's not going to change because of some womanizer like you," Ryan spat as he shoved Jim away from his sister.

"Well if she's single, then I see no problem here." Jim shoved Ryan back, taking a step closer to Claire.

"Actually there's a big problem here. YOU!" Ryan bellowed as he swung his fist at Jim, who wasn't expecting it. A sickening crunch was heard as Ryan's fist connected with his nose and blood began leaking out onto Jim's shirt.

"Aw, this was a new shirt too," Jim whined as he looked down at his shirt. Ryan went to through another punch, but Jim caught it, pushed his fist aside, and threw a punch of his own into Ryan's stomach. Ryan let out a small grunt and fell to the ground while Jim threw another punch at his face. Ryan's head jerked at the impact and paused for a moment before kicking Jim in the knee. Ryan quickly got to his feet, prepared for anything that Jim was going to throw at him.

Another punch flew toward Jim and he fell against a group of cadets. Ryan positioned himself ready to punch him again and Jim mimicked the action. Jim threw the first punch and Ryan blocked it before throwing one at his jaw, which hit its target. Jim stumbled back before faking one punch and punching Ryan in the side, causing him to fall back on the table. Before Ryan could retaliate, a few cadets stepped in and restrained both men.

"Dude, just breathe," Griffin said to Ryan, who was still trying to punch the Captain in the face.

"What the hell, Ryan?" Claire snapped. Ryan spat out a mouthful of blood before turning to his sister.

"Captain Kirk is just a womanizing fool. He only wanted you for sex," he explained, but Claire just stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm twenty-two years old, Ryan. I can take care of myself and make my own decisions. If I wanted to sleep with him, it would be my decision, not yours." Ryan just looked down in shame as Claire continued to scream at him. Jim smiled as the cadets let him go.

"Well if you'd like to sleep with me, let's go," he told Claire, his arrogant smile returning to his face. Griffin had to tighten his grip on Ryan as the younger man tried to break free again. Claire's face went red, realizing what she just said in front of the entire bar, including Jim.

"Let me go, Griffin. I'm going to break his face!" Ryan cried as another cadet helped Griffin pull Ryan away from the scene.

"You need some air, man," Griffin said, pulling Ryan towards the door.

"No, I need to beat the living shit out of Kirk!" All the patrons turned back to Claire and Jim as Ryan's voice became a mere echo from the front door.

"Older brother?" Jim asked as he returned to Claire's side. She ran a hand through her blonde hair and nodded.

"Yup, that'd be him," she muttered. She turned a deep scarlet as everyone in the bar continued to look at her. She turned to Samuel, who gave a small nod.

"Alright, show's over! Go back to your drinks and whatever else you were doing!" The bar slowly turned back to what they were doing and it was then that she felt an arm on her waist. She turned to Jim, who was smiling down at her.

"So, about that whole sleeping with me…" She turned red and shrugged his hand away. The more he was around her, the more intoxicated she seemed to feel, even without alcohol.

"Oh, um well… You see I was just trying to… uh. You know what; I think I'd better go see how my brother is doing. Excuse me, sir." She tried to turn away, but was pulled back by the Captain.

"Well wait, would it be so bad for you to come back to my place?" If it were possible, her face became redder.

"Well, um…Captain, you're my boss, and I really don't want to sleep with my boss, so excuse me," she said, pulling away and practically running out of the bar to where her brother currently was.

"Let me go, Griffin! I swear to God if that son of a bitch even thinks of touching her, he won't be able to walk for a week!"

"Chill out. Jesus Ryan, you trying to wake up half of the academy?" Ryan glanced over at her.

"You're not sleeping with him?" Claire rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm not going to sleep with him. I'm not a fan with sleeping with my future boss," she said, walking over to the two men. "Hi Griffin, it's nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too, Claire," Griffin said as he wrapped his arms around the younger girl.

"How's life on the Berlin been treating you?" Claire asked as they pulled away, completely ignoring her fuming older brother.

"Great! I was meaning to tell Ryan this too, before he attacked Captain Kirk, but I was just made chief engineer of the Berlin yesterday," Griffin told them proudly. Ryan stopped plotting Kirk's death for a moment to pat his best friend on the back.

"That's awesome, man. I'm glad they see what an amazing engineer you are!" Griffin nodded as Claire attacked him with a hug.

"I'm so happy for you, Griffin. That's great news!" She told him as she let go. Griffin nodded.

"Yeah, I thought so too. You know, it's getting kind of late. You two might to start thinking about heading home. Your first day on a new starship is probably going to be the toughest." Claire nodded and looked over her brother.

"Good idea. Ryan, if you want, I can heal those up for you. It would only take a few minutes." Ryan nodded and looked at Griffin.

"I'll see you tomorrow, man," he said, pulling him into a hug. Griffin pulled away and chuckled.

"Don't think just because you're my best friend that I'll go easy on you." Ryan laughed.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Ryan replied. Griffin turned toward Claire and pulled her into another hug.

"Be careful, I would hate to have to hear Ryan piss and moan if his little sister got hurt." She pulled away and nodded.

"Yeah, hate to be there to listen to that," she said. Ryan rolled his eyes and took hold of his sister's arm.

"Let's go, see you later Griffin." Griffin nodded.

"Bye Griffin, be careful, and don't let Ryan do anything stupid!" Claire called while her brother led her to the car.

"Alright, take care!" Ryan waved and got into the driver's seat of the car.

"What, you don't trust me to drive?" Claire asked with a small smile on her lips. Alcohol was still pumping through her body, but she figured that she was still sensible enough to drive. Ryan didn't even smile back.

"No," he replied dryly as he turned on the engine. Claire folded her arms angrily over her chest and glared at her brother.

"You know, you don't have any right to be acting like this. You're the one who chased off the guy who was hitting on me, got your ass kicked by said guy, and made a huge scene in the bar while completely humiliating me. I think if anyone has a right to be pissed here, it's me," Claire shot at her brother, who didn't say anything as he backed his car out of the bar. "Are you even listening to me?"

"A little bit," he mumbled as he pulled out into the rode, gently rubbing his bruised stomach.

"A little bit? Seriously Ryan, you need to-" Ryan stopped the car in the middle of the rode and turned to face his sister.

"I was just trying to protect you! Sorry if that has suddenly become a crime here on earth, but I know Kirk and what he does to women. He uses them for a one night stand and never talks to them again. You deserve so much better than that!" Ryan yelled, startling his sister. There was silence in the car as a horn sounded behind them. Ryan cursed under his breath and continued driving. "I'm just worried about you," he whispered to Claire, breaking the silence.

"I know you are, Ry, but I'm twenty-two. We're big kids now and I don't need you protecting me anymore." Ryan nodded and focused all his attention on the rode in front of him. Despite what Claire said, she was still his little sister.

"Claire, I'm not always going to be there. I know you think you can protect yourself, but the truth is that you don't realize how dangerous people really are. Jesus," Ryan muttered. Claire placed her head against the window as she watched the lights from the other cars drive by. She didn't want to think what would happen tomorrow when, for the first time since she was born, she would be separated from her brother.

"I know," she whispered. They pulled up to the dorms and Ryan shut off his car, but didn't get out. Claire paused and looked over her brother, wincing when she realized that his injuries were a bit worse than she thought.

"Do you want me to heal those?" She asked. He shook his head.

"No, I'm fine." She frowned.

"Ryan… you're cheek is really swollen." Ryan leaned his head back against the seat.

"So is my pride," he told her. Claire sighed.

"Well, it obviously didn't effect how stubborn you are. Please, let me heal your injuries, Ryan." Without a word, Ryan got out of the car.

"I'm fine. You should go to bed," he mumbled as he started off to his dorm.

"Ryan, don't be like this!" Claire called out as she too exited the car. Ryan held his keys over his shoulders and locked his car.

"I'll see you tomorrow before you leave!" Ryan yelled back. Claire ran a hand through her hair, a nervous habit that the two siblings shared.

"So stubborn…" She muttered as she turned in the direction of her own dorm.

The Next Day

Claire gave a yawn as she walked to the loading dock, her duffle bag loosely hanging off her shoulder. Even after the whole fiasco of last night, she found a party in her dorm. If it wasn't for her roommate shoving her off the bed, she probably would've slept through her alarm and missed leaving for the Enterprise.

"Claire!!" Someone shouted. Claire turned around and smiled as Trisha ran toward her.

"Hey, Trisha. How you feeling?" Trisha shrugged.

"I've been better. I just want to wish you luck before you head up." Claire nodded.

"Thanks, good luck with the whole teaching thing. Try not to hit on any of your students." Trisha laughed and hugged her friend.

"I'll try. You come back alive, you hear?" Claire nodded and pulled away.

"Bye, Trisha." Trisha gave a sad smile.

"Bye, Claire." Claire smiled and turned away from her best friend and began to search the area for the only person she wanted to say goodbye to. After a good ten minutes, she finally found him talking to a few of his engineering friends. She walked up to him and tapped his shoulder. He turned around and gave a small smile, before turning around and saying goodbye to his friends. He turned back to her and noticed the dark bags under her eyes.

"Hey, you alright?" Ryan asked worried.

"I'm just a bit tired. Are you alright?" She asked as she noticed the swelling on his face had gone down. He gave her a croaked smile and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, just a few bruises here and there. I'll live." Claire nodded.

"Good, because I'm not going to have time to heal you before we leave." Ryan nodded as a sad smile covered both their faces.

"So this is really good-bye then, is it?" He asked unsurely, his hands shoved his pockets. Claire noticed the black bags under his sad eyes and figured that her brother didn't sleep well the night before because of his nerves. She didn't realize that he hadn't slept at all the previous night because he was dreading the final good-bye to her.

"Well, not really. We'll stay in close contact and I'm sure we'll get to see each other every so often," Claire offered optimistically. Truthfully, she was thinking the same thing as Ryan. This was good-bye. He frowned and nodded.

"Yeah, sure… There is always shore leave." Claire nodded and pressed her lips together in order to not cry.

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered, looking down. He frowned and nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll miss you too, Claire. Don't worry, I'll send you messages all the time. We'll never stay out of touch." Claire nodded and took a deep breath, making sure she didn't cry in front of her older brother.

"Yeah, of course. It'll be like nothing happened," she said, laughing a little at the end of her statement. Ryan sighed and pulled her into a hug, knowing that this could be the last time in a long time that he would ever be able to hug his sister, if at all. Claire pulled away and wiped away the few tears that did manage to fall from her eyes.

"I love you," she said, her grey eyes meeting his.

"I love you too; just don't let anyone know that." She laughed and hugged him one last time.

"Keep in touch, okay Ry?" He nodded and kissed her cheek.

"Of course, you too, Claire." She smiled and adjusted her duffle bag strap.

"Always." Before either of them could say anything else, a voice on the overhead came on.

"Final Boarding for all members of the U.S.S. Enterprise, final boarding for the U.S.S. Enterprise!"

"Well, that's would be your call. Try to stay out of trouble," Ryan pleaded, but Claire just smiled as a few stray teardrops fell down her face.

"I make no promises," she said playfully and turned to leave.

"Wait, Claire!" She paused and turned back around to her brother.

"What?" She asked, a little annoyed that she could barely hold back her tears.

"I… I love you. I know I just said it, but I wanted to say it once more. To make up for all the times I didn't say it. I'm going to miss you so much, Claire-bear," Ryan said, choking back his own tears. It wasn't manly to cry, even if you were saying good-bye to your little sister.

"I understand. I love you too, Ry. Take care!" She called back as she broke off into a jog. Missing the shuttle to the Enterprise would not be a good way to start off on your very first day.

"Final Boarding for all members of the U.S.S Berlin, final boarding for the U.S.S. Berlin!"

"And that would be my call," Ryan muttered to himself as he picked up his duffle bag off the floor and headed to the shuttle boarding for the Berlin. Ryan made his way to the shuttle, smiling when he saw Griffin checking people off a list on his clipboard. He quickly wiped away any evidence that he had been anywhere close to crying, then walked up to his best friend.

"Conaway, Ryan… you are cleared for duty, Ensign." Ryan smiled and gave a small nod to his friend.

"Thank you, sir," he replied. Before he walked into the shuttle, Griffin took hold of his arm.

"Save me a seat, will you?" Ryan nodded and walked in, placing his duffle bag on the seat next to his. He sat himself in the seat next to the window and frowned as he watched the shuttle for the Enterprise take off. He wondered if Claire had gotten a seat away from windows, since she tended to get a little sick when it came to flying. He laughed at the idea and watched as his friend made his way toward him. Ryan quickly stuffed his duffle bag into one of the upper compartments to make room for Griffin.

"You took the window seat? You ass," Griffin muttered, sitting down next to him.

"I'm not missing the view," Ryan told him. Griffin chuckled and checked his data pad.

"The shuttle will take off pretty soon. You sure you got everything?" Griffin asked. Ryan thought it over for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, I believe so. I can't remember leaving anything behind, except my car." Griffin laughed.

"Is that why you look like you've been crying?" Griffin asked as he continued laughing. Ryan folded his arms angrily.

"I haven't been crying!" Ryan exclaimed, causing a few other Ensigns to turn to look at him.

"Dude, you totally were. Your eyes are all red and swollen." Griffin pointed out as Ryan calmed down. He rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed realizing that he'd been caught.

"Well, you'd be crying too if you had to say good-bye to your baby sister," he mumbled to which Griffin frowned.

"Ryan, she's not a baby anymore. She's a big girl about to go start her own adventure. I hate to say it man, but she can really get the chance to start living now that you're not there to protect her anymore. And vice versa. You need to live for yourself for once." Ryan rolled his eyes and buckled his seatbelt as they began to take off.

"I know, I know. She's still my sister. Hell, I practically raised her." Griffin sighed and shook his head. He was never going to get through to his friend.

"Well, either way, you'll have a lot of work to do on the Berlin, so I wouldn't worry about worrying about her. You'll be lucky if you can make it to your bed before passing out in the hallway." Ryan laughed and watched as the ships appeared in front of them.

"I can't wait." Griffin patted his friend on the shoulder.

"I know you can't. This is going to be a hell of an adventure, dude." Ryan's grin got wider as the Ensigns began to get their stuff together. He followed in suit and they all trekked out of the shuttle, not expecting what was waiting for them.

"Ensigns! If you are part of engineering crew, make your way over here!" Ryan's head jerked in the general direction from which he heard the voice. He and a few other Ensigns ran over and stood in line, while Griffin looked them all.

"Alright, you are to get changed into your uniforms and report for duty. If you work hard and do as you're told, you might be considered for a promotion. If you slack off, well… it's obvious you'd like to stay a Ensign." A few of the officers chuckled and Griffin nodded to one of them. He stepped forward and paused, looking over the group in front of him.

"Well… what are you waiting for? GO!" A second later and all of them scattered, all running to get a uniform. Ryan was among the cluster, trying to get fitted for a red uniform. People were shoving each other left and right trying to get to a machine to take the measurements and produce and form fitting uniform for each Ensign.

"I hope Claire is having better luck than I am…" Ryan mumbled as an overly large man cut in front of him. It was going to be a long day.

"Only three new additions to the medical staff? Why do I feel like I'm leading a dying profession?" The Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise mumbled to himself as he glanced over a clipboard. He flipped a page and appeared to be reading over something as Claire looked on. She stood next to a boy who appeared to be around her age and a woman who had to be at least in her early thirties.

"Alright, nothing for you to do, go make yourselves useful and try not to kill anyone. Oh, you are no longer cadets, but doctors, so try to act like it." The Chief Medical Officer muttered, walking to a patient who was throwing up. The boy next to Claire turned toward her and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Alex. I think I was in your biology class," he said. Claire nodded and took his hand.

"Claire, sorry if I don't remember you. I frequently slept through that class." The woman on the other side raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's why I remember you, not to mention you were constantly getting yelled at during class," " Alex told her. She chuckled and shrugged.

"Eh, it was a boring class anyway," she replied.

"Biology is a key to becoming a good doctor; you should've paid attention." The woman on the other side of her said. Claire looked a little taken aback by the woman's sharp tone.

"Yo, chill out Pam. Obviously she paid attention enough to become a doctor." Pam scoffed and walked away, leaving Claire alone with Alex.

"Pam?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Alex just nodded.

"Pamela Beach. She's been trying to get onboard a real ship longer than you or I've even considered joining Starfleet," Alex explained.

"So, she's like really good then?" Claire asked as Alex led them over to the assignment screen.

"I never said that. She's just read the books so many times that she's got them memorized. She never had much luck with the medical field. Or any other field for that matter." Claire nodded as they checked the board.

"Great, an engineer got a wrench… caught where? Oh jeez, I better go take care of this as soon as I can. Good luck on your first day!" Alex called as he grabbed a portable medical case and took off to the engineering deck. Claire smiled and shook her head.

"Engineers aren't the smartest, but they sure know what they're doing when it comes to fixing things," Claire mumbled as she looked down the assignment list. "Captain Kirk? What's he doing on the list?"

"I'm just a simple guy trying to get a date with a very sexy lady." A voice said from behind her. She felt her heart jump up in her throat when she heard him. She slowly turned around and her grey eyes gazed upon his face. Now that she was a bit more sober, she could see just how handsome he really was. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to stop her eyes from traveling over his body. To be honest, she didn't think that men that good looking were even real.

"So, what do you say?" He asked, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Captain Kirk is just a womanizing fool. He only wants you for sex!" Even miles away she could hear her older brother scolding her and the more she thought about it, the more she realized that he was right. Not only was it bad if she slept with a womanizing fool, but it was worse that he was in fact her boss. No, sleeping with him would not be a good idea. No matter how good looking he was or how many somersaults he made her stomach do when he was around.

"Is there something wrong, Captain?" She asked. Kirk raised an eyebrow, his perfect smile still on his face.

"Yeah, you're not giving me an answer…" He told her, leaning against the wall. In the light, she was able to better get a look at the few bumps and bruises on his face that her brother had left.

"I'm not going to give you an answer. Is there anything wrong with you medically?" She asked as she confirmed his statement. He frowned.

"Why not?"

"Why isn't there something wrong with you medically? I don't know, usually that's a good thing," Claire told him, but he wouldn't budge.

"Is it your brother? Because I checked, he's a few galaxies away by now," he stated matter-of-factly. Claire took a step back. No matter how handsome the captain was, that was too far.

"That's kind of creepy. I have my own reasons, Captain. Now if you'll excuse me, there are patients here that need my help." She tried to turn away and look back at the assignment board, but Kirk grabbed her arm. He gave a gentle pull, but she refused to turn to face him.

"Come on, Claire. Just one little date?" He pleaded. Claire wanted to turn around, stare once more into his beautiful blue eyes, and say yes, but she couldn't. There were too many reasons to say no. She shook her head and grabbed a patient's chart. Even with her back turned toward him, she could feel his eyes travel down her back. This caused her to wish that she had a longer skirt, but that didn't seem to be an option for Starfleet.

"Sorry, sir, I have work to do." She turned around and almost ran into him.

"Just one?" He pleaded. She looked at her patient chart and shook her head.

"I'm sure you'll find another girl to ask out, sir." Jim smirked and was about to speak before someone walked up to them.

"Jesus Jim, stop hitting on my medical staff!" Jim turned toward the person and smiled.

"Bones, I thought you were doing physicals." Claire looked up at the Chief Medical Officer, who was glaring at the Captain.

"I leave those types of things to the cadets," he said, then turned to her. "Get back to work!" He snapped. She jumped, but nodded.

"Yes, sir," she replied. Bones watched as she ran to the first patient she saw. He then turned back to Jim, who had his eyes focused on her butt.

"Oh for Christ's sake, Jim. The last thing I need is for you to cause drama for my medical staff." Jim rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, Bones. It's just a date," Jim told him.

"Jim, I cannot have you make another new doctor switch to a new ship. So if you're going to 'date' any one in here, you better be serious. My staff can't deal with anymore of your bullshit," Bones told him sternly. Jim just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Bones. I'm not giving up so easily though," he said as he turned around in search of Claire. "I'll catch up with you later, Claire!" Jim called out as he headed towards the exit. Claire didn't even look up from her work to acknowledge the Captain.

"He will not be making my life any easier." Claire mumbled as she finished a patient's physical.

"You tell him!" The old woman said as she got up and left sickbay. Claire gave her a funny look before walking back over to the assignment board. She sighed and looked out of the many windows the medical ward had. It was going to be a long first day.

To Be Continued...

Jeck: *grumble grumble* Not even going to do this the democratic way with a coin…

Raxsah: You're just mad because you had to write first. I started the damn story first…

Jeck: And I was born first, so shut your dirty whore- HEY THERE! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter to our story. Mmmmm cliché…

Raxsah: Yes, we will post more… eventually. As long as we push ourselves to write more… but we're busy, so maybe if you ask really nicely we will post more. Ha! Just kidding…

Jeck: Sexual favors work too. :D

Raxsah: Depending if you're hot or not.

Jeck: If you look like Chris Pine, she'll take you on the floor where you stand. lol

Raxsah: You know it! We're joking. We don't accept sexual favors from strangers… Only friends.

Jeck: Oh… we don't?

Raxsah: Not since the last time…

Jeck: Oh right, but we don't talk about that… right?

Raxsah: So like we said, reviews are nice so feel free to leave one or two…

Jeck: Or if you're like some of the people who've reviewed my stories, feel free to send multiple pages worth. We'll probably end up printing them out or something and drawing smiley faces on it or something weird like that. Oh wait, maybe that's just me…

Raxsah: Yeah, I usually just put the nice reviews on my wall of awesomeness in my room.

Jeck: Next to the picture of my face, of course. I'm sexy! :D

Raxsah: Sure, if it helps you sleep at night, hun.

Jeck: It does, indeed. Oh, and if you don't like our endless rambling, you should stick that in your review. It will be noted and ignored, but still.

Raxsah: If you have anything you don't like in our story, let us know. We really don't give a flying fuck, but we'll read it anyway.

Jeck: Hehe… you keep leaning over me and your hoodie tickles.

Raxsah: You are such a child. This is why we can't go to Friendly's anymore.

Jeck: MY TOWER OF AWESOMENESS SAUCE (literally)

Raxsah: Ugh, ANYWAY……… Did you want to add anything?

Jeck: Penis.

Raxsah: ……

Jeck: No, I'm good thanks.

Raxsah: SO, Show some love, or not… we really don't care. We have bigger things to deal with.

Jeck: As they said in the good ol' days of , R & R. :D

Raxsah: Thank you and good day!