Warning: Two swear words.

I don't know where this came from, but I fell in love with the 2009 film and the friendship Bones and Jim had (in the original series anyway) so I wrote this. One-shot, most likely. Sorry for any mistakes, I'm no Star Trek fan so this is probably all very inaccurate :)

"It has been said that time heals all wounds. I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue, and the pain lessens, but it is never gone." -Rose Kennedy

It was the silence that scared Bones.

The way Jim, his Captain, his friend, his brother by all but blood was incredibly quiet.

So quiet, you wouldn't have noticed he was there. That was the problem.

It was so very unlike James T Kirk.

But it wasn't just him. It was all the surviving crew members who were held at the hands of the Su'ille. For three days. Seventy two hours. But it seemed like so much longer.

No one knew what happened on that planet, in that base, except them, of course. And no one was talking about it. Jim spoke at least; he answered any questions directed at him (except the ones asking about what happened during those days) and faked smiles when others were looking at him.

That was something, Bones mused.

Others, like Dean or Azeri or Queenie, didn't speak at all. Damn, even Cupcake hadn't uttered a sentence. Not a word. Not a single fucking one.

There were no excuses, no reassurances.

No nothing.

And it terrified Leonard. Right down to the bones.

It was a Wednesday afternoon when Bones decided to confront Jim.

The Captain had been injured by those bastards, quite severely in fact and it was only a few days later that he was allowed out of bed. Except, all he did was sit there instead, staring blankly at the white walls of sickbay, expressionless and breathing just enough to stay alive. But no more. So Bones had sent him back to his own room, in the vain hope he'd be at peace there. That the familiarity of 'home' would help. Except, it didn't.

"Jim."

Bones received no answer for a few minutes, but slowly, hesitantly, the young man turned his way and glanced at the doctor with those beautiful blue and yet so very dead, eyes.

"Jim, I need you to tell me what happened down there."

Jim visibly paled, if that was possible considering his current, milky complexion. But he said nothing as usual, just looked at the wall again and retreated back within the mental barriers he'd set up for himself.

It always ended the same way.

So Bones decided to call Pike. He could get through to Jim, he always could. Then again, it had never been this bad.

When the concerned, aged face of Admiral Pike appeared on the screen, McCoy swallowed nervously and told the man what had happened.

Chris was livid, furious that no one had told him, angry that he was stuck on Earth while Jim was being tortured beyon imagine by some alien race that slaughtered their slaves when they were finished with them. Their human slaves.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?"

"We've…been busy, sir." That was true at least but McCoy felt like a liar. The real reason he hadn't called Pike was because he was just as scared as Chris now was. By telling the man, he was admitting it was real. Admitting that he hadn't protected his friend. Admitting he had failed.

"Busy? Busy?-" But Pike cut off and rubbed his face with his shaking hands, "Let me speak to him. Now."

"He's barely talking-"

"Now, McCoy." And that tone of voice, that darkening of the older mans eyes made Bones immediately transfer the call on his PADD to the screen in the Captains room.

"Wait a minute then."

Leonard walked back into Jim's room, where he still sat perched on his bed in nothing but a pair of black boxers and his old, red academy shirt. The twenty-four year old shifted away a little when Bones got beside him and began to straighten out his friends wrinkled shirt.

"Pikes on the comm," Bones said quietly, nervously, "he wants to speak with you."

"Why?" It was a question, but Jim's voice contained so little emotion, it barely registered as a question. It was a response, at least. A sign that Jim was listening, that he hadn't abandoned the world he knew completely like the others had.

"He cares about you."

When Jim ignored him, Bones began to smooth down the young man's wild, dark golden hair until he looked a little bit more presentable. A little bit more alive.

"Computer, patch through incoming call from Admiral Pike to Captain Kirk."

"Yes, Doctor McCoy." The automated voice replied and the startled face of Pike once again materialized on the screen beside the door. Thankfully, Jim turned to face him rather quickly.

Leonard left quietly before either of the others had spoken.

Jim wasn't sure what to say. There was nothing to say. He didn't want to see Pike. No, Chris. They were too close to refer to each by surnames.

Except at that moment, Jim didn't care. He just wanted to forget what happened and if that meant forgetting everyone who loved him, everyone he loved, then so be it.

That's what he'd do.

"Jim," Pike sighed, taking in the sick appearance of his favourite Captain, the young man he looked upon as a son of sorts. "Oh, God, son, how are you feeling?"

Jim replied in the same, dead tone the computer used. "I'm fine."

That was a lie. Obviously.

"Jim, you…" Pike cleared his throat, "you can talk to me and you know that."

James T Kirk almost smiled at that. Almost. He didn't know that, not anymore. Where the hell was Pike when he and the rest of them were being subjected the things so cruel, Jim didn't think they could possibly be real? Where was Bones?

No, that wasn't fair, he knew it.

If they could have helped, then they would have.

As Spock would say, it was 'logical'.

"I know that." Jim repeated absently, his eyes strangely vacant, distant. It wasn't like a Vulcans eyes. It wasn't like Jim had no emotions. It was like he had no soul.

There was a long, empty silence.

"I'm coming over there, Jim," Pike stood up and busied around his desk, sorting things, collecting things. "you'll get through this, I promise."

Jim blinked once and said nothing.

"I'll see you soon, son. Be safe."

And then Pike was gone and Jim was grateful for the silence that followed.

This will probably be a one-shot considering I have the attention span of about three A4 pages, but if anyones got any ideas, please say!