I am so so so so sorry this took so long! A running theme with me is that I take a long time to update. I don't mean for this to happen but stuff just gets in the way and once it's all over with I feel so drained and have no energy to write.

This chapter sat in bits and pieces on word for awhile before I finally completed it. One thing that tends to zap out my inspiration is the very boring task of copying down the lines from the movies then forming them into a chapter which I now have to do. I've looked all over the internet for a transcript of Into Darkness but there is none available just yet.

But a more prevalent reason is I was super stuck on where to go with this because for everyone reading this who has seen Into Darkness - and I hope that's all of you.. (If not go watch it right now!)

Anyways spoiler alert when Pike dies I had to figure out where to go with Farrah after that and just how she is going to respond to that. In all honesty I still have no clear idea and it's sort of a figure it out as I write type deal with a faint idea.

Okay so enough with this essay I am giving you guys and onto the chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek. I do not claim to :)

Farrah pulled the pillow over her head when the alarm clock went off. Jim had insisted on setting it to play some obnoxiously loud rock song to wake them up in the morning. He said it helped him wake up, but all it did for her was give her a headache. Groaning she turned around on her other side to face Jim, "Turn it off, please."

Not needing to be told twice Jim reached over and hit the snooze button and then started to stand up but found himself anchored to the bed by Farrah's arm, he chuckled, "I gotta get ready, I'll be paged any second now."

"Then stay in bed with me until you are," She replied sleepily, opening her eyes to look at him pleadingly.

Jim turned to get up again but then rolled his eyes, "Fine," He said before falling back on the bed. He lifted his arm around Farrah when she rested her head on his shoulder and put her arm over his stomach. She closed her eyes, snuggling into his chest ready to get to sleep again but after a few minutes of it not happening she realized it was because of Jim. He was wide awake and had a smile on his face as he ran his left hand through her blonde hair.

"Close your eyes," She told him, closing her own eyes again.

"Can't," Jim replied and she could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"Why not?" She asked him.

"Too excited," He replied.

"For what?" She wondered sleepily.

"The five year mission in deep space!" He told her in a "duh" tone, "I know the Enterprise is going to be assigned it today. Five years exploring unknown space, we will see things no one has ever seen before, let that sink in right now," He explained excitedly.

"Mhmm," Farrah replied, moving her head in one nod.

"What do you mean "Mhmm" this is a once in a lifetime chance! They have to pick the Enterprise! There is no other choice, we're the most capable vessel in the fleet and the new ships to replace the ones we lost in the Nero attacks won't be ready for another few years." Jim said dreamily.

"You're right." Farrah replied lazily.

"Babe, why aren't you excited?" He asked her, sounding put out.

"Babe, you know I hate it when you call me babe, so babe, I am very happy for you and hopeful you, ehem, the Enterprise, gets the five year mission, but I'm tired and don't like waking up at 6 in the morning while on leave like someone I know and love," Farrah replied lifting her head to glare at him lightly.

"What's wrong with babe?" He asked slightly offended.

"It sounds so…. Uncivilized," Farrah replied with a shrug.

"What? "Uncivilized" you know what fine how about I call you honey bear, pumpkin, kitten, or I know, how about Princess?" He asked sarcastically.

"Those are actually a lot better. Thank you," Farrah replied with a smirk. At his exasperated look she leaned up and kissed him quickly before pulling away, "We don't need pet names Jim."

"You can't stop me from calling you babe, babe. It's called free will," He said with a wink.

"Okay, how about the next time you call me babe I don't kiss you again for an entire month, sound fair?" She asked, but before he could reply she continued, "Great! I'm so glad we could compromise."

Farrah started pulling away but Jim held on to her, "So you won't kiss me, but I can kiss you right?" He asked before rolling so she was underneath him. Farrah laughed at this, but turned her head away towards the mattress so Jim couldn't reach her lips with his.

"It goes both ways!" Farrah explained to him, her voice slightly muffled by the mattress she was talking into.

"Fine, but I can kiss you here," Jim said before he kissed her jaw, "and here," he said with a smile, kissing down her neck, "and over here," he taunted her kissing across her collar-bone.

Farrah bit her lip to keep herself from smiling; she was determined not to let him win.

"I see how it is, I'll have to up my game a little," Jim told her as one of his hands slid down her side to her waist, where he lightly pinched her. Farrah let out a squeal and flinched, her head moving away from the mattress involuntarily, giving Jim access to her lips while she recovered from the reaction she had to his tickling. He pulled away smirking, "By my count that was only about 30 seconds, not even close to a month."

"No more calling me babe," She said, but Jim only responded with kissing her again and this time she eagerly responded. One of her hands went to the back of his neck and tugged at the end of his hair while the other cupped his cheek. She moved her thighs out from under him and around his waist. The hand not propping him up above her reached under her tank top and began pulling it up.

'beep, beep, beep'

The sound of his comm going off had Jim jumping off the bed before she could stop him, she groaned, whoever was calling had perfect timing. She turned her head to watch as Jim picked up his comm and read the message, "It's your dad, I'm to report to his office at 0700, that gives me half an hour to get ready and 20 minutes to get there with 10 minutes to spare."

"Then you better go get ready," Farrah told him a little sadly.

Jim turned and started walking over to her, "Don't pout, today is going to be the day we look back on as the day that changed our lives!" He said dropping down to kiss her quickly before racing off towards the bathroom to shower, "Wish me luck!" He yelled from inside, a few seconds later his head appeared from the doorway, "Babe."

Farrah grabbed one of the pillows but it ended up hitting the now closed bathroom door, she groaned in frustration knowing she wouldn't be able to stop him from calling her babe anytime soon. Sighing, she got comfortable on the bed again but couldn't get back to sleep. They were back on Earth now, and she had grown accustomed to the hum of the Enterprise when she was falling asleep onboard. That was replaced by silence in the room, but sirens and honks and all kinds of whistles and whirls going on outside of the apartment building in San Francisco. Just as she managed to block it out and was falling asleep, the snooze ran out of time and the alarm started blaring.

Taking it as a sign, she turned off the alarm and got out of bed. As she left the bedroom she pulled on her robe and walked towards the kitchen, she was going to need some coffee.

Jim was excited. Excited didn't even cover how he was feeling. And he was not going to let Spock's attitude bring him down, he was untouchable, "Spock, I'm telling you, this is why he called. I can feel it," And he could feel it in the shaking of his limbs and the barley contained –admittedly- cocky smirk on his face.

"Your feeling aside, I consider it highly unlikely that we will be selected for the new program," Spock replied, sounding the same as he always did. Jim wondered if it was difficult to keep his voice level like that and if he attempted it (which he hadn't) but if he had, Farrah had definitely not told him he sounded like a robot.

"Why else would Pike want to see us? Forget about seniority. They gave us the newest ship in the fleet. I mean who else are they gonna send out?" Jim asked him, logically. There was absolutely no one else they could send.

"I can think if numerous possibilities," Spock replied contradicting his thought.

"A five-year mission, Spock!" Jim replied excitedly, walking backwards and tapping Spock on the chest good-naturedly, "That's deep space! That's uncharted territory! Think how incredible that's going to be."

"Uneventful,"Pike said after Jim and Spock had entered the room and stood at attention.

"Admiral?" Jim replied in confusion as Pike looked down at the data pad in his hand.

"It's the way you described the survey of Nibiru in your captains log," Pike said setting the data pad down on his desk.

"Yes, Sir, I didn't want to waste your time going over the details," Jim replied easily.

"Yeah, tell me more about this volcano. Data says it was highly volatile. If it were to erupt, it would wipe out the planet," Pike continued over Jim's voice, leaning back in his chair.

"Let's hope it doesn't, Sir," Jim replied.

"Something tells me it won't," Pike agreed looking between Spock and Jim.

"Well, sir, volatile is all relative. Maybe our data was off," Jim explained it, not moving from his stance.

"Or maybe it didn't erupt because Mr. Spock detonated a cold fusion device inside it right after a civilization that's barely invented the wheel happened to see a starship rising out if their ocean! That is pretty much how you describe it, is it not?" Pike replied before turning to Spock.

"Admiral-" Spock started only to be interrupted by Jim

"You filed a report? Why didn't you tell me?" He asked in disbelief.

"I incorrectly assumed that you would be truthful in your captain's log," Spock replied.

"Yeah, I would have been if I didn't have to save your life," Jim replied angrily.

"A fact for which I am immeasurably grateful and the very reason I felt it necessary to take responsibility for the actions that-"

"Take responsibility, yeah. That'd be so noble, pointy, if you weren't also throwing me under the bus," Jim replied with hostility.

"'Pointy'? Is that a derogatory reference to-" Spock started only to be quieted by Pike.

"Gentlemen. Starfleet's mandate is to explore and observe, not to interfere," Pike said standing up with the help of his cane and walking around his desk towards the two officers.

"Had the mission gone according to plan, Admiral, the indigenous species would never have been aware of out interference," Spock explained.

"That's a technicality," Pike replied stopping in front of Spock.

"I am Vulcan, Sir. We embrace technicality," Spock quickly explained.

"Are you giving me attitude, Spock?" Pike asked leaning on his desk.

"I'm expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously, Sir. To which are you referring?" Spock questioned.

"Out. You're dismissed, Commander," Pike replied shaking his head.

Spock looked over at Jim, before taking his leave and exiting the room leaving the Admiral and Captain alone.

"You have any idea what a pain in the ass you are?" Pike asked Jim rhetorically.

"I think so, sir," Jim replied, nodding his head.

"So tell me what you did wrong. What's the lesson to be learned here?" Pike asked calmly.

"Never trust a Vulcan," Jim replied angrily, unable to resist the dig at Spock even if he was no longer in the room.

"Now, see you can't even answer the question. You lied. On an official report, you lied. You think the rules don't apply to you because you disagree with them," Pike replied in exasperation, walking closer to Jim.

"That's why you talked me into signing up in the first place. It's why you have me your ship," Jim replied.

"I have you my ship because I saw greatness in you. And now, I see you haven't an ounce of humility," Pike told him.

Jim turned to face him, "What was I supposed to do, let Spock die?"

"You're missing the point," Pike shook his head.

"I don't think I am, sir. What would you have done?" Jim argued.

"I wouldn't have risked my First Officer's life in the first place! You are supposed to survey a planet, not alter its destiny! You violated a dozen Starfleet regulations and almost got everyone under your command killed," Pike argued back.

"Except I didn't! You know how many crew members I've lost? 3! That's not even close to the hundreds of lives aboard-" Jim replied, his voice raising.

"That's your problem, you think you're infallible! You think you can't make a mistake! It's a pattern with you! The rules are for other people!" Pike replied, his voice raising just below a yell

"Some should be," Jim commented.

"And what's worse is you using blind luck to justify your playing God!" Pike yelled and waited while Jim didn't say anything before continuing in a lower voice, "Given the circumstances this has been brought to Admiral Marcus's attention. He convened a special tribunal, to which I was not invited. You understand what Starfleet regulations mandate be done at this point..." Pike trailed off, "They've taken the Enterprise away from you. There sending you back to the Academy," He revealed.

"Admiral, listen..." Jim started to say as his face fell from the devastation.

"No, I'm not going to listen," Pike replied shaking his head.

"I can justify..." Jim tried.

"Why should I listen? I'm not going to listen! You don't listen to anybody," Pike explained to him only to be interrupted as Jim spoke above him.

"I understand regulation, but every decision I've made..." Jim tried to say but Pike interrupted him.

"No! I can't listen! You don't comply with the rules, you don't take responsibility for anything, and you don't respect the chair. You know why? Because you're not ready for it," He told him, shaking his head and Jim was left standing there speechless. Chris sighed and then turned to him, "You're dismissed," he said and Jim slowly turned around and left the room.

Farrah was getting worried, she had tried calling Jim at least twenty times that day and he still wasn't answering. Alright, so she was getting more than just worried, she was bordering on full freak out. She knew he was probably fine, at least psychically. The fact that he hadn't called her right after the meeting with her father to tell her good news, meant it was bad news and he just couldn't bring himself to tell her. He was probably in a bar, drinking his sorrows away instead of at home, with her, drinking his sorrows away, with her. Then again he probably needed his space… or she didn't really know why he hadn't come home. People dealt with bad news their own way she realized. She always shut down whenever she got bad news, on the inside she was a perfect picture of calm and collected, almost Vulcan-like. On the inside, she was most likely a mess.

Opening her phone, Farrah's finger hovered over Jim's name but she didn't press down to dial, she knew he wouldn't be answering. Instead she scrolled down further, hovering over her dad's name and dialed before she could stop herself. She had thought about calling him all day, but she was putting it off because she already knew what he was going to say and what her reaction was going to be. If it was bad news he had given Jim, she would automatically be ticked off with her dad. She would be mad at anyone else who had given her love bad news. Because it was her dad that meant she could express it without worrying about the repercussions.

After two rings, he picked up, "Hi, Sweetie,"

"Hi, Daddy, how are you?" She replied, wincing at her use of "daddy". It was a dead give away that she wanted something and was trying to soften him up. That didn't mean it didn't work though.

"Well you know, being an Admiral isn't just the title, there's lot's of work that comes with it, but other than that I'm uh…just great, what about you?"

Farrah could sense something was off and she knew he was reluctant to tell her how he was truly feeling, "Oh, I'm good, I'm happy to be back on solid ground again but it's hard to adjust after coming off the ship."

"It always is, but don't worry, it happens every time you come home," Chris replied with a little chuckle.

Farrah rolled her eyes, "That's not comforting or even remotely helpful," She told him.

"I'm just telling you how it is," He replied playfully.

Farrah sighed, "So, I haven't heard from Jim today since he left this morning, and I'm getting worried… you don't know where he went after he left your office do you?" She asked him casually, knowing he of course did know something.

She heard her father sigh this time, "Farrah, sweetie, you know I like Jim, you know as Christopher Pike, your father, he and I get along fine and have come to an understanding…"

"Yes, I know that," Farrah replied, though in her head she understood they had come to the closest understanding they most likely would ever come to.

"But, as Admiral Pike, it's my duty to Starfleet and the Federation to keep my personal life out of my work, especially the disciplinary actions I must take when there has been a violation," He told her, his voice calm and meant to be soothing but it only made her worry more and have to sit down.

"What did he do?" She replied, not needing to specify who "he" was.

"He's violated the Prime Directive, which I'm sure you already know considering you are First Tactical Officer aboard the Enterprise…" He said knowingly.

Farrah squeezed her eyes shut feeling a headache coming on. She did know already, but she had hoped somehow it had been covered up. She certainly didn't tell or mention it in her report, she doubted Scotty, Nyota, Sulu, Lenny, or especially Jim had either. Everyone on the Enterprise knew though, they all experienced it. But not everyone's reports were read so that only left…

"Let me guess, Spock filed a perfectly detailed report?" She replied with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Yes, he was the only one to turn in a truthful report and that is commendable. I'm a little disappointed that yours wasn't just as truthful. Another part of me understands why it isn't; you're influenced by your relationship with Jim and so you'll do your best to protect him, I get that, but it reflects badly on you," He scolded her and Farrah felt like hanging up but she was too offended to do that.

"Reflects badly on me?" She repeated, "You know what I think would have reflected badly of me, of Jim and everyone involved? If we hadn't saved an entire planet from horrible destruction before it even began to advance. If we had let Spock die in that volcano! How can you have no sympathy for what Jim did after watching Vulcan get sucked into a black hole and turned to nothing! You know what's where it used to be? Nothing, not even a rock! It may have been against the perfect Prime Directive, but I'm proud of what Jim did that day and you should be proud of him too!" She yelled into the phone, only just resisting to throw it across the room.

"Are you done?" Chris replied after a few moments silence. His voice was perfectly calm and collected and that only infuriated her more. He always did that to her, he would never yell back or give any sign he even listened to what she said. When she didn't say anything except silently fume, he continued, "I never said I had no sympathy for the situation, that I'm proud of Jim's choice is a different story. I was not invited to the tribunal with the other Admiral's to decide Jim's punishment."

"What is it? What did they decide?" She asked him impatiently.

"He was demoted from Captain status, and…the Enterprise was taken away from him and given back to me. He's being sent back to the Academy until further notice," He explained to her.

"They took away the Enterprise," Farrah whispered knowing how hard that must have hit Jim and how upset he must be right now. That was the worst they could do to him. "This is so unfair! I need to go find him and bring him home before he drinks himself to death, then I'm going to call Marcus and politely explain why he should change his stupid verdict and if that doesn't work I'll just yell and-"

"-No you are not calling Alex-" Chris interrupted, before he was interrupted right back.

"-Yes, I am and you can't stop me from calling-"

"-I already spoke with him about-"

"-What?! What did you say? What did he say? Did he-"

"-If you stopped interrupting, I would tell you…" Chris replied, quieting for a moment in case she did so anyways, when she didn't he continued, "Thank you, now I spoke with him about Jim, and explained his side of things and the good that came out of this and how it overpowered the bad. If it had been anyone else I know he would not have changed his mind but as my friend, he told me he could not let Jim go unpunished so I cut a deal with him. Spock has been transferred and I am to Captain the Enterprise and needing a First Officer I requested Jim Kirk and my request was granted. I told Alex that he could learn more from me on the ship then he ever could at the Academy and he reluctantly agreed to it on a probation basis."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Farrah told him. Jim had not gone unpunished but this was much better then him being totally off the Enterprise…but then if it was such a lenient punishment why wasn't he at home, "You haven't told him yet have you?" She said knowingly.

"I only talked to Alex an hour or so ago and I can't get a hold of Jim or have any idea where he is," He replied, "Well, that's not true, I know he's in a bar somewhere but which bar…"

Farrah sighed, "I know where he is, I'll go get him and tell him what you did."

"No, I want to be the one to tell him, he still has a lesson to learn, now where is he?" He asked her.

"I can't say for sure but my guess would be Club 602… that's where he went whenever he failed a test or...to pick up a date for the night, at least according to Lenny…" She replied, knowing he was just there for drinking now and not that other thing, she trusted him.

"All right, I'll go find him there, I'm just leaving my office," Chris replied and she could hear a door close.

"Thank you dad, and…I'm sorry for blowing up at you like that, you didn't deserve it from me," She said, a hint of a smile appearing on her face.

"I know you are, sweetie, you never could stay mad at me for long," He replied.

Farrah laughed, knowing he was right and her record was probably only a day and that had been when she was 14 and he wouldn't let her go out to some stupid party with her friends, "I love you, please call me after you talk to him and let me know how he took it?" She asked him.

"I will, I love you too, talk to you soon," He said.

"Okay, bye," She replied before hanging up.

She didn't know what to think now or how Jim would react. She knew he wouldn't exactly be happy to be demoted to First Officer, but he had to realize it was better than the original punishment. Thinking about it only made her more worried so she set her phone down and grabbed the remote, turning on the television and stopping on one of the soap opera shows that had a marathon going on all day. After successfully distracting herself for a couple minutes she laughed at the absurdity of the show but couldn't say it wasn't interesting to watch. One woman woke up in the hospital from a yearlong coma and was pretending to be amnesiac; forgetting all about the divorce she and her husband had a week before she became comatose. She also forgot all about the fact that it was his mistress who had thrown her down a flight of stairs. Shaking her head at the craziness, Farrah tuned to one of the news channels. It was the weather now, saying it was going to be sunny the rest of the week. The weather lady was cut off to the main anchor in the middle of her sentence about the humidity.

"We interrupt the weather report for breaking news of a terrorist attack in London, the Kelvin Memorial Archives have been bombed,"

They showed a video of the building erupting in a ball of orange fire, rubble going everywhere and a loud horrific boom. Farrah covered her mouth with her hand in horror gasping audibly at the screen.

"Authorities have not found the exact cause of the explosion, only that they are treating it as terrorism. 42 people have been confirmed dead with hundreds of others injured or missing-"

Farrah muted the television in shock, she could hardly comprehend what she'd just seen and heard. The only thought going through her head was why anyone would want to bomb the Archives, besides the people injured and killed, nothing in there didn't have a copy in five other places… it was meaningless of the people to be killed and injured for no reason…so why was it targeted?

Thank you all so much for the reviews and also all those follows and favorites, they mean the world to me! I am still writing this story and plan on finishing it, hopefully another chapter will be up a lot faster then this one was!