Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of it's characters. I'm just borrowing them for a bit. Alex is mine though.

A/N: This is my first story, so go easy on me. :D But all reviews are welcome, I don't mind constructive criticism.

Also, Alex is my OC, and just to give you a bit of info about her, she's Christopher Pike's daughter, and about 2 years younger than Jim. Her mom died when she was younger, and was Jonathan Archer's sister, so that makes Alex his niece.

Summary: This is a story about the relationship between Jim Kirk and Alex Pike, and all the adventures they get themselves into. Jim/OC

It starts off on Tarsus IV.

(ST)(ST)(ST)(ST)(ST)

The stars were flashing by so quickly that they were lines instead of dots. She smiled excitedly, and pressed her face up against the viewport. Twelve year old Alex Pike absolutely loved starships. It made sense really; she'd been born on one and was practically raised by the crew. It was only in the last five years or so that her father had relocated to Earth and she had to stay planet side while he left on short missions. That's why she was so excited now, it had been way too long since she'd seen the stars like this. She knew she was lucky, most children of Starfleet officers were left with aunts and uncles, but her father's situation was a special one. They didn't have any other close family outside of Starfleet, and her father had refused to choose between her and Starfleet. Of course, it helped that her uncle was Admiral Archer.

She frowned suddenly, remembering the reason she was again tagging along on a mission with the crew of the Apollo. Tarsus IV had come under crisis, and many had died. Given the chaotic situation, and the trauma any survivors had gone through, Starfleet had called for volunteers to help with the rescue effort. Her father had told her that due to the amount of injured children involved, they needed young teenagers like her to help bridge the gap between adult and child. She was there to help build a trust with the children of Tarsus IV. She took her job very seriously, because even at 12, she knew the severity of the situation. Her father made sure she knew exactly what she was getting into. She glanced up as the door to her room swished open, the frown prominent on her features.

Her father stepped in, wearing the golden outfit of a Starfleet helmsman. She loved the color, and part of her wanted to wear that uniform one day. There was another part of her that didn't want to follow in her father's footsteps; instead she wanted to make her own path. Her father always told her she could do absolutely anything she wanted, and she certainly didn't need to decide right now.

"Honey, what's wrong?" He looked concerned, and she realized she was still holding the worried look on her face. She stood and smoothed her knee length dress. It was a deep grey, with a shadow of a Starfleet emblem above her heart. The outfit style civilians wore when aboard a Starfleet vessel.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about Tarsus IV. " She glanced down, avoiding eye contact. It wasn't like her to act so shy; she always wanted to be strong for her father.

"Don't apologize Alex, it's normal to be confused and worried. It's going to be hard for everyone." He knelt in front of her, so he could look up into her eyes. She was fairly tall for 12, so it wasn't hard for him. "Are you sure you still want to do this? You don't have too."

She didn't hesitate. "I'm 100% sure." There was a fierceness in her voice, a passion that made her dad smile.

"That's my girl!" He grabbed her in quick hug. Christopher Pike may be a Starfleet officer through and through, but he was a father first, and he always found a way to let Alex know that.

"All right kiddo, you should try to get some sleep." Her dad released her and stood up, offering her a hand. "We arrive in four hours, and it's gonna be a long first day."

(ST)(ST)(ST)(ST)(ST)

She stepped of the shuttle ramp into the open air of Tarsus IV. She was surprised, she had expected to see a war torn planet with smoke and devastation. Tarsus IV wasn't like that at all. The trees were still green, the grass still remained, and the sky was still clear enough to show the setting twin moons. There was no smoke, or any visual indication that anything was even wrong here. But something was most definitely wrong. The first thing that hit her was the smell. It didn't smell like a summer morning like back on Earth. It had an undertone that smelled like her Uncle's compost pile, like something was rotting and no one was covering it up. She wrinkled her nose slightly, already adjusting to the odd smell, leaving behind nothing out of the ordinary.

The world around her felt wrong. Like something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what. It sent a shiver up her spine, and she stopped walking, looking around the camp in front of her with wide eyes. Several building had been erected, and people in various Starfleet uniforms were moving around between them. She was able to see several doctors and nurses, as well as civilians and security personnel. She was momentarily confused, why were they in a camp? Alex had seen pictures of Tarsus IV, and there were several cities and towns. Why weren't they set up in a hospital where they could help people?

It was at that moment that she felt a gently hand on her shoulder, and she turned slightly, meeting her father's eyes. He looked momentarily confused as he adjusted the same way she had.

"Why aren't we at a hospital?" She asked quietly, using the word 'we' freely. She was pretty sure volunteering made her a part of the Starfleet, even if only temporarily. Her father glanced up grimly, before looking at her again.

"The cities aren't safe right now. Nowhere is, not with Kodos's men everywhere. This is the safest location where we can maintain security and help the survivors." She nodded; it did make sense when she thought about it. Her dad wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her towards the building in the middle of the 'camp'. "Now remember, you're the first child they are allowing to help." She clamped down the 'I know Dad' response that threatened to pop out of her mouth, as well as the indignation of being called a child. "So just be on your best behaviour and be nice to the kids. They might not be as nice to you, but just remember what they've been through, ok?" She nodded again because they'd already gone over this on the ship. Three times.

A raven haired woman approached them, smiling slightly. Alex could tell it was forced; it was the same smile her Uncle had when he was talking to someone he didn't really like. "You must be Alex," The woman said warmly. "I'm sorry to just jump right into this, but we've just found a little girl and she's not interacting with us at all. We're hoping you might have more luck." Her dad squeezed her shoulder, and whispered a good luck in her ear before disappearing into one of the other buildings.

Alex smiled genuinely at the woman and followed her to a building on the far side of the camp. Along the way she leaned the woman's name was Jamie, and she'd be the one looking after Alex. Jamie seemed like a nice woman, but Alex was quick to notice the shadows under her eyes and then slight hollowness in her tone. Upon entering the building, Alex realized this was the case for most of the volunteers. It scared her a bit, but like any kid her age, she ignored it. She wasn't the type to run away scared, and she was pretty sure she hadn't seen anything yet.

Jamie left her in a room with a little girl who looked about 6 years old. She was huddled in a corner with her head bent, her dark brown hair forming a curtain that masked her face.

"Hi there, my name's Alex, what's yours?" The little girl's head tilted up slightly, allowing Alex to catch a glimpse of big brown eyes. Other than that, the girl said nothing. Given the girls reaction to her, and knowing that Jamie had said they couldn't even get her to move, Alex guessed the little girl had reacted to her younger voice. Smiling slightly, she decided to play this like a kid would, as a game.

"Hmmm… I'm not sure that I like that name. How's about I call you Aries? That's the name of my Uncle's new dog! But wait, he's a boy dog, so that doesn't work." The little girl again perked her head slightly, this time keeping her eyes visible as she peered at Alex with distrust and fear. "How about Lilypad? I mean, I know you aren't green, and you aren't a frog, but Lilypad's are pretty and you're pretty so that could work." The girl's eyebrows crinkled slightly, and some of the fear left her face and was replaced by curiosity.

"But maybe not… listen, I could do this all day, and I will if you want, but it's probably just easier if you told me. Cause then we could move onto to better things, like dessert." She held out a bottle of water and an apple. "I know, I know, apples aren't dessert food, but I happen to love apples. And I think that dessert just have to be something you like. So, what do ya say? Name in exchange for yumminess?"

The girl still looked suspicious, but she was staring at the apple and water like they were the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. "Look kid, I-" She stopped, the little girls eyes hide widened to the size of tea saucers. "What?"

"JT calls us that," her voice was tiny and weak, and she sounded almost surprised that she had spoken. She couldn't have been more surprised then Alex herself. She hadn't even started to tell the girl that she could trust her and wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"JT?"

The girl looked upset, and didn't reply. Alex sighed inwardly. Almost there. At least now she knew the child understood her. For all she knew she could be talking to a kid didn't speak the same language.

"Listen sweetie, you can trust me ok? I won't let anything happen to you, and I'm not an adult so you really can trust me. I didn't have anything to do with what happened to you, and all I want to do is help. Really."

"But you're Starfleet," she said softly, but with a touch of disdain in her voice. Alex was surprised a child could feel disdain, but then after everything she knew they had been through, it wasn't really that surprising. Alex considered her answer carefully.

"I'm not actually Starfleet." The girl eyed her dress and the Starfleet emblem clearly adorned on it. "My dad works for Starfleet, and he asked if I wanted to help. I'm too young to be a member anyways. And not all of Starfleet is bad; some of them are kinda cool." She didn't bother to try and convince the girl that Starfleet was here to help and give her the standard mantra. She understood that to this child, any adult couldn't be trusted anymore. What was the difference between Kodos' men kidnapping her and Starfleet taking her?

The girl studied her for a moment, and Alex saw it in her eyes the moment she deemed her worthy. That was when the girl leapt up and burrowed herself into Alex. Instantly Alex wrapped her arms around the girl and held her as tightly as she could. After a moment the girl started talking, and Alex had to struggle to keep up.

"My name is Sadie! I'm 6 and a half. And JT is my hero. He rescued us, all of us! And he takes care of us, and feeds us. I didn't mean to get caught, I was just looking for him cause he left for a while. Then Starfleet came, and I was so scared. But now you're here, and it's ok cause you called me kid. And-"

"Woah kid, slow down! How about we start on this dessert I promised?" Sadie eagerly grabbed the water and apple, and Alex cautioned her to go slow. Then they sat together on the floor of the little hospital room until Sadie fell asleep. Alex glanced up as the door open and Jamie stepped in. She was smiling, but this time wasn't forced at all.

"Great job! I was listening to the whole thing. You were perfect."

"Thanks!" Alex helped Jamie manoeuvre the child into the bed. "I should be here when she wakes up."

Jamie nodded in agreement. "How about you head over to the mess and grab a bite to eat first? And you should mention to your dad what she said about this JT person. The mess is third building on the left if you head straight back the way you came."

Alex headed outside, and was about to comply with Jamie's instructions when she saw a flash of something in the trees outside the camp perimeter. She knew she really shouldn't check it out on her own, but she couldn't help herself. She started to walk towards the trees, and got within five feet of them when someone yelled at her.

"Hey kid! You shouldn't be this far from camp," A man in a red shirt approached her, carrying a phasor in one hand and shaking a finger at her with another.

"I'm sorry I was just-" Before she couldn't finish her sentence a blade came whistling out of the trees and struck the man in the chest. He let out a gasp of pain before falling to his knees. Alex stared in horror as the man fell to the ground, and didn't move again. His eyes were open, and she knew he was dead.

Suddenly a hand wrapped around her mouth, holding some kind of a cloth over her nose and mouth. She tried to scream, but it was useless. He dragged her into the trees, and her whole world started to go black. Her last thoughts were of her dad and how he worried he was going to be, and that the person carrying smelled just like rotting compost.

(ST)(ST)(ST)(ST)(ST)

So, what do you think?