Fathers and Brothers

by Starsinger

Well, yeah, Kirk died. So did someone else, whose life had a profound impact on both Kirk, Spock, and McCoy's lives among many, many others. Takes place at the end of the movie. Scene not seen. Don't own any of them.

Jim's eyes rested on the podium that he would soon take, the people he would soon address were beginning to arrive. The full dress uniform was slightly uncomfortable on the warm, summer, San Francisco day. Of course that could also have been a side effect of all that medication Bones had pumped into him. Those behind him admired the quick, efficient, and confident stride that carried him everywhere. Those who knew him were relieved to see it return. He stopped at the foot of the stairs where a young Ensign stood at attention, waiting for the ceremony to start. Kirk sighed.

"What is it, Jim?" Bones asked. He knew that sigh came from the heart, not some lingering physical problem that ailed him.

"I miss him Bones. He changed my life so profoundly that night in Iowa, and all I was, was a snide, arrogant little prick with no sense of what everything really meant." Bones and Spock both remained silent, they knew who he meant: Christopher Pike.

When Spock first entered the Academy, Pike saw a lonely young man who, while not really interested in friends, needed someone to take him under his wing. Pike's genius was in recognizing talent and genius when he laid eyes on it. Spock's intellect covered a lot of Science, but he was diplomatically capable as well. He'd be able to keep most Starship Captains out of serious trouble. Well, except maybe Kirk, no one was sure he'd ever be able to develop that filter between his brain and his mouth that many people possessed.

Pike had found McCoy literally just after his soon to be ex-wife had tossed him out of his Georgia home. Poor Bones had been sitting on the curb, on his suitcase, not sure what to do next. Pike Pulled his hovercar over and asked, "Need a lift?" What Captain Christopher Pike was doing in that corner of Georgia, Bones would never know, but he found himself inside and explaining what had happened.

"All the hours of medical school and at the hospital, I finish everything and that very day she's decided she's had enough, I'm out."

Pike could be just as charming as Jim, or his father could ever be, "I have an idea. Starfleet could always use more medical personnel."

"Starfleet?" Bones sputtered. Three days later he found himself in a shuttle in Iowa, sitting next to James Kirk, about to be sick all over the poor man. Somehow, all Jim did was find the airsickness bag and rub his back consolingly the entire trip to San Francisco.

"Bones," Kirk said, snapping him out of his memory, "I'd be in jail, or worse, permanently dead if it wasn't for Chris."

Jim looked down at Spock and Pike. Spock's attempted mind meld yielded nothing as they both watched Admiral Pike die. Jim landed on his knees next to the Admiral's prone body and touched him, his mouth hardening. His analysis of John Harrison's next moves came too late to save his friend. If only Marcus had stopped and listened instead of being supremely confident in his own abilities. Spock and Kirk's eyes met, Pike had been shot as he tried to crawl out of the room on legs that were too weak to work properly under most circumstances. That was why he used a cane.

Kirk shook his head, "We have to get him. We have to stop him, he's not going to stop here. He'll try to take down Starfleet and the Federation piece by piece if we don't."

Spock looked at him, "Do you know why?"

Jim looked at Spock, honestly surprised, "No, Spock, I'm not Betazoid. I can't read minds." Mention of the powerful race of telepaths had Spock shaking his head." Kirk's hands balled into fists as he dropped to Chris' side. He struggled as he laid his own hands on the older man's head, "Thank you, Chris. There's no way I can repay the debt I owe you, I will try to pay it forward. A gurney showed up and both Spock and Kirk nodded in perfect agreement as the Vulcan picked the Admiral up by the torso and Jim grabbed his legs. Kirk stalked from the corridor to the turbolift, "I'm coming back tomorrow. Marcus HAS GOT to know what's going on."

"What do you mean, Captain?" Spock asked.

Jim again showed the uncanny insight that got him into trouble so many times, "Admiral Marcus knows more than he's saying."

They mounted the stage, Jim with same energetic, purposeful stride that he was known for. They sat in their seats. Jim spoke at length about those who had died, and Chris in particular. When they returned to the ship the gang gathered in the Captain's Ready Room. "To old friends long gone," Kirk said, raising his glass. The others clinked theirs with his before Spock put his arm around Uhura. This affection they wouldn't show in general public, but amongst friends this was now an easy move.

"I ran inta Admiral Pike a week after we returned Admiral Archer's dog, Porthos. He congratulated me on the success of the transwarp transport, he never forgot anythin'."

"I remember the first time I met him," Uhura said with a laugh. "I walked into his office to deliver some papers he'd asked me for and he stared at me. I swear he was the big bad wolf because he said, 'My, what long legs you have Uhura!' I couldn't stop laughing!"

"I started talking to him about Mother Russia one day, I guess I talked so fast, and with my accent he kept telling me to slow down. He was patient enough to wait until I finished and he was sure he understood my message before going on," Chekov said, looking away.

Sulu sighed, "I introduced him to Brad. He literally stepped back and took him in and nodded his head before shaking Brad's hand. He was amiable and kind, wishing us luck before heading home."

"Starfleet and the Academy was his life," Spock spoke. "He'd been married before, they divorced after ten years. He has two sons. Yes, they were at the service." The image of two men with their wives, looking very much like the late Admiral passed through Jim's mind. They were pleasant and sad. Several children were with them as well.

"They are not dead as long as we remember them," McCoy chimed in. "And Christopher Pike isn't really dead among us." They raised their glasses one more time, a toast to a cherished friend, father, and brother.

Much has been made about Kirk's death, and little about Pike's. I'm now seeking to rectify that. His death impacted many lives as well ask Kirk's, but there was never a second chance for the man.