Friends with Benefits - Chapter 10 - Part 2
Wednesday - August 12th - Noon
After they drop Joanna off, Jim accompanies Bones to the Academy grounds, where they meet Pike. She doesn't say much of anything as she watches Pike and Bones get to know each other in the weird way that all males do with handshakes and straightened spines and assessing gazes. It takes about ten minutes but Bones relaxes and Pike's tone of voice warms considerably, so Jim guesses that they're all on the same page now.
"Dr. McCoy, I'd be happy to take you to your place of assessment, though I have to warn you beforehand that because your field is of a different nature to Ms. Kirk's, well, it's a guarantee that it's going to take longer. We'll essentially need to work out the level of your medical experience," Pike explains as the three of them stand out on that busy quad, surrounded by multiple busy bodies dressed in red uniforms.
Bones looks to Jim like he wants to say something.
Jim understands the look enough and she shrugs. "I'm sure I can keep myself busy for however long it takes. And if it does take that long, I'll pick up Joanna and just meet you back at the apartment," she suggests.
Bones nods and the question leaves his face.
Pike proposes, "There's a library just over there." He points east. "It's connected to the Recreational building. I'm sure you'll find something of interest there."
Jim likes libraries. She's frequented them enough when she was a lonely and misunderstood youth. "Yeah. I just might do that," she supposes. She gives them both a faint wave before she treks right over to the library and finds her way on the third floor. She's not really sure what she's looking for but she grabs a few random books and piles them together. She takes them to an empty table and dissects all of their individual content one by one.
Jim is halfway into a hardcover about forensic psychology when knuckles softly rap on the table to get her attention. She looks up and blinks at the wide-eyed smile being aimed at her by a very curvy Orion female with thick curly red hair.
"Congratulations."
"What?"
"Are you not expecting?"
Jim is floored.
"My name is Gaila. You have beautiful eyes. I would like to copulate with you," Gaila says, erratically.
Jim blinks and opens her mouth to say something but she can't quite formulate a reply.
"You're hesitating. But you can't be surprised. You are very pleasing to look at and I know you must receive multiple petitions from different suitors. Though I suppose the reason you hesitate is because you may already be claimed. I have come to understand that Humans are fond of monogamy, though I do not generally understand the concept myself for it is a foreign practice to my species," Gaila rambles, ignorant to Jim's look of bewildered amusement. "Did your mate impregnate you to make his claim deliberate and firm? I must confess that if you were mine, I would feel obliged to do the same."
Jim flushes and Gaila grins, sliding into the seat across from her. She has to remember that Gaila has a different culture from her own and she has to approach this delicately. "I-uh, wow. I'm flattered, Gaila. Really. I just-I'm not looking to be with anyone right now." She doesn't explain any further than that. "How did you know I was pregnant?"
"Orions can detect certain chemical patterns in other species as well as in our own," Gaila proudly explains as she taps the side of her nose. "I am disappointed that you do not want to copulate with me, but I respect your rejection. May I suggest that we defer to friendship? I like having companions."
"Sure," Jim says and she's just beyond amused at this point. "Jim Kirk."
"Nice to make your acquaintance, Jim Kirk. Are you a cadet?" Gaila asks with an unwavering smile.
"Not nearly, but close to," Jim says.
"Ah, but I would like to see what you accomplish here. Your cerebral inquisitiveness speaks volumes to your evident adeptness," Gaila notes. "What are your scholastic expectations?"
"I'm gunning for the command track. Nothing really set in stone but I would like to captain my own ship one day," Jim admits as she bookmarks the page she's currently on before closing it. "How about you?"
"Varying life sciences, mostly as they pertain to space psychology," Gaila chirps proudly. "I believe you Humans phrase it as a 'shrink'."
Jim smiles a little. "Yeah, we do. How long have you been here?"
"I have already received and completed my undergraduate training, and now have plans to attend all graduate classes in my field of study. I expect to achieve my doctorate in the next five years," Gaila clarifies.
"Well good luck to you in all your endeavors," Jim says earnestly.
Gaila presses a green hand to her chest, looking touched. "Thank you for saying as much. I wish you the same. May you have achieve your desires and have lots of children in the process."
Jim huffs out a short surprised laughed before she shakes her head. Since she knows that Gaila means well, she replies, "Thank you, Gaila."
Gaila nods eagerly. She says, "I was just on my way to meet another companion of mine before I became completely enamored by you. She also happens to share living space with me on the campus grounds. We enjoy sitting down for lunch and relaying our day by far. Would you like to join us?"
Jim considers it. She looks back at the stacks of books and checks the time on her communicator before she nods with a shrug. "Yeah. I could eat. I should eat," she supposes, thinking mainly of what Bones would say if he were around. She grabs some of her books and thanks Gaila profusely when she lends a hand.
Together they walk down to the checkout desk. All of Jim's books are put away in a nylon tote bag that the library supplies her with for free since it's her first time being there. They make their way over to the Academy cafeteria. It's pretty crowded for it to be hitting three o'clock, but Gaila explains that it's the time when most cadets find the time between classes to really sit down and eat.
Jim grabs a tray with two tuna salad sandwiches on a croissant, some blue jello, a banana pudding cup, and some pre-sliced oranges (she has a specific craving for them).
Gaila eats a bowl full of some suspicious looking, purplish taupe colored wing-slug things.
Jim shudders and tries not to watch Gaila eat it because it does not look the least bit appetizing.
"You should join the Academy Debate Team," Gaila suggests and slurps really loudly on her next wing-slug.
Jim makes a face but grins. "That's an idea, but, I don't really think that's my thing."
"All the same. It is a great way to connect with your fellow peers as I have come to learn," Gaila supposes happily. She perks up suddenly, looks at something over Jim's shoulder, and waves.
"God, sorry. I know I'm running kind of behind. We can all thank Commander Decker for that," a perturbed female voice complains.
Jim grins a little as she watches the source of that voice set her tray down between her and Gaila, and she can instantly place the face. She can't help but to throw on her most flirtatious smile and purr, "Fancy meeting you here."
Uhura stiffens in the middle of squeezing some ranch dressing over her salad and lifts her gaze over to Jim. She blinks in surprise before it extinguishes into cool indifference. "Kirk," she bites out. "Please tell me you're not going here."
"What's with the harshness?" Jim guffaws dramatically and slaps a hand over her chest with feigned hurt. "As I recall, I defended your honor once upon a time."
"No, no," Uhura corrects and straightens. Her high ponytail makes her look as gorgeously pristine and patronizing as ever. "You were defending your own honor. Right after you mad a sad attempt to get into my pants. Did you know I was verbally chastised by my academic advisor for being involved with that little fiasco when Giotto and his thickheaded thuggish friends tried to press charges on me since you weren't around?"
"Huh." Jim ponders that thoughtfully before she looks over at Uhura from under her blonde lashes. "Well you have my sincerest apologies. If Cupcake and his band of idiots didn't ruin the palpable chemistry we clearly had, then I guarantee you would've remembered me much more fondly." She adds a wink.
Uhura bristles. "Don't make assumptions. I'm not easy like you," she snaps.
Jim scoffs and can't deny the little spark of anger that unfurls in her gut at that. "Shouldn't judge a book," she mutters but Uhura has already dismissed her.
"Did she try any of her lame pick-up lines on you?" Uhura asks Gaila. "Don't let that pretty face fool you-she attracts trouble. I knew it the moment I met her and I should've listened to my gut and steered clear."
"Be nice," Gaila admonishes, patting the back of Uhura's hand placatingly. "And you should know that I was the one who propositioned her."
Uhura's mouth pinches unhappily.
"Jim Kirk really is good company. You should give her a chance," Gaila suggests.
"Yeah," Jim drawls, just to watch the way Uhura tenses up when she speaks. "Give me a chance. In fact, you can start by telling me what your first name is. Never did catch it."
"Never did intend to give it," Uhura curtly replies as she stabs her fork into a cucumber slice.
Jim snorts and goes back to eating. It's obvious she's not going to get far with Uhura.
"Something has upset you. I refuse to believe it has to do with your memorable first encounter with Jim Kirk," Gaila reasons. "What is it? What has Commander Decker done this time?"
"Nothing," Uhura mutters and doesn't look up from her salad. "Can we talk about it later?"
"Very well," Gaila sighs and sends her dorm-mate a disapproving look. She turns her eyes back to Jim with a smile. "Jim Kirk, I thank you for your company. I hope you will consider my proposal for companionship in the future. Perhaps we will meet again."
Jim rewards Gaila with her best show-stopping smile. "Please, Gaila, call me Jim. The pleasure was mine too."
Gaila beams before she stands with her tray. "Uhura, you and I will convene later and you shall recount your troubles to me. In the meantime, I ask that you be civil in my stead. I must hurry off to conjugate with my fellow debate team. Good day to you both."
Jim watches Gaila maneuver her way through the crowds with a flirty smile that doesn't fail to turn heads. She pops a piece of orange in her mouth and briefly thinks about kissing Bones. She pushes the thought away as she watches Uhura.
Uhura ignores her for a solid seven minutes before she lifts her eyes and frowns. "What?"
Jim grins and says, "You're apart of the track team. Commander Decker is your coach. He's a little too free with his hands, isn't he?"
Uhura stares at her with surprise before she looks at Jim with that same level of cool indifference. "You couldn't possibly know that," she decides.
"Trust me, sweetheart," Jim laughs and Uhura scowls. "I know a lot about men who like to sexually objectify the female form just because they're in high seats of power. I recognized that obvious frustration rolling off of you in waves when you first came. I think you and I have some things in common."
"Do we?" Uhura smiles coldly. "I don't think so."
"So what do you think then?" Jim calmly questions. She can only take so much willful rudeness before she responds in kind.
"I think, Kirk," Uhura really draws out her name with such blatant contempt that the sound of it makes something sour in Jim's mouth and she knows what's coming next. "That you're a flirty, party girl, who takes no accountability for your actions or the repercussions of them. You're cocky and selfish. I think your spoiled and used to getting your way. I think you'd have no idea what it really means to have to struggle and work your ass off twice as hard as anyone else. I don't think you're very bright and I don't think you're here for the same reasons that everyone else is, never mind who your father may have been." She shrugs. "You don't fit, and I'd rather you keep your distance because I'm having a hard enough time as it is. I'm not going to sleep with you and I'm not going to be your friend. So spare me of your company." With that being said, she picks up her tray and disappears.
Jim snorts bitterly and shakes her head. What should it matter anyway? Its nothing she hasn't heard before. All she ever seems to be to most people is just a pretty face with a vaguely familiar last name. This sort of thing used to really grind her gears when she was younger, but now it doesn't even faze her.
Nope.
Not at all.
Jim floats like subdued liquid across the campus grounds, passing by all those wandering cadets that don't spare her more than three glances because honestly she is just another face and she has no problem with that. It's nearly five and she still hasn't heard anything from Bones so she goes to collect Joanna from daycare. It certainly says something about the way her heart warms and fills up until her whole chest feels full of indescribable feelings when Joanna beams and runs to her with open arms.
Joanna is a very happy toddler and as she squeezes Jim's legs in a tight hug, some of that joy rubs off on her. She pulls away and waves at Ms. Juniper and her classmates before devoting all her attention to Jim like there isn't anything else that could possibly matter more.
Jim smiles as Joanna curls both of her small hands around her left hand. "You have a good day, little duck?"
Joanna nods hastily as she plays with Jim's ring. "We learned about the planetary system of the Ferengi Alliance."
"Oh? What is it?" Jim asks as they exit the building.
"Well, um, there's Clarus and Ferenginar and Hupyrian and Irtok and Lappa IV and Volchok Prime," Joanna lists and peers up at Jim for confirmation.
"Very good. You named them all," Jim compliments and pinches Joanna's right cheek gently. "You're such a cute smarty pants."
Joanna giggles. "I'mma duck and a princess and a captain too!"
Jim playfully whacks her own forehead. "Of course. How could I forget? You're just so awesome with like everything that it's hard to keep track of all the awesome things."
"You're silly," Joanna says and presses close. "Where are we going?"
"To the park, if that's okay with you," Jim replies and smiles when Joanna claps her hands excitedly.
The playground, like most things, is within walking distance. Since it's later in the day, it's not overtly congested with kids of varying ages, which is why Jim is completely comfortable with following Joanna around from the swings to the seesaw to the merry-go-round to the slides and to the monkey bars. Joanna just soaks up Jim's attention like a sponge and appears to be overjoyed that Jim is willing to play with her.
It's nothing of an inconvenience for Jim because she really is just a big kid at heart.
They do one last round on the swings before they head back to the apartment complex at the behest of Bones, who calls Jim to let her know that he's there. When they get there, they find him lying facedown on the couch, looking utterly exhausted and slowly slipping into unconsciousness.
Jim laughs because it's funny and adorable. "What'd they do? Make you swim laps through quicksand while juggling fire?"
"Ha, ha," Bones grumbles, face partially mashed against a couch pillow. "No I didn't, but I would have preferred that over the things they had me do." He grunts when Joanna climbs up on his back and curls up between his shoulder blades as she strokes his damp hair. "M'fine, Jo," he quietly assures, probably sensing her concern. "Tired is all."
Jim sits down on the floor by his head and curls her fingers around his wrist since his arm is hanging off the edge of the couch. "I'm curious now. What did they make you do?"
"Things," Bones murmurs as he closes his eyes. "Lots and lots of things. Like dealin' with all those idiots that found their way to the health center because of their inability to just take proper precaution. I ain't talkin' just the cadets either, some of the instructors are none too careful either. Hell, they all came through because they either wound up breakin' an arm durin' a trainin' exercise or fracturin' their ribs because of a flight simulator. You know they don't have a head physician there? Just a bunch of cluckin' RN's and some ill-trained med students. It's a miracle anybody has survived this far. None of them have a clue of what their doin'."
"Bet you charmed the pants right off of Pike with your blatant foreknowledge," Jim supposes with an amused grin.
Bones snorts but he doesn't open his eyes. "He wasn't the one assessin' me, though he was there. He had some visitin' CMO evaluate my level of foreknowledge. Guy by the name of Dr. Mark Piper."
"Piper, huh?" Jim echoes and makes a mental note to look the man up when she gets the chance. "So what did he think about the way you handled being thrown in the lions' den."
Bones laughs and peeks a bleary eye at her.
Jim tries not to preen under his attention.
"He gave me kudos," Bones says as he takes a moment to study her face. "But he said my bedside manner left a lot to be desired, though, he supposed my type of orneriness had a certain charm to it. Pike added that he thought it might help keep the health center emptied of injuries if they had a healthy dose of fear of it's residing head physician. So they mutually came to the conclusion to give the job to me."
"No way," Jim says as she perks up and clamors onto her knees to face him.
Bones just grunts but he's looking at her with an indecipherable expression. "Told them both that I'd think about it."
"What? Why? It pays doesn't it? Not that I'm saying we need the money because I know your secretly rich and whatever, but it would look good on your academic record and you could use the experience, not with the Humans though because you got us down pat but like with all other species. Plenty of them go here."
"That's a good point and all," Bones says. "But between that and classes, there's not much room leftover for much else."
"Yeah," Jim agrees-barely. "But maybe you can work something out. I mean, Pike knows you've got other things going on-"
"My family," Bones supplies with amusement and Jim pretends she isn't blushing because he's referring to her and Joanna and the baby.
"-the point is that negations can be made," Jim continues, ignoring his interruption and the warm feeling winding around her heart. "Maybe you can bargain for days off. Like no Wednesdays and weekends off. We can work out the rest, and plus, we agreed that we'd consider putting Joanna in some of those club programs."
Bones says nothing but he looks like he's considering it (albeit tiredly).
"Listen, just think about it. Give it a year, and during that time, you can train someone else for the job as a backup for if it doesn't work out and you want to bail," Jim suggests. "But I have complete and utter confidence that you will find the balance between work and-" She can't work her way up to saying family. "-your personal life with no problem. Right, little duck?"
Joanna, who has been quiet so far, says, "Do your best, daddy. We'll still love you no matter what."
Bones lips curl into a fond smile and he reaches up behind him to pat her cheek affectionately.
Joanna smiles, grabs that hand, and kisses it before she kisses him on the cheek as well. She wrinkles her nose. "You stink, daddy."
Bones just grunts and drops his hand to the floor.
Jim snickers and gives him a noogie before she stands. "Get up and go hose yourself down. Stop stinking up my couch," she playfully scolds.
Bones slaps the side of her leg as he heaves himself up, catching Joanna from falling when he does so. "I though it was our couch."
"Nope. Everything in this apartment is mine. If you look hard enough, you'll find my name initialed everywhere," Jim teases and steps back to watch him lower Joanna to her feet on the floor.
"Does that go for me too?" Bones says with playful heat in his eyes.
Jim flushes because even though that idea appeals to her very much she'll never admit it. "Just go get clean, boring man. I'm ordering a pizza because none of us are making dinner tonight."
"I can make soup, momma," Joanna protests.
"Rain check on that, Jo-Bear," Jim says and aims both of her pointer fingers at her. "What's wrong with pizza though? Don't you like pizza?"
Joanna shrugs. "Can we get pineapple and ham? That's me and daddy's favorite."
Jim makes gagging noses and Bones bites at the curve of her shoulder in rebuke. "Ugh, fine. But I'm getting my own personal pizza and you weirdoes can eat your weird pizza all weirdly." She shoves Bones's face away when he tries to kiss her and fights back a smile. "Hit the showers. I'm not saying it again cause your daughter is right, you stink."
Bones huffs and swats her on the ass before he wanders off to their room.
Jim goes a little pink and swears at him. What is it with him and spanking?
"Momma, you said a swear," Joanna points out primly and climbs onto the couch with the remote. She forgets all about in a heartbeat because she's laughing loudly at a television show themed to funny home videos from all across the galaxy.
Jim fishes her communicator out of her back pocket and goes hunting for a local pizza place with the highest ratings on her PADD. When she finds one, she orders two large pizzas (one for her and one for Joanna and Bones), and grabs the nylon bag full of books she dropped by the door and carries it into her room.
Bones is still in the shower and she can hear the water running, as well as his attempt at humming some song she can't recognize.
Jim settles down on her stomach in the middle of the bed with an array of books spread all around her body, all open to specific passages she finds particularly interesting and worthy of further investigation.
Bones wanders out of the bathroom sometime later with a towel wrapped around his waist as he uses the other to dry his hair. He's all hot and glistening and wet and muscly and stupidly devastating to her concentration. He snorts and says, "Stop glarin' at me. I did what you and that daughter of mine told me to. I'm clean."
"You're distracting," Jim corrects in a spitefully whiny tone.
Bones lips curl into a smirk and she should have never said that. "I'm the distractin' one, huh?" He tosses the towel in his hands into the clothes hamper before stalking to the bed.
"No!" Jim warns and scrambles to her knees. "I'm totally on to something here and you and your stupid hot body have no business tempting my healthy libido and-and-and-this is exactly why I'm pregnant now."
Bones stops right at the edge of the bed and crosses his arms with an amused grin.
Jim lifts her hands and puts them on his chest and she totally means to push him in another direction but she somehow ends up feeling him up. "Just-um…" she's trails off but she has a point and it's somewhere and she can find it if she just concentrates hard enough and seriously, when does he even find the time to work out? "You, uh-I just-not, um-now. God, not now, okay? Joanna is very awake and out there and so not now. Plus, pizza!"
"Pizza?" Bones echoes and he's definitely amused. "Right, where are my priorities?"
Jim punches him in the chest and ignores the way he hisses and shies away. "Don't make fun of me," she warns.
Bones grabs a pillow and swats her on the side of the head with it before he slips on some pajama bottoms.
Jim sticks her tongue out at him as he joins her on the bed and pulls her into his lap. She goes willingly but still whines, "What? What do you want?" like she's being majorly inconvenienced.
"What's all this?" Bones merely asks as he indicates to all the books taking up most of the space on their bed.
Jim shrugs and grabs the forensic psychology book to continue on where she left off. "Just a bit of light reading. Cybernetics. Astrophysics. Quantum Chemistry. Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics. Tactical Analysis. The Prime Directive."
Bones slowly lifts a brow. "That's what you call light readin'? Jesus, I got a headache just from hearin' the names of them," he says, sounding impressed and looking at her like she's more fascinating than he could have ever imagined. "I knew you were smart but-you hold back a lot, don't you?"
Jim feels exposed all of sudden and she looks away, staring down at the book in her hands but not really absorbing the words. "Doesn't matter," she mutters. "I'm just a pretty face and no one likes to look beyond that."
"Hey, where's that comin' from?" Bones says and he seems offended on her behalf.
"Nothing, it's just something that's always been true," Jim supposes and tries to sound indifferent.
"I refuse to believe that you being anythin' less than extraordinary is true," Bones grumbles and he twists her around so they're face to face. "You ain't got to prove nothin' to nobody," he swears. "Not to me or anyone else in this universe."
"Yeah, okay, Bones," Jim says a little defensively. She hates these kinds of conversations because they just focus on her insecurities and she'd rather pretend she doesn't have any. "Like you didn't used to think the same when we first met."
Bones frowns. "I thought you were a damn fool for lyin' out there in the sun like that, but no, Jim, I never questioned your intelligence."
Jim presses her lips together stubbornly.
"You ain't got to prove nothin' to nobody," Bones reiterates, like he really needs her to understand this. "If you meet an asshole, because there's bound to be one or two of them out there, that makes you think you do, fuck 'em. You're one of a kind, Jim, and ain't no use in changin' what doesn't need to be changed in the first place."
Jim turns her head away and doesn't say anything.
The doorbell chimes.
"Pizza's here," Jim mutters and moves off his lap.
Bones sighs but he slides off the bed and stands.
Jim waits until he's in the doorway before she says, "Bones." He pauses and looks at her. "Thank you. For what you said. Thank you. You're a real softie, you know that?"
Bones snorts and waves her off but there's no mistaking the grin he exits the room with.
Jim smiles to herself before she eyes all the open books on the bed.
Uhura's parting words dissipate from her mind and she shoves off the bed to join Bones and Joanna at the kitchen table.
She feels oddly appeased.
Like she belongs.
888
STARFLEET CORRESPONDENCE
STARDATE 225008.22
CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER PIKE VIA USS KELVIN
JAMES T KIRK OF STARFLEET ACADEMY
Ms. Kirk,
My ship's been commissioned for an assignment I will not go into great detail about, but I suspect we'll be out of touch for an undetermined length of time. Meanwhile, I've taken the liberty of compiling together your fall semester class schedule. As you may note, it is light, but that's because you've tested out of most of the preliminary first-year seminar courses, though I never doubted you would. Your aptitude tests speak for themselves. Which is also why I've petitioned the Academy board to allow you to complete your observation hours during the semester since you were unable to do so in the past summer, and because you tested out of our highest course of mathematics, it was unanimously decided that you would serve as a TA under Commander Spock for his Advanced Quantum Physics classes. You'll also serve as a tutor for those of his students who are unable to comprehend the overall coursework. Because both you and Dr. McCoy have shown exemplary capacities in nearly every subject matter as it pertains to your discipline of choice, the academic board has waived your tuition fees for the extent of your time at the academy as long as you continue to perform commendably.
Please report to Commander Spock's office Monday morning at 0600 hours for further instruction in regards to your apprenticeship.
I look forward to hearing nothing but positive reports so don't think I won't be keeping tabs on you just because I'm off-world.
Congratulations, and good luck.
Sincerely,
Captain Pike
P.S. I seem to recall that today is Dr. McCoy's birthday (or so I've noted from his file). Give him my well-wishes, and remind him to enjoy his youth while it lasts. ;)
Part 3