The Stars Above Us

Chapter 17

"So, that means…?" Bones asked.

"I'll be back on Earth for a while. I was invited to take the Advanced Tactical Training course. Can you believe that? I mean, everyone in command wants ATT but I can't believe I got an invite this soon," she smiled.

Advanced Tactical Training was an invitation-only, post-graduate course at the Starfleet Command College. Bannock was sure that her invite would've come sooner if she went to the Academy but Jim wasn't so sure since ATT invites those who capture Tactical Command's attention, from cadets up to commanders. It was only a semester long but that meant she would be temporarily assigned to the Command College for a few months in San Fran.

"I can believe it. You already got a commendation for saving the leaders of Axanar at the conference. You're annoyingly good at what you do, darlin'. I don't know how your brain does what it does but I do know that it's usually amazing," he smiled. "I'm proud of you."

"Bones…" Jim sighed as she felt the blush creep up her neck.

"I am, darlin'. This is why you're out there. You want to make a difference and save people, you're doing that. Now other people are seeing just how amazing you are," Bones said. She could almost feel how proud he was of her.

"Stop," she muttered.

"Why? You're amazing. Beautiful. The goddess. You shine, you always have," he smiled. Jim covered her face with her hands. "Don't you dare… let me see that smile. Come on." She lowered her hands. "There's my girl."

"Can you stop gushing about me, please? You're worse than dad," Jim muttered. You would think the girl saved the world the way her dad went on and on when she talked to him.

"Nope. My girlfriend is awesome and everyone should know it," Bones chuckled.

"You're such a dork," she shook her head.

"You love it," he smiled.

"True. I should let you go," Jim said. "You have a test in the morning and you need to sleep."

"Isn't that my line?"

"Usually. I love you, Bonesy. Good luck tomorrow," she smiled.

"I love you too. Goodnight… or whatever time it is out there."

"Night."

"How's my favorite person in the universe?"

"What do you want, Mitch?" Jim asked over comm. They'd been back in San Francisco for three whole days and Jim had somehow managed to adopt the cadet that was a whole year younger than her.

"I might need a little help," he said cryptically.

"What kind of help?" she asked.

"The kind where you dress up and help me hit on people," Mitchell said.

"You need a wing-man and Yudrin said no. What makes you think I have nothing better to do?"

"Because you don't," he chuckled. "Your boyfriend is in Mississippi, your dad and granddad are both out in the black. Face it, sweetheart, hanging out with me is better than watching Doctor Who in your pajamas."

"Hey, Doctor Who is awesome," she said. Her love of that show was Bones' fault. She got him hooked on These Are the Voyages and he got her into Doctor Who.

"Not saying it's not. Just saying that you need to get out," Gary said. "You know you want to."

She thought about it for a minute. "Fine but I'm not getting dressed up for you so pick somewhere low-key."

"Works for me," her friend chuckled.

"I can't believe she kissed you," Mitch chuckled.

"I am cuter than you," Jim said. "I do think she was just messin' with you though."

"What is wrong with me that girls don't like me?"

"For starters, you're fifteen and that girl was like twenty-one," she pointed out. "What am I? And Yudrin? We like you."

"Age is nothing but a number, you're taken and Phan's like my sister," he grumbled.

"Is she?" Jim asked. "You guys… You remind me of me and Bones. Except the other way around because she's older than you."

"How so?"

"Even when we didn't like each other, there was always a connection. We went from reluctant friends to best friends to a couple. You and Yudrin are like we were in the beginning. Friendly but awkward," she told him. "I say, ask her out. Not to be your wing-man but actually ask."

"You think she'll say yes?" Mitchell sighed.

"I don't know. That's why you have to ask," Jim said. "What's the worst that could happen? She turns you down and you're right back where you started."

"There is that," he looked at his feet before he looked at Jim. "You really think I got a shot?"

"I may be wrong but I don't think I am. It took someone else pointing it out for me to realize how much I liked Bones. I'm just paying it forward."

Jim was exhausted. In addition to taking her ATT course, she signed up for an advanced computer programming class and she got talked into teaching Federation History for the first year cadets. She spent her mornings in classrooms and her afternoons getting pummeled. It didn't help that she's been planet side for a little over two weeks with no signs of slowing down. She entertained the idea of skipping a day of classes just to make a quick trip to Mississippi but Bones told her not to. As much as they wanted to see each other she couldn't tank an invitation-only class.

She was thanking her lucky stars that she was staying in the home she shares with her dad, it meant that she didn't have to deal with people unless she wanted to. And, at this moment, she didn't want to see anything except her bed. On top of being tired, she was also gross since they trained outside in the dirt while it was raining. Jim peeled off her field uniform and let it fall to the floor just inside the front door. She stepped into her bathroom and turned on the water. Jim was too tired for her shower to be anything more than washing the mud and grime off.

Jim wasn't sure how long she stood under the spray of hot water but she felt infinity better when she got out of the shower. Wrapping one towel around her body and running the other through her hair, Jim stepped out of the bathroom and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Bones?"

He smiled, "Hey, darlin'."

"What are you doing here? How are you here?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I was having a conversation with your granddad, mentioned that we haven't had a chance to see each other since you got back. He told me that it was tragic and he called in a favor with one of his buddies. I got beamed in and I'll be beamed back in seven hours and nineteen minutes, all of which are yours."

"I'm supposed to be the one who comes up with all the cool plans," she whispered against his neck.

"Not today," he chuckled. Bones pressed a lingering kiss against her lips. "Get dressed. I'm gonna make you something to eat."

"But, Bones…" she whined.

"You didn't eat today, I can tell. So, food first, then you can have your way with me, then I'm gonna hold you while you get some much needed rest. How's that sound?"

Jim smiled, "That sounds like a plan."

"How long you got?" Jim whispered against Bones' neck. She managed to get a little sleep but Bones being here gave her a whole new energy, so she spent a good chuck of the night keeping him awake.

"Fifteen minutes," he muttered as he arms tightened around her.

"I still can't believe Gramps helped you with this," she sighed.

"Oh, please. Gramps loves me, I wouldn't get to call him Gramps if he didn't," Bones chuckled. "He wants us both to be happy and we make each other happy."

"He's such a romantic," Jim smiled.

"He is," he sighed before he pushed himself up and looked around the floor for his clothes. Jim made a move to get up but Bones shook his head. "You should get some more sleep, it's almost five-thirty and you don't have to be anywhere until eight."

"I'm never telling you my schedule again," she muttered.

Bones laughed, "We'll see about that, darlin'."

"I hate this," Jim sighed as she plopped back on her bed.

"I know you do," he chuckled. She felt him climb onto the bed and lean over her. "Look at me." Jim opened her eyes. "We'll get through it."

"I thought I was the optimistic one?"

"You are. But I'm here when you can't be."

"Nothing ever phases you," she muttered.

"Stuff gets to me all the time, you've seen me freak out. I choose not to get all bent out of shape over something as silly as you being a couple thousand miles away. Last month, you weren't even in this sector. We got this, darlin'. We just gotta have a little faith for a little while longer." He pressed a soft kiss against her lips. "I gotta go."

"I know. I love you, Bonesy."

"I love you too."

"Why is this place all packed up?" Jim asked as she stepped into their place in Mississippi. They managed to see each other a few times since he popped in on her at the beginning of the semester but she hasn't been in their apartment in a little over three weeks.

"I'm moving," he said as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Consider it a really, really late birthday present."

"Why would your moving be a present? You love this apartment, Bones, that's why we picked it," she sighed, the confusion probably written on her face.

"I do love this place. However, I have no inclination to commute from here to San Francisco every day."

"Wait. What?" Jim looked up at him. "Please tell me that you aren't quitting school."

"I'm not. You know how med school works. The first half is a mix of classroom stuff and some clinical rotations and the second half is mainly patient care. Since I'm done with all my classroom work, I decided that I want to do my clinical training somewhere a little closer to you... a lot closer, actually."

She thought about it for a minute before she smiled. "You're transferring to Starfleet Medical Academy."

"Yep."

Like the Command College, the Starfleet Medical Academy was a post-graduate school on the academy campus that trained nearly seventy percent of the fleet's medical officers. Bones' choice was logical on three fronts. One, he'd be able to speed up his training this way. Two, he'd get to do some training on a ship. Three, they'd get to see each other more often since Jim would be in San Fran when the Republic was there.

The ship was on an Academy training rotation and most of the crew was either working at or was a cadet in the Academy, Jim would be home more often than not for the next few years, barring transfers and emergencies. Like some of her shipmates, she would be teaching a course and she signed up for a couple doctorate-level classes now that she got her ATT rating.

"When did you come up with all this?" Jim finally asked.

"Almost two months ago. I had to talk to Aunt Pip and she told me who to talk to at SMA," he smiled. "Since I already have my commission, it wasn't as hard to apply. I found out that my transfer was approved a few days ago. I didn't tell you in case it didn't happen."

"Bones, what about getting your degree here, at Ole Miss? I thought that's what you always wanted? Your dream?"

"I got my bachelor's degree here, that's enough for me. My dream is to be a doctor, the best doctor I can be, and SMA has some of the best training and research facilities in the quadrant. Being in the same city as you is just a bonus, darlin'."

"So… Where are you gonna live?"

"Well, most of this stuff is going to Aunt Pippa's but I had a nice long talk with your dad," Bones said. "He said that I could stay at his place with you."

"He did not," Jim looked at him. She was surprised. Her dad wasn't old fashioned or a prude but he also wasn't an i***t and he's been an eighteen year old boy before.

"He did. As long as we aren't stupid about it and respect the fact that he's trusting us, I can stay with you. If we can't do that, I'll have to stay at Pip's."

"We're gonna owe him big-time," she chuckled.

"Probably."

"Guess who's taking the Kobayashi Maru when she gets back from...?" Jim said as she walked in the front door. She stopped when she saw that Bones was sound asleep on the couch surrounded by PADDs. SMA was no joke and he was working his ass off. She had to force him to sleep as much as he's forced her to eat.

She gently pulled the PADD out of his hand, put a pillow under his head, tugged his boots off and covered him with the blanket on the back of the couch before dropping a soft kiss on his temple. Jim decided that she'll wake him up after she made dinner.

Jim was in the kitchen after a quick shower when she heard the front door open. Knowing it was one of only two people, she dried her hands off on a towel to go see if it was Pippa and/or her dad since she knew that Gramps' ship got extended for another month. Jim wasn't surprised to find both her dad and Pippa standing next to the couch with a smile on their faces as they watched Bones sleep.

"When he was little, he used to sleep anywhere," Pippa whispered. "I remember finding him asleep under a desk once. He was three, I think. David ran around Hoystadt Children's Hospital checking every dark-haired, hazel-eyed boy who even remotely looked like Lenny. I sat down to do some paperwork and there he was, curled up at my feet with his favorite blanket."

"He's been working hard," Jim whispered back. Two pairs of eyes, one sky blue and the other gray, shot over to her. "Hi."

"Hey, sweetie," Pippa said as she wrapped her a motherly hug. "You look a lot better than the last time I saw you."

"That i***t isn't in the hospital," Jim said with a wink at her dad.

"Nothing to do with sleeping beauty, huh?" the captain asked.

"I suppose he's partly responsible," she smiled. "Hey, daddy."

Pippa let her go and her dad hugged her too. "Hey, kiddo."

"Welcome back. You guys go get cleaned up for dinner and I'll wake him up," Jim told the older officers.

"Bossy," her dad muttered.

"I'm a command officer, it's our default setting," Jim smiled.

"She has a point. You've been bossing us all around for years. You only notice it now because Jim does it," Pippa chuckled. Chris looked at the doctor and Jim could swear she saw… something. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. "She gave you an order, Chris. Hop to it."

"Whatcha doing?" Jim asked her dad. He was sitting at the dining room table with a stack of PADDs.

"Reading reports," he smiled. "Grab a seat." Jim grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it closer to him. "This is an after action report from our last mission. Read it over."

"Am I allowed?"

"I wouldn't give it to you if you weren't, LT," her dad said. Jim smiled as she began to read the report.

The Yorktown warped to the Marrat Nebula to help defend Starbase 13 from an attack. After driving off the hostiles, her dad beamed over with an away team to assess the badly damaged station. As Pippa and Yeoman Cusack helped the medical personal set up a triage center to help the starbase's wounded. Commodore Hal Wyeth, the station's commander, told her dad that Thirteen was originally built to help police the dangerous region and the growing attacks were a response by local pirates to a Starfleet plan to bring order to the region in Project Pharos, the building of a huge 'lighthouse' on a nearby planet. In addition to the new plans, while they were drilling the foundations for the lighthouse, the engineering teams found vast amounts of pure dilithium, and the Commodore feared the information was leaked when, two hours earlier, contact was lost with the engineering teams on the planet.

Her dad decided to head to Pharos to look for the engineers. His officers ran sensor sweeps while the science officers analysis of the earlier attack revealed that the attacking fleet was an unusual combination of Orion, Arcturan, Khodini and renegade Human vessels. With evidence of a deadly criminal alliance, her dad moved the ship to Yellow Alert as the Yorktown reached Pharos.

Commander Robbins led the landing party to investigate the lighthouse and quickly found evidence of recent disruptor fire before coming under fire from a group of Klingons. Meanwhile, the Yorktown was also engaged by the Klingons while in orbit, unusually efficient Klingons who took advantage of the Starfleet vessel's weaknesses. They decimated main engineering before their commander, Kaaj, demanded a surrender.

Her dad, being her dad, refused to surrender and Kaaj threatened the Yorktown's destruction and warned that he perceived the ship's defense of Pharos as a Federation ploy to keep the rich dilithium deposits on the unclaimed world below for itself and could lead to war. Coming up with a hail Mary, as soon as the away team beamed back with the survivors, her dad armed phasers and fired on the planet. Pharos ignited into a 'blazing beacon.' The science report estimates that given the vast fuel reserves of the body, the planet will burn for decades to come. Detecting a new group of Federation vessels moving into the area, the Klingons bailed.

"You fired on the planet?" she asked.

"I did. Can you tell me why?"

Jim thought about it. "Everyone was after the dilithium. The immediate threat to the Yorktown aside, with the dilithium there, the starbase was in danger. Ships from all over the place would show up to take over Pharos. By igniting it, you eliminated both the immediate and future threats to the thousands of people on Starbase thirteen."

"What would you have done differently?" he asked her.

"Were there any other ships available?" Jim asked.

"There were," he nodded.

"I would've taken backup," she shrugged. "This Kaaj guy had the drop on you but another ship would've given you the advantage. It wouldn't've stopped any future threats to the planet but the Yorktown wouldn't have been beat up like that. From what I can see in the damage report, it's gonna take nine months or more to fix." Her dad stared at her for a minute. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just… I didn't think of taking another ship until after it was all said and done but it was your first thought. Why?"

"Work smarter, not harder. If you have the resource available you should use it in the best way possible," Jim shrugged.

"And that's why you're gonna make captain one day."