"Jim, you don't have to blame yourself for this." McCoy Prime said.

"I made people die, Bones." Jim said.

"If you are not going to listen to me then listen to Spock." McCoy Prime said.

McCoy left the room.

"Doctor MCoy is right," Spock said, shortly entering the room. "Blaming yourself for the death of others is unwise."

Jim sighed.

"We could have done something about it. If I stalled him just a little more. . . ."

Spock Prime put one hand on Jim's shoulder.

"There is nothing you could have done, Jim," Spock Prime said. "Nor for Nero." Spock took his hand off Jim's shoulder. "We are fortunate that the many of the civilization have survived."

"But what we do to deserve this from Nero?" Jim asked.

"As I understand, in the far future, quite possibly, I will be at fault for the destruction of a planet," Spock Prime said. Jim lowered his head. "I will not allow that to happen."

Jim raised his head up.

"But what if it does happen?" Jim said.

"Then it will be a closed time loop in time and space." Spock Prime said.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

                                        "Why are you so important to him?"

                                            "I raised him,kid."

Spock Prime let go of the Psi points of Kirk's head after he had explained his story. His hands lowered down to his side consuming in the shock that rattled his mind. It was awfully strange, ninety-four years believing Jim had died, and then seeing him in the mind of his counterpart. It was impossible. Illogical. There wasn't logic. Those kind warm, ancient eyes were still there. Those hazel eyes were full of humanity, warmth, and a certain captain aged edge to it.

There was a look of shock in the elder Spock's eyes.

"Jim." Spock Prime said.

"Yes?" Kirk said.

"That man is my Jim." Spock Prime said.

"What man?" Kirk asked.

"The one you met." Spock Prime said.

Kirk raised his eyebrows.

"But he claimed to be my long lost grandparent." Kirk said.

"He is not," Spock Prime said. "He is following the Prime Directive by not telling you anything unlike how dire my situation is. . . where did you get him?"

"Vulcan." Kirk said.

"Jim. . . on Vulcan?" Spock Prime said. "That is highly unusual."

"I take it he doesn't live on Vulcan in your timeline." Kirk said.

"He never did," Spock Prime said. "If anywhere not being a captain, he would be in Iowa on Earth. A majority of the time . . . in space." There was fondness in the elder Vulcan's eye. "I would often joke he was married to the Enterprise." Spock's face turned into a defiant one. "Where you belong."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"Commander." Jim said.

"Yes, Captain?" Spock Prime said, holding a goblet that had a unusual liquid inside of it.

"Can you slow dance?" Jim said.

"I am especially skilled in tap dancing." Spock Prime said.

"Ah please, don't remind me." Jim said.

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow.

"Still frightened of my tap dancing?" Spock Prime asked.

"Yes." Jim said.

"Why are you asking about my dancing?" Spock Prime asked.

Jim motioned over to the little princess in between her two guardians on a purple pillow.

"She wants to see us two dance for 'shizzles' and 'kiggles'. Whatever kiggles means I am already uncomfortable about it." Jim said.

"I believe she means 'for shits and giggles'." Spock Prime said.

"Spock, tell me how good is your slow dancing?" Jim said.

"It is exceptional, captain." Spock Prime said.

Jim grinned.

"Fantastic," Jim said. "And then we are getting the hell out of here."

McCoy Prime was treating a Chekov Prime for a injury he received from saying the queen of Russia was better than the princess of the entire planet. Chekov Prime did not seem to be pleased by being the one under treatment for a rather good bragging that was meant to be a joke. Chekov Prime was sitting own in a guest chair while McCoy Prime was all over him keeping the guards away by threatening that he can kill them if they dared to touch the boy without leaving evidence.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"Spock, I think this is a location portal." Jim said, looking over his shoulder.

"Captain, with all the evidence we have compiled of this phenomena anything that goes in is burned and destroyed beyond recognition," Spock Prime said. "Burned to the crisp."

Jim looked up toward Spock.

"But the portal didn't have a location in those instances," Jim said. "It could be safe."

"Captain, there are sixty-six point twenty-three chances that you will die." Spock Prime said.

Jim had a small smile.

"I will be okay, you can trust me." Jim said, reassuringly.

Spock's grip on Jim's wrist was loosening mostly because of the sheer force the hole was drawing upon and his grip on the branch was making it break apart slowly and gradually. The Vulcan was afraid of losing him. The Vulcan cleared his throat. If he is correct, Spock Prime reasoned, then I am not going to lose him. But there are chances I will lose him.

"As it is customary before one's dearly beloved leaves . . ." Spock said. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Jim replied.

Spock Prime let go of Jim's hand.

"Captain!" Spock watched his friend vanish into thin air.

Spock climbed back up onto the surface then flipped out his communicator, "Spock to Enterprise, is Jim there?"

"No, why would he?" Came Scotty's voice.

"Check the transporter room." Spock Prime said.

Spock waited and waited.

"He is not there." Scotty replied.

And Spock Prime refused to believe he lost his captain.

Jim was out there, alive, Spock Prime could feel it.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Spock Prime awoke from his sleep feeling a pain in his head.

Jim!

Spock Prime got up then went to the computer feeling his brain empty. It was the kind of empty that terrified Spock. Hollow, not a sound met his mental ears. Endless long hole that had a rope dangling to the other side. There was no comfort in the pain that was painstakingly haunting him. It was almost like he hadn't risen up the proper mental shields. Not at the right time. This wasn't expected to encounter this pain randomly in the night for a Vulcan. Spock called for Jim through their marriage bond.

Jim!

There was no answer, no reply, no casual 'what is up, Spock?', nothing of Jim.

Jim!

"Computer, open communication's channel to . . . " Spock grabbed the side of his head. "Jim!"

He was suffering from a broken bond.

"Admiral James T. Kirk died aboard the Enterprise B." The computer replied

Spock stepped back, in horror, until he sat down into a chair feeling his world become dizzy.

If this were true, Spock would need to visit the healers.

"Jim. . ." Spock Prime said, taking his hands off his head detaching himself from these painful emotions.

He picked up the holo-emitter of the table and held it in his hands. The rounded circular edges, the one flat blue screen set dead in the middle, a metal loop for a string of some form to be slid in. The only thing he had left of his beloved Jim was just this. A day, just one day, and he was gone. Spock put the item against his chest feeling a lot of sorrow. He could sense, through the broken bond that was hanging on what little string that kept it together that his mate was unaware of what had happened. Jim didn't know he had died.

Spock Prime briefly closed his eyes.

"I love you, Jim," Spock Prime said. "I always will."

Jim broke his promise.