Chapter 3:

Lost my muse for a while, turns out it was hiding on a starship on the edge of Klingon space. Quick recap: Admira, one of the elders of the newly inducted species to the Federation, noticed Jim had spent time both in another universe and beyond. This, along with some Delta Vega revelations were brought up much to Bones and Spock's chagrin. And now chapter 3. Thanks for sticking with this guys.

After a much needed reprieve including a hot meal from the Enterprise's best replicators, Spock, Bones and Jim were beamed back to main hall of the Grasow's city to give their thanks and say goodbye.

"I've stopped trying to figure the goblin out, Jim, it makes things much more efficient." Bones said, as the trio started walking through the bustling hall to find Admira.

"On the contrary doctor, in your endeavor to be more efficient you demonstrate an important concept shared by Vulcans."

"Guys, as stimulating as this conversation is, that started before and continued through dinner I might add, how about we cap it there and try to find an elder."

As the three looked around for a few minutes more, Jim noticed Admira conversing near the front of the room with another.

"Found her, she's just up there but she's busy." Jim said conversationally, turning to face his friends. "Base says we move out after Beta shift tomorrow since the mission was a success. Time to move on."

"Another job well done indeed." A gentle voice sounded as Admira approached the Starfleet officers.

"We are pleased an agreement was able to be reached." Spock inclined his head in thanks.

"Yeah, and peacefully too. On a personal note, I'd like to thank you for getting our Captain over here to open up a bit." Bones said, giving his customary hand shake.

"Bonnnes.." Kirk whined.

"Yeah, yeah. You know it would have taken a bottle of my best liquor if we had gone through the normal channels."

"In which case it would be prohibited according to the regulation of alcohol aboard Starfleet vessels." Chimed in Spock.

Kirk turned directly to Admira as his friends continued quietly just a foot away from the pair. "All joking aside, I do wish to thank you. The things we discussed needed to be talked about."

"On that note Captain James, your mind is fractured even now. You are still trying to connect this world with your times away." Jim's stomach did a minor summersault but he quickly composed himself.

Noticing the shift in tension of his friend, Bones and Spock curved their conversation and stepped to either side of Jim. Jim simply raised his eyebrows at the action, knowing his friends were listening the whole time and just providing the illusion of a private conversation.

"Well its good thing I have my friends to help me keep things sorted then."

Admira merely held his gaze before turning to Spock. "I ask that you not dwell on the irrationality of your counterpart's meld. You will one day see what he saw and only then will you understand his actions."

"I am curious Elder Admira as to how your species comes about such knowledge, specifically how you were able to detect the Captain's…travels."

"Spock. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to ask the Grasows to share such intimate information." Jim spoke up, feeling slightly protective of Admira and the others.

"I assure you it is no trouble Captain. We would not have gotten this far if we had not determined each of your characters to be void of nashme, a certain darkness." Jim narrowed his eyes slightly at that, he knew he had past demons that he alone could overflow even this grand room with. Admira caught his eye in complete understanding and gave him a warm and subtle smile in response.

"Perhaps we could adjourn again to a less boisterous setting?" Receiving nods across the board, Admira turned and lead the way out of the hall and to a smaller room with tall paneled windows for walls. The room looked out upon the overflowing greenery and trees as far as the horizon.

As everyone took a seat at the center table, Admira began "What being could possibly answer the question of a true beginning? What we know has been of our ancestry has been passed down for centuries and centuries, from elder to young, and the cycle begins again. I said before it is in the highest respect we regard those whom have gone and returned, such as your James Tiberius. When one is chosen to return, a certain aura accompanies that being, until they go finally. I 'detected' this glow as I see now, in and surrounding you Captain."

The room entered a comfortable silence as the trio's thoughts whirred in different directions. Spock had only more questions. Bones kept an eye on his friend as Admira explained and decided he would continue to do so, long after they leave this planet with all its revelations. If Jim was self-conscious before this mission, it certainly didn't compare to now.

"Can others see this aura? Other species that is?" Jim asked, keeping his voice level. He had questions and he needed answers.

"None of which we have had contact or word of."

"…What's it look like?" Kirk asked after another minute of silence.

"I believe it appears similarly to how you might envision a soul. It is a very rare occurrence of that you can be certain. Just as certain as each aura is different from the next."

"Elder, you say this is rare. How many have been recorded to your knowledge?" Spock asked from his seat next to the right of Jim.

Admira turned slightly to address Spock. "I have seen only one other being in my many revolutions. The stories have only told of a numbered few."

"How few is a 'numbered few'?" Bones asked, scooting minutely closer to Jim out of habit.

"Your concern and care is palpable, doctor. There is a very special bond between you three, almost as unique as the few who have been chosen. There have been tellings of two others who have experienced what you have Captain, specifically in regards to the Between."

Jim took a calming breath. He had so many questions about what he experienced, after Kahn. Was now the best time to dredge everything up again? Was right now the opportunity to find out about the afterlife? Bones had assured him he had died in the warp core. His crews' faces weeks following that fiasco only helped to confirm that.

Jim hadn't talked about that day to anyone, not even at Bones' prompting. He figured he was better off saying he didn't remember much then having to explain the agony of a slow death by cell radiation. Not to mention what he saw after.

"Jim. You alright?" When Jim's vision cleared he saw Bones now standing over him, his face a mix of apprehension and determination.

Before he could answer, Admira spoke up. "Captain, they are your Kratlava, your family yes?"

"Yes." The lack of hesitation bringing a small flutter of warmth to both Spock and Bones who seemed to be intruding on a conversation they could hardly keep up with.

"I will not force your hand on such a matter, Jim. It was your own experience, meeting Death and returning from the Between. It is your decision alone to share this, but you might find that certain things may become clear. You need not fear the thoughts of your Kratlava either. We have both seen they will not forsake you."

"They've drilled it into me enough times for me to know that they won't judge me but…I do not wish to burden them. They worry enough as it is."

"Captain, I hate to interrupt-"

"Interrupt what? They're just sitting there staring at each other like a bunch of school kids." Bones gruffness coming out again.

"Sorry Bones, I didn't realize we stopped talking out loud." Jim smiled sheepishly up at Bones who just huffed a sigh and sat down again.

"You don't make it easy not to worry about your sanity Kid."

Jim looked back to Admira. "You should not be surprised by the show of support they will undoubtedly provide." "Even without the visions of another life, showing the absolute bond between you each."

"Whatever it is Captain, I can assure you, it worries us more not knowing what is troubling you than perhaps the troubling thing itself."

Jim took a moment to look at both Spock and Bones, his pillars always by his sides, literally it seemed. "I have questions about the time I spent dead."

Jim heard Bones take a sharp inhale. "I know I told you I didn't remember much, but I did, I do. And I think Admira will be able to clear some things up for me. I'm sorry I lied to you both."

Bones remained silent but put a firm hand on Jim's shoulder and Spock's simple nod was all the encouragement needed.

Jim took a deep cleansing breath, squared his shoulders and sat upright. "Alright. Was it real? My dad, Gaia, Chris- all of them. Were they really there?" Bones heart clenched with each name said. Hadn't this kid been through enough?

"I think a better question would be were you really there." Seeing Kirk ready to speak again she raised in her hand for pause. "Simply, your body and life force exited this current plane of existence we are now moving through. I cannot say one way or another where it is you went, only that you did."

"As straight of an answer as the hobgoblin gives." Bones mumbled, trying to ease the tension evident in his friend, whom he still had his hand resting on. Spock turned to Bones and raised an eyebrow, daring him to say more.

"I talked with them. They…what they said, was it, did they…" Kirk ran a hand through his hair tersely, his thoughts zipping every which way.

"What you saw, heard and most importantly felt, was as real Captain James. I cannot stress that enough."

Bones knew this wasn't the easiest subject to talk about, or heck, even listen to, but all he saw was his friend getting more and more worked up as it went on. There was a slight tremble to Jim's hands, hardly noticeable since they were constantly moving in his agitated state, but seen by both his commanding officer and CMO nevertheless.

Bones instincts kicked up another notch when the kid went completely still, almost rigid. He was just opening his mouth when Jim looked straight at Admira and said, "His blood, does that mean-"

"Yes."

Jim grimaced, screwing his face up with all his thoughts baring down on him. Another thought hit him full force. "What about the Captain? Did they ever find each other?" His voice was almost a whisper.

Admira's face softened. "You know their souls were never meant to be apart."

Jim leaned forward on the table, resting his hands on his face when Spock spoke up.

"T'hy'la?" That one word spoken quietly, with slight confusion, by Jim's First Officer. A word that meant absolutely everything, shared between two beings.

"Spock, I-" Jim instinctively turned and put his hand on Spock's arm, but before he could complain the trio was swept into a world of blurring colors.

"What the devil!" Came the exclamation from Bones as the three were no longer sitting around a table but standing in a grassy green field that stretched for miles.

Jim's breath hitched, his eyes unseeing as he took in his surroundings. "No, but how? I…I don't understand." He hunched over slightly, resting his hands on his knees where he stood, trying to take it all in- again.

"Hey hey, talk to us Jimmy. Take a breath. What happened, where are we?"

Jim stood back upright, his breathing still coming in shallow puffs as he turned to take in his surroundings. It was apparent to Spock wherever they were was severely unsettling his Captain.

"Bones." So much was said with that one name. Jim's voice so small, so lost looking as he stopped turning and met his friend's eyes. Jim began to sway on his feet, feeling completely overwhelmed by being back in this place again.

"Woah hey!" Bones jumped towards his friend, immediately wishing he had his med kit with him as his thoughts started tumbling through what he could do to help.

Spock beat him to Jim's side, gripping his upper arm firmly but gently while they lowered to the ground. "Jim, can you hear me? I need you to open your eyes buddy." Bones coaxed as he took Jim's pulse, another hand on Jim's forehead.

"Doctor?"

"I think it's all a bit too much, Spock. His pulse is sky high and his breathing was a disaster before, but he's calming down." Bones turned his head back to Jim, seeing him open his eyes, blinking rapidly from the sunlight. "You with us again?"

Jim was now seated upright, albeit on the ground with his friends kneeling over him, 'if only this was an unfamiliar way to wake up' thought Jim. He ran a hand down the side of his face as Bones pulled him into standing.

"Yeah, no I…This is where I was. Admira told me it was real but- it's just one thing to think about something, like in a dream and another to be here again." He would have laughed at his friends' faces if he wasn't so damn on edge from being back to a place he never thought he'd see again, and wasn't even sure he had in the first place.

"Captain, to be clear, you are saying this is the place you went when you were in the 'Between'?" Spock asked, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure out the current situation they were in.

"Yes."

Okay! To be continued certainly, but at what date, unknown. I'm trying to figure out where I want to go with this story but I do see a wrap up in a chapter or two. I have my final exit exam at Uni in just a few days which I am hoping to do well on which equates to Fic taking a back burner again for a short while. Let me know what you think! Reviews will help me take momentary study breaks!