Serenity in Space

Summary: Serenity is reborn far in the future as Jim Kirk's cousin. The two go through an ordeal that binds them closer than siblings. When Jim joins Starfleet she goes with him and becomes a nurse.

A/N: This first chapter condenses everything prior to Into Darkness…after this it gets more detailed but this part sets the stage so to speak so if this chapter seems a bit rushed in terms of timeline that's because it is lol.

Chapter 1

"Jimmy!"

A young Jim Kirk stepped out of a shuttle and braced for impact as a small bubbly blonde threw herself into his arms. Her parents stood nearby with beaming smiles as the blonde male wrapped the girl in a tight hug.

"Hey Rena."

"Welcome Jim. Rest assured we have no plans to punish you as your mother wanted. You must be hungry. I made a nice pot roast for all of us to share tonight."

"Mama makes the best pot roast Jimmy. Come on let's hurry!"

Jim smiled and let his little cousin drag him wherever her little heart desired. He never could say no to her. His mother had sent him to stay with his father's sister after he wrecked his dad's old car to keep her latest husband from selling it. They were more than happy to take him in and he found himself feeling more at home with them than with his own mother who was rarely ever there anyway.

He went to school with Serenity and actually allowed his intelligence to show when she started challenging him to keep up with her, earning top marks with her and a few others which allowed them to attend a special weekend camp. After a few months of happiness a fungus started killing off the crops at a frightening rate and the governor told them that Starfleet had ignored his calls for help. Jim and Serenity were smart enough to know that had to be a lie, his dad had been part of Starfleet and he would never have ignored a call for help. Serena's parents became worried, even fearful, as soldiers began patrolling the little towns and raiding houses for so-called stolen food and arresting people for supposedly hoarding food.

When Serenity's parents received a summons to the Governor's palace, specifically stating that the two children were not allowed to attend, the two blonde children became concerned and followed anyway. They snuck in through a drainage grate and watched from below as the governor ordered his soldiers to open fire on the crowd of those he deemed inferior. They heard the governor order his soldiers to round up the camp kids so he could begin his breeding program and the two ran for it. They grabbed as many of their friends as they could find and ran into the mountains, hiding in a cave system and sneaking out to steal food when they could. The first night many of the kids had emotional breakdowns after losing their families and it was Serenity and Jim that helped them all get through it.

Eventually they were all caught when their cave was found, and were then tortured for daring to defy their governor. When Governor Kodos tried to get Serenity to be part of his breeding program she refused. He had her whipped into unconsciousness while Jim screamed himself hoarse and caused severe injuries to his wrists trying to break free and help her. By the time Starfleet realized something was wrong, after hearing nothing from Tarsus Four for months, only nine children form the original group were still alive. Captain Pike and the crew of the USS Farragut were the first to arrive and when they made their way into the dungeons several of them had to swallow down the urge to be violently ill at the sight. Pike recognized Jim and Serenity and personally carried Serenity and Jim, who limped behind them after refusing to be carried, back to his ship. After his medical officer was done tending to them he placed the two in a room where nine little beds had been set up for the kids. He watched as the two pushed all the mattresses together and piled the blankets and pillows on top, wondering just what they were doing that for. When the rest of the kids were brought in it became painfully clear, none of them wanted to be apart form each other as they all clung to Jim and Serenity like they were human lifelines.

The group became known as the Tarsus Nine and refused to let the incident be swept under the rug. Many years later found the two at a bar in Iowa where Jim was hitting on a clearly uninterested Starfleet Cadet while Serenity tried not to laugh too hard when he got shot down repeatedly, though she could tell the woman was amused by his attempts. When a large male came over and started trying to push Jim around Serenity intervened.

"It's a bit of harmless flirting and I'm sure she can handle herself just fine."

"How about you let me handle you pretty girl…show you what a real man can do."

When the man made the mistake of trying to pat Serenity on the ass Jim snapped and punched him in the jaw, starting an epic bar brawl that only stopped when Pike's shrill whistle made the cadets freeze in terror.

"Outside all of you. Now!"

"You can whistle really loud."

"…and he has a concussion...Hi Uncle Chris."

Jim's words were slurred and Serenity sighed softly, shaking her head as she turned to the man who had intervened. Pike just gave her an amused look while checking her for any injuries.

"You alright Serenity?"

"I'm fine…The big guy tried to slap my ass and Jim kind of snapped…"

"Can't say I wouldn't have done the same sweetheart. Let's have a chat shall we?"

Pike challenged Jim to join Starfleet and do better than his father had…and Jim could never pass up a good challenge. The next day the two boarded the shuttle heading to Starfleet Academy, noticing the same cadets from the bar as Jim once again tried to flirt with the lady.

"Give it a rest Jim…she's clearly not interested."

Commotion from the bathroom caught their attention as a surly doctor attempted to keep his seat in the bathroom with no windows. Serenity could tell he was possibly Aviophobic…with a fear of flying…or possibly Astrophobic…with a fear of space…though she couldn't figure out why he'd be on a Starfleet shuttle if that was the case. After meeting the man she found out it was Aviophobia…fear of flying…and Jim voiced her thought before she could.

"I hate to break it to you but Starfleet operates in space."

"Yeah well…my wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce…all I got left is my bones."

Thus the man earned his new nickname from Jim…Bones. Serenity decided to call him Leo instead and the three became nearly inseparable at the Academy. Serenity became a nurse and Leo helped her study for her exams and even taught her things most nurses wouldn't know. After three years they were getting ready to graduate…but Jim had to pass one final test…the Kobayashi Maru…an infamous test because no one ever passed it…ever. Jim was determined and refused to give up…after his second failed attempt he decided to bring Serenity on as part of his crew along with Bones and Uhura, the girl he'd hit on at the bar ironically enough. As they began the test Serenity noticed that the Klingon ships weren't shielding their undersides, the belly of the ships were often the most vulnerable spots but the Academy didn't teach that.

"Jimmy…they're not shielding their undersides…we should come up from below and fire at them that way."

"Good idea…Bones…make it happen."

"I'm a Doctor damnit, not a pilot."

Serenity giggled at him and the doctor pouted at her before following Jim's command, thus winning the scenario. In the observation booth the Vulcan who created the simulation was beyond aggravated, but he couldn't make accusations without seeming petty. After the test he confronted the two in the hall while Bones lingered nearby in case they needed him. The resulting conversation was far from pleasant but the Vulcan went too far when he brought their parents into it and Serenity started crying. Leo gathered the poor girl into his arms while Jim hissed at the Vulcan in a low angry tone.

"You can go after me all you want but don't you EVER upset her like that again do you understand me? She lost her parents on Tarsus due to a madman's genocide…and almost died herself. Maybe the next time you want to go after someone for managing to outsmart you…think before you open your mouth. I thought Vulcan's were supposed to be logical and have control over their emotions but you…nah…not even worth it. Come on Serenity…let's get milkshakes."

"Chocolate?"

"Of course."

Serenity perked up when Jim mentioned milkshakes and Bones snorted softly, leveling a harsh glare at the Vulcan before following his friends out of the area. When Spock turned to his secret girlfriend, Uhura, he found her giving him an angry look as well.

"I take it you also believe I took things too far?"

"You think? God Spock…you can't bring people's parents into an argument…for one thing that has no logic in it whatsoever, and for another…you could make a blunder like you just did and hit a raw nerve. I may not like Kirk…but Serenity is my friend and that hurt her a lot more than it did him."

Uhura ran to catch up to the trio and joined them for milkshakes, coaxing a tiny laugh out of Serenity as she regaled her with her roommate Gaila's latest exploits. Uhura's roommate was an Orion girl with a flare for the dramatic and a love of men…any men. Jim and Bones just hung back and let Uhura cheer the blonde up but Jim was still seething at the Vulcan for going after her like that. Bones could see it in his friend's posture and the way his jaw kept clenching but he couldn't really say anything when he wasn't faring much better himself. An alarm started blaring and the intercom called all third and fourth year cadets to the hangar so the four ran to follow the order. The Cadets were divided among the ships docked at the space station and Uhura got Spock to change her to the Enterprise, thus joining Serenity, Jim, and Bones in the shuttle. Once they were on board the Enterprise the navigator, a young Russian kid, began briefing them on the reason for the urgency…which had Jim bolting down to where Uhura was stationed and then all four of them were racing onto the bridge where Spock tried to flex his proverbial muscle only to have Jim out logic him.

"Sir…we're warping into a trap."

"Lieutenant? Are you picking up any transmissions in Romulan?

"I'm not picking up any transmissions at all…in any language. It's silent Sir."

"Red alert, shields up!"

Uhura's statement caused all of Pike's inner alarm bells to go off and as he braced himself he watched Jim put Serenity between himself and the railing, bracing around her to protect her should anything happen…something Spock took note of as well. As they came out of warp they entered a massive debris field and when Serenity saw a piece of hull with the name Farragut stamped on it she fell to her knees with a soft cry that was echoed by Uhura behind her.

"Gaila…"

"Shh…Serenity look at me…they may have made it into escape pods right? Right Jim?"

"Yeah…Bones is right…they might be fine."

When Spock went to open his mouth, probably to contradict them, Uhura put a hand over it to keep him quiet and he kept it to himself.

"What the hell happened here?"

"Eight ships…dear god Jimmy…eight ships destroyed…why?"

"I don't know…"

Their ship was suddenly faced with another of monstrous size and Serenity shivered as Jim held her close. The other ship fired on them and then suddenly hailed them and they were faced with a Romulan. He talked to Pike and then to Spock who looked so very confused that this Romulan knew his name. Pike agreed to fly over to the other ship and Serenity was the first to protest, and the loudest…which was saying something since Jim, Bones, and Spock were all protesting as well.

"You can't…he'll kill you I just know it…please? I can't lose you too…You've become like a second father to me Uncle Chris…please…"

"Hey…look at me Serenity…I will be fine. You stay with Doctor McCoy here and do what you do best alright? I'll be back before you know it. Spock, Kirk…walk with me."

As the three left the bridge Serenity nearly lost her composure completely but Bones held her up and got her back to the Medbay where she could collapse in the CMO's office and just let it out of her system. Jim, Sulu who was the pilot, and another cadet space jumped down to the drilling platform that was attached between the large ship and Vulcan, the one guy was killed outright but Jim and Sulu managed to disable the drill and got beamed back to the ship just as Spock went to beam down to the planet. When Spock returned with the Vulcan elders but missing his mother Jim felt bad for him, and then the big ship attacked them again. The Medbay sustained heavy damage and the CMO was killed, thus Bones inherited his position, a fact Spock pointed out once they were back on the bridge and he commed for Doctor M'Benga and was informed of his demise. Jim butted in to ask if Serenity was alright, sighing in relief along with Uhura when they heard her voice shouting at Bones in the background.

"Leo! I need help here…this guy's going to bleed out in less than two minutes."

"Gotta go."

Bones cut the connection and Jim shared a look with Uhura who gave him a weak smile. One that Spock noticed with a small spark of something he refused to call jealousy.

"At least she's ok…I don't think I could stand it if I lost Gaila and Serenity both…"

"Serenity is tougher than she looks…she's already been through hell and survived."

The whole, bridge crew gave him a curious look at that and he promised to explain after it was all over. They watched as Vulcan imploded and everyone felt shock and loss, but none more so than Spock though he refused to let it show. Jim and Spock argued over the next course of action to take and Jim ended up being ejected onto a frozen planet in an escape pod. Serenity was livid when she found out from Bones and marched right onto the bridge without waiting for permission and backhanded Spock before screaming at him until his pointed ears were ringing. Bones and Uhura just stood back and watched, neither one wanting to have the tiny blonde turn her wrath onto them next.

"That is not a logical action Mister Spock...nor is it the action of a good captain. Just because a crew member disagrees with you is no reason to eject them onto a frozen wasteland of a planet. How long do you think he can survive out there?"

"If he remains inside the pod and waits for the nearby station to pick him up he will be fine."

"That station has TWO Starfleet personnel stationed there…and you know as well as I do that Jim is not going to just stay in the capsule and wait. If he dies down there I will hold you personally responsible and I will make sure you pay for it."

The petite blonde turned sharply on her heel and marched off the bridge, missing the low whistle Bones let out after her departure.

"I knew she had a temper in there somewhere but damn…"

Spock remained silent, the imprint of the little blonde's hand turning green upon his cheek and reminding him that despite being half human himself…he still did not understand them. Eventually Jim came back by beaming onto the ship while it was still at Warp with another man in tow. The cadet he'd punched back in the bar in Iowa was the one that caught them and dragged them to the bridge. Bones and Serenity rushing to meet them there after Spock called for Bones, mainly because Bones wasn't about to tell her no. She beat him there and slammed full-force into Jim, who barely remained upright, crying softly as he wrapped her in a comforting hug.

"Shh…calm down Rena…I'm alright…little banged up but otherwise fine…look, see for yourself."

"You could have been killed Jimmy!"

"I wasn't though…it's all ok now."

"No…it is most certainly NOT ok…I hate him for doing that to you."

"No you don't…you don't have it in you to hate anyone…you're too nice and that's a good thing."

Serenity leaned against Jim's side and he held her close while Bones hovered nearby with a scanner, scowling at each minor injury he found. Jim and Spock got into an actual fight on the bridge after Jim pushed the Vulcan past his breaking point and got pummeled into one of the consoles. The Vulcan only stopped when Serenity's screaming managed to pierce the enraged fog that had settled over his mind and he let her push him away from Jim. She cradled Jim close to her as Spock relinquished his command and left the bridge.

"Well that's just great…now we've got no Captain and no god damned First Officer to replace him."

Jim pushed himself off the floor, pulling Serenity up with him and wiping his bleeding lip with the back of his hand.

"Yeah we do."

As Jim sat in the chair the Pilot informed them all that Pike had made Jim first officer and Bones was less than enthusiastic about it.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Bones."

Serenity checked Jim's injuries, ignoring his protests completely while Bones chuckled behind the pair. Once she was satisfied Serenity and Bones joined Jim and the crew in figuring out a new plan of action. The little Russian, who Serenity found out was called Ravel Chekov…a cute name in her opinion, came up with a plan and Bones was skeptical to say the least.

"Wait a minute kid…how old are you?"

"Sewenteen Sir."

"Oh good…he's seventeen."

Spock arrived and backed up the kid's plan and he and Jim ended up agreeing to beam over to the big ship together to find Pike and try to stop the ship. Serenity wasn't the only one that thought it would end badly but Jim wouldn't listen. Jim, Pike, and Spock were beamed back just in time to avoid a massive collision and Serenity was right there with Bones as he scanned Pike and had him taken to the Medbay. Serenity followed Jim and Spock, scanning them as they ran to the bridge and skidding to a stop behind them as they hailed the other ship and Jim offered assistance.

"I would rather die in agony than accept assistance from you."

"How does destroying eight ships filled with people make you any better than those you claim to be against for what was supposedly done to you and your people? By the way…Romulus is still there so wherever you came from the thing that you're so angry about hasn't happened here. Instead of putting your anger and pain into revenge…put it into finding a way to save Romulus now while there's still a lot of time to prepare. We can save you and your crew…let us help you…we'll get you returned to Romulus and you can be with your people again."

The man focused on Serenity with a calculating look in his eyes as he refused assistance once again so Jim fired everything they had at the larger ship, only realizing that it might not have been a great idea after the debris started coming in their direction. Serenity's eyes went wide, turning silver as her body began to glow with soft silver light that spread out from her body to surround the ship. Jim watched as the debris just bounced away when it hit the silver shield and turned to look at his cousin in awe, only to have catch her as she collapsed into his arms. He shook her gently to try and wake her but she was out cold and it scared him.

"Rena? Serenity? Come on wake up…don't scare me like this…Serenity?"

Spock crouched next to them and reached out to place his fingers on the side of her neck, feeling her pulse beating strong and steady.

"Her pulse is normal Captain…I believe she is merely exhausted from whatever just occurred."

"Oh…good…that's good…can you maybe…keep this a secret…all of you? I don't want her to be tested like some kind of lab rat…"

"We'll all keep her secret Captain…right everyone?"

The entire bridge crew spoke out their agreement with Uhura, as did Bones who had snuck in when none of them were paying attention and was scanning her.

"Pointy is right…she's merely exhausted. I'll take her down to the temporary Medbay to rest for now. Pike is stable but he's heavily injured…time will tell where he's concerned."

"Thanks Bones…take good care of our girl."

"Always Jim…always."

They tried to get out of there but even at maximum warp they weren't moving so Scotty, Jim's new friend from the frozen planet, ejected the warp core and detonated it…the resulting blast catapulted them out of the danger zone but the ended up with no warp capability so getting home was going to take a long time. Jim contacted Starfleet to give them and update and was informed that several other ships of the fleet were on route to their location and would tow them back to Earth. Once they got back Jim immediately ran to check on Serenity, with his bridge crew following close on his heels. She was awake and talking to Bones, but very confused as to what had happened to her. Jim filled in what he could but even he had no real idea of what had happened. They all left the ship together, with Pike on a stretcher and bound for Starfleet's main hospital for further treatment and surgery after his ordeal. They were hailed as heroes and had to endure a lot of press and meetings and endless photo ops…but they were happy…they had saved their home.

Later, once Pike had healed enough to be let out of the hospital, Starfleet held a commendation ceremony for the Enterprise crew. All of their field promotions were upheld and made permanent. Doctor McCoy was now the Chief Medical Officer, Nyota Uhura was the Chief Communications Officer, and Serenity was the Head Nurse...and Jim…Jim was given command of the ship as her new Captain and he actually chose Spock to become his first officer. When they all returned to the ship to head out on their first official mission as a crew Jim was beaming and Serenity was giggling as he and Bones bantered back and forth. This was their new family…and she couldn't wait to see what the stars held in store for them.

A/N: So there's the first chapter. After this we move into the events just before Into Darkness and Serenity first meets Khan…that should be fun lol.