What up, y'all, it's Saturday and I've got nothing to do, so in the true spirit of...something, I'm posting a story that's probably wildly inaccurate, but the alternative is thinking about the future, which I'll do anyway, and...whatever. Star Trek is a new favorite of mine, and I haven't seen much of it, but I love what I have seen, so enjoy!

"Shh," Jim hushes Pavel, glancing up nervously. "We've gotta be super quiet, okay, Pasha? Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Jeem," the younger boy whispers, accent distorting Jim's name. "As quiet as possible?"

"Yeah," Jim says as cheerfully as he can. "Now you go ahead and go to sleep, okay? I'll wake you up when it's time for breakfast."

"Night, Jeem," Pavel snuggles into the covers, curls falling over his sleepy eyes. Jim smiles, settling himself against the wall to keep watch. He knows he won't be able to stay awake, but he can still try.

Leonard is sitting at his kitchen table going over paperwork, and trying very hard not to think about the two boys upstairs.

How did he get into this? He certainly didn't ask to take in any foster children. He really doesn't know how Spock roped him into this. Spock and his faultless logic. Thankfully, it won't be for very long. Len is only watching the boys while Pike's team gets in contact with the boys' social worker.

For quite awhile, Len stares at the papers in front of him without seeing the words. He's thinking about the memory of a bristling, blue eyed boy standing protectively in front of a smaller, curly-haired boy. "Jim and Pavel," he mutters, and lifts a pair of files from the precarious stack on the table. "Let's see where you came from."

"Jeem. Jeem!" Jim blinks his eyes open to the early light, and just as quickly closes them again. He buries his head in the pillow. It's too early! "Pasha... go back to sleep..."

"But Jeem," the six year old whines. "I am hungry!"

Jim's eyes fly open. Oh, that's right, he has to get Pavel breakfast! He throws the blankets off and sits up, blinking as he reorients himself. "Shh," he reminds Pavel. "We don't want to wake Mr. McCoy."

The smaller boy puts his finger to his lips, glee dancing in his eyes. "A secret?"

"That's right! Wow, you're really good at guessing things!" he praises. Pavel positively glows at the words, blushing as he peeks up at Jim.

"Come on," Jim says quietly, sliding of the bed and stretching. Pavel follows him, padding along softly in his footed pajamas.

The hallway is dim in a comforting way, pictures that Jim barely glances at on the walls, leading his little brother along the carpet towards the kitchen. His brain is working rapidly to think of something he can prepare quietly, as to not wake up Mr. McCoy. They can't afford to do that so early on in their stay. If Pavel was still asleep, he would have had a little more mobility, knowing that the smaller boy couldn't be implicated as the cause of any noise. As it is, he needs time to observe the doctor before he attempts to work the stove. So he'll make cereal.

"Come here, Pasha, I'll boost you," Jim encourages before lifting Pavel onto a stool in the small kitchen. The smaller boy squeals softly, giggling into Jim's shoulder. The older boy smiles, brushing his brother's curls away from his face. "Hang on just a minute and I'll get you some cereal."

"Okay Jeem," Pavel promises. Jim smiles and gets to work. It's easy enough to locate the cereal, but it's going to be much harder to reach. It's at eye level for a grown man, not a somewhat small fourteen year old boy. He frowns thoughtfully. He could climb...but he doesn't want Pasha to think that that is an appropriate way to get things. What he needs is a boost. While he thinks, he gets out a pair of bowls - Minnie Mouse themed, he notes - and starts looking for the spoons. He finally locates them in a rather creaky drawer, cringing at the amount of noise that the receptacle makes. The blond removes a pair and sets them on the counter and looks around for a chair.

As he turns, his sleeve catches one of the spoons and sends it clattering-

-to-

-the floor.

Pavel gasps.

"Wha's goin ahn in heah?" A very strong southern accent questions. Jim looks up into bleary brown eyes and swallows. Oops.

Leonard blinks several times to clear the sleep from his eyes before focusing on the small boy standing in the middle of his kitchen. "D'you need some help?"

Jim Kirk looks up at him with mild panic in his eyes. "I'm sorry sir," he says rapidly, flushing pink. "I didn't mean to wake you up, I was just trying to get breakfast for my brother and -"

"And the spoon got knocked down," Len finishes, covering a yawn and shuffling towards the coffee maker. "No harm done. Get a clean spoon, though. You don't want to know what kinds of bacteria can end up on a kitchen floor."

"Yes sir," Jim says obediently. Len casts a glance at the boy's younger brother, sitting on one of the swivel stools at the island. The poor kid is squirming in his seat, desperate to get to his brother, but unwilling - afraid? to move.

"And go hug your brother or somethin'. He looks like he could use it."

Jim darts over in a flash, standing next to Pavel, one hand on a pajama-clad knee. "Don't worry, Pasha," Len hears him murmur. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

"So," Len asks, ignoring the ache that statement leaves in his chest, reaching over to the pantry to get down the cereal. "How come you two are awake so early? In my experience, school days are days to sleep in as long as possible."

Jim eyes him suspiciously as he prepares the cereal. "What's it to you?"

Leonard shrugs. "It's one of the things I remember about growing up. What about you?"

"Jeem likes to geet up early," Pavel volunteers. "Ve like vatching zhe sunrise." Len blinks in surprise at the heavy accent. Russian, if he's not mistaken. He hadn't noticed that last night.

"Really? Is there a particularly good time of year to watch the sunrise?" he asks out of curiosity, wondering if maybe he can one day, one day, do that with Joanna, if he gets to see her again.

"Vinter sunrises are wery preetty," Pavel offers. "The light looks wery nice on zhe snow."

"I'll have to remember that," Len says thoughtfully.

There will be another chapter, next Saturday, where we'll learn why Jim and Pavel are staying with Bones (also, I had no idea until I got into this that Leonard was pronounced LEN-ard. I always thought it was LEE-oh-nard), and what happened to them.

If you've got any questions, leave a review or PM me, and I'll do my best to answer! Stay safe, stay positive, live long and prosper!