Disclaimer: I do not own Star trek or any of the song lyrics used in this fanfiction. Also, there are ides in this story that may seem simlar to Lanaea's fic 'Home'. However, I never meant to steal ideas. Thank you.

"I'll be home for Christmas

You can plan on me

Please have snow, and mistletoe

And presents on the tree

Christmas Eve will find me

Where the lovelight gleams

I'll be home for Christmas

If only in my dreams"

~"I'll Be Home For Christmas" by Josh Groban

Christmas. It had meant very little to Jim ever since he had joined Starfleet. Actually, all the word brought now was a small ache in his chest when he realized that it meant another holiday season away from his family.

Starfleet, of course, catered to no one religion, but gave everyone a winter break to fulfill religious needs. Jim wasn't a religious man by nature, but Christmas had always been one of his favorite times of the year. It was the only time of the year that he and his stepfather/mother's current boyfriend could get along for enough time to gather around the fire with his mother and Sam and open presents.

He had been so busy these past few years…

This year, however, the crew of the Enterprise had been cleared for shore leave on Earth. Jim knew exactly where he was going: straight to Iowa.

But there was something he had to do first.

Jim had made up his mind about the detour as soon as he caught sight of one Leonard McCoy sitting alone at a table in the mess hall with a glass of bourbon clenched in his hands and the expression of deep depression. Bones grit his teeth as a passing crewmember began to talk excitedly about going home to see his daughter for Christmas.

Oh.

Jim bit his lip, remembering that oh yeah, Bones had a daughter. When he was drunk, Bones talked about her a lot. How cute she was, how far away she was.

How much he missed her.

If Jim missed his family on Christmas, it was nothing to how Bones felt.

"Hey," Jim said sitting down next to his friend. "How's it going?"

"Fine, I guess," Bones replied sullenly. Before Jim could say anything, he continued. "You know, Joanna's eleven this year. Eleven. I haven't spent a Christmas with her since she was seven."

The man looked so…miserable.

Jim left him to his humming of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" with a pat on the back and headed up to the bridge, idea already forming.

"Lt. Sulu, if we were to, say, head to Centaurus at Warp 7, how long would it take to get there? Hypothetically, of course."

"Our…hypothetical ETA would be 2.62 days, Captain," Sulu replied with a smile. The crew of the bridge had heard about McCoy's daughter before, and they knew that she lived with her family on Centaurus. "Should I lay in a course, sir?"

"Please do, Lt."

*~*Merry Christmas*~*

The 2.62 days it took to get to Centaurus were hell. Jim didn't want to tell Bones where they were going—it was going to be a surprise, dammit—but it still left him with the arduous task of making sure that the good doctor didn't drink himself into a stupor before they got there. Jim wanted him to be presentable, after all.

Jim kept him busy by telling him to pack for the shore leave (as Bones was under the impression that they were headed to Earth). That backfired when Bones remembered that it would be shore leave on Earth, without his daughter. Jim ended up awkwardly consoling him while the man muttered about Joanna and drank alcohol.

But it was worth it.

"Doctor McCoy to the bridge," Jim called over the intercom. "Doctor McCoy please report to the bridge."

A few minutes later, Bones entered through the turbolift, muttering about incorrigible captains and something about not making house calls when the sight on the viewscreen caught his attention.

He stopped muttering and began to stare, instead.

"Jim, is that…?"

"Yup," the captain replied, clapping a hand on Bones's shoulder. "Centaurus. Come on, let's get you down to the transporter room. Aren't you glad I made you pack for shore leave?"

McCoy's face split in a happy grin as he and Jim left the bridge. The cheerful laughter of the rest of the bridge crew followed. Warm fuzzies abounded as Jim saw his friend off, waving away the gruff thanks offered, insisting only that McCoy have a nice Christmas.

"We'll be back to pick you up after our leave, Bones," he said, and then his friend was beamed down to the waiting joy of seeing his daughter again.

It was definitely worth it.

When he returned to the bridge, it was to faces full of warm smiles. Well, all except one, but Spock looked happy in his own way. It might have been the humor sparking in his eyes.

"Mr. Chekov, please set a course for Earth."

"Yes, sir," the Ensign replied happily.

"Ahead Warp Factor 6, Mr. Sulu."

"Aye, sir." And they were off for Earth. It was only then that Jim allowed himself to think of his own family. He would finally get to see them; his mom, Sam, Sam's wife Aurelan, and the kids. He hadn't met the latest one yet, but now he finally could.

"Captain."

Spock's crisp voice broke into his thoughts, and he swiveled his chair slightly to look over at his first officer.

"Yes, Mr. Spock?" A horrible feeling washed over Jim for a second. "Oh, crap. I completely forgot. Should we head to the Vulcan colony? Mr. Chekov—"

"That is unnecessary, Captain. There are no holidays celebrated during Vulcan customs at this time. Please do not trouble yourself."

Jim shifted in his seat.

"Uh, okay. So, what did you need?"

"I merely had a question. Would it not have been easier to simply inform Dr. McCoy of the ship's intended destination? It would have…saved you quite some trouble." Spock had one eyebrow raised in question.

Kirk shrugged. "Well, consider it my Christmas present to him. It wouldn't have been the same if I'd told him first."

"…Fascinating."

I know, I know, it's August. But I couldn't help myself! I was listening to Josh Groban's Noel and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and got inspired. Anyway, this fic is basically everything I love to do with K/S shoved into one fic. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you like the ones to come. Please review!

Live long and prosper,

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