Captain James Tiberius Kirk had never really liked his name. James was tolerable, because he could shorten it to Jim, which was simple and plain, a name with no expectations. He liked that it was a blank name, with no strings attached, but he had never really liked it. It didn't mean anything.

Tiberius, however, was something he could do without. It was loud and pretentious, reminding him of ancient rulers and emperors. It was too imperious for his tastes, too reminiscent of those men who had lorded over the people, who had destroyed and conquered, which was why he rarely revealed what the T in his name stood for, or replaced it with an even more outlandish name like "Trillium".

It was his last name that he hated the most, though, more than the stupid middle name. Because Kirk meant expectations, it meant a constant reminder of the crushing weight of a legacy he thought he would never be able to meet. Kirk was the crushing guilt he felt whenever he looked into his mother's face and saw that horrible pain that permeated every line on her face, every sigh and quiet sob that came from behind closed doors when he was supposed to be asleep and not listening. He loathed his last name, knowing he was only a Kirk because a brave man, a great man, had given his life in order to allow his son to live.

He had loathed Kirk up until he had heard the name slip from his First Officer's mouth, his tone one of acceptance and loyalty. Kirk from Spock meant an unwavering support in his command and captaincy. When Spock said it, those gorgeous lips caressing the title with devotion, Captain Kirk adored his last name.

And, on those all too rare occasions when both the U.S.S. Enterprise's Captain and First Officer had a little time to themselves, he fell in love with the way his first name, "Jim", would be gasped softly, his lover's chest heaving beneath him, as he drove them both to an explosion. Those "Jim"s were full of love and affection, filled with an emotion Spock couldn't express otherwise. When his name fell from the half-Vulcan's lips, mixed in with soft little gasps and whimpers as pale and slender fingers grabbed at his back and the sheets, Jim swore it was a more beautiful sound than any music ever composed, in any quadrant of the galaxy.

And if Spock never found a way to make Tiberius magical, that was okay, because "Captain Jim Kirk" was good enough for him.