Of Innocence and Experience.

Disclaimer: I do not own star trek and by writing this I am not making any profit off of it or it's characters.

So this is a bit of an introduction chapter, basically Spock and Kirk knew each other as children (2nd chapter, written but not typed up, explains how.) but at the time of the film have not seen each other in 15 years. I'll be writing mainly in the past showing Spock and Jim's growing friendship and where everything went wrong and when in the present I'll show how their childhood experiences fits in with how they interact with each other during the Nero conflict.

Present Day.

Jim stood facing the star fleet board of directors fully confident he would get out of this situation, after all didn't he get out of every situation, eventually. He decided the best way would be to attack the programmer who had made the kobayashi maru unwinnable, he was obviously at fault, there was no such thing as an unwinnable situation.

" I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly."

" This is commander Spock, he is one of our most distinguished graduates. He has programmed the Kobayashi Maru exam for the last four years."

Jim's head swiveled in surprise to the direction Admiral Barret was looking.

Spock, it couldn't be, he looked at the man who stood up, the man who raised from the seat was almost unrecognizable as the boy he had once known. The eleven year old boy he had met was small for his age, this man was tall, slim but with definite muscles. The boys hair had always been messy, this man did not have a hair out of place. The man straightened his uniform in a familiar manner and Jim felt his mind being dragged into the past. Jim looked at the the cool unemotional eyes that had once been such wells of emotion.

Fifteen years ago.

Jim winced as he cut his hand with the stolen knife. He passed it to his friend who raised his eyebrow slightly but didn't argue, he had learnt over the months not to ask Jim the logic of his actions. Spokh didn't batter an eyelid as he took the knife and sliced his palm, dark green blood seeped out of the wound. No matter how many times Jim saw his friends blood he still found it cool. Jim held his bloodied hand out, Spokh hesitated.

" You know this could spread blood born infections?"

" I know Spock."

Jim took the boys hand in his own and they pressed their palms together for a full minute. Jim could always read Spokhs eyes even if the rest of their class thought him incapable of emotion and called him a robot. He could tell Spokh was both moved and sad.

" Now we're blood brothers." Jim said releasing his friends hand.

" And we'll be friends for the rest of your life."

" No matter how far we are from each other." Jim promised.

"Indeed and when we are adults we will start a life insurance company together, one that will cover death by being blown up by insane Romans so Nobody else's mother will have to work off planet and leave their children with step fathers."

Jim looked at the best friend he had ever had, the one person in the world who cared about him and who he loved in return. The person who he was about to be separated from. Spock was going back to Vulcan, but it would be alright. They were going to message each other every day and Spock said he would come to earth with his father and they would be together again. He reached over and hugged his overly rational friend. Spokh stiffened but after a moment his muscles loosened and he hugged him back and Jim felt they it was all going to be alright after all.

Present Day.

Jim shifted uncomfortably as Spock walked down the stairs, he had not known Spock was at the academy. He had never seen him, or had he? Not recognizing the boy inside the man had he ignored him? Not spared him a second glance.

He had no idea how to react to his old friend, especially knowing he was his accuser. He would never have thought Spock capable of that. He glanced down at the thin white scar on his palm, it had been a few months fifteen years ago, why should he still feel the betrayal. Spock had been his only childhood friend, until he had come to the academy and met Bones he had been the only friend he had ever had. Jim closed his palm and looked at the man standing across from him, he couldn't loose his cool, not now, not when his career rested on the next few minutes.

" Cadet Kirk you somehow managed to install and activate a subroutine in the programming code. Therefore changing the conditions of the test."

" Your point being?"

Jim had seen installing the subroutine as the only way to win the test, if there doesn't seem to be a straightforward answer look outside the box. Wasn't that something Spokh himself had told him fifteen years ago.

"If the situation seems unwinable but the conditions can be altered then altering said conditions may change the outcome of situation.

" In academic vernacular you cheated."

"Let me ask you something I think we all know the answer to. The test itself is a cheat, isn't it? You programmed it to be unwinable."

" Your argument precludes the possibility of a non-win scenario."

" I don't believe in no win scenarios."

" Then not only did you violate the rules, you also failed to understand the principal."

"Please, enlighten me?"

" You of all people should know, Cadet Kirk, the captain cannot cheat death."

Jim felt his heart pounding in his chest, he wasn't really saying what he thought he was saying, was he?

" I of all people?"

" Your father, Lieutenant George Kirk, assumed command of his vessel before being killed in action did he not?

He was shocked, he couldn't believe that Spock would bring his father against him, the things he had opened up to Spock about all those years ago, all those middle of the night conversations, all those secrets told, the promise to be friends forever. Where was that boy and how did he become so malicious? For the first time he realized this was not his old friend Spokh and if he wanted to survive this he had to attack with as much force if not more. Hadn't he learnt that early in life? And in the hardest of ways.

" I don't think you like the fact that I beat your test."

" Furthermore, you have failed to divine the purpose of the test."

" Enlighten me again."

" The purpose is to experience fear, fear in the face of certain death."

The memories continued to push their way into Jim's mind.

15 year ago.

Spock was pale, very pale and his skin was cold. Spock was never cold, and he looked small in the Big hospital bed. Jim held his hand, it felt like a very grown up thing to do, to hold somebody's hand when they're ill and in hospital and it's all your fault. Jim was more afraid than he'd ever been in his life, he was more afraid than when he had almost fallen of the cliff with his dads car. He was afraid Spock was going to die. He was afraid the nurses would come and he wouldn't be allowed to stay here and then he'd never see Spock again because if he lived they'd take him far far away where it was always hot so he wouldn't be sick anymore. He was afraid that when Spocks parents came they'd shout at him and tell him what he already suspected, that he'd killed his best friend. And he was scared that every time he closed his eyes to sleep he would see Spock's eyes, Spock's scared eyes when he had realized he was stuck, when he had realized he would die and then that strange calm terrifyingly resolute expression that had come over his face.

Present Day

"To accept that fear, and maintain control of oneself and ones crew. This is a quality expected in every star fleet captain."

That was it then, that was what this was all about, Spock blamed him for what had happened all those years ago, he still held a grudge, held Jim accountable for the actions of a scared, mucked up eight year old boy and now he had finally got the opportunity to make Jim pay for it.

A messenger came up to Admiral Barret, Jim watched him wondering if somehow they had uncovered more evidence against him.

" Excuse me sir." A notice was handed to Barret.

Jim looked over at Spock as Barret read the note, Spock raised his eyebrow in an infuriating manner almost as if he we daring Jim to accuse him of pettiness, too bring up their childhood friendship.

" We've received a distress call from Vulcan."

Jim relaxed, Spock tensed.

The primary fleet was light-years away, the current cadets would be deployed, Jim would get a chance to prove himself in active duty and if the mission lasted long enough and he was clever enough by the time they got back the charges against him would be dropped.

All the cadets behind him stood up, he watched Spock walk away, the mans movements were so tense surely anybody could see that behind that steady demeanor he was worried and agitated. McCoy came up to Jim.

" Who was that pointy eared bastard." He asked think how fifteen years could change somebody so much.

" I don't know, but I like him." McCoy answered.

So, tell me if you think I should continue, the second chapters going to be Spock's POV and will show how he came to met Kirk as a child.