Disclaimer: I don't own the Rights to anything regarding Star Trek- this is just me having fun in a really fun genre created by G. Roddenberry.

Note: This is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, and a FRIENDSHIP FIC, there is NO ROMANCE. As this is an AU, there will be more than few changes. You'll see for yourself in the chapter.

Also, there will be a shift from present to past and then back again. Please alert me if there isn't a clear change- recently I had trouble with the line breaks.

"Foreign Earth language translated to Standard."

"Alien Language translated to standard."

"Voice being listened to through a communicator."

'Telepathic speech.'

Thoughts.

"Occasionally, a foreign/alien word will be in a sentence."

"Old friends are always best, unless you can catch a new one that's fit to make an old one out of." ~ Sarah Orne Jewett

True Friendship- Selek of Vulcan

Stardate 2258

It had taken three months to get something more than organized chaos. Throughout that time, Selek had helped when asked, but for the most part, he had simply watched. The new site for the Academy was now in Riverside, Iowa, and the buildings were mostly up. Now, at the Six month mark, they were finally going through with all the ceremonies to make all changes official.

Selek wore the traditional Vulcan garb as he sat with the Vulcan delegation. Joanna, temporarily separated from Tibby the beagle puppy, was being watched by Amanda. There were several other delegations in the room, but the group that drew the most stares was the Klingon delegation, standing just off to the side.

A temporary treaty and alliance had been formed, though nothing had been made 100 percent official, it was enough for the tenuous threads to start forming. In his timeline, this hadn't happened for about 40 more years. He knew things had changed, but it was entirely disconcerting to watch.

"The assembly calls James T. Kirk." Selek watched as Jim came forward, wearing the green dress uniform favored by command (that had been long abandoned in his timeline) as wearing gold on gold was considered rather garish.

Selek kept his eyes open as his young friend received (officially) the Enterprise captaincy, and watched with a slightly bitter pain as his younger self and Scott came forward, Spock to become a commander and first officer, and Scotty to become a lt. commander and second officer. Selek allowed himself a slight smile at how uncomfortable Scott looked in the spot light, all but hiding behind Spock and Jim. There hadn't been an actual graduation ceremony for the senior cadets- in a way, this was it. There was a thunderous applause as the trio turned to face the assembly, and Selek heard two almost ear-piercing whistles that he recognized with ease- Uhura and Sulu were about thirty feet from where he was sitting.

The reception that followed gave him time to slip to the side and observe the changes in more detail. Uhura was chatting to a young Klingon delegate as they danced, Sulu was in a deep debate with Ambassador Shras's aide, Chekov and Scotty- they were over by the food and drinks.

There were races he knew that had been admitted to the federation later, in his timeline, he spotted two Ferengi chatting with an Orion and a Trill. The Orion Syndicate must have fallen much earlier in this timeline. Starfleet was much more diverse than he remembered.

More unsettling to him were the members of the Vulcan delegation. T'Pau had come to Earth for this ceremony, with the same regal bearing he always remembered her having. She was deep in conversation with an Elderly Betazoid. T'Pring had also come as T'Pau's aide, which contrasted sharply against the T'Pring of his timeline, who had never left Vulcan. She and his younger counterpart were standing together, and if he had been fully human he would have choked as he watched Spock lead her out onto the dance floor. McCoy was dancing with his daughter, to the amusement of a Trill delegate.

Selek glanced around the room. Archer was talking with some cadets- clearly regaling them with some story- Admirals and Ambassadors were mingling with Cadets and their families. It was all so different, but he couldn't help but think it was a little better than the reality he had left behind.

A small smile twitched his lips. It had taken two days, after the battle with Nero, for Sulu, Uhura and Chekov to realize that he was Spock from the alternate future. The trio had (rather sheepishly) shown up after alpha shift. He hadn't been able to turn them away, because he truthfully wanted to see them again.

Nothing much had been asked other than Nyota's point blank question of 'Are you the Ambassador Spock from an Alternate future?' He had expected more questions, but they had just accepted that, and asked if he wanted company- Chekov had brought a board game to play and they needed a fourth player. The trio had kept a running commentary of their lives and interests, but had never asked him any questions about their other selves, just how he had grown up.

Selek had asked when they had shown up the next day, and Sulu had quietly explained that they were curious, but they weren't going to ask, not when they were still technically strangers. It had touched Selek, Jim had not asked because of the brief mind-meld, Spock had- well, his younger self had no interest in his possible life beyond involvement with Nero, McCoy had only been interested in how he had gotten the surgical scars and his medical history, and Scotty had only asked if there were still sandwiches. They treated him as a friend, but had never asked about their other selves. Now Uhura, Sulu and Chekov were doing the same.

He hadn't been able to speak, but from their smiles, something of his gratitude had made it across.

With a soft exhale, Selek got up and moved to a small balcony. There was a slight chill in the Iowa air.

"Selek, how'd you find me?" Jim was leaning against the rail, grinning. "I thought this was a good spot." Selek didn't stop the chuckle.

"I'm afraid, old friend, that I am also seeking a hiding place, and this was the most logical spot." Jim gave a soft laugh.

"Fair enough. What's sent you into hiding?"

"I just wished for some air." Jim nodded, and glanced out to one of the fields that bordered the land. They stood like that for awhile.

"You know, there's a real old saying . . . 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.' I've always thought it rather illogical . . . but I've never had a chance to test it." Jim didn't look at him.

" . . ." Selek glanced into the room, easily picking out the alternates of his friends throughout the crowd. "I must agree with the saying, Captain. In some ways, there is no difference between the people I knew and the ones I see here."

"We ship out in a week. A five year mission." Selek nodded, watching as Joanna charmed a Klingon Delegate. "What are your plans?"

" . . . I will return to Vulcan, perhaps take a teaching position in the Science Academy."

"No more diplomacy?"

"No . . . I think I'll stay out of it . . . let others do it." It was time for him to hang up his hat, his days of adventure were over. He'd let younger men take care of it.

"Watch us." Selek looked over at Kirk, whose blue eyes glinted with a mixture of steel and amusement. "I bet we can do better." It wasn't his James Kirk, but he felt the same sense of apprehensive eagerness that always accompanied a challenge.

"I will." I know you will. Things had changed, people had died who had lived, and people lived who had died. But at the same time . . . things were still the same.

Jim had the Enterprise, his younger self was his first officer, McCoy chief medical officer, and Sulu, Uhura, Chekov and Scotty had their places. Even Giotto and Chapel were the same.

Pike was promoted to Admiral and in a wheelchair, but had regained limited movement and would more than likely be able to walk with braces and a cane.

But this alternate reality had an Orion manning the engineering computer on the bridge, Rand had been promoted to lieutenant, and was Jim's secretary, and several civilians that had enlisted to continue to help- Stella Mudd, whom he'd never met save for an android copy, had joined Security on the Enterprise, (with the goal of eventually hunting her husband down and getting his signature on the divorce papers), M'Benga had enlisted to continue his internship with the hospital he had been working at destroyed, (It would have taken 12 years originally, before he made it to the Enterprise), The woman who had been killed by the salt monster on M-113 had joined Starfleet as an Archaeologist, he'd even seen Leila Kalomi's name on a list, as a botanist for Starfleet.

What role the Klingons would play was still unknown, but judging from the frequency of the talks, it would be to their benefit.

Yes, things had changed, but Selek wondered if it wasn't for the better.

He turned to Jim to say as much, when he got a good look at the expression on his face. His eyes were narrowed and studying an area of field.

"What is it?" His hand reached for his phaser, before he could stop it. Logical, given how many years he had spent following his Jim into one scrape or another, but rather embarrassing all the same.

Of course, Jim didn't say anything. Just reached out to grab his sleeve.

"Let's get inside . . . I think someone's out there that shouldn't be." Jim alerted security discretely.

Selek was able to stop him from checking out the disturbance himself- barely. Security teams didn't find anything.

And some things hadn't changed at all. He was going to have to warn the bridge crew before he left. Letting Kirk go anywhere without supervision (sometimes even with supervision) was asking for their captain to get hurt and almost killed.

"Thrusters on full." He murmured to himself as he watched the seven of them laugh as Joanna waved her arms describing something the Klingon Delegate had told her. He was going to enjoy watching this crew's adventures.

The End . . . for now.

Phew. I thought since I started with Spock Prime, I'd end with him and his opinion of the changes.

No notes this time, other than it'll be a while before I post the first one shot in this INAD verse of mine. (Note, 'INAD verse' will be posted on the summaries of all one shots in this AU I've created.)

Let's see . . . what one shot would you like to see first? (eventually, I'll start putting these polls on my profile page, but for the first one . . .)

A) A one shot on Klingon involvement

B) A one shot starring the Kirk family

C) A one shot with the reason Jim alerted security

D) A one shot starring Joanna

E) Don't care, ShivaVixen, just post something soon!

Please let me know- especially you people that have alerted this story! I accept anonymous reviews, so you don't even have to log in!

(Heck, you don't even have to type an entire word, just a letter.)

Thanks to: startrekgirl.m, chaoticmom, LuffyMarra, and Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan- the first two gave me some useful information, and the last two were the ones who gave the most reviews, which kept me going.

See you all around!

This is ShivaVixen, signing out: Live long and prosper!

(Sorry, I couldn't resist :D)