A/N: Anon at ST XI kink meme said: Nero has them all three captive. He tells Kirk that he will let either Spock or McCoy live, but Kirk has to pick which one lives and which one dies.

And then I got on sugar high and – this came out of it.

The Choice

Oh God, how could he let them get captured? How could he miss the now so obvious trap?

James Tiberius Kirk was a great man once.

Nero said that in his time James Tiberius Kirk was a great man. In old Spock's thoughts he saw himself – n, not himself, his other self, the one more mature, less-fucked up self. He had his father and brown eyes (so unlike the crystal blue he had in this timeline), started Academy at much sooner date and served on several different ships, earning valuable experience (he now lacked) before he got granted captainship of Enterprise.

James Tiberius Kirk was a great man once. But it was in another life.

In another life, he had been granted Captainship of Enterprise at 31 and his crew was looking up at him, instead of looking down at him as so many of them seemed now. Uhura would sing, Sulu would run around the ship with his epee, Scotty would play pipes and sing Auld Lang Syne and Chekov would claim everything was 'inwented in Russia'.

In another life, James Tiberius Kirk had two faithful friends. Two friends who together with him made The Big Three.

Bones, much more bitter about losing his time with his daughter, Spock much less angry at the world. He met both of them later in his life, and their personalities matched and clashed in completely different ways, defining them all. But in their eyes, there always had been undertones of affection. Now, only Bones looked at him with sympathy he had seen in old Spock's memories, Spock giving him cold Vulcan glares whenever he could.

He was a great man who knew when to make a choice. Just like you will learn. McCoy or Spock?

What? How can you ask like that, Nero? How can you?

The choice, James T. Kirk. McCoy or Spock?

McCoy had a little daughter he fought valiantly to be allowed to see more often than once in a blue moon. And little Joanna loved uncle Jim, who always came up with daddy to visit, and who kept on charming Mrs Treadway so she wouldn't notice the time for the visit is already up. How could he face the open and trusting child, knowing he doomed her father to death?

You must make a choice, Jim Kirk. McCoy or Spock?

Spock. The First Officer of the Enterprise, instructor who had been charged with controlling Kobayashi Maru test. Person who lost his planet and his mother; loss he used against him while attempting to take control over Enterprise. Was it any surprise the man was wary around him? Could he really doom someone to death just because they didn't trust him?

You must pick one who dies. McCoy or Spock?

He knew how it was to grow up with incomplete family. Joanna's family was incomplete, too, sort of. Her real dad was now in space. But he was there, and would do anything just not to disappear from the life of his little girl

So, your choice?

As was revealed during the Narada crisis, Spock and Uhura were together. He couldn't quite get his head around what these two saw in each other, but that was probably caused by the fact that both of them had been exceptionally reserved around him. To him. No matter what people obviously thought about him, he knew how painful it was to lose a partner.

You only need to pick one, Captain Kirk.

"I may throw up on you."

Your choice, Jim. I'm waiting.

"Permission to come aboard?"

James Tiberius Kirk was a great man.

"Do you think daddy will like this picture, uncle Jim?"

He would know whom to choose.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Captain."

Choose.

On his left, unconscious Bones lied on the floor, bruise almost black in its colouring. But he breathed, oh yes, breathed.

Choose!

On his right, Spock had been chained to the wall, kept unconscious by strong drugs.

CHOOSE!

Trembling, he raised his hand, and pointed –

JIM!

Light. So much light enveloping him all around, hurting his eyes. Strong hands holding him down as he struggled to take another painful breath, while another hand rested on his forehead. He tried to sit. Run, whispered voice in his head. Run before the choice. RUN! Let go!

He kept on struggling against the hands holding him on place. Run, run, run!

"He's burning up, Spock. We need to calm him down – the Vegan choriomeningitis is already dangerous enough even for people who do not have allergic reaction to several of the drugs used for the treatment!"

"I know, Doctor."

"Rest, Jim," he heard before he felt a stab in his neck and darkness enveloped him once again. Before he lost consciousness, he heard a voice.

If you could have only one friend for the rest of your life, who would it be?

A/N: Alright, I cheated a bit. The whole prompt continued: P.S - Can be the real deal or a nightmare Kirk is having. So – here it is.