1.

Lacey Archer had first met James Kirk at a bar most Star Fleet Academy Cadets frequent on Friday and Saturday nights. The bar was usually filled with cadets or regular civilians giving the cadets a good dose of the 'outside' world.

Jim had a reputation at Star Fleet and was credited to sleeping with nearly half the female population and was determinedly working on the whole, even though it was his first year at the Institution. Lacey had been told this by a good friend and sort of roommate, Nyota Uhura.

"There he is, that's him," Nyota pointed out.

Lacey scanned the bar to the direction where Nyota was pointing. She saw a tall, leanly muscular man with bright blue eyes. Lacey had to admit, she understood why most of the females, and some of the males, at Star Fleet would want to sleep with the man. But he looked like the kind of man who would just sleep with someone. He wasn't a relationship kind of guy. But then again that was judging from a cover and what Nyota had told her, she didn't know him personally.

"He is attractive, you have to admit," Lacey said with a shrug. She took a sip of a regular old beer in a beer can that hadn't been used since the early 22nd century.

"Attractive yes, but he knows it," Nyota said with an eye roll, "Besides, he's nowhere near my type."

"You're right," Lacey nodded, "You're more of the dark, silent, mysterious type. And I'm fairly certain you'd prefer a Vulcan to a human." She gave Nyota a knowing smirk to which her friend blushed and smacked her on the arm.

"How did you find out?" Nyota said.

"Oh Lacey, you have to go sit into one of Spock's Xenolinguistic lectures, oh Lacey Professor Spock said the funniest thing today-though I'm pretty certain that he did not mean it to be funny, and let's not forget Nyota's Spock fact of the Day," Lacey said imitating Nyota's voice that she had gotten when she talked about the Vulcan commander/professor.

"You'd understand if you found someone to be completely infatuated with and you could not be with him," Nyota said pulling a tragic face.

"Let's hope that never happens," Lacey said staring at the 'legendary' Jim Kirk, "So did he really hit on you at that bar in Iowa?"

"Yes and he was so arrogant about it," Nyota said with an eye roll, "He was wasted and still expected me to sleep with him."

"And you kept him wanting more by not telling him your first name," Lacey said, "Please, you liked the teasing."

"Liked it? I loathed it."

"Well prepare for more, here he comes," Lacey said in a sing song voice. Lacey was a little tipsy and she was a happy drunk. But it took a lot for her to get drunk. She could hold her liquor better than most people.

"Oh god," Nyota said taking a sip of Lacey's drink.

"Well, well, well," the southern drawl of Jim Kirk said as he leaned against the bar table looking at Nyota and Lacey, "If it isn't, what was your name again?"

"Nice try, still not interested," Nyota said.

Lacey noticed the man standing behind him wearing a most ferociously annoyed scowl. It was Dr. Leonard McCoy. She practiced as a surgeons assistant with him leading the fake surgery. He was fascinating, a damn good doctor but had the worst bedside manners ever.

"Hello, Dr. McCoy," Lacey chirped. Nyota giggled at the fact that Lacey had completely ignored Kirk and the blue eyed man had noticed.

"Hello Cadet Archer, how do your studies go?" Dr. McCoy asked.

"Fairly good, I'm in an intense seminar about how to lead a surgery," Lacey said with a smile.

Nyota smiled. Lacey was always in a good mood. Drinking made her more confident around strangers-as it usually does for the average human and occasional Orion and Lacey was no outlier. Sober, the blonde was shy, but not anti social, more bookish that outgoing. But she was always happy. Even when frustrated with school. She had even sat through one of Professor Spock's Xenolingustics class per Nyota's request, hadn't understood a single word and when Commander Spock asked her about it she had cheerfully said she didn't understand a thing of what he was saying but insisted that the subject was fascinating and would definitely think about taking it if she decided to double major. Then Lacey practically skipped out of the lecture room leaving the Commander to wonder if the human was doing the act of making fun of him until Nyota assured him that was just how Lacey was.

"Well, hello," Jim said sliding close to Lacey, "Jim Kirk, friend of the good Doctor."

"Yeah, I know who you are, I'm Lacey Archer," Lacey said shaking his hand.

"Bones, why did you never introduce me to this delightful young woman," Jim said looking at McCoy.

Lacey raised an eyebrow of amusement at Nyota and mouthed: delightful young woman.

Bones sighed, "We aren't exactly close, Jim, she played surgeon's assistant to one of my practice surgeries."

"I would not have dismissed you as so insignificant," Jim said.

"I bet you tell that to all the girls you get to sleep with you," Lacey said, "Is it true that you slept with nearly half the women at Star Fleet?"

Nyota choked on her drink and Bones smirked.

"I see my reputation precedes me," Jim said avoiding the question, "However, would you like to see if I live up to the gossip?"

"Fascinating," Lacey said. Nyota rolled her eyes. Since attending Spock's lecture, Lacey had taken upon saying fascinating. She claimed it made her seem smarter than she actually was. "You just hit on my friend, in front of me, then proceeded to proposition me. Does that normally work on women?"

"Yes, yes it usually does," Jim said with a 'heart-melting, knee trembling' smile that did make Lacey feel both but she was a woman of science-sort of and she had standards.

"Interesting, I don't know how that makes me feel about my gender," Lacey said staring off into the bar before snapping her hazel eyes onto Jim, "If that didn't work how would you go on?" Lacey drank the rest of her beer and set it on the table. She shifted so Nyota was getting her back and her chin was resting on her hand.

"Well, in your case, I'd buy you a drink seeing as you finished yours then proceed to ask you about yourself," Jim said waving his hand around, "Then being my charming self, I'd offer to walk you home then go in."

Lacey laughed as Jim bought her another beer and wiggling an eyebrow suggestively. Leonard groaned and Nyota rolled her eyes at the two.

"What about you?" Jim said taking a swig of his drink, "How would you go about getting it on with an uninterested guy?"

"Hmm," Lacey said tapping her chin, "I'd probably change the topic. Though my approach would be more subtle than yours. I'd sidle up next to him, flutter my eyelashes, he'd either buy me a drink or ignore me. If he ignored me, I'd challenge him to pool-loser buys the drinks. Usually me challenging them emasculates them slightly and they go for the challenge, I'm 'fragile' as one guy put it, they don't want to hurt my feelings. The ones that are in relationships or have their sights say no and I back off. But I don't normally do this."

"Doesn't do this at all," Nyota muttered to Leonard who smirked.

Jim laughed as they toasted the tips of the beer bottles together.

Nyota checked the clock above the bar, "Lacey, it's after eleven, the guys are going to start getting grabby."

"What?" Leonard asked looking amused and affronted.

"It's our system," Nyota said, "We've frequented enough bars to know that the guys start trying harder when you say no after eleven. Gaila usually stays at whatever bar we're going to, Annie too. That's why they're not here right now, so Lacey takes my room since Annie usually takes her partners to their dorm."

"Since I'm not interested," Lacey said surveying the bar, "Go for that brunette over by the restroom. She practically oozing, I want a hook up."

Jim looked at the same direction to where Lacey was staring at. He nodded, "Yeah I think she'll definitely be interested."

Lacey flashed him a smile and gave Leonard a wave as her and Nyota walked out of the bar. Jim shook himself out before sauntering the girl standing near the restroom. He gave her his signature half smile and her response to it immediately let him know it was in the bag.

Back in Nyota's dorm, Lacey was changing Gaila's sheets. She loved the green Orion to death but she knew the woman's promiscuity and her numerous sexual partners. She wondered if she and Jim had ever done the dead.

"I don't know why you don't like Jim, he seems to just be harmlessly teasing," Lacey said pulling the pillow case of Gaila's down pillow.

"When he doesn't want to get in your pants," Nyota said, "You brushed him off really well."

"Well, for YOU," Nyota said in an afterthought, she sent Lacey a teasing smile, "I did better."

Lacey threw the case-less pillow at Nyota and stuck her tongue at her.

"He seemed nice though," Lacey said, "I don't know if I'd sleep with him after only knowing him for five minutes. But then again I really wouldn't do that with any guy."

Nyota shrugged, "We'll leave that for Gaila and Annie."

The next day, Lacey was curled up in a plush sofa in one of the cadet student centers or whatever they were called studying on her PADD. She had a notebook in front of her, when she found a store that still sold those things she was thrilled. She loved writing things down by hand, it reminded her of simpler times in history.

"Writing notes by hand? How interesting," a male voice said over her shoulder.

Lacey jumped causing her notebook to fall off the couch. The body belonging to the voice walked over to pick up the notebook.

Lacey smiled, "Hey Jim. What's up?"

"Good call on restroom chick, she was fun," Jim commended sitting on the couch Lacey was occupying.

"Well, I have excellent taste," Lacey said with a trace of a posh British accent and a wink.

"You know you're a better wingman than Bones, we should frequent bars together when you're not going with Uhura," Jim said.

"Don't let Leonard tell you that," Lacey whisper scolded with a playful smile, "Did you see his face last night? He looked like he was having the time of his life."

Jim let out a snort of laughter.

"But that does sound like fun," Lacey said with a smile, "I am an excellent wingman. But-Uhura never lets me set her up with anyone."

It felt weird calling Nyota by her last name but it was funny teasing Jim about this. It was even funnier to see Jim's pouty face when he realized that she wasn't going to give Uhura's name either.

"What class do you have?" Jim asked.

"Intro to Treatment of Foreign Illnesses," Lacey said with a grimace.

"Ah, medicine, do you want to be a doctor?" Jim asked.

"Some would think," Lacey said, "But I'd rather be a nurse. Being a doctor seems stressful or at least it looks stressful. My dad would always seem stressed when he came home."

"Is he a doctor?" Jim asked.

"He was the chief medical examiner on the USS Radon, he died though," Lacey said looking down.

"I get it," Jim said with a nod. Lacey just looked at him. "You want to make him proud, dead or alive, I get it."

It suddenly hit Lacey. James KIRK. The son of George Kirk. Well shit.

"Yeah," Lacey said with a soft smile, "I get it too. So what class are you going to."

"I'm off to take the Kobayashi Maru test," Jim said puffing out his chest.

"First time?" Lacey asked.

"Yup."

"Good luck, I've heard horror stories of that test from some upperclassmen," Lacey said.

"Well no need, I got this," Jim said with an arrogant smirk.

Lacey rolled her eyes, "But still, I give my luck to you."

At this Lacey proceeded to flourish her arms spectacularly, gracing Jim with her luck as he laughed on the couch.

And after that moment, unknowingly, Lacey Archer was setting off. To boldly go where no straight woman had gone before. To be Jim Kirk's just a friend that's a girl.