A/N: Hello, hello! :) So this the second 'entry' in my Captain's Log series, a Kirk/OC story :) I'd recommend new readers check out the first 'entry,' Ad Victoriam, to understand the relationship that Victoria (the OC) has with Kirk ;) This story will be about 10 chapters long, updated daily, and will largely follow the movie Into Darkness.

A small description of Victoria Pike, she's a tall woman with blue-grey eyes (her father's eyes), but her mother's dark ash blonde hair. She's got a sort of button nose and a wide grin, according to Kirk. She tends to wear her hair in a messy bun and is typically in the red engineering uniform for the Fleet. To help visualize her, an actress that I picture as being similar to her is Carey Mulligan :)

I hope you all enjoy :)

~8~ is a scene break

Disclaimer...I don't own Star Trek...or we'd have seen Spock's Pon Farr already ;)

~8~

A Reluctant Captain

Victoria shifted uncomfortably as she sat in the Captain's chair of the Enterprise, the crew around her shouting reports of Kirk and Spock's progress on the planet they were currently monitoring, the Class M planet Nibiru. She wasn't really fond of Class M planets after the last experience on one. No matter how amazing it had been to begin a new relationship with Kirk on the Class M planet of Delta Vega…being chased by the native creatures in the middle of a blizzard with an injured hand had NOT helped the experience. Thinking on that, she looked at her hand, flexing it, she really did need to stop punching people for Kirk. She'd only punched two though so she'd kept close to her original promise to never do it again. She'd punched 'Cupcake' once, the first time she'd actually met Kirk and sprained her hand, sworn to herself she wouldn't do it again...then she'd punched Spock when Kirk had been sent off the Enterprise for defying him and, as it turned out, she had actually broken her hand that time…which meant that she'd had to go to see a 'doctor' for it every so often. She hated that, the medbay, but luckily Bones had taken it upon himself to see to her the second she got there, to get her out of there as soon as possible, but she still hated it. And with her hand broken, she hadn't been able to help out in engineering often.

It was a requirement for all liaisons to the Bridge to take time, about 10-20 hours a month, and spend it with the teams they were liaisoning for. Being injured, she could shadow Scotty and talk to him in engineering but she couldn't get hands on and actually work on the different components of the ship. There were only two things about having broken her hand that she could be grateful for, the first was Kirk. Every day when he saw her, he'd gently take her hand in his, even though he had no idea what he was looking for or even how to determine if it was getting better, and he'd just hold it lightly, and then press a kiss to a finger or two that stuck out of the cast. He'd been the first one to sign it too, he'd actually shoved poor Chekov aside in order to do it, then apologized and let the boy sign second. It was a very sweet gesture, the kissing not the shoving, and Kirk did it every single day. She'd jokingly asked him if it was because of the whole 'kissing makes it feel better' thing and he'd surprised her by saying that no, it wasn't that, it was just…he loved kissing her and…he was actually rather fond of her hands.

That surprised her, she hadn't known that he had an interest in her hands. They'd gotten into a bit of a lewd bicker about why he liked her hands in particular, with her throwing out any number of things ranging from punching people with them to doing other things with him with them to the fact that they were just small…he'd cut her off after quite a few of them and said it was because she was in engineering. She used her hands to fix things, to make things better, and he'd gotten surprisingly metaphorical and philosophical about it all, claiming that she made him better, she fixed him when he hadn't known he was broken, and that he always felt more powerful when he could hold her hand. He loved her hands because she created with them, she improved things and fit broken pieces together with them, and he was sort of the opposite, before the Academy though, he'd always get into fights and break things and steal things. He liked her hands because even with their own being so different from the other's…they still fit perfectly together.

He liked doing that, going on about the different ways they fit together.

The second thing she could be grateful for was actually that. Because she'd found that…SHE fit with the Enterprise, with the crew, with Kirk. She'd spent so long debating what she really wanted to do with her life, if she really wanted to be a part of a starship or the Fleet or if she'd try to branch out, escape the family business as her father joked, and do something else. She'd been debating it right to graduation actually, but…experiencing the adventure, the thrill, the exhilaration of being on a starship when her father had been taken by Nero, going on a rescue mission and seeing just how much of a difference they COULD make…she felt like she finally knew where she wanted to be. And that WAS in the Fleet. Kirk had been thrilled when she'd told him that after they'd graduated. They'd just been walking around and he'd remarked that, now that he was Captain of the Enterprise, something that had been given to him just after graduation, that he needed to think about the crew and who would be on it.

He kept everyone from the original crew and when she'd requested the liaison role, he'd been so happy he'd just grabbed her in the middle of their walk and spun her around in a tight hug. He hadn't stopped smiling since then and she was so happy to know it was because of her. Though…right now, she was sure he was FAR from smiling as he and Bones were, apparently, running through the vegetation of the planet, trying to escape the natives that were chasing them and hurling spears at them.

She rubbed her head, she knew she should have demanded she go to the planet with them, but Kirk and, surprisingly, Spock had both urged her to stay on the ship. Apparently, she was the only one there with enough experience as captain that they trusted to handle the crew and keep to mission while they went about seeing to its completion. Kirk HAD designated her First Officer for a few moments, till Spock had come around and taken the position back, thankfully, and with Kirk AND Spock on the planet…she had been the only one actually appointed to First Officer at one point or another. She'd pointed out to both of them that, if they only counted that moment, which they should, she didn't have that much experience as captain. Kirk had just remarked that her father was Pike, she'd grown up in the Fleet, her family's legacy was everywhere, and if anyone could handle being captain, it would be her.

She'd begrudgingly given in at that, it was true, she'd been around her father while he was going through the ranks, she'd been on numerous ships, seen the captains at work…she probably knew quite a few tricks of being a captain and didn't even realize it. She just…didn't like being in charge of things, of people. She'd seen the weight it had put on her father to be the captain, seen what he was willing to give up for his crew. She agreed, a crew was your family, you should do all you could to protect them, but that was said in the mindset of being a member of a crew and not in the context of being the person's actual daughter. In THAT context…she really would rather her father not willingly walk into a torture situation where he might be murdered. It was only one small part of not wanting to be captain, she liked engineering, she really felt like she'd found her niche in it and in the crew and that was what she was, the crew, not the captain.

She looked up, her eyes fixed on the viewscreen where they were tracking not only Kirk and Bones, but the shuttle that was carrying Uhura, Sulu, and Spock as well. Though, she had to admit, her attention was largely focused on Kirk and Bones, watching the two of them running till they suddenly stopped.

She frowned, opening the comms., "James what happened?" she called.

"Our brilliant captain just shot our ride!" came Bones's angry shout, getting to them before Kirk could.

"James!" she huffed, "Why did you…"

"No time!" Kirk cut in, "Run!"

She watched as the blinking lights that represented them began to move again, "Open all comms.," she called to Chekov, wanting the open dialogue between Kirk and the shuttle so she could keep track of their progress.

"Kirk to Shuttle 1!" Kirk called, "Both of us are out of the kill zone. You are clear repeat."

"Spock," Victoria stood, "You're clear to neutralize the volcano."

"So hurry it up!" Kirk added, "Let's get out of here."

"I told the captain, the shuttle wasn't built for this kind of heat!" Sulu grumbled to them.

"And Scotty and I adapted it as best we could with little notice," Victoria countered, "As long as you don't hover in the volcano before you need to drop Spock in, you'll be fine…"

There was silence.

Victoria closed her eyes, "You're hovering in the volcano right now, aren't you?"

"Aye Captain Pike," Chekov reported before wincing, "Sorry, sorry, I mean…Liaison Pike…or…um…"

"Just call me Tory, Chekov," Victoria rubbed the bridge of her nose, this was another reason she didn't do well as captain. Too many titles and confusion about what to call people and things.

"Captain," Spock's voice came over the comm., "Did any indigenous life forms see you?"

"No Mr. Spock they did not," Kirk shouted back.

"James," Victoria's voice took an edge to it, she could tell he was lying.

"The prime directive clearly states there can be no interference, with the internal development of alien civilizations!" Spock recited.

"I know what it says, which is why I'm running through jungle, wearing a disguise. Now, drop off Victoria's super ice-cube, and let's go! Kirk out."

Victoria sat back in the chair, rubbing her temples, hearing Bones shouting, "They're trying to kill us. They're trying to kill us Jim!"

"No shock there," she muttered to herself, it seemed like everyone who met Kirk tried to kill him at one point or another. She looked up when a beep went off.

"Spock has been deployed," Chekov reported, the crew watching as a blinking light in the shuttle started to lower out of it…only for a small alarm to go off.

"Sulu!" she called into the comm., "What's happening?"

"I can't hold this position," Sulu strained to speak, they could hear him struggling to get the shuttle going.

"Retract Spock," she ordered, "Abort mission."

"Negative," Spock disagreed, "This is our only chance to save the species. If this volcano erupts, the planet dies."

"Why appoint me temporary Captain if you won't obey my orders?" she argued, "Sulu, pull him up!" but before anything could be done, the dot that represented Spock suddenly fell away from the shuttle, falling down the screen till it stopped.

"Spock, are you ok?" Uhura asked the question on everyone's mind.

"I am, surprisingly, alive," Spock reassured her, "Standby."

"No, don't standby," Victoria stood, "Nyota, suit up and deploy on the secondary line and retract him…"

"We have to abandon the shuttle," Sulu argued.

"We can't just leave him Sulu!" Uhura shouted.

"We don't have a choice," Sulu grunted, "Captain, Uhura I'm sorry, but the shuttle will go down in seconds if I don't get it away from the ash."

Victoria sighed, "Report back to the Enterprise then," she told them, "We'll…find a way to get him out from here," she had NO idea how they'd do that without transporting the Vulcan, and in order to do that, they'd have to be almost right above him, "James, did you get that?" she asked him, even though he'd appointed her temporary Captain, she still wanted to check in that it was ok.

"Captain, I'm ditching the shuttle," Sulu added in case he hadn't heard, "You gotta make it to the Enterprise on your own."

"Wonderful," Kirk grumbled.

"James, Bones, get to the beach," Victoria called, "We'll…raise the Enterprise and come get you and Spock."

"Negative," Spock's voice called out, "The native species must not see such technology as a starship. It is against the prime directive."

"I've got another idea," Kirk cut in.

"Jim, Jim the beach is that way!" Bones started to shout, making Victoria frown, not sure what Kirk was about to do or where the two rapidly moving dots were going.

"I know, we're not going to the beach!"

Apparently, whatever it was Kirk was planning, Bones had worked it out for, moments later he was muttering, "Oh no, no! I hate this!"

"I know you do!" was all Kirk replied…before a splash of water reached them.

Victoria rolled her eyes, "Chekov, maintain the comm. link to Spock," she ordered, turning to rush out of the room and head to the airlock, now guessing what Kirk had in mind as well. Apparently it was the same as Uhura and whom the trackers had picked up reaching one of the other airlocks only moments ago, the crew reporting that they were headed to the Bridge as she headed out.

She ran through the halls, trying to get to the airlock that had most recently been opened. She reached it just as Kirk and Bones got inside and hit a button on the control panel to seal the outer door and start draining the water from the room, allowing the two men air as they gasped and panted from holding their breath so long on their long swim down to where the Enterprise was hiding at the bottom of the ocean.

"Ah, there you are!" Scotty called, spotting her as he turned the corner, having come to confront the captain as well, "The golden goddess of victory I was searching for."

Victoria rolled her eyes at that, Scotty was…funny, amusing. He had decided that, since Kirk was so ridiculously entertaining when he was jealous, Scotty had taken to flirting with her and joking with her only when Kirk was around to irritate the man. It had progressed to a little bit of random, odd names that he gave her, a different one each time, whether Kirk was there or not. This was one of the new ones.

"What did you need Scotty?" she asked, keeping her gaze on the small window that led to the airlock, watching and waiting till the water had died away enough to safely open the doors.

"I just wanted to ask if you had any idea how ridiculous is to hide a starship on the bottom of the ocean?" he began as she pushed a button to open the door to see the two men, "We've been doing this since last night. The salt-water is going to erode..."

"Yes, Scotty, I know," she sighed, "I've told James about it, repeatedly. And for some reason," she shot Kirk a pointed look, "He hasn't listened to me."

"I did listen," he winked at her as he stepped out of the room.

"I had to repeat it 12 times," she poked him.

He grinned and caught her hand, "Because I love your voice," he told her, "Any chance I can get to listen to it I'll take."

She smiled at that, before she sighed, "You do know Spock is still trapped in a volcano while you're trying to flirt yes?"

Kirk blinked, "Right," he turned the hand he was holding so he could entwine their fingers and ran off down the hall.

Bones sighed, "I think I preferred it when they were arguing with each other," he muttered to Scotty, they still did, a lot, more than before actually, but there were times they were just so sickeningly sweet.

~8~

Kirk, Victoria, and Bones ran onto the Bridge to see Uhura and Sulu had returned, "Captain on ze bridge!" Chekov called to the others to alert them.

Victoria just let out a breath of relief when she saw he was referring to Kirk and not her.

"Lieutenant," he turned to Uhura, "Do we have an open channel on Mr. Spock?"

"I asked Chekov to keep them open as long as possible," Victoria told him.

But Uhura shook her head, "The heat is frying his comms. but we still have a contact."

"Spock!" Kirk shouted out into the comm..

"I activated Victoria's device, Captain," Spock reported, "When the countdown is complete the reaction should render the volcano inert."

"And that's going to render him inert!" Bones shot back.

"Spock we need to get you out of there!" Victoria told him.

"Do we have use of the transporters?" Kirk looked around.

"Negative, sir," Sulu frowned.

"If we did, we would have beamed you and Bones onboard," Victoria reminded him, "The magnetic field of the planet's too strong."

"We need to beam Spock back to the ship," Kirk turned to her, "Give me one way to do it."

"We'd have to be right over him," she told him seriously, knowing it went against the entire primary objective of their mission.

They were only meant to be there to observe the evolution of a new species. But their data had picked up seismic activity in the volcano and they'd realized that it was about to blow. Kirk had argued it was part of their mission to help save the natives because who could they complete their mission if the species was dead? Spock had…surprisingly agreed, though they were quite sure it was a lingering remnant of how he'd felt about losing Vulcan, to become such an endangered species, that to have this new species nearly wiped out as well had gotten to him. He'd claimed it was a logical reason but cautioned that they had to be careful.

Really though, she knew that both men just wanted the species and planet safe. It had nothing to do with their mission but more…being decent human beings. She'd been very proud of Kirk for that, had confronted him about it after they'd ended the meeting. He'd continued to affirm that it was because of the mission, but she knew better. She'd managed to drag it out of him after a few minutes in that storage closet she'd warned him about oh so long ago. But it was only fair, he'd completely embarrassed her in front of the crew when they'd gotten into a rather heated debate/argument about something she couldn't even remember now and he'd literally done as he'd feared he would have done in ages past and thrown her against the wall, kissing her.

Turnabout was fair play in that regard.

They'd tried to think of ways to help save the species short of transporting all of them onboard the ship and moving them to another, secure location. But that Spock would NOT agree to. Chekov had suggested a cold fusion reactor to help them. They had all the components for it, even had a shell of an old, hollowed out one, but they weren't sure if it would work. She and Scotty had teamed up (much to Kirk's annoyance) to get the cold fusion device back and running, using all the parts they could spare. But they'd done it, the bomb was ready and they had their fingers crossed that it would actually work.

"Hang on my sweet," Scotty cut in, "We're talking about an active volcano," he reminded them all, looking at Kirk, ignoring his narrowed eyes at his numerous pet names for Victoria, "Sir, if that thing erupts, I cannae guarantee we can withstand the heat."

"I don't know if we can maintain that kind of altitude," Sulu had to add.

"Our shuttle was concealed by the ash cloud," Spock's voice cut in, "But the Enterprise is too large. If utilized in a rescue effort, it would be revealed to the indigenous species."

"We get it Spock," Victoria rolled her eyes, "You're a walking rule book, but every rule in life has an exception."

"I do not recall any such rules."

"If you eat a marshmallow, do you REALLY have to wait an hour to swim?" she offered.

"Why would one eat a marshmallow before swimming?"

"That's not the point!" Kirk cut in, not wanting this to drag onto some sort of Vulcan attempt at stalling, "Victoria's right, there's got to be an exception."

"None. Such action violates prime directive."

"To hell with the prime directive!" Victoria shouted.

"We're trying to save you, damn it!" Bones agreed.

"Doctor," Spock began, his voice as even and steady as ever, "The needs of the many out weight needs of the few."

"If you want to go there Spock," Victoria glared at the ceiling as though she could see Spock through it, "There are MORE people on this starship than on that planet. Do you really want to argue who the 'many' are in this case?"

"Spock, we're talking about your LIFE," Kirk nodded.

"The Rule cannot be violated in any case..." Spock started to say, and they were sure that a lecture about the rules and the reasons that they had to be followed would have come next if not for the comm. breaking up into static at the heat inside the volcano.

"Spock!" Kirk looked at Uhura, trying not to notice how terrified she looked for Spock, "Try to get him back online."

"90 seconds to detonation," Chekov warned.

Kirk let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair, "If Spock were here and I were there, what would he do?" he glanced at Bones and Victoria.

"Let you die," Bones remarked, Victoria nodding solemnly beside him.

"Good think you're not him, isn't it?" she offered him a small smile as well, making him grin and nod.

To hell with the rules, they were getting their First Officer back.

~8~

Kirk and Victoria stood before the captain's chair, watching as the Enterprise rose out of the ocean, Kirk wincing when he saw that the natives had stopped in their tracks to stare up at the ship in wonder. He knew that Spock was going to give him hell for all this, that Vulcan was more stuck on the rules than…some sort of quip Bones would make up, leeches in a swamp? Molasses on a plate? He didn't know, but Spock was very fixated on the rules. It had honestly surprised him to find out that Uhura and Spock were a thing, the professors at the Academy were NOT allowed to begin relationships with their students, with any Cadets before graduation. For Uhura and Spock to have kissed the way they had when they'd gone to go get Pike back, well, they had to have done that more than once for Spock to be able to feel that comfortable openly being affectionate and physical with Uhura.

He had been debating using that as an argument to get Spock to agree to let them rescue him, bringing up that, clearly, he and Uhura had bent the rules in order to be able to be together, so why not bed the rules now. He was firmly of the belief that, if Spock had been less set against them rescuing him and more willing to be saved, he'd have come up with some sort of method to get him out of there without needing to use the Enterprise. But the stubborn Vulcan had been too determined to stick to the rules to the nth degree.

And now they were breaking every rule in the book to go get him back.

"Locking onto Commander Spock," Chekov reported.

"Come on," Kirk turned and ran out of the room with Bones and Victoria, heading for the transport room, the three of them reaching it just as Spock appeared on the transport pad, his arms spread out, his eyes wide, looking both as though he were ready to die and also shocked he was still alive.

"Are you alright Spock?" Victoria asked.

But Spock was looking at Kirk, "Captain, you let them see our ship."

Bones rolled his eyes at that, "He's fine."

"Bridge to Victoria!" Uhura called over the comm..

Victoria looked up, "What is it Nyota?"

"Is Commander Spock onboard?"

She smiled, nodding to herself at that, she knew that Uhura had probably asked for her because she couldn't trust Kirk not to make some sort of remark or joke or try to pull a fast one on her, "He's just fine Ny."

"Please notify him that your device has successfully detonated."

"Got it," she called, looking at Spock, "Did you get it?"

Kirk laughed happily at that, "Congratulations, Spock. You just saved the world."

Spock just blinked, STILL staring at Kirk, "You violated the prime directive."

"Ah come on Spock," Kirk waved him off, "They saw us. Big deal."

Victoria shook her head, "Go get washed up James, you smell like a fish," she grimaced at that.

"Yeah well you don't smell so hot either," Kirk fired back.

Victoria gave him a look, "And what do I smell like then?" she crossed her arms, challenging him, daring him to make some sort of comment.

Kirk blinked and seemed to realize what he'd said, before he grinned, "I have no idea, but whatever it is, I think you need a wash up too."

"Jim!" Bones chastised but Kirk had already grabbed Victoria's hand and pulled her out of the room.

…only for a slap to sound down the hall, followed by an 'ow!' by Kirk, and then Victoria walking back down the other way, past the door again, shaking her head at Kirk, who glumly followed after her, rubbing the back of his head.

Bones had to chuckle at that, for all their teasing and innuendo, neither Victoria nor Kirk were at THAT point just yet.

~8~

Victoria's face scrunched as she heard some sort of noise going off in the bedroom. She shook her head a little, snuggling more into the pillow beside her, the warm, oddly firm, and moving pillow.

"Stop laughing at me Jim," she mumble sleepily as she snuggled into him more, using the nickname she rarely ever used with him.

But Kirk just chuckled lightly, hearing his communicator going off, "Sorry Tor," he whispered, sitting up just enough to go get it, "Duty calls."

She rolled her eyes and just cuddled more into the sheets, silently cursing the comm.. This…didn't happen often, her and Kirk sharing a room, sharing a bed, JUST sleeping beside each other. On the Enterprise, she and Uhura shared a room, both of them having lost their roommates to the attack on Vulcan and neither willing to share their room with one of their men. Spock, because it would just be remarkably awkward, according to Uhura, to share with him with him still being a little stiff and distant with her. And Kirk because…well…he was Kirk. Victoria was under no delusions that he'd been with a woman or two (or five or more). She knew that he had experience that she didn't have and, while she knew he would NEVER push her to do something she was against, she was just…afraid more of herself than him.

There was no trying to hide the fact that they both were attracted to each other, if some of their fights were anything to go by as a determinant for the future, when that time came it would be…something rather incredible. But she didn't want to get to that point just yet. She…loved Kirk, she really did, but she knew that he HAD gone through a few women at times and, she supposed, she just wanted to make sure that he was actually serious about her. She knew he wasn't using her like he'd used a few others, but she just…she'd rather he get bored of her before they did anything that meant more to her than him.

Not that he'd get bored of her, no, he'd been fixated on her the entire time they were in the Academy and even more so on the Enterprise. She didn't think that would happen, she hoped it wouldn't especially with Future-Spock's words that they were married in his universe, apparently they'd been married to the end of their lives. But it was just…she knew what Kirk was like, what he could be like and…

It had been about a year since they'd gotten together and he…hadn't said it to her, the three words people always wanted to her. SHE refused to say it first, it was a challenge to herself, to see if she could get him to say it first. Because…she wasn't like that, she wasn't the one who had had multiple notches in her bedpost, she wasn't the one who had used other people like that, and she wasn't the one who flirted with every person of the opposite sex on two legs. Kirk was.

He'd changed, yes, he'd become less flirting with others, focusing on her instead. He didn't frequent the rooms of others, except hers, or (like now) when they were on Earth for a break, they'd get a small room together to just have some privacy. He didn't use flirting or seduction to try and get things out of others though that was bad news for her because he just turned the full effect of his blue eyes on her instead. He was different now, she wasn't sure if it was because of her or just how he'd always been but just hadn't been with a girl long enough to show it. But he WAS different.

It still couldn't erase some of the past though and she just…she wanted to hear him say it, just once, so she knew he was really serious about her. She'd asked him once, when he'd ended up with a girl for 4 months, a record for him, if he loved the girl, if he'd said he loved her. He'd just shrugged and said that love was a strong word and it was an important word and he knew that he wasn't exactly the epitome of fidelity at times, but to say he loved someone when he didn't was not something he would ever do unless he really did mean it, unless he was really dead serious about someone else.

She rolled onto her back and looked at him, "What was it?" she asked, seeing him grinning.

"We've been called in to San Francisco," he flopped back onto the bed, looking at her, "Your dad wants to see you, me, and Spock."

Victoria let out a breath, getting a feeling that this was NOT going to be as good a thing as Kirk seemed to think it would be. If it was a good visit…Pike would have called HER first.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter :) I really cannot wait to get through this story ^-^

Some notes on reviews...(from the end of Ad Victoriam)...

Aww, thanks so much! :) I'm glad you're enjoying the stories so far ^-^

The titles are in Latin :) I know that for military and some organizations that they favor Latin based phrases, so I sort of kept that here, like a harkening back to the classics but with the futuristic Fleet :) The first title was 'To Victory' this one is 'Love conquers all' :)