Disclaimer: Do I really have to say this on the last chapter? I mean, C'mon! You should know this by now!

Note: I don't know McCoy's wife's name for sure, but a lot of places have it as Jocelyn. This is the name I'm going to use. If it's wrong, please tell me so I can edit it.

"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."

"Many a person has held close, throughout their entire lives, two friends that always remained strange to one another, because one of them attracted by virtue of similarity, the other by difference." ~Emil Ludwig

In Need and Deed- 3

He'd moved to San Francisco to try and make his wife happy. He'd turned down the offer several times before, to go and work at Starfleet medical, but Jocelyn had needled and whittled him down until he accepted.

"Son, there are a lot of crazy places just on earth, no need to go to the stars." Had been something his father had told him multiple times growing up. In McCoy's opinion, San Francisco was one of those places. Who the hell built a city on a fault line anyway? And who was crazy enough to live in said city? (He was here under protest, he didn't count.)

Leonard H. McCoy was a doctor, not a xeno-medicine researcher. He'd been happy in Georgia as a country doctor, but Jocelyn hadn't been. He'd thought she'd settled down from the grandiose dreams she'd had as a child, of parties and other things, but it seemed like it had just gotten worse over time.

"Oh, this will be so interesting, what should I wear?" He listened as she rattled off the list of things that other people could be wearing, and how she had to be better dressed than a woman he thought she was friends with, with a mix of fondness and exasperation.

"Honey, it's just a simple dinner party . . ." He got ignored.

The dinner party was at a castle-like mansion that belonged to an admiral (who's name McCoy could barely remember). There were a few men in dress uniform, and several in tuxes intermingling with a few just wearing dinner jackets and going open at the neck. (Which is how McCoy would have preferred to go, if his wife hadn't picked out a tux- why the hell were these monkey suits so uncomfortable and expensive?)

Jocelyn had instantly gone off to gossip with the women after they greeted their host, and McCoy was trying to count how many men were there in uniform vs. men in tuxes from his spot by the drinks. (If he had to deal with this, it wouldn't be completely sober)

Cue meeting that would start to change his life- not that he knew it at the time.

"Anyone sitting here?" McCoy raised his eyebrow at the blond haired, blue eyed kid that was in a dress uniform for a lieutenant (or was it Lieutenant Commander? McCoy didn't really care.).

"No, go right ahead." The boy sat down and sighed. "What's a kid like you doing here?"

"My brother was invited, he brought me as his guest, and I'm starting to wish I had said no. How about you?"

"I'm a civilian contract with Starfleet Medical Research, I have no clue why I was invited, but my wife's enjoying herself." McCoy gestured to where Jocelyn was giggling with a few other women. "I've been wishing I had said no since I agreed to this shindig. Half these people are waiting to pick my bones clean" He grumbled. All he wanted was a nice night at home with his wife. His companion laughed.

"I can't blame you. You're an MD, then?"

"Yeah, Dr. Leonard McCoy." He held out his hand. The kid's eyes practically glowed blue with an ill-concealed energy.

"Lieutenant James Kirk, but please call me Jim." They shook, and McCoy recognized the name. He just chose not to comment on it.

"Lieutenant, huh? You look pretty young to be a Lieutenant."

"I'm twenty, been in Starfleet since I was sixteen." There was a slight hint of steel to the kid's voice, something no kid should have, even if they were twenty.

"To each his own, kid, I'm keeping my feet firmly on the ground." McCoy saw the kid relax. They had a rather enjoyable discussion complaining about the dinner party and why it was annoying, and somehow or another, it got back to McCoy's feelings on space adventure and flight. "Look Kid, if man were meant to fly, we would've had wings."

"Illogical, as humans have the mental capacity to create the machines for flight." A Vulcan had approached, also in a Lieutenant Starfleet uniform. "We've been instructed to move into the dining area."

"Alright Spock- Oh, Dr. McCoy, this is Lieutenant Spock, my brother, Spock, this is Dr. McCoy. He's a civilian contract."

"I have heard the Doctor's name before." The Vulcan gave him a nod. McCoy remembered that they were touch telepaths, and so just returned the nod.

"I wish I could say the same . . . wait, how are you two related?" McCoy did a double take.

"My family has 'adopted' Jim, to use the terran phrase. As humans go he is a fairly logical one."

"What's logic got to do with a Vulcan adopting a human?" They began to walk, McCoy unconsciously keeping Jim between him and Spock.

McCoy was not xenophobic, despite his deep distrust of space and flying. He was aware that when he was frustrated or worried he would voice complaints over the differences in Biology between aliens and humans, but he'd never not try to do his job as a doctor.

What he simply didn't like, was the psychic abilities that some aliens had- or their manipulation abilities, in the case of Orions. He didn't like the idea of someone messing with his head or body. He was aware that Vulcans made a big deal out of not invading someone's privacy, but he was still wary. (This was again, why he was a Doctor, not a diplomat or an adventure seeker.)

"I needed a place to stay, they had space to spare." Jim said with a grin. They separated to sit at their tables, and McCoy was unable to speak to them the rest of the night.

It was roughly two weeks later while he was working at the hospital that he saw them again, this time with a much more serious problem.

Jim had had an allergic reaction to cold medicine. (Cold medicine! Of all things . . .) McCoy was Doctor on duty, and Spock was right there with his adopted brother. Jim then had an allergic reaction to the medication to counteract the cold medicine and McCoy spent several hours snarling at nurses as he struggled to figure out what the hell was wrong with this kid.

His mood did not improve when he discovered that Jim did not have a personal physician that he could call for answers. When he finally got the kid breathing and out of danger, he was all but growling as he sat next to the kid's bed and went through the (long) medical file. Spock the Vulcan sat on the other side, gripping Jim's wrist and looking completely stoic.

"I'm amazed he doesn't have any food allergies!" McCoy growled, dropping the padd on the bed. "And you never thought to have a personal physician for either of you?"

"One Doctor would be as good as another, Starfleet does not allow any type of inefficiency in their personnel." The Vulcan replied. McCoy rubbed his eyes.

"Lord give me strength- a personal physician would know, in detail, what Jim could and could not take, without wasting precious time going through his extensive medical file." The Vulcan glanced down at Jim. "I could've called them and known what to give and what not to give, dammit."

"I see, then I was in error." Something shifted in that blank mask, as the Vulcan looked down at Jim. McCoy had a pretty good feeling of what it was.

"I thought Vulcans didn't do emotion, but you're really worried about him, aren't you?"

"We have emotions, I do not believe it possible for any sentient being to not have them, but we are in control of them. They do not rule our every moment." Spock answered.

"But they influence you, surely."

" . . . I do not have sufficient data to give an answer." Spock stood suddenly, releasing Jim's wrist. "Jim is stable, I must go and fulfill my own duties at this time." McCoy didn't stop him.

When his shift was over, McCoy returned to sit with Jim for a bit longer (Jocelyn was out with friends- they'd both be late getting home) and returned his attention to the padd. This time, he also looked up Spock's Medical records . . . and began looking up information on Vulcans.

Since its creation in the 20th century, the internet has held a wealth of information for those able to shift through the amount of data to find what they want, often having to deal with misinformation and rumors that were posted as fact.

In the 23rd century, unfortunately, there were still a lot of errors and rather whimsical theories about aliens and their cultures. Especially on Vulcans.

McCoy desperately wished he could erase some of the words out of his head. As it was, he thought he was going to be sick- honestly, the things some people came up with.

What he did manage to find out (that was actual fact), was that Vulcan telepathy required skin to skin contact of any kind, as well as the Vulcan had to let down their own mental barriers to read thoughts- the most they could get through accidental skin contact were whispers of emotions if they had poor shields or nothing at all if they had strong ones. Their hands were not the most sensitive places, they were actually the second most. (Vulcan faces were actually the most sensitive, as they held the main psi-points). Vulcan telepathy also required consent from the other party, as even the most psi-null being had their own innate mental barriers that protected their secrets.

However, Vulcans did allow contact between themselves and those close to them. They had family bonds, which were telepathic bonds that connected them to family and allowed them to monitor each other (these bonds were weak compared to Betazoid bonds, who could feel each other's thoughts- Vulcan's only got whether or not the other was living, and occasionally their emotional states).

Which, McCoy thought, explained why Spock had been holding Jim's wrist- he needed a way to monitor his 'brother's' state. He glanced down at the still sleeping blond. Both files were extensive- Spock was a half Vulcan, not a full Vulcan, and Jim had a list of injuries a mile long.

And he didn't even have a doctor who could patch him up.

McCoy went home to Jocelyn, spent half the night thinking about the two strangers that really had nothing to do with his life (one who he'd gotten along with based on the dislike of pomp and circumstance of a dinner party, the other a logical hobgoblin that just set his teeth on edge for some reason) and in the morning when he went in to check, shoved a padd at Jim before the nurse could give him his discharge papers.

"I'm going to regret this, but sign it." He saw Spock arch an eyebrow. "Both of you."

"What is it?" Jim looked at the padd confused.

"It makes me your personal physician. With your screwed up system, you need it." Jim nodded and signed it, looking amused.

"I doubt you have the required background to become a Vulcan's physician, Doctor." Spock stared at the padd as if it would bite him.

"I can learn." McCoy growled. "I'll need your help with Jim, anyway." They both ignored Jim's wounded 'Hey!'. The stare off that followed unnerved the poor nurse who held her padd tightly.

Spock finally inclined his head, and signed the padd. McCoy smiled.

"Good, when can I see you again to go over the rest of the paperwork?" Ignoring Jim (who was now protesting the entire thing) Spock and McCoy made an appointment. He'd known that Jim would be a difficult patient (several doctors had noted this on the kid's file) and he knew how to deal with difficult patients. Basically, you never let them pull away.

That night, McCoy found out that he was going to be a dad.

The following nine months included keeping an eye on Jim and Spock, who were slowly becoming more than just patients, (he found himself going out to drink with them, which always ended with him arguing with the hobgoblin over something and Jim laughing at the two of them with whichever waitress he had charmed that evening) and fussing over Jocelyn. They were quite possibly the best ten months (counting the first month baby Joanna was home) that he had ever had.

And that was even considering the fact he found out about Tarsus IV. He'd been sickened, and had almost dragged both of them to his office where he'd hidden some bourbon so they could drink and talk. He was relieved they'd been able to recover as much as they had, but this explained their strange dynamic, why Spock, despite being 3 years older, followed Jim's ideas. In the end, he settled for instructing them to either follow a diet, get nutritional supplements, or vitamin hyposprays. They'd both looked at him in confusion, but he hadn't pressed the issue any farther than 'If you want to talk about it to me, my door's open. If not, I won't bring it up.'

Which was probably why the two did open up, though Jim was more hesitant than Spock. There was alcohol and chocolate liquor involved, and McCoy figured out why Spock clung to logic and Jim could be a right bastard at times, pushing people away (except for McCoy, who pushed right back). It made perfect sense when he saw it.

However, McCoy didn't see his marriage dissolve after that until it was far too late to fix. Jocelyn left both him and Joanna, lured away by a man who promised her bigger and better things than a doctor could give, even one that had a contract with Starfleet. It hurt, but he wasn't going to leave Joanna by drinking away his pain.

Roughly a month after the divorce, Jim Kirk showed up at his door, looking a little tired. "Hey, Bones." (He still has no clue when and why Jim decided to start calling him that, Jim's answer always varied between their first conversation or some other moment or factoid). Jim didn't even wait for an invite, he just slipped in, looking as exhausted as McCoy felt.

"What do you want kid?" McCoy didn't try to kick the kid out- the last time this happened, Jim had talked McCoy into letting him stay.

"Joanna asleep?"

"Yes."

"Had a bad day. You heard I've been assigned to the Farragut?" Jim flopped bonelessly onto his couch, and McCoy almost heard Jocelyn's voice yelling at Jim to get his feet off the couch.

"No, congratulations?"

"Spock's on the Yorktown." McCoy frowned. "We're both shipping out in a month."

McCoy had acted as their psychologist and sometimes their conscience during their many visits to his office. Jim had treated him as a friend from the get-go, while Spock was slightly reserved. He'd discovered that both of them could be really cold blooded when it came to doing things, Jim was all instinct and intuition, if he wanted something done, he'd get it done, never mind who it hurt, and he was willing to manipulate others to that goal; Spock was all logic and intelligence, he treated people (the exception being Jim) like numbers. Over time, the two had opened up to him and listened, coming to him for advice and ideas- though he and Spock found themselves arguing more than anything. Unlike with Jocelyn, though, this arguing actually made him feel better, even if he didn't always win.

"What do you want, Jim?"

"Your civilian Contract is up soon, isn't it?"

"A couple of months." And suddenly, McCoy had an idea of what Jim was looking for. "I'm staying in San Francisco, Jim." It would be too difficult to move back to Georgia right now.

"They're going to offer you a research grant." McCoy blinked. "But the fine print is you'll have to enlist." And 'they' would be the people that seemed not to care he was a single father. Even if he got the choice, he wouldn't be able to spend much time with Joanna.

"Why are you telling me?" Jim gave him a wry, tired smile.

"I'm your friend, don't want you backed into a corner. It's not fun." McCoy frowned and reached out to check his friend's forehead. Jim let him. "Bones, do you actually have any other job offers you can take?" He didn't. Not right away, he'd have to test to make sure he was able to work in a civilian hospital, it would take a while to open his own practice (again, his first had been liquidated by the evil harpy (Jim's words for Jocelyn) in the divorce).

All he had was Joanna and some money. Starfleet would be his best option. He could get a job on earth, at least.

"Don't worry about me kid-"

"I'm more worried about Joanna!" Jim retorted, then suddenly stiffened. McCoy paused.

Jim's dad had died in Starfleet. His mother had been absent, (she still worked in Starfleet somewhere), leaving him on his own (Winona had tried, Jim had admitted, but she'd stopped trying when he was nine). Jim cared enough about him and Joanna to try and stop the same thing happen to them. It was amusing and . . . touching, in a way. It took awhile to talk it through, (Jim had just returned from a visit to Riverside that had gone okay; 'okay' being he didn't see his mother and his step-dad had actually spoken to him without either two getting angry; and Jim had needed to discuss it) and then Spock was there to collect Jim.

When the contract was up, McCoy enlisted in Starfleet. There was a network of people that would help single parents, and he took advantage of that. He didn't tell Jim, though, or Spock.

The Yorktown was the first to return, limping slightly and with several crew injured. It had been her last voyage before she was retired and everyone knew that her Captain, Christopher Pike, had been selected to take the new (read: still being built) ship the Enterprise. Her crew would be stationed in the academy or other ships until the Enterprise was ready.

McCoy had a huge surge of illogical pleasure at Spock's raising of both eyebrows when he saw him in the hospital, wearing the Starfleet medical uniform.

"I did not think you would enlist, given your propensity for illogical actions."

"Thank you Spock, I thought it was a good idea as well. Someone was needed to keep an eye on you and Jim."

"Jim is the one who you should be more concerned with." Spock retorted.

"No argument there."

The Farragut came a month later than her original return date, and the entire campus was stirred into a frenzy of news. 200 of the crew had died, including the Captain and First Officer, and several of the survivors were on life support from blood loss. Jim, of course, was one of them. It took a month to get him back on his feet. Spock and Bones, barely tolerating each other, stuck right by him.

Bones could never figure out exactly when the three of them became friends, but they had. And he didn't mind it one bit.

Well, there you go, how the trio formed in my nice little Alternate universe. Bones is quite possibly my absolute fav character, right before Scotty. For one good reason- he's like a grouchy teddy bear. How could you not like that? That, and he's from georgia- where I was born and raised!

Bones's compulsion to look after Jim and Spock isn't a completely me decision; in Star Trek IV, when they're in a hospital looking for Chekov, Bones is constantly stopping and checking on all the patients and treating them. Given that personality of helping those in need, He iniatlly signed on to be their chief physcian out of that personality quirk- they don't become friends until some time's gone by.

Jim's rising pretty rapidly through the ranks, here's (roughly) the timeline for him:

16- Join Starfleet

18/19- graduates after 2 ½ years, makes lieutenant

21- Lieutenant commander

22/23- attack on Farragut.

For Spock (Who's 3 years older than Jim):

19- Join Starfleet

21/22- graduates after 2 ½ years, Lieutenant

24- Lieutenant Commander

25- Becomes Science Officer for Pike after Yorktown is decommissioned

For Bones (remember, he's 6 years older than Jim):

26- Meets Jim and Spock

27- Joanna Born

28- Joins Starfleet

Now, for the sequel- each chapter (or part, some characters may have more than one chapter) will be in a character's point of view, with the last three chapters being devoted to the trio.

Events of the movie will be covered, as well as how the characters first met each other (it will not focus on their meeting trio exclusively, it will include things like the first time Uhura met Chekov, etc). The sequel will be a CHARACTER driven story- action will be secondary to the thoughts of the characters. If you have a problem with me focusing on character development, don't read.

Also- I will NOT be doing any pairings, meaning no slash and Uhura will not be paired with anyone. She's a strong character in her own right, she does not need to be paired with anyone to add anything to her character (That's the biggest issue I had with the 2009 movie Uhura, on that note, TOS Uhura I liked because she never actually paired with anyone). As stated before, I'm focusing on character friendships and personalities, not who's shagging who- you want that, find another story.

I am trying to keep myself from writing long stories (I have two long stories already in the works, doing anymore would be impractical) however I do have several short stories/one shots already planned in this AU of mine, so don't worry, you'll get to see more of this AU even after the sequel is done.

That said, first Chapter of the Sequel, Title: True Friendship, is up.