I Have Been and Always Shall Be Your Friend

by Starsinger

Kind of, sort of same universe as Admirals, but with one major twist. You'll see. Don't own them.

Spock stayed with Pike as McCoy left with Jim's body for the morgue. "They're taking me to Switzerland," Pike whispered. "They say the hospital is too badly damaged and they're removing all but the most critically ill and wounded to various locations." Spock simply nodded. His body language spoke of severe stress and anxiety. Only someone who knew Spock as well as he did would know it. "What's going on, Spock?"

Spock kerplunked into the chair next to Pike, "I…I never had a friend before."

Pike opened his mouth to deny it, then closed it. Even at the Academy, he was isolated. He never associated with anyone, he barely spoke to classmates and instructors. Pike was really a mentor and a superior officer, never really a friend, "Jim tell you why he went back for you on Nibiru?" Spock nodded. "Jim had this open and friendly personality, but he never really made friends that easily. He cultivated relationships that would be to his benefit. Well, except McCoy, they were really and truly friends."

"Spock spoke of a long and lasting friendship that would define us both in ways that we could not even begin to imagine. I don't think he meant it ended like this. I can't believe he meant it ended like this," Spock's hands were shaking.

Pike reached out a hand and did the one thing he knew not to do with Vulcans, he touched him, letting his sympathy and own sorrow flow through to the younger man, "He was my friend, too. He had begun to form real, lasting friendships on the Enterprise with you, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov. He was already friends with McCoy, so that doesn't really count. What will you do?"

"I can't go back to the Enterprise, I think that's obvious. I don't think any of us will, we just don't have the will to face it without him," Spock ran a hand through his hair. "What will happen to Khan?"

"He's in an induced coma right now. It's a miracle you didn't kill him," Admiral Komack's voice penetrated the room. "Why didn't you? No one would have blamed you."

"Uhura convinced that it wasn't what Jim would want. He wouldn't want me to be a killer, and she was right," Spock whispered.

Spock soon left to help with pictures of Jim's back. When he returned, Admiral Archer and Dr. McCoy were with him. Soon, they were joined by Sulu, Uhura, Scotty and Chekov. All of them looked as if they'd been crying. McCoy shook his head, unable to comprehend that somehow he would have to tell Joanna that her beloved Uncle Jim was dead.

They waited as evening shadows fell and they still waited for the transport that would take Pike elsewhere. Suddenly, Archer's comm beeped and he answered it, "Sir! There's something wrong with Captain Kirk!"

"Lieutenant, slow down, he's dead, how much more wrong can there be?" Archer responded.

"That's just it, Admiral, he's gone!"

"Did the funeral home pick up his body?" McCoy asked.

"That's just it, Sirs, they came in just now and I led them down to collect it, and he was gone!" the lieutenant sounded nearly hysterical.

McCoy, Archer and Spock looked at each other, "He is dead, right?" Archer asked.

"Yes, sir, I signed the death certificate myself. He was in full rigor mortis when we left which would last for a few more hours, so he wouldn't have been easy to move, unless…"

"Unless someone used a transporter and transported him out," Spock mused. Archer's comm beeped again.

"Sir! Khan is gone!"

Evil cliff-hangar from hell. I'm good at these. Where is Kirk? Where is Khan? Does Khan have anything to do with Kirk's disappearance and why would he want a dead body if he did? And why do I have these evil plot bunnies running through my brain? Okay, even I don't have an answer to that! Please read and review!