Star Trek One-Shots!!

8. Heaven Forbid [no ships]

Just a short but not-so-sweet little work. More angsty than sweet lol. Enjoy!

(Based on the song "Heaven Forbid" by The Fray. Very good, very relatable...at least, to me.)

*

Jim Kirk sighed.

It had been a very long day of paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork. It was almost tedious enough to make him miss even the most boring negotiations that he had taken part in over the past five years.

But those five years were done and over with, and there was no going back to them.

Well, theoretically there was going back to them. It just wouldn't be the same.

Jim sighed again, this time annoyed at himself. He was treating the whole damned ordeal as if he were retiring or planning on dying the next day or something, not like the Enterprise's five-year mission in space had officially ended, which was all that had happened.

And, hell, it wasn't like any of the others were retiring or planning on dying the next day or something, either. They were just...going their own separate ways. Which was totally normal. Totally expected.

Jim had been aware of the approaching deadline, the approaching ending, the approaching, inevitable parting of ways. He had known about it for five years. And yet he still hadn't prepared for it. First it was because he hadn't thought he would have to prepare for it, because he hadn't expected to find a family in his crew members. Then it was because he hadn't thought it would end, because he hadn't expected the family to break apart and all go their own ways.

Jim looked down at his PADD. He had finally finished everything, thank god. No more paperwork for the day.

At the same time, though, he couldn't help but wish he hadn't had to fill out that paperwork.

Transfers. That's what they were.

Because no matter how much fun everybody had had, no matter how much of a family everybody had found, they had other things they wanted to go do with their lives.

Sulu wanted to captain his own ship, and Jim had no doubts that he would do a great job at it. He also had no doubts that Chekov would follow Sulu wherever he went, and that the Russian would excel as Sulu's first officer. Scotty had finally found both Admiral Archer's dog (alive, thankfully) and favor in the admiral's eyes, so he would be off to work with the top engineers on bettering warp capabilities. Uhura and Nurse Chapel were thinking of starting a family and adopting a young half-Orion orphan they had picked up a few planets back. Bones wanted desperately to go back to his own daughter in Georgia, especially now after his ex-wife had finally allowed him visitation. And Spock would no doubt assume his position teaching at the Academy once more...that is, if he didn't head off to New Vulcan to save the population and go have baby Vulcans or something.

And Jim?

He had no idea of where he was going after this. Maybe he would teach at the Academy for a bit? Maybe he would become an admiral? He had no clue. Somehow he hadn't thought that far. Somehow he hadn't thought this part of his life would ever end.

Jim stood and stretched, looking around the empty bridge of the Enterprise. The Enterprise, Jim's baby, would be going back into the shop to be outfitted with newer, more cutting-edge technology. Nobody knew when she would be back in space again. Nobody knew if they would bring back Jim when she finally was ready.

Looking around mournfully, Jim slowly left the bridge and went to walk the now-silent halls of what had become his home one last time before leaving it for what could well be forever.