[2] Amor Vincit Omnia ➳ Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) ✔️

|06| Pesky Torpedoes

Chapter 6 x

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Kirk cast a subtle glance at Victoria feeling her tense beside him at Harrison's words. He knew where her mind had gone, to how it wasn't THEM that would lead to death but Harrison himself, the man had killed her father! He didn't want this, he didn't want her to be put in front of the man and have him say something like that. He'd hoped that taking her to Kronos to be a part of the extraction, to be one of the ones to help capture him and bring him in for trial would help her cope.

Even though he knew that was the LAST thing she wanted, to see Harrison get a trial instead of have his head on a chopping block so to speak. He could see it in her expression, in her stance, in every move she made how angry and upset and disappointed she was in his decision to bring Harrison in instead of firing those torpedoes at him. He knew her though, when she was angry she didn't think, he didn't either but that was how he knew what to do to get her to stop even if she still continued to refuse to think about the consequences of her actions.

When she was angry, she acted, she rushed into things and attacked. Oh she was more skilled than he was in planning her attacks though, she thought things through enough where she had a better chance of not ending up with a nose full of napkins like he did, but it didn't take away from the fact that she was less controlled when she was angry. She wanted Harrison dead, he did too, but...he didn't want to see either of them become Harrison in the process, something she seemed to be failing to realize.

Just taking her there and setting her before the man while in his cell had probably been a mistake, he could admit it. He should have taken her to Kronos to capture him, and then ordered (not that she'd have listened) her to stay on the Bridge and not confront Harrison herself. He'd probably have had to resort to Spock doing his neck pinchy thingy, some sort of Vulcan Nerve Pinch, to keep her away from Harrison, but he'd have done it to protect her.

"Captain, Liaison," Spock called, his voice cutting through their thoughts, "I believe he will only attempt to manipulate you," he warned, coming to their sides, glancing between the two of them, "I would not recommending engaging the prisoner further."

"Give me a minute," Kirk shook his head, before looking at Victoria, "Take her to the Bridge," he ordered Spock. He had...a clearer head at the moment, he could deal with Harrison and he didn't want her to be around the man longer than necessary. Harrison struck him as a manipulator, he did NOT want the man to sense how badly Victoria wanted to end him and try to use that against her. He was sure Harrison already knew though. Her expression, her look, her own small attack on the man...and admittedly, his own words about him being his 'father-in-law' and how he acted around Victoria would be enough to clue anyone in to the fact that Pike had been Victoria's father.

He refused to let Harrison use Pike against her.

"James," Victoria turned to him, shooting him such a glare that he actually flinched at it.

He really hated that, when she was mad at him, he hated it even when they hadn't even been friends. There was always something about seeing her angry or disappointed in him, seeing that emotion flickering in her eyes, that did him in. He could guess that, even then, even when he hadn't known who her father was, he'd subconsciously made the association. She had Pike's eyes, looking at her eyes and seeing them look at him like that made him feel like Pike was looking at him the same way.

"Trust me," he took her injured hand gently, "Please, Victoria," he pressed a gentle kiss to her bruised knuckles, "Just...trust me."

Victoria stared him down for a long moment, before she pulled her hand away and stormed out of the room. Kirk sighed as he watched her go, he knew she didn't agree with this, he knew that, in such a delicate situation, with them nearly about to start a war, with them stranded in Klingon space, that she couldn't defy him or argue with him as openly as she would have. She would have argued and shouted and fought with him about his decision if their straights hadn't been so dire. The crew needed a strong captain, the crew needed to see EVERYONE working together with him, so she bit her tongue.