Written for the Kirk Spock Big Bang 2013. Published July 4, 2013. This story tucks in between Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness but is technically AU. I borrowed Gaila’s last name from the beautiful story So Wise We Grow. I don’t cry when I cut onions, so neither does Jim. You can find his coffee mug on ThinkGeek (and my desk).
Beta read by jouissant, who deserves accolades for her patience, and kirihana.
This version includes Forty-Five Hours in Riverside, which I posted on Orbit's one-year anniversary on AO3.
NOTE Apparently in AOS canon, Jim's birthday is in January. This makes no sense to me, since Jim Kirk is born on March 22 -- why would he suddenly be born three months earlier? -- but maybe Nero scared him out of the womb. Anyway, please overlook that detail for the purpose of this story, if you would be so kind, because I've written his birthday in March.