Coming Home

[captainawesome1701]

Summary: After their second five-year mission, Jim and Bones must decide what they’re going to do next. Jim might have an idea, but he also has NO idea exactly where it’ll end up.
 

"Bones, I was thinking," Jim said suddenly one day.

"Heaven preserve us," Leonard mumbled.

They were sitting on the porch of their Mojave ranch. Jim had inherited it from Pike almost ten years ago - and damn, but it still hurt to think of how he'd been ripped from all of them - but this was the first time they'd ever been able to enjoy it for more than a few weeks while the Enterprise was being refit on Earth. They had just completed their second five year mission; when the first one had ended, every single one of the senior staff had immediately signed up for a second trip out into the black. This time, everyone was weighing their options a bit more.

Sulu, with Jim's blessing, was up for his own ship and crew, and it looked like Carol might be going with him. Scotty, of course, was sticking with his lady, but Starfleet had already announced a new flagship for the 'fleet, the Excelsior. (No one knew it, but Jim was pulling every string he could think of to get Sulu that ship. He'd more than earned it.) Chekov was weighing a couple different options, including heading over to the Excelsior or teaching at the Academy. Spock and Uhura were already signed up teaching gigs, though not at the Academy in San Francisco. Starfleet had reached out to the Vulcan High Council, and there would now be a second Academy campus located on New Vulcan, and Uhura would be the first non-Vulcan to teach in a primarily Vulcan setting in their history. Being bonded to a Vulcan certainly increased her value in the eyes of the Council.

And then there was Jim and Leonard. Jim had finally accepted a promotion, making him a Commodore. Leonard had gotten one too, up to Commander. Considering their last assignments and the fame they'd garnered, they weren't lacking in options of where to go to next. But they hadn't decided anything, not yet. Leonard had assumed Jim would want to go back out into space in some capacity, though he wouldn't be sitting in the captain's chair on a ship.

Jim was about to surprise him, though.

"I was thinking that maybe we should do something with this place."

Leonard set his coffee down and looked over. "What exactly would you do? Pike left you this place, and I know how goddam sentimental you are, even if you pretend otherwise. I'm surprised you agreed to let me turn one of the extra rooms into an office."

"Shut up, you're interrupting me and totally ruining the moment. I was thinking maybe we should do something with this place. We could turn from a house into a home."

Jim was met with nothing but shocked silence. Which, of course, caused him to ramble even more to hide his embarrassment at getting anything less than an enthusiastic yet.

"I mean, I know you have your ranch in Georgia, and that's your home, but that's just it. It's your home. This could be our home. And Jo's starting her second year at the Academy, I thought it would be nice to stay close to her, and-"

He was suddenly cut off by warm lips pressing against his. "Yes."

Jim's face lit up with a smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Leonard nodded and leaned in for another kiss.

"I might just get you to marry me yet."

"Don't hold your breath, Jim."

---

The next day, after the excitement of deciding to stay on Earth had worn off, it was time to get the details in order. Jim knew Bones had been offered a teaching post at the Academy, and he could always go back into private practice. The doctor had often said that was what he wanted more than anything, but Jim knew him better than that. Yes, he was a doctor first and foremost. But he also had enjoyed the challenge of working with such a variety of patients and circumstances. Jim's self-proclaimed old country doctor would get bored if he went back to private practice.

As for Jim... well, none of the offers he'd been given, and there had been a lot, had really tickled his fancy. And anyway, he'd always had this plan forming in the back of his mind, something he had wanted to do for years now, although he hadn't breathed a word of it to any of his friends.

"Jim, what you got there?" Leonard peered at the PADD Jim was fiddling with.

"It's what I think I'm gonna go with." He handed the PADD over, and it was only years of diplomatic experience that kept Jim from showing just how nervous he actually was.

"The George and Winona Kirk Foundation?"

"Yeah, it's something I started thinking about a couple years ago right after my mom died. The whole Kirk inheritance came to me, and, well, I really, really don't need it. So I contacted a couple organizations about making donations, but none of the places felt right. And then I realized that the thing I wanted to give the money to didn't exist. There's tons of great, great services out there, don't get me wrong, but this is for my mom and dad. I wanted it to matter."

Leonard smiled and set the PADD down, turning his full attention to Jim. "So tell me about the Foundation."

Jim immediately relaxed and launched into it. "It's for the kids of Starfleet officers. The ones who have lost their parents, either because they died in the service or because they're on active duty. I know how hard it was for me growing up for both of those reasons, and I know it wasn't easy on Jo either, not having you around. And we are far from the only children on this planet that this has happened to. So I wanted to set up these places. Homes for kids to go to. They could stay there for a day, a week, however long they needed. And they can keep going back there. They get to be with other kids who know what it's like, and they could get help to cope. The worst part of being stuck in a town without your parents because they're off saving worlds is that no one understands. Well, at any of these homes, every single person there understands."

Leonard found himself choking back tears. It was the passion in Jim's voice that got to him. He'd been so worried for the past day that Jim would get bored here on Earth, even if it was his idea to stay. Everyone knew Jim had been born to captain a starship, but Leonard also knew that Jim had a deep, deep need to prove himself. True, he'd matured considerably since the first time he'd walked onto the bridge in a gold shirt, all swagger and ego.

This was a totally different Jim, but at the same time, still completely the same. He still wanted to help people, to save worlds. His definition of 'worlds' had just changed. Leonard knew that the great Captain Kirk could do anything he put his mind too. But more than that, he knew that when Jim was passionate about something, he would move heaven and earth to make it happen.

"It's a great idea, Jim. How can I help?"

---

They cut the ribbon on the first Foundation home two months later. Thanks to their combined name recognition, Jim and Leonard had scores of people offering their expertise to get the Foundation off the ground. Leonard had never seen anything like it. It was a lot of work, yes, but they had the next five homes lined up already, they were just waiting for the staff lists to fill up and the permits from various cities and countries to be approved. Neither took much time, given that every time Leonard turned around, a different retired Starfleet officer was taking the lead and getting whatever need to be done, done.

It seemed like this Foundation was long overdue.

Jim and Leonard took a personal interest in each and every one of the homes, too. Jim absolutely insisted on inspecting each location before giving his final approval, and with meeting each one of the directors to make sure he could trust them. Leonard wouldn't dream of letting Jim shoulder this burden alone, and even if he wasn't much use for most of these meetings, at least he was there afterwards to help Jim think through an issue or talk about a gut instinct or even just unwind after a long day.

The only downside Leonard could find was that their Mojave ranch, with its horses and hot tub and quiet, wasn't getting much use. He wasn't about to complain about it, knowing how much all of this meant to Jim, but it wasn't exactly the peaceful retirement he had expected.

Though how he expected anything to be peaceful with Jim Kirk, he still wasn't sure.

They weren't even spending Christmas at the ranch, much to Leonard's dismay, but rather up in Norway, going through final inspections on the latest home that was to open up in Bergen. The one bright spot, though, was that Joanna had been able to join them. There had been skiing and snowmen and hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. Jim had even managed to nag Leonard into letting them chop down their own Christmas tree. They were in the middle of trimming it when Jim got a comm from the director of the home, his face looking increasingly worried the longer he listened. When he finally ended the transmission, he headed straight for his coat, with both McCoys on his tail.

"What's going on?"

"Something wrong, Jim?"

Jim smiled at their identical distressed frowns. "It's just a little hiccup. They had a kid show up, an orphan, and didn't know what to do with her. I'm gonna go sort it out right now. You guys finish without me." His kissed each of their foreheads and headed out into the cold night, still every bit the hero he always was.

When he stomped back through the door two hours later, he wasn't alone. Wrapped up inside his coat with him was a little girl, clinging to him for dear life. Leonard and Joanna had raced to the door as soon as they'd heard him, but he waved them away, quietly talking to the child in his arms. They got the hint and retreated to the kitchen to give the new arrival a bit of space.

It took a little while, but soon they were joined by Jim leading a pale, skinny, shaking girl with long blonde curls into the kitchen by the hand. "Jamie, this is Leonard and his daughter Joanna. These are the people I was telling you about."

Both Leonard and Joanna knelt down immediately, putting on their best comforting smile and soft voice to greet her. "It's very nice to meet you," Joanna said. "We just baked some cookies, would you like one?"

Jamie nodded and dared take a step towards them.

"You'd better have a tall glass of milk with it," Leonard added in a stern voice - which he instantly regretted, as Jamie shrank towards Jim. He smiled instead and held his hand out to her. "I can make it chocolate, though, if you like."

That brought an excited smile out of her, and she hesitantly took his hand, looking up to Jim for permission. "Go on, he won't bite, I promise. I'll be right here if you need anything."

Jamie let Leonard lead her further into the kitchen, and Joanna stuck close to her step-father's side as he went to make sure their snow-covered boots weren't dripping over everything in the front hall. "So what's the story?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"I sent her file to you and Bones so you can go over all the details yourself, but the basic idea is this: she's an orphan, and the asshole who runs the orphanage she was previously at got our opening date wrong and dumped her here. Said she's Starfleet's problem now, it's our fault anyway that she's like this." Jim didn't even try to hide the disgust in his voice.

"Please tell me you're not gonna let this guy keep his job?"

Jim grinned darkly at her. "By the time I'm done with him, he'll be lucky if he's still welcome anywhere in the Federation."

Joanna smiled and hugged him tight. "I'm so glad I'm on your good side."

Jim squeezed her back and kissed the top of her head. "As if there was any doubt."

"So what's gonna happen with her?"

"She's staying with us until the home opens."

Joanna raised an eyebrow at him. "Uncle Jim, you have a hard time giving a tribble back to its owner after you've rescued it. Do you really expect me to believe you'll be able to just hand a child back after spending two weeks with her?"

Jim rolled his eyes and headed for the linen closet to grab some more blankets. "Really? You're coming at me with this already? She's been here five minutes. Isn't this your father's job?"

"Dad is just as big a softie as you are. I just want to make sure you're actually thinking this through."

"Look, Jo," he stopped and handed the blankets to her. "What other option is there? You can't honestly tell me that we were supposed to say 'sorry, we can't do anything to help.'"

"Of course not. I'd knock you out on your ass if you had."

"Then what's with the third degree?"

"Nothing," she smiled sweetly at him and headed for the living room. "I just always wanted a little sister, so don't get my hopes up, Dad."

Jim rolled his eyes at her and went to join Leonard and Jamie in the kitchen, but he knew she was right.

And she was. Eight days later, Jim and Leonard were signing the adoption files.