The Vow au bc I love this plot twist and Aqua/Jim are adorable

[done_in_3]

Three years, nearly four, of wedded bliss. Jim was calmer, more focused and honestly a better captain. He had his wife, his beloved Aqua to thank for that, she was his light, his heart, his whole world. She kept him grounded and morally upright and he honestly took fewer stupid risks with his life thanks to her. The crew ran better, the Enterprise had better records, life was good.

Jim had bought them a house for when he was on Shore Leave on Earth, it barely got used but when Enterprise was docked, well they needed to crash somewhere. It was a nice place in San Francisco, in the heart of downtown and worth every penny of the millions it was worth.The property values were sky high but Jim was a veteran captain and got paid accordingly. He used his money on very little else besides charity so he was happy to spoil his wife with a comfortable home. Besides, if and when they had kids... well if their house just happened to be in an ideal school district he wouldn't call it an accident.

Everything was perfect, which begged for it all to come crashing down soon enough. Jim wouldn't remember the crash or the drunk kids in a truck behind him and Aqua on the road, he wouldn't remember that he shouldn't be alive, his wayfinder had saved him....but he doesn't know what this anymore. All he knows is he's laying in bed, he feels numb.. and he's waking up in what sounds and smells like a hospital.

"Mmm... mm." he was so tired and yet his mind was racing with questions. 'Where am I? What happened? Where's my ship?'

Comments

[watersacrificed]

Terra forced a small, polite smile on his face. He quietly entered Jim's home and stood by the couch in the living room.

Aqua on the other hand was in the midst of fixing the bed when Jim came back to her. He had a point, they could get a million books and seek out advice from 'bloggers'. Just as she was starting to feel better, she learned Terra was there. Concern and confusion came across her features.

"I..guess..." Terra would've sent word if he was coming. To have him suddenly show up was worrisome. Trying to be optimistic, she placed a small smile on her lips and kissed Jim on the cheek.

"I'll say hi to him. If you want to join us, feel free--" her sentence was cut off as Terra was now standing in the couple's doorway.

"It won't be a quick visit. Aqua, it's best if you come home. Eraqus and I both agree. You need to come home."

[done_in_3]

Jim flinched, looking at Terra slightly put off. Nobody invited you into this room, this private room, he might add. Rude.

But then he started talking, and Jim got annoyed, even defensive.

"What?" he stood up straighter. "And why is that?" this is Aqua's brother and he wants to like him... don't make this hard on him, Terra.

[watersacrificed]

While it had been rude of Terra to follow Jim to his quarters, he had to talk to Aqua. It was of the utmost importance that she come home. Not because the worlds were in danger, but she was going through hard times. She needed her family, not a man who couldn't remember her.

"I don't need to come home. I am home." she interjected, glaring at Terra while glancing over at Jim. They shouldn't have this conversation in front of her husband. Terra didn't seem to care, continuing to press on.

"No, this is his..." he inclined his head to Jim's direction.

"Home. You're killing yourself by being here with someone who doesn't remember you. He's not worth it."

Terra's words shocked Aqua to the core, leaving her speechless.

[done_in_3]

"Woah woah." he stepped over, between Terra and Aqua. "Back up. Where do you get off? Coming in here telling her that crap."

Who was this guy anyway? Jim wasn't impressed... like at all.

"We're fine."

This is over a month long too!

[watersacrificed]

Aqua was forced to take a step back, but she didn't mind. Really, she was trying to process what the hell Terra just said.

The brunet on the other hand stood his ground. He started to glare at Jim with his hand curled into a fist at his side.

"You maybe fine, but Aqua? No. You don't know her enough to know if she's fine, okay or any of that crap. She's been taking care of you. Not herself, you. Someone needs to look out for her and you? You're not cut out for the job."

Sweet.

[done_in_3]

Jim sounded annoyed, what the hell was with that fist clenching?

"Who the hell are you to say that? You haven't even been around. I don't have to discuss this with you, not in my own home. I think you should go now."

He's going to shower once he's gone and wash the distaste off himself, try not to think of Aqua's brother as a complete punk.

:D

[watersacrificed]

"I'm her brother. I don't have to be around to know when she's in pain." Terra stated, keeping his voice, even and stern. He wasn't going anywhere with the bluenette.

"I'm not leaving without her. You can't take care of her. You don't know a damn thing about her. So do us both a favor.." he leaned in, getting close into Jim's personal space.

"Let her go and be the man you're so comfortable with. Let her go and crawl back to the women you like to keep. For once in your life make her happy."

[done_in_3]

"Get away from me." he nearly whispered, he was deadly calm as Terra was getting more fired up, a sign Jim was getting angry. But this kid Terra... he was a dumb punk by Jim's standards, walking in like a child with no idea what was even going on, demanding his flimsy point of view be recognized and supported.

"She doesn't need anyone to take care of her, you insult her. Further evidenced by the fact you haven't shown up other than to have your big macho confrontation with me. This isn't about Aqua, this is about you feeling powerful. Why don't you take a step back before you embarrass yourself anymore?" this kind of felt strange, there was a strength, a confidence coming from within. He knew this was the right thing to do but he felt so at ease about it. Terra ought to keep pushing, he might be on to something with this feeling of truth.

[watersacrificed]

Aqua could see where this was going. She knew if Terra and Jim butted heads then things would get really ugly, really quickly. She didn't want to see either man get hurt, so she reached out for Jim's wrist and tried to tug him back.

"Jim...let it go." she whispered, hoping he would hear her, but Terra didn't back off.

"How can she take care of herself when she's taking care of a man who promised to be there for her? A man who breaks his word isn't worthy of her. You insult her in the sorry state you're in.

You're the one embarrassing yourself, thinking you know Aqua as well as I do. I will not allow my sister, my best friend to continue to kill herself over a boy." The last few words were dripping with immense dislike. He would continue to keep pushing until Jim backed down or came to his senses.

He finally pulled back, but looked over Jim's shoulder and to the bluenette.

"You give yourself so much to him. How much more are you willing to risk and lose until you're nothing?"

[done_in_3]

Jim chuckled then, an angry chuckle full of mirth. He and Terra were on whole other levels. Clearly this man still had the mind of a child, blaming Jim for an accident out of his control. On top of that his will was somehow most important among the three of them, how narcissistic.

"Over a 'boy'? That's cute, what do I have icky 'cooties' too? Listen, kid." as long as Terra acted like one, Jim will teat him like one. "Aqua doesn't risk her life by being around me, she's not a fire I'm slowly putting out. We hold each other up. Does it occur to you she gets something out of being my wife?" that word felt more familiar... easier to say.

[watersacrificed]

The both viewed the other as childish. Terra wasn't blaming Jim for anything, but pointing out how Aqua was feeling in the situation. How she wrote to him, telling him how everything was fine, but Terra knew his best friend. He knew the subtle clues that gave away her stress, anger and sorrow. Things, he was sure not even Jim knew.

"You're crushing her light. She's holding you up. Don't call her your wife when you have no idea of how you met, the love you shared or anything of the like. It's nothing but fiction to you.

She has been taking care of you since your unfortunate accident, doing what she can to help you. You've done nothing. You can't recall anything from your time with Aqua. You can't hold onto something you can't possibly remember." He let his words sink in before delivering another hit.

"She should have never married you to begin with."

[done_in_3]

"So by your standards, I shouldn't have any chance to recover. I should be stripped of Aqua and my baby because there was an accident outside of my control, that is how you see it? You'll whisk her home and I'll never see her again."

Terra thinks he's being intimidating. He's being a teenager. He thinks he's impressive but he's just proving how immature his mind works.

"That's nice that you think that. What I find interesting is that you think you're someone I even need to answer to. I appreciate your concern for Aqua but I don't owe you any explanation. She isn't being abused or mistreated, I'm supporting her every way I now how." was he supposed to get mad at what Terra said because that's not happening. This kid was just too... beneath him for this crap. It's like arguing with an eight grader.

[watersacrificed]

It wasn't that he wanted to take Aqua away, but had to. She had the capacity to love hard and take care of others even if it meant her own health would be compromised. Was Kirk being this stubborn that he couldn't see it?

But that came to a halt when the word 'baby' was mentioned. So Aqua was pregnant?

"You can't support her if you don't know her. She will do anything to help you instead of helping herself. Do you want to bring that kind of pain to her and your child? I won't." Jim wouldn't have to answer to Terra. No, Aqua had to answer to him. They were on the same level now.

"I will take her back and let her family take care of her. Not your rag-tag team or their idiotic, reckless Captain." He tried to move past Kirk to get to Aqua, reaching out to grab her wrist and take her away.

[done_in_3]

Jim was stubborn but his old self knew that quite well. He knew Aqua worked herself to the bone often quietly to take care of the people she loved. That's why he gave her so many things, so much of his time, so much of his love, this house, his loyalty.

Jim reached out, grabbing Terra by the shoulder.

"We're stopping this right now." he realized he was out of line, they both were. "Nobody makes a decision about what Aqua does or where she goes but her. Do you understand me? Now you back up. Go back in the other room, for fuck's sake don't barge in here making demands about where she's going. You don't tell her what to do."

[watersacrificed]

Terra was really going out of line, but he had to keep pushing. In pissing Jim off at least he was getting somewhere. He drew his hand back to his side, looking at Jim with a dead, cold stare.

"She has five minutes before I drag her back my--"

"STOP!" Unable to take the fighting between her husband and her brother, Aqua finally found her voice again.

"I'm not going anywhere, Terra. I can't leave him--"

"He's done nothing for you. How can he take care of you and child when the last five years are gone from his mind? Aren't you worried he'll go back to his womanizing self and leave you--"

"He wouldn't do that!"

Their arguing continued to go back and forth with Terra finding one way or another to insult Jim to Aqua with the former present.

[done_in_3]

Jim growled and rolled his eyes. He stepped between them, looking impatient.

"Stop. Now." he used his captain's voice, the one that could not be refused, the one that demanded obedience.

"Leave her alone. Get out of my house."

[watersacrificed]

Terra was taken aback by the voice and found himself taking a step back. He hadn't heard that voice before, even when Jim did have his memories. The brunet was ready to continue their argument when Aqua reached out and squeezed his wrist.

"Do as he says, Terra. We'll discuss this later with Eraqus." Aqua told him, keeping her voice as stern as Jim's. She was holding herself back from verbally lashing out at the brunet. He had no right to come into her home and start demanding things like that.

While she knew his heart was probably in the right place, he was going the wrong way about it.

There were a few moments of intense silence before Terra did as both of them requested; he left.

[done_in_3]

Jim waited, poised, as he disappeared. Only when the door closed and they were alone did he turn to Aqua.

"Are you ok?" he didn't want to comment on the kid just yet, but she seemed pretty shaken up. He certainly could use a beer after that. How annoying.

[watersacrificed]

"I...don't know.." she breathed, just now realizing her heart had been beating rather hard and fast. That couldn't be good for their baby. She moved away from him, deciding to the sit on their bed. Her hand moved behind her, reaching for a pillow to hold.

"I never thought he'd come here, let alone demand that I come home.." she shook her head and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that. He's normally not like that...are you okay?"

[done_in_3]

"I'm alright... pissed but alright. You want something to eat? Let me make something. I'm hungry anyway." he headed to the kitchen to make something delicious, cake or something, and pancakes.

"Is he... always like that?"

[watersacrificed]

"Yeah..I think I am.." Was it weird she suddenly had a craving for pancakes and waffles? Something sweet, savory and filling all at once. She knew as a pregnant woman she could get away with craving weird things, but she didn't want Jim to constantly make her things. Or go out and buy a weird combination of foods.

She followed him into the kitchen, leaving the pillow in their room but opted to loosely cross her arms over her chest.

"No...he's not. Whenever he's serious, it usually because he's worried. He doesn't always think of a plan...instead he goes in head first. Sortta like you..." She paused then, moving from his side to head into the fridge to take out milk and butter.

"...Do you mind making waffles or pancakes? I think I might have some chocolate chips some where and powder sugar.."

[done_in_3]

He nods and gets to work on pancakes and waffled with chocolate chips and powdered sugar on them.

"I leap without looking but I'm not that much of an ass. Where does he get off pulling that, like he can just barge in and make demands of you just because he has an opinion." Jim didn't like being given attitude but especially unfounded attitude.

"Have I met him before?"

[watersacrificed]

Jim can set to work on making the food while Aqua searched the cabinets for the added ingredients she's craving. She might as well look for the syrup too. Even as she looks, she pulls out the plates and silverware.

"You were an ass when we met. The way you acted really reminded me of Terra in the beginning, but yes the two of you met. Got along well enough. The person you really impressed was Ven...." her sentence trailed on as she reached in the back of the cupboard to find the damn syrup bottle.

"He's...protective of me. There was a dark point in our family where we all nearly lost each other. Terra, forgot who he was and both Ven and Eraqus were in the hospital...and I..." Was trapped in a different world with no way out.

"Was stranded out in the middle of nowhere with no way to get home."

[done_in_3]

"Yeah? What happened? It all had a happy ending though, you all made it back to each other... wait I reminded you of HIM? Ouch Aqua. Very ouch." he smiled gently, he's teasing. "Ah, you need help finding something?" she looks annoyed. Maybe he should do it for her.

"Ven, tell me about him. He's not like Terra I assume." tell him Ven is different. He needs to know both the brothers aren't this assholish.

[watersacrificed]

"That's a story that can be told on another day, but yes, we had a happy ending. It took a few years, but we were able to mend what was damaged." There was a lot more heartache than Aqua wanted to share. It was a hard story to tell considering she'd have to leave out magic and traveling from one world to the next.

"I'm trying to be useful...but yes, you reminded me of him. If I thought of you as him, it kept me from wanting to kick you." More teasing, more looking through the cabinets before she found the damn bottle.

"Ven? No, he's a really sweet kid. A bit...naive and gullible, but he's very sweet."