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“Forever?” Jim asked with too much skepticism for a child his age.
“Of course, forever. This isn’t the kind of offer I would ever go back on. I’m making it with all the seriousness possible,” Christopher Pike assured. With everything the kid had experienced on Tarsus and how he had behaved over the past few weeks since Starfleet had finally arrived to rescue the colony, he had anticipated being faced with doubt and questions. But he had made his decision and certainly wouldn’t go back on it. If the boy agreed, he would have a home with him.
Jim kept looking at the captain, his eyebrows furrowed as if trying to read into his mind the ulterior plans he was hiding.
“And what about my kids? What will happen to them?”
“I’m gonna be straight with you, Jim, I’m not sure,” the captain answered, already aware that trying to mislead the kid would only lead to a mess as the one that had happened when a well-intentioned nurse had tried to treat him like a regular thirteen-year-old instead of the traumatized genius caretaker he actually was. “You are all underage, and we’re still trying to figure out if some of them have relatives alive or if their parents had designated people to care for them in the event of their deaths. Until that’s done, none of their fates are set in stone.”
Jim’s face showed how unimpressed he was by this statement, but Chris raised one hand to stop the coming interruption.
“I know you feel responsible for them, and it’s totally understandable after all you did to keep them alive against all odds for so long. And I have no intention of keeping you from them. Especially not when the psychiatrists have confirmed it would be detrimental to both you and them. But I can’t provide you with answers I don’t have. I can only give you the facts as I currently know them.”
“So you’re telling me that you’ll keep me informed on their situation in the future?” Jim asked incredulously. “Adults never tell children what’s actually going on.”
Chris sighed. “Though it may be misguided, many people do so to protect children from experiencing the downsides of life too early. But I’m well aware that you didn’t have a normal childhood, kiddo, even before the tragedy that happened here, so I won’t insult you by pretending otherwise. I will protect you to the best of my ability, and I may veto some things, but you will also be associated with every decision that concerns you.”
“What tells me you won’t go back on your word later, though?”
“Nothing,” Chris abruptly admitted before shrugging. “But you’re gonna have to take a leap of faith here, Jim, because nobody can predict the future. You can only make your decision based on what you currently know of me.”
His head tilted to the side, Jim stared at the captain thoughtfully for a few very long minutes before suddenly breaking the silence.
“Alright. I’ll accept your offer. But only as a trial foster situation for now. Once I’m sure you won’t go back on your words and I have proof all my kids will be okay, we will see about that adoption offer.”
Christopher smiled, relieved. This was already more than he had expected he would get, considering how hard it had been to earn even a tiny bit of Jim’s trust.
Fostering the boy would buy him the time needed to help Jim heal and show him the value of having a family he could actually count on. It may be the work of a lifetime, but he was ready to put all his efforts into it.
After all, he certainly hadn’t lied when he had told Jim that his offer was a forever one and that he would never go back on it. The boy who had sacrificed so much to save as many other children as he could deserved all of that and more.