"Captain! We have a situation on our hands" barked the gruff medical officer of the Enterprise as he attended to the ailing girl on the floor.

Kirk strode over to the scene; bridge officer and assistant navigator Ondine T'plar lay unconscious on the floor of the hallway. Her silver hair splayed all about her messily, her knees tucked into her chest as McCoy attempted to get her to sit upright. "What happened here Bones?" Kirk asked.

"A nasty bump to the head I assume, out like a light. And those Romulans call themselves fighters" McCoy snarled as he finally managed to pick the girl up and make his way to the sick bay.

"Well Doctor" the resonant voice or Mr. Spock proclaimed. "She is after all only part Romulan."

"Well half breed or not this girl needs medical attention" McCoy said, just as Ensign Pavel Chekov rounded the corner. He looked at the girl's limp body and stuttered.

"Keptain..... wh-wh- what happened to her?" the Russian gasped, his clear concern for her marking in his voice.

"She was rendered unconscious by a high frequency emitted by Mr. Scott as he was working on the ships engine. Not by a bump to the head as the good Doctor so ineloquently put it" Spock said as they laid Ondine down on one of the examination tables.

"Spock... how did you know that?" Kirk inquired.

"Because Captain. I heard it as well. But being of a stronger constitution, and although related but totally separate species, was able to withstand it. Romulans have incredibly sensitive hearing. And a frequency that high could have easily knocked out an able bodied Romulan male, let alone a lithe female."

"Well will she be alright?" inquired Chekov his brow furrowing as he surveyed her very still body.

"Only time will tell Mr. Chekov" McCoy said as he began to examine her. "You can all return to your business. I have this one."

"May I stay with her?" Chekov asked earnestly.

"I hate it when they crowd me" McCoy replied roughly, scanning Ondine's head and reviewing her stats.

"Bones, come on" Captain Kirk said with a slight smile. "You know how much he cares about the girl. Can't you make an exception?"

Chekov became red in the face. "Uh... no more than any other member of the crew Keptain..."

Kirk chuckled. "Come on boy. I really think in all honestly, Ondine is the only one who doesn't know how much you love her. After all this time?"

Pavel could not meet Kirk's gaze. "Is.. is it really that obwious?"

"Are you kidding?" McCoy looked up for his work. "Even the hobgoblin I bet has noticed."

"This is true" Spock commented as Pavel looked at him in torment and embarrassment.

"This is nothing to be ashamed of son" said Kirk. "She's a lovely lady. A lovely lady whom we all know... you are crazy about."

"Yet you say she does not know?" Chekov asked hopefully.

"She remains oblivious" Spock said. "She seems to interpret your feelings as general terms of a close friendship"

"Makes sense" Pavel sighed.

"Makes sense of what?" Kirk asked.

"Makes sense why she hasn't responded to my adwances, Keptain" Chekov replied glumly.

"Probably because she hasn't noticed your making any" McCoy commented. "My, god that frequency really hit a nerve in her."

"What do you mean? What has happened to her?" Pavel asked rushing over to the table.

"The frequency practically fried her. Her temporal lobes are shot, and now they're at a stand still..."

"In english please Bones" Kirk said as Chekov looked increasingly concerned.

"The hippocampus is the section of the brain that stores short term memory, and that appears to be fine. But her long term memory, appears to be damaged. I don't know how badly, but I'm gonna keep her here until she comes around" McCoy said placing an instrument on her forehead and switched it on. It flashed on and hummed gently.

"Keptain, I would wery much like to stay with her. Please? I would make up every shift I missed, for as long as you want. Just....please Keptain. Let me stay with her" Chekov pleaded.

"Well Bones, what do you say?" asked Kirk. McCoy looked from Kirk's urging look to Chekov's concerned face, not taking his eyes off Ondine.

"Well... ugh" McCoy sighed. "Fine" he said flatly. "Just don't get in my way, ya got it?"

"Of course Doctor" Chekov breathed heavily as he took a seat next to Ondine's still body on the table. He took her pale hand, intertwining her fingers with his own. Her skin's green undertones stood out more, the fatigue of her eyes far more prominent. But yet she still managed to retain her ethereal allure. Her silver upswept brows lay neutral on her forehead, her pink heart shaped lips slightly parted. Chekov lightly touched one of her pointed ears and sighed. She had been upon the Enterprise for about a year and a half, and his close friend all the while. She was pleasant, and intelligent if not a little eccentric.

"Chekov, if your gonna be here, you might as well be of some use to me. Read me her file, will ya? It's on the screen to your left" McCoy said readying a serum for her. He lifted up the sleeve of her yellow uniform and injecting her with it.

"What is that?" asked Chekov tentatively.

"Regulates brain function, now read" McCoy said.

"Ondine T'plar, female, born 2235, Race: Human and Romulan, Affiliation: Starfleet, Rank: Ensign. Is currently posted as bridge officer and assistant nawigator on the USS Enterprise" Chekov read aloud.

"Mmhm, keep reading. It should say something about her parents in there. Thats what I need" Mccoy said.

Chekov complied. "Born to human father, First Officer Tristan Kellett of the USS Titan, and Romulan mother, T'plar for whom she is named. Is currently under strict watch of the federation for any indication of treason."

"Yes, they don't trust her green Romulan blood, understandably so" McCoy retorted. "Even though nowadays she's harmless. She was raised by her father, thats the only reason she was allowed to join Starfleet."

"Only because of that?" Chekov asked. "Her father's position in Starfleet?"

"Well, that helped" McCoy said. "But it was because her father took her from her mother the moment she was born. If Ondine spent too much time with her mother, she would be raised in the likeness of a Romulan. But because she was raised by her father, she is the clear thinking, meditating, character you see before you. You notice how she's far less violent than every other Romulan. We have her father to thank for that."

"How long till she wakes up?" Chekov asked, not breaking his gaze with Ondine's still face.

"I couldn't tell you that boy" McCoy said. "Now I have to speak with Nurse Chapel, if you will excuse me." McCoy left leaving Chekov alone with Ondine. Despite their friendship this was the closest he had ever been to her. Although beautiful, there was an element to her that distanced herself from others.

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"You sure do keep to yourself a lot of the time"

"I feel like I have to Chekov. Thats the only way I can be sure..."

"Be sure of what?" Chekov interrupted.

"To be sure that I won't hurt anyone. Sometimes I can't even keep my strongest emotions under control, which is very dangerous."

"But, you always seem pretty reserwed"

"Only to overcompensate Mr. Chekov" Ondine said with a sweet smile. "Who knows when I could snap and break someone's arm."

"I just hope I'm nowhere near you when you get that mad." Chekov said smiling at her.

"And yet you're not nervous to be left alone with me?" she asked raising a silver brow.

"No? I can't tell if you are kidding Ondine."

Ondine locked her dark eyes with his own smiled gently and turned back to the window.

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Chekov swept her silver bangs out of her face and sighed. He watched her chest rise and fall slowly as she breathed. He grasped her hand tightly. Ever so slightly he felt her hand tighten around his own. His eyes widened as she began to stir. He clicked the intercom on and attempted to phone the bridge.

"Keptain Kirk, sick bay to Keptain Kirk. Sick bay to Dr. McCoy" he said as Ondine's limbs began to shift.

"This is Captain Kirk, what is it?"

"She is waking up Keptain" Chekov said as Ondine's body shifted.

"Alright, I'll send Dr. McCoy right over, Kirk out."

Ondine continued to stir, and Chekov continued to grasp her pale hand. McCoy entered the room in a rush.

"Has she woken up yet?" he asked hastily.

"Not yet, but it appears she will at any moment" Chekov said, his voice teeming with hope and excitement.

Ondine took in a large breath, her chest swelled with the air as her eyes slowly opened and closed. She slowly exhaled as her eyes opened. Chekov could barely breath as she silently gazed up at him. He swallowed hard and his heart rate increased.

"Can you tell us your name?" McCoy asked Ondine.

"My name?" she said cooly, not taking her eyes off of Chekov. "It's Ondine T'plar."

"What is your race?"

"My mother was a Romulan, my father a human." Ondine blinked slowly, still gazing up at Chekov. His mouth was dry, all he could do was breath and look back at her.

"Can you tell us where you are?" McCoy asked. Things were looking very hopeful.

"It appears I am in the sick bay of some ship sir" Ondine said sitting up, but still holding Chekov's hand. "But I could not tell you which one."

"In all the time I have known you Ondine... you have never called me sir" McCoy said slightly dejected.

Ondine looked puzzled. "You must be mistaking me with someone else. We have never met."

"Can you not tell me who I am?" McCoy said with a bit of shock. Chekov swallowed hard. She couldn't remember the Doctor, could she not remember him either?

"I do not know either of you. I am quite sure we have never met."

McCoy walked over to the intercom and steadily spoke into it. "Jim, you better get down here. Something tells me this situation is going to get a lot worse before it gets any better."

Chekov turned his concerned gaze back to Ondine, but was slightly shocked. She had not taken her eyes off of him.