I dont own Star Trek... far too awesome a story for me!


Episode 0 Wild Start of A Wild Story

She awoke to quite a few strange faces. Confused and bleary eyed she muttered something unintelligible about fashion and pointed ears before passing out again. Spock raised an eyebrow at the strange girl from the pasts comments.

A week later she was fully awake and alive. Opening her eyes she blinked a few times to clear them. A face was looking down at her in passive curiosity. Reaching up she touched what seemed to be a pointed ear. As she moved the person called out for the doctor.

Turning abruptly at her touch and jerking away slightly Spock scrutinized her as came in and checked her over. She promptly reached up and touched his ear. Bones raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Pulling out his medical tricorder he went to do a sweep but she caught his hand and brought it half a foot from her face.

"I need to examine your vitals." He told her as he gently tried to pull his hand away. She proceeded to carefully pry the item from his hand and examine it quite closely before handing it back. Bones finished his exam of her without any more difficulty as Kurk briskly came in the room.

She jumped at his abruptness and almost fell off the table but Spock caught her and moved her back into place while greeting the captain. She moved to cover her ears when the captain started asking questions in his usual manner. Spock commented "it seems she is sensitive to noise. It may be wise to take a quieter tone near her."

As they discussed her medical information at a much quieter volume she put her hands back at her sides. She looked around but soon focused on the pointy eared one. He was the only one seeming to really pay any attention to her and was close enough for her to actually see… Mostly.

As the doctor tried to help her sit up she paused and looked quizzically at his hand then reached out and took Spock's examining and comparing them.

Spock did not seem comfortable but did not resist either. Kurk found the behavior of all quite humorous. Looking up at a chuckling Kurk she croaked out "water?"

"So you can talk." teased good naturedly as he handed her a glass. Her hands shook slightly and Spock reached out to steady her. She looked at him again confusedly as soon as she finished her drink.

"Are the pointed ears cosmetic?" She asked puzzled adding, more to herself "Maybe to look like an elf or something?"

Kirk and McCoy did laugh loudly at this point and she turned to them a moment before Turning back to Spock as he answered. "I am not an elf. I am a Vulcan."

She blinked a few times then asked "What is a Vulcan?"

"She has been cryogenically frozen for over 200 years. She doesn't know quite a bit of what has happened since. That means she doesn't know of the united federation of planets or any other life forms." Bones said exasperatedly. "Besides you should be glad she didn't run away screaming."

She looked from one to the other puzzled. they seem to be being mean but also friendly and reminded her of her friends. "I think I like his ears…" She hesitantly said as she got off the table. She momentarily wobbled so she didn't see the looks of surprise from the others at her capability or comment.

She took a few hesitant steps and bumped into a tray. "Why is this stupid tray the same color as the floor?!" She question frustratedly as she made to walk around it.

"Where are you trying to go missy?" Bones asked in a friendly manner.

Looking around she blushed slightly before sighing "I need to pee. Apparently I haven't for 200 plus years so I think I'm overdue."

She felt a hand take hers and another gently on her back, guiding her to another room. Looking up and squinting she realized it was the same pointy eared fellow. They reached an automatic door and he held his hand out till she made it in by herself. Once done with her business she was relieved to see him waiting to help her back.

"Surprisingly tired but then my muscles must have atrophied by now or something." She commented as she leaned on Spock more with each step. Finally he picked her up and carried her back to the table. "Sorry. Seems i have lost my strength and stamina."

"That's not quite how it worked but I will be putting you on a rehabilitation program to help you get back to your former capabilities." McCoy told her. "And since we didn't remember our manners till now. I'm or Bones. The hobgoblin over there is " McCoy pointed to Kirk "and he is our courageous Captain Kirk. Do you know who you are and how old you are?"

"Yes i'm Saya and I'm 22. I don't know how I got frozen but i do remember I should have a box. Also, I thought he was a Vulcan, not a hobgoblin." She felt eyes bore into her. frustrated and a little intimidated she requested "May i please have my box?"

They had in fact found the mentioned box and placed it next to her. "Hobgoblin is a insult the good doctor likes to use for me. the box is locked and we found no key for it. We may be able to open it for you though by destroying the lock, if you wish." The one named Spock told her. As he helped her sit and moved to box for easier reach.

"No need. Do you know where I can get a bobby pin? Seems the one I had here isn't." At the blank stairs she changed her request. "Nail file? Something long and somewhat small tipped. Flat would help." McCoy handed her a tool she didn't recognize.

"Will I break this using it as a lever?" She asked. At his reassurance that she wouldn't she proceeded to stick it in the keyhole and tilt her head to the side as if listening. Twisting it slowly she heard the click and the lock popped open. Reaching in she felt the front and yanked a black bag out with the sound of ripping tape.

Opening it she pulled out a pair of purple glasses and put them on. Blinking again she grinned as she examined each in turn. "Much better. You really do have quite nice ears!" She exclaimed happily. Turning to the others she smiled "You look as i expect doctor and you captain look younger then you are. Are there no females here?"

Right then nurse Chapel walked in with a tray of liquid foods. Saya looked up and raised an eyebrow "Well never mind on that question. so next question is… well questions are, I should say. Where am I, When am i and what are you going to do with me besides rehabilitation?"

Kirk smiled his charming smile and answered "You are in the year 2266. We failed to find anything with you to give us the needed information as to why you were frozen. You however were the only one actually in a cryogenics pod which we find odd as there were enough for 20 yet only one was filled. You are on the starship Enterprise as we are traveling and exploring the galaxy. As for what we will do with you we can not determine until you get to full ability. however we will help you on your path in life however you wish."

"So I have to get better then I can do pretty much whatever… but then my knowledge is likely archaic…" she muttered to herself.

"We would like to learn from you about the time you lived in if you agree to it. It would greatly help our history archives." Spock rumbled in his measured baritone voice.

"I don't mind answering questions but I honestly don't really know much. I'm probably really dumb by your standards." she shrugged "I'll help any way I can though." she liked the one named Spock. she also liked the doctor. Kirk worried her a little. He seemed to flirt a lot but maybe she was reading things wrong. "So do I stay in sick bay or do I get a bunk to share or what? and for that matter how do I earn money to take care of myself?"

All 3 of them stared at her for a few minutes before Kirk said " , I am assigning her as your charge. You are to get the historical information as well as help her get adjusted to this time. She will have special quarters near you and the good doctor here to help her if the need arises." At Spock's nod he left.

"So I get my own room. that's nice. I assume I still have a high chance of dying from being cryogenically frozen so long? That's why I need the doctor near. That and the world has changed beyond easy adjustment hence my need for you ?" She tended to think aloud and right now she was trying to keep from freaking out.

" is she able to leave sickbay at this time?" Spock asked.

"As long as she takes it easy and slow she should be fine. You are to make sure she gets regular meals though since she is your charge. For a while she will get daily check ups but after 2 weeks we will slow down the frequency. And you little missy need to take care of yourself and don't work to hard. Wouldn't want anything happening to you." McCoy said.

"Ok." she softly said as she made to get down again. Before she could move Spock lifted her off the table and set her down. Taking the box in one arm and offering her support with the other they walked out. She noticed the odd look Bones gave them as they left she mentally shrugged it off. "Thanks for getting my box. Would hate to lose it."

By the time they made it to the floor she was winded. Spock asked her with a touch of concern "Will you be able to make it to your quarters?"

Saya nodded and concentrated on not passing out. They made it to a door that swung open on it's own. As soon as they passed the threshold she started looking for somewhere to lay down but before she could find it Spock had put down the box and picked her up. Carrying her over to the bed he laid her down. "You need to rest."

She promptly passed out as he moved the box to her desk. Though he was immensely curious about the contents he would not allow himself to even lift the lid as it would be an invasion of her privacy. Returning to the bridge he notified the captain of her resting state and returned to his post.

6 hours later when his shift was over he stopped by her quarters to check on her. To his surprise she was awake. She looked up as soon as the door slid open. "I was unaware you were awake. Did you sleep long?"

Saya nodded. "I slept some but…" She trailed off and looked at her box blankly for a moment. "Well I had a nightmare so I woke up." Shrugging she pulled a folded blanket from her box.

"May I come in?" Spock asked. He was mildly concerned about her having a nightmare but decided to bring it up to later if it became a problem. Right then he was interested in the treasures she was pulling out and the complex emotions he was reading on her.

"Come in and have a seat, may I guess you are interested in seeing what I deemed worth keeping with me?" She asked with a grin.

"I do find it fascinating." He responded as he sat in one of the chairs.

"Feel free to look. Please be careful when touching though." She smiled quite friendly as she pulled things out. The blanket was soft, light blue with white snowflakes on it. She petted it softly before pulling out a small flat photo album. Placing it aside she pulled out 3 different sized Pinkie Pie toys and a princess Belle doll as well as a few outfits for it and put them to the side as well. She then removed 3 old electronic devices, charging cords and a well packed game boy bag and put them on the other side.

"You seem quite capable of packing neatly." Spock commented. Saya grinned and kept removing items. Next she pulled out a manga set titled 'From Far Away' as well as a book series of 7 books and a small pocket series of 16 books. she then pulled out a bag designed with Princess Belle and 3 dog collars with jingling tags. lastly she pulled out a bible case presumably holding a bible and a flat clasp wallet designed to look like a cartoonish glittery black cat face with green eyes.

Placing the books neatly on the shelf behind her she smiled as she brushed the spines of the books lovingly before turning again. "I think this answers why I remember a box." Her face fell and she looked rather worried and sad for a moment. Shrugging she pushed it out of her mind and looked at Spock with a fake cheery expression. "Do you have any questions or curiosities I can help with?" she asked as she played a bit with the toys before putting them on the shelf as well.

"explain your previous comment please." Spock requested.

Saya gave him a slightly puzzled look for a moment before responding. "AH! um yeah, the items are something i packed. i'm not quite sure how i got Cryogenically frozen but this box was the last moving box with most of my prized possessions. these were the treasures i didn't want to risk loosing."

Spock raised an eyebrow "You were moving. Did you not volunteer for the program?"

"I didn't volunteer for anything. I was moving after… well a failed relationship. but besides that I'm not really sure how i became a popsicle. was there nothing to answer that with my cryogenics… container thing?"

"Cryogenic pod." he informed her "The computers lacked any information about you. the other Pods were empty and the systems were barely programed to keep themselves running. The Captain speculates that the ship was launched prematurely. We might be able to look up your family if you would like."

She looked at him a moment as if she would cry but took a breath and smiled slightly. "I would rather not. I don't mind giving you the information on who i was but my family is dead so trying to find them would be pointless. I just pray that my mother knows what happened to me... well i guess it would be knew..."

she stared at the wall for a moment before turning back to Spock. "So , what am i to do with myself at this time?"

"You have become my charge. Most of your time you will stay with me observing and learning. I will set up an education plan to help you, as well as schedule time to learn about any history of your time that we do not have recorded." He explained to her.

"what if you were to set up questions for me to answer. if there is a computer i can use i can just type up essays or the like to answer and maybe it can help you gather your information. i tend to be scatterbrained and hard to follow so typing i can convey my thoughts better." she suggested as she finished placing most of her treasures on the shelving behind her desk.

"That would be feasible. You have access to a computer there." Spock responded as he pointed to the box on her desk..

"I will be glad to play baby duck. it's kinda intimidating to be in…" she paused and grinned as she sang "A whole new world." at Spock's raised eyebrow she burst out giggling and told him "You don't seem to smile… but that was a joke from my time, a part of a song. anywho i was wondering what that was. also do i have a mirror?"

Spock got up and showed her the bathroom. she looked in the mirror and grinned "I was wondering." she was wearing her black jeans and a magenta shirt, not one of her favorites but not like she had opens now anyways. she was still her standard 5'7" and filled out her clothes well. her hair was poofy, curly and down to her shoulders in the same dull brown color but with a teal ish blue spreading from her part down. it was quite the interesting coloration. her eyes looked rather blue right then but she guessed they still had the ability to look different colors based on what she wore and sometimes her emotions.

she was fair complexioned and thankfully acne free. "that is a nice new." she muttered as she saw her unmarred face. her right eyebrow still had the scar in it though. all in all she didn't look quite bad, maybe even pretty. she was a little on the heavy side but figured by now they would have an easy way for her to keep her meals correct and exercising. she missed her contacts though but she couldn't do anything about that. she still had the 3 earrings in her right ear and 2 in her left.

Spock watched her smile and grin as she examined herself. she was fascinating. "Just so you know, my hair is naturally brown like the underside right now. but I like to dye it fun colors. so with that is dying my hair still a possibility? and are there any rules against it?" she asked him.

"starfleet regulation #132 state's 'Hairstyles should not be outrageously multicolored or faddish, or have designs cut into them, or items braided into the hair, unless a hair waiver is approved (for cultural reasons only). Hair colour should be natural looking and compliment the individual. it also states 'No earrings are permitted whilst on duty.' However In all cases where not specifically listed, waivers can be granted by the Commanding officer for cultural reasons." Spock told her.

"So i would have to ask Captain Kirk about getting exemption from the rules but it's not really likely because it's not really a cultural thing for me. it's just the world i came from being different." She asked.

"You are a civilian so you do not have to adhere to starfleet regulations at this time though I fail to understand your reasoning for the hair color. I also don't see the logic of keeping foreign objects imbedded in your ears." Spock said to her monotonously.

"I am glad for that. once this fades I would like to dye it again. my reasoning is…" she paused trying to think of how to explain it. "I'm the type to need bright colors. they remind me why to stay alive. clothing is more difficult to get in bright colors so i do my hair instead. when i get a glimpse of it, it makes me smile and stuff. kinda hard to explain. as for the earrings, they are illogical. it was kinda a fashion thing but I don't care about those as much. difficult to get earrings that I can actually wear anyways." she shrugged.

"Fascinating" was his only reply.

She shrugged "So is there somewhere I can get more clothes. kinda don't want to wear the same thing forever. also how do I go about doing meals and laundry?"

Before Spock could reply there was a call over the intercom in Kirk's voice. " , would you please meet me in briefing room 1. Bring your charge."

Spock went to a spot on the wall near her door and answered. "On our way Captain." Saya promptly grabbed her wallet and followed as Spock started walking. They fell into step as they quietly walked down the corridor together. As soon as they entered the room Saya looked around and missed Kirk telling her to take a seat. there were 5 people in the room when she and Spock entered. she recognized and Captain Kirk but the other 3 she had not yet met.

She heard a quiet noise at her side and looked up at again " please take a seat." he told her as he indicated her seat. she did as instructed and waited to see what was to happen. as she waited she looked over the 3 she didn't know. one was a very pretty black woman with lovely hair. it was nice to see a female, she hoped that maybe they could be friends but she knew she wasn't particularly good with females. another was an asian man. he was interesting and she wondered which orent he was from. last was a man that she couldn't figure location of but he said something she didn't quite catch and her eyebrows tried to hit her hairline. 'definitely scottish!' she thought.

Kirk started "we are here to talk about ." at her name every one of them clearly looked at her ears. she stored that question for later when she wasn't quite so … crowded. "It will not be widespread information on this ship however will need to know. We got contact back from Starfleet on her giving us orders to try to acclimate her to our time and get as much information as we can to help the history files. she will be staying on the same floor with the to protect her privacy as well as have Bones close incase she has any kind of relapse from her cryogenic freezing."

Everyone looked her over and she felt very nervous being scrutinized but did her best to keep her face passive and not let on that she was slightly intimidated. "Now, she will be 's charge. as such she will join him on the bridge during his duty shifts. after a few months we will determine what is to be done to aid her in the path she chooses. Until then she is to be an acting Crewman. any questions?"

Saya remained quiet as she watched each in turn look her over and ask their questions. "Saya is quite the unusual name. where is it from lassy?" the scottish one asked.

"Umm.. It was a name my mum found in a baby naming book. it's japanese Mr…? Sir." she finished unsure what to call everyone.

"We have failed to introduce the rest of the to , Captain." Spock informed Kirk.

"That we have." Kirk responded and gave her a very charming smile. "On my left you know Bones or , next to him is our navigation officer. on my right is Scott, our Chief Engineer and next to him is our communications Officer."

Saya distrustfully eyed the Captain for a moment then looked at each person as he introduced them. once done he paused waiting for any further questions and she quietly spoke up. "umm" she cleared her throat as her voice broke showing her anxiety. "Umm, i have my information here if you want it for anything. I don't really know what is wanted from me but i will try my best."

"Oh, sweetie don't worry so much. we will take care of you and keep from keeping you from having too much fun." Uhura told her.

Saya looked at her and timidly smiled " has been quite nice." at the friendly grin she got from Uhura she got a little bolder and asked "why do I keep hearing people … pick on him?" she asked curious.

McCoy smiled and answered "well ears over there is always so stoic. his lack of emotion has to be unhealthy so we try to remind him to live a little."

"Emotion is illogical and unnecessary." Spock calmly answered.

Saya looked from one to the other a few moments and shrugged "So what do i do now?" somehow the banter between them reminded her of how she and her little brother used to rib each other.

"Now, you go with to get dinner then get supplies needed. from there will set up your schedule for you." Kirk answered. "Dismissed."

as everyone filed out into the hall Saya stayed close to Spock very much like a duckling to it's mother. She carefully avoided all contact with others in the hall still unsure of herself. "So why did they all look at my ears when they heard my name?" she asked him.

"Saya is a vulcan name as well." he answered.

"oh… that's neat. So it seems earth still has it's diversity. i'm glad for that."

Spock gave her a sideways look for a moment and kept walking. soon they made it to the mess hall and Spock showed her how to get her food. They sat down and ate together quietly. their meal finished, they went to get the basics for her. She picked some simple outfits for off duty time but Spock informed her that to be on the bridge she would need to be in uniform.

She happily obliged and was looking at them when he came up behind her and handed her a handful of simple blue uniform dresses, Informing her that she would need to at the least follow the dress code for their uniform. she shrugged "at least i get to wear the blue one." she didn't really feel comfortable with how short they were but she figured she would manage to get used to them.

he escorted her back to her room. She invited him in and they set about arranging her schedule. as soon as they finished she asked "will i be able to talk to the captain again? I would like to ask him about my hair color. i would rather not lose it even if it is totally illogical."

Spock raised an eyebrow and simply said "Follow me please." they headed back into the hall and she realized that she had Spock on one side and Uhura on the other of her room. looking across the hall she paused a moment before going up to the nameplate and reading McCoy's name. she smiled to herself a moment before realizing she was holding Spock up. "I'm sorry."

"No need to be. You are observing as instructed." he answered as he started walking again.

"It's nice that i have you and near and maybe i can make friends with Uhura… maybe." she said softly. anytime they were alone she seemed to almost bounce when she walked but as soon as she heard another person nearing she would almost shut down and half hide behind Spock. he noticed this but said nothing.

as they got to Kirk's door he knocked "May we speak with you Captain?" he requested.

she heard a 'come in' from inside and she followed Spock into the quarters. Kirk stood up and offered them seats. "Ummm, I don't mean to bug but i wanted to know if i could leave my hair blue since i really should follow the rules to be on the bridge. I know it's not really a cultural thing but … well…" she trailed off then whispered "nevermind. i just need to…"

Kirk spoke up before she could say more offering her a quite charming smile. "You will do with your hair as you please. though we do not approve of unnatural colors you are to be granted a waiver till further notice. you do not need to worry so much about asking for anything. You will get an adjustment period to help, so relax."

"Thank you. I will remove the earrings though. don't want to cause too much of a problem." she quietly said as she started backing towards the door. something about Kirk made her very nervous. he was nice enough… but it was almost too nice so she tried to not be too close.

Spock dismissed both of them and they walked back to her room. "so we can customize our rooms." she asked Spock. at his simple 'yes' she asked "will i be able to get my hands on some art supplies?"

"what supplies are you seeking?" he asked.

"anything, crayons, chalks, paints, markers, colored pencils, colorful tapes, clays, cloths, ropes and strings, random scraps. I don't really care, i can work with a lot but just like to do artistic stuff. but only if it's not going to bother anyone." she responded.

Spock looked at her for a few moments then answered "I will see what I can do."

dropping her off at her room he instructed her to start on the reading material she was assigned. the rest of her day passed quietly and she managed to read quite a bit of the history she had missed. Spock had assigned her to read Earth's history for the week. she then started to play with the few toys she had for a little thinking about the world she found herself in.

She looked up at a knock. "Come in?" she hesitantly said.

entered and told her she needed a check up. as she got up he told her "We can look you over here with the medical tricorder." she obliged and sat back down. he was kinda like a father figure. it made her smile. He reminded her of a friends Father who had been the closest thing to a father she could remember. once the check was done he asked "so how are you holding up in this new time?"

"Well everyone seems nice but I don't know what i'm supposed to do. I mean they told me, i answer questions and learn but… I kinda want a solid thing like 'do this or do that' you know. thankfully assigned me reading and so i can clearly do something i know is right." She timidly smiled at the Doctor. it was nice to talk to him.

"Well just give it some time, you will adjust. Don't let work you too hard though." he said in a friendly tone.

"I don't think he will. he seems very… observant? Aware? i'm not quite sure the word i want but he seems to pay attention and notice a lot." She smiled "I do like him. he is stiff and all but i think that's why he doesn't worry me. it's kinda like having a robot guard or something… wait that didn't quite come out right." Saya got flustered as she tried to figure out how to say it correctly.

McCoy laughed quite heartily before pausing to add "I don't know of anyone who has used that as a form of a compliment!" He soon left, instructing her to get rest, still chuckling.

pulling the snowflake blanket off the desk she went to her bed and fell asleep wrapped in it. that night she slept well until she woke up screaming from the same nightmare. she heard a knock at her door as she tried to figure out where she was. "May i come in ?" she heard Spock ask.

Wrapping the blanket around herself she said "Open." flatly as she sat up on her bed and groped for her glasses. Spock entered and seeing what she was wanting handed them to her. "Sorry if i disturbed you ." she said flatly.

"You had another nightmare." he stated.

getting up still wrapped in her blanket she shuffled over to the desk. "feel free to sit if you want to stick around."

Spock sat in one of the chairs watching her for a few moments. "The Doctor may be able to assist you with your nightmares." he informed her.

"I don't do medications. it's not a big deal anyways." she turned on her computer and stared at it for a few minutes "I can either read more of my assignment or chat. wanna talk or anything?" she asked. she paused a moment then hastily added "well you probably need sleep. so don't worry bout me. just get more sleep."

"I do not require as much sleep as a human does. You however need far more because of your recent cryogenic state." Spock said

She shrugged and muttered "not gonna be able to sleep more tonight anyways." She pulled her knees up to her chest and sat curled up in her chair engulfed in her blanket.

"I can get you some tea if that will help." he offered.

She blinked a few times and asked "what time is it and when does your shift start?"

"It is 0300 hours and my shift starts at 0800 hours."

"so 3 am. gotta get used to the military time but thankfully the first half is easy. Sure I'll take some tea. where do i get it?"

Spock got up and lead her to the mess hall again. at this time of night it was fairly deserted thankfully. She picked a seat with her back to the wall and curled up in her chair like before still engulfed in her blanket. Getting them both some Vulcan spice tea he sat down next to her and placed the tea in front of her. "Thank you. So how did a Vulcan end up on a starship of humans?" she asked.

"A lot of Vulcans serve in starfleet."

"What is starfleet? i keep hearing about it… is it like Earth's new version of NASA or something?" Sayas eyelids were starting to droop and the fear was leaving her. she smiled slightly as a thought flitted through her mind. 'my strange robot guard makes me feel quite safe.'

"Starfleet is the military and exploratory arm of the United Federation of Planets. The Enterprise is an exploration ship." As Spock offered the extra information, he suddenly felt a weight on his arm. looking down he saw Saya asleep again resting against him. Picking her up he got the attention of a nearby ensin and told him to return their cups for him. He carried her back to her quarters and deposited her back in her bed. he put her glasses on the headboard behind her before returning to his room.

at 0700 the computer woke Spock and he went to wake Saya. " You will need to be ready for duty shift in an hour." he called at her door before going back to his room to get ready for the day.

Saya woke up groggy but calm upon hearing Spock's voice. Getting up she again groped for her glasses and thankfully found them. she quickly got dressed and ready for the day. at 0730 hours the computer voice announced the time and she heard Spock at her door again. "Come in." she called as she ruffled through her drawers to find any kind of clip or hair tie.

"We should get breakfast before starting our shift." He told her as he walked in. Quirking an eyebrow at her frantic searching he asked "Is there something you require?"

"Yeah, need a darn hairclip or tie. heck a piece of string would do the trick if i could find it." she closed her drawer and ruffled her hair messing it up further.

Spock told her to come with him and they again visited supplies who provided her with a few neutral toned claw clips and hair ties. heading back to her quarters she quickly brushed her hair, twisted it just above her neck and pulled it up. putting the claw clip in she created something between a twist and ponytail. depositing the rest of the items neatly in a drawer she went back to Spock who was waiting. "I'm sorry for holding you up."

"No need to apologize. I should have been aware of your need for hair supplies." he answered her as they briskly walked to the mess hall. she stayed at his elbow and they quickly ate their breakfast.

on the walk to the bridge she apologized for waking him the previous night. He again told her it was not needed and reminded her that he needed less sleep than a human. During his shift she quietly asked questions and tried to watch everything going on. When lunch rolled around Yeoman Rand brought meals for everyone excluding Saya. She softly asked about how to get to the mess hall to get her lunch and Spock wordlessly escorted her there bringing his meal as well.

"I'm sorry for always causing you problems. I really don't mean to be such a burden." she anxiously told him as she got her meal.

"You are not causing me problems."

"You mentioned emotion being illogical and unnecessary and the Doctor said you lack them. do you mind if i ask why?"

"In Vulcan's distant history we were a violent people to the point of self destruction. Surak lead us to embrace logic and suppress emotion. it is what kept us for annihilating ourselves."

"So it's not that you don't have emotion, you just think rather than feel. that's not a bad thing."

Spock's lip twitched and Saya wondered what it was about but left it. soon their lunch was over and they returned to the bridge. the rest of their shift was rather uneventful but Saya was having trouble absorbing all the required information. if shown she often could remember but just reading was harder or just getting facts without something to ground them made it harder for her to remember them.

After their shift Spock showed her around the ship. though most places she wouldn't be able to get back to if she wanted, she tried her best to fix important places in her mind.

the next 2 days passed much the same. Though there was some chatter about the new Crewman that was always with Spock, it was wide known that she was his charge and that kept rumors to a minimum.

on her 4th day on the ship she was waiting for Spock at 0730 to go to breakfast. as they walked he noticed she has gotten a little more comfortable with those around her and was walking less closely than the shadow she had been before. Suddenly a crewman exited the mess hall hurriedly as they entered and ran smack into Saya knocking her glasses off and her over.

Spock helped her up with a word of reproach to the crewman and retrieved her glasses. "It appears that we will need to visit after this to do something about your vision. your glasses are broken." he told her. leading her to a table he had her sit and got their breakfast. She had some trouble eating because she was unable to properly judge the location and distance of the item she was trying to eat but managed.

Soon enough the meal was finished and they started to the medical bay. she ran into the door on the way out of the mess hall, with a blush and frustrated "oof! damn thing moved." After that Spock kept a hand on her elbow to help guide her and keep her from running into anything else. Depositing her into sickbay he notified her that she was to stay with until his shift ended and he picked her up again.

She complied and examined her eyes. "We can fashion another pair of glasses for you or we can repair your eyes. the choice is yours." he told her.

For a moment she got quite excited but then calmed "I don't have money for glasses, much less enough for any kind of surgery required to fix my vision. add to that i don't sit still well and surgery terrifies me."

Bones chuckled and told her "you don't have to pay for glasses or the surgery. I'm quite certain surgery has changed since your time. Think about it and let me know what you want."

"You could really fix my eyes… like no astigmatism or nearsightedness?" at Bones nod she grinned "I think i can try to be good to get the surgery. I would love to see normally!"

Bones soon set up the procedure and by the time Spock came to pick her up was done. she looked around in wonder, radiating joy. Spock raised an eyebrow but before he could comment she exclaimed "Holy jim jim!"

"explain." he requested as McCoy chuckled.

"sorry mixed, 'holy crap' and 'criminy jim jim'. 2 exclamations from my time." she tilted her head examining him much the same way she had examined Bones and nurse Chapel once her vision was corrected. "You have very elf like features. i mean that in a good way. you really are quite handsome." she commented.

Spock raised an eyebrow and McCoy's mouth dropped open. "You really don't hesitate to speak your mind do you." McCoy said.

"Nope… well not in comfortable company. sorry if i embarrassed you or anything. I just… i can see all the details that i couldn't before and yeah. it's amazing. Though I am slightly more sensitive to light but that seems to be a norm for me." She got up and examined him a little more closely noticing the clean lines of his hair cut and the coloration on his eyelids.

He, for his part, merely looked at her as she examined him. "If you are done with your examination of my appearance may we go to dinner?" Spock asked.

"Well I don't believe it. our very own cold blooded Vulcan asking a pretty lady to dinner!" McCoy ribbed.

"As my charge it is my duty to make sure she gets proper nutrition as well as education." Spock replied.

Saya smiled at the comment then shrugged. "I am highly unlikely to be attractive to . with his physique the likelihood is Vulcans prefer taller leaner females. that and seems uninterested in romance from what i see."

McCoy gave her an odd look. "Well I want to see how this dinner date goes so I will join you."

Spock seemed to roll his eyes without rolling them and Saya was trying to figure out how that worked as she walked flanked by both to the mess hall. She blinked a few times before adjusting to the volume and brightness of the room. They sat down to eat when suddenly her head shot up. Scanning the room she clearly was looking for something. it wasn't until Kirk entered that she seemed to stop and returned to her food. Spock simply said "fascinating." as he watched her actions.

Kirk got his food and pulled up a chair next to McCoy and across from Spock. Saya was quite glad that McCoy had joined them. she still wasn't sure if Kirk was flirting but didn't want to encourage it or insult him. McCoy didn't manage to notice the Captain until he sat beside him. "Seems you are having a party without me." he teased.

"I decided i wanted to see how was treating his charge. so i invited myself along." McCoy told him.

"And how are you adjusting?" Kirk asked her.

"well, I don't get a lot but i'm getting there. I broke my glasses this morning by accident and fixed my eyes instead and i can see like i could when i was 7 or so. That is really nice. I finished the first history book Spock assigned to me and am not really sure what to do with my free time now." she shrugged.

Spock said "I have more books for you to read to catch you up. You won't have true free time for quite a while"

"Just don't overwork the poor girl." McCoy told him.

the meal ended and Spock dropped her off at her room to get more reading done. an hour later he came by. at her invitation he came in with a good sized box and placed it on the desk. "I brought you the requested art supplies. If there are any others you require please let me know."

Saya jumped up and started excitedly looking through the box. "This is awesome! such a variety too!" she started putting all the coloring and painting supplies on a wall shelf neatly then looked at the other items further. With a very glad smile she thanked Spock who just watched her with raised eyebrows.

soon she had sorted out most of the supplies and stored them neatly near her desk. he had managed to get her a few colorful tapes as well as a bit of everything. "Can i get a small knife… kinda like a scalpel or something for detail cutting?" she asked.

"I will look for one." Spock told her as he left for the night.

That night she again woke from the same nightmare. Spock was again at her door " , may I come in?" as she unlocked the door again and let him in he looked her over. "These nightmares are impeding your sleep. 5 in a row is a pattern. You need to see about them."

She looked up glaring and with more bite in her voice then intended, snapped "I'm not going to take sleeping medications. I don't like medicines to start and won't take them regularly anyways."

As soon as he raised his eyebrow she calmed herself "I apologize. I'm just tired and really don't want medications. I will just have more of that tea and conversation if it is ok with you."

Spock was more than aware of her sleep deprived state getting worse. more so because she should be sleeping more than usual but said nothing as he lead her to the mess hall. getting them both Vulcan Spice tea again he sat beside her talking about the history she was learning. it did not take long for her to once again fall asleep. the ensign from the previous night was there and offered to take care of the cups so Spock could carry her back to her room.

Once he deposited her in her bed he went to his room and thought about the situation for a bit. deciding to wake a bit earlier than usual to talk to the doctor he went back to sleep. at 0630 he was up and by 0700 he was at McCoy's door. " , may i speak with you?" McCoy grunted for him to enter and he did.

"what is so important that you have to bother me this early ?" McCoy demanded.

"Saya is having nightmares. the last 4 nights and the day before when she went to sleep she woke up to a nightmare. she refuses even the idea of medications to help, however it will harm her health if we can not find a solution to stop them." Spock informed him.

"any pattern she is having other than when she is asleep? and what does she do when she wakes from them?"

"I have not yet found a pattern in time of night or time from going to sleep. however the last 4 nights she wakes and we get tea. after some talking she falls asleep again." Spock answered.

"and you are awake every time she has a nightmare?" Bones asked slightly incredulously.

"No. She wakes screaming. it wakes me and I verify her safety."

"She wakes screaming… sounds like a new terror or old fear. either way not a good thing. The best remedy would be to alleviate the fear. Has she told you anything on what she dreams?"

"No."

"Since she is quite against medicine I suggest you try to find out about that dream. maybe she will talk to you. she has a strange trust for you."

"I will do my best." Spock answered. Going to Saya's door he was mildly surprised to find her waiting for him.

"Breakfast?" she asked cheerfully. Spock nodded and they fell into step together. after breakfast they went to the bridge where the shift progressed as usual. Yeoman Rand had been instructed to bring Saya lunch as well and so they did not leave the bridge till the shift was over.

as they walked Saya asked "are there any books on Vulcans i can read to give me more information about your home world?"

Spock's lip twitched and he suggested a few titles for her to start with. she had finally figured out it was the vulcans way of smiling. she wondered if any others really noticed that was far more expressive than said. then again they would have to pay close attention to him as he really only did micro expressions and they lasted split seconds.

As they ate dinner she asked about the history she was reading. she had found talking about it and asking questions helped her remember what she was learning. as they walked back to her quarters she asked "Will anyone get upset if i paint on my walls a bit? i can make sure to make it removable."

Spock looked at her for a bit seemingly lost in thought. Saya was impressed he did not run into anyone. "Painting the walls is not allowed. However we can attempt to supply you with fabrics to drape on the walls or pictures to put on the walls if you wish for more color."

"could i maybe find some blank canvas or something to spread over the whole wall?"

Spock raised an eyebrow and said "I will try."

Grinning Saya replied "Thank you. I really appreciate everything you do to look after me."

"It's my job."

"True but I still appreciate it." She told him as they got to her door. Spock went to his room and researched psychology to assist him with dealing with Saya's nightmares and Saya started on an art project from the supplies provided for her. shortly before bed Bones stopped by to do her nightly checkup and told her she was doing well. after chatting for a short while he left and she went to bed.

at 0400 she again woke screaming. Spock was at her door and rather than even invite him in she got up and followed him to the mess hall. "What kind of tea is this?" she asked.

"It is Vulcan spice tea." Spock answered. when she nodded in reply he asked "do you have the same nightmare each night?" as she nodded again he asked "Would you be willing to share what it is about?"

With a sigh she shrugged "I honestly am not quite sure what it's about. All I know is my face and mouth are covered. I can't breath or scream. suddenly i wake to being roughly put into some kind of container and before i can do anything my body stops responding. I scream for help but none comes. that's usually when i wake up screaming."

Spock noticed the dead look in her eyes but doesn't comment. "Is it a memory?"

"I don't really know. it feels like a memory but it's quite fuzzy… I think it happened because there are things in my past where i sort of remember it but can't completely due to stress and trauma. I guess this is a traumatic thing that i'm either trying to remember or trying to suppress." she shrugged again and finished her tea.

Spock navigated the topic to something about her reading in an attempt to sooth her into sleep again. He soon felt the customary weight of her head on his arm. Picking her up he nodded to the ensign that seemed to often be in the mess hall with them as he walked out carrying his odd burden.

Depositing her again into her bed he went to his own. Morning rose as per usual and they went through their shift. the Captain and Bones had even noticed the exhausted look on Saya.

Once the shift ended Spock asked Saya to accompany him to visit after she finished her reading and essay. Curious she did as she was told. Once their McCoy greeted them. "I have what you asked for though i do not understand your request for them."

"Good. Now, to deal with Saya's nightmares."

Before Spock could say more Saya angrily spoke up "I WILL NOT BE ON MEDS!"

Spock gave her a look that clearly said 'did i say anything about medicine?' before saying "You have stated that already. I reported your nightmare to and he suggested I use a Vulcan mind meld to assist you in sorting out the cause of your nightmares."

She looked from one to the other a few times then asked "A what?"

"A Vulcan mind meld. it is a telepathic link between 2 individuals allowing for the exchange of thoughts. This would allow me to assist you in resolving the nightmare. Are you willing to attempt it? There are some potential dangers involved." Spock informed her.

She bit a corner of her lip as she thought about it. "So you would see everything in my mind."

"Not everything. I would be able to sort through the relevant information. additional information would be unnecessary."

"Ah, so you could see everything but won't. interesting… what are the potential dangers?"

"It can be physically debilitating and aggravate previous conditions. For you it would risk further complications from being awoken. There also could be some loss of identity especially with a powerful or chaotic mind." Spock informed her.

"Wait, you or me… cause i'm guessing you have a powerful mind to be able to do this and i'm pretty sure i have a chaotic mind…"

"It is unlikely to be an issue, however it is a risk."

Saya shrugged "I would guess the risks are pretty low as it is being suggested by both of you. if you both feel that it is mostly safe then i have no issue with it."

Spock instructed her to sit in one of the chairs. Taking one next to her he leaned over pausing a moment to let her know he would be touching her face. at her shrug he continued. "My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts." Spock watched as Saya carried the last box down to her car.

Suddenly a hand snaked from behind her covering her nose and mouth as an arm did a choke hold on her. she struggled for a few moments but soon her body went limp. looking behind her Spock only saw a larger human shadow and smelled cheap cologne and body oader.

the scene faded to black and the next thing he saw was a strange medical like room. the room faded in and out of focus but during the times he was able to see it he saw quite a bit. she was restrained on a table with an iv in her arm. thought there was plenty of medical supplies near there were no doctors to be seen. the scene again darkened.

He saw this time 2 people roughly putting her into a cryogenics pod. she tried to resist but couldn't at all. everything in the scene looked slightly glassy but he did notice another person throwing the box near her pod before they closed it and she was frozen. he could feel her panic and desperation.

'This is where it started' he told her.

'My mother won't know what happened to me. she will worry and worry but never get her answer. I don't want to do that to her but I can't stop it.'

'That is where your nightmares stim from. You need to come to terms with not being able to change the past."

'I miss her. I want to see her.'

Spock felt how deep that want was in Saya so he obliged by finding a good memory of her mother and letting her relive it. He watched as they painted mini tea sets together with nail polish and talked about life. once she had calmed he broke the meld. Both opened their eyes to see a rather shocked looking staring at them. Saya felt a residual warmth but thought nothing of it and Spock understood a bit more about her.

"Is something the matter Doctor?" Spock asked.

"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't have seen it. Vulcans can cry."

Spock wiped his face dry as Saya did the same. "So, do you think i'll be over the nightmares?"

Spock ignored Bones and replied to her "You may, but it also may take a while for you to completely come to terms. For now they should at least lessen."

"I suppose I shouldn't ask what you saw?" McCoy asked.

"It does not threaten the ship nor is it of historical importance at this time. As such I will not divulge the information. however if does it is her choice."

"I think I just want to sleep right now." Saya said as she got up. Spock escorted her to her quarters informing her that he would get her dinner and bring it to her. Once he retrieved dinner he knocked at her door but got no response. quietly entering he placed the tray on her desk along with the item he had gotten from Bones.

in his own quarters again he started looking into her peculiar circumstances. With the identifications she provided he had been able to find out about her family. He was looking for any additional information in regards to her disappearance.

That night though Saya's sleep was disturbed by unpleasant memories she did not wake screaming. The morning proceed as normal and soon they were sitting down to dinner. "How are you feeling today Saya?" Bones asked as he joined them.

"Feeling much better. no late night galavanting last night. probably a relief to to not have to babysit me in the middle of the night." Saya replied with a smile.

Bones looked at Spock with a grin "Now , you wouldn't miss the late night tea's with would you?"

"That would be illogical." Was Spock's only reply.

Saya smiled at the ribbing the 2 seemed to love giving each other and soon the meal was finished. Saya spent her evening studying and McCoy came by for another checkup on her. he was quite happy with her health progress. Saya saw the strange item on her desk that she had moved out of the way a few times. opening it she saw multiple sizes of what looked very similar to her old exacto blades.

Grinning she bounced up and knocked on Spock's door. " , may i come in?" at his simple 'open' she walked into his room. half bouncing up to him she said "thank you so much for looking out for me so well and working so hard to supply even the strange things i request. Thank you as well for helping me with my nightmares."

"It is my job."

"yes but i appreciate it anyways." she said with a grin and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before bouncing happily back to her room. putting the blades near her tape and other such craft items, she finally got ready for bed and curled up in her blanket with a smile on her face.

Spock brought his hand to his face and touched his cheek where Saya had kissed him. "Fascinating."

*END*