"Jim are you crazy? We have nowhere to put her! Are you gonna let her live in the water processing plant? Let alone all the regulations you just violated. Admiral Crownwell strip us of our ranks before we know it!" Bones shouts as soon as they were safely back on the USS Enterprise. Bones was also the only one who could get away with addressing the Captain in that manner. Jim looked down at the creature that was in his arms. She had placed her arms around his neck and was looking right back at him with her big eyes. She gave him a smile that made his heart melt.

"Not to mention, we know very little about the biological make-up of mermaids." Spock chipped in.

"Ok you two, calm down. We will figure something out." Jim replied. He knew he had made the right decision. "You know as well as I do that place was harboring and exploiting this poor girl… creature illegally. I highly doubt they will be sending out any reports." He continued.

The trio had created quite a scene, and the other cadets on deck were speechless when they saw what was in Jim's arms.

"I must be suffering from Kromlingan flu and seeing things! I don't know what to say Captain. Is it really what I think it is?" stammered Scotty.

"Your eyes are not fooling you Scotty. She is real all right. And she needs our help. We need to find a way to take her home, and back to her people." Jim answered.

One of the cadets draped a blanket around the mermaid to cover her upper body. They set out to medical bay, so they could learn more about her and figure out where she would be placed on board the ship. Bones nudged Nurse Chapel.

"We will need a lot of water in sick-bay. Make sure we get clearance codes for extra rations please..."

All eyes flowed the trio as they left the transporter room.

They placed wet towels around her fins so they would not dry out as she was sitting on one of the examination tables in sickbay. Both Bones and Spock did their own readings trying to find out more about her. Jim made sure to hold her hand, as she was starting to get scared by all the commotion going on around her. He had seen how dangerous she could be first hand, but she was also clearly intelligent to tell friend from foe. Nurses, doctors and a few curious cadets walked through trying to help as much as they could.

"Fascinating!" Spock stopped dead in his tracks.

"What is it?" Jim asked.

"While she mutations are clear and she has developed an extra set of lungs, gills, etc…. Her DNA make-up is exactly that of a human. It is a 99.76% match. " Spock replied.

"What? How is that possible?"

"It is clear she shares a common origin with Earth and might be even born there."

"I am pretty sure we would have discovered mermaids Spock…" Bones replied dryly, but could not come up with a better explanation for the test results. The readings were clear. The three friends looked puzzled over the tri-coder read out. Not noticing what was going on by the examination table. One of the towels feel off which made Bones look up. What he saw made him almost drop his instruments. Instead of the fins she had earlier, there were two perfectly shaped human legs. The transformation made all of them gasp and even Spock couldn't help but to look surprised. The young girl blushed and looked down.

"How did you do that?" Bones asked her. Although it was clear she did not understand them, she simply smiled at them like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Fascinating!" Spock said again. Jim looked at him.

"Stop with the fascinating already!" He walked back over to the young mermaid. She laughed and lifted up one of her legs and wiggled her toes right in front of him.

"Well that does solve a few things. Now we know she can live out of the water." Bones muttered. Jim had to laugh. The idea of her living in the water processing plant had been absurd. He then got serious and looked her straight in the eye. He pointed to himself and said his name. He then made sure to name both Bones and Spock. The young girl seemed to get the idea and smiled.

"Dahlonega." She replied. She had a name. As abruptly as she had transformed she tried jumping off the table to try out her new legs. Her legs gave way and she feel on the floor right in front of them. Bones reached down to help her up.

"Don't worry, you will get the hang of it eventually." He smiled. He helped her walk a few steps around the room, each time her legs getting stronger. Bones placed her back on the table and helped resuscitate some of the mussel-tissue in her legs. Under Bones excellent care she was walking perfectly in under one hour. They looked over her body again and her gills were gone. She could hide her mutations by choice which made her even more fascinating. They did however notice her body dehydrated quicker than a normal human being, so they made sure she had access to plenty of water.

The nurses helped the young girl get washed and dressed, while the trio tried to decide where to place her for the night. They tried to give her a little bit of food but she didn't seem to trust anything that came out of the replicator. The girl was clearly unfamiliar with modern technology, and didn't speak any languages that they knew of. There was a room a few doors down from Jim's captain quarters. Usually kept for visitors, it was left empty.

They walked Dahlonega down to her room making sure she would be comfortable. They tried their best to gesture that the bed was for her to sleep on. Dahlonega could not stop looking around; she was really seeing everything for the first time. She felt the walls with her hands, looking at every object, tasting it, examinating them closely.

"This situation does remind me of a story my mother used to read to me." Spock said after watching her for a while.

"It reminds me of a few stories, but perhaps you were thinking of the Jungle Book?" Jim replied. Spock nodded. They let her look around and finally she sat down on the bed. They smiled and bid her good night. She watched them carefully as they exited the room. As soon as the door closed they could hear her running over and banging on the door. She was whimpering and crying on the inside. They quickly opened the door again and Dahlonega ran out right into Spock's arms. He had not expected it, and accepted the embrace rather stiffly.

"I was afraid of that." Bones smiled. They looked at each other and knew she could not be left alone. They discussed the different options, which there weren't that many. Back to sick bay was out, since there were too many things she could hurt herself on unsupervised. Bones had many other patients to tend to, and would not be able to watch her. Jim was going back on duty, which really left only one other person. Spock raised his eyebrow.

"That is highly inappropriate Captain…" he protested, still in Dahlonega embrace.

"Spock, you have a good 15 hours before you go back on duty. We will put a second bed in your quarters. Give her a Vulcan pinch and she will go right to sleep. I trust you will take good care of her. Besides… it seems she had already taken a liking to you." Jim smiled. Reluctantly Spock agreed not sure knowing why. Dahlonega was still embracing him, and he could smell the sweet scent of her hair. It pleased him more then he was willing to admit.

The second cot was brought in to the small First Officer quarters, and Spock made sure to place his most dear things high up where she wouldn't be tempted to touch them. At least not for now. Dahlonega was calmer now than earlier and went happily to her cot once everything was set up. So far she had not said a thing, but they could tell she was studying them closely. Jim and Bones said their good nights for a second time and left the quarters. Spock was unsure how to welcome his new guest, and decided to make them some tea. Dahlonega's eyes followed him around the room. He placed a chair close to her and handed her the cup of warm tea. She flinched when she felt the heat from the cup, but then discovered the handle that was safe to touch. Spock made a note how quickly she learned and adapted. He held the cup up to his lips showing her what to do. She followed suit, trying not to burn herself on the hot liquid. She gave him a big smiled in approval. Both of them remained quite, he felt it would be illogical to start a conversation when she obviously didn't know what he was saying. They finished their tea in silence and he took the cups back into the kitchen. When he came back he saw Dahlonega on the chair, trying it out herself. She was trying to learn. He sat down on the cot opposite to her. He reached his hand up the way he had when he saw her in the water. She mimicked his gesture and their palms touched. Slowly he placed his other hand on her cool face. She didn't pull back, or try to resist. He felt the smoothness of her face as he let his mind go. He wanted to communicate with her.

Where do you come from?

He saw flashes of many beautiful women, all of them mermaids. She called them her sisters. They had lived for many hundreds of years together. He could feel her love for her family, her sisters, how happy she was. He learned that mermaids are very social creatures. Everything is shared in the pod as they called it. They would eat, sleep and play together. They lived in a small tight community where they were safe, deep in the ocean. Down there they had everything they needed. Rarely did they visit the surface, unless it was to lure a mate. He saw her sing to the sailors, many whom tried to force themselves on the mermaids. Aggression was met with aggression, and many sailors were pulled down and drowned if they tried to hurt the mermaids. Only a select few of the men would be chosen and taken back down to their nest. What he saw fascinated him, and he would have liked to learn more about their culture but decided to go further.

What about earlier?

Everything went dark. He pushed to go further back in time. Even memories she had forgotten, he pushed to bring them into the light. He looked deep inside her mind, assuring her he wouldn't hurt her. In an instance he was out of the water and found himself standing in a farmer's house dating back to the early 1800's in what looked the British Isles. He recognized the botany of the region that made him certain he was on Earth and in the spring. The sun was shining outside and the windows were open to let a soft breeze in. His sensitive Vulcan ears could hear waves of the ocean off in the distance.

"Do you want to see my room?" A small blond girl looked up at him. She was holding a doll under her arm; the other reached up and grabbed his hand.

"Yes, that would please me." He answered. The two of them walked through the house, into a small room that was decorated with children's drawings and a few books. There were not many toys, just a few ceramic horses and a teddy bear. There was a single small bed that had been neatly made. The little girl let go of Spock's hand and started to play with her doll on the floor. Within a few minutes there was a loud bang from the front door. The little girl slumped over her doll, and did not say a word. Footsteps were coming from the kitchen area, dragging on the floor.

"Emma! Emma! Where are you? Come here!"

The call came from a man, and his movements came closer. The little girl on the floor didn't answer, the whole time she sat still looking at her little dolls face. The man finally appeared in the doorway. He couldn't see Spock and looked straight through him.

"Get over here. Are you stupid or something, why don't you come when I call you?" the man slurred. He reached over and slapped her twice over the head as punishment. The little girl whimpered and looked up at Spock. The man smelled of alcohol and moved on into the other bedroom. Slowly the little girl got up and followed him in there. The door closes behind her.

Spock got the sense of total hopelessness and sadness. He sensed her father touching her inappropriately. She had closed the door so he wouldn't have to see it, but he knew it. Suddenly the whole house starts shaking.

STOP! Please stop it!

Spock withdrew his hand and the link was broken. Dahlonega's eyes were wet and she was shaking. Her cries got stronger and she reaches over and embraces him a second time. She shakes violently, and Spock did not know what he could do to comfort her. Instead he let her be, and cry in his arms. He placed his hands around her.

"I…I… didn't want to… I didn't want to remember!" she says in-between her spasms. The memories had been traumatic for her, but it had also helped her remember her native language: English.

"It was not my intention to hurt you." He finally says. She calms down a little bit and lets him go. He was still surprised by her background.

"So you were born human?" he inquired. Emma nods.

"How did you become a mermaid?"

She was silent for a while, searching for the words she hadn't used for such a long time. Slowly she begins to speak.

"I ran away. I couldn't take it anymore…. I wanted to die. I jumped in the cold ocean hoping I would drown. But instead my sisters saved me." She explains. Her blue eyes met his. No one was born a mermaid you were made into one. You had to be saved.

Spock decided that he would not push her further for tonight. She had already been through a lot in just the past few hours. He turns the light off and bids her good night. He had made sure she would be comfortable and had turned the temperature down compared to what he was used to. He laid down on his bed and closed his eyes, waiting for the stillness to come. He could hear her moving outside his room, wondering if she could not sleep. Right when he was almost completely asleep when he feels her next to him. She had curled up in bed with him resting her head right next to his heart. Of course there is no why she would have known that his heart was where his liver would be if he had been human. Nor could she have known that it was beating 6 beats per minutes faster than before. He felt her warm body and was about to object when he could feel she was already fast asleep.

Vulcans in general need little sleep. Spock would often fill his hours off duty reading, playing music, or playing three-dimensional chess. In a twenty-four hour period he would often not sleep more then three to four hours. He knew humans typically required twice as much, which made his hesitant to move and get up with his visitor lying right next to him. He had been sleeping for 4.45 hours, which was even more than he typically needed. He had not shared his bed with anyone for exactly 436 days and it had been back on Vulcan. It had been when he had gone through pon farr the last time. Because T'Pring had been released from their betrothal, he had been forced to seek out other company to help him with the fever. The last time he had been home, his mother had asked if he would consider taking a new mate. He knew what she was implying: grandchildren. But being on the Enterprise, taking a mate had seemed illogical. A few of the crewmen had their families with them, but the life onboard a starship was often stressful and hard.

Lying on his small bunk, he listened to Dahlonega breathing deeply. Her warm body against his pleased him. Her skin was smooth, and he could feel her soft hair tickling his arm. He knew he could have protested more when Jim suggested his room, or even been forceful and said no when she came in. He had not acted logically, which bothered him. He glanced at the clock next to his bed, which read 3:37 am. Knowing that Dahlonega would probably sleep a few more hours, he decided to meditate on his decisions from the day before.