Author Note: Hey, thanks for the reviews and followers! I'm glad that people have taken the time to read the first story, and that you enjoyed it! Makes me feel all happy :)

Chapter Two: He Said, She Said

The medical bay was a quiet place, something Leo enjoyed. He sat patiently on the bed as McCoy pulled out medical equipment and a chair to seat himself. He seemed deep in thought as he ran the examination, and finally the strange, whirring tool stopped. McCoy smiled, looking strangely relieved. "Fit as a fiddle," he evaluated. He relaxed and sat back, observing Leo. "I wonder if time passes differently from where you live."

"Why say that?" Leo asked.

"Oh, because it's only been about eight months, I'd say, since your mother was here. You're certainly not an infant."

Leo laughed and shrugged. "Yeah. I was thinking that those people probably just sent me here, to this time, for a reason. Time passes the same, I'm sure."

"Well," McCoy said, holding up his hands, "I'm a doctor, not a scientist. You'll want to talk to Mr. Spock about that, if you get the chance. I just wanted to see how you were doing, is all. Are you hungry? Tired?"

Leo thought. "Not really."

"All right. We'll give the Captain some time to organize, like he said, and then we can head back up."

An odd silence fell between the two after that. Leo took a moment to look around, because the doctor seemed lost in thought. Suddenly a question popped into Leo's mind, and he cleared his throat. "I'm wondering, doctor."

"Hm? What's that?"

"Why did you really want to give me an exam? You almost seemed like you were going to find something."

McCoy had been twiddling his fingers, but he stopped. He smiled and shook his head a little. "You're a sharp one, Leo. You're right, it wasn't only to pass the time. It's a...long story, but when your mother came here, she was very sick. It almost killed her, but we managed to find a cure. I always worried, though, that it might come back."

"She's never been seriously sick that I know of," said Leo.

"That's good. Another thought I had was, if it was still there, that it could be passed on - to her children, when she had them. I'm not worried, though," McCoy continued, standing up, "because you're extremely healthy. Except for that eye, there."

"Oh, that." Leo ran a hand over his eye, having forgotten completely. "No big deal. I got in a fight with someone, that's all."

McCoy squinted a little. "You seem smarter than that."

Leo shrugged. "I am. That's basically what the fight came down to, and for the record, I didn't throw the first or any other punch."

That made McCoy laugh. He shook his head again and moved to his desk. The boy looked like his mother, but he was so much more arrogant. He was serious and level-headed, which helped, but he had a passion in him that McCoy knew was dangerous. He was so different than Claire, and young, and his intelligence probably gave him more than a few enemies. He didn't seem to mind, though. He could be a Vulcan, all right, thought McCoy. He was brought from his thoughts by his communicator, so he flipped it open. "McCoy, here."

"Doctor, Mr. Spock and I have discussed things over. So, if you'll come on up with Leo, we'll bring you up to speed."

"On our way, Captain." He closed the device and stood, nodding the boy over. "Come on, son, let's go see what we can do for your mother."

Upon arriving, Leo had expected more than what was actually presented. The Captain had barely been able to communicate with Pharen. There was only a short message sent out, with static over a desperate warning.

"...have her. Klingons...Claire."

It was a fifty-fifty chance. He could have said that the Klingons didn't have Leo's mother, with only the wrong words cutting out. Or, Claire was here, a captive of the enemy. No more communication could get through, leaving everyone to assume the worst.

"Now," said Kirk, frowning deeply," we've contacted Starfleet about this, but we haven't told them about you, Leo. I hope that's no trouble, we just didn't want to cause any problems for you. The entire situation was a messy one, and anyone else involved would be in danger."

Leo shrugged. From what he remembered of Starfleet, they did like to cause a ruckus when they didn't have to. "Not a problem at all."

"Something else we face is that the Klingons are...a very hostile race, as I understand you've been told. We don't meddle in their affairs, nor they in ours. In fact, to do so under such sensitive pretenses could cause wars."

Leo nodded, trying to think. "So, Starfleet says 'no' because no one can play nice. That is a problem."

Kirk smiled widely, and Spock raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Yes," said Kirk. "We have an...idea of why the Klingons would want your mother, but we have no idea where to find them."

Leo was quiet for a moment, running a hand through his hair. It was getting long again, and he knew his mother would nag him about it. She would pretend to pout and insist he get it cut, because then she could see his 'beautiful blues'. He rubbed at his nose, to shake off the sudden emotions he was feeling. He didn't know why the enemy wanted her, but he didn't care. He sat up straight and looked at Kirk. "Maybe she'll tell me about it one day, why she was brought here, but if we don't do something now, she won't get that chance. Let me go and find them."

Both Kirk and McCoy's faces fell a little. Kirk sighed and folded his arms. "I knew you were going to say that."

Unexpectedly, Spock cleared his throat. "If I may, Captain, I have said the same."

"Yes, I know, Mr. Spock." Kirk closed his eyes in frustration. "And as I said, it's just not going to happen. If anything goes wrong, Leo, your mother and my guilt would never let me hear the end of it."

Leo made a face, standing. "Hear me out, at least. What else can you do at this point - go against Starfleet?"

Kirk unknowingly took the bait. His eyebrows raised and lowered quickly, but he said nothing. He only waited expectantly as he looked up at Leo.

"All right," said Leo. "We can only assume that my Mom is here, that the Klingons have her. No one even knows that I'm here, so I'm the best person to go. They'd never expect a kid to find her."

"And if you don't?"

"...Well, I haven't thought all of it out, but I'm working on it. You can only cross one bridge at a time."

"You don't know the language," McCoy countered.

"Some of them speak English," Leo insisted, but he quickly added, "don't they?" He knew he was right, but he was also forgetting that he knew too much. He had to play dumb, but not too much. The men were quiet as they mulled the proposal over. McCoy was pacing now, biting his thumbnail. Leo glanced at Spock, who happened to be looking back. Leo waved an encouraging hand at him to speed things along. If someone could solve this, it was Spock. The Vulcan seemed to understand that.

"Captain, may I speak freely?"

"...Of course, Spock," Kirk mumbled.

"We need to find a way to send Leonard out there inconspicuously, and to the correct time. Giving him one of our ships to locate Pharen's planet might be our best option."

"What then? He just uses that to be handed to the Klingons after that?" McCoy snapped. "Leo is just a boy! Even a grown man wouldn't last long against them! I won't allow you to send her son out there."

"I am not finished, Doctor," said Spock patiently. He stood and faced McCoy. "Unfortunately, Leonard would be sent alone, since we cannot go. If you'd prefer, we could locate a more generic ship to take him, because any ties to the Enterprise could prove problematic."

"And where to do suggest we find this generic hunk of metal, Spock?"

"That would take time, but it is possible. Leonard understands the risks that need to be taken - he is not too young. He understands this will happen right under the radar of our superiors."

Kirk blinked. "You really want to take his advice, and go against Starfleet? Again?"

Leo barely managed to stifle a laugh. The scene before him was priceless, and he knew his mother would have loved to see it. Spock turned. "In this case, yes. We have already addressed that this is a potentially hostage situation. However, we have no proof, and they refuse to take any risks. To at least try is more logical than not at all."

The other two men looked defeated. They knew he was right, and that there was no other choice. Kirk finally stood, shaking his head. "Well, I don't suppose you know where to find that ship, Spock."

"Leave that matter to me," replied Spock, almost looking pleased. He turned to Leo and added, "We will work as fast as we can. In the meantime, learning Klingon is highly recommended, in your case. The doctor was right - there are no guarantees that you will find those who speak your language. We have materials here at your disposal, so use them wisely."

Spock excused himself. Kirk did the same, looking a bit perturbed. He asked McCoy to keep a watchful eye on Leo, then marched down the hallway. McCoy stood there for a minute, then laughed. He patted Leo on the shoulder.

"Looks like I'm babysitting again," he said. "Boy, if you had pointed ears, I'd swear you were related to Spock. I've never seen him take someone's side so quickly beside the Captain's. The only other exception was your Mom, and now it all makes sense."

Leo smiled, glad to have finally met his match.

{The human is dying.}

{You're sure?}

{Yes. The woman still denies everything.}

{...Continue on. Her time will eventually come.}

The second in Command nodded, taking his leave. Du'Ralle sat in his chair, feeling worn out. He'd started this mission with such confidence, but now, he doubted himself. Disgusted, he shook his head. He knew it had to be her, the one who'd nearly ruined him. Black Mirage could deny who she was all she wanted, but the crimes she'd committed against the Klingons told everyone otherwise. Even Starfleet had it out for her, but she'd managed to escape both parties. Somehow, she'd made it into another world, and hid herself away like a coward. Even though they'd managed to find her, she acted like she had no idea what was going on. Not even torturing the man with her had brought her to her senses.

Du'Ralle sighed; he'd had enough. Standing, he collected himself and marched down the halls, all the way to the prison. He hadn't visited the prisoners since they'd arrived, but perhaps it was time to settle things. He entered into the hall, a few empty cells lined on either side. At the end, two of his guards stood post and eyed him respectfully.

{Sir, we've finished the interrogation. Said one. Nothing to report.}

{Fine. Let me speak to them.} Du'Ralle waited for the cell to be opened, then stepped inside. 'Claire', as she called herself, stood protectively over the slumped body of her partner. The man quietly pleaded for her to stand down. Du'Ralle smiled and said, "Evening. I hear you've had an awfully long week."

Claire had tears in her eyes. "If you want to kill us, just do it already. You've made a mistake in bringing us here."

"Oh, is someone coming to save you?"

"No. We're all yours, but like I said, it was a mistake. I never was Black Mirage, and I never will be."

Du'Ralle shook his head. "You know, I'm tired of hearing that. Still, you intrigue me. You may be a criminal, but I expected you to break a few days ago."

Claire laughed bitterly. "Are you kidding? I'm not afraid of you, I have nothing to admit to you, and I'm just as tired of you as you are of me."

"That's what intrigues me. Even if you weren't Black Mirage - hypothetically speaking - you haven't lied to protect your partner."

Claire stared up at him hatefully. "You won't win, you know. When this is all over, you won't be any closer to your goal - whatever that is."

Du'Ralle grinned, leaning closer. "We will, because you'll be dead. At last, you'll be gone forever. This is just a game," he waved to the man on the ground, "to get you to admit to everything. I just want to hear you say it before you die."

Claire raised an eyebrow. "And when I don't?"

"Well, at least it was fun. A little disappointing, yes, but still worth it." He stepped toward the door, then looked back. "I'm giving you another hour. If you don't fess up, the man dies. Then we take care of you." With that said, he took his leave, his confidence restored.

Claire kept her eyes on the door even after he'd gone, glaring at the guards as they laughed. She wasn't sure if they'd even understood them - they hadn't spoken English to her - but at least they were entertained. She sat down next to Greg, examining him pitifully. "I'm so sorry, babe."

He shook his head. "I'd call this a nightmare, but...it can't be, can it? It hurts too much."

Claire took her remaining sleeve and tore it, wishing she had more jacket to use. Greg was wrapped up in half of it, but he was seriously injured. Today seemed to have been particularly brutal, and he was squinting from swollen eyes. She dabbed at his forehead, trying to stop some of the bleeding. "I'm so sorry they're doing this to you."

"I don't even understand what's going on." Greg sighed, pulling himself up against the wall a little. He groaned and rested his head against Claire's shoulder. "I love you, Claire."

That wasn't helping. Claire's face twisted and she could feel the tears coming. She grabbed his hand, sniffling miserably. "I love you, too. I wish we could get out of here." She wished she could tell him what was going on. She hadn't had much time, because the Klingons had separated them immediately. Claire initially wondered if Greg would recognize the aliens, but at this point, it wasn't what she worried about. His health was fading, fast, and if she couldn't find a way out and get a doctor, they were both dead. Perhaps it was time to lie. She knew that to them, she was Black Mirage, but she'd never fulfilled that part of her life. She'd gone back home, tried to move on. Now she was back, and again things were terrible. She half-hoped that Pharen had somehow communicated with the Enterprise, though they were in different times. She doubted in Starfleet's ability to get anything done, and hoped that Kirk and Spock had come up with some brilliant plan.

Another worry she had was that of Leo. If she and Greg had made it through, Claire was almost entirely sure that Leo was, too. Wherever Pharen had sent him, Claire hoped that her son was safe. If he was in danger, at least he was smart. He would find a way out of it. Claire let that thought comfort her as she tried to sleep, and she must have dozed off for a while. Greg was leaning heavily on her, and it was a little uncomfortable. "Greg? Are you awake?" No answer. Claire looked at him for a minute, thinking he must be asleep, but then she realized something. Turning more fully, Claire felt her heart drop. "Greg? Honey, wake up. Greg?" She shook his shoulders, and his head flopped down. His body was still, his expression almost peaceful. Claire felt for a pulse, hoping for one, and got nothing. A deep sigh left her, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Greg, I'm so sorry. I wish..."

She heard the Klingon guards whispering, and she turned to face them; they'd noticed it, too. She stood, anger starting to boil. "You're monsters! All of you! We did nothing to you, and you...you killed him!"

The men didn't seem to care about that. They disappeared, probably to tell their Commander, and left Claire to mourn. She was too tired to really cry, and too aware that she had to be ready for what came next. She sat against the wall with her knees pulled up, feeling like a scared child. Finally, the Commander was there. He observed the body for a minute, and without a word, dragged Claire to her feet. "That was easier than expected."

"Oh, shut up!" Claire snapped. "Don't even talk to me right now! I've had it with you Klingons! All you ever do is make everyone suffer - you have no idea what we feel like!"

Du'Ralle pulled her along harder, practically dragging her down the hall. There'd been a change of plans all around, it seemed, and he wasn't sure if he was pleased or not. Claire was quiet as he took her up to the main deck, which made things easy. He knew that she was tough, and she knew how to play it wise in the face of danger. He had to admit, he was impressed. Upon arriving, he had his men place her into handcuffs.

"What are we doing?" She finally asked.

"I got an interesting transmission while I was up here," he said, moving to the computer. "I thought you'd like to see it before we moved out." He hit a final button, and a screen popped up before them. He watched Claire's reactions carefully, which seemed to be of disinterest. The man

who'd given the message was named Commander Edwards, an old man who'd worked for Starfleet for years.

"I've received notification that you have, in custody, a woman named Claire. She is a criminal, one we've been searching for...for a long time. We, here, at Starfleet, are willing to pay you any sum you wish to bring the criminal to us. Please, contact us as soon as possible."

The message ended, and Du'Ralle turned to face Claire. "What do you think?"

She was thoughtful, then shrugged. "I'm guessing they must think you're an idiot."

"Why is that?" He asked playfully, already knowing her answer.

"Because it's a set-up. You guys don't work together, and they'd never pay to get a criminal back if they belonged to the Klingons."

Du'Ralle laughed heartily. "If I wasn't going to kill you, I'd keep you to work on this ship! I thought the same when I heard the message. It doesn't help me believe any less that you're Black Mirage, even if they were lying just to save you. I just wanted you to see it."

Claire smiled after a pause. "Why move? Are you expecting someone?"

Before Du'Ralle could respond, one of the officers next to Claire reacted. "Do not speak to him as such!"

Claire only laughed, shaking her head. "Looks like I was wrong. Who's coming to my rescue?"

Du'Ralle walked over to her, staring at her carefully. Perhaps she was more trouble than she looked. "No one is coming for you." He nodded to his guards, and they dragged her away. Anger flooded Du'Ralle, because he knew she had it figured out. He didn't understand the meaning behind the message, but he'd gotten word that a certain ship was in the area - one belonging to Starfleet. They had to move out before they were seen, and not take the risk to destroy it. They weren't in the neutral zone, so there could be trouble if he didn't move fast. For the next while he barked orders left and right, and the ship was quickly on its way.

Hm, it's getting good! Thanks for reading!