AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Well Aidan and I are glad you're enjoying it thus far.

And now we get to see how they all plan to escape.

Will someone else die?

And Holy Crap whose gorgeous eyes are those?!

Oh they just belong to Bones…Mmmm.

Oh and Karl Urban may have hazel eyes, but uh….our McCoy's eyes are DeForest Kelley based cause damn…prettiest eyes I've ever seen…sorry Jensen.

*shrugs a little*

****

Neither Alex nor Casey was certain whether or not Kirk or the others believed them entirely, but one thing was for certain—Kirk was pretty accepting. He was surprised himself that he had agreed to their terms and not been stabbed in the back yet. Maybe they really weren't on Richard's side…but they had still violated the prime directive in their own way. They had assimilated themselves into a culture they shouldn't have interfered with at all.

"Here's the thing—Richard has this dampening field over everything and I can get it to shut down but we've got exactly 45 seconds to beam out before the generator comes on. Getting to your ship will be easy—it's getting out of orbit that will be hard because as you figured out when you came in…Richard is ready for anything." Casey said dismally.

"If you are so against him, why did you not fight back sooner?" Spock asked them as they slunk along, trying to avoid the other guards.

Kirk nodded. "And where is this General Alex that has everything under control?"

Alex shot him a look. "Don't be sexist, Captain."

It took Kirk a moment to realize that the male General he'd been looking for had actually been female and right in front of his face. He apologized and Alex accepted it after a pause, and then Casey turned to Spock to address his question and found herself completely giddy. She'd never seen a Vulcan before up close and personal—she'd only gotten to read about them. Here was one right next to her, first officer as she had been once, and she just wanted to dissect him sort of…she needed to figure out what made him tick.

"After the first year down here it became obvious to Alex and me that if we wanted to survive, then we had to go along with it. I let Dick appoint me to Queen, Alex let him appoint her to the head of the Royal Guards, and we kept to our own business while trying to get Richard out of the way secretly. Against the prime directive or no, you can't just kill your captain." Casey said with a look on her face like Spock should know that.

Alex nodded. "No matter how badly I wanted to stab him in his sleep most nights."

"How very humanitarian of you." McCoy told her sarcastically.

Alex smiled at the man with the beautiful eyes. "It would have been more humanitarian had I simply offed him and let the people get back to their lives while Casey and I found a way to get off of this planet—but like Casey said…you can't just kill your captain."

The men were quite pleased to hear that though they no longer had the same loyalty for their captain that they used to, the women in front of them were able to show loyalty. They were simply trying to find the right people to take Richard down, and they had succeeded. They were going to get off of this planet, and they were going to somehow get a Federation ship here to take care of Richard. Unfortunately for them though, they had two trips in the transporter to make.

"There's too many of us." Alex said, counting them all. "We have to make two trips."

"Can you do that in just 45 seconds?" Casey asked. "Alex and I will come up in the second group but…that's cutting it a little close, don't you think, Captain?"

Kirk didn't know why, but he was highly flattered that she already considered him her new captain. She and Alex were waiting for orders, and Kirk found himself definitely trusting them—especially since they hadn't tried to kill any of them yet. They actually genuinely seemed to want to go with them to the Enterprise, and help them to get away from the life that Richard had built on Carthos. Though apparently not attracted to him, Kirk was still attracted to Casey, and he admired her determination to get them all to safety. It was settled—they were definitely coming with them.

Spock raised an eyebrow. "So far you have shown us that you can be trusted…but when you return you will have to answer for what you did down here."

"We are well away of that, Commander." Casey told him, looking him up and down even though he was starting to irritate her—she was definitely attracted to the disgruntled man in front of her. "Now are we helping you to escape or not?"

"Spock? You, Bones, Chekov and Sulu will beam up first, and then Casey, Alex and I will come up in the second wind." Kirk instructed.

"But Captain—" Spock protested, not entirely sure that they should leave the captain in the hands of two that could still potentially turn on them.

"—you have your orders, Mr. Spock." Kirk replied.

Spock nodded, and they followed Casey and Alex into the main control room, Spock watching as Casey went to the large console. Alex smiled a little at the beauty that was Leonard McCoy, and McCoy smiled at her politely, highly intrigued by her as well. Alex could care less that Spock was hovering over Casey to make sure that she was doing what she needed to be doing. As an ex security commander, Alex was quite aware of what it was like to follow around suspicious persons. They were new to them and still capable of turning on them, so it was only natural for the Vulcan to suspect something—he was after all the logical one of them all.

Casey couldn't help but smile a little as the attractive pointy-eared man came up behind her, close enough that she could feel his breath on her. She knew that she was going to have to serve under him when they go to the Enterprise, so why not show off a little? Then it dawned on her—when they got to the Enterprise, what station would she be in? She wouldn't get to be the first officer anymore, and she definitely wouldn't get to be queen of an entire planet. Fantastic…she was getting demoted. This was all Richard's fault! He was so lucky that he wasn't there right then to feel her wrath!

"It would be beneficial if you simply input—" Spock tried.

"—I know what I'm doing, thank you very much." Casey cut him off. "I was just focusing on something else.

Spock nodded. "I was quite aware when you became slightly less efficient."

"Oh so you couldn't tell by the glazed over look on my face?" She asked him bitterly.

She sighed and apologized when Spock backed off a little, Spock nodding in acceptance of the apology. She was simply stressed about what was going on, and nervous to be leaving the place she'd somehow secretly called home. Alex was feeling the same way, wondering why she never realized how much this planet had grown on her. She was glad to leave the people to their own devices, but she had grown so used to her position of power—it would be hard to go back.

"I expect you both to come directly to Sick Bay for physicals." McCoy told Alex, heading over to stand with Spock, Chekov and Sulu as Kirk explained to Scotty that he had limited time to get this all done.

Alex winked. "I'll be ready and waiting, Doctor."

McCoy smiled at the blatant flirting and then was energized up onto the ship, Casey coming over and right as they began to get beamed up, the alarms going off, Richard showed up and grabbed Casey's hand.

****

"Let me go!" Casey cried as they made it up to the Enterprise.

By grabbing a hold of her, Richard had caught a ride up on the transporter and now had her pulled close to him. Kirk had pulled his phaser out on Richard, but Richard had a dagger, and held it flush against Casey's throat. With the free hand, Casey motioned for Kirk to put the phaser down, Kirk having to grab Alex to hold her back. Alex was certain she could take Richard without damaging Casey, but at the same time, it was a hard situation to deal with. What did he want anyways? They were leaving him there to his own devices. Granted they would have sent the Federation after him but still.

"You will be beaming both of us back down." Richard told Kirk firmly.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Way to give the captain all the power."

"I am your captain!" Richard exclaimed, completely livid.

Casey would have nodded but the knife was starting to cut into her throat a little bit and she could only wince. She noticed Spock coming towards them ever so slowly out of Richard's eyesight, and smiled ever so slightly—disgruntled Vulcan to the rescue. She was a much bigger fan of his, as was Alex, who put her hands up in surrender when she saw Spock take a step out of the corner of her eye, a drop of blood falling from Casey's neck onto her clothes. If they could just get Richard away from her, this could all be over now.

"Ease up on me, Baby." Casey told Richard soothingly, reaching her free hand up to his wrist as he clutched the knife even harder.

"You were going to leave me for them." Richard said. "That's the worst thing a first officer could do to her captain."

Casey nodded a little as the knife moved a little bit away from her neck. "It is the worst thing I could do to you and I'm sorry."

"You can't just take my sister." Alex told Richard strongly.

Kirk reached out to put a hand on her shoulder and though he was still kind of a stranger to her, Alex welcomed the comfort. Kirk apparently understood what it meant to have someone you had to care for no matter what, and Alex felt a little stronger. She'd always a little more emotionally in control, but watching her sister bleed because of Richard being a jackass was not on her list of things to see in her lifetime. She wanted Richard gone and she wanted him gone now. Why couldn't he have just stayed on Carthos and gotten the Hell out of their lives? She was done feeling loyalty for him—he'd lost that right a long time ago.

"I still need you too, Alexandra." Richard told her. "Come back with me."

"Richard…that is not your home anymore." Kirk tried. "You need to come back and have a hearing."

Richard shook his head. "You do not control me, Captain!"

"Baby, come on, please?" Casey asked him, wincing as the knife sliced her a little.

Spock acted on impulse and reached out to Vulcan nerve pinch Richard, Casey getting the knife out of his hand as he collapsed on the transporter pad. Spock reached out to check her wound and though he didn't show any concern in his eyes since it was only logical to check her wound, Casey smiled at him a little since she felt safe with him around. Alex hurried over to her and checked her over, smacking her arm hard making Casey shoot her a look. She'd just been cut for heaven's sake! Why was Alex hitting her?

"I actually believed the 'baby' part!" Alex told her sister angrily. "Tell me you wouldn't tap that!"

Casey laughed, as she held her throat. "I wouldn't—he is so not my type."

"You should get to Sick Bay." Kirk told them with a smile. "Doctor McCoy will be awaiting your arrival."

Alex and Casey nodded, both of them being escorted there by Commander Spock. He was certainly much more willing to believe their loyalty now, but it did not change the fact that he was worried that they would get too attached to the ship and not remember there was a hearing they would have to go to. They had still been part of the breaking of the prime directive, and they had to answer for that. It was the only logical conclusion that Spock could come to but still…Casey and Alex were their guests, not their prisoners. They had proven that they could be trusted, and that they could work as members of the crew.

"Sick Bay." Spock announced.

"We can take it from here, Handsome." Casey told him with a wink, and as he raised his eyebrow, Alex dragged her by the hand into the medical bay.

McCoy looked up and rushed over. "What happened?"

Casey waved it off. "Richard hitched a ride and got a little knife happy—just a flesh wound."

McCoy nodded, worried about hers and Alex's safety, sneaking a glance at Alex as he healed Casey's wound. Casey smiled at him, glad that she could be healed and not have to tough it out for the most part like on the planet, and then she noticed the looks being exchanged between McCoy and Alex. Alex was completely enthralled by him—completely taken with him. Casey hadn't seen Alex taken with a man for years…at least not since the man on Carthos a good three years back that died in the ring.

"What about those physicals, Doctor?" Alex asked him.

Casey coughed. "God please—not in front of me."

McCoy actually blushed. "She meant the physicals I have to perform on you two before you start your temporary duties on the Enterprise."

"Oh, doctor—I'm not one for sloppy second—perform on me first, please." She told him.

McCoy couldn't help but a laugh a little at her forward joke, Alex nudging her sister in the ribs a little harder than normal. Alex was already crushing on the doctor with the beautiful eyes, and Casey was making the entire situation with him completely uncomfortable. Casey held her hands up in surrender and agreed to the physicals, both of them passing with flying colors. They'd been kept healthy and in shape on the planet, and after a couple more flirtatious glances between Alex and McCoy, Alex and Casey were escorted by Spock to their quarters, Alex rolling her eyes as Casey made a subtle pass at Spock he didn't even notice, and then he left the two to contemplate things, their quarters right next to each other.

"We've been demoted." Casey said dismally. "But on the bright side, the doctor was checking you out!"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Casey…and it seriously sucks we were demoted."

"Yeah—who do we have to sleep with around here for a promotion?" Casey asked and then sighed. "Sorry…horny queen seeping through…too much time on that stupid planet. I used to be professional!"

Alex laughed. "You'll chill out soon enough. Six years was a long time, and we can't change back overnight."

Casey nodded. "You're right—let's meet up early and go to the Mess Hall, game?"

"Game." Alex replied with a smile.