The Romanian Circus is the name of a con mentioned in Leverage (s04e05 The Hot Potato Job).

6

The Romanian Circus

Day 384

Chekov found him sitting alone in one of the observation decks. Jim had been surprised to see it empty but had been thankful for the solitude. Watching the stars helped him feel calmer. It was almost a kind of meditation. Spock would probably approve, he thought ruefully.

"Keptin, are you okay?" Chekov asked as he sat next to him on the floor.

"I'm fine." He lied and the pulsing in his head seemed to intensify. McCoy's hypo hadn't done anything for the pain but Jim had expected that. "Just having some trouble sleeping."

Chekov nodded, "Me too." By the small smile that crossed the navigator's face, Kirk figured it was because of more cheerful thoughts than his. Chekov was probably just too happy they had found him to sleep.

Kirk watched his friend fiddle with the PADD in his hands, as if he was nervous about something. "You working on something?" he asked, gesturing towards the PADD.

Chekov shook his head, "No, it's nothing."

"So why did I see my name before the screen went dark?"

Chekov looked a bit embarrassed. "I archived all news regarding your disappearance in a folder with your name." Chekov confessed to Kirk's surprise. "I know it was probably pointless, but I kept thinking what if someone outside Starfleet found something actually important? It never happened though."

"Can I see?" he asked and Chekov handed him the PADD.

As he scrolled through the well organized archive, Kirk found himself thinking it would be a lot faster if Spock melded with him and just downloaded all the information in his brain, but Jim couldn't allow Spock to see and feel all he had been through during his captivity. More than anything he couldn't allow himself to feel that safe and that close to Spock ever again, or he was scared he wouldn't be able to let go of him and do what had to be done.

"It's stupid." Chekov said, breaking Jim out of his thoughts.

"I don't think it is." Kirk said and started browsing a few videos that were marked Starfleet. He turned the volume off and watched Bones punch a reporter in the mouth.

"Hikaru thought I was just torturing myself." Chekov said just as Kirk started to play a different video.

"People cope in different ways." Kirk started saying before tensing up, "What's that asshole doing there?! "

"Who?" Confused, Chekov looked closer at the screen just as Kirk turned the volume on and the interviewer's voice answered his question.

"Today we are joined by former Starfleet Commander Oscar Stevenson. Commander, it's a pleasure."

"Who is he?" Chekov asked, sensing there was much more behind that name than he could possibly imagine.

Kirk's words were lodged in his throat. He's the one who killed a man just because he looked like you.

Day 384

A few minutes later Kirk slammed Chekov's PADD down on the table in front of Pike, "This guy." He almost growled the words.

Pike played the video interview for a few seconds, "You know him?"

"He's one of the people who took me. Or at least he works for them." Kirk said and around the conference room where they had gathered the reactions varied from shock to anger as Chekov played the video on a bigger screen for them.

"I can't believe this." Pike muttered.

"Do you know anything about him?" Kirk asked and Spock immediately grabbed his own PADD.

"His records are sealed." He reported when his search failed, "A higher security clearance is required, Admiral."

"I don't need to access his records, Spock. I know him." Pike said, looking graver than usual. "He was dishonorably discharged from Starfleet."

"What for?" Chekov asked.

Pike briefly closed his eyes as if preparing himself. "He worked for Starfleet Intelligence. One of their most important duties is to monitor and report threats to the Federation so that we can intervene to prevent or at least contain the crisis." He paused, clearly hesitating "They failed to do that with Tarsus IV."

The entire room seemed to freeze at the words and Jim's eyes searched his mother, who was sitting at the table between Uhura and McCoy, face pale and tired.

"Stevenson was among the people blamed for our late intervention." Pike continued, "There were trials, some people were discharged, some demoted or reassigned, a few resigned out of conscience. It was an ugly mess. I haven't seen him since then."

"Are you saying the same people who are responsible for my son's death are the ones who kidnapped Jim?" Winona asked, some of her distress clear in her voice.

"Kodos is responsible for Sam's death not Starfleet." Jim objected quietly.

She shook her head, "Starfleet should have saved him. They should have stopped that massacre."

"If there was some kind of involvement internal to Starfleet Tamaro would have found out about it by now." Pike assured them, trying to steer the conversation away from a topic that had no right answer and no possible end.

"How do we know Tamaro isn't involved too?" Winona shot back.

"Because I've known her since the Academy and I'm sure of where her loyalties lie." Pike replied.

"Who's Tamaro?" Kirk asked, confused.

"Captain Tamaro works for Starfleet Intelligence and she was assigned the Enterprise when it seemed we couldn't find you." Pike answered. "At least until your people stupidly decided to mutiny against her."

"Mutiny?!" Kirk instinctively turned to Spock, "And you didn't stop it?"

Spock quirked an eyebrow, "I initiated it."

"The plan was to use the Enterprise to find you." Scotty intervened, and then he added proudly, "It was my idea."

Kirk gaped at him, "It was your idea to steal a Starfleet vessel? Are you crazy?"

"It didn't feel like the right time to be law abiding citizens!" Scotty defended.

Sulu actually snorted, "You would have done the same thing."

"It did sound a lot like one of your ideas." McCoy agreed. Kirk could only stare in disbelief.

"You've been a bad influence on them." Pike commented drily.

They all seemed amused by the whole thing, except for maybe Pike, so Jim decided to drop it, feeling warmed at the thought of the lengths they were willing to go for him and relieved the tension in the room had lessened.

"So how did Tamaro take it?" Kirk asked Pike.

"Let's just say I'm lucky she's a friend. I managed to reassign her to Starfleet Intelligence with a promotion."

"She literally saved our asses a couple times with the info she gathered." McCoy added for Jim's benefit.

"She didn't deserve to be mutinied against." Uhura commented and even Winona had to agree, having only doubted her out of anger.

"She really didn't." Pike confirmed. He had never stopped glaring at them every time the topic of their mutiny had come up.

"You know," Scotty interjected, "this whole thing sounds a bit like a con."

Sulu frowned at him, "What do you mean? "

"I mean, what if they're trying to trick us into believing some part of Starfleet is involved into this just to distract us from seeing the real culprits? What if that guy was just brainwashed like they tried to do to Jim? "

"It is possible," Spock conceded, "but we have no proof to support this hypothesis."

"Actually, "Pike intervened, "there is something that might corroborate Mr. Scott's theory. Jim handed me a data card when he got on the Enterprise that stated he was part of a secret section of Starfleet Intelligence. I knew it was a lie because that section did exist and it was dismantled eighteen years ago, but someone with a lower security clearance and no idea what it was might have believed it. Maybe I'm wrong but if some branch of Starfleet was involved you'd think they'd use a more solid cover-up."

Kirk closed his eyes and his head jerked slightly to the side. McCoy was about to ask if he was in pain because Kirk's expression was one he had never seen on his friend's face, but Jim beat him to it, "Even if it's all a ploy to make us believe Starfleet is involved it doesn't give us much to work with. We still don't know where they are. We're basically sitting ducks waiting for them to make a move." He looked up to see Spock and McCoy observing him intently.

"Are you okay?" McCoy asked.

"I'm fine." Kirk replied and he could see both Spock and McCoy were about to protest but lucky for him Pike started talking again.

"Was Stevenson the only one you ever saw?"

"No, I saw others, too, all Human. And the doctor, a male Reelan who patched me up every time I was hurt."

Pike frowned, "A Reelan? How did a Reelan get involved with this? "

"And how do I know he treated you correctly?" McCoy interrupted, "He could have messed you up!"

While Pike and McCoy were familiar with the alien species, others at the table seemed to be a bit confused which prompted Spock to pull up on the screen some information to refresh their memory.

"Reelans are a warp capable humanoid species from planet Reela. They were offered entrance in the Federation but chose not to join." He explained as they all looked at the image of a male Reelan on the screen. His skin was a very light grey, he had shoulder-length white hair that was typical of the species at any age and big amber eyes that stood out like burning coals. "Approximately fifty years ago their planet was devastated by a tectonics shift that decimated their population. The Federation offered help to the survivors but they declined."

"As far as we know they're a peaceful people who like to be left alone," Pike said, "do you think this Reelan could be a victim too? "

" I don't know anything for sure." Kirk admitted, feeling quite discouraged.

Pike put a comforting hand on Jim's arm before turning to Uhura, "We need to send a message to Tamaro. Tell her we found Jim and everything we know or think we know. We're going to need some help."

"You said they always seem to be one step ahead of you. How do you know they don't monitor all Starfleet's communications?" Kirk questioned.

"We don't." Uhura admitted, "But I've been working on my own encryption program and while I can't say absolutely that they won't be able to decipher it, it will at least be a new challenge."

"Buying us some time. Very good, lieutenant." Pike complimented her, "That's our priority now."

Uhura stood up and turned to Kirk, "Want to work on it with me?"

Kirk didn't expect that but he gladly accepted, wanting to escape further questioning from McCoy.

Day 256

Kirk groaned in pain as two guards laid him down on a biobed and strapped his calves and wrists to it so he couldn't move. Not that there was any chance of that after the flogging he had just received. He was bleeding, his legs felt like jelly and he didn't even want to imagine what his back looked like in that moment. As he drifted in and out of consciousness he heard noises around him and for one blissful moment of incoherence he thought Bones had arrived to take care of him.

He screamed when something cool touched the gashes on his back.

"Pain is your punishment, Mr. Kirk." A voice said. It was the Reelan doctor Kirk had already been brought to multiple times. He had a weird accent that made all his s sound like ch and Kirk had wondered if all Reelans talked like that when speaking Standard or if it was just this one. "Maybe you should stop breaking the rules."

The whirring sound of a machine filled the air and Kirk could feel the prickle of his skin cells regenerating, the pulsing of his blood being redirected inside the body.

"We will leave the scar you procured yourself as a reminder." The doctor said and that was the last thing Kirk heard before surrendering himself to the darkness.

Day 384

"You obviously don't need my help." Kirk observed as he sat next to Uhura in one of the communications lab.

"No, I've got it all setup. I just have to write the message and run the encryption program." She eyed him. "But you looked like you needed a break. Actually you look like you need a hug."

Kirk scoffed, "I've been hugged plenty."

"And yet you're still holding back." Uhura casually replied.

Kirk chose to ignore the remark and changed the subject, "If this is an encryption you devised yourself and you've kept it secret, how's Starfleet going to decode it? "

"Well, there's one person I know will manage that." Uhura shot him a conniving glance.

Kirk looked confused for a moment, "Gaila! " he said and Uhura smiled, "How is she doing? "

"She's as good as new and back to work. She wanted to come with us when you disappeared but she was still in the hospital." Uhura shrugged, "Maybe it was better this way. It's good knowing there's people we absolutely trust backing us up."

Kirk nodded.

"Spock helped me figure out some parts of the code." Uhura continued as she entered the message, "I think he got the inspiration from the subroutine you used to beat his test. Go figure."

Kirk couldn't help laughing, "He's a sore loser."

Uhura grinned, "Can you blame him? I don't think he ever lost a mind game before he met you."

Kirk smiled but it turned bitter.

Uhura stopped working and turned to look him in the eyes. "It's over, Jim. You're with us now and together we'll find a way out of this mess. You don't have to hold back."

Kirk shook his head, "You don't understand."

Uhura reached for his hand and he let her take it, "Then tell me what I need to understand."

"It doesn't feel like it's over because it's not, Uhura."

"Okay, maybe it isn't over but you're not alone anymore. And don't tell me you've ever given up or lost hope we were coming to rescue you."

When he just stared silently at her she knew she had him.

A satisfied smile blossomed on her face, "I knew it. So stop acting like you've given up because I don't buy it."

Kirk nodded reluctantly, "Fine." While Uhura got back to work, he asked, "How did you find me anyway? "

"We've been following the Orion Syndicate trafficking. At first we thought they were the ones who kidnapped you. Then we found out they weren't the ones stealing the weapons that lead us to them, they were just reselling them, which made us realize they had to be working with whoever took you."

"Wait, how did all that connect with me?"

"We found your blood on one of the vessels used to transport some of the stolen weapons. We checked every inch of that ship and then every location it had been to, but we couldn't find you. We knew we had to follow this string of thefts, though, in hopes of capturing someone that knew where you were. We couldn't imagine they would use you like that." She shook her head in a dismayed way, "Do you remember being transported anywhere?"

"No, they were very careful. I was either sedated or blindfolded. I don't even know where I was when you found me. They just beamed me there." Kirk admitted, his voice betraying his frustration.

"You were on Betazed." Uhura told him and Kirk's eyes widened.

"Betazed?" he repeated, clearly shocked, "When I saw the guards I thought maybe I was on Earth."

"If you didn't notice their eyes it's an understandable mistake."

"But then I saw Spock… and I thought, it can't be." Kirk paused, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

Uhura's voice broke him out of it. "It wasn't the first time we followed them on Betazed, only this time we got there in time."

"Do you have a list of places they stole from that I could look at?" Kirk asked.

She nodded immediately, "Of course." She pulled out a PADD from a drawer and quickly downloaded the list on it, handing it to Jim when she was done. "What are you thinking?"

Kirk shrugged, "Nothing yet, but maybe this will give me a starting point."

They were quiet for a while as Uhura finished the message and sent it to Gaila. Kirk passed the time scrolling down the list of locations and relative stolen items. Once she was done, Uhura turned back to him.

"About Spock… you should talk to him. I can only imagine what you've been through but he's suffered a lot too and you avoiding him like that is hurting him even more."

"I wasn't avoiding him…" he started saying, but stopped when Uhura gave him a look that said he wasn't fooling her.

"Your nose is bleeding!" Uhura exclaimed, a worried frown replacing everything else. Kirk instinctively reached up to check and when he looked, there was blood on his fingers.

"It's okay, I'm sure it's nothing. Probably just the stress." He minimized.

"Did McCoy have time for a full physical?" Uhura asked, obviously unconvinced.

"Yeah, " Kirk lied, "I'm fine. He said I have high blood pressure, maybe it's related. I haven't been very relaxed lately." He said with a smirk and this time Uhura gave him a small smile in return.

"Maybe you should get some rest, then."

"I guess I could go for a nap before Bones resorts to sedating me." He agreed standing up and leaving to reach his quarters.

When he got to the turbolift he was still reading from the PADD Uhura had given him so he didn't notice Spock approaching until he entered the turbolift right after him. Kirk tensed immediately, a feeling that only increased when Spock stopped the turbolift from moving.

"An ambush, Spock, really? That's not a tactic I can appreciate these days." When Spock took one step towards him, Jim warned him, "Don't touch me."

Spock froze, "I do not understand. You appear to be upset with me but I do not know the reason and I cannot surmise anything from our bond."

Kirk frowned, "You said you wouldn't be able to read my mind anyway."

Spock nodded, "It is true but you may remember we were both able to sense the other's general state of mind, which I cannot do now. I believed it was a matter of distance but I realize now that you are blocking our connection."

"I didn't even know I could do that." Kirk muttered. When they had chosen to let the bond grow Jim had been so filled with happiness at the realization they could trust each other in such a profound way that it hadn't even crossed his mind to ask Spock if it could be blocked.

"It is unconscious? Why?"

"Why?!" it was like that question had broken a dam and his desperation flooded out with his words, "Because my mind is a fucking nightmare right now, Spock! You should be thankful you don't get a window into it."

"Is that the reason of your distant behavior?" Spock asked, apparently unfazed by his outburst.

Jim closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again they were filled with sadness, "I can't stand to look at you and see everything I've lost, knowing I'm going to lose it again any moment." He confessed in a quiet tone.

A look of comprehension crossed Spock's features, "You never lost me. You never lost your crew or your family."

"Haven't I?" Kirk retorted, his voice edging into the same desperate tone as before, "Because per your counting I've lost over a year of my life! And I know you're all happy you found me, but I can't be because if there's one thing they tried to beat into me is that somebody's going to get punished." He spit the last word as if it tasted bad in his mouth.

Spock took one more step towards him, overcome with the need to comfort his friend in a way he had rarely experienced. Jim pulled away, his back hitting the wall of the turbolift.

"I said don't touch me. You're a freaking touch telepath and I don't want you to feel…" he closed his eyes, unable to finish his sentence.

Spock refrained from reaching out to Jim, letting his words do it for him, "Jim, you are my t'hy'la and my Captain, let me share your burdens."

"I'm not anybody's captain." He objected weakly and this time he tasted the blood on his lips. Suddenly he didn't feel his legs anymore, as if they were being swept away from under him.

Spock barely managed to catch him before he hit his head falling to the floor.