Bones and Annie had been put up in the guest house. Leonard appreciated that they had a whole house to get away from his relatives in.
"I like them," Annie chuckled lying in bed next to him. She was lying on her side to face him, her head propped up by her hand.
"And they like you," he replied. "I can't believe after all this time it was me leaving that they were upset about." He rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling.
"Well, sometimes you just have to ask," she winked at him. "I need a glass of water." She leaned over and kissed him before getting out of bed.
Leonard laid in bed thinking about what she said. She was right; if he had just asked his mom in the first place, he wouldn't have been so hesitant to bring Annie along. And that had been the best thing for him. He closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep when he heard a crash of broken glass come from the kitchen. Not sparing a moment of thought, he jumped out of bed and ran into the kitchen.
When he got there, he saw the broken glass on the floor but not Annie. Instead he saw a face he had hoped he would never be confronted with again.
"Ubel," he heard Annie squeak out behind him. He turned and saw that she was standing against the wall looking paler than he had ever seen her. The man took a step forward causing Bones to step in front of Annie.
"How did you get here?" He asked. Ubel began to laugh.
"You honestly thought that blast killed me?" He sneered. Annie finally got over her initial shock and stepped around Bones.
"How did you find me?" she asked, curiosity winning out over her fear. Ubel stepped towards her.
"My dear, I will always be able to find you," he said softly almost as if he was fond of her. Annie shuddered away, taking a step back.
"I'm not your property," she snapped. Ubel seemed to get a little frustrated.
"You forget, I gave you back your life. I made you special. You owe me everything," he sneered.
"I owe you nothing!" She yelled. "I didn't ask you to drag me out of that ship and I certainly didn't ask for everything you did to me on that planet." Annie was shaking and Bones could see it. He took a step toward her, squeezing her hand to let her know he was there. Ubel laughed again.
"So you're in love is it?" He jeered. "Oh how cute. Has he had you yet? Have you let him touch you like I used to?" Annie shrunk back away from him and let go of Leonard's hand. "I didn't think so. Alright. I will give you three days to say your goodbyes. Make them count because you will not be returning for a long time. But make no mistake, I will return and when I do, you will be coming home with me." And he disappeared.
Annie collapsed to her knees gasping for breath in her panicked state. She continued to hyperventilate as Bones crouched down to her.
"Annie, he's gone. You're safe now," he whispered. She finally looked at him, desperately trying not to cry. She shook her head as her breathing began to slow.
"I'll never be safe. Not if he's still alive. And he knows where I am," she choked. Bones was finally confident that she had calmed down and he stood up.
"I'm calling Jim," he announced. Annie looked desperately at him.
"No, it's bad enough you're involved. I can't let anyone else get hurt," she protested.
"Dammit, Annie. They're your friends. That's what they're there for," he countered. "I don't care what you say this time, I'm calling Jim." He promptly left the room to grab his comm.
Jim knew that Bones wouldn't be calling in the middle of the night if it wasn't important. He couldn't imagine what could have happened but he answered immediately anyway.
"Bones, what is it?" He yawned into the comm.
"Jim, we've got a problem. Ubel found Annie and he's coming back for her," Leonard answered curtly.
"Wait hold up. Who's Ubel?" Jim asked. He recognized the name but he couldn't seem to remember where.
"Remember Condan? The creep who took Annie? He's here," Bones replied. Jim almost dropped his comm in shock.
"I thought he was dead," he said incredulously.
"We all did, Jim," came the doctor's reply. "But he's here." Jim thought for a long moment.
"Okay, let me call Spock and Uhura. We can be down there in a few hours," he finally resolved. Leonard sighed a little in relief.
"Alright, I'll tell Annie. Be careful, Jim," he warned.
"I will. Take care of her, Bones," Jim answered before shutting his comm. Leonard shoved his back into his pocket and returned to the kitchen where Annie was still sitting staring at the floor.
"Hey," he breathed as he knelt back down to her. "Jim's on his way. He's bringing some of the crew too. I promise we're going to fix this, all of us."
Annie nodded slightly. She was done arguing that she had to do it on her own. She knew that Leonard wouldn't let her.
"Come here," Leonard invited opening his arms for her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "We're gonna be okay." Annie pulled away enough to look him in the eyes.
Annie was overwhelmed by the concern that she found in them. Slowly, she leaned up and kissed him. It was tentative at first as she slid her hands to his face but as he held her closer, she moved her hands to his hair and he deepened the kiss. Moments later, he had shifted so that his hands were splayed on her back as he leaned over her, causing her to shift so that she was lying under him. He pulled away, realizing they were still on the kitchen floor.
"We should go back to bed," he said, panting slightly. She sat up and nodded sheepishly. When they got back to the bedroom, Annie stopped him.
"We don't have to stop," she whispered barely loud enough for him to hear. He turned around and looked at her.
"Annie," he started but couldn't find words to continue. He saw that she was entirely serious. "You're sure?" He asked. Taking a step toward him, she reconnected their lips.
"Yes," she answered before he captured her mouth, picking her up and laying her on the bed.