Disclaimer: I don't own the movies or its characters. They belong to their rightful owners and I only borrow them for this non-profit story.

A/N: Yet another story featuring StarLightCrystalix' OC Lexie, based on her last short story. My own version of one of Lexie's nightmares. Takes place during "Back to Purgatory" and it's better to read that first. Rated "M" for violence and swearing,tissue warning!

~Caught in a bad dream ~

When Lexie heard slow steps echoing through the hallway, she immediately felt hope rise in her chest. She moved her head to glance at Chekov and Kirk who were still caught in the arachnid's web just like her. Their smiling faces showed the same expression of relief. McCoy and Scotty would come to get them! They would be fine! Hopefully, the spider was somewhere far away so that it wouldn't realize that its prey was taken from it.

The door opened but when a figure entered the room, Lexie's smile faded instantly. She couldn't believe who was standing there.

'No. That's not possible!'

She felt her heart beating faster and faster as the person stepped forward, shook her head in disbelief. It was neither the Doctor nor the Chief Engineer standing there.

"You… you're dead," she stuttered, her body trembling in fear.

Kyle.

It was her dead uncle who was slowly pacing through the room, coming to a halt right beneath the web. He looked up, a smug smile on his lips. He let his gaze wander from one person to the other, eventually letting his cold eyes rest on Lexie again.

"Hello, Lexie. Captain, Ensign. So nice to see you again."

Lexie just stared at him in shock before she looked at Jim and Pavel. Did they see him too? Or was she imagining the ghost of her uncle? Judging by the look on her Captain's face it was the first option. His eyes were fixed on the man standing in the room. He clenched his fist despite his arms being stuck inside of the web.

"I thought we blew you and your ship to pieces," he said through gritted teeth and Kyle laughed at that.

"Well, seems like you were wrong, Captain. I'm alive and well."

He grabbed the phaser he held in his hand tighter and lifted it up, pointing it at Lexie. No! She didn't want to die! Lexie felt tears swelling in her eyes as she violently shook her head.

"Let's get you down, my dear, so that we can talk somewhere in private."

It was only a moment until her body fell down, hitting the ground roughly. She felt a hand grabbing her by her hair, pulling her up.

"Lexie!", Pavel screamed out her name in fear and then she heard Kirk's voice: "Get your dirty hands off her!"

When Lexie lifted her head to look into her uncle's eyes, she saw that he was staring at her Captain, grinning mischievously. Her heart skipped a beat as the man lifted his phaser once again.

"I don't think that you're in a position to be making demands, Captain. Let's stop this man from putting bees in your bonnet, alright, Lexie?"

"Let her go, you dam-" Jim was not able to finish the sentence as a shot echoed through the air, hitting him in his chest. Both, Lexie and Chekov screamed out their Captain's name, but when the young Engineer looked at him all she could see were his soft blue eyes, all light fading from them. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. No!

"You… killed him," she stammered, her voice not more than a mere whisper. Kyle had just killed her superior officer, her friend!

She wanted to punch her uncle in his stupid face but her body still didn't move an inch. All she could do was watch in horror as Kirk's head slumped forward, his muscles not working anymore. Then she felt herself getting pulled into Kyle's arms. Her back was pressed against his chest and he pointed the phaser at her head.

"Well… now that we took care of that man, let's make sure that the other won't tell anyone about it," he whispered into Lexie's ear, his cold breath making her shiver. Her eyes wandered to the Navigator who was still entangled in the arachnid's web. He looked at Lexie, his eyes widened in fear.

"No…"

Not him. Not Pavel! He'd been one of the first persons to befriend her. He was there for her when she needed comfort. He made her laugh, made her feel like she belonged. He was just like a brother to her. Kyle had already taken one brother from her. He couldn't take the other too.

"Say your last goodbye."

She wanted to scream when the shot followed and hit the Ensign in his head but no sound escaped her mouth.

"See? That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

She clenched her hand into a fist. She'd kill him. She'd make Kyle pay for what he had done!

Lexie quickly turned around, taking her uncle by surprise, and she was able to get a hold of the phaser. They fought over it but when Lexie finally held it in her hands, Kyle kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying to the ground. She lost her hold on the device and it slid over the floor to Kyle but instead of picking it up, her uncle just stamped on it, breaking it to pieces.

"I don't need a phaser to make you obey me." With that he pulled a knife out of his pocket and Lexie immediately felt her scar burning. He had stabbed her once and he wouldn't hesitate to do it again. The Engineer tried to get the knife she had hidden in her boot since her last encounter with that man but she was not fast enough. Kyle pulled her to her feet and slammed her body against the wall, pressing the blade against her throat. She felt a stinging pain as the knife cut through her skin slightly and she could feel blood running down her neck. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see that man killing her.

"I should kill you right away for being such a stubborn brat," Kyle hissed at her but then he slowly pulled the knife back. "But first I'll make you watch the rest of your pathetic friends die."

He grabbed her by her arm, pulling Lexie with him and they left the room. Lexie wanted to fight but the knife at her throat was enough to stop her. She wasn't afraid of dying, or maybe she was, but more importantly she needed to stay alive to save the rest of her friends. Watching Jim and Pavel die had been enough. Kyle was walking right behind her, using her as protective shield in case the arachnid or one of the others tried to attack him.

It didn't take too long and Lexie heard steps echoing through the hallways. No… She had to warn whoever it was but if she screamed than Kyle would possibly cut her throat right away. So she kept on walking, finally coming to a halt and looking around a corner. What she saw made her blood run cold.

McCoy was walking through the building, apparently searching for something. Before Lexie could make a noise, Kyle already pushed her forward so that they were standing in the middle of the hallway.

The Doctor quickly lifted his phaser, pointing it at whoever was there and his eyes widened when he saw Lexie and her uncle.

"Lexie!" He didn't lower his weapon but he didn't shoot at Kyle either because he held the young Engineer in front of him. It was too dangerous.

"A friend of yours?", Kyle simply asked and Lexie didn't answer. She only stared at McCoy who was slowly walking towards them.

"Let her go," he gave her uncle an order. Lexie had never heard the Doctor so angry before. Okay… he often got angry with Scotty and Jim for doing some stupid actions but this was different. The man's voice was filled with pure hatred. His eyes were glaring at Kyle.

"Don't think that I can do that. She's mine after all," her uncle replied with a smirk on his face and this only seemed to anger McCoy even more as his grip around the phaser tightened. He was really close to them by now.

"The kid belongs to no one! She has a free will, man. And you'll let her go right now or I will stun your ass."

McCoy's threat didn't seem to work for Kyle only laughed at him.

"Now come on. You really don't stand a chance against me."

"Yeah well, wanna try fight me without Lexie standing between the two of us?"

Another cold chuckle escaped Kyle's mouth. McCoy was standing right in front of them by now.

"I'd love to. But you'd die just like that pathetic Captain of yours."

It merely took seconds, McCoy staring at them in shock and disbelief, lowering his phaser in surprise, but suddenly Lexie felt herself getting pushed aside. She hit the floor and when she looked up, her eyes widened in horror. Drops of blood splattered in her face when Kyle stabbed the knife into McCoy's abdominal artery, pulling him into a strange hug so that the body would not fall to the floor instantly. The Doctor just stared into his cold eyes, tried to say something but when Kyle pulled the blade back out, he only managed to give him a blood-filled cough.

"Told you that you don't stand a chance." With that Lexie's uncle dropped the lifeless body and it fell to the floor next to the Engineer. She crawled over to McCoy, shaking her head once again.

"No, no, no…" Her voice broke as she started to cry. This shouldn't be happening! McCoy shouldn't be dead! He… he should save them, take care of their injuries. He was the CMO! Why couldn't he save his own dam life then?!

"Three to go," her uncle's voice sounded from above her head but she didn't move. Three members of her family, still alive. Keenser, Delta… and Scotty. There was no way that she would let Kyle kill them.

"You monster!" Once again, she longed for her knife but this time she was rewarded with a blow on the head.

When she woke up again, she was tied to a tubing, couldn't move her hands. She looked around and suddenly Kyle knelt down right in front of her. Behind him she could see Scotty, Keenser and Delta. All of them laying on the cold floor, not moving. Keenser looked sick. Oh no… had he really been poisoned that badly? It was all her fault. And without medical treatment he was sure to die. A lump formed in her throat and the tears came back.

'McCoy's dead. He won't get any treatment if we can't get him back aboard the ship.'

She swallowed hard as she looked at Scotty who was holding Delta in his arms. Apparently, he had tried to protect the little guy from Kyle.

"That was way too easy, Lexie. The alien was already knocked out and the Scotsman? That idiot tried to fight me with his bare hands when he saw you in my arms. But he's still not much of a fighter now, is he? And then I simply kicked your little toy against the wall. You should have seen that Engineer pushing his bruised body to get over to him. So pathetic!"

Kyle stood up and walked over to them. He kicked Keenser's body with one foot, looking down at him in disgust.

"You think I have to kill that thing or will it just die by itself because of poison?"

Lexie gritted her teeth. How dare he talk about Keenser like that?! He was a living, breathing creature and not some kind of thing!

Kyle just shrugged when Lexie didn't answer and walked over to Scotty and Delta. Just then the little robot's eyes slowly activated again. He turned his head to look at Lexie and then he managed to stand up. He was unsteady, but still he took small steps, trying to cross the room. He didn't even realize that Kyle was standing next to him.

"Lexie," he said and Lexie wanted to stretch out her hands towards him. But she wasn't able to because they were still tied to the tubing behind her back. She kept her eyes fixed on her friend as he got closer.

"You're… okay, Lexie?" His voice was slurred, some parts had probably been damaged due to the impact after getting kicked. Lexie just nodded.

"It's okay, Delta. I'm fine. I-"

Before she could finish, what she meant to say, it happened. Kyle let his foot sink down, crashing Delta's little metallic body beneath it.

Lexie just screamed. It was a heart-wrenching noise that filled the air. Not Delta! Images of the time she'd spent with her robotic companion flashed through her mind. The days when she had built him, the times they had studied together, had laughed and cried. Delta had always been there. He'd been her only friend for so many years, the only thing keeping her alive. And now… he was gone! This couldn't be true! It couldn't be happening!

Lexie cried so hard that she could not see clearly but still she was able to recognize Scotty slowly getting up from the floor. He swayed, not being able to stand on solid feet, but he lifted his fists, ready to fight once more.

Kyle's eyes wandered to him and he smirked.

"Now… I've gotta admit that you're quite stubborn. A typical Scotsman. But that won't save your life, old man."

Scotty didn't seem to care. He attacked Kyle, punching him in his face, but he was still weakened by their first fight. Kyle grabbed him by his neck and threw him across the room so that the Chief Engineer landed flat on his stomach, right in front of Lexie. He lifted his head to look at her and she could see tears in his eyes which slowly fought their way down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, lass. I'm sorry that I couldn't save them. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you."

Lexie wanted to tell him that it was not him to blame, that all of this was Kyle's fault. But she didn't get the chance because suddenly Kyle was there, kneeling down next to Scotty. He grabbed the Engineer by the head of his hair and then… he cut his throat, just like he had done with Lexie's parents all these years ago.

Blood. There was so much blood. She could feel it on her face, on her hands. And once again she screamed.

"NOOOOOO!"

"Lex! Lexie, wake up!"

That voice. She knew it. She knew it all too well. But… it was impossible. Her Captain was dead after all. Kyle had shot him. So why did she hear his voice?

"Lex!"

Pavel? What-

Lexie forced her eyes to open and she couldn't believe it. They were right next to her! Kirk… and Chekov. They were alive! They were all still hanging in the arachnid's web.

"Kirk, Pavel?"

"Thank god, you're finally awake! You screamed all this time. That must have been one hell of a nightmare, you had," Kirk sighed and Lexie suddenly realized that she was still crying. Jim gave her a reassuring smile.

"Whatever it was… It wasn't real, Lexie. We'll be just fine, you'll see. Bones and Scotty will save us. I'm sure about that."

Lexie swallowed hardly. But then she just nodded. It had been a nightmare. Nothing of it had happened for real. She'd simply fallen asleep waiting for help to arrive.

When her friends finally burst into the room and they were reunited, she just smiled in relief. Kyle was dead. He wouldn't hurt her family. And she would make sure that no one else did.