The woman shared her findings with her companions that night, before retiring for the evening. She insisted she have a few private moments, during which she could meditate.

The men stayed awake longer, in the Captain's room.

"So tomorrow we cause a stir." Kirk paced back and forth, stroking his chin as he schemed.

"Tomorrow, we cause a stir." McCoy nodded a took a swing from the bottle of whiskey he'd snatched on his way past the kitchen.

"You alright, Bones?"

"Just peachy."

"Hey uh...while we have a minute..." Kirk lowered his voice and bit his lip, "There's something I wanted to ask you about."

"Shoot."

"So the other night, I heard...the bed...hitting the wall."

"And?"

"Was that...like a one time thing?"

He groaned and massaged his temples, "No."

"You and Vida huh? How uh...how long's that been a thing?" The subject unsettled the Captain, knowing what he knew.

"...few months...since the last shore leave..." He sighed heavily, beginning to feel the effects of his drink.

"Is that...like a GOOD idea? I mean...I'm kind of surprised because you say a lot of stuff like 'green blooded hobgoblin.' Given that...SHE is a Vulcan-"

"Jim...I love her..."

Jim felt his stomach drop, "Oh God...Really?...I want to be happy for you- I do...Because I know you don't...DATE...often? But," He sighed, "Dammit...there's something you should know."

"She's engaged to someone else."

"You know?!"

"She just told me...But of course...she tells me after I imply we have a future together or somethin stupid like that...Her timing is...just perfect."

In the other room, Vivian sat cross-legged on the floor again.

"Spock."

The voice came in clearer than before.

The Commander excused himself to resume meditation. This time, when he closed his eyes, he appeared again in the garden on Vulcan. The garden was now disturbed by violently swirling winds.

"Vivian?" He felt his form fade in and out like a malfunctioning transporter beam. His eyes squinted to keep out the red dust.

"We're on Talos IV- underground." She had to yell to hear herself over the whooshing sounds. "We're captive in an illusion!"

"You're in a cell! We're trying to find a way underground-" His head throbbed with the tension in the concentration.

"There are three other humans here too! One is a newborn!"

"Anger confuses them! Act angry!" With that he disappeared from her sight and opened his eyes in his own chambers. "Vivian?" He exhaled in frustration. The reports had arrived. Christopher Pike himself had been taken captive by the Talosians years ago. The Talosians were a people who'd seemed to devolve, returning underground and experiencing pleasure through the illusions they inflicted upon their captives. His anger about his captivity perplexed his captors and his insistence on the people developing and experiencing life of their own ultimately led to his freedom. A woman had elected to stay behind, preferring the illusory beauty her captors had offered.

Kirk woke up the next morning and headed to the other room, just to find it empty: a made bed and no suitcases. He doubted that his friends would abandon him, and, instead determined that their captors caught onto their plans.

"Bones?!" He called over the railing.

The townspeople in their happy haze hung banners and ignored him.

"Dr. Vida?!" He knocked on other doors down the hallway, his temper boiling over.

"Hey! HEY! You big head freaks! I'm not playing along with your stupid game anymore!" Kirk pounded on the wall, "You hear me?!"

The walls of the saloon faded and left him in a desert.

"HEY! I HATE you people! You're not even people!" Kirk stomped, spit, and let out a stream of profanity that would embarrass a sailor.

The desert itself faded. Kirk stood behind a clear wall, in a tiny room equipped like a prison cell, finally free of the illusion.

"Hello?!" He banged on the wall in front of him, "Cowards! Show yourselves!" Through the glass, or whatever it was, he could see two other cells. On cell contained his doctor friends, who remained entranced, moving in a way that didn't make sense in their environment. The other cell was nicer, a small bedroom. A couple sat in bed holding a small baby.

"Hello...Captain Kirk," A group of three individuals in grey robes floated forward. Their heads were swollen- their pulsating brains visible under the thin skin. "I am Kalar, the leader of our people." The one in the center spoke up.

"Well, Kalar, on behalf of the United Federation of Planets, I demand you release this senior Starfleet officer."

"We are not part of the United Federation of Planets, though we did encounter another Captain years ago...He promised a research alliance...then never returned."

"Which Captain?"

"Christopher Pike."

Kirk's eyes widened, "Pike was here? Well...it makes sense he didn't come back, seeing as he's dead."

"Our former subject Pike...is deceased?"

"Yes...but a research alliance sounds promising...What research do you do here?" He had an aim of getting them talking.

"Anthropology. We study humans, their hopes, dreams, and the like. Vina was here when the Captain was...David crashed with a different vessel and together they have now provided us another subject...We are untrained in producing new humans, so we scanned databases to find a ship with a suitable physician. We found Dr. Vida and sent a distress signal to the Enterprise...Now she delivers new humans...and just may produce some of her own."

"What are you talking about?"

"She and the other physician engage in regular coitus. Offspring are sure to result eventually."

He cringed at the idea of producing humans like livestock, especially from his friends, but kept his cool. "Listen, if you let me talk to my ship, I may be able to get that research thing set back up and running. But with the crew captive, they're not going to be cooperative...so long as we're down here, they're gonna stay. They will get more aggressive. Other ships will arrive as backup. So, it's up to you- let us work out a mutually beneficial agreement or deal with a full-on Starfleet attack?"

They dismissed Kirk as bluffing, and left him alone again to watch his friends...who seemed to be dancing.

Vivian woke to find that Leonard stayed in the room next door the night before. Though they were still frustrated with each other, they faced the day together once again and were pleasantly surprised to find the townspeople preparing for a festival of some kind. Banners were being hung in the dining rooms whilst pies baked in the kitchen and filled the space with the smell of cinnamon.

"Have you seen Kirk?"

"No...he must've gotten up earlier. Maybe he's on the street somewhere?"

When they stepped out of the saloon, the town bustled with excitement. They pushed through people, calling for their friend who had seemingly disappeared. Musicians played on the platform of the train depot, an upbeat jig with fiddles. Vivian moved closer and noticed that somehow, her clothes and those of her partner had turned into something more festive. She had a powder blue dress with a full skirt and matching hair ribbon.

"Dance with me," She extended her hand happily. She smiled without hesitation, which even she, in the back of her own mind, recognized as odd.

He wasn't sure why, but he took her hand. It was as if the frustration of the day before disappeared, as did the worry about their Captain. Soon enough, they were swinging their way into a trance. The dancing was followed by bobbing for apples, a flapjack eating contest, horse races, horse-shoes, and archery. The couple behaved...like a couple...bonding over their love of history and the south. When the day faded into twilight, they returned to the saloon for drinks and revelry. Vivian even took a turn singing at the piano, impressing her lover with yet another hidden talent.

The other lover sat in the Captain's chair of their Starship.
"Attention Talos IV, this is Commander Spock of USS Enterprise. My landing party has discovered the entrance to your underground facilities. We are prepared to penetrate the doors by any means necessary and have phasers at the ready. If our crew is not released immediately, we will be forced to pursue such action."

Kalar returned to Kirk's cell.

"Captain...it appears that we have reason to...reconsider our potential arrangement..."

Kirk perked up, realizing the Enterprise must've made contact. "Yeah...about that...I'm going to need my communicator."

Using a form of telepathy, Kalar rendered him paralyzed. A portion of the wall slid to the side, freeing him. Levitating slightly above the ground, he followed behind his captor.

The seemingly falsely happy day came to an end. Vivian returned to her room, and debated other attempt at meditation. Leonard went to fetch water, and, when he returned upstairs, couldn't decide whether or not he was welcome in her room. Still, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," She answered from the dressing table, gently pulling the ribbon from her hair.

"I uh...got some water..."

"Thank you..." She looked at him through the mirror while she brushed out the curls. "I know that...we have been kidnapped...but today was almost pleasant."

He half-laughed, "You can say that again."

"Ok, I know that we've been kidnapped-"

"No, Viv, that's an expression...it means I agree." He shook his head and sat down on the edge of the bed to watch her in the gas lamp light. "I didn't know you could sing like that."

"Like what?"

"I don't know...it was nice...And, while I'd much rather be back to work and the real world and all that...this place is kinda nice too. I mean...I haven't gotten to ride in a horse in years...Not that I rode a horse today, really, I mean." He rambled for a moment before meeting her eyes in the mirror. "Damn."

"What?" She bit her lip, waiting for his response, unused to anxiety or hurt.

"You're just...gorgeous...sorry, I shouldn't...I know that...Today was one of the best day's I've had in God knows how long...bein' with you...I know it doesn't change anything but-"

"Leo," She knew in her mind where he was going and her chest felt tight. She turned to face him, "I love you...I know you didn't think I was capable of such feelings, but I am and I do and I'm sorry that I-"

He lunged forward and caught her by the waist, firmly planting his lips on hers. When he pulled back, he searched her eyes and found tears and sincerity.

"Vivian," He wiped her cheek with his thumb, "Shhh...V...I love you...and I've wanted to tell you for some time."

"Please...kiss me again..."

He complied, scooping her up in his arms and moving her to the bed. Gently, he laid her on the quilt, and admired how her hair spread her head like a halo. He moved quickly, but only until they were both free of their garments. Then, he moved slowly, savoring each sight and sound. He loved her. He loved how her breasts fell to either side when she was on her back.

She admired the scruff that had appeared on his face in the past few days. She admired the way the muscles in his chest flexed when he braced himself on his forearms above her. The feeling of their chests pressed together made her feel whole, and complete. She eagerly parted her legs for him moved them around his hips, welcoming him. Cupping his face in her hands, they held each other's eyes when he entered her. Their lips hovered close together, occasionally brushing in for a kiss, one's sigh becoming the other's breath.

This wasn't the drunken night on shore leave or the rushed tryst in the closet. Vivian had heard others describe sex before as "love-making", but never before had she truly experienced that for herself. She held him tightly, first around his waist and then gripping his shoulders. He buried her head in her neck and kissed her softly.

At several points, he could've sped up. He could've finished off himself and his partner with ease and speed, but instead, he held off as long as possible. He felt loved, and safe...and at home. When they finally fell over the edge, they did so together, murmuring I love you's and their partner's name. When she stopped shaking, he rotated them to lay on their sides, facing one another. Still connected, she buried her head in his chest to listen to his heart. He pulled her thigh atop his and kissed the top of her head. They fell asleep in that position.

"Hey! Hey guys-whoa-sorry."

As the lights turned on overhead, the doctors were woken up by their Captain's voice.

The man in the mustard shirt had quickly turned around upon seeing the situation, to allow his crewmembers some dignity to dress.

"Jim what the hell is going on?!" McCoy spat.

"We're good to go! There was an unfulfilled agreement, but we fixed it, so we're out of here."

"What about Vina, David, and the baby?"

"Long story- they're staying of their own volition, but will be checked on."

They clear wall moved, and, as they stepped out of the light, they could see their captors for the first time.

"How unfortunate to see such lovely new subjects go." The one in the center remarked.

"Come on- Spock and Scott are waiting for us in the transporter room."

Waiting, he was. Spock counted the buttons repeatedly and made sure each dial was perfectly angled. The repetition calmed him. While he was eager to see his ko-kugalsu safe and returned to the ship, a negative feeling accompanied it. Before, while negotiating with the Talosians, he felt strange physical sensations and determined them to be sexual in nature. Remembering his bond with his mate, he worried that she was experiencing an assault at the hand of those who had taken her. Before the anger surged, however, he felt a sense of calm. The feelings that ran through his mind included a longing, a sadness, a belonging...and...love? He'd experienced something similar before, and had attributed it to her interacting with her human lover. Then came his own feelings, a jealousy of sorts. He reasoned that this newness stemmed from their physical connection the week prior. But reason, brought him to another conclusion; these feelings were not a fleeting interaction with another captive. These feelings were long-held and sincere- her human lover. He exhaled as he felt his pulse pick up with a surge of energy, an anger. Only three ventured down in her landing party...and he was speaking with Kirk.