Lorna slipped her hand out from under her pillow and stretched it out towards McCoy, or at least where McCoy was supposed to be. Yawning and peeling one eye open she saw that he wasn't there and then sitting up, saw that he wasn't in the bedroom at all.

"Leonard?" she shouted out, wondering if he was in the bathroom. She must have got confused and he was on shift? Throwing her covers off she already knew he wasn't in there, no tell-tale sounds emanating from the bathroom, teeth brushing or running water giving it away. There wasn't any coming from the living room either? Yeah, probably at work and she's just mixed up her days. Lorna shrugged her shoulders and went to get herself ready, taking a shower and eating her breakfast she sat in silence apart from her sporadic humming. She figured she'd catch up with him in the medical bay.

Her walk to work was uneventful, in fact she hadn't seen anybody in the corridors, or on the turbolift.

"Is there a meeting I should be at?" she asked herself as she turned the corner towards medical. Coming to a stop she looked both left and right, it was eerily silent with the exception of the hum of the ship itself? Had she woken up at the wrong time? What time was it? Looking at her watch Lorna saw that it was indeed the right time, creasing her brow in confusion she contemplated shouting out, seeing if anybody would answer. No, she was nearly at work, she'd ask Nurse Vallo where everybody is.

"Good morning campers…" Lorna called out as she entered the bay but trailed off when she looked around and didn't see a single person. "Curiouser and curiouser!" she whispered to herself as her hand went automatically to her comm badge. "Heiland to McCoy." Nothing. She tried again but there was still no answer.

Narrowing her eyes she peered round the room, was it one big prank? Were they all going to jump out of the store cupboard and scare the living daylights out of her? Tiptoeing over to the cupboard she put her ear to the door, she couldn't hear anything? Tapping the console she prepared herself to be screamed at.

"Aha!" she shouted to the empty cupboard. "Oh, well that's disappointing." Going to her desk she tapped at her desktop, bringing the panel to life. "Computer, locate Doctor McCoy."

"Doctor McCoy is not on board." The computer answered unsympathetically.

"What?!" Lorna tapped away again, this time a tad more panicked. "Computer, locate Captain Kirk."

"Captain Kirk is not on board."

"Was there a medical emergency?" she asked.

"No notification of a medical emergency has been signalled." Lorna plopped into her chair staring at the emptiness of her surroundings. "Computer, run self-diagnostic." A second later it answered.

"Diagnostic has found no errors," she really didn't want to ask her next question.

"Computer, how many life signs are on board?"

"There is one life sign on board." Lorna felt her stomach drop.

"That being me?" she asked cautiously. "Crap," pulling herself up to her desk she began speeding through log reports, her mind racing with the possibilities of what could have happened to everybody on board the ship!

"Computer, are any shuttles missing?"

"Mission data can only be accessed from the main bridge console."

"Fine, be that way." Lorna jumped from her chair and sped off in the direction of the bridge. She was on her own, on a Starship, with no idea where everybody was.

Stepping onto the bridge Lorna instantly knew where to go, she had passed her bridge officer test, with flying colours no less which meant that she could now take command if necessary. Whether she actually wanted to was another matter entirely!

"Computer, list departing shuttles for the last twelve hours." Damnit! None! Lorna concentrated on her breathing, she had to stay calm. "Computer, list transporter activities for the last twelve hours." None! She was quickly running out of ideas! Tapping her fingers on the console over and over again she tried to think of other possibilities. "What else? What else?" she asked herself.

Did somebody come aboard?

No, no other life signs…

Are their signals being blocked and this is one whole joke?

No, no blocks on signals…

Did another ship dock?

Nope…

Lorna started pacing around the bridge, she was worried, and scared but most of all she just wanted to see McCoy.

"Oh! Spacesuits!" she exclaimed, momentarily thinking she'd cracked it. "No, don't be ridiculous!" She carried on pacing, walking round and round the bridge racking her brain. Finally she sat in Kirk's chair, biting her nails and bouncing her legs up and down nervously. "Where would I go if I disappeared from the ship?" she pondered to herself.

She sent a subspace message to Starfleet first, probably thinking it was best that they should knew a whole crew had disappeared. Then she sent beacons out to scan the surrounding space, there was no class M planets so that was out. Her Mother's voice came into her head about four hours later when she was sitting in the Captain's chair again, her legs resting up and over one of the arm rests. It was telling her not to go anywhere, don't move! When she was child and she'd get lost her Mother would tell her to stay where she was, that she would find her. Lorna decided at that moment that she wasn't going anywhere, if they were lost somewhere and she moved, well, they wouldn't know where she'd gone. No, she was staying put, until they came back.

All her scans and probes had come back with zilch sign of the crew and Lorna found herself, fourteen hours in, lying on the floor of the bridge trying desperately not to cry. Deep down, in the lizard part of her brain she was also feeling left out, why was she the only one not to disappear? Did they not want her to disappear with them? She needed to pull herself together!

"Security!" she exclaimed, scrambling up and going to Uhura's station. Typing in the time code she watched the video footage of the bridge from twenty six hours earlier, there they all sat with their pretty little faces and bodies! Lorna smiled, seeing Kirk sat in the Captain's chair, leg resting languidly over the other. "Where'd you go?" she whispered to herself, watching the footage closely. Watching them all disappear with a flash of white light was one of the worst things she'd ever seen and as she held back her sobs she plonked down in the chair, having no idea what to do next.

"Well well, aren't you a sorry state?" Lorna's head shot up at the sound of the unknown voice and upon taking in the features of the man stood in front of her, Lorna stood up and demanded to know who he was.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Doctor Heiland, I am Q." Lorna watched as he stretched out his hand towards her but she didn't move.

"Where is the crew?" she asked firmly to which the man laughed and sat himself languidly in Kirk's chair.

"Now now, must we get straight to business? You seemed so fun and interesting." she watched as he polished his nails on the material of his shirt.

"Pardon me?" Lorna was struggling to feel sane. "Who are you?" she asked, his previous introduction doing nothing to calm her.

"Perhaps you mean, 'where are you?'" he suggested to her glibly.

"Alright…" Lorna ground out, "where are you?" she asked reluctantly. The man jumped from his seat and walked towards her again with a sprightly skip in his step, he was altogether too smiley for her liking and definitely up to something. Lorna didn't trust him as far as she could throw him, but, for some reason she already knew that she would need his help if she ever wanted to see McCoy or any of the crew again.

"I am from the Q Continuum, an extra-dimensional plane of existence inhabited by a race of beings known as the Q." Taking a grand, theatrical bow Q took hold of Lorna's hand and brought it to his lips. "Enchante mon Cheri."

"Q?" she repeated, "Q, what did you mean when you said I seemed fun and interesting?"

"Oh well being immortal is so tedious you see and well, I find humans by in large tedious and predictable but in comparison you're practically effervescent!"

"Immortal?" Lorna asked.

"As a race, the Q is immortal, we possess the ability to alter, create, or destroy virtually any form of matter or energy, and to affect time in essentially any way we chose." Q clicked his fingers and in an instant his clothes had transformed into that of a Starfleet Captain. Lorna's jaw dropped open and she was about to ask another question but Q held up his hand. "Alas, my dear Doctor Heiland, we can move but entire asteroid belts and stars, create alternate timelines, affect universal states of nature but I. Am. So. Bored!" bringing his hand up to his forehead dramatically Q fell into Lorna's arms.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted, pushing him away. "Bored?! Is that why you made my crew disappear?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?!" He was a madman! "With all these powers that you say you have, why don't you apply yourself to doing good?" Q laughed and tweaked the end of her nose as if she was child.

"Aren't you cute! We have already engaged in constant dialogues of discovery and other universal issues," he said like a solemn teenager. "I have experienced, observed and discussed literally everything imaginable to your puny brain."

"There's no need to be rude!" Lorna pointed at him. "So you've decided to simply use your powers to stir up trouble and cause chaos? Solely because there is nothing else to do?" Lorna exclaimed angrily.

"Bingo!" Q answered.

"Well, well that's not good enough damnit! We are not some play toy, I demand you return the crew, at once!" Lorna felt powerless and unsure as to what to do next.

"I am excessively diverted Doctor Heiland!" Q responded. "But I was oh so hoping that you would indulge me…"

"That's enough!" Lorna held up her hand for him to stop talking. "Enough is enough!" Lorna walked briskly passed Q and towards the turbolift but upon entering the cylindrical room she found herself stood on a stage dressed in medieval costume. Spinning on her heel she saw Q stood behind her, similarly dressed.

"Where are we?!" she asked alarmed.

"I would think that obvious?" Q answered, taking a bow out towards the jeering crowd. "I'd be quick if I was you Doctor Heiland, the crowd can get quite leery." Lorna turned to the crowd and watched as they shouted and jeered for her to perform.

"I am not performing for you Q! Or anybody else for that matter! Return me at once." Lorna shouted at him.

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players…" Q shouted to the crowd who cheered and applauded. "Come now Doctor, indulge me won't you?" Lorna was dumbstruck, she could see no way out.

"Set your eyes upon this man!" she suddenly shouted out to the crowd who cheered in response. "Is he not to be ridiculed?" she added theatrically.

"That's not Shakespeare?" Q commented and Lorna turned to him belligerently.

"Who said anything about Shakespeare? I'm improvising Q, it's what we humans do best!" and with that she turned back to her audience. "He is tall yet lacks stature, broad yet holds no authority. His snivelling smile crawls over is expression like a snake! Are we to bear this Ladies and Gentleman?" Shouts came from the crowd along with boos and jeers, "Pride without reason is the greatest fault indeed," she turned to look at Q, "and you Sir suffer the sin of pride with no reason, justification or proof. You deserve all of our censure and pity!"

"That's enough!" The white flash before her eyes made Lorna squeeze them shut and when she opened them, she saw that they were back on the Enterprise.

"Were you not entertained?" she asked him tersely.

"I see no reason for you to be so cruel," Q remarked.

"You don't? You appear in front of me, having taken everyone I care about away, you insult me and ask me to perform for you! I'm sorry if I've lost my sense of humour! You're bored? Perhaps Q you should endeavour to become a better person, care for others, find ways to improve your character. Humans have strived to better themselves since the dawn of time, for a being that can create or destroy virtually any form of matter or energy, Q, you're a bit of a dick." Lorna shrugged her shoulders to emphasise her point and when Q burst out laughing, well, she had no idea whether or not he was about to hug her or vaporise her into oblivion. Giving her a round of applause Q came to stand in front of her.

"Oh bravo! Bravo! Well said Doctor Heiland!" Lorna's face was straight save for her eyebrows which were crooked from confusion. "You're absolutely right of course, as you always are." Walking towards her Lorna took a tentative step back, not sure what he was up to but then kissing her hand and pulling her into an embrace, Q dipped her as if they were dancing the tango and just as he did, clicked his fingers, the crew appearing around them.

"Merci mon Cheri." Q whispered to her seductively.

"What the hell is going on?!" McCoy's voice resonated around Lorna's head and she closed her eyes in relief.

"Ah, dear Captain Kirk," Q addressed Kirk with open arms who was looking from him to Lorna wildly. "Alas, we must defer our tête-à-tête," turning back to Lorna he gave her a wink. "Until we meet again Doctor Heiland," and with that he disappeared.

"Lorna?!" McCoy ran over to her and pulled her into an embrace. "What happened?" he asked.

"Umm... Well, you know what?" She was about to launch into a full explanation but abruptly closed her mouth and shook her head, laughing and shrugging her shoulders. "I'm going back to bed," she announced to the entire Bridge before slowly walking to the turbolift. Lorna ignored both Kirk and McCoy who were shouting after her and with a tired wave of her hand, she let the door close behind her.

The End