"Nineteen sixty-nine, captain," said Uhura, taking her hand from her earpiece.

"Okay, Spock, get your data and run those equations. Uhura, soak up everything you can for historical files. Engineering!"

"Scott here, sir. Don't tell me you want to jump again!"

"Not right away, Scotty. I just wanted to congratulate your engines on a job well done, as usual."

"Aye, sir. Scott out." Everyone on the bridge smiled at the chief engineer's worn patience.

"Spock, how's the antiviral?"

The Vulcan looked up from the console. "Fascinating, Captain. There is no trace of the antiviral anywhere on the planet."

"Impossible!" cried McCoy. "There's nothing that could wipe out that strain and still leave any lifeforms on Earth!"

"Agreed," said Spock, fixing McCoy with his gaze. "Captain, this development suggests that the antiviral was never placed in the oceans."

"Explain, Spock," said Kirk, not sure he wanted to hear.

"If the antiviral was never brought back..."

Kirk noticed the omission of Gillian's name.

"...Then we can assume that it was not needed. The logical extension of this argument is that the Tellarite virus was never introduced to Earth."

"That would mean we never came for the whales!" cried Kirk.

"Exactly. Which would mean that we will probably not return to find the probe."

"What a load of horse manure!" exclaimed McCoy. "How the hell can you know what a change in history means? Did you know that our bringing the whales back with us would give Uhura a husband?" He noted the emotion that flashed across her face and quickly tried to make up for his gaffe, "Did you know that Sulu was going to be arrested for treason?" This time it was Sulu who reacted, and the doctor quickly continued, "Seems your precious logic is mighty weak on prediction!"

Spock consulted his screen for a moment, then turned back. "Jim, the first of T'Laq's equations have finished. The data are only preliminary..."

"Of course, Mr. Spock. But what do they tell us?"

"On almost every parameter, projections agree with our remembered version of history. It would appear that the rift in the continuum is healing."

McCoy said, "Then tell me something. What have we done to change things? I mean, if by going back, Gillian made it so she never existed, and nothing that happened ever really happened, and everything is back to the way it was, what the hell are we doing here"

"A very good question, doctor," said Spock.

"That's no answer, you pointy-eared bastard! Maybe life is a dream, after all!"

"Gentleman! You must see this!" shouted Uhura, calling the transmission up on the main screen. The field filled with a remarkably accurate picture of a starship bridge, with a remarkably recognizable crew on it. She patched in the audio.

The captain on the screen was saying, "Analysis, Mr. Spock?"

An austere, pointy-eared man in science blue replied, "Insufficient data. I require more time to recompute the gravity flux."

A choleric gentleman, also in blue, screamed, "More time? Spock, we're headed to our death in five minutes!"

"Five point three minutes, Doctor," replied the other.

They watched until the scene changed to a woman dancing around a kitchen with a mop, at which point Uhura cut the signal and turned to face the others. They stared at each other for almost a minute before Kirk found his voice. "Uh, analysis, Mr. Spock?"

"The resemblance is suggestive, Captain."

Everyone turned to McCoy, but he opted out of this one and just stood there, biting his tongue. Finally Uhura said, "Captain? Is this going to make a difference? What about the Prime Directive?"

"Prime Directive? How the hell should I know? How the hell did they get this? Gillian couldn't have done it, she's not here! Or is she? Spock?"

"Checking, Captain...No, she is absent from all projections here, and from the records we have obtained from the ground. As much as is possible, the time continuum seems to have been repaired."

"Then what—"

Uhura interrupted, "Hold on! I don't think we have to worry, Captain. I just monitored some transmissions which indicate that this broadcast phenomenon is not that popular. It is intended as entertainment, but it is being discontinued. I think it's very unlikely that it will make a permanent mark on this society."

"Well, good, then," said Kirk, taking his chair. He paused, then added, "I didn't think it was a very good likeness, anyway. Sulu, as soon as Mr. Spock has the figures, plot in our next jump. Our last jump. We're going home."

Please review. I'd love to know what you've thought of this.