Hello all! I know it has been ages since I have update, but I have not forgotten this story. I figured I'd get this out now as a Christmas present. Just to forewarn you, this chapter is really long compared to my usual chapter length. It was almost 20 pages in my word document. I believe y'all deserve it considering how long it has been. Enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW! I know it has been awhile, but reviews always help inspire :-)

P.S. The episode that was the inspiration is called "Where No Man Has Gone Before." Of course it was from the original series.

Translation to the chapter title is: The Blind

As the story turns...

Chapter 8: Glan-famu

As soon as the thought "it's you" entered her mind, Spock pulled away, but the damage had already been done. Serenity now remembered everything.

He was her missing half. The puzzle piece that always eluded her. His eyes searched hers briefly for a moment. His dark orbs clouded with different emotions she couldn't distinguish. She imagined her very own eyes looked similar to his at that moment in time.

She was both overjoyed and terrified at the same moment. While she was happy to have finally found him, she was not the girl he once knew. Would he be able to accept her for the person she was now? And even if he could accept her, would she want him to? Would she want to place him in danger? Her enemy, Chaos, showed no mercy.

But Chaos was dead, wasn't it? Her hand came to rest on the place she had stabbed herself while the being was inside her. Spock watched her curiously, trying to understand her actions.

As she continued being consumed by her thoughts, she began to wonder why he had pushed her away. Why did he not try to help her to remember? In her dreams he had said he wasn't strong enough to pursue her, but what did that mean? Had he been so hurt by her disappearance? Or had he simply moved on?

As she stared into his face, she realized the answers to these questions didn't matter. He didn't know her now, and she was not sure if she wanted him to know her. She was a freak now. She didn't want to drag him into the insanity that was her life.

She loved him. Of that much she was certain. It was because she loved him that she had to walk away. It would be better if the past was simply forgotten. Sometimes love just wasn't enough.

With her realization, Serenity stepped away from Spock. It was this move that finally brought Spock out of the moment. His eyes blinked rapidly as he brought his mind back to the present situation.

He was slightly embarrassed about his loss of control. The feeling of her lips on his again was almost more than he could handle. His cheeks tinted green as he moved away from the girl. How was he going to explain his behavior? He was half-Vulcan, he should have been able to resist his urges. He didn't need to relive a past memory with a girl who would likely never remember who he was, and that was the way he wanted it, right?

As his mind focused on the warmth that still remained on his lips, he couldn't recall anymore whether he wanted her to remember him or not. He felt complete holding her, kissing her. His head shook slightly, stopping his thoughts from the trail they were going down. He needed to get away from her. He couldn't think when he was around her.

He broke eye contact and muttered an apology. Before she could respond, he was gone, taking his umbrella with him. As she watched him go, she was once again consumed by the confusion in her mind. Why did it take a kiss for her to remember everything? As the rain continued to soak her, she allowed her hands to come up and cradle her face. For a moment during the kiss, Serenity felt as if his thoughts were her thoughts. For a moment, it felt as if she saw inside him, but was that even possible?

The figure in the shadows moved forward, interrupting Serenity's thoughts. In a flash, she had turned around and placed herself in a fighting stance. It wasn't until she finally registered who was standing in front of her that she allowed her defenses to drop.

Kirk held his hands up. "I come in peace, Jet Li." He said with a chuckle. "Wow, you have amazing reflexes."

Serenity shook her head. "You scared me for a moment there. I was completely lost in my thoughts." As Kirk approached her, he handed her an umbrella, allowing her to escape the rain once again. Serenity flushed slightly as Kirk's eyes met hers.

"How long have you been back?" She questioned, dreading the answer.

Kirk paused for a moment as he thought about his answer. He did see the kiss that was shared between the two, but he thought it better to not let her know his eyes were on them. Although, the sight alone was enough to have him rethinking his decision of leaving her here.

"I just got here." He answered convincingly. "Sorry it took me so long to get the umbrellas, but I ended up talking with the head of Starfleet while I was up on the ship. It seems you will not need to be left here after all." He lied smoothly.

Serenity blinked at his revelation. "You mean, stay on the ship with the crew?" She questioned, not quite understanding his words.

"Yep. It seems Starfleet feels it would be best for us to keep an eye on you until we return you to Earth where we can take you to headquarters. Not discounting the base that is on this lovely Class M planet, but it is slightly in the middle of nowhere. A number of things can happen out here. It would be best if you remained with the Enterprise for the time being."

Serenity raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I get a say in this?" She couldn't help questioning. After what had just transpired with Spock, it would be best if they went their separate ways, especially with her now conflicting thoughts and emotions. At least this was what her mind was telling her. Her heart on the other hand…she couldn't understand why there was this subconscious pull towards the Vulcan. She never felt anything like this before. She wondered if there was something Spock wasn't telling her beyond her forgotten memories.

"Of course you get a say in it." Kirk said defensively without thinking. He paused for a second before saying, "well, not really, but hey, at least you get to hang out with us a bit more. Don't deny you've been warming up to me." He added with a wink.

Serenity rolled her eyes while giving the Captain a slight chuckle. "And if I refuse?" She asked jokingly, knowing that she would follow him back on the ship. There were still too many unanswered questions, and while she wasn't prepared to reveal to Spock who she was, she also wasn't prepared to leave him. Serenity mentally slapped herself at her inability to just accept her loneliness.

"If you refuse?" Kirk questioned with a smirk. "You won't refuse. You'd miss me too much. And if you decide to be stubborn, I'll take great pleasure in keeping you captive in my room." The lewd comment made Serenity burst into a fit of giggles.

"It's hard to imagine such an honorable Captain can have such a questionable mind." Kirk snorted at her comment. "So you think I'm honorable. Why I feel, well, honored." Kirk said as he held out his arm to the girl.

Serenity slipped her arm through his and allowed him to lead her to where the crew was gathered on the Class M planet. "So, that's what you took away from that comment?" Serenity questioned him.

"Selective hearing." Kirk answered simply. "I keep telling Bones it's a problem, but he seems to think I do it on purpose. Of course it's a real medical condition though." He scoffed. "But enough about me, let's go celebrate with the crew."

"Celebrate? For what?" She asked with a laugh.

"That you're not leaving us just yet." He stated simply, all sense of mirth leaving his voice.

As Serenity looked around her room, she could hardly believe she was back on the Enterprise. Now that she was alone, her memories were at the forefront of her mind. She began to wonder about the people from her past. What were they doing?

As she thought about her past, she thought about her home, Vulcan. She blinked as tears filled her eyes. Spock had said Vulcan was destroyed. Who was killed in the process? What about Spock's parents? What about her parents? What about the Vulcan culture?

Serenity fell to her knees in the solitude of her room. The silence only broken by her quiet sobs. Another home, gone. Destroyed out of vengeance. She wondered if Chaos knew about her life here and had a hand in destroying this life as well.

Her tears continued to flow. While she knew Chaos was dead, she knew she would never be free from the nightmares.

It was in this state of mind that Serenity fell into a fitful sleep. Her mind confused as to who she really was behind all the memories.

The room she was in was plain, but quite comfortable. As she studied the surrounding area, she immediately recognized where she was. Her feet started to take her to the one room she needed to see. The last place she saw before she left this world.

Her eyes fell on the two bodies that were lying in the fairly large bed. This is the night that she disappeared from him. As the couple embraced, she watched her body disappear from Spock's arms. When she was completely gone, she studied Spock. For what seemed like an eternity, Spock just laid there, his arms wrapped around himself—eyes staring off into space.

The silence that engulfed the room was deafening. She stepped closer to the man; it was then that she noticed the tears that leaked from his eyes. The sight startled her in a way she wasn't expecting. She wanted to comfort him, to tell him she was right here with him, but he didn't notice her presence in the room. Of course he wouldn't notice her, this scene was just a dream in her mind now.

The silence was finally broken by the sound of Spock calling out her name.

"Serena?" He said quietly. "Serena? This cannot be happening. It is not possible." He sat up in the bed and scanned the room. "I must be dreaming. That is the only logical explanation." He lifted himself out of the bed and began to pace the room. "It has to be a dream. I am going to wake and have one more day with her. One more chance to listen to her more clearly. One more chance to tell her I love her too." His voice becoming even more frantic with each passing sentence.

Unaware of her presence in the room, Spock let all his barriers down as his legs crippled underneath him. "Please let this be a dream." He whispered into the empty night.

"Can you not see why it is so hard for me?" Serenity turned towards the voice of Spock—the Spock that had always been there to walk her through her dreams. "I am half-Vulcan, but I have never felt more human in my entire life than I did on this night. I know you remember everything now. You know my upbringing. You know how opposed I am to illogical outbursts of emotions."

Serenity watched him as he motioned to the man on the floor. "Do you not see me now, in this moment? After such pain, after such a reaction, of course I am going to shy away from you." His eyes found hers. "You now remember." He approached her and allowed his hand to rest on her cheek. "You now realize how much I need you." His lips found hers in a feather light kiss. The small touch caused her blood to race. "I know how much you need me." He whispered against her lips as he slowly backed away. "So why are you running from me?"

Serenity stared at him. "I just can't Spock." She said softly.

"Do you no longer love me?" He questioned.

"Of course I do." She answered without thinking. She was shocked at the readiness of her answer. She paused for a moment before she added, "sometimes that's not enough."

"That statement is hard to believe coming from you." Spock stated, knowing very well her strong belief in the power of love.

She smiled at him softly. "That's the thing, you don't really know me anymore. So much has happened. I'm not the person you once knew."

"You will always be the same person Serena." He said. "Just because you have experienced difficult times, it does not mean you lose your identity as a human being. Look deep inside, and I know you will find that same girl I once knew."

"You would not be saying that if you had lived my life. You have no idea what I went through." Her voice now becoming strained.

"I would know if you would simply tell me." Spock answered.

"I can't." She said in exasperation. "You would no longer want anything to do with me if you knew the truth."

"That would never happen." He stated as he pulled her into an embrace. "You are my other half."

Serenity's eyes flew open as her mind brought her away from the dream world and back to reality.

She had not seen Spock since the kiss from the day before. She wondered if he even knew she was back on the ship. Surely Kirk had told him. Eventually she would have to come face-to-face with him again.

Serenity dragged herself out of bed and began to wonder if she should even attend breakfast. She let out a big sigh knowing she needed to just go ahead and address the awkwardness with Spock. Still, that dream being at the front of her mind would make this day a lot more difficult to get through. She just didn't know how to process everything.

As she made her way to breakfast, the sight of a certain Vulcan stopped her in her tracks. He was standing in front of the lift, presumably waiting for it. She approached him slowly and was startled to hear him talking to himself. She had to stifle a giggle. It was a rare sight indeed to see a Vulcan behaving in such a manner. As she drew even closer to him, she began to pick up on the actual words he was saying.

"I can't believe I just kissed her. What was I thinking?" He mumbled to himself. "One would think I could just forget about it since she is no longer on this ship, but that dream last night…" Spock didn't finish the sentence as images flooded his mind concerning Serena and a very confusing life she lived outside of his reality. He took a deep breath trying to rid himself of his thoughts. The one comfort he could take out of this entire situation was that she was now off the ship. He wouldn't have to face her again.

"But is that really a comfort?" He questioned himself silently. Serenity could feel the confusion radiating off of him as she finally approached the lift. This was going to be uncomfortable, but at least it would just be the two of them here and no outside observers.

Spock finally heard her falling footsteps and turned around to face her. His eyes widened only a fraction, the only thing that betrayed his surprise and panic. Serenity bit back a laugh at the look behind his eyes. She forgot how much she enjoyed trying to figure him out through those eyes.

"Serena." He said with a slight edge to his voice. As soon as her name slipped passed his lips, he knew his blunder. He only closed his eyes briefly in response to it, but he did not correct himself.

She smiled slightly before she cleared her throat. "Mr. Spock." She said, not acknowledging his mistake. He blinked his eyes a couple of times before he actually registered that she was really there.

Serenity took the lead with the conversation. "You must be wondering how I could possibly be here since I was to be left on the Class M planet we visited yesterday."

At the sound of her voice, Spock washed all emotions off of his face as his eyes met hers. "While I am curious, I am sure there is a reason behind your presence that the Captain has yet to inform me of." His voice was even and distant.

Serenity was taken aback by the coolness in his voice. She knew it was best if they maintained their distance, but he could at least show some form of affection towards her after everything they had been through. Even though he was half-Vulcan, when she was in this timeline before he would allow some of his barriers to come down when it was just the two of them. The man that stood before her now was one who now tried to hide everything.

He turned from her to face the lift, attempting to end the conversation there. Serenity rolled her eyes. "So, we're not even going to talk about what happened down on the planet between us?" She questioned in exasperation.

Spock's body stiffened at her question. "I apologized for my behavior." He answered her, not even bothering to turn around. "That was never meant to happen."

His words stabbed her. However, she shouldn't be surprised by his reaction. She cannot forget his heritage. As she focused on her latest dream, she just didn't think she was strong enough to face the hardened man that stood before her, especially with her past looming over her. She sighed. "I figured as much. I know that I remind you of someone from your past. The way I look at it, it was an honest mistake on your part."

Spock turned around, slightly surprised by her last statement. "So you are not going to question this any further?" He asked her before he could stop the words falling from his mouth.

"Why should I?" She questioned. "We're going to have to deal with each other until the Enterprise makes it back to Earth, so why make it any more awkward between us?" She left out the part where she actually couldn't bear to tell him the truth of her past.

Spock found it very odd that she was letting this go. Especially when just a couple of days ago, she was demanding his attention to a series of dreams she was having concerning him. Spock chose not to argue with her. To do so would be illogical since he shouldn't care what changed her focus. Still, while he wouldn't admit it, a part of him was bothered by her sudden lack of interest. Spock nodded at her response, and turned back to the lift.

It finally arrived, and the two of them stepped onto the lift without another word spoken between them.

Serenity could only laugh at McCoy. He was definitely an entertaining man, even when he wasn't trying to be one. She was moving around Medical Bay as a sort of "helper" to the doctor. It helped pass by her time on the Enterprise, and it allowed her to get to know the first person who was unquestionably nice to her when she came aboard.

Also, being down in Medical Bay allowed her to avoid Spock more so than anywhere else on the ship. He was rarely down here unless he needed medical attention, which almost never happened. She had a sneaking suspicion that McCoy knew she was avoiding Spock, but luckily he asked nothing of it. In reality, he had a hunch, but more than anything he was too happy to have her with him. While he knew he should give up on the girl, considering her connection with Spock, he couldn't help but be drawn to her. Even when it was clear she belonged to someone else.

"I declare, for a man who worries about everyone else, you never seem to take your own health seriously." McCoy declared as he dragged Kirk into Medical Bay.

"Ow ow ow, Bones that hurts!" Kirk yelled as McCoy yanked him by his arm and sat him down on a bed.

"Perhaps it wouldn't hurt if you would come in here of your own free will." Serenity said with mirth behind her voice.

McCoy gave her a smirk. "The lady has a point Captain. You are well aware you have to do a check up every once and awhile. It is a requirement according to Starfleet regulations."

Kirk sighed. "I am perfectly fine. There is no need for all the formalities."

"Yes there are. You are not above formalities Captain." Serenity said jokingly.

Kirk looked at her. "You're not even from this time and you're fussing at me. You've been hanging around Bones too much, he is affecting your cheerful disposition."

"Now that's not true, if anything he has helped me understand some of the humor that comes with being on the Enterprise." Serenity argued. McCoy could only smile broadly at the girl. "See Jim, she gets me, which is more than I can say for you, and you've known me longer." McCoy tsked at the Captain while Serenity could only giggle.

Kirk's eyes wondered between the two. It had been a couple of weeks since that night where he had saw Serenity and Spock kissing. Since then, nothing had developed between the two. If anything, both were doing all that they could to avoid each other. Spock more so than Serenity. He just didn't get it, then again, he was human and Spock wasn't.

He wasn't sure what to think of this new development between Serenity and the doctor. He knew McCoy was becoming attached to the girl, but what were Serenity's feelings? More importantly, why was Spock allowing this? Surely he wasn't so blind. Surely he did not miss the way McCoy looked at the girl.

Kirk shook his thoughts from his head as he allowed McCoy to do the required procedures to make sure his health wasn't suffering from any form of stress. As McCoy was finishing up, Spock walked into Medical Bay.

Serenity's eyes lifted up to see him coming into the room. Her heartbeat picked up by a fraction. She wondered what had brought him here. His eyes met hers briefly, but soon shifted away as if he didn't even see her.

While she had done what she could to avoid any awkwardness between them, it seemed he tried even harder to be cold and indifferent towards her. He never bothered with her, and it hurt her that he behaved in that manner.

McCoy saw the distress in her eyes before he turned to the Vulcan. "What brings you here Mr. Spock?" He said with a bite to his voice. Spock merely raised his eyebrow at the tone in McCoy's voice, but paid no attention to the man as he spoke directly to the Captain. "Captain, we have detected an object left where the distress signal was sent out. It is not large, not even large enough to be a lifeboat."

"I wonder what it could be." Kirk mumbled. "Beam it on board, perhaps it will give us a hint as to what happened to the S.S. Valiant." Spock nodded before he made his way to the door.

"Aren't you going to even acknowledge the rest of the people in this room?" McCoy questioned before he made it to the door. Spock stopped, but didn't bother to turn around. "There is no need, I came here for the single purpose of giving an important update to the Captain, and I have done so. There is no need to waste time by becoming active in idle chitchat."

Serenity flinched at his choice of words, but she quickly recovered. "He's right Leonard." She said. "After all, we are responding to a distress call, there really isn't much time to acknowledge those who are below you." The sarcasm dripping from her voice. She left the room not wishing to be in his presence anymore. There was no need for his attitude.

"Green-blooded hobgoblin." McCoy muttered before following Serenity out of the room. Spock closed his eyes briefly, slightly ashamed for his behavior before he left Medical Bay. He didn't realize that Kirk was hot on his heels.

"Spock." Kirk called out to him in the hallway causing the Vulcan to stop. Kirk approached him quickly then grabbed his arm and pulled him into a side room.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kirk questioned him.

"I fail to understand the subject you are referring to." Spock stated simply, not fazed by the Captain's outburst of emotion.

"You care for that girl in there. I know you do because I saw you making out with her." Kirk stated in a rush, finally admitting to what he saw.

Spock's eyes widened. He didn't even know how to respond to Kirk's accusations. "You can't deny it Spock, I saw it." Kirk continued. "You care for her, I see it every time you look at her, and I never notice these things. So, are you really alright with McCoy moving in on your turf?"

Spock blinked. "That kiss was a mistake and meant nothing. Why should I care what the doctor does?" He said, his voice wavering slightly.

Kirk laughed. "You can't even lie convincingly about it Spock! You have an amazing girl here that looks as if she really cares about you. It's almost as if she has known you her entire life."

Spock's breath stopped. Was it possible that she finally remembered him? It would explain her behavior since the planet. She normally wouldn't let things go without trying to talk it out. So logically that would mean something had changed, but why would she begin to avoid him if she remembered him? He sighed very softly. He didn't have time to dwell on this.

"Captain, I do not think my personal affairs are…"

Kirk cut him off. "You are going to lose her Spock if you do not do something. Are you sure you can deal with that?"

Spock's fists clenched at the thought of losing her again, but hadn't he already lost her?

"I'm not having this conversation." Spock answered through his clenched teeth. "We have a ship that was possibly destroyed, and we need to figure out why."

"I'm aware of that Spock. I am only trying to help you not lose the girl that could be the love of your life. McCoy has his eyes on her Spock, and he isn't unfortunate looking, and she really seems to enjoy spending time with him."

Spock stormed out of the room, unable to take Kirk's accusations. Kirk could only shake his head at the stubbornness of Vulcans.

Spock made it down to the transporter pad in time to watch Scotty beam up the item that was floating out in space. Kirk was right behind him, but had decided to drop their previous conversation and actually get some work done.

When the object was beamed on board, Kirk immediately recognized what he was looking at. "That's an old-style ship recorder. A ship could eject it into space if something threatened the ship."

"It looks like the ship was destroyed judging by this recorder." Spock stated, the past conversation forgotten as he focused on the welfare of the Enterprise. "It's burnt and pitted."

"Let's hope the tapes are still intact." Said Kirk. "We'll feed it through Mr. Spock's computer." Spock nodded in acknowledgement.

Those on the bridge waited with batted breath as Spock tried to pull what he could from the recorder. The tapes were burnt out, but the Vulcan thought he might be able to access the ship's memory through the recorder.

Gary Mitchell looked at the new blonde psychiatrist that just joined the crew to "observe" them. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the way she held herself. She honestly took herself too seriously. "Walking freezer unit." He murmured to the pilot beside him.

The new psychiatrist, her name was Dehner, approached Spock. "Since I study reactions of ship crews during emergency situations, I would very much like to examine the crew of the Valiant with whatever information you are able to pull." Spock merely inclined his head to her.

Spock tensed as he finally came across something in the recorder. "The Valiant hit some sort of magnetic space storm and was swept in this direction 200 years ago." Spock listened further before saying. "I'm not getting it all. The tapes are pretty badly burned. Sounds like the ship had encountered some unknown force. Now, orders, counter orders, repeated urgent requests for information from the ship's computer records for anything concerning ESP in human beings."

"ESP?" Kirk questioned. "Why would they need to know about extrasensory perception so desperately?" Kirk looked to the psychiatrist on board. "Dr. Dehner, how are you in ESP?"

"In tests I've taken, my ESP rated rather high." She responded.

Kirk shook his head. "No, I'm asking what you know about ESP."

Dehner nodded her head before she gave an explanation. "It is a fact that some people can sense future happenings, read the backs of playing cards and so on, but the esper capacity is always quite limited."

While Spock was listening somewhat to what Kirk was talking about, he was still trying to listen to what was left of the records on the Valiant. He started to relay the new information. "Severe damage. Seven crewmen dead. No, make that six. One crewman seemed to have recovered. That's when they became interested in extrasensory perception. More than interested, almost frantic about it. No, this must be garbled. I must have understood it wrong. It sounded like the Captain was giving an order to destroy his own ship."

Everyone on the bridge blinked at Spock's revelation. Could it really be true that the Captain of the Valiant ordered the destruction of his own ship? What would cause him to do such a thing?

Kirk broke the silence. "All we know for sure is that the Valiant was destroyed. Let's examine this situation a bit further in case any other ships come this way." Kirk looked at the pilot. "Warp speed ahead."

As the Enterprise made its way, Spock stiffened slightly when he noticed a change in the area. "Captain, there is some kind of force field ahead."

"We're coming up on it fast." Mitchell stated.

Just then, the console blew up causing the crew to have to switch to manual operation, the ship's engine was damaged. Dehner and Mitchell were thrown back. Kirk rushed to them unsure of what just happened. "Gary. Gary!" Kirk cried out to his friend of many years. Mitchell's eyes fluttered open.

"Something hit me. Some sort of electric shock." Kirk couldn't focus on his words as his gaze met Mitchell's eyes. His eyes were glimmering silver now. "Spock, check on Dehner." Kirk stated, wondering if the same thing happened to her. Before Spock could make it to Dehner, she had already pulled herself up.

"I'm alright, but I was also hit with an electrical shock." Her eyes focused on Kirk and Spock, and they were slightly relieved that her eyes were not the same as Mitchell's. The question now was, what exactly happened to Mitchell?

Serenity moved around Medical Bay to help McCoy after the recent events. She kept somewhat of a close eye on Mitchell. She remembered meeting him when she first arrived on the ship. She knew he was a close friend to Kirk, but she wondered how long that would last. She could already sense a change in his energy. He was growing in power, and she feared how that would affect her.

"You watch him very intently." McCoy said coming up beside her.

"Something is changing." She answered simply.

McCoy chuckled. "Well, the silver eyes do give something away."

Serenity just shook her head at the doctor. "No, I fear this may be something beyond your control." McCoy only studied her. He never heard her voice take on that character. It was as if she was preparing for war.

"I'm sure there is nothing to worry about." McCoy stated softly, trying to comfort the girl. He walked away to attend to his other patients.

Serenity didn't respond as she continued to watch Mitchell. She didn't fail to notice how fast he was going through the ship's records. He claimed to be fine, and he wanted to go back on duty, but the truth is he needed to be observed. The fast changes in his behavior and mannerisms were too striking. Medical Bay was now on a 24-hour watch due to it.

Serenity's eyes turned from Mitchell to see Dehner walking through the door, no doubt to check on Mitchell. The psychiatrist was particularly interested since she was hit with a similar electrical current. While Serenity didn't like to snoop in the conversations of others, she couldn't help but listen to the words spoken between the two.

"You know, everyone seems to want me to have a fever, or be really sick. They are watching me like a hawk, especially that girl that came from nowhere." Serenity blinked at Mitchell's reference of her, but she continued to listen.

"Perhaps if these dials were to change." Mitchell stated as he turned to the dials that read his vital signs. They began to move radically. McCoy noticed from his place across the room, and began to make his way over to Mitchell in a panic. Serenity held up her arm to stop him.

McCoy looked at her as if she had just lost her mind. "Serenity, I have to help my patient, we can't just be spectators with the dials moving like that. His life is in danger!" As McCoy moved to push past her, Serenity gripped his arm roughly. McCoy was surprised in the strength of her grip. "No Leonard. I want to see what happens. I have a feeling he is controlling the dials."

Sure enough, Mitchell turned back around and the dials returned to normal. McCoy's eyes widened.

"How did you do that?" Dehner asked, shocked at what just happened.

Mitchell blinked, somewhat astounded himself. "I don't know, I just wanted it to happen, and it did."

"That's enough for me." Serenity said before she let go of McCoy's arm and headed out the door.

Serenity took a deep breath, not believing what she was about to do. She found herself outside of Spock's quarters. She wasn't sure if he would be here, but she couldn't make herself go to the bridge to find him. She raised her shaky hand to knock on his door, praying that he would answer.

Spock wondered who would be knocking at his door. Normally if Jim or McCoy wanted anything, they would just use the video communication. As he opened the door, he should have known who would be standing there. He could only stare at her for a little longer than necessary before he said, "Serenity."

"Mr. Spock." She said with formality, still somewhat annoyed with his cold treatment towards her.

"What is the purpose behind your visit?" Spock asked in a strained voice, not quite prepared to talk with her anymore about what happened a few weeks ago.

"Don't worry Spock, I'm not here to make you all uncomfortable by dragging up our past escapades." Spock stiffened at her choice of words, and she could only giggle in response. "I'm here to talk to you about Mitchell." She said. Spock studied her for a moment before ushering her inside his quarters.

"What about him?" He asked as he closed the door.

"I think he is a danger to the ship." There was no other way to put it. Her senses were on edge around him now. Spock tilted his head indicating she should explain further. "Spock, he is able to control things with his mind now. He has gone through over half the ship's library in less than a day. This kind of advancement is dangerous. It may also go to his head allowing him to think himself above the others on this ship."

The Vulcan's eyes widened slightly. "Did Dr. McCoy observe this behavior?" Serenity nodded. "This is an interesting development." Spock said. "I shall notify the Captain immediately." Spock began to make his way out of his room, and Serenity followed him.

"Spock." She called out to him before they left the private area. He turned around to face her. "Do you…" she paused, not knowing exactly how she should say her next sentence. "Do you, well, trust me?" She needed to know. She hoped that if things got bad, he could trust her no matter what he saw her do in order to respond to Mitchell's threat.

Spock was taken aback by her question. It was quite random, and he couldn't help but have a flashback to a previous time where she had asked him the exact same question. Before he could control his response, he gave her the exact same answer he gave her many years ago.

"I do."

The crew had gathered in the briefing room to discuss the issues concerning Mitchell and his threat to the ship. Dehner walked into the room to join in on the discussion. "Sorry I'm late. I became so interested in observing Gary, excuse me Mr. Mitchell."

Spock looked at the psychiatrist. She clearly was letting her own curiosity cloud her logical thinking. "Our subject is not Gary Mitchell. Our concern is, rather, what he is mutating into." There was no ignoring the change in his behavior, especially after what Serenity relayed to him.

Dehner was taken aback by the coldness in the Vulcan's tone. "I know those from your planet aren't suppose to have feelings like we do, Mr. Spock, but to talk that way about a man you've worked next to for years is worse than…"

Kirk would not allow this psychiatrist to degrade his most trusted crewman. "That's enough, doctor. It is my duty, whether pleasant or unpleasant, to listen to the reports, observations, even speculations, on any subject that might affect the safety of this vessel, and it's my science officer's duty to see I'm provided with that. Go ahead, Mr. Spock."

Spock nodded, and then turned his attention back to Dehner. "Have you noted evidence of unusual powers?"

Dehner looked reluctant to share her information, but she knew she couldn't ignore orders. "He can control certain autonomic reflexes. He reads very fast, retains more than most of us might consider usual."

Kirk turned to his engineer. "Mr. Scott, would you repeat what you just told us?"

Scotty nodded. "About an hour ago, the Bridge controls started going crazy. Levers shifting by themselves, buttons being pushed, instrument readings changing."

Spock added to Scotty's story, "and on my monitor screen I could see Mitchell smiling each time it happened, as if this ship and crew were almost a toy for his amusement."

Kirk turned to Dehner. "Are they right, Doctor? Has he shown abilities of such magnitude?"

"I saw some such indications." She said guiltily.

Kirk glared at the psychiatrist. "And you didn't think it worth mentioning?!" He didn't even allow her to respond to his accusation before he turned back to Spock. "Spock, what will happen?"

Spock thought for a moment before he gave his most accurate description of the situation. "Mitchell's ability is increasing geometrically. In next to no time he will have attained powers we can't understand and can't cope with. Soon we'll be not only useless to him, but actually an annoyance."

Kirk could only brace himself against his chair at the gravity of the news. He turned to those present. "There will be no discussion of this with the crew." He dismissed them. Spock, however, stayed behind.

"We'll never reach an Earth base with him aboard, Jim. In a month he'll have as much in common with us as we'd have with a ship full of white mice." Spock told him with as much sensitivity as he could muster. He knew Mitchell to be a good friend of the Captain.

Kirk sighed in frustration. "I need a recommendation, Spock, not vague warnings. I am well aware of the dangers, but I do not know what to do."

Spock looked at him. "I have two recommendations for you, though you may not like either one. Recommendation one. There's a planet a few light days away from here. Delta Vega. It has a lithium cracking station. We may be able to adapt some of its power packs to our engines to fix them."

Kirk turned to glare at the Vulcan. "If you mean strand Mitchell there, I won't do it. That station is fully automated. There's not a soul on the whole planet. Even the ore ships call only once every twenty years."

Spock took a deep breath before he relayed his second recommendation. "Then you have one other choice. Kill Mitchell while you still can."

He turned away from him. "Get out of here." Kirk said in a low menacing voice.

Spock knew that the Captain wasn't thinking clearly. "It is your only other choice, assuming you make it while you still have time."

Kirk whipped around before pinning Spock with a look he had never seen. "Will you try for one moment to feel? At least act like you've got a heart. We're talking about Gary."

Spock's hand clenched slightly. "Believe me Captain, I feel enough to satisfy you, but I do not let those feelings cloud my logical judgment, and I will not allow your feelings to threaten the lives of the people on this ship." Spock was not about to put the crew's life, and Serenity's life, in danger just because of Kirk's friendship with Mitchell. "The Captain of the Valiant probably felt the same way, and he waited too long to make his decision." He knew that Kirk had already guessed what had happened to the Valiant; Spock just hoped that Kirk would listen to reason.

Kirk paused for a long moment before finally saying, "Set course for Delta Vega."

Serenity watched the halls for any movement. She had yet to hear from Spock on the information she provided him, and that was over a day ago. All she knew was that the Enterprise was to make a stop at the planet Delta Vega to fix the ship's engine. As she kept her eyes on the transporter room, she finally saw a group moving towards there. She saw Spock was among the group, along with Kirk, Mitchell, and Dehner. She moved quickly to follow them.

"I'm going down to Delta Vega with you." She said to Spock when she caught up with them.

"Out of the question." He responded without even looking at her. He was currently dragging an unconscious, but still dangerous Mitchell to the transporter pad.

"Spock, things could get dangerous, and you may need me down there before the ship is fixed and we are able to move on." She argued with the Vulcan.

"And why would we need you?" Spock questioned, not fully understanding what she was getting at.

At this point, Mitchell had awoken from his sedation. His silver eyes immediately fell to Serenity. There was a small amount of fear and hesitation behind his eyes. "I know your game Cosmos, and even you will become an insect to me before all is said and done." Before she could even respond, he had been given another shot to sedate him. Serenity was shocked that he knew who she was. He clearly was able to read minds at this point. It took away her upper hand now that he knew what to expect.

Spock could tell by her face that Mitchell had just mentioned things he should not know. "What did he mean calling you Cosmos?" Spock questioned. Serenity turned to him. "I can't tell you Spock. Remember, you said you trusted me."

Kirk was just watching the exchange, unable to truly understand what was going on between the two. While he wished to continue watching them, there wasn't much time left to get Mitchell in a secure environment. "Look, I hate to break up the spat between you two lovebirds, but we need to get down to Delta Vega." Serenity blushed at his reference, while Spock merely avoided eye contact. "Serenity, I would like you to accompany us in case anything occurs. It seems Mitchell has some reason to fear or at least respect you, which is more than we can say for the rest of us."

Spock was about to argue with the Captain, but thought better of it. Kirk did have a point in noticing how Mitchell singled Serenity out, he just wish he knew what Mitchell knew about her. Perhaps it would help explain her disappearance.

Knowing Kirk was right, they all made their way to the transporter pad to be beamed down.

Serenity stood outside of the cell that Mitchell was being held in. She didn't trust Dehner alone with him. While Spock and Kirk were busy trying to fix the engine of the Enterprise, she wanted to make sure that Mitchell didn't overstep his boundaries. Of course she didn't like the idea of marooning him here, but it was better than killing him. She vaguely wondered if she could save him with her power, but that would require her to expose herself, and the ship may not take too kindly to another mutant with them.

"Your thinking is logical, Cosmos." Mitchell commented with a smirk on his face. Serenity quickly put up a barrier in her mind so he could no longer see what she was thinking.

"Oh, now that's not fair. I should be able to predict the moves of such a super powerful human being." Mitchell commented in jest before his voice took on a serious tone. "You could join me, you know." Serenity looked towards Dehner, indicating to Mitchell she would not speak further with her present. "Doctor, give us a moment." Mitchell ordered.

Dehner looked slightly offended as she reluctantly went to examine the rest of the crew as they tried to fix the engines.

"Mitchell, if you were wise, you would not test my patience. You threaten many with your attitude. You know nothing of what it means to hold true power. It is more than having things at your will, there is much responsibility that comes with it as well. To think too highly of yourself will be your downfall." Serenity commented. She didn't need the jokes of this man who thought himself better than she.

Spock and Kirk came around the corner, effectively ending the conversation between the two. "I don't think it was necessary to bring a rifle with you Spock. He knows we have a person on standby prepared to hit a button to destroy the area if necessary." Kirk commented. Spock only shook his head at the Captain. He wasn't going to take any chances.

"You should note Jim that I killed the man who was on standby." Mitchell informed him, shocking both Kirk and Spock. Mitchell raised his hand ready to attack Kirk and Spock, but Serenity was too fast for him. The moment the lightening flew from his fingers, she stepped in front of the two men, effectively taking the blow. Her body was thrown into them as she landed hard on top of Spock.

"Serena!" Spock yelled as his arms came around her. To his surprise, she began to move. It was strange since a hit like that should have, at the very least, knocked her unconscious. She slowly rose to her feet. "I'm fine Spock." Once again, ignoring his mistake with her name.

She stood to her full height and stared Mitchell in the eye. "I already warned you once." She stated in a voice that was quite commanding. "You leave me no choice." She closed her eyes as she raised her hand in the air.

"Moon Cosmic Celestial Power!"

Dun dun dun! Another cliffhanger. I know, I know, I am absolutely terrible. To help ease your minds, I have already written over half of the next chapter. Originally it was to be part of this chapter, but as I stated above, this chapter was getting pretty long. I should be able to have the next chapter out by the end of the week. I hope everyone has a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year! PLEASE REVIEW!

-Lizzy