AN: Here it is, Chapter Two. Warnings come into play here. Lillian confronts one of her former assailants and only the timely intervention of Commander Spock keeps the man from getting very far in what he calls his "payback". Mention of rape, nothing explicit because I can't write that kind of stuff anyway. Forgive the weird turn-around Lillian goes through, and remember what just happened to her. Be kind, this was written a long time ago and I couldn't change it. It's a rather key part of my story. Enjoy!

Chapter Two

As the days progressed and Lillian found her place among the Enterprise's tightly-knit Academy crew, she realized that this truly was preferable to another six months in Alcatraz. But all was not bliss. Lillian watched the crew for signs of hostility, and decided that the First Officer wasn't deliberately discourteous, he simply didn't know any better. There was one crew-member, however, who watched her with more than a casual, passing interest. His gaze was predatorial, calculating, as if he was just waiting for the right moment to strike. She stayed within groups of three or four at all times, she never walked alone, the Captain was good about serving escort after dinner, just to avoid encountering him alone.

One night, however, the Captain dined in his quarters, and when she didn't see the CMO, Lillian suspected those two dined together. Bracing herself, she cleared her place, said goodnight to her table-mates, and left for her quarters. Lillian stepped out of the lift into the corridor on Deck Seven, looking both ways for any suspicious activity. She didn't see anything right away and assumed it was safe. Lillian got a grand total of three feet before she realized she wasn't alone.

"What's the rush, babe?" the sound of a man's voice brought her to a stumbling halt and she spun on her heel.

"You!" she recognized him now that he was close. The second of the Cadets she'd tussled with six months ago in Riverside.

"Surprised to see me, darlin?" He stalked towards her, and she was inspired to run, or at least call for help. She chose running and spun around. Lillian didn't get very far before he caught her by the arm, spun her to face him, and shoved her into the bulkhead.

"Let go of me!" she hissed.

"Or else what?" he snickered, leaning close, "Or…else…what?"

"You'll never serve on another starship again as long as you're alive!"

"Oh, sure you have that kind of power! Phah! Even the Wardens didn't want you! What does that tell you, sweetheart?"

"Get off." She pushed against him to no effect, shuddering as he kissed her with no modesty. He was obviously drunk, or high on something. She choked, tried to fight free, froze stiff when his hand landed on her thigh.

"Ah, I've found the key." He hissed.

"Don't…don't. I swear, you won't be around long enough to regret it!" She grabbed him by the wrist, but she wasn't strong enough. He covered her mouth with one hand, pinned her to the wall with his legs, and she heard a weird ripping sound. Where is everyone? she thought frantically. They were in an alcove, any passersby would literally have to be next to them to see them, and with the dim lighting, there were shadows everywhere. Lillian heard the ensign spit into his hand and jolted, trying to escape.

"Hold still, bitch! You almost destroyed my career once, now it's my turn!" he snarled, slapping her across the face. Lillian tried to distance herself from the here-and-now, as it didn't seem to end. Suddenly, he was gone. Just…gone. She collapsed to the deck, gagging. Lillian heard a heavy thump and lifted her head as the Ensign sagged to the deck, fully unconscious. She had heard no phaser-fire, what had knocked him out so thoroughly? Not that she wasn't grateful, but…how? And most importantly, whom? Someone must have been passing by. She saw a flash of blue fabric and a bolt of terror seized her. Was it Doctor McCoy? Oh god! But, no, his profile was entirely all wrong. She started hyperventilating even as her rescuer put her assaulter back together, and dragged him a few feet away. To any casual passersby, he would appear passed out from excessive drinking. Lillian could hardly see straight, let alone breathe.

"Lillian?" a soft, almost musical voice spoke her name, a hand touched her bruised face, "Lillian, stay with me, stay focused."

"I c-can't!" she coughed. She heard a curse in Vulcan and was wrapped in a surprisingly warm embrace.

"Spock to McCoy."

"Go ahead, Commander." The CMO's voice sounded good to Lillian's ears, comforting.

"Doctor, I need you right away at the quarters of Lillian Pike."

"Pike? What's she gotten into this time?"

"Something I am not at liberty to share, Doctor. I will meet you in her quarters." Lillian's mind couldn't reconcile with the voice she heard. Spock? Commander Spock? As she was lifted from the deck, she whimpered. But Commander Spock felt good! He was several degrees warmer to touch than Lillian, but it was nice, it was soothing. And he smelled good, too. She didn't know what it was, but it was very appealing. Oh she was messed up. She'd just been assaulted, practically raped, and she was fantasizing about the First Officer? Lillian's panic reflexes kicked in as he tried to put her down, the sensation of falling was overwhelming. She gasped, terrified, and threw her arms around his neck, holding onto him for dearest life.

"Lillian, let go."

"Don't drop me!" She begged, almost in hysterics, "Please don't drop me!"

"I am not going to drop you, and I will not let you fall." Spock promised, "I'm going to put you down."

"Don't go away!" she still wouldn't let go of him. Lillian was now laid on her bed, but she hadn't let go of Spock and he was at an awkward angle. She tightened her grip, begging. To her surprise, he relaxed and a moment later he stretched out along the length of her bed on his side. She hadn't expected him to do that, but it was comforting. Clutching handfuls of the First Officer's tunic, she finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

As the girl's breathing slowed and evened out with sleep, Spock allowed himself to breathe. When he had come upon Ensign Tucker and Lillian Pike, he had known in an instant that this was no consensual meeting. He'd been involuntary witness to plenty of those since becoming First Officer of the Enterprise, and knew the difference. Dispatching Tucker had been remarkably easy, by far the easiest part of this whole fiasco. To the casual passerby, it would appear that Tucker had passed out from overindulgence in alcoholic beverages. He knew the crew smuggled such things aboard in their personal baggage, but he had no interest in it whatever.

Lillian Pike, however, was an entirely different problem. The girl was on the verge of full hysterics as he called to Doctor McCoy for help. Getting her to proper quarters was no difficulty, but when he tried to put her down, she fought against him, begging him not to drop her, not to let her fall. Finally, he gave in and lay with her, giving her the only thing that really seemed to help at all. How strange, he thought, that the only non-Star Fleet officer on the whole ship trusted him that much when their first meeting had been less than ideal. He wanted to think that it was because he had saved her from far worse than assault that she was so touchy, but even Spock's Vulcan half knew better than that. And something about her called to him, beckoned him to come closer and get a better look. Neither Uhura nor the Captain tantalized his interest the way the quiet, lonely civilian Engineer did. Mr. Scott sang her praises at every chance, said she knew more about warp engines and such trivial things as kept a starship from falling out of space or drifting without power than anyone else he'd met.

Spock had gotten a glimpse of Lillian's civilian records and had been deeply troubled and deeply impressed all at once. Her rocky childhood had spawned a repeat juvenile offender, which stretched into adulthood and culminated in a fantastic-sounding barfight in Riverside, Iowa that had landed one Cadet a dismissal on charges of sexual assault against an unwilling civilian female, another had been reprimanded but not dismissed, and the civilian responsible had landed a mandatory one-year sentence at Star Fleet Penitentiary Alcatraz Island. Six months of her sentence had been served when Admiral Pike had heard about it, gone to find her, and then deposited her aboard the Enterprise for a different kind of character-building experience. In the midst of all of these things, Lillian had excelled in five foreign languages, plus a handful of dialects as an amateur xenolinguist, the study of warp engines and the inner mechanics of a starship, and she held a Federation Generic Star Ship Pilot's License, tested and certified at the age of ten, recertified just three years ago. His musings were interrupted by the arrival of Doctor McCoy.

"Commander?"

"Here, Doctor. Keep your voice down, I am uncertain how deeply Lillian Pike truly sleeps." He did not move from Lillian's bed, though he knew damn well it would not do for the Enterprise's CMO to find him in this rather compromising position. McCoy came in, took one look at things, and shrugged.

"What's Ensign Tucker's problem?" he asked in a rather conversational tone.

"The casual passerby will think him inebriated, Doctor. That is how it must be."

"What happened?"

"He tried to take advantage of Lillian Pike, and nearly succeeded."

"He did what?" McCoy looked at him, baffled, then turned to the closed door, "He'll have a nasty headache no doubt."

"I never hit him."

"Yeah, well, I can pretty much guess what you did do and I'm glad not to be him." McCoy smirked, glanced at his scanner's readout, and arched an eyebrow, "Well, aside from the expected damage, everything checks out. When she wakes up, make sure she takes this." He set something on the bedside table, "She'll be doing everybody a favor." As he left, Spock thought of something.

"Doctor McCoy."

"Yeah?"

"In the interest of Lillian's privacy and well-being, I would ask that you refrain from saying anything to the Captain."

"Jim's not stupid, he knows what it looks like the day after." McCoy frowned at him, "And I have a duty to keep him abreast of the well-being of his crew. He'd never forgive me if he thought I kept this from him, he's got a responsibility to the kid." He sighed.

"Then caution patience and tact."

"Okay, that much I can handle. And let me know when she starts to have trouble sleeping." With that, McCoy was gone. Spock hadn't missed how the gruff, somewhat old-fashioned doctor had said "when" and not "if" in regards to Lillian's sleep. Hmm. He sat up that night and kept watch over Lillian, sleeping only a very few hours.

Lillian woke with a start, uncertain of what had woken her and grateful to find herself in her own quarters. She remembered Commander Spock and how she had asked him to stay. She heard a soft sigh and turned her head to see him sitting against the wall, eyes closed. That didn't mean he was asleep, but she was both grateful and surprised he had stayed behind last night. It hurt to move, naturally, but she got out of bed, fetched a clean uniform, and went to take a shower. When she came out, she found him reading one of her old books. She tossed aside her towel and quickly braided her hair, keeping her back to him.

"I didn't know you read for pleasure, Commander."

"I don't read often, and rarely Terran literature." He glanced up at her and she blushed.

"Then what caught your attention?" She tossed the end of her braid over her shoulder.

"The title of your book." She swore he smiled. It was then that she was able to make out the title of his choice. Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander. Lillian found it somewhat ironic that he would choose that book, a piece of late-twentieth century literature about a way of life practiced two centuries before it was written and by now hadn't been practiced in nearly seven centuries.

"How far have you gotten?"

"Not far. Why don't they get along?"

"Hmm?"

"Doctor Maturin and Captain Aubrey." He turned the page, "Why don't they get along?"

"Oh." She bit her lip, "Well, Doctor Maturin's a civilian doctor, and Captain Aubrey, he's Royal Navy. He was a Lieutenant at the beginning of the book, and he was already in a rather bad mood when Doctor Maturin slighted him at the concert. It gets better." Lillian noticed that his interest was fully on the book and had an idea, "You can borrow it if you want, read it on your own time. Give it back when you're finished." She glanced at the chronograph on her wall above the bed and sighed, "I should go before Mr. Scott wonders if I've jumped an airlock."

"You haven't, and I doubt you would want to go back to Engineering this morning."

"Why?"

"Ensign Tucker works your division, I believe."

"Oh." Yeah, that was a problem. Of course, she had learned long ago that by showing your willingness to back down, you just let the tyrant win. Lillian sighed, squared her shoulders, and crossed her quarters to her door, "I need to make a point to Ensign Tucker."

"Don't get cocky because you think you have something to prove, Lillian."

"There's too many people in Engineering, the worst he can do is threaten me with words but no actions, besides I don't think Mr. Scott likes him much. I'm going, and I don't need your permission to do my job, Commander." She half expected him to come after her, forbid her to go on her shift, but he just let her leave. When she arrived, there was no sign of Tucker. Shrugging, she went to her station and immersed herself in her work.

Lillian had been at work for nearly three hours when she was aware of Commander Spock. He appeared in Engineering without any forewarning and because of this, a lot of people didn't notice his presence at first. Ensign Tucker, who had showed up an hour late for his shift, obviously didn't. He sidled up alongside Lillian's station, trying to menace her.

"I know you're afraid of me, little girlie."

"Go away, Tucker."

"Or what? What're you gonna do to me?"

"Keep my promises." She kept working, "Oh, and I wouldn't try anything."

"Why not? Who's watching?" he sneered, touching her to prove his point that no one who watched cared. She shrugged him off.

"Don't touch me." She hissed.

"Stop me, then." Tucker said airily. He obviously underestimated her strength, and the self-restraint of the Vulcan officer who watched them. He trailed one hand down her side, she shoved him away and grabbed him by the joint at shoulder and neck, bringing him to his knees.

"Don't provoke me, Ensign. I won't be held responsible for me actions in response to your advances! Touch me again and I'll break your hands!" She snarled, releasing him with a shove. Turning on her heel, she went in search of Mr. Scott, who wasn't really that far away, "Mr. Scott!"

"Aye, lassie?"

"Permission to report to Captain Kirk on the bridge, sir."

"Go right ahead, lassie." He looked around her at Tucker, who staggered painfully to his feet, "And don't you worry a thing about him, I'll deal with him."

"Thank you, sir." She smiled tightly at the Chief Engineer, who seemed to have a soft spot for her particular well-being, and departed the deck. Her retreat took her right past Commander Spock, who turned and fell into step with her almost immediately.

"I wasn't aware you had knowledge of my people's defense arts."

"Yeah, well, I learned a few things before I landed in Alcatraz." She rolled her shoulders, "A few really useful things. I had a teacher who was Vulcan, he taught me everything I know. He taught me the language, your martial arts, everything." Lillian looked sidelong at the First Officer, "When I landed in Alcatraz for a bar-fight in Riverside, Iowa, he promised to get me out."

"If I may inquire, who was your teacher that you speak so fondly of him?" Spock look intrigued. She blushed.

"Solkon."

"Solkon is a friend to my father." Spock grew quiet, "A very great friend to my father. I think Captain Kirk can wait a bit longer to learn of Ensign Tucker's last infraction of conduct. There's something I want you to see."

"Okay." She didn't think anything of it as they changed direction. He led her to Deck 3, and into a room she was pretty sure no one else knew about. It wasn't empty, she caught sight of the lone figure standing by the force-field that was the only thing keeping the vacuum of space outside, where it belonged. Upon hearing them enter, he turned from the window and Lillian choked.

"That's impossible!" she gasped, looking from one Vulcan to the other, "It's you!"

"An older version of me." Spock gave her a push, "He changed his name after he came to our time."

"Time travel?"

"Something of that kind." Spock whispered as Solkon held one hand out to her. Her mind reeling, she retreated to the one safe place she had anymore. How many nights had she spent in Solkon's tiny flat in Davenport because it wasn't safe for her anywhere else? How many hours had she spent pouring out her trials to willing, sympathetic ears? How many hours had been spent toiling under his careful, gentle instruction in a form of martial arts most humans would never learn, perfecting a second language? She spoke almost half a dozen languages including English, but her fluent secondary was Vulcan. Solkon took her into his arms, a familiar and warm embrace she had missed for the last eight months.

"I have heard of your trials here on the Enterprise, Lillian. You have no idea how hard it has been for me to stand aside." His voice was strong and soothing, and she allowed herself a few tears. Lillian didn't know how he could have found out so quickly, unless Spock had told him, but she couldn't find it in her to care. He already knew so many secrets about her, what was one more?

"Where were you two going when you diverged to find me here?" this he said to Spock.

"To find her a new placement. It is no longer logical for her to remain in Engineering with Mr. Scott."

"I cannot see the Captain being unreceptive to giving her a new post." Solkon sounded thoughtful. After she had better control over herself and was less likely to go to pieces in front of the Captain, they went up to the bridge.

That's it! The beginning of something beautiful, with a wretched start. I hope this is acceptable, I've had this story sitting on my HD for a long time and now I have a reason to post it. Thanks to Sovereignty'd for her challenge!