Thank you, thank you, thank you reviewers! Oh you all make me so happy =D. I am glad everyone is having a good time reading this.

So therefore, I own nothing, rated M.

Also, I have been tossing around the idea of doing a one-shot with this AU Jim, and Maelrok, first meeting. I am still undecided as of yet.

Enjoy!

OoOoOo

Jim raced down the corridor and toward the turbo-lift as fast as her legs could carry her. The flashing lights were wreaking havoc on her depth perception, and she prayed that the Engineering bay would be devoid of them. She could not recall at the moment if they had been present the last time they were attacked.

Really, this was becoming too much of a habit for her to be racing off to save the day. However, she was James T. Kirk, and therefore, the most awesome individual known to humanity. In a sense she was the most qualified personnel on this ship, with, perhaps, the exception of Ra'Vesti. Although, she doubted that he could do half the things she could. Also, she wasn't sure that Maelrok would settle for a male Vulcan.

'Even if the idea is vastly entertaining,' she quirked privately to herself, as the lift halted at the correct floor. Jim gazed down the way to see a few obstructions in her path as the ship shook once more. Her blue eyes glanced upward as the groan of over stressed metal rang in her ears. She understood instantly the precarious nature of her position, as the sheet of metal protested again from some unknown strain.

She leapt quickly forward, and darted down the hall. Nimbly, she wove her way around small sparks and debris. She noticed the door to the Engineering bay was already open, and Jim scrambled to tie up a few errant strands of hair that had escaped while she was being thoroughly kissed by the Vulcan Captain.

At the very least, if she died, she would die happy God Dammit.

Her feet did not make a sound to compete with the shrill whining of overheated engine parts. Jim took a glance around to assess the situation, and it looked rather grim. Where there had been warning, and disabling shots during the first go-round with the Warbird, now it was clear Maelrok intended to destroy the ship. Possibly with Jim on it, she wasn't 100% sure on that one. Honestly, she hoped that was not the case.

A few Vulcans were lying in various states of injury around the warp core. Jim could tell by the feel in the air, and the distressing noises emanating form the core, that they were steadily heading toward a very bad situation. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. She caught Ra'Vesti's eyes, and she noticed he was burned severely on one side, but still moving around. Jim saw only five other Vulcans still moving around with any sort of capabilities. She felt the ship shake once more form a torpedo blast, and was forced to doge a wild arc of energy.

The engineer darted forward once more, and stumbled toward Ra'Vesti's side. She offered him a strained smile, meant to reassure him. She doubted it worked at all, but his eyes seemed slightly brighter. However, that could have been a trick of the light.

"What are the readings?" Jim questioned urgently.

"We are rapidly approaching critical status," the Vulcan responded tonelessly.

Blue eyes landed on her shared power grid with some misgiving mixed with hope. If there were ever a time that Jim needed a miracle, it was now. She prayed silently for some 'divine' assistance from the gods of experimental grids… if there was such a being. 'Please, please let there be such a being,' she thought with fabricated amusement.

"I think it maybe our only chance," she said giving the Vulcan a long, hard glance.

His dark eyes moved to follow hers as she rested them on the grid once more. She watched him shift; out of fear or pain she couldn't say, toward the device.

"It would be detrimental to take the core off line at such a crucial time," Ra'Vesti argued forcefully.

"What other options do we have?"

"Could you not adjust the core the same way you did previously?"

She ruefully shook her head. "All calibrations are maxed," she responded forlornly, "there is nothing I can do outside of try the grid."

The Vulcan's face flickered for a moment into a swell of apprehension. Jim laid a hand on his arm, and gave it a slight squeeze. "We have to try, Ra'Vesti."

He inclined his head once. "Should the device fail…," he trailed off slowly.

Jim flashed him a warm grin. "Then, I will just have to think of something else."

"Would it not be more efficient to take part in that endeavor now?" He asked in confusion.

"Terran saying," Jim quipped mildly, "Come on, we need to hook it up, the sooner the better."

They moved in tandem toward the lattice-structure that could be the saving grace of the people aboard the ship. Two sets of hands reaching to haul the grid toward an open conduit. Jim braced herself against the sharp jolt of another blow to the hull. Her eyes closed as she held tightly to the grid. Any damage would render it useless. Sweat trickled a salty path down her temple to her neck.

Ra'Vesti bore the majority of the weight, and Jim walked backwards toward the station he had been using. The other Vulcans present faded away into the background as Jim focused her attention solely on getting her grid into working order. Gingerly, she set her end of the structure down, and reached for the plasma injectors, to attach to the conduit.

"Ra'Vesti," she called out over the din of the shrill alarms, "Override the fail-safes like last time."

The Vulcan rushed to comply. His hands nearly flew across the screen as he went through lines of complex codes. Jim took the time to inspect the grid for any possible damage it might have already suffered. Her blue eyes trailed the length of the lattice structure, noting that not a single crystal had broken. Hope flared inside her brightly at the discovery.

Under her gaze, the grid began to hum to life. The ship lurched wildly for a moment, and Jim pressed herself against her creation to save it from the falling pieces of ship that began to descend upon her. Ra'Vesti asked her a question she could not fully make out for the ringing in her ears, but she waved him off. A cloud of dust settled around her.

"Anything?" She yelled out in desperation.

"Negative," the Vulcan called back with agitation evident.

Another blow rocked them, and the screams of individuals could be heard over the alarms.

'It's no good,' she thought with growing horror, 'it will never heat up in time.' The ship rocked again, and Jim felt the sharp sting as a piece of shrapnel embedded in her forearm. A cry wrung from her throat out of instinct. Quickly, she assessed the damage to her appendage. The engineer flexed her fingers, despite the white-hot pain, and found her hand still functioned.

"Cut it, and get the warp core back online," Jim commanded harshly.

She had failed.

Her thoughts whirled around like a cyclone of options she analyzed, and then rejected. There was very little she could do here now. Anything she could do would lie outside the bounds of the Vulcan star craft. Blue eyes closed momentarily as she waged a mental strategy with the same finesse as a game of chess.

The idea broke over her thoughts with unrelenting clarity. Jim realized she was the queen in this proverbial bout of wits. While she was to be protected, she was also the one that could move anywhere on the board. That meant only one thing to the woman.

It was time to take the game to Maelrok…

"Open a channel to the Warbird," she uttered softly, and her throat strained with the force of her determination.

"I do not think that would be advisable. The current situation is too dangerous to allow for such a frivolous use of time," the second engineer stated neutrally.

"Ra'Vesti, I don't care how you do it, but hail the fucking Romulan Vessel," Jim snapped out in irritation.

"Captain Spock will object," Ra'Vesti attempted to sway her one last time.

"Then he will be alive long enough to object," she retorted snidely.

She was still thoroughly confused over what had happened in his private quarters, but now was not the time to think about that. She was too busy trying to save yet another ship from a love-sick Romulan. 'You can't just kiss someone like that and just walk away! There were rules about that sort of thing,' she thought irrationally.

"I am not certain," the Vulcan began pleadingly.

"Look," she interrupted frostily, "I am what he wants. Just me, get it? Not the T'Maiti, and certainly not her captain. Me. So, trading my life for the guaranteed safety of the hundreds of other lives on board this vessel is the only logical option."

Jim watched the stoic façade break for a single moment in the male's eyes. As quickly as it had come, the moment passed as her words sunk into the thick Vulcan skull. She knew that citing the word 'logical' would have swayed any Vulcan in a heartbeat. She knew, that he knew, she was right. This was the only way.

However, that did not mean Jim was going down without a fight. A fragile plot hatched inside her mind, and Jim searched for what limited materials would allow her tentative plans to possibly save her uterus. She wandered over to her 'baby', the climax of all her plans, and the cumulating of hours of hard work. With a mild curse she ripped out a single plasma injector and dylithium crystal. The shared power gave a slow gurgling as it powered down.

The next time, if there was one, that she made her power grid, her main focus was going to be cutting the warm-up time in half. She shook her head at the errant thought, and searched for some basic circuitry. She settled on ripping out the operating system of a discarded work station. She was unfamiliar with Vulcan components, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

"Ra'Vesti we don't have a lot of time, like you said, get that channel open!" She commanded as she stuffed the parts down into her bra.

She prayed that she would receive medical attention aboard the Romulan craft prior to being asked to strip down. Jim clung to the thin hope of how events might most likely unfold. If she was unlucky, and the parts were taken from her, the only plan she had for escape was null and void.

She glanced over to the Vulcan Engineer as he tapped away at the station. How he was overriding the communication links, Jim didn't care. What she needed was to speak to Maelrok before so much as one more soul was lost to his obsession. Some obsessions were perfectly harmless, like her… extreme interest in warp cores, which was fine.

But, this? This was crazy… well, to anyone who actually possessed sanity.

A long and low whine was her only warning before black eyes stared back at her over the screen. "What a surprise," he commented with a smug grin.

"Yes, I'm sure it is," she replied acerbically.

The Romulan sat back indulgently gazing at her. There were times when attempting diplomacy was a waste of time, but she continued on. She needed him in a certain mood for this to work. Jim lowered her blue eyes for a moment as she collected her erratic thoughts.

"I'm waiting," he stated menacingly, "Do not make me regret taking this."

She sighed softly to herself, before forcing her eyes to lock with his. She honestly did not want to do this. There was a reason she hated Mondays, and this was it.

"So," Jim started with false enthusiasm, "I've reconsidered your offer."

"Reconsidered it? Why, Jim, what could have caused such a change of heart?" He questioned dryly.

She supposed rubbing it in was part of Romulan culture.

"Alight," Jim stated, clenching her teeth, without preamble, "You win. I willingly surrender."

She bowed her head in submission to the communication screen. A small smile painted her lips, but she quickly forced if off her face, lest Maelrok saw. Once her facial expressions were under control, Jim risked a glance upward to see a very smug Romulan. It took a much larger amount of will power than she would have guessed in order not to laugh outright at the sight.

Oh, he had no idea…

"What about the Vulcan Captain?" He questioned with anger still in his tone. "You seemed rather… taken… with him earlier."

Jim laughed. "Maelrok, he's Vulcan. You know, three times my strength. It's not like I could physically push him away," she stated rationally.

Well, that, and she hadn't actually wanted to push him away. However, the mentally unstable Romulan did not need to know that.

The Sub-commander seemed to ponder that for a moment, before a slow smile spread over his features. "I knew you would come to your senses Jim."

She also resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It was imperative that he be in a giving mood, so she would let him keep his daydream… for now. As a terran, and a female, she knew there was a role to be played, and she would play it to perfection. She pitched her shoulders forward in a mock-display of defeat.

"As you say," she brushed aside the comment glibly, "Let's not waste time here then."

A black brow rose in a nearly Vulcan fashion. "Whatever do you mean little terran?"

"I'll lower the shields around the Engineering bay," she gave him a pointed look, "And, only the Engineering bay, long enough for you to beam me aboard your craft."

Jim bit the inside of her cheek in a nervous reaction. She did not know what the future held, and the risk involved here was significant. One false step, one single mistake, and she could end up dooming the Vulcans as well as the surviving crewmembers of the USS Hemingway. Fear and anxiety wove like a snake up her veins. Gently, but with concentration, she pushed her natural feelings away in favor of the cold numbness of adrenaline.

She tilted her chin up in a defiant manner. "In exchange for willingly becoming your… consort," she stumbled not to choke the word out, "All that I ask is that you allow the T'Maiti and all beings aboard said vessel to go free, undamaged or unmolested respectively, through the neutral zone."

"And, why would I do that?" He mused over the screen, his pleasure at her 'humbling' obvious. "You are in no position to make demands."

"I didn't demand," Jim pointed out rationally, "I asked."

"Be that as it may," he began.

"We have a saying on earth, Maelrok," she grinned up at him with a clear warning as she cut him off smoothly, "'A happy wife means a happy life'." Her voice dipped into the realm of seduction. "It would be in your best… interests to give me what I have asked for."

She shifted slightly forward as she caught her bottom lip in between white teeth. Her lashes lowered demurely over pale skin. When she lifted her sapphire eyes to the screen once more, she was rewarded with a slightly glazed look in the dark eyes of the Romulan.

"We shall discuss it further when you lower the shields," Maelrok stated archly.

Jim shook her head in amusement. "I don't think so. Either you give me your word now, or no deal."

The Romulan eyed her askance. "Give me your word Jim. You will be a willing consort," he stressed suggestively.

"You have my word, Sub-commander Maelrok," she dipped her head with a grim smile.

His dark eyes flashed with pleasure. "Then I agree to your terms, Chief Engineer Kirk."

"Excellent," she said tonelessly.

Jim turned to Ra'Vesti. She gave him a single nod. The engineer knew the Vulcan had heard every word, and knew exactly what to do. His face seemed to be carved from living stone for all the hardness it held. He gave Jim a slight frown, but she could see his respect shining brightly from black eyes.

She gave him a sad smile as the world swirled behind bright light. She felt the pull as her body disintegrated and reintegrated in an unfamiliar location. Ra'Vesti's face faded, and Maelrok's took its place.

'Show time,' she thought tiredly. Her blue eyes landed on the Romulan that swaggered toward her with an arrogance she honestly hadn't missed. Though, she granted he did make a striking impression. She forced the vulnerability, and panic she felt deep down. If she gave into the nearly overwhelming emotions, she would be lost.

Jim tilted her head at him, and gave a charming smile. She might potentially be near death, but if that were the case, she would die the way she lived; bravely, boldly, and of course flirting. Even, if she was hypothetically, more nervous than she had ever been in her entire life.

"Hello," she greeted cockily.

His smile reminded her of a content cat that had just been awarded its favorite toy. "Aefvadh."

Jim scrunched her features in distaste. "You know I hate when you do that," she commented loftily.

"You need not fear, hru'fir, you will learn my language in time," Maelrok assured readily.

"You're doing it on purpose now," Jim sighed in exasperation.

"Ie."

She shook off the air of familiarity like a winter coat. "I am here, as I promised," she stated softly.

"I see that," the Romulan replied, "I will keep my word. We shall not attack the Vulcan ship further."

"And their safe passage?"

"Assured."

The female shifted slightly. She felt her worry, and anxiety decrease greatly over his words. Jim felt relieved that the others would be safe, even if she could not guarantee her fate would be similar.

"You have been injured." the Romulan stated with a frown marring his otherwise attractive features.

"Yes, I know," she replied offhand, "You wouldn't happen to have a medical officer free, would you?"

He stared at her injured arm. "Red blood truly is a novelty," he commented almost absentmindedly.

"Still bleeding here," Jim quipped at his dumfounded expression.

Her eyes wandered to the other inhabitants of the room. She glared back at the few of his crewmembers she recognized. She recalled them from Kilthious Prime. Some of them had even snuggled with her fellow crewmembers! They withstood her 'Bones' death glare'. She had to hand to the Romulans, they were a tough lot.

"Come," Maelrok commanded, and Jim thought it prudent not to argue.

She was, after all, at a slight disadvantage here…

The Romulan ushered her out of the room, and took a place at her side. Jim said nothing at his close proximity, or how strange the whole situation seemed. Especially, the part about her learning the Romulan language, Jim wouldn't hold her breath on that one. Also, the whole 'consort' thing could be a problem if she did not get out of here. A bizarre thought struck her, as she wondered briefly, if the Romulan language actually had the word 'No' in there. If they did Maelrok had never bothered to learn it.

Maybe they should hurry to get her that medical treatment. She was getting a little loopy.

The craft seemed so small compared to the T'Maiti. The engineer winced internally at the recollection of the ship. Where she was certain a rather pissed off Vulcan was. 'I'll worry about that later,' Jim rationalized as they turned to the left. She noticed that Maelrok kept a firm hand at the small of her back as he guided her.

She kept her head down slightly, but her eyes watched every step they took as she committed it to memory. She had given him her word that she would be a 'willing' consort, but she never stated for how long. A grin battled its way onto her features, small and soft, but clearly there.

OoOoOo

Spock stared with concentration at the screen. His vessel had been significantly damaged. Reports poured in that several of the decks had been compromised, and he knew without calculation, that the T'Maiti could not withstand another blow. His crew members were true to their Vulcan honor, and decorum, betraying nothing of the turmoil they most likely felt.

He raised a brow as his mind became aware of the fact that the torpedoes had stopped. He turned toward his first officer, the question clear in his eyes.

"Captain," S'Stelendos offered neutrally, "The Romulan vessel has powered down their weapons."

The most logical conclusion Spock could come to, was that they were preparing to board the vessel. His mouth hardened, as did the skin around his eyes. He felt a surge of protectiveness swell in his chest. He had to reach James before the Romulans found her. He would be able to incapacitate a few of the intruders before he was overwhelmed. It would gather James enough time to get to the escape pods before they caught her.

"Establish a line with the transporter room," he commanded stoically.

Spock understood that he needed to warn them to block the incoming transporter signals for as long as they could.

"Captain," the Commander interrupted, "There is an incoming transporter beam…"

Spock drew a single breath, and his entire body tensed as a feeling of deep foreboding overtook the area behind his mental control.

"How many life forms are coming aboard?" He arched a brow in distaste for the Romulan tenacity.

"None, Sir."

"Explain."

"Captain," S'Stelendos paused briefly, "None have come aboard, but we have lost a signature."

He already knew, logically, which one it was. They had taken his intended, his future bond-mate, and a roar of primal fury etched across his veins. As a Vulcan, protection of a bond-mate was ingrained into his very core. He was going to rip the Romulan apart piece by piece.

OoOoOo

Translations:

Aefvadh : 'Be welcome'; standard Romulan greeting.

Hru'fir" Mate.

Ie: Yes.