Kirk, Spock and Uhura sat in a spare meeting room. Lena was fine, just sleeping. Suria had used her fleet to cut off the Zezian warship, and the Enterprise was safely away. Uhura had managed to re-establish contact with Marcus, and was checking in every hour. The plan was for Veelia to re-calibrate the Virosa transporters and send them back aboard the Enterprise; then they would leave. Kirk had given the order himself for Chekov to help Veelia do it. In a matter of hours this would all be over.

Uhura kept watch on Kirk. She couldn't believe he was actually leaving a fight, but his hands were tied though...he couldn't risk engaging in the Enterprise any further. Suddenly she heard a rustle of wings. Lena appeared in the doorway - she still looked terrible. Uhura remembered how intimidatingly gorgeous she was the day they met… when she had given Spock back to her, and then pulled Jim off a balcony. She was worn now...tired, the scar across her face didn't help.

Kirk looked up at her, "Feeling any better?" How he could remain so casual with her at a moment like this, Uhura didn't know. If it had been her - if Spock were amidst a deadly war, if he had almost just died for the umpteenth time, if she had gotten a post mortem message from him, only to learn he was alive weeks later, it would have taken everything she had not to hurl herself into his arms. But Kirk was going to walk away...he had too.

"Much", she said, just as casually. "Bones is a great Doctor; he even managed to heal the scar tissue." She lifted her shirt slightly to reveal perfect pale skin where the gash had been. She rolled her eyes, "I think he took it upon himself to remove some of the older scars on my back too….Anyways, I have come to tell you… The transporter is recalibrated. You can go home… I am releasing the Zezian ambassadors too. Don't want to get a reputation for being that crazy Queen who kidnaps peaceful mediators… That won't go over well for our pending alliance with the Federation, right Spock?"

"Most likely not."

"Oh well… I guess I'll have to start acting like an adult now…"

Uhura laughed in spite of herself. How Lena could make light of her situation was incredible.

Kirk stood up. "When do we leave?"

Lena somehow met his eye, "Whenever you want…"

"I want to talk to you first."

"Jim-" Spock cut in, "We should not delay." Uhura wanted to slap him. He could be so insensitive sometimes!

"You can be alone with me for five minutes."

She hesitated, "Fine."

"Guys…" Uhura nodded and pulled Spock out of the room.

Jim looked at Lena. Bones had done a great job cleaning her up…

"What do you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

He thought about the betrothal pendant, he was starting to suspect she had done something crazy, but he also remembered how she had given it to him with the request that he didn't ask about it. And it didn't really matter now.

"You need to stop this", he said instead.

"Stop what?"

"Trying to get yourself killed."

Lena was silent, "I'm not trying to get myself killed…"

"No. But you're not trying to prevent it either. Stop it."

Lena looked away, "My life is not my own…" she whispered.

Jim stood up, and puts his hands on her face, holding her head so that she had to look at him. "No...it's not...but that doesn't mean it's yours to throw away either. Your mother does know you… she knows you're taking too many risks. I can't help you anymore...but please, please be careful!"

"So says the guy who walked into a warp core to realign the housing."

"Well I wouldn't have been able to do that had I gotten myself offed before that!"

"Jim…you don't understand."

"I don't?" he asked, resting his hands on her shoulders, "I do understand - I would do anything for my crew… But I want to live too."

Lena bit her lip, "I'm so sorry. So sorry, I never should have taken that from you...I never wanted them in danger."

"I didn't either", Jim said. "We took a calculated risk...they should have been safe. It just didn't pan out."

"They will be safe soon, Jim. I promise…"

"I know…" he let it hang in the air. "I want you to promise me something else though…"

"Anything…" she said without thinking.

"Live. Make it out of this war alive - look for better options when faced with something dangerous. You're the Queen now… And when this is over...pick a mate. It can even be that asshole if you want… Be happy." It was funny...Carol and Uhura had once told him the same thing. He felt guilty for listening to them, but he realized that they were right. If he cared about Lena at all, he should want her to go on without him.

"Bay-Lou isn't an asshole."

Jim smiled, "So says the girl who once claimed to be in love with me… I think you just like assholes."

She laughed, "Yeah… can we not talk about that?" She actually blushed. It was wonderful to see some color in her face. "Bay-Lou isn't an asshole though - maybe I would like him better if he was. He is just angry. He was betrothed to me ten years ago, and I never made any sort of effort to get to know him. When he was sent to me I...well let's just say I had a lot of feelings. Instead of consummating and conceiving like I was supposed to, I sort of just kept...knocking him out?"

Jim snorted, "At least you didn't transport him anywhere…"

She grinned, "Yeah…then Suria got pregnant, and I took off to the other side of the moon to sulk. It was fortunate, because I wasn't captured when we were attacked. They took him though… and kept him prisoner to try to use him against me… But… he wasn't exactly on top of my list of priorities. Finally, Suria made a trade to get him back."

Jim fought back a laugh, "Wow, that's pretty bad…"

"Yeah… I think I'm the asshole here."

"So…what now?"

Lena shrugged, "I have promised him I would rescind, but I cannot until this is over. The Queen should be mated, but I think they have made an exception because of the war… But I must at least have him around, as I am known to be betrothed to him."

"Known to be…?"

Lena froze, but there was no way he could know. Though, it wasn't the first time Jim had figured out something she hadn't wanted him too.

"Umm hmm - It is known…"

Jim raised his eyebrows; she was a decent liar, but was terrible at omission.

"OK", he said, "but this changes nothing. Survive this, find a new mate...Lena, I can't leave you here knowing you don't care if you live or die."

Lena closed her eyes, eliciting tears from them, "I feel like I won't make it...no matter what. I can't see beyond this war. It's just easier to fight if I accept that I won't live to see the end of this."

"But you will! You are strong! And when this is over… I want you to move on."

They locked eyes - his bright blue to her green - she knew what he meant; he wanted her to move on from him.

Lena had never been in love before. She thought she loved Brok as a child, but that had been more to upset her mother. But there was something about Jim she couldn't shake. The way they barely knew each other, but understood each other so perfectly, the way he always knew what to say to her, the way he could make her laugh even when she was consumed in despair. She remembered how he had offered to take her away, aboard his ship...how she could have left this all behind. She had said no, of course, but that didn't mean she didn't want to. It was just impossible.

"I'll try", she said weakly. "I promise to try…"

Jim smiled sadly, "That's good enough, I guess."

Suddenly the door swung open and Uhura rushed in, "Jim!" she said, out of breath, "The Zezians...they've boarded the Enterprise!"

By the time Kirk and Lena made it to Suria's command room, Uhura had finished briefing them. The Enterprise's engines had started to over-heat from extended time in warp 7 and Marcus had to jump out of warp. She had thought she was far enough away from the conflict, but was ambushed by the massive warship Suria's fighters had chased off. The Enterprise was no match for it. Once they had crippled the ship, the Zezians beamed aboard, and had over taken the crew.

"What is with Zezians and boarding parties?" Kirk asked.

"Can you not think of any reason?" Suria asked. "Your ship is too weak to fight them off - it makes no sense to destroy it...not when they can just have it. Additionally...we may have made a tactical error...They know Veelia's con-sol is onboard. With it, the Vaa would have the technology to match ours...I'll bet you anything they are trying to steal it. The Vaa has gotten wind of the fact that his empire is falling apart back home. He wants this war over now. Lastly…this is what they do…"

Lena continued Suria sentence, "To take captives…alive."

Kirk looked at her in horror, "I thought they just did that with you guys?"

"No, other races as well... but they're usually more discrete. But you have no friends out here. They aren't even sure if you're friendly with us. I did technically take you into custody."

"What I don't understand", Suria interrupted, "Is how? Zezians aren't that strong- physically. Their weapons are good, but yours are better… How, in under and hour, did the Zezians manage to take over your entire ship? I would have thought the crew would have fought back."

Kirk, Spock, and Sulu looked at each other. Spock answered her, "Our crew is not ...proficient… in combat situations. Few of us are… we are actually all here."

"What?" Lena said. "Wait...do you mean to tell me that you guys have been zipping around in deep space, light years from any allies, with over 250 crew members who are completely incapable of self-defense, if they find themselves in a hand to hand combat situation?"

"Queen Lena, Starfleet is not a military organization. We are explorers, and at times, peace-keepers, but it is rare that…"

"UNTIL it's NOT RARE! Spock - this is a really dangerous part of the galaxy! Most of the galaxy is dangerous…How, and I mean this with all sincerity, HOW did you not think your crew needed a procedure in place to deal with a hostile boarding party that wasn't 'immediately surrender'?"

Spock looked at Kirk, who felt inwardly guilty. Lena was right, of course, and Spock had been bugging him about training the crew in self-defense… there just wasn't enough time.

"Maybe this is why men shouldn't be in charge…?" Suria said smugly.

Lena glared at her "Not now, Suria."

"Well...what are we going to do?" Julie asked.

Kirk turned to Suria, "Where is the crew now?

"In your -Veelia called it a "mess hall?... I don't know what that is though… I did not study the ship as thoroughly as she did."

"Chekov...can you get us onto the Enterprise?"

Chekov shook his head. Apparently the Zezians ship was distorting the signal to the Enterprise. They had lost their window. He was sure that he could beam someone from the Virosa home-world to the transporter pad on from the Enterprise though.

"Do we have any fighters nearby?" Lena asked Suria.

"No...well, yes, but it's more of a scouting ship...It can't go up against a Zezian warship."

"Can it distract them? If it fires on the Zezian warship unexpectedly, can it break the distortion for long enough to beam someone to the transporter room?"

"I have no idea."

"Veelia!" Veelia had just run into the room, "Same question!"

"I think so… but I won't have time to get a lock...to figure out where exactly on the Enterprise I'm sending you…You would just appear somewhere on the ship - or just outside it...But I think I can't get you inside- definitely inside", she finished quickly.

"Excellent", Kirk said. "I'll go...I'll get the transporters up and running and bring everyone else back…"

Lena looked up at him, "It won't be that simple", she said. "Zezians know to run boarding parties...they won't be easy to fight off. Then, even if you do manage to take back the ship, it doesn't change the fact that the Enterprise is parked right next to a Zezian warship. You're going to need help."

She turned to Brok and said, "Get my weapons."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, NO Lena", Suria cut in. "You can't go, you'll effectively destroy what little remains of their neutrality."

Lena rolled her eyes, "Kirk, Spock - pick a fucking side already."

"Yours", Kirk said instantly.

"Virosa", Spock said.

"Good", Lena smiled. "See! Look, now we have an official alliance."

"Lena, that is NOT how diplomacy works!" Suria shouted, frustrated.

"Yes it does...I am the Queen, remember!"

"That's not how Queenship works either!"

"I'm overruling you then. I will beam onto the Enterprise and take out the boarding party. From there we will regain control of the ship. In the meantime, YOU will send a third of our fleet to rendezvous with us. With the assistance I am counting on from our new allies, we should be able to take the ship down. Good plan?"

Suria said nothing.

"You're not going alone", Kirk said. "Veelia, can you get two on board?"

"Yes...I think… but no one else!"

Kirk turned to Lena, "Let's do it then."

"Captain...I must insist that I go with you instead of the Queen…"

"Absolutely not" Lena said to Spock. "You forget I have been fighting them off for a year...I know how to do this. Besides, I need one of you here - away from the fight. If Jim is injured or captured, I still need YOU to be able to take control of the ship. I can't fight off the warship without the Enterprises help. You need to split up."

Spock raised his eyebrow, "While your logic is sound, I must remind you that you were severely injured just a few short hours ago."

"Don't worry about that...actually, Jim...how much do you weigh?"

"What? What does that have to do with… I mean I've been working out…"

"Dr. McCoy?"

Bones rolled his eyes at Kirk, "He's 192…"

Lena pulled up her com, "Avar… I need two doses, make one a half dose."

"What's going on Lena?" Kirk asked.

"Spock's right...I'm exhausted. I suspect you are too, but we're out of time."

Avar rushed in with two injectors. Lena picked up one and walked over to Kirk. She put her hand on his neck, taking slightly too long to brush her fingers against his skin. "This will hurt", she said, and pushed the dosage into his neck.

He winced, "What was that… Oh." His question was immediately answered by the sudden feeling of raw energy. It was like he had slept 9 hours a night for a week, worked out every day, and had been drinking nothing but coffee and green juice. He felt his senses sharpen and blood flow increase to his muscles.

She injected her own neck, "It's a stimulant", she said. He saw the color return to her pale face, and the bags under her eyes fade. "This is going to be very dangerous…"

Suria walked over and whacked the empty dosage out of her hands. "Lena - this is crazy! You are going on a dangerous mission with your former lover, commandeering a huge portion of our fleet, hoping you can free the Enterprise before they reach you - while hopped up on stimulants!"

"Yep."

"Yep? That's all you have to say is 'yep'".

"Relax Suria, I really think this is gonna work."

"This is definitely going to work!" Jim backed her up. "Spock, make sure you guys are ready to beam up - Chekov, help Veelia."

Suria was flabbergasted, but Veelia giggled.

"You ready for this?" Jim asked her, tuck a phaser into his belt.

She praised him almost flirtatiously, "I'm always 'ready', Jim".

"I can't handle this", Suria whispered to Bones.

"Welcome to your new friendship with Jim Kirk", he whispered back.

"Lena! The surveyor is almost in position - I will only have one shot to do this so I suggest you and the Captain get on the transporter pad", Veelia said.

Jim and Lena looked at each other. Lena pulled off her crown and set it on the table. "This is going to work", she said, resting her hand on his arm.

"Lena! Stop touching the Captain! You're messing up my frequency! Now remember you two, I have NO idea where on the Enterprise you are going to end up. I could put you in the middle of a passel of Zezians for all I know! I'd stop flirting and draw weapons if I were you!"

"You know Veelia, on Earth, it's only considered polite to flirt a little before 'drawing weapons'", Jim said.

Lena burst into her clear, beautiful laughter.

"Oh my God, they're going to get themselves killed aren't they?" Bones said to Suria.

"Yep", she grimaced.

Kirk looked out at his little party, "Be ready".

"Veelia", Lena said. "Energize."

They disappeared.

"I hope this works", Uhura said to Spock.

"It'll work", Brok answered her. "The old Lena is back."

Jim and Lena appeared next to each other in the cargo bay. Veelia had been correct; they were dead smack in the middle of over 40 Zezians.

Without thinking, Kirk dropped and rolled out of the way, shooting down three Zezians then running behind a column for cover. He looked out, and saw that Lena had launched herself airborne, and was shooting down at every Zezian in her range. He had been impressed by Veelia's skills, but they were nothing compared to Lena's.

She dropped to down into the middle of a formation of five and took them all out inside of two seconds using the blade he had once seen her use against Suria. No motion was wasted; every swipe effectively ended the life of a Zezian soldier. She grabbed the last one and used him for cover against the Zezian's retaliatory shots.

Kirk rushed swiftly climbed up and ladder; Lena had the right idea… most or of the Zezians were on the ground level - attacking them from above was their only chance. Once on the platform he began shooting. The Zezians had been so preoccupied with Lena, they had almost forgotten he was there. He took out six more, before two made it up to him and launched themselves in his direction. One of them grabbed his arms and held them behind his back while the other reached up to take him in a choke hold. He quickly head- butted the one behind him, knocking him out, and broke the choke hold. He delivered a quick punch to the other Zezian's windpipe leaving him on the ground gasping for air - it was Spock's favorite move.

"Jim!" Lena cried from the ground.

He leapt over the rail and dropped down next to her. They were surrounded.

"Have any good ideas?" she asked.

They were back to back, facing a crowd of hostile Zezians.

"Not beaming into a 'passel of Zezians' would have been nice."

"I'll make a note of it to Veelia."

Kirk was looking around, thinking fast; surrendering was not an option. He suspected they were starting to realize who Lena was. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the turbo-lift - the one he and Lena had taken onto the ship after the feast on Ya-Mo. If they could get to it, he could seal the cargo bay door.

"Lena", he whispered. "Do you remember the night I showed you my ship?"

"You really think now is good time for this conversation?" she snapped.

"No...the door...if we can make it, I can seal off the cargo bay...it's the only way in and out."

"OK - you wanna take the guys of the left and I'll take the right?"

"OK - on my mark, then we'll make a run for the door."

"I still don't run, Jim."

He ignored her quip, "Ready...one, two, GO!"

She hadn't been ready, but she caught up instantly, firing everything she had at the Zezians. They had forgotten to guard the door. Kirk, to buy her cover, shot at a pipe causing opaque gas to leave from it. They ran. Lena was moving much faster than he remembered - her wings barely slowing her down. They made it! Once inside the turbo-lift, he locked the door and used the Captain's code to seal off access - he was thankful Spock had never gotten around to changing them.

Lena whacked him on the shoulder, "What happened to 'three'?"

"There is no 'three'! It's1..2..GO. GO is three!"

"'GO' is not three, 'go' is its own thing!"

"That's crazy! Everyone knows 'go' is three!"

They stared at each other and burst out laughing. Kirk had the craziest urge to kiss her. They made a fantastic team. He felt almost high; and he was sure it was not entirely from the fight.

They took the turbo-lift the the transporter deck, creeping silent along the halls. There didn't seem to be too many Zezians on this deck. Kirk assumed most of them would be in either the cargo bay, guarding the crew in the mess hall, or on the bridge. They heard something. A woman cried out from the transporter room after what sounded like a loud slap. Kirk turned to Lena and put his finger to his lips, warning her to stay silent. She nodded and tucked her wings back. They really were quite amazing -she had complete control over every feather. He wondered why Veelia's always rustled, but then remember that Veelia generally didn't give a damn who heard her.

He heard the slap ring out again, and peered around the corner. Carol was tied to a chair. Her pretty face was bleeding from repeated slaps, and her uniform had been ripped down to expose her bra.

"Where is the CON-SOL!?" a Zezian male cried out before slapping her again, causing her nose to bleed.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

The Zezian officer pulled out a knife and carved out a fine cut down her neck.

"Arrrgh!" she cried out.

One of the other males stepped forward and leaned down. He used his finger to trace the line of blood down her neck, over the tops of her breasts, and into her cleavage. "Don't muck her up too bad… this one will be mine when we're through with her…"

"GO TO HELL!" Carol screamed and spat at him.

The Zezian officer drew his hand back to hit her, when he suddenly realized it had been severed! He gasped in horror and whirled around to see that Lena had slipped into the room and was standing directly behind him. That was the last thing he saw before his head fell to the floor.

Kirk quickly entered the transporter room and locked the door, shooting the remained four Zezians in the room.

"Jim!" Carol cried.

"Jesus, Carol! Are you OK?" He moved to unbind her hands. Without him having to ask for it, Lena handed him one of the knives she kept stowed in her wings.

Once free, Carol jumped out of her chair and gave him a quick hug, "Yes… yes I'm OK…Jim – what is the Virosa Queen doing here?"

Carol was staring at Lena, whose hands were racing over the transporter con-sol. Carol was in shock – Lena looked like she had gotten the hell beaten out of her daily. It had been quite terrifying to witness her slay the Zezian officer with such a practiced motion, but then Carol was almost sorry she did not possess the skills to do it herself.

"What's the plan?" she asked, turning back to Kirk.

Lena answered from the con-sol. "I am beaming the rest of the away team back now, Dr. Marcus… we will take the Enterprise and aid in the defeat of the Zezian warship…my fighters are en route. The Federation and the Virosa are officially allies - speaking of which… where is Veelia's con-sol?"

Carol smiled, and unzipped her boot slightly; it had been in there the whole time. Kirk felt his respect for her rise when he realized she had withstood a serious beating to keep it safe.

The transporter energized and the rest of Kirk team re-appeared, weapons drawn.

"This isn't going to work", Carol said. "There are over 100 Zezians on this ship."

They all looked at each other…

"Jim", Spock said. "What if we did not overtake the ship, but merely the bridge? We can seal it from the inside and fire on the warship. They may not wish to fire back with 100 of their own onboard."

"OK- let's go then!"

The party of eight charged into the empty hall way covering each other but there was no one in sight. They got up to the bridge undetected. It was locked, but they could hear Zezians inside.

Kirk motioned silently to Sulu, Spock and Lena, to help him go in first. He unlocked the door. Before the Zezians could even react, Lena had taken out two. Sulu leapt over a co-sol and attacked two more while Spock used his Vulcan nerve pinch thing Kirk hated so much on the one sitting in the Captain's chair. Julie burst into the room and quickly dropped four more. Zezians were clearly not warriors.

"Lock - open on Captain's authorization ONLY" Kirk screamed into the door. They had re-taken the bridge.

Kirk took his place back in the Captain's chair while Sulu took his place back at the helm.

"Get me Suria", Kirk said to Uhura.

Veelia appeared in her stead. "Veelia", Kirk said, "Where is your fleet?"

Veelia stared wide eyed into the screen, "They are still 10 minutes away! The Zezians sent more fighters...we got stuck. You're on your own for the next 10 minutes!"

"Captain!" Sulu shouted. "The Zezians… they are beaming their people back...they realized we have control of the ship!"

"Warp, Mr. Sulu, now!"

"I can't go into warp with no one in engineering!"

"Evasive maneuvers then! Chekov - fire everything we've got!"

"Jim!" Lena said. "There is an asteroid belt 2 minutes from here. Your ship will have the advantage if you can make it…."

"Sulu?"

"On it, Captain!"

They started fleeing toward the asteroid belt, praying to get there in time, when they received a hail from Suria.

"Suria! Where the HELL are you?!" Lena screamed, taking Jim's com.

""Lena… they ambushed us...we need more time… we're 20 minutes away!"

"Princess Suria", Spock said to her, "The Enterprise will not last twenty minutes in a battle with a warship."

"I'm sorry… it's the best I can do. I need to go…Stay alive...Suria-out."

The party on the bridge looked at each other is horror… They had not anticipated the Virosa being so far out. Of course they had expected re-taking the ship to take longer as well.

"Wait!" Uhura said. "Why don't we just do what we did last time?"

"Last time?" Lena asked.

"Board them?" Kirk said.

"Yes! We'll take out their weapons again!"

"Nyota, that was likely to only work once… The Zezians will be expecting it now, and likely their engine room will be heavily guarded", Spock argued.

"What if we did it from the bridge?" Julie jumped in.

"While that could work...after Veelia's execution of the Zezian officer, the Zezians have now made it impossible to beam on and off any bridge on their ships. Besides, their shields are up.

"What about with Veelia's con-sol?" Lena asked. "She designed it to get through sheilds…"

"Possible...though it is highly likely you will end up right outside the bridge. They seem to have a deflector in place, and Veelia's technology, though advanced, is not particularly accurate."

"Close enough!" Lena said and slipped Veelia's con-sol onto her wrist.

"I'll come with you," Kirk said instantly.

Lena looked up at him, "No Jim...you must stay here."

"Lena…"

"Jim! I need you to command the Enterprise! Everything depends on this ship still being in fighting condition when Suria's fleet arrives. I helped you take back your ship…In exchange I wanted that one. Go get it for me!"

"Spock can handle this!"

"Spock is not you!...No offense, Spock", she added.

"Vulcans do not feel offense."

Lena raised her eyebrows, "Sure…"

"Lena is this too danger-"

Suddenly her mouth was on his, her lips brushing his lips, her tongue gently probing his own. She reached her arms around his neck, and stepped closer into his embrace. He felt as though time had stopped - that he was back on Ya-Mo, kissing her, making love to her, enjoying every moment he had with her. That the year they had spent apart, the heartbreak of losing her, and the terror of the last few days were nothing but a nightmare. Her kiss seemed to go on forever, but she broke it, and leaned in so that her nose to touch his own.

"I will be careful", she whispered, her lips grazing his, "I promise...I will live through this…"

She kissed him briefly and pulled away.

The bridge was flabbergasted, but Lena took no notice. She looked at them and said, "I will contact you when I have disabled the ship and gotten off the bridge, and then you can beam me back. As a security measure I really should destroy Veelia's con-sol once I am on board."

"Wait!" Carol said. "Do you know how to disable their ship?"

Lena grimaced, "I have an idea...I am fluent in Zezian and have a basic understanding of their technology."

"Well I KNOW how to do it…I should go with you…I can do it faster."

Lena looked at Jim, who nodded - wondering where this side of Carol had come from. "GO!" he said, "The Enterprise can't evade them much longer!"

Carol drew her weapon, and stepped close to Lena. Lena wrapped her arm around her hip and pulled her in. She covered them both with her wings… In case they were shot at.

They disappeared.