Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you to Fameanon for helping me write this.

Strom attended his meeting and afterward sent a message to Sopek informing him of the practicality of neuropressure to aid Shija. His friend sent back an acknowledgment, and he turned to other matters.

He did not think about his work on Dr. Cardwell until it was time for him to leave. He approached his aircar and saw her and one of her nurses standing in the light of the streetlamps.

"Cassidy, if you need a ride home, I'd be more than happy to give you one," he heard his fellow doctor say, her tone of voice much gentler than what he was used to.

Nurse Cassidy burst into tears, and Hester immediately starting shh-ing her, tenderly rubbing her back. "I-I don't understand why my car won't start!" she whimpered in between great gasps for air. "James said he would fix it last weekend! I swear, if this happens again..."

"Hey," Hester whispered. "Whatever help you need, we're here for it, okay? You just let us know. Do you need a lift, or do you want me to call an aircab?"

Cassidy sniffed. "I think..." More tears streamed down her cheeks. "I don't know, doctor, I just wish...I wish he had done what he said he would do!"

"I feel that. Listen, how about I stay here for a few more minutes, and if you want a ride home, I'd be more than happy to provide. You're on my way home anyway."

The nurse looked conflicted, but eventually accepted the tissue Hester dug from her bag. "I guess I'll take a ride home then." She sniffed again. "Maybe James can get me here before he goes to work."

"I can pick you up in the morning too," she said. "Granted, I get here at five, so you'd best be up bright and early."

That made Cassidy laugh, and the younger woman reached out to Hester, nestling her head beneath Dr. Cardwell's chin. "Thanks doc," she said, almost too low for Strom to make out, but Hester led the now-mollified Cassidy to her aircar, and they took off into the night.

Strom contacted Sopek again and asked him to meet him in the parking lot. His friend obeyed without hesitation or question. "You said you had great need?" he said with a nod once he arrived.

"Yes." Strom led him over to where Cassidy's car sat, cold and dark. "One of Dr. Cardwell's nurses, Cassidy, discovered tonight that her vehicle is non-functioning. I thought perhaps you and I could fix it."

Sopek raised an eyebrow. "It can't be more difficult than a Seleya class starship." He opened the car door, and then the hatch to see the engine.

"I see the issue," he said after a minute, pointing at a group of wires sticking out of an electrical port. "These have been purposely cut."

Strom frowned. "That is suspicious. Can you fix it?"

"It would not be a challenge for a Vulcan child."

Strom stepped to the side and contacted Hester. When she answered, he nodded in greeting. "Dr. Cardwell, I overheard the struggle your nurse is having. I called Sopek to aid in the repair of her car. The wires were purposely cut, please be aware."

Hester's jaw dropped, and she pulled over. "Thank you for letting us know. Can you bring the car to us?"

"Of course. Sopek said it would be a simple fix."

"Lord, you people are space angels, I swear. We are pulling into Rochester's diner. I will send you the location."

Hester sent him a message with the address, then merged back onto the road and made her way to the diner.

"What's wrong?" Cassidy asked; Hester had taken the call through her earpiece and thus the nurse had only heard half the conversation.

"We have some knights in shining armor," Hester replied with a gentle smile, keeping the full explanation to herself for now. "In the meantime, we will be waiting here for them." She was a psychologist, she knew dangerous behavior when she heard it, and things didn't sound good. To make things worse, she had very little hope that Cassidy would take things well once she learned the full truth.

Sopek pressed a button, and the car came to life. "There." He nodded to Strom. "Fixed. I did a full diagnostic, and I found this." He held up a tracking device. "Why would the car of a private citizen hold an after-market modification like this? It was not well installed. Whoever did this was not the manufacturer."

Strom's lips pursed. "We will see." He sighed. "Can you drive this to this address? I will follow behind."

Sopek nodded and inputted the address. "Of course, and I will ensure that nothing else is amiss with the vehicle."

With that, they parted ways to complete their tasks, and touched down shortly after in the parking lot of the diner.

Cassidy was crying again by the time Sopek handed her the keys. "Your vehicle is running at optimum efficiency. I adjusted it away from manufacturing settings to give you greater fuel efficiency."

"Thank you," she croaked, taking the keys and holding them to her chest. "I can't thank you enough."

Hester looked at the Vulcans, then stepped forward. "Sopek found a few other things when he looked at it, Cassidy...there were cut wires, deliberately cut wires. Do you know who might want to sabotage your car?"

She gaped at the trio, frowning as she shook her head. "I...I can't think of anyone..."

"There was also a tracking device installed in the engine," Sopek added. "Do you know of anyone who would want to monitor your movements?"

Cassidy cast her eyes between the stern Vulcans and Hester. She began pacing in a circle. "Oh no, oh no, oh no..." she whispered under her breath.

Hester put her hands on her hips. "Oh, you do," she pressed with a gentle firmness.

Strom frowned. "Please, Cassidy. Do not become distraught. We are here to aid you."

"Noooo," she groaned, "if he sees that the bug has been moved…" More tears slipped down her cheeks. "He's going to…" She bit down on her lip to keep from saying the truth.

"He's going to hit you." Hester said it for her.

"Please don't think less of me, Dr. Cardwell. It's my fault. I do dumb things and sometimes…" She swallowed hard. "He has to protect me from myself." She whimpered, staring at the three of them with pleading eyes. "He isn't a bad guy."

Hester rolled her eyes. "Stop, Cassidy. Nobody is going to think less of you. I do think less of the boyfriend though. You do realize this is extremely sick behavior on his part, don't you? You aren't to blame for his obsessive behavior, nor his violence."

Strom stepped up. "Dr. Cardwell is telling you the truth. Vulcans do not lie."

Cassidy slunk down onto the ground, her arms protecting her head as she sobbed harder and harder. "Please don't make me do this…please. Let me take my car home and we can forget this."

Sopek frowned, casting glances between the two of them before kneeling beside Cassidy. "I can help you," he whispered softly, as if she were one of his practice patients from his training. "But you will have to trust me. I will show you the truth, if you allow me, and give you calmness."

"No!" Cassidy shouted, covering her head tighter with her arms.

Hester shook her head. "No, gentlemen, we can't force an awakening on her. She has to come to this herself, even if it means she goes home tonight, and this monster hurts her. I thank you both for aiding her, but now it is time we allow Cassidy to make her own choices."

Sopek stood, dusted his knees off and moved to stand by Strom.

"Cassidy," Hester said gently. "It's ok. You can take your car and go home."

"But-but…he is going to know I had help. He is going to know I found the bug."

"Yes, and you can answer honestly. Friends at work aided you." Hester took the tracking bug from Sopek and handed it to her.

The nurse took the bug with trembling hands, then fled to her car, taking off from the parking lot at advanced speed. Hester sighed to herself and crossed her arms over her body, but when Strom tilted his head in silent inquiry, she shrugged.

"I hate to let her go, but she has to want to leave on her own. And before you say anything, it's not her fault. He's manipulated her into thinking that he's the only person who really loves her, that no one will believe her if she talks, that she's not nearly as smart and capable as we know her to be." She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth to stop tears from welling in her eyes. "Such is the power of an abuser."

She turned to the men and sighed. "I really appreciate your help, and though she didn't thank you, and might even be angry with you, you did a great thing tonight." She looked both of them in the eye, but her gaze lingered on Strom. "I truly can't thank you enough. I hope we see her leave him soon, but we'll see what happens."

Strom nodded gravely. "There is no shame in being a victim of such people. Even among Vulcans, I have seen the effects of those who do not control their emotions well, who do not tame the possessive beast that nearly tore our planet apart."

Sopek nodded in agreement. "If you require any more assistance in this matter, we would be honored to help in any way we can."

She smiled wryly at him. "I would never ask as much from you. You've gone above and beyond any standard call of duty. But I appreciate the offer."

They parted ways with grim tidings hanging in the air, and Hester couldn't help the tears that slicked her cheeks as she drove home in silence.