They took the long trek to the Conference Room. By the time they got there Elle's leg was aching.

Captain Picard and Commander Riker were waiting for them. Four of the screens in the room were on hold. Two of them were Fleet HQ symbols and two were Vulcan Homeworld symbols. "Whoever answers first gets a prize," Riker said jokingly. "Hello there. I'm Will Riker, first officer. You look a lot better not covered in seaweed."

"Pleasure, commander. Elle Wilcott." She sat down in the offered chair with a sigh of relief.

"We've analysed your quantum signature and compared it to the one registered in the transporter buffer and you're right, it was changing," Picard said.

Elle nodded. "Good, that's good." She glanced at the screens. "You did, uh, tell them my name, right, captain?"

"Yes."

"Okay, good." Elle shifted akwwardly.

One of the Vulcan screens came alive. "This is the Vulcan embassy."

Elle stood up. "Commander S'task?"

The Vulcan's eyebrows went up. "...Elle? Elle Wilcott?"

"You left Star Fleet?" Elle asked, unable to focus on anything other than that.

"I chose diplomacy as my second career," S'task said. "What are you doing in this time period? On the Enterprise? We thought you were-" He stopped, eyed the captain behind Elle, and refocused. "How can I help you?"

"There's no record of me in the system as existing on the Enterprise," Elle said, "and they need confirmation I am who I say I am."

"I see." S'task looked at the captain. "Captain Picard, as you can see, Elle is telling the truth. She was on the Enterprise eighty years ago. She assisted the Intrepid twice during that time." His eyes crinkled in a Vulcan smile. "It is very good to see you alive and well."

"You too," Elle said gratefully.

He glanced away and back. "Ambassador Sarek is in the embassy, if you would like to speak to your Head of House."

Elle nodded. "I would appreciate it, thank you, Commander. Or, Ambassador."

S'task inclined his head. "One moment." The screen went back to circling.

"I can't believe he left Star Fleet," Elle said, rubbing a hand over her face. "Okay, I mean, I can believe it, especially if the Intrepid kept getting into so much trouble, but, wow." She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly overwhelmed. "Eighty years, though..."

Riker cleared his throat. "He was on the Intrepid?" he asked.

"Yeah. I met him when we rescued the Intrepid from the space amoeba."

The two Vulcan comm screens came alive again and a second later so did the Star Fleet ones. "Elle!" Three voices chorused eagerly.

"Spock! Bones! Ambassador Sarek!" Elle beamed at them, relief making her knees weak. "Oh, I'm so glad this is the same universe."

"So this is where you ended up," McCoy drawled. His eyes narrowed. "Are you all right? Did their doctors look you over?"

"I'm okay," Elle promised. "I have a cool scar but I'm okay."

Spock and Sarek exchanged a glance through the Enterprise's screens. "I assume, Captain Picard, you are calling to confirm Elle's identity and her familiarity with this time and place," Spock said gravely.

"Yes, Ambassador."

Spock nodded. "Consider it confirmed. This is Elle Wilcott, the Enterprise's only long-term civilian consultant. Also, a member of the House of Surak." It was implied from his eyebrow that he would take a personal interest in her wellbeing.

"Speaking of, Elle, some of your stuff is still at my place in Georgia," McCoy said. "I had a feeling you'd pop up again."

Elle smiled. "For real?"

"For real. I'll ship it over to you."

The fourth person, an admiral, spoke up. "Admiral McCoy, please hold off on that."

"Who are you supposed to be?" McCoy asked irritably.

The admiral restrained a sigh. "Admiral Hughes, Star Fleet Command. Also, one of five people in the galaxy who have access to Miss Wilcott's full file." He gave McCoy and Spock a significant look.

"Then you know she's staying right where she is," McCoy retorted.

"Excuse me, Admiral, but I know no such thing. Miss Wilcott is still so classified that considering her circumstances it may be better to bring her back to a secure facility or even HQ."

"I'm not living in Politics Central, we already established this in my time," Elle said. "Do you know how many spies you have in your ranks?"

Everyone stopped and looked at her. "Do you?" Hughes asked.

"At least three, but where there's one there's like, ten," Elle said, thinking it over. "And wouldn't that be even more suspicious, a teenager walking around HQ hobnobbing with Admirals and taking up a ton of subspace priority channel time?"

"A Starbase-" Hughes started.

"Poses the same problem as a planet," Spock said, giving him a Look. "If enemies of the Federation or the Enterprise in particular were to become aware of the nature of her consultancy, she will be safer on a starship which cannot be tracked through a predictable schedule."

"Not to mention I'm more useful here, where things are taking place," Elle added. "With subspace lag I couldn't be of any help in a realtime situation."

Hughes still didn't look convinced.

Elle gestured to the ship. "What can you object to, admiral? Obviously the whole civilians on starships question has been resolved, regardless of my disappearance and the Manraloth's doubts, no problem there." She tilted her chin. "I have proven my worth in the past. And this is the Enterprise, sir. If you've read my file you know I know what I'm talking about."

"How could you possibly know about the Manraloth?" Picard interrupted, giving her a wide-eyed stare.

Elle chewed on her lip. "It was a book," she finally said. "The Buried Age. It's on my shelf at home in another universe."

Picard and Troi, who'd also been there, gaped at her.

Hughes stayed silent, brow furrowed.

Sarek spoke up. "Elle, as always, you are welcome of course to retire to Vulcan with our family. Vulcan is perfectly safe for one of your nature and the House of Surak would, of course, be responsible for your welfare." He raised an eyebrow at Hughes.

Elle smothered a grin. If she went to Vulcan, Star Fleet would never see her or her foreknowledge again.

Hughes relented under the patient glares of three of the most influential people in the Federation. "Fine. She stays on the Enterprise."

"I'll ship your stuff," McCoy assured Elle.

"Excuse me," Picard interrupted, visibly shaken. "Would someone tell me what is going on?"

"We are assigning Eleanor Wilcott to the Enterprise-D as a civilian mission consultant, effective immediately," Hughes said formally. "One of your officers will, of course, need to sign for guardianship of Miss Wilcott until such time as she can become an emancipated minor or comes of age-"

"Absolutely not," Picard said firmly. "We cannot just adopt a minor for the purpose of using her as a Star Fleet asset. There are child labor laws!"

"Which state I can work up to twenty hours a month," Elle pointed out. "As my usefulness is, ah, episodic in nature, I've actually never reached that limit. And, may I point out, Wesley Crusher is only a year older than me and he's driving this tin can?"

"Wesley Crusher is a certified genius, has grown up in Star Fleet in this century, and is a special case. The flagship cannot be advised by a fifteen-year-old," Picard stressed.

"We were," McCoy interjected smugly. "Best years of the mission."

"Indeed," Spock added. "Captain Kirk found Elle's expertise invaluable. She saved many lives, ours included, several times."

Riker spoke up. "Hold up, what do you actually do?"

Elle glanced at Admiral Hughes.

"Only the highest clearance levels and need-to-know," he said. "Senior officers only."

Elle nodded. "So basically..." She gave them a brief rundown of her foreknowledge, aided by Spock and McCoy's testimony, and to a lesser extent, Sarek's.

"We are a television show in another universe which seems to correlate generally to our actual timeline," Picard finally said, summing up. "Of which you are a fan."

"Yes, sir."

"Nice," Riker said, grinning.

Elle looked at Picard. "Captain. This is your ship. Please, read my file, ask Bones and Spock for their honest opinion while I'm out of the room if you want. If you don't want my help, I will go to Vulcan and you can always contact me. But if you do decide to let me stay, I will make the Enterprise and its people my priority."

He frowned. "I will not say I wouldn't want an ace up our sleeve, especially considering what we face on a daily basis, but it's because of what we face on a daily basis that I have major ethical concerns regarding your mental and emotional wellbeing if you consult on these missions, not to mention you've just died for the second time."

Elle swallowed, thinking of Klingons and Romulans and the scar on her ribs. "I can handle it," she said, lifting her chin.

"You shouldn't have to," he said, and behind the stern exterior he was all compassion.

Elle kept his gaze and spoke past the lump in her throat. "Please, captain. Let me help."

He looked at her for a good thirty seconds and then nodded. "I will speak to Ambassador Spock and Doctor McCoy. Would you like a tour of the ship while you wait?" he asked.

The tension broken, Elle nodded. "I'd love one. I'm going to need to play catch-up. Again." She tried not to notice McCoy and Spock's twin winces from the screens.

"Commander Data to the conference room," Picard said, tapping his commbadge.

The android walked in a few moments later. "Captain." He blinked golden eyes in Elle's direction, curious.

"Mr. Data, this is Elle Wilcott. She is a guest," Picard temporized, "and if you could give her a tour of the ship while we discuss something."

"Yes, captain." He gestured to the door. "This way, please."

Elle glanced back at Spock and followed Data.

-/\-

The Enterprise-D was easily twice as big as the original Enterprise and three times as confusing. Elle resolved to memorize ship's schematics as soon as possible. If she got to stay. If not... better start brushing up on her Vulkhansu.

"Elle?"

She looked up at Data. "Huh? Oh, sorry." She got into the turbolift. "Where are we going next?"

"Would you like to see the Arboretum?" he asked.

"That'd be cool."

"Deck 7." The turbolift started.

"Picard to Data."

Elle tensed.

Data tapped his commbadge. "Data here, captain."

"Please escort Miss Wilcott to the conference room," Picard said crisply.

"Aye sir. On our way." Data tapped the comm channel closed and then rerouted the lift.

Elle bounced on her toes anxiously. This was the moment. She forced herself to flank Data's left side rather than run ahead of him to the Conference Room.

The door hissed open and Elle surveyed everyone's faces. McCoy and Spock, still on the screens, looked smug. Sarek had signed off. Admiral Hughes, Counselor Troi, and Picard looked neutral. And Riker looked straight-up amused.

"Yes?" Elle asked, starting to smile. "I can stay?"

"How do you know?" Picard questioned, still in epic poker face.

"Because your first officer always looks like that when something discomfits you, so... you've decided to keep me." Also Spock is totally smirking and he gave it away.

Picard glared at his First.

Riker grinned back, unrepentant. "I like her."

Admiral Hughes huffed. "Well, that's done. Your new ID papers and updated information will be sent soon. Admiral. Ambassador. Captain. Miss Wilcott." His screen went blank.

Elle looked at the last two links to her life. "Spock," she said, realizing they were going to have to get off the comm. "You saw me, right? You knew I wasn't dead, right?"

Spock inclined his head, his eyes warm. "I knew, Elle. I saw you disappear. Do not worry about us. We are just glad to have you back, in any capacity."

"Me too," Elle whispered.

"Mene sakkhet ur-seveh, Elle-kam," Spock said gently.

She gave him a tremulous smile. "Sochya eh dif, a'nirih."

"Keep in touch," McCoy added, giving her a smile. He looked over at Picard, his gaze suddenly frosty. "And if anything happens to her under your care, captain, I will remind you I know how to make people die horribly slowly without evidence and I have immunity on seventy different planets."

"Indeed," Spock chimed in, giving them a stern eyebrow.

They signed off at the same time. Elle stifled a twitch as all attention went to her.

Picard held out a hand. "Welcome to the Enterprise, Miss Wilcott."

"Thank you, captain." She shook his hand firmly. It was official.

Counselor Troi sensed her burgeoning tear-fest and said, "It's been quite a long day for you, Elle. I can take you back to your quarters if you like?"

Elle nodded. "Thank you, counselor."

"Good night," Riker offered sympathetically. "If you need anything, let me know."

Elle gave him a small smile and fled behind Troi. She took a couple of deep breaths, stemming the crushing wave in her chest. Three more decks, three more decks...

Troi put a gentle hand on her shoulder and steered her into her quarters. "Do you want me to stay for a while?" she asked kindly.

The all-call interrupted. "Senior officers to the Briefing Room."

"I'll be okay," Elle told her.

"All right. I'll call for you in the morning? I can show you the mess hall."

"Thank you." Elle stepped in then stepped out again. "Out of curiosity, who signed for me?"

"Commander Riker, actually, as both guardian and liason."

Elle snorted. "Nice." She entered her quarters. "See you tomorrow, Counselor."

"Good night, Elle." The door slid closed with a quiet 'shhk'.

Elle methodically replicated some flannel pajamas, a box of tissues, hot cocoa and snickerdoodles, and curled up on her bed. Now that she was ready for the Great Cry, it wasn't happening. "Computer, what's the stardate?"

"43124.1."

"How many years are we into the five-year mission."

"This is the beginning of the third year of the Enterprise's mission."

"So this must be Season 3," Elle realized, and munched another cookie. "Eighty years... I literally pulled a Captain America." Her chest hurt. She couldn't tell if it was from her emotional constipation or the after-effects of having drowned only a few hours ago.

A tear splished into her hot cocoa. Welp, there it was.

Elle cried herself out and stared at the ceiling for a while, cataloguing the episodes she remembered from Season 3. Then she cried some more and fell asleep.