Holy Hell. A) Can't believe I left you all hanging with that cliffhanger, and B) can't be I left you all hanging in general. It's been an interesting couple of years. GAD is no joke and if anyone else suffers you will know what I mean. But I'm on the mend and working through it. I don't have a plan right now for continued updates, just giving myself time to dream and write what I want again. (Been writing a bunch of published stuff for work. Really cool, but doesn't inspire much creatively.) I'm about 60% through this one, with at least 2 more planned after this. Thank you allf or hanging with me.

I pray you and yours have continued to remain safe from this horrible pandemic.

Chapter Twelve: Brothers Under the Sun

Spock had a brother. Spock had a brother? Although not surprised as the others, Charlie watched the realization dawn on each individual in the room. Their attention shifted between each other, as if asking 'did you know?' 'Did you?' But it was Uhura's wide, dark eyes and iron grip on the railing that had Charlie's heart catching in her throat.

"You never told me you had a brother." Uhura's words were soft, the choke of her voice and her ridged posture pulsed in the room.

"It was inconsequential." There was almost a subtle shift of Spock's shoulders like a shrug. "He had taken the path of the v'tosh ka'tur and therefore exiled himself. I had not heard from him in over a decade."

"Still, Spock, he's family," Jim added.

"You are speaking of an emotional connection that we do not share." The steel in his voice was as startling as it was visceral.

"Why not?" Charlie asked. "Yeah, my brother and sister can royally piss me off, doesn't mean I cut them out of my life."

"He chose to disregard everything that means to be Vulcan. He withdrew from the Kolinahr and embraced his emotions, becoming part of the v'tosh ka'tur. They believe we were stronger before we purged the emotions from our consciousness. That there is strength in controlling emotions by allowing themselves to actively experience them rather than suppressing them. As a full-blooded Vulcan, it was a greater insult to our father than had I chosen to embrace my human heritage. Our father spent several weeks in mediation after Sybok left."

"And here I though my great Uncle Billy getting drunk and spilling grandma's ashes onto her cat was an insult," McCoy muttered.

"The sentiment is appreciated, Doctor." The Vulcan sass was strong that morning.

"Why didn't you tell me, Spock?" Uhura asked. "Why didn't you tell any of us?"

"Because it was irrelevant." Charlie grimaced, knowing that the Vulcan was digging himself a hole to China. Uhura pierced her lips and nodded, turning to jog back up the stairs with heavy, thunderous steps. Spock's eyes brows rose in surprise. "Have I said something incorrect?"

Charlie did wince then when a door upstairs slammed shut. "It's not about being right or wrong, Commander. It's about sharing important, personal things with the ones you love."

"There was no logical reason to inform the lieutenant about a half sibling I did not expect to see again."

"Ach, it's not the logic yer missin'," Scotty remarked with a shake of his head. "It's not lettin' the lass into a part of yer life. So what that you'll never see him again? By no' tellin' her, well, tells her she's not important enough ta mention it."

"The complexity of human reactions is puzzling," Spock acknowledged. "How do I rectify the situation? It was not my intention to infer to the lieutenant that she is unimportant."

"Go get the lassie!" Scotty exclaimed. "Show her what ya mean."

"Yeah, no," Charlie shook her head, moving between Spock and the door, the men around her blinking in confusion.

"I agree," Kate piped up. "While it's admirable you wish to apologize, Uhura needs a few moments to calm down. If you go up there too soon, you're more likely to increase her anger."

"Let's plan what our next steps are, and then either Kate or I will go up to talk to her. Trust me, it'll save all of us a lot of headache."

Spock paused a moment, and then nodded once.

"Thank you, Cadet," he acknowledged.

"Just know, I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for her," Charlie said firmly, her stare poignant as she willed the Vulcan to understand. "She really cares for you, so stop using your Vulcan heritage as a wall. You're human too, maybe you should start listening to that side as well."

The silence in the room could have been cut with a knife until Scotty added, "Aye, that too, Commander."

Spock dipped his head once, glanced at the ceiling for a moment before he took a seat on the couch, stiff as a board.

Jim cleared his throat, sent Charlie a pointed look, and then said, "Ok, so what's the plan?"

"All indications show the girl is now in Scotland," Kate began, her almonds eyes trained on Spock a moment before she pulled up a map of the island. "I'll have to do more digging, but we know she's in the north, and based on the trajectory of the van, around here," the mouse circled near Glasgow, "We don't know why, though, or who has her."

Jim nodded. "And from what Spock just said, it's possible that someone else from our continuum is also up there, which may help us figure out a way back if we can learn how they got here."

"That is my assessment," Spock answered. "Sybok disappeared while I was training to enter the Vulcan Science Academy. Before the destruction of Vulcan and the appearance of Cadet Noland."

"So he must have gotten here another way," Charlie theorized, her eyes widening.

"If that's when he showed up," Sulu imputed. "He could have only been here for six months."

"Which until we talk to him, we won't know for sure," Jim agreed. "So instead of speculating, let's just take the family reunion to him."

"I could journey north alone—"

"Nah," Jim interrupted Spock with a wave of his hand. "And miss the chance to meet your big brother and learn great little Spock stories?"

The glare directed the captain's way had the rest of the crew failing to hide their grins, Jim included.

"Let me make a few calls," Kate said, already reaching for her phone. "Spock, please come with me. Can you give me a better location for your brother?" They both stood and headed toward her office.

"Scotty, Sulu, see if you can manipulate the tricorder," Jim ordered. "Just in case this family reunion isn't so brotherly, I want to be prepared against a potentially angry Vulcan."

Both men nodded, and headed back to the shed where Scotty had holed himself up to tinker away without disruption, already discussing ways to upgrade a 23rd century machine with 21st century parts.

"Think we can get back to civilization?" Bones asked, leaving against the frame of the door snacking on an apple.

"Depends on how he got here," Jim shrugged. "But another mind from our time makes it that much easier to figure out getting back."

"What about you?" Charlie asked, her gaze knowing. "You said something was pulling you north. Is that why you also want to go up?"

Jim ran a hand across the back of his neck. "A little," he admitted, Bone's scrutiny pointed. "When I fight whatever this is, the next time gets harder. If I follow what its telling me to do, maybe I can get rid of it."

"Until we know what's going on, may not be a bad idea," McCoy agreed, taking another bite of the apple.

"Where's Spock?" a voice softly asked from the main doorway. The three turned to see Uhura standing there, her hands clasped in front and her head dipped.

"With Kate," Jim answered, jerking his head toward the closed office door. "He's giving her the coordinates to his brother's location."

Uhura nodded, glancing out the window.

"You know Spock didn't do it on purpose," the captain said gently after a pregnant pause.

Uhura let out a deep breath, reaching up to rub her forehead. "I know, trust me I know."

"Still pisses you off, though," Charlie derided, a perceptive look in her eyes.

Uhura snorted, a smiled coming as she caught the other woman's gaze. "More than you know."

"Well the way I look at it, you've got two choices," Charlie said, walking up to her friend and laying her hand on her shoulder. "Be pissed at him for something he honestly didn't think to tell you, or understand that there's still things to learn about each other. Your choice."

Uhura opened her mouth to answer when the Vulcan and red head exited the side room. Everything came to a standstill as Spock and Uhura caught each other's attention.

"Kate, Bones, Charlie, let's talk in the kitchen," Jim ordered, knowing the other two needed a chance to be alone. The four filed out, Charlie sending a point look to Uhura as she left.

"So," Charlie popped, once the door closed behind them. "We going north?"

Kate nodded, trying desperately to ignore the low voices in the other room while McCoy not-so-subtly cracked the door open to spy.

"I'm arranging transport to the location the commander gave me. We want to keep this covert, so I'm having you take the motorway, opposed to the trains or planes as it were. There's more we can keep control of that way. I don't want to risk you being attacked at the station or the airport. With tension in Europe higher than ever, the last thing we want to do is draw attention."

"I'm all about not drawing attention," McCoy quipped, letting the door swing shut. "I've had enough of it to last a few lifetimes."

Jim and Charlie just rolled their eyes as Kate's phone pinged. Glancing down, she added, "Ok they will be here within the hour. Let's get you ready for Scotland."

The trip took over eight hours by car to reach the tiny village where Spock's brother was said to live. Charlie was thankful it was only her, Jim, Spock, and Uhura in their SUV on the way up. From the annoyance of McCoy and Sulu, Scotty spent the entire ride with nonstop chatter about how his country had changed, how the 21st century was destroying the land, and that his gran would know what to do with the Black Sun if she got a hold of them. Even after the last few weeks living in the past, everyday occurrences continued to surprise the Scotsman, with McCoy and Sulu getting the full brunt of his excitement as they travelled.

Charlie pulled the black, quilted jacket Kate gave her tighter around her shoulders as she stared out at the cloudy highlands of Scotland while they wound around lochs and woods. She'd travelled that land of her ancestors before she was carried away to Jim and the Enterprise, but it still filled her with awe and wonder. She loved her mountains in Colorado, and the river in Bristol, but Scotland was something else entirely. The mists that rolled in combined with the dark, rocky crags and green pastures created a land frozen in time. Charlie half-expected Picts with their faces painted blue to come sprinting over the hills, or legions of red-coated British marching against tartan covered highlanders. The land was ageless and exciting, a place that felt as much as home as her own Colorado ranch.

She felt a hand coil into her own, her eyes drawn downward unconsciously before meeting sky blue orbs. She squeezed his hand, a small smile on her face as the cars came to a stop on a single lane road up on a hill above a loch below. A tree lined, narrow lane wound further up the knoll as a rusted iron gate barred the vehicles from entry.

"Guess this is our stop," Jim said, shifting to open the door and slide out, the rest following.

The winds were strong, Charlie and Uhura's hair blowing about as the crew pulled their jackets tighter around themselves. As the last door closed, the black SUVs drove away, leaving the crew to stand and stare at the closed metal and stone gate. The clouds were dense above their heads, the sunlight lightening and darkening as they blew across.

The crew stood around a moment longer, their hesitation evident before Charlie stepped up to the rusted iron and pushed. It swung open with a loud screech, the dirt path leading up to the house on the hill shadowed and pitted.

"Well, no time like the present," Charlie muttered leading the group, her boots crunching on the gravel.

They wound up the drive, the stone cottage coming into view just as the clouds began to part. It was quaint structure, mid seventeenth century by the look of it. The tan and gray bricks were weathered by years of wind, ice, and rain and the small windows still had the look of old leaded glass. The oak door was strong and new, however, while the overgrown garden looked like someone recently tried to tend the chaos. Charlie, Spock, and the others stepped into the shadow of the entry, the thatched roof overhanging the door. Charlie gestured for Spock to knock, who after raising one brow lifted his fist and banged three times on the wood.

They waited a few moments, but no one came.

"Maybe he's not here," Scotty suggested.

"Wait, I hear something," Uhura said, tilting her head to listen. "I hear someone walking inside."

Charlie turned and slammed her closed a fist against the wood repeatedly, the sound louder and carrying further than Spock's.

"I'm not here!" a voice shouted inside. "Go away!"

"Open up!" Charlie shouted, pounding on the door again.

She waited a second hearing nothing before she raised her fist to pound again only to have the door ripped open in her face. Luckily, Jim had the reflexes to grab her arm before it connected with the nose of the irate man on the other side.

He was tall, taller than everyone save Spock, with long, black disheveled hair sprinkled with gray and a dark goatee. Bushy eyebrows were drawn low over dark, angry eyes, and his thin lips were in a deep scowl. His irate glare roamed over the group until they connected with Spock's, the anger turning to astonishment, an uncommon sight on a Vulcan.

"Spock?"

The commander dipped his head. "Hello, Brother."

"No," was all he said, the door slamming shut in their face.

"Well greetings to you too," McCoy derided.

Charlie rolled her eyes, her attention turning to the door. Spock's brother had answers, answers they needed to find a way home and she'd be damned if she let him get away that easily. Grabbing the handle, she threw open the door, barging into the house and following Sybok's retreating form.

"No? What do you mean no?" she barked, the others following hesitantly as Jim tried to grab the woman. "This is your brother!"

"This is none of your business, woman!" he shouted.

"I think it is when an alien Vulcan is hiding out on my home world two centuries in the past." Sybok froze. "Could you imagine what your neighbors would think?"

Spock's brother turned slowly, his scowl deepening as his gazed shifted among the group. "Are you all from the same century as I and my brother?"

The crew nodded except for Charlie who crossed her arms and shifted her weight. "They are. I'm not. Now, what the hell are you doing here? Better yet, how in the hell did you get here?"

Sybok sighed, running a hand down his face. The display of emotions was startling, Charlie thinking the Vulcan was more of a human until pointed ears peaked out as he slicked his hair back and his bushy brows were in fact angled, although they were made to look more human.

"I could ask the same as you," he countered after a moment, his dark eyes boring into her own.

"You first," Uhura snapped, still irritated, the Vulcan's attention moving to her as she stepped up next to Charlie. "Why are you here? How are you here?"

Sybok frowned, his eyes shifting around the group and then to his brother. "I suppose of all people, I would owe you an explanation at least. After all these years, you've finally caught up with me."

"I would agree to that statement," Spock acknowledged, his arms shifting behind his back.

Sybok rolled his eyes, a feat Charlie was sure Vulcans were incapable of. "Haven't changed, have you, Brother?"

The glare that Spock sent Sybok while subtle to an outsider was as loud as a bomb to those who knew him. Even Scotty was surprised by the level of vehemence sent toward the elder Vulcan.

"I have grown, as we all do," Spock said, steel behind his words. "Loss can be a catalyst."

"I know of the destruction of Vulcan," Sybok spat. "And the loss of your mother. I was not fully removed from it all. I've only been in this century ten Teran months."

"Then you should have made yourself present to support Sarek," Spock accused. "While the grief was purged, he could have benefited from the presence of all his children."

"Don't lecture to me, Little Brother," Sybok glared. "My emotions would have unsettled him, for I did grieve the loss of our home world. A loss I learned you tried to prevent. I know our father better than you do. You are only half human. Sarek was far easier on you than myself, refusing to understand my resistance of the Kolinahr. He did not need me there as his support."

"Oh boy," Charlie breathed, the other humans taking a step backwards, knowing how touchy the subject of Vulcan was with the commander.

Spock's head cocked to the side and his brow raised. "You illogically express negative emotions toward me when I had no more control over Sarek's actions than you," he glanced to Uhura, then to Jim, his attention moving back to Sybok whose eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You are my brother, but you do not know me. I am not the outcast boy you left behind those many years ago. Since that time I found myself and my place and I know who I am."

Sybok noted the way the crew surrounded Spock, their half a step closer to the Vulcan, the defense postures should he try to further attack him. The daggered glares from the two women. Sybok sighed, his hands moving to his waist. "That I can see. You may be right. My anger at our father is not your responsibility."

"Great, now that that's out of the way, how the hell did you end up here?" McCoy growled. "One Vulcan is bad enough, let alone two."

Sybok regarded the doctor, one brow raised in a similar fashion to the other Vulcan.

"Are all Starfleet officers this rude, or are you the exception?" McCoy growled and Charlie had to fight to hold back a grin. "I assume you're all Starfleet, correct?" The crew nodded.

"Why you pointy-eared bas—"

"Just," Jim quickly interrupted the fuming doctor, stepping in front of the blistering McCoy. "Why did you come here?"

His dark gaze scanned the crowd, his mind working calculations in his head. "My Vulcan ancestors were ruled by their emotions," Sybok began, mimicking Spock's posture with his hands linking behind his back. "They felt with their hearts. They made love with their hearts. They believed with their hearts. I have been searching for that all men have sought since time began, the ultimate knowledge. It led me here."

"You're speaking in riddles," Sulu accused. "You want us to believe you came into Earth's past for a fantasy?"

Sybok turned to Sulu. "Riddles? The people of your planet once believed their world was flat. Columbus proved it was round. They said the sound barrier could never be broken - It was broken. They said warp speed could not be achieved. Yet your people have colonized the galaxy. Fantasy is only the unknown."

"So how'd you get here?" Charlie asked. "You're answering why, not how."

"Complex calculations and a negative energy source," Sybok answered, scrutinizing the woman, his eyes narrowed. "I acquired a Vulcan ship that I was able to use to come to this land. Unfortunately, I was stranded once I entered this continuum, trying to find evidence of one from this timeline who came into our universe." Charlie froze, glancing to Spock and Jim. Jim crossed his arms, his muscles flexing as he glared at the Vulcan while Spock's brows about disappeared into his hair.

"That blood line is important for me," Sybok continued, ignoring the sudden change in the room. "I've traced their ancestors here to this area of Scotland, but they have since dispersed. I've been tracking which line I wish to follow. How did you find me?"

"Your thesis on Temporal Anomalies through a Fourth Dimensional Conduit was advanced for this era," Spock answered dryly. "Once I contacted the publisher, it was not difficult to put the pieces together." The commander almost had a smirk.

Sybok gave a small dip of acceptance. "Touché, Brother."

"So if you got here, can you take us home?" Charlie asked, knowing that was the reason they had travelled to find Spock's brother. He came to her timeline using a negative energy source, something that Charlie hadn't even heard of. Maybe there was a way to recreate it, or develop it which would allow them to return home. After the last few weeks of being back, Charlie missed everything about the 23rd century. She missed her classmates, the Enterprise, and she missed their modern medical technology that might be able to figure out what was wrong with Jim.

"No."

They all blinked, surprised by the answer.

"No? What do you mean no?" Jim growled.

"It means I'm not ready to leave, not until I find what I need. You're all welcome to stay here, since you've obviously undertaken a great quest to find me, but until my research is complete, I am to remain in this continuum."

"That's fine, we don't need a second pointy-eared bastard to go home," McCoy growled. "Just tell us where your ship is an we'll be on our merry way."

"But how are you then going to get back?" Sybok challenged. "I know where my ship is, you don't. I know what energy matter was used, you don't. Besides, we're going to need to create more in order to return, which is fortuitous you stumbled onto my doorstep, Brother. I could use your help, but I'm not ready to leave just yet."

Spock glanced among the group. "I will help, but coming back to this timeline could have far reaching consequences you do not yet know. You're paper alone has already caused a stir among physicists of this era, fifty years before the development of warp technology."

"I did what I needed to survive here," Sybok snapped. "Publishing provides the currency needed to live in this century. And besides, they were at the cusp of learning what I provided. I just gave them a push."

"How about you don't push anymore?" Jim ordered. "Before we do something we can't undo."

"As long as you can secure a form of currency for this world, I will cease my writings," Sybok smirked, only to be answered by one of Charlie's.

"You got it," she said, Kate already on speed dial. "Hey BK, we're at the location. Could you talk to the CIA about a stipend for us to make Spock's brother calm his shit? Great thanks."

She hung up and crossed her arms as the man's eyes widened and his mouth almost dropped. "You were saying?"

Sybok harrumphed comically. "Resourceful, aren't you?"

Charlie smirked, "You could say that. So let's make a deal, so we don't keep arguing back and forth. We help you with your research, to get it done faster, and you take us home."

Sybok eyed Charlie, then the others, finally landing on his brother.

"You would do this?"

"It is the most logical solution."

Sybok reached up, unconsciously stroking his goatee lost in thought. He paced the front room, the late afternoon light filtering through the small windows. "Let me meditate on this. If you'll excuse me."

He shuffled his way over to a side door, closing it on the group with a snap.

The only sound left was the ticking of a small clock and the soft call of birds.

Scotty cleared his throat, the crew turning to him. "Commander, do ya think yer brother wouldn't mind if I made a sandwich?"

"I can't believe Spock has a brother," Jim said, skipping the stone along the top of the water. He and Charlie had headed down to the loch after Sybok locked himself in his study, both needing to get away before Charlie busted down the door and forced the Vulcan to help them whether he wanted to or not. "He's never mentioned him before. You'd think he would have dropped a hint or something."

Jim turned when Charlie's stone didn't follow his, her boots kicking at the rocks at her feet with her eyes on the water line.

"You knew, didn't you."

She sheepishly ran a hand under her windblown hair as her dark eyes met his scowling blue. "I mean, kinda-"

Jim shook his head, picking up another one and shooting it across the loch, it skipping five times before diving under the water.

Charlie dropped her hand, her held tilting in confusion. "What?"

"Do you think you could have told me?" Jim held his arms out, his brows low over his eyes in anger.

Charlie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Ok, when? When would it have been the perfect time to go, 'Hey, Jim, I know you won't know how I know this, but Spock's got a brother, and he's an interesting piece of work. Just thought you'd like to know'."

"You don't have to be a bitch about it."

"You're the one getting in my face," Charlie shot back. "There's a lot of things I probably know that you don't, and I am not going to apologize for it. But the universe I know and the one we're from are different, remember? For all I knew Spock never had a brother, or he died on Vulcan, or he and Sarek were buddy buddy. Had I brought it up, there would have been really hard questions to answer. What did you expect me to do?"

Jim signed, running a frustrated hand down his face.

"I don't know. I thought I had understood what you told me, that you were with me and everything was fine so I didn't need to know anymore."

Charlie felt ice flood her veins. "Everything is fine."

"Look at us, Charlie?" Jim shouted, spinning to her as a thin red line began to glow around his irises. "We're stuck in the past of an alternative universe, we have no idea how we're going to get home, we have this damn Black Sun bullshit we're dealing with, and I don't know how to stop from ripping everything I love to shreds! How is everything fine, Charlie? How?!"

"Don't yell at me, Jim," Charlie ordered, her voice low and calm, but filled with steel. "I understand there's a lot we're dealing with, but don't you dare yell at me about it."

"I don't even know you," he snapped. "I don't know this- this world. What if we never get back? What if I'm fighting this for the rest of our lives?"

The anger pulsed hot and strong through her veins. It roared in her ears and her body tensed. She wanted to lash out again, could feel the pull of it with the intoxicating thrill of spewing words of hate and fury. Jim wanted the fight, it was as clear in his sky blue eyes turned grey with anger. But something about the red ring around his irises, the change of his face, the aggressiveness of his stance were all red flags. Charlie took a deep breath. Then another. She listened to the wind blowing across the loch and the birds in the trees. She closed her eyes to take the last breath, her blood cooling with the air.

"Then we will fight. Together," she breathed, locking onto his hard stare. "We will make it work, just like we always do. You're not alone, Jim, and you don't have to fight this alone. I'm sorry that it frustrates you I know things about your world you don't. But I never intentionally keep things from you unless it's important. You just have to trust me."

Jim panted, the veins bulging in his neck and forehead while he struggled with whatever demons were trying to surface. Charlie gently crept over, her movements as unthreateningly as possible. Like a spooked horse, Jim could bolt at any moment, and it would be disastrous for them both if he did. She reached her hand out slowly, and after a few tense moments, Jim's fingers connected with her and all tension left his body in a giant wave.

"Fuck, I'm getting sick of this," he breathed. "I'm sorry. I know you're right. It's just hard knowing you know more about me than I do."

She smiled, relieved he was calming down. "Thanks for the sentiment, but you know that's not true. I know enough to be dangerous and that's it."

Jim chuckled, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles. "Just use your power for good, alright?"

Charlie sighed dramatically. "Do I have to?"

He smirked, and in one fell swoop, scooped her up into his arms and made for the water.

"Jim!" Charlie laughed until she saw where he was heading. "What are you doing? No. No no no."

He waded until the waves brushed his knees, the cold water numbing his feet and the angry pulse just under the surface of his control. With an evil grin, he let his arms go slack, Charlie dropping into the water with a giant splash.

She surfaced instantly, drawing in a great breath of air since the freezing water forced it from her lungs. Jim laughed as her furious gaze caught his, water streaming down her face and her hair plastered to her head. What he didn't expect was for her to reach back into the water, grab his ankles, and yank as hard as she could, causing him to fall back with a giant splash.

Jim came up sputtering, droplets of water thrown around like a dog after a bath. Now it was Charlie's turn to laugh.

"Cooled off now?" she teased between giggles.

Jim glared a moment, then sent a giant wave at her. Charlie had enough time to turn her head, but her right ear took the full force of the ice water. She splashed him back as she made to stand laughing, but shivering.

"What in blue blazes are you two doing?" an angry voiced shouted from the shore. Charlie and Jim snapped their heads in the doctor's direction. "Get outta that chemical infested water before you die of hypothermia. And I just might let you!"

Charlie grinned as she reached her hand down to help Jim to his feet.

"Remember, those fighting with you are stronger than what you're fighting against," she whispered, her eyes darkening in sincerity as she mentally willed the ring around his eyes to disappear forever. "I will always fight by your side."

The water dripped around them, the air freezing and their toes numb, but as if frozen in time, Jim just held onto her hand and stared into her eyes. His love for her poured out of him, into their joined hands and their locked gazes.

"Are you two done making stupid eyes at each other?" McCoy shouted. "The green blooded hobgoblin and Spock want to speak with us."

Jim grinned, rolling his eyes.

"C'mon," he said. "Let's head back before Bones has an aneurism."

They sloshed back to shore, enjoying the evil glare directed their way.

"If you get sick, I'm not helping you," McCoy growled.

"Yes you will," Charlie laughed as McCoy scooted away, glaring at the water droplets. "You can't help but heal others."

"She's got you there," Jim pointed out with a grin. McCoy just harrumphed as they made their way up the trail back to the house.

"Alright, what did you want to tell us," Charlie asked, rubbing a towel through her freshly washed dark locks. The rest of the crew were gathered around the large table next to the kitchen or hanging out on the adjacent couch in the large single room.

"To begin, if I had known my brother had followed me, I would have come to you myself," Sybok affirmed, his hard gaze locked on the other Vulcan before moving among the group like a professor over a classroom. "I've been tracking temporal activity in and around this planet, searching for a way back to my time when I am ready. I received an alert about a disturbance in the United States and one in London. I travelled down to that location, only to find residue of the Black Sun."

"Wait, you know who those bastards are?" Scotty asked, sitting forward across the table.

"Yes," Sybok nodded. "They're like a plague of locust that consume and destroy everything they touch. They've learned to use temporal travel because of the Vril, which leaves a distinctive residue when they move."

"The Vril?" Charlie asked, her eyes widening. "My mother mentioned them. Said that the Black Sun is partnered with them or something. But who are they?"

"More like what," Sybok countered, eyeing Charlie suspiciously. "The Vril are both here and not here. They are physical, spiritual, elemental. They've been here since the beginning of time as we know it, and may be here long after. I believe the Vril may be the key to unlocking a sense of power from our emotions."

"Do I look like I fell off the turnip truck?" McCoy growled. "You're speaking like you're half a brick short of a load."

"That was the most southern thing you've ever said," Charlie remarked to the doctor. "Like holy hell."

"And you lot say I'm hard ta understand," Scotty grumbled.

"What—" Uhura interrupted, shooting a glare at the three stooges. "Exactly are you saying? That the Vril are some kind of, of spirit? Energy?"

"In a way yes, and no."

The crew groaned.

"My mother said something about the Black Sun wanting to create chaos," Charlie said slowly. "That they were hell bent on it, and that if the Vril got access to people, they could do that. But how is that possible?" Charlie directed the question directly at Sybok.

"I'm trying to learn," Sybok replied. "They are beyond normal comprehension. I've categorized them as 4th dimensional beings. They have a physical form, and yet they don't. They can control others in ways we don't understand. But they can move through spacetime in a way physics can't explain, and they seem to be drawn to those with emotional power. I left right after the attack on Starfleet in San Francisco, but I learned about the augments you were trying to cover up. Augments that have an almost Romulan connection to their emotions."

"How did you come by this knowledge?" Spock spoke up, his stare hard at his brother.

"My sources are my own, little brother," Sybok patronized. "But the augment led me to this timeline in the hopes that I may find answers to my questions. The Black Sun were targeting the augments, as puppets to the Vril and I believe they could play into whatever it is they are trying to do. Which from what –I'm sorry, I don't know your name." Sybok tuned to Charlie.

"Charlie Noland," she answered.

Sybok's eyes lit up. "Noland? You are of the Noland line."

Charlie sighed, reaching up to rub her tight forehead. She was really getting sick of her family's reputation. "Yep," she clipped.

Sybok's gaze roamed across the group, finally putting the pieces together before his attention became riveted on Charlie. "You're the one I've been looking for. The one from this timeline who came to ours."

"Guilty," she shrugged, although her hands clenched into fists.

Jim's chair shifted as he leaned forward, his torso now between Charlie and the Vulcan.

"Relax, Captain," Sybok said, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Unlike what Dr Sagan wanted with her, my reasoning is more benevolent."

"Yeah? Prove it."

"Jim," Charlie chastised, laying her hand in his bicep, his red lined sapphire gaze snapping to hers before they dulled. He nodded once and sat back, although his attention didn't fully leave Sybok. "You get us home, I'll help you, within reason."

"Cadet Noland may be from this time, but she a member of Starfleet, and part of my crew," Spock informed his brother, his glare strong. "Whatever you need from her will need to be approved by her Senior Officer, which I believe will be me." Jim smirked and dipped his head in agreement. "Please keep that in mind, Brother."

Sybok smirked. "Whatever you say."

Charlie's phone began vibrating on the table, Kate's face shinning up at them.

"The lass is callin'," Scotty said as Charlie reached for the device.

With a roll of her eyes and a small smile, Charlie replied, "Yeah, I see that."

She answered as she stood, heading way from the group. "What have you got?"

"The money will be wired to me and I'll find a way to get it to you," Kate informed first. "Not as much as I was hoping for, but we can make it work. Now for the real reason I've called. I found the girl."

Charlie's heart started thundering in her chest. "Where?"

"So we were half right," Kate answered. "The little girl did end up in Scotland, but not Glasgow like we thought. She's in Edinburgh. I'm sending you the address now." Charlie's phone pinged, the address in the message bar. "And Charlie?" She returned the phone to her ear. "Give them hell."