'Q' Stardate 2258.231

Amara was unsure of what had just happened. She had been in the middle of a training session when suddenly she found herself on board the Enterprise. She looked across the table and her eyes met James’. Amara was dressed in a sleek, all black suit with knee high black boots and she looked...stunning. It had been four months since they had last seen each other and Amara had felt every single day of it. She didn’t know how she had gotten here, or why, but she was back with James and that was what mattered to her. She just hoped this wasn’t a dream.

“James....”

'This can 't be...' he thought as he looked into her eyes. He remembered those eyes. Blue eyes, Amara's eyes. 'I can't...I can't deal with her right now. Not if we're being tested.' He thought. but oh he wanted her. Wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her until his lips fell off. She was quite sexy in that outfit. Was it some kind of Section 31 dress? Kirk visibly took hold of himself.

"Amara, go to your quarters," Kirk said. When she opened her mouth to say something he spoke over her. "Do it!" He said sharply. Spock looked from her to Kirk but decided not to say anything.

Amara blinked at James' command. She had no idea what was going on and clearly he had no intention of telling her. Her eyes narrowed and she frowned at him before getting up and leaving the ready room to head back to her old quarters. 

Elyse and Scarlett also kept their mouths closed, although they were both in awe of seeing her again. Elyse began to wonder if perhaps Q hadn't brought Amara here as some part of the test.

Kirk looked at everyone, obviously they were wondering what he was wondering. "Spock, I want you... to command an away team but I need my bridge officers. We'll continue on with the mission. Scarlett, get as many scans of the planet as you can. Spock coordinate with her from the ground to bring up earth, water and flora sample. Scan any animals you find and take holo photos if you can," Kirk said. "Take Nathan along as well incase there are dangerous animals down there," Kirk said.

"Elyse we don't know what...Q has in store for us. I want you to create a duty roster so that the ship is on constant yellow alert status," Kirk said. then looked around the room. "I know this is not a usual circumstance, just remember your training and experience and you will do fine," Kirk said. "Spock, take a shuttle incase we are not able to beam you back," Kirk said.

"Dismissed," Kirk said and everyone stood. "Not you Elyse," Kirk said.

Elyse stood to leave to go start on the duty roster when suddenly Kirk asked her to stay. She saw Leonard glance over at her, but she gave him a look that told him he could leave. He left and it was just Elyse and Kirk in the ready room. Elyse found she was actually rather nervous as she wondered what he was going to say.

"Doctor, I'd like you to accompany myself, Ensign Pierce and Lt. Quinn down to the planet. We will be taking a shuttle," Spock said outside of the ready room. McCoy looked at him. "I'm a doctor, not a field medic," McCoy said. "Every command level officer needs to...expand their horizons doctor. You're on the team," Spock said.

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"I...wanted to apologize Elyse, for how I acted on the Bridge. It was not professional," Kirk said. He tried not to think of her naked but it was not easy. She was quite lovely actually. Fit and toned," he thought as he looked at her. He tried to keep his eyes on her face. It wasn't easy to do, he was who he was and he liked the female form.

Elyse was surprised when Kirk apologized to her. She had to fight back tears. She didn’t want to cry in front of him. “I...I’m sorry too for not being stronger. It’s...it’s just harder as a woman in a position of authority to keep such authority when you’ve been completely exposed like that. Now, everyone can just picture me naked whenever they want.”

"Would it help if the rest of us stripped bare for you? Then we all would be the same," Kirk said with a grin. "Modesty is more or less just an emotion Elyse. And no one will think less of you for what happened. You have nothing to be ashamed about," Kirk said. "But I do need you at your best and I need it now. We don't know who this Q person is or what he will do next," Kirk said. "But this is not the only reason I kept you here...Amara...Q must have brought her here for a reason. I'll be damned if I know what it is," Kirk said.

"I'm not certain it would be a good idea if I see her," Kirk said. "Even now I find myself wanting to," Kirk said. "It's been...four months and just seeing her again..." Kirk said but didn't finish what he was about to say.

Elyse actually smiled and laughed a little with a little shake of her head when Kirk offered to have everyone else strip bare for her. She took a few deep breaths and pushed everything that had happened to her aside. She would maintain authority and be the commander that her Captain needed her to be. 

When he brought up Amara she sighed a little as she tried to figure out why Q may have brought her here. "I'm convinced she's apart of the test in some way, but I cannot say what that is." She then thought about it. "Perhaps...perhaps Q brought her here specifically because he knew that you would want to...and perhaps the test is resisting that urge."

Kirk could see that. A distraction? Definitely. He was distracted already. Just knowing she was on board was a temptation. He tried not to think about making love to her. But it was Amara...and it had been four months.

"Just...I will talk to her and soon. We will get to the bottom of this, to what Q is doing or expects of us. I just wish I didn't have this lump in my chest that was filled with worry," Kirk said.

As they headed out of the ready room he gestured for Elyse to take the con. He moved straight to the turbo lift and then went down to deck 5. Guards were posted at intervals. It was a yellow alert after all. He walked down the hall then turned to where Amara's quarters were. The doors opened when he approached them and closed behind him.

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"Bridge, this is Shuttle One, we're ready for departure," Nathan said. They waited for Kirk or someone to tell them they were clear to take off.

Amara was back in her old quarters. Natalie had been given a different room and everything had been left the same as when she had last been in it four months ago. She was unsure of what was going on, but she assumed it was something big. She was anxious and couldn't sit so she kept walking around. She had missed James so much and seeing him again made her want him right then and there. 

She heard the doors to her quarters open and she looked over at James as he walked in. She didn't say anything and waited for him to speak since he had been the one to order her to her quarters.

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Elyse left the ready room and went back to the bridge. She took a seat in the Captain's chair and heard Nathan. She double checked that they were clear for departure before responding. "Shuttle One, you are clear for departure."

"The elephant in the room is that we're being troubled by some being that calls himself Q. He has...powers...he appears to be omnipotent to a degree. We're kind of, at his mercy. I assume you were training? When you were...brought here?" He asked. "You look...well," He said though he was about to say beautiful. Beautiful, gorgeous amazing, sexy...he continued inside his head. His desire for her was strong. He smiled trying to diffuse the lustful feelings he had right then.

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The shuttle exited out the rear of the Enterprise and turned toward the planet and began their descent. Now that it was visible, Nathan could anticipate the entry point and use the shuttle's computers properly.

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Uhura had a hand to her ear. She was hearing...something. Like odd background noise or possibly, the sound of another ship, closeby? But she wasn't certain.

"Uh Captain? I'm detecting some kind of background noise. I can't pinpoint where it's coming from," she said.

Amara wanted to be in James' arms right then, but she stayed where she was, although it was extremely difficult...quite possibly one of the most difficult things she had ever had to do. She nodded a little when he asked if she had been training. "Yes, I was training. How...how have you been?"

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Elyse looked over at Uhura and then looked at Scarlett. "Scarlett are you picking anything up on the scanners?"

"Miserable...but we all have our assigned duties," He said as he looked at her. "I've...missed you...the understatement of the century," Kirk said. "I am...holding myself back because If I don't I'm afraid I will not be able to stop," Kirk said honestly. Dam she was HOT!. "Nice...uniform, thats what Section 31 is wearing these days?" he asked.

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"No Captain, just the shuttle," Scarlett said. Uhura's face held some concern. She had been in a few battles with Klingons and she learned to notice things like cloaked ships but it wasn't exactly the same as that. Or was it? "I'll keep monitoring Captain," Uhura said finally.

Amara looked at James and her eyes met his across the room. "I've missed you too. I feel every day that we're apart. All this time spent separated is doing is making me realize just how much I love you and want to be back here with you."

She smiled and rolled her eyes a little when he commented on her one piece, black uniform. "That's what I was given."

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Elyse decided to contact the shuttle. "Captain Turner to Shuttle One." When they responded she spoke. "Shuttle One, we have detected some odd noises or disturbances that we have been unable to locate the source for. We are continuing to monitor."

Kirk folded his arms across his chest as he looked at her a moment. Then he extended his hand and twisted his finger in a circle so she would spin around for him. "They...picked this out for you?" Kirk said in mild disbelief. Amara had a nice butt but those pants were nearly skin tight. He could tell what kind of undergarment she was wearing. And it wasnt much. He wanted to see them...and remove them with his teeth.

"Is the training...difficult? I suspect you are getting quite the education," Kirk asked. He was worried that she'd fall back into that place she came from. Half truths and secrets. God he hoped not. He didn't want their to be secrets between them. He had trusted her once and she had burned him, badly. That, wasn't all her fault though

Amara smiled and rolled her eyes, but spun around in a little circle for him. She could tell he was looking at her ass. She turned back to face him and shrugged when he asked her if the training was difficult. "To be honest, not really. I'm already highly trained by the Tal Shiar. They are just refining some of my skills." 

She looked across the room at James and she could tell what he was thinking. "This is not going to be like it was before. I swear that to you James."

Kirk wanted so much to take her at her word. "I want to believe you Amara...you can not imagine how much. I need to believe you," Kirk said. His heart was racing and his forehead felt warm. He was sweating as if he were just a school boy again trying to talk to a school girl he really liked.

"What if their orders and mine are conflicting? And if you tell me that wont happen than I'd say you were being naive. I've had dealings with Section 31 before, as you know...uh...Natasha and I...have some history," he said.

Amara wanted to tell James what he wanted to hear, but she knew she couldn't. She didn't want to lose James over this. She had done this so they could be together. "I'm going to do the best I can James. I can't honestly make any promises about anything at this point. The only reason I did this was because there wasn't any other option. I just don't want to lose you James...you're all I have."

"You can't make me any promises? Weren't we talking about...You know..." Kirk said. He didn't want to say the word because it felt too much like he was asking right then. He definitely thought that Starfleet would consider something like that to be a conflict of interest. And maybe it was in truth. But how would Section 31 perceive that? Likely no different knowing them. Whatever it took so that he could be with her. Whatever it took.

He hadn't realized but they had somehow move closer. She was only just 5 feet away from him now. How had that happened? Had he moved? Or was this one of those...Q...things. He didn't know but just the scent of her made his head spin.

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"Captain...It's back again...it reminds me...well, It reminds me of..." Uhura began but then Scarlett saw a ship begin to appear. It was a Romulan Battlecruiser

Nathan saw it too on their sensors. "Enterprise, we're being targeted!" Nathan said.

Amara suddenly realized that James was much closer than he had been previously. She looked into his eyes...blue on blue. "I didn't mean about that," she told him. "What I said before still stands...if and when you ever decide to ask me, my answer will be yes."

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Elyse's eyes widened when she saw the Romulan Battlecruiser. "Uhura! Hail the ship immediately and get Captain Kirk on the bridge!"

A moment later the Romulan ship fired on the shuttle and it was destroyed. Before Chekhov could get a target lock they activated their cloak. "You're on Captain Turner," Uhura said and then signaled Kirk's communicator.

Kirk heard his communicator chime and sighed. There was some hot heaviness about to happen but he plucked his communicator from his pocket and flipped it open. "Captain, we've detected a Romulan ship and they've got the shuttle crew," Uhura said. "Damn," Kirk said looked at Amara. "Come with me," He said to her and together they hurried to the turbo lift.

Much to Elyse's relief (as momentary as it was), they could tell that the shuttle crew had been transported aboard the Romulan ship before the shuttle was destroyed. Thankfully, a moment later Captain Kirk appeared on the bridge. Amara stood beside him. She had a strong feeling she knew why they were there and it had to do with her.

"Enterprise, this is sub-commander Ren'anor, we have 4 of your officers aboard our ship. You will prepare Seihir aka Lt. Kaia Fox aka Amara Novak for transport. To show you that we will not tolerate deception, we will kill one of the hostages," He said. Kirk's face turned pale."Wait!" kirk said though there was no answer.

Nathan had tried to stop it but he was hit on the back of the head. McCoy had also tried but he was simply pushed back as Natalie was vaporized with a disruptor. After a few moments Spock spoke into their communications device they held to his face. "Captain, Ensign Pierce, is dead," Spock said calmly.

"Kirk," Ren'anor said. "Every 10 minutes that we do not receive Amara Novak, we kill another Hostage. If we run out of hostages, we will attack your ship and remove her," he said. "10...minutes Kirk," the Romulan said than Uhura shook her head. The bridge was deathly silent.

Scarlett and Elyse both jumped to their feet when they heard what Ren'anor said they were going to do. They all stood there in silence as they waited for any kind of communication. When they finally heard from Spock that Natalie was dead the bridge became deathly silent. Amara looked over at James. "I have to do this James. I won't allow them to hurt anyone else from this ship. They won't hesitate to kill someone else. It's one life versus three."