Brian leaned closer to the bed as the hand in his made a feeble grip. Almost forgetting to breathe, he watched as emerald eyes slowly opened.

Several blinks; the gaze was unfocused at first.

Brian squeezed the hand and said, “Hey, Kevin, wake up now.”

A deep breath was drawn. Another series of blinks, then, finally, clarity.

“Br...”

“Here, take a sip,” Brian said, holding up a water tube. The man seemed to understand, taking a cautious mouthful.

“Brian,” came the raspy but welcome word.

“Hey there, it's about time.” He smiled. “Give yourself a minute.”

Kevin blinked up at the overhead lights. “Where?”

“You're aboard the Sealk. We're headed for home.”

“Home?” he said, as if the word had no meaning.

“The war is over, and you're safe now. The doc will be coming soon, we've been waiting for you to wake up for a while.”

“We? Who, we?”

“Me, Howie, AJ and Nick. And Aleta's here, too.”

“Oh.” A deep breath. “Okay.”

The eyes drifted shut.

Brian turned to the medtech who had just arrived. “Contact Dr. Simpson, he's finally coherent,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir,” the tech said, thumbing a small communicator device. He then checked over the readouts, made notes on the chart, and did a cursory physical assessment.

By the time the man was finished, Brian heard Aleta's voice in the outer room. A minute later, she came into view.

“So tell me,” she said, moving to Kevin's side as she studied the chart.

“He recognized me, asked where he was and what had happened. Seemed to understand what I was saying.”

“Focused?”

“Mostly,” Brian said.

“Yes,” she said, turning to check Kevin's vitals. “Much better. He seems to be sleeping. What say we wake him up for a bit.” She called his name, shaking his shoulder. After two tries, Kevin's eyes stayed open.

“Hey 'leta,” he said, a slight smile curving his lips.

“Hey yourself,” she said. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Feel awful,” he complained.

“You look awful,” she said with a smile. “But you're on the mend. Now that you're awake, we can make sure you get the amount of pain meds you need.” She looked at the IV, then pressed a sequence of buttons. Seconds later, Kevin's face relaxed. “Better?”

“Thanks,” he said, nodding. “How... how am I here?”

“We were hoping you could tell us the tale,” she said.

“Mmm,” he said, trying to concentrate. “Confusing.”

“No doubt,” Aleta said, pulling up the covers and adjusting the blanket. “The thing that matters right now is you are here, safe and sound, and healing properly. The rest can wait.”

“Get some sleep, Kev,” Brian said. “We'll be right here when you wake.”

“Good,” came the faint reply. Then, he drifted away.

“He should be able to get some solid, normal rest now,” Aleta explained. “With the pain under tighter control, he can sleep as much as his body needs.”

“Which might be a lot.”

“Yeah,” she answered. “You four still going to keep up the watches?”

“I think so. I'd just feel better if one of us was here. Not that I don't trust the care...”

“I understand.”

“And I know the guys don't mind. Howie catches up on his reading, AJ has the female staff's full attention down here...”

“So I noticed,” she said with an eye-roll. “Always the charmer, isn't he?”

“Always,” Brian grinned. “And Nick finally has a chance to sketch without looking over his shoulder, afraid of getting yelled at for goofing off.”

“Ah, speaking of Nick,” she said, shifting her stance, “have you talked with him lately?”

“I've been here since AJ left... so no, not since before the party. Why? Is he in trouble?”

“Just the opposite,” she said. “He did me a huge favor a little while ago.” Her smiled dimmed. “An unfortunately necessary one.”

Brian frowned. “Which was?”

“Something I'd rather discuss over coffee,” she said. “If you have the time.”

“Howie's due in about 20 minutes,” Brian said. “How about I buy and you tell?”

“Deal,” she said.

~*~

Nick couldn't sleep. Even though he knew he'd be up for watch in six hours, his mind was racing. Sighing, he got out of his bunk and activated the lights.

He crossed the tiny room and sat at the makeshift desk where his sketchbook was waiting. He flipped open the volume and studied the drawings he'd begun.

There was one of Aleta, nearly finished. He'd need his color supplies to complete it fully, but the initial sketchwork was done. He'd captured her smile, the light in her eyes, even the small scar on her chin. She'd never tried to hide it, and Nick secretly thought it made her even more beautiful. He remembered when she'd gotten it; she'd been determined to finish the supply run, refusing to back down even under enemy fire. There were many wounded who needed the supplies they'd carried... a delay would have cost lives. She'd been a bit too close to a building when it was blown from above, and had nearly been knocked out by the force. But she'd gotten to her feet, and kept going; it had been almost two hours before she had her injury tended to. Thus, the scar.

Of course, with corrective surgery methods, the scar could be utterly erased, but she'd refused. Rather than see it as a flaw, she saw it as a mark of determination and a source of pride. It made her even more of a hero in Nick's eyes.

The next few images were initial studies, all of the alien. Nick gave a critical look at them; they were rough, and definitely incomplete. But he had managed to capture her most stunning feature: her enigmatic eyes. While she'd kept her expressions carefully neutral, the light in her eyes had told another story. Somehow, even though a word hadn't been exchanged, Nick knew she was not the kind of person who could so brutally torture a man like Kevin. Although Nick saw distance in her silver-gray orbs, there was a definite lack of coldness. Wariness, yes, but not hatred or fury or rage. Whoever had damaged his oldest brother, it hadn't been her.

Near the end of his time with her, she had closed her eyes, locking away the only window to her secrets. She became totally still, her breathing slow and barely detectable. Although he tried to get her attention, she didn't stir. He was loathe to touch her, and decided to simply let her rest... or whatever it was she was doing.

Because the strange silence disturbed him, he began softly singing a tune... a lullaby... he'd often sung to his sisters when they'd been afraid from some childish nightmare. He had no idea if she was able to hear him, but the familiar, comforting act made him feel better.

Aleta had arrived a while later to retrieve him. Although things hadn't gone well with the Captain, she'd managed to get new guards assigned to watch the prisoner. They left the alien alone to rest.

Now, Nick picked up his pencil and resumed his work. He'd have to see her again, of course; he hadn't memorized all the details of her features in just one visit. As he sketched, he wondered what her name was.

~*~

Brian leaned back and swallowed a mouthful of coffee. “Well, that sounds like Miles,” he muttered. “It would hurt his image if he appeared 'soft' on the hated Enemy.”

“But that's just it,” Aleta said. “The prisoner hasn't been proven to be anything except not human. And even if she is the Enemy, she deserves to have the most basic rights.”

“And the security data? What did it show?”

Aleta grimaced. “Nothing. Utterly blank. The tech on duty couldn't explain it; there was no evidence of malfunction in the recording equipment.”

“Someone tampered with the recordings,” Brian said flatly.

“Yes, it's the only explanation. Now we'll probably never know who attacked her. She's given no sign she understands a word of our language, so we're at a dead end.”

“At least you convinced Miles to reassign the guards. Hopefully these guys can be trusted.”

“I know each one of them personally,” she said. “It was the best I could do.”

“You know,” he said, setting his cup down, “once we get back home, they're going to take her away somewhere for interrogation. And I doubt she'll ever be released.”

Aleta clenched her jaw. “I know. And there's nothing I can do about that. But at least for now, I can try to make sure she's treated fairly.”

“So... what are you going to do once we get home?”

“I haven't spent too much time on that one yet,” she said. “I'm sure going to leave the military far behind. I've got my certification now, and I imagine there will be a ton of work for doctors for a while.”

“Unfortunately I agree. I've been pondering my own plans... working with kids again would be a radical change. Not sure I could handle it right away.”

“This war is going to take a while to shake off,” she agreed. “More for some than others.”

“Yeah,” Brian said lowly. “I'm wondering what Kevin will have to work through.”

“I can't imagine,” she said, giving a slight shudder.

“Without any family left back home, he'll need his friends more than ever,” he said. “I plan on being by his side however long it takes.”

“I'm glad you'll be there,” Aleta said. “You're right. He'll need support, and lots of it.”

~*~

She withdrew from half-Sleep with difficulty; her body needed more chance to heal, but she couldn't allow it yet. It would have to be enough for now.

She was, thankfully, alone in her cell. The light-haired man had been talking when the Sleep overtook her; she vaguely recalled a melody, a song... it had been his voice that had caught her last awareness. But why? For what purpose, the song?

She was sure he was one of K'vn's people. His words, most of which she had never heard before, had the same rhythm and flow, the same rise and fall as K'vn's. She had yearned to ask the question burning in her heart; could K'vn truly have survived the terrible journey? His damage had been great even before the escape.

She imagined the Great Ship had been destroyed. The wailing noises had increased, and she'd caught enough exchanges to know that They were preparing for the end. Her only regret was she hadn't witnessed it herself.

A part of her had wanted to stay with the Great Ship, to finally put an end to her deepest pain. But K'vn needed her hands and her eyes; she could not abandon him in the end. Now, here she was, imprisoned. The only difference was K'vn was not beside her.

Sorrow threatened to overwhelm her, but she roughly pushed it aside. She refused to display such weakness to unseen Eyes. Instead, she let her face become a blank mask. But behind her closed eyes, in the darkness of her mind, she wept.

~*~

Howie did a double take at the doorway and instantly put down his book. He stood just as Captain Miles strode into the room.

“Lt. Dorough, on babysitting duty, I see.”

Howie saluted, trying to keep the frown from his face. “It's my shift to watch Captain Richardson, yes, sir.”

“Like I said, babysitting. Has he been awake any?”

“He's drifted awake briefly three times, but went right back to sleep. The doc said it was normal and that the rest was helping him greatly.”

“Good,” Miles said. “I'm sure he'll be up on his feet by the time we reach home. He'll get a proper war hero welcome.”

“Captain Richardson doesn't much care for ceremony,” Howie said.

“A foolish philosophy,” Miles declared. “It never hurts to get as much positive publicity as one can. That's how generals and admirals are made.”

“If you say so, sir.”

“Richardson,” Miles called loudly, grabbing Kevin's arm. “Wake up, man. We have things to discuss. Richardson!”

Kevin came awake with a gasp, eyes darting around in alarm.

“Steady there, Richardson. It's Jeremy Miles. Gather yourself.”

Kevin blinked rapidly, then relaxed back into his pillows as he realized where he was.

“Miles,” he said, trying to calm his runaway heart.

“Indeed. Now that you're in the land of the conscious, I came to officially welcome you back.”

“Thanks,” Kevin said flatly.

“Has anyone told you of your rescue?”

“No... I've been asleep...”

“Well, I can appreciate you need your rest. So, just the basics.” Miles sat down in Howie's recently vacated chair, ignoring the younger man who was now hovering. “Really, it was an amazing bit of coordination. The Sealk had the O'mosk cornered, and was about to deal the final blow, when that pod you were in ejected. Of course, the Parrin, who was out of harm's way, tried to catch a towline to the pod, but it proved to much for their delicate little flitter. At least Captain Littrell had enough sense to request our intervention. So, once the O'mosk blew, we retrieved the pod and brought it in to safety. You, Richardson, have the distinction of being the only surviving prisoner to ever escape the Enemy!”

Howie watched as Kevin's face blanched of all color. It was as if someone had slapped him out of the blue. Miles, however, never noticed the change.

“It took a while to open the pod, but my crew came through once again. I'm amazed you survived. With the injuries you came aboard with, I wouldn't have placed much money on your recovery.” Miles grinned. “But then again, with the facilities the Sealk has to offer, and my highly competent crew, you pulled through.”

“Kevin,” Howie interjected, “are you okay?”

“No one else made it?” he whispered.

Miles answered. “Only one escape pod was detected, and you were the only prisoner. I'd say that was pretty lucky.”

He swallowed hard. “It... wasn't luck,” he breathed, then closed his eyes.

Howie, alarmed at the pain on his friend's face, said, “Perhaps, Captain, we should let Kevin get his rest.”

“That's Captain Richardson to you, Lieutenant,” Miles said pointedly. “Littrell might run a sloppy ship, but here I expect protocol to be followed properly.”

“Yes, sir, sorry sir.”

“Very well, Richardson, you get your rest. I have many other duties to tend to.” He stood, giving a critical look at Howie before leaving Sickbay.

The minute the coast was clear, Howie moved to Kevin's side. “What's wrong?” he asked.

“I can't... I can't talk about it now,” Kevin said in a strained voice. “I just... give me some time.”

“Sure,” Howie said, his concern growing even larger. “Whatever you need. But remember I'm right here, okay?”

“Thanks,” Kevin managed. His eyes remained shut.

Howie wondered how familiar the scene would be in the coming days.

~*~

Kevin passed into a fitful sleep, his dreams a frantic melange of memory and terror too fresh to have dimmed. He awakened feeling drained and defeated.

He watched his present visitor for a while. Nick was unaware he'd awakened; the young man was busily drawing in his ever-present sketchbook. The familiarity of the act did much to soothe his nerves; it was something he never thought he'd see again.

“What are you drawing, Nicky?” he said. Nick jumped in reaction, causing a slight smile to surface.

“K-kevin,” Nick said, retrieving his pencil. “You're awake.”

“I am.”

Nick gave him a sheepish smile. “That was kind of dumb for me to say.”

“I caught you off-guard,” Kevin said. “My fault.”

“How are you feeling?” the blond asked.

“I'll be fine.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “That's not what I asked.”

“Hand hurts, some,” Kevin said. “Everything else... livable.” He took a deep breath. “Help me sit up.”

“I don't think you're supposed to-”

“Please.”

Nick hesitated for a second, then sighed. “Okay, but if Aleta finds out, it'll be because I was obeying orders.”

“I can handle Aleta,” Kevin said.

“I bet Howie would fight you for that privilege.”

The remark was so unexpected, Kevin couldn't stop a short laugh from escaping.

“What?” Nick said. “It's the truth!”

“I missed you, Nicky,” Kevin said. “So very much.”

Blushing, Nick moved to Kevin's side. “Don't call me Nicky. That's a kid's name.”

“You are a kid,” came the reply.

“You sure you want to do this?” Nick asked.

“Yes.” Kevin braced himself, and grabbed on to Nick's outstretched arm. It took far more effort than it should have, but finally he was able to swing his legs over the side of the bed.

“Whoa,” Nick said as Kevin swayed a bit. “Hang on.”

“I'm okay,” he said a few seconds later. “Just need to get my bearings.”

Carefully, Nick released his grip. “How's it feel?”

“Good,” Kevin said. “Better.”

“Howie told me Miles was in here earlier,” Nick said. “Bet that was a real thrill.”

“He was here.”

“Howie also said that things seemed to hit you kinda hard.”

Kevin frowned, then stared at the floor. “Howie talks too much.”

“He's our Comm officer,” Nick said. “He's supposed to talk. And besides, I mean... we're in this together, right? Kinda like family.”

Kevin was silent for several heartbeats. “You're right... we are family. It's just... it's going to take some time for me. It's a lot to deal with, to come to terms with.”

“I wish I could help,” the younger man said sincerely.

Kevin looked up into concerned, earnest blue eyes. He inhaled, smiled just a fraction, and reached up to tousle Nick's blond hair. “You are helping, Chaos.”

Nick's face lightened up with a smile. “You haven't called me Chaos for a while.”

“I think the name will always suit you.” He tentatively stretched, assessing his mobility. “So what were you drawing?”

“Oh, just some random stuff, you know.”

“I'd like to see.”

“They're not finished-”

“It doesn't matter.”

“Well, okay,” Nick said, picking up the book. He sat on the edge of the bed and opened the volume. “This book is pretty new. See, this is the stuff I was doing about a week ago.”

“You've been improving,” Kevin said, noting the sophistication of the lines. “Even the still-lifes are great.”

“Well, I had to practice on inanimate objects after AJ threatened me one day, just because I was trying to sketch him.”

“You were bothering him on duty, weren't you?”

“No! I... well, yeah,” Nick said, ducking his head. “You know how boring it gets on a run.”

Kevin nodded. “What's next?”

Nick flipped the page. “Some more of the same... oh, I caught Brian one morning, he was just kind of zoned out, thinking. Didn't even notice I was there until I had the basics down.”

“He looks kind of sad, sort of contemplative.”

“He looked that way a lot since you-” Nick stopped, flushing. “Never mind.”

“Since I became a prisoner,” Kevin finished. “Don't be afraid to say it. It's what happened, and something I have to deal with.”

“Something we have to deal with.”

“Show me the rest.”

Nick turned back to the book. “Okay, now here's some of Aleta. I'm almost done the main portrait, see? Of course, she's a lot prettier in real life...”

“You captured her essence perfectly,” Kevin said, running a finger along the edge of the drawn lines. “This is amazing.”

“Thanks,” Nick said, feeling a wash of pride. He turned the page, eager to see what Kevin thought of the next sketches. “Now these aren't nearly done, I need to go visit her again, but so far-”

Kevin's emerald eyes widened as he recognized the woman in the sketch. He blinked numbly as the blood drained from his face.

Nick stopped in alarm, realizing he'd made a huge mistake. “Oh man, Kev, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-”

“Where... how did you...”

“I'm sorry-” he said in a rush, drawing the book away. Before he could shut it, Kevin's hand stopped him.

“Nick,” he said in a barely controlled voice, “how did you make these sketches?”

“How? Well, Aleta took me to the cell, and wanted me to spend some time with her. I had plenty of time to-”

“Wait. Wait.” Kevin took a deep, steadying breath. “The cell?”

“The cell where the alien is kept. She's a prisoner, but Aleta thinks-”

“She's alive?”

It was Nick's turn to be confused. “Yeah, she's alive. Miles ordered her to be kept under guard, being the Enemy and all-”

Kevin's iron grip on his arm was intense, nearly painful. “Explain this to me from the beginning.”

Nick nodded, not daring to ask what was going on. In a careful voice, he said, “We had been trailing the Sealk, chasing after the Enemy ship O'mosk. I was on duty when I caught what I swore was an ident code signal. Howie kept looking for it, and we found it again. It was coming from the O'mosk.” He paused, waiting.

“Yes, okay. Go on.”

“The O'mosk was cornered, and Miles gave the surrender speech. Brian asked him to hold off on the second call because your ident had been verified. AJ went out on the flitter to get a more exact location, and that's when the pod was launched.”

“The escape pod.”

“Right. Then AJ caught the signal coming from the pod itself, and tried to catch it with a tow. But the O'mosk was about to blow, and he couldn't make it to safety with the extra load. So he had to release it.” Nick waited until Kevin gave a curt nod. “Okay, so he got clear, and Brian asked Miles to retrieve the pod. Which he did. When they got it open, eventually, they found the two of you inside.”

Kevin closed his eyes, trying to keep his thoughts steady.

Nick continued. “You were both banged up pretty good, and they took you to Sickbay. Once the alien's worst wounds were treated, she was shuffled off to a prison cell.”

“She's locked up in a cell, right now?”

“Sure, her being the Enemy and all, they thought-”

“She's not the Enemy,” Kevin grated, his good fist clenched in emotion.

“Sorry, Kev, I didn't mean to... she hasn't said anything, so there was no way we could know.”

Of course she didn't say anything! “I want to see her, now.”

“You're not supposed to even be sitting up-”

“Now,” Kevin said, eyes blazing. “Get Aleta if you have to, but I have to go there. Now.”

“Okay, okay,” Nick said, standing. “Don't go anywhere, all right? Let me get her.”

The younger man ran off into the other room. Kevin trembled in reaction to his overwhelming emotions. Dizzying memories surfaced: pain, confusion, running down a corridor... feeling the impact of the wall as he was slammed against it... light, metal, sounds...

Go! Go!

Running feet, the stale taste of terror in his mouth...

Gray eyes beseeching...

Run!

No time, only one chance...

Agony as something hits his arm...

A pulling, an urging...

The dark, close confines of the pod...

Can't breathe, can't see...

A wild spinning, tumbling, crashing against the wall...

Dim lights, a rapid tapping... it's code, his code...

Another sickening sensation of spinning, falling...

Darkness, no longer terrifying...

Peace in the dark. Peace, no pain...

Something jammed in his mouth, something hard-

But the dark is stronger, safer.

Retreat. Retreat...

Kevin gasped as a hand gripped his arm. He looked up to see Aleta's alarmed expression.

“Kevin!” she exclaimed.

“Please, take me to her,” he said raggedly. “Oh god... please, Aleta, I have to see her!”

Doubt flickered behind hazel eyes for a moment. “You shouldn't be sitting, much less-” Aleta stopped, frozen by the look of complete desperation on Kevin's face. When she realized that his eyes were rimmed with wetness, she knew she couldn't deny him.

“All right,” she said. “If it's that important to you. But you're going down on a float chair.”

“I don't care,” he said hoarsely.

While Aleta and an assistant got Kevin ready to go, Nick called Brian on his wristcom. By the time Kevin and Nick left Sickbay, the other three members of the Parrin crew were on their way to the prison cell.

~*~

Kevin's grip on the armrest was white-knuckled as the initial wave of adrenaline faded. His stomach rolled with nausea, and his vision played light-tricks on him. His thoughts, however, were focused on another matter entirely.

The guard in front of the prison chamber looked at the trio doubtfully; Aleta flashed her ident and spoke in a voice that brooked no delay. Obediently, he opened the door. Just before they entered, however, voices were heard down the hall... Brian, AJ and Howie were practically running to greet them. Questions were put on hold when the others got a look at Kevin's face; with a glance from Aleta, they fell silent. With Kevin in the forefront, the group went in.

The second the float chair came to a halt, Kevin got shakily to his feet. He stood, his gaze locked on the solitary figure huddled in the corner. After several tries, he found his voice.

“V-vosh?”

The woman lifted her head at the sound, her silver-gray eyes widening. A split second later, she was standing, a look of astonishment on her face.

“Vosh,” Kevin cried, stepping up to the bars.

The prisoner hesitated for a heartbeat, then a look of utter, total relief came over her face. It was the first true emotion any of them had seen since she'd been brought aboard.

“K'vn,” she rasped. Her hand fluttered in front of her.

“Yes, it's really me,” Kevin answered, his face transforming. “You... we're alive, we're free...”

A curt gesture; he turned to Aleta.

“Open the cell.”

The doctor didn't hesitate. A second later, Kevin limped inside and was instantly embraced by the alien. They didn't communicate; they simply clung together tightly. No one spoke for nearly half a minute.

“Well it looks like Miles got the whole thing wrong,” Brian said.

“I take it she's not the Enemy?” Aleta asked.

Kevin pulled back but didn't release his grip. “She's the only reason I'm alive,” he said, voice heavy with emotion. “I owe her everything.”

~*~