IMPORTANT NOTE: I wrote this years ago and had published it as a separate story because I was young and dumb and didn't know any better. Periodically over the years, I've received reviews asking me to continue without realizing that I sort of had, just published elsewhere. For clarification and to prevent confusion, I am copy/pasting that one-shot here as the second chapter. I do not plan on writing more at this stage, but I'm so very thankful you like it, and gobsmacked that my younger self wrote something that brings this much enjoyment years later :) Thank you so much for your lovely reviews - they really are the fuel that fanfiction runs on!

Memo: This one-shot is inspired and based on the Star Trek TOS episode "Operation: Annihilate!", and if you are unfamiliar with the general plot, my story will hopefully lay it out. I was watching the episode when Spock became blind, and then Kirk left. I was curious to know what happened during the time that Spock was blind up until he regained normal vision, and this is what resulted. So this story deals with when Spock his blind.

Disclaimer: Not mine, though I wish it was. I don't own Star Trek, or Teen Titans, or anything that you recognize. I may have also been influenced by other fanfiction I've read, but I can't remember anything specific. I'm just covering all of my bases.

Blind Faith

It was some weeks after her arrival that Raven, formerly of the Teen Titans and now a guest aboard the USS Enterprise, received an urgent summons to the Sickbay over the intercom. "Miss Roth, please report to Sickbay immediately," Kirk's voice was heard clearly, "Raven, please get down here now!"

She was understandably somewhat alarmed by the tone of the captain's voice, as he had never dispensed with the formality of referring to her as 'Miss Roth,' even under the most flirtatious of circumstances. Raven couldn't help but smile faintly at the firm determination, unrelenting persistence, yet sadly futile efforts Captain James T. Kirk had wasted by trying to woo her into accepting his affections. She must have presented a challenge to the lady-killer, and once she displayed no interest in him, that began the game... "More like a sport," she amended to herself. The poor misguided man just couldn't comprehend that Raven was simply not interested in him...she had nothing against him, but she just wasn't the type to cultivate a relationship beyond that of colleague or maybe friend...with anyone. No matter how forward the captain had gotten, he had at least remained professional enough to address her as "miss" or "ma'am," and it was this reason why the dark empath knew something was seriously wrong after hearing the distressed Kirk summon her by her first name.

Deserting her herbal tea, she whipped her cloak around her shoulders and raised her hood as she phased through the door, trying to think of the possible reasons why she was needed. All she knew was that the Enterprise was trying to prevent a mass disease that had been spreading from planet to planet from spreading further. They were currently in orbit over Deneva, a colony that had lost contact with the Federation, and which was directly in the path of the disease. Raven had heard that the infection caused madness, and she was concerned that one of the crew members had contracted it. If so, there was only so much she could do with her rapid healing powers.

The sorceress walked quickly down the passageway to the turbolift, getting odd looks from the passing crewmembers. Raven paid them no attention, as she was much more preoccupied with remembering the way to Sickbay. She had only been here for three weeks and was still finding her way around without a guide. It was now that she wished that she had at least memorized the whereabouts of the infirmary, for if she knew its exact location, she wouldn't have to waste time by walking there and simply teleport.

She knew she was now on the correct level. Raven stopped a passing ensign and merely asked, "Sickbay?" The man pointed back the way he had been going and informed her that it wasn't too far and on her left. The demoness nodded thanks and took off again with a brisk stride. Before long, she arrived at the sliding glass doors and walked in, coming to a halt when her presence was noted by Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy. The bottom of her dark blue cloak swirled at her feet at the sudden stop, and her violet eyes calmly glanced from Kirk, to McCoy, to Spock, who was lying restrained on one of the medical beds. Raven approached without hesitation or invitation.

"What happened?" she asked coolly.

"Mr. Spock has been infected by a creature from the planet," the captain replied. "It's is growing new tissue around his nerves, and they're causing him great pain in order to try and take over his mind. Can you do anything?"

"It's too complex for me to surgically remove them," Bones added. "Can't you work your voodoo and Abracadabra him back to normal?"

Spock gave a growl. "Pain is in the mind," he ground out, "and I have overcome the mind."

Raven stood close to the edge of the bed and held two glowing hands over Spock's contorted face. After a few silent moments with only the patient's muttering heard, she withdrew her hands and the glowing stopped. "I'm sorry, doctor," she said solemnly. "I am unable to destroy them for the same reason why you cannot remove them. They are too intricately embedded in his nervous system. I would risk brain damage if I tried anything at this stage."

The moral lowered significantly at her admission. Kirk put a hand to his forehead and Bones crossed his arms. Spock continued to writhe against his restraints, repeating the mantra that he was a Vulcan and that the pain did not affect him even though his actions proved anything but.

Raven returned to the bedside. "I could neutralize the pain receivers in his brain."

"No!" Spock exclaimed suddenly. "I have overcome the pain. Thank you for your concern, but I do not require your assistance, Miss Roth."

She raised an eyebrow.

Kirk looked up skeptically. "Are you sure, Spock?"

"He's not lying, Captain," Raven admitted, waving a hand over him to check the validity of his claim.

"Who's not lying?" Bones asked dryly, "Spock or the spore?"

The Vulcan continued. "Captain, I will be able to return to normal duty in a short while. I need to return to the planet in order to capture a parasite specimen; then I can work on a way to destroy it. Because I am already infected, it is the logical choice for me to perform the task."

"It doesn't matter," Kirk said with decision, "he is to remain here for security measures...that's an order," he added after seeing the look the Vulcan gave him. "Miss Roth, you may return to your quarters, or to whatever you were previously doing. Thank you for trying. I have work to do...something I call 'Operation Annihilate." The captain turned and left the infirmary without a second glance at his best friend.

Raven knew that something was afoot in Spock's mind, but she didn't know what. She guessed that he was going to try and escape, but that was none of her business. As far as she could tell, he wouldn't be a safety risk to anyone, and it was his own concern if he wanted to disobey the captain's orders. She shrugged and turned to Doctor McCoy, who was walking dejectedly into his office. "I'm sorry I couldn't help. You'll think of something."

"'ts not your fault." He disappeared into his room.

She looked back to Spock, who was looking at her calmly without evidence of pain or confliction, which was a little unsettling, considering the condition she had just recently witnessed him in. "Thank you, ma'am, for your efforts on my behalf."

"Keep resisting it," she replied, attempting to show some compassion by awkwardly patting his shoulder. Her limited experience in trying to reach out to others, and her obvious discomfort of such a display ruined her effort. "As long as you have your will, you can beat it." Raven gave a departing nod and then swept from the Sickbay, robe billowing behind her.

Raven returned to her quarters and emptied out the now-cold tea, her thoughts dwelling on how useless she had been in a real crisis, and if Spock would be successful in his escape attempt.

Spock was successful in escaping from Sickbay.

He made it all the way to the transporter room before Scotty could apprehend him and call Kirk. But logic won the captain over, and the first officer was allowed to beam down to the planet and collect one of the parasites before returning to the ship. He took it to Doctor McCoy's medical lab and the pair ran test after test on it with the intent to kill it. But nothing they tried succeeded, and they were left in confusion. Kirk stopped in on them to check their progress, and Bones informed him of their failure. The three began brainstorming on possibilities they might have overlooked.

The curiosity was overwhelming her. She needed to find out whether or not Spock had made the attempt and if so, had he succeeded and how. She again raised her hood over her head so that her upper face was concealed and exited her rooms. Raven remembered where she was headed and created a swirling black vortex in the opposite wall, disappearing into it and sealing it up once she was inside. The sorceress opened it inside the wall of Sickbay and stepped out, closing it behind her. No one was there, she noted, but she did see that the black restraining straps on what used to be Spock's bed were broken. Raven then caught movement out of the corner of her eye and she discovered that Doctor McCoy, Captain Kirk, and Mr. Spock were in the medical lab to her left. The door was closed, but there was a small window at her eye level.

Aware that she may be asking entry for an off-limit zone, Raven carefully knocked on the door. Bones waved her in impatiently, and she quickly phased through. The three stared at her for a moment before snapping out of it - they still weren't completely accustomed to seeing her use her powers.

"I just thought you should know that some black straps on the medical bed are torn out," she said blandly, failing to completely suppress an amused grin. She raised an eyebrow at Spock, who gave a sideways glance to McCoy, whose face was priceless.

Kirk cut Bones off before he could retaliate. "We can fix them later, but right now we're running out of time. We need to find a way to destroy these parasites!"

Raven stepped closer and examined the creature in the specimen container with mild disgust on her face. "So what exactly are these fried eggs?"

"They are single-celled organisms...my guess being that they're something like brain cells," Bones replied. "It seems to be part of a larger entity that exists in separate parts. Unfortunately, we can't kill them. We've tried everything we can think of, from radiation poisoning, to burning it."

"Before we reached this planet," Kirk cut in, "we saw a shuttlecraft driven purposefully into the planet's sun. The pilot seemed to be mad, but before his craft was destroyed, he exclaimed that he was free. We assume he meant free from the organisms, which means that somehow the sun caused the death of the parasites. But we've tried everything that might have been a factor, as the doctor said. Radiation...heat...nothing works. There must be something we're missing. What else does the sun give off?"

Raven hesitated for a moment. "Light?"

There was a moment of silence while Kirk groaned and covered his face with his hands.

The girl interpreted this reaction the wrong way. "Too simple?"

Kirk lowered his hands and narrowed his eyes at her. "Nobody likes a smartass."

The experiment was successful.

"The next logical step would be to find out whether or not the creatures can be destroyed by this light while in a host," Spock stated, "and as I am infected, I am the logical test subject. I will go into the chamber, and then Dr. McCoy will subject the room with the same amount of light equivalent to that of the sun. The effect should equal the result of pilot's attempt to get rid of his parasites."

"Yes, but he died, Mr. Spock," Raven commented sardonically.

"True, but this process will lack heat and radiation, which were the main factors for his death. As you recall, his attempt at freeing himself was successful before he died shortly thereafter."

Bones and the captain exchanged worried looks.

"Trust me, Captain," the Vulcan calmly assured them both, "I am the logical choice. I am doing what is necessary in order to establish a cure. Let's begin the test now, as we're running out of time." He stepped to the small experimentation chamber. "Because the people on the planet's surface will not be wearing protective goggles, neither shall I."

"Captain Kirk," Raven said, voicing a suggestion, "Would it not be more logical to slowly increase the level of light until the creatures are destroyed instead of initially blasting Spock with all that light?"

"We don't know that the spores wouldn't adapt to the light as it gradually increased," Bones answered. "But on the other hand, there wouldn't be the risk of..."

"I'm afraid we don't have that kind of time!" Kirk interjected. "We're just going to have to take our chances, I'm afraid, but we can't afford anymore time!"

The dark empath shrugged and retreated into a corner.

Spock entered the chamber and Kirk sealed it closed. Safety goggles were passed around.

McCoy took one long breath, and then flipped the switch.

The light was only on for approximately five seconds, and then they were turned off, with the door being opened shortly thereafter by the captain. The first officer got to his feet and framed his tall stature in the doorway. "Gentlemen, the experiment was successful. I am completely free from the organisms and the pain is gone." Spock took a few steps forward before stumbling into the laboratory table. "And it seems I am totally blind, as well."

"What?!" Kirk exclaimed.

"No!" cried the doctor.

Raven made no sound.

Bones waved a hand in front of the Vulcan's eyes, but there was no response. The two distraught men carefully guided Spock to the nearest hospital bed as they sputtered disjointed and shocked phrases.

"This is all my fault!" McCoy muttered angrily, "I should have voiced my concerns! I never should have allowed this to happen!"

"It was my order," Kirk lamented sorrowfully, cursing himself under his crushing guilt. "I should have listened more closely to the risks involved."

Spock suddenly spoke up in the midst of his friends' regret. "I understood the possible outcomes of such an experiment, and I made the decision to go through with it. Neither of you are to blame."

"Bones," Kirk said with a sudden horrified expression, "do you think it could have been any type of light used? Does it have to be the same light we used?"

The doctor's face was aghast. "Infrared light. I never even considered it." The doctor's face crumpled in disgust at his own thoughtlessness.

"So Mr. Spock's sight-loss was redundant?" The captain's tone was not questioning...it was a statement of fact.

The man in question remained impassive, still sitting upright on the hospital bed, his eyes staring straight ahead, unseeing.

"Raven!" the desperate captain called desperately.

The girl swiftly approached from the darkened corner of the room she had been occupying, dark blue cape swinging freely around her ankles and hood shrouding her upper face. Her expression was indifferent, but her eyes kept returning to the sad form of Spock, sitting painfully erect, unmoving.

"Can you fix his eyes? Use your powers? Heal him? Can you undo the mistake I made?"

She let her eyes close momentarily as she fought for control. How could she possibly explain this? How could she do this to them? This was supposed to be her purpose aboard this starship, and yet...

"My powers," she began slowly, organizing her thoughts, "heal injuries, destroy infections, and restore existing tissue to its normal state. I am unable, however, to replace destroyed tissue of this magnitude. The retinas are sure to be burned, and the necessary eye tissues destroyed beyond repair. I'm afraid I'm useless...yet again."

"That's the truth?" the captain questioned.

"Of course it is!" Raven snapped fiercely over her shoulder.

Kirk's face hardened into a mask of pure rage, his fists clenching tightly at his sides as he fought for control of his emotions. He faced McCoy, "do what you can for him." He quickly turned and left Sickbay before his composure crumbled.

Bones watched him leave dejectedly before looking back to his friend. "Get some rest, Spock - I'll be in my office just around the corner."

He began walking towards the door, but Raven caught his arm before he had passed. "It's not your fault either, doctor. You can't blame yourself."

"Can't I?" he hissed, his voice approaching a hysterical quality. "I'm responsible for all the patients in my care, and my best friend can't see because of a stupid oversight on my part! I'm a trained professional! I shouldn't make mistakes!"

"You are hardly trained to know how to handle situations such as these. Things like this just happen, and everyone needs to come to terms with it. We're all sorry it happened, but it happened, and it needs to be accepted as a part of life. No one is to blame."

Doctor McCoy didn't reply, instead sadly resuming his exit from the room. Raven watched him leave. After the doctor was gone, she looked back at Spock, still in his same spot. She couldn't bring herself to simply walk out and leave him totally alone in his new world of darkness. It must be terrifying, though she knew the Vulcan would never admit it. Both of his friends had deserted him for the sake of their emotional response to this situation, leaving the real victim all alone.

She sighed and hoisted herself onto the bed directly opposite him, facing his front and tucking her legs underneath herself as she regarded him serenely. "What a predicament you find yourself in now, Spock."

"The risk was understood and accepted as part of the job."

"That doesn't change the fact that it's still thoroughly shocking and terribly frightening."

His body stiffened at the remark. "It is not frightening...merely inconvenient," he corrected unconvincingly.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

Spock ignored her, instead remaining silent. His face was harsh, and his aura told her he was brooding. Vulcan or not, he was feeling sorry for himself - Raven could read the faint emotions emanating from him, and his body language only furthered the point.

"Thirsty?" she asked.

Spock didn't answer her.

"A pitcher of water and a glass are on your bed-stand to your right."

He then reached out for it slowly. His fingers pushed the glass and it tottered. He tried to catch it, but it fell and shattered on the hard hospital floor.

"An adequate first try," Raven commented. She then levitated another glass from a different table with her telekinesis and lowered it onto the bed-stand. "Now try again," she said to him.

He sighed and reached for the table again. He located and picked up both the water pitcher and the empty glass, holding them out to Raven where she was sitting in front of him.

"Pour it yourself," she told him.

"And how am I to know I will not pour it in my lap?" he asked her condescendingly.

"Touch the lip of the pitcher to the lip of the glass," Raven instructed casually.

"And how am I to tell when it is full?"

"Put your finger over the side a little bit, and when it gets wet stop pouring. This is simple stuff, Spock."

He simply raised an irritated eyebrow, though he couldn't direct it at her perfectly, and did as she told him. The silence grew after he had finished his glass of water, neither of them wanting to start a conversation, but for different reasons.

At last Spock spoke. "In my condition, I am now useless to the Federation. I will have to resign."

Raven looked up at him sharply. "You shouldn't have to resign."

He shook his head. "One of the requirements for remaining in Starfleet is to have vision. Anyone who fails to meet that standard is not permitted to stay in. I am completely useless, now that I cannot see."

The girl shook her head. "You are not useless. You still have many areas that you could contribute in. Adapt and overcome, Spock...it's what living is all about."

Again there was silence, this one being not quite as awkward as the first.

"I want to get out of here," the science officer said at last.

Raven regarded him calculatingly. Spock waited for her to voice her disapproval...it was the logical reaction to such a statement, and the newcomer had proven herself to act quite rationally. He knew deep down that his human emotions were affecting him far greater than he would have liked in such a case, and if this person were anyone other than Raven, he wouldn't have allowed himself the freedom of expressing them. He had little choice but to not deny that he had emotions...she was empathic, and could sense his emotions like she read a book. She was, in a way, a kindred spirit, and although she knew he was reacting emotionally, he relied upon her to make the logical decision...especially when he couldn't at this time. This is why he was startled when she replied.

"Yes," the dark sorceress replied positively, thinking that it would be best for him to be occupied, "I do think you need a walk. At least stretch your legs a bit and get some freshly re-circulated air."

Spock sat silently, a little dumbfounded by her unexpected response.

"Let's start, shall we?" she asked, hopping off the bed. "Why don't you follow me down to the recreation room and get something to eat, okay?"

The Vulcan thought for a moment, and then slowly stood up, using the bedside table to orient him. Raven stood next to him and waited patiently for him to get his bearings. "What of obstacles?"

"I'll tell you where they are," she said and began to walk toward the laboratory door. Spock followed her voice slowly, cautiously. The girl opened the door and held it open for him. "You are approaching the door, which is somewhat narrow. As you draw nearer to me, you'll know you are coming closer to the doorway."

He put out his hands and felt for the door, finally finding it and using it to guide his way through the door and into the main Sickbay. Raven was already in the middle of the room, talking his way through the maze of hospital beds and randomly placed instrument tables, but never touching him. Once he was nearing the main Sickbay sliding glass doors, she joined him at his side and they walked through.

"We'll be turning right and proceeding down the hallway at a leisurely pace. It's all clear from here and...What are you doing? Don't be ridiculous, Spock. Put your arms down at your sides and walk normally. Vulcans don't walk like low-budget zombies."

"The difference is that I am a blind Vulcan."

"If you trust who's guiding you, then show it."

Spock gave it a short thought, then lowered his outstretched arms and let the swing casually at his sides as the pair continued walking down the hall.

"Would you care to pick the pace up a bit? You look as though you're constipated," she said, not waiting for his answer before lengthening her stride. Her companion awkwardly sped up to match Raven's speed. "The hallway is beginning to make a gentle curve to our left. Let your hand run along the side wall to let you know how sharply to turn."

"How am I to do this without a guide at my side at all hours?"

"You'll eventually learn the ship from memory, and until then, you need to work at making yourself independent."

Presently a young man appeared, walking in our opposite direction. "Good afternoon, Mr. Spock," the low-grade officer greeted cheerily in a thick Russian accent.

"It certainly is fascinating, Mr. Chekhov," Spock replied.

Chekhov smiled and continued on his way, none the wiser that his officer hadn't even seen him.

"You see?" Raven pointed out, "He didn't notice anything amiss."

"That is because I heard and recognized his accent. What of people whose voices I cannot place?"

"You will learn to distinguish people from their voices and walking patterns, but until then there is no shame in asking them to identify themselves. No one will think any less of you if you need assistance. We're around twenty yards away from the turbolift," she informed him.

Once Spock heard the hiss of the door open, he knew to step in and then turn around. Raven stood next to him and worked the controls.

"I understand that asking for help would seem undignified, and feel embarrassing, especially for a Vulcan, but if there's one thing losing your sight does is teach you humility. Everything that happens in your life teaches you something, whether you apply the lesson or not. This is just another obstacle...now, you can come out from it a better person, having accepted and overcome the hardship, or you can cave in to the negative aspect of it, letting it take you over and becoming a part of it, and emerge a bitter, depressed, and angry individual." Her eyes hardened and she looked down. "You become another person...a stranger unto yourself. And eventually, you can't even realize how different you are..." She trailed off as here eyes unfocused.

"Everyone has their own demons," Spock contributed.

Raven's head shot up and her eyes pierced his face in alarm and fear. How could he have...? No, he couldn't... He didn't mean that...

"...Or so goes the human expression," he added, oblivious to the sudden shocked reaction of his guide.

She released the breath she had been holding with overwhelming relief. The doors whispered open at the desired deck, and the two stepped out. "All right," Raven declared as they exited the turbolift, "Follow my voice - I'm going to lead you down this hallway. Stay to the right side, and you'll be fine. It's completely straight, so once you find the side wall, there'll be no need to continue touching it...besides, there are far more doors on this deck, and we don't want you triggering every single opening sensor from here to the recreation room. The object of this exercise is to maneuver without drawing unnecessary attention to yourself." Raven stopped talking for a while, but continued walking.

"You have stopped talking."

"There is no change in our path. I will let you know when we'll need to alter our course or slow down."

Several more crewmembers passed by and greeted Spock, none of whom noticed his handicap. If the first officer didn't immediately place the identity of the man, he would simply return the greeting. They were still traveling in silence when a shocked and angry voice called out from behind them.

"Spock! What do you think you're doing?!" It was Captain Kirk, and he was catching up to them as fast as he could manage without breaking into a run. Raven came to a halt, as did Spock, and they waited for the captain to reach them. He gave Spock a quick once-over to see if he was all right, and then turned a blazing glare on Raven. "Miss Roth," he said slowly, his voice just barely quivering with withheld rage, "explain yourself! Mr. Spock should be in the Sickbay! not roaming the corridors...he cannot see! He could get seriously hurt! I am severely disappointed - I expected better from you. What makes you think you had the right to disobey my orders?"

"Captain - " Spock began.

"Not now, Mr. Spock," Kirk cut him off sharply.

Raven straightened her shoulders unconsciously. "I don't recall you ever giving an order that stated he should stay cooped up in the infirmary, captain. All you instructed was to do whatever could be done for him. He was in need of a stretch, and I thought a small excursion to the recreation room would be in order."

"Captain," Spock repeated, but he didn't get far.

"What part of 'he can't see' don't you understand, miss?! He could run into something and be injured!"

The girl's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Sir, if you have so little faith in me, then why am I still here?"

"Captain - "

"You won't be! Return to your quarters immediately, Miss Roth. I'll escort Mr. Spock back to Sickbay."

Raven glared, but dutifully nodded and began walking back in the way they had come. But she did allow herself to glance back and see how Spock was managing. She couldn't stop a satisfied smirk from forming on her lips when the captain took hold of his blind friend's arm and began guiding him step-by-step.

"I apologize, Mr. Spock, just step forward - there's nothing in your way," he said. "Good, now step agai -"

"I do, in fact, remember the basic method in walking, captain."

"Of course, Mr. Spock," Kirk replied, not in the least convinced that the Vulcan could travel un-physically guided. But the real satisfaction Raven got out of the few seconds she watched of them was when Spock raised and stretched out his free arm to feel his way.

Raven curled up in the chair in her quarters with one of the books she'd requested. All of the literature on the Enterprise was digitally stored in the ship's computer, and one could access it through the computer in their rooms, but she had never liked reading on a screen. She couldn't exactly curl up in a comfy armchair with her desktop monitor. And so at the earliest opportunity she had requested some volumes from the planet they were visiting. She didn't remember the name of the planet, but what she received were books chronicling the early history of their culture, some folklore compilations, and lastly a few educational text books. They had been translated by a machine at their library (or the equivalency of one), and she was now engrossed in a collection of uniquely-styled poems.

She hadn't thought much about the activities earlier that day, and didn't plan to. Things happened, things changed, and that was that. She had done what she thought was right at the time, and wasn't sorry for it. It sounded as though Kirk had meant what he said about her position aboard the Enterprise. She believed him that she would be dropped off on the nearest planet and expected to land on her feet in a new reality...she didn't care. She had gone through trials incomparable to this and had come out on top. She had no doubt this would be the same. The crewmembers had accepted her quite well, considering her mysteriousness and unemotional isolation, and she was surprised to admit that she rather liked them. They had become so accepting of the unusual due to their experience with meeting aliens that they quickly grew accustomed to her (even though they still jumped when she suddenly materialized out of a swirling black vortex of dark energy). Yes, although she wasn't friends with any of them, she knew that she would miss their easy chatter. At times, they could almost make her forget that she was cold and anti-social. She had never been this open and friendly with strangers, and it had taken months for her to act this outgoing after she first met the Teen Titans. They were abnormal too, with their unique superpowers, but Raven had always been alone among the group of uniques. In the Titans, there were degrees of abnormality, and she was the most unusual of the group, and that isolated her. Here, however, were normal people used to meeting abnormal creatures and people, and so they couldn't relate to her on the scale of abnormality. They simply recognized someone as being different, and accepted her. Yes, she would remember and desire their presence and company. She felt welcomed here, and that was an entirely new feeling.

Raven could even bring herself to acknowledge that she would miss the god-awful flirting from Captain Kirk. She rather enjoyed frustrating him in that area. The rest of the crew would watch them banter like it was a spectator sport, and she had no doubt that a sizable sum was wagered on the outcome of each encounter. Each time, Kirk would swagger toward her and suavely lean next to her, his arms crossed and a confident, coy, crooked smile on his chiseled face. Each time, he would entice her with an engaging conversation, and then try to subtly direct the discussion towards a more forward topic. Each time, he tried his hardest to be charming, debonair, and irresistible. And each time, Raven would raise an eyebrow and cleverly divert the conversation back to the original topic, or wittily insert crafty comments or humorous insinuations, leaving Kirk deflated and good-naturedly outraged, waving his white flag of surrender and crawling back to his station, tale tucked between his legs, and clinging to the remains of his pride. The onlookers would snigger, or laugh outright, commending her for her strength of will.

But her biggest cheerleader had only just recently accepted her. It had taken the better part of two weeks for Doctor Leonard McCoy to finally get used to her presence and treat her as he would another crewmember. He had been highly suspicious of her at first, and had questioned her every move. It had been he who saved her life just over three weeks ago, and since then his curiosity had been insatiable. His drive for answers had at first pertained to the medical field, but it had soon branched out into all sorts of areas that Raven didn't feel comfortable sharing. She still hadn't revealed her heritage and past, and she didn't plan to. She knew from experience what happened to her relationships when her past was brought out, and she wasn't going to make the same mistake again. Although the two of them were quite different in their personalities, one thing in common was their dry, witty, sarcastic, and sometimes dark sense of humor, and that was what had opened friendly relations between them. Raven remembered the incident clearly, and smiled at the thought of the memory. Ever since then, Bones had quickly grown to like her, and it was not uncommon for them to exchange good-humored barbs. But their favorite pastime was combining forces and ganging up on Captain Kirk. The poor man was sadly out-matched. On the banter between McCoy and Spock, Raven normally remained a neutral third party, though she was known to join in when asked to do so, and she tried to be fair in her scathing humor.

Although Spock never understood her humor, he enjoyed engaging Raven on serious discussions or debates. He admired the fact that she was human, yet was fully logical most of the time, and usually didn't show her emotions. The two of them were most commonly seen together while playing three-dimensional chess in the recreation rooms, and she was even starting to tie him, now that she was learning the basic rules of the game. The fact that she regularly played chess in her old reality helped her pick up the new version and quickly match Spock's skill level. She was shocked that she could develop relationships (she dare not yet call them friendships) such as these so quickly, and this was one of the reasons why she regretted leaving.

It was the captain's decision. He had spoken out of anger, but his pride normally prevented him from breaking his word, no matter how it was given. So she had no doubt in her mind that she would shortly be asked to leave, and she would do her best to prepare mentally for such a rejection. She had been rejected many times before, so why would this case be any different?

The voice of Doctor McCoy broke her thoughts as he spoke over the ship's intercom. "Raven, please come to Sickbay. We've got a problem, again."

She wasn't surprised that Bones had used her first name, unlike the captain. The doctor and she had progressed more quickly than her other relationships, and they had no awkwardness in addressing each other by first names...except for Raven, and she called him McCoy or Bones in private - she simply couldn't force herself to say 'Leonard,' though he had given her leave to do so. In front of company, though, she called him 'doctor,' as she viewed it more appropriate. She was, however, taken aback by the sudden summons to Sickbay. She assumed that when Kirk had helped Spock back to his bed, he had either ordered or informed Bones of her little 'excursion' with the patient, and that she would not be returning.

Raven raised her hood and teleported to the front doors of the ship infirmary, taking no time in walking through them. The doctor was just inside the doorway, and looked peeved.

"Having trouble already, doctor?" she smirked, "it's only been several hours. One wonders how you managed before I got here."

Bones shot her a contemptuous glare before storming to the corner of the divided rooms, motioning for her to follow. "That green-blooded gremlin is deliberately being obtuse!" he snarled, shaking his hands at Spock, who was sitting upright in his medical bed at the far end of the room. Apparently all guilt previously consuming the doctor had vanished and was replaced with a familiar frustration directed at his Vulcan friend.

Raven merely raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"He refuses assistance to use the facilities! Not only that, but he also refuses to avail himself to the Sickbay restroom located just a few feet away from him! He claims he instead wants to go to the one down the hall...and yet he won't go with Nurse Chaplain or myself. He says he will only go there if you're the one to escort him."

"Spock isn't so irrational."

McCoy gave her a look that quite clearly said 'You wanna bet?' He turned back to gesticulate in his patient's direction by waving a wild arm. "See for yourself!"

And so she did. Nurse Chaplain approached the bed and sat down next to Spock. He immediately knew someone had sat down next to him, but didn't know who. "Please identify yourself."

"It's me, Spock," she said quietly.

"And who might that be?" he questioned further.

The woman frowned, somewhat offended. "It's Nurse Chaplain," she placed a hand on his arm, "I'm here to help you to the facility. Please come with me."

"I already told you that I will not accept your assistance or your pity. Nor will I use the facility in the Sickbay. Now please go and get Miss Roth."

Raven chuckled at the jealous-stricken face of the young woman, having sensed long before that she had a crush on the Vulcan officer. His blunt refusal of her services and his adamant request for Raven and Raven alone sent Nurse Chaplain into a silent frenzy of envy.

Spock calmly but forcefully removed the nurse's hand from his arm and repeated his request. She burst into tears and fled from the room.

"What'd I tell you, huh?" Bones exclaimed, having been vindicated, "he's absolutely uncooperative, unbearable, and...insufferable!"

Raven gave him a bland look.

"Well?!" McCoy said, at his wits end, "Get in there! Do your stuff!"

She raised an eyebrow, but went on in. The girl walked toward Spock's bed, letting him know someone was approaching ahead of time. "Hello, Mr. Spock. I hear you've been giving the medical staff a hard time," she said, sitting down on a neighboring bed. "What can I do for you that you can't do yourself?"

His face barely registered a bit of relief at her arrival. "I need to avail myself of the facilities."

"And why do you need me? There's one right to your left."

"That one is unacceptable, and I will not use it."

Raven levitated off the bed and landed at the cracked door of the Sickbay restroom. She opened the door and looked around inside. Doctor McCoy walked up behind her and stood waiting for her response. At last she turned to Bones. "I don't blame him, as I wouldn't use it either," she said plainly.

"And why in heaven's name not?" the doctor asked incredulously.

"It's cramped, uncomfortable, and disturbing. Reminds me of a restroom on a commercial airplane... Flushing the toilet makes you feel as though you'll be sucked out into space. I wouldn't expect anyone to use it if they had a choice, least of all a blind person. Now where is the nearest restroom that is larger than a telephone booth?"

Bones must have suddenly seen something very interesting on his shoes, and he shuffled his feet. "It's on the right after you turn left out of Sickbay," he muttered sullenly.

"Good. Follow me, Spock." Without a backwards glance to ensure he was following safely, Raven strutted to the double doors. "Well come on, then," she called back once she had tripped the sensors. The doors slid open and she went out. The empath waited in the hall for Spock to come out.

"You did not guide me out of Sickbay."

"I spoke to you once I reached the doorway, and you should have gone to where my voice was last heard, as you apparently did. Now follow me. I'm not going to keep talking to you. Listen for my footsteps. Follow them. Feel my presence. Go to where you last heard me. Judge distance. Use your hearing and sixth sense."

"Sixth sense?"

"Maybe not intuition, but everyone has a sixth sense. One can feel if someone is close to them without the need for touch - people can sense that they're being watched, and feel the unique aura of others' emotions. That is what I call the sixth sense. Feel it. Learn it. Develop it. Use it to guide you. Put all your available senses together and you can be so aware of your environment, you will wonder why you ever needed eyes." Raven paused. "Now follow me." And with that, she started off at a normal pace down the corridor. She watched over her shoulder as Spock worked hard to follow her. His face was drawn up in a concentrated frown, and he walked slowly, but purposefully in her exact footsteps.

The hallway curved, but Raven still said nothing, and nodded approvingly as Spock adjusted his course at the last second - without touching the wall. They passed doors and rooms without breaking stride, or having to stop once. They both were silent and eventually Raven picked up the pace to a normal speed. She was pleased when he did the same and matched her stride. To anyone looking, he was simply walking with a purpose to some unknown destination - it certainly could have fooled her if she didn't know.

"Good evening, Miss Roth, Mr. Spock," a passing officer said.

"Good evening, Lieutenant Uhura," he said evenly. "...And to you, Mr. Scot."

Raven smiled.

"Thank you, sir. You too, Mr. Spock," the chief engineer replied, who was walking next to the communications officer.

The dark sorceress and the blind Vulcan continued walking down the corridor in silence until she saw their objective. "Well here we are," she said, stopping in front of the open doorway. "You may go on in. I won't be joining you, as I'm sure you understand...And I promise this is the men's room," she added cheekily. "I would only do something like that to Kirk or McCoy."

Spock felt the edge of the open doorway and proceeded in.

Around five minutes later, he emerged again. Raven was leaning against the wall opposite the entrance.

"Miss Roth?" Spock asked. "Are you still here?"

She was just about to answer before she had a second thought. Instead, she remained silent and waited to see what he would do. He stood motionless for a moment, straining his ears to hear anything. He then felt for the wall, and then began walking back the way they had come. Raven levitated above the ground and hovered three feet above the floor as she followed him, maintaining a distance of at most ten yards behind him, thus eliminating all sound of footsteps. He was doing very well, and showed no sign of disorientation or fear as he calmly walked back down the hall.

After close to a minute of walking, he stopped short. Raven stopped and hovered. "Miss Roth?" he asked, doing an about-face and cocking his head. "Is that you? Are you there?"

The floating girl grinned triumphantly as she lowered herself to the floor. "Excellent job, Mr. Spock," she stated, "You have the sixth sense."

The Vulcan nodded passively. "I had the feeling of a presence...as though the air felt somewhat heavier and more oppressive. There was also a strange tingling sensation in the back of my neck and shoulders. I have experienced these things before, but I never gave them much attention, nor have they been as strong as they were just now."

"That means it's evolving. It's growing stronger because you need it."

Spock nodded.

"You're progressing quite nicely. Now let's get you back to Sickbay before Dr. McCoy pronounces you dead."

"I do not think the doctor would do such a thing. A more logical choice, and the one he would most likely make would be to - "

"Just a little humor, Spock. That's something we can work on some other time." Raven began walking, and soon found Spock matching her pace and walking adjacent to her. The journey back was uneventful and silent, and the demoness allowed him to enter the Sickbay before her. "There's a table in your path about five yards from you" was all she said to warn him of the tray of tools sitting in the middle of the aisle between the two rows of hospital beds. He easily maneuvered around it and sat back down on his assigned bed. "There now. Next time you won't need my help at all. See you soon."

Raven turned to leave him, but she was stopped by his voice. "I appreciate your guidance."

"It was no problem," the girl affirmed. She then left.

It was the next morning when Raven was awakened by yet another summons over the ship intercom. It was Captain Kirk's voice. "Miss Roth, please report to the bridge. Miss Roth to the bridge." Groggily, she threw back her covers and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and fumbling on her nightstand for the digital clock. 5:00? Can't they wait until a more reasonable hour? She groaned and heaved herself up, running a brush through her shoulder-length purple hair and brushing her teeth after having splashed her face with cold water. What's going on this time? Do I have to spoon-feed Spock now, or what? Sufficiently awake and having taken care of her personal hygiene, she grabbed her blue robe and fastened the clasp as she strode to the door.

She pressed the button on the wall as she made the proper reply. "On my way, captain," she stated clearly, "...this had better be good," she added under her breath. The sorceress transformed into her soul-self, becoming the shape of a black energy raven, and flapped her wings and rose through the ceiling, passing through several decks before coming to a fluttering halt at the appropriate level. The door hissed open, and she entered the ship's main bridge with complete composure and normal detachment. The bridge crew noted her arrival and smiled or waved a greeting, which she solemnly returned before facing the captain, who was sitting in his command chair in the center of the room and facing the main viewer screen. Raven stepped down into the middle platform and circled around to the side of the captain's chair. "You sent for me, sir?"

"Ah, yes," Kirk replied, setting aside his report to Starfleet headquarters and giving her his full attention. "I have some very good news that I'm sure you would like to hear. Mr. Spock's sight has returned in full just a few hours ago."

Raven's eyebrow shot up. Out from the corner emerged none other than Spock - she hadn't seen him standing in the shadows behind her. He walked forward and, she was pleasantly surprised to note, looked her directly in the eye. It was true...he could see. She looked from Kirk to Spock, and then back to the captain in growing confusion. "But how-?"

"How did his sight return?" the captain asked for her. She nodded. "Apparently Vulcans have, which was up until now unknown to us, an inner eyelid, which protects their eyes from the overbearing sun on the planet Vulcan. This saved his retinas from permanent damage. He's completely back to normal, and totally healthy, according to Doctor McCoy."

"That is good to hear, captain. My congratulations to you, Mr. Spock."

The first officer nodded in acknowledgement.

Kirk then shifted in his chair. "Now Miss Roth," he folded his hands in his lap as he regarded her shrewdly. "Last evening I told you that your placement on this starship would be terminated."

"That you did, sir," Raven agreed blandly.

"Yes, well, about that. I have since had a staff meeting, and have had a full recount of what took place from my first officer. You were vouched for by the ship's surgeon, the entire bridge crew, the chief engineer, and thirty-five other crewmembers when informed that you would be leaving us." At this she bowed her head at the honor. "You will therefore disregard my order and resume your normal status onboard. I apologize for my outburst."

"You were simply concerned about your friend, captain. No one can fault you for that."

Kirk smiled sheepishly. "I hope our relationship won't suffer for it."

Raven smirked playfully. "What relationship?"

With things back to normal between her and the captain, the empath turned to Spock. "I'm happy for you: you can keep your position in Starfleet. I must say, however, you were doing a supremely admiral job yesterday. But I look forward to our regular chess matches." Raven nodded her goodbye and turned to depart.

But she didn't get far before she felt a hand take her arm and stop her walking. She looked back at Spock with a curious gaze. He seemed to be struggling for words, but the fact that he had stopped her in the first place obviously meant that whatever it was, it must be important. At last he looked her in the eyes and spoke with sincerity. "Thank you."

The girl turned back to face him, but said nothing.

"I would not have made it yesterday without you," he elaborated.

Raven smiled wanly. "Do you honestly think I don't know that?"

"On the contrary," he answered, "I believe you do."

"Then you have no need to thank me." And without another word, she left.