Disclaimer: Don't on Star Trek the Next Generation or X-Men evolution

The Big Switch

Jean-Luc gave a heavy sigh as he walked into his personal quarters, going to a certain panel pressing a button.

"Tea, Earl Grey, hot" he said to the panel and a cup of hot tea appeared in the panel and he took it and went to his desk to think about what had been going on. Things seemed ordinary enough but Data said that some things were abnormal, but hastily added that it was nothing he needed to be concerned about.

Meanwhile Natasha Yar was in the transporter room checking its security when the transporter malfunctioned and she vanished. Instantly an alarm was sounded.

Jean-Luc nearly spilled his tea at the sound of the alarm.

"What is going on?" he demanded over the communicator.

"Transporter 2 has malfunctioned, Lieutenant Natasha Yar has vanished… it's activating again… we have an intruder on board." The head of transport replied

Jean-Luc arrived to see a young woman he figured to be in her late teens to early twenties standing on the transporter pad, leaning heavily on a pair of crutches. She had long blonde hair and strangely expressive eyes.

"Who are you?" a security employee demanded pointing a phaser at her.

"My name is Katherine Xavier, where am I?" she said.

"What did you do to Natasha Yar?" the security employee demanded as Councilor Troi entered the room.

"I don't know what happened to her, I don't even know who she is." Katherine replied "Where am I?"

"You are on the Starship Enterprise I am the captain Jean-Luc Picard.

"She speaks the truth," Deanna whispered to Jean-Luc.

The girl looked at Deanna apparently aware that her emotions had been read and this fact didn't get past Deanna.

"She is a telepath, she left her mind open to me as proof of her honesty." Deanna explained

"Empath; please tell me, who is Natasha Yar?" Kathy asked Deanna telepathically

"Natasha is our chief security officer; she vanished shortly before you appeared. My name is Deanna Troi"

"Do you think I could find a place to sit? I need to get off of my feet."

Deanna looked to Jean-Luc.

"Captain do you think we could continue this in another place I am sure she would like to get off her feet. Those crutches do look uncomfortable to stand on." Deanna said not allowing them to know that Kathy had been in contact with her mind.

"Of course, we will go to the conference room." Jean-Luc said then had the security personnel help her off the transporter pad.

She followed them into the conference room where Jean-Luc went to a panel that looked odd to her.

"May I offer you a drink?"

"You wouldn't happen to have green tea would you?"

"We do, do you take sugar in your tea."

"A little"

"Tea green hot one sweet, tea Earl Grey hot" Jean-Luc commanded and two cups with the requested liquids appeared.

Jean-Luc gave her the tea then took his own and took a seat setting his cup down to cool for a moment.

"Now Katherine, tell me where were you before you appeared on my transporter pad?" Jean-Luc asked

"I was at home, about to start a physical therapy session for my knee." She said "You can call me Kathy".

"Kathy, what year was it?"

"Two thousand twelve, why do you ask,"

"Oh dear…" Jean-Luc sat back in his chair "I shouldn't be so surprised, the crutches, physical therapy, all the signs pointed to early twenty-first century."

"What happened that you need this therapy?" Deanna asked

"I tore my ACL during a gymnastics competition." Katherine replied.

Deanna winced involuntarily.

"How long has it been since your operation?" Jean-Luc asked taking a sip of tea.

"A week, Captain Picard," she said taking a sip of her tea finding it perfectly to her tastes. "I remember the event like it was yesterday."

Natasha looked around herself in confusion; this looked like a mansion from centuries gone past. She reached for her phaser making sure it was set to stun and began to advance through the corridor. She got about 15 feet before a young man with a visor similar to the one Geardi wore stepped into the corridor.

"How did you get here?" he asked his hand going to the visor and she assumed he wore it for a different reason than Geardi.

"I don't know" Tasha replied

"What is going on here?" a voice demanded. Tasha stiffened that sounded extremely similar to Captain Picard. Then a man in wheelchair approached.

"We have an intruder in the mansion." The young man said.

"Might I ask exactly how you got past security and into my school undetected?" he said turning to Natasha.

"I believe this was by a teleporter accident." Natasha replied

"Teleporter, exactly where did you come from?" the man in the wheelchair asked.

"I believe it is safe to say a long way in the future." Tasha replied looking around herself then putting her phaser away, she also watched as the young man's hand moved from the side of his visor.

"What is your name?" the wheelchair bound man asked

"We had a disappearance, how do we know you aren't involved?" the younger man said

"My name is Natasha Yar, but my friends call me Tasha. Why would I stay around if I kidnapped one of your people?" Tasha asked

"I am Professor Charles Xavier, and this is Scott Summers."

Scott sighed "You have a point, only an idiot would stay around after capturing Kathy."

"It is good to meet you both" she sighed worrying what would happen to her.

"Tasha, how about you remain here while we try to devise a way to return you to your rightful place?" Charles suggested.

"I couldn't impose like that"

"If you leave where will you go child? This is a world far different from what you are accustomed to. You are not imposing Tasha you will be my welcome guest." Charles told her telepathically.

"You, you're a telepath" she said in shock

"Yes I am" Charles replied "Come with me, we can talk further in my office.

They arrived in Charles' office

"Have a seat, Tasha," Charles said as he navigated his chair up to behind his desk. "I want you to know that you are not imposing here, you are very much welcome to remain here until you can return to your time."

Tasha sighed "If I stay here I insist on being help in some way, I refuse to sit and do nothing."

"What do you do, I assume you are part of a military-like organization, what is your job there?"

"I am the chief security officer on the Enterprise, why?" she purposely didn't say that the Enterprise was a starship.

"Okay, I will introduce you to Logan later, he handles all mansion security, I am sure he will be able to find something for you, if not I am certain one of my staff can provide you some way to be occupied and productive."

"Thank you Professor."

"Tasha I am fine with you calling me Charles as my staff does."

"Charles it is good to meet you. If I may ask who vanished from here," she asked.

Charles sighed, "My daughter, Katherine, she and Scott Summers were close … you can see why he was suspicious of you. He is two years her senior and very much viewed her as his younger sister."

"So his suspicion of me only stemmed from his protectiveness of her."

"You speak as if you know this for a fact."

"It's the nature of a good older sibling to wish to nurture and protect their younger sibling."

"You have a younger sibling don't you?"

"Yes, a sister, why do you ask?"

"The manner in which you spoke of the nature of older siblings made me believe that either you were a protective older sister or you had a very protective older sibling."

"I haven't spoken to my sister in years, she decided to stay at the colony I escaped" Tasha sighed.

"The colony wasn't kind to you, Tasha, was it?" Charles asked gently.

"No, my sister and I… we were orphans and I often had to scavenge for food just to feed us"

Charles noticed that resurrecting these memories seemed to distress Tasha greatly.

"I will ask no more, it seems this past troubles you, and I hate that you had to see that at such a tender age." Charles sighed.

"It's okay, it's history," Tasha said.

"It is still very raw, Tasha, I see it in your eyes, the things you saw then the fear and pain, they still resonate even after all these years." Charles countered navigating his chair around his desk to now sit in front of Tasha. "Have you spoken to anyone about what you saw back then?"

She shook her head "I'm sure the ship's councilor Deanna would have helped me but… I just… I can't bring myself to speak of it to her." Tasha replied "there just never seems to be a good time to bring it up."

"Then perhaps I can help you heal the wounds of your past, Tasha."

"I can't ask that of you I don't know how much of the future that would reveal to you."

"Tasha you need to deal with your past before you can move on with your life"

"You're probably right, Charles," Tasha sighed.

"It isn't easy for you, is it, you do not wish to appear weak and you feel that crying makes you seem weak and in reliving this tears will undoubtedly flow at some point." Charles reached a hand for Tasha's and she hesitantly reached back, this action was rewarded with a gentle squeeze from Charles in a very fatherly gesture "Tasha crying doesn't mean you are weak, it means that you are letting go of the past, of the pain… sometimes it is the only way."

"Maybe you are right"

"Maybe, but for now we need to get you settled in"

"Professor" Jean said

"Yes, Jean this is Tasha, she will be staying in the mansion for a while, Tasha this is Jean Grey she is one of my students"

Charles had released Tasha's hand and she stood and approached Jean

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute, Tasha"

"Jean, could you give our guest a tour of the mansion and show her to the guest suite?"

"Of course, Professor" Jean replied.

Charles watched Tasha and Jean leave and sighed quietly, Tasha's past was one he would not wish on his worst enemy.

"Poor girl, she has seen so much fear and pain, I only hope she can find peace."

To Be Continued…