A/N: A Star Trek fic! Has own character Lizzy in *thanks roleplayers* and hopefully you will enjoy it!

When the hours grow longer

Running over the arid desert of the planet, Pavel Chekov glanced over at the three others that ran with him. Spock was darting backwards, his Vulcan birth right preventing him from falling as he shot at the perusing Klingons. Jim Kirk was yelling at them and young Lizzy Woods, recruit and Chekov's crush, was screaming. Head pounding and legs screaming, he dived down behind a boulder and pulled out his own phaser, setting it to kill and firing again and again. Commander Spock dashed behind a different boulder and Captain Jim Kirk followed him, still shooting.

"Lizzy!" Chekov cried and she leapt behind the boulder. "Okay?" he asked and Lizzy nodded, seemingly out of breath. He turned and at the others who were cowering behind the boulder that was parallel. "Keptin? Vhat do we do?" His Russian accent mangled the words but the desperation was not lost.

"Spock?" asked Kirk. "Where the hell is the Enterprise?" The half-Vulcan looked confused as he fiddled crazily with his communicator.

"There must be something blocking the signal, Captain. I cannot get in touch with them."

"Well, that's just great," complained Kirk, peering over his boulder and shooting. Frowning into the distance, Lizzy said,

"Um, Captain? There is some kind of outpost ahead. Maybe that is what is jamming the signal." Chekov squinted and he could just make it out. Standing tall in the distance, it looked like the safest place to be right then.

"Okay, go!" Kirk yelled, pulling Spock to his feet. "Go, go, go!" The four of them ran zig-zaggedly at the outpost so as to confuse the Klingons. It wasn't as far as it looked and within fifteen minutes, they slammed to a halt by the front doors. Taking out his scanner, Chekov said,

"Zhis ees vhat ees blocking our signels. Eet ees giving off huge readings, sir!" Kirk looked at Spock and like they had rehearsed it, Spock kicked down the door easily, allowing them to run inside, away from the fire of the Klingons who were still chasing them. Chekov darted up the spiral staircase, right to the top, where he found a machine which he recognised as a blocking device. Punching codes into the side panel of the device, he managed to deactivate it and so called to the others who were keeping the Klingons at bay.

"Ze dewice ees deactiwated! I am-" But he didn't get to finish his sentence as an unseen Klingon jabbed him in the neck with a needle, presumably containing a sedative or disease.

"Chekov?" The com crackled as the young Russian dropped to his knees, world spinning. He shot the Klingon and gasped into the com,

"Kkeptin?" His speech began to slur and he heard feet on the stairs, too loud, too powerful. Hands on his face and he blinked his eyes open to look up at the recruit who had insisted on coming on this suicide mission to find out what was going on with the Klingons.

"Lizzzzzz…y?" Limbs going numb, the last thing the boy heard was Lizzy shouting his name desperately over and over again.

"Chekov? Pavel! PAVEL!" Then everything went black.

He became aware of a searing pain in his left shoulder and strong arms carrying him. Cracking his eyes open, Chekov saw the logically-minded Spock carrying him and he cried out as his shoulder bumped against Spock's arm.

"Hold on, Ensign, we're almost there," he said gruffly and vaguely, Chekov notice that they were back on the Enterprise. His eyelids grew heavy again and he allowed them to fall, slipping, once more, into oblivion.

Hours drifted by and Chekov dropped in and out of consciousness. Once when he woke up, doctor McCoy was scanning his vitals; another time, Spock and Kirk were talking quietly in the corner and a different time, Lizzy was sitting crying next to him. Each time he didn't stay conscious for more than a few minutes, just enough to glance around. After an immeasurable amount of time, Chekov managed to pull himself out of the stupor. He glanced around and saw Lizzy asleep in a nearby chair.

"Lizzee?" he asked and she jolted awake.

"Pavel!" she cried and rushed over. "Are you okay?"

"I haf a headache and my shoulder hurts but ozhervise I am fine." He smiled and she grabbed his hand almost on impulse but he squeezed it tight.

"I'm glad. For a while there, it was touch and go," she sighed.

"Vhat actually happened?" Chekov asked, rubbing his head with his free hand.

"Well, you were injected with some kind of sedative but then as we were escaping, a shot hit your shoulder. You lost a lot of blood and the sedative kept you under for a long time…"

"How long haf you been here?" She wrung her hand nervously.

"All 77 hours," Lizzy said awkwardly. Chekov grinned and curled into her.

"I lowe… love you, Lizzy." She tensed slightly but then whispered in his ear.

"I love you too, Pavel. The hours have shown me that." A warm, happy bubble grew in Chekov's chest and he smiled. The hours of waiting were worth it after all.