Darren had finally gotten to sleep when the computer gave him his wake up call. He groaned, and sat up. Colby was already awake and moving - he could hear her puttering around in the bathroom. He began to rub his eyes, trying to wake up his mind as well as his body.

"Darren! - you're awake!" Colby entered the bedroom. She leaned down and gave him a kiss. "You had a rough night - how are you feeling now?"

"I'm okay, I guess. A little groggy still." he replied. He looked up at Colby with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What? Do I have worms coming out of my ears or something?" Colby tried unsuccessfully to make Darren laugh.

"Your kiss ... it was ... I don't know ... different somehow" the puzzled expression remained.

"What do you mean? Darren, what's going on with you? You're really starting to worry me."

"I don't know". Lost in his own little world, he climbed out of bed and headed into the washroom.

Awhile later, Darren emerged, looking a lot more alert and awake.

"I've got to stop by sickbay before I meet up with Dan and the rest of the band" Darren started "It'll probably be just before dinner before I get back."

"I haven't cancelled classes today so we'll probably be back around the same time. What do you know? Maybe we'll actually have dinner together two nights in a row!" Colby smiled.

"I hope so!" Darren leaned over to give his wife a kiss. "Umm - just right" he said after. "I'll see you later today!" Darren walked towards the door of their quarters and reached for the door handle. All of a sudden he seemed to be in another place and time - he had roses in one hand, and the door opened in front of him revealing a startled Colby. "Hey Daz!" Darren's thoughts returned to the present as his friend passed by him in the corridor. "Going somewhere, or are you going to stand in that doorway for a little while?"

"Hi Seth" Darren stepped into the hallway and the doors to his quarters closed behind him. "Actually, I was heading off to sickbay for a check-up. What brings you this way?"

"Oh right - I heard about the accident on Neith. I'm glad to see you're okay - but then again, you're not exactly one to sit around in bed all day!" he laughed "I'm going to the biophysics labs. Some of us actually have work to do!"

"Ha ha. It's not my fault I was shot!" false agony played across his face. "I'll see you around a little later, okay? I've got a lot to do and I'm already running behind."

"It's all that time in front of the mirror, Daz, you know it!" Seth called back as the two parted ways.

"Sickbay" Darren said as he entered the turbolift. He was alone, and spent the short ride down thinking about the events after he awoke from the shooting. First there was the nonexistent dog, then the strange feeling he got when he kissed Colby - the feeling hadn't changed the second time, he just didn't want to upset Colby. Then the strange 'flashback' of sorts - none of it made any sense.

When he got to sickbay, Dr. Crusher was busy with another patient.

"Nurse, could you please run the scans on the Lieutenant for me? The ones I showed you this morning?"

"Yes, doctor" Nurse Ogawa replied. She approached Darren and began running the tricorder across his shoulder. It wasn't long until she was done, and Dr. Crusher came over to look at the results.

"Well, it looks like everything checks out okay. There are still some traces of neuro-tranquilizers in your system, but they'll be gone by tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Thanks Doctor" Darren hopped off of the biobed and exited into the corridor outside of sickbay. He reached the turbolift and the doors opened to reveal a strange figure standing there. The person's face was covered - Darren couldn't even distinguish if it was a man or a woman. The eyes, however, were another matter entirely. They glared at Darren, their ice blue stare piercing into him like a dagger into flesh. The person proceeded to hit the 'close doors' button on the side of the door. The doors prompty shut, and Darren immediately reached to the 'open doors' button. The tubolift hadn't gone anywhere, but when the doors opened again, it was completely empty. A chill ran down Darren's spine.

Chapter 5

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