AN: Hey so this idea got into my head and wouldn't leave me alone. I hope you like it, but there are a few things you NEED TO KNOW BEFORE READING!

Hopefully that got your attention and you're reading this. The time period my O.C. comes from is based off our current time period, but she says 1991 because based on the Star Trek time line, that's about when they thought 2013 would be, in terms of technology and blah. So she's from 1991, but imagine 2013 while you read it. Also, I did my best making the dialogue authentic, but if somethings off, don't kill me please. This is definitely an AU. Okay I think that's it, read on.

OOOOO

I'm not really sure where I'm going as I wander the halls. I know every nook and cranny of the ship, but I have nothing else to do at the moment, so I find walking to be a good activity. Everyone else is busy dealing with the current mission, and all the things that have happened over the course of the last two days. We lost Jim as captain, gained Pike as captain, lost Pike as captain, then got Jim back as captain. And then we went on a mission to where else but the Klingon Home world, Kronos!

On top of that, everyone seems to have either left me or found something more important than me. Scotty quit, taking his alien friend with him. Chekov's been so busy with the busted warp core, along with every member of Engineering and most of the Science members. Sulu is trying to make sure Klingon's don't attack us and keeping communications up. The new Dr. Marcus woman and Bones are trying to open a torpedo, and Spock, Jim and Nyota are all busy making sure it goes according to plan! Everyone it seems has something to be doing, except me!

Well, everyone except the prisoner. John Harrison, I think his name is. He bombed London, and then attacked Star Fleet headquarters, killing poor Captain Pike. And then he fled to Kronos, which is why we went there. And, the rumor I've heard is, he killed an entire squadron of Klingon's! With only minimal help from the Captain, Spock, and Nyota! He doesn't sound like a nice person, at all. And hell knows I've had enough of mean people. But, I've nothing better to do! And maybe he's as bored as I am.

I change my course, now knowing where I'm going, and I can only hope Jim won't be mad with me. I know he was very close with Captain Pike, and that everything John Harrison does annoys and angers him. But maybe he'll understand. And he seems to have a bit of a soft spot for me. Whenever I do something wrong or I don't understand something, he's very patient and doesn't very much punish me.

The doors swish open as I reach the brig, and two pairs of eyes immediately turn to me. The Lieutenant in charge of the brig smiles at me, and I at him. Since I've had so much time on my hands the last few months, I've learned the names and personalities of every person aboard the ship, as I've explored it. Lieutenant Grism is a particularly nice fellow, who beckons me over to his desk as soon as he seems me. I glance at the prisoner as I happily flounce to the desk.

The best way I can describe John Harrison is tall, dark, and handsome. He's quite magnificently gorgeous, but there's a darkness about him that just screams a past of aggression and danger and pain. Maybe I don't want to shoot the breeze with him after all. He looks at me as I look at him, his eyes taking in every inch of me and processing it. Recognition lights his eyes, though I can't for the life of me understand how he could possibly recognize anything about me.

"What brings you down here Lily?" Grism asks when I reach his desk.

"I'm so bored, what with everyone in crisis mode. It seems like everyone's got something they need to be doing, and here I am, with absolutely nothing!" I say dramatically. He smiles fondly, little crinkles appearing at the corner of his eyes.

"Well I'd give you some errands if they weren't in restricted parts of the ship." He tells me apologetically. I instantly sense the hint in his voice. I think he knows that I want to talk to the prisoner, and I think he knows the prisoner will talk back to me if we're alone. He's much cleverer than he lets off. And he too has a soft spot for me. He'd let me have a tea party with the prisoner if I asked him really really nicely. Well, maybe not to that extent, but you get the point.

"Well, I'll stay and man the desk, if you need to run your errands. I promise not to let anyone out." We both grin, since John Harrison is the only one in the brig and there's no way anyone would let him out. Not after what he's done, and all the harm he could do. I don't care how charming or manipulative he could potentially be. I'm pretty immune to such things anyways.

"You're a life saver my dear. You know the drill, press the button and speak for anything you need." He tells me, pointing at the intended button, before he pats my shoulder and sidles off. I watch him go, the door sliding shut behind him, before falling overly dramatically onto his chair and spinning in it idly.

"You're not Star Fleet." I actually jump at the deep baritone voice that comes from my prisoner companion. I honestly hadn't expected him to speak first, and I definitely didn't expect such a powerful heart stopping voice. I swear that voice could be made of thunder. I look at him as I spin in Grism's chair and shake my head. "Nor are you from the present. You are from the past." He adds, the corner of his lips twitching into the tiniest of smiles.

"Look who knows how to use his deduction skills! Am I all that obvious though?" Again I see his eyes flit over my appearance quicker than lightening, and smirk to myself. Usually I wear Star Fleet clothes, but today I pulled out the clothes I had when I beamed aboard the Enterprise. Light blue jeans with tears in the knees and around the feet. A black T-shirt with my favorite band's logo on it. Brown tennis shoes looking a little worse for the wear. And a braided para-cord bracelet that my brother made me...before. I look absolutely out of place in the impeccably sterile white of the ship brig.

"You do stand out. Let me guess...80's? 90's?"

"1991." I say with a smile. His grin grows now, and it's slightly frightening. But, I'm too good at hiding my discomfort for him to notice.

"Before my time even. How did you come to be aboard the Enterprise?" He asks, actually sounding interested.

"I was in the right place at the right time. Scotty was fixing the transport pad and was testing it near a black hole. Somehow, through some strange physics equation I don't know, I ended up here." I explain quickly. He looks like he wants to say something, but I quickly start up again. "It's only fair that you should answer one of my questions now. You said I'm from "before your time". What does that mean?" I ask, kicking my feet up onto the desk and leaning back, trying to look relaxed when I really don't feel it. He looks me over, this time not just at my appearance. I'm wouldn't be surprised if he could tell what I'm thinking, with the intensity of his gaze, but I try not to show how badly it shakes me.

"I come from the Eugenics war, something you would know of had you remained in your time for another few years. I was created in 1995, one of the last Augments to be made." The thing is, I do know what the Eugenics war is. I've done a fair bit of reading over the months I've been on the Enterprise, and the Eugenics War was a big thing I read about. But, there were no records of the actual leaders or Augments, that I could access anyway, so I still have no idea who he is. He watches me as I process it, no doubt noticing how I react to the knowledge that he's an Augment. "What is your name?" He asks.

"I'm Lily. Lily Watcher. What's your name?" Because I highly doubt it's actually John Harrison. If he's really an Augment, a genetically superior superhuman, John just doesn't seem to cut it.

"I was under the impression everyone knew my name, after the events of the last few days." He states, with a small roll of the eyes and a grimace of boredom settling on his features. Obviously I'm letting him down with my ignorance. I grin.

"I mean your real name. You're not John Harrison any more than I'm a Vulcan." I state. His look of boredom vanishes so quickly I'm struggling to remember it was there. Instead he quirks an eyebrow in interest.

"I am Khan Noonien Singh. And I must admit I am impressed by your keen perception. None of the others have been able to see through me."

"They weren't looking like I was. They all just see the terrorist who killed Captain Pike." I shrug, not as impressed with myself. "I think it's your turn." I state, getting a bit too uncomfortable with the way he looks at me.

"So we're playing a game? Answering questions for each other?" He sounds absolutely annoyed by the prospect of playing such a game, but I can see how excited he actually is. Apparently I'm the first one to spend the time to play such a game with him. And I'm offering up just as much as I'm taking, instead of just interrogating him. And being sorta witty as I'm doing it. Probably more witty and fun than Jim and Spock were earlier.

"Yeah, unless you have something better to be doing. So...are you gonna play or not?" I ask, sounding unconcerned over which one he chooses, though in fact I desperately hope he accepts my invitation. I mean serious, what else could I be doing right now? The gym, rec room, and mess hall are all off limits until the warp core is repaired. Technically I'm not even supposed to leave my room until the ship is back to 100% better, but I've never been good at following that rule. I've even sat on the bridge for an entire day without either being noticed, or being noticed and them not caring.

"Very well. How long have you been aboard? You seem fairly comfortable here, for someone who's come from so very long ago." He points out.

"I was beamed aboard two and a half months ago. Star Fleet was naturally informed of my presence, but they had nothing else for me to do. So they decided I would stay aboard the Enterprise until a situation could be arranged for me. They figured Jim and the crew could watch me and make sure I'm being good while they figure something out." I explain. He nods after a while, I think to indicate that it's my turn. "So you're an Augment from the Eugenics War named Khan Noonien Singh, and a Star Fleet Commander named John Harrison all in one. How did that happen?" I figure I ought to get a nice long explanation from this one.

"What if I refused to answer your question?" He asks curiously, stepping closer to the glass separating us. For a moment I can imagine him breaking the glass and killing me before I can even reach for the button, and I think he probably could do that and more. But I shake my head to clear it of the image. He may be an Augment, but he wouldn't do that, would he? Not when he would be immediately surrounded by security officers from the alarm.

"Then I won't answer any of yours." I shrug. He almost looks like he's frowning, and I wonder if he just doesn't want to answer this question. Probably too personal. So I think quick and give him another. "Well, can you at least tell me why you bombed London and attacked Headquarters?" He looks a little relieved, but not much.

"It was an act of revenge against a man who has wronged me." He says, his voice pure ice.

"So it was personal."

"Very...personal." He hisses it, but it doesn't sound like he's really talking to me. It sounds like he's addressing the man who has wronged him. I lean back into the cushion of Grism's chair and this switches his attention back to me. "Who were you, back in 1991?"

"Like who was I as a person, or my family was, or what?" I ask, not really understanding what exactly he wants to know. It feels like a loaded question.

"Perhaps I mean all of those things. I wish to know what you left behind when you were beamed aboard the Enterprise from the past." He meanders to the bed of his cell and sits, back still as straight as when he was standing.

"That's a long answer to give." I admit with a bit of shyness leaking into me. His eyes dig into mine, demanding the answer no matter how long it takes. And frankly, no one else has asked me about that. When I first beamed aboard, everyone wanted to know how I did it. And then after that was done and figured out, they wanted to know what I would do now. No one asked what I left when I accidentally became a member of the crew. But, no one really asks anyone about anybody's back stories here, so it's not like they just don't want to know mine.

"Shall I ask another?" He offers, though he sounds less than thrilled. But as I did offer him a reprieve from his difficult question, he offers me one. But I shake my head.

"No, it's just...where to start? I was born in San Diego and grew up there until I was 10, when we moved to Arizona." I pause here for just a moment, but he immediately jumps in that pause.

"We?" He quirks an eyebrow.

"My family. My mom, dad, two older brothers Dayl and Leroy, and my older sister Carter. But later, Dayl was married to a girl named Anthea and Carter was married to a man named Evan, so they joined the family too. My sister had a baby only six months before I was beamed aboard, his name was Jace. So that's my family. Oh, and I had a cat named Psycho." He actually smiles at this, and I find I like that look a lot better than his smirks and grins and frowns.

"Why would you name a pet that?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time. Plus he was very spazzy as a kitten. He was a little psycho, so I named him Psycho." He smiles again, but then his face returns neutral. "Anyway, we moved to Arizona and I attended school and...I dunno. I was a good student overall. Got good grades, didn't fight, didn't really have a rebellious phase like my siblings. I stayed off the radar because I didn't want any of the drama that I saw my siblings undergo as they went through high school." I see his eyes flick to my arms and legs for some reason before returning to my face.

"You have self inflicted scars on you arms and I suspect legs. No rebellious phase?" He notes. I look down at my milky white arms. I didn't think the scars were visible anymore. But now that I really look, I do see them. Pale and nearly nonexistent, but there beneath the violently bright lights of the brig. And with his super eyes, I guess I get that he saw them. Still, no one else has.

"Uh...okay a bit of a rebellious phase. But more of a way to handle the stress of my classes and the drama that my siblings went through." I say awkwardly.

"Did you have difficult classes?"

"Advanced classes. But there were others at my school who took much more advanced." I insist.

"So you hurt yourself to feel in control of at least some portion of your life. You couldn't control your family or the work load, so instead you controlled your body." He remarks, sounding a bit like my therapist. I'd do anything to distract him right now.

"Since my question has a long answer, I feel like I should get to ask you a question as a sort of intermission." I state. He smirks but nods. "The man you made blow up the archive...how did you convince him to do it?" He looks surprised that I would ask such a thing and is quiet for a long time. "Shall I ask another?" I mock. He scowls at me, but it's hardly a menacing scowl.

"I am simply surprised by your choice of question. No one seems to care about why he did it, only that he did it on my order. But, since you asked, I cured his daughter from a deadly disease." I wrinkle my eyebrows, silently communicating my question of 'How?' to him. "My blood has very special, advanced healing abilities. More advanced than the medicine of the future. It cured her." He says shortly.

"You gave her your blood? That's...kinda gross." I tell him, with a slight smirk.

"Hardly. Blood transfusions save lives daily, my blood just saves more extreme cases."

"Oh, so you actually transfused your blood to her, she didn't like drink it or something like that?" He looks at me like that's a ridiculous suggestion. But I can't help it if I have an overactive imagination. "How about I continue with my answer. I covered my family and my general upbringing. Uh, I'm twenty. I don't have a boyfriend "back home". I worked for two years as a nanny, living in England. I was back from my job for only a month before I got beamed up. I like reading, writing, painting, cooking. Should I keep going, or are you satisfied?"

"I think you have adequately answered my question. You are a free spirit girl who tries to remain above petty human behavior due to a childhood of learning from your siblings mistakes. You are smart, much smarter than you appear and let off. You know how to appear normal, so as to avoid conflict and engagement. And you fear relationships, or rather that they will end badly. I feel I know exactly who you are."

"Not bad for a 300 year old superman." He quirks an eyebrow, standing again and staring at me from just behind the glass.

"You are also beautiful, and no doubt there were many men who wished to court you. But they knew of your aversion to relationships and decided not to try, for fear of rejection." I can't help the tiny blush that sprinkles over my cheeks and down my neck at that. I've never considered myself pretty, preferring to play a tomboy, but my sister and friends made sure to frequently say I was lovely. Whenever they did I tired harder to appear unremarkable, so I would be sure to avoid a relationship built solely on someone's attraction to my looks. And it's almost frightening that Khan knows that.

When I was younger I was always crushing on boys and telling them about my silly crushes. But I was always rejected because I was too ordinary. That's why I tried to remain ordinary as I grew up. If I could find someone who looked at my ordinary appearance and still liked me for who I was, then I could truly feel like they loved me. But if even Khan, the terrorist who bombed London and the Augment from the Eugenics war, thought I was pretty, then who I was kidding? I glance at the monitor on Grism's desk, catching my reflection in the shiny black screen. And as much as I wish I could deny it, because that's all I've ever done, I guess I am pretty.

I've got golden brown hair and pale, Irish skin. My eyes are an alarming blue and I've got sort of one of those cute button noses. And overall I'm just about average in body height and weight. Always have been. Carter says I really grew into my looks once I hit puberty. And I suppose I did, but just always saw the awkward kid that every boy in California thought was average when I looked in the mirror.

"You hide your insecurity beneath layers of sarcasm and wit, and choose not to deal with them because you feel your rebellious siblings deserve your parents attentions. You don't have a boyfriend because of said insecurities and because you are under the idea that one day the perfect man will sweep in for you. But, there are no perfect humans."

"You're human." He looks absolutely horrified by the notion. "Altered and advanced, yes, but still a human. All the Augments were human." He makes some sort of low growl and the way he stares at me changes, and I feel like he's calling me forward. And more surprising than the odd stare, I actually get up and approach the glass. When I'm as close to it as he is, he raises his hand like he means to touch me through the glass, his palm resting near my head.

"I am not human. I am more." He hisses. "Why are you in here Lily? Really?" He demands.

"I was bored." I shrug.

"No, I think it's more than that. No one else will speak to me for longer than necessary, yet you seem to have come solely for conversation. Aren't you afraid of me, or upset with what I've done?" I step back a few steps, the venom in his tone demanding an answer.

"I am more scared of you than anyone else I've ever met. And I am upset that you've killed so many people. But I can see things in you that the others just aren't looking for. I can see that you're wounded, hurt by someone in Star Fleet. I can see that there is something you care about, deeply and profoundly. And that is what you were fighting for when you bombed that building and attacked Headquarters. And I think that makes you more human than you realize." I quickly walk back to my temporary desk and turn away from him, opening the monitor and pulling up some text to read while I wait for Grism to return. I think our game is over.

On the corner of the monitor I can see Khan's reflection. He's still standing there, watching me intently and looking like he could say a lot of things. But he says nothing. Eventually, about ten minutes later, he stalks to his bed and sits, as postured as ever. I try not to think about his eyes on my back as I read. Half an hour later, the door whoosh open and Jim and Spock come running in, straight to Khan's cell. Spock glances at me, but doesn't seem to care that I'm there instead of Grism and continues towards the cell.

"Why is there a man in that torpedo?" Jim demands, sounding angry and confused at once. Say what now? I slowly turn in my seat, so as not to attract attention from the Captain or First Officer. Khan notices, but hardly seems to care, returning his eyes immediately to Jim and Spock.

"There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Captain. I put them there." He says like it's the simplest thing in the world.

"Who the hell are you?" Jim demands. Oh right, they don't know he's Khan yet. I lean back, this outta be good. Wish I had popcorn.

"A remnant of the time long past. Genetically engineered to be superior so as to lead others to peace in a world at war. We were condemned as criminals; forced into exile. For centuries we slept, hoping when we awoke that things would be different." Okay that's not quite the way the histories tell it. In fact, I'm sure it was a lot more bloody and dangerous. Khan can see the look of annoyed disbelief on my face at the yarn he's spinning, but ignores it an continues. "But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan, your Star Fleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space; my ship was found adrift, I alone was revived." Okay that I do buy.

"I looked up John Harrison. Until a year ago, he didn't exist." Oh Jim. How naïve.

"John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause." Ah, so it was Marcus he was aiming to kill. Just the way he spits out the name indicated that much. At this point Khan is standing, and I've never been more intimidated. "A smokescreen to conceal my true identity. My name is Khan." I actually feel myself shudder at the way he says his name this time. So much more authoritative and and deadly than when he introduced himself to me.

"Why would a Star Fleet admiral ask a 300-year-old frozen man for help?" Jim really hates this guy, I can tell from the pure anger in his voice. I've never heard him speak like this in the almost three months I've been aboard.

"Because I am...better."

"At what?" Jim immediately asks.

"Everything." And so modest too. Behind me I can vaguely hear Grism coming back from his errands, but neither of us make a move to shoo me out. Instead he stands behind me, looking just as enraptured as I am with Khan and his tale. "Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time, and for that, he needed a warrior's mind. My mind. To design weapons and warships." Come to think of it, I don't like this Marcus guy. He was really conceited when he talked to me via communicator after I first beamed aboard. I have no problem imagining him using Khan like that.

"You are suggesting the admiral violated every regulation he vowed to uphold simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect." Now Spock's being naïve!

"He wanted to exploit my savagery!" Khan immediately snaps. "Intellect alone is useless in a fight, Mr. Spock. You...you can't even break a rule, how would you be expected to break bone?" He does have a point... "Marcus used me to design weapons to help him realize his vision of a militarized Star Fleet. He sent you to use those weapons, to fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting plant, and then he purposely crippled your ship in enemy space leading to one inevitable outcome. The Klingon's would come searching for whomever was responsible and you would have no chance at escape. Marcus would finally have the war he talked about, the war he always wanted." Yeah...I buy it. Still think maybe Khan isn't the victim though. Especially since I know what went down during the Eugenics War. Apparently Jim doesn't think him innocent either.

"No. No, I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Star Fleet officers. You killed them in cold blood!" Khan turns his back on Jim angrily.

"Marcus took my crew from me." Way to play the blame game Khan.

"You are a murderer!" Jim shouts.

"He used my friends to control me! I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I had designed, but I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone and when I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear." His voice shudders a little at the end, and I could swear he might be crying. And frankly, I don't blame him. I was right. I was so right. He was fighting for his crew. "So I responded in kind." He slowly turns back to face us, a tear still trailing down his cheek and his eyes red. "My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?" I can honestly say I just want to give the guy a comforting hug right now. But I'm not even supposed to be in here. Suddenly the comm beeps.

"Proximity alert Sir. There's a ship at warp headed right for us." Sulu announces. Jim finally looks away from Khan and down at the floor.

"Klingon's?" He asks, my heart jumping to my throat at the thought.

"At warp? No Kirk, we both know who it is." Marcus. Oh shit. Kirk doesn't say anything, just starts running back towards the bridge, but throws over his shoulder,

"Lieutenant, move Khan to med bay, post six security officers on him!" I look at Grism, who's already in action, calling the officers to the room, then look at Khan. He's staring right at me.

"I believe I answered your question." He says quietly. I quickly disappear before the security detail gets there and questions my presence. No need to tell them I was getting chatty with the superhuman who killed thousands, if not millions of people in the past, and Captain Pike in the present. I barely even pay attention as I run to my room, locking the door and shutting off the comm when I get there. Whatever happens, I don't want to hear it. I want to lay on my bed and feel sorry for myself. Not only because of everything Khan said, but because bringing up my past has made me miss it. So, so badly.

For the last two and a half months, I haven't missed it at all. It was just like going on another adventure. Not seeing my family...I got used to that while I nannied in England. But the reality that I'll never see them again is sorta getting to me. And the being too insecure to be in a relationship, as spot on as it was, was kinda annoying to hear from him. I just wish he hadn't been so painfully accurate about me. And worse, I wish I hadn't been so accurate about him.

He's suffering so much, at the thought of loosing his crew...his family. He's so vulnerable, and that's never a good feeling. And to have that humanity, that itty bitty ounce of humanity exploited by the likes of Admiral Marcus? Not only is it disgusting, it makes me hate Marcus more than ever! It seems like Marcus is less human than Khan, and Khan is an Augment.

Somewhere amidst my pondering I feel the ship jump to warp and sit up. Where are we going? I decide to run to med bay to see what's going on. Bones will tell me, he also has a soft spot for me. When I walk in, Bones, Carol, and Khan all look at me. I avoid Khan's eyes though.

"Hey Lil." Bones says with a smile. "Well at least we're moving again." He says as he scans Khan.

"Where are we going?" I ask. He looks at me like I'm crazy. "I had my comm off, I missed the whole thing." I tell him with a frown.

"Well, we're high tailing it to Earth to put Khan on trial and report Marcus for sending us on a suicide mission to Kronos." He explains. Well, I guess Marcus really is the bad guy like Khan said.

"If you think you're safe at warp, you're wrong." Khan says mysteriously and looks at Carol. She seems to understand the mystic statement and starts running. I look between Bones and Khan with a quirked eyebrow. "His ship has modifications that will allow him to catch up to us and fire on us, while we are at warp. I suggest you hold onto something." Khan explains. Bones only scoffs, walking off to put his scanner away. I remain relatively near Khan, trapped in his gaze.

"I believe you about Marcus. But I know better than to believe that you're some peacekeeper from the Eugenics War. Augments killed millions of people." I whisper, though I'm sure we're not the only two listening to our conversation.

"I do not deny my involvement in the War, nor my role." He says, sounding without a conscience. "But I think for the moment Marcus is the bigger enemy."

"I know, I get it. He's corrupt and a dick and he deserves to be crushed like a bug. But eventually Marcus will be taken care of, and then the attention will be back on you." I remind him. A tiny smile quirks his lips.

"And will you condemn me like the others? When we know so much about each other? Dare I say it, I believe we were well on our way to becoming friends, Lily." His sarcasm is so cold, much colder than mine. I scowl at him and am about to turn and march away when an explosion rocks the ship violently and I nearly propel into him, his arms swiftly going over my head and looping around me to keep me pressed to his chest, him becoming my anchor as he has remarkable balance in the midst of the chaos.

The attack continues, the ship convulsing and throwing around like it's being literally beaten. The security detail and nurses all desperately try to keep level and hold on to something, but some are thrown forward or back against walls. Khan keep a tight hold on me until the ship settles at long last, something making the weapons of the other ship stop. But if it's a hailing from one ship to the other, this one isn't ship wide like I'm guessing the last one was.

It takes me a long time to calm down my raging heart and an even longer time to realize Khan still has hold of me. But the sound of six phasers charging up and being pointed at us lets me know. I look at the gathering of red shirts and at Khan, who slowly pulls his manacled arms up over my head and settles them back in his lap. I take three big steps away and the security men lower their phasers and go about righting the room, now that the terrorist doesn't have a hostage. I awkwardly tug on the bottom of my shirt until Khan's gaze catches mine and holds it.

"Uh...thanks. For...ya know." I gesture to his arms and he makes a infinitesimal smile and nods. I see Bones struggling to clean up a spilled drawer and rush over to help him, feeling so relieved to not be under the full force of Khan's gaze. Once everything is better, Bones sits down to do whatever it was he was doing before Khan came to med bay and we were attacked. And it seems to involve a dead fuzzy animal. Really fuzzy.

We all look up as Jim comes into the med bay, eyes immediately seeking out Khan, who's staring blankly at the wall across from him. Kirk stalks forward to be in his line of sight.

"Tell me everything you know about that ship." He commands.

"Dreadnought-class. Twice the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry. Unlike most Federation Vessels, it was built solely for combat." He says curtly.

"I will do everything I can to make you pay for what you did." Jim says fiercely. I study Khan's ever stoic face and hope that he won't say something stupid. But he says nothing, just lets Jim continue. "But right now, I need your help." He admits.

"And what do I receive in return?" It almost bothers me that he would ask that question. Like everything is a bargain or something.

"You said you'd do anything for your crew. I can guarantee their safety."

"Oh Captain. You can't even guarantee the safety of your own crew." Ouch. Jim glances towards Bones and me, needing a distraction from his obvious fail, and notices the fuzzy animal.

"Bones, what are you doing with that tribble?" He asks.

"Tribble's dead. I'm injecting Khan's platelets into the necrotic tissue. His blood cells regenerate like nothing I've ever seen and I wanna know why." Well I'm mighty curious myself. After all, he did say his blood saved a little girl in London. Admittedly he was only saving her to get to her dad, but still. Super blood.

"Are you coming with me or not?" Jim demands of Khan, who slowly nods. Jim pulls out his comm and walks into the hall while the security team unlocks Khan's manacles. Before they can lead him out he stops and looks at me, using that look that summons me forward once again.

"Admiral Marcus means to destroy the Enterprise. If I do not succeed in taking him down aboard the Vengeance, you could die here." He tells me, his voice as blank as ever. I notice that he called the other ship the Vengeance. Seems ironic, considering who designed it and all.

"Everybody dies." I shrug. "Eventually. I mean, I've done more with in the last two months of my life than I ever imagined I would in fifty years, so I guess I'm good." The strangest look crosses his face and he leans in close to me, all six of his officers flinching slightly in case he should try to hurt me.

"You are different Lily Watcher. And should I succeed, I will be back for you." He tells me before he allows himself to be marched out of the med bay and to wherever Jim is taking him to get over to the Vengeance. I stand rooted to the spot for longer than I probably should, a little shocked by his statement. Why would he want to come back for me? If he succeeds, which I kinda hope he does, cuz I don't wanna get blown up, I would think he'd be more concerned about his crew. What the hell does he want from me? I shake my head, glancing around at the people in the med bay. They really don't need me here right now, what with all the people injured from the brief firefight starting to come in. I decide I want to stay up to date on what happens over on the Vengeance, and run out of med bay to sneak onto the bridge.

"Lily you know you shouldn't be on the bridge right now." Nyota immediately whispers to me as I walk in and head to her station.

"I have to know what's happening Nyota. I can't just sit in my quarters and twiddle my thumbs." I insist. She just sighs and shrugs and goes back to her work. I get my first look of the USS Vengeance as I look to the right of the bridge. It's massive, in the same shape as the Enterprise, and a dark menacing metallic black color. I get a little shiver just looking at it. I'm studying it so intently that by the time I realize what the plan is, Spock is counting down from three to release Khan and Jim into space and across to the Vengeance. And in less time than it takes to blink, there's the sound of the door opening, the whoosh of air, and the door closing. They're out in the space now, somewhere I can't see from here.

But on a screen to my left there's a little diagram of the Enterprise, exactly across from the Vengeance, and two dotted lines connecting the two. There are two arrows showing the progress of the two men, and little squares with their information pointing to either arrow. I keep close watch on it, seeing Jim become dangerously off course as he veers out of the way of some debris, before starting to drift back. And watching as Khan's line remains relatively stable. At some point Kirk's helmet is hit, but doesn't break, thank god! And then, Khan's line vanishes.

"What happened?" I demand of Bones, who jumps upon discovering I'm next to him.

"Mr. Sulu did we loose Khan?" Spock demands.

"I don't know sir, it's hard to track him in all this debris." Sulu sighs, working furiously to regain the signal. I go back to watching Jim's line, praying in my head that Khan will show up again. I can't really understand why I want him to be okay so badly, I just hope he's not injured or dead. Without him, we don't stand a chance. And maybe it's also that I can't image him hurt without wanting to cry. But I'd never admit that.

"Shit, my display is dead." Jim curses over the comm.

"Captain without your display it is mathematically impossible to reach your target." Spock says a bit of emotion leaking through his usually perfect mask.

"Spock if I get back, we really need to talk about your bedside manner." Jim growls. I'm about to start worrying when suddenly there's a beep and Khan's line starts up again.

"My display is still functioning. I see you Kirk, you're two hundred meters to my right, my one o'clock. Come left a few degrees and follow me." He commands smoothly. Jim corrects, flying right next to Khan as they near the port of the Vengeance.

"Scotty we're getting close, you gotta give a warm welcome." Jim says over the comm. Wait, Scotty's on board the Vengeance? Maybe I need to be paying more attention... But he doesn't appear to be able to hear us, as he's not responding. And they're getting really close. Spock starts to countdown the amount of time before Khan and Jim will collide with the ship and I get more scared at each second he counts. Oh please, please open the door Scotty!

We all let out a collective sigh as the door opens just in the nick of time, admitting both Khan and Jim onto the Vengeance. I wrap my arms around Bones and shakily laugh, him returning the hug nervously. The comm is cut from the Enterprise to the Vengeance when they take their suits off, and all we can do is hope they make it to the bridge and stop Marcus.

"Commander Spock I have that hail you asked for." Nyota tells Spock, who looks a bit interested before composing himself.

"Onscreen." He says kindly before turning to the view screen. The screen has to come into focus for a moment but when it does it reveals an older Vulcan.

"Mr. Spock." The Vulcan greets kindly.

"Mr. Spock." Spock returns. Huh? I look to Bones for answers and he whispers,

"Later." Before turning his attention to the other Spock. From what I can assume, the older one is also Spock...maybe him from the future? I mean, time travel isn't new to me, considering that's the only reason I'm standing here. But still...wow.

"I will be brief." Younger Spock starts. "In your travels, did you ever encounter a man named Khan?" Recognition crosses Spock Prime's face, and not in a good way. I wince at the reaction we get from a mere name.

"As you know, I have made a vow never to give you information that could potentially alter your destiny. Your path is yours to walk, and your alone." Obvious disappointment crosses Younger Spock's face and I can see he's about to respectfully thank the elder for his time anyway, when Spock Prime starts up again. "That being said, Khan Noonien Singh is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced. He is brilliant, ruthless, and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you." Spock Prime says with a voice full of loathing. It's like this Khan situation drags the emotion right out into his voice. And I can feel my hear dropping as that loathing filled voice so coldly describes the man I'd been playfully exchanging my life story with just a few hours ago. How could I be so wrong about someone?

"Did you defeat him?" Younger Spock asks.

"At great cost, yes." Spock Prime admits, his voice getting even heavier, this time with sadness. I don't know if I can hear this.

"How?" Spock asks just as I leave. I'm aware of Nyota following me as I rush out, and feel her put her hand on my shoulder before I even make it down the hall.

"Lily what is it?" She asks, concern evident in her voice. I don't even realize that I'm holding back tears. But as soon as I realize my throat is choked up and I can't talk, the tears just feel so evident.

"I made a mistake Nyota! I confided in him, I let him confide in me...because I thought maybe somewhere in him was some smidgen of humanity! I've never been so wrong about some in all my life! How did I not see through him?!" She instantly understand who I'm talking about and gathers me in her arms.

"It's okay Lily, it's not your fault. None of this is your fault, it's Khan. He got to you, just like he could get to any of us." She coos. It takes me a good few minutes before I have myself under control and wipe my face. I can't cry for him. If this is who he really is, some murderous adversary who caused pain not only to my friends, but future versions of them as well, I refuse to cry because I can't even think of being with him. He's a criminal, just like Jim said. And for all I know he was playing me from the moment I walked in the brig.

"Come on, we better get back in there." She looks me in the eye, seeming to search for whether I'm really okay or not, before nodding and leading the way back. No one turns to us when we walk in. They all share looks of awe or horror or both, all are staring intently at Spock Prime. I barely catch on to what he's saying.

"-causing my death. I was resurrected through the use of the Genesis Planet, and am still living today. But the pain I suffered, and the pain of the entire crew of the Enterprise at the hands of Khan Noonien Singh should never be repeated." Wait, he died? Because of Khan? Holy shit!

"Thank you for you time and wisdom Mr. Spock." Younger Spock says, but he sounds just as shaken as the rest of us must feel. Spock Prime nods once and the video cuts off. Spock sits numbly for a moment before determination settles over him and gets up, walking to Nyota and gesturing for Bones to approach.

"Lieutenant can you assemble all senior Medical and Engineering crew members in the weapons bay." He instructs.

"Okay." Nyota nods, a little confused, before rushing off to do so. Spock immediately turns to Bones next.

"Doctor McCoy, you inadvertently activated a missile, could you repeat the process?" He demands.

"Now why the hell would I want to do that?" Bones looks aghast.

"Could you repeat the process?" Spock repeats.

"Dammit man, I'm a Doctor not a missile technician!" Bone objects angrily.

"The fact that you're a doctor is precisely why I need you to listen very carefully. I need to remove the cryogenic tubes from all 72 torpedoes. Once Admiral Marcus is out of the way, I am sure that Khan will betray us to regain his crew. He will demand them in exchange, most likely, for the Captain, Mr. Scott, and Carol Marcus. In this event I feel it would be logical to give him the missiles, and arm them so they detonate on his ship and stop him from attacking us. But I feel it would be unethical to detonate the missiles while there are people inside of them. Therefore, can you repeat the process?" He explains, his voice uncharacteristically short and snappy. Bones nods before rushing out to the weapons bay to help. Spock's eyes fall on me, and I give a nervous smile.

"Hey Spock." He motions for me to join him outside the bridge, calling back that Sulu has the Con. "I know I'm not supposed to be on the bridge, or the brig for that matter, and I'm sorry. I just couldn't stand sitting around while all this was going on!" I say quickly before he can start yelling at me. Surprisingly though he doesn't even frown.

"Miss Watcher, I reviewed the conversation between yourself and Khan in the brig, as well as the interaction you had with him in the medical bay. It is my belief that he will also ask you to join him on the Vengeance. Even if you say no, I believe he will still beam you over when we drop our shields. I do not wish to see you harmed by detonating the missiles, so I am at a crossroads. You can either hide in a part of the ship you believe he will not be able to find you in. Or, do you feel confident that you could convince him to not fire on our ship once you have beamed aboard the Vengeance?" Wow. I can honestly say I never ever expected to be asked to stop the impending battle between the two ships.

"If I can't, if I beam aboard and can't stop him...can you manually detonate the torpedoes from here? Say I beam over and he doesn't stop within half a minute, could you still remote detonate?" I ask, my voice cracking despite my best effort to remain neutral. He nods solemnly. "Then I will go." He gives me a look full of sorrow, and something like pity, or the Vulcan equivalent. Then he unexpectedly puts his hand on my shoulder. I remember reading that hands are a very personal, sensitive part of Vulcans and that this is somewhat of an honor.

"You will be saving this ship and all on it. And should we not be able to save you, we will come for you. No matter where he takes you, the Enterprise will follow and rescue you." He then takes his hand off my shoulder and gives me the Ta'al. We both solemnly walk back onto the bridge, Spock walking off to Sulu while I numbly stand next to the captains chair. I need for Khan to see me when he communicates with us. If he doesn't, and if he doesn't decide to beam me over, the whole plan will be bust.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear! The view screen comes to life and Khan appears, holding a bruised and bloodied Kirk in front of him, phaser held in a death shot position. Behind the both of them I see bodies littered about, and I hope they're not dead.

"I'm going to make this very simple for you." Khan begins, his voice a light drawl.

"Captain!" Spock exclaims upon seeing the condition of Jim.

"Your crew for my crew." Khan states quite solidly.

"You betrayed us." Spock state quite obviously, feigning dumb since he himself said that Khan would betray us.

"Oh, you are smart, Mr. Spock." Khan says in almost a taunt.

"Spock don't-" Jim gets cut off as Khan efficiently hits the phaser against the back of his head, making him drop. We all flinch forward a bit, wanting to catch out beloved captain. Khan's eyes flick to mine and he grins seeing my horrified face. I wonder if he thinks it's for him. That I'm horrified to see he's not who I thought he was, that there is no humanity there after all.

"Mr. Spock, give me my crew." Khan commands.

"What will you do when you them?"

"Continue the work we were doing before we were banished." He immediately replies.

"Which, as I understand it, involves the mass genocide of any species you find to be inferior." Spock almost snarls the statement. Obviously the Vulcans find the purpose of the Eugenics War quite illogical.

"Shall I destroy you, Mr. Spock? Or will you give me what I want?" His eyes flick to me again and I feel like I could be sick. How did I end up on his wish list anyway? Spock is quiet for a moment.

"We have no transporter capabilities." He informs Khan.

"Fortunately, mine are perfectly functional. Drop your shields." He narrows his eyes threateningly.

"If I do so, I have no guarantee you will not destroy the Enterprise."

"Well, let's play this out logically then, Mr. Spock." He sighs like he's talking to a child and it makes me blush red with indignation for Spock. "Firstly, I will kill your captain to demonstrate my resolve. Then, if yours holds, I will have no choice but to kill you and your entire crew." The V shaped smile he wears as he says it gives me goosebumps of fear at the creepiness of the whole situation. And hold on a sec, what does he mean he'll destroy us? What about his crew?

"If you destroy our ship, you will also destroy your own people." Spock points out my thoughts.

"Once your shields are down I will take what I want." His eyes flick to me again. "And your crew requires oxygen to survive, mine does not. Once I have the living crew member I require, I will target your life support systems, located behind the aft nacelle. And after every single person aboard your ship suffocates, I will walk over you cold corpses to recover my people. Now. Shall we begin?" I shudder to think he would do exactly as he says, exactly the way he says he will. Spock looks at me and I nod, though I'm shaking.

"Lower shields." Spock orders.

"A wise choice Mr. Spock." He gives a powerful kick to Jim, who's probably lying at his feet, before walking around the control booth and clicking a few things. The funniest feeling covers my entire body and the feeling of being beamed away, something I've only felt one other time in my life, fills me before everything goes white. When the white fades, I'm staring at Spock over the view screen aboard the Vengeance. I look around, catching sight of Scotty, Jim, and Carol, but most importantly Khan. He smirks at me before returning his attention to the view screen. I scramble to Jim, helping him turn over and brushing his blond hair off his forehead.

"What're you doing here Lily?" He asks, sounding alarmed.

"I'm doing my part." I whisper.

"I see all 72 torpedoes are still in their tubes. If they're not mine, Commander, I will know it." Khan says from behind us. And I hope to God he doesn't realize it's not really his crew until much much later.

"Vulcans do not lie. The torpedoes are yours." I guess it's good Spock's half-human then. He can lie. And he is lying.

"Thank you Mr. Spock." He sounds so relieved, my stomach clenched in on itself.

"I have fulfilled your terms. Now fulfill mine." Spock requests. "I demand Miss Watcher be returned with the Captain, Mr. Scott, and Dr. Marcus." Spock adds glowering at Khan. But it has no effect on the Augment. He gives me that look, the one I can't help but obey every singe time. I hug Jim as best I can before slowly approaching Khan. He smiles at me, but it's a predatory smile full of victory.

"No. Well Kirk, it seems apt to return you to your crew." I look over my shoulder as the white lights start to circle the three Enterprise members. "After all, no ship should go down without her captain." He snarls before cutting the link and starting to engage the weapons.

"NO!" I exclaim, grabbing a hold of his wrist before it can finish his action. "You have what you want! Please don't do this!" I demand. With a frighteningly easy flick of the wrist, he pushes me away and starts again with his actions. I search desperately until my eyes land on a phaser. Switching it to kill, I aim at him and his hand stops dead, but he doesn't look at me. "Don't." I repeat. He very slowly stands and turns to me.

"Have you ever taken a life Lily?" He asks, amusement lacing his tone. I shake my head slowly. "I didn't think so." He turns to fire on the Enterprise and I shoot at the chair console, the buttons all frying instantly, cutting off his easy access to the weapons. He actually looks startled for a moment before scowling at me.

"But I have taken shooting lessons since I was thirteen. And I have lived on board the USS Enterprise for two and a half months, becoming as close as family with the crew members. And just like you, I will do anything for my family. Even kill you, if you try to hurt them." I manage to keep the waver out of my voice as I say it, and stare him down. He even tries the look, to get me to break. But this time I will myself to be stronger. I will myself to be strong for the Enterprise.

"Computer, set destination for the furthest inhabitable planet, warp four." He commands, the ship computer repeating the order before propelling us into warp. I have to catch my feet once we enter warp, my hand with the phaser dropping from Khan to the ground. And the second it takes me to stabilize is the second he takes to reach me and wrap his hands around my wrists. His left hand squeezes painfully, making me drop the phaser, which clatters on the ground. I feel the control consul digging into my back as he pushes me back against it, towering intimidatingly over me. My heart jumps into my throat and I feel like I can't breathe for a moment. I think he can tell, because it seems like he always can.

He doesn't move for what feels like forever, and therefore, I don't move for what feels like forever. Then he released my left hand and tantalizingly slowly raises his hand to my cheek, his skin smooth against mine as his fingers drift over my cheekbone.

"You continue to surprise me Lily. But perhaps you should know what happens to those who defy and injure me." His hand drift down my cheek and neck before circling around to the back of my neck and holding me by the back of my collar. He tows me along, stumbling, beside him before shoving me down in front of a body. Previously I thought all the bodies on the bridge were just stunned, but this one...there's no way. It's Admiral Marcus, but his skull has been crushed! Bones stick out from his skin and brain matter and blood have seeped from split skin and fractured bone onto the floor, his face all bruised and crumpled and barely even human looking. I can't quite catch myself in time to hold in my vomit, my lunch from today retching up and accidentally landing on the corpse of Admiral Marcus. Khan seems oddly satisfied that I puked on the guy because he smiles and runs his fingers through my hair.

"How could you do this?" I whisper, still feeling sick. I try not to look again at the dead man, but I'm still faced towards him.

"You know who I am. You've known from your first question." He reminds me. I gag as I accidentally get a sight of the broken head again and close my eyes. His hand stops moving in my hair and he makes a fist, clenching my hair in his hand and yanking back so I look up at him, my eyes flying open again. "And now you know what I can do. If you defy me, or try to shoot me, again...I fear I do not take kindly to being shot and threatened." His eyes trail down to his handy work, but I refuse to look.

"So why are you keeping me alive?" It's the question I've wanted answered since Spock told me Khan would beam me over. Why me? Why would he choose me of all people? Our question game couldn't have been that interesting! He grins, and it's somewhat terrifying. Scratch the somewhat, it's bone chillingly terrifying.

"I am keeping you alive, because you are intelligent, observant, interesting, beautiful...and because when you looked at me you immediately saw past what you heard about me, in favor of deciding for yourself who I was. I can see it even now in your eyes. After all that's happened, there's still that little glimmer of hope for me. That hope that you weren't completely wrong. That maybe deep down, I do have a bit of humanity." He chuckles at the thought.

"I don't know what I was thinking. You're not human. I see that now, all too clear." I whisper. His grin doesn't drop though, and obviously he doesn't believe my harsh words. I don't think I believe them either.

"You say that, and you keep saying that. Until you believe it. But I can see it in your eyes, that I'm partially human. And I can't wait to destroy that belief." He releases his hold on me, smooths my hair, and walks away to give instruction to the computer. I bite my lip and look down at what's left of Admiral Marcus again, burning the image into my mind. It takes me a while before I can look at him without my stomach roiling in protest, but eventually I just stare at him almost emotionless. I need to do this. I need to commit this sight to memory for the rest of my, however long it may be, life. I need to know that Khan did this. That he can do this again and again, killing anything and everything he deems non-superior.

But despite all my effort to believe Khan is no more than a killer, that tiny thought tugs at the back of my mind. That little, stupid belief that there is a real man inside him. It's a belief he instilled in me throughout a simple and foolish game exchanging answers to questions. I know I saw humanity in him, I know it. And as much as Spock, Kirk, Khan, or even I try to tell myself otherwise...I can feel it. I just know that he's not 100% evil. And I'm either going to prove it, or die trying. I know I will.

OOOOO

So what do you think? Should I make a second one? Leave me a comment to let me know!