And being the love-sick fool I am, I can't possibly stand to leave things all angsty. Here's to happy feels!


As soon as the cuffs were removed, he lunged towards her, his expression set and causing alarm to race through the ranks.

In the half second it took for all the armed men to raise their guns and aim, he had tightened his arms around her body, not her neck, but was still nearly crushing her by the force of his embrace.

Finally.

She snuggled against him, her arms around his waist, smaller as she was. But he didn't mind. She was finally his.

There was a stunned silence around them, but he chose to ignore it and the Captain's voice as he soothed the frazzled nerves of the crowd. He was finally able to hold her properly, and not just have her wrapped around his arm when escorting him somewhere.

He sighed, letting his head rest down on her own, willing Grandfather Time to slow down for just a few minutes.

All too soon, though, they were forced to stand apart. There was still the final bit of the process to go through. Punishment and all that. He wasn't needed, though, and so long as he behaved himself she wouldn't have to paralyze him with the gizmo still attached to his ankle. Maybe one day he would have it removed, but for right now he was happy as he was.

He made sure to grip her hand in his own as they were escorted back to the Enterprise. For security reasons, as she explained with some irritation, he would have to stay in the holding cell. Only for the next couple days as the court finished working everything out she would be able to visit and actually sit with him in side the cell if she so wished.

And she did, for two days.

The third day she came with a cautious expression, though her smile assuaged some of the thoughts that came to him. She pulled over a chair, sat down, and sighed, leaning her forehead against the shield.

He stepped over then, placing his hand where her head was resting, expecting an explanation rather than attempt pulling it from her.

Her words came slowly before she gained a confident voice. The trial was complete, and the verdict clear: he had two choices set before him. One, he could be returned to his family, frozen and sleeping as they all were until a future date, when they would be unfrozen one at a time and assimilated back into society... after a memory wipe.

Two, he could remain in London under a sort of house arrest for three years, with an armed guard at his side at all times. After a time, excursions would be allowed, as the ankle lock was not going to be removed, therefore making it easy to incapacitate him. Should he behave, they would begin to transition him back into society... and consider beginning the task of unfreezing the rest of his teammates.

"Starting with the children... and I have one in particular I would recommend."

She sat silently then, allowing him to banish everything away except for his thoughts.

He stood, arms crossed, and his eyes closed, things swirling before him. Three years of animalistic captivity, or a chance at a new life, perhaps another two hundred years in the future. Where everyone would be dead...

His eyes opened, and he peered at her. Her face held an anxious look, though she refused to meet his gaze. His choice and his alone. Well, it would be simpler if...

But she couldn't stay here. Not with her post and her duties aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Her voice was quiet, and her face drawn. She knew he could read anything through her eyes so she wisely kept them turned away.

He was surprised, and hurt.

A five year mission. Unlikely she would return at any point during then.

Yet he still wanted to know when she was leaving.

The question hung, begging to be answered.

She raised her head then, eyes wet with tears. She stood up, reached for the knob, and in half a second she was nestled in his arms, her face tucked into his shoulder which soon felt damp.

He cuddled her body close, and pressed his cheek to the top of her head, rocking back and forth gently.

"I will not be frozen," her murmured to her hair.

She nodded, then if possible gripped him tighter.

They stood there silently for what seemed an eternity before her communicator began to chirp. She pulled back, lifting her face to gaze at him as she answered it. Her lips moved but he heard nothing. He tucked her hair behind her ear, and pressed his forehead to her own. Her voiced hitched, and she quickly ended the conversation, slipping the device back into her pocket before stepping back.

"Kahn, I..."

He reached to stroke her face.

"I as well," he whispered, putting as much emotion into it as he dared.

And then she was gone.

He might never see her again.

The flat he was given was small, but not too small from what he could tell of the blueprints he had been briefly shown. He was not to know where he was going in order to not make escape easy, if he somehow managed it. But he wouldn't. Not if he wanted to hold his precious children again and see them reunited with their parents. Not if he ever wanted to see her again.

So he acquiesed silently, sullenly. His hands were cuffed and his vision was impared by another technological device. He could have torn it right off, but he didn't particularly care to cause a scene or risk damage to his face. Unlikely they would assist him after he was the cause of his own silly wound.

He sat quietly, refusing to answer when one of the men said something to him. They weren't being cruel, but he could not have cared less.

He was led inside, up some stairs, through several doors and around a table before he was deposited onto a seat. Instructions were given as to his not moving an inch while his new best friend made his grand entrance, and he meekly did as he was told.

Well, they saw it as meek. He saw it as all he had left to do.

He waited at least ten minutes before he heard footsteps. Thankfully they were not as tromping and annoying to the ear as others.

He called out a greeting and received nothing in return as the man drew near.

Grumbling, he assumed this would be typical. Well. He would make the most of it. He would have plenty to think about if they allowed him access to the news. Not to mention anything regarding h-

Hands briefly touched his as they worked on the cuffs, and in half a moment they were removed and set aside.

Then fingers tapped at the lock on the side of his head piece, and soon that was placed away as well.

Still nothing was said.

He frowned, then opened his eyes to see large, pretty jade ones sparkling.


There now, that's MUCH better.