This is a short-ish chapter. I finished writing chapter nine, so I am putting up C.5 for you guys! I want to stay a few chapters ahead, so when I get writer's block I don't leave you guys hanging for months at a time. I think I've said this before. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites! I'm a little surprised. The chapter after this has a decent amount of action. I'm excited about it. This chapter explores Khan and Harper's sexual attraction.

As always, I don't own Star Trek. I made the timing a bit off for Khan's life. Other things, I am making up as they go, so sorry for the trekkies if I get things wrong!

CHAPTER FIVE

The sun had been down for a long time, and he felt sleep trying to consume him. Tiberius yawned, stretched, and stood up. He quickly did some push-ups to wake himself up. He had a lead. There was a woman that was on the U.S.S. Merion that had hidden her identity. Who knew that an old woman would be a hacker? Weren't older people supposed to suck at new technology? He didn't know what she had added to her own information, but there was odd characters at the beginning and ending of each page.

He did enough push-ups, in quick succession, to make himself a bit breathless and a bit sweaty. He jumped up and picked up his PADD and paced as he read. This woman, Nancy Cane, had been 60 years old, working as a nurse on the Merion, and was found in a room all alone. It was a back medical room, barely used. The odd thing was that there wasn't anyone within 40 feet of her. No one had come to check on her, no evidence of her trying to find shelter.

The scan of the ship as it was being disintegrated had her sitting in a chair, in that far room, staring out the window.

Why? Tiberius wondered. He stared intently at the screen, than sat it down with a huff. He needed sleep – his eyes were getting blurry. He could be called at any time to go on a mission. Tiberius felt exhaustion sneaking into his system. He didn't even strip – he just plopped down in his flannel pajama pants and t-shirt onto his bed. He fell asleep quickly.

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Harper was trying too hard to get this article written. It was horrible, and it was all Khan's fault. When she noticed his shirt off and his pants unbutton, it had been seared into her eyes. She started to type furiously, trying her best to put her mind to work, but it hadn't worked at all. Now he was standing in her kitchen, hands crossed over his chest, and gazing around the room. She forced herself to keep typing – maybe something will come out of this horrible article about nothing in particular.

"I need to work – there is a bowl in the cabinet to the right of the sink, a spoon in the first drawer below that, and cereal in the cabinet to the left of the sink. Help yourself." She sigh angrily and highlighted all of her article, than pushed delete. It was useless. She needed to get some air. Maybe a walk to the park a few blocks away will help. He didn't answer, just did just as she told him to do. He brought his bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios over to the table and sat down in the chair next to her.

"You don't talk much," she stated, turned to the side and setting her chin in her left hand, while her elbow was on the table. She eyed the man to her right. He finished a few bites, and sat down his spoon.

"You talk almost too much," he answered, leaning just a bit back into the chair. He watched her, and Harper saw almost a smile on his lips. She could have taken his comment seriously, but it was a true statement. She did talk too much, especially when she was nervous or stressed. Khan ate a few more bites as she watched him.

"Does it make you uncomfortable that I'm staring?" she asked, truly curious. It was rather odd that he was ignoring her gaze. Most people would have squirmed or gave her a weird look.

"I'm used to it," he answered, finished his last bite and taking his bowl to the sink. He rinsed it off.

"I hate when people stare at me. It makes me feel like they are judging me," she admitted. Her phone beeped next to her laptop. She chuckled at the picture Lennox had sent her of Amy, Rhonda, and her wearing silly hats and making goofy faces. She looked up at Khan as he sat back down beside her. "Lennox. I told her to text me every 90 minutes with something funny."

Harper noticed that his brow had furrowed, and he looked deep in thought. She opened her mouth, but was stopped by his voice as he sat down next to her.

"When you said you hadn't had an overnight guest in two years, did you mean you haven't had sex in two years?" His face was serious with a bit of curiosity in his eyes. Harper stared at him for a moment, but he just raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," she sighed honestly, wrinkling her nose and turning back to her computer. He seemed smart enough to figure it out – there wasn't a point in lying to him. She clicked a few pages on her bookmarked list – her facebook and personal website, and sighed loudly again. "My daughter isn't old enough to go out on her own, but she is too old to have a babysitter. I don't want to bother with dealing with a man."

"I don't think I understand why," Khan said, tilting his head. "You're a smart and sexy woman – I do not think all men would ignore you." She felt her face flush, and then realized what he had said. Ignore her? What did he mean by that?! His words stuck in her mind as a rejection of sorts.

"They don't ignore me!" she huffed, turning her body once more to glare at him. "For your information, I was asked out last night to dinner tonight." She sent him a sassy look, her eyebrows raised and her eyes bright.

"You aren't going," he stated, not sounding surprised at all. She rolled her eyes at him.

"No. You're here. I can't leave you alone. I need to figure out a way to get you back to... wherever you're from."

"Earth."

"I know that!" Harper clinched her jaw. It was just really hard to say he was from a future Earth.

"I find you attractive," Khan said in that serious and deep voice of his. Harper felt her hands tremble a bit, but stood up to keep the focus away from them.

"So?" she asked, making use of her hands by putting the dishes away that were in the dishwasher. Harper hated doing dishes more than anything, but she'd do the worst of the worst just so she didn't have to watch him watching her.

"I want you." The cup in her hand fell to the ground – thankfully it was plastic. She cleared her throat and picked it up, going back to her work. She kept her mouth tightly shut. He was a strange man. He had this crazy story about how he was from the future, was frozen, and something brought him back just so he could save his people, whoever they were. "I'm sorry. I thought I saw some form of interest from you," he said, sounding a bit confused.

Harper sighed and sat her hands on the edge of the sink. She stared into the silver bottom.

"Maybe. You're very …. Uh… attractive. I've known you for one day. My daughter is getting dangerously attached to you, and I'm not going to be the same way," she confessed quietly. Khan hummed his understanding. She heard him stand up and heard his footsteps stop next to her. He took her hands and turned her around so she was facing him. She gave in and looked up, liking the way he held her hands in front of him.

"I will make sure she knows I am not staying," he said. "I do not see an issue with two adults taking pleasure in their wants, especially a woman who works so hard to care for her family." Harper swallowed. She saw something in Khan's eyes – vulnerability. "To be very honest, I do not like having this distraction in my head. It might help me think more clear about how to do what I am supposed to do."

"So you want me to be your stress relief." Harper pulled her hands out of his and stomped out of the kitchen. Just like all the other men she had dated! Since she had a daughter at 15, they assumed that she was easy. "I am going for a walk! Don't burn my house down, Khan, or I'll burn your ass!"

She ignored him as she put on her ballet flats, grabbed her keys, and locked the door behind her. She stomped down the three steps to the sidewalk, and begun to head toward the park a few blocks north of the subdivision.