DISCLAIMER - I OWN NONE OF THESE CHARACTERS, PLANETS OR LOCATIONS, EXCEPT FOR MY OC ANNA.

STARDATE 4th November 2259

Anna was stood with Leo and Dr Marcus in the medbay looking over the now open torpedo as James and Spock walked in. After probably the most stressful few seconds of their lives and then the biggest shock of the mission both Anna and Leo were glad to be back on board the Enterprise.

"What have we got?" James asked upon entering the medbay.

"It's quite clever actually. This fuel container's been removed from the torpedo and retrofitted to hide this cryo tube." Dr Marcus explained.

James came up the side opposite where Leo and Anna were standing, Leo looking at the readings from his scanner and Anna searching the history archives on her padd. Spock however came and stood beside Anna, standing slightly closer than usual, probably a result from Anna being three seconds away from being blown up less than an hour ago. Anna felt Spock's hand lay on the small of her back, his form of reassuring himself that she is still there. He'd been doing that since the Nero incident.

"Is he alive?" James asked.

"He's alive." Leo replied. "But if we try to revive him without the proper sequencing, it could kill him. This technology's beyond me."

"How advanced, Doctor?" Spock asked him.

"It's not advanced, that cryo tube is ancient" Dr Marcus replied.

"According the history, we haven't needed to freeze anyone since we developed warp capability" Anna said.

"Which explained the most interested thing about our friend here. He's 300 years old." Leo continued from what Anna had said.

Anna watched as James and Spock shared a startled look.

Both went rushing out of the room with Anna in hot pursuit, still reading on her padd. She followed them all the way down to the brig where they stood in front of Harrison's cell. Anna avoided looking up from her padd, she could feel Harrison's eyes on her.

"Why is there a man in that torpedo?" James asked Harrison.

"There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Captain. I put them there." Harrison said.

Anna looked up just enough to see Spock and James share a look before turning her attention back to her padd.

"Who are you?" James asked him.

"You haven't worked that out yet?" Harrison responded.

"We have ways of getting answers out of you. I ask again who are you?" James commented.

"A remnant of time long past. Genetically engineered to be superior so as to lead others to peace in a world at war. But we were condemned as criminal, forced into exile. For centuries we slept, hoping when we awoke, things would be different. But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan, your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space. My ship was found adrift. I alone was revived." Harrison said.

His speech made Anna look up from her padd but when Harrison's gaze fell upon her as he spoke of being revived alone, she glanced back down at her padd.

"I looked up 'John Harrison'. Until a year ago, he didn't exist." James said.

"John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause. A smokescreen to conceal my true identity. My name is Khan." Harrison or Khan said.

"Oh!" Anna exclaimed, the name ringing a bell in her mind, her mind instantly putting pieces of a puzzle together. Except from a glance from each of the males in the room her discovery was mostly ignore.

"Why would a Starfleet Admiral ask a 300-year-old frozen man for help?" James asked.

"Because he knew his history" Anna commented.

"Because I am better" Khan answered at almost the same time.

"At what?" James asked disbelieving.

"Everything." Khan replied and as he spoke dramatically he moved around in his cell, glancing between the three people stood in front of his cell. "Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilised threat in a civilised time and for that he needed a warrior's mind. My mind. To design weapons and warships."

"You are suggested the Admiral violated every regulation he vowed to uphold simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect." Spock exclaimed in calm manner that Vulcan's exclaim.

"He wanted to exploit my savagery. 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?" Khan asked, his attempt as getting a rise from Spock.

Anna looked sharply up at the jab at her husband and stepped forward to beside Spock. "You'd be surprised Khan, how much intellect will beat savagery in the end."

Khan glanced at her but didn't respond to her, glancing to James before continuing. "Marcus used me to design weapons. To help him realise his vision of a militarised Starfleet. He sent you to use those weapons. To fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting planet. And then he purposely crippled you ship in enemy space, leading to one inevitable outcome. The Klingons would come searching for whomever was responsible, and you would have no chance of escape. Marcus would finally have the war he talked about. The war he always wanted."

Anna glanced between Khan and James. She couldn't tell what was true and what was not. Was Marcus really vying for war or was Khan attempting to manipulate them.

"No. No. I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers. You killed them in cold blood!" James angrily replied to Khans words.

"Marcus took my crew from me." Khan argued.

"You are a murderer!" James exclaimed.

"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. So I responded in kind." Khan said.

Anna couldn't help but feel for him. She glanced between Spock and James and wondered whether she was the only one.

"My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?" Khan continued to James, hitting the truth. There was nothing any of them would have not done for someone in their crew.

"Proximity alert, sir! There's a ship at warp heading right for us" Sulu's voice came over the intercomm.

"Klingons?" James asked.

"James, Klingons wouldn't use warp to get here. We are too close to their home world." Anna said to him gently.

"No, Kirk. We both know who it is." Khan said.

"I don't think so" Sulu responded to James' earlier question. "It's not coming at us from Qo'noS"

Anna watched as James turned to leave. Anna followed and then rushed ahead to get to her post. She just heard James' order to have Khan moved to the medbay.

As James, Spock and Anna arrived on the bridge and split to go to their posts Sulu announced "Captain on the bridge!"

"ETA of the incoming ship." James ordered, taking a seat in his chair.

"Three seconds, sir." Sulu replied.

"Shields" James ordered.

"Already done. Shields up at maximum." Anna responded as she pressed the buttons on her station to ensure the stability of the shields.

Everyone was shocked when the ship approaching us came out of warp. It was a giant. Much larger than Nero's ship. Anna had no doubt that that ship was in every way superior to the Enterprise and based on what Khan had spoken off probably had advanced defensive and offensive capabilities.

"They're hailing us, sir." Uhura said from her post.

"On screen" James ordered without even looking back at her. "Broadcast shipwide, for the record."

Within seconds Admiral Marcus appeared on the screen.

"Captain Kirk." Admiral Marcus greeted. Anna could already see the hostility in his voice and even though she knew James would never allow Marcus to know, so had he.

"Admiral Marcus. I wasn't expecting you. That's a hell of a ship you got there." James said cordially.

"And I wasn't expecting to get word that you'd taken Harrison into custody in violation of your orders." Admiral Marcus replied.

"Well, we... we had to improvise when our warp core unexpectedly malfunctioned. But you already knew that, didn't you, sir?" James asked. Anna wondered whether James had actually just insinuated that Marcus was behind the damage to the ship to Marcus' face.

"I don't take you meaning" Admiral Marcus replied in a dull tone.

"Well, that's why you're here, isn't it? To assist with our repairs? Why else would the head of Starfleet personally come to the edge of the Neutral Zone?" James asked, knowing full well that Marcus wasn't there to help with repairs.

"Captain, they're scanning our ship" Sulu said from his post, not even looking back at James.

"Is there something I can help you find, Sir?" James asked.

"Where is your prisoner, Kirk?" Marcus asked severely.

"Per Starfleet regulation, I'm planning on returning Khan to Earth to stand trial." James said, revealing to Marcus that we knew who John Harrison really was.

"Well, shit. You talked to him. That is exactly what I was hoping to spare you from. I took a tactical risk and I woke that bastard up, believing that his superior intelligence could help us protect ourselves from whatever came at us next. But I made a mistake. And the blood of everybody he's killed is on my hands. So I'm asking you, give him to me so I can end what I started." Marcus ordered him.

Anna stood there listening to what Marcus had to say but she wondered whether anybody was actually buying what the Admiral was saying as the truth when Khan's version of what happened was still ringing through their ears. Until now, everything Khan had said to do with Marcus has added up, which made everyone on edge in the conversation.

"And what exactly would you like me to do with the rest of his crew, sir? Fire them at the Klingons? End 72 lives? Start a war in the process?" James asked, his voice surprising calm. His only give away that he was uncomfortable was the way he kept moving about in his chair.

"He put those people in those torpedoes. And I simply didn't want to burden you with knowing what was inside of them. You saw what this man can do all by himself. Can you imagine what would happen if we woke up the rest of his crew? What else did he tell you? That he's a peacekeeper? He's playing you, son, don't you see that? Khan and his crew were condemned to death as war criminals. And now it is our duty to carry out that sentence before anybody else dies because of him." Marcus continued, making Anna wonder how much difference there was between how Khan was trying to convince us of his 'innocence' and how Marcus was. Anna noticed Spock had moved to James' side as Marcus continued again, "Now, I'm going to ask you again! One last time, son. Lower your shields, tell me where he is."

"He's in engineering, sir. But I'll have him moved to the transporter room right away." James replied, making both Anna and Spock look at him from his blatant lie.

"I'll take it from here" Marcus said before he ended the transmission.

James jumped up out of his seat. "Don't drop those shields, Mr Sulu."

"Aye, Captain." Sulu replied.

"Captain, given your awareness of Khan's true location in the med bay, may I know the details of your plan?" Spock asked.

"I would like to know as well James. If Marcus senses deceit, we're screwed. That ship is far superior than our own, we wouldn't stand a chance against it." Anna replied.

James glanced at her, his eyes slightly worried but he turned back to Spock to reply to him. "I told Marcus we were bringing a fugitive back to Earth. That's what we're going to do. Anna, go down to med bay, keep an eye on Khan" James ordered.

Anna nodded, leaving her post and headed off the bridge and down to the medbay. As she went she felt the telltale signs of going to warp and Anna wondered what exactly James had planned to say to Starfleet when they got back to Earth. Just as she entered the Med bay, she caught Khan saying, "If you think you're safe at warp, you are wrong"

At that Dr Marcus ran out of the room. Anna stepped in and up to where Leo was still running tests on Khan.

"What does that Ship have that makes it so good?" Anna asked Khan, her eyes half curious, half worried.

"Everything about that ship is superior, Commander Kirk" replied Khan, staring at her, directly in the eyes.

Anna thought about what he had said as she entered and asked, "Even warp capabilities?"

"Especially warp capabilities" he replied.

Just as Khan finished his sentence the ship rocked sending all them tumbling. Leo just managed to grab Anna before she went tumbling onto one of the tables with all his equipment on it.

"He's firing at us. I've got to get back to the bridge" Anna said, trying to get back on her feet as the ship rocked again, causing her to fall back into Leo causing them both to go tumbling to the floor.

"Are you insane woman? you wouldn't make it to the bridge while the ship is under fire." Leo replied, grabbing hold of her arm.

"But, I'm needed up there." Anna argued.

"No, you handpicked your replacements, they will do just fine. knowing your luck you'll end up in a corridor that's been smashed to smithereens." Leo argued back. "I won't let you leave this med bay until the firing stops or we're floating around space in the ruins of this ship."

The firing continued. Anna wondered how the ship was being held together. Leo and Anna had stopped trying to get up and moving as the ship was being rocked so violently that Anna was sure that they must have spun out of control. Leo was holding her down, almost on top of her, to be sure that if anything happened in the medbay his body would protect hers.

The firing stopped. Both Anna and Leo looked at each other, half in relief and half in confusion. Why had the firing stopped? They couldn't have gotten away as they were stationary.

Anna realised that it hadn't been Leo and her alone in the medbay. She stood and was shocked to see Khan still sitting, back straight, on the bed he had been sat on before the attack. All of the guards were down and now recovering, the same with Leo and Anna yet he hadn't moved. He hadn't tried to escape or run. He just remained there unmoving. It was then Anna realised he wasn't a prisoner on this ship. He could have easily escaped, yet he didn't. He wasn't a prisoner, he wanted to be on the ship. But why? Anna realised she wouldn't find out from here. She was sure he wouldn't just tell her.

"Leo, I'm going up to the bridge." Anna shouted before running out of the medbay.

She reached the bridge in record time, in time to hear James yelling at the screen where Admiral Marcus was. "Wait, sit, wait, wait, wait!"

Anna was just inside the door, she was so shocked at the desperation in James' voice she was frozen still. Spock came and stood next to her, his hand going to the small of her back, and it was only then that she realised how he couldn't have been sure that she had survived that round of firing. She then noticed that Dr Marcus wasn't on the bridge like Anna had expected.

"I'll make this quick." Marcus said. "Target all AFT torpedoes on the Enterprise bridge."

"Sir, my crew was just following my orders. I take full responsibility for my actions. But they were mine and they were mine alone. If I transmit Khan's location to you now, all that I ask is that you spare them. Please, sir. I'll do anything you want. Just let them live."James said, his voice sad and filled with desperation. Just like Khan had said before that there wasn't anything that a Captain would not do for their crew.

"That's a hell of an apology. But if it's any consolation, I was never going to spare your crew. Fire when..." Marcus said, the end was cut by the transmission being cut but everybody knew that that last part wasn't directed at them but someone with him.

Anna watched as James turned to face the bridge, utter devastation and guilt written on his face. "I'm sorry."

He was so emotional that Anna sprang forward to him, wrapping her arms around him, buring her head into his shoulder. "Everybody else would have done exactly what you did, James. It is not your fault."

"Can you remember that promise we made, on Tarsus?" James replied whispering into her ear as he hugged her, allowing her to ground him to reality. "If we di... go, we go together. I never thought it would be like this, not this early in our lives. I was thinking eighty or ninety, when we've lived through the adventures"

Anna just hugged him tighter.

"Their weapons have powered down. Sir." Sulu announced suddenly causing Anna and James to break apart.

"Enterprise! Can you hear me?"

Anna couldn't believe her ears. It was Scotty. She couldn't help but get a smile on her face and she noticed a smile coming on James' as well.

"Scotty!" James shouted.

"Guess what I found behind Jupiter" Scotty said through the comms.

"You're on that ship!" Both James and Anna shouted in both joy and disbelief.

"I snuck on. And seeing as I've just committed an act of treason against a Starfleet Admiral. I'd really like to get off this bloody ship. Now beam me out!" Scotty replied.

"You're a miracle worker. We're a little low on power right now. Just stand by. Stand by." James shouted to the comms.

"What do you mean, 'low on power'? What happened to the Enterprise?" Scotty said, he paused and then quickly said "Call you back" before he ended the transmission.

"Scotty" James called, hoping that Scotty hadn't completely close the transmission but it seemed he had.

James turned and rushed to were Spock was stood where Anna had left him, by the door. Anna followed closely behind. "Spock. Our ship, how is she?"

"Our options are limited, Captain. We cannot fire and we cannot flee." Spock replied as James came to stop with Anna beside him.

James glanced down to Anna who nodded towards the front where they could still see Admiral Marcus' ship.

"There is one option" James said to Spock. He then turned to Uhura, "Uhura, when you get Scotty back, patch him through."

Uhura nodded and turned to her post, switching the buttons on her station.

"Mr Spock, you have the comm. Anna, come with me." James said first to Spock then to Anna.

James headed out of bridge into the lift, Anna by his side. Spock rushed to follow.

"Captain, I strongly object" Spock said and the doors closed shutting the three of them off from the rest of the bridge.

"To what? I haven't said anything yet." James snapped back as the lift began to move.

"James" moaned Anna. The last thing the Enterprise needed at that moment was James and Spock to fight. It was definitely the last thing she needed, or wanted.

"Since we cannot take the ship from the outside, the only way we can take it is from within. And as a large boarding party would be detected, it is optimal for you to take as few member of the crew as possible..." Spock started.

The doors opened. James headed out followed closely by Spock and Anna.

"... You will meet resistance, requiring personnel with advance combat abilities and innate knowledge of that ship. This indicated that you plan to align with Khan, the very man we were sent here to destroy." Spock finished as they continued on their way, presumably to the med bay.

"I'm not aligning with him. I'm using him. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'" James said.

"An Arabic proverb attributed to a prince who was betrayed and decapitated by his own subjects." Spock replied, pointing out the flaws in James' logic.

"Still, it's a hell of a quote." commented James.

"I will go with you, Captain." Spock demanded.

"No, I need you on the bridge." James replied sharply, his voice getting louder,

Spock grabbed James' shoulder causing him to stop and turn to face Spock. Anna stopped as well, stand to the side. She felt this was a conversation between them and only them.

"I cannot allow you to do this. It is my function aboard this ship to advise you on making the wisest decisions possible, something I firmly believe you are incapable of doing in this moment. You are leading not only yourself but others into danger, one of which being my wife" Spock commented.

Anna found it odd that the last time disaster struck this ship this conversation was going to the other way around.

"You're right! What I'm about to do, it doesn't make any sense, it's not logical. It is a gut feeling." James said, pausing before continuing. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I only know what I can do and that involves taking Anna with me. The Enterprise and her crew need someone in that chair that knows what he's doing." James paused again, before finally saying "And it's not me. It's you, Spock."

James went to turn but Anna sensed that Spock would be coming no further with them. "James, I'll catch up with you. Just give me a moment."

James nodded before moving off. Anna sighed. This experience has knocked his confidence as a leader and she really hopes that they survive this so he can build that confidence back up. Anna turned to Spock, who was looking down on her.

"I need to go with him." She said simply.

Spock nodded. "I know."

Anna leaned up while Spock leaned down, pressing first their foreheads together and then their lips.

"I love you Spock, never forget that." She wasn't sure what made her say such a statement, one that makes it sound as if they would never see each other again. She just had a bad feeling.

"And I you. You will return to the Enterprise" Spock said surely.

Anna smiled, "You know I will. Stay safe"

"And you, my T'hy'la" Spock replied.

Anna gave him one last kiss before stepping back, and rushing after James. She didn't look back because she knew if she did, she wasn't sure she'd ever make it to James. She just hoped beyond hope that whatever was around the corner for the Enterprise, all of those she well and truly cared about lived to tell the tale of it, but the bad feeling in her gut made her worried.

James and Anna walked into the med bay together. Anna had just managed to catch up with James just before the med bay doors. James led the way to where Khan was sat, Anna following closely on his left shoulder.

"Tell me everything you know about that ship." James ordered.

"Dreadnought class. Two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry. Modified for a minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat." Khan replied like a soldier reporting to his commanding officer.

"I will do everything I can to make you answer for what you did. But right now I need your help." James told Khan.

"In exchange for what?" Khan asked.

"You said you'd do anything for your crew. I can guarantee their safety." James said, making Anna elbow him in the back. She knew just as he's knew that using his crew was just like what Admiral Marcus had done.

"Captain, you can't guarantee the safety of your own crew." Khan replied icily.

"Actually, we can." Anna knew it was a lie but she classed herself as a good liar and she didn't want Khan to think he had something to hang over their heads. Something vulnerable.

"I don't appreciate liars" Khan told her firmly.

"I was not lying." Another lie on her part.

"Your nose twitches to the left slightly when you lie, unnoticeable, unless you're looking for it." Khan told her.

"It does not" Anna snapped at him before turning to James. "Does it?"

"Give me a lie." James ordered, half watching Anna and half watching Khan. He himself had trouble when Anna lies. She is a good liar, it was discontenting to find out that Khan could pick out her lies.

"We didn't drive a car of a cliff." Anna stated. A lie. She and James managed to drive their fathers antique car over a cliff when they were thirteen and eleven.

James nodded. "You do"

Anna frowned and glanced towards Khan. His eyes seemed to have a smug look to them, like he had proved something. It was then she remembered he seemed to think they had met before, whoever he thought she was had the same giveaway as her and that's how he spotted it. She coughed and recomposed herself and tried again, taking a leaf from James' book. Now wasn't the time to play nice.

"Very well. We can't even guarantee the safety of our crew but not helping us will guarantee the demise of you and your crew. We may not be able to guarantee the safety of your crew but we will give you a chance to save them."

Khan remained silent, his eyes piercing hers.

"Bones, what are you doing with that Tribble?" James asked, almost completed irrelevant.

It was only then Anna noticed that Leo was over to the side, sitting at a desk, with a dead Tribble in front of him.

"The Tribble's dead. I'm injecting Khan's platelets into the deceased tissue of a necrotic host. Khan's cells regenerate like nothing I've ever seen, and I want to know why." Leo replied.

"And I would like to add in that if we end up with a thousand Tribbles taking over the ship again, I'm placing all the blame on you and you can clean them up." Anna commented, remembering the disaster that the Tribbles caused when they first encountered them.

Anna saw James step forward, closer to Khan. "Are you coming with me or not?"

AN: ANOTHER CHAPTER DOWN. LONGER THAN THE LAST FEW :). WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE END AND IN THE NEXT CHAPTER ALL THE 'FUN' BEGINS, AS ANNA WOULD SAY. I'M ALMOST FINISHED WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER.