Chapter 8

Khan stood on the stairs in front of Deanna's guest house and watched Arma climb up the hill from the river. She'd obviously been swimming – her dark hair was damp and her clothes clung to her wet skin, emphasizing her lean athletic build.

Duman left Khan's side and ran to meet her. She affectionately raked her fingers through his thick fur and Khan smiled as he thought of the way Beth had a fit every time the dog went near her.

"You're welcome to shower at the house," he told Arma, guessing she preferred the river to the sonic shower on the Augments' ship. "We have another guest house as well, for you and Hatari," he offered. "And Lucy." He still felt grateful to her for fetching Deanna when Beth had been so upset.

"Thank you," Arma said as she came to stand beside Khan, "But we're leaving tonight. We need to go back to Wellhaven, with or without you."

"I'm sorry," Khan told her. "But I can't leave Beth like this."

Arma nodded. "How is she this morning?"

"I haven't seen her yet." He tried to keep the pain out of his voice, but Arma knew him too well.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. Spock said it should be mostly temporary."

"Mostly." Khan laughed coldly. "What else did he say?"

"Nothing. He's not talking to anyone. Not even Lucy."

Khan nodded. "Then no one will miss him when you leave him behind."

"He's a member of my crew, Khan. He stays on my ship," Arma said.

"After what he did to Beth?"

"It's not clear what he did, or why," Arma reminded him. "If you want him to try to fix…"

"He's not touching her again." Khan growled. "You know better than that."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them and Khan wished he had not made the guest houses so sound-proof. He longed to know everything that Beth was doing and saying behind those duranium alloy walls.

"I'm sorry your trip to Golana was cut short," Arma finally said. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

He shook his head. "I can't suppress Beth's anomaly, if that's what you mean."

"What else?"

"The scientists at the facility shared some Federation research with me. They're studying our enhanced immunity."

"Augment immunity?"

"I think they're trying to create a kind of cure-all vaccine, maybe even to cure aging or death. It's advanced, but still theoretical." Khan turned to Arma and looked at her seriously. "Trust me, the Federation would love to get their hands on an Augment and they will not hesitate to do whatever it takes. Dyret took too many chances with your safety. His battles with the Klingons drew too much attention. You need to be more careful than he was."

Arma frowned. "Wellhaven is outside Federation space, Khan. You're more at risk than us. You and your family."

Khan felt a draft behind him and turned to see Deanna standing by the open door. All thoughts of the Federation vanished from his mind.

"You can come inside," she said, and he climbed the stairs, leaving Arma at the bottom. He wondered how much of their conversation Deanna had overheard.

Beth was sitting on the couch in the cozy living room. The twins were on a white rug, playing by her bare feet. Matthew was on the couch beside her, leaning back comfortably in the cushions. Khan felt like he had walked in on an idyllic family scene, only he wasn't in it.

"Hello, Beth," he said, feeling overwhelmed by the sight of her. During the night he had worried about her so much she had become almost mythical in his thoughts.

But here she was, wearing a simple pair of denim shorts and a pink long-sleeved t-shirt. Her blonde hair hung over her left shoulder in a loose braid and she fiddled with it nervously as she looked up at him. "Hi, Khan."

Her smile was shy but disarming, and to hear her say his name was almost too much. He wanted to sit beside her and pull her onto his lap. He wanted to hold her close and never let her go.

"Mom said you were missing Taren and Allister," she said to him. Khan nodded, looking down at his children who were busy pulling tufts of fur out of the rug. "It was wrong to keep you from them. I'm sorry."

He nodded again, barely hearing the words. Khan knew he should go to his children and pick them up, but was almost afraid of dropping them in his current state. "I've been missing my wife as well," he said to her, wishing they were alone. "How do you feel?"

"Better." Beth looked sideways at Matthew. She shared a smile with him and Khan felt his fists clench involuntarily. "Nothing wrong with me except for losing two years of my life," she joked.

Khan's heart was beating so hard he was sure Matthew could hear it. "You don't remember anything yet?"

"Well…" She looked down at her lap and smiled. Khan knew she was blushing and to his annoyance Matthew smiled knowingly as well.

"What is it?" Khan asked sharply, and instantly regretted his tone. Beth looked up at him, her smile gone. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I'm just worried."

She nodded, but continued to watch him cautiously. "Mom's been telling me as much as she can," she said. "To see if it shakes anything loose. Could I please ask you a few questions?"

"Of course," he said. He would willingly spend the rest of his life trying to make Beth fall in love with him again.

She held up her left hand, looking at the golden crystals in her ring. "These stones are so unusual," she said. "I noticed last night that they sometimes glow. Where did they come from?"

Khan smiled. She was sure to remember this. "A cave on a planet called Centula. We were there together. It's where we fell in love."

"Centula," Beth repeated, furrowing her brow. "Is that where we got married?"

"No, we had to leave. It was destroyed by Starfleet."

"Starfleet?" she asked, surprised. Khan realized she still felt like a lieutenant and a science officer. "Why did they have to destroy it?"

He exchanged a look with Matthew, who had fled the planet as well. "They didn't."

"Then where did we get married?"

This time Khan did not want to answer. "Golana." He said, but he also didn't want to lie to her. "At least that's where we had our identities changed to say that we were married."

Beth tilted her head to one side. "We changed our identities? You mean like taking your surname?"

He nodded. "We both took new names."

"But we never actually got married?" she asked.

"We made vows later."

"But it wasn't legal?" Beth guessed. "Was it legal when we changed our names?"

Khan stared at her, not knowing how to answer.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just trying to understand. You call me your wife, but if we never actually got married…"

"You are my wife," Khan insisted, trying not to get angry. He didn't want to have this conversation in front of Matthew, or any man. He didn't want them to think his claim on Beth was less than it was. "In every way possible you are my wife. I love you. We have created life together, and a family, and a home. You are the only woman who could have given me those things, and I am the only…"

Khan wanted to tell Beth that he was her only option as well, and maybe once that had been true, but then his eyes fell on Matthew beside her on the couch. She was literally sitting next to a copy of himself – a genetically superior copy, no less, who had been designed in a lab for the specific purpose of making Khan redundant.

Besides Matthew, there were two other male Augments down by the river, and another forty of them floating around in orbit off Wellhaven. Any one of them could be her mate if she so chose, and all of them would jump at the chance to make Beth theirs.

A frantic sickness rose in Khan's stomach. Without her memories, without the bond of marriage, he could feel her slipping away from him. He had to prove to her that she was his, and would only ever be his.

Beth was staring at him thoughtfully, perhaps having similar doubts, but suddenly a wide grin spread over her face as she looked down on the ground. Khan looked down as well and saw Allister balancing on his shaky feet, his arms stretched up for Khan to hold him.

Feeling overwhelmed by gratitude, Khan bent down and picked up his son. He closed his eyes and hid his face behind Allister as he tried to gather himself.

"He looks so much like you," Beth said, and when Khan opened his eyes Beth was holding Taren and walking towards him. He fought the urge to back away from her, like she was a trick he'd already fallen for once.

Her smile was warm and almost loving. "We should capture this moment," she told him. "Can Matthew take a picture of us?"

Khan looked over at Matthew, who seemed just as surprised as him.

"I was trying to find a picture of you," Beth explained. "Why do you cut yourself out of them?"

He hesitated. How could he explain to a woman he barely knew that he was a wanted criminal, and if their house was ever searched there could be no sign of him or it would put her in danger?

"The pictures are for me," he said. "I don't need pictures of myself."

It was clear she saw right through him, but did not say. "Could we have just one for me?" she asked. "One with all four of us?" She pointed to the PADD on the couch before Khan could object. "Matthew, could you please?"

Matthew seemed as unhappy to be taking the picture as Khan was being in it. "Ready?" he grumbled.

"Wait," Beth suddenly said, and she stood close enough to Khan that he could feel her warmth and smell her skin. He turned his head to look down at her as she smiled for the picture. He wanted to kiss her right then, and he heard the noise the PADD made as it saved the image.

"Let me see," Beth said excitedly, setting Taren down on the rug and taking the PADD from Matthew.

"I can do better," he started to say, but Beth shook her head.

"No, it's good," she breathed, biting her bottom lip, and the tone of her voice aroused more in Khan than his curiosity.

She showed him the picture. She looked beautiful, of course, and the twins were very cute, but it was the expression on Khan's own face that caught his attention. He was looking down at Beth with an expression of such naked desire and ownership that he was sure it must frighten her.

But as he watched her face he saw only fascination as she stared at the picture. She glanced up at him and he tried not to look at her with as much intensity as he was feeling. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly dropped the PADD on the rug and put her hands on the sides of her head, cringing in pain.

"Beth!" Khan reached out to her, but Matthew got there first, a scanner appearing out of thin air and he ran it over her head.

"Is she alright?" Khan asked, holding Allister to his chest as the little boy began to cry.

"What happened?" Deanna asked, appearing at the door from the kitchen.

"Nothing," Beth insisted, rubbing her temples and looking annoyed as Matthew tried to scan her again. "I'm fine. Can you please just give me some space?" She walked towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Deanna asked.

"I need some fresh air," Beth said. "I'm going for a walk."

"Not on your own, you're not," Deanna insisted.

Beth paused. "I'm not going on my own," she said to her mother, and then she turned to look back at Khan. "Am I?"


She walked aimlessly through the forest, not caring that her bare feet were being stuck by rocks and branches with almost every step. She was looking for something but she didn't know what.

She could hear him walking behind her, his footsteps slow and precise. She could feel his concern, and hear his hesitation every time she stumbled, but he did not try to stop her or guide her, though he surely guessed what she was trying to find.

She came to a shallow stream and knew to wait for Khan to pick her up and carry her across. He said nothing and simply set her down on the other side, letting her continue towards a stand of trees that concealed a large limestone boulder.

She hesitated, looking up at his face, so full of anticipation that she knew she was close. She walked around the boulder and saw the entrance to a small, dark cave. She stepped inside, reaching for a lamp that she somehow knew was hanging just inside the antechamber.

"Something happened here," she said, as much to herself as to Khan, and she continued through the cave to another room off the main cavern. She heard the sound of running water and looked around. "I thought there would be a waterfall," she said.

"There was," he told her, his deep voice echoing around her. "And you were beautiful in it."

He was behind her, standing so close he made her nervous, but Beth turned to face him. She realized it had not been the cave she had been looking for, it had been him.

He was looking at her with the same hunger she'd seen in the photograph. She knew this hunger the way she had known her own children. It was as much a part of her as any breath she'd ever taken.

"I love you, Beth," Khan said to her, and she believed him. It frightened her as much as it excited her, but she didn't know why. Then he put his hands on her arms and she felt how strong he was, how much he had to hold himself back. She thrilled at the thought of him letting himself go, but at the same time it made her shy away from him.

She could see him wanting to pursue her, his eyes tracked her closely in the dim lamp light. She felt so vulnerable, and yet so safe with him. Maybe that was love, she wondered, as he gave into his desire and slowly approached her, backing her against the wall and leaning over her.

His mouth was gentle on her skin, his tongue wet as he tasted her trembling lips. His kiss was dark and seductive and it took a moment for Beth to open her mouth to it. She could feel how hard he grew as he waited, his body pressed against her.

She would not give herself to him, and she knew he would not force her, but she wanted this kiss. She needed to know this man better, and this was the way she knew him best.


Another short(ish) chapter for you - but yikes better get to bed! Hope you liked this - Poor Khan is getting desperate to assert his claim on Beth and I like that she felt a strong connection to his desire for her even if she doesn't know the man behind it. Next time you can look forward to that date in St. Petersburg that was mentioned in Chapter One! But brace yourself for trouble around the corner - some big ass chickens are going to come home to roost (wow I feel a bit manic - need to get some sleep I hope I don't wake up in the morning and realize I posted a bunch of gibberish lol) Thanks for reading, and thanks to TheJewellersHand, Bilbo Baggins Is My Hobbit, CLTex, FecklessFemale, April, Sinister Bunny and the ever-faithful Guest for sneaking your reviews in between these chapters tonight!

xo