The silence that enveloped the apartment was the most unsettling that Khan had ever found himself in and after centuries of living that was a scary feeling. He had prepared himself for Selene's panic, anger, or sadness. He had prepped himself before returning so that he would not fall into whatever emotions she had begun to illicit from him. But this silence…this silence was unprecedented and he wished she would say something.
Selene had heard the door open and forced herself to be still. She would not give him the satisfaction of emotions. It seemed like his sole purpose in pulling these types of disappearing acts was to upset her. She would no longer care even though her heart had constricted painfully from the release of stress at his return. He didn't deserve her worry. Her feelings still stung from his cold brush off when she asked him where he was going over 4 days ago.
"It's none of your business," He was dressing himself, making sure his appearance was, as per usual, pristine and crisp.
"You live in my house. It is." She was attempting to assert herself. She had always felt like he was too dominating but here he was talking to her as if he owned her. He would learn his place today.
"Child," Khan lowered his voice to a warning bass.
"I am no more a child than you. Stop being difficult. Where are you going and when will you be back? That's all I want to know. I have things to do and I won't leave my door unlocked all the time. Last time you left –"
"You will stay in this house and await my return."
"No, I have a life. You will tell me so that I can know when to expect you. I won't wait in here for a week again."
"Do not make me repeat myself." Do not make me repeat myself? He must not have heard her.
"Excuse me? I don't think you understand who – "
"Delilah!" The sharp tone in his voice surprised her for a second but it was quickly replaced by anger. Who did he think he was raising his voice at her in her own home?! She quickly matched his tone.
"I don't know who you think you are but you best fix your attitude. You don't seem to understand that I'm helping you. If you have a problem with my rules then don't come back. Find someone else to babysit your spoiled ass." Selene hated cursing and thought it was uncouth. But she wanted him to know she was upset. She wanted him to pick up on her obvious frustrations, take her advice, and leave. That's what she hoped. What she wasn't expecting was for him to cross the room quicker than she thought physically possible, grip her arms in his large hands, and shove into the closest wall.
"I will say this one more time, child," The low whisper that erupted from him did nothing but emphasize his dark hate filled eyes. Khan could feel how fragile her arms were in his hands and he briefly thought of breaking one simply to show her exactly who was in charge. "You will be here when I return. You will stay in your place."
She was in such a state that she hardly noticed how he eerily used the exact words she had been thinking. She could feel her eyes stinging but she refused to shed tears in front of him. No, she would stay quiet for the sole purpose of self preservation but she would not back down.
Khan sneered at her shiny eyes, disgust that she was weak enough to cry so easily. Pushing her away from him roughly, he left the room swiftly, ready to leave. The only thing she was good for was the good living arrangement. She had so readily let him into her home, eager to be a Good Samaritan. She thought he planned on leaving soon. Find an apartment or whatever it was she thought he wanted. He could care less as long as he had somewhere comfortable to rest that was nowhere near the Admiral.
As he reached the door, he heard the slightest of sniffling and his lips curled up once again. Weak, stupid, insolent, and tearful.
And to top it all off, she'd made him late.
"No."
"It was not a question."
"You're a criminal and a ward of the Federation! You cannot live out of your cell."
"Then you will have to fight this war by yourself."
Spock stayed silent as the battle of wills went on between Khan and Kirk. Would it really be that big of risk? Yes, anything involving Khan was a risk. His being alive let alone awake was a risk. But if they could keep him secure…
"You could keep an anklet on me to track my location. I will not be leaving the compound."
"Why do you even want to be anywhere near her?" The accusatory tone in Kirk's voice did nothing but further irritate Khan, but he was glad that his front was believable.
"I am concerned for my child."
"It's her's too," Khan forced himself not to narrow his eyes. He did not appreciate the Captain concern. That was his job; he would worry about Selene and the baby. They were his family, now this fool's. He chose to repeat himself instead of letting his anger show.
"I am concerned for my child. I want to ensure their well-being at all times. Put a tracker in me and give me a small home."
"You really are a fu–"
"I will not repeat myself. Those are my conditions. You will either find an ounce of common sense and self-preservation and comply, or you will die with the rest of your people," Khan could not the hate from seeping into his voice this time. Neither could he hide the sneer when he continued. "Do as I say."
Before a proper reply could be made from the conflicted Kirk, Spock sent an alert for Khan to be removed. "The specifications to your lodgings will be made accordingly. You will be transported there by 1900 this evening." And that was all he said before the door slid open with ready soldiers to take Khan away.
The two men sat in silence for awhile, simply digesting what they had gotten themselves into.
"I don't know how to beat him anymore."
"Did you ever?"
"Now is not the time for you to develop a sense of humor, Spock."
"It was not an attempt at jest. However, I believe that – " A sigh interrupted his refute.
"What if he does something? Something we can't stop? I can't even think straight right now. We gave him a house. With her. He's insane, what the hell were we thinking?"
"Captain –"
"No, what the hell were you thinking? You're the one that agreed!" Suddenly Kirk had twisted his body in the chair toward the ever calm Spock. Spock stared with a worry in his eyes as he watched his friend panic at his choices. It was rare for him to ever doubt himself but there he was eyes wide and face flushed. And it was completely logical: the fate of not just Earth but several other planets, as well as the Federation depended on one man. One man who they were supposed to control. One man who could not be controlled – it seemed – under any circumstances.
"Captain –"
"What if he programs something? What if he just uses this to annihilate us anyway? He could easily just wait out the birth and then take the kid and run. He could kill her too while he's at it. Does he even care that she's the mother of his child? Why did she even go anywhere near him? What are we doing?"
"Jim."
"…What?"
"We are showing him compassion. You once told that it may be the only way to peace."
"Spock…" The unease was still fresh in his eyes and he could only work up a frown in response.
"It is logical to be concerned. But it is logical to be confident as well. Considering the morality of our possible choices, agreeing to him is the most efficient both in time and in effort."
"Choices? Did we really have other choices?" Kirk stood brushing off his clothes as if that would remove the nerves cascading over him. He really did have to learn to be confident around Khan. He could not let the past overrule his present.
"None that you would have liked," Spock joined him as the door slid at their approach.
"Would you have preferred them?"
"No."
Author's Note: And… I'm suddenly struggling with this story. Sorry guys! I know what I want to do and this chapter just did not fit in but it was needed. The good stuff will be in the next chapter. I wanted to show the dynamic that Khan had with Selene before they were involved. He disliked her just as much as everyone else, if not more. He was bitter because he had to depend on her of all people and I think it made him a bit harsher. I also wanted to show that Kirk does have a serious side and that he is not immune to stress. We all know he doesn't believe in no-win situations but come one now. It's Khan. They beat him once is it likely that they'll beat him again? Keep in mind, this story is not edited. Yet.
