Khan sighed as he sat in the teleport room his elbows resting on his knees, his chin resting on his hands. It was clear to him Aria was feeling deprived in some way. He having deduced this from her denial to him. Still he didn't know why. Clearly something had really upset her in the shuttle. After all Aria didn't just turn her back on someone, not unless she was angry or sad and she didn't want the person who caused it to see.

"We… We have sex a lot."

"That sounds like a complaint." He said looking her over.

"It's just… I'm starting to feel like that's all you want from me."

"You're feeling used?"

"A little."

"What else is there for us to do?" He asked she stared at him for a long moment.

"Never mind…" She said as she jumped off the counter. "I'm tired I'm going to go get some sleep." Khan watched her leave as he tilted his head.

"She's feeling used…" He said thinking it out loud. "By me… Because we have sex a lot…"

"Didn't mean to intrude but did I hear your having sex a lot?" Khan scowled as he looked up at Galen who was smirking as he leaned against the teleport room doorway. "What's going on then?"

"Aria is upset with me."

"You sound confused when you say that." Galen said as he looked over his Captain and old friend.

"Back before, women used to just be happy having sex with me… Aria wants more." He said sitting back.

"Well of course she wants more Captain, she's not some tart." He said. "She's yours, in every sense of the word… She's your Revered, your dear, your esteemed, your treasure, your darling, your-."

"Yes I get it."

"And you're the same to her." Galen said. "She needs you to show it."

"She needs conformation?"

"No, she needs romance Captain." Khan looked Galen to see he was smiling. "She needs a romantic gesture…" Khan slowly nodded.

"She… She mentioned that she had fallen for me, in passing."

"Well of course she's fallen for you Captain, you're a fetching bloke aren't you?" Galen asked with a laugh before walking off. "Remember a romantic gesture!" he said as he disappeared into the turbo lift.

"A… Romantic… Gesture…"

-o-

Gabriel walked into his living quarters. Upon walking on the bridge to aid Kirk in the search for Aria Adne and Khan he had been asked to leave. When he had refused he had been taken away by redshirts. It seemed Kirk had watched the video and had hated what he had seen. Didn't he realize he had been ordered to question Aria Adne? Sure the torture part had been his idea but he knew there was no chance she would talk if he had asked nicely.

Still… I did enjoy her screaming…

Gabriel walked over to his desk and brought up the archive footage of his interrogation of Aria Adne. He made sure the Audio was off. After all sometimes her screams had gotten piercing and he didn't want anyone on the outside of his quarters to hear. He tilted his head with a smile as he watched himself take out a knife and start to slice away at her clothing.

"My favorite part…" He said to himself

-o-

Aria pulled on her boots unable to sleep like she had told Khan she would be doing. She had tried but when an Augment couldn't sleep they couldn't sleep. She was readying to go to the medical bay and see to Galen, maybe get more acquainted with the Irishman. In some ways he reminded her a lot of Scotty. Even though their accents were different they still had the same type of personality one she found it comforting. She got up and stretched before walking to the door that led out to the bridge and opening it. She stopped seeing Khan right before it.

"I didn't sense you." She said.

"I just got here." He said looking her over.

"Oh well… Hi." She said with a smile before going to walk around him. "I'm going to go see to Galen."

"Ariadne…" he said in his deep voice, and she stopped feeling his hand slipping into hers. She slowly turned and looked to him. "I understand why you are upset now…" he said. "You're more to me then you think… You deserve to have proof of my affections for you…" She smiled softly. "So… I have something prepared for you… To show you how much I do care for you…"

"You do?" she asked surprised.

"Yes… Can I show you?" she nodded with a warm smile and he led her to the turbo lift completely excited for her reaction. It hadn't been a small fete or easy to think up, but the hard work was worth it.

"What is it?" She asked.

"You'll see." He said with a smile as he held onto her hand. The doors opened and they walked out onto the weapons bay. Aria instantly smiled.

"Did you make me a new weapon?" She asked and he just smiled. "I love weapons."

"You'll love this more." They walked to one of the empty storage compartments and Khan punched in a code. The second the doors opened Arias breath hitched with in her throat, her hand tightened around Khans hand and he smiled more. "Proof of my affections." He said as she stared face to face with Gabriel Till a table full of weapons lined up next to him. She instantly reached forward and closed the Doors to the compartment. "Ariadne?" he asked in confusion as she ran off. Khan went after her and took a hold of her arm gently wheeling her around. "What's wrong?"

"That is!" She yelled tearing her arm from his grasp. "That's wrong on so many levels Khan!" He watched in confusion as she ran off to the turbo lift.

"Aria have you seen Khan?" Galen asked as he walked out and she ignored him as she ran onto the Turbo lift. "What's with her?" Galen asked as Khan rushed towards him.

"Aria!" Khan yelled as he just made it into the Turbo lift. Galen slowly looked around as he rocked back on his feet.

"I guess… Bad time." He said before he heard a strange noise coming from within the weapons bay.

"No." Aria said as Khan reached for her. "No don't touch me." She said slapping his hands away. "What was that?! Do you think that was funny!?"

"I… I thought it would show you how much a cared?" He asked completely confused by her reaction.

"To just spring on me a man who tortured me nonstop for a month!?"

"Okay… Okay so maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise." He said.

"It shouldn't have been at all Khan!" She said walking out onto the bridge. "I can't believe you did this."

"I did this for you to show my affections… I was trying to be romantic." He said in confusion as he followed her.

"You knew I wanted Gabriel Till-."

"Yes I did so I got him for you." He said with a smile and she instantly turned on him.

"You didn't let me finish, you know I wanted to get him myself! But no you didn't trust that I could handle it. So you used our spat today in the shuttle to justify you doing it for me. This wasn't about romance, or proving anything, this was about you not trusting in my abilities, and you getting to seek vengeance for what was done to me!"

"You're reading too much into this!"

"Uh excuse me mum and dad?" Galen asked making them look to him.

"What?" Khan and Aria asked at the same time and Galen felt like running for a moment.

"What. Is. It?" Khan asked his patience wearing thin.

"Why is there a pasty white hair bruised federation man in a storage unit of the weapons bay?"

"I was proving my affections to Ariadne…" Khan said looking to the woman who as glaring daggers into him.

"Right and you thought a pasty federation man would please her why?" Galen asked.

"He's the guy who tortured me for a month…"

"Oh captain…" Galen said shaking his head and making Khan look to him. "Not what I meant at all…"

"You were a part of this!?" Aria asked.

"That's my queue to run." Galen said quickly walking out.

"I can't believe you." Aria said looking at Khan. "Get rid of him, slit his throat, I don't care, I don't want to see him." She said walking into her quarters. Khan quickly followed and she sighed. "Get out!"

"No we're going to talk this through. I had no other intentions by taking Gabriel Till other than to prove my affections for you… I know you wanted vengeance but I know you were also unsure of how to do it so I wanted to help."

"I can't talk about this right now." She said her hand going to her chest as she turned away from him. Khan tilted his head as he bowed his head. He could hear it her heart. It was pumping faster and harder than he had ever heard it. Her breathing was rushed as well coming out ragged.

Aria bowed her head forward. Everything was coming back to her. Everything that had happened in the white room. The cutting. The breaking. The teeth pulling. The burning. All that pain, all her screaming, all of Gabriel's smiling it was rushing back into her head and she couldn't take it. It was coming in flashes, flashes that made her head feel like it was splitting open.

"I need you to leave… Please leave…" Aria said not wanting him to see her come undone.

"Ariadne…" He reached for her and she moved away from his touch.

"Don't touch me…"

"You're having a panic attack." He said.

"No… No… No I don't panic." She said.

"I should have warned you…" Khan said. "This wasn't my intention." He said his eyes wide.

"Alright fine it's fine…"

"Ariadne-."

"Just leave!"

"Can't do that." He said moving forward.

"Khan I'm serious." He moved his arms around. "Stop what you're doing?" she asked pushing against him. He titled his head. Her mind was so far away, and she was so distraught, nearly all her power had been taken away. "Get off."

"No." he said pulling her to her chest. "Ariadne you need to calm down…" he said. "You need to slow your breathing and your heart rate, even us augments can enter cardiac arrest which you are very close too…" Her heart was beating so fast there was hardly any spaces between the beats. Not to mention his own chest had begun to ache from her own pain. "Shh…" he said.

"What the hell is going on here?" Galen asked rushing in. "The medical scanners have gone off the wall."

"It's Aria…" Khan said looking to him.

"You're making it worse Captain." Galen said grabbing his arm and hoisting him away from Aria who dropped to the ground not being able to stand. "Leave her to me." Khan went to move forward but stopped when the doors closed. He stared at them for a long while his eyes wide.

"Aria…" Galen said picking her up and laying her down on her bed. "You need to calm down."

"My arm." She said through gritted teeth. "It's numb."

"Well that's because your heart is giving out, don't worry I can help you." He said quite calmly. He stretched out her arm and pushed up her sleeve.

"No…" she said trying to pull her arm away. "Stop!"

"I'm not going to hurt you." Galen said. "This isn't like before, I'm your kind, I'd never hurt you." Her eyes shut tightly the pain in her chest becoming nearly too much to bare. She took a deep breath as her mind slowly became heavy. "There we are… Let it work…" Galen said pulling the syringe out of her arm. She felt her heart beat start to slow and Galen smiled as he put a reader on her temple. "There we are lass…"

"Don't… Don't let him kill him…" She said softly as her eyes slowly drifted close. "Please…" Galen slowly looked over the young woman who lay before him. He stared at her for a long moment. Aria hadn't been the first Augment he had to treat for a panic caused heart malfunction. It was actually quite common in their race, the heart would pump and pump until it would explode in their chest. Still he had to wonder what would panic a woman he thought of having nerves of steel so. He slowly got up and walked out onto the bridge Where Khan was pacing.

"How is she?"

"Knocked out." He said. "Heart near exploded in her chest though… It will take a while for her heart to heal from this…"

"Thank you for doing what I couldn't, I don't know why I didn't call for you right away." Khan said.

"She… Clouds your mind… That's one of the downfalls and one of the great things of being in love." Khan looked to him quickly and Galen smiled. "So…" He looked off. "That bloke in the storage unit."

"Gabriel Till."

"Yes, he tortured wee Aria?" Galen asked.

"Yes."

"It must have been bad to cause that level of Post Traumatic Stress… Captain, what were you thinking?"

"I thought it would prove to her how much I care, by kidnapping the man who caused her such pain… I still think it's a romantic gesture whatever the outcome of tonight."

"Sometimes… and I say this with all respect… But sometimes you're just thick mate."

"I need to go have a chat with Gabriel Till…"

"Aria doesn't want you to kill him… She told me right before she went out."

"Fine…" Khans jaw clenched. He couldn't watch over Till without wanting to tear his throat out. "Watch the storage unit."

"Aye Captain." Galen said before walking off. Khan walked into Arias compartment and stopped seeing her lying on the bed one of her sleeves pushed up. He slowly walked over and sat at her side as he pulled the sleeve down and the covers over her body as he took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry Ariadne… I should have thought it through."

-o-

Kirk walked down the long hallway of the Dreadnaught Enterprise towards the living quarters of Gabriel Till. It was time to explain to the former Admiral and Captain what his place was on the ship. To Kirk his place was to stay put in his quarters and to only come to the bridge when summoned. He approached the door and stopped. It was dented out. He tilted his head and tried to open the doors with the key pad but thanks to the damage they wouldn't budge.

"Till you in there!?" He called. When no answer came he pried apart the doors as much as he could and peeked in to see the room was ransacked. He instantly pulled his communicator.

"Spock run a full scan of the ship for Gabriel Till." He said.

"Running Captain….. There are strangely no signs of Gabriel Till upon the ship."

"Pull archive footage of Tills room…" He ordered as he ran back to the turbo lift.

"Pulling up archive footage and awaiting you Captain."

When the turbo lift doors opened Kirk ran out onto the bridge.

"Captain on the Bridge." Chekov informed.

"What's going on?" Spock asked.

"Tills room is ransacked and the doors are dented from the inside going out…"

"What could dent those doors?" McCoy asked as Kirk played the footage. They watched as Gabriel sat in front of a screen watching his interrogation of Aria. He was smiling as he looked it over with a tilted head. "That man enjoys his work far too much…"

"My favorite part…" Till said.

"Look…" Kirk said seeing someone Energize in the back of the room.

"You asked what could dent those doors?" Kirk asked seeing Khan walking up behind Gabriel. "Khan could dent those doors. Does someone want to explain to me how we did not know he came aboard this ship!?"

"Sir." Chekov said walking over. "I can explain this."

"Go." Kirk said.

"Like leave sir?"

"No like explain Chekov."

"One of the upgrades of the Dreadnaught class ships is discreet teleportation… We can Teleport in and out of places without being seen."

"Can we track where Khan came from?"

"No sir I'm afraid not."

"How the hell did he know where we were?"

"I do not know sir."

"Well I want you to find out."

"Yes Captain." He said with a nod before running off. Everyone watched as Khan grabbed onto Gabriel's shoulder and threw him across the room into the doors which dented under the pressure knocking him out. He then grabbed a hold of the back of Gabriel's neck and energized away.

"Why did he feel the need to Kidnap Till?" McCoy asked.

"Because he hurt Aria…" Kirk said.

"Would Khan really care about that?" McCoy inquired.

"Khan cares about his people… Seems to be the only thing he does cares about…"

-o-

"Little Aria all alone… Must be used to that… Or at least feeling alone… I bet you wish Khan would ride in on a white horse and save you… Save you from the pain." She hissed as she felt him cut at her skin. "But he's not coming…"

"He'll find me." Her eyes shut tightly knowing what was to come for talking out of turn. Her head threw back as he stabbed the knife through her hand and twisted it.

"You don't learn very fast do you? He's not looking for you…" he cut her stomach and she hissed in pain. "He's not coming for you…" He cut her again and her eyes shut tightly. "He's not going to save you…" he cut her breast. "He's not even thinking about you!" He stabbed her other hand and she screamed as he twisted it. "No… No you're all alone… Again. I can do whatever I want to you… Anything…" his hand moved over her body. "At all."

Aria took a deep breath as she shot up in bed as she took a deep breath. She looked around the room for a moment before relaxing.

"Just a dream…" She said to herself.

"Looked more like a nightmare." She slowly looked to see Khan walking to her a glass of water in hand. "Drink this…" He said handing it to her.

"How long have I been out?" She asked her jaw clenching.

"You were only supposed to be out for a day, it turned into three, Galen gave you a double dose worried about your heart." Her hand went to her chest.

"It still hurts…" She said confused.

"The heart is hard to heal…" Khan said looking her over. "Ariadne…" she slowly looked to him. "I'm sorry I should have thought things though."

"No I'm sorry I wasn't even angry with you… It was him, he… Scarred me. Everything came rushing back all at once. The second I saw him it was like I was back in that white room."

"Everything?" He asked.

"I remember… Everything." She said softly. "All of it." She took a breath before looking to him. "Thank you for doing what I couldn't… Thank you for kidnapping him for me… It's… It's a very sweet gesture. I can see that now that I'm calm. I'm sorry I scolded you for it… I promise I'll make it up."

"No you don't have to." He said with a near soft expression.

"Is he stil-."

"Alive, yes… Waiting for you whenever you're ready." He said. "Galen has him tapped to IVS to keep him from starving or dehydrating…"

"I can't do it… Not yet."

"You don't have to, now drink some water…" She slowly nodded and took a sip.

"Tastes different."

"It has nutrients in it, you haven't eaten in two weeks. Even us Augments can get malnourished without sustenance. Keep drinking." She nodded and took anther sip as she rubbed her chest. "Its going to be a few days until your heart is right again, so take it easy."

"I don't think I know how."

"You lay back, read a book, watch the battle archives-."

"All sounds boring, wait the mission, the mission is tonight. To get the Embryos."

"You won't be going." She stared at him.

"No no I'm fit for duty."

"I don't want to hurt your pride and I mean nothing ill when I say this but you're not… Your heart can't be put under any pressure it could explode if it gets worked up like that again in the condition you're in."

"My heart never pumps fast when I'm in battle or on a mission you know this."

"You're staying behind that's an order." She looked him over for a long moment her jaw clenching.

"Did you just pull rank with me?"

"I…" he took her hand in his. "I can't risk anything… Happening to you…" he said quietly before looking to her with an intense gaze. "Do you understand? I need you to be very safe… I need it Ariadne…" She slowly nodded.

"I just so badly wanted to be a part of it…"

"You will be, in a bigger way then stealing Embryos…" He smiled as he cupped her cheek. "You're the genetic mother of our rebuilt race… They will be, because you are." She looked to him with a soft expression.

"Just the girls…"

"And what amazing women they will become… I almost feel sorry for the boys, they won't stand a chance against the women, how will anyone reproduce?'

"Hey… We got together didn't we?" she asked with a smile as she poked his chest.

"Yes and wasn't it easy you only tried to kill me how many times?"

"Oh I never tried…" she said with a smile. "If I did you would be dead."

"Galen is right, it's a good thing you were raised by humans if you had been raised by augments you would have killed me for being inadequate." She smiled as she took her hands in his.

"Trust me when I say…" She said as she slowly pulled him onto the bed. "You are in no way…" she kissed him deeply. "Inadequate…" Khan kissed her deeply as he cupped her cheek.

"Wait your heart can't pump that fast..." he went to pull away and stopped when he felt her hand move over the bulge between his legs.

"We'll just have to go nice and slow then won't we?" She asked and he pulled back before the connection could build. Aria smiled softly as she sat up in the bed and looked him over. "No?" She asked with an innocent look.

"No… Temptress…" She laughed and he smiled as he watched her cover her face and fall back in bed.

-o-

Galen sighed as he walked out of the turbo lift doors. He was going to see to the prisoner. Each day it was getting harder and harder for him to walk into the room and keep the man alive. He after all had tortured Aria for well over a month. He didn't know Aria well, but she had saved him from that hospital, so he knew she was a good person. And for her to go through something like that at the hands of a weak human made his blood boil.

"Here we go… Don't kill him… Don't kill him." He reminded himself as he opened the door to the storage facility. At the sight of him Gabriel yelled through his gag and Galen just smiled. "How are we today?" Galen asked walking over and checking the IVS. "You look good, a little dirty from all that sweating but good all the same." He looked over Galen who was glaring forward as he sat perfectly still. Something didn't feel right to him. He took a deep breath and stopped tasting a strange metallic tone to the air. He slowly looked down to see a puddle of blood beneath the prisoners chair. He moved around the chair and froze to see one of Gabriel's hands free of the cuffs. Before he could react Gabriel stood and pulled the Phaser from his hip and stunned him. He ripped the gag out of his mouth with a glare.

"Intelligent race my ass." Gabriel said before running off.

Khan smiled as he pushed a strand of hair away from Arias eyes. They were just enjoying one another's company. Khan thankful that Aria had recovered from her cardiac arrest. Aria thankful that Khan didn't think less of her for going into cardiac arrest.

"Khan!" Khan sat up hearing Galens voice coming from his communicator.

"Galen what is-."

"The prisoner has escaped!"

"What?" Khan asked standing quickly. Aria went to move and he set a hand on her shoulder. "No stay here." He said before running off. She tried to stay put but after a few seconds all she could think was if she didn't do something they were screwed. She quickly got up pulled on her boots and rushed from the room as she pulled her thigh holster full of knives from her desk. As she ran to the turbo lift she strapped them to her thighs.

"Khan is Galen alright?" she asked through her communicator.

"Fine we're scanning for Till now he may have already escaped." He said as she rode down the turbo lift.

"Any idea where he is yet?" She asked.

"He's heading towards the Teleport room." She stopped the turbo lift and ran out onto that level.

"I'm getting him."

"Absolutely not I told you to stay put!"

"And I didn't listen." She ran into the teleport room and jumped out of sight right by the door. The second Gabriel ran in she pulled one of her knives and set it against his throat. "Hello Till." She said her jaw clenching. He slowly set his grey eyes upon her and she felt her heart start to beat fast. "On. Your. Knees." She said her teeth slightly barred.

"Funny, I was about to say the same things to you." He backed fists her across the face before grabbing her throat and slamming her up against the wall. "Hello darling, miss me?"

"Not in the least."

She head budded him and he cried out in pain as blood flooded from his nose. She then grabbed him and threw him out of the teleport room making Khan and Galen jump back as he slammed into the wall and fell to the ground with a yelp. They watched as Aria ran over grabbed onto his head and hoisted him up onto his feet. He went to punch her and she parried the hand before breaking his arm out right. He screamed in pain as he dropped to his knees.

"Not fun is it?" She asked grabbing him by the chin and lifting him to his feet once more. "Having." She punched him. "Your bones." She punched him in the stomach. "Broken." She grabbed onto his hand and crushed it within hers and he screamed once more as he dropped to his knees staring at his twisted hand. She kicked him in the stomach and he flew back into the wall before dropping still to the ground. Aria took a deep breath as she rubbed her chest and backed up into a wall.

"Strap him to a metal table… Thoroughly we don't want him escaping again." Khan said.

"Right." Galen moved forward as Khan moved to Aria who had grown pale.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he took her pulse.

"Fine… Just got worked up."

"Well slow back down…" He said and she nodded as she took deep breaths.

"Medi bots are bringing a medical table down now." Galen said as he looked over a hallway computer.

"Good." Khan said walking to him. Arias eyes closed as she leaned against the wall. She was tired, more tired than she had ever been. Not to mention the pain in her chest was worse then ever. She felt something come at her and gasped as Gabriel pulled one of her knives from her thigh and set it against her throat.

"No!" Khan yelled moving forward.

"Stop or I slit her throat!" Gabriel yelled and Galen instantly grabbed Khans arm halting his movements. "Yes… Yes we learned some things from young Aria here… Learned that if there's no blood in your veins you can't survive." He set his cheek against hers with a smile as he looked her over. "You're not looking so good darling." He said as they slowly backed up into the teleport room. "Now I'm leaving." Gabriel said his eyes locking onto Khans.

"Not with her." Khan said his jaw clenching as he and Galen slowly moved forward into the room they were backing up into.

"I'm sorry." Aria said to Khan and he shook his head.

"Not your fault." He said.

"No no it's his fault your sweetheart should have been taking care of you…" Gabriel said inhaling her sweet scent.

"You're not taking her." Khan said.

"Oh but I am… See me and her have tons of unfinished business…" He said punching an emergency code into the teleport computer. "Didn't get to finish what we started in that room huh darling?" he asked and Khans eyes narrowed as he watched Gabriel kiss her neck. As he did his eyes flickered to Khans and he couldn't help but smile. "I see that upsets you, I wonder how far you two have gotten as Augment sweethearts?" he set his mouth against her ear. "Did he pry your dimple knees?" he whispered and her eyes closed as he pulled her back onto the teleport pad. "Any minute now darling and we'll be whisked away… Take this time to say goodbye to your sweetheart… you won't be seeing him again." His head suddenly threw back as he yelled out in pain. Khan looked to see Aria had stabbed a knife into his thigh and twisted it. "You bitch!" She slammed her head back into his face he fell onto the pad more blood erupting from his nose. She kicked him off the pad before he could energize away.

"Aria run now!" Galen yelled seeing her start to energize. She went to rush off the pad to Khan who held out his hand but before she could get to him she lit up and was taken away.

"Khan!" he heard her scream.

"No!" Khan bellowed as he ran up onto the pad to see she was gone. "Trace where that is going!" Khan ordered turning.

"I have a trace going but we need to move the ship they can't find this planet."

"Bridge now!" he ordered as he started to run Gabriel held in his grasp as he did.