I didn't get distracted again while working on this chapter…you can prove nothing. Also, I've added in a hint of romance/love. I don't know—I think it was okay. Tell me what you think.

Chapter 14

"Come on, old man! You can't catch me!" Silver Moon yells over her shoulder as she quickens her pace. Effortlessly, she bounds over the rough terrain and dodges nimbly through the trees. Khan smirks in amusement as he rushes after her. In the end, he would catch her. It was only a matter of time.

"Is that a challenge?" He growls right before he grabs her around her wastefrom behind and hugging her tightly against her chest. She squeals and flails her arms while she tries to wiggle away but he merely tightens his boa-constrictor like grasp, being careful not to harm her too severely with his superior strength.

"What the matter, my dear? Can't handle the sharp sting of defeat?" Khan purrs as he swings her lightly from side to side.

She swats him sharply on the shoulder and wiggles harder: "Let me go!" She whines and his chest rumbles as he chuckles darkly.

"And why would I do that," He smirks at her and she glares at him defiantly. "When this is so much fun?"

"Khan!" She hits him again in the shoulder and he pretends to wince in pain in an effort to make her feel better—it works as he thought it would. She laughs good-naturedly and he sets her down carefully on her feet before feigning innocence, making her laugh even harder.

"Hey, come on." She grabs his arm lightly and tugs him towards her, "I want to show you something."

"Is it mass genocide?" Khan raises an eyebrow. "Or the skulls of my enemies?"

"No…?" Silver gives him a bewildered look and he smirks playfully.

"I suddenly find myself losing interest." He fakes a yawn and she rolls her eyes at him.

God, how he had missed her! How had he survived all this time without her mischievous antics? Her laugh? That twinkle in her shining, emerald eyes? All he wanted to do was hold her close and never let go. To listen to her heart beat in time with his own while they wished the world away…

"Ugh, come on." She smacks him lightly, breaking him sharply from his thoughts, and then she breaks into a run.

After a moment's hesitation, he follows after her. She was a strange one, this woman, but he still had to admit, he loved every minute of it. Silver Moon was an enigma that was constantly keeping him guessing—she was the one puzzle he was completely helpless to solve.

…

"Isn't it beautiful?" She asks him, her face tilted towards the sky where hundreds of glowing paper lanterns from the next village over soar into the pitch black night sky. Her green eyes are wide with wonder as she soaks it all in.

He cups her cheek, "Not as beautiful as you." Her large eyes look to him, surprised, but he merely smiles warmly at her before kissing her gently on the forehead, "We should be getting back to the others. Who knows what trouble our daughter has gotten them into by now?" He smirks again. "She probably lit the whole camp on fire just to observe how the flames looked while consuming different types of man-made materials…or maybe she threw Hawk into the river just to see how long it would take for him to breech the surface of the water once more when he came up for air."

Silver Moon laughs and leans into him, hugging him lightly around the chest before dancing away from him.

"Race you," She challenges before springing away and rushing ahead, the lanterns forgotten.

"You're cheating!" Khan complains but Silver Wolf doesn't even grace him with a backward glance—she merely runs faster.

"No I'm not! It's called winning!"

…

"Little Wolf?" Sharp Quill says quietly. "I know you're awake."

"No, I'm not." The girl mumbles groggily and she snuggles further into her blankets, willing herself to fall once more into the sweet, sweet embrace of slumber. "I'm," She yawns, eyes still closed. "Sleeping…"

Zevi begins to growl quietly and his hackles stand straight up as a foreign sound assaults his ears. Danger had found them.

"Little Wolf? Did you hear that?" Sharp Quill whispers. "Little Wolf! Wake up!"

"What? What is it?"

"A twig snapped."

"Probably just Mom and," She yawns widely, "John."

And then Zevi is on his feet. With a growl, he rushes for the treeline but he never reaches his invisible foe. A beam of light slices into his brown and white body, throwing him sharply into a tree.

"Too bad it's not."

A figure steps into the firelight and Sharp Quill gasps. The children are awake in seconds but it's too late. The darkness has already been awoken. The shadows come to life and slither forward, revealing more and more figures wrapped in black clothes, all of them heavily armed.

"Run, kids!" Sharp Quill barely has enough time to get the words out before the phaser blasts fill the air, but she wasn't quick enough. One by one, each blast finds its mark and leaves them immobile. Still.

"Well that was surprisingly easy. Let's bag 'em." The figure orders before melting back into the shadows.

…

"Where are they?" Silver Moon freezes at the treeline when she sees the abandoned camp sight. The fire had died and a frenzy of footprints had bled into the earth. "What happened here? Khan?" She frowns.

"An Ambush." Khan says instantly. "At least twenty men had surrounded the camp."

"But where are they?"

"It looks like they went east. Must be slave traders or something of that sort…where are you going?"

"They have our children—what do expect me to do? Run away?"

"They have at least three hours on us and you're unarmed. What are you going to do when you catch up to them, hm? Throw rocks at them? Exchange insults and pray they don't fire upon you—or the children for that matter? These men are trained fighters, Silver Moon: they wouldn't have no qualms about bloodshed. If they wanted the chilldren to be dead, they would be."

"And how do you know their alive, huh?" She glares at him and he can see tears beginning to form in her eyes. "How do you know they haven't killed my babies?" Moisture drips down her cheeks. "How? Huh?"

"You don't see any bodies, do you?" Khan asks coldly and then punches himself internally in the face. Repeatedly. "Look," He says, his voice softer. Kinder. Gentler. "They're going to be alright. We'll get them back."

She stares at for a minute before nodding, "Alright."

A quiet whimper then greets their ears. Silver Moon swivels to see a part of the dirt beginning to move. Khan takes a step forward, putting himself between Silver Moon and whatever monster is beginning to emerge from the dust.

And then it barks.

A smirk fills Khan's face. Apparently, the intruders hadn't taken everything. This, he thinks, will be their downfall.

"Zevi?" Khan purrs and he's greeted by another quiet woof. "Come here," He coaxes. "Come on."

The Augment pats his side and the dog slowly, painfully, limps over to him. Khan examines the animal carefully. It was sore but sported no broken bones.

"Find Little Wolf." He commands.

Immediately, the dog puts his nose to the ground and begins to show them the way.

"You have a solution to everything don't you?"

"I am superior. It would be a logical solution to make, my dear."

"Don't make me hurt you, love. Because I will."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" He raises an eyebrow at her before marching dutifully after Zevi. Silver Moon rolls her eyes at the back of his head but follows the two.

…

Their enemy's camp is simple. Neat. There are ten tents and roughly fifteen or so assailants. The children (and Sharp Quill) are bound in the very center of the campsite, near the fire. Little Wolf struggles against the rope tying her hands behind her back and the men around her laugh and jeer when she can't get free, but she doesn't give up.

One walks up and punches her hard in the face, drawing blood. She flinches at the contact but then glares at him defiantly. He merely laughs and pats her head.

"How long do you think this one will last?" He jabs in her in the chest with each word that spews forth from his mouth.

"I give her three days tops." One of the men speculates.

"That will be far longer than any of you will survive," Khan growls savagely as he emerges from the shadows.

The first man barely has time to scream before Khan is crushing his windpipe between his fingers. Little Wolf breaks free from her bonds and flees into the forest, her head spinning wildly as more and more blood stains the ground. Phaser blast after phaser blasts hits Khan but he refuses to go down. Running on pure undiluted rage, he slaughters the entire camp in mere minutes before turning slowly, as if in a daze, to free their terrified captives. He approaches Fawn first. She takes on look at him and begins to squeal and cry with horror making him freeze in his tracks.

"It's alright." Silver Moon puts a hand on his shoulder. "I'll get them. You find Little Wolf."

And then what? Khan wonders.

Surely by now the girl was seeing him as the monster Star Fleet was hell bound to shape him into. She wouldn't see his heart—his intentions. All she would see was the blood and gore coating his hands. She wouldn't hear his words of comfort, of reassurance. They would be blocked by the agonizing screams of the men.

But he still goes off in search of the child. Little Wolf may not care for him at the moment but he was damned if he was going to stand here and let her get into any more trouble tonight.

Sorry about the wait.