Chapter Twenty One: An Act of Love

"It'll come for us." Khan insisted while he held her in that singular moment. "Our ship."

"The one you designed?" Her lips kissed his palm tasting his thumb as he stroked her cheek. His free arm constricted around her waist. His fingertips were quite agile against the flesh of her stomach muscles.

"Hmmm," He hummed against her ear pressing his lips to whisper into her. "Yes." Marla closed her eyes leaning back into his naked form. She would most definitely miss this.

"What's its name?" She studied the lines on his palm remembering ancient fortune telling. She wondered what Khan's hands said about him. Soon that same hand that she held rested gently at her neck stroking her throat.

"Vengeance." The hiss had been prolonged.

"How will it come for us?" She nearly begged for the answer. His strong fingers stroked her windpipe while the other pressed against her soft belly.

"If I miss, Marcus will bring it. It's a good design. A good ship." His lips kissed her forehead as both hands rested on her belly.

Marla bit her lower lip feeling Khan pull her backside into him. His muscles were quite hard. His body wasn't soft like hers. His body was built to withstand the worse of this life. His hardened exterior felt like the surfaces he had taken her on, cold, hard, and unwelcoming. Yet in this moment he was trying to be a welcoming need for her. His body couldn't soften to her, but she could feel the slow comforting beat of his heart. He was calmed in a way she had never heard or seen before.

"And if you don't miss?" She had wondered. Marla turned in his arms to lay her chest to his. Her breasts rested softly on his pecks as she arched her brow and back. "If Vengeance doesn't come for us?"

"Then," His hands and arms rested softly against her bottom. She pressed closer to him. "We'll find her." He had kissed her so quickly and softly. The kiss barely meant anything.

The moment Marcus had arrived on Vengeance to confront the Enterprise, Marla recalled that memory. The date of conception perhaps. Though it would be impossible to know it now. Her hands were over her head. She was standing when they brought Khan in. He made eye contact with her briefly. She was still in her red turtleneck and pants, though these pants did not have the blood stain on them symbolizing her failure. The guards were checking her over once more patting her down as she rolled her eyes.

"I've already told you there's nothing else on me." They raked their rough fingers over every inch of her.

When they got to her stomach she flinched. She hated seeing Khan's eyes move the way they did. He jerked his next step too quickly. The guards aimed their weapons charging them. Marla held her hands to her head looking to Khan. Their contact lacked any emotional trigger though just by the augment's presence she could tell he did not like the way they were touching her. She tried to relax as they felt around her. Khan seated himself on her hospital bed.

"Alright," The one guard motioned for the other to stop. His hand was getting ready to feel her thigh. "She's clean." Marla closed her eyes softly moving back very gently.

"She can't sit next to him." Carol told the guards when Marla moved to sit beside the man. Marla's eyes met the bold blonde's.

"All things considered Dr. Marcus. I believe I have a right." Her voice was harsh. Khan sat perfectly and unwavering on the flat surface. Carol looked to the guards biting her lip.

"Do. Not. Let. Them. Touch." She told the guards. The woman seemed to allow Marla to be seated next to Khan.

Marla slowly breathed letting herself sit beside the augment. He stayed in the same position he had been though his eyes gradually fell to the shackles on her feet. He gave a soft smile to himself before looking away. Marla noticed it, but said nothing. She glanced down to see that his feet were not shackled. Somehow she had become the bigger threat. Her fingers flexed outward in a daring attempt to reach for him. Her fingers never met flesh before she heard the sound of the charging of a blaster.

"Just testing your reaction time." She smiled to herself not looking up. Marla only focused on the hands of her partner in crime. His fists were clenched.

Marcus and Kirk's conversation was broadcast throughout the ship. The small talk seemed a bit tedious at first, but Marla heard Kirk playing cool. Her hands clutched together like Khan's into fists. They were playing a waiting game in this scenario. Hearing Marcus' voice hadn't brought back fond memories. Marla closed her eyes trying not to see flashes of her mother dying. The Enterprise's core was down as well; however Marcus seemed to have perfected the scenario now, no leaks that would cause engineering to face serious trauma.

"As per Starfleet regulations I'm planning on returning Khan and his associate Dr. Marla McGivers to Earth to stand trial." She found herself looking forward at the mention of her name. She swallowed trying to muster up her faith in Khan's plan and actions.

"Stop!" She saw the guard aiming his weapon at Khan. She looked toward the man who sat beside her. His face was staring forward.

"Well, shit. You talked him. Didn't expect McGivers to be on board. He must have done a real number on her." Marla let her eyes focus down briefly.

She saw his fingers flexing toward her to reach for her hand. She looked at him confused, but his reaction didn't waver. She watched as the guard slowly put his gun lower. Khan's fingers clutched back into his hand.

"I made a mistake letting that red head in with him. Didn't think they'd hit it off." She heard the tail end of Marcus' conversation with Kirk. "She wasn't supposed to last as long as she did." No she wasn't.

Doctors had decreased her survival date every day she spent with John Harrison. She was refusing her medication toward the end. It wasn't helping her heal, yet she still survived against the odds. She had to remind herself of that. She was a survivor. Despite her unfortunate circumstances she would live to see another day. Marla would live because she had been at death's door. She had seen her end so many times. Now she could face it. She could face it for him.

"So I'm asking you give him to me. So that I can end what I started."

"And what of Dr. McGivers?" Kirk wondered. "Isn't she just as guilty?"

"Guilty, but worthless." She saw from the corner of her eye Khan's hands squeeze tighter at Marcus' words. "There's nothing special about her."

"With all due respect, Sir. She did a lot. Manipulated her way onto this vessel. Constructed from what I understand much of –"

"She's worthless without him." The words sank in hard and deep.

Her eyes shifted slowly as she kept in her breath. She wouldn't let the admiral phase her. She wouldn't give into her emotions. She knew better than anyone else that Khan did not define her. She made her own decisions on her own time. She had made her choices and she was prepared to be punished for them. It didn't mean she wouldn't fight to free herself from those consequences. If she was really being honest she was glad that Marcus still viewed her as weak. Of course he didn't know she had nearly slit his daughter's throat.

"Can you imagine what would happen if we woke up the rest of his crew?" Marla saw Khan's eyes shift at the mention of his people. His mouth moved slightly. It hurt her to see him uneasy like that. She wanted to touch him.

"Hey." The Guard had the weapon aimed for Marla's chest. She stared at him. "This is your last warning." Her eyes shifted down. Her pinkie was almost reaching his. She was surprised to see his pinkie was mimicking hers. "For both of you."

She pulled her fingers back deciding it was time to turn her head. Marla looked to the augment who sat back straight. His shoulders were held pristine. He looked like the poster boy for a prisoner of war. He looked quite magnificent sitting there. She imagined a time when sitting had been a luxury he couldn't handle, those times during war when he was on the constant move. She pitied the stillness of his body. Khan was a man who required the constant movement, yet he remained perfectly at peace with waiting. His eyes briefly flickered to hers. It was then that she realized she was staring. His eyes told her to focus forward.

It was hard to focus when she wanted so badly not only to touch him, but to tell him of their loss. Carol was still in the room with Dr. McCoy. There was no way she would be able to get a word out. She waited for Marcus to be finished with his speech in which he addressed the war criminal nature of Khan and his people. In the process Marla heard herself being called a fanatic and groupie to the augment cause. He kept repeating what a mistake it was to put her with him. Perhaps not as big a mistake of waking the savage up in the first place.

She then heard Kirk lie to Marcus about Khan's whereabouts. The captain seemed to be keen on following the rules and taking Khan back for a trail. A trail wasn't needed for Khan. History showed that he was not someone who was a peace keeper to the world's plights. He was not a friend of humanity. He had always meant to dominate humankind and lead them whether the way he led was through violence meant nothing to him. He was superior. He was their better.

Yet he had his reasons in everything he did. He rebelled when they were to kill him. Humans had decided augments no longer deserved to live after they had killed many people. He was only fighting for his family. Marla empathized with that and wanted to be a part of his history.

Suddenly the ship started moving again at warp speed. The captain obviously thought he could out run Vengeance. It was amusing to think of the ship and the word in the same instance. She heard the footsteps of Dr. McCoy and Dr. Marcus come to them. The male doctor held up a scanner to Marla at first running it over her body.

"Are you feeling alright, Dr. McGivers?" She watched him as he spoke. He didn't look at her.

"There's a numbing, but I suspect that's from being stunned." Marla twisted her lips as McCoy's scanner moved across her stomach. Khan flicked his eyes at her pulling his lower lip inward in uncertainty. She turned to the augment. "Long story." He gave a slight nod.

"Everything seems to be," He stopped himself from sounding too cheerful. "As good as it can be." McCoy sighed moving his scanner to Khan next. "Well at least we're moving again." She could see Carol's eyes gently focus to Marla's clenched hands.

"If you think you're safe at warp," Khan stated addressing McCoy as his device echoed as it scanned him. "You're wrong." His eyes then flickered to Carol. She stared at him for a long while before her eyes went to Marla. She shook her head before taking off.

McCoy continued to scan Khan with a sigh mumbling to himself. Marla thought very briefly before she decided to speak. There was only one chance for this.

"May I speak, Doctor McCoy?" She saw the doctor's surprised eyes as he scanned over Khan.

"I don't think –"

"Please?" She really was begging in that instant. "I need to speak with him." Her head tilted ever so slightly toward the man seated next to her. She lowered her head a bit looking at McCoy from under her lashes. "You know why I need to speak to him." She saw McCoy swallow as he looked to Khan.

"Go ahead." He said with an exhausted sigh. "Quickly." Marla nodded flexing her fingers. "You still can't touch each other." He warned. Marla then adjusted herself twisting her body.

"Khan." She said his name suddenly. She felt as though that name hadn't crossed her lips in days. It felt so ancient and so new altogether. He stared forward before briefly letting his blue eyes flicker to her. "Khan, I'm going to need you to look at me please." He was reluctant in turning his head to face her. She felt her heart begin to pound quickly. Marla thought with great consideration risking being stunned to hold his hand when she told him. She saw him search her face inquisitively for what she was about to utter.

"The blood," She tried not to remember her body covered in it. The bleeding from her failed pregnancy coating her hand, but it was hard not to in that moment. "The blood that was on me on Kronos," She found herself set in his eyes. She was locked. Marla had to say it then. "It was from a miscarriage." She waited a second to see if he would react. His head leaned back slightly. Immediately she saw his expression snap into one of uncertain grief. His eyes seemed widen briefly in that moment before suddenly dropping his lids as if they were heavy. "It was from the stress and the injuries I sustained." Not because I'm weak, she wanted to say. She saw him look down searching his lap for something; his lips seemed to move with his eyes. Marla could feel that he was heartbroken by the news as well.

"I'm sorry." She reached for his hand. It was just a reaction. The guards aimed their guns, but McCoy held up his hand to stay them. She moved closer to him. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep it." Despite all her persuading she still felt as though she had done something wrong. She didn't want his forgiveness. She just wanted him to know that she wanted the life as much as he did. Her fingers traced along his clenched hand in a stroking motion.

He was looking down at her hand before letting his hand unclench. Their fingertips met for a moment before he let their cuffs clank together. Khan did his best to hold her hand as tightly as he could before looking forward. There was no doubt in Marla's mind that he felt the grief.

They held hands tightly as the Vengeance pummeled its weapons into the Enterprise.

Author's Note: Despite it all Marla managed to reveal what happened to her to Khan. I always found it surprising how Kirk reacts or acts around Marla. They'll be some Kirk, Marla, and Khan moments next chapter that should be pretty interesting.

As for the sequel it's going to be coming. I have a pretty good idea what I want to do with that. This story told from Khan's perspective might include bits from his past leading up to the end of this story. The sequel would come first and then Khan's story.

Thanks for everyone who's read so far :) Stay tuned to see what exactly Khan does when the Enterprise's captain needs his help.