The rain was coming down softly on the grass. Len wasn't letting go of his fiancé's hand. He needed her strength as much as she needed his. The smell of structure fires still lingered, but now they mixed with the salted sea air of the bay. People milled about the common seemingly waiting for instructions as to what they were expected to do. Some of the people stared at the couple, obviously recognizing the two doctors. Neither of them acknowledged any of the looks. They wanted nothing more than to hide in the back of their coffee shop while blocking out the world.

McCoy opened the door as Seri stepped though under the ringing shop bell. One of the kids came out, he quickly told the couple that Leala was at the hospital making sure everyone had their caffeine. Seri motioned for Len to go to their table as she ordered the drinks. She arrived at the table with Len's coffee and her jasmine tea. "Don't worry Imzadi, its coffee flavored coffee." She sat a cross from him. The same hazel eyes from that first day looked at her through the steam that floated out of the cup. They were not they eyes that looked at her in bed, or even the ones that looked at her across the office desk. These were haunted, tired, exactly how they looked the first time she saw them. "What are you thinking baby?"

"Evan said I should relax until tonight. I broke down with him on the PADD. I didn't want to do that to him, I just couldn't help it. We started talking and I just opened up about all of it."

"How did you feel when it was him, when he leaned on you?"

"That was different. His brother was dead. And his parents, they were cunts."

"There's a word I don't here from you too often."

"I know. Where I was brought up it's not used in polite company." He had a smirk on his face.

"But did it bother you when he lost control?" Her black eyes continued to study him, but she kept her mind closed. Seri wanted Len to feel that he had some privacy in all of this.

"Only when he took a swing at me." He chuckled at the memory. "Those self defense classes came in handy." She still looked serious. "No, I didn't. I wanted him to lean on me."

"To tell you things he didn't want anyone to know?"

"Yeah." He took another sip. "I know he understands, the same way you do."

"But it is nice to have someone other than your fiancé to talk to."

The smile on his face reached his eyes for the first time in days. "Especially when we talk about the women in our lives."

Seri loved when he joked like this. "Don't worry, Joce and I talk a lot."

"Great." He finished his coffee as she continued to sip on her tea. "I needed that talk today. Tucker will get there as soon as he can. He should be at the farm when we arrive."

"I'll talk to Meg, let her know what to expect, once we know more."

"About that. I'll start the infusion as soon as we get the call. You'll be there?"

"You couldn't keep me away. They set it up so I would be there with you. I think Sarah is there now. I know the gang is spending the day at the family bungalow. They need to be close to each other."

"And they are giving us our space. I'm glad Jo will be with Scotty at the hospital. He'll keep an eye on her."

"She wants to be with all of them, but she really wants to be with Jim. She's scared."

"I know. I'm doing my best with her, but she knows I sacred."

"Imzadi, there is nothing wrong with her knowing that, as long as she knows we are all here. She'll be alright."

"I know, intellectually I know, but she is my baby."

"And she always will be."

The boy who waited on them brought two refills to the table. "Ms. Grandy said I was to make sure you always had refills if you came in Dr. McCoy. Here you go Dr. Targan."

Seri smiled up at the young man. "Thank you, and thank Leala when you see her. Tell her I'll be by before we leave."

He smiled as the boy walked away. "I guess it was too much to hope that we wouldn't be recognized."

"We gave up that luxury years ago. I'm glad he put these in travel cups. Shall we go back to the house?"

"Yeah. I don't want to be near people." Her eyes grew a little wide. "I didn't mean you smartass. Let's go. If I know Sarah there is food in the fridge waiting for us."

"I'm sure Joce told her you didn't eat this morning."

"Let's go." They waved to the boy and girl making gallons of coffee. Leala must have sent a message that they needed more.

The walk back to the bungalow was slowed by the people milling around the grounds. Civilians mostly, some wounded, but most looking lost. "They'll need housing and food."

"I'm sure Starfleet is taking care of that. Look over there." He pointed to hover trucks coming in. They carried supplies for the people displaced by Kahn. "They'll get them places to live after they are fed and the wounded taken to hospitals." The wounded they saw had mostly superficial cuts and abrasions. Seri pulled Len along before he could start working on the injured. He needed to try to relax and there wasn't anything any of them needed that a tech couldn't fix.

The silence of the house was inviting. Seri took a deep breath as she walked through the door. In the past five years she had become used to Len always opening the door for her. Meghan had explained that is was a southern thing; a man holds the door open for a lady, or pulls out a chair. It wasn't to show they were dominant, it was their job in a way, to take care of a lady. She noticed Jim starting to do it more and more until now he was every inch the southern gentleman. Len had pulled out the sandwiches Sarah had left. Her note made him smile as he read it over a couple of time. "What does it say?"

"These better be eaten when I come back. Don't argue with me, you know I'll win. Sarah."

"I guess we better eat." Seri started to sit at the counter.

"I have a better idea." Len grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch. "Grab some drinks and I'll get the sandwiches." He grabbed the plate and walked back to their room.

Seri took the pitcher of fresh lemonade, grabbed two glasses and the bowl of strawberries before following her fiancé. "I thought these would come in handy."

"Come in handy?"

"You'll see." Len had spread out the blanket. Seri locked the door to the hall before joining him. "Come here."

"Don't you want lunch?"

"I thought we could start with dessert. You always get the munchies after, so lunch would be perfect then."

"I do get hungry." With that he leaned forward, tangled his fingers in her hair and brought her in for a deep passionate kiss.

She maneuvered herself until she was sitting in his lap. Without his noticing she grabbed a strawberry and pulled out of the kiss. "Here you go thought you could use the sugar for energy." She acted as if she was going to feed him then put it between her teeth.

Len groaned as he opened his mouth over hers. Devouring her as he devoured the fruit. Juice ran out of their mouths and down her breasts. It continued to run until it reached where her mound was pressed against his abdomen. In a single move he pushed her to the floor. "Is anyone in the house?"

"No, I don't feel anyone."

"Good." He drug his tongue down the sticky trail left by the tart-sweet juice until he reached her folds. "Usually you taste like peaches. Now it's strawberry. Spread your legs, I want to taste you." The gruffness of his voice came from deep in his chest.

Her legs spread to reveal lips, pink, swollen, and alluringly glistening with her juices. Gently he spread them apart to reveal all of her. He was already hard and throbbing. Every undulation of her walls was felt in him. Each once cased his member to twitch. As much as he wanted to do this for her, he also wanted her. He knew she wanted what he did, to feel things. Soft and gentle wouldn't do this time. This time he would take her. Take what he needed, but give her everything she craved. He blew on her, the breath landing cool against the wetness.

Seri began to writhe in anticipation. She needed him. She wanted to be pinned, marked. Suddenly his mouth engulfed her mound. He was eating her out as if he was starving, and only she could fill him. Her moans were loud enough to be heard throughout the house. She fucked his face as hard as he sucked on her. God, she tasted like summer fruit, sweet and fresh. His tongue plunged into her as she grabbed his hair, screaming his name.

Without warning he jammed himself into her up to the hilt. Her orgasm hadn't finished and he could feel her walls as the milked him. Her eyes met his. "Harder." With that his arm encircled her; pulling her to him, hard and controlling.

"Wrap your legs around me." With that he lifted her, walked her to the far wall slamming her against it with all his might.

"Harder."

As he slammed into her, he read what she wanted. His mouth went from her neck to her tit. There he pulled her skin between his teeth, sucking it to the rhythm of his thrusts. She was screaming as he caused her to cum again and again. "Scream for me."

Screams punctuated her shoving harder onto his crotch. She pushed in perfect rhythm with him. Her hands that had been wrapped around his chest and under his arms dug into him; nails leaving deep scratch marks as she drug them across his back. His groans mixed with her screams as they marked each other. "God yes!"

"Harder, Seri, harder." They pushed, marked, held tight as they both came. Their minds still holding tight even as their bodies came down. "Fuck!" His forehead leaned onto hers."

"What?"

"I'm still hard. God, I need… I need…" With that he grabbed her, moving them both away from the wall. He didn't pull out; he didn't want to lose the connection. He needed to cum again. He felt desperate, as if he would explode. In a second, he had her under him on the bed.

"Hard Len. I need to cum again. Fuck me." His hand reached between them. Her clit was swollen, his finger barely brushed it when he felt her walls begin to contract. Groans filled the room as he began to pound her into the bed. He had her other breast in his mouth, sucking her flesh through his teeth as he worked her clit and fucked her into oblivion. It was as if the flood gates had opened, she was screaming his name again as she flooded his hand and balls. She held him too her as her nails drug up his back from his hips to his shoulder blades.

With that pain, the pain he needed so desperately he came in her, filling her, screaming for her. She came again, locking her legs around him, not allowing him to pull out. She could feel his cum, feel his marks. That morning she had wanted this to be slow, but on the walk back to the house something in her had changed. Maybe it was her connection with him, but she needed this. She needed to feel the pain that came with being marked. It wasn't too much, but it was enough to make her feel alive; the same way the scratch marks on his back reminded him that he was alive and not in some tube or in the ground.

They laid there, not moving. Len had buried his face in the crook of her neck as she ghosted her fingers up and down his back. Seri could feel Nyota come in with Joce. "Hey, Joce and Nyota are here."

"Don't worry, I locked the door. I think I need a very hot shower before I can't move."

"You take that, I'll get the picnic together. We don't have to leave the room."

"Join me?"

"Alright. The picnic can wait."

They took a long hot shower, letting the water relax all their muscles as they held each other tight. "God, I love you. I owe him you know that. Seri, I owe him my life."

"So, do I. That was the best class. The professor sucked, but I had the best classmate." She chuckled at the memories.

"Tell me I can do this."

Seri leaned back. His eyes held the same doubt and questions they held the first time he took them to Emory. "There is no one else who can. You can do this."

He kissed her deeply one last time before turning off the shower and grabbing the towels. Lunch was amazing. How Sarah managed to make the sandwiches taste so good was beyond Len. Seri knew they tasted better after sex, at least to her fiancé. They crawled into bed; the sheets still felt soft. The PADD was on Len's nightstand awaiting a call stating the serum was completed. After that call came in, sleep would be a luxury he might not be able to enjoy for quite some time.

Nyota flopped on the couch. "So, when do you think they'll be back with the girls?"

"I think it will be awhile. What's going on?"

"I just realized that we don't have a home. Spock commed, our place is gone. He managed to get a lot of our stuff out, but the structural damage is so severe they won't let them in again."

"How did they get in this time? I thought all of those buildings were blocked off."

"Pavel is with them, so is Keenzer."

"That is true. Those two can circumvent almost anything. How was Pavel's place?"

"Almost the same. They are there now. The guys are filling the trucks they took from here. Mama ordered another container. They haven't gotten to Scotty's yet. Spock said people are wandering around looking for places to stay. It's going to get bad."

"I know. I heard someone say something about sealing the campus when I was going to medical."

"The federation is sending more help. I hope it gets here soon. The people that aren't affected are getting out there to help their neighbors, but it isn't enough. Cal talked about maybe going to the civilian hospital, but I don't think we will be able to help like she can."

"Agreed. Nyota, you know you always have a home with us?" Joce wanted her to understand they were all family.

"I guess. It was just something I never thought about. We could stay at the farm, but we always had a place here."

"You will again. For now, you have us. You know how Len feels."

Nyota had a small smile on her face as she recalled some distant memory involving the doctor. "I do. When are you with Jim?"

"In a couple of hours. What about you?"

"I need to get dressed and head over. I'm staying until Scotty gets there."

"You should grab Jo. Scotty told her she could be there with him, but she won't want her time cut short. Len doesn't want her to see him on life support."

"Got it. Let me get ready." It didn't take her long before she was ready to leave. The women grabbed the milk from the refrigerator and left for the other house. Lena needed it for the biscuits.

Len and Seri were sound asleep when the PADD went off. Len startled awake. It was time. Silently both doctors dressed in their medical uniforms and walked across campus. Christine met them in the lobby. All three boarded the lift. No one had spoken. Blinding lights, and a nervous med tech greeted the trio when the doors opened. "Dr. McCoy, the serum is in your office." McCoy noticed two guards outside his office. Both were armed.

"I want them gone. My daughter is with her uncle and I don't want her seeing that."

"Yes sir." The tech went to talk to the guards as Len approached the group.

The guard looked at the doctor. "I'm sorry sir, I have my orders."

"Chief is it?"

"Yes sir."

"Who gave you those orders?"

"Lieutenant Glass sir. She ordered us here for the duration of the testing."

"Alright. You can tell her Lieutenant Commander Leonard McCoy dismissed you. I am ordering you off this floor. It's no reflection on you, I just don't want all this armed security on a medical floor. If she has any questions please refer her to me."

"Yes sir." The two guards left the floor as quickly as possible.

"I hope I didn't sound too; I don't know."

Seri was laughing. "Like you, no you didn't."

The code pad had been switched to a retinal scan. After scanning Len, the door opened. Three containers of serum sat on his desk. "I guess this is it." McCoy went into CMO mode. "Chris, can you get the infuser ready. Seri, Jo should be in there with Scotty. Talk to him so they leave before we start the process." Both women left Len alone with his thoughts. "Here it goes." He said to no one but his ghosts.

He prepped the bags. Times for the infusions and their rates were written on each one. Sometimes the old school ways were the best. Each would infuse over an hour with an hour inbetween each infusion. The times had to be precise to build up the level and keep it. Build it up too fast and the body could go into overload, space the infusions too far apart and the level may not hold. No, it all had to be absolutely precise.

He walked into the room with the bags in a carry basket. Jo was standing by the tube with Seri behind her. Len went to his baby. "Alright Turtle, tell your uncle you'll see him later."

She leaned in closer to the tube. "I'll see you later Uncle Jim. Remember what you promised. I love you forever." With that she kissed the glass. As she turned to leave, she hugged her father. "I love you daddy."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you too baby." Jo grabbed Scotty's hand and the two left the room. Before the door closed Scotty turned to look at their doctor. Their eyes told each other what they couldn't say out loud. Scotty loved Jim, he was terrified, but he didn't want to show Jo. Now he needed to be strong for his niece. The door closed softly.

Chris opened the tube and quickly attached the infuser to Jim and then to the tube' side. Len pulled the pole over to the side of the tube with the infuser port. Carol had checked everything earlier in the day and left notes on both Len's and Christine's PADDs. All that was left was for him to attach the serum and push the button. It took a few minutes to attach the bag and adjust the infusion rate. He adjusted the tube monitors so their information would be sent to his PADD, the portal in his office, and the portal in Jim's room.

Once he was satisfied all of the adjustments were done, he took a deep breath and pushed the button. Now they would know, now they would see if all of his calculations were correct. Soon he would know if he was good enough, or if he lost his brother forever.