Loire Valley, France

Wednesday 26th January 1994

Vaguely aware that he was in shock - the kind of breath-stealing, heart stopping shock that left him feeling cold all over, Krang came to a halt halfway down the stairs and sat down with a heavy sigh. He felt sick and dizzy. Only moments ago, he'd been musing contentedly about the changes to his life, and the revelation of Chrissie's treachery had come like a blow out of nowhere.

Alongside that awful sense of betrayal, Krang felt utterly stupid. There should have been no way this could have happened. How could he have been naïve and gullible enough to have ignored a lifetime of training and experience, not to mention those extra senses that had more than once kept him alive? All because he was besotted with a woman, a Tera'ngan woman no less! No matter how hard he tried, he could not understand it. He had detected no guile in her, not even the faintest hint that her feelings for him were not genuine. How could she possibly be a spy?

He was angry with Chrissie, he recognised, furiously angry, but even more so with himself. He had a lot to be angry about. He had let down his guard, let Chrissie in, trusted her. And it was all a lie! A part of him protested that there must be some rational explanation. She would have a reason, an explanation. It wasn't what it seemed, it couldn't be! He'd challenge her and she would tell him not to be so stupid. The professional part of him, however, knew differently and it was this side of him that won out. He was a security captain in full 'work' mode now and it was only his training that kept him from marching into that room and killing her with barely a word.

Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet again and continued on his way. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he entered the lounge and her face lit up in a happy smile as she saw him. The doctors had done a good job of healing her, he noted. Not a mark remained on her face and that alone would have been an indication to him that something was not quite right. Somehow, and he would never quite know how, Krang was able to keep his true feelings hidden and remain calm, acting as though nothing was wrong. Even so, he could not quite bring himself to offer her the loving greeting that she was expecting. Instead, he addressed the two doctors. "Doctor McCoy, Doctor Kendal…" He stopped and corrected himself. "Or should I say Mister? I understand that is the correct form of address for a surgeon."

David offered the Klingon a wry smile. The title was something he didn't generally make a point of, even if its misuse did annoy him sometimes. "Don't worry about it, all the Klingons call me Doctor. Besides, if you're going to be my brother-in-law, you should probably just call me David."

The Klingon inclined his head in acknowledgement. "David then. I am grateful to both of you for your assistance. It will not be forgotten." He glanced towards his aide. "Kay'vin, would you make the arrangements to have the doctors returned to their homes?"

Kay'vin nodded agreeably. Opening his communicator, he snapped a few orders in his own language and listened to the reply before turning his attention back to the Terrans. "The transporter is standing by," he reported. "You will be beamed back to your accommodation in London. Are you ready to depart?"

"I can't say I am looking forward to teleporting again," McCoy groused, "but yes, I am ready."

"As am I," David said, pulling Chrissie into his arms for one last hug. "I do have one request though."

"Go ahead," Krang instructed.

"I'd like to be able to keep in touch with my sister if that can be arranged."

"Of course," Krang agreed. That was a promise he might not be able to keep since he had no idea if his relationship with Chrissie would survive beyond this night, but it was a fair request and he did not want to give any indication that something was wrong. "I do not think that will be a problem although I would recommend that you do have your telephone repaired."

"Thank you." Reluctantly letting go of his sister, David placed his hand on his chest in a fair approximation of the Klingon salute. Meeting Krang's eyes and seeing something there that made him feel inexplicably uneasy, he added, "I don't think I need to tell you to look after her. And if I ever find out you've hurt her in any way, I… oof!" It was McCoy's turn to elbow him before he could get himself into trouble.

Despite himself, Krang could not help smiling slightly at the threat. He'd made exactly the same threat to his own sister's husband the first time they had met. "Your warning is both understood and unnecessary," he told the surgeon. "Chrissie will come to no harm in my care." He meant it, he realised. Now that the initial shock had worn off, he had calmed down a little. Her betrayal hurt and he still needed answers, but Kahless help him, he could not imagine going back to a life without her. And for some reason that reminded him, there was something he needed to say to McCoy.

Kay'vin was already giving the order to transport and quickly Krang held up a hand, interrupting him. "Kay'vin, wait…"

His aide lowered the active communicator, giving him an enquiring look. "Yes, sir?"

"I'd like to speak to Doctor McCoy privately for a moment." He gestured to the doctor to step out of the room and following him into the hallway, he shut the door behind them.

"Yes?"

"When you return to the Enterprise, give your captain a message. Tell him that there is a courier ship due any time in the next week. He would be wise to hide the Enterprise in the rings of Saturn if he wishes to remain undiscovered."

McCoy blinked. About to bluster and protest that he had no idea what the Klingon was talking about, he changed his mind. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Call it a gesture of goodwill," Krang told him, taking a momentary grim pleasure in the Starfleet doctor's surprise. McCoy's body language was very easy to read – right now he was wondering how in Gre'thor… hell, rather, since he was a Terran… had Krang figured out his true identity? The answer to that was actually very simple. His specialty had been the Federation. The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 was notorious in the Empire and the name of its senior crew – Captain James T. Kirk, Commander Spock, Engineer Montgomery Scott, and Doctor Leonard McCoy were all too familiar to him. It was his intimate knowledge of the Federation that had led to him being chosen for this mission. He did not bother explaining any of that, however.

"You have shown honour, coming here in good faith and putting yourself at risk and therefore, I do the same." He thought for a moment before adding, "Oh… and you may tell Veshaya's captain that we are aware of the presence of a small number of Vulcans living on the American continent. If they wish to stay, their presence will be tolerated provided they cause no trouble. Otherwise, they may retrieve their personnel and leave the system in peace."

Slowly, McCoy nodded, "I will pass on your message." He moved to open the door again, changing the subject to something a little more innocuous.

Talking quietly with his sister as he waited, David looked up as the door opened and the two men came back into the room.

"… signs of PTSD," McCoy was saying. "Be patient and if you need anything, you know what to do."

David relaxed slightly as McCoy moved to join him. He'd been worried, but they were just discussing Chrissie's post-op care. That was a relief.

At a nod from Krang, Kay'vin gave the order and the two doctors disappeared into nothingness and were gone.

The security captain immediately turned his attention to his aide. "Kay'vin, I'm aware that you and Marla are both, officially at least, long since off duty, but I have one more request for you."

Fiercely loyal to his boss, Kay'vin did not hesitate. "Whatever you need, my lord."

"Oh for… quit with the 'my lord' would you," Krang said irritably. "We are both off duty and in my case, likely to be so for several days. You know my name."

Kay'vin grinned but shook his head. "That would not be appropriate, sir." He held up a hand, warding off any protest. "And don't try to make it an order because I won't obey. I will compromise on 'Sir' and that will have to do."

"Sir, then," Krang conceded. "Anyway, I want you to go now and collect the children. Marla, I want you to go with him since the children know you."

The Klingon woman nodded her agreement. She had not been impressed at being co-opted as a babysitter, but despite herself, she rather liked the two Terran children. "Of course. You have the address?"

Krang directed a hard glance at his mate. "Chrissie?"

"It's just off the main road into the village," Chrissie responded, a little uncertainly. Something about the way Krang was looking at her was not quite right and it was making her nervous. Was he angry that she had gone against his wishes and called a doctor? Or was it something more sinister? Whatever the reason for his mood, she was not sure that it was a good idea to bring the children home. They were safer where they were. "But I… um… I think maybe they should stay where they are overnight."

To her surprise, Marla spoke up in support of her. "I think you are right," the Klingon woman said. "It is late now and the young ones are probably already sleeping."

Krang thought for a moment. The discussion he needed to have with Chrissie was bound to be acrimonious. It would be better if the children were not present. They were innocents in all this and whatever happened, he would not allow them to come to harm. "Very well," he growled. "You will speak with the family and if they are willing to keep the children overnight then you can pick them up in the morning. In the meantime, I want you to find out what happened to my housekeeper and if possible, to the guards who were on duty in the village."

"One of the soldiers hit her," Chrissie said, her voice subdued as she remembered the horror of that moment. "She fell over and I didn't see anything after that. I'm sure her daughter will have news, though."

"You were going to give me the address," Marla reminded her. "You said it was just off the main road?"

Chrissie nodded. "You get to the end of the road and it opens up into a little square - Place de l'Église, number seventeen. You'll see it on the left, opposite the church of Saint Philippe. It's the house with the bright blue shutters."

"That sounds easy enough to find," Marla said confidently. Giving her lover a wicked glance, she added, "It is not far. Kay'vin could probably run that distance in about five minutes."

Kay'vin growled, directing an annoyed glare at her and silently promising retribution for her teasing. "You could not handle the cold. We will take the shuttle." So saying, Kay'vin made his way to the door and Marla was quick to follow.

Left alone with his mate, Krang did not immediately speak to her or acknowledge her in any way, finding that he needed a moment to prepare himself. Instead, he stood looking out of the window. At any other time, he would have been amused to notice that the young couple were holding hands, Terran style as they approached the shuttle. Today it just annoyed him. He watched as the shuttle rose into the air and banked before departing in the direction of Saint Philippe sur Loire and it was only when the vehicle was out of sight that he turned back to Chrissie. His posture was stiff and unyielding and he had that grim look on his face again. She studied him anxiously, again wondering what she had done to upset him.

He moved towards her, his arm sliding around her waist and drawing her against him. She would never know just how close he had come to simply killing her when he'd come down the stairs. Had they been alone in the house, she would be dead by now. Despite his promise to David, he could see it so clearly in his mind; his hand on her throat, his grip tightening, and the look of panic in her eyes as she fought for breath. Her realisation that she was about to die. A quick twist and a loud snap of bone and it was over. Somewhere, he knew, in another universe, there was a version of himself doing just that.

No, he would not kill her. Instead, he bent his head to kiss her, his lips hard and aggressive, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth in a way that left her feeling intimidated and scared, reminded of Karg's assault on her and remembering also, how towards the end of their marriage, Diego had used sex to punish her. Instinctively she struggled, but he was too strong and she could not break free. She let out a little moan, wordlessly begging him to let go of her and after a moment he did, stepping back and taking a deep, shuddering breath.

"So, tell me, Qis'ta…" he asked, and that use of her proper name was all the warning she got that he was not yet done with her. "When were you going to tell me the truth? What is your connection with the Enterprise?"

"Enterprise?" Panic threatened to rise in her. He couldn't possibly know. "I don't know what you mean. I…"

"Do not lie to me!" He reached into the pocket of his leather trousers and pulled out the communicator, holding it out to her. "There is no-one else who could have left this on our bed. So, I ask you again, Qis'ta, and this time I want an honest answer. What is your connection with the Enterprise?"

She looked at the communicator in his outstretched hand, making no attempt to take it from him. Tearing her gaze away from it, she raised her eyes to his, and seeing nothing but cold anger in his eyes, it was all she could do to hold her ground and not cringe away from him. "Are you going to have me arrested and… and… questioned again?"

"Of course not!" he snapped. "You are my mate, Qis'ta, and I will not harm you. But how am I supposed to protect you if you will not tell me the truth?"

"I haven't lied to you," she protested weakly. Seeing his disbelief, she added, "I really haven't, I swear! I… just haven't told you everything."

He growled and there was nothing friendly or reassuring about the sound. "Then you will tell me now."

Another big thank you to JDC0, Solasnagreine and RobertBruceScott. One thing I always find interesting is the way the three of you always pick up on different things in the story and I always look forward to reading your thoughts.