AN: As usual, thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad people liked seeing Kirk and Khan together. Way way back when I first started writing this, that was one of the first scenes I imagined. The entire story kinda turned into figuring out how to get them to that point.

There was a stretcher waiting for Kirk in the Transporter Room and McCoy hustled him off to Sickbay the moment he stepped off the pad. Kirk protested this treatment to no avail, and he was still discussing the issue with McCoy—who called it whining even though it definitely wasn't—when they passed through the Sickbay doors. Kirk lost the thread of his argument when he spotted Chekov sitting on a biobed, looking pale and exhausted but definitely alive. A slim dark-haired woman, who Kirk assumed must be Kati, sat on the bed next to his. They were speaking quietly together, but they both looked up when Kirk came in. Chekov managed a smile and a weak wave. The woman just looked wary.

"What's wrong with them?" Kirk asked as McCoy ran the osteoregenerator over his leg. He could see the angry sores on their skin, but they looked otherwise unharmed.

"I'm still working on it," Bones said. "It looks like some kind viral infection. Something's trying to re-write their cellular structure by recombining their DNA with... something else."

Kirk suppressed the urge to claw at his leg; the regenerator made him feel like his bone marrow was suddenly full of crawling ants. "Can you fix it?"

"I think so. It should be just a matter of finding the right antiviral."

McCoy didn't sound as confident as Kirk would like, but saying so wouldn't help. "Is it contagious?"

"Not at all." McCoy gave Kirk's leg a quick scan with his medical tricorder and grunted in satisfaction. "That's it, you're done. I'd tell you to rest and stay off that leg for a few days, but I know you won't listen so I won't bother."

"Thanks, Bones." Kirk slid off the biobed. "I promise I'll take a nice vacation as soon as we get back to Earth."

He picked his way across Sickbay, which was still more crowded than usual even a day after their catastrophic arrival in the Delta Quadrant. One corner had been partitioned off with temporary panels to create a private room. As Kirk watched, Christine Chapel slipped through the doorway and he caught a glimpse of Admiral Marcus lying on the biobed, looking small and sunken.

"How is he?" Kirk asked her.

Chapel gave him a cool look. "Oh, are you talking to me now?"

"What?"

"Sorry," she said. "Are you talking to me now, sir?"

"What—I—" Kirk caught himself before he started stammering. It was true he and Christine had had a fling in the Academy and it hadn't ended as well as it could have, but he hadn't expected this response from her. "I didn't realize I wasn't talking to you."

"Oh." Her expression softened—a little. "Well, in that case, he's not doing well at all." She didn't sound sorry at all. "Was there anything else, Captain? I need to return to my duties."

"No, thank you, Nurse." As she turned to leave, Kirk said quickly, "It's good to see you, Christine."

She hesitated with her back to him, and Kirk wondered if he'd said the wrong thing. But then she turned a little and offered him a half-smile. "You, too, Jim."

Chekov was waiting for him with a bright, if strained, smile on his face. "Captain!" he exclaimed as Kirk came over. "I'm glad to see you!"

Kirk felt an answering grin spread across his own face. "I'm glad to see you, too. Who's your new friend?"

Kati stood, very formal, and offered Kirk her hand. "Katariina Tuule Tormis."

Kirk accepted the handshake without thinking. Her hand felt small and strong in Kirk's own. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Kirk said automatically. Despite her slender build there was an aura of fierce power around her. At another time she would probably be force to be reckoned with, but right now she just looked tired and sick. Kirk invited her to sit and she did.

"Kati is an astrophysicist," Chekov offered.

"An astrophysicist," Kirk repeated. He had trouble picturing this petite, pretty scientist blowing up buildings and opening fire on rooms full of innocent people. Maybe she had hidden depths. Maybe Marcus had lied about Khan's people. Maybe he should post a security detail in Sickbay. "This must all be very confusing for you."

"Pavel told me about... everything," she said, with the faintest trace of helplessness and frustration in her voice. "Captain, whatever Khan has done... I'm sure there must be some kind of misunderstanding."

She met Kirk's gaze steadily, but she was much easier to read than Khan. She had no trouble believing everything Khan had done, and she was still completely loyal to him. It told him a lot about her—and a lot about Khan. He would post that Security detail, after all.

"I hope you're right," he said, because it was the easiest thing to say to her. He was beginning to accept that there may have been some kind of misunderstanding, as Kati put it, but it didn't change what Khan was, or what he had done. "You two should get some rest."

Outside Sickbay he practically ran into four Security crewmen right outside the door. For a second he thought Matlock had anticipated his order and already sent a detail to Sickbay. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened. Then he remembered Matlock was dead and Mendoza was Chief of Security now.

"Sorry, Captain," the man in front—it was Hendorff—said. "He insisted on seeing you."

Over his shoulder Kirk saw Khan, flanked by two more crewmen. Kirk gritted his teeth. He had ordered Khan returned to the brig, but it seemed his crew was no longer sure whether Khan was a criminal under arrest or an unusually dangerous guest. After his rescue, Kirk was beginning to doubt a little, himself.

Kirk met the augment's eyes. "What do you want?" The struggle to balance his hatred and his gratitude left his voice colorless, flat, even to his own ears.

Khan's gaze slid past him, to the Sickbay door. "How is Kati?"

Of course. Kirk could have kicked himself. "She's fine. Well, not quite fine, but Dr. McCoy thinks he can sort her out." He hesitated, but it would be cruel not to offer, cruel to make Khan beg. "Would you like to see her?"

As if summoned by his name, the door slid open and McCoy stuck his head out. "There's a call for you on the comm," he said to Kirk, His eyes lingered on Khan.

"Thanks." To Khan he said, "You may as well come in."

The six of them trooped into Sickbay, Kirk and Khan and the Security detail. McCoy looked like he would have liked to protest, but Kirk sent him a sharp look on the way to the comm, and he subsided. Khan went straight to Kati, who sprang to her feet and, to Kirk's surprise, flung her arms around him. Khan returned the embrace, gently stroking Kati's black hair. Kirk turned away and busied himself with the comm panel, feeling like an intruder in a private moment.

"Captain," Spock said, when Kirk called the Bridge. "Welcome back."

That was probably as close to I'm glad you didn't die as Spock could get, and Kirk smiled to hear it. "Thank you, Mr. Spock. What's our status?"

"Our scanners have picked up two Magog ships approaching the array."

Of course the Magog would have noticed the sudden change in activity. "Set a course to intercept them at the array. I'm on my way."

He switched off the comm and turned to Khan, who was speaking quietly to Kati and completely ignoring the four armed guards hovering around him. Chekov, Kirk noticed, had edged to the far side of his biobed and was eying Khan nervously.

"Mr. Harrison," Kirk said. Khan and Kati both turned toward him, Khan inscrutable, Kati with relief fading to wariness. "I regret to interrupt your reunion, but I must insist that Mr. Hendorff escort you to the Brig now."

Kati tensed and looked to Khan. Kirk tensed, too, wondering how this would play out. Astrophysicist or no, if Kati was a strong as Khan she could be an incredibly dangerous opponent. The two of them together would pose a major threat.

But Khan only said, "A reasonable request, Captain. But I have one of my own. I would like to accompany you to the Bridge."

It was a terrible idea, and Kirk almost refused it outright. Allowing him access to the Bridge, even under guard—it was madness. But Khan had saved his life, and he seemed to feel Kirk had a shot at getting them out of this, so maybe he genuinely wanted to help.

Or maybe this was just him setting up his endgame, laying traps far in advance of the moves Kirk could anticipate.

Maybe, maybe, maybe. Kirk wasn't used to doubting himself like this. He was used to knowing what he wanted, knowing what he needed to do to get it, and then doing it. But Bones was right: he was too close to this, too close to Khan, to Marcus. He couldn't think straight.

He glanced at McCoy, who was watching the exchange with undisguised interest. McCoy shrugged and grimaced, which might mean he thought it wasn't a bad idea, or might mean he thought it was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. Kirk sighed.

"Alright," he said. "Hendorff, you, too."

I know Christine Chapel is supposed to be somewhere else during STiD and that Kirk apparently doesn't even remember her, but she just sort of showed up while I was writing this chapter and I'm always down for including more female characters so I didn't make her to leave. Also, Kirk may get around but he's not a douchebag and in TOS he has a great memory for all of his, ah, female acquaintances, so I can't see him forgetting Christine. Also also, I like the idea of giving Carol a little competition for Kirk, but I swear it's not going to turn into one of *those* stories where all the women are super jealous and hate each other, because I can't stand those stories, either.