Hello, beauties!

Sorry about how long this chapter took, I got stumped. But I'm all better now. Kinda busy today, so I'll keep this short. I hope you guys like it. I tried writing from Spock's POV, and I think I did a decent job.

Lemme know if you agree by leaving me some love!

Kisses,

MD

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any part of the franchise. I gain nothing from writing this other than creative satisfaction.

Addy groaned at the insistent beeping as it dragged her from the first real sleep she'd had in three days. It was a call, or else the computer would have simply logged it away to a PADD for her to view at her discretion, so with that knowledge, she forced herself to wakefulness and stumbled over to her desk and the viewscreen. She passed a hand over her hair and face and with the last hope that she looked coherent, she accepted the call.

And promptly froze.

Green eyes sparkled out at her in mirth as Kodos' eyes skimmed over her face taking in everything like a man starved of water. Addy's first reaction was to scream and cut off the call, but the man could do this whenever he wanted, and ignoring the problem wouldn't make it go away. In this situation, it would likely only serve to spark his anger further. Kodos' pride couldn't stand to be ignored or snubbed in any way.

He looked much the same as he did when he haunted her nightmares and defiled her body, maybe more wrinkled, and the redness in his hair slightly faded. But his eyes. They hadn't changed one bit. They still held the same cunning and calculating coldness that Addy was terrified had been wedged into her soul with how she could be so ruthless sometimes. She tried to compensate by making herself care for everybody - everybody - that worked for her and trusted her, but she felt it. Slithering around at the back of her mind. And it had shown every now and then.

When she had sat in front of the black hole and unnecessarily murdered Nero, even though his death was certain. She'd wanted that on her record, wanted his death to be at her hands, and it had given her an immense sense of satisfaction. And the little things. Chess games, for instance. They weren't games. They hadn't been since she'd come back from Tarsus.

Every king she was trying to capture was the man on the screen before her, and every pawn she sacrificed were the lives of the children in her caves waiting while the thugs came with their guns and ruthlessly killed them all. Every match left a pit in her stomach, because no war could be won without sacrifice.

But they were her children.

Addy blinked and settled back in her chair, bringing her hands up and steepling them in front of her lips, watching Kodos just as much in fascination. He repulsed her and she wished it was possible she could reach through and strangle the life from his body with her bare hands… and yet. He had shaped her in ways she could admit in her maturity had made her the person she was today. He'd put her through the flames, and she'd been born from the ashes of her trauma, a better person than before. So in that way, he interested her.

In every other way, though, she wished she could bash the shards of his skull into his brain.

"Well," Addy finally said, surprised by how even her voice was, "since it's obvious you're going to make me start the conversation… what do you want?" Kodos chuckled. She clenched her hands together.

"Oh, my pet, have you really lost sight of so much after being apart from me for this long?" She raised an eyebrow, not amused.

"Please tell me you really aren't that insane. I'm not sure they'd have medication strong enough to help your special brand of crazy." Kodos chuckled once more and shook his head.

"Ah, so stubborn. So willful. Don't worry. We can take care of that once more." Something in his voice made her halt, made her frown, and she looked past the screen to the bathroom door where she could run through and Spock would be waiting with no judgements or complications, just wisdom and warmth and comfort. Kodos must have seen what she wanted in her face, because his tone when he spoke this time wasn't jovial and lighthearted, it was scathing and cut her right to where it made her insides cold, and when her eyes snapped back to the screen, his expression was murderous.

"Don't you fucking dare, you filthy whore. I've broken through your pathetic barriers around your communications hub, you think I can't find my way around whatever other systems I want to in your ship? I will slaughter every single one of your crew in front of you, miserable little wretch that you are, until you understand that you do not hold the power in this situation. You have never held power over me, and frankly my patience with you has come to an end. I've waited eleven years for you to catch up to me so we could be reunited once more, pet. But if you attempt to involve anyone between us, I will make you eat their beating hearts from their chests."

By the end of his rant, her hands were shaking in her lap, and she felt a cold sweat on the back of her neck. It was hard for Adelaide to recall a time when she was as terrified as sitting in her personal quarters and listening to the low growling promises of a stark-raving madman. She was hard-pressed not to hide under her desk, but she knew his temper, and she knew running from him would be seen as an act of defiance. It would spark things not even her nightmares dared conjure up.

"I-I understand…" she muttered shakily. Instantly the darkness melted off Kodos' face and he smiled at her pleasantly. It twisted her stomach, and she almost wished she was facing him when his anger was on the surface again, because at least he wasn't hiding things and it was easier for her to read him. The only way to guess what he was thinking when he was like this was to look him in the eyes, and the very idea made her whimper.

She did it anyway.

"That's my good girl. I knew I picked you for a good reason. Tell me, did you have an abortion when you were committed?" The sudden change in topic jarred her and she recalled those months with disdain. Addy scrunched up her nose in displeasure and looked down at her lap, wishing that she had Spock's discipline over her emotions and that she could control all the conflicting things she felt at that simple question.

"Of course I did. No fucking way was I having your monstrosity," Addy growled, finding her strength again now that she wasn't looking at him. Kodos' clucked regretfully.

"Pity." She snapped her eyes up to him and glared.

"How do you know about that? I had it wiped from my personal records, there's no way you could know that." Kodos smirked, and it only incensed her further.

"I have my sources. But no matter. We have much to discuss." Addy felt her anger rising and glared hard at the man in front of him. She took deep breaths to try and stop herself from saying anything rash, but it was a difficult battle to win.

"I don't have anything to say to you," she hissed between her clenched teeth.

"Excellent, for I have things I wish you to hear and little patience for your ire and bullheadedness. I'm leaving soon, and as I have not yet seen any Starfleet goons storm through my humble encampment, I'm only left assuming you're clueless as to my whereabouts, yes?" Addy thought over whether she should bluff and tell him they were simply waiting for orders to strike, but he knew her too well to believe any lies. Grudgingly, she nodded.

"I thought as much. Well, I'm rather on a time frame here, and I'm not leaving the planet without you in tow. I don't believe I need to warn you what will happen should you refuse or attempt some misguided notion of bravery?" Addy felt the tears stinging her eyes, and balled her fists as tight as she could to stop from sending them through the screen. Kodos took her silence for the submission it was and continued.

"Good. Beam down to the fair within an hour, else I will come take you, and you do not want that, precious." Addy gritted her teeth together. The gall of this prick. The sheer audacity that he thought she was an item to be covet and possess had her seething.

"You have no fucking right. You can't just do this to people. God, you're so sick!" she ground out, the lowness of her voice doing nothing to mask the turmoil raging inside her body. Kodos rolled his eyes, unimpressed.

"Spare me your dramatics, pet. Do you understand my terms or not?" Her knee-jerk compulsion was to tell him to suck on it and die, she wasn't his plaything anymore, but the soothing lull of her ship kept her vulgarity at bay. The bathroom connecting her to Spock and safety kept her at bay. The stuffed animal she'd left for brown hair and hazel eyes kept her at bay. In light of all she stood to lose by being defiant, her pride seemed so petty and inconsequential.

"Where am I beaming to, exactly?" she eventually asked. The glint of victory in this monster's eyes made her tears spill over her cheeks. She didn't bother fighting against it.

"Just beam down. I'll know where to find you," he cooed. She was disturbed by this, put off by the idea that he could find her whenever he wanted to.

"What am I supposed to tell my crew?" Kodos shrugged.

"Tell them whatever you want. Tell them the truth, if you think it's necessary, but I will warn you now, I will kill anybody that comes with you. I will not be stopped, pet. Not this time." Addy heard the promise in his voice and felt a repulsive chill creep down her spine. More tears slid down her face as the full gravity of the situation and her helplessness hit her.

"You look so beautiful when you cry, pet," Kodos whispered almost reverently. She couldn't take any more, she dropped her eyes and examined her chipping nail polish.

"In an hour then," he said, and the screen finally went back. Addy slumped in her seat, her hands covering her face as she gave in and let loose the fury in the form of anguished sobs. She allowed herself two full minutes of weakness before she stowed away her anger and put a halt on the water works.

Sniffling, Addy rose from her chair. An hour, what did she need to do in an hour? Eat, certainly. Once Kodos had her in his clutches, who knew when her next meal would be? She needed to figure out what she was going to tell Spock. She had to tell him something. She owed him after the way he had helped her out today. Besides, she'd like to see his face one last time before she left.

Could she tell him the truth, though? She was hesitant, her instincts saying that he would stop her or try and follow and therefore put his own life in jeopardy. The last time she'd had reservations about coming clean, it had worked better than she'd hoped, so maybe she should stop assuming the worst from her First Officer and just trust him to have her back.

Okay. So she'd tell him. Maybe he could even help her figure out if she could turn this whole situation around to work in their favour.

Addy was running for the bathroom before she consciously made the decision to move.

Spock's room was hot, that was always the first thing to hit her. It was hot like a desert, but dry, so the heat didn't bother her. It always smelled of incense - crisp mint and something spicy on the tip of her tongue. He'd decorated the room in warm colors, lots of dark wine reds with enough brightness in the oranges around the room to give it some vibrancy. It was surprisingly inviting, and, dare she say, homey.

Currently, her First Officer was sitting on a mat at the foot of his bed, meditating with the soft glow of candles and the sharp bite of mint as an incense stick smoked in front of him. He was out of his science uniform, wearing deep brown robes that hung to his body loosely, tying at his hip and buttoned all the way to his neck.

Normally, Addy would have taken the time to savour and salivate over this, but her hour was steadily passing by. If they were going to do this talk, they needed to do it now.

"Spock," she called out softly. His brown eyes opened instantly, and his lips twitched down in a way she'd come to recognize as him suppressing a frown.

"You have been crying," he observed. Addy walked over the threshold and plopped down in front of him, the incense smoke dancing in the air between them.

"Kodos called me," she answered. He blinked twice, and there was a look of concern about him that he couldn't quite quell. His expression hadn't changed in the slightest, but the air had charged around him, and it get the firm line of his mouth more of a worried look than feigned disinterest.

"That is disturbing news," he mused. Addy let out a soft chuckle. Way to downplay the situation.

"He wants to kidnap me." There was definite concern in his face now as she watched his brow furrow in something Addy could only call panic.

"Captain, I do not believe I need to warn you of the various dangers -"

"I have an hour to go willingly before he kills the entire crew and simply takes me with him." Spock closed his mouth at the interruption. Addy looked down at the burning candles, getting lost in the dancing flames.

"How is he capable of such an act of advanced violence?" She shrugged limply.

"No idea. Maybe he isn't, but you've seen inside my head, you know him as well as I do. I think you'll believe me when I say I got the impression he was telling the truth." She looked up. Spock nodded faintly, examining the candles as well as he was lost in thought.

"You've come to me hoping I will aid you in this endeavour?"

"No. Well. Sort of. This is… an interesting opportunity we've been given. I was hoping you could help me figure out how to… I dunno. Subdue him?" Spock's brown eyes raised up, and maybe it was the soft glow from the firelight, but there was a kind of warmth in the brown depths Addy almost would have called… affection?

"You flatter," he murmured. She felt a shiver at how deep and gentle his voice was in moments like these, when walls didn't exist between them. This, right here, is why she loved him.

"However, I still find merit in compelling you to think over your actions. There is no certainty Kodos has the means to follow through with his threat, while the likelihood of mistreatment and abuse of your person is far greater. I find the idea of you anywhere in his presence abhorrent." Addy blinked at the admission. Shit. She needed to interrupt his meditations more often if this was how candidly he spoke about his feelings. One of the sides of her mouth curled up in a half-smile.

"Aww, Spock, you're worried for me?" she teased. His eyes darkened and her mouth went dry. He did not look to be in a teasing mood.

"Affirmative, Captain. I worry for you." Neither of them chose to comment on how he said that in the present tense. "As First Officer, it is my duty to ensure your safety. You have made this quite a challenge for me in the past, and I have adjusted the amount of concern and caution toward your person accordingly."

Addy looked away from him once again, hoping he didn't notice the light blushing in her cheeks. What exactly was this? She'd come in here with a distinct purpose in mind. She didn't need him making her heart flutter like this, she didn't need him make her regret her decision anymore than she already did. Maybe she should have gone to Bones.

"Well, as much as I appreciate that, I don't have a choice. If there's any chance he could kill all of you… I'm not gonna chance it, Spock. I'm not worth a single one of your lives, let alone 3,000." Spock's hands tightened in her peripheral vision.

"The level of self-worth you seem to deny yourself from feeling is rather alarming, Captain," he said softly. Addy pursed her lips, annoyed and defensive.

"It's true! I've had enough people die for me, and I didn't deserve it then, either. I don't need or want anybody else I care about to lay their lives down for me ever again. I've done too many things in my life I'm ashamed of to be able to live with myself afterwards."

"I respectfully disagree." She shot him a weak glare at the cool response.

"Regardless on our differing opinions on my self-esteem, I'm going. Are you going to help me prepare or not?" Spock's face tightened, and she could see the irritated retort he wanted to throw back, but she spoke again to keep from hearing it. "I have less than an hour."

That shut him up.

"Very well," he conceded hesitantly. Addy relaxed and smiled at him. She was glad. She would have hated her last hour to be spent arguing with the on person that had made her feel normal since this madness started.

Spock was acutely aware of how flawed this plan was. He calculated a minimum of seven different scenarios in which this could fail, and seeing as his Captain would be the one to suffer the consequences of his shortcomings, he felt this number disconcertingly large. The Captain, however, seemed unconcerned. He couldn't decide what alarmed him more, the great risks she would be facing, or the blatant disregard for her own safety.

When he had attempted to confront her on this, she'd dismissed him with a wave of her hand and cheeky grin.

Spock contemplated the day's events as he replaced his robes neatly in his closet and pulled on black slacks and a matching shirt. The Captain was… an enigma. Just when he was certain he understood her motives and the driving forces in her life, she acted atypical of all his gathered data. To say she was anything less than maddening would do her a disservice.

And yet, he could not deny the admiration he held for her unwavering loyalty to her crew. Her strength of character was something to be admired and emulated. And after the meld he had shared with her during their shift, he was secure in his belief that he understood the roots of many of her insecurities. Not to say, of course, he assigned them any value or truth, but Spock was objective enough to understand an idea he did not deem relevant.

Anger swirled in his gut as the Captain's memories taunted him. It was a reaction he had been attempting to purge through meditation when he was interrupted, and without having gone through the proper amount of time to fully contain the ugly emotion, it sat heavy in his gut. This anger was reminiscent of the blind rage he had only felt on the day of his planet's destruction, though it did not have the same strength over him. He was doubtful he would be in a situation that provoked such emotion from him again.

Spock left his closet and stopped in the doorway to observe the Captain in silence. She was relaxed on his floor, her legs stretched out in front her and her hands supporting her weight behind her. The bright seafoam color she had chosen to paint her nails with (that Spock noted was against regulation) was chipping, though taking into account how often he'd observed her chewing on her fingertips, he suspected this was not an accident.

He could still smell the residual salt her tears had deposited on her cheeks. Spock found great discomfort in the knowledge she had been crying. The Captain's cerulean blue eyes flicked over from the plant at his bedside when she noticed his presence. Her eyes twinkled in the dim glow of his room and her mouth curled into a small smile that was uncharacteristically shy for her. The building tension from his anger inexplicably loosened at the sight.

"What're you thinking about?" she asked softly. Spock tucked his hand neatly behind his back against the black cotton of his shirt.

"I am not inclined to let you follow through with this, Captain," he admitted. And it was true. He did not want to let her leave, not with the knowledge that she was being actively pursued by a criminal such as Kodos. Her smile dimmed.

"We've already discussed this," she argued defensively.

"I am aware, I was present for said discussion, if you recall." The Captain pulled her legs back and sat up straighter, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Spock," she said, her voice carrying a certain warning to it, "I don't want to argue about this again."

"Nor do I. You asked my thoughts, I was merely answering." She glared at him and looked away, grumbling under her breath. Spock fought the urge to sigh. "Captain, I understand your motives, truly. Logically speaking, it is a very sound idea to infiltrate Kodos' defences with something he desires and capture him when he is less cautious and blinded by his own arrogance. It would be illogical to place so many lives at risk for one person, no matter how I disagree with your thoughts on your own importance. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or in this instance, the one. Planning out your subterfuge before you leave was also very logical. However, objectively understanding all of this does not diminish the… reservations I hold about how successful you will be in extracting this criminal with minimal harm to yourself."

Really, Spock couldn't fathom the sudden desire for justifying his own fears, he simply knew he was defending himself without the intention to do so. It seemed to have a calming effect on the Captain though, as she uncrossed her arms and relaxed her rigid posture. She was examining him, looking over his face in a way he had seen her do many times before. Her gaze was intense, like she was looking for something, though for what he did not know, nor did he wish her to find it. He was appalled with how easily she read through to the swirls of feelings Spock didn't wish to entertain, and such revelations on her part had more often than not followed such an expression on her face. It made him shift his weight as nerves tightened his stomach once more.

"I know," she finally conceded, releasing his gaze by dropping her eyes to her hands, and Spock was allowed the privacy to compose himself once more. "I don't like this either, trust me. But I've got no other choice."

Silence passed between them, and he wasn't entirely certain what to make of it. The Captain seemed to be losing herself to some thought in her mind, and he hoped she wasn't reliving the memories she'd shared with him earlier. He had enough difficulty controlling his reactions to them, and he had trained himself to be better than his emotions for his entire life. Leaving the ship in a state of emotional distress would not be wise on her part.

"Captain," Spock began, not yet knowing how he would attempt to offer her some comfort, but feeling compelled to do so anyway.

"Addy," she interrupted. He blinked. Her eyes rose up to meet his once more. "We're not on duty. The least you could do is call me by my name before I…" Spock's lips pursed minutely as her voice trailed off.

"Very well, Adelaide," he responded. She smiled weakly before pushing herself to her feet and brushing imaginary dust off her sweat pants.

"I'm hungry. You should come with me." It was not quite a request, but not entirely an order. He inclined his head at her in his acquiesce, following her out the doors and into the hallway as another emotion he couldn't place threatened to consume him. It grew in strength as they walked through halls, the Captain smiling and chatting with her crew amicably, like her life wasn't in very real danger. Every ensign and red shirt that stopped to converse with her only added more fire to this unnameable feeling that made his hands shake. It made him feel useless and powerless and fearful in a way he hadn't attained since confronted with the death of his mother.

And that's when he was able to put a name to the emotion.

Spock walked behind that Captain silently, his hands gripped together painfully behind his back while she smiled like nothing was amiss, and his heart beat heavy in his side, trying desperately to control the overwhelming despair running rampant through his body.

He wasn't very successful.

Alright! Tell me what you guys think, I would appreciate it so much! Thank you for all the love and attention, I couldn't have done any of this without my lovely readers!

Peace.