Icicles 11
disclaimer do not own Star Trek
Khan awoke back in the hospital bed. He didn't feel right. He heard movement and turned his head to the side to see a man in a white lab coat sitting on a stool, facing the computer, furiously typing..
"Oh good, you're awake." The man rose from his stool and walked over. "Just going to take your vitals. You might feel a bit loopy, I gave you some painkillers. I apologize for all this, but you present a great opportunity in learning and advancement in the medical field in relation to how we can heal people." He shone a light in his eyes.
Khan made an indistinguishable noise.
"Glad you asked. Your cells regenerate very quickly. Imagine if we could put that in technology. We could heal lacerations and cuts in minutes. No more need for stitches or staples. That's what I'm working on right now. No, don't move your hand like that."
Khan's eyes trailed down to see his hand in a brace.
"They broke some bones in your hand last night while you were unconscious. Marcus told us not to give you pain meds, but I felt that was very cruel. After all, you are human. Just a bit more…advanced. Everything is looking good. You don't have concussion symptoms anymore. Your laceration on your knee where the Admiral stabbed you is mostly healed. You slept like a rock during the night. I envy that." The man sighed and lifted the blanket haphazardly thrown on him to check his knee again.
"How long…" Khan managed to slur.
"Oh. How long you've been sleeping? It's about late afternoon now. By the way, I'm Dr. Connor. I'm going to check your hand now." He pulled a tricorder out and ran the little instrument over his hand. "Yes, the fracture is healing quickly and nicely. About another day for that. I'm going to let you come off the painkillers. You'll be a bit sore, but the more painful part is over it appears."
Khan attempted to focus his thoughts, but it wasn't working too well. Most likely an effect of the painkillers.
"By the way, who is Marla? You were muttering about her and Bajor last night in your sleep. Is that McGivers girl the Admiral was talking about? Don't worry, I'm not going to say anything to him. He told me to tell him if you said anything, but some things are meant to remain private and I will exercise discretion with this."
Khan stared at him. He couldn't even remember what he was dreaming about.
"Just keep awake if you can. The medication will begin to wear off in an hour or so. Just relax. I will be back soon. I need to eat. You have an iv in so you're taken care of." Dr. Connor rose and left the room.
Khan allowed his head to fall back against the flimsy pillow. He stared up at the ceiling. He was completely disoriented. They wanted him to stay awake when all he wanted to do was close his eyes and drift back out of consciousness again. If he did that there was a chance they would come back and do more things to him. He tugged fruitlessly at the handcuffs again. No, he was still too weak to do anything. That was something they had probably counted on. Khan attempted to form a plan but his thoughts were a jumbled mess.
It wasn't long before Dr. Connor was back.
"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to take so long." Dr. Connor walked back to his desk and began typing again. He glanced up at Khan. "Are you able to form coherent thoughts or sentences yet?"
Khan groaned.
"I'll take that as a no." Dr. Connor sighed. "They really did put you on a drug cocktail, didn't they? Well, there's one way to clean you out, but you're not going to like it. The other option is to wait it out, but it's likely they're going to keep you in this state of haze."
Dr. Connor surveyed him, lost in thought. It was clear he was weighing the pros and cons of negating the tranquilizing drugs they had used on him. Finally the man stood and reached into a cabinet. He pulled out a vial and hypodermic syringe. He filled a tiny bit of the needle and walked over to Khan, who surveyed him intensely. Dr. Connor lifted the sheet slightly before plunging the needle into Khan's thigh.
Khan let out a snarl and attempted to kick at the man who had moved away as soon as he finished.
"Told you, you weren't going to like it." Dr. Connor stated dryly before chucking the needle into a hazardous waste container. "I only gave you a half dose. Enough for you to think clearly, but your body isn't going to respond the way you'd like it to. Basically, your body is going to feel very tired and probably sore." He sat back down at this computer.
Khan could feel his thoughts beginning to form more clearly, but along with that came a dull aching pain from his hand and knee. He groaned at the sensation. The man was right, his body felt exhausted and spent.
"How are we feeling over there?" Dr. Connor looked up from his screen.
"As if I've been hit by a car." Khan grumbled.
"I warned you." Connor stated.
"Where am I?"
"Can't tell you that."
"What day is it?"
"Can't tell you that either."
"Time?"
"4:30 in the afternoon."
"Is my crew intact?"
"Yes."
Both men were silent.
"Am I on Earth?"
"Cannot tell you that."
"What can you tell me?"
"That I am a doctor, what they are doing to you is cruel and that I want to do my duties as humanely as possible because I took a Hippocratic Oath."
Silence.
"Do you suffer from night terrors often?"
"Sorry?" Khan looked at him with confusion.
"Well last night, you were trashing around as much as the restraints would allow and screaming. Then you lay still for an hour or so before muttering about Marla and Bajor before you started screaming again."
Khan glared at him.
"Fine. Then tell me about her."
"And why should I do that, Doctor?" Khan responded coldly.
"Just curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat." Khan sneered at him.
"I suppose so. Still, I would rather hear about her from you than her personnel file."
"She's really not that fascinating. Irritating actually." Khan wrinkled his nose, hoping that Connor would buy his lie and shut up.
"Interesting, your heart rate just spiked slightly according to my tricorder."
Damn. His body really was not responding the way he wanted it to.
"Now let's try the truth, shall we?"
"Let's try this; I spare your life when I free myself of these restraints if you stop prying."
Dr. Connor stared at him.
"Fair enough." He shrugged.
Marla awoke to Napoleon cooing softly, snuggled again her neck. She gently scratched the tribble's fur and sighed. She hated not teaching. She hated being a tour guide in a city she barely knew anymore. It would be a miracle if her student passed their finals at this rate. She very much wanted everything to go back to normal.
Marla wondered how John was holding up with his medical tests. Obviously he wasn't alright if he was going under them and Marcus had said he was ill. Hopefully it wasn't anything major. She supposed they had to rule everything out though. It was strange though, he had seemed perfectly fine on the station. Then again, one could get sick rather quickly.
Bal had given her the day off. Marla had decided she needed a day to herself. Maybe have dinner with Andrew and Amanda. Her stomach growled. Marla closed her eyes and attempted to ignore it and sleep in. Her bladder rudely reminded her she needed to pee.
Marla grunted and rolled out of bed. On her way back from the bathroom, she noticed something sticking out of her bag from the space station. Granted, she had been too lazy to unpack it, but she felt she would have noticed that. She unzipped the pocket to find a bag inside with a good weight to it. She cautiously opened the bag and pulled out an apple with a note attached to the stem.
'It's not poisoned, I promise. -JH'
Marla snorted in disbelief. She smiled and shook her head. How did she not notice that? And how did Napoleon not find it?
She put it on the dresser as she pinned up her hair and picked the apple back up. She placed the note on the nightstand and bit into the fruit as she crawled back into bed. Napoleon squealed and started scooting over. Marla bit off a piece and tossed it to the tribble who merrily munched on the treat.
She lay there, eating the fruit and staring off into space. She finished off what she could and gave the core to the tribble to finish off. She watched Napoleon clean off the rest of the edible fruit before picking up the remains and throwing them in the trash next to her.
"John was good to us, wasn't he Napoleon?" She cooed as she pulled the fuzz ball in for cuddles. Napoleon trilled. "Yes, I know it's been awhile since we've had morning cuddles. You're a good tribble." She buried her face in the fur and closed her eyes.
Marla wanted to do something to surprise John when he got home. She wasn't entirely sure what though. She already knew if she asked Marie for advice the young woman's answer was likely somewhere along the lines of something out of a terrible porno. She supposed taking him out for tea would probably suffice.
The dinner a few nights previous had been odd. Admiral Marcus had spent an unusual amount of time with her. Spending time with her bosses always made her nervous, let alone the man who was basically in charge of all of Starfleet. She supposed the most entertaining part of the evening was when Elyn had grabbed Ambassador Spock's hands while talking to him. At first the Ambassador looked rather taken aback but then just smiled a smile that only a dirty old man could that a lovely young Bajoran woman was holding his hands while speaking to him. Afterwards, Marla had relayed what Tabitha had told her and the look on Elyn's face was enough to cause her to burst out into the laughter she had resisted. Ambassador Spock had paid very close attention to Elyn the entire evening and the rest of the party made a point to chide her about it. It would have been nice to have John there if he hadn't been sick. More entertaining at least.
She groaned and rolled over. It was time to get up and get dressed. She had slept enough for that day. She reluctantly got dressed and shuffled into the kitchen for proper food. Her stomach had already digested the apple and was now growling for more. After surveying the contents of the fridge, she opened the cabinet and pulled out a box of macaroni and cheese.
Fifteen minutes later she sat on the sectional with Napoleon, flipping through the tv channels. The afternoon news was on. Marla decided to watch and catch up on what was going on in the world. Not much had changed. String of shootings in Oakland, a robbery or two, story about school kids helping out a charity. The world news was probably on later at night.
Marla picked up the phone and called Amanda and asked her to come over. The older woman would know much more than she would.
Khan woke up in a cell.
He looked out at the glass wall, seeing a security guard sitting back with his feet up on the control panel, watching something. Khan looked around his surroundings. The white interior shone brightly from the bed he lay on. He had no idea how he got there. They had kept him in the bed and monitored him the past few days. They had done numerous small tests on him. Allergy, EKGs, how fast cuts on his body healed by depth, and others while he was knocked out.
His handcuffs were off at least. He sat and stretched, muscles screaming in protest after days of disuse. He stood and examined himself in the reflection of the glass. Nothing out of the ordinary. The brace was off and there was no more pain. He stood and walked to the back of the cell. Khan wondered how sturdy that glass was. He took off and slammed into it full force, causing a very loud crashing noise, earning a yell and swearing from the guard, before he bounced off and was thrown back into the back wall.
"He's awake." The guard spoke into his communicator. "Fuck. Mother of GOD." The guard placed his hand on his chest. "Give me a heart attack, why don't you?" He snapped as Khan approached the glass, rubbing his backside where he landed.
"What day is it?"
"It's Saturday afternoon."
"How did I get here?"
"They dragged your ass in some time last night. I think you're going home. They moved you in here because some of my associates kept trying to sneak into the room to beat the shit out of you."
Khan snorted derisively.
"Ah, a little arrogant, are we? We could have seen who would win; a group of men you've insulted or the augment chained to the bed shot up with drugs. Wouldn't have been a fair fight though. So, Marcus had you transferred over here."
Khan glared at the man grinning smugly at him.
"I heard about what they did to you last time. Some good Samaritan had to save your ass. A woman no less."
"Enough." Marcus snapped as he walked in.
"Why am I in here, Admiral?" Khan questioned.
"You're going home and I would prefer it be in one piece as opposed to what my men want to do to you for running your mouth about my daughter. You see, they like her and my wife very much and they don't take kindly to people insulting either of them." Marcus sneered as he tapped on the glass. "How's the knee?"
Khan wanted to slaughter every single one of them. He got as close to the glass as possible, eyes locked with Marcus.
"One day I will be standing over your dead body, covered in your blood, in triumph." He hissed.
"You keep thinking that, son." Marcus sneered again, but took a step back from the glass.
Khan retreated back to the bed and lay down.
"We are taking you home."
"Home." Khan snorted. Nowhere felt like home. Not his apartment or Starfleet or even San Francisco. Home would be with his fellow augments. The people like him.
He heard something above him move before having a dart bury itself in his skin.
"You need…something…differ…" He growled before passing out.
He woke up in a car with Marcus a few blocks away from Starfleet.
"Welcome back. I trust you can find your way home from here. Bag's next to you. Go check on your office or whatever you want. Building's open." Marcs grunted.
Khan's eyes darted around his surroundings. It seemed safe, although his instincts told him to never trust anything around Marcus.
He shakily got out of the car in front of Starfleet, bag on shoulder. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to go check his office to make sure everything was still there. He was considerably steadier once he got to the elevator. He saw various people moving around the floor. A few engineers in their offices working on a project.
He was surprised to find that the first door was unlocked. He was even more surprised to see the light on in Marla's office. A note was on the door stating for students if she wasn't back yet to wait. He paused before trying the door handle. Locked. He scowled and slinked to his own office, unlocking it, opening the door to let the semi-stale air out. His foot hit something and he looked own to find a lacy black thong. He wrinkled his nose and promptly kicked it into the trash can. Disgusting woman. Time to go to HR and have them deal with her.
He walked over to the window and looked outside at the dusk that had fallen on San Francisco. He could make out the sounds of the city in rush hour traffic. Khan sighed and leaned against the glass, closing his eyes.
Amanda hummed as she rocked back and forth, knitting. Andrea sat beside her, holding her yarn while watching some show on television. The young girl had been pleasant company. Amanda wanted her to stay as long as Andrea wanted. The boy had been over a few times. What was his name? She couldn't remember. She looked up at the photo of her husband. Oh how he would have loved Andrea and Tyrone and all the others she had come to see as her adopted children.
Marla had called a few days earlier. She smiled at the thought. Her and Andrew came over for dinner. Such a lovely evening with the three of her guests. She wished John had been there. She still had yet to see the two interact together. She would rather like to see that. She had heard from Marla about the two of them getting on with each other and her worries, concerns and such.
Amanda thought the girl was worrying over nothing when it came to Bajor. The Admiral had said no numerous times and was a stubborn old man. Therefore, Marla had nothing to worry about. Now, the woman Marla had spoken of, that she was worried about. She didn't know the woman, she didn't know what the woman would do to achieve her means. She did have faith that Marla would put the bitch in her place though.
How long would it be though until she got to see those two get on then?
"Is something bothering you, Amanda?"
"Just frustrated."
"May I ask why?"
"The usual."
"I see."
"Pass me the green."
Andrea put down the blue yarn and handed her the green yarn.
"Thank you. Don't forget, we're going with Marla and Tabitha tomorrow to get Marla a proper dress for this history Gala."
"Yes Amanda."
Andrea yawned.
"None of that. You'll get me started."
Marla floated in the Academy pool. She had been swimming laps after her escort duties with Bal, but now she took a breather while others swam in two other lanes out of the six.
In her office, there was her laptop with essays she had assigned two days prior. Her theory was if she was there in the office with the weekend crew, the Bajorans wouldn't be able to find her. The one thing she loved about Starfleet was it usually had some form of people working at all hours of the night and all days of the week. If she needed to come in on a Saturday night, she damn well could because there were people working all over the place.
She had sent out an email that she was having unofficial one time only office hours that night. She had gotten three emails asking if they could come in. She glanced at the clock and sighed. Time to get out and shower, get dressed again and go get ready to meet with her three students.
In the locker room, she gave a slight nod to some of her other students she saw as they came in while she was doing her hair.
"Professor! How are you? When are you coming back?" Two Caitian students looked up at her with their cat-like yellow eyes as they sat on a bench. The twins. Their tails swayed and twitched slightly behind them.
"Good and Friday, hopefully." Marla sighed.
"We heard you were on the Space Station." The first asked.
"Did you meet a captain there?" The second followed up.
"Kirk." They both finished.
"Yes." Marla answered warily.
"I told you, he's not on planet. He wasn't lying." The first one turned to the second.
"Fine, but forgive me for taking what he says with a grain of salt. You do not have good taste in terrans." The second one sniffed and they both hissed at each other, teeth on display, fur on their tails standing on end.
"Perhaps I should let you two sort this out." Marla backed away. "M'ram, L'ness."
The two continued their standstill as Marla moved down away from them. She figured that her hair was dry enough and hurried out of the locker room to the entry and to the sidewalk that would lead her down the road to Headquarters.
Her bag bounced against her back as she quickly walked. She had to pull the student's work and such from the semester and organize it and come up with a fast game plan for each of them. She was still deep in thought as she entered Starfleet and hit the button for the elevators.
Marla reached for the first door and swung it open. She froze as she saw the office across from hers' light was on. Her heart raced as she quickly unlocked her office door to put her bag down inside. As she did, She turned quickly and ran into a very solid person. She yelped as John's hands shot out to steady her.
"Easy there." He smirked as he closed the door behind him.
"John! When did you get in?" Marla smiled as she took his hands in hers.
"Earlier."
"How are you feeling? Marcus told me at that stupid dinner that you were sick for a little bit?"
"Did he now? I assure you I am fine." He released her hands and she saw his eyes darken. "And I would like to hear all about this dinner."
"Yes, alright. But not right now. I have three students coming in in twenty minutes for quick office hours. After. We'll go for tea?"
John exhaled and glanced at the clock.
"Alright. I am going to go to the employee lounge and find something to eat."
Marla nodded. She reached up and picked some pilling fabric off his shirt. He leaned down and kissed her temple.
"Go eat. I need to get their papers sorted."
"Oh, I don't get to watch you be a good little school teacher?"
"Shut up and go get your food." Marla rolled her eyes and turned to go to her desk. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and pull her close to him.
"I'm joking." He chuckled in her ear.
"I know that." Marla replied defensively.
"Really now?" He rocked her side to side before his stomach growled loudly.
"Go eat." Marla giggled.
Someone knocked on the door and he released her immediately and sat down in a chair.
"That can't be one of my students already." Marla muttered as she opened it. She found herself face to face with Lila Harlow.
"Ah, looks like a party in here." Harlow gave Marla a cold smile and pushed past her. "Commander. Welcome home." She purred.
"Are you watching our offices or something?" Marla asked in disbelief.
Harlow ignored her.
"Commander, I would quite like to welcome you home properly with dinner tonight and by dinner I mean we skip dinner and go back to my place for dessert."
Marla felt like vomiting a little.
"No."
Harlow looked taken aback.
"I'm sorry?"
"No. There is nothing between us, never will be. Now, I would greatly appreciate it if you left myself and Professor McGivers alone or HR will become aware of the threats and sexual harassment made towards myself and her. Get out."
"Really and I think Pike would love to hear about you fucking me in my office, don't you think?"
"And I'm sure everyone would love to know who Lakewood got crabs from." He sneered.
"Excuse me? I AM CLEAN!"
"You're also shaved. Prevention from it happening again?"
Marla definitely felt like vomiting.
"Um, professor?" One of Marla's students poked his head in.
"Perkins. Wait outside for a few moments." Marla glanced at him. The student quickly closed the door and Marla heard the second door close. "If you're done now, get out of my office."
Harlow glared murderously at her before pushing her aside once more and leaving, slamming the door hard behind her.
"John." Marla motioned towards the door. He stood and left. She groaned and collapsed in the chair behind her desk. Perkins opened the door again.
"Are you ready for me?"
"Yes. Come. Sit. Talk."
Khan hid in his office for a few minutes and rearranged the furniture. After he was certain Harlow was back downstairs, he ventured out to the employee lounge. He rooted around the fridge until he found the box of peanut butter sandwiches one of the older ladies in accounting made twice weekly for anyone who forgot their lunch. Upon further digging around, he found a bag of apples on the bottom shelf and picked through until he found two decent ones.
He devoured the sandwich and one of the apples before sitting back and tossing the second between his hands. He put his feet up on another chair and stared out the window into the night. His mind worked as he looked out. He knew one of the men's names. He could easily access the records of Starfleet personnel and find him and then find where his crew was. Oh, the one slip up. The thought occurred it might be a fake name, but Marcus's men weren't exactly the smartest. He grinned smugly to himself. Now to gain access to the records and he would be set. Tonight was going to be a good night. He could feel it.
He stood and walked back to his office. Upon entering the small recess, he found a student sitting against the wall. He raised an eyebrow and unlocked his door before snapping it shut behind him. He powered on the computer and accessed the personnel files. He typed in Connor and immediately at least one hundred files popped up. He flipped through them all on screen. None of them were the doctor. He checked under different spellings. Nothing. He tried Starfleet Academy staff. Nothing. It was clear that the good doctor had given him a fake name. Of course. The man wasn't stupid. It had crossed his mind, but he was hoping it was a slip up.
Khan sat and became lost in thought before he heard a knock on his door. He rose and unlocked the door to find Marla standing before him, bag in hand, coat on and office light behind her off. She smiled up at him.
"Ready?"
"I need to stop by my apartment first." Khan grunted as he shouldered his bag and closed up.
"I'm guessing you would like a ride."
"A ride would be desirable." He dug into his pocket. "I have nothing to offer but this." He produced the second apple from earlier.
"Oh, another entire one? You are spoiling me, John." She accepted the fruit and bit into it as she walked down the hall.
Marla threw the apple core into a trash bin at the front doors as they made their way to the lot.
"Now the question is how we are going to get that bag on the bike."
"I'll just balance it." He shrugged. "Or leave it on."
"Alright. Remind me of the address?"
Khan held on tightly to Marla as they flew down the streets of San Francisco. After the initial feeling like they were going to die, he was beginning to see why Marla refused to give the damned thing up. It was quite exhilarating going at that speed. Marla slowed as they drew near the apartment. He was slightly disappointed. The downside he supposed.
He dismounted the bike and dug for his key in his coat pocket.
"Come up." He motioned with his head.
Marla shut off the bike, dismounted and followed.
"So where are we going for tea?" Khan asked as they entered the elevator.
"Well…I was actually hoping you would be able to help me out on that one." Marla admitted. "I have absolutely no idea where the hell we were at last time."
"Hm. Well then, I propose this;" Khan spoke as they walked down the hall to his apartment. "I make you a proper cup of tea instead of the crap you Americans pass off as tea."
"I need to let the tribble out at some point."
"Alright, then we shall go to your place." Khan shrugged.
"Okay."
"Good." He swung the apartment door open. "Won't be long, let me change and I'll be right back out."
"You going to shower?"
"If you don't mind?"
"You do what you need to do. I'll be fine."
Khan nodded and walked back to his bedroom.
Marla looked around as she heard the shower turn on. The apartment was very…devoid. And by devoid, there was nothing personal about it. She hadn't really noticed much about it the previous time she had been there. Granted, she was attempting to clean up a very bloody John. There were no photos, nothing that showed much personality. Almost as if it were just a space. Not a place to call home.
She heard the shower shut off and she went and sat on the couch. It wasn't long before John came back out, dressed and ready with something balled up in his hand.
"Shall we?" He asked as he pulled on his coat and gloves and shoved whatever he had in his pocket.
As they got down to the bike, John stopped.
"Actually, may I?"
"May you what?"
"May I drive?"
Marla looked at him, then her bike. Then back to him. Then back to her bike.
"Do you know how to drive a hog?" She gestured to the bike.
"Shouldn't be any different than a smaller one."
"Another time. When it's not night. In a parking lot. Trust me, it's a sport-touring type motorcycle and it handles differently." Marla patted him gently on the shoulder. "Do you even have a license for one? You know what, we'll talk about it later, get on."
As Marla swung the apartment door open, she kicked off her shoes and tossed her bag in the corner before walking over to let the tribble out. She picked Napoleon up and collapsed on the couch. John removed his coat and gloves and went into her kitchen. Marla watched him through the breakfast bar as he started digging around in her cabinets.
"May I ask what you're looking for?"
"Kettle." He grunted.
"Don't have one."
John groaned before pulling out a pot, filling it with water and putting it on the stove to boil. She heard him digging around the pantry before he located her tea.
Marla gently scratched Napoleon as John came back into her living room with two mugs of tea and set them on the coffee table.
"Thank you." She took a sip and was pleasantly surprised to find he had put honey in her tea. It was absolute perfection.
She could see him watching her closely from the corner of her eye.
"Perfection. You are the tea master." She admitted. He smirked and began drinking his.
She took another drink and drew her legs up on the couch. John held out his arm and Marla snuggled against him without hesitation. Napoleon crawled from her lap onto his.
The pair sat in peaceful silence. Marla finished her mug and leaned forward to set it on the table before resettling herself against him. John finished his shortly after and placed his mug next to hers before readjusting around her.
"I missed you." Marla finally admitted. John turned her head gently to look him in the eye.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that Little Miss 'I won't miss you.'" His eyes alight with a mixture of glee and mischievousness. "Hm? What was that you said? Repeat it, will you?"
"Nope. You heard it once and I'm not saying it again." Marla tried to keep from laughing.
"Oh, please. Humor me."
"Nope."
"Just three little words."
"Fine. I MISSED YOU." She gave in while giggling.
"Good. I missed you too and it would be quite unfair if you did not miss me as well." He gently stroked her cheek and leaned in. Marla tilted her chin up. She moved to close the space in between them when she heard the lock click and the door flew open.
"MARLA! ARE YOU-" Andrew froze in the doorway, staring at the pair. John and Marla stared back. " Oh am I interrupting? Because you know what's interrupting? BAJORANS. BANGING ON YOUR DOOR BECAUSE THEY CAN'T FIND YOUR SISTER TO HARASS BECAUSE SHE CAN'T ANSWER HER PHONE OR HER DOOR!"
Marla glared at him.
"I've been at the office. My phone was off."
"OH HOW CONVIENT." Andrew snapped.
"Stop yelling! What did they want?"
"Apparently Bal wants you at his hotel to meet him in his suite."
"Why?"
"Fuck if I know."
"I'm going to o use the loo." John muttered as he got up, tribble attached to his leg. "Where is it?"
"In my bedroom." She turned to her brother. "I am not going to Bal's hotel to his suite. For god's sake, what part of I am not going to Bajor with him does he not understand?"
Andrew's phone rang.
"Yes, Kitya. She's home now." He hung up. "Marla, I don't like the fact that they tracked me down."
"Andrew. They are over here banging on my door for something almost every fucking night after I spend all day with them. I needed space." She hissed.
"Then you need to set limits!"
"I DID!"
"Then enforce them!"
"I did by turning my phone off!"
"They are here until Thursday. I think you can deal with them a few more days. And do you know what kind of panic you caused me to go through when I couldn't get a hold of you?"
Marla started looking murderous.
"Look Marla, I've heard shit. I don't think you're going to have much of a choice here. I heard from Elyn that Bal's starting to wear Marcus down and he's considering transferring you to Bajor to get him to shut the fuck up about it. I know you don't want that, I certainly don't want that and tomorrow I'm talking with Admiral Marcus about keeping you here at the Academy. Whether his mind is made up about it, I don't know, but you need to behave Marla. No going off the grid, and especially no running off."
"What makes you think I'm going to run off right now?"
"BECAUSE I KNOW YOU MARLA. I know you have been itching to take off the past few weeks and I know why, but you cannot leave right now. The fact you have a touring cycle is proving my point that you are planning on taking off on some long ass one way road trip at some time in the future! You always do this!"
"I HAVEN'T GONE ANYWHERE ANDREW!"
"HOW THE FUCK WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT TONIGHT, MARLA? HOW THE FUCK WAS I TO KNOW YOU DIDN'T RUN OFF TO MEXICO TO GET AWAY FROM THE SITUATIONS YOU'RE IN?"
"ANDREW, DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK I DON'T KNOW WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT DO RIGHT NOW?"
"Just reminding you that you have obligations here, Marla."
"I do NOT need reminding!"
"Fine. Whatever. I am going home. Goodnight." Andrew threw his hands up and growled in frustration as he turned to walk out the door.
"Love you, Andrew." Marla called after his retreating back. He stopped and turned slightly.
"Love you too Marls." He sighed before walking out and slammed the door behind him.
Marla started shaking as she walked into the bedroom and opened a dresser drawer to change into something comfortable.
Khan leaned against the sink. He was waiting for the two to stop fighting before going back out. He could hear them perfectly well as they yelled at each other. Napoleon was hanging on the tiles of the shower. Khan observed, curious as to how the tribble could do that. He was resisting the urge to look around in Marla's room. He was a bit annoyed at how they had been interrupted. Again.
He heard the front door slam. He waited. He heard Marla walk in and a drawer open. He flushed the empty toilet and washed his hands before walking out and in on a half naked Marla in a pair of cloth shorts and a sports bra.
"There you are. Thought you managed to drown yourself or something." Marla grunted as she dug through a drawer of shirts.
"Sorry. Would you like me to go wait in the other room?"
"You're fine. It's not like I'm naked or anything. This is something I would wear out running in the summer." She dismissed.
His eyes roamed over the large scars running up her side. He wondered if they felt different from her skin. She growled in frustration and he snapped out of his musings as she sat on the bed, shirt in hand. Marla pulled the thin beater on and buried her face in her hands. He could practically feel the aggravation radiating off of her. He was now wondering if he should stay the night. He had anticipated the possibility and had grabbed his sleep shorts and shoved them in his coat pocket.
He walked over to Marla and sat, wrapping his arm around her. She turned and buried her face into his sweater.
"Everything will be fine. You are not going to Bajor."
Marla looked up at him. He hated seeing her look so…vulnerable. He disliked it in space and he didn't like it now.
"Oh really. And you know this how?"
"I know it because Marcus isn't going to give up one of his scarce history staff to satisfy the whims of a loose canon like Bal."
Marla smiled weakly and looked down, playing with her hands. He seized her hand, causing her to look up at him. He leaned in and pressed his mouth against hers. She froze and he started to pull away, but she quickly began responding and ran her free hand through his hair as she leaned in and deepened the kiss. He released her hand and placed both of his on her face, preventing her from pulling away and ending the electric thrill. Her lips parted slightly and his tongue darted in, exploring her mouth. Khan could still taste tea and honey. He started to pull her body closer when she pulled away enough to signal to him to disappointedly release her.
"Your brother and I will not allow Bal to take you to Bajor against your will." He breathed into her ear. "I promise."
Marla then did something he was unfamiliar with. She pulled him into a hug and she buried her face into his shirt once more. He was accustomed to only Joaquin embracing him in a friendly manner. All else had been purely sexual. He relaxed and held her.
Someone pounded on the door. He felt Marla let out a silent scream into his chest.
"Don't answer it." He murmured as he pet her hair.
"I have to. They know I'm here."
"You don't have to. Let them think you went out."
"Stay here, I will handle it. Don't make any noise."
The banging came once more. Marla pulled away and rose from the bed, misery written all over her face.
It was warm in the bedroom. Khan rose and pulled his shirt off and pulled his tight undershirt down. He walked to the door way and listened from the hall the conversation.
"I was just getting ready for bed."
"Is someone here?" Khan heard Kitya's voice.
"That is none of your business." Marla snapped quickly.
"There are two mugs and you are not a person to leave dishes out. Who is here?" Kitya asked sharply.
"Does it matter?"
"It matters if Marcus is going to give in to giving you to Bal. He does not like men around the women he is pursuing."
"I refuse to be pursued, thank you. Marcus is not going to give me to Bal. Kitya, I'm sorry, but you need to leave."
"I can't do that. You need to come with me. Bal is insistent." Kitya began sounding panicked.
"Tell Bal I came down with a case of food poisoning or something!"
"I can't lie to him! I'm a terrible liar!"
"Kitya."
"Marlena."
"I will speak with him tomorrow." Khan adjusted himself so he could see into the room without being seen himself. He was having enough. He walked out.
"Marla, is everything alright?"
Kitya's eyes widened at the sight of him before turning quickly to Marla who looked simply furious at him.
"Marcus's first officer? Marlena!" Kitya sounded panicked before she began walking in circles.
"What is the problem?" Khan asked, slightly annoyed.
"Marcus does not know about you two, does he?"
"There is no 'us'. John, why the hell don't you have a shirt on? Go put one on!"
"Please no." Kitya mumbled, staring at him.
"Kitya!" Marla snapped.
"Okay, okay. Look. It is obvious Bal is interested. If you are involved with Marcus's first officer…this is not good…"
"Why?"
"Because he has a tendency to challenge people to battles to the death and if he kills Marcus's first officer, that means our negotiations are in the grave."
"I assure you, that will not happen as we are not together." Marla threw her hands up.
"Kitya, just go tell Bal she's sick." Khan walked over and touched her arm. "And keep your mouth shut."
"Fine. I hope you know what you are doing." Kitya took one last look over of Khan before turning and leaving.
Marla began pacing and running her hands through her hair. She muttered curses under her breath. John approached her and grabbed her.
"Stop pacing."
Marla looked up at him, glaring.
"Don't look at me like that, Marla." He growled.
Marla let a growl loose back at him.
"Come walk with me."
"Oh yeah, let's go for a walk when we're both scantily clad."
"Go put pants on and a sweatshirt then. Come for a walk with me."
"Why are we going on a walk?"
"We need to talk and obviously we are going to keep being interrupted here so either we go back to my place, which is a waste of fuel, or we go for a walk. Your choice Marla."
Marla scowled.
"I just got undressed."
He rolled his eyes before going back into her room.
"You know what? You are such an ass!" She followed him.
"I believe you have informed me of this several times." He replied in a bored tone as he picked up his shirt .
"This time I mean it!" She grabbed his wrist. "You come out here half naked while I'm having a discussion with Kitya ,when I told you I would handle it and to keep back in the room! You disregarded the fact that I could handle this myself and made the situation worse! You know what, just-just put your shirt on and leave. Please. Take your wine and go."
"Marla…"
"No." She walked out of the room and into the living room.
"Marla, you are upset." He sighed with a hint of amusement in his voice as he pulled his shirt on and followed her out.
"Oh? Really? No shit Sherlock. Get out!" She shoved his coat in his hand and opened the front door.
"You're really kicking me out?"
Marla grabbed the bottle of springwine from the breakfast bar and thrust it into his hands.
"Out." Her voice was deadly calm as she stared at the man in front of her with hardened eyes.
"As you wish." He turned and walked out the door. "Goodni-" He was cut off by the door slamming in his face.
Marla locked and latched the door. She turned, slid down the door and looked out at her apartment. How dare he pull that stunt? Did he not think she was competent enough to get Kitya to leave without causing an uproar? She was fully capable. Now Kitya was stressed, Bal was lied to, she was getting dangerously close to being transferred across the galaxy, Andrew was furious and Harlow was likely still fuming and finding a way to get her fired.
She noticed his scarf still on the chair. Marla stood, approached it, picked it up and wound it around her neck, gently inhaling, smelling his scent. She went back to the bedroom and laid down on the bed, shutting the small lamp beside her off. Dear god, she was so angry with him.
A knocking came from the front door. Her eyes opened and she turned the light on before flinging the scarf off and storming towards the door.
She unlocked it and opened it to find John standing in front of her.
"I left my scarf." He muttered.
Marla walked back to the bedroom and snatched the scarf off the bed and walked back.
"I apologize for whatever it was I did to offend you." John held out his hand and walked inside.
"Shut up."
"I was trying to help."
"I told you to leave it to me."
"You weren't getting anywhere."
"Yes, I was!"
"She's gone now regardless."
"And you're not!"
"Marla, I did nothing wrong. Now please-"
"You just made everything complicated! Kitya can't lie to save her life and Bal is bound to ask where I am!"
"Kitya will figure it out. From what I hear, she always does."
"I just want to go to bed."
"Alright. Would you like company?"
"I'm still pissed at you."
"You didn't answer my question. Yes or no?"
"I just said I'm still pissed at you!"
"But that doesn't-"
"It does." Marla turned to look away from him. She could feel John's eyes on her. She didn't want to look at him. If she did, she would see the hurt expression on his face and change her mind. He would end up in her bed for the night being her space heater, he would win the argument and she was not letting him win this one. Did she miss him? Yes. Did she want to be alone that night? No. Was she going to let him know that? Hell no. She had a tribble to cuddle with and did not need him and his attractive, muscular body-
Her thoughts were cut off by his lips pressing against her temple.
"I will see you at work then." He murmured dejectedly.
No, he was not guilting her into letting him stay.
"Yes, I suppose so." She snapped, not looking at him.
She heard the door close before looking over. She walked over and half heartedly locked and latched it. Whatever.