Icicles 16

Disclaimer: do not own Star Trek

Khan felt a sense of relief as he stepped out of the airlock. Finally, he was off that damn ship. It had been massively dull sitting and constantly running checks to be certain everything was running correcting for hours on end when he knew damn well it was and was highly unlikely to change. His first instinct was to find the canteen for food, but he refocused himself. He had to think about the ways he could get onboard the Klingon ship he had seen as they docked.

The ship itself didn't seem too impressive. He felt somewhat disappointed. He didn't quite know why, but he had expected something a bit more formidable from the legendary warriors. Khan reminded himself that the Klingons were not as…oh what were the words he was looking for? Ah yes, technologically inclined. He was shocked that a ship that decrepit looking had top notch cloaking technology that the Federation had yet to figure out. But he supposed he shouldn't judge a book by its cover, or rather a ship by the appearance of its hull.

A purring noise caught his attention as he walked down the hall. Startled, he looked up to find a trilling Tribble clinging to the top of the wall. In fact, there were at least a dozen on the way down. He caught it as it fell down. It squirmed and screeched in his hand. He froze, unsure of what to do. Napoleon had never acted that way.

A snarl came from behind him and he felt himself being shoved aside. He turned his head to see three Klingon men eyeing the furry creatures with absolute disgust. They growled at each other in Klingon before turning around and heading back to the airlocks. Another walked by them and hurried down the hallway, the Tribbles screeching at him as he passed by.

So, they didn't like Klingons. It appeared the Klingons weren't exactly fond of them either.

"Give me that." A man grunted as he snatched the Tribble away from Khan and threw it in a sack. "Whole lot is going out the airlock in ten minutes."

"You're killing them?"

"What else? We have a damn infestation from that Cyrano Jones. Asshole took off last week and God knows we are never going to see him again." The man answered bitterly. "They may be cute, but they'll eat everything on this station and starve us out before more food can arrive next month. That and the Klingons are threatening to force us to shut down the station so they can personally do their own version of an extermination and when they're done, I doubt the Federation will be able to get anywhere near it again."

The man proceeded down the hall, yanking and knocking down the creatures from the ceiling and walls, tossing them in the bag. Khan noted to never tell Marla or Sam.

Speaking of Marla, he also wanted to figure out a way to let her know they had arrived safely. He hoped he would catch her before she disappeared. Anger began to boil inside of his stomach.

"Out of the way." Another Klingon shouldered past him.

"Koloth, where are your manners, my friend?"

The Klingon turned around to greet Captain Abbott.

Khan watched the two laugh and walk off. It appeared that Abbott wasn't exaggerating when he stated that he had Klingon friends. An idea flew into his mind and he quickly turned to follow them, abandoning the prospect of food.

Marla sat panting on the floor next to the pole. She felt out of shape. She fell backwards to lay on the floor with her arms spread out over the numerous pillows she had thrown haphazardly around in case she fell. Her eyes found Napoleon situated at the top of the pole and moving to the ceiling, eager to explore the strange surface. It wasn't long before the tribble fell on top of her with a squeak. She cooed and coddled the furball for a few minutes.

Neither the Tribble nor Marla was adjusting well to packing steadily. She often found Napoleon on top of her bag making noises of confusion. She would scoop Napoleon up, cuddle for a bit and carry it around for a while until the thing calmed down.

Marla had managed to finally tell Andrew. That was, after she got every single detail she could about his date with Janice Rand out of him. Predictably, her brother was not happy. In fact, he seemed rather distressed, but said he understood, even though she could tell by his tone, he really didn't. It would be difficult at first, but he would soon get used to the idea of her not being around, being somewhere unknown. He had done it for a few years before she even woke up. He could cope until she got back. She was lying to herself. Marla knew he would always worry about her when there was nothing else to occupy his brain.

She didn't know how John was going to handle it. Marla admitted it was unfair to let him know she was running off for an undetermined amount of time to somewhere he could not know about without allowing him to respond to her. Sort of like a text message breakup and then immediately blocking them on all social media and phone. She felt horrible about it, but at least she had given him fair notice. She could have just disappeared without saying a word. At least he would be distracted with work until she got back. Hopefully.

Khan worked quickly on board the bird-of-prey. The bag of tribbles wasn't going to distract the Klingons for much longer. The unconscious guard next to him began to groan slightly in the puddle of bloodwine. Khan kicked him again as he finished up observing what needed to be observed. He would sketch it all down later for Marcus. He shoved the guard's knife into his coat and quickly left the ship, making certain to crawl back through the vent he came through next to the airlock. He closed the grate as the alarms went off. The curved blade poked him uncomfortably. He was grateful that the Klingons didn't typically poison their weapons. The Klingon didn't deserve it anyways. He was drunk at his post, bat'leth out of arm's reach. Quite dishonorable in his opinion. What if an intruder happened upon the ship, knocked him out and had free roam while everyone else was on the station for a meeting or occupied with tribbles in their food supply? Khan smirked to himself.

Khan had watched the Klingon purchase the knife from another Klingon, who appeared to be a merchant passing through. From what little Klingon he had managed to pick up while researching the warrior race, the knife was brand new, perfect side weapon for guard duty. The Klingon mentioned he would take care of it and break it in on his guard duty shift in the next hour or so. He parted ways with the merchant and hit the bar. Khan had done a run-down of the situation. There weren't but maybe twenty Klingons on board Koloth's ship. The majority of them would be meeting with commanding officers to negotiate shore leaves for the Klingon outpost near Sherman's Planet. The rest had been easy.

It wasn't long before he was back at the vent near the Bradbury airlock. He quickly exited and put the grate back before boarding the Bradbury. It had been a relatively small ship, after all, they only had twenty onboard, but from what he could see, an efficient one. He still had no idea why they just didn't adapt the Klingon's cloaking devices to their ships when they managed to get a hold of at least three that he knew of and was not allowed near. It was idiotic.

Security eyed him as he returned to his room to reconstruct the interior from his memory and send it via transmission to Marcus. He knew there was a risk it could be intercepted, but it was a risk he had to take. He couldn't be caught with them. He reminded himself he had a Klingon knife in his pocket, but simply ignored that. He could just say he bought it off the Klingon merchant. He had already decided to present it to Marla as a gift before she left. If he managed to catch her, that is.

Marcus could separate them, it just added fuel to his fire. To his desperation to find his crew and leave with her in tow.

Khan sat on his bed and gazed out the small porthole that showed the vast expanse of space. Their new temporary home was out there somewhere until they could return to Earth. He started as a piercing alarm sounded and red lights began to flash. He quickly stood up and ran out to the hall. Men and women rushed every which way. He grabbed an ensign.

"What is happening?" He demanded as he held the young man by the sleeve. The boy looked terrified as he gulped.

"Klingons, sir. They've taken over the station."

Khan shoved him away as he headed towards the bridge. The din from everyone rushing to stations and the alarm was deafening. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the captain standing behind him.

"Harrison, come with me to the bridge." Abbott shouted over the noise. The pair was suddenly knocked off their feet as the ship rocked. There wasn't going to be time for Abbott to get to the turbo lift, Khan was sure of it. He himself could get there in no time, but the other man was older and did not have superior augmented genetics. Abbott took off and he had no choice but to follow. "We haven't finished unloading, but we need to get out of here. Koloth departed with some Federation officers a half hour ago. These are not Klingons I am familiar with. While they held a meeting with Koloth, their ship was boarded, the guard knocked unconscious. They are not happy." The ship rocked violently again.

Khan glanced at him. The captain's face was solemn. Almost stoic. Khan knew it was a tactic to keep the crew slightly calm. If they saw any form of panic or fear on their captain's face, the situation could go downhill quickly.

"We need to depart now." The door of the lift opened to the bridge.

"Captain on the bridge."

"Ryan, open coms with the station, order them to release our moorings. We're sitting ducks." Abbott commanded as he sat in the chair. "Harrison, to your station, raise shields to protect us from further damage."

Khan quickly worked as Abbott announced to the crew to lock down remaining cargo. The lights on the panel in front of him indicated shields at one hundred percent.

"Mormon, get ready to punch it the second those mooring clamps are released. Ryan, status." Abbott snapped.

"Releasing us in three, two, one."

Mormon quickly set the ship in motion.

"We need to get to warp! What is the problem, lieutenant?" One of the others snarled. "I'm not being shot down by fucking Klingons!"

"If we go into warp now, we risk crushing crew members in the cargo bay." Mormon snarled back.

"Captain, he's right."

"Captain, approaching ship. Looks like trouble."

Abbott remained silent before speaking.

"Ryan, open ship wide channels."

"Yessir."

"Any crew in Cargo is order to immediately evacuate the bay. Page the bridge when all are cleared out. Abbott out." He clicked it off.

"Sir, it's a Klingon bird of prey. I can't keep track of it."

"Harrison, keep your hands on those phasers. Keep us moving!" The ship rocked violently for a third time. Khan knew if they fired, they risked sitting which meant risking other Klingon ships in the area coming to see what the commotion was. The Bradbury was not built for battle.

"Shields at ninety percent." Khan responded.

"Hail them. NOW! Onscreen."

"No response sir." Ryan relayed.

"Try again!"

"Yessir."

A beeping noise sounded from the console. "Sir, cargo bay is evacuated."

"No response sir."

"Try again! Mormon, get us out of here!"

"On it, Captain." No sooner than the words were out of his mouth, the ship rocked even more violently than before.

"Shields at sixty percent." Khan reported. "Sir, do you wish for me to fire?"

"Harrison, we are under strict order to refrain from firing on the Klingons this close to Sherman's Planet and their outpost. Mormon!"

"I'M WORKING ON IT!" Mormon yelled. "Call Engineering."

"Still no response to the hails."

"Commander Harrison, r-"

"Where are they? I can't find them." A Trill woman named Florence scanned her screen. "It's like they disappeared."

Khan's stomach turned as he swiveled to face Abbott. "They've turned on their cloaking device. Captain, unless we get out of here now, we're d-" Khan was thrown from his seat as the Klingons fired close range. He got back up.

"Forty percent sir." He groaned as more alarms began going off and the panels in front of the crew lit up like Christmas lights.

"Sir, we've sustained serious damages on the starboard side of the ship."

"Harrison, return fire." Abbott ordered.

"But sir, you just said-" Florence turned around, alarmed.

"We have lives at risk here, Admiral Marcus can take up this issue with me later. HARRISON!"

"If we cannot see them, how are we supposed to fire on them, sir?" Khan snarled.

"Ready to warp sir." Mormon yelled as he punched it.

A wave of relief settled over the bridge. Ryan threw his earpiece down. "Permission to go use the bathroom sir." He sighed.

"Granted." Abbott exhaled as he sank down into his chair. "Take us to the nearest station for repairs. I have to go brief Admiral Marcus."

Marla's leg and side ached. She was coming out of the stupor the anesthesia had left. She looked down to see a bandage wrapped around her thigh and a covering on her hip.

"Ah, you're waking up. Good." A man stood over her. Her hazy brain recognized that he was not her doctor.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Dr. Conner. Under orders of Admiral Marcus, I observed your surgery and I must say, those scars were terrible."

"They remind me…I'm alive…" Marla mumbled before she closed her eyes.

"No, no. Stay awake." He sounded mildly amused.

Marla grunted in defiance before falling asleep.

The man observed her. So this was the woman Khan had screeched about in his sleep sometimes. She seemed ordinary to him, absolutely nothing special about her. But then again, she was a defrostee. His curiosity had gotten the best of him, especially after Marcus went to such lengths to separate the two. What was so significant about this woman that she was of any importance to an Augment?

Dr. Connor's owlish eyes blinked rapidly. He moved her hair to see they left the scar on the back of her neck. Perhaps they had forgotten. Regardless, the leg and hip would be healed up within a few days. She would go home in a few hours; they would heal with little more than hairline scars. She may not be happy, but it was not up to her. As terrible as it sounded, it appeared that Miss McGivers no longer was in complete ownership of her body. He began unwrapping her leg. He observed the surgeon's work. It was clean and would heal remarkably fast, perhaps faster than he thought. These were new techniques he had yet to learn. Two days, it would be like a paper cut.

He took her pulse with his own hand. Such an old fashioned way to do it, but reliable nonetheless. She started coming around again, quiet groans signaling awareness. To his amusement, she mumbled the name John. Ah yes, the Augment's alias. He released her wrist and quietly left the room. He was late for a card game with Curzon Dax anyways.

Marla looked around. She could have sworn someone had been in there with her. The soreness was still present and now she could see the leg. Did she unwrap it? Her eyes darted to the door where a man entered.

"You're awake. I'm Dr. McCoy and Dr. Woodbury requested I come in and discuss aftercare with you as he has another patient right now."

"Yes, we met before…on the space station." Marla attempted adjust herself in a more comfortable position.

"Yes, that's right." The southern gentleman stood next to her bed. "Now, how did you manage to get that undone?" He sounded bewildered as he noticed her leg.

"I…don't know. I think someone was in here with me."

"There shouldn't have been." McCoy's brow furrowed.

"Dr. Connor."

McCoy stared at her before consulting his PADD. There was no Dr. Connor on staff at the hospital.

"He was in here, asking about my scars." Marla began feeling panicked. It was clear the man in front of her didn't believe her. "He said he observed my procedure."

"Give me one second." McCoy turned and walked out of the room. "Excuse me." Bones quickly walked up to the nurse's station.

"Doctor." The nurse greeted him.

"Was there anyone coming and going out of that room there?" Bones cut to it.

"There was a man." The nurse confirmed. "I just thought he was from the surgical staff."

"He wasn't." Bones snapped. "We have someone impersonating a doctor. I want security footage and this hospital locked down. Now." The nurse stared at him.

"Sir, he is long gone by now. That was fifteen minutes ago."

Bones swore loudly before going back into the room.

"Dr. McCoy, who was that man?" Marla had scooted herself to the edge of the bed.

"Get back in bed so I can take your IVs out." Bones grunted. "Your discharge papers are here on my PADD. I need you to sign them. Are you driving home?"

"No, I live across the street in the apartments. I would walk."

Bones snorted.

"You just had surgery on your leg and you think you're going to walk home? No. We are calling someone. You have your brother listed as your emergency contact. I can give him a call."

"He's on the space station. I'll just call Scarlett. She lives in my building."

"Alright, give her a call."

"Dr. McCoy, who was that man? He said Marcus sent him. Why?"

That caught his attention.

"He said Admiral Marcus sent him?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I haven't the faintest."

Scarlett Honda furrowed her brow. She stood in Marla's apartment, eyes searching. Nothing was out of place or touched. Marla sat in her own apartment upstairs with Nyan Nyan the cat. Scarlett had told her to stay put as she made sure the apartment was clear after hearing about the strange man in recovery.

The woman walked once more through the apartment. Nothing was out of place it seemed. Nothing seemed missing and there was no one hiding under the bed or in the closets or bathroom. Once she deemed it safe, she travelled back upstairs.

"All clear." She declared.

"Thank you Scarlett. You really didn't have to do this for me." Marla muttered, embarrassed.

"No. We are icicles. We stick together." Scarlett stated firmly. "Have you seen Andrea lately?"

"I saw her the other day. She seems to be doing better. Why?"

"She hasn't been going to meetings. Much like someone else I could mention." Scarlett shot a meaningful glance at her as she picked up Nyan Nyan.

"Hey, I've been busy!"

"I know, I tease." Scarlett waved her hand dismissively while stroking the cat with the other. "We are worried about her."

"I'm sure she's just been getting more hours at work, she has probably busy with Peter since I think they've started dating, busy helping Amanda…There's a number of things."

"I know, but I worry." Scarlett insisted.

"Me too."

Andrew paced around the docking bay waiting area. The Bradbury was due in in six hours. He had reports of the ship being attacked by Klingons and he had made the snap decision to inform Marla of that when he had called her that night. That being said, she insisted on coming up to the station on an earlier shuttle than what she was supposed to.

The ship had stopped for a day and a half for emergency repairs at station just far enough away from Klingon territory to be comfortable. They had patched it up enough to get them back, but Andrew and his crew would be working on it the rest of the week.

Marla had been supposed to come up on either Tuesday or Wednesday regardless, but he guessed news of her precious boyfriend made her decide to come in early Tuesday and the shuttle was ten minutes away. She was planning on staying the week but it seemed instead of brother sister time, it was likely going to be John and Marla time. She had promised the last time he spoke with her it wouldn't be like that and they would see each other when he wasn't attempting to repair the Bradbury. He admitted that he would be busy with the repairs on the ship. The Enterprise was almost finished, once she was finished he could move the rest of the crew over so they could get the Enterprise to Earth for some adjustments they couldn't make in space.

Montgomery Scott was not happy with him. At least, that was the impression Andrew was getting. Kirk had been hinting at getting Andrew assigned as an assistant of sorts to Scott onboard. To be honest, while it sounded slightly appealing, the damages sustained on the Enterprise on a monthly basis made Andrew think perhaps staying on the station was the safest bet out there. Speaking of stations, it was a blow to the Federation. They may have Sherman's Planet, but if the Klingons had the station…That could pose a problem.

His train of thought derailed as the airlock hissed.

Standing in the bay and waiting for the door to open with everyone else, Khan wanted nothing more than to get off the ship. Everyone was restless, that Florence woman kept staring at him and Mormon was becoming unbearable. They had been confined to the ship while repairs took place. Fortunately, they had been informed they could leave the ship momentarily. All he wanted was a shower, a shuttle home, and to pass out in bed curled up with Marla and Napoleon. Strange how he had become slightly fonder of the Tribble after discovering they were disposing of them on K-7.

Marcus had been mildly pleased that he had one more reason to go to war with the Klingons. However, he was not pleased at the damage done to the Bradbury in addition to the damage of the Enterprise. Khan had heard the Enterprise needed to be brought back to the Yard for some additional repairs. What the hell was the young captain doing to that ship? Whatever it was, he had also heard he had yet to lose a crewmember, which was rather impressive considering the amount of damage sustained.

Khan shifted his bag as the doors began to hiss and slowly open. He moved out after the queue of people to the gate. He wanted to stop for a cup of tea before finding a departing shuttle. He was barely to the doorway to the rest of the station when Florence caught up with him.

"Harrison! Wait!" He groaned mentally and turned his head to look at her. Her black marks around her face and neck seemed to blend in with her black hair.

"What?" He grunted.

"Well..um…I was just wondering…if you weren't busy that is-" Oh god no.

"John!" His head snapped up, grateful for the distraction. His eyes found Andrew waving at him and walking towards them, his arm around Marla. A large smile broke over his face as Marla smiled back at him. He dropped his bag as Marla approached him and pulled her in for a brief yet deep kiss. He didn't care who saw, he was beyond relieved to know he was getting to see her before she was sent away.

"I'm so glad you're safe." Marla murmured low enough for only him to hear. "Don't scare me like that again."

"I'll try not to." He assured her in an equally quiet voice.

"I'll…um. I'll see you later then." Florence mumbled in embarrassment before quickly leaving the pair. Khan ignored her and brushed the hair out of Marla's face before kissing her once more.

"Alright you two, go get a room." Andrew griped. Marla turned pink in embarrassment. "You two are making me sick. I have to go start a crew on the Bradbury. Glad to see you got through a Klingon attack safely. Welcome back." Andrew clapped Khan on the shoulder as he passed by. Khan's stomach growled loudly.

"Let's go get something to eat, shall we?" Marla nudged him playfully.

Khan picked his bag backup and offered his arm. "I proposition this: We go get something small, get our rooms, clean up, relax for a bit and then go get dinner."

"Sounds good to me." Marla agreed. "I actually already have quarters. I believe there are a few empty rooms in the same sector though, but you better hurry before they're filled from the rest of the Bradbury crew who aren't going home tonight." She warned.

Khan considered and agreed to go figure that out first. A half hour later, he had acquired the room across the hall from Marla's, had an orange in his hand and was laying on Marla's lap on her bed attempting to convince himself to go take a shower.

"Just go take one." Marla idly played with his hair while he tore off a section and offered it up to her. She took it and ate it slowly.

"We could shower together." He suggested after he finished off another section.

"The shower is too small for the two of us." She grunted. "And besides, I took one when I first got in. Stop stalling and go take one."

He groaned as he sat up and stood up. He stretched before turning and leaning over to Marla and kissing her. Khan wanted to crawl back into the bed with her and fall asleep in the chilly room, but he also really needed to bathe. Upon entering the tiny stall, Khan begrudgingly admitted Marla was right and there was no way both of them could fit in there at the same time.

Marla lay back on the bed and yawned. She had spent the day with her brother, hanging out and such. He had taken her on a tour of the Enterprise, which to her was the most amazing thing. The halls were pristine and white, no scuffs to be seen, the bridge was a gorgeous open layout. Everything was so…new and beautiful. Andrew had taken her through most of the ship and she could see why Kirk was so protective of the ship. Whoever had designed her must be bursting at the seams with pride and if they weren't, they should be.

She got up, stripped down to her underwear and crawled under the covers to escape the chill. She knew she could get the computer to heat the room up a bit, but she didn't want to be hassled with it again. She had already fought with it before and at least it wasn't anywhere near as cold as when she arrived. The room wasn't as nice as the one she had when she was with the Bajorans, but she supposed that had been different.

She glanced over at the bathroom door, listening to the shower running. How was she possibly going to explain that she had no choice or say in the matter of having her scars removed? She wanted to tell him what she would be doing undercover, but was terrified he would be disgusted with her. Marla looked back up at the ceiling and swallowed hard as she covered her face with her hands. The shower stopped. Her eyes felt on the door as John walked out with a towel around his waist.

If the chill bothered him, he didn't let it show as he quickly dried off and pulled on a pair of underwear before joining her under the covers. Marla felt content as she snuggled into his warm chest and felt his arms around her.

"Be careful of my leg, it's still healing." She warned hesitantly.

"Healing?" John glanced down at her, confusion and concern in his face. "Marla, what is wrong? Did you hurt yourself?"

Marla bit her lip. "Marcus…I had to undergo reconstructive surgery on my scars. I had no choice; he didn't want any identifying features for my undercover assignment." Might as well get it out and over with. "John, he found out that I used to be a stripper and he's making me go undercover in a strip club. I'm sorry." She closed her eyes and waited for the reaction. She was surprised when she felt him kiss her forehead and tighten his arms around her.

"If it provides any consolation, I knew you used to be a stripper." He sighed. "Andrew is not quiet while yelling on the phone."

Marla felt her face turn into a mortified expression.

"But I assure you, neither my feelings nor my opinion of you has changed." He quickly added. "As for Marcus..." He trailed off as his voice hardened.

Marla gently pressed her lips against his.

"Will you wait for me?" She whispered as she ran her fingers down his chest.

"And why wouldn't I?" He replied sternly. He played with her hair and looked down into her brown eyes. "You are one of the people I hold most dear." John pulled the covers over her bare shoulders. "Who else am I going to hold intelligent conversation with? Who else will tell me stories about the past? Who else is going to remind me four times to pack warm clothes and still insist on shoving an extra thick pair of socks in my bag? Hmm?" He kissed her once more as she giggled.

Marla contentedly settled back down onto his chest, listening to the strong beat of his heart.

"When you get home, I want to take you to London." He murmured.

"Will Marcus let you?"

"I have no idea." He admitted.

"Will you scratch my back while you're back there?" Marla mumbled and made a noise of contentment and relaxed further as he complied. She reached back and unhooked her bra, giving him a wider range. She found herself steadily falling asleep in his arms. He had noticed and stopped scratching. Marla protested and he started again, slightly smiling to himself.

"I want to see where you grew up." She mumbled. He had seen where she grew up; it was only fair that she get to do the same. "Will you also take me to Bombay and Tel-Aviv?"

"Someday, I will. But I want to take you to my favorite city first." He assured her.

"Okay." She threw her bra to the side. "I'm going to take a nap now." She yawned before his beating heart and steady rise and fall of his chest put her to sleep.

Khan lay awake, listening to her light breathing and feeling her exhale softly on his skin. He could faintly smell her hair and perfume, the scent now familiar and comforting. This would be one of the last times for a while he would be able to hold her like this, perhaps one of the last if Marcus got his way. Khan wanted to wake her up, kiss her urgently and passionately, but he couldn't bring himself to rouse her. Khan could feel himself becoming steadily more tired. He reached for her hand and laced his fingers in with hers. He held off as long as he could before he finally gave into sleep.

The woman as almost breathing fire and rage as she stood chained to the podium before the Council.

"My child…" She hissed. She brought her amber eyes up to meet Marcus's, auburn hair a mess, her face no better. Bloodied and beaten, a split lip and scabs. "My child shall destroy every single one of you until you are nothing but ash! Until the Federation itself is nothing but ash!" She screamed, shaking her chains as the courtroom became engulfed in flame. He could hear Khan laughing in the background and the child that had the red hair of her mother and face of her father, no it was his daughter. His own daughter was consumed in flame and melted away into stardust.

Marcus sat bolt upright on the couch in his office, covered in cold sweat.

"Just a dream." He murmured. Just a dream, but by Gods, he was going to have that woman sterilized to prevent any little Augments running around.

He coughed as he got up and walked to his desk. Marcus unlocked the bottom drawer and pulled out the hard copies of personnel files. He flipped through them to find McGivers. He was relieved to see on her records she was at least on a birth control. Good. He would pay off the next doctor who gave her an exam to push the implantation on her. Or he could lie and tell her it was standard procedure for an undercover female to have it.

Alexander Marcus leaned back in his chair and studied the staff photo of Marla McGivers. He mulled over the plethora of background information he had dug up before coming to one conclusion; He never should have let her in the door of Starfleet. She was going to Texas, Singh was going to the hangar and that was that.

"Sir, your daughter is here." The intercom buzzed on his desk.

"Send her in." He replied as he flipped the folder shut and tossed it back in the drawer.

Carol Marcus stepped into the room, blonde hair cut into a sharp bob. He smiled warmly as he stood and walked around the desk to greet her.

"There's my girl! Look at that haircut! It's short!"

"Yes, well I thought a change was in order." She ran her fingers through it. "I'm still not quite used to it, but I did donate the length they cut off."

"Well, that's good. Come on, let's get going to lunch, shall we? You pick where we go today, baby girl."

Carol smiled as she pulled on her coat and led the way out the door.

Marla awoke to John lightly snoring. She grunted in confusion. His snoring hadn't ever woken her up before. A knock came from the door. That must have been it. She detached herself and rolled over, searching for a shirt and pants.

"Computer, lights dim." She managed to find his black duty undershirt and decided it was good enough.

The knocking came again, a bit more impatiently. She quickly opened the door to come face to face with, judging by appearances, a Vulcan.

"Professor Marla McGivers, I presume?" He spoke as she looked up at him.

"Um, yes. May I help you?" Marla crossed her arms in front of her chest, suddenly very much self-aware. Her eyes drifted to his pointed ears and she quickly redirected her gaze so as not to be misinterpreted as staring.

"I am Commander Spock of the USS Enterprise. I wish to discuss the matter of your brother. Have I disturbed you?" He slightly cocked his head, arms behind his back.

"Commander Spock…" Marla observed him. He looked like a very young doppelganger of Ambassador Spock. "Forgive me, but are you in any way related to Ambassador Spock?"

The Vulcan raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

"I'm sorry, am I being racist? It's just you two look-"

"We are. It is a long story for another day." Spock interrupted her. "Now on the subject of your brother-"

Marla heard John waking up behind her. "Commander, I'm sorry, can you give me one moment?" She backed into the room.

"Marla?" She heard John mumble and she watched as he blindly felt around the bed beside him without opening his eyes. She rolled her eyes and tried to keep from laughing as she walked beside him.

"John, I'm over here, I need to tell you something." He turned his head and looked at her with bleary eyes. "Commander Spock is here and needs to discuss something about Drew with me. I'll be back in a little bit. You can stay here and keep sleeping if you want." She informed him as she pulled on her shoes and her jacket.

"Is that my shirt?"

"Go back to sleep. You've had a long day." Marla ran her fingers through his hair and turned to leave, only to be caught around the waist by his arm.

"Be safe." He mumbled before releasing her and rolling back over, cuddling the pillow she left behind.

Marla smiled before leaving the room.

"I'm terribly sorry, Commander Spock." She apologized as she greeted the Vulcan once more. "How may I assist you?"

Spock motioned his head to indicate to walk with him. Marla sped up to keep up with the Vulcan's long strides. She felt as if shewas practically jogging.

"I wished to ask you questions about your brother. As someone who has known him all your life, I believed it to be logical to interview you as opposed to one of his co-workers."

Marla glanced at him with confusion. "Alright." She replied cautiously.

"But first, I believe it to be wise to introduce you to our Chief of Engineering."

"Wait. Stop. Why do you want me to answer questions about Andrew?"

"I assumed he told you." Spock appeared confused. "Captain Kirk wishes to employ him as an assistant to our Chief of Engineering."

"N-no. He didn't tell me." Andrew, permanently on the Enterprise? "I just arrived on the station this morning. But why do I need to meet with your Chief of Engineering?"

"Mr. Scott is…resistant to the idea. Perhaps, you could reassure him your brother has no intention of taking his job."

Marla blinked at him.

"I have no idea what my brother plans if he joins the Enterprise, besides pursuing Janice Rand, that is. Therefore, it would be pointless for me to meet him because I can't assure him of anything since I don't know him and therefore have no standing with him. My brother is good at his job as you have seen time and time again with his work with crews on the Enterprise and other ships. He is amiable, gets his work done, works well with others and superiors. However, I do not recommend keeping him in close quarters with Kirk. You might find yourself in captaincy. I suggest interviewing the crew he works with regularly. Now, if you'll excuse me." Marla nodded and turned around.

Her mind raced as she went back to her quarters, mildly surprised at the distance covered. John had appeared to have already fallen back asleep. She checked the time and noted it was still a little too early for dinner. She sighed softly and began taking off her jacket and boots.

"That did not take long." John mumbled from the bed.

"Short, but insightful." She exhaled as she slid her pants off.

"How so?"

Marla threw his shirt back on the pile of his clothes and retreated from the chilly room into the bed. John opened his eyes to quickly wrap the sheets and blanket around her and pull her close. He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes again.

"How so, Marla?" He repeated himself.

"Andrew was offered a place on the Enterprise and didn't tell me."

"He probably has not had time to. Or perhaps, he is waiting for the right time to tell you. Is that all he told you?"

"He wanted me to meet their Chief of Engineering and I said no. He wanted me to 'reassure him' that Andrew wasn't after his job." Marla rolled her eyes. "What good am I going to do? I don't know the man, he's not going to take my word on anything. Besides, I don't think Andrew would want to be confined on a ship with Kirk. Their personalities are similar. I think that's why they clash so hard."

"From what I have heard, your brother is much calmer than Kirk."

"Oh definitely, and I think that's what gets to Andrew the most is Kirk's never ceasing energy and helicoptering. Andrew likes to keep a close eye on his projects, but I don't think he appreciates being on the other end of it too much."

"You would have to be Vulcan to keep up with him." John shrugged.

"Why?" Marla propped herself up on her elbow.

"Vulcans don't sleep much. I hear they can stay awake for several days at a time."

"So, Kirk runs out of energy before Spock. No wonder Spock is so calm. He knows Kirk will crash before he does."

"Perhaps. Vulcans practice logic. He keeps calm because they believe emotions get in the way of logic. They train to not feel anything. He can deal with him because he doesn't get irritated."

"But emotions aren't all bad. They may not make logical sense sometimes, but I don't think they should be completely discarded." Marla stated as she gently rubbed John's chest and stomach.

"Klingons could learn some from Vulcans." John muttered.

"What?" Marla stopped and was pulled back into his arms. "Why do you say that?"

"I have found Klingons are rather…passionate beings."

"So I've heard." Marla cringed, remembering Bal's penchant for Klingon women.

"I have something for you." John released her and rolled out of bed. Marla sat up as he pulled on his pants and an undershirt. "I'll be right back." He quickly kissed her.

"I'm going to get dressed." Marla tapped his nose, causing him to smile. "There's a nice restaurant on the far side of the promenade. Amanda went clothes shopping and got you an outfit. She says she didn't know when your birthday is, so this is your birthday present. She had been holding on to it, but when I said I was going up to surprise you, she told me to take it with me. It's in the top of my bag."

He looked rather surprised as he walked over to her bag and opened it to find a decorative box with a card attached. He seemed to stare at it for a moment.

"January."

"Sorry?"

"My birthday is January ninth. I'll open it and get dressed in my room then." He finally managed. It was odd. It was like John had never gotten a birthday present before.

After he left, she stood and stretched. Marla wanted to go back to sleep. Maybe she would lay back down for a bit after she got dressed.

Janice Rand tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder as she dug for her wallet in her bag. She swore it was in there. It had probably migrated to the bottom of the bag.

"Hey there, Janice." She heard a familiar voice. She looked up to see Andrew McGivers standing there, slightly red in the face.

"Hey." Yes, Andrew. She had gone on a date with him, but she wasn't sure yet. After all, he wasn't Jim T. Kirk, but the Captain was ignoring her advances. Perhaps it was worth it to give McGivers another chance. He seemed to be a very nice and genuine man. "Sorry I haven't had the chance to call you."

"Oh, it's alright. I've been busy with the Bradbury and my sister is visiting, so no worries." Andrew scratched the back of his neck.

"MCGIVERS!" The pair turned to see Kirk striding towards them down the promenade. Andrew groaned.

"I just talked to him two hours ago. Did he chip me or something?" Andrew muttered as the Captain approached.

"Hey, I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the work you've been doing and all the work you have done. I truly and deeply appreciate it and I really hope you consider our offer." Kirk shook his hand and laid a hand on his shoulder. His bright blue eyes wandered to Janice and he smiled. "I see you've met our lovely Yeoman Rand. Keep an eye on her, she's a wild one." He winked.

"Oh hush." Janice giggled as Kirk left. He called her lovely. Maybe he did notice her after all? She began playing with a strand of her hair. She watched the young captain walk away to a table where Nurse Christine Chapel was sitting. How nice of him to go say hello. They were laughing. Oh and how witty and funny he was…

"So, um…what are you doing tonight?" Andrew asked, attempting to direct her attention back to him. Janice barely heard him as she watched Kirk offer his arm to Christine Chapel with a dashing smile. "Are you hungry? There's a great burger place around the corner. Or whatever you're in the mood for, really..."

"I think I'm just going to stay in my quarters tonight." She replied hollowly. "In fact, I'm going there now. Goodnight Commander McGivers." Janice managed before walking away, leaving a confused and hurt Andrew behind. Coffee be damned, she had a coffee maker in her quarters.

"So tell me, have you heard from Bones lately?" Kirk asked Nurse Christine Chapel as he escorted her around the promenade. "He hasn't answered my phone calls or anything the past few days."

"I have." The woman sighed. "He's just been very busy, Jim. Apparently, there's a man posing as a doctor running around Starfleet Hospital. But you didn't hear that from me, young man."

"Hey now, don't age yourself with the 'young man'. You're only what? Twenty-two?"

Christine Chapel rolled her eyes. "You know damn well I'm thirty-three. Flattery will get you nowhere in me telling you what McCoy is doing, Jim." She scolded him. "Anyways, plus he says Admiral Marcus is throwing case after case at him that he can't make much sense of why he has to deal with them instead of other doctors."

"Huh. Interesting."

"Fascinating as Mr. Spock would say."

"Yes. Speaking of Spock, I need to check in with him. He's supposed to be talking with someone about a character reference for Commander McGivers."

"Who now?"

"Commander Andrew McGivers. He's been in charge of repairs on the Enterprise and I am impressed with the work he's done and is doing. I want to bring him on to work with Scotty."

"And how is Mr. Scott taking that?" Christine asked.

"Not well." Kirk shook his head. "I just dropped him off back at his quarters an hour ago. He's taking the confiscation of his equation even harder than what we expected. Christine, he hadn't even bathed in god knows how long. That stays between us, by the way." Kirk whispered.

Christine frowned. She was used to the chatty Scotsman who took great pride in keeping himself clean and groomed. It seemed like a foreign concept thinking of him being depressed.

"Do you want me to go talk to him?" She asked. "A psyche eval or something?"

"I'm not sure quite yet. We're still working on keeping him out of his quarters and busy for most of the day." He shrugged. "I think that once he gets working again, it will help take his mind off of it. I think he thinks that I think he's slipping and that's why I want to bring McGivers on."

"But really, you just want to help him." Christine finished.

"Exactly! If McGivers comes on, Scotty will have less minor things to be bothered with and will be able to focus on what he wants and needs to focus on with the warp core."

"But, you know it's the little things that Scotty likes best." Christine gently chided him.

"But he always complains-"

"And that's how you know Scotty's happy at work. He's complaining about the little things. It's when he starts in on major things is when you know he's not happy. But he loves it. It makes him feel useful around the ship."

"Why didn't he just say so?" Kirk groaned.

"Because he's had his pride seriously wounded by you finding him in that state and admitting that to you would feel like wiping out whatever little he has left."

Kirk was silent as he digested that information.

"You are so lucky to have me." Christine sighed. "Some days you're like a lost golden retriever puppy, I swear. Here is my lift. Goodnight, Jim. Go sleep. You look like you haven't had a decent night's sleep in a week. Nurse's orders." She pointed at him with her index finger as she entered the elevator.

"Yeah, yeah." Kirk muttered. "Night Nurse Chapel."

Khan adjusted himself in the mirror. Amanda had done a very good job at picking out clothes in his size. Nice black slacks and a soft black and grey sweater. It was lovely of her to do that. He picked up a more comfortable pair of shoes in addition to the Klingon blade he had carefully wrapped up in a shirt. He never was one for trophies. He had decided Marla would enjoy and appreciate it much more than he would.

He started towards the door before he stopped. He glanced back at his bag. He returned and pulled the tiny box out of the side pocket. The necklace he had bought for her a few weeks prior. Khan had no idea when they would see each other again after their time on the station. He may as well give it to her.

He walked back to Marla's quarters and knocked on the door. The door opened and Khan stepped inside. Marla was partially collapsed on the bed and he couldn't help but smile. She sat up as he walked in front of her and nudged her ankle dangling off the bed with his foot. She looked stunning in the short black dress she wore.

"You look beautiful." He spoke, his smile not fading.

"Thank you and you look quite nice yourself. Damn, Amanda did well." Marla smiled back. "Oh dear, what's that?" She gestured to the bundle he carried. Khan sat beside her and passed it to her. She looked mildly surprised at the weight and glanced at him with a slightly confused and worried expression. He waited patiently as she slowly unwound the shirt from around the object inside.

"I procured this on the other station." He informed her as she finally came to the last fold and revealed the knife. "It's Klingon." Marla held the knife up and examined it. She gently tested the blade to find it sharpened.

"It's lovely. Wow. Thank you, John." She continued to examine it with curiosity.

"Be careful not to cut yourself by accident. I thought it would look nice displayed in your apartment or office. Or you can choose to use it."

"I hardly see a situation where I would have to use this." Marla finally set the blade back on her lap and wrapped it up once more. "Thank you though." She kissed his cheek.

"I also have one more gift for you." Khan dug in his pocket.

"John-" Marla started. He held up his other hand.

"Marla, I don't know when we are going to see each other next after we leave this station. I want to give this to you." He handed her the small box. She hesitated and looked slightly scared as she opened it. A slight look of relief came over her face as she gently removed the necklace from the box to look at it in the light.

"John, this is beautiful." She finally spoke. The golden Starfleet insignia pendant sparkled slightly as the tiny red stone in the center caught the light. He held his hand out and she placed it in his hand. Khan fastened it around her neck. "But, you know I can't wear it on my mission." She reminded him, a hint of sorrow in her voice.

"Wear it at night then as you sleep. Tell them a customer gave it to you at your last club before he died on a mission." Khan tried to think of other reasons. "It's a reminder of your father. Say he proudly wore a red shirt and served on a ship in security."

Marla kissed him deeply.

"I will wear it when I am home alone." She reassured him as she pulled away. "Now, I am paying for dinner. That's final." She pointed a finger at him.

"Deal." He took her hand in his and kissed it.

"And our next date."

"Marla-"

"No arguing."

"You are a stubborn one, aren't you?"

"Are you just now figuring that out?" Marla cocked her head.

Khan's ears perked as he heard footsteps stop outside Marla's door. A weary knock sounded.

"Marls, it's me." Andrew sounded absolutely miserable.

Marla looked at Khan apologetically as she hit the button to open the door.

Andrew shuffled in, looking quite dejected. He slumped on the chair.

"Hey, John." He muttered.

"Andrew, what's the matter?" Marla walked over and ruffled his short hair. "You look upset."

"Janice is in love with Kirk." He put his head in his hands and groaned. "Why didn't I see it before? God, I'm so stupid."

"Oh, Drew..." Marla hugged him from the side and scratched his back. "You're not stupid. It just…wasn't meant to be, that's all."

"I mean, why waste time on a date with me if all she wants is Kirk? Seriously?"

"Well, you said she was a yeoman. He is likely her direct superior and it is against fraternization rules for her to date him." Khan shrugged. "You were likely just the result of her attempting to set aside her feelings."

"Thanks John. You really know how to make someone feel better." Andrew replied sarcastically.

"Look, she doesn't know what she wants and you don't need that in your life." Marla ignored Khan's confused look. "She obviously doesn't see what she's missing out on. You are a great guy Drew and there is a girl out there for you, I know it. It's just not Janice."

"I really liked her." He moaned.

"Oh honey, I know." Marla rubbed his shoulder.

"She would rather sit in her room alone than go get something to eat with me."

"Well then, she's an anti-social bitch." Marla stated. "If it's any consolation, I would love to go out for a burger with you. Just not tonight since we already have plans, but we'll go out for lunch tomorrow, how's that?"

"Alright." Andrew muttered dejectedly and stood. "I'll get out of your hair then so you two can leave. Night."

"Goodnight Andrew. Don't be too hard on yourself. Love you bro."

"Love you sis." He shuffled out.

Marla waited a few seconds before the door shut.

"If I ever meet Janice Rand, I'm going to have to keep myself from slapping her." She muttered.

"Marla, you are not going to hit anybody. She made a stupid decision by going out with him when she had no interest. She was likely lying to herself and him." Khan attempted to reason. "Don't give me that look. You know I'm right."

Marla rolled her eyes.

Khan pulled her in close. "Behave, my little professor." He tapped her nose before kissing her forehead. "The poor girl is confused. Clearly she wants something she can't have and is blind to what other wonders are around her."

"Oh, he's a wonder all right." Marla muttered sarcastically. Khan snorted and Marla began laughing.

"Shall we?"

"Yes." Marla picked up her handbag and reached for his hand. Khan entwined his fingers with hers and gave a small squeeze. He released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders as they exited the room. It seemed for once, perhaps he could relax.