The Present
Khan looked up from Molly's laboring form as she cursed under her breath and held his hand so tightly it was bound to cramp her fingers if he didn't ease the grip soon. But it would wait for the contraction to pass; for now, he looked around to see how the other two women were faring.
He met Captain Kirk's eyes as he looked over at Carol Marcus, daughter of the man Khan still hated with every fiber of his being even if his own mate had quietly convinced him that murdering the admiral wouldn't be the best way to handle his rage. Kirk's Bondmate was resting between contractions while one of McCoy's Beta nurses checked her vitals and clucked something soothing and ultimately useless to the woman. He started nervously when Carol barked angrily at him, and Kirk turned his attention back to his mate while Khan gave him a sardonic grin.
It had galled the young captain to work alongside a man he hated, the one who'd been responsible for the death of his friend and mentor, Admiral Pike. But when Khan had revealed Admiral Marcus' plot to start a war with the Klingons – and helped Kirk find the evidence needed to present to Starfleet Command as well as the Federation Council – he'd asked that Khan be granted a pardon and a position as a consultant on the Enterprise. Khan knew it was only as a favor to Molly Hooper – well, and to keep an eye on him – but he was grateful nonetheless.
Not, however, nearly as grateful as he was to have Bonded with such an extraordinary woman, to know that he was the father of her about-to-be-born children. Even the main term of his freedom – no contact with his former crew, who were still in cryosleep while Starfleet Legal wrestled over how to handle their presence in the 24th century – was far less onerous than it might have been, and all because of the woman currently doing her best to mangle his hand into a pulp.
"Molly, you must ease your grip or the cramps will be very painful." He spoke in his lowest, most soothing tones, but her only response was to squeeze even tighter and glare at him.
"More painful than pushing three living human beings out of your body?" she snarled, digging her nails into his flesh even though the contraction had already passed. Oh, he'd infuriated her; if only she weren't about to give birth, he'd demonstrate exactly how exciting he found her anger!
But not now. Now he needed to soothe her temper, not stoke it into the inferno he knew it could be. "Perhaps not that painful," he conceded, ignoring the snort of laughter Dr. McCoy gave as he peered at the medical scanner aimed between Molly's legs. "But still…"
"Khan, you'd be better off beatin' your head against a wall than tryin' to tell a woman in labor something she doesn't want to hear," the chief medical officer advised him. "Especially when you're the reason she's here in the first place."
"Point taken," Khan replied as Molly groaned with the onset of another contraction. She actually managed to squeeze hard enough that it was almost painful. His heart swelled with pride at this further evidence that his Bondmate was far superior to every other woman – and man – in this room. No, she was superior to every living being on this entire vessel, himself included. He could only stand by in helpless admiration as she struggled to bring his children into the world.
"Victor," he whispered as he drew a damp cloth across her sweaty forehead. "Helena, and.."
"Octavius, yes, you've already told me the names you prefer," Molly said through gritted teeth. "And I told you, I'm not naming any son of mine 'Octavius'. He's going to be Henry, after my father."
A strangled shout from Lt. Uhura's bed signaled the onset of delivery; Dr. McCoy hurried over to her biobed, barking orders at his staff and encouraging the straining young woman to push, and Khan and Molly were allowed a small moment of privacy. Making sure no one was watching – he had a reputation to uphold, after all – Khan leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Molly's lips. "Very well, Henry Octavius," he murmured against her mouth, and was rewarded by a snort of laughter.
"You just don't give up, do you?" Molly said, looking up at him, but her expression and voice were both fond, and he could feel her love for him through their shared bond.
"I think you already know exactly how tenacious I can be when I want something," he replied, not bothering to pretend his words held only one meaning.
In spite of her current discomfort, Molly managed a giggle as she reached up with a shaky hand to brush his fringe of dark hair from his forehead. "Oh, yes, indeed I do," she murmured, giving him a smoldering look. "Just be glad that I wanted you as badly as you wanted me."
"I thank God for that fact every day of my life," he assured her, clasping her hand in his.
Nine Months Ago
Molly's orgasm was so strong it shook her entire body; her eyes rolled back in her head and she very nearly passed out from the waves of pleasure crashing over her petite form. No matter what crimes Commander Harrison had committed in the past, the only sin she could put to his name now was the sin of being the very best lover she'd ever had. Yes, she was in Heat and therefore really in no position to judge, but everything she'd ever heard or studied about that phenomenon inevitably led to the conclusion that the stronger the mutual attraction, the better the sex; even if this was the first time she'd laid eyes on this man, there was no denying that the attraction between them was very, very strong – and very, very mutual.
After she finally came out of the daze of that incredible orgasm, Molly noticed that Commander Harrison had stopped moving, was resting on his elbows and dropping soft kisses along her sweat-drenched hairline. As soon as their eyes met, however, he immediately thrust his hips against hers, wrenching a groan of pleasure from her throat. Had he actually waited for her to recover before seeking his own pleasure? The cynical part of her couldn't believe any man could have that much self-control, especially an Alpha with an in-Heat Omega lying beneath him. But there was no other logical explanation for his pause. Not that Molly could keep logical thoughts in her head for more than a few seconds at a time; even as he began deepening his thrusts, she could feel her thoughts scattering as a delicious warmth spread through her body; oh God, was she going to…again? So soon?
Oh yes, absolutely again, so soon. Molly dug her fingernails into Commander Harrison's shoulders and wrapped her legs around his body, a wail of pleasure torn from her throat as a second orgasm began making its imminent arrival known. She heard an answering growl, deep and feral, from Harrison's – John's – lips, and cried out his name as she peaked for the second time in less than five minutes.
He pulled his head up, his dark fringe falling over his forehead and covering one eye as he glared at her. "No," he growled. "That's not my name. Call me by my real name, Molly."
Eyes glazed and mind fuzzy with a combination of intense pleasure and the effects of her Heat, Molly stared up at him in confusion. "Your real name?"
"Khan," he breathed, continuing to piston his hips and lowering his mouth to her throat as she automatically bared it for him. "My name is Khan. Say it, Molly, I need to hear it from your lips." Then he bit down at the base of her throat, hard, but not hard enough to break skin – but definitely hard enough to send her skyrocketing into a third orgasm.
"Khan!" she gasped out as she writhed beneath him. "Oh God, yes! Harder! Your knot, I can feel it, stop holding back and give it to me, Khan! Please, push it into me! I need it, I need it, Khan!"
With every repetition of his name she felt him shiver, watched as his eyes clenched shut and then snapped back open again, gazing so mesmerizingly into her own. They were an incredible blue-green color with flecks of amber, the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen on any human being. Another growl tore from his throat; without warning he latched his teeth into her flesh, digging deep as he punched his knot into her cunt, triggering yet another orgasm so fierce she blacked out for a bit.
When she recovered her senses, Molly realized multiple, very confusing things, at the same time: being knotted was as amazing as she'd always heard it would be, she had no idea why John Harrison demanded that she call him Khan…
…and that whoever the hell he was, he was now her Bondmate.
She stared into his beautiful blue-green eyes, just as wide with shock as her own brown eyes, and said the only thing she could think of. "Well, fuck."
