The next afternoon, as Wendy sat with Uhura and Spock during their lunch hour, she came up with an idea. So, as it came time for them to go back on duty, she turned to Spock. "Could you tell the captain that I'd like to speak with him when he has a moment?" The Vulcan raised an eyebrow, causing Wendy to roll her eyes.

"It's professional, dumbass. And, come to think of it, you should hear it, too"

"Of course, doctor," Spock replied, looking slightly embarrassed. Uhura giggled and led her boyfriend out of the cafeteria.

It was a few hours before Kirk found Wendy in the med bay, talking to Dr. McCoy.

"You wanted to see me, Dr. Cole?" He asked from the doorway. Spock was standing slightly behind him, and both men looked very curious.

"Yes, Captain," Wendy replied.

"If the information is classified, or of a sensitive nature, we can speak in one of the conference rooms," Spock offered.

Wendy shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. It might become good gossip material, though, and you know how fast things spread around here."

Kirk nodded, he knew exactly what she meant. Nothing you said was really private on a starship, especially when everyone knew everyone else to some extent. And if the story was good enough, it spread like wildfire and usually got so butchered that, by the end, hardly any of it was true.

"If that's the case, then the med bay is the worst place to talk," McCoy said. "I swear, all my staff does all day is stand around and gossip."

"Does this information have anything to do with the prisoner?" Spock asked Wendy, completely ignoring McCoy.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Wendy asked, surprised.

"In that case, we should probably use a conference room, Captain," the Vulcan continued without answering her question.

"Alright," Kirk agreed. "Let's go."

The door had barely shut behind her before Wendy started talking.

"This is going to sound crazy. I mean, I barely believe it myself. But you have to hear me out before you say anything, ok?"

Kirk and Spock simply nodded, so she continued.

"I was talking to Leo yesterday and I think I found out why she's acting so depressed."

"That's depressed?" Kirk interrupted. "Seems very erratic and unstable to be."

"That is true, Captain, but those are symptoms of depression," Spock answered. "I, too, have seen the prisoner exhibit all the symptoms of depression."

Wendy gave both men a look. Kirk cleared his throat in embarrassment.

"Sorry. Go on, Lieutenant," he said.

"As I was saying, when I talked to Leo yesterday, she mentioned that she was having several dreams centered around her memories. When she mentioned that they were good memories, I got to thinking. What kind of good memories would drive a person into depression? I think the answer has something to do with the other person she was trying to revive."

"What? Khan?!" Kirk blurted out. Wendy nodded and pulled out her tablet. She walked over to stand between the to men so they could all see the screen.

"In going through some old research, I found several references to a relationship between Leo Aristov and Khan Noonien Singh. Specifically a romantic one. But they were all just rumors, so I never gave them much credit. Until I found this."
Wendy opened the video file that she had discovered the night before. It was a bit long, so she cued it up to the moment she wanted to show them.

"This is a video of one of the last public speeches Leo ever gave. It was also when the second assassination attempt occurred."

"Ok, what are we looking for?" Kirk asked as she pressed play.

"Watch Leo. As she's hit, a man rushes up on stage. Pay close attention to him."

Both men watched intently as the scene played out on the tablet's screen. It was only about thirty seconds long, but it was quite powerful. The clip started towards the end of Leo's speech. Kirk only heard a couple of sentences before a shot rang out somewhere off camera. As she fell, a man jumped onto the stage, just like Wendy described. The man, whoever he was, rushed to Leo's side and immediately checked her wrist for a pulse. When a second person rushed over and put pressure on the wound, he took her hand. He held it in a firm, but comforting, grip as he scanned the crowd. When it ended, the look on their faces was a mix of shock, disbelief, and in
Kirk's case, confusion.

"Play that again," the captain said almost as soon as the clip ended. "And could you zoom in on the guy you were talking about?"

Wendy nodded, zoomed in, and played it again. The second time around, it was obvious who the man in the video was.

Khan.

After a moment, Spock turned to Kirk and Wendy.

"That is not an interaction between a captain and a member of his crew," he said.

"Ok, so . . . maybe they were good friends," Kirk offered. It was the only explanation that made sense to him.

"I don't think so, Captain," Wendy said softly. "Look at his expression."

She went back to a part where Khan was scanning the crowd, and paused at a point where he almost completely faced the camera.

"He is clearly distraught," Spock observed. "And almost . . . afraid."

"But I don't get it," Kirk exclaimed as he started pacing the room. "Leo is someone who, as far as we know, was a huge advocate for peace and nonviolence. How could someone like her fall for a guy who is one of the most calculating, ruthless, soldiers to ever live?"

"Even more confusing is the fact that he appears to have fallen for her as well," Spock added, still staring at the image on Wendy's tablet.

"This whole thing is nuts!" Kirk said with an air of finality. "I appreciate your efforts, Dr. Cole, and I know how badly you want to help this woman. But none of this makes sense."

Wendy shrugged. "We could always ask Leo ourselves."

They entered the brig to find Leo in her usual spot; reclining on the bunk, reading. Kirk wasted no time getting down to business.

"So," he called across the room. "You and Khan."

Leo looked up from her reading. Her normally passive expression changed to one of mild shock. She hadn't expected them to figure it out, but she quickly returned her expression to her usual unreadable one and went back to reading.

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me," she said simply. That made Kirk stop in his tracks.

"Wait, that's what you were talking about? When you said that we wouldn't believe you about your reason for reviving Khan. It was because you were in love with him?!"

"Am," Leo corrected. "I am in love with him. It was a feeling we shared once. And I hope we still do."

"But why?" Wendy asked.

"Why is the sky blue?" Leo asked in response. "Because it just is."

"That is not true," Spock cut in. "There is a logical, scientific, explanation for the color of Earth's sky."

"And there is a logical and scientific explanation for attraction," Leo countered, looking the Vulcan dead in the eye. "And yet both seem to remain as some sort of unquestionable constant. They both symbolize something that was decided eons ago, before we even came into existence. We don't chose who we fall in love with. We might question it, and we might ask why, but in the end, it's just something that happens. It's like asking you to explain your feelings for Lieutenant Uhura."

Spock was taken aback. "How did you–"

"Am I correct?" Leo pressed.

"Yes," Spock admitted with a bit of difficulty. "I suppose you are."

"I'm interested to know how you figured it out," Leo addressed Wendy, changing the subject.

"I think that I always suspected something," Wendy answered. "But I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't found a video of your speech in London."

"I gave quite a few speeches in London, but I think I know which one you're talking about." Leo sat up and swung her feet over the side of her bunk, resting her forearms on her knees. "That was a very . . . nerve-wracking day. I was pretty sure I was going to die."

"Why didn't you?" Kirk asked.

"Last minute blood transfusion," Leo replied plainly. "I had lost too much blood, even with my genetic alterations. The problem was, the doctors couldn't use just anybody's blood. That's where Khan came in."

"He saved your life," Kirk said as if he still didn't believe it.

Leo nodded, chuckling a little, "It was a bit different from the last time."

"Last time?" Spock asked. "Do you mean the first assassination attempt?"

Leo nodded, "Very different, actually."

"How so?" Spock pressed.

"Because," Leo explained with a smirk. "The first time I met Khan, he'd been sent to kill me."

Here's a little something for the Holidays (although it's not Christmas-y at all). Next time, we get to see Leo and Khan's very first meeting.

There's sort of a winter/holiday story up now. It's called The Magician and the Healer, under the Thor section.