Well, here it is! The first time Leo and Khan met!

Nights in the city were never quiet, and tonight was no exception. If anything, it was louder. The cold and the rain had not deterred the protestors in the slightest. Two hundred or so young men and women stood in the middle of a Chicago street, staring down police in full riot gear. Some carried signs demanding peace and an end to the war. Right at the front, and in the middle of everything, was a petite blonde woman. She appeared to be their leader, so when the police chief stepped forward, he turned his attention on her.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked. As he sauntered up, she suspected that he'd seen one too many western movies.

"Leo," she replied. The police chief sneered as he towered over her. It took all of Leo's willpower not to roll her eyes. Every guy thought that she should be intimidated by the few extra inches they had on her.

"Well, Leo," he spat out the name like it was dirt. "I'm going to have to ask you to take your little friends and go home."

"We have a right to be here. We have a permit," she countered.

"My office didn't get no permit," the chief shifted his weight and puffed his chest out more. Leo resisted the urge to smack him just because of his horrible grammar.

"Good thing I brought a hard copy with me, would you like to see it?" she asked with every ounce of respect she could muster, which wasn't a lot.

"Sure," the man smirked and held out his hand. Leo took a folded piece of paper from her back pocket and handed it over. The cop opened it, looked it over and frowned.

"It's a real permit," Leo said, like she was explaining it to a toddler.

"I know it is," he replied. Then he tore it in two. There were cries of outrage as the officer tore the paper into confetti and through it on the ground.

"You can't do that!" someone shouted from the back of the crowd. The police chief didn't answer as he started to walk back behind the riot shields.

"Hey!" Leo shouted, following him. "Hey asshole!"

The chief turned around to see Leo's fist flying at his face. He fell flat on his back, not expecting someone so small to be that strong.

"Scatter!" someone shouted as the police charged.

Soon there were small groups of protestors running in every direction. Leo didn't have time to see who got away and who didn't. She was too busy trying to stay out of jail herself. A cop on her right raised his baton and took a swing, forcing her to duck and roll. She felt the air as baton rushed past her temple, and she took off running.

Leo didn't want to risk taking the El– the city's public train system. Her description has probably been given out to every officer in the city by now. Instead, she kept to the side streets and back alleys until she arrived at her apartment building. It was hardly an upscale neighborhood but it wasn't the worst, either. Leo owned a small studio apartment on the tenth floor of an apartment building with no elevator. The climb didn't bother her, though. Superior stamina, an enhanced lung capacity, and several years of military-style training made the ten flights of stairs a minor inconvenience.

As soon as Leo opened the door to her apartment, she knew something was wrong. Something just seemed . . . off. And she knew to trust her instincts. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget the years of combat training that had been drilled into her head since she was a little girl. Leo slipped off her shoes to reduce the noise her footsteps would make on the creaky floorboards. She opened the door as quietly as she could and tiptoed inside.

She saw a figure lurking in the shadows of the living room. The man's frame was outlined in the open window. A window that Leo knew she had closed before going out. She could see his profile, as he was focused on a poster on the nearby wall. He was lean, muscular, and tall. She estimated that he was about six feet tall– almost a foot taller than herself.

"Don't linger in the doorway," he spoke up.

Leo froze. There was no way he could have heard her.

"We have the same training, Ms. Aristov," he continued. "However, I have kept my skills sharp."

"I didn't really see the need to," Leo replied, turning the lights on and shutting the door. She could now make out his high cheek bones and piercing blue-grey eyes.

"Well at least they sent someone attractive to kill me."

"Who said I'm here to kill you?" his voice was a deep baritone with a British accent. He spoke clearly and distinctly. He chose his words carefully and spoke with power and authority. Leo

couldn't help being drawn to him.

"I'm one of the most outspoken people against eugenics, but also an advocate for peace between genetically altered people and 'normal' people. They can't be happy with me."

"You're the only one of us speaking out against them," he walked towards her until their chest were almost touching. Leo never broke eye contact, showing the mysterious intruder that she wasn't afraid of him. He wasn't even the first guy that day to try and intimidate her with his height, so this was all pretty routine to her.

"So, are you going to kill me or do you want a beer first?" she asked. The man let out a low chuckle that Leo could feel reverberate in her chest.

"I'm not going to kill you," he said finally.

Leo stared. She was expecting a lot of answers, but that was not one of them.

"I've been watching you for a while," he continued. "I have to admit, I'm impressed."

"Impressed?" Leo scoffed.

The man nodded, "You're passionate about what you believe in. You're driven. And I admire that."

"So you're just going to ignore your orders and let me go?"

"Yes."

"Just like that? Come on, it can't be that easy."

"Of course it's not," he answered. "They'll try again. You can't stay here."

"Where am I supposed to go?!" Leo shot back indignantly. She was suddenly aware that they still hadn't broken eye contact and they were still standing very, very, close to each other.

"You're a smart woman, figure that out yourself," that being said, he finally broke eye contact and walked past her towards the door.

"Wait!" Leo called after him. "You didn't tell me your name."

The man stopped with his hand on the door and, with all the drama he could muster, said, "It's Khan."

There were several moments of silence after Leo's revelation. Wendy and Spock just stared in disbelief, while Kirk's jaw was practically on the floor. Leo seemed completely unfazed by their reactions and waited patiently for the three Starfleet officers to recover.

"So you fell in love with him because he donated some blood and it saved your life?!" Kirk said finally.

Leo rolled her eyes. "We were in a relationship long before that, captain."

"I still don't understand," the captain muttered.

"I assume that Leo and Khan found each other both physically and intellectually attractive," Spock offered. "I believe that you have a saying for it."

"Thank you, Mr. Spock," Kirk replied sarcastically.

Leo had stood and was now pacing her cell. Wendy looked at the woman and couldn't decide if she was looking at cat at the pound, or a tiger in it's cage.

It's a rather short chapter, but it's a very good place to stop. I'm about to the end of all I've pre-written for this story, so there might be a longer wait between chapters.

And, as always, this story is co-written with TheWooze19.