Rescue Attempts

"No!" Kirk cried.

"Captain Kirk," Marcus smirked, "Without Authorization, and in league with the fugitive John Harrison, you went rogue in enemy territory. Leaving me no choice...but to hunt you down and destroy you," he looked to the side, at his own crew, "Lock phasers."

"Wait, sir, wait!" Kirk dashed to the front of the viewscreen, standing before it.

"I'll make this quick, target all our torpedoes on the Enterprise Bridge."

"Sir, my crew was just...just following my orders. I take...I take full responsibility for my actions. But they were mine and they were mine alone. If I transmit Khans location to you now, all that I ask is that you spare them. Please, sir. I'll do anything you want. Just let them live."

"That's a hell of an apology," Marcus nodded, "But if it is any conciliation, as I'm sure your Empathic would have told you, I was never going to spare your crew. Fire at will!" he ordered, cutting the transmission.

Kirk stood there, in shock, before turning to the crew, "I'm sorry…" he breathed, all of them able to see the Vengeance powering up behind them.

...all of them except Spock, who hadn't looked away from where Cora had been standing.

~8~

"No, let me go!" Wallace shouted as she appeared on the transport pad of the Vengeance, Cora beside her, only to be grabbed by guards, "Stop!"

"Carol Wallace," Cora spoke as she too was apprehended, "Please calm down…"

"They're about to destroy the Enterprise!" Wallace struggled.

"No they are not," Cora smiled, sensing a very familiar presence onboard the Vengeance…moments before the ship powered down.

"What just happened?" Wallace asked as she looked up at the darkening lights, feeling the men who were holding her stiffen. It seemed they were even more alarmed than she was at the power cut.

Cora just smiled, which made one of the men round on her for spotting it, "Did you do this?!" the guard demanded.

Cora blinked, "I am an Empathic, not telepathic. I cannot turn the lights off," she looked around, feeling the confusion of the men in the room. They were not expecting this to happen but she could also feel a very familiar presence in the belly of the ship that was feeling enormous satisfaction. She had sensed it the moment she had appeared on the teleport pad, she knew he would do something, he had felt very determined and she was pleased to see that his efforts had paid off.

"Come on," one of the men called to the others, "We need to get her to the captain," he nodded at Wallace.

"What about this one?" another gestured at Cora.

"Take her too, we can't risk her wandering the ship or being left anywhere unattended."

Cora barely managed to contain her smile at that, at how they thought she'd be less of a threat surrounded by people whose emotions she could manipulate instead of on her own, isolated.

~8~

"Their weapons are powered down, sir," Sulu called.

"Enterprise, can you hear me?" Scotty's voice called over the comms..

"Scotty!" Kirk laughed.

"Guess what I found behind Jupiter."

"You're on that ship?"

"I snuck on it and, seeing as I've just committed an act of treason against a Starfleet Admiral, I'd really like to get off this bloody ship. Now beam me out!"

"You're miracle worker, we're little low on power right now. Standby, standby."

"What do you mean low on power? What happened to the Enterprise?!" there as a sound of a door opening, "I'll call you back," before the transmission ended.

"Scotty?" Kirk called, before sighing, he glanced back at Spock, seeing the man now staring at the viewscreen, at the Vengeance, "Spock," and still staring, "Spock?" and staring, "Commander," and finally looking at Kirk, "Our ship, how is she?"

"Our options are limited, Captain," Spock said, though Kirk frowned, hearing a strain in his voice, "We cannot fire and we cannot flee."

"There is one more option. Uhura, when you get Scotty back, patch him through."

"Yes, sir," Uhura nodded.

"Mr. Spock, you have the comm.," Kirk called before leaving the room.

"Captain, I strongly object…" Spock began.

"To what?" Kirk glanced at him as he left the Bridge, Spock following, "I haven't said anything yet."

"Since we cannot take the ship from the outside, the only way we can take it is within and, as large boarding party would be detected, it is optimum for you take as few members of crew as possible. You will meet Resistance, requiring personnel with advanced combat abilities and innate knowledge of that ship. This indicates that you plan to align with Khan, the very man we were sent here to destroy."

"I'm not aligning with him, I'm using him. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"An Arabic proverb attributed to a prince who has been betrayed and decapitated by his own subjects."

"Still, it's a hell of quote."

"I will go with you, Captain."

"No, I need you on the Bridge."

"I MUST go with you Captain," Spock cut in, "Not only is it my function aboard this ship to advise you making the wisest decisions possible, something I firmly believe you are incapable doing in this moment, but…"

"You're right!" Kirk interrupted, "What I am about to do it doesn't make any sense. It's not logical, it is a gut feeling. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I only know what I can do. The Enterprise and her crew needs someone in that chair who knows he's doing. And it's not me," he let out a breath at having to admit that, "It's you, Spock."

"You did not let me finish Captain," Spock continued, Kirk rolling his eye at how everything he'd said just went right over the Vulcan's head, "Not only is that my function…but they have my MATE," he reminded the man, "They took my mate away from me. I want her back."

"Now you want her back?" Kirk scoffed.

"I do not understand your tone," Spock's eyes narrowed, as though he DID understand it.

"Let me tell you something Spock, Cora is important to this ship, and not just because she's an Empathic. She's important to ALL of us, not just you and when one of the crew hurts her, they hurt all of us. And we will protect her from that as best we can, even if it means protecting her from YOU."

Spock's lips pursed, "You are implying I would hurt her?"

"You HAVE hurt her Spock!" Kirk nearly shouted, "My God! How does your relationship with her even work?! Does it even compute for you that Cora was upset before?"

"I was…aware."

"Then why didn't you do something about it?" Kirk glared, "What did you even do to upset her in the first place because I swear to God, Spock, for HER to be in tears because of YOU...it has to be worse than her life on Hestia."

Spock actually flinched at that, at the comparison that he had hurt her worse than the Mas'heirs had.

"So you tell me Spock," Kirk continued, "What the hell is going on with you?"

Spock swallowed, glancing around to see it was just them in the hall, "It is not a matter we Vulcans speak of openly," he began, his voice quiet, restrained, a though struggling to even get this out, "It is a deeply personal matter not known to off-worlders. It is shielded with ritual and custom shrouded in antiquity. Only the medical officers of the work we find ourselves in are aware of it."

"Bones knows?" Kirk frowned, sure that the man would have told him.

"He is aware but does not comprehend what has happened," Spock answered, "There is a…cycle…in Vulcan biology, a time, every seven years, where our logic is ripped away from us. I had hoped that, in being half human, I would be spared this, but…the ancient drives are too strong."

"What is it Spock?" Kirk asked, for something to be affecting him this badly…so badly that he was even acting out against Cora…it had to be serious.

"It is the Pon Farr," he looked down, not making eye contact, looking down at his hand as he moved it in front of him, eyeing it as it shook, "It is the biological urge for my people to…mate."

"I thought you and Cora were already mated," Kirk shook his head.

"We have begun the process but the final step, the…culmination…has not yet occurred," Spock admitted, feeling remarkably uncomfortable to have to speak of this to Kirk instead of Cora first.

"And this Pon Farr," Kirk began, "It's trying to get you to…do the deed?"

"In your terms, yes," Spock looked away, "It is a time in our biology when our emotions begin to get the better of us. Our…most extreme emotions, such as passion and anger, arise within us. If we do not find release from this buildup…" he looked at Kirk, "We shall die."

"Is there anything you can do to stop it?"

"There are three ways to end the Pon Farr. Through combat, to the death," he explained, "To let out our…aggressions. Through deep and intense meditation, which is difficult and not a path many Vulcans have succeeded in in the past. And…" he hesitated, "Joining with our mate."

Kirk blinked a few times, "So either you kill someone or you…" he trailed off, not quite feeling comfortable talking about THAT with the Vulcan.

"Yes," Spock cut in, "But Jim I…" he swallowed, "I cannot do that to Cora. I do not wish to…force her to feel an obligation to…"

"Save your life?" Kirk offered.

Spock glared at him, "Contrary to your thoughts Captain, I care for Cora more than any on this ship. I will not have her hurt or drive her to a point she is not ready to arrive at."

"Let's think about this logically Spock," Kirk cut in, "She's your mate. It's the last step in the process. You don't do it, you have to KILL someone. If you can't, you DIE, and then Cora may very well die too!" Kirk shook his head, "And you're already hurting her Spock, by pushing her away. Tell me…does she know about Pon Farr?"

"No," Spock admitted, he had never spoken of it with her.

"Then how the hell do you know what she's ready for?" he countered, "You may be able to read her mind some of the time, but something like this?" he shook his head, "It's not always about what you think, it's about how you feel," he gave Spock one more look, "You think about that because I'm going with Khan and we're bringing her and Carol back and when we do...you tell her what's going on. Because you can sure as hell bet I'm going to tell her about it."

"Captain..."

"She deserves to know."

And with that, Kirk turned and walked away, Spock standing stiffly, watching him go.

~8~

Cora glanced at Wallace as they were led through the halls, their hands now bound behind their backs. She could sense the woman's fear, her concern, how much she did NOT want to go to the Bridge and confront her father, "It will be alright Carol Wallace," she murmured as Wallace looked over at her.

Cora just turned her attention on the men, it seemed it was not just Khan who was underestimating her. She could tell, from the moment she met Admiral Marcus, that he was not fond of Empathics, that he did not see the value in them but just that they were just a waste of Starfleet's resources. She would prove him wrong, she would prove them all wrong.

She paused in thought a moment, wondering where this was coming from…before she smiled, knowing it was Spock. Whatever was going on with him, no matter what it was, it would not deter her from helping him or in finding out what was wrong with him in the first place. She had felt it in him, it wasn't just anger. She'd felt it the moment she'd touched his arm, she'd gotten such a shock over that that she hadn't been able to fully comprehend what it was she was feeling until just now. But she understood it now, it wasn't anger. It wasn't anger at her. It was an anger at the situation, it was frustration, but a different sort of frustration, one she had never before from him.

She had felt it rolling off him in waves, growing stronger and stronger every moment she was around him. It felt like being on fire, like there were flames racing through her blood, and it only calmed when she was around him, when she was touching him, when he was near. But, at the same time, the more she was around him, the worse they grew, the more powerful, more encompassing, more consuming. For all Spock's efforts in burying and hiding those feelings…they still leaked through in large bursts though…she feared it might be a sign, that it was happening so frequently so suddenly, that his restraint and control was growing weaker.

She knew what it was though if it wasn't anger…it was desire.

Empathics were naturally impulsive, given the way they ran on emotion. She knew, she had heard tales of some who were not a part of the breeding programs implemented by the Mas'heirs…or at least the ones that had not had their 'partner' selected for them but found them on accident…that Empathics did not naturally wait so long to take a…mate, to use the Vulcan term. They didn't ever wait more than a couple months and Spock…he was putting it off twice as long now. When an Empathic connected on such a deep and emotional level with another, they could tell quite quickly if that other person was a suitable 'spouse' for them. Sometimes bonds would form, empathetic bonds between two Empathics, that were merely friendship, but they could always tell when a particular bond was MORE than friendship.

It was part of an Empathic's nature to not waste much time to be with their partner, because being with them meant everything to an Empathic. She was fairly certain she had known years ago that Spock was the one for her, she just had to be patient for him to come to the same realization, for him to be comfortable enough with her, and to see if he would want to be hers as much as she wanted to be his. She was thrilled when he had begun the mating with her, but now…she couldn't understand why he was taking so long to complete it! She knew what the next step was for him and his people, yet he kept putting it off. It was starting to frustrate her. She could feel his longing and his desire for her, but he did not make any sort of inkling or any sort of move towards her.

Well, she would have to see about that when this is over. And, speaking of…

She glanced over at Wallace, "Carol Wallace," she whispered to her, she could sense another presence encroaching upon Montgomery Scott and she needed to help him.

Wallace look at her, "What is it?" she asked quietly, knowing that the guards could likely hear them but that they couldn't exactly stop them talking.

"I am sorry," she whispered, before closing her eyes, feeling the stirring inside her of the emotion she wanted to protect, opening her eyes to see everyone, including Wallace, fall to the ground, completely knocked out. She sighed, kneeling down, shifting beside a guard and grabbing a small device from around his belt, clicking it and releasing her wrists from their confinement.

She turned to Wallace, kneeling beside her as she unlocked the woman's own wrists, before reaching out to place a gentle two fingers on Wallace's forehead. The woman's eyes snapped open as she sat up with a jolt, "What happened!?" she looked around, she'd been…walking and then the next thing she knew she was waking up on the ground.

"Many apologies," Cora helped her stand, "I have not yet mastered targeting my abilities yet. In order to stop the guards, I had to put you to sleep as well."

Wallace glanced down at the men, just lying on the floor, asleep, "Impressive…" she breathed.

Her father was SO wrong about the Empathics. She'd heard him complain about the species enough times over the past years, especially when the Fleet decided to reimplement their past 'purchasing' of the 11th children of Hestia, she knew now it was because it would siphon expenses away from building the ship they were on, the Vengeance, but she could see how worth it it was. If Cora could send a handful of men to sleep, huge, strong men, without even moving or needing to do anything or unable to be stopped…she could only imagine what else the woman could do.

"We must go," Cora turned, starting to lead her in the opposite direction.

"Where?" Wallace jogged after her.

"To Engineering," Cora replied, not stopping her stride, "Montgomery Scott needs our help."

~8~

Kirk stepped into the med-bay, to see Khan sitting there rigidly, "Tell me everything you know about that ship."

Khan glanced at him, "Dreadnought Class, two times the size, three times the speed, advanced weaponry, modified for minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it is built solely for combat."

"I will do everything I can to make you answer for what you did. But right now I need your help."

"In exchange for what?"

"You said you'd do anything for your crew. I can guarantee their safety."

"Captain," Khan smirked, "You can't even guarantee safety of your own crew."

Kirk's jaw tensed as he looked at McCoy, sitting before a small ball of brown fur that Cora had gotten attached to in their last mission before Nibiru, "Bones, what are you doing with that Tribble?"

"Tribble's dead," McCoy answered, he'd been trying to save it, for Cora, "I'm injecting Khan's platelets into the deceased tissues of a necrotic host. Khan's cells regenerate like nothing I've ever seen, I want to know why."

Kirk nodded and looked at Khan, "You coming with me or not?"

Khan just smiled and stood.

Kirk's eyes narrowed as he watched the man head to the door before he made his way over to McCoy, "Did you find those scans for Spock?"

McCoy nodded, "His vitals are off the scale Jim," he answered, "His neural activity is going haywire, his system is flooding with adrenaline. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was…"

"Experiencing Pon Farr?" Kirk supplied as McCoy looked at him, alarmed.

"Don't tell me…"

Kirk nodded, "That's exactly what it is."

"My God man, do you know what this means?"

"Means he has a problem I wish I had," Kirk smirked, "Be with a girl or die, best incentive to…"

"Damn it Jim, this isn't a laughing matter!" McCoy stood, starting to hiss quietly to him, "That's only ONE way that it can go. If we can't get Cora back in time, if something, even the smallest thing, sets him off…he will attack and he won't stop until he's killed someone! How he hasn't completely gone off and beaten your face in I have no idea."

"Because my face is too pretty to hit," he winked at McCoy, "Don't worry Bones," he slapped the man's arm, "We're going to get Cora back. It'll be fine."

"Yeah," McCoy muttered as Kirk walked out, "I somehow doubt that."

Kirk's plans never went to plan.

~8~

Spock stepped onto the Bridge to see Sulu turning the Enterprise to align with the Vengeance, as per Kirk's plan to fly out through space, right into the airlock of a hanger and into the Vengeance now that Mr. Scott was onboard the other ship and could open a path for them.

"Lieutenant," he moved over to Uhura, "From our current position, is it possible to establish contact with New Vulcan?"

Uhura gave him a tense look, clearly unhappy with him, "I'll do my best."

"Thank you," he nodded, doing his best to ignore her tone as he sat in the captain's chair. He took a breath, his gaze on the Vengeance, hoping that Cora would be alright and that Kirk would find her. He had been being truthful in that he had wanted to go because she was his mate, he…seeing her disappear before him, having her gone…it was…affecting him.

He was feeling torn, since the Pon Farr began, in having her close and wanting her far away to protect her from his advances. But, as always with her mere presence, she offered him a comfort. As though just being near her helped quell the anger that built even if it fanned the flames of the passion instead. He just…wanted her back.

He wanted his mate back at his side.

"Mr. Sulu," he began, "What is the status of the other ship?"

"Their systems are still offline, I'm aligning our ship now," Sulu reported.

"Scotty," they heard Kirk come over the comms., "How are we doing over there?"

"Captain, I wish had better news. They blocked our access to the ship's computer. They'll have full weapons in three minutes. Next time I won't be able to stop them destroying the Enterprise...standby."

"Commander," Sulu called, "Our trash exhaust is aimed at access port 101A of the other ship."

He nodded, opening the comms. more, "Captain, the ships are aligned."

"Copy that," Kirk replied, "Scotty?"

"I'm in the hangar, give me a minute," Scotty came on, "I'm running, standby. Whoa, whoa, whoa hold on there captain. This door is very wee, I'm mean, you know, small. It's 4 square meters tops. It's going to be like...jumping out of a moving car, off a bridge, into your shotglass."

"It's ok, I've done it before. Yeah, I was vertical, we jump down to a...it doesn't matter. Scotty!"

"Did you find the manual override?" Khan cut in.

"Manual override Scotty?"

"Not yet," Scotty reported, "Not yet"

"Captain," Spock spoke, "Before you launch, you should be aware that there is a considerable debris field between our ships."

"Spock, not now," Kirk cut him off, "Scotty, you good?"

"It's not easy, just…" Scotty panted, "Give me two seconds alright, you mad bastard."

"Tell me this going to work," McCoy remarked to Spock, entering the Bridge and sitting beside the man.

"I have neither the information or confidence to do so, doctor," Spock stated.

"Ok Captain, standby," Scotty called.

"Boy you're a real comfort," McCoy rolled his eyes at Spock, "What I wouldn't give for Red to be here right now."

"Me either," Spock added quietly.

McCoy glanced over to see that Spock's hands were clenching into fists and shaking. The Pon Farr was really starting to reach dangerous levels for Spock to be displaying outwards signs of it. But he knew...he couldn't even scan the man at the moment either, any indication that there was something wrong with Spock and...everything could be jeopardized. And, to be honest, he sort of wanted to see what the man would do. They were ALL aware, given his help on Nibiru, that the Vulcan was willing to bend rules for Cora...he could only imagine what rules the alien would break for her during Pon Farr and, dealing with Khan and Marcus...that might be JUST what they needed.

Spock would do anything to keep his mate safe and see her returned, and that meant keeping Kirk alive and safe as well.

"Come on, come on, come on, yes!" Scotty cheered, "Ok, ok I'm set to open the door."

"Spock, pull the trigger," Kirk ordered.

"Yes, captain," Spock nodded to himself, "Launching activation sequence on 3...2...1..."

They watched on the viewscreen as two figures shot out of the Enterprise and flew right for the Vengeance, "Sir, Kirk is heading for a collision at 0.432," Sulu reported.

"Captain, there is debris directly ahead," Spock called, keeping his eyes trained on the viewscreen, trying his best to keep himself distracted and focused on guiding Kirk and Khan instead of thinking about how THEY were going to get Cora and he wasn't. He trusted the captain to protect her, but…Khan was already proving his lack of care for her.

"Copy that," Kirk replied.

"Whoa, Jim!" McCoy shouted as Kirk's dot veered to the side to avoid the debris, "You're way off course."

"I know, I know, I can see that."

"Use the display compass, Captain," Sulu called, "You must correct precisely 37.243 degrees."

"Got it I'm working my way back. Scotty, are you going to be ready with that door? Right?" but there was silence, "Mr. Scott, where are you?"

~8~

Cora and Wallace crept slowly into the hangar of the Vengeance, to see Scotty standing before a control panel of sorts, his hands behind his back, his comm. on the ground beside him, a rather large man aiming a phaser at him. Wallace frowned, looking over to see a phaser discarded on one of the cargo boxes and moved to grab it…when Cora grabbed her hand shaking her head, not wanting her to fire at the man in the chance that she missed. Wallace nodded at Scotty, at the man threatening him, them too far away to hear what as being said but knowing that whatever it was was agitating Scotty, who kept glancing at the comm.. They could guess that he was doing something for Kirk and that the man was holding him up…literally and figuratively.

Cora put a finger to her lips and started to quietly make her way forward, allowing the minutest tendrils of emotion seep out of her and into the man, distraction, keeping him from noticing her behind him as she drew nearer. She saw Scotty's eyes focused on the man, unable to see her which was all the better, any reaction, even a small one could alert the man to her presence. As she approached, she could hear Kirk and Spock shouting over the comm., trying to get him to answer, thinking there was something wrong with the connection and she knew she had to be quick.

She reached out as soon as she was close enough and touched the man on the center of his back…the man stiffening for a moment, dropping his phaser…before keeling over to the side. It had to be physical touch this time, unlike in the halls. She could project the emotions to anyone surrounding her at once if she wished...but physical touch allowed her to be specific and only let one person feel what she wanted. It had been why she'd needed to touch Wallace to wake her up, not wanting to risk waking the other men by merely projecting to her. This was the only way to ensure Scotty wouldn't fall asleep as well.

Scotty stood there, staring at her with wide eyes, "Lassie you are a sight for sore eyes," he remarked, letting out a breath.

Cora smiled…before she frowned, "He has landed on your comm.," she pointed at the rather large, burly man now lying right on top of Scotty's comm..

"Eh," Scotty waved her off, "Captain Pretty Hair was being annoying," he shrugged, turning back to the controls to finish up.

Cora gestured Wallace over, the two of them struggling to even drag the man closer to the controls, grabbing a bit of rope that they could find to help keep themselves safe for this plan. They could see it now, Scotty's hand wrapped and tied in rope, and the fact that the controls were for the airlock…they could guess what was coming next.

~8~

"Captain, he can't seem to hear you," Uhura reported, "I'm working on getting his signal back. Standby."

"Damn it!" Kirk hissed a moment later.

Spock stiffened, "Captain, what is it?"

"My helmet was hit. Uhura, tell me you have Mr. Scott back."

"Not yet," Uhura worked frantically, "I'm still working on a signal. His communicator is working, I don't know why he isn't responding."

"Khan use evasive action, there is debris directly ahead," Spock called as a warning came up on the viewscreen.

"I see it…" Khan began…they watched as his dot flew to the side before it was hit by another piece of debris and he went offline.

"Mr. Sulu, did we lose Khan?"

"I don't know, Commander," Sulu checked, "I'm having trouble tracking him in all this debris."

"Was Khan hit?!" Kirk called.

"We are trying to find him now," Spock told him.

"Captain, you need to adjust your target destination 183 by 47.3 degrees," Sulu added.

"Spock, my display is dead, I'm flying blind," Kirk yelled.

"Captain, without your display compass hitting you target destination is mathematically impossible," Spock reported.

"Spock, if I get back, we really need to talk about your bedside manner," Kirk told him, "You may want to be more encouraging, if I miss, Cora's stuck there!"

"Commander, he's not going to make it," Sulu agreed.

"My display is still functional," Khan came back, "I see you Kirk. You're 200 meters ahead of me, my one o'clock. Cut to your left a few degrees and follow me."

"Scotty, we're getting close," Kirk yelled, "We need a warm welcome. Do you copy? Do you copy, Scotty?!"

"If you can hear us, Mr. Scott, open door in 10..." Spock began.

"Scotty!"

"9, 8, 7…"

"Mr. Scott where are you?"

"6."

"1800 meters," a man reported, "1600 meters…"

"Scotty, where are you?!" Kirk shouted.

"3…" Spock counted.

"Scotty please!"

"2…"

~8~

"Have you got him?" Cora looked at Wallace as she and the woman wrapped their hands in ties like Scotty had, each of them taking a hand of the unconscious man that Cora had knocked out.

"Yeah," she nodded, "Do it Scotty!"

Scotty hit a button just as they heard Spock shout, "Mr. Scott open the door," at the same time as Kirk ordered, "Open the door!"

They held their breath, holding on tightly as the doors opened and the air was sucked out…Kirk and another person flying in through the opening. Scotty struggled but hit the button again and closed the airlock door, Kirk and the man falling to the floor as they rolled over to them, coming to a stop only a few feet away.

"Welcome aboard," Scotty panted.

"Good to see you, Scotty," Kirk laughed, laying on his back a moment.

"Who is that?" Scotty eyed the second man who had already rolled onto his knees to look around.

"Khan," Cora answered, "His name is Khan, Montgomery Scott."

Kirk jerked up at the sound of her voice, "Cor!" he turned to her, rushing to hug her, "Boy do I have a few things to tell you about your pointy eared hobgoblin."

"Please refrain from calling him such names Captain Kirk," Cora frowned, "It is rude."

Kirk laughed and just hugged her again, "What are you two doing here?" he asked Wallace.

"She stopped the guards who were dragging us to see my father," Wallace explained, "Said a crew member was here and we found Mr. Scott."

"Call me Scotty," Scotty called.

"They'll know we're here," Khan cut in, "I know the best way to the Bridge."

And with that, he stood and led them off to the side of the hanger, Wallace and Scotty heading after him, Kirk moved to follow when Cora frowned and grabbed his arm, "What is it you wish to tell me?" she asked, sensing it was actually quite important to him.

Kirk just put his arm around her shoulder and led her off, "Cor...what do you know about Pon Farr?"

Cora froze.

A/N: One chapter left }:)

Lol, seems that Cora has been trying to respect Spock while he's respecting her ;) So I suppose that means Spock wouldn't really be influencing her to finish the mating after all. ...but who's to say Cora won't influence him a little? ;) I hope that you liked the little reveal to Kirk and the revelation with Bones, I sort of wanted them to be the ones to find out before Cora, no idea why though lol. Next chapter though...oh boy, not just for Spock and Khan but, well...Cora's on the Vengeance with Khan now isn't she? }:)

But here's another question...why did she freeze? Does she know? O.O And if she does...what does she know? And how? }:)

On a lighter note...lol, Cora wanted the Tribble :) I could see her wanting one as a pet of sorts ;)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, the Pon Farr would have to be wrapped up soon, the story's over tomorrow :) I had it all planned out, no worries, how it would progress and when things would happen, just enough to be a running subplot for the entire movie ;)

I do have a vague idea for a Khan/OC in mind yup :) It's more of a general 'I want to do an OC, I have a basic idea of who she is/where she is' but nothing really beyond that :) I've found though that I tend to end up with ideas for more OCs as I write (what I think to be) the last installment of an OC series in a fandom. So probably in the middle of writing the Kirk/OC I'll end up with a Khan/OC more firmly thought up :)

I'm glad you didn't expect it and that you're enjoying Cora's sass :) Tomorrow we'll get more than just sass out of her ;)