As Kirk ran towards Corriene's quarters he didn't wait for the security team, McCoy or even Scotty to catch up. He knew he was there, with her. And for a reason he could never work out, even years later, he already knew that he hadn't gone to her quarters just for a chat. He'd felt it in his gut, it had twisted and tugged at him instantaneously.

"Out of my way!" He shouted as he ran through the corridors, Crewman and Officers fleeing in every direction. Skidding on the floor he slammed his fist into the lock panel by the door, not waiting for it to open fully he slid through and in a blink of an eye his worst nightmare came true. In front of him he saw Lucignano kneeling on the floor, his face full of rage and anger raining a barrage of blows down on the woman underneath him, Corriene.

Kirk saw nothing else before he threw himself forwards and pummelled into the enormous frame of Lucignano, knocking the man backwards and off Corriene. Kirk's fist pulled back and tightened until his knuckles were white and with all of his strength he brought it forward, connecting with the man's jaw. That's all he managed to do before the security team pinned Lucignano to the floor, all the while kicking and shouting.

"Jim!" McCoy's voice brought him back to reality, turning he looked at Scotty first who was stood on the side lines, his face painted with horror. It was then that he looked to Corriene, he felt the bile rise to his throat and into his mouth.

Messily kneeling at her side his hands hovered over her, not knowing where he could hold her without touching a bruise or cut. Her eyes were wide in horror and when she first felt McCoy's hand on her shoulder she recoiled uncontrollably.

"Hey, it's alright, it's alright. Lees, listen to me, he's gone, let me help you." McCoy's words weren't getting through to her Kirk could tell. Filling her vision he leant over her, tenderly stroking her forehead and hair.

"Corriene, Corriene, it's me. You're okay." He watched as her eyes focussed on him, her breathing was quick and shallow. He watched as she was overcome by a fit of coughing, blood poured from her mouth. She then stared at him and slowly, her breathing evened out and she nodded at him over and over again as if reassuring herself that everything would be all right.

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF ME!" Kirk's attention was drawn back to Lucignano, pointing his finger at one of the security officers Kirk shouted back.

"Get him the hell out of here, NOW!" The security officer nodded and the men began to drag Lucignano out, Scotty left behind them. He wanted to make sure the Bastard didn't hurt anybody else.

"I'm okay." Hearing Corriene mutter those two words made Kirk laugh out of sheer agony, of course the woman was saying she was fine.

"You're not fine damnit! Lay still!" McCoy was running his hands up and down her limbs and when he pressed her abdomen Corriene winced and swore. "You're ribs are cracked." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Kirk drew his attention back to Corriene, she was looking at him with one eye, the other swollen shut. He could see the tears fill and fall down the side of her cheek.

"Jim?" Her voice breaking as she spoke he watched as the woman in front of him lost her resolve, he at once scooped her up in his arms holding her tight.

"Easy now Jim." McCoy warned.

"I'm here Co." Kirk's own voice cracked as he brought himself up onto his knees and then stood making sure Corriene was tight against his chest.

"Let's get her to sickbay." McCoy instructed quietly, troubled by what he was witnessing. All the way to the med bay Kirk watched her soundlessly crying, her body felt fragile and broken in his arms and he couldn't bring himself to look at her face anymore, the bruises and blood covering every square inch.

McCoy worked silently alongside Nurse Chapel, providing pain relief and a mild sedative. Slowly but surely they mended skin and bone. Kirk stood by Corriene's side the entire time, holding her hand up next to her head and resting it on the pillow. Every now and again he'd move their hands so he could wipe away the silent tears still falling from her eyes with the back of his hand.

When Chapel came to remove her bloodied vest and shorts she looked to Kirk anxiously, she hadn't questioned the fact that he had been by her side since the moment he'd walked through the door carrying her protectively. She hadn't blinked an eye when he'd kissed her head tenderly and whispered in her ear, now though, with something so private and difficult she had to make sure her priority was Corriene, making sure she was taken care of and comfortable was her only priority. Her duty was to her patient.

"It's alright." Corriene answered the unspoken question, squeezing Kirk's hand tighter. For his part, Kirk turned away and concentrated on Corriene's face. It was now marred with pinkish blotches after being healed by McCoy, but he could finally see her iridescent blue eyes and the freckles on her nose.

"Remind me, what was the nickname you use to have?" He asked, smiling lovingly down at her.

"Cookie, you know that." Corriene answered knowing what he was up to but happy to be distracted from what Chapel and McCoy were doing.

"That's right, Cookie! I like it." Kirk gave her a wink and she found herself ever so slightly smiling back.

"You and nicknames." She said, wincing when McCoy prodded away at her ribs, it caught Kirk's attention also and he turned unconsciously to see what the matter was.

He wished he hadn't, seeing her marred bare chest filled him with unadulterated rage once more.

"Have you ever had a nickname?" Corriene was unaware of what was going through his mind, he closed his eyes for a second, mentally pulling himself back together before he turned back to look at her.

"Unfortunately no, however much I tried to make one stick." Kirk retorted jovially, a dark cloud fell over her face and he could tell she was becoming upset again. "Hey, what you doing? You're okay, you're safe now. What's wrong?" Her chin was trembling, he could see she was using all her strength to not just cry out and lose control.

"I was so scared, I tried to stop him but he was too strong! The sonofabitch wouldn't stop!" Kirk nodded wordlessly, his hand smoothed down her now dry curls. Some of them were tinged pink with blood and he found himself trying to brush it out with his fingers.

"There you go Corriene, I nice big warm blanket." Chapel's voice interrupted the pair as she tucked the blanket almost comically under Corriene's chin and shoulders.

"Thank you." Corriene spoke to Chapel gratefully.

"Don't mention it, now get some rest and call me if you need anything." Kirk knew that it was his cue to leave.

"I'll be back in a little while, you get some sleep." He leant over her and pressed his lips gently to her forehead, Corriene's eyes were already closing, mentally and physically exhausted from the ordeal. As he walked away from her bed McCoy approached, his arms crossed and looking very grave.

"She'll be alright Jim." He offered quietly, although his jaw was tight with fury.

"I know she will." Kirk nodded and patted McCoy's arm. "Thanks Bones." He set back off towards the door.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go see him right now Jim." McCoy called after him, concerned about the current emotional state of his friend. Kirk didn't even bother to turn back round when he answered.

"Oh I don't know? I think this is the perfect time Bones."


The Next Day

"Jim, I need a minute with my patient if you don't mind." McCoy looked at his friend sympathetically, Kirk dipped his head and stood from the stool he'd been sitting on next to Corriene's bed.

"Of course." He turned to Corriene. "I'll just be outside."

"Get back to work Captain, you can't be here all day. You've got a ship to run." Corriene raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips, it was the first time he'd seen her pull her usual facial expressions and he knew right then and there she was feeling better.

"I'll think about it." He answered, having no intention whatsoever of going to the Bridge. McCoy watched Kirk reluctantly leave the private room and then turned his attention back to Corriene. Placing his hand on her shoulder he smiled uncharacteristically.

"You're doing really well Corriene." He encouraged.

"What did he do to me?" She asked, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I wouldn't worry about that right now Darlin', we're fixing you up…"

"Doctor." Corriene interrupted. "I want to know." She looked at him fixedly.

"Damnit woman what do you want me to say, he beat the shit out of you!" McCoy's hard exterior had begun to crack.

"I think I got a couple of punches in there myself Doctor McCoy." The corners of Corriene's lips were upturned ever so slightly, he realised she was joking.

"What do you remember?" He asked, trying to calm himself. In all his years as a Doctor he'd never seen anyone receive such a thrashing.

"Not much, I remember going back to my quarters and having a shower. I remember seeing him sat there smiling, asking him to leave. I was looking for my comm badge on my desk, I knew as soon as I saw him he was going to…" Closing her eyes and shaking her head Corriene couldn't find the word to describe the dread she had felt in that moment. "He hit my head against the desk, when I went for the door he stopped me. I remember seeing him above me, spitting and shouting and then I remember seeing you and Jim, that's all. Was he here, In the Med Bay?" She suddenly felt nervous.

"No and he'll be feeling it right about now, Jim sent him straight to the brig." He looked down at her medical records. "Maybe we should go through this later…" McCoy looked at her fretfully, he wasn't sure if it was too early for her to have to deal with the realities of what she had gone through.

"Please Doctor." Corriene asked determinedly, McCoy exhaled slowly and looked back to the PADD.

"You had a Mandibular and Orbital fracture, multiple lacerations to the face and torso, pulmonary contusion…"

"He finally really did a number on me didn't he?" Corriene joked but her eyes were filling with tears as she spoke.

"We took pictures Corriene, as evidence." He felt like she should know, he didn't want her not knowing they existed.

"Okay." She didn't know what else to say. "Shit, I must have looked like a right state?" Her tears were running down her cheeks again, she wiped at them carefully, her skin and face still sore to the touch.

"Oh I don't know? Jim's gotton pretty banged up in the past." The pair of them fell into a silence. "I'll make sure you have somebody to talk to Corriene but first I want you to get some rest okay? Skin and bone I can heal easily, we need to make sure emotionally there isn't any lasting damage."

"Okay, thanks Doctor." McCoy left the room, on the other side of the door he let out the breath he had been holding in.

"Doctor McCoy, are you alright?" Chapel asked, coming up and standing beside him.

"The damned sonofabitch tried to kill her!" He ground out through gritted teeth.

"He's in the brig?" She asked.

"Yes and he's damned lucky he is too because if Jim doesn't kill him I may well do."


"So, what happens now?" Corriene asked folding her nightgown around her waist and tying the belt gently.

"The Enterprise has plotted a course to Outstation Twelve; that's where he'll be handed over to Starfleet. From there they'll travel back to San Francisco where a panel will deliberate his sentence." Kirk answered. Corriene didn't respond, it was a lot of information to take in and her mind was swimming with all the possible outcomes.

McCoy had kept her in the sick bay for five days before reluctantly allowing her to rest in her own quarters. Of the nine days since McCoy had reluctantly let her rest in her quarters he had visited her nine times. Being the Ship's psychologist, she had spoken to him at length, sometimes finding it easier to speak with him than with Kirk. With Kirk Corriene could immediately see the anger and hurt it caused him when she explained her feelings, or fears. She didn't blame him for it, she wasn't angry at him. She knew it was a natural reaction and really, it let her know that he cared deeply about her.

For her part she had been cautiously optimistic with how well she was coping. Sure she was skittish and she'd find herself crying for no apparent reason but on the whole her anger and upset was well and truly directed in the right direction and that direction was Lucignano.

"You won't have to be present at the hearing Co." Kirk mentioned as an afterthought.

"I know, is it wrong of me that I wish that I could be there?" She asked as she played with the belt on her nightgown.

"No, I can understand you wanting to be there."

"But you don't think it's a good idea?" She asked, watching his reaction carefully.

"No, I don't." He sat down beside her and placed his hand on her knee, as she rested her head on his shoulder Corriene wondered if there instant affection was destiny or a product of the traumatic event they had both experienced? The latter possibility wasn't a cause for concern to her, feeling confident that they would have reached the same journey's end anyway; they just took a wholly different route! "What are you thinking about?" Kirk had been watching her, seeing the mix of emotions play over her face.

"I was thinking that this wasn't how I had envisioned our time together, me getting my arse handed to me and you having to play Nurse and Carer." She answered honestly.

"No, it certainly wasn't mine either!" Kirk laughed, kissing the top of her head. "But here we are Cookie."

"You don't have to be, if you don't want." Corriene stated as she pulled her head up off his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Creasing his brow Kirk twisted his body to face Corriene's.

"I mean there would be no hard feelings if you wanted to exit stage left on this." Corriene's eyes were wide with trepidation and she kept biting her bottom lip. Kirk considered her words, she'd have been right a few years back, he would have wanted out. The idea of giving himself to someone so wholly had never been something he'd wanted to do, didn't see the necessity of it. Now though, from the time he'd spent with Corriene and even the shit show they were going through currently he had never wanted to be anywhere else other than by her side.

"I'm not going anywhere okay?" His tone was stern, Corriene found herself nodding.

"Okay."


Thank you for the reviews, they're very much appreciated and it's great that you're all swept away in the adventure and soap opera of this story! Thank you for the follows and favourites also, I'm loving writing this one! It's s over the top! LOL LLAP ;-) XOXO