Chapter Twenty-Four: Freedom

She could feel it all flooding back.

The end was near. Marla didn't want it to end. She had fought too hard for it to end right now. She staggered to her feet clutching the console and hating everything that plunged into their ship. She pressed her teeth together hard chewing on her lower lip. She held on as the ship rocked. Her eyes tried to follow Khan as debris sprayed down. He was running across the ship's hull. She wasn't sure his purpose in trying to see the damage to the ship.

"Khan." Her voice was nearly a whisper. It was coarse. Her side hurt. She touched it lightly. The fall had bruised her a bit. Her hand clutched the console. He ran to the console though she was certain it wasn't for concern for her. The alarms sounded blaring violently at concern for damage to the ship.

"Set destination. Star. Fleet. Headquarters." He sounded the destination with strong perfection. Her eyes shut ducking as more debris fell.

This was it, but if they were going down they weren't going down without inflicting as much destruction as possible. A fact ran through her brain. Before his disappearance Khan had fought off an army of nearly a thousand men in combat against his mere hundred. Seventy-two had made it safely into their time.

"Engines compromised." She watched ducking as Khan maneuvered to the console closer to her. Something sparked behind him. "Cannot guarantee destination. Confirm order." His eyes settled slowly on her. Her expression slowly began to match his excitement at the destruction. She bit back pain as he squinted hard.

"Confirm." He squeezed out. His eyes settled on her. Khan's expression became slightly gentle in that moment.

He swung himself around the console taking his hand to her hip. The ship wrenched again. He held her to him pressing his hand against the small of her back.

"You can't be here." His eyes weren't on her when he said it. He started dragging her as more debris fell. She winced and ducked. His hand took hers harshly.

"No, I'm not," Something clanged behind them as Khan dragged her toward another corner of the ship. "Running. I'm tired of running." She yanked him back wincing as she staggered. He caught her clutching her waist. She glared into him through narrow eyes. "What happened to us being equals?" She ran her fingers over his cheekbones. "We fight together. We die together."

"We are not equals, Doctor McGivers." He said through gritted teeth. He yanked away from her touch and kept her at arm's length, yet his hands still held to her hips. "When this ship crashes I have a very high chance of surviving. My body was built for war. It's very unfortunate that you were born into such malleable flesh." He squeezed her hips tightly kneading into her skin. She nibbled her lip to look at him harshly. "I do not want to chance harming this flesh, this body." His eyes went to his hands at her hips. "I like it far too much." A devilish smile played across his lips. She stepped closer to him tempting him softly as she leaned into his ear.

"You can save me if harm comes to me, Khan." She entwined her fingers into his at her hips. She could see the curiosity shroud his expression.

"I," He paused. She could see him struggle. His lips pressed in and out of his mouth before he let words slip free. He looked up searching for the right ones to say before he let soft blue eyes fill her with an unknown sadness. "I can't see you that way. I won't. Not if I have a choice. You would be such a great loss to this world." She didn't have time to think.

He kissed her. Marla let him control the intensity as the world fell apart around them. The best laid plans were tearing apart around them. She couldn't breathe as she folded into him. He kissed her softly and smoothly. She felt panic rise within her. He broke away slowly holding her hips as the ship rocked.

"I will find you." He promised. Khan hit a button to open an escape pod.

"I don't want to be caged. I can't." She knew if Star Fleet found her somewhere in an escape pod they'd recognize her. They'd take her away. Lock her up. They might even kill her if they could muster up the right evidence. A strong sense of urgency rose in her throat. She clung to him in terror. Marla could fight it, but the terror of knowing what was at the end, a needle to her arm or years without feeling the embrace of adventure was too cruel to imagine. She held his face for support shaking. "I won't let them. They can't cage me."

"No one has ever caged you, Marla." He looked at her almost laughing. "No one ever could." He kissed her forehead. She could feel his lips curve into a smile against her forehead. "But sometimes we have to know when to run." He sighed heavily running his hands through her hair before he looked at her. "I ran. I ran with my crew because," His lips trembled at the admittance. "I was scared. I was scared of losing the only family I ever had."

"You," She grabbed his face in her hands staring into his eyes. She had never seen his honesty so open. Khan Noonien Singh could not be caged as well. "Survived. I'm going to survive." She squeezed her eyes feeling tears well up slowly.

She sniffed realizing she was starting to begin sobbing, not because of all the people that had fallen by the weigh side or because of the terrible things she had done or for what Khan would have to face, she was sobbing for her own fate. She did not want to face the consequences she had laid out for her. She wasn't about to lose her way when she had fought so hard to live. Marcus' death may have been what she wanted, but being an augment was what she needed. Marla needed to be by Khan's side. In this moment he was shredding all hope of that from her. Part of her cried for that, the unknown. She didn't know when she'd see him again. She knew she'd fight like hell to get him back. Part of her cried because she hated seeing those emotions cross his face.

"I'm afraid again." He admitted. "Afraid of losing my family again."

"I'm sure the Vulcan kept your people safe." She let her smile fall. "He seemed to have feelings for that female officer. Surely sentiment passes to saving lives." He gently leaned his forehead to hers.

"I did not mean my crew." He closed his eyes and she could see him struggle. "I mean you, Marla." Her eyes searched his face when he opened his eyes. The truth was clear. "You are an admirable human. What we did, you and I, it means nothing, in all of this, but to us," He grabbed her chin and stared at her. He wiped her tears harshly. "It. Means. Everything. We are bound. We are bound because of this." He kissed her wrist biting it softly. "We belong to each other, no matter what time or gravity does to us." He kissed her. She let her body embrace him as her arms took him in. He whispered something she knew she could never say to anyone. No one would believe her.

No one would believe a malicious tyrant like Khan Noonien Singh would declare himself equal to a human, would declare that he loved anyone or anything.

"You must relax though." He kissed her forehead slowly before she nodded. She kissed him again. She could have kissed him a thousand more times.

The doors locked on her slowly as belts strapped her in. The pod snapped free of the ship. Marla slowly closed her eyes feeling the fear cloud her for a moment before she decided to think of better things. She thought of the battle field. She thought of the wars Khan faced. She placed herself there and imagined being a part of the fray. She wasn't an augment in her dreams. Marla knew Khan would not respect her that way. She imagined Khan finding her building a weapon and shooting at him.

She imagined a world in which he was injured severely by the weapon and she was captured. His people would declare her unworthy to be kept. Khan would think her mastery at weapons was something to look into. He'd test her. She'd enjoy the game. They'd play it back and forth until he tired of it and sought to conquer her differently. He'd try seduction. She'd play hard to get, but he'd ask her why she hadn't escaped. He'd give her every opportunity to do so.

She'd tell him that humans misjudged her and didn't see her brilliance like he had. That humanity thought her weapons were destructive. Marla would be a lost soul in that society like in her own society now. That's when they'd give in. Khan would have her as he had imagined. Marla would let him, but would make him do as she wished. In this world the curious Marla would have a bit of a desire to see what sex with a better being was like.

Afterwards she'd ask to be less of a prisoner. He'd take her on as a consort then his admiration would turn once he saw her in battle. Her fighting style would be divine in his eyes. Her hair would be longer in this world, flow behind her matted from blood and singed by fire. He'd embrace her as an asset. She'd help him conquer many lands. Maybe with her by his side Khan wouldn't have run. He'd embrace death with all the fire she had.

Unfortunately her thoughts came to a fiery end when she washed up on the San Francisco Bay. Blasters were pointing down at her declaring her a prisoner once more. She only smiled at the words remembering Khan's observation.

No one could keep her prisoner.

Author's Note: Sorry if this is on the short side. After this is a two part epilogue detailing exactly what's to happen to this lovely pair. Clearly Marla doesn't plan on being captive for long or ever.

After the epilogue this story will end and another will begin. I plan *fingers crossed* for a sequel and then a prequel. Prequel depending on how well the sequel is received. Hoping to get the two part epilogue out soon.