Final chapter before our epilogue! Get excited!

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-XXX-

Beside me, Khan growls. I simply sag against him.

"We did it," I whisper.

He nods, pressing his forehead against mine. Weary, he breaths deeply. His eyes have grown deep creases around them just in the last five minutes alone. I gently touch his temples.

"I do not like leaving our fate in the hands of James Tiberius Kirk, but it is a better option than what we were facing," he sighs.

Pulling away, he goes back to the console to start up the engines and send us home. Leaning against the captain's chair, I ponder. Once finished, Khan joins me, sinking into the chair, bringing me with him to perch on the arm.

"You were going to send me away," I accuse.

"I told you I did not want you to suffer on my account."

I sigh. "Foolish. I told you I would not go."

"What if I were the one to be sent away?" he asks, brows rising.

Leaning my head against the back of the chair, I close my eyes. "I wouldn't let you."

I can feel him smile. An arm goes around my shoulders, pushing me into the lap of the chair. I hum faintly, head finding that just-right spot between his neck and shoulders. Weariness has struck me, hard, and I'm fighting to open my eyes.

"We'll be home soon," he assures me softly.

"Home," I agree, murmuring against his neck, nodding slight.

-XXX-

By the time we've arrived I'm awake and alert again. It's midday, and a small party greets us. We did not fully inform the group as to our reasons for returning to Terra – my request, one that Khan readily agreed to.

"We don't need to give them any further reason for disliking you," he'd say wryly.

Nerita and Patel quickly head up the party, telling Khan of all that had occurred. There was last night a small fight between Alik and Elhar over some kind of hunting bet. It's a little funny really, in a horrible kind of way, that we had only just been threatened with imprisonment, and coming back we're bombarded with petty squabbles. As Khan listens with the impassive face of a judge, I look at him, wondering when and how he would tell the group of our encounter with the Enterprise.

He had told them of all that had occurred in his revival. They knew of Starfleet, the Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk and Spock. During some of the dinners around the fire, I'd listen to him describe they iron hand, mercilessness, on and on. Sometimes it had been difficult to hold my tongue. The Augments were no friends of Starfleet. Breeding this fury in them had perhaps not been entirely wise….

When the two men are before him, Khan scolds them for their pettiness, then reminds them that hunting is not a mere game – it is our living – and they need to be more conservative. Anyone harvesting more than strictly necessary would be severely punished from here out. Properly shamed, the pair back away, heads bowed. Alik's eyes are glittering, and they flash my direction once or twice, but I firmly ignore him. Just as impassive, I stand a little behind Khan, not touching him, hands folded against my waist.

Once the discipline had been taken care of, Khan orders a few Augments to remove our cargo. The colony was ecstatic to see the animals. Patel carries a goat past us, asking, "No cows, Khan? What about dogs?"

"We brought subsistence, not a zoo," Khan replies dryly.

Patel grins at me. "You couldn't even convince him to bring a few puppies, rakhaila?"

"Sadly, no," I say, enjoying Patel's playfulness. "Though I cannot say I tried."

"Some leader you are," he says, giving me a pout.

Khan, approaching from behind me, says quietly, "Patel, once you have penned the animals, let everyone know that they need to be gathered in the center of camp for dinner. We have some news." His hand catches my waist, skirting it lightly.

Patel looks between us, brows raised. "Should we be excited?" He pointedly looks to my abdomen. "Maybe you didn't bring us back dogs, but something…else?"

I gape. "Wha –"

Khan shoots his friend a look. "Move along, Patel."

Once he had left, Khan turns me in his arms. Sighing, he shakes his head. "I do wish that's what our problem was." His hands migrate to my stomach.

I purse my lips, amused. "I certainly don't. This isn't the time, Khan."

He kisses me lightly. "I'd be happy, nonetheless."

"Of course you would." I remove his hands from my stomach, squeezing them. "Unfortunately for you, it's not in the cards at the moment."

He drops his hands with a sad smile. "Someday, Alya."

"But not a soon someday. C'mon, I'm sure they'll need help. You're going to tell them tonight?"

"Yes. Go ahead, I'll make sure they've unloaded everything. I'll see you tonight."

I make to leave, only to be pulled back by Khan for a swift and hard kiss. We linger for a moment before parting, going our separate ways.

-XXX-

Once everyone is gathered for our communal meal, Khan draws their attention to him at the center. With a measured tone, he tells the group of our encounter and subsequent arrangement with Starfleet. There is a great hush about the group.

"How did they find us?" Nerita asks softly.

Khan's muscles tense. "They've been searching for a while. They got lucky." He doesn't look my way once. "This was not anticipated. But we have been offered an opportunity - freedom."

"Under Starfleet?" Alik scoffs.

Khan turns to him. "It is our best option," he snaps. "I would rather have a supervised exile than be entirely annihilated. That's living. Alik. Our choices are living or dying, and so long as I have you, I will always choose living,"

A murmuring spreads throughout the crowd. It is mostly positive, in Khan's favor.

"We will follow you, my prince," someone shouts. Agreement follows.

He allows himself a small smile. From where I sit near Patel, my hands are clasped, eyes glued firmly to Khan. Patel glances at me.

"So I suppose this means you aren't expecting?" he asks. Khan is still talking. I glance at him with a small shake of my head.

"Pity," he sighs.

"Why is everyone so disappointed?" I wonder aloud quietly. "A baby would just be another things to add on top of this mess."

"You don't understand." He's just as quiet. "A baby is hope, Alya."

I shake my head. "It would be too much."

Khan is done. He's taken his usual seat. There's conversation about us. Patel accepts a basket of bread being passed to through the row, offering me a unleaven loaf. I accept it, tearing off a piece. Fruit is coming from the other direction. I take an apple-like thing – we haven't named them yet – for me and Patel.

"They're coming tomorrow?"

"Yes," I say, looking down. "In the morning, I think."

He takes a breath. "Are we ready?"

"I don't know."

-XXX-

Later that evening, in bed, I'm staring at the ceiling, breathing slowly. A candle – something we bought after leaving my parent's house – casts a warm yellowy light in the tiny room. Khan is readying himself for bed, watching me. When I glance back, he lowers himself onto the cot.

"How are you?" I whisper.

He nuzzles my jaw. "Alive. And you?"

"Scared."

He frowns. "Alya. We shall be fine."

"You're very confident." Too confident.

"There is nothing I can guarantee," he says quietly. "All we can do is hope, Alya."

"I cannot help but worry." I roll on my side to better face him. "I'm scared, Khan."

He kisses my forehead. "Don't be."

I simply curl into him further. Arm around me, he rubs my back, fingers tracing my spine. Our breath slows together. I'm on the cusp of sleep when Khan shifts, causing me to stir. I sigh, making to resettle, yet Khan speaks.

"Patel…was only the first," he starts. "Soon more will be asking if we're with child."

I'm silent, waiting for him to continue, gazing upwards through half-lidded eyes.

"I would like to consider it, Alya."

"So…what you want us to have something to tell them? Khan, do you think now is the time? Starfleet putting pressure on us, less than six months building our colony, not to mention only a few months of us being together…Khan, we can't do this now." My hands find his, squeezing tightly.

"It does not matter to me how long I have known you. My feelings have will not change. Be it now or in six months, six years or six decades…."

I smile. "I doubt I'd be in any state to bear children in sixty years. I'll probably be dead, if anything."

He presses his forehead into mine, inhaling. "If not now, then soon. After all of this settles down."

"Maybe," I allow.

Khan smiles. "We'll be happy. I know it."

"A baby won't fix anything, Khan." Frowning, I pull back. "If anything, a baby will complicate things more. I just want to get on a level place with you before we take this to a new level."

"Do you trust me?"

I hesitate. "To an extent."

He sighs. "Alya…."

"But I do love you," I add quickly.

The Augment blinks at me slowly. Stunned, I think. When he doesn't speak for several moments, I lean forward to kiss him softly on the cheek, then nestle against his chest to get some sleep. After a few minutes, his arms wrap around me once more.

-XXX-

His mind cannot fully comprehend what she said. After such a long week, after what he's got on his mind, perhaps he is not mentally at a place where he can grasp words of that magnitude.

She sleep next to him, curl against his stomach, mouth slightly open, breathing deeply. She shifts occasionally, though, overall, Alya is a heavy, still sleeper. Since she'd made the claim of love, they had both been silent – so much so that Alya fell asleep. It doesn't bother him. He prefers the time to think in quiet.

Only six days after he told her of his feelings, fully and verbally owning to them, she tells him this. Not only was it unanticipated, but astounding. Khan stares at her, still floored. He would have never supposed that she would verbalize her feelings. No so soon after he had expressed his. Alya is passionate, yes, but not so personally expressive.

"No baby, though it is a descent compensation for her declaration," he muses. "In time…."

He would prevail. Alya wants this, though she many not know it yet. She is right, however, they're perhaps not at the right place – yet. One hand flattens against her abdomen, feeling the warm stretch of skin. He closes his eyes and imagines it swollen with child. Bowing his head so that it rested against hers, he sighs.

Pulling the human close, he shifts slightly, resettles, and focuses on Alya's even breathing until he drifts into a light doze, awaiting dawn's first light.

-XXX-

The following afternoon, the Augments are again in the center of camp, waiting. We've received word that three officers would be descending upon us at three o'clock. No one is particularly pleased with the arrangement, but tempers are low as Khan has personally threatened to thrash anyone who endangers this family with bad behavior. We stand at the head of the group, both stalk-straight

After last night, Khan has been quieter than usual – thought no in any bad kind of way. When I'd started dressing for the morning, he rose half-up from the bed to nuzzle my shoulders, kissing my neck before turning me by the waist to bury his head against my stomach. For several minutes I stroke his head. When he lifted his gaze to meet mine, Khan put a hand on the nape of my neck, pulling me down to him for a kiss. Then, without a word, he released me.

Eyes straight ahead, he's impassive now. Putting up all of his defenses, while still maintaining an appearance of calm, for the sake of the group.

Softly, I ask, "What will they do when they get here?"

He'd accepted the comm message today, he knew what they were planning. Not taking his eyes off of the anticipated beaming area, he replies, "Evaluate us. Judge how stable of a community this is, and whether we'd be apt to corporate with their terms. They were not very specific."

"Do you know who is coming?"

"They did not say. It will not be Kirk, though Spock may join the party." Khan's lips tighten. "He is a fan, after all."

"Especially after you blew up his girlfriend's apartment," I murmur. He doesn't flinch.

"Whoever it is, they will not be particularly fond of us. But that's fine. We just need them to see that we're functioning – though, not so much that we are a threat."

"We'll be okay," I assure him. I would go on, but the familiar sound of a transporter's humming has caught my attention. Three sparkling blue columns appear before us, twinkling before solidifying into three figures. Spock, Leonard, and Uhura.

The Vulcan and the woman both gaze upon us coolly, while Leonard is less haughty, eyes wide, scanning the crowd before turning to me. His expression has a hint of something else in it – fear, mixed with interest. Being a doctor, he's got a greater capacity for compassion, even for a bunch of "terrorist" such as ourselves. Besides, the Augments are biologically interesting to him, a far better example to him than any file or report. Despite his better judgment, they interest him.

It is Spock who makes the first move, stepping forward, Uhura close on his heels. "Mr. Khan."

Khan inclines his head, moving forward to meet Spock in the middle. Unlike Uhura, I stay put. While Khan is far more volatile than her mate, we've got a larger group to watch for – staying behind not only shows solidarity to Starfleet, but to my new family, and allows these Federation officers to focus on Khan, rather than me. It is him, not me, that needs to impress them. For today, I will be little more than a background character.

"Welcome, Commander Spock," the Augment rumbles. "We trust your journey was a safe one?"

"We had a 2.5% chance of incineration or limb removal," he responds. "All in our party arrived on the surface of this planet safely. I would venture it to be a success."

Khan's lips twitch with amusement. "Precisely what I was hoping to hear." Turning back to the camp, he gestures. "This is my crew. All are present and accounted for –"

"Including Dr. Nejem." Spock's curious eyes flicker to me briefly.

I can see the muscle's in Khan's neck tighten. "Yes," he answers shortly. "Everyone. Would you care to tour our camp, or would you prefer for us to go about our business? We are more than willing to comply with any request you make of us…."

"I should like to speak to your crew."

Khan nods, gesturing to the group. He's being so calm and collected. I'm so proud of him, keeping his temper in check even in the face of Spock's icy nature. "Please."

The Vulcan stands before our crew of seventy-two, intoning to the crowd. "Your leader has agreed to negotiate with the Federation for your people's freedom to remain on Cylfax. For the time being, we shall be monitoring you closely. Full cooperation is anticipated on your part to ensure an equal and safe compromise…."

As he speaks, Leonard approaches me. "You look very at home with them," he says softly.

Glancing up sharply, I frown. "I am home, Leonard."

"I guessed as much." A sad smile. "I wouldn't have left you in medbay had I known, Alya…."

"Leonard!" I scold, exasperated already. "Oh, please don't tell me you've been feeling guilty about that for all these months. "

"Alright, I won't."

I hit his arm gently. Ahead of us, Spock pauses briefly. When he sees it to be casual contact he continues with whatever he'd been saying before. I turn back to Leonard.

"Please tell me you're happy here," he begs me. "Tell me you love it, or something. I let you stay if I don't think you're at least comfortable."

"I'm happy," I assure him, a little surprised to hear myself say it. "Truly. This wasn't the life I'd have pick for myself, by any means, but really…I am happy."

Leonard nods, seeming to digest this. "And him?" he asks. "You're…you two are content?"

At this, I smile. "Yes. We are. I assure you, we're doing well."

He sighs. "As long as I know. I may not agree – hell, I can't even begin to consider agreeing – with this, but if you're happy there isn't too much I can do with a clean conscious to take you from that happiness. Even if it's with a mutated bastard – "

"Alya." The others have joined us. Leonard promptly halts, flustered. Khan's looking at me, lips quirking just slightly. "We're going to show the officers around the camp. Will you join us?"

"Yes," I say quickly, falling into place beside him. Leonard frowns at me, but follows the group. Our crew is dispersed, back to their usual tasks. Everyone warily moves out of the center circle, casting long glances towards the officers. As we walk, Khan reaches for my hand, squeezing tightly before dropping it only when we come to the row of sleeping-shacks.

We show them every inch of our camp: gardens, fields, and community areas. Nothing suspicious comes up – because there is nothing to find. I think they're surprise to find us unhostile and compliant. Our community is not a savage one by any means – we are simply looking to get by. I think Starfleet is only just beginning to see this.

Two hours pass before Spock readies his group to beam aboard the Enterprise again. His countenance has not changed over our tour, but I suspect they've been swayed slightly.

"Thank you, Mr. Khan, for your hospitality." Spock bows his head. Khan follows suit.

"We appreciate your generosity, Commander. I hope you have seen a positive progress here."

The Vulcan nods. "We shall soon be communicating you with updates on the Federation's rulings. We shall give them our recommendations when we reach the Enterprise. They should deliver their decision within the next forty-eight hours."

"Thank you. We will keep our lines open."

With that, Spock turns to the other officers. He shares a look with Uhura – one of those wordless communications that they're so good at. Leonard ventures to hug me, eyeing Khan as he approached. I smile at him when he pulls away to join the others. Spock touches his communicator. "Take us up."

They fade in a twinkle of blue light, leaving me and Khan standing in the middle of camp. With a sigh, I sag against the Augment, feeling drained.

"Exhausted?" he asks.

"Very."

"Bed," he orders gently. "Come on."

I follow him to our shack. It's late afternoon, five or so. Once inside, I sink to the cot, pulling Khan down with me. He nuzzles my neck for a few minutes, then pulls away, rising. I protest with a moan-like noise, eyes closed, reaching, already missing his weight next to me. He takes up my hands, brushing the knuckles with his lips.

"Stay," I whisper, eyes still closed.

"I must go. They'll want to know who it went." He's referring to the other Augments. "I'll be back after dinner."

"Mmmm."

He kisses my forehead, then stands up, exiting the room. With a small huff, I roll onto my side, back facing the door, slipping quickly into an uneasy sleep.

-XXX-

Three days later we receive word from Starfleet. Three long days of watching the skies, three days of never going out of hearing range of the comm unit, three nearly-sleepless nights.

I'm sitting in the small makeshift pasture we've made for the goats when he finds me. My legs folded beneath me, I'm stroking the ears of one lazy female who lays next to my knees, watch the others chewing their cud and grass as they milled about the hillside. Despite the serene scene, my mind isn't within any kind of state of calm. We expected the Federation's response hours ago. Their lack of an answer had me on edge. I came to the field not only to watch the goats, but to get some space. Camp began to feel claustrophobic. As I passed the others, the Augments cast fearful eyes towards me. Some reached out, mouths open, as if to ask…but I turned away, fleeing.

Khan approaches on silent feet, limbs making not a sound as he nears to stand behind me, casting a long shadow over my shoulder. I half-turn to glance at him, waiting for his apparent announcement.

"They called."

For a moment, I freeze. Then, I shoot up to my feet, crossing to him in a flash. "And?" I breathe.

He looks at me, long and hard, before breaking out into an uncharacteristically wide grin. "Alya. They've said yes. We'll be constantly monitored for the next decade, they're setting up a Starfleet base a few miles away, but they said yes."

I find myself being lifted off the ground, held close to his chest. I'm laughing so hard with relief that I'm crying, fat tears pouring hotly down my face. Biting my lip, I bury my face in Khan's neck, shuddering. He's doing the exact same thing to me, our bodies so full of pure joy they could burst. Yes. They said yes!

I lift my head to give him a hard kiss on the mouth, than pull away. "We must tell everyone," I gasp. "And oh, we'll have to thank Kirk and Spock…."

"This was you, Alya," he tells me, resting his forehead against mine, squeezing our combined hands as he holds them between us. "If you had not –"

I silence him with another kiss. "It was us. And our family. Their openness has saved us, Khan. We're going to live."

Barely able to contain himself, he lunges forward for another embrace. We're so unsteady that we topple together, falling to the grass, rolling against the soft, cool greenness, aching with so much happiness it's almost unbearable.

-XXX-

What do you think? More fluff in this chapter, but it's not too overwhelming, is it? What are your thoughts?

Thank you so much for reading. Look out for an epilogue sometime next week!