Charlotte's eyes opened. Khan was smiling down at her. She lifted her head from it's uncomfortable position on Khan's shoulder. 

"Good morning." Khan said.

Morning? How long have I been here? She thought. 

"Did I sleep here?" Charlotte asked.

"You fell asleep around midnight. I kept watch." Khan said.

"Aren't you tired?" Charlotte asked.

"I've had more than enough sleep for a lifetime." Khan said. 

"I should get out of here." Charlotte said. "No one came by and saw us?"

"Nope." Khan shook his head.

"We're going to get in so much trouble if we're caught." Charlotte shook her head. "I need to spend some time away from here so they don't suspect anything."

"Go to the med bay." Khan said. "See if your mentor needs help with anything." 

"Good idea." Charlotte said. "I'll see you later." 

She left the cell and went to the med bay. Bones looked up at her arrival. He waved her over to him and she jogged up.

"I'm glad you're here, Charlie." He said. "Look at this."

He showed her something on the computer. It was Khan's blood sample, but she watched as the cells regenerated as fast as lightening. Her eyes widened.

"That's impossible!" She said.

"Well, it's not becuase we're lookin' at it right now." Bones said.

"That must be why he wasn't injured on Kronos! All his injuries were healed before I could take a look!" Charlotte said. 

"Could you bring me more of his blood? I want to take a closer look." Bones said.

"Okay." Charlotte said. She took a flask and went back to Khan's cell. "Khan, darling?"

"Yes?" Khan said.

"Bones wants another blood sample." Charlotte said. Khan's eyes flashed with something Charlotte couldn't place. But he blinked and the emotion was gone.

"He does?" Khan asked.

"Yeah." Charlotte said. She enlarged the hole. "Put your had through."

Khan stuck his strong hand through the hole. He looked at Charlotte, begging with his eyes. Charlotte finally placed the emotion she had seen earlier: it had been fear.

"Oh my gosh...you're a trypanophobic, aren't you?" Charlotte said. 

"You would be too if you had been injected with needles over and over and over..." Khan's voice trailed off.

"Well, it'll be over quick." Charlotte said. "Just look into my eyes. Don't look at the needle." 

"Okay." Khan said. He looked into Charlotte's eyes.

Charlotte pierced Khan's arm with the needle. She knew she needed to talk to him. "So, why weren't you afraid of needles when you came on the Enterprise?"

"I had forgotten about my phobia for a little while, but it was reawoken after you took blood the first time. I couldn't show any emotion, though, so I panicked in my head." Khan said. Charlotte looked into his eyes for the whole time, never breaking contact. "Is it over?"

"I want to take another one, just to be safe." Charlotte said, connecting another flask to the needle quickly. "You're halfway there, dearest. It's okay."

"All right. I'm trusting you." Khan said.

"Why were you injected over and over?" Charlotte asked. She was desperate to know about her lover's past. 

"I don't want to talk about it...it's not a pleasent memory." Khan said. "Please, just tell me it's over."

"Khan, shh." Charlotte said. "I wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt you, would I?"

"No." Khan said. "Have you ever delt with this kind of problem before?"

"Yes, many times. It's mostly children and young men." Charlotte smirked. (My doctor says that most of the people who faint before shots or cry are boys.) 

"Really?" Khan said. He seemed relieved that there were other people like him out there.

"Yes." Charlotte said. "Okay, that's it."

"Thank goodness." Khan sighed in relief as Charlotte took the flask out. She watched as the wound healed almost instantly. She went into the cell and hugged Khan tightly.

"I'm proud of you." She whispered. "If I can help it, I won't ever do this again." 

"Thank you." Khan said.

"You're welcome." Charlotte said. "I'm gonna go give these to Bones and see if he needs anything else. If he doesn't, I'll come back."

"Okay." Khan said. He kissed Charlotte on the forehead. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Of course. Maybe I can bring you something to eat." Charlotte said, stepping out of the cell.

"I would like that." Khan said.

Charlotte smiled one last time at Khan and then went to the med bay. She handed Bones the two flasks of blood. Bones nodded his thanks. 

"Do you need help with anything?" She asked.

"No, I'm good. All I needed was the blood." Bones said. "Thank you, Charlie."

"It's Charlotte." Charlotte said. "Why do I have to keep telling you guys this?"

As she returned to Khan's cell, she saw Kirk and Spock storming towards it. She tilted her head and jogged to catch up with him. 

"Sir, what is it?" She asked.

"There's a man in one of those torpedoes. A 300 year old frozen man." Kirk said. "I want to know why. Harrison knows about the torpedoes, so he has to know about this."

"He hasn't talked before. Why would he talk now?" Charlotte asked. 

"He will. I have a feeling." Kirk said. "No more Mr. Nice Guy from me." 

"Whatever you say, Captain." Charlotte said.

Kirk walked up to the cell. Khan was sitting, his posture practically perfect. His eyes watched Kirk carefully, then darted to Charlotte. Her facial expression said, 'I'm sorry,' and Khan believed her.

"Why is there a man in that torpedo?" Kirk asked.

"There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Captain." Khan said. "I put them there."

"Who the hell are you?" Kirk asked after a quick glance at Spock.

"Yes, who are you?" Charlotte asked. Khan's eyes snapped to her. He sighed. It was time to let Charlotte know everything.

"A remnant of a time long past. Genetically engineered to be superior so as to lead others to peace in a world at war." Khan said. Now Charlotte understood why Khan was afraid of shots and blood getting drawn. He must have had thousands of chemicals put into him and then blood drawn to see if it was working. "But we were condemed as criminals, forced into exile. For centuries we slept, hoping that when we awoke things would be...different." Khan glared in Spock's direction. "But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan, your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrents of space. My ship was found adrift, I alone was revived."

"I looked up 'John Harrison.' Until a year ago, he didn't exist." Kirk said. 

"John Harrison was a fiction, created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause. A smokescreen to conceal my true identity." Khan said. "My name is Khan."

"Why would a Starfleet Admiral ask a 300 year old frozen man for help?" Kirk asked, mock dripping from his voice.

"Because I am better." Khan said.

"At what?" Charlotte asked.

"Everything." Khan said, looking her way. He looked back in Kirk's direction after several moments. The tension was thick in the air. "Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time, and for that he needed a warrior's mind. My mind. To design weapons and warships."

"Hold on a sec. You're suggesting that our Admiral broke every rule he vowed to uphold because he wanted to...what's the word I'm looking for? Exploit, that's it! Because he wanted to exploit your intellect?" Charlotte tilted her head. 

"He wanted to exploit my savagery. Intellect is useless in a fight, my darling." Khan said. Charlotte and he stared at each other for a few moments.

"Charlie, why is he calling you 'darling' and why are you looking at each other like that?" Kirk asked.

"He says it to try and make me feel intimidated, which I am not, by the way." Charlotte lied, looking at Khan.

"Marcus used me to design weapons. To help him realize his vision of a militarized Starfleet. He sent you to use those weapons. To fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting planet." Khan said. "And then he purposefully crippled your ship in enemy space, leading to one inevitable outcome. The Klingons would come searching for whomever was resposible, and you would have no chance of escape. Marcus would finally have the war he always talked about, the war he always wanted."

"No. No." Kirk shook his head. "Charlie-"

"Charlotte." Charlotte and Khan corrected at the same time.

"Whatever! We both watched you open fire in a room full unarmed Starfleet officers." Kirk said. "You killed them in cold blood!" 

"Marcus took my crew from me!" Khan shouted, turning his head away so no one would see him get emotional. "He took my lover from me too!"

"You are a murderer!" Kirk yelled.

"He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I had designed. But I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone. And when I did, I had every reason Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear." Khan said, a single tear, dripping down his face. "So I responded in kind. My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?" His eyes were trained on Charlotte. She understood. She was Khan's family now, the one person that he was clinging to.

Kirk's communicator suddenly beeped. "Proximity alert, sir. There's a ship at warp heading right for us." Sulu's voice said.

"Klingons?" Kirk asked.

"At warp?" Khan scoffed. "No, Kirk. We both know who it is."

 "I don't think so, sir. It's not coming at us from Kronos." Sulu said through the device.

"Charlie, move Khan to the med bay. Post six security officers on him." Kirk said.

"Yes, sir." Charlotte nodded.

Spock followed Kirk as he jogged away. Charlotte fetched a pair of handcuffs just to be safe. She put them on Khan and led him out of the med bay. She told the six officers to go wait at the bay and that they would be there shortly. They didn't want to leave, but Charlotte told them Khan wouldn't be able to hurt her with the handcuffs on. She turned to him shortly after they left.

"So, you're better at everything, hm?" She asked.

"Yes." Khan nodded. He tilted his head. "Is that bad?"

"No...I was just wondering something." Charlotte said. 

"Go on." Khan said. 

"Would that include kissing?" Charlotte asked. Khan grinned. 

"Let's find out." Khan said. 

He pressed his lips to Charlotte's. He lifted his arms so he could place them around her. She wrapped her own arms around his neck. When they broke apart, they were breathless. 

"So...am I better at kissing?" Khan asked.

"Yes." Charlotte nodded. "I love you." 

"I love you too." Khan said. "We should be going to the med bay."

"I can't be with you there, though, and I hate that." Charlotte said. 

"I know, but you want to keep our relationship a secret, right?" Khan asked.

"Yes, I do." Charlotte sighed. "Come on." 

Khan followed Charlotte to the med bay. Bones nodded at both of them. He pulled up something on a large screen. It was a video message from the ship. Charlotte held her breath. The signal came through. It was Admiral Marcus. Khan glared at the screen. Charlotte knew that if he was a dog, he would be growling.

"Captain Kirk." Marcus said.

"Admiral Marcus. I wasn't expecting you." Kirk said coolly. "That's a heck of a ship you've got there."

"And I wasn't expecting to get word that you'd taken Harrison into custody in violation of your orders." Marcus said.

"Well, we, uh...we had to improvise when our warp core unexpectedly malfunctioned." Kirk said. "But you already knew that, didn't you, sir?"

"I don't take your meaning." Marcus said.

"Well, that's why you're here, isn't it?" Kirk asked. "To assist with our repairs? Why else would the head of Starfleet personally come to the edge of the Neutral Zone?"

"Sir, he's scanning us." Sulu said.

"Anything I can help you find, sir?" Kirk asked.

"Where's your prisoner, Kirk?" Marcus asked.

Charlotte's breath hitched in her throat. If all the things Khan had said were true, she would only let Kirk hand her lover over to that monster over her dead body. Khan was visibly panicking too.

"Per Starfleet regulation, I'm returning Khan to Earth to stand trial." Kirk said.

"Well...crap. You talked to him." Marcus said, rubbing his temple. "That's exactly what I was hoping to spare you from. I took a tactical risk and I woke that jerk up, believing that his superior intelligence could help us protect ourselves from whatever came at us next. But I made a mistake. And now the blood of all the people he's killed is on my hands. So I'm asking you, give him to me so I can end what I started."

Please, Kirk. Don't tell him. Charlotte thought. She made sure everyone was watching the screen before taking Khan's hand. He held it tightly.

"Well, what would you like me to do with the rest of his crew, sir?" Kirk asked. "Fire them at the Klingons, end 72 lives? Start a war in the process?"

"My crew..." Khan murmered.

"He put those people in those torpedoes. I simply didn't want to burden you with knowing what was inside of them." Marcus said. "You saw all this man can do by himself, can you imagine what would happen if we woke up the rest of his crew?"

"Don't listen to him." Charlotte said.

"What else did he tell you? That he's a peacekeeper? Did he tell some woman on your crew that he loved her?" Marcus said. "He's playing you, son! Can't you see that? He and his crew were condemed to death as war criminals! And now it is our duty to carry out that sentence before anybody else dies because of him. Now, I'm going to ask you again, one last time, son. Lower your shields. Tell me where he is."

"He's in engineering, sir." Kirk lied. Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief. "But I'll have him moved to the transporter room right away."

"I'll take it from here." Marcus said. The transmission ended here.

Charlotte let go of Khan's hand and all eyes were on him again. After several minutes, everyone felt the ship lurch foreward. Bones came over and handed Charlotte a device to scan Khan with. She did so.

"Well, at least we're moving again." Bones muttered.

"If you think you're safe at warp, you're wrong." Khan said. He glanced at the blonde woman next to Bones. Her name was Carol. Her eyes widened and she dashed out of the room.

After about five more minutes, the ship started vibrating and then tilted to the sides. Khan fell off the examination table as Charlotte stumbled. Khan grabbed her and held her tightly to him. He wasn't going to let her get hurt. Holes were being blown on the Enterprise because of Marcus's ship. 

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He whispered fiercly. "I will keep you safe, my darling."

As soon as it started, it had stopped. Khan uncurled himself from Charlotte's body. Everyone was looking at him in shock, wondering why he would protect her. 

"What?" He snapped. He sat back on the table, his posture perfect and his eyes staring off into space.

About fifteen minutes later, Kirk came into the med bay. Charlotte had been checking the guards for injuries. They had all been fine. Khan walked up to Kirk.

"Tell me everything you know about that ship." Kirk said.

"Dreadnought class. Two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry. Modified for a minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat." Khan said.

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

"In exchange for what?" Khan asked.

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

"Captain, you can't even guarentee the safety of your own crew." Khan said. He knew what he wanted. He wanted Charlotte.

Kirk's eyes flicked to Bones. "Bones, what are you doing with that tribble?"  (I WANT A TRIBBLE)

"The tribble's dead. I'm injecting Khan's platelets into the deceased tissue of a neucronitc host." Bones said. "Khan's cells regenerate like nothing I've ever seen and I wanna know why."

"You coming with me or not?" Kirk asked.

Khan thought this matter over for a minute. "I will come."

"Good." Kirk nodded. "Come with me."

"Khan!" Charlotte whispered before he left with Kirk.

"What is it?" Khan asked.

Charlotte pressed her lips to his quickly. "Be safe, my strong warrior."