A/N: Sorry this is so long, but I couldn't bring myself to cutting it in half as we've been awaiting baby Harrison's arrival! I had a very difficult time finding a song for Sarina Kaur's lullaby. I ultimately chose the one titled "Neend Bhari Re" as I liked the tune but could not find a translation of the lyrics into English anywhere! You can find all the music for this chapter on You Tube. Sorry for any typos or errors!

41. A Princess

(Listening track selections: "Jia Ren Qu" by Shigeru Umebayashi, "Neend Bhari Re" performed by Lalitya Munshaw – aka Sarina Kaur's lullaby, "Saun Ja Meri Rani" performed by Nuzhat Abbas, and "A Princess" by Javier Navarrete)

A couple of days had passed after John inadvertently started the brawl at the bar at the 602 Club with his new shipmates near the campus of Starfleet Academy. As those present were all involved with Starfleet in some way including academy students who happened to make up most of the staff at the club, news of their behavior did not reach the outside world thanks to threats of punitive action from both Admiral Morrow and Admiral Barnett, head of the Starfleet Academy Board. Although John explained to Catherine what had happened leading up to him handing out the first blow to Captain Kirk, she did not press him further at the time to discuss whether or not his feelings about Kirk had changed in light of them working together to fight for the same cause. So, she was thoroughly surprised when it was he who brought up the issue as they sat at their dining room table working on their studies together.

"I've been thinking," John announced as he took off his glasses which he would soon no longer need as his mild visual deficit had quickly improved with Dr. McCoy's treatments consisting of small daily doses of Retinax.

"Oh?" Catherine arched her brow as she put down her PADD. "What about?" she asked before she took a sip of her tea.

"Jim Kirk."

With his reply, Catherine began choking on her tea causing John to get out of his chair and rush to her side. Waving him away assuring him that she was fine, once she caught her breath, she asked, "Did I just hear you say that you've been thinking about Captain Kirk and you referred to him informally as 'Jim'?"

"Yes, you heard correctly."

"And?"

"I believe that we have come to some sort of unspoken, new understanding with one another. Do not misinterpret me. I will not hesitate to choke the life out of him the moment he puts anyone I love in harm's way. But," he sighed, "I think that I might be able to make this work. It will not be easy, as you know I am proud and stubborn, but you also know that I always endeavor to overcome any obstacle in my way. Furthermore, I am superior and will happily prove to Starfleet that I am far more capable in commanding a starship than him."

"As you have said, you need to learn to relax a little. His light-hearted personality should be a good influence on you," Catherine teased.

"I'm not sure if I completely agree with you on that. I have heard that it has often been noted by his superior officers that his carefree attitude and lack of discipline could ultimately lead to what gets him and his crew killed. As we will now be part of that crew, that certainly has me concerned."

"Your concern is understandable, but I think that it is safe to say that the captain has been changed by his brush with death and will try not to be so careless. If anything, although he still does his best to come across as confident and fun-loving, I sense that deep down he is very conflicted with himself and is struggling to come to terms with what happened. Did you know that he cheated on the Kobayashi Maru simulation so that he could beat it?" Catherine smirked slightly.

"No, I did not know that. Seems they conveniently left that out of his Starfleet dossier. So he cheated death before, and when really faced by Marcus with a no-win scenario, he had no idea how to handle it. I remember him pleading with Marcus to spare his crew. Hearing that brought back so many memories of myself doing the exact same thing: telling Marcus that I would do anything and begging him not to hurt my family," John frowned. "I suppose Kirk's solution was adequate, though. His actions did save us all," John decided.

"So, my superior one," she grinned trying to help him not to linger on painful memories of the past, "why exactly do you want to prove that you are a better commander than Captain Kirk? I did not know that command of a starship of your own was something you desired."

"It is not my direct goal to achieve an illustrious career in Starfleet and command of my own ship, but, I do want to show them that I am capable of doing so and ultimately that I am capable of ruling my own people once we are given a planet of our own to inhabit. Although the Great Khanate is no more, I am still the leader of my people and their spokesman. If I am capable of commanding a crew of hundreds, I can easily lead a group of less than one hundred Augments," he explained.

"Love, you have already successfully led your people once before, and I have confidence that you can do it once again. You do not need to prove yourself to anyone."

"Thank you for trusting and believing in me, Imzadi, but I do not feel that my rule as Khan was triumphant."

"I know you don't think that you were successful, and you already know that others and I disagree with you. Despite the fact that we differ on that issue, I wholeheartedly support you in your endeavor," she reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "Besides, I am your Khanum."

"That you are," he smiled. "There is one thing that I actually have found in Kirk that I respect."

"What is it?"

"Despite his joke that triggered my rage at the bar about him and I sharing Carol Marcus and you between the two of us, he really does respectfully admire you for how you've stood by my side in spite of all we've been through. While drunk, he admitted that he and Dr. Marcus are in a bit of a rough spot in their relationship."

"I was not completely sure at the time, but I figured that they were together given the way they interacted with each other at our trial. He was quite angry with her after she admitted under oath her infatuation with you and how she stalked us. Maybe he is also envious of the relationship we have with one another."

"Perhaps," John nodded. "I know that I have expressed my gratitude to you many times, but, thank you, Catherine, for never leaving my side."

"My Khan, I could never have abandoned you in your time of need. I only wish that I could have been in your life sooner and helped to spare you or at least alleviate some of the pain you have felt," she gently stroked the hand that she had been holding. "John, I know you would rather have taken the prison sentence. You could have easily held your own there and most likely would have escaped and gained your freedom. You sacrificed your chance to flee because of me and because of my request to share the same punishment as you. I would have only held you back if I went there with you. Thank you for choosing to serve in Starfleet for my sake. I know this is not the life you necessarily would have chosen if I were not a factor in the decision."

"Imzadi, do not ever think that you were or currently are a hindrance to me," he scolded her. "If it were not for you, I would likely not be alive right now, and you know that. If the eel larvae did not kill me first, given what Commander Spock has told me in regards to what his plans were to meet my demands in exchanging my crew for Kirk, Dr. Marcus, and Mr. Scott, I would likely have died on the Vengeance in a manner no different than the other version of myself died on the Reliant. He was going to take the cryotubes out of the torpedoes, activate the detonation sequence on the torpedoes, and beam them to the Vengeance just as I had demanded of him."

"That cunning little Vulcan! Blowing the ship up from the inside out besides the fact that Scotty already activated the self-destruct sequence," she gasped. "I really would have lost you."

"Seeing you alive and your understanding that I was not myself ensured that I was removed from the ship, received the medical treatment that I needed, and stopped my madness. You're right. Serving in Starfleet was certainly not my preference, but after everything you've done for both me and our family, I could not bear to see you so afraid and crying especially after all that you had been through because of me. Seeing you cry breaks my heart. If choosing something I find undesirable means that you do not have to be afraid or cry, then I will endure it for your sake. You are a part of me. You are my life now, and you will always come first."

"We may yet face danger during our five year mission, and we may yet experience pain. At least we will be together, the three of us."

"Of course, we will have each other and also our friends. We would have had no one to look out for us in prison," he nodded. "I know that I will never have psionic abilities like you, Catherine, just as you will most likely never be an Augment, but I think that I may be able to ever so slightly sense your emotions. Is that possible?"

"You are Augment, John, and so I certainly would not say it is impossible. We have grown extremely close with one another since we were reunited. Our bond is very strong now. What do you think you have sensed?"

"You were so afraid when they gave us our sentence to go to the Tantalus colony. Imzadi, I felt nothing but raw fear emanating from you. You would not have been afraid of simple imprisonment having already experienced worse at the hands of Dr. Zineeri. I have researched the prison colony on Tantalus V, and now I understand your fear. Only the most violent criminals are sent there for so-called rehabilitation. No one in Starfleet will speak of it, but I have heard murmurings about Dr. Tristan Adams and his leadership of the penal colony. You also know of such rumors, do you not?" he asked as a shiver ran up her spine.

"Yes," she sighed. "I've heard it from others, but I also overheard Dr. Noel once before one of our sessions discussing with her colleague the treatment of a Dr. Simon Van Gelder. He was Dr. Adams' associate. They say that Dr. Van Gelder is suffering from severe mental illness including delusions, paranoia, and even partial retrograde amnesia. Dr. Noel mentioned something about Dr. Van Gelder blaming his symptoms on a device called a neural neutralizer. John, some have reason to believe that Dr. Adams is experimenting on his prisoners. I've also heard rumors that Dr. Adams was associated with Section 31 and perhaps even connected to Dr. Zineeri. I could not bear the thought of us going through something like that again. As you said, Starfleet remains tight-lipped about the tittle-tattle regarding Dr. Adams, but I hope that after what happened to us that they at least investigate to see if it is true or not. They've already witnessed the horrors of medical experimentation through our experience. So, you really could sense my fear?"

"It was very strong. I believe that it was unmistakable that I was sensing it. I was ruminating as to which sentence I was going to choose when I felt your fear hit me like a tidal wave. Every now and then lately, I do get hints of your emotions. I take great pleasure in that," he smiled as he got up from his chair and knelt at her side. "I have often felt as if I have been missing out on something with you always being able to read my emotions. I feel so much more closer and intimate with you now even if I can only feel your emotions just a little," he explained as he pulled her on her chair away from the table, wrapped his arms around her, and nuzzled into her side.

"You know, we'll never get our work done if this continues any further," Catherine giggled as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I can settle for a kiss for now," he looked up at her and did his best to shoot her an innocent grin.

"Then it is a kiss that you shall get," she leaned over the best she could and kissed him on the forehead. "Later, you can have more, but in about a month, we're going to have to start being careful as I'll be in my third trimester. Leonard is not considering this to be a high-risk pregnancy per say, but he wants us to take it easy."

"Not looking forward to that," he pouted.

"Me neither!" she sighed but smiled.

As expected, John excelled at all of his classes. Despite her increasing fatigue from carrying their child, Catherine also did well with her summer classes bringing John great pride in his wife. Kati and Luca were adjusting well to their new world and often spent time with Kestra going on outings in the city. As no one knew Kati and Luca's identities and their relationship to John, much to his relief, they experienced no harassment from the public outside of getting occasional glares for what others considered to be slightly odd behavior. Luca, who never had any grandmotherly influences in his life, particularly became close to Kestra and enjoyed spending time with her despite Catherine's worries that she would teach him bad habits.

One late afternoon in July, John walked into the flat carrying multiple PADDs and stacks of electronic blueprints after having a meeting with his academic advisor. Although the items were by no means too heavy for him, they were all rather awkward and cumbersome leaving him to ungracefully plop them all over the dining room table with a frustrated groan.

"How did your meeting go? Gracious, what's all this?" Catherine asked walking in from the kitchen drying her hands on a towel.

"My senior project," John huffed and sat down at the table. "I am to work on it for the next two semesters in order to graduate."

"You're not happy with your chosen project? What is it going to be?" she stood behind him and began massaging his shoulders.

"I'm not sure if I was exactly given a choice, but it was strongly suggested that I should choose to work with Commander Scott on redesigning the Enterprise and then be in charge of overseeing her refit under his supervision as my preceptor. Starfleet Command obviously knows what I am capable of doing since they have been studying the wreckage of the Vengeance. Needless to say, they are impressed with my work and feel it is far more advanced than the designs that they have now. While they claim that, unlike Admiral Marcus, they do not want to militarize Starfleet further, if the Enterprise is going to spend five years exploring the unknown, they want her to be ready to face anything and at least be able to defend herself," he explained.

"Well, even though you are outwardly pouting and expressing that you are not quite so happy about it, I can tell that deep down inside you are absolutely reveling in the opportunity. I know that you enjoy reading and learning, but your hands are just itching to do something more constructive since you've already got your Jaguar back into running order. You're getting bored! This will be good for you, John," she smiled as she sat down next to him.

"I guess you're right," he shyly smiled knowing that what she said was true. "The other options were not quite so interesting anyway."

"I'm excited. I will finally get to fly on a ship of your design since my time on the Vengeance was so short-lived. You also owe me a spin in the car! Oh well, it's just the two of us tonight. Kati and Luca are going out with Janice and my mother. I'm going to go finish our supper," she got up and went back to the kitchen.

Later as they ate the meal Catherine prepared being her turn to cook for them both, John smiled after taking a couple bites, "This is delicious, darling. Where did you get the recipe?"

"It is a traditional Betazoid dish from my mother's side of the family. I'll let her know that you like it," she replied as she worked to scoop up some food onto her own fork. "She'll be thrilled, I'm sure."

"Oh yes, I'm sure she will," he chuckled before they continued to eat in silence.

Suddenly, Catherine innocently asked, "John, who is Gary Seven?" John immediately dropped his knife and fork letting them clang onto his plate startling Catherine. Sensing him feeling anger and hurt, she immediately apologized, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. You don't have to explain if it upsets you."

John, who looked slightly paler than usual, after a few moments finally answered, "No, I will tell you. You deserve to know. I have no reason to hide anything from you anymore."

"Would you like some more wine first?" she asked wishing she herself could have some, too, to help her relax, but she continued to abstain from consuming alcohol due to the pregnancy.

"Yes, please." Taking a couple gulps of the wine she poured for him, John began to explain, "I do not know much about Mr. Seven's background. He was not Augment, but he clearly had some sort of genetic alterations done to him. I do not know if he was from Earth, the future, or what, but he had a device that he called a servo that was sort of like a sonic screwdriver from Doctor Who. For a while, I thought of him as a friend or at least some sort of ally. Later on in my life, I wasn't so sure of that. I had known Mr. Seven since I was a young child. He knew my mother. I do not know if their relationship was strictly professional or not. He at times spoke very fondly of her. Other times he did nothing but criticize her zeal for her work. After my mamī's death, he took Kati and me away from the Chrysalis compound to our māsī and māsaṛa's home."

"I'm sorry for not telling you before, but Kati already has told me of your time there. You do not have to recall and tell me what you experienced at the hands of your uncle," Catherine held back tears taking hold of his hand. "So much pain at such a young age."

"Yes," John nodded and squeezed her hand back. "Mr. Seven was appalled at what happened to us and took us back to the scientists at the compound. Later in 1984, he whisked us away from the riots caused by Indira Gandhi's assassination. I told him that I owed him a debt, and it was then that he recruited me for my first mission. I later rescued him in Moscow in 1986 when he was captured during our mission at Lenin's tomb, and he considered my debt to be repaid. From that point onwards, he ceaselessly meddled in my affairs. I later and still feel that he betrayed me," he picked up his fork squeezing and bending it just as he had done at the Indian restaurant when Admiral Marcus had interrupted their unofficial first date. "I do not know of his fate after our exile. Not sure if I care to know, either."

"Such bad blood that still lingers," she let go of his hand. "Again, I'm sorry for bringing it up," she sighed wearily getting up from her chair and taking her still half full plate away to the kitchen.

"Catherine," he quietly called after her feeling ghastly that she thought he was upset with her because of her innocent questioning. Hearing her clanging dishes around in the kitchen quite loudly, he got up and went after her. "Imzadi."

"What?" she turned around with tears running down her cheeks.

"Please know that you should never be afraid to ask me questions. I will answer anything you ask of me. I'm not upset with you. Why are you crying?" he gently asked as he approached her.

"I know you're not upset with me, but you're still upset!" she sniffled. "It was so stupid of me to bother asking. You were enjoying your meal, and I had to go and ruin it! I feel so stupid, unattractive, fat, and I don't know what else!"

"You're exhausted," he cupped her cheeks with his large hands. "I've been so busy and distracted with my heavy course load, but now I notice and even sense your overwhelming fatigue. I'm the one that needs to be apologizing. I'm sorry. I should be looking after you. Why do you feel stupid?"

"Besides asking questions that upset you, final exams are going to be in a couple weeks. I am so tired, and my back is starting to hurt again. How am I going to be able to study when I can barely stay awake in the evening?"

"That by no means makes you stupid!" he did his best to hold back a laugh lest he upset her further. "Have you gone to Dr. McCoy about your back?"

"Yes, and there is not much that can be done this time. Just normal pregnancy aches and pains. Too big of a baby inside too little of a body," she sighed.

"Is there something I can do? You know I'd do anything to help you. I'd even dress up as a French maid if it would make you smile," he whispered getting her to crack a grin.

"I wouldn't mind seeing that, but I'd rather you just wear the apron part of the costume and nothing else."

"Really, though, you're not stupid, and you're by no means unattractive. Please tell me what I can do," he tucked her now shoulder length hair behind her ear.

"Can you just hold me a little while on the bed? Maybe sing something to me? Then I'll rest so that I will be able to finish cleaning up from our supper."

"I can certainly do that, but I will clean up for you. If you are to get through this rest of this pregnancy and your studies, you need to rest," he gently took her by the arm and led her to their bedroom. After helping her get undressed and into something more comfortable, he helped her lie down on her side to alleviate the strain and pressure on her back. Getting onto the bed and pulling her into his arms, he gently kissed her on the temple before asking, "Comfortable?"

"Very," she nodded.

"Good, now I shall sing to you." Clearing his throat, John sang to her one of the many songs he could recall from his past.

"That was beautiful, but it was not in Punjabi," she whispered once he finished. "What language was that?"

"It was Chinese. It is called 'Jia Ren Qu' in their tongue. In English, the title is simply 'Beauty Song.'"

"Can you translate it for me?"

"There was a lady in the North most beautiful and unique

From her first glance the city bows before her

From her second glance the empire falls into ruins

I wonder if such exquisite beauty

Can ever be seen again?"

"Oh John," she smiled.

"That is a rough translation, of course. Sometimes it is difficult to express certain phrases in English. Regardless, you are beautiful and intelligent. Short of taking your exams for you or helping you cheat, I will do all that I can to help you rest and study."

"Thank you. Where did you learn that song?"

"I lost a bet once, and Suzette Ling made me sing it to her in front of our closest comrades," he laughed recalling his embarrassment. "Now go ahead and rest. I will come to wake you in about 30 to 45 minutes to help you get back up to study."

Meanwhile, Kati, Luca, Kestra, and Janice were enjoying themselves at a local restaurant often frequented by Starfleet personnel. Kestra sat with Luca at a table while Janice and Kati sat at the bar. As they watched Luca dig into his bowl of gourmet macaroni and cheese, Kati gently tapped Janice on the arm. "Is that the cute Russian boy over there? Chekov?" Kati whispered pointing to the young man who was seated across the room.

"Oh, yes, that's Chekov," Janice grinned. "For someone so young, he's very smart. I believe the late Admiral Pike called him 'Russian wiz kid'."

"He's so cute," Kati blushed. "How much do you know about him? He's one of your shipmates, right?"

"Yes, he serves on the Enterprise with me. He's an ensign and usually has the position of navigator. He recently was the interim chief engineering officer when Mr. Scott had a fight with the captain and left the ship," Janice explained. "I think he'll be happy to be back in the navigator's seat."

"Is he single?"

"Yes, why? Are you interested?" Janice giggled.

"He was such a sweetheart when he introduced himself," Kati noted before she looked down sadly at her lap.

"Kati, what is it?"

"Everyone has been so kind and friendly to Luca and me since John and Catherine brought us home from Starfleet Medical. It's so nice to have good friends for once in my life. Is it wrong that I still feel lonely?" she asked as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"No, there's nothing wrong in feeling that way! We all have times when we feel lonely even when surrounded by others."

"It's just, well, I want a partner. I love and miss my husband desperately, but I know that he would have wanted Luca and me to be happy even if it meant moving on from him. Luca wasn't even born yet when Giovanni died, so he does not know any differently. John has done the best he can to be a father-figure for Luca, but it's just not the same. I want a husband, a lover, a best friend, and I want a father for Luca. I'm trying to be patient. I know there is still a lot to learn and to adjust to here, but it's just so hard," she sighed. "I often cry myself to sleep at night after he's gone to bed," she whispered hoping Luca could not overhear her. "Between who and what I am as an Augment, my past hurts and scarred heart, and everything that has happened here with my bharā, what man would want to risk being with me? Who am I kidding? Why would such a young, sweet man like Chekov want to dive into fatherhood and marry an older woman like me?"

"Sweetie, you'll never know until you try, and remember, human men aren't your only option now! Would you like me to see if I can do something to help the two of you meet in a social situation to make it easier?"

"I don't want you to go out of your way or anything!" Kati protested.

"No, I'm happy to do it. Everyone deserves to have someone to love and love them in return."

"Part of me feels so guilty. For the longest time all I ever did was worry about John and how lonely he was. I tried so many times to subtly get him to take notice of certain women, but he either did not get the hints or did not care. The poor thing had so many worries during the wars. Now that he has Catherine and is so happy and desperately in love, I'm jealous. I am elated that he has finally found someone and that he waited and didn't settle for someone with whom he would not be happy, but it just reminds me how lonely I feel. While I am grateful for them always allowing us to have meals with them, sometimes it feels like a kick in the gut seeing them so happy and her with her belly so heavy with child."

"Do you want more children, Kati?"

"Absolutely," she nodded. "I love babies. I've always wanted Luca to have at least one other sibling. At least he'll have a cousin now," she forced a smile.

"Then I'm going to do my best to find you someone. For now, we'll try for Chekov. Deal?"

"Okay, deal," she agreed. "I do love his curls and that accent."

August quickly arrived bringing with it final exams week for John and Catherine. True to his promise, John spent time away from his studies to help Catherine with her own and to proofread her term papers, and although he would not mention it to her, he really quite enjoyed getting to learn about what she had been working on in her counseling courses. John finished the semester at the top of his class and received many words of commendation from his instructors. Despite her concerns, Catherine finished well and received top marks. The couple finished the birthing classes that John had signed them up for at the beginning of the semester and that they had faithfully attended all summer. Within her heart, she felt such deep joy and tenderness at how devoted John was to taking on fatherhood. Grateful that for the time being her academic career was going to be put on hold, she began to turn her thoughts towards her upcoming labor and delivery, towards supporting John with his ongoing studies, and with spending more time with their loved ones.

Several days after they received their final grades, John also began to turn his thoughts towards their future as a family as well as his upcoming responsibilities as a father and with his role in refitting the Enterprise. Wanting to give Catherine the opportunity to get out and about after all of her hard work, he smiled to himself as he pulled the key to his Jaguar out of his desk drawer and then proceeded to the living room where she was resting on the couch and watching Doctor Who.

"Once this is over, are you feeling up to going out?" John asked as he held up the key letting it swing back and forth on its keychain.

"Sure! It's about time you took me somewhere in your car!" Catherine nearly squealed. "Where are we going?"

"I thought that we'd get a bite to eat and then take a ride around town. It's been a while since we've had some really good Indian food, and one of my classmates suggested a restaurant for us to try."

"Sounds like a plan to me! Did you want it to just be the two of us, or can I invite Kati, too?"

"Do as you wish. It is up to you. I want you to enjoy the evening after all the effort you put into your studies," he sat next to her.

"Then I'll go ahead and ask her if she wants to come. Luca is sleeping over at my parents' place tonight, and Kati has been sad lately. I'm worried about her. I sense that she is feeling somewhat lonely. I know she fancies Ensign Chekov, and despite Janice and me offering to help her, she's still too afraid to try to talk to him."

"I think Katrina has more to worry about than finding herself a boyfriend just yet," John's voice rumbled lowly.

"John," Catherine shot him a look of warning, "she has every right to want to find a new mate, and her love life is none of your business."

"I beg to differ, Catherine. She's my little sister, and that fact alone makes it my business. I just do not want her to get hurt," his voice softened. "You know full well all that I went through to protect her as best that I could all of our lives, but a broken heart is not something so easily prevented. I do not want her to have to grieve again."

"With love, there is always that risk. I think you understand that better than most, don't you?" she snuggled back against him.

"Agreed, you saw what the thought of having lost you did to me."

"But the risk was worth it, wasn't it?"

"Yes, at least for us the risk was worth it, but it could have turned out so horribly. I'm glad that we took that risk," he kissed the top of her head.

"Me, too. I'm glad that for once I listened to my heart and not my head."

"I'm glad and thank you for following your heart, too."

That evening, John, Catherine, and Kati, who had decided to join them, squeezed into the Jaguar. John started up the car, and as the engine came to life, Kati grinned, "She's purring like a kitten."

"I've never heard a car engine before, so I'm guessing that is a good thing?" Catherine arched her brow.

"Yes, it's a good thing. Bharā, will you let me drive someday?" Kati asked.

"Bhaiṇa, you drive like a maniac!" John laughed. "How many cars did you go through while we were living in Chandigarh?"

"Two? Alright, fine, it was three!" she huffed.

"There you go," he smiled. "Perhaps, though, if we take it out of the city, you can drive it sometime."

"Thank you, bharā!"

Having finished their meal later that evening, John took the two women for a drive around San Francisco. If he were alone, he most certainly would have driven much faster and recklessly, but instead, he drove very cautiously not wanting to cause an accident and hurt Catherine, Kati, or the baby. Despite Kati's urging him to drive on the hills like Dirty Harry Callahan in the car chase scene in the film The Dead Pool, John responsibly drove onwards after turning around in his seat once and threatening to take her back home causing her to roll her eyes and laugh at him for treating her like a child.

While they waited at a particularly long traffic light, John looked to Catherine and asked her telepathically so Kati could not hear, "Would it make you uncomfortable if we stopped to see what remains of the Vengeance? They actually have not done much just yet to remove the wreckage. We do not have to if you do not want to go, but I haven't been there yet and am curious to see her."

"No, I want to go," Catherine reached over and gently placed her hand on his thigh. "I think it is good for us to go. It may help to give us closure over any lingering regrets we may have."

"Should we explain our intentions to Kati?"

"Kati?" Catherine turned around and looked at her sister-in-law.

"Yes, bhabi?"

"You know what happened with the ship that John designed. Would it bother you if we went to the crash site? Neither of us has been there, and we would like to go," Catherine explained. "We can take you home first, if you prefer."

"No, I'll go with you. I want to see the ship, or at least what is left of it," Kati insisted.

"Go on, John," Catherine nodded as the light turned green and he made a right turn towards the part of the city where the ship crash-landed.

As they drew nearer, the amount of destruction caused by the Vengeance was obvious. John felt sickened and fought the urge to wretch as he felt that this was somehow his fault. Sensing his guilt, Catherine gently rubbed his thigh and kept sending him reassuring thoughts via their telepathic link. Eventually, they came to a fenced off area where only those with Starfleet security clearances could enter. The fence was lined with flowers and makeshift memorials left behind by those who had lost friends and loved ones in the devastation. John did happen to have clearance as the investigation into his involvement was over and he would also need access to the site in the future as he worked with Scotty on redesigning the Enterprise, and even though they likely would have allowed Catherine admission, he did not feel right having Kati hide in the back seat and sneaking her inside.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone here right now," John noted aloud. "I'll park, and we can get out and take a look around."

After parking down a block and helping Kati and Catherine out of the Jaguar, John linked arms with Catherine escorted her to the fence. The three silently gazed at what was left of the massive black hull, and John noted to himself with surprise that he could see into the bridge area of the ship and wondered if he might have managed to survive the crash if he had remained onboard. Catherine again sensed the turmoil he was feeling within his heart and reached down to squeeze his hand tightly.

"Such a waste all because of one man's greed," Catherine sniffled. "So may lives lost and so many others ruined."

"But it could have been millions more, bhabi, if you and John had not stopped the admiral," Kati reminded them. "War and death, like the wreckage of this ship, play no favorites and make no distinctions. It would have touched the lives of many here on Earth and elsewhere."

"I should have done something to stop him sooner. I could have stopped this," John's looked down and saw a picture of a family stuck into the fencing as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Catherine and Kati both drew him into a hug as the three fell into silence to show their respect to those who were lost and to continue to observe the remains of the ship. While there had been no one in the area initially when they arrived, they failed to notice that a crowd of about twenty to thirty people had actually started to gather around them. What they did not know was that it was a meeting of those in a grief support group that had happened to decide to stop by the site for a visit. The group at first took no notice of the three as they assumed that they were also there to remember lost loved ones.

Suddenly, a woman that stopped and stood next to Kati looked over at John and shrilled out, "Oh my God, it's him! That fucking bastard is here!" causing the crowd to look in their direction.

Catherine froze in fear as John peeled himself from her and Kati's grasp and turned around having Catherine stand behind him to shield her. People in the crowd began murmuring to one another until finally an angry, gruff looking man came up to John and after spitting in his face shouted, "You son of a bitch! It's your fault my entire family is dead! How dare you come here! This place is sacred!"

Knowing his apologies would do nothing to appease their anger, John remained silent as others began to approach them while shouting vile insults. Kati stood beside him to help shield Catherine lest the crowd turn on her, too, and try to harm her or the baby. Catherine meanwhile began to cry at the things that were being shouted at John and from feeling afraid for their lives knowing that the crowd could turn violent at any moment.

And the moment that she feared quickly arrived. One woman managed to somehow squeeze past John and Kati's protective boundary and latched onto Catherine's hair pulling her violently from behind the brother and sister. "How would you like to know what it feels like to lose someone you love?" the woman roared at John as she continued to pull on Catherine's hair. "You little slut!" she hissed and shook Catherine's head by her hair.

Catherine began to silently bargain with the woman pleading for to let her go and to not hurt the baby. While Catherine previously had no qualms about taking out the Orion woman Marta or Dr. Zineeri to protect her unborn daughter and John, this time she knew she was outnumbered and in no condition to do anything to defend even herself. John held up his hands and was going to try to calmly reason with the woman to let her go until an Andorian man walked up and began rubbing Catherine's baby bump.

"We should gut this whore of her half-breed spawn and kill them both right before his eyes. Then we'll kill him and finally have justice," the blue-skinned man suggested.

With that threat, John immediately sprang into action first taking out the Andorian with little effort and then, without holding back any of his strength, punched the woman in the face knocking her unconscious and loosening her grip from Catherine's hair. He had Catherine crouch down on the ground and lay over her shielding her as the crowd turned on them and began to throw things at him and to beat him with improvised weapons that ironically were items left behind as memorials. Catherine wept and shuddered as she could feel the vibrations and thuds from every blow his body took as he sought to protect her.

Although Kati and John did not follow the Sikh religion of their childhood, they always admired the doomed Punjabi regiment of the 19th century that had adopted a traditional Sikh greeting as their battle cry, and John had used it as his own quite often on the battlefield. Kati, feeling the blood boiling in her veins seeing her bhabi and bharā being mistreated so cruelly, shouted the old Punjabi Sikh battle cry at the top of her voice, "Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!" which meant, "He who cries God is Truth is ever happy!" before jumping into the foray to help save them. Managing to push back some of the crowd away from John and Catherine, Kati picked up a wooden board that one of the mob had dropped and wielded it. "Bharā!"

"Kati!" John called back to her from his position on the ground overtop of Catherine. "Get her out of here immediately. Get her to the car. I will manage by myself."

"No, we go together," Catherine whimpered from beneath him. "We're stronger together."

"She's right, John. You know our chances of getting her to safety are better if both of us go," Kati added her input before smashing her board into the abdomen of one of their attackers.

"Agreed, let's go!" John got up and quickly pulled Catherine to her feet before picking up a brick that had been previously hurled at him so that he could use as a weapon against his foes.

The three pushed through the crowd as Kati and John fought back against those that continued to strike out at them. As they neared the edge of the crowd, John somehow became separated from Kati and Catherine. "John!" Catherine shouted seeing that he was becoming engulfed by the mass of people.

"Go now!" he managed to shout back at them.

"No!" she protested as the much stronger Kati pulled her away and had her run with her to the next block where they had parked. She pulled the car key from Catherine's purse that was thankfully still slung over her shoulder and made the heavily pregnant woman get in the backseat. "We can't leave him behind!" she cried as Kati got into the driver's seat.

"That is certainly not my intention," Kati growled wildly as she started the engine and turned on the headlights as the sun had started to set. "Put on your seatbelt!" she ordered Catherine as she revved the engine before pulling out and speeding towards the mob. Arriving at the scene, she plowed the car into the edge of the crowd and backed up before opening the glove box and pulling out the phaser she knew John had hid there. Before jumping out of the still running car, she handed the phaser to Catherine, advised her, "Defend yourself with this!" and rejoined the attack.

Catherine held the phaser in her shaking hands silently praying to whatever deity she could think of at the time that they would protect John and Kati. Just as she lost sight of Kati, she could hear sirens in the distance and felt a glimmer of hope as they drew nearer. Finally, several police vehicles arrived on the scene and began to disperse the crowd and arrest those that lingered. "John? Kati?" she strained her eyes trying to catch a glimpse of them.

"Unlock the door!" a Caitian female officer knocked. "We won't hurt you!"

Knowing she was safe, Catherine complied and unlocked the doors. Kati reappeared and jumped back into the driver's seat as a couple of burly police officers slid a beaten and battered John into the back seat next to Catherine. "Are you alright?" he managed to choke out as he slumped over and rested on her shoulder.

"I think so, but you're not looking so good yourself. Kati, get us to Starfleet Medical. Quickly!"

"I don't know how to get there!"

"We'll escort you," the Caitian officer who still stood next to Catherine's car door offered.

Soon enough, they pulled in front of Starfleet Medical and were greeted by the emergency department staff that were alerted by the police that they had been on their way. The staff pulled John from the car and Kati and Catherine followed quickly behind them. Catherine was permitted to accompany him as she was family and was considered medical staff, and Kati went to the waiting room to contact the Trois to let them know what happened before having her own injuries examined.

"I assure, you, Catherine, that most of the blood on me is not my own," John painfully smirked as he lay quietly on the biobed in the emergency department medical bay.

Catherine silently wept looking at the state he was in at that moment having not gotten a good look at him in the darkness of the car. His shirt was torn completely off his body, and most of the exposed areas were covered in varying degrees of cuts, red marks, and bruises. His left hand was slightly swollen leaving her to guess that it was either sprained or broken. Dried blood was gathered under his nose, on his chin, and surrounded his one eye. Noting the mostly dry but moist and sticky glob of spit still clinging to his face, Catherine truly began to weep for him. "It's not right!" she cried angrily. "The Vengeance's crash was not your fault!"

"I know it's not right, but it is the way it is," he took her hand with his uninjured one and gently squeezed it. "They are angry and will always try to find a scapegoat. If you think that you are unharmed, will you please tend to my wounds?"

"Yes," she wiped the tears off her face and set to work first gently cleaning the wad of spit off his cheek.

"Are you two okay?" Kati peeked behind the curtain after Catherine had tended to John's wounds.

"Kati!" Catherine ran and hugged the Augment woman. "Thank you!"

"Just returning the favor, bhabi," Kati smiled and gently patted Catherine's back.

Those arrested for attacking them and disturbing the peace were made examples of by being punished harshly as the United Federation of Planets would not tolerate such xenophobic behavior of its citizens towards Augments. Thankfully, John suffered no severe injuries, Kati only had a few cuts and scrapes, and thanks to the siblings, Catherine and the baby were completely unharmed outside of her losing a little bit of hair from having it pulled so violently.

A week later, the three did their best to move on from the incident. Kati remained angry at what happened but knew that it was best not to bring up the topic. Catherine had the occasional nightmare, and John was determined to help her by turning her attention to preparing for their daughter's arrival. He could tell, however, that her resolve was wearing thin, and one evening he found her crying in their bedroom.

Sitting beside her on the bed, he quietly spoke, "You're in pain, Imzadi. I can see it in your eyes. Please tell me what is wrong."

"My back is really starting to ache quite severely now. The baby has been pushing on my spine lately. She has grown so fast, and it is really starting to take a toll on my body. I do not know how much more of this I can take," Catherine admitted as she started to cry harder.

"Darling, come here," John wrapped her in his muscular arms and pulled her close. "Don't cry. I will take care of you and do my best to help alleviate your discomfort."

"What did you have in mind?" she sniffled into his muscular shoulder.

"First I shall draw you a hot bath to which I will add lavender oil to soften and moisturize your skin and to help you relax. Then I will give you a thorough back massage. Would you like that?"

"Yes, that sounds lovely, John. Thank you," she pulled away allowing him to wipe away her tears.

"Anything for my Khanum," he smiled tenderly. "You have taken care of me so many times. It is now my opportunity to return you the favor during your time of need as you carry my child, my legacy."

Just as he proposed, John allowed Catherine to soak for a while peacefully in the hot bath he had drawn for her before he returned and helped her bathe. After helping her dry off and put on a pair of comfortable pajama pants, he led her topless to the bedroom, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders lest she get cold, and then had her sit on the edge of the bed and hold onto a couple pillows so she could lean forward as comfortably as possible given the size of her abdomen. Climbing onto the bed and sitting behind her with a leg on each side of her body, after warming some lotion in his hands, John began to apply pressure to the tight, irritated muscles of her back causing her to moan in relief. "Harder," she urged him.

"Just tell me if I'm hurting you," he requested of her.

After giving her back a thorough massage, John gently removed the pillows she was holding and had her lean back against him. Warming more lotion in his hands, he began gently rubbing her belly and breasts while whispering tender sentiments in her ear. Finishing the massage, he gently wrapped the blanket that was around her shoulders around her more completely, held her tightly, and hummed his mother's lullaby to her soothingly swaying her back and forth.

"That was the song your mother used to sing to you as a baby," she said quietly once he had finished and he slid back further onto the bed pulling her with him having her lie next to him.

"Yes, it was the lullaby she sang to me and then to Kati and Amit. In Punjabi, a lullaby is called a lōrī. I'm not sure how I managed to even remember the melody, but unfortunately, I cannot remember the words. I have tried to research the tune many times, but I have never been able to find any information about it. I suppose that I may never know the lyrics," John sighed.

"The tune is beautiful. I always find it so soothing to hear you hum it. Perhaps your mother composed it herself. She may have wanted to give you something directly from her heart."

"Maybe deep down she suspected that our happy little family would not last long and she wished to leave me something that I would carry with me for the rest of my life. While I may never know that for sure, the idea is rather comforting. As long as I remember the tune to the lōrī, I will always have a part of her with me."

"Perhaps," she nuzzled closer to his side.

Sensing a sudden change in her demeanor, he asked, "What is it? You're concerned about something."

"It's just that, well, babies change things, John. Our lives are never going to be the same."

"I know, but it will be a good and joyful change for us for once. We've gone through many things within the past year, and this is finally something positive to anticipate. We have done a lot to prepare ourselves for this. Why are you suddenly afraid of this change?"

"Besides the normal concerns an expectant mother usually experiences, part of me regrets that we did not have much time alone together before I got pregnant. I feel selfish, but I wish we had more time alone together, just the two of us. I just want you to myself a bit longer. With how tumultuous things were when we came together, we barely got to spend much time alone after physically consummating our relationship, forming our telepathic bond, and getting married. Then New Years happened, and things just went to hell. I was feeling so sick, you were struggling to maintain your sanity, and there was so much tension with us both worrying about Marcus finding out about the torpedoes and us putting the cryotubes inside them. I do not know if I believe in them or not, but it feels like a miracle that we are still together. We went through so much in those early months of our relationship. This pregnancy alone has taken its toll on me. I am certainly looking forward to having you on top of me during sex again," she snorted somewhat bitterly.

"I know that it is the way of nature, but I'm sorry in that you've had to bear the brunt of carrying my child. If I had known the potential consequence of pregnancy, a difficult one at that, from injecting you with my blood that fateful New Years Day, I would not have done it or at least would not have given in so easily to my desire for your body."

"I seem to remember that I was the one that initiated that coupling!" she playfully slapped at his chest.

"It's hard to recall for sure, as you've initiated many of our couplings," he teased. "Still," he resumed a serious tone, "I'm sorry our lives did not turn out the way you would have preferred."

"Please do not think that I regret us or that I regret our little daughter," she leaned up on her elbow to look him in the face. "I love you both, and you'd know I'd die fighting for you and her. The next few months are just going to be different, and I suppose that I am afraid. I'm going to be tired. I'm going to be breastfeeding. Some days, I'm going to be covered in vomit and smell horrible. And I surely hope not, but there may be times when I'm just not in the mood besides the fact that we won't have as much time or privacy to make love, either. I don't want it to be like that."

"And it doesn't have to be, Imzadi! You will not be in this alone. Unlike when I abandoned you in the early weeks of the pregnancy, I will be here, and you will not have the burden of caring for our child by yourself anymore. I know that I am going to be busy with my studies and working on the Enterprise, but I am going to do all that I can to help you. I did contribute to half of her genes. She's my daughter, too, remember? Together, you know that we can do anything. And I'm sure your mother, Kati, and all of our friends will be happy to drop everything and come to help you, too. We're not in London anymore, and we do not have to hide away from everyone. I want this to be some of the most joyful moments of your life. I truly want that for you, my Khanum," he reached up and gently stroked her cheek. "Besides, our child will be half-Augment. She will develop quickly and will not be as dependent upon you as long as a human child would. You can even ask Kati about how fast Luca achieved his developmental milestones."

"I suppose you're right."

"You only suppose?"

"Fine, I know you're right," she leaned down and kissed him.

"And you really think that you 'won't be in the mood' as you put it? Come on, Catherine, your libido rivals my own, and despite the troubles you've had with the pregnancy, it certainly hasn't slowed you down!" he grinned.

"I suppose you're right in that, too. Despite the annoyance of my belly being in the way, the sex was excellent until we had to cut back these past few weeks. Good grief, Leonard is right. Sex is all the two of us ever think about," she laughed and he soon joined in her laughter as well.

Since the end of her pregnancy was drawing closer and she could likely go into labor at any moment, the Harrisons' friends and family quickly pulled together a baby shower for Catherine to help make sure they had all they needed to care for their daughter. Her parents and Kati helped John quickly turn their spare bedroom into a proper nursery. As Catherine watched John admiringly as he assembled the crib, a sudden pang of pain shot through her abdomen causing her to whimper out loud catching his attention.

"Darling, is it time?" John dropped his tools and rushed to her.

"No, I don't think so. I think it is just Braxton Hicks contractions, false labor. Perhaps we better call Leonard, though, to see if he can check me out today rather than wait for my appointment tomorrow," she suggested. "Oh gosh, I'm nervous. What about my heart? I haven't even thought about it until now," she started to become paranoid about anything that could possibly go wrong.

"Here, sit down," he had her sit in her new rocking chair, "and I'll go call him."

Dr. McCoy fully agreed to seeing Catherine rather than waiting until the next day. He smiled and showed the Harrisons the screen where they could see the baby as he scanned Catherine's abdomen. "She's managed to flip herself upside down and is ready to go," the doctor explained. "I'd say that it's safe to expect her to be here any day now. I'd say within the week. Your cervix is already starting to dilate."

"Leonard, what about my heart? Should I be concerned at all?" Catherine asked anxiously.

"No, all prior scans have come back showing your heart is strong despite your trouble earlier this year. We're going to keep a good eye on you, though, as your body may have a rough time of it. Overall, I think you'll do fine. You're as prepared as you can possibly be," he reassured her. "Make sure you get some rest the next few days."

"Dr. McCoy, what about hemorrhaging? If she ends up having a precipitous birth or if she has a difficult labor, will it be safe to give her transfusions of my blood despite the deactivated nanoprobes still infecting my system?" John inquired.

"If you want, we can take extra precautions by taking a couple pints today and putting them through some extra treatments ahead of time so that we have the blood on hand in the event that it is needed," Dr. McCoy suggested. John and Catherine agreed to this, and once her exam was over and the blood was collected, the Harrisons went home.

Not unexpectedly, John immediately began to hover around Catherine during her every waking moment and waited on her hand and foot. As Dr. McCoy recommended, she rested as much as she could as they expected her labor to be tiring and difficult.

Three days after her medical exam, Catherine stood in the shower letting the hot water run over her back trying to alleviate the severe periodic cramping she was having in her lower back. The pain having become more intense, she gave up and got out to dry herself off. Suddenly, a rush of liquid came rushing from between her legs. "John!" she cried out as the pain in her back spread to her abdomen.

"What is it?" John appeared in the doorway. "You water broke," he said aloud noting the puddle of clear liquid on the floor pooled around her feet.

"Shit!" she swore as the pain intensified.

"Come on," he wrapped her towel around her and carried her to the bedroom helping her to lie on the bed. "Remember to breathe. Take my hand," he coached her through her first full contraction.

Once the pain lessened, she began to rapidly bark out orders as John ran around: "Dry me off! Get me dressed! Call my mother! Get Kati! Don't forget my bag! Get me something to eat!"

"You want to eat at a time like this?" he stopped in his tracks.

"Well, they sure as hell won't let me eat when I get to Starfleet Medical! I'm going to be sucking on ice chips!" she growled.

"Okay, I'll get you a sandwich or something," he scratched his head and then ran to retrieve her something to eat before resuming following her other orders.

Managing to get her into the Jaguar and getting her to Starfleet Medical, John nabbed a wheelchair and quickly but carefully pushed Catherine inside where Kestra greeted them. After getting Catherine into a hospital gown and settled into the room where she would finish her labor and give birth, Dr. McCoy examined her to determine what stage of labor she was experiencing. "You're still only about four centimeters dilated, but she's low enough," he pulled off his glove.

"Well, we better do something to get my cervix moving, Leonard, don't you think?" Catherine snapped at him causing John's eyes to widen having never heard her use that tone with anyone other than him.

"I'll start the medication right away," Dr. McCoy rushed out of the room.

"Fuck!" Catherine swore as another contraction came along.

"Little one!" Kestra scolded her.

"Shut up, mother! I'm not a kid anymore. Can't you see that I'm having a baby here?"

"She actually has been doing much better with the language," John whispered to Kestra with a smile before returning to coaching Catherine through her contraction. Once the contraction was over, John quietly asked, "Are you sure you don't want an epidural, darling?"

"No! Don't even bother asking Leonard either!" she shouted. "Just shut up, everyone, please!"

Knowing that she was in pain and didn't mean to be hurtful, John did as she asked and only coached her through her contractions using their telepathic link with one another until she managed to fall asleep. While she was asleep, Dr. McCoy snuck her some medication to alleviate her pain at least a little for the time being.

Hours passed and Catherine became more and more miserable. Despite her insults, John never left her side. "I'm sorry," she whispered to him exhaustedly after waking up from another brief period of sleep. "I'm being horrible to you."

"I only wish that I could take your pain away, but you're doing wonderfully, Imzadi. I do not think I could ever do this. You are a superior woman. Just try to hold on a bit longer. Dr. McCoy checked you while you were asleep again, and you're nine centimeters dilated. You might even be nearing ten as we speak, and she's just about starting to crown. The pain is going to get worse very soon, but then it will be over," John gently wiped the sweat form her brow.

"Thank you for being here with me," she cried as another contraction started. "I'm starting to feel pressure. Someone better get Leonard!" she winced as John helped her roll onto her back in the event that she would need to start pushing.

"It's time, Catherine. I can already see her head," Dr. McCoy took one glance between Catherine's spread legs. "After this contraction, when the next one starts, I want you to push," he instructed.

As quickly as the current contraction ended, the next one started, and Catherine began to bear down trying not to scream and sound as if she was being murdered. "Keep pushing, darling. She's coming," John encouraged her as she squeezed his hand tightly.

"She's tearing me in two!"

"You're doing fine," Dr. McCoy chipped in reassuring her that she was not in fact being torn open.

"John, please! Just get her out!"

Although the Harrisons' daughter had appeared to be eager to arrive, she suddenly seemed to have stage fright and just did not want to budge in order to make her first appearance. Catherine pushed for what felt like forever becoming more exhausted with each contraction. Dr. McCoy began to silently worry that he would possibly need to end up performing an emergency C-section as the baby's head just did not seem to want to come out. Noting that Catherine was getting weaker and deteriorating, John slightly repositioned her legs, pulled her further up in the bed, and against everything they all had been taught about labor and delivery, when her next contraction hit, he pressed down hard on her abdomen forcing the baby's head to finally stick out and her shoulders to turn enough that she finally popped right out and began to cry.

"Well, I'll be damned," Dr. McCoy laughed as he caught the screaming newborn in his arms.

"Let me see her," Catherine rasped weakly as she lay back on the bed. Dr. McCoy wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed her to John who laid her on Catherine's chest. "Look at all her hair, John," she began to cry with joy.

"Would you like to cut the umbilical cord?" Dr. McCoy held out a pair of surgical scissors to John who nodded and proceeded.

"I'm so tired," Catherine struggled to keep her vision focused as she went pale. "Hurry, I'm going to faint. I don't want to drop her."

John scooped up his still crying daughter as Catherine passed out from exhaustion. It was then that Dr. McCoy also noted a steady stream of blood trickling from between her legs. "She's hemorrhaging," he reported as he began to bark orders to the nurses who were assisting him.

One nurse gently explained that they needed to examine as well as bundle and warm up the baby, and John managed to allow the nurse to take the baby from him as the others ran to assist Dr. McCoy with stopping Catherine's bleeding. Knowing that his daughter was strong and seemed safe and healthy, John turned his attention once again to Catherine. "Don't you dare leave me," he whispered in her ear. "Stay with me. I'll drain myself dry of my blood if I have to in order to keep you here."

Despite John's fears, Catherine's bleeding quickly stopped, and she was well on the mend with the transfusions of his pre-treated blood that they gave to her to replace the blood that she lost. Once Dr. McCoy was satisfied that she was stable, Kestra left to go tell everyone the happy news and to get some rest. Outside of the occasional visit from Dr. McCoy or a nurse to check on Catherine and the baby, John was left alone with his little family.

Holding his sleeping newborn daughter in his arms, John sat in the rocking chair beside Catherine's bed and began to quietly sing a Punjabi lōrī called "Saun Ja Meri Rani." He smiled as the infant yawned sleepily before moving her tiny lips in a suckling motion. Catherine, who had regained consciousness, watched the two people she loved the most in the entire galaxy before speaking. "Fatherhood is becoming on you, John," she smiled weakly.

"How do you feel? You had some hemorrhaging, but Dr. McCoy got it quickly under control. You had me worried there for a moment," he admitted.

"I'm tired, understandably sore, but surprisingly not too bad. They gave me the transfusions of your blood, didn't they?" she grinned.

"Yes, and you are by no means in any condition for that right now!" he winked.

"Don't worry, I'm not. Just teasing. Unfortunately, it's going to be a few weeks for me to be ready for sex, although it might be less with the help of your blood. Did I have any, well, injuries down there?" she pointed between her legs.

"Despite my unconventional interventions to get this little one out of you, you surprisingly only had a small laceration. An easy repair was made, and Dr. McCoy reports that you should have no long term issues," he explained. "Although she was so big for your body, really she's still so tiny," he noted as the baby grasped onto his index finger with her tiny hand. "But she's so strong. She's like you."

"I certainly don't feel very strong right now," Catherine sighed weakly. "I'm looking forward, though, to getting my body put back together. Once I am well enough, will you please train me in getting myself back into Starfleet shape?"

"Of course," he nodded before looking quietly back down at their daughter. "I never thought that I could ever love anyone as much as I love you. I did not think that I would be able, but I was wrong, Imzadi. My heart is overflowing with love right now for both of you," he choked out while trying to hold back his tears. "Would you like to hold her?"

"Yes, please. What do her eyes look like?"

"Actually, she's always had them closed when I've held her. I'm not sure," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh look, she's waking up," Catherine noted as he tilted her so that they could both look at her eyes. "Wow, that's different."

"She has both of our eyes," John gaped. Like Catherine, she had dark eyes, but she was not completely aniridic in that a thin, blue ring surrounded the large dark orbs. "Interesting. I am curious to see what abilities she will inherit from us."

"What is her name, John? What are we to call her?" Catherine asked as he gently handed their newborn daughter to her.

"She is to be called Priya Kaur Singh Harrison. Her names are Hindi and Punjabi. Priya means 'beloved' and Kaur means 'princess'."

"Beloved princess," Catherine softly rocked her in her arms.

"I may not be the mighty Khan any longer, but she is still my princess. Oh Catherine, you are both so beautiful. I am so happy," he beamed as a tear escaped his eye and Priya began to fuss.

"Oh, Priya, little one. I think she's hungry," Catherine looked up and beamed at John.

"Can I help you?"

"Of course," she nodded as he carefully pulled her hospital gown down to expose her breast. After Catherine successfully got Priya to suckle and start drinking, John gently stroked the dark wisps of hair covering her tiny head. "She is definitely your daughter."

"Why is that?" he chuckled quietly and arched his brow.

"Only a superior half-Augment newborn would have no issues latching on for the first time with little difficulty," she slightly teased. "Really, though, from our classes I was expecting a hard time getting her to breastfeed at first."

"Well, it looks like the two of you are going to do just fine."

"Khan, I love you," she gasped out suddenly and placed her hand over his still resting on Priya's head.

"I love you, too. I love you both with all my heart."

"Happy birthday, princess. What is the date?"

"It is the 28th of August. I will remember and treasure this date as one of the happiest days of my life."

Next chapter will be the end of this story... But it is not the end of Khan and Catherine!