Kirk walked at Kate’s side, trying to take in all of the sights and sounds of the city.

He had never seen so many people all at once. It was thrilling to think that each had their own separate mission to accomplish, yet all worked cooperatively as if they had a shared end - moving and stopping in tandem in response to the colorful lights set on poles that beckoned them and held them off at intervals.

And yet this was no assembly line. There were cries of greeting and honks of car horns that Kate had explained meant the drivers were criticizing each other. Vendors called out to offer cups of steaming coffee.

And beneath it all, Kirk sensed a hidden rhythm to the cacophony, as if the whole city were performing a symphony, but just couldn’t decide on a key.

Yesterday, on the way to Kate’s apartment, he had been too distracted by the nearness of her small, fragrant body to comprehend anything around them.

But today he felt the weight of his mission to protect her, so he was determined to assess the world around them in order to be able to note anything out of place.

His observation led to a sense of delight in what he had learned, and he strove to find his own part in the city’s concert, even as he scanned the crowd for any threat to his mate.

“We’re supposed to meet the bodyguard at the entrance to the hall,” Kate said.

“I will protect you,” Kirk said. “You do not need an additional guard.”

“Oh,” she replied. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate your offer, I do. But professional bodyguards are very experienced. I couldn’t ask you to protect me when I know there’s a real threat.”

“I will protect you anyway,” he told her. “You can have as many other guards as you like.”

She looked up at him as if assessing his sincerity.

He gave her the same half smile that made her blush yesterday and nearly growled with satisfaction when she flushed again.

As before, she looked away immediately, gazing ahead and picking up her pace.

He hoped that she wasn’t confusing his inexperience in Earth customs with innocence. Though he was new to this world of hers, he had lived long enough on his own to understand something of good and evil. He would not allow harm to come to her.

They reached the Convention Center, went through the large lobby and up the moving staircase.

The Con wouldn’t start for another hour but there was already a line at the security check-in.

Kirk watched as Kate put her bag through the machine and stepped through the scanner, then followed through himself.

It was odd how human technology could be so uneven. Solo was often impressed at their ingenuity when it came to engineering efficiency and machines, but Kirk was equally impressed with their guilelessness when it came to their own organic forms. The awkward wand waving was a woefully inaccurate way to scan a human body for weapons, in Kirk’s opinion.

But for better or for worse, they were through the checkpoint now.

Kate headed straight for a muscular man who was holding a sign that said Henderson.

“Kate Henderson,” she said, offering him her hand.

“Mac Reynold,” he replied, shaking vigorously. “I’ll be your eyes and ears, Miss Henderson. But you’ll need to trust me and do as I say. This is a two way street.”

Kate’s face twisted in displeasure. “I’m not sure what Carol told you, but you’re here because of a specific stalker. There is no general security threat.”

“That’s what they all say,” Reynold said with a bitter smile. “But it’s my butt on the line if anything happens to you. Which it won’t, if you do as I say.”

Kirk was not at all happy at the way this man was speaking to Kate. But he restrained himself from speaking for her. Besides, he was focused on keeping a sharp eye out for Spencer.

A young man came out of the checkpoint, his eyes blazing when he saw Kate.

“Miss Henderson, Miss Henderson,” he cried, dashing toward her at an astonishing speed.

Kirk stepped between the man and Kate, and took an instant to observe the potential threat.

He was tall but very young. His eyes were flashing, but the corners of his mouth were pulling up with pleasure. He had no weapon that Kirk could see. He wore a black shirt with the letters SIS on it - short for Suspended in Space.

He was not a threat. He was just an excited fan.

Before Kirk could point him out to Kate, Reynold barreled toward the boy, some sort of weapon in hand.

“He’s not a threat,” Kirk called to Reynold.

But the bodyguard had already applied his weapon to the boy, causing him to fall to the ground convulsing in agony.

“Stop that,” Kate shrieked. “He’s just a fan.”

But Reynold put his foot on the boy’s chest and did not remove his weapon.

Kirk looked from Kate to Reynold and made a quick decision.

He moved quickly but calmly to the bodyguard, stretched out his consciousness to envelope the man’s mass, sensed his weight, and shifted it until it was a fraction of what it normally was. Then he wrapped his arms around the bodyguard’s ribcage, and plucked him easily off the boy’s chest. He carried him away and put him down against the far wall.

He felt some vestige of guilt at using his gift in public, which Dr. Bhimani had warned him he must never do. But he could not allow harm to come to someone who loved Kate.

“What the hell?” Reynold demanded.

“You have just attacked an innocent civilian, against the wishes of your employer,” Kirk informed him sternly.

“He ran up to her,” Reynold spat. “I did my job.”

“Does she look like she’s pleased with what you did?” Kirk asked.

He allowed Reynold enough slack to look over at where Kate sat on the floor next to the boy, who was sitting up.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “Are you okay?”

“F-fine,” the kid said. Kirk figured he was embarrassed to admit to being scared in front of his hero. A large dark patch on the front of the boy’s pants told another tale. Kirk was glad he did not seem to be badly injured.

“Let’s get you some swag,” Kate suggested. “I’d like to give you an official Inertia uniform. I’ll bet you’re the same size as Johnny Santos was when he played 2^nd lieutenant Briggs.”

“Wow, thanks,” the kid said, scrambling up and following her.

“You’re dismissed, Reynold,” she said over her shoulder as they headed into the main hall together. “Your manager will hear from my agent, and maybe from this young man’s lawyer.”

“I don’t have a lawyer,” the boy told Kate as they went into the main hall together.

“This is your fault,” the disgraced bodyguard snarled as Kirk let him go.

“We have nothing to say to each other. I have to protect Kate now,” Kirk said, turning his back on the man and headed after her.

He was betting on the guy being too demoralized to tackle him from behind.

He turned when he got to the door and saw that he had been right. Reynold was walking away, shaking his head.

When Kirk caught up with Kate at her table, she was hugging the boy goodbye.

“Come see me later on for some more swag,” she told him. “I want to see you in that uniform.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the kid grinned back at her before trotting away.

“I’m glad you could cheer him up,” Kirk said.

“Yeah, thank you so much for helping out,” Kate said. “I don’t know what I would have done.”

“I guess you’ll be calling for a replacement bodyguard now,” he suggested.

“No, I think I already have the perfect bodyguard,” she said, smiling up at him. “If you still want the job, that is.”

Kirk’s heart swelled in his chest.

“It would be my privilege,” he told her.

But the real privilege was seeing her eyes shine as she looked up at him.

She didn’t know yet that she was his mate. But her body was telling him as sure as his own heart told him. They would soon be one.