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September 18, 0500 hours McQueen's quarters-
"Good morning," a very contented Lieutenant Colonel whispered to the woman who was waking up beside him. "Hi there," Jenny snuggled against the warm body that held her close. Raising up, she attempted to kiss the lips that were grinning at her inability to keep her eyes open. Over balancing she ended up planting a sleepy kiss on his chin instead. "Sorry about that," she giggled. "Lets try it again." This time her aim was much more accurate. "That was much better," his eyes twinkled as she slid back down beside him. He had watched Jen wake up on a number of occasions. Having her wake up warm and soft in his arms was better then he could have imagined. Thinking of those other times, Ty had to be very sure, "are you still okay with this?" He swept blond curls away from her eyes so he could see as well as hear her answer. "You thought I'd hate myself in the morning?" Jenny watched as he fought to keep his face unguarded. "I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather wake up, then beside you. Now your turn, McQueen." She offered, "did you change your mind?" "Never," he whispered, wanting badly to roll her beneath him and spend the day as they had spent most of the night. But it was getting late, and soon it was back to their other lives. The ones where they were Colonel and Doctor. They'd practiced that game when they were with the Angry Angels, not realizing how important it would become to them later. Moving quickly while he still had a hold on priorities, McQueen slid out from under the blanket and sat on the side of the bunk, "I've got a breakfast meeting with Ross at 0600 or I'd....." He caught his breath as he felt her hand move along his lower back. "I missed one last night," Jen's fingers moved over an old scar on his back, just below the twelfth rib. "That looks like it went deep, you're lucky you didn't lose a kidney." "You missed a number of them last night," he turned and l put his arm around her as she curled against his back and side. His eyes had gone a clear dark blue and his voice husky. Last night her lips had moved over the scars on his chest with nibbling kisses, he could picture them moving where her fingers were touching now. "Jen....you know I'd rather stay here with you, but there's just so much Ross will over-look." "I..ah..." She pulled her hand away from him as if she had been burned. "I didn't mean to do that," she blinked in surprise. "It's okay, Jen," he smiled and brought her wandering hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. "As I was saying, before I was so nicely distracted, if I didn't have this meeting I'd invite you to shower with me." "Ha....Unless your bathroom is much larger than mine, it would be a very tight squeeze," she kidded, as she averted her eyes from his backside as he headed toward the shower. "We'd work it out," he grinned, as he looked back at her, the bathroom door covering all but his face. "I'll be out in a minute, wait for me?" "Sure," she whispered, still holding the sheet over her as she looked at the pile of clothes on the floor instead of where the voice was coming from. As he quickly showered and shaved, he couldn't get over the fact that Jen had been shy about seeing him naked. It didn't make sense. She was a doctor, had seen men like that before, hadn't she? She had taken care of him often enough to know what his body looked like. He smiled and almost cut himself shaving when he realized the difference. This morning she was looking at him as a woman looks at a man. Jenny heard the bathroom door open behind her. She was leaning over to make up the bunk. "Ty, you've really got to be easier on my clothes," Jen was dressed in the jeans and sweater she had worn the night before, but a scrap of torn lace and a damaged bra dangled over her shoulder. The breath caught in her throat as she turned and found him standing very near her. A damp towel slung low on his hips, water beads still glistening on his skin and silver hair. "You haven't had any other mornings after, have you?" His voice almost purred with satisfaction. "Ah...." her mind went blank. "Not exactly." "Why didn't you say something last night?" "It didn't seem like the time?" She tried to skirt around the question, but he only shook his head, seeing through her. "I didn't want to disappoint you," she whispered. "You couldn't." He had known for a long time that Jen wasn't much of a player. Last night for a split second, he'd realized the truth, but dismissed it. Sighing, he reached for the damaged silk hanging over her shoulder, "but I could have been more careful of you." "Then I'm glad I didn't say anything," her chin rose, in what McQueen had come to think of as her fighting stance. "I wouldn't change anything about last night." "Jen, what am I going to do with you?" He shook his head as he pulled her close against him. Reaching for his cleanly shaven cheek, she gave him a wicked grin, "if last night is anything to go by, you've already figured it out." "I think you may be right," he agreed in mock seriousness, "but until we can explore that theory in more detail, there is something I want you to have." He reached for a piece of paper in the top drawer of his desk, "it's my door code." "I can't take that," Jenny gasped. McQueen was an intensely private person. Most in-vitros that she had met were. It came from spending too many years in communal living. "Jen, you're welcome here anytime," he curled her fingers around the paper. "There will be times when we have to work late. I want to know that if one of us comes in at two in the morning the other will be sleeping in that bunk." He could see in her eyes she understood that he wasn't only talking about now, and strategy meetings with Ross or late nights in surgery. He was asking her to be here months down the road, when he would be coming in battle weary and covered with dirt from some far away planet or moon. "Okay," her mouth was so dry she didn't think he heard her. "But you have to take mine as well," she wrote the numbers on the bottom half of the paper and tore it in half. September 18, 2064 Mess Hall, 0630 hours: "Wildcards to Dr. Kirkwood, come in Jenny," Shane stood beside the table where the older woman was seated, staring into her coffee. The noise of the mess hall flowed around them. "Shane? Sorry, I didn't see you," she smiled as she indicated for her friend to sit and eat with her. "You wouldn't have seen a planet the size of Jupiter," Vansen giggled. "I've got to warn you, the rest of the 58th is only a few minutes behind me." "I always enjoy eating with you guys," Jenny decided to brazen it out. She wasn't fool enough to think that any of the 'Cards had missed what went on last night. If they didn't approve of it, she had better find out now. "It's okay," Vansen patted the older woman's hand, "there's nothing to worry about." "Thank you," Jenny reached for her coffee. "You'll give them my thanks?" Shane nodded as she worked up the courage to ask the question that had been burning in her mind since she saw Jen dancing with McQueen. "When we talked in March," she licked her lips. "It was him, wasn't it?" "Yes," the doctor whispered. "I couldn't say anything. I couldn't tell anybody." "You don't have to explain," Shane smiled. "Having seen and heard you that night, then seen you and the Colonel last night, I know for sure that John wasn't the right man." Shane's grin of relief making it clear that she was over Oaks for good. "I just hope I find someone who loves me as much as you love him." "I don't think that's something you're going to need to worry about," Jen patted her friend's arm, as she saw the big in-vitro Marine leading the 58th over to join them. Jenny had expected to take some good natured ribbing, but with the exception of Shane's private question, nothing was said that indicated that anything out of the ordinary had happened. She hoped Joan Brill could contain herself until they were some place more private than Sick Bay. There was no doubt in the doctor's mind that she was in for a grilling by the older nurse. September 21, Ross's Office, 1430 hours: "Come," the Commodore called out at the knock on his hatch. "You wanted to see me, Sir," McQueen took the seat his friend had indicated. "I received a package from Savage," Ross indicated the communications chip that was on his desk. "A lot has happened since we've been out of contact with the war." "Is there more trouble?" McQueen watched Ross carefully, something was bothering the older man. "Yes and no," Ross fidgeted a moment before looking at his friend. "On the positive side, there has been very little action in the last two weeks. Each side has pulled back. In the past, that sort of thing has been followed by a huge blood letting. From what Savage says, there is a different feel to the situation than usual, so he's hopeful that it'll be different this time." "Sir, that's not what you called me here to discuss," McQueen had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "You right," the Commodore sighed. "Ty, Carleton Stryker was arrested three nights ago. He and some friends attacked an In-Vitro Rights worker at a rally in Boston." "Go on," McQueen felt every nerve in his body tighten. "Jack Longley and his team had just broken the story to the press about Aerotech's involvement in creating drug controlled in-vitros. There was a public backlash in support of in-vitros. Almost every major city in the world, had demonstration, against Aerotech," the Commodore took a deep breath and plunged on. "From what Frank tells me, the Rally in Boston had been planned months ago. Four men, one of them Stryker, grabbed a female Rights Worker off the streets. They burned the back of her neck with a cigar but were caught, when her gag came loose, while trying to rape her. "Son of a bitch!" McQueen wanted nothing more then to get his hands on Stryker. "Ty, calm down!" Ross ordered. "In the past two years there have been 10 other muggings like this one. They used DNA testing to place Stryker at the scene each time. Savage sent me a list of the other victims, Jenny's name wasn't on it." "It wouldn't be, she wasn't raped," he whispered as he fought for control. When he look up at Ross again, his eyes glinted ice. "But it was Stryker. The nurse I talked to that night said Jen was lucky. It looked like the men started tearing at her clothes, then changed their minds and marked her first." "Jesus, Ty," Ross gasped. "No wonder you've been so protective of her." "Some protector I am?" He laughed bitterly. "I've just turned her into the In-Vitro Colonel's woman!" "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Ross ground out. "Don't you ever demean what the two of you have like that again. You're happy for the first time in your life, that's got to be worth something. I've only known Jenny a year, but I've never seen her happier," the Commodore turned and paced not sure how much he should say. "McQueen, you think you're the only person on this vessel who is involved with someone? Well you're not! I've turned my back on a lot of things that at other times I would have tossed people in the brig for. But this damn war is taking lives so fast, I can't see denying people happiness if they happen to find it in the middle of all this hell. My only rule is they don't rub my face in it, so get the hell out of my face!" "Understood, Sir." "Now back to business," Ross' voice was gruff. "If we want to see that man convicted as the slimy criminal he is, we have to keep our personal feelings out of it. The information McKendrick has is too vital to be jeopardized by anything. As far as we're concerned, Carleton Stryker had nothing to do with Jenny Kirkwood. There are too many connections here and I don't want some smart-ass attorney to find a loop hole for that traitor to crawl out of. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, Sir," the grim smile that crossed the Colonel's lips made Ross shudder. "But if he does slip through anything, it won't be for long." "McQueen, do I have to throw you in the brig until you calm down?" the Commodore would do just that if he had to. "Hayden has been able to keep a lid on the story. She's been trying to distance herself from Stryker and Aerotech, but it won't last for long. When that story hits, Jenny's going to need you close by, not sitting in a cell." "Do they have anything on Stryker besides the ... muggings," he choked over the word. "He had two in-vitros on his staff that couldn't pass a routine physical." Ross looked slyly at McQueen, "it seems that both of them had been programed with deep violent post-hypnotic suggestions. During the deprogramming process, both men spoke of a third member to their group. A friend who was killed by a mob after assassinating Spencer Chartwell." "What? Chartwell's murder?" The Colonel turned from his place at the port hole in surprise. "Frank says that's being whispered about," Ross smiled for the first time since McQueen entered his office. "And two of his bodyguards have a very sketchy criminal history, both of them have been on the run since Longley's story hit. Savage has men out looking for them, he believes they were involved in the killings of older in-vitros." "Glen," McQueen kept seeing Jen as she had looked when he first saw her when the Angels had arrived in Houston "I always swore I'd kill the men who mugged her, when I found out who they were." "If we're careful, and do this right, you will," Ross looked grim. "Treason is the only capital offense left on the books." "How much longer do you think Hayden will be able to keep this quiet?" "She's running out of time. Her credibility has been badly damaged," Ross' smile was evil. "I'd say by tomorrow The Armed Forces Network will be carrying bits and pieces of the story. Jenny needs to be warned, do you want me to talk to her?" "No, she should hear it from me," he looked at his watch and decided he had just enough time to punch his anger away in the gym. September 21, 2064 McQueen's Quarters 2345: She had thought he was asleep when she had slipped out of bed, but he wasn't. If he had been, her leaving his side would have awakened him. She was standing at his port hole a few feet away. McQueen couldn't help smiling, she had grabbed his t-shirt from the back of the chair as she passed by. What was this strange thing she had for wearing his clothes? He didn't care, when he picked up something she had been wearing he could smell her scent and it made him feel good. "Jen," McQueen whispered as he put his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest. "Are you all right?" "Sure I am. What are you doing still awake?" She was afraid she knew, but wanted to hear it from him. "You should be exhausted. I hear you spent two hours with a large punching bag this afternoon." "The Doctor has spies, does she," he teased, then turned serious. "If you're so 'all right' how come you're not sleeping?" McQueen was sure Jen's source wore a Wildcards insignia on his or her flight suit and made a mental note to keep his eyes open from them in the future. "Couldn't sleep," she tried to pass it off as simple insomnia. "Jen, look at me," he turned her around gently and cupped her face with his hands. "You don't need to be afraid. Stryker or his kind will never hurt you again, I promise." "You think that's why I've been standing here counting stars?" She was tired and exasperated. Hearing about Stryker had taken more of a toll on her then she like to admit. "I can't think of any other reason." "I've been waiting all evening for you to pull away because of this," she chewed on her lower lip in worry. "I know you said you wouldn't, but I saw then how hard it was on you. Why else would you have needed two hours with a punching bag before you could tell me?" "For such a smart woman, you come to some silly conclusions," he pulled her close. "I must have killed Stryker a dozen times while hitting that bag," he smiled at the memory. "But I learned something too. When I walked out on you in Houston, Stryker and his kind scored another victory. All the times I've held back out of fear for you, we've been the losers. Jen, I don't like to lose!" "Neither do I," she ran her hands up and down his sides, enjoying the feel of his warm skin under her touch. "You won't. Now come back to bed, you're freezing," he could feel her shiver as he helped her back into bed. "And I know just how to warm you up." Lieutenant Colonel Tyrus Cassius McQueen looked at the sleeping woman in his arms and wondered why it had taken him so long to realize that she had been right. There was no one single defining moment, but a series of them. How one dealt with those moments was what really defined a person, not the moment itself. The fleeting memories he had of her in detox, all the time they spent on the Windswept, the disaster in a hospital bed in Houston, finding her crumpled on the ground on Kordis, and all the times on the Saratoga. There had been no short cuts for them, no easy way. They had learned and changed together, but all the time it had taken had been worth the wait. Everything that had come before that, had all been leading to this cabin, to that moment in time when he had finally been able to say the words that let someone into his life forever.
Next : You can choose between two versions of the epilogue - one shorter, one longer: Chapter Seven - Forever Epilogue Previous : Chapter Six - Part Six Back : Space: AAB General Fiction
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