Day by Day, Side by Side

Author's Notes: Starcraft ain't mine, I'm just a dabbling within Blizzard's wonderful little universe while waiting for more releases from them. With that out of the way, lemme just say I'm quite surprised with myself for starting a Starcraft fic of all things, but damn did I just fall in love with what Blizzard did with WoL. This story on the other hand, deviates quite a bit from the main story of WoL though it stays true to many of the elements the game introduced.

Chapter One

Jim...

Four years and she was still there. Lingering in the back of his mind, a presence just hovering over his shoulder- so tangible he was damn sure he could feel the heat of her breath ghosting across his skin. There were still days when he'd catch himself half turning, half expecting her to be there.

Then he would remember and with a pang of resentment he would force her out of his mind. No mean feat against an off the charts psionic and it always came with the price of a pounding headache, but he'd take the risk of a migraine over the cruel psychic manipulations of a woman bent on crushing his soul any day.

He could feel one coming on already and stifled a groan behind a large hand as he massaged his forehead, knowing what would be on the agenda for the night: a bottle of pain killers and a dimly lit room.

"Can't just leave me well enough alone can you, darling?" He hadn't expected a response though Raynor was almost certain he could feel just the faintest sense of laughter at the edges of his consciousness, until it faded away, the link between them finally shut.

"Sir?"

Startled, Raynor looked up to see Matt staring at him with an expression that was both confused and concerned. It was almost touching if not a tad irritating. He was once again confusing psionic conversations with normal speak.

They stood on the bridge of the Hyperion and though the lighting was low, even the green display of the star map was getting to him. "Nothing," he rubbed a hand over his face as he backed away from the device, which eased the pressure a little. "Just got a bit of a headache."

Matt looked sceptical. "Doesn't look like a bit to me. Maybe you should go see Dr. Hanson?"

Raynor snorted, though he couldn't quite help his amused smile. Despite Matt's depressing interest in politics he could be as subtle as Tychus at times. "Is there some sort of pool going on that I'm not aware of? If that's the case I'd like to pitch in a bet too."

At least Matt had the decency to look guilty. "There might be something like a pool in effect that Swann is possibly organizing."

"Swann? Really? I would have thought it'd be Tychus."

"Well, it started with him and Tychus."

Raynor was starting to feel something pulsating in his head, which was never a good sign. "I don't think I want to know." He didn't bother hiding his wince at a sudden sharp stab in his skull. "Listen, I'm just gonna to lie down or something. Whatever Tychus wants us to do it can wait."

"Go ahead. It's just another scouting mission. I'm sure the boys can handle themselves without you, sir." Matt offered him a half smile and a salute before he returned to the star map though Raynor didn't miss the brief glance of worry that his second in command shot him before he left the bridge.

Matt was a good kid, often a little overbearingly idealistic, but Raynor had to admit that he liked him that way. Sometimes, when he let his thoughts wander a little too far he'd think of John, his long dead son, when he saw Matt. There was hardly any resemblance between the two, the ages weren't even right, but Raynor couldn't help the way his mind worked. Though right now he certainly wished that were the case with the way his head was torturing him.

He counted it as a blessing that he managed to make it to his quarters without collapsing and curling up into a little whimpering ball on the floor. Raynor made a beeline for his bedside table the moment the door closed shut behind him. The bottle of painkillers was nearly out when he popped the lid, but thankfully there were still a handful left to last him through the night. He wondered if he could sweet talk Hanson into giving him one from her stock.

The door chimed, a mite too loud for Raynor, announcing a visitor. For a moment he wondered if he could get away with pretending he wasn't there, but the voice on the other side of the door dashed that hope to pieces.

"I know you're in there, Jim." It was Ariel Hanson's muffled voice. "I'm not leaving until you let me in."

Raynor sighed, pressing both palms against his eyes as he got up to give her entrance. He leaned against the doorframe, shielding his eyes as light flooded into the room. He heard rather than saw Dr. Hanson step into the room and could feel the waves of disapproval coming off her.

"You sure do know how to pick a time to drop by, Doc," he muttered and slapped the door controls. Immediately they were both swallowed in darkness, though Raynor's eyes had adjusted enough that he could stagger over to his desk and slump against it without walking into anything.

"Matt called me," she answered simply. He could see her faint outline searching for him. "He thought it'd be best if I came up here to see you."

"I'm gonna have a talk with Matt," he muttered.

Gingerly, she picked her way through the dark towards the direction of his voice, both hands extended out to avert any possible collision with the furniture. Raynor grunted and leaned back when Ariel placed both hands on his chest. She stilled for several seconds, comprehending what she was touching and jerked away. "I'm... uh, sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

"It's... all right," Raynor shifted uncomfortably on the desk, suddenly all too aware of the intimacy of their situation. Alone in the dark in his bedroom, the boys were going to have a field day with this. For a bunch of battle hardened soldiers, his Raiders were the biggest bunch of gossipers he'd ever met. "I should have put a light on or something."

There was a long silence between them as they both tried to recover their wits. "Anyway," Ariel straightened her shoulders, all professionalism once again. "Matt told me you had a headache. I just wanted to see if you were all right."

"I'm fine, Ariel," Raynor allowed himself a grin. The good doctor who had important Zerg research to do, coming all the way up from her lab to call on him. Despite a certain ex-convict's claims, he wasn't as blind as many were led to believe. Well, not when it was pointed out to him at least. "It's just a headache."

From Ariel's unimpressed look, Raynor knew he wasn't going to be let off the hook that easy. "From what I understand, you have quite the history of headaches. I've had a look at your medical records on hand, which by the way I'm amazed at how some of you have made it this far with how poorly organized your files are, but from what I've seen this is a long standing issue that's been unaddressed."

Raynor raised a brow. "You've looked at my medical records? Aren't those supposed to be, you know, confidential or something?"

Even in the dark, Raynor swore Ariel was blushing. "I thought it would be pertinent," she murmured, looking away.

"Since when did you become my personal doctor anyway?" Raynor cocked his head, mouth twisted into a wry smile. She did look cute when she was all flustered.

Ariel rounded back on him, stabbing him in the chest with a finger. "Since a certain commander decided that his health was his lowest priority. I could write up a list of how badly you take care of yourself, Jim. I don't know if it's just ignorance or a self-destructive tendency you have."

All humour faded from Raynor as he slid off the desk, straightening. "Self-destructive tendencies, huh? Someone been talking to you or you come up with that all by yourself, Dr. Hanson?" He already knew the answer, Hanson didn't know him well enough or long enough to come to such a damning judgement about him, but he did have similar arguments like this one often with Matt.

The headache, which had abated during their little banter, suddenly came back full force. It took quite a bit of control for him not to grab his head and cringe. Apparently Ariel's vision well enough to the dark to notice. She was immediately by his side, hand pressed against his forehead as she stood as tall as she could to examine him. Even through the pain he was aware of her scent, it was fragrant, reminding him of flowers he couldn't identify. His thoughts wandered back to Sarah, to Liddy and for a moment he could almost lose himself in those memories.

"This isn't just a minor headache, Jim," she said softly, bringing him back to the present, to the pain.

He didn't resist when she took his hand and led him to his bed, forcing him to sit on its edge. She turned on the bedside lamp and made a sound of disapproval when she spotted the nearly empty bottle of painkillers. Thankfully she managed to withhold whatever lecture she had on the tip of her tongue. They both squinted against the light though it was Ariel who recovered first while he winced and looked away. A soft hand rested against his cheek, slowly nudging him to look up. Ariel peered closely into his eyes, turning his head from side to side and up and down.

After several more minutes of poking and prodding, she sat back on her heels with a sigh. He wasn't sure if he liked that sound. "Well? What's the prognosis, Doc?"

"I need a lab and equipment before I can actually make a sound diagnosis, Jim," she chided, though she was wearing a small smile and that alone was enough to comfort him. "I really wish you'd gone to a medic sooner about this. Headaches, pain especially, are a symptom of something wrong. It's no small matter to overlook."

"It's..." Jim took in a shaky breath, trying to find the right words. "I think it's some kind of psionic feedback. I only get em after Kerrigan tries poking around in my head." He realized as soon as the words left his mouth that this was the first time he was telling anyone aboard his ship about Kerrigan's psychic tinkering. Though he was certain Matt suspected something, but nothing was ever said between them.

Ariel looked intrigued and Raynor knew it was the scientist in her that was coming out, her expression was not unlike Stetmann's when he discovered something new. "Psionic feedback? I don't think I've heard of anything like that before, granted terran psionic research is only just beginning to broaden into something substantial." She frowned and stood up, hand on her chin as she was lost in thought. "If you really think that's the case I don't think I can help you with the headaches except maybe to prescribe you a safer range of medication to help with the pain. I'm hardly an expert when it comes to psionics."

"Any help I can get to deal with the pain I'll appreciate. I wasn't expecting any miracles," Raynor shrugged, his gaze drifted to the floor, towards the shadows for relief.

"Jim," the sudden soft tone of her voice made him look up, he blinked when he met her gaze, sympathetic and full of sorrow at the same time. She crouched down beside him, placing a hand on his arm. The warmth of the touch was a balm against his headache, relieving the pressure to a manageable level. "I've only known you for a few months, but you've done so much for me already. I just want you to know that I'm here for you if you need me. And, I'm also sorry, about what I said earlier."

For several moments Raynor tried to speak, but it was difficult with that lump in his throat. He swallowed hard and made several attempts. With Ariel this close to him, he realized how long it'd been since he'd dared do anything with another woman. Not with Sarah when there was a war going on, not since Liddy. He lost his nerve and looked away. "It's fine, Ariel. We all say things we don't mean. I know you're just worried 'bout me."

She smiled, her hand sliding down his arm to give his own a squeeze. Her palm lingered against his for several moments before she released him and stood, taking several steps back. "Come down to the lab sometime. Even if you think it's some sort of psionic feedback I still want to run some tests to make sure it's not something else."

Feeling like dead weight, Raynor nodded numbly. "Will do, Doc."

She was by the door when she stopped, still smiling. "Get some rest, Jim."

Then she was gone and Raynor was left alone in his quarters. He released a long sigh and lowered himself onto the bed. "You're an idiot, Jim Raynor."

He fell asleep thinking of Ariel, but in his dreams there was another woman waiting for him. The echoes of her laughter chased him through shadows until he awoke in a cold sweat with her voice still whispering in his mind.

Jim... Jim... Jim...