This little story has been buzzing around in my head for a while but the interminable wait for the start of the second season prompted me to actually write it. There is more to come if anyone is interested. Any and all feedback welcome - thanks for reading!

Sleepless - Part 1

Rush's footsteps echoed making his march down the long hallway seem far less solitary than it was. Since arriving on Destiny he had noticed that the apparent distance from his workstation to his billet was proportional to how difficult the day had been, and this day had been harder than most. Colonel Young's unrealistic demands, coupled with T.J. insistently probing the state of his mental health after his excursion on the alien ship, had left him even more exhausted than usual.

Heading back to his quarters for a few hours fitful sleep his mind continued to race, working through permutations and combinations and recombinations for an algorithm that might allow for more control of the ship's systems. Hitting a logical dead end he stopped walking and pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to mitigate the headache that was building steadily. With a grunt he started trudging again.

Preoccupied, he was nearly at his quarters before he realised that when he had stopped walking the sound of footsteps hadn't stopped with him. He had intentionally selected quarters well removed from the rest of the crew to avoid unnecessary interaction and after the failed putsch the idea that someone was following him sent fine tendrils of unease down his spine. Rush knew there would be repercussions for those who had been involved and his animosity toward Young would put him at the top of the list. He turned the last corner and angrily punched the keypad to open the door. If Young thought he would just accept whatever punishment he was going to dish out, he was quite mistaken. Tired and impatient he sat on the bed and waited for the owner of the footsteps to arrive.

The slim figure that appeared in the doorway was nothing like the heavy set marine he expected. "Chloe?"

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said, leaning against the doorway. "I wasn't sure if you'd still be awake this late."

Relieved that his few hours rest wouldn't be interrupted by a confrontation with one of Young's henchmen, Rush relaxed. "I've been working – I only just got back."

Chloe nodded but said nothing. She was chewing her lip, a familiar sign that she was on edge and from the way she sagged against the doorway he knew she was as exhausted as he was. He wanted to let her speak in her own time but his fatigue and impatience won out. "What do you want?" he asked, more sharply than intended.

She barely flinched at his tone but it was enough for him to regret it. "I just wanted to talk," she said, "About what happened to us."

Rush tensed, he knew she was struggling with the aftermath of the abduction but he had no desire to discuss it or the nightmares that woke him sweating each night. Given a choice he would prefer to think about what he had endured as little as possible. He had no idea how to talk to her, discussing emotions was never something that had come naturally to him and too many times his inability to express compassion had alienated those around him. Not for the first time he envied those who knew what to say so as not to seem clichéd or insincere.

The dull ache in his head, fueled by the renewed tension, became a deep steady throbbing and he pinched the bridge of his nose again, knowing it wouldn't help. "Shouldn't you be talking to Lieutenant Scott about this?"

His tone made the question seem like a dismissal and she turned to leave. "Sorry," she said, "I have disturbed you."

Rush glanced at his bed, longing to lose himself in sleep for a few hours. "Wait. That's not what I meant." He said and gestured to a chair. "Please, come in."

She crossed the room slowly and sat by a small table overflowing with parts from the ship's systems, all of them at least partly disassembled. "Don't you have enough work without bringing it back here?"

"It needs to be done. There's no one else on board who can do it."

She nodded at the mater-of-fact way that he said it. She didn't speak for a while but Rush had learnt from his previous mistake not to try to hurry her. "Matt's great," she said finally, "He's always there for me and he really tries to understand what happened."

"But?"

"But I can barely sleep and when I do I have nightmares. I wake up and I'm so scared. I want to feel safe with him there," she said and Rush caught a brief flash of guilt in her eyes, "But I just don't."

He remained silent. If she was looking for relationship advice he was the last person she should be talking to.

She slumped forward, elbows resting on knees. "No one on Destiny seems to understand how dangerous they are. I feel like if I don't keep vigilant, if I'm not watching for them, they'll catch us and..." Her voice trailed but from her pained expression he knew what she was remembering.

"Chloe, the responsibility isn't yours. One person can't shoulder a burden like that."

She glanced at the jumble of impossibly complicated electronics covering the table. "Pot, meet Kettle."

Rush snorted with amusement and smiled. Chloe has seen him smile before, but this was the first time she could remember seeing a genuine smile that went all the way to his eyes.

"I like talking to you," she said, "You don't try to tell me not to worry and that everything will be alright."

Rush was unsure he deserved her praise but so far the conversation had gone well, although that was probably because he'd hardly spoken. It's hard to say the wrong thing if you say nothing. Chloe was calmer now, and she seemed to have said all she needed to say. Rush relaxed for the first time since she had sat down, the tension seeping away leaving behind a familiar bone-deep weariness.

"Chloe," he said gently, "I'm sorry, but I need to get some rest."

She smiled and nodded."Of course," she said, "Thank you for this."

Rush started working on unlacing his boots as she stood. "I don't know why, but when I'm around you, I don't feel scared any more."

"You're welcome to stay." He said and cringed. He hadn't intended to imply anything with the invitation but of course if he was going to say something, it was bound to be the wrong thing. Unwilling to risk compounding his embarrassment by saying anything else he kept his head down and concentrated on his boots.

Chloe watched him working at the laces and considered the offer before answering. "I'd like that."

Rush finally got his boots off and moved to the far side of the bed. He briefly considered whether he would be able to sleep fully clothed before deciding he was so damn tired it wouldn't matter. He settled on removing his belt and socks and tossed them on the floor before crawling into the bed. Chloe went to the other side, kicked off her shoes and slipped under the covers. They lay back to back and he barely had time to wonder if she felt as awkward as he did before realising she was already asleep.

He listened to her deep, even breaths. It had been a long time since he had fallen asleep to a sound like that and his last conscious thought was that it was something he rather liked. He was woken once during the night, and for the first time since the abduction not by a nightmare, Chloe had rolled over and her hand had come to rest on his shoulder. As he drifted back to sleep he decided that he rather liked that as well.