Author's Note: First, I want to thank the writers, creators and actors for giving us this incredible show and these beautiful characters. Although they are not of my invention, I am completely enthralled with them and cannot begin to express how much joy I take in writing these fics. Should the writers or actors come across this, I hope you will appreciate how much your work has inspired so many of us. Second, I want to thank my Beta for diligently and patiently helping me edit, and for being the love of my life. For this fic, I really poured everything into working with the last three episodes of Season Two and writing what I hope will transpire in Season 3 (#SaveOneShow). It starts off right after "Going Viral Part Two" and continues past "Mind Games." Please feel free to send me a review if you enjoy it. Thanks :)

It had been two weeks since the Marburg virus nearly took out half of Philadelphia. Vaccines were administered to the rest of the infected patients, quarantines were lifted across the city, and life slowly returned to its normal balance of rectitude versus depravity. Within the walls of the M.E. Office, however, the reprieve from chaos was not quite as swift.

After Dani's funeral, the loss of the fiery young woman felt all the more real, for Peter and everyone else. The halls continued to take on a somber tone as the memorial seemingly went on under the guise of getting back to business. To make matters worse, Kate was still out on mandatory leave, keeping Curtis uncomfortably in charge and driving everyone crazy until she was ready to return. In the meantime, Megan decided she was going to do everything in her power to make sure her boss made a full and speedy recovery.

Late Friday afternoon, she sat on Kate's bed, pressing the stethoscope to her chest, listening intently for the familiar rhythm. Satisfied, she moved the instrument to the crook of her arm, looking up at the blonde while pumping the device with her other hand.

"You don't have keep doing this, Megan. I'm fine."

"Would you stop being so stubborn? Consider yourself lucky I didn't insist you stay with me. The least you can let me do is check your vitals once a day."

Kate rolled her eyes as Megan removed the cold metal from her arm and undid the blood pressure gauge.

"See," Kate challenged as she looked at the numbers Megan jotted down. "I'm practically back to normal."

"Almost," Megan agreed. "But not quite. You still need a few more days' rest."

Kate sighed.

"I'm starting to go crazy here," she mumbled.

"Hey, you could have been at my house listening to Justin Bieber and playing video games," Megan argued. "But you chose to be here. Enjoy the peace while you still can."

Kate smirked. Megan smiled back. She fluffed her pillows a bit before nonchalantly reaching out and brushing some of Kate's blonde hair behind her ear, a move she'd repeated several times since she first revived her at the press conference. Kate hadn't questioned it then. She just barely remembered opening her eyes and seeing the redhead hovering above her, looking terrified. She'd taken comfort in the fact that someone cared enough if she lived or died. Now that she was almost in the clear, however, she couldn't justify the subtle touches, or why Megan continued to be there for her beyond the call of duty. Still, she was not about to tell her friend to stop.

Friend… "Girlfriend." Megan had used the later term several times throughout the ordeal. Kate also found this a bit odd, considering the only people she knew who still used that term to refer to a "girl" who was a "friend" were older folks, not realizing how easy it was for people to assume the term indicated a more intimate relationship. She chased the thought away and moved on.

"Thanks," she nodded. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Unless…" Megan mused. "We order some Chinese and find a movie on TV. Assuming we can both agree on something."

The blonde tried not to let her jaw drop into her lap.

"I thought Lacey…"

"She's at Todd's tonight. He's finally back from his vacation."

Kate tried not to think about Todd. She really didn't care that he had moved on so quickly, but the awkwardness of the whole situation as it pertained to her relationship—friendship— with Megan still lingered.

"You sure?" Kate swallowed.

"Yes. I told you, I'm impossible to get rid of," she joked, wriggling her eyebrows. "Besides, I could use the company."

Kate didn't dare inquire after Aiden's whereabouts. Though she was nowhere near ready to admit it, she was happy to keep Dr. Hunt to herself for as long as she could.

Megan tried to help Kate relocate to the couch when their food arrived, but the blonde shook her off. She insisted if she wasn't well enough at this point to make it across her apartment alone, she'd have been dead already. Megan visibly cringed at the remark, but allowed Kate to prove her case.

As they downed their vegetable lo mein and mu shu pork, Kate flipped through the channels intermittently, until they finally settled on E!, which was playing Bring It On for the twelve hundredth time.

"Seriously?" Megan groaned. "You really should have stayed at my place. Lacey loves this movie."

"She interested in cheering?"

"Yes, and I can't say I'm not the slightest bit disappointed. I wish she'd stick with riding."

"Cheering gets a bad rap," Kate defended. "Sure, it has its chauvinistic underpinnings, but at most schools it's become a real sport."

Megan glared at her.

"Let me guess? You…"

"All four years of high school and first semester of college."

"And then?"

"And then, I switched my major from art to biochem and kissed my extracurriculars goodbye."

"Art, huh? You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Kate felt her cheeks grow warm. Megan appeared to be the kind of woman who didn't know she flirted with absolutely everyone. Or maybe she does, Kate thought. Maybe that's part of her power. Regardless, its effects were not lost on the Chief. She adjusted herself several times as their conversation continued and they forgot about the film playing in the background.

"Can't get comfortable? Here," Megan lifted the blonde's feet onto her lap.

Kate's breath caught in her throat. She had not been touched by someone this much in ages. She chased the thought from her mind once again, accepting the gesture, deciding not to make a big deal out of it. After all, "what are girlfriends for?"

At some point they must have stopped talking, and before she knew it, the credits were rolling and she was finding herself drifting in and out of sleep, her feet still planted on Megan's lap. She lifted her head slightly to eye the redhead, amused to find the woman completely passed out, quietly snoring in fact. She looked so deeply asleep Kate couldn't imagine waking her, but the prospect of them spending the night together on the couch also seemed preposterous. What is this? Kate pondered. How had they gone from barely being able to work across from each other in the lab to Megan holding her hand on a stretcher, and again in a hospital bed, risking everything to save her, and an exhaustive list of other gestures that had somehow led them to being this close. She couldn't make sense of it all at the moment as she closed her eyes and drifted off once again.

Megan woke up at about three a.m. and realized she was still at Kate's, much to her surprise. She yawned widely and stretched her arms before becoming aware of the weight holding down her legs. Kate's feet, wrapped up in the warmth of her gray hospital socks, lay strewn across her thighs. She trailed her eyes up the length of the blonde's body to her face, which appeared more at peace and full of color than she had seen it since she'd gotten sick. She wanted to stealthily make her exit but was too afraid she'd disturb her boss, disrupting her much needed REM cycle. Should be interesting in the morning, she thought groggily before adjusting her head against the arm of the couch and falling back to sleep.

As the light streamed through the blinds across Kate's eyelids, signaling morning, the blonde stirred a little, though not enough to wake Megan. She forgot about the redhead sleeping beneath her ankles until she opened her eyes and saw her curled up in the corner, one arm folded beneath her head, the other draped over Kate's shins.

Kate took a deep breath as she strategized. Why are you over-thinking this? She finally chastised herself before slowly lifting her legs. Megan's arm fell from them, and she jumped at the sensation.

"Huh?" Megan murmured.

"Megan," Kate whispered to her. "Wake up."

Megan turned to look at the blonde, who wore an almost apologetic look on her face.

"Hey," the redhead responded shakily, still half asleep. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay."

"I don't usually doze off on other people's sofas," Megan yawned before eyeing Kate and grinning at her playfully. "Should have picked a better movie."

Kate rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the corners of her mouth from rising.

"Since you're here, can I offer you some breakfast? I'm not sure what I have, but…"

"Coffee?" Megan asked hopefully.

"That I can do."

Megan watched as Kate slowly brought her feet to the floor and stretched before taking pains to stand. She fought the urge to assist her, knowing she'd only tick the woman off. Finally, the blonde adjusted her oversized sweatshirt, which had begun to slide off one shoulder, got her bearings and made her way to the kitchen. Megan eventually joined her.

As she sipped from her mug, Megan continued to watch Kate move around the kitchen. She seemed slower than usual, but she couldn't tell if that was normal for her in the mornings, or…

"What's your diagnosis?" Kate finally broke the silence, jarring Megan from her thoughts.

"What?"

"Think I'll be ready for work by Monday?" She tried not to let the urgency come through in her voice.

Megan looked down into her coffee and sighed.

"Kate, don't push yourself."

"I'm not pushing myself!" Kate finally broke. "Jesus Christ, Megan, it's been two weeks. Believe it or not, I miss my job. Staying busy keeps me sane. You of all people should understand that."

"I do," Megan spoke softly.

"Well?"

"Well…" Dr. Hunt tried to be reasonable. She knew she was being over protective, but she couldn't help it. She hadn't realized how much the woman had grown on her until she almost lost her. She was not about to take any chances. "I'm not your actual physician, but…"

"Really? You're gonna pull that card now? Because that's news to..."

"But…" Megan interrupted again. "I think you'll be fine. I'll drop a line to the Commissioner and let her know you're ready, as long as you're sure you feel up to it."

Kate glared back at her, the adrenaline from finally feeling strong enough to stand up for herself making her feel even more invigorated.

"I'm ready," she confirmed.

"Good," Megan sat up straight, finishing her coffee. "Guess I'm done here then." She put her mug down and grabbed her purse off the counter.

"Megan…" Kate followed her. "Seriously, I'm okay."

"I know."

The redhead turned as she reached the door and smiled as sweetly as she could.

"So I'll see you Monday?"

Megan nodded.

"Just don't go rearranging your closet or anything this weekend," she quipped. "Take it easy, okay?"

"Yes, Dr. Hunt."

"I know I've been a bit over-the-top," Megan swallowed, looking anywhere but into Kate's eyes. "But I just… really care about you."

Kate couldn't hide her blush this time.

"Thank you," she breathed deeply. "I…care about you too."

Megan finally looked back at her, continuing to smile nervously. She reached out and squeezed Kate's shoulder. The blonde put her hand over the other woman's and held it there for a moment before letting go. Megan released her grip and was on her way.