Title: Rescue Me

Author: Azura Nyx

Characters: T.J/Nicholas Rush, Colonel Everett Young

Type: Angst(sort of)/Romance

Length: 3,500 words, 4 chapters

Warnings/Author's Notes: There are spoilers for "Light." These characters do not belong to me because they are property of MGM.

Rating: K+ (PG) for some mild language

Summary: Dr. Rush has already 'dealt' with the loss of his late wife. Can he handle the loss of another loved one?

Chapter 1

It's astonishing how the years can go by so quickly. Nearly six years have passed already since the Destiny and its voyagers became trapped in space. Lost. That was how many of those on board felt at the very beginning. In the duration of those five years, however; lives have been lost, friends have been made, and arguments fumed and subsided. It would be misleading to say the events on the Destiny have been tedious.

If someone were to walk up to Dr. Nicholas Rush and ask him if he thought being on the Destiny was boring, he would answer, 'Hell no,' which would be his honest reply. Nicholas hardly found sitting in a chair by the dying medic and now his fiancée, Tamara Johansen, a dull moment.

Earlier that day, the medical doctor they retrieved from Earth using the Long Range Communication stones mentioned to Rush that Ms. Johansen had acquired too much radiation exposure from a planet they traveled to quite a few months ago, and also regretfully said there was nothing more he could do except give her morphine for the pain. In that light, Nicholas vowed to spend as much time with his dying fiancé as possible. There were even moments where he stayed with T.J all day and night.

Stroking her hand ever so gently, Dr. Rush began to sob. It hurt him to know T.J wasn't going to survive. It bothered Nicholas that as soon as he finds love again, it is taken away from him. Any man would feel the same way.

Pitifully raising his head, Rush stuttered, "T-Tamara, I… I don't know if you can hear me, but… I just need you to know that… you've given so much happiness to me. I'm not even certain you realize just how much. Whenever you're around, I feel… like I'm complete. I just hope in the short while we've been together that I've treated you as compassionately as you have me."

Nicholas raised himself from the chair, leaned over Johansen and kissed her forehead. After sitting back down, he remembered a specific time he spent with T.J:

A year ago, there had been a small dancing celebration in the mess hall. The purpose in its occurrence didn't matter to anyone, and why should it? Being trapped for five years on an enormous ship built by the Ancients is bound to get depressing and, thus, should be reason alone to heighten emotions.

Tamara gracefully strolled into the cafeteria; her lacey, dark green dress that came to her ankles flowed behind her. It felt like silk upon her skin, which is the very reason why it was her favorite dress. It made her feel… elegant.

As Johansen took a seat at the bar, or at least an imitation of one, next to Dr. Nicholas Rush, it became apparent that she wasn't the only one who thought the dress didn't look too bad on her. Rush breathed in a puff of a cigarette and exhaled the smoke. He happened to glance over at Tamara, and after looking her up and down he noticed the dress she was wearing. Dr. Rush smiled slightly, and then remarked, "Well, you look lovely tonight!"

"Thank-you," kindly replied the medic, returning Nicholas's smile with a half-grin. "You don't look too bad yourself, might I add."

"I do greatly appreciate your compliment, but this old suit is hardly anything special," Nicholas began. However, Tamara would have to disagree immensely because, in her opinion, the fact she was witnessing Dr. Rush wearing a black suit jacket, a red undershirt, and a grey/red stripped tie made her recognize his most handsome features even more.

"May I have the honor of buying you a drink, Ms. Johansen," Dr. Rush offered Tamara.

Johansen blinked her eyes, as if she had awoken from a daze. "Oh! Uh… no, no thank-you. Ever since I arrived on the Destiny, I… haven't quite regained my taste for alcoholic beverages."

After taking a sip of his glass of champagne, Nicholas somewhat flirtatiously inquired, "I see. Well… have you lost your desire to dance as well?"

"That I have not lost the desire to do," the medic replied with a grin.

As Dr. Rush stood up from his seat he held out his hand for Tamara to take in hers. Once she did so, they walked to the dance floor. Nicholas gently held Tamara's hand in his while he placed his other hand on her waist. Johansen rested her free hand on Rush's shoulder. They started moving slowly to the beat of the music.

The music was slow, soft. It was instrumental, almost like classical with a hint of jazz. Beautiful.

Nearly on impulse, Johansen began holding Rush a bit closer. She didn't really mean to, and even started to wonder herself what she was doing. However, Nicholas didn't appear to be bothered by it at all. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it.

Closing her eyes as if to embrace every second of this moment, Tamara contemplated more about why she liked this so much. Why it felt so good, so… like she was loved for the first time in her life. But that was just it: Ms. Johansen felt loved by someone, felt the same way about him, and didn't feel the need to keep it hidden.

During the years Tamara was having an affair with Colonel Everett Young, she felt misbegotten, imposturous, and uncertain. In Nicholas's arms, however, everything was different. She sensed a reconciling and loving emotion that was unclear to her until now. 'Saved' was the only relative term.

When the song ended, Nicholas and Tamara pulled away from each other a little. "I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did," Dr. Rush commented.

"I did," she replied, looking down toward the floor. It took her a moment before Ms. Johansen peered up at Nicholas again and finally asked, "Do you think I could talk with you alone for a moment?"

Rush nodded his head in affirmation. "Of course," he replied.

They stepped outside the mess hall, and Tamara began studying Nicholas's brown eyes in apprehension. She didn't know how to say what she wanted to him without sounding awkward.

"Can I tell you something without... you thinking I'm strange?"

Nicholas smiled a little. "Well… I don't know. That would depend on the statement, I guess," he joked, trying to ease Tamara's nervousness. When she didn't catch on right away to his dry humor, Rush furrowed his eyebrows and benevolently continued, "In all seriousness though, I'm sure whatever you have to say isn't that bad."

"It's just… I have been enjoying the time we've been spending together lately; the dinners, conversations…everything! You make me feel unashamed to be myself, which is something I haven't felt in a very long time," remarked Ms. Johansen, nervously shifting a bit.

"That's hardly insulting," Dr. Rush commented in reply.

Tamara stepped closer to Nicholas and said, "No. This is the part that could be insulting." She leaned in, placed one hand upon Rush's chest, and then gently kissed him on the lips. Afterward, Tamara whispered into Nick's ear, "I love you."

"Again, that's hardly insulting," Nicholas answered with a grin.

"Are you sure," inquired Tamara. She sighed as a means to rid herself of the tension. Once Johansen felt more composed, she continued by bluntly asking, "What about your late wife?"

A tad confused by where the subject was heading Dr. Rush responded, "What about her?"

"You must still gravely miss her. I see it in your eyes whenever I talk to you or pass you in the hallway. And it's fairly obvious you seclude yourself in the lab for hours on end to avoid too much contact with others." unsurely answered Johansen.

Trying to get the nerve to respond to the comment, Nicholas quickly passed his hand over his mouth. He peered at her intently and said, "Ms. Johansen, don't misunderstand me. There will always be a part of me that can't let her go. I saw her suffer for years with the…condition she had and those memories haunt me still. Not to mention that I loved her dearly. However, that doesn't mean I don't love you."

Dr. Rush smiled and affectionately caressed Ms. Johansen's cheek. This made her blush enormously and she grinned, peering down to the floor. Nicholas continued stroking Tamara's face, but this time he traced his fingers to her chin and cupped it in his hand. He leaned in and passionately kissed her on the lips. This kiss was different from before; longer and more powerful: so much so in fact that Ms. Johansen nearly collapsed into Rush's arms.

The door from the cafeteria closed shut, which startled Tamara and Nicholas. They backed away from each other a little, and then Johansen wiped her lips.

"Am I interrupting anything," an obviously agitated Colonel Everett Young asked.

"Uh…I-I-I…," stuttered Tamara.

"No. No, you didn't interrupt anything," Dr. Rush completed Johansen's remark. T.J quickly glanced at Nick, wondering how he was keeping his composure. It occurred to her soon afterward, however, that Dr. Rush didn't really give a damn about what Colonel Young witnessed just now. "In fact, I was just about to retire to my quarters for the evening seeing as it is rather late," commented Nicholas.

Rush was about to leave when Young ordered, "Stop. You, T.J and I need to talk this over here and now. Starting with the fact that what I had just saw between you two is against protocol."

"Oh, right. As if you took that into consideration when we hooked up," Tamara crossly replied to Everett.

"Besides," Nicholas started, crossing his arms. "That regulation can only be applied between two military personnel which, as Ms. Johansen has already boldly stated, is a rule you have broken many times yourself."

Everett glared at the scientist and callously snapped, "What I do in my spare time is none of your business, Dr. Rush."

"If you truly find this issue to be significant enough to bring up, then wouldn't it be my business then to simply become aware of what you do so your decisions won't compromise our lives," shrewdly remarked Nicholas.

Disregarding Rush's statement, Colonel Young looked over at Johansen. "You stopped seeing me for this asshole? How low could you possibly get," he rudely inquired.

"F.Y.I, you're the one who left me. You went back to your wife, remember? And I think that's great because my feelings for you diminished a long time ago. Secondly, who I am with shouldn't concern you," Tamara stoutly answered. Anger written all over her face, Ms. Johansen stepped in closer to Everett. "Why don't you just stop being an adolescent and admit that you're jealous?"

"Oh, please! Jealous," Everett laughed mockingly.

Slowly walking to stand behind T.J, Nicholas inferred, "What I don't understand is why we're even having this conversation. You're already married, Colonel. I suggest you start being grateful for what you already have."

Tamara and Nicholas then walked off, leaving Everett Young speechless. He looked back at the two of them, and went into the cafeteria.