"Chekov have you locked in on our landing party yet?" Rachel demanded throwing herself across the room, and planting her hands on the young man's chair. She watched as he furiously moved his fingers across the keypad, searching for any form of life.
"No, not yet Commander." Chekov sighed. His words dripping with a sort of sadness that made Rachel's stomach drop with worry. Chekov was the most upbeat soul on the USS Enterprise, if he was starting to lose hope that they'd find the landing party, then maybe there really was no hope left. Rachel beat her fist against his chair.
"God dammit look harder!" Rachel yelled, her pale skin was reddening with anger against her gold uniform. She looked around at the crew Captain kirk had put her temporarily in charge of. Bodies scrambled around aimlessly, trying there hardest to fight off the torpedoes. Their shields were failing, and she knew they were going to have to leave soon. With or without their landing party. It's what Captain Kirk would want.
Rachel's heart sank thinking of the Captain. "Chekov beam me down."
"But commander!" Chekov yelped still focusing on trying to lock onto to something. "There's no chance you'll survive down there!"
"Well that's a risk I'm willing to take, now beam me down! You have the con now." Rachel yelled as she ran to the transportation room, not giving Chekov any more time to protest.
The ship rocked as another torpedo hit them from behind. She knew she had to move quickly. She was risking the lives of all the people aboard the Enterprise to save six men. What she was doing was absurd! She should go back and command the ship to leave; yet something pulled her toward the transportation room. She had to save them, because one of those six men was Captain Kirk.
Rachel's heart fluttered thinking of his name, the corners of her lips gently curling up before she could do anything to stop them. "Come on now focus Rachel." She mumbled under her breath as she squatted down on the transportation pad.
"Where the Hell are you going Blake?" A familiar voice boomed. Doctor McCoy. Captain Kirk's best friend, and the man he also gave con to. (Even though Spock stated him the rules that only one person was allowed control of the bridge at a time.) Rachel could feel her stomach fluttering again, but it wasn't the good kind this time. McCoy and her never got along from the moment Rachel got signed on to the USS Enterprise. He didn't think she had what it took, and Rachel spent almost every moment of the day proving him wrong.
"I'm going to save the landing party, and don't you dare give me any lip about that Doctor. I've made up my mind. I gave Chekov my con." Rachel's eyes didn't move off the floor below her, silently praying that Chekov would beam her down before McCoy could steal her of the transportation pad and lecture her on what an idiot she was being.
Suddenly she felt two heavy hands on her back, then looping around her stomach. She quickly snapped her head to the side to give McCoy the what hell are you doing glare. McCoy rolled his eyes.
"Don't give me that look. This is the only way the transporter will pick us both up, since Chekov thinks its only you going. Trust me, this is no more fun for me then it is you." Rachel hadn't ever remembered having to latch on to someone while transporting before.
"Why are you coming! I don't need your help!" Rachel barked, wiggling her body under his weight, trying to unlatch him from her. He squeezed her tighter.
"Hold still will ya!" McCoy barked back. "You don't think I care about the landing party to?" Suddenly Rachel's body began to tingle. Everything around her got hazy, and the next thing she knew she was outside on dry red mud. The sun was so close to this planet, that if it wasn't for the false atmosphere the inhabitants of this newly found world had created, she would have burned to death in a matter of seconds.
"Dammit!" McCoy yelled into Rachel's ear, pulling her away from her thoughts. Suddenly she realized McCoy's arms were still wrapped around her lower waist.
Rachel grabbed his hands and threw them off of her. "Let go of me you pervert."
"Don't flatter yourself," McCoy mocked her. "Not to mention, I think we have a bigger problems." His long slim finger pointed out above them. Three unrecognizable forms were hurtling toward them, and before they could even decide to run, they were surrounded. Guns pointed.
There was nothing they could do. So they raised their hands up in surrender.
Two of the aliens, if you could even call them that, led the pair to an underground cellar, while the third one stayed behind. Alternating between whose back he shoved the gun into. Rachel studied the one in front of her. She had never seen another life form like this. It's body, all though shaped mostly like a human, was dark red and cracking, like the earth above her. Their ink black eyes sank deep into their skulls. It was one of the most harrowing sights she had come to see sense joining the Star Fleet.
How curious.
Rachel saw the gun smack against McCoy's shoulders, and watched as he fell into a dark crater spread out below them.
The gun smacked against her next, and she fell in after him. The fall was short, but descending into the darkness made it seem long and terrifying for the short amount of time she fell. Rachel's body smacked hard against a foreign object that she could not see in the inky blackness around her. Rachel's body ached to much to move. Instead she decided to study the object under her. Her fingers stretched out and ran across what she lay on.
Hard muscles lay under her thin chest, her fingers ran up to a prickly beard, and then finally soft short hair filled her hands.
Lights clicked on all around Rachel, revealing a large clay room and six familiar faces. She looked down.
Seven familiar faces.
"Having fun there Blake? Bones?" Kirk's voice sang out from somewhere in the large room. Rachel could now finally see that she was straddling bones, with one hand on his face, the other bunched up in his hair. McCoy's eyes were open wide, a dumb smile spread across his face. Rachel pushed down against McCoy's chest to stand up. Hard.
Kirk walked over to Rachel, his usual smirk replaced by an unusually angry scowl. "Sorry for breaking that up. There seems to be a lack of rooms here or I would offer you one." Kirk mocked, obviously trying to get some sort of rise out of Rachel.
"Oh shut it, will ya?" McCoy growled at Kirk while wiping the imaginary dirt off of his back. His cheeks were blushing a deep shade of pink."Look the Enterprise is under attack. We lost all communication with you all being so god damn so far down in this Hell. If we don't get back quick, the enterprise is either going to be destroyed, or we'll be left behind."
Kirk's face got stern as he stepped away from Rachel. He looked around at the heavy barren walls surrounding him hopelessly for a way out. "Spock, have you figured a way out yet?"
"We're trapped Captain. There is no way to climb out and from what I can detect, there are no secret passage ways." Spock walked up to Kirk, his muscular arms pointing around the room as he spoke. "The only possible way of escape is through that trap door in the ceiling."
"Spock, keep looking for ways to escape. Sulu you help him. Curtis, Finn, you keep checking in on the communicators for any type of a signal. McCoy, help Dixon. She's injured." Kirk ordered before walking directly under the large hole in the ceiling. Rachel followed him. "There's no possible way to get up there. It's far to high and…"
"You sure like Doctor McCoy don't you Rachel?" Kirk asked her, still looking up at the trap. A slight sadness rang in his usually jokey voice.
Rachel coughed on her words, caught off guard by the question and the fact that the Captain called her by her first name. 'He knows my first name? It sounds so beautiful when he says it…' Rachel thought momentarily before snapping back into the moment.
"Captain! We could die any moment and you're concerned about who I like?" Rachel growled. A quick blush ran to her Captain's cheeks.
"Just answer the question Rachel." He growled back, finally looking at her. "You know he likes you too? God, all he ever does is talk about how beautiful you are."
Rachel stepped back. That couldn't possibly be true. McCoy was always teasing her, always stepping in front of her because he thought she wasn't strong enough to fight, always following her around to make sure she was doing her job right…
Oh God. He did like her. Rachel's head was spinning. How could she have never noticed this before now! Was she really that oblivious? 'Do I feel the same way about him?' she wondered.
Rachel turned around to look at the Doctor. He was bent over another crew member, tying off a make shift bandage on her upper arm, and complaining about how she should have been more careful. Like she got injured on purpose.
Rachel rolled her eyes. He was fairly attractive, and very intelligent; but then she turned back to the Captain. Her stomach fluttered, and her heart began to beat faster. McCoy could never make Rachel feel the way Kirk did. Rachel suddenly began to laugh. Kirk raised his eyebrows.
"What's so funny!" Kirk demanded, fearing she was laughing at him. Rachel couldn't stop laughing long enough to answer his question. Everything was funny. They were stuck in a large hole, talking about who liked who, while their ship was being destroyed above them. That is, if they haven't already abandoned the landing crew plus two.
And, of all people, McCoy had romantic feelings for her. McCoy! Rachel buried her face in her hands, shaking from the laughter she was trying to control. To her surprise, Kirk began to chuckle along with her.
"You know you look really cute when you do that." Kirk laughed, while pushing a lock of Rachel's brown hair away from her hands and behind her ear. Rachel's whole body tingled from the contact. She slipped her hands away from her face and back down to her sides.
"I'll tell you a secret. There is someone aboard the Enterprise who I've been having feelings toward lately." Rachel spoke. Her eyes locking gaze with Kirk's. She barely remembered where she was. Barley noticed the six other bodies in the room. All she could see was her Captain.
"Yeah? And who's that?" Kirk asked, staring deeply back into Rachel's eyes. His hand graced gently over her arm. Rachel's body shivered. She opened her mouth, about to answer.
"KEPTIN!" A voice rang from above them. "KEPTIN, KEPTIN! DO YOU READ ME?" a strong Russian accent yelled coming closer with each syllable. Chekov.
The Captain snapped quickly back to. "Chekov? Chekov! We're down here!" Kirk yelled up. Suddenly the area quickly filled up with bodies, all yelling for the young man. Pushing Kirk and Rachel farther apart. She felt two strong hands on her shoulders. McCoy's hands. Rachel rolled her shoulder's hoping for his hands to roll off. They didn't.
Chekov's face appeared above them. Everyone cheered, except for Rachel, who was still to caught up in the instant she had shared with Kirk, not only moments ago.
Chekov pressed, what seemed to be random buttons to Rachel, on the control pad above them. A long silver ladder began to descend toward them. The last of the people to come scrambling up the ladder was, of course, the Captain. He ran toward where Rachel stood. His arms open wide. Rachel's heart began to pound again.
Kirk tightly wrapped his arms around… Chekov. "Oh you perfect little man!" Kirk cheered spinning Chekov in circles. He quickly let go suddenly realizing something quite important. "How's my ship?" He asked his eyes losing all their cheerfulness. "No, more importantly, how's the rest of the crew?"
Chekov's smile beamed. "Water sir! Water!" Kirk looked at him confused. Chekov began to laugh. "Ze can't stand water! Ze're so dry zat when ze water comes in contact with zem, ze cannot survive. Ze Eterprise is safely landed, and waiting for her Keptin, sir."
Kirk hurled his fist into the air, and cheered and hollered. His enthusiasm made the other crew members cheer with him. Some hugged each other, Chekov receiving the most love.
Somebody grabbed Rachel from behind spinning her around. Before she could see who it was, their lips locked onto hers. Rachel suddenly could feel the excitement everyone else was expressing at that moment, and she kissed the unknown man back.
He held onto her waist to tight, his face was pressed hard against hers. It wasn't romantic, it was almost painful. She opened her eyes. It was McCoy. Of course it was.
Rachel would have pulled away from him, but she didn't have enough time. Someone had ripped him off of her and was holding him up by the collar of his blue Science uniform.
It was Kirk.
Rachel stood stunned. So did everyone else surrounding them.
"What the Hell are you doing Jim!" McCoy coughed out. Kirk was almost strangling him.
"She doesn't love you! So stop touching her! You didn't even ask her permission, you just grabbed her." Kirk yelled into his best friend's face.
"She didn't seem to protest to much." McCoy laughed. Kirk grabbed onto his collar tighter, his knuckles whitening from the force he was using to control himself from punching him. Rachel couldn't stand to watch any longer.
"Stop it! Both of you!" Rachel screamed. Kirk dropped the man, and looked over to Rachel. McCoy rubbed his newly stretched shirt, trying to smooth out the wrinkles. Silence surrounded them. Awkward gazes moving between the three.
"Come on now. Back to the ship." Kirk hissed, pushing in front of the crew toward the exit.
~X~
Rachel heard a soft knock on the side of her bedroom wall. She turned around from the report she was writing on her desk. McCoy stood in her doorway.
"I'm sorry about earlier this week." McCoy's voice croaked. He wouldn't look at her, and Rachel didn't blame him. She hadn't looked at Kirk or McCoy sense coming back from the mission on the planet they had named "Anhydrousarid". Not that they had much time to look at each other. The pair had been locking themselves away in their rooms, or for McCoy, in Medical Bay. Only coming out when absolutely necessary.
Rachel opened her mouth to reply, but McCoy held his hand up. "Really, I shouldn't have done that. I just got caught up in the moment… and after hugging you on the transporter and you landing on me and feeling me up… Dammit Blake I'm a doctor not a psychic!" He groaned, finally looking up at her.
They both laughed. "I talked to Jim. Everything is good between us." McCoy gave her bright smile. "I actually think he was on his way to talk to you also..." His voice trailed off, looking down both sides of the hallway. McCoy looked over as Rachel's face brightened, and laughed. "I'm getting to old for all of this anyway."
"You're going find someone great McCoy." Rachel promised as he turned to leave, and she was right. Not only a month later, McCoy met a fresh faced nurse named Lara while he was assisting at the Star Fleet. Rachel's never seen anyone more in love then them.
Well except maybe for Kirk and her.
Kirk walked in not even a minute after McCoy had left. Rachel had barely had time to brush through her hair with her fingers, and perch herself atop her bed.
"Knock knock." Kirk spoke, walking into her room.
Rachel smiled. "Who's there?"
"Jim Kirk."
"Jim Kirk who?"
Kirk laughed, closing the door behind him and walking over to her bed. He sat down next to Rachel. "Jim Kirk apologizing for making a total ass of himself, embarrassing you, and then ignoring you for a week."
"You need to work on your jokes Captain." Rachel said through her giggles.
"Really Rachel, I didn't mean to hurt you or anything… I just…" Kirk got off of her bed and paced in front of her. His face was wrinkled in deep thought. Rachel felt her body tense up slightly.
Kirk sighed and dropped down on the other side of her bed. He held his face in his hands. "I'm not very good at this."
Rachel crawled over her bed to where he sat. She pushed his bangs up from under his fingers and whispered in his ear.
"You know you look really cute when you do that."
Kirk raised his head up, his eyes locking with Rachel's. He slowly raised his hand, and placed it gently on her cheek, their eyes never breaking contact.
Their lips met. He held one hand on her cheek, the other placed gently on her lower back. He was so gentle. So sweet. Kissing him made all the fluttering and pounding going on in her body, turn into a full blown movement, that matched so perfectly with his.
Kirk pulled away from her. "I love you Rachel." He panted, realizing they hadn't had much time to breath during their first kiss.
Rachel smiled and pecked him three more times, on the forehead, the nose, and then finally his lips.
"I love you too Kirk. I always have."