As always I don't own anyone that I'm writing about. No beta used so appologies for any mistakes.

Crushed .

Lucas sat with Ben in the mess hall and stared across the room. After Ben had repeated his question for the third time, he followed the direction of the teenagers gaze. On the far side Katie Hitchcock sat with some of the other engineering crew. Ben smiled.

'Why don't you tell her?' he asked.

No response.

'Lucas!' Ben elbowed his friend in the ribs and finally got a reaction.

'Ow! What was that for?'

'I asked you why you don't tell her?'

'Tell who what?' Lucas said rubbing his side and turning his attention to the unidentifiable re-hydrated rations that still lingered on his plate untouched.

'Why don't you tell Katie that you have a crush on her?' Ben asked, all innocent curiosity.

For a fraction of a second Lucas froze his hand half way to his glass of juice. 'What makes you think I have a crush on Commander Hitchcock?'

'You're not that good an actor, kid. You know, it's kind of sweet.'

'It is not sweet and I do not have a crush on her,' Lucas hissed.

Ben laughed. Then he began in a sing song voice 'Lucas's has a crush, Lucas's has a crush…'

Blushing with embarrassment Lucas looked around the empty tables near them trying to make sure no one else heard his friend. 'Ben, shut up!' he hissed again, 'I do not have a crush on Commander Hitchcock!'

'Do too.'

'Do not.'

'Do too.'

Lucas was about the respond again when he realised he was being drawn in. He said nothing and went back to stabbing his fork into the food substitute.

Ben watched and tried not to laugh as he plotted. 'It's Valentines day next month,' he said, watching carefully for the reaction, 'why don't you get her something?'

Lucas glared up at his friend through his fringe and said nothing.

'I could tell you what kind of chocolates she likes,' Ben offered.

Lucas ignored him.

'If I remember correctly she was also very partial to red underwear,' Krieg continued.

Lucas pushed himself away from the table and walked out of the mess hall without a word. He thumped his tray down on the table by the door and stamped down the corridor. He could have done without that image in his head all day – his own imagination conjured up enough ideas, real details were only going to make it even harder to concentrate on his work.

Tim O'Neill and Miguel Ortiz, coming into the mess at the end of their shift, saw the teenager leave and walked over to the supply officer.

'What's up with him?' Miguel asked, sitting down on one side of Krieg while Tim took the third chair opposite him.

Ben sighed, 'Young love!'

'Lucas is in love?' Miguel asked.

'Yep,' Ben was almost rubbing his hands together with glee at the fun he was going to have with this.

'Who's the lucky girl?' Tim asked.

'You'll never guess.'

'That will be why I asked you rather than trying to guess,' Tim said, his curiosity now fully engaged.

Ben grinned, 'Katie.'

Miguel, almost spat out the drink he had been taking all over Tim. 'Katie?'

Ben nodded.

'Katie?' Tim checked, 'as in Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock, you're ex-wife Katie?'

'Yep,' Ben's face was almost split in half by his grin.

'You're planning something,' Tim said, warily.

'I owe him one after what he did last shore-leave,' Ben said.

'Wasn't Lucas just getting you back for some trick you'd played on him though?' Miguel asked.

'He told a super model, an honest to God, tall, thin, blond and beautiful super model, that I was gay! I was that,' he held his fingers a fraction apart, 'close to getting her room key!'

'But you-'

'That's not important,' Ben brushed off his own practical joke with a careless wave of his hand. 'This is going to be classic!'

'What are you going to do, Ben?' Tim asked, although he had a feeling that he knew the answer already.

As Ben got up from the table he leaned back down conspiratorially, 'I'm going to have some fun!'

They watched him walk over to where Katie was sitting, finishing off her lunch. He leaned over and said something to her.

'You don't think he'd tell Katie, do you?' Miguel asked Tim.

Tim shook his head, 'If Lucas gets off that easily he'll be lucky. My money is that Ben is going to make Lucas suffer first.'

'Do you think we should do something?'

'And get caught in the cross-fire? You're ever very brave, or very, very stupid.'

Miguel thought about this for several minutes. 'You know, Lucas is a smart kid. I'm sure he can take care of himself…'

Ben had a dilemma. There were so many ways this joke could go. Which one to pick? Lucas may have the advantage of him in brains, but this time Ben he had the advantage. He knew women and he knew Katie better than anyone. Yes, this was going to be a lot of fun. But first he would wait for Lucas to make the next move.
Lucas felt a lot better once he had a plan. It was very simple – which is always the best kind of plan. He would avoid Katie. As simple as that. All he had to do was avoid Katie until he could get a grip on his emotions, and he had to face it, on his hormones too.

He'd just hole up in his room for a few days and catch up on some of the programming work he had promised to get around to doing. There was the security programme for Crocker, Tim wanted him to fix one of the translation programmes that had been acting up, he'd promised Miguel to work out a glitch on the sensor station. And no doubt the good Dr Kristen would find some work for him in the labs.

If push really did some to shove he could rely on the Professor hologram to break down. If all else failed some unimportant section of the boat's computers could get a glitch or a virus or some problem that would keep him busy for a few days – even if he had to put the damn virus there himself.

Ben realised what Lucas was doing on the third day. It wasn't a bad idea on the boy's part. Ben had to grant Lucas that, but he was playing against the master. Where would Katie be this time of day…

He tracked her down, a few minutes later, in the workshop for the Stinger.

'Hi Katie!' he said, poking his head through the hatch.

'What is it, Ben? I'm too busy for any of your nonsense today,' Katie barely glanced up from her work.

'I was just wonder what you and Lucas had argued about?'

Katie put down the clip board she was reading from. 'What makes you think we've argued?'

'It's just that I noticed that Lucas has been avoiding you and, as moral officer, I thought it was my duty to help sort out whatever the problem was,' Ben said.

Katie frowned. 'It wasn't an argument as such…' she said searching her memory, 'we did disagree about the best way to align some of the sensor panels on the Gazelle. He didn't seem that bothered by it at the time.'

'Teenagers can be strange about those type of things,' Ben said, sitting opposite Katie.

'I'll have a talk with him about it,' she was about to put the clip board down and go and look for the teenager when she saw the sceptical look on her ex-husband's face.

'If you think it's best…' he said uncertainly.

'You have a better idea?' Katie asked.

'My advice?' Ben feigned surprise.

'You are the closest thing we have to another child on board the boat,' Katie told him.

'I wouldn't try to talk to him about it. Just, you know, spend some time with him, make sure he knows your OK with him. He won the argument, right?' it was a safe enough bet.

Katie nodded.

'Then, he probably thinks you don't want him around. You just have to let him know that you are still friends with him.'

Katie hesitated.

'All that cocky front he puts up, he's still a kid underneath,' Ben said, sure that this would clinch the deal. He was right, he saw Katie nod her acceptance of his ideas. 'Katie, don't be too surprised if he puts up a bit of resistance. He can be a stubborn kid and he doesn't trust people easily, just preserver OK – it'll be worth it in the end.

He left a few minutes later, his work there was done.

Lucas was working on the security programme for Chief Crocker when someone knocked on the door.

'It's open,' he called, guessing it was Kristen dropping off the results she wanted him to work on.

'Hi, Lucas.'

Lucas spun around, almost knocked over a can of coke that had been left on his desk, but managed to catch it before it fell.

'Commander Hitchcock!' He coughed, trying to clear his throat and bring the pitch of his voice back down to a natural level, 'what can I do for you?' At least that time he sounded as if his voice had actually broken. Don't blush, he ordered himself.

'I just dropped in to see how you were getting on,' Katie said, picking her way across the floor based filing system to look over his shoulder. 'What are you working on?'

'Um…' he could smell her perfume as she leaned over to study the programme on the screen. He closed his eyes and tried to think of anything other than Katie's presence in his bed room. 'A security programme,' he managed.

'The one for Chief Crocker?'

Lucas gave up trying to speak and just nodded. 'I thought this didn't need to be finished for a few weeks?' her arm brushed against his as she reached across to move the mouse and scroll down the screen. 'It looks like you've almost finished.'

'Um, yea.' Very witty Wolenczak, Lucas thought, you must be making a brilliant impression.

'Great, then you've got time to grab something from the mess,' she took a step away from him and Lucas breathed a little more easily.

'I really should finish this off, now that I've start,' he said.

Katie smiled at him and Lucas felt his breath catch in his throat again. 'No problem, I'll wait until you're finish.'

Lucas couldn't think of any excuse that wouldn't sound like an excuse. As he put the last few touches to the programme Katie took a seat on the only clear space in his room, which was Lucas's bed.

One of the computer monitors wasn't being used and, as he glanced at it Lucas could see Katie's reflection sitting there waiting patiently and browsing through some of the books that he'd actually put on the shelves rather than the floor. As if he wasn't having enough trouble sleeping as it was!

It was useless. After he corrected the same bug in the programme three times without success Lucas gave up and went to the mess with Katie.

As soon as they entered the mess Lucas scanned the tables. Ben was sitting on the far side of the room with several other members of the bridge crew. It was the only table containing anyone he knew well. He weighed up the dangers of sitting on the same table with Ben compared to sitting with Katie alone. Ben's table won by a fraction. Lucas led the way over there.

The teenager kept his eyes on his food and didn't look up. He knew that Ben would have a grin on his face. Just don't say anything, please, just don't say anything, he repeated the phrase over and over in his head as if that would affect Ben's behaviour. Tim and Miguel exchanged glances as Lucas and Katie came in together. As soon as they saw Ben's expression they knew something was going on although they didn't know what yet.

Ford caught the glance between Tim and Miguel and turned to see what Ben was up to. If Tim and Miguel looked that worried then it had to be something even worse than usual. Ben's grin made him distinctly uneasy.

'What's going on?' he said, not bothering with any small talk.

'What do you mean, Commander?' Ben asked, innocently.

'You have that look in your eye, Ben, your plotting something.'

'Me?' Ben said.

Ford stared at him. He knew as well as everyone else on the boat that he was generally Kreig's victim of choice. The only one who got it worse than him was Lucas… The Commander studied Lucas's bent head. The boy was blushing. Ford looked back at Ben. The supply officers grin widened as he followed Ford's thought process.

Was it really fair to let Kreig play out whatever he had planned for Lucas? Should he, as a senior officer, step in? Memories flashed through his mind of some of the tricks that Lucas used on him in the past. The boy could probably take care of himself. And, because he was always honest - even with himself, Ford had to admit it would give him a few days where he didn't have to worry about the Lieutenant targeting him.

Days passed. Katie made sure to spend some time with Lucas every day. She didn't seem to be making a lot of progress. I was still near impossible to get a whole sentence out of the teenager. But, Katie remembered Kreig's advice and conscientiously persevered with Lucas.

She was looking for Lucas when Kreig found her again. It was, Ben decided, time to step up the pressure. As amusing as it had been to watch the teenager squirm for the last week or so it was now time to bring the joke to the climax.

'Hi Katie!'

Katie looked over her shoulder and waited until Ben caught up with her. 'You looking for Lucas?' he asked.

She nodded.

'I think he's in his room.'

'Thanks.' Katie turned to go down a different corridor but Ben called her back.

'Do me a favour, when you find him give him a message.'

'Sure.'

'Tell him "The DV479 results have come in from Alpha-2634 and he has to make the changes to the 692FC programme as soon as he can". You have to give him the message word for word. It's important.' He walked quickly away, 'tell him that it's something you and he need to talk about it too.'

'If it's that important why don't you tell him?' Katie called after him.

'I'm late already!' And with that he turned a corner and was out of sight.

Katie shook her head but wasn't really surprised; she had known Ben for too long to be truly surprised by anything he did.

Ben was at least right about where Katie could find Lucas. She knocked on the hatch and went in when he called.

'Just need to finish this off. Won't be a minute.' Lucas silently congratulated himself on getting out not one but two fairly complete sentences without making an idiot of himself in front of Katie.

The Commander took a seat on part of the bunk that wasn't covered in books and bits of electronics.

Lucas clicked the last couple of key-strokes. 'It just has to save,' he turned to face Katie for a moment. She really was beautiful – far too beautiful for his peace of mind.

Just then Katie remembered Kreig's message. 'I saw Ben on my way here.'

'Yea?' Lucas said, as casually as he could, more than half his attention still on the programme saving in the background as he turned back to the screen to check on its progress.

'He said there's something we need to talk about.'

Lucas was glad he was facing the computer screen as she said it; because he was sure a look of abject horror crossed his face.

'Really?' he managed to say, his mouth suddenly very dry.

'He said…' Katie hesitated trying to remember each sequence of numbers and letters correctly.

Lucas couldn't take it any more. 'I have a pretty good idea of what he told you,' he said, not turning to face her.

'You do?' Katie said, surprised.

'Yea, it's not a problem.'

'Um, good,' Katie said, more confused than ever.

'I'm going to kill Ben. He shouldn't have told you. He had no right.' Lucas muttered slightly too loudly.

'He seemed to think that it's something me and you need to talk over,' Katie hazarded, just when she was sure Lucas was starting to trust her again – if Ben had set her progress back even a day she would kill him herself.

'Well he was wrong!' Lucas still faced the computer, 'you don't need to worry, Commander, I'm not completely delusional.

'That's good to know,' Katie said, the confusion now evident on her face, if Lucas had turned to face her he might have guessed that he had jumped to exactly the conclusion Ben had expected him to and that Katie was still none the wiser of the truth.

'It's not as if I ever thought anything would actually happen between us!' Lucas protested, staring at the screen, still unwilling to turn around and face her.

All at once Katie realised what conversation Lucas thought he was having with her. 'Oh!' The exclamation was entirely involuntary.

Lucas heard it and, in his surprise, turned to face her.

'What?' he asked, but he was already replaying the conversation in his head and was way ahead of her, 'what exactly did Ben tell you to talk to me about?'

'Um, he said the results have come in for the DV479… which is something that doesn't exist, does it?'

Lucas walked to the door.

'Where are you going?'

'I'm going to kill Ben,' Lucas said.

'Wait!'

Lucas hesitated with his hand on the handle for the hatch.

'Now that we have started talking about this, we should probably finish it,' Katie said.

Lucas sighed but turned back to face her. If this had to be done better get it all over with now: 'There is nothing to say. It's a crush, I'll get over it.'

Katie wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't as if she'd never had to tell a guy she wasn't interested before, but they tended to somewhat closer to her own age. She didn't want to turn him down too hard; he was just a kid after all. Her mind suddenly presented her with a reminder of another conversation she had had with Kreig.

'How long has Ben known?' she asked.

Lucas shrugged. 'Not that long.'

'Did you think I was mad at you about getting your own way over the alignments on the gazelle's sensors?' Katie asked him

The sudden change in direction of the conversation threw Lucas. He frowned, 'why would I think you were mad at me?'

'Kreig is going to die.' It was a very calm statement of what was going to happen. Katie saw Lucas's confusion and tried to explain, 'Ben said that you were avoiding me because you thought I was mad at you.'

Suddenly everything was clear to both of them.

'No offence, Katie, but I think I still have more right to want to kill Ben than you do. I get first go at him.' He put his hand on the handle again and was about to open it when Katie stopped him again.

'I have an ever better idea,' she grinned. Ben wasn't the only one who could play this sort of game.

'You really think this is going to work?' Lucas asked.

'Definitely. Now turn around and close your eyes.'

Lucas did as he was told. He heard the sound of rustling material behind him. It had seemed like such a good idea when Katie had come up with it, but now reality was starting to seep in and Lucas was having serious doubts.

'OK. You can turn back around.'

Whatever he had expected to see, and he had quite a few mental pictures in his head to chose from, reality was still something else. After a second or two Katie gently put a finger under his chin and raised it until his jaw closed. They she raised it higher until his eyes came up to meet hers.

Katie tried not to look too amused. Lucas blushed. 'Try to remember to breath, Lucas,' she told him.

That snapped him out of it. 'Sorry, um, you look nice.'

Katie laughed. 'A word of advice for the future, Lucas, never tell a woman she looks nice. Grandmothers are the only people who'll take nice as a compliment.'

'Well, you don't look anything like my Grandmother, that's for sure!'

Katie smiled. 'I should hope not.' She looked in the mirror again and adjusted the short black silk dressing gown so just a hint of her red lace underwear was visible at the neckline.

Lucas looked around the room, looking at Katie was clearly too dangerous. The room wasn't what Lucas had expected. It looked… feminine. It was really the only word for it. Unlike all the other cabins he'd seen it didn't just look like a metal box with a bunk in one corner. The bed housed cushions and a bright throw, there were little souvenirs from the various places Katie had visited with the UEO on the shelves and lots of photos of her friends and family back home covered the walls. Lucas couldn't help but notice that there were quite a few photos of Ben tucked in behind the others.

'What time is it?'

Lucas checked his watch, 'Almost three am.'

'OK, Ben will be going past any minute.' Katie picked up a bottle of perfume and sprayed it behind her ears and on her wrists. Before he realised what she goes going to do Katie sprayed a little bit in Lucas's direction.

'I'm no expert, but aren't you the one who supposed to be wearing the perfume?' Lucas asked.

'Sh! She pointed towards the hatch. Lucas opened it a fraction, they both heard the whistling of someone walking along the corridor approaching the hatch. It was instantly recognisable as Ben. No-one else would be whistling that cheerfully coming off a shift in the early hours of the morning.

Katie nodded and Lucas stepped through the hatch, 'Goodnight Lucas,' she said softly, her voice husky. They both heard the footsteps and whistling that had been approaching stop.

Sure now that they had Ben's undivided attention Katie put her arms around Lucas neck and brushed her lips across his before she let him go. Lucas, trying his very best of keep his voice level, returned her goodnight and walked towards where Ben was standing open mouthed in the centre of the corridor.

'Lucas?' Ben croaked.

'Ben! Thanks, man. Great advice.'

'What?'

'The advice you gave me, remember? To tell Katie how I feel about her? I'm so glad I did!' Lucas patted Ben on the shoulder and walked away leaving the older man still standing there, too shocked to move. He walked around the corner and then stopped and peered back around, waiting to see what Ben would do next. Lucas bit his lip and tried not to laugh.

After a few seconds Ben jerked out of his trance and banged on Katie's door.

'What the hell were you thinking?' he hissed, as she opened the door. She was still wearing the black robe, although it had been re-tied to reveal a little less than it had before.

'What are you talking about, Ben?'

'Lucas! I mean, Lucas?'

'What about Lucas?'

'What about him? Lets start with why is he leaving your cabin in the middle of the night, smelling of your perfume.'

'Really, Ben. You should know I don't kiss and tell!' she chided him gently.

'Katie! He's about twelve!' her ex-husband protested.

'Actually he's seventeen, and very, very legal. I suppose I should thank you, after all I'm sure he would never have found the courage to tell me about his crush if you hadn't given him a push in the right direction.'

'Me? You're blaming this on me?'

'Not blaming you, Ben, thanking you,' Katie corrected. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I need my beauty sleep – I've had a very busy night.' She smiled and closed the door very firmly in his face.

For several minutes Ben stood looking at the closed hatch. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. It had to be some sort of bad dream. He shook his head and slowly began to walk back to his cabin trying to make sense of what had just happened. When he was gone, Lucas peered around the corner again, and the same time Katie peeped out of her cabin, they caught each others glance.

The joke had only just started. Now it was their turn to have some fun at Ben's expense...

THE END.

Good? Bad? Funny? Just strange? Let me know.Any reviews and constructive critisism welcome. Thanks for reading.

Cadi.