Rush was sitting on his bed, trying to run through some equations on the small pad of paper he carried. His brain wasn't working as it should. He had thought, after Belle had given him a mind-blowing orgasm, that he would be able to concentrate on his work rather than letting his mind wander back to her every five seconds, but it was not to be. He only had to see her to think of how she felt around him, the way her breasts fitted perfectly in the palms of his hands, the look on her face when she came. He had been trying to avoid her ever since, and no doubt she would have noticed.

He wondered why she had done it. It couldn't be because she actually found him attractive. He was under no illusions about what he was. He was twice her age for a start, small, skinny and unkempt, with a bad temper and a personality that could be best described as 'challenging'. Certainly not what a beautiful, intelligent young woman should be aiming for. Admittedly, the choice of potential partners on board Destiny was fairly limited, but even so… He had wondered whether she had some sort of bet on, whether someone had put her up to it. Unlikely to be Chloe, or one of the men, but maybe Camille or TJ would have thought it amusing. An extra ration from the still if you can send Rush completely crazy, Belle, what do you say?

He made an irritated sound under his breath, and tossed the notebook aside, running his hands through his hair. Eight hours until he was supposed to be back on shift, but he decided he would go back to the bridge and try to work on those translations again. Young had ordered him to get some rest, but if he wasn't mistaken, Young himself would be in his quarters, so what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Anything had to be better than sitting around trying not to think about the charms of Belle French. He stood up, and as if she had been summoned by his thoughts, the door to his quarters swished open. She was standing outside, dark hair framing her face, her full lips curved in a smile, her eyes looking him over. He walked towards her, folded his arms across his chest, and waited.

"Nicholas," she said, her voice clear and delicate.

"Doctor French," he said coldly, and she put her head to the side, studying him as though he were some sort of museum exhibit. He certainly felt old enough to be one, looking at her clear skin and remembering the feel of her tight little body. He imagined himself in a jar with a label stuck on the front of it. Or possibly stuffed, in one of his usual poses. Yelling at someone, probably.

"A little formal, isn't it?" she said, her voice carrying amusement. He eyed her steadily.

"Doctor French," he repeated, and she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Rush, you've seen me naked," she said flatly. "I think you can call me by my first name." He remained silent, and she looked a little exasperated. "You call Eli by his first name," she pointed out, and he raised an eyebrow.

"I like Eli."

She recoiled as though he'd slapped her, and he quashed the slight stab of guilt he felt. Why the hell should he feel guilty?

"Oh," she said, in a small voice. "You – you don't like me?"

He hesitated, the 'no' on the tip of his tongue.

"I don't understand you," he said finally. That was more accurate, certainly. She gazed at him for a long moment, making his skin itch.

"Was there something you wanted?" he asked stiffly, and she leant against the doorway, unconsciously running her hand up and down the cold metal.

"You've been avoiding me," she said, and a muscle twitched in his cheek as he flicked his hair out of his eyes.

"No, I've simply been busy working on something. Our paths haven't crossed. It's a very large ship."

"Yes, but I always had a shift with you every other day," she said, and his mouth thinned.

"Would you like me to rearrange the rosters so that we can be on every shift together?" he asked waspishly. "Grow up, Doctor French, and drop this pathetic schoolyard infatuation."

Belle's eyes flashed, and she put her fists on her hips, glaring at him.

"It's Belle, you bloody arse!" she snapped. "Jesus, I thought giving you a blowjob would at least buy me some bloody courtesy!"

He felt his eyes widen, and schooled his face to stillness.

"Well, it appears you miscalculated," he heard himself say, voice dry and cold. "Now, what is it you wanted? I happen to be rather busy."

Belle sighed, leaning more heavily against the doorframe. She looked up at him through her thick lashes, and he wondered if she was aware how pretty she looked doing it. He imagined she was.

"Can I come in?" she asked, and he gazed at her for a long moment, wishing things were different. Wishing she actually liked him. Wishing he wasn't so bloody pathetic. Wishing he didn't give a fuck either way.

"No," he said, with an air of finality, and her eyes widened.

"What?"

"I said no." That felt better. More self-assured. "If you want to talk about work, Doctor French, it can wait until tomorrow. If it's anything else, you can fuck off. I'm not interested in playing any games."

She was silent for a moment. "Neither am I," she said eventually, looking up at him, her big blue eyes threatening to wash over him, to pull him under and drown him. He reached out to the side, palm hovering over the door control.

"Goodnight, Doctor French," he said calmly, and slapped his hand down, watching the door swish closed and cutting off his view of her. Perhaps she was right. He had taken the coward's way out and had started avoiding her, swapping shifts to ensure that their paths didn't cross. It hadn't worked, and he was beginning to think that he ought to just face her, swallow down his ridiculous attraction to her and get on with his work. Perhaps that was the answer. Exposure to her presence until it no longer affected him, until he stopped behaving like a fuck-struck teenager at the sight of her.

Belle took a step back from the doorway, hurt and a little confused. He wanted her, she knew it. Quite why he was pushing her away she wasn't sure. She had thought that giving him some time would work in her favour, but with each passing day he had pulled further away from her, and she was sure that he had been deliberately avoiding her. She couldn't stop thinking about him, and her belly had been writhing with need since their last encounter, so she had decided to take action. She had finally screwed up her courage and sought him out. She had not expected rejection. Sighing to herself, she turned on her heel to make her way back to her own quarters. A good, hard run should at least take the edge off.

Belle ran through the corridors of Destiny, sweat covering her, the sound of her heavy breathing loud in her ears, lost in the metronomic rhythm of her pounding feet. She had managed not to think about Rush for at least five seconds in the entire run, but she still felt better, the endorphin hit a barely acceptable substitute for sex. She met Chloe heading in the other direction, and the two women high-fived one another as they passed, Chloe's giggle following her along the corridor. When she finally slowed to a jog near the showers, Belle felt drained, but calm. She showered, pulling on her one pair of clean sweats and vest, and let her hair down, her skin still hot and glowing from the exertion.

She decided to make her way to the mess hall for something to eat, and grinned as she saw Eli coming towards her.

"Hey, Belle," he said, with an answering smile. "You look hot – um – I mean…" He looked flustered, waving his hand up and down her form, and Belle giggled.

"I just went for a run," she said, and nudged him playfully. "You should come with me one day, get the blood pumping a little."

Eli looked positively alarmed, his eyes widening.

"Running? Me? Er – no." He laughed self-deprecatingly, patting his stomach. "I'm kind of – built for comfort, Belle. Not for speed."

Belle chuckled, and he eyed her curiously.

"I was meaning to ask," he said, and looked a little self-conscious. "Did I do something to piss you off?"

Belle frowned. "Of course not. Why?"

Eli shrugged. "Oh, I just had a look at the new roster. You swapped your shifts. Looks like we won't be working together for – well, ever. You're stuck with Rush for the foreseeable future." He chuckled. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"But I didn't…" Belle trailed off, perplexed. Then her eyebrows drew down. "You have to be kidding me."

"No, you can take a look, I…" Eli watched her go, dark curls bouncing, arms pumping as she stormed off down the corridor. Now, what the hell was that all about?

"Rush!" She slammed her hand down on the door control, fuming, waiting for it to swish open so that she could storm in and yell at him. The door stayed where it was, and she frowned, slapping at the control again.

"Rush, open this bloody door, damn you!"

There was a moment of silence, in which she felt her anger rise and swell within her, then the familiar whoosh as the door swished open, and there he was, smirking at her.

"Doctor French," he said mildly, and she glared at him, pushing past him into the room.

"You changed my shifts," she accused, and he shrugged, shutting the door.

"Yes. So?"

"So?" She floundered, not expecting him to admit to it. "So – why did you do it? You've made it so that I'm only working with you, I won't see Eli…"

"Is that what this is about?" he interrupted. "Your social life? Try to have a little perspective, Doctor French, we are talking about work, here."

Belle fumed, her fists opening and closing as she squared her jaw. "I thought you were ignoring me! I thought you wanted nothing to do with me! And then you go and change the entire shift system and put me on every single bloody shift with you! What am I supposed to think about that?"

Rush rolled his eyes, looking as though he was losing interest. "I would have thought it was obvious. I wanted you and Eli to be freed from the burden of your pointless flirting so that the two of you could actually accomplish something."

"Oh my God!" Belle laughed without humour, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't tell me you're jealous!"

"Don't flatter yourself, Doctor French," he said dismissively, turning away. She rounded him, trying to get in his face, her finger jabbing at him.

"It's Belle!" she snapped. "And Eli's totally in love with Chloe anyway, for all the good it'll do him!"

Rush raised an eyebrow, looking amused.

"My God, is this some kind of soap opera? Why on earth would you think I had any interest in the tangled love lives of those aboard this ship?" He walked away from her, the light shining on his hair, and she glared at his back, wanting to slap him. Wanting to kiss him.

"So, you and I are going to be working together," she said. "Every day. Side by side."

"Indeed." He turned on his heel, looking amused, and she strode up to him.

"Okay, then," she said softly. "I get it, Rush."

He looked momentarily surprised. "You – get what?"

Belle laughed humourlessly, putting her hands on her hips. "I mean, I get it. This is a control thing, right? You let me in, let me have control over you, and now you're trying to get it back. Okay, then." She pulled off her jacket and threw it on the floor, and he hesitated, watching her.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly, and Belle shrugged.

"What do you think? I'm giving you back some control." She put her hands on her hips, looking him in the eye, and allowed her voice to drop in tone, becoming sultry, full of promise. "Give me an order, Doctor Rush," she purred.

Rush swallowed, eyes flicking over her. "What?" he said, a little breathlessly, and Belle smiled to herself.

"I said, give me an order."

He watched her for a moment, then walked swiftly to the door, and locked it. Belle could feel her heart begin to pound. She could sense him watching her from behind, could feel his eyes running over her. He started walking over to her, slowly, and her breath hitched as he came into view.

"Take off your clothes," he said, his voice a low growl in the base of his throat. Belle took a deep breath, then tugged her vest over her head and threw it aside. She unhooked her bra, shrugging it off, and watched him as she did. His breath was quickening, his eyes dark with want, and she quickly pushed off her sneakers and pushed her sweat pants down, straightening up as she stepped out of them to stand before him in her underwear.

"Everything?" she asked, meeting his eye, and he nodded, his throat bobbing.

"Everything."

She hooked her thumbs under the sides of her panties, drawing them slowly down her thighs, her eyes locked onto his. He swallowed hard, his eyes dropping to the dark curls between her legs. His breathing had grown heavy, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he stared at her, and Belle allowed herself a small smile as her panties hit the floor.

"Now what?" she asked softly, and he started, looking as though he wanted to take a step back.

"The bed," he said eventually, jerking his head to the side. "Get on the bed. Lie down."

Belle took her time, walking slowly past him, her hips swaying. She could feel his desire as she passed him, and was expecting him to touch her, but he let her go, let her walk to the bed and sit down, drawing her knees up as she lay back. She let her head fall to the side. He was gazing at her, his chest heaving, and she stretched out a hand, making it easier for him.

"What do you want, Doctor Rush?" she whispered.

Rush hesitated, letting his eyes run over her, following the curves of her hips and breasts, wanting to touch her, to run his tongue over her ivory skin, to feel the softness of her beneath him.

"Close your eyes," he said, and Belle obeyed, dark lashes lying against her cheeks. He undressed quickly, kicking his clothes into a corner, and knelt on the bed at her feet, putting his hands on her knees.

"Open up for me," he whispered, and Belle swallowed, her knees slowly parting, baring her to his gaze. He slid his hands up the insides of her smooth thighs, bending to kiss the inside of her knee. Belle gave a sharp intake of breath at the first touch of him, and he kissed her again, his hands sliding further up, his mouth trailing after. He settled himself between her legs, his cock hard and straining, the feel of the sheets against it giving him no relief. He kissed his way higher, nearing the apex of her thighs, his stubble scraping against her skin as he went. Belle's breath was quickening as he neared his goal, and Rush levered himself up on his elbows, looking down on the clump of dark curls hiding her sex. He touched her, causing Belle to gasp and shudder, his long fingers stroking over her folds, gently dipping in between them to find the moisture there. He breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of her arousal.

"You smell fantastic," he whispered, and bent to place a small kiss to her curls, licking her fluids from his fingertips before turning his attentions to the sweet nectar that was leaking from her. At the first sweep of his tongue Belle cried out and arched up off the bed, her hands dropping to curl her fingers through his hair.

"You taste delicious, Belle," he growled, and licked her again, slowly, his tongue moving in a circle around her clit as his fingers slipped inside her once more.

"God, that's incredible!" she breathed. "Don't stop, Rush, please!"

He settled himself more comfortably, rubbing against the sheets as he moved, providing just enough friction to get himself going but not enough to tip him over the edge. He was using his chin against her sensitive skin, the soft bristles making her moan and writhe, and his fingers curled within her, pressing against her, making her stiffen and pant with need. Her fingers were tugging at his hair, her grip almost painful, and he quickened his pace a little, feeling her muscles tense as she neared her peak. Her breathing was laboured, tiny moans springing from her with every exhalation, and then he sucked her clit in between his lips and felt her shatter. Belle jerked up off the bed, crying out as her hips bucked and her walls clamped around his fingers. He withdrew them, shoving his tongue deep inside her so that he could taste her bliss, groaning into her as she came down from her high. She fell back against the bedclothes, panting, her chest heaving, and he kissed his way back up her body, his hands cupping her breasts as he kissed them, spreading her scent all over until it enveloped them, until he was drowning in her.

He pushed himself up on his elbows, gazing down at her. Dark, tousled hair was curling over her flushed cheeks, her lips plump and red and waiting to be kissed.

"Open your eyes," he said quietly, and Belle's lashes fluttered as she looked up at him. Her blue eyes were dark with lust and contentment, and she was so beautiful he felt as though he was dreaming.

"Wow," she murmured. "That was…"

"Shut up," he interrupted softly. "I'm not finished, Doctor French."

Her eyes widened, and he took a moment to enjoy the look of surprise on her face, before sliding his hands down her body to her knees and pulling them up, so that he was pressed against her. Her eyes widened further at the feel of him. He reached between them, positioning himself, and pushed slowly into her, sliding all the way inside. The feel of her was incredible, and he bit back a moan as he filled her. Belle clung to him, her fingers digging into his shoulders, lifting her hips to meet him as he began to thrust. He bent to kiss her, and she responded enthusiastically, her tongue sliding into his mouth, her taste still on his lips and his tongue. He cupped her breasts, bending his head to kiss her nipples, to suck them into his mouth as he had sucked her clit, trying to get even deeper inside her.

"Oh!" breathed Belle, as he hit her just right, and Rush quickened his pace a little, feeling his own climax building. God, she felt amazing! He kissed back up to her neck, stroking her hair back from her face, kissing her mouth, resting his forehead against hers as he thrust into her. Her felt her break, screaming his name as she came around him, and the feel of it took him with her, electric shocks running through him as he emptied himself inside her, her muscles tugging at him and pulling him deeper. He shouted wordlessly, throwing his head back, his hips pumping against her, as her thighs gripped him tight and her nails scored his back and it was wonderful.

Rush let himself relax onto her, breathing hard, his face pushed into her neck, feeling the rise and fall of her chest as she tried to calm herself. Her fingers stroked lightly over his back and shoulders, and he tried not to wince. She had broken the skin in a few places, by the feel of it. He didn't give a flying fuck. When he had recovered a little, he pushed himself up, looking down at her. Belle's eyes were hooded and lazy, a sleepy smile on her face, and she reached up to brush his hair back off his forehead.

"That was bloody amazing," she slurred. "Remind me to let you be a control freak more often."