So, they would be staying overnight at the Crescent Base. It was a decision that was not without some decided benefits; one being the cafeteria that was staffed by cooks that were not Jinpei and (more to the point!) not her. So, Jun got out of Birdstyle and enjoyed a good dinner. Hunger had also driven Jinpei out of hiding and she was able to subject him to a lecture he'd never forget on the subject of collecting 'interesting' spiders. Everyone was there except Joe. Normally she wouldn't have given that much thought. He kept to himself a lot of the time… but tonight she couldn't seem to get him out of her mind. When he'd been lying so close to her on the floor, noticing her, making her feel desirable, it had been all too easy to flirt back. Now, though, she could feel herself practically flushing as she remembered the things he'd said -and the things she'd said! What had she been thinking? She had always been the one who nurtured and maintained the whole intra-team dynamic; did whatever it took to keep everything running smoothly. How could she have been considering something that would so dangerously rock the boat? She had to be…

Damn it! She had just knocked her water glass over. So much for the graceful Swan.

"Hah!" said Jinpei, as he shoved a bunch of napkins her way.

"Is that really just water you're drinking there?" teased Ryu.

Ken was staring at her. He'd been quiet all through dinner, and he didn't say anything now either. Under normal circumstances she would have appreciated the tact, but for some reason tonight it just irritated her. She finished her dinner quickly and made a beeline for her quarters.

A long, hot shower -that was what she needed, and it did make her feel somewhat better. She felt calmer. Whatever crazy things she might have done today, tomorrow was a new day and all could be corrected. Whatever she might have recklessly implied to Joe, she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to do.

One thing she did want to do, though, was to take a quick look at the God Phoenix before she went to sleep, to see how the technicians had fared. She still felt guilty for not staying and working on the repairs herself. It was her responsibility as the team's engineer. It was her job to keep everything running smoothly.

Wasn't that just becoming the story of her life?

The technicians had removed more panels, and seemed to have done some adequate repair work, but only to certain systems. More work remained to be done. She sighed and stood up again; she knew what she'd be doing first thing in the morning!

As she moved to leave the bridge, The Condor's chair spun around to face her.

Joe was in the chair.

"Have I got you pegged or what? I knew you'd come back here tonight."

"Well, I may be predictable, but no one can fault me for taking my work seriously!"

"I can. I think you work too hard."

She opened her mouth to scoff, but no words came out. The way he was looking at her...

"You work too hard, you spend too much time trying to take care of all of us, but what about you, Jun?"

She could only stare at him.

"Who takes care of you?" he whispered.

Her legs were feeling a little... God, had she just trembled?

Joe stood up, came towards her, and reached for her hands. Now he was leading her back to his station, sitting in his chair, and pulling her down slowly so that she was straddling his lap. Her heart was racing, and that look was still in his eyes, but he only slid his hands up her back and began slowly rubbing the muscles of her neck and shoulders.

That felt so good. She closed her eyes as he moved his hands over her neck and shoulders, slowly down her spine, feeling tension leave her body; tension she hadn't even realized was there.

She gave in to it; gave in to the soothing pressure of his hands and the warmth she could feel emanating from his body, so near to hers. And he was kissing her lips with his own and in that moment it seemed so natural, so right, that her conscious mind wasn't even sure just when he'd begun kissing her...

"Hey, Ma'am, where do you want the new Power Couplings install... oh hey! Whoa!"

Jun pulled back in horror, her face as red as her t-shirt as she saw the technician who had walked onto the bridge of the God Phoenix. There were at least a dozen engineers around here. How could she have forgotten herself so completely?

It was Joe's fault.

She glared at him before turning to address the technician.

"I'll install those myself, in the morning." she informed the bewildered man. "Thank you for bringing them here."

"Sure thing..." the man said, staring after Jun as she stalked off of the God Phoenix.

But she was barely out of the Maintenance Bay when she felt a hand on her arm.

"There's something there." the Condor smirked.

"What's 'there' is actually what's not there." Jun huffed. "And that would be my mind. I must have lost it to find myself in such a situation with you."

"You didn't lose your mind." Joe whispered softly. "You lost that nasty little voice that's always telling you what to do, regardless of what you want."

"I think I know what I want, thank you very much." Jun snapped as she stalked down the corridor.

"I do too." Joe said.

Jun stopped walking, then stared hard at the Condor. Normally Joe's tone was angry, or mocking, or overly confident, but right now...

He was serious.

She had never seen that look on his face before... okay, she had seen it just a few minutes ago, back on the God Phoenix when he had asked who took care of her. And it was having the same effect on her now.

"I can see that you're still thinking about this." Joe told her. "I don't want to force you into anything you aren't ready for, Jun."

"What about you?" Jun blurted.

"What about me?" Joe asked, surprised.

"Are you ready for this?"

The Condor laughed.

"I'm a man, Jun. I'm always ready for this." His voice was the one she knew so well, the hard, mocking smirk that put up walls around his emotions. But now, Jun could see through the cracks...

"But yes." Joe admitted, his voice suddenly soft again. "I've been thinking about this... wanting this... for a long time, now."

"You have?"

Joe sighed in frustration, running his hand through his hair.

"Look, I can see that this is a lot for you to process. I'll tell you what, Jun. I'll come by your quarters in an hour. I'll use the handprint access. If you've configured the door to remain unlocked, then I'll come in. If you've secured access, then I'll understand, and I'll go."

Jun's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She gulped nervously, then found just enough strength for a whisper.

"Okay..."

Then she turned and ran down the corridor, as far away from Joe as she could get.

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