Well I didn't hit my review goal… … :( But because I'm so loving I decided to post this anyways! Please enjoy :)

By an incredible stroke of luck Magnus and Will managed to get to the pantry before the nubbins. There was only one thing that Magnus knew of that could distract nubbins away from food, and while she was thankful their food stores were intact, she was worried about how many nubbins would soon be swarming the area. She carefully instructed Will on where to place the sonic disruptors. They couldn't afford to wait around until the nubbins came. They had to set their defenses and hope they were strong enough to prevent an invasion of the pantry. As they set up a disruptor on a little bipedal stand, Helen realized she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. She glanced over at Will's face, furrowed in concentration, and felt something stir in her stomach. Her appetites were for something else right now.

"Damnit…" she whispered, shaking her head and focusing again on the disruptor. Will looked at her.

"You ok?"

"Fine," she said brightly.

He nodded, noticing the way her dark hair fell over her wide, blue eyes as she adjusted the range level on the disruptor. His throat tightened. He needed to get out of the pantry. He didn't think he could handle anymore enclosed spaces with Magnus. The nubbin's little trick was going straight to his head and travelling swiftly downwards. He needed to work but his mind kept flitting back to the storage closet, in the dark, pressed up against Magnus' soft curves…

"Are we done?" he asked, his voice high. Magnus looked at him, her eyes narrowed. He tried to avoid her inquisitive eyes, but couldn't. She knew exactly why he wanted to move on. With a sharp nod, she stood up, leaving the device to do its work.

"Kitchen," she ordered. He jerked his head in understanding, and led the charge out of the room. Magnus' eyes followed him for a few seconds. He looked really good in those fitted jeans. The way they emphasized his cute little…

"Kitchen!" she reminded herself. She walked swiftly to catch up with him.

Their journey to the kitchen was cut short by the unexpected arrival of Kate and Declan. Will had been looking at the ground as he walked and practically ran into Kate, who was doing her best to avoid looking at the man walking next to her.

"Woah!" Will cried, sidestepping the young woman.

"Oh, hey Will!" she said all too cheerily.

"William! Magnus!" Declan moved forward and clapped Will on the back enthusiastically. It didn't take a genius to figure out Declan and Kate had been having issues of their own. Magnus quickly started problem solving.

"Kate, Declan, excellent timing. I was thinking that I'd take Kate with me to check on the kitchens while you boys start a sweep outside."

A resounding chorus of agreement met her suggestion. The new teams split up and hurried to their new destinations.

"Thank you, Doc," Kate said, gratitude pouring from her voice.

"It was no problem at all," Magnus assured her. Kate glanced at her as they walked side by side.

"You've been having some, uh… troubles, too then?" Kate asked, hoping she wasn't overstepping any boundaries. Magnus made a face.

"You could say that."

"So this is your second outbreak of the little buggers. Is it any, y'know, easier the second time?"

Magnus thought back to the first time they'd encountered the nubbins. "If anything I'd say its worse this time," she grudgingly admitted.

"Awkward…" Kate breathed.

"Yeah."

The women walked silently towards the kitchens, lost in their own thoughts. The kitchen windows thankfully let in enough light for them not to need flashlights to see. They cleared the area quickly, Magnus increasingly worried. If the nubbins weren't attacking the food stores, what were they focusing on? Besides electrical systems of course. She felt a soft touch on her arm and turned, finding herself face to face with Kate's brown eyes.

"Any chance we have time for a quick snack?" the former mercenary asked.

"We need to keep moving," Magnus shook her head. "These things spread extremely fast."

A pained looked crossed Kate's face. "Please, Magnus. I can't remember the last time I ate and with all the, uh, energy, that the nubbins bring out I'm feeling a little light headed."

Magnus gave her a look.

"Plus… well, to be honest, I really need to something to distract me right now. I'll eat on the go, I promise."

Magnus licked her lips, wishing a snack would be enough to distract her from her own, stray thoughts. As she looked at Kate, her mind wandered to India, 1998. She'd been on the hunt for a rogue nephakur, but it had gotten away. She'd been on the hunt for days, and was tired, hungry, and disappointed. She'd been wandering a bazaar looking for a bite to eat when she'd run into someone. Her name was Amita. She'd looked at Magnus, the state she was in, and instantly jumped to help. She'd bought Magnus a delicious, hot meal, and then taken her back to her own home. She'd given Magnus some new clothes to replace her own, ripped outfit. She'd dressed the wounds that Magnus had sustained in the brief encounter she'd had with the nephakur before it ran away. Amita was beautiful, and if Magnus hadn't been so tired, worn down, she swore something might have happened between them. Never the less, the entire exchange had been an unexpected, genuine show of human compassion, something that Magnus rarely experienced in her line of work. She'd wanted to pay Amita back for everything, offer her a thank you of some kind, but the woman had staunchly refused. Magnus had tried to find her again when she was back in India two years later, but there was no trace of her Samaritan. She'd always regretted not being able to express her gratitude.

Magnus peered at Kate, who shifted uncomfortably at her gaze. Amita's eyes had been green, but her skin was the exact same shade as Kate's. An exotic, creamy brown that made you wonder if it tasted of spices, coffee, chocolate…

Kate took a step backward, and Magnus was shaken out of her memory.

"Sorry, my mind just wandered for a moment there," Magnus apologized. Kate nodded, wide-eyed.

"Right."

"You were saying something about a snack?"

"I'll be quick."

"I think I might join you after all."

Magnus doubted a snack would be able to keep her mind on the present situation, rather than tripping down memory lane, but it was worth a shot. In mere moments Kate had found a granola bar, and Magnus had grabbed an apple. Kate nervously ripped the wrapper down, bringing the bar up to her mouth, and then froze.

She watched as Magnus' lips closed over the bright red apple she held. Her lips spread out, barely brushing the skin before she moved closer. Kate could hear the crisp crunch of the apple as Magnus' teeth sunk into the ripe, round fruit. Magnus' eyes fluttered closed for a second as the sweet juice filled her mouth and she savoured the taste. Her lips left the apple, a bit of nectar escaping down her lip. Her pink tongue peeked out to lap it up. Her lush lips glistened as she chewed, ever so delicately. Her eyes opened, and suddenly Kate was staring into a pair of knowing, blue eyes. The young woman gulped, her mouth suddenly dry as she watched Magnus go in for another bite.

"Doc," her voice was breathless. She watched, entranced, as the doctor swallowed. She travelled the path of the apple down her long, pale neck. Her gaze travelled lower, and she frowned.

"You have a button undone."

Helen glanced down, having forgotten that Will had disrupted her blouse.

"Indeed I do."

Rationality out the window, Kate dropped her granola bar onto the counter, walking over to Magnus and reaching out.

"Let me help you," she said. She tried to concentrate on the dark buttons of her blouse, but found her vision swimming when her fingers hit incredibly soft skin. Magnus gasped lightly at the contact, her apple falling from loose fingers, hitting the ground and rolling away as her arms rose to grasp Kate's elbows. The shorter woman's fingers fumbled at the added contact, and instead of doing up a button, she somehow managed to undo another one.

"Crap," she mumbled, trying to calm her shaking fingers.

"Kate."

She looked up at Magnus' soft prompt. Her face was so close Kate could smell the apple juice on her lips. They both took in deep breaths, chests hitting as they did so.

"Magnus…" Kate breathed, leaning in closer, her eyes fluttering closed. She could feel the heat of Magnus' breath hitting her lips. They were so close… Light suddenly hit her eyelids, flooding her senses. They flew open, blinking hard against the sudden brightness.

The emergency lighting had finally kicked in.

Magnus took a step back. "Well that's good," she stated.

A pink glow started to suffuse Kate's dark skin. She didn't trust herself to speak, simply nodding, though internally she disagreed.

"Let's find Henry, see how the rest of our systems are."

Kate nodded again. Her boss turned gracefully around and clicked her way out of the kitchen. How could she be so damn stable in those heels? Kate's blush spread as she followed, admiring the way Helen's legs looked in the ridiculous, sexy shoes.

Will and Declan were in the back garden when light suddenly flared from inside the Sanctuary.

"Looks like the emergency lighting finally came on," Declan noted.

"Yeah."

They looked at each other. The light from inside joined forces with the light of the sun.

Declan's eyes were the most incredible, steely blue… thought Will.

His eyes are almost green. Incredible… thought Declan.

Simultaneously, their eyes went wide. Declan started to cough, looking away and hitting his chest lightly as Will turned around, scratching the back of his neck.

They needed to fix this nubbins problem, soon, or someone was going to lose their mind.

Magnus and Kate found Henry hunched over a computer in the main lab.

"Henry, how's it coming?"

He jumped at the sound of his boss' voice, turning around. Why was her blouse half undone? Why was Kate's face so red? Why were his pants suddenly so tight? He swiveled back to face his computers.

"Well I got the emergency lights back on," he started.

"We noticed," Kate grumbled.

"But I'm afraid the little nasties are rapidly making their way through all our systems."

Magnus winced. Exactly what she'd feared.

"I'm thinking they learned from the last time they broke out, passed it down to their kids or something."

Magnus nodded. "They were waylaid last time by their search for food. Their priority now is getting out of the building first."

Henry nodded his head vigorously, still refusing to turn around. He was going to be a father, for god's sake! He would not look at other women. He wouldn't!

"I've modified a stunner," he suddenly spoke. "Added a temperature control to it. It should work to help freeze the little buggers." He picked up the weapon lying on the side of the table, turning around to give it to her.

Magnus' eyes widened.

"Good work, Henry," she praised.

A goofy smile spread across his face. It was so nice when she complimented him. He stepped forward. His foot caught on the bottom of his swivel chair. He flew forward, the scanner flying. Magnus ran forward and caught it in the nick of time, just as Henry landed with a thump right at her feet.

"I'm ok!" he yelled, wondering if there was any way to regain his dignity. Probably not. He reached out to push himself up onto hands and knees, when his hand contacted Magnus foot. Her foot which was encased in the most beautiful high heel. Her foot which was enclosed within the softest pair of nylons he'd ever touched. He stared.

"Henry."

He looked up, finding himself staring straight up her skirt.

"Ack!" he squeezed his eyes shut, removing his hand from her foot, but in his haste, scratching the soft nylon. A tiny rip appeared. He gulped when he finally opened his eyes, staring down at the damage. He was a man, yes, but even he knew that once a pair of tights had a tear, they were done for. He looked into Magnus' eyes, sheepishly shrugging his apology.

"Just get back to work," she sighed. He plopped down onto his chair, exhaling loudly.

"Do you need any help here?" she asked. "Would you like Kate to stay?"

Kate narrowed her eyes at Magnus. Was she trying to get rid of her? Henry sneaked a glance backwards, looking at Kate. Dark jeans, boots, slightly ripped, layered t-shirts. Not his style. But at the same time, he so enjoyed arguing with her about music, and computers, and…

"No!" he said forcefully. "I am A-ok on my own! You two have fun!" He hunched over and set his fingers to the keyboard, working their magic.

The women looked at each other. Fun. Right.

The two teams, Magnus with Kate, and Will with Declan, continued to search for the nubbins in vain. Even Biggie wasn't able to sniff them out. Magnus feared that she'd have to start ripping into the walls of her Sanctuary to get at them. Not only could they work as an organized team, but they were smart, learning as they went. She could not allow them to get free. Besides the immediate danger to Old City, there were also the internal issues that were springing up. The nubbins were obviously having a strong impact on her and her team. They were all distracted and increasingly short with each other. Everyone understood the magnitude of the situation, but the clouding of their minds was getting worse with each passing minute. Magnus feared that the tension would soon erupt, and permanent damage could occur. She needed to come up with a way for them all to release their tension in a safe way. She came to a decision. She didn't really like it, but it was better than the thought of some of her teammates tearing the clothes of one another. Most of them were in committed relationships; she didn't want that burden on their consciences, no matter the circumstances, or outside influence. She called for Kate to stop her perusal of the side-table that rested against the wall of the hallway they were currently investigating.

Magnus brought her radio to her mouth.

"Will, Declan."

A second later Will's voice crackled back.

"Magnus?"

"Could you please meet us in the main lobby?"

"…Are you sure?"

"Yes, stop whatever it is you're doing. We all need to have a talk."

Will gulped and glanced at Declan, who frowned, just as curious as he was.

"See you there in 10."

"Ditto," sounded Henry's voice.

Biggie's voice joined the conversation, grunting his acknowledgment.

Precisely 10 minutes later the team was gathered. They were silent as Magnus spoke, but their behavior spoke volumes. They shuffled their feet, switching their weight from foot to foot. Their breathing was shallow, and their eyes never stayed on the same spot for long. Hands fidgeted with weapons, pockets, anything they could lay their hands on. She needed to ensure those hands stayed to themselves.

"As we are all aware," Magnus began, "The nubbins seem to have evolved their strategies for escape. This unfortunately means our search is taking longer than anticipated. This has left us all feeling rather… out of sorts."

A chorus of shuffling and mutters greeted her pronouncement.

"I thought of calling our friend Sophie back to try understand the current thoughts of the nubbins, but unfortunately she's currently visiting a friend in Australia. It would take far too long for her to get here. If we haven't found the nubbins in that length of time, I fear we never would."

More agreement.

"That being said, I think we need to take a little time to refocus ourselves."

Curious eyes looked up at her.

"We all need to release some of the tension that currently plagues us."

Nervous eyes looked around at each other.

"Everyone is going to take half an hour to work themselves out. Most of you have some kind of exercise equipment in your rooms. I would normally suggest the gym, but I don't think everyone being there at the same time would work out very well."

Images of sweaty coworkers clad in tight gym wear popped into her head and she coughed.

"Go to your rooms," she commanded, wincing as the clichéd words came out of her mouth. "Work this off. If it doesn't work, well…" The breathing rate of the room increased. "Do what you have to do. Alone."

We're all adults here, Magnus thought as her people looked embarrassed. And they were all in the same boat. This was a much better solution than letting them continue working side-by-side in such strained conditions.

"See you back here in half an hour," she finished, then paused. "I won't be upset if you take 45," she added. Without another word she walked away, hurrying to the elevator. While they were all busy in their rooms she would go down to the pool level. The clean water always served to refresh and putting her body through some hard laps would hopefully burn off some energy.

The change room was large, with cupboards lining the top of the walls, and benches ringing the bottom. She placed her radio on the bench then reached up to her personal cubby to extract a bathing suit when she heard a noise. Turning around her heart dropped as she saw Declan enter the room, towel in hand. He stopped short when he saw her.

"Magnus!"

"Declan…"

To Be Continued...

So what's going to happen NOW ;) MS