A/N: I will warn you now, this chapter is filler. I'm sorry, I really am, but it had to be done. Pleasedon'thateme.
"Ah, good! I was just about to call you." Elisabeth said as she noticed the soldiers walk into the hospital. "Come through to the lab, I've got something to show you."
They followed her without complaint through to the back of the building, which Elisabeth took as a victory in itself considering the deadly expressions they were wearing. She stopped beside one of the work tables, two petri dishes in front of her with a thin layer of red liquid coating the base of each.
"What are we looking at Doc?" Taylor asked, coming to rest on the other side of the table as Alicia stood at the end of it, perpendicular to them both. They were putting as much space between each other as possible without making it painfully obvious to observers, something Elisabeth filed away for later consideration.
"These are cultures taken from your blood. We're using them to analyse the effects of the pollen, to view the impact of the foreign material on your systems." Elisabeth explained. She tapped a few buttons on the side of the table and a projection appeared in mid-air to show an enhanced view of the contents of the dishes. "As you can see, everything appears pretty standard at the moment, neither of you have any unexpected additional cell types to worry about. But when we went to put them into storage, well… see for yourselves."
She moved one of the petri dishes about a foot to the right, the hologram expanding to cover the extra distance. For a moment nothing happened and then suddenly the cells within began to move, vibrating violently in front of their eyes.
"It's getting worse every time." She added. "The first time one dish was on the other side of the room before anything was seen."
She watched curiously as Alicia and Taylor shared a look, not containing the concern she expected but instead a slow sense of realisation. "What am I missing?"
"Can we go somewhere private?" Taylor asked and Elisabeth nodded, leading them to one of the frosted glass study rooms around the side of the lab. Once inside they continued to stand much further apart than they normally would, Alicia leaning against the opposite wall to her CO.
"None of what we say now leaves this room, understand?" Taylor said, arms crossed defensively across his chest.
"Of course, that goes without saying." Elisabeth agreed.
Alicia cleared her throat, thinking about her next words. "We think the pollen might be active in the Commander."
Elisabeth's eyes widened with surprise and, she feared, more than a hint of the scientific eagerness she suddenly felt. "Okay. And how did that happen?"
"We touched. Skin to skin contact." Alicia added, arms now crossing in a perfect imitation of Taylor.
"And what makes you think that activated it?" Elisabeth asked, though they remained awkwardly silent. "I kind of need an answer here guys."
"I kissed her, Doc." Taylor revealed eventually.
Elisabeth had to bite her lip to keep her amusement at bay as she carefully selected her next words. "Would you... not normally?"
"No!" Alicia cried instantly, appearing vaguely horrified that Elisabeth could have seen enough in her time in Terra Nova to assume otherwise.
"Ah. I see." Elisabeth said, actively forcing herself to ignore the humour in the way these two hardened soldiers were undone by something so mundane. "I must admit, I worried something like this might happen."
"Gee Doc, thanks for the warning." Taylor scowled.
"When we're too far apart, apparently I start losing control - like those cell cultures." Alicia said, attempting to steer the direction of the conversation. "I can't remember it but Mark said I cried out in pain several times in my sleep."
"So. You can't get too close or you'll break your self-imposed regulations, but you can't get too far apart or at least one of you experiences actual physical pain." Elisabeth mused, observing the pair carefully. "Well. We need to step up our efforts to this sorted quickly. And it looks like you two have to stick together until we find a cure."
"And how long will that be?" Taylor demanded.
"At this stage, I can't say." They shot her almost identical scowls. "You'll be fine! You're always together anyway." She added with a little grin.
Taylor took a step towards the woman. "Quickly is operative word here Doc, I can't actively defend the colony if I can't leave Wash behind to hold down the fort."
Alicia groaned. "We need to activate our contingency plan. Get people in place if one or other of us is permanently compromised." She balled her fists and brought them to her mouth, thinking. "It's a lot of work, sir, especially to keep the root cause quiet."
"Better get started then." Elisabeth stated, still battling her amusement and coming close to failing spectacularly. "Or in other words, please leave so that I can get back to finding a way to counteract this."
#
"So, looks like we'll be bunking together for a while. Your place or mine?" Taylor asked once they were outside. He knew he was smirking a little and it looked as though Wash found herself torn between smacking and kissing the expression off of his face. It was helpful to be able to pretend the latter was solely to do with the pollen.
"Not funny, sir." She said, walking away from him.
"Oh come on, it is a little." He called after her.
She didn't stop walking and he sighed. If they didn't find the humour in this situation then it was very possible it would drive them mad within hours. He looked down at the ground and scuffed the toe of his boot into the ground as he thought. He was involved enough in his own head that he didn't notice immediately when Wash stumbled, moving to lean up against a building ahead of him.
Then all of a sudden a blinding pain shot through his head and he barely stopped himself crying out as his hands flew to his head. He forced his eyes open to search out his lieutenant in the thankfully deserted street and inched slowly towards her, every step easing the pain flooding through his body. Eventually he got within a small enough distance for the pain to fade to a dull throb and he could just about make out his surroundings again.
Wash leant up against the wall of one of the labs, forehead pillowed on crossed arms. "God, it's getting worse. We actually have to do this." She groaned, eyes screwed tightly shut.
"No need to sound so horrified." Taylor said, gasping in air as he collapsed against the wall beside her. "What's your answer now? Your place or mine?"
"Yours, you need to be near the gate if anything happens." Wash said after a moment's thought.
"Got a spare bedroom as well." He added. Wash turned her head and cracked her eyes open to glare at him. "What?"
"You think we're actually going to be able to handle being in separate rooms?"
Taylor froze, having not considered the possibility. "We'll work something out Wash. We always do."
Wash smiled, closing her eyes once more. "If you say so sir."
They had her moved in within the hour.
