I don't own anything other than Brianna and bits of the plot

Chapter Six

I felt arms circling my waist, pulling me in to a hard chest. I think my eyes must have been closed because I couldn't see anyone or maybe I just didn't want to. The hands around my waist trailed up to my arms, leaving a trail of warmth from their body on to mine. While I couldn't see the person, the man, I could definitely smell him; a smell that I was certain I'd smelt before. It was strangely familiar and comforting at the same time. It made me forget that I'd lost my family; made me feel safe and at home.

I think I might have groaned when the man began placing feather light kisses along my neck. I could feel my heart thumping in sync with his, and I found my hands moving on their own accord up to his firm shoulders as his lips seemed to hit a painfully sensitive spot on my neck.

I couldn't handle the teasing anymore; I pulled away from him, intent on kissing him and forced my eyes open to do so. I could feel my eyes widening as I stared up at the man in front of me; Nathaniel Taylor was staring down at me intently and the small smirk on his face told me he knew the effect he was having on me...

I jerked upright in bed, my breath coming out in short pants. As my heart calmed I groaned and dropped back down onto the pillow, flinging an arm across my eyes. Of all the people – of all the men – I had to dream about him, didn't I? Of course I did, because he's the only man that's ever gotten such a reaction out of me.

It had been almost a week since our last encounter and while I'd barely spoken with the man since, I'd allowed myself to let Alicia help with organising people to become swim teachers. I'd been hesitant at the start, unable to stop from wondering whether she was helping out to keep an eye on me but I realised soon enough that she knew almost everyone in the colony. How was I going to get people to become teachers when I didn't even know anyone? Sure, I could walk from door-to-door and ask them myself but that was definitely bound to be awkward.

Despite this I found myself unable to stop from forming a friendship with the lieutenant. We'd found ourselves working closely together and even though the respect that she had from the people of Terra Nova and the soldiers, it was clear that no one was willing to overlook the fact that she was Taylor's second in command to try and get to know her as a person. I knew from the way the soldiers looked at her with respect and a healthy dose of fear that Alicia took her role as Lieutenant and Taylor's second seriously. In public she almost never broke out of her military persona – blank face, hard eyes and constantly sweeping the area for any looming danger. It was almost sad to think that nobody knew that the woman could also be incredibly funny when she wanted too and had bucket loads of humiliating stories about Taylor from their earlier days in the military. There was a soft side to her that I doubted anyone but Taylor and I got to witness; her loyalty to the man was impressive and I knew that same loyalty would be shared with anyone that she trusted.

A knock on my door broke me out of the trance I had gone into; why was it that someone was always knocking on my door? I assumed that it would be Alicia and that was the only reason I didn't shove a bra on before opening the door. Of course I didn't check to see who was outside, simply opened the door before promptly slamming it shut again. I thumped my head against the door, mentally chanting 'why' in my head. Why did things like this happen to me?

"I thought we were past you slamming doors in my face?" Taylor's voice rang through the wooden door.

I cracked open the door slightly, enough so that he could see my face (that was once again bright red – maybe I should change my name to Bella) but keeping my body covered. "I wasn't expecting you." I muttered.

"Clearly." He said amused. He shifted, looking at me questioningly, "Can I come in?"

I hesitated; the man had already seen me in my pyjamas. This time it would be in the privacy of my home and after the dreams I'd been having about the man I didn't want to risk jumping him in my pyjamas.

"Give me a few minutes." I said, dashing off before he could reply. I left the door open for him to enter and I quickly put on a bra in the bathroom, shoved on a different top and gave my hair a quick brush.

When I came back he was standing in the living room with his arms behind his back. "And here I was looking forward to seeing you in your pyjamas again." He actually had the nerve to sound disappointed.

"In your dreams." I muttered, pointedly ignoring his grin, "What's up?"

"Wash has told me you've made progress on the swim school." He didn't elaborate, simply waiting on an explanation, the annoying grin still on his face.

Was the guy just trying to find reasons to annoy me?

"Knowing Alicia she's probably already given you a run down on everything." I said pointedly, "So why are you really here?"

Taylor's lips twitched, catching my attention and unwillingly I found myself wanting to kiss him. Immediately I looked away from him and began collecting the few dishes that were lying around the place. He watched me as I moved into the kitchen to place them in the sink. I still couldn't help but wonder if the strange man could read my mind, his eyes watching me heatedly as if he knew what I had just been thinking.

"Wash has only told me that you've made progress." He disagreed, "She told me to come ask you since, and I quote, 'swimming isn't her thing'."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that, "Yes, she's already explained her immense dislike of swimming pools – crap, vomit and germs." I couldn't help but smile down into the sink as Taylor laughed, the sound warm and inviting, "What do you want to know?"

I didn't hear him move so when he spoke, his voice undoubtedly closer than before, I jumped slightly, "I know you've been out by the pool a bit and talked to a few people. I'd like to know what you think of the people who are interested."

I nodded, keeping myself busy so I wouldn't focus on the closeness of Taylor, "I've been setting up lanes in the pool. Alicia helped me make some lane ropes – the pool is wide enough to get three lanes out of it." I explained, carefully cleaning the glasses in the sink, "A few of the people that are interested have all said that they don't know how to swim – it isn't really necessary for them to be able to swim just as long as they're comfortable in the water. I've told them I don't mind teaching them before we start training. "

"I can have some of the soldiers help you out with that." Taylor offered, surprising me by taking a towel to dry the dishes. "Then you can start training them sooner."

I nodded, liking the idea of that, "Alright, anything else you want to know?"

"I'd like to see what you've done to the pool." If I didn't know any better, I'd say the man wanted to get me out of the house.

I eyed him, "Why? You can go out there yourself; you do remember you're running this place, right?"

"Not something I can forget." He retorted, "Back in 2142 we didn't learn to swim in pools and the only way you were able to learn at all was if you were in the military. We were taken by boat out into the ocean and ordered to swim back. The ocean then was full of polluted waste, dead aquatic life and I'm sure there were several human bodies. So your idea of a learning how to swim in a pool is slightly foreign to all of us."

I wrinkled my nose, disgusted by the vision of the future, "That's disgusting."

"You should've tried swimming in it." Taylor retorted dryly. "Since you're done cleaning, why don't we head down there now?" Even though he said it politely, I could hear the unmistakable sound of an order in the words.

I saluted him mockingly, "Sir, yes, sir."

I didn't stick around for his reaction, disappearing into my bedroom to change out of my pyjama pants. When I reappeared his eyes trailed over my body quickly before he looked away, heading for the front door. I did my best to pretend like I hadn't noticed, although a shiver ran down my spine against my will. There was just something about the man.

People were finally looking at me like I was a person and not an alien from another time. I may as well have been – from what I'd heard about the future 2010 was practically a paradise in comparison to how they had lived. I even managed to smile at some of the people we passed, recognising some of the women that had voiced their interest at becoming a teacher. I gave a small, friendly wave to some of the children that had rushed up to me excited when word had reached them that I was going to start teaching the kids how to swim. They had eagerly asked when they could start, if they could come and help set up the pool and one had even asked if they were going to learn in the actual ocean.

"You've got a lot of kids excited to start swimming." Taylor commented, watching me from the corner of his eye as we made our way through the colony.

I shrugged, "It's good that they're excited – it means they're less likely to be scared of the water. How accessible is the beach to the public?" Even though I'd been there a few times I'd either been with Taylor or Alicia.

"They can go whenever they want, although there are always a few soldiers patrolling down on the beach. Why?"

"Then it might be a good idea to build a fence around the pool and start some water safety classes in school." I was mostly thinking this out loud, knowing that I'd be the likely candidate for such a lesson.

Taylor frowned, confused, "Is it necessary?"

I gave him an incredulous look, "Do you want kids to start drowning? A fence is to ensure a kid can't just jump in without supervision. They need to know about some of the dangers involved in swimming in a pool and how to help others if they're in trouble without endangering themselves." I explained.

Taylor gave me an appraising look, "You've really thought about this, haven't you?"

I smiled shyly, "Well, that's what we were always taught when I was at school. I taught life saving skills every few weeks at the pool."

We walked the rest of the way in silence. It surprisingly wasn't an awkward silence, more like a companionable silence. It's nice to know I could walk with the man and not feel like I had to say something to fill the silence. It made me become fonder of him and I found my resolve to be distant around him fading at a frightening speed. There was no doubt he was a charismatic man and I could see why Alicia could follow him so loyally.

"Is it supposed to look like that?" Taylor asked me confused.

I was about to ask what he was talking about until I saw the pool. The lane ropes that Alicia had helped me set out had come off the hooks that were keeping them in a straight line. Groaning I knew that I would have to get in to fix them except I didn't have any bathers. I slipped off my shoes and ignoring Taylor's protests, I dived into the deep end of the pool and emerged half way. I grabbed the end of the two ropes that had come off and began to pull them through the water until they were straight again.

I couldn't help but laugh when I noticed Taylor's panicked face that he was obviously trying to hide. "If I can just jump in like that, what do you think a group of kids will do if someone isn't watching?" I called out half teasing, half serious.

"You could have warned me." He said gruffly, bending down to watch what I was doing.

I fiddled with the thin rope and then sighed dejectedly, "The waves are too rough; the lane ropes will have to come off after each time in the pool."

With Taylor watching my every move I swam to the other end and unhooked the ropes and began to pull it back over to the deep end. Taylor helped me get them out of the water and I could tell he was still shitty with me. Before I could move over to the inbuilt steps Taylor lent down, grabbed my arms and hauled me out of the water. I was too shocked to react until he'd let go of me and was casually putting the ropes into a neat pile over to the side of the pool.

"Was that really necessary?" I spluttered, well aware that I was standing there dripping.

He looked over and smiled arrogantly at me, "Next time you'll warn me if you go jumping into pools."

I wanted to smack the man but as the wind picked up I shivered and decided getting out of my wet clothes was a better idea then berating the smug soldier. I couldn't resist giving him an annoyed glare before trudging back toward the colony. A hand on my shoulder stopped me before I could get far and I turned with an exaggerated sigh toward Taylor. His face was blank except for a tiny speck of hesitation in his eyes. Wordlessly he grabbed the hem of my wet shirt and promptly began to peel it off. I'll admit I let out a squeal, surprised by his actions and blushed when I was left standing in only my bra and shorts. Before I could shout at him he unzipped his black jacket, his eyes never leaving mine and wrapped it around my shoulders for me to wear.

I'd never really understood why some girls go around wearing their boyfriend's clothes until now. There was something undeniably intimate about the moment, feeling his hands gently take off my shirt, his fingers brushing against the skin on my tummy. His jacket was warm from his powerful body heat and with my eyes still locked with his I slid my arms into the sockets of the jacket. He was left standing in only his tight shirt and barely seemed to notice the cold wind. Neither of us looked away from the other; he was standing closer than I remembered and the smell of him was overpowering my senses although that also could have been from wearing his jacket.

I'll always wonder what could have happened if we weren't interrupted. A young soldier who I didn't know came barrelling towards us, a worried look on his face. Taylor stepped away from me to face him and I was left feeling almost disappointed and relived at the same time.

"Sir, the sixers are at the gates."

I frowned, wondering who the 'sixers' were. Taylor nodded, going into leader mode, "Get the sonic guns ready, and make sure the market place is cleared."

"Already done, sir." The soldier answered automatically, sidestepping to make room for his Commander to walk past.

Taylor didn't respond, simply headed back up to the colony in long, powerful strides and leaving me staring confused after him and the soldier. I followed as quickly as I could but by the time I got to the front gates, a group of soldiers and Taylor were already out talking to the 'sixers'. I peered through the fence, getting an eyeful of a group of people armed with guns and looked like they had seen better days. Taylor was standing at the front of the group not looking bothered at all by their presence and this was obviously not sitting well with the leader of the group.

When her eyes flickered past Taylor to scan the soldiers behind him they seemed to find my position inside the colony. When a wicked grin flashed on to her face I could see Taylor straightening slightly, obviously preparing himself for things to get ugly. When she turned back to face him she said something quietly clearly taunting him and I couldn't help but wish I was closer to hear what she had said. It didn't escape my attention that Alicia's head whipped around and found me by the gate before she was staring down the woman in front of her as well.

"You're not going to let her come out and decide for herself?" The woman raised her voice and looked back over at me, "Or is she already your lapdog?" I rolled my eyes and didn't move from my spot by the gate. "You've already got her tamed Taylor."

"No I'm just smart enough to know when someone's trying to bait me." I called back, already bored with the whole situation.

The woman smirked, crossing her arms, "You know what I think..."

"'I really need a shower?'" I cut in.

The smirk faded and she glared at me, "We'll see how long you last when you're out there."

"Since I'm not going out there, you won't get too." I replied, glad that I had pissed her off.

"We'll fix that for you soon enough." She retorted before turning on her heel and heading back to her rover.

I kept my face passive as I watched her get into the car; she said something else to Taylor but it was once again too quiet for me to hear. As the 'sixers' drove off I turned and walked back to my house before anyone could intercept me.

There was no doubt now that Taylor had been right before; someone had clearly brought me here deliberately. It didn't look like the woman had the brains to pull something like this off so I couldn't help but wonder with a sick feeling who had managed to pull me from 2010. The streets were deserted but I barely noticed, eager to get home and shower before Alicia or Taylor arrived at my doorstep. I didn't need them to tell me that they'd be by; I expected it after the woman directly spoke to me. She had been expecting me to be in Terra Nova. She knew the reason as to why I was brought here and that left unpleasant thoughts reeling through my head rapidly.

The peace I had felt down at the beach was now gone and I wished I was still on the high from Taylor's presence and smell. The warm water of the shower helped calm my nerves only slightly and I was left still feeling nauseous and I could feel panic rising in my chest until it hurt to breathe. I got out when I realised that and dressed quickly. My chest was still tight but I couldn't stop myself from continually thinking over what the woman had said.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts and panic that I didn't notice the pounding at my door. When I heard feet stomping through the house my panic increased and there seemed to be nothing I could do to stop it. I stumbled back until my legs hit the foot of my bed but I didn't have the energy to sit on the bed; instead I ended up sliding down until I hit the floor. I brought my knees to my chest and began coughing in order to clear my airways.

"Shit." I heard someone mutter and the next thing I knew large hands had wrapped around my arms and hauling me to my feet.

I began to struggle blindly, terrified by the person that was in the house. It wasn't until a paper bag was thrust over my mouth and I began to control my breathing did I realise that Taylor and Alicia were both in my room. Taylor was kneeling beside me with Alicia on the other side, both looking at me with undisguised worry. When I was sure that I could breathe again I pulled the bag away from my face and looked up at them tiredly; it wasn't the first time I had asked them this question and I began to wonder if I would ever have to not ask them.

"What the hell is going?"

A/N so a much longer chapter than usual. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter; let me know what you think and I'll try and update as soon as I can.