Larrin watched Mila and the rest of the repair crews as they poured over the Tria's hyperdrive. Mila's initial assessment of the damage hadn't seemed all that bad. They could salvage a large portion of the drive. Mila also noted that the original crew of the Tria probably knew that, they just didn't have the necessary components on board to replace the damaged ones. Now the crews dissembled the hyperdrive piece by piece, looking in detail for the extent of the damage. The salvageable parts were moved to bay three. This would also be the bay where Sheppard dropped off the parts from the Traveler ships with his jumper when necessary. The damaged parts and equipment were taken to bay two where they were either set aside to be discarded or recycled. The process, methodical and slow, seemed to be going fairly well.

As she watched, a form moved from behind and now stood beside her. Larrin didn't have to turn to know that it was John. In fact, over the last three days, he hadn't been too far away, lending a hand by carrying parts to their destination, or initializing and shutting down systems. His doing so helped to facilitate the smoothness in the demolition part of the repairs, freeing up more hands to stay on task. From the corner of her eye she could see the work hadn't fazed him. How is it that he can still look that good working that hard? Trying not to become distracted by him, again, she focused her eyes forward. It didn't help.

She did appreciate his sensitivity to her position. Except for the times in the morning before the crews gathered for breakfast and in the evenings after the last meal of the day, John made no attempt to pursue their relationship. Even within those allotted times, he kept a close eye out. Though he stayed vigilant, she could tell Katana and a few others had already started seeing something. Whenever he was around, they'd sneak in a toothy grin glance in Larrin and John's direction, just as they were doing right now. Darn it!

Before she could be taken in the embarrassment of the moment, Sheppard came to her rescue, loud enough for everyone to hear. "So, Boss, are we gonna be able to take lunch today?"

Playing along, Larrin blurted out, "Alright crews, let's take a break." When most of the the crews had already moved through the exit, she noted that John chose to help take the last piece loosened to the bays. Following behind to "supervise" the two men as they carried the part down the corridors, she allowed herself to take in every movement he made. Apparently she'd lowered her guard a bit too far, for when they had rounded the next corner, another figure slipped in beside her without any notice.

The three were about to enter bay three when Katana broke Larrin from her reverie. "Nice view," she whispered.

Startled, Larrin stopped and looked to her side to find Katana nearly laughing at her. "Where did you come from?" she demanded.

She watched as Katana, smiling the whole time, pointed to the junction behind them. "Over there, where the corridor leads off to the Mess Hall. I thought I might get the opportunity to talk to you about something, but you were so wrapped up in what you were seeing, I had to find out how long it would take you to notice me."

Letting out a long sigh that relieved the last of the startled tension, Larrin turned back the way they'd come and started walking, allowing a small smile for her friend's benefit. "Alright, you caught me. Now what did you want to talk to me about?"

Katana fell into step with her and took the time to assess her friend and leader before she began. "You know, there are more than a few of us who have noticed your attraction to Colonel Sheppard and his toward you."

Feeling more embarrassed by the step, Larrin bit, "Yeah, so?"

"So," Katana emphasized her last word, "you're allowed!"

Confusion crept into embarrassment's territory as she stopped moving. "Excuse me?"

"Commander," Katana made a point to be formal, "just because you are the leader of our people doesn't mean you are not allowed to have the same feelings the rest of us have. As a matter of fact, its a pleasure for us who know you to finally see you showing everyone else that you are, in fact, human."

Have I really been that bad? Larrinasked herself. Realizing that she already had the answer, she slowly started walking again. "So, we haven't been keeping it as far under wraps as we thought." She smiled at her friend.

Katana laughed. "No! You have actually shown more of your attractions than the Colonel has since we have been here."

Curiosity crept in now. "Such as?"

"Did you know that when any other of the men pass you by with parts or equipment, you don't even notice them, expect for the value that Mila has put on the item that they are carrying? Every time, without exception, when Sheppard passes by, your body acknowledges his presence, even if its out of the corner of your eye."

Nailed to the wall, Larrin defiantly asked, "So what about Sheppard's actions?"

"Oh, they're there, just not as obvious." Katana smiled, "Of course they don't have to be. He did track you down across the galaxy, convinced you to come on a journey, and gave you the object of your greatest desire." She lifted her arms as if to point to the ship they were standing in, a gesture that wasn't lost on Larrin.

"True." Allowing herself to smile about the whole situation, another query conjured its way out of her. "So, besides me being their Commander, the crews are fine with this? After all, I did bring them along for this personal journey."

"First of all, not everyone has figured it out yet." Katana started. "Secondly, you're not exactly known for having a 'stable' companionship, so for those of us who have figured it out, we find it terribly exciting. Lastly, whether or not he gave it to you directly, we are getting a 'new' Ancient warship out of it. All in all, this is great for all of us."

I can't argue with any of that, even if I wanted to. As they neared the Mess Hall, Larrin asked one more question of her friend. "So, besides pointing out how badly Colonel Sheppard and I are covering our tracks, was there a reason for you bringing this up?" Her grin stayed firmly in place.

"Yes. You are our people's leader, but you are also human. Don't be afraid to show it around us. There's more than a few who'd like to see you truly happy." With that, Katana walked into the Mess Hall, leaving her to her thoughts at the door. Feeling the need to be alone to process Katana's revelations, Larrin skipped lunch and, instead, made her way to the Bridge.

After allowing the conversation to sink in, a question started to form within her. Can I be truly happy with him?

;-)

John walked down the corridors to the Bridge with a little concern. He hadn't seen Larrin all afternoon and when he asked Katana about her, she told him that the last time she'd seen her was when they talked, just before lunch. When he didn't see her after lunch break, he figured she'd been coordinating something with the Traveler ships and went back to work helping her crews. Now, at the end of the day, the time they set aside for each other, he had to go find her. Remembering how taken with the Bridge she was that first day, it seemed like the best place to begin searching.

Upon opening the door to the Bridge and looking inside, he found Larrin sitting in the captain's chair facing out the window. What's wrong now? Slowly he approached the raised platform watching to she if she'd turn to acknowledge him. When he stepped up and moved stand in front of her, he found her asleep with dried streaks down her face. Instantly he wanted to wake her and find out what happened but as he looked over her form, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He thought about leaving her to sleep there but dismissed the thought when he saw the angle her of neck. So, as gently as he could, he slid his arms around and lifted her. Noticing that she stirred long enough to cuddle into him, he slowly carried her off the Bridge and back to the state room she claimed as hers.

As he carried her through the crew quarters section of the ship, he earned more than a few glances as he passed different crewmen. The one he hoped to see, Katana, stood in front of Larrin's door, apparently trying to find her. When she saw Sheppard carrying her, he watched as her face lit into a genuine smile as well. Needing a witness and a small amount of assistance, he whispered, "Get the door and wait right here with it open 'til I come out."

Katana nodded with her smile in place and waved her hand over the door crystals, opening the door. Noticing how quickly his arms were turning to jello, John forced himself to hold on to her for the final steps he had to take to get to the right side of her bed so her head would end up on one of its pillows. As gently as his failing muscles would let him, he set her down, helped her body stretch out, and, grabbing the throw blanket from off the couch in the room, covered her. Before he left her side, he tenderly brushed a kiss on her forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams, Sleeping Beauty." Then he made his way out of Larrin's quarters and waved his hand over the door crystals.

Turning to Katana, he found that she still wore the genuine smile. I am so dead when she wakes up! "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Colonel Sheppard."

"So, earlier when we talked, you said that the two of you talked on your way to lunch, right?" Sheppard started down the corridor to the Mess Hall. He needed a public venue to have the coming discussion.

"Yeah, why?" He noted a pondering tone as she kept smiling.

"Well, assuming you were the last one to talk with her today, what did you all talk about?" He had a feeling he'd just asked her to break confidence, but he had to know.

She tilted her head towards him and he saw a mischievous expression come over her. "Are you sure you want to know?" Not sure he'd like what he saw coming, John nodded. "Well, you see, Colonel Sheppard, not all of the crew is as blind as you two would like them to be."

And they just watched me carry Larrin to her state room. I am so dead.