The Sad Bastards Club
LSLSLSLSLS
Tom prowled down the different p-ways in agitation as the ship sat in tense silence. It had been three hours since he had gotten the call from CIC, and until the engines were repaired, all they could do was wait. The lengths Engineering had gone to in their search had been extremely thorough but debilitating. It was likely the engines wouldn't be able to come back online until tomorrow morning, and Engineering was working as fast as possible to get them up. He felt like a damn sitting duck with his ass hanging out in the wind just sitting here.
He cursed silently for making them stop this morning but then rebuked himself harshly for it. They had been too tired and the chances of them making a mistake would have been much higher. And the idea of a stealth ship sitting in the wings watching was far too ludicrous to even imagine.
He grasped the railing as he quickly traveled down the stairs to the deck containing the workout room. In another hour it would be dinner time but he needed to work out some of the aggression and stress lighting up his system.
There's another way to do that, he thought darkly, before pushing the thought away. The first time between him and Rachel deserved to be better than a way to settle his body. Though after that was free game and fierce desire rolled through him at the thought.
The sound of fists slamming into a punching bag broke through his thoughts and he sped up. He hoped to God it was someone who would be willing to spar with him. Most of the crew was a little too intimidated to fight with their Captain, but his TAC teams took extreme pride in laying him out on the rare chances they could get past his guard in practice.
He stalked through the door and then froze in angeried dismay. Fuck!
Tex turned at the sound of someone entering the room and raised his eyebrows as the Captain turned on his heel and started to march back out the door.
"Something wrong, Commodore?"
Tom stopped as rage rolled through him as the situation with the James and his anger at Tex came to a head. Walk away, he urged his feet, Rachel is already going to kick your ass when you finally do confront him but that doesn't mean it has to be today.
Tex pursed his lips thoughtfully as he eyed the man he used to call friend. Oh, he still thought of Tom as a friend, but he was pretty sure the man wanted to hang him by his heels and beat the daylights out of him.
And Tex couldn't blame him one bit for that as the thought of holding Sabine safely in his arms at night rolled through his mind. He had wanted to corner Tom this morning and get it over with, but Gunny had put a stop to that pretty quickly when he'd asked for advice.
"Let him have some time to square things with Rachel, and get the engine situation taken care of first." The Marine had said as he'd squinted in the bright light as they'd stood on the outside portion of deck 3. "And then fight it out and reclaim your friendship with him. Harry is going to kick both your asses when she finds out so be prepared to lay it all on the line at once so it's done with."
By the set of the Captain's shoulders and the way he had barreled in here though Tex was pretty sure the man needed to wail on something. Might as well hit two birds with one stone, he thought in resignation, as a picture of a Rachel on the warpath streaked through his mind.
"Don't you want to know how easy it was to talk her into leaving? All I had to do was mention it, and she jumped on the chance." He drawled quietly as the Captain managed to get his feet moving again out of the room.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
Tom's vision washed away in a sea of red as his hands clenched into tight fists. Nails drew blood as he slowly rotated on his heels and his eyesight cleared enough to see Tex draw one hand out of a boxing glove and throw him the tape to wrap his hands with.
Whipping off his BDU jacket, Tom dropped it to the floor carelessly as he quickly tapped up his hands and grabbed a pair of boxing gloves hanging on the wall. Quickly jogging in place to warm up, he pushed back the rage clouding his vision to take stock of the man waiting patiently on the mat for him.
"No face hits. And I want to know everything about those last few days." Tom snarled as he stalked up to the mat.
"Rachel is going to know anyway." Tex reminded him as they started to circle each other.
"I'm more worried about concussions taking out the CO of a Goddamm Naval Destroyer than I am about you!"
Darting forward, Tom slammed a fist into Tex's gut and his mind howled with bloodlust as the other man staggered back from the blow. He dodged to the side as Tex swung out a wild hit that caught the edge of his rib cage but he refused to let the pain distract him.
"You made it really easy you know." Tex goaded as he ducked under a swing and then blocked the other fist that came hammering at him. "You made sure she was escorted back to her stateroom every night. All I had to do was slip in and wait for the guard to bring her back."
His breath whooshed out of him as Tom socked him in the stomach and he managed to move back quickly enough to dodge the next hit.
Dammit, he's like a fucking freight train! Better get the rest of this out quickly before you drive him into throwing you overboard, Cowboy. Sabine will just scowl at you as she fishes you out of the ocean, he thought frantically as he ducked another swing.
"She had to leave, Commodore. That was why it was so easy to convince her to go."
"Bullshit!" Tom raged as he surged forward. Tex danced back on light feet and dodged once more to place himself back in the center of the mat. He blocked the fist flying at him but didn't see the other one until it hit home. Gasping, Tex leaned his weight on his knees and tried to take steady breaths as Tom ranted around him.
"She was safe on this ship! I may have lost my temper and not let her know the plan but she was safe. You convinced her to leave, and she's spent the last 18 months in constant danger." Tom drew in deep breaths as he struggled to control his rage.
"I didn't convince her to do shit, Tom." Tex cursed and dropped low as he saw the control snap loose again on Tom's face. Backing up quickly, he managed to get a lucky hit in that caused Tom to stop and lean over to drag in ragged breaths.
"I could see it in her eyes even before the fight between you two, Captain. What did you think was going to happen when she managed to create an airborne cure? Not stay safely on the James while others risked the danger in spreading it, that's for damn sure."
Oh thank heaven, Tex silently said the prayer, I'm not sure what I would have done if he hadn't stopped.
And the Captain had stopped. Tex watched the rage retreat a bit and the Naval Commander come back to the fore.
"She was going to leave. Maybe not then, but it would have been soon. The Doc is not the type to stay behind the walls of the castle and let others do the dirty work. Your woman is no shrinking violet, she's a fucking steel magnolia. And no way in hell was I going to let her leave without some form of protection."
Tom's jaw clenched tight at the truth simmering in his blood. "Then she would have had the protection of TAC teams to back her, and I would have been with her leading them."
Tex's face peered at him skeptically. "Would you have really left the James? Leave your crew and children behind to follow her on what could have been a suicidal mission? I can believe the President would send her with a tactical group, but you can't really tell me you would have left with them."
The thought Tom had been chasing all day crept closer and pushed the rest of his rage away. "And why would you believe that about the President?" He said slowly as a wave of forbidding swept over him.
Tex raised his eyebrows in amusement as he backed off and started to pull off his gloves. He was pretty sure the fight was done, and thank God it was. Fire licked up his ribs from the hits Tom had gotten in, but satisfaction rolled through him as he thought of the shots he had managed to sneak in.
"Well, wasn't 'the plan' for the President to pardon her? The least he could do for her service was give her some protection as she worked to spread the cure."
A sick feeling swept over Tom, and Tex looked at him in concern as the blood drained from the Captain's face. "You didn't find that out from one of the crew, did you?" He asked as desperate hopefulness clouded his thoughts.
Tex eyed him in confusion and replied carefully, "No, sir. Gunny was pretty sure that was the plan from the start. He and Rachel discussed it a few times a couple of months after we left but it was dropped after a while."
Tom closed his eyes tightly as pain exploded in him. In all the excitement and events in the last day, it hadn't occurred to him that Rachel hadn't brought up the fact that as far as she was supposed to know, she was still waiting to be tried for murder.
Not. Fucking. Once.
"What in the bloody hell is going on here?"
Tom's head jerked slightly in her direction before he controlled the motion as she came further into the room. Pain lanced his soul as he drew on the strength and training the Navy had given him and emptied his face of emotion.
He calmly turned and met her head on as she stalked over to the two men on the mat, Gunny trailing after her as the Marine rubbed his forehead and shot them both a look of irritation.
"Ah, now Doc..."
"Shut up." Rachel hissed in fury at Tex as she came to a stop in front of them both. The furious expression dropped for a moment as she met Tom's expressionless face before it tightened again.
"Was it all just a lie?" Tom asked quietly, without letting the pain shredding his heart leak into his voice.
Rachel paused and closed her mouth with an audible click on the rant she had been about to unleash. She pushed her anger aside and studied the man staring at her impassively. What she saw made panic and adrenaline dump into her system all at once. There was only one other time she had ever seen that look, or rather, non-look on his face and it had been that horrible night before they had torn into each other over a monster.
"Papa Bear. Cowboy."
Without verbally acknowledging the request, both men turned and quickly made a path for the hatchway. She knew they would leave the room but would wait for her outside.
Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and braced her feet against the floor. She spared a brief thought of thanks that Taylor and the children had stolen James and taken him to the upper decks when Gunny had come to get her for dinner. James was beginning to see Tom as an extension of her, but she didn't feel like plugging any holes today if he saw them fighting.
Please God just let it be something simple, she prayed into the silence as Tom began to calmly pull off his boxing gloves.
"What do you mean by, 'was it all a lie', luv?"
"I'm not sure you have the right to call me that right now." Tom returned softly as he began to strip the tape from his hands.
Dammit, woman, courage, she urged to herself as her mind wavered in panic. She had no clue what was going on, but her instincts were screaming at her that this was about to be a fight of the highest order. And she had no idea what she was fighting against, but she damn well knew what she was fighting for.
In a second, her life spun out before her eyes and the cold black emptiness that she could see of her past before the James frightened her.
Oh, there had been brief glimpses of light as different people swung in and out of her life at times. It wasn't until after she had joined the ship that she'd let more in. The Circus and crew of the James burned bright with Jeremy in their corner of her soul but even the combined might of them couldn't reach all the dark places.
There had only ever been one that had brought such color and bright sunlight to the darkness that it had blinded her with the glory of it. There had been horribleness and grief along the way, but it had been more than worth the pain to feel the heat soak into her.
But now her sun was standing in front of her, closing himself off just like he had done that night. Now that she had experienced what it felt like to stand in the sun and feel it embrace her, she knew it would shatter pieces of her soul to return to that half-darkness. She may be the love of his life, but he was the light in her soul. And she would not let him go unless he demanded it.
Tom continued to unwind the tape from his left hand as he tried to control the agony spreading through him.
He wanted to be wrong. He prayed he was.
"You knew." He stated it plainly, but could tell from the expression on her face she didn't understand.
"You knew about the plan to pardon you. Or if you weren't sure, you at least thought it likely enough. You haven't asked about it, not even a hint. Granted it's only been a little more than a day, but one of the last times we saw each other, I promised to make sure you would be tried for capital murder. So I would think that would be one of the first things you would ask about." Tom paused as he switched to unwinding the tape from his right. He took a quick step back as she took one forward, and steeled his spine against the hurt that flashed over her face.
"Now, that could be explained away since it has just only been a day and a lot has gone on in it. Except for the fact Tex just mentioned Gunny had talked to you about it in the first few months after you left. Add to the fact that none of the Circus have brought it up tells me they knew about it too." Throwing the tape carelessly to the floor, Tom folded his arms across his chest and looked at her with hard eyes.
"So yes, Dr. Scott. Was it all a lie? Did you just tell me what I wanted to hear most? Obviously no one on the James meant a damn thing to you at all." Tom closed his eye for a brief moment as tears started to run down Rachel's face, but kept a tight control on his face. He didn't want to show her how this was shredding his heart.
"That's not true. You know it isn't!" Rachel said around her tears as she tried to reach to touch him.
Tom leaped back to avoid her and finally lost the control he had been trying so desperately to hold on to. "Bullshit!" He raged out, and he was sure his face was finally showing the agonized pain flooding his heart. "That's absolute bullshit, Rachel! We had no contact from you, no word at all to know if you were alive or dead. You may not have known how I felt about you but at the least I thought we were friends! All I had to go on was the whispers we would hear every once in a while. I had no guarantee it was even you."
His chest heaved as he tried to reel in his rage and hurt. "Did you ever plan to contact us? Or even try? Did you ever care about us, even a little? Because from where I'm standing, you didn't give a shit."
Rachel reeled back like he had struck her, and her face went hard as anger finally began to simmer in her. It was like everything she had told and shown him in the last day had been discarded in his eyes.
"Don't be an arse! I wanted so badly to come home. I left because I couldn't stand to see the way you looked at me. What was I supposed to do? Call you on the telephone and breathe in your ear like a teenage girl?! Last time I looked, communications were down! Quite possibly for good." She raged and his face went hard at her words.
"You're a smart woman Rachel! And you had been on this ship long enough to have figured out a way. So why?!"
Rachel clenched and unclenched her hands rapidly as she tried to push the anger down. It would do no good here as what she was about to say would hurt him. And what was said in anger could come out much worse than it already was, and be harder to deal with.
"Do you know what's it like to see the man who you would give everything for, be anything he needed, to look at you like you were a monster? Like I was no better than him." She said quietly and watched as the color drained from his face.
"What was the point in coming home? If I had reached out, you would have easily convinced me to return, I had no doubt of that." She took a deep breath to steady herself and then hit the hammer home.
"After all, no matter how much you hated Neils, the James still gave him sanctuary in return for his answers. It's just the honorable man you are, and you would have given me the same option. And with the way I feel about you, if I had heard your voice telling me to come home, I would have. No matter how much it would have hurt me. I left because it was hurting my soul to have seen the disgust in your eyes and I stayed away for the same reason."
"Stop." He begged her. Tom turned his back to her and laced his fingers in his hair, pulling it tightly as self-disgust and agony swamped him. Rachel felt the last of her anger melt away and pain lanced her heart as tears brightened her eyes.
"I love you. I love this ship and everyone aboard her."
"You have a funny way of showing it." Tom whispered raggedly as he moved to wipe away the tears sliding down his face. It was time to be done with this. He couldn't take any more hits from his heart or he would shatter in front of her.
He turned back around and began striding for the open hatchway.
"No." He said shakily, as she tried to reach for him again as he moved away. Her hand wavered in the air a bit before dropping limply back to her side. "It's my turn to run away this time."
And with that, he rapidly moved around her and made a beeline for the hatchway, grabbing his BDU jacket on the way from the floor. He ignored the grave looks the Circus members shot him as he stepped into the p-way and made his way to the stairs.
Rachel leaned her hands on her knees as she struggled to control the shudders racking her body. Pain for both of them rolled over her in waves and she took deep breaths as she pushed back the tears clouding her vision.
Strong hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her upright. For one wild moment, she thought it was Tom come back and lunged into the open arms in front of her. Silent tears streamed down her face as she inhaled the scent of gunpowder and Old Spice instead of the ocean. Gunny simply pulled her tighter into him, lowering them gently to the floor as his shirt caught her tears.
Someone shut the hatchway, and the members of her family settled around them on the floor, smoothing hands down her back in comfort as she cried.
LSLSLSLSLS
"Well. I have to say that reason took me by surprise."
Rachel fisted her hands in Gunny's shirt and pulled back to look at him as his words registered through her weary mind. The last of her tears had dried some time ago and they had just sat quietly for a while in silence.
"I'm sorry, Doc. It was all my fault." Tex whispered again behind her as his hands once more ran down her back. He had told them everything a little while ago about what had happened from the first moment Tom had stepped through the hatch.
"No, Tex. It's not. This mess belongs to Tom and I, and no one else." She reached a hand behind her back and laced her fingers with his and he squeezed them in comfort.
"What did you mean by that, Daniel?" Rachel unlocked her hand from Tex's and leaned forward again into Gunny's chest. She pulled his strength into herself as she considered what to do next.
The Marine studied the top of her head thoughtfully for a moment before replying, "I expected a possible blowout over many things, but the Commander surprised me with this one. I expected it to be more along the lines of demanding you give up fighting. However, based on our conversation earlier in the Galley, he seems to have accepted it and even been grateful for the training."
He felt her face fall into a frown against his chest as she thought over his words. "Blowout?" She questioned softly.
"Too much shit happened between the both of you for it to have been that easy, Harry." He rebuked her firmly. "The question now is what your next move is."
"We will follow you, to whatever end. You know that." Alyssa smoothed her hands through Rachel's hair and scratched gently at her scalp.
"And if I try to leave without you again, you'll kick my arse and put Nair in my shampoo?"
Alyssa laughed as her words were repeated back at her from so long ago. "Yes ma'am." She said cheerfully. "And don't you forget it!"
Blond hair obscured Rachel's vision for a moment as Alyssa scooted in beside her and placed a smacking kiss on her forehead.
Overwhelming love for the people seated around her filled her heart. There wasn't a chance in hell she could give them up now. They were as ingrained in her soul as Tom was.
"I'm stronger than I was before, and I'm not giving up on us before we've barely started. He's going to have to toss me off his bloody fucking ship first. And even then I'm sneaking back onboard to give him a what for."
Rachel oomphed as arms like steel tightened around her and crushed her to Gunny's chest. "That's our, Doc." He whispered fiercely in her ear.
Her breath whooshed out again as a hard body fell into her from behind and Torres whooped in her ear. "Hells yes, Harry!" She slammed an elbow back into his gut and he laughed even as he gasped for air as he fell off of her.
"So what's the play, Harry?" Sabine asked as Gunny loosened his hold on her, and she straightened up.
"Firstly, we're going to find Taylor and the children. I'm sure James is begging for a chance to rest by now." She said wryly as the Circus laughed. James was like the Energizer Bunny, but between two teens who adored him, he was run into the ground by them whenever they found a safe place to rest for a few days.
"Secondly, we're going to find a quiet corner and get some food. After that, I have a promise to keep to some old friends who've been missing me." Gunny tugged her in once more and placed a comforting kiss in her hair.
"We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, Harry, but battle on." He whispered into her hair. Amusement replaced the pain for a moment as several chortles came from behind her.
She scoffed and pulled back to mock scowl at him. "One day you will get tired of quoting Harry Potter at me. Or run out of them. That was weak, Marine."
The sudden bright grin he shot her then was full of wicked amusement. "Never! Though I'd like to know how you can spot them. I had a young son who begged me to read them to him as an good excuse. What's yours?"
"I'm British, Daniel. I'd like to meet a loyalist who hasn't." The chortles turned to outright laughter as Gunny pulled her to her feet. Slinging an arm around her, they started walking towards the door as the sound of bodies scrambling to catch up sounded behind them.
"And then after that?" Gunny asked quietly as they stepped through the hatchway.
"And then I'm going to our room to lay in wait." She said firmly.
"I almost pity the man." Tex said with slight relish as he came up behind them, snagging her out from under Gunny's arm and placed her under his own. She wrapped an arm around his waist and tilted her head up to look at him.
"What?" He asked, affronted as the group pegged him with curious looks. "The man hits like a fucking freight train. I'm going to have to ice my ribs tonight! Gunny, remind me to never piss off the CO of the Nathan James ever again."
"So noted, Cowboy." Gunny laughed at him as the Circus headed for the stairway.
LSLSLSLSLS
Rachel slipped through the darkness on the top of the most upper deck and paused for a moment to take in the sight of the galaxy spread out above her. James was a comforting presence beside her as she resumed her journey to the back corner where three shadows were waiting for her. James suddenly pausing in mid step caused her to tense as she looked down at her partner.
"Hey Doc." A voice suddenly whispered in her ear. Jumping, she whirled and then punched a laughing Danny in the shoulder as her heart tried to unlodge itself from her throat.
"Ow!" The Seal grinned at her and rubbed his arm. Quiet laughter came from behind him as Kara came out of the shadows to pull her into a hug. The two women clung to each other for a moment as it was the first time since yesterday morning they had seen each other.
Pulling back, Rachel looked the other woman up and down critically. Snorting in amusement, the Lt. locked arms with her and began to tow her to the other three people still waiting in the corner.
"Emily came right at 40 weeks with no complications. Well, besides Danny passing out and taking down the doctor's medical tray with him, of course."
Rachel leaned her head back and laughed as Danny began to protest behind them. "There was so much blood! Seriously Doc, I thought she was going to bleed to death. And the screaming! Oh my God, the curses that came out of her mouth would make a Seal blush!"
Almost hiccuping with laughter, Rachel stopped them and reached back to reel Danny in on her other side. "Pictures. I want to see pictures of her!" She poked Danny in the chest and then had to shake out her finger. He was wearing full body armor and had his assault rifle strapped against his chest.
He shrugged at her raised eyebrow. "I get off in five mics for the night. Miller came up early and let me off the hook. Captain's ordered double night guard."
The look he gave her then was a concerned one at the flash of pain that went across her face. She sighed at the calculating look that she could see in the dim light that lit up his face.
When she and the group had first started meeting, it had been agreed upon that rank would hold no jurisdiction here and that every subject would be open for perusal.
She mocked frowned at him as they joined the three waiting for them in the corner, and he just smirked in response. What was said in the group, stayed in the group. It made what was brought up all the more special, and encouraged everyone to share. The five people before her were probably the only ones aboard the ship who knew about her feelings for Tom before she had left.
Quiet greetings sounded out as she pressed a kiss on Beatrice's cheek before ghosting a hand along the Master Chief's face, and touched Bacon gently on the shoulder.
Danny had approached her shortly after the trials, and had been the instigator for the support group. He'd had trouble sleeping after Kara had recovered from the virus, and hadn't been comfortable seeing Doc Rios about it. Instead, he had approached her one afternoon before they had reached Boston.
She wasn't that kind of doctor, and she had told him so, but he hadn't really cared. He just wanted someone to talk to who would understand. The Chaplain he normally would have been able to go to had come down sick right before the Arctic Tour, so the James had left without her since the Tour was supposed to be short.
The result of Danny's asking had spawned three nights a week of meetings that had drawn in the Master Chief when she'd noticed the haunted look in his eyes shortly after the start.
Russ had been rocked to his core at the hallucinations he had seen of his dead wife and daughter. The Master Chief was responsible for the well being of the enlisted crew and did his job very well, but he had desperately needed a friendly shoulder to lean on for support.
Bertrice had been the next to join as she had finally crumpled from the weight of her grief. Her brother's voice haunted her, and she'd had trouble getting rid of the visions of dead bodies floating in the ocean next to her.
Rachel had been apprehensive about letting her join as some of the subjects brought up were enough to give anyone nightmares, and she had only been 15 at the time. But as Danny had so rightly pointed out, Beatrice's experiences were horrifying all on their own and she was in desperate need of the support the group could give her.
Rachel settled next to Bacon as James laid down at her back and kept a watchful eye on the group from around her hip. She reached out to squeeze the big man's hand as she considered him. Bacon had been the last member to join them before she had left. Quincey had been their friend, even if he had betrayed both of them at different points. His death had shook both of them and they had taken what comfort they could in reminiscing about him.
Kara's body brushed hers as she sat down next to her, and Danny slid down carefully to complete the circle. The Lt. was a new addition to the group, and Rachel couldn't help but worry as she grabbed her hand. What had she missed in the last 18 months that would necessitate Kara needing to join the support group?
"Hearie, hearie. The Sad Bastards Club is now called to order." Danny drawled, and Rachel reached around Kara to nail him in the shoulder again with a fist. She had loathed that name but the others had found it amusing enough to keep so she had been overruled.
"OW! Ok, first order of business would be to discuss the new badassery skills Rachel acquired while she was on sabbatical." Rubbing his shoulder again, the Seal pinned her a look that demanded answers.
She scoffed at him in answer. "They were a necessity if I planned on running around with a bunch of Marines, Danny. And traveling the roads of today's America is not a sabbatical."
Grim looks descended on everyone's face at her reply. "Tell us." Rachel turned her head to look at Russ at his soft command, and she nibbled on her bottom lip as she debated what to tell them.
"All of it Rachel. Or at least, what you're willing to tell us. I'm guessing the rest would be for the Captain's shoulder." She tried to catch the grimace that crossed her face at Danny's last sentence, but he caught sight of it before she could hide it.
"Ha!" He crowed softly as he jab a finger in her direction. "We're going to be talking about that too. I saw the man a little while ago and by the look on his face, something serious just went down between you two." The others in the group leaned forward in sudden interest at his words.
Rachel leaned around Kara and shot him a dirty look. "I've forgotten how bloody irritating you can be, Seal."
Quiet laughter rang out in the group as Danny gasped in mock outrage at her language.
"Stop stalling, doctor. It's our turn to be the shoulder to bear the weight." Kara's hand tightened on hers in support at the Master Chief's words. Nodding, she started to softly recount some of the events of the last 18 months.
Their heads bowed in grief at the list of cities where nothing living now remained. Beatrice gave a short sob and Russ's jaw clenched tight as she described the sight of the dead littering the streets, while Kara's hand strangled hers when she moved on to finding the families in the houses they had raid for supplies. Bacon just leaned into her and gave her his silent support as she struggled through it. Danny's fierce eyes met hers and she drew strength from him as she registered the respect for her that she could just make out in the dim light.
There had been hope and joy along the way too, and she told them about every single one. They had found so many people in hiding, just trying to ride out the storm and survive. Pride for their country straightened their spines as she recounted the groups they had run across, taking the risk of infection to help others in their area with food and shelter.
Silence fell for a while as the group filed away the information she had given them before a deep voice rumbled out beside her. "Damn good job, Doc. You should be very proud at what you all have accomplished."
Sounds of agreement sounded out around her and she flushed with embarrassed pride.
"Though it would have been nice if you had dropped us a line every once in awhile. We were really worried." A shoulder bumped hers as Kara gently chided her.
A sigh burst out of Rachel before she could contain it. "Oh, I've been taking to task very harshly for that today."
"I'm guessing by the Captain? Confession time, Doc. Yesterday and this morning it looked like everything had been cleared up between you two. And I have to say, kudos to the man for working so fast." Admiration laced Danny's tone even as the serious look on his face asked for an answer.
"Agreed. He made an announcement to the XO and I about it this morning. I've known Tom a long time, and it's been more than 2 years since I've seen that much happiness on his face." Russ's response was carefully neutral, and she couldn't help the wan smile she gave him. This was a mess to be sure that they had made for themselves.
She quietly repeated the argument from the workout room and they all leaned back in consideration.
"That's a shitstorm." Shocked rocketed through Rachel as her head whipped to Beatrice. "Language!" She exclaimed as chuckles rose up from the group.
"I'm a sailor now." The woman remained her as she fingered the Navy uniform she was wearing. Rachel huffed as she eyed her in reluctant amusement.
"And just how did that come about? I thought you had to be 18 and a native before you could join the military." She gently teased her.
"I'm 17! It was close enough that I was able to convince the Captain to admit me as enlisted."
Muffled laughter came from Russ seated beside her. "When she says she was able to convince him, it was more like it was a well thought out military campaign that he couldn't help but be impressed with."
Rachel gave him a look that demanded an explanation even as a smile tugged at her lips.
"There was a powerpoint presentation. She kept it on the tablet you left behind and carried it everywhere, learning his schedule and cornering him at every opportunity she could. I think it was when she jumped him on his way to the showers after a workout that he gave in." He replied dryly.
Slapping a hand over her mouth, Rachel tried to suppress the laughter as she envisioned it. Her amusement died quickly though as she suddenly realized just how much she had missed.
"It's ok, Rachel. You've done so much good in the time you were away. But you have been missed." A foot nudged hers and she smiled weakly at Beatrice.
"I want to know it all. Tell me everything that's happened while I was gone."
LSLSLSLSLS
Rachel stopped at the end of the p-way and took a deep breath as she gazed at a door halfway down. She buried her fingers behind James's ear as he leaned tiredly against her. After hearing about baby Emily, and getting the pictures she had demanded, the group had taken turns trading stories back and forth about what she had missed.
She had giggled at hearing about the gobsmacked expression Tom had worn when Kara had asked him to walk her down the aisle. She hadn't been able to contain the bittersweet laughter at the description of the awkward dance Tom had done since he was also officiating when they'd reached Danny at the end of the aisle. There had been so many stories and news that her head swam with it.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled the strength that had been so hard won around her and convinced her legs to start moving. She needed to take her own advice and only consider the past so she would learn from her mistakes. Yes, she had missed much, but she had also gained many in the time away.
Coming to a stop at the door, she thoughtfully considered the nameplate on the door.
Commander Thomas Chandler
The Rachel from before would have had the courage to come up to the door and maybe knock but nothing else. She felt her face tighten at the thought.
But the Rachel who had returned had the balls to open the door and storm in.
Grasping the handle, she pushed it open and stepped into the room. And then promptly deflated against the door as she took stock of the empty room.
Dammit.
Blowing out a breath, she noticed the black bag that was still sitting near the bed. It was already late, and she wasn't sure if he was going to come back to his cabin or go sleep in his office. He had done that when his father and children were onboard before they had reached Norfolk so it was an option.
She briefly considered going out and hunting him down but then dismissed it. If he needed time to regain his calm then she would give it to him. Cornering him and forcing a conversation before he was ready would be counterproductive.
Frowning, she thought about that as she moved further into the room before determination swept through her. She was going to make him ask her to leave if he didn't want her in his room anymore. It wasn't likely but still possible, as he was hurting and she wouldn't force it. Though even if he did, she still wasn't giving up on them.
James gave her a curious look as he moved past her to jump onto the couch and collapse on it with a grateful sigh. She stuck her tongue at him childishly as she shut the door behind her and moved over to the duffle bag.
Pulling out a set of night clothes, she grabbed a towel on her way to the head to take a shower. Rachel shivered with anticipation at the thought of hot water.
She wasn't shy to admit this was the second one of the day she had snuck one in. Hot water had been an infrequent commodity and was the one thing the Circus had all fought about on the road. They had carted around a portable generator for electricity to cook with sometimes, and for the lights they had strung up at night. But it had only been powerful enough to heat up one water tank in an abandoned house when they had stopped. Even then it had taken over an hour to do that, so they'd had to take turns on who would get hot water for their shower.
Closing the door, she set her clothes on the counter and reached for the faucet handle.
LSLSLSLSLS
Tom sat down with a heavy sigh in the spot the Circus had all gathered in last night. The silent SeaHawk was a comforting presence as he leaned his head up and took a good look at the stars.
He was a fucking idiot.
Once he had managed to calm down, he'd gone looking for Rachel but hadn't been able to find her. Not in the lab, or in the Mess. He had even checked their room but besides her bag that had still been there, it had been empty. His last idea had led him to the flight deck when he remembered Mike telling him about her walks here before.
"XO for CO, go."
Tom's eyes slammed shut as his radio squawked in his ear. The temptation to just ignore it almost overwhelmed him before duty tugged once again at him.
"CO for XO, go."
"Sir, what is your current whiskey?" Tom blew out a breath at Mike's question. He had a very good idea where this was going, and to be frank, his best friend could just piss off tonight.
"Is the ship on fire XO?" The reply he got then made him close his eyes in resignation.
"No, but it's about to be if you don't tell us your whiskey."
Fuck.
"Is there something I can help you with, Gunny? So long as it's not life threatening, it can wait until morning." Tom scooted closer into the shadows near the railing of the ship and prayed in the silence.
He wasn't a coward but between the fuck ups he'd committed today, and the emotional beating he'd taken he was just done. Unless it involved Rachel and the chance to get on his knees and beg, he wanted nothing to do with it tonight unless the ship was in mortal danger. Everything else could wait until morning, dammit.
"Oh, there's a lot you can help me with, but we'll start with the epic fail of today."
Tom blew out a breath as two warm bodies walked out of the darkness and slid down next to him. "If you knew where I was, then why did you ask?" He questioned with irritation.
"Well," Mike said thoughtfully from his left side, "the look on your face was pretty funny."
A bag shook itself in front of his face from his right and he grabbed at it.
Stuffing a mint in his mouth, he grabbed a few more before passing it to Mike and sighed.
"You don't need to tell me I fucked up. I already know, thank you." Tom muttered as he unwrapped a second mint. He could suddenly see the reason why the mints were the choice for bad days.
Chocolate coated his tongue and he hollowed his cheeks to taste the mint more fully. It gave you something else to concentrate as your mind raced around you.
"Oh you fucked up. Epically, from what I heard." He shot an irritated look at Mike before sighing in agreement with him.
"But so did she." Came Gunny's firm voice next to him. Tom whipped his head around in anger to argue with him, but stopped flat at the uncompromising look on the Marine's face.
"She could have stayed, sir. She could have toughed it out and rolled with the punches. But she didn't." A grateful expression crossed Gunny's face then before he continued. "I thank God every day she didn't, but that doesn't change the facts between you." Here his face went hard and the leader surfaced to give the Captain a look. "Now you get to deal with being the reason why she ran. Rachel has to deal with running in the first place. Both of you need to deal with this. But the big question is, will you do it together?"
Tom scoffed at him through the third mint he had just stuffed in his mouth. "If I could find her I'd already be on my knees begging for forgiveness."
"Good." A new voice called out of the darkness as it approached. "Because if not, what I'd do to you would make what Rachel did to Neils look like a high school chemistry experiment."
All three of the seated men raised their eyebrows at the doctor as Jeremy settled in front of them. "What? I was going to give the same speech to the Captain here but Daniel beat me to it." Snatching the bag from in front of the Marine, he managed to dig out five of them before Tom grabbed it out of his hands.
Unwrapping one, he pointed it at the Marine before popping it in his mouth. "You should have been a psychiatrist, Daniel."
"Nah," Gunny replied with amusement, "I just have insider knowledge."
"Of Rachel?" Jeremy tilted his head at the man as he eyed him.
Chuckling drew their attention to Mike as he stretched his legs out on the deck. "No, more like knowledge of having a firecracker of a significant other."
Tom turned his head to look at him. "I was happily married for over 15 years." He reminded him dryly.
"Oh you were," his best friend agreed cheerfully, "and Darien was a wonderful wife and loving mother. When she thought she was right, she'd make a stand and state her case. But you can't deny you wore the pants in that relationship. You'd make a decision and she would follow your lead without question. There's nothing wrong with that, Tom." He said the last firmly as a slightly stricken look crossed his best friend's face. "It was the way you both worked and she was extremely happy from what I could see. But I'm pretty sure the woman who danced around Gunny today telling him to stick his dick up his own ass while she socked him is going to be a different kettle of fish entirely."
Silence fell for a moment before laughter from all of them rang out over the deck.
Tom leaned back and looked at the brilliance of the stars above him as his laughter faded into chuckles. "She is something else, isn't she?"
The men around him made sounds of agreement before falling silent for a moment.
Gunny leaned back and then nudged Tom in the arm as he said, "It's a learning curve, Captain. You learn how to bend and she learns how to lead you around by your balls. It's all about balance."
Mike snorted out a laugh as he nodded. "Christine would very much agree with that assessment." He said dryly. "But she would also say to just talk to her. You'll both fall down as you adjust to being together, but so long as you give a hand up to the other you'll be fine."
Tom nudged his arm against Mike's shoulder in silent thanks and his best friend just nodded.
"Well, I need to get back to my own firecracker before she comes hunting. Good night, sirs." Gunny heaved himself up off the deck and stretched his back tiredly before a voice rang out once more.
"Gunny." Turning, he watched as the CO pulled himself to his feet. "My friends call me Tom." He offered quietly as he held out a hand.
"Daniel." The Marine said as he reached out and grabbed Tom's hand with a firm grasp. "Go find our girl and prepare to beg. And then make sure she begs too."
"I would if she would magically appear from wherever she disappeared to!" Tom said with a chagrined look on his face.
"Oh. I probably should have led with this then." Tom looked down at the smirking scientist at his feet as the man reached forward and swiped the last mint Tom had from the ground. "I saw Rach just a few minutes ago headed to your quarters. She had a very determined look on her face."
Tom froze for a moment before spitting out as he spun on his heel, "Dammit, Jeremy!"
Laughter followed the CO as he bolted away and was out of sight in seconds. The slamming of the hatch sounded moments later and Gunny couldn't help it as he bent over in amusement.
"Very well played, Dr. Black." Jeremy held up a hand and high fived him as the Marine gave him a smirk of approval.
Gunny turned to Mike as the XO climbed to his feet and simply could not help himself. "Do you think we could...?"
"No!" Mike laughed out again as he took in the look of wicked amusement on the Marine's face. "If we interrupt them again I'm positive the Captain will kill us. And then the Doc will dismember us and feed us to the fishies. I'm about to call CIC and tell them to not disturb the CO upon pain of murder and mayhem. Only if the ship is in mortal danger will he be called upon tonight."
Reaching down and pulling Jeremy to his feet, the three began to quietly laugh and converse as they made their way to the hatch and settle in for the night.
LSLSLSLSLS
Tom blew out a deep breath and eyed his nameplate nailed to his door. He had flown down the p-ways and reached his quarters in record time, but had skidded to a stop at his door. Jeremy had said he'd seen her come this way, but what if she'd already left? Grabbed her bag and went to her old stateroom?
Tom raised his head then as stubborn determination flooded through him and he reached for the handle. He wouldn't find anything out standing in the damn p-way, that was for sure.
Opening his door, he leaned against it as pained disappointment surged in him at the empty room. Dammit, she had already left.
Tom straightened then with renewed determination rolling over him. He would just have to go and find her then.
It was the sound of dog tags sliding together and a slight whine that stopped him in his tracks. Snaking his head around the door, he closed his eyes as relief almost strangled him as gold eyes peered back at him from the couch.
Stepping into the room, he closed the door before making his way over to the couch.
Heaving the dog's head and shoulders up, Tom slid under him and let James fall back into his lap. James stiffened for a moment before burying his head against Tom and rubbing his head against the man. Sliding his thumb inside an ear, Tom ran firm pressure along the edges before digging in gently to the center.
James tilted his head at more of an angle and closed his eyes in pleasure.
"How long has she been in there?" Tom asked him as he then lightly tugged on the furred ear. Gold eyes opened to look reproachfully at him for the interruption and Tom couldn't help the grin he shot the dog. The sound of the shower running beside him had alerted him to Rachel's location and it had been 5 minutes already since he'd walked in. The temptation to get up and open the door was almost overpowering but he managed to push it back.
But just barely.
Tom grunted as feet suddenly stabbed themselves in his lap as James lurched up from his lying down position and cocked his head at the head. Frowning, Tom watched as James hopped off him and quickly made his way to the door of the head.
His eyebrows raised up and a small amount of amusement hit him as James scratched at the door. Rising up and joining the dog at the door, he reached down to grab James's harness to pull him away.
But he missed by a mile as the dog suddenly reared up and raked his paws against the door handle.
Tom cursed as he leaned down again to reach for the dog but froze as warm wet heat billowed across his face from the suddenly open door.
Startled, Tom dropped his eyes down to meet the gold ones only inches away as the dog craned his head to look through the doorway. Apparently satisfied his handler was fine, James yawned and sauntered his way back to the couch.
Slowly straightening up and looking at James as he circled a few times before lying down with a huff, a reluctant smile crossed Tom's face. "Smarter than the average bear, indeed."
Tom looked back into the head a second later as a frustrated sound came from the shower, and a dainty hand reached up to grab the edge of the curtain.
LSLSLSLSLS
Rachel leaned back and sighed with pleasure as water as hot as she could stand it beat down on her from above. She rotated her head and a soft moan slipped out before she could contain it as the water position shifted to apply pressure to her neck.
It was the slightly cool draft drifting across her legs that alerted her the door had come open.
Again.
"Bloody hell, James!" She reached out a hand and whipped back the curtain to yell at him.
This was the third time in the last 10 minutes she had been in here that he had pushed open the door. How he kept doing it was a mystery as she knew she was shutting the door all the way closed.
"Just one more blo..." Rachel froze as sea blue eyes pierced hers before slowly dragging down her naked body.
"Were you planning on coming out anytime soon?" Tom rasped as his eyes followed a few droplets of water as they slid down the valley between her breasts. He had to hold back the moan that wanted to emerge as small rivers of water ran all over Rachel's body. Her fucking beautiful body that was softness and hardness all wrapped into one.
When the curtain had flown back, he had already been half hard just from the thought of her naked in the shower. His cock had filled so suddenly he'd swayed for a moment as all of his blood left his brain when he'd registered the sight in front of him. Fucking beautiful.
When Rachel had left, she had been almost frail looking from the stress she had put it through looking for the cure. But the masterpiece standing in front of him had gained weight and muscle in all the right places.
A tightly toned stomach was the perfect backdrop to the two small breasts perched above it. He had always been more of an ass man, but he wasn't ashamed to admit he had been fantasizing about getting his mouth back on those nipples. Hips flared out gently before flowing into toned thighs that made him want to drop to his knees and lick.
Tom had to suppress the urge to reach out and grab those hips. He now knew by experience his hands wrapped perfectly around the curve, and the thought of gripping them while he pounded into her from behind made him shudder and his cock throb.
Tom's hands clenched tight as his fingers ached to trace the delicate line of her collar bones.
His mouth watered at the slight sight of pink between her legs as she shifted her weight nervously. Finally managing to pull his gaze up, he locked eyes with her as her hands folded apprehensively across her breasts.
"Depends." Rachel said, as Tom dragged his eyes back up to meet hers. Letting him look at her while she was completely naked had taken more courage than she'd like to admit. Michael had only been her third lover, ever, so she wasn't really experienced with intimacy. Work or school had always taken priority over that and for the most part she had liked it that way.
"On what?" Tom rumbled dangerously as he took a single step further into the head. Rachel shivered as sea blue eyes turned dark with desire as his gaze once more raked over her. When she'd crossed her arms over her chest, it had hidden her breasts from his view. And by the way his arms twitched up before he forced them down, he didn't like that. Not one damn bit.
Sudden courage flooded her as he carefully toed one step further toward the shower. Raising her hands to her hips, she had to bite her lip to smother her grin at the muffled moan he couldn't stop. The position had raised her breasts higher and the tips of her nipples jutted out toward him.
Rachel felt her breath catch in her throat as his gaze zeroed in on them. She had to smother her own moan when he absentmindedly licked his lips as her nipples tightened to sharp points at his attention.
"On whether or not you've forgiven me enough to join me in this shower." She said softly, and he froze for a moment before his eyes darted up to hers in surprise.
"Only if you've forgiven me enough to let me join you." He countered just as softly. A rueful grin crossed his face then before he said, "I'm pretty sure I remember promising the love of my life she'd get to kick my ass if I fucked up again. So see you on the mats tomorrow at 0900, Dr. Scott?"
Laughing with relief, Rachel nodded and then playfully crooked her finger at him to get him to come closer.
Rapidly closing the distance between them, Tom stopped right in front of her and waited for her to make the next move. Rachel reached out to grip two handfuls of his BDU and used it to pull him even closer.
"Oh you're in for an arse kicking Captain Chandler. Now whether that'll happen on the mats or between our sheets remains to be seen." She whispered fiercely to him before his control snapped and he crushed his lips to hers. Hands shot out and gripped her hips to pull her in as close to him as he could.
Tilting his head for a deeper angle, Tom's tongue demanded entrance which she gave with a heady groan. He thrusted in and tangled it with hers before drawing back, sucking in her bottom lip and giving it a nip. Heat crackled through him when her hands released his BDU to slide into his hair and grip it tightly, locking him in place as she placed biting kisses to his lips.
Rachel shuddered as he broke her hold and slid his mouth back to hers, tangling his tongue with hers and sucking it into his mouth. Her lower abdomen twisted with hunger as her core grew slick between her thighs.
Small, strong hands started to tug frantically at his BDU jacket in an effort to pull it off of him. Rachel made a sound of frustration as she tore her lips away to look at the hidden fastenings to unhook them. Laughing breathlessly, Tom stilled her hands as she made it to the second hook.
"Honey, we have plenty of time." He panted as he leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. His cock throbbed in protest as her hands clenched tight in his jacket under his.
"Oh really?" She panted back. "I'm sure we would have already gotten past this point yesterday if not for the interruptions."
Tom stilled for a moment in thought before quickly releasing her and lunging for the water faucet. "You make a valid point."
Twisting it hard he shut it off and then swept a laughing Rachel into his arms. Lifting her up, his breath hitched when her legs came up to wrap around his waist and her hands grasped his hair. Sliding his hands beneath her ass and gripping tightly, he began to stride out of the head.
"See?" She laughingly taunted in his ear as they cleared the door. "This was yesterday morning, wasn't it, Captain Chandler?"
Tom couldn't help what he did next.
Rachel's breath left her body when he whirled and slammed her back into the wall next to the door. One hand kneaded an ass cheek while his other slid down to lift her thigh up higher.
Her hands clenched tight and pulled at his hair as her head fell back into the wall. Rachel moaned helplessly at the feeling of his cock settling against her entrance.
"Calling me Captain Chandler again while you're naked in my arms will have you fucked against this wall." He grunted before claiming her lips again.
She tore away and cried out when his hips began to move, clothed cock rubbing against her entrance as the rough fabric scraped her clit. Rachel shuddered at the feeling before beginning to meet his thrusts.
"Is that supposed to stop me?" She managed to choke out.
Rachel cried out in frustration when he gripped her tight and stopped moving to lean his forehead on her neck. "It's supposed to stop me from losing control." He gritted out. "If you call me that again I'm going to snap."
Tom tried desperately to grab onto the tatters of his self-control. He had wanted this to be special, to make love to her as she deserved. But by the way his cock was threatening to burst out of his pants, the chances of even making it out of them was rapidly dwindling.
He felt Rachel's legs grip him tighter around the waist and he shivered at the feeling of her breath sliding past his ear.
"We have plenty of time later for lovemaking. Right now I want you to lose that control, Captain Chandler." And with that, she latched her teeth into his neck and bit down.
Tom felt the last of his control sweep away in a flood of lust and love and he snarled as he whirled around again and threw her on the bed.
Savage glee rolled through him at her startled look as she bounced a few times on his mattress before stilling. He quickly undid the hooks on his jacket and threw it to the ground. Grasping the bottom edge of his shirt, it met the same end of his uniform top as Tom ripped at the button to his pants.
Consternation hit him as he stared in frustrated dismay at the tops of his boots as they peeked out from the bottom of his pants. His boots were an excellent choice for life aboard a battleship but weren't as easy to slip off like tennis shoes. You had to undo the laces and loosen them before they would come off. Dammit!
A low laugh from their bed told him Rachel had noticed his plight. "Need some help there, sailor?"
Tom felt his cock harden further and twitch at the purr edging her voice. "Only if it means you're getting on your knees for me." He rasped out.
Rachel's breath stuttered at the thought of it. If there was one thing she loved to do in bed besides sex, it was that.
Tom's eyebrows flew up slightly and dark anticipation lit up his veins at the predatory look that crossed her face at his words.
Rachel slithered off the bed and kneeled at his feet, pulling up one pant leg so she could reach the laces. It also put her head at a most interesting place. The hard line of his cock was straining against his military issue black boxer briefs and her mouth watered as it twitched again at her stare.
Gently tugging on one end of the laces, she buried her face into his crotch and breathed him in. Tom started to pant as her closed mouth softly traced the line of his cock before rounding the head. "Rachel." He begged as his hands spasmed at his side.
Chocolate eyes met his as she opened her mouth and sucked the tip of his cock in through his underwear. "Shit!" He grunted as wet heat enveloped him, and the fabric rubbed slight pain that only enhanced the feel of her tongue flicking against him.
Rachel moaned at the taste of him as she finished the first boot. He even tasted like the ocean, and she adored the saltiness on her tongue.
More. She had to have more.
Reaching up, she swiftly pulled down his boxers, being careful not to hurt him on the way. His cock proudly jutted out from a trimmed nest of blond grey curls and was just over what she thought was the average length. It was absolutely perfect, and it was all hers.
Tom's hands flew to her head as she gently grasped him and slid her mouth over his cock. His head dropped back and he didn't even try to contain the moan that emerged as she hollowed her cheeks and sucked. A clever tongue licked lines of fire up his shaft before dipping into the slit. His knees weakened at the feeling, and he brought his head back down so he could look. He wanted to watch as she took him apart.
What he got when he opened his eyes made him grab tightly at the base of his cock to stave off the sudden orgasm that roared up.
Hazy brown eyes watched him as red swollen lips wrapped around his length, and she moaned and closed her eyes as the arm she had between her legs flexed.
"Oh my fucking God."
What little blood he had left in his head fled south at the sight. Vibrations from her moaning rocketed up his cock and his chest heaved for breath at the feeling.
"Baby, stop." He rasped out, and wanted to whimper as she pulled off of him.
"Luv, what.." Her voice had gone rougher with scratchiness and he closed his eyes tightly at the sound.
"Bed. NOW. I need to be between your legs making you come."
Shivering at his words, Rachel removed the hand she'd thrust between her legs and moved back to the bed. She hadn't been able to contain her reaction to the sight of him as she'd sucked his cock. With his head thrown back and every muscle in his body defined as he rode the pleasure stealing through him, lust had swept her away and she'd moved one of her hands to frantically rub at her clit.
Rachel felt electricity crackle through her as Tom quickly removed the boots she'd managed to undo and kicked off his pants.
Her breath caught as she finally got a good look at him in all his glory. Hard muscle roped his chest and lead down to the defined edges of his abs. Her fingers twitched with the desire to run over the hip indents that led to his groin. Powerful legs ate up the distance as he stalked to her bag that still held the boxes of condoms.
And that arse. She suppressed a groan as he knelt down to flip the top flap open.
A smile tugged at her lips as he just grabbed a box and stood, turning rapidly on a heel and making his way back to her. She raised her eyebrow at him in amusement as he ripped into the box and withdrew one.
"Oh, we'll be using every single one, doctor." Was the dark reply as he used his teeth to break open the foil. Carelessly dropping the empty package, he slid the condom over his cock and brought a knee onto the bed.
Bloody hell, I'm in trouble, she thought weakly as he dropped onto the mattress and prowled up her body on all fours.
He settled between her open legs and laid his forehead on hers as he grappled for a little restraint as her wet heat coated his cock.
"Baby, I'm fairly sure this is going to be quick."
Tom growled as her legs came up to cross his lower back. He couldn't help the small thrusts he made against her clit as he waited for her answer.
Breathless laughs brushed past his lips as she began to pant. "I was about to come before you stopped me."
Oh God. That was it.
Reaching between them, he positioned himself and began to slowly thrust home.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Bloody fuck!" Rachel chanted in his ear as his cock thrust in. Nails scored his shoulders as she arched in reaction beneath him.
Tom stopped moving once he bottomed out and clenched his jaw as he struggled not to come. Scorching heat surrounded him while tight walls dragged him closer to the edge.
Rachel moved restlessly beneath him and demanded, "Bloody hell, luv. Fucking move!"
The grin he gave her as he gripped her hips to stop her was savage. "Only if you don't want to walk tomorrow Rachel. Give me a minute."
"Who says I do?!" She hissed as her legs clenched tighter. "Maybe I want everyone on this bloody boat to know who exactly put it there!"
"Rachel." He rumbled dangerously as he felt her walls tighten on him.
Her hands shot into his hair and pulled, drawing a slightly pained grunt from him. "Didn't you say you wanted to hear my screams? Promises, promises, Captain Chandler."
His mouth dropped open at her audacity even as vicious want streaked through him.
"Fucking minx." Snarling, he drew back and then slammed in, drawing a choked cry of victory from her throat.
"Your minx!" She breathed out as he set a punishing pace inside her. Lightning sent bolts of pleasure up her spine as his groin repeatedly slammed into her clit. She hadn't been lying when she'd told him she was close.
Harsh panting filled her ears as he leaned down and latched onto her neck. Teeth nibbled hard and she shuddered as he drew skin in and sucked.
Releasing her neck, he moved a hand from her hip to grasp one of her breasts firmly. Dropping his head down he sucked in her nipple and scraped his teeth over it.
"Where's my scream, baby?" He goaded her as she arched her back and keened.
"Faster!" She demanded breathlessly as her legs shifted higher so she could better meet his thrusts. He stuttered out a moan at the move as he slid in an inch further.
Tom felt the edge hovering closer as he increased his pace. Dammit, but she was going to go first.
Slipping a hand between them, he rubbed her clit hard in the rhythm he had set. "I want my scream, doctor. And then afterward, I'm going to slip my tongue into you and make you come until you beg me to stop."
Rachel's hands slapped to his back as she lurched forward to muffle her scream in his shoulder. Nails raked his back as light detonated behind her eyes and pleasure racked her body as she came.
Tom curled around her as his hips lost their rhythm as she strangled his cock in pulses. One, two, three thrusts in and he cried out as lightning exploded in him. His body shook in aftershocks as he gave a few more thrusts before stilling.
Heavy breathing filled the air as they both came down. Tom rested his weight on his elbows before laying his head on her shoulder.
"Fucking right, you're my minx. I think you broke me."
His head jolted as she laughed happily and he smiled into her neck at the sound. Tucking his hands beneath her back, he rolled them so she rested on his chest, all without sliding out of her. Still got it, he thought tiredly in satisfaction.
Tom ran his hands down her back in soothing patterns, and Rachel nestled her head against his chest as they both drifted.
"I'm sorry." He whispered after a while. She turned her head and propped her chin on his chest, raising an eyebrow in inquiry.
"I should hope that apology is not for what just happened." She said archly, and he huffed out a laugh and slid his hand into her hair.
"No. It was for what happened earlier today in the workout room. You are completely right and I had no reason to be angry with you. I'm so sorry I was an ass, honey."
"No, luv." Rachel said firmly and raised her hand to softly run it along his jaw. "You had every right to be angry with me, just as I had every right to be angry with you. We are both at fault here. I'm so sorry I didn't come home. I made a decision, and instead of facing the consequences of what I had done, I fled."
Her eyes unfocused a little as she thought of the past. "I consoled myself with the thought of all the good we were doing. So many people we saved who were sick and dying. But that didn't fill the Tom shaped hole in my soul." A tear slipped out of her eye and fell to his chest with a splash.
Fingers rubbing in comforting circles in her hair brought her back to the present. Sea blue eyes met hers as he pushed back a strand of damp hair.
"You will tell me?" He didn't need to elaborate. Just as she held the privilege for him, so would he hold the privilege for her. She pressed an answering kiss to his chest and drifted a hand along a broad shoulder.
"Team Ranchandler. Scotch. Doclander." He mused out loud sometime later. "Hhm. I like Doclander."
Mirth spilled out of her as she regarded him. "Doclander? What are you going on about, silly?"
"It's not silly!" Tom made a face at her as she tried to contain her giggles. "One day, history will talk about us. The brave Navy Captain and the beautiful Doctor, venturing out to save the worl..stop laughing!"
Rachel tried to stop, she really did, but the mock thoughtful look on his face as he tried to figure out a name for them broke her resolve. Snorting giggles escaped her as she tried to avoid the teasing hands that crept up her sides.
She straightened up fully to straddle him and gently smacked the creeping hands aside. Leaning forward, she placed a lingering kiss to his lips. "Team Us, luv. Facing what is to come the way we should have kept it. Together."
Cupping her face between his palms, he drew her back in for another kiss. "Team Us," he agreed softly against her lips.
A mischievous light then lit up his eyes and she smiled helplessly as a boyish expression crossed his face. "Team U S? How patriotic of you, doctor! I'm so prou...ow!" They were both laughing even as she gently pinched his sides in retaliation.
Tom ran worshipful hands down her sides as she perched above him. His cock stirred in interest inside her but he firmly pushed it away.
It was time for rest now.
"Let's get cleaned up, put on our jammies and get back to bed."
Her eyes dancing in amusement, Rachel drawled, "Yes, Captain Chandler," as she raised up and he slipped out of her. She shot him a wink at his whimper and sauntered to the head, hips swaying more than usual.
Tom flopped his head back on his pillow and grinned stupidly at the ceiling. Oh yes, his woman was going to kill him and he would love every last minute of it.
LSLSLSLSLS
So who's everyone's favorite OC character right now? I'm pretty sure it's James! LOL. This is the reason for the fluffiness of chapter 7. Tom was always going to be hurt when he found out she had a pretty good idea she was going to be pardoned but still didn't reach out. That love saw them through this storm as neither one was willing to give up on the other without a knock down drag out fight.
And I promise last chapter's 'BANG BANG BANG' is the last one! Can you imagine the angst if they had already made love and then he found out? ::shudders:: I'm a Angst Queen but not that much of one.
So before I get any flames, I would like to say I am a huge proponent of marriage quality. And the day Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed was a day of freaking celebration. So long as you're over the age of consent, its nobodies damn business what you do in the privacy of your own house. But you have to admit, that was damn funny. XD
I'm giving a huge shout out to JOYS of October for being an absolute rockstar of a beta. Everyone can thank them for getting both of these edited so fast, and for that angst scene that would have been SO much worst. Thank you Soucedancer for telling me I wasn't crazy in that revised scene, and while it was heartbreaking, it was necessary. See? I totally fixed it before the night was out!
So here's the most excellent news I can give you guys. I'm now officially on school break. ::does a crazy white people dance:: I'm already into chapter 10 and we are finally getting back to the plot. The last two chapters were more setups but were absolutely necessary. The James and Circus are now joined in an unholy alliance under Tom, the Cap and Doc have sorted out their problems and for the most part, it is settled between them. And don't forget that stealth ship sitting off their port bow. Also, these chapter lengths are absolutely killing me. My poor emotions are getting a beating as for the most part as I know where I'm going with this, but finding the cutoff for a chapter is hard. I just want to keep going, lol. We're going to be moving back to shorter chapters, mostly between 5 to 6 thousand words. But that means I'll be posting more frequently, so whoot!
By the way, if all of a sudden I disappear and you never hear from me again, it was most likely the NSA or Homeland Security who came for me. My goggle searches are probably starting to make them nervous. LOL.
