Author's note: This picks up somewhere around the end of S2:E11, but as I always say, don't think about the timeline too much! Almost by definition, this story takes things a little bit AU, but you can assume all the major events still take place.

Thank you as always for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting. It really does mean a lot that people are enjoying this story.

Chapter 11 – Reconciliation

Too many lives. That was all Mike could think. Not just today, though today was a bad one, but ever since the Arctic, ever since the virus, too many lives had been lost on this ship. It was almost impossible to process the five billion lives lost around the globe, but people on this ship, the people he'd worked with, talked with, laughed with, sometimes yelled at, they were all too real.

He ran into her in the corridor. Rachel's face was grey with exhaustion, she'd spent hours saving Tom Chandler's life, even though he'd imprisoned her. For a long moment they just stared at each other, because what was there to say? Then he opened his arms and she came into them, and they stood there holding each other, in full view of anyone who might happen past, and he didn't give a fuck.

She smelt of antiseptic and blood, and just a little bit of nervous sweat, but underneath that he could still detect the subtle scent of her hair, and for the first time in months he felt his eyes prickle. But this wasn't the time.

"How is he?" He asked, gently releasing her.

"He'll live." She gave a half smile. "He might even hate me slightly less, which I suppose is a nice side benefit of saving his life."

Mike snorted a little, and offered a half smile of his own. "He's a stubborn bastard."

"And a noble one." She sighed. "Too bloody noble, possibly."

He shook his head. "He struggles with grey areas. Don't confuse that for something it isn't."

"Don't you throw away your relationship with him over me." She countered.

He made a sound of exasperation. "I'm not the one throwing away anything! All I did was-" He broke off abruptly as he remembered where they were standing, and looked up and down the corridor.

"Go on, say it." She raised her eyebrows and shot him an almost shy smile.

"-fall in love with you." He finished softly. "Which is something I would like to discuss later at length-" He suddenly saw the Master Chief approaching and raised his voice, "-Doctor Scott. If you're available."

Rachel picked up the change in his tone and glanced behind her, smiling slightly.

"Absolutely, Mike. Happy to." She winked and slid past him, managing to brush his hand with hers as she did so.

Mike turned to Jeter, his expression deliberately blank. "Master Chief, report?"

A couple of hours later, he went in to brief the Captain, who was still laid up recovering but looking considerably better. As had been the pattern since he'd come clean about his relationship with Rachel, he spoke factually and kept his eyes fixed somewhere just above Tom's head. Expecting the now standard curt nod of dismissal, he was surprised when Tom spoke instead.

"You love her, huh?"

Mike was so surprised that he took a step back, and his eyes met Tom's. The Captain's tone held no real rancour, more resignation.

"Yes, sir." He replied.

"Is that a… mutual thing?"

Not for the first time, Mike flashed back to Rachel's face close to his, her faint whisper in the dark. "Yes, sir."

Tom nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for what I said. It doesn't change my view on what she did, but I shouldn't have attacked you when you were honest with me." He paused. "I always thought that she… Well, it doesn't matter now."

There was a soft knock and the door opened. Rachel looked surprised to see the two of them talking.

"Sorry, I was just coming to check your dressings. I'll come back later."

"Wait, Doctor Scott." Tom said, holding up a hand.

Rachel stepped cautiously into the room, and Mike had to steel himself not to meet her eye or reach for her hand. Something was coming, and he had no idea what it was going to be.

"I'm removing the guard on you." Tom said, addressing Rachel. "You can use the ward room for meals," He paused, "And I don't care to know where you're sleeping. But you will retain a distance from the rest of the crew, and I still intend that civilian authorities be the ones to decide what to do with you eventually. I guess in layman's terms, you're on parole."

Rachel sounded as stunned as Mike felt. "I don't know what to say. Thank you."

Tom nodded. "I'm expecting that neither of you will allow your relationship to compromise your focus or performance in your duties on this ship."

Mike risked a glance at Rachel now, and she met his eyes briefly before he replied for them both. "That won't happen."

Tom nodded again, and Mike took a gamble, deliberately not looking for Rachel's reaction.

"Would you prefer that Doctor Scott and I keep our relationship under wraps, or-"

Tom didn't let him finish. "I'd obviously ask you to be discreet, but if you prefer not to lie to your fellow officers, then I respect that decision."

Mike nodded, and caught Rachel's quickly hidden smile out of the corner of his eye.

Tom sat up a little and winced. "If that's all, XO, then I think I'd better allow the doctor to do what she needs to."

It was a far more friendly dismissal than any other he'd had from Tom of late, and Mike was happy to take it. He lingered in the corridor outside waiting for Rachel to finish, trying to hear any conversation through the door, but he only caught murmurs.

She emerged after five minutes or so, and seemed unsurprised to see him there. "I hoped you'd wait."

He smiled. "That was unexpected, huh?"

"Very." She smiled back. "You really pushed your luck in there."

"Seemed like the best shot I was going to get."

She stepped a little closer, her body just grazing his. "We should probably talk."

"Mm hmm." He stepped closer still, pressing his chest against hers. "Definitely need to talk."

"Talk." She echoed, her eyes locked with his.

He was a split second from grabbing her when he remembered what the Captain had said. "Discreet, remember. Let's talk in my cabin."

"Now?" She was still so close to him.

"Now." He affirmed.

The door was barely closed before he had her shirt off, their mouths meshed together as they fumbled with each other's clothing. She almost fell over trying to get her boots off, and he tore through the lace of her panties in his impatience to get her naked. She pulled him backwards towards the bed, and they tumbled onto it together, kissing again as their hands grabbed and stroked.

Mike was desperate for her, but there was another element, the same one that had been there the very first time. This wasn't just about him and Rachel, this was fucking in the face of death, this was saying not us, not today. She must have felt it too, because she grabbed his face and looked into his eyes.

"We're lucky." She said, her voice shaking. "We're so, so lucky." She kissed him as she rolled him onto his back and straddled him.

"Yes we are." He murmured.

She lifted herself and took him inside her, and Mike groaned aloud at the feel of her.

"Shh," She murmured, but he shook his head as he grasped her hips.

"Not any more. Not now. I don't give a damn who hears this."

She started to laugh, but it turned into a moan as he thrust up into her.

"Besides, I'd like to hear you scream," He growled.

"Be careful what you wish for," She gasped, rotating her hips a little and pulling another groan from him.

He reached his hand between her thighs and started stroking her sweet spot as she moved on him.

"Oh god!" She moaned, and he smirked just a little. She was beginning to tremble, and he held her tight and rolled them over, taking control above her, driving deep and hearing her gasp.

"Please… Mike… please…"

He kissed her, moving faster, feeling his own pleasure build, until he felt her clench tight around him and her half shout mingled with his strangled cry as they came together.

"That wasn't really screaming," He murmured afterwards, stroking her hair back from her face as she lay half draped across his chest. "I'll have to try harder."

She kissed his chest before replying with that naughty smile. "I'm sure I'll enjoy that."

"What are we going to tell people? I mean, if you still want to tell people?" He asked.

She pursed her lips and he watched her consider it. "I don't really want to make an announcement. Couldn't we just… do what we do, and let them draw their own conclusions?"

He couldn't help a snigger as he replied, "I don't think the Captain would approve of us doing this in public."

She flicked his chest with her finger. "You know what I mean. We could eat together in the ward room. Or walk on deck. Just be together and let people work it out."

He thought about for a minute. "It's not a bad idea, but there are a couple of people we should speak to directly." He paused, and looked straight at her. "You should speak to Tex. You know it and I know it."

She sighed and nodded. "Yes, okay. Who else?"

"I need to tell the Master Chief. After he put himself out to have that awkward conversation with me…"

She giggled. "Ah, yes. Fair enough." She kissed his chest again. "I wonder what they'll say."

"They'll all wonder why the hell you picked me, that's for sure."

She looked up in surprise. "Why the hell wouldn't I pick you?"

"Come on, sweetheart. You're the brilliant, beautiful, saviour of the world, and I'm-"

She laid a finger over his lips. "Strong, brave, compassionate – and really good at those grey areas." She paused. "And you're the only person who's ever made me feel safe."

He swallowed down the lump that suddenly seemed to have appeared in his throat. "That true?"

She nodded. "And I love you." She added.

He stroked his thumb across her cheekbone. "Well I guess those are some good reasons then."

"I think so." She agreed. Then she suddenly looked worried. "Are people going to think I'm some kind of homewrecker?"

He started slightly at the unexpected question. "No!" He replied instinctively, then traced his thumb over the worried frown on her forehead. "No," He repeated more softly. "A lot of people know my marriage wasn't in a good place. It wasn't a secret. She'd filed the papers before the Arctic, so…" He swallowed. "This is hard to talk about."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

It was his turn to lay a finger over her lips. "Yes you should. You can ask anything you want. The answers don't paint me in a good light is all. I wasn't around much when I was a cop, even less in the navy. Christine had to do a lot of it alone, and after a while she resented that. She had every right to. I chose what I wanted and I expected her to follow along…" He trailed off, hoping that was enough for now.

"I didn't have relationships." Rachel said softly. "I had friends I slept with. It was better that way, I thought. Focus on the work, don't get distracted." She traced her fingers over his chest again. "The first time we slept together, the reason I left so fast? It was because it jolted me. It made me feel something..." Her eyes were focused on the invisible patterns she was drawing on his skin. "That's why I held off so long before doing it again. I thought I could control it at first, but then I woke up that morning, when you were holding me, and I felt..." She took a deep breath, and he waited. "You were all wrapped around me, like you were protecting me. And it felt so good it scared me."

He put a finger under her chin and very gently tipped her head up so she would look at him. "I tried really hard not to hold you that night," He said, "Because I knew I couldn't come back from that."

She nodded slowly, her eyes still on his. "We fell in love."

"We did. So nothing anyone else might think or say means a goddamn thing. Okay?"

"Okay." She laid her head back on his chest, and he twined his fingers in her hair.

I shamelessly stole a line from the person I have these kinds of conversations with in real life, and gave it to Mike, so in return this chapter is for him. Stars, baby.