A/N— Feedback is rare, but every once in a while an author gets a rare gem. I'd like to thank Kate for the alien chicken comment from the last chapter. It gave me and my beta, Kathy Rose, a huge laugh.

Chapter Fifteen: Which Came First?

--

The sound of the flock was deafening compared to the silence they had become accustomed to. Hoshi was in the water by the time he could hobble down to the river.

"Hoshi!" he called after her.

She waved at him as she waded out to the pool of fish.

The birds swam in the pool, feeding, then preening their feathers, oblivious to the presence of a hungry hunter in their midst.

Hoshi stumbled, splashing as she made her way toward their new food source.

"Be careful!" Malcolm shouted.

"I'm okay!" she yelled.

Holding his breath, he watched her swim into the bevy of birds. The birds paid her little mind, occasionally clicking their beaks at her.

"Grab one! Wring its neck!"

"What?" she asked, stroking the feathers of the nearest bird.

"Grab the bird and break its neck!" he shouted through cupped hands, thinking she may not have heard him.

She continued stroking the bright orange feathers of the bird as though it were a loving tactile experience.

Bloody hell! What the hell was she doing?

A bird between the size of a goose and a duck started to preen Hoshi's hair. She smiled, her laughter reaching his ears.

"Grab a bird and wring its neck!" he yelled, shifting from foot to foot excitedly.

"No!" The birds stirred, breaking away as Hoshi yelled.

Malcolm took a step toward the river, driven by hunger.

Holding her hands up, Hoshi yelled for him to wait where he was. She swam to the shore and he looked at her in shock.

"Why didn't you grab one?" he asked, his tone brimming with frustrated anger.

Poking him in the chest, Hoshi replied, "Don't snap at me! Did it ever occur to you that they might lay eggs? Eggs would be much more useful than a pile of bird bones. We only have a few more ration packs. They've lasted longer than you predicted because we've relied primarily on the fish and the fruit. We need to look beyond the here and now. You said it yourself. We're not going to be rescued."

Her voice caught near the end of her speech and her eye were bright with unshed tears. She was panting heavily, the tears spilling down her cheeks. "I-I, we, w-we need –"

Whatever she was going to say was lost as her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the ground unconscious.

--

He ran the medical scanner over her body, breathing a sigh of relief when he read the results. "You bloody little fool. Low blood sugar. You've got to eat something."

So many thoughts had gone through his head as he had carried her back to camp. The thought of losing her had caused a lump to form in his throat that had yet to diminish. They were walking a fine line between life and death. What if those birds had been toxic? What if they had caused Hoshi to become ill? Or worse, what if she was pregnant?

Those questions swirled in his mind as he made the trek back to the camp. The last question was impossible. His contraceptive was good for three years and he'd had it updated a week before he reported for duty at the royal palace.

In the deepest recesses of his mind their children laughed, so like their mother in looks and temperament. "Get a grip, Malcolm," he chided himself. The last thing they needed was to have children out here. He snapped open a smelling salt and held it under her nose.

Breathing a sigh of relief as she jerked away, Malcolm pillowed her head in his lap and reached for a ration pack he'd grabbed when he had retrieved the medical scanner. He tore it open and grabbed a chocolate-covered granola bar.

Coughing and trying to shove the smelling salt away, Hoshi struggled to sit up. "Stop it," she grumbled, pushing him away. "Leave me alone."

He held her down, intent on not letting her up until she ate something. He opened the chocolate bar and held it under her nose. "I'm not going to let you go until you eat this."

She turned her head away. "No," she fussed. "It's yours. I don't have any chocolate left in my ration packs."

"Stop being a stupid git and eat the damn chocolate bar," he snapped, shoving the bar against her lips.

Opening her mouth in protest, she almost gagged as he shoved it into her mouth. Her muffled protests continued, but he held it to her lips anyway.

"Please eat the chocolate." His tone was low and even, brokering no argument.

She started to chew and he smiled. "That's a good girl."

"I'ughm not a dog," she mumbled with her mouth full, her eyes rolling back into her head as she savored the flavors.

He laughed, more relieved than anything else. "You've got to eat more, Hoshi. I need you…to eat more." Get a grip, Reed! Why don't you just tell the woman you're in love with her?

His thoughts dissolved as Hoshi held his wrist and licked his fingers clean. Once she was done, Malcolm pushed her off his lap and stood up. My God! The woman is totally unaware of the sensual nature of the act. It wasn't as if she was trying to seduce him, yet here he was totally aroused and ready to take advantage of a totally clueless virginal novice.

"You can't not eat," he said, starting to pace and hoping she didn't notice the bulge in his shorts. "You can't go a day without eating. How often do you eat? Are you ill?"

"Chocolate is so much better than sex." She covered her mouth as soon as the words were spoken.

Well, at least she was feeling better.

"I-I'm so sorry, Malcolm," she stuttered, embarrassment flushing her cheeks. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded. It's just a saying really."

His anger dissolved. It wasn't so much anger as it was frustration. And watching her just as flustered as he was was entertaining indeed. He couldn't resist. He bent over and whispered in her ear. "By the time I'm finished with you, you won't remember what chocolate tastes like."

--

Sitting by the fire, Malcolm watched Hoshi eat her chicken with renewed gusto. He had threatened to tie her down if she didn't stay at the camp to rest and eat. When she did what he told her to do, he had made his way back to the river. Luck had been on his side. Some of the chicken-ducks had climbed onto the shore to sun and preen. They had been easy pickings.

He'd managed to catch two birds with ease, none of the other birds paying much mind to the slaughter.

The meat was tender and delicious and he had to smile as Hoshi tore a big chunk of meat off with her teeth. She smacked her lips in an un-royal manner and she wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. "Tastes like chicken," she said with a smile, having put any and all reservations aside about trying to gather eggs from the birds.

Malcolm chuckled. "Yes, it does," he replied and tossed his chicken bones into the fire. "And so much better than eggs."

She set down the drumstick she had been chewing on and leaned back, patting her lean stomach. "I'm stuffed. I don't think I could eat another bite. I wish I could. I'd hate for this to go to waste."

"Hopefully it'll keep through the night. You know how cold it gets. I doubt…" his words trailed off suddenly as he realized something.

"What is it?" she asked, sensing his unease.

"The weather," he murmured. "It's almost dusk and it isn't cold yet."

Hoshi looked around her as though noticing the area for the first time.

"Of course!" Malcolm shouted, slapping his thigh. "That's why the birds are here. The weather must be changing."

He watched as she stood and gathered her backpack. "Where are you going?"

Her smile was akin to a siren's call. "I'm going to go take advantage of the seasonably warm weather and take a bath."

--

The sun had set and the weather was cooling, but not freezing. Neither of them had been to the river after dark. He had followed her down to the river out of concern for her safety. He wasn't about to slack off now.

The birds were gone, nesting high in the trees, their cooing lulling Malcolm into a relaxed state.

He stayed relaxed until Hoshi pressed against him, molding her lips against his and suggestively grinding her hips into his. "Once you get past the shallows and the current, the pool is warm. It isn't too deep. I'll be waiting to forget what chocolate tastes like."

Before she could turn to leave, he grabbed her wrist. "I can't," he whispered, looking out at the moonlit waters.

She tugged her hands gently from his, running them along the hem of his shirt. With little resistance, she pulled his shirt over his head. "I want you," she declared softly, slipping her hands under the waistband of his shorts.

He caught her hands and stopped her. "I can't swim," he admitted. "I c-can if a-absolutely necessary, b-but I d-don't swim."

Smiling and removing her hands, Hoshi stepped back. She turned her back to him and shimmied out of her clothing. His eyes lingered on her bum before she turned around and faced him.

She was beautiful, the light of the moon highlighting areas of her body he had fantasized about daily. "God, you're beautiful."

Pulling his arms around her, she stepped into his embrace. "Do you trust me?"

He nodded, letting her pull him into the shallows. No problem. He'd been here before. When she tugged him to go deeper, he froze. His footing was awkward due to the cast. The water was cold and he shivered.

"Look at me," she soothed, pulling him deeper. "In the current the water will only go to your waist. To your chest in the pool."

Malcolm groaned, stumbling slightly.

"I've got you," she coaxed, wading backwards into the pool. "There's a shelf in the pool. You can stand on it if you like. The water's waist high there."

The water got deeper and he barely heard her words as fear pounded in his ears. Suddenly the water grew warm, almost welcoming. Willingly, he let her pull him to the shelf where he settled comfortably.

The water rippled around his chest as he sat there. It was like a whirlpool. "No wonder you spend so much time over here," he said, his voice still a little shaky.

She sat next to him, his hand still clutching hers. "I knew you wouldn't follow me in here. It was my sanctuary."

"Am I that difficult to live with?" Malcolm asked.

"Oh yes!" she replied. "You're an overbearing tyrant, obsessed with shoving delectable chocolate bars down my throat in the hopes that I will seduce you."

They both chuckled and Malcolm pulled his seductress onto his lap. "Maybe it's time I show you that sex can be better than chocolate," he mumbled and nuzzled the spot behind her ear that he knew would drive her crazy.

--

TBC