A/N:
Apologies for the blatent plug. She had to go wrap it, I guess. Hope you enjoy this to make up for it.

As ever, anti-sickness tablets are available free of charge from the Information Desk on Deck Six. We hope you have a pleasant cruise.

Beta: Thanks to dahan for great beta, and bravery in the face of severe mush.

Chapter Two: Opening Night

"Rodney?" She moved tentatively into his line of sight. The lab was almost dark, quiet. Few were still awake anywhere in the city at this hour.

"Elizabeth." His voice held tiny fragments of surprise, pleasure, disbelief and puzzlement. There was a distinct lack of any bitterness, or sorrow, in the places where it should have been.

It almost broke her heart to hear all those nuances. She wondered how he could still care after the way she'd openly rejected him.

"Hi. I wanted to come and see you." She rested her hands on the desk, next to his computer.

"You did?" The shadows dappled his face, accentuating his childlike smile.

"Sure. I hear it's your birthday."

He gave a kind of huffing sound. "Who told you, my file?" It was sarcasm, but not venomous.

"Maybe. Or Carson." She smiled. She watched as he began tidying up the bits and pieces around him.

"Well, it's almost over now. Another year gone. That's life. At least I am alive, I guess." His hands stilled as he heard his own words.

"Took me all day to pluck up courage. I came to give you this." She held out the small package. It was a perfectly square box, cube-like, wrapped in a blue paper that shimmered in the pale light of the desk lamp.

His brow furrowed, as he looked from the box to her face. He could see her uncertainty, her anxiety. "I don't…? You got me something?"

A twitch at the corner of her mouth indicated her relief that he hadn't yet shouted her out. "Yes. Well, kinda got. Obtained, maybe. Just open it. Please?"

He swallowed reflexively. "Right, right. Sorry. Thanks, um… It was nice of you…" he rambled a little, fingers deftly stripping the paper from the box. With an exaggerated elbow in the air, he lifted the tiny lid, like he was drawing a Zed-PM from its port.

He peered into the box and gave a small gasp. He kept his eyes fixed downward, as he gently touched the foil-wrapped chocolates inside. Little Hershey Kisses and Hugs.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Rodney. I didn't know how much I might mean to you. I thought… maybe I needed to make you jealous, but all I've done is… hurt you. I was a fool. I'm sorry." She watched him, as he ran his fingers over the foil, his head down. She waited, but he didn't say anything. She let out a breath, without a sound, and drew her hands from the desk as she turned to leave.

"Wait." His quiet, strangled cry held her, like the hand that he put out to take hold of her fingers. He stood up, the box in one hand, holding her with the other. "Thank you. For these."

She looked up into his eyes, dark and deep. "It's OK. Almost the last chocolate until the next stores order."

"Is it true? What Carson was hinting at? You spoke to him…?" Rodney's lip quivered as he struggled to talk.

"Yes." She whispered. "I'm sorry. It was the worst thing I've ever tried to do. Trying to make someone jealous only ever works in the movies… Can you forgive me? I'd like to think I could be your friend again."

He put the box down on the desk, and took his hand away from hers. He looked down at the floor, and put his hands in his pockets.

"I wasn't jealous, you know." Whether he was expecting a response or not wasn't clear, but he paused for a moment. "I just wanted you to be happy. Is that so bad?" He looked back up.

"No. No, that's fine. I'm… glad. Perhaps I should go. Happy birthday, Rodney." Elizabeth took a step backwards, and turned to leave.

She was out in the corridor before he caught up with her. He blocked her way as he hurried in front of her, taking her hand. He pressed a single, silver-foil covered chocolate into her palm. "You forgot your kiss."

She smiled sadly. "I wasn't sure I deserved one."

He looked earnestly at her. "I'm the birthday boy. I can give a kiss to whoever I like."

She swallowed. "And… do you like…me?"

He looked down at their entwined hands, and grinned. "Oh yeah... Do you want to meet me tomorrow, maybe share the rest of those Hugs and Kisses?"

It was the birthday boy who was looking at her, grinning hopefully, like he'd blown out his candles and made his wish. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she did both, wrapped in his warm embrace.

fin

A/N: Hope you liked it! "Hershey's Kisses" and "Hershey's Hugs" are trademarks of the The Hershey Company. How could they mind me using their products in this way? Not that I can buy them easily in the UK anyway LOL.