Author's note: Sorry about the gap between posting the other story and this one. This chapter kind of got away from me and I thought I'd have more time between things today and I didn't. But alas this one is finally written, and it's a long one. Enjoy. Happy reading. Dark rolling sea.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The next morning Tom was on the bridge with Mike. Jeter had returned and was supposed to be joining them shortly. Mike had brought up an issue in from the engine room and Tom felt the pressure of their mission increase.

"Commander Garnett informed me a little while ago that the repairs are mostly on schedule," Mike said quietly.

"Mostly?" Tom asked a bad feeling starting in his gut.

"Mostly. She explained that they are running into some trouble keeping the cooling system online. Something about a vacuum leak. She wouldn't know the extent of the issue until we had a chance to take the ship for a test drive."

"Which isn't possible while we are still waiting on crewman to return," Tom replied with frustration.

"Hence her frustration as well. She said all other repairs are going as planned and no other issues have arisen. But if we can't keep the cooling system functioning properly it will take us two months to get to St. Louis."

"Not acceptable," Tom sighed out. "Does she know what is causing the vacuum leak?"

"Possibly. But it's all over my head. There's a reason I was never in the engine rooms," Mike said with a shrug. Tom glanced at Mike and chuckled.

"Never my strong suit either," Tom agreed. "Keep me informed on the matter."

"Yes, sir," Mike replied as Jeter joined them. He looked refreshed.

"Captain, XO," Jeter greeted. Tom and Mike both acknowledged the man.

"Master Chief," Tom said. "Where are we on the crew?"

"Still waiting for a few stragglers, but they were informed that they had until this evening to be back on the ship."

"I wish we had a way to reach everyone," Tom mumbled. Mike nodded.

"Would have made things easier. But from what I'm hearing from Commander Garnett we'd be waiting anyway."

"What's wrong in engineering?" Jeter asked. Tom glanced at Mike and shrugged.

"Something wrong in the cooling system, losing the vacuum and shutting down the engines."

"Are we going to be able to make this mission?"

"If anyone can fix it Andrea and Chung can," Mike said. Tom looked at his XO with the first name slip but didn't say anything. Mike kept a mask in place not giving any notation that he realized his slip.

"Anything else going on that needs our attention before we deploy?" Tom asked as he stared out the front bridge window.

"The crew has been working hard and everything is squared away," Mike replied. "Other than engineering I haven't had any reports that need attention."

"Just the ships engines, no big deal," Tom said with a chuckle. "Wouldn't be right if we didn't have a challenge I suppose."

"Seems about right," Mike said with a grin. "Nothing our crew can't muster."

"Crew is in better spirits since their break," Jeter nodded. Tom nodded in return. "You seem better as well, Captain." Tom looked at his friend and saw between the lines. Tom simply nodded.

"Did us some good," he replied not giving anything away. Mike half coughed and Tom looked at him, figuring he was hiding a laugh. Tom turned away from them. "Prepare the ship for deployment. As soon as the last crewman is aboard, I want to be able to head towards St. Louis, provided the engines can handle it."

The day had passed with Tom busy with paperwork, meetings with Captain Williams on shore, and meetings with his chief engineer on the ship. Garnett and Chung had come up with some interesting fixes and Tom had pretty much given his blessing to do what needed to be done. He was not opposed to fixing his ship with bailing wire and duct tape if that was what it took to make it run. Luckily, they were still in dock, and with the extra parts they had stocked they were able to hopefully fix the issue and still restock the parts.

He was just coming out of engineering after checking the progress when Mike caught him in the p-way. Garnett was confident that they were ready to leave dock and her repairs and fixes would hopefully hold. She said they would need to make on the fly adjustments as they went, especially since the captain was asking for such a high rate of speed. He left it in her hands.

"Captain," Mike said and tilted his head for Tom to come towards him. They walked till they had a spot to stand out of the way.

"What's up?" Tom asked, hoping it wasn't another issue.

"The last crewman has checked in and is on board. The Nathan James is ready for deployment and a waiting your orders."

"All right. Let's head to the bridge and see if this bucket of bolts will get us where we need to go," Tom replied with a sigh. Mike grinned at him.

Once on the bridge he gave the order to leave port and called down to let engineering know it was go time. Tom and Mike took their seats on the bridge as the big ship eased its way out of the port an into the open ocean.

"Truth time," Tom mumbled. He gave the order for their heading and asked for twenty-five knots, hoping the James could do it. "Shouldn't be this stressful coming out of dock."

"Well, if we would have had time to take her on a test run before taxing her," Mike quipped from his chair. Tom nodded.

"I know. Well, it's not like we didn't have to make adjustments on the fly before."

"Best crew a captain could ask for," Mike said with a wink. Tom chuckled. They both felt the ship speed up and Tom felt he was holding his breath. Hopefully they would be able to make a go. They had made it up to twenty-five knots as the ship sliced through the open waters. Tom was just about to relax as the on-board phone chirped. And he sighed. Mike went to grab it and Tom waved him off. He wanted to hear what the issue was firsthand.

"Bridge, Captain," He spoke calmly into the phone.

"Sorry, Captain, we've got alarms going off. The cooling system is tanking, and I can't figure out where the pressure leak is. We keep loving vacuum in the line and the engines are not getting the coolant."

"What can we do?"

"We're working on it, but we need to back off on the engines until I can fix this vacuum issue. If we overheat the engines we could blow the whole thing and then we're dead in the water."

"Understood. Backing down the engines. What's a safe knot to travel at, Commander?"

"Sorry, sir, but we need to keep it around five knots right now."

"Understood," Tom replied feeling defeated. He relayed the information to the helm, gave the order, and then looked at Mike. "Leak in the vacuum system for the coolant. I'm heading down to engineering to see. You have the bridge."

"Aye, Aye, Captain," Mike said with a sigh. "We might make it to St. Louis."

Tom made his way through the Nathan James and to the engine rooms. He walked into a flurry of activity as Garnett was elbow deep into the bowls of the engine yelling instructions to Chung who was at a control panel monitoring the progress. Tom stood back for a while and watched his crew as they tried different things. Garnett gave him a tight-lipped smile and shook her head as Chung yelled that there was no change. She then looked down and he could see her eyes working, trying to come up with another solution. Tom stepped forward.

"Talk it out, Commander," Tom said crossing his arms over his chest. Garnett looked at him and nodded slowly. She pulled her arm out of the engine and took a deep breath.

"There's a leak it the vacuum line. It's not building enough pressure to sustain the coolant. I have no idea where the leak is coming from and every thing I've checked seems to make no difference," she said her words trailing off a little at the end as something struck her. She looked up and her eyes traced a line above the engine. She bit at her lip as she looked to be making calculation in her head. Tom watched as her eyes lit up. "Chung!" she shouted.

"Yes, Ma'am?" he shouted back as he leaned away from the panel he was reading.

"Prime the first pump again. Then give me a boost. I think I might know what's causing the leak," Garnett ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Chung shouted and then worked at something on the panel in front of him before coming towards them. He hooked his hands together and bent down as Garnett stepped into his hands and he hoisted her up the engines. Tom watched with a raised eyebrow as he was sure this wasn't the safest way to accomplish what they were doing, but they seemed like it was the normal way.

"Can you get me a little higher?" she asked as she stretched towards the piping above her head. Chung struggled but managed to heft her a little higher. She hooked her other foot into a hold and reached up and grabbed the pipeline, cringing a little. She pulled herself out of Chung's grip and adjusted a valve. Tom couldn't tell if she was opening or closing it. Once she adjusted the valve she reached further back with her free hand and manipulated something in the line. She withdrew her arm and then worked the valve again. Once it wouldn't turn again, she looked down at Chung. "Ready? Catch," she said and then dropped. Tom's heart sunk and he cringed. Chung reached up as Garnett dropped down and caught her around the waist, lowering her to the ground. They both turned away from Tom and headed back to the panel.

Tom walked slowly up behind them, trying to ignore everything he had just witnessed in his engine room. He couldn't help the smile on this face though.

"There!" Chung yelled; his voice triumphant.

"Give it a minute," Garnett replied not holding the same enthusiasm just yet. After a long pause she nodded slowly. "All right, it's holding for five knots. You can crank her up again, Captain, and we'll see if this was the issue."

Tom nodded and reached for the phone. He called the bridge and relayed the order to take her to twenty-five knots again. He decided to wait it out down in engineering. He stood just behind Chung and Garnett as they were both glued to the panel in front of them. They felt the ship start to accelerate and eventually they reached their desired speed. Tom stood waiting impatiently for word. Garnett stared at the panel. After a long time, she nodded slowly and breathed a sigh out. She turned towards Tom.

"Seems that issue is resolved, Captain," she said with a nod. Tom nodded back.

"Good job. Let me know if anything else comes up," Tom said as he left engineering. He made his way to the bridge and was relieved they were underway again. It was getting late, or maybe it was early, as he knew it was the middle of the night by now. Jeter was no longer on the bridge, but Mike was in his chair. Mike looked over when Tom sat down.

"Smooth sailing?" Mike asked.

"Please don't jinx us," Tom groaned. Mike laughed.

"Why don't you get some shut eye in the cabin. I can take watch for now," Mike replied. Tom nodded.

"I think I will. Wake me if something else comes up."

"Aye, Aye, Captain," Mike replied.

It didn't take Tom long to fall asleep as he realized it was four in the morning. The next thing he knew someone was in the at sea cabin calling his name. Tom pulled himself from his slumber and tried to clear his groggy brain.

"Captain, we've hit another snafu," Mike's voice came to his ears. Tom groaned and then nodded.

"I'll be out in a minute," he replied with a yawn. He checked his watch and saw he'd gotten about an hour and a half of sleep. He redressed in his uniform and joined Mike on the bridge.

"What now?" he asked as he rubbed his hands over his face. Mike handed him a cup of coffee and Tom thanked him.

"More engine trouble. We've lost one of them right now and engineering is frantically trying to figure out what's wrong."

"Damn it. I thought they fixed this stuff when we were in port at Norfolk."

"It was rushed, Tom, they never took the ship out and tested the engines," Mike replied feeling Tom's frustrations. Tom nodded.

"Right. Do we know what's wrong?" Tom asked.

"Commander Garnett said the drive shaft is not firing on engine three. It shut down completely. We've slowed the ship to ten knots per her request as she also took engine two offline to check why the prop isn't running at the proper sped as well."

"I'm tired of the obstacles, Mike," Tom quipped as he rubbed his face then drank some of the coffee.

"Aren't we all," Mike replied, and Tom could hear the frustration in his voice as well. Tom nodded slowly.

"How much time?"

"She didn't know. She and her crew and working feverishly to fix the issues. She's working on the drive shaft on three while Chung is tasked with figuring out the speed difference in two."

"At least we have parts this time to fix things."

"For the moment," Mike said under his breath. Tom looked at his XO.

"You get any rest?"

"Nope, but I was well rested two days ago," Mike replied with a smile. Tom nodded.

Tom and Mike had both gone down to check in with the engineering department on multiple occasions over the next several hours. Eventually Garnett was able to get engine three up and running properly then she focused on helping Chung finish up retuning engine two. They had lost a chunk of the day to repairs and had been limping along at ten knots, but they were finally able to push her back up to twenty-five knots. Tom was relieved once they were told that the engines appeared to be back to normal parameters and that the repairs were holding, and the coolant system was still working properly.

It was getting late again, and Tom took another nap in the at sea cabin, this time getting almost two hours in before he was back on the bridge. This time CIC needed his attention as he and Mike made their way to the room.

"Sorry, to disturb you, sir," Lt. Foster said. Tom waved it off and looked at her to continue. "We're picking up some readings and we're not sure what we are hearing."

"Is there a danger?"

"We're not sure. We were informed that no one had any ships out this way, but it seems that maybe there is something."

"Keep me informed when you know more."

"Aye, Aye, Captain," Kara replied and returned to her station. Tom looked at Mike.

"Just what we need," Tom said. Mike nodded a grim expression on his face. The pair headed back to the bridge and Tom watched the sun rise. The phone on the bridge was chirping again and Tom felt himself groan internally. Couldn't they have a little break where things went smoothly? He grabbed the receiver.

"Bridge, Captain," he ground out, chastising himself for letting his frustrations slip out.

"Engineering, Commander Garnett."

Tom stopped himself from outwardly groaning. Now what? He thought viciously. He just wanted things to calm down. He felt the fatigue and pressure of this new mission push down on his shoulders.

"What's the issue, Commander?" Tom said trying hard to control his voice.

"Sorry, Sir, I'm really trying down here," she replied, and he could hear the frustration and defeat in her voice. He sighed.

"I know, Commander. What's the issue now?"

"Engine two is acting up again. We need to cut the knots again so I can figure out why the timing is off."

"All right, ten knots sufficient again?"

"Yes, sir, I'm really sorry."

"It's not your fault, Commander," he said softening his voice. He hung up the phone and relayed the message.

The ship slowed down again. Tom sighed. They were never going to reach St. Louis at this rate. Mike raised an eyebrow at Tom, and he pursed his lips, then rolled his neck.

"Problem with engine two again," he said. Mike frowned. "Timing issue. Hopefully it's fixed soon. Have we had any more word from CIC on the strange readings?"

"No," Mike said. Tom nodded. A couple more hours passed, and Tom looked at Mike. They were still moving at just ten knots, a speed that would land them in St. Louis is twenty-one days. They had sent out messages to the president explaining the issues and apologized for the delay. Tom was waiting for the man to vidchat him and yell, but so far, no messages have come in. He glanced at his watch and noticed it was lunch time. He looked at Mike.

"Hungry?" Tom asked. Mike nodded and the two headed towards the wardroom. They had just sat down with their meal with the phone chirped. Mike stood and answered it.

"Wardroom, Commander Slattery," Mike said then listened for a few moments. "Glad to hear it. Understood. Good job," he said. He hung up the receiver and glanced at Tom. "Engine two ready for service," he replied then picked up the receiver and relayed the information to the bridge. They all felt the moment the ship went back up to speed and settled back into enjoying their lunch.

Tom glanced up as someone new came into the wardroom. His heart warmed when he saw Rachel step in. He had really missed her the last forty-eight hours as he struggled to get the Nathan James to St. Louis on time. He watched as she rubbed her arms, as if she was cold and the walked over to get a cup of tea.

He caught her attention and patted the seat next to him, hoping she get the hint and sit down next to him. She nodded, grabbed a sandwich, and slid into the seat next to him. She gave him a small smile and he returned it with a tight lipped one as the stress was heavy on him at the moment. He fought the urge to lean in and kiss her, something he shouldn't do in front of his crew.

"Hi," she said with a smile. It brought out a small real smile on his face.

"Hey, you doing, okay?" he asked quietly. He saw Mike nod at her from the corner of his eye and Rachel smiled at him before turning her attention back to him.

"Yes. I'll be working in my lab later today. How is everything going after getting the crew back?"

"It's going," Mike said with a sigh. Tom glanced at his XO and gave him a look. Mike shrugged. "Well, it is," he replied before continuing to eat.

"We're managing," Tom scoffed. Mike took his last bite and stood.

"I'm heading to check on engineering. Hopefully the snafu won't hinder our ability to fulfill the president's request," Mike said dryly. Tom grunted at him and nodded, glad Mike was going to get the full report and not him. He just prayed that whatever Garnett did, fixed the issue and they had smooth sailing from here on out. There had been nothing more from the CIC room and he prayed that had just been an anomaly.

"Keep me informed," Tom said after him, as Mike walked out the door. Mike tossed a hand up in the air to acknowledge he understood. Tom looked at Rachel as she watched Mike leave. Once he was gone her gaze fell on him again.

"Problems?"

"Always," he breathed out. He could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

"Engineering sounds serious."

"It could become serious. We just had the engines worked on but apparently there were problems that weren't found until we pushed the engines," Tom sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He paused a moment and Rachel started to eat her sandwich. "But Garnett and Chung are on it, and we should be good to go. They kept this bucket of bolts sailing through much worse," Tom continued, his voice showing his amusement. He was damn proud of his engineering department and the way they could handle any crisis to keep this ship moving.

"How are you doing?" Rachel asked as he felt her hand graze his thigh under the table. Heat flashed through him, and he looked at her, one corner of his mouth tipping up as he struggled to keep the emotion of his face.

"I miss you," he whispered before raising his voice. "I'm doing, okay," he continued in a normal tone. He watched Rachel smile and it made a little bit more stress melt away.

"Get any sleep?" she asked him pointedly. He couldn't help but look down at his lap. He didn't want to lie to her, but he also didn't want her to worry too much at his ability to push forward. She took another bite of her sandwich and Tom formulated what he wanted to tell her. He decided to be truthful.

"Got a nap in at my at sea cabin."

"A nap. You've been going for forty-eight hours now," Rachel said, and he could hear the concern in her voice. He felt the fatigue pulling at him, but he knew he had a little longer to go to make sure the ship was out of the trouble for good.

"The life of a captain," he ground out. He picked at his napkin as all he really wanted to do was take her back to their room and curl up and sleep for twenty-four hours. But he continued to ease her concerns. "I'm okay. It's part of sea life. I'll get sleep when I can, and eventually we'll be back in open waters and I'll be back in the stateroom," he said, his eyes showing the twinkle he felt in his heart at the prospect. Rachel smiled at him.

"I'll be there," she whispered back to him. He smiled a real smile that lit up his eyes as she ate some more of her lunch. "I noticed the ship was going faster than normal."

Finally, Tom thought idly as the issues with his engines were straining his patience. "Yes. Gator isn't happy. Garnett isn't happy. Mike isn't happy. But it's what the president ordered. So. We're supposed to make St. Louis in just over five days, and to do that we need to go a much faster knot that we are used to."

"Causing strain on the ship."

"Engines are already taxing. We made repairs but they weren't put through a rigorous testing before we shipped out, because there wasn't time. So now is the test and they have to make repairs on the fly. I trust my crew; they'll get it done. Then I'll listen to Mike grumble," Tom said with a chuckle. "But once the repairs are done, we won't be taxing the engines when at the increased speed." He smiled but he knew it was a weak one. There was just too much going on for him to relax even a little.

"I wish you could get some rest."

"I'm on watch. But if all goes smooth today and Garnett and Chung keep the engines running, I'll be off for the night. Jeter has the watch tonight."

"So, both you and Mike will get some rest?"

"Yes, that's the plan. As long as the Nathan James complies. But I need to get back to it. So, I'll hopefully see you tonight," he said in a softer tone so not to be overheard. He watched Rachel smile and nod at him, before he pushed himself up from the table and walked out of the wardroom, heading back to the bridge. Hopefully by the time he returned Mike would have good news from engineering. Although it seemed like the engines were holding so far.

"Captain on the bridge!" was called out and Tom walked to his chair and settled in. He looked around and didn't see Mike anywhere, so he grabbed a pair of binoculars and scanned the open sea in front of them. They were heading south along the coast of the US to wrap around Florida.

It wasn't long before someone shouted, "XO on the bridge!". Tom turned and saw Mike walking up to him in a seemingly better mood. Tom waited patiently for the other man to say something.

"Well, the good news is that the repairs seem to be holding," Mike said. Tom waited but nothing followed.

"And the bad news?" He finally asked.

"No idea how long that's going to be the case."

"Great. What does Commander Garnett think?"

"She thinks the repairs her and Chung did will hold and we should be able to make twenty-five knots all the way to the Mississippi River."

"And you're thoughts?"

"I trust her judgement," Mike said with a non-committal shrug of his shoulders. Tom smiled.

"I do as well. Well, hopefully that's one issue that's squirrelled away. Keep your finger on the pulse down there for a bit."

"Will do," Mike said before walking to his own chair. They had just settled into the quiet when the phone chirped again. Tom groaned as he reached for it.

"Can't anything just go right?" he mumbled under his breath as he brought the receiver to his ear. "Bridge, Captain," he barked.

"CIC, Lt. Foster, Sir."

"What is it Lt.?" he asked, managing to soften his tone a tad. He really shouldn't take his frustrations out on the crew when none of the hiccups had been their fault.

"I just wanted to report that we have not had any more readings. Whatever we encountered earlier is no longer in are range."

"Excellent. Continue to monitor and let me know if anything changes."

"Aye, Sir."

Tom hung up the receiver and saw Mike looking at him expectantly. He smiled at his friend. "Finally, so decent news. CIC reports no more readings. We are in the clear of whatever they heard."

"Excellent," Mike quipped. Tom nodded. The rest of the day progressed with a few minor mishaps and issues, but everything was eventually ironed out and the ship was still chugging along at twenty-five knots to their destination. With all the engine troubles they were delayed about one day's time but nothing to major. Tom had Mike send a message to St. Louis that explained the problem, that it was corrected and that they were on a new timeline. It was almost time to hand the watch to Jeter when a call came into the bridge. Mike grabbed the receiver and winked at Tom. He took the call and dealt with the issue. Tom was grateful. Master Chief Jeter came in and Tom handed the watch off to him. He walked out with Mike.

"I'm going to check in with engineering and then tell Garnett to get some sleep," Tom replied. "Hit the rack, get some shuteye, and hopefully tomorrow is a better day."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Mike said, and Tom could hear the exhaustion in the other man's voice. He also hinted a bit of disappointment, but he let it go. Tom split from Mike as he made his way towards the officer staterooms while Tom headed below decks. He came to the engine room and saw Chung and Garnett huddle around a panel.

"Problem?" Tom asked, and both of them jumped slightly.

"Uh, Captain," Garnett recovered first. "No, sir, no problem per say."

"Just watching that same engine, Sir," Chung replied blowing out a breath. "It's still a little wonky but we got her firing mostly on time."

"Any idea what the issue is?" Tom asked worried that they were going to have another delay soon.

"No, Captain," Garnett breathed out and he could hear the frustration in her voice. She was stumped. "For some reason the timing keeps disrupting. If we don't fix the issue as it happens, eventually it's going to damage the engine. But so far, it's holding."

"Get some sleep, both of you. Come back tomorrow and tackle the problem fresh."

"Yes, sir," Garnett said with a smile. Chung nodded and Tom could see the relief in his features. Tom turned and left as Garnett was giving another sailor instructions on what was important to wake her up for…and what was not. He didn't wait around any longer as he wanted to get to his quarters. The level of fatigue he was feeling at that moment was monumental and he was half asleep on his feet.

He entered his stateroom and stripped off his uniform until he was at his t-shirt and boxers. Then he collapsed into the bed as his body could no longer hold itself upright and pulled the covers over himself. He couldn't keep his eyes open for another second. He felt Rachel scoot closer to him, registering that she was naked, then her mouth was over his kissing him. He brought his hand up to the side of her face and kissed back. The kiss became heated and deepened as they both got lost in the other. When they finally broke away, he opened his eyes and smiled at her. His vision was swimmy with the exhaustion.

"I've missed you," he sighed.

"Likewise, Sailor," she quipped, and he felt his body heat up, causing him to smile.

"I wish I wasn't so exhausted," he mumbled as his eyes were already drooping shut again. He felt her kiss him quickly then she rolled over and melted against his front. There was very little recognition after that as his brain drifted off to sleep.

Tom woke several hours later, Rachel pressed firmly against his front. Heat brushed through him as his body reacted to her being there. His half-awake brain wanted her, and he stripped his t-shirt and boxers off before he leaned in and kissed a line of featherlight kisses down her neck. He felt her shiver and her hips pressed back against him and he knew she was awake. His hand that had been resting on her hip curled up and cupped her breast, as he strummed his thumb gently over her nipple.

He felt her butt push back into his groin and the tension in his belly grew as blood rushed to his erection. He continued his line of kisses along her shoulder and then up her neck again. He bit at her skin then smoothed it with his tongue. He pushed his hips forward and was rewarded as she pushed her back against him. The friction pulsed a heat through him. He continued to work her breast with his hand, and he heard her moan softly. He wanted more. Tom reached his hand out and gently pushed on her shoulder, making her lay flat on her back and then he leaned forward, dropping his mouth to take her nipple in, swirling his tongue over it. Her back arched up pushing it into him more. He swung his leg over and draped in between hers, pressing his thigh against her clit. He felt her hips buck, creating a friction along his leg. He tore his mouth from her breast and sought out her lips. He kissed her hard, a mashing of lips, teeth, and tongues.

His stomach was fluttering, his erection was full. He snaked his hand down her body as he moved his leg slightly out of the way and replaced it with the hand. When his hand made contact and rubbed, he heard a whimper escape from Rachel. He pulled his mouth from hers and looked her in the eyes as he continued to rub her clit, while sticking a couple fingers inside her. He watched as she closed her eyes, her face showing the pleasure her body was feeling.

After a few more moments he felt her hand wrap around his penis and start to roam up and down it. He dropped his head to her neck and nipped at her pulse point as the sensations running through him were making his brain feel like fire. He kissed a trail down her neck, as he felt Rachel let go of his erection. Her hands came up to his face, pulling him up so she could see him. He smiled at her and he felt her move her hips, brushing against his erection and sending a jolt of electricity through his groin into his belly.

Tom knew what she wanted, and he lined himself up and pushed inside of her. They both let out a breath as the sensation filled them. Tom paused for a short moment, to savor the feel of them conjoined, then he started to thrust his hips rhythmically. He felt Rachel trying to match him. Soon they both were moving at a frantic pace and Tom was lost in the ecstasy of it all. He felt her insides tighten around him, as she lost her ability to keep pace with him. Tom continued to thrust, bringing her to orgasm. He sucked in a breath as her insides spasmed and then squeezed him rhythmically. As he continued to work on his own release he leaned down suddenly and latched his mouth over hers as he thrust a few more erratic times into her. He felt himself spill and his hips pumped a few more times before he collapsed next to her as they both panted. He buried his face in the pillow as he attempted to catch his breath and fight the exhaustion that washed over him again. He knew he was still half on top of Rachel, but he didn't have the energy to move just yet, as his breathing was still coming in great gasps. He was having trouble concentrating as Rachel was tracing circles on his back with her fingertips. He found the energy to roll completely off her and landed on his back. He felt her throw her leg over his as she curled into his chest. His eyes were still closed when she kissed at his neck and then nuzzled into him.

"Well," Rachel whispered against his skin. Tom chuckled but didn't say anything. He was still having trouble focusing his brain. He felt her put her chin on his shoulder, but he kept his eyes closed. He was drifting back to sleep as his body was still racked from the last forty-eight hours. The last thing he knew, Rachel had draped an arm over his chest and laid her head against him before he plundered into the darkness of sleep.

Sometime later a constant chirping sound woke him up. He realized it was his alarm, and he stretched trying to reach it without waking Rachel up. He finally managed to grab the offending object and he hit the snooze button. He heard Rachel groan as she stretched, brushing her body against his. He felt the flutter in his stomach, and he pulled his arm tighter around her, holding her to him.

"Five more minutes," he mumbled as he snuggled his nose into her neck. He drew a simple pattern with the tip of his nose against her skin. He heard her giggle and he smiled before he kissed the spot. Before he was ready the alarm sounded again, and Tom sighed. He reluctantly pulled away from her, knowing he needed to get ready for duty. This is why they frown upon this behavior he thought wryly. She let go of him as he moved to the side of the bed. He glanced back to watch her wrap the blankets more tightly around her body.

He looked around and found his boxers. As he was pulling them on, he felt Rachel stroke her hand down his back. Once he sat down again, he leaned into her touch for a moment before he stood and moved towards his bathroom. He managed to shower, shave, and dress, forcing himself to get ready. He didn't want to leave the room today, but knew he was duty bound to lead the ship. What he would give for the mission to be over.

Once he was ready, he came out of the bathroom to find Rachel still in bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed and rested his hand on her hip. He took in the sight of her, mixed emotions flowing through him.

"Will I find you in your lab today?" he asked softly.

"At times. I'm working on another round. It's slow going with the equipment and lack of help."

"I know. I'm sorry. I may be able to spare Rios today if nothing else comes up, if you'd like help?"

"No, that's okay. I think I like my time in the lab. Let's me think."

"And what do you think about?" he asked with raised eyebrows. He had a confident smirk on his face, as he knew she was thinking about him.

"Oh, this guy," she smirked back. He could hear the dreamy quality to her voice, and he felt his heart flutter a little bit.

"Anyone I know?" he asked with a smile. He leaned down and kissed her soundly.

"Maybe," she replied with a satisfied smile. Tom smiled even more. Oh, how he could grow old with this.

"I'm glad I make you happy," he said softly, his mood turning serious for a moment. He knew that statement didn't even begin to convey his feelings on the subject, but it was the truth in its simplest form. He sighed, thinking about all the things he could say then, but he couldn't quite find the words. She was watching him, and he knew he needed to leave, or he'd stay in there all morning. So, he stood and walked to the door without another word. When he reached the outer door, he stopped and turned back towards her. "I'll see you later," he promised. Then he turned and left heading towards the bridge for another day of adventure as the Captain of the Nathan James.

To Be Continued…