alright so i lied, but i hope this makes up for it!


Chapter 20

Rose and Theta again stood in front of Claudio who scanned Rose with his medical device.

"This is so degrading!" she said out loud before she even realized it.

"Silence slave!" Claudio shouted. Then he turned to Dace and said "You will have to wait a while longer before you can have her." Then to the guards he said "Take them back to their quarters."

Luce and the rest of the group were already in the compartment when Rose and Theta arrived.

"So, where have you two been?" Jack asked casually.

"Don't ask!" Rose snapped.

"Ok. Well, then what's for dinner?"

"Rice. Luce or Aaron can make it." she sat on the floor in the corner and buried her head in her hands.

Aaron, in understanding, silently got the bag of rice down off the shelf and poured some into the cook pot. "What happened to the water bucket?" She asked innocently when he noticed it broken into bits.

"Rose had a bad day. Just go ask Rican if she has an extra one." Theta said.

"What the hell is going on here, Doc?" Jack wanted to know.

Rose looked up, angry tears in her eyes, "We were forced to consummate our marriage." she snapped.

"Oh, uh, well, gee I'm sorry... I guess."

An uneasy silence settled about the compartment. Aaron returned with the water and a new bucket, cooked the rice and after dinner washed the dishes. Rose refused to eat and would not move from her place on the floor.

"I will stay up and watch the fire tonight." Luce offered.

Rose got up from where she was sitting and said softly, "No, that's alright Luce. I'll do it. You go to bed."

When everyone was settled in their racks Theta came over to talk to Rose, but before he could even sit down beside her in front of the fire she said "Doctor, I'm fine. You need to sleep."

"Rose….."

"Please, Theta," she pleaded "just let me be alone for awhile."

He put his hand lightly on her shoulder. "Ok, but if you need me..."

"I'm fine." she said again.

"Don't forget to wake me up if you need anything." She nodded, but he knew she had no intention of waking him.

When the rest of the members of the group had fallen asleep, Aaron got out of her bed and came to sit by Rose on the floor.

"Rose, are you mad at Theta?"

"No. I'm angry with the situation."

"Theta believes that you are angry with him. If you continue to shut him out like this your relationship will die."

Rose looked at her for awhile before asking "What do you want me to do?" in a tone that came out more sarcastically than she intended.

"Theta cares very deeply for you. Everyone can see that. He is hurting too. Realize that and do not shut him out. This is not just about you. It is about both of you."

"I just feel so useless here."

"On the contrary, it is you who saved Jack and Theta from the over anxious females you have encountered here, you are the one who stood up to Dae. You will not give up Rose, I saw that."

Rose looked at Aaron, tears threatening to fall. "But, being forced to have sex with someone, even if you love them, is..." she suddenly realized that she just told Aaron that she was in love with Theta. Somehow, she figured this was not a news flash to her.

"Rose, I know you were forced to have sex, but, it was with the man you love."

"I,...ah,...suppose you're right."

"Then for your sake as well as his, do not shut him out. He is a victim as well. The two of you must work through this together."

"You're right Aaron. Thank you."

Aaron smiled and gave her friend a hug. "Good night, Rose."

Sam stared at the fire and thought about the things Aaron had said to her. She also pondered the hand held medical device Claudio used.

"Rose…." Theta said and sat down beside her The two sat shoulder to shoulder in silence for quite some time before Rose said "Doctor…"

"Rose, don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't tell me what a horrible experience this afternoon was for you."

"Some of it wasn't horrible."

"What are you saying, Rose?"

She smiled, keeping her eyes focused on the fire, "Well, for an old man with performance anxiety, you, well, made me ..." her voice trailed off. Then she turned her head to look him square in the eyes and with a grin said "Twice!"

He gave her his biggest 'I love you Rose' smile.

They continued to sit in silence for a time before Rose said "I've been thinking about that medical device that Claudio had."

"I knew you were thinking about somethin'!"

She ignored his comment and continued "What was he looking for when he scanned me?"

Theta's eyes got wide with the realization "He was looking for sperm; semen!"

"Exactly. The first time he scanned me he didn't know we hadn't...made love, he was just guessing. We told him what he wanted to know!"

"That son of a..."

"But, Doctor, I think we can use his arrogance and his lack of knowledge against him. Arrogance and stupidity are a deadly combination."

"Ok, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, he knows we aren't from this planet, what if we tell him that our physiology is different from the people on this planet, that when a woman from our planet gets pregnant a protein marker appears in her blood. Even if he doesn't believe it, his mind will be thinking 'protein marker' and the device should make it show up!

"Rose, you're brilliant! That's why I married you."

She chuckled. "I thought their marriage laws weren't binding."

"Yeah, well, it certainly wasn't the most romantic wedding I've ever attended."

"The honeymoon left something to be desired too." Rose said with a smile

"Hey! Under the circumstances I thought I did quite well."

"Oh, the male ego!" She said as she rolled her eyes.

"So, how long do we have to wait until you tell Claudio you think you're pregnant and want to be scanned for the protein marker?"

"I don't know. He may buy the protein marker for awhile, but eventually he will want to scan me again. He may be stupid but he's not that stupid. I think we can fool him once but not twice. I would say we have to wait at least one of their lunar cycles."

Theta nodded as she continued, "If this works, once they believe I'm pregnant they will have to leave me alone. It would mean a lot to the Protectorate to get his hands on our child, so I'm willing to bet there's something in it for Claudio too."

"A promotion, a bonus, something like that?" Theta asked.

"Yeah, I think so." They sat in companionable silence for time before Theta said "Rose, you should get some sleep."

She nodded and pulled herself up off the floor. Before she walked away she said "Thank you, Doctor."

He looked up at her quizzically, "For what"

"For being there for me."