AN: Many thanks for the reviews. I would like to say a few things that I really should have before. First of all, I'm not very good at keeping people in character but I try. I think most of the time Caboose is Caboose from the first ten episodes of Season 1 so he might seem like he has a positive IQ at times. Second, I can't spell. Spell check is my best friend. However what this means is every word is a word it just might not be the right word. Thirdly, as for it being a little cheesy, well I do try. I'm just not sure what I try for...

He got to his door and breathed in deeply and entered. Church was asleep and Caboose was tempted to leave him like that, but it was now or never. He thought about attempting to remove his helmet, but decided that it wouldn't work; he never seemed able to get that thing off without help. Caboose knelt down by Church's head and reached out, stroking his face. It took a moment before Church woke up.

Church stretch and Caboose swallowed hard. Even with the bandage on his head and dark rings around his eyes, Caboose still found Church to be beautiful. This wasn't going to be easy.

Caboose closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth and instantly felt heat start to rise in his face.

"When… when you…" He found he couldn't say the words.

Fortunately, Church could. "When I kissed you?"

"Yeah…" There was another pause. Caboose closed his eyes and this time kept them shut. "When you did that, I kind of … freaked. I was scared. I've always been told that…"

"It was wrong." There was something in Church's voice that hadn't been there before and it made Caboose open his eyes again.

"Yeah."

"Caboose. I have been told that. I had friends that had the same 'illness'. We were all told that. One of the reasons why I went out with Tex was so my parents would stop bugging me about it."

Caboose looked down, ashamed. He could feel tears start to form and blur his vision. Tex didn't say this would be this hard, or hurt this much.

He heard Church sigh. "Come here." He heard him move and felt hands under his chin. He heard clicks as Church undid the locks keeping his helmet on. When Church pulled it off, Caboose closed his eyes tight, not wanting to show Church his tears.

Church sighed and pulled Caboose closer to him. "I understand you being scared, Caboose. This type of talk always puts you in a very vulnerable situation." He stroked Caboose's cheeks, wet with fallen tears, with a finger. He leaned in and kissed Caboose's cheeks. When he pulled away two things happened. Firstly, Church tasted salt on his lips. The second thing was Caboose looked up at him. His eyes had turned slightly red from his crying. Church marveled at how young he looked. At how scared he looked.

Finally Caboose found his voice and said, "I'm scared, Church."

"You don't have to be. I'm here." Church brushed Caboose's hair out of his eyes and smiled. "Come up here." Caboose climbed up on to the bed and Church put an arm around him. "Talk to me."

"I was talking to Tex and she said that I should tell you what I feel." Caboose breathed in deeply again. "I want to tell you that I think I'm in love with you." Well, he had done it, the cat was out of the bag. He had played all the cards in his hand. All he could do now was wait for Church's reply.

Church leaned in, saying, "I love you too, Rookie." And kissed him again.

And Tex was right. How could this be wrong? What was now flowing through Caboose's vines could not be the result of evil. There was no way that the pure joy that he was now experiencing was in any way bad.

When Church broke the kiss he smiled. "That wasn't that bad, was it?" And Caboose knew he was not talking about the kiss. The kiss had been incredible. Church was talking about Caboose confessing his feelings.

"No." And he smiled too. Suddenly he wished he could take off his armor. All he wanted to do at that moment was curl up with Church and fall asleep with him in his arms and doing that with a full suit of armor on was not fun. He started to fiddle with the locks until Church moved his hands away and undid them. It took about five minutes before the two of them were able to get off the MJONIR armor. Caboose had been forced to put on an under shirt and pants when he got wet. He found that if he let his skin touch his armor right after it had been dried, it got icky.

Caboose pulled the covers over himself and Church. Church put an arm around him and they fell asleep like that.

The next morning Tucker woke up with what could be described as the worst headache ever. It felt as if he had been hit with a wrench… He paused as the memory came back to him. "That bitch…" He moaned as he rubbed his head. Slowly he got up and made his way to the small room that was reserved for eating. Once he got there he stopped in his tracks.

Caboose looked up and waved but Tucker didn't notice the movement. He didn't even notice Tex, who was still wearing her pjs that was strange in itself. No all that Tucker was looking at was..

"Church?"

Church smiled weakly back at him. "How's it going, Tucker?"

"The fuck…? How? When?"

Tex laughed at Tucker's lack of words. "Yeah. We asked the same thing."

Tucker glanced at her for the first time and noticed her pjs but didn't comment on them for fear of the pistol strapped to her leg. "And?" he said looking back at Church.

"Don't know."

Tucker shook his head then slowly moved to the table and sat down. "When?"

Caboose answered. "I found him like this when Tex sent me to find him. Then this thing came out of no where and tried to kill me." Tex, who had been filling up a glass with water, paused and listened more carefully. "Good thing for me that my gun went flying with Church." Caboose turned to Tex. "He killed it before it could kill me." He turned back to Tucker. "Then I took him here."

Tucker looked from Caboose to Tex and finally to Church. It was only then he noticed the half healed gash on his head. "When did you get that?" Tucker asked indicating the cut.

"Fell. Hit my head on a rock."

Tucker nodded and then noticed how Caboose was staying a way from Church. Not like he was trying to dissociate himself with Church but he was sitting farther away from him than he used to. Tucker was just about to comment on it when Church got up. He watched as Church left the room. Once he was out of sight Tucker turned back and frowned. Somehow Caboose had left too.

He glanced at Tex, who smirked and took a sip of water. He looked back at the door way then back at her. "How…?" Tucker just couldn't tell how Caboose had managed to get passed him with out him noticing.

"He's been practicing…" Tex laughed at Tucker's confused expression.

Caboose had followed Church out of the mess hall and out to the top of the base. The storm had passed and the sky was surprisingly clear. Church sat down near the edge of the base and let his legs dangle off the edge. Caboose sat down next to him.

There was a silence for a bit before Caboose broke it. "How do you feel?"

"Alright. A little tired but I should live." He looked at Caboose and smiled. "You?"

Caboose hesitated a bit before he answered. "A little… nervous…"

"Why?"

"Well… Tucker. I mean I don't want him to know… To find out about…"

"Us?"

"Yeah."

Church leaned into Caboose and sighed. "He's going to find out. We don't have to tell him. Just let him find that out all by himself."

Caboose nodded and kissed Church. This one was different from the last one. This one was hesitant and timid. It made Church smile. Caboose broke it and frowned.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Oh, nothing. You just are really cute. That's all." And he leaned in for another kiss. Caboose leaned into more than he had the previous times and he ran his hand down Church's arm. Church shifted so he was facing Caboose, who pulled him on to his lap. Once he was there, Church pushed Caboose down on to the cold concert of the base. Caboose pulled back and looked up at Church. He grinned. "What?"

"Oh nothing. I just knew you would be pushy."

Church laughed and gave Caboose a quick kiss before standing up. Caboose headed off back into the base and just before he disappeared, he looked over his shoulder and smiled again. Church smiled back and Caboose was out of sight.

"So. Are you going to tell him?"

"Tell him about what?"

"Me. The program. Your family. The list goes on for a while, Church."

Church sighed and looked down. "I don't think he would want to know, Franz. I don't think I want him to know."

"Fine. Keep your secrets but do remember that I told you that keeping these things away from him will come back to bite you on your ass."

Church laughed softly. "I'll remember."

Caboose was cleaning guns at the range. This was what had amazed him when he first had come to Blood Gulch. The base looked so small from the outside but underneath there was a mess hall, firing range, and rooms for everyone to sleep in. Every since he came here he had found that cleaning guns had let him calm himself down, allowing him think clearly.

Right now he was thinking about how happy he was. He remembered seeing people walk down the street holding hands and how happy they had looked. He had always wanted that and now he had it.

His thoughts were interrupted by Tex. She had changed and now was wearing a simple black body suit. She leaned against the wall and looked at Caboose. Just looked at him. It made him a little nervous.

"What?"

"Has he told you?"

Caboose gave her a blank look. "Told me about what?"

"There are a few things. It's not my place to tell you, but I think you should know." And she turned to leave.

"Wait! Tex, hold on. I don't get it. Why would Church not tell me something?"

She looked at him hard as if she was trying to tell him something with out saying it. "Why would I not tell you something?" She kept looking at him a bit longer and left. That left Caboose very confused. What would Tex and Church not want to have him know? The only things he could think of only was about Tex, not Tex and Church. He frowned and went back to cleaning.

Days passed. Caboose and Church became more comfortable with their relationship but still had not told Tucker. The Reds stayed on their side of the canyon and the Blues stayed on their side and everyone was happy. Expect for Tucker who was left out of all the loops.

Tucker had just finished up behind his rock when he heard something that sounded like someone chocking. Frowning he walked behind the base and found Church, who was leaning against the wall being violently sick.

"Hey, buddy. You okay?"

Church looked up at him. He shot daggers at the teal solider before retching again. Tucker looked away until Church was done.

Church pushed himself away from the base and collapsed on the ground; he was shaking. Tucker sighed and knelt down and pressed a hand to his forehead.

"You're hot. I think you have a fever." Tucker wiped sweat off of his hand and pulled Church up. "We need to get you inside." Church didn't say anything as Tucker helped him to his room. "I'll get Tex. Just wait here."

As soon as Tucker closed the door, Church moaned. He had never felt this bad before. Sure he had the flu before, that was what he had thought it was, but this time his stomach was doing a strange flip-flop that was keeping him from keeping anything down.

The door opened again and Tex walked in. She was wearing her armor that Church thought was strange since the Reds had not been doing anything. As soon as she saw him she took off her helmet.

She sat down next to his bed and sighed. "Tucker just said that you were sick. He didn't say you had been throwing up."

"It's nice to know he cares."

Tex pressed her hand to his head and said, "You have a fever. That and throwing up is enough for me to say you have the flu."

"Great." He closed his eyes and let another moan out.

"Stay in bed. I'll get you something to eat."

"Don't bother. I can't keep anything down."

Tex stood up and looked down her nose at him. "Fine. I have one thing to say though. Stop doing that impression of a rabbit in heat with Caboose for a while."

Church's eyes snapped open. "How?"

"You are a loud lover, Leonard. I should know." She smiled and left the room calling over her shoulder, "Get some sleep."

Tex walked down to shooting range and found what she was looking for. Caboose looked up when she entered.

Caboose sighed. "Are you here to give me more strange cryptic hints about what Church isn't telling me?"

"No. I'm here to tell you that he's sick. The flu."

"What?" Caboose dropped the gun he had been cleaning. "Is he okay?"

"Of course. It's just the flu. He'll be fine in a few days."

Caboose sighed with relief and picked up the gun again. "Can you tell me what I should know that you haven't told me?"

Tex frowned. "No I can not. It is something only Church should tell you."

"But he hasn't told me. When ever I bring it up, he changes the subject."

"I don't know what to tell you, Caboose. He doesn't want you to know for some reason." And with that very anti-climatic statement, she left.