Hello all!

It's been a while, so it's good to see you all! How you guys been? About the updates, yeh..I'm a bit slow, but they're long updates, usually double the size of what I normally consider a chapter so it takes me a little longer to write them.

You're dying to read this one huh? Oh great! Let me not keep you! I think you guys will like it. Let's face it, it's about time something physical happened between them ;-)

Sorry for the mistakes. As always, I'll fix those along the way!

Don't forget to review!

Replies to reviews are below so that whoever wants to read them can, and those who want to skip them can easily do so too ;-)


Chapter Six

Navy Medical Ship USS Norton

Six hours later

Lauren's POV

"Thanks Lieutenant," I say to the Lieutenant who escorted me back from the OR to my cabin. There wouldn't by chance still be something to eat, would there?" Seven straight hours of operating on the Admiral has left me hungry and unsteady on my feet. The removal of the metal bar had to be done in stages, but the bulk of my time was spent in search of metal slivers that had come off of the brittle coating of the rod and had lodged themselves around the brain. After that it was a question of suturing up his wounds as best as possible, and hoping we got everything out.

"The gally is closed, but I can wake up the cook to make-"

"No, no need to do that." I shake my head. "Breakfast is only a couple of hours away." I say. "I'll splurge then."

The Lieutenant nods at my words. "Goodnight, Doctor Lewis, and good job."

"Thanks Lieutenant, " I say with a tired smile. "Goodnight." I push the door to my cabin open ready to fall into bed when I'm suddenly confronted with a vision straight out of my dreams.

In the bed I am supposed to sleep in, lies Major McCorrigan. She's tangled in bed sheets, her long, sculpted legs sticking out. She's wearing white lacy boxer shorts and a matching sleeveless shirt that is cut low. I'm transfixed by the image of her, and exhale a breath I didn't know I was holding.

She's perfect.

Instantly I imagine leaning into this woman, the scent and softness of her neck and clavicle. Gods, I'm such a perv! I can imagine kissing her skin, being allowed to push away the light fabric of her pajamas. Stop it, Lauren! That spot just above her clavicle, then downward to the lovely soft skin of her chest and breasts.

I thought I was tired, now my heart is racing and I'm wide awake...

It takes all of my willpower to stop ogling the Major, and focus on what to do next. I need a shower and I need to get out of the clothes I'm wearing. After that, I'll figure out where I'm going to sleep. I'm sure the floor will do.

A quick shower does me a world of good, I've changed into my pajamas and open the fridge to see if there's anything to drink in there. To my surprise there is a variety of soft drinks and water. I also see a couple of salads: Italian, Greek, some sandwiches and a couple of nutrition bars. With a smile I realise Bo must have stocked the fridge to make sure I had something to eat. I take a bottle of water and go for the Greek salad. When I take my first bite, I moan softly at how good it tastes. This salad is exactly what I needed tonight.

Ten minutes later and I'm wondering how I'm going to deal with my sleeping situation. I pull open one of the cupboards and find extra blankets and pillows. I try to be quiet about it, but I stumble over Bo's bag carrying the blankets.

"Lauren?" Bo's sleepy voice sounds.

"It's okay Bo," I whisper out to her. "I'm just making my bed, go back to sleep."

"Your bed?" The sleepy reply comes. "No, no ..." she protests muttering "We can- we can share," she mumbles out. The room is so small all she has to do is reach out with her hand to wrap it around my wrist. She pulls me onto the bed, and I sit awkwardly on the edge.

"Did you save the admiral?" She asks sleepily. She's still holding onto my hand and now she's tugging me towards her. "You..you need sleep...Ge..get in," Bo directs.

"Let's hope so," I say as I gingerly crawl into bed next to her. "The surgery went well." The bed is small, only just big enough for two people to lay in. There's no way I can lay in it without somehow being pressed up against her, but Bo doesn't seem to mind. She pulls me to her in a hug, and then kisses my cheek as if it's the most normal thing on the planet to do. My heart on the other hand is about ready to spontaneously combust! With another squeeze she whispers into my ear: "I knew you could do it." A moment later she lets go of me turning on her other side.

I'm left staring at the ceiling, trying to find my bearings again because I feel like the room is spinning. My skin is flushed from where she kissed me, and I don't even want to talk about what her hug did to me, but it was definitely a more than friendly reaction!

I wonder if she'll remember what she did in the morning or whether she's the type that gets sleep drunk? Seeing as Bo spent the last two weeks actively avoiding me, I try not to overthink her actions.

Yet that is exactly what I do. For the next thirty minutes I lay awake overthinking things, overthinking Bo and how she makes me feel before the soft cadance of Bo's sleep finally lulls me into mine as well.

Three hours later

Oh thank God, I didn't jump her! It's the first thought that pops through my head when I wake up. The second thought goes to how her one leg is draped over my mine and her arm is wrapped almost around my waist, how her head is laying on my shoulder. It's as if in the middle of the night she decided to cuddle up to me.

It's sweet, it's cute, it's ...

I groan.

It's sexy and damnit, it's turning me on!

My dreamwoman is scantly dressed and pressing her gorgeous body up against me. What's even worse is that I can feel her nipples strain against the fabric of her nightwear and against my side. Only two thin layers of fabric lay between me and what I want to touch, want to kiss, want to...

Gods, she's perfect. She's gorgeous. She's perfectly gorgeous. I think as I glance over at her. Her hair is up in a pony tail, sticking out on all sides messily, but even now she is gorgeous, she's a Goddess. How is that even possible?

How am I supposed to say 'no' to her, keep my professional distance? Is there any court out there that could convict me, that could blame me for being aroused right now, and for pretending to be asleep a little while longer just so I can lay here with this woman?

Yes. A military court would bring you up on charges of fraternization for doing exactly what you're doing right now!

I inhale deeply trying to get my heart to stop racing in the Kentucky Derby, but as I do, the scent of her neck fills my nostrils. She smells of freshly washed clothes with a hint of vanilla. She stirs and her leg falls in between mine.

"Holy Fibonacci!" I curse inwardly as her thigh is now resting right where my arousal for her keeps on growing.

No, no! NO! Think unsexy things!

Dirty socks

Mould

Jock straps...

Being court-martialed...

Bo lets out what sounds like a soft moan, and I yelp jumping out of bed thinking I might actually explode by that sound alone. I have never dressed quicker in my life, and bolt out of the room.

It takes me all the way to the Mess Hall before I calm down enough to realise that I'm an adult, and that my behaviour is ridiculous.

What is it about Bo that has me stumbling about acting like an awkward teenager in heat? Why can't I just act normal around her?

It would help if she wasn't half naked when we talk!

I shake my head at myself as I'm looking at pastries, fruit and the other wonderful variety of breakfast food they have on offer here. I smile thinking how Bo stocked the fridge last night, and decide that I'll do the same for her. It's the least I can do for her being so considerate. After breakfast, I'll check in with the Admiral and follow up on him.

I'm balancing breakfast on a tray when my name suddenly sounds through the intercom system.

"Doctor Lewis to I.C.U. Doctor Lewis to I.C.U."

I'm about five feet away from our cabin, so I open the door quickly." Bo is up, she's just gotten out of the shower and she's drying her hair.

"I brought you breakfast," I say putting the tray on the small office desk in the room. "But I gotta go, " I add trying to not dwell on how beautiful she looks again.

"Doctor Lewis to I.C.U." sounds over the system again, and I reluctantly push myself out of the door.

"Lauren," Bo calls, and I turn back around. She's holding out one of the bagels I brought along for myself. "At least take that."

"Thanks," I smile, take the bagel from her and leave for the I.C.U.

Four hours later

With a tired sigh I pull back the surgical cap I've been wearing, and lean forward into the sink to wash my hands. Sometime during the night, somehow, a sliver of metal coating that we had missed on the scans had moved deeper into the Admiral's brain causing multiple haemorrhages. We were able to remove the sliver, and I was able to stop the bleeds, but like yesterday, it was a matter of stopping one bleed, having another one start and working as quickly as possible to stop the next.

As I start drying off my hands I see my colleagues trickling out of the O.R and I see on their faces what I feel: they're tired, yet relieved, and proud that we pulled this off. Although it was touch and go there for a while, the Admiral is stable now, and another CT scan has confirmed we have now removed all of the fragments from his skull. All in all, we believe the damage to the Admiral's cerebellum was limited, but how exactly his motor functions: speech, balance, coordination,...have been impacted remains unclear. It will become more clear in the days and weeks to come. For now, we are keeping the Admiral in an artificial coma to give his brain as much time and rest as possible to heal.

I'm congratulated and padded on the back as I make my way to the showers and the lockers. I discard my scrubs in the changing room, and take a quick shower. After that it's a quick change to my regular clothes and a search for lunch. I've often had people find it strange that I can eat right after having performed surgery. I don't believe I am a psychopath, or have a split personality like some people have suggested. My professional detachment is simply a construct of the mind that allows me, and others in my profession, to deal with gruesome images and even tragedy in a way that is managable; in a way that keeps the more upsetting aspects of my job out of my personal life. It's a self-preserving mechanism that's essential to any doctor's life as it keeps our own mental health intact. For me, showering after surgery has become a part of that proces, a ritual that allows me to cross those barriers from professional to personal again.

I make my way out of the changing room, and hope I can find Bo to have lunch together. I'm about to leave sickbay when I see Bo sitting on one of the benches across the patient administration desk.

"Hey doc, I wanted to drop off lunch for you, " she says getting up from the bench, and I eye the Greek Salad she has in her hands. "But the nurses told me you were just coming out of surgery, so I decided to wait, see if we could go grab a bite together?"

"Yes," I say a little too quickly, a little too eagerly to be casual about it. Bo is grinning widely at me and I mimic her smile feeling the butterflies swirl in my stomach. We make our way to the Mess Hall talking about the admiral's surgery. Bo in turn tells me what she's been doing with her morning, helping out the mechanics on board wherever she can. She already seems to know the ship inside and out. Our banter is plain, simple, interspersed with playful comments and laughter.

When we finish our lunch, Bo gets us coffees and I notice she brings me a caramel latte. She's also brought along a piece of apple pie for us to share if the two forks she's carrying are an indication.

"Want to share?" she asks and I nod in reply.

It's little things like that that get to me, that warm my heart. The fact that she knows what kind of coffee I like, the fact that she stocked the fridge, that she brought me lunch, that she takes care of me, that she wants to share a piece of pie, and the fact that it doesn't feel awkward or strange that we do this. Everything between us has a flow like we've known each other for years, and yet when she smiles at me and makes the butterflies swirl she feels like an enigma I could spend my entire life studying.

"So good!" I say taking a sip of latte.

"Mmhmmm," Bo agrees as she puts a piece of apple pie in her mouth, and moans softly. I grab my fork and take a bite myself. The pie is absolute heaven, and it's quickly becoming my new favorite dessert.

"Well, at least we know we'll have good food now that we're stuck here," Bo comments between bites.

"Stuck?" I ask surprised.

"Yeah," Bo nods. "I checked the weather forecast. We missed our window to fly back to the Enterprise. You can already hear the winds picking up," she says, and right as she says it, I can hear the wind howl. "The Captain has anchored down the ship, and we should be okay, but there's no way we can take off with these winds or fly through them."

"How long is the storm going to last?"

"Couple of days minimum, maybe a week."

"I'm so sorry Bo," I say feeling guilty for the fact that she's trapped here with me. "I know how much time and effort you've been putting into Valiant Shield and now you're missing all of that."

"Hey," Bo smiles. "There's good food, nice people here, and I get to spend time with you. That's certainly not a bad deal in my book," she says it softly, but at her words my heart melts and when I look up she's looking away shyly as if she just said something she didn't intend to. I have to fight the impulse to cup her cheek with my hand and kiss her shyness away.

"Doctor Lewis to O.R 3."

I frown as my name sounds over the intercom system again I'm already up on my feet when Bo urges: "Go, I'll clean up here."

I nod, and head towards sickbay hoping they aren't calling me back for Nathan.

Three hours later

A young ensign with epilepsy that had been brought in during lunch was the reason I had been called back. There was a small tumor lodged in the frontal lobe that was causing the attacks, and it needed to come out. It was the kind of case that would be brought to me also if I had still been at Johns Hopkins because of the complex location of the tumor.

It's another hour or two of writing the after surgery reports for both the admiral and the ensign, and post surgery briefings before I can leave sickbay again. By now, it's almost 9pm, and I'm exhausted.

With three hours of sleep last night I don't even feel like eating anything, I just want to fall into bed and sleep, but I should look for Bo first.

I find Bo in the rec room of the ship. It's rudimentary compared to what we have on the Enterprise: there are a couple of pool tables, a darts board, a soft drink bar and some foossball tables. Bo is holding a pool cue, concentrating on the shot she's about to make. I smile softly. Her lips purse and while her eyebrows . My heart flutters when she turns and I see she's wearing leather pants and a form fitting top that makes me almost gasp for air. She's so gorgeous, sensual and graceful at the same time.

There's a sudden pang of jealousy there as I wonder who she dressed up for. She makes her shot and my annoyance gets worse. There are more than a few men, boys really, that eagerly congratulate her by hugging her in a much too friendly way. Bo is the type of person who is instantly liked. Liked is a euphemism here. I think with a sigh. Everywhere Bo goes men and women alike are captivated by her, drawn to her, unable to resist her. I should know. I'm one of them.

I've never been a jealous person, but I seem to be with Bo. Perhaps it's just because I'm tired, but right now I can't stand the fact that they have her attention.

"Bo," I call out to her, and she turns towards me with a big grin flashing her dimples.

"Doctor Lewis," she says with a wide smile. "Care to join us?"

"I'm going to bed," I say with a smile as warm as I can manage. "I'm beat."

"Oh... of course," she says. "I'll uh, I'll join you."

My heart leaps at the thought, but what comes out of my mouth is something completely different.

"Don't be silly," I wave her off. "It's much too early. Stay, enjoy yourself!" I say because it's the sensible thing to say, and because I want to be better than my petty jealousy. I look up and for a moment I think I see disappointment flash accross her face. I can't be sure, because one moment later she's smiling and saying goodnight to me and I turn to walk back towards the cabin.

Three hours later

"No, no, no!" I struggle against my restraints. My muscles are so tired, my body is so bruised, my lungs so full of black smoke that I shouldn't even be able to resist as I am.

I look next to me. The body of Lieutenant Dubois is slumped forward. Her dead eyes look at me, and horrified tears run over my cheek. The seatbelt makes me powerless, I can't get away.

This is where I am going to die.

Images of Bo smiling at me flash before my eyes. She's making sure I'm safe, strapped in, she's giving me her pocket knife...

The knife!

I reach into my pocket. It's still there! The flames are getting closer, they are licking at my skin, at my hands now. I can smell my own skin burning, but I don't care, I don't even feel it, there's only that sickening smell. I ignore it, I keep cutting.

I'm going to get out of here! I cut my ropes, I fall forward, I get up, I crawl, I stumble around in the dark on hands and feet, I can't see.

"Lauren," a gurgled voice calls my name.

"Dad!"

"Lauren!"

"Dad!" I call out louder. I can feel fresh air to my left, I blindly follow it. My vision clears.. I hear two gunshots...

My father falls into my lap, his face is horribly twisted. A part of his skull is missing, his eyes are almost bugging out, his brain matter spills across my uniform. When I scream it doesn't sound as my voice.

DAD! DADDDDDD!

"Lauren, I've got you, honey. It's okay."

My heart is racing, I'm bathing in sweat, chills run over my spine, I feel like I've been holding my breath, and now when I try to breathe it's forced and it hurts. I know I'm having an acute panic attack, but knowing that doesn't fix it.

"Lauren, honey. Breathe."

Bo's voice registers. It's calm, but I'm still freaking out. I can't breathe.

"I've got you," she says and I realise Bo's arms are wrapped around me, and that I'm leaning back into her. "Breathe with me honey," she says. "Follow my breathing. You're okay, you're alright, you're safe. Just breathe with me."

I do what she says, I focus on her breathing, try to clear my mind of those terrible images of my father.

I'm safe, I'm fine. Bo's got me. This wasn't real.

I feel my lungs fill with air again, feel my breathing settle as it follows Bo's lead. Bo breathes out in relief.

"You're good honey," Bo says and I close my eyes. My heart leaps out of my chest. My fear has dissipated, all I'm left now with is feeling Bo's arms around me, the way her chest rises and falls, how soft and warm she feels. How can her touch be both soothing and exhilarating at the same time?

"I'm good," I agree after lingering a few moments longer. I move out of her arms reluctantly, and lay down next to her again. I feel her do the same. It's so dark in this room that I can hardly see anything, yet I am acutely aware of where exactly she is.

"I'm sorry," I say after a few minutes of silence. Now that I've settled down again, I feel embarrassed. I don't pride myself on being a strong person, but it's generally how I see myself: robust and able to deal with what life throws at me. With Bo though it feels like all I do is fall apart around her. First with the whole Nadia ordeal, and now with these nightmares that keep plaguing me. It's only a matter of time before I work through this, before I can all put it behind me in its proper context, but at the moment it's the convergence of different things that is affecting me.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Is, is it always about your dad?" She asks and I'm momentarily startled. It hadn't quite registered that she must have heard me call out his name.

"My dad died on mission," I say opting for openness again. "The top secret kind. I don't know what exactly happened. I only know the state that his body was in when it was eventually retrieved." In a flash I am back in the mortuary sitting there alone, staring at his mangled body. I push the memory aside, it's always too painful, too gruesome to linger on.

"That's why you have the nightmares," Bo says, and I nod my head in the dark.

"I've always known my father had a dangerous job. I've always known something like this might happen, even that I would never know why. He prepared me for that, but...not knowing...It's just...it's...I suppose my imagination is trying to fill in the blanks..."

"I'm sorry, Lauren. I wish I could make it better for you," she says with such sincerity that it makes me smile a little.

"You do," I say after a loaded silence. I don't trust my voice to explain to Bo how she's helping me deal with the helicopter accident, but I know she's the one that said exactly the right things when she strapped me in in the fighter jet, then again later when she took me up in the helicopter, and just now when she calmed my panic attack, pulled me out of my nightmare and made me feel safe. At the same time, I realise that even if she had said nothing, she would have comforted me. There is just something about Bo, from the very first minute I saw her and then always after that. There is something about her that calms me, that makes me stronger, that comforts me to the depths of my being. I'm not sure why that is, or if I can explain it. On the other hand, I know it would be foolish for me to deny it. There is so much I want to say to Bo, so much I feel for her. In a way I can tell she feels the same, I can feel how tense the room is, but neither of us acknowledge it aloud.

After a long silence she reaches out her hand for mine and squeezes it gently.

"Goodnight, Lauren," Bo says softly.

"Goodnight Bo, " I say and it doesn't take me long before I drift off to sleep.

I sleep soundly and have no nightmares.

The next morning

It's late when I wake up, close to 8am, no Bo in sight. I take a quick shower and when I get out, I find a note I hadn't noticed before on the desk.

Figured I'd let you sleep in. Went to help the mechanics with the helicopters. Breakfast in the Mess Hall at 8am? -Bo.

I smile and quickly get dressed. Bo and I have no official function on this ship, so I dress in a pair of jeans, t-shirt and sweater for breakfast. I spend too much time on fixing my hair and finish my outfit with a leather jacket. Right before I head out, I pull a book out of my bag.

It doesn't take me long to spot Bo when I enter the Mess Hall: she's flanked by two helicopter pilots -judging by their flightsuits-, and bent over one of the tables staring intently at something. She's so engrossed in whatever she's staring at that she doesn't notice me until I'm right in front of her.

I swear I can see her visibly swallow when her eyes roam over my body. I suppose that extra time spent on my outfit and hair wasn't for nothing. "Wow, Lauren. You look beautiful," Bo blurts and I can see the two pilots around her stifle a smile.

"Am I late?" I ask with a grin. "Late for our date?"

"Da... date?" Bo stumbles over the word and I smile at how adorable this woman is.

"Our breakfast date?" I say holding up her note. "I have it in writing and all," I say boldly and wink. My heart is pounding heavily, but I'm done sitting on the sideline. Right now on board the USS Norton, I am not Bo's superior officer. There is no one around to issue orders, and it almost feels like being on vacation. I am just Lauren, and Lauren likes Bo. It feels freeing. If she won't flirt first, then I will.

Bo shakes her head and smiles so wide her beautiful dimples are showing. We fall into our regular staring pattern. "No,...not at all. The guys here were just showing me the specs of the new Navy Helicopter," she explains without breaking eyecontact. Her smile at this time is practically beaming. In the background the two pilots are folding the specs for the helicopter back together again.

"We'll catch up with you in a couple of hours, Major," one of the pilots says with a knowing grin. "Take your time."

"Sure. Yeah, later," Bo says absentmindedly still smiling, still grinning, still looking at me taking my breath away.

"You look beautiful," Bo says again, and then catches herself and rolls her eyes. "I've said that already, haven't I?"

"You have," I grin. "But I like hearing it from you."

"It was worth repeating, " Bo says without missing a beat. "So,.." Bo says finally breaking our eyecontact. "What can I get you to eat?" she asks. "Your usual bagel and butter?"

"Oh, I can get my own breakfast.."

"I insist," Bo says. "It's a date after all."

"Our second date even," I say. "Research says it's even more important than the first."

Bo raises an amused brow. "Oh really? Then I am very glad I am putting in an effort. I wouldn't want to give you the wrong idea," Bo says with a wink.

"That you're not interested?"

"I highly doubt anyone could ever be disinterested in you, Doctor Lewis," Bo says, a smirk hiding behind her lips.

"Attention is only interesting when it comes from the right person," I reply with a smile.

"And am I such a person?" the quick question comes.

"I'll let you know by the end of our date," I reply with an even bigger smirk.

Bo laughs and grins. "Challenge accepted, Doctor Lewis."

In that case... I don't have anywhere to be for another couple of hours," I say. "How about we make the best of our second date and and get a proper breakfast?"

"Excellent idea," Bo says and she disappears towards the breakfast bar. She comes back with a variety of food: from assorted rolls to eggs, fruit, yoghurt and everything in between. We eat hungrily, share combinations: "Try this with the blueberries, or the sour cream with the chocolate!", spoonfeed some of the different eggs we have on our plates, and moan contently at the different flavors. Breakfast feels like an actual date. I'm more relaxed and carefree than I have felt in months, and when we finally finish our plates, I reach inside my jacket pocket and pull out the book I brought along with me.

"I have something for you," I say and hold up the book to Bo.

"The Mercury 13 journals?" Bo asks reading.

"It's about these amazing female pilots who were set to become the first female astronauts back in the day. They had to go through the same physical tests the men did, and outshone them in various ways," I explain seeing Bo's eyes lighten up at my words. "When I applied for the Space Program I bought this book. It reminded me that anything was possible, just as long as you put your mind to it."

"And you're a brilliant doctor."

"That helps," I smirk. "Being an amazing pilot helps too," I say as I slide the book over to Bo.

Bo and I continue talking for another hour or so. We talk about NASA and everything and anything that comes to mind. We both finally reluctantly acknowledge it's time to officially call breakfast over so we can meet up for lunch in a couple of hours. Bo heads towards her mechanics as I make my way to the admiral to check up on him.

USS Norton

Recovery Room 5

Uncle Nate is doing as well as can be expected. The swelling in his brain has gone down, and if all goes well, we should be able to bring him out of his coma somewhere this week. As he sleeps and I observe his kind features, the ruggedly handsome looks he still possesses at age 57, I'm reminded of the times he spent together with my dad and I. After my mom's death he was a regular guest at our house. He would cook for us, take holidays with us. He never married, stayed childless and I'm pretty sure we filled in the gap of the family he could never have. Back then being a gay man in the military was even harder than it is now, so he never openly dated, never came out.

I don't know if he ever regretted his choice, but I know what this man did for us. He brought fun and laughter back in a house when my father was unable to do that. With his help, my father too got back on his feet and became the wonderful dad I remember him to be. This man in this bed is family, one of the only people I have left.

As a doctor my obligation was to patch him up, to give him my professional best. As Lauren Lewis I owe this man my time. I owe it to this man to sit next to his bed and talk to him about my life, about my dad, to catch up like we've been saying we should for so many months now. The talking will have to wait, but for now I can hold his hand and just sit with him.

My plan was to meet up with Bo for lunch, but plans hardly ever work out. Barely an hour after entering the Admiral's room, Doctor Clarke finds me there, and almost strongarms me into an impromptu presentation on the Logan procedure. As an officer, my time is not my own and so I agree. I've done the Logan presentation so many times that I can probably manage it with my eyes closed, one hand tied around my back.

The one condition I do have is that someone tell Bo I won't be around for lunch.

Two hours later

USS Norton, Auditorium 1

It's amazing how some doctors can love the sound of their own voice and their own convoluted ideas. I suppose in a way it is to be expected; we are part of the intellectual elite and for a lot of us being part of that elite goes right along with an air of self importance, and arrogance.

During my career I've had to deal with my fair share of blow horns like the young doctor that is now questioning and openly critisizing me on the Logan technique I've developed. It's the price you pay for being succesful in your field, I suppose. I remember the comments I received when I first came out with the procedure. As a young female doctor I was pulled through the ringer by far more competent doctors than the one that is now trying to grill me.

The critique isn't new, it's been circulating on the internet for ages. I've never paid it any mind, but this young doctor who reminds me of a high school quarterback certainly is. The Logan technique only works when you use the right equipment and you observe all of the procedures as listed and explained. By the way he is phrasing his question, I can tell he's been shortcutting his execution of it.

I let him finish, listen carefully and then counter his arguments calmly one by one. I can tell I leave him speechless and embarrassed, and I'm ready to move on. He apparently, isn't.

Bo's POV

USS Norton, Hangar bay

I'm on my back under a Venom checking the rivets on the fuselage for any wear and tear when I hear a raspy voice above me.

"Nice job, Bo." Zeke Rowland, one of the elder mechanics here bellows as he checks up the work I did on the engine an hour ago. "For a girl," he adds laughing. "If you ever get tired of that ridiculous flying around you do. I suppose I could be persuaded to let you tinker on a few more beauties here."

"And work with you slackers? I'd rather go work with the rats," I hollar back, and he laughs loudly. The Rats are what we call the mechanics that work in the belly of the ship, on the ship's engines, making sure we get to where we are going safely. I have great admiration for them, but the upstairs and downstairs mechanics are always trying to up one another.

"Be nice to Bo, Zeke!" Another voice I recognise as Petty Officer Darius Johnsson, a very large black man shouts. "Who else is going to fetch our coffee?"

"Is anyone really surprised that Dare is still single?" I ask aloud and hear the entire hangar laugh.

"I'm just holding out for the right woman to become my Lady Love," he quips.

"Holding out? It's that what you told your last lady you gave the clam to?" Tucker Brown's voice booms through the room, and we all belt out laughing.

I'm still laughing when I hear my name being called for the second time.

"Major McCorrigan?"

I roll out from under the helicopter and look up at Ensign Quincy.

"Ensign Quincy. What can I do for you?" I ask with a smile.

"Doctor Lewis sent me to tell you she won't be able to meet you for lunch."

"Oh," I say trying not to sound too deflated, but it's hard to keep my smile up. "Thanks, Ensign. I'll meet up with the Commander later on." I get up from the floor and head towards the sink on my left. An hour in the engine and under the helicopter has made me dirty and greasy, and even if Lauren isn't meeting me for lunch, I still need to clean up a bit to eat with the guys. As I turn the tap on and begin to wash my hands and face, I can see the Ensign suddenly holding her stride and turning back towards me.

"The Commander is giving a presentation on the Logan technique she developed. We're all very excited about it."

I smile softly at the Ensign's enthusiam as I pump the soap dispenser for a little more soap.

"It's open to all.." Ensign Quincy says. "If you want you can join me and see Doctor Lewis at work, see what makes her so fantastic."

I grin again as I turn towards Ensign Quincy.

USS Norton, Auditorium 1

"You've gotta be kidding me." I mumble as I narrow my eyes and recognise the douchebag whose face I plastered with the leftovers of my Chicken Marsala, criticizing Lauren's technique. I don't pretend to understand exactly what Lauren has been talking about for the last hour and a half, but I recognize a bullshit question when I hear it. I decide here and now that Steve isn't a suitable name for him, I'm calling him Doctor Douchebag from now on, cause that's what he is. Doctor Douchebag is only one row ahead of me, and I can clearly make out his smug grin.

His smug grin quickly turns sour as Lauren sets him straight about two minutes later and I can't help but grin.

That's my girl!

"Doctor Lewis, it is my understanding that there is some concern about the validity of your patents." Doctor Douchebag says asserting himself again.

Does he not get that you only get one question when you're being an asshat?

"I can assure you Doctor Gilleghan, if there is concern it is unjustified."

"I suppose, Doctor Lewis, you have not read this month's edition of BMJ? Doctor Nadia Kowalski asserts she is actually the real developer of a patent you have only recently submitted under your name."

I see Lauren shake her head. "Doctor Gilleghan, I am aware of the article in BMJ as is my lawyer, but I fail to see the relevance of your question. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to move on," Lauren says.

Doctor Douchebag chuckles and then raises his voice again. "The relevance is obvious to all, Doctor Lewis. If Doctor Kowalski is telling the truth..."

"Doctor Gilleghan, she is not," Lauren cuts him off in an authorative manner.

"Pardon me, Doctor Lewis but that seems like too easy an answer. I think we all deserve a better explanation than that," he says smugly crossing his arms. "You must concede that the timing of it all is a little 'convenient' at best, and dare I suggest self-incriminating at worst. One of the most prominent neurosurgeons of her time suddenly leaves one of the most prestigeous universities and hospitals in the world for the military right before this scandal hits."

"I hardly think the word 'scandal' is appropriate here, Doctor Gilleghan. As I have said before, Doctor Kowalski is not speaking the truth."

"But you do not deny having been in a relationship with Doctor Kowalski."

"What the hell?"I mumble aloud. Is this guy for real? He got off cheap when I dumped the Chicken Marsala on him, I should have punched his lights out! I have a good mind to get up and pull the asshole down a peg, but then Lauren's voice keeps me in my seat.

"I fail to see how my personal life is of any relevance here, Doctor Gilleghan. I consider this conversation and the matter closed," Lauren says leaning into the microphone and gathering her papers from the desk in front of her. Lauren is halfway off stage when Doctor Douchebag raises his voice again.

"Excuse me," I say as I get up. I want to make my way over to Lauren, make sure she's alright.

"And are you also aware of the fact that Doctor Kowalski is asserting, with quite compelling evidence, that she developed the Logan procedure and that you stole her reasearch while you were having an affair with her?"

Is this guy still talking?

I see Lauren halt her step, and turn back towards the mic and the stage. As she does, I also take my seat again. Calmly Lauren puts her briefcase down and leans into the mic once more.'

"Doctor Gilleghan, the reason I rejoined the Navy is personal. However, I did not resign from Johns Hopkins, I am still the head of the department there for both the university and the hospital. If Doctor Kowalski is asserting that I did not develop the Logan procedure than she has just made my case for me as the development is well documented and was done in cooperation with many other prominent doctors at Johns Hopkins'. "

"Now, if you'll excuse me. I think you have wasted both mine and everyone else's time here long enough."

Damn, Lauren is hot! I think with a grin.

Everyone files out of the auditorium, but I notice Doctor Douchebag staying behind. As far as I can tell, Lauren has left the auditorium as well, but I'm not sure and the last thing I want is for Doctor Douchebag to confront Lauren again. I see several other doctors slap him on the shoulder. Not surprisingly I recognize some of the same guys I saw with him in the Mess Hall. I'm disgusted at their smug smiles as if discrediting Lauren publicly was some sort of heroic feat.

I fall back a little and move with the crowd now as Doctor Douchebag and his goons are moving too. I keep my eyes trained on them. Ensign Quincy told me there is a reception planned with food and drinks so people can mingle, eat and drink and talk to Lauren in a less formal setting. Right at this moment I wish they would just cancel the reception. I don't want Douchebag anywhere near Lauren.

"Bet you twenty bucks she doesn't even show up." Doctor Douchebag says right before he stuffs his mouth with a small sandwhich and swallows it down with an entire glass of prosecco.

"Figures," he says. "No alcohol," he says tapping his glass. "Navy can't even provide us with the real stuff at a reception."

"I've got a little something with me with kick," Goon number one replies and covertly points at his white lab coat. Douchebag grins and the flask quickly goes round the group topping everyone's glass. There's only one of them that refuses.

"I have surgery later on," less obnoxious goon explains.

"We all do. Makes the scalpel glide a lot smoother." Doctor Douchebag says and all of them laugh.

I can't believe this asshat! What the hell kind of doctor is this guy if he drinks before surgery?

"You owe me twenty," Goon number three nudges Doctor Douchebag.

"Well, well," Douchebag says and we both look up to see Lauren entering the room and immediately being crowded by fellow doctors. Lauren is smiling, those asking questions seem to be smiling too. I recognize Doctor Clarke who first greeted Lauren at the helipad. He seems to be apologizing to Lauren, and I relax a little. Good to know not everyone listens to rumour and some people still know how to act properly around one another.

"Gotta hand it to Doctor Fraud, I didn't think she'd have the balls to show her face."

"You really think she's a fraud?" The doctor that refused a drink asks.

"Course she is boys. All that bullshit about joining the Navy because of some 'personal' reason. Nobody gives up a career like hers to join the friggen Navy. She knew what was coming, and she ran, thought she'd be safe here."

"You caught her on it," Goon number one, and ass licker extra-ordinaire says.

"I wasn't about to let her get away with it." Doctor Douchebag says with a broad smile. "That woman there is nothing more but a common slut who slept around to get where she wanted to be."

My anger explodes and before I know it, I've pushed my way through the goons, and have Doctor Douchebag pinned against one of the sidetables in the room. When I look in his eyes there's a flash of fear there, but it quickly turns to anger as he recognizes me.

"If you don't shut your mouth about Doctor Lewis, I will shut it for you!" I say and I twist his hand painfully to put emphasis to my words. He yelps in pain, and I'm suddenly reminded of the way Stacy Altmann pinned me down against a wall. Horrified at my own actions, I back off instantly releasing his hand.

"You again," Doctor Douchebag says as he rubs his wrist soothingly and his eyes shoot daggers at me. "I'm a fucking surgeon, you fucking grease monkey!" He says noticing the black stains I couldn't get off of my hands. "How dare you lay a hand on me? These hands are worth more than you fucking make in a year! I'll fucking sue you!"

"You do that, and then I'll tell the Captain and everyone who wants to listen how you all like to drink before surgery," I gesture to his friend that have gathered around us, but aren't moving as if transfixed. "This guy here, right?" I say pointing to the goon with the flask. "I wonder what else we'll find on him if I take him over to the Captain right now. Perhaps we should all move to sickbay for a bloodtest right now, see what we find," I say my eyes boring into Doctor Douchebag again.

I see Doctor Douchebag visibly swallow and I know I've got him. His eyes aren't dilated, I'm pretty sure he's not high at the moment, but a drugtest would no doubt reveal he's a user.

"Good luck trying to discredit an officer several people saw you assault, grease monkey, " Doctor Douchebag answers with venom. "What the fuck is it with you trying to be Doctor Lewis' hero," he whispers menacingly. "Are you hot for her? Are you two fucking? Two fucking dykes bumping ugly? I bet you are," Doctor Douchebag says staring at me, and right at this moment I feel exposed and am speechless. Even though Lauren and I aren't together, it seems the way I am acting is clear enough for someone else to notice I have feelings for her.

"I could end your career just like that!" Doctor Douchebag says snapping his fingers. "Who do you think they're going to believe a grease monkey or a doctor, a Lieutenant?" His words register and I feel my self control slipping again, I know I should step away, but...

"Bo," Lauren's voice sounds in my ear. I don't know how long Lauren has been standing there, what she heard, but she brushes past me to face Dr. Douchebag. As she does she squeezes my hand gently. Her touch settles me, it lets me know she's got this.

"I just wanted to thank you Doctor Gilleghan," Lauren's silversweet voice says. "I just talked to my lawyer and she says that thanks to you we now also know Doctor Kowalski is spreading lies about me via social media and message boards."

"As for the obnoxious words you had for my friend Major McCorrigan; she came to my aid because unlike some people, she stands up for what is decent. Doctor Kowalski is being sued for defamation of character and if you continue to tarnish my reputation and that of Major McCorrigan, I will personally make sure you are sued for the same thing," Lauren says sharply. "Bet on it." Lauren adds and then turns away towards the crowd again leaving me feeling deflated and ashamed. I lost my temper for the second time around Doctor Douchebag and if Lauren hadn't intervened, I may have made things worse for her. Shaking my head at myself I leave the reception and head towards our cabin.

I'm not even halfway there when Lauren's voice makes me turn around.

"Bo, are you alright?" She as the soft look of worry on her face is perfectly framed in the deserted corridor of the ship we're in.

Am I alright? Are you alright? I want to ask, but I just nod. "I'm so sorry Lauren," I say after a breath. "I just lost it in there," my head hangs in shame. "When he said those things about you- I just couldn't..."

"You couldn't?" Lauren asks.

"I couldn't help myself, Lauren. I dumped a plate of Chicken Marsala on him the other day for making lewd remarks about you," I exhale. "Now this, I can't control myself when he says those things about you!" I ramble. "And the thing is, you don't even need it, you don't even need my help. I only make it worse!"

"What do you mean?" Lauren says frowning.

"I like you, Lauren," I say almost exasperated, desperately trying to explain to her why I'm acting like such a loon, and not realising that I'm letting my feelings for her slip. My entire body exhales, and as it does my eyes close. I sigh again and mumble. "So much. That's why I frigg-"

Lauren's lips are on mine, her fingers in my hair before I can finish my sentence. She's got me pinned against the wall and one of the metal rivets is poking me painfully in the back, but I don't care. My heart is exploding into a million happy pieces and I lose myself in her lips. Her tongue darts across my lips, and I eagerly latch onto the deeper kiss, my hands running possessively in her hair, neck and in her side. Time stands still, and yet the world fades away. The kiss is almost too much for my heart and body to cope with, but I don't care. I would keep kissing this woman until I'd pass out.

I'm breathless when she finally pulls back. She's looking at me, her cheeks are red, her hair is a mess and she looks as flustered as I feel, and no doubt look.

"I have to go back," she says.

"What?" I protest, and kiss her again. Is she crazy leaving right now?

"Mmmm," a few minutes later Lauren hums happily against my lips and I smile at the sound. Lauren's fingers are in my hair, playing with the strands.

"I have to go back, Bo. They think I just snuck off to the bathroom for a moment."

"Oh yeah, " I say, my brain slowly pulling back from the whirl of Lauren's kiss. "Of course."

"I'll see you later?" Lauren asks.

"Yeah, definitely."

I stand dazed for a couple of minutes watching Lauren walk back towards her captivated audience before I remember I was heading towards the hangar.

USS Norton

Seven hours later

Dinner passes, and I don't see or hear from Lauren, so I decide to head back to the hangar to catch up the work I missed with going to Lauren's presentation. It's around 10pm when I head back towards the cabin. I push the door open and find it empty. I sigh, discard my overalls and head for the shower. The warm water feels great soothing my aching muscles. I love being a grease monkey, but my muscles just aren't used to the physicality of the job. Having to keep your arms up above your head for hours on end is hell on your shoulders. Not to mention the heavy lifting that comes with it. What makes things worse is that I can't let on how strenuous these things are for me. It's bad enough already that I'm a woman and a pilot, if I start complaining about physical discomforts, I'll never hear the end of it.

Despite the exhaustion my body is feeling, I can't fall asleep. I lie awake for over an hour wondering what Lauren is doing, where she is. I can't get her out of my mind, just like I haven't been able to all day. I keep daydreaming back to when she kissed me. My heart leaps, my pulse races at the very thought of it and I swear I can even still feel my lips tingle.

I reach into my duffel bag and pull out the sketch book I carry with me wherever I go. These past few days getting my hands dirty on engines has reminded me of my love for engineering, and designing. The notebook contains sketches on air plane engines, and designs that I've been scribbling in for years on end. It's the perfect thing to distract me as I begin making notes and sketching out all the ideas that have been running through my mind. I finish about 45 minutes later happy that I've been able to commit my idea to paper and put the notebook back in my bag. As I do, I see the book Lauren handed me and decide to close off the night reading a little.

As I turn the first page, I notice Lauren has written her name and the date she bought the book in the left hand corner. The ink is worn, old. I run my fingers over the letters picturing Lauren jotting down the date, marking it. The obvious reverance with which she treated this book, it still looks new, has me smiling. I love books too, but I'm the type that's careless with them even when I love them. I don't intend to be, it's just my nonchalant nature.

Lauren isn't careless. I can imagine she takes care, really takes care of the things she loves. I imagine she has a library at home probably alphabetized, all books in pristine condition. The thought of that makes me grin.

I turn towards the next page and smile even wider.

To Bo

Who loves to fly, and belongs among the stars.

Lauren

x

I read the line two or three times, or maybe six or ten. I like how her handwriting is large, wild and curvy, as if she wanted her words to take up the entire page, as if her words, the warmth and the message behind it were that important. Important enough to mark an otherwise almost immaculate book.

It's Lauren's words and the first couple of pages of the book, that finally make my eyes droop. I close my eyes, turn on my side, and turn off the nightlight. I'm about to fall asleep when I hear something right outside the door. Moments later Lauren walks into the room. I smile softly as she tries her best to be quiet and find her way in the dark.

"You're quite horrible at sneaking in," I say with a grin, as I switch the nightlight back on.

Lauren chuckles."I never had any practice. I was a good teenager."

"I find it hard to believe Doctor Lewis that Ben never corrupted you," I reply with a chuckle of my own.

"Maybe." she grins. "Or maybe I just wanted you to still be awake." Lauren wiggles her brows playfully and it makes me laugh. "I could be as stealthy as Cat Woman for all you know."

"Oo, I like the thought of you in a Cat Woman suit."

Lauren laughs out loud, makes her way over to me, and sits down on the edge of the bed. She's wearing an expensive looking tan two-piece suit that fits her perfectly. The white silk blouse underneath completes the outfit, and I can't believe I didn't notice before how beautiful she looks in it. I suppose I was a little too distracted by Doctor Douchebag.

"Maybe next time," Lauren says leaning in with a cheeky grin and a wink. She kisses my cheek softly before pulling back and a chill runs up my spine at the contact. There's something bubbly and confident about the Commander that I haven't seen before and it's a good look on her. I smile thinking she must have had a good time tonight despite the way it began. That or she's a little tipsy.

"You look like you had a good time tonight," I remark with a wide grin.

"I did," Lauren nods smiling. "There are some very talented doctors on this ship, top experts in their field. It's been a while since I've been able to talk about research like that," she sits down next to me and smiles. "It was great. Also, I'm a little buzzed," Lauren mumbles on. "They started serving the good stuff over dinner."

I chuckle at her babbling while her hands go upwards to her neck and she reaches to unclasp the beautiful necklace she's wearing.

"I should take a shower," Lauren says still fiddling with the clasp of the necklace.

"Let me help with that catwoman," I tease and smile.

Lauren giggles and then nods, and I sit upright, move into a better position behind her. If she leaned back now, I could hold her in my arms. I close my eyes briefly as the scent of her neck overwhelms me, and my pulse races. How we go from playful teasing and laughing together to intense in the blink of an eye is a mystery to me, but when I'm this close to her, it happens.

The necklace Lauren is wearing is a thin golden necklace with a beautiful diamond pendant. It looks expensive and older somehow, the design reminds me of the roaring twenties.

"It was my mother's. The necklace I mean," Lauren says and I smile as she anticipated my question.

"It's beautiful,"

The necklace itself is so delicate, so thin that my fingers feel clumsy. Perhaps it's Lauren who makes me feel clumsy. While I undo the clasp, my fingers unintentionally graze the soft skin of her neck. Goosebumps appear where my fingers brush her neck. Her head turns gently and I stare at her lips. Time seems to be standing still, with it I forget to breathe. In my head I'm kissing her already, but apparantly I'm not, we're not because I suddenly hear her voice.

"I need to take that shower," Lauren says looking up from my lips.

"Course," I say.

When Lauren gets up from the bed and turns to leave, I follow, grasp her wrist and pull her in only to kiss Lauren with all the longing I feel for her. As we kiss we almost dance across the room, eventually bumping into the desk. We make out like horny teenagers for minutes on end before we break apart.

"I've been wanting to kiss you all day," I prattle over her lips. Lauren is pressed up against me. I smell the hint of vanilla shampoo in her hair, I feel the weight of her arms around me and the beat of her heart. It's racing, like mine is.

"I love the way you express what you want," she husks and pulls me back in for another mind-blowing kiss. "I couldn't get away from them," Lauren adds. She's smiling widely when she pulls back. Her fingers set against my cheek, then trace my lips. I can't resist and kiss her palm, then her wrist. "Gods, you're addicting," Lauren sighs with half-lidded eyes. "I need to take that shower to cool down," she mumbles under her breath, and then steps out of our embrace.

Two minutes later and the sound of the shower water streaming down is pounding in my ears. I try not to think of the fact that Lauren is naked only a couple of feet away from me, but...

Seriously?

Come on!

Lauren's POV

The moment Bo steps into the shower with me, my pulse races. Steam floods the shower compartment, but she's plain to see: those curvy hips, those toned, long legs, strong but still feminine arms and shoulders, that beautiful body I have stolen glances at before, have fantasized about.

My jaw drops: round, full breasts,... She is perfect. The most beautiful woman I have ever seen. My eyes roam over her drinking her in.

"Jeezes," tumbles involuntarily from my lips when I see how taut her nipples are under my scrutiny, but when I look up in her eyes there's something there besides that brazen confidence I'm used to seeing: she's hesitant, as if she's worried it's not okay she's here, worried I might not want this as much as she does.

I reach for her, pull her in. The last thing I want is for her to think I don't want her. I have thought of nothing else but her. Rules and regulations be damned.

I initiate the kiss, and moan happily when she responds without reserve or restraint. Her hands wrap around my waist, and I moan again when we press against one another. I feel her lips leave mine and find the pulse point of my neck. I'm lost in her, I don't even see her reach for the soap, I only realise she has when her hands roam over my shoulders, and they soak me in suds. She takes such care washing me, it's gentle, almost reverent. Everywhere she touches me, my body reacts in goozebumps, her touch is so sweet and gentle that it stirs more than simple desire in me, it fills me with a different type of longing, one that burns deep into my soul.

When Bo looks up at me, her eyes are black, dilated with want. Her stare makes me weak in the knees. The suds have vanished, she's made sure every bit of soap has been washed away, still her hands, eyes, now lips... travel me, kiss me, arouse me, set me on fire and make me shiver. She touches me everywhere except for where I am pulsating for her to be.

When her fingers suddenly graze my breasts, I inhale sharply. I want to kiss her, need to kiss her, but she pulls back right before we connect. She leans in, but again I only get to feel the brush of her lips. Its maddening and hot at the same time. Suddenly she kisses me as if just like me she's unable to hold back anymore. The hot water of the shower continues to stream down on us. Her tongue suddenly leaves my mouth only to find it wrapping around my nipple next. The desire between my legs is pouring down as hard as the water is, and I feel like I could buckle on the spot, but Bo holds me steady. She backs me up to the small solid ledge of the shower. With me seated, we are back to ravaging each other's mouths, while her skillful hands keep my nipples puckered, hard and aching.

"Bo," I pant as I feel her fingers move down, map out my stomach, and move towards my thighs until she finally finds the desire I have for her between my legs. She slides deeply inside me, and moans loudly. The sound is only drowned out by my own moan. "Gods Lauren," she prattles before finding my tongue again. I latch onto her kiss and I buck my hips. I should be ashamed at how much I want this, how I move into her fingers with abandon. I feel her hard nipples against my chest. Bo is inside me, touching me, filling me just the way I want her to. She thumbs my clit, and then swirls back in. Her kisses move to my breasts. She's moaning loudly as she sucks hard. I'm powerless, I'm at the mercy of her hands and tongue and their pace, at the mercy of my own want, and am somewhere suspended between reality and bliss. I've wanted this, craved this, dreamed of this for so long.

"Bo," I moan. I keep bucking my hips, trying to take her deeper. I'm about to fall over. I won't be able to stop it. Her hands and what she's doing are like wildfire or an avalanche, something inevitable. When she keeps her fingers in me, thumbs my heat and kisses me, I spill over.

"Bo!" I cry out. My body convulses around her fingers, it surrenders completely to her. She catches me, holds me, rocks me in her arms, curses and presses against me in her own need. Her hand cups over my heat. The pressure of her fingers feels wonderful, just what I need to come down from my orgasm, but still feel her there with me. My arousal quickly spirals again. More than anything it's her obvious want that ignites my own. I reach out to turn the water off, then grab Bo's hand and pull her with me.

As soon as Bo falls on the bed, my eager hands are there to map out her body, my tongue and lips follow suit.

"So beautiful," I mumble as my lips wrap around her strained nipple. My hand travels further down. There's a part of me that wants to go slow, wants to tease her just like she did, but I can't. In kisses and nips I travel down urged on by the sound of her whimpers. When I get to where I want to be, I waste no time. I pull her legs apart and take in the scent of her arousal. After my first taste of her I moan.

Gods!

I burry myself between her legs. I'm just as feverish, as aroused as I was when she was touching me. She trashes under my ministrations, and I pull her hips tighter to me.

"Fuck Lauren!" she curses. "Yes!" she yells as I flick my tongue over the engorged bundle of nerves, and I slide two fingers into her. "Yes!" she yelps again as I curl my fingers inside her, and move my other hand up to find and palm her large, gorgeous breasts. It doesn't take long for her to fall over the edge, and when she does she trashes, she pulls me to her, clings to me, slides her leg in between my own. Her orgasm spills over her in waves and waves. Feeling her writhe beneath me in such pleasure and such beauty makes me fall over the edge with her again.

"Mmmm, Lauren. So good," Bo prattles contently. Sweaty and out of breath, I agree nodding my head vehemently and arching into her one last time before I slide off of her and lay down next to her. Our hands automatically find one another and we interlace our fingers.

"Did you really dump a plate of Chicken Marsala on Doctor Gilleghan?" I ask when I've finally stopped panting.

"He deserved it," Bo replies still slightly out of breath.

"I wish I could have been there to see that," I say and we both start laughing. We talk and laugh for a few more minutes, but it doesn't take long before we start kissing again, before I need to have her once more.

Bo's POV

She's extraordinary. I think as I glance over to Lauren. It's whatever o' clock at night, and Lauren has finally dozed off a little after we have been making love to one another for hours on end.

I'm not usually the type to worry, yet I do worry. Glancing over to this woman next to me, I can't stand the thought of ever putting her in harm's way, of ever hurting her in any sense or form. Right now, all I know is what I want, all I want is to be with Lauren: today, tomorrow, next week, next month,...But, tomorrow or the day after, sometime this week we'll have to go back to the Enterprise, we'll have to go back to our professional lives, back to a reality where our relationship is forbidden by military law. Right now, I feel my brain is too small to fathom that. What Lauren and I have is beautiful, it's something that could never be wrong, it's the start of something- I'm not sure what yet, but whatever it's going to be, it's going to be epic-, and yet it's also going to be something we'll need to hide from people.

Can I do that? Can I go back to the ship and sneak around for the next six months? Steal kisses and caresses those moments when we're alone, then go back to pretending we are only friends the moment we are in public again?

I'm sure others have done it before, I tell myself, but then contemplate if that is right for her and me; sneaking around, deceiving people, starting out that way. The thought of Stacy then suddenly pulls through me and my stomach contracts violently.

What if Stacy finds out about me and Lauren?

Stacy is a can of worms I'd rather not think about, so my mind jumps again to other options. It lands on leaving the military, changing careers. The notion, the idea is ridiculous in itself. I could never ask Lauren to make such a sacrifice, I could never risk making her miserable like that. No matter how driven and desired we are as professionals.

I won't do that.

Then what the hell are my options?

I don't like any of them. I don't, but I'll have to weigh them regardless.

With a sigh I think that I want to call Tamsin, get her take on this, especially on the Stacy situation, because that's the first one I need to address.

I rub my forehead, my headache starting to manifest. I glance back over to the beautiful face of Doctor Lauren Lewis. She's so cute when she sleeps. I smile at that lip that curls sideways a bit. I reach over and brush a wayward strand of hair out of her face. It's amazing how a simple thing like looking at her can instantly lift my spirits. At my touch her eyes open.

"Bo," she smiles sleepily. "Are you okay?" Her eyes shift from soft and sleepy to worried in an instant.

"Yeah," I say. "Just thinking."

"You're a worrier," she says caressing my cheek.

"I think you mean, I'm a 'warrior'. Xena style," I hedge, just slightly taken aback at what an open book I seem to be to the gorgeous woman next to me.

Lauren chuckles lightly and kisses the corner of my mouth. "You do look good in leather," she wiggles her brows, and I smile in turn.

"You should hear my battle cry,"

"Well, I'd love to hear you cry out my name again," Lauren chuckles close to my lips.

My laugh comes from the pit of my stomach. Lauren is always so proper and reserved in public, but when you get to know her she's just plain cheeky. I kiss her and am soon lost to the lovelyness of her lips. It's minutes later that we come up for air and we settle back into each other's embrace.

"I don't usually worry, I just don't want this night to end," I say truthfully, because that is what is really on my mind. I want to be able to stay here, with her. I don't want to go back to the Enterprise.

"Don't think about that. It's just you and me." Lauren whispers, and I smile widely. "Here, now." Lauren kisses me again and pulls me out of my broody thoughts, and into much more pleasurable actions.

Lauren's POV

Tangled limbs and arms. I smile at the sight. Bo in my arms. I softly kiss her jawline. Light is pouring in from the little round window just above our bed, it bathes her skin in tones of golden hue, gives her dark luscious hair highlights that glisten like caramel.

Light.

I reach over Bo and look outside.

Ever since we got here the skies have been nothing but rough and rowdy. Now as far as the eye can see, I see nothing but blue.

I look back at Bo, recall her words.

I sigh.

Before long, I crawl back into her embrace. It's still early enough to shut out the world.

Two hours later

There's a loud banging on the door.

"Major McCorrigan?" I recognise Ensign Quincy's voice.

"Bo get up," I say in mild panic. Bo and I are still stark naked. I grab my night shirt, and dash for the bathroom to hide.

"Major McCorrigan?" Ensign Quincy's voice rings out again.

"Just a minute," Bo answers the Ensign.

"Lauren?" Bo calls back a couple of minutes later. She's dressed in her flightsuit as I exit the bathroom.

"I gotta go," she says. "There's a fishing boat in distress not far from here and the coast guard is low on pilots and choppers. They're asking us to help."

"Be careful, " I say as my heart pounds alarmed in my chest.

Bo smiles, pulls me to her, and kisses me softly as if she's been doing it for years, as if it's a promise of something and then dashes out.

I don't hear from Bo the entire day. Rationally I know that danger is part of what Bo does. Rationally also I know that it's way too early to act like a worried girlfriend, but then I can't help feeling the way that I do.

The irony of that is not lost on me.

Bo's POV

While the USS Norton, with its state-of the art equipment was largely spared from the storm, other ships were less fortunate and it wreaked havoc on some of them. This morning I had been called up to fly a rescue mission to evacuate a fishing boat that was taking on heavy water. There was no saving the ship, but we were able to get everyone off. As I was flying back a leak in one of the fuel lines meant we kept venting fuel. We made it back unscathed, but I had to land the chopper on nothing but fumes and until that's fixed me and the chopper assigned to me are grounded. It's frustrating. There are still plenty of ships out there that need assistance, but right now, I'm playing the waiting game while the chopper is being fixed. To kill time, I've pulled out the book that Lauren brought me and have started reading.

These woman pilots I am reading about were and are amazing. In a time where NASA was more inclined to send a monkey up into space than a woman, these women underwent the same rigorous tests as the men did and even outscored the boys on some of them. It fills me with a certain pride that I am following in their footsteps. Reading about their extraordinary accomplishments also reminds me how driven I am, and it pushes the Stacy issue to the forefront again. The guys at the base here quickly show me the way to the COMM room and it's not long before I hear the voice of my best friend cackling through the line.

"What's wrong?" Tams asks as soon as she picks up. I can hear the worry in her voice. "Are you okay? You didn't get locked up in a boiler room again, did you? Do I need to sue someone? Call the hospital?" she rattles before I can get a word in.

"What?" I frown. "No, I'm fine. Nothing happened. Why would you think that?" I say opting not to mention that I actually did have a bit of a close call with the chopper this morning.

"Last time you called you almost got blown to bits in a helicopter and then were almost cooked alive in a boiler room."

"Alright, but that was just the one..."

"The time before that you had just crashed your plane on landing, you were in the hospital for like four weeks."

"Okay, but.."

"The time before that it was a concussion during training."

"Okay, so I'm a little accident prone." I shrug.

"Accident prone?" Tamsin repeats my words back to me huffing. "You're the reason I friggen drink."

"Hey now, let's not get carried away, you started your love affair with booze long before I joined the Air Force."

"I do love alcohol," she giggles "But that's not the point! You're the reason, I haven't given it up yet."

"Oh please," I roll my eyes.

"Fine, you're the reason I haven't thought about cutting down."

"Well, that's maybe a little closer to the truth."

"Yeah, cause remember that time you had a burst appendix."

"Yeah, alright.."

"I haven't had the best track record with your calls on mission."

"I did call you up that one night I won the beer pong tournament."

"And needed stitches?"

"Hmm, yeah, I forgot about that part. Anyways, I'm fine. Just wanted to touch base. How's house hunting going?"

"In between drowning in case work and dealing with Mister McNeedy you mean?"

"Dyson?" I ask bewildered. "We broke up like six months ago. It's time he moved on," I say a bit harsher perhaps than I would like.

"Yeah, look-, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but that boy wanted to marry you."

I'm momentarily floored. "What?"

"Yup, had a ring picked out and everything."

I rub my forehead. "Are you kidding me?" I haven't really given Dyson a second thought in the six months since we broke up, but I never wanted to hurt him, certainly not this way. I suppose I never really understood how deeply he loved me. "I really wanted to hear from you that he'd found a girlfriend or something, someone that could give him what I can't."

"I know, it's like he thinks he's a knight and he like he swore fealty to you or something. I told him to stop being a dumbass and get laid, but he's hardheaded."

"He can be."

"Anyway, enough about Dyson.. How's you? Anything exciting happen since you basically saved the ship? Oh, hey...how's that Commander doing that hated you? Lisa, Laura, Lilly...what's her name?"

"Lauren," I say. "I um... we slept together."

"You what?"

"Yeah, but there's more..." I begin and fill my bestie in on the giant mess with Eve and Stacy, and how that all culminated in Stacy attacking me.

"I'll fucking cut that bitch up!" Tamsin snaps when I'm done.

"Whoa there, Scarface! I just wanted your legal advice, no need for violence. Altmann is out to tank my career, and I've worked too long and hard to be where I am today to let that happen. So, yeah... from a legal point of view, what do I do?"

There's a pause before Tamsin replies. "You need to make sure you record everything, document it as best you can. Build your case, but be careful. I know you think of yourself like some hotshot Ninja and whatever and granted, you are freakishly strong...but this is the type of thing that comes accross my desk too often. People that think they can handle this shit and then it spirals out of control. Stacy was friggen crazy enough when she was in college, but she never physically assaulted you. If that loon is doing that now then her behaviour is escalating."

I nod my head. "It's not like I can get away from her. We're on the same ship."

"I'll get you transferred right away."

"No, I need this job. I want this job."

"Bo."

"Tams, this is my future we're talking about! I don't want to give NASA a single reason to deny my application, and I'll be damned if I let Stacy Altmann get her way."

"You might not have a future to speak of if that situation gets worse," Tamsin almost snaps.

"I promise to be careful."

"I don't like this."

"Neither do I."

"Don't provoke her."

"I wasn't planning on it, but is that enough? What if she fabricates charges against me? She threatened to do as much."

"I'll look into Stacy. That bitch has been crazy for a long time, I can't believe she's squeeky clean."

"You're thinking she made something disappear?"

"Wouldn't be the first time. Wasn't her dad a judge?"

"Her mom I think. The right honorable Gwendoline Altmann-Peters? Stacy used to brag about getting out of speeding tickets."

"Good memory, I'll look into it on my end."

"I'll send you the number of Jay Daniels, I used to fly with him, but he's a JAG officer now, he might be able to get you access to military records."

"Alright, and you slept with this Lauren?"

"Yes," I say rubbing my forehead. "It gets worse. Lauren and Stacy are friends."

I hear Tamsin sigh deeply on the other end of the line

"I know, I fucked up, I complicated things," I say a throbbing pain in my head slowly manifesting.

"You didn't just complicate things...You need to stay away from Lauren if you don't want her to become a target."

"A target? That's a bit much, don't you think?"

"It's not. You of all people should know how these situations can escalate, " Tamsin says. I've never heard my best friend mention or even hint at what she's reminding me of right now. "You need to stay away from Lauren..." Tamsin impresses on me again, and I listen to her, and reluctantly agree.

USS Norton

21.00h

It's late when I land on the Norton. I only had to wait for about an hour and a half before word got back that there was a larger problem with the chopper I had been flying. I was then assigned to one of the other helicopters and flew emergency supply runs for the rest of the day. Despite the horrible circumstances of the today, I like these moments when I feel like I can really contribute, and make a difference in some people's lives.

I exit the chopper in the deserted hangar, move around it to check for outside damage the way I always do. It's a quick scan, when I round the chopper again someone taps me on the shoulder and I'm pulled into an embrace and a kiss I immediately feel myself surrendering to. Lauren is warm, and I inhale her scent deeply, wrap my arms around her and then exhale happily. "Hi." I whisper. I want to kiss her again, fall into her, but then Tamsin's words come back to me, and my hands move to hold hers.

"Lauren, we have to talk..."


And that concludes Chapter Six. Now, I'm sure you guys will have things to say about this! :-) Read and see you in the reviews my lovelies :)

xx

Replies to reviews

Different Guest: Chapter one is set in 2018/2019, chapter six takes place in 2014 before Tamsin and Lauren, and Kenzi and Lauren have met. Tamsin never dated Lauren, but Bo thinks that she did. Bo may appear together and fine in 2018, but the truth is that she is still dealing with what happened to her, and her brain and memory continues to play tricks on her.

FrenChi: I feel the love :-) As for the movie, my story only follows the memory loss twist of the story, the rest of it is all my own creation and doesn't mirror the movie or the Carpenters' real life story at all. I'm still not sure how exactly I'm going to let Bo recover her memory. Maybe I should hit her over the head again? I feel the best way to deal with it is in the organic way that somehow through Bo working through her issues and reconnecting with Lauren Bo finds her way back? I dunno. I'm still confused, but I like I said before, I'm open to suggestions. :-)

Sylvy: Thanks for liking all the flirting. I wanted a story with a slow burn, two people that really got to know one another before they slept together. Hopefully, I've achieved that :-) As for Stacy, Bo will deal with her, and she will tell Lauren about her in one of the upcoming chapters :-)

Susan: So nice to welcome new people to the story! It's even nicer when they enjoy what I write! :-) Yeah, those questions you are asking of course lay at the foundation of this story. I hope that once I get to answering them in the upcoming chapters I do them justice. Thanks for the tip on pairing Bo and Lauren up. I apparently forgot to do that for this story.

Bahh: Great to see you again! :-)

JCM: I get that. No prob. Hope to see you later, and thanks for always challenging my plotlines. I always appreciated you keeping me on my toes immensely, and hope you'll do that in the future again.

Other guests and Joan: thank you for your support! :-)