Kara opened the new package of ration stamps and nodded in approval. Rumor had it these had an actual design on them; all previous ones had been simple text. Flipping through the book, she found Dr. Scott staring back at her in different colors for each type of stamp.

"Nice choice." She said to herself.

"What's that, Lieutenant?"

"The new ration stamps." She said, holding them up so he could see them. "They picked a nice picture of her."

"What?" he strode over and grabbed them out of her hand. "Oh man, she's going to be pissed."

"…They didn't ask?"

"Pretty sure she would have mentioned it. And shot it down immediately." He scratched his head as he contemplated her reaction to this. "They certainly didn't run it by me, either." He stated unnecessarily, as it occurred to him that she might think he had known about it.

"At least it's a flattering picture?" Kara said hopefully. "It's not like they gave her a wonky nose."

"I actually think she'd prefer an inaccurate picture. She gets recognized on the street too much already. She's polite enough not to tell people to leave her alone, but I know it bothers her."

"Hmm. Yes, I can see that." Kara agreed. The doctor had always been about the work, not the credit. She always seemed uncomfortable at the praise heaped upon her by Michener at every public opportunity.

Just then, as if summoned, Rachel walked in with her escort.

"I didn't know." The CNO stated immediately, attempting to pre-empt any accusations.

"Know what?" she said, suddenly concerned.

Kara stepped in, trying to save her CO from himself; his defensive tone was not helping. She took the stamps from his hand and offered an explanation.

"The new ration stamps came in today, ma'am. There was a rumor that the new ones had an actual design on them, but nobody knew for sure what they looked like. Some people said it was the Nathan James, some said it was a new map, others said Michener…but…" she handed the stamps to Rachel.

"Wha- ?" She stared at the stamps, eyes narrowing ominously. After several seconds, it occurred to Kara that she'd never actually seen Dr. Scott speechless before; she had been never shy about making her opinion known. But eventually she turned to Tom and spoke in a tightly controlled voice.

"You didn't know?"

"No."

"Who did?"

"I'm not sure."

"Did they run it by Michener?"

"I don't know." He said. "Probably."

Rachel turned on her heel, stamps in hand, and strode out of the office with a determined look on her face. Kara and Tom exchanged a quick glance before he went after her, knowing the eruption was coming. He just had to make sure nobody got hurt.

. . . . .

He ran across a fleeing secretary on his way there; he found Rachel pinning Michener in the corner of his own office with a pointed finger and an even more pointed rant. Michener heard him enter and shot him a desperate glance. Tom slowly shook his head; short of physical violence, Jeff was on his own. He wasn't stupid enough to piss off his wife even further than she already was. He was only here to keep things from coming to blows, since she now knew how to do it right.

Having made his choice, he stood back and waited for her to run out of steam. It was actually rather impressive; he was learning all sorts of new vocabulary. And he was very glad that it was not directed at him. He knew that one day it might be – he was not immune to fucking up – but he hoped he never was. They'd had their own shouting matches, but they'd been primarily about the mission, not something as stupid as this. Michener should have known better, but he had always been eager to exploit the PR angle. Both of them had resented it, but Tom understood it was part of the job; Rachel had never accepted it.

Finally, Rachel wound down, face flushed and breathing heavily. Tom moved up next to her and put his arm around her; she leaned against him, physically spent but still shooting daggers at the president with her eyes. Michener looked at him, betrayed.

"You should have asked." Tom replied to the unasked 'how could you'? on Jeff's face. "Hell, you could have come down the hall and asked me. I could have told you how she felt. Though if you had paid attention, you'd already know she doesn't like the spotlight."

"…Noted." Jeff said, slowly recovering his ability to speak. "I'll… keep that in mind …in the future."

Tom refrained from replying as he took Rachel out of the office, but then, he didn't really need to.

. . . .

They made their way back to Tom's office, his glare sending all the curious ears scurrying back into their respective offices like prairie dogs retreating into their burrows. Rachel collapsed on the couch in his office with a sob and he took her into his lap and held her, silently cursing Michener and anyone else who thought those stamps had been a good idea.

"I'll never be able to go outside again." She lamented.

"Yes you will." He reassured her.

"No I won't. Not without a bloody platoon around me."

"I'll get you a wig and some glasses. And we'll go to Alaska. Nobody else for miles."

His attempt at humor was unappreciated, earning him a slap on the shoulder. He sighed and let her cry.

. . . .

On the other side of the door, Kara politely ignored the noises from her bosses' office as her mind processed what the hell just happened. The Doc's temper was well known, but she had never seen her cry before. The pair happening back to back was …wait a minute. Could she be…? That would explain the mood swing. She shook her head and dove back into her work. It wasn't her business if she was or wasn't. And if she was, they'd figure it out soon enough.