"Captain!" Rob poked his head out of the stall at the shout. "She's okay. Said she wanted a few minutes alone. You KNOW her. Give her some time to process everything before you get in her face."

"Corporal Chase is in the landing bay." Mentor's voice came through his communicator and Jon took a slow, deep breath before nodding. Baker was right. Jennifer had always withdrawn for a little while after an emotionally charged mission. In his haste to want to make things right for her, he'd forgotten that he had to give her some time.

"You're right. Thanks for the reminder." He waited in the hall until the young man emerged several minutes later, dressed in sleep pants and a t-shirt.

And he looked like crap. Dark circles were becoming apparent under his eyes and the whites of his eyes were more bloodshot than usual. It didn't stop him from regarding his commanding officer as though HE was the unwell one. "Have you been out here stewing this whole time?"

Power nodded sheepishly. It always surprised him how well his team could read him, even when he thought he was keeping things well hidden.

"You know you could have showered while you waited? You're not exactly fresh smelling." Rob raised an eyebrow at him. "Maybe consider that before you go talk to Jenn?"

Jon shook his head and chuckled. Baker wasn't normally this free with his advice, but he wasn't wrong in his assessment. "I'll keep that in mind."

They walked in silence the short distance to Baker's quarters where he sat down wearily on his bed. "That sucked."

"Which part?" Jon asked jokingly as he pulled the chair away from the desk and sat down on it.

As Power had done just a few minutes earlier, Baker drew in a calming breath.

They both knew the whole situation had sucked. It had gone from potentially getting an upper hand on Dread to possibly losing two of the suits. The suits that were designed to be the upper hand on Dread.

But the team was still intact. That was the important part.

"Rob?" Jon needed the young man to talk. He knew how upset Matt and Michael were; Jennifer was already begging for solitude. If he could get Rob to open up, he'd have more of an idea what he needed to do for the man.

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, not meeting Jon's gaze. "Captain, it happened so fast. We've trained for this. I thought I was prepared, but when it came right down to it…" Scout stopped, shaking his head. Several seconds passed before he finally looked at him. The guilt in his eyes was almost unbearable. "She could have been killed. Or worse."

Suddenly enraged, Baker grabbed his boot from the floor and hurled it across the room, eyes blazing. It hit the wall and fell harmlessly to the ground as he yelled, "I couldn't do a damn thing to help her! I couldn't push her away! I couldn't fire my blaster, I couldn't even LOOK at her! Hell, if we were going to die, I wanted her to at least know I was there with her!"

"She KNEW Rob!" Jon raised his voice, but kept all anger out of it. He had witnessed enough attacks on his team to understand that guilt and anguish. "You BOTH could have been killed. Or worse. But you both made it out of there alive and you saved those kids. You put a family back together." He put as much conviction into his voice as he could despite the knot that still curled his gut. "We all know this is a dangerous game we're playing. Any day, hell, any minute, it could all change. It almost happened today, but it didn't. So as Michael would say, we count our blessings and move forward."

They were both silent for several moments before Scout nodded. When he finally looked at Power, his expression was somber. "Captain, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her."

He nodded in return. "You're not the only one."

"She needs to know that." Rob regarded him for a long moment, as if he could read Jon's mind. "She needs to hear that from you." He stood and walked to his desk, taking the softsuit from where he'd tossed it before his shower. As he handed it to Power, he added, "Let me know how she's doing. I tried talking to her earlier, but she just said she was okay and wanted to get some work done on the jumpship. She left for the hangar before I could say anything else."

"Time for tea and vitals."

Both turned as Hawk and Tank entered, a field medical kit in Masterson's hands and a tray in Ellis's.

Rob gratefully took a mug from Tank. "Go talk to Jenn," he said to his commanding officer before sipping the tea. "But take a shower first."

Power hesitated just inside the hangar doors. When repairs were being made, music was usually playing. Tonight, there was only silence.

She stood across the bay, at her workbench. As he drew closer, he saw that her hair was still damp as it hung down her back. She hadn't even taken the time to dry it, her need for solitude so intense that she'd pretty much bolted for the hangar.

She looked up at the sound of his footsteps. His eyes caught hers and he gave her a small smile.

Her return smile was weak, and she quickly looked back down at the scatter of parts – and her soft suit - on the bench. She'd barely said a word since they'd returned to the base.

"You okay?" It was a fair question – one he'd asked her after countless missions – and he knew her well enough to read her body language, no matter what her verbal response was.

She picked up a scorched circuit panel and nodded without looking at him. And he saw her hand tremble. Just enough that he knew to disregard her nod.

"Hey…" he whispered, stepping closer to her. Her back to his chest, he gently draped an arm around her neck, his fingers slowly kneading her shoulder. She tensed, and he thought for certain she would pull away. The digitization attempt, the explosions, the near catastrophe of the mission. It was still fresh in her mind and he'd possibly pushed her too close to the emotional edge while attempting to soothe her. But a moment later, she leaned into him, the circuit panel dropping to the bench with a clatter. "I know," he continued. "It was a little too close today."

"Yeah." She barely breathed out the word and her hands gripped his arm, tightening his hold on her. Her fingers were icy against his skin and she trembled, almost shivering. "I can't stop shaking, Jon."

"Molly said this is normal and to give it time. Believe me when I say that we're all feeling the way you are." His hand came up and covered both of hers. He understood the aftereffects of the adrenaline rush they'd had today. So often, they had to go from one battle to the next, barely allowing themselves time to breathe, let alone recover from the nightmares they encountered. The stress they were under was apparent on their faces, in their movements, in the terse orders that passed around the jumpship during those times and so he was grateful for the last hour he'd had with his team. He was grateful they had made it home. He was grateful they could all actually talk about it, face the reality of the situation, understand that in spite of the suits, they were still vulnerable. They needed each other on the front lines and they needed each other when it was done.

It hadn't been a lie when he'd told Scout he didn't know what he'd do if something happened to her. And holding her gave him the proof that she was still there, still in one piece, still part of his world.

Her head rested against his chest and she seemed to relax, though her words were still filled with tension from the day's events. "Jon, there was a time when digitization would have been an honor. When Soaron caught Rob and me today, I was terrified. All I could think was that I'd rather die than be digitized or go back to Volcania."

"We were all afraid, Jennifer." He would tell her a hundred times that she wasn't the only one with these feelings if that was what she needed to hear. "But we weren't going to let you die out there. And those BioDreads will NEVER take you back to Volcania. There's no way we will let that happen." He needed her to know that. He needed her to understand that she was part of their team and they would do whatever was necessary to keep her safe.

She slipped one of her hands out from under his and touched her suit. The thing that had saved her from being taken from everyone she loved. "The digitization attempt drained all the power from it. Even the reserves are gone." She fingered the material, concern apparent on her face.

"Don't worry about it. If there's anything wrong, we can fix it." He knew the possibility existed that one of the suits would be damaged. The close encounters they had grew more intense every time they fought Dread.

"You know I'm going to worry about it. And what if there is something wrong with it and it's irreparable?" Jennifer tensed in his arms, her worry growing. "None of us have been hit like that before."

He smiled, though she couldn't see it. She was always so concerned about the suits. "With the collective brainpower on this team, I'm certain we'll solve that problem if it arises."

She was silent for a long moment. When she spoke, it was barely above a whisper. "Jon, what if Locke had lied to us? What if Dread had found the jumpgate and somehow gotten through?"

He'd thought about that as well and didn't like any of the scenarios he'd come up with. What the situation HAD made him realize was that he would NEVER send any of his team alone anywhere again. He just couldn't risk a loss like that, no matter how simple or straightforward the mission seemed.

"But he didn't lie to us, Jenn." It was all he could come up with. He couldn't 'what if' the situation because it would drive him mad.

She rubbed at her eyes, sniffling.

"Jennifer…" He moved so he could see her face and though she tried to hide it, he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. Without hesitation, he turned her so they were facing each other and enveloped her in a fierce hug.

She broke, the sobs finally coming out as she clung to him.

Jon rested his cheek on top of her head and rocked her gently, stroking her hair and back. He could have lost everything. But everything was still right here, in his arms.

They held each other for several long minutes and when Jon felt he could finally trust himself to speak without breaking down, he whispered, "I love you, Jennifer, and I will do whatever I have to do to protect you."

A moment later, she was squirming in his arms and her tear-streaked face turned up to his. "What did you just say?" She blinked at him like he'd spoken in a foreign language.

With his heart pounding in his ears, he said it again. Eight letters. Three words. One meaning. "I love you." Her small body began to tremble slightly in his arms and her fingers tightened on his shirt.

She wasn't letting go of him.

"Like Rob loves me? Or Matt or Michael?" There was a flicker of something in her blue eyes, as if she still didn't quite understand what he was saying.

Was he the only one that had never told her? He knew about Rob, but how had he never heard the other two tell her? "Not like any of them. Or the Rowans." For a moment, he simply stared at her, wanting to burn every bit of this into his memory. "I've fallen in love with you." He lifted a hand to cup her cheek and stroked away the tears with his thumb.

"I was trying to tell you…before we left for the mission…" Tears were welling again, and she closed her eyes to regain some kind of composure. When she opened them, she spoke softly but firmly, even as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "I was trying to tell you that I love you. But I was scared you wouldn't feel that way about me."

Jon laced his fingers into hers against his chest and squeezed gently. Her hand in his, her cheek in his palm - the physical contact thrilled him in ways he'd never thought possible. He'd fallen hard for her a long time ago and had reigned in those feelings because of the war. But he'd grown weary of not feeling. He needed this. Needed the contact with her, needed her to know she had become an irreplaceable part of his world.

Caressing her cheek with his thumb, he looked into her bright blue eyes. And then his lips softly touched hers.

Gentle pressure, warmth. Passion hidden behind the hesitation of a first kiss. This was what he'd been fighting so long for.

It took a moment for her eyes to open when the kiss ended. "I like that." Color flushed her cheeks slightly.

Jon was still close enough to feel her breath against his lips when she spoke. "I've wanted to do that for quite some time now," he admitted.

"I've been feeling like this almost a year." Her cheeks reddened even more, but she didn't move away from him.

Jon groaned. It had been even longer for him. "We could have been doing this for a year."

Her lips brushed the stubble on his cheek before she whispered, "Or more than this."

Then her mouth found his and he lost himself in her.

"Jon, it's Matt. Come in."

They slowly broke apart at Masterson's voice and when Jon opened his eyes, he saw that hers were still closed, her lips slightly parted. He gently touched his forehead to hers and watched as the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

He couldn't resist, and his mouth took hers again.

When Matt's voice broke through the silence a second time, Jennifer couldn't help but chuckle mid-kiss. "Are you gonna answer him?" she whispered against his lips.

"I'm kissing you. I have priorities." Jon's hand tangled in her hair and his arm circled her waist, bringing her back to him.

With reluctance, Jennifer broke the kiss and pushed back slightly to regard him. "I like your priorities, but you should answer him. Then we can do more of this without interruption. If this headache ever goes away." For motivation to complete the task, she directed him to the floor and curled up on his lap, snuggling against his chest. Then she tucked her head under his chin, so her lips were no longer easily accessible.

Jon sighed, knowing she was right. He opened the line on his communicator even as he tightened his arms around her. "Power here." His fingers stroked through her hair and he rested his cheek against the top of her head.

Masterson filled him in on a final debriefing from Cypher as well as messages he'd need to follow up on from Locke and Striker. "How is Jennifer doing?"

Jon smiled though Matt had no way of seeing him. "I'm going to tuck her into bed in just a minute." He'd felt her relax in his arms as the conversation had gone on and knew from her deep, rhythmic breathing that she was already asleep.

"Say again?"

He heard the confusion in the older man's voice and his smile grew. "Meet me in her quarters so you can get those vitals for Molly." After receiving a still confused acknowledgment from the major, he closed the channel and carefully scooped Jennifer into his arms. She stirred slightly, then settled again with some soothing words and a kiss pressed against her forehead.

Masterson was waiting for them and he began to chuckle when he saw the way Jon was cradling her in his arms. "Finally talked, huh?"

"About what?" Jon asked innocently as he moved past the older man into the dimly lit room.

He followed him, muttering sarcastically, "About what?" He rolled his eyes at the captain, who just grinned in return, holding her in his arms as Matt untied her boots and carefully slipped them off her feet.

Jon gently placed her on the mattress and rested her head on the pillow, softly stroking some hair off her cheek.

"Did she say anything was hurting before she fell asleep?" Matt sat down on the edge of the mattress beside her and took her temperature with the temporal sensor, then counted her pulse.

"Just her head," Jon answered and saw Masterson enter that information on the file he was sending Molly.

Jennifer remained asleep until Matt poked her finger with a lancet to draw some blood. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and yawned, looking at them questioningly. "Where am I?"

"In your quarters." Matt answered her, not giving Jon time to respond. "Let me get your blood pressure, then you can go back to sleep."

She barely noticed as the cuff inflated, her focus now on Jon. "Stay with me." It wasn't a question and both men knew it.

"He's not going anywhere." Matt made sure the vital signs had been recorded on the data pad, then patted her arm. "Do you want to keep your sweater on or sleep in a t-shirt?" They'd both noticed she was wearing her favorite sweater, so well worn that it was softer than any of the most expensive fabrics available on the black market.

"Sweater. Kinda cold."

Jon looked over Matt's shoulder at the datapad and relaxed a bit when he saw her temperature was normal. No fever.

She rolled over onto her side and looked up sleepily at Masterson. "How is Rob?"

He slipped his hand into hers and smiled reassuringly. "He's holding steady, just like you. And he's asleep. So don't worry about him, okay? You just go back to sleep."

She nodded and yawned at the same time. "Still gonna worry. But sleep sounds good." Jennifer turned sleepy eyes on Jon. "Stay with me." Again, it wasn't a question.

Jon nodded and yanked off his boots and socks while waiting for Matt to finish up.

"Do you need to get your pajamas?" Jennifer asked him. She didn't miss the smirk that crossed his face, in spite of how tired she was. "What?"

He dropped his pants on the floor next to his boots, leaving him in just his t-shirt and underwear. "I don't usually wear pajamas to bed." He lifted the blankets and Jennifer snuggled into his side as soon as he was near her.

She chuckled at the visions her exhausted mind was creating. "You don't have to change your routine on my account."

"Not tonight, Dear. You have a headache." He pulled the blankets up to her chin and wrapped his arms around her.

"You're right. I do." Her head rested on his chest, right above his heart.

Matt rolled his eyes at the two and shook his head. They were already like an old married couple, yet they'd acknowledged their true feelings for each other barely an hour ago. Life at the base had just gotten far more interesting. "I'll be back in a little while to check on you, Jennifer. If you need anything before then, give me a yell. I'm monitoring both your quarters and Rob's."

"Thanks, Matt." Her eyes were already closed and her breathing steadied within seconds.

Masterson simply watched her for a long minute. On the rare occasion he'd seen her sleep, she was ill or injured and needed monitoring. There had always been worry or pain on her face; her sleep had been restless at best. Now, with her body half on Power and buried under two blankets, she was at peace.

When he realized Jon was watching him, he smiled. "I'm glad you two finally figured it out."

"I almost lost my chance, Matt." The young man's blue eyes were troubled, stark contrast to the woman in his arms.

"'Almost' doesn't matter." Matt shook his head. "Get some sleep. You've earned it."

Jon kissed Jennifer's hair. "I still need to call the Rowans and let them know what happened. I'd rather they hear it from me than through the grapevine. Give me an hour or so here, then wake me up, if I'm asleep."

Matt nodded. "Can do. Sleep well." He left the door open on his way out, the dim light from the hall casting shadows around the room.

Jennifer shifted in her sleep, snuggling in closer to Jon. Her fingers curled into his shirt and her face turned up slightly to his.

Jon softly kissed her forehead. He wasn't going to sleep, no matter how tired he was. And that was fine with him. He didn't want to miss even a second of this.