The day after the Breach was sealed passed Mako by in a blur. She felt disconnected from herself somehow; she was torn between relief and happiness at having finally completed the mission, and despair and grief at the loss of her Sensei. She felt the grief crushing down on her from all sides, but did her best to remain apart from it in the wake of the celebrations taking place across the globe. She and Raleigh were in the spotlight, and everyone on earth, it seemed, wanted a piece of them. She did her best to grin and bear it. With Raleigh by her side, she felt at least able to do that much.

There was a press conference scheduled in the afternoon, and Raleigh and Mako spent the morning together, trying not to think about it. They woke early, tangled together in Raleigh's bed, still wrapped in the sheets from the night before. Mako felt oddly at ease; considering she had never shared a bed before, and she was now sharing one with Raleigh Becket, she thought she would feel…well, something. Anxiety? Embarrassment? Instead, she felt calm and relaxed, wondering whether she would be able to drift back to sleep and postpone the time where she would have to face the world and everything that had happened to them in the past several days.

She curled her body into a ball, pressing herself into Raleigh's strong, hard chest and pulling his arm tighter around her. She could feel that he was conscious now, but not fully awake, and she felt his arm flex protectively around her as he nuzzled his face into her hair. She smiled at the tenderness of the action, snuggling deeper into the covers, determined to make the moment last just a little bit longer.

Eventually, though, she couldn't hide under the covers anymore. She slid out of bed, walking quietly into the bathroom to rinse off her face, pulling a hand towel out of Raleigh's linen closet to pat it dry. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, thinking her eyes looked puffy and a little sad, but that there was otherwise nothing noteworthy about her appearance. Except that when her gaze travelled downward and she saw what looked like a dark purple bruise on her neck. She froze.

What the-

She flashed back to the previous night, details coming slowly back into focus: Raleigh's hard body on top of hers, his hand in her shorts and his mouth on her neck. Her eyes widened at the thought, realizing where the mark had come from. She heard soft footsteps and looked around, seeing Raleigh walking towards the bathroom, rubbing his eyes sleepily and looking around for her. She looked around at him, pointing at her neck.

"How do I get rid of this?" she squeaked.

She couldn't go in to a press conference with a hickey. She would be photographed and televised, and she couldn't do it with that mark on her neck. Maybe her shirt collar would cover it…? Her eyes widened at the train of thought, and she looked to him for an answer. His eyes roamed over her neck and a small, guilty smile rose up across his face. He walked over to her, his hand reaching out and stroking the area gently. She felt chills going down her body, goosebumps rising along the area he was touching.

"Shirt collar, maybe? Or use some makeup?" he said finally. He paused for a moment then added, "Do you even own makeup?"

Mako shook her head dejectedly. She didn't own much of anything that wasn't directly related to her lifelong quest to become a Jaeger pilot. That thought registered and left a strange feeling in her chest; she wouldn't need to be a pilot anymore, and now she didn't know what was left for her. Raleigh's arms circled around her, pulling her close as her morose thoughts crossed his mind, pressing his face into her hair once again.

"We'll figure it out," he said.

She wasn't sure if he was referring to the hickey or their uncertain futures, but she supposed that the response worked for either one. She pulled back from him, rubbing at her eyes with her fists, trying to pull herself together. She knew that it was still early, but she felt keyed up and unable to sit still. She could hear people shouting happily from down the hall, and she guessed that it was people who had stayed up all night to celebrate the end of the Kaiju war. A small part of her mind said that she should go and join in, being that she was part of the team that had ended it, but she just couldn't face the onslaught of questions and comments she knew they would receive.

Raleigh sensed her mood and smiled sympathetically. "Want to go to the Kwoon?"

Mako looked up in surprise, but found herself nodding back at him. Exercise would help, she was sure. She looked down at herself, realizing she was still in the pajamas she had been wearing the night before, and feeling suddenly self conscious. Nobody had seen her in anything less than a Cadet uniform in…well, ever. She folded her arms, covering her chest and mumbled, "I should go put clothes on."

"Okay," Raleigh said, "I'll get dressed and meet you in the hallway. Then we can head over."

He walked with her to the door, his hand placed lightly on the small of her back as he opened the door for her. He looked at her then, lifting his hand and using his thumb to stroke her cheek gently, a small smile on his lips.

"We don't have to go to the Kwoon," he said softly, "We could go out and get breakfast or something, if you'd like…"

She could tell he had no idea what to say to her, both because of what had happened between them the previous night as well as because of the loss of her father. She shook her head and said, "No, I want to go. I'll be ready in a minute."

She looked down the hall as though trying to avoid being seen, then hurried across to her door, quickly opening it and darting inside before pushing it shut behind her.

Raleigh thought about that as he opened his dresser drawer, pulling out the dark blue cargo pants and shirt that were his Ranger uniform. Did she not want to be seen with him?

No, he thought. She probably didn't want anyone to think they had hooked up last night.

Which we didn't, he reminded himself. Not really.

He supposed that was fair enough. He didn't want anyone knowing his personal business, and Mako was more private by far about her personal life than he was. He sighed, quickly stepping into the pants and pulling the shirt over his head before putting on his socks and boots. He reminded himself that she had spent years working harder than anyone else, just to prove that she belonged here in spite of being Marshal Pentecost's daughter, and he didn't want her reputation to be sullied if she was seen leaving his room like she was a booty call.

He shook his head, not really sure what to make of the thoughts running through his head. He headed out into the hallway, closing the door behind him and turning around to see Mako heading out of her room as well. He saw her tuck her dog tags into her standard issue navy blue tank top before she walked down the stairs to meet him. They didn't speak, just walked together in silence to the Kwoon, managing to avoid running into any of the celebrations on the way there.

They found the training room deserted and quiet, much to Mako's relief. Raleigh wouldn't have minded joining in some of the celebrations, but he could feel Mako's need for solitude as if it were his own, and he was happy to be here with her. She immediately walked over to the hanbō storage rack, picking up two of the staffs and giving one to Raleigh. She kicked off her boots, leaving them just outside the mat, before walking towards the middle of the room, doing some formal practice moves as she went.

Raleigh kicked off his own boots and followed her. He wasn't sure she even really wanted to fight, but he could tell she needed some sort of stimulation, so they might as well start here. He swung his staff towards her before she had a chance to get her bearings, and let the staff stop just to the right of her ribs. She narrowed her eyes at his obvious bit of cheating, but didn't seem too irritated with his antics. Yet.

He grinned and said, "One - Zero."

She didn't give him a chance to recover; she immediately swung into action, laying so many attack moves on him that it was all he could do to stay ahead of her. Eventually, she broke through his defenses and gave him a sharp poke in the side.

"Hey!" he protested, rubbing the area, "That hurt!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "One - One."

They sparred like that for the better part of an hour, so well-matched in the ring that they were never more than two points apart. If Raleigh had to make a judgment, he'd say that she was the stronger fighter, even if his size and weight gave him an edge over her at times. The thought made him smile; he liked that she kept him on his toes.

By the time they finished, they were breathless and sweaty, and the sounds of people heading down to breakfast could be heard from the Kwoon as they put their sticks back on the storage rack. Mako sat down on the mat and lay back, stretching herself out and staring up at the ceiling. Raleigh could feel her thoughts heading in a morose direction, so he quickly lay down beside her, placing his face on her stomach and giving it a nibble.

She shrieked in surprise, smacking the top out his head out of reflex. It hurt, but he decided it was worth it as he grinned up at her, seeing her face holding shock and indignation rather than sadness.

"What was that?" she cried, rubbing her stomach and wrinkling her nose at him.

"I just wanted a little taste..." His voice was mischievous, and he pretended to go in for another bite.

"Hey!" She gripped his hair and rugged him back.

"Oooh I didn't know you were into hair pulling. Please don't stop..." he said facetiously. His voice was a little breathy, and it wasn't entirely an act.

She looked at him curiously, her eyes narrowed again. He continued grinning at her, nuzzling his face against her stomach like he was a cat, making her laugh again. She laid her head back down on the mat, stroking his hair absentmindedly as she resumed staring at the ceiling.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked. He didn't really need to ask, given their still-connected minds, but nobody relished the idea that their thoughts weren't private. She took a moment to think about it, then took a deep breath as though steeling herself to speak.

"Just…thinking about how everyone is celebrating and happy. And I just feel like I'm drowning and that I'm going to bring everyone down."

She took a shaky breath, and Raleigh could feel the tears brimming in her eyes as if they were his own. He moved instantly, pulling himself off her stomach and laying on his back, rolling her over so she was cuddled into the crook of his arm.

He held her head to his chest, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead lightly, whispering as he did so, "You have the right to be sad. You should be sad. Part of healing is feeling the sadness and accepting it."

He kissed her forehead again and went on, "Your Sensei was a great man. I knew him for a long time, and he was a great leader and a caring guy, even if he didn't like to show it too often."

He heard Mako sniffle, but was sure there was a small laugh hidden in the sound.

He went on, "He was sick for a long time, as you know. He suffered radiation sickness and then cancer from his time piloting the Jaeger, and the fact that he lived so long after piloting by himself is nothing short of a miracle. I know it doesn't make you feel better right now, but his health was declining quickly. A man like that doesn't want to sit by and let others do the heavy lifting while directing people from the sidelines, even at the best of times. He chose to go down in the Jaeger because he knew he didn't have much time left, and he wanted to save someone else from that fate. He knew he could save us all by doing that."

He could feel Mako's attempts to regulate her breathing now, her tears flowing freely. But she wasn't sobbing like he had expected her to, so that was good. He hugged her tightly, and, somewhat to his surprise, she hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. He brushed his lips across her forehead a few more times, finding he really enjoyed the action, and she didn't push him away. His t-shirt was growing wet in a few spots from her tears, but she was slowly getting a hold on herself, comforted by Raleigh's words and the knowledge behind them.

After a few minutes, she rolled off of him and sat up, rubbing her eyes with her hands. Raleigh felt a little disappointed by the loss of contact but pushed it aside, reminding himself that this wasn't about him right now. He sat up with her, placing a hand tentatively on her back and rubbing it gently.

She didn't look at him but said, "Thank you for saying those things. Even if you are just trying to make me feel better…I can feel that they are true. I suppose it is a better way to look at it, that he was sick already and that this just sped things up a little bit."

She sniffled again, but shook her head and slowly got to her feet. "We need to shower and change. Marshal Hansen's e-mail said we needed to be ready for a press conference at 1400 hours, and I didn't check the time before we came down here."

She sounded flustered; Raleigh knew this must be the first time she hadn't planned out her entire day in recent memory.

"Mako…" he said kindly, "We have plenty of time. It's barely 7 a.m."

She looked shocked, then a little dismayed. "I don't know what to do all day until then…" She looked around the room as though hoping for some sort of sign.

Raleigh brushed her hand with his, clasping it firmly in his when she did not pull away.

"First," he said, smiling at her, "we are going to go and shower and change, because we are both sweaty and gross. Then, we're going to figure out what to do about that little mark of yours and go get some breakfast."

He smiled and stroked the side of her neck affectionately, making her eyes widen and her cheeks flush, giving her a small blush that he found very appealing.

"Come on," he said, pulling her towards the exit. "I'm starving."

. . . . . .

Raleigh lifted his face to the cool water coming from the shower head, thinking carefully as the water slid down his body. He still felt Mako's emotions in his head, a side effect from the Drift that the J-Tech crews referred to as "Ghost Drifting," or, alternatively, the "Drift Hangover." He had experienced it with Yancy before, but not at this level, and he pondered that for a while. Surely, his connection with his own brother should have been stronger than his connection to a stranger? It made him feel almost...disloyal to Yancy that that didn't seem to be the case, but he tried to push those feelings aside. It wasn't a contest, and dwelling on it would do nobody any good; Mako needed his support right now.

He considered everything that had passed between them in the past several days; they had gone from complete strangers to…what, exactly? He didn't know how to define their relationship, such as it was at the moment. What did he want it to be? What did she want? He felt like his judgment was clouded by the Hangover; his thoughts were jumbled with hers, making it impossible to sort them out. His thoughts weren't really conflicting, though, which seemed to imply that they were both, at least, confused about the same things.

He hadn't really dated anyone since he was a teenager; his life after that had been devoted to making it into the Jaeger program, and then to the pilot seat, which left little to no time for serious relationships. He had mostly had short-term, friends-with-benefits relationships, and even those were few and far between. After Yancy died, he couldn't bring himself to let anyone else into his life, in any capacity; he had spent five years isolating himself as much as possible, and now he wasn't sure he knew how to let anyone in again. He had felt something stirring inside him when he first met Mako; her faux pas at talking about him in Japanese while not knowing he could understand her - and her ensuing embarrassment - had certainly amused him, but seeing her in the fighting ring was what had really gotten his attention.

If he was being totally honest, he hadn't expected much from her when he saw her; she was practically half his size, skinny and dainty-looking. But once she had taken off her bulky Ranger shirt, he had seen the lean musculature underneath, and her fluid, athletic movements made her a force to be reckoned with. He smiled at the thought of her, letting him land the first strike to lead him into a false sense of security before going on the attack. She was equal to him in every way, and better than him in many others. He had gotten used to women who only wanted to be with him because of his Ranger status, but here was one woman who stood on her own and wanted nothing from him.

Not his Ranger status, anyway.

He lathered his hands with soap and began washing away the sweat from the Kwoon, contemplating his feelings about Mako. He was certainly attracted to her- who the hell wouldn't be?- but was there something besides a physical attraction? He thought so, but didn't know how to tell. The thought of her made something inside him stir, that was for sure; a kind of warmth in his chest when he thought of seeing her, talking to her, or doing anything with her, really. The way she tested his skills in the Kwoon brought a smile to his face, enjoying the challenges she offered him. The way she knew the ins and outs of Jaeger tech, had basically led the rebuild of Gypsy on her own, and seemed to know everything there was to know about working on engines and machinery were also big pluses.

But was she attracted to him? The jumble of emotions in his mind seemed to indicate that it was a possibility; he was fairly certain she had never dated anyone before, so maybe she was just as confused as he was. He sighed, quickly shampooing his hair, rubbing it vigorously to rinse it out. He shut off the water, feeling even more confused than when he had started thinking about it. He stepped out of the shower and quickly toweled off before hanging the towel over the shower curtain rod to dry. He walked out of the bathroom, heading to his dresser and picking a pair of boxers out from the drawer and slipping them on. He grabbed a clean pair of Ranger-issue cargo pants and stepped into them, pulling them over his hips right as he heard a timid tapping on his door.

He must have been thinking for a long time in the shower for Mako to be ready before him. He stepped to the door and pulled it open with one hand, his other zipping up the pants. "You shower fast," he said, grinning at her.

He saw her eyes widen ever so slightly as she took him in, her eyes quickly raking over his naked torso, sliding down to his waistband which was still unbuttoned, showing a bit of the black boxers underneath. Her eyes quickly moved back up to his face, a faint blush rising in her cheeks and a guilty look on her face when she realized he had seen her gawking at him. Not that he minded.

"Come in," he said, pushing the door open. "I'm almost ready."

He turned away and quickly buttoned the pants, picking one of his collared Ranger polo shirts up off the dresser and quickly pulling it over his head. Mako sat tentatively on his bed, and he knew that she was thinking of the night before when she took in the still-rumpled sheets. He looked at her neck and realized it was covered by the collar of her shirt now, so the mark wouldn't show. A small part of him was disappointed not to see it, but he brushed it aside as he pulled on a pair of socks and stepped into his boots. He bent down to tie them, bringing him just below Mako's eye-level.

"How do I look?" he asked, grinning and quickly tying his boots.

She smiled vaguely. "Your hair is messy," she said quietly, reaching out towards him.

She hesitated for a moment, then ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing it out so no hair was standing out at an angle. Raleigh felt a rush of heat and suddenly felt like his shirt was too tight and the room too hot. Her sweet scent filled his nose, and he wanted to get close to her, the way he was last night, and let it envelop him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly standing up, holding out his arms.

"How about now? Am I presentable?"

Her smile widened as she stood up, too. She reached towards him and he froze, not sure what she was doing. She laughed quietly at his nervousness and put her hands on his chest, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt and pulling his collar straight.

"I promise I won't bite..." she said, just a little mischievously.

He thought privately that he might not mind it she did bite, but quickly pushed the thought aside. He thought her hands lingered on him a bit longer than strictly necessary, but maybe that was wishful thinking. She slid her hands down, grazing over his stomach before she pulled away, turning towards the door.

"Breakfast?" she asked, smiling nervously.

. . . . . .

They headed down to the mess hall, walking close enough together that their hands brushed against one another, but nothing more. Raleigh felt nerves emanating from her- or were they his?- and tried to calm himself; getting nervous around her wouldn't help him figure out his feelings, he was sure. He tried to remind himself that they had literally gone to war together, but that seemed like a piece of cake compared to navigating a potential romantic relationship. He let out a frustrated sigh, and Mako let out a small laugh. Did she know what he was thinking? He looked at her, his eyes narrowed, but she looked back at him innocently.

Too innocently.

They arrived at the door to the mess hall, and Raleigh held out an arm to stop her. "We don't have to go in," he said quickly. "We can go to the kitchen and eat in there if you don't want to talk to anyone."

Mako considered his words, then peeked through the door, taking a deep breath and looking like she was heading into battle. A battle more dangerous than one with a Kaiju, by the look of her.

"No," she said, steeling herself. "We can eat here. I can't hide forever. May as well get used to it."

They headed in, and Raleigh noticed that there weren't many people eating at the moment. Probably a combination of the early hour and the late night everyone had spent celebrating, he thought. They walked together to the buffet area in the front of the room, grabbing plates from the end of the table closest to the door and moving downward, ladling food onto their plates as they went down the line. He saw the workers' eyes widen as they took in Mako and Raleigh, but they restrained themselves from speaking to them. He saw the awkwardness that crossed their expressions, and knew that they realized they didn't have any words of comfort to offer Mako regarding Pentecost's death.

Glad they can at least figure that out, Raleigh thought, grabbing a carton of milk from the small fridge at the end of the table and heading towards an empty table. Mako followed him, placing her plate next to his and sitting down. He was a little surprised that she wanted to sit next to him instead of across the table, but pleased. He had figured that she wasn't a person who liked a lot of physical contact, but he supposed he was an exception now that they had Drifted. It had a way of drawing people together, even afterward.

They sat down, their knees brushing together, and ate in a comfortable silence for a while, before people started realizing that they were there. By the time they finished eating breakfast, they had each shaken about 15 hands, repeating brief snippets of their story until their throats felt hoarse, and accepting thanks and praise from everyone that passed them by. Raleigh could tell that Mako was reaching the limit on what she was willing to talk about, and felt her thoughts drifting back to her father's last act, so he quickly pulled her to her feet and guided her towards the plate-return area, making vague apologies to their visitors for leaving so suddenly and heading back out of the hall.

Mako paused once they had made it down the hall a bit, closing her eyes and leaning against the wall, breathing deeply and putting her face in her hands. Raleigh wanted to ask if she was okay, but he already knew the answer. He leaned back against the wall next to her, his shoulder against hers, offering the only silent comfort he could think of. She looked up at him in surprise when she felt him next to her, her hands falling to her sides. She paused for a moment, but then leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes again, seeming to relax just a little. He felt a strange flutter in his chest a moment later, when he felt her hand shyly take his, holding it loosely as though waiting for him to pull away. He laced his fingers through hers, leaning his head sideways so it rested on hers, her sweet scent washing over him again.

They stayed like that for several minutes, each comforted by the presence of the other, slowly calming down. Eventually, Mako gave Raleigh's hand a small squeeze and he knew she was ready to go. He stood up straight, stretching his neck after having it bent for so long, and looked down at her. She looked shy, not quite meeting his eyes and fussing with her collar, which was already straight.

"Should we go see Marshal Hansen?" he asked, giving her a moment to collect herself. "I'm not sure what we need to do for the press conference, and I guess he's the one to ask..."

The word "now" hung in the air between them, but they both ignored it. Mako nodded and pushed herself off the wall, turning in the direction of the administrative wing of the Shatterdome where the offices were located.

. . . . . .

They headed towards Marshal Hansen's office, given that he was now the man in charge. Raleigh knew they would have to pass Pentecost's office on the way there, so he slipped his hand into Mako's as they approached it, hoping that it would be comforting to her and not distasteful. She looked at his door as they approached it, but said nothing and continued walking down the hallway until they reached Marshal Hansen's office further down the way. Raleigh released Mako's hand and raised his arm to knock, but the door opened suddenly and Hansen was standing there in front of them.

"Oh! Becket, Mori. Good," he said, looking back and forth between them. "I was just about to come looking for you. Please, come in."

He stepped aside, and the two Rangers filed into the room. The office was the same layout as Marshal Pentecost's, but much less neat and tidy. There were stacks of papers on every surface, maps and diagrams tacked haphazardly on the walls, and various pieces of equipment scattered around, making Mako think he had just walked off with bits and pieces of discarded Jaeger tech. She looked at him now, and saw that he had the same look in his eyes as she did; haunted, agonized, and grieving. She didn't know what it felt like to lose a child, and she wondered how it compared to losing a parent. Not that it was a competition. He had a good handle on his emotions, though, and briskly walked them into the office, sitting down behind his desk and gesturing for them to sit in the two chairs in front of it.

"I'm glad you're here," he said, opening a drawer in his desk and shoving a pile of papers into it, quickly clearing off the desk surface so he had a place to rest his folded hands. "We're being besieged by reporters and news anchors from the area, wanting to get any information we have. Specifically, they want to talk to you. I don't think I need to tell you that this is one of the biggest news stories ever, and the Defense Corps. is right in the middle of it."

He paused, looking at the two of them. Raleigh looked politely back at him, but Mako averted her eyes. She knew she'd have to do some talking, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Listen, Mako," Herc said, his eyes softening.

He wasn't using his official "Marshal" voice now, but rather the pseudo-uncle tone she had heard from him when she was a child spending time at the Shatterdome with Pentecost. She looked up in surprise, and saw that he was smiling sadly at her.

"I know what you're going through right now, because I'm going through it, too. There's nothing I want more than to hide away from everyone and everything and just let the grief take hold of me." He cleared his throat and went on, "But your father and my son gave their lives so that we could all live, and we owe it to them to share their story. Your story."

Mako was shocked at his admission; a Marshal never admitted weakness, and she felt like tears might be building behind her eyes when she thought of him losing his only child.

"I'm sorry about Chuck," she whispered, looking down and quickly rubbing at her eyes, just in case. "He was so brave. We didn't get along so great sometimes, but I always respected his skills as a pilot."

"Thanks, sweetie."

She looked back up at him. He hadn't used that nickname since she was a child, and it brought a small smile to her face to hear it now.

He cleared his throat gruffly and went on, "There will be a press conference this afternoon, 1400 hours sharp. I need the two of you to be there, because you're who they want to talk to. Our J-Tech crews and chief scientists will be there as well, but you two will be running point. I've got a list here for you to look over: questions people will probably ask, some responses you can use, that sort of stuff. There's not really anything classified on your end, so just say as much as you're comfortable with, as far as what happened. I'll be speaking first about the actual logistics of what happened, the plans that were made, and so on. After that, it's your show."

He handed Mako the paper in his hand and she scanned it before handing it to Raleigh to read. She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. She could do this. She felt Raleigh's hand covering hers on the arm of her chair and opened her eyes to look at him.

"It will be fine," he said quietly. "I'll be there with you and I can do most of the talking, if that's what you want."

She smiled weakly and nodded once before looking back at Herc, who was looking curiously between them as if trying to solve a puzzle.

"Anyway," Herc went on, shaking his head slightly. "Be in the briefing room at 1300 to begin prep. We'll have some of our public relations staff there to go over any last minute questions you might have. You don't have to dress up, or anything; in fact, I think it would be best to just wear your Ranger uniforms."

Mako saw Herc's eyes stare for just a second at the side of her neck and felt her face redden. Apparently, the shirt collar had shifted slightly. She adjusted it quickly, because she just couldn't help it, and Herc smiled vaguely.

"Other than that, I'll see you at 1300 hours. If you have any questions, give me a call in my office. You're dismissed."

. . . . . .

Raleigh and Mako headed away from the Marshals' wing and back towards their own rooms. Mako was silent as they walked along the hall, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she walked beside him. Her emotions were snarled together in a mess that Raleigh desperately wanted to untangle, but he wasn't sure where to begin. They made it to the spot right between their two rooms, and he turned to her.

"Do you want to be alone?" Raleigh asked.

She looked up at him. Did he want to be alone? She was confused by the things she felt for him now; she had never really wanted to be around anyone for this much time, and she had certainly never wanted to have physical contact with anyone. But when he held her...

She felt warmth in her face and looked down, avoiding his eyes becaus she didn't want to see rejection there. Wanting to be physical together was one thing, but she was starting to feel like this might be something more. On her end, at least. She was worried that the lines between them were beginning to blur, and she didn't know what to do about it. Her thoughts began to spiral, and she felt his hand under her chin, tilting it up to look at him.

"Come with me," he said, holding out his hand; it was part question, part request.

She hesitated before taking it, following him to his room. He closed the door behind him and guided her to the bed, which was stil rumpled from their sleep the night before. Mako felt suddenly hot when she thought about it, and Raleigh grinned a bit guiltily at her. He sat down, patting the space next to him and inviting her to sit. She hesitated, not sure where this was headed, but then sat next to him, her body stiff and rigid.

"Look, Mako," he said, looking at her seriously. "I think we should talk about a few things."

Her heart sank. She didn't really know why, but his words sounded foreboding. Was it about last night? Did he regret it? Not that anything really happened, but maybe he wasn't a cuddle all night sort of person. Then again, she wasn't, either, so who was she to question it? She didn't even know what she felt for him. There was physical attraction, to be sure, but she was starting to think that it might be more. She'd never been in a relationship, though, so how could she know if that's what she wanted from him? Was that what she wanted?

Her thoughts were spiraling again, and she shook her head, trying to clear it.

"About last night…"

Mako winced, and he paused. "What?" he asked, confused.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to-"

"Mako," he interrupted, laughing a little. "I'm not upset about it. I mean, I wish I hadn't woken you up by being on top of you because that was pretty inappropriate of me, but I don't regret spending the night with you…"

She looked up at him then. "You don't?"

He shook his head emphatically. "Of course not. Do you? I mean, besides the awkward parts?"

It was her turn to shake her head, and Raleigh looked relieved. "Good," he said quietly. He took a deep breath and went on, "Look, I don't think we should jump into this too quickly. But I think we can both agree that there are some feelings between us. Can't we?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes…but I don't know what they are." She looked back at her knees, embarrassed for the first time at her lack of relationship experience.

"I know," Raleigh said quietly. "Neither do I. I haven't ever felt this way before. That's not a bad thing, just…confusing. I don't know how to explain it. But I guess we can both tell what the other is thinking now, anyway. Right?"

She hesitantly met his gaze, then nodded. "You like me…" she said slowly. "And…I like you. But how do we know these are actual feelings, and not just things we feel because of the Drift?"

Raleigh noted her use of the word "we." Good, so they were on the same page.

The thought gave him a bit more confidence, so he responded, "I think maybe part of it is the Drift, but not all of it. I liked you when we first met." He paused and grinned at her mischievously. "I liked you a lot more after you beat me in the Ranger candidate trials."

Mako let out a small, nervous laugh. "I just wanted to keep your ego in check…"

Raleigh smiled. "You're the only one who can…"

But then he became serious again. "Look, I can feel what you feel, too. I know you're as confused as I am about this, but I think we should try and figure it out. We don't have to define anything now, but…I dunno. I would like to, at some point. What do you think?"

He looked anxious now, and Mako pondered his words for a minute before answering.

"I don't know how to define it," she said quietly. "I have never felt anything like this before. I don't know what any of it means….and I don't know what to do." She hung her head, ashamed at her admission. "We practically just met, and already the feelings are so intense that it's starting to scare me."

Her voice cracked a little at the end of her sentence, giving Raleigh a pulse of sympathy.

"I know what you mean," he said honestly.

He moved closer to her on the bed and hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders. She tensed for a moment, looking up at him in confusion, but relaxed a moment later and leaned into him.

"We've been through a lot in the short time we've known each other, and I'm sure that's part of why we're feeling this way, but I don't think it's the whole reason. Being inside each other's minds has intensified everything. It's not abnormal, as far as I know. And even if it's not normal, who cares? Maybe it's just different."

"I guess you're right," Mako said slowly. "So what do we do about it now?"

Raleigh shrugged. "Who says we need to do anything about it now? Maybe we should just spend some more time together and see what happens. What do you think?"

Their eyes met, and he knew they were in perfect harmony once again. Mako nodded and slowly leaned back into him, hesitantly sliding her arms around his torso in a sort of loose hug, laying her head on his chest.

"I like hugging you," she offered shyly, listening to his heartbeat.

Was it faster than normal? She felt his breath in her ear and a large hand coming up onto her head, gently stroking her hair.

"I like hugging you, too," he said, squeezing her tighter to him and nuzzling her hair.

A feeling of contentment slowly flowed through both of them, making them think that, for the moment, they were right where they needed to be.