A/N: Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who have reviewed, favorited or followed this story. The support is really encouraging. :-)

LSLSLSLS

Approaching the lab, he could clearly hear that his target was indeed inside, but he could also hear that she was not alone, someone was with her…. Alisha Granderson.

Moving stealthily, so as not to let his presence be immediately known, he entered on the far side of the lab to where the two women were hunched over a table in a hushed but heated conversation that seemed to be fast bordering on an argument.

He couldn't hear what was being said, but it was his Lieutenant that looked like she was about to lose it. His Doctor seemed maybe a little less composed then usual, but mainly her usual pulled together self. She seemed to be trying very hard to get the point she was arguing across to his Lieutenant, who seemed very unwilling to either listen or agree with whatever was being said to her.

He observed the, clearly secretive, interaction for several moments. He wished he could hear what was being said, but alas he could not. Though the distress the words were causing on the other hand, was clearly evident.

Tom made the decision to move forward and make his presence known to the two women. This was it, he had had enough, and it wasn't like his overly abundant patience on this matter had actually helped anyone anyway…so it was going to stop. This secrecy was going to end right here, right now.

"Afternoon ladies." He spoke loudly, moving to stand directly in front of the two women.

Both of them jumped at his greeting, one more so than the other. Two matching sets of deer caught in headlights gazes spun in his direction.

It was his clearly distressed Lieutenant who spoke first.

"Afternoon, Sir…I was just leav…" She hurried to excuse herself from his presence, but he interrupted her weak protest.

"You were just staying, Lieutenant. Take a seat." He watched her hesitate, looking for all the world like she was seriously considering ignoring an order for not the first time since this whole thing started.

"Now…please, Alisha." His first word was hard, the second two soft and it was with those last words, that her will faltered and she sat.

Both women were now seated before him, stock-still and silent, their attentions now focused on him, but somehow still…distracted. He chose to remain standing as he studied both women closely… He knew these two, to be strong, capable and confident examples of womanhood… But that was not what he saw before him now.

Tom mentally chastised himself for letting whatever this was continue as long as it had, these things never got better on their own, he knew that…and yet, after trying and failing to discover the truth, he had let them continue to keep their secrets. That had been a mistake, and now it was time to fix it.

"It's truth time, ladies."

"Pardon, sir?" Apparently his Lieutenant was going to take the path of confusion… completely and utterly fabricated confusion…that was just not going to fly.

"You know what I'm talking about, you both do. In fact the only person who doesn't know what I'm talking about is me! But that is about to change. Right now. Neither of you are leaving this room until you tell me what it is you have been hiding since Baltimore. I wanted…I needed…answers then, and I let you both dissuade me from getting them. I gave you the chance to handle this yourself, just as you asked…begged…me to, and it was a huge mistake on my part. It is clear that neither of you have handled anything at all. In fact I would hazard a guess, that the situation has actually gotten worse." As he continued to closely monitor the reactions of the two before him, he became even more convinced that that particular estimation was correct. Even more determined, in his now set course, he continued.

"Let me assure you, ladies, I am going to be getting answers this time, and I will be getting them today…this cannot continue any longer. It's effecting you…both of you…badly…I need to know what it is. No more secrets from this moment on." He finished on a hard note, one that hopefully broached no argument to his assertion.

Both women had remained silent through his tirade. As he looked at them now, he though his Lieutenant looked absolutely petrified...Rachel on the other hand looked…resigned? Her next words were proof that he had read that particular emotion correctly.

"He's right, Alisha." Rachel spoke for the first time since Tom's surprise appearance in her lab. But she did not look at him. Her eyes were firmly connected to Alisha's. They were supportive, apologetic… But she also seemed to be somehow willing and searching the other woman for understanding and acceptance of her words…unsuccessfully.

"But Dr. Scott…No!" Was Alisha's terrified rejoinder.

"Alisha, we can't hide this anymore. Neither of us can. He's right, this has gone on too long now and the situation has indeed gotten…well, at the very least it has gotten a whole lot less viable to successfully hide from people." Tom could have sworn she had been about to say 'gotten worse' and confirm his appraisal of the current circumstance.

"Dr. Scott, please! No! Please don't say anything! You promised and this is my secret, my business, only mine! Now more than ever…"

Alisha was all but crying now, pleading, certainly. He thought he should say something more, but after considering it, he decided to remain silent for the time being. He had apparently already successfully moved one of the women over to his corner, and she was now doing his work for him in trying to convince the other to come over as well...thought apparently not with much success.

As he returned his attention to the two desperate looking women before him, he saw that Alisha had indeed lost her battle with the tears that had been threatening to fall, but she was still adamant in her refusal to come clean over past events. He watched on as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and started shaking her head and repeating softly, 'no, no, no'.

Not for the first time, he wondered what the hell could cause this woman to act so very uncharacteristically. Also not for the first time, he wondered what the bloody well was wrong with him, that he had let this go on for such a ridiculously long length of time.

He now watched on as Rachel, failing to regain Alisha's attention any other way, reached out and held her on either side of her face. The touch where her open palms made contact with the other woman's jawline, from ear to chin, was gentle but still insistent. She forced Alisha to stop shaking her head and entreated her to open and eyes and look at her.

"Alisha! Look at me, look at me, please…. listen to what I'm saying to you, we can't hide this anymore. Neither of us can."

Alisha seemed a little slow on the uptake of whatever it was that was being silently communicated between the lines to her, but when the full and true meaning of the spoken and unspoken words began to sink in, he watched her face fall even further into despair. "You mean you…? As well…?"

"Yes." Rachel nodded her head tightly…and rather bleakly.

At first he watched his Lieutenant's eyes widened indubitably at Rachel's words, and then suddenly she burst into tears at the confirmation. The confirmation of what he didn't have a clue, but he was slightly terrified nonetheless.

"This is all my fault…all my fault…" Alisha continued to sob through her bleak outward ruminations.

"Alisha listen to me now! This is not your fault; none of this is either of our faults!" Rachel was trying valiantly to make the younger women hear and believe her words…but it didn't look like Alisha was buying it. She could understand why it was a difficult argument for the other woman to believe…she wasn't convinced that she was blameless in the tragic events…but she was sure that Alisha was.

As Tom looked on from the sidelines at the two desperate women before him, he realized that whatever this was it was probably far more likely to be his fault. They were all his people, his responsibility, and therefore everything that had happened to them in Baltimore was his responsibility too…especially since he had gone MIA from their protection detail on a personal mission to save his family… He had also let whatever this situation was, fester on, virtually unchecked.

He could further disparage himself later, right now it was time for answers, time to fix this.

"Ladies…I'm sorry to interrupt, but…"

Rachel held up a single finger to stop his momentum of speech. "Captain, can you just…please, just give us a second?"

After a moment's hesitation, he nodded his assent, but he didn't move a single inch from his current position. He was absolutely serious when he said he wasn't going anywhere until he got answers.

Rachel clearly read the stubbornness in his manner, after a look a frustration aimed in his direction; she returned her full attention to her distraught young friend.

"Alisha…let me tell him…"

"No, Dr. Scott…no! I can't." She young woman cried. He felt awful…but there were no better choices available anymore...

"You don't have to Alisha, I will."

"But…" She tried to argue, but she did finally appear to be weakening in her resolve…some resignation now visible on her features.

"Alisha…there is no longer any choice on the 'if this can be kept secret' question, and there's little choice in the 'when it will come out' question either…let it be now and let it be me who does it…you can leave us…you don't have to be here for this."

He went to argue that, he had told them that neither of them were leaving until he got answers. But before he had gotten the first word out, he was speared by the hardest look of reproach he had ever received from a woman…let alone this woman. It was almost enough to make a grown man shrivel actually…almost. He made the decision to silently assent, and shut his mouth again. As long as he finally got answers, he supposed it didn't matter who was there or which one of these ladies was the one to provide them.

His attention shifted from Rachel's still hard gaze to Alisha, when she began to nod her head slowly.

"Ok, I guess there is not choice now, seeing that you…" She didn't finish her sentence. "But I still want…promise you will…" She didn't finish that sentence either. Her voice was stilted by her continued weeping, but also, he suspected by his presence…there was still something she was deliberately not giving voice to because he was here…even if her words, or lack thereof had not been enough, the nervous glance in his direction as she spoke…and faltered, had confirmed it.

"I will do everything I can, if you will give me time to do it. There is still time Alisha, we do not have to act right now…promise me you will give me time. I absolutely need you to promise me that." Now Rachel's hard gaze was leveled at his Lieutenant, though it was not nearly as menacing as the one she had taken out for use on him.

It didn't look like the upset young woman felt particularly disposed to make the promise that was being asked of her…but eventually, she did.

"I promise…but if you don't mind, I will go now." With that she got up and made her way over to him, she needed to pass him to get to the door. When she reached him, it appeared that she needed to summon extra strength to be able to face him. He watched as she took a deep breath, attempted to control her breathing and get her emotions under control before she lifted her gaze to meet his…hesitantly.

"Sir…may I be excused?" It was more of a plea, than a request.

Tom took a quick moment to make a study of the usually strong woman before him. He then glanced behind her to Rachel…and the very hard veneer she was wearing like a second skin on her warning covered features. The silent communication was easy to interpret…don't cross me on this. Without even glancing back at the Lieutenant, he spoke, he gaze glued to Rachel's…meeting her stare boldly…despite his acquiescence.

"You can leave us, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, Sir." Was her immediate answer, spoken on a rush of both breath and air as she rushed to the door…thankfully sealing it behind her. He supposed she had reason to not want what was to be said in here overheard…whatever it was to be… He may have been seemingly close to the finish line, but his patience was waning on him.

"Now can you, please…" He was stopped when another single finger of Rachel's was held high in the air between them. He raised a single eyebrow at her silent command but did accede to her directive as he watched on silently, as she picked up the phone and placed a call…to CIC of all places.

"Yes, Foster, please. This is Dr. Scott."

Both eyebrows rose now, what did she want with Foster? And why now? He continued to wait, just as she did, obviously for Lt. Foster in her case. A tense silence descended. Her eyes, still hard, resolute and commanding on the surface…were losing confidence beneath it, he could see. In what was probably only a few mere seconds, he got the clear picture that the recently departed Lieutenant was not the only one harboring anxiety about what was about to happen. Rachel was just a lot better at hiding it…but even she seemed to be starting to lose the battle with her nerves. His focus returned from musing of Rachel's inner angst, when she spoke aloud again.

"Yes, Kara. I need you to do something. I have sent Alisha to your quarters, I need you to go there and stay with her until I say otherwise."

Ok, he supposed he could get the gist of what was happening here, Alisha had been very upset…Lt. Foster was her friend and bunkmate…

"The Captain already knows, he's fine with it. Just say you need to leave until further notice and it's at the Captain's request."

A skyward eyebrow situation occurred again as he met her gaze challengingly. She eyed him back rebelliously, daring to him to countermand her directive and outright lie.

He considered it, but in the end he remained silent. Sensing that she had won the silent battle, he watched as Rachel returned her attention to the communication device in her hand.

"I assure, there's nothing medically wrong with her, but I still need you to watch her."

He hoped that was true. It certainly appeared that the two women's physical injuries had at least mostly healed since their return those long weeks ago. His concern for their mental wellbeing had long since mostly replaced any lingering concern that there could be a residual physical cost to them based on their time spent in incarceration.

"Contact me immediately if you become suspicious about anything."

Rachel's voice again broke his musings. What exactly did Rachel think there could be, for Foster to become suspicious about, if the Lieutenant was physically healthy? Yeah...he was getting that really bad feeling in the bit of his stomach again… Not that that feeling had actually completely gone away in the last long weeks since Baltimore…and definitely not since he had first entered this particular room on this particular day.

"Yes, thank you, Kara, I will talk to you soon."

Obviously, his other Lieutenant had taken Rachel's word, that she had gained his permission to give the order she had…without needing his confirmation. That was something to consider. It wasn't an overtly bad thing. But it wasn't clear either.

Civilians were impossible to fit into the military chain of command, as cleanly and seamlessly, as everyone else. It didn't work to be constantly checking and second-guessing orders during what could, at any time, be a heated and time constrained incident. So generally, a choice one way, or the other, had to be made. And that choice came down to trust, could someone be trusted to be taken at their word…or could they not.

Truth was, he had actually gone out of his way to get his crew to put their complete faith and trust in Dr. Scott and her abilities…and she had come through for them, and been proven deserving of that faith and trust in the end.

Rachel had come a long way with the crew from the distrusted outsider who had kept such overwhelming secrets from them for so many months. She had had to achieve the impossible to accomplish it, but she had redeemed herself, she was one of them now, trusted.

Lt. Foster herself, had put her life very deliberately and completely in the Rachel's hands, when she had volunteered for the vaccine trail…and now Dr. Scott was in charge of monitoring her pregnancy, at her preference. So, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that her word had been taken as truth by the other woman.

Still, he could only hope that Rachel would choose to be discerning in the way she exercised her apparent power and influence on his ship.

He observed her as she ended the call with Foster, watched her as she slowly and carefully replaced the receiver on its handle…far too slowly and carefully, actually…it looked like she was deliberating trying to use up time now, stalling him. The woman had run on bravado and professionalism to this point, but now she had run out of tasks and distractions to even slightly delay the coming conversation, and she was downright nervous…he would bet money on it.

"Rachel. No more stalling. It's time for the truth now." He spoke softly, gently, but still calling her out on her obvious delaying tactics.

He had already made the decision to let her putting commands into his mouth, slide. While not an unserious breach usually, she wasn't military. And it wasn't like she had hid it from him, or that any other action would have altered the resulting outcome. If Rachel had told him that she thought it necessary to remove Lt. Foster from her post and send her to go look after the distraught young Lieutenant he had just dismissed, then that is exactly what he would have ordered…he just wished she had gone through the very easy formality of asking him first...given that he was standing right there.

He observed Rachel look up at him, from her position still partially slumped at her workbench, in calm resignation.

"Yes, Captain, I know."

But still only silence followed. He watched her lower her head again and rest it on her hands, supported by elbows leaning on the bench. He couldn't quite see, but he thought her eyes were closed too. He gave her a few moments but when she still made no move to speak he was forced to disrupt her quiet time.

"Rachel, I just let you dismiss Lt. Granderson against by prior command. I let you give orders in CIC without my prior command…and frankly, I let you dissuade me from getting the answers I needed for over a goddamn month! I think you'll agree I've been patient..."

"You have." She acknowledged fairly, but her head didn't rise, her eyes didn't open, and she said no more.

"Rachel, I don't want this to get difficult. I really don't. I can see that whatever this is, it is having a negative effect on you too…still…all this time later. It's a big part of the reason I have to know now. I want to help you…both of you. And I'm sorry, you should well know that the last thing I want to do is cause you pain, but I am telling you now, when it comes to this particular subject…I have no more patience left to give."

"I can quite believe and understand that, Captain." She was being very affable with the words she was speaking…but they were still far to few in number for his liking.

Even more silence followed, he was growing frustrated; it meant he was going to have to become…harsh with her again, and he really didn't want to do that. Right now, Rachel was giving off an impression that reminded him distinctly of a wounded bird, possibly mortally wounded beneath the surface, but you would never know, as they were predisposed to tough it out right to the end. Just when he had come to the sad conclusion that he was going to be compelled to verbal forcefulness with her again…she thankfully starting speaking, prompted only by herself.

"You better sit down…Tom…this is not a short story…nor is it a particularly pleasant one."

For some reason, just the thought of relaxing enough to sit, stifled at him. Frankly, he was a great mass of coiled anxiety right now. It was like he was imminently awaiting the moment he would need to use that roiling power and energy inside him, to deal his yet unidentified foe a mortal blow.

"Please, Tom. You must understand how I would prefer this to be a conversation rather than an interrogation…and that is exactly what you standing over me like that feels like!"

Right, that was true, he could absolutely understand that. For her, he would sit and try to portray a façade of composure.

He took the seat that Alisha had vacated right next to her. Seated sideways on the chair, he faced Rachel straight on. He laid one arm across the side of her workbench, to support his large form and hopefully project some small measure of casualness. Once seated, a mere foot from her, sky blue and chocolate brown orbs drew to one another as though magnetized.

Fact was, there was absolutely nothing casual about the united gaze they were currently immersed in.

TBC...

A/N: I know, I know, sue me! :-) I have started work on the next chapter and will endeavor to not leave you languishing too long. As I have mentioned before, reviews do aid in the creative process…just staying... ;-)