Beyond the Sun Chapter 17: Love is a Battlefield, a star trek: 2009 fanfic

Raxsah: So two men walk into a bar…
Jeck: Mmmm that's kind of kinky…
Raxsah: No. it's kinky if they are strapped to a bar.
Jeck: Or start making out around the bar while stripping off all their clothes.
Raxsah: Either way. Welcome back to our little world, we know you missed us. We should apologize-ish for being a little… random and or dull, we're writing this at 8 in the morning.
Jeck: Oh god… why… why is it before noon? Need… more… sleep…
Raxsah: Stupid all you can eat pancakes… at least there is food.
Jeck: I don't love pancakes nearly enough for this. You and your family, yeah. Pancakes… not worth it…
Raxsah: Word. We'd like to thank everyone who added this to their favorite and alerts list. We appreciate it almost as much as the reviews.
Jeck: I love how you're always the one to say that. Not like I'd ever remember it, but yeah. Here's some more awesomeness that is Jeck and Raxsah!
Raxsah: WAIT! We forgot the most important parts of this very long chapter iz de lemons!
Jeck: Now, now, Raxsah, let's not talk about our private lives in the story. :3
Raxsah: Ha, ha, ha. I meant the story. We have a Liam/Alex Lemon and a Kirk/Claire lemon. We figured you should be warned.
Jeck: Warned, or excited. Either way. When you're doing getting off, remember that there's an actual plot to the story too.
Raxsah: Sometimes… enjoy!

Chapter 16; Love is a Battlefield

Claire navigated the many halls of the Enterprise as if she was on auto-pilot. Her mind was a mess, trapped in a world of massive confusion. She had already packed and was now heading to the shuttle bay. There was too many people going on the away mission for them all to use the transporter. The lift opened and she smiled at a group of engineers who were talking. She pressed her level and silently waited for it to come.

"Nice ass," someone said. She turned her head and looked around, since she was the only female in the lift she assumed they were talking about her. Or, at least she hoped they were. If not, she was suddenly in a very awkward situation.

"Get a life," she muttered. A few of the men chuckled, and one went to step forward.

"So, where you headed, doc?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and looked at him.

"To meet my boyfriend before going on the away mission." He heard the word boyfriend and took a few steps back.

"My bad," he said. Claire shook her head and crossed her arms. The doors opened and all the engineers piled out of the lift, something she was a bit grateful. The lift closed and she let out a deep sigh. She was about to spend a week on a planet with her brother and his whore girlfriend, plus twenty other people and her boyfriend. Maybe if she steered clear of them, it wouldn't be so bad. At least until she figured out what t do. The doors opened and she couldn't stop the smile that came to her lips as her boyfriend stepped into the lift.

"Hey," he said, smiling widely.

"Hey," she replied. He stepped into the lift and waited for the doors to close. When they did, he hit the stop button and turned toward her.

"So, I was wondering if you would do the honors of sharing a room with me?" he asked. He had dropped his duffle bag, and she followed in suit.

"Oh really? Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked. He moved forward and placed his hand on her hips, causing her to smile.

"Oh yeah, maybe with enough persuading I can finally convince you to let me take advantage of you," he said. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hmm, well… maybe if you take me out to a really nice dinner before hand, I'll think about it." Jim smiled and leaned down, letting his lips brush against hers.

"You still thinking about it?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Well, it's looking good in your favor," she whispered. He chuckled and pressed his lips against hers, moving them softly against hers. She kissed back and chuckled when he pressed his hips to hers. "Jim…"

"I know… Dinner first. Jesus, woman. You are driving me insane," he said softly.

"Patience is a virtue." He scoffed and took a step back, hitting the go button.

"Patience my ass. What's the point of having a hot ass girlfriend if you can't ravish her?" he asked. Claire began laughing and hugged him after picking up her duffle bag.

"I love you," she said. He smiled and kissed her temple.

"I love you too," he replied, grabbing his own duffle bag. They intertwined hands and exited the lift. Kirk led them over to where the rest of the crew were waiting to board the shuttle craft taking them down to the planet.

"Good of you to show up, Captain," Spock said, his own hand grasping Uhura's hand. Claire saw something out of the corner of her eye and turned to see her brother waving his hand while standing next to his whore girlfriend and his lying best friend.

"Hey Jim, I'll see you later." Jim held his hand up to Spock, who was explaining to him the meeting they were attending later that day. Spock stopped so Jim could turn to Claire.

"I will definitely see you later," he said with a smile and leaned down to capture her lips one last time. Claire moaned in protest as the kiss was cut short and his warm sensual lips pulled away from hers.

"Definitely." She smiled and walked over to her brother, who smiled down at her.

"Ready to go?" he asked. She nodded and glanced at Colleen before looking back to her brother.

"Is Anna coming?" she asked. He paused then nodded.

"Yeah… I think she is being transported down later though," he said. She nodded and began to board the shuttle, stopping when a hand held her back.

"Claire… did you-" Rupert started but Claire cut him off.

"Don't you dare touch me. The only thing keeping me from telling Ryan and kicking you ass is the fact I'm in a really good mood. So shut up and keep moving," she hissed. He paused but let go of her arm and got onto the ship. It was going to be a long mission.

"Oh wow, it's so beautiful," Colleen said. They had gotten off their shuttle not too long ago and were standing on the back terrace of the hotel. The planet was originally uninhabited, until Starfleet found it. Seven years later, it was now used as a get away for ambassadors and captains, they used it for meetings such as this.

"You think they'll let us spend some time on the beach? I know we have like… classes and all, but I wouldn't mind catching a few waves," Ryan asked. Claire shrugged and smiled at the beauty of the sun setting.

"No clue. I hope so, the beach looks so romantic…" she said, trailing off. Rupert pressed his lips together and glanced over at Colleen, who was wrapped in Ryan's arms. Claire saw his forlorn expression and stomped on his foot as hard as she could.

"Bloody hell!" he hissed. Everyone turned to look as the British man jumped out of down, holding his foot in pain.

"Oh sorry Rupert, I didn't see you there," Claire said, her apology completely fake and an evil grin plastered on her face. Rupert's eyes welled in pain, but he kept his mouth closed. Colleen noticed the tension between them and for a minute, her heart stopped. Claire knew. Oh shit. Thinking quickly, Colleen leaned over in her fiancé's ear and whispered a few things. Her actions didn't go unnoticed, as Claire watched intently.

"That sounds like a great idea! Hey Claire, do you want to head into town with me? We can check out what the locals do for fun around here," Ryan suggested, causing Colleen to give her future sister-in-law a fake smile. Claire nodded and forced a smile onto her own face.

"Sounds lovely, Ry," she said through clenched teeth, seeing the look that Colleen was giving Rupert. He was still trying to soothe the pain in his foot, but looked up to see the gestures to follow Colleen after the Conaway siblings left.

"You told her?" she hissed.

"I had to tell someone!" he argued. Colleen sighed and placed her face in her hands.

"You told Claire, Claire of all people! Why didn't you just tell Ryan himself?" she hissed.

"Damnit Colleen, this isn't fair. We made a mistake and now we have to pay for it. The guilt is eating me up!" Colleen grabbed his shirt and glared at him.

"You will not repeat a word! I'm going to have to deal with Claire now, thanks a lot! If she tells Ryan I'm in big trouble," she snapped. Rupert sighed and pressed his lips together.

"Colleen, just tell him the truth." Colleen let go of his shirt and sighed.

"I can't… I just… can't. I don't want to hurt him. He's the nicest guy I've ever dated. I can't just crush him. No, I'll make him happy, even if this isn't his baby."

Claire walked down the street with her brother, watching as a few merchants tried to sell the members of Starfleet items.

"So… I was thinking about making Rupert my best man. Since Colleen and I are getting married as soon as we get back to earth," Ryan said. He stopped to look at a few of the watches. Claire also stopped and glanced at them as well.

"Oh…" she said softly.

"I also think Colleen was going to ask you to be one of her bridesmaids, I can ask Jim to be one of my uh… groomsmen, so you could walk down the isle with him." Claire pressed her lips together and nodded.

"Sounds nice… is it a church wedding?" she asked. For some reason, she felt a church wedding would be too much. Colleen would be swearing to love Ryan in the house of God, when she knew she might not be able to keep that promise. Ryan nodded.

"Colleen said her family would like that best," he told her, glancing once more at the watches before turning to look at the leather wallets. Claire sighed.

"What about what you want?" She asked. Ryan paused and shrugged.

"I don't really care all that much. I just want to get married and I want to make her happy," he said, shrugging if off as if it were nothing. Claire felt her rage begin to boil, but she wasn't sure if it was towards her brother or his bride-to-be.

"Well, you should care. It's your wedding day too and you have a say in things. Colleen isn't your master and you should be treated as an equal, not her bitch!" Claire snapped, causing a few passer-bys to look at the siblings. Ryan pulled himself away from window shopping to raise an eyebrow at his sister.

"Where is all this coming from?" He asked, slightly disturbed by his sister's outburst. Claire took a deep breath and sighed.

"Just… maybe you guys are rushing into this, that's all," Claire offered in a much calmer voice.

"You were the one who told me that we weren't rushing it, you calmed me down and helped me to realize that I had no real fears. I felt so much more confident about marrying her and now you're telling me that we're rushing it?" Claire sighed and looked down.

"Never mind, Ryan. Do what you want, but I am not being in that wedding," she told him. She turned and began walked off, but stopped when Ryan grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Claire, I don't want to fight with you, but what is this about? Why do you suddenly hate the idea of Colleen and I marrying?" he asked. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't… I mean…" she stopped and looked down. "I don't know, I just… don't know. If you really want to marry her, then marry her…" Ryan nodded and let go of her arm.

"We better go, we have school tomorrow," he said. Claire gave a small sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Ugh… school, I thought I was done with that after the academy," she muttered.

"I thought so too, it's not so bad, except the waking up at five hundred hours."

"Oh yeah, not bad at all. I don't even wake up that early for my shifts. If I am working at that hour, it's because I'm on graveyard shift," she said. He chuckled and draped his arm over her shoulders in a brotherly fashion.

"I'll bring you coffee, how about that?" she chuckled and hugged him.

"You'd be my favorite sibling ever," she told him.

"I'm your only sibling ever…" he pointed out. She scoffed.

"That you know of."

Claire walked into her room and dropped her duffle bag next to the bed before falling onto it. She gave a small sigh of content when she realized the bed was as soft, maybe even softer, than the ones on the ship.

"Hey, Claire-bear." Claire jolted awake, not even realizing that she'd fallen asleep. She looked around and noticed that the orange tint from the setting sun the covered the room when she'd entered was replaced by darkness.

"Hey, Jim," she said back, recognizing his voice anywhere. He collapsed next to her in the bed and pulled her close.

"Couldn't even wait for me to get in to crash?" He asked, noticing that she was still in her day clothes. Claire nodded and sat up, tossing her shirt to the side.

"It's not my fault, I swear. It's these damn comfy beds," she explained, rising from the bed to get changed into her pajamas. She didn't get very far when two arms reached out from the darkness and pulled her back onto the bed. She giggled as Jim began tickling her sides and forcing her under him. She couldn't let out the high-pitched laugh that erupted from her lips when he hit the sweet spot, sending her into uncontrollable laughter.

"Stop! Stop! No fair! Jim!" she squealed. Jim chuckled and stopped the assault on her sides and looked down at her figure. She wore nothing but a pair of jeans and her blue bra. He ignored he fact and looked into her eyes.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he said. She chuckled and let her hands travel up his sides, stopping when he suddenly flinched.

"Ah…" she said. He glared at her.

"Don't even think about it," he whispered. She smiled and went to tickle him, but his hands stopped her.

"You're no fun!" she whined.

"You are not tickling me." She frowned and reached up to kiss him deeply. He kissed back and she suddenly pulled away.

"Can I tickle you now?" she asked. He chuckled and got off her.

"No, we should get ready for bed. You have class tomorrow and I have meetings with big important people," he said.

"Why would big important people want to meet with you?" she asked jokingly.

"Because I am a big important person," he said, pulling his shirt over his head. She paused, taking a glance at his toned body, before grabbing her pajamas and slipping them on.

"Could've fooled me," she muttered after she finished putting her pajamas on.

"You know what…" she suddenly found hands tickling her sides and fell onto the bed, her boyfriend right next to her. If this was how life was going to be living with Jim Kirk, she was in for a fun ride.

"I hate the morning," Ryan muttered.

"Shut up, you're making me depressed…" Claire muttered. Ryan sighed and took a sip of his coffee. Security officers, pilots, and Doctors had classes in the early morning. Thus the reason why Claire and Ryan were waking up early for class, while the rest of the group stayed in. Colleen and Rupert didn't have to get up for class until noon.

"I have the right since I'm your older brother. Plus, I got you coffee," he reminded her as she took a long drink from her cup. Jim had been up and practically out the door when she'd rolled out of bed and as much as she loved her brother, having her sexy boyfriend bring her coffee was a much more appealing idea.

"Mmmmmm…" They continued on their way to their class, cursing the day ahead of them.

"Hey, at least McCoy stayed on the ship," Ryan offered as approached Claire's classroom. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Thank god or this experience would be like a million times-"

"I hope the next word out of your mouth was going to be better." Claire cringed as the familiar of her commanding officer rang through her ears.

"Of course, Dr. McCoy." Ryan said nothing as he felt his sister shrink next to him.

"Damn right," he muttered.

"I thought you were staying on the ship," she asked softly.

"I was, until the damn hobgoblin called me down. Apparently my surgery techniques aren't up to par," McCoy said, his southern drawl coming through a bit. Claire resisted the urge to sigh and nodded.

"Well… certainly seems like a reason…" she said.

"Yeah, it would if I my surgery skills were that of a God damn intern. Do I look like a damn intern to you?" he asked. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a trick question?" McCoy shot him a look, which made him flinch, and then looked back to Claire.

"Sir… the class is about to start… we should-"

"Well get going! And throw that coffee out, you won't need it." Claire paused and gripped her coffee.

"But, but… my coffee…" McCoy grabbed it and threw it in a trash can, causing a small cry to erupt from Claire's lips. "No…" she whispered.

"Come on," McCoy muttered, dragging her into the class. Ryan rolled his eyes and went to take a sip, only to have the cup taken from his hands.

"Thank you," Anna said, taking a deep gulp.

"Aw… come on, you can't steal a mans coffee like that," Ryan said.

"Oh really? What are you going to do about it?" she asked, taking another sip. Ryan sighed.

"Well… nothing, I guess," he mumbled. Anna just smiled.

"Your woman really does have you pussy-whipped. I like it!" She said, enjoying the rich taste of his coffee. Ryan puffed out his chest and crossed his arms.

"I am not pussy-whipped!" He declared. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, come on. We're going to be late for class," she said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him down the hallway.

"Rupert, if you bring it up one more time, I swear to god I will cut your balls off!" Colleen warned as they found themselves navigating through the many hallways of the school. Rupert had been waiting for her at her door and insisted that they walked together to class.

"Fine, go ahead. Unlike Ryan, I'm not afraid of you. Colleen, if you don't tell Ryan soon, I will. I cannot keep doing this to him," Rupert told her, trying to match her quick pace. She was trying to get away from him, he could tell, but he wasn't about to let them drop the conversation.

"No, I will not tell him. I have something perfect going on right now and I'm not going to ruin it with this crap!" She snapped. Rupert sighed and cut in front of her.

"I talked to Captain Kirk and we're going to be heading back to Earth in one month. If you haven't told him by then, I will. Your marriage and your baby are all lies and I will not do this to Ryan," Rupert hissed, his accent becoming more apparent as his rage increased. Colleen folded her arms.

"This is just as much your fault as it is mine," she countered back, attempting to step around him. Rupert held her back and licked his lips, finding that he was beginning to lose his resolve.

"I know, I know, but I'm not getting married to him and bringing up a child with him that isn't his without telling him. I'm just the shitty best friend here; you're the lying and cheating whor-" Colleen backhanded Rupert before he could finished his sentence and shoved him out of the way.

"Piss off Rupert. You aren't talking to him, and he isn't going to find out," she snapped.

"Really? Are you that bloody stupid, Colleen? If I don't tell him, Claire surely will. You really think his own sister would let that happen to him?" he hissed.

"I'll deal with Claire on my own, just keep your damn mouth shut," she snapped. He said nothing as a bell rang and a few people emptied out of the class rooms.

"Colleen, Rupert?" a voice said. Colleen looked over at Ryan who was making his way over to where they were, Anna standing right next to him. Colleen glared at Anna and walked over to him.

"Ryan, walk me to my next class, I want to see you before I'm off," she said. He smiled and nodded.

"I'll see you later Rupert. Bye Anna." Neither Colleen or Rupert missed the affectionate tone he used when he said goodbye to Anna, but Colleen ignored it and pulled him off. Anna watched and looked up at Rupert when he stood next to her.

"He's like a puppy, it's really annoying," Anna said. Rupert nodded and rubbed his cheek.

"You have no idea," he said. Anna raised an eyebrow and noticed the bruise forming on his cheek.

"Hey, you alright? It looks like you have a bruise there," she said.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," he said. She frowned.

"I can get Claire, if you'd like…" Rupert shook his head violently.

"No! No, no… I'll be fine. I better get to class," he said, practically running off. Anna raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"People are freaking weird around here," she muttered.

"Claire!" Claire looked up to see Rupert running down the hall towards her. She sighed and glared at him.

"I don't want to talk to you, what part of that don't you understand?" She snapped. Rupert sighed.

"I'm a horrible person and I'll burn in hell, I know the deal. But I have to talk to you," he tried again, but Claire raised her fist and punched him on his non-bruised cheek. Rupert's head jerked back and the impact and Claire's knuckles cracked against the tender flesh.

"I still don't want to talk to you," she muttered, shaking off the ache in her hand. Rupert cupped his face in pain, but didn't give up. He couldn't sleep the whole night before and how vowed to make things right. And damnit, he was going to try if it killed him. Knowing Claire Conaway, it might.

"Fine, don't talk to me. Just listen," he pleaded and Claire simply nodded. If nothing else, he might give her another excuse to punch him. She wasn't sure why, but beating the shit out of Rupert was making her feel slightly better about the situation.

"Go," she instructed him.

"Okay, so I fucked up and now I want to make it right, but I know if you or I tell Ryan, it's not going to happen. Colleen needs to be the one come clean about what she did. Then, and only then, can the right thing be done. But Colleen won't tell him. She's content on lying to him for the rest of their lives," he told her, his heart dropping with every word. If he hadn't slept with her, none of this would be happening. The look on Claire's face made him feel even more like a scumbag, but it had to be done. He had to make it right. Claire felt her anger building up again, but even beating the shit out of Rupert wouldn't do. Colleen, on the other hand, could do with some face reconstruction.

"Oh, that BITCH!" she hissed. Rupert stood up and eyes her warily.

"Claire…" Claire clenched her fists.

"I'm going to kill her! No, I'm going to make her life a God damn living hell then kill her. Oh, that fucking whore!" she snapped.

"I don't think killing her is exactly the way to go. Maybe if you…" He trailed off after seeing the look she gave him. For some reason, he never knew the young woman to look so angry, or scary for that matter.

"You shut the hell up. I'm going to beat the living shit out of her. If she thinks she is going to get away with this, oh… she is mistaken. My parents were right, she's nothing but trash. That fucking whore. I'm going to beat her face in," she hissed. She began walking away and Rupert paled. As much as he wanted the truth to be out, maybe he should've waited to tell her.

"Wait, did you mean now?" he asked. Claire said nothing as trekked down the hallway. Her temper got the best of her as she went to open the door to the class, but was stopped when Rupert pulled her back.

"Let me go! You damn dirty British!" she snapped.

"You can't just storm in there and beat her face in. You'll get in trouble!" he hissed, pulling her away from the door.

"I'm dating the captain, he'll keep me out of trouble," she snapped.

"No, Claire… think straight. You go in there and make a scene then you'll be in more trouble than her. She's not worth it!" he snapped. Claire turned around and backhanded him, causing him to let out a string of curses. "What the bloody hell was that fucking for?" he asked.

"For being right. I hate the fact that you're right," she snapped.

"Bloody hell, you've got to be Irish…"

"I have assembled you here today because I need your help," Claire started as she looked around the room full of people. Though, her room full of people only consisted of Rupert, Anna, and Jim.

"Why am I here again?" Rupert asked as Claire shot him a death glare.

"Because you couldn't keep it in your pants and you're partly to blame for this!" She snapped, pulling a very large ruler out from behind her. She threateningly pointed it at Rupert and he closed his mouth. Anna began laughing.

"I don't know what's going on, but I think I like it so far!" She stated, but Claire sent her a nasty look as well.

"Colleen cheated on Ryan and now she's having Rupert's baby," Claire told her. Anna's face went from amused to pissed off in sixty seconds flat.

"WHAT?" She rounded on Rupert and began beating the shit out of him. Jim jumped up from his seat and pulled the angry Hispanic girl off the British man as Claire watched with an evil smirk.

"You could help me," Jim said, struggling in holding Anna back. Claire just continued to watch with a content smile on her face.

"No, I think I like this…" Jim rolled her eyes and ignored the nasty fling of Hispanic curses that flew from her mouth.

"I'm sorry!" Rupert cried.

"Oh, you aren't sorry! Not yet!" Anna snapped. Claire sighed.

"Hey, we need to focus! We can beat the crap our of Rupert later… right now we need to figure out a way to beat Colleen," Claire said. Jim let go of Anna and looked at his girlfriend.

"Claire, I love you… but isn't this overboard?" he asked.

"Uh… no. I'm not about to let my brother marry that woman. She's a cheater, and as a cheater she should at least admit what she did," she snapped.

"So, if your boyfriend cheated on you, you would forgive him if he told you?" Anna asked. Claire glanced at Jim, but shrugged.

"If it was one night, yeah sure… it would be a while before I could trust him, but yes I would. I would expect the same from him," Claire said.

"Alright, so… what exactly did you have in mind?" Rupert asked.

"Okay, Anna, I need you to do me a favor," Claire started. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Why do I have the feeling that I'm not going to like this…"

"You guys are going to keep a lookout, right?" Claire asked. Jim sighed and nodded. The things he did for this woman baffled him.

"Yes, we'll make sure that you don't get caught. Claire… this is a bit juvenile…" She rolled her eyes.

"I'm twenty-three… I can be juvenile," she said. Jim grabbed the bridge of his nose.

"Please, just go get this over with," he pleaded. Claire smiled and gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks again for doing this for me, babe," she said. She turned to Rupert and backhanded him again.

"Ow, what the hell?" He cried out, going to hold his face in pain again.

"Oh yeah, like I would've kissed you," she mumbled. She turned around to face her brother and Colleen's door and knocked. She wasn't going to get violent until the door was safely locked behind her. She took and deep breath, preparing herself what was about to come. But as the door opened, Claire realized no amount of preparation could have prepared her for the almost animalistic rage that came over her as Colleen's face came into view.

"Oh hey, Claire. Ryan's not in rig-" Before Colleen could finish her sentence, Claire shoved the other blonde into the room and slammed the door shut behind her. She barely remembered to lock the door as Colleen fell to the ground from the powerful and unexpected push.

"What the hell?" she asked.

"Oh, you are so lucky you are pregnant because that is the only thing keeping me from killing you," Claire hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Colleen asked, standing up.

"Oh, don't play coy with me bitch. I know damn well what you and Rupert did, and what you are doing with Ryan…" Claire snapped. Colleen sighed and looked down.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, it just… happened," Colleen said. Claire resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell Ryan?" she asked.

"I want us to be happy, he won't be happy if-" Claire took a step toward her, causing Colleen to take a step back.

"Don't you dare sit there and think you can talk about my brother's happiness you whore! If you actually cared for his happiness you wouldn't have cheated on him in the first place!" Colleen took a step toward her, and Claire didn't back down.

"You have no idea what I've been through," she hissed.

"And you have no idea what Ryan has been through. You either tell him what you did, or I will…" Colleen glared at the younger woman.

"Or what? You'll kick my ass? No offense, but I'm not scared of a high class little princess who hasn't lifted a finger to help herself until she joined Starfleet," Colleen said. Claire paused before throwing her fist at Colleen's jaw, causing her to fall back on the floor. Claire hid the pain in her knuckles well and raised an eyebrow at the blonde on the floor.

"Scared now?"

"Hey… how about we go for a drink?" Anna asked. She had spent the entire afternoon trying to keep Ryan away from his room, but as the night soon came upon them, she was finding it quite difficult.

"I don't know, I should be getting back," Ryan said, looking at the time. Anna grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

"One drink won't hurt. We've got classes in the afternoon and Rupert told me that the engineers had another class tonight so Colleen probably won't be waiting for you," Anna lied. She just gave him an innocent smile to completely hide her lies as they trudged along the street.

"One drink then," he agreed as they continued walking down the road. They'd spent the day at the beach, chasing each other through the waves. Anna had convinced him to go see a scary movie, in which they were both holding onto each other for dear life out of fear. They'd even been to the mall for a bit, but he complained when Anna forced him to go into all the 'girly' stores. Ryan chuckled thinking back over the day as Anna drug him inside and shoved him towards the direction of the bar. The bartender nodded to the two as he began cleaning a dirty glass.

"Evening," he greeted. Anna smiled as she took a seat next to Ryan.

"Hmmm… what are you in the mood for, Ry?" She asked, scanning the many bottles lining the bar. Ryan glanced over at the beautiful Hispanic woman who sat before him, her hair pulled back into a ponytail and her eyes so full of life and excitement. His day out with Anna was the first time in a long time that'd he had really had fun.

"Whatever you are having," he said. She smiled and looked at the bartender.

"Excellent, hope you can handle tequila," she said. Ryan forced a smile, but paled a little.

"Tequila?" he asked. She nodded as the bartender brought the glasses to them and put them down.

"Enjoy," he said. She nodded and turned toward Ryan.

"One drink," Ryan said. Anna nodded.

"One drink…"

"Ouch! You fucking bit me!" Claire hissed. Colleen wasted no time tackling her to the ground and trying to pin her down. Claire pulled her knees up and pushed Colleen away.

"You fucking deserve it. How dare you attack a pregnant woman?" she hissed.

"You're a slut, you deserve it," Claire snapped. Colleen moved forward and threw her fist at her jaw. Claire moved back, causing Colleen to miss, but did not anticipate Colleen throwing another punch to her side, practically knocking her down. Claire moved to the side and backhanded her, causing Colleen to fall to the floor. The woman's punch lacked a bit in power, but nothing could stop her backhand.

"Fuck!" Colleen snapped. Claire moved back and rubbed her sides. She had been careful not to hit any part of Colleen's abdomen, not wanting to hurt the poor infant growing inside of her. Colleen, however, had kicked, and punched her stomach and side as much as she possibly could. Now Claire was beginning to feel the repercussions of it. Colleen might have had a bruise or two on her face, but Claire was going to have them all over her body.

"Ugh, you are such a fucking bitch," Colleen muttered. Claire couldn't help the smile that came to her face a she noticed the bit of blood trickling from her lips.

"I'd rather be a fucking bitch than a fucking whore…" Colleen swung her fist again, but Claire used her palm to push it to the side and wasted no time in kicking the pregnant woman's right knee out. She didn't need those to give birth.

"I will get you for that!" Colleen said in-between labored breaths, the pain starting to slow her down. Claire couldn't feel much as the adrenaline began pumping through her body like she was a well oiled machine.

"Bring it, bitch," Claire sneered. Colleen lunged forward at her, but Claire just barely ducked out of the way. Colleen fell to the ground, stomach first, trying to grab something to stop herself. She managed to grab Claire's arm, but it did nothing but drag Claire down with her. Claire looked up with horror as she realized what just happened.

"JIM!"

"I thought we agreed on only one drink," Ryan asked, watching Anna order another shot. She shrugged and gave him a playful smirk.

"You agreed to have one drink. I agreed to nothing," she said, putting another shot back. Ryan chuckled.

"Women," he said to himself, causing Anna to look over at him.

"Are hot, wild, and can drink a whole lot more than Ryan Conaway ever could!" He scoffed.

"Yeah right, I could out drink you," he snapped. She raised an eyebrow and pushed a shot glass toward him.

"Could you?" he smirked and threw back the shot without a second thought. She chuckled and threw it back as well. He slammed the shot down and looked at her.

"I so can."

"What the hell happened?" Jim asked. Claire gave a frustrated sigh as she began to check the woman's vitals. Claire didn't care pick her up, but she was wide awake.

"Is the baby okay?" Colleen asked, tears coming to her eyes. She wasn't thrilled to be a mother, but she didn't want to kill an innocent life.

"I don't know, are you having any contractions?" Claire asked. Colleen shook her head and looked at Rupert, who had just brought a few medical supplies.

"Jesus, I thought you said you weren't going to hit her stomach…" Jim said.

"I never did, believe it or not I had some restraint. She lunged at me, missed, and fell to the ground." Colleen glared at her.

"This would've never happened if you hadn't attacked me," Colleen snapped. Claire grabbed her scanner and glared at the older blonde.

"If you weren't such a cheating whore, none of this would have happened. Now shut up and lie still." Claire began checking the baby and Jim looked at Rupert, who was deathly pale. His face now held a few bruises, most likely caused by Claire and Colleen, and frowned.

"Do you… uh… you want some ice?" Jim asked. Rupert looked at him and shook his head.

"No… I think I'll be fine," he said. Claire sighed and took away her scanner.

"You'll be fine, the baby was fine. I guess you didn't fall hard enough," Claire snapped.

"You can't tell Ryan," Colleen hissed. Claire glared at her.

"Oh really? What's stopping me?" she snapped.

"You know he's happy, he's happier than I've ever seen him. You don't want to be the one to take that away from him, do you?" she asked. Jim and Rupert exchanged looks at Claire glared down at her. She pressed her lips together and began walking out of the room. Jim raised an eyebrow and went after her.

"Claire!" She gave a frustrated huff and ran a hand through her hair.

"Ugh… she's right. God, I hate that she's right!" Claire hissed.

"You have to tell Ryan, he has a right to know!" Claire shook her head.

"I can't tell him. He has been through so much, and he is so happy. How can I take that away from him? How?" Jim sighed and pulled her into a hug, letting his warmth engulf her. She flinched and he pulled back.

"You alright?" he asked. She shook her head and lifted up her shirt a bit, showing a bit of a very large bruise.

"Damn, she got me good," she muttered. He frowned.

"You have more of those?" he asked. He felt a bit of rage forming toward Colleen, but he fought it back. Claire had hurt her just as much as Colleen hurt her.

"I think so. Nothing a warm bath won't fix," she said. He smirked.

"Want me to join you?" he asked. She chuckled and shook her head.

"No, I think I'm going to rest before our dinner tomorrow," she said. He smiled widely and leaned down, pressing his lips onto hers.

"I can't wait."

Anna gave a small cough as the shot hit the back of her throat. Both of them had drank the same amount of shots, and they were both pretty drunk.

"I should… I should get home," he said. She nodded and stood up, she had kept him out of his room for four hours. If Claire hadn't beaten the shit out of Colleen by now, then she had better be half dead when they got there.

"Yeah, I- hiccup- I have class tomorrow," she said. He began chuckling.

"Me too, ha!" she laughed and the walked out of the bar and down the street. Ryan sighed and draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Did you have fun?" Anna asked. He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, damn… I can't remember the last time I had so much fun!" he said. Anna chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"It's because your girlfriend has you waiting on her hand and foot. You are so pussy-whipped!" she said, chuckling. Ryan pouted.

"Nuh-uh… I can have fun. I have fun with Colleen all the time!" he said. Their walk was slow and sluggish, and she didn't fail to notice that he was pulling her closer to his own body.

"Yeah right. She's so stuffy and never goes out. I mean, the woman hates bars. Who hates bars?" she asked. Ryan sighed and stopped walking and turned toward her. His arm dropped from her shoulders, but he still stood very close to her.

"You think I'm stuffy?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, I think you are a ton of fun. Not to mention you're funny, brave, awesome, and hot. I think you are anything but hot," she said. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"You think I'm hot?" he asked. She blushed but nodded, the alcohol making her very brave.

"Yeah, do you think I'm hot or stuffy?" she asked. He moved closer.

"No, I think you are amazing, fun, and smart. And you most certainly are hot," he said. She blushed and looked down. His hand immediately went to her chin and angled her head up so he could meet her eyes.

"Ryan…" he said nothing and he leaned down and pressed his lips onto hers, causing her breath to leave her lungs. She closed her eyes, throwing caution to the wind. His lips moved against hers, slow and sensual, as the smell of alcohol wafted through her nose. He reached up to cup her face and pull her closer. As if jolted awake by an alarm clock, Anna pulled away, much to Ryan's dismay.

"What'd you do that for?" He asked, his eyes half closed and a smirk on his face. He looked so peaceful and innocent, but he had a girlfriend waiting for him back home.

"I-I'm sorry," Anna said before running off. Thankfully she wasn't as drunk as Ryan, allowing her to navigate her way through the streets and back to her room. Ryan stood staring after her retreating form with a confused look on his face. One minute he'd been making out with her and then next, she was running away. Why would she…? It was then that Ryan remembered that he had just made out with someone that wasn't his fiancée.

"Oh shit…" he mumbled, stumbling back towards his room with Colleen. He felt his heart drop as he realized that he had just cheated on his future wife with his hot co-worker. His very hot co-worker. Ryan shook his head, trying to rid thoughts of how good looking Anna was. He opened the door to his room and stumbled to the bed, not bothering to take off his clothes.

"Ryan? You just getting in?" Colleen asked. Ryan nodded, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Yeah… I'm sorry," he said. Colleen rolled over and let her head rest on his chest.

"It's okay…" she whispered. He opened his eyes and looked down at his fiancée, a small frown on his lips. If only she knew.

The next morning, most of the crew of the Enterprise was practically drained. Claire took a sip of her coffee, waiting for her brother to immerge from his room. She looked up to the steps and saw her brother practically fall down the stairs, his hair a mess and his eyes filled with fatigue.

"Jesus… what happened to you last night? You get mugged?" Claire asked, handing him a cup of coffee. He shook his head and all, but collapsed into the chair next to her. She waited for him to explain, but he said nothing. After a few minutes of waiting and watching him not even drink a sip of coffee, she elbowed him in the sides.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled in a tired and hoarse voice. Claire could see his bloodshot eyes and pulled her brother into a hug.

"For what?" She asked, wondering if perhaps Colleen had finally broken down and told him. As horrible as it sounded, she was hoping that Colleen had so she wouldn't have to keep it a secret from him anymore.

"I… I kissed Anna. I-I cheated on C-Colleen," he stuttered, trying formulate the words. A single stray tear rolled down his face as he buried his face into his sister's shoulder. Claire allowed her mouth to hang open in shock and she realized what her brother had done.

"You kissed Anna?" She asked, trying to make sure she'd heard right. Ryan nodded into her shoulder.

"We were drunk and I wasn't thinking and… and I just couldn't control myself. S-She was so beautiful and I wasn't thinking…" Claire patted him on the back as he began hyperventilating.

"Breathe Ryan, breathe. Come on, in… out… in… out," she whispered. After a few minutes he finally calmed down enough to breath regularly. He pulled away and ran both hands through his hair.

"What the fuck was I thinking?" he asked softly. Claire rubbed his back as her heart began to ache. She wanted to tell him that even if he did kiss Anna, Colleen did worse and he had nothing to worry about. She couldn't, and she knew she couldn't, she couldn't break his heart.

"People make mistakes, Ry… there's nothing you can do about it. I mean… I know you feel horrible, but it was just a kiss. You didn't sleep with her or anything," Claire said.

"That's not the point! I made a commitment to Colleen and I broke it! What would you do if Kirk kissed another woman?" he asked. Claire pressed her lips together. He had a point.

"That's different though," she said. Ryan's eyebrows furrowed.

"How the hell is it any different?" he asked. Claire sighed and shrugged.

"Jim is different. Jim is a recovering womanizer. I'm his first steady girlfriend. You are different. You are completely loyal, and you would never do this to hurt anyone. It was a mistake, and you are allowed to make one every once in a while." Ryan pressed his lips together and looked at the ground.

"Not this type of mistake…" he muttered. Claire resisted the urge to roll her eyes and she continued to hub his back.

"Stop being so hard on yourself. If you feel that bad about it, tell Colleen. If she loves you, she'll understand…" Even as the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. She knew damn well that Colleen didn't love him, and she hated giving her brother false hope. If Colleen really loved him, she would have told him that she cheated first.

"You're right. I just pretty much crawled into bed last night and apologized before falling asleep. I need to tell her!" He declared and rose from his seat. He pushed his coffee towards his sister and left. As she enjoyed her second cup of coffee, Claire silently swore that if Colleen gave him any grief about what he did, she would punch her in the stomach. As horrible as it sounded, a baby like that would be better dead than being raised by that bitch.

"Conaway, get your ass up!" Claire frowned and gave a heavy sigh. She was pretty sure that she would rather deal with Colleen then McCoy.

"I'm moving, I'm moving…"

Ryan gave a heavy sigh as he walked down the hallway with his best friend. He has just finished dumping all his problems onto Rupert, who listened intently and just shrugged.

"Shit happens," Rupert said. Ryan sighed and glanced at his friend, noticing the few nasty bruises on his jaw.

"Shit… did you get mugged?" Ryan asked. Rupert turned white and gave an awkward cough.

"No… I-uh… I got into a fight with a guy at a bar. He had one nasty right-hook." Ryan shook his head and her turned a corner, only to almost fall over when he ran into someone.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Ryan said.

"No, it's okay. I'm…" The person trailed off, and it took Ryan a second to realize who it was.

"Anna…" he breathed. Anna turned pale and turned around, practically running in the other direction. Ryan sighed and light banged his head against the wall.

"Jesus…" Rupert muttered.

"Fuck my life," Ryan whined. Rupert just looked at his friend and frowned. If only he knew.

Liam/Alex Lemon

Alex walked into his room, tired from dealing with all the incompetent interns and trying to run sickbay with McCoy gone. After everyone had left for the away mission, McCoy had been called by the captain to attend some refresher courses down on the planet, leaving the doctor who had been working the longest on the Enterprise in charge. Alex was not happy, especially since his boyfriend was still avoiding him. When Alex didn't have the graveyard shift, Liam would offer to take it. When Alex did, Liam stayed out of his way so he wouldn't be assigned to it also. It was really starting to take a toll on Alex and he was sick of it.

"Liam?" Alex had made sure that all the interns were working the graveyard shift as a punishment tonight and had told Liam that he would be working as well, but he had no intention of doing so. Instead, he was finally going to get this elephant out of the room. Perhaps by luck or maybe even fate, Liam chose that moment to walk out of their bathroom wearing nothing, but a towel.

"Alex? What are you doing here? I thought you had graveyard duty tonight," Liam snapped, pull his towel tighter around his lower half. Without a word, Alex crossed the room and embraced his boyfriend. Liam's hair was wet and dripped onto Alex's shirt, but he didn't care. He missed Liam, his quirky attitude, and even all his comments about their sex life. Liam froze, unsure of what to do, as Alex buried his face into his naked shoulder. He could feel the heat from the shower emanating from Liam's soft skin and the light smell of their green tea and cucumber soap. Tentatively, Alex stuck his tongue out and ran it across the exposed flesh. Liam shivered, but pushed him away.

"You're my boyfriend, what's wrong with that?" Alex asked angrily as the feeling of rejection settled in. Liam folded his arms and glared.

"It's been almost a month now without any kind of sexual stuff. No hugging, no kissing, and no sex. You just want to walk in here one night and make with the sex stuff again? You denied me, Alex. So we're not doing anything until you tell me why," Liam demanded, his glare never wavering. Alex flinched under the look and motioned for them to move to take a seat on the bed. As Alex took a seat, he kick his work boots off to the side and tried to ignore the fact that his boyfriend was sitting on their bed wearing nothing, but a towel. He swallowed the lump forming in this throat and began.

"I'm sorry, you're right. It's just… we've been together now for about three months and all we've done has had a lot of sex. I mean, it's good sex. Great sex! Sexual orientation changing sex even!" Alex paused as he realized that Liam's glare intensified. He gulped and continued.

"It's just that, there's more to a relationship than sex. I know I sound like the dorky sensitive guy right now, but look at Claire and Kirk. They've been together how long now and haven't had any sex yet. They go on dates and stay up all night just talking. We don't have that… and I just wanted use to try to have that. So I denied you sex because I thought we could have a stable relationship without it, but I guess I was wrong…" Alex trailed off and looked to the floor, conflicted between wanting and not wanting to see Liam's reaction. As Alex's words registered in his head, Liam sighed.

"You're a fucking idiot, Alex. You can't make that kind of decision by yourself. I had no idea and felt so hurt after you rejected me that night. We can do without the sex, but we need to agree on something like that," Liam scolded, causing Alex to flinch at his harsh words. After a few moments of silence, Liam sighed and crawled across the bed, wrapping his arms around Alex's night.

"I'm so sorry, babe…" Liam buried his face in Alex's hair, enjoying the familiar scent and the soothing feeling of holding him in his arms again. Alex leaned back into the touch as Liam brushed his lips across his ears.

"You owe me. Because of your pigheadedness, I've been suffering from lack of sex for close to a month. What are you going to do about it, Mr. Chambers?" He asked in a low seductive voice. Alex couldn't help, but smile. Liam wasn't the only one who'd been suffering. Liam kept his arms around Alex's neck as the taller boy turned around to face his boyfriend.

"That's Dr. Chambers to you," he said as he leaned down and captured Liam's lips with a hungry look in his eyes. They closed their eyes, enjoying the feeling as each other's soft lips after so long. Alex couldn't help, but snake a hand down Liam's back and grab his ass through his towel, causing the smaller man to squirm. Alex smiled into the kiss as Liam forced his tongue into his mouth, trying to fight for dominance. After a few seconds of failing, he decided to bring out the big guns as Alex continued to wrestle with his tongue. Without Alex noticing, Liam slipping his hand down around his hips and pressed his palm into Alex's crotch. Alex pulled back out of the kiss and let out a throaty moan as Liam repeated his action, this time with a little more force.

"You're way too overdressed for this party, Dr. Chambers," Liam instructed as he forced Alex onto his back. Without missing a beat, Liam pulled his towel off revealing his very erect penis and pushed it against Alex's thigh, causing him to moan again. Alex practically ripped his shirt off and chucked it across the room, pulling his lover down on top of his naked upper half. They resumed kissing as Alex ran his hand along Liam's bare chest, his fingers gently caressing his nipples. Liam resisted a moan as he leaned down a ran his tongue across Alex's slight six-pack, stopping when he reached the hem of his work pants. He ran his tongue back up to Alex's left nipple as his hands went to work unbuttoning his pants.

"You tease," Alex groaned as Liam's hand just barely brushed over his aching groin which was trying to break through the barrier keeping it from Liam.

"Your pants are the real tease here, not I," Liam defended in a playful tone as he slowly drug Alex's pants down. Alex felt patience slowly leaving him as he kicked his pants off the rest of the way, causing Liam to straddle his leg.

"I've been wanting you for too long, stop dragging this out," Alex pleaded as Liam purposely moved his knee against Alex's crotch. Alex felt his eyes practically roll to the back of his head, as Liam licked his lips noting the bulge in Alex's black briefs. Wasting no time in getting to the prize, Liam gently pulled on the hem of Alex's briefs and pulled them over his pulsating member.

"You're not the only one, babe…" Liam trailed off, pulling his underwear off the rest of the way. With nothing else standing in their way, Liam leaned forward and their burning hot centers touched, causing both men to moan. Liam reached down and grabbed Alex's member with his right hand and slowly started to move his hand up the shaft. Alex mimicked his motion and slide his hand down between their hot naked bodies until he grasp Liam in his hand. As if pulled together by a magnet charge, they locked lips again and began to jack each other off. Liam whimpered into Alex's mouth, the sheer pleasure causing his actions to start to get a little sloppy. Alex pulled away from Liam's hungry lips and flipped the man onto his back, his eyes filled with lust.

"I cannot wait anymore," Alex mumbled. He reached across the bed to the side table and picked up an almost forgotten bottle of lotion. Alex poured some of the lubricant onto his hand and began using it to cover his penis. Liam watched intently, excited that they were really going to do it for the first time in almost a month. When Alex was finished, Liam turned around and positioned himself for Alex, who was already getting ready. He gently inserting his fingers into Liam's hole, using the rest of the lotion to prep him. After a few minutes, Liam let out a whining noise.

"Come on Alex, just do it," he pleaded. Alex nodded and placed himself on top of Liam, positioning his penis directly overtop Liam's anus. With one swift motion, Alex pushing his pelvis forward and inserted himself into Liam. Liam's face crinkled up as a wave of pain wash over him, but it was small and lasted only seconds before the sensation of Alex filling him up overtook him. He groaned, letting Alex know it was safe to proceed. It had taken Alex's all his self-control to not begin thrusting until Liam's tight hole, allowing the man under him to get comfortable with the new feeling. He reached around and grasped Liam's member in his hands against and he began to pump in and out of Liam's butt. Liam almost came right there and then as Alex's hot breath caressed his neck and his thrusting sped up, both from behind and from his hand. He could barely hold out as Alex began grunting from behind. Liam was on cloud nine as the only sounds echoing through the room were their grunts, their heavy breathing, and the creaking of their bed.

"Damn, you're so damn tight," Alex grunted, thrusting his pelvis deeper into the man below him. Liam cried out in pleasure as Alex hit his sweet spot. Hearing his boyfriend's wail, Alex began to speed up his thrusting, his own moaning growing louder by the second.

"Oh god A-Alex…" Alex felt the muscles in Liam's anus begin to tighten around his member. He continued to pound away into his lover, gently kneading the flesh around his ass. Liam could barely hold out any longer as he felt Alex let out a long grunt, filling Liam with his fluids.

"I'M COMING!" Alex groaned, his thrusts slowly down. His body was coated in sweat and he tried to catch his breathing, He gave a few final thrusts as Liam curled his toes.

"ALEX!" Liam's body began to twitch as he came all over the sheets on their bed. Both men collapsed onto the mattress, completely exhausted. Liam turned around to face Alex and pulled his closer, locking their lips again.

"Yeah, we really needed that," Liam said between kisses with a smile.

Anna Lopez prided herself on many things. She liked the fact that she could deal with Klingons twice her size, and when it came to hanging around men, she could hold her own. This, however, was not something she could handle.

"Claire, what-" Claire rushed in and dumped a pile of clothes on the Hispanic woman's bed.

"I need help," she said. Anna paused and looked at the pile of clothes and sighed.

"Claire, now really isn't a good time. I'm-"

"I know about Ryan," Claire said, picking up a skirt. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"You know? About the… um… kiss?" Claire nodded and picked up another skirt, scrunching her nose and tossing it aside.

"Yeah. Normally I'd say go for it, but he's a bit busy with the whore right now. I'd say wait until she cracks under the pressure and tells him. He'll break up with her and you'll be free to move in. Now…" She held up a paid of dark jeans and a black skirt that flowed and went to mid thigh. "Jeans or skirt?" she asked.

"Claire… seriously? I just kissed your brother, who is engaged to a woman who cheated on him and is having another mans baby, and you're asking me about clothes?" Claire sighed and put down the articles of clothing.

"Look, all that sucks, it really does. I'm sorry you're now a part of it, but there isn't anything you or I can do about it. I love my brother, more than anything. But I'm going out to dinner with Jim to this really romantic restaurant near the beach and I'm pretty sure tonight is the night I'm going to finally take it to the next level with him. I'm not going to let all this drama get to me, and you shouldn't either," Claire said.

"I'm sorry I'm pushing this on you, but I have no idea what to wear. Normally I'd go to Liam, but he's not here. You happen to be my only female friend and I don't know what to wear. I need help," Claire whispered. Anna paused and looked at the blonde in front of her before picking up a knee length blue skit and a spaghetti strap tank top with a dark blue thread embroidery.

"Wear this with heels. It's not drop dead sexy, but it's romantic," Anna said. Claire nodded and took the clothes from Anna.

"Thank you so much!" She said, running to use Anna's bathroom. Anna sighed and took a seat on her bed, glancing over the pile of clothes that Claire had brought over. It still blew her mind that Claire was completely okay that she not only kissed her brother, but also had a major crush on him. And she was enjoying hoping that he and Colleen would break up and go out with her. Then again, Ryan going out with a man would be better than him marrying Colleen at this point. After a few minutes, Claire came out of the bathroom, smoothing out her skirt.

"So how do I look?" Anna knew she wasn't a lesbian, she'd been over that phase in high school, but she could barely keep her jaw from hitting the ground. Somehow, Claire managed to make such a simple outfit appear as sexy as lingerie.

"Yeah, Kirk won't be able to keep his hands off you," Anna told Claire with a smile as the blonde turned around to show off the outfit.

"Good, that's the point of tonight, right?" she asked. Anna laughed and shook her head.

"Whatever you say."

Jim ran a hand through his hair as he waited for Claire to walk into the lobby. He didn't wear a suit, that was only for special occasions, but he was decked out in a dark blue dress shirt and black dress pants. It seemed dress shirts and dress pants were the uniform for romantic dates. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, making sure he didn't get too hot.

He heard the sound of heels clicking and he turned to the stairs, where Claire emerged. Her outfit would've looked simple on any other girl, but due to the small tan she had accumulated, and the subtle curves of her body, she looked gorgeous. Her hair fell in loose waterfall curls, and she had a light layer of make-up. She walked over to him and smiled.

"Hey, you weren't waiting long… where you?" she asked. He looked her up and down and shook his head.

"No," he said simply. She smiled and took his hand in hers.

"You ready?" she asked. He simply leaned forward and pressed his lips onto hers briefly before pulling away and kissing her forehead.

"You look absolutely beautiful," he whispered. She turned bright red.

"Thank you, you look absolutely handsome, like always," she replied. He smirked and straightened out his shirt.

"I know," he said confidently, puffing out his chest a little for emphasis. Claire smiled and lightly smacked him on the arm.

"Let's go," she said, grabbing onto his arm. Like a gentleman, Jim lead her out of the lobby and to a cab which was waiting to take them to dinner.

"To the Riviera, please," Jim said. The driver nodded and took off without another word. Claire leaned closer to Jim, enjoying the smell of his cologne and the way her body fit against his. Jim smiled and pulled her closer.

"Are you ready for the amazing night I have planned for you?" He asked with a grin, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Claire smiled.

"Why do I have the feeling that you've got something big planned for later?" Jim shrugged, but the smile never left his face.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. You'll just have to stick around for the whole night to see," he teased. She chuckled and shook her head. The cab stopped and they both got out of the car, Claire being careful not to rip her skirt or anything on the way out of the cab. Jim followed and quickly paid the man before leading his girlfriend into the restaurant.

"Can I help you?" The man asked, looking a little annoyed.

"I have a reservation. Two for Kirk, please." The man looked up and smiled.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kirk, right this way please," he said.

"No, we're not…" Claire trailed off as the man took off, leaving them in the dust. Jim chuckled and just kissed her temple.

"Come on, don't worry about it," he said. She nodded and continued to follow him to the table.

"Here you are, your table," the man said. Claire took a sharp intake of breath upon seeing the place. It was on the top of a hill that overlooked the city and the ocean.

"Oh, wow…" she said. The man chuckled and smiled at Jim.

"We get that a lot," he said. Jim laughed.

"I bet you do," he replied. Jim and Claire sat down and grabbed menus.

"Your waitress shall be with you in a moment," the man said. Jim nodded and waved him away, leaving the two of them.

"Jim, this is really nice, but this looks so expensive," Claire said. Jim chuckled and reach out to take hold of her hand.

"Claire, don't worry about it. I'm treating you to a nice dinner. Just sit back and enjoy it," he said. Claire gave a nod, but still looked a little unsure. Jim laughed and leaned over to kiss her quickly. She smiled into the kiss and looked up as the waitress approached them.

"What can I get you two?" she asked.

"Some red wine please? We're not done with the menu," Jim said. The woman nodded and shot them a quick smile before leaving. Jim looked up from his menu at Claire.

"See anything you like?" She bit her lip as her eyes scanned the menu.

"I'm thinking about trying the Three Cheese Chicken Penne," she said, her eyes still never leaving the menu. Jim nodded, but his gaze never left her. "What about you, see anything you like?"

"Yes, and she's absolutely beautiful," he told her with a seductive smile. Claire blushed as she peaked out over the top of the menu to see Jim staring at her.

"I meant on the menu, doofus," she said, her blush increasing. Part of her thought perhaps all this was a dream that she'd wake up from any minute and another part of her was telling her to just enjoy herself. James T. Kirk was all, but throwing himself at her. She'd never seen him be this genuine with anyone else before and she couldn't get rid of the butterflies that still flew about in her stomach, even after all this time.

"I was just being honest," he told her. She chuckled and put the menu down. He smiled and reached across and took hold of her hand. She forced the butterflies back down in her stomach and looked into his eyes.

"I love you," she said. If possible, the smile on his face got even wider, and he brought her hand to his lips.

"I love you too," he said. The waitress came and took their order and left them alone. Jim let his thumb caress her hand and smiled.

"Did you ever think that we'd be here?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked. He shrugged.

"I don't know. When we firs met, did you ever think that we could've gotten to this point?" he asked. She only took a second to think about it before shaking her head.

"Honestly, I didn't. I mean… at first it was just sex, and now…"

"It's more," he said. She nodded and pressed her lips together.

"Much more…" The waitress came back and placed their food down. Claire smiled and subconsciously licked her lips, causing Jims hold on her hand tighten for a moment. God, he wanted her so bad. They ate dinner with light conversation until their plates were empty.

"Would you two care for desert?" The waitress asked as she removed their plates. Claire thought about it for a minute before shaking her head. Jim mimicked her actions causing the waitress to leave the table.

"So what's next?" Claire asked, wondering what else Jim might have planned. He just gave her an innocent smile as the check was brought to the table.

"Have a nice evening, Mr. and Mrs. Kirk," she said, placing the check in front of Jim. He quickly pulled out his money and gave it back to the waitress.

"Keep the change." Jim rose from his seat and crossed to the other side of the table where Claire was seated. "The night is still young, ready?" Jim asked, offering her his hand. Claire graciously accepted it and rose from her seat.

"Of course." he smiled and led her to the street, where the cab was waiting. Jim leaned toward the driver and whispered something in his ear, so Claire couldn't hear them, then leaned back. Claire just raised an eyebrow and looked back at him.

"Ready?" he asked. She gave him a skeptical look.

"Where are we going?" she asked. He chuckled and pulled her to him.

"Don't worry about it, it's a surprise," he told her. She scrunched her nose.

"I hate surprises," she told him. They drove in silence until they reached an empty field, where nothing but a hot air balloon stood. Jim paid the driver once more and practically dragged her out of the car.

"Jim! Jesus, what are you doing?" she asked. He took her to the balloon and simply smiled. Inside the basket was a bottle of champagne and two glasses, along with a white rose.

"After you," Jim said. She paused and looked back into the balloon.

"No! Are you serious?" she asked. He chuckled and nodded.

"Yup, you have to get in first," he said. She paused and turned bright red.

"I can't get in that!" he raised an eyebrow.

"Why not? Are you afraid of heights?" he asked.

"No… I'm wearing a skirt." He chuckled and she turned even redder. Her skirt was already short enough, and she didn't really feel like giving him a show. He reached out and picked her up, causing her to give a squeal of surprise. He laughed and placed her in the basket, making sure she was secure before hopping in himself. Claire glanced over her shoulder at Jim as he wrapped his arms around her middle.

"Do you trust me?" He whispered into her ear. Claire felt her heart swell at his words at nodded.

"With my life," she told him. He nodded and pulled away. She watched patiently as Jim fired up the balloon. At first, nothing happened, but after a few seconds Claire could see the ground begin to fade away around the basket.

"Don't worry, I've done this tons of times before," he reassured her, but Claire just smiled.

"I would hope so otherwise I might have to jump out of the balloon now before it gets too high. Two people can't survive on champagne alone," she said, chuckling at her own joke. Jim adjusted the balloon to where he wanted it to be and turned to the champagne.

"Speaking of champagne, can I get you a glass?" He asked, twisting the top off the bottle. Claire nodded, watching him struggle with the cork. Just as he managed to pull it off with a pop, it poured all over the front of his shirt and down his pants. Claire burst out laughing at the sight of her boyfriend.

"Jeez Jim, couldn't you wait until we got back to do that?" She said, gesturing to his soaked pants. He gave her a wicked smile.

"I can't help it, I have an absolutely beautiful girlfriend, who I happen to be in love with. Things happen," he said. She blushed at his compliment and helped him pour the champagne.

"I won't tell if you won't," she said. He poured the drink and smiled warmly.

"I appreciate it," he told her. She nodded and took a sip of the drink. After a moment the balloon stopped getting higher, and Claire gave a sigh as she looked out onto the scene. Jim stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle, enjoying the view and the woman in front of him.

"Why me?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her.

"What?" he asked. She sighed and looked up at him.

"Why me? I mean… you could have any other girl in the universe, and you chose me. Why?" she asked. He smirked and let his fingers trace over her cheek.

"Because you keep me grounded. Because you don't hold me back, if anything you push me forward. I love you because of everything you do," he said. She smiled and he leaned down to press his lips onto hers. She smiled into the kiss and took his free hand in her free hand. He pulled away and left a chaste kiss on her lips.

"I love you too," she said. He smiled and pressed his forehead against hers.

"You were the first girl to say no and the first girl I really wanted to get to know. It wasn't about how hot you were after that, it was just about you," he told her, his warm breath caressing her face. He leaned back down to kiss her again. "Your smile," he said, between kisses. "Your laugh." Another kiss followed. "Every your short temper and violent tendencies," he said with a chuckle, but he still leaned in to capture her lips. Claire was mesmerized by his words. She never knew that Jim was this passionate about her. He pulled away and looked into her eyes.

"It's everything," he whispered. Her fingers found their way to his face and she traced his jaw. "Why me?" he asked. She smiled, knowing he was teasing her a bit.

"Because, you were there for me when I needed you, even when I didn't. You made me believe in love again. You showed me that if you wait patiently enough, and trust someone enough, they can give you everything. You have the most gorgeous eyes, the best expressions. I even love it when you're egotistical and bigheaded." She leaned up and kissed him deeply. He kissed her back and almost whimpered when she pulled away.

"It's everything," she told him. He chuckled and ran his hand through her hair and sighed. His eyes continued to gaze over her pale face before he leaned down and softly placed his lips on her forehead. He pulled away and let his lips linger near her ear.

"Claire…" he whispered.

"Yes?" she answered. Her voice was quite, and for a moment she wasn't sure she answered him.

"I'm going to make love to you tonight," he said softly. His grip on her waist tightened and he dropped his champagne glass to the ground, so his other hand was free to caress her shoulders, her face, everywhere. Claire felt her stomach do a summersault as his words sunk in, and goose bumps erupted on her skin.

"Okay." Was her only answer.

Claire/Kirk Lemon

The ride home was painfully slow. The whole time Jim was caressing her skin and whispering all his plans for the night in her ear. When the cab finally stopped at the entrance of the hotel, she almost gave a cry of joy. They both ran out of the cab and into the lobby, their laughs echoing through the deserted entrance. There was even a point where Claire almost tripped on her own high heeled shoes, but Jim caught her and laughed.

"It's not funny, I almost broke my ankle," she said once they were in the elevator.

"I'm sorry, would you like me to kiss it and make it better?" he asked. She smiled and decided to be a little daring.

"That's not the only place you can kiss," she said softly. Jim paused before smirking widely and placing his hands on her waist.

"Eager are we?" he asked. She said nothing, but moved forward to kiss him, but he simply moved back, preventing her from kissing him.

"Tease," she hissed, a smile on her lips.

"Sweetheart, don't even get me started on teasing," he said. She blushed and was thankful the elevator doors opened. Jim practically pulled her out of the elevator and they ran down to their room. The moment the door opened, they both ran in and paused. Was this really happening?

Jim moved forward and caressed her cheek with his hand before leaning down and pressing his lips onto hers. She gave a sigh as she reached her arms up to wrap around his neck and pull herself closer to him. His hand traveled down so they were both on her waist and pulling her toward him. A small moan escaped her lips, and he used the opportunity to let his tongue enter her mouth, deepening the kiss. Her own hands dropped from his neck and she slowly began unbuttoning his dress shirt and letting her hands caress his toned chest.

"Claire," he said, his tone was husky and made her body tingle. She pushed the rest of his shirt off and pulled back to admire the view, despite the fact it was not the first time she had seen it. He leaned down and let his lips kiss her jaw, then travel down to her neck before letting his teeth graze against her sensitive skin. She let out a shaky breath before letting her nails lightly scratch his back. He groaned and let his hands travel up her shirt, getting a feel for her body.

She pulled away from him slightly and pulled her tank top over her head and finally exposed her skin to him. Jim felt his pants get tighter as he let his eyes travel over her blue strapless bra. He reached out and caressed her breasts through the fabric. She groaned and began slipping her shoes off. He did the same and tried to massage her breasts while slipping off his socks, but couldn't pull it off.

"God damnit," he hissed. He quickly leaned over and took off his socks, while she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. When he stood back up, his eyes were glued to her chest, making her suddenly self conscious when he didn't say anything.

"Jim," she said softly. He didn't reply, simply reached out and gently caressed them before taking her nipple in his mouth and letting his tongue explore it. She sighed in content and ran her hands through his hair and pulled him closer to her. Jim spent a few minutes attending to her chest, before kissing down her body to her stomach, and then to the waistband of her skirt. His free hand, which was down by her ankle, began tracing up her leg and under her skirt, while the other traveled down her side and stopped at the top of her skirt. Soon her skirt was on the floor, and his hand gently caressed her womanhood through her blue panties.

"James!" Claire hissed. Jim smirked and stood up, his blue eyes looking a little dark.

"Say it again," he said, his voice much lower than before. When she didn't reply, he slipped a finger under her panties, and she practically fell into him.

"James…" she whispered. He smirked and continued to tease her with his skilled fingers. She reached out and unbuckled his pants and let them drop to the floor. She reached out and slowly slid her hand over the large bulge in his underwear. If he was going to tease her, she was going to tease back. His free hand immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled it away.

"No," his muttered, leaning down and kissing her, whilst his fingers began probing her center, pumping in and out in a slow but steady motion.

"Your ruining my fun," she muttered, her breath labored.

"If you do that, there won't be any fun at all," he groaned. She furrowed her eyebrows before she got the meaning and nodded.

"Well stop play- Oh!" she stopped and let out a small moan, causing him to smile widely and began assaulting her neck. His free hand pulled down her panties, exposing her flesh to the cold air, and she shivered. His fingers suddenly left her, and she gave a groan of protest.

"Sorry, love," he whispered. He distracted her by kissing her deeply, his kisses still loving, but much more passionate than she was used to. She took the opportunity to reach out and pull his briefs down, leaving them both completely naked in front of each other. Jim gently forced her onto her back onto the bed as he continued his assault on her lips. Claire reached up and ran one hand through his hair and kept the other placed firmly on his chest as he allowed his own fingertips to wander against her chest. She could feel his member pressing against her thighs which did nothing, but make her even more wet, anticipating what was to come. Jim pulled away from her lips and allowed his mouth to trail kisses down her neck until he reached her breast. Tentatively, his tongue darted out and brushed across her nipple, wetting it. Before Claire could say anything, he blew across the sensitive nub, causing Claire to cry out.

"Stop teasing!" She hissed. She could feel him smile into her breast as he continued his work. Growing tired of his teasing, Claire decided to turn the tables. Jim was still very involved in her chest and she was starting to lose her focus, but she snaked her arms around Jim's waist and flipped him onto his back.

"What are you-" Claire silenced him with a kiss, catching him off guard. She let her hands wander over his body, her fingers just barely grazing his own sensitive nipples. She smiled into the kiss as Jim's breath caught in his throat just as her hand hit his manhood.

"I'm not going to wait around forever for you, James," she said in a breathless whisper. She felt him grow harder in her hand as he flipped her back underneath of him.

"No more teasing then," he replied, his breathing becoming heavier as he pulled her hand away. He forced his lips upon hers once more, still gentle, but a lot more demanding than their earlier kisses. Claire moaned into the kiss as she felt Jim position himself over her entrance. Slowly, he lowered himself into her until she could feel his balls at her entrance. She winced, having not done this in a long time, but the brief moment of pain gave way to waves of pleasure.

"Ugh… Jim…" She mumbled, her eyes closed as he began to slowly thrust into her. Their bodies moved together, finding a rhythm that seemed to suit them both. Sweat rolled down their naked bodies as their bare flesh rubbed against each other, the friction slowly driving Jim mad. He sped up his pace, trying to battle for dominance in their lip lock. Claire was winning the wrestling of their tongues until he hit her sweet spot. Claire pulled out of their kiss to let out a cry of pleasure. Jim smiled as he continued to hit the same spot, sending Claire onto cloud nine. She could barely even see anymore, blinded by the overwhelming pleasure. Jim could feel her walls tightening around him and he continued ramming into her.

"J-JAMES!" Claire called out, the muscles in her stomach clenching as her walls closed around Jim's member. Jim felt his eyes roll to the back of his head as he felt his own orgasm approaching. Claire arched her back, losing herself as her whole body tensed up. She'd never had such a powerful orgasm in her life. All she could feel was Jim inside of her and pure bliss. She drove her fingernails into his back, trying to hold on for support as she rode out her orgasm.

"CLAIRE!" He cried out, feeling himself practically exploding inside Claire. He gave a few last thrusts, his member still pulsating inside of her as Claire began to come back down from her own orgasm. Jim collapsed on top of Claire, breathing heavily as he smiled down at her. His lips gently kissed her neck before he pulled out of her and rolled over so he was on his back.

Both of them just laid down and tried to catch their breath before Jim turned toward her kissed her temple before kissing her lips lightly. His kiss was no longer passionate, and was loving as he slowly moved his lips with her. After a moment he broke away and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Claire Conaway," he whispered. She smiled and kissed him.

"I love you too, James Kirk," she replied. He smirked and let his lips brush against her neck.

"Ready for round two?" he asked. She smiled and simply kissed his lips and rolled on top of him.

The light made it's way through the windows and onto her face, though she was only aware of it now. She shifted a bit, but found that she couldn't go too far, due to a pair of arms holding her close. Claire moved against the arms, and realized that the only thing separating her skin from the morning air, was the sheet on top of her. Her eyes snapped open and memories of the previous night flooded back to memory, making her blush.

Jims head was buried in her bare shoulder, making her wonder how he was breathing, but she didn't dwell on it. The moment she tried to turn, his eyes fluttered open and his gorgeous blue eyes met her grey. He gave a lopsided smile and let her turn so she was facing him.

"Morning," she said. He smiled and leaned down, kissing her deeply.

"Good morning," he said when he pulled away. She sighed and nuzzled against his chest.

"I could get used to this wake-up," she said softly. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"I could too, maybe we can do more sleepovers when we get back onto the ship," he suggested. She smiled and let her lips gently caress his chest.

"Hmm… maybe," she told him. He smiled and gently guided her head so he could meet his lips with hers. His lips were soft at first, but the moment he felt her lightly nibble his bottom tongue, he deepened it. His tongue gently probed her mouth, earning a small moan from her. He then slowly pulled away, but still gave her soft and gentle kiss on her lips.

"Are you looking for a replay from last night?" he asked. She smirked and kissed his neck.

"Only if you can make it worth my while," she told him. He chuckled and let his hands roam down her body.

"It might take a while," he warned her. She smiled into his neck and pulled back a bit.

"We don't have classes till three," she told him. That was all Jim needed to know before turning her on her back to continue where they left off the night before.

"So, how did your date go?" Anna asked. Claire smiled and simply shrugged.

"Fine," she replied. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"More than fine the way I figure." Claire turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"How did you…" Anna laughed.

"You just have that look. The one you get when you haven't had sex in a while and finally got some," Anna told her. Claire frowned and took a sip of her coffee. She thought she looked normal, sure it was a bit difficult for her to walk at first, but soon she was just fine and was going on her merry way. She didn't think she had a look to her.

"Well, if you were wondering, it went more than fine. It went fucking-fantastic," she told Anna. Anna chuckled and nudged her.

"Emphasis on the fucking part, right?" Claire blushed.

"Actually, all of it, and I mean all of it, was fantastic," she said. Anna laughed and shook her head.

"Well, good for you! Just thing, we have classes tonight and tomorrow morning, but we're heading home tomorrow night and you can have all the fun you want," Anna pointed out. Claire laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, until I have work the next day, let's see how well that goes." Anna was about to respond, but suddenly stopped and turned pale.

"I have to go, nice talking to you Claire," Anna said before turning around and running off.

"Wait, where you…" Claire trailed off and raised an eyebrow, wondering what was so scary that the Hispanic woman needed to run off.

"Claire," she heard Ryan said.

"Oh, that'd do it," she muttered. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

"You keep scaring away my friends! Stop it!" she snapped. Ryan rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

"I wasn't trying to scare her away. God, I hate this," he muttered. Claire shot her brother a sympathetic look and patted his back.

"It's okay," she said.

"No, it's not okay! I mean… I wasn't best friend with Anna, but I loved hanging out with her. Now she won't even look at me," Ryan said, his shoulders slouching with his every word. Claire sighed.

"I'm sure she just needs time to figure this out. In the meantime, you've still got me and Rupert," she offered, though Rupert's name came out a little harsher than she meant it. Ryan didn't seem to pick up on it though as they continued through the halls.

"He's been kind of avoiding me too. Jeez, I don't even know what I'm doing to piss people off now," he ranted and Claire rolled her eyes.

"Well I can tell you what you're doing to piss me off right now. I just had the most amazing night with Jim and now you're ruining my good day. You're a big boy, Ryan, and you know what you have to do," she told him, searching the halls for her next class.

"Amazing… what did you do?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and stopped walking. She took her brothers hand and pressed her lips together.

"Look, you are an awesome guy, and I love you… but you are stupid! Talk to them, stop moping around and see what's up!" Ryan ran a hand through his hair and nodded.

"I know… I know," he said. Claire smiled and looked at the door behind him.

"Oh! Found it!" She said. She patted her brother on the shoulder and went to open the door.

"Wait… Claire…" she turned around and looked at her brother.

"Yeah?" she asked. He paused before his eyebrows furrowed.

"Amazing night?" he asked. She smirked and shrugged.

"You'll never know…"

"Did you pack already?" Anna asked. After their classes, Anna and Claire decided to go get a quick drink and dinner. Claire was supposed to meet Jim for dinner, but he ended up getting held up by a meeting, and promised to make it up to her later.

"No… I planned to pack this morning, but I got distracted," Claire said. Anna smiled.

"Distracted is an understatement," Anna said. Before Claire could reply, Ryan walked over to the table, but paled upon seeing Anna.

"Oh… um, I guess I should-"

"No! Sit down!" Claire snapped. Ryan paused and glared at his sister before finally sitting down. There was a pause before Anna spoke.

"Look I-"

"Listen to me… you two are adults, start acting like it. Okay, you kissed each other, so what? Admit that it was a mistake and move on, or admit that it wasn't and do something about it. As sad as it sounds, you guys are my only friends right now, so I need you two to be on good terms so I can talk about my amazing boyfriend because it's about me right now. So make up!" Claire said. Ryan and Anna awkwardly exchanged glances, but said nothing. Not wanting to wait any longer, Claire elbowed her brother in the side.

"Alright, alright. Jesus Christ…" Ryan mumbled, causing Anna to burst out laughing.

"You two always remind me of me and my six brothers when you fight," Anna said, still chuckling at their behavior. Claire shrugged.

"Yes, brothers will be brothers," she said, giggling herself. Ryan folded his arms.

"Yeah, well sisters will be sisters. Especially this one," he said, placing his hand on the top of Claire's hand and ruffling up her hair. Claire turned to face him and slapped him.

"No messing up the hair. Did you know how long it took me to get it straightened today?" She snapped, gesturing to her perfect straight blonde hair. Anna nodding with a knowing look on her face.

"Tell me about it. Sex hair can be the worst," she mused, causing Ryan to raise an eyebrow.

"So much for me never knowing about your 'amazing' night," Ryan mumbled, taking a nice long sip of his beer. Claire wearily glanced at her brother.

"You know, I thought you'd react worse to the news than you are." Ryan shrugged at her statement.

"Your boyfriend and I had a talk. He eases up on the PDA and I'll cut you two some slack," Ryan explained. Anna gave him a thoughtful look.

"Oh yeah, wasn't that the same night that you wet yourself?" She asked, a sly smile spread across her face. Claire burst out laughing at Anna's words.

"He seriously wet himself?"

"Oh yes, it was the funniest thing I've ever seen," Anna said. Claire was still laughing as she looked at her brother.

"I was attacked by a Klingon!" Claire only laughed harder. Anna had calmed her laughter and took a look at Ryan, who rolled his eyes and looked back at her. The moment their eyes met, Anna felt her heart skip a beat and she looked down at Claire, who had finally had calmed down.

"That's almost as funny as the time you got a boner in the middle of algebra class and had to go to the front of the room." Anna couldn't hid the laughter and snort that escaped her lips and the table fell into laughter.

Colleen glanced over at Anna, who was sitting next to Claire and Jim Kirk in the shuttle on the way back to the ship. From the moment Ryan had told her that they had become friends, she knew something was up. And now, the way she kept looking at Ryan, she was positive something was up. She had tried talking to Rupert about it, but he simply brushed it off and told her she had no room to talk. Colleen looked up at her fiancé, and frowned when she saw him looking intently at Anna.

"So… how is Anna?" Colleen asked softly. Ryan recognized her prying voice, but shrugged.

"She's fine, I think. We went out drinking with Claire earlier. W-Why?" He asked, trying to hide the stutter in his voice. She knows, he thought, she knows that something is going on.

"You two seem pretty close," Colleen replied. Ryan shook his head.

"We're just friends, you have nothing to worry about," he lied as Anna waved to them from across the shuttle craft. Ryan waved back, a goofy smile plastered on his face. Colleen folded her arms.

"You're lying," Colleen stated. Ryan swallowed the lump that was slowly forming in his throat and sighed.

"You're prying," he countered back. Colleen turned to him and glared.

"I'm concerned about the way you're acting around Anna. Considering you're going to be my husband soon, I think I have room to worry," she hissed, trying not to draw attention to them. Ryan returned her glare.

"So I can't be friends with girls now? My sister is one of my best friends, so does that make her a threat too?" He snapped. Colleen snorted and rolled her eyes.

"After your little display around Valentine's Day, I wonder sometimes," she spat. Ryan's eyes grew big.

"I thought we agreed not to talk about that anymore!" She shot him a look and pressed her lips together.

"It's a little hard to forget. I can't believe you would even go for a girl like Anna," she hissed. Ryan gave a frustrated groan and banged his head against the shuttle wall. They had three more minutes to go before he could get out of here, and he really didn't feel like dealing with this.

"Why? Because she's not always snapping at me? Jesus, Colleen… we're just friends," Ryan snapped. Colleen clenched her fists and glared at Anna, who was still talking to Claire. Claire, however, was glaring at Colleen, making the other blonde shift slightly. The shuttle shook a bit and finally stopped, signaling the end of the flight, and Colleen almost flew out of the shuttle.

Claire gave a sigh and followed Jim out of the shuttle and to the closest lift, just enjoying the silence between them and the fact that his hand was surrounding hers. When the lift closed, Jim kissed her temple.

"So… I was thinking we could have another sleepover tonight," he whispered. She blushed and turned toward him.

"I have work tomorrow, an early shift," she said. He smirked and kissed her jaw.

"I'll have you up in time for work, I promise," he whispered. She smirked and kissing his lips lightly.

"Only if you promise to wake me up," she told him. He smiled and kissed her deeply.

"If things go as planned, you probably won't even sleep," he whispered. Claire smiled into the kiss.

"I think I could get used to this," she whispered back.

"We talk about this now," Ryan said, surprising Anna with his entrance. They hadn't been back on the ship that long, but they were already working hard. Anna put her paperwork down and looked up.

"This kiss?" She asked, knowing exactly what he wanted. He nodded.

"I'm getting married in a few short days. I can't… you're a good friend, Anna, and I don't want to lose that. But I can't…. I don't have feelings for you," he explained, tripping over his words and trying to formulate his thoughts into sentences. Anna nodded.

"I understand. I want you and Colleen to be happy," she told him halfheartedly. She did just want him to be happy, but she'd rather him be happy with her. But she couldn't tell him that. Ryan gave a sigh of relief and took a seat next to her station.

"Good. You're one of my closest friends right now. The next step is to tell Colleen what happened though. We can't be happy if we're not honest with each other," he mused. Anna nodded, but unconsciously bit her lip. Perhaps Colleen would finally tell him the truth. If he was going to be an honest and decent man about his mistake, then maybe Colleen would too. Ryan looked at Anna, then looked down. "I don't want things to be weird between us," he said.

"I know, it won't. Don't worry," Anna said. Ryan nodded and stood up.

"I better get going then… you going to be alright?" he asked. She forced a smile and nodded.

"Of course," she said. Ryan nodded and went back to work, leaving Anna alone at the station. She went to turn back to her paperwork, but stopped when she felt her eyes sting with tears. As much as she hated to admit it, she really liked him. He was sweet, thoughtful, and usually put others in front of himself. He was chivalrous, and was above all, her friend.

"Fuck," she hissed while burying her face in her hands. She hated him, she hated him for the sheer fact that she like him. She banged her head against the desk.

"Fuck."

Ryan gave a heavy sigh as he paced their room. Colleen still hadn't returned from work, and he was still trying to pull together the courage to tell Colleen what happened, and if she didn't show up soon, he wasn't sure he would be able to. The doors opened and Colleen walked in, placing her tool bag on a chair and looking up at him. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she took a few more steps into the room.

"Ryan?" she asked. Ryan paused before taking a deep breath.

"I got drunk and kissed Anna on the away mission," he said. Colleen froze and her eyes met his.

"You… kissed her?" she asked softly. He nodded slowly.

"I just… I got drunk and I wasn't thinking straight. I'm so sorry," he said. Colleen looked down and ran a hand over her face.

"Ryan," she said softly.

"Please Colleen, I'm so sorry. Don't hate me," he asked. Colleen quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded.

"I don't…. I don't hate you Ryan, I just… I need some time," she said. He froze but nodded.

"I understand. I already asked Claire if I could room with her." Colleen nodded and crossed her arms.

"Alright…" there was a long pause between them before he spoke.

"I love you," he said. She looked down.

"I… I l-love you too," she said quietly. Ryan walked over and kissed the top of her head and left the room. He walked down the hallway and quickly came upon his sisters room just in time for her to open the door and walk out.

"Oh, Ryan… what are you doing here?" Claire asked. Ryan raised an eyebrow at his younger sister.

"You said I could spend a couple of nights here," he said. Claire paused before a look of realization came to her face.

"Right! Sorry, I was swamped with paper work when I got back, I sort of forgot," Claire said. Ryan raised an eyebrow and looked down in her arms, where she was holding a bag.

"Where are you going?" he asked. Claire blushed.

"Well… Jim sort of had something planned. I can cancel though, if you wanted to hang out or… something," Claire said. Ryan shook his head and forced a smile on his face.

"I'll be fine. Go and have… fun…" Claire simply watched her brother for a moment before she spoke.

"Did you tell Colleen that you like Anna?" Ryan glared at her.

"I do not like Anna!" he snapped. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Sure, whatever. What happened?" She asked, inviting him in the room. He sighed and sat down at her desk.

"I told her that I kissed Anna," he said. Claire nodded and she looked like she was expecting something more. When she said nothing he raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked.

"What happened after that? What did she say?" Claire asked. Ryan shrugged.

"Nothing, she just said she needed some time. Why?" Claire's jaw clenched and she gripped her bag a little tighter than usual.

"That…" Claire trailed off and glared at the ground.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Claire sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Nothing, nothing is wrong. Did you want me to stay and chill with you? I can always reschedule with Jim," Claire said. Ryan shook his head.

"No, of course not. Go! I don't want to keep you from your plans. Go hang out with Jim," he said. Claire pressed her lips together before moving forward and kissing his cheek.

"Everything will work out, I promise," she said. He nodded and smiled as she left the room.

Claire made her way down the hallway, stopping at Ryan's room and glaring at it for a good five minutes before entering the lift. She paused when she looked at who else was in the lift, but forced a smile on her face and pressed the floor for Jim's quarters.

"Good evening, Doctor Conaway," he said.

"Evening, Ensign Sheppard," she replied. He smiled and looked her up and down, then let his eyes rest on the small bag she had collected.

"Spending the night somewhere?" he asked. She simply glanced at him before looking forward.

"Yes, but that is really none of your business," she told him. He smirked at her retort, and let his eyes travel over her once more.

"Lucky man," he said simply. Claire didn't reply she simply crossed her arms and pressed her lips together. After a few minutes the doors opened and she stepped out.

"Nice talking to you, Doctor Conaway," he said. She simply shot him a look and made her way to her boyfriends room. She finally got there and smiled upon seeing his handsome face. He leaned in and pressed his lips onto hers before letting her inside.

"Hey beautiful," he whispered. She smiled.

"Hello handsome," she replied. He kissed her forehead before moving away to get a glass of wine.

"You brought an extra uniform?" he asked. She nodded and placed her bag on the couch.

"Yeah, I figured I'd set the alarm and just go to my shift from here," she said. He smiled and moved forward, giving her the glass.

"I love a woman who thinks ahead," he said. She smiled and took a sip of her wine. He did the same and they stood in silence for a moment. "You alright?" he asked, seeing the slightly disturbed look on his girlfriends face.

"I'm fine… just dealing with Ryan's extra baggage, and ensign creeper," she said. Jim raised an eyebrow.

"Ensign creeper?" he asked. She laughed and finished up her wine and placed it on the coffee table.

"I don't want to talk about that," she said. He shrugged and put his glass down as well.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" he asked. She smirked and ran her hands down his chest, stopping at his abs.

"Who said anything about talking?"

"Rocky, sit!" Ryan snapped. His sisters dog paused and looked at him before complying and sitting down. Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Is it bring your pet to work night?" A voice asked. His heart leapt at the familiarity of the voice, and his stomach clenched. He turned and his grey eyes met her warm brown.

"Uh, no… but I couldn't just leave him in the room," Ryan said. Upon seeing Anna, Rocky jumped up and ran over to her. Ryan was about to speak, but stopped when she laughed and kneeled down.

"Hey buddy, oh, he's so cute!" she said. She began scratching behind his ear, causing the dogs tongue to roll out of his mouth and pant. She chuckled and continued to pet him. "Is he your dog?" she asked.

"No… he's my sisters. I'm staying with her and I couldn't leave him alone," he said. Anna looked up and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why are you saying with…" she railed off when she caught the look on his face and looked down. "Oh…"

"She said that she couldn't deal with me. God, I'm such an idiot," he muttered. She sighed before standing up and walking over to him. She hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder and offered a smile.

"Things will work out," she told him. He paused and looked up at her. Her eyes were so warm and so caring it almost made his heart ache. He forced a smile onto his face and looked down.

"I hope so…" she smiled and walked back to Rocky, who nudged her hand. She chuckled and pet his head before turning back to him.

"Goodnight… Ryan," she said, picking up a few piles of paper work and went back to her station. He sighed and called Rocky to him, smiling when the dog put his head on his knee.

"Goodnight… Anna."

Consciousness slowly came to her, and she recognized she was not alone. She sighed when she felt his warm lips against her shoulder, and a smile made it's way to her face. His hand traveled down her body and rested on her naked thigh, causing her stomach to clench and her eyes to open.

"Morning," Jim whispered. Claire smiled and turned her head toward him.

"Very good morning," she replied. She leaned up and kissed him deeply before pulling away and pressing her forehead against his. He smiled and they just laid in each others embrace for a minute.

"I'm glad you decided to stay the night," Jim said. She smiled and let her fingers caress his arm.

"Me too." She paused and began to turn. "What time is it?" she asked. Jim looked up at his clock then back to her.

"0830 hours, why?" Her eyes shot open and she jumped up, almost falling out of the bed.

"Shit! I'm late!" she cried. Jim just laid back and blinked at her as she ran across the room to her bag.

"What?" he asked.

"My shift! I was supposed to report on shift an hour ago!" she called. She ran into the bathroom with all her clothes and he heard the shower start. He briefly debated on joining her, but he'd probably just make her later, and madder. So, instead, he began to dress himself. Ten minutes later, Claire burst out of the bathroom in her underwear, and was in the middle of putting her uniform dress on. Jim laughed and walked over to help her.

"Claire, just take a deep breath. It's not the end of the world," he told her. She sighed and pulled her wet hair back.

"No, but it's really bad juju," she said, moving over to the bed and grabbing her knee length boots.

"Bad juju?" he asked.

"Yes. The last time I was late was the day that Riley's wife died, and you almost got killed. It's bad juju!" he rolled his eyes but leaned down and kissed her deeply. When he pulled away he kissed her forehead and smiled.

"Alright, I'll go with the bad juju thing. Have fun at work," he said. She rolled her eyes and finished with her boots.

"So much fun. I love you," she said, kissing him once more. He smiled into the kiss and sighed when she broke away.

"Love you too," he replied. Claire gave a small wave before bolting out the door and down the hall to the lift.

"Dr. Conaway, might I have a word?" McCoy snapped as Claire dashed through the front door of sickbay. Liam and Alex looked up from their work to see her face turn deep read.

"Of course, Dr. McCoy," she replied through her clenched teeth, secretly cursing her boyfriend. She loved him, but it was his fault that she was so damn late! Claire followed McCoy into his office, her head down in shame knowing her fault. Just as Claire stepped through his office door, McCoy lunged at the door and slammed in shut.

"I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS! This is my sickbay, you are my doctor, and you will arrive on time because I am in charge here!" He cried out, pointing an accusing finger at her. Claire felt herself instinctively take a step back at his outcry, his stare baring a hole into her head.

"I'm sorry, Dr. McCoy, it won't ever happen again," she rushed out, but the glare on McCoy's face only increased at her words. "And I'll accept any punishment you have for me," she added, hoping to calm the older man down. McCoy pinched the bridge of his nose and crossed the room to his desk.

"I can't punish you. The captain, your boyfriend, has informed me that your absence this morning was his fault and that you are pardoned from any punishment. Which is the only reason I'm pissed off." he muttered, searching his desk for something. Claire swallowed nervously.

"That usually hasn't stopped you before sir," she said. McCoy paused and shot her a look, causing her to flinch.

"Yes, and it won't stop me now. You are on graveyard shift," he muttered before pulling out a bottle of whiskey.

"Um… okay?" she said.

"Lucky for me, your intern was caught in a very compromising position with a patient," he said. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Sir, no offense, but I fail to see how that is my fault," she said. He shot her another look, and she suddenly wished she was invisible.

"Because you were not here to watch him! If you were here on time you might have caught him, but you were obviously too busy with other activities to actually do your job," he snapped. She pressed her lips together and looked down in shame.

"I apologize, Doctor McCoy," she said softly. He took a swig whiskey and glared at her.

"Well, you better start your shift now!" he snapped. She nodded and walked out of his office. She hated when he drank the heavy liquor, his temper seemed to increase with the amount of alcohol he drank. When she entered main sickbay, she glared around the room until she found her target.

"Doctor Giles!" she shouted. Both Alex and Liam jumped, but Spike looked un-phased.

"Hey, Blondie… miss me?" he asked. She took a deep breath and glared up at him.

"What's this I hear about you getting all nice and cozy with a patient?" he smirked down at her.

"Why? You jealous?" he asked.

"Hardly, did you not attend the sexual harassment class they had in the academy?" she snapped. He looked thoughtful before a look of realization came to him.

"I knew I was forgetting something. Did you want to give me examples of what not to do. I suggest you model them for me," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"Keep it up and I'm going to inject you with a nasty little virus and watch you suffer," she told him. He chuckled.

"See, I would be afraid of that, if we actually had any more of those left. Doctor Big-shot hasn't ordered any in a few months. We don't get any more supplies until later today, which gives me enough time to successfully hide from you," he said. She pressed her lips together and shoved a chart in his arms.

"Take care of that patient, and don't feel her up!" she snapped.

"I make no promises," he said. Claire rolled her eyes and crossed the room to where Liam was working.

"Long night?" He asked with a knowing smile on her face. Claire nodded.

"Great night filled with amazing sex which was totally worth it. It still sucks though," she mumbled, going through her morning paperwork. Liam nodded.

"Tell me about it. I've got good news though," he told her, an excited look on his face. Claire felt her ears perk up at the hope of genuine good news. Hopefully it wasn't about his sex life either.

"And what's the good news?" She asked, unable to hide the curiosity in her voice. Liam smiled.

"We've got two hours off this afternoon to check out some men who are bringing supplies onto the ship. I figure it will only take about a half hour, so we've got some free time today!" He told her. Claire smiled, relieved. She really didn't want to know what ways Liam was getting Alex to bend it. Not again.

"Perfect, I need the down time," she grumbled to herself, seeing a few patients entering sickbay.

"And I need the sex!" Liam declared. Claire rolled her eyes as she caught sight of Alex's face going red on the other side of the room. Such a Liam comment.

Jim glanced around the shipping bay as he saw the ship begin to connect with his own. He was required to come down and make sure that everything was going smoothly. Sadly, the task was very boring.

"So, does everything look in order, Captain?" a crewman asked. Jim nodded and looked down at some paperwork.

"Yeah, looks fine… we're good to go. I actually have some business with Scotty to discuss, but everything looks to be fine," Jim said.

"Don't you want to inspect the cargo further, sir?" Jim looked up and a pained expression crossed his features.

"Well…" he trailed off.

"I can do it sir, I know you are very busy," another man said. Jim looked over and gave the man an appreciative smile.

"Thanks, that would be great, Ensign…" he trailed off.

"Ensign Sheppard, sir," he answered. Jim smiled.

"Thanks, good job guys!" Jim said before walking out.

"Claire, Alex is still working… what am I going to do?" Liam asked. Claire sighed and began examining her last patient.

"Don't you have a hobby or something? Like… maybe you can read or something," Claire said.

"That's boring. I say when you're done we go and check out the new guys coming in. Nothing wrong with appreciating some eye candy," he said.

"I have my own eye candy," she reminded him.

"It's not the same… please?" he asked. She sighed.

"Fine, when I'm done with this patient I'll go with you," she mumbled. Liam practically squealed with joy and waited as Claire finished up. Just as they prepared to leave, McCoy opened the door to his office and poked his head out.

"You two are going to need supplies while you go check in the people onboard the cargo ship, correct?" McCoy asked, the sarcasm quite evident in his voice. Claire stopped walking and closed her eyes. Maybe if she pretended he wasn't there, he'd go away.

"Of course, Dr. McCoy," Liam said in a pleasant tone, but didn't hide the look of disappointment on his face. Claire opened her eyes and turned around, not surprised when she saw McCoy still watching the two young doctors. Sometimes, she hated her job.

"That's the last of the boxes," the captain of the cargo ship said as they finished unloading the supplies onto the Enterprise. Claire sighed, relieved to see that they were finally done after fifty-five minutes of waiting.

"We're just going to need to check you guys out and make sure that none of you are carrying anything so the crew doesn't get infect," she instructed the two men who were finished moving the boxes and their captain.

"Yes of course. In the meantime, Ensign Sheppard can go scan the boxes," the captain said, gesturing to one of the boxes. Ensign Sheppard nodded and proceeded to scan the boxes. His eyes were cold and determined as he went to work. Claire began scanning the captain with her handheld scanner, just to be on the safe side. After a few minutes, both she and Liam were finished.

"You guys check out okay," she told them. Liam leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"That one guy in the corner checks out real nice on the eyes, doesn't he?" He asked. Claire felt her cheeks go red as she refused to make eye contact with the man in question. Before anyone else could say anything, Ryan walked into the room.

"Good afternoon, I'm Lt. Commander Conaway and I'm head of security here on the Enterprise," he said, introducing himself to the captain. After shaking hands, Ryan moved to shake the hands of the two movers as well.

"It's a please, Lt. Commander Conaway. We just checked out and finished delivering the boxes, so we'll just be heading out now," the captain said. The two movers returned back to their ship, but Ryan grabbed the captain's arm. He bore a friendly smile, but the captain still seemed uncomfortable.

"Oh course, we don't want to keep you busy. I would just like to double-check the boxes," Ryan told him, walking towards the boxes. Quickly, Ensign Sheppard intercepted him.

"Everything checks out, sir. No need to worry," he told him. Ryan nodded, but seemed skeptical.

"I trust you, Ensign, but I'd just like to check myself," he said, brushing the younger man off.

"I appreciate your dedication, Commander… but there really is no need. Your Ensign has been sure to check all of the cargo. You are really not needed," The captain said. Ryan looked a little put off, but eyed the cargo for a moment. Claire noticed the tension between the men and pulled Liam over with her to interject.

"Excuse me, Commander Conaway… but I was wondering if you could help Doctor Peterson and I with a few of our packages," Claire said, trying to get her brother to leave the room. She has seen Ensign Sheppard check everything out, so there was no reason for her brother to get overworked.

"Oh… um, of course, Doctor Conaway," he said. The cargo ship captain raised an eyebrow.

"Doctor Conaway? You two related?" he asked. In the corner of her eye, she saw Ensign Sheppard give the captain a look.

"Brother and sister," Ryan said. The captain nodded and looked down at Claire, his eyes were cold, and he looked as though he was calculating something.

"Nice to meet you Doctor," he said. She forced a smile on her face and nodded.

"Same to you, Sir… but we need to get going," she said. He nodded.

"Of course, well… hopefully we shall do business with each other real soon," he said.

"Okay, I'm going to join a cargo ship, did you see how hot those men were?" Liam asked. Claire rolled her eyes and placed a box on the medical station counter.

"You are such a pig," she muttered. Ryan placed a box next to hers and frowned. Claire raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright?" she asked. He looked at her and forced yet another smile on his lips.

"Fine… you're bed is very comfortable," he said. She chuckled and gave him a knowing look.

"Hey, hopefully the rest of the day will be smooth sailing and you can come and meet me in the afternoon and we can chill," Claire said.

"Yeah, except you have graveyard shift," Alex pointed out. Claire frowned and glared at him.

"You just ruin everything," she snapped. Ryan chuckled.

"It's alright, I'll keep myself busy. Thanks for the offer anyway," he said. Claire nodded and turned back to moving the boxes. She was still extremely pissed off at Colleen for the way she'd been treating her brother. After he'd put himself on the line and was honest with her, Colleen kicked him out and continued to keep her own secrets. Claire was pissed. No, she was beyond pissed.

"Stupid heavy boxes," she mumbled, dropping her box next on the ground next to the table holding the other smaller boxes. Unable to help herself, she gave it a slight kick. Of course, the fates obviously had it out for her.

"Dr. Conaway, did I just see you kick that box?" McCoy snapped, appearing in his office doorway. Claire cursed herself before shaking her head.

"No, of course not, Dr. McCoy," she said through gritted teeth. Ryan, Liam, and Alex watched Claire's display as McCoy nodded and returned to his office.

"Jeez, you have no luck with that man today!" Liam declared, taking a seat at one of the many tables in sickbay. Claire nodded and leaned back into the wall.

"And of course, I'm stuck with the graveyard shift tonight by myself…" she mumbled.

"You want me to get in trouble and hang with you?" Alex asked. Liam frowned, which Claire noticed.

"I'm fine. You and Liam should go and have fun. I think they just got a couple new bottles of wine. Go crazy," Claire said. Liam smiled widely at shot Claire a thank you look.

"So, I'm probably going to bring Rocky to work with me again. Is that alright?" Ryan asked. Claire opened a box of medical supplies and nodded.

"Yeah, the poor dog needs to get out of the room. I'm so busy sometimes I forget about the poor guy." Ryan chuckled.

"Alright, I'm going to go. See you later," he said. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Love you," she told him. He ruffled her hair and left the room. Liam sighed and watched him leave.

"He's really broken up… isn't he?" he asked. Claire sighed and nodded.

"Fucking bitch…"

David Sheppard took a quick glance around the room, making sure all the cameras were off. When it was confirmed that they were, he walked over to the largest box- meant for engineering parts- and opened it.

"About bloody time you let us out!" a voice said. David rolled his yes and watched as a dozen people filed out of the box. He would be lying if he said he was surprised that a few of them were not human. A few were Romulan, a couple were Klingon, and one or two were from a species he couldn't name. The rest were rogue men who didn't believe in Starfleet anymore.

"So, who are we here to kill?" A Romulan asked. David knew this Romulan well. Nuhir Maelrok was the captain's right hand man. They had met not long after the captain had broken away from 'the system' as he called it, and Nuhir was escaping a Romulan trade ship after he had disobeyed his old captain. Nuhir was big, even compared to a Romulan. It was no doubt that he spent almost every waking moment working out. Though, knowing his reputation, he also spent a considerable amount of time in the bedroom with company as well.

"We're not killing anyone, we here to retrieve something," David said. Nuhir raised an eyebrow.

"I'm here to get something? This something better be able to take out a group of eleven men in one shot," he snapped. David sighed, realizing that Riley probably left the debriefing to him.

"No, but I hear she gives a mean right hook," David said. An evil smile came across Nuhir's lips upon hearing what he was getting.

"A woman? This should be fun…" Nuhir said. David paled, he had a feeling their definitions of fun were immensely different.

Claire sat at the medical station desk and picked up another chart. She had leaned back in her chair and rested her feet on the desk. Her legs were crossed, to make sure that if anyone walked into sickbay they wouldn't get a show. She had only began her shift and already she was sick of work, though the only time she wasn't sick of work was when she was in surgery. Everything else was just tedious.

"Claire…" Claire looked up and clenched her fists.

"Colleen… can I help you?" Claire asked. Colleen sighed and pressed her lips together, knowing that this was going to be very awkward.

"Yes, I need a check-up. Seeing as you're my doctor, I need you to give me one," Colleen said. Claire looked at the clock and then back at her.

"You had to wait until 2130 hours to come get it?" She asked.

"Ryan was hanging out around here…" There was a long pause before Claire slammed her charts down and stood up.

"Fine… you want a check-up, I'm inclined to give you a check-up. Damn Hippocratic Oath," she muttered. Colleen rolled her eyes.

"Don't sound so excited," she snapped. Claire said nothing as she pressed her lips together before she said something she'd regret. She crossed the room in search of the ultrasound monitor. A lot of things in the medical field had changed since the olden days on earth, but the ultrasound monitor was the only thing they'd were unable to change completely. Any other methods that they'd attempted to invent ended up hurting that baby, so until someone made a breakthrough in that area, they were stuck with the same old machine.

"Lift up your shirt," she mumbled. Before Colleen could follow Claire's instructions, the door to sickbay opened up. Claire sighed and turned towards the door, but couldn't make out the figure that now stood in sickbay. It was too dark out and the only light in the room was next to Colleen's patient bed.

"I'm currently unwillingly working with a patient, is it an emergency?" Claire asked in an exhausted tone. Colleen angrily folded her arms at Claire's comment.

"Oh yeah? Screw you," Colleen hissed. Claire said nothing as the figured stepped a few feet closer. She could barely make out the figure raising his arm when a phaser blast when off, shooting the light out. Claire instinctively dropped to the ground as the echo of glass shattering echoed through the room. Colleen let out a high pitched scream, her arms immediately going to protect her stomach. The unknown figure fired his phaser again, this time hitting Colleen as she tried to jump up from the bed and run. She recoiled from the shot and fell to the ground with a thud, causing Claire to flinch.

"Did you get her?" A familiar voice asked from sickbay's doorway. Claire recognized it immediately.

"Ensign Sheppard?" She asked in disbelief. The figure in the middle of the room appeared to glide through the darkness until he was a few feet away from Claire. She felt her heart begin to race as she realized that she was the only person on duty all night. No one was coming to save her.

"No, it appears as if I got her patient," the man standing before her said in a low voice. Claire froze, unable to do anything as another phaser blast was fired and she blacked out.

Onto the reviews.

amberhathaway
Raxsah: We iz good at writing drama… maybe because we're so used to it.
Jeck: I EATS DRAMA FOR BREAKFAST! NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM!

nickiR0x
Jeck: We originally liked Colleen, and then it was like "hmmm this isn't working". Raxsah thought what I originally wrote next was funny, but I couldn't write it because it was kind of spoiling what happens next.
Raxsah: You ask, we deliver. We hope that was enough Kirk/Claire action for the time being. It might be a while till you get anymore. And Colleen is almost as annoying as Ryan can be. You'd think they'd go well together but we didn't like them together.

Yayyou
Raxsah: Bones' baby? Never thought about that. We'd figure it was easier to say it was Rupert's baby. Man, imagine the plot twist there would have been if McCoy and Colleen slept together. O.o
Jeck: Bones cannot reproduce with Colleen. He might have caught the bitch in the form of an STD. Rupert is the baby daddy. Simple enough.

X-PANIC
Jeck: Well, we can't make any promises, but if you keep reading through all the good times and the bad, you'll be happy that you did.
Raxsah: Yes, everything works out the way it should, and we make everything happen for a reason. Just stick through it all and we'll make you happy that you did.

Smiley
Raxsah: Again, we make no promises. We apologize for any soap opera-ness, but sometimes we can't help it. We watch a lot of drama filled TV. And yes, We did add Spike and Giles from BTVS, Or at least their names. We're glad you caught on.
Jeck: We make a lot of references to TV, surprisingly or not. Oh, but you haven't seen Ryan take Rupert and Colleen to Jerry Springer yet. :3

cakeface
Jeck: Okay. We'll try. I like short and sweet. :3
Raxsah: Hmmm, we're working on it, but college is a bitch. Damn us for wanting to better ourselves with education!

Raxsah: OH NO! Cliffhanger, when is the last time we actually had one of those?
Jeck: I don't know… I didn't even see to look what chunk of the story is in this chapter… or maybe I did last night, but shit happened and I forgot. Mostly sleep happened…
Raxsah: That's more likely. We hope youz guyz enjoyed this really long chapter, it's our little going away present because Jeck is going off to college and we won't be able to update for some time. Once we get a schedule down we can focus on stuff like that.
Jeck: Yeah, but you might not being hearing from us for at least a week… I've got like 14 hours a day of band camp this week. So yeah, won't be hearing much from us. But we've discussed some methods for efficient updating. We'll be back soon, not to worry!
Raxsah: So until next time, REVIEW!
Jeck: EAT YOUR DRAMA, OR NO DESSERT!
Raxsah: Laterz!
Jeck: THIS IS WAR!
Raxsah: …
Jeck: Penis.
Raxsah: Cock.
Jeck: Won't fit in your mouth.
Raxsah: Psh, that's not what your mom said last night…. Wait.
Jeck: I'm concerned how she gave birth to me with a cock…
Raxsah: Shit happens.
Jeck: In your mouth.
Raxsah: If it's Chris Pine… then yes.
Jeck: And the chances of Chris Pine actually being in your mouth (as if he could fit)…
Raxsah: You know what… Don't we have to get ready to go eat pancakes?
Jeck: I'll take that as a victory.
Raxsah: Take how you will, I'd rather just have straight up sex then blow a guy.
Jeck: Not that you could, anyway.
Raxsah: Fuck you! I'm ending this shit. Bye people!