Rimmer half dragged Paige up a flight of stairs then stopped, turning on his heel he stopped her abruptly, "Do you trust me?"
"I have no reason not to" Paige answered, then frowned as she watched him half trip over his own feet to run back down the stairs, "Yet!" she shouted after him and leaned against a wall, she hadn't a clue where he was taking her. He reappeared a few minutes later with a tie that he proceeded to wrap around her head as a makeshift blindfold.
"Arnold" Paige scolded putting her hand on her hip again, "What are you doing? What is all this?"
"A surprise" he answered, "Just take my hand and trust me".
"I trust you" she smiled placing her hand securely in his, Rimmer stood for a moment and stared down at her face, her smile gave away a dimple for him to admire for a few seconds, Rimmer sighed then snapped himself out of it wasting no more time he proceeded to guide her up more steps and into a lift.
When they stopped Paige listened carefully and heard doors close behind her, "Where are we?" she asked but got no response, she heard a click and felt something being placed around her waist and another click. "Rimmer?"
"Just one more step" he coaxed, she did as he requested and felt a slight chill come over her body as if she had stepped into a fridge, and suddenly she felt different and gasped as she felt herself rise in the air a few inches. "Rimmer?" she called again nervously.
"I'm here" he laughed. Paige felt a rush of excitement as his arms wrap around her waist and pull her body against his.
"Okay, keep your eyes closed" he whispered and reached to remove her blindfold. Once he had removed the blindfold completely he held her tighter against his body, "Okay open them."
Paige opened one eye cautiously then the other in alarm, she gave a shriek of fright to find herself outside of Red Dwarf, "Oh my god Rimmer, we are outside of the ship. I am in space!" excitement rushed through her mind which quickly turned to fright once more, she spun and threw her body around Rimmer's, "How is this possible? Oh god please don't let go of me."
Rimmer chuckled, "Relax you are completely safe, look you are attached to me and gravity doesn't affect me like it does you. I will keep extra tight hold of you but I wouldn't let anything happen to you don't worry" he felt Paige relax in his arms and her head move side to side on his shoulder as she looked around.
"This is incredible" she whispered, "Look how close the stars are, they are so beautiful, it's almost like you could reach out for them"
"One of the perks of being dead I suppose, we are as close to these stars as anyone ever could be. I often come for walks around here when I need to clear my head, I find it very calming. You are the first person I have been able to do this with"
"Can we sit?" Paige asked, still scrabbling to keep hold of him it was very disconcerting to be unable to reach the floor.
"Sure, we can do anything you like. Here lets go over this way" he laughed as he felt her arms and legs tighten around him as he walked over to a raised part of the ship and sat upon it, pulling her down with him. He jumped in alarm as she burrowed in between his legs and hooked hers underneath his own anchoring her down to the surface; they sat face to face, both staring at each other.
"It's so quiet" Paige whispered, "I almost feel like talking is an offence somewhere as peaceful as this"
"Well you know what they say" Rimmer looked around, "In space no one can hear you scream"
Paige stared at him for a few seconds nodding slowly, "Mmmm and how long have you been wanting to say that?"
"Oh since we stepped out here, but I waited until it was appropriate, that's classic timing that is!"
"A delicate skill" Paige teased, shuffling closer towards him. "So tell me Mr A.J Rimmer, what do you come out here to think about?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Kryten where is Paige?" Lister asked shoving another spoonful of vindaloo into his already overfilled mouth. He seemed completely oblivious to the looks of disgust from his crewmates; the Cat had put down his fork and given up on dinner completely.
"Organising the stock rooms last I heard of her" Kryten replied. "Oh Holly, you gave me a shock" Kryten smiled as Holly's face appeared on the monitor on the wall.
"She's not there now" Holly grinned.
"What?" Lister replied, staring at his magazine on the table and opening a can of lager.
"Paige, she isn't in the stock room now. In fact she hasn't been for over an hour or so." Holly grinned again.
Lister put down his beer can and stared at the monitor, Holly had that smug satisfied sort of grin that told them he knew something very interesting but as nothing interesting ever happened around here he wasn't about to give it up easily. It was either a 3 hour argument to get the information or play him at his own game. Lister opted for the latter.
"Ah its okay, I will find her later I just wanted to talk to her" he took a swig from his can and lifted the magazine up in front of his face.
Kryten watched Holly's face contort and change colour in frustration, he looked back towards Lister who was counting to three on his fingers behind the magazine.
"She's outside of the ship, she's with Rimmer they have been out there for ages just talking" Holly let the gossip burst forth from him and looked exhausted yet satisfied afterwards.
"You what?" Lister cried slamming his magazine back down onto the table, "Are you serious?"
Holly re-appeared wearing shades and a hat "You didn't hear it from me" he announced then vanished again.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rimmer lay on his back with his arms behind his head completely at ease and smiling like a Cheshire cat he stared ahead of him into Paige's face, she was hanging a mere 15 inches from his own nose suspended in the air and secured by his waist.
"Gravity is fun" Paige laughed, "I haven't felt so free in years; I still cannot believe all of this. We are so lucky."
"Yeah I suppose I had never thought about it before" Rimmer smiled sadly.
"What would you do if this wire snapped?" she asked kicking her legs about.
"It wouldn't snap it's impossible" he tugged on it shaking her about in the air as if to prove his point.
"Ugg stop it! I mean it; imagine if it did snap what would you do really?"
Rimmer thought for a few minutes then a devilish smile crept over his lips, "I would watch you float away" he cackled with laughter.
"You are such a shit" she laughed hitting out at him, "Fine, I hope I do float away"
"No no no" he laughed, "I would jump up and grab you, I told you I would never let anything happen to you."
They had been lying this way for about half an hour now talking about past exploits and childhoods, why they joined the Space Corps and what they had wanted from life. Rimmer found that since Paige didn't expect him to be anything other than himself she wasn't asking accusational questions. Due to that he found he could talk about his parents and his childhood as simply a topic instead of an excuse for some failure in his life up to this point.
"It is getting pretty cold out here though" Paige sighed, "I'm still in complete awe of this. Thank you so much can we do it again soon?"
"Sure, well not if we are about to hit light speed or are going any faster than this anyway. We are safe now as its dinner time, Lister will be chomping his curry as we speak plus Holly will be aware we are out here"
Rimmer frowned as he saw her shiver slightly and reached out to touch her cheek, "Smeg, you are really cold, come on lets get you back inside." He pulled her gently back towards him as he stood up and they both giggled as they tried to keep her upright.
"Aw Jesus, you are like a bobbing apple! come here" he laughed and lifted her in his arms only to lose his footing and send them both crashing backwards onto the floor with a thud.
"Oh very smooth" Paige laughed and rested her head on his chest, "I'm not that cold, lets stay a few more minutes. Please please" she begged as he sat up and pulled her between his legs to secure her once more.
"Anything you want" he laughed, "But if you get some sort of space flu I don't want to hear a single complaint missy"
"Not a peep" she nodded and crept a little closer to him for warmth, she smiled as his arms came around her and pulled her body against his, she lay with her head on her shoulder for a few more minutes quietly. Inside she knew what she wanted to do but she was terrified, she felt sick with nerves but knew it was now or never. Lifting her head slightly she looked into his eyes and kissed him on the cheek nervously, Rimmer leant back a little unsure of the territory he gulped and waited. After an uncomfortable second or two she went to put her head back upon his shoulder and he moved forward quickly.
Paige felt her body tingle with pleasure as his lips gently pressed against hers, tender at first then awkward and shaky as he tried to push his tongue into her mouth. "I'm sorry" he finally said pulling away, "I don't know what to do" he laughed, "Ridiculous isn't it? I can't remember how to kiss someone and kiss them to show them that you care about them at the same time" he looked down at his chest and peered back up into her eyes.
"I think its like this" Paige smiled and put her hand gently on his cheek pulling him towards her their lips met again, this time he took it slow and kissed her slowly and gently not moving his tongue until finally she parted her lips and initiated it. Rimmer held her as tightly to him as was physically possible; his blood was racing as he felt her hands running through his hair.
Paige parted her lips once more and gave a little pleasurable moan, he kissed her softly and pulled back stunned, he had never experience anything like that before. "Your eyes have reflections of stars in them" he smiled feeling utterly dazed and happy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lister stood in the observation area and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Rimmer and Paige. Arnold Judas Rimmer and Paige. Smeg for brains and Paige. It just didn't fit, yet there she was completely wrapped up in him and looking like the happiest woman on earth. A jealous rage swept over him, the last woman alive and she had to fall for a man who couldn't even help continue the human race.
Lister stood watching them for a few minutes longer and then he noticed something about Rimmer, he was smiling. A real happy smile that wasn't tinged with bitterness or sarcasm, Lister finally smiled himself and laughed quietly. "Nice one smegger" he whispered affectionately then he crept off before he was noticed.