Author's note: I do have several of my continuing stories on a schedule. If curious when this story and others well be updated, please visit my profile page. While you're there, I'm asking my readers to participate in my poll. I'm doing an informal and blind survey to get any idea of the age ranges of my readers. Thank you in advance. On an upbeat note, I sent off 'Winter Awakening' to Marcher Lord Press. Yeah!

Warning: Some mature content.

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Dragonlots aka Dana Bell

Chapter 14

"Can I help you?" a pleasant woman's voice asked.

Barnabas turned slowly to face the lovely doctor. Her wavy reddish brown hair framed her round face and her quizzical brown flecked green eyes met his dark ones. He gave her a charming smile. "I was looking for a shipment that may have gotten mixed up with yours."

"I remember seeing it." She smiled in return. "If you'll follow me." She motioned for him to follow her. "I'm Dr. Jennifer Keller."

"Senator Barnabas Collins." Even after several years in office, he still felt strange using the title. Particularly, since his family had been one of the supporters of the original revolution. His father had told him stories about their role in the birth of a new nation.

"I remember Colonel Carter telling us you were coming." Jennifer stopped in front of a room sized fridge unit. "I am a little puzzled," she said as she opened the door, "why you have a shipment of blood."

He'd encountered the question many times from medical professionals, so he wasn't taken by surprise. "I have a rare family condition."

"Maybe I could help," she offered as she pointed to the box containing his shipment.

"I doubt it, but thank you." He easily lifted the box from its place on the wire metal shelf. "I've been checked by the best experts in the field." The lies came easily.

"Oh, I don't know," she grinned. "I've got some pretty advanced equipment."

Dr. Keller wasn't going to let it go. That just wouldn't do and he knew it. He placed the heavy box on the floor and turned to face her. Gently he allowed his cool fingers to caress her cheek as his eyes locked on hers. "Thank you, Jennifer, but no, I don't need an exam."

Slowly she nodded, her eyes starting to dull a little as she fell under his hypnotic power.

"You will forget I was here," he softly murmured. "Forget about the box I took and that it was ever part of your supply."

"I will forget," she whispered back.

He backed away, took his box and quickly left the medical area, making certain he wasn't seen leaving. Questions and curiosity were two things he couldn't afford if he was to keep his secret.

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Kit's hand rested on the control that would block water to the precious plants. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why Jessica wanted to sabotage the Colonials' food supply. It just didn't make sense and she's said so to Mason when they'd talked the previous evening after their leader's ridiculous orders.

"I won't do it," he'd declared to her. "I won't allow these people to be stranded in the middle of nowhere space. It isn't right."

She'd shivered in response knowing what Jessica could do to both of them. "But she must have a reason."

"There can't be a reason," he'd argued back. "From what I'm hearing, President Roslin and our leader don't get along. As far as I'm concerned, she'd doing this out of revenge not some sense of duty to Earth."

"But what if she's right?"

"She ain't and like I said, I'm not gonna obey her." He'd grunted. "Stall the fuel production indeed."

She'd stayed up most of the night mulling over Jessica's orders. Kit had almost convinced herself it was the right thing to do, even without an explanation, until she'd reported for work and saw the rows upon rows of precious green plants. Her eyes had taken in the scene of the techs tending them, but had temporarily closed her mind to the terrible things she was about to do.

Now, standing there with the one thing that could kill them under her palm, she rethought her decision. She took a deep breath and withdrew her hand. Kit couldn't do it. It wasn't right to condemn thousands of people to starvation.

It was even more wrong to kill the plants she'd devoted her life to studying and preserving. Damn what Jessica might do to her. It was worth the risk.

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"I want a baby, Daniel," Vala announced while they dressed in the morning.

Dr. Jackson sighed. They'd been over this ground several times. "Now is not a good."

"It never is," she retorted. She plopped down on the bed. "We can't keep putting it off because of some new crisis in the galaxy." Vala pulled on her shoes.

"It isn't exactly safe here with the Wraith on the rampage." He sat beside her. "I thought you understood that when I took this assignment."

"First, it was the Gou'ald. Then the Ori. Now the Wraith. Are they really the reason or you just afraid of becoming a father?" The look on his face almost made her ashamed she'd put it that way. "I'm sorry, Daniel, I didn't mean to hurt you."

He closed his eyes. "It's alright. There are things that happened before you came that I never told you about." He opened them again and gave her a suggestive grin. "We could talk about this tonight."

"How about we talk about it now." She put her arms round him and gave him a passionate kiss. "I'm sure your staff would forgive you for being late."

Daniel hugged her and gently pushed her away. "I'm sure. But Sam is leaving this morning and I still have several questions to ask her before she leaves."

"I should be jealous," she teased back and winked at him. "I know where you eat."

He laughed and kissed her. "Try to stay out of trouble."

"Daniel," she pretended to be hurt by using her pouty face.

Her husband darted out the door. Vala got up and pulled her black hair up into a pony tail. She examined her appearance and once satisfied on how she looked, she strolled out into the corridor. There weren't many people about at this time of the day. Most tended to either get up early or else keep such erratic hours she never knew if they slept or just live in their labs.

Hurrying down the corridor, she found the cafeteria and helped herself to cereal, some fruit and a huge mug of coffee. She glanced around but didn't recognize anyone, so she chose a secluded corner to eat. She settled in and ate. When she'd finished she put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in hands.

Now, what to do with the rest of her day?

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Lee paused in their love making, taking a moment to brush Jessica's auburn hair out of her face. He just looked at her, wondering again why he was so infatuated with the woman.

"What's wrong?" she asked, rolling off of him to rest at his side.

"Nothing." He pulled her naked body against his. "We never seem to talk."

Her cool finger touched his lip. "I thought the idea wasn't to talk." Her eyes smoldered as her hand moved down his body.

He stopped her exploration. "I don't know much about you and I'd like to."

"That's a switch." She wrapped her legs around his. "Lee, you know all you need to know. I'm from Earth and we enjoy sex together."

"But, who is the woman underneath the desire?"

Jessica pushed him away and sat up. She hugged her arms over her bare torso. "You wouldn't like her."

"How do you know?" He also sat up and put an arm over her shoulders.

"I'm not," she stopped and bit her lip. "If you don't want to have sex, I'm leaving."

"I didn't say that." He tipped her chin up and kissed her. She groaned against his mouth and they dropped down onto the sheet. Lee forgot about everything else until he woke later. He turned his head and found Jessica snuggled into the curl of his arm. Her breathing was slow and her face was flushed.

Her eyelids fluttered and she smiled. "Hi."

"Hi." He kissed her forehead.

"I enjoyed that."

"Me, too."

"I could tell." Her warm fingers traced a line across his chest.

He caught her hand in his. "Jessica," he stopped, not sure if his next question would break the tender mood. "I have something I'd like to ask."

She frowned. "If it's a proposal, I'll turn you down."

Lee hadn't been thinking that. "No. It's about Atlantis."