After their fiery passion had died down Rush's quarters fell into a peaceful silence that offered a moment of pause between panic and worry for Destiny. Both completely naked, Nicholas lay on his back with his left arm propped behind his head and the other tucked around Chloe, keeping her cuddled close. Chloe had hooked one leg over his and a hand rested comfortably over his chest. It had always been obvious that the Chief Scientist was skinny and lean but it was only there with her hand grazing up his flank that she realised just how toned he actually was; God, he looks good for his age.

"That was amazing." The ebony haired beauty muttered into his neck before pressing a kiss to it.

"Not to pat myself on the back but yes it was." He smiled and pulled her a little closer, her rosy nipples pressing into his side. He sighed after a moment. "It's getting warm in here so we really need to get the shields back up before it warms up a little too much and we get deep fired." There was another pause. "Is it bad that's making me think about corn dogs?"

Chloe snorted and closed her eyes as she breathed the older man in.

"Probably, but you've always had a morbid streak to you, it's part of your charm. As for me, I'm just hungry for junk food now so thank you."

"Cress has probably covered herself in inky equations by now." Said Rush as he sat up and looked around in search of his pants.

"What?" Chloe slipped off the bed and grabbed her yoga top, pulling them on quickly.

"She's been calculating for a while now and since we've been gone so long she'll have Pythagoras' Theorem on her forehead."

The two smirked as they dressed quickly knowing that Rush was right.

"You'd better pass me my panties then so we can get back to saving the ship."

With a grin he grabbed the still damp item of clothing and knocked her back down onto the bed, knelt and slowly slipped them back up her thighs; when he was done Rush pressed a gentle kiss to her flat stomach.

"I never thought you'd be putting them on me." She teased.

"I never thought I'd be allowed to get them off you." He retorted before Chloe kissed him and pushed Rush away in favour of getting dressed.

"You can take them off again later."

Rush and Chloe tugged on their clothes quickly and quietly after that, Rush ran a large hand through his tangled – but still rather magnificent – hair before grabbing his notebook and heading out the door. Nicholas only got two steps before Chloe grabbed him from behind, her chest pressing into his back as she wrapped her arms around his slender frame.

"I meant it, you know." She told him firmly before kissing his neck. "I love you."

"I believe you said you think you love me." His voice was teasing rather than accusing. "

"I guess you're right, but that was then. I know it now. I love you, Nicholas Rush. You don't need to say it back."

Rush knew she mean that, he could just walk away back to the bridge and his work and Chloe wouldn't hold it against him, that wasn't what he wanted though. He didn't turn because he wasn't sure his courage would survive if he looked at her in that moment, but he did let the hand void of notebook come up to hold hers.

"I've thought you were beautiful since the second I saw you on Icarus base, wearing that pink dress and smiling, but much too young and perfect for the likes of me."

"You think I'm perfect?" No one had ever called her perfect before and it made her heart sore.

"Aye, you were. Then you got kidnapped and it only made you more so. Chloe, would you be angry if I said I'm glad the Nakai took you, took me? If they hadn't I – we wouldn't have Cressida."

Chloe went silent for a brief time but didn't release Nicholas. At the time Chloe had thought everything the Nakai had done was pure horror and that was correct but it had also given them their daughter, a sweet young girl with her hair and Rush's eyes. Cressida was their silver lining.

"I'm not angry. You're right, we have her because of them."

"All that aside, Chloe, I love you too."

He'd not truly realised it until the words tumbled from his lips like water tumbling over the falls, he did love her and until that moment Rush hadn't noticed. With Gloria he'd known the second he'd laid eyes on her but Chloe wasn't Gloria and it wouldn't have been fair to compare the two. This young woman was much to good for the likes of him but Nicholas Rush could be selfish when he wanted to be and so he'd keep Chloe by his side until the second she came to her senses. Love didn't always make sense and since landing on Destiny nothing really had made any sense. There was more to the world – the universe – than just work and Rush knew that, he'd used it as a shield after Gloria was diagnosed but he wouldn't again, he couldn't, not with Chloe. Even with all that surging around his chaotic mind there was still a little voice at the very back, what are we going to do about Lieutenant power muscles? However, before that could get anymore of his brain for processing his radio crackled to life.

"Doctor Rush, this is Volker, come in. This is no time for a sabbatical."

Rush sighed and pulled his radio loose when Chloe finally released him in favour of standing by his side.

"What is it, Volker?"

"We need you back on the bridge, Destiny's go no shields and heading for a sun remember? Cressida may have figured out a way of getting our systems back on line too."

"I'll be right there."

Chloe grinned at him then.

"That's our girl."

XXXX

Turned out Cressida's idea was a very simple one, one they'd completely overlooked because of how simple it actually was. Axillary power was what had the air circulating and basic lighting working as well as giving them access to terminals however, it had been damaged so every time they tried to transfer main power over it blew; a fact Brody liked to keep reminding everyone of. Cressida's plan though was to gut the working cables from the main power system and transplant them to auxiliary which would hold long enough to survive the sun, recharge Destiny and then they could use the time to fix the main system. It was a band-aid just like Rush had said.

"It won't be able to take that and even if it can it'll take longer to fix the main system." Said Brody yet again.

"It will as long as we don't run weapons through it or jump into FTL since they pull the most power and it'll give us the time we need. I don't see you having any better ideas, genius."

"Cressida!" There was a pause where Brody and the others believed Rush would scold her for her rudeness but as soon as Rush grinned they knew that wasn't to happen. "I'm so proud of you, you clever girl." He turned to Volker and Brody. "You two go and start stripping wires for manual change over. Cress and I'll stay here and see what we can do here. Chloe will you help?"

"Of course, anything I can do to help."

XXXX

It was either really late or really early when Chloe finally tucked a sleeping Cressida Isobel Rush into Rush's bed. Volker and Brody's fingers had started bleeding from all the sharp wires and Rush had only stopped long enough to kiss his daughter's sleeping forehead. After setting Cress down Chloe started towards the mess hall with the intent of getting Rush something to eat; he never ate enough. Half way though Matt fell In beside her, his arms slid around her slender waist and pressed her up against the warm wall – it all went well they'd have the shields up in a few hours, Cressida had worked out that they had fourteen and a half hours before the ships hull met the point of no return.

When Matt pressed his body against her own Chloe kissed him automatically, which surprised her for a moment before she returned to her senses and pushed him away.

"What's wrong?" He asked, puzzled expression coating his chiselled features. She could see another of those love bites peaking out from his collar.

She took a breath to steady herself.

"Matt, I didn't want to do this now, not until after everything was fixed and working again but-" She cut herself off.

"But what?" Matt questioned.

There was a long pause – very long – but not one of those peaceful and comfortable ones like she shared with Rush, it was awkward and made her feel as though the world was watching her. Only when Chloe couldn't take his eyes on her any longer did she speak.

"I can't do... this anymore."

"Do what?" Was he that oblivious or was he simply denying what was in front of him?

"... Us." She answered without meeting his eye. "It's not been right for a while, ever since I was kidnapped it's been different. I'm different. I know that was hard on you, it was hard on everyone, especially me. But-"

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Are you saying we should... break up?" He looked as though the idea was utterly ridiculous . "Is this about Cressida?"

"Not completely." She said before her head suddenly snapped up and she found herself staring him in the eye. "And that's another thing, when you found out about your son you did everything to meet him, but you seem to want me to avoid Cress. She's a little girl and you don't seem to like her."

"That's because I felt like I was loosing you. Anyway, its not like you gave birth to her." He snapped before realising what he'd just said; it was cruel.

Chloe knew he didn't really mean that but it still hurt.

"You didn't give birth to your son but he's still your child." Another pause. "I'm sorry Matt, I really am, but this isn't working anymore. It hasn't been working for a long time. I want my daughter... I want... my family." I've only just realised.

Matt stepped back a few inches as he tried to possess everything Chloe had just said, he looked a combination of angry and shocked. It wasn't as though she didn't care for him, Chloe just needed to do what was best for her and Cressida.

"Family?" The Lieutenant muttered to himself more than Chloe. He looked up at her. "You, Cressida... and Rush? You're choosing Rush?! That bastard!"

Before Chloe could utter a single word or take a single step Matt had turned and marched off down the hall, Chloe had no choice but to race after him. Scott had every right to be angry and shocked but he seemed to be tipping over into rage. He charged around a dark corner slamming into Greer but he only bounced off and continued down the hallway towards the bridge, Chloe and Sargent Greer glanced at one another before following him. Rush had his back to Scott when he entered, Volker and Brody had been about to leave but ground to a quick halt when they saw the look on Scott's face.

"Rush!" Scott growled, the scientist turned only to be punched square in the face knocking him back against the terminal. "You bastard! Stay away from Chloe."

Surprisingly Rush chortled as he dabbed the rich blood from his lip and Chloe found herself stunned into silence, leaving her to just stand there with Greer at her side; Rush wasn't so stunned.

"She isn't a possession, Lieutenant. Maybe you should let Chloe decide what she wants for herself. Now, I have work to be doing so that we won't all die. Why don't you go be an infant somewhere else?" His voice dripped with sarcasm and a lack of interest, he tuned his back on the Lieutenant in favour of viewing the console. "And Lieutenant, you may want to clamber down from your high horse, hypocrites don't get horses." Teenagers would have referred to his expression as #smugface.

"What are you talking about?"

Rush smirked and turned back to the military man.

"Oh, she's about this tall..." He held his hand up. "Dark hair, dark eyes and her name certainly isn't Chloe."

Suddenly it all snapped into place and Scott launched at him only for Greer to grab him and hold Scott back.

"Don't, mate! Just calm down and breath."

The Sargent pulled him away a few steps before Scott broke free, huffed and stormed off out of the bridge, leaving Volker and Brody stood there with raised eyebrows. Chloe had started crying at some point and only after Scott had left did she regain her ability to move and before she knew it Chloe had raced to Rush and pulled him into a hug with a vice-like grip. That lasted only a moment or two before dragging him into a kiss. Volker's and Brody's eyebrows rose even higher and Greer's dark eyes grew wide before he started to push the scientists from the room.

"Okay, everyone out. Nothing to see here."

"I'm sorry, Chloe." Rush apologised as soon as they were alone.

"No." She cuddled into his chest. "You've got nothing to be sorry for. Thank you for not getting into a fight."

"Please don't cry, I don't like to see you cry." He told her as his arms slipped around her waist, holding her tightly. She tilted her head up and kissed him once again. "How about we go to bed? Cress already is asleep and I have a diagnostic running so there's nothing else we can really do until it's complete."

"Okay. But I want another kiss first." How could Nicholas deny her?

Lieutenant Scott would calm down soon enough and then hopefully Chloe would be able to speak to him without anger getting in the way.