Another Chance (at Love)

by CharlotteAshmore

Belle's not the shy, timid little teacher's assistant Dr. Rush always believed her to be. Would he have brought her aboard Destiny had he known beforehand? A reboot of the series basically, but with my own twists and Belle thrown into the mix.

13. Chapter 13 Faith

Chapter Thirteen: Faith

Rush groaned, the air hissing between his teeth as a sharp pain shot through his chest. His limbs felt heavy and sluggish as his mind fought its way out of the fog which seemed to dull his senses. If it weren't for the pain, he could have happily drifted back into the comforting arms of slumber, but it wouldn't be denied. It almost felt as if there were lead weights resting on his eyelids as he tried to drag them open. Then his mind cleared as the memories came rushing back in a flood of light, sound and sensory overload as he noticed the dark head resting on the gurney next to his hip and a long slender arm thrown over his thighs.

Belle … his light in the darkness. She'd kept her promise and remained at his side through it all. Warmth spread through him, as if a tiny sun were trapped beneath his skin. His hand trembled as he unwound his fingers from hers and stroked lightly over the softness of her cheek. She snuffled softly and tightened her grip on him, clinging to the last vestiges of sleep.

"Hey, you're awake," TJ said, making her way over to his makeshift bed to check on him. "How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty," he rasped out, his throat parched and his voice hoarse from disuse. He raised up on an elbow and took the cup from her with a shaky hand. "How long have I been out?" he asked, handing it back to her and collapsing back against the cool sheet beneath him.

TJ lifted a corner of his bandage to check his incision for redness and any signs of infection, pleased when she found none. "About six hours. After we closed you up, I gave you another dose of anesthetic to make sure you rested peacefully. Are you in any pain?"

"It's bearable," he bit out, his words belying the pained grimace that twisted his mouth.

"I can give you something if you'd like? To take the edge off," she offered, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Rush shook his head. "No, I need my head to clear, and besides, someone might need it later on more than I." He looked down at Belle's dark locks spread out over the blanket and couldn't help but ask. "How long's she been here?"

TJ smiled. "She hasn't left your side except to attend to personal needs. Even when the general visited, she asked them to conduct their meeting here in the infirmary."

Rush groaned inwardly. What had his little love been up to while he'd been unconscious? His dark gaze met the medic's in a piercing look. "Did you talk to her? About what we did?" he asked, his voice still thready and weak. "She was worried you'd be angry with her."

TJ shrugged, but the smile never slipped from her lips. "We did have a long talk. I understand her need to protect you, Dr Rush. She loves you … has for a long time, I think … much longer than she'd be willing to admit. She was afraid the colonel would -"

"Try to kill me again?"

"Yeah," she murmured, glancing down at her hands as she pulled off the latex gloves. "He was wrong to leave you - and I'm not condoning his actions - but I don't think he would try again. At the same time, I can understand her fear. I'm not going to stop being her friend because of her actions."

"I can hear you, y'know?" Belle mumbled groggily as she lifted her head from her resting place.

"Good," TJ said dryly. "Now get up and take care of your patient. Or did you plan to sleep all morning?"

Belle snorted a short laugh at her friend before she sobered. "How is he? Can I take him to our quarters?"

"In a few hours." TJ looked down at Rush. "I'd like to keep you here for a while longer to make sure the antibiotics I gave you are going to be effective."

TJ left them alone to see about her duties and Belle rose from her stool. She brushed the hair away from his brow as she came to stand over him, her fingertips trailing over his stubbled jaw. "Hey."

"Hey," he answered, his features softening as he nuzzled into her touch, his lips ghosting a feather light kiss over her palm.

She leaned down ever so slightly and pressed her lips to his, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. "I missed you, Nicholas," she whispered, her warm breath fanning gently over his face.

His left hand rose to cradle the back of her head, unwilling to let her go so soon as he caught her lips again with his own. "I missed you, as well, mo chroí. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Don't you worry about me. Concentrate on getting better," she admonished gently. "Are you hungry? TJ said you can't have solid food for twenty four hours, but I could mash some of the peaches up in some rations to make it taste better if you like."

His stomach growled at the mere mention of peaches, and she grinned knowingly. Before he could protest, she lifted her radio from the waistband of her jeans and called her order in to the mess. "While we wait - since you're so insistent that I eat - why don't you tell me about this meeting between you and the general? What did you do, Belle?" he asked, his brow furrowing in bewilderment.

"Don't fret, darling. I did nothing wrong. I just had Chloe fetch Jack for us when she switched with Dr. Brightman," she said simply as she pulled her stool over closer to him. "I told him everything that had happened between you and Colonel Young, and we all sat down to discuss it."

She acted as if it were no more important than discussing the weather. "What?!" he practically snarled, and then pressed a hand to his chest as pain lanced through his incision. "Belle, how could you have a meeting when I —"

"Couldn't attend. Yes, I know. Please try not to get upset." She smoothed the blankets higher over his torso and sighed. "I would think you'd trust me enough to see to your interests," she said in a small voice. It shouldn't surprise her, but it still hurt. "Besides, this was the perfect opportunity to speak with him without having to gain the colonel's permission to use the stones."

He reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss her fingertips. "I do trust you, Belle. It's Young I don't trust." He sighed. "What did General O'Neill have to say?"

"Just what I had expected from him. We are all in a dire situation and we need to work together if we're to survive and the like. However, some good did come from our little meeting. Camille will be in charge of the civilians, Young in charge of the military personnel and you, my love, will have free reign over your science team. Since the colonel cannot be removed from command, per se, he will still have final say in all decisions, but I think this will work to our benefit. Not too shabby for someone who doesn't have her doctorate, eh?" she grinned rather smugly.

"I know men with doctorates who've worked in the field for decades who aren't half as brilliant as you, Belle," he murmured proudly. "I'm forever thankful that I hired you so long ago."

"Is that all you're thankful for?" she teased, leaning in to kiss him again.

"Hm … fishing for compliments?"

"Of course not."

The look of tenderness which washed over his face made her eyes sting again. "I'm thankful for all of you, mo stór, but most especially your love."

"I do love you, Nicholas," she whispered fervently, leaning in once more to kiss him, "and I'm hoping you'll remember that when I tell you of the general's edict."

Rush groaned and scowled at Becker as he came into the infirmary with a metal tray holding his breakfast. She offered her thanks to the man and set it on the table beside the gurney, reaching for the lever which would raise the head of the narrow bed. "And what might that be?" he asked, as he opened his mouth to accept the spoon she held to his lips. "I can feed myself, y'know! I'm not an invalid!"

"Oh, stop your grousing. You just had surgery, so let me care for you." She smiled when he rolled his eyes and pried his lips apart, accepting her offering. A slow surprised smile spread over his face as the new flavor burst on his tongue. "See, not too terrible, is it?"

"It's actually not that bad," he admitted. "Now, tell me what O'Neill said."

Belle sighed and managed to get three more bites into him before she answered. "He noticed we haven't taken leave in the month we've been here and has ordered us to use the stones once you've recovered enough to switch with someone. No less than two days."

"Did you explain to him how important our work is? That we have no time to spare for playtime on Earth?"

"I did." She set the empty bowl aside and twined her fingers with his as she rested her head on his shoulder, weariness making her yawn. "He made it an order and Young agrees. We've no choice."

"Bloody wonderful."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush stumbled along the corridor, using a hand against the wall to brace himself as he made his way towards the control room. His other hand pressed to his bandaged sternum, and he gnashed his teeth against the pain. He paused a moment to take a deep breath and continued on, trying not to think about how angry Belle was going to be when she found out he'd left their bed. TJ had released him from the infirmary into Belle's care, but had strictly forbidden him to return to work for at least a week. He didn't think he was doing badly for someone who'd had his chest cut open a mere eighteen hours ago.

Park gasped as he stumbled into the room and slumped against his console, fighting to catch his breath. "Should you be out of bed?"

"There's, uh, too much work to be done. We'd best get on with it," he rasped out weakly.

"Does Belle know you're out of bed and wandering the halls in your condition?" Brody asked, looking at him with concern.

"Do you think I'd be here if she did?" he snarked, pulling his notebook from the back pocket of his jeans. "Where is she by the way?"

"She and Eli are in the chair room working on the program to slow down the download of data into the subject's mind during transfer." Park offered him a cup of water, which he accepted gratefully.

"Good. That's good," he breathed, trying to focus on the screen. "See that she remains there for a while."

Brody chuckled as he made his way past Rush on his way to the door. "Oh, no, brother man, you are on your own. And I wouldn't want to be you when Belle finds out." He turned to Lisa. "I'll be gearing up to start repairs on the damaged shuttle so keep the link open."

An hour later, Brody stepped back from the break in the shuttle wall he'd welded closed. He was hoping it would repair the damage and they could finally lay the senator's body to rest. "Alright, we're ready," he reported through the open comm link attached to his suit.

Rush, hunched over the console, rubbed absently at his chest as another sharp pain seared his flesh, but he nodded to Lisa. "Go ahead and re-pressurize."

Lisa entered the necessary commands. "Re-pressurizing."

Brody could feel the shift in the air around his suit and he removed his helmet to take a deep breath. "It's holding steady. Hey, we've got atmosphere."

"Very good, Mr. Brody," Rush wheezed into his radio. "Continue with the repairs, beginning with navigation and propulsion."

"Roger that." Brody signed off.

"Dr Park, have Volker gather a team to see to the senator's body. Make sure Miss Armstrong has the support she'll need. This is going to be difficult for her, and—"

"NICHOLAS RUSH! Why do I hear your voice over the radio when you're supposed to be resting? Where are you?" came Belle's angry, piercing shriek.

Lisa smiled and gathered her things together to leave the control room. "Good luck, Dr Rush," she nearly sing-songed as she left him alone. She didn't want to be anywhere near when Belle finally located her lover.

Young passed her on his way in, his ever present frown dark and brooding. "Rush, what the hell are you doing?"

Nicholas glanced at him, barely acknowledging his presence before turning back to the console. "Repairing the damaged shuttle, if that's alright?" he said defensively.

"I mean, you just had surgery," Everett argued.

Rush bit the inside of his cheek to keep the blank expression on his face. "I'm fine, thank you."

"You look like you're ready to drop dead."

Rush emitted a bitter laugh and then wished he hadn't as the pain increased. "And that would be a bad thing?" he snarked.

"Yes, Rush, that would be a bad thing. Listen to me, the civilians aboard this ship didn't try to take over because they thought I was doing a bang-up job. I get that," Everett admitted ruefully. He'd had a lot of time to think about it as he was lying in bed tossing and turning.

"Well, good for you," the scientist mumbled acidly beneath his breath.

"I also get that I have to make this work," Young continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "so I've ordered my people to make a special effort. I would like to do the same — even with you."

"Wow!" Rush exclaimed, condescension dripping from his tone. "That must've taken quite the effort."

"You have no idea," Young muttered grimly as he shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

"I swear by the gods, Nicholas, I'm going to take you back to the infirmary and tie you to the fucking bed!" Belle screeched as she stormed into the room. Her face was flushed an angry red and several tendrils of her chestnut hair curled about her face where it had escaped the messy bun at her crown.

Nicholas grimaced, realizing she must have run all the way from the chair room. "Belle, mo ghrá, calm down. I have too much work to do to be lying abed."

She glared at him through narrowed eyes as she reached for the hem of his shirt, pulling it from the waistband of his jeans and pulling it over his head. "I'm telling you now, if you've popped your stitches there will be hell to pay," she fumed, peeling back his bandage to inspect his wound. "Just look at you. You can hardly breathe through the pain, you're cold and clammy, and can barely hold your head up."

"I'm fine!"

"No, you're not!"

He yowled as she probed gently at the tender area on his chest. "Belle!"

She replaced the bandage, satisfied he hadn't caused himself more harm and helped him back into his shirt. "Everett, you should have ordered him back to bed immediately," she snarled without turning to look at the man.

"And since when does he follow my orders?" he chortled. "You're the only one on this ship he seems to listen to."

Rush's head dropped against her chest as he pulled her to stand between his parted knees, the exertion from donning his clothes taxing his already beleaguered system. "I'm alright, Belle. I haven't done anything but sit at my console. I've been coordinating with the rest of the team by radio, nothing more."

Of course, his explanations did little to appease her. She cradled his face in her palms, her thumbs brushing gently over his pale cheeks. "Nicholas, you have to give your body time to heal. Your immune system is precarious at best from the lack of nutrition and proper sleep," she said, gentling her tone. "You made me stay in bed for two days because of a sprain. I'm not being unrealistic in my demands, and you know it."

Young wandered off to the secondary console to give them privacy, uncomfortable to see the genuine love and concern the petite brunette displayed for the hardened scientist. He found himself envious that he couldn't have the same with Tamara. He doubted he'd ever be able to repair their relationship even if she'd give him another chance.

"Belle, I have to be able to work. There's too much to do and I need access to my console, to the computer," he insisted, a plaintive note in his voice. "I can't do that if I have to stay in bed."

"And you can't do that if you disregard your health and kill yourself!"

His arms tightened about her waist as he rested his head against her shoulder, grateful for her support. "Please don't fight me on this. If you must, stay with me here in the control room, but don't take this away from me."

"Stubborn to the core," she mumbled irritably under her breath as she lifted the radio from the waistband of her jeans. "TJ, come in, please."

"Go ahead."

"If Rush sits at his console without too much getting up and down, will it hurt his condition?" she asked, carding her fingers through his damp hair as he rested against her.

"He's working!?" the medic cried.

"Unfortunately, yes. We'd have to keep him sedated in order to make him stay in bed, and I think it will do him more harm than good roaming the corridors in search of a console to work from. And you know he'll do it."

"Will he compromise?"

"Doubtful, but I can try. What do you recommend?"

"No more than three hours at the console followed by five to six hours of bed rest," TJ replied.

"What?!" Rush gaped, reaching for the radio.

Belle held it out of his reach and gave him a warning look. "Thank you, TJ. I'll make sure he follows your instructions."

"You heard her, Nicholas," she smiled, taking in his scowl. "Three hours and then you rest. If I have to, I'll ask Everett to make it an order and have a guard posted outside our quarters to make sure you remain there."

FUCK! And she'd do it, too, he thought irritably. Still … "You wouldn't."

"Care to test me?" she asked, arching a brow as she tugged on the ends of his hair. "Everett, you'd help, wouldn't you?"

"Of course. We can't have him endangering himself, now can we?" the colonel asked, a smug smirk curling his thin lips.

She wrapped her arms about his shoulders and held him tightly. "I can't lose you, Nicholas," she murmured, her warm breath ghosting over the shell of his ear. "I love you. If I didn't, I wouldn't care so much about what happened to you."

He sighed as she released him and settled on the stool at his side. "I love you, too. Now, let's get started, since our time is limited."

"The FTL drive just disengaged," Belle sighed, shaking her head at the familiar lurching in her stomach. "Colonel Young?"

Everett retrieved his radio from his belt and pressed the comm button. "Lt Scott, we've just dropped out of FTL. Please have a team ready on stand-by."

Rush frowned as he looked up at the countdown clock on the wall above the door, the numbers still and unmoving. "But the gate isn't dialing," he said.

"Why not?" Young asked, just as puzzled as the scientist.

He looked down at the screen on his console and then at Belle, her brow drawn tightly in concentration as she tried to come up with an explanation for the colonel. "Because there's nothing there."

"It appears we've dropped out of FTL into empty space — no planets, no stars, nothing," Rush muttered, utterly perplexed.

Brody, having heard everything from the open comm link between the control room and the shuttle, barked urgently, "Uh … you might want to re-check that data."

Belle slipped her arm around Rush's waist as he rose unsteadily from the stool at his console. "Eli, bring my laptop to the control room and then meet us on the observation deck. I think there's something you'll want to see," she chirped into her radio, returning it to her belt when he answered, promising he would. She'd been so upset upon learning Rush was working, she'd abandoned her own work to seek him out. If she were going to be there with him for the majority of the day, there was no reason she couldn't continue work on her program.

Rush leaned heavily on the railing as he stared out the great window on the observation deck at the nearby sun. Eli stepped up beside him, shaking his head. "The ships that are seeding the gates ahead of Destiny … I thought they sent a record of the star systems in our path."

"They do," Belle confirmed, equally baffled at what she was seeing.

Eli arched a brow and flapped his hands towards the window. "What's that then?!"

His voice still thready and weak, Rush answered, "That star is not supposed to be here."

X*X*X*X*X

Back in the control interface room once again, Rush ran the last of the scans and pulled up the information he'd gathered on the holo-screen. Young rocked back on his heels and cocked his head to the side, trying to make out the Ancient text to the left of the screen.

"So, what've we found out?" he asked.

Rush rubbed at the bandage beneath his shirt, gnashing his teeth against the onslaught of pain and tried to focus. "It's a G2 star, yellow dwarf, similar to our own sun. Because Destiny didn't know it was here, the star's gravity disrupted our propulsion systems, causing us to drop out of FTL prematurely." He drew in a ragged breath and Eli cast him a worried look, but he continued with his explanation. "A glitch in the technology."

"So, what happens now?" Young asked, turning to face him.

"We've entered a parabolic course." Rush typed out several commands and brought up a depiction of the route the ship would take through the system. "Once we're round the star, we'll be far enough away from its gravitational influence, back into FTL, and on our way."

"How long's that gonna take?" Young asked, turning back to the screen for another look.

"A few weeks. There is, however, a silver lining," Rush murmured, the display changing again as he typed out more commands.

Eli frowned at the screen in surprise. "A planet?"

Belle breezed back into the room, a small container of powdered pain killers TJ had made from her various herbs and a canteen, filling her hands. She sat down next to him and pulled off the lid, holding it out to him. "TJ said this should help without making you drowsy, Nicholas."

He cast her a dubious look. "I told you I didn't need anything, Belle."

She leaned over and lowered her voice. "Well, you can either take some now, and work a little longer, or I can shovel some into your mouth when you collapse. Your choice," she purred in a honey sweet tone which sounded rather menacing to his ears.

He dipped his pinky into the powder and sucked it into his mouth, scowling at her for her insistence. It didn't matter that he would have done the same to her had she been the one suffering. His forced restrictions on her last week were far worse than what she was putting him through, whether or not he cared to admit it.

Eli continued to study the holo-screen. "It looks close."

"It is. Within shuttle range, actually," Nicholas nodded, his hands unclenching on the console as the powder began to do its work.

"Atmosphere?" the colonel asked.

Rush smirked. "In a word … perfect."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle stared at the holo-screen and watched the shuttle lift off before her eyes darted over to Rush. He had thirty minutes before his time was to be up. His face was pale and gray, and his dark eyes were glazed with the pain he tried so hard to hide from her. She knew how important it was for him to keep working, but she'd be damned if she'd let him kill himself because of it.

He leaned into her touch as she rubbed gently at the nape of his neck. "I've been over the database a dozen times. No evidence of any glitch or anomaly," he said, clearing his throat.

"Yeah," Eli agreed, staring down at the screen on his own console. "I couldn't find anything either. It's like this star just appeared out of nowhere."

Belle toggled between her laptop and the console until she found the data she was looking for. "Well, vigorous surface activity, strong stellar winds, bipolar outflow. It's brand new, alright. It's straight out of T Tauri phase."

"Which would still make it, like, what? A hundred million years old?" the boy asked.

"Two hundred million," Belle corrected.

"And how far ahead of us are those gate-seeding ships?" Young asked, his eyes still trained on the holo-screen.

Rush sighed, shaking his head. "It doesn't make any sense. The ships would have noticed it."

"And dropped a shiny new stargate on the planet. Why would they pass up such a perfect opportunity?" Eli questioned, scratching his head in bewilderment.

"That's the weird thing about this. I mean, if this star really is this young, then that planet should still be a ball of molten rock." Her watch beeped an alarm and she rose to her feet, giving Rush a pointed look. "Alright, times up. Gentlemen, we'll have to pick this discussion up later this afternoon."

"Belle, I can't just leave in the middle of this," Rush cried petulantly as he gestured at the console. "I need to —"

"Rest," she finished for him, her tone brooking no objection. "You are not the only one capable of working this new situation. Eli can keep you abreast of any new developments over the radio and should it require your personal attention, I can come back to the control room to deal with it," she said, tugging on his arm to urge him to his feet.

Young shook his head at the pair. "Scott will radio once he and the team have landed on the planet, so you have a couple hours before you can do anything. Go with Miss French and let her take care of you, Rush. You're no good to us dead."

He cast one last long suffering look at his console and sighed as she wrapped her arm about his waist. He leaned heavily on her, his head spinning and pain ripping through his chest. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to rest for a while, he admitted, if only to himself. She moved slowly down the dimly lit corridors which led to their quarters, trying not to jar him too much. Still, he was out of breath by the time they reached their quarters, and she helped him into bed.

Belle gently helped divest him of his waistcoat and t-shirts and he groaned as he laid back against the pillows so she could remove his boots and set them next to the bed. "What were you thinking, Nicholas," she scolded, reaching for his bandage.

A slow hiss of pain escaped his parted lips as she removed the soiled bandage, his eyes closing to keep from seeing the disappointment in her cerulean gaze. "I was thinking that we've already missed so much, what with being left on the planet, our abduction and then this," he said, weakly gesturing at his chest. "There's so much work to be done, Belle."

Belle left his side and moved over to their dresser where she had a small bundle of antiseptic and clean bandages. "I know, darling, but you can't work if you won't let yourself heal," she chided softly as she returned to his side. "Besides, as we've come to see with Destiny, there will always be work to be done."

He yowled as the antiseptic came in contact with the wound. "Christ, woman!" he snarled at her, his lips drawn back over his teeth.

"I'm sorry … I'm sorry," she soothed. "It can't be helped. I don't want it to get infected." She pulled the tin containing the powder TJ had given her from the pocket of her jeans and spooned a bit on her finger to press to his tongue. "Here, drink some water."

"This is awful," he complained.

"If it helps with the pain and makes you relax enough to rest, it will be worth it." She leaned over to give him a quick kiss and smiled as she brushed at the fringe of hair which had fallen over his brow. "Did anyone ever tell you what a horrible patient you are?"

He ignored her question with a humph and took her hand. "Lie down with me?" he asked, a hopeful gleam in his eye.

"Of course." She set her radio on the bedside table and removed her sandals before easing herself onto the mattress beside him. Already he was beginning to relax, his eyes closing wearily. "Sleep, darling," she cooed against his ear. "I'll be here when you wake,"

X*X*X*X*X

Several hours later, Belle rose from the bed and stretched, the vertebrae in her back giving a little pop as she trekked to the door to answer the soft knock. She yawned, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep from her nap as the door whooshed open to reveal Chloe, her eyes red rimmed and puffy.

"Hey," she said, a little tremor in her voice as she glanced past Belle to Rush's sleeping form. "How's Dr Rush?"

Belle motioned for her to come in and closed the door. "He's stubborn and willful and doesn't want to listen to well-meaning advice - as usual - but he's going to be fine, I think. How are you?"

"Um …" the tall brunette hedged as she took a seat in one of the chairs at the small table. "Okay, I guess. We …" she took a deep breath, fighting back the tears that had been plaguing her all day. "We were finally able to lay my dad to rest."

Belle reached for her, pulling the girl into her arms. "Oh, Chloe, I didn't know. I would've been there for you."

"No, it's ok," Chloe assured her. "You've been so busy with work and trying to care for Rush." She lowered her gaze to her hands clasped tightly in her lap as Belle sat back in her chair. "It was only a few of us there. Camille, Lisa, Brody and Volker and Colonel Young … he said some really nice things about my dad."

"And, of course, Scott couldn't be there because he was down on the planet."

Chloe nodded and swiped at the tears which threatened at her lashes. "I don't know that I would've wanted him there anyway." She lifted her azure eyes to her friend, misery etched on her face. "Things are a bit strained right now because of the coup. It's like we don't know what to say to one another anymore. I've … um … I've moved out of his quarters. I thought I'd ask, though, if you'd mind if I moved closer to you? In this wing of the ship?"

Belle reached out and squeezed her hand. "Of course, you can, Chloe. I think that would be lovely. The privacy afforded us here will do you some good, give you time to think in relative quiet."

"Just hang a towel on the door or something when you shower so we don't burst in on you," Rush mumbled from the bed.

"Oh, Dr Rush, I didn't mean to disturb you," Chloe said, her gaze swinging between him and Belle. "Really, I didn't."

"You're not disturbing me," he reassured her, leaning up on an elbow. "You know you're always welcome to come here."

Belle laughed softly. "And that's something coming from him, considering he doesn't like anyone."

He wrinkled his nose at her and propped himself up on an extra pillow. "She's not quite as annoying as the rest of this lot," he admitted with a rueful smile. He retrieved the radio from the bedside table and turned up the volume as Scott's voice came over the device.

"Colonel, this is Scott, come in."

The colonel answered and Rush warned the girls to silence so they could listen in.

"We're getting a ton of plant samples. TJ thinks there's all sorts of medicinal possibilities," the lieutenant reported. "Uh, we also found some fruit. The team is using those scanners Belle found in some of the Ancient crates to test it and so far we've had only good readings, nothing toxic or harmful."

Rush pressed the comm button and lifted the radio closer to his mouth. "How about water?"

"Tons of it. Pure, too. We'll bring back as much of it as we can," Scott promised.

"No alien creatures slithering around?" Eli asked, the squeak in his voice evidence to the memory of the slimy little creatures they'd encountered previously in their altered timeline.

"No, nothing. It's weird, but it's daytime, so who knows what comes out at night? We're thinking maybe farther afield we might come across some animals that could provide us with some meat. We're hoping at least. Greer wants to barbeque, and I have to say it would be a nice change."

Young sighed. "Alright, load up the shuttle and head on back and do a flyover of the area on your way. Use the scanners."

"Copy that. Scott out."

Rush tossed the radio on the bed and reached for his shirt as he swung his legs over the side, sitting up. Belle moved to stand beside him, tugging the shirt from his hands. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to work, of course."

"Uh … no. You still have another hour," she argued, pushing gently on his shoulder to get him to lie back down.

"Belle," he lamented, his eyes narrowing plaintively on her. "I need to get back to the control room. Scott will be coming back, and I want to see what the scanners picked up."

"No."

Chloe smiled for the first time that day, enjoying their banter. It still amazed her that the hardened scientist would so easily acquiesce to his little assistant's wishes. She wished she could have the same ease in her relationship with the lieutenant, but she didn't see that happening any time soon. "I'm going to move my stuff, Belle. I'll see you later when the shuttle returns? I'm dying to see what they bring back."

Belle nodded, watching her friend leave. She turned back to Rush and gave him another dose of his pain medication and some water. "Don't look at me like that, Nicholas. The time will pass before you know it and then you'll be back in the control room."

He gave her a sulky look and eyed his boots, wondering what it would take to get her to relent. He sighed. Sometimes she could be just as stubborn as him.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush slowly raised his dark gaze from the console and cast a furtive glance towards the door of the control room before he looked over at the colonel. Gods, how he hated to have to ask the man for anything, much less a favor. "Colonel Young, were you able to put my request before the general when you met with him this afternoon?"

"Actually I did," he said, leaning against the console and keeping his voice lowered on the off chance that Belle would return from the mess and overhear. "Your leave is scheduled a week from tomorrow and Dr Verrett will be waiting for the both of you there at HWC. General O'Neill said Dr Jackson is very happy to be taking your place for the weekend."

"I'm sure he is," Rush scoffed. "I doubt, however, he's going to be happy about his host's painful chest wound which will keep him from exploring Destiny to the extent he'd like. And there's no telling what I'll come back to after he's been up here nosing around in my research."

"I think it's admirable that you'd want to help Belle in such a way," Everett remarked, a faint smile on his lips.

"Why wouldn't I? She deserves it as hard as she works. It was wrong of me to recruit her into the program before she could finish, but looking back," he shrugged, "there was no way I could have kept her from it."

Belle smiled as she came back into the room carrying a steaming cup of tea and a bowl of 'sludge'. "Kept who from what?" she asked, setting the bowl next to the console where she usually rested her laptop. He accepted the mug gratefully, but scowled down at the paste with bits of green fruit. "Don't give me that look, Nicholas, you need to eat. Greer brought back some kiwi - or the planet's equivalent - and it perks the sludge up quite a bit. Eat."

Admittedly, it wasn't bad, the fruit giving it a bit of sweetness. He swallowed the first bite and acknowledged her question. "I was telling the colonel that there was no keeping you off the project when I told you about Icarus."

Belle snorted. "As if you'd have left me behind. After all, who would've fetched your coffee and made sure you ate regularly, hm?" she teased.

"Don't listen to her, Colonel. She's brilliant, and she knows it, yet modest enough not to let it go to her head." He set the bowl aside, smiling as a rosy blush settled into her cheeks at his praise.

"She's more than proven that," Young agreed, turning on his heel to face Scott and Eli who chatted quietly about what the lieutenant and his team had encountered on the planet.

Belle pulled up the footage from the shuttle's scanners on the holo-screen display and whistled softly. Scott nodded at the image. "It's massive," he said, his eyes focused on the immense obelisk on the screen. "Two thousand feet high at least. We detected a faint EM field around it, but nothing else."

"Those markings … like some kinda alien language," Eli remarked as he tilted his head to the side, his brow furrowed.

"Do you think it's the same ones we keep running into?" Belle asked, suppressing a shudder at the thought of the Nakai. She didn't want to be near anything involving the blue beings after what they'd suffered at their hands.

Nicholas shook his head. "Not with this level of technology."

"What? To build this thing?" Young asked, referring to the obelisk.

"No … to create a planet." His statement was met with no small amount of shock.

"Nicholas, you think they actually engineered an entire planet? They might be advanced," Belle argued, "but I think this is far more than what they're capable of."

Eli laughed, his eyes alight with excitement. "The Genesis Device!" He stared at the others in disbelief when he was met with blank stares, none of them knowing what he was talking about. He made a tsking sound and explained. "The end of 'Wrath of Khan'!"

Belle dropped her head into her hand and groaned. "Is this another of your sci-fi movie references?"

"Uh … yeah!" the boy huffed out, disturbed by their lack of vision when it came to movies and pop culture. "You guys are living every nerd on the planet's dream of being up here, working and living in space and you have never even seen the classics. It's tragic!"

Rush cut him off before he could get wound up and go off on a wild tangent. "The reason why Destiny had no knowledge of this star system is that it was placed there after the gate-seeding ships had passed through."

Young rounded on him, tearing his eyes away from the footage on the display. "Wait … you're telling me they built the star, too?"

Rush shrugged. "Looks that way."

"That would make them the number one all-time advanced civilization," Eli murmured, stunned.

"That would be quite the understatement, Eli," Belle murmured. "So what do we do about this?"

"We send a team back down there," he suggested. "Our orbit has been refined. It's going to be four weeks, two days, seven hours before we jump back to FTL. I'm proposing we take advantage of the wait."

"I agree, Everett. You've seen firsthand the quality of food and water the team brought back. It would only be to our benefit to take advantage," Belle smiled.

"But I thought you said we were almost out of shuttle range," Young said, motioning towards the display.

"We are. But …" Rush pulled up the image of their trajectory around the star in relation to the planet on the display. "… we're going to swing back into range once we circle the star before we jump into FTL. We send a team down now, pick them back up in a month's time loaded with supplies." He removed his hand from the console, pressing it to his chest as another wave of pain washed over him. He hated to give in to the weakness in front of the others, but it couldn't be helped at the moment.

Scott seemed more than excited by the prospect of spending the next month in the fresh air and sunshine awaiting them on the planet. "If we time it right on the return, we could make two, maybe three trips."

"We have three hours left before we're out of shuttle range. If we're going to do this, we have to do it quickly," Rush told them, slowly sipping his tea. He smacked his lips together and winced. What was that bitter aftertaste at the back of his tongue? He glanced over at Belle suspiciously, but she was listening to Eli.

"Ok, ok, just to say this out loud … assuming that this star and this planet were created by the most incredibly advanced aliens ever, maybe they don't want anyone messing around with it."

"We need the food and medicine," Young argued.

"I agree." Rush pinched the bridge of his nose and squinching his eyes closed to help clear the fog from his mind. "The gains outweigh the risks."

"Do they? We're 'o' for three on close encounters of the third kind. What makes you think that these guys are gonna be any different?" Eli protested. "Because our last encounter ranked about a ten on my weird shit-o-meter!"

Belle snorted a laugh as she wrapped her arm around Rush and scooted closer to him, holding him tightly as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck.

"I'm not sending anyone down there without protection, Eli," Young assured him, already going over in his mind who he wanted to send along on the mission. "And remember, Eli, everything we do out here is a risk."

"Um … what's wrong with Dr Rush? Did he fall asleep on you?" Eli asked, coming out from behind his console to get a better look.

Belle ducked her head, a sheepish grin curving her rosebud mouth. "I may have slipped a mild sedative into his tea."

Young snickered behind his hand. "Well, that's one way to get him to rest."

"I just didn't want to have to fight with him to get him to take a break. His three hours were up fifteen minutes ago and really … did he look as though he were ready to return to his quarters?"

Eli arched a brow at her. "He's going to be so pissed at you."

"Yeah, well, it won't be the first time and it certainly won't be the last," she admitted ruefully.

"Eli, Scott, give Belle a hand with Dr Rush," Young said as he strode towards the door. "I'm going to speak with Greer and assemble a team."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush opened his eyes to darkness and for a moment, panic set in. He didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there. His mouth tasted like a bloody sewer and the pain in his chest rivaled that of the pounding behind his eyes. What the hell? He moved to sit up, to find a light to help him identify his surroundings when he felt Belle's warm weight pressed into his side, her head on the pillow next to him and her arm draped over the flat plane of his stomach. His bare stomach, he realized. Where were his clothes? He lifted the duvet to find himself clad only in his black boxers.

The last thing he remembered, he'd been talking to Eli and the colonel about the new planet and drinking tea … Belle had … brought … him. Fuck! The sneaky minx had drugged him. He glanced down at his left arm to the lighted dial of his watch and groaned. Twelve hours had passed since he'd been in the control room.

Soft lips brushed against his naked shoulder and a sleepy sigh met his ears. "Go back to sleep. It's still early."

"You drugged me," he stated in a flat tone, his body stiff with affront.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked innocently as she began to rub soothing circles over his smooth skin.

"You. Drugged. Me." His voice was steadily rising in his ire. Of all the things she could have done to him, this was something he'd never expected.

"You needed to rest," she argued, attempting to explain her actions. "You were in pain and in no physical state to be working. So, yes, instead of arguing and causing you more distress, I drugged your tea."

He gaped at her, his face illuminated only by the faint blue glow of the FTL lights shining through the porthole. He really shouldn't be surprised that she'd admitted her folly. She'd never been one to lie to him … something he valued more than anything, her honesty. And how could he fault her for it when she'd been looking out for his best interests? He knew she was worried about him, and he was letting his obsession with his work once again take precedence over his health.

"Are you terribly angry with me?" she murmured, raising up on her elbow to peer down into his face.

"Extremely," he drawled, though there was no real heat in his tone.

Belle leaned over and brushed her lips to his. "I love you, Nicholas," she whispered as she pulled away to press her brow to his, grateful that he hadn't started yelling at her. She was more than capable of holding her own with him, but it would be more of a detriment at this point … one she had no wish to be a part of.

His heart fluttered as it did every time she professed her love for him. He knew he'd never tire of hearing the words spill from her sweet lips. "I love you, too, mo chroí, but next time give me a little warning? I suppose TJ was in on your little plan?"

"Naturally. And if your hip is a little sore today, it's because she also gave you another dose of antibiotics to stave off infection. She said your incision is clean and beginning to heal quite nicely, but you have to take it easy. Now that she's gone with the away team, she's not here to sew you back up should you pop your stitches. I can do sutures, but it's been a long time and they're not as pretty as those TJ is able to do."

Rush grunted in pain as he pulled out of her embrace and sat up on the edge of the bed. He reached for the small container of pain relieving powder and used his finger to spoon a small amount into his mouth, chasing the bitter substance with water from a canteen. He raked his hand through his shaggy hair and sighed before glancing back at her over his shoulder.

"The shuttle? Did they make it down to the planet without any problems?" he asked, rising to go in search of clean clothes.

"They didn't have any difficulties at all. Chloe, Greer, Scott, TJ, Volker, Kane, Dunning, Morrison and about nine others went down," she said, stretching languidly to remove the kinks from her muscles. "Hard to believe they'll be gone an entire month."

She rose and stopped him before he could button up the white shirt he'd pulled on, leading him over to the bed and making him sit so she could check his incision and replace the soiled bandage. "Did they make contact before Destiny was out of range?" he asked, hissing as the bandage pulled at his stitches.

"Sorry," she apologized, smiling as she pressed a kiss to the left of his wound near his heart, "and yes, the colonel took care of it." She fetched his boots and helped him into them as he worked on the buttons of his shirt.

He waited for her to pull on her jeans and the blue tunic style top she'd been wearing when she'd come aboard. She slipped her feet into her sandals and held her hand out to him. "What of the damaged shuttle? Have Brody and Park made any progress?" he asked, slipping his arm about her shoulders as they left their quarters.

"I don't know, but they still have time. Hopefully, they can have it flight worthy before the month is out."

X*X*X*X*X

Colonel Young walked into the damaged shuttle where Brody and Park were working and yawned, wishing he'd been able to grab more than three hours of sleep in the night. He didn't like it that TJ had joined the team on the planet, but without telling her why he hadn't wanted her to go, he couldn't have made her stay. Things were only getting more complicated between them, and he had no idea how to fix it. How could he be honest with her? Apologize to her for ending things between them when he was still legally married to Emily? Even if he ended things with his wife, there was no guarantee TJ would want to pick up where they'd left off and he was of the firm belief that he didn't deserve either of them.

He pushed his troubling thoughts aside as Park turned and offered him a bright smile. "How's it going?" he asked, leaning against the central support bar.

"Terrible," Brody groaned.

"Great!" Lisa intoned, her smile never faltering.

Everett arched a brow. "Well, which is it?"

Brody rolled his eyes at his exuberant assistant and her unfailing optimism. "Propulsion's almost completely shot. It might be able to get to the point where we can fly down to the planet, but there's no way it's going to have enough power to get back up here, so there's that. We're making some progress on navigation … we can turn left, but not right, or up or down."

Young nodded and scrubbed a hand over his face before he turned his attention to Lisa. "Ok, so why did you say 'great'?"

"We can turn left," she chirped happily. Even a little progress was good progress, in her opinion.

The colonel opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted as his radio squawked in greeting. "Colonel Young?"

Young cast Lisa a glance, trying to work out in his head as to whether she's terminally happy or a raving lunatic as he pulled the radio from his belt. "Go ahead, Rush."

Rush's voice still held a tinge of pain which was easily recognizable through the link and Young wondered how Belle had managed to keep him away from the control room for so long. "While Destiny's engines are offline, I'd like to use the extra power to strengthen the shield, maybe explore some damaged areas of the ship, and possibly make some repairs."

"Reclaim some real estate."

"Exactly," the scientist said.

Everett knew it must have chafed him greatly to ask for permission and decided to go easy on him. "You go ahead. I'll have Lieutenant James put a team together."

Rush signed off and Young returned his radio to his belt as he focused his attention on Brody and Park once more. "You two, keep at it. You have a month to get this thing to fly to and from that planet and do more than make a left turn."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle squealed with delight as James and her team opened up another section, the doors whooshing open to reveal an entire bay filled with Ancient crates. Her fingers itched to open them and explore the contents as she moved down the first row.

Vanessa laid a hand on her shoulder, halting her progress with a worried frown. "Belle, maybe we should wait. What if there's something dangerous in those things."

"Eli, Chloe and I have been through dozens of Ancient crates since we've come aboard and the contents have always been useful," Belle tried to explain. "If it makes you feel better, I'll call my Nicholas down here to oversee this project. Then when he collapses from the strain - he is still recovering from surgery - you can pack him back to the infirmary."

Vanessa winced at the very thought. "Point taken." She lifted the radio from her belt and called for the colonel instead, who gave his permission to explore and to call if they found anything interesting.

An hour later, they'd found more than enough items of interest. "I found seeds!" Rivers called, excitement lacing his voice. "Tomatoes, beets, green beans, crowder peas …" he rattled off. "The hydroponics team is going to go nuts when they find out!"

"We're going to have to find a bigger space," Belle groaned. "The lab we're using is never going to hold it all."

"There's sheet metal over here," Rennie yelled, his voice echoing through the cavernous bay. "There are like ten crates filled with the stuff. You think we might be able to patch up some of the holes in the hull?"

Belle pulled a notepad from the back pocket of her jeans and began jotting down a list of the things they'd found. "Rush is going to be able to tell us more, but I'm pretty sure he'll want to have Brody get that started right away."

When she was done, she began on the second row of crates, having to get Vanessa's help on a particularly stubborn one. "Um, Belle, what the hell is that supposed to be?"

"Call the colonel," she said, retrieving her own radio to call for Rush. This was something he had to see for himself.

"What the hell is it?" Young asked twenty minutes later when he finally located the team in the new section of the ship. He shined his flashlight down into the crate, the beam illuminating the large metal device inside.

Rush leaned heavily on Belle, one hand pressed to his chest. "I don't know yet," he wheezed, slightly out of breath due to the long trek from the control room.

"It looks like a robot," Vanessa said, her head tilted to the side as she studied it.

"Figure it out," Everett ordered, turning on his heel to return to the gate room.

Rush regarded him through narrowed eyes, his brow puckered in a frown. "Oh, yeah, no problem … once I've attended to the other hundred things on my list."

"You can always put somebody else on it," Everett suggested.

The doctor snorted. "I'm not going to have anyone touch this thing without me present. I may be able to get to it next weekend."

"We're going on leave next weekend," Belle reminded him. "Perhaps we could delay that and —"

"No," Everett interrupted. "You're already scheduled to switch with Drs Jackson and Mehta Saturday morning. There will be no delays."

Rush cursed violently under his breath, aggravated and in pain, but he let Belle wrap her arm about his waist to help him back to the control room. Vanessa and her team closed up the crate housing the robot and sealed the doors to the room until more could be done with the veritable treasures inside.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush made his way to the communications lab a week later, and under his own steam. Breathing was easier and the pain had decreased to a bearable degree. He only hoped Daniel had the same tolerance for pain he did. "I still think this is a bloody waste of time," he grumbled as he sat down in the chair next to Belle.

"I do, too, Nicholas, but Jack insisted," Belle grumbled irritably, no happier than Rush was to be subjected to this. She didn't want to return to Earth, and she most assuredly didn't want her consciousness taking up residence in a strange body. At least she somewhat knew the doctor she'd be switching with.

Corporal Barnes nodded at them both as she switched on the plate. "Anytime you're ready, Dr Rush, Belle."

"Can I just say again, for the record, that I really, really don't want to do this," Belle whimpered slightly.

Rush took her left hand in his right and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her fingertips. "It will be fine, Belle. Don't be frightened."

She lifted the stone in her hand as he let go to do the same and gently placed it on the plate. It felt as though the air were too thick and too thin all at the same time, compressing and retracting at will. She felt heavy and light and back again. "Dr Rush? Miss French?"

Belle's eyes snapped open, her lashes fluttering open to see the blue USAF uniform and a smile on the man before her. "Who're you?" she asked, wincing at the unfamiliar voice issuing from her mouth.

"Major Peterson, at your service. I'll be your escort while you're here," he greeted her warmly.

She glanced to her right and her mouth fell open to see Rush's familiar condescending smirk on Daniel Jackson's face. Oh, this was just too insane. "Nicholas?"

"Major, is our visitor here?" he asked, winking at her as he rose to his feet.

Belle narrowed her eyes on him as she rose unsteadily to her feet. Why did he have to seem so sure about himself in a body much larger than his own? He acted as if he wore other people's bodies on a weekly basis. And what bloody visitor was he referring to?

"She's waiting for you in the conference room and has already been briefed on the situation. She seemed a bit overwhelmed by everything, but after General O'Neill spoke with her, she seemed to be more at ease," Peterson explained as he opened the door to the communications lab to lead them out.

Rush linked his fingers with hers and followed, a rather sneaky smile on his borrowed face. What she wouldn't give for a Jolly Rancher right now. She made a mental note to stop for some immediately upon leaving HWC for whatever Rush wished to do on their down time. Her jaw dropped as she entered the conference room behind Rush and encountered Dr Verrett.

"Professor … um … Dr Verrett? What are you —"

The woman regarded her with raised eyebrows, her long blonde hair pulled back in a severe bun. "Hello, Belle," the woman smiled and gestured to a seat on the other side of the conference table. "I have to say you're not looking yourself at all."

Belle laughed for the first time since she'd set out on this dubious mission to relax and gratefully dropped down into the chair. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were even familiar with the stargate program."

Rush sat down beside her and leaned back, crossing his ankle over his knee as he watched her. "Thank you so much for coming, Doctor."

"I was thrilled to help, Dr Rush. She's put in too much work not to complete her studies," the professor of astrophysics proclaimed, sliding a packet of papers across the table to Belle. She gave Belle a no nonsense look, her cool gray eyes serious. "General O'Neill tells me you are already excelling in your field of study."

"Yes, ma'am," Belle answered, somewhat dazed to be sitting across the table from her old theoretical physics professor. "It's quite extensive. Nothing like I expected when I completed my masters."

"Well, there are several things which need to be addressed to finish out your doctorate," the woman explained. "Since it isn't feasible to finish out the last six months in a classroom, being you're on the other side of the universe, you will sit for your last three exams and present the final draft of your thesis."

Belle's heart sped as the full impact of this opportunity settled on her. Excitement coursed through her all to come crashing down when she realized, "Nicholas, my thesis is on my flash drive aboard Destiny. Four years and six drafts of work and it's inaccessible." She could have cried.

Dr Verrett arched a dubious brow. "Don't you have another copy here?"

"No," she wailed. "I had HWC close up my apartment and put my belongings in storage when it seemed we wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. Everything of importance is with me on Destiny."

"Except …" Nicholas said, holding out his hand towards the major. Peterson stepped forward and slipped a flash into Rush's hand which he proudly held out for her to take. "The copy you made and left in my office at Berkeley. Which was then packed up and moved to the office in my home. I had someone retrieve it for us days ago."

"Oh, Nicholas …" Tears shone in her dark eyes, so unlike her own, as she threw her arms about him and buried her face in his neck. "You planned this all along and I never guessed. Thank you," she whispered, squeezing tighter.

He chuckled against her ear and returned her embrace for a moment before prying her loose. It was difficult for him to come into such close proximity with a woman who wasn't actually his Belle. It made him feel as though he were being unfaithful, regardless of whose consciousness resided within.

"Alright," he said, his voice gruff with emotion as he watched her eyes light with happiness … knowing he was the cause. "I'll leave you to it. I want to speak with McKay while I'm here." He glanced up at Peterson. "He's here I take it, as per my request?"

"I believe he's in with the general now, who also wants to speak with you."

"Fine." He dropped a kiss to Belle's brow as he rose to his feet. "I'll see you later, mo stór. Work hard."

X*X*X*X*X

It took the better part of four days for Belle to complete the final requirements for her doctorate. Rush chafed at the delay, but if it would help her realize one of her dreams, he felt he could sacrifice the time away from Destiny to remain at her side. He felt a bit guilty for leaving Daniel in his pain ridden form for the extra time, but it was a relief to be able to breathe easier.

He used the time away from Belle to reconnect with his former colleagues, sharing some of his new discoveries with them. Rodney McKay was worse than a deer tick, sticking to his side and pumping him for the minutest details, but it felt nice to be able to share his experiences and the fascinating workings of the Ancient starship. He used some of his free time to work through some of the calculations he'd been trying to decipher before taking leave and touching base with several scientists with questions about the neural chair interface. He was hopeful upon his return to Destiny that he'd be able to put the finishing touches on the program he, Belle and Eli had been working on. Soon, he'd have access to the ship's main systems and life would get a lot easier. Just the thought of finally accessing the bridge brought him untold delight.

They hadn't spent much time away from HWC over the last four days, and had seen little of what the city had to offer, but Rush was determined to take her out for a nice dinner to celebrate the end of her testing. He wanted her to relax and enjoy herself before returning to Destiny in the morning.

Rush had made them a reservation at one of Belle's favorite restaurants on the harbor which overlooked the Potomac River. The Sequoia was considered the jewel of Washington Harbor and one which Belle had insisted on dragging him to on more than one occasion when they'd begun the Icarus project. She'd missed it greatly once they'd moved to Icarus and had always been one of the first places she wanted to go when they'd taken leave. Even he had to admit the food and atmosphere were pleasant coupled with the panoramic view of the Kennedy Center, the Watergate, Memorial and Key Bridges and the flotilla of boats dotting the river.

"Nicholas, this is lovely," she murmured as he pulled out her chair for her. Their table was situated near the large windows overlooking the harbor and her eyes were instantly drawn to the view, the sky streaked with pink and purple as the last rays of the sun disappeared from the horizon.

He took his seat opposite her, the small smirk adorning his lips looking out of place on his borrowed face. "I know how much you love it here and I thought we should celebrate."

Belle smiled brightly at their server as she went over the menu ordering all her favorites. She started with the jumbo shrimp cocktail, something she never failed to order at every visit, followed by the Rohan Duck Breast with sweet corn flan, roasted Brussel sprouts and a late vintage port sauce. Rush ordered the Prosciutto di Parma, and the Painted Hills Farms NY Strip Steak served with wild mushrooms & roasted fingerling potato ragout with compound butter. For good measure he threw in an order for the jumbo lump crab cake served with corn relish and Sriracha mayo for them to share. It did surprise him, however, when she ordered sweet, iced tea to drink.

"Wouldn't you prefer a nice white wine with dinner?" he asked, puzzled.

"Under normal circumstances, yes, but you don't realize how much I've missed a good glass of sweet tea," she said with a small smile. "Tell me, darling, how much coffee have you drunk since we arrived?"

He chuckled. "Probably enough to keep Daniel buzzing for at least a week," he admitted, his nose wrinkling with amusement. "I'm going to miss it when we go home tomorrow."

"And the food. I'd forgotten what it was like to be able to just run out for a cheeseburger and chili fries," she moaned, her face going slack with pleasure as she thought about her lunch from earlier in the day.

"It makes me wonder how you stayed so trim eating all that junk."

"Because I like to run, Nicholas. I would burn it off before it had time to settle on my hips," she retorted playfully. "Unlike you who hates to leave the lab for mundane things such as food and rest."

His hand covered hers where it rested on the table, and he stroked his thumb lightly over her knuckles. "Do you remember the last time we were here?"

"How could I forget when you spilled wine all over my printouts," she snorted. "It put you in a nasty mood for the remainder of the day."

Rush turned her hand over in his, tracing the delicate lines on her palm with his finger as he smiled warmly at her. "I wasn't referring to our work, Belle. No, I was thinking of the lovely blue dress you wore to tempt my attentions away from work."

A delightful shiver tripped up her spine, though from the delicious sensations evoked from his touch or the heat emanating from his warm blue eyes, she wasn't sure. "You remembered what I was wearing?" she asked in a surprised whisper.

"We sat outside on the patio. You wanted to breathe in the fresh air while we worked through lunch, though we didn't get much done with you distracting me every time I looked up to see the way your breasts peeked just over your bodice." He lifted her hand to his lips and dropped a kiss to her palm. "I wanted you so much, Belle."

Belle clamped down on her lower lip to still its trembling, warmth spreading in her belly at his softly whispered words. "Why didn't you say anything?"

He released her hand as their server brought the first course and set it before them on the richly appointed table, holding his silence until they'd been left alone once more. "And how was I to know you'd want to get involved with a crotchety old scientist nearly twenty years your senior?"

Belle dug into her appetizer with relish, her mind whirling with this new information. She was thankful for the distraction as she thought of how to answer. "I've always wanted you, Nicholas," she whispered, "I just didn't think we were suited. Granted, Gloria had been gone for three years, but I knew how much you loved her. That's not something easily forgotten. I know," she admitted ruefully, thinking of her own experiences with losing her own love. "How was I to know you could fall in love with me?"

"How could I not?" He paused again as the server came to whisk away their empty dishes and replace them with the main course. "You're perfect."

Belle snorted as she picked up her glass. "Hardly, but I'm glad you think so." She stared down at her dinner, concentrating on the rich food before her rather than the pleasure caused by his fervent speech.

Rush watched her steadily throughout the meal, changing the subject from their relationship to mundane things and their work on Destiny. It wasn't until they'd left the restaurant and were walking along the boardwalk on their way back to the hotel that he brought it up again. "Do you think we'd have ever admitted our feelings for one another if we hadn't wound up on Destiny?"

"Who's to say?" she shrugged, pressing closer to his side as the cool autumn breeze cut through her light cardigan. "I think it may have taken us longer, but yes, I'd like to think so. You were so focused on our work, and I was concentrating on helping you as well as working on my degree, but our feelings for one another were still there." She smiled up at him, a rosy blush settling in her cheeks.

"If the Lucian Alliance hadn't attacked Icarus, we'd probably still be up there muddling through our research," he said, leading her past the doorman and to the elevator.

"It's better this way."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, his brow drawn in bewilderment. "You don't think it would have been better to be able to send the away team to collect data for us to study? An open supply line would have been ideal where the team wouldn't have to be concerned about where their next meal was coming from."

Belle tilted her head to the side as they paused outside of their suite so he could slip the keycard into the lock. "You wouldn't have been happy. Telford had already had your name withdrawn from the team that would be going on this mission." She laughed as he called the colonel some names she wouldn't care to repeat. "I don't think you would have been happy there on the base analyzing data. This way, you're such an integral part of the mission. You have a hands on approach that seems to satisfy this need which burns within you."

He chuckled as he drew her into his arms and slowly began backing towards the bedroom. "You know me so well." He closed his eyes as he lowered his head to brush his lips to hers. If he kept them closed, he could concentrate on the image of her true self in his mind and forget for a while that she wasn't herself.

Unfortunately, Belle wasn't able to do the same. "Nicholas, darling, we can't."

"Why not?" he groaned. "Belle, we haven't made love since the night we escaped from the Nakai. And what with my surgery and work and coming here, we've had little time to reconnect."

She wrapped her arms about his neck and leaned into his embrace as she nuzzled against his throat. "I know, and I miss our closeness every bit as much as you do, but I just can't bring myself to kiss Daniel. I know it's you in there, Nicholas, but you're Daniel on the outside."

"Close your eyes and you won't notice," he murmured, leaning down to nip at her ear.

"Nicholas, no. It's not the same," she insisted, pulling out of his embrace and turning to the full length mirror in the corner of the room. "It's not just sight, but touch. When I close my eyes and touch you, I know the texture of your skin, the feel of your hair slipping through my fingers, the rasp of your beard against my skin. This," she said, gesturing to their reflection, "is not us. Can't you understand?"

He sighed as he pulled off his jacket and draped it over the back of a chair. "Yes, mo ghrá, I do. I have to focus really hard to be able to just hold you, so I do understand your reservations."

She raised up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and then disappeared into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. "Why don't you see what's on Netflix, eh?"

Rush grumbled and changed into a pair of cotton sleeping pants before slipping under the blankets and grabbing the remote. At least she was still willing to sleep in the same bed with him.

X*X*X*X*X

Young was having his own problems as he checked in with Park and Brody to determine whether or not the shuttle would be ready in time.

"The shuttle can fly, it can now go both left and right and up and down," Park reported enthusiastically, pleased with the repairs they'd made so far.

"But like I said before, too many problems with propulsion. Fact is, we may never be able to fully repair it," Brody said, shaking his head.

Young sighed wearily. "Get as many people on it as you need, but I need this shuttle operational before it's time to rendezvous with our people. I want to make as many trips down to the planet as possible to secure supplies. We never know when we might have a chance like this again."

X*X*X*X*X

Colonel Young was waiting for them the next morning as Rush and Belle returned to their own bodies. "Welcome back, you two. How'd it go?" he asked before they could acclimate themselves to the change.

Rush groaned and pressed a palm to his chest. "Christ," he hissed, bending at the waist as a wave of pain and sensation assailed him. "What the hell has Daniel been doing? Did he not keep up with the pain medication I left?"

Belle knelt at his side and rubbed soothing circles over his back, her right hand resting on his knee. "It's probably a shock to your system because you've been pain free for nearly a week. It will ease."

He took the cup of water she poured for him and drank it slowly. "Colonel, was Daniel pleased with his visit? I hated to switch with him and leave him in pain for the duration, but unfortunately, it couldn't be helped."

"He understood, Rush. Eli kept him busy, showing him around and walking him through some of your research," Everett said, filling him in. "How did your little project go at HWC?" he asked, grinning over at Belle.

Belle's gaze swung between the two. "You told him? He knew and yet you told me nothing?"

Rush grinned cheekily at her. "It was a surprise," he stated simply as if that were explanation enough.

"I have to admit, it was that," she agreed, rising also as he got to his feet.

"Well, if you'll excuse us, Colonel, I'm sure there's an endless amount of work to do," Rush said, nodding in his direction as he started for the door.

"Good to have you back. Both of you."

X*X*X*X*X

She was going to be the death of him. He didn't know how she'd even done it, but somehow she'd talked him into allowing her to don one of the spacesuits to help Young's team begin repairing the dome. His Belle was bloody well insane - or a daredevil who lacked fear - and it was giving him chest pains. As if he didn't have enough of that as he continued to heal from surgery. If she got too close to the reinforced shield … If there happened to be toxic fumes to be ignited by the constant spark of the welding machine … if, if, IF! She was going to give him an ulcer at the very least.

"Rush, come in," his radio squawked. "This is Young. I need you to come to my office … now."

"Fuck! ELI!" the boy's head popped up, his eyes wide with surprise at the scientists tone. "Get over here and watch this feed. I want to know the moment they're done in there."

He stormed out of the room, making sure to take his radio with him and prowled the corridor all the way to the colonel's quarters. "This had best be important," he snarled, crossing his arms over his chest as he belligerently stared at the man. He didn't spare a glance for Camille who was already seated on the sofa.

"Scott radioed. He says there are people wishing to stay behind on the planet. Eleven people to be exact!" the colonel sneered as he paced the confines of the chamber.

"Eleven?" Rush asked in alarm.

Young nodded, his head bobbing vigorously. "Including some of my own people. And Scott, he had the nerve to ask me to fly him back down to the planet after he dropped off the ones returning to the ship."

"Well, look, I can understand some of them wanting to stay, but Lt Scott and TJ …" the IOA representative murmured, shaking her head in denial.

"He says he feels an obligation to help the people survive down there."

"What are you going to do?" Camille questioned.

"What am I going to do?" he mimicked sarcastically. "I'm going to make sure they all stay down there, that's for damned sure. What do you think, Camille?! I'm going to make them return to Destiny."

"No, you cannot force them to come back!"

Rush barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes at the woman. "Oh, I think he can."

Camille glared at him, thankful his little assistant hadn't accompanied him to the meeting. Belle always had an opinion and ninety nine percent of the time it differed from her own.

"We're going to lose more people through attrition aboard this ship. We simply cannot afford to shed that many people at one time," Rush said, trying to reason with them both.

Camille set her ever present clipboard on the table and gaped at him in disbelief. "So what do you expect him to do, Nicholas? Bring them back at gunpoint?"

"Well, if it comes to that, yes!" He turned his focus to the colonel. "You allow Lt Scott to return with those who want to come back to Destiny, then send down a military detail and round up the rest."

The colonel glowered fiercely at him. "Oh, that's great, Rush, coming from you. First you wanna kick the military out, and now you want us rounding people up at gunpoint."

Camille balked. "Colonel, those people have the right to make their own decisions about their future."

He regarded her though dark troubled eyes. "Not all of them."

X*X*X*X*X

Young stalked down the corridor, Rush, Belle and Brody dogging his heels as he made his way to the shuttle. Rush was the most vocal in his objections, as usual. "Have you gone mad?"

Young ran a hand through his hair in exasperation as he stopped in the middle of the corridor. "Aw, man, look. I really don't want to argue with you."

"You're really letting them stay?" Belle asked incredulously.

The colonel leveled her with a stare. The poor girl hadn't even had time to change, merely peeling off the top of the spacesuit and leaving her in her t-shirt and suspenders, before Rush had dragged her off to the shuttle bay. "Not all of them, Miss French."

"And you're giving them a shuttle?" Rush fumed, working himself up into a fine rage.

"The damaged shuttle."

"It's not damaged anymore," he argued.

Brody shifted uncomfortably as the colonel dragged him into the argument. "Didn't you say that the shuttle may never be fully functional?"

Before he could answer, Rush jumped back into the fray. "We may need the shuttle for any number of reasons."

"I am not going to leave those people down there with nothing, Rush!"

"You cannot let them stay, Colonel!"

"Nicholas, please. He's made up his mind, so let it go," Belle said softly, resting her hand on his nape. The heat seemed to drain away at her touch, but it didn't mean he agreed with the man.

Brody stopped him before he could enter the shuttle. "Colonel, there are still some issues as to whether it can hold up through atmospheric entry. You could be risking your life trying to take it down to the planet."

Young shook his head. "Well, we're about to find out." With that, he entered the shuttle and closed the bay doors.

X*X*X*X*X

Nicholas sat at the small table in his quarters, whittling some soapstone they'd found on the planet into what was beginning to resemble chess pieces. He knew how much Belle enjoyed the game and remembered fondly the nights they'd spent playing in the lab when their work would hit a standstill. He smiled warmly at her as she returned to their quarters, fresh out of the shower. Warmth spread through his chest when he noticed she was wearing his white shirt again paired with a pair of silky black shorts she'd found in the crates left by the Ancients. She wore the damn thing more than he did.

She stretched out on the bed, her feet dangling over the edge, and rested her head on her folded arms as she watched him work. "You seem to be making some progress."

"It's relaxing and besides, I like working with my hands," he said with a wicked grin. "Why'd you leave the door open? Are you feeling claustrophobic again?" he asked. She'd been having issues even with the larger spaces on Destiny after their sojourn with the aliens.

She yawned. "Not really. Just don't want to be closed in, I guess. They weren't happy about coming back, Nicholas. Chloe and Scott seem to be back on speaking terms, but there's still a lot of work ahead of them if they're going to try to repair their relationship. And I can't remember the last time I've seen TJ so depressed."

"They spent a month down on that planet in the fresh air and sunshine. Of course, they're going to be hesitant about being cooped up on a starship again," he explained. "At least they brought back an abundance of supplies. I'm still stuffed from dinner."

"You didn't touch the salad though. It would serve you well to eat some greens, darling," she admonished lightly. Her voice was already beginning to slur with sleep.

Colonel Young poked his head around the open door, eyebrows raised in question, but he relaxed as Rush gestured for him to come in. He came to stand next to the table, curiously eyeing the pieces Rush was working on.

Nicholas sighed. "Well, as predicted, we've corrected our course and jumped back into FTL."

"I'm sorry you didn't get your wish, though," Everett said with a rueful grin.

Rush cast him a puzzled frown. "What wish was that?"

"Aliens advanced enough that they could build a star system … finally, someone you could have a decent conversation with."

The scientist's gaze moved over Belle where she slumbered peacefully across the end of the bed. "That's why I have her," he murmured contentedly.

Young gestured awkwardly to the chess pieces. "I … um … I enjoy chess."

Rush huffed a short laugh, recognizing the olive branch of peace the colonel was extending to him. "I'll tell you what, Colonel. If you can beat my Belle at the game … then we'll talk."

a/n: Is it Sunday yet? No? Oh, well … here it is a few hours early. Hope you all enjoy!