He eventually found her hovering at the outskirts of the Infirmary, trying hard not to get in the way while still keeping as close to Lucas as possible. As McQueen reached her, one of the nurses was trying to shoo her out of the Infirmary entirely. McQueen rescued her from that fate, but he couldn´t think of anything else to help her. Words of comfort had never come easily to him, except when it came to his people. Even then words let him down. For example, if he´d listened to West at the beginning, maybe he´d have got the ‘Cards back much earlier that time on Cer.

They stood there in a slightly uncomfortable silence while the medics stuck even more tubes into Masterson, ran test after test and assisted his breathing. Throughout it all, Thursday stood silent, only her eyes expressing her pain at watching someone she loved suffer that much. In the end, McQueen gave up on words, and placed one arm gently around her shoulders, trying to imbue her with all of his strength.

It was two hours before the medics relented, finally informing them of the extent of Lucas´ injuries. Once more McQueen was impressed with Hagen, as she listened and asked the pertinent questions without showing any sign of collapse. In a lot of ways she reminded him of Vansen, the same inner strength and calmness under fire. She did blanch a little when the medic told her, sounding a little harried, about the broken wrist and the hip that was so badly shattered that he´d need months of physiotherapy. McQueen wondered, not for the first time, how a member of the so called ‘caring profession´ should be so lacking in empathy with the woman in front of him.

Finally, the medic let them see Lucas, albeit a little less than graciously. McQueen was a little reluctant to intrude, he knew it probably breached natural borns´ unwritten rules, but he had to talk to Masterson as soon as possible. The brass needed to know exactly what the AIs knew about the upcoming summit as soon as possible. He did however give them a few minutes, watching as Thursday held tightly onto Lucas´ hand. She was crying now, the relief finally showing as she brushed the hair gently away from his face. He opened his eyes to fasten onto her face, pressing her fingers between his. Watching them together caused Ty an obscure feeling of pain, much like that he felt when he observed Gibson and Cooper without being noticed. He paused for a second to analyse it. Was it jealousy? He didn´t think so. After a few moments he realised what it was. It was a sense of isolation. These young people had something he´d hoped to have once, but which had been snatched away from him. Not love so much as a sense of closeness, of being the most important person in someone else´s life. In that instant, he became as reconciled as he could be to Cooper´s relationship with Gibson. That didn´t mean he liked it, or liked her, but the boy deserved the right to try, even if he failed as badly as Ty himself had. That´s what Glen had meant.

He decided that he´d given them as much time as he could. He had to ask, no matter what memories this brought back for Lucas. He could tell that they were bad by the way Lucas´ eyes darkened, and the way he never left off holding his partner´s hand. However, the answers Masterson was able to give reassured him. The AIs didn´t know about the summit, since their questions had concentrated solely on Cooper and the information about Hayden that Lucas and Thursday had safely hidden away. McQueen kept the questions as brief as possible. Lucas was still finding it difficult to breathe, in spite of whatever vascular drugs they had him on. Eventually he proclaimed himself satisfied, for now, with one last question to ask.

"Do you think you´ll still be able to monitor the summit, Doctor Masterson?"

"Are you out of your tiny little mind," Thursday erupted. "Haven´t you had enough blood out of him. Do you want to finish what they AIs started and kill him?"

"Doctor Hagen, please remain calm..." McQueen soothed.

"Calm! CALM! For god´s sake, he´s in hospital. You heard the medic. He won´t be up and about for weeks, and you want him to baby-sit some politicians?" She could yell even louder than Vansen. McQueen winced and wished that the brass had sent someone else to do their dirty work. He agreed with Hagen, Lucas was in no fit condition to help, but he had to ask nonetheless.

"Doctor Hagen, please, calm down. I happen to agree with you, but the fact remains that we need someone like Lucas there at the summit....."

"As I recall," she interrupted abruptly, "you had no such need at the last peace conference."

"That may be why the conference failed." She had nothing to say to that. "We can´t risk that again Doctor Hagen. Perhaps Cooper...."

"You´d risk Cooper on something like that?" She was incensed. "You´d expose him, both to whatever is going on in that room in his current condition, and to the risk of exploitation in the future?"

Lucas pulled the mask away from his face again. "Current condition?" he wheezed, concerned. Thursday threw another incensed look at McQueen, as though it was his fault that Cooper´s ‘current condition´ had been brought up.

"He´s fine," she soothed. "Just a little frazzled around the edges. Aren´t we all? He´ll be up and about in no time." McQueen couldn´t tell if Lucas believed her, but he let it slide, perhaps due to exhaustion.

"Then you´ll have to do it, Doctor Hagen," McQueen stated flatly. That earned him a look that was both incensed and disbelieving.

"I will not," she stated calmly and coldly. Now it was McQueen´s turn to be disbelieving. She knew how important it was, how could she just turn him down like that with no time for thought.

"I know you can do it, Doctor Hagen. The events of the past few days have convinced me of that much..."

"You weren´t listening, Colonel. I said will not, not can not." Each word was clearly enunciated and McQueen found himself resenting that. Obstinate, little....

Lucas pushed his mask away once more, struggling to breathe as he said weakly, "Colonel, give us a few moments..." McQueen struggled with his anger for a few seconds, trying hard to ignore the pleading look that Lucas was giving him. However, as soon as his eyes settled on that bruise and the butterfly bandages now decorating the young man´s face, he couldn´t deny him anymore. He´d got those, and the rest of his injuries, because of Cooper. He sighed a little heavily, and moved away from the bed, trying to block out the argument behind him. They deserved some privacy at least. He wasn´t entirely successful.

"You have to do it, Tee," he could hear Lucas pleading. Unseen by McQueen, Thursday gave him an obstinate look.

"You promised me," she was saying. "You promised me that no one would ever find out. And now you want me to go public in... in the most public way possible!"

He didn´t say anything more. McQueen waited for a while before turning surreptitiously back towards the bed in time to catch the tail end of the look they shared. He wasn´t sure if they were doing that ‘mind thing´ again; given the state they were both in, he suspected not. Perhaps they knew each other so well they didn´t need words, spoken out loud or not. Eventually, Thursday broke the look, and turned towards McQueen. She still looked mad as hell.

"I´ll do it." There was no forgiveness in her tone. McQueen nodded, as satisfied as he could be in the circumstances, before leaving them to their reunion.

~*~

Madi watched as Cooper's eyelids dropped once, twice, gone. They'd been in her wardroom for over ten hours and his condition hadn't shown any sign of improvement; but at least the quiet in the room, and her surveillance, was allowing him to get some rest. She focused bleary eyes on her book, snuggled the pillow under her neck for comfort and promptly drifted off as well.

The dreams came on him instantly, their vividness and color surprising him, breaking into the restful darkness with a violence that made him jerk hard in his sleep. They were unfamiliar and after watching them for a few minutes he realized he was once again seeing them from another's perspective. He tried to force them from his mind and wake, but they were either too strong or he was too weak.

At first it was good. Family. Togetherness. Home. When they turned dark, he was surprised, frightened and alone. He was doing something wrong --but what? Though this wasn't his dream, maybe in the odd manner of dreams he controlled it. He surreptitiously checked to see if he was using the right eating utensil, sitting properly, anything. Cooper was a master at emulation - it was how he'd adapted and managed to fit in as much as he did. Still he felt the disapproval flowing over him, emanating from the man at the head of the table and he didn't understand. It was while he was concentrating on that issue that the first blow came. He was surprised to feel pain in a dream yet it was there. No one would or could help him. He held his bloody hand out to the woman and she averted her eyes as if she didn't see. But he knew. He knew she saw. Knew she wavered before turning away, ignoring the blood, the bruises.

He heard a voice cry out for Thursday and she was there. Her eyes looked right at him. Looked and pleaded and begged for him to save her. Cooper reached for her with his bound hands but she dissolved, leaving only the AI's who shook him -- trying to shake information out of him. Trying to find out things. Trying to find out about…him. This time it was the pilots in front of him, their eyes, God, their eyes -- pleading for him to save them. Cooper squeezed his eyes shut hard, he wouldn't watch them, they couldn't make him watch. The AIs couldn't make him open his eyes even though they tried, especially the one that kept shaking him, calling to him. Then in the way of dreams his hands were free and he struck out -- pushing the AI away and trying in vain to reach the pilots even as he saw the other AI raise its weapon.

"NO!!!" Madi sat on the floor, leaning her back against the bed, watching helplessly as Cooper struggled in the throes of his nightmare. She pressed her hand against her aching face, fear and concern for Cooper showing in her eyes.

"Cooper! Wake up!" She started to shake him again and thought better of it. She should have known better the first time. He continued to dream, body folded tightly into the corner between the wall and the bed, with his eyes squinched tightly closed. She was only diverted by the pounding on the door.

It was Thursday. "Madi? Are you all right? I could hear Cooper out in the hall as I passed by." Her concerned eyes took in Madi's flustered appearance and the bruise blooming on her cheek.

"I went to sleep and now he's having nightmares. He thought I was an AI." Madi noted with relief that he'd finally quieted, though he occasionally jerked, making her think he was still trapped in the dreams.

"Let me see that cheek." Madi complied, obeying the stern tone as automatically as her children did. Thursday tended to mother them all a bit. She tilted Madi's face up and gave a nod, satisfied no damage had been done.

"You've had worse. Better cover that up before Lucas sees it." Madi nodded in silent agreement.

"Tell him I'll be up soon, but don't worry him about this, Tee. Cooper will be fine once he's rested."

"I know, dear. I'll keep Lucas occupied." Thursday glanced with compassion down at her sleeping friend. It surprised her really, how fond she'd grown of him. "You watch our Cooper. I'm afraid his hardest battle still lies ahead."

~*~

She watched him as he slept, one arm curled over his face, shielding his eyes from the dim light. Her heart ached for him. He´d been through so much the last few days, and she wished that she could somehow make it better for him. At least now he´d been able to get some sleep, at last after several nights when she knew for a fact that he´d hardly closed his eyes. And while InVitros may not need as much sleep as natural borns, they certainly needed more than he´d been getting.

As she watched he rolled over with a sleepy sigh, reaching for her. When his hand encountered nothing but empty bed, he frowned, still asleep, and started to stir. She rose from her seat, settling herself beside him, losing herself in the arms he wrapped tight around her as he sank once more into unconsciousness. For a while she was content to watch him from this angle, his head resting on her chest, before she too drifted back off to sleep.

He was awake when she woke again, leaning on one elbow and watching her, his head cushioned in his hand. His eyes still betrayed his tiredness, but she was pleased to see that he seemed a little more rested. At least the raw desperation had evaporated. Last night she wasn´t even sure that it had been him she was looking at.

"Hi," she breathed, relieved when he mustered enough energy to smile at her. Not his normal beaming smile, to be sure, but a vast improvement. "How are you feeling?"

He considered this for a moment, his eyes never leaving her face, before shrugging. "Okay," he answered noncommittally. She smiled back at him, and raised herself up on her elbows to kiss him, once again relieved when he responded. He buried his free hand into her hair, deepening the kiss, and sliding his tongue into her mouth. Definitely an improvement on last night. She purred, pressing herself up against his lean, hard body, wrapping one arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer. They traded passionate kisses for a while, causing her head to spin, and electric currents to shoot through her body. An incredible improvement on last night.

After a while, she broke away from him, sighing as his lips continued to move down her neck, leaving trails of heat in their wake. She moaned, tangling her hands in his hair and running them down his back, enjoying the simple fact that she could touch him without him pulling away. It was strange how much you took the little things for granted until they were gone. Like being able to hold him like this, kiss him like this, enjoy him like this.

She wanted more. She wanted to hear him moan. She wanted to know that she was causing it. She wanted to drive him so far out of his mind that he forgot everything. That he forgot Lucas and the events of the past few days, at least for a little while. She knew neither of them would forget for long. She wanted to hear him say her name, in that voice that drove her nuts. That sexy growl that made her hot and wet because it meant that she was having that effect on him. She didn´t care if it was selfish. She needed this and she had a strong feeling that he did too.

She pushed him onto his back, taking him by surprise. That in itself made her feel better, If she could take him by surprise that meant that he had his shields up, that he could keep his shields up. Now that Lucas was back and safe, he was able to shield.

She hid a smile. That meant that he had no idea what she had planned. Good. She liked keeping him off balance.

She continued to press hot, needy kisses on his mouth, her hands running down his arms to gently grasp his wrists. She wriggled a little to get comfortable, smiling again when this made him groan. She could feel his erection pressing into her thigh. Slowly she moved his hands, until they were above his head, running her fingers over his palms until their hands were entwined.

She released one of his hands and reached down to undo the tie around her short satin dressing gown she´d been wearing earlier and hadn´t removed. Well, now was as good a time as any. However, there was one thing she wanted to do first. Still holding the sash in her hand, she retrieved his free hand from her waist and moved it up to join its fellow above his head. Almost before he knew it, she´d wrapped the sash tightly around both of his wrists and was tying the other end to the end of the bunk.

"Madi," he growled at her. She wasn´t fooled. Almost before he knew it. She was perfectly aware of how quick he could be, even as stressed as he was. If he´d had any objections, there was no way she´d have been able to do it. And now she was about to relieve some of that stress, or perhaps cause more. That thought made her smile openly this time, raising herself above him and grinning down at him, before leaning down and kissing him thoroughly. He wriggled impatiently beneath her, her kisses, and the feel of her pressed down against his chest, her hands lightly stroking over his pectorals, was making him light headed. He wanted her. Now.

She broke the kiss, smiling down at him as he opened his eyes, to stare dazedly at her. Even if she hadn´t been able to feel his arousal, now pressing lightly against her buttocks, she could have guessed the effect she had on him simple from the way his pupils were dilated. She purred deep in her throat, causing his mouth to twitch in a slight smile. He was having on equal effect on her.

She settled back on his stomach, holding his eyes as she eased her dressing gown off, leaving her in her satin night-shirt. Slowly, tantalisingly she undid each button, one at a time, watching the effect this had on him as her creamy skin was revealed to him. He twisted beneath her again, more impatiently this time. Games were all very well and good, but he didn´t want to wait. He´d waited too long as it was.

However, wait seemed to be precisely what she had in mind. She eased her shirt off, but made no effort to move any closer to him. She still had that slight smile on her face. He felt the strong urge to remove it. He wanted to see her face contorted with passion, to see her catch her lip between her teeth the way she did when she was close to the edge. But it looked like he´d have to wait for now. She definitely wasn´t in any hurry.

She eased herself off him, naked now, and began to run light fingers over his body, now and then dragging her nails over his skin, causing him to twist and moan. Every time he did so, she smiled more. He watched her with hooded eyes. He was becoming more determined than ever to wipe that smile from her face. She followed her fingers with her mouth, placing kisses all over his chest and shoulders. By now he was moaning almost continuously.

Eventually, her fingers found the top of his boxer shorts, and he gasped in relief as she eased them down over his throbbing erection and off. At last.

She settled herself back on his stomach, leaning back down again to kiss him, sliding her tongue into his mouth to caress his and then sucking his tongue into her mouth to nibble on it gently. That alone almost made him come. However, before he found that release she released his tongue and sat back down. He could feel her heat against his cock. He wanted her so badly he could taste her.

She raised herself up on her outstretched arms, and began to rub her damp cleft against his engorged member, slowly up and down his length. Oh god. He closed his eyes, lost in the sensations she was causing, twisting beneath her once more.

She continued to torment him, rubbing herself against him, enjoying the friction, but slowing whenever she felt him getting close. At last he couldn´t stand it anymore.

"Madi," he gasped. "Please."

She loved hearing him beg. With one swift motion, she raised herself up, and gently slid herself onto him, stopping before he was more than an inch or so inside. She stopped there, enjoying the look of disbelief on his face. She wanted this to be as good as possible for him, and what was it they said about anticipation?

She stayed there, clenching and unclenching the muscles in her vagina, watching his face as he moaned beneath her, his face and body now covered in a light sheen of sweat. He tried to penetrate her further, raising his hips off the bed, but she had anticipated that particular manoeuvre and raised herself up to prevent it. She smiled at the way he glared at her.

"Madi!" he growled again.

She smiled sweetly. "You know, they say that patience is a virtue," she teased.

"Fuck virtue," he said hotly. "I want you. Now." Well, he was an officer, so she supposed that was an order. She leaned down to kiss him again.

"I´d rather you fucked me," she whispered against his mouth, before thrusting her hips down to engulf him completely. It was all he needed, and he came convulsively, emptying himself into her body, his cries lost in her mouth.

She continued to kiss him, running her tongue lightly over his lips as the shudders continued to shake his body. Eventually, his body went limp, and she moved her hands up to gently stroke his face as he returned her kisses. He was still hard inside her, and she began to move against him again, loving the feel of him inside her body. She could stay like this forever.

"Madi," he whispered to her. "Untie my hands." She complied, running her hands along his arms, enjoying the feel of his muscles twitching beneath her fingertips, before loosening the tie and releasing him. He promptly rolled her over onto her back, and thrust deeply into her once or twice, bringing her close to the edge, before stopping to look down at her.

"Remember what you told me when we made love at your house?" he asked. She shook her head, gazing at him glazed and dazed. "Turnabout´s fair play, sweetheart. I remembered." Before she could react, he´d grabbed her night-shirt and had wrapped it around her wrists, securing her to the bed. And then he grabbed her sash, and wound it around her eyes. She lay there, naked, blindfolded and tied to the bed, and incredibly aroused.

She couldn´t see him, but she could hear him as he rose from the bed. For a second she thought that she´d gone to far, and as punishment he was going to leave her there. Oh god! What if he left her there and Reece found her. How the hell was she going to explain that?

Relief flooded her when she felt the bed shift as he settled himself back down onto it again. What was he up to?

Cold. Oh god something cold was dripping onto her skin. Ice cubes. He´d found ice cubes in the fridge. She twisted in her bonds, moaning as she felt him run the ice cubes over her aching breasts. He rubbed it over her nipple, sending shivers through her body that had nothing to do with the temperature. She arched off the bed, desperately trying to free her hands so that she could wind them in his hair.

"Cooper! Cooper, please!" she moaned. She could both feel and hear his chuckle.

"Patience is a virtue, remember kitty?" he mocked gently.

"I´m sorry," she babbled. "I´m sorry, I shouldn´t have teased you. I just wanted it to be good for you, real good. Please, baby."

"And I want it to be good for you too, kitty." He gently rubbed her quivering stomach. "Relax," he murmured. "I won´t hurt you. I just want to make it good. Relax."

He continued to run his hands over her body, following with his lips and ice, working her into a frenzy. He skirted the area she most wanted him to touch, moving down her legs to nip at her toes and ankles, before moving back up to give her a kiss which curled her toes.

Finally, when she was gasping for breath, unable to stand the tension anymore, he eased her thighs gently apart, to rub the ice cube over her sensitive nub. She arched her back again, weeping and sobbing with need as she felt his tongue follow. He slipped one finger inside her and then another, fucking her with them as his tongue continued to flick over her clitoris.

She came explosively, screaming his name as waves of pleasure surged through her body, twisting her body beneath him as he continued to move his fingers in and out, faster and harder now so that her second orgasm followed hot on the heels of her first. She thought that she´d die with the pleasure of it.

Eventually he eased her down, moving up her body to wrap her in his arms as she went limp and boneless. He kissed his way around her hairline, saying nothing, just stroking her quivering body.

His hands moved up towards the end of the bunk, and she when she felt them on her wrists she thought that he was going to release her, but instead he tested the security of her bonds. And then he turned her over onto her front. She lay there, unable to see, wondering what was going to happen next, when she felt his hands on her hips. She was pulled onto all fours and then she felt him slide into her with one long slow stroke.

Oh god, he felt so good as he stretched and filled her. He continued to move in and out of her, alternating slow shallow strokes with deep quick ones, until she felt the tension build again. Anticipating this, he moved one hand round to stroke her, bringing her to completion before coming himself, grabbing her hips with both hands as he plunged deeply into her, before filling her with his essence.

This time he did release her, rolling her onto her back, removing her blindfold and gently kissing her closed eyes. And then he sank into her once again, moving gently within her, slowly and surely bringing them both to climax.

And then they fell asleep again, wrapped in each others arms, his head resting on her chest breathing softly.

~*~

McQueen hovered in the doorway to the medbay, unsure of his welcome, not even sure in fact of what he was doing here. After all, he was nothing to either Lucas or Thursday; their relationship, if that was the right word, was with Cooper. But he couldn´t leave the young man on his own, to brood over what had happened. That was the mistake he had made with Wang. If he´d just paid more attention to the young pilot, been there when he was needed, instead of leaving him to struggle through on his own the way he, McQueen, had perhaps Wang´s sense of failure and guilt wouldn´t have blighted his life and in the end destroyed him. He´d done the same with Cooper and the meanies, turned his back and waited for the kid to make it through on his own. He started to wonder whether it wasn´t his own guilt that had lead his footsteps there.

He knew what it was like. He still remembered the sense of isolation after Runnymede. The feeling that he was the only one who had ever been through this terrible experience, that he was somehow marked, flawed because of it. He´d lasted three days, a feat by anyone´s standards. The young man currently hooked up to various drips and tubes in front of him had lasted five. Ty had broken eventually, much as Wang had, sold out his unit for the pain to stop. And he´d lived with the guilt ever since, on his own. No such thing as counselling for Tanks. Lucas would probably have access to any help he would want or need. He was somewhat ashamed to find that he was resentful of that.

McQueen realised that while he´d been wallowing in memories, Lucas had woken up and was now watching him, his expression a combination of wariness and curiosity. Ty felt defensive, as though he´d been caught doing something he shouldn´t. It had been a long time since he´d felt uncomfortable, and it wasn´t an experience he relished. He suddenly realised that while he´d been stood in the doorway, lost in his memories, Lucas´ expression had turned from curious to worried. And the longer that McQueen stood there, the more worried Lucas seemed to get. Well, McQueen guessed that it was time to bite the bullet - make or break time as it were.

"Is it Thursday?" Lucas demanded, agitated, as soon as McQueen was within hearing distance. McQueen shook his head, a little taken aback by the question. "Cooper? Madi?" Lucas continued.

"No," replied McQueen. "As far as I know everything´s fine." Lucas slumped back a little in his bed, his expression becoming disinterested and a little weary.

"Oh," he said without enthusiasm. "The summit?" McQueen looked at him, surprised again. Was it so difficult to believe that he might have just dropped in to chew the fat, shoot the breeze. Looking at the young man in front of him, he realised it probably was, and he was surprised to find out how much that bothered him. By nature he was a private man, but he was beginning to realise that he had been so ‘private´ that he´d shut the world out. About the only person he´d let in recently had been Cooper, and where had that got him? A major pain in the butt, who gave him nothing but grief and worry. But who he wouldn´t swap for the world, even if that meant putting up with Gibson.

Lucas was now looking at him very suspiciously. McQueen straightened up and dragged himself sharply back to the present. "What then?" Lucas wanted to know, a little irritated. McQueen cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I just came to see how you were doing."

"Oh," said Lucas, a little taken aback. "Why?" McQueen wasn´t sure whether it was the drugs they were given him, or the past few days of close association, but the scientist sounded remarkably like Cooper when he asked that. And Ty was stuck for an answer.

"It was either you or paperwork," he explained.

"Its nice to know I´m preferable to something," Lucas deadpanned, "even if its just paperwork." They stared uncomfortably at each other for a few moments, McQueen unsure of how to break the silence, and Lucas to drained to care.

"So, how do you feel?" asked McQueen, more to break the silence than expecting any real answer. Lucas looked at him hard for a few seconds.

"Like shit," he replied. "Next question." McQueen was a little surprised, not at the content of the answer, but at the way it had been phrased. He reassessed his opinion of Lucas. He´d been doing that a lot recently.

"How´s Cooper?" Lucas wanted to know. "Is he okay? He hasn´t been to see me yet, and whenever I try to find out why from Thursday, she neatly side-steps the question. I´m beginning to think that there´s something she´s not telling me."

McQueen raised one eyebrow. "She does that?" he asked. "I didn´t think she´d be able to."

"Frequently," replied Lucas dryly. "And now you´re doing the same thing."

"As far as I know, Cooper is fine. He´s very tired, and both Gibson and Doctor Hagen didn´t think that it would be a good idea for him to come and see you in his present condition."

Lucas looked exasperated. "There you go now! If Cooper is fine, then why do people keep referring to his current condition?" There was genuine concern in the question, McQueen realised. He also realised that if Lucas was feeling well enough to pursue the question, then he was probably well enough to be given a direct answer. Although he appreciated the women´s concerns about laying too much on Lucas, he had a feeling that they were coddling him.

"I don´t really understand what is going on," he answered truthfully, "but as far as I know Cooper was suffering some fallout from the raid on the AI base. I´m not sure what happened, but for a day or so he was worn out and couldn´t really stand to around anyone who couldn´t shield as you call it." Like me, he thought but didn´t add. "He´s fine now, or so Gibson assures me. Although she insists he still needs some rest." Privately, McQueen had a suspicion that Gibson was bluffing as a means to keep Hawkes isolated for a few days. Like away from McQueen´s influence. But as long as Hagen and Phousse backed her up, McQueen was not about to risk the kid´s health or sanity proving her wrong.

He gave the young man in front of him a keen look. It suddenly occurred to him that perhaps this man might be an ally in his fight to persuade Cooper to delay this marriage business. Lucas was a sensible man, and he was sure to see that they were rushing into this. He was about to broach the subject, when Lucas spoke, his train of thought obviously echoing McQueen´s. Although his conclusion couldn´t have been more different.

"Don´t worry about Cooper, Colonel. Madi will take very good care of him. He´s very lucky to have her." Strange that, McQueen reflected. He´d come to try and bring some comfort to Lucas and here it was again, the tables turned, and Lucas was reassuring him.

"Perhaps you should concentrate on getting well yourself, Doctor Masterson, and leave me to worry about Cooper and Gibson." There was an edge to his voice that he hadn´t intended. He hadn´t come here to fight, he´d come to try and bring Masterson some kind of peace. Lucas sighed heavily.

"You underestimate Madi, Colonel. You shouldn´t let your personal dislike of her affect the way you treat Cooper." McQueen clenched his fists. How dare this young.... civilian lecture him on how to treat his men. If Lucas could feel his agitation, he ignored it. "Thursday...... her family doesn´t like me very much. They don´t approve of our relationship." He paused, deep in thought. "They think I´m too young for her for one thing. She doesn´t see them as much as she should. She gets angry with them because of the way they treat me. Its driven a wedge between them. If you´re not careful, Colonel, the same thing is going to happen to you and Cooper." McQueen wanted to point out to Lucas that it was different for them, different for tanks. Tanks didn´t have family. Cooper was just one of his men. But the words wouldn´t come.

"I´m surprised that her family disapprove of you, Doctor Masterson. I´ve been doing some digging of my own. You´re successful, wealthy, a self made man and respected in your field."

"...And I´m younger than her, I have a criminal record, as a juvenile admittedly, and I come from a family with a history of violence." McQueen realised that Lucas must still be very ill if he was revealing this. The exhaustion was evident in his voice, and McQueen felt a surge of guilt at putting Masterson through this, on top of everything else. "I think they cling to their first impressions of me, when none of what you say was true. You´re in danger of letting your first impressions of Madi blind you to who she really is. Don´t make that mistake, Colonel. Cooper needs you, but I think he might need her more. He deserves this chance at happiness and he´ll hate you if you screw it up for him."

"I have no intention of screwing anything up for Hawkes," replied McQueen gruffly. He couldn´t take his anger out on Lucas, so he took the safest option and abruptly changed the subject. "Is there anything you want? Anything I can bring you? Some books or something?"

"No thank you, Colonel. I´m not really in the mood for books."

"Well, if you change your mind...."

"Thank you."

"Well, I´ll leave you to get some rest." McQueen rose to his feet and turned to leave. At the end of the bed he hesitated before turning back. "Lucas...." he paused, unsure of what to say next. He just opened his mouth and hoped that the words came. "If you need to talk, ..... need someone to talk to, well... I´ve been there. At Runnymede, during the AI wars. I understand what you´re going through. Just, well, just remember that I´ll be here."

Lucas looked at him for a moment, genuinely touched. "Thank you," he said again, much softer this time. He understood how much it cost the man in front of him to make that offer. He recognised that the Colonel was a private man, not given to revealing his vulnerabilities. Which made his offer mean so much more.

Ty said nothing else, just nodded once, and left, leaving Lucas alone with the memories and the nightmares.

~*~

Lucas lay staring moodily at the monitors beeping rhythmically at his side. He hurt all over, and was so tired he could hardly hold his head up; but every time he tried to sleep the nightmares came. He would see the pilots killed in front of him over and over - only in his dreams the faces sometimes changed to those of Cooper and Thursday. If it wasn't that, it was dreams of his father and Lucas didn't know which was worse. Unless they drugged him, which he wouldn't allow, he couldn't get any sleep and the fatigue and pain were wearing on his nerves.

The first two days he'd been too sedated to really care what was going on around him. Now he was cranky and irritable and he'd even snapped at Thursday earlier though she'd been doing her best to comfort him. She'd left with tears in her eyes and he hated himself for being like this to her. Hurting her was like cutting out his own heart but he couldn't seem to help himself. He couldn't stand being treated like an invalid, as if they had to keep in wrapped in cotton batting or something. The nicer everyone was, the more it seemed to irritate him. He really needed to punch something but since he could barely move that was out of the question. Being so helpless only compounded the feelings building inside him until Lucas felt as if he might explode with the rage and guilt that consumed him.

Several people had stopped in to visit. Some, like McQueen, Lucas welcomed because it took his mind off his turmoil for a while. Others like the military brass that stopped in to check on his condition only wore him out. They were just there checking on their investment and while Lucas wanted the war ended as quickly as anyone, and while he wanted to spare Thursday the job, he couldn't bear to deal with a room full of other people's thoughts right now.

Some people he wanted to see hadn't been by and he was becoming suspicious about that. Cooper and Madi namely. He vaguely remembered Thursday saying something about his 'condition' a couple of days ago but hadn't thought much of it at the time. Thursday had brushed off any questions, implying it was just fatigue. He'd tried to pick up something from Madi, but as usual, she had her shields firmly in place, thick as steel doors, and Lucas lacked the energy to crawl through them. Apparently she was doing the same for Cooper because he couldn't reach the young Marine either and Lucas wondered if that was deliberate.

Thursday had haltingly disclosed Reece's presence on board to him. Lucas planned to give Madi a lecture she wouldn't soon forget when he felt better despite Thursday's warning not to interfere. Thinking about that situation and Thursday being on the Saratoga made him angry all over again and he had worked himself into quite a rage when he looked up to see Madi and her bright mop of curls sail through the door. He pushed the anger down, there would be plenty of time for that later. After all, she had probably been worried to death about him and he steeled himself for more of the smothering concern he was sure would be forthcoming from someone he considered a sister.

Madi stopped at the foot of the bed, arms akimbo, foot tapping and glared at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Lucas Masterson!? Don't you know how worried she's been about you? How devastated? These past days have nearly killed her and you have the nerve to snap at her for fussing over you? If you weren't in that bed I'd knock you flat."

Madi was furious. Now that Lucas was safe, Cooper had left this morning to fly a mission and she'd been on her way to visit him when something made her stop by to check on Thursday. He friend was trying desperately not to show how upset she was but Madi could tell she´d been crying and she knew the reason, too. Cooper had been the same way when he was hurt, if not for the same reasons. Nate had talked to Cooper for her and Madi intended to do the same for Thursday. It seemed to Madi the closer you were to the sick person the more helpless you were to defend yourself from them.

"You're absolutely right, Madi."

"Don't try one of those slick lines with me….. what did you say?" Madi couldn't believe her ears.

"I said you're right. I was a bear to Thursday and I've been lying here hating myself for it. Satisfied?"

Madi nodded grudgingly. "I'll be satisfied if you apologise to her. She really has been devastated, Lucas."

Lucas nodded his agreement and smiled a bit at Madi's devotion. Although it was he and Madi that had become friends at the Centre first, she and Thursday had grown closer over the years and they had virtually adopted each other. When he'd told Thursday about Cooper's letter to Madi telling her to leave him alone, Thursday had been on the phone immediately. He'd watched in amazement as his lover had flown into a flurry of activity and before he knew what was happening, she'd had Madi and her children ensconced in Thursday's cottage in Scotland. Their proximity had only strengthened the bond between them, and Thursday and all her family were crazy over Madi and the children. Even Lisa, he reflected a little wryly.

"That aside, is that any way to greet a deathly ill person, Madi?" Lucas conveniently forgot that he was tired of coddling. Madi snorted, though in fact she'd kept in close contact with Thursday and she was appalled at the damage the AIs had done, mentally and physically, to her friend.

"I've seen you knocked around much worse than this, Lucas. One word. Afghanistan? When you nearly got us both killed?"

Lucas smiled. "You'll never forgive me for saving you, will you Madi? If I hadn't got there when I did you'd be herding goats right now and have a whole tent full of children. The guy was nuts about you."

Madi gritted her teeth. Trust Lucas to remember the story so that he was the hero. "I would never have been there if you hadn't sent me. 'It's the safest place on Earth, Madi'" she sing-songed mockingly to Lucas. "The next thing I know that crazy man was trying to put a veil on me."

"Well I came to your rescue when we lost communications. You knew I'd never abandon you out in the cold."

"Rescue? You call that a rescue? You offered to sell me to him!"

"That was just a ruse to buy time, although I was rather surprised at how much he was offering me for you, all because of that red hair. I knew once I got your knife back to you you'd be fine, although I still think it was quite tacky of you to carve your initials where you did while he was out." Lucas was surprised to find himself feeling better - bickering with Madi was the next best thing to punching something.

"Yeah, well, he's lucky that's all I carved on while he was out. That guy was a bubble off plumb." They looked at each other and burst out laughing, Lucas moaning as his ribs screamed at the abuse.

"Those were fun days, Lucas. We had absolutely no sense." That brought Lucas back to his earlier musings.

"Well, at least I've acquired some in the interim, whereas I'm not so sure about you. What were you thinking to bring Tee here, Madi? Have you lost your mind? And Reece? How many times have I warned you about that child."

"First of all, Lucas, I was brought here by Thursday, not the other way around. And don't talk to me like I could have stopped her, I know you couldn't have. She's a big girl, Lucas, I came to watch her back; that's all I could do."

Lucas conceded that. No one could make Thursday do anything she didn't want to, himself included.

"That still doesn't explain Reece being here." Madi shrugged her shoulders and developed a fascination with the covers on the hospital bed.

"Madi, you know you've got to do something about that boy. Despite what you and Cooper think, and the way you treat him, he's not an adult. He's nine. Normal nine-year-olds do not stow away on transports and go into space. They don't. Trust me on this. It's simply not done."

Madi sighed wearily. "What do you suggest, Lucas? I can't sit on him. I had to help Thursday, I owe her for all of her help. Besides what would you know about normal nine-year olds? From what I've heard you certainly weren't one yourself." Lucas chose not to answer that - of course it was different with him. Madi continued. "It's my fault, I should have let him write about his worries to Cooper and he'd have been satisfied. Besides, he's okay and everything turned out well. I think he's a pretty sharp kid." Madi couldn't help the touch of pride that came through her voice.

"He's okay this time, but what are you going to do as he gets older, more mature? He needs a father, Madi, they all do. Someone capable of standing up to him and seeing through to his twisted little core. That kid wraps you right around his pinkie. And Cooper needs to know about the adoption problems as well." Madi's chin came up at the last bit of interference.

"Stop playing big brother, Lucas." She glared at him a moment before giving in. One of her problems was that she could never stay mad at him. Lucas shook his head as he stared at her obstinate expression.

"Madi, I know his mind better than he does, and believe me, he's going to be very upset when he finds out that you've been keeping things from him. He's going to think you don't trust him."

Madi walked around to the side of the bed and into the light from the top of the bed. She glanced at the door to be sure no one was there and leaned close to Lucas. "Reece told him and we're getting married so you can stop worrying. Everything's going to be fine."

Lucas grinned in surprise. "Let me guess, you twisted his arm until he begged you to marry him." Madi laughed and lightly swatted at his arm. She hid her dismay and shock at finding that there were few places on him that she could actually touch that weren't broken or bruised, but she knew Lucas too well to offer sympathy.

"No, smarty, I did not. He was very sweet and he asked me. I couldn't resist him." Madi picked at the covers by his hand before peeking out from under her lashes at Lucas. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing, Lucas?"

"Yes, I do, Madi. I know you're worried, but it is the right thing for both of you. I'm very envious. Do you think my friend Cooper might divulge his secret for getting the woman he loves to marry him?"

Madi smiled into his tired eyes. "I'm sure he would but I don't know if you have the guts to do it to Tee. His tactics aren't for the weak-hearted." She stopped teasing him then. "Lucas, she loves you, you have to know that. Marrying you won't make her love you any more."

"I want children too. She won't even discuss it. I …I can't read her about this." Madi rarely saw Lucas uncertain and it nearly broke her heart. Lucas was their mountain of strength and rational thought, to see him being so human was unsettling. "Do you think….could it be because of…" He could never say it out loud but Madi knew; she'd been at the Centre when he'd come back from his home and she didn't believe that anyone was that accident prone. "Do you think she's worried that it runs in my family? Maybe she's afraid to have children with me, maybe she thinks I'd hurt them." Tears sprang into Madi's eyes at his words.

"Lucas, you are not like your father and Thursday would never think that. She recognizes the kind of person you are and she knows you would never hurt a child. My children adore you. Do you think I'd let you near them if I thought for one minute you might harm them?"

Lucas was suddenly embarrassed that he'd shown his fears to anyone, even Madi. It wasn't his way and he blamed the damn sleeplessness and mental anguish for making him daffy.

A night nurse popped into the room with his meds, hitting the overhead light. Lucas blinked his eyes a moment before he got adjusted to the light and glanced at Madi. What he saw made him forget his pleasure and threw him back into his nightmares. His words came out low and chilling.

"What happened to your face, Madi?" She absently reached up and pressed against her cheek, realizing the bruise must show through her makeup. She didn't notice Lucas's sudden wariness and suspicion.

"Oh, I had little accident, nothing to worry about." Just like his mother he thought, always just a little accident, always covering for the bastard, backing him up, making Lucas look like the liar.

"If Cooper did that to you, Madi, I'm going to kill him." Madi swiveled her eyes toward him in shock. She didn't want him feeling anymore guilt but she certainly didn't want him to think this had been deliberate.

"Lucas, it's nothing. He was having a nightmare and I tried to wake him. Nathan warned me he could wake up like that but he'd been so relaxed I had forgotten. It´s just a reflex action from living on the street. Reece is the same to some extent." He was still staring at her as if she were lying and Madi could sense his indecision.

"Lucas, you're so worn out, you're imagining things. If you were thinking clearly you'd know that Cooper would never hurt me on purpose. I didn't even tell him about this because he'd have been so upset." Cooper had been so distracted over the past couple of days, the make up had managed to hide it from him. She was surprised there was still enough of a bruise for Lucas to notice, but then he´d always been observant. She changed the subject. "You should let me help you, Lucas." She reached down and took his hand. Lucas was surprised at first, other than the children and Cooper, Madi made it a strict rule not to touch people. She'd been the recipient of their unwanted emotions too many times not to have learned. When he realized what she intended to do he jerked his hand away.

"No!" Madi didn't flinch or look wounded - she'd expected as much.

"Lucas, you're exhausted. I can tell you're not sleeping; how can you get well if you can't rest? Let me help you."

He fiercely shook his head, ignoring the shooting pains that spun through him at the movement. "No, I don't want to forget the pain, Madi. I need to remember their pain, to remember them. It was my fault. I thought she'd listen to reason and because of that I let her put me in the position of causing others insurmountable grief. I caused the pain and I have to honor it."

"Lucas, if you keep this inside of you it will destroy you. I didn't want to tell you this, but Cooper's nightmares? They were your dreams, Lucas. If they upset Cooper this badly I can only imagine what they're doing to you. As for it being your fault that's preposterous. It´s Hayden that´s at fault here, not you. And Thomas Noble should have been more careful before he got you involved in this as well."

Lucas narrowed his eyes at her. "How do you know about Hayden?"

"Thursday told me." Madi could tell that Lucas didn´t like that.

"You know about Noble senior too, then?"

Madi hesitated, before deciding that honesty was the best policy. "Well, Thursday may have mentioned him in passing. She also told me that Cooper doesn´t know about him."

"Is there anything she didn´t tell you?" The question was harsher than he´d intended. She bristled defensively.

"Tee told me what she had to, so don´t have another go at her. If you hadn´t decided to be so secretive, perhaps this mess wouldn´t have happened."

Oh god, she hadn´t meant to say that. She watched him flinch, his eyes darkening with pain. She tried to change the subject. "Besides, you´re avoiding the question. You´re very good at that."

"No, he doesn´t know about Thomas Noble. He will soon enough. Thomas Noble is here with a group of ambassadors from Earth. He's pulled strings and greased palms to get himself here. He's dying to meet Cooper and he's taking advantage of the Saratoga orbiting Earth to see him. I suspect it will be very emotional for Thomas, Cooper looks just like the picture of his soon I've seen on his desk, though he's got Hayden's hair color."

He saw no point in telling Madi that he had his doubts now about Noble´s reaction to his ‘grandson´. Time enough to sort that out with Noble. He wouldn´t have long to wait.

"So," he said, changing the subject, "exactly how much trouble has Reece gotten himself into while my back has been turned." The ploy worked. Madi put thoughts of Noble out of her mind, as she began to regale him with stories of her son´s latest exploits.

~*~

Thomas Noble was a patient man. He´d had to be. Not that he believed that heaven came to those who waited. No, he didn´t believe in things being handed to him on a platter, he believed that you made your own luck, but that only fools rushed in.

Like today for example. Finally, after months of secretive negotiations, it appeared as though the peace talks would come to fruition. The first attempt had been too early, that was obvious with hindsight. Only fools rushed in, like E. Allen Wayne. Like the rest of the Aerotech Board. Fools all of them.

He didn´t consider himself a fool. He took things slowly, calculated the odds, went for the safe bet and above all, waited. He wasn´t a gambling man. Patient as always. It was this patience that had kept him from the infirmary until now. He´d been reluctant to draw any attention to his connection to Masterson, but he´d calculated that by now it should be safe. Enough time had passed to make his visit nothing more than a compassionate act by a compassionate man, taking time out from his busy and important schedule to visit an acquaintance in his sick bed.

However, his welcome was not what he expected. He knew that Masterson was as cautious as he was and so didn´t expect to be welcomed by open arms. He had not, however, expected to be welcomed with almost open hostility.

Oh, no one else noticed, Masterson was too canny for that. To the casual observer, and god knows there were too many of those at the moment, watching his face for any hint of how these talks were going, it looked as though Masterson´s lack of enthusiasm was down to his exhaustion and pain. But to Noble, who prided himself on knowing the young man well, it was obviously much more than that.

For a brief moment he wondered if Masterson had finally managed to breach his defences, and access his mind. He was well aware of the young man´s gift, despite Lucas´ confidence that he was undiscovered. In quiet moments, Lucas´ misplaced self confidence even gave him some amusement. However, he had never let his guard down in the scientist´s presence, and given Hagen´s presence in the meeting room he would guess that the man was not up to reading anyone or anything at the moment.

He wasn´t tempted to put Lucas´ hostility down to his injuries. He was a cautious man, and one who left little to chance. There was something more and he needed to know what it was. He sat watching the young man through hooded eyes for several minutes, a trick he´d employed before, and one which usually left the other party talking merely to fill the silence. It didn´t work. He felt a grudging admiration. Perhaps he´d underestimated the boy.

He cleared his throat, the sound unnaturally loud in the silence between them. Lucas´ eyes never left his face. In a way it was almost disconcerting. Almost.

"How are you?" he asked, his voice sounding a little strained even to his own ears.

"I´ll live," Lucas replied dryly. His eyes still never left Noble´s face.

"How are you.... adjusting?" Lucas gave a harsh, bitter laugh.

"I´m adjusting just fine thank you." He paused for a moment; those bright blue eyes still riveted on Noble. "I had a lot of time to think." That comment had come out of left field. Noble tensed a little.

"Anything interesting?" he asked, trying to sound off hand about it.

"I thought so." Lucas paused again. "You see there´s something that´s been bothering me, only I never figured out what it was. A niggle, Thursday would call it."

"Oh?" Noble sounded to Lucas as though he were humouring him.

"Yes - about the attack on Cooper on the Saratoga."

"What about it?"

"The... attacker used anexamylene."

"Anexamylene?"

Lucas´ smiled humorlessly. "It´s an experimental drug developed by Aerotech." He watched Noble closely as he added, seemingly off hand, "You were on the Board of Aerotech briefly, weren´t you, Thomas?" Noble nodded, wary. Lucas continued. "Perhaps the information never reached that far. A lot of it doesn´t. It´s a compound with some supposedly interesting properties." Noble kept his expression one of mild interest. "The most interesting thing in this instance is that it´s non-lethal."

"What´s its purpose?" Noble asked, still maintaining his ‘I´m humouring you´ expression. For a second Lucas´ resolve wavered. Perhaps he was wrong after all. However, the doubt only lasted for an instant.

"In theory, its supposed to enhance so called psi powers, although it´s never worked in practice."

"And this is the drug used on Lieutenant Hawkes?" Lucas nodded briefly. "Perhaps the attacker didn´t know that it wouldn´t be lethal for InVitros," Thomas suggested. "It has been known before, that a drug which has no effect on natural borns can be harmful to InVitros." Lucas shook his head.

"I doubt it."

"Why does that bother you?"

"Why try an experimental drug with no proven track record and not easily accessible when you could have given him an overdose of phyllophetamines and never have attracted any attention - made it look like an accidental overdose?" Noble had no answer to that.

"Did you come to any conclusions?"

Lucas gave that smile once again. "I think that someone... influenced... the assassin," he said. "I think someone persuaded the assassin to change what Cooper was to be given. Someone who knew about anexamylene, who knew why it had been developed. Someone who didn´t want Cooper dead, but did want to know if he was talented."

"Talented?" Lucas´ eyes bored into his erstwhile employer.

"Talented," he repeated. "As in the talent your son was trying to develop in InVitros."

There was a long silence, before Lucas continued. "And I think that someone was you."

There was a beat before Noble sat upright in his chair, his expression angry. "Exactly how did you figure that one out?" Lucas ignored his question. That brief hesitation had confirmed everything he´d suspected, to his own mind at least.

"And I fell for it," he continued a little bitterly. "All that talk about the last remaining legacy of your son. Only you didn´t mean Cooper, at least not for his own sake, did you? You meant your son´s work." His laugh was equally bitter. "I should have guessed. I can´t even begin to imagine what kind of advantage it would be to your political career to have a tame tank who can read minds."

"Ah," said Noble, abandoning his pretense at ignorance, "but then you´ve never seen the bigger picture have you, Lucas?"

Lucas hauled himself up from the bed, to glare at Noble, his face barely inches from the other man. "Bigger picture? Bigger picture! There is no bigger picture, Noble. Just a sordid little man in a sordid little world, crawling around in the dirt desperately seeking some kind of advantage over the rest of his kind. You could have had so much more."

"Spare me the bleeding heart, Masterson. You said you had your own reasons. I doubt they were altruistic." Lucas ignored him.

"You used me. That I can forgive you for. I got myself into this mess. But you used Thursday, and that is unforgivable. And I won´t let you use Cooper."

Noble snorted, a dry humourless laugh. "How do you intend to stop me?"

Lucas gave him a long, considering look, before adding softly, "I think by now you should have realised just how far I will go to protect him. I may not have your streak of ruthlessness, Thomas, but I will not be pushed on this. I will not let you hurt him anymore, and I will not let you put Thursday in any more danger."

He collapsed back onto the bed, suddenly exhausted. "I think you know all about Hayden, Thomas. I think you may even know about what I have on her. You don´t think that I´d be stupid enough not to have something like that on you."

"You must be stupid if you think you can blackmail me, Lucas." Lucas laughed again, a harsh dry sound.

"I have no intention of blackmailing anyone, Thomas. I just want to be left alone, and I´m beginning to realise that neither you or Hayden understand the word ‘please´."

"He is still my grandson, Lucas." Lucas gave him a tired, hunted look.

"And my father is still my father," he said, confusing Noble, "but I still never see or talk to him. Let him have some peace, Thomas. He won´t be your pawn. He´s not your son. Understand that."

Noble returned his look; no sign of the anger he felt at being thwarted showing on his face. He chose his next words with care. "I understand that you´re tired and overemotional. I understand that you´ve been through a great deal over the last week, and I feel for you. I really do." He ignored Lucas´ disbelieving snort. "I think you´ve let your mind run away with you, to come up with this implausible story when we both know who is really behind this. I think that once you´ve had some rest, you´ll see how farfetched this is. Perhaps you´d better get some sleep, Lucas. Let me know if you need anything."

Lucas´ voice stopped him in the doorway. "I meant it, Noble. Don´t underestimate my resolve on this. I´d hate to think that you´d do something you´d regret." The young man´s eyes were ice. Noble felt a brief unease, which he dismissed. Lucas was in no position to hurt him.

"Get that sleep, Lucas," he said lightly, his parting shot. "Things always seem to look better in the morning, don´t you think?"

Lucas lay quietly for a long time after Noble left. His mind, however, was far from quiet, as he wondered what the hell he´d got them into now. Was there going to be no end to this?

~*~

Thursday was wondering much the same thing, although for once she was unaware of how closely her thoughts echoed her lover´s. She was tired. As she and Lucas had both suspected, she was able to make no contact with the Chig ambassador´s mind. It was too different, even from hers. No matter what the Chigs claimed about humans and Chigs coming from the same source, the connection was not such that their minds worked alike. After all, this was a species that had developed biotechnology enabling them to interact with their ships as living entities rather than having to rely on the crude interfaces human ships had. Only minds as different as theirs could come up with that.

She was tired and she was bored. The only contact she could make was with human minds, and after the last few days the last thing she wanted to do was crawl around in those sewers. But she forced herself to, no matter how distasteful. She was smart enough to have realised why she was really here.

"Are you alright, Doctor Hagen?" Colonel McQueen asked a little diffidently. She smiled slightly. His edginess around her amused her slightly, about the only thing that was capable of that at the moment.

"I´m fine, thank you, Colonel, just bored."

He looked surprised at that. "This is an historic moment, Doctor," he chided gently. He settled himself in the seat beside her, before continuing, his tone still a little disapproving. "You should be pleased that you´re part of it."

She laughed. "You should see it from my angle, Colonel." He looked a little confused at that. She shook her head slightly. She didn´t expect him to understand. She changed the subject. "Are you disappointed to be left out of proceedings this time, Colonel McQueen?"

He shook his head, tapping at his false leg. "After what happened last time, Doctor," he commented dryly, "I´m just pleased to be behind this bomb proof glass." The door opened behind them, as someone else joined them in the observation room.

"They know we´re here, you know," she informed them. He sat up a little straighter in his chair, giving her a keen look.

"You can tell that?" he demanded.

She laughed again. "So can you, Colonel." He looked confused. "They keep glancing over here," she explained. "They must realise why there´s a mirror on this side of the room. That´s how I know. I can´t read them at all. But that doesn´t really bother me." He looked even more confused. "Lucas wasn´t supposed to read the Chigs, Colonel. I don´t think anyone really expected that to work." She rose and stretched a little, easing the tension out of her muscles. "Oh, I think everyone would have been ecstatic if it had, but no-one expected it to. There are a number of other factions who need watching, not just the Chigs. Dangerous elements, ruthless, selfish, concerned only with their own ends." As part of her stretching, she turned around to face him, her eyes looking over his head, straight at the person behind him. "They´re the ones I´m supposed to watch."

McQueen turned too – to look straight into a face he recognised from his research.

"Isn´t that true, Mister Noble," she mocked. Thomas Noble said nothing, returning her look with false equanimity. "And I intend to watch them very closely indeed."

~*~

Madi woke slowly, opening her eyes to a chirping computer notepad on the pillow next to her instead of Cooper's face. Raising her eyes a bit she found her missing marine lying on his stomach apparently engrossed in the laser disc. She reached out a finger and gently tickled his ribs, smiling a little as he squirmed. Cooper tore his eyes away from the monitor to smile at Madi.

"Hey there." She leaned up to give him a slow kiss before sinking back down, head cushioned in her hand. "What's this?" She tapped a colorfully illustrated image of the human body complete with a diagram of internal organs and a working circulatory system pumped virtual blood as she watched.

Cooper captured her hand, bringing her finger up to his mouth for a nip. "It's my anatomy text. I'm trying to test out of the skeletal and musculature section so I can get through faster. Test is next week. I've been trying to get some studying in; but with Lucas and all, I've been letting it slide. I sneaked out to the wardroom for it while you were asleep."

Madi raised her eyebrows. "You're testing out of anatomy? Why are you even taking anatomy? You told me you'd started classes but I never dreamed it was any of this stuff. I figured it was military history or something. How can you test out?" She glanced at the complicated illustrations with their incomprehensible labels in confusion. "How do you know about anatomy?"

"I'm taking some core classes, English comp and stuff." He looked at her a moment, weighing his next words, his expression defiant, daring her to be squeamish. It was an expression that Madi hadn't seen since they'd first started the tutoring. Well, like McQueen said, she would have to know sometime. He just hoped the colonel wasn't right about her reaction.

"I was taught anatomy in the tank, Madi. We had to know what parts of the body were vulnerable targets. When we got out of the tanks we had classes."

Madi held her breath, aware that they'd gone into never-never country and hoping that she could handle whatever he revealed to her. Cooper's next words were spewed out in a rapid, polished monotone, obviously memorized.

"Studies of the vital points of human anatomy for the purpose of disrupting the structure and physiology of the enemy in the most rapid and deadly manner possible. There are one hundred and seventy parts of the human body where a minimum amount of force will produce a maximum impact on an individual's ability to fight. There are three basic ways to accomplish this end. Destroy the enemies central nervous system - damage to the brain or spinal cord. Destroy his circulation system - drain the system of blood or damage the heart. Disrupt his breathing - strangulation or injury to the lungs, filling them with blood, is effective. Thanks to the facility I know how to do them all." He waited for her to tell him she'd made a grave error in agreeing to marry him.

Madi's response was a slow, wide-eyed blink before her aqua-colored eyes filled with tears that ran silently down her cheeks. She knew how innocent and vulnerable newly decanted InVitros were. Fresh from the tanks Cooper had been shown nothing of the good in the world. Instead they'd filled his inquisitive, intelligent mind and spotless soul with six hundred and eighty-seven ways to kill a human before he'd even had a kind touch. If he'd meant to scare her he had failed miserably.

The tears in her throat reduced her voice to a whisper. "Why are you telling me this? You can't scare me off, Cooper."

No, Madi wouldn't scare easy but he'd wanted her to know anyway. He'd tried before, not wanting secrets between them before they married. "Madi, I killed a man there and then I ran away. I'm not sorry I did it."

"Does McQueen know?" Cooper nodded.

"I told him, but no one else knows. He checked my records at the IVA and they're clean."

"I killed a man too, Cooper, and I'm not sorry either." Cooper quickly jumped to her defense, making Madi smile a bit through her tears.

"Yeah, but you had good reason, Madi."

"And I'm sure you had good reason, Cooper. Any other sins you feel the need to confess tonight?" Her loving acceptance of him, as usual, humbled Cooper.

"I stole stuff. On the street. Food, blankets, clothes."

Cooper seemed almost driven to make her see how evil he truly was.

"I'm sure you did what you had to in order to survive. Why are we doing this, Cooper? Have you changed you mind about getting married? You don't have to try to scare me away, hon. All you have to do is say so."

"No, Madi, no. I just wanted it out. I didn't want you finding out from someone else."

Madi nodded solemnly. "Okay, it's out. It's forgotten. You still never said why you're taking anatomy."

"It sort of all goes together, Mad. If I'm going to get the chance to go to college, I've decided I want it to count for something. I took tests in the career office, I looked through lots of disks and all at once I knew what I wanted. Military stuff - logistics, warfare, tactics - that doesn't interest me. But this, the human body, I love this stuff, Madi; and thanks to the facility I know it inside and out. I'm acing the classes." Cooper suddenly stopped as if embarrassed over his enthusiastic speech. Madi smiled and ran her free hand over his shoulder and down his back, luxuriating in seeing him back to his old self and enjoying his being so excited about something.

"Cooper, that's great, honey. I mean it looks really gross to me, but I'm glad you're so into it if it interests you. But what are you going to do with it?"

Cooper took a deep breath, fighting off the anxiety that always came on him when he exposed his wants and dreams.

"Madi, I want to go to medical school. I want to be a doctor."

Madi's breath caught in her throat. He might as well have announced plans to run for the office of Secretary General. There was no such thing as an InVitro physician. Madi didn't even know any who had attended college, let alone graduated with a degree. And respectable colleges were no longer affordable to most, only the privileged could pay the astronomical tuition fees charged.

"Cooper…honey…I make a decent salary at the school; and when I work for Lucas I get paid really well - but I can't afford med school. You wouldn't be able to work and go to school." They both knew an InVitro's chances of finding a decent-paying job were nil anyway. Minimum wage in a blue-collar job that most natural borns wouldn't want was the best many could hope for.

"I know and you're not supporting us alone anyway. I've been thinking, Madi, and I've checked into some things. Talked to the legal advocates upstairs." He laid the notebook aside and turned to lay like Madi, taking her free hand in his. "There's a program here that parallels the college-for-minorities stuff. It's an old program that I'm eligible for since I'm in the service. They can't legally turn anyone down whose grades can qualify them for admittance. They'll pay my way through med school…but I have to sign contracts agreeing to stay in for awhile ‘til my way is paid back." He watched her face closely, concerned about the frown forming between her brows.

"How long is 'a while'?"

"Six years."

Madi tried to hide her dismay. Six years! He could be stationed away from Earth, away from them, on a carrier for six years in addition to his school time. She looked into his hopeful eyes.

"You really want this."

"Yeah. I keep thinking about Reece. The day of that fight? If he'd been badly hurt who could we have trusted him to? InVitros have no one they can depend on when they're hurt and can't take care of themselves. I want to study medicine and maybe later, after the military, I don´t know, start a clinic or something. I could just walk through Tank Town and have more work than I could handle. Maybe specialize in their physiology and their drug susceptibilities." Cooper suddenly grinned, looking like a mischievous boy. "And the best part is, I could still fly for six more years."

Hoo-yah. Six more years of the most dangerous job anyone could imagine but Madi would never air those worries aloud. She had known when she started this that he loved flying so she wasn't surprised that he viewed that with anticipation. What did surprise her was how fast he had matured since she'd last seen him. It was a bit daunting really to keep up with.

"Do you know for sure they'll accept you?"

Cooper nodded, searching her face for some indication of her feelings on the matter. He wished again for the thousandth time that he could just touch Madi's mind and know what she was thinking.

"Commodore Ross, he's agreed to help me. McQueen talked to him. He's an all right guy. My service record should help if I can keep my nose clean." Madi smiled at the last phrase, which had to be an unconscious quote from McQueen. She could practically hear him saying it.

"Well, baby, it sounds like you know what you want. I say…let's go for it." Madi smiled at the disbelieving look on his face.

"Really Madi? You don't mind about the six years?" Madi shrugged good-naturedly.

"I'm not going to lie and say I love it, hon, but when you think about it, it seems like a fair trade. And we sure can't afford it any other way. If you can accelerate your time in school by testing out of subjects then you'll still only be in your early thirties when you get out." Madi gave him a wickedly teasing look from under her lashes. "And McQueen will be ecstatic knowing he can keep you in the Marines for ten more years while you're in school and working off your debt."

Cooper grinned and grabbed her to him in a rough-play move with a growl that made her squeal with giggles. When would he learn that he could tell Madi anything and she'd be there for him? He loved the way she snuggled her body into his, fitting them together like puzzle pieces and burying her hand in his hair.

"You agreed to be nice to McQueen, Madi. Remember? Have you been keeping your promise?" Madi thought of their interactions on the ship this time and wisely changed the subject.

"When are you going up to see Lucas?" Cooper immediately glanced at the clock on the wall and cursed. "Damn, I got too involved with this and now I've got to go. We're flying again in thirty mikes. I'll see him when I get back. Tell him for me okay?" Cooper pressed a hard kiss to her mouth and jumped up. Madi was amazed all over at the healing speed of InVitros. He was practically bursting with energy and good health.

"You're sure you're up to flying, baby? I know McQueen would let you sit this one out if you're not sure."

"I'm fine, Madi. You just check on Lucas and keep an eye on the brat. When I get back we'll get everything lined up and make us legal."

Madi smiled at him, admiring his lanky body as he threw himself into his flight suit.

"Yes, Dr. Hawkes. Whatever you say, darling." Cooper pointed a finger and a grin in her direction.

"Now that's the kind of attitude a good wife should have. You keep practicing that while I'm gone." Madi returned both actions.

"Sure thing - and you hold your breath, cowboy." She changed her attitude from saucy to seductive in the blink of an eye and Cooper groaned as he felt his body harden even before she threw out her invitation. "Any chance of a private… examination later tonight - Doctor?" If he'd worn glasses her sultry look would have steamed them. Cooper glanced at his chronometer with dismay. Well, two could tease.

"You bet, Madi. As a matter of fact, right now we're studying warm, dark, tight passages. Think I could check yours out?" The glazed look that appeared in her eyes nearly made him whimper. "Of course I'd have to use a probe and a light."

Madi's sultry look faltered a bit and Cooper grinned to himself. "A probe and a light?"

"How else am I going to be able to see in your ears, Madi?"

He laughed at the expression on her face as he pressed a hard kiss to her mouth on his way out the door.

~*~

The mission was over quickly, being little more than a mopping up exercise of AIs. The peace talks didn´t extend to them, and the Chigs didn´t seem too concerned at their ommission. Before too long, Cooper found Madi back in one of his ‘secret spots´, watching the stars drift by.

"Hey babe," she breezed, greeting him with a hug and kiss. "What do you say we blow this popsicle stand and go get Reece and Nate and play some fooze ball or something? Maybe get Shane and Vanessa too and go bowling or do anything to kill the time until tomorrow. I'm getting all jittery and nervous."

"Changed your mind, Madi?" Cooper was transparently casual about the question.

"No, I'm nervous that you're going to change yours." She grinned at him as she held out her hand and tried to pull him to his feet. He let her get him halfway up before he collapsed, pulling her down into his lap. Madi, no stranger to sparring, wisely used the move to snuggle very close to her attacker and to wrap her arms securely around his neck. She smiled up at him, content to lie in his arms as long as he'd have her. She hoped that would be a long time. He admired her as she cuddled even closer, amazed and humbled by whatever higher order had put her here with him. He hoped it wasn't some kind of cosmic mix-up.

"Not even an AI would take that bet, Madi. You're stuck with me." He pulled her even closer to him and buried his face in her curls. "I love you, Madi. You know that don't you?"

"Of course I do." She waited, smiling a little mischievously to herself and counted. One…two…three…fo-.

"You love me too, right?" She knew it was mean to tease him but he looked so cute when he did that.

"You know I do, Cooper. This much." She held out her hands about a foot apart and he grinned. He recognized the game and if this turned out like all their other games he figured they'd need to start back to her room.

"That's all? Let me see if I can't find some more in there somewhere." He began to tickle her, laughing at her weak attempts to escape and her gasps of laughter as she flung her arms out as far as they'd reach in an endeavor to stop the torture. "Okay, okay! This much!"

They were both laughing like idiots when McQueen stepped up next to them. Any other time their laughter would have been infectious but this time he had bad news.

News he hoped wouldn't ruin Cooper and Madi's day tomorrow.

Cooper sat Madi up then helped her to her feet before rising himself. He could tell by looking at his CO that something was up and he steeled himself not to peek.

McQueen went right to the heart of it. "The chaplain has refused to perform the ceremony tomorrow."

"What?!" Madi gasped. "Why?"

"You know how much of the clergy feel about InVitros, Madi. 'Man-made -- not of God.' He says he won't do it and Ross can't force him to go against his religious beliefs." He watched both their faces fall, surprised himself at how much he wanted to wipe away those looks of disappointment. He couldn't believe he was going to blow his one chance of getting them to postpone the wedding - and he hoped Glen never found out he was behind this – he'd never live it down. "There is an alternative - if you're agreeable, that is."

"Which is?" Cooper growled.

"Commodore Ross can legally perform the ceremony if you decline to use a clergy member. It's your choice. But you'll have to approach him and ask personally. There's some paperwork but you could still have the service tomorrow."

Madi was ecstatic. She had a very warm spot in her heart for Ross and she was delighted that he'd be performing the ceremony. If she'd known it was possible, she'd have asked him from the beginning. They thanked McQueen and told him they'd look the Commodore up immediately. Ty had turned away when Cooper's quiet question turned him back around.

"Colonel? Will you be there?"

McQueen looked at the boy for a long time before answering. If he attended then he'd be giving his blessing to their union. Ross insisted that was part of his role and he felt the weight of his responsibility. He could tell, though the younger Marine tried to hide his feelings, what it would mean to Cooper to have him attend his wedding - and what it had cost him to ask. Gibson was staring at him with a look that said 'if you hurt him I'll hunt you down' and that made him smile. TC McQueen learned a valuable lesson in that moment. He should have listened to his instincts and never let her within shouting distance of Hawkes from day one, but he hadn't listened - and it hadn't turned out so badly after all. It looked as though on his next trip to Earth he'd be taking three kids to the zoo and the movies - and buying popcorn with butter.

"Hawkes, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

~*~

Commodore Ross was delighted to be asked to perform the ceremony. As the commander of the ship, he was legally empowered to do so, although in the presence of the Chaplain, he was seldom required to. Despite the fact that the Chaplain´s racism made this a necessity rather than a conscious choice, he was very flattered by the suggestion that he officiate and had accepted with alacrity.

The only damper on the ceremony was that Lucas wouldn´t be there. Madi had been half hoping that he´d give her away in the absence of her father. Nathan´s suggestion that McQueen be approached to stand in was met with icy silence by Madi and horror by Cooper. The last thing Cooper wanted was a scene between McQueen and Madi on their wedding of all days. And although he´d managed to persuade McQueen to come to the ceremony, using a technique that Lucas insisted was called ‘emotional blackmail´ despite Cooper´s protestations to the contrary, he didn´t want to tempt fate any further. And so Reece was the logical choice to give Madi away. Cooper had been filled with misgiving at the thought of Reece´s reaction to the suggestion. He wasn´t even quite sure what ‘giving away´ had to do with anything. It sounded really dumb to him. Thursday and Nathan had both tried to explain the origin of the ritual with him, but if anything it made him even more confused. He was filled with a dread that at the last moment Reece would change his mind, and his refusal to ‘give Madi away´ would prevent the wedding.

Reece, however, was on his best behaviour, for which both Madi and Cooper were profoundly grateful. Unknown to them, Thursday had had a pep talk with the boy. She refused to go into any details when Nathan asked about it, but when Lucas teased her about ‘putting the fear of god into the boy,´ she did make some comment along the lines of, "I find the fear of me to be much more effective."

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to both of them, the ceremony itself arrived. It was simple and touching. Surprisingly, it was Madi who was nervous. Cooper tackled it as he did every other assignment, cool and prepared. Mind you, the half-pint of tequila that Thursday and Nathan had plied him with the night before might have had something to do with his calm state. And the pep talk they´d both given him. And so it was Madi who stumbled over her words, although the sight of her with her eyes fixed on Cooper and her whole face glowing meant that no one there put her stammering down to cold feet.

~*~

"Cooper, are you absolutely certain about this?" Madi asked a little nervously.

"I´m absolutely positive, Madi. Don´t worry so much," Cooper assured his new bride. "Lots of people have done this and none of them have come to any harm."

"I´d really hate my honeymoon to start of with a broken limb," she groused.

"Put is this way," Cooper reasoned. "This is probably the only way that you and I are going to get any privacy. I mean the others have been reasonable, but you can´t expect them to stay out of their quarters all of the time, even with McQueen riding them, and Reece is in your quarters, so..."

"So I guess I´m stuck with you and the zero gravity chamber," she finished for him. He pouted a little at that.

"Do you mind being stuck with me?" he asked a little anxiously. He looked so adorable when he did that. And it was strange how even now he needed reassuring about the way she felt about him. In fact he looked so adorable that she couldn´t resist anymore, and reaching up to capture his mouth with hers gently nibbled on his bottom lip until he pulled her hard against him.

"Hmm," she sighed. "I don´t mind this at all." She felt him smile at that. "In fact, Hawkes, I think we ought to be concentrating on that little problem of yours."

He drew back from her, a little confused. "What problem?" She rubbed herself sharply against him, eliciting a gasp as she brushed over his erection. She smiled again.

"That one," she purred. He made a sound deep in the back of his throat, pulling her sharply back when she attempted to elude his grasp.

"You intending to take charge of that, kitty?" he growled before placing hard kisses along her face.

"Mmmm," she sighed. "Don´t you ever get enough?"

"Of you? No, how could I. ‘Sides, we´re married now. That means we have to." She laughed.

"What kind of twisted logic is this, Hawkes?"

"My kind - and the kind you like," he teased, pulling her closer to emphasise the point and nibbling along her neck until she moaned, as aroused as he was.

"You know, Hawkes, we´d better get into that chamber before we get arrested for indecent behaviour in a corridor. Besides, how much time do we have?"

"An hour," he whispered back to her. "The guys kind of twisted limbs to get us that much. Kind of a neat wedding present, huh?" As far as Madi was concerned, any kind of privacy was a great wedding present. And she had plans to give Cooper one of his own too.

The wait for the previous couple to finish with the chamber seemed far to long to Madi. Every nerve ending was tingling with anticipation. What on earth could they be doing in there? Actually, when she stopped to think about it, they were probably doing exactly what she and Cooper were planning. Finally, they alarm sounded that showed that time was up. A few minutes later two pilots Madi didn´t recognise emerged. They obviously knew her husband though.

"Hey, Coop," the younger male pilot greeted her husband. "Congratulations. I take it this is the missus?" He reminded her a little of a younger Lucas - same blue eyes. She was aware that her husband was grinning proudly beside her, nodding.

"Sure is, Wolenczak."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs Hawkes. See you around, maybe. Come on Katie, we´re on duty soon." Mrs Hawkes. Madi still wasn´t used to that. It gave her a thrill every time she heard it. Before she had a chance to reply, Cooper was dragging her into the room, to the pilots´ amusement.

"See you later, Hawkes, Mrs Hawkes," the female pilot called after them, laughing.

"Much later, Hitchcock," her husband acknowledged, grinning at the blush this caused on Madi´s face, and ignoring her whispered, "Cooper!"

Before she could protest further, he had her wrapped in his arms and was kissing her hard. She could still hear the pilots laughing before the door closed. After that she lost track of anything happening other than what her new husband was doing to her, at least until the gravity was switched off.

She gave a little gasp of surprise as she felt herself drift into the air, grasping tight hold of Cooper to ensure that she didn´t lose him.

"It´s okay, Madi. There´s nothing to be scared of," he reassured her.

"Who´s scared, Hawkes? I just want to make sure that you don´t get away from me," she growled sexily into his ear. "Remember about keeping promises, little boy," she mocked a little, rasping her fingernails down his back through the fabric of his shirt, making his breath catch in his throat. "So what do we do with our clothes?" she wanted to know, her fingers now busy with the buttons on his shirt, sliding between the buttons to stroke his chest, causing shivers of heat to course through his body.

He started to rip at her own buttons, his voice unsteady as he replied, "I think we take ‘em off, Madi." Her laugh was like liquid velvet, a throaty, sexy sound that inflamed him further. At last he managed to unfasten her shirt, and lowered his head to capture one breast in his mouth, his tongue flicking over her nipple through the fabric of her bra. Before long that joined her shirt and his in drifting around the room. Her shoes soon joined them.

It became easier to move once she got the hang of it. The difficult thing was remembering that every time she pushed herself against him she drifted away from him unless she held tight to him. Luckily he was much better at this than she was, and every time she lost him, he pulled her back.

Finally, he pushed her away from him a little so that he could loosen her skirt, and soon that was drifting around with the rest of their clothes. He moved down her body as she twisted in his grasp, kissing and licking his way over her torso, before positioning himself between her thighs. She was wearing those stockings he liked so much, and that was turning him on so much. For a second he considered the practicalities of removing stockings and suspenders in zero gee, before abandoning the idea and contenting himself with easing off her silk panties.

She sighed as she felt one finger slip into her, testing her arousal. His mouth followed, and she twisted, trying to find somthing to grasp, to hold onto. There was nothing. It was the weirdest feeling. There was no gravity to increase the friction, just his hands holding her close, but while that meant that the feelings were not as intense, it meant that they build slowly and she had time to savour them. Her climax stole up on her, no fireworks but a sensation of her entire body melting.

He released her again, drifitng away from her as he struggled out of his own clothes. She drifted over the wall, grasping hold of one of the handrails there, waiting for him to come to her. She watched, admiring, as he moved towards her, graceful in this absence of weight, moving like a swimmer, totally in control.

It wasn´t easy, co-ordinating their movments so that he could enter her, but she gave up control of the situation to him, relying on his skill and experience to accomplish it. Again, there was no gravity to enhance the friction between them, but his hands were firm on her backside, pulling her into close contact with him, providing what gravity could not. There was a delicious sensation of being rocked, as she moved her own hands to his buttocks, pulling him closer and deeper. A sensation of being rocked and of spiralling out of control. Each thrust of his hips spun them a little more and she gloried in the freedom it gave them, the tightness in her belly increasing. Sometimes he was ‘on top´, sometimes she, until she wasn´t sure which way was ‘up´ and which way was ‘down´ and didn´t care anymore, because there was no longer a ‘him´ or a ‘her´ just a 'them'. Who knew where her flesh ended and his began, there was just this feeling, this intense feeling of pleasure and joy. Then Cooper moved his hand between their taut bodies and stroked her, closely watching her face as her body exploded into light.

He released his grasp around her back, just holding tight to her hips, drifting away from her until they forned a t-shape, still buried in her body. He used his hands on her hips to hold her steady as he thrust in and out of her, her legs still wrapped tightly around his waist. She was beautiful to his eyes at any time, even more so at the moment with her face contorted in passion, passion she felt for him. She twisted, reaching for him, as he surrendered to the feelings she caused, and climaxed buried deep in her body.

She was dimly aware of the buzzer sounding, ending their time, as she lay wrapped in his arms. They drifted slowly down to the floor, their clothes falling around them in a gentle rain.

‘My husband,´ she thought wrapping her arms tighter around him, loving the way that word made her feel. ‘My husband.´

~*~

Dad. Reece silently worried the word with his tongue like he would a loose tooth, considering the feel of it. He imagined presenting Cooper to his friends, especially Billy Dunmoore, and ever so casually mentioning that this was his dad. Why yes, he is a Marine Space Aviator, decorated no less. Billy´s heart would stop beating from pure envy that his, Reece´s, dad got to wear a uniform and fly a Hammerhead.

"You seem awfully pleased to be leaving if that unholy grin is anything to go by." McQueen´s quiet voice snapped him back to the present, back to the docking bay where they would be boarding shortly. Reece focused on the man kneeling in front of him, feeling his ears get hot with embarrassment.

"Colonel, I was sort of day dreaming." McQueen smiled at the boy´s red cheeks, surprised to admit that he´d grown rather fond of him in the few days he´d been on the Saratoga. He was even going to miss having him tag along on rounds asking a million questions. This was one sharp little boy and McQueen was afraid that somehow when he wasn´t looking, he´d given away a little piece of his heart to him.

Reece sighed, watching sharply as Madi and Cooper huddled together in the darkest corner, obviously heartbroken at being parted so soon after they´d been married. Lucas being hurt so badly had given them some time together, but it had still been less than a week since the ceremony. He glanced back at McQueen who was watching the couple as well.

"Madi´s gonna need me a lot now. She´ll be really sad when we get home." McQueen turned back to Reece, reaching into the side pocket of his flight suit as he did so. Maybe he could bring a little cheer to this sad departure. Madi had been near tears all morning and from the looks of the boy he wasn´t far from bawling himself. Ty figured that if it got much more depressing in here Cooper would be sobbing as well. He pulled out a small box and handed it to Reece.

"I got you a little something, sort of a going-away gift." He watched as Reece´s eyes grew huge, surprised at how nervous he was – how much he wanted the boy to be pleased. It was a new feeling for McQueen and he wasn´t quite comfortable with it just yet. Thursday, watching surreptitiously from the shadows, knew that by the time the twins had a go at him he´d be an old hand. She smiled and went back to waiting for the medics to arrive with Lucas. The peace talks were over, for now, and she was relieved to be returning to earth with the man she loved. The next few months were going to be difficult enough for him anyway; she didn´t want him facing them on his own.

Reece solemnly took the gift glancing from it to McQueen. "I´ve never had a going away present." He suddenly narrowed his eyes at the older man in suspicion. "Is this a celebration? Are you giving me this cause you´re glad I´m leaving?"

McQueen laughed. "No, Reece. It´s a gift to help you remember being here." Reece considered that a moment before nodding his head. That made sense, there were a lot of good things to remember about being here – like Madi and Cooper getting married; like them working with the attorney on board to file adoption papers for Avery and Kelsey - and even him; like getting a father. Reece tore open the paper.

"Oh wow. Way cool." McQueen´s smile grew into a full-fledged grin as he watched Reece look in the box then back at him in awed disbelief. He reverently lifted out the compact gift.

"It´s a military army knife. Radical!"

"Does that mean you like it?" McQueen nearly toppled to the floor when Reece launched himself at him. He recovered from that only to take another kind of fall when he felt Reece´s thin arms wrap around his neck and held his small, wiry body.

"Thank you, sir. I love it. I´ll take good care of it. How did you know I like knives?"

"Cooper mentioned it to me." Cooper had also mentioned that Madi would throw a strop, therefore McQueen couldn´t resist it. Reece was intently checking each compartment, noting the spoon, file, blade, and other goodies.

"It´s just mega-cool."

Madi´s sardonic voice broke up the party. "I´ll say. And you can just plan to visit us soon, McQueen." Madi nearly laughed aloud at the guilty looks on both faces, but she was a bit tougher than the average mom was. "If you´re going to give him a gift of a knife, you´re going to teach him to use it properly. Do I make myself clear?" She held out her hand for a shake of agreement from the now standing McQueen. He glanced into the hopeful eyes of Reece Gibson before finally taking Madi´s hand and sealing the deal.

"Yessss!" Reece couldn´t have been more delighted; first he´d got Madi a husband and himself and the twins a father. Now he practically had a grandfather. Not a bad deal for two weeks work. McQueen´s eyes widened slightly. He was already beginning to think that this might not be such a good move after all. He wasn´t entirely sure he could handle an enthusiastic nine year old. Reece´s next words confirmed his fears. "The girls are going to love you, Colonel. Just wait and see!" Oh god.

A soft chuckle behind him interrupted his chain of thought. He turned to look into Doctor Hagen´s innocent face. No sign of guile or amusement, but he would swear on his honour that she´d been the one who´d laughed. "We´ll look forward to seeing you, Colonel," she said, perfectly straight faced. "And I must concur with Reece. The girls are really going to love you." No sign of amusement at all.

He wasn´t sure what to say to her. He wasn´t even sure that words were necessary, but she had said that she disliked stealing into peoples´ minds without their consent. "If Lucas… needs anything, or anyone to… talk to, you will get him to call me." It was less of a request, more of an instruction. She smiled slightly.

"I´m sure Madi has your number, Colonel." He wasn´t sure whether she meant the phone number or not. "I´ll let him know of your offer. I´m sure he´ll appreciate it." He nodded briefly, not trusting himself to say anymore. There was an awkward silence.

"Thank you for all of your help, Colonel," she finally said. "We both appreciate it. If it hadn´t been for you, we may never have got Lucas back."

"Thank you, Doctor. Your assistance with the conference was invaluable." She smiled wryly at that.

"I did very little, Colonel."

"You ensured that there was no repeat of the E. Allen Wayne incident. You have no idea how grateful I am for that!" She laughed, lightly, glancing briefly at his leg.

"I´m sure I could guess. Look after Cooper for me." He arched his eyebrows at her.

"Don´t I always?" She acknowledged his gentle rebuke with another small smile, turning her attention from him to watch as the medics began loading Lucas into the ISSCV. Her eyes darkened briefly at the sight of the various tubes coming out of him. "He´ll be fine," he added, a little startled at how easily the words of comfort came to him this time.

She acknowledged that with a small smile too, before taking one of his hands in one of her small ones, and squeezing it gently.

"Thank you again, Colonel." And then she was gone, walking swiftly and determinedly towards the ISSCV, pausing briefly to snag Reece on the way past from his rapt contemplation of his new toy. And then she collected Madi, waiting briefly as her friend hugged her new husband goodbye once more. They both looked like their hearts were going to break.

And then they were all out of sight, tucked safely within the ISSCV. McQueen accompanied Cooper up to the observation deck, saying nothing, knowing that little except an end to this war would soothe the younger Marine´s pain at being separated so soon from his young family. Instead, he placed one calm hand on Cooper´s shoulder, both of them lost in their own thoughts, watching the ISSCV fade until it became little more than a star among stars, and then it, too, was gone.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places."