Jacine woke up slowly, not aware of much beside the pain. When have I ever had such a headache? She raised a hand to her head without opening her eyes. Experimentally, she moved her hand to where the pain was centered and knocked her head lightly to see if it felt hollowish, as headaches sometimes did.

A voice became audible as her hearing decided to let noise in. "Well Jacine, I was going to say 'oh good, you're awake', but I think I'll change that to, 'what are you doing'?" The voice was familiar.

Jacine peeled back one eyelid and promptly closed it again. "Bright light," she muttered, then, louder, "Tam?"

There were noises of a person moving around, then Tamlynn's voice came again. "Try opening them now, I dimmed the lights."

Cautiously, Jacine tried opening the other eye. It really was dark, and she couldn't see much. But her headache didn't get worse, so she opened the other also. With fuzzy thoughts, she realized, I know this place...

"Tam, why am I in the infirmary?"

"Oh good. Cognition. How do you feel?"

Jacine closed her eyes again. "I have a headache. I can't tell much else. But..." She tried moving an arm. It didn't exactly hurt to move, but her coordination wasn't responding correctly either. She felt sluggish and stiff.

Telling those observations to Tamlynn elicited an 'umm'. Jacine thought about opening her eyes and giving Tam a glare, but it wasn't worth the trouble at the moment. Instead, she fell asleep again.

The next time Jacine woke, she didn't have the headache. After reveling in that for a moment, she opened her eyes.

"Dr. Coburn." Jacine greeted the doctor who was moving over to her.

"Miss Mendi. How do you feel?" He looked at the readouts over her head.

Jacine twisted her head to see the readouts herself. They were upside down. "I feel much better than before."

"That's excellent. Are you still experiencing stiffness?"

She moved an arm. "Yes. And a bit numb."

"Well, that's probably to be expected. A body can't shake the effects of a poison in just 24 hours, after all. You might feel sore and stiff whenever you move for a few days."

Jacine's attention had focused on the second sentence, "Poison?" She sat up, the bed conforming to her movements, giving her support.

"Yes, you were hit with a dart that combined nerve and muscle poisons. It was a very nasty concoction."

Jacine's mind flinched away from making any connections with poisons. Instead, she tried to remember what had happened. The only thing she could recall off-hand was fixing things around the RCF hanger. With a sigh, she concentrated on using her eidetic memory and relayed the sequence of events. Okay, there's the fan -- fast forward that part. The refrigeration unit. The squeaky keyboard. Blackness. Umm. Better back up a bit. Let's look at that again. Oh yes, that's right. The platform step. And then the blackness again.

Opening her eyes, Jacine interrupted Dr. Coburn, who was still talking to her. "What did they find in the platform?" Her headache was returning from the concentration she'd put into remembering, and she didn't feel like being polite.

Dr. Coburn looked at her a bit oddly, with what seemed to be some concern, puzzlement, and a touch of disappointment.

Jacine blinked, I wonder what he'd been telling me? But she couldn't go back and review it because when she concentrated on reviewing anything in her eidetic memory, she was essentially dead to all other senses.

"They found bombs. Hooked up to a coding machine we haven't figured out yet. Apparently, the person was going to sabotage the Diplomatic Tour next week."

"Canceled, of course." Jacine closed her eyes again and settled back, the bed moving down with her movement. The headache was getting worse. Dr. Coburn started monitoring her readouts and didn't talk to her again.

"Tam. I hear you found the antidote."

Tamlynn paused with her hand outstretched to double-check Jacine's temperature and pulse. She looked around the infirmary.

Jacine looked also -- there was nobody in the room but them. Before Tamlynn had come on shift, Michael had come by with Rhin and Azami, but they hadn't stayed long before the doctor shooed them out. Jacine hadn't pressed for news, she was disappointed that 23 hadn't come with them. None of the Gang had made any sort of excuse for him, and didn't act as if they expected him to show up. But we were doing so well together... What happened while I was in Austria?

"I didn't find it. It was given to me."

Jacine's mind refocused. "What?"

Tam explained what had happened. Jacine pressed her for as many details as her friend could remember. At last she lay back in the hospital bed. Her hands moved together, but her fingers had trouble making contact with each other. Jacine looked down at them, distracted, "Tamlynn, how long am I going to be like this?"

"Until we can flush all the poisons out of your system. Probably a few days. And then you'll still be weak for a while after that."

Jacine blinked, "I thought you had gotten them out!" She wasn't too worried, she trusted the doctors, but still...

"No, we injected an antidote, that counteracted the poisons. Both are still in your body." Tamlynn looked at her friend thoughtfully, speaking of bed-ridden patients, maybe this is a good time to find out why she's not asking about 23, "Jas, when Dr. Coburn was talking with you earlier--"

The snap of Jacine's fingers interrupted Tamlynn. "Antidote. I got derailed again." She sat up again, and reached for a com unit.

"Jacine, what are you doing?" Tamlynn was exasperated at her, and gave up on turning the conversation. She helped move the com unit over and waited for the young engineer to continue on whatever thought she was on. Either she's worried about 23 and doesn't want to show it, or she's so focused she can't divert, or she doesn't care. I thought she did. But...

Activating the com, Jacine requested the Gate Terminal Line.

"What?!" Tamlynn reached over to the unit, "Oh no, you don't! You haven't been released yet."

Jacine batted the doctor's hand out of the way, and vocally requested information on Gates to ----------.

The synthasythized voice of the phone company relayed a taped message, "We are sorry for the inconvenience, but at this time, no lines are open outside Island City. The O-Storm is expected to clear in approximately four hours. At that time, lines to places using the V8 through V24 satellites will be open. V1 through V7, and V25, 26, and 27 will be closed for an additional three hours due to weather patterns in their regions." The screen showed details of the areas blacked out, while the voice talked.

"Oh good." Tamlynn was relieved, for a while, at least.

"Oh damn! I hate those bloody O-Storms." Jacine sighed. "Well, can you get me a computer access line into the RCF... No, that's not such idea. How 'bout my compuset? Humm..."

Tamlynn sighed, "I should never have told you. Jacine!" she spoke firmly to stop Jacine's rambling. Jacine blinked, stopped muttering, and looked up at her with a faint grin.

"Sorry Tam."

"Jacine. You haven't been cleared for release yet. You won't be cleared until me or Dr. Coburn decides you're fit. Until we do, you WILL STAY HERE!" The tall doctor firmly emphasized the idea with pauses between the last few words. She glared at the patient in the bed, "Do you understand?"

Jacine was looking sulky, but she couldn't keep a straight face and a bright grin broke through the glummer expression. Her eyes sparkled as she laughed, "All right, Tam. I don't promise to be a good girl, but I won't go running off without permission."

Tamlynn studied her for a minute, evaluating the answer. Jacine was trustworthy, but she had a careless regard for rules and regulations -- especially when they were applied to her. Finally, Tamlynn nodded in acceptance of her promise. Sadly, she thought that now was probably not a good time to question Jacine about her lack of concern for 23's condition -- whatever was going on in Jas's mind, Tam needed to approach the subject more carefully -- and answers were needed to other problems. "Now, back on track again, what do you think about your mysterious benefactor? Was it," she broke off to look around again, "Wren?"

Jacine's grin disappeared as if a light was turned off. She folded her hands, getting the triangle right this time, and looked up at the ceiling. "No. Neither of my friends were involved." She frowned, "At least, I don't think they were. Probabilities are likely to be 89% against."

Staring at her friend, Tamlynn couldn't help the question that came out, "How did you figure that?" As Jacine started to reply, the doctor waved her hand, "No, never mind. I didn't mean it. I don't want to know!"

Jacine subsided with only a slight smile. But her thoughts were still troubled. "This problem is serious, Tamlynn. Only someone who already knew the makeup of the poisons could have gotten an antidote that quickly, especially if you hadn't even come close. You're the best there is in that department."

Tamlynn silently acknowledged the compliment, both of them knowing it was only the truth. Outloud, she continued Jacine's thought, "And I have a high security clearance. There is nothing like that poison even being experimented with here."

Jacine's face crumpled up briefly in dismay, "Feldercarb! I forgot about the ICS. Shoot. I hope not."

With some shock, Tamlynn also thought about it, "It hadn't occurred to me," she admitted. "But, probably not. Right after it happened, they were swarming all though here. They snagged all samples of the poison we had, and I had some chemical specialists quizzing me and the other doctors of our evaluation of the poison and the antidote."

"How'd you explain finding the antidote?"

"VR Interaction." Tamlynn shrugged, "They weren't that curious about the 'how'. I have enough of a reputation to have found it on my own. You're the only one I've told about it being a gift."

"Good."

They discussed the possibilities and ramifications for awhile longer, until an intern came into the infirmary. Switching to other topics at that point, Tamlynn and Jacine had a good time. Tamlynn carefully didn't bring 23's name up, waiting to see if her friend would. Jacine never did.

Eventually, Tamlynn decided she needed to get some work done, and Jacine didn't object. She was feeling worn out, even though the headache hadn't returned. Trying to avoid talking about 23 and why he hadn't come to see her, took up more of Jacine's thoughts than she cared to admit. Jacine lay back in the bed and fell asleep quickly.

Tam brought the details of the coding machine up on the medical computer. That sure looks like DNA to me. But how the heck was it going to be an activating configuration? Was someone expected to cut their thumb and bleed over a sensor up there? Tamlynn decided she needed to attack the problem from three areas: First to find out if it was truly DNA, and if so, whose; second was the activating configuration -- find out what perimeters was it using and how was it tracing the DNA; thirdly to work backwards from the mechanics of the machine to find the workings. For the first problem, Tam decided to go on the assumption that it was DNA, and sent out a tracer program for registered DNA. The program would take quite a long time to run, as the Island City banks tended to concentrate in DNA research. She attached a prioritising tag to work on DNA from the people who were scheduled to attend the Tour, and then RCF personnel.

The activating configuration was puzzling: It didn't look like it was working through blood or skin -- the current normal methods for gaining samples of DNA. She puzzled over it for several hours. Then Tamlynn stretched, and looked over at Jacine. Her young friend was still sleeping. The interns had switched twice while she was there. The current one was working on the monitoring systems and studying the foreign substance analyzing programs. She looked at the chron readout. My shift here is almost over. As soon as I update Dr. Coburn, I'll go check on poor 23. Tamlynn shook her head at the situation -- neither of them are suppose to be in dangerous scenarios! 23 was part of HazLib, but as the relay commander, wasn't exposed to the same level of danger as the field teams. And Jas... Well, Jacine would always find trouble, whether it was there or not.

Tamlynn poked her head into the isolated medlab. An intern was the only sign of life. Dr. Helding was probably with the Haz Lib teams at the moment -- it was time for the morning briefing. The intern saw Tamlynn, and raised one finger to her lips before beckoning her in. She smiled reassuringly at Tam, then slipped out the door, leaving the doctor in the room.

Walking over to the bed, for once Tamlynn didn't even check the readouts at the top. Her heart contracted as she looked at 23's ash-grey face. Dark marks underscored his closed eyes. One arm was in a cast, and his body was in a restraining wrap. Bones healed quicker with the youth drug, but it still would be weeks before they would be completely whole. Tamlynn watched his chest rise and fall, and was relieved again. In the confusion, no one had told her 23 was hurt. They all assumed she'd known, and she only found out by accidently walking into the medlab where he was being kept isolated because of security and the massive extent of his injuries. Swallowing, she reached up to brush back the errant lock of hair on his forehead.

The corners of 23's lips moved up in a smile. "Hi Tam." His voice was a bare whisper, rough and strained.

Tamlynn was startled, "How did you know it was me?"

The smile grew wider, though 23 still didn't open his eyes, "What, me not recognized my oldest and dearest friend? Impossible."

"Azami's three years older than me." Tamlynn replied with a joke, touched by his statement. She reached up and placed the back of her hand against his cheek. "I'm glad to see you in such good spirits."

23 opened one brown eye, then closed it again. He shrugged slightly, "Why not be cheerful? I'm alive. And there's not much else to do."

Tamlynn shook her head slightly, knowing he couldn't see her. Then, she also smiled, and sat down on the bed next to him.

"How's Jacine?" So far, 23 had asked that of every person who had come in to see him. All had responded that she was doing fine, but there was a certain hesitation to the way they answered that had him worried. Tamlynn was no exception.

"She's... alright. The antidote apparently worked with no complications, though I've ordered her not to move out of her bed for the next few days. It's been hard to keep her from bouncing up. Today I discussed part of the situation with her and she had several good ideas."

"Oh -- thanks a lot." 23 was slightly annoyed: They wouldn't tell him anything beyond 'we are taking care of it; don't worry, just get better'.

Tamlynn chuckled, correctly divining his annoyance, "You were hurt a lot worse then her. You're not my patient, but if you were, I'd give the same orders -- you need to put your strength into healing, not figuring out problems. You have this bad habit of driving your energy level to zero." Shaking her head in continued amazement at the strange ways 23's heritage had messed up his systems, Tamlynn couldn't help but wonder again at an energy level of 'zero' -- which normally meant 'dead' -- on a very alive person. Dr. Helding had a lot of experience working with 23's readings, but it had still been a very tricky situation when he was in surgery, where half his readings were abnormal and the doctor couldn't use them to tell if anything was wrong or not. Tamlynn was glad it had been Sam Helding operating: She was competent and professional, and rarely let emotion get in the way of treating a patient. As skilled as Tamlynn herself was, operating on friends was something she avoided doing unless she, and the hospitals, had no choice.

23 sighed at her answer -- it was another one he'd gotten a lot. Despite his annoyance, he didn't really mind that much. He hurt a great deal despite the pain medication, and his thoughts tended to wander in and out. The short conversation had already taken a lot out of him, but he didn't want to lose contact with his friend yet. Figuring out where Tam was from the feel of the bed sinking low, he reached out a hand -- his left one -- and fumbled for hers. She responded and put her other hand over both of theirs. She didn't say anything else, and 23 relaxed, secure that she was there. Gradually, the light from beyond his eyelids faded, and he slept.

Tamlynn watched her sleeping friend, and tears started rolling down her face. He was alive now, but it had been so close... She held his hand tightly in hers, counting the heartbeats, over and over again.

Jacine sat up on her bed, keeping a straight figure and making all her motions deliberate with no hesitations. She kept her voice strong. All this, of course, due to a trance that she'd used earlier, but she wasn't about to let the doctor know that. "As you can see, Dr. Coburn, I'm obviously fit. Why, even the readings agree." Jacine was sure of that, as she'd reprogrammed them herself. "Dr. McLendon needs help with the configuring machine, and I need access to my computers and equipment back at my house." Admittedly, Tam hadn't asked for her help, but it was undoubtedly true -- Jas had looked at the programs her friend had been running -- and it was a nice lever to use. "The Gate is clear now, but there are more O-Storms moving in, and access won't be clear for at least a day." She switched from reason to charm and smiled winningly at him, "Please, Dr. Coburn. I can't do anything here." True enough.

Dr. Coburn looked at her steadily through her speech. When she was done, he checked her readings. "I really should check with Dr. McLendon..."

"But she's with the Lieutenant-Colonel right now, and I don't want to disturb them."

Dr. Coburn scowled down at the readings. "I don't understand why you..." He stopped speaking and shook his head.

Hey -- all the readings are normal! Poison's out. Let me go home!!!

The doctor looked back at her, "Alright. I'll release you. I want you to take a bio-bird with you and have Dr. McLendon or I check the readings at least every 24 hours. Take the first one when you get to your place. If O-Storms are active, then leave them in the dump for the first clear."

Yes! Jacine carefully kept her jubilation from showing too much and gave her thanks in a normal tone of voice. As soon as she'd gotten dressed, she headed for the Gates, not even bothering to pick up stuff she'd left at Tam's earlier.

"She did what?" Tamlynn stared at Dr. Coburn. "Why that little minx! She knew I wanted her to stay for at least a couple more days. Though I have to admit, that wasn't the wording of the promise I wormed out of her."

Dr. Coburn grinned, "She's good at that. But she has a generally phenomenal recovery rate -- and a good thing with her history -- so even though she altered the readings, I thought it was safe enough to let her go."

"She altered the readings?" Tam waved a hand, "Oh never mind. I know she's been worried about the sabotage, and she will get more done with her super computers. It's just..."

"I know. But I also told her that you were with 23, and she just... Well, she didn't seem worried. What happened between them?"

Tam closed her eyes, then opened them again, "I have no idea. She was absolutely delighted yesterday, no -- two days ago, when 23 called up to ask her to help him out. What did you tell her last night?"

"I told her that she had been poisoned and that 23 had been hurt also. He had just gotten out of surgery. I was starting to tell her the good news about his condition when she interrupted with a question about the platform."

Dr. Coburn had told her before, Tamlynn simply didn't believe it. It just did not sound like Jacine. So much for putting things off. Alright, I'll call her before I go to bed. She should be home by then.

Jacine borrowed a road car to get back to her house. Everybody in the Terminus recognized the look on her face and didn't ask any questions -- just waved her on with grins on their faces. Walking in her door, Jas went straight to the computer room, asking as she went, "Been keeping up with the news in Island City?"

"As soon as all the Storms cleared a channel. Should you be here? I didn't think the doctors would release you yet." The familiarity of Wren's voice was reassuring.

Sitting down at her terminals and bringing screens up and online, Jacine started entering the details of the poison and the antidote. Absently, she replied, "I'm here now. Wren -- we've got a problem that's not in general circulation, see that antidote?"

"The one Tamlynn found."

"Nope. That was given to Tamlynn. She thought it was you."

There were several seconds of silence, and Jacine turned her head around in surprise -- Wren only needed nano-seconds to think things over usually.

A deeper voice came through the speakers, "It wasn't either of us. But neither do we know what went on. I wasn't in the City at the time.

Jacine looked back at the screen, realizing that the delay had been Wren getting Oracle. Switching to the compacted language the sapients had taught their family, she said, "I know that, Oracle. I want to approach this cautiously, though, because whoever supplied the antidote obviously is connected with the Saboteur--"

"And the person has to protected even as we're searching them out." Oracle completed the sentence with complete understanding.

Wren finished up the thought, "Right now, all of the Island City mainframe is compromised, so we need to work though here. Circuits are open for only another hour, so I'll go to the City now and check out Tamlynn's machines -- see if any trace is left."

Suddenly, the house was absent of the feel of her presence. Jacine licked her lips with apprehension, but said nothing. On the screens in front of her, Oracle pulled up inventory lists and scrolled through them at an incredible rate. He spoke softly, "Don't worry, little sister. We've had lots of experience in dodging traps. Wren will be careful. Do you want Mother to help?"

"She'll have more access to IC then I will... Yes, please, let her know. But you know the dangers in that as well."

"Of course." Oracle switched the subject as the screen stopped scrolling, "All items in the formulas are accessible in Island City. Not all easily, but not traceable. It needs a lab to put it together, but, again, not traceable -- half of the City is labs."

They started on another facet of investigation. It was less than an hour when, at eleven o'clock a.m., Tamlynn called. Wren hadn't come back yet, but Oracle wasn't worried.

"Jacine. Hard at work already, I see." Tamlynn changed her mind about asking questions when she saw her friend's face a shade of grey. "I want you to stop whatever you're doing right now."

"But Tamlynn, the time factor has to be covered now." Jacine was totally unrepentant, and apparently unaware of her condition.

The doctor's mouth tightened in a hard line, "No it doesn't. You shouldn't be out of the hospital, let alone pushing yourself so hard. And if you don't believe me, look in a mirror. You only left IC two hours ago, and already you're about to collapse. I want you to take out that bio-bird that Dr. Coburn gave you and transmit the readings now."

A deep baritone entered the conversation, "The line's secure. Sorry, Doctor McLendon -- I didn't notice her condition. I'll lock down the computer access so she can't get on. How long?"

"Oracle?" Tamlynn was surprised, but instantly understood -- Wren had more experience in worrying about Jacine, and the other sapient wouldn't have thought to check. "At least for five or six hours. I'll transmit--"

The computer blocked the lines hastily, "No, don't transmit anything. We have to keep this station secure, and all others are suspect right now."

"Including mine." Tamlynn nodded with understanding, and looked to see how Jacine was taking all this. The young woman was apparently annoyed, but not objecting.

Jacine noticed her friend's look and grinned sourly, "I've learned that I can't win against Big Brother." She picked up the bio-bird and turned it over in her hands.

Rolling her eyes at the connotations in 'big brother', Tamlynn instructed Jacine how to use the medical instrument. After she did, Wren's voice came over, "I'm back. Don't worry, Tam, I picked up the instructions when I was at your house -- I'll make sure Jacine follows them."

Jacine scowled, but again, didn't say anything. Tamlynn laughed, "Well, I feel much better now. I'll sleep soundly without having to worry."

Shaking her head, Jacine changed the subject, "Tam, on the activator machine, did you and 23 come up with any ideas that would help in my search?"

"Did I and..." Tamlynn stared at the screen in surprise, "Jacine. 23--"

The screen fuzzed out with white sparkles, then a standard display showed a message of, 'Sorry, your communication has been terminated due to O-Storm activity. Please try again later.' Tamlynn cursed fluently and at great length.

Jacine glanced at the chron readout, "You cut that close, Wren."

"No I didn't. Two minutes is an incredible safety margin."

"So what did you find out?"

Wren chuckled, "Jas, you heard the doctor. Go in the other room. I'll make you a nice lunch -- or is it supper by your bio-clock? And then I'll draw a nice, hot bath, and if you're looking better, then I'll tell you. Besides, I have to make room for Oracle to stay for awhile."

Jacine's hand flew to her mouth, "Oh that's right! Oracle, you're cut off from the Caves now! I'm sorry. Will Mother worry?"

Oracle laughed, "No, I already told her what was going on. I don't mind camping out for a good cause."

Jacine stared at the computer screen, diagrams forgotten. At times like these, she wished the computers had faces and expressions she could see. "Back up a minute there, Wren. Why can't 23 work on the activator?"

Wren repeated with a trace of hesitancy in her voice, "Because he's in isolation in the hospital and the doctors have forbidden any activity. Jacine, are you saying you didn't know?"

"But why is he in the hospital?" Jacine ignored the computer's question, her heart stilled with fear.

"He got into a fight with the guy that poisoned you. Jacine -- how on earth did they let you out of there without knowing this?"

"I think..." Jacine said softly, reviewing things in her memory, "I wasn't listening. Oh, Craig-23..." A tear started to roll down her face out of the corner of one eye. Not noticing, she didn't brush it away. Still staring at nothing, she addressed her computer friend, "Wren, please give me all the details."

A 'ping' interrupted Tamlynn as she studied diagrams. She looked at the chron readout. "Oh good. The Storms have finally cleared." Getting up and moving to the comset, Tam reflected with annoyance that it was only in Island City that O-Storms could block communication for 18 hours with no break. And just when I really need to use them. Before she got to the comset, it chirped with an incoming call.

Raising her eyebrows, and smiling a little at the timing, Tamlynn answered it.

"Hi Tam. How's 23?" Jacine's concerned face was framed in the unit.

"Now that's more like it," Tamlynn said with deep satisfaction.

A bitter, haunted look crossed Jacine's face, and Tamlynn regretted her words, "Whoa, Jas, I didn't mean that how it sounded. I'm just happy that the confusion is cleared up." She looked again at her friend, "It is, isn't it?"

"Yes..." Jacine sighed, and the haunted look didn't leave her face. "Wren told me he'd been hurt, and gave me all the details that she had. I understand now, the look Dr. Coburn gave me that night."

"Ah..." Tamlynn was relieved to know that she hadn't been mistaken in thinking Jacine hadn't heard him, but she was worried about the expression on Jacine's face. The young engineer probably blamed herself for the whole thing. "You know, nobody told me at all. I walked into the med room he was in and almost fainted when I saw him."

One eyebrow rose, but if anything, Jacine looked more worried. "He was that bad? How is he now?"

"Recovering nicely, and being a much better patient than you were."

They talked from there, Tamlynn reassuring her friend and telling antidotals of 23's jokes with the doctors and interns that treated him -- more indicative of 23's condition than the medical records that Wren had. In turn, Jacine told Tam what had happened

Jacine limped in the door and threw her knapsack on a chair. With a groan, she announced to Wren, "I am absolutely bushed. But I did find out a few things."

"I'm just glad to see you back in one piece." The voice was familiar, but it was 23's tenor, not Wren's rich contralto.

Jacine's mouth dropped open in surprise as 23 walked in from the dining room. He looked at her with a grin on his face. "I hope you don't mind, I've been hanging out here while you were gone. Wren said it was okay."

"Mind?" Jacine thought about the last time she'd seen him, "No... 23 -- I'm so sorry for the way I cut you off! I --"

23 raised a hand to stop her, still walking forward, "No, no. It was fine." His grin was infectious, and Jacine smiled tentatively. He laughed and said, "Actually, I thought it was a perfectly reasonable reaction. I probably would have done the same thing."

"Really?" Jacine watched him as he got closer, and a wild hope grew within.

"Really." 23 stopped a foot away from her. "But I did thank Michael for it -- until that moment, I wasn't sure how you felt."

Jacine lowered her eyes, thinking about it, "I guess..., I'm not that obvious." She looked back up at him, "Sorry."

23 laughed, a joy so intense in him, that at this moment, nothing could be wrong. "Oh, Jas..." He placed one hand under her chin, tilting her head to a good position, then he leaned over and kissed her.

Jacine moved in, closing the last few inches of space between their bodies, wrapping her arms around him as her cane fell to the ground. They were just kissing with lips, feeling the warm flesh of the other, delighting more in the emotions of knowing the other cared, rather than the excitement of lust.

Jacine broke off the kiss first, and tilted her head back to look at 23. He had moved his hands to behind her waist, and his brown eyes sparked at her. With some mischief in mind, Jacine grinned at him, "You know, if my stupid leg hadn't given out on me in the air duct, I was going to show you how I felt."

"Really?" 23 brushed her hair back with one hand. "I remember that moment well. I was just about to do the same thing." He remembered their bodies pressed close to each other, the scent of her filling his senses... He kissed her on her forehead, then moved down to her cheek, then to nibble on her ear.

Giggling slightly at the feel, Jacine whispered, "Shall we pretend this is an air duct?"

"Why not." 23 moved his mouth to hers, and found it already parted in anticipation. He slipped his tongue in the opening, meeting hers, drawing in the hot taste of her saliva. They moved together for several seconds before running out of oxygen.

Moving his hands behind her waist, 23 found that Jacine's shirt wasn't tucked in. First one hand, then the other, slipped under the shirt and moved up her bare back.

Jacine stood for a moment, feeling his hands on her, delighting in it, wishing he would move to the front... She reached her right hand up to his face, tracing her fingers around his left eye, placing her hand flat on his cheek, watching his brown eyes the whole time. 23's eyes never left hers, and he leaned his face into her hand. Jacine moved her fingers to brush across his lips. "Craig-23, I have wanted to do this for so long..."

23 gave up trying to nibble on her fingers as she kept them just out of range, "Why didn't you?"

"Well, I asked you to dinner that night..."

Finding the hooks to her bra in the back, 23 undid them, then moved one hand forward across her breast. Jacine's breath caught, and she convolsivly arched her back, then moved forward, crushing herself to 23.

"Urgk..." 23 liked the feel of her against him, but his hand was now quite trapped, his arm bent at an awkward angle. But he forgot about it as Jacine started nuzzling his neck, tracing the veins with her tongue and drying it off with kisses. She moved slightly away to get to the front of his collarbone, then brought her hands up to undo his shirt.

Suddenly she stopped, and backed away. "What is that, Craig?" Her voice was stern with caring.

"Umm?" 23 knew what she was talking about, but had hoped she'd ignore it.

"23. That's a back-brace. You're still not completely healed, are you?" Jas put her hands on her hips and looked at him with her head slightly tilted to one side.

23's breath caught as he looked at her, completely, absolutely Jacine, with blue-green eyes sparkling with care that he now knew was for him specifically. It'll heal later! Just one night... "It's fine. I just got use to wearing it, and--" His voice was cut off as Jacine stopped him with a light kiss.

"Craig-23, I love you very much. I have for quite a long time. And now that that's out into the open, we can wait a little longer." Jacine's voice was filled with emotions that she usually kept carefully locked away in case they should betray her. But this was a surrender, or a peace treaty, and not a betrayal. "More than anything else in the world, I don't want to hurt you. When I found out that I'd been absently out of it for three days before I realized you were hurt--"

It was Jacine's turn to be cut off by 23's kiss. He kept it light, like hers, and reluctantly decided she was right. Now that he was actually thinking, he realized that Jacine wouldn't have been in shape for much activity anyway. She was tired and grimy from her long trip, her boots were locked in full support, and when she had walked in the door, she'd looked about ready to collapse. "I'll draw you a bath," 23 said, and went back into the bathroom with a last, lingering kiss.

Jacine watched him walk away with a smile on her lips. He had taken the initiative after all. Between the two of them, Tamlynn had told Jacine that there had been bets on which one would speak first. Of course, she'd only mentioned that after both of them had gotten hurt... With a sigh, Jacine recollected how much pain she was in. Scooping down from the waist, she retrieved her cane and leaned on it. Shaking her head, she thought about what they both would have felt like in the morning if they'd continued. Not to mention the scolding they'd get from Tam. With a chuckle, Jacine amended that, No, Tam wouldn't scold, but she'd have to bite her lips not to! Trying to weigh the good against the bad... Jacine laughed out loud, and moved into her bedroom. 23 had politely entered the bathroom from the kitchen side, and the door into her bedroom was closed, though she could hear the water running.

Pulling off her shirt, and slipping off the already unhooked bra, Jacine ran her hands down her chest. With a different sigh, Jacine reminded herself that they could wait. Sex wasn't the important part of a relationship, after all. And now that they'd finally admitted to each other that they cared, they had all the time in the world for everything else.

"All ready!" Craig left the warmly steaming bathroom through the kitchen, carefully closing the door behind him.