AN: so I started rewatching Alphas, I totally ship Rachel/Hicks, who knew? Anyway, this takes place in 1x02. Marcus insists he must meet the team. He takes a particular interest in Rachel. Hicks does not like. Enjoy. Review if you please.

Staring Problems

"You're Rachel. You're the one with the enhanced senses," Marcus enunciates in strange delight. He looms down on her, his hand reaching out to touch her face; Rachel stumbles back and collides with a hard chest. A hand settles on her shoulder, the other on her hip. She relaxes slightly against him.

"Wow, ever heard personal space, pal?" Hicks grumbles from behind her. He gives her shoulder a comforting squeeze. Marcus reluctantly steps away from her. He continues to examine her with fascination. Rachel trembles under his gaze. Bill glares at him and Hicks begins to remove his hands from her to take a menacing step forward. Rachel's small soft hands on his stop him.

He can feel her asking him to stay there. So he does. Her fingers grip his briefly and then her hands fall to her sides again.

"Marcus, I'd prefer it if you didn't loom over Rachel in such a manner, it makes her uncomfortable," Dr. Rosen implores. He knew this meeting was a bad idea, but Marcus had insisted on meeting his team. Nina stares at Marcus blankly. Gary stares at him too. Hicks keeps his hands on Rachel, but his eyes on Marcus. Bill stares him down as well. The only person not staring at Marcus is Rachel. She stares at her feet. Marcus moves back more, but does not take his eyes off of Rachel.

She's pretty. In a soft, feminine kind of way. The outcome of her abilities is endlessly interesting. But the protective man behind her is quite distracting. Still, Marcus does not move away from her.

"I apologize for startling you," he whispers softly. Rachel nods once, but continues to examine the ground. Hicks glares at the man harder.

"He doesn't like it when people touch her," Gary announces loudly. Marcus turns to look at him with a puzzled expression. "A ghost tried to kill her, so now Hicks doesn't like it when people touch Rachel. It makes him nervous," he elaborates matter-o-factly. Slowly Hicks cheeks begin to darken, and so do Rachel's. But they don't move from their position and Rachel does not raise her eyes from the ground.

"That's true, Gary, Cameron is rather protective of Rachel," Dr. Rosen acknowledges exasperatedly. Nina throws him a disbelieving look.

"'Rather protective' is an understatement, Dr. Rosen," Gary protests. "Yesterday a man bumped into Rachel on the street, and Hicks wanted to end him," Gary states. Nina giggles at his use of slang, and the subjects of the conversation continue to turn startling shades of red. Rachel's eyes do not leave the ground. Bill laughs out loud.

Marcus turns his gaze back onto Rachel. "Fascinating," he murmurs. Dr. Rosen shifts uncomfortably. It was not his business to remark upon the relationships between his team. But clearly everyone was very interested in the dynamics between Rachel and the newest member of the team.

"Okay, I think we've spent enough time making Cameron and Rachel uncomfortable," he says good-naturedly, hoping to draw the attention away from them. It works, sort of. Marcus's eyes swing towards him, but the rest of the team continues to stare at Hicks and Rachel, smiling knowingly. Dr. Rosen clears his throat. They reluctantly tear their eyes away from the two, but the smiles do not leave their faces.

Dr. Rosen is the only one still looking at them, so he's the only one who sees Hicks squeeze Rachel's hip reassuringly before he removes his hands from her. Now that the focus is no longer on her, Rachel finds the courage to raise her gaze from the ground, they collide with Dr. Rosen's and he hastily seeks out Marcus's unnerving stare.

"You like her," Nina pronounces delightedly as she hops gracefully to sit on Hicks's desk. She crosses her legs demurely, and grins down at him. He glares up at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he denies coolly, fiddling with his baseball. Nina snorts and rolls her eyes. She raises an eyebrow at him and crosses her arms, staring him down. He stares at his baseball.

"So maybe I do, a little bit," he admits. She glares harder. "A lot," he relents. She grins and claps her slender hands together.

"Aww," she coos. He glares at her now. She smiles sweetly in response.

"So what?" he grumbles. "It's not like she returns the sentiment," he says gruffly, staring at the floor. Nina uncrosses her legs and slams her hands down on his desk, making him jump. She grips the edge of the desk, and leans down to his eye level.

"You don't know that," she states stubbornly. "She didn't mind when you had your hands on her earlier," she points out.

"There was a creepy guy staring her down, that doesn't count," he argues. Nina groans in exasperation.

"You're impossible!" she pronounces as she leaps off his desk and strides towards the door.

"Wait!" he calls after he, reluctantly. She stops at the door and turns back to him, he continues to fiddle with his baseball, refusing to meet her gaze. "Do you," he starts. He stops and sighs. "Do you really think she likes me, too?" he asks. Nina squeals in delight. He groans.