A/N: This is one of the stories that I started ages ago but am going back through with the aim of finishing and posting what I can. It's probably going to be a four-partner, mostly done. I'm actually a little in love with how this fic is turning out so far, but of course everyone one knows what a big fan of drama I am. ;-)

I do really hope you guys like it too. :-)

Disclaimer: Last Ship not mine…

Warnings: Definite adult themes…

LSLSLS

Chapter 1: Tom & Rachel

"Well you know what? If the thought of getting me pregnant was such a terrible one. You know what you should of considered bloody well doing?! …Not having sex with me!" Rachel yelled angrily, the terrible argument over as far as she was concerned.

There was nothing more to say. She had to escape his cabin before she cried, before he saw the evidence of her heart actually breaking. That could never happen. What was wrong with her? She had never given a man this much power before, the power to break her…

And the first one she ever had, had bloody well used it! Unbelievable!

"Rachel, that is not what I meant!" Tom watched her throwing her clothing back on hurriedly. The dire turn their conversation had taken meaning it wasn't the right time to enjoy the first unrestricted view of her body he had gotten, one unfettered by either clothing or the dim lighting of last night's activities.

"I'm leaving now, you don't have to worry, it's unlikely anyway and I will make sure there are no disastrous repercussions…for you!" She yelled the last with finality after she had succeeded to pulling the last piece of her clothing on.

"Rachel, please, wait!"

It was too late, she ran out and the door slammed shut behind her…

And he was naked.

Great.

Tom thought about it and decided it wasn't like going after her immediately was the greatest of ideas anyway. She clearly needed some time to herself to calm down.

No, going after her straight away was not the best idea for numerous reasons. Firstly, she would be long gone by the time he could get decent. And secondly and most importantly, he really didn't want to have this showdown on the p-way of his busy battleship in front of all his people.

Not that having the entirety if his crew all witness their ships Captain and savior of the human race scientist having a morning after/birth control argument wouldn't be entertaining to all and sundry…bar the two of them, of course…but he really wanted to keep just a little more privacy in their new relationship then that.

The time would come…probably sooner rather than later…when he would want and need them to make themselves known as an official couple, but he wanted to have a little private time for just them before all eyes were on their every move.

Yes, he would give her a little time to cool down and then he would find her and fix this. He just couldn't understand why she had jumped to such an outrageous conclusion to start with!

Obviously their professional relationship had had a rather strained and sometimes-volatile quality to it in the beginning, but he had really thought that they had moved past that.

More recently, especially on their off duty moments, he had been making a concerted effort to treat her, not only as a woman he vastly respected, but also held romantic interest in.

He had been deliberately trying to train their relationship to a more romantic place…and he had thought he has achieved that quite well last night, when she had allowed herself to be seduced by him and they had made love for long hours into the night.

He smiled at the memory of those sensual hours between his sheets…hours spent learning and pleasuring each other's bodies…before the harsh reality of his current difficulties had raised their head.

Looking back he could admit that he had expressed his thoughts poorly just now, but he had not expected her to jump to such an insane conclusion either. He would find her soon and he would fix this.

Meanwhile he considered that, as much as he might want to exist in the blissful solitude that they had last night for a little while longer, now knowing that Rachel seemed heavily inclined towards believing herself to be not the type of woman a man would want to marry and have children with…he might need to act in a more definitive way to prove to her otherwise. Ahead of his earlier planned schedule that is.

Keeping their relationship a secret, despite the clear short-term advantages, would not help his cause long term. It was much sooner than he had anticipated…he thought he would continue to court her for a few months after their relationship became an romantic and intimate one…as it had last night.

He had thought that should be enough time for her, if the had done his job right, to believe him to be a good choice for a more permanent relationship…and despite her wild pontifications…one that included having more children together…if that was what she wanted of course. And her reaction would seem to indicate that she did. He can only assume that was what getting so offended over her mistaken assumption that he was stringently against such an eventuality meant.

Quite to the contrary of Rachel's incorrect assumption and shockingly volcanic overreaction, he was very much open to the idea of her bearing his child and definitely to the more permanent relationship with her that such an welcome prospect could only mean for them as a couple. He would admit it wasn't like he had a burning need to be a father…quite simply because he already was one. But the thought of his child inside Rachel…the thought of adding a baby they had made together to their joined family…both were extremely pleasing ideas to him. But they were not the be all and end all of their relationship…they were potentially very pleasant additions. But without so much as the possibility of them…he would still want Rachel.

Absolutely.

That brought him to consider Rachel's feelings on the subject. They had not discussed it…at least not successfully…it had been what he was trying to get to this morning…obviously too late.

Ignoring his admittedly terrible self expression, and her unbelievable overreaction…what he would have said if the conversation had proceeded a little more calmly, was that he was not opposed to an earlier than expected welcome consequence of their love and love making.

He had just brought it up then because he had really wanted to make sure she was ok with that too…as he had never before failed to protect a woman from such consequences…at least unless he had previously discussed at length that she was fine with them.

Of course, there had only been one woman he had ever deliberately tried to get pregnant, his wife, and she had…twice.

The thought caused a short but sharp sting to his heart. It always did to think of her. But it was lessening as the months went on. And he had come to a point where he was confident that he was in fact ready to take these steps and move on.

There's no way he ever would have gone looking for love again so soon after losing his beloved wife and mother of his children in such a horrific way. Not for years. Perhaps never… But when the unquestionably precious jewel of a love rarely ever found and fulfilled, had been placed right at his feet, after much soul searching he had come to the conclusion that he knew he would have been a fool to pass it up. Let alone for the sole reason of imperfect timing.

He didn't profess to know everything. Not even close. But some things he knew absolutely.

He knew the dearth of the kind of all encompassing unselfish love that he felt infusing his being right now.

He knew the sad transience of life on this earth. Something that had become all the more painfully evident to all in the last terrible year…

And he knew with unflinching faith the kindness of his late wife's spirit.

He did not believe that she would be displeased by the personal decisions or actions he had taken of late, far from it. For his and their children's sake, he fervently believed she would welcome Rachel and everything she represented and could do and be for the family she had left behind.

No he did not regret the decision to allow himself to move on with Rachel. Not in the least. He did not even regret what they had done and been to each other last night…he never could. Of course, it was now abundantly clear that he should have kept a damn lid on his passions until well and truly after he had had this mornings spectacularly failed discussion with her.

He really could understand why she was mad, if he really had been saying what she had thought he had been was saying…

He could understand why she would bevery offended and angry about the way he had acted…if in fact it were true! As it was, he was more than a little bit offended that she would think he would do something like that. Have sex, that he knew was completely unprotected, with her and then tell her in the morning that he didn't want any consequences coming from their night together.

Yep, that's what she thought he'd done.

In his defense, even without actually having the conversation, he had thought they were a hell of a lot closer to being on the same page. At the very least he had thought he knew two things absolutely…

One, they were both fully aware of the virtually nonexistent birth control situation on this ship...and the frankly, the world. I mean she was a doctor for crying out loud!

And two, after a period of romantic courting, they had both freely and eagerly consented to make love, with neither of them broaching the issue of attempting to avoid such an occurrence.

He had thought the math on that worked out fairly plainly…they were both ok with the idea that a baby could result from their passion…and love.

He loved her…and until an hour ago, he had believed that the feeling existed mutually between them. But it hadn't been spoken aloud, he admitted sadly, by either of them…

Still, he had thought…

Tom shook himself. He could still have been right about all that. He didn't know how much of her anger this morning had been about a possibly belated realization that he could have gotten her pregnant or if it had entirely been about her mistaken belief that he was not ok with that possibility.

He heavily suspected and hoped for the latter…

Of course, it was obvious now that he should have forced the conversation to happen before any intimacy…of the type that could result in pregnancy at least…could take place, but hindsight was always twenty-twenty.

But he was confident he could fix this, he would just give her some time to cool down first. Frankly, he thought the time might not be a bad idea for him either. In fact the more he thought about it, the more he realized he really was more than a little upset with her himself for jumping to such a negative belief of him as a man.

About something so fundamental to whom he was as a man too.

His treatment of women had always been honorable, especially any woman that was his…and she was.

And she should know that.

TBC

Next Up: Jed & Rachel

Sneak Peak:

"Jed, I just wanted to say that I have really enjoyed our time together."

Damn. Whatever he'd done, his sonny boy had screwed up royally this time.

"Rachel, why do I now feel like you're breaking up with me too?"

LSLSLS

A/N: Please review, even a few words means a lot. :-)