Once upon the Hermes, the crew went their separate ways. Beck's hand found Johansen's, and he squeezed it. She reciprocated, but the lump in her throat made it impossible to even look at him, or else the tears would just fall. As many of the crew members went to the comfort of their bunks, to try and sleep this horrible day away, she had another idea. Grabbing her gym clothes, she headed down to the gym.

Running, for her, could solve most issues, but even today's problem was futile. Beth was exhausted. "Fuck," she muttered as she glanced down at the treadmill, which read she had only completed 15 minutes. She walked by the bunks, to which she could hear scattered sniffles, and into the shower to have her allotted ten minutes. Not that anyone would care today though, she reasoned. Stripping out of her clothes, she let the hot water run over her. Her legs almost buckled as she grabbed onto the wall for support, as the day's events ran unwillingly in her mind. Inside the privacy of the shower stall, Beth wept.

Not ready to go to bed yet, Johansen decided to make herself a cup of coffee. To her surprise, the red-haired Commander was at a table, head in-between her hands. Not so surprising was her red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained face. Beth was caught off-guard a little. Of course Lewis had a right to be vulnerable, but she had never seen her commander so broken before. Lewis raised her head as she heard someone walk into the room.

"Sorry, Commander," Beth said. "I didn't mean to disturb.. did you need some privacy?"

Lewis shook her head. "I actually would like the company," she admitted. "How are you feeling?"

It was typical Melissa, Beth thought after the fact, asking how she was, when it was obvious that the commander was having some issues of her own.

"Shit," Johansen replied truthfully. "You?"

"Sums it up," Melissa said, biting her lip.

Johansen made a cup of tea instead, not sure how her body would react to the caffeine on such a high-filled adrenaline day. She looked down at her mug, nursing her tea slowly.

"I can't believe he's gone," Lewis said. "One minute he was there, and the next he wasn't."

"It's not your fault, Lewis. We would have done the same thing in that situation," Beth insisted, making eye contact with her leader. Their leader, who they all loved and respected. They knew the feeling was mutual. Usually Lewis' eyes had a twinkle in them, especially when Martinez and Whatney would playfully argue. She was their respected leader yes, but she was also a friend; the mother figure of the group. Today though, her eyes were hollow and sunken.

Commander Lewis shrugged in response. "It doesn't matter, I guess. Beck was right. He's dead by now."

Beth tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but the tears started to fill up anyways, as she wiped them away. "I can't imagine a world without Mark in it," she whispered quietly. Lewis looked at Beth. The two, without realizing it, had bonded merely over the fact that they were the only two women onboard. Although the whole crew was family to one another, it was Lewis that Beth could feel safe in explaining her feelings to.

"I know," Melissa said. Uncharacteristically, she reached out to squeeze one of Johansen's hands. "We just have to imagine him the way he was, not the way he died."

Beth nodded. "You're right."

Lewis stood up to place a hand on her friend's arm. "I'm going to try and get to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow and will have to report to NASA. Will you be okay by yourself?"

Her eyes, though swollen, were still full of concern.

"I'll be fine, commander." Beth said. She was sad, yes, but she didn't need to have someone supervising her in case she tried to OD, or self-harm, or whatever. "You?"

"No choice," Lewis said. "I've got a spacecraft to run and a family to look after."

"If you need to fall apart, you know, it's okay. We've got your back too," Beth said.

Lewis smiled, and initiated a rare hug. Beth sank into the human contact, as the two held each other for a moment.

"Thanks, kiddo," Lewis said, exiting the area.

Minutes later, Beth relented and went to her bunk. Tossing and turning, she finally gave up and went to the one bed she knew might offer her the comfort that she needed. "Beck? Can I come in?"

He opened the curtain, and let her in. She had never done this before, and neither had expressed any real feelings to each other, one way or another, but somehow the two just knew."Lay down with me," he said, wrapping her tiny body in his more muscular frame. "I'll be the big spoon."

Beth lay down, and listened to the sound of his breathing. They were lucky to be alive, she realized, noting to herself how close they too, had come to dying. She took in a deep and shaky breath. Chris noticed this and pulled her in closer to him, clutching her as if she was his lifeline too.

"Go to sleep, Beth," he whispered in her ear. "Just try, my love."

And so she did, for him. Her eyes closed as she drifted into an uneasy slumber.