He was my captain; I told myself as Doctor Medina gave Jameson one final check. He was my superior officer. Due to AU chain of command, I had to follow his orders. He had to believe I would carry them out. There was no room for emotions. For feelings. For a relationship.

He was my captain. I was duty bound to obey him. He was duty bound to honour that trust. He would never overstep the mark. Never take advantage of my position beneath him in the command structure. He would never take the risk Sam had.

And I had to believe that was for the better. What I was beginning to feel for Captain John Jameson would not help anyone. I would never make the same mistake I’d made on Earth.

“Pavo,” Doctor Medina was saying. “Captain Jameson is returned to duty. I relinquish medical override Alpha-Delta-01.”

“Alpha-Delta-01 relinquished. Welcome back, Captain.”

Jameson shook himself.

“I feel like I’ve just been doused in cold water,” he said. “If you ever do that again, Nico, I swear to God I will make you suffer.”

“You are such a baby, John.”

I snorted. Jameson grinned at me. The doctor rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.

I could fall in love with this man, I realised as Jameson held my stare. He winked and jumped down from the bed, looking for all intents and purposes as if nothing had happened to him at all. His uniform had been removed, and he was in scrubs, but Pavo had already slid out a tray from the gel wall with the captain’s insignia draped uniform waiting for him to put on.

“Turn around, Commander,” Jameson instructed. “Unless you’d like to help me get dressed?”

I blushed and turned to face the opposite wall. Pavo created an image of greens trees for me to look at, a soft wind rustling their leaves. It was meant to soothe, but instead, I felt like my skin was on fire and the branches were making me itch.

Some indeterminate amount of time later, Jameson appeared at my side.

“I didn’t realise you were so bashful,” he said.

“I’m not bashful. Sir.”

He studied me for a moment, then leaned closer and said, “You didn’t even peek.”

I shook my head. “That would have been inappropriate.”

He pressed closer and whispered, “I give you permission to be inappropriate whenever you want, Commander.”

And then walked toward the exit. I stared after him for a second and then glanced over my shoulder at the doctor. Medina was keeping his eyes down and his back to us. If he knew the captain was chatting me up, he was feigning disinterest. I shook myself awake and followed the captain from the medbay.

“Sir,” I said as I came alongside him. “Will you return to the bridge?”

“Who did you leave in charge?”

I’d had no choice. Maxwell had been the most senior officer. He still looked at me funny, but he had warmed a little since we’d had that confrontation. I’d had to extend an olive branch, though, even as it galled me to do so.

“Lieutenant Commander Maxwell, sir,” I said.

Jameson’s steps slowed.

“I want to be close to you should you need me,” he said softly. “But I get the distinct impression you’ve left something out of your report.”

“Left something out, sir?” I queried.

“Has everything gone smoothly for you on the bridge?” he asked.

“As smooth as can be expected, sir.”

Jameson scowled, clearly irate about something.

“That’s not exactly what I was hoping to hear.”

“I am an unknown, Captain. I have to prove myself.”

“And have you?”

“Enough, for now, sir.”

“Quit it with the ‘sirs’,” he snapped.

“Sir?”

He stopped walking altogether. We were on Deck B. There was no one else walking the corridors. This deck didn’t have a lot of foot traffic normally; infirmary, gymnasium, officers’ quarters and the launch bay. Right now, we were the only ones moving about down here.

Jameson turned to look directly at me.

“On the bridge, I would expect a use of titles,” he said. “When it’s just you and me, we can drop the formality.”

“I’m unsure if that is wise,” I said.

He stepped closer. “Why? What are you afraid of?”

“You’re my captain, sir.”

“Ana.”

“I can’t,” I said, stepping away. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise,” he said swiftly. “But don’t run either.”

“I’m not running, sir.”

“Hiding behind something, then.”

“Propriety?” I offered. “Chain of command?”

He was close now. Too close. I kept stepping back. He kept stepping forward.

“Don’t tell me you don’t feel this,” he whispered; his voice was husky. Sexy. Like a barely there touch.

“I don’t feel this,” I managed to rasp back.

“Liar,” he murmured, then slowly reached up and cupped my cheek with one of his hands. “And if I kiss you right now?”

“I’d have to stop myself from kneeing you, sir. You are my captain, after all.”

He stepped back. I forced myself to look him in the eye.

He held my gaze with a compassionate one of his own. There was more in there, but I refused to acknowledge it. He wasn’t angry though. He understood. But what exactly did he understand? That we couldn’t do this? That I wanted to, but I would never make the same mistakes I’d made before? That we had a job to do and too many people relied on us to do it without distraction and falling for this man would distract us both?

“You promised me ‘later’ in that maintenance tube above the bridge,” he finally said.

I stared at him and said nothing.

“I intend to collect on that promise,” he added.

“Sir,” I said shaking my head. We couldn’t do this. I felt the loss of something I hadn’t even had the chance to possess.

Jameson smiled at me; wicked with intent. “You are a challenge, Ana Kereama. I like a challenge.”

“Sir,” I said again, almost pleading.

“Be at ease, Commander. We have time. New Earth is still a fair few months away. Between now and then, we’ve got our hands full. But I promise you this, by the time we reach our destination, I will have had my hands full of you, too.”

I stared, open-mouthed at him, as he practically sauntered off towards the central hub and lifts.

It was the pain meds, I decided. Definitely the pain meds. He’d think differently once they wore off. And everything would return to how it should be.

I followed behind him feeling more desolate than I had since we’d escaped a dying Earth.