Title: Winter Wonderland
By: nancy
Pairing: Archer/Mayweather
Fandom: Star Trek Enterprise
Rating: R
Summary: Travis and Jonathan get trapped on a snow planet where revelations are made.***
Jon grinned as he watched Travis wander around the snow covered field. It was good to see him laughing and smiling again as Hoshi teased him about finding his 'earth-legs.'
"Good to see him smiling again," Trip observed from behind.
Turning to his friend, Jon nodded. "Just thinking that myself. Took his Dad's death pretty hard."
"Yeah."
They both watched the younger crewmembers another moment, then Jon asked, "Find what you were looking for?"
"Yeah. About a hundred clicks north. Nice sized deposit."
"But you want a closer look."
"Wouldn't hurt. Get a few samples, bring them back to check out."
"Sounds like a plan," Jon agreed. "Think I'll let Hoshi and Travis enjoy the fresh air a while longer. Why don't you and Malcolm take the shuttle over and pick us up on your way back to Enterprise?"
Trip looked over at Travis and Hoshi, a grin resurfacing as Travis held a lump of snow over Hoshi's head, clearly threatening to drop it. "Sure thing."
"Travis! Hoshi!" Jon called.
Hoshi used Travis' moment of distraction to advantage and shoved him hard enough to topple before running for safety. Breathless, she asked, "Yes, Sir?"
Travis joined them, brushing himself free of the snow and echoing, "Yes, Sir?"
Hiding a smile, Jon answered, "Trip and Malcolm are going ore hunting. I thought we'd take the afternoon off. How's that sound?"
Hoshi shook her head and replied, "I really appreciate it, Sir, but I'm about to turn into a popsicle."
Nudging her lightly with his hip, Travis muttered, "Wuss."
Jon had to clear his throat to keep from laughing. Obviously, snow brought out Travis' inner-child. "So you'll be sticking around then, Travis?"
"Yes, Sir!" Travis confirmed, enthusiastic.
"All right then. We'll see you defrosted later, Hoshi. On the shuttle with you," Jon ordered.
She grinned and saluted before rushing over to the shuttle, calling for Trip to wait. Jon's sharp eyes didn't miss the way Malcolm's hand settled on Trip's lower back to keep the other man balanced. Trip had, as usual, picked up too many things and was in danger of falling over. Or, had been, until Malcolm righted him just in time.
The lingering feelings of regret that he and Trip hadn't started anything were finally gone, though, and Jon could honestly wish them the best. For which, he was grateful. He didn't ever want to lose either friend for any reason, least of all jealousy.
"Sir?"
Jon looked at Travis and smiled. "Nothing. Just thinking."
"You want to go exploring?" Travis suggested, hesitant.
Funny how the younger man was always sensitive to his moods, Jon mused, looking back into the dark eyes. His smile grew and he said, "Definitely. C'mon. Grab a pack."
They walked for a few miles, enjoying the pristine beauty of the empty world. They didn't know why it had been abandoned, but the only structures on the planet were a good five-hundred years old. The trees were an odd form of pine, the scent not quite as strong, but just as sharp. There were plenty of indigenous animals to observe, and none of them had any fear of the humans.
It was about an hour later that the comm signaled for Jon's attention. "Archer."
"Sir, it's Malcolm."
"What is it, Malcolm?"
"We were on our way back to Enterprise with the samples when we encountered a high-level storm. We barely made it through and it's only increased in intensity since arriving on Enterprise. We won't be able to pick you up as planned. Recommend that you and Ensign Mayweather find immediate shelter. The blizzard should hit your area in approximately four hours."
Jon's eyes went to Travis, who was happily, and unsuccessfully, trying to coax a fat little marsupial off a tree. Why was it that whenever the young man tried to have some fun, fate seemed to take exception? Irritated, he turned away so Travis wouldn't see his expression and prompted, "Suggestions?"
"There's an extensive cave system only 3 clicks east of your current position. T'Pol has found thermal activity, which means there should be hot water and you should be able to keep plenty warm. And you've got the emergency rations, so you won't go hungry."
Hearing the worry in Malcolm's voice, Jon assured him, "We'll be fine, Malcolm, don't worry."
"Are you sure, Sir? Because we could try and get to you before the storm hits."
"No, Malcolm, that's stupid. We'll be..." Jon's head rocked from the impact of a snowball. He blinked a few times in surprise, shivering as the cold wetness slid down the back of his shirt, and finished, "...fine. I'll call you when we reach the caves."
"All right, Sir. Enterprise out."
Jon put the communicator away and scooped off the remaining snow, turning to Travis with an evil look in his eye. They had four hours, after all, and this wouldn't take long.
Travis flinched and backed away, hands in the air. "I didn't think the snow would hold together, Sir, honest."
"And yet you threw it anyhow," Jon observed.
Taking the better part of valor, Travis ran. His long legs ate up the distance, but Jon was just as tall and much more used to running on earth, especially snow-covered earth. He tackled the younger man and they crashed to the ground. Straddling Travis, grinning in triumph, he announced, "Let me introduce you to the fine old tradition of a Kansas whitewash."
Dark eyes wide, neck craned to look back as he struggled under Jon's weight, Travis asked, "I'm not going to like this, am I?"
In answer, Jon shoved his face into the snow and proceeded to heap as much of it down the back of Travis' jacket and uniform as possible. Jon yelped in surprise when Travis somehow flipped him off and turned the tables, straddling Jon's front and pinning his arms to the ground. Laughing breathlessly, Jon asked, "You've been taking lessons from Malcolm, haven't you?"
Grinning broadly, Travis nodded. "So...let me see if I've got this whitewash thing down."
A few minutes later, they were both soaked through and laughing too hard to do more than feebly toss snow at each other. Getting his breath back, Jon looked over at Travis and said, "It's good to have you back."
Travis smiled, pillowing his head with his arm. "I know I haven't really been myself lately, but I just..."
"Had things to sort through. I know," Jon finished for him, understanding.
Nodding, Travis said, "Yeah, I figured you did."
Jon looked at his chronometer and sighed, saying, "All right. Play time's over. We've got about three and a half hours to get to shelter before the storm hits."
Alarmed, Travis pushed upright and demanded, "Storm?"
"Yeah. Malcolm called just before your snowball and said they couldn't come pick us up because a blizzard was heading our way. There's a cave system about 3 clicks east," Jon explained.
"But, why didn't you say something before?"
"Because we've got time. And you needed to let loose a little."
Travis frowned, thoughtful, but nodded and got to his feet. Jon accepted the hand up and they headed for the packs a short distance away. It was a quiet walk, but comfortable. Being about the same height, they kept an easy pace together. Jon grinned once or twice, thinking about Malcolm's inevitable complaints had he been along, or Trip's continuous flow of chatter. Sometimes it was nice to be with someone who didn't feel the need to talk all the time.
It took a couple of hours to actually find the caves, hidden as they were beneath a good deal of snow, but they made. Jon could tell that Travis was cold and tired, both from the walk and the whitewash, which made him feel a little guilty.
"Got it, Sir!"
Jon looked over at Travis, about a hundred meters away, who was holding a tricorder a little west of himself. "Found the cave opening?"
"Just over there," Travis agreed, striding in the opposite direction.
Then Jon heard an ominous crackling that he hadn't heard in a couple of decades. But once you heard ice cracking, you never forgot it, especially when someone you knew was on the ice. "Travis! Don't move!"
"What? What's wrong?" Travis asked, freezing in place.
Trying to stay calm, Jon grabbed a nearby stick and carefully sounded out the edge of the buried ice. "You're on thin ice. That's the cracking noise. I want you to lay down, stretch your weight out, and let me come to you."
Travis slowly obeyed, spreading his arms and legs out to lessen the concentration of weight on the ice. Jon found the edge of the ice and gritted his teeth in frustration. It was still too far from Travis. Knowing there was no help for it, he got to his knees, and then his belly, and crawled out to the trapped man.
"Just stay put. I'm going to get to you, just hang on," Jon assured the younger man. He held the dark gaze with his own, shocked to find only total belief that Jon was going to get to Travis in time. He'd never seen such depth of trust in anyone before, not even Trip. More cracking threw the thoughts away and Jon cried out in anger and panic when Travis disappeared from sight.
Jon lunged forward, unheeding of his own safety, and barely grabbed Travis' hand to keep the younger man from going under altogether. He held on as tight as he could, trying desperately to haul Travis onto the ice. Travis was thrashing around, which wasn't helping, but finally Jon was able to grab hold of the other man's jacket and keep him above the water. "Travis! Travis, stop moving! You're fighting me!"
Shuddering violently, Travis nonetheless stopped moving and Jon was able to get a better grip. Sitting up, facing Travis, he said, "Okay. Now, on three, scissor-kick as hard as you can with your legs and I'll haul you up, okay?"
Travis nodded and stammered, "Y-y-y-yes, S-s-sir!"
"One. Two. Three!"
Between them, they got Travis half out of the water. Jon's legs locked around his waist to keep him there. Travis' arms were tight around Jon's waist and he stopped, panting, trying to figure out how to get Travis the rest of the way out. "Can you swing your leg up?"
"I-I-I'll t-try."
"Don't try, Ensign, just do it!"
Travis met his eyes, and Jon willed him to take strength from him against the bitter cold he knew was attacking the young man. Still shivering hard, Travis nodded.
It took several tries, but finally Travis was able to get a leg up. Jon used the new position to roll them both away from the bad ice. For a few minutes, he just lay there, clutching to Travis, unable to believe he'd really gotten the other man back. Then he realized that Travis wasn't moving and rolled him over. His panic receded a bit on finding a pulse, but the sluggish rise and fall of Travis' chest wasn't a good thing.
With shaking hands, he pulled out his tricorder and aimed it in the direction Travis had noted. The caves were right there, thank God. He heaved Travis onto his shoulders, grunting at the added muscle the younger man had put on over the last couple of years, and staggered to his feet. It was a short walk to the small opening, and Jon could feel the heat coming from inside. He stopped short, cursing, and carefully set Travis on the ground.
Pulling out his tricorder again, he scanned the caves for any large predators and sighed in relief on finding none. He scooped Travis into his arms and brought him inside. It was incredibly dark inside, so he moved slowly, feeling his way with his foot, not wanting to trip and fall on Travis. Going to his knees, he gently set Travis on the thankfully dry ground, then felt his way back out of the cave.
Jon ran flat out to the packs, carefully skirting the edge of the ice, and ran back. Not that there was a thermal sleeping bag inside, they were just day-packs after all, but they had lights and Jon needed to see what he was doing. It was only a few minutes before he got back, but when he did, Travis was curled into a ball, shuddering heavily, trying to get warm.
Grateful that he was conscious again, Jon set the light and packs down, kneeling beside the younger man. First he ransacked the packs and crowed in triumph, pulling out a blanket and setting it on the ground. Thank God for Malcolm's anal-retentive habits! Then he gripped Travis' shoulder and ordered, "We have to get these wet clothes off, Travis, okay?"
"I'm g-g-gonna f-freeze my n-nads off, Sir," Travis protested.
Grinning at the protest, Jon assured him, "You won't. It's warm in here and I've got a good old-fashioned method to warm you up."
"I-I am n-not going p-p-p-polar b-b-bear swim-ming."
Jon chuckled as he helped Travis get out of his clinging jacket and answered, "No swimming involved, trust me."
It took a while to get the water-logged uniform off and Jon started cursing the too-many layers half-way through. Finally, though, they reached bare skin and Jon helped him onto the blanket. Then he pulled out the other blanket and tucked it around Travis. Jon stripped as fast as possible, grateful for the steamy interior of the cave which said there was a nearby hot-stream. That would be for later, once Travis was back to a regular temperature. Thank God he hadn't been in the water that long and the uniform was so insulated against extremes of temperature.
When he was naked, ignoring Travis' wide-eyed look, Jon half-grinned and joked, "Got any room under there?"
Travis' jaw snapped shut and he lifted the blanket with a shaking hand. Jon got underneath and settled on his side with, "Body heat's the fastest way to get you back to normal. Scoot closer."
"S-sir, I..."
"Now, Travis, this isn't the time to be shy," Jon ordered.
Swallowing heavily, Travis nodded and moved closer. Jon put his arms around him and twined their legs so that they were flush together. He felt the cold, clammy skin with worry and a shiver of his own. "Damn, you're cold all the way through all right."
With that, Jon rubbed his free arm up and down Travis' back, trying to warm him up. Travis was a bigger armful than he'd have thought, with more muscles than were visible under that uniform. Not that Jon spent time checking him out, but he'd noticed the young man filling out over the last year or so. Travis' breathing grew regular under his caresses, but since he'd warmed up considerably, Jon wasn't worried about him falling asleep.
The storm hit shortly after that, the wind picking up until it howled with fury. The darkness outside the circle of their lamp was complete. Jon breathed another sigh of relief that they'd made it in plenty of time, despite the mishap. He snorted to himself, thinking, Mishap? Stupid incompetence on your part, Jon. Travis wouldn't have thought about ice, but you should have! Damned miracle that you got to him in time.
And Jon knew that it was. He'd been so lucky not to lose Travis to such a stupid thing. His hand moved slower over Travis' skin, his face turned in to the barely-there dark curls on Travis' head, breathing in the now-warmed scent prevalent in the confined area of the blankets. He'd been fighting this for a while now, since he and Trip had returned from the desert planet, really. It was as though, once his heart knew there was no chance for the two of them, his affections had settled on the nearest available person.
Well no, that wasn't true. T'Pol was available, as was Hoshi. And Phlox, for that matter, though Jon grinned even trying to take Phlox seriously as a potential mate. Shaking that weird thought from his head, Jon mused on his options. Not that he had any real ones, being captain, but sometimes he couldn't help thinking about it. And now, with Travis warm and trusting in his arms, it seemed like he could think of nothing else.
T'Pol would, of course be the logical choice. There was certainly enough chemistry between them to supplement the equality that they shared. They would have problems, Human and Vulcan, but not insurmountable ones. The main deterrent that Jon could see, if he was looking at things logically, would be children if they had any. Hard enough being a child, never mind one that was literally from two worlds. Speaking from the gut, though, there was just something inside that told Jon they'd have more problems butting heads than good times being together.
No, T'Pol wasn't the one. And while he cared a great deal for Hoshi, Jon knew that she wasn't, either. She was too timid to stand up to him when he went off on a tear, as he was wont to do, unfortunately.
Travis, though... Travis knew his own mind and wasn't afraid to speak up. He was kind and funny, knew when to stay quiet and when to speak. Seemed attuned to Jon's moods almost effortlessly. And there was no doubting that he was a handsome man. They'd make a striking couple together, that was for sure, with Jon's fair complexion and Travis' dark one. The attraction was there, even though it shouldn't be, considering the age and rank difference.
Jon sighed, suddenly far too comfortable with the weight on him than he should be. Why dwell on something, or someone, that he couldn't have? To that end, feeling that Travis was more than out of danger, Jon carefully pulled free from the arms that had, at some point, started holding back.
Travis stirred, murmured, "Jonathan?"
Heart beating faster at the sleepy use of his name, Jon mentally groaned and caressed his hand along the back of Travis' head with, "Everything's fine, Travis. Go back to sleep."
Sighing deeply, Travis fell back into sleep. Jon slipped out of the blankets and tucked them back around the younger man, looking down at him wistfully. Forcing himself to his feet, aided by a blast of cold air, Jon grabbed his underwear and pulled them on, then got dressed altogether. He had to contact the ship and let them know they had made it to shelter.
Jon walked a good distance away so as not to disturb Travis, and commed the ship. The communication was static-filled, but clear enough to make out.
"Captain?"
"Yeah, it's me, T'Pol," Jon replied. "We had an accident, Travis fell through some ice, but we're both fine now."
"That is good to hear, Captain. We were...worried."
Jon grinned and answered, "Well, nothing to worry about. How's the storm going?"
"It has actually picked up in intensity and according to scans, will last at least another forty-eight hours. Will you and Ensign Mayweather be all right?"
"We'll be fine. If anything changes, one of us will call. Otherwise, just set up station-keeping and come get us when it's blown itself out."
"Understood, Captain."
"Archer out."
He'd just finished when something tackled him from behind, slamming him into the ground. The breath was completely knocked out of him and fire seared across his back and shoulder, causing him to shout with pain. He struggled against whatever it was, but it was no use. He pinned and at its mercy or, rather, the lack of it. There was another blow and more fire diagonal to the first set and Jon knew that it was a set of claws raking right through his uniform.
Then there was a snarl of pain from the creature, a yelp and a thud when it hit the floor.
Panting, Jon didn't move at first, struggling to deal with the pain in his back and shoulders.
"Captain, Sir, oh God, Sir, answer me if you can!" Travis pleaded, crouched beside him.
Jon took another breath, trying to calm the thundering of his heart, and gasped, "What the hell was that?"
"Don't know, Sir, some kind of feline," Travis answered. "Can you move?"
After thinking about it a second, Jon nodded and slowly pushed onto his hands and knees, ignoring the throbbing pain. He glanced at Travis for the first time and saw that he was still naked. Concern helped push the pain back, and he ordered, "Back under the blankets, Travis."
"Not until I've tended to you."
"Travis."
Shaking his head stubbornly, Travis stated, "You're bleeding pretty badly and that needs to get tended to first."
Recognizing the glint of resolve in the younger man's eyes, Jon half-smiled and agreed, "All right."
Travis put an arm around Jon's waist, careful not to jostle the injured area, and they hobbled slowly back to the blankets. They pulled off the undershirt and then lowered Jon to the ground. Jon waited until Travis had retrieved the medkit, brought his knees up so that he'd have something to hold onto. Dropping his head, resting his forehead onto his knees, Jon flinched at the first touch of Travis' coated finger to his wound.
"Sorry, Sir," Travis whispered.
Swallowing against the pain, Jon whispered, "It's going to hurt, Travis. Don't apologize."
Jon wasn't quite able to stifle the hisses of pain as Travis worked on spreading the antibiotic cream over the cuts. Travis didn't apologize again, but Jon could tell from the hesitancy that he was probably wincing every time one of those hisses escaped.
It took forever, but finally, Travis said, "I'm going to wrap you up, Sir."
Jon straightened up with effort, fingers clenching his thighs as the bandage was wrapped tight around the wounds. Feeling fuzzy and thick in the head, cold and shivery everywhere else, it was a struggle to stay still while Travis finished. The bandages were painfully tight, which Jon knew logically was a good thing, but felt confining and painful and made him want to tear them off.
Abruptly realizing that Travis was speaking and trying to get him to do something, Jon made an effort to concentrate on the words.
"Please, Sir, lie down, you need to rest now."
That sounded good and Jon allowed Travis to guide him onto his stomach and pull the blankets over him. He couldn't stop shivering, his body turned traitor as he tried to do what Travis wanted, but just couldn't summon the control or coordination to obey. Something cold and metal pressed against his throat and then things grew even darker than they had been.
* * * *
Travis found the communicator a few meters from where he'd killed the animal. Something that he felt only satisfaction about, instead of guilt for killing something. It had badly injured the Captain and he only wished that he'd been there sooner.
"Enterprise, come in, Enterprise!" he demanded urgently.
"Ensign? Everything all right?" Lt. Reed's voice questioned.
Travis shook his head automatically as he walked back to the camp and answered, "No, Sir. The Captain was attacked by some large feline and badly injured before I could get to him. I put some antibiotics on the cuts, but he seems to be have some kind of reaction, maybe to a toxin in the wound?"
"A moment, Ensign, I'll patch you through to Dr. Phlox."
"Yes, Sir."
It was only a moment before Dr. Phlox came on with, "Ensign? What are the Captain's symptoms?"
"He's got a really high fever, the wounds were pretty deep and were swollen by the time I wrapped them up," Travis reported. "He had difficulty understanding me and almost no coordination."
"Hmm. It sounds like a neurotoxin in the animal's claws. I'll need the animal itself to prepare an anti-toxin."
"That's great, Doc, but we're on the planet still."
"Oh, right, of course. Lt. Reed? I need the Captain here as soon as possible to prevent permanent brain damage."
Travis went cold inside at the calm, matter-of-fact statement. The thought of Captain Archer being incapacitated in any fashion was unfathomable and frightening.
"I'm afraid it will be at least ten hours before I can send a shuttle, Doctor," Reed replied.
"Oh dear. What about the transporters?"
"I'm afraid that we can't use them due to the planet's atmosphere, there's too much natural interference."
"All right. Ensign?"
"Yes, Doctor?"
"There should be a general antitoxin in the medkit. Apply that immediately. Then you're going to have to submerg him in cold water to bring the fever down to safe levels."
Travis barely restrained a laugh at the irony. "What else, Doctor?"
"That's all, I'm afraid. Until he can be properly treated, just keep the fever down and pray."
"Great," Travis muttered.
"Ensign?"
"Nothing. I'll do that, Doctor."
"Call if anything happens or if he takes a turn for the worse."
Eyes lingering on the Captain's shuddering, limp form, Travis wasn't sure it could get worse.
* * * *
An opinion that was definitely revised not three hours later as Travis held tight to the Captain, who was thrashing to get away from him. Travis was in his now-dry uniform and the Captain was nude and in the snow. He'd tied a rope around his own waist and to a rock inside the cave because the blizzard was so thick. It would only take a few steps in the white-out to get completely turned around and lost.
Using his currently greater strength, Travis finally just lay full-length on top of the other man, pressing him into the snow.
"Travis! Travis please, stop! It hurts, please!"
The words kept going, cutting deep into Travis as the Captain begged him to stop the pain, to stop the cold. His world turned upside down when the Captain suddenly wrapped his arms around Travis and just clung to him, chanting into his ear, "It'll be okay, it'll be okay, you'll take care of me."
Not knowing how long was long enough versus too long, Travis waited another ten minutes until the Captain was completely limp on the snow and not moving, despite being on his back. It took a lot of effort to put the other man over his shoulders, but Travis managed it and staggered back into the cave. Gently laying him on his side on the blanket, Travis looked down at the paler than usual face and reached out a trembling hand.
Hazel eyes snapped open unexpectedly, freezing him in place, but they were unfocused. Sighing in relief, Travis put his hand on the forehead and found it cool and clammy. The relief grew as he realized that the fever was gone. He used the tricorder to make sure, then sagged to the ground in exhaustion. Battling with the fevered Captain while he was still recovering himself had sapped him of what little strength he'd had.
Lying on his side, facing the Captain, Travis stared at him, the other man's eyes still unfocused, though, nominally, they were staring at each other. It was a handsome and strong face, commanding. The nose was a shade too-large for traditional beauty, but Travis thought that it added character. His usually sandy brown hair was wet and dark from the snow, sticking up in different places.
"Travis."
The whisper startled him, as did the mostly focused gaze that met his. Heart pounding with the surprise, Travis answered, "Sir?"
"Distract me."
"Sir?"
"The pain. Distract me from the pain."
"I could get another sedative."
"No, not drugs, it hurts worse when you sedate me. Just talk to me."
Oh great! He'd been trying to help and instead had hurt the Captain more. "Um, what about?"
"Don't care. Anything. You as a kid."
Him as a kid? "That's not a real interesting topic, Sir."
"Travis."
"Right, okay. Um. Well, I used to make a map of the universe and plot out where I was going to go when I grew up."
"Have you?"
"Not yet, or, not completely anyhow," Travis amended. "Doesn't matter where we go, really. I figure that Enterprise will get everywhere eventually."
The other man chuckled, wheezing a bit. "Probably will at that. What else?"
The labored breathing alarmed Travis, but the steady green-brown eyes reassured him somewhat, so he continued, "Well, my brother and I never really got along. The usual sibling rivalry stuff. I was always trying to one-up him."
"I never had siblings."
"I know."
"You do?"
Caught, Travis flushed under the curious gaze and stammered, "Ah, yes sir. I um, did some research on you."
"Should I be flattered, or nervous?"
The teasing look in the Captain's eyes relaxed Travis. He smiled a little as he answered, "Flattered, Sir, definitely."
"You have really nice eyes."
The compliment threw Travis and he didn't answer.
"Please tell me that I didn't just say that out loud?" the Captain groaned, turning his face into his shoulder.
Smiling, Travis answered, "Sorry, Sir, but you definitely said that out loud. Unless you complimented more than just my eyes."
"Blame the fever, please."
Chuckling now, Travis assured him, "You're compliment is safe with me, Sir. And thank you."
The "You're welcome," was muffled into the Captain's arm. He looked back at Travis and sighed. "Can I get something to drink?"
Travis nodded and rolled off the blankets, towards the kits. He pulled out a drink and moved back to the Captain, frowning as he contemplated the logistics of getting the water into his mouth instead of spilling sideways.
"You'll have to hold me up."
The simple statement irritated Travis, reminding him again of his failure to protect the Captain from harm. He forced a smile and nodded, shifting close and gently lifting him into his arms. Holding the water to the other's mouth, he tried to ignore the way his body responded to the heavy weight in his arms. Cursing himself and his ill-fated feelings, Travis waited patiently as the Captain sipped the water.
When they were done, Travis tossed the container aside and repositioned the older man onto his side. Sighing, Travis settled down beside him, trying not to give in to his exhaustion.
"You should rest."
The words were soft, but commanding. Travis smiled at them and shook his head. "Lt. Reed should be here in about six hours or so, maybe earlier if the storm lets up."
"Or longer, if it doesn't."
Which was true, but Travis was too nervous about the rasping quality to the Captain's breathing to let himself sleep. "I have to stay awake to keep an eye on you."
"One of us needs to be at full strength, Travis, and it's not going to be me. You're within reaching distance. I'll wake you if I need anything."
It was tempting, but the last time he'd slept, this had happened.
"This isn't your fault."
Startled by how accurate and how easily the Captain had known what he was thinking, Travis refused to meet the other's gaze as he answered, "If I hadn't been asleep, this wouldn't have happened."
"If you want to cast blame, I should have checked the cave better. I would have found the animal, stunned it, and we'd be fine."
"Sir..."
"Sleep, Travis. That's an order."
Scowling, Travis demanded, "You'll wake me if anything happens, or if you need anything?"
"I promise."
Travis eyed him suspiciously for another moment, but knew that if the Captain was bluffing or lying, he'd never know. Archer hadn't become captain by not knowing how to do both, after all. And even though he could usually tell, this wasn't one of those times. He shifted closer with, "All right, I'm holding you to that, Sir."
"I think you can call me Jonathan, at least while we're here."
Knowing that he'd get way too used to calling him that, Travis nonetheless nodded. "Okay. I'm holding you to that, Jonathan."
Something flickered across Jonathan's eyes, but Travis couldn't identify what it was. Besides which, he really was exhausted and probably hallucinating. His eyes drifted shut and his body relaxed into sleep.
* * * *
"Travis, Travis, wake up, please wake up!"
Fumbling up through the gray areas of sleep, Travis blinked blearily at the pained voice, knowing something was wrong. He bolted awake as he focused on Jonathan's contorted face, hearing the labored breathing. He lurched close to take the hand on the ground between them. "What's wrong? Jonathan, what is it?"
The hand in his was lax as Jonathan answered, "I can't feel my right side. Can't move anything."
Oh God. The toxin had spread. Panic rose and he grabbed the communicator. "Enterprise! Enterprise, come in!"
"This is Enterprise, go ahead, Ensign Mayweather."
"Subcommander, the Captain's paralyzed and having trouble breathing! We need a shuttle now!"
"One moment, Ensign."
Travis held on to Jonathan's hand, limp though it was, brought it to his chest, staring back at the Captain with fear. The broad chest was heaving, struggling to breathe, and the hazel eyes were closed as the other man dealt with his pain the best he could.
"Lt. Reed and Dr. Phlox are going to fly down now, Ensign. They have a fix on your location and should be there within thirty minutes, or not at all. And the Doctor has instructions for you to keep the Captain awake."
"Understood, Subcommander," Travis agreed, grim.
"No! Damn it, they can't risk themselves like this!" Jonathan exclaimed between pants for breath.
"I'm sorry, Captain, but you have no say in this matter," T'Pol's voice replied, the comm having picked up the protest. "Enterprise out."
Travis put the communicator aside and asked, "Do you want anything to drink?"
Groaning in pain, Jonathan fell forward. Travis didn't catch him in time, but lifted him right away, sliding underneath to provide a cushion. He could feel the tremors running almost non-stop through Jonathan and marveled at his control. Wrapping one arm around Jonathan's waist, Travis used the other to brush back the sweaty hair, then massaged the back of Jonathan's neck.
Jonathan cleared his throat and whispered, "Travis."
"What is it?" Travis whispered back.
"Wish there was more time," Jonathan murmured. "Should've known."
"Known what?"
"The universe takes as much as She gives. I have Enterprise, but..."
Nerves thrumming, sensing something important being cut off, Travis prompted, "But?"
"I don't have you."
Travis went rigid in shock, his wildest fantasy coming true with that one sentence. His eyes closed for a moment to savor.
"Sorry, sorry, shouldn't have said anything, but I had to," Jonathan said, trying unsuccessfully to pull away.
Travis' arm tightened and he exclaimed, "You do!"
"Do what?"
"Have me," Travis clarified, heart pounding. "If you want me."
Jonathan's eyes widened and he clung as best he could to the younger man, gasping, "I do, God I do, but I can't. Even if..."
Bending down, Travis stopped his words with a soft kiss, then turned his face aside and rested his cheek against Jonathan's. "When you get through this, because I can't lose you after just finding this out."
Silence descended as Jonathan struggled to breathe and stay conscious. Holding him firmly, murmured to him over and over, talking about everything and nothing, just trying to keep him hanging on until help could arrive. Travis was still holding onto him Phlox and Lt. Reed arrived and at first didn't even realize it was them when hands pulled at him. He resisted being taken from Jonathan only until Lt. Reed's sharp, "Ensign Mayweather! We need to treat him!"
Blinking, coming out of the fog, Travis instantly released the Captain and crawled out of the way. He was weak and barely able to keep himself upright as Lt. Reed and Dr. Phlox worked on the Captain. The security officer did everything that Phlox asked the instant he asked, and Travis was glad that no one was relying on him just then, because he could barely think.
It was a good twenty minutes that the activity slowed and then stopped altogether, with Phlox giving him a reassuring smile and saying, "He's going to be fine, Ensign, you don't have to worry."
Taking that as the truth, Travis echoed the smile and let himself collapse.
* * * *
When Jonathan woke, he had a sore back, but otherwise felt normal, as if he'd strained himself doing too much. Blinking his eyes clear of the crud, he found himself in sickbay, which wasn't a big surprise considering he'd obviously been injured, even if he didn't remember how as yet. Looking around, he spotted Phlox a short distance away and called, "Doctor."
Phlox glanced his way and beamed at him. "Welcome back, Captain! I trust you're feeling better?"
"Yes," Jonathan assured him, pushing upright.
Helping to steady him, Phlox said, "You should be good to go as soon as you change, Captain. All the neurotoxins are out of your system and the gashes from the animal's claws are healed."
That was when he remembered what had happened and that he hadn't been the only one injured and exclaimed, "Travis!"
"Easy now, Captain!" Phlox admonished, grabbing his arm to hold him upright. "Ensign Mayweather is fine. He recovered from a mild case of pneumonia shortly after he was admitted. It's you that everyone has been worried about. T'Pol practically frowned yesterday."
Jonathan half-grinned at the humor attempt and replied, "That is worried, isn't it?"
"If you like, I can call the Subcommander and notify her that you're ready to be discharged."
"Yes, thank you."
As Phlox moved away, Jonathan sighed in deep relief at the knowledge that Travis was all right. At least that mistake hadn't been too difficult to remedy, even if it should never have happened in the first place. Stretching, groaning at the sore muscles, Jonathan gathered his clothes off the spare shelf behind the bed and walked over to the changing room. It didn't take long before he was back in uniform and that made him feel almost back to normal.
T'Pol was there and waiting when he was done, surprising him with her unusual alacrity. "T'Pol."
"Captain, it is good to see you recovered," T'Pol replied.
"Good to be recovered," Jonathan admitted, heading for the exit after a brief wave to Phlox. Keeping a casual tone, he asked, "How's Ensign Mayweather?"
T'Pol arched an eyebrow at him and countered, "Did you not ask the Doctor?"
"Well yes," Jonathan confirmed. "But you've probably seen him more recently."
"I have not. Ensign Mayweather requested personal leave, and as there was nothing pressing, I thought it best to grant it. He had a...stressful time...on the planet with you."
Jonathan's stomach dropped as he thought about how his actions were probably causing Travis to doubt himself. Sighing, he said, "I'd better go talk to him."
"Captain, if I may?" T'Pol replied. At his nod to continue, she said, "Ensign Mayweather is a very capable and trustworthy young man, but he is, still, young. I would recommend...caution...in the words and course of action that you choose, whatever that may be. And know that he is very popular, there would be little-to-no resentment should you and he...take your working relationship beyond a working parameter."
Jonathan was still blinking in surprise at her approval to take Travis as a lover when she was long gone. Bemused, he couldn't help but grin as he headed for Travis' quarters. It was good to know that even though he wasn't nearly as subtle as he'd thought he was about how he felt for Travis, the crew would back them. All he had to do now was convince Travis of that.
* * * *
Travis groaned when his door chime rang, figuring that Hoshi was back. She'd dragged the whole sorry story out of him, as she always did, and after sighing over how 'romantic' it had all been, smacked him upside the back of the head and ordered him to sickbay to be there when the Captain woke up. Travis had emphatically told her to shove off about the whole subject.
Aggravated, he called out, "I said, go away, Hoshi!"
"It's not Hoshi."
The Captain's voice set his heart to thumping for too many reasons to clearly identify, but fear and love were primary among them. Swallowing heavily, he reluctantly crossed the room and opened the door, standing back to let the other man inside. His eyes swept over the tall, fit body, searching for any sign of their recent misadventure and finding none. Relieved, he said, "I'm glad you're okay, Sir."
"So glad that you didn't come down to see how I was?"
Wincing, Travis thought about making an excuse but decided against it. "No, Sir, that's not it."
Holding up a hand, Jonathan said, "Before you go any further, I just want to tell you something."
"What Sir?"
"It wasn't the poison or the fever talking. I love you," Jonathan said quietly. "And that might be construed as an abuse of power, to want to be in a relationship with a Junior officer, but I do."
Astounded, Travis just gaped at him, words fleeing so that all he could do was gurgle, "Uh...huh?"
Jonathan grinned, eyes sparkling as he moved close, and repeated, "I want you. I want to be in a relationship with you. I figured that anything less than the God's honest truth would give you wiggle room to claim misunderstanding."
"Uh, okay," Travis said dumbly.
"Travis, tell me what you want."
What did he want? Everything that was being offered and more, but Travis didn't know if he had the guts to ask for it. There were so many reasons this wouldn't work, so many reasons to not even try. There was more against them, than for them and Travis didn't know if he was up for the battles that would have to be waged for them to be together.
As if sensing that, Jonathan moved closer still and took his hand, drawing him into a loose embrace to encourage him, "Tell me what you want, Travis, just say the words."
"You," Travis finally was able to whisper.
A broad smile lifted Jonathan's mouth and he said, "Good enough for me."
Travis sighed into the soft, gentle kiss pressed to his lips, opening his mouth for the loving possession. His hands wound up on Jonathan's hips and he held on as the kiss grew deeper and hotter, tongues playing with tongues. When it broke off, Travis was gasping for air and staring in wonder at Jonathan.
"Come on. Let's get to the bridge and then tonight, we'll finish this thought for real," Jonathan suggested, nuzzling and nipping at Travis' ear.
Half-laughing, half-groaning, Travis complained with good-nature, "You want me to go to work now?"
Chuckling, Jonathan swatted him lightly on the butt and nodded. "Consider it practice for the times we're sure to be interrupted in much more...delicate...situations."
"Oh that's incentive," Travis muttered, unable to stop the grin that surfaced.
As they walked to the bridge where their duty lay, Travis still had some trepidations but knew that with this man at his side, he could face anything. He cast a quick look at the Captain's strong profile and smiled, feeling better and better as it really sank in that this man was his, as much as he was Jonathan's.
When the doors opened and he walked over to his station, Travis took his position and flashed Hoshi a grin. Her jaw dropped and then she practically squeaked in happiness, flushing as a few heads turned to see what was going on. Chuckling, Travis got himself familiar with their position in space.
"Set course for Alzeni Prime for that trade council."
Travis' fingers moved smoothly over the console. "Course laid in, Sir."
He felt more than heard the Captain lean forward and knew exactly the eager, curious expression that would be on his face. "Take us there, Ensign."
Smiling, happier than he'd been in a long time, Travis nodded and hit the appropriate buttons, saying, "Yes, Sir."
***