Strange Disease

PAIRING: Nathan/Lucas, various m/m, m/f, and f/f
DISCLAIMER: The seaQuest characters do NOT belong to me (though the judges are still verifying the validity of the French judge's decision and it may be overturned at any time).
SUMMARY: While Bridger and Lucas are away at a conference, an ailing Darwin is the catalyst for an unusual phenomenon that drastically increases the crew's sex drive. When the two return to the ship, will they be able to cure the crew before succumbing themselves?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~ Somewhere in the ocean ~

The tiny tuna swam among the waves of seaweed, searching for the perfect piece of food. As it traveled along, it was completely unaware of the eyes that followed its every movement. It plucked forward, grabbing a slender piece of grass between its jaws and gobbled it up, satisfied with its efforts.

Suddenly, the water around the tuna shifted. Its fear-based response kicked in and it took off, not waiting to see whatever was after it. It spotted a murky section of water and header itr it, hoping to elude the unknown predator. It zipped through the water, through the great cloud of smoke that rose from the ground, and came out the other side relatively unharmed. It rested a moment, and once no sign of its hunter was evident, it returned to its meal among the seaweed.

~*~*~*~

~ seaQuest ~

Ensign Sandra Dooley sighed as she looked over the inventory list before her, checking its contents with those of the cabinet before her. For the tenth time since the beginning of her shift on C-deck, she wondered who she'd pissed off to get this assignment. Sail the seas, explore the world, they'd told her. Hah! The only ones who saw any action were officers like Brody and twits like Wolenczak. Sandra knew she could be of great help on the Bridge, but rising through the ranks wasn't likely when the only jobs they'd give her were things like inventory -- the jobs nobody else wanted.

*One day, they'll see I can contribute,* she thought to herself as she checked off yet another item.

Suddenly, she heard a sound behind her, coming from the moonpool. She turned to watch Darwin surfacing and smiled. She, like many others among the crew, had taken an immediate liking to the unusual crewmember. However, her smile faded when she heard the voice coming from the electronic vocoder which allowed the dolphin to speak with the crew.

"~Help Darwin.~"

She placed her clipboard aside and moved over to the pool's edge. For the first time, she noticed the lack of the dolphin's usual exuberance and she began to worry for the mammal. "What is it, Darwin? What's wrong?"

"~Darwin sick. Need Bridger.~"

She shook her head as she reached out a hand to the animal, who approached and allowed her to stroke his nose. "Darwin, you know he and Lucas are gone for a few days and won't be back for another two. Maybe Doctor Smith can help."

"~Yes, help Darwin.~"

Saddened at the animal's weakness, she pulled back her hand, noticing it was now covered in a strange, sticky film. Darwin must have swum through some algae or something. Wiping her hand over her pants, she approached the wall where the communications controls were stationed and alerted Medbay to the situation on C-deck.

Relieved that Darwin would get the help he needed, Sandra retrieved her clipboard and moved out of the room. Halfway to the door, she raised a hand to wipe away the sweat that was beginning to accumulate on her forehead.

*It's sure getting warm in here,* she thought as she walked out the door and into the hallway. Looking up, she spotted Lieutenant Stevenson walking toward her. He'd asked her out several times, and she'd turned down every offer. He'd never really done much for her, yet at that moment, she saw him in a completely different light. He wasn't quite as arrogant or annoying as she'd always thought him to be; in fact, he was downright gorgeous.

She dropped her clipboard, stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Before he could decide whether or not to protest, her lips had captured his and she began drawing him into an alcove off the main hallway.

*Fuck the inventory,* she thought as she began stripping Stevenson's uniform off his body. *I need to get laid.*

~*~*~*~

~ New Cape Quest ~

"You shouldn't have done that, Lucas."

"What did I do?"

"You embarrassed the head of UEO R&D, that's what you did." Bridger sighed as he unlocked the door to the two-bedroom suite he and Lucas were sharing for the duration of the conference.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault he kept ignoring the significance of civilian research. To hear him talk, the military is responsible for everything from Darwin's vocoder to sliced bread."

"I didn't say you were wrong, Lucas," Bridger said, watching the teen plop himself down onto a couch and reach for the TV's remote control. "All I'm saying is, remember who's in charge of the budgets when you want to conduct another experiment on seaQuest."

There was no answer from the sofa.

"How was the civilian seminar this morning? I hope you didn't embarrass anyone of importance there as well."

Lucas made a face before replying. "Of course not. In fact, it was rather... informative."

Bridger grinned. "This information, it wouldn't happen to have curves and a high IQ, would it?"

Lucas' face broke into a wide beaming smile. "Have you met Dr. Lachance yet?"

"The head botanist at Simon Fraser University?" Bridger looked slightly perplexed. "Isn't she a little old for you?"

"Ah!" Lucas chimed. "You know what they say - we hit our peaks in our teens, and women approaching middle age. As I see it, she and I are right on schedule."

Nathan rolled his eyes as he headed toward his room. "Let me know how she reacts to *that* bit of information. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night, Captain!" Lucas called out to the departing figure before turning back to the television. Kidding aside, the Military-Civilian conference was boring him to death. He and Bridger had been asked to attend in order to communicate the difficulties and advantages of mixing military and civilian personnel on a submarine. However, everyone else seemed to be there to give reasons why the two groups shouldn't work together. It was a frustrating situation all-around.

Furthermore, he missed his friends. He'd never been one to get to know people and actually stay friends for a while, but somehow, he'd managed it with his fellow crewmates. Some like the Captain, Ford, O'Neill, eve even Ortiz tended to still treat him like a kid, though that was probably because they all knew him from his earliest days aboard seaQuest. The new crew, however, saw him as he wanted to be seen - as just another member of the crew, though one that could still kick their asses in a battle of wits (well, Bridger and O'Neill could give him a pretty good run for his money, but still...). The exception to them all was his friendship with Darwin, something that was more enriching than anything he'd ever known, and one thing he didn't think he could ever do without. He simply relied on it too much.

His mind on his friends back on the ship, he fell asleep to the sounds of the television.

~*~*~*~

~ seaQuest ~

"Thanks again for your help, Tim."

"No problem, Doctor. Though I'm not sure why you've got me instead of one of the nurses helping you."

"Well, there's only a handful of people that Darwin responds well to and that he's comfortable enough with to let me perform the necessary tests, and with the Captain and Lucas away, you're at the top of my list," Wendy smiled up at Tim.

"Yeah," Tim sighed. "I hope he's all right. I just hate the idea of him being sick."

"Well, that's what we're going to find out." They walked a little further down the hall in silence before she spoke again. "I never told you before, Tim, but I've read Dr. Westphalen's report on the last time Darwin was severely ill."

Tim's eyes widened, resembling a deer caught in headlights. "Um, you-you have?"

"Yes. I sensed it was something you didn't want to talk about, but I'm curious as to why you haven't worked to develop them."

"There's nothing to develop, Doctor. Darwin spoke to me once; it was a one-time thing."

"How do you know if you don't go through the psi testing?"

"I'd... rather not."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where I am."

Tim nodded politely and within moments, they'd arrived at the moonpool's edge. Wendy began setting up her equipment for easy reach as Tim snuck away to change into a wetsuit. When he came out, Wendy was already speaking with Darwin, asking him about his condition. Tim hopped over the edge of the pool and waded over to the mammal's side.

"Well, Tim, Darwin says he's feeling a little bit better, so I don't think it's anything serious. Still, we're going to go ahead and check him over."

Tim nodded and for the next several minutes, he followed Dr. Smith's every instruction, keeping Darwin calm as they drew blood and examined him for any irregularities. Once the last sample was taken, Wendy started packing away her equipment, setting aside the blood and skin samples for transport to Medbay. Tim lifted himself onto the edge of the moonpool and pulled his glasses away to wipe the water and sweat from his face. His face felt weird, and suddenly he realized there was a strange substance on his hands. He thought of mentioning it to Wendy, but realized that whatever it was would show up in the tissue analysis.

"Will you need a hand bringing this up to Medbay?"

She nodded. "Go ahead and get changed. I'll still be here when you get back."

He smiled at her and hurried into the changing room, slipping off the wetsuit and hopping into the shower. As the water washed away the salt and whatever he'd picked up from Darwin's skin, Tim found himself strangely aware of the spray of the shower and the air that swirled around him. Instead of brisk strokes, he found himself slowly running the soap over his skin. His body tingled and he felt himself hardening - and he froze. He squeezed his eyes shut, ashamed of his reaction to a simple shower. Shaking off the sensations with many years' practice at repressing unwanted desires, he forced himself to rush through his shower and quickly dressed back into his uniform.

Coming out of the change room, Tim helped Wendy gather the samples and equipment and carry them to Medbay. As they traveled through the corridor, she tried speaking to him about how pleased she was with Darwin's condition and how she expected to find he had nothing more than the equivalent of a dolphin cold. Tim, however, gave one-word answers, distracted by the persistence of his reaction from the shower.

Upon entering Medbay, Wendy took the samples over to the lab equipment and immediately sat down to run the first tests. Tim began putting away the examination equipment, with only the occasional direction from the Doctor, all the while sneaking looks over at where Wendy was hunched over the lab. He began noticing her hair falling softly against the back of her neck, how her graceful shoulders moved with every breath she took, and how captivating her fingers were as they worked the lab equipment. More than once, Tim had almost dropped one of the items he was putting away simply because he couldn't tear his eyes off the beautiful doctor.

Finally, his job was done and he went to stand behind Wendy, placing a sweating hand on the back of her chair as he looked over her shoulder at the computer screen. "Anything yet?"

"Not yet," she said, tapping in a few final commands before leaning back into her chair with a relieved exhalation. "I just finished instructing the computer on the last analysis. Now all we have to do is wait for the results."

Tim unconsciously leaned forward, inhaling the scent of Wendy's shampoo and allowing his eyes to wander further south than the computer screen. The moment he realized what he was doing, he mentally chastised himself. However, that didn't stop him from memorizing the curve of Wendy's breasts under the material of her sleeveless blouse.

"What do you usually do while you wait?" he asked, his voice slightly huskier than usual.

"It depends. I usually catch up on my reading."

"Worrying over the crew like you do, it must be hard on you," he said, seeing the tightness in her muscles and wanting nothing more than to take it away.

"It's okay. That's why I'm here." She looked up at him and smiled, and he couldn't help but smile in return.

"Well, why don't you let me take care of you," he surprised himself by saying. Her look of confusion made him explain further. "Um, your shoulders. You could, um, use a back rub."

She quirked an eyebrow and parted her lips as if to refuse, but Tim instead settled his hands on her shoulders and slowly began kneading the tension away. She let out a small sigh, acquiescing to his touch. ~It's just a friendly massage for a hard-working friend,~ he told himself, desperately trying to ignore the tightness of his pants against his rapidly filling cock. He felt like groaning at the strange battle being waged inside him. It seemed as if every cell of his body was screaming to take Wendy and screw her as if there were no tomorrow, yet his brain continually tried to keep his body in check, reminding him of the values he'd held dear every day of his life.

Somehow unable to resist, his fingers began delving further down her chest in a semi-caress, and he leaned forward to once again inhale the scent of her hair. Suddenly, his hands felt empty and he realized Wendy was no longer sitting before him, but standing to the side. His eyes found hers and he stood, feeling helpless in face of the desire that was rapidly building to uncontrollable proportions within him. As her eyes widened, he realized she must have felt what raged inside him. Yet she remained where she was.

He took a step forward, then another, until he was standing before her. He reached out to cup her face with his hands, his breath growing shallow with excitement as he pulled her close and took her lips with his own. She let out a gasp of surprise before finally relaxing into the kiss, her arms snaking around Tim's neck. After a moment, she surprised him by taking charge of the kiss and pulling him down with her to the floor, where she managed to lay him flat on his back and straddled his hips, holding him down as she continued to explore his mouth with her tongue.

Unheard by the room's sole occupants, the computer beeped, announcing the completion of its analysis and the results of its scans.

~*~*~*~

~New Cape Quest ~

"Wake up, kid," Nathan said as he shook the teenager's shoulder. He shook his head, remembering that it had been a long time since he'd last fallen asleep anywhere but his bed. "You've got ten minutes to get dressed before your next seminar."

"Wanna sleep," Lucas moaned, turning around to face the back of the couch.

"Nuh uh, Lucas. Now get up before I decide to give you a cold shower courtesy of the ice bucket."

Nathan watched as the boy reluctantly rose and trudged into his room, then went about tidying up his own room until a presentable, if still half-asleep Lucas returned to the suite's main room.

"Maybe a little good news will help you wake up." Nathan clapped Lucas on the back and led him out the door. "I had a little chat with the Admiral, and we are now officially excused from attending the closing dinner tonight."

"And?" Lucas asked blearily.

"And, that means we can take the shuttle back early. I thought you were anxious to get back home?"

"I will be - after a cup of coffee."

~*~*~*~ sea seaQuest ~

Wendy gasped. She felt such an urge to close her eyes as her fingers circled and rubbed at her clit, but she didn't want to miss a moment of the scene before her. An hour ago, she'd been reluctant to leave a sweaty and recovering Tim to answer the call of nature, but had been rewarded when she'd returned by walking in as Tim ravished a very confused but equally aroused Miguel Ortiz. Neither man had noticed her return, consumed as they were with each other, and she'd been content with watching every touch and every stroke, hearing every moan and groan, and reading every erotic thought that passed through their unusually open minds.

She could feel the tingling in her toes that signalled her impending orgasm, but her hand paused in its movements when she heard a gasp coming from the nearby Medbay door. She turned to see Lonnie Henderson in the doorway, her face contorted in equal parts horror and fascination as she took in Tim and Miguel's writhing on the Medbay floor.

Wendy quickly sucked the juices from her fingers and approached the attractive young woman, quietly sliding an arm around Lonnie's waist, causing the woman to jump in surprise. Lonnie froze, watching wide-eyes as Wendy leaned in close to her.

"Beautiful, aren't they," she practically purred into Lonnie's ear. When there was no response, Wendy continued. "I've always thought there was something so... captivating about two men making love." She moved in behind Lonnie, wrapping her arms around the woman's waist and turning them both so they could watch the two men. "Just look at them. That's exactly what they're doing, isn't it. I've known this was coming for a long time." She felt Lonnie shiver in her arms and she held her closer, pressing her sweaty cheek to the woman's velvety one. "Couldn't you see it, every time they looked at each other on the Bridge?"

"I... there was... something," Lonnie stuttered.

"And being shocked is perfectly understandable," Wendy slowly slid a hand up the zipper closing Lonnie's uniform, "but once you get past that, it's the most erotic thing in the world, don't you think?"

Suddenly, Lonnie broke away and took off out the door. Wendy followed without thinking and caught her panting against the bulkhead only a few meters away. She stepped up to her, looking deeply into Lonnie's eyes as she leaned in.

"Do you think I'm beautiful?" Wendy asked, caressing Lonnie's neck with her palm. When Lonnie's lips parted to answer, Wendy closed the distance and took them with her own. She wrapped her arms around Lonnie's neck, feeling the soft body pressed close against hers, and she moasoftsoftly when the pliable lips responded to the kiss. Their tongues entwined as their bodies did, their hands exploring as much flesh as they were allowed.

"Doctor!" somebody cried from down the hall, not quite interrupting their embrace. "What are you doing out here without any clothes on!"

The women reluctantly parted and glared at Lieutenant Brody, who upon realizing what he'd interrupted, went from looking shocked to overly interested. "I was about to relieve Hendersonsomesome terribly restrictive clothing, until you came along of course."

Brody's jaw dropped as Wendy went back to ravishing Lonnie's tempting lips, then once again discovered the power of speech. "I, um, don't suppose you need a little help. My quarters *are* right down the hall...."

The women parted once again with one last kiss, turned to look at Brody, then once again looked at eacher.her. With positively evil smiles, they nodded and moved away from the wall and toward Brody.

As they reached for Jim and allowed him to lead them to his room, he muttered to himself. "Thank you, God, for answering *all* my prayers."

~*~*~*~

~ Launch MR-2 ~

Bridger let out a long stretch and glanced over at the readings on the launch's monitors. They were thankfully only minutes away from seaQuest, but strangely, the ship wasn't moving. He'd tried establishing a channel, but nobody on the ship was answering their signal. It had taken a moment to reassure Lucas that everything was probably fine, that the equipment was most likely being repaired.

It was a shame he couldn't reassure *himself* quite as easily.

As the launch approached seaQuest's hull, there was still no response on any communications channel. However, the ship was apparently still accepting commands, as the doors to the launch bay opened with only a simple command from Bridger's panel.

"It's obviously not a mechanical problem," Lucas stated the obvious.

"We'll have to be careful once we leave the launch, Lucas. For all we know, something may have affected the crew."

"Are you sure we should go out there, Captain? What if it gets us too?"

"You can stay in the launch, Lucas. I've got to find out what happened to my ship.

"Hey, if you're going out there, I'm going too."

Bridger nodded. He didn't want the teenager to be exposed to any danger, but he knew he'd need *somebody* watching his back. "All r. W. We'll leave our things in here and get them later. First things first, we make contact with the crew."

Cautiously, thxitexited the launch and looked around the launch bay, seeing nobody in sight. Bridger walked over to one of the comm stations and tried contacting first the Bridge, then Medbay, but there was no answer. They finally ventured into the corridor and were startled to see a pair of naked bodies, fully entwined and sleeping in the middle of the hall.

"Looks like somebody had a party while we were away," Lucas commented. "Sure, wait 'till I'm off the ship."

Bridger sent a warning glance Lucas' way and they continued down the corridor. Every now and again, they would come across another naked pair, or trio, or simply a mass of naked bodies. They stopped by one alcove where only one of a pair of bodies slept. The other was rubbing himself against his partner, desperately seeking release. Bridger and Lucas tried speaking to the man, but he was oblivious to all his his desire for completion.

"Where do we go, Captain?" Lucas asked, not quite able to turn away from the sight of the frantic man on the floor.

"Usually, I'd say the Bridge, but whatever's going on has got to be medically related. This kind of behaviour isn't natural." He received a questioning look from Lucas. "Okay, the *sex* is natural, but not in the middle of the damn hallway. The ship isn't in any danger at the mt, st, so we're heading for Medbay."

Thankfully, there were no obstacles between the launch bay and Medbay. However, they were only meters away from their destination when Ensign Rodriguez, a young woman from engineering who was usually known for being quite shy and retiring, suddenly snuck up on Lucas from behind and threw her arms around his neck, trying to pull him down so that she could kiss him. Bridger immediately grabbed her arms and held them behind her back, and he immediately noticed her increased desire and the fact that she was sweating quite profusely.

"What's going on here, Ensign?" The woman didn't answer. Instead, she leaned back into Bridger's grip and started rubbing her naked body against him. "Speak to me, Rodriguez. That's an order." The woman still didn't respond. However, Lucas was paying an inordinate amount of attention to her gyrations.

Bridger decided to bring her with them into Medbay. If he could test a sample of her blood, then perhaps he could get some answers as to what was happening aboard the ship.

"Lucas, secure her to one of the beds," Bridger ordered, waiting for Lucas to take the woman from him as his eyes searched the lab equipment. When Lucas said nothing, Nathan turned to see what had caught the teenager's attention.

There, on the floor, lied Lieutenant O'Neill with Chief Ortiz spooned up behind him, both naked and sleeping soundly with grins on their faces, their hands clasped together against O'Neill's stomach. Of all the crew they'd passed, this was the first time they'd come across any of those they considered to be close friends.

"Lucas!" Nathan almost barked, trying to get the young man's attention and finally succeeding. "Take Rodriguez and tie her to a bed."

Shaking his head, Lucas did as he was instructed, though he took the opportunity to get more than an eyeful of the usually bashful Ensign. Nathan moved to the lab equipment and noticed the computer had already been in use.

"Look at this, Lucas." The teenager came up behind him and looked over his shoulder. "This is an analysis of Darwin's blood."

"What's it mean?"

"I don't know. Maybe whatever it is, it started with him." He dug through a drawer until he came up with a pre-packaged syringe. He removed it from its packaging and carried it over to where Rodriguez lied on the bed, leering at both him and Lucas. "This won't hurt," he promised as he took a sample of her blood.

As Nathan turned back toward the equipment with his sample, he noticed Lucas' eyes glazing over slightly, the teen's hand shaking as if restraining itself. He ignored it for a moment, making the analysis of the Ensign's blood his priority. Once he was done, he turned back to the Ensign's bed in time to watch Lucas lean over the restrained woman to kiss unresisting lips.

"Lucas!" Nathan stepped over and pulled the teenager away from the young woman. "What in hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm... I - don't know. I just..."

Seeing the distress in Lucas' face, Nathan instinctively pulled the boy into his arms, hugging him close. As his hands rubbed comfortingly along the kid's back, he pressed his face into the mop of blonde hair. The slightly smaller body felt good in his arms...

Nathan suddenly pulled away as he realized how his body was being affected simply by holding the younger man. *What the hell is wrong with me? alm almost as much a son to me as Robert was!*

"Captain?" Lucas pleaded, reaching out for Nathan. "Please, help me. I - I don't have any control."

"I'm getting there myself, Lucas," Nathan said, leaning against the lab's main table, his breath quickly growing shallow as he tried to control his body. He was the captain. He couldn't allow himself to lose control, to do something that might hurt a member of his crew, or his relationship with them. "I want you to go to your room and don't stop until you get there. Lock the door. You'll be safe there." From me, he finished to himself.

"I can't do that," Lucas replied gruffly, taking a step toward Nathan. "Please, don't make me go."

The teenager's hand reached out to touch Nathan's chest, and the contact burned as sharply as a flickering flame. He gasped and stepped to the side, turning his back on the young man and running his fingers over his face. Strange, how he was sweating so much without any trace of fever. Lucas' hand found its way to Nathan's back and the older man instinctively leaned into it as if it was the only thing keeping him upright.

"Please," Lucas whispered against his back. Nathan couldn't keep the shivers from wracking his body. He began to feel real fear when he realized he was reaching the limit to his self-control, and that once it was gone, he would likely do something he'd never dared think about and in the process, risk destroying one of the most important relationships in his life.

Lucas' arms went around his waist, the teen's body pressing against his length from behind, and Nathan could practically feel all fight flow out of him. His hands closed over the ones clasped over his stomach and he groaned when he felt something hot and hard pressed against his backside. All reason and logical thought fleeing his mind, he turned around and claimed the teen's lips in a primal kiss, his need and his desire so great that it pushed out everything else.

As Nathan devoured the full, moist lips, Lucas melted against him, submitting to the exquisite torture. His hands found their way under the teen's plaid overshirt and quicdid did away with the obstacle, as well as the t-shirt underneath. Frantic hands worked the fastenings to his uniform, which quickly ended up on the floor with Lucas' shirts. They touched each other blindly, still consumed with each others' lips as they tried to assuage the need to touch, to feel, to somehow find relief.

Eventually, the rest of their clothing found their way to the floor, and the moment Nathan's heated cock met the cool air, it sought out the heat of the young man's body. The urge to mate raged inside him as he pushed forward, pressing Lucas between himself and the table. His hands reached down to cup the firm cheeks of the teen's backside, then used the leverage to lift Lucas up onto the table. The teen's long legs instinctively made their way around Nathan's waist and the man pulled back a moment, breaking the kiss to lever Lucas down onto his back.

Nathan nuzzled his nose against Lucas' neck, breathing in his scent. He could feel his hard cock rubbing against the soft skin of the teen's ass and the only thing stopping him from pushing his way into the young man's entrance was a tiny voice of reason, warning him that to do so without anything to ease the way would be too painful for the teen to bear.

For a moment, the feel of Lucas' hand trailing along his chest distracted Nathan from his worries, how, wi, with blinking eyes, he finally spotted a promising bottle on a nearby counter. He reluctantly retreated from Lucas' body to reach for the bottle and looked at the label to ensure it wouldn't do more harm than good. Satisfied that whatever medical purpose the bottle's contents were made for didn't rule out its possible use as lubricant, Nathan poured some of the thick liquid into his hand and immediately stepped back between Lucas' legs.

The first touch of Nathan's slick fingers wrought a loud moan from Lucas' throat. The teen was unable to lie still as Nathan prepared him, and the incessant wiggling combined with the tight heat around his fingers was pushing whatever limits remained in his consciousness. No longer able to resist the need to feel the tight heat around his cock, Nathan quickly brushed his slick hand over his erection before lifting Lucas' legs onto his shoulders, and finally, plunging himself into the pliant form beneath him.

For a moment, Nathan revelled in the pressure around him, not wanting to move from the perfect place he'd found. However, insistent hands on his shoulders encouraged him to move further inside. The only sounds in the room were Nathan's harsh breathing and the deep pants and moans coming from Lucas as he arched up from the table, trying to get as much of Nathan inside him as possible. Once Nathan began moving, he couldn't even conceive of slowing or stopping. His breathing grew wilder as he came closer and closer to completion, and Lucas' incessant moans were punctuated by sharp gasps whenever Nathan brushed up against his prostate.

Suddenly, Lucas let out a piercing wail as he came, his body tightening around Nathan's cock as liquid heat streamed across both of their chests and stomachs. Two thrusts later, Nathan followed, shouting out his release before collapsing onto the teen's satiated form.

Nathan desperately tried to regain his breath. He restrained a moan at the realization that, while the initial need for release had passed, the desire and urge to mremaremained. Once he'd softened enough, he reluctantly pulled out of Lucas' body and heard a resultant sigh of disappointment for his effort. He pressed a kiss against Lucas' neck, hoping the gesture would provide the comforting words that his mind was unable to supply.

Unfortunately, whatever was happening to them wasn't over, and Nathan could only do his best to make the experience enjoyable until it was.

~*~*~*~

Nathan eventually woke up to the sounf clf clicking nearby. He was quite warm and his body felt pleasantly lethargic. Suddenly, memories of the last several hours resurfaced and he opened his eyes to meet the sight of Lucas' naked body wrapped around him. He restrained the panic that threatened to overtake him and somehow crawled out from the teen's embrace.

The strange clicking stopped suddenly. "Captain, you're awake."

Nathan looked up to meet Wendy's concerned gaze. "Do you know what happened to us?"

She nodded and waited for him to rise to his feet before passing him one of the robes that lied next to her on the lab table. He gave her a small smile of thanks as he tied the belt, the covering helping him to regain a measure of control. A quick glance around the room told Nathan that Ortiz and O'Neill were no longer there, and Ensign Rodriguez was sleeping soundly on the bed to which she'd been secured.

"From what I can tell, Captain, we've all been suffering from a terrible case of dolphin pheromones."

"Excuse me, doctor?" he asked, blinking in confusion.

"The other day, Darwin came to the moonpool saying he was sick. I had O'Neill help me examine him and these results show evidence of him having caught some sort of virus. Whatever it was seems to have interacted with his particular chemistry in a way that changed some of his structure so that his pheromones were excreted in a more tangible form. Somehow, the composition was such that it affects humans, as the chemical structure remained constant in both the samples we took from Darwin and the sample you took from Ensign Rodriguez."

She paused a moment, making herself comfortable in her seat at the table before continuing. "I believe that, whatever this is, passed from person to person via bodily fluids - sweat, saliva, semen, and the like. I've examined myself, Lieutenant O'Neill and Chief Ortiz and it seems to no longer be in our systemI guI guess we simply had to 'sweat it out', so to speak."

"So everyone is going to be fine," Nathan said, relieved to finally have an explanation for his strange behaviour.

"Physically, yes. However, much, if not all, of the crew will require some counselling. Some will need help dealing with what they did, and others will need help with relationships that may have been damaged by their actions. I've already started scheduling sessions, and once Lucas is awake, I'll see about finding time for the two of you."

Nathan nodded. He set aside his inherent distrust of psychiatrists and other 'head doctors', knowing that he needed to deal with both his shame at his loss of control and his guilt over what he'd allowed to happen with Lucas.

"Good work, doctor," he said to show his appreciation. "I was wondering if you knew how many-"

"How many people saw what was in this room, correct?" He nodded, thankful that he didn't have to say the words. "Other than myself, only those who were already in here when you arrived. The door's locked now and I've been communicating with the crew via vidlink. Before I arrived, O'Neill and Ortiz took it upon themselves to guard the door."

Nathan couldn't help but smile. He had a good crew, and he and Lucas considered both men to be close friends. That they'd take precautions to ensure nobody found out about what had happened in Medbay was simply a sign of the loyalty of his crew.

"I'm going to get some proper clothes on and then check in with the Bridge. Thanks again doctor," he said as he stepped toward the door, but paused a moment. "Will you let me know when he's awake?"

"Of course."

With a final nod, Nathan unlocked the door and headed off toward his quarters.

~*~*~*~

Bridger looked up from the conference room table when Wendy entered. "Yes, doctor?"

"I have that final report you wanted, Captain."

He nodded and accepted the document when it was handed to him.

"Most of the crew were released from counselling after their first session. There are twenty-six unscheduled pregnancies among the female crew, most of which I gather from interviews will be terminated."

Nathan noticed how Wendy's hands shook as she said the last word and he looked at her with concern. "Wendy?"

She seemed to get control over herself quickly and looked Nathan in the eye. "Yes, I am pregnant, and no, I do not plan to have it terminated."

"Do you know who..."

"There are tossiossibilities, but it's too soon to do a DNA test. When I know which is the father, I will let him know then. I see no need in worrying either of them without need."

"I'm sorry," Nathan said compassionately.

"Don't be," Wendy said, managing a genuine smile. "While the circumstances may not have been ideal, I have often thought about having a family. Motherhood is a joy, Captain; not a burden."

He nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes. I think it will be a while until the regular bridge crew will work as efficiently as they once did. While they are all consummate professionals, it will take time for some to completely get over what happened."

Nathan nodded. He'd noticed some of the changes that had taken place among his crew. Commander Ford couldn't seem to deal with the very presence of either Tony or Dagwood, Lonnie's eyes kept shooting daggers in Brody's direction, and Tim could no longer bear to look at his best friend, Miguel.

And then there was himself and Lucas, who had both spent time talking to Wendy but had yet to speak to each other.

"I understand, doctor. Are there any cases where you believe the problems to be insurmountable?"

This time, Wendy's smile was big and friendly. "No, Captain. It will take time, some more than others, but I don't see any reason not to believe everyone will be fine."

He thanked Wendy and watched as she left. As with everything, it would take time; time to heal, time to forgive, and time to move on. But eventually, they would be all right.

With a sigh, he turned back to the paperwork on the table. Time for contemplation was over; now it was time to go back to work.

The End