Just a little story that popped into my head. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own Rachel.

Seeing What's Truly Inside

Rachel woke up feeling slightly dizzy, her head feeling like it wasn't fully on her shoulders. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was in a sort of cabin that she didn't recognize and she tried to get up, but her legs were shaking so much that she had to hold on to the bed just to stand upright. She didn't feel right.

"You should be in bed resting," said a voice that made her turn to see who was behind her. Her eyes widened when she saw what looked like a walking furnace and she screamed as loud as her voice let her and stumbled to get away from him. He moved as quick as he could towards her and she screamed again, somehow getting enough strength to scramble to her feet.

"Get away from me, you walking furnace!" she shouted as she half-ran, half-stumbled to get away, her strength rapidly becoming depleted as she wondered what was wrong with her. She felt like she was sick.

Two large hands grabbed her and one hand held both of her wrists in a firm grip as that same hand pinned her arms over her head against a wall and Rachel struggled to get free, but as the person had lifted her so that her feet weren't touching the floor, she couldn't get any leverage.

"Let me go!" she begged, her body growing weaker with her struggles.

"I'll let you go once you calm down," he said, but that only made Rachel struggle harder, making the person sigh.

"Well, I guess there's only one way to get you to calm down now," he said to her as his other hand reached for her stomach, gently un-tucking her shirt and tickling her now exposed stomach.

Rachel's struggles became more desperate as she now laughed, pleading for him to stop, but he just continued to tickle her for a while. When he did stop, she was panting and he set her down. As she looked up at him, he pulled up part of his head and upper body and his natural form came out, startling her and her fevered mind was feeling really heavy.

He came closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm not trying to hurt you," he said. "I'm trying to help. After you escaped the Forever Knights, you got caught in the downpour of rain, which made you sick."

Well, that explained why she didn't feel good and the person gave her another gentle tickle, making her giggle again as his natural form went back into his containment suit and his large arms picked her up, carrying her back to the bed and tucking her in, using a small amount of his heat power to warm up the blankets when she began to shake and her teeth chattered, indicating she was cold. Her shaking stopped as the blankets trapped the warmth the person was providing for her and she settled down.

"Who are you?" she asked sleepily.

He chuckled. "My name is NRG," he explained. "I was searching for you after I had heard about you helping other aliens and I saw those criminal Knights kidnap you. I followed them and saw you escape, but you were too far away for me to call out to you before the storm hit."

She remembered the storm. "I remember hitting my head on a tree branch, I think," she said.

He nodded. "I found you laying by that tree you ran into and brought you here," he said.

Rachel now realized this alien had just saved her life. "Thank you," she said. "Sorry I ran from you."

"You were frightened," he said gently. "I don't blame you for reacting that way."

"Still, you may look frightening, but on the inside, you're a good guy," she said, struggling to keep her eyes open. NRG went over to the other side of the bed and lay down, pulling Rachel closer and tucking in the blankets more around her. Realizing he was going to keep her warm, she snuggled closer and he placed on arm around her, rubbing her back to soothe her back to sleep.

"Thanks, NRG," she said with a yawn.

"You're welcome, little fire," he said.

In the present, Rachel was drinking some ginger tea, trying to get better from her sinus drip that turned into a slight cold. She went to bed to rest and heard footsteps.

"Feeling any better, little fire?"

She smiled and looked up at NRG who was standing beside her bed, a cup of hot tomato soup in his hand. "A little," she said and he sat down, holding the cup out to her. She gratefully accepted it and drank it down, the soup warming her up. "Thanks, NRG."

"You're welcome, Rachel," he said warmly as he tucked her in so that she could rest more. He was about to leave when she spoke again.

"NRG, remember how we met?" she asked.

"Of course," he said, looking back at her to see her eyes looking pleadingly at him and he understood.

"You want me to stay and keep you warm?" he asked her. She nodded and he chuckled. "Alright."

With that, the large alien lay down on the other side of the bed and Rachel snuggled closer to him, enjoying the back rub he was now giving her.

"Thanks, NRG," she said. "You're an awesome friend."

"Anything for you, little fire," NRG said affectionately, ruffling her blonde hair, making her smile as she fell asleep and he fell asleep as well, holding her protectively to help her get well again.

How was it? Please review!

GoldGuardian2418