A/N: Originally, I was going to wait till the season ends before writing anything for this couple but then 1x08 happened and the whole fandom kinda exploded and is now flailing all over the place and so am I. Whatever happens next, we will always have that kiss.
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money with this piece. I just do it for fun.

Tom finds her in the hanger, already working again. To anyone else she may look calm and collected but he can see the tiny tremors in her hands and the way she tenses whenever there's a loud noise. If he wasn't so goddamn angry with her, he would admire her bravery and the loyalty it inspired in Green, Buck, hell even in Mike, as they took her side and defended her decision.

"Give us the room, would you?" He tells the guards, and they nod before escorting Dr. Tophet and his family out of the hanger, the doctor sending him a grateful look on his way out.

A tense silence settles over the room, only disturbed by the clicking of vials and the humming of the machines. Leaning against the closed door, arms crossed over his chest, Tom waits and watches, but Dr. Scott doesn't acknowledge him at all, continues to work instead, and he has to give it to her – she isn't intimidated by his tactic in the least. It only fuels the anger churning in his chest and he's unable to keep silent any longer.

"Didn't I tell you not to do it again?" His words and tone are hard, sharp-edged, and she falters for a moment before plucking up her courage.

"I'm not sorry," she says quietly, a note of strength underneath her words, and it's the last straw for him, the anger that's bubbling just below the surface boiling over.

"What the hell were you thinking? What if—"

"Ruskov had to be stopped," she rounds on him, her voice no longer soft but just as hard as his, just as sharp. "By any means necessary."

"By any means..." He's been angry at her before, but not like this, not with such fervor, and Tom feels a flicker of dark satisfaction as her eyes widen as he advances on her, invading her personal space until she has to tilt her head back to maintain eye-contact.

"Not by sacrificing yourself." His voice is low and heated, but there's no fear in her eyes as she glares up at him defiantly.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic," she snaps, eyes alight with a fire that's been missing since he found her in that lab back on Ruskov's ship. "If it wasn't for me, the whole plan would have failed, and you know it!"

Anger, frustration and something else clashes in his chest, and he's reaching for her before he knows what he's doing, his hands gripping her arms, and it's only when he hears her breath hitch and catches a flash of something in her dark eyes that he realizes what he's done.

It's the moment on Ruskov's ship all over again, only their roles reversed, this time his fingers pressing almost possessively against her skin in the same way she gripped the back of his neck when they'd kissed.

The air between them is no longer heavy with anger and frustration but with something else, something electric that presses down on them and leaves him on the edge. Everything inside him tells him to let her go and put some distance between them, he can see the same struggle taking place inside her, because this isn't them, but something keeps him rooted to the spot and instead of moving away, he leans down.

Tom hears her exhale shakily and her hand comes up, her fingers curling tight into the fabric of his t-shirt, nails pressing slightly into his skin, and then he's pushing her back against the table as his mouth slants hard over hers.

She kisses him back, without hesitation, her hand sliding up his chest to the back of his neck again and his skin comes alive under her touch. He entwines his fingers tight in her hair, pulls her closer, and she moans softly, arching into him.

The door suddenly opens, the sound jarring them back to reality, and they break apart so fast she has to grip the table to steady herself. The maelstrom of emotions that's surging through him is mirrored on her face and he has a hard time getting his mind and body back under control.

"Captain?" Mike's voice sounds warily from the doorway, and Tom clenches his fists involuntarily. Of all the people...

"Yes?"

"Ah, Rios needs Dr. Scott's help."

The woman in question starts as if it never occurred to her that Mike might be here for her but she quickly composes herself and gives Mike a half-hearted smile.

"Of course." She taps a few times on her tablet before walking towards the door and as she does, their eyes meet for a split second and there's a tight feeling rising in his chest as Tom realizes that whatever is happening between them started long before the kiss, probably the day he demanded the truth from her, and that it's far from over.

Sighing, he drags his fingers through his hair. Maybe if his capture and her coming to his rescue had never happened, they could have pretended that nothing was slowly building up between them, and one day, they might have actually believed it, but now they can't fool themselves any longer.

Goddamn it.

- END -