A/N: I'm not a medical doctor, so obviously there are going to be mistakes. And I can't remember every single detail on the show so there will be mistakes there too (maybe).

A/N 2: This is my first foray into writing for this show, and I am a definite Nathen shipper. Please review so I know if I should continue this story.

Chapter One

Standing in the doorway of his empty apartment, Dr. Stephen Connor prepared himself for another trip for the NIH. He wasn't looking forward to this particular case; it was an out of country assignment and since most of his team was ill (luckily with just the flu); only he and Natalie would be able to go. His cell phone rang at that point and he shook himself out of his reverie. He answered his cell phone and was surprised to hear his partner, Dr. Natalie Durant on the other end.

"Where are you Stephen?" Natalie asked, sounding impatient.

"I'm on my way Natalie," he replied. "Just was wondering if I should bring my Hawaiian shirts or not." He smiled when Natalie laughed and then became serious. "Are the others still sick?"

"Yeah, it's more then a 24 hour virus," Natalie said. She looked out the windows she was standing next to and then told him, "Hurry Steve, they're getting the plane set and the pilot's nervous."

"Be there in a few," Stephen said. He hung the phone up and then hurried down to his car. As he drove to the airport and then to the hanger, he thought about the case he was about to leave on. There were symptoms that were close to the flu, but there was a high rate of smallpox like pustules that appeared on each victim's body. He hoped that it wasn't actual smallpox; that would be far worse to figure out to treat.

"I was going to give up on you," Natalie said when she saw Stephen walk into the small office where she was waiting. She saw the look on his face and frowned. "Everything okay?"

"Sure," Stephen said, nodding tersely at her. He was surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning to look at Natalie, he could see she was concerned. "I'll tell you on the plane okay?"

"Okay," Natalie said, agreeing reluctantly. She watched as Stephen went to the small cluster of people standing near the desk in the office. She felt a rush of emotion and then shook her head, looking away from him.

"The plane's set, we can board now," Stephen said. "The pilot's a little worried about landing out there, but I told him we'd be landing in the capital and then the two of us would leave on our own."

"Let's go," Natalie said, pushing aside her feelings. She picked up her handbag and followed Stephen out to the large plane that the NIH used for most of the cases. A few minutes later, she walked over to the shelves that were used for luggage and bags. She shoved her small handbag onto the shelf just above her head, she gave an annoyed grunt in the back of her throat when it fell back down towards her and then tried again.

"Here," a voice said behind her suddenly.

Natalie whirled around and watched as Stephen put the bag on the shelf and it stayed. "Thank you," she said, grinning up at him. "Never had a problem with that before."

"Glad to help," Stephen said, nodding at her. He took her arm and then led her over to the table so she could sit. "Unfortunately for us, we can't use a Concorde, so the plane trip is going to be a pretty long one."

"How long is 'pretty long?'" Natalie asked, leaning her head back against the top of the chair.

Stephen was quiet for a moment, staring across the table at Natalie. He didn't realize it, but soon enough he widened his eyes and looked away from her. "About sixteen hours."

"Glad I brought some books," Natalie said. She was a little uncomfortable with the way he'd be staring at her, but she forgot about that when the plane took off.

An hour into their flight, Natalie put the book she'd been reading down on the table and unbuckled her seatbelt. She then got up and started walking, a little unsteadily, around the table. "Where exactly are we going again?" she asked, stopping next to Stephen.

"A little town called Clohet in Thailand," Stephen told her. "The CDC and UN asked us to take this assignment because the people that are getting sick there are all tourists."

"Tourists?" Natalie asked in surprise. "I thought this was… Resort right?"

"Yeah," Stephen said, smiling that she figured it out to quickly. "I was never much a resort man."

"I have no idea if I'm a fan of them," Natalie said with a smile. "I stayed behind in Florida for that. And I got to work with the weird paints."

"We have a lot of interesting stories Nat," Stephen said, smiling up at her. He became serious and then took Natalie's hand, helping her sit in the chair next to his. "I'm sorry that I asked you to come out so far."

"It's okay," Natalie said, surprised at his words. "This is my job Steve; it's what I want to do."

Stephen slipped his hand away from hers and sat back in his chair. Thinking for a long moment, he then said, "Natalie, I wasn't really concerned about where we're going."

"Okay," Natalie replied softly. She leaned over in her chair and gently touched his hand. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I got a call from my ex," Stephen finally said. "She chewed me out about not visiting when I can and… told me she's going to have my visits changed from weekly to monthly."

"Oh Stephen," Natalie said, her heart breaking for him. She got on her knees on the floor in front of him and clutched his hands in hers. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Stephen said. He made her stand up and then stood up with her. "It's my own fault and I have to pay for it."

"No, don't be like that Steve," Natalie said, shaking her head. "Your ex has to know that you can make every single visit."

"Lisa knows, but I swear that she's trying to turn Jack against me," Stephen said. He sighed sadly, thinking about his son and then he turned towards the table. "I-" he started to say when he had gotten control of his emotions. He was cut off quickly when all of a sudden Natalie's arms were around him, hugging him tightly. He was taken aback, but then put his arms around her, holding her close to him. "This job has a way of destroying families," he said, laughing shakily.

"Not unless two doctors are together," Natalie said. She felt Stephen stiffen at her words and she almost let go of him, but couldn't do it.

"Maybe," Stephen said slowly.

"I think it would work," Natalie said. She raised her head from his shoulder and looked up into his eyes. She was unable to read his emotions, but was pleased that he didn't let go of her. "If they were in love enough they'd work through everything."

Not saying anything, Stephen let go of his partner, and then walked away from her, trying to calm his heart which was beating rapidly.

Tempted to call out his name, Natalie held back, sitting down lightly in the chair that Stephen had been sitting in. She turned her head and watched him, walk into the lab section of the plane. "We would work it out," she whispered in a low voice, feeling a strong conviction in her own heart.

"Don't worry Miles, we'll get everything set," Stephen said into his cell phone. "I know it's just Natalie and me, but we'll get through it." He listened for a few moments and grinned slightly. "Just get better. I'll call you if anything big comes up." He hung up his phone and then looked around the cabin. On one of the couches against the side, he saw that Natalie was fast asleep, curled up in an almost fetal position. He smiled and then shrugged off the jacket he'd been wearing, intending to follow her example to sleep. He walked over to where the blankets were kept, and took two of them.

Natalie was only half asleep and could sense someone close to where she was. She came fully awake, but kept her eyes closed as the scent of cologne and aftershave reached her nose. She knew immediately that it was Stephen and she tried to slow her heart since she was afraid he'd hear her and know she was awake.

Gently, Stephen placed the wool blanket on top of Natalie and carefully adjusted it until he was satisfied that she was covered enough. "Thank you for sticking with me Nat," he said as he sat down in the chair nearest her. "I know I haven't been the best guy to work with, but you've done a wonderful job. I just wish…" He stopped and then leaned back in his chair, not wanting to finish his thought. Extremely tired, his eyes began to droop and he eventually fell asleep.

Once she was sure that Stephen's breathing was slow and deep, Natalie opened her eyes and got up from under the blanket. She took it in her hand and walked over to him. Smiling as she studied his peaceful face, she placed the blanket on top of him and then leaned over impulsively. When she felt the skin of his cheek on her lips, she felt a shiver go through her and she pulled back abruptly. "Sleep well Stephen, you deserve the rest," she whispered. She sat on the couch and pulled the other blanket around her body as she studied him. And not too much time later, her eyes closed and she slept deeply too.

Towards the end of their flight, Stephen woke up to find that there was something over him. He reached up with his hand and felt the wool of a blanket. He recognized it as the one he'd covered Natalie with and then he became confused. 'Last night, I could have sworn…" he thought to himself. 'That someone kissed me. It felt so real, but would Natalie really do that?' He looked at her and then found himself staring again and thinking intently. He'd always been attracted to his partner; he knew that she was a beautiful woman. But he had never wanted to act on the feelings he had when he looked at her, or was around her. And when his marriage had dissolved; he'd been tempted to speak to Natalie about his affection for her, but then she'd had her patient Barret that he thought she was interested in. He had no idea now if she still felt the same about the man and even if she didn't; he wasn't sure if she would feel the same about him.

Stephen recalled their conversation earlier and then he suddenly decided on one thing. He was in love with Natalie Durant and had been for a long time now. With that thought, he got up and walked out of the room, going up to the cockpit to ask how much longer until they touched down in Thailand.

Stretching her body right after Stephen had left; Natalie opened her eyes and saw that she was alone. She stood up quickly and was going to look for her partner when he appeared back in the room. "I was just going to see where you went," she said, a little startled.

"We'll be landing in about a half hour," Stephen answered. "You sleep okay?"

"Fine, what about you?" Natalie asked, wondering why they were both so awkward with each other.

"Perfectly for a change," Stephen answered. He looked down into her eyes and smiled a little when she did so to him.

'He's so handsome. I can't believe he hasn't gotten another girlfriend now that he's single again," Natalie thought. She had fallen in love with Stephen the instant that she met him, but she kept her feeling secret since she didn't think he would return her love.

"You okay?" Stephen asked, sounding worried for a minute. He felt relieved when she nodded and was going to say something else when he stopped. He wasn't sure, but he felt like he and Natalie were standing closer together. He swallowed hard then and began to lean down towards her, staring at her lips.

Before the two could kiss, the pilot came on over the PA and announced their landing in Bangkok, Thailand in a matter of minutes.

The doctor's seemed to jump and, both embarrassed, hurried to the table and sat in chairs to get themselves ready for the decent. They immediately started thinking about their case, but in the back of their minds, they were thinking about each other.