Eli scurried around a corner, slipping, grabbing at a support beam to keep from falling over his own feet, then running again. For the first time he was almost grateful for Greer's painful exercise classes, but he had a bad feeling that despite being older and having managed to escape those classes, Rush was still going to be a faster runner. The man was just so thin, yet he definitely had muscles – Eli had caught that much – his mind shied away. No thinking about that. Uhn, uhn, no way.

He really should've knocked or announced himself or covered his eyes or… something, but he never in a million years expected to walk in on that. All he'd wanted to do was check on TJ and make sure she was OK. Apologize to her. He hadn't meant to walk in on her in the middle of having sex with… Oh God, he was so dead!

Where could he hide? Rush knew the ship better than anyone, except maybe Eli himself, and that was questionable. Maybe if he had people around him; maybe then Rush wouldn't tear him apart. He turned direction and ran another way.

He couldn't help remembering what he'd seen. TJ – well, OK, he had to admit that she'd featured in a private fantasy or two. Or three. Well, he was a red-blooded male after all and she was a gorgeous woman. Even more gorgeous than he'd guessed, those long pale curves, it was enough to make him stumble again, just thinking of her sprawled naked on her bed like something out of a Playboy magazine. The problem was that he then had to think about the man who'd been entwined with her.

"I'm dead," he muttered under his breath. "Shit, I'm so dead." The one glance he'd gotten at Rush's expressive face before he'd fled had told him that much. Those eyes could slice you into ribbons with one laser-like glare.

The addition of the incomprehensible Scottish insults was not a good sign for Eli's prospects for a future, much less a pain-free one. Then again, Rush was just as dangerous when he was quiet. In fact, Rush was just plain dangerous period, yelling or no yelling.

There! He knew he'd find someone in the Observation room. Chloe loved it and she was there with Scott, Volker, Park and Greer. Taking long glances over his shoulder just to make sure Rush wasn't there, he edged into the room and attempted to saunter nonchalantly up to them.

"Hi guys!" he called out, unable to keep some of the nervousness out of his voice. He supposed the constant looks back over his shoulder didn't help.

"What's going on, Eli?" Chloe asked, her face somber. She'd obviously been filled in on what had happened with Young and TJ. Volker and Park also looked visibly upset.

"Uhh, nothing, well, I mean, you know, the Colonel and all…" he stammered.

A yell sounded from down the corridor. "ELI!" Oh shit, that was Rush. How had he found him so quickly.

Eli blanched and ran behind Greer and Volker, dropping to a crouch. "I'm not here, really, I'm so not here!" he begged.

"ELI!" came the call from down the hall. Rush sounded utterly furious. "Oh shit, oh shit," he murmured.

Greer was as straight-forward as always. He grabbed Eli by the side of his jacket. "What did you do?"

"Unh, nothing," he squeaked, but the four faces looking down at him were clearly disbelieving. "Nothing, really, I just went to check to see if TJ was OK. If she needed anything, anyway, I went into her quarters…"

"You went into her quarters?" Scott asked, understanding beginning to dawn on his face. "Was Rush with her?"

Greer started grinning as did Park. Volker and Chloe just looked confused.

"Uh yeah, he was, well, they were, I mean…" Eli felt his skin blush bright red.

"You walked in on them in the middle of having sex, didn't you?" Greer sad before breaking into rollicking laughter.

"What?" Volker gasped.

Chloe just stared at him in shock. When he bit his lip and nodded, still blushing vividly, she shook her head at him. "Oh, Eli," she sighed, "You idiot."

"Wait a minute," Volker said. "You're telling me that Rush and TJ…"

"Oh yeah," Park interjected. "I caught them together earlier today, kissing, in the control room."

"Seriously?" Volker asked incredulously. Everyone else nodded. Greer was still laughing. Park was starting to giggle.

Scott looked down at Eli, crossed his arms across his chest, and slowly moved his head side-to-side. "You do realize that you're in deep shit, Eli," he said with apparent calm.

"I'm so dead," Eli moaned.

"ELI!" sounded from the doorway. Rush stalked in, a fury on bare feet, his hair even more disarrayed than usual, half of it in his face. He shoved it aside with an annoyed hand, but it only fell down again in feathered wings of dark silk around his burning eyes. "Come out you wee shite," he hissed between gritted teeth.

"Help me!" Eli mouthed at the others he was still cowering behind.

Still laughing, Greer shook his head. "Over here, Doc," he called out.

"Greer! Scott, please!" Eli cried out, before getting to his feet and grabbing at Scott's arm.

Scott simply disentangled himself and pushed Eli towards the side door. "I would recommend running, if I were you."

Eli darted for the door. Rush managed to be faster and got a handful of the hood of Eli's jacket. "I'm sorry," Eli tried. "Really, I am. Seriously, Doctor Rush, I never meant to interrupt, you know, I didn't know…"

His rambling was ignored as Rush simply dragged him across the floor to the railing and then hauled him up by his belt and leaned him over it. Eli grabbed for the railing, but his moment and weight carried him forward until he was dangling over it and only Rush's grip kept him from falling over the edge to the floor deep below.

"If you ever go into Lieutenant Johansen's private quarters again without her express permission, I will personally create an airlock and toss you out. Do you understand me?" Rush's voice was calm now. Scarily calm. Utterly precise.

"Yeah, yes, I understand. I won't. I promise!" Eli squealed.

Rush held him there a moment longer before hauling him back and dumping him unceremoniously at his feet. Eli lay there, gasping, while Rush glared down at him for a second, then turned and stalked out of the room.

Scott, at least, gave him a hand to help him back to his feet, even though he was laughing, as was everyone else.

"Hey," Eli said, trying to straighten himself out, smoothing down his clothes and running a hand through his curly hair, "it's not that funny."

"I think it's very funny," Greer said between guffaws. "What do you think Docs?"

Volker and Park both giggled. They were probably just happy it wasn't them Rush had been after this time, Eli thought uncharitably.

"I'm hardly Doctor Rush's biggest fan," Chloe said, grinning, "but he has a point. If I ever catch you walking into my quarters without knocking first, I'll kick your ass."

"She can do it," Scott commented.

Volker grimaced. "Actually, I'd be less worried about Rush than Lieutenant Johansen," he said. "He yells a lot. She sticks needles in you."

Greer grinned. "I'd stay away from the infirmary for a while, if I were you."

All the blood drained from Eli's face. He hated needles. He really, really – really – hated needles.

"I, uh, I think I'm gonna go, umm, see if Brody needs any help, you know, down on the other side of the ship. He stepped sideways towards the exit and then stopped and peered both ways out of the door. "If anyone wants to find me… well, you know, not everyone, but… I'll be there for a while. Like a week or something."

Then he ran for it again.

---

Really Finished