Glen grabbed another slice of toast and showed it hastily into his mouth. Lauren watched him causally from across the table. They made an odd couple. Where Glen was Asian, tall, muscular with black hair and eyes, she was small and quite frankly, skinny with pale yellow hair and washy green eyes. Her skin was pale almost to the point of being white. Once she would have been considered beautiful but now her once supple body was sagging and her beauty was rapidly corroding to the sea of time.

She sat nibbling on the piece of toast. For all her aged appearance, she was only 28. An Ensign in Engineering. Most of the men her own age on the ship never gave her a second glance, which suited her just fine.

Glen finished his third slice of toast and washed it down with half a glass of milk. To look at them you wouldn't think they had anything in common. Glen, the muscular Armoury officer, and Lauren, the washed out Engineer. However, they had one very important thing in common. Ensign Travis Mayweather.

If Glen knew this was the only reason Lauren hung around him, Lauren was quite certain he would put an end to their friendship. Understandably, Glen wasn't one to like being used, so she pretended to like the things he did. She pretended not to be interested in the delectable helmsman, so she could maintain her contact into Travis' personal life.

Glen finished eating. He pushed the plate away. Lauren watched as he leaned back lazily, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"What's on your mind?" she asked. It might be Travis related.

"I just found something out…"

"Wanna share?"

Glen lent forward conspiratorially. Lauren lent in, eager to know what Glen had to say.

"It's about Travis," Glen started. Jackpot, Lauren yelled mentally. Just the God of the Helm she was hoping to hear about.

"He's been staying out a lot lately," Glen continued, "not coming home until the morning and such…Well, I was in when he came home this morning and stopped to talk to him. He wouldn't say anything but when I asked if he had a girlfriend he pretty much confirmed it. Our little Travis has a girlfriend!"

Lauren didn't know what to say. She was shocked. She felt nauseous. Travis was cheating on her? And before she even went out with him! She knew it sounded absurd but she felt so close to her obsession, as if he already belonged to her.

Her train of thought was broken as the man himself entered. She tracked him across the room with her eyes, trying to trace where he was looking, trying to see which girl it could be. Travis didn't even glance around though. He headed straight for Lieutenant Reed's table.

"Are you sure?" she asked skeptically. Glen sometimes tended to leap to conclusions Maybe this was one of those times.

"I'm positive. Give me a few days and I'll tell you who to."

Lauren nodded. A few days. That wasn't too long to wait. She still wanted to shake Glen and snap at him for only getting half the story but…

Across the room Travis lent closer to Malcolm. He was just informing his lover of the morning's events, bringing a smile to the older man's face.

"Don't worry about it," Malcolm said calmly. "Let them think what they want to think. We know the truth."

Travis nodded. He knew the truth. He had the best partner in the universe. The last week had been so wonderful he didn't want it to end, but like all good things he just knew it would. Someone would find out, then he feared it would go the way of all Malcolm's other relationships. He had spent too many nights listening to tales of Malcolm's failed relationships. Malcolm had far too many failed relationships to talk about. Most of them with girls but he had been with his share of men too.

Travis didn't want to be another failed relationship that Malcolm would tell to another lover someday. He wanted this to last. Not that he would say anything like that to Malcolm. A week was a very short time to start thinking of forever.

"Can't I just tell him the truth?" Travis asked softly. He wanted to tell Glen about Malcolm. Wanted to hold his boyfriend's hand in public and not be ashamed of it. He didn't want to have to sneak about and pretend nothing had happened when all he really wanted to do was shout to the world that he loved Malcolm Reed. Then again, since he hadn't told Malcolm about that little fact yet, yelling it to the world might actually not be such a good idea.

"Travis," Malcolm said softly. The younger man signed. They'd had this conversation before. Malcolm wanted to keep it quiet, he knew it. He was trying to respect his boyfriend's wishes, he really was, but it was so hard.

Thankfully they were saved from getting into the argument again as Malcolm realized the time, politely excused himself and left for the Bridge. Travis followed him soon after. It would be a long day. He wished he was stationed at the back of the Bridge and Malcolm at the front. At least then he would have a nice view.

~*~*~*~

By lunch the rumours were already all over the ship. Someone had overheard Glen telling Lauren and soon the whole ship knew Travis Mayweather had a girlfriend. The problem was no-one knew who. There had been a brief rumour about Crewman Launders from Engineering but she'd quickly put that to rest, just as every woman on the ship was also denying it.

This was causing a lot of worry for one Ensign Travis Mayweather. He was certain someone would soon put two and two together and figure out he didn't have a girlfriend at all, he had a boyfriend.

He decided to avoid the Mess Hall at lunch and instead had spent the time practicing his shot with Malcolm in the Armoury. Still they got no privacy, as another Ensign was there. He was frustrated and upset. And he had thought that morning's conversation had went well.

By the time dinner came around Travis was starving. He had been planning to go straight to Malcolm's quarters but he was quickly realizing that wasn't an option. He waited on the Bridge until well after the shift change. He knew Malcolm was waiting with him; he could feel his lover's eyes on the back of his neck. If they all really knew it was Malcolm he was seeing, he could face the mess hall. He could take the silence and the hatred that might well be thrown their way, but he couldn't deal with all the questions about a girlfriend he didn't have.

He couldn't understand how even in this day and age people could be so homophobic. He knew they could, he had been on the receiving end of someone's homophobia more than once when some of his casual partners had told their friends, but this relationship was so different, so special. He didn't want anyone to spoil it for them.

Finally he decided he'd sat there long enough. He climbed slowly to his feet and made his way to the lift, Crewman Kimberly who was working the next shift taking over at helm. Malcolm joined him as they stepped into the lift. As soon as the door closed Malcolm turned to him.

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" he asked softly. Travis could only nod. Malcolm sighed and reached out, pulling Travis into a tight hug.

"Why don't you talk to Glen, come up with something to tell him?"

"I don't like lying."

They stood there for a few quiet moments.

"Are you coming to my quarters tonight?" Malcolm asked the question so quietly Travis almost didn't hear it at first. Travis pulled away and looked at his lover. Malcolm refused to meet the younger man's eyes. Travis hadn't realized his behaviour was affecting Malcolm, why should it be? Or was it.

"Of course Malcolm," Travis said, smiling. "But you need to talk to me, tell me what's wrong…"

"Nothing's—" Travis cut Malcolm off.

"There's something up, and you're going to tell me. First though, I need to eat." Malcolm smiled softly at Travis and the younger man smiled back.

"If you like, you can wait in my quarters and I'll being you some dinner, if you don't want to brave the mess hall."

"You don't mind?" Travis asked quietly softly.

"Of course not. I'm not the one who everyone thinks has a girlfriend."

Travis lent his head on Malcolm's shoulder and pulled him close. They stayed that way until the lift pulled to a stop, then Travis stumbled out and Malcolm moved off to the mess hall. Travis went straight to Malcolm's quarters, letting himself in and collapsing onto the bed.

He tried not to think until Malcolm arrived. He would have to do enough thinking then.

He didn't have to wait long before his lover came back through the door with two covered plates. He had a small desk so he set the plates down on it. Travis moved over to look. Spaghetti bolognaise, and it looked great. They ate in silence until both plates were empty.

"Now," Travis said, finishing of the last piece of pasta, "tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing," Malcolm insisted with a genuine smile on his face, which then disappeared as he went on. "It's just that…I don't like to see you like this. You're so happy normally, so when you're depressed, I get depressed. I've lost people because I don't want them to tell anyone about our relationship. You won't leave me over this, will you?"

The last words were so quiet and soft; Travis knew Malcolm was laying his heart open. He was so fragile.

"Never," Travis whispered. They pulled each other close, Malcolm was holding back close to tears, not wanting Travis to see him so pulled to pieces.

"I'd like to be open about us this though," Travis continued. "This isn't something we need to hide Malcolm…sure a few assholes may say stuff but we won't let it get to us. I know we can do this."

Malcolm signed. This conversation was getting old. Travis knew he was near to getting Malcolm to agree.

"How about this," Malcolm conceded. "If anyone asks you can tell the truth but if they don't, you don't mention it to them. And when I say asks, I mean directly about me."

"That sounds all right by me," Travis said, grinning. Malcolm pulled back to stare at his lovers face, then smiled himself.

"You're so tense," Travis whispered. "Want some help?"

"I can think of a few things that would loosen me up…"

"I'll see what I can do," Travis said grinning, then pulled Malcolm in for a long kiss.

Outside the paper thin walls, Lauren gasped. She had heard far too much. She had just been casually passing by, when she had heard her boy's sweet voice and couldn't help but listen in. He didn't have a girlfriend at all, he had a boyfriend.

"Let's just see what we can do about that," she muttered, turning and walking down the hallway. "Let's just see…"