Instincts

A “Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons” story

By Kelly Haycock and Ono

(This story is the sequel to ‘The Cat’s Eyes’)

"You shouldn't be allowed to make the coffee" Rhapsody cringed as she took a sip from her mug, looking at Ochre.

He took offence. "Excuse me! There is nothing wrong with my coffee"

The pair sat arguing in the officer’s lounge as Captain's Blue and Scarlet walked in.

"What's up this time?" Scarlet asked, this drawing the attention of Ochre and the Spectrum Angel.

"Have you tried today’s brew?" She said raising her mug up to him, "I wouldn't recommend it, the stuff is horrid"

"Quit complaining, I don't see you making the pot...actually, I've NEVER seen you do it!"

She rolled her eyes, "Normally the kitchen staff come with it freshly made up, but not today...they have to forget and let Captain Hopeless here deal with it"

"I don't think my coffee is bad," Ochre said then heard Scarlet spit out some of which he had poured himself.

"I agree with Dianne, this stuff is sick" He offered the pot to Blue, "Feel up to trying some"

"You think I have a death wish" Blue smirked making Ochre throw a cushion his way, missing by far.

"Your throw still hasn't improved" Rhapsody mocked but Ochre ignored her.

Symphony Angel arrived in, she had just finished her interceptor duty and decided to pop in while she had nothing else to do.

"Good Morning" She said cheerfully, "What's happening with everyone this bright and sunny day?"

"Avoiding death by drinking Ochre's coffee" Blue remarked making the new comer laugh.

"Well, I think I'll stay away from it then," Symphony said, grinning at Ochre who folded his arms in a sulk. "Oh, don't pout, Ochre. The wind'll change and you'll get stuck that way!"

Everyone laughed. "You're in an extremely good mood today, Symphony," Rhapsody noted.

Symphony flashed her a bright smile. "It's a beautiful day, what is there not to be happy about?"

Rhapsody smiled, glancing out the window then frowned. "Are you alright?" she asked, looking at Symphony. She'd sat down and lowered her head.

"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy."

"You're off duty, now, aren't you?" Blue asked, voicing his concern.

"Yes."

"Well, go to your quarters. Have a lie down."

"I think I will." She got up slowly, her head in her hands. The others could see her face was slightly pale.

"You sure you're ok?" Blue asked.

She looked him in the eyes. "No," she said, before falling to the floor.

"KAREN!" Blue rushed down to where she had fallen, the others crowded round.

"My God!" Rhapsody said, "I'll call Doctor Fawn"

Blue lifted Symphony up in his arms and pressed her to his chest, "Come on Karen, you have to be okay"

Rhapsody had been to the comm. on the wall and made a call to Sickbay, she turned round after she got a reply.

"They'll be here in a few minutes"

"I want to know why she fainted, she was alright a minute ago" Ochre said.

"Maybe she smelt your coffee, its enough to knock anyone out" Scarlet commented, getting a sharp look from Ochre.

"This is no time for jokes," Blue snapped, he seemed overly agitated and not just from this little episode.

"Sorry, Adam" Scarlet said, he knew he should have kept his mouth shut.

Doctor Fawn arrived moments later and carted Symphony off to Sickbay with Blue, Scarlet and Rhapsody in tow. Ochre had remained behind, mostly so he could dispose of his horrible coffee, he knew it tasted bad and just didn't want to admit it.

"How is she?" Blue said, anxious on Symphony's condition.

Fawn was running round the lab of his sickbay collecting results of various tests. "It can't be..."

The others all frowned. "What? What can't be?" Scarlet asked.

Fawn didn't seem to have heard him as he ran across the room again and double-checked his findings. He gasped then turned to his comm. "Colonel White, I think you should come down to the sickbay immediately."

Rhapsody, Scarlet and Blue exchanged worried looks.

White walked in mere moments later. "What's wrong, Doctor?"

Fawn looked up and the other officers all looked at him, hoping he'd finally say something as to Symphony's passing out.

"Sit down, please, Colonel."

White frowned but sat down. "Would you mind explaining to me what this is about?"

"Its Symphony Angel, sir."

Colonel White's eyes widened. "What's wrong with her?"

Fawn sighed. "The cat genes have reappeared."

Shock filled the commander-and-chief of Spectrum, he sat staring hard at the doctor, “Are you sure?”

"Positive" Fawn plainly replied.

"But I thought you eradicated it?" The doctor sat uneasy from the Colonel's comment.

"It must have somehow stayed in her immune system, imprinted in some way…" Fawn shook his head unsure, "…I would need to run more tests to give us a better answer"

Colonel White instantly seized up, "What about Captain Blue"

"Captain Blue?" He then remembered, "Oh yes! I will have to test him also,"

Captain Blue had been sitting quietly to one side. As soon as he had heard the reason for Symphony's lapse, he had gone pale and quiet. He knew the same thing could happen to him and deep down, he was scared. When this had happened the first time, he had been unable to control himself and had frequently threatened Symphony Angel and even killed his best friend in a horrific way. He shuddered.

"Are you alright with that, Captain?"

Blue jumped when he heard Fawn address him. "Sorry?"

"Are you alright to stay here while I run a few tests?"

"Oh, yes, okay then. You won't need me, will you, Colonel?" he said, turning to face his superior.

"I want you to concentrate on you. Don't worry about whether or not you're needed."

"Yes, sir" Blue said more quietly, he turned and took a seat on one of the many beds as Doctor Fawn directed him.

Colonel White turned his attention to Scarlet, "Would you stay here…just in case"

"In case of what, sir?" Scarlet asked, puzzled.

"Just in case…he'll need someone…you know what I mean" Scarlet understood his commander's words and nodded, "I will be heading back up to the Control room. Rhapsody?"

The red-headed Angel looked away from Symphony, "Yes, sir?"

"We don't need a crowd in Sickbay, could you be elsewhere for the time being?"

She sighed, not wanting to leave Symphony's side nor anger the Colonel. "Yes, sir" She flatly replied.

Rhapsody turned to Symphony. The latter was still unconscious, but she still put a hand on her arm. "You'll be ok, Symphony," she said quietly before leaving.

Fawn turned to White. "I'll do all I can for them. I'll call up the data we got last time and see if I missed anything."White nodded. "Thank you, Doctor." He glanced at Blue and Symphony. "It might pay to bear in mind what happened last time just as a precaution. If anything does happen, I don't want anyone hurt."

Fawn gave an understanding nod, "I will, sir" Colonel White left the Sickbay quietly, leaving the Doctor to go back to his patients.

Blue sat, looking down at the floor as Fawn approached him, "Captain?"

Blue didn't look up.

"Captain Blue?" Finally he drew the American's attention to him.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening"

"Would you mind taking off your top?"

"If I must" Blue groaned; he wasn't looking forward to it. He didn't want to know if the genes had reappeared. He kept recalling what had happened last time and worried that if the cat would come back, he'd lose control of himself. It was the last thing in the world he ever wanted, and especially with Symphony around, he dared think what he'd do to her again.

Sighing, Blue let Fawn get on with his work. As much as he didn't want to, he knew he must find out if the genes had resurfaced, if not for him, but for the safety of his friends.

Fawn took some blood samples from both Blue and Symphony then put them into a centrifuge to separate it out.

Blue watched him as he began running tests. Beside him, on the next bed, Symphony stirred, then raised her hands to her face to rub her eyes.

She blinked a few times to adjust to the lighting, when she did, she began to feel nausea take her. She closed her eyes till it passed, she felt a fan on close by, letting cool air glide on her face; it was very helpful.

She moved her head to the side, seeing Captain Scarlet, who had just perched on the edge of her bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

She moaned slightly, rubbing her head. "What am I doing here?"

"You fainted, don't you remember?"

She looked at him closely, and tried to think back to the officers' lounge. Nothing came back to her.

"No…" She glanced over at Doctor Fawn who was with Blue who was now focused on her from when she awoke.

"Karen, are you okay?" Blue asked her.

"I think so…" She narrowed her brow as Doctor Fawn moved over the American Captain, monitoring him and taking down some important notes, "Adam? What's going on?"

Blue and Scarlet exchanged glances. Fawn was too busy with his tests to explain so Blue sighed and sat himself up. He swung his legs round in front of him and looked into Symphony's eyes.

"You passed out in the Officers' Lounge and we think we know why. Tests are being carried out now to check, but it seems that the feline DNA that was implanted in us is resurfacing."

Symphony looked at him blankly then it sunk in and her eyes went wide. "What? No," she whispered, turning away.

Blue closed his eyes and lowered his head. He had a good idea what was going through her mind.

Scarlet looked between the two and wasn't sure what he could do. "D'you want me to leave?"

Blue looked up at him and silently shook his head. "No, stay. Please, I need a friend at the minute." He lay back down on the bed and turned his stare back to the ceiling.

The room seemed to fall into a hard silence; Captain Scarlet didn't know how to console his friends. He now desperately wanted to know the outcome of Blue's results, it was more than likely he would be going down the same path as Symphony and he felt pity for his friend.

Fawn turned away from his experiment, waiting for a machine to come up with the final results. "I'll be with you in a moment," The Doctors voice made them jump, Blue more then anyone, he was getting tenser by the second.

Scarlet crossed the room to stand beside Fawn. "I don't mean to rush you, doctor, but, um..." He couldn't seem to find any words so just indicated his nervous friend.

Fawn nodded. "It'll only be-" A loud beeping cut him off, making Blue jump again. The machine had finished its tests and a printout was being emitted from the front panel for Fawn to read.

The Doctor's eyes quickly scanned down the page until he reached the part he had been dreading. He closed his eyes and lowered the sheet. "Symphony Angel, Captain Blue, you must both remain here until further notice. The feline genes have indeed resurfaced."

Captain Blue sighed heavy, his eyes closed for a moment, letting the news sink back in. He had turned back to what he had hoped would disappear from his life.

He took a deep breath and glanced at Symphony who had covered up her face to cry, finding out again that they both were animals deep within and from what her memories brought back to her.

He slipped off the table and went over to where she was, sitting next to her. She uncovered her face and gazed at him, the skin beneath her eyes had turned a red colour from her tears. She sat up and wrapped her arms around him, letting herself cry into his shoulder.

He leaned his head onto her and whispered into her ear. "It's all right, shh, don't cry"

Really, he didn't believe his own words.

Scarlet looked between his two friends. Now he had even less of an idea what to do. He walked over to Symphony and gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Adam's right," he said quietly, his voice little more than a whisper. "It will be okay."

She turned to him. "Will it? We thought that last time," she said, tearfully.

He didn't know how to answer her, she stared at him for a moment then rested her cheek back against Blue's chest, who didn't know what to say anymore, everything seemed to be breaking down around them.

"Doctor?" Blue said after a few minutes of silence.

Fawn approached him, "Yes?"

"What will happen now, what will we do?" He asked, he looked down at Symphony in his arms, she had gone quiet as she held her position there against him.

"Well, I guess I will have to run more tests" Fawn answered.

"Other than that, where will we stay, I really don't want to be stuck here in Sickbay after last time" Symphony looked up at Fawn. "I don't feel any different," She said.

"Neither do I, not as I did before" Fawn looked between the pair.

"It doesn't make a difference," The Doctor said, pressing up against a trolley. "We don't know what will happen, lives are put on the line here with the way we saw things from your first change"

"At least let us go back to our quarters, we'll call you through the intercom if there is trouble"

Symphony looked at Fawn inattentively. "Please?" She begged.

Fawn looked at her then sighed. "I'll ask the Colonel. It would be better for you to be in your own quarters, but we have to think of the others. If he agrees, you may go, but on the first sign of trouble, you'll have a security escort everywhere."

Blue and Symphony both looked somewhat happier than before, though with the news they had just received, they were both still depressed.

The Colonel had received the news from Sickbay and also the request of Blue and Symphony to be retained in their quarters. At first he was against it, he remembered how easily they were as the big cats to bash through any door or window even, but he thought it better then keeping them in Sickbay where their morale would drop.

He agreed half-hearted to their demand, telling Doctor Fawn to keep on full alert and to get on with finding a cure, it was imperative that he did so, for everyone's sake.

"Looks like we've got the all-clear," he told his two patients. "The Colonel has agreed to you leaving." He turned to his comm. again and contacted security to escort them to their rooms.

"What's that for?" Symphony asked, frowning slightly.

"It's just a precaution," Fawn said, his hands slightly raised.

Blue and Symphony exchanged glances. "If you say so," the former said.

"I'll just get on with my research," Fawn said as a pair of security guards walked in.

Blue and Symphony stood up, walking to the guards who lead them out the door and into the corridor, which was quieter than usual – the word had got out already, quite quick which was surprising to Blue as he mused to himself.

Symphony looked back at Scarlet; he was still sat in Sickbay, and it looked like he wasn't coming. She then realised Fawn was talking to him, which was all she caught as the door shut.

They continued to walk towards their quarters, the security guards just a few paces behind them. Blue took Symphony's hand softly. She looked up at him and he smiled at her, one that was reassuring of the situation, telling her things would be okay.

They came to an intersection that lead off two different ways to the pairs abodes.

"Come on" One of the guards said to Symphony, leading down one way, she sighed and began to walk but was halted with a tug, she snapped her head round to see Blue had still got hold of her hand, staring at her.

The guards looked uneasy, as did Symphony, who felt her heart race in her chest.

'Oh my God! is it taking him again?' She thought, looking deep within his blue eyes.

But she seemed wrong, he closed his eyes and snorted calmly and let her hand fall away from him. Giving her one last glance, he turned with the other guard to go towards his quarters.

She stood rooted to the spot for a moment until she felt the guard touch her shoulder, she was startled and looked at him as he spoke. "Are you all right?"

"Yes" She shook her head slightly and began to walk again.

Blue watched over his shoulder as Symphony disappeared round the corner, then sighed and continued on down the corridor, the security guard close by. He stepped ahead of the senior officer and opened the door then waited for him to enter. "Will you be alright, sir?" the concerned young guard asked.

Blue turned to him and nodded. "I'll be just fine," he said, looking carefully round his room.

The guard signalled his understanding and left the room, by the looks of it, he wasn't going to be hanging around like a doorman.

'Must have other things to deal with - doesn't matter though - there is a lock on my door, just in case of a change' He sat down on his bed, he rubbed his nose and leaned backwards till his head rested on his covers.

He tried to recognise any of the signs that something had changed inside of him…none that he could detect…he sighed, and rolled onto his side, pulling his pillow underneath his head.

He decided he needed some rest, he wanted to at least get away from the nightmare of what was happening in his life to another place in his mind that was not so horrifying.

Symphony opened the door to her quarters, she moved to sit on a chair next to her desk. The guard left her there after a moment or so of making sure she was fine.

She rested her head back on the soft cushion padding of the chair head, trying to come to terms with the fact that the horrible animal was coming back, its being coursing through her veins.

She hadn't realised she had fallen asleep, when she awoke hours later, still in her chair. She rubbed a tired eye and stood up stretching out.

Then something in her mind seemed to click and she closed her eyes, listening to something in her mind call to her, tell her something, like an instinct that she should follow. Her body was telling her to go to Blue, pushing her his way.

At first she didn't properly want to acknowledge it, but then she let her senses do the guiding, it felt so much easier to her.

She stepped softly over to the door and opened it, looking out into the clear corridor with no guard in sight. She slipped out and gracefully trod along, hoping nobody would notice her.

Captain Blue was jolted out of his slumber by a strange feeling deep inside him. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated on it, then jumped when he heard a soft knock at his door.

He tilted his head to one side and smiled. He didn't know how, but he knew it was Symphony. "Come in," he called out, sitting up straight and perching on the end of the bed.

She walked in quietly with him watching her every move.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" She asked softly.

He smiled. "It's okay, what brings you here" He then cocked his head and gave her a wicked grin, "They'll have your head if they find you gone from your quarters"

She walked up to him and put a finger on his lips, "Shh, I don't want them to know I'm here"

"And your reasons then?"

"Well...something just drew me here, I don't know how to explain it" She sat down next to him, thinking about her words carefully. "Like a bee to a flower, a dog to a bone..."

"Or a Kitten to milk" She could have sworn he purred the words out, but she ignored the thought.

"Well, I guess you could word it like that," She turned to him and nearly jumped out her skin as his face was only an inch or so from hers, "I guess I didn't want to be alone"

"You aren't alone,” He said in a whisper.

"I know that, I'm sat here aren't I" He laughed at her, in a strange way it didn't sound normal, but it made her smile.

"You smell nice,” He said. She raised an eyebrow at the sudden remark.

"It really has taken you hasn't it" She said plainly, he tilted his head again and frowned

"What's taken me?" he asked, not really following her.

"The cat inside you has." He frowned, but she smiled, putting a hand against the side of his face. "It's alright." Her words were soft and quiet, making Blue grin at her and moved closer. He put his own hands on her shoulders and she raised her eyebrows, allowing him to continue.

"I know what you really came for" His words lingered on her skin, it was definitely what had drawn her to him, even though before she would never have let herself go, but this time, it felt different.

He lowered his head down to her neck, she felt his lips press up softly there in a tantalising way, starting to give small nips at the skin, tasting the flesh.

Without knowing it, a moan came from her throat and her head tipped back as he moved down, his hands ran along her back, kneading into her, the touch was so smooth.

He looked up at her; she had closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation and all the new senses that were flowing around her. 'I'm not the only one taken' He said to himself; he opened her top and removed away any articles of her clothing till he came to bare flesh leaning her down onto the bed, suckling on her.

She was lost in paradise; reality meant nothing anymore. His weight against her body was heavy, but she enjoyed the closeness between them, as did he. She was going to give herself to him, and Blue knew it, taking advantage of the moment to start going lower and lower on her body.

Rhapsody was sat in the Amber room, staring out into the clear blue sky, she had become distant and every attempt of Harmony trying to grab her attention had failed.

Captain Scarlet entered the room and when she saw him she jumped up from the couch and ran up to him.

"What's the news, anything I should know about?" Rhapsody asked, wanting to get full details.

Scarlet looked at her slightly blankly before slumping down on a seat and putting his hands over his face.

"Paul?" Rhapsody asked, sitting next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder.

He turned to look at her then shook his head. "The cat DNA has resurfaced in both of them." She gasped at this news and he continued. "They've been quarantined to their quarters for their safety and ours."

Rhapsody didn't know what to say. Symphony had reacted very badly when it had first happened, she remembered well her attempts to calm the frightened Angel, no matter how much she attempted to push the memories away.

"I feel for them" Rhapsody said, she felt a strained tug on her, the sorrow she had for Symphony and Blue.

"I know its hard that we have to see them put through this again" Scarlet said, the British Angel flicked her hair back and took in a deep breath before exhaling.

She spoke sadly, "I bet she is upset...probably crying at the moment..."

Symphony began to awake, her eyes fluttering open. She felt content and nurtured deep inside.

She blinked a few times, to recall what had happened, then she remembered and held in her breath.

What had she done! It wasn't just him taken by the cat, she had been too and she would never have noticed. She had been too busy seeing it on Blue that she had let herself get drawn in.

She felt a tingling feeling in the lower half of her body and cursed herself.

She noticed now that she was completely stripped down, clothes scattered around her and Blue was lying next to her, in the same fashion. He had no clothes on and covered up in the blanket on his bed, he was still asleep.

She lay still, not knowing what to feel at that moment. She had told herself during her last memory of her situation that she wouldn't let him have her, and now look where she was.

She felt him stir; she turned her head to him, just as he opened his eyes.

He stretched his arms out, then rubbed his face, a smile perking on his lips as he looked at her.

"That was interesting" He said, she felt embarrassed, her face going bright red, feeling as if their moment together had just been shared as if they were animals.

Blue noticed her sudden change in attitude. "What's wrong?"

"I should go," she said, starting to get up. She stopped when Blue took hold of her wrist.

"Why? Stay. Just a little bit longer."

She looked around uneasily. "I can't, I have to get back to my quarters or they'll confine us to the Sickbay," she said, hoping he'd at least listen to logic.

"Well, I guess you’re right, you have to go for our sake" He nuzzled her neck for a second and pulled away to look at her face, "I'll miss you"

She slipped away from his grip; she scrambled to get her clothes from the mixed pile on the floor.

She glanced at him as she gathered all her belongings, he was staring at her, still a hungry look on his face.

"Can you not look at me like that" She said, she began to re-dress.

"Like what, Angel?" He leaned on the edge of the bed, keeping her in his sights.

"Like that, the way you are. It's off putting." Blue grinned at her and made little effort to stop watching. "Please, Adam. You did this last time. Don't let it win."

"What?"

"Don't let the animal instincts take you over again. You killed Captain Scarlet last time, remember?"

This did seem to help her case as he turned away from her, giving her enough time to pull on the remainder of her clothes and leave quickly before her own instincts took over again.

"Any developments, Doctor?" Colonel White talked to Doctor Fawn through a comm. link from the Control room, to find out on his progress.

"I'm still back to square one, sir" The Colonel hated to hear that there was nothing new in the update, but he couldn't blame the Doctor for not solving the problem yet, it was a tough one.

"I guess I better not take up too much more of your time" Colonel White said and ended his conversation with Fawn.

He took a deep breath and tried to occupy himself with something but Lieutenant Green's voice pulled his attention, "Do you think anything bad will happen this time?"

White shrugged, "I don't know, I couldn't tell you, its hard to say if anything has changed from the last time"

"I'm just worried, sir, is all," Green said, looking down at his console.

"As am I, Lieutenant, I don't want to be another victim of an attack nor do I want to see any of my officers go down either"

Green sat silently after this. In a way he wished he hadn't said anything. Last time this happened, Captain Blue had seriously injured Colonel White in an attack in his puma form shortly after Green had been dismissed. He shuddered when he remembered coming back to find the large cat with its claws in his superior's chest, so pushed the thought aside and turned back to his console again.

Over two weeks or so had passed, yet the Doctor was still having trouble coming up with anything to counter-act the cat genes. He still continued his tests on Captain Blue and Symphony Angel, who were still keeping them confined to quarters. Colonel White was dismayed on having his best officers kept locked away from the rest of Cloudbase. Nothing had happened to result in anything that would be threatening against others and was considering them being allowed in certain places under security watch, so that they could catch up on social business and their morale would improve. Both seemed to be down mentally, especially Symphony, who was going down physically. She had been reported to be feeling sick, over the recent week and Doctor Fawn was going to look into it.

One of the later days saw something appeared that definitely needed the Colonels attention.

"Colonel White, sir" Doctor Fawn's voice came through to him at his command post, "Could you come down to Sickbay, I have some startling news about Symphony"

"What is it?" White asked, leaning towards the mike.

"I can't tell you over the comm., sir. Please, come down to Sickbay."

White looked over at Green who appeared startled by this sudden message. "I'm on my way," he said, getting up.

He walked out the doors and headed off towards Sickbay at quick pace, going as fast as he could. On arrival, he strode in and walked straight over to Dr Fawn who was reading over some printouts. "Well, doctor?"

Fawn looked up and sighed. "Its Symphony, sir."

"I know that much, Doctor, you told me over the comm."

Fawn sighed, trying to think of how to put it.

"Well sir, by my read outs, she is...well, unbelievable to me...well...she's pregnant"

Colonel White's eyes shot wide, "WHAT! HOW?"

"Well, I don't know...but she must have conceived the natural way...its just when that puzzles me"

"Does she know?" The Colonel said much more calmly.

"Not yet, sir"

The commander rubbed his chin. "She must have been with Blue, it’s the only explanation for it"

"Most likely sir"

"Get them both in here" Fawn nodded at the Colonels orders and called for two security guards to escort the pair to Sickbay.

Symphony Angel was woken by banging on her door. She had gone to lie down, as she had been feeling rough again. "Symphony?" Came a voice she recognised as the security guard assigned to escort her round the base.

"Hello?" she called out.

The door opened and the guard walked in. "I'm under orders to take you to Sickbay."

Symphony merely nodded and got up carefully to follow him. She'd wanted to go anyway to see if Dr Fawn knew why she was so sick.

On arrival, she saw Colonel White there along with the guarded Captain Blue. She sat down on a nearby chair; her arms wrapped round her middle.

"How are you feeling, Symphony?" Fawn asked her gently.

"Very sick."

Fawn simply nodded then looked at White. The Commander-in-Chief motioned him to continue. "Symphony, we know why you're sick."

She tilted her head slightly. "Why?"

Fawn looked at her intently, turned his gaze to Blue then back to her again. "Symphony, you're pregnant."

Her face drained, her mouth dropping open. Blue himself was shocked to hear this news and looked at Symphony who had covered her face, rubbing some beaded sweat from her brow.

"I don't believe it,” She said as her hands drifted from her face to be placed on her stomach.

Fawn turned to Blue, who was gob smacked and had found a place to sit down.

"We brought you here Captain to ask you a question"

Blue looked up, he knew they knew about it, he knew what was coming next.

Fawn continued, "You're the father aren't you?"

Blue sat up straight and looked over to Symphony, who was too busy focusing on her abdominal area.

"You don't need to answer, Captain" Fawn said softly, "We already know you are by a sample test"

Blue lowered his head. "I didn't mean to," he said quietly.

Symphony seemed to have switched off; the Angel pilot was ignoring everything in the outside world. "Pregnant?" she whispered. "I'm pregnant?" She kept repeating this to herself, looking down. That explained the sickness. She wasn't sure whether she should be happy or sad, so continued looking down, her hands gently caressing her midsection.

Colonel White would have mocked Blue's words but he thought it best not, he was angry that it had happened, an infant being brought into the world under a difficult situation, making it worse.

He turned his back on the pair of them; Doctor Fawn looked from his commander to the two shocked people.

Blue stood up and walked over to Symphony, to sit by her. The guards and Fawn watched him, carefully.

"Are you okay?" Blue asked Symphony quietly, she finally pulled her attention away from her abdomen.

"I don't know what to say" She recalled their passion filled encounter over in her mind and looked at him, not knowing what else she could say.

Blue shook his head and put a hand gently on her arm. “Don’t worry for now,” He said quietly. “Things will be alright in the end”

She sighed. “You said that last time and look where its lead us!” She said, taking his hand from her and putting it on her middle.

He pulled his hand away, unsure what to make of the situation. “I’m sorry.”

She closed her eyes as she spoke, "Are you really?"

Her questioning him was shocking, but he calmly spoke. "Why do you ask me that?"

She opened her eyes to stare directly into his sharp blue ones, "Because deep down I know that animal really wanted it to happen. We may not have changed yet but our consciousness was disrupted. Whatever happened inside your quarters…I don't know whether I can say that it is you I am talking to…or it"

He was in-between confused and shocked, he didn't believe that the animal was speaking for him, he no longer felt any presence or sense within his being that would tell him of it.

"I don't know how to answer you, Karen" He touched her arm, "You're confused"

"Yes, I know" She gazed on him with pleading eyes. "Help me" She returned his hand to her abdomen, this time he didn't draw back as he contemplated what to do.

Rhapsody Angel finished her duty and was walking towards her quarters when she decided she wanted to see how Symphony was feeling. She knew her friend hadn't been feeling too good and wanted to try and cheer her up.

On arrival, she received no answer to her knocking, so tried Destiny's quarters nearby.

"Do you know where Symphony is?" Rhapsody asked her when she opened her door.

Destiny shrugged. "The last thing I heard was one of the guards saying they had to escort her to the sickbay, but that was an hour ago." Destiny looked worried. "I hope she's alright."

Rhapsody had the same thought on her mind. "I'm sure she's fine. Thank you for your help. If I find her, I'll let you know."

The other Angel nodded and went back into her quarters. Rhapsody sighed as she made her way towards the sickbay, wondering what had happened to warrant her friend being recalled to Fawn's presence.

She waited while the door-slid open then saw Dr Fawn playing with some machinery next to a bed.

She frowned and walked in a little further. Lying on the bed was Symphony Angel. She had her top pulled up to reveal her stomach and was watching the monitor Fawn was looking at.

"Doctor?" Rhapsody called out.

Fawn spun to face her, "Are you alright, Rhapsody?"

"I'm fine, I just came to see if Symphony was."

The other Angel glanced at the Doctor who nodded. "We can carry on with the scans in a moment."

"Scans?" Rhapsody asked, her suspicions fast being confirmed.

Symphony nodded. "Ultra-sound scans. Rhapsody, I'm pregnant."

Rhapsody's jaw nearly hit the floor, "PREGNANT?"

"Yes, that's what I said"

Rhapsody cocked her head as she tired to let it sink in, she glanced over the abdominal region then began to speak again. "So, is Adam..."

"Yes," Symphony cut her off, "He is the father"

"But..."

"How and when" Again she cut Rhapsody off, knowing what she was going to say, "How being so obvious and when...well...when my mind drifted into a new state"

Rhapsody couldn't think what to say next, she stood staring at her friend who looked tired and agitated, but she couldn't decipher which she was the most

'She's pregnant' Rhapsody said to herself, 'I don't believe it'

"Did you say something?" Symphony asked, looking at her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really...I don't know what to say other than congratulations" But by looking at Symphony's expression, her mind changed on the point, "Or isn't it a good thing"

The American Angel sighed, "I couldn't tell you how I really feel, I just don't know"

"How's Adam taking it?" The Brit had a compelling temptation to ask.

"Well, he is confused...but not as much as I am...actually, I'm the one who probably confused him in the first place" Symphony chuckled but Rhapsody didn't know whether to or not.

"Talk of the devil...where is Adam?"

"He is somewhere around Sickbay...the Doctor just kept him to do more tests and then to scan me, to kill two birds with one stone...or two cats I should say"

Rhapsody looked about to see if she could spot him to save having to reply to her comment. At this point, the doctor walked back over. "Are you ready to continue, Symphony?"

"Yeah, sure, can Rhapsody stay? You're not on duty are you?" she said, turning to her companion.

The other Angel shook her head. "No, I came off duty just now."

Fawn glanced between the two and shrugged. "I don't see why you can't stay." He gestured to a chair beside the bed, then turned to Symphony. "Okay, before we start, I want to just quickly feel your abdomen just to make sure everything's alright, okay?"

She nodded and stared up at the ceiling as Fawn put his hands on her middle and pressed gently.

"Okay then," The Doctor, said a little while later. "Now this'll be cold," he said as he put some gel on Symphony's stomach. She flinched slightly then turned back to the monitor, which he'd finished configuring for her. He picked up the other part of the ultra-sound equipment and started to move it over her abdomen.

Rhapsody glanced at the screen, as well. The image of inside Symphony had just appeared and she tilted her head, trying to work out what was where.

Blue emerged from another part of Sickbay, rubbing his elbow. A nurse passed him, carrying a small sample of blood. He was getting a bit angry that some of his blood was disappearing off in test tubes for their little experiments.

He saw Symphony lying on a table, her scans in progress and decided to go be a witness. He noticed Rhapsody there and she looked up and smiled briefly at him before turning back to a screen that he turned to look at too.

The image was pulsing softly; he was intrigued by it. Doctor Fawn spoke up, pointing one hand at the screen while the other kept the equipment on her abdomen.

“There’s the baby,” He said, smiling lightly.

Symphony’s eyes watched on the beating mound on the screen, distinguishing the features of the child through the strange black and white areas.

Blue tilted his head. ‘My baby’ He thought, giving a happy beam for what he had helped create.

Symphony turned to watch Fawn's other hand for a moment before turning to Blue. She still wasn't overly sure how to react to him. True, he was the father of the child she now carried, but she had been lured to him when she hadn't been herself. She sighed, drawing Fawn's attention.

"Anything wrong?" he said, drawing his eyes away from the screen.

"No, just tired." She glanced down. "And I've been lying here for about an hour now, I'm getting uncomfortable."

Fawn smiled. "You can move and make yourself more comfortable, you know. You've got to start thinking about you for a while, remember?"

She nodded as she shifted about, trying to bring life back to her numb legs.

Blue's eyes were still fixed on the monitor when Fawn offered him a chair. "You might as well sit down, you're making the place look untidy by staying stood up!"

Blue snorted and went to pull a chair from the far wall, swinging it under him as he sat down, fixing his eyes back on the screen.

Symphony closed her eyes; the coolness of the gel still sat firm on her skin, reminding her deeply of something that was there inside her.

Fawn took away the equipment from her form, setting it a side for the time being. Blue looked down at Symphony, the one he really thought of as his mate - which frightened him since the sense of the cat stirred in him in that view - he shook his head and lent forward and touched her small stomach. She opened her eyes to look at him; his expression was peaceful and apt which surprised her deeply.

Then she felt a strange pain shoot through her abdomen and she screamed, Blue pulling back, thinking he had caused her harm.

She gripped her lower body as she was rocked with an agony; Doctor Fawn grabbed her shoulders looking into her pain-creased face. “What’s wrong?”

“IT HURTS SO MUCH!” Was all the answer he got from the distressed Angel. Doctor Fawn pulled her arms away from her abdomen to feel there and was instantly shocked to see the area grow out slightly, quicker then any pregnant woman would show in such a short time – even only in seconds – Blue and Rhapsody also saw and sat gob smacked.

Symphony screamed again as Fawn spun to Rhapsody. "Call the Colonel! Now!"

She didn't need asking twice as she rushed across the room and hit the comm.

Blue watched, inching forward every now and then to help only to be pushed back by the doctor. "Stay out of the way, Captain!" he yelled, not meaning to cause offence, but trying to get his point across as quickly as possible.

Blue stepped back out of the way as the Colonel walked in. "What’s going on?"

Fawn didn't turn, but motioned to Rhapsody to fill him in while he tried to make sure Symphony was calming down.

She had stopped screaming, though tears still streamed from her eyes. The amount of pain she had just experienced had caused her to writhe about on the examination table and she was now lying on her side. "Symphony? Can you hear me?"

She turned to look at him and nodded, wiping a tear from her face. When she turned to lie on her back, everyone in the room was shocked at what they saw; her stomach was visibly bigger.

Colonel White stepped forward and looked at h