Three Square Meals Ch. 046

She fell asleep in his arms shortly afterwards, a lovely contented smile on her gorgeous face, as he gently stroked her swollen coffee-coloured belly. The other girls fell asleep one after the other, until it was only John and Alyssa left, staring into each other's eyes over Calara's dark brown tresses.

*Thank you...* they both thought to each other at the same time, then stopped to let the other continue.

A sparkling smile lit up Alyssa's face, and she said, *You go first.*

*For everything.* John said, glancing around him. *You brought all these wonderful girls together, and transformed my life.*

She leaned down and placed a loving kiss on Calara's head, while she stared into his eyes. *I was going to say much the same thing,* she told him sincerely.

They held hands, interlacing their fingers, and smiled at each other as they closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.

***

It was late in the morning when they all finally woke up. John stretched lazily and glanced over at the ship's chronometer and saw that it was well past ten. The girls began to wake moments later, and they sat up and stretched, smiling at him happily as they did so.

"Let's go and have some brunch," John said cheerfully, and nodding eagerly, they all headed into the shower.

Everyone was well rested and recovered after such a lengthy sleep the previous night, and they had a long, unhurried shower together, which was very tactile and enjoyed by all. They dressed in their own rooms afterwards, and then reconvened in the Officer's Lounge to prepare a meal for themselves.

It was cramped in the relatively small kitchen with all six of them in there, so there were some brief glances amongst the girls as they spoke with one another telepathically. Calara took charge of proceedings, and began to put her assistant chefs to work, while Alyssa shooed John and Dana out of the door.

He chuckled as the redhead followed him out of the kitchen, and over to the sofas, where they sat down next to each other. "I take it this means you want to talk to me about something?" he asked her with a smile.

"Actually, no, not really," she replied, with a bemused expression on her face. When she saw the concerned look he gave her, she giggled and turned to face him, swinging a lithe leg over his lap. "I didn't mean it like that, silly!"

John looked relieved and placed his hands on her hips. She was wearing a crop-top and low-cut trousers, and he savoured the feel of her deliciously smooth skin, as he ran his fingers over her exposed flesh. She leaned down to kiss him playfully, and their lips brushed together briefly before she sat upright again. She suddenly looked thoughtful, and said, "Come to think of it, there is a new project I was going to ask you about."

Looking up at her, he smiled as he said, "You know you have my permission to work on anything you like. Go ahead and tell me about it though, I'm always fascinated to hear about any new tech you're working on."

She grinned at him gratefully and said, "Since one of your Phalanx armour suits got totally wrecked, I thought I might look at redesigning it. The current version is still based on the initial designs from the Steinbeck Armoury, upgraded with alien tech we've acquired of course, but fundamentally their original design. I'm sure I could improve it if I completely redesigned it from the ground up."

John pulled her down to him, so that she was leaning against his chest, and he reached up to run his fingers through her long auburn hair, before cradling her head protectively. "I'm sure of it too," he told her, his voice full of admiration as he marvelled at her staggering intellect.

Dana beamed a glorious smile at him, and leaned in to kiss him tenderly. He lost himself in her sky blue eyes for a while, watching the golden coronas expand, her pupils dilating as she became more aroused.

"If we keep this up, we'll have to put off brunch," Dana panted, as she writhed against him.

John smiled back at her, and said sincerely, "That might not be a bad idea. I need to thank you for taking charge when Alyssa and I were out of action. You stepping in there undoubtedly saved all of us."

She blushed, and then hugged him tightly. "I was so scared," she admitted as she lay her head against his chest, and he could feel her trembling against him as she remembered the frantic dash through the caverns. "I was terrified I'd make the wrong decision and get us all killed."

He encircled her in his arms, and said to her proudly, "You were very brave, kept your head, and lead us out of there safely. I get scared too sometimes, but part of being a leader is fighting through that, to make sure you're thinking with a clear head when you make decisions."

"I'm glad I'm not in charge all the time," she said, shuddering at the thought. Dana sat up, and looked at him with newfound respect in her eyes, as she added, "I don't know how you can cope with that constant burden of responsibility."

He smiled at her, and cupped her beautiful face in his hand as he said, "It's easy. I just focus on keeping all of you safe, and then act from there."

She sighed as she leaned into his hand, and then said softly, "You're always so lovely with me. It actually made it even more of a shock when you turned into Progenitor-John. The worst part of you turning into him though, was when you didn't recognise me. That was just awful."

"I'm sorry about that," he said, her look of sadness making him feel horribly guilty.

Dana smiled at him and said, "It wasn't your fault. Besides, even though Progenitor-John is kind of a dick, he did save us all from that enormous Fulmanax creature. I guess I can't be too mad at him."

John laughed and hugged the upbeat redhead, and she grinned at him happily. The door to the kitchen opened a moment later, and the delicious aromas that wafted over to them enticingly, announced that brunch was ready. John got up from the sofa, with Dana wrapped around his waist, and she giggled as he strolled over to the dining table, supporting her effortlessly in his arms. She dropped to her feet with the lithe agility of a cat, and the two of them darted curious looks at the food the other girls had brought out.

"I love French toast!" John exclaimed with delight. "Whose idea was that?"

Rachel smiled at him and said, "Our cook used to make it for us on lazy Sunday mornings. It's one of my favourites too. Calara was the one who made it."

"Thanks girls!" John said gratefully, and picked up a plate so he could start serving himself. He poured on liberal amounts of maple syrup, and speared a piece with a fork, before putting it in his mouth. "Oh God, cinnamon too!" he groaned ecstatically.

Calara looked overjoyed at the reception her food was getting, and she watched him savour each mouthful, with a radiant smile on her beautiful face. She got up and poured a cup of coffee for him, and then brought it around to put beside his plate. John grabbed her exuberantly, sat her across his lap, and gave her an enthusiastic kiss. The other girls laughed at his playfulness, while the Latina grinned at him happily. He held her on his lap for the rest of the meal, and he chuckled when she took the fork from him, and took turns between popping dainty bite size pieces in her own mouth, and then feeding big pieces to him.

"Best. Meal. Ever," he said emphatically when he was done, hugging Calara gratefully. "Thank you, that was wonderful."

She smiled at him adoringly and said, "I love taking care of you. I'm just glad you enjoyed it."

*Perfect wife material?* Alyssa teased him playfully.

John grinned and shot her a meaningful glance as he replied, *Of course! You all are. I hadn't forgotten by the way, it's just been difficult to find the right moment.*

She nodded as she stared into his eyes, and thought back to him, *I understand, things are pretty hectic for us right now. Don't feel pressured though, I was just having fun.*

He smiled at her, but further conversation was interrupted by Rachel who asked, "When are we going to arrive at Irillith's homeworld? I can't wait to see Maliri society!"

Calara thought back to the flight path they had resumed following again yesterday, and turned to Rachel and said, "We should arrive tomorrow, at around eight in the morning, our time."

The tawny haired girl looked excited as she said, "I can't wait to see the Maliri! Being the first Terrans to experience their culture is going to be amazing!"

John hesitated a moment before he said apologetically, "I'm not sure that's such a great idea."

"What do you mean?" she asked him curiously.

He frowned as he said, "Our little side mission for Irillith has proven how right Ceraden was with his warnings. I can see how eager you are to see the Maliri, but I think it makes sense to have you girls stay on the Invictus. I don't want to expose you to any unnecessary danger." Alyssa opened her mouth to object strenuously, but he cut off her protest by adding, "I'll take Alyssa with me as backup, but I want the rest of you on the ship. Besides, you'll need to keep your eyes open, and protect the Invictus from any kind of tampering or intrusion."

The other girls looked a bit glum, but they nodded their understanding nonetheless.

Trying to lighten the mood again, he said, "Well, we have another free day, so what are your plans everyone?"

Jade grinned at him and said, "Shapeshifting practice."

Dana said eagerly, "First I'll repair Alyssa's armour, then I'm going to start looking into designing a new version of the Phalanx armour!"

This started excited chatter amongst the others, with Calara volunteering to help as a model. "I'm not quite at the prototyping stage yet," Dana said with a broad grin. "We were a good team with the Tactical Station upgrade though, so I'd love the help!"

Alyssa looked thoughtful and said, "I was going to do some telekinesis practice, but now I want to help with the armour aesthetics!"

John laughed as he said, "Because looking good in armour is obviously way more important than harnessing your psychic powers."

The beautiful blonde girl nodded eagerly, deliberately ignoring his sarcasm. "Exactly! Where's the fun in being a lethal killing machine, if you can't do it with a sense of style?"

The girls all laughed, and John rolled his eyes, chuckling in amusement. He then turned to look at Rachel and asked, "And what do you have planned?"

"Nothing quite so glamorous," she said with a rueful smile. "Autopsies. The Kintark and Drakkar corpses keep making me jump when I'm in the Med-Bay alone, so I might as well get those out the way."

"I'll help if you want," he offered. "Not that I've got any pressing desire to see the insides of either of them, but it'll be a lot easier for me to haul the bodies around, than for you."

Rachel grinned at him gratefully and said, "That would be amazing, thanks!"

Everyone was eager to get started with their plans, so they quickly cleared away the dining table, and then strolled away briskly to get started. When they stepped out of the grav-tube on Deck Seven, Jade waved them goodbye as she continued descending in the red glow down to the Cargo Bay.

John hit the button to open the door into Medical, and said politely, "After you, Doctor."

"My thanks, Commodore," Rachel said with a smile, and glided into the large medical facility.

John joined her a minute later, as Alyssa, Calara, and Dana all insisted on getting a kiss goodbye. She smiled at him indulgently as he strolled over to join her, and studied him curiously for a while, seemingly in two minds about asking him something.

He smiled when he saw the indecision on her face and said, "You know me well enough by now to know I'm not going to be offended by anything you say. What's on your mind?"

She blushed a little and then said, "I was just going to ask you; doesn't it get exhausting constantly being the centre of so much female attention? I'm just curious from an anthropological viewpoint."

John laughed loudly at that and said, "Have you looked in the mirror? What man would get tired of five incredibly beautiful women lavishing attention on him?"

Rachel smiled at him affectionately for the compliment, but insisted, "Yes, we're all gorgeous, but I think I know you better than that. What's the non-boorish answer?"

He smiled at her and replied seriously, "You're all lovely, bright, intriguing young women. I genuinely enjoy spending time with each of you, and it feels like I get to know you all a little bit more every day. I've been with Alyssa longest, as you well know, and even though we're incredibly close, sharing a telepathic bond, she still manages to surprise me."

"What do you mean?" she asked him, looking fascinated as she leaned against a hospital bed.

He realised Rachel was in the mood to talk, so he sat down in one of the visiting chairs, and beckoned her over to him. She smiled coyly and then sat gracefully across his lap, so he could hold her in his arms.

"There, that's better," he said with a smile, moving his right hand to rest on her firm, warm thigh.

She smiled and said, "You're incorrigible."

"Absolutely," he said with a mischievous grin, which sent her into fits of giggles. "But now I have you here where I want you, I probably should answer your question."

"If it's not too much trouble," she replied archly.

He shook his head playfully, and then said, "There's been a few things recently actually. You know I have some kind of mind-shield that stops people reading my thoughts? Normally Alyssa can hear everything I'm thinking about, but I'm able to shut her out of my mind when I don't want her listening in. I had thought I was doing that subtly, and that she wasn't aware of it, but she told me the other day that she knew about it every time. She just never mentioned it because she trusted that I was doing it for her own benefit. The depth of her trust in me was surprising, and I loved her all the more for it."

Rachel had been listening attentively, and she nodded her understanding. "What else were you thinking of?" she asked him curiously.

He grinned as he looked at her coyly, and said, "Her growing relationship with Calara. That came as a bit of a surprise too."

"Do you feel any jealousy towards either of them?" Rachel asked him, studying his face intently.

John shook his head and replied, "It would be ridiculously hypocritical if I did, although, you can't always react rationally to an emotional situation. But the honest answer is no, I actually think it's wonderful to see how close they've become." He then added teasingly, "Just like I've been enjoying watching the budding relationship between my Doctor, and Chief Engineer."

She blushed furiously at that, and looked down as though unwilling to meet his eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked her, surprised at her reaction. "You're normally so sexually confident. I thought you'd been in a relationship with another girl before?"

"I have, and don't get me wrong, Dana is absolutely wonderful!" she replied enthusiastically. She then added guiltily, "But this feels like I'm cheating on you."

He pulled her in for a hug, and said to her reassuringly, "Please don't feel that way. I don't think of it like that at all."

She looked up at him for a while, looking a little sad, and said, "Is that because you don't feel as strongly about me as the others? I know you've been in a relationship with them longer."

John laughed and shook his head, and then moved his right hand up to stroke her slim stomach. "We've talked about having children before, haven't we?" he asked her gently.

She nodded and her beautiful face immediately took on a doe-eyed expression, and she sighed longingly as he stroked her. "Yes, we have," she said wistfully.

"And you don't want to have children with anyone else, do you?" he asked her pointedly.

Rachel shook her head fiercely and said, "I'm yours, forever!"

He smiled at her and said, "And your reaction is why I don't feel any jealousy. I just want all of you to enjoy life and be happy, especially if we're spending an eternity together. If building up a relationship with each other makes you happy, then go for it! I love all of you, and if you love each other too, then that's perfectly alright with me."

"You love me?" she asked him softly.

"I love you," he replied sincerely, with a broad smile on his face.

She gasped with delight, and said, "That's the first time you've said it to me! I love you too!"

He grinned at her, and leaned over for a kiss, which she enthusiastically returned. They spent a long while like that, with John wrapping her up protectively in his arms as they explored each other's lips. When they finally broke apart she grinned up at him ecstatically.

"Good talk?" he asked her playfully.

"The best!" Rachel said with a delighted laugh, and then sighed contentedly as she settled down in his arms. She rested her head on his chest, and smiled blissfully as she listened to his strong heartbeat.

"There's one last thing I wanted to say," John murmured as he cuddled her.

She looked up at him inquisitively and asked, "What was that?"

"Thank you," he said, his voice throbbing with gratitude. "You saved Alyssa's life today. You stabilised her, kept her safe, and operated on her when we got back to the ship. I don't know what I'd do without her, and I owe you a huge debt of thanks."

Rachel laughed softly, as she leaned against him, a broad smile spreading on her face.

"What's funny?" John asked, smiling at her curiously, surprised by her unexpected reaction.

She sat up and returned his smile, her grey eyes bright and vibrant, as she replied, "You're very welcome, and of course I wasn't laughing at what you said, that was very sweet. It's just that when you saved me from the Kintark, you told me that if I joined you, I'd end up saving you from one scrape or another, and you'd be the one thanking me. I didn't expect it to happen so fast!"

He laughed heartily, and she grinned at him as he hugged her tightly. They sat like that for a while, with her wrapped in his arms, enjoying both the physical closeness and that of their growing relationship.

He eventually looked down at her ruefully, and said, "I hate to bring it up, but we did come down here for a reason."

Rachel laughed and smoothly dismounted from his lap. "Who should we start with?" she asked him, as she glanced at the Kintark and Drakkar corpses.

He shrugged and replied, "Lady's choice."

"Let's start with the Kintark," she said, pointing at the Lizardman dropship pilot that John had dispatched with a snap of the neck.

He walked with her over to the cryo-tube, and waited while she deactivated the seals.

***

Once the autopsies were complete, Rachel took blood samples from the Kintark and the two Drakkar warriors, and prepared discs so that they could be viewed in the DNA analyser. She didn't bother to display the results there, and instead entered the commands that would transfer the results to her console in the Engineering Bay.

"Come on, let's go take a look!" she said to him eagerly.

John glanced back at the corpses in the Medical Bay and asked her, "Have you finished with them?

She nodded, and said, "Yes, I've learned all I can. I'll do a presentation to the others later, and let them know what we've found."

"OK, I'll dispose of the bodies, and then meet up with you in a few minutes," he offered.

She smiled at him and replied, "It's alright, I'm not in any rush. I'll get the doors for you."

Rachel had sealed up the corpses in large black body bags once the autopsies were completed, and John hauled them out of the Medical Bay, before dragging them over to the grav-tube. They floated them down in the red glowing side of the tube, and he stacked the bodies in the airlock, before sealing it up and blasting them into space.