TITLE: TWO SHIPS PASSING IN THE NIGHT

RATING: NC-17
AUTHOR: Cindy Wylie (RkieFan1960@AOL.com) 
SETTING: First season, immediately after the pilot

SUMMARY: Jill and Mike Danko are frustrated by their lack of private time together.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is going to be a rarity for me, a short story. My thanks to Bridget, for beta reading for me, as usual.
 
 

In the days following Jared Whitman's funeral, Jill had been trying very hard to resign herself to what her husband now did for a living, which wasn't easy. The funeral had been very difficult for her to get through. She couldn't help thinking that it could've been Mike lying in that coffin instead of Jared. Mike had been wonderful with her afterwards, holding her late into the night and assuring her that he'd be fine.

Now, here it was three weeks later and both of them were frustrated as hell. Mike had been working the graveyard shift since shortly after the funeral and Jill was on the day shift. When Mike arrived home from work, Jill had already left for the day and when she got home from work, Mike was asleep and she didn't want to wake him up. By the time he got up in the evening to get ready for work, she was ready for bed. That, coupled with the fact that Jill didn't sleep well anyway when Mike wasn't there was making for an extremely frustrating situation, one both of them were more than willing to remedy any way they could.

Mike got off duty at 7 a.m. and decided to stop by the hospital on his way home to pay a visit to his wife. He hadn't seen her for more than a few minutes in over two weeks and he really missed her. Jill was working at the nurses' station when Mike exited the elevator and walked over. Her face lit up at the sight of him.

"Hi, I remember you," she smiled as he leaned over the counter to kiss her. "Didn't you marry me?"

"You look a little familiar yourself," he smiled back. "Can you get away for a couple of minutes? I came to see you before I head for home."

"Yeah. Mary, I'll be back in a few minutes," Jill called over her shoulder, walking around the nurses' station and leading Mike into the nurses' lounge. After she made sure the coast was clear she put her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"You know, I think my memory's coming back to me," he said huskily, returning her kiss.

"You look tired," she observed, running her hand down his cheek and feeling the whiskers.

"Maybe that's because I AM tired. I'm tired of working different shifts, but mostly I'm tired of not getting to spend any time with my wife," he retorted frustratedly. "I'm on my way home to sleep, which is the last thing I want to do right now," he complained, kissing her again.

"It won't last forever," she promised, kissing him again. "We'll be on the same shift pretty soon and make up for lost time."

"I'll tell you one thing, milady. I don't think the real thing's going to come close to the fantasies I've been having lately," he smiled wickedly.

"Then I'll just have to see what I can do about that then, won't I?" She grinned good-naturedly, reluctantly pulling out of his embrace. "Now, you need to go home and get some sleep and I need to go back to work. I love you," she said as she kissed him once more.

"I love you, too," he said, looking back at her as he walked out the door.

<><><><><><><>

A few mornings later, Mike walked into the apartment and threw his keys on the bar. He opened the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of orange juice before walking back toward the bathroom and a much needed shower. When he walked into the bedroom, he was pleased and surprised to find Jill buried under the covers, her arms wrapped tightly around his pillow. He smiled as he went to take a shower.

He smiled when he got out of the shower to find his wife still soundly sleeping. He carefully climbed into bed beside her and decided to wake her up the best way he knew how. He leaned down and began gently nibbling on her neck.

Jill was asleep when she felt the familiar nibbling on her neck. She smiled as she sleepily turned over and pulled Mike down toward her.

"I could stand being woke up like this more often," she said, kissing him hungrily.

"I lost track of the days. This is a nice surprise," he whispered, pulling her closer to him.

"I hope you didn't have any plans to sleep today, because you're not," she smiled.

"I like the way you think," he grinned down at her as he ran his hands under her nightgown.

Jill smiled as she grabbed his hands and moved them to more neutral territory. "I want to take this slow, Danko. We have all day and most of the evening."

"Then I'd better start thinking of trig equations or something, because I've been fantasizing about this moment for weeks now. And right now, taking things slow is the last thing on my mind," Mike groaned as he began kissing Jill on the neck and throat.

"So, tell me something. Is the reality living up to your fantasy?" Jill gasped, trying to ignore the sensations Mike was creating in her body, at least for the time being.

"I'll let you know in a little while. Right now, the reality is definitely better than my dreams," he stated, brushing his hand over her breast and smiling at her reaction.

"You're not playing fair," she moaned, gritting her teeth.

"Have you ever known me to play fair?" He smiled, slowly removing her gown and tracing a path down her body with his lips and tongue.

"Not since I've known you. How was work?" She asked, trying to concentrate on taking things slow.

"I don't want to talk about work. You should know you're not going to win this battle," he informed her, running his hand slowly down her leg. He couldn't get over how good it felt to have her in his arms again.

Jill pulled him closer to her and slowly untied his robe, slipping it off of his shoulders. She ran her hands over his bare shoulders as he bent to kiss the hollow of her throat before sliding down lower to take her swollen nipple in his mouth. Jill arched her back and moaned at the contact of his warm mouth with her bare skin. She now knew that there was no way things were going to go as slowly as she would've liked them to. Her desire for Mike was reaching a fever pitch. She ran her hands desperately over his back and shoulders as he alternately kissed both breasts, nearly driving Jill out of her mind with need.

When Mike moved up to once again claim Jill's mouth with his own, she felt his desire...hard and insistent against her bare hip. She reached down to stroke him in just the way that she knew would drive him crazy. She smiled at the agonized groan that came from his lips.

"Jill, please stop," he begged.

"Uh uh. This is what you get for not playing fair," she said as she continued slowly stroking him. He groaned even louder when she brushed the tip with her thumb.

"Jill, I'm serious. If you don't stop, things are going to end pretty quickly," he warned her.

"Then I suggest you'd better start remembering those trig equations you were talking about earlier," she teased, shifting their positions so she was lying on top of him but not relinquishing her hold.

Mike tried to control his breathing as he looked up into eyes that were so dark brown with desire that they were almost black. Jill slowed down her agonizing torture to give his raging hormones a chance to calm down. He pulled her down closer to him and kissed her once again as he ran his hands over her body. She moaned loudly into his mouth as he caressed her lightly between her legs. She was so wet and so warm to his exploring fingers. He let out a moan of pleasure and surprise when Jill straddled him and guided him into her. He pulled her down closer to him, his hands feverishly exploring every inch of her as she slowly moved on top of him. This was definitely better than all the fantasies he'd been having the past few weeks. He knew Jill was often full of surprises, but this exceeded all of his expectations. He held her closer and rolled them both over. He looked down at her, willing himself to slow down for a few minutes.

Jill looked up at Mike expectantly as he reached down to brush her damp hair away from her face. She smiled at the look in his eyes before she pulled him closer and kissed him passionately as she locked her legs tightly around him. Within moments she felt herself hurtling toward a mind shattering release. She screamed Mike's name as she felt the whole universe explode within her body. Hearing her scream his name was all it took for Mike to come as well. He collapsed on top of Jill, exhausted, waiting for his breathing to return to normal. After a few minutes he rose up and looked down at her.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were going to make up for lost time," he said, planting kisses along Jill's collarbone, making her exhausted body tingle all over again.

"Yeah, I know. There were a few times I thought maybe our neighbors would call the police," she answered, running her fingers down his spine.

"You forget, milady, that our neighbors ARE the police," he said, moving off of Jill and pulling her into his embrace. "I take it you've been reading 'Cosmo' again."

"Well, I certainly didn't pick up any of that from 'Ladies Home Journal," she answered wryly.

"Remind me to get you a subscription for Christmas," he whispered huskily, tracing a path down her body with his fingers.

"So, I take it that the reality was definitely better than the fantasy," Jill teased, propping herself up on one elbow and raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah. Give me about an hour and I'll show you how much better," he promised sleepily.

"An hour? I remember a time when it would only take you 10, 15 minutes tops to recharge your battery," she said, trailing her finger tantalizingly down his chest, something she knew always got a rise out of him.

"I was younger then," he smiled. "Besides, back then you didn't wear me out like you did just now."

"Oh, I'm not even done wearing you out yet. I've missed you, so let's just say that by the time you go back to work tonight, neither of us are going to be able to walk," Jill smiled at the look on his face.

"Well, we do have, what? Three weeks worth of lovemaking to catch up on. But, I'm going to let you explain to Terry and Willie all the noise coming from this apartment today and you can also explain to Lt. Ryker why I'm walking around like I've been in the saddle for a week," he stated, pulling her close and kissing her hungrily.

"I shouldn't have to explain anything to them. They're grown men. Seriously. though, Mike. I did miss you....a lot," Jill said, pulling away to look at him.

"I missed you, too. I love you so much that it kills me having to be away from you like this. But I think this more than makes up for it," he grinned as he rolled her over and once again began exploring her body with his lips, tongue and fingers.

<><><><><><><>

Mike woke up later that evening and inwardly groaned as he glanced at the alarm clock. It was almost 9:30 and time to get up. He looked over at Jill, asleep under the rumpled covers. He'd lost track of the number of times they'd made love that day, but as he moved closer to her, he knew without a doubt that this had been the most incredible day of his life.

Jill was asleep, having the most incredible dream in her life when she heard someone whispering in her ear. She tried to ignore the voice, but it got more persistent. She finally woke up, realizing it was Mike's voice she heard whispering in her ear.

"Babe, I have to get up and take a shower. Would you care to join me?" He whispered seductively, kissing her.

"I'd love to, but I'm too tired to move. Besides, if I join you in the shower, you might not make it to work tonight and what would Lt. Ryker say?" She smiled, trailing her fingers slowly down his body, rekindling his desires.

"I want to thank you. Today was so incredible," he said in a husky voice as he began his own explorations.

"What about your shower?" Jill asked, as Mike's hands set her senses on fire again.

"I have time," he whispered, covering her body once again with his own.

By the time they finished, Mike barely had time to shower and dress. Jill was lying in bed, watching him dress. After he finished dressing, he came over and knelt on the bed beside her, making sure he kept a safe distance from her wandering hands.

"I love you. We'll really have to do this again sometime," he smiled as he gently kissed her.

"Next time, let's do this when we're on the same shift together," Jill agreed, reluctantly relinquishing her hold on him. "I love you, too. Please be careful."

"I will. I'll try to call you in the morning before you leave for work," he said, as he walked toward the bedroom door.

<><><><><><>

A little while later Mike was getting dressed in the locker room when Terry and Willie walked in. Mike was dazed from a serious lack of sleep, but it was the best day he and Jill had had in a very long time. Terry got his uniform out and sat down next to Mike.

"I hope you and your wife had a good day today," Terry began as he started getting dressed.

"My wife and I had a great day, Webster. Thank you for inquiring," Mike smiled wickedly as he slammed his locker closed.

"I wasn't inquiring. I was making a statement. You see, Willie and I know that you and your wife had a great day, because your great day kept us awake most of the day," Terry said as he threw his shoes into his locker.

"I guess that makes three of us that were awake most of the day," Mike smiled at his two friends.

"Yeah, but Mike, you had a reason to stay awake. Terry and I didn't," Willie commented.

"Hey, Jill said you guys were grown men and that you'd understand," Mike said as he got ready to leave the locker room.

"Mike, believe me. We DO understand. Just do us a favor. The next time you and Jill decide to spend the day in bed, pull out the hideabed in your living room," Terry yawned as he slapped Mike on the shoulder.

"You've got it. I could tell Jill that she owes you dinner," Mike offered.

"No, thanks. Not after the spaghetti fiasco. I don't think I could deal with another of your wife's home cooked meals," Terry shuddered.

"Okay. Anything else besides recommending we use the pull out bed in the living room?" Mike asked, putting his hands on his hips and waiting expectantly.

"Sometimes silence can be a good thing," Willie countered helpfully.

Mike turned beet red and buried his face in his hands as Terry and Willie started to laugh. "You know, if Ryker would schedule me so I could see my wife for more than a few minutes once a week, you guys wouldn't be subjected to what you were subjected to today."

"Danko, Gillis, Webster," a familiar voice boomed from the doorway. "You have exactly three minutes to get to muster or nobody will be scheduled to see anybody's wife."

"Yes, sir!" All three men said in unison as they ran for the door.

"Why me?" Lt. Ryker muttered at the ceiling as the three men sped past him toward the muster room.

THE END
 
 

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