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Hey cats and kittens! I just got into BG&R recently, and decided to try my hand at some writing. Please keep the following two things in mind as you take a bite out of this piece: 1) This is my first piece of fan fic EVER. 2) Sadly, I have only been able to watch two episodes in their entirety so far. Most of the other stuff I picked up from the ep guides and quotes on this great website (Thanks Maureen!). More is coming, eventually, so comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated. Thanks!
-Peanut

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"Um, Doc?" A voice pulled Doctor Slate out of her thoughts. She looked up from her computer monitor to see Lieutenant Hunter at the door of her office. He stood, looking somewhat uncomfortable, with his hands jammed into his pockets.

"What's up Lieutenant? Is Rusty bothering you too much with that new game of his?" she asked, smiling politely.

Lieutenant Hunter grinned. "Nah. He gave up after ten times of asking me if I wanted to play..." he paused thoughtfully, "Nanotech Warriors?"

"Magitech," she corrected, "Good thing you turned him down. You would be playing that game all night. Happened to me a couple of times."

Lieutenant Hunter smiled briefly. He seemed to be looking at anything in the office but her. A strained silence entered the room.

Why is he so wound up? Erika wondered. "So, General Thorton told me that you won some sort of award?" she prompted.

Dwayne started "Right. Mechanic of the Year. Seems like the best award they can give a guy who secretly saves the world two or three times a week."

Erika leaned forward. "Well, congratulations. So what do you get? Cash? Trip to Borneo?"

"Nope. Just a shiny gold-plated plaque. There's some big award ceremony at the bunker tomorrow evening, followed by a dance."

Her eyes widened. "All this for the Mechanic of the Year Award? Impressive."

Dwayne shrugged, "The General pulled some strings, I guess. It's going to be pretty formal, black tie and all. It would be very inappropriate for me to show up without a date...." Here, his voice faltered. Erika was convinced she saw him blush.

"Ah." Dwayne's anxiety suddenly made sense. "So, Lieutenant, are you asking me to be your date?" Erika smiled wickedly, leaned further forward in her chair and rested her chin on her hand. After her awkward time asking him to the Quark shareholder's ball, she was going to milk this for all it was worth.

Dwayne's eyes finally met hers. "It's not a date." he retorted, his grin matching hers. "Just a pleasant evening of dancing and whatnot. I heard they were going to serve those mini hot dogs."

Erika smirked. "Well, if those are going to be there, you can definitely count me in. Sounds like a wonderful night."

Dwayne looked very relieved. "Great, Doc. Pick you up at your apartment around seven." With that, he quickly retreated from her office. Erika noted a slight spring in his step and smiled to herself.