Here's a very short story I wrote to help me get out of my writer's block. I call it "Whoops!" for lack of a better title so enjoy. Or not...

--Mere

---

Garth and Jo gathered around the door to the Lieutenant's cabin, Garth having to nudge Jo in the ribs to keep quiet. Like getting up before Dwayne wasn't hard enough. Now he had to accomplish the impossible: Making Jo shut up. "Shhh!"

Jo tried hard to stifle her giggles. "Sorry...." she whispered. Then she giggled again, holding her Supersoaker ready. "It's the thrill of the hunt, baby. I can't help it."

Yep, Mission: Impossible. She talked even in her sleep. Garth sighed, pulling out his security pass and sliding it into the slot on the door to allow him access. He was only supposed to use it in emergencies, but a slight breach in protocol wasn't that bad, was it? "Ready?"

"Let's go," Jo said.

Garth kicked the door open like it was a raid and they both positioned themselves on either side of the bed where Dwayne had buried himself under the covers. "Dwayne Hunter! Defend yo'self!" Garth shouted, whipping blankets away to-- to...

...find Dr. Slate instead. She bolted awake, having been brought out of a deep sleep from all the noise, startled and blurry-eyed.

"Oh ship..." Garth managed, lowering his water gun.

"That's not Dwayne." Jo was equally surprised, looking up and down Slate, who had nothing but a big tee shirt on. "Not unless he's going through some changes."

Slate sat up, yanking back the covers towards her body, clearly not in the best of moods. "Your powers of deduction are astounding," she retorted angrily.

"Wow... Um, sorry, Doc, uh, ma'am, but we were trying to surprise the Lieutenant." Garth said apologetically. "'Cause this is his bed...."

"Garth," Jo warned.

"And, um, you're in it...."

Slate actually blushed.

And as if getting on Slate's bad side wasn't enough... now Dwayne came out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, his hair still dripping wet, no doubt coming to investigate the big ruckus they had caused.

"What happ--" He stared at him and Jo, a brief flash of shock on his face before it settled into that patented all-business expression his CO used for all occasions from awkward situations to monster attacks. He flickered a glance over to Dr. Slate then back to them, giving him and Jo the once-over with their supersoakers. "Can I help you?"

Translation: What the hell do you think you're doing?

"Uh, no... That's okay," Garth said lamely. Yeah, that's all he could come up with.

Thankfully for everyone involved, Jo took mercy on him and led him out of the cabin by the arm. "C'mon, Garth." Jo said, closing the door after her.

Oh hell. They hurried down the corridor, Jo occasionally looking back, and finally breaking the silence. "Oh my God!" she laughed. "I can't believe it!"

Garth was still appropriately embarrassed. "Me neither. I'm never gonna look at Slate the same way again after seeing her in little black underwear...."

"No, no, no. I mean I can't believe she and Dwayne are on the sly and we didn't know about it."

Garth frowned a little. Sure he wasn't adverse to gossip, but in this case it didn't sit well with him to talk about his friends' now very sociable lives. "Well, it's not really our business."

"Are you kidding me?! This is huge!"

"Just don't interrogate them, Jo. If they didn't want us to know, then it's not our place to ask."

Jo pouted at him. "Give me a little credit, would you? I'm not going to ask for details, for crimmy's sake." She became thoughtful for a moment. "Think it's love or just for the sex?"

"I don't know," Garth said absently, rather wanting to change the subject.

Of course, this was Jo and Jo's favorite subject. No chance of that happening.

"I bet it's love for Dwayne, man. He's like Mr. Spock and only gets laid every seven years."

"God. You're awful, you know that?"

"I'm just saying! What is he, a camel? I'd go nuts in just a few weeks!"

Garth sighed. "Yeah, well, it's hard to meet women when you're busy saving the world."

"Awww." She winked at him, looping her arm into his. "You'll always have me, my little chocolate surprise."

Garth smiled back. "And I always liked a little cream in my coffee."