THE ROOM WAS dark, the only light being that of the television monitor hanging on the wall. It was after hours, which meant that majority of the crew was fast asleep. The only two awake were Beck and Maia, and it had been that way for several hours now. After finishing up with Johanssen in the rec-room earlier, Maia had made her way to Beck's room as he had originally told her to do. He hadn't taken long at all to finish up Maia's experiment, just like he informed her he wouldn't, and so he was able to greet her with open arms the moment she stepped through the door.

Given the insane amount of work the crew had been given over the last several weeks, Beck and Maia hadn't been allowed much time to themselves. They couldn't exactly be with each other the way they wanted to during that particular time either, given that Commander Lewis was still very much against romantic relationships among the crew members. The two of them didn't care about her rules, though. They were still willing to bend them in order to be together, but they were only willing to bend them in their own private time. Neither one of them would deny that Commander Lewis was a rather intimidating human being, and neither one of them felt like dealing with that intimidation were she to find out about their relationship.

An old movie played on the television, one that Maia or Beck couldn't bring themselves to watch. The two of them had spent the duration of the film just talking with one another. Throughout the four years the two had known each other, they barely knew a thing about each other, despite their former status as best friends. It was hard to sit down and have a chat about life when your job title was astronaut, and training to be an astronaut was no different either. They trained, ate, and slept. There was never much time for small talk, so Maia and Beck were taking advantage of what little time they had to learn as much about each other as they could.

"Tell me this," Beck began with a small smile on his face. "What was your first impression of me?"

Maia scoffed and turned over on her stomach, propping herself up with her arms. "You know my first impression of you; I was thoroughly freaked out because you were a doctor."

"I thought that was a joke?"

"Nope," Maia shook her head and laughed, "I always knew our generation was destined to be the greatest, but I didn't think we were supposed to become the greatest at such a young age. Yeah, I may be a 33-year-old technological genius, but you. . .you're a fuckin' doctor."

Beck laughed at her. "Why is that so hard to believe, Maia?"

Maia shrugged, "It's not. Most doctors I see nowadays are like old as hell, but you're far from old, Chris."

"You're an idiot," Beck snickered.

"Maybe so," Maia huffed and plopped back onto her back. "But I hope that I'm your idiot."

Beck hummed in response and pulled Maia tightly into his arms. "You are, and I wouldn't change a single thing about it."

Maia smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Beck's body, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck. There were no words to describe the feelings he elicited inside her. Chris Beck made Maia feel things that no one else ever had, and as she thought deeply about it, she found that it scared her, though it comforted her all the same. She'd been hurt by multiple men in the past, which was why she was so particular about those she let in, but she didn't think it was an accident that Beck had slipped his way inside.

One thing Maia knew was that she could count on Beck no matter the situation. He took care of her and would continue to do so. He had proven it on numerous occasions, occasions that had taken place long before they had even left for Mars.

Maia could remember a time during training when she had misstepped while climbing a simulation ladder and sprained her ankle. She and the rest of the crew had just been provided with the spacesuits they would use during their surface time while on Mars, and Maia had taken a longer amount of time than her crew members to get used to the spacesuits. Her ankle had gotten caught between the bars, which in turn caused her to lose her balance and sent her flying backwards. Maia dangled from the ladder for about thirty seconds before Beck, who had finished his simulation training, finally showed up to assist her.

The two had originally laughed about the situation, given that it was something most certainly within Maia's character, but Beck was very quick to relieve her of the situation. It was no secret even then that Maia wasn't a fan of pain, so it become his goal to take that pain away as soon as he possibly could. Beck did his job quickly but gently, as the last thing he wanted to do was bring her anymore discomfort or pain. No one had ever treated her so delicately before. That was the very first time Maia realized she would be able to count on Beck no matter what, and the very first time she knew that what she felt for Beck far extended that of what she was supposed to feel for a friend. She just couldn't believe it had taken her so many years to realize it.

"You are without a doubt the best thing that's ever happened to me, Christopher," Maia spoke quietly, subconsciously squeezing him tighter in her arms. It was rare that she ever used his full name, but it was reassurance to him that she was being nothing but serious.

Beck seemed slightly taken back by her words, but he welcomed them nonetheless. He was glad to know that she felt the same way about him as he did her, though he wasn't quite sure if her feelings for him ran as deep as his ran for her. "There are no words to describe just how important you are to me, Maia Watney," he replied gently.

"Sure you can't find them?" Maia teased as she leaned up to look him in the eye.

Beck looked at her, his blue eyes glistening beneath the dim light with a copious amount of emotion—emotion he felt for the petite brunette he held so tightly in his arms. He raised his hands and placed them on either side of her face. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and very gently swept the pad of his thumb over the soft skin of her cheeks. There were no words for him to describe just how important Maia had become to him—just how important she had always been to him—but he could think of a very particular phrase he believed she would settle for, or at least he hoped she would.

"None," a small smile pulled at the corner of Beck's lips and he sat up on his mattress, "None other than those needed to tell you just how in love I am with you, Maia Watney."

Maia's mouth parted slightly at his confession. She hadn't been expecting those words to come out of his mouth at all, but she found herself feeling particularly jovial because of them. "W-what? You love me?"

Beck smiled and nodded.

"But. . .why?"

Maia was shocked, that much Beck to determine. He found it to be quite adorable, though. Beck knew Maia was picky about who she let in. She had told him numerous stories about her past relationships. She used to believe she was never good enough. She used to believe there was just nobody out there willing to take a chance on her, so of course it came as a surprise to learn that she was, in fact, good enough for someone, and there was someone out there willing to take a chance on her. Maia was just lucky that someone was Beck. There was nothing he wouldn't do to make her feel as if she was good enough, and there was nothing he wouldn't do to make her feel loved the way she deserved to be.

"Why not?" Beck chuckled. "You are quite possibly one of the greatest people I've ever had the opportunity to know, Maia. You're smart, you're driven, and you're determined, yet you also manage to be one of the biggest and clumsiest dorks in the galaxy. And you're absolutely beautiful—God, don't get me started on just how beautiful I think you are."

"Chr-ris—"

"No, let me finish," Beck cut her off. "You are everything I've been looking for, Maia. Everything you are as a person is everything I've ever needed in my life, and by some miracle I found it, and I found it in you, and there is nothing and no one that will ever be able to change that. I love you for everything that you are and more, okay? Please, never forget that, sweetheart."

Maia couldn't fight the smile pulling onto her face. She just couldn't believe she was lucky enough to call Chris Beck hers. She'd been waiting so long for someone like him to come into her life, and she was just so thankful that someone could be him.

Instead of responding verbally to his words, Maia pulled Beck to her. Their lips met almost immediately, moving in perfect sync with one another as their grips around each other tightened. It was in that moment the two realized just how much they had been needing one another. It was in that moment the two realized just how much they had been craving each other—every part of each other. Their actions toward one another were filled with so much love, yet so much lust and passion all the same, and this definitely didn't sneak its way passed either one of them.

"Maia," Beck breathed out as he pulled away from her. "I need you."

"I need you, too," Maia replied breathlessly and pressed another kiss to his lips. "But what about the crew?"

Beck only smirked and lowered her back down onto the mattress, moving to hover over top of her. "We'll be quiet," he said to her.

"You sure about that, Doctor?"

"I'll make sure of it, ma'am."

Beck leaned down to kiss Maia again before she could respond. In minutes, the two of them were moving in perfect synchronization with one another, sealing their feelings for one another in the most intimate way they knew possible.

Maia, of course, had never uttered verbally that she returned the love Beck had proclaimed he had for her, but he didn't need her to say a single thing to him about it. It was almost as if he could feel everything she felt for him. An overwhelming amount of love was just that, and that was definitely enough reassurance for Beck.

There were so many things Beck had done in his life to be proud of, yet he found that the one thing he was most proud of in his life was his relationship with Maia Watney. She was his greatest prize—his number one. Never would he be able to describe just how thankful he was to have found her all those years ago, nor would he be able to describe just how painful it would be to ever lose her, as it had become one of his greatest fears. Maia was his one and only, and she was his, and that was something Chris Beck would cherish for as long as he lived.