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#she found herself laughing with renee and dan

neil-jortsen · 3 years

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from his time on the run, neil has learned to match his accent to that of the people he’s talking to, which means that sometimes this happens without thinking and sometimes he doesn’t even think before blurting out a fake name, because, after all, old habits die hard

so one day while the foxes are out to eat after a game (a random restaurant they drove by on their way back home) neil makes a mistake

the waitress happens to have a distinct irish accent, and neil copies it instantly. when she introduces herself and asks for their names, neil automatically goes with jack murphy, before freezing, eyes widening as disgust flashes across his face.

but the foxes don’t hesitate

that night, andrew becomes james walsh, allison becomes grace o’sullivan, and so on and so forth until they’ve all become different people.

nicky and matt try their best at an authentic accent and both fail miserably, their words awkward and jilted,

but aaron’s already explaining to the poor, confused waitress that those two were kicked out of ireland by the president himself and are still in denial,

dan comes up with an elaborate story of how they all happened to grow up with each other in galway while renee nods along and helps dan fill in the details,

neil fights back a smile while famous exy player kevin day tries to convince the waitress that he’s truly daniel o’clery. he’s never even met a guy named kevin?

and andrew is the grounding force at his side, not saying anything, but pressing his knee into neils thigh so his mind stays present, even as the goalie rolls his eyes at the teams efforts,

and by the time their food arrives, neil’s thoughts are as far as they can be from his time on the run, he watches his family as they laugh and share insults and he’s once again hit with the realization that he’s home,

neil josten has found his reason to stay and a family that doesn’t run from his past

and the smile that appears on his face is nothing like his fathers

#the foxes #all for the game #aftg #neil josten #andrew minyard #kevin day #i love these assholes

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simonsrosebud · 4 years

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the one where someone doesn’t know who kevin day is, pt. 2

part one three four five

dalton’s apartment becomes a common occurrence over the next month. kevin kisses dalton into the couch cushions, and then the bed. and this one time it’s almost the same, except dalton interrupts. “oh, hey, i’ll be at your game tomorrow- ah,” he breathes as kevin kisses down his neck.

kevin doesn’t like that. no- he likes that, that dalton is willing to see him do what he loves and all, but not that he told him right now. because now he has to stop what he’s doing and explain. explain that he’s pretty fucking famous in the exy world, that his mother is the creator of the sport, that he’s kevin day- what that entails.

but dalton takes it surprisingly easily. he thinks it’s because he’s not invested in the sport in the way almost everyone else kevin knows is and just doesn’t get it, or maybe because he actually likes kevin for kevin and just doesn’t care about his past and the weight of his name.

because after kevin’s done dalton kisses away his frown and climbs onto his lap. “don’t worry, hot shot, you’re still just a history nerd to me.”

kevin upgrades dalton and his friend to his family seats. his friend seems to know exactly who he is when he goes up to them before warm ups, and by the guys face kevin realizes that dalton definitely didn’t tell his friend who they’d come for.

kevin hugs dalton. “i’m not out yet,” he whispers. “otherwise i’d kiss you.”

dalton grins like a child. “later.” he shrugs.

andrew mocks him in the car to fox tower after their win. “invite your boyfriend?” and he freezes. “fuck you for thinking i’m an idiot.”

kevin thanks god that nicky rode with matt. aaron and neil both look at him, though. “you’re dating someone?” neil will never not be oblivious. aaron just sneers.

kevin stays quiet. he should’ve known better from andrew, after all. but he pulls out his phone. come pick me up?

be there in 30, we're walking home from the stadium LOL

it's enough time to go hang out with the rest of the team and the vixens in the lounge, dan would kill him if he didn't show at all. but he must lose track of time because eventually the door opens and instead of another fox it's dalton. it's not enough to pause conversations, even though kevin is sure they all at least notice.

when kevin follows him out dalton knocks shoulders with his and smiles. “are you drunk? i noticed they were drinking.”

“no. i’m um, i’m-i’m four months... sober.”

dalton is a pure angel because he smiles at kevin as he drives. “that’s good, kev, i’m proud of you for that.” and he doesn’t make him explain, or ask questions. he takes it at face and lets it go, and it makes kevin want to bask in the feeling he gets from it. it’s a different kind of trust than he’s used to.

he texts andrew that he’s not coming home for the night. as soon as they get inside dalton’s place he has his lips on kevin’s. “looked really hot tonight,” he mumbles and lets kevin walk him backwards towards his room. “wish you still had your uniform on. so strong,” and squeals when kevin picks him up.

“stop talking, d”

the next morning dalton drops him off at the stadium for training. he doesn’t see anyone else there, so he lets dalton grab his face and kiss him before climbing out with a smile.

it fades when he sees nicky and allison staring at him as they exit the stadium. he forgot it was therapy week for the team.

kevin freezes up. nicky’s grinning, and allison continues walking to her car. “wait!” nicky wiggles his eyebrows when kevin grabs his arm. “for once in your life, nicky, please don’t tell anyone.”

and it’s weird, because nicky kind of loses his smile. “are you gay? or bisexual?”

shrug. “second.”

“are you serious about not telling people? you’re obviously not out yet.” kevin nods, and nicky smiles. “i won’t tell. i can keep secrets, you know, when they matter.”

kevin looks to allison, who looks to nicky. “we’ve all noticed you hanging out with that guy lately. if a bet about you two boning comes up we’re splitting the pot.” nicky nods. “secrets safe with me, then.”

kevin doesn’t tell them that andrew and neil know. allison’s stubborn and he’s lucky he got her to keep her mouth shut on the first try.

he’s still moody during practice, though. on their way back, andrew drives right past fox tower and to dalton’s apartment. kevin doesn’t even realize until the car stops. “what are-“

“get out. you’re not allowed back until your mood is gone.” and kevin could just walk back. it’s only a fifteen minute walk, honestly, but he doesn’t really want to. he wants dalton to wrap his body around him so he can take a nap and he wants to just hug him. he’s realized over time that he’s been incredibly touch starved, and he’s become a fan of bear hugs.

he could feel himself distracted during practice, worrying himself over if he should tell the public that he’s bi to get ahead of it and worrying over what he and dalton are. if it’s going in a direction that would even give him reason to come out.

so when dalton lets him in with a smile at the unexpected visit, kevin kind of falls into his arms and hugs him. “can you hold me.” it’s a different type of vulnerability, but dalton takes it with grace.

and eventually, when dalton’s lying on him with a hand in his hair, he asks, “do you wanna be my boyfriend?”

kevin snaps his head to look at him. he runs his hand up dalton’s bare back. “i’ve never been in a real relationship before. my last one... she was toxic for me.” triggering would be more accurate.

“that’s okay,” he whispers, his hand slides down to kevin’s face and he drags his thumb down his lip. “just want you, kev.”

it’s the first time he thinks he’s ever heard something along those lines, and it hits so deep. he rolls over dalton and kisses him into the mattress.

the foxes have a field day with it.

kevin doesn’t tell them, but he realizes two weeks later that allison was right when she guessed about them starting bets, and it doesn’t help when kevin brings dalton back to the suite only to find the upperclassmen and cousins all spread out on the couches and floor- minus renee and aaron. he freezes and starts to walk backwards but andrew steps in front of him. “stay.”

“why.” but andrew doesn’t answer because he’s already said his piece, and kevin almost ignores him until neil pulls the vice captain card and forces him to stay.

kevin wants to hit him.

“it’s fine, kev,” dalton practically pulls him to the group. dan greets him first and introduces herself. “we’re playing never have i ever, drinking edition, if you wanna play, but you’ve got to drink for kevin, too”

and dalton’s wanted kevin’s friends to like him ever since he first saw them, so he doesn’t really want to say no.

“this is a bad idea. they don’t play nice,” kevin says to dalton. and he’s right. the foxes don’t really play the game right, and all they do is go for each other.

kevin starts.

never have i ever payed a guy to knock me out: neil takes a drink with murder in his eyes. andrew’s behind him and flicks the back of his head. he isn’t playing, but he’s not letting neil get wasted without being close by. and also, he kind of lives there.

never have i ever gone to a peaceful exy banquet: no one drinks, and for some reason it makes them all burst into laughter.

never have i ever done cracker dust: dan says that one with a drunk pointed look. the cousins, neil, and dalton for kevin all drink.

never have i ever had a panic attack over getting a phone: neil

never have i ever kissed the same gender: neil, nicky, allison, dalton takes two swigs.

never have i ever dated someone outside of exy: nicky and dalton for kevin.

never have i ever broken a bone: kevin, matt, aaron

broken a hand: kevin

witnessed kevin having a meltdown: everyone

lived with my dad for two years without telling him he was my dad: kevin shoots daggers at allison. dalton drinks for him.

had to get shitfaced to get a tattoo: kevin

sent neil to west virginia: kevin

seen kevin’s real smile: dalton, neil

dated kevin: dalton. it settles a few bets all at once.

given kevin a blowjob: dalton laughs before taking a drink, but that’s the last straw for kevin. he’s sober as all hell and not letting them take the piss out of him and dalton like this. “we’re leaving.” he pulls dalton up.

dalton has an arm around his shoulders and his head ducked by kevin’s. “s’fun, hm?”

kevin’s not having it. it was not fun and he had reasons he didn’t want dalton meeting the foxes yet and the whole thing was fucked over because neil pulled the VC card and dalton was too nice to decline it.

neil says, in french. “you knew he’d find out at some point”

kevin is furious. “none of you had the right pulling the shit you did tonight. i’ll fucking kill you.” and he grabs dalton by the waist to escort him out.

all posts/updates relating to this au can be found in the “OC: dalton miller” tag!

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buriedinbaltimore · 4 years

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Imagine the foxes playing two truths and a lie...

The upperclassmen start playing it as a drinking game one night and Neil is intrigued. Andrew is also intrigued but doesn’t show it and refuses to play.

They are all already pretty tipsy, with Kevin, Matt, Nicky, and Aaron pretty much drunk.

Allison goes first, she has an amazing poker face and calmly says all three statements with no facial twitches or vocal cues. “my first car was a Toyota Camry (truth), my prom dress cost over $10k (lie), and I once made out with Miley Cyrus (truth)”

Renee, Neil, and Aaron guess right, Matt, Dan, Kevin, and Nicky have to drink.

Then it’s Matt’s turn and he is terrible, he starts snickering before he opens his mouth. “I’ve swam with sharks (truth)” he says, but he cannot control his face and it keeps contorting as he tries to maintain a neutral expression. He takes a deep breath to try and control his giggles, “my favorite flower is sunflowers (truth)” then he can’t hold it in anymore and starts hysterically laughing and chokes out, “My favorite city in the world is Newark, NJ (lie)”

Everyone gets it right and Matt has to drink.

Dan is next, she goes for the “one of these is so out there and crazy it can’t be a lie...or is it?” method.

((It is.))

“I’ve never shot a gun (truth), as a kid my favorite food was celery with ranch dressing (truth), and when I was 18 I won the lottery but the ticket was ruined and I couldn’t claim the money (lie)”

Aaron jumps in with “Obviously you never won the lottery, how would you even know if the ticket was destroyed”

Dan has her story ready. “When I first turned 18, I played the same numbers every week. It went on for a few months when my numbers were picked, but by that point playing was more of a habit than anything else and I wasn’t too careful with my tickets. I searched for it everywhere and found that I left it in my jeans pocket when I did my laundry.”

Allison asks what the numbers were, and Dan answers with no hesitation, which makes Allison tilt her head and stare into Dan’s eyes. Dan looks back without guile, totally relaxed.

Nicky is looking at her with his eyes wide and mouth slightly open and asks how much money she would have won

When Dan answers $53 million dollars Nicky gasps and Matt groans.

Neil, Renee, and Allison get it right, but everyone else falls for it.

When its Nicky turn he forgets to say a lie.

He is sitting there trying to come up with something for what feels like forever while every goads him for taking so long.

Finally, after waiting 5 minutes, Kevin says “I’m going because Nicky obviously can’t come up with anything” and Nicky jumps across Kevins lap and goes “No no no no no, I’ve got it!”

Without moving off Kevin he says “I’m allergic to shellfish, I died my hair green once, and I’ve read all the twilight books three times“ He moves back to his spot looking pleased with himself.

Everyone starts discussing theories until Andrew says in his bored, flat voice, “Nicky, those are all true”

Nicky starts to protest, thinks for a second, then just says “Fuck!” and takes a shot.

Kevin rolls his eyes so hard that his entire head rotates then says, while slightly slurring, “Okay, my turn! I’ve played a game of pick up basketball once (lie), I know all the lyrics to We Didn’t Start the Fire (truth), and I’ve traveled to over a dozen countries (truth).”

Matt starts hysterically laughing again, “You know all the lyrics to We Didn’t Start the Fire! oh my god Kevin you are such a nerd!” everyone else starts laughing at Kevin too.

“Maybe I do, maybe it’s the lie!”

“Everyone knows you’ve never played a sport besides Exy in your life Kevin” Dan says, “Will you sing it for us? Please, please, please!”

Allison, Nicky, and Matt join Dan in asking Kevin to sing. Renee even says, “It would be lovely to hear you sing it Kevin” to which Kevin blushes a little and answers, “Maybe later” and then takes his shot.

Aaron is drunk enough at this point to spill some truths he otherwise never would, and will wish for the rest of his life that he never had.

“When I was little, I wanted to be a figure skater when I grew up.(truth)”

Everyone goes completely silent and stares at him unsure whether to laugh or not but he doesn’t realize and continues

“The first time I got high I thought the squirrels in the tree wanted to adopt me as their squirrel king (truth), and I hate Taylor Swift (lie)”

No one says anything at first, and just when Aaron starts to realize something is up, Nicky says “Nah man, you LOVE T. Swift, you can’t deny it!”

They collectively make a silent agreement to ignore this new information about Aaron until he sobers up a bit and can either defend himself, or will be more fun to tease.

In the end, everyone but Renee guesses right, but she guessed wrong on purpose because she didn’t think that Aaron should be having any more to drink.

When it’s Renee’s turn, she smiles sweetly and says, ”I can juggle up to 7 balls (truth), I have never drank diet soda (lie), and I once had a pet turtle named Vincent (truth).”

No one is confident about which is the lie and it is the longest the foxes debate after anyones turn. It doesn’t help that Renee refuses to answer questions, and whenever someone tries to ask her anything she just smiles and shrugs.

It comes out to Neil and Aaron getting it right, while everyone else has to drink.

“How the fuck has it never come up that you’re a master juggler?” Allison asks angrily

“It wouldn’t be appropriate to do it at practice, and we’re not really around balls much otherwise.”

Everyone asks for a demonstration, “I will juggle later if Kevin will sing.”

Everyone looks at Kevin who sighs but says “Okay, fine!”

They all cheer then wait eagerly for Neil to go.

Neil sits quietly for a little while, not as long as Nicky, but long enough that Aaron says, “Come on this should be easy for you! You lied to us all for a year, what’s the problem, the truth?”

Neil shoots him a dirty look but doesn’t respond for a few more seconds then says,

“My mom and I once helped deliver a baby at a truck stop in Alberta, I’ve been bitten by a camel, and I can speak 7 languages”

Everyone just stares at him.

“Two of those things are true?” Matt finally asks

“Yeah.” Neil says, shrugging. Everyone is silent again.

Nicky turns to Andrew for help, but he refuses to say anything. His eyes are bright with interest though and he looks at Neil for a long time. Internally, he thinks the one about helping birth a baby has something off about it.

After much debate, Allison, Kevin, and Matt guess the baby, Renee, Dan, and Aaron guess the camel, and Nicky says the languages, “No one can know SEVEN languages!! I won’t believe it!”

They all turn to Neil expectantly and he says, “It was the first one, we were just outside Vancouver, in British Columbia, not Alberta.”

“But you, Neil Josten, have helped deliver a baby?” Allison asks incredulously.

“Technically I wasn’t Neil Josten yet…”

Everyone groans. Everyone takes a shot.

Cut to 15 minutes later, Renee is juggling an exy ball, some apples, and Matt’s phone while Kevin sings. Nicky tries to sing along with Kevin but definitely doesn’t know the right words, Aaron is watching Renee wide eyed, Dan and Matt are playing air guitar behind Kevin, and Allison is looking for more things for Renee to juggle. Neil and Andrew sit quietly on a desk holding cigarettes, observing their idiot friends.

Stories Behind the Truths and Lies

Allison

My first car was a Toyota Camry (truth) - Allison’s parents wanted her to learn how to drive in a safe car that wouldn’t draw a lot of attention, so they got her a Camry. She only drove it for 3 weeks before demanding an upgrade.

My prom dress cost over $10k (lie) - This was almost true. She had ordered a custom Zac Posen dress but before it was finalized she made her decision to go to PSU and play Exy, and her mother canceled the order. She ended up wearing something she found in a vintage store that she altered herself. She ended up enjoying it a lot, which led to her decision to study fashion. (In my hc she played professional Exy for 3? seasons but was injured and then started her fashion line.)

I once made out with Miley Cyrus (truth) - While out clubbing one night she met Miley through mutual friends, they were attracted to each other, they made out. Miley asked for her number but Allison wasn’t looking for anything more than a hook up.

Matt

I’ve swam with sharks (truth) - He did this with his mom on a vacation and they both loved it. They also have a tradition where they watch at least one night of shark week together, or at least call each other to talk while they are both watching.

My favorite flower is sunflowers (truth) - No story lol I just think he would like sunflowers.

My favorite city in the world is Newark, NJ (lie) - I love thinking about New Yorker Matt. Raised on the Upper East Side, dad a top plastic surgeon, mom a public figure? Child grew up surrounded by serious privilege. HC that in fifth grade he made friends with a boy who was on scholarship at his school. Let’s call him… Metin. He lived in Queens? He took the subway? Matt goes to his house one day and it is 1/8th the size of his apartment and there are 9 people living there; Metin’s parents, two grandparents, his uncle, his two sisters, and his cousin. They all speak Turkish in the house and it’s loud and crowded but so full of life and love and Matt loves it. He and Metin grew apart when Matt started using, but before that they were best friends for years and explored the city together, Matt learning about and experiencing so much culture that for the first 9 years of his life he didn’t know existed. When Nicky wanted to go to Times Square for New Years Matt knew he had to be a good host and take them but inside he was DYING. I’m getting off track. No New Yorker could ever like Newark. I’m not convinced anybody could like Newark. It is indeed, very laughable.

Dan

I’ve never shot a gun (truth) - Dan hates guns and refuses to shoot one.

As a kid my favorite food was celery with ranch dressing (truth) - Idk I just thought this was cute. And also thinking about young Dan who didn’t have a lot of access to healthy foods getting celery sticks and ranch with her free school lunch and getting SO excited. Trading her cookie to a classmate for their celery.

When I was 18 I won the lottery but the ticket was ruined and I couldn’t claim the money (lie) - I like to think this is part true. After Dan turned 18 but before she was recruited for the Foxes, she played lotto a lot, always with the same numbers that she got from a fortune cookie that said, “Failure is not defeat until you stop trying.” She stopped playing once she signed with Wymack.

Nicky (all truths)

I’m allergic to shellfish - Mostly I love that Andrew knew all these things about Nicky, especially his allergy because he’s always looking out to make sure Nicky doesn’t eat something he can’t.

I died my hair green once - At first, when he took custody of the twins and started showing up for them at school at stuff, he hated the looks he got. He was a 19 year old kid who was supposed to be their guardian? Not to mention the way people eyed his skin and hair when he said he was family. One day he decided to dye his hair blond and he asked Andrew and Aaron to help, to try to bond. Aaron wanted nothing to do with it, but surprisingly, Andrew seem enthusiastic about the idea. He bought the dye and did everything for Nicky in the kitchen. When he was finally done roughly washing the dye out of Nicky’s hair, Nicky went to the bathroom to see how he looked and saw that Andrew had died his hair green. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh at the prank or cry because he foolishly thought he might be getting through to Andrew. When he went back to the kitchen, he tried to laugh it off and said maybe he should go to a salon to get the color right. Andrew told him he was stupid to try and change how he looked just because people were dumb enough to think that families needed to look alike. Besides, they weren’t a family anyway. “Family” is a toxic excuse for things people put up with, a reason we accept the tragedies and inconveniences forced upon us. (Nora’s words) Nicky was upset, and dyed his hair back to his natural color once the roots started growing in, but he reaffirmed his commitment in that moment that he would show the twins what Erik had shown him, what a family could really be.

I’ve read all the twilight books three times - Nicky was a huge fan of twilight, even going to the midnight release party for the last book. He was disappointed in the movie adaptations but loved the casting and watched for the eye candy. He is loving the twilight renaissance especially the twilight is gay discourse.

Kevin

I’ve played a game of pick up basketball once (lie) - Kevin has never played a game of basketball, or soccer, or tennis, or baseball, or any other sport for that matter and can not understand why anyone would want to.

I know all the lyrics to We Didn’t Start the Fire (truth) - Kayleigh Day was a big music fan, she loved everything from classical to country, but one of her favorite artists was Billy Joel. After she died and Kevin moved into Evermore, he almost forgot about her music because the music at the Nest was all chosen for pragmatic reasons, like its BPM and ability to pump the players up. One day, when Kevin was around 15 years old, a rebellious Raven played his own music while training in the weight room. He and his partner were the only ones in there until Riko and Kevin showed up, and they turned it off as soon as they realized they had come in, but Kevin heard some of “Only the Good Die Young” and for the first time in a long time had a vivid memory of his mother. He asked the boys what had been playing, and Riko scoffed at the name Billy Joel. That night while Riko was sleeping, Kevin downloaded Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits and listened until he feel asleep, and he continued listening to it for weeks until he started remembering more of his mothers songs from his childhood. We Didn’t Start the Fire was one of his favorites because history.

I’ve traveled to over a dozen countries (truth) - Between travel through Europe with his mom while she spread Exy and professional appearances he made with Riko, Kevin is the most well traveled besides Neil.

Aaron

When I was little, I wanted to be a figure skater when I grew up. (truth) - When Aaron was around four or five, he watched the winter olympics on TV and fell in love with figure skating. Tilda never bothered to get him skating lessons, but one day, when Aaron was seven, there was an attempt to revive the Ice Capades. Aaron never thought he would get to go, but Tilda surprised him with tickets. It is one of the few really good memories he has of his mom.

The first time I got high I thought the squirrels in the tree wanted to adopt me as their squirrel king (truth) - I just imagine Aaron trying his mom’s drugs for the first time alone in the back yard, laying flat on his back looking up at a family of squirrels, saying, “I’m king of the squirrels!!!”

I hate Taylor Swift (lie) - Katelyn is a HUGE Taylor Swift fan. When they first started hanging out, Aaron didn’t really like her music but didn’t want to say anything. Eventually he started associating her with Katelyn though, and he loves watching Katelyn sign and dance so much that he now genuinely enjoys her music.

Renee

I can juggle up to 7 balls (truth) - Renee always had a natural juggling talent. She never really tried to learn, it was just always something she could do.

I have never drank diet soda (lie) - She does prefer non-diet soda, but she has tried diet before.

I once had a pet turtle named Vincent (truth) - Vincent was a gift from one of her mother’s boyfriends, the only one Renee ever remotely like. He was horrible to her mother, but had a soft spot for Renee and treated her kindly. They broke up after a couple of months, and he gave her Vincent as a parting gift. She had him until she got arrested, she couldn’t go back home to get him and when her mother went to prison he died.

Neil

My mom and I once helped deliver a baby at a truck stop in Alberta (lie) - This happened while Neil and his mom were on the way to Seattle. It was the middle of the night and they stopped to get gas a few hours out from Vancouver when they heard a woman screaming. There was nothing around for miles and only one other car in the lot that had been there when they pulled in. His mother immediately dropped the gas pump and Neil was already back in the car when the screaming stopped and his mother hesitated. Neil had never seen his mom hesitate with a potential threat around before, and he listened closely to try and understand why she stopped. All he heard was a woman panting harshly, but it sounded almost as though there was a rhythm to it. Mary signaled for him to get out of the car, and ordered him to grab some blankets, the first aid kit, and water bottles and follow her. They walked behind the locked public bathrooms, and found the woman squatting, with tears running down her face. Mary wasn’t very gentle or comforting, but she told the woman in a calm and confident voice that they were going to help. Neil didn’t do much, but he let the woman hold his hand and squeeze until he thought she would break it. He gave her sips of water between her contractions and did anything else his mother said. Once the baby was out, wrapped in a blanket, and in its mothers arms, Mary grabbed Neil and they left without another word to the woman. She stared after them, confused and grateful. Neil and his mother never spoke of it again.

I’ve been bitten by a camel (truth) - Neil and Mary spent a few days in Dubai to get some papers from a specialist there before traveling back to North America. The man did his business out of a racetrack where they held camel races. To get to his office, they had to travel through the back part of the track that the jockeys used to get the camels into position. Neil got too close to one of the camels and it bit his arm, luckily (or not), the jockey was in the middle of beating it and before it closed its mouth too tightly, landed a blow that caused the camel to immediately open its mouth again. Once he was freed, Neil was out of reach in a millisecond.

I can speak 7 languages (truth) - English, German, French, Russian, Hebrew, Czech, Greek. (To clarify he can speak 7 languages but he wouldn’t necessarily call himself fluent in all 7) We all know English, German, French, and Nora had a hc that Andrew and Neil learn Russian so they can talk to each other even with the cousins around which I love. Hebrew - In my hc Neil is jewish, as are Mary and Nathan. After running away, Mary didn’t know where to go once she had left her brother. She didn’t speak any other languages besides English, but she could understand Yiddish from hearing her grandparents and sometimes her parents speaking it growing up, and she could understand Polish from her time married to Nathan. She didn’t want to go to Poland in case any of Nathan’s contacts recognized her, so she decided to go to Israel. She knew there were communities there that spoke Yiddish and she was familiar if not comfortable with Hebrew from going to temple when she was younger. But most importantly she knew Nathan didn’t have any regular contacts there. While they were there, along with learning Hebrew, Mary pretended to be interested in converting to Greek Orthodox in order to get secret Greek lessons for her and Neil. After a while but sooner than she had hoped, Mary got a warning that Nathan had figured out where they were. She didn’t think it would be wise to go directly to Greece so she decided to move them to Prague next, since Czech and Polish are fairly similar and she really had no other ideas. While in Prague she continued her and Neil’s Greek lessons, and they went on to Greece eventually. Mary didn’t want them to lose any of the languages they learned, so she came up with a system that on certain days of the week they would speak to each other in certain languages. After Mary died, Neil pretty much gave up on Czech and Hebrew because he hadn’t been surrounded by them in so long and he hadn’t used either except with Mary since they moved from Prague or Israel. They had lived in Greece for longer than they had in Prague or Israel though, moving to a few different cities, so he felt stronger with Greek.

Fin.

This is my first time writing anything fanfiction, my first time doing any creative writing at all really, and I would love any and all feedback!! Thanks for reading this long ass post, I hope it wasn’t terrible!!

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youknow-igetit · 4 years

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i’ve always had the headcanon that neil learns how to pole dance and dan helps teach him and i saw someone else post something similar to it (iconic of them, really) and it made me want to elaborate on my hc

some days, neil wakes up and he can’t stand looking in the mirror

he look in the mirror and despite the scars on his face and hands and the vibrant orange hoodie and the chipped nail polish on his hands, all he sees is his father’s eyes and hair and cold smile

so he usually finds himself at the gym building, blasting music in his ears and facing away from the wall of mirrors as he purposefully overworks himself so he’s too exhausted to care about the cold smile that he knows well

either that or he’s in the basement, hitting a punching bag with taped knuckles and pretending that the canvas is his father’s face, lola’s, romero’s, sometimes even his mother’s

one morning he wakes up at four with the phantom pains of hundreds of knives wracking his body

he can’t go back to sleep, so he heads to the gym and picks the lock to the basement

he’s so caught up in his own head that he walks right past the room full of punching bags and opens the door next to it

despite it being in the basement, the room has the same high ceilings as the upper floors, maybe twenty or twenty five feet

there’s no equipment that neil can see in the dark room, nothing except for the mats covering the floor and four vertical poles bolted to the floor and ceiling

he’s confused at first but then... oh

he’d obviously heard of pole dancing as a sport, he remembered seeing the words on the gym directory

but actually seeing the poles, he was kind of intrigued

but he backed out and went into the right room and ran himself down, and despite heaving on the floor, he felt like he could finally breathe

he was exhausted by the time the exy team started trickling into the main gym to do their workouts, but he honestly didn’t care about the stern talking-to kevin was attempting to administer

over the next week, inexplicably, neil’s mind kept going back to the room with the poles. he found himself watching pole dancing competition videos and tutorials and reading articles on different products that help to stay on the pole

on another one of Those Days, he finds himself purposefully breezing right past the boxing room and opening the door to the pole dancing room

he turns on the light, which is still dim, and walks nervously up to the pole in the far right corner

he’s bad at first. not as bad as he thought he’d be, but still bad. youtube isnt exactly the best coach

but he comes back the next day. and the next. and it eventually becomes a regular thing as he becomes better at it. sometimes, when his school workload isn’t heavy, he spends his free periods between classes practicing.

he never sees anyone else there, no matter what time, and he likes it that way. he gets more confident in himself, eventually ending up stripping down to just his briefs as he learns new moves

he doesn’t tell anyone about it. it’s not that he’s ashamed, but the idea of the ex-mafia kid exy player spending his free time pole dancing? it was a little embarrassing

like andrew knows in general where he is at those times but he doesn’t know/care what neil’s doing there. he guesses its just more things to do with exy

and kevin is suspicious but when is he not

but all in all no one finds out

until

one day it’s like three pm and he had the most annoying argument with the TA and he’s still pissed as he descends the stairs to the basement of the gym, just wanting to dance and blow off some steam

he bursts through the door and stops abruptly as the person whirls around

“dan?”

“neil?”

they both kind of just stand there for a moment before neil’s like “sorry, i was--uh, the boxing room is right next to this one and--”

“you were planning on boxing?”

“uh huh”

“in skinny jeans?” dan raised an unimpressed eyebrow

neil glanced down. he was wearing skinny jeans. “um.”

neil shifts nervously. “what are you doing here? nobody ever goes in here.”

“I was just--” dan pauses. “wait, this is where you’re going when you disappear?”

neil rubs the back of his neck. “kinda, yeah”

“kinda or definitely”

so neil tells her everything, about how he’s been going there for months and teaching himself how to dance and whatnot

dan is highkey impressed and asks him if he wants her to teach him anything

“what?”

“I used to be a stripper, neil.”

“oh. right.”

“no, you’re okay. it’s just... i kind of missed it. not the stripper part, but during the day, when the club was closed and my sisters were teaching me. it didn’t feel like it was for anyone. it was for me....it was liberating.”

neil nods. “i get that”

so dan ends up joining in on his practices more often than not

at first neil’s kinda uncomfortable being so physically exposed around someone that wasn’t andrew

but he finds a weird comfort with dan, both of them in just their undergarments swinging around on poles in a big empty room with music playing out of one of their phones

dan ends up teaching neil a bunch of moves she knows, like how to bend over upside-down and spin with just thighs

“and if you twist like this, it shows off your ass”

they also end up talking a lot, about random things, but dan also tells him a lot about her stage sisters and what her high school life was like and in turn neil ends up talking a bit about his life on the run

they also end up talking a lot about their relationships, like how dan learns that andrew likes to snuggle (dan is astounded) and neil learns that matt sleeps with his socks on (neil is apalled)

some of the foxes notice that dan has joined in with neil’s disappearances and she tells them that she’s teaching him “how to be a captain for you assholes. it’s hard fucking work, i’m giving him seminars about you little shits”

but one day matt comes up to neil during practice and he’s like “hey neil can i talk to you”

and neil’s like “you’re talking to me now”

“no i mean like later”

neil’s like ?? but he agrees

after practice everyone leaves the locker room except for matt

he nervously sits down on the bench so once neil’s done he hesitantly sits next to him

“what’s up?”

matt’s acting shifty and weird and isn’t look at neil’s face

“so um, i need you to be honest with me, okay? and i know you wouldn’t do this, but i’ve been having doubts and i just--” matt sighs. “is dan cheating on me with you?”

neil is... absolutely pissed

“what the fuck?!”

“i mean, like, you guys have been disappearing off on your own and then you come back sweaty and flushed--”

“we work out together”

“but she’s always smiling and content after!”

“i literally have a partner”

“that doesn’t stop a lot of people, neil”

“don’t you remember that i don’t swing? dan’s like my sister, matt” neil is surprised when he says it and finds that he’s being truthful. “dan loves you. she’d never hurt you like that. stop selling yourself short.”

matt nods and neil leaves

the next time dan and neil practice together, the next day, dan asks him about matt and neil tells her everything

“i think he’s just paranoid that you’re leaving at the end of the year” neil spins around and hooks his ankles around the pole

“yeah... i’ll talk to him” dan sighs and wraps an arm around the pole and hoists herself up a few inches

“if you’re fine with it, he can come to our next practice”

“you’re sure?” a few weeks ago, neil had told dan how insecure he was about his scars and they both enjoyed the privacy they had at the practice room

“yeah. it’s just matt”

they twirl around for a while, soft music playing from dan’s phone, the artist singing something about being sorry that she fell in love with someone while they were in a hotel room

“what about your boy?” dan asks

“what about him?”

“does he ever doubt you?”

neil shrugs, as well as he can while upside down “we trust each other”

dan thinks for a minute. “are you going to show andrew too?” dan motions to the room with her foot. “i’m fine with it if you are”

so later that day, back at the dorm, neil turns in his bean bag and asks andrew if he wants to come to his and dan’s next practice

andrew replies with a “not particularly”

“don’t you want to see what we do?”

“not really. you don’t ask me to watch renee and i spar.”

“yeah but that’s cause it your guys’ thing. also, dan and i definitely don’t spar”

“it’s still your thing.”

“i wouldn’t ask you to come if i didn’t want you to”

andrew looked at him before saying “you’re insufferable.” neil knew that meant he’d be there

so the next day finds dan and neil leading matt and andrew down their familiar basement path

andrew shows no reaction to the poles except for a quirk in his left eyebrow (neil knows he’s very surprised)

matt, on the other hand, says “this is what you guys have been doing?”

neil nods and takes his shirt and pants off, which leads to another shocked sound out of matt and another raised eyebrow from andrew. (that’s both raised eyebrows. neil’s never done that. he takes it as an achievement. andrew’s eyes tell him not to read too much into it. neil smirks)

andrew leans up against one of the untouched poles as neil talks to matt about liquid chalk as dan takes her own clothes off

matt sits down on the edge of a mat as they start practicing. after a few minutes neil almost forgets that there are two more people in the room than usual, the only giveaway being andrew’s sharp eyes never leaving him and matt’s amazed “ooh”s and “ahh”s

after the alarm on dan’s phone beeped to tell them that their hour and a half were up, matt stood up as the two stepped away from their poles

neil started pulling on his clothes as matt went “I--um--that’s--that was--”

neil picks up his bag and starts walking toward the door, knowing that andrew’s following

“don’t fuck near my pole” he calls, and he can hear dan laugh as he shuts the door

andrew is silent all the way to the dorm

later on the roof, he asks “why?”

neil sighs. “it makes my mind quiet. suspended like that, fifteen feet in the air, the only thing that’s keeping me from falling is me. it’s not like exy, where I have to rely on my teammates. It’s... it’s finding trust in my body.” he looks down at him scarred hands, at the one interlaced with andrew’s. “also my father would never pole dance. neither would my mom. god, she’d be so pissed.”

neil smiles

“what do you think about it?” neil asked as andrew took another drag on his cigarette

“it doesn’t matter what i think”

“it matters to me.”

“I hate you.”

“mmhm. don’t i know it.”

they were quiet as they watched the sun slowly dip over the horizon

“you’re more flexible than i thought”

“what’s that supposed to mean”

“it means i liked it. you are as confident at pole dancing as you are at playing exy.”

“are you telling me that you like when i play exy?”

“shut up. yes or no?” he flicks aside his cigarette at neil’s yes

a few days later, matt apologizes to neil for his assumptions. he ends up convincing neil and dan into entering a pole dancing competition that takes place a few weeks after the championship game

they end up winning third place

(the competition was recorded and put on youtube. neil’s proud. he catches andrew watching the video more than once)

(when kevin finds out about it he practically combusts and tells neil how bad it is for his exy career and what will pro teams think blah blah blah neil doesn’t care)

after dan graduates, neil and her keep up their practices through facetime

the next year they’re able to win first place

#can you tell that i'm fascinated by pole dancing??#neil josten #dan wilds #matt boyd #andrew minyard #andreil #matt boyd x dan wilds #aftg #aftg hc #andreil hc #all for the game headcanon #pole dancing is so cool i want to know how to do it so badly #why do i have to live in a town of bigots??#i just think its neat #Also the song I mentioned is 'is there somewhere' by halsey if anyone is interested in knowing #I love Matt but I also think that he's still insecure about being with an actual goddess #This has nothing to do with the post but I hc that Dan proposes to Matt

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whatmack · 4 years

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Dan was only three drinks in when she said, “I haven’t kissed a girl since fifth grade.” Allison, who was considerably deeper into her fifth of Grey Goose, shook her head and waggled a finger in Dan’s direction. “That’s not true. You told me all of your stage sisters--” “But that’s for a sho-ow,” Dan said, wrinkling her nose as she drew the last word out. The zig-zag of freckles there folded like a drawstring waistband, and Renee was simultaneously too sober for this conversation and glad that she didn’t drink anymore. “It didn’t mean anything.” Allison rolled her eyes at Renee. Renee smiled, and hoped it didn’t look as sickly as it felt on her face. If it did, Allison didn’t comment on it. “She’s the prude-iest stripper I’ve ever met,” Allison said in an easily overhearable whisper. “It doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s just mouths. Just bodies. Oh sorry, does that offend Jesus?”

“No,” Renee managed. She took a sip of her un-spiked soda to wet her throat. The artificial orange sweetness shocked across her tongue, the flavor loud, unsubtle. The exact opposite of who Renee was trying to be. She tucked her skirt more firmly over her knees. “Not for me,” Dan protested. “I mean, yeah. But there’s a kiss and there’s a kiss. Her name was Abby. I liked her because she gave me her favorite pokemon card. It was Vulpix. So.”

Dan’s thumb and forefinger were passing back and forth over her mouth, thoughtfully. Her other hand was still in Allison’s grasp as she applied the top coat of polish, but the blue on the fingernails near Dan’s face were an electric contrast to the brown fullness of Dan’s bottom lip. The cupid’s bow above was perfectly shaped. Renee hadn’t noticed before how much it looked like it belonged in a magazine. Good girl, be a good girl, you’re a good girl, Renee thought with an edge of hysteria. “Abby? Like our Abby? Ewwww,” Allison said, gagging through a laugh. She rocked forward and hit Dan in the arm. “Okay, you’ve got to do better now that I know that. I can hook you up.” She arched a suggestive eyebrow, which was actually quite cruel of her. Renee was already emotionally compromised. “Eh. I don’t have time for dating.” “I didn’t mean dating. I mean getting you some pussy, girl.” “Allison!” Now they were both laughing, swatting at each other with floppy hands. Allison shrieked for the integrity of Dan’s still-drying nail polish and tackled Dan to the floor. “We’ll start you slow, I got you, come on. Just a little kiss? Just a little girl smooch?” Allison smacked her lips obnoxiously near Dan’s ear. “I spent like thirty minutes doing your lipstick, no way!” Dan wiggled to throw Allison off her, and Allison let her up-- only to grab her again around the waist from behind and set loose another squeal of giggles. “Off! Off! Renee help!” There was a fuzzy static feeling in Renee’s stomach, climbing up through her chest. It felt wonderful; it felt like flying; it felt like maybe she was about to fall off a cliff. She got to her knees and crawled across the floor to try to grab Allison’s wrists. “Now, children,” she said, adopting the voice of a dissappointed schoolteacher, “we don’t fight each other to solve our arguments.” “We do in Exy!” Allison whooped and let Renee pull Dan free. Dan immediately latched her arms around Renee’s neck, climbing into her lap. The fuzzy freefall feeling had spread to Renee’s head. She found herself giggling as well, and couldn’t seem to stop it. Dan was very, very warm, and very, very pressed all against her. To prove that she was some sort of trickster demon sent to overturn Renee’s good intentions, Allison clapped her hands in delight. “Now’s your chance, Dannie! Kiss for the heroic rescuer!” Renee felt her eyes go wide. She glanced frantically at Allison over Dan’s shoulder. Dan was going to know. Allison grinned and toasted Renee with her Goose. Maybe Renee could stop being a good person for one night. One murder wasn’t all that bad, right? The problem with having lived her life-- Renee’s-- was that she was absolutely sure it wasn’t going to happen. She could feel Dan’s puffed breath on her cheek, and she had the painfully physical weight of Dan under her hands as Dan squirmed around to keep her balance. This was a ridiculous situation, right out of one of the movies Stephanie liked to watch, and Renee knew like she knew the feel of an old shoe that this would end with nothing more than a laughing attempt to detangle. She should ask Dan if she needed to drink some water, Renee thought, as Dan’s face got closer. She opened her mouth, and, And, And? As kisses went, it was...wet. Renee frowned, not entirely sure what she was feeling. Her brain did not seem to be inhabiting the same space as her body. Dan’s hitching laughter spilled out over Renee’s collarbone as Dan slumped down to bury her face there. “Terrible,” Allison said, swallowing another sizeable measure from her bottle. She fell to her hands and knees and crawled forward. “Da-an, watch, look.” What? Oh. Dan really had put a lot of lipstick on Allison, Renee thought, and then Allison sucked at Renee’s lower lip, just a little, and it turned out Renee’s brain was in her body because it was leaking out her ears. I think I’m dead, Renee thought, and then felt the buzz behind her teeth that let her know the words had slipped out into the air where other people could hear them. Allison looked shocked for a moment, and then amused. Dan blew a raspberry against Renee’s shirt. “Outside judge says that’s a no for you too, Allie.” “No, I mean, no, it was-- they were fine,” Renee said. Her throat felt like it was sticking together. Her face was so warm she wondered if her head might pop off and go drifting about near the ceiling lamp, to fizzle out there like the dead bugs. Allison put a hand to her chest, remembering a second later to gasp. “Fine, did you hear that? For shame.” Dan snorted. She was latched on to Renee’s shirt with a powerful strength. “Just wait until we’re sober like you, Miss Renee Walker. Then we’ll show you.” “Ah,” Renee said faintly. “Well then.”

#all for the game #the foxhole court #danrenee #renison #alcohol //#this is just a romcom trope about the girls getting drunk and kissing renee!!!! it's as she deserves!!!!#so many kisses from women!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#my fics #whatmack u have so many messages in ur inbox. whatmack answer them #whatmack stop blowing a raspberry at your computer screen #dan is also very good at kissing usually she's just sozzled #they were VERY strong drinks. allison mixed them

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andrew-is-foxy · 4 years

Text

Foxes candy store AU

Andrew and the Foxes work at a homemade candy store and Matt’s new friend Neil comes in to see what the fuss is about.

Based on this prompt here by @a-case-for-wonder Only changes are- Renee doesn’t own the store, they’re still college students, and Kevin and Neil still play ‘a sport’.

TW: self-harm scar mention, swearing, sparring Word Count: 2.7k

There weren’t many things in life that Andrew enjoyed, but his job was one of them. Or, at the very least, it was something that he tolerated because it was less boring than the alternative. His therapist, Betsy Dobson, had found the job for him, saying he needed to find a daily routine, and find something he was good at. Betsy knew the owners of the homemade candy store, Abby and David Wymack, and they’d been willing to give Andrew a job even with his juvenile record. The store was managed by a young woman with curly black hair named Dan, and her boyfriend Matt manned the cash register. Out the back, Andrew had gotten his twin brother Aaron and their cousin Nicky jobs boiling and making the candy. Out the front in the display window was Andrew, his best friend Renee and her girlfriend Allison. They worked in full view of the store behind a glass window so that the customers could see what they were doing. Nicky, a marketing major, said it was a strategy to get interest from people walking past and also show the customers that it was all handmade. Andrew pulled the logs of candy and rolled it out into the small little rolls for Renee to cut, and Allison sat at the table sorting them into neat little packages and making all the displays, gift boxes and wrapping look beautiful. The owners’ son, Kevin, often haunted the store after his college classes or on his days off from training for whatever sport it was that he did. Andrew didn’t really care so he’d never paid enough attention. The only thing Kevin was good for was being eye candy and sometimes interesting enough to talk to when he wasn’t talking about sports. Aaron and Nicky knew what sport it was, seeing as though they spoke to Kevin about it when they were at the college dorms, but Andrew was more interested in passing his degree, reading, and sleeping. All the kids that worked at the candy shop were students at the state college not far away, but Andrew only associated with Renee outside of the store if he could help it, no matter that he shared a dorm with his family and Kevin.

“Did you try this one yet?” Renee asked from beside Andrew as he worked on a log of candy longer and thicker than his arms, needing to make it as thin as his fingers.

“No, not yet, but it looks like it’s watermelon,” Andrew answered. Renee was cutting up the thin rolls he’d already made that day and she held one of the wonky pieces out to him to try. He put it in his mouth, smiling a little bit at the sweet explosion in his mouth, and went back to working. Andrew loved sugar, more than he loved anything else. He would live off it if Kevin didn’t police their kitchen like it was his only goal in life. Kevin also had a habit of ransacking Andrew’s hidden stashes of candy every now and again and throwing them away. Fucking athletes.

“Yeah, watermelon,” Andrew said, rolling the candy across his tongue and into his cheek. Renee fed one to Allison and popped one into her own mouth, nodding appreciatively as she did so.

“Arms hurting yet himbo?” Allison called from the other side of Renee and Andrew flicked her the bird without looking over. Allison had called him ‘himbo’ so many times since he’d started working at the store that he’d had to Google what it meant. He’d been surprised that it meant attractive, but unintelligent man. He’d been torn between being flattered and offended, because Andrew was a lot smarter than he led people to believe. Still, it was better than being called ‘monster’, so he’d decided to let it go. The truth was Andrew’s arms weren’t hurting yet. He was good at this job because he was strong. When you’re five foot nothing at nineteen years old, you kind of need something to make you feel better about yourself which was why Andrew could nearly match Matt in the weights room. Nearly. Matt was over six foot and had been raised by a champion boxer, so he’d had a head start. While Andrew had been shuttled through the foster care system and wallowed away in juvie, Matt had been learning to box. The bell above the door jangled and Andrew looked up to see who’d come in and was unsurprised to see Kevin walking past Allison’s newly done display shelf. He barely glanced at Matt as he walked behind the register, but he did say hello to Andrew and smiled politely to Renee, turning it into a grimace when he looked at Allison, and disappeared into the back room.

“He’s such a douche canoe,” Allison muttered. Andrew didn’t point out that the two of them used to make out at parties when they were drunk before Allison and Renee started dating.

“He looked happy today,” Renee said instead. Allison wrinkled her nose and Andrew turned back to his work.

“Kevin never looks happy. None of the monsters do,” Allison replied. Andrew resisted rolling his eyes.

“Nicky does!” Renee said, as calm and placating as always.

“Nicky doesn’t count, he’s only a monster by proxy,” Allison replied, sliding from her stool. Andrew saw her let herself out of their side door and start decorating one of the shelves with the new candy boxes she’d created. Conversation over, Allison exit stage left. Andrew didn’t miss the fond smile on Renee’s face as she watched her girlfriend. He opened his mouth to tell her to snap out of it, but the bell jangled and Andrew went back to aggressively pulling the log of candy.

“Hey, hey!” Matt said, sounding happy to see whoever had walked in. “I didn’t actually expect you to stop by!”

“I was curious about what you meant by ‘homemade candy’,” the newcomer said. His voice was deep, nice even, and Andrew found himself drawn in by it. He looked up and had to work really hard to not let a reaction show on his face. The newcomer was short, although taller than Andrew of course, and he had auburn hair just long enough to start curling around his ears. His eyes were so blue Andrew could have gotten lost in them if he wanted to. He had four thin, white scars running down one cheek clearly done with a small, sharp blade. On the other cheek, under his eye, was a round patch of healed, burned skin. Andrew hated that he was the perfect mix of handsome, and interesting. Nice features, nice voice, muscled legs, and scars that beg the question of ‘what happened to you?’ If someone that attractive could get themselves into that much trouble, he deserved the label ‘himbo’ not Andrew. Andrew’s scars were all self-inflicted, which he could argue was less stupid than having someone or something burn your face. The door between Andrew and the back room shut with a snap and Andrew jerked his head around to see who’d come out. If Nicky or Aaron were bringing out another log of candy already, he was going to have words with them, but it was just Kevin.

“Oh Neil!” Kevin said, actually smiling at the newcomer. “What are you doing here?”

“Matt told me he worked here so I thought I’d check it out,” Neil said, tilting his chin in Matt’s direction.

“I didn’t know you two were friends,” Kevin mused, situating himself at the counter beside Andrew. Andrew bit hard on the inside of his cheek and worked harder on the roll in front of him, looking at Neil out of the corner of his eye.

“We are,” Matt said, looking strangely proud. Neil smiled and Andrew looked away for a second.

“We are also roommates,” he said.

“How do you two know each other?” Matt asked from his stool behind the register.

“Neil is our freshman recruit, obviously,” Kevin answered.

“Oh right, of course,” Matt said, clearly as interested in the sport as Andrew was.

“He’s more of a soccer fan,” Neil said as if apologising for his roommate’s ignorance. Kevin grimaced as if that news personally offended him, swiping up a handful of the wonky, rejected pieces of candy, and pocketing them. Andrew knew that the small handful would be the only candy Kevin would eat that week, and the knowledge pained him. Andrew ate double that daily.

“See you at practice,” Kevin said to Neil. “And I’ll see you later,” Kevin added, looking at Andrew.

“Bye,” Andrew replied, waving him away impatiently, grateful to have room again. Not elbowing Kevin when he’s standing that close to Andrew working was a chore he couldn’t really be bothered with. Kevin left the store without a backward glance or saying goodbye to anyone else, and Andrew didn’t hold that against him.

“Good to know he’s an asshole all the time and not just on the court,” Neil said to Matt who laughed.

“You have no idea. He’s nice to Andrew, and that’s about it,” Matt responded. Andrew looked up at his name and met Neil’s eyes. Neil smiled at him and did the stupid male nod thing and Andrew looked away.

“Did you want to try some free samples?” Renee asked Neil, sliding some more of the multicoloured rejects into one of Allison’s boxes that hadn’t worked. She passed them to Andrew who held them in Matt’s direction because there was a glass wall in the way of him and Neil.

“Um, okay,” Neil said, sounding dubious. He took the box and popped one into his mouth. Andrew didn’t miss the immediate, full body wince at he crunched the rock hard candy between his teeth straight away making Andrew cringe. He swallowed the shards quickly and put the box down in front of the register, looking severely unimpressed and a little bit embarrassed. “That is too sweet,” he explained. Matt laughed, but Andrew stopped working to openly stare incredulously at him. It’s a fucking candy store, what did he expect. Matt used his finger to rifle through the pieces and pulled out a blueberry one.

“The watermelon is a bit obnoxious, but try this one. It’s a little less sweet and more… sour? Kind of,” he explained. Neil looked traumatised, but he took the piece between his finger and thumb and put it in his mouth. The reaction was less intense, and he managed to suck it for a more than five seconds before wincing and crushing it between his teeth again to get it out of his mouth.

“Too sweet still,” Neil said, pushing the box away further. Matt went looking for a third piece of candy, but Andrew was getting annoyed now. He went over to the register, snatched the box from Matt and ignored his undignified ‘hey!’

“It’s a candy store dipshit,” Andrew said to Neil. “Everything is sweet, that’s the point. Just don’t eat any of it,” he snapped. Neil raised his eyebrows, but it was the smile tugging at his lips that threw Andrew for a loop. Usually, when Andrew got mad at someone, that someone cowered or apologised or reacted, rightfully so, with fear. The only person who didn’t react with fear was Aaron, and that was because his twin reacted with anger in return. Nobody smiled at him.

“That is the plan, thanks,” Neil replied easily. Andrew stalked back to his spot and gave Renee back the box.

“The monster strikes again,” Allison said cheerily from her place at the shelves.

“Monster?” Neil asked, surveying Andrew with his chilling blue eyes. Andrew schooled his features to impassivity and went back to work. “I don’t think he’s a monster,” was all Neil said before turning back to Matt. Andrew deposited the sentence into the back of his mind to think about later. How would he know?

“You going to be out late tonight?” Matt asked.

“Nah, I’ll be home straight after training,” Neil said. “Just because I don’t like the candy, doesn’t mean this isn’t a pretty cool job,” he added. Andrew felt his eyes on him, but he didn’t look up.

“Thanks, I like it,” Matt agreed. Neil laughed and Andrew decided he liked the noise, which meant he also hated it.

“See you tonight,” Neil said.

“Yeah, thanks for stopping by,” Matt said, genuinely meaning it judging by the happiness in his voice. Andrew glanced up and caught Neil’s eyes again.

“I will do just that,” Neil said, giving Andrew a smile that made Andrew want to punch him. Or kiss him. Or maybe punch him and then kiss him.

“Bye!” Matt said as Neil backed towards the door.

“See you, and Andrew?” Neil said, making eye contact again, “It was nice meeting you.” Andrew didn’t warrant that with a reply, even though something in his stomach stirred. Attraction, butterflies, whatever you wanted to call it. It made Andrew want to peel his skin off. Kevin was hot. Rolland, the bartender Andrew fucked around with some weekends, was easy and obedient (mostly). Andrew hadn’t felt actual, genuine attraction stirring in his stomach for a very long time, at least not chased by hot lashes of desire and lust. This was just simple, innocent, followed merely by curiosity. Andrew was not impressed.

That afternoon, after Aaron and Nicky had turned off and cleaned all the equipment out the back, Matt had counted all the money, Allison had swept and tidied the front of the store, and Renee had helped Andrew clean the display workspace, Dan shut off the lights and locked the store behind them. “You coming back to the dorm? I’m starving!” Nicky asked Andrew. Andrew had been simmering on his encounter with Neil all afternoon and hand pulling candy ropes hadn’t been enough of a distraction. He turned to Renee who was watching him calmly.

“Do you want to…?” she asked, leaving the question open ended. Andrew knew what she was asking, and he really, really did.

“Yes,” he said. She smiled and nodded.

“I’ll meet you in the dorm parking lot in half an hour?” She asked. Andrew nodded and got in his car with Aaron and Nicky. Renee and Allison climbed into Allison’s car, and Dan and Matt went to a restaurant further down the street for dinner.

“I’ll leave dinner in the fridge for you,” Nicky said quietly from the passenger seat. Andrew didn’t answer, but he knew Nicky would do it anyway.

Half an hour later, he met Renee in the parking lot and they went around the back of the building and down a rarely used path to their frequented sparring place. Renee and Andrew made quick, careful work of wrapping their hands after removing their shoes and circled each other familiarly. Renee made the first move and Andrew parried it easily, going for a hit in her stomach that she dodged on nimble feet. After an hour, they were both sore and adequately beaten up and they sank to the floor beside each other to gingerly unwrap their hands. Andrew knew Renee wouldn’t ask why Andrew needed the fight, but part of him wanted to tell her anyway. He didn’t, but he knew she would work it out with his question.

“Do you think you could talk to Abby and Wymack about maybe introducing a new flavour?”

“I can certainly try, what flavour do you have in mind?” She asked, wincing a little as she moved. Andrew had hit her really quite hard in the side of her ribs that was going to be a proper bruise before she went to bed that night. To be fair, Andrew’s lip was split and his shoulder was still numb from her last punch.

“Lemon or liquorice,” Andrew said, packing his sparring equipment into a bag. He didn’t miss Renee’s smile as she spoke.

“They’re not very sweet flavours,” she mused.

“No, they’re not,” he agreed.

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate it,” she teased. If they weren’t sat on the floor already unequipped, he would have swung at her for that. As it was he just glared at her and her smile grew. “I’ll talk to Abby and Wymack tomorrow,” she promised.

“Don’t tell anyone it was my idea,” he warned.

“It’s nobody else’s business,” Renee agreed.

#aftg #all for the game #andrew minyard #neil josten #andreil #renison #matt boyd #dan wilds #allison reynolds #nicky hemmick #aaron minyard #kevin day #renee walker

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dailyandrewandaaron · 4 years

Note

Could you maybe write something post-canon where Neil’s ableism comes up and he and Andrew have to sort of navigate it’s effects on their relationship/have some type of discussion over it? Or alternately if you’d rather not, something about bi Katelyn?

not quite that but heres something about ableism

Its not the words so much that bothers Andrew but the silence that always followed them .

Renee would only smile placidly when Allison named him monster and nobody challenged her but instead took it up for their own use

Aaron would offer no defence when he was named crazy only shrugging as if it was an indisputable truth

kevin raised no objections when he was called joyless , empty , agreeing that he had no purpose in life beyond himself

nicky would laugh in the same breath as saying he was soulless as if it was an in joke between them

Neil did this too - yes even him

He would later denounce their attitudes one by one pretending to be shocked theyd treat andrew so - but it was hollow coming from him -knowing before their first meeting even he was already psychotic midget and this is what he would remain - even after - even when it means something

now - andrew wouldve been fine with a legacy of fear if that was all it was but it was not - not if he - not if he was - a midget - . yes , thats what cements it , what caused them to hold him apart from and below them - it shows in their eyes - his lack of humanity -

is he a threat or is he a joke ? oh , certainly he is both- they are afraid of him but they show him no respect

he is that sort of monster . The kind that isnt only feared it is also pitied. the sort where people think it is a cruelty that he even lives at all - being what he is

they call him ruthless to his face and whisper midget behind his back

sometimes its the other way around

and that is almost worse

. andrew encased himself with mystery and aggression hoping he could inspire enough fear that his height was never made light of in this way.

his brother shared this particular burden . Aaron shouldered it by being unpleasant enough that he avoided the types who would think to patronise in that sickening way due to their stature and by commiserating his lack of presence with the fact he was spared the condemnation of being the evil twin - being short on its own is not monster worthy status

being short and - crazy - well theres no hope for you there

kevin of all of them knows the best the feeling , Kevin has words of his own . launched at him from the catapult of ignorance and prejudice cripple, retard handicapped he recognises the ripple of pain that surges through him when wymacks mouth form the words

Its the same as goes through his own body when neil says psycho ,

when Aaron says evil ,

when nicky says soulless ,

Allison says monster

- Yet Kevin does not defend him. He likes it that he is one step above him this way.

You have two hands you only have one brain.

Neil in their secret moments tells him he is not worthless that he alone is his love but he never takes back those earlier words never soothing the wounds they made. Neil wont take any of it back

Its his own fault Neil says for not telling them the way it was, for not explaining- because of course ,of course it needed explaining. This couldnt just be accepted

-but you see Neil that he is andrew minyard .His reputation went before him . He was monster before he'd even arrived.

You could fight that or you could embrace that and use it as your shield . andrew chose the latter.

it kept people off his back at least

He'd known that Aaron was afraid of him skirting around his presence keeping Kevin or Nicky between them pausing before he got into the car hiding and suppressing his other relationships to not raise his ire. His brother who loved him enough to kill still found him a danger

Nicky who had left a happy life for him who had stayed without a deal and didn't leave the moment he could. Nicky who spent years trying to keep them safe who had sacrificed for them. He believed it too or he had no scruples in pretending and laughing about how he was soulless. This is a deeper insult from Nicky who actually believed in souls but long ago he'd given up the thought that Andrew would be hurt by such a thing. When things are said to nicky andrew says dont use that word but when things are said to andrew nicky doesnt intervene

Renee is stronger than him. Her fight methods are better. she knows that. She is teaching him he doesn't scare her in the way he scared the others but still she treats him delicate like he'd explode if she pushed too far. She has no problem fighting him but she is afraid not for herself but that one day he would betray her trust and use her careful teaching against those she protected. She would take Allisons side of course she had done before - she stays quiet when allison rants about him

Allison knew him the least but claimed she knew him the best. When you are already monster , as in her eyes he was ,every thing you do becomes monstrous. She expected nothing less of him. Of course he would be violent . of course he would hurt her .he is a monster

Matt had reason enough he supposed to revile him though he had helped in the long run he distrusted him. Thinks he would hurt Neil. As if he would. A if he would do the one thing that would destroy him. But of course of course Andrew doesn't feel things. people were collected if they were useful. Matt was not useful enough and so he was not chosen. this is how he views it. Doesn't know why beautiful Neil would chose such a strange and damaged person as Andrew. He thinks Neil is an innocent and knows not the darkness of his soul which is assumptions in itself

Dan - he did not know truly what Dan thought of him but it was not warmly. She viewed him as something to be handled to be put up with to reach a higher goal. His skills were needed his person was not. She kept him and his at arms length enough to say I'm not with them. Now there was a them and he was their leader. She left him alone which he was grateful for but she doesn't bring him in doesn't let him close she doesn't want to hear his voice she doesn't think the psychotic midget has anything useful to say

Seth was his least favourite and that was no secret. He was prejudice in a very boring way. Just the kind that hated those who were not like him and didn't care enough to change that. He hated Kevin the most but andrew , was a close second. His ideas about life having value didnt extend to the likes of Andrew Nicky and Kevin. Not even Aaron was normal enough for him.

Wymack was a rare thing in Andrews life a older man that he trusted. That he could trust with his family. He knew that wymack would not hurt him -not physically. Nobody thinks Andrew cares what he is called. Wymack didn't hate Andrew he knew that . wymack was actually rather fond of him but he never stoped using the words.

perhaps you know such a word. it burns deep into your body .It's not icy the shock of it, its hot , white hot. The word is such a noise that it fills you to your lungs.

It drowns you in hot water and you can hardly breathe. He doesn't know if wymack believes the words he calls him but he doesn't stop. He can't say they hurt for it would break the illusion. If they knew Andrew could be hurt by words then it's all over for him he might as well put a knife into his own belly .So Andrew knows it wont stop .

Wymack would scoff if he ever mentioned ableism. It sounds made up but it surely is not.

Neil would tell him there's no such thing -but how would he know? The only other disabled person he knows is kevin whom he'd called a cripple.

I don't hate disabled people neil would say and genuinely believe thats enough That that's the most he can give. Andrew supposed that is what most people think is the best they can do.

that's not what ableism is anyway. Well. it is. but that's not all.

Andrew knew ableism well

The word is new to him but the feeling is not

The experience of it is nothing new

Andrew knows ableism is not just hate ignorance and prejudice. It's is not just violence. It is not just fear of the unknown.

Although it is all those things It is also choosing not to acknowledge the difficulties you face .

Choosing not to stop using the words.

Choosing to laugh and not to listen

Choosing not to care because it isnt about you

It is when you are hurt and nobody does anything because nobody thinks that's a thing that could hurt.

When you are hurt physically and everybody shrugs that's just how it is for people like you

You are different so your pain is not important because most can ignore it.

It is the silence that follows the slurs when not one single person says you shouldnt say that

Not your brother.

Not your cousin.

Not your boyfriend.

Nobody

Such is ableism.

when nobody raises it because nobody believes there is such a thing

So it continues unchallenged

because .

Well None of us were offended

say the abled bodied team members

#My writing #andrew minyard #aftg #andrew vs ableism #sorry for taking months #i had a different version of this #but i thought it was too harsh and i never posted it #this is a mess tm #but i have feelings #dont say stupid things

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wematch · 4 years

Text

Avatar: The Legend of Neil CH6

For many years, the four nations lived together in harmony.

Then, everything changed when a conspiracy to start a war began.

Only the avatar, master of all four elements, could stop it, but when the identity of the new avatar was found, he vanished.

Many years passed without anyone knowing where he was. Then he appeared on a farm in the Earth Kingdom, disguised as a firebender named Neil. And although his bending skills were weak when he got there, with practice he grew stronger every day that passed.

Now with a war looming by, Neil must find his own path into becoming the new avatar and bring balance to the world.

***

As always, a huge thank you to @tntwme for being an amazing beta! Your feedback truly makes a difference <3<3

This fic was inspired by this amazing piece of art by @aymmidumps, go check it out! [here]

You can also read it from the start on [AO3]

Book 2: Water

Chapter 2: Visitors

Neil suddenly jolts awake. He sits up and looks around, startled. It takes his brain a moment to understand what woke him up but then he hears someone shouting in the distance, so he jumps to his feet and rushes outside.

Neil freezes the moment he sees the massive tree on fire near the entrance to the farm. He looks around, trying to make sense of what is happening, and that’s when Kevin creates a whip of fire, the light of it making it possible for Neil to recognize him. A fire blast is thrown in Kevin’s direction. He stops the attack with the whip and uses it to counterattack. Wymack suddenly becomes visible when he steps closer to the burning tree and it’s in that moment that several shots are fired in their direction.

Kevin and Wymack block the attacks and are quick to retaliate. More fire shots are fired in rapid succession. Wymack avoids the fire by launching himself into the air but he’s caught on his arm by an attack coming from his back. Neil watches in shock as Wymack barely manages to defend himself in time with his other arm, from another attack coming his way. Kevin screams, outraged, and tries to move closer to help him. Kevin proceeds to attack with multiple fire punches in the direction of their attackers but he’s outnumbered and his attacks are blocked and fire is shot from multiple directions back at them giving him no time to breathe.

Neil starts to run in their direction, his heart beginning to race a mile a minute. He’s too far away to see their attackers but he has a sinking feeling that he has been found. But there’s no more running away. He’s not letting them hurt anyone else in here because of him and they’re not getting him without a fight, not anymore. He runs as fast as he can hears someone shouting behind him to wake up everyone else.

Andrew passes at his side so fast that Neil is slightly thrown off by the sudden movement of the ground caused by his earthbending. He’s halfway there when Andrew catapults himself to the middle of the fight, makes a wall to shield Wymack, and starts to attack viciously. Neil falters a step when he sees Lola turn to face Andrew and send fire in his direction. She had finally found him.

Neil keeps running towards Andrew’s side and throws a fire punch when he sees an opening. Romero blocks it and begins to grin when he notices who he is. “I’ll be damned if it isn’t Nathaniel,” he says.

Lola shifts places with Romero and starts attacking in his direction. They punch, one after the other, and Kevin and Neil take turns to block them. Andrew builds another wall to protect them for a moment and sends it in their opponents direction and that’s when Neil and Kevin attack together. Wymack proceeds to blow wind so strong in their direction that Lola and Romero fall and keep getting thrown further away into the trees.

Neil runs in Lola’s direction, anger beginning to boil inside him. He hears someone calling his name but he doesn’t look back. They can do whatever they want to him but he isn’t letting them hurt anyone else here because of him. “Leave them alone,” Neil shouts at her between launching fire blasts in her direction, “it’s me you want, not them.”

Lola gives him a cold smile. “Things have changed, Nathaniel,” she fires back, “now I’m just here to kill you.” She continues to attack and Andrew puts himself in front of Neil to block her attack with a massive wall.

Neil didn’t even notice Andrew coming his way. He shares a glance with Andrew behind the wall. He doesn’t know what to think at this moment. Had his father found another way to dethrone the firelord? If that had already happened he’s sure they would have heard the news. So whatever new plan he has, it’s yet to happen.

“Focus,” Andrew tells him. Neil gives a quick nod and prepares himself. Andrew punches several times through the wall to send the rocks in her direction and Neil fires some punches too.

Romero is about to attack them from behind when an arrow is thrown at him, pinning his trousers to the ground, and making him fall. Andrew takes the opportunity to trap Romero’s hands and feet with earth and Aaron grabs a rock and moves past them to hit Romero on his head, making him fall unconscious. Neil glances at his side and sees Renee lowering her bow. The others are already fighting the other two firebenders that came with Lola in the middle of the field. Renee gives him a reassuring nod and Neil focuses on the threat in front of them.

“Leave now,” Neil warns Lola.

“Oh I don’t think so, not when I just realized who your new friend is.” She attacks as soon as Kevin reaches their side, throwing fire punches in his direction. “Riko will be pleased to know where you are hiding, Kevin.”

In the corner of his eye he can see Kevin freeze for a second, and then he begins to look around in a frantic motion, panic immediately taking over with what Lola just said. This is all his fault and he won’t stand for this. He will not be the cause for Kevin to go back to the Ravens.

It’s been years since Neil ran away but he heard enough stories about them to know that it’s a death sentence to go back there after you run away. Neil steps next to Kevin, and the others start to make a circle around Lola. She glances around, noticing how severely outnumbered she is but keeps fighting in every direction.

“Kick and then punch towards the sky,” Kevin muters. He follows Kevin’s lead as he kicks fire in her direction. As expected by Kevin, in order to avoid the fire, Lola jumps over them, but they’re prepared and as soon as they see her in the air, they punch.

Lola is quick and uses their fire to blast herself further away but she runs into an ice wall made by Dan, the impact making the wall shatter all around her. Neil watches as she falls down, looking unconscious. When she hits the ground she opens her eyes and begins to get up when she seems to fall into a hole in the ground up to her waist.

Neil looks at Andrew right by his side, blank expression giving nothing away of what he’s thinking while he holds her down. Neil, panting, walks up to her. “What new plan does he have now?” he questions, because above all else, he needs to know what changed.

She begins to laugh. “You look so much like him, too bad you’re such a disgrace to your family,” she spits.

“Answer him,” Andrew says, stepping closer. When she doesn’t say a word he adds, “I won’t ask again,” and sinks her further into the ground, leaving only her head up.

“You think I’m scared of you?” She begins to grin.

Andrew gives her a cold smile. “Wrong answer,” he comments, and fully sinks her under the ground.

Seconds pass and they all walk closer towards where she was.

“Andrew, that’s enough,” Wymack warns.

“Not yet,” Andrew waits a few more seconds and then brings her head up to the surface.

Lola gasps for air and Andrew moves one step closer. “Answer him, or next time I’ll leave you three feet underground.”

She glares at him, no longer thinking that Andrew is someone to give empty threats. “There’s a comet coming,” she lets out, still trying to catch her breath, “and with it the power of one hundred suns.”

“When?” Neil demands. A comet changes everything. Nathan won’t need him to do his dirty work, he and his men will be much more powerful than the other type of benders. Neil can’t believe it, he’s been on the run for this long and his mother died for the Moriyama's plan not to happen. It couldn’t have been for nothing.

“There’s nothing you can do,” she begins to grin coldly at him, “Not even you, the avatar, will be able to stop it.”

He feels everyone staring at his back. Neil doesn’t know what to say or do, he never asked for this and now he feels helpless. He looks at Andrew and for a moment they lock eyes. How is he going to stop this from happening? Andrew breaks eye contact and throws a rock at Lola’s head, knocking her unconscious.

“You knew who I was, didn’t you?!” Kevin accuses him and pushes Neil, “and you led them right to me!” he shouts, looking desperate.

Neil clenches his fists and doesn’t say a word. He knew he shouldn’t have stayed for this long. Not after Wymack discovered who he was and definitely not after Andrew saw him practice airbending. But he’s tired of running. Kevin pushes him again, this time harder, throwing him to the floor and Neil does nothing to stop him. “Riko’s going to find me and I'll never be able to leave the Ravens again,” Kevin shouts and Neil can feel the panic in Kevin's voice.

“Enough,” Andrew says and steps in front of Neil. “Go pack, now,” he tells Kevin.

“What?”

“We’re leaving, go pack.”

“Wait, hold on!” Nicky says and jumps next to Kevin. “What the hell just happened here?” He turns to the others and points at Neil. “And lets not forget she just told us he’s the avatar?! Is no one else freaking out about that?”

“Neil, are you really--” Matt starts.

“Yes,” Neil interrupts him.

Allison whistles. “Damn, Neil.”

“What are we supposed to do now?” Aaron questions.

“Andrew is right.” Everyone turns to Wymack. Dan is already at his side, looking apprehensively at his injured arm. “Go pack, none of us can stay here,” he tells everyone.

“But where are we going? Those people are going to chase us now!” Kevin yells, pointing at Lola on the floor.

“He’s got a point,” Dan comments, while she bends water around Wymack’s arm and suddenly the water begins to glow under her hands and Neil is transfixed. He had never seen a waterbender heal someone before.

Wymack turns his head towards Andrew. “We can give them to the guards. It won’t hold them long but it can give us some time.”

Andrew nods and turns to Renee. “We need to figure out where we’re going.”

“Omashu is close, we’ll be safe there. We can warn the earth nation from there?” She offers.

“No,” Neil interrupts and everyone turns to him. “Didn’t you hear her? The comet is coming. I can’t hide anymore, I need to stop them before it happens.”

“What exactly will happen?” Matt asks.

“War between the nations,” Everyone stops for a moment, letting it sink in. “If she’s telling the truth--”

“She is,” Andrew informs him.

“Then there’s no other way, I have to go back to the fire nation and stop them.”

“But for now, we need to get out of here,” Wymack reminds them.

Dan removes the water from Wymack’s arm. “It wasn’t severely burned so I don’t think you’ll get a scar if I can do a few more sessions.”

Wymack puts a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you, Dan.” Wymack calls Blue and they put their attackers on the Bison’s saddle. “When we get back, we need to figure out where to hide near the fire nation.”

“If you want to go to the fire nation,” Allison starts, “we can go to my island and hide there.”

“Your island?” Nicky asks, with his mouth open.

“It’s my family vacation house.”

“You’re joking,” Matt starts, “who owns an island?”

“It’s very small,” Allison dismisses him with a wave. “We can hide there, my parents won’t go there until next summer.”

Neil is taken aback. “I can’t ask you to come with me--”

“Just, shut up,” Andrew interrupts him. They stare at each other until Andrew turns around and catapults himself into Blue’s saddle just when Blue begins to lift into the air.

Matt and Dan focus on putting the fire out, while everyone else starts to run around to grab their belongings and food for their journey. When Wymack and Andrew return they seem to have made a plan on the way back. Since Blue can’t fly with all of them they have to split up. Wymack and Kevin are going to get Abby and then they will be travelling to Ba Sing Se, with the mission of discovering when the comet is going to arrive and after they find the information they need, they’ll join them in the fire nation.

Allison points out the location of the island on a map and gives it to Wymack. While the others pack their belongings, using Neil’s ostrich horse and Allison’s to carry most of the weight.

Before they split up, Dan walks up to Wymack and gives him a careful hug. “Don’t worry, Abby will take good care of me,” Wymack reassures her. Dan nods and steps back into Matt’s arms. Wymack looks around. “Be safe, we’ll see you soon.” He jumps to Blue’s saddle and everyone wishes them a safe trip.

Kevin is about to climb up on the bison when Neil walks to his side. “Kevin, wait.”

Kevin stops, but he refuses to look at him. “I won’t let them send you back to the Ravens,” Neil tells him quietly. A moment passes and Kevin glances at him. “I won’t,” Neil repeats more fiercely and Kevin nods before he climbs to join Wymack.

They all watch them disappear into the night sky for a moment, then one by one, they start to walk away. Neil takes a step but notices something on the ground and stops. It’s a small notebook, dirty and wrinkled. He feels Andrew pause at his side while he picks it up. It’s open on one page but Neil can’t quite figure out what he’s looking at so he shows it to Andrew.

“That’s Kevin’s,” Andrew informs him. “He’s going to go mental when he finds out that he lost it,” and Neil is surprised to find the hint of a smile in Andrew’s expression.

He looks down at the page again for a moment. He doesn’t understand the oval divided in half with the elements drawn on the side. “What do you think this is?”

Andrew ignores his question and begins to follow the others. Neil puts the notebook in his pocket and takes a deep breath. In just a few hours everything changed. Now he’s on his way to face his father, something he never really thought of doing, but as he watches everyone abandon the farm because of him, he knows he has to do this. He can’t let Nathan start a war without doing everything in his power to stop it.

#avatar neil #atla!au #neil josten #andrew minyard #myfic #tfc fanfic #andreil

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smalliinsaneone · 5 years

Text

Coming Home

I’m pretty sure the “showing up late with Starbucks” thing is old by now, but this is almost late and I did have Starbucks as I was working on this, so... @destinys-writer, sorry I’m sliding in for you at the very end of this @aftgexchange. Enjoy!

Neil fussed with his tie, tugging it this way and that. He wasn’t a fan of the things to begin with, and this one was a rental, so of course it wasn’t going to cooperate. If it had been up to him he wouldn’t have worn one at all, but all the groomsmen--Neil and three of Matt’s professional teammates--had to match, so here he was.

Matt, for his part, looked as radiant as Neil had always heard brides were supposed to be. He beamed as he fussed with his sleeves, working the shimmering cuff links through their holes. Neil had seen them the night before when they were gifted to Matt from a gruff Wymack, tiny fox paws lined in orange.

It wasn’t long before the summons came to get ready for the ceremony itself. Neil took a long breath and followed the others to line up.

The groomsmen were supposed to enter paired with the bridesmaids. Allison, and three of Dan’s stage sisters were dressed in surprisingly tasteful pale orange dresses, complementing the grey tuxes the men wore. Neil supposed it shouldn’t be a surprise they were tasteful despite the color, given that Allison was involved.

Almost as soon as he had the thought, Allison herself swooped in to fuss over Neil, finally getting his tie to lie straight and running her fingers through his hair.

“One would think you’d know how to dress yourself by now,” she said in a haughty voice, then pressed a kiss to Neil’s cheek and looped her arm through his once she was done.

Even in her bare feet Allison was a good six inches taller than Neil, so with her heels she towered over him, not that he minded. It was nice to be back with his Foxes; that was all that mattered.

Soft music washed out of the hall and the voices inside died down. Neil remembered from rehearsal dinner the night before that that was their cue and started moving, arm in arm and step in step with Allison beside him.

Renee, home from the Peace Corps for the wedding, was waiting at the end of the short aisle, a beatific smile on her face. She had agreed to officiate the ceremony, and Neil could think of no one better to do it.

As Neil took his spot in the line beside Matt, he gazed out at the sea of faces before them. Many he knew or recognized--Matt’s teammates, Dan’s stage sisters, Matt’s parents, the Foxes. Andrew and Aaron sat tensely next to each other, Nicky and Erik beside them, Kevin on Andrew’s other side. Abby was towards the front, Bee on one side of her and an empty seat on the other.

Matt took a steadying breath, looking towards the doorway they had come through, waiting. A moment of silence as all the assembled guests turned to face that same doorway, and then Dan and Wymack came through.

Neil, as best man, was right next to Matt and so caught his gasp as he saw Dan for the first time. She looked stunning, walking down the aisle with her arm in Wymack’s. The pale orange lace on her otherwise white dress was the same color as her bridesmaids wore, and the smile on her face exceeded even the one she had worn when the Foxes had won championships.

The pair parted at the end of the aisle, Wymack pulling Dan into a tight hug. His eyes were suspiciously wet as he took his seat next to Abby, who took his hand surreptitiously.

Neil barely noticed Dan, however, more interested in the sudden and intense stare directed his way from Andrew. A moment later the gaze broke and Neil was left staring at Andrew’s profile, wondering what the hell that had all been about.

He turned back to Dan and Matt as Renee started the ceremony, though he was only half paying attention through the whole thing. Only when Matt dipped Dan in a kiss and everyone cheered did Neil snap back to full attention. As they processed out, Allison gave Neil a knowing look.

“Going to convince your boy to do this someday?” she asked as soon as they were into the lobby.

Neil laughed. “Doubtful.”

***

It was a while before the wedding party rejoined the rest of the guests. Pictures took forever, and for all that Neil was used to being photographed as a professional exy player, this was a different beast entirely, and more than once he found his fingers itching for a cigarette.

Finally, though, they were finished and could head to the reception. As soon as possible, Neil gravitated towards Andrew, who was engaged in a quiet conversation with Renee.

When she saw Neil, Renee vacated her seat, leaving it open. Neil sat, drinking in the sight of Andrew. He was wearing all black, as usual, though this time it took the form of a well-tailored suit that fitted in a way that Neil couldn’t keep his eyes off of.

Andrew rolled his eyes, but was stopped from saying anything by the rest of the former Monsters walking up, Nicky dragging Erik along with him.

“You look so good, Neil!” Nicky said, dropping Erik’s hand to give Neil a quick hug before stepping away and glancing nervously at Andrew, who, for his part, didn’t seem to care.

In some ways the reception was reminiscent of the exy banquets Neil had been to through the years--the fancy dress, the food, the seating--just stepped up a notch, and he had to give a speech. And then the dancing started.

Neil had been listening to Matt bemoan his dancing abilities almost since he had proposed, to the point of Matt convincing Neil to accompany him to dance lessons, a surprise for Dan. As far as she knew, for all his skill on the court, Matt still had two left feet when it came to dancing. And he had, until the lessons. The teacher had found a way to explain things in terms of exy, at which point it had clicked for both Matt and Neil.

Neil could tell by the look on Dan’s face that she was surprised and thrilled at Matt’s unexpected dancing ability. Their first dance went smoothly, as did Dan’s dance with Wymack and Matt’s with his mother. And then the floor was opened up to everyone.

To no one’s surprise, Nicky and Erik were one of the first couples out there. Thea coaxed Kevin out a few minutes later, more of a surprise. Eventually, Abby was able to do the same with Wymack, something the Foxes were in an uproar over.

As Neil sat with Andrew, he watched the dancers. There was Renee and Allison, a spinning blur of orange and black and white. Nicky and Erik, a psychedelic color combo, as Nicky did not know the meaning of the word “muted” in any sense of the term. Abby and Wymack, the flowers on Abby’s dress matching the ones pinned to the lapel of Wymack’s suit. Aaron and Katelyn, the shimmering ring on Katelyn’s hand promising their own turn to come.

After nearly half an hour Andrew turned to Neil, a bored expression on his face, and held out his hand.

Neil stared for a moment, uncomprehending.

“Yes or no?” Andrew asked.

“Yes.”

Andrew took Neil’s hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor, swaying to the slow music coming through the speakers. Neil hovered slightly--for all his practice with Matt, he was unsure of how to proceed with Andrew.

Andrew rolled his eyes and arranged Neil’s hands to match the other couples on the floor, then moved with the music.

Neil smiled and dropped his head to Andrew’s shoulder. It had been a good day. Seeing the other Foxes, Matt and Dan getting married, and now this. It was as good as coming home.

On AO3

#aftg #aftg fic #all for the game #all for the game fic #aftgexchange #all for the game exchange #my writing #andreil #matt/dan #neil josten #andrew minyard #matt boyd #dan wilds

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100storiesin2020 · 4 years

Text

a Chainsaw in Fox Tower: Chapter 3

Come read on AO3!

***

Renee smoothed her skirt and fiddled with the cross around her neck. She was waiting in the base of Fox Tower because she had been chosen to meet the new striker first. Apparently she was the friendly face on the team, which she still found amusing. She worked very hard to be a good person, but that didn't change the fact that she was far more dangerous than either Dan or Allison. It was always nice to hear that she didn't appear that way at first glance.

She could hear Wymack's booming voice even before the door opened. "Welcome to Fox Tower," he was saying. Coming in the door behind him was one of the strangest looking girls Renee had ever seen. She was tiny, possibly shorter than Andrew, with dark skin and spiky black hair that had clips thrown in seemingly at random. Her jeans looked like they had been bleached, dyed bright yellow, and then patched over with a rainbow of different fabrics. Her shirt was made of the leftover scraps of fabric. Renee smiled; Allison was going to have a fit.

Coach continued to explain that the girl would be rooming with three teammates as they crossed the lobby to where Renee was standing. "This is Renee Walker," he said. "She's going to show you around."

The girl extended her hand for a handshake. "I'm Blue Sargent. It's very nice to meet you."

Getting a friendly teammate was an odd experience for Renee but she certainly wasn't going to complain about it. "It's nice to meet you too, Blue. Welcome to the Foxes."

Wymack grunted, "She's yours now," before turning around to leave the Tower. As he opened the door, he called back to them. "Don't forget to meet at the court at 5 tonight." He didn't wait for a response before leaving.

Renee turned back to Blue. "Would you like a tour first or would you rather settle right in? We can take your stuff up to the room so you can move in before the other two girls get here."

"Moving in first would be great," Blue said. "I've never lived away from home, and I've never had a roommate." She fiddled with a hair clip. "I figure it can't be too much crazier than my crowded house, but it's definitely going to be different."

Renee tried to smile warmly. She really liked this girl and wanted to put her at ease, even though it still felt unnatural at times to be friendly. "Let's go up, then," she agreed. She looked around for a moment, realizing suddenly that Blue was only carrying a backpack. "Do you have more bags you need to grab?"

"Yes, I do. Mr. Gray kept them in the car so I wouldn't have to carry them around. He should be just outside." They started towards the door.

"Who is Mr. Gray?"

"He's my mom's boyfriend," Blue replied, as they left the Tower. "They haven't been dating long, but I think they're getting serious. He's the first real relationship my mom has been in since my dad, actually. He drove me up today because there was no way both me and Gansey would fit our stuff in the trunk of my car, so Gansey is bringing it up for me later today." They rounded the building and could finally see the parking lot. "Oh, that's him by the gray car." Blue chuckled. "He kind of has a theme going on.

Renee looked to where Blue had pointed and her eyes widened. Beside a nondescript gray car was a man in a nondescript gray suit. He looked purposefully unremarkable, like he would prefer nothing more than not being noticed. Renee knew better. It was in his stance, relaxed but ready to pounce. It was in his eyes and the way they tracked every bit of movement. This man was a trained killer. Renee strained to keep her calm, harmless demeanor, feeling his eyes weighing every inch of her to determine whether she was a threat. She reminded herself that this man was Blue's friend, and was probably safe.

"We are going to move in now," Blue told him happily.

Mr. Gray smiled, softening his hard face by a respectable amount. Renee breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Then let's get your things upstairs," he replied. He opened up the trunk and pulled out suitcase after suitcase, and duffel bag after duffel bag. Renee had to laugh then. This was reminding her a little too much of Allison.

They divided up the bags between the three of them and gradually made their way up to the sixth floor. Renee used the walk to tell Blue all about the Tower and what to expect from living with roommates. It had been quite the adjustment at first when none of the girls had gotten along, but nowadays they had it down to a system, and Renee was confident that they would be able to slot in one more person without too much trouble. Blue was hopeful for the same.

Renee pulled out her key ring and opened the door. "Here we are, home sweet home." It was a small living room area with two doors leading out. Through one door was a kitchen, and through the other was a bedroom with two sets of bunk beds. "You can take either the bottom or top bunk, as long as you are on the left side of the bedroom." Renee smoothed her skirt nervously. It had taken her awhile to feel safe sleeping in a room with other people, even though she had had half of the room to herself. Hopefully she was healed enough now that hearing sounds directly above or below herself would not startle her too badly. And Andrew had her knives, so they wouldn't be an issue.

"I'll take the top bunk," Blue said cheerfully. "I've always wanted a lofted bed." She picked through the bags that had been dumped on the living room floor, finally grabbing a tattered blue duffel bag before heading for the bedroom. "Let's get started!"

******

Eventually all was unpacked and Mr. Gray had taken most of the empty bags down to the car, promising to come back with dinner. All that remained was a single duffel bag which had been shoved haphazardly into a drawer. Blue had decorated her bunk and desk, as well as part of the wall on their side of the room. She had asked Renee for permission, and Renee had granted it despite knowing that Allison wouldn't be happy about changing the decorating plan. She quite liked Blue's decor. There were fabric trees on the wall and fairy lights above the bed. Renee assumed that was what they were, anyway. She'd been busy with her own unpacking while Blue had decorated, but she was fairly certain they were not plugged in anywhere, and there wasn't any spot on the wire large enough to hold a battery. A mystery.

Blue had also placed some strange symbols in various out-of-sight places. They went under her mattress, inside a cupboard, folded above a door frame. "My mom and aunts are psychics," she had explained, "and they insisted I bring some protective spells with me when I left the house." She grimaced. "Mom wanted to come put them up herself, but Mr. Gray helped me talk her out of it."

"Why didn't you want her to come?"

"Blue shrugged. "I've been 'the psychic's daughter' all my life, and for once I just want to be Blue Sargent. I know y'all will think I'm strange, and I'm happy with that. I just want to be strange because I am strange, not because my mother is."

Renee thought about that for a moment. "Was it a hard life?" Blue blinked at her. "Being the psychic's daughter, I mean. You don't seem to fit the Fox stereotype, but Wymack wouldn't have recruited you if there wasn't something there."

Blue laughed. "You mean the stereotype of a broken home? I was pretty offended when Coach showed up because of that. I have a good home and a good family. It was difficult to find friends, but I think that would have been true no matter who my mother was." The smile suddenly wiped from Blue's face. "I am broken, though. It's just in a different way."

There wasn't a tactful way to respond to that, but Renee was saved by the door bursting open.

"Hello Renee!" It was Dan, all smiles and confidence as she swept into the room and extended a hand to Blue. "You must be Blue! Welcome to the team! It's nice to have another female face around. We need someone sensible to balance out these boys."

Blue laughed, and Renee could already tell these two would get along nicely. "I'm nothing if not sensible, and it'll be nice to have some female friends. It's just been me and the Raven boys for too long now."

"Raven boys??" Dan and Renee exclaimed in unison.

Blue looked confused but understanding quickly crossed her face. "Not those Ravens!" She looked chagrined. "My friends went to a rival school and their mascot was also the Ravens. So I called them my Raven boys. I think I'm going to figure out a new nickname."

At this point the door opened again. "Hey babe," Matt said. He walked in and gave Dan a big hug. "You must be the new striker. Blue, right?" She nodded and he grinned back at her. "Is that orange monstrosity really your car?"

Blue lit up. "Gansey is here?" Right on cue, somebody knocked on the door extremely politely. "Gansey!!" She threw open the door and leaped into the arms of a brown haired boy several inches taller than her. He spun her around as she laughed, but he froze when he noticed the others in the room. Renee watched as the all-American boy transformed in the blink of an eye, suddenly becoming authoritative and presidential. It seemed to be a trick of the face and posture. It was very effective, and Renee did /not/ like it.

"Hello, I'm Gansey," he said. He approached Dan first and extended his hand to shake hers. "You must be Danielle Wilds, team captain." At least he was polite.

Dan seemed thrown by the formality and respect. "You can call me Dan," she said. "Gansey? That's an unusual name."

He laughed. "It's my surname. I'm Richard Campbell Gansey the Third, and that name is just too much." He moved on to shake Matt's hand and then Renee's. "I'm looking forward to playing with all of you." He turned to Blue. "Are you all unpacked? I could use a hand. Also, here are your keys." He handed over a key ring adorned with two keys and several key chains of varying materials and design.

Blue smiled. "Start bringing things up. I'll be right down." Gansey nodded and left. Renee handed her a key to the dorm, and she added it to the ring.

"So..." Matt began. "Are you two dating?"

"Yup," she replied, popping the p.

"Is he always so..." Dan started.

"Obnoxious? Pretentious? Presidential? Bossy?" Dan laughed at Blue's annoyed expression. "Depends. It took me a bit too long to get past that face." She smiled softly. "It was worth the effort in the end, even if he really pissed me off at first. Anyway, I better go help him." She turned and left the room.

Dan turned to Matt. "What do you think it will take to get Mr. President to thaw out?"

Matt grinned. "My money is on Andrew scaring him half to death."

Dan laughed. "I don't want Andrew to do that, but I think you're right."

"I think he just needs time to trust us," Renee said. "After some practices and movie nights I bet he will warm right up to us."

"Twenty dollars says you're wrong," Dan said.

"I'll match it," said Matt.

Renee smiled, "Consider it a bet."

#all for the game #the foxhole court #a chainsaw in fox tower #crossover #the raven king #the kings men #the raven boys #the dream theives #blue lily lily blue #blue sargent #renee walker

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aelysalthea · 4 years

Text

The Secret Lives of Neil Josten

Chapter 4: Wymack’s Managerial Duties

The new Foxes were always a fuck-tonne of work to break in.

David remembered each and every Fox and their early days. Dan with her proud aggression, fierce and easily riled. Renee and her silent isolation, and Allison with her loudly petulant, overbearing attitude. Matt, when he'd been a shadow of the man he was now, and Nicky, who'd been a little better but only because he was so good at pretending. Aaron and Andrew, as opposite yet somehow alike as flint and fire, and how their own ferocity had been as explosive as Dan's. Kevin, as beaten, broken, yet desperately determined as he'd ever been.

And Neil. Neil, who had been a walking question mark from the very first step and who had remained that way ever since.

There were those before, too. Those who had been a Fox, briefly or for longer, before moving on. David remembered their faces, regarded their pictures on the wall that Dan had turned into a collage of memorabilia. He found himself staring at that wall often when he was alone, after practice and the departure of his Foxes. He stared and remembered the beginning of each and every one, and something in his chest never failed to tighten almost painfully when he considered how far each of them had come.

Unfortunately, the changes in his Class I champions weren't immediately transferred to the newest Foxes. Not their attitudes, their cohesiveness, or their fierce commitment to repeating their die-hard performance of the year before. A fuck-tonne of work? It would never not be when it came to the Palmetto State exy team. Not of David had his way.

Observing the smear of orange and white players on his court, David sighed. There was a clear division, as apparent in the arrangement of the Foxes where they stood at centre court. The handful of new recruits weren't diminutive in comparison to the long-standing team, didn't appear small and shunned, nervous and shamed. Rather, it was quite the opposite.

They were wolves. Cornered wolves ready to bite with sharp teeth at a moment's notice.

"Fucking kids," David muttered to himself as he watched and saw that, rather than return to practice after a brief pause, the tension quivered and erupted into verbal warfare. He closed his eyes, drew a heavy breath, then released it with a gush. Then, turning towards the door into the court, he strode quickly to the rescue. Of who, however, he wasn't yet sure.

At any other instance, David would have let Dan handle it. She was the captain, it was her right and duty, and she had proven herself more than capable time and again. David had never regretted his decision to plant her in the oversized seat of the leader of the Foxes, even in her first year when she'd frayed and nearly split at the seams. Dan was a fighter and clawed her way back from that edge with every ounce of her strength, and David had seen it in her the moment she'd stepped onto his team.

But it was early days, barely the first week of semester, and he didn't want to risk getting blood on his court. Not this early in the season. It would be a right mess to clean up, and he couldn't be fucked to deal with the paper work.

The clamouring of voices raised, shouts bouncing off the walls, assaulted him as soon as David stepped through the court door. It didn't dampen as he slammed it shut with a dull thud, nor when he trudged towards centre court, eyeing his players sceptically. Andrew was idling in the goals, and David exchanged a glance with him as he passed. There was lazy acknowledgement in the way he tipped his head, but David wasn't fooled. He knew how fast Andrew could move, and he would be across the court and swiping someone's head off of their shoulders in a heartbeat if he thought one of the new Foxes – or even one of the older ones – was overstepping the boundaries of his self-appointed coterie. It was another part of the reason David took the initiative to step in; Andrew hadn't had the time to feel out the recruits for himself just yet, which meant that if blood was to be spilled, it would most definitely be theirs.

At least, if Renee didn't step in first. Andrew was nonchalantly – or seemingly nonchalantly – regarding the scene playing half a court away from him, and from the opposite goals Renee was doing the same with the new goalie planted halfway between her and the rest of the players, practically twitching and clearly itched to jump into the midst of the argument. With any luck Renee might be able to reign her in, but David wouldn't bet upon it. Renee chose her battles carefully and often frugally.

A shout, louder than the preceding argument, dragged David's attention back to the cluster. Of the six new recruits, they were as much a motley crew as any six Foxes ever were. There was the quiet one, the one that skirted on the edges, the one who spoke too much and another who hissed and sparked like a spitfire with a single glance. One who actually seemed to have a grain of kindness and friendliness buried beneath their reservations that David thought would likely latch onto Renee if given the opening, too.

The one who was a real problem, however, was planted directly before Dan with his racket raised.

"This is bullshit," he said, the word a repeated shout. "I'm not going to listen to some fucked up ideas."

"You will," Dan replied sharply, "or you're getting off my court."

"Your court?" the girl behind the leading boy said, scoffing, but neither Dan nor the boy spared her a glance.

That boy – he could be a problem. Even more of a problem than Foxes usually were, and David had seen his fair share. Jack, a rolling ball of resentment and rage, stood nearly as tall as Matt and even broader across the shoulders. He dwarfed Dan, looming over her with his face twisted in a glare. Stopping a handful of feet away, David folded his arms as he eyed him. This time. Just this time he would step in. It would be - could be - necessary to avoid a hospitalisation so early in the year. Pre-season was definitely too early for an admission.

Besides, of all the people to knock senseless, David would put Dan towards the bottom of the barrel of those he'd most rather avoid. He didn't prioritise his Foxes in many areas, but this one was an exception.

"Your court?" Jack said, echoing the girl behind him as though he hadn't heard her. His own scoff was louder, almost a laugh. "You're pathetic, the lot of you. How you managed to make it so far last year is a miracle."

"A miracle that we won?" Nicky said from behind Dan, his racket draped across his shoulders and head tipped sideways as he glanced at his teammates around him. "That's some miracle, I tell you."

"Every game we won, huh?" Matt said. "Lady Luck must've been on our side."

"Or Lord Luck."

"I reckon she's a lady."

"You're biased."

"Luck is more a man's field anyway," Allison said offhandedly. "For once, I happen to agree with Nicky."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Kevin interrupted, ignoring the thick sarcasm, or perhaps not even hearing it. He'd become particularly tunnel-visioned when it came to their success of late. "Everyone worked their arses off last year, and they're not perfect but you would see individual progress if you took the time to rewatch plays. If you didn't bother, that's just laziness on your part."

Jack, glancing away from Dan only at Kevin's words, flinched slightly. David knew that, regardless of his blatant disrespect for the Foxes, he admired Kevin and his ability just as the rest of them did. He'd seen the familiar gleam in Jack's eye the first time they'd met – resentment, deterrence, but also longing. If anything, however, Kevin's words only riled Jack up further.

"It doesn't matter if you've improved," he said. "It doesn't fucking matter that you won, or how many goals you scored."

"Even if that's the point of the game?" Aaron asked more mildly than David him usually capable of.

Jack ignored him. His racket jerked, swinging towards Dan and pointing dangerously closely to her face. David tensed but managed to restrain himself even if, as one, the Foxes took a step closer to her. Matt's expression turned stony, Allison's lip curled, and from the corner of his eye David saw Renee slip from the goals and closer to their group. He eyed them all, cast a glance to Andrew who hadn't moved an inch himself, then back to Dan. To Dan, and Neil standing silently at her side.

Which was surprising, David realised. Neil was rarely silent. David counted it as a blessing, even if he suspected it only meant Neil was winding up to explode.

"I'm not having anyone tell me what to do," Jack growled, long years of resentment backing his words and making them spoken by rote. The history of a Fox; David didn't even have to ask. "No one, you hear?"

"Then you won't play," Dan said. "Simple as that."

"You don't get to decide –"

"Actually, I do. That's the right of the captain."

"It's the fucking right of the coach –"

"The captain," Dan repeated with emphasis. "In this instance, it's the captain. And that means me. If you don't like it," Dan shrugged, "then get off my court."

Jack's lips peeled in a snarl. His racket jabbed closer to Dan's face and David could hear Matt's grumble from where he stood. "You can't tell me what to do. None of you, but especially you. You think you're above me? That you're better than me?"

"I didn't said that."

"You think you have the right to boss me around?"

"It's not bossing, it's instructing. And captaining."

"You," another jab of the racket, far too close, and this time David took a step forward himself, "don't deserve the respect of a dedicated team. Not any of them, or any other team you face off against."

Dan's eyes narrowed and steel welled forth. She understood, almost certainly, just as David did. Jack's attack wasn't for her but for something else. Something from the past and projecting onto Dan. Whether it was her specifically or someone that merely resembled her in some way wasn't apparent, but Jack had made a target of her.

"Fucking asshole," Allison muttered.

"If you're disrespecting our captain, you're disrespecting all of us," Nicky said, his smile vanished. Matt's grumble grew into a growl, barely heard but pervasive and underlying Nicky's words emphatically.

"Dan has earned her place," Renee said, appearing silently alongside Matt and placing a hand on his arm. "You're welcome to ask any one of us, but I'll wager that the outcome of your investigation would be unanimous."

Jack seethed. David could see it, could feel it, and took another step closer. He didn't like the way the kid was holding his racket, and it was still far too close to Dan's face. Especially when, shifting his gaze from the Foxes, he pinned Dan with a glare twice as fierce as before.

"Got them wrapped around your little finger, have you?" he said through grit teeth. "Fucking hookers. Makes me sick."

Tension rose sharply and snapped. Dan's head tilted and her face smoothed. Growls and mutters not only from Matt escalated, and more than one Fox shifted in preparatory motion. Not before Jack jabbed his racket again, however. Jabbed it directly and far too close, and David took a striding step forward, reached instinctively, and –

The crunch of a racket striking padding, then the muscle beneath, froze him in place. Not quite so resolutely as the second strike that landed heavy and harder than the first. David jerked, reared backwards slightly, and so did each of the Foxes. The only one to properly move was Dan as she staggered a skipping step backwards out of the line of fire. Dan and Jack, that was.

Although, crumpled to the ground as he was, Jack's moving wasn't with quite the same reflexive retreat as Dan's was. A fractured groan managed to push past his lips, but that was all as he struggled for breath.

Standing above him, face a blank mask and racket held with the loose confidence of a gunman slinging his rifle over his shoulder, Neil regarded him. He hadn't spoken, hadn't shifted even a hair's breadth to suggest he'd been coiled with such readiness, but it had been there. There and gone again with two swings of a racket to the belly and, as Jack hunched in upon himself, to the back with his own weight bearing him down. The crack hadn't been from the racket, and David knew he would have to have Jack checked out in case of serious injury, but…

But he was grateful. Just a little bit. Jack's aim for the head shot would have been far deadlier.

"You suddenly forget how to speak, Josten?" David asked, stepping to Dan's side and shooting Neil a glare. Grateful or not, Jack looked like he still hadn't managed a full breath yet.

Neil glanced up at him with so little cowing that David might as well have not bothered speaking at all. "He needed some sense knocked into him."

"So you gave him a goddamn beating?" David shook his head. The suffocating strike to the stomach… He'd seen that before in quite different circumstances. "Of all the people to beat sense into someone, I'd have thought you'd be the last out of this lot. Doesn't seem your style."

Neil only shrugged. "He went for Dan."

"I was handling it, Neil," Dan said, though the touch of a smile on her lips was grateful.

"I know you were," Neil said. "At least you were handling what he was saying. I knew I didn't need to say anything. But if he tried to hit you? Or anyone?" Neil shifted his gaze to Jack, then to the rest of the new recruits shuffling backwards with incremental steps. "It's not like I'm just going to stand here and let his beat the shit out of people."

"So you beat him to it?" David asked. Neil only blinked at him and David sighed, raising his gaze to the heavens in a silent prayer to no one. Shaking his head, he took a step towards where Jack was still crumpled and gasping and grabbed his elbow to haul him to his feet. "Try to ease off a little next time, would you? It would be a shit-fest if I had to explain getting another replacement so early in the season."

Neil shrugged again, and David's sigh this time was resigned. Shooting Neil a glare, he encompassed the Foxes in a jerking nod of his head before turning back towards the doors. "Get your asses back into gear, you lot. Dan, reign them in."

To the sound of Dan's barking orders, David turned and all but dragged Jack from the court. As he passed Andrew's goals, he spared him a glance. "You're a bad influence on each other."

"I didn't tell him to do anything," Andrew aside, rocking on his heels as he leant against the goal post.

"I know," David said. "The fact that he did it anyway is what worries me."

Andrew didn't reply until David reached the doors, muttering to Jack to pick his feet up. "He stepped in when he needed to. Don't complain when you know it was the right time."

David didn't glance over his shoulder, and not because he was pretending to ignore Andrew. At least in a small part of him, he knew that it really had been the right time. Just in time, in fact. Maybe the nature of Neil putting his foot down hadn't been quite right, and maybe Dan might have been able to salvage the moment if she'd managed to duck out of the way in time, but –

But really. Really, David knew it was right. The right time, if not quite the right execution. His Foxes were and likely always would be a mess, unconventional in the extreme, so it was only natural to assume unconventional management techniques. David just hadn't foreseen quite yet that Neil would be stepping up to lend him a hand in that management.

Vice-Captain? He was certainly taking the role by the reigns, and David couldn't say he was necessarily sad to see it.

***

Nicky was still grinning when they stepped off the court that evening. Or grinning again, perhaps, for when the fierce fight of an exy game had passed, humanity settled upon the players once more to replace the single-minded focus. Neil had never been fond of that return to reality, and even less when it seemed to reawaken illogical enthusiasm.

"Good game, good game," Nicky said as they trickled into the men's locker room. "And after someone's performance in particular?"

Neil didn't look his way as he made for his locker, though he knew Nicky was eyeing him specifically. He began stripping off his gear with practised motions.

"What was that?" Matt asked, pausing in his own undressing to turn towards Nicky.

"Him," Nicky replied, and Neil caught him nodding his way from the corner of his eye. "I'm talking about our very own knight in shining armour here. Watch out, Matt, or Dan's going to replace you."

Neil could feel Matt's gaze on him as he packed his gear into his locker. It held a different sort of weight to that of the rest of the room – to Nicky with his smirk, Aaron's bored disregard. and the curious if wary stares of the freshman. Kevin radiated an unspoken chiding of his "foolish behaviour" that "would get you red carded in a game so don't do it when there's refs to see". Andrew's gaze spoke silent words for Neil's ears alone, and Neil could feel them whispering in his ear.

Scooping his towel and a change of clothes into his arms, Neil turned towards where Matt had planted himself beside him. An elbow propped on the locker, his other hand scrubbing absently at his sweat-lathered brow, he studied Neil as though he couldn't get a read on him. Neil watched him, waited, and would have left the silence untouched if Matt hadn't finally worked out his thoughts a second before Neil turned for the showers.

"Dan doesn't like people to fight her battles for her," he said, more curious than reprimanding. "She's always said that."

Neil shrugged. "I know. Which is why I didn't."

"So hitting Jack was…?"

"That was a different fight entirely." Neil stamped down on the flicker of rage that threatened to well within him again, hot and furious. "Dan's job is to lead everyone. The rest of us knock sense into the idiots who can't be led."

A slow smile spread across Matt's face. He shook his head, turning to his locker and beginning to pack his own gear away. "You surprise me sometimes, you know? Everyone always says you're all bark and no bite –"

"Who says that, exactly?" Nicky asked as he passed them for the showers. He shot Neil a wink. "I bet Neil's got a killer bite on him."

Both Neil and Matt ignored him. "I guess I'm just surprised that you'd go on the offensive in that kind of way. Especially towards a teammate, even if it is a rookie."

"You're the one who taught me how to punch," Neil said. "Why're you surprised that I'd hit someone?"

"To punch," Matt said, emphasising his words with a deliberately slow close of his locker door. "Punch. You practically sliced Jack in half with your racket."

Neil couldn't help himself. He glanced over his shoulder to where Andrew was picking through his own locker, fiddling with something out of sight that was for his eyes alone. He often waited for the rest of them to file into the showers before doing so himself. Neil had never asked why; he simply noticed.

"I guess I just thought retaliating like that would have been your last option," Matt said, recalling Neil's attention. "You always said how you – you know, how you always left a situation before it got bad enough that you have to act, so I thought…"

He trailed off with an awkward shrug, the kind he still did when any mention of Neil's past arose. Neil opened his mouth to reply, then paused. Matt was right in his assumption. Neil's entire life had been one of running, of ducking and dodging, of throwing himself from the line of fire to evade rather than return the attack. It was what he'd told his friends, what they knew of him –

But it wasn't quite right, was it? There was a limit, a point that could be reached and pushed to, when running wasn't just fleeing the scene. When it involved jerking to a stop and turning to lash out like an injured dog protecting its weaker side before darting away once more. Neil was only too familiar with the feeling of reaching that point. He didn't ever want to experience it again, even though the urge to run until it was forced upon him still arose sometimes.

Or it used to. Maybe that urge was fading. Neil wasn't sure when it had started, but upon considering it, he supposed it might be. Was it when Coach had made him vice-captain, and it became the responsibility of the position? When they'd won championships and he'd embraced what was his, theirs, his teams, and understood he would protect it with his life? When his father had been killed, when he'd realised he'd rather fight than lose his family, when they'd been threatened – Andrew, Nicky, Kevin, each in their own way – and he wouldn't, couldn't, stand on the side lines and let it happen anymore?

Neil wasn't sure, but something had changed. Something that made him pull the trigger when he'd once hesitated even to protect himself and his mother.

"He punched Riko," Kevin said as he passed them. He shot Neil another chiding glance that Neil ignored, even though he knew Kevin had long ago accepted Riko deserved every hit he'd taken. "At the end-of-season event last year. Surely you remember."

"Oh man, do I," Matt said with a grin. He butted a fist into Neil's shoulder. "One of the best moments of my life, that was. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see someone decked."

"When the situation calls for it, I'm not going to hold my punches," Neil said.

"Yeah, I get that impression from you."

Chuckling to himself, Matt followed after Kevin into the showers. Neil paused for a moment, considering his own words and solidifying them as a certainty, before making after them. Only to pause again as Andrew stepped alongside him. Turning sidelong, he met Andrew's gaze with a silent question.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The thundering downpour from the showers was the only interruption. Finally, however, Andrew spoke. "He's going to target you. Fools like him don't take a beating lying down."

Neil considered that. He considered it just as he'd considered the very likely possibility of such resentment arising in the split second before he'd swung his racket to protect Dan. After a moment, he shrugged. "So what? I'll push him back as many times as it takes for him to learn he can't step over the lines we've drawn."

Andrew raised a finger in Neil's face shaking it sharply. "Don't," he said in his usual quiet, flat tone, "get yourself killed." He held Neil's gaze for a long moment before making for the showers.

Neil watched him go. After a moment, shaking his head, he followed after him. Don't get killed? Of course he wouldn't. He had far too much to live for now, and a threat like a volatile freshman with an inflated head wasn't going to get in his way.

***

A/N: Thank you for reading, lovely person! I hope you enjoyed it :D If you have a second, I’d love to hear your thoughts (and suggestions?) over on my AO3. Thank you!!!

#aftg #the foxhole court #fanfiction #neil josten #andrew minyard #david wymack #new foxes #post-canon #headcanons #canon-typical violence

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faveficarchive · 5 years

Text

Up in the Air: Part 1

Book Two of That Healing Touch Series

By K.Darblyne

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Garrett is five months in to her fellowship, and she and Danni are trying to change the game even more, all the while strengthening their bond.

Chapter 1

The warming water danced along her body like spring showers over newly budding vegetation. Her long form was like a harboring reservoir as the tiny drops of water built up in its dips and cervices and then allowed them to cascade down her limbs and trunk. The warmth of the shower made her think of how much she had come to think of her new family here in Pittsburgh. It was as though each of them had extended a welcoming embrace to her, with that small blonde nurse being right at the heart of the matter. It had been a long time since she connected herself with anybody, yet to think of someone as family. The surgeon shook her head.

Garrett Trivoli had only been in the city five months but it felt more like home than anywhere she had ever lived before. Her time in college, medical school, residency, or the Navy had no holds on her like this place. It was proving to be very different, this year of Fellowship for her. More than she expected. It wasn’t the job or the training that she was impressed with, it was the people who went out of their way to make her feel as if she was a part of them. And she was more at home with the petite blonde than anyone.

Garrett thought about the warm-hearted nurse, Danni Bossard, who had talked her into sharing her house when the new Fellow found herself seeking a place to live, joking about being homeless. The surgeon thought about how appropriate that it was for Danni to have short golden hair. It made her think of the nurse’s unending heart of gold, always giving and caring about others before she ever thought about herself.

A lopsided smile came to her face as she thought about the woman. ‘I can’t believe I didn’t see all of the similarities before.’ She shook her head and continued her shower routine, lathering as she went. ‘It was my brother telling me all along. She’s the soul to replace him in my life.’

She no longer had sadness in her heart when she thought of him. She realized that life goes on, and that for every soul that leaves us, one is sent to take it’s place. It’s just that we have to carry their essence with us until we find that replacement. "Maybe Rene had something there? He did ask me to open my eyes." She chuckled as her mind was pulling things out of the last five months and creating a new order for them in her brain.

Her colleague Rene Chabot had teased her that he would even turn Jewish if it would help her to find someone special. She thought about his tall, thin frame and that rugged French-Canadian accent of his leading prayers at a Synagogue and laughed out loud. ‘I could see you better cast as the Yenta in the Fiddler on the Roof, Chabot.’

Then there was Karen, the E.R. Charge Nurse at night. Mom, as they all called her, had gathered her into that E.R. family, which she was the matriarch of, without a second thought, even though their first meeting was almost life-threatening in nature. Garrett wondered about her own mother, had she lived. Would she have been like Karen in some respects, always the tough disciplinarian on the outside with a soft spot for a heart on the inside?

The surgeon turned off the shower as she reached out for a towel. The sound of music was filtering into the bathroom. ‘Danni must be up now!’ She smiled and thought about the woman who found nights too long when working, but way too short when she was able to sleep through them. "I bet this early morning stuff is going to put a serious dent in her restfulness." Garrett cracked open the door and yelled out, "You better get some livelier music on, my friend. That is, if you want to get up." She paused before continuing with her toweling off, waiting to see if she was heard.

The sound of saucy Latin music was her answer. The lively beat causing even the surgeon to begin moving to the music as she dried off; the towel snapping as she reacted to its rhythm. Her mind filled with thoughts of Rosie, the auburn-haired nurse that was another pseudo-daughter of Mom’s in that growing E.R. family. She had been the outspoken one in the E.R., always riveting to the action of the night. Her loud acclamations of landing a distinguished doctor had only set her up for a fall again with this year’s candidates. Garrett looked down at her own body and sighed, ‘Too bad, Rosie. I guess the name just didn’t have the right body attached to it for your liking.’ She raised her eyebrow at the concept of being a male. Then, just as quickly shook her head, "Nah!" She liked the body she had been given, besides she was finding it quite comfortable.

Garrett continued on with her morning ritual as she readied herself for the meeting that both she and Danni were to have with Dr. McMurray. Her mind thinking about all the people that were making her life different from what it had been. Never would she have dreamed of feeling at home again. Yes, she had found some very good people here in the "’Burgh".

**************

The lively beat of the music was doing its job. The slow movements of the woman were beginning to show more life as her eyes began to open and survey the dimly lit bedroom. "By the gods! The sun isn’t even awake yet," she cried. Then she remembered what today’s meeting was to be about and her mind took on a new attitude. ‘Ah, yes! That meeting with Dr. McMurray about the proposed project.’

Her mind conjured up the image of her tall, raven-haired friend. The demanding perfectionist of a surgeon had scared them all, except for her. She wasn’t quite sure what it was about Garrett, but she knew that underneath the entire attitude was a really good person. "Yep, glad I called that one right.’ She smiled at the thought. ‘I bet she didn’t even know that she carried that baggage around with her all these years.’

As Danni closed her eyes, she could see the interior of the dimly lit cabin, the dark form sitting huddled in front of the fireplace, just staring into it. ‘I’m just glad that you bared your soul to me that night.’ She chuckled at the thought. ‘Not to mention your body, too!’ She could feel her face flush with warmth at the thought. ‘Oh! Better not go there.’

The nurse’s mind jerked her thoughts from the surgeon, to that of getting her small frame up and out of bed. She threw back the covers and found her dream journal tucked neatly where she had left it, under the extra pillow to her right. She picked it up and fingered the cover as she contemplated reading a passage or two. Then, deciding that she didn’t really have any time for it this morning, she placed it on the nightstand. She had her favorite passages and those she knew by heart. She let her mind recount them in her head. Her favorite one of all being that of the fierce, dark-haired warrior with the twinkling eyes. There wasn’t much more to remember. The dreams never lasted longer than a moment or two, and usually occurred right before she was waking. ‘If only I knew what they stood for. Maybe someday they’ll all make sense.’ "I’d better get a move on," she mumbled as she let her feet go over the edge of the mattress and on to the floor. She grabbed her robe and headed for the bathroom.

******************

She wasn’t quite sure whether it was the excitement of beginning the project or the anticipation of the meeting with the Chief of Trauma Services, but Danni was ahead of schedule for a daylight shift. Her morning was moving along rather nicely as she waited for Garrett to finish up in the bathroom. The half-cup of coffee left in her mug attested to that. She never would drink coffee at home in the morning, simply because she couldn’t get up in enough time to fix it and drink it, too. But Garrett, now that was a different story. The woman was an early riser. The routine of her mornings could be timed and viewed with the precision as any close ordered drill in the military, each second planned and executed without delay.

She settled into the comfortable, overstuffed chair in the living room. Danni liked the fact that she was able to relax a few extra minutes and slowly sipped at the creamy brown liquid that was completing her morning wake up. Her thoughts drifted to the upcoming meeting with Dr. McMurray. She thought about her apprehension the last time and decided not to let her nerves get the better of her. It didn’t make for a good impression of their team when one of them had to be pushed into the office while the other had to be physically dragged out of it. ‘Never thought that I could do that one.’ She flexed her biceps and laughed.

"What’s so funny?" Garrett asked as she passed through the room on her way to the upstairs. She dropped her duffel at the foot of the stairs as Danni began to answer.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about how strong I’ve become." She flexed her muscle once more and pointed at it. "See?"

The surgeon shook her head and continued up the stairs. "I’ve just got to get my toiletries for the night. I’ll be right down."

"Okay, I guess that you’re on-call tonight." Her voice trailed off as she made a face, wishing that she could be there all night, too. She contemplated the next twenty-four hours, or more, for the surgeon when the ringing of the phone disturbed her thoughts.

"I’ll get that, Gar," she yelled and made her way to the phone on the hall stand.

"Hello," she greeted the caller.

"Oh, Dan! I’m glad that I finally got a hold of you." The voice was full of life, as her younger sister always was.

"Yes, Brie. It’s me. You’re up awfully early. What can I do for you?" Danni liked her sister, but she knew what the phone call was going to be about, her missing Thanksgiving Dinner with the family. ‘Well, I made my choice and they’re going to have to live with it.’

"I was wondering why you didn’t come home for the holiday. Mother was very disappointed that we weren’t all together. You did remember that it was Thanksgiving last Thursday, didn’t you?" Her tone was sharp as she tried to show her sister what she thought. She paused, silently waiting for an answer.

"Danni," the husky voice called out from the second floor. "I can’t find my razor, do you have one that I can borrow?" Garrett stood patiently at the top of the stairs.

"Who’s that yelling?" Brie was quick to ask.

"Hang on a minute, Sis." Danni laid the phone down on the stand then crossed to the bottom of the staircase. "I have a spare one in the top drawer of my nightstand. Go ahead and take it. I’ll get some more at the store later this week."

"Thanks." The surgeon called back. "I owe you one."

The petite woman returned to the phone with a smile on her face. ‘I like this new Garrett even better.’ It was amazing how much they were growing to rely on one another. Taking a breath to bring her mind back into focus, Danni spoke into the receiver. "Okay, Sis, I’m back. Now, what was that question?"

"Never mind the question, I want to know who that was?" Brie was surprised at what she had heard over the phone. ‘Now, why would anyone want to borrow a razor? Unless…’ Her mind raced with possibilities until she heard her sibling start to talk.

"That was just Garrett, Brie."

"Garrett…Garrett who?"

"Oh, Dr. Trivoli, one of the Trauma Fellows this year." Danni’s voice was clear and without hesitation.

Then her sister took on another avenue of pursuit. "I guess that’s the reason you weren’t at dinner?" She smiled to herself. ‘Way to go, Danni. Mother always wanted a doctor in the family. We all knew you’d come around.’

"Ah…yeah, Garrett pulled that holiday to be on-call, so I volunteered to work, too. That way we ate together and Gar didn’t have to be all alone." Danni was proud of herself. She had answered with the truth and was feeling good about it. No more caving in to her family’s wishes. She was bound and determined to stand on her own.

"So you and this doctor are getting pretty friendly I see." Brie was testing the waters, trying to see just how much information she could extract from her sister without it being considered prying.

Garrett was standing at the bottom of the stairs now, putting her toiletry bag into her duffel. She motioned to her watch to signal her friend of the time, then whispered. "I’m leaving in two minutes, are we driving in together?"

Danni nodded her head and picked up her keys, shaking them in full sight. "Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you, Gar moved in with me a couple of months ago. Hey, Brie, I really got to run now or I’ll be late for work. I promise I’ll talk to you soon. Okay?"

"Yeah, get going, but we have to talk, and soon." There was a bit of urgency in her voice and Danni readily picked up on it.

"As soon as I can, Brie. Nothing’s wrong is there…with the pregnancy, I mean?"

"No, nothing with the baby. Now hurry before you’re late. Bye." She lingered on the phone line, straining to hear any other clues as to what was going on in her sister’s life.

"Bye," the nurse said, then called out to the waiting surgeon as she replaced the phone on to its cradle. "Okay, let me get my coat and I’m ready." ‘Well, that went better than I anticipated. She must be mellowing with the second pregnancy.’

Grabbing her coat as she passed by the chair that it was thrown over, she quickly put her arms into it and worked at the buttons as she went out of the already opened door. Pulling it closed behind her, she checked to make sure that it had locked and then went down the steps trying to catch up to her friend.

The nurse pushed all thoughts of the phone conversation out of her mind. It was going to be a big day and Danni wanted nothing to overshadow it.

**************

The tall surgeon had quickly begun her day as she accepted the trauma pager from her colleague. The ease with which she and Rene had at handing off to one another made others believe that they had been associates for a long time. It seemed that since Garrett had stepped foot into Pittsburgh, her whole life was changing for the better. So often her earlier days in medicine had been met with challenges by the mostly male dominated profession. They had all considered females to be inferior to them and therefore only tokens to keep the equal opportunities people off their backs. Oh, how she had proven them wrong. Her intent was to be the best and nothing less. That is where all of her energies were channeled, to her studies and to honing her skills as an aspiring surgeon.

Now, her efforts were beginning to pay off. She was at the top of her learning experience and had an excellent mentor in Dr. McMurray. She knew that what he had confided in her that first day on the job was true. Her technical skills were impeccable. It was her people skills that she needed to work on. ‘Thank the gods, for Danni.’ Her mind turned over how the petite nurse was making such a large impact on her life. It was as though fate had planned this move for her and there was nothing that was going to change it.

Garrett fidgeted behind the metal desk in her small office. She was growing nervous about the meeting with the Ol’ Cutter. She thought about his nickname, it seemed so appropriate for someone of his medical stature. McMurray always made her more aware of the world around her each and every time he started to talk about one of his photographs that decorated the large office, or his experiences in previous operative procedures. They were taken directly from his life and travels with his wife during his budding career. In a way, it was like learning from a wise old soul.

For a moment, Garrett turned very introspective and thought about what she would have to show of her early days in medicine as she imagined herself as Chief of Trauma Services sometime in the future. She looked down to her hands, the only thing that really symbolized her career thus far. "Maybe I should have them bronzed?" She joked. She could see herself now, trying to make a point, any point, and always reverting back to the bronzed hands. Sighing, she thought about it. ‘I guess they’re only good when you reach out to someone. I can see that talk becoming pretty boring after the second time.’ "Hmm…guess I’ve got a lot of reaching out to do."

Her thoughts were disturbed by the soft rapping on the office door. She looked up pensively from her hands. "Come in," she called out and waited to see what needed her attention now. She was relieved to see the face of Dr. Kreger, the Chief Resident on her service today. "Rob! What can I do for you?" Her voice was sincere. She actually liked her colleague and was glad to see that his initial fear of her was being overcome. She got the impression that he was a sponge trying to soak up all of the surgical skills that she could possibly show him. She liked having him on her trauma nights, especially now that he was coming into his own as a surgeon and finally realizing it himself. The importance of having confidence in yourself was necessary in this field, it added to your maturity and the sooner you learned it, the better you could become.

"I just stopped in to tell you not to worry about the meeting with the Ol’ Cutter today. I’ll cover the E.R. while you’re in conference with him." Rob winked in the knowledge that McMurray’s conferences were never short, his stories always taking precedence over time.

Garrett let her lower lip extend into a pout. "And I was going to hope for the trauma pager to go off," she teased. Her face took on a more normal expression as she nodded in acceptance. "Thanks, Rob. I appreciate that."

"Well, I know how much this project means to you. Say, if there is anything that I could help with…." Rob noticed that the Trauma Fellow’s expression was changing to one of happiness as her eyes began to twinkle in delight before she attempted to reign in her emotions, showing only the stoicism that she was known for. Her intermittent gaze distracted him as he followed it, turning to see what she was focusing on right past him. There, in the doorway, stood the blonde E.R. Nurse, Danni. Kreger’s voice stammered slightly as he continued. "But I…I…see that you probably have more help than you need already." He acknowledged her presence with a dip of his head.

Garrett spoke, her eyes still transfixed to Danni, "I’ll keep you in mind, Rob."

"Okay, I’ll…I’ll just go check in on that patient from earlier this morning. Good luck with McMurray." The Chief Resident excused himself to Danni as he made his way out the door. To be truthful, he felt a little awkward in that small office, especially standing in-between the two women. It was strange. He almost felt that he was intruding on something but just what, he wasn’t sure.

"Thanks, Rob!" "Thanks for the offer." The pair called slightly out of sync as he started off down the hall.

The nurse stepped into the room, her hand lingering on the doorknob. "Hey, Gar," she greeted her friend.

"Hey," was the return as the surgeon allowed the lopsided grin to take over her face. "You’re a little early, aren’t you?" She looked down at her watch. It was 0940.

"Yeah, well, tell it to my stomach. I don’t think those butterflies know how to tell time." She held on to her midsection and grimaced. "They started getting flighty about twenty minutes ago."

"Hmmm…" the surgeon looked very serious in thought. "Would you like me to write you out a script for some compazine? It will settle your stomach right up." Her eyebrow raised in question as she opened a drawer searching for a prescription pad.

The blonde hair quivered as the nurse shook her head, "No, I’ll pass this time." She then ventured further into the small office and closed the door. "Gar, do think that they accepted the whole proposal?"

"Well, I guess we’ll find out when we get the official rundown from McMurray in just a little while." The surgeon watched her friend as she was deep in thought. "Hey, this is really worrying you, isn’t it?"

"It’s just that I’ve never done anything like this before. I mean, write a proposal and all." She shrugged her shoulders. "I feel a little…" she searched for the right word to use, "overwhelmed by it all."

Garrett smirked at Danni’s insecurity. ‘You…insecure? Hardly!’ "Well, if I were you, I’d get used to it. I have a feeling that if we pull this project off, McMurray and the Board are going to expect more from us." ‘I’m sure of it. He’s into that damn teamwork thing. I know it.’

"Let’s just see what he has to say first, then maybe my stomach will settle down a bit and I’ll feel better." Danni bit at her lower lip then spoke. "Do you think we could change the subject? I mean, just for a few minutes."

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" She was curious now, was it just Danni’s nerves getting to her or did she have something genuine on her mind. "Anything in particular?"

‘Okay, it’s now or never.’ "Have you given any thought as to what you’re going to do after your Fellowship year is done? I mean…where you want to practice?"

"I’ll be honest with you, Danni. I’ve been too busy just getting through this year so far to really give it any kind of serious thought." The surgeon noticed the disappointed look on the face of the woman. "Why do you ask? Does it make any difference?"

The blonde casually shook her head, keeping a disinterested look on her face now. "No. I guess it doesn’t." ‘YES! Yes, it does! By the Gods, please don’t let her leave.’ "I was just wondering if the project would continue without you being here, that’s all." ‘I wonder if McMurray will expect me to continue it without you.’

"I really think that to give it any chance to do some good, it’s going to take more than just a couple of months to even get it off the ground. I don’t think that they would discontinue their support without giving it a fair shot." ‘She may have something there. Maybe I should plant my feet and stay a while, just to get it going. Hmmm…what do you think, Lucas?’ Garrett thought about her brother, after all, it was he that had brought her to this point in her life anyway. ‘I wonder, what exactly it is that you have planned for me?’

The small office was silent with the somber thoughts of the two women. Each one trying to figure out what role they played in this ongoing puzzle of their lives. Each one wanting to keep the other in sight, yet knowing that sometimes friendships are made only to be lost in the events of life with all of its comings and goings. Whatever happened to them down the road of life, each one knew that the other would always be there for them, if only in their memory.

The petite nurse raised her hand to wipe an isolated tear from her eye, as she thought of life without her ‘Amazon’. It would be lonely again just like before. In an effort to distract from her motions, she began to speak. "So, don’t you think we better get up to Dr. McMurray’s office. We don’t want to be late."

Garrett nodded her head. "Yeah, let’s show him how eager we are." She looked over at the nurse. "Danni, am I going to have to push you inside this time or are you walking in with me?" She teased.

"What do you think?" Her tone was defensive and her body reacted to the challenge, her balled fists now rested on her hips. "I was just…just a little taken aback by how big that office was last time, that’s all." She tried to make an excuse for her previous shyness at their last meeting. "Now don’t be silly. You’ll see. I’ll follow you right in." She winked and wrinkled up her nose, still a little shy about being in the presence of such a powerful player in the hospital politics.

The surgeon got up from her desk, moving to the door where she stopped before opening it. Then, with Danni filed in behind her, she softly stated, "Oh, so that means that I’ll be pulling you in after me instead, eh?"

The tall woman quickly let her long strides move her body just out of reach into the hallway. The small nurse was still in the office doorway as she tried to swat at the surgeon in a playful fashion for the comment. The joking banter that ensued as they made their way to the meeting place was like music to their ears and put both of them very much at ease. All thoughts of coming or going were gone and only the time at present would fill their minds. Somewhere along the way, Danni forgot all about those pesky butterflies and just enjoyed her time with her friend.

*******************

The snow was blowing across the driveway in little whirlwinds of flurries. The year was fading fast into winter and the cold weather was being more than generous in its down pouring of the white ground covering.

McMurray stood transfixed to the window, taking all of the conditions into account. His mind still drawn to that warm sensation that he felt when he saw the excited look on his new team’s faces when he had told them the good news on Thanksgiving. He laughed and shook his head at his own doings on the insistence of his wife. ‘I ought to have my head examined. The Chief of a whole department braving a snow squall on a holiday just to pass on some news to a nurse and a Trauma Fellow.’ "Bet they never expected to see me," he grunted. ‘Guess I did look kind of funny being all covered with snow like some arctic teddy bear all bundled up.’ His face was one of disgust at the thought of being a teddy bear, all cute and cuddly. It was not the persona that the Ol’Cutter would like to be thought of. After all, who would respect and fear a teddy bear?

The intercom buzzer sounded, putting an abrupt end to his thoughts. The irritation was evident in his voice. "Yes! What is it?"

"Your ten o’clock appointment is here. Shall I send them in?" The voice of his secretary squeaked and crackled over the intercom, the transmission barely audible.

‘I don’t understand why in the age of computer technology we still can’t get a better system installed in this hospital. That system was probably new in the late 1950’s.’ He glanced over at his desk and the note that was jotted on his daily calendar sheet, a reminder of a problem that needed to be addressed if the proposed project was to get off the ground. ‘Well, at least they’re eager. I wonder how long that will last when they find out what they have to do?’

Several minutes had gone by without a response from the man on the other side of the door. The secretary was concerned that her transmission had not been heard. As she leaned forward in preparation of rebroadcasting it, the mechanically disjointed sound of McMurray’s voice filled the room. "Send them in."

The older woman rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You can go in now, Dr. Trivoli, Nurse Bossard."

Danni could feel the wings of those butterflies coming to life as she edged closer to her tall companion. She found comfort in the quiet reserve of the surgeon. Their eyes met as they each assured one another of their conviction to the project. Garrett had already plotted their course and now it was time to set sail. With renewed vigor, the surgeon stepped forward into the large office as the nurse followed closely behind, pausing only to close the door.

With the team intact, they stood silently before the large desk, waiting for the Ol’ Cutter to acknowledge them. They exchanged several sidelong glances between them as they waited to hear what Dr. McMurray had to say, the nurse and the surgeon both wondering what held his attention as he stood peering out of the window. The first sound that they heard coming from him was that of a deep sigh.

A moment passed before his voice slowly asked the question. "Do you believe in fate?" He didn’t wait for either of them to answer him. Instead he continued with his own thoughts for them to hear. "I used to believe that I controlled my own destiny until I learned a valuable lesson. You’re always at someone’s mercy.

You just have to hope that you can fulfill their needs first before you can fulfill your own." He shook his head as he started to turn to face them. "Enough about philosophy, you want to hear about that proposal of yours. Right?"

The two women were confused by his opening of philosophy, but were eager to find out what they were going to be doing at the Board’s request. The quick flickering of their eyes from one to the other was all that McMurray needed to see to know the answer to his question. "Well, let’s get down to business then. Take a seat." He motioned to the two cushioned chairs that faced the front of his desk. "We’ve got some things to discuss."

Danni and Garrett took their seats without hesitation and sat leaning forward in an ever-attentive manner as they watched the burly man settle into his own high backed chair.

The Ol’Cutter eyed them up, one at a time, then smiled rakishly as he began his speech. "The Board liked the idea and commended you both for the proposal. You have their full blessing and authority to proceed with your plan. The other departments have been instructed to give you all the support that you feel is necessary."

He watched the faces across from him, as each one took the information into their beings. As a team, they covered both ends of the gamut, Danni whose face was beaming with excitement, and then there was Garrett who seemed more reserved and hesitant. ‘Hmmm…one balances the other. They will be a good team.’"In other words, you have carte blanche on the project. It’s all in your hands. You’ll report directly to the Board."

The blonde became shell shocked as that last statement settled on her ears. It was more than she had hoped for. "WOW! Talk about teamwork!’ The butterflies had subsided and an euphoric feeling was rolling across her being now. The petite nurse was so pleased that her friend would be given a chance to heal and, in the process, help others that needed it too. The shimmering of her green eyes was evident as they bounced from Dr. McMurray to her surgeon teammate and back again. "Why, that’s great news. Don’t you think…" Danni looked at Garrett’s face and stopped dead in her thought.

The surgeon narrowed her eyes and gazed across the desk, completely intent on studying the man on the other side. Her mind thought back to Thanksgiving evening when McMurray made the surprise visit to them in the E.R. He had casually mentioned something about getting a lot of rest to them before he left. ‘Something about the Board having plans for us…’ She reached out her hand until it came to rest on Danni’s, causing the nurse to pause and look at her friend.

"Danni, I don’t think that’s all the Board has in mind for us. It’s too good to be true. There has to be a catch somewhere."

The nurse thought for a moment then slowly realized that Garrett was right. "What do you mean by a catch?" Her face turned solemn as she waited for the answer. She looked back and forth between the two surgeons and waited.

It was like a game of poker between the two surgeons, where the stakes were all or nothing, and each one trying to outwit the other before showing their cards. The stoic masks dropped over their faces in an effort not to divulge their thoughts as each one wondered who would be the first to speak.

Finally after several minutes went by, Danni spoke up as she tried to mediate an end to the childish behavior. "Come on now, we’re all on the same team here I thought." She got up and physically stood in the middle of their gaze, putting an abrupt end to the stand off. ‘These two have to have been made out of the same mold.’ She placed her hands on her hips and demanded their attention. "Now, is someone going to tell me what this is all about? Or do I have to give you both a time out?" ‘If you want to act like children, I’ll treat you like children.’

She glared at them both taking turns from one to the other. The shocked look on both of their faces made her think of whom she was dealing with. Suddenly Danni felt small and insignificant as she stood with the Chief of Trauma Services on one side of her and the perfectionistic Trauma Fellow on the other. ‘By the gods, I’m making a fool of myself.’ She smiled politely and moved slowly back to her chair, apologizing for her interference. "I’m sorry, but I just don’t think this is getting us anywhere. Do you?" She collected her composure and waited for the storm to break around her. ‘Why did I ever think that I needed to get involved in this?’ She wrinkled her nose and sat quietly waiting for any kind of response.

McMurray was stunned by the nurse’s actions. He could tell by the look on Trivoli’s face that she was, too. ‘Good God! She’s got moxie! She’ll do all right.’ The man just shook his head in disbelief. "You think that you could work closely with her on a permanent basis, Trivoli?" The Chief nodded in her direction.

Danni bit at her lip, waiting for Garrett’s answer. She prayed that it would be to her liking.

"Perhaps I should ask what you mean by closely before I answer that." Garrett found herself intrigued by the question.

The sound of a half laugh and half grunt was all that came out of him as he smirked at his underling. "You have good reason to ask," he acknowledged her. "Seems that the Board liked the numbers that you two have when you work together. Ian McCormick may not be an ideas man but he knows his way around the numbers." McMurray rubbed his chin. "The Board is willing to give you what you want on your proposal if you do them a favor."

Garrett eyed him cautiously. "What kind of…" she toyed with the word, "favor…would that be?" Her voice was cold and calculating. She thought of all the possibilities in an endless list of scenarios. ‘I’m a damn good surgeon. What more could they want?’

McMurray drew in a deep breath. He knew that what he had to say was not going to be received well at all by either of them. ‘I just hope that they see the merit in all of this.’ "All right! The bottom line is this. The Board wants you out of the O.R. on a regular basis for the rest of you Fellowship." ‘Okay, time for the volcano to erupt.’

"They’re idiots!" ‘My life is the operating theatre, how can I walk away from it?’ Garrett’s eyes were turning to crystals of ice as she stared at McMurray, while her blood was quickly rising in temperature to boiling mad.

Danni quickly picked up on her friend’s outrage. "You’ve got to be kidding!" She looked jokingly at Garrett, small quips of laughter coming from her throat, then seeing the surgeon’s face unchanged and serious, she gasped. "You’re not! What kind of favor would that be for the Board or for the patients?" Her eyes shifted to McMurray as she searched for an answer. The blonde’s eyes penetrated deeply into the brown of the Doctor’s to see if he was serious.

He nodded. "It’s not what you’re thinking, although…" he paused for effect, "you may think differently about it when it’s over and done with. Why, look at all of the exposure you will get to different hospitals and surgeons."

The two women looked at each other then concentrated their gaze at him, each one raising an eyebrow in skepticism.

"And what exactly would you mean by that?" Garrett was first to ask.

"Yeah, what exactly?" Danni’s brow furrowed with worry.

"Let’s just say that you two," he laughed and pointed to them both, "are going to spend more time together than most married couples do."

"I don’t understand. What could that possibly…"

"Trivoli, you’re not paid to understand. You’re just expected to do your best in the environment that we give you." His ears picked up the sound of an incoming helicopter, the whirring of the blades getting louder as it sliced its way through the air in the distance. A smile came to the face of McMurray as he swiveled his chair to look out the window. ‘I couldn’t have asked for any better timing if I’d have planned it.’ His eyes followed the speck in the distance until it became clearly visible on its descent to the helipad outside of the E.R.

"The Board wants to draw some marketable attention to the hospital and what we do here. They all feel that their best bet is to capitalize on you and the good PR that you can bring, not to mention that you two aren’t lacking in the looks department." He gauged the landing of the helicopter outside and continued as he swiveled back to face them. "Everybody and their brother was hyped about the new millenium last year. Well, this New Year’s actually the start of that millenium with the date 2001. They want to use it to our advantage."

The noise of the spinning rotors was getting louder now as the Ol’ Cutter raised his voice to speak over it. "You, Dr. Trivoli are going to be our first Flight Surgeon onboard the helicopters and Nurse Bossard will be your team member.’’ McMurray theatrically swung his chair to face his window, just as the helicopter was hovering in its descent to the pad below. "Welcome to the new millenium of care."

The swirling snow outside the window gave the helicopter an eerie appearance. The eyes of both women were riveted on it, their minds in a quandary of thoughts.

Finally, after the noise of the helicopter had died down and the window was now devoid of any remaining reminders of it, Garrett spoke out. "You can’t expect me to operate in one of those. There’s not enough room to take care of a bad splinter let alone a trauma of any significant source."

"So, you’ve been in one…eh?" His voice was gruff but teasing.

"Been in one, hell! I’ve ridden in them when I was in the Navy and those were a lot bigger."

Garrett’s mind flashed with the scene of the military helicopter as it sat there on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier. The hum of the engine was gone, as were the members of the crew that had flown her in. Well, all except for the lone crewman that stood a silent vigil at the tail section. His eyes never left the sight of the tail rotor as it moved slightly with the rolling seas underneath the ship. She watched the man standing alone, noticing that he was mumbling from time to time to some unseen entity. The closer she came to the tail section, the more details drew her attention to the rotors. There, on one of the blades, were the stains of dried blood. Her naturally curious mind analyzed the pattern of blood splatters as her eyes searched for more. With only a few more feet to travel before she was next to the crewman, he turned toward her, revealing the remnants of bits and pieces of a human being that were still clinging to his uniform. He looked almost catatonic in his stare. The mumbling barely loud enough for Garrett to hear his isolated phrases. It took only a minute or two before she could piece together that the downed crewman had been his friend. His lips moved with words that only his heart had ever thought about before, professing the camaraderie that they had shared.

Danni was still in shock from the recent turn of events. Her mind trying to grasp at anything that could bring her back to something real and tangible. ‘They can’t expect me to ride in one of those. There’s nothing holding it to the ground.’ Her eyes blinked rapidly as her mind fathomed a plummeting airship. Then with a note of disbelief she stammered out. "You…You’ve ridden in hel…helicopters?"

The surgeons mind was pulled back to the present as she tried to focus her attention to the question. "Yeah, that’s how they got me from ship to ship when I’d have to replace a surgeon for any reason." She thought back on her Naval experiences, then smiled and commented. "It sure beat using a Boson’s chair." Her mind flashed with the scene of the blue green water of the Pacific Ocean churning below her as she made her way from one ship to another, belted into a chair that was tethered on a cable stretched between the two. The weather had been too rough for anything to be launched off of the Carrier. By the gods, how she had prayed that the Captains would keep the ships on course and matched in speed so as not to snap the cable, allowing her to be tossed into the ocean or worse. Garrett shuddered with the thought. ‘Don’t even want to think of that one.’

"Boson’s Chair?" The blonde was at a lose for an explanation. "I don’t understand. What’s so bad about a chair?"

Garrett thought for a moment trying to find something that the nurse would understand to compare it to. "It would be like sitting on a chair dangling by a cable stretched between two race cars. One wrong move and…"

"Oh, my!" Danni drew her hand up to her mouth as she tried to catch her breath. For the first time, the young woman was realizing just how sheltered her life had been. She could just see her mother’s reaction if that had been her. ‘Those times at the cabin were nothing compared to that.’ She remembered her fondness for climbing out on the limb of that old Maple tree as it overhung the lake and diving off it into the water below. ‘But at least the tree was planted firmly on the ground and when I dove in, the water cushioned my fall.’ She felt a shiver run up her spine at the idea of falling from the sky, untethered to the ground below and nothing to cushion the impact.

The nurse studied her tall friend who was now pacing the room. She could see the maturity that life and its experiences had brought to the surgeon and wondered why she was being exposed to all of this now. Danni looked up at the man who was eyeing her.

"You’re kidding, right?" She waited for an answer. McMurray only shook his head and smiled warily. Her shoulders slumped and she voiced a breathy but disappointed, "You’re not. The Board wants Garrett to fly into surgeries, literally."

"And you, too, Nurse Bossard."

"The Board feels that your presence in the air will be a highly visible marketing tool to the smaller hospitals in the area, a Trauma Surgical Team flying in to their world. They want your faces to be more recognizable than the presidential candidates." He further elaborated.

Danni chuckled at that thought. "Well, that won’t be hard." It was the nurse’s attempt at weak humor, her usual front line defense when she felt ill at ease in a situation. "But what am I suppose to do? I’ve never been in a helicopter. In fact, the last time that I was even on an airplane was…." The petite nurse gulped hard trying to settle her stomach at the thought, but the telltale pallor was stretching across her features.

Danni’s mind rehashed her only plane ride. It wasn’t hard to remember. There is only so much that one can commit to memory spending almost the entire flight in a catatonic state. Her fear of flying was not easily overcome. Rosie had tried numerous times to get her to come out of her self imprisoned denial of the flight, but Danni just couldn’t do it, or at least her mind wouldn’t let her. It had been the worst vacation that Rosie had ever had, not to mention the blonde nurse. Even after they had landed and she was back on firm ground, it didn’t ease up. The only thing that her mind kept focusing on was the return flight home. It not only effected her waking mind but also her sleep. Rosie finally conceded and cashed in their plane tickets for the return flight home after a second sleepless night. Danni thought about the little trip into her not so pleasant past. ‘I wonder if she will be able to understand?’

The eyes of the surgeon noted the change in her friend’s coloring and the uneasy look on her face. Garrett stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned to face her mentor. Her eyes narrowed and she raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You…You want us to fly in and save the day at these little ass Podunk’s of a hospital and make the Board look like it’s reaching out with services to every little nook and cranny of the area." The surgeon’s eyes flashed with anger. "Whose idea was that, the accountant?"

"What’s the matter, Doctor, you afraid that you might have to interact with more people who don’t know your likes and dislikes?" McMurray looked directly at the tall woman. ‘Okay, call me a liar, but I know that’s part of the reason.’ "Maybe if you would put the patient first and not your damn need for perfection, then…" McMurray stopped and just stared at her. ‘Jeez, I just pushed that too far. She’ll bolt and run for sure now.’

Both women were studying his face now, trying to see where he stood. Could he seriously be considering this? The office was silent as all three stared at one another, then finally the silence was broken.

"Come on, Danni. We don’t have to listen to this nonsense." She turned and started to walk toward the door of the office as the nurse slowly rose to join her.

"You do if you want that proposal to become a reality." McMurray called out to her. Garrett’s outstretched hand hesitated on the doorknob as Danni froze in mid step and turned to look back at the man. "You do this for the Board and you have carte blanche with your project. It’s as simple as that." The Ol’Cutter got up and circled the high backed chair. "I know that this project means something to you both. Damn it! It’s that or nothing as far as the Board’s concerned."

"I’m not going to have our faces put all over the place. I’m not some publicity seeking egomaniac and neither is she." The dark-haired woman pointed to her friend and then just shook her head in dismay. "We don’t need to be high profile in our jobs. Flying in a helicopter is dangerous enough with the blades looming overhead and the jet fuel onboard. We don’t need to be on the lookout for crazed fans, too."

"Is that your concern, fans? I’ll tell them that the PR is for the hospitals only and not to go to the general public. Will that help?" McMurray sat down and waited for an answer.

"Gar…er…Dr. Trivoli, maybe we should think about this." Danni looked pleadingly to the tall surgeon. ‘How bad could it be…I mean she only has six months left to the Fellowship. I just know that the project would help her, too.’ There she was, putting her friends and others before herself, once again. ‘Now, really, how many flights could they need a surgeon on? Maybe I’ll feel better in a helicopter…Yeah, right!’ She rolled her eyes knowing that it wouldn’t make a difference.

Garrett thought about all the lonely people that the project could bring out of their depression and agony of being the one left living after a family tragedy. ‘If I can’t do it here, I’ll just wait and do it somewhere else after this year is up.’ She looked over at Danni. Those green eyes were speaking in volumes that were screaming into the surgeon’s head. ‘By the gods, how can she be so giving? I bet she doesn’t even understand all of the hazards that she’s asking me to let her be a part of. Why, if anything were to happen to her….’ The tall woman pursed her lips and licked her teeth as she thought about the situation. She weighed the pros and cons in her mind as she occasionally stole glances at the blonde woman in front of her. She was probably going to regret this one day, but she didn’t have the heart to say no while she was looking at those hopeful eyes. ‘I’ll just have to make sure that she’s well prepared for this endeavor. By the gods, I don’t want anything to ever happen to her.’

"Oh, all right!" She muttered and walked back over to the chair then sat down. "But there’ll be some things ironed out here and now, first." She’d go through with it but only on mutually agreed upon terms.

The nurse’s happiness was piqued at the idea of her friend getting the help and support that she’d need to deal with her past experiences. Danni smiled, allowing her nose to wrinkle up in delight. She patted her friend’s arm and quickly assumed the role of mediator in the ensuing peace talks.

********************

It was nearly lunchtime when the petite nurse and her tall companion emerged from the office of Dr. McMurray. Neither one looked truly happy, but they were rather satisfied that an agreement had been worked out. Danni had done her best to keep the tempers and the egos from gaining any footholds in the negotiations. Garrett’s main concern was for both her and her partner to be properly trained and readied to assume the roles of a flight crew. The surgeon was not one for improvisation when the lives of her crew or their patient were at stake. The nurse had also pointed out that the time spent indoctrinating them into the routine and workings of the helicopter crews would only add to their PR potential. One mistake in the public eye would not only discredit them but the hospital as well.

Danni was glad that the compromises were ones that everyone would be able to live with. ‘Well,’ she thought, ‘almost everyone.’ She still wasn’t sure that she would be able to do it, but she was willing to walk through hell if she had to for the support group to become a reality. ‘I’m not about to be the cause of this not happening.’ She thought about her nice and easy world as she was used to it. It was never going to be the same. At least not for the rest of the time that Garrett Trivoli was here in Pittsburgh. She sighed at that thought and felt the butterflies once again coming to life in her stomach.

Garrett’s mood was somber and thoughtful as she matched strides with her friend while they walked away from the office. She was pleased that she had stood her ground enough to get them the training that they would need to be a cohesive team. She realized that it would be taking away from her time in the O.R. but didn’t want to chance any unforeseen problems with her new friend. The surgeon cast a wayward glance in the nurse’s direction. ‘I bet she’s scared to hell and back.’ She was amazed at how much she was finding out about this woman. More than she had known about anybody in her lifetime. ‘Lucas, you’d be proud of her. She’s just like you, following me wherever my path leads.’

Chapter 2

The days seemed to fly by with little or no effort on the part of Danni. Her mind was being kept occupied with thoughts of everything but her normal nursing duties. First it was the rigorous physical conditioning that started off each and every morning for both her and the surgeon. It was to give them better strength and endurance for the days ahead. At times, she wondered if they were ever going to see a patient again. Thanks to the Cardiac Rehab Unit, they were able to use the indoor walking track each morning before the daily patrons made their way to it. With the weather turning more and more towards winter, it proved to be a blessing in disguise. She just couldn’t imagine herself being pried out of her nice warm bed to run out of doors. At least this way she was able to wake up a little first without the help of the elements.

They were already into the second week of their training when they were informed of the demands on their time for additional classroom periods and mock flight simulations to round out their days. If anybody had thought that this was going to be a piece of cake, they were badly mistaken. Danni could remember her days in nursing classes in college and thinking that they were tough with little or no time for herself. Now she found herself wishing for those days once more. They were cramming everything that they could into her, from how to use pieces of field equipment on the patient, to how to suppress the outbreak of fire in the helicopter while in flight. With each new day and skill that she learned, her admiration for the members of the EMS System and Flight Crews rose considerably.

At times Danni found herself enamoured with the thought of being a part of the "White Knight’s" team and swooping in with rotors-a-whirling to rescue the victim of trauma from the clutches of death. Then there were the other times, mostly at the end of the day, when all she wanted to do was just go home and die in a hot bath. Today was one of those. They had been learning to move patients on and off of the helicopter. It sounded easy enough, besides, she and Garrett moved patients in the trauma room all of the time. Boy, was there a difference when it was just the two of them and not an entire trauma team plus the medics to help. Garrett seemed to have no problem, but with the nurse’s petite frame and stature, she was finding muscles that she never knew existed as she tried to compensate for her size.

‘Gosh! I feel like every muscle in my body is crying for attention.’ Her body seemed to just melt into the warm water of the bath as she lowered herself down into it. The suds of the bubble bath encased her body as it passed through them.

Danni didn’t know whether her shoulders were sore from lifting the dummy filled stretcher in and out of the back of the helicopter or from the constant hunching over that they had to do when in the vicinity of the blades on the rotor. ‘I wonder how Garrett can keep up that posture?’ Then, when she thought of watching her friend in the O.R., standing stoop-shouldered as she worked on the patient. The nurse began to shake her head. "It figures! She’s used to it."

"Used to what, Danni?" The tall surgeon yelled out as she stopped outside of the door in the hall.

‘Caught, again!’ The blonde stuck her tongue out at the door. "Nothing, Gar. I was just talking to myself." ‘Sometimes I swear that she hears better than an owl.’ Then she laughed to herself as her mind played with an idea. ‘I wonder if Superman had a sister?’

"If that hot soak doesn’t loosen up those muscles in your back, I could give you a massage when you’re done. Danni…Danni…." Garrett listened for a reply but there was nothing but the sound of small splashes coming from the room. ‘Poor kid. I don’t think she realized that it was going to be this strenuous. I sure hope she isn’t going through all of this for nothing.’

The woman thought about all the things that they had been doing together as a team now. Each one learning more about the other without really trying to. When they worked as a team, their catalyst was pure instinct. ‘We’re either going to do this together…or not at all. I'll never find someone that knows my needs like she does.’

She started to walk back towards her room. The more she thought about the young woman that fate had brought into her world, the more Garrett realized how empty her world had been. ‘I don’t really think that I’d want to do this with anyone else.’ Then she smirked and shook her head. ‘Who’d be able to put up with me…especially in such cramped quarters?’

Garrett thought about the turbulent rides that she had in a helicopter, her mind then compared those to Danni’s growing motion sickness in the back of a swaying ambulance. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t let her eat before we take that first flight…just in case?’ The surgeon made a mental note to look back in on her friend in a little while then went to check on her mail.

Danni yawned, as her body was beckoning her to rest. The day was quickly catching up to her. Her body had finally allowed itself to come off of full alert status, and now…it needed sleep to heal and strengthen itself. The tired nurse succumbed almost instantly to the lure of the warm water as it swaddled her into sleep.

"Danni…Danni…" the throaty tones echoed in her head. "Ahhh! There it was!" Her muscles recognized that sudden feel of warmth as it stretched across her shoulders. Her flesh seemed to move willingly with the pressure as the strong touch molded her like clay in an artist’s hands. The gentle kneading sensations acting like a cosmic regeneration of some long ago depleted life force. Every change of direction causing the electrically charged particles to run rampant throughout her body, registering passions and delights beyond her realm of thought. She could feel her body tingling now as it betrayed her silent want to it’s very core.

Shadows of the night now loomed across her eyelids as the dark form called out to her from above. The outstretched hand summoning her with a warming sensation that would fill her body with its own language of the night, causing it to soar aloft in the sweet basking glow of the heavens as she floated amongst the clouds. Tender, so very tender was that soft, lingering touch that her body wanted nothing more than to melt at this very moment, never again to feel the need for another’s touch.

Her senses were dulled now as the last waves of exhaustive pleasure rolled through her body taking all of the aches and pains from her. She could hear the world calling to her and with a blurry eye, chose to slowly grasp on to her place and time. There, coming into a sharper view in front of her was the dark form, with beams of dazzling light emitting from around it. It seemed so surreal that it took her breath away, causing her to gasp for air.

"Danni, are you okay?" The voice whispered, trying hard not to startle her. The large but gentle hand reached out to caress her cheek again. "Come on sleepy head. I think that this hot soak has given you just about all that it can. Time to dry off now before you catch a chill." Garrett was sitting on the edge of the tub. Her tall form was towering up above the small woman as it blocked the overhead light from her eyes.

The petite woman felt unclear as to what was real and what had been part of her dream. She could feel an inner peace within herself as her mind acknowledged the presence of her friend. "That was nice," she purred in her wakening state. "Could we do that again some time?"

"Sure, anytime that you want." The surgeon spoke softly, not wanting to scare her. ‘She obviously isn’t talking about today’s activities.’ Garrett brushed a stray lock of hair from the woman’s face. "Well, by the look on your face, my friend, it seems to have done you a world of good, whatever it was." Garrett eyed her with a slightly raised eyebrow.

The blonde’s eyes were open now as her mind registered where she was. The loving expression that was on her face only a second ago now turned quickly into one of startled embarrassment. ‘This couldn’t have been real, could it?’ She asked herself as her eyes searched for a towel. Danni was finding it hard to avoid Garrett’s gaze. "What do you mean, whatever it was? Didn’t you just massage…I mean…offer me a massage?" She looked into her friend’s longing stare and realized that nothing had transpired between them. ‘No, just a dream, that’s all it was.’ Her shoulders slumped at the thought of missing the warming touch of her friend.

"Here," Garrett held the bath towel out for her to take. "It looks like you’re pretty relaxed right now. Maybe next time." ‘Maybe next time I should give her the massage before I let her bathe?’ Then getting up as she sensed the embarrassment that she had caused, "I’ll…I’m just going to go to bed now. I’ll see you in the morning." Garrett hesitated before moving toward the door, letting her eyes wonder across the flexed shoulders with just hints of clinging bubbles remaining on the delicate skin.

The nurse watched in amazement as the door closed once more leaving her alone. ‘By the gods! It felt so real.’ Danni lifted her body partially out of the tepid bath water, allowing the cooler room air to give her a chill. Her arms automatically crossed over her chest in an effort to stave off the multiplying goose bumps on her skin. "What the…?" The blonde woman looked down at her nipples that were already hard and raised. She hung her head and sighed, then mumbled under her breath. "Danni girl, you’ve got it bad. Real bad!"

********************

The night was winding down to the pleasure of the E.R. staff. It had been a little hectic at the start of their shift last evening but soon cleared out around 2 A.M. when the traumas started to roll in the door. There hardly ever seemed to be a slow time anymore. When all the rooms were emptied out and the last trauma sent to Radiology for an angiogram, the staff tried to relax.

Karen, the Charge Nurse, was finding it a little lonesome without her two pseudo-daughters around. She hadn’t seen either of them except for a quick pass through of the E.R. on their way to the gym or the classroom for the EMS Services. Her girls both looked fine except for the hurried look on their faces as they waved and yelled a warm hello in her direction, never pausing or breaking their step as they continued off into the world of helicopters.

It was a little over two weeks now and even Rosie was showing signs of an empty nest syndrome. The spirited nurse was looking at the door in anticipation of her friends’ arrival. "It’s funny how you get used to people being there and then one day, they’re just not." She looked kind of funny at the older nurse next to her. "Mom, are we ever going to get Danni and Garrett back…I mean…to the E.R.?"

Mom just shook her head in disbelief. "Weren’t you the one that wanted to crucify her on July first?"

"Well, yeah, but that was then. She ain’t so bad once you get to know her a little." Rosie shrugged her shoulders.

"And we have Danni to thank for that not so small feat." Mom sighed.

"You miss her, don’t you, Mom?"

Karen sniffed back a tear and nodded her head slowly. "Yes, I do. I miss them both." She hesitated, and then continued. "I even miss you, too, Rosie, when you’re gone for a length of time."

Rosie opened her mouth to answer that but just stared at the door instead. Then glancing over to Mom, she whispered. "Well, don’t look now, but the prodigal daughters just walked in." Her face was turning into a smile.

"Huh? Oh…ah…" Karen was trying to peer over top of the computer screen at her desk. Then the two familiar figures came into sight and her mind felt at ease. "Hi! How are you two doing today?"

The pair walked toward the desk, as each one, in their own way, waved and greeted the group, calling out their names as they came into view. Danni felt like she was coming home with all of the faces smiling her way.

Finally the question was asked. "What, no quick wave and run through of the E.R.? You two doing something different today?" Rosie was just being her usual smart aleck self.

Garrett raised her eyebrow at the remark. "Like we actually have a choice at what’s planned for us." The tall surgeon was not at all enthused about the day to come, and it was evident.

Danni just shook her head. "It’s not going to be that bad now, Garrett. Let’s try to be positive about this."

"I am. I’m positive that I’m not going to enjoy this morning."

"Why? What do they have planned for you this morning?" Mom asked, looking directly at Garrett.

The tall surgeon coughed and talked at the same time, causing her words to be mumbled and unintelligible.

"What did you say?" Mom looked at the uncomfortable posture of the surgeon. "Come on, it can’t be all that bad. Just say it and get it over with."

Her voice registered low and slightly more than a whisper at first. "Publicity photos. We have to have the publicity photos done today."

The petite nurse reached up and rubbed her hand across the back of the leather jacket that Garrett was wearing. "Now it wasn’t that bad to say, was it?" She looked up at her friend, trying to get her to agree. "Garrett?"

The tall woman was noticing that Danni took every chance that she could to be touching the leather of her jacket. ‘Hmm…could she be liking this jacket that much?’ "I just don’t see what all the fuss is about. Why can’t they just use my hospital I.D. photo?" The surgeon took her wallet out of her pocket and proceeded to sort through it until her hospital issued identification tag was in her hand. "Now, tell me, what’s wrong with that picture?" She held it out for everyone to see.

"Dr. Trivoli, nothing’s wrong with it…if you’re already in jail." The older nurse could barely keep a straight face. The tall surgeon was part of her family now, and fair game, just like everyone else. "If you showed me this, I wouldn’t leave you anywhere near my drugs. Yeah, this would make for a wonderful press release." All attempts to keep from laughing were put to a stop as Mom openly started a contagious belly laugh.

The surgeon just shook her head from side to side. "I should have expected as much from you."

The sight of a man slowly walking in through the doors took all of Garrett’s attention away from the group. She didn’t know what was wrong with the man, if anything, but her gut feelings were that he needed her help now. The surgeon had learned a long time ago to follow her intuitions without hesitation and this time was no different. She took off abruptly for the man as she lobbed her open wallet at Karen for safekeeping.

Karen caught the wallet as the contents spilled out onto the counter. "Hey, I was only teasing you. You didn’t have to throw…" She looked up to see Garrett catching the slumping man in her arms and laying him down on the floor. "Oh my! Danni, Rosie go help her." Mom quickly gathered up the disheveled contents of the wallet and stuffed them inside of her lab jacket pocket along with the wallet. She quickly made her way over to the empty stretchers lined along the hallway and wheeled one over to the area of activity by the door.

The two nurses quickly dropped to the cold tile floor and joined the surgeon as they tried to evaluate the cause of his collapse. Garrett hastily ascertained his ability to breathe as Danni searched for a pulse. The only visible sign of trouble at this time was the trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. Rosie busied herself with the removal of his bulky outer clothing as they waited for Karen and their mode of transport to the back hallway and the Trauma Room.

"Sir! Sir!" The strong commanding voice of the surgeon broke through the quiet of the area but elicited no response for the man at her knees. Faces of the staff now emerged from every corner and filled the desolate hallway. "We need a little assistance here." Her words sparked a flurry of motion as the staff rallied to help and together they lifted the weighty man up from the floor and onto the waiting stretcher.

Within seconds they were in the room set up for such emergent needs, with all of the necessary equipment at their disposal. The impromptu team all worked together to find the cause of the patient’s ill health, each one accepting their role in this life or death scenario without a second thought. They were all there for the patient and for each other.

Mom assumed her role as overseer of the flurried activity within the brightly-lit room. Her job would be to record the actions taken and their time of deliverance, along with anticipating any ancillary needs of the team before her. She knew her job and did it well. The arrival of a technologist from the Radiology Department was evidence of that.

Garrett looked up from her patient as the last remnants of his clothing were stripped off, only to see the familiar face of the X-ray Tech across from her, as she loaded a cassette for an X-ray under the patient’s chest. When their eyes met, she nodded her approval and continued on with her physical assessment of the downed man. Only seconds later did she hear the warning, "Clear the chest. X-ray!" She reflexively withdrew her hands from that area of the body as she let her eyes continue assessing the man’s condition.

Danni and Rosie responded in their usually coordinated manner of working together. It was as if they had never been separated for the last two weeks. The petite blonde nurse assuming the role of Trauma Nurse One, as she readily connected the patient up to the telemetry monitor and verbalized the initial readings, as each one became available. "Pulse 110, BP 100 over 76." She turned to double check the positioning of the finger probe for the pulse oximeter, "O2 saturation 94 per cent."

Rosie was right next to the tall surgeon as she was that first day of Garrett’s fellowship, only this time any thoughts that she had were strictly on the patient as she worked feverishly to gain I.V. assess in the patient’s left arm. "Okay, I.V.’s in! Sixteen gauge in the left AC." She announced without ever really thinking about it, as she placed the last piece of tape to secure it in place.

"Okay, no injuries showing on his anterior aspect. Let’s role him and check his back." Garrett watched as the staff opposite her log rolled the patient’s body into themselves to expose his back to her. The skilled eyes of the surgeon roamed freely over the entire expanse of the man’s posterior surface. There, just below his costaphrenic angle on the right was a small laceration. She gently inserted her gloved finger to see the extent of its penetration. ‘Hmmm…there’s his rib,’ she moved her finger in the opposite direction. ‘Feels like a downward direction to me. Look’s like I’m going to get some surgical time in today since the team hasn’t responded here yet.’ She tried to fight back the happy feeling of being in the O.R. once again. "Get us an O.R. room, Mom. He’s been stabbed in the abdomen." She removed her finger and motioned for the patient to be placed on his back once more. "Let’s hang a unit of O positive blood. Somebody put in a Foley catheter and finish drawing the blood work." She stepped back and removed her bloodied gloves. "Get him typed and cross matched for four units and send them to the O.R."

The surgeon came out of the scurrying room of activity to view the now processed chest X-ray. Her keen eye studied it making sure that there was no need for the insertion of a chest tube into the man’s lung.

"Would you like an abdomen film, Doc?" The technologist waited patiently for her reply.

"Huh…oh, yeah! Get that film and then we’re off to the O.R." Her mind went back to the X-ray displayed on the viewer as she studied it once more.

Karen stuck her head out from the room. "O.R.’s ready and waiting for you." She winked at the tall surgeon when she saw the pleased look on her face. "You miss it, don’t you?"

"Yes, I do." Her tone was somber and for the first time in her life she thought about what it must be like to know that you can never do or be with something that you loved more than you own life. ‘I hope that never happens to me.’

Garrett pulled herself back to the situation at hand and stepped into the room. "Let’s get up to the O.R. They’ve got a room waiting for our patient." She smiled as she saw the already assembled entourage in its first steps toward the door. ‘You just got to love these people.’ Her thought surprised her. ‘Never thought I’d be saying that.’ The surgeon stepped to the side of the stretcher as it passed her and matched her steps to the forward motion that had already been established.

Once the patient was on his way to the O.R., Karen finished the last of the charting and went back to sit at her desk up front. Being a Charge Nurse had certain duties to it, one of which was being relegated to staying in the department. ‘Well, the least I can do now is put her wallet back together again.’ She pulled the rather thin looking wallet out of her pocket thinking how appropriate it was for her pseudo-daughter to have. ‘Nothing heavy to tie her down.’ She mindlessly pulled out the assorted bits of paper and plastic cards that had fallen out earlier and tried to give them some order before stuffing them back into the wallet. She couldn’t help but noticing the absence of photographs so far. ‘Now, that’s odd. Mine is stuffed with pictures of my family and friends.’ Then at the end of the pile she came upon a worn and slightly tattered photo. She tried to make out the faces on it but just couldn’t seem to get them into focus. Mom resorted to using her arm to move the photo back and forth to get a better view of it as she concentrated on it.

"Hey, Mom! What you trying to look at?" The pleasant voice of Danni called over to her. She moved closer trying to see.

"Oh, these darn bifocals. You’d think that they’d help." She handed the photo over to Danni. "Here, see if you can make out who’s in this."

Danni took it and studied it carefully. "Mom, where’d you find this?" A smile was slowly coming to her mouth. Her eyes dancing in merriment as she recognized the strong features of her roommate evident on the youthful face in the picture.

"It was in her wallet. Must have fallen out when she tossed it at me." Karen craned her neck trying to see it. "Who do you think it is?"

"Well, the tall one is definitely Garrett," she turned the photo over and looked at the back of it. The youthful writing on it made the nurse sigh as she ran her finger over it. ‘Luc, and me 1980. I’ll be…’ She flipped the photograph over and stared down at it. "It’s her brother," the words slowly came out almost like a prayer.

Rosie’s ears perked up. "Tall, dark, and gorgeous has a brother. How come she’s been keeping him a secret? Let me see." Rosie moved to get a better look from over Danni’s shoulder. "Well, I’ll be." She let out a low whistle. "I wonder were I can find him now."

Danni hesitated as she worked out the numbers in her head. ‘Let’s see, She told me that she was seventeen when the accident happened. Hmm…that would have been…’ then she slowly spoke. "I think this was taken the same year of the accident." The blonde closed her eyes wishing that she could bring him back to her friend. She knew that Garrett and her brother were close but this photo only confirmed it more. ‘By the gods, how she must miss him.’ The looks on their faces and the openness of their posture with one another in the photo told her all that she needed to know. In her mind she just wanted to go right up to that O.R. suite and find the tall surgeon and throw her arms around her in an understanding hug for the loss of such a vital part of her friend’s life. The petite nurse considered it, but knew that the stoic woman would just think her crazy.

Their attention was broken with the banging of the fire doors as John walked into the E.R. The male nurse was considered to be the black sheep of the E.R. family, as his sleazy reputation afforded him. Seeing the women standing around he put on a lecherous grin. "So, you girls want to be the first ‘Maids of Desire’ on my new website?" He held up a shiny looking pocket camera and pointed to it. "It’s digital." The assembled nurses all cringed at the thought. "Danni, come on," he winked at her. "I’ll make you and that tall roommate of yours famous on the Internet. What do you say?"

Nothing ever changed with John. She’d been absent from the E.R. for two weeks and he still wouldn’t pass up a chance to try to seduce her. No ‘Hi! How you been?’ just right to the point of his warped mind. Sex, that’s all her ever thought about. Then an idea came to her mind and a sly smile trickled across her face as she looked up at the camera and back down to the photograph in her hands. She had an idea and John’s camera was just what she needed at this moment. "So, you want a picture of Dr. Trivoli…eh?" She fanned herself with the photo and wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

*****************

Garrett finished scrubbing her hands as she donned her sterile gown and gloves. She adjusted them into place on her way to the surgical table. She positioned the lights and accepted the first of the sterile draping towels to expose the area over the already Betadine prepped abdomen. Upon placing the last drape, she looked up to see the hurried form of her colleague Dr. Chabot enter the room.

"Ah, Rene, you’ve come to assist me." She nodded. "I was wondering who would be my second."

He grabbed at the gown and thrust his arms into it. "McMurray sent me in here. He said that you’re not to be operating." He was breathing hard from running up the back stairs from his office. "He said that you already have a job to do and that I should let you go do it." His eyes searched hers, pleading for her not to take out her wrath on him. ‘I’m only the messenger.’

The tall surgeon’s eyes turned to a steely blue and the nurse standing next to her could feel a change in the climate of the operating theatre, as her stare seemed to turn the air to ice. She wanted to explode on him but knew that it would do no good for any of them, her patient included. The favor that the Board had asked for came dancing back through her head. Her gaze lessened and she let her hands come down to her sides as she stepped away from the table. She was a woman of honor and that meant keeping her word.

Rene moved to replace her at the patient’s side. His eyes looked into hers as he thanked the gods above for not letting him be the brunt of her anger. "I’ll take good care of him, Garrett." He nodded in assurance as he readied himself to take over for her.

Garrett pulled off her gloves as she relayed the knowledge she had about the patient and his injury site. She wasn’t used to walking out of an operating suite before the patient was even worked on. She made her way to the door, then turned and watched as the tall thin man guided his team to best serve the patient. ‘I hope that there’s something good that comes out of this next six months.’ Listening to the quiet direction of surgical equipment to use in the operation as Dr. Chabot began the surgical incision, she pulled open the door and left the operating theatre. ‘I better not keep my job waiting.’ She pulled off the gown and threw it into the first debris container that she passed as she made her way out of the O.R.

****************

The bright lights were making the small blonde perspire as she stood waiting for her friend. It wasn’t going to be a physically strenuous day, but the heat of the lighting was sure to sap her strength. She could feel herself becoming anxious as she wondered how Garrett was making out in the O.R.

"Okay, I’m strapped for time. Set up for the individual shots." The man working with the camera was directing his assistants now. "Somebody give her that flight suit to put on. Come on now, we don’t have all day to get this shoot done."

Danni was handed the dark jumpsuit and directed to the entrance of the changing room. She walked through the studio taking in all that she could see. "Jeez, who would have thought that all this would be in a hospital."

The young assistant just laughed at her awestruck wonderment. "It’s actually not that much, just a big old room with some lighting and a few background props. I’m sorry, my name is Ronnie." She smiled at the blonde.

"I’m Danni, one of the…" Danni twisted and turned to see everything as she went by it, never finishing her introduction. "Is all this for us?"

"Nah, we do all the PR photos for the research and the special events that the medical staff is involved in." She stopped and opened the door to what Danni thought was a closet. "You can get changed in here. Just come out when you’re done. We’ll be waiting for you."

"Okay." She accepted the directions and entered the changing room, then paused. She stuck her head back out of the door saying, "Thanks, Ronnie. It was nice meeting you."

"My pleasure. You’d better hurry and get changed." The young woman looked around for the Photographer. "He hates to be kept waiting," then motioned with her head in his direction.

Danni nodded as she closed the door to the changing closet. She held out the bundle and let it unfold before her eyes. There wasn’t much to the uniform. It was nothing but a jumpsuit with a multitude of zippers and Velcro pockets all over it. After dressing quickly she looked into the mirror and had to laugh. She placed the flight helmet on her head. The mirror reflected back her image, making her look more like a miniature version of a space man. She started out the door only to find the high top jump boots reaching almost to her knee. She just shook her head and continued on. "I guess that’s the price you pay when you’re short.’ She thought of her tall, well-proportioned friend. "I bet she makes these look like a million bucks."

Danni made her way back to the group of people and found herself quickly positioned in a large area of emptiness, engulfed in lights, while hands reached in to tug and pull on her clothing and to arrange her hair. Within minutes she was the center of attention as everyone was talking to her and directing her as to how to stand and where to look. ‘Those models make it look so easy.’ The man with the camera circled around her, snapping and talking to her as he did. Just when she thought she knew where to look, they were yelling some other direction to her. ‘It surely can’t be this confusing for everyone.’

Then, finally from out of nowhere the shout came. "Alright everyone, take a fifteen minute break." The lights dimmed slightly and suddenly Danni was left there, standing all alone.

The photographer strolled over to the man seated in the corner out of the way. "You want me to give you an excited, accomplished looking subject for that PR release." He shook his head. "She looks more like a lost child out there." The photographer sat down next to the man. "Isn’t there someone else that you can use? I’m never going to get any good shots of this one."

Dr. McMurray nodded his head. "She’ll be alright. Danni’s a team player. She’ll do better when the other half of the team shows up." The Ol’ Cutter kept his eye on the young nurse. He could tell that she was floundering under the bright lights and all the attention.

She stood there with a questioning look on her face. It was like she was missing the other half of her soul and didn’t know where to find it. ‘I guess it’s not as easy as it looks.’ Danni looked up just as the tall figure came strolling into the room. She could tell instantly that her team member had arrived. Her face took on a new appearance and seemed to beam forth a newfound confidence in herself.

"Look!" McMurray whispered to the photographer. "That’s the image I want you to get."

The man quickly placed his camera to his eye and began to focus on the radiant women in the light. His face took on a new exuberance as he captured her on film, easily running through the roll in only a minute or two.

Danni never noticed the flashes going off around her. Her mind was only absorbed by the figure coming toward her. "Hey! Glad to see that you could make it, Doc." She smiled at her friend, still unable to see her in nothing but silhouette.

"Yeah, well, there’s not much left to do if your not allowed in the O.R." Garrett shrugged her shoulders. "I figured my job was down here."

The petite nurse reached out for her hand. "Come on. I’ll show you where your flight suit is."

Garrett felt the small hand in hers and a feeling of relief filled her. It was as if she was coming home after being away for a long time. She was no longer mad at being asked to leave the O.R., feeling that her place was here for some odd reason.

Danni turned to face the tall surgeon as she continued walking her through the maze of lighting equipment. "I’ve been waiting for you to come." Her face was full of love as her eyes met Garrett’s.

McMurray sat in his chair and smiled at what he was witnessing. It made his heart feel good to know that he was at the root of her change. With his vision obscured by the photographer making his way back over to the corner of the room, he lost track of the two women.

When he was only a step or two away, the photographer spoke. "So, who’s the tall, good looking one?" He motioned with his head toward the dark-haired beauty. "I’d like to get her on film. Heck, I’d like to have her, myself." He chuckled snidely.

"That, sir, is the other half of the team." The Ol’ Cutter turned to look at the salivating photographer. "And I don’t believe that you could handle her if you tried."

"A wild one, huh? What are they, your secretaries?"

McMurray curled his lip up into a smile as he nodded. "Head strong is more like it." ‘But I think she’s met her match.’ He thought about the two women and how they were coming together in their training and in their lives. He just sat there, a smile etched across his face. The Ol’Cutter wasn’t sure that the man could accept the fact that the pair of women he so loosely referred to were highly skilled caregivers. "My secretaries," he chuckled, "no, hardly."

Within a few minutes the tall woman had changed into her outfit and walked over to the lighted area with her flight helmet under her arm. Her figure was striking in the one-piece jumpsuit. Her tall form commanded attention and brought awe-inspired looks from the photography crew. She was all business as she asked where to go and what they wanted her to do.

Danni stood off to the side until directed to join her fellow team member on the backdrop area. They wanted a picture with the both of them standing side by side. Each of the women waited for the crew to address the small details of their clothing and hair. Their minds deep in thought as they tried to calm themselves. The photographer walked around them, letting his gaze wash over the entire length of their bodies. He snapped his fingers and pointed to Danni. The assistants scurried, rushing back with a small stool.

"Step on it." He directed the blonde. "Much better. Now you," he pointed to Garrett. "Come just a little closer to the lens." She complied and looked slightly back to her right at Danni. "Look at me, not her," he snapped. "Okay, now I want you to think of something that would make you very happy for Christmas." He positioned himself, watching the women’s faces in the viewfinder of the camera and waited.

‘Christmas, huh?’ Danni’s face lit up as she thought about the idea she had for Garrett’s present. ‘She’s never going to expect that. I’ve got to remember to thank John for his help.’

The tall woman’s eyes twinkled as she remembered her friend’s fondness for touching her leather jacket earlier in the day. ‘I guess I’ll call the closest Navy base for that. Hmm…I wonder if they even come in her size.’ The corners of her mouth turned upward as she imagined the look on Danni’s face when she opened the box.

The photographer quietly watched and at the appropriate moment began taking his pictures. After exhausting his roll of film he switched cameras and walked slowly around the two women.

His quick hand jerks and the snapping of his fingers brought the support crew to life once more. Ladders were being positioned and equipment was being moved to his constant directions. The two subjects of the photography session just stood there until his gaze turned to them and, with a flourish of hand motions, he dismissed them from their position.

Once on the sidelines of the activity, Danni watched as the backdrop that they had used was efficiently rolled up and another one was repositioned in its place. The crew moved in the ladders and swiftly moved several of the boom lighting stands out of the way. Ronnie and another crewman carried a pole with different lights attached to it and began climbing the ladders.

"Hey, Gar, what do you think they’re going to do with that?"

Garrett turned a watchful eye to the pair as they climbed to nearly the top of the ladders. "I’m not sure, but I guess we’ll find out."

"Come on now, I don’t have all day for this shoot. I want that up higher and over more." He waved his hands and cursed under his breath. "No! Not there. Over more Ronnie. Can’t you move it any further?" His voice sounded angry.

Danni felt like it was like a slow motion viewing of an event. She knew what was about to happen but had no way of stopping it. Before she could even shout out a warning, Ronnie was falling from atop the ladder. Within seconds the sound of the body impacting with the hard floor was reverberating in everyone’s ears and the lifeless form lay draped over the small stool that Danni had been given to stand on.

The photographer spun around to see the woman on the ground. "Jeez! Don’t go and bleed on the backdrop." His hands moved excitedly. "Hurry up, get her off of there."

The surgeon and the nurse sprang into action, each one sensing what the other would do. Danni found the phone and called the E.R. reporting the nature and whereabouts of the accident within the hospital itself. Garrett made her way to the downed woman. "I wouldn’t touch her if I were you," she warned.

The photographer stopped short and retreated back a step as Garrett pushed past him to get to the figure on the ground.

The surgeon quickly knelt down, positioning herself at the victim’s head, making sure that the woman was still breathing on her own. Having noted the rise and fall of her chest and the gentle flaring of her nostrils, Garrett checked for the quality of the patient’s breathing. ‘Good deep inspirations.’ Then she moved on to see where all the bleeding was from. The petite nurse was coming into view as she looked around for something to help contain the bleeding.

"Ronnie, can you hear me? Ronnie!" Danni called out her name. The muffled sound of mumbling was evident as the woman began to stir. "Don’t move. You’ve fallen. We’ll take care of you." The nurse brushed back the loose hair that had fallen across the patient’s face. "You’re gonna be alright, just let us take care of you."

"Did you get us some help, Danni?"

"Yeah, I called the E.R. and told them we needed a backboard, collar and a stretcher."

Garrett was assessing the patient’s extremities now. Carefully checking each of the arms and legs for any signs of deformity or swelling. ‘Obvious deformity in the left leg. I bet she landed on that one.’ The leg was twisted underneath her and the lower half of her pant leg was beginning to soak through with blood. The surgeon looked around at the people gathered around the outskirts of the lit area. "I need a knife or a pair of scissors."

"Here, will this help?" An older man stepped out of the shadows, holding out a pocketknife.

"Yeah, thanks." She took the offered knife and opened it. Using the large blade, she carefully slit the jeans up the side of the pant leg and exposed the injured site. The skin was hanging from the avulsion and the jagged ends of the bones were showing. It was going to be a nasty fracture, nothing that couldn’t be repaired. "How’s she doing, Danni?"

"Mumbling some, but nothing really coherent." Danni continued to talk softly as she maintained stabilization of the patient’s head.

The clamoring of the arriving group of caregivers announced their arrival. The speed and efficiency that the combined group worked with was evident to all that watched. Within minutes of when the teamwork had begun, the patient was placed in a cervical collar and on a backboard. The flurry of activity was all being directed by the tall, dark-haired woman in the flight suit.

The photographer stood there not moving a muscle, his eyes riveted to her. When the activity had subsided and the entourage of caregivers gone, he walked slowly around the site of the earlier commotion as though he was in shock.

Sensing his inability to cope with the situation, McMurray approached him. "You okay?"

"She…she…" he stammered. "She was telling them all what to do. Why would they listen to a secretary?"

McMurray just chuckled at the thought. He patted the photographer’s shoulder gently and said. "Times have changed, my boy. They’re not just secretaries any more."

********************

The E.R. was buzzing with excitement when the group made its way into the trauma room. The full team had been alerted and was assembled there, waiting for the patient. Garrett noted that it felt funny to be arriving with the patient. After giving a brief report about the patient in hand-off to Rene, the flight-suited surgeon left to go stand in the hallway with Danni.

"Hey, nice outfits. Do you know where I can get one?"

Danni felt the tug on her sleeve. "Huh?" She turned to see John standing next to her, a smile plastered across his face.

"Nice try, but it still won’t get you two on my ‘twins’ page."

"Knock it off, John." Danni wasn’t in a mood to be toyed with, especially not by John. "We were doing the photo shoot for PR when one of the crew became injured. These," she pulled at her jumpsuit, "are the flight suits that we’ll be wearing."

"Oh…you mean you’re still going to do that helicopter thing, even after what just happened in North Carolina? I thought you didn’t like to fly."

"North Carolina…why…what happened in North Carolina?" Danni was curious now.

"You didn’t hear?" John looked at the surgeon and then back to the nurse. "One of the medivac helicopters went down. It burst into flames, killing the pilot."

Garrett’s eyes narrowed as she studied John’s face. "What happened to the rest of the crew?"

"They’re fine. The pilot got some kind of warning signal or message and put down so that they could ground transport the patient. They thought that the problem was fixed and on the test flight it just happened."

The petite nurse gasped as her hand grabbed at Garrett’s sleeve. She was trying hard not to react to the news. Her face turned pale and she could feel the butterflies multiplying in her stomach. ‘How am I ever going to get through this. I can’t pull out now.’

The surgeon sensed Danni’s fear. ‘I’ve got to do something to keep her from thinking about this.’ Come on, Dan. We had better go get our clothes back at the studio." She nudged her shoulder and once she had Danni’s attention, motioned for her to follow.

"Yeah, right…our clothes." The nurse was pre-occupied, her mind seeing flaming balls dropping from the sky, but her body followed after the surgeon.

*******************

McMurray stood waiting patiently at the door for his team when they were ready to leave. "You two worked well together today," he called out.

Garrett felt Danni nudging her in his direction. "Considering…" the tall surgeon questioned him with her raised eyebrow.

"You both knew your responsibilities and you did your best." The man shrugged. "I want to thank you both for the help you gave us in the E.R. today."

"Well, we were right there and everything just kind of clicked together." Danni was honest in her facts.

"I know. That’s why the Board wanted you two for this project." He reached out and touched Garrett’s shoulder. "Six months isn’t too long. You’ll see."

"Yes, sir." Garrett nodded her head. "Did he make it?"

McMurray thought for a moment. "Oh, Dr. Chabot’s patient, yes, he’s doing fine. Said that he was out shopping for Christmas when someone came up and robbed him. I guess they thought that they needed an advantage, so they stabbed him."

The surgeon smiled weakly, "That’s good that he came through alright then."

"Come on, Garrett. We need to get to class." She stepped around her friend and acknowledged the Chief of Trauma Services nodding, "Dr. McMurray."

He stepped aside and watched as the pair walked down the long corridor. Listening, he could hear the almost non-stop banter of the smaller woman as she tried to cheer her friend out of her self-imposed doldrums.

"So are you hungry? I’m starved, want to go to the gift shop on the way to class?"

The tall woman just raised her head and rolled her eyes. ‘Where does she put it all?’ "Yeah, I guess I could use some coffee."

"Okay, but it’s my turn to buy." Danni stopped dead in her tracks. "Jeez, I almost forgot. Mom said to give this to you." She dug into her coat pocket and pulled out the thin wallet. She smiled as she handed it to the surgeon.

Garrett took it and pressed it into the interior pocket of her leather jacket. "Thanks, Danni."

"No need for thanks." ‘Well, at least not yet.’ She wrinkled up her nose and smiled as she thought about the holiday that was fast approaching. "Now, come on…I’m starved." With that, she hastened her pace to keep up with her soaring spirits.

Chapter 3

Garrett stood staring off into the distance. Up on the roof of the hospital, it was as though you could see for miles. Her head turned to survey the glowing city skyline. Each tall building stood out as a testament to the men who built it. ‘I wonder if they ever doubted their effort?’ Her thoughts mirrored her own doubts about the effort that she was giving in the final half of her Fellowship. It seemed like no effort at all, except for her to stay out of the operating theatre.

The bitter wind at her face was no match for her resolve. She had come up here to think and sort out some of her life without any interruptions. It was quiet up here, away from the rest of the world. She looked down on the streets below watching the random moving of the people as they traveled in the cars below. Each one either moving toward or away from some familiar destination, all in a hurry to be with loved ones, whether they were near or far.

She looked up into the darkening night sky and let her eyes shift from one faintly glistening star onto another. The heavens were full of shimmering lights tonight, some of them shining more brightly than others. Like an old navigator trying to set his course, she sought out the North Star using the position of the Big Dipper for her guide. She’d learned a lot in the Navy, more than she realized. The surgeon closed her eyes and imagined herself once again out on the deck of the aircraft carrier, with the strong seas rolling beneath her.

The Flight Surgeon had worked savagely trying to save the young man. The numerous wounds and severity of the blows had made it impossible to stop the bleeding. Within minutes of reaching her operating table, the young seaman was dead. Her mind could not fathom anything with such a degree of morbidity as to what the body before her attested. She needed to know what had caused the man’s death. No, not medically, but mechanically. She had seen for herself the horrors of automobile and airplane crashes as a surgical resident. Nothing compared to this.

The tall woman stood with her hands tightly wrapped around the railing on the ship. She watched out over the sea as the waves broke and then came crashing down on themselves. The sound of the waves deadened her nerves with its watery lullaby.

She had never seen as many emotions on one face as she had earlier today. She closed her eyes and the scene was immediately before her again. The lone sailor standing vigil for his comrade. She wasn’t sure which emotion was strongest or which was more touching to her heart. It didn’t really matter. All that mattered was that his friend was gone.

She tried to cast the images out of her head, but before she could, she felt a presence around her. Slowly she turned to see the gaunt face of the seaman with his haunted eyes. She didn’t know what he wanted but she was sure that it would be in reference to his fallen friend. She turned around to face him and returned his salute.

"Permission to speak, Ma’am" His voice was strong and clear with a hint of determination in his manner. He had something to say and it was going to be now or never.

"Permission granted, Sailor. Stand at ease." She waited patiently for him to speak.

"I want to thank you, Ma’am, for working on my…" he paused to clear his throat and then continued. "…On Seaman first class Williams. I know that you did your best and that he would have been grateful for your effort." Tears were stinging in his eyes as he thought of his friend.

She nodded in acceptance. "I did what any Military Surgeon would have done. I only did my job."

"I know that Ma’am, but you didn’t give up."

The words were echoing through her head as the image of the young man faded from her mind. ‘Maybe it will be worth it.’ The surgeon looked back down to the streets below. Garrett thought about her new role here in the Fellowship, and everything became clearer to her. She was here for a reason and whatever it was, she wasn’t about to give up.

She took one long last look at the night sky and began to walk toward the portal to go back inside and rejoin the world again. Looking over in its direction, she noticed that it was open now and a small figure was silhouetted against the incandescent light of the bare bulb hanging within the stairwell. The stature of the figure brought only one person to her mind, Danni. The surgeon found a smile slowly coming to her lips the closer she came to the doorway.

She watched as the form stepped back on the top landing of the stairwell, letting its figure bathe in the light. The warm glow of the light dulled in comparison to the exuberance of love radiating in her direction. The petite nurse had a heart that could encompass the world and usually did. Her patients could all attest to that. The nurse could make them feel so at ease with her friendliness, giving her heart without a care as to how it was handled. She gave whatever she thought was needed to expedite the patient’s recovery. Danni chose to reveal her true inner beauty to only a certain few, letting them into that peerless heart of hers, to do as they please. The surgeon was privileged to be one of them and realized the responsibility that came with it. Garrett knew that she could never allow anything to hurt her friend, physically or emotionally.

"Hey!" The blonde’s quiet smile was evident even in her greeting. "I was hoping you hadn’t left without me."

The surgeon’s lopsided grin was her only reply as she advanced into the doorway. "How’d you know where to look for me?"

"It’s my getaway up here when the world seems to be crashing in on me. I come up her and just let my spirit soar out over the rooftops. Sooner or later my mind settles and I calm down." She brushed past the surgeon, walking out onto the roof. Taking an exaggerated deep breath with her eyes closed, she turned slowly around with her arms outstretched and then pulled them in tightly to herself as she crossed her chest. "I can almost sense the peace and quiet of the forest here: the air cleansing my mind with its clean smell and fresh scent." She opened her eyes and became noticeably shy as she shrugged her shoulders. "My mother told me that I was a bit of a dreamer, always waiting for the natural wonders of the world to come to me."

Garrett stood watching her, taking in the entire innocence of the moment. Before her stood a woman who was more like a child in her wonderment of the world than the capable caregiver she had come to know, whose dreams seemed to be only the pure and simple kind. The surgeon was beginning to see so much of her brother in the young woman that sometimes, from a distance with the shadows playing tricks on her eyes, she thought that Lucas was here again, in her presence. ‘How could I have been so blind, not to have seen it before?’ Then, she thought of her brother beaming down on her with pleasure and it inspired her. ‘Thanks, little brother for looking out for me.’

"Well, what do you say we take our dreams home and get some rest? We’ve got a full day tomorrow." The surgeon beckoned to her.

"Yeah," she nodded with a weak smile. "That sounds like a plan to me."

The two women headed for the stairway, neither having any need to speak, yet knowing the presence of the other’s mind. Each one was a little nervous about the events of the next day. They didn’t need to draw any more attention to it or their own thoughts about it. It would be their D-day and the truth would be there for all to see. They had to prove that they could indeed deliver an intact and functional Flight Team to a destination and back. The question that everyone was concerned about, was could the nurse keep it together and deliver the payload without becoming a casualty herself?

Danni thought about how lonely it would feel to watch Garrett take off, matched up with another nurse. ‘It would be like watching half of myself leave, never knowing if it would ever return.’ At the bottom of the first set of stairs she turned to look back at her friend, the worry and loneliness etched across her face. "Gar…" she bit at her lip, undecided whether to continue or not.

Sensing the trepidation in her voice, the surgeon looked into Danni’s eyes and saw the concern in the wallowing green pools. Garrett stopped on the landing. She had to find out what was wrong before it took any further hold on the nurse. "What’s on your mind, Danni?" She watched as the young woman still battled within herself. "Come on. We’re a team, let’s talk about it." She lowered her body to meet Danni eye to eye.

With furrowed brow the young woman searched the face of her teammate then started. "What if tomorrow’s the end of our team? I mean…what if I can’t do my job up there and just go off in some catatonic trance? I’ll never get to work with you again."

"Hey, don’t go thinking like that. We work well together. Our numbers prove that. Heck, it’s what got us in this team, isn’t it?" She reached over with her hand and gently lifted the nurse’s chin so that they made eye contact once more. "We’ll do fine up there, you’ll see. We’ll do our job. I can always count on you to do that, whether it’s in the Trauma room, out on the softball field, at a photo shoot or up in the air." Garrett narrowed her gaze and let the fire of her crystals penetrate deep within the shimmering green as she tried to drive home her point. "We always do our job. Right?"

Danni was receiving the message louder and clearer than she dared even think was imaginable. ‘She thinks of us as a team, I can’t let her down now.’ Resigning to try her hardest, she slowly nodded in acknowledgement of Garrett’s belief in her ability to come through when the chips were down. She only hoped that her tall, dark-haired friend was right.

"Now, enough of this worrying. What do you say we go home and relax?" They nodded in unison. Each one trying to reassure the other as smiles slowly resurfaced. "Hey, I’ll even get dinner ready for us. How’s that?"

"I didn’t know that you could cook?" Danni was a little reluctant about this newest revelation of her friend’s abilities.

"Well…" the surgeon started off toward the door to the inner hallway and the elevators. "I never said that I’d actually cook now, did I?" She smiled mysteriously and winked at the petite blonde, then laughed.

Danni shook her head and smiled. "No, I guess you didn’t. Okay, let’s go home. Now you’ve got me curious as to what’s for dinner."

The surgeon just smiled as she reached out, pushing the button to summon an elevator.

‘This I gotta see.’ Danni just watched as the doors opened and the two stepped on. ‘She never ceases to amaze me. There always seems to be something more to her when you think that you have her all figured out.’

***

The ride home had been a quiet one, with only occasional words spoken between the two women. The majority of the limited conversations pertained strictly to the sights and sounds of the approaching holiday. The brightly colored lights and glistening decorations that seemed to be on just about every door or window gave the quaint streets an almost "Dickens" feel. The ethnic neighborhoods of the city, all giving a distinct flavor to the decorating style of its residents made for a rich and flavorful distraction.

Danni hadn’t spoken much on the way home. She had been doing a lot of speculating and thinking of ways to overcome her fear between now and tomorrow morning. ‘Maybe if I just get my mind off of it, I’ll do better.’ She looked around for something to occupy her mind. ‘Who knows, I may even end up enjoying the helicopter ride.’ She picked up the pile of mail and started sorting through it. ‘Yeah, fat chance of that happening.’ The nurse pulled out the two or three pieces of mail with the surgeon’s name on it and placed it in a neat pile by her keys and pager on the hall stand.

"Hey, Gar! How long before dinner?" Danni looked at the return addresses on her mail. "Do you think that I have time to open my mail?"

The voice came floating in from the kitchen, "Sure! It’ll take me a little while to get things done." There was the sound of kitchenware clanging in the background as doors and drawers opened and closed. "I’ll call you when it’s ready."

Danni looked out towards the kitchen, her face attested to her puzzlement at what could be going on with all of the noise that she was hearing. "Okay!" She hesitated, then continued. "Gar, if you need any…"

"No, I’ve got it covered. Thanks."

The petite woman settled onto the couch as she started to open the first envelope. A thought sprang through her mind. ‘I wonder if she’s…nah, she doesn’t seem like the type to want to find their Christmas presents.’ Danni let her mind visualize the gift-wrapped box that now resided in her nightstand drawer. ‘I’ve got to remember not to send her in there for another razor until after Christmas.’ She smiled at the thought and started on the pile of mail in her lap.

Garrett busied herself in the kitchen trying to find something…anything that she could make. ‘You had to go and volunteer, didn’t you?’

It wasn’t that the domesticated world was foreign to her, it just didn’t fit the surgeon’s demanding career. She’d been on her own since she went away to college. Between fast food and cafeteria cuisine, she never needed to provide much more than a sandwich or a bowl of cereal for her daily sustenance. ‘Now, what am I going to make? Hmmm…’ she kept looking through the cupboards in search of anything that would be within her limited capabilities. She found herself muttering under her breath. "You’re a skilled surgeon and perform major lifesaving operations with intricate procedures on patients, there has to be something here that you can…." Her eyes got bigger as she reached for the box on the shelf. "Yeah, I can do this," her voice taking on a renewed determination. She hurriedly looked through the rest of the shelves finding the necessary items to accompany the contents of the box, then set her plans in motion.

The ruckus had subsided from the kitchen and quiet was growing like the calm before a storm. Danni gave thought to investigating the sudden stillness, but decided to have complete and utter confidence in her roommate’s ability to make something for dinner. ‘I’d trust her with my life if I ever needed her skills as a surgeon. I’m sure she can handle making something to eat.’ The nurse bit her lip for a moment, then forced herself to press on to the next piece of mail in her hands.

Her eyes gazed over the front of the envelope, searching for some clue as to whom the sender was. The large looped fancy scroll of the writing was all that she needed to see. She had seen that style of penmanship all of her life. She quickly opened it and set about reading the card from her parents, more specifically, her mother. The Christmas card was of her usual type, the kind that automatically told you who it was from after reading the few words across the front of it. Somehow after all these years, "Merry Christmas to Our Daughter" seemed like a dead giveaway.

Danni’s brow furrowed as she opened the card to reveal the standard printed sentiments on the inside. Instead of the usual scrolling of "Love, Mother and Dad," there were a few sentences penned before it. ‘I guess that I’m still being reprimanded for missing Thanksgiving Dinner with them.’ Her eyes quickly skimmed across the message. Bewildered by the conveyed thoughts, she reread them, only this time aloud as she tried to understand them more fully. "We hope that your plans will include visiting us on Christmas Eve. The family would love to meet your friend, Garrett. If at all possible, please attend. Love, Mother and Dad." ‘By the gods, it sounds like they are summoning me home. Hmm…but why with Garrett?’

"Hey, Dan, where do you keep your…" Garrett saw the deep thought that was etching itself across the younger woman’s brow. "Something wrong?" She motioned toward the card that was still in Danni’s hand. "Pretty special looking card there." The surgeon’s eyebrow rose slightly.

"Huh? Oh, this. No, it’s my Mother’s usual Christmas card, just not her usual penned phrase this year."

"You still taking heat about working on Thanksgiving?" Garrett sounded concerned. ‘Jeez, I know that she did that for me.’

"No," she smirked. "The funny thing is, that’s what I expected. Here take a look at it." Danni handed the card over. "Mother hasn’t mentioned a thing about Thanksgiving to me."

The surgeon read through the card then pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Gee, Danni, you’ll have to give your mother my apologies for not being able to attend."

"You’re working Christmas Eve? I thought you told me that you were covering Christmas Day." ‘Great! Tell me I volunteered to work sixteen hours on the wrong day.’

Garrett smiled, chuckling as she answered. "I felt bad for Nathan and Rene both. I told Nathan I’d cover for him on Christmas Eve from 1800 hours on so he could go home for Christmas." She shrugged. "I figured that it was the least that I could do for them. Besides, I’ll get to treat some real patients for a day and a half."

"McMurray and the Board are all right with that? I mean…they’re going to let you?"

"Not much that they could do. They needed someone here and since I don’t have any family to go home to, it was the only logical choice." ‘But it will be like going home to family for me.’ Garrett thought of the assortment of characters that comprised her new family. ‘Yeah, and with you there for sixteen hours, I’ll really feel at home.’

"Humph! Well, I guess I’ll let Mother know that it will be just me coming home for Christmas Eve." The blonde looked thoughtful as she concentrated on the strange smell coming from the kitchen. "Say, what are you making for dinner, anyway?" She sniffed at the air. "Almost smells like…"

Garrett sniffed at the air also. "Oh, damn!" Then took off for the kitchen, all thoughts of Christmas now forgotten.

Danni chuckled. ‘I’m sure glad that she has other talents to fall back on.’ "Hey, Gar! You better not quit your day job. I don’t think that there’s too much need for Chefs that specialize in Blackened cooking." ‘Besides I bet I could find a few things for you to do with those skilled hands of yours.’ The nurse just shook her head. ‘Where did that come from?’

She picked up the few cards that were left to open and quickly busied her hands as if they would get her mind thinking about something other than the talented surgeon. With the last card left to open, her mind was once again thinking of the Christmas holiday to come with memories stirred by family and good friends. ‘You know, this writing looks vaguely familiar.’ Danni thought of a few people that it could belong to but dismissed all of them. Her curiosity now piqued, she opened it. A softly broadening smile came across her face. ‘David! Isn’t that thoughtful of him? He still hasn’t forgotten us.’

Garrett had stuck her head into the doorway from the kitchen, when she noticed the beaming smile of her young friend. ‘I wonder if that smile is because I’m making dinner tonight?’ Then she noticed the card that the blonde was holding and glancing down at. ‘Whoever sent that card must be somebody special by the look on her face.’ She felt an overpowering urge to be jealous but couldn’t think of why or whom she should be jealous of. ‘Let it go, Garrett. She’s got her own life. Not everything revolves around you.’

"You ready to eat?" She waited for an answer as she watched the young woman before her eyes, as Danni’s mind was a million miles away. "Danni, dinner’s ready."

"Huh? Oh yeah, dinner. I’ll be right there, Gar." She motioned with her head as she glanced over in the dark-haired woman’s direction. ‘I’m going to have to tell Mom and Rosie about the card the next time that I see them.’ She put the card down on top of the pile and went toward the kitchen.

Danni looked around the kitchen as she stood in the doorway. The lighting had been reduced to only the glow of the light from the range hood, giving the room a moody atmosphere of mystery. The table was set with two place settings and food was neatly piled on the plates. "Safe to come in?" Her eyes swept the room for the tall surgeon. ‘Hmmm…I wonder if the lighting is to hide the burnt offerings or to lessen the stress of the day that we had?’

Garrett came in from the door at the rear of the kitchen, a bottle of wine in her hand. "Brrr! It’s cold out there. I figured that it would take less time than the fridge to chill this down outside." She took one look at the amazed blonde and held the bottle up in offering to her. "I thought some wine would go nicely with the meal. Besides, it will help us relax and get some sleep tonight." She pushed the door closed and locked it. "Nothing goes better with spaghetti than a little wine. What do you say?"

"Spaghetti? You made spaghetti."

"Well, my last name is Trivoli." The surgeon laughed as she began pouring the wine into glasses.

"But I didn’t think…I…" The nurse looked over at the cupboard next to the counter where her pantry was. ‘I know that I didn’t have any spaghetti sauce. Where’d she…’

"Come on, sit down and eat before it gets cold."

Danni did as she was instructed taking note of the table and its settings. The nurse was learning something new about her friend. ‘I’m impressed. She even has the knack of setting a pleasantly looking table. I guess she’s just full of all sorts of hidden talents.’ She looked at the spaghetti that was so neatly arranged on the plate in front of her, the aroma of which wafted up, filling her senses. She closed her eyes to concentrate, trying to analyze the many intermingled scents that filled the air.

Garrett watched her friend closely as she sat down at her place and quietly drew her chair in closer to the table. She studied the expression on the young woman’s face, eager to find out if she would be pleased with the offering. ‘Well, it’s not dad’s sauce but it can’t be too bad. Heck, I watched him make it often enough, I should have remembered something.’

Finally the nurse opened her eyes to see the tall woman across from her become a little startled and grab for her napkin, quickly unfolding it to lay across her lap. The rapidly flicking motion of the surgeon’s eyes was a dead give away that she had been watching the blonde intently. Danni only smiled coyly, the skin around her eyes wrinkling slightly at the outer corners. ‘Well, it looks and smells good. I bet she’s anxious. Hmm… how cute that apprehension is on her face. I bet many people haven’t seen that side of her before.’ She picked up her fork and twirled a small bite on the tines. The nurse glanced up to see Garrett once again watching, and smiled graciously at her as she brought the fork full of spaghetti to her mouth. ‘Okay, no matter what it tastes like, I’m not going to…’ She placed the food into her mouth as she deftly slipped the fork out and began to chew. ‘By the gods,’ she looked over at eagerly waiting eyes. ‘This is…’

The anticipation was too much. Garrett quickly let her eyes shift from the young woman’s face to the plate of spaghetti and back again. "What?" She was getting worried now. ‘Jeez! Tell me that I forgot something.’ Her mind quickly went down the list of ingredients that she had used in the sauce. ‘I know that it’s been a while since I’ve made any. No, I didn’t miss anything that could be detrimental to it.’

The blonde stopped chewing and swallowed. ‘What could she have used for this?’ Her mind was trying to put together some kind of idea. She saw the concerned look on Garrett’s face and couldn’t help but giggle.

‘Gosh, she’s laughing at it now. I must have done something wrong.’ The surgeon speedily twirled a forkful and placed it in her own mouth. The delicate tastes burst forth across her palate as she searched for the cause of her friend’s reaction. It was getting just too much now. She had to know. "What?" She asked as she tried to swallow.

Danni face lit up and her smile showed brightly. ‘I’ve never seen her so concerned. She’s not even this worried when she’s got somebody’s life oozing out all over the place.’ She reached out and placed her hand on Garrett’s trying to calm her fear. "It’s okay. Great, if you really want to know." She smirked. "I just can’t figure out what you used to make it."

The surgeon breathed a little easier now as she sighed in relief. "Well, I had to make do with what you had in the pantry. It’s surprising what you can do with odds and ends." Her mouth curled up in a smile.

"Okay, I’ll bite. What did you use?"

"Well, first off was the Heinz Ketchup and a can of stewed tomatoes. Then I used the spices in your rack, oregano, celery salt, garlic powder, and added a touch of my dad’s special ingredient." Her eyebrows were wiggling as she teased. The shifting of Danni’s hand on hers as she began to laugh at the site Garrett was giving her made the surgeon a little self-conscious about the lingering contact, and she slowly withdrew her hand to her lap. Suddenly she felt alone and contemplated bringing her hand back up on the table. ‘What’s all that about?’ The surgeon forced her mind to the conversation at hand.

"What special ingredient?" Danni tried to not let the loss of contact with her friend disturb her, but it did. ‘Why does it feel so natural to reach out to her?'

Garrett picked up her utensil and began pushing the food around her plate. The stolen glances only confirmed her suspicions. The nurse was watching her closely. With her eyes cast downward to the food in front of them, Garrett mumbled the name of the secret ingredient. "Sugar."

"What did you say?" Danni leaned toward the woman across from her. "Did you just say, ‘sugar’?" The young woman shook her head. "I’ve never had pot luck spaghetti before. Gee, I guess red sauce is right up your alley." She smiled, her eyes laughing with kindness.

"Hey, blood isn’t the only red liquid that I’m familiar with, if I do say so myself." The surgeon’s eyebrow raised slightly in mock dare.

"Guess not. Ketchup…huh?" The two woman both let the lightheartedness of the conversation take them over as they continued the playful banter throughout the rest of the meal, all thoughts in anticipation of the grueling next day was pushed out of their minds.

***

The friendly ease that the evening had given the woman before her attempt to sleep didn’t abate the long bouts of restlessness and tortured nightmares. She was worried, and rightfully so. Danni didn’t want to lose the close working relationship that she now had with the surgeon. The nurse knew what she was like on a flight of any kind, the only thing that kept coming to her was her own feeble attempts in the past to overcome her fear. She tossed and turned all night with the fear of the helicopter flight in the morning. If only she could do well enough to be kept with the team, she was sure that Garrett’s strength and friendship would help her, over the course of time, to feel more comfortable with the situations that would arise.

Morning came all to swiftly and the hours quickly flew by. Before Danni knew it, she was standing in the E.R. waiting for Garrett to join her. She looked down at her watch. It was 0900. The nurse marveled at her acceptance of military time since the tall surgeon had entered her world. It was just one more thing that put them on the same page, separating them from the rest of the world around them. Little by little, the young woman was realizing that her world was growing with the addition of Garrett in her life, but shrinking also. She found her world more complete and satisfying when the two of them worked together, especially now.

‘Don’t let that all end today. We make such a good team. I don’t want to be the cause of that falling apart.’ Her mind raced with her own thoughts as the words ‘falling apart’ dredged up her fear of flying and caused the butterflies in her stomach once again to flutter their wings. The fingers of her small hand gently rubbed her flight suit over the area of her abdomen, as she tried to pacify those wings from bursting into full upward motion.

Mom was just coming out of the conference room when she caught sight of the small blond looking out the window at the helipad. She could sense the trepidation in her pseudo-daughter and ventured over to her, compelled to help in any way that she could. "Hey, know anywhere that I could get a suit like that?" She walked up to Danni and rubbed the material of the flight suit between her thumb and forefinger. "Sure makes for an nice look. Doesn’t feel bad either." She chuckled.

"Hi, Mom." Danni’s mood was somber, although she was trying hard at masking her feelings.

"What’s the matter, Danni? Anything that I can do to help?" Karen leaned up against the window ledge.

Danni looked at the older nurse’s face, then back out to the helipad. She blinked and then slowly began. "Today’s…today’s the test flight to see if we…I can make the team." The blonde looked downward, then closed her eyes for a moment as though in prayer. She opened them back up and looked at Karen, her eyes conveying her feelings. "I don’t want to let Garrett down, Mom. We’ve become so close over the last few weeks that I…"

"I know, Danni, I know." Karen patted her shoulder. "You never left me down in all the years that I’ve known you. I’m sure that you won’t let Garrett down now." Mom offered a smile, hoping that Danni would follow along. "Just do your best. I’m sure that once you get started, you won’t even have to think about what needs to be done."

Danni smiled weakly in return. "That’s what I’m hoping for Mom."

The older woman took Danni into her embrace and hugged her like a small tyke. ‘God, watch over my child.’ Then her other pseudo-daughter came to her mind. ‘Watch over both my children.’ She hugged the small woman just a little tighter with that thought before she slowly released her grip, stepping back to view the young woman’s face.

Danni looked up into the understanding eyes. Her smile broadened as she cautiously nodded at Karen. "Thanks, Mom. I think I needed that."

"See, I knew staff meetings were good for something."

Danni furrowed her brows at Karen. "Huh?"

"Well, I wouldn’t have been here now if it wasn’t for that mandatory Charge Nurse meeting with Nan." She winked and chuckled softly. "At least it was good for some reason." Karen watched as the tiny spark of Danni’s ever-eager spirit was once again returning to those green eyes of hers. ‘Yep, best staff meeting that I’ve ever attended and probably the most important one, right here with Danni.’ The young woman smiled warmly as she turned to view the length of hall coming from the elevators, trying as she might to get a fix on someone in the distance.

***

Rene Chabot stood silently in the doorway of the small office. The very intense look on his colleague’s face as she viewed the computer screen was of concern to him. She was deep in thought and had not even heard him open the door. Garrett’s eyes scanned the screen as she read down the page of words, her finger tapping at the ‘page down’ button every few moments.

The tall, thin, French-Canadian finally spoke up. "Reading up on some new operation that I should know about, or just killing a little time?" He motioned toward the monitor.

Garrett finished the sentence that she was reading then looked up with a questioning glance. "Operation? No, nothing like our kind of operation." The woman shook her head in disbelief. "If I didn’t know better, I’d say that the Middle East is gearing up for war."

The man thought for a moment trying to reason what her interest would be in global matters. "Surely you don’t think that your team would be called to transport. That’s a little far for one of our helicopters." He joked.

She looked up once again, her eyes narrowed, becoming steely in color. He could feel them burn into him with her intense look. "Hey, I’m Canadian, remember?" Rene held up his hands in mock surrender. "Why does this upset you so much? I mean, I know that you were in the Navy…"

"I’m still in the Navy, Rene. All that they have to do is whistle and I’m off to their beck and call without any choice in the matter."

His face turned thoughtful as he pondered the newly acquired information. It was becoming clearer to him now. ‘I guess she is finding herself at home here.’ Dr. Chabot’s voice turned somber. "I’m sure that they won’t let it escalate to that."

"I sure hope not. I’m just concerned with this latest act of terrorist bombing. The USS Cole was made to look way too easy to attack. It’s got to be a well-organized group to be able to do that." She bit at her lip. "I’m sure that they have more things planned in the future. I just hope that it won’t include me anyway."

Rene didn’t know what to say to that. Her outlook on the global matter seemed all too ominous for his liking, and it was far from what he wanted to be concentrating on now. Not when it was two days before Christmas. The tall man only wanted to think about his twins and their first Christmas together with he and his wife. It was going to be a joyous holiday and he had the woman in front of him to thank for it.

The thin man rocked back and forth on his heels as he contemplated his next move. "Dr. Trivoli," his mind suddenly thought that this was way too formal an opening for what he was about to say, and his voice turned softer. "Garrett, I’d like to thank you for allowing me to spend Christmas with my family." He smiled at her warmly. "You don’t know what that means for me…for us. My wife was so upset about being away from the rest of the family. Now, she’s in heaven that we are going to be able to set our own family traditions."

"No thanks necessary, Rene. I’m the one who should be thanking you. After all, I’ll be able to treat patients again, and maybe even be able to do a little surgery if the need arises."

"You miss it, don’t you my friend?"

She nodded her head slightly. "We all do what we have to, Rene. I know that I’m here for a reason. I just hope that whatever the fates have planned for me, I’m able to do to the best of my ability."

Dr. Chabot smiled at the woman. He had liked her from their first meeting and marveled at the way she was changing. Nothing dramatic or earth shattering, but he could still see the change. Garrett Trivoli was beginning to let that stoic mask of hers down, facing life with new emotions and feelings. It was all that he could ask for, to just know that her world was becoming more alive.

"So, what are you up to today?" Rene pointed to her clothing. "A little spin around the city, perhaps?" He made his hand imitate the spinning blades of the helicopter.

"Perhaps!" Garrett logged off the computer and stood to her full height. The long line of the dark blue jump suit with all of the glittering metal from the zippers made for a stunning image. "Enjoy your holiday, Rene, and tell your wife that I said Merry Christmas." She rounded the desk and laid her hand on his shoulder, leaning into his ear as she whispered. "And don’t forget to kiss the twins for me, too." He looked at her and nodded in agreement. "Now, I have an appointment with a nurse for a helicopter ride. If you would excuse me?"

He turned and smiled as she walked out the door. "Good luck," he called out after her. "Merry Christmas!" Rene craned his neck out the doorway to watch as she walked away. The casual wave of her hand and nod of the head was Garrett’s only form of reply.

The efficiency of the elevator and the speed of her gait brought the tall surgeon into the E.R. within minutes of leaving her office. She glanced at the watch on her wrist. It was 0905.

Garrett thought about the nurse that she was teamed with. The small woman was a dynamo of strength and vitality when it came to helping the sick and injured. ‘Danni may be small in stature, but she more than equals my size in effort and determination.’ Different scenarios ran through the surgeon’s head. Each one played out the same with Danni and Garrett matched as the team. There would be no team without the two of them working together. That was for sure.

The surgeon peered down the hall to where they were to wait for their ride. She could see Karen in a motherly hug with her arms wrapped protectively around the small blonde. ‘Okay, only positive thoughts. We’re going to do this together.’ Garrett had come to rely on Danni more than she would ever admit, even to herself. The surgeon knew that today would either broaden their experiences, or send them both back to the comfort of the E.R. No one else could do it for them. This was something that they had to do, as a team.

As the space between them lessened, each one could sense the close proximity of the other. The air felt as if it was charged with energy, as only they could know. It was a reaction that the surgeon was becoming more comfortable with as time wore on. Garrett squared her shoulders and strode straight toward the two nurses standing in front of the window.

"Anybody know what time the next helicopter comes by?" The surgeon winked at Mom. Once Danni had turned, making eye contact with Garrett, the tall woman’s lopsided smile came shinning forth. The genuine nature of the greeting was a timeless one, as though it had been given and well received a million times before. "Hey, Mom!" The surgeon never let her eyes leave those shimmering green pools.

Karen waved, returning the greeting as she finished speaking to Danni. She watched as the space dwindled down to almost nothing and soon her two pseudo-daughters where standing together in front of her. ‘I wonder if they realize the power of the attraction that they each have?’ She marveled at the quietness of their communication, but knew enough that even though not a single word was spoken, volumes were actually being transmitted. ‘Boy, are they ever going to be surprised.’

"Oh my gosh! Look at the time," the older nurse made a show of glaring at her watch. "I should have been home and in bed by now." She reached out and pulled both Garrett and Danni in for a group hug. "Now, you be careful up there." She looked from one to the other with motherly notions. "God, I feel like I’m sending you off to your first day at school." She sniffed back a tear, then dredged up a smile. "Look out for each other," Karen’s gaze lingered on Garrett until she detected the slight nod of the surgeon’s head in understanding. ‘She needs you now more than ever.’ Then she looked directly into Danni’s eyes. "I want to hear all about it when I see you on Christmas. Now I better get going before I really lose all control."

The petite nurse gave Karen a quick hug. The whispered gratuity was kept between the two of them as the sound of a helicopter in its descent prevented it from traveling any further. Mom stepped back from the embrace and took in a deep breath as she tried to compose herself before walking through the E.R. After all, she had an image to uphold.

The surgeon had moved closer to the window, letting the tender scene unfold around her. If she had to be taken into a family of any kind, she was certainly glad that it was under the leadership of this loving woman. For a brief moment, she wondered if she could ever offer anyone that sort of unconditional love as she was witnessing now. It seemed too farfetched to think about at the present time, but in her soul Garrett knew that it was something that she had always wanted.

Listening to the increasing hum of the blades outside the window, Garrett noticed the changing pallor of the woman in front of her. The blonde’s fair skin was becoming devoid of all color and she was finding it hard to swallow. Her hand reflexively came to rest over her stomach, rubbing it in a soothing manner. The surgeon could sense her fear and decided that nothing in this world was worth the torture her friend was experiencing. "Danni, if you don’t want to go through with this, it’s okay. I’ll understand."

Golden hair shimmered as Danni’s head turned in Garrett’s direction. The pleading green eyes churning like rough seas as everything from self-doubt to rage at the thought of not being allowed this challenge crossed her mind. ‘What is she doing, giving up for my sake?’ "No!" The feisty woman was putting her foot down. "If I’m not going to be part of this team, they’re going to have to tell me that to my face. It’s not going to be because I didn’t try." Her voice was full of determination.

The nurse looked out the window to see the helicopter just touching down on the pad. The air was full of small bits of debris as the blades slowed down to a stop. The butterflies in her stomach were beginning to stir as her mind began chanting a mantra of positive reassurance. ‘You can do this. It’s just a ride…a nice, safe ride. You can do this.’ "You coming with me, Doc, or are you giving up?" Her eyes shown like emeralds, glowing with a deep burning passion as she waited for a reply.

Garrett liked the fire that burned within her friend. She had felt its warmth and knew of its compassion. But now, she was about to see its mettle put to the test. She knew that Danni had to prove this to herself and no one was going to stop her. That’s when the surgeon decided to help her in any way that she could. "Okay, what do you say we go for that ride and put an end to all this talk?"

"Sounds like a plan to me, partner." Danni reached down to pick their jackets up off the chair. Her hand refused to give up the leather flight jacket to the surgeon, holding on until it was gently tugged from her grasp. The softness of the leather was such a contrast to the stoic woman who wore it. ‘Maybe one day, Garrett, I’ll get to see that soft spot in your heart.’

They both quickly donned their coats and turned to look at each other for reassurance, each one giving the other the "thumbs-up" sign.

"Okay! Let’s go kick some butt." The surgeon gave the "thumbs-up" sign through the window to the pilot as he waited for them inside the helicopter, then headed to the door.

Danni gulped hard trying not to let any of her butterflies’ escape. ‘If I’m going for a ride, we’re all going for one together.’ She replicated the signal to the pilot, and moved quickly to catch up with her team.

#xena #xena warrior princess #xena/gabrielle #xena/gabrielle fanfiction #author: k. darblyne #pg-13 #fanfiction #femslash

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markonasurface · 5 years

Text

“Did that just wink at me?”

“I hate these things,” Neil muttered.

Andrew shot him a look, head tilted just right so that the last of the day’s sunlight lit up his face and lightened his already light eyes. It almost made Neil recant his statement. Almost.

“They’re pointless.”

“No, they’re not,” Kevin looked at them over the top of his seat.

“Ha,” Nicky leaned across Aaron and continued, “Says the guy who looks like he wants to puke every time we come to one of them.”

Kevin grimaced at him as Aaron shoved him back over to his side of the seat.

Before Kevin could list all the reasons why these banquets were not pointless, Wymack stood and clapped to get everyone’s attention. Andrew returned to staring out his window but Neil straightened in his seat.

“Alright!” He yelled, voice reaching the back of the bus. “We’re almost there, guys. Be polite, don’t isolate yourselves, refrain from fighting, you don’t have to mingle, but at least pretend you’re enjoying the festivities. Watch the sass. If you feel like punching someone in the face, don’t. If you feel like punching your teammate in the face, definitely don’t, or I’ll bench you for the foreseeable future.” He stared pointedly at Jack, then back at Neil and Andrew.

Neil clenched his hands into fists.

“Don’t embarrass me or I’ll sign you all up for a marathon.”

As the bus slowed and Abby put it in park, Wymack muttered, “There’s no way things could go worse than our last two winter banquets.”

“Hey, Kevin.” Nicky was leaning over Aaron and into the aisle again. Neil saw Kevin had paled. He watched him press down on his left hand as if he was imagining the gruesome events two years past that had led to him joining the Foxes. Nicky’s voice lost the teasing, playful edge and he sounded concerned. “You gonna be okay?”

Neil realized Kevin wasn’t trying to push imaginary bones back into his hand but was trying to stop his hands from shaking.

“Let’s go!” Neil flinched at Wymack’s shout. “Everybody off!”

Wymack walked down the aisle, then stopped, sitting on the seat in front of Kevin’s. Nicky reluctantly followed Aaron off the bus but looked back repeatedly.

Neil got up to give them some privacy but heard Wymack say, “Remember what Betsy told you to do. Breathe ...”

“What did Coach mean when he said things can’t go worse than the last two winter banquets?” a freshman asked.

No one answered. Finally Matt said, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, c’mon!” someone protested.

Dan smiled as Neil and Andrew stepped off the bus. She used her phone to take a picture and Neil gaped. “Dan!”

She ignored him in favor of looking at the sure to be newest picture added to her wall collage in the lounge. Abby wrapped an arm around Dan’s waist and said, “That’s a great picture. Want me to get one of you and Matt?”

“Sure!” Dan handed over her phone.

“Beautiful!” Abby encouraged. “Now Allison and Renee get in there, too!”

It was a good ten minutes before their coach appeared, his son in tow.

“What are you all standing around for?” Wymack demanded. “Let’s go.”

As they entered the ballroom the banquet was being held in, other teams stopped to stare. The Foxes weren’t exactly the most popular team in their division. They found their seats at the table nearest the one reserved for coaches.

Of course.

“Like I don’t see enough of you brats,” Wymack muttered.

They started taking their seats across from the Jackals. Kevin put his hand on the back of a chair but paused. His hand patted his chest and his frown deepened.

“I forgot my tie on the bus,” he said. He turned and headed to the doors and froze.

The Ravens had just arrived. Their new coach led the way into the ballroom. Her blonde hair was slicked back into a tight bun. She quickly joined the other coaches without a glance back at her team.

Andrew nudged Neil and pointed his chin in the direction of the doors.

Although an investigation was launched into the Edgar Allan Ravens following Kevin’s implications and Riko’s suicide, at least two thirds of the team were kept on, most juniors or seniors. Dan, Kevin, and Neil had discussed the new team at length. Their going theory was that the veteran team members were bullying the newbies into doing things they didn’t want to do.

Their matching outfits were the same as last year. Though not as perfect, their movements were still semi-synchronized. Each one of them made sure to push past Kevin, banging him with their shoulder.

Dan got up from her seat, glaring at their captain as she passed him. He showed no emotion but Neil saw his eyes flick down to her shoes. She grabbed Kevin’s arm and he startled.

She whispered in his ear and they walked over to the drink table.

Neil pushed his seat out but was stopped by Andrew’s hand on his thigh. He glanced over, and Andrew gave a small shake of his head. He sighed through his nose, part of him wanting to ignore Andrew’s warning.

“So Vice Captain, huh?”

He raised an eyebrow at the voice.

“Why you?” Brooklyn Daly asked.

A couple of his teammates stopped talking to listen in on the conversation. After the Ravens, the Jackals were their last choice of teams to sit across from. They were unnecessarily rough and Neil was almost certain they had a couple of undiagnosed psychopaths on their team.

“You’re nearly the shortest member on your team,” he continued. “You nearly got them all killed last year. And you’re mouthy. Not exactly a good thing in a future captain. Ugh, and you’re ugly.”

“What’s your excuse?” Neil finally said. He didn’t answer so Neil elaborated, “I was burned and sliced up by a crazy lady. You were born with that face.”

Even a few of the Jackals snickered. Brooklyn shot them a look.

“We are going to destroy your team this year,” he sneered. “You’ll be the first team out of the conference. We’re gonna wipe the floor with your orange coated -”

Andrew made a noise and everyone looked at him.

“Oh, shut up,” he said. “You’ll be lucky if your team is announced tonight.”

The comment started a round of bickering and a few players even stood up to lean over the table and get in each other’s faces.

“Hey!” Wymack yelled. “Sit all of your asses down or I will sign you all up for a marathon? You hear me?”

“Yes, Coach,” the Foxes muttered.

Wymack sent a glare at the other team. “I said, ‘You hear me?’”

This time, the Jackals and the Foxes all answered, “Yes, Coach!”

Neil could’ve sworn even some of the players from other teams not involved answered. The night was of course off to a great start.

Nicky took a sip from his punch. He grimaced. “Did that just wink at me?” He looked disgusted.

“I think he’s winking at Neil,” Renee said.

Andrew stiffened and Neil smirked the tiniest bit. Allison joined them against the wall, fanning herself a little.

“When you leave me to dance by myself, losers start trying to grab me,” she complained.

“Pretty sure Jensen wasn’t just trying,” Kevin said. He took a step back and groaned.

The freshman Neil recruited walked up and said, “You look like you could use a dance.”

Kevin didn’t even try to hide the look on his face, but before he could say anything, Allison stepped in. She took Kevin’s hand and led him onto the dance floor without looking at the freshman and walked past a boy who had clearly wanted to ask her to dance.

“Everybody hates us, but they don’t mind flirting and trying to hook up with us at these things,” Nicky said. “Disgusting.”

“You love it,” Neil pointed out and Renee laughed.

“When can we get out of here?” Andrew demanded.

Neil look at the clock on the wall. They all turned when Wymack cleared his throat. “Snowstorm. The road home is closed.”

“We didn’t get hotel rooms,” Neil pointed out.

“I’m sure there’s a motel somewhere.”

A freshman from another team approached. Nicky raised an eyebrow. Wymack stopped talking mid sentence. As it became clear who his intended target was, Neil shifted uncomfortably. He hated when freshmen came up to him and gushed; he rather they bothered Kevin.

“H-hi, Neil,” he said.

Wymack subtly popped the back of Neil’s head and Neil glared. “Hi,” he said, something pricking at the back of his thoughts. Something familiar.

“It’s been awhile,” he said.

Neil straightened.

“We played together on the Dingos,” he prompted.

“Oh, right,” Neil said, running through his former teammates. Suddenly, it dawned on him. “Uh, Jonah?”

Jonah smiled. “You remember?”

“Yeah. I just didn’t -”

“I lost about 50 pounds between junior and senior year,” he explained. “I’m playing for the Tornados.”

“Congrats, man,” Neil said after mentally running through a list of appropriate answers given to him by Kevin.

Jonah scratched the back of his neck, blushing. “Could we, uh, exchange numbers? Catch up sometime?”

He felt Andrew shift closer to him. Then Renee said, “Dance with me, Andrew.”

When they were gone, Neil said, “I don’t know my number.”

“I’ll give you mine.”

Neil pulled his phone out of his pocket and tried to turn it on. Nicky let out a laugh and Wymack muttered, “Typical.”

Jonah looked crestfallen and Neil felt relief that he’d walk away, but then Nicky said, “Here.” He handed over his phone. “Put your number in there and when we get back to a phone charger, Neil will text you.”

“It’s really good to see you, Neil.”

Neil gave a short wave. When Jonah’s back was to them, he turned on Nicky. “Why?”

“Helping the poor kid out,” Nicky grinned. “Don’t tell Andrew I got his number for you.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m not gonna text him.”

“What is wrong with men?” Allison demanded. A couple of the freshmen objected, but she ignored them. “If I was dancing with Renee or Dan, they’d step in without even asking if it was okay.”

“It’s cause your boyfriend isn’t a six foot four backliner,” Nicky said.

“Could you get one of those for the next banquet?” Kevin asked as he passed her seat. “I’d rather not spend so much time with you.”

Allison glared. “I fucking saved your ass, too.” She looked meaningfully toward the front of the bus where the freshmen girls were getting on.

Kevin waved her off and dropped into the seat in front of Neil and Andrew.

“Are you seriously ignoring me?” Neil whispered.

Andrew continued staring out the window. It was dark outside and the lights were on in the bus so Neil could see his reflection. Neil huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“It’s cold,” Nicky whined. “Can we get the heat going?”

Wymack adjusted his coat as he stepped onto the bus. Snow fell to the floor. He faced his team and said, “We’re going to try to make it as close to the highway as possible. There’s a motel around there.”

The streets were empty but with the storm Wymack took it slow. By the time they reached the motel, half the team was asleep. Wymack left with Abby.

When he came back, he clapped his hands. “Listen up!” he called. “I was only able to get us three rooms. Normally, they don’t like to let more than four people in a room but because of the snowstorm, they’re making an exception. That means eight of you in one room and seven in the other, got it?”

“Can we at least have the extra mattress from yours and Abby’s room?” Jack asked.

Wymack narrowed his eyes. “No. I don’t care how you guys decide the rooms, but no drama. No fighting. No vandalism or fires or any of that bullshit. We’re just here until the roads clear.”

“What about clothes?” someone asked.

“Dammit.” Wymack had clearly forgotten they had left their extra clothes at the Foxhole Court in their rush. “You’re legally adults. Use common sense.”

He dropped two keys into Dan’s hand.

“Everyone off the bus.”

“At least the monsters don’t want to talk,” Allison said as they all huddled into the lobby.

“I don’t think the freshmen should be left unsupervised,” Dan told her.

Matt sighed. “I just wanna get to sleep.” He draped his arms around Dan, eyes half closed.

“Sorry, babe,” she said. “I’m going with the freshmen.” She handed one of the keys to Renee. “C’mon, freshmen.”

As soon as they stepped into their room with the ugly green, red and brown carpet and slightly musty smell, Nicky said, “We should put the mattresses together and sleep sideways.” They pushed a table and chair aside so the mattresses could be against the wall.

They waited for the delivery of extra blankets and pillows. Neil followed Andrew into the bathroom, unbuttoning his collared white shirt.

“Can we talk?”

Andrew turned on the faucet, eyes on Neil’s in the mirror.

“Andrew,” Neil grumbled.

“Why don’t you go talk to Jonah?”

Neil rolled his eyes. “Seriously? That’s what this is about?” He watched Andrew’s face, waiting for some sign he was joking.

“Or that Bearcat tool who was winking at you?”

“What?” He couldn’t believe this was happening. He didn’t think he’d ever see this happening. Andrew was petty, but - “Are you really punishing me for something other guys did?”

“I saw the smirk on your face,” Andrew accused.

Neil stepped closer. “I did not have a smirk on my face.”

“You have one right now!” Andrew hissed.

“You know I only care about you looking at me,” Neil said and took another step closer. He was trying really hard to keep a straight face but Andrew looked so - so attractive when he was trying to stay upset with Neil. “I don’t even notice anyone else when I’m with you.”

Andrew leaned back against the bathroom counter. Neil watched him bite his lip as he considered him.

“Yes?” Neil held out a hand.

“Shut up.”

Andrew gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him down to his level. He kissed him hard on the mouth once before moving to kiss his neck.

Neil sighed. “So you don’t just like it when I suck on y-your neck.” Andrew bit him just hard enough and Neil gasped. “I’m yours, Drew.”

He leaned away and Andrew looked up at him with questioning eyes. Neil hovered a hand by his cheek and said, “I mean it. I’m only yours.”

When they returned to the bedroom, their roommates were in various states of undress but all seemed to be asleep. Neil tripped over Allison’s dress on his way to the bed.

The thud his body made as it hit the floor had Aaron flinching awake, pulling the cover off of Kevin. Kevin, in turn, tried to pull Allison and Renee’s blanket over his bare shoulders. Allison hit his chest but he kept sleeping.

Andrew settled with his back to the wall and Neil squeezed between him and Nicky who resembled half a starfish. He pushed Nicky’s limbs so he had more space.

“Why’s it so freaking cold?” Neil whispered.

“The radiator’s broken,” Aaron mumbled. “Ow, what the fuck?”

Neil sat up and looked over Nicky at Aaron. He watched as Aaron tried to shove Allison’s hand out of his face.

“Allison, stop hogging the blanket,” Renee mumbled. She shivered even with her knees tucked under Kevin’s long sleeved undershirt. When Allison didn’t respond, Renee tugged on the blanket.

Allison rolled over, her hand finally on the other side of Kevin, so Aaron lay back down. Less than two minutes later, he sat up again.

“What now?” Neil asked.

“Can you guys go to sleep?” Andrew demanded.

They could feel Aaron moving. “Nicky, share your blanket.”

Neil sat up when Nicky rolled closer to him instead. “Tell Allison and Kevin to move over. There’s, like, two feet between them and Renee.” Renee had rolled herself in the blanket she was supposed to be sharing with Allison and Allison had in turn pulled Kevin and Aaron’s blanket over herself.

“Nicky,” Andrew said and pushed his shoulder.

“Huh?”

“Share your blanket with Aaron so we can all go to sleep already.”

Neil’s eyes shot open. He held his breath for a second until he could get a grip on his surroundings. He relaxed instantly when he felt Andrew’s hand squeeze his hip.

He turned onto his side to meet his eyes in the dark. They were bloodshot. Neil sat up and looked at the motel provided alarm clock. They’d been asleep for maybe two hours.

Another series of quiet thuds on the door reminded Neil what had woken them. He shivered in his undershirt and dress pants as he made his way to the door. Rubbing one eye, he peered through the peephole to see who was there.

There was no exchanging of words. Neil simply unlocked the door and held it open for Matt. Matt blinked his eyes, took in their set up, and lay down in the scant space between Renee and Allison. Even curled up his feet hung over the edge.

In the morning they reconvened in the motel lobby. Dan sat in a chair, looking worse for wear.

“Sorry, babe,” Matt yawned. He kissed the top of her head.

“How did Matt end up in our room?” Nicky asked.

Dan glared at the freshmen as Matt explained, “The freshmen wouldn’t stop talking. Then when they finally stopped, Jack and Sheena decided to have sex with the rest of us still there. And then someone suggested group masturbation and I was done. Neil let me in.”

“Told you,” Allison said.

“How was your night?” Dan asked.

“We were all in bed by midnight.”

“So were we,” Jack told them.

Aaron rolled his eyes. “We were all asleep by midnight.”

“Okay, folks!” Wymack clapped his hands. “Everyone on the bus before I decide to leave you.”

As they headed out of the motel, Jack snickered, “Sure you were all asleep by midnight.” He tugged at Neil’s collar revealing a deep purple bruise.

Neil blushed and shoved Jack away.

There were oohs and aahs but Neil only the heard the man next to him. “Don’t touch him,” Andrew warned, voice flat.

They made their way to their usual seats at the back of the bus, ignoring the teasing. Most of their teammates fell asleep ten minutes into the drive home and only then did Andrew put his hand on Neil’s thigh.

He continued staring out the window but Neil smiled. He inched closer just a little and whispered, “Yours.”

#aftg #tfc #andreil #transitions suck #it's been too long #you guys are awesome #i hope i don't regret #posting this

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heart-eyes-mf · 5 years

Text

This is my first ever attempt at writing fanfiction. It’s just a one-shot type thing, where Neil receives a bunch of pictures and stuff from the FBI of his childhood and looks at it with some of the foxes and Andrew

Weeks ago, Neil Josten had left his past behind him for good, letting the memory of Nathaniel Wesninski bleed out in the back of a federal vehicle in the streets of Baltimore.

Or so he’d thought.

He held a cardboard box in his hands, the words of FBI Special Agent Browning still ringing in his ears.

“We found these in your father’s house,” Browning had said. “We analyzed them for anything relevant to the case and found nothing, but considering what’s on here, we thought you might want them.”

He didn’t sound like he particularly cared if Neil wanted them or not. His tone was short, a little impatient.

“What is it?” Neil asked warily, his bandaged face stony.

“Photos and some such,” Browning thrust the box toward Neil. “Look, kid, if you don’t want it, it’s going to collect dust in evidence lock up before being thrown away.”

Neil reluctantly took it, if only to get the agent out of his presence.

Now, he stood in the lounge, watching as his teammates rifled through it.

“Oh, my god,” Nicky exclaimed, brandishing a picture frame. “Look at this. You’re wearing ruffles! You were born to be gay.”

Neil rolled his eyes but looked at the photo. It was of a chubby toddler that Neil couldn’t quite place as himself: wispy auburn hair, big pale blue eyes, and a white ruffled shirt under a sky-blue sweater vest. Even more mystifying was the gummy, dimpled smile on his face.

“You were so cute,” Dan squealed, leaning over Matt’s shoulder. “What happened?”

“Torture,” Neil said drily.

Dan paled, looking sick, and seemed like she was preparing to launch herself at him in a barrage of hugs and apologies before Allison broke in from where she was sitting beside Renee at the table, riffling through a photo album.

“Why did a serial killing maniac have so many pictures of you? Didn’t he hate you?”

Nicky winced. “Nice and sensitive there, Allison.”

Allison glared at him.

“I’m wondering the same thing,” Neil admitted.

He looked at Andrew, silent and disinterested beside him. His chin rested on his hand, with his elbow on the table, the black armbands on his forearms peeking out from the cuffs of his dark hoodie. His hazel gaze was directed at the far wall and he showed no signs of being mentally present at all, but Neil knew that no matter how hard Andrew tried otherwise, he was processing and retaining everything that was happening.

“To keep his cover,” Kevin said clinically. “The Butcher of Baltimore masqueraded as a devoted family man. What kind of good father doesn’t have at least on picture of his son?”

“Is this your mother?” Renee’s voice was gentle but it didn’t need to be harsh or loud to attract attention. She held out a photograph of a woman with brown hair, a straight nose, and dark eyes. Her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail and her bright red lips were twisted in a subtle sneer directed at whoever was taking the picture, her disdain obvious.

Neil just nodded.

The sight of his mother stirred up mixed feelings, feelings he thought he’d gotten over or repressed. Grief and hatred were a cocktail he was used to drinking but hadn’t tasted in a while and all he could do was feel it. For a moment he smelled smoke and felt the heat of fire and heard the sick rattle of her bones in the backpack he’d buried in the sand on that beach two years ago.

“What was her name?” Dan’s voice was gentle and it just hurt Neil more. Impassivity was a mask he clung desperately to, despite his promises not to lie to them.

“Mary Hatford,” Neil said quietly.

“I’m sure she was a lovely woman,” Matt said, almost a question.

He’d told them very little about what his relationship with his mother had been like after they’d come back from Baltimore. They’d asked him endless questions but mostly about himself and the questions they’d asked him about life on the run had mostly been about the locations and what had forced them to leave.

“You all would have hated her,” Neil said.

Matt and Dan looked surprised and Andrew turned his head toward Neil and Neil knew he was going to tell them everything because Andrew was listening. Andrew was curious.

“Did you hate her?” Andrew asked.

Neil looked at him and found Andrew’s gold-green gaze turned on him, apathy hiding immeasurable darkness. “I did for a long time,” Neil admitted. “It’s more complicated than that now.”

“Did you love her?” Nick asked sadly, clutching a few photographs to his chest. “Did she love you?”

“I don’t think so,” Neil said slowly.

Allison gave him a pitying look. “No wonder you’re so screwed up.”

“Allison,” Dan hissed.

Looking increasingly desperate, Nicky said, “She never said it? Have you? You have to love something.”

“No, she never said it,” Neil said. “What does that matter?”

“She’s your mom,” Nick persisted. “She raised you and protected you. That had to mean something, right? She had to love you.”

“I think--,” Matt started, looking extremely uncomfortable.

“Nicky,” Renee said softly. “You can’t compare Neil’s life and relationships and feelings to those of anyone else. He’s had a very complicated life. You can’t expect him to uncomplicate it just to reassure you.”

“There’s videos,” Kevin said suddenly.

“Let’s play them,” Matt said, looking relieved to be off the subject of Neil’s mother. Matt got up so quickly he almost knocked Dan over and hurried to the DVD player, having snatched the case from Kevin’s hands on the way.

Matt queued up the video and took his seat beside Dan, a remote clutched in his hand. He pushed play and Neil’s childhood was on the screen. Everyone watched, even Kevin and especially Andrew, as Neil’s life unfolded before them.

It started the day he was born, the date a little subtitle in the bottom left corner. Baby Neil squirmed and cried, looking red and mushy and wearing only a diaper.

“That looks gross,” Nicky exclaimed. Dan smacked his shoulder.

It showed him in his mother’s arms, which Mary looked like she barely tolerated, and Nathan wasn’t there at all.

It flashed straight to toddler Neil, taking slow steps towards Mary, babbling nonsense. Mary didn’t look happy but she didn’t look miserable either as her arms extended to catch him in case he fell. Even when she didn’t love him, she still protected him.

“There you go, Nathaniel,” Mary said, her British accent crisp. “Steady, now.”

“Your mom was British?” Matt asked, surprised.

Neil just nodded, his eyes on the screen.

The clips were short, scattered throughout the years. Whoever had filmed it had known that evidence, however minimal, was all that was needed. Probably Lola Malcolm or her brother Romero had filmed it for his father.

The videos of Mary were disconcerting to watch. It was hard to connect the young, healthy and alive woman he saw in the clips with his memories of a bloody corpse and charred bones.

But even more disturbing, to Neil’s teammates and to himself, was the videos of Neil with Nathan. Side by side their resemblance was startling.

There was a clip of Neil sitting on Nathan’s lap, looking up at his father with wide blue eyes, perhaps three or four years old. They had the same auburn hair and pale blue eyes but while Neil’s were blank with the oblivion of adolescence, Nathan’s were cold and unfeeling. No matter what false affection Nathan put into his voice for the video, one couldn’t look into his eyes and think that he felt anything at all.

“This is the letter N,” Nathan was saying to Neil, pointing at an alphabet picture book. “That’s the first letter of your name. Say it, N.”

Neil just looked up at Nathan. Even that young, he’d kept still and stiff and tried not to touch his father.

“N,” Nathan coaxed and Neil, old enough now, recognized the soft threat in his voice.

“N,” young Neil said.

Matt paused the video.

“Is anyone else creeped out?” he asked.

“Majorly,” Nicky said.

“No wonder you’re scared of your own reflection,” Allison said, slitting a look at Neil. “You don’t look anything like your mom, except your ridiculously stunted height.”

“Do you remember any of this?” Dan asked, adjusting her weight on the arm of Matt’s chair with a hand on his shoulder.

“I remember him acting like this sometimes, to keep up appearances,” Neil said. “I don’t remember ever being videotaped. The time I spent with my father was usually spent doing things a devoted father wouldn’t do with his son.”

“What did you usually do?” Nick asked warily, looking like he already regretted the question.

“He trained him,” Kevin said quietly. “To become the next Butcher of Baltimore.”

“You cut people up?” Nicky asked, sounding horrified. “Oh, my god, weren’t you, like, ten?”

“Eight, when we ran,” Neil said, nonplussed. “I didn’t touch people with knives but he did supervise while Lola taught me how to use them.”

“Taught you on what?” Matt asked.

“Dead animals,” Neil said.

Dan looked like she might be sick. Renee gave him an unreadable glace and Andrew kept his gaze on the screen. “I’m just going to pass over that,” Matt said, looking green, and pointed the remote at the TV to play the video.

It flashed to a video of Neil sitting in a dining room chair, the table level with his chin. Mary was on one side of him and Nathan on the other and they were watching as he tried various foods. Mary fed a piece of broccoli to him and his face immediately twisted and he spit it out onto the table. Mary, surprisingly, laughed.

“There has to be some food you like,” Mary said, picking up a baby carrot. Neil spit that out too, looking at Mary with a look that could only be betrayal.

“Yuck,” the Neil on screen said sincerely.

“Try the fruit,” Nathan said, flashing a smile at the camera. No amount of false feeling could change the hard pull of his smile.

Nathan fed a piece of strawberry into his mouth and Neil smiled.

“Strawberries are a yes,” Nathan laughed.

It changed again, to a video of Neil at about five or six. This video was a little grainy and from a distance. Mary was standing by the planes of an Exy court, looking fierce as she watched Neil running around on the court, looking remarkably small with a racquet in his hands.

“Faster, Abram,” Mary shouted. “Run faster!”

“Who’s Abram?” Nicky asked.

“It’s Neil’s middle name,” Andrew, surprisingly, responded.

The video abruptly ended, the screen turning dark. Neil sat there, his thoughts a little muddled, still trying to crawl out of feelings he didn’t know he had anymore.

A text alert blared through the room, cutting through the short silence, and Nicky pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Aaron is done with his session with Betsy,” he announced. “He needs to be picked up.”

Nicky gazed expectantly at Andrew but Andrew was still vacantly staring at the dark screen. He eventually rolled his eyes and tossed his hands in the hair and turned to Matt.

“Can you take me to pick up Aaron?” Nicky asked.

Matt nodded. “Dan needs to get back to her dorm anyways. She has an online quiz in an hour.”

“I’m not staying with the monsters,” Allison said, sending a derisive glance at Andrew.

They all filed out, even Renee, her rainbow hair swinging as she followed the clack of Allison’s hot pink high heels out of the room. Matt and Dan hugged Neil goodbye and Nicky tossed a fluttery wave of his shoulder as he sailed out the door.

Andrew and Neil were left alone, sitting beside each other, watching the blank screen.

Neil turned his gaze to Andrew, content just to look. Eventually Andrew looked back at him, but Neil knew he’d been aware of him the whole time.

“Why wouldn’t they have liked your mother? Your teammates tend to like anybody, especially if they are damaged,” Andrew said. “And I am willing to wager that your mother was quite damaged.”

“Our teammates. You haven’t guessed?” Neil asked. He leaned his head on his hand, his elbow on the table. “She hit me. You’d have killed her.”

Andrew’s eyes darkened.

“I would have killed her only if I cared,” Andrew said. “I hate you.”

“You’d have cared,” Neil said, a smile pulling at his mouth. He leaned closer to Andrew, close enough to make him tense but not close enough to violate Andrew’s boundaries. “What percentage am I at now?”

“It is not even worth counting anymore,” Andrew said. He slid rough fingers into Neil’s hair and pulled him the rest of the distance. His kiss was hard but skilled and tasted of cigarettes. Neil’s hands tightened around the arms of his chair and he leaned into Andrew, knowing the other man would hold him up. Andrew would always hold him up.

Andrew pulled back slowly, his eyes dark and watching Neil’s face. Neil felt hot all over and breathless.

“Junkie,” Andrew said, with a final tug on Neil’s hair before releasing him.

“You like it,” Neil retorted.

Andrew didn’t answer, just stood up.

“Are you taking all of this back to our room?” Andrew gazed with disinterest at the photos spread across the table. He reached for one and tossed it with a flick of his wrist at Neil.

Neil considered it.

“Yeah,” he said. “I am.”

#all for the game #andriel #fanfiction #fanfic #the foxhole court #hope you like it

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exyjunkies · 6 years

Note

andreil being rlly domestic and not even noticing. like making food and drinks and getting shit out and putting shit away and tidying up all at the same time and like weaving around each other like it's second nature. working as a unit. it's dumb and gross they haven't even noticed. the foxes notice.

the one where the foxes notice - non-Exy edition[because hey, it’s always fun to imagine them in a non-Exy universe]

i. dan & matt

“Hi. Have you guys been waiting long?” Neil said, upon opening the door. Matt shook his head in reply, effectively getting some snow on the hood of Dan’s coat. Dan made it a point to send a glare back to Andrew, who turned around in favor of marching off towards the kitchen. “Please, come in. Dinner will be done in an hour.”

“Thanks. We’ll hang our coats.” Taking in the state of the apartment, Dan had to admit that she was impressed. She knew Neil and Andrew owned an apartment just around 5th, rent significantly downsized by their landlord, who enjoyed Andrew’s love and skill for art enough to allow him his own gallery just a few floors down.

She didn’t know (or expect) it was an apartment well-kept and made habitable by humans other than the both of them.

Matt gaped at the remote-controlled fireplace, pressing the buttons to make the flames roar up or flicker down. By the fireplace was a row of books, a shelf with framed photographs, and a jar labeled “Neil’s Percentage Jar” half-filled with change. Dan nudged his shoulder to make him quit (literally) playing with fire.

“Come on, Dan,” Matt insisted, flopping down on the couch and petting King, who had promptly decided he did not like Matt, and made a show of jumping off the couch and striding into the other room. “You got to admit it’s surprising that they have some pretty good digs.”

Dan shrugged. “They probably aren’t the same people we knew back in high school. College changes things, y’know.”

“Your nosiness hasn’t changed though, has it, Boyd?” Andrew piped up, as he walked into the living room with a plate of cookies. He set it down on the coffee table and picked up Sir Fat Cat, who was pawing at something on their brown carpet. Dan stared at Andrew’s sweater, long enough for Andrew to pick up on it.

He sighed. “Yeah, Neil had matching sweaters knit for the both of us,” Andrew mumbled. Both were fox-print sweaters, with Neil’s in fall colors and Andrew’s in black-and-white. “It’s tacky, but it keeps out the cold efficiently enough.”

Matt stood there, blinking, while Dan tried to say something, but failed after only opening her mouth. Andrew, in favor of ignoring them, had decided to sit down and feed Sir Fat Cat a piece of his snickerdoodle.

From the kitchen came Neil’s voice. “Matt? Marshmallows in your hot chocolate, right?”

“I– oh, uh, yes, please, lots of marshmallows, thanks Neil,” Matt fumbled, swallowing and turning his attention back to the pictures by the fireplace.

Dan heard Andrew’s scoff of amusement from his place in the armchair, and grinned despite herself.

ii. aaron and nicky

Aaron was picking at his mashed potatoes, pointedly ignoring Neil’s story of their trip to the Grand Canyon. Nicky nudged him while taking a sip of his wine and nodding. “And then? What happened?”

“Well,” Andrew cut in, knife slicing through his own medium-rare steak. “Turns out we didn’t have enough gas to get back home, so we drove to the nearest bed-and-breakfast, which had a gas station nearby. And– uh, Neil, can you pass me the greens?”

“Oh, sure,” Neil passed the bowl over to Andrew. Nicky eyed this gesture suspiciously. What the fuck was happening here?

He looked at Aaron as if to say exactly that, and Aaron made a face back saying Well, I told you they were gonna act weird.

“And then,” Andrew drawled on, dumping greens on his plate, “We end up sharing one order of their breakfast special, because their servings in that diner were massive.”

“To be fair, we did have big burgers for lunch,” Neil supplied, patting Andrew’s arm lightly. Andrew rolled his eyes.

“Is that so,” Nicky said, dumbfounded. Subtle gestures of affection being accepted and welcomed by Andrew? Were they having dinner in another dimension?

Andrew stood up to grab another beer from the fridge. “If anything, that breakfast special was enough for dinner and breakfast. I don’t know how Americans live with themselves, honestly.”

Neil nodded. “Would actually drive all the way back there with the rest of the group, if you guys want to. I’ll call Dan tomorrow.”

As Nicky’s fork was halfway to his mouth, Aaron quipped, “Will we see more of… whatever you guys are doing?”

As if on cue, Andrew and Neil both said, “Doing what?”

Nicky facepalmed and made a sideways face at Aaron.

“We just…” Nicky trailed off, unable to explain as Andrew spooned more gravy onto Neil’s mashed potatoes. “Ugh. Never mind.”

iii. renee and allison

“We’ll pick the movie this time, is that cool with you boys?” Allison said, one hand on her hip, the other holding a bunch of DVDs. She stood there, staring at their DVD player and figuring out how to work the controls.

Andrew walked into the room and yawned. He waved his hand off in his approval.

“Renee, babe, you good with Freaky Friday? That’s always a banger.”

“Of course.” Renee replied, munching on a pretzel and leaning back into her bean bag.

“Okay, Neil and Monster, you are both about to have the best time with the best queer couple you know,” Allison declared. She turned around and caught Andrew draping a blanket over Neil’s shoulders.

“Thank you, Andrew,” Neil smiled gratefully, moving to make space for Andrew.

“Oh my–” Renee began to react, but Allison shushed her.

All Andrew did, much to both their disappointment, was to lie down on the remainder of the couch and plop his head down unceremoniously on Neil’s lap.

After a few seconds of silence loud enough for all four of them to notice, Andrew turned to glare at Allison. “Problem, Reynolds?”

“Yeah, man, what the fuck is happening?” Allison shot back, gesturing at the way Neil was playing with Andrew’s hair. Renee stood up to put the DVD in and load the movie.

“Uh, well, in case you haven’t noticed, Allison, we’ve been together for around, what, five years now?” Neil replied, draping his left arm across Andrew’s arm and rubbing his eye with his other arm.

“No, it’s just. The entire couple act. Weird. Never seen it before. Ever.” Even when Renee told her bits and pieces about her visits, she found it weird to even listen.

Andrew made a seriously face and sighed. “Well, we’re not about to change the way we are just because you’re not used to it. Take it or leave it, Allison.”

Allison gaped for a split second before grinning widely. Just because she found it weird doesn’t mean she disapproved.

“Couple to act less gay drives to get all of us breakfast the next day!” Allison declared, placing herself on the carpet and gesturing for Renee to sit on her lap. Renee laughed and waved her off, while Neil made a grab for Andrew’s fingers and played with them absentmindedly.

(The next day saw Renee dragging a grumpy Allison out of bed to drive to the nearest diner.)

#andreil #andrew minyard #neil josten #all for the game #thetfcnet #myfic #aftg fic #anonymous #answered #hi i'm back for a bit before school takes over again hahahaha #this is to celebrate my acceptance into tfc net!!! SORRY FOR BEING LATE BTW #sorry this is majorly half-assed lol

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