a/n: This takes place directly after Waste Land. Dunno what got me thinking of it, but I was wondering what happened to that little fish thing Rex brought back, and then this thing showed up ; )

Read, review, comment, eat a waffle, whatever floats your boat.

Enjoy : )

"Honey, I'm home!" Rex shouted playfully as the door to Holiday's lab slid open. As he stepped in, Rex's eyes searched the room, scanning for hottie Holiday. Finally, his eyes settled on the sight of the doctor leaning over a computer, staring at numbers being fed from a microscopic sample.

Walking closer, Rex chose a different line. "Hey," he started, a smile dancing playfully on his face. "Miss me?" he asked.

By this time, Rex had closed in enough on Holiday to see her eyes roll at his comment.

"Hello Rex," she said, professionalism taking over her voice. "How was the trip?"

"Fine," he said, still sounding playful. "So, you never answered my question."

This provoked a raised eyebrow from Holiday.

"Right, stupid question," he said. As he took a pause, Holiday looked back down at her work. Just as she seemed to regain her focus, Rex interrupted her train of thought. "Of course you missed me," he said cockily.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Holiday clicked off the monitor and turned towards the proud teen.

"What do you want?" she asked, frustration building in her voice.

"Aw, c'mon doc. Why do you assume that I want something? Can't I just come in here to say hello?"

"Because, you have a history of coming to me when you want something."

At this, Rex rolled his eyes.

"I'm hurt by that, doc."

Now it was holiday's turn to roll her eyes.

"Okay, so it's true," Rex admitted, still cocky as ever. "But not this time."

"Really?" Holiday questioned, skepticism and curiosity lacing her words.

"Really!" he said proudly. "I got a sample for you, just like you asked."

Holiday's eyes widened, excitement replacing skepticism. Rex saw this and let a grin spread across his lips.

"What sample did you get? Plants? Coral? Algae?" she questioned excitedly.

"Nope," he said proudly. "Even better." Rex removed a bag he had slung over his shoulder. Slowly, he opened the bag, letting Holiday's tension build. Finally, he removed a small bundle from the bag. Holiday raised an eyebrow and took a half step back.

"Rex, what is that?" she asked, skepticism returning to her voice. Why did I expect a sample if he couldn't even get it in the Bug Jar or from the swarm of bug EVOs? she questioned herself.

"Wait a sec," Rex said, his voice oddly calm. He unraveled the bundle to reveal a small creature that looked like a mix between a fish and a crab. It had a segmented torso, almost like an ant, with two claws where its arms would have been, and to top it all off, two large red eyes adorned its head.

"Rex, what—" Holiday began before Rex cut her off.

"Meet Pedro," he said, holding up the fish with a giddy grin on his face.

"Um…thanks," Holiday said hesitantly. "What is it?"

"Didn't you read the mission debriefing. It one of the babies from the underwater species," Rex said matter-of-factly.

"Rex, you can't just take an organism from another species 'just because,' especially if its an intelligent civilization," Holiday scolded. "By sample I meant some algae or coral, something that doesn't have a brain."

"Fine, then," he said pulling back. "I guess I'll just keep little Pedro. I'm sure Bobo'll love to have another roommate," Rex said mischievously. He turned to walk out, slowly striding away from Holiday, when she spoke up, as Rex expected.

"That is the worst idea you've ever had."

"Ever?" Rex said, turning around.

"You can't even take care of yourself, much less a pet."

"Hey! I can take care of myself."

Is that why you have a babysitter?" Holiday said, striking a nerve. But before the teen could argue any further, she continued. "I'll keep it, here in the lab, until we can get a transport to bring it home."

"Fine," Rex said reluctantly. He handed Holiday the fish and slowly made his way out of the room.

Once Rex left the lab, Holiday stared at the fish in her arms and silently cooed at it. Most people have dogs and cats, of course I would end up with a fish EVO, she thought.

"You going to come home with me?" she continued to coo. Since Rex couldn't see, it was okay if she let down her façade and admire the cute fish.

Unknown to Holiday, Rex was watching, through a peephole in the door, with a large grin plastered on his face.

music*

*sadly, it won't let me post the url. But if you want to hear what song I had in mind, type in 'kevin manthei generator rex' into google, click on the second link down, and go to the first song on the list on the left

Rex's Theme, 23 seconds in.*

To clear up any confusion here's a quick summary-style epilogue:

Holiday brought Pedro home with her, and named it Genome. Rex added a picture he took of Holiday cuddling Genome to his box of blackmail.

*Random comment: I named it Genome at the end because my Anatomy teacher has a chinchilla named Genome. He's sooooo cute :D