It wasn't much. Not more than a statement, really, and it most likely wasn't meant to provoke this much thought. After all, as Kae stated empathetically, she wasn't exactly the deepest of all people and deep thoughts, unless analyzing someone, wasn't exactly her forte. But it had invoked a lot of thought for Jessie, if only because she was a little bit deeper than Kae, and she'd been turning the statement over and over in her head until she nearly gave herself a headache.
Kae pulled her arms out of the soapy water and turned to Jessie, who was drying the plates. She looked mildly annoyed and Jessie made a mental note to stay away from the boys' rooms for the next few days, though she couldn't help but feel it was justified. She had noticed they had been getting stuck with the dishes a lot lately.
"You know, I dunno what our guys would do without us." Jessie chuckled.
"Die, probably." Kae smirked.
"Definitely," she said and plunged her hands back into the water.
Huh. Our guys.
In a sense, Jessie supposed they were. It wasn't just Alex and Luke that were her guys. And it wasn't just James that was Kae's guy. Sure, Alex was her boyfriend, Luke her cousin, but James and Tom and Wes were just as much her guys. Before, it'd just been her cousins and uncle who were "her guys". But now, with everything they'd been through, Jessie was certain that the guys she was holed up with were more her guys than her own flesh and blood if only for the fact they understood her.
Jessie wasn't sure if their guys included the soldiers or not, but she supposed on some level they did. After all, they'd been with them since the very beginning, if you went all the way back to when Alex began spying.
She thought of the way Eagle teased Kae like an older brother would and the way Fox tended watch over Alex like a surrogate father. They'd all watched as Wolf grew steadily more protective of them, more than duty required, no matter how much he resisted it and how he always made the guys treated her and Kae right, though he didn't have to worry. Kae scoffed at him every time he did, but Jessie knew she appreciated it. She thought of the way Snake had tolerated her crush all the way through their time at the camp and here at the cabin. At the time it had seemed sweet, but now that she was over it, it was utterly humiliating, but he hadn't mentioned it once. In fact, he tended to watch over her a little more. She wasn't sure if that was why, but he did.
Yes, she was certain Kae had included the soldiers in that statement.
Ever since Kae and Tom had been confined to the cabin, Luke and Wes had spent much of their time occupying Kae and making sure she had something to do. Kae appreciated the gesture, as did everyone else, though she also understood she could be a little overbearing at times and that it was for everyone else's sanity as much as her own, though at times she would insist she needed some alone time and then spent the rest of the evening sitting quietly and reading, giving the two boys a break.
James and Alex took it upon themselves to watch over her. James trusted the other two enough to watch over Kae, though why he didn't do it himself, Jessie couldn't fathom, though she strongly suspected it had something to do with the recent argument between Kae and James about him being to over-protective and backing off. He had backed off a little bit and the number of arguments had been cut in half.
Jessie and Kae looked after all of them, soldiers included. Snake was the medic, but he had agreed to show the girls some first-aid, pleased they were taking an interest. The cabin was clean and they cooked the meals. However, the both of them drew the line at doing laundry. Kae used to do Spencer's laundry for him, but as she pointed out, he wasn't a soldier or teenaged guy. He was dignified and did tend to keep his clothes on the neater side, if a bit rumpled. Jessie had just done enough laundry to last her a lifetime. They also managed to head off a bunch of the really stupid stuff that could land them in the hospital, liking trying to tight-rope walk across the clothesline, though that had been more Jessie than anything. Kae had been more than willing to join them.
Surprisingly, it was Tom, not Alex, who watched over the entire group and handle the adults. Jessie supposed Alex had too much distrust to talk to them if he needed anything. She would've thought Tom would as well, what with his parents, but Tom had no qualms about to the soldiers. He could be very persuasive or straight-forward, depending on what the situation required, and quite the negotiator if he wasn't in the mood for a little entertainment and willing to let Kae handle it. He handled getting whatever they needed. He was the compromiser, of sorts, the person who took care of the little things that everyone took for granted.
Jessie sighed as she leaned back into the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Alex came over and slid down next to her, nuzzling her temple and pulling her close.
"What are you thinking about?" He whispered. Jessie snuggled closer and was about to answer, when the rest of them tumbled into the room to watch the football game, shouting, placing bets and punching each other's arms in friendly jest. Kae was following them, a fond look on her face. When she caught Jessie's eye, she rolled her eyes and smiled in exasperation. Jessie smiled back and turned to her attention to the TV.
Yes, Jessie decided. They were definitely their guys.
Hey, so this is just a little one-shot that I was thinking about after a girl in my small class of ten people called the guys "our guys" and it just got my thinking.