A/N: This is just a little vignette that popped into my head late one night...what I imagine could have happened when York first met Carolina. Enjoy!
York sighed and drained his beer. He could not believe his friends - ditching him in this godforsaken club on this godforsaken planet in this godforsaken part of the galaxy. He nodded at the bartender for another, flipping his lighter open and shut. Open. Shut. Open. Shut. Open—
Suddenly a hand reached out from nowhere and snatched the lighter from his grasp.
"Hey, what are you—?" He began. Then he looked up. He saw her.
A tall woman stood beside him, bright green eyes twinkling playfully, fiery hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. York paused, breath caught, as she brushed her wispy bangs to one side of her forehead.
"Hey," York repeated. "That's mine."
The girl smirked. "Playing with a lighter at a bar? That's a good way to get us all blown up, you know."
He frowned. "What's a lady like you doing in a place like this?"
She shrugged. "I'm no lady."
A half smile tugged at his mouth. He gave a short laugh and stuck out his hand. "They call me York."
"That's nice," she responded demurely, turning away.
"Wha— hey, don't I get to know your name?"
She paused before replying, "not today."
She walked back into the crowd. York shook his head and smiled. Some lady.
Then he realized it. "Hey! Lady! You didn't give me back my lighter!" he called.
She kept walking, not hearing him over the loud music - or not caring.
"Hey, lady!" he shouted louder. But it was too late; she had disappeared into the crowd.
York made a noise of disgust and turned back to the bar. "I just got that damn thing, too. Damn lady."
Looking up at the bartender, he asked, "got a light?"
The barkeep just lifted an eyebrow and drawled, "funny enough, some guy just took my last one."
York scowled. The bartender finished wiping out the glass he was holding, and before turning away, added, "It's not my fault he let some lady steal it."
York angrily took a sip of his beer. At least he still had that.
"I told you, I'm no lady."
York spun around. He'd heard that as if whispered right into his ear, but the woman with his lighter was nowhere to be seen. Looking at his beer suspiciously, he tried and failed to count how many he'd had already that evening. He placed he half full bottle back on the counter, dropped some bills down to cover his tab, and left the club. My friends have gotta be back by now.
—x—x—x—
The next time he saw her, York was having a friendly argument about the best Grifball team for the season with his best friend, North. They were walking down the busy street when someone bumped into him.
"Hey, watch out, lady," he quipped, though less irritated than he sounded.
"I'm not a lady."
York's eyes flew wide open. He spun around and grabbed her arm to get her attention. "Hey - wait - what did you just say?!"
She looked evenly at him and replied, "you heard me."
York broke into a grin. "NORTH! Hey, man, look! It's her! It's that la— that chick I told you about! The one who stole my lighter! From the club, that one night? That night that you and Maine ditched me to go to Wyoming's grandmother's bridge party!"
North held up his hands. "In my defense, he did say there'd be chicks there—"
"At a bridge party? Seriously, man?!"
"—he just failed to mention their average age would be 82!"
"It was a BRIDGE PARTY."
"They were actually really sweet! They reminded me of my grandma...and the tea was quite good, you know."
"Oh, my god. You're an idiot. But that's not the point, the point is, it's her! This is her!"
The red-haired woman had stood amused, watching their conversation go back and forth until York brought it back to her.
North turned to her and said, "Hi, I'm sorry about him. He's an idiot."
"You went to the bridge party," York mumbled under his breath.
"...I'm North, it's nice to meet you. What's your name?"
She paused briefly, but shook his hand. "I'm...Carolina."
"What! Why would you tell him your name but not me?!" York was indignant.
"You didn't need to know it at the time. If I hadn't answered your friend just now, I'd just be rude," Carolina replied coolly.
"Wha—but—you—" he sputtered.
She gave him a wry smile. "Listen, while we're stopped - you got a light?"
His eyebrows knit together in irritation. "You know I haven't, you took mine."
"Ah, good."
"Good?!"
"Yes, good. That means you haven't replaced it."
"...been tryna quit," he muttered.
"Ha. Good." Carolina flicked the lighter she'd stolen from him open and shut once. "Those things'll kill you."
"My job might kill me first."
"Yeah? No kidding."
"No kidding. We're soldiers," York indicated at North, who waved awkwardly.
"Mm, I figured you had to be, a couple of bachelors on a planet all the way out here?"
"How did you know we were bachelors?!"
Carolina raised one eyebrow. "You obviously haven't forgotten about me - you mentioned me to your friend, and we met in that club almost 3 months ago, but you still recognized me on the street."
"But what about him?" he pointed his thumb at North.
"Ha, please. He went to a bridge party."
"He said there would be chicks!"
Carolina laughed and turned back to North, who looked slightly impressed, if not somewhat insulted. "It was nice meeting you, North. I should get going. Maybe I'll see you around again sometime."
With that, York watched once more as she disappeared into a crowd of people, as if she'd never been there to begin with.
North let out a low whistle. "She's some lady."
York gave a short laugh, gazing thoughtfully in the direction Carolina had disappeared. "She's no lady."