Author's Note: Written for the Valentine's Day Fic Battle over at the Terra Nova Fanfic community, for Bellakitse's Saint prompt.
Prompt/Plot Summary: Little Sam Marcos has a crush on Maddy, he challenges Mark for her hand. Maddy is amused.
Maddy Shannon was the smartest girl in the whole world. She knew everything there was to know about everything - especially dinosaurs, and rocks, and space and all the things Sam Marcos liked best. And she didn't seem to mind that he was too shy to say much - she would chatter away to him anyway when she saw him looking at a book or a picture she knew, and afterwards he would run home to look up all the things she mentioned so maybe oneday he could talk back to her instead of just nodding.
Every time she walked into a room Sam felt sick with excitement that she might have a word or a smile for him. He felt positively giddy when she came to help in their classes, and like the luckiest boy in the colony when she came to sit by him personally. Every time his head would be full of all the things he'd learned that he thought she might find interesting, all the books he wanted to say he'd read, but when she was seated next to him and smiling, suddenly it was as if a rubber stopper had been forced down his throat and all his questions seemed so stupid, they dried up in his mouth.
He thought maybe if he could just look at her while she talked to him, that would be ok, but then he worried she would catch him admiring her long eyelashes, or her curly dark hair, or her pretty smile - so every time she sat next to him he would end up staring at his books or his hands instead, and when he had to speak, he whispered, so she wouldn't hear if he accidentally said something wrong at first.
Until one day, he realised he felt even sillier not looking at her and not talking to her, and the new school year was full of so many new subjects to learn that his shyness left him fit to burst. Feeling embarrassed in front of Maddy might be bad, but at least it wouldn't be so boring.
He finally asked Leah what to do and she rolled her eyes. "Just talk to her, stupid." Which made it sound like the easiest thing in the world, but Sam couldn't argue with the logic. So one day after school he met her outside her lab and held out a book.
"I thought you'd like it," he explained in a rush. It came out in a whisper around the lump of terror in his throat, but with the way Maddy's face lit up and the warm way she thanked him, he had never felt so proud of himself.
The next day he went back and managed not only to ask her if she'd liked the book so far, but to speak to her about it for a full ten minutes (looking at his hands the whole time, but it was a start).
He went back the next day, and she let him help her wash up sample beakers while they talked about the next chapter. The next week he had an assignment due on the very same book. Maddy pulled up a chair next to her workspace so she could help him when he got stuck on the hard essay questions.
Soon he was spending so much time in the lab that even Dr Malcolm started jokingly calling him Maddy's assistant (joke or not, Sam glowed with pride whenever he heard it, signing his diary entries Assistant Dr. Marcos just to see how it looked) and it became his regular after school haunt. While Leah went to track, or the junior cadets, he would do his homework in the corner of Maddy's desk and then help to clean her space, fetch her tools, and label and sort her samples. It was practically an apprenticeship, years before any of his stupid classmates even knew what they wanted to apprentice in, and one day it would be a real one. Maddy would be a brilliant doctor and he would get to work with her every day. It would be perfect.
There was just one problem.
"I can't believe my teacher likes this stupid book better than the first one." Sam groused. He stacked the clean beakers carefully onto the tray by Maddy's right, then started collecting the dirty ones from her other side.
"It's not a stupid book, Sam; it's just different." Maddy corrected gently. "No book is stupid."
"The maybe Dr. Grant got stupider. He doesn't even like dinosaurs in this one. Why write a book about dinosaurs if you don't like them?"
Maddy opened her mouth to answer, but a shadow falling across her microscope distracted her. Strong arms in a scratchy combat jacket came around her waist; she caught a flash of lavender before a kiss was pressed to her hair. She whooped and spun around to throw her arms around Mark. "I thought you weren't back until later!"
"I'm back, but I'm not off yet. I thought I'd swing by to drop off these..." Mark grinned at her in a way that made her feel light as air, and presented her gallantly with several long, elegantly frilly purple blooms secured with dry grass.
"Iris pallida!" Maddy beamed and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, the flowers tickling the underside of her chin.
"If you say so," Mark chuckled ruefully.
There was a loud snort from the side. Maddy looked over to see Sam scowling down at his worksheet, shoulders hunched. "You ok there, Sammy?"
"Fine," the boy muttered. He put his pen to plexsheet and started writing furiously.
Mark drew her back to him with a touch. "I also need to drop off something else. I think you might like it."
Even Sam's sullen concentration was broken by the sight of the clear, gently thrumming container that Mark produced. Built-in chem lamps glowed in the corners, lighting the green-grey egg nestled in mud and bark shavings.
"That's a Slasher egg." Maddy took the container from him, awestruck. It vibrated, warm under her fingers. "Just wait until Dr Wallace sees this. This could teach us somuch!"
"Bet it'd make a fun pet too." Mark shot a friendly smile over at Sam, who was still staring slightly slack-jawed at the egg. "Right, buddy?"
Sam snapped out of his hypnosis and glared at Mark. "You can't make a Slasher a pet. It's a predator. Don't you know anything?" He slammed his stool back, gathering his schoolwork.
"Sam!" Maddy started after him, struck by his rudeness, but he was already out the door.
"Bad day at school?" Mark asked.
"He's usually so sweet." Maddy frowned.
Mark took the egg from her hands and placed it carefully on the desk. Turning back, he tucked a stray curl behind her ear and ducked to kiss her. Running her hands along his shoulders, Maddy briefly forgot about Sam's strange mood.
When he pulled back, thumb stroking her cheek in a familiar gesture, Maddy smiled. "You always bring me the best presents."
"He's an idiot," Sam grumbled.
"He can't be an idiot. He's a soldier. Soldiers have to be smart." Leah almost lost her balance as she placed one foot in front of the other along the top of the fence, shooting Sam a withering look as if it was his fault. Sam rolled his eyes.
"Ok fine, but he's not clever. Maddy should have a clever boyfriend."
"Maddy likes him. He must be clever enough for her. Anyway, he's a grown up like she is. You shouldn't care."
"You're my sister. You're supposed to be on my side."
Leah frowned, bewildered. "I am."
Sam made an angry noise. Sisters. Were they all so dense? And practical? It was like Leah didn't even care he was in love. He picked up his pace, intent on storming off when a hand came down on his shoulder.
"You two aren't fighting, are you?" Mr Shannon clapped him on the back and raised an eyebrow. "You know we used to make Maddy and Josh stick together all day, until they made up, when they squabbled."
Blushing at the mention of Maddy, Sam shook his head. "No, sir. We weren't fighting."
"Sam has a girl problem," Leah informed him.
Sam rounded on her. "Leah!"
"Girls! Well, I might be able to help you there - I've got three of them at home. Must have learned something." Mr Shannon nudged Sam. "Come on. Who's the lucky lady?"
"It-it's a secret." Sam looked nervously over at Leah, silently urging her to keep quiet.
"Oh, ok. Well..." Mr Shannon folded his arms and tapped a finger against his chin. "You could tell me the problem without telling me her name, how's that?"
"Well..." Sam knew telling the whole problem would give it away, but he could tell him part of it. "What do you do, if you like a girl but she already has a boyfriend?"
"Ah. That is a problem." Mr Shannon raised his eyebrows. "But you know what?" He stopped and knelt down in front of Sam. "If you really, really like this girl...?"
"Yeah!" Sam nodded vigorously.
Mr Shannon patted his shoulder. "Then you have to fight for her."
The next day at school, Sam waited until lunch break was almost over and gave Leah the slip, dodging the watchful eyes of the playground monitors and proceeded to Maddy's lab, where he found a shadowed spot and settled down to wait. He felt strangely calm. Leah had eyes like a hawk. Evading her struck him as a good start.
Maddy and Mark ate lunch together every week whenever Mark had a break in his duty roster. Sam waited for the sound of the soldier's boots on the exit ramp and ran around to meet him.
"Hey, Sam." Mark came to a halt and smiled down at him. "Sneaking out of school to see the Slasher egg?"
"N-no." Sam swallowed, suddenly not feeling quite so brave. Had the corporal always been this tall?
Mark looked over his shoulder, then turned back with a conspiratorial look. "Tell you what - if you want to take a quick peek, I won't tell on you. But it's not a baby Slasher yet."
"I know that." Sam looked at him in disgust. Did the soldier think he was a first grader? "It won't hatch for weeks. I'm not an idiot."
The corporal's brow furrowed. Sighing, he dropped into a crouch so they were at the same eye level. "You don't like me very much, do you?"
"No." Having started down this route, Sam decided honesty was the best policy.
"Can I ask why not?"
"Because I like Maddy, and you're in the way!" There. He'd said it. Shouted it, actually, if he was continuing to be honest...
Mark's mouth dropped open. Clearing his throat, he attempted to smile in what was probably supposed to be a kindly way. Sam thought it just looked patronising. "I think you're a little young for Maddy, don't you?"
"It's not that big a difference! If we were older, it wouldn't matter at all."
"Yeah, but you're not older. You're still a kid. Maddy and I are both grown ups."
Sam scowled. "I'm clever enough to be a grown up. Cleverer than you."
Mark raised his eyebrows and huffed lightly. "Okay. Look Sam, you're a great kid. I'm sure lots of girls your own age would like someone clever too. But Maddy isn't the girl for you." He smiled tightly, and got up to leave.
Furious at being dismissed, humoured, Sam blurted out what he came to say with less menace than he intended and rather more desperation. "I'll fight you for her!"
Mark turned around and gave him an incredulous look. "You'll what?"
"I'll fight you! Tomorrow after school. And if you don't show up, you're a coward!"
Before the corporal could respond, Sam fled as fast as his legs would carry him.
"He's not going to show up."
"He has to. I said he'd be a coward if he didn't."
Leah sighed and spoke to him as if she were explaining things to a very small child. "Sam, he's a soldier and you're a schoolkid. He's not going to beat up a kid."
"Who says he'd win?" Sam's voice wavered a little under Leah's skeptical expression. "All your books say that tactics can win out in the face of a bigger enemy. It's like - like David and Goliath! And I have an idea. I just need your advice on how to do it."
Leah chewed on her lower lip. "I don't think the books meant this."
"Leah," Sam pleaded. "I really need your help with this." He gave her his best helpless-little-brother eyes.
His sister shut her eyes and heaved a dramatic sigh. "Fine. What's your idea?"
She listened as he explained.
"Ok. I think I might know what to do..."
This late in the year when the mornings were too dark for it, the soldiers ran early evening assault courses three times a week, under the critical eye of Lieutenant Washington. This evening she stood on the side of the track with her arms folded, watching a group tear through their lap. Sam was relieved to see Mark was in the group currently running. He was grim faced and covered in mud, too focused to notice the boy sidling up to his CO.
Sam put on his most winning smile (Leah had made him practice in the mirror) and looked up at the dark haired woman. "Good evening, Lieutenant."
"Sam." She gave him a brief smile, keeping one eye on the course runners. Sam relaxed a little. Mark obviously hadn't mentioned the fight to her. "What can I do for you?"
"I was just wondering - I mean, I was thinking about maybe trying the junior cadets. Do you think I could?"
"Of course you can. All the kids are welcome to come along."
"It's just, I'm not so good at sports and stuff. That's Leah's thing, and I want to get better, but...what if I'm not good enough for the cadets? Do you think I should practice on my own first?"
Lieutenant Washington turned away from the course a little and looked down at him patiently. "Cadets are for all abilities, Sam. It doesn't matter if you're not very good to start with - that's what they're there to teach you."
Sam gave her a hopeful look. "Could I come along when you're the coach? Leah likes you a lot, and Mark Reynolds is always saying to Maddy how good you are."
She laughed. "Is he? Well you can if you want, but I think you'll like any of the other coaches just as much."
"Yeah, but Mark said you're really easy going and..." Sam shrugged bashfully. "Like I said, I'm not very good. So maybe it would be easier to start slower."
Lieutenant Washington's smile uncurled into a hard line. She slanted a look over at where Mark was scrambling up one of the rock walls. "He said that, did he?"
"Yep. He said you make training feel like a breeze." Sam smiled eagerly at her. "That's why I thought it might be fun."
"Well, isn't that sweet? Excuse me one moment, Sam."
"Reynolds!"
"Ma'am!" Mark hauled himself up straight despite the fact that his ribs felt ready to collapse in on themselves. His feet burned like hot coals. He was pretty sure he'd given himself blisters matching Reilly's assault course time - totally worth it - but the lieutenant didn't look like she was coming to congratulate him. In fact, Reilly forewent her gloating that he hadn't beatenher time to scram out of the way of their approaching CO.
"All done, Reynolds?" Lieutenant Washington's hands went to her hips as she surveyed his shaking, sweaty form. Mark hesitated. This felt like a trick question.
"Yes ma'am."
She shook her head. "I don't think so. Once more round the course."
Mark caught her order like a slap of icy water to the face. "But - "
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is that too easygoing for you?" Wash gave him a cutting smile. "Twice round, then. Off you go."
His legs refused to budge. Dimly he was aware of snickers and sympathetic hisses coming from his fellow soldiers. More than that, he spotted a small blond boy waving at him from the side of the track before jogging off.
"Reynolds!" Wash snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hustle. Or do you want to make it three?"
The sunlight told Mark it was time to move, but the rest of his body told him to go to hell.
Everything hurt. His chest ached. His legs screamed like rusty clockwork as he shifted under the blankets. His feet protested the slightest movement, the friction of army sheets like sandpaper against his blisters. He wanted to go to sleep for another twelve hours and then maybe, maybe, crawl to the showers. And stay there for another twelve.
He would have to settle for however long he had before his alarm went off. Cracking an eye open he searched for the tiny clock perched on his locker. His bed promptly lurched out from underneath him.
Crap.
Crap.
"Crap!" he yelled, fumbling with the covers. He threw himself out of bed with the grace of an elderly man with false legs and kicked his footlocker open, grabbing the first item of clean clothing that came to hand.
"Mark." Jeffries appeared in the doorway of the shower room, toothbrush in hand, mouth full of foam. "What's with all the racket?"
"The damn alarm didn't go off! I set it! I know I set it!" Mark gestured wildly from his roommate to the busted clock as best he could while hopping into the pair of fatigues in his hand. The zip, he couldn't find the zip. Realised they were back to front. Swore.
"Oh yeah, that Sam kid snuck in here a couple of hours ago and turned it off." Jeffries continued brushing his teeth as if he hadn't just uttered words that put his life in immediate danger.
"And you didn't stop him?" Mark hissed. Sleep sand crusted eyes and inflamed muscles or not, he was pretty sure he could choke Jeffries with his own toothbrush right now.
Jeffries shrugged. "Hey man, all's fair in love and war." He turned and disappeared back into the bathroom, leaving Mark in a stew of rage seasoned with panic.
He grabbed his jacket and thrust his feet into his boots. Revenge on his roommate could come later (and oh, it would come). If he was a minute later for duty, Lieutenant Washington would make him run a lap of the colony for every single second of it.
"Maddy. Help."
Maddy reached across her desk and turned up the comm unit. "Mark? You sound awful."
"I just got off digging brush-thorn out from around half the colony because it 'posed a security risk' to patrols. Because I was late for duty." Mark's voice was hoarse, thick and weak. "Sam Marcos is trying to kill me."
Maddy wrinkled her nose. "What does Sam have to do with it?"
"Because he has a crush on you and he challenged me to a fight for your hand! And he's playing dirty. He turned off my alarm, he said something to Wash to make her determined to torture me. I haven't even seen him today and he's kicking my ass."
For a moment, Maddy was speechless. Something bubbled in her throat, but she clamped down. She couldn't...poor Mark...
"Maddy?"
Definitely couldn't...
"Maddy!"
...Couldn't help it. She snorted with laughter.
A pained groan came from the other end of the connection. "This isn't funny."
"Sorry. Sorry." She pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle the next giggle, but it escaped as a high squeak. "It's just...it's so cute."
"Brush-thorn and a pissed off Washington are not cute, Maddy. They are evil, scary things. In fact, I'm pretty sure the latter should be covered under war crimes." He groaned again, a truly pathetic sound that did inspire a twinge more sympathy - enough to make her muffle her next laugh properly.
"Look, I'm going down to the school now. He thinks we're going to have this fight when they get out. I'm going to talk some sense into him - will you please come and help me out? Explain things to him?"
"Ok, ok. I'll be there. Watch out for tripwires on the way." She smirked at the comm unit.
"And stop smiling! I can hear it." There was a pause. "...I will. Thanks."
Maddy got up to find Dr Wallace and ask him if she could step out for a few minutes. When she moved into the main lab, a muttering over by the egg enclosure caught her ear.
Leah Marcos was standing over the egg, tapping at the glass and whispering furiously. Not noticing Maddy, she looked down at the environmental controls, her brow furrowed.
"Leah?" Maddy put her hands on her hips as the girl spun around. "What are you doing?"
"Sam said you had a Slasher egg. I wanted to see if it had, um, hatched yet."
"Uh huh. And you wanted a baby Slasher because..."
Leah looked down. Maddy raised an eyebrow and did her best imitation of her mother's Stern voice. "The truth."
Leah peered up through her hair. "Because I promised Sam I'd help him beat Mark in a fight and I thought...maybe if he had some help. Not to really hurt him!" she added in a rush. "Just to, you know..."
"Maim him?"
"Sting him a bit!" Leah corrected, wide eyed. "I thought it'd be like a really mean cat or something."
Maddy sighed. "Ok. Come with me. You are telling me everything."
Mark had expected the crowd of kids at the end of the school day. He had thought it would make it easier to take Sam aside where they could talk calmly, without any embarrassment.
He hadn't expected the grown up kids - in the form of his so-called friends - to scupper that plan completely by hanging around in a circle, cracking jokes and drawing a crowd.
"Guys, get out of here," Mark hissed. "You're going to embarrass the kid."
"And miss this?" Jeffries shook his head. "I've got patrol duty wagered on this fight. Two dawn shifts on Sam."
"Me too." That was Dunham.
Mark wasn't sure whether pride or common sense should win out. "I am not going to fight a kid."
Jeffries and Dunham exchanged satisfied looks. "Exactly. So he wins by default."
"You are all ridiculous," Mark informed them, and received laughter in return.
"You invited people to watch?"
Sam looked equal parts stubborn and terrified, standing skinny and small in the middle of the circle. His schoolbag was still on his shoulder.
"No, they're just leaving." Mark glowered. "Look, Sam. We are not having a fight."
"Are you scared?" The boy squared his shoulders and glared up at him. The fact that he had to crane his neck almost all the way back made it less scary than it was meant to be. "You look pretty tired."
Mark folded his arms. "You haven't been very sportsmanlike."
Sam shrugged, not looking remorseful in the slightest. "I had to even the playing field. I told you I was cleverer than you."
"He has a point, Reynolds."
"Shut up, Dunham."
Sam grinned. "Thanks, Dunham."
"Look, Sam." Mark leaned closer to avoid being overheard, bent over and rested his hands on his knees. "I get that you really like Maddy, and it's really brave that you want to fight for her. But I'm not going to fight a little kid. This isn't going to happen."
Sam's face scrunched into a scowl. The next thing Mark knew his leg buckled out from under him, dumping him hard on the ground.
"Ow!" He pushed himself up on one scraped palm and rubbing his throbbing shin with the other. "You kicked me!"
"Just because you don't want to fight doesn't mean I don't." Sam bounced vigorously on his toes and put his fists up, bobbing around Mark like a blond pogo stick. "You can call quitters any time. That means I win."
Mark hobbled to his feet, and swung out of range of Sam's swinging arm to avoid a dead leg. His kicked leg protested at being set on the ground. "Would someone stop laughing and grab him!"
"You need help against a schoolkid, just say the word."
"Sam, kiddo! If you knock him down three times, you win! Those are the rules."
"What the hell is going on here?"
Funny how Lieutenant Washington's voice scything through the crowd killed the hilarity of the situation for their audience. In the resulting silence, Mark had time to ponder whether his heart had stopped from relief or terror. He turned slowly, limping to attention.
Wash stood with a hand on her hip, Maddy on her left and Leah Marcos looking petrified on her right.
"Lieutenant, ma'am." Mark glanced over his shoulder at his fellow soldiers, who were steadfastly looking dead ahead and making no move to speak. Jerks. "Ah...I can explain all this."
"Really?" Wash looked him up and down, then did the same to Sam. "You can explain how you're standing in a fighting ring with a child. With an audience taking bets." She paused, pursing her lips. "And getting your ass beaten while you're at it."
They had meteors, time fractures and dinosaurs. Was an earthquake to swallow him up right now really that much to ask?
Wash dispersed the crowd without much more than a glare - Mark was disappointed to see his unit get off without a public dressing down, though he was very much certain they'd be sorry in due course - and hauled Mark and Sam to stand side by side in front of her.
"You. " She pointed at Mark. "That you actually indulged this ridiculousness by showing up, in a crowded street no less, is beyond belief. Did it not occur to you to tell Maddy or - oh, let me think - Sam and Leah's guardian to have a word with him? Instead you practically invite half your unit to turn up for the show."
"And you." She moved to Sam and towered over him, making him look even smaller. Mark actually felt sorry for him - at least until the thorn scratches on his hands started itching again.
"We do not fight over women, Sam. We especially do not fight over them with their boyfriends like toddlers squabbling over a toy." Wash levelled a finger at Maddy. "That is the person you should have spoken to, not Mark. Now go and apologise."
Looking positively miserable, Sam shuffled over to Maddy. She knelt down and drew him close. Mark didn't hear what Sam whispered to her or what Maddy said back, but the sigh and the resigned nod from Sam said more than words. Maddy hugged him tight.
"You're still my best assistant, if you want to be," she told him.
Sam sniffed and gave a tiny nod. Wash told Leah to take him home and that she'd drop by to speak to their guardian later. Then she turned back to Mark.
Mark cleared his throat. "For the record, ma'am, I never said you were easygoing either."
"Good. Because?"
"Um. You're not?"
"That sounded like a question, not an answer."
"Ma'am, I can honestly say I'm more terrified of you than anyone else in the colony right now." Mark swallowed. "Will there be anything else?"
Wash looked mildly pacified by his flattery. She scanned him from head to toe again. "You look like crap, Reynolds. I expect you at training tonight, but you should take it light. Only fifty push-ups in every corner of the track to warm up."
Mark hesitated. "It's usually twenty-five, ma'am."
She raised her eyebrows. "Is it?"
Maddy made zipper motions across her mouth. As if Mark needed to take the hint.
Wash jerked her head to the side. "Dismissed."
Maddy slipped an arm around Mark's waist as he began to limp back towards the barracks. He winced and eased his arm over her shoulder. His pride was damaged plenty already - he may as well accept the help.
"Wash?" Jim Shannon passed them with a curious look as he approached the lieutenant. "What's all this about a fight? I just saw Sam and Leah. Why does Sam look traumatised?"
"And you!" Wash rounded on him and delivered a smack to the side of his head. "You are banned from giving romantic advice to anyone - kid, teenager, anyone - ever again. You hear me? Not ever." She threw her hands up in the air. "First Taylor, and now you. Kids are perfectly capable of screwing up romance without your interference."
Jim stared at her, rubbing the side of his head. "I don't even know what happened."
"I know."
"But it's my fault?"
"It usually is."
Maddy leaned her head closer to Mark's and whispered, "I give it about ten seconds before his ear stops ringing and he finds a way to make this your fault instead. Can you hobble faster?"