Title: Knock Before Entering
Category: Terra Nova
Ship: Maddy/Mark, hints of Wash/Taylor, Alicia Washington
Genre: Humor/Romance
Rated: PG-13 ish (to be safe)
Word Count: 1847
Summary: Alicia walks in on Mark and Maddy, now she has to deal with that image when around Jim.
A/N: For the December prompt from shippergal - Alicia and Mark live together and Alicia walks in on him and Maddy- Started it and never finished it.
Thanks to Crystalkei for the beta and cheerleading (any remaining errors are mine)
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Alicia doesn't mean to walk in on them, then again she doesn't mean to live with Mark either, that's Mother Nature's fault. A severe thunderstorm that leaves her's and many other housing unit needing extensive repairs, her home currently had a tree sized hole in the roof where a massive branch had fallen.
As roommates go, Mark isn't the worst choice, they're friends despite their age difference and rank, he's welcoming, willing to share his small space with her and for a boy he isn't as disgusting as she expected him to be. No, living with Mark was shaping up to be a fine temporary arrangement.
But then she sees more than she ever wanted to see of him or his girlfriend and she's reminded that, one, teenagers have no self control and that two, it's been a long time since she's been up to the activities they're up to. She'd be lying if she didn't say she was a little jealous.
It's late and she's had the longest day, half of it OTG and the other half going over paperwork with the Commander –more like paperwork Nathaniel wanted to get out off doing himself and throws on her lap- all she wants is a shower and a bed (or the couch as it were) but she remembers the drills she wants Mark to oversee in the morning and heads for his door. She blames her exhaustion both for her rudeness and for not picking up on the sounds coming from his bedroom; in any case it's too late to un-see what she sees.
There in his bed she finds a half naked Maddy on top of the young Corporal, the girl is straddling his lap as he clutches her hips, her movements along with their breathlessness make it obvious what she's walked in on. She knows she should leave but honestly she's too shocked to do so. The couple that has always seemed innocent and pure in her mind have in a moment taken a completely different turn.
She turns to leave hoping not to alert either party of her presence but it seems luck isn't on their side tonight and uncomfortable embarrassment seems to be in order because just as she turns Mark seems to hear her step, it shouldn't surprise her, the boy is a good soldier, one of the best she's trained, he's always alert, if she hadn't been so tired maybe she could have been alert too and avoided this.
"Lieutenant!" he croaks out and she has to bite the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing at the way his voice breaks, she does however have to smile at the squeak Maddy lets out and the way Mark quickly pulls up the covers to preserve her modesty, a gentleman to the end. "I…we-"
Alicia holds up her hand to stop the stammering explanation. "My fault, I should have knocked, sorry."
She's not ashamed to say she moves faster than she would if a Nyko were trailing her, shutting the door behind her. She leans against the wall shaking her head at the situation. She snorts quietly when through the door she hears Maddy moan out 'kill me now'.
Laughing to herself she heads for the bathroom, she still needs that shower and hopefully by the time she's done, they will be too.
It's almost an hour later before she's out of the bathroom, she's used all the hot water but it's obvious that Mark needs a cold shower so she doesn't feel too bad, she raises an eyebrow when she finds him sitting on one of the living room chairs, his hands on his lap like a child waiting to be reprimanded.
She clears her throat as she walks into the center of the room and watches as he stands to attention. "Where's Maddy?"
"I walked her home," he tells her seeming at a loss at what to say next. "Lieutenant, I'd like-"
"Mark," she interrupts, seeing where this is going. "We're not on duty, no need to address me so formally."
"Alicia," he sighs relaxing slightly. "I'm sorry."
"That's kind of my line, kid, I walked in on you," Alicia answers, smirking when he blushes, but turns serious at her next question. "You are respectful of her, yes?"
"Yes, ma'am," he answers just as serious, his stances even straighter.
"And you're in love with her?" she questions even though she knows the answer and can't help but smile at the way the soldier softens, an honest smile on his own lips.
"Yes, I love her very much," he nods sincerely. "More than anything."
"Well, that's good enough for me."
Mark lets out a breath of relief at her words, but hesitates as he heads for his room. "So…" he hedges.
"So," she repeats with a smirk back on her face. "I'll knock from now on, you'll lock your door from now on and we'll keep this between the three of us."
"Thank you," Mark says gratefully before closing his door.
… … …
Of course saying is easier than doing and she didn't factor a few things, like Maddy's beet red blush whenever she gets near the girl, the rambling that her proximity provoked and while the girl and her family had been in Terra Nova long enough to know that was part of the girl's personality, it grew in such a way that other's were beginning to notice how nervous Maddy became around her. Another thing she didn't take into account…Jim Shannon.
She liked the man, considered him more than a colleague, a friend who she spent a lot of time with and now she had intimate detail of the nature of his daughter's relationship with her boyfriend and while she didn't think it was Jim's business, Maddy was, after all, almost 18 and what she and Mark did was their problem and theirs alone. It didn't help, though, that whenever she saw him she couldn't help but think about what she walked into or what his reaction would be and it definitely didn't help that the two of them worked closely with Mark.
The boy has always been hyperaware when he was around the head of the Shannon family but now it seemed even worse and she wondered if it has always been this way or if she was just noticing now that she knew Mark had reason to be nervous.
At any rate she was starting to find it harder and harder to be around them and it was only her military training and the military bearing that the training brought, that was saving her from breaking out in a fit of giggles whenever she was around the two men, especially with the nervous looks Mark shoots the older man and then her.
"You want to tell me why that Reynolds kid is extra twitchy around me and why you get that look on your face whenever you're around us, Wash?"
Alicia looks up from the Commander's desk, the man is of OTG again leaving her to hold down the fort, Jim Shannon is staring down at her with what she's come to know as his cop stare, it works on the younger recruits, she can't think of one he doesn't intimidate.
"Don't you knock Shannon, knocking is important." The irony of her words isn't lost on her and she finds that a grin makes its way to her face before she can stop it, earning a look of curiosity from the man in front of her. "Now what do you need?"
"Reynolds, Wash," Jim starts again exasperated. "He's all nervous around me and you know why."
"Everyone knows why Shannon," she answers quickly getting up for the desk shuffling papers, Jim might not intimidate her, but that doesn't mean the man doesn't have a six sense about things. "You always look one step from shooting him for being with your daughter, he's always nervous around you."
"And that's all it is?" Jim asks doubtful, his eyes narrowed.
"Yes."
"Then why do you have that face?" he asks stepping up to her pointing accusingly.
"What about my face," she questions in a harsh tone, pleased when he takes a step back. "This is my face, what other face should I have?"
Jim tries to answer faltering at the glare she's giving him.
"What about your face?"
She and Jim turned at the question to find Taylor standing at the door watching them questioningly. She gives him a quick look over, a little dirty and he seems to have a few small cuts on his arm but otherwise fine.
"Shannon is asking me why I have this face," she answers pointing at her face in a circular motion.
"Why shouldn't she have that face, Shannon," Taylor questions sending an amused grin her way when Jim huffs. "Look at her; it's a good face to have."
"Thank you, Sir," she answers both pleased with the compliment and Jim's annoyance.
"Don't even think you can change the subject, Wash-"
"Look, Shannon," she interrupts, happy that her tone stops the man in his track. "My face is my business, Mark and his nervousness around you is his and his relationship with Maddy is theirs, basically none of this is any of your business, that's the point you need to take away from this and trust me when I say you don't want it to be your business."
Jim narrows his eyes suspiciously. "What does that mean?"
Hands on hip she gives him a look. "You know that old saying 'ignorance is bliss'? In this case it's true, now if you'll both excuse me, I believe my duties as acting commander are over. Shannon, Sir."
She's out the door before either man can stop her heading for her shared home, shaking her head at the situation half amused, half aggravated with her part in it.
Opening the door to the house she finds the reason or reasons for her predicament on the love seat, at least this time they're dressed but once again all over each other.
"Good grief," she grumbles not the least bit sorry when Mark and Maddy spring apart. "Don't you two ever come up for air?"
She lifts a hand to stop whatever might come out of their mouths. "Never mind, teenagers, hormones, it's like wild animals, I know."
Walking away from the flushed teenagers she wonders if she can use her influence to rush the repairs of her home.
Looking back at the couple, no longer attached at the lips, they are sitting very close to each other, she watches as a still pink Maddy looks up at Mark smiling shyly at whatever Mark is whispering to her, she shakes her head once again, a reluctant smile on her face as Mark laughs softly and pulls the girl into his arms pressing a tender kiss on her hairline.
Then again if she can't rush the repairs maybe she can get a new roommate, maybe even bunk with the Commander…the man did like her face after all.