Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 31st cycle. Now cycle 32!

Hear that little bird twitter! Been thinking about doing this for a couple days, then this morning decided to just go for it. If you go there, find 'gleekathon' and there I'll be. There's also a video explaining everything... Yep... ;) Check it out!

"Optic"
[Older] Santana, Quinn, Brittany; Brittana
Trinity #3 (sequel to "Breaker")

[stay tuned at the bottom for a quick Name Poll! ;)
(ON MY WAY TO GLEE 3D, WOO!)]

Optic had figured out her post, where she would set up her equipment, the better to keep an eye on the other two on her team… as well as anyone else who might come in and end up spoiling their fun. She didn't make that decision lightly, knowing how much was at stake… for her, in more ways than one.

"Breaker, talk to me, how are we doing?"

"Easy does it, we don't want to rush it…" her voice was slow as she concentrated, transferring the object to the case she had carried in, strapped to her back and replacing it there. "I'm closing up here," she spoke. "How's your betrothed doing?" she asked.

"Your what?" Sneak's voice came in her ear.

"She's fine," Optic smirked to herself. "Just keep moving, Sneak."

"Right," she replied, and Optic watched her on the monitor.

She didn't know that she would have been here now, doing this, if she didn't have her sneaky girl by her side. They had just barely found their way to one another when they were pulled in, so if either of them had decided to say no, neither of them would have gone for it.

But they had both said yes, and really she wondered so many times how different their lives would have been. She didn't regret the decision, not one bit. Their hometown had given her all that it could ever bring her, too little to keep her… too much to make her want to leave.

Not that she didn't realize how crazy it was that the three of them were doing this for a living… Former cheerleaders… Sure, there was that 'Sugar and Spice' movie but the comparisons were few, beyond cheerleaders, robbery… and the blonde pregnant Captain… But that was long before… They weren't exactly making basket tosses, and they aimed a bit higher than a supermarket bank…

By now they were all much more professional about it, but they had to start somewhere, still learning, and even their first job together had been so close to a total mess that the whole thing could have ended there… but it didn't.

Now they had this life together, together with Breaker, and they had all they could ever want… just about.

"Careful," she stared at the screen on the right, and there was no need at all for her to specify who it was she had spoken to; her voice said it all. She could tell just as much that, despite her best promises, Sneak was struggling. It only made Optic more anxious, looking over her screens to make sure all was fine and nothing would come for Sneak. She couldn't flat out ask Breaker to go assist her. Sneak would get upset that she didn't trust she could do this on her own, but then as much as she wanted to back off, for her sake, she couldn't do it. She loved her too much to risk her.

The engagement had been spontaneous, unplanned… It had happened two jobs ago. To even pull it off had required for them to stay hidden within the building for hours, and through all that, and the job, and then finally their escape… It had come to her, at the same time as the words had.

Breaker had been right there to see it and, really, it was right that she would be present. She had played a bigger hand in this than she could really realize, and it was more than that. This team, it was the three of them; it worked because, after so much disagreement back in the day, they had found peace, and they had become a unit. This union was going to affect her, too, in some respects. But she had been nothing but supportive…

"The fountain is clear," Optic spoke… waited.

"I see the skylight," Breaker's voice reached her ear, and she closed her eyes.

Sneak always went to bed first, the night before a job. Breaker would be the last, still going over plans. And the night before this job, before she could peacefully join her future wife in bed, had to clear something off her mind. So she'd gone and found Breaker, asking her a favor.

She didn't need to explain the situation to her, the injury, the risk, and the refusal of help. Optic couldn't leave her post, for all their safety, but she just couldn't let her risk herself. Breaker had considered this as well, and so she had proposed the code phrases. They would go unnoticed to Sneak, but to Breaker it would say 'your path is clear, please go and stand by to help her.' They would only use it if necessary. Now the response was in, and Optic watched Breaker's progress, from screen to screen. She'd just made it by the room Sneak was in, when her voice startled Optic.

"I've got… almost got it," Sneak revealed.

"How are we on time?" Breaker asked, low, from outside.

"You're good, both of you," Optic replied. She kept her voice calm, but she couldn't stand it. Yes, this was her part of the job, and she did it not just to compliment the others but because she was damn good at it, but she could get restless, sitting here while her friends were out there, out of her reach. Her job may have been more hands on at the recon stage, but here she just watched, and… At the beginning, though she wouldn't say it to either of them, she would have a recurring nightmare. She dreamt that they were on a job, and she could suddenly see danger approaching. She'd try to warn them, but they wouldn't hear, so she'd run, to help, but when she'd reach them it would be too late, and she'd find them, on the ground… dead…

It stopped plaguing her after a while, the more she saw how they were just as amazing at their jobs as she was at her own… But then there had been the accident, during the last job.

That had nearly been the end of it, of Trinity. Optic had nearly retired herself and Sneak from this whole life they lead, but… Sneak knew it was only out of fear, for her… So she'd convinced her to stay.

Now though, watching her on screen, Optic wished they'd taken that plane off into the sunset. If anything ever happened to her… She'd never been a frightened person, but the thought of losing her… absolutely terrified her.

TO BE CONTINUED (NEXT CYCLE)

PICK A NAME!
New character currently in development, and I'm being indecisive, so I'm putting it to all of you lovely people!
Please send via message if you can, the name you like best... [If you've already voted you can't vote again]

Brendan
Duncan
Ewan
Keegan
Neal
Rory
Sean

Thank you! :)

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!