Chapter 1: Clubbing

"Mixed feelings, like mixed drinks, are a confusion to the soul." - George Carman

Going through paperwork and new recruits was one of Captain Redfield's least favorite things to do on a Friday night before the weekend. They had recently had their sniper and A.T.L. transfer out and now Chris had to look for someone new to replace their last sniper. Chris sighed to himself, picking up a few more recommendations and shredding them. Nobody seemed to stand out, they were all too… orderly too… normal or too hell bent on being a part of Alpha Team for Chris' liking. He liked people who stood out, who weren't the typical left right salute kind of soldier. Like Marco and Andy for instance, they may be a pain in the Captain's ass sometimes but that is what made them a good addition to the team.

Chris stopped going through files and headed out to grab another cup of coffee, it was getting close to eleven at night, and he had been going through recommendations for the past two weeks and still nobody seemed to jump out at him as the perfect sniper. Walking out the door Chris took a left, trying to rub some of the tiredness from his eyes on the way to go out the building. After another two or three turns Chris ran into Marco and Andy who seemed to have mischievous looks on their faces tonight.

Quirking and eyebrow Andy had to force himself to not smile. "How's it going tonight Captain?"

Chris stopped and crossed his burly arms in response. "Same as it has been going Andy. What do you two want now I'm still going through those damn recommendations."

Marco chuckled at Chris. "Oh come on Chris just pick one already and be done with it, how hard can it be to find a sniper?"

Chris snorted. "Harder than you think Marco, how many recommendations do you think I went through before I found you idiots?"

Andy scoffed. "None for me because I'm just that damn good."

Chris raised an eyebrow at Andy. "Is that so? You think you are good enough to try and go up against me then Andy?"

Andy laughed nervously. "Uh n-no… just um… you know, I'm just that good it was a no brainer right?"

Chris snickered at Andy. "At a loss for words now are we Andy?"

Andy rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Ahem, um, anyway Captain, wait for us after you're done we got something to show you tonight."

Chris raised an eyebrow at Andy again. "Oh? And just what exactly, do you plan on showing me?"

Marco laughed at Andy's nervousness. "A good time Captain! What can be better than going out to a bar on a Friday night?"

Chris scoffed. "Finding something good in that damn paperwork would be better than going to a bar."

Marco smiled. "Don't worry Captain it'll still be there in the morning, have some fun and break loose! Bet we could get you drunk while we're at it!"

Chris' eyes lit up with a fiery challenge. "Oh really? You guys think you can get MEdrunk eh?"

Andy chimed in much less nervously this time. "Drunk and then some Captain!"

Chris managed a glance back towards the direction his office was in, then sighed and looked back to Andy and Marco. "You know what, sure. Meet me back here later I'm going to go grab a cup of coffee and then look at a few more files before you guys show me a "fun" night."

Andy and Marco both threw their fists into the air and cheered. Chris smiled and laughed, walking the rest of the way outside to go to a café for a cup of joe. Upon entering, Chris was slightly taken aback at how busy a café could be so late at night. He couldn't find a single table that was empty and ended up waiting in line to get a cup to leave. Before Chris was able to get his coffee he heard thunder outside and a severe downpour started. It looked like he wouldn't be walking back to his office, yet. Sighing, Chris stayed in line to get his drink.

"Hello Sir, how can I help you today?"

Chris thought for a moment, looking at the menu. "Hmm… I'll take a cup of your strongest coffee, no cream."

"Coming right up!"

Chris sat down on a nearby stool to wait, but suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. Chris turned his head slightly to see who was behind him. He was greeted by the sight of a younger man with a flip of hair on the front of his head that almost made Chris want to think the word *cute* before he heard the man start speaking.

"You need a spot to sit?" Chris noticed how the man seemed to throw a hip out but quickly tore his sight away from that to see the man raising an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, sure, I guess." Chris accepted the man's offer, receiving his coffee less than a minute later.

Chris got up and followed the man to a corner of the shop that seemed much quieter than the rest of it with a small table sitting in the corner. The man sat down and Chris slid in on the other side of the table. Chris started to sip his coffee, wondering why someone asked him if he needed a seat, but then he noticed that the younger man was sitting here reading, in the middle of the night.

Motioning to the book Chris raised his eyebrow in questioning. "Read at a café in the middle of the night all the time?"

The man smiled back at him which brought a slight quirk to the corners of Chris' mouth. "Not really, I just happened to stop here for a bit before I go off to my uh… job."

Chris leaned in slightly interested. "Job huh, must be more interesting than having to go through paperwork for days on end."

The man moved back from Chris slightly, although he couldn't go far. "Yeah uh… I guess you could say that."

Chris scratched his chin in thought for a moment. "So uh… what kind of job exactly, do you have?"

The man cleared his throat nervously. "I uh… dance…"

Chris laughed. "Is that all?"

The man rubbed the back of his head and blushed slightly red. "Well um… it's uh… that kind of… dancing…"

Chris scrunched his eyebrows in confusion for a moment. "… OH you mean… THAT kind of dancing?"

The man cleared his throat for probably the hundredth time since starting his conversation with Chris. "… yeah… I mean it pays the bills so…"

Chris looked away for a moment, embarrassed. "Well that's uh… good… sorry I didn't mean to make it awkward."

A small smile came back to the man's face. "Not at all! I just don't uh… usually tell anyone about it outside of work."

Chris chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. "That's fine, and that is also your business so don't let me pry. There's always more to someone than what they do for a living."

The man raised an eyebrow at Chris. "Really huh? You seem to be quite… inquisitive, if I do say so myself."

It was Chris' turn to be surprised. "Really? As far as I know I'm about as inquisitive and emotional as a pile of dirt."

The man laughed and locked his gaze with Chris for an awkward moment before dropping it. "Well… you don't seem that dull, sir."

Chris shook his head amused. "I'm pretty sure I am, but please, call me Chris."

Chris extended his hand to shake the other man's who obliged and reached his own arm out as well. "Nivans, Piers Nivans, nice to meet you, Chris."

"Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Nivans." Chris was beginning to like this man even if he did do… that kind of dancing, as Chris had put it.

"Thanks, so uh, why are you here exactly? Surely you could find a better place for coffee at this time of night."

Chris shrugged. "The coffee at the office is fucking horrible, and I needed a place to get some fresh air, but well you know, didn't really expect this many people in a café so late at night."

Piers chuckled. "Yeah, this is a pretty busy place on Friday."

Chris smiled again and looked at his watch. "Oh shit! I'm sorry I gotta go, I'm supposed to be meeting some friends to head on out, sorry!"

Piers laughed as Chris rushed out the door, bumping into several people on the way out. Piers reached for where he had set his book down and noticed it was missing. He sat there for a moment with a frown on his face confused.

*Where the hell did my book go…* Then Piers realized something else was sitting on the table where the book used to be, Chris' wallet.

oOoOoOoOo

Chris hurried out of the café through the rain, running as fast as he could back to his office. He got inside and set his stuff down, determined to go through a few more applicants before he was ready to leave. Reaching around by his wallet Chris picked up a few of them and started reading.

Rex Salazar –

6' 3" 153 lbs.

Specialty: Recon and Special Ops

Recommendation: Rex Salazar is one of the best Special Ops candidates we have had in months. Good leadership skills, along with marksmanship and tactical training Salazar has proven to be effective and malleable while in the field of duty.

Chris grunted to himself and sent that recommendation into the shredder. Nothing he hasn't read before, same glowing recommendation from some person Chris could care less about. Still, nothing jumped out at Chris saying *I've got what it takes!* Chris was starting to think he would never be able to find that one in a million chance.

Andy and Marco were chilling in the break room when they saw Chris walk by, drenched from the rain. They sat there for a while longer before deciding to go and walk over to Chris' office to see if he was ready to go.

"Psst Andy, you got that shit ready?" Marco asked with an evil smile.

Andy almost cackled, quietly. "You know I do Marco! Chris won't know what hit him tomorrow morning haha!"

Andy and Marco both walked up to Chris' door, laughing together like idiots. When they knocked they heard a gruff *come in* and then opened the door and entered. Chris was still soaking wet, but that wouldn't matter where they were going.

"You ready to go Captain? The night's still young!"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Whatever Andy, let's just go already."

Andy and Marco both cheered again while Chris followed them out of the office. They ran into Jill on the way out and asked Chris how the applicants were going. He just simply replied that he hadn't found anyone that stood out yet. Jill nodded and even told a small story about how hard it was for her to find people that stood out as well. She waved them good bye and they headed on out to Andy's truck.

Andy and Marco both sat in the front talking about random crap Chris couldn't care less about, he just kept thinking back to the man he had seen earlier at the coffee shop. Some things about Piers just seemed to make Chris feel odd. For one, why would a complete stranger offer someone a seat in a coffee shop full of people? Sure, Chris had been told that he did that kind of dancing, but then he was also reading in there, who did that in the middle of the night? Chris was broken from his thoughts when he went to open his wallet that he had grabbed before leaving.

*What the fuck… why do I have a book…*

Chris suddenly flashed back to the man in the café. He was reading a book, and that just happened to be the book Chris had with him. This to Chris meant that he fucked up and left his wallet there while he took the man's book with him. Chris groaned and smacked the book to his forehead. Andy and Marco glanced back and laughed. They took about ten minutes to get to the club and when Chris stepped out of the truck he groaned again and hit his head on the truck to the door in frustration. Andy and Marco brought him to a strip club to make him relax?

"Why the hell did you guys bring me to a Strip club?"

Andy laughed. "Calm down Chris, you need to lighten up and get some excitement in your life!"

Chris sighed. "I have enough excitement wondering if you two are actually going to get me drunk. Now to think you're going to try and get me to take a lap dance while you're at it? Jesus Christ, Andy."

Marco piped up. "Oh c'mon Chris! Spades isn't just any strip club; it's got the hottest bitches in town!"

Chris sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Whatever, let's just get this damn bet over with."

Marco and Andy laughed like idiots, leading Chris inside the club. They took a table in the corner of the club and Marco walked off to go get the drinks. Chris just sighed and decided he could cut loose for a night and started watching the entertainment. There wasn't much going on, just men and women dancing around horny people in the same corny costumes.

Marco came back over with the drinks and slid one to Chris. "Alright Chris, betcha a hundred bucks that one drink can knock you on your ass."

Chris scowled into his drink for a moment. "This tiny ass drink, is supposed to be what knocks me on my ass tonight?"

Marco tried to smile innocently, tried. "Yep, nothing but that one little drink."

Chris chuckled with a fire for challenge in his eyes. "Fine then, you're losing your bet, but I swear if you put something in this I'm kicking your ass when I wake up."

Marco laughed while Chris downed the drink in one gulp, the sting of alcohol burning his throat slightly. Marco and Andy glanced at each other and smiled evilly, it was only a matter of time before Chris would be out on his ass. It took a few minutes but then they noticed Chris' eyes become blood shot and his speech started to get extremely slurred while they continued chugging their own beers.

"F-fuck did you guysh put into this shhh-shit huh?"

"Oh shit Marco how much did you put in there?!" Andy threw his hands up in mock exasperation.

Marco smiled wickedly. "Oh you know, "enough" to get him good and wasted."

"F-fuck y-you guysh, I'm gonna kick your asshes in the m-morning."

They were interrupted when an announcer came on over the speakers.

*Ladies and Gentlement, let's give a big welcome to our newest dancer tonight. He's young, he's hot, and he's covert. He is-

The Ace of Spades!*

Marco and Andy watched as someone came out on stage in a military getup wearing a shemagh. They watched him dance around the stage for a moment and then he started going around the room giving random people a lap dance.

Marco nudged Andy in the shoulder. "Dude! This would be perfect while Chris is still fucked up!"

Andy seemed to understand where he was going with this. "Man that's fucking evil and he won't even remember anything in the morning!"

Marco clapped him on the shoulder. "All the more reason we should get that guy to do it!"

Andy smiled back. "Agreed, dude hurry up and wave him over here while Chris is still at least awake!"

Marco and Andy waved to the "Ace of Spades" who had since stripped himself of his shirt, revealing a lean body. When the "Ace of Spades" saw them waving he made his way over, and chuckled silently to himself beneath his shemagh when he saw the man that was drunk off his ass.

"Hey buddy, want to help us play a prank on our Captain here?"

The Ace shrugged his shoulders and started giving the man a lap dance, which he leaned into drunkenly slurring his speech so hard it was unintelligible. "I guess I could play along for some fun, what do you have in mind?"

"Well you see here, since we kind of spiked Chris' drink and he won't remember any of this shit in the morning, we thought we could make him freak the fuck out and think he did something crazy."

The Ace chuckled behind his shemagh as Chris started drunkenly nipping at his neck. "Shmells g-good guysh."

Marco clapped The Ace on the shoulder. "So what do ya say buddy, wanna help us pull a prank on him?"

The Ace shrugged. "Sure, what do I do?"

Marco and Andy looked at each other and smirked before Andy replied. "Just take him home with ya and make him think he slept with ya. He won't remember a thing, we hit him Georgia Homeboy style."

The Ace raised an eyebrow that Marco and Andy could barely see. "Really now, GHB style eh? Well, I guess I could do it for some fun, want me to just come back after the shows over?" Chris was now trying to make out with The Ace while muttering someone's name.

"Yep! See ya after the show buddy!"

oOoOoOoOo

Chris had a massive headache when he woke up in the morning. He felt oddly comfortable, his bed seemed warmer than it usually did but then again, he couldn't remember anything that had happened after Marco slid him that drink in the club last night. Groaning, Chris sat up in bed, rubbing circles at his temples to try and curb the migraine coursing through his head. That's when he realized he wasn't alone in the bed. Sitting next to him, reading that same damn book, was the man he had seen in the café last night. They were both naked, and Chris had ZERO clue how the hell he got there.

Staring at him wide-eyed and having a fearful look Chris tried stuttering out some words. "D-did we uh… how d-did I get… what the fuck h-happened…"

That is when Piers turned to face Chris. "Oh hey you're awake. Thanks for carrying my book for me by the way, did you really not realize you walked out with a book instead of a wallet?"

Chris looked at him dumbfounded and said one more thing before he blacked out from his migraine. "Did we fuck?"