Later That Day….

"Did you leave us any hot water, Ali?" Cover Girl gently teased Jaye as she emerged from her bedroom, her head wrapped in a towel, her body in a fluffy yellow robe.

Jaye made a face at her roommate. "You're one to talk, Courtney. Every time you have a date, we lose hot water for a week!"

She plopped down on the sofa and looked at the TV. "Anything good on?"

"No," sighed Courtney. "You'd think they'd at least supply cable or satellite for us, but no," she sighed. "Want to watch a movie instead?" she asked, eyeing the girls' DVD collection.

"Actually, I was thinking about getting away tonight. Duke gave me tomorrow off to regroup, so I thought I might go into town and do some shopping."

"Ah, damage the old credit card? Sounds like fun. Wish I could join you," sighed Cover Girl, "but I'm on duty tomorrow. Maybe next time?"

Jaye smiled at her roommate and got up to get dressed. She decided to throw some overnight things in her duffel and make an event of it – massage, shopping, nice hotel….something she felt could help her relax and get her focus back.

Throwing on jeans and a girly white t-shirt, she grabbed her leather jacket and keys. Courtney grinned when she saw her. "Ah, the Duc look, huh? Must be needing some speed tonight," she observed. "Now I really wish I was going with you. When are you going to let me take a spin on your bike?"

Jaye grinned. "When you can go a week without crashing something, we'll talk."

Cover Girl frowned. "Look, it's not my fault that every time I get something fixed, we have some sort of stupid battle that ruins it."

"Honey, I was talking about your driving record, but yeah, your record with equipment equals that of how good you are at repairing it!" Jaye teased. "I'll see you tomorrow night, ok? If Shana's off as well, maybe we'll do a pizza and movie night!"

She threw her duffel over her shoulder, called a goodbye, and headed to the garage where the Joes kept their private vehicles. She took the cover off her Ducati and stroked it. She loved the feel of it under her as she sped down the road. Straddling the bike, she murmured a few words in Gaelic to it, and it immediately started. One of the advantages of having an extended family who were in the industry meant she had plenty of prototypes at her fingertips. Well, did have, she corrected herself. Ever since her uncle had taken her family's business and supported Cobra, the anti-terrorist organization that was the nemesis of GI Joe, she had no more access to the cool gadgets she once had. She had worked for British Intelligence, MI-6, at the time of the betrayal and had been so angry that when she had been offered the opportunity to join GI Joe, she had immediately taken it.

She shrugged off the retrospect and concentrated on the feel of the bike under her, letting it lead her into nearby northern Virginia, where she had booked at a room at one of the nicer hotels in Old Town Alexandria. She planned on spending tomorrow shopping along the trendy side of the river, relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere. Courtney had introduced her to this place several months ago and Jaye liked to visit when she could get time off.