CHAPTER TWO

Compared to the overcast skies the day before, the sun was ruthless at eight o'clock the next morning. It didn't care that Joe had gotten only four hours of sleep, all of which were spent cramped on the edge of the couch. The sun was now blasting in his face and once he was up, he was up. He and Jun had both fallen asleep on the couch, Jun along the inside, her legs stretched out and her feet tucked under his thigh, while Joe had clung to the outside, sleeping on his right side and trying not to fall onto the coffee table.

"Sometimes it pays to be a ninja," Joe thought to himself as maneuvered off the couch without so much as a twitch of a cushion and silently padded his way into the small kitchenette. He found the coffee, dumped the old grounds, and fired up the machine to brew twelve cups. He felt he was going to need them all. While the coffee brewed, he slipped into the bathroom for a quick shower.

He wandered out of the bathroom, towel wrapped lazily, but securely around his waist. He gnawed on his toothbrush as he used both hands to scrape another towel over his hair and scanned the tiny kitchenette for his beat up enamel coffee cup. He raised a brow in surprise to see Jun holding it as she sat at his tiny kitchen table, inhaling the steam wafting from the cup.

"I didn't think you'd be up yet," he mumbled around the toothbrush.

"I couldn't resist the smell of the coffee," she smiled back sleepily.

Joe walked to the kitchen sink and spit the toothpaste. He crudely cupped his hand under the running faucet to loudly slurp up a handful of water to rinse his mouth. He flicked the toothbrush into a novelty racing mug on the window sill and poured himself a cup of coffee. Joe's eyes were locked on her appraising look as he gingerly sipped at his hot coffee and sat down in front of her.

Jun arched an eyebrow at him. "Don't you think you should put on some clothes?" she asked.

"Why? Are you going to jump me?" Joe smirked, setting his shoulders back with a sexy shrug.

Jun laughed. "Yeah, that's my big plan," Jun answered, "This whole thing was a ruse so I could get you cornered in a towel."

"Okay," Joe said, with a delighted grin.

"Shut up," Jun said rolling her eyes, her cheeks taking on a pretty pink blush as she took a sip of her coffee. "Stop teasing me."

"Well, at least you're laughing."

Jun looked down into her coffee, "Joe, I'm really sorry I dumped all that on you last night. I wanted to keep it to myself, just go for a ride and blow off the steam." She looked up at him then added, "You were right, it was a stupid thing to do in the middle of a rainstorm. Thanks for rescuing me."

Joe smiled at her, "That's not a freebie. You owe me one," He watched a smile dance at the corners of her mouth. "Look," he continued, "it's okay for you to come here if you have a problem. I know I'm not the easiest person to talk to, but I would never turn you away. Okay? No more middle of the night motorcycle rides. Just come here. You know where the key is."

"Thanks," she reached out across the table and took his hand, "You are a true friend. I really appreciate you."

"It's the towel, right?"

"You are impossible," Jun laughed, and then got up from the table to take a shower of her own.

****

Joe got to work patching the tire while Jun got a rag and started cleaning the mud and grime from the motorcycle. They shared a companionable silence for a while, enjoying the work and the clear, bright sky. Eventually, Joe sat back on his heels and inspected his handiwork. "Well that should get you back to base at least. I'd get a new tire on right away. The patch is only a temporary solution."

"I'll take care of it." Jun answered. She tossed her rag down on the concrete floor and sat back, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I wish you could just patch me up too." she said wistfully.

"Actually," Joe replied with a thoughtful pout of his lips, "I've been thinking about that." He settled back onto the floor beside her. "I don't think it is possible to change how you feel. I know I can't. When I feel something, I just feel it. I have to let it happen. But maybe you can change how you act," Joe ran his hands through his long brown hair and smiled to himself, "I guess that sounds funny coming from me."

"No, not funny, more like . . . weird. " Jun answered with a slight smile. "I'm not used to you being the philosopher." She continued sincerely, reaching out to place a hand on Joe's arm, "I know how hard you try Joe. I know that you try to do what is right for the team even when you want to do something else. I know that can't be easy."

"It isn't," Joe replied simply, "But that doesn't mean I just stop trying." Joe looked at Jun and met her earnest gaze with a direct one of his own, "I think you can do the same thing with Ken. Don't make his problems your problems. Don't follow him around trying to fix him up. Sometimes it's best to do nothing, or do something else. There are lots of ways to love a person. You don't have to keep choosing ones where you end up hurt all the time."

"Joe, I don't think I can just shut him out. I would feel horrible and it would be so mean," Jun hugged her knees again, tears forming in her eyes, "How can I treat someone I care about so poorly? I couldn't do that to any of you."

"I didn't say treat him like crap," Joe answered, "I'm just saying you don't have to keep putting yourself in a position where you're going to get hurt. It's like beer. You might love beer, but if you keep drinking it, you'll just get fat. So go ahead, love the beer, but stop drinking it!"

"Joe, I'm not sure that makes any sense," Jun replied, shaking her head.

"Jun, it's real simple. Just stop doing things that hurt you. No matter what the reason might be, even if you think it is to help Ken, it isn't worth it."

"You mean I need to make the choices that are good for me," Jun answered.

"Yeah, I think that's what I'm saying. Do something else instead. Something you know will make you feel good, not bad. Like don't just ask Ken out for pizza, ask all of us. You'll have a good time no matter who comes and you won't be setting yourself up for disappointment if Ken doesn't show. I'd go. I'd even pay," Joe joked, trying to get a smile out of Jun. She looked distraught and anxious, but she wasn't crying anymore and maybe she was taking in what he was trying to say. She didn't answer him, but rested her chin on her knees and looked out toward the sunlight and the blue sky and sighed deeply. Joe considered if he had said too much. Who the hell was he to give advice about controlling ones actions anyway? He was always getting called to the carpet for going off on his own, disobeying orders, arguing with Ken, but deep down, Joe knew he did try. He knew that most of the time, he did what was asked of him by Ken, by Hakase, by the team. He struggled with it daily, but most of the time, he won - even if the others didn't see it that way.

Now, this business with Ken and Jun -- that everyone could see, except maybe Ken himself. How a man, any man, could be so dense when it came to women was just beyond Joe. Women and cars were two things that were as easy to Joe as breathing. He had a hard time figuring out how Ken could miss such obvious signals. Or even worse in Joe's mind, ignore them. He looked over at Jun staring at the blue skies, her dark hair shining so deeply in the sunlight it almost looked green, and not for the first time wondered what might have been between them if she was just the bartender at the J and not his teammate. It was galling him that Jun was miserable and Joe had an overwhelming desire to fix it. He was tired of this drama, hell the entire team was. All of his attempts to talk to Ken about it had ended up in either a fist fight or one of them storming off and not speaking to the other for days. Maybe it was time for Joe to cut the chatter and do what he did best - stir things up and make trouble. Maybe he could make Ken see what he didn't want to hear.

"Yeah," Joe thought to himself, "I'm going to rock his comfortable little world."

Before Joe could say anything further to Jun, her bracelet chirped.

"G1 to G3. Do you copy?'

"Yes, I'm here" Jun answered quietly, "Go ahead."

"I just talked to Jinpei and he said you weren't home when he got up. Everything okay?'

Before Jun could answer, Joe coolly chimed in, "G2 here. We're at the track patching up the tire on her bike. Everything's fine." Jun's eyes widened in surprise that he had interrupted the conversation, but she said nothing.

There was a slight pause before Ken answered, "Oh, okay. Don't forget, we have practice at eleven."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll be there. G2 out." Joe shook his head, "What a nag. I should show up late out of spite."

Jun gave a light chuckle, "We should finish up and get going. Can you follow me in case there's a problem with the patch?'

"There won't be," Joe said smugly, "But yeah, I'll follow you."

*****

The ride to base was uneventful and Jun and Joe stopped at the motor pool to leave instructions for the mechanics to get the tire replaced. They had a routine sparring practice scheduled so they headed to the locker rooms next to the gym change to workout clothes. Galactor had been quiet for nearly a week now and it was putting everyone a little bit on edge, Ken most of all. He had gotten into the habit of assembling the team daily during these slow periods. Keeping everyone active helped burn off the anxious energy of just waiting around and they used these lulls to hone fighting skills and practice new techniques. They were focusing on close quarters hand-to-hand today and Ken opted for the team to skip the birdstyle for this session.

Jun wasn't looking forward to this. Usually she liked these sessions; the time spent with her family, even in the gym, raised her spirits no matter what the problem. But today, she felt trapped inside of herself. It was all just going to be a repeat of everything and no way to break out of this unbearable cycle with Ken. Their sparring would be filled with the usual banter and ease they shared with each other. Her heart would lift at his smile and his playful jokes and then, when they really got into it, the intensity of the workout, the physical closeness would cause that electrical connection between them to pulsate with desires and passions they only allowed themselves to explore on the gym floor. Afterward, in the shower, Jun would try to calm her heightened senses while still reveling in the warm emotions coursing through her. Emboldened by what had passed between them, she would fabricate some reason to spend time with him and hope to prolong the feeling. Or make sure she was up early at breakfast the next day knowing he might stop at the Snack J before starting his air deliveries. She lived or died on the quality of his smile. That connected feeling could last between them for days, carrying them through missions, and briefings and his arguments with Joe. Then suddenly, that smile just wouldn't be there and something inside of her would crumble. Ken could just turn off his feelings for her like a light switch and it hurt, shamed and enraged her all at the same time.

Jun thought about what Joe had said, about the idea of her being in love. Was it possible to be in love with someone you had never been on a date with? Had never even kissed? Jun thought she had been in love once, with Koji, but that had felt differently then this. Koji had been an easy and comfortable relationship, but her heart didn't do somersaults at his touch the way it did with Ken. Funny, companionable, and free-spirited, she had adored him but never felt consumed by him. Ken's presence felt overwhelming sometimes, where Koji was, well, just Koji. There were times when Jun was frightened by the intensity of her feelings for Ken. She fought desperately to keep it professional and to live up to the high standards that were set for all of the team, but she couldn't just ignore how she felt either. Even if her gestures were small, she felt compelled to express what was in her heart.

This was getting her nowhere. Forcing her thoughts away from Ken, she finished getting dressed and headed toward the gym. As she opened the door Jun rolled her eyes at Joe waiting for her in the hallway, arms crossed and leaning on the wall opposite the locker room. She should have assumed she wasn't going to get to practice without some choice commentary from Joe.

"Took you long enough," he smirked.

While his teasing was hardly unexpected Jun couldn't stop her defenses from rising. An exasperated sigh escaped from her lips as her posture stiffened in warning that she wasn't in the mood to be teased.

Joe read her change immediately and took a conciliatory step back. He held his hands up in front of him to seek pause. "I'm kidding, " Joe defended with an apologetic smile. "It's going to be a long practice if you're already this cranky."

"Joe, cut it out," Jun answered, sounding defeated, "I don't need this right now. All I need is to just get through this and go home." She turned to walk away but found herself lightly restrained as Joe reached out and reassuringly grabbed at her upper arm. She inhaled lightly as she felt his grip change to a tentative caress along the back of her arm. His tender gesture caught her off guard but she was wary of him slinging another biting comment her way. "Joe," she breathed in warning, conflicted by the jumble of feelings warring in her heart.

"Sorry," he said sincerely as he gently stroked her smooth skin, "I was just trying to cheer you up." His words hitched as Jun shrugged his hand from her arm. As she breathed in a shaking sniff and let her shoulders slump in complete resignation. Joe felt his heart catch with unexpected emotion. Something tugged at his very core to see her so sad. This was not going the way the Condor had planned. He reached out to her again. "Come here," Joe said as he tugged her around to face him. He slid his hand down her arm to take her hand in his. "I have something for you that I know will make you feel better," he smiled down at her with a wicked grin, "a new fighting move to try."

Jun let out an acquiescent sigh and looked up at him. Joe was right; it was going to be a long practice if she couldn't shake this mood. After all that Joe had done for her over the last few hours, the least she could do was give it her best shot not to take out her frustrations on him. She focused on his words – of his promise of a new fighting technique – and had to purse her lips in curiosity. It was hardly a surprise that Joe knew her well enough to find the perfect bait to draw her focus away from her moody despair. Of all the team he was the most intuitive, and to some degree the most attentive. He was trying to cheer her up, and had found the perfect distraction to do so. Intrigued, she let her curiosity take hold and the question was out before she had a chance to think better of it. "Alright, what do you have in mind?" she asked.

"I've been thinking about this for a bit actually," Joe started, still holding her hands "but it only just came to me how to make it work." He paused long enough to inhale, and lightly tightened his hold on her hands. "Ken and I do a two-man counter balanced flying kick, but we've had execution problems since the start. I do the lift, but unless his momentum is just right, we can't maintain the force we need to make it an effective attack. So it's become a defensive maneuver rather than an attack – which is its purpose. Now if you and I teamed on it, we could easily make it into an attack formation." Joe watched as Jun's eyes flared in contemplation, and felt a triumphant smile try to force its way to his lips. He had her, and he knew it.

Jun's eyes were still wide and she tipped her head to the side to visualize the form in her mind and assess how it would work with her in the spot Ken usually held. "I don't know, don't you think that my lighter weight would throw off the balance?"

"No, I think if I modify the lift from the start, then we change the balance point. Something like this," Joe slipped his left hand to Jun's hip, while the right pulled down, giving her a strong base to lean on.

"Oh, I see . . . " Jun leaned into his supporting hand and put her right hand on his shoulder. She pressed up and felt the start of the lift take her to her toes. "Yes, that could work," she thought a moment, "but I think you need to get me a little lower." Jun repositioned his hand lower on body, just below her hipbone, and leaned into him again.

Caught up in figuring out the physical puzzle, Jun didn't notice that Ken had entered the hallway from the men's locker room and had paused in the open doorway. While she may have been oblivious to the Eagle watching the display, Joe wasn't. His eyes shimmered with a hidden smirk as he leaned his mouth down to Jun's ear. "I think you might be too far away, pull in a little closer."

Jun took a small step toward him and looked up at him, "Better?"

Joe's eyes narrowed in marriage with the sardonic grin teasing his lips. His breath ghosted hoarsely along her cheek as he wrapped his words in enough grease to be immediately misinterpreted by any passer by. "Yeah, I think that's perfect,"

Joe's eyes latched onto his Commander's expression eager to see how the Distinguished Eagle Leader would react. He was pleased to find Ken's face was a most unusual shade of red as he watched their intimate embrace. Joe looked down at Jun and gave her an uncharacteristically tender smile, just to put the icing on the cake.

"You're late," Ken snapped at them, the harsh edge to his voice startling Jun. She immediately dropped her hands from Joe and stepped back.

"Oh, Ken . . . we were just . . . " Jun said haltingly, flustered and confused at Ken's obvious displeasure. Ken cut her off before she could continue.

"I don't need to hear it," Ken said flatly, a slight waver in his tone mitigating his aggression somewhat. " But I do need you to get focused and get to practice." Without saying anything further, he turned on his heel and stalked off to the gym.

A gasp of dismay escaped from between Jun's lips and she jumped as the locker room door slammed behind Ken. Her first instinct was to chase after him and apologize to set things right. It bothered her to see Ken out of sorts over anything, but particularly something she had done. She made every attempt to always be conscientious of her duties and responsibilities. Ken had enough to worry about without her adding to his burdens. But as she considered it, she realized she hadn't done anything to deserve that much antagonism. She tried so hard to make sure he was never the brunt of her bad moods. The least he could do was attempt the same. It was just another instance of him acting on his own feelings without any regard for hers. Jun straightened her shoulders and felt her defeated attitude disappear underneath her warrior's resolve. This is exactly what Joe had been talking about and she was not going to do this to herself. "What's his problem," she muttered with a low voice. "Who needs this drama?"

"You're in for it now," Joe teased wryly. Inwardly he was proud of Jun. He had half expected her to go flying after Ken but she had surprised him. As for Ken's reaction? That was priceless. Feeling smug about his good deed for the day, he pulled a shuriken from his belt and twirled it across his knuckles.

Jun playfully narrowed her eyes at him and snatched the feather from his fingers as though commanding his absolute attention. "If I'm going down, you're coming with me," she grinned as she popped the tip of the feather into her mouth and let it sit between her teeth. "You teased me with a new attack and made me lose track of time. This is your fault." Jun raised a chiding finger, but there was a smile in her eyes nonetheless.

"Well, it's not like I forced you," Joe shrugged as he snatched his feather back from her and pushed himself away from the wall to usher Jun down the hall. "Did you see the look on Ken's face?" He winked suggestively as he slipped the feather that had just been in her mouth between his lips.

Her eyes glanced curiously toward Joe. "Yeah, what was that about? Talk about grouchy." Jun gave a gentle laugh "He usually only looks like that just before he hits you."

Joe spared Jun a sidelong glance of his own as they strode toward the training room together. Her expression was completely innocent; she had no idea the effect she had just had on Ken, or what had really prompted his anger. She also had no idea of the effect her proximity had just had on him either.

"Yeah," Joe sighed after a minute, "It's going to be a long practice after all."