CHAPTER 2

Ridgeline stormed out of the elevator toward her room. She was so angry with Vexine that she almost saw red around her peripheral vision. How could her sister do that to her?! She knew how much she wanted to fit in around here, and make a good impression on everyone but no. She just had to butt in.

Ridgeline was so angry she could scream.

"Looks like I'm not the only one around heeyuh with a hair trigguh tempuh!" A voice called after her.

Ridgeline turned around just in time to see Chuck jogging up to her.

"Oh, great. You again."

"Ouch, it bites!"

"What do you want?" Ridgeline asked.

"That was pretty hahsh back theh. What you said to your sistuh."

"I meant every word!" Ridgeline's voice elevated.

"I know you did. I'm impressed."

"Why did you follow me, Mr. Hansen? You barely say two words to me this afternoon and now you won't leave me alone." They'd stopped in front of her room. The iron door beckoned to her, promising a wonderful night's sleep. If she could ever get there!

"Fine." He turned around and began walking, but turned briefly to say to her, "And call me Chuck."

Ridgeline sighed in exasperation. "Men." She mumbled as she tried to unlock her door. Then she heard that tell-tail- 'Come on, Max.' followed by an iron door swinging open.

Ridgeline whipped around.

"Your room is right across from mine?"

"Yep!" His eyes were mischievous. If Ridgeline had not been so mad at that moment, she might have thought it made him look quite handsome. "See you latuh, Cupcake!"

Chuck closed the door behind him and watched through the peep hole as Ridgeline stood in her doorway, brooding briefly before shutting the door. God help him, but he sure liked her. She was hot, a blazing inferno that affected everyone around it. He smiled as he sat down in his armchair, liking the feeling of a good mood for once.

God, it had been so long since he'd been with a girl. It was hard, you know, living on a small place like this… Everyone knew your temper so they steered well clear, including most of the women. What they didn't know was that Chuck hated it this way. He was ready for this war to be over so he could settle with a good girl and have a family of his own, something he'd never had as a boy.

And it was funny, but at the thought of a good girl, Ridgeline popped into his mind. He fell asleep to the image of her holding a son, his son, with him standing behind her, watching them together. It sang to him in ways that nothing ever had before.

The next morning, Ridgeline woke up happier than she'd ever been in her life. Until she rolled over and realized she was alone. Her dreams had been full of Chuck Hansen. She remembered one of them in particular; she had been sleeping in his arms after hours of making love. Just laying there. It had been so peaceful

But now Ridgeline had to forget about it and face the day. Today she would try her luck at the Hong Kong Simulator. She desperately wanted to beat Mako Mori's score of 51 kills. She had done it multiple times at the Academy, but rumor had it that the Hong Kong Simulator was infinitely more difficult than the one at the Academy.

She ate in her room that morning, wanting to avoid Chuck at all costs. However, when she opened her door to head to the simulator, he walked out of his door a well. She glowered at him briefly before ignoring him and continuing walking down the hallway.

"Cupcake," He called cheerfully, hurrying to catch up to her.

"Don't call me that." She snapped.

"I'll call you what I want." He snapped back. "Anyway, I thought I'd go with you to the Simulatuh. See what you can do with a real pilot in your head."

"What? No, absolutely not!" Ridgeline vehemently protested. After that dream she'd had last night, there was no way she was getting into a Jaeger with him.

"Ah, come on, why not?"

Ridgeline felt her cheeks blush as she remembered the dream again. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Fine, fine. But there's something I'd like to show you later."

"Give me one good reason why I should go."

"Why shouldn't you, is more the right question."

"I can think of two good reasons." She mumbled.

"Oh? What are they?" Chuck's tone of voice was teasing, as if he were in a good mood.

"Well, one, how you treated me yesterday." Ridgeline said, looking at him challengingly.

"And the othuh?" He prodded, not even acknowledging his complete rudeness the day before.

"Um, let's just skip that one." Ridgeline blushed again and tried to hide it.

"I saw that." Chuck said, stopping and pulling her into a tiny hallway. Ridgeline had just enough space to walk normally, but the walls were so close together that Chuck had to turn sideways to get through. They opened up into a small square around a corner that hid them from view.

"What are you doing?!" Ridgeline half shouted, turning around, and slamming nose first into Chuck's rock hard chest.

"Oh!" Ridgeline backed up and stood against the wall opposite from him, which was only about a foot and a half away from him, and refused to meet his gaze. "Sorry! I um," she stuttered. "I have to get to the simulator."

"You have time."

"No, I-" She began to panic. "Let me go!"

"Ridgeline, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk."

"No!"

"Wasn't it you who could barely contain your excitement yesterday when you saw me?" He asked, leaning against the wall and folding his arms over his chest. The hunter green T-shirt he wore was tight around the chest and sleeves, accented his pecks and biceps; while the bottom of the shirt was loose. With a man if his build, it was a lethal combination.

How had he known?

"That was different." Ridgeline said, matter-of-factly. Much to Ridgeline's surprise, he said, nodding his head slowly and looking at the floor contemplatively,

"Yeah, yeah I guess it was."

After a few moments of silence, Ridgeline spoke.

"What did the Marshall say to you yesterday that made you so angry?"

"I can't tell you that. Not until Dad tells you why you're heeyuh." He replied.

"Ok, then, why are we here?" She asked, her eyes signaling the tiny space.

"I like you, Ridgeline. You're like a hurricane. But now, as you're standin' in front of me you're calmuh than the eye of a storm."

Ridgeline snorted. She was anything but calm right now.

"Hey, if this is funny to you, I'm leavin'." Chuck snapped, and turned toward the narrow passage.

"Chuck, wait, that's not what I-" She hadn't meant to make him angry.

"You're gonna miss your Simulation." He interrupted, continuing to walk.

"Chuck!" She hissed, trying to follow him before he got to the opening, but he beat her and turned left, toward the landing pad.

"Great…" Ridgeline sighed. She continued toward the Simulation Hall. Throughout her simulation, she felt distracted. She tried not to let it get to her. Overall, she ended at 45 drops and 45 kills, which was pretty damned good, but she knew she could have done better if she'd been concentrating 100% on the test. She walked out and everyone was cheering and clapping her on the back. She looked for one face in particular, but he was nowhere to be found.

Walking back to her room that night, she passed the same passageway that Chuck had taken her to that morning. She heard hushed voices coming from inside. She sneaked into the little passage and listened hard.

"…never even let me kiss you, Mako."

Ridgeline's eye widened. It was Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori.

"We don't need to, Raleigh! That's what the Simulator's for. It's so much better that way."

"For you, maybe. But not for me! I need to be able to be intimate with you physically." His voice sounded like they had had this conversation a hundred time with the same outcome, and he was tired of it not going his way. "If this is the way you've just got to have it, then we are not going to work anymore."

"Raleigh!" Mako pleaded. "You know I love you! I just don't like sex, you know that."

"It's been six years, Mako. I'd hope you'd trust me by now enough to be able to have sex with me. You know I'd never want to hurt you."

There was shuffling of clothing, and Ridgeline rushed around the corner and hid on the nearest door stoop. Raleigh stormed down the hallway. Mako appeared, wiping tears from her eyes. Then she straightened. Ridgeline began walking down the hallway, troubled. When she reached her room, she changed into her civilian clothing and began to read a book, but she couldn't keep her mind off of the conversation she had heard.

What did Mako mean about the Simulator? She sounded crazy! And Raleigh sounded fed up with the whole idea. Ridgeline didn't blame him. She knew exactly what he meant when he said you need physical intimacy to make a relationship work. Especially in the current state of things. Their relationships were all some people had to keep them sane.

I wonder if Chuck is as good in bed as he is rumored to be. Ridgeline! She scolded herself for having such a thought. Before going to bed, she checked the peep hole to look at Chuck's door. She wondered what he was doing at that very moment. Ridgeline groaned when Vexine appeared on her stoop. She yanked the door open.

"What do you want?"

"Why are you mad at me?" Vexine asked, walking into Ridgeline's room. Ridgeline shut the door behind her.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Too bad. I do." Vexine crossed her arms over her chest. "I've never seen you as angry as you were last night and I have no idea where it came from. I wanted to congratulate you when I saw you with Chuck Hansen! I was happy for you! But no. I couldn't even look at you without you giving me the death glare."

"Leave it alone, Vex! Chuck and I have nothing to do with you." Ridgeline snapped.

"Chuck and I? Two days in this dome and already it's Chuck and I?"

"You're one to talk! Look at you cozying up to Raleigh Becket last night!" She countered.

"That was different!" Vexine shouted back. She continued more softly. "He's with Mako."

"Not if things continue the way they have been." Ridgeline mumbled, not meaning to say it out loud.

"What?" Vexine looked at her, emerald-green eyes open wide.

"Nothing. Forget it. You need to leave."

"Ridgeline, please! I'm your sister. We used to be so close!"

"Yes, we were. Until you decided you had to best me in anything we did together!" Ridgeline shouted.

"What? Ridgeline, I never-"

"Remember, in high school, Rochester Ashwood? I liked him so much, and then you come in and swooped him from right beneath my nose!"

"Ridgeline, we were fifteen years old."

"So, you don't deny it, then?" Ridgeline's voice escalated.

"That was four years ago!"

"You know I don't forgive or forget, Vex." Her voice lethally low.

"I don't want you as my enemy, Ridgeline. I need my sister! Please!" Vexine pleaded with her.

"You should have thought about that before you set your sights on Chuck."

"What? Is that what this is about? I don't want Chuck! You know that I've always liked Raleigh best! Ridgeline you're being obsessive! You and Chuck are not dating! You're not even his co-pilot!"

"I could say the same to you about Raleigh Becket!" Ridgeline repeated.

"Geez, Ridgeline you can be so damned stubborn! Fine! If this is the way you want it!" Vexine stormed out of the room and bumped into Chuck, who'd been leaning against the wall. Vexine glared at him as she passed and stormed down the hallway, slamming the door behind her.

"Ridgeline? Open the door." Chuck called. Ridgeline ignored him. "I know you're in theh."

Ridgeline didn't move. She stared at the door. Vexine was right. It had only been two days and already she figured she had a claim on Chuck, just because she liked the way he fought.

But, it's so much more than that. Ridgeline thought. Ridgeline wanted to stake a claim on him. She wanted to belong to him, to come back to the room and know that he'd be there shortly after she got there. She wanted to be the reason why he continued fighting in this war, why he continued protecting this dome and his country, even though no one seemed to like him much for doing it... and even if she wouldn't dare admit it to herself, the reason why he'd want to settle down in the future.

He brings it on himself, though. She continued thinking about how no one liked him much. I guess I just want him to be happy. After everything he's been through, if anyone deserves a bit of happiness, he does.

She opened the door, but he was already gone.