A/N: Sorry guys meant to get this up earlier, but I've had a busy week. Does anybody want to be a beta? Some reviews would be great

Chapter 5

Bugler was enjoying spending time with Owen, he liked the older man. Owen had a way of speaking to him that wasn't condescending or treating him like a kid too much. This Owen man seemed to know lots about many things that they weren't taught at Manticore. So far today they had covered buying good tools, making a good fume-less heater, setting snares, skinning rabbits, and now he was dissecting the rabbit to separate the best bits for eating.

"Do you want to keep the furs?" asked Owen, "If you get the tanning process right the skin will become soft and malleable, it also won't rot for a while. But it's up to you kid?"

Bugler was finding that the repetition of this word for child was actually a form of affection from this man. The man in the store had thought Bugler to be Owen's son; Bugler was beginning to think that he wouldn't mind having somebody like Owen for a father. "Could we do a few practices, before we decide what to do with them?" he asked.

"I think that's a reasonable aim, we'll set it aside the now though. Could you do me a favour? Firstly could you take these bones to Nikita for the stew, and then secondly try to find some flour? I'll stay here and guard the meat" said Owen. Bugler looked a little confused but gave a nod and ran off with the bones.

Nikita looked up from chopping the turnip into cubes, when Bugler entered looking confused. "Owen said to give you these bones from the rabbit for the stew, but I don't understand why?" said Bugler while looking at Nikita, who smiled.

"That's okay I know why. You see this boiling water; can you gently drop the bones in here please? After a while the bones will get softer and their nutrients will go into the water. This water will be used in the stew, lots of flavour and goodness, you'll see. You'll give Owen my thanks?" Nikita explained to the young boy, finishing with a question.

Bugler nodded, he was learning a great deal today. "Is there any flour in the kitchen?" he asked.

"I'll show you," volunteered Fix-it. Nikita sent her a smile of thanks.

Nikita put the turnip aside, peeled an onion, and began chopping it, If you are going to make something, you may as well do it right, she thought to herself. When Fix-it returned, Nikita went into the kitchen to fetch a small bowl. She put the now-chopped onion in the bowl, and then she set about making another of Owen's fumeless heaters.

Owen was showing Bugler how to coat the chunks of rabbit in flour, when Nikita came out to join them. "How you getting on guys?" she asked.

"Nikita what's wrong? You've been crying!" exclaimed Bugler, looking alarmed. CO's did not show emotions, emotions made you look week, something really big must be wrong!

Owen and Nikita shared a smile, "She's fine, kid." Owen simply stated.

"No she isn't, there are tears on her cheeks!" Bugler didn't believe him though; he knew what crying looked like. Although she was smiling now, this just confused him further.

"I brought you some chopped onion, figured we are going to do this properly. Brought you a portable fire as well," Nikita said, handing him the tin, the bowl and an extra plate.

"Hey kid, take a sniff of this," said Owen holding out the bowl of onion towards Bugler.

Bugler sniffed and sharply exhaled. "What is that?" he asked, screwing up his face.

Owen's smile grew a little bigger, "Its onion, kid. The smell kinda makes you tear up, doesn't it? Well imagine doing the chopping, would be more powerful, the smell, wouldn't it?" he asked Bugler, explaining his point.

Bugler looked to Nikita with his thinking face, "So, you are really okay?" He asked hesitantly.

Nikita smiled at him nodding, she ruffled his hair before going back into the house.

"Okay kid, can you go and get a bucket of water?" requested Owen. Bugler nodded and ran off to do as asked. While Bugler was gone, Owen placed the flour coated rabbit chunks onto the plate. When Bugler returned, they used the water to rinse the frying pan. Owen set the tin on the ground and lit it; he then poured the onions into the frying pan from the bowl, and held it above the flame. "Can you go back to the kitchen and find a wooden spoon?" asked Owen and Bugler ran off to do as asked.

Ralph had decided that not only was she going to dress the double bed, she was also going to sweep the floor and air the room. She then moved on to the next room, it was a single bed, so she didn't have to wrestle with the duvet for quite so long. The room itself wasn't that big anyway, soon the floor was clean, and the room ready for its occupant. She did another three rooms in this fashion before heading back downstairs.

Fix-it was now peeling carrots; Nikita had a big bowl of chopped potatoes and turnip sitting next to the pot. The water in the pot was boiling away nicely, Nikita decided it was time to fish out the bones and start adding the vegetables.

Bullet had been on patrol with Zero for some time now, he needed time to think. It was strange having these humans here who didn't properly know the truth about their little group. The assignment to protect was fair enough, a mother want's her child to be safe; they were excellent soldiers, so it was easy to offer protection without too much hassle. He wondered about the time scale of this assignment, the top priority was only a few weeks old at the moment; when would the threat disappear? This Owen person, he was a bit unpredictable, the snares, the heaters; he had knowledge, knowledge he was willing to share. To Bullet it was a little unsettling to see the bond between Bugler and Owen, for it to have formed, so strong already, after not even a full day. Soldiers were supposed to be unattached; a little comradery was fine, but… No that was Manticore talking! Max said these were his family. He signalled Zero that he was going back into the house. He saw the acknowledgment sign from the other end of the clearing.

Ralph was just coming down the stairs when she saw Bullet come in. "Hey," she said in greeting, with a small smile.

Bullet returned the smile. They met in the hall, Bullet frowned, and reached a hand past her face, he pulled a feather from her hair. "Where did this come from?" he asked.

"Oh," gasped Ralph breathless with laughter, "I was dressing some beds, it must be from one of the pillows."

He smiled at her laughter, "How many rooms did you set up?"

"Four single rooms and a double for Nikita. Got a little distracted while I was waiting for the room to air. If you want you can go pick a room and I'll dress your bed for you?"

Bullet nodded and they both headed up the stairs, he glanced behind him as they were coming round the bend in the stairs, he saw Owen entering the house with a frying pan.

Bugler held the doors open for Owen, while holding the bowl, plate and hunting knife. As Owen entered the living room he announced, "We have prepared the meat, do you want me to add it to the pot?" Nikita smiled and nodded, then went over to the couch and gathered up Baby.

"Okay grub's up everybody!" announced Nikita, as she began spooning the stew into bowls. The room only contained Ralph and Bullet. "Guys will you gather the troops for supper?" she asked with a smile.

Bullet frowned at her, why is she preparing for war? He looked to Ralph, who just smiled and shook her head. "She means go get the others, the food is done," she whispered at him.

"Why couldn't she just say that then?" he asked as the exited the living room.

"And make sure they wash their hands first!" Nikita called to them.

It was only a matter of a few whistles to get the attention of Fix-it, Zero and Bugler, with Owen following behind.

The food was a success! Everyone enjoyed it, and with a few slices of bread, not a speck of food was left in their bowls. Second helpings were offered by Nikita, but the concept seemed foreign to the transgenics. It was decided that one bowl each was enough, it was certainly filling. After the food they sat together in a companionable silence. Then Owen brought out a deck of cards from his back-pack. "What games do you guys know how to play?" he asked the group.

"Poker," suggested Zero. He had played it a few times while out on missions with Ordinaries. It was an easy way to make money, what with his photographic memory and IQ, counting cards; it was only cheating if you got caught right?

Nikita got up as Baby started whining, "Is Baby wanting supper too?" she cooed.

Owen rolled his eyes; never had he expected to hear Nikita cluck over an infant. He quickly averted his eyes when he realised she was taking off her shirt, and then made sure nobody else was looking either. "What do you want to play for? We don't really have money."

"Clothes?" suggested Zero. Owen frowned at him, strip poker? Wasn't that a little wrong, what with present company?

"How about favours or chores?" he counter offered.

"We could do truth or dare?" suggested Nikita, as she re-joined the group with a blanket around her shoulders.

Owen tried not to stare, but after assessing that everything was covered, replied "Is that not a little childish Nikita?"

"Depends how you play Owen? Anyway it's a great ice-breaker," she reasoned.

"Okay, so rules, whoever wins the hand gets to ask the truth or dare question to whomever they choose?" he asked.

Zero went over to the tools, "We could use screw for chips, and each person starts with five? Then the person that wins the hand gets to ask the question, but whoever has the lowest number of screws at the end of the hand, is the truth or dare-ee?"

There were nods among the majority. The rules and aims to poker were described and the game began. After the first few hands a pattern was emerging, Bugler got the dare of standing on one hand and reciting the alphabet backwards, then Owen had to describe the trickiest situation he had been in (Holding a priceless Faberge egg, while fighting off Russians and Chinese, in order to appease a kidnapper.) Then Fix-it was asked, what was the most expensive thing she had ever hotwired (a toss-up between specialised military equipment, and a Bugatti Veyron, which handled excellently apparently). Soon the players became less interested in the card game and more interested in the stories of daring feats or events while on missions.

Nikita smiled as they cleared up for the night, times like the hours they had just had, that was part of being free. That's what she had experienced when she first met Zero. No romantic ideas, just shared stories of similar experiences.

"Do we have assigned quarters?" asked Bugler, looking towards Nikita and then Zero.

"Nah, but we do only have a few rooms made up," said Ralph messing up his hair.

"You girls can bunk with me if you want?" offered Nikita.

"Thanks for the offer, but I've got first watch, so I wouldn't want to disturb you," replied Fix-it.

"We can manage with the number made up I think, we'll just swap as we come off and on duty." said Bullet.

"Okay then goodnight everyone," said Nikita with a yawn as she headed for her room.

Owen took the one three doors down the hall, Bugler took the one to the left of him, while Bullet took the one on the right. Ralph took the room next to Nikita.