A/N: new chappie! enjoy!

Chapter 7: Unshared Secret

"So…" Penny hummed, lifting her head from John's bare chest as she lay in the curve of his body in the tangled sheets to look up at him with a sly smile. He gave a frown as he lifted an arm to cradle his head in one hand and look down at her as she smoothed her hand over his chest, tracing his muscles slowly as she continued, "You screwed up on my transfer papers, huh?"

John cleared his throat and shifted his gaze around his darkened room nervously, making Penny giggle.

"I'm not angry, John," she whispered, shifting to lay on top of him a bit more as he finally met her gaze and she smiled at him. "After our make-up make-out in the helicopter I was going to ask you to forget about it anyway."

"Yeah, about that," he sighed, shifting to sit up as Penny leaned up as well with a frown as he leaned back against the wall against his head board. "My CO so graciously reminded me that if we have anything other than a working relationship, you will be transferred out immediately."

"So…we'll keep it on the down low," Penny shrugged with a saucy smile as she started crawling closer toward him. "I don't mind that at all as long as I can be with you."

"Penny," John protested, drawing up all his self control as she pressed her body against his to push her away enough to look her in the eye. "I don't think you get it. I could be court-marshaled for this."

"You're too good a Marine," Penny smirked with a slight shake of her head as she inched toward him again. "After that mission stressing you out, you still had plenty of energy for a nice romp in the sack. Reminds me of our first night. How're you able to do that?"

"Pen, please, focus," John pleaded through a breath as she brushed her lips against his. "This is serious."

"John, I know we can both get into trouble for this," she replied. "I have as much to lose as you."

"Yeah, but I don't think you fully understand-"

"I do, John," she cut in. "But I think it's worth the risk, don't you?"

"I didn't say it wasn't," John replied. "Of course it's worth it. I'm just saying that we need to be really careful so this can last." He lifted a hand to her cheek and stroked it gently. "You want it to last, right?"

"Duh," she grinned before throwing herself at him again, and he grunted when she hit his chest and his back hit the wall behind him. "I wanna be with you, John. Whatever this is, I want it. I wanted more after our first time, but-"

"Yeah, I know, I screwed it up," he finished, his arms slipping around her shoulders to pull her closer. "This time I won't. But you have to promise to control yourself."

"Moi?" Penny grinned, sitting up to point to herself. "I'm as discreet as the CIA!"

"Sometimes, even the CIA screws the pooch," John smirked, making Penny giggle. "Just don't do a repeat of what you did in the helicopter on the way to Death Valley, alright?"

"Oh, fine," Penny blurted, rolling her eyes before deciding to change the subject. "Uh, you should know something."

"What?" John frowned in wonder as she lifted a hand to trace circles on his chest again.

"Rex and Lenore are hookin' up too," she muttered and John's eyes widened at her before he sighed and bowed his head in exasperation, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Great," he grumbled. "How do you know that?"

"I over heard them on the way back from Death Valley," she replied. "They were talking about hooking up tonight."

"Well, nothing I can do about it now," he muttered, lifting his head to look at the digital clock displayed on the wall ahead of him. "By this time they've probably found a nice closet or locker room and sealed the deal."

"Just making you aware of what's goin' on," she smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder with her arms wrapped around his chest as he pulled her closer.

"I knew this was gonna happen with a couple of skirts on my team," he muttered, making Penny frown up at him as he continued, "Everybody wantin' a piece of ass for themselves."

"Including you, Sergeant," she shot back and he glared down at her.

"This thing with you and me is different," he argued. "We've already slept together."

"And yet, still both breaking the rules," Penny retorted. "What's wrong with this picture, Mr. Double Standard?"

"Alright, you're startin' to piss me off," John snapped, playfully as he shoved her away gently and ordered, "Get outta my bed."

"Aren't we acting like the skirt now?" Penny smirked, not moving from the bed and he glared at her before turning to stand.

"Fine," he chirped, walking around to start picking up his clothes to get dressed. "I'll leave."

"Babe, wait," Penny called when he stepped around the other side of the bed and he frowned at her in wonder as she slipped a hand under the covers. She pulled something out from under the blanket and tossed it at him. He quickly caught the piece of material and frowned at it as he examined it while she said, "Put your panties back on."

John held the white panties in his hand with a smirk before tossing them back at her and she caught them in mid-air.

"Don't tempt me," he smirked, pulling on his clothes and her eyes widened for a second as she smirked back, rising from the bed to get dressed as well.

"We'll be getting up soon for some target practice at the shooting range," he informed her. "My Staff Sergeant has to go over my report, and we won't get another mission till God knows when. Figured it'll keep us all sharp."

"I dunno about you though," Penny smirked, slipping her shirt back on and stepping toward him as he pulled on his pants. She set her hands on his chest and gently ran her hands over his skin as she continued, "You hit the mark several times tonight. You don't need any practice."

"Babe, you keep talking like that, and you'll be here all night," he ground out, his hands suddenly gripping her waist and pulling her against his body as she giggled.

"You think I'd mind that?" she murmured, to which he growled in arousal.

"Penny, we need to sleep," he reminded both of them as he slowly pulled his hands from her and she sighed in exasperation.

"Fine," she sighed, stepping away from him to find her pants and slip them on. John watched her with restrained desire as she buttoned herself up and stepped back toward him. "See you in the morning…Sir."

"Bright an early…Huntress," he nodded, making her smirk and she stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek before heading to the door.

He didn't move as he heard the door shut behind him then groaned in hopelessness at himself and the tightness of his pants.

"She's gonna be the goddamn death of me!" he ground out.

Oh Seven Hundred the Next Morning...

John walked down the line as his team shot at the targets across the field, examining them. Coming up behind Dax he frowned as the young man spun his pistols on his fingers before holstering them, then pulled them out again to shoot at his target again…effectively missing a few times.

"All that showin' off is makin' you aim like shit," he blurted, making Dax whirl on him with a glare. "You try that in a fire fight and you're gonna get your ass shot off."

"I'm too good to get shot," Dax smirked, setting his hands on his holstered pistols.

"And cocky, too," John sighed. "You've got a long way to go."

"How about you put your bullets where your mouth is?" Dax challenged and all background shooting ceased immediately as everyone turned their attention to the two as John lifted an eyebrow at the other man in amusement.

"You wanna run the course…against me?" John wondered if he heard right as the rest of the team glanced around at each other, warily.

"Now who's the cocky one?" Dax retorted, his hands twitching on his pistols.

John instantly caught the action and before anyone knew what was happening, John had his standard issue 9 millimeter automatic pistol pulled from his holster strapped to his thigh and aimed between the younger man's eyes before Dax had his Steyr GBs halfway out of his holsters on his hips. The young man stared wide, grey eyes at his superior who only glared back at him with cold, green-hazels.

"Holy shit," Lenore breathed, speaking for everyone else who were speechless as they watched the scene.

"He's fast," Raphael breathed as well.

"Why don't you stick to practicing today, kid?" John advised in a low tone, slowly lowering his gun and holstering it again. "Trust me, you'll never be ready to take me on."

"How can you come down on me for bein' cocky when you-?"

"Dax."

All eyes shot to Penny as she stepped up next to him and set a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't argue," she advised. "Just go back to practicing."

Dax glared at her for a moment before yanking his shoulder from her grasp and turning to march down the field and toward the barracks as everyone watched him, still speechless.

"Damn," Rex sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as everyone turned frowns to him and he looked up to John, explaining, "I was hopin' to see some real action between you two."

"Kid's got a lotta rage," Lucas sighed, cocking his submachine gun as everyone began to relax, examining their weapons for another round of practice.

"Isn't he the little rich kid of this bunch?" Raphael asked, sitting on a bench behind the firing line.

"No, that'd be Trent over here," Rex smirked, counting his bullets left in his clip and nodding to Trenton who stood behind him, examining his target through the scope of his sniper rifle.

"Very amusing, Dino Boy," Trenton called back, never looking from his scope and Rex slowly turned a glare to him but instantly turned back to count out his bullets again.

"Hey," Penny whispered to John as she suddenly appeared next to him and he looked to her with a frown. She lifted a hand and beckoned him to follow her as she walked away, making his frown deepen as he watched her before turning back to the team.

"Keep practicing," he ordered turning to follow Penny. "I'll be back."

"Oh, wonderful," Raphael muttered, making Lenore frown at him but she didn't turn completely from examining one of her throwing knives.

"What?" she asked, absently.

"Lover's quarrel," Trenton chuckled, finally lowering his rifle, making Rex laugh as well as the others shook their heads.

Penny and John stopped at another line, facing away from the team.

"Alright, Penny, what is it?" he sighed, pulling his hands behind his back and looking to her.

"You're strange, ya know?" she retorted making him frown slightly at her. "You've got mad reflexes, an energy surplus like no one I've ever met, and the day I met you…" She trailed off with a sigh as she lifted a hand to run it through her hair in thought before she continued, "You had holes, rips and tears in all over your uniform like you'd been to Hell and back, but there wasn't a scratch on you." She looked up at him and he looked away from her, trying to hide his anxiety at her observations. "I know you, but I don't know you. Is that even possible?"

"Penny, we met not even two weeks ago," he reminded her. "You can't know everything about me in that short amount of time."

"But I still feel like I know you," she mumbled, drawing his gaze back to her as she looked away from him this time. "It's just weird. After what you told me about Olduvai, and the way you looked…it just doesn't make sense to me."

"And it won't until I decide it will," he replied, drawing her amber gaze to his hazel-green one. "Trust me, Pen, you don't wanna know everything about me."

"Yes, I do," she argued, gently. "I don't care what cruel shit happened to you. I wanna share your pain and your happiness. Before meeting you, I didn't trust anyone. You saw me at my most vulnerable point and now you won't let me into yours? Does that seem fair?"

"No, it doesn't," John admitted. "But that's how it is. You wanna know something I'm not ready to share with you. Respect that and drop it."

Without another word, he turned and marched back toward the team as Penny watched him, gritting her teeth in rage before following him. She hoped that if she took his advise and kept her mouth shut about it, that he would eventually share his secret with her. He hadn't told her everything about Olduvai. She could tell he'd left some gaps in the story, like how he got out of there when his sergeant and team had been killed or turned into those monsters. She knew he'd give in sometime.

Maybe if I tell him I've fallen for him, he'd tell me? she thought as she reached the rest of the team and stepped in front of a target.

"Hey," Lenore murmured, coming up next to her and jolting her from her thoughts. "You ok? You look pale."

"I'm fine," Penny replied firmly, pulling up her Ithaca Model 37 Stakeout and taking careful aim before squeezing the trigger. She hit her target square in the head and lowered the gun as John stepped up behind her to examine the shot.

"Picturing me on that target?" he smirked, trying to lighten the mood after their heavy discussion.

"Maybe," she shot back lowering her weapon to prepare it to fire again. "Go stand next to it and see which one I hit."

"Ooh, Reaper pissed off the Huntress," Rex smirked, hearing their conversation as he stood between Penny and Lucas. "She'll rip you to shreds if you're not careful, Sir."

"Don't I know it," John agreed, making Penny smirk because she knew what he really meant. If he called her to his room that night, she was sure to give him what for.

In the Barracks...

Dax slumped forward, one of his pistols in his hands as he sat on his bunk, staring distantly at the thing. He played back what had happened with John on the practice field and clenched his jaw in rage before cocking his gun and standing, holstering it once more. He stood still for a moment, his hands hovering over the guns for a moment before he yanked them out and aimed ahead, imagining the barrels of the guns were pressed against John's and Penny's foreheads.

"Bam," he whispered, glaring ahead with an evil smirk. "Right between the eyes."

A/N: oh snap! reviews?