The Replacements- 11

I didn't go easy on her. She was as amazing in the simulator as she was when I first laid eyes on her.

After a warm up, we both tackled the simulator together. It was incredible…like we shared one mind. All I had to do was give her a look and she seemed to understand me. I had never experienced anything like it.

Afterward, we went over to the gym. It was lunchtime, and fortunately for us, we had the gym to ourselves.

I figured that Tiny had probably persuaded Jason to take a lunch break.

I showed Princess a few moves, holding her tiny waist at times, and grabbing her shoulders and arms. I tried not to think of her in a sexual way, but it was tough. That miniskirt was awfully short.

Finally, the time had come to practice the two man whirlwind pyramid. I grabbed her hands and flung her up onto my shoulders. She glided effortlessly through the air. I had to restrain myself from looking up.

We started to spin, going faster and faster until…

Smack! She crashed onto the mat.

"I'm sorry…" She explained. "I'm just not used to…"

"Don't worry, Princess." I offered her a hand. "We've all had trouble with this one. It's one of the most difficult maneuvers."

She blushed. "Can we…try again?"

I pulled her up again. Unable to help myself, I glanced up. Just as I caught a glimpse of white panties, I heard a gasp from above.

My head snapped down immediately in response. "I'm…uh…sorry…I just…uh…"

My face was on fire. I had never encountered this type of problem before. Again, I found myself wondering, Why did the Chief give her a miniskirt? It was so impractical.

"It's ok; I should probably…uh…" Princess responded, trying to make the best of an embarrassing situation.

I could feel her weight shift on my shoulders, as she adjusted her position. I could see a partial reflection in the glass nearby.

Her knees were now bent inward, in an effort to keep me from looking up her skirt.

Now it was time for me to put on my best professional persona. "Ok, Princess, I think we can try it again now. Focus on centering your weight on my shoulders. Don't worry, you won't hurt me."

We tried it again, and she stayed on a little longer this time, but in the end, she was thrown down on the mats. I tumbled over and fell right on top of her.

We laid there in a daze for a few minutes, waiting for our equilibrium to balance out.

As my vision cleared, I found myself face-to-face with my beautiful teammate. I was concerned, though, when I noticed her defeated expression.

"Are you ok, Princess?" I asked.

"I'm…fine…" She blushed. "Just a little sore…"

A baritone voice interrupted her. "Well, well, well…what do we have here?"

I leapt up off of Princess and settled my sight on the Condor, in birdstyle, leaning with one hand against the door frame and holding a feather shuriken in his mouth with the other hand. Tiny was grinning wildly right behind him.

The Owl could hardly speak because of his incessant giggling. "What, uh, exactly are you two practicing?"

I decided to ignore the two stooges' remarks, and motioned for them to join us.

"Princess and I were just practicing the pyramid. I'm glad you guys are here, because now all four of us can work on it, together." My eyes narrowed as I watched the two "cut-ups" enter the room, still sniggering over the position they found us in.

This time, Jason and Tiny formed the bottom of the pyramid, and Princess and I linked arms as we stood on their shoulders. I wondered if, perhaps, it might have been better to try this with the whole team to begin with. The four-man pyramid was much more stable, and I could help Princess keep her balance.

We tried several times, and each time, she lost her balance. I sensed that something wasn't quite right with her today, but I couldn't put my finger on it. She lacked the confidence that she had when she was going through the paces in the simulator.

Jason's lack of patience finally got the best of him, and he blurted out in frustration. "I dunno, mark, maybe Princess is just too light for this. Maybe we should just use this maneuver for the guys."

Princess quietly slipped away and turned her back to us, and I noticed that her shoulders were shaking in a silent sob. I walked over to her, and placed my hand on her shoulder on an effort to reassure her.

However, as I began to speak, she cut me off. "Just…leave me alone…" She cried, as she ran down the hallway, undoubtedly to be alone in her room.

Jason and Tiny shot me a befuddled glance and shrugged their shoulders.

"What'd I do?" Jason asked.