A/N: Reviews do good things. showed me where I made a massive mistake thanks! Hey i'm human and my beta was falling down on the job he didn't catch it either.
Cover Girl learned, as NCOIC of the Joe team's motor pool, that the position was in constant flux. One minute she's pulling her hair out, complaining about being shorthanded, on her knees begging anyone who had the slightest mechanical skill for help. The other side of the coin is her wondering if she would get away putting sugar in the gas tank of a Jeep to have something to do.
This morning it was the latter, leaving Thunder to search the web for a new car and Cross Country watching the last season of Breaking Bad on his laptop. She enjoyed going out to lunch with the girls; then, she took the long way from the parking lot to the motor pool, stopping by Scarlett's office to giggle as the red head tried to eat the stew that Jinx had brought her from Izzy's.
On her return, Cover Girl noticed business had picked up since she was gone. At the moment Thunder was looking at one of the Camaros the check engine light had come on, the Joe was reading the issues on the diagnostic screen but was confused by the message.
She was about to tell him to check the fuel injection and clean out the carburetors when Cross Country's cry of excitement caused both of them looked up. "We got the 2016 Kawasaki klr650s." The country boy's excitement over the new motorcycles had him practically jumping for joy. "Can't wait to put these bad boys together."
"OH HELL NO." Cover Girl raced over to the crates. "Our orders are to take the fairings and get them painted, Lady Jaye is going to put the bikes together."
"Lady Jaye already has enough on her plate. She won't mind." Cross County said. "You know the Sarge." He started to open a crate.
"You obviously don't know the L.T." Cover Girl seized the crowbar from his hand.
"I forgot about that" Cross Country looked wistfully at the crates shaking her head Cover Girl pushed him away. "Whose Idea was it to send her to the dark side?"
"Hawk's." She walked over to sign for the bikes. "Before you complain, it was her or Beachhead."
Cross Country thought about it, Lady Jaye, though reckless, was one of his favorite NCOs, Beachhead on the other hand. "I'm shutting up now."
The NCO couldn't help but laugh, "Hey, Cover Girl, there was one more thing for you." The Green Shirt who had brought in the crates reached into his forklift handing her a long white box.
Immediately her curiosity was piqued, walking to her desk she carefully lifted the top. Gasping audibly, she couldn't believe the sight; there nestled in green tissue paper was an assortment of red roses and white lilies. Perfect in shape, color and size, they must have cost a small fortune.
Cross Country whistled watching her bring a bud to her nose taking in the smell of the ruby red flower. "Somebody's got an admirer."
A smile found its way to her face, she couldn't stop it. Carefully placing the flower back with the rest she pulled out the card. "If you drive like you fight and shoot, I can't wait for a ride. R."
"Now if that ain't a double meaning if I ever did hear one." Cross Country shook his head, "What did you do in New Orleans?"
Sadness crept up, looking down in the flowers. Oh, how she hated men. The flowers were exquisite, LeBeau had immaculate taste, unfortunately she couldn't accept these from him.
"Here I thought this was a motor pool." Cover Girl couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sound of the Alabama accent echoing in her domain. "Not a flower shop"
Cover Girl shut her mouth, biting her tongue she deciding her best course of action would be to listen to Bailey's advice: "Kill him with kindness until he is so freaked out that he runs for the hills. That gives us enough time to put fire ants in his bed." The blonde was more like Lady Jaye then she knew.
When she did open her mouth she had every intention of being civil, then reality set in. "You know, Beachhead, boys give flowers to a girl when they think she is pretty." She walked over to the counter pulling out an almost empty coffee tin, dumbing the nuts and bolts that resided in it, she busied herself with filing it with water. Maybe Beach would get the hint and go away.
"You also give them when someone dies." Beachhead shrugged.
She couldn't help but look at him like he was crazy. "Leave it to you to take something sweet, twisting it into something morbid." Placing them next to her monitor she smiled at how they brightened up the room. "Have you ever given flowers to a real, live girl?"
"I know it's hard to believe, I have had a girlfriend." He grumbled looking at the bouquet with disdain.
"A Girlfriend?" Cover Girl pointed out the use of the singular.
Blue eyes flashed with irritation. "I have given flowers to more than one woman."
"Your mother and sister don't count." The snark dripped from her lips, tomorrow she'd be civil.
He glared at her picking up the card her read it. "You have to tell Scarlett." He pointed at the flowers in the coffee can. "These are from LeBeau."
"Wow, you can read." yanked the card from his hands part of it tore in his grasp. She sent him a scathing look. "You act like I don't know what I'm doing."
"Well" he looked at her, then to the flowers and then back to her.
"You know Alabama; I was a Joe long before you were." She crossed her arms her eyes daring him to say more.
He didn't disappoint "A tank driver is a helluva lot different than intel, Duchess." she wanted to pull down that stupid mask of his back over his face so she wouldn't have to see his smug expression.
'Duchess' of all the asinine nicknames, why the hell did he give her that one? "When did L.J. get back?"
"What?" Cover Girl took perverse pleasure in the confusion written in the man's eyes, so there was something that he didn't know. She took delight in being able to school him.
"Lady Jaye is the only real Lady on the team. I am not sure what her title is I do know that she outranks the Baroness in the royalty hand book." She looked at him. "Last I checked she was in Miami, so who the hell are you talking too?"
"Duchess" he baited her looking him dead in the eyes she hopes her stare conveyed her look of contempt.
Did he always have that green in his blue eyes, the emerald color circled the pupils then striated out. Oh, Jesus his lashes they were so long. No, no, no. She needed to get him out of here. Away from her.
She felt her eyes widen, this cannot be happening. She refused for this to happen. Her expression must of spoke volumes looking up at him, she noticed him staring at her strangely "You all right, Duchess?"
"Get…"
Is he wearing old spice? The wood and nutmeg notes assailed her senses. Memories of her father before he passed away tickled her mind.
"Out…"
When did he get that scar in his eyebrow? Had it always been there cutting through, not letting hair grow. Did he know how hot that was?
"Of…"
Had he always been this tall? She had to crane her neck to look up at him. Cover Girl was five-eight in combat boots he had to be six-two.
"My…"
He found this funny, does he know what she was thinking how all of a sudden that she wanted to know why he looked at her the way he did. Why he carried a zippo; but, didn't smoke, what that tattoo was that would peak out of his white tank top. She wanted to know what would make him laugh, really laugh. More importantly she wanted to know what his arms felt like holding her.
MOTORPOOL!"
"WITH PLEASURE" He yelled right back, but he didn't move he just stared at her.
A coughing noise brought their attention out of the staring match. Dialtone stared at both of them with a weird expression on his face. "Um Beachhead we've been trying to raise you on your cellphone. Flint's on comms for you."
Beachhead glared at her, then with a nod turned on his heal, leaving her feeling strangely bereft. She hugged herself watching the door close behind him. The weak part of her wanted to run after him, and do what? Cover Girl felt a bitter sweet smile play on her lips, thinking how he would react to such a declaration of affection.
Then there was her own heart. After Tommy betrayal she had promised herself she would never again sleep where you eat. Oh how she had loved Tommy, then his betrayal. It had touched so many Joes. She closed her eyes, how she had lost so many good friends that night. Glaring at the door that Beachhead had exited through she crumpled the feelings bubbling in her heart, shoving them in the back of her mind. She was not going to get a broken heart again by some stupid boy. Especially a mask wearing, Alabama-born Ranger who wouldn't know a good time if it hit him in the face.
A/N: Tommy being together at one point with Cover Girl came from a Fan Art.. I can't even remember who drew it and if anyone knows who did let me know please so I can give them proper credit. It was a Christmas theme With Cover Girl holding mistletoe over the Ninja's head. It came out right before people started being vocal about Cover Girl and Beachhead being together.