She was bored. There was only so much you could do to entertain yourself she thought as she continued to punch and kick at the bag in the training center. As usual, she was alone down there. The "house arrest," as she was beginning to call it, was going on way too long. Heavy Metal blasted in her ears as her aggression built inside her, the bag being a poor substitute for her real target.
Granted, she had been brainwashed, or so she had been told. Now, she was beginning to doubt Crank, so she was glad she hadn't committed to anything. It was either a joke on his part, or he was testing her for the Organization. Either way, she was ready to get out. She wasn't sure where to go – news from the wire stated that GI Joe was being disbanded any day now. The big whigs in DC had already cut funding. It had even made CNN that the military was eliminating "non essentials" due to budget cuts.
That, and if she left….if they let her leave….where would she go? She enjoyed the espionage part of her job, but there was only so much hiding she could do. It would not be pleasant to spend your life looking over your shoulder every moment, wondering when your time would come.
No, she thought as she gave the bag another kick, maybe it was best to go out on her own and see what she could do to find out the truth.
The tap on her shoulder had her twirling around, and Gator dodged just in time to miss being kicked.
"Sorry," Allie apologized, taking out her earplugs and pausing her MP3 device. "Although it isn't that smart to come sneaking up on someone."
"Sneaking?" he chuckled. "You had the music so loud, I could practically sing along, darling! I'm just happy I'm not that bag over there," he said, indicating the bag that was beginning to split. Already there was a small cloud of stuffing drifting to the floor from her last kick.
"Sorry," she apologized again, not sure if it was directed to Gator or the bag. "Guess I was in a zone."
Gator smiled and shook his head. "You look like you're going a little stir crazy. How about you and I take in some of the local scene? Believe it or not, there's an Irish Pub not too far from here. Didn't think the Germans would allow that," he smiled, "but hey, I guess it's kind of like having a McDonalds everywhere, right?"
She chuckled. "Or a coffeehouse. Sure, why not? Let me take a quick shower and change and I'll meet you in the front hall in about 20 minutes?"
He mockingly clutched his chest. "A woman after my own heart. She can get ready to go out in less than an hour! You, darling, are a keeper!"
Allie rolled her eyes and laughed. It had been awhile since she had worked with Gator, or even seen him for that matter. Not since that night over a week ago at the pool.
They rode the elevator in companionable silence up to the main floor.
She wondered why Gator was at the house so late. Well, not late, she thought, glancing at her watch. It was only 8pm. It was probably because she hadn't seen anyone, really, lately, other than the usual few that worked out of headquarters. She seemed to be the only agent living here.
They were probably all out on missions, she thought, trying not to sigh. She was tempted to ask Fordon how much longer her dry spell was going to last, but was afraid she would be told she had brought it on herself.
"Twenty minutes?" Gator questioned, once they reached the main floor. Allie smiled and nodded, making her way back up the stairs. Who knows what he's going to do to keep himself amused, she thought, trying not to appear in too much of a hurry. Rolling her eyes at her own excitement, she rationalized that she could have taken herself out to eat or explored the neighborhood more. It wasn't like she was forbidden to leave the house. Other than some small shopping trips, which she found herself growing quickly bored, she really didn't venture out much.
She showered and dressed quickly, swiping some makeup on her face. She glanced at herself in the mirror, pleased with her appearance. She had swept up her hair and had accented her eyes. She almost felt like she was getting ready for a date, she thought with a smile. Definitely not one of the guys right now. It felt good to dress up and just be girly! It had been too long since she'd done that, just for herself and not for a cover.
Shrugging, she grabbed a jacket since cooler temperatures had started appearing at night, and made her way downstairs.
Gator was standing at the bottom, pointedly staring at his watch. "Twenty-five minutes, but who's counting?" He glanced up at her and a slow smile spread across his face. "I'd say the extra five was worth it," he complimented her in a low voice.
She gave him a soft, feminine smile. "You ready, then?" she asked, pleased with his reaction.
He placed his hand at the small of her back and led her to the door. "Always," he said. "Hope you don't mind, but I thought it best we walk there tonight. We lucked out with the weather."
She glanced up and noticed there were only a few clouds in the sky, with the moon shining bright. "It's almost full," she murmured.
"You're not one of those that go wild with the full moon, are you?" he asked in mock concern. "If so, I'd like to be there to witness it. Purely scientific, of course," he teased.
She shrugged. "Maybe," she answered, and realized she was flirting. Gator was a nice looking guy and everything, but was it too smart to get involved with a coworker? You did with Flint, a voice in her head reminded her, which made her feel all the more guilt. It was just a friendly outing, she chided herself, shutting the voice up. Nothing more.
"Here we are!" he told her a few blocks later as they stood outside what looked to be an authentic Irish pubfront. "Of course, you're not Irish, you're Scottish, right?" he said, his voice raised over the music that was pouring out of the place. "Sounds like there's a house band tonight!"
"Scottish, yes," she said, her voice raised as well as they entered. "Close enough for tonight, though!"
He kept his hand on her as he guided their way through the bar to find an empty table. The house band, while loud, was good and Allie found herself tapping her foot in time to the music. She was grateful, though, when they decided to take a break and the canned music started to play.
Their waitress appeared, and they ordered beer and food.
"So, do the Irish have anything they eat that rivals the Scottish haggis?" asked Gator, and she realized he was teasing her before she gave an angry retort. Instead, she winked and said, "You can't knock it until you try it! I'll have to take you home sometime and you can taste the way Maggie fixes it! That and her kidney pie are legendary!"
He smiled. "Well, let's just hope there are no surprises in the Irish nachos we ordered!"
"So says the man who eats what, alligator meat and possum stew?"
"Like you said, don't knock it until you try it!" he parried back.
Once their beers arrived, she laughed when he made a face after his first sip. "Stronger than you thought?"
"No, it's warm!"
She laughed again. "You wanted an authentic pub!"
"You actually like yours like that?"
"Grew up that way." She told him what to say to order the next one cold. "For the wimps," she teased.
The band started up again and several of the patrons got up to dance to one of the slow songs. "Want to?" Gator asked, nodding towards the dance floor. "I promise I don't have two left feet! Momma would've never let me out of the swamp if I did!"
She laughed again, realizing this was probably the most fun she'd had since she joined the Organization. Whether it was just getting out, or Gator himself, it was turning out to be a fun evening. She decided to push all her suspicions and grief to the side and just enjoy herself, like she was a normal woman just out on a date and having fun.
"You okay? You stiffened up there for a minute," Gator said in her ear as they moved about the floor. "Did I step on you after all?" He knew he hadn't, but she had been having so much fun. He didn't want it to end for her. She had been through enough lately.
"It's nothing," she told him, shaking her head.
They danced the next few songs, then made their way back to the table where the food was waiting. Along with Crank.
He sat there and smiled as the two approached. "You're a hard one to catch up with," he told them, and Allie wasn't sure to which one he was referring.
Gator scowled at the intrusion. "What's up, Brainiac?" he asked. "We've got the night off."
"Oh well, so do I. Saw you two in here and decided to join you!" he announced happily, perfectly aware that Gator was irritated, but not caring. Leaning over to Allie, he complimented on how nice she looked.
"Thanks," she replied, sensing a hidden undercurrent between the two men. "Is there something I should know about?" she addressed both of them.
"Nope," Crank replied before Gator could speak, giving him a look that surprisingly shut him up. "Just happened to be over at the bar and saw the two of you dancing. Thought it was unfair that Gator was keeping the prettiest lady in the whole bar to himself!"
Allie rolled her eyes, but found herself blushing. "Okay, so what's the real story?"
"Honest!" Crank proclaimed, holding up his hand. "Just to show you there's no bad blood, the next few rounds are on me!"
Gator settled into his seat and glared at Crank, then just as suddenly gave a slow, lazy smile. "Sure nice of you," he drawled. "I still get dibs on all the dances."
Allie shook her head. This evening was definitely turning out differently than she had thought it would several hours ago. "Can I trust the two of you while I slip out to the ladies' room?"
Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her purse and made her way to the back of the bar where she could see people lingering around. There were a couple payphones as well as the restrooms, but all of them were busy at the moment.