Part One – A girls needs red wine and cute things

I lazily side my straw in and out of my drink, while I look around the mall and sigh to myself, we had a new Commander transfer in and he seemed nice enough if a little distracted and unsure of himself. Then again, I couldn't exactly blame him; I mean everywhere he looks there are pretty ladies that could turn him into a fine pink mist if he were to do something they didn't like.

I'm drawn out of my thoughts as I hear the Italian accented words of the person that is here with me, "Headquarters to Algérie, come in Algérie."

I felt my cheeks flush a little as I respond, "Pardon, Zara, my mind was elsewhere."

I see her run a hand through her long red hair as she flicks it and says, "I was saying, we should finish up here and continue to the next store, I hear they have gotten the latest fashions from Paris in."

I'll admit, the idea of looking at more clothes is appealing, but honestly, right now I want to soak in a hot spring and maybe spend some time in the cattery before a nice glass of red wine. I smile at Zara as I say, "Non, I think what I want to do is get some time in the hot spring, are you coming?"

She shook her head as she said, "Non adesso, I think I'll do some more fashion hunting. Maybe I can find something for our new Commander; his taste in clothing is just dreadful."

I let out a giggle as I push myself up off the table as I say, "That sounds like a good idea, I'll catch up with you later, alright?"

She gives me a nod as she gets up, collecting her bags and saying, "Sì, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

I sigh inwardly; my vows don't let me do half of those things, heck I wanted to do most of them. As I walk towards the exit, I catch sight of myself in one of the windows, I know that I'm broadly considered pretty, but that was part and parcel of being kansen. I liked the way that my silver hair flows, even if I spend more time than I would like with a curling iron to get those cascading ringlets, I take a moment to fluff out my hair and spot a point on my makeup that needs a touch-up. As I quickly reapply my lip-gloss I see my new Commander in the reflection, he's being dragged through the mall by two kansen, both blond with fuller figures. It takes me a moment before it clicks on who they are; Fiji and Marblehead, both of them are more fashion-forward as it were, much like Zara.

I see the look on his handsome face; he looks very much out of his comfort zone. I sigh inwardly as I remind myself about one of my vows, to help those in need, and I can see that he clearly needs help. I tuck my lip-gloss into a fold on my skirt and turn walking over I say out loud, "Salut, Commandant Blake!"

I see the three of them stop, turning all of their attention to me, as I keep my pace I link my left arm through his right and add, "We should hurry to the spa, lest we be late for our appointment."

I see his cheeks go bright red, I know why of course I am tucking his arm tight against my bust since I'm trying to send a signal to the two light cruisers, I see their eyes go a little wide at first before a pout starts to cross the lips of Fiji, thankfully the Commander isn't slow, he picks up almost right away what I'm doing as he says, "Is it that time already?"

I nod and he says to the other two, "I'm sorry ladies, but I did make these arrangements with Algérie last week and I am a man of my word."

They both shrug and seem to roll with it, but just to keep up the appearance I keep his arm tucked in close, even resting my head against his arm as we leave the mall and start heading in the direction of the hot spring, once we are a safe distance and he's sure we're not being followed he says, "Thanks, Algérie, I really owe you."

I let go of his arm and stretch as I say to him, "It is my duty to help those in need Commandant, you looked like you needed it."

He sighed and nodded his head as he said, "I really did. I couldn't figure a way out of that and keeping my skin intact, but aren't you worried about that getting around the base?"

I shrug as I keep walking and tell him, "If it does, it does. And if it gives you some breathing room with some of the girls, so much the better."

He takes off his baseball cap and runs a hand through his short light brown hair before smiling at me and changing the subject when he asks, "So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"I'm going to soak in the hot springs, then indulge with some time at the cattery before a glass of red wine and finally turn in for the night." I say to him as I look over my shoulder at him and follow that up with a question, "What about you?"

"Since you got me out of shopping, nothing." He says, his smile growing broad.

I raise an eyebrow, I get the feeling he wants to tag along, doubly so when I see his eyes wander down my frame. I sigh inwardly, he is attractive and I really do like those light blue eyes of his, but do I really want to risk him seeing me in next to nothing or nothing at all due to the hot springs having only a tiny wall separating the baths? After a moment I ask him with a smile, "Commandant, would you like to come along to the hot springs?"

He fidgets with his hands and feet before asking, "If it's not too much trouble?"

Ugh, he's cute when he acts like this, bashful. And sadly cute things are a weakness of mine, with a hand gesture that could indicate I'm being dismissive I sigh out, "Fine."

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I had just finished cleaning myself and settled into the hot water and a happy relaxed sigh escaped my lips, this feels so good. I had gotten lucky that it seemed to be the off hours for this right now, not a lot of kansen or humans for that matter were here right now, though my moment of relaxation was interrupted by the voice from the other side of the wall asking, "Can I ask you something, Algérie?"

With a slight roll of my eyes, I answer, "Oui, so long as it is nothing lewd."

I hear him sigh and I can't help but giggle as he protests, "What do you take me for?"

"I take you for someone that does not use the head on their shoulders when pretty ladies are around." I tease back.

Again he sighs and I ask, "But seriously Commandant, it seems like you enjoyed being surrounded by so many cute girls, who caught your attention the most?"

"Hey now, I was going to ask you a question, remember?" he calls back, his voice cracking a little and I cannot help but smirk.

"Oui, you were." I respond in confirmation.

"I was going to ask if you had any tips on how I could avoid being caught in a similar position as I was in today. I'd like to have more than two months under my belt as a base commander before I start heading down the same path that Captain Bishop did with HMS Belfast." He calls over the wall to me.

I had heard about that, it had been groundbreaking, world view changing event that culminated in that captain and my English doppelganger sailing off into the sunset together. I stretch up high above my head as I say over the fence, "I am not sure I can help with that, you either have to be honest with them or find someone willing to put on a show that you are in a relationship with."

He sighs again, so I ask, "Commandant, is it that you do not care for women?"

"I like them just fine, I'm just not used to be surrounded by them all the time." He says before adding, "But to answer your question, no, no one has caught my eye yet."

I nod, it made sense to a degree, he hasn't had much of a chance to figure out if any of us do, and ever since Belfast, kansen have been throwing themselves at Commanders all over the world from my understanding. I mean just today I got the impression that not only Zara but Marblehead and Fiji were all interested in Commandant Blake. I sit back a little against the rock that is behind me and I say to him, "Then perhaps Commandant Blake, you should work on that."

He sighs, again. Man, have some spine and faith in yourself, you are attractive!

After a moment I hear him shift in the water and ask, "Can I ask you a favor?"

I raise an eyebrow while I stretch my arms forward with my fingers laced together and I ask, "What kind of favor?"

He's quiet again before he says to me, "What we faked a relationship, just long enough to give me the cover I need to get everything squared away and try to find someone that might catch my eye?"

I'm a little speechless.

On one hand, he does need the help, many of the kansen here are a little more… assertive with their intentions and might not take no for an answer. Yet, on the other hand, I'm not keen on taking part in a falsehood. As if he's reading my thoughts he adds, "Don't think of it as being dishonest, think of it as a set up for a feint."

So, he's presenting this as a military strategy then. Not a bad plan if he wants to get me on board with this idea. I draw my knees up and rest my chin on them as I seriously start to think about this and I ask, "I can see how this would be to your advantage, Commandant, but not to be selfish, what is in it for me?"

He's silent again before saying, "I don't know, but I'm sure we could work something out."

I take my right hand and touch the right side of my face before I ask, "How long would we be talking, and what would I need to do, exactly?"

"Appear with me in public at events like the ones the Royal Navy likes to hold, displaying affection towards me like you did today. I mean you made it look so convincing even I had a hard time not believing it was real." He says back as I hear him shift in the water again.

I sigh inwardly as I stand and say over the fence, "I will think about it Commandant Blake, but I am going to get on with my evening now."

"Oh, okay. Thanks again for what you did today, Algérie, I did appreciate it." He says to me, sounding like I surprised him a little.

Once I'm in the changing area I can hear from the next row of cubby holes over, Fiji and Marblehead talking, "I was shocked to see Commander Blake and Algérie together like that!"

"I know right? Like I totally didn't think he was with anyone!" That one came out of the mouth of Marblehead.

"I guess I'll have to try harder then." That was Fiji again.

I sigh inwardly, what have I gotten myself into?

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Once I finally make it back to my dorm, my nose picks up the scent of baking, good baking. I let it lead me to the kitchen and I see our resident baker, Dunkerque. When her rose-colored eyes pop up and see me poking my head into her kitchen she greets me in our native tongue, "Good evening, Algérie, the first batch of lemon tarts are almost done."

I grin, broadly as I continue into the kitchen and take a seat at the island as I say to her, "Good evening Dunkerque, how are you this evening?"

She shrugs as she continues to fill tart cups with lemon curd as she says, "I am hoping that Commander Blake will enjoy these and they will get me a little ahead of the other girls."

Huh, Dunkerque to it seems. Damn, it looks like I might have to start the act tonight.

I fold my arms onto the island and rest my head on them as I ask, "Dunkerque, have you thought about the chance that maybe he is seeing someone already?"

She keeps filling the tarts, not looking up at me as she says, "No, I haven't. But I honestly doubt he is, he seems the shy type."

After a moment she asks, "Why do you ask?"

I sigh inwardly, I am going to come off as the bad girl here in a second, but I'm doing this for Commander Blake, I'll call him later and tell him that I agree to this, I look off to the side as I deceive my friend, "What if he is, what if I know who he is in a relationship with?"

She tilts her head to the side as she looks at me and says, "Please, Algérie, if you know something let me know! I need to know what I am going against."

It feels like a dagger is being driven into me as I try to avoid eye contact with her and say, "What if it was me that he is seeing?"

It felt like the air around us got very, very heavy all of a sudden. I see her put both hands down on the work surface and her eyes drop down along with her head as she says, "Oh."

I see her shoulders start to twitch before she looks up, I can see tears in her eyes as she continues, "Don't worry about these, Algérie, I am happy for you! I wish I had known sooner, who else knows?"

I look down at the half-filled lemon tarts as I say, "No-one else yet."

I feel both of Dunkerque's hands touch mine as she says, "And you trusted me enough to be the first to know? I am so flattered, Algérie."

I look up and see that she's smiling, almost like she is really happy about hearing this, even if I just crusher her hopes, and then she asks a question that sends my mind reeling, "How long have you two been together?"

I start to panic on the inside as I try to recall what I read in a magazine in town, I think it was called cosmo or something like that, about how long one should wait before talking about a relationship with friends, and I go with, "Not long, only a month or so."

I feel my insides starting to knot up, I hate lying to Dunkerque like this.

She lets go of my hands and offers a supportive smile as she says to me, "Well, I'm going to need to find something to do with all of these tarts now, maybe Jean will appreciate them?"

I relax a little and ask, "Are you okay with this Dunkerque? I had no idea that you were interested in him."

She shrugs and turns her back to me just as the oven timer goes off and says, "I have to be, I am not about to try and steal him from you."

I sigh inwardly, Dunkerque is such a sweet girl, I feel kind of bad having to do this to her, but better she's hurt now, rather than by Commander Blake's indecision. I get off the stool and walk over to the wine bottles, pulling a red off of the rack and grabbing a glass I say to my friend over my shoulder, "Good night, Dunkerque."

"Good night, Algérie." She responds, almost robotically.

XXXX

Once I'm up in my room, I put the glass down on my nightstand and pop the cork, and let the wine breathe for a moment before pouring a glass. With my glass in hand, I sit on my bed and start to scroll through the contacts in my phone, looking for the Commander.

I take a sip of my wine and kick off my boots before setting my phone on speaker and I hit connect. I was surprised at how fast he answered; I had just unclipped my guarder belt from my stockings as he said over the speaker, "Hey, Algérie, what's up?"

"Nothing much, Commandant, I wanted to talk to you about that thing that we talked about today in the hot spring." I answer him as I start rolling down my stockings.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Oui, I had to break some news to Dunkerque a little while ago." I say to him, hoping that he understands the meaning of what I said.

To his credit, he is smarter than I had figured he was when he says, "Did she take the news well?"

"Oui, she seemed happy enough for us." I respond as I take off the second stocking.

"It sounds like I'm on speaker?" he half questioned.

"Oui, you are. I am in the process of getting ready for bed." I say to him, not thinking about the implications of what I just said.

He's quiet for a moment and he trips over his tongue as he says, "Pajamas or something else?"

I blink a few times and scoop up my phone, turning him off of speaker as I ask, "Why does it matter?"

"Ah, it doesn't?" he asks, it's almost cute how his voice is sounding both curious and worried at the same time.

"Oui, it doesn't." I say to him and pause before it hits me that I might have someone listening near my wall or door and I should keep up the act and I add, "But since you were wondering, underwear and a camisole."

I can almost hear him blush as and I ask, "What about you?"

"Lounge pants." He trips over his tongue again.

I roll my eyes, how very boring. I rest my phone between my cheek and shoulder as I take off my skirt and I ask him, "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

He's quiet again before saying, "Well it's the weekend and I was thinking about going to Ala Moana beach, just to get away from the office for a bit, would you like to come with me?"

Now it was my turn to feel my cheeks get hot, I hadn't thought about going to a beach, a public beach. I sigh inwardly, if I go, we are going to be pretending that we are a couple, but I don't go, he will likely be beset by those that are interested. I close my blue eyes and look up as my skirt hits the floor I sigh out, "Oui, I will meet you there around lunchtime and I will bring something for us to eat."

"You're a fantastic fake girlfriend, Algérie! I'll see you tomorrow then." he says to me and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a little flutter inside when he called me a girlfriend.

My cheeks were still hot as I say to him, "Oui, tomorrow then. Bonne nuit…"

"James, my name is James. I think you're worried someone is listening in." he says to me, giving me the cover I was starting to worry about.

"Bonne nuit, James. " I say, my cheeks are so hot and that pit in my stomach is so heavy.

"Good night, Algérie." He says to me before the line goes dead.

I sigh and slowly slide my phone down my chest as I question myself, what am I doing?

I get my top off and put it into the laundry pile before I take out a white camosle and slipped it over my head and then went to look for my bathing suit, well bikini really if I'm honest about it. I laugh to myself as I think that maybe, I could have some fun with Commander Blake, make life really, hard for him with this. Putting it down on the chair in my room before I crawl into bed, finish my glass of red wine and tuck in for the night, for I know tomorrow will be challenging enough.

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A/N: Chapter one, done. This one is a special request fic (yes I do take them), likely running for three or four chapters. I'll be working sporadically over the next week on chapter 2, life gets busy sometimes, but I will try to get something up next week.