Disclaimer: BotP and its characters still belong to Sandy Frank. Everyone
else belongs to me.
Jason awoke with a start. He looked down at the woman sleeping next to him and then at the bedside clock, which read 3:13 P.M. "Where happened to last night?" he wondered, and then he chuckled as he remembered exactly where it had gone. Sam had 'insisted' on consummating their marriage. They could have had a contest to see which one of them had been the most nervous. Jason felt that he would have won hands' down.
Sam rolled over to look at him. "Hi," she said as she raked the hair out of her eyes.
"Hi."
"What time is it?"
"3:15."
"A.M. or P.M.?"
"P.M."
"No wonder I'm hungry. You still owe me dinner."
"You could have had dinner last night, but you had other ideas."
"I didn't hear you complaining," she said smugly. "Care for an encore performance?"
"We've had several encores. Do you want dinner or not?"
Sam pretended to pout. "Fine, be that way." She reached for her discarded robe and after pulling it on, disappeared into the bathroom.
While Sam was in the bathroom, Jason's cell phone rang. "Hello? Hi, Mike."
After a quick shower, Sam returned fully dressed. "Come on. I'm hungry. I haven't had a decent meal in over a week." She stopped when she saw that Jason was on the phone.
"No, Mike. I'm not alone," Jason said, grimacing at Sam as he did.
"You bastard!" Mike replied. "So where's Sam? In the next room while you're screwing around with a cocktail waitress?"
Having heard what Mike said, Sam walked over to Jason and took the phone from him. "Hi, Mike," she said calmly.
"Sam?"
"The one and only."
"Oh, man. Let me talk to Jason." Sam handed the phone back.
After Jason got back on the phone, Mike told him, "Man, you are going to be so dead when the old man finds out that you're sleeping with her."
"Who's going to tell him?" Jason asked.
"Not me. I'd have my head handed to me in a box if I said a word."
"Goodbye, Mike." Jason turned off the phone and looked at his wife. "Give me 10 minutes for a shower?" he asked.
"If you're nice to me, I'll give you 15."
"How nice do I have to be to get 20?" She didn't answer, giving him a wicked smile instead.
* * * * * * * *
After Jason's 20-minute shower, they went down to the hotel's restaurant for dinner. In the two years they had known each other, they found that they really knew very little about each other's respective pasts. Jason told her about being raised by Chief Anderson, but didn't go into details about being trained for G-Force, and he was surprised to hear that Sam had been abandoned as a baby and grew up in a long and rapidly changing series of foster homes before becoming an emancipated minor at 16. She had to work three jobs just to survive, but had been smart enough to get a college scholarship and earned a degree in mechanical engineering and design. He was also surprised to find out that Sam had started working as an intern for Pitney Racing about the same time he had been hired as a driver.
"You mean to tell me that you've worked for Pitney Racing the same length of time as I have and we never met until two years ago?" Jason asked incredulously.
"Yep."
"I wonder why we never ran into each other before then?"
"I don't know, but I knew you by your reputation," Sam replied.
Jason shook his head. "No wonder you thought I was jerk."
"You were a jerk, but now you're my jerk."
"Gee, thanks."
"Don't mention it."
"Don't worry, I won't."
"So what are we going to tell Mr. Pitney and the others when we get back?" Sam asked as she pushed the remains of her dinner around the plate.
"I don't know, but I'll be telling you good-bye," Jason replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Mr. Pitney told me exactly what he would do to me if he ever found out that I had taken advantage of you."
"But you haven't taken advantage of me. Actually, I'm the one that took advantage of you."
"It was a mutual agreement, remember?"
They finished their dinner and then went to explore the casino. "I didn't take you for the gambling type," Jason said as he followed Sam.
"I only like to gamble if I win, which I never do. I'll lose 20 bucks and then quit."
They played the slot machines for a while. Jason was actually winning, but Sam was true to her word. She lost $20 right off the bat and then quit. As they played and talked, they weren't aware that they were being watched.
"Isn't that Jason?" Keyop asked the man sitting next to him.
Mark looked up from the report he had been reading. "Where?"
"Right there, that last row of slot machines, sitting next to the blonde."
"Figures he'd be with a woman," Mark replied.
"Let's go talk to him." Keyop started to get up, but Mark stopped him.
"I don't think that would be a good idea, Keyop."
"Why not? You don't think he's still mad, do you? Mark, it's been 13 years."
"Apparently you've forgotten what happened when he left."
"I'm not the one that kicked him off the team," Keyop huffed. "He actually said good-bye to me and Tiny."
"Hey, guys. What's up?" Tiny asked as he sat down across from Mark.
"Jason's here," Keyop told him.
"Jason? He's here? Where?"
"Right down there, next to the blonde."
"Why are we sitting here? Let's go talk to him."
"Mark doesn't think it's a good idea."
"Jason can hold a grudge, but don't you think he'd get over it in 13 years?"
"Would you two forget about it already?" Mark said with a tinge of anger. "He had every opportunity to contact us over the years, but chose not to."
"Now who's holding the grudge?" Tiny asked Keyop. "If you had been the one kicked off the team, would you have called?"
Keyop looked over to where Jason had been sitting, but he and the woman were gone. "Well, we missed our chance. He's gone."
"No one says a word to Princess about this, understand?" Mark said, but it came out more like an order.
"Why not? She has every right to know that Jason is all right," Tiny said.
"She'll just get upset."
"Fine. We won't say anything," Keyop added. "What about the Chief?"
"I'll tell him when we get back."
"Like he wouldn't already know," Tiny said.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You know as well as I do that the Chief knows exactly where Jason is at any given time. The guy can't make a move with the Chief knowing about it."
"As if Jason's profession doesn't have anything to do with that. His name is plastered all over the sports channels and the newspapers."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous, Mark," Tiny said.
"I'm not jealous."
Keyop and Tiny shared a knowing look, but didn't say anything. There had always been a rivalry, sometimes friendly, other times not, between Mark and Jason. After Jason's departure, the rivalry continued, albeit now it was one-sided. The war with Spectra raged on for four years after Jason had left. When Zoltar had been captured and the Luminous One destroyed, G- Force disappeared into the annals of history. Jason's notoriety continued, much to Mark's displeasure.
"At least he looked happy," Keyop said.
"Jason was never happy unless he was in some sort of trouble," Mark replied.
"I still say he looked happy."
Mark didn't say anything further and Keyop let the matter drop.
Jason awoke with a start. He looked down at the woman sleeping next to him and then at the bedside clock, which read 3:13 P.M. "Where happened to last night?" he wondered, and then he chuckled as he remembered exactly where it had gone. Sam had 'insisted' on consummating their marriage. They could have had a contest to see which one of them had been the most nervous. Jason felt that he would have won hands' down.
Sam rolled over to look at him. "Hi," she said as she raked the hair out of her eyes.
"Hi."
"What time is it?"
"3:15."
"A.M. or P.M.?"
"P.M."
"No wonder I'm hungry. You still owe me dinner."
"You could have had dinner last night, but you had other ideas."
"I didn't hear you complaining," she said smugly. "Care for an encore performance?"
"We've had several encores. Do you want dinner or not?"
Sam pretended to pout. "Fine, be that way." She reached for her discarded robe and after pulling it on, disappeared into the bathroom.
While Sam was in the bathroom, Jason's cell phone rang. "Hello? Hi, Mike."
After a quick shower, Sam returned fully dressed. "Come on. I'm hungry. I haven't had a decent meal in over a week." She stopped when she saw that Jason was on the phone.
"No, Mike. I'm not alone," Jason said, grimacing at Sam as he did.
"You bastard!" Mike replied. "So where's Sam? In the next room while you're screwing around with a cocktail waitress?"
Having heard what Mike said, Sam walked over to Jason and took the phone from him. "Hi, Mike," she said calmly.
"Sam?"
"The one and only."
"Oh, man. Let me talk to Jason." Sam handed the phone back.
After Jason got back on the phone, Mike told him, "Man, you are going to be so dead when the old man finds out that you're sleeping with her."
"Who's going to tell him?" Jason asked.
"Not me. I'd have my head handed to me in a box if I said a word."
"Goodbye, Mike." Jason turned off the phone and looked at his wife. "Give me 10 minutes for a shower?" he asked.
"If you're nice to me, I'll give you 15."
"How nice do I have to be to get 20?" She didn't answer, giving him a wicked smile instead.
* * * * * * * *
After Jason's 20-minute shower, they went down to the hotel's restaurant for dinner. In the two years they had known each other, they found that they really knew very little about each other's respective pasts. Jason told her about being raised by Chief Anderson, but didn't go into details about being trained for G-Force, and he was surprised to hear that Sam had been abandoned as a baby and grew up in a long and rapidly changing series of foster homes before becoming an emancipated minor at 16. She had to work three jobs just to survive, but had been smart enough to get a college scholarship and earned a degree in mechanical engineering and design. He was also surprised to find out that Sam had started working as an intern for Pitney Racing about the same time he had been hired as a driver.
"You mean to tell me that you've worked for Pitney Racing the same length of time as I have and we never met until two years ago?" Jason asked incredulously.
"Yep."
"I wonder why we never ran into each other before then?"
"I don't know, but I knew you by your reputation," Sam replied.
Jason shook his head. "No wonder you thought I was jerk."
"You were a jerk, but now you're my jerk."
"Gee, thanks."
"Don't mention it."
"Don't worry, I won't."
"So what are we going to tell Mr. Pitney and the others when we get back?" Sam asked as she pushed the remains of her dinner around the plate.
"I don't know, but I'll be telling you good-bye," Jason replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Mr. Pitney told me exactly what he would do to me if he ever found out that I had taken advantage of you."
"But you haven't taken advantage of me. Actually, I'm the one that took advantage of you."
"It was a mutual agreement, remember?"
They finished their dinner and then went to explore the casino. "I didn't take you for the gambling type," Jason said as he followed Sam.
"I only like to gamble if I win, which I never do. I'll lose 20 bucks and then quit."
They played the slot machines for a while. Jason was actually winning, but Sam was true to her word. She lost $20 right off the bat and then quit. As they played and talked, they weren't aware that they were being watched.
"Isn't that Jason?" Keyop asked the man sitting next to him.
Mark looked up from the report he had been reading. "Where?"
"Right there, that last row of slot machines, sitting next to the blonde."
"Figures he'd be with a woman," Mark replied.
"Let's go talk to him." Keyop started to get up, but Mark stopped him.
"I don't think that would be a good idea, Keyop."
"Why not? You don't think he's still mad, do you? Mark, it's been 13 years."
"Apparently you've forgotten what happened when he left."
"I'm not the one that kicked him off the team," Keyop huffed. "He actually said good-bye to me and Tiny."
"Hey, guys. What's up?" Tiny asked as he sat down across from Mark.
"Jason's here," Keyop told him.
"Jason? He's here? Where?"
"Right down there, next to the blonde."
"Why are we sitting here? Let's go talk to him."
"Mark doesn't think it's a good idea."
"Jason can hold a grudge, but don't you think he'd get over it in 13 years?"
"Would you two forget about it already?" Mark said with a tinge of anger. "He had every opportunity to contact us over the years, but chose not to."
"Now who's holding the grudge?" Tiny asked Keyop. "If you had been the one kicked off the team, would you have called?"
Keyop looked over to where Jason had been sitting, but he and the woman were gone. "Well, we missed our chance. He's gone."
"No one says a word to Princess about this, understand?" Mark said, but it came out more like an order.
"Why not? She has every right to know that Jason is all right," Tiny said.
"She'll just get upset."
"Fine. We won't say anything," Keyop added. "What about the Chief?"
"I'll tell him when we get back."
"Like he wouldn't already know," Tiny said.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You know as well as I do that the Chief knows exactly where Jason is at any given time. The guy can't make a move with the Chief knowing about it."
"As if Jason's profession doesn't have anything to do with that. His name is plastered all over the sports channels and the newspapers."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous, Mark," Tiny said.
"I'm not jealous."
Keyop and Tiny shared a knowing look, but didn't say anything. There had always been a rivalry, sometimes friendly, other times not, between Mark and Jason. After Jason's departure, the rivalry continued, albeit now it was one-sided. The war with Spectra raged on for four years after Jason had left. When Zoltar had been captured and the Luminous One destroyed, G- Force disappeared into the annals of history. Jason's notoriety continued, much to Mark's displeasure.
"At least he looked happy," Keyop said.
"Jason was never happy unless he was in some sort of trouble," Mark replied.
"I still say he looked happy."
Mark didn't say anything further and Keyop let the matter drop.