"Hey Susie," I said as I walked into the mess hall. The few transgenics in the mess hall glanced up at me as the doors swung shut upon my entrance. They went back to their respective dinners as Susie, a snake-like trans-human, gave me a warm smile while pouring a bag of salt into a saltshaker.
"Hey, Bobbie," she replied. "Looking for Alec?"
"Yes," I said, letting my eyes roam around the mess hall for my brother. Susie pointed to the end of the mess hall, where I could see my brother's broad back. I nodded. "Thanks. Where's Bree?"
"In the kitchen," Susie replied, while putting on the shaker cap. "She's cooking soup for a couple of customers, but you can talk to her if you want."
"That's good," I said. Leaning on the mess hall counter, I casually asked, "So, there was no trouble with her today? Benny was cool with her being here?"
"Benny's Benny," said Susie with a shrug. "He yelled and cursed and I think he threatened Alec with dismemberment---,"
"Ouch," I winced.
"Yes," agreed Susie, "but Bree cooked him a bowl of chili, the customers loved it, and she was hired."
"That's really great," I said, pushing myself off the counter. "You and the other waitresses liked her, right? You don't resent her or anything?"
"No, we don't," said Susie. She bent down behind the counter and pulled out a box of straws. While putting them into the dispenser, she continued, "She's really sweet and Josh took to her right away."
"Josh?" I echoed. "She met Josh already?"
"Yes, she did," said Susie with a smile. "They hit it off right away when he came by with extra apples from the supply box. Bree said she wanted to make apple pie, but there wasn't enough in the supply rations. Josh pulled some strings and brought her some extras."
"Cool," I said. I started to enter the kitchen, but stopped when I remembered Dix. "Look, before I forget, Susie, Dix says he wants to see you at his place tomorrow at nine. How does that sound?"
"That sounds wonderful!" Susie exclaimed. She dropped the box of straws to hug me tight. I gasped as her arms threatened to cut off my circulation. "Oh, Bobbie, how can I thank you?!"
"Don't have to thank me," I said, while pulling out of Susie's embrace. "Just go over there tomorrow and make Dix happy. He really likes you."
"Oh, I know he does," Susie said in a soft voice. Her dark eyes shone as her face took on a dreamy cast. "I like him too. He's sweet, kind and so smart. He's so sexy when he's quoting Shakespeare, did you know that?"
Shaking my head, I replied, "No, I didn't. Well, I'm glad you like it. Hope you guys have a good time." I backed away from the waitress to open the kitchen doors.
"We will!" Susie cried as I entered the mess hall kitchen. I didn't have to search too long for Bree. My sister was bent over a large pot, stirring what smelled like chicken soup.
"Hey Bree," I said, while walking up to her. She glanced up at me and nodded, silently acknowledging my presence. Hopping onto the kitchen counter next to the stove, I popped a raw carrot into my mouth from a bowl of vegetables on the cooking island in the middle of the kitchen.
"You know, it's a little warm for soup," I said, pointing to the pot. "Salad's a bit better, don't you think?"
"Some of the desert transgenics want something warm tonight," said Bree, bringing the soup ladle to her lips. She smacked her lips in thought and wrinkled her nose. She reached up towards the cupboards and pulled out a large bottle of black pepper. Bree sprinkled pepper into the soup and stirred the liquid again. She smiled in satisfaction when she pressed the ladle to her lips again.
"Bobbie, you want some?" she asked, pulling out two bowls out of the cupboards.
"No, thanks," I said with a shake of my head. "I heard you were making apple pie, though. That it?" I pointed to the bottom half of the stove, where a golden brown pie was baking. I licked my lips as Bree opened the oven door and pulled out the pie.
Touching it gently with the palm of her hands, she answered, "Yes, it is. Joshua gave me some extra apples and I figured pie would be a good way to introduce myself to Terminal City. It'll be done in a few minutes and if you want, you can have a slice."
"How much?" I asked.
"According to Benny, at least fifteen dollars."
"Okay then," I said. "Put me down for a slice of pie with a little whipped cream if you have any and a glass of Sprite." Bree nodded as she whipped out a notepad and began to scribble down my order.
"Anything else?" she asked.
"Nothing else," I replied. I leaned against the kitchen wall and asked, "So, everything's all right with you?" I could hear my sister suck in an irritated breath.
Shaking her head, she replied, "I wish everybody would stop asking me that. Alec came in here asking me the same thing. I'm fine, Bobbie. I'm not going to fall apart."
"Hey," I said, holding up my hands in protest, "I was just asking a question. No need to yell at me."
"I'm sorry," said Bree, "but I know if I wait another few minutes Jeremiah's going to come walking through those doors asking me if I'm all right and if I want to go on that government job and I want to tell him no, but I can't because he's the CO."
"Bree, you don't have to worry about Jeremiah," I said. "I told him you didn't want the job." Bree winced.
"How did he take it?" she asked.
I shrugged. "He didn't like it, but that's his problem. You're happy here, right?" My sister nodded. I smiled in satisfaction. "Good, then you go on doing what you have to do and I'll do my best to keep Jeremiah off your back."
"I know he's trying to protect me," Bree began, "but sometimes I wish he'd stop. I think I want to get my life together. I want to move on."
"That's good."
Bree looked up at me with haunted eyes. "That doesn't mean I'm going to talk about him."
"Bree..."
"Bobbie, please," said my sister, pressing her palms against the stove, "I know what you were trying to do last night and like I said, I'm a screw-up." I started to open my mouth, but Bree held up a hand. "I know Alec told you to talk to me about him. I'm not ready. Just---don't push it."
"Like I would ever do that," I said. "You tell me when you're ready, baby sister. No more. No less."
"Thanks," said Bree with a broad smile.
"No problem," I replied. "You're free to go in a half hour?"
"Yes," said Bree. "Once Susie serves you the pie, I'll be done."
"Good," I said, jumping off the counter and walking towards the entrance doors. "I'll be over by Alec's booth if you need me." I walked past the doors and headed over to Alec's booth where my brother was slumped in his seat, beer bottle in hand. Glancing over the table, I could see four empty bottles standing before him. Quickly, I slid into the seat opposite his and leaned forward, with my arms on the table.
"So, is this a pity party and can I join you?"
Alec eyed me in irritation. "Bobbie, don't."
I leaned back in my seat, hands held up with feigned innocence. "What are you talking about, Alec? I'm just making conversation."
Alec grunted in disbelief. "Bobbie, you've got that lecture look on your face again and I don't want to hear it." I raised an eyebrow at him, a small smile crossing my face.
"See, that's where you've got it all wrong, little brother," I said. "I'm not going to lecture you. Four beers don't get you drunk. I know that. You know that."
"Good," said my brother, taking a swig of his beer. "I'm glad you understand."
"I'm just going to say that drinking's not going to solve your problems," I continued. "In fact, studies have shown that drowning your sorrows in alcohol only makes the problem worse." At that, my brother groaned aloud.
"God, Bobbie," he muttered. "Would you lay off? I don't have a problem. I just came in here, looking to get something to eat, and relax. That's all." I eyed his plate of French fries and a burger.
"I see," I said, reaching over and taking a handful of fries. Alec glared at me as I popped several fries into my mouth. "Tastes pretty good. Tons better than what Benny used to make."
"You know, you could order your own," said my brother, pulling his plate closer to him.
I shrugged, "Why should I? You weren't eating any."
"I was about to," said Alec, putting several fries into his mouth. "I just wanted something to drink first," he continued with his mouth full.
"Whatever," I said, leaning back in my seat. "I'm getting a piece of pie and since you're being so mean to me, you're not getting a single bite."
"Is it apple?" my brother asked.
"Yes, it is," I said.
"You're only going to eat the crust," said Alec. "You're wasting a perfectly good pie."
"Well, I was going to give you the apples," I said, "but you were so nasty I figured you don't deserve it."
"Fine," said Alec with a little pout. "Don't give me anything. I'm just going to sit here and suffer."
"Makes no difference to me," I said with a smile. "You just eat your fries and be happy with what you got."
"All right, all right," said Alec, "Have it your way."
"That's right," I said. Alec and I smiled at each other, knowing that I would give him the pie anyway.
Finally, Alec spoke up, "So, how did your talk with Jeremiah go?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Pretend I care," my brother added.
"Things went okay," I answered. "He's still hung up about the government job."
"He's not going to give Bree any grief about that is he?" asked Alec. "Cause if he does, I'll--,"
"You'll what?" I interrupted, "You'll try to kill him like you did an hour ago?"
"I wasn't trying to kill him," Alec said in a patient voice. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.
"I was just defending myself," my brother continued. "He said I thought with my dick. I had to punch him!"
"Well, you do!" I snapped. My brother scowled at me. "Alec, I love you, but half the time if you weren't drinking, you're chasing after anything in a skirt, girls in the unit excluded."
"Can you blame me?" he asked. "The girl I want is out of the picture, so I have to satisfy myself elsewhere."
I closed my eyes and sighed. "Alec, you know what I mean."
My brother scowled at me as he muttered, "Yeah, well, he didn't have to say it out loud."
"Well, he did," I said. "You are going to have to learn to not react so much when Jeremiah says stuff like that. You know he's only trying to piss you off."
"It's working," said my brother, taking another swig of his beer. "If he would just remove the rod up his butt-"
"He can't," I said. "He's the CO. It was his job and to a degree, it still is, his job to look out for us."
"I wish he'd realize we're not at Manticore anymore," said Alec. "What did you say to him about the government job?"
"The usual," I replied. "I told him we didn't want it, but he's not listening. Alec, I'm worried about him. He's really hung up on this thing."
"You think it's serious?" my brother asked, setting his beer bottle down and resting his elbows on the table.
Shaking my head, I answered, "I don't know, but the things he said---Alec, he scared me. It was like he really didn't like leaving Manticore and he'd do anything at all costs to bring it back."
"None of us liked leaving Manticore, Bob," said Alec. "Unlike the niners, we were forced to leave." Alec paused for a moment before continuing, "How badly would you say Jeremiah wants this government job to work?"
"Pretty bad."
"No," Alec shook his head, "I mean, would he kill for it? Would he force one of us to join it if he had to?" I stared down at the table, letting my fingers trace over the worn letters of J loves M.
"Alec, what are you saying?" I asked, voice hoarse.
"I'm saying we need to watch him," said Alec in a soft voice. "We need to find out more about this thing. Did he tell you anything else?"
I shook my head. "Nope. I know as much as you do. The job involves deathwatch and that's about it."
"Assassinations," my brother said, leaning back and heaving a sigh. "That's bad. You sure that's it?"
"Pretty much, along with the whole 'you are meant to be a soldier' party-line."
"You don't think he's been re-indoctrinated?"
"Re-indoctrinated? Jeremiah? No way!" I exclaimed. "Manticore's dead, Alec."
"The Seattle Manticore is dead, Bobbie," corrected my brother. "You know as well as I do that there are other facilities across the country. They're laying low with the whole world knowing about us, but they wouldn't mind grabbing one of us off the street if it served their purposes."
"You're right," I agreed. "I don't know if I can see Jeremiah letting himself get taken in by them. Yeah, he's all Manticore uber alles, but still--,"
"Bobbie, you said it yourself that Jeremiah loved being the CO," said Alec. "You know he's one of those guys who never got past being a soldier. All it takes is just one guy. Just one guy wearing a dress uniform to tell him that he can 'be all he can be' to get him loving that hellhole again."
"As if he ever stopped," I said.
"Right," said Alec. "You know what I'm talking about. So, you're going to talk to him?" I looked up at my brother with what must have been a blank expression on my face.
"What?" I asked. "What did you just say?"
"I said; are you going to talk to him?" Alec asked again.
"Okay," I began, "Why me? Why don't you talk to him? You're the one who's all suspicious of him."
"I would talk to him," Alec began, "but that would mean I would have to be nice and you don't want me to go into a seizure now, would you?"
I rolled my eyes at that. "Alec..."
"Come on, Bobbie," Alec wheedled. "Do this for me. Please? I promise I will never, ever ask you for another favor for as long as I live."
"Please," I snorted in disgust. "I know that as soon as Susie comes walking by with my order, you're going to be begging me for a piece of pie."
"Okay, true," Alec admitted. I smirked in satisfaction. "But when you give me a piece of your pie, I will never, ever ask you for another favor for as long as I live." Alec gave me an innocent look, to which I rolled my eyes again. Seeing that the Bambi eyes wouldn't cut it, he decided to go for a sneakier approach. He let his eyes go big and soft and let his lips pucker up ever so slightly. I smirked at him.
"What am I, your girlfriend?" I asked and Alec's face fell.
"Fine, fine," he said. "Be impervious to my charms. If you don't want to protect your own brother, well I have to say I'm shocked. Just shocked at you, Bobbie."
"Alec," I groaned.
He continued, with a shake of his head. "I never knew you could be this cruel. Not wanting to find out whether Jeremiah really needs your help. Your lack of support could really push him over the edge..."
"All right!" I yelled, causing a few transgenics to stare at me. I glared at them until they looked away.
"All right," I said again, a bit more calmly. I could see the beginning of a huge grin crossing Alec's face. "I'll find out more about this job from Jeremiah. Just don't expect anything too soon. He's being really tight-lipped about this."
Alec brightened considerably and popped more fries into his mouth. "Thanks, Bob!" he said. "I knew I could count on you."
"Yeah, that you can," I muttered. "I'm Old Reliable."
"That's right," Alec agreed with a smile. Susie came by with a steaming pie slice and my glass of Sprite.
"Here you go, Bobbie," the trans-human waitress said. "One pie slice and a glass of soda. Alec, you want anything?" She pulled out a notepad and plucked the pencil from behind her ears. Alec glanced at his nearly empty beer bottle. I tightened my lips and glared at him. He glared back as he grasped the bottle. Finally, he groaned and shook his head.
Susie raised an eyebrow at the both of us and shrugged. "Okay. Suit yourselves. Call me if you want the bill."
"Okay," said Alec in a hoarse voice. He let his head fall to the table with a thud and moaned. As Susie walked away, I picked out the apple slices in my pie and placed them onto Alec's nearly empty plate.
"What's that, Bobbie?" he asked.
"Just a little reward for doing the right thing," I said with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah," Alec muttered under his breath. "I'm a giver."
"That you are," I said with a smile, putting a piece of warm crust into my mouth. I closed my eyes at the rich, flaky flavor.
"God, this is so great," I continued, "Bree's really going to make it here."
"I agree," he said, putting several apple slices into his mouth. "So, did you talk to her about you-know-who last night?" I stopped eating and wiped my mouth with a napkin.
"Alec," I began, but stopped when his eyes pinned me down.
"Bobbie, you did talk to her, right?" he asked.
"I did," I said. "I talked to her and she said she didn't want to talk about it."
"Bobbie, you've got to do better than that."
"Well, excuse me for trying!" I snapped. "Alec, she doesn't want to talk about him. She told she wasn't ready and we have to give her time to come to terms with it. We can't force this on her."
"I know," said Alec, "but you saw how she was when we picked her up..."
"I know what I saw," I said, "but she was just fine a few minutes ago. She was practically blossoming right before my eyes, Alec. I'm not going to let you or Jeremiah break that. It's not fair to her. It's not fair to all of us."
"Bobbie," Alec began.
"No, you listen to me," I said, cutting him off. "That day out in the woods, we did what we had to do. We avenged her the only way we knew how and I don't regret what we did. The bastard had it coming."
Alec raised his hands. "You won't get any argument from me."
"Good," I said. "That day we promised each other that we'd look after her. Protect her and if she says she's not ready to talk about the TAC Officer, then she's not ready. We have to respect that."
"I know, Bobbie," said Alec.
I shook my head. "No, you don't know. You know how to be an overprotective brother. You know how to feel guilty at night, knowing, wishing you could have done something to stop it."
"Bobbie, I know," Alec insisted, looking at me with sad eyes. "You think I don't dream about it? You think I don't feel guilty every time I look at her? You think I don't want to raise that son of a bitch from the grave and do it over again?"
"I didn't mean that, Alec," I said. "I just meant--,"
"I know what you meant," Alec interrupted. "You feel just as guilty. Maybe more. That guy hurt us and looking back, I wonder why we didn't kill him the first time around."
"He was an officer," I said. "It was after the escape. We had to obey him."
"Right," said Alec. "So we obeyed and Bree got hurt in the process."
I looked down at the table and wrapped my arms around me. "I hope he's roasting in hell."
"I don't regret what we did," said Alec in a soft voice.
"Neither do I," I said. "I'm glad we gutted the bastard."
Alec nodded, "Me too. Do you dream about it?"
"Everyday," I said.
Alec bit his lip in thought. "I think about it sometimes. I mean, I've done a lot of missions and some of them run together, you know? But that one's one of the clearest."
I let a small smile grace my lips.
"I know what you mean," I began, thinking back to that day. "The sun was so bright and it was just so quiet. The trees...it seemed like they were listening, waiting, you know?"
"I know," Alec nodded as the memory washed over him. "I was in the trees. You were on the ground. We waited for 609 to give the signal when the target came into place and--," Alec stopped to clear his throat. He put a hand to his head and moaned softly.
Shaking his head, he said, "Bobbie, I'm sorry, but I need a drink. Susie!" Alec waved a hand for Susie to come over to our table.
The trans-human walked over to us, notepad in hand. "Hey guys, what's up?" Alec ignored the frown on my face as he asked for another beer. Susie glanced at me warily, but I shrugged.
"Don't mind me," I said, still glaring at Alec. "If he wants to die of liver failure, so be it."
"Bobbie, I'm genetically engineered," said Alec. "I'm not designed to get liver failure."
"Well, you could," I said with an injured sniff.
"I could," said my brother as Susie returned with another beer bottle. Taking it from the waitresses' hands, Alec continued, "But I won't. So stop acting like you're my mother." I crossed my arms and leaned back.
"Fine," I said. "Be that way. I'm just trying to look out for you. That is all." Alec smiled at me, while twisting the beer cap off.
He leaned forward, grasping one of my hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't get me wrong. I appreciate it."
"I'm glad you do," I said, squeezing back.
Alec nodded. "Good. I'm glad you understand, 'cause I need to ask you another favor."
"Alec, come on!"
Alec held up a hand and said, "Hear me out, okay?"
"What is it now?"
"It's about tomorrow."
"What about tomorrow?" I asked with a wary look at my brother.
"You and Max are going to go by Rita's, right?"
"Yes, we are," I said. "What's the favor, Alec?"
Taking a quick swig of his beer, Alec answered, "I need you to be nice to Max."
"For the love of God!"
"Bobbie, come on. Max was tolerable tonight, wasn't she?"
"Yes, she was," I admitted. "That doesn't mean I have to be completely nice to her."
"Okay. Just tolerate her for me, please?"
"Alec..."
"Bobbie, I need you guys to present a united front when you go by Rita's tomorrow. That little bitch can sense a divided team a mile away. I can't have you going over there and suddenly in the middle of the fight, you throw Max's body to Rita's people."
"What if she accidentally tripped?"
"Bobbie!"
"Okay, fine!" I snapped, "I'll be nice to Max. I'll be needing Pepto Bismol after the event, but I'll be nice to her."
"Thanks, Bob," Alec said with a grin. While he drank more beer, I let a slow smile cross my face. If I should suffer, there was no reason why he can't.
"I'll be nice to her, Alec, but you have to do something for me."
"Anything. You name it."
"You have to be nice to Jeremiah."
At that, Alec began to choke. His eyes bugged out and he began wheezing. Susie ran over in preparation to do the Heimlich, but Alec pushed her away as he managed to rasp out, "Bobbie, anything but that!"
"Uh. Uh," I warned. "You said you'd do anything. This is all I ask. You being nice to Jeremiah until he gets back to New York."
"When's he going back?"
"End of the week."
"God!"
"Come on, it's not that bad. Jeremiah was actually tolerable today, wasn't he?" I couldn't resist it. A big smile was on my face as I saw my brother turn several shades of green.
He began gulping down the beer quickly. He slammed the bottle to the table as soon as it was empty. "Bobbie, that's low. That's real low."
"I know," I cackled. "And yet, I feel no guilt."
Alec's eyes flashed and an evil grin crossed his face. "Really? As long as we're being snarky about our respective love interests, may I ask what the hell possessed you when you were talking to Peter?" At that, I frowned at my brother, who leaned back in his seat. He had a large smirk on his face as he waited for my response.
"Nothing possessed me, Alec," I said, glaring at him. "I just said I wanted to go on a break, that was it."
"I seem to recall you telling me that you were going to break up with him. What did you say?" Alec paused to think for a minute. "Oh, yes. 'Peter and I are over. I'm going to break up with him.' Those were your exact words." I gritted my teeth at my brother. Damn transgenic memories.
"Well, I wanted to think about breaking up with him," I began. "It's really crappy to break up over the phone. I thought it would be good to do it face to face." I smirked at my brother, daring him to find fault with that.
Alec simply stared at me and said, "Liar."
"What!" I exploded. "How can you say that? I was going to break up with Peter. Straight up."
"Were you going to tell him why?" I felt my mouth open and close as I struggled to respond.
Alec smirked in satisfaction. "So, you were going to break up with him and not tell him the truth about you."
"Alec, I didn't want to bring him into my world."
"Bull," my brother snapped. "You know as well as I do that if you didn't want to bring him into our world, you would have broken up with him a long time ago. I'm right, aren't I?" I scowled at him, refusing to answer.
"Come on, Bobbie," said my brother. "Admit it. You liked Peter, but you didn't like him that much."
"I loved him!"
"Not enough."
"You jerk," I muttered. "You annoying, irritating jerk!"
"You have a bigger vocabulary than that, Bob."
"You're right," I began sweetly. "You're a big, irritating, annoying, bastard, son of a bitch goddamned mother-fucking asshole!" Alec clapped mockingly as I continued to glare at him.
"Nice!"
"Shut up, ass!"
"Bobbie, you know I'm telling the truth."
"Fine, how's this for truth," I said feeling anger rise in me. "How about you're so stuck on a stick-assed bitch who's got her head rammed so far up an ordinary's ass that you can't even tell her to put up and shut up!"
"Bobbie, watch it!" Alec warned.
"No, I won't," I snapped. "I'm so sick of being nice about Max because you're so hung up on her. Let her go! She's so in love with Logan, let her suffer with a transgenic blood junkie! Let her reap what she's sown! Alec, for the love of god, move on! Be the leader. Take over Terminal City. Ram that flag Joshua made up her ass. It'll give her a clue or at least get rid of that constipation problem she's been having these days."
"Bobbie, shut up," Alec growled.
"Make me," I growled back. The two of us stared at each other. My heart hammered in my chest as I grasped the table's edge. I could see my brother's lips tighten into a straight line.
"Okay, you want to play hard ball with Max," Alec said softly. "Let's play hardball with Peter. That guy hates you. Yes, he hates you. He hates transgenics and that means you, Bob."
"Peter loves me."
"Yeah, he does," said Alec. "But he loves you as a human. What do you think is going to happen when he finds out you're a transgenic? What do you think is going to happen when he sees that you have a white brother? You wouldn't even tell him about me and you didn't tell me about him until you were dating for nearly a year and I'm your best friend!"
"Alec..."
"No! I'm not finished," my brother snapped. "You dated him for two years, Bobbie. Not once, not once, did you mention me. Fine, you could have told him I was an old friend. I could deal with that, but you never told him that I'm the closest thing to family you've got. When you came here three years ago, I told Max about you. Right away, I told Max about how you protected me when I was a kid and how you stood by me after the escape. Everyone in the unit hated me because I looked like a niner. You were the only one who looked beyond that." I felt my jaw tighten as I continued to look at my brother's hurt face.
"Alec..." I said again, feeling my heart and throat ache. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Well you did," said my brother. "I can take a lot of things, Bobbie. I can take being shot. I can take Jeremiah and me fighting till kingdom come, but I can't take you shutting me out. I hate that and I'm your best friend."
"Bobbie? Alec?" Bree's voice interrupted the argument and the two of us swung our gazes towards our youngest sister. "Is everything okay?" she asked, glancing nervously between us.
Lips pressed tightly together, I said, "Everything's okay, Bree. You ready to go?"
"Yes."
"Good," I said, rising up from my seat. "Alec, you going over to the hospital with Max?"
"Yes," said my brother not looking at me.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"I'll see you too," said Alec looking into his beer bottle.
"Fine," I said.
"Fine," said my brother as I grasped Bree's arm and walked out of the mess hall.