Chapter 2 Something else cracks. 

The training room was busy; Carter was in the disaster simulator while Dana and Chad were sparring.  Kelsey was listening to her disk man and working on a stationary bike. Joel was working on a rowing machine.

Ryan walked over to where the pair were sparring and watched. Dana was quick but her blows were almost ineffectual.  He wondered how she'd managed to fight him off as long as she had. She had the will but not the strength.  The echo of his father's words ringing in his ears Ryan thought that maybe if he spent some time with her it might show him more about her and maybe then he'd at least feel something.

"Dana maybe you should take a break."  Chad said and she shook her head.

"I have to get this stuff right or else I'm just a liability to the team."  She said and Ryan's brow shot up a little.  Well she was not the typical girl, not just giving up when the work got too hard.  He could understand in a way why.  From what his father had said it made sense that if she'd blamed herself she was probably trying to be everything their father wanted.

"Then give me a sec."  Chad said and moved to relax his muscles a minutes.

"You need to work on your upper body strength."  Ryan said and Dana looked over at him.

"I work on that 3 hours a day." she said lifting her chin indignantly.  Then she to his surprise didn't get ma just asked.  "So you want to take me on?"  She asked and there was a silver glint to her blue eyes Ryan had never seen.  The others knew though and backed away to give them room. 

Ryan had known that what he'd just said would lead to this as soon as he saw that glint.  Maybe he'd even been aiming for this, a chance to put her to the true test. 

"Alright."  With that she waited.  He knew the game, see the first move and countered it.  He did a right sweep and while she was dodging he struck out with his left fist, still she ducked that and head butted him in the middle.  He grunted ' surprise and then was hit by a right hook followed one of her own leg sweeps. 

Within seconds he was laying flat on his back.  She didn't waist time gloating but dove on top of him, flipping him so she could lock his arms behind his back.  She was careful not to straddle him, kneeling at an angle so he couldn't reverse flip her.

"2 more hours was it?" She did ask then.

"So I was wrong."  He said and still she didn't let him up.

"Dane, shouldn't you let him go?"  Kelsey asked and Dana just made another move with the palm of her hand and Ryan grunted.

 "I..."  She growled in his ear, "am not a..."  Weakling!"  She said and jerked his other arm up.  "I was being careful not to hurt you because you're my brother but now that I know what you think of me."  She let him go leaping back. Then she was striding from the room. 

"Dang, never knew the gal had it in her."  Joel said in his

Mock cowboy accent.

"It's about time she showed a little spine."  Kelsey said a little smirk on her face.

"You act like she's never shown it before."  Carter said and Kelsey rolled her eyes.

"We've been rangers for almost a year and she's only really gotten mad what once?"  Kelsey argued.

"Well, she's just good at hiding it."

"And how would you know that or is it because your in love with our resident medic?"  Joel shot at Carter who rolled his eyes and went to go find Dana.

Ryan still couldn't believe just how well Dana had taken him down, and he'd been ready.  Yes his little sister was full of surprises.  ---

Dana headed off to her quarters to work on the project she'd been working on all week, ever since they'd learned about Ryan's cobra tattoo. Punching in her search item she had 55 answers within seconds. Then she was about to narrow down the search when there was a

Knock on her door.

"Enter."  She called not even looking up.

"Hey, everything alright?"

"Yes, why?"  She asked and felt the bed shift under someone else's weight.

"You just seemed unhappy back there."  At the sound of Carter's voice Dana did look up.

"I'm just tired of people thinking I don't have what it takes." She said wearily.

"Dana who thinks that?" asked pulling the laptop from her hold.

"Carter..."  But she found herself staring into his calm blue eyes.

"Who?"  The softly spoken word had her eyes lowering and sadness creeping in.  Instead of saying another word Carter lift her face so she couldn't look away.

"Dad and now..."

"Dana..."  He pulled her to him and hugged her.  "Dana your father loves you and trusts you more than anyone."

"But..."

"Dana, he sent you on that mission to get the cell and..."

"But I was not enough to save Ryan, Dad had to do it and Ryan was right, I'm not that best fighter."  She said wretchedly.

"That's crap; Dana you know that they did a lot to him, Ryan was so lost."

"And he still is, I know that but I'm his sister I'm supposed to be able to help."

"Dana, you will but he has to come to that in his own time."

"But Carter I just want to be there, but he doesn't even like

Me."  She was crying now.  Carter just pulled her to him and

Held her.

*** 

Ryan looked after the pair for a minute and had an odd sense, was there something more between their leader and his sister?  Ryan may have never felt anything good for anyone but recognized the signs.  It struck him that he was older and should be the first in that arena but…  Sighing he turned and headed to the disaster trainer where Carter had been working out. 

Kelsey watched the newest member f their team, seen the play of emotions across his face and wanted to reach out to him, to rest a hand on his shoulder but she'd never been very good at that kind of thing.  She had decided that risking her neck was much safer than trying to date.  Now though she wished she could help Ryan.  He was just so hard and yet… 

TBC

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