*Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from GI Joe or the characters or the
events mentioned here.
**Author's note: Follow up to "Valentine's Night". This is a transitional chapter so be patient. Somehow, I had to get from Chapter 1 to Chapter 3. Reviews?...Yes please.
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The Day After - Chapter 2
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The next morning, Duke woke up delighted to see this redheaded beauty still peacefully sleeping next to him. He had made it through the night without driving himself completely insane. Just the knowledge that she was mere inches from him all night had awakened all sorts of urges in his body. He knew he should not act on any of his desires, but it was getting harder and harder. One day, he would just throw protocol out the window, but only when the time was right between both of them. He knew last night had to be equally trying on her. They were both only human. Human needs and desires eventually overpower all rational and logic.
He just stared at her and watched her sleep. He wanted to wipe her hair back from her face but was afraid that she would wake up at his touch. After all, he had promised her that he would not touch her. He tried to remember the last time he had been with a woman. It had been several, several years ago, but one thing was for certain. No woman would ever compared to Shana O'Hara, even if he never did get to touch her.
Scarlett started to slowly wake up from her night's sleep. She had felt him stir and had this feeling that his piercing blue eyes were watching her. She opened her own blue eyes and rolled onto her back. She smiled up at him. "Morning."
"Good morning. Did you sleep good?"
"Yes. Thank you again. It was much more comfortable then my office would have been."
Duke smiled. "I aim to please. Do you want breakfast? I can make us some pancakes."
"That sounds good."
She was trying to buy Flint and Lady Jaye time. They didn't have to be on duty until later in the morning, and she would rather not see them right now and wanted to bypass their questions. And there was something else, something deep inside her, that didn't want her to leave Duke's place, not yet. She didn't know why she had this feeling of overwhelming calmness whenever she was around him. He was so easy to talk too, and she felt so at ease around him. Hmm...
Duke had gotten up and headed for the kitchen. Scarlett headed for the bathroom. She ran her fingers through her hair to try to brush out the tangles and splashed some water on her face.
Duke was whistling in the kitchen as she came into the room. "Are you always this happy in the morning?"
"Only when I get to make my famous pancakes for a lovely lady."
She blushed, "Do you want me to make some coffee?" She had noticed that the coffee maker sat noiselessly in the corner. She didn't know how anyone could function in the morning without coffee. Even if an emergency mission came up during the night or early morning, there was always coffee brewing. Just one cup was all it took.
He glanced over at her. "Sure, be my guest. I normally skip coffee until I hit the mess hall. I can make pancakes but not coffee. Go figure."
She laughed. "Coffee is one thing that I can make and not screw up."
"What a good team we make then," he replied with a smile.
She returned his smile and got the coffee maker started, found some plates and cups, and set the table. It had been ages since she actually set the table for anyone. Probably, the last time that she was home with her family.
She found the syrup and butter and placed them on the table, then watched him work in the kitchen. As she watched him, she remembered her father working in the kitchen. Her dad loved to cook. Well, she always assumed he loved to cook but didn't know for sure if he cooked because he loved it or out of necessity. Her oldest brother, Frank, had become a good cook, but the cooking gene had stopped there. Her other two brothers and herself were not very productive in the kitchen, other than making a mess. She attempted some light cooking every great once in a while, but normally would opt to brave the mess hall food or go into town with her friends.
The pancakes were done, and Duke brought them to the table. Scarlett poured the coffee, and they sat down for breakfast. "Go ahead, dig in. Get 'em while they're hot." Duke instructed. He watched her as she took her first bite.
"Mmm, these are good. How did you learn to become such a good cook?"
"Good cook, I am not. I only cook breakfast foods and the occasional steak," he explained. "I watched my mom a lot in the kitchen. Breakfast was always a big meal for us. Most people had a big dinner at night, but since my dad worked the night beat, he would come home around 6 or 7 in the morning, and mom would always have a nice, big breakfast waiting for him." He was quiet for a moment, his thoughts, no doubt, traveling back in time.
Scarlett knew that his father had been shot and killed while trying to stop an armed robbery in progress one night. She knew it must be hard on him. She didn't remember her mother enough to miss the things that she did. She knew there was a void there, and she felt the sorrow that her father and brothers felt, but she was so young when her mom died.
She decided to change the subject to something less emotional. "So do you think Hawk will allow more 'social' events on base now that last night's went so smooth?"
Duke returned from his trip down memory lane, "Hmm, I think so, or at least I don't think it will be as hard to try to convince him to let the guys have some fun and interaction. It is still such a security risk. You and Jaye did a lot of background checks on everyone, and Hawk and I spent countless hours coordinating all the security checkpoints. It did turn out nice though." He took a sip of his coffee. "Wow, this is good. How did you manage this?"
"Dad always gave me 'coffee duty'. I'm glad you like it. Flint keeps trying to get me to teach Allie how to make coffee. I think it makes her mad, but she isn't any better in the kitchen then I am, so we are like two peas in a pod."
They both laughed.
An awkward silence crept in.
Out of sheer curiosity, Duke asked, "Shana, not that you have to tell me and it's none of my business, but where do you normally go on nights like last night's 'excitement'?"
She smiled, "Ace and Wild Bill's place." She watched his expression. "Don't get all protective on me or read anything into it. Ace and Bill are like brothers to me. I have known Ace since the Air Force, and Bill is such a kind and goodhearted person. I've only stayed there a few times, and it just so happened that the first night, Bill was coming back from a mission and took pity on me when he saw I was headed for my office. He told me that he and Ace had a sleeper sofa that would be a lot more comfortable than my office chair. Both of them extended the offer that if I ever needed a place to crash, their sofa was always available, except for last night."
Duke laughed, "I heard about that bet."
"You know Ace. He will bet on anything. He always has and always will, I suppose, unless he starts to become incredibly unlucky and starts to lose."
"Well, just know that my place is always open too. Holidays or non holidays."
"Thank you. By the way not to change the subject, but what happened to your sofa?"
They began to clear the table and clean up the kitchen as Duke regaled his 'broken couch' story to Scarlett.
"Let's just say that Gung-Ho and Leatherneck got into an argument over an official's call from the Super Bowl. Before I knew it, my couch was the weapon of choice. They both owe me a new couch. I told them I don't care how they come up with the money, but I want my couch replaced. I showed them the one I want. It's pretty expensive and not something I would ever buy, but then again, I'm not buying it. They are." Duke said with a devilish grin.
"Why didn't you just give them latrine or KP duty? The guys always hate that."
"That would have been too easy on them; I had to hit them where it hurts. They broke my couch! I suppose I was in a generous mood that night. My team was winning, I was getting a new couch, and I probably had enough beer in me to not think about what kind of cruel punishment I could hand out to benefit the Joe team."
"I thought so. Alcohol and handing out cruel punishments do not go hand-in- hand," she joked.
Suddenly, they were interrupted by Duke's beeper. He phoned the control room, and by the complete 180-mood change, Scarlett knew something was up. That something had to be COBRA. Duke hung up and informed her that COBRA activity had been picked up at random locations around the world. "Looks like snake breath and his snakelings were busy last night. Mainframe is calling all Joes on base to meet in the briefing room in fifteen." Duke had no more than utter the words than Scarlett's beeper went off.
"Time for me to fly." She said as she grabbed her sweatshirt and beeper. "Thanks again for the...uh...place to crash. And breakfast."
"Anytime. See you in a few."
Scarlett darted out the door and ran smack into Flint as he was rounding the corner of the hall. Their collision sent Scarlett crashing hard into the wall. Flint helped her up as she shook off the aftereffects of the sudden body slam. He made sure that she was alright and was about to ask her what she was doing over here, when she interrupted him and said, "Don't ask," and she hurried off to her quarters. Somehow, this was not going to be a subject that Flint would drop anytime soon, provided that they all lived after what ever COBRA had planned.
**Author's note: Follow up to "Valentine's Night". This is a transitional chapter so be patient. Somehow, I had to get from Chapter 1 to Chapter 3. Reviews?...Yes please.
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The Day After - Chapter 2
============
The next morning, Duke woke up delighted to see this redheaded beauty still peacefully sleeping next to him. He had made it through the night without driving himself completely insane. Just the knowledge that she was mere inches from him all night had awakened all sorts of urges in his body. He knew he should not act on any of his desires, but it was getting harder and harder. One day, he would just throw protocol out the window, but only when the time was right between both of them. He knew last night had to be equally trying on her. They were both only human. Human needs and desires eventually overpower all rational and logic.
He just stared at her and watched her sleep. He wanted to wipe her hair back from her face but was afraid that she would wake up at his touch. After all, he had promised her that he would not touch her. He tried to remember the last time he had been with a woman. It had been several, several years ago, but one thing was for certain. No woman would ever compared to Shana O'Hara, even if he never did get to touch her.
Scarlett started to slowly wake up from her night's sleep. She had felt him stir and had this feeling that his piercing blue eyes were watching her. She opened her own blue eyes and rolled onto her back. She smiled up at him. "Morning."
"Good morning. Did you sleep good?"
"Yes. Thank you again. It was much more comfortable then my office would have been."
Duke smiled. "I aim to please. Do you want breakfast? I can make us some pancakes."
"That sounds good."
She was trying to buy Flint and Lady Jaye time. They didn't have to be on duty until later in the morning, and she would rather not see them right now and wanted to bypass their questions. And there was something else, something deep inside her, that didn't want her to leave Duke's place, not yet. She didn't know why she had this feeling of overwhelming calmness whenever she was around him. He was so easy to talk too, and she felt so at ease around him. Hmm...
Duke had gotten up and headed for the kitchen. Scarlett headed for the bathroom. She ran her fingers through her hair to try to brush out the tangles and splashed some water on her face.
Duke was whistling in the kitchen as she came into the room. "Are you always this happy in the morning?"
"Only when I get to make my famous pancakes for a lovely lady."
She blushed, "Do you want me to make some coffee?" She had noticed that the coffee maker sat noiselessly in the corner. She didn't know how anyone could function in the morning without coffee. Even if an emergency mission came up during the night or early morning, there was always coffee brewing. Just one cup was all it took.
He glanced over at her. "Sure, be my guest. I normally skip coffee until I hit the mess hall. I can make pancakes but not coffee. Go figure."
She laughed. "Coffee is one thing that I can make and not screw up."
"What a good team we make then," he replied with a smile.
She returned his smile and got the coffee maker started, found some plates and cups, and set the table. It had been ages since she actually set the table for anyone. Probably, the last time that she was home with her family.
She found the syrup and butter and placed them on the table, then watched him work in the kitchen. As she watched him, she remembered her father working in the kitchen. Her dad loved to cook. Well, she always assumed he loved to cook but didn't know for sure if he cooked because he loved it or out of necessity. Her oldest brother, Frank, had become a good cook, but the cooking gene had stopped there. Her other two brothers and herself were not very productive in the kitchen, other than making a mess. She attempted some light cooking every great once in a while, but normally would opt to brave the mess hall food or go into town with her friends.
The pancakes were done, and Duke brought them to the table. Scarlett poured the coffee, and they sat down for breakfast. "Go ahead, dig in. Get 'em while they're hot." Duke instructed. He watched her as she took her first bite.
"Mmm, these are good. How did you learn to become such a good cook?"
"Good cook, I am not. I only cook breakfast foods and the occasional steak," he explained. "I watched my mom a lot in the kitchen. Breakfast was always a big meal for us. Most people had a big dinner at night, but since my dad worked the night beat, he would come home around 6 or 7 in the morning, and mom would always have a nice, big breakfast waiting for him." He was quiet for a moment, his thoughts, no doubt, traveling back in time.
Scarlett knew that his father had been shot and killed while trying to stop an armed robbery in progress one night. She knew it must be hard on him. She didn't remember her mother enough to miss the things that she did. She knew there was a void there, and she felt the sorrow that her father and brothers felt, but she was so young when her mom died.
She decided to change the subject to something less emotional. "So do you think Hawk will allow more 'social' events on base now that last night's went so smooth?"
Duke returned from his trip down memory lane, "Hmm, I think so, or at least I don't think it will be as hard to try to convince him to let the guys have some fun and interaction. It is still such a security risk. You and Jaye did a lot of background checks on everyone, and Hawk and I spent countless hours coordinating all the security checkpoints. It did turn out nice though." He took a sip of his coffee. "Wow, this is good. How did you manage this?"
"Dad always gave me 'coffee duty'. I'm glad you like it. Flint keeps trying to get me to teach Allie how to make coffee. I think it makes her mad, but she isn't any better in the kitchen then I am, so we are like two peas in a pod."
They both laughed.
An awkward silence crept in.
Out of sheer curiosity, Duke asked, "Shana, not that you have to tell me and it's none of my business, but where do you normally go on nights like last night's 'excitement'?"
She smiled, "Ace and Wild Bill's place." She watched his expression. "Don't get all protective on me or read anything into it. Ace and Bill are like brothers to me. I have known Ace since the Air Force, and Bill is such a kind and goodhearted person. I've only stayed there a few times, and it just so happened that the first night, Bill was coming back from a mission and took pity on me when he saw I was headed for my office. He told me that he and Ace had a sleeper sofa that would be a lot more comfortable than my office chair. Both of them extended the offer that if I ever needed a place to crash, their sofa was always available, except for last night."
Duke laughed, "I heard about that bet."
"You know Ace. He will bet on anything. He always has and always will, I suppose, unless he starts to become incredibly unlucky and starts to lose."
"Well, just know that my place is always open too. Holidays or non holidays."
"Thank you. By the way not to change the subject, but what happened to your sofa?"
They began to clear the table and clean up the kitchen as Duke regaled his 'broken couch' story to Scarlett.
"Let's just say that Gung-Ho and Leatherneck got into an argument over an official's call from the Super Bowl. Before I knew it, my couch was the weapon of choice. They both owe me a new couch. I told them I don't care how they come up with the money, but I want my couch replaced. I showed them the one I want. It's pretty expensive and not something I would ever buy, but then again, I'm not buying it. They are." Duke said with a devilish grin.
"Why didn't you just give them latrine or KP duty? The guys always hate that."
"That would have been too easy on them; I had to hit them where it hurts. They broke my couch! I suppose I was in a generous mood that night. My team was winning, I was getting a new couch, and I probably had enough beer in me to not think about what kind of cruel punishment I could hand out to benefit the Joe team."
"I thought so. Alcohol and handing out cruel punishments do not go hand-in- hand," she joked.
Suddenly, they were interrupted by Duke's beeper. He phoned the control room, and by the complete 180-mood change, Scarlett knew something was up. That something had to be COBRA. Duke hung up and informed her that COBRA activity had been picked up at random locations around the world. "Looks like snake breath and his snakelings were busy last night. Mainframe is calling all Joes on base to meet in the briefing room in fifteen." Duke had no more than utter the words than Scarlett's beeper went off.
"Time for me to fly." She said as she grabbed her sweatshirt and beeper. "Thanks again for the...uh...place to crash. And breakfast."
"Anytime. See you in a few."
Scarlett darted out the door and ran smack into Flint as he was rounding the corner of the hall. Their collision sent Scarlett crashing hard into the wall. Flint helped her up as she shook off the aftereffects of the sudden body slam. He made sure that she was alright and was about to ask her what she was doing over here, when she interrupted him and said, "Don't ask," and she hurried off to her quarters. Somehow, this was not going to be a subject that Flint would drop anytime soon, provided that they all lived after what ever COBRA had planned.
