"Wise men say only fools rush in" Elvis Presley "Can't Help Falling in Love"
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Shana opened the door to her building cautiously, her grip tight on Chevy's harness. She could smell the fresh exhaust and hear a car idling, but didn't leave the security of her doorframe quite yet. "Hello?" She took a step back as she flashed back to after her vehicle exploded and being sure that it was friend to come and save her. The pain and fuzziness only clearing enough to realize it was Bludd, not a teammate and he was there to take her away. She took deep breaths slowly, hearing someone speaking in the background. "What?" She should have given Duke a code word or something if it wasn't going to be a regular member of the team picking her up. How did she know this was truly the person who was going to be driving her?
"Miss O'Hara?" His voice sounded nervous and unsure, just adding to her stress. She would lay money that this kid was barely out of high school. "Are you ok?" He was definitely staring now, she was sure of it. He'll be telling all his little greenshirt friends about how she had broken down without even getting in the car.
Breathing shallowly, she gathered as much courage as she could and nodded, "Fine. Do you have ID?" She thought of a constructive way to deal with her paranoia, prove that it was who it was supposed to be. She realized of course that she couldn't see the ID, but she could call a neighbor out to verify things. She was very surprised when he handed her not only a laminated card, but also a folded piece of paper. It felt like it had been crumpled at one point and she opened it curiously. When she realized what it was, she laughed out loud and it helped to banish her anxiety attack. It was a previous draft of Conrad's first letter to her, filled with typos. She chuckled and nodded, "Good enough young man." She handed him back the card and got into the humvee with Chevy, letting him take her bags.
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The trip passed fairly quickly. Mike, her escort, was as young as she thought, but a nice enough kid. He was a little intimidated by her and she found that both amusing and comforting. He was from Mississippi, so she could relate to a lot of his southern upbringing. It really helped to kill her anxiety and pass the time. It seemed like no time at all before she heard the window rolling down and a gruff voice asking for identification. She passed hers over as well; she kept her military identification with her most of the time still. She wondered suddenly what color her card was; they changed them according to status and she never thought to ask. She was too embarrassed to ask Mike about it, making a mental note to bring it up to Conrad later.
They passed the security check and she carefully replaced the card where it was supposed to go in her wallet and accepted the visitor tag, pinning it on her lapel. The car began to move again, more cautiously than anyone she ever knew on base. When it stopped again, she gripped her purse tightly, "Are we here?"
"Yeah, if you want I can leave your stuff here and bring it to your quarters later. I'll take you to Duke's office before that if you want." Mike was trying to be friendly but she couldn't help the bristle at his words. She had lived here for years, she could find her way around on her own.
"If you don't mind, I think I remember how to get there myself, it would be great if you could take my stuff right to my room." She waited through the pause as he tried to decide which way he'd be in trouble more, smirking when he sighed and opened the back to grab her duffel. Smart kid; don't piss off the one who's right in front of you. She got out with Chevy and breathed in deeply, smelling the oil and fuel coming from the garages and hangers, an oddly comforting smell to her.
"I'll meet you at Duke's office to show you where you'll be staying, ok?" She nodded to his words, then took Chevy's harness and started walking towards the building.
After you lose a sense, it's not that the others become better, it's just you rely on them more. There's a difference in the sound and feel of air as you get closer to a wall, something she never bothered or needed to notice. She knew Chevy would lead her to the door and although she didn't know where she would be starting, she felt she could find her way around well enough. More importantly, she needed to get a feel for the place on her own. Get her confidence that she could find her way around. There would be plenty of time for guided tours later.
She made her way through the hallways, feeling the familiarity of the walls and the different scents that helped to map where she was. It smelled good; Roadblock must be in the mess. She used the chow hall as a landmark to help her find her way through the hallways. She was a little puzzled though, usually the hallways were bustling with activity and people and she hadn't run into anyone yet. She felt the familiar touch of fear and quickly hurried to Conrad's office, wanting to find someone in this complex.
She finally arrived at what she was reasonably sure was Duke's office, knocking and feeling a piece of paper under her knuckles. She touched it, feeling Braille and smiled a little. It was a note for her: "I'm in a meeting with Hawk in the conference three doors down. When you get in, please feel free to interrupt." Taking the note down, she followed the instructions and traced her fingers along the wall, counting the doors. She knocked softly when she reached the third door.
"Come on in," Conrad's voice carried through the door. She opened it and walked in, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. The room seemed warmer than it should, and just closer. Chevy hung back a little, like he was unsure of the situation. Conrad's soft voice came to her, she could feel his heat as he moved closer, "Don't be scared. Everyone is just here to see you." She relaxed a bit and gave him a relieved smile, glad that he could tell she was uneasy.
"Hi..." She held her hand up in a half-hearted wave, really not sure of what to say. She wanted to just walk out and not deal with it, but that's not why she was here. She could do this. She was strong enough to do this.
Twenty long seconds passed, then she heard Allie's voice call out, "Group hug!" She smiled weakly and felt Conrad touch her elbow to make sure it wasn't going to freak her out and she nodded to him imperceptibly to let him know she was alright and suddenly she was swept into the mass of hugging that was her former teammates.
She head their different voices greet her and the unease she had about coming back was washed away. Although things had been rough when she left, time heals all wounds and she was still part of their family. "Thank you everyone, I've missed you all too. But I'm going to be crushed in a second and that would really piss my dog off," she said with a laugh and pushed away the anger that came when it was an immediate backing off, as if they were afraid she were a china doll. 'They were just being careful and she had said she was being crushed,' she thought, 'but before, if I had said that, they'd just pile on higher.' Thoughts like that did no good though, so she brushed it away. "Did you miss me?"
"We all did Shana," Allie spoke with more of a serious tone. "You've been away too long." Allie hugged her individually, speaking just loud enough for Shana to hear, "I should have called. I'm sorry, I was a crappy friend dealing with it all."
Shana brushed off her concerns, "Don't stress over it. Phone works both ways and all that. What's important now is that we're all here together and Roadblock is cooking from the smells coming from the mess!"
A chorus of cheers went up and Shipwreck added in, "You should see the cake he made! It -" He cut off as the room got silent around him. Shana arched a brow in Conrad's direction and she could hear him smother a laugh inside of a cough.
"Guys. You can use the 's' words, see, saw and so forth. And I'd love to see it, but I doubt everyone would like me running my hands over their piece." She chuckled, trying to put everyone at ease. She heard some strained laughter from the audience and sighed, figuring them for a lost cause except for time.
"We can all enjoy the wonderful food soon enough, but there's still a little time left in the workday, let's get it wrapped up, while I show the lovely lady her quarters." Duke's voice was firm but friendly. She heard a slight rustle of paper near him as people filed out, grumbling good-naturedly. When they were gone, he said to her, "Snake Eyes wants to see you while you are here."
She nodded numbly; he had been here too. How could she have missed that? "Alright," she said with a sigh. "But first, make good on that promise to show a lady her quarters."
"But of course, my arm is here if you need it." She didn't need it, but took it anyway and he led her to where she would be staying during her visit.
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Duke was back in his office trying to sit still and finish his work like he ordered everyone else to do. He had shown Shana to her room, and then let her clean up and go and meet with Snake Eyes alone. He didn't like it, he felt protective of her and he knew she had been hurt by the ninja before and it frustrated him that he couldn't be there to make sure Snakes wasn't an ass.
He got up, pacing around, trying to get the anxiousness out of his system. He heard a knock on the door and then Flint popped his head in. "Got a second, Top?"
Conrad nodded and waved him in, stopping his pacing to lean against his desk, "What's up Flint?"
A tight smirk appeared on Flint's face, "Well, I was coming here to ask you that." Duke arched a brow at him, waiting for him to go on without amusement. "With Shana. You two seemed...Close."
Duke shrugged uncomfortably, "We've gotten close again. We used to be great friends before she left."
"Yeah...?" Flint clearly wanted more. "This looks a little beyond friendship. I saw the look on your face when she came in, and how you knew she was freaked out. Not to mention your expression when Snakes gave you the message that he wanted to chat with her."
"So? She's a good person who's been through a lot, she deserves to get a break once in a while." He tried to stay nonchalant.
"Riiiight." Flint rolled his eyes then gave a quick wink, "I'd head over to the infirmary then."
"Infirmary? What?" He couldn't help the hand of fear that squeezed his heart, afraid of Shana getting hurt.
Flint sighed patiently, "To remove your head from your ass, then perhaps they'll give you the antidote to cupid's arrow." He grinned and ducked out of the room before Conrad could really react.
Duke was left alone in his office, sitting back down at his desk and putting his hands over his face. He wondered just what exactly was happening to him, and whether or not he wanted it to be anything more than friendship, and most importantly, was that something she would be interested in as well.
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Shana opened the door to her building cautiously, her grip tight on Chevy's harness. She could smell the fresh exhaust and hear a car idling, but didn't leave the security of her doorframe quite yet. "Hello?" She took a step back as she flashed back to after her vehicle exploded and being sure that it was friend to come and save her. The pain and fuzziness only clearing enough to realize it was Bludd, not a teammate and he was there to take her away. She took deep breaths slowly, hearing someone speaking in the background. "What?" She should have given Duke a code word or something if it wasn't going to be a regular member of the team picking her up. How did she know this was truly the person who was going to be driving her?
"Miss O'Hara?" His voice sounded nervous and unsure, just adding to her stress. She would lay money that this kid was barely out of high school. "Are you ok?" He was definitely staring now, she was sure of it. He'll be telling all his little greenshirt friends about how she had broken down without even getting in the car.
Breathing shallowly, she gathered as much courage as she could and nodded, "Fine. Do you have ID?" She thought of a constructive way to deal with her paranoia, prove that it was who it was supposed to be. She realized of course that she couldn't see the ID, but she could call a neighbor out to verify things. She was very surprised when he handed her not only a laminated card, but also a folded piece of paper. It felt like it had been crumpled at one point and she opened it curiously. When she realized what it was, she laughed out loud and it helped to banish her anxiety attack. It was a previous draft of Conrad's first letter to her, filled with typos. She chuckled and nodded, "Good enough young man." She handed him back the card and got into the humvee with Chevy, letting him take her bags.
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The trip passed fairly quickly. Mike, her escort, was as young as she thought, but a nice enough kid. He was a little intimidated by her and she found that both amusing and comforting. He was from Mississippi, so she could relate to a lot of his southern upbringing. It really helped to kill her anxiety and pass the time. It seemed like no time at all before she heard the window rolling down and a gruff voice asking for identification. She passed hers over as well; she kept her military identification with her most of the time still. She wondered suddenly what color her card was; they changed them according to status and she never thought to ask. She was too embarrassed to ask Mike about it, making a mental note to bring it up to Conrad later.
They passed the security check and she carefully replaced the card where it was supposed to go in her wallet and accepted the visitor tag, pinning it on her lapel. The car began to move again, more cautiously than anyone she ever knew on base. When it stopped again, she gripped her purse tightly, "Are we here?"
"Yeah, if you want I can leave your stuff here and bring it to your quarters later. I'll take you to Duke's office before that if you want." Mike was trying to be friendly but she couldn't help the bristle at his words. She had lived here for years, she could find her way around on her own.
"If you don't mind, I think I remember how to get there myself, it would be great if you could take my stuff right to my room." She waited through the pause as he tried to decide which way he'd be in trouble more, smirking when he sighed and opened the back to grab her duffel. Smart kid; don't piss off the one who's right in front of you. She got out with Chevy and breathed in deeply, smelling the oil and fuel coming from the garages and hangers, an oddly comforting smell to her.
"I'll meet you at Duke's office to show you where you'll be staying, ok?" She nodded to his words, then took Chevy's harness and started walking towards the building.
After you lose a sense, it's not that the others become better, it's just you rely on them more. There's a difference in the sound and feel of air as you get closer to a wall, something she never bothered or needed to notice. She knew Chevy would lead her to the door and although she didn't know where she would be starting, she felt she could find her way around well enough. More importantly, she needed to get a feel for the place on her own. Get her confidence that she could find her way around. There would be plenty of time for guided tours later.
She made her way through the hallways, feeling the familiarity of the walls and the different scents that helped to map where she was. It smelled good; Roadblock must be in the mess. She used the chow hall as a landmark to help her find her way through the hallways. She was a little puzzled though, usually the hallways were bustling with activity and people and she hadn't run into anyone yet. She felt the familiar touch of fear and quickly hurried to Conrad's office, wanting to find someone in this complex.
She finally arrived at what she was reasonably sure was Duke's office, knocking and feeling a piece of paper under her knuckles. She touched it, feeling Braille and smiled a little. It was a note for her: "I'm in a meeting with Hawk in the conference three doors down. When you get in, please feel free to interrupt." Taking the note down, she followed the instructions and traced her fingers along the wall, counting the doors. She knocked softly when she reached the third door.
"Come on in," Conrad's voice carried through the door. She opened it and walked in, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. The room seemed warmer than it should, and just closer. Chevy hung back a little, like he was unsure of the situation. Conrad's soft voice came to her, she could feel his heat as he moved closer, "Don't be scared. Everyone is just here to see you." She relaxed a bit and gave him a relieved smile, glad that he could tell she was uneasy.
"Hi..." She held her hand up in a half-hearted wave, really not sure of what to say. She wanted to just walk out and not deal with it, but that's not why she was here. She could do this. She was strong enough to do this.
Twenty long seconds passed, then she heard Allie's voice call out, "Group hug!" She smiled weakly and felt Conrad touch her elbow to make sure it wasn't going to freak her out and she nodded to him imperceptibly to let him know she was alright and suddenly she was swept into the mass of hugging that was her former teammates.
She head their different voices greet her and the unease she had about coming back was washed away. Although things had been rough when she left, time heals all wounds and she was still part of their family. "Thank you everyone, I've missed you all too. But I'm going to be crushed in a second and that would really piss my dog off," she said with a laugh and pushed away the anger that came when it was an immediate backing off, as if they were afraid she were a china doll. 'They were just being careful and she had said she was being crushed,' she thought, 'but before, if I had said that, they'd just pile on higher.' Thoughts like that did no good though, so she brushed it away. "Did you miss me?"
"We all did Shana," Allie spoke with more of a serious tone. "You've been away too long." Allie hugged her individually, speaking just loud enough for Shana to hear, "I should have called. I'm sorry, I was a crappy friend dealing with it all."
Shana brushed off her concerns, "Don't stress over it. Phone works both ways and all that. What's important now is that we're all here together and Roadblock is cooking from the smells coming from the mess!"
A chorus of cheers went up and Shipwreck added in, "You should see the cake he made! It -" He cut off as the room got silent around him. Shana arched a brow in Conrad's direction and she could hear him smother a laugh inside of a cough.
"Guys. You can use the 's' words, see, saw and so forth. And I'd love to see it, but I doubt everyone would like me running my hands over their piece." She chuckled, trying to put everyone at ease. She heard some strained laughter from the audience and sighed, figuring them for a lost cause except for time.
"We can all enjoy the wonderful food soon enough, but there's still a little time left in the workday, let's get it wrapped up, while I show the lovely lady her quarters." Duke's voice was firm but friendly. She heard a slight rustle of paper near him as people filed out, grumbling good-naturedly. When they were gone, he said to her, "Snake Eyes wants to see you while you are here."
She nodded numbly; he had been here too. How could she have missed that? "Alright," she said with a sigh. "But first, make good on that promise to show a lady her quarters."
"But of course, my arm is here if you need it." She didn't need it, but took it anyway and he led her to where she would be staying during her visit.
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Duke was back in his office trying to sit still and finish his work like he ordered everyone else to do. He had shown Shana to her room, and then let her clean up and go and meet with Snake Eyes alone. He didn't like it, he felt protective of her and he knew she had been hurt by the ninja before and it frustrated him that he couldn't be there to make sure Snakes wasn't an ass.
He got up, pacing around, trying to get the anxiousness out of his system. He heard a knock on the door and then Flint popped his head in. "Got a second, Top?"
Conrad nodded and waved him in, stopping his pacing to lean against his desk, "What's up Flint?"
A tight smirk appeared on Flint's face, "Well, I was coming here to ask you that." Duke arched a brow at him, waiting for him to go on without amusement. "With Shana. You two seemed...Close."
Duke shrugged uncomfortably, "We've gotten close again. We used to be great friends before she left."
"Yeah...?" Flint clearly wanted more. "This looks a little beyond friendship. I saw the look on your face when she came in, and how you knew she was freaked out. Not to mention your expression when Snakes gave you the message that he wanted to chat with her."
"So? She's a good person who's been through a lot, she deserves to get a break once in a while." He tried to stay nonchalant.
"Riiiight." Flint rolled his eyes then gave a quick wink, "I'd head over to the infirmary then."
"Infirmary? What?" He couldn't help the hand of fear that squeezed his heart, afraid of Shana getting hurt.
Flint sighed patiently, "To remove your head from your ass, then perhaps they'll give you the antidote to cupid's arrow." He grinned and ducked out of the room before Conrad could really react.
Duke was left alone in his office, sitting back down at his desk and putting his hands over his face. He wondered just what exactly was happening to him, and whether or not he wanted it to be anything more than friendship, and most importantly, was that something she would be interested in as well.