Disclaimers: Please see chapter 1 for the disclaimers, notes, and authors.

Authors' Notes: We have enclosed a listing of the Joe codenames and real names. Hope this helps.

Scarlett – Shana
Duke – Conrad
Cover Girl – Courtney
Dusty – Ronald
Lifeline – Edwin
Wild Bill – Bill
Gung-Ho – Ettienne
Ace – Brad
Clutch – Lance
Shipwreck – Hector
Footloose – Andrew
Alpine – Albert
Bazooka - David

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Chapter 6 - Parting Ways

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Cover Girl and Scarlett stepped into their luxurious hotel room. "Wow," they exclaimed in unison, looking at the two queen-sized beds and other amenities in the room. Taking a peek into the gigantic bathroom, Cover Girl quickly quipped, "Dibs on the first bath."

Scarlett glowered at her but was too exhausted to put up a fight. "Fine, make it quick," she stated, flopping herself down on a bed and flipping on the television.

"Thanks. I told the guys I would meet them in an hour, but now I wonder why I promised that," she groaned, eyeing the soft bed. Quickly pushing the domesticated thoughts from her mind, she grinned evilly. "Shana, why don't you come with us? It will be fun."

"I don't think I can move. You go ahead and have a good time," Scarlett answered.

Cover Girl rolled her eyes as she walked by the soldier lying on the bed on her way towards the bathroom. Once she filled the tub and added her favorite peach scented bubble bath, she climbed in, sighing appreciatively. 'Maybe I really should change my mind. This is too nice,' she thought to herself, letting the steamy, hot water penetrate her tired muscles. She closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the wall. It didn't take long for her body to fully relax and for the female tank jockey to begin to fall asleep.

A short time later, Scarlett knocked on the door. "Hey, Court. You're gonna be late."

StartledCover Girl opened her eyes and glanced at the clock. "I'll be fine but thanks for the reminder," she told Scarlett. She climbed out of the bath, her body refreshed and re-energized. After slipping on a fluffy, terry cloth robe, she stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to her duffel bag. Looking over at Scarlett, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, she asked again, "Shana, are you sure you don't want to come? You will feel so much better after a nice, relaxing bath."

"No thanks, Court. I think I am going to hang out here and take that long bubble bath that you passed up on," Scarlett teased.

"Suit yourself, Red. I don't know if I could stay cooped up in here, even though it is quite comfy," Cover Girl remarked, dressing in a pair of jeans and a tank top. She dried her hair and applied her makeup, noticing Scarlett still lying on the bed. "What are you doing, Shana? I thought you wanted in there."

"I'm letting the sauna you created disappear before I create another one," the redhead joked.

Snickering to herself, Cover Girl apologized. "Sorry. I am not use to having a roommate. I'm surprised that you didn't think I stole all of the hot water."

"That too. Did you leave any for the rest of us?"

"This is a hotel, dear. I think using up all of the hot water would be an impossible task," Cover Girl replied quickly before grabbing a denim button-up shirt. "Well, enjoy your evening in," she winked at Scarlett.

"What?!" Scarlett asked in bewilderment.

"Uh huh. Just have fun with Conrad. You two deserve some time together and away from the rest of us," she revealed and quickly slipped out of the room before Scarlett could reply. Chuckling to herself, Cover Girl walked to the elevators and started her descent to the main floor.

The elevator stopped on the 20th floor, and Wild Bill stepped on. Politely tipping his cowboy hat to her, he greeted, "Evening, Ma'am."

Cover Girl laughed. "Evening, Cowboy. Do you have plans for the night?" She asked, wanting to know if anyone had come up with some good ideas besides gambling their next several months' salaries away.

"Not sure yet, Court. Ettienne, Ed, and Andreware discussin' what to do. There is a wrestling match E and I wouldn't mind seein'," Wild Bill explained as the elevator descended. "What about you?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she answered, "Nothing yet. Thought I would see what kind of trouble ya'll were going to get into."

"Darlin', we would never get into any trouble without ya. Brad, Lance, and Hector are heading to Caesar's Palace to see a boxing match. Albert and David seem to have disappeared without a saying word, and I don't know what Conrad is doing yet. What about Shana? Is she coming along?"

Cover Girl shook her head and answered, "I don't think she is. She says that she is planning on taking a long, soothing bubble bath. I told her I could not stay confined in our suite, even though it is very nice."

"You can hang with us any time, Court," Wild Bill offered.

"Thanks, Bill," Cover Girl said, flashing him a smile as the elevator doors opened on the lobby floor. They walked out and headed towards the other Joes.

"Did ya come up with anything, pards?" Wild Bill asked.

"A 'rasseling match is going on, plus lots of shows: a magic show, Celine Dion show, Elvis shows, Elvis impersonator contests, the roller coasters, and of course the casinos. Take yer pick mes amis," Gung-Ho revealed.

"Wrestling? Now that is some down home country fun," Wild Bill whooped, causing a few other Stardust patrons to look in the direction of the odd group of assembled individuals.

"Man, chill out. I don't want to get kicked out yet. There is too much to do out there, dudes," Footloose stated.

Shaking her head, Cover Girl added, "Yeah, we don't want the fury of our fearless leader to descend upon us."

"I could go for the 'rasseling match, Bill. Anybody else?" Gung-Ho queried.

"No, not my thing," Lifeline said, followed by Footloose shaking his head. "I would rather take my chances dressing up as Elvis, dude," he joked, but immediately caught Cover Girl's narrowed eyes. "Oops," he murmured.

Cover Girl smiled and winked. "Aw, 'Loose come on. It could be fun. You could pass for Elvis with a little help from the unit's makeup artist."

The group laughed, and Lifeline remarked, "This I have got to see. What do you say, Andrew?"

"Man, me and my big mouth." He eyed the group suspiciously then said, "What could it hurt? I can do it."

"Great!" Cover Girl exclaimed and then turned to Wild Bill and Gung-Ho. "Are you two coming with us or are you still going to the wrestling match?"

"Wrestling," they both answered with a laugh.

"No, offense, Darlin', but I do not want to see 'Loose dressed as Elvis," Wild Bill continued, explaining his reasoning.

"Ed, are you willing to help me?" Cover Girl asked the shy medic before teasing, "Or I could dress you up as Elvis, also."

"No, Courtney, I will help you. You do not want to see me as Elvis," Lifeline quickly answered.

"Great, come on mon ami, we don't want to be late," Gung-Ho said, waving 'bye' to Cover Girl, Footloose, and Lifeline.

"Have fun kiddies," Wild Bill drawled, following Gung-Ho out of the hotel.

As Cover Girl, Footloose, and Lifeline started to walk out of the hotel, an advertisement caught Cover Girl's eye. "Wait up, guys," she requested as she read over the poster, which was advertising the annual bike show starting the next day at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "Cool," she whispered.

"Man, look at that. A bike show," Footloose stated, reading the same poster as Cover Girl.

Grinning, Cover Girl turned to the guys and said, "I know what Ron and I are doing day after tomorrow."

"Why not tomorrow? It is opening day," Lifeline asked.

"Us girls have to go shopping for the Wayne Newton show tomorrow night. You know, the one that you are going to with Dr. Ramirez," she winked at the medic, causing him to turn pink.

"I did not forget. I will need to do some shopping too," Lifeline replied.

"Deluded, man, deeply deluded," Footloose commented then continued, "the bike show sounds cool though. Mind if I tag along?"

"Not at all. The more the merrier," Cover Girl answered.

The trio headed out of the hotel and towards the auditorium where the Elvis impersonator contest was being held. Cover Girl walked beside Lifeline, while Footloose lead the way. "So, Ed, you know that you are going to have to get a nice tuxedo for tomorrow night. There are plenty of rentals around here," she noted, looking around at the signs in shop windows.

Rolling his eyes, Lifeline said, "Those are supposed to be for people who are eloping."

Cover Girl shook her head and replied, "Not always. You can't go to a show like Wayne Newton without nice formalwear. I know Shana and I have to find an evening gown, and Dr. Ramirez is shopping with us tomorrow too," she hinted.

Lifeline looked at Cover Girl. "Really? I mean, she is? I mean, that is nice," he stammered, turning red.

Not wanting to embarrass him anymore, Cover Girl answered, "Yes, she is. She seems really nice and is an immense blessing to Ron's mom."

"Yes, she seems to be very knowledgeable. We discussed shop while the guys played football. Mrs. Rudat had nothing but praises for her," Lifeline agreed then changed the subject, "Speaking of Ron, why didn't you stay with him? I am sure you two could have gotten cozy there instead of embarrassing all of us."

"Ed, I am offended," Cover Girl giggled, blushing. "I can't believe you just said that."

Lifeline quickly apologized, "I am sorry, Court. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"I am just teasing you, sorta," Cover Girl replied. "Ron needs to spend some time with his family. His mom is very important to him, and he rarely gets to see her."

"Courtney, that is the sweetest thing I think I have ever heard you say," Lifeline said before he thought about what reaction Cover Girl might have. "Wait a minute, I didn't mean it that way. What I meant that was..."

Cover Girl interrupted him, "Touché, Ed. I understand."

Feeling bad, Lifeline grabbed her arm. "Seriously, Court, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You just surprise me sometimes. I am so use to seeing you interact with the guys in the Motor Pool that most of us never get to see the sweet side of you."

"It is okay, Ed, really. You could have said something worse, you know," Cover Girl quipped.

"Like what?" Lifeline questioned, arching a baffled eyebrow at her.

Trying desperately to keep a straight face, she hesitantly revealed, "Well, you could have given me the 'formal tests' speech."

Lifeline was shocked at her revelation and shook his head. "You are never going to let me live that down are you, young lady," he tried to reprimand her, but instead, busted out laughing, causing Cover Girl to lose her resolve and laugh too.

Footloose turned around, staring at his two teammates in disbelief. He shook his head and mumbled, "Man, they are all deluded. No, delusional." He started to hum some Elvis songs, blocking out the laughter coming from behind him.

TBC