Northern Lights: Going Home Again

By Slayne22

Disclaimer- Don't own nor profit from GI Joe.

Rating- R to be safe.

Summary- The sequel to Cyberlife. After the internet connection led to Beach Head and Cover Girl confronting their feelings for each other, Cover Girl takes Beachie home for Thanksgiving. With a few tagalongs. Humor/Romance.

A/N- I'd like to thank everyone who supported Cyberlife the way you did. You really made that story fun for me. Unfortunately, f f net took the story down for violating it's policies right before the last chapter and I lost all your wonderful reviews. It really depressed me that I couldn't get in in time to save those. In any case, if you haven't read the last chapter of Cyberlife yet, it's up at joedebriefed dot com.

Thanks to Desert Fox for the beta duties and for the poking with sharp sticks.

You should also check out Home Truths by Desert Fox. It's a spin-off of Cyberlife that travels in a parallel direction as this story. In her version, Beach Head takes Cover Girl home for the holidays. Yes, we planned it like that because it was cute and we liked it.

Enjoy.

Cover Girl- Courtney Krieger
Beach Head- Wayne Sneeden
Dave- David Katzenbogen
Craig- Craig McConnel

Chapter 1 - "Together Again"

Cover Girl watched as Bazooka scanned the list of arrivals up on one of the airport's lighted signs. Her backpack began sliding off her shoulder again, not wanting to stay put on the smooth leather of her bomber jacket.

"Well?" She asked, shifting the weight of her backpack on her shoulder and glancing back at her suitcase to make sure it was still there… even though she held the pullout handle firmly within her grasp. She sighed and ran a hand through her long, straight auburn hair, pulling it from the collar of her jacket and the sweater she wore beneath. Her faded blue jeans were a nice switch from the BDUs she usually wore all day, and the frayed cuffs covered the tops of her worn, brown work boots. She never dressed for traveling, unless it was a part of a mission of course.

Dave pursed his lips and then pointed. "Yep. There. Gate 14A. In from Washington D.C."

"Ok…" She glanced around. The Minneapolis/St. Paul airport was actually rather easy to navigate. It wasn't big like JFK or O'Hare, but big enough to have all the essentials that an airport should have.

"This way!" Dave exclaimed, pointing to their left. "We should get there just in time!" He picked up his duffel and grinned at her.

She couldn't help grinning back. He was nearly 5 years out of the service and his dark hair had grown back from the short military cut he'd had in the Joes. Well… what was left of it anyway. He definitely had the beginnings of a bald patch at the top of his head. He still sported the goofy, full mustache that she'd only seen on cops and cowboys the past ten years… but his brown eyes were always warm.

They began walking down the wide airport hall together. It was early enough to not be too crowded yet. Mostly business class passengers reading their Wall Street Journals and uniformed pilots and crew drinking coffee.

"We gotta hit a Starbucks after we pick up Craig. I need some caffeine."

Dave smirked at her. "Spoken like a true desk jockey."

"Screw you, Missile Man." She grinned back.

"Just name the place, Doll." He retorted before looking thoughtful. "Starbucks has donuts, right?"

Courtney glanced down at the sizeable belly that stretched the man's blue and black checked flannel shirt and hung over his belt. It wasn't as if he'd gone completely soft. He still had thickly-muscled arms and pecs that wouldn't quit, but he hadn't quite kept himself up like most of the others. He caught her glancing at him.

"If you saw my father, you wouldn't be so surprised." He stated.

"I have seen your father… and donuts don't help, Dave."

"No… but its kind of a law in Minnesota. Once you reach a certain age, you have to cultivate an award-winning beer belly."

She raised a brow at him and shook her head. Well, it was harder for some people.

They reached gate 14A and found a place behind most of the other waiting people, making small talk. They could see the newly arrived plane from Washington D.C. nosing into the gate outside of the windows. The sky was gray and threatening snow, and the heat from the plane's engines distorted the air. She could see plumes of white breath rising from the crewmember that stood at the open gate waiting for the plane.

"My mom sent along 2 chocolate pies. They're in the Jeep."

Courtney glanced at Dave. "Really? Good! Thank her for me, will you? When you go back."

"Sure."

The flexible gate extension covered the plane's door… and soon passengers began emerging from the hallway into the gate's seating area. Courtney and Dave waited expectantly. Within a few minutes, one blond head appeared above the others within the crowd of passengers. They both stared at the man and then glanced at each other.

"Holy crap… is that him?" Courtney asked in disbelief.

Dave looked back at the big man. He wore jeans and a gray Army T-shirt and carried a thick black motorcycle jacket. His neat blond hair screamed military. "I… think it is."

Uncertainty was swept away when the man stepped past the ticket counter and saw them. A big grin spread over his face and it was definitely the patented shit-eating grin of Craig McConnel, aka Rock N Roll.

"Craig!" Courtney cried as he hurried towards them. She launched herself into his arms as he laughed and caught her.

"Been waiting a long time for that!" He exclaimed, winking at Dave who grinned broadly at him. He set Courtney down to grab David's offered-hand and then pull him into a tight, laughing hug that only brothers in arms seemed to share.

"Damn Dave…" Craig said as they parted. He patted Dave's bulging stomach. "Kind of hard to get close to you, man."

"I know, I know… don't start!" Dave shook his head with envy, glancing at Craig's pumped-up and muscular physique.

"I can't believe it's you!" Courtney exclaimed, staring at the big blond in utter fascination. Where formerly Craig had always had long blond hair and a beard when in the Joes… he now had a neat crew cut and was clean-shaven. He flashed white teeth and blue eyes at her in a wide smile and shook his head.

"I gotta tell you… it sucks being in the regular Army again."

"Hawk would have a heart attack and die if he saw you now, McConnel." Dave laughed.

"Shit…" Craig swore with another grin. "Hawk didn't care as long as I could shoot straight. It was Beach Head who always had a conniption about my hair!" He glanced around. "Speaking of which… where is the tightass?"

"His flight is due in at 10. We've got a couple hours to kill."

"He's flying commercial? Isn't that a threat to national security or something?"

They all laughed.

"I feel sorry for the flight attendants. God forbid they just gloss over the safety procedures… "

Dave and Courtney picked up their bags again and they all started off towards the luggage level laughing and joking. When Craig finally pulled his duffel bag off of the luggage carousel, they made their way up again and found one of a few Starbucks coffee shops to camp out in until the last member of their little reunion arrived.

"Ahhhh… heaven!" Courtney sighed, sipping her white chocolate mocha. Craig slid into the booth beside her and opened an unsweetened orange juice. He motioned at her cup.

"You have any idea how many calories are in that?"

She glanced with a sour face at his juice. "You have any idea how much I don't care?"

He grinned and tapped his juice. "No extra sugar added. I need to keep my girlish figure."

She turned and grabbed his bicep. Both of her hands wouldn't fit all the way around the huge muscle. "What's in that juice instead of sugar? Steroids?"

"Absolutely not!" He looked insulted and then smiled, pointing down at his lap. "Shrinks the most important muscle!"

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Surrounded by all that other muscle, it probably looks shrunken anyway."

"Hey!" He shot her a grumpy look, and she laughed. They both looked up as Dave placed a cup of coffee, a paper plate with three sweet rolls and a banana on the table. He slid into the booth across from them and looked up. They stared silently at him.

"What?"

"Dave… seriously… if you want to commit suicide, there are easier ways to do it." Craig looked with concern at the plate of sugary goodness.

"I'm just living it up for a couple more months. First of the year, I'm going on a diet… I promise!"

Craig looked at him skeptically.

"Come on… it's Thanksgiving. Let me enjoy it."

"Well, don't ask me to be a pallbearer, you'll break my back."

Dave stared pointedly at the PT Instructor's muscles. "Are you kidding? You look like you could carry me all by yourself."

"Seriously." Courtney agreed, looking at Craig. "You're really ripped. You going pro?"

"Ehh… I did a few minor contests. It takes a little too much primping to win one of those. Shaving things you don't want to shave, that type of thing. You guys tell me what you've been up to though."

Dave shrugged and then talked while chewing a mouthful of sweet roll. "I'm still in security. You wouldn't believe how much some of those firms are willing to pay a ex-Special Forces soldier."

"Enough to keep a man in sweet rolls forever, ey?" Craig replied dryly.

Dave grinned at him. "Minnesota women don't mind a bit of extra padding… and they all like a man in uniform."

Courtney rolled her eyes exaggeratingly. "Oh please! Some things never change, do they?"

The two men grinned at her, and Craig elbowed her teasingly. "What about you, Doll? Or should we call you… Mata Hari?"

"I'm not a spy!" She protested loudly.

"It was only a matter of time before you got out of the tanks and into Intelligence with the rest of the women." Dave quipped.

"Counter-Intelligence." Courtney corrected. "At least I didn't take up Tai Kwan Do and become a ninja."

"You can't be a ninja unless you're graceful and have good aim, Courtney." Dave replied.

Courtney glared at him, then held her cup up. "You wanna see how good my aim can be, Missile Man?"

Dave laughed and held his hands up. "No! I take it back!"

Craig glanced at his watch. "Drink up, boys and girls. We'll need to get going in a few if we want to meet Beachie at his gate."

Courtney felt her stomach do a bit of a flip at that thought. She wasn't sure exactly what she was going to feel when she saw him, but she was torn between being glad she had Dave and Craig along to take the pressure off… and being disappointed that she wouldn't be able to meet him alone. Almost as if reading her thoughts, Craig elbowed her again.

"I hear that you and Wayne have been pretty tight in the conference chats the team has online."

She felt herself start to sweat. "Well, if you call sarcastic remarks and insults, 'pretty tight'… then yeah."

Dave lifted a thick black eyebrow. "Wreck says you two talk privately a lot too."

She bit the inside of her lip and forced herself to stay calm. "Wreck also says he saw Elvis the last time he was in Bangkok. You believe that too?"

Dave and Craig exchanged glances and it was obvious they thought she was protesting a little too much. They were right. She was. Her and Beach had been talking online nearly every night for over a year now. In fact, the odd friendship and bond that they'd shared back on the Joe Team had only deepened since the Joes were disbanded. They'd been stationed on different bases, but had got in touch again online. The talks had grown more and more personal until they'd culminated in an explosion of unfaced feelings that had been hard to ignore. When it became obvious that they would have to discuss it or walk away from each other… they'd talked on the phone.

It wasn't exactly as if they were dating, they lived too far away from each other and quite frankly neither of them was completely ready to drop all their defenses and pledge undying love to each other. After all… it WAS Beach Head. Still… things had been said… and others hinted at. This was the first time she'd be seeing him since the last day of GI Joe.

She was nervous as hell.

She was also suddenly aware of a hand waving directly in front of her face.

"Earth to Courtney. Come in, Court." Craig's voice held a hint of amusement.

She swatted at his hand. "I hear you."

"Well, all I know is that out of all the Joes who have come home with either you or me for Thanksgiving and hunting season… Wayne has never been one of them." Dave's brown eyes looked at her seriously.

She shrugged at him. "Well, first time for everything. And yeah… he and I talk online, so what?"

Craig suddenly put an arm around her and hugged her so tightly she could barely breathe. "Ok, ok…" he stated, trying to diffuse the uncomfortable conversation. "So you love Beachie. Even hardasses like him have to fall for someone, right?"

"Augh…" She pushed without result at Craig's hugely muscled arms. "I don't love him!"

He held her tighter and used his other hand to suddenly mess up her hair while Dave laughed across from them. "Say it! Say you love Sgt. Hardass!"

"Craig! You have exactly 5 seconds to let me go before I put the Arashikage Ball Breaker into action. Kapeesh?"

She was let go immediately.

She sat straight again amid Dave's laughter and calmly smoothed down her hair. "Well. That was juvenile."

"Maybe you are a ninja." Craig complained grumpily.

They reached the gate assigned to Beach Head's incoming flight before the plane had touched down and found a place to stand next to the big windows looking out on the tarmac. Courtney stared out at the ground crew busily preparing the area for the airplane's arrival. He'd be here soon.

"Did you remember to bring a rifle for me?"

She heard Craig suddenly ask the question… and not softly. She glared at him and gave him a half-hearted punch in the shoulder. "Keep it down, wiseguy… this is an airport!"

Craig glanced around. "Sorry."

Dave eased himself down into a padded chair and nodded at him. "Yeah. I've got one for everyone, although Courtney's dad usually has enough as well."

Craig glanced at her, and she nodded in confirmation. When she'd first started bringing home fellow Joes for Thanksgiving, it had been only Dave, whose father had passed before he'd joined the team. His mother had decided to visit with his brother in another state and, although David was welcome to join them, he'd decided to go with Courtney instead. Her parents lived in Peoria, IL but owned a cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin. Whitetail Deer hunting season began over Thanksgiving week in Wisconsin, and he'd been eager to resume an activity he had always loved but rarely had time to indulge in since his father had died.

She hadn't been concerned about him taking it the wrong way… or even about him getting along with her family. In fact, he'd had such a good time, that he'd joined her each time afterwards when she'd gotten leave to go home. And a few times when she hadn't been granted leave, he'd gone himself. She'd brought a few others home as well, always along with David, and her family had welcomed her friends with open arms for the most part.

"Here it is." Craig announced, interrupting her train of thought.

Courtney followed his gaze and saw the plane touching down on the runway. The lighted sign above the counter at their gate was flashing, "now arriving". She swallowed. This was ridiculous. It was just Wayne. She'd known him for years. She'd fought beside him for years. Hell, she'd fought WITH him for years. She still talked to him nearly every night. It's not as if this was someone she was meeting for the first time.

But… it kind of was just like that.

She was meeting him for the first time since … well, everything.

She felt her heart begin to race as it climbed up into her throat.

"Hell, I'm looking forward to seeing the mean old bastard again!" Craig exclaimed, laughing.

"I swear… if he tries to make me run laps out in the woods, I'm clocking him with the butt of my rifle." Dave warned seriously.

They all laughed, and Courtney felt her nervousness ease a bit. They watched the plane drive down the tarmac and begin nosing into the gate.

"What if he missed his flight?" Courtney suddenly asked worriedly.

Craig laughed at that. "Oh yeah… Mr. Shine and Polish is going to be less than punctual? I don't think so."

"Even if he did," Dave added with a grin. "He'd walk out on that runway and glare the pilot into stopping the airplane for him."

The passengers began disembarking, and the trio stood to the side watching as people began stepping into the seating area. The air around them filled with sounds of families welcoming long unseen members who had come home for the holiday. As the steady stream of arriving passengers thinned, a familiar figure strolled out of the walkway and into the gate area. He was dressed in olive BDU pants, black boots and a black T-shirt. He carried an olive green field jacket with the thick winter lining zipped in. For a moment he didn't see them, but then turned at the sharp calls from Craig and Dave. Courtney felt a jolt as the Ranger's face came into view. He wore a stony expression until he saw them, and then a corner of his mouth turned up in a wry smile that was the equivalent to a broad grin for him.

He started towards them as David and Craig started forward to meet him. Courtney hung back a bit, the nerves coming back to bite her again at the sight of him. Jesus… he hadn't changed a bit. She watched him grabbing Craig's hand in a firm handshake and then embracing him in one of those masculine hugs complete with backslapping and name-calling. He moved on to David, giving the man's expansive belly a critical look before embracing him. His piercing gaze was flickering over her every few seconds, but as he released David, he turned to her and looked directly into her blue eyes.

"Hey Cinderella." He said quietly in that deep southern drawl.

"Hey Hardass." She retorted softly with a smile, holding his gaze. His own mouth pulled up at the corners as he stepped closer, and she grinned before suddenly embracing him.

"Been a long time." He muttered, his arms strong around her waist as he hugged her close and lifted her off her feet briefly. He'd been thinking about this moment during the entire flight. What would she do when he stepped off the plane? What would be in her eyes when he finally looked into them again? His own confidence and certainty in himself had tempered any nervousness he might have felt. He'd shared experiences with this woman that were out of the realm of understanding for most people. He'd said things to her that he'd never said to another woman. Told her things he'd never even told his brothers in arms. If there was anyone with the ability to make him feel nervous, it was her… but, he found himself more firmly in the area of anticipation. He was looking forward to seeing her again and what would happen between them. Looking forward to the hunting and even meeting her family. Well, ok, a little nervous about that, but hell, they weren't dating. And there were no guarantees in life. He knew that from experience.

Jesus… she smelled good. Just like the way she used to smell. Not that he'd ever say that to her. He didn't need her knowing that he had noticed things like that when they'd fought together in the Joes. He didn't need anyone knowing that for that matter.

"It has… and it hasn't." Courtney said softly, replying to his last comment. He mused silently that that was true. So close and yet so far away. Thank God for the internet.

"Awww… group hug!" Craig suddenly grabbed both of them in a pair of beefy arms and hugged them tight. A grinning Dave suddenly appeared on the other side of them and did the same.

"Gahh…" Courtney winced in the midst of the Joe sandwich.

"Get off us, ye fruitcakes!" Wayne growled out, pushing them away with an amused glare. Only he had the ability to even make that expression. Courtney hadn't met another human being yet who could make that same amused glare.

The two men laughed, and Craig manhandled Wayne into another hug, his body-builder's strength overcoming even the Ranger's own considerable power.

"I missed ya, ya hardassed son of a bitch!"

"Jesus H. Christ! If I'd known I was gonna be assaulted I would have worn my body armor."

"Awww, quitcher whinin'!" Craig laughed, pushing him away again. Wayne got his feet under him and, for a moment, his face broke out in a wide grin at the play as he fought Craig off. Courtney saw it as his eyes met hers briefly… and she caught her breath. Christ! He wasn't a pretty boy. He had those rugged good looks that screamed life-long military, and she'd at least admitted to herself long ago that she found him physically attractive. That grin was rare though. Rare enough to make her heart pound in her chest.

"Ok, ok…" She said with fake impatience, trying to swallow her emotions. "Let's get out of here. Come on, boys… don't make me separate you."

Wayne broke free from Craig and gave him one more half-hearted cuff across his blond crew cut. "Bout time you cut that hair, McConnel. I was having a hard time tellin the difference between you and Scarlett."

They began walking towards the luggage claim.

"Really?" Craig mused. "Scarlett was the one who kicked your ass in hand-to-hand, Beachie."

"Bitch." Wayne growled at him with that half smile on his face.

"Only in your dreams, Rambo."

Wayne shook his head and fell in beside Courtney as they started down an escalator. He studied her as they rode. She didn't look much different, and yet…

"What?" She demanded, without looking at him. There was a faint smile on her lips.

"Your hair's a lot longer."

She still didn't look at him. She pursed her lips a bit and then said, "You think I should get a crew cut too?"

"No."

"Good, because I'm not going to."

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he stepped off the escalator. They made quite a force walking through the hallways of the airport. Most people stepped aside for them, casting the three big men and one beautiful woman curious glances. The Joes ignored them. They made a quick stop at the luggage depot for Wayne's duffel, and soon they were walking out into the cold November air of Minnesota.

TBC...

Next- The drive to Wisconsin and meeting Mr. Krieger. What do you think, Wayne? Nervous much?