Rock and a Hard Place: Chapter 3

Author's notes: Chapter 3 is here, with many more to follow. The mission continues, and tensions start to rise as the Saga moves on....

Roxanne entered the locker room to change into her uniform, "I can do a much better job staying out of site with out Annie over my shoulder. If anything she'll make this recon mission impossible to accomplish."

While Roxanne pulled out her black MASK uniform from her locker, Jess cautiously approached her from behind and slammed her locker shut, "Oh will you quite it already, what's done is done."

Roxanne jumps slightly, "I hate it when you do that!"

"If you were such an expert at stealth. You wouldn't jump so easily every time I do that."

"Yeah well being stealthy is completely different from the art of sneak'n up on people and scaring the crap out of them!" Roxanne slips her uniform over her shorts and black tank top, "Anyways I could always march up to my father's study and demand that he talk Scott out of this, but..."

"But...if you did that not only would you undermine Scott position as leader, you'd also be taken off the assignment," Jess reminded her with a huge smile.

"Yeah that's why..." She smirked as she removed her gun from her locker then loaded it. "Be sure to tell Annie I'm saving a bullet just for her." Roxanne winked as she placed her gun in her holster.

"Oh come on Roxy, you know you wouldn't be gripping so much if Buddy was the one coming with you. The two of you alone out in the middle of nowhere...hmm...who knows what could happen." She teased her with some slight amusement.

Roxanne face shot up several shades of red with the mention of Buddy name, "Yeah well only in a dream world Jess. Besides me and Buddy are just friends...so quite acting like something going on between us." She then pushed Jess out of the way and headed straight towards the garage. Roxanne knelt down in front of Chameleon pretending to do a quick check on her bike. Why does she do that to me? Always brings up the stuff that embarrasses me the most. Roxanne wanted to stay more focus on the mission, but couldn't help but notice the two lovebirds at the other end of the garage, trying unsuccessfully to look inconspicuous.

Annie and Scott had their arms wrapped around one another in a fixed embrace. "You be careful out there and please try to get along with my sister," Scott insisted.

Annie turned her head the other way with a slight objection, "I'll try my best, but no promises. If she does anything funny you know I'm going to call her out on it. I won't take any of her..."

Scott kissed her softly upon her lips to stop her from speaking, "I know. The both of you are the best at what you do. I have no doubt you'll both make me proud and come back in one piece." He added with a crooked smile.

"Stop it." Annie gave Scott her best pout, but he continued to give her that certain look that made her just want to melt into a puddle of goo at his feet. "And stop looking at me like that...you never let me have a good sulk."

"Sulking never looked good on you," Scott teased as he planted another kiss on the tip of her nose. "And that's why I don't let you do it."

"Maybe I am...worrying a bit too much, "Annie kissed him back knowing she probably wouldn't see him again until a few days.

Roxanne rolled her eyes and diverted her head. What does he see in her? If he knew all the things I knew about her, he'd think twice about what he's doing. She then turned her head disgusted by the farewell kiss Annie was giving Scott. "Why don't you suck the life out of him Annie," She silently grumbled to herself.

Jess always insisted that I'm jealous of her, why should I be jealous? I mean she...she...she's a self-righteous little tramp. Always using that body of hers to hypnotize my brother. Roxanne sighed as Jess's tease came back to haunt her. Buddy and me are just friends...right?

Four years ago:

Roxanne was in front of Boulderhill gas station with a rag, bucket, and a hose. She wore a black halter-top, short jean shorts, and had her hair pulled back with a bandana. Her father had just grounded her again for buying garbage off the Internet with his credit card. On today's agenda the vehicles were all over due for a car wash. Buddy snickered as he watched her from the inside, "I don't think Matt realizes how much she enjoys doing these choirs almost like she gets in trouble on purpose." The radio was blaring around her as she scrubbed every inch of Thunderhawk. "HEY ROXY!" he shouted, yet she couldn't hear him over the loud music.

Roxanne was spraying the car with the hose, as he tapped her on the shoulder. Instead of shutting the hose off she turned around the sprayed him, "OH Buddy. I'm uhhh so sorry." Her face turned deep red with embarrassment, then she started to laugh really hard noticing how drench he was.

He shook his hat out smirking, "Oh thanks a lot. This is what I get for trying to ask if you wanted lunch." Buddy took the hose out of her hand leaving Roxanne confused. He looked like he was angry, but before she could apologize again he squirted the hose at her.

"AHHHHH," she started to run away from him as he mange to soak her back.

Buddy laugh, "You can run, but you can't hide." Roxanne hid behind Rhino thinking she was safe for a while, but Buddy came up behind her and hit her in the front with the hose.

She screamed, "THAT'S COLD!"

Buddy shut the hose off, "Ok now were even."

She crossed her arms and approached him, "EVEN, I didn't chase you all over the place. I got you on accident."

Buddy looked down at her, her entire body was wet. Her clothes were soaking thru and clinging to her body, and he couldn't help but notice how attractive she looked. The laughing between the two died as they both felt the awkwardness of the situation. He shook his head, "Let me get a towel." He turned away talking to himself, "Gee Buddy she's a kid. I shouldn't even be thinking like that." When he grabbed the towel from the garage, there she was standing there at the entrance. Roxanne wasted no time and headed over towards him filled with the passion burning in her heart. She made the first move and kissed him flat out. Instead of breaking the kiss up, he just wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pulled her closer. Her wet body rubbed up against his and kissing got so intense that neither stopped for a breath. Then the phone rang, and Buddy managed to tug her away to answer it, "Yes Matt. Sure thing I'll send her right up." He hung the phone up practically dazed about what just happened. Roxanne could tell there was regret on his face. Before he could say a word, she just headed back to the house trying to forget what happened.

Present day:

"Hey I swear you girls are killing me. It's like you don't trust me to do my job," Buddy stood over Roxanne looking down with disappointment. "First it's Annie getting the oil changed in Phoenix by some amateur. Now I turn my back for one minute, and you still try to double check the motor work, ammunition, and gas gage on the bike.

Roxanne snapped out of her daze and stood up, "Can't help it bad habit." Roxanne looked at her watch then shouted over to Annie, "Hey quite sucking his face dry we got a schedule to keep or did ya forget already?"

Annie pulled away from Scott and gave Roxanne a harsh glare, "Don't give me that crap! I've been waiting for YOU to get ready."

Roxanne droved Chameleon right up to Annie and halted, "All I needed was a quick change and my trusty gun." She patted it to point it out to Annie.

"Don't shoot yourself with it." Annie snickered lightly.

"Well I have no intention of making that mistake," She placed her mask Medusa on her head, "Oh did Scott mention...I shot him in a ghost town...eh just your luck we're going to a ghost town. Better watch that back of yours Turner," She laughs as she started Chameleon up and sped out of garage door.

"ROXANNE!" Scott shouted, but she was out of earshot, "She's only trying to strike a cord with you."

She does it very well too. "I can handle her...I don't need you telling me how to deal with her kind, although I've dealt with criminals that have paid me more respect than that, " Annie grumbled as she got on Phoenix.

She took a moment to adjust the belt on her burgundy and black uniform, double checking that the two long knives she carried on each side of the belt were in easy reach. She pushed aside thoughts of burying one of them in Roxanne's retreating back as she placed her mask, Firewall, on her head. She gave Scott one last farewell glance before she sped out of the garage after Roxanne on Phoenix.

It only took a few minutes, but Phoenix managed to catch up with Chameleon. The two bikes drove side by side at matching speeds. Roxanne shouted to her, "What didn't need a 2nd goodbye kiss? You might not see him again."

"DON'T YOU JOKE ABOUT THAT! That's bad luck. You should take this job more seriously."

"What are you talking about...I AM serious about leaving you behind." With that jester she increased the speed on the bike to 85 MPH and took off ahead of her.

"You're not getting away that easy," Annie snorted as she also increased her bike speed, ignoring Scott's order to drive safely.