A/N: I realise this story has a lot of conversations... that's new to me :)


Chapter 4: Give Me A Say

"So you two are really gonna go off?" Z asked dryly, not really expecting anything more from her roommate, but looked at Bridge, a little hopefully.

"It was too late to cancel the reservations, Z" Bridge said nervously. He didn't really want to leave his friends in the mess, but missing his honeymoon wasn't really something he wanted either. Syd made the tradeoff really easy though. He liked having a wifey who was so decisive.

"Sorry Z, but you two screwed up, doesn't mean we don't get to enjoy our honeymoon" Syd said, still smiling broadly, as Sky, Z and Jack dropped them off at the airport. Syd hugged Z, and whispered in her ear, "keep me updated though, I'd wanna know what's happening"

Z nodded, with a faint smile, and bid the two goodbye, Bridge looking apologetic, and Syd like… well, Syd.

"See ya guys" Jack waved, as Syd and Bridge walked into the airport with their luggage carts. Jack then turned to Sky and Z, "Guys, I love you two, and I know you really need me right now, BUUUT Ally's doctor's appointment is due in like half an hour and I gotta race!" he looked apologetic, just as Bridge had, and Z rolled her eyes, of course, why not.

"Sure thing, Jack" she said, while Sky just stood there in silence. He hadn't spoken much all day, not since Z had come back with the pregnancy sticks. He was still shocked.

Once Jack had left on his bike, Z and Sky were in the cab, and on their way back to the hotel, where they technically still shared a room. They had decided to go back to the Academy the next morning.

Inside the cab, Z and Sky sat at a safe distance, both looking out of the windows, at the passing traffic. Neither wanted to have a conversation, *any* conversation, until they felt more at ease… but apparently, that wasn't happening.

Z, on a sudden impulse, let out a soft snort.

"What's so funny?" he turned to look at her,

"You realise, it's just the two of us again… Bridge and Syd are off, so are Jack and Ally. We two singles, alone in the cab… brings deja vu doesn't it?"

"Technically, we're not single either," Sky said, dryly. And Z looked at him with daggers in her eyes, "come on Tate, you know what I mean" she said, annoyed.

He sighed, "if it wasn't for us, being the miserable, lonely mess we are, we would've never gotten… married"

"It's their fault technically, I mean who gets into a relationship and forgets their single friends?"

"Everybody in the entire damn world?" Sky suggested, and started grinning.

"What?" she asked, now looking at him like he had been earlier, "what's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just… remember that time you dated that guy Mason?" Sky asked, and Z's cheeks turned red. "You didn't show up for SPD work for like… three days. Cruger thought you had gone MIA"

"Hey don't bring that up, YOU knew where we were"

"Yeah you texted me at 2 AM that you were, and I quote, 'spenghting thw nifjt ar masin's husr'' Sky chuckled.

"Hey I was texting while… you know… I didn't want SPD to look for me while I was away! Z said defiantly, "and you're one to talk! Remember when you went out with Bella Thorne?"

"You even remember her last name?" Sky grinned.

"Shut up"

"We used to know all of each other's secrets, no?"

"I think we still do," Z smiled. Feeling almost relaxed for a moment,

"Why did we have to be so stupid, Z? Ruining everything we had?"

"I still blame those who refused to look back on those they had left behind in the fire"

Sky agreed, "and now, the way it's been going on, I think we'll just keep drifting apart…"

"To the point where the only time we see each other, is at weddings and funerals"

"Let's hope it's not our own" Sky said, referring to the funeral, and the two sat in silence, realising the grim atmosphere their talk, which had started out as a little cheerful, had turned into.

There was no going back, in their relationship now. Everything was changed, and they couldn't change it back… there was no way.

XXX

That night, Z and Sky ate in silence, having food ordered to their room, not wanting to go out, and having to sit on one of those tables for two, facing each other like they were a couple.

They were NOT a couple.

They were not even friends at this point.

"Sky?" Z said suddenly, "how do we sleep?"

Sky looked up at her, confused, "with our eyes closed?" He offered the first reply that came to his mind, receiving a punch on his shoulder.

"I meant the bed. The couch is too small for either one of us, unless we plan on sleeping while sitting, and the floor, well, the floor's the floor" Sky looked flushed now, and stared at the bed, and avoided her eyes, "we can sleep together?"

"I'm sorry what?" Z asked, her voice dangerously cold.

"Not *that* way! Like we are grown up adults! We can spend a night together in the same bed without doing anything stupid"

"Says the guy who couldn't have a drink with a girl without proposing"

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you've never gone home with a guy you met at the bar!" Sky jabbed back.

"Oh please, I have standards,"

"Hmm? So suppose if you had met me at a bad off the first time, you wouldn't have gone home with me?" He challenged.

Z looked him up and down, "I guess that depends on how our conversation would've gone"

Sky nodded, he was used to picking up girls at bars, but not something usual. He liked having a nice relationship, and was a total sucker for all that lovey dovey stuff. But this he needed to take on his ego. He looked at her and spoke,

"Hi, I'm Sky! Can I buy you a drink?"

"Really? You won't even tell me your whole name?" Z asked, scoffing, "your odds are getting worse and worse Tate" Z smirked, everything that had happened between them forgotten in the moment they were having.

"Just play along" Sky groaned, and Z chucked, "alright, Hey Sky," she played along, "I'm Z," she smiled.

"What would you prefer to have?"

"Uhmm a martini would be nice"

"Then martini it is" then Sky turns to the imaginary bartender in their room, "teo martini's please"

"So tell me something about yourself?" Z asked.

"I work at SPD, and I've got a nice squad"

"Soooo many lies, Tate"

"So you say we would've never hit it off huh?" he asked, slumping back onto the bed, while she took the other side.

"Yeah, and I really don't think we can hit it off now either" she said solemnly, and then pulled off her jacket, and he turned away, "relax, it's just a jacket" she said, and he turned back.

"We're getting divorced, right?" he asked, and she could sense just a litttlee tint of disappointment in his voice.

"There isn't really another way is there?" she asked. He smiled melancholy, then looked up when she suddenly said something unexpected.

"Sky, I'd rather we don't tell Cruger about it, because if we do, we'd be in a fuckton of trouble"

"I don't think we can hide it from him"

"Come on, Sky, it's not like we'd have this romance thing going like Syd and Bridge did! It won't be that hard"

"I don't think we need to *hide* it as such, but we don't need to necessarily tell them if they don't ask us themselves…" she agreed, it was a good point, involving minimal lying to their commander.

"And that'd be until the divorce. Then we forget this all ever happened. We never talk about it" she said, looking uneasy.

He said, taking her hand in his, "we'll get back to where we were Z, I promise you." and his voice rang such pure honesty, Z felt her eyes watering. She felt terrible for lying to him, why she couldn't stay married to him, why it unsettled her this much, why she didn't want to get divorced either, but there was no way she could tell him the truth… and that hurt her all the more.


A/N: They'll go back to SPD in the next chapter. Apologies for the reallllyyyy slow pacing