Princess bottom lip was slowly sucked in between her teeth as she watched the two shirtless warriors fighting it out on the mat. The plans for the intelligence reconnaissance mission proposed by she and Jason were being discussed in detail she wasn't really listening to.

It wasn't until Tiny called her name that she even registered their presence behind her. In response, she let out a small whimper of appreciation towards the ace Rigan pilot.

"He is so handsome."

Keyop gagged, Jason coughed on the last dregs of his coffee, and Tiny dropped his jaw. Mark was the only one who actually spoke up, his voice little more than a shocked whisper.

"What did you just say?"

Her eyes widened in self chiding when she realized she hadn't used her mind's voice to compliment the Colonel. She bit at her lip, turned, and lowered her head shyly to her Commander. "Nothing."

"No," he replied with a perplexed shake of his head. "I heard you. You said that the Chief is ... handsome?"

That was the single hardest statement he'd ever had to make.

Her mouth widened and she looked quickly between her four team mates. "Oh Gosh, no. Not the Chief. Definitely not him."

Jason cleared his throat of coffee and tilted his mug at her. "I heard you say it, Prin. I lost coffee over it"

"Me, broop, too." Keyop agreed with a fast nod of his head.

Princess gasped, screwed up her face in disgust, then tilted her head to her shoulder and let a lazy smile creep across her face. "I mean Cronus. He's so ... dreamy"

Tiny and Jason immediately laughed. Mark looked positively mortified ... and perhaps a little jealous. Keyop, well the kid didn't know what to think.

It was Tiny, though, that thought to ask the burning question.

"Why?"

Princess pressed her finger coyly against her lip and let her lips stretch into a dreamy smile. "Oh, I don't know. There is just this whole aura surrounding him that is so…" she sighed and swayed a little. "It's just…"

"But he's a dick," Mark responded, perhaps a little more flustered than he intended.

Her eyes flicked quickly to her Commander. "I thought he was your idol?"

Mark nodded, lowered his eyes and shrugged. "Well, yeah, as a pilot." He looked back up at her, surprised that she seemed a little offended. "But as a human being … well…"

"He's an asshole," Jason offered, still amused, but slowly falling into the 'big concerned bad boy brother' demeanour.

She swished her hips and turned her back on them as she raised her nose to the ceiling. "You're just jealous."

"Try grossed out."

Mark nodded in agreement with Jason. "Yeah, he's old, Princess. " He shuffled from one foot to the other. "I doubt he'd know how to treat you right."

She smiled and tilted her head sideways towards him. Her eyes lazily followed. "Older men know exactly how to treat a woman right." Her eyes blinked slowly. "Better than you guys would, anyway."

"Oh hang on just a minute," Jason interrupted, his red eyes finally beginning to clear. "Don't go making assumptions, now."

She pursed her lips and took away eye contact from Mark and Jason. "Well, assumptions are all I have. It's not like someone," emphasis on someone, "is willing to prove otherwise."

Mark's lips pursed and his eyes widened in a definite "oops".

Jason rolled his eyes, starting to become a little disgusted with the sudden digression from mischief making to Princess' latest crush. "You know why old men treat a woman 'right', Prin?" He didn't let her answer. "Because they are incapable of getting it up to treat her like the dirty little…"

"Oh, crass, Jason." Mark responded shortly. He cocked his head to the side to regard Princess for a moment. "This is just a look, don't touch, thing, right?"

She smiled. "Maybe."

Jason didn't like the way that word left her mouth. "Oh come on, Prin. He's old. He's old enough to be…" he raised his hands, palms up, as if searching for the right word, something worthy of grossing her out of this admiration. "God, he's … he's old enough to be." He looked at Mark, finally settling on the right argument. "He could be Mark's dad, for all we know."

A single brow rose on Mark's forehead, the gesture asking Jason what drugs, exactly, he had to be taking to come up with something like that. "What!"

Princess' smile widened and she batted her lashes, "all the more reason to … admire him."

Jason and Mark, both, looked at her. "What!"

"Well if I'm not allowed to have the real thing…."

Mark's body shuddered as she strode back to the glass and lightly tapped the tip of her finger against it. Even though the two men weren't looking at her, she knew Mark and Jason were … so she blew a small kiss down to the gym.

Jason nudged Mark. He nudged him hard with his forearm against Mark's shoulder. He didn't need to voice anything; his look said it all. "Stop wasting time, man. Do it."

Mark coughed silently and looked back at his second with his shoulders raised and hands held a foot apart as if to say, "do what?"

Princess turned, and both men immediately switched into relaxed stances, the projected innocence being somewhat betrayed by their forced blank facial expressions. She raised a brow and dipped her head in suspicion. "What are you both up to?"

Both shrugged innocently with shakes of their heads.

She looked at Keyop. "What were they doing? Making fun of me, again?"

Keyop's eyes widened, and he raised his hand to cup his ear, as if straining to hear. "Huh? What?" He shrugged at her. "I think I hear the Chief calling, I should …" He bolted out of the room before he could be dragged into any dispute. Tiny was close behind, muttering something about Space Burgers and wanting to stay out of it.

Princess leaned her back up against the glass and shared a brief look with Jason as she leaned her rump against her hands. The cheeky smile that started to spread across her face made Jason roll his eyes and Mark look bewildered.

"So. What do you think my chances are?"

"You're not serious?"

"Deadly serious, Mark."

Mark took a step forward and raised his hand to put it on her shoulder. He hesitated and let it hover for a few seconds before he dropped it back to his side. "He's not right for you, Princess."

"Well, what about…" she slowly eyed him up and down, opened her mouth to speak, then shook her head. "Never mind, Commander."

"What about what?" Jason asked with another nudge at Mark. Mark curled a lip and growled at Jason in warning.

"Did you know," she began softly, "that I am 19 years old and I've never even had a real kiss."

Mark cleared his throat in discomfort. Jason looked at her through his brows. "And you want to play tonsil hockey with Rat Bastard?"

"God," she said on a long breath. "I'd take one from anyone right now." She stopped quickly and raised her head. "Except you, Jase. No offence, but your morning breath…."

Jason grabbed Mark by the shoulders and shoved him towards Princess. He stumbled before her and stiffened when he felt their chests touch. He took a couple of quick, short breaths, then half closed his eyes and puckered up.

Princess coughed loudly and let out a long groan. "Geez, Mark. Way to make a girl feel wanted." She glowered at Jason. "I didn't know the thought was do disgusting to you."

Mark was quick to defend himself. "No, no, Princess. It's not disgusting … Oh …" he awkwardly ran his hand over his fast-drying hair. "It's just not how I … uh … gee." He looked to Jason for salvation, but his second merely smirked and backed off.

"No, no, Mark. Really it's okay." Princess should have tried to force disappointment, but it came on its own. "I understand."

Mark turned seven shades of red, and glowered in the direction of Jason. "Princess, it's not … oh …uh." He began to back out of the room. "I really want to…uh …do…" His flashing bracelet made finishing the sentence unnecessary. He waved his wrist at them to show them he had a reprieve, and then jogged out of the room, dropping his gym towel on the floor as he ran.

Princess huffed as her commander bolted, then shifted her eyes to Jason and held out her hand. He groaned and dug into his pocket for $10.

"I don't think you tried hard enough, Prin."

She smiled and held the money to the light as if to check its authenticity. "I can't believe he really fell for it."

"You were pretty believable, hell. I was beginning to think you had a thing for the old man."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head lightly. "I admit I find him intriguing, but I am definitely not … interested." Her head tilted innocently. "I'm all into Mark, though."

"As if that wasn't painfully obvious to everyone."

"Except him."

Jason shrugged. "Oh he knows, Princess."

She nodded with a sigh, and looked back down into the gym, now empty. "Wouldn't it be strange if you were right, though."

Jason lit a cigarette with a match, and shook it out before he flicked it into the aluminium bin beside her leg. "Right about what?"

"About Cronus being Mark's dad."

"Doubt it."

She flicked the tip of her tongue over her top lip in thought. "It would explain a few things, though."

Jason raised a brow, but looked doubtful. "Well, let's find out."

She smiled widely. "Great!"

"Better enlist the kid to help us get in to the Chief's office."

She giggled. "This will be fun."