There's a lot going on in my life right now and though I'd like to write more, I really don't have much time… and I definitely can't do a long story, hence my little one shots. These are just for fun, to be posted as I am inspired and have the spare moment.
Feel free to PM me if you have an idea for another "light in the dark." I might just use it. F/LJ themed.
As for my chapter titles, bear with me. I'm just having a little creative fun.
With that said, enjoy! This one takes a humorous slant.
After a cold meal of MRE's, the exhausted women headed directly to their tent, needing the rest badly. They paused for a minute outside, attempting to stretch the kinks out before crawling inside.
"Please, Someone, just run over me with a tank and put me out of my misery," Cover Girl moaned, reaching for her toes. Somehow, they seem farther away than usual.
"I hear you, girl," Lady Jaye let out her own groan as she stretched her arms up over her head.
Scarlet just laughed softly, "You two were both pretty bad."
"Look who's talking, Miss I can climb up without a harness, thank you."
"A little overconfident with the ninja training, eh?"
Scarlet blushed.
The Joes were running a refresher course on wilderness survival training. Per Hawk's orders, all available Joes were in attendance, leaving behind only a skeleton crew at the Pit. As luck would have it, all three women had made the list of attendees.
Flint and Beach Head were co-leading the intensive, three day training. The Joes had just completed day one.
"Let's go."
The women crawled into their tent and collapsed on their sleeping bags.
"I don't think I've ever been this done in," Lady Jaye complained.
"Yeah, if it weren't for the fact we were all feeling it, I'd say Flint had it in for you."
"Please don't mention Flint," Lady Jaye groaned. Her face heated, thinking how badly she had performed in front of him. She was certain she'd never hear the end of it from him.
"Alright I won't," Cover Girl grinned.
She sat up and began beating her pillow. Then she lay back down. She just couldn't seem to get comfortable. She kept tossing and turning in her sleeping bag.
"Stop moving, Cover Girl," Scarlet hissed.
"Can't," Cover Girl rolled to her back and stared at the tent ceiling, "Too tired to sleep."
"Well, try."
Slowly her eyes widened, "Hey, know what this reminds me of?," she whispered, the excitement growing in her voice.
"Don't know, don't care. Go to sleep," Scarlet yawned sleepily.
"Sleepovers when I was a kid," Cover Girl turned towards her tent-mates, an expectant grin on her face.
"Oh, I bet you know a lot of ghost stories, then," Lady Jaye said, rolling to her side to face her.
"Probably," she laughed, "but know what I really miss from those days?"
"No. What?," Lady Jaye asked.
"This," a click was heard as she turned on her flashlight and sat up.
"Hey…," Lady Jaye threw an arm over her eyes to shield from the light, "Give a girl some warning next time!"
"Cover Girl…," Scarlet complained, pulling the sleeping bag up over her head.
Cover Girl ignored their protests and began fiddling with the flashlight. She shone the beam on the side of the tent.
"What are you doing?," Lady Jaye squinted, her eyes adjusting to the light.
"Shadow pictures," she whispered eagerly.
"What? Why?," Scarlet covered her head with her pillow and groaned, "I just want to go to sleep."
"Don't be such a slug, Scarlet," she giggled, "It's fun! I promise!"
Lady Jaye stared at the side of the tent lit up by the flashlight. Her eyes darkened and narrowed and then suddenly widened.
"Hey, it's a rooster," she said in surprise.
Scarlet slowly poked her head out, till her blue eyes were just barely above the edge of the sleeping bag.
Cover Girl quickly changed the position of her fingers and then held her hand up to the light.
"Ohh, a lion…," Lady Jaye said, getting into it, "Hey, you're pretty good at this."
"Check this one out," Cover Girl laughed. She twisted her fingers deftly and then held her hand up again.
"A butterfly," Scarlet sat up, now also wide awake and interested.
"Oh, let me try…," Lady Jaye begged, "hold the flashlight for me," She fumbled with her fingers a few moments and then held her hand up to the light.
"What's that?," Cover Girl asked.
"It's supposed to be a rabbit. Can't you see? There's the head and those are the ears…"
"Ummm, yeah, now I see it," but her voice didn't sound convincing.
"Looks more like a demented dwarf," Scarlet muttered and Cover Girl clamped a hand over her mouth.
"I'm glad you were the one to say it and not me!" she stifled her laugh.
Scarlet just gave her a smug grin.
"Well if you think it's so easy, you try," a grumpy Lady Jaye tossed the flashlight toward Scarlet.
She picked it out of the air with ease.
"Ok," she began twisting her fingers, "I used to be able to do a pretty good horse," she bit her bottom lip in concentration.
"Anytime, now, Scarlet…,"
"Just give me a minute, Jaye….Ok. How's this?" She held her hand up to the light.
More giggles and laughter erupted.
"Definitely NOT a horse!," Lady Jaye laughed.
"Well, it is a lot harder than it looks," Scarlet defended.
"I could have sworn that was how I used to do it…" she muttered under her breath. Then listening to the giggles and laughter of the other two, her face twitched. It wasn't long before she had joined them.
"Shhhh…," Cover Girl hissed suddenly, switching off the flashlight. The amusement faded from her face.
They fell silent at the sound of the soft crunching of leaves as footsteps approached. A large shadow appeared on the outside of their tent, slowly growing smaller as it approached and then stopped. Then they heard a light tapping on the fabric.
"Go to sleep, Ladies," A deep voice spoke, "Lights out over an hour ago."
"Sorry," Lady Jaye coughed softly and then her voice lowered, "Night Flint."
"Good night, Lady Jaye," the voice deepened.
Cover Girl rolled her eyes at their exchange. Scarlet smiled and shook her head.
The three women snuggled back down into their sleeping bags and a silence fell over the camp. The night around them deepened and the sounds of their breathing softened and slowed, becoming more regular.
Suddenly Cover Girl sat up in her sleeping bag, her eyes wide in the darkness, "Did you hear that?," she hissed.
"Go to Sleep Cover Girl," Scarlet half mumbled, half growled. Her eyes were still closed.
"But, I swear I heard something," she insisted, her eyes rapidly scanning the darkness.
To the right, they heard the sound of a twig snap and then slowly, the shadow of a bear began to take shape on the side of the tent.
Cover Girl let out a small squeak and pointed wordlessly. Lady Jaye poked her head out from under her covers, staring at the figure through bleary eyes. She shook her head.
"Nice try, Flint. Go back to bed," she said sleepily.
The shadow of the bear instantly disappeared. They heard a familiar deep voice grumbling and complaining, accompanied by heavy footsteps as he left.
Scarlet snorted and Cover Girl burst into laughter. Their peals of laughter followed him into the night.