Author's Note: Wow…today was the first day of school for me (sept. 5) hooray for being Canadian! I've grown attached to Volume 2 of the Halo 2 soundtrack. Anyways, enjoy the story…this one's really romantic; it's like cavity-sweet. Don't worry! Deh Action Shall Returnez to Snakey shortly!...And please, for me, leave a review!"

Chapter 14: Turbulence

"We will be arriving at Toronto Pearson Airport in fifteen minutes," the Captain said over the intercom. Andrea's head had been on Lynn's shoulder for most of those hours, but she didn't care. Though it felt weird to have someone touch her.

Andrea then woke up, twenty or so seconds after the Captain pilot had made his announcement. The small girl noticed she had her face against Lynn's shoulder, and she hastily drew back from her, face turning a dark shade of pink.

"We're landing soon," Lynn announced to the embarrassed medic girl. She looked at her. "Your expressions are always too exaggerated," Lynn commented.

"S-sorry," Andrea apologized.

"You also apologize for no reason." Andrea stayed silent.

The plane began its descent, Andrea losing her pink color and draining to a faint white. Buildings became distinguishable from the mass flooring that the ground had seemed like from so high up in the air. Then, the buildings gave way and transformed into flat ground, with black tarmac striping everywhere. Then, there was a jolt as the plane touched down, and Andrea slowly relaxed as the plane slowly decreased its speed. It then gently rolled around a turn using it's momentum, and came to a stop near it's loading bay. The Captain then precision-positioned the aircraft for the connecting loader, and the plane's door opened up.

Everyone got up, with the six Philanthropists sticking together. Andrea, having been allowed to take her crutches with her on the plane, struggled to keep up.

Passing through security was a normal affair, as was retrieving their baggage.

"Now we have to find a hotel," Otacon said as they left through the large airport doors. Two cabs were on their way, thanks to a quick call from Andrea. "Once we do, we can start preparing to execute our daring plan."

"I still don't know why he came along," Snake mused, gesturing to Peterson.

"Hey, I'm paying for everything you guys are doing," Peterson remarked.

"How do you end up with so much money to spare?" Jack remarked. Peterson smiled.

"I'm a rich man," he said simply. Snake had a feeling that there was much more to it than that.

The cabs came not much later, and somehow the cabs managed to fit the luggage and three people per car.

Peterson sat in the one car, with Lynn and Andrea in the back and him up in shotgun.

"Where to?" the cab driver asked; a tired old guy wearing a golfing hat.

"Follow the cab ahead of us," Peterson answered simply. The cabbie did what he was instructed and followed the other orange-and-green cab as it pulled away from the main entrance of Pearson Airport.

"Lynn," Peterson said, turning around so that he could see his daughter, "I saw something unusual on the plane. You were letting that girl sleep on your shoulder." Andrea reddened and looked out the window.

"So?" Lynn replied unfazed.

"You're letting someone get close to you; you're starting to trust people," Peterson said with a more serious tone. "You were taught that you can trust no one but yourself."

"I can tell if someone is trustworthy or not," Lynn replied solemnly. "The only two I don't trust who's with us is Raiden, because I haven't had sufficient time to make a proper judgment, and mainly you, because you have no real reason for being here."

"You're suspicious of me," Peterson acknowledged. "But I still don't understand why you're letting that girl get close to you."

Lynn stayed silent.

"I guess being raised my men could only result in you liking women," Peterson announced with a sigh. He turned slightly to face Andrea, whos face was probably raising the internal temperature of the cab. "You know, Andrea," Peterson said blatantly to Andrea, "I don't know what you see in her, and you won't get any closer than you are now. She's a killing machine, always has been, always will be."

"B-because you raised her without a heart," Andrea blurted out.

With ease and calm, Peterson outstretched his arm to slap the small girl, but was quickly blocked by Lynn's hand.

"I see," Peterson said disappointedly, retracting his arm. "You are a disappointment, Lynn. You've never stopped me from doing anything before."

"Abuse of children under the age of eighteen I don't condone," Lynn answered him. He gave a short chuckle.

"That's the biggest load of bull I've ever heard. I've beaten up hundreds of people younger than her, and you didn't do shit about it," Peterson retorted happily. "Leaving my supervision has turned you weak," He commented. "No daughter of mine is weak."

"I am your only genetic offspring," Lynn replied evenly. "Genetics cannot lie. I am not weak."

"You've learned to talk back, as well," Peterson remarked. "This girl is making a mockery of you. I hope she dies so that you understand what a fool you're being." He motioned for the cabbie to stop, and he got out. He walked away, just as suddenly as he had shown up in the van.

"I-is your father always like that?" Andrea asked shyly, once the cab had started moving again.

"Yes," Lynn replied evenly.

"I…I think he's partially right, though," Andrea muttered, looking out the window. Lynn looked at her. "M-maybe I…maybe I really am just making you weaker. I mean… you had to protect me, carry me, and you took a bullet for me…" Andrea's eyes welled with tears.

"You're missing the confidence you had during the mission," Lynn responded. "And Warrant Officer Lynn is wrong…It's not that I'm becoming weaker, it's that I'm learning things he never wanted me to learn…"

"R-really?" Andrea replied unsurely.

"I know my own strength, and what I learn," Lynn stated evenly.

"W…what did you learn?" Andrea asked curiously.

"Trust," Lynn replied. "I do not 'suspect' anyone of anything here, but there's only two people that I have learned I can trust."

"S-Snake and Otacon?" Andrea guessed meekly.

"Snake is one of the people I trust, though the lesser one," Lynn answered.

"I don't know who else you'd trust so much," Andrea remarked quietly.

"I trust you the most," Lynn responded. Andrea's fine eyebrows shot up in surprise, albeit her face turning red in the process.

"Y-you trust…me?" Andrea stammered. She then obtained a hurt look on her face. "That can't be true…I said that I'd protect you, but I'm the one being protected…"

"You saved my life," Lynn retorted. "When I was wounded in the restaurant. If you had not given me medical treatment, I would've bled out. So I returned the favor."

The cab pulled alongside a hotel, and Andrea meekly followed Lynn as they exited the car and entered the hotel. The day was starting to draw to a close, so Snake had said that they were leaving the planning until the next day.

"Can I help you?" the desk clerk said, whilst in the middle of brushing long blonde hair.

"One room for five people," Lynn replied simply.

"Sorry," the clerk replied. "All our large rooms are full. However, we do have three two-person rooms all next to each other."

"Okay," Lynn responded. Six keys were given to them.

"Who goes in what rooms?" Snake asked what had obviously been the question on everyone's mind. "Obviously, the two lovebirds get their own room," Snake joked, Andrea looking away and turning a now-familiar shade of red. "Okay, Raiden, Otacon, want to draw straws to see who gets their own room?"

"I'll take a roomie," Otacon put in. Snake and Raiden glared at each other. Otacon found some straws at a pop machine at one end of the lobby and cut one end off. He mixed them up behind his back, and presented his clenched hand. The straws protruded out of it.

Raiden decided he was going to draw first, and yanked a straw from Otacon's hand. Snake took one next, and his ended up being longer than Raidens.

"Solid Snake strikes again," Snake mused gruffly as he partied over his lone room.

The diminished group hauled their stuff upstairs to the three respective rooms. Lynn and Andrea scored the one in the middle; Snake had the one to the left, and Otacon/Raiden had the one to the right.

Lynn opened up the door and went inside, Andrea following. Andrea stopped short when she saw the room, however. There was one double bed. Which meant, yet again, as Andrea found herself thanking God subconsciously, she'd be sleeping next to Lynn again.

Lynn seemed oblivious, or more likely she didn't care, as she set down her small pack and shut the door. She started taking off her clothes as she headed to the bathroom.

Andrea watched Lynn until she entered the bathroom and shut the door, before she sat down on the bed. She was thinking about what Rose had told her. After what had happened on the plane and in the cab, Andrea was trying to work up the courage to tell Lynn how she truly felt…

Lynn took only a few minutes to have her shower, and came out in sports bra and standard-issue women's briefs.

Andrea staggered one-legged past Lynn to the bathroom, and shut the door, her nose starting to bleed slightly. She figured that maybe she'd wait until after she'd had a shower and updated her wound's dressing…

After taking off her clothes, Andrea gingerly peeled away the bandage, unwrapping her leg. The wound was all nasty and thick with hardened blood and natural clogs, but was infection-free thanks to the antiseptic she applied.

The wound was still fairly new though, so Andrea supported herself in the shower and didn't dare put any pressure on her leg, lest she re-open the wound.

Finally, Andrea had time to think. What had happened in the cab…Lynn had actually defended her. Praised her, even, when she had told Andrea about her performance in the mission they had done at the Manhattan lab. Usually, Lynn had such a cold 'I-don't-give-a-damn' exterior. Was Andrea actually managing to do what Rose had said; start to tear down that wall that had been erected for so long?

Andrea doubted that, though. Maybe she had stood up for her because she had saved her life? But then again, Lynn had saved her life back in the Manhattan lab, so they were even. Andrea's head sunk low in the torrent of water that pelted down on her.

Confidence, Andrea suddenly thought. I need to have confidence. Andrea hoped that Rose was right when she had given her all that advice. And the worst that would happen is Lynn ignoring her, right?

But what if something else went wrong?

Focus, Andrea thought to herself. She came to realize that she was lacking self-confidence. She needed to be strong, or live in the shadows of her fear…

Andrea emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later, having given the matter plenty of thought. Lynn was busy doing some sit-ups, her feet anchored against the bed. Andrea hopped across the soft white linen carpet and stopped about a meter away from Lynn, her arm up against the wall for support.

Okay, she thought, this is it…

She took a deep breath.

"Uhm, L-Lynn?" Andrea said, her voice wavering.

"What?" Lynn replied evenly as she continued doing sit-ups.

"There's umm…something I n-need to say…"

"Say it, don't fool around with wording."

"I…I um…." Andrea stammered. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"You have a serious deficiency of self-confidence," Lynn announced as she huffed through sit-ups.

"I lo…" Andrea trailed off, her nervousness increasing greatly. She was more nervous than during the mission, even more nervous than during the flight… She felt dizzy, her head starting to spin…

Lynn saw the girl about to collapse, and quickly moved in to position to break her fall. She rolled into Andrea as she fell, causing her to nearly fall on top of her. It was the best she could do in such short notice.

Andrea's head slowly swam to the surface as she landed, having nearly feinted. She noted that she had fallen on top of Lynn, who was holding her from landing on her. Andrea squeaked and tried to get up and away, but she screwed up Lynn's grip and fell on top of her. Her face was an inch away from Lynn's, and she blushed fuchsia.

Lynn, looking at the girl an inch away from her and who was sprawled on top of her, felt so many things rush through her. She could only guess that these were 'emotions.' But all these different things at once, made her frozen; her logical brain trying to sort through them all at once.

Andrea's mind blanked out, Lynn's angular face right in front of her. She couldn't help herself as her head moved forward and nervously kissed Lynn lightly before passing out completely.

Lynn couldn't move as the small girl lightly kissed her, and then collapsed. Lynn stayed frozen for a few seconds because of her 'brain flood.' She peeled the girl off of her, and chucked her on the bed. She sat still, thinking to herself. All those things she had felt when Andrea had fallen on her… and then kissed her.

Lynn, who had been trained exclusively as a soldier and nothing else, didn't know what to do. All that contact at once had certainly played hell with Lynn's mind, but the touching of lips…Lynn had nearly passed out herself, because of the immense strain on her inexperienced mind.

Obviously, the girl had feelings for Lynn…but everything she felt, what did it mean…that she actually felt something towards somebody else?

The girl was certainly doing what her father had been trying to prevent; breaking down the barrier of solitude that Lynn had operated behind for all eighteen of her years.

Now that Lynn thought about it, all the girl had ever done since she met her was try to help her or stay out of her way…maybe it was her kindness that was getting to Lynn; niceness had not been something people had radiated to her.

Yet here this young girl was, who had put her life on the line for Lynn…

Lynn now realized what Rose had meant when she had said that it was her fault if anything happened to the girl. Willpower derived from the feelings towards someone else…

But did Lynn feel anything for the girl?

Yes. There was something definitely there.

Was it…companionship? Friendship?

Love?

Lynn realized she was looking at Andrea's peaceful face the whole time while thinking this. Never before had Lynn thought about someone's appearance, but the girl had a natural 'air' to her, one that could make one feel at ease and not even think about hurting her.

But now that she knew all this, she didn't know what to do…she was lost, alone in the dark, something completely new to her scaring her usually calm mind.

But what to do?