"Why'd you do it Snake?"
"Oh, not this fucking bullshit again." Snake growled under his breath.
"You had to have a reason. A lot of people thought Robertson was full of --- Full of it. So why did you push the button?" Brazen was propped up on her elbow when Snake looked over.
"You don't swear, do you?" He asked more then amused and evasively trying to change the subject.
"Why should I?"
"Oh come on, just one. It's not going to kill you." Snake had found it entertaining that Brazen never swore. Even in the worst circumstances she never breathed one. Maybe she never even thought them but Snake had a mind to get her to swear one way or another.
"NO!"
Snake gave her a push sending her rolling off the air mattress and onto the tent floor.
"You're a chicken shit."
"So are you." She shot back making her way back up on the mattress. "Otherwise you'd tell me why you used the Sword of Damocles."
Snake glowered from the corner of his eye. Good Lord did she have the blackbelly skill to piss him off all the time.
"Do you remember before the police state?"
"No, not really."
Snake cocked his brow glancing over at her. "How old are you?"
Snake was curious now. She must have been even younger then he originally thought. Early or mid twenties was the oldest she could be.
"How old are you?" She was starting to pick up Snake's evasive behavior and it made him laugh.
"You read all my papers. Don't you know?" He missed bantering and Brazen always got so flustered.
"They told me they lost your birth information."
"Yeah, they lost it alright." Snake added with sarcasm. She got a curious look as he continued. "I burned it."
Snake watched her jaw drop and struggled to stifle the laughter.
"No, you didn't"
Snake couldn't stop the chuckled when he saw the surprise in her expression. "Do you really want to know when I was born?"
"Yes" Brazen piped in with child like excitement.
"March third 1967." Snake smiled watching her do the mental calculations.
"You're lying." She finally came out with. "You're not 47."
"46. Don't rush it baby."
Snake watched her study him intently before she spoke again. "You don't look that old."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Snake announced with a smile. She blushed. This really was too easy.
"Do I get a name too?" She asked with obvious enthusiasm.
"It's not Sue at least." Snake was poking fun at her and she huffed indignantly.
"Do you ever give a real answer?"
Snake grinned at her. "Steven." He garbled it in a mumble on purpose.
"What?" Her voice was full of shock.
"I only say it once. If you missed it too bad."
"You don't look like a Steven."
"Mom changed her mind after awhile too."
Brazen was enthralled and staring at him.
"She swore I should've been Dennis."
"Dennis?" Brazen made a disgusted face of disapproval.
"You know, like Dennis the Menace?"
Brazen burst into laughter burying her face in the pillow. Snake was pulling her leg, lying, but she would never know.
"You're worse." She mumbled into the pillow between giggles.
"I am?" Snake left it open as possible. It could have been a statement or a question.
"The worst." She replied looking up from the pillow with reddened cheeks.
"I like being the best." Snake replied in the cockiest tone he could invoke.
She slapped him playfully on the shoulder.
"Hit me again baby." Plissken honey coated those words. Brazen scoffed and turned her back to him.
"I'm going to bed." She snapped.
"You do that sweetheart." Snake patted her backside and she immediately elbowed him full force catching him in the arm.
"Get your dirty hands off of me."
Snake just laughed at her. She sighed her disapproval with the behavior and Snake held his breath trying not to continue laughing. He could torment her forever. He loved to torment her but he let it go before she got really pissed off. Snake pulled the covers up and glanced over at her in the dark. For all the arguments, he knew come morning she'd be clinging to his side. The thought only served to amuse him more as he closed his eye and attempted to fall asleep.
EDIT: This story is now linked in with the "From Enemies to Allies" Series that I have wrote. You can find that series here: http:// www.fanfiction. net /s/3222813/1/ (Remove spaces when you paste the address into the browser.) ENJOY!