The Replacements- 7

I walked into my room and slammed the door. I wasn't so sure I wanted to be Commander of G- Force any more. For that matter, maybe I should just quit the team.

I reclined on my bed and propped my arms behind my head. There was no way I could rest with so much on my mind…the new responsibilities, the teasing and lack of respect from Tiny and Jason, and now…a girl on the team. Having a female member of G-Force brought in a whole new set of challenges. How was I going to deal with her, without the guys thinking I was treating her differently?

I don't mind a little joking here and there, but this goes too far, and it will hurt Princess. I have to stop the teasing. Somehow, I have to gain some respect from Jason and Tiny.

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My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a high pitched, bloodcurdling scream.

Were we under attack?

I scrambled to my feet and darted down the hall way, boomerang in hand.

I skidded to a halt when I saw Jason falling backwards, out of the bathroom and onto the floor in the hallway.

"Get out, you pervert!" A distinctly female voice ordered.

A soapy scrub brush flew out the door, and hit Jason square in the forehead.

"What happened? Are you ok, Jase?"

Jason tried to down play the incident. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine…just slipped, that's all!"

"I thought I heard Princess scream…" Tiny came skidding up behind me, a little late.

Jason picked up the scrub brush and regarded us with a smirk. " I've got everything under control…"

The bathroom door cracked open, and Princess' face appeared.

She scowled at Jason, and then turned her attention to me. "Can't you keep this...this vulture under control?"

"That's Condor!" Jason retorted.

The Swan's eyebrows knit together as she eyed the Condor. "Not from where I'm standing!"

"Hey, I thought the door was stuck again. That's why I kicked it open. Innocent mistake..." Jason pulled himself up from the floor, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I didn't mean to scare you, really, Princess. Look, I even have a peace offering." He offered Princess her scrub brush.

"Just make sure you don't make any more...innocent mistakes...or you'll find yourself with a yoyo cord wrapped around your neck!" Princess reached out with one hand to grab her brush from Jason, carefully holding her towel up with her other hand.

Tiny chuckled. "Looks like we gotta replace this broken lock, fast…"

"I think we'll need a dead bolt next time, won't we, Jase?" I sneered at the gunner.

His forehead was beginning to swell from his scrub brush close encounter.

"Uh, guys, if you don't mind…" Princess interrupted. She looked cute, with her dripping wet hair. "I need to get back across the hall, so I can get dressed."

"Oh, uh…yeah. Sorry, Princess. We'll just be going now." I scratched my head awkwardly and headed to the Ready Room. Jason and Tiny followed.

I wonder how much Jason saw?

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"So, Jase, are you gonna tell us exactly what happened?" Tiny elbowed his comrade as he entered the room and sat down on the couch.

"Wouldn't you like to know..." Jason teased.

"I bet I know." I grinned. It was payback time. "Jason's drooling over our Princess. So he kicked the bathroom door in to catch a glimpse of a nude Swan!"

"And what if I did?" A sly grin spread across Jason's face.

That answer surprised me. I thought it was an accident. Maybe it wasn't.

"What the hell are you doing? She's our teammate! You've been warned to keep your distance!" I tried to keep my emotions in check, but Jason really knew how to push my buttons.

"Aw, come on, Mark...you mean you wouldn't like to catch a glimpse of that body? Let me tell you something, I got a good look, and it's well worth the bruise! " Jason rubbed his forehead and chuckled.

That did it. It was at that moment that I lost control. "Damn you, Jason! She's NOT one of your conquests!!"

Before I knew it, I was throwing a punch and connecting with Jason's cheek.He fell back over one of the couches.

He came back at me, swinging his fist and getting in a lucky punch to my jaw. I flew back, hitting the opposite wall.

Tiny's eyes grew wide with fear.He stood up and tried to come between us. "Hey, wait a minute, guys! No need to fight, here. It's just a simple misunderstanding, right? Let's talk it out!"

I suddenly found strength I never even knew that I had, picking Jason up and throwing him into the ping pong table. It came crashing to the floor under his weight.

Tiny rushed back between us, holding his arms out in an effort to stop the fight. He was becoming indignant."Cool it, guys. That's enough. Are you going to act like little boys on the playground here, or are you gonna talk it out like real men?"

He had a point. Maybe Tiny should have been named Commander.

Jason stood up, gingerly rubbing his behind. I rubbed my rapidly swelling jaw.

We looked at each other, and burst out laughing. We really were a pitiful sight.

I figured I had better step forward and be the better man. "I'm sorry, Jase. Let's call a truce. From now on, we don't talk direspectful about the Swan. She's one of us now."

Jason stared at the floor as he spoke. "Alright, Skip. Up until now, I didn't realize what a pain in the butt I was being. I'll hold back on the teasing, too."

Tiny grinned. He looked relieved that we had stooped our brawl."Count me in on that, too. I didn't realize how much it was getting under your skin, Commander."

"Thanks, guys." I smiled.

Mission accomplished. At least we had worked out the respect problems. "Now let's clean up this mess before dinner."

As we started picking up the Ping Pong table, Tiny smirked. "So, uh…you know that the Chief is gonna take this out of your paychecks, right?"