Title: Try
Ship: Reilly/Curran, Alicia Washington
Genre: Angst/Romance
Rated: PG
Word Count: 699
Summary: Set after 'Bylaws' Washington informs the soldiers about Curran, Reilly listens hoping they don't all see how the information is killing her.
A/N: Written for Curran/Reilly-Try by mercscilla for 'Friday One Word Fic Challenge' Week- 2

… … …

It's Washington that tells them, gathers the units in the barracks and informs them of the truth behind Foster's death and of Curran's involvement. The reaction to the news is swift through the personnel; Reynolds is the first one to react. She's not surprised; they were both his friends, to know that one killed the other; she can't even begin to understand the pain of that betrayal. She's too busy trying to cope with her own without showing the company present the way the news has left her splintered. She tries to stop the flood of memories that bombarded her, flashes of moment's now tainted cutting through her worse than the sharpest blade in her arsenal.

Flashes of Curran, tall and strong, with an exciting glint in his eyes when he looked at her and a twist of his lips when he flustered her (which happened more often than she cares to admit) courses through her mind mockingly, her resolve to act indifferent to him when in reality she'd felt a thrill at his pursuit of her.

She was capable soldier who took pride protecting the colony but as a woman she had to prove herself more than others, because of it most of the men in her life treated her like one of the guys. Tim Curran hadn't, he'd seen a challenge, she's wasn't stupid then and isn't stupid now to think it was really more than that, but he'd also seen the woman behind the soldier, the one that craved to be wanted, and he had.

She remembers the first time they kissed, both more than a little drunk from a night at Boylan's, Reynolds and Foster had been with them she remembers, the latter man's name causing another ache in her chest. They had been walking a few feet behind the duo when Curran at grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind a housing unit. Pushing her against wall he'd leaned down and slanted his lips over her before she could stop him, not that she wanted to.

After weeks of innuendo it had seemed he'd had enough of talking. It embarrasses her now to remember the way she had reacted to him. Desperate and primed from all their teasing, she had all but melted under his skilled mouth and hands, hers grabbing at him greedily. From that moment on, she'd been his, it wasn't love but in moments when he'd kissed his way down her body, marking her with his lips and hands it had felt pretty damn close to it.

"I'm sorry, Reilly."

She looked up startled out of her thoughts, looking around she realizes that everyone has left but the Lieutenant.

"Sorry, Ma'am?" she questions the voice coming out rougher than usual.

"Curran," LT. Washington murmurs and she sees that even though the older woman is looking at her sympathetically, her fist clenches at the name. "I imagine this is harder for you than the rest, given your relationship with him."

Her eyes widen at the comment, she and Curran had made sure that nobody knew about them even their closest friends had no idea that they had been involved. "You knew?"

Washington gives her a dry smile. "Reilly there's very little I don't know about my units."

She keeps to herself the fact that the Lieutenant didn't know the trouble Curran and Foster were getting themselves into or they wouldn't be here with Foster dead, Curran banished and her wondering how she could have read someone she shared her body with so wrong. It wouldn't be a fair comment anyway; instead she looks at the woman and lets her pain show.

"What do I do with this now?" she asks desperate for some guidance on how she can move forward.

She watches as the woman shakes her head softly at a lost herself. "I guess try to forget, Reilly, and hope it sticks."

Washington lays a hand on her shoulder and leaves her alone with her thoughts, the woman's words echoing, she knows the advice is useless, she can try to forget all she wants but she won't, after all it wasn't love but it was pretty damn close.