Saturday morning saw the rangers waiting patiently for the dormitory office to open so they could get the keys to their new accommodations. Garrett had relieved them all of their duties for the remainder of the weekend, barring any attacks, so they could move and get settled and accustomed to their new surroundings.
"I don't get why we need new rooms," Willa wondered aloud as the group waited together.
"Well, duh, we're VIPs now," Adrian grinned. "We deserve VIP lodging."
"I agree with her." Alana replied as she leaned against the wall. "Just because we're 'VIP's' doesn't mean we should get new rooms, or special treatment."
"But we're special," Adrian countered.
"No, you're special," Elle sweetly commented, "as in, special ed."
"Play nice kids." Oliver reminded as the doors opened to the office.
"Aw, but its fun to watch them insult each other." Jordan grinned as the woman waved the group forward. The six rangers stood up straight and walked into the office. One by one, the group received their new rooming assignments, and keys. "You'll all be living in the same wing." The woman commented as she handed out the last set of keys to Alana.
"Thanks," Alana commented as she took her keys. The woman nodded and picked up a clipboard from her desk.
"The ladies will all be sharing one suite," she informed, "where you'll each have your own rooms. You gentlemen will be paired off," she said, her eyes scanning over her clipboard, "Mitchellson and Stefano in one suite, Torres and Johnson in the other."
Jordan frowned. "Is there any way to change that?" He questioned.
"Ouch, I'm standing right here man," Derek commented. Jordan shook his head.
"No I didn't mean it like that," he replied. "Just figured, since Oliver and I have been rooming together for so long, it'd be easier….we're already used to living together," he chuckled. "It's for you and Adrian's benefit more than anything."
"I don't even want to know." Adrian commented.
"Your current arrangements are already in the records," the woman replied in a tone that suggested she had no interest in taking up time in her schedule to make any changes.
"You'll have fun." Alana commented, biting the inside of her lip to keep from laughing.
"Ha ha, you're so funny." Jordan commented under his breath, shooting her a glare.
"It's fine," Oliver spoke up, noticing the overworked office employee was not planning on doing them any favors. "Thank you," he added.
"You're welcome." She nodded before standing and ushering them out. The rangers filed out of the office, the door swiftly shutting behind them once they were all in the hall.
"She was pleasant." Elle commented, rolling her eyes.
"Oh yeah, just as pleasant as a root canal," Adrian agreed.
"Anyway, less chatty more movey." Willa stated as she grabbed her sister's arm.
"Whoa, what's the rush, Wiley?" Adrian asked.
"Don't call me that." She snapped.
"Don't call you what?" He teased. Flipping him the bird, Willa stalked away towards her room.
"Such a lady." Elle sighed as she followed her sister. Oliver watched his sisters leave before leveling Adrian with a glare.
"Is there going to be a problem with having you and my sister on the same team?" He asked, his tone displeased over someone teasing one of his baby sisters.
"Uh, no…" Adrian replied, trailing off. "Just some good natured ribbing."
"Good natured ribbing, huh?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest in a bid to intimidating the younger ranger.
"Uh huh," Adrian replied.
"I guess no one told her about the 'good natured' part," he commented before walking away. Once Oliver was gone, Adrian heard Derek chuckle and clap him on the back.
"Looks like you and your new roomie are going to get along great," he laughed.
"Oh god." Adrian muttered in reply. Alana reached over and squeezed his arm gently.
"Ollie's a nice guy… He's just overly protective of his sisters." She stated, giving him a smile.
"That's the understatement of the year," Jordan commented, thinking of all the male cadets who Oliver had scared off for even flirting with Elle, and the times when Willa had first joined the academy when Oliver nearly ripped the head off of any cadet who might've hurt her during combat training.
"Eat me Jordy." Alana shot with a smile. "And with that, I'm off to pack." She kissed Derek's cheek softly before departing.
"Hey, I was just saying you're right, Ollie's protective," Jordan called after her as she left them.
"She's got a point though." Derek commented. "We should get to packing."
"Yeah," Adrian nodded in agreement. The group dispersed and headed back towards their rooms.
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Nearly six hours later, Elle dropped the last box in her room and slowly shuffled back out to the living room in her shared suite with Willa and Alana. She wasn't surprised to see her younger sister draped over a chair, but she was surprised to see Alana sprawled out on the floor. "I'm exhausted." Elle commented as she dropped onto the couch with a heavy sigh.
"Ditto," Alana sighed.
"Uh huh," Willa commented.
"I'm also starving." Alana groaned as her stomach rumbled. "But I really don't want to move." Just as she finished her comment, the doorbell to the suite rang. "And if they think we're getting up to answer that door, they're severely mistaken." She grumbled.
"Willa, I vote you do it," Elle commented.
"Oh, that's funny, because I vote you do it," Willa countered without missing a beat.
"Here's a novel idea," Alana interjected. "IT'S OPEN!" She yelled. A few moments later the door opened as Oliver, Jordan, Adrian, and Derek came in, each carrying a couple of boxes of pizza.
"Working hard ladies, or hardly working?" Adrian snickered.
"Ugh, I'm too tired to take my shoe off and throw it at him," Willa groaned, "anyone else want to do it for me?" Elle chucked a pillow at Adrian, who sidestepped the projectile.
"I tried." She sighed.
"Hey now, be nice," Adrian commented as the four boys moved over to the dining table near the kitchen area and set the boxes down. "We come bearing sustenance."
"God that smells amazing…" Alana whined as the scent invaded the room.
"Why don't you come on over here and have some?" Derek chuckled. Alana groaned and lifted her head just enough to give her boyfriend a pout.
"Bring it to me?" She asked in a meek voice, hoping it'd be enough to get Derek to do her bidding.
"Actually, that's a good idea." Jordan commented as he grabbed some plates from the cupboard. "We can all sit over there and watch a movie while we eat."
"Hey, if it means we don't have to get up, sounds good to me," Elle commented.
"You're lazy." Oliver teased as he sat in front of Willa's chair.
"We're tired," Elle corrected. "There's a difference."
"Uh huh, sure," Jordan chuckled as he brought the plates over and set them on the coffee table by the couch. Once everything was in place, Jordan took a seat next to Elle, and Adrian grabbed the remaining spot on the couch. Derek plopped down next to where his girlfriend lay and helped her move into a sitting position. Oliver picked up the remote to the television and turned it on and began to flip stations while everyone tucked into their food.
"Ahhh, this is good," Alana happily murmured around her first bite of pizza.
"Agreed." Willa smiled as she bit off a piece of her own slice. In the span of two hours, the group devoured all the food that the boys had brought in with them and by the end of the movie, Alana, Elle, Oliver and Adrian had all fallen asleep. Jordan looked over at the others before his glance met with Willa's and Derek's.
"Looks like we're the last ones standing," he quietly chuckled.
"I'm not far behind." Willa commented around a yawn.
"Perhaps we should call it a night," Derek commented as he moved into a kneeling position. "I'll take Ally to bed," he added as he gathered his sleeping girlfriend in his arms.
"Willa, think you can open your sister's room and I'll take her?" Jordan offered as Derek moved towards Alana's room.
"Um, yeah…sure," Willa commented as she stood up and stepped around Oliver and Adrian to get to Elle's bedroom. Jordan carefully gathered Elle in his arms, and she moaned softly before shifting slightly.
"Wha…" She murmured, the movement rousing her slightly. Her eyes blinked open just as Jordan lifted her off the couch.
"Hey, just taking you to your room, go back to sleep," Jordan quietly whispered with a smile.
"Mmm, okay." She replied as a smile pulled across her lips. "Thanks Jordy." Her eyes drifted shut as she curled against his chest and fell back asleep. On the other side of the room, Willa watched Elle and Jordan, her lips pressed together in a hard line and her eyes narrowed slightly. Jordan carried Elle away from the couch and moved over to where Willa stood by Elle's open bedroom door. Once Jordan had entered her room, he carefully set her down on her bed.
"Night Elle." He smiled gently, pushing some hair out of her eyes. Elle simply sighed in her sleep and turned to her side. Jordan smiled and kissed and lightly touched her cheek before stepping away from the bed. He turned to see Willa watching them. He smiled at her. "Alright, guess Derek and I will wake the guys and haul them out of your place," he lightly joked as he walked out of the room.
"You do that." Willa replied as she let Elle's door slam behind her.
"What's wrong Wills?" He asked as she stalked across the living room. Willa stopped and spun around to glare at him.
"What's going on between you and my sister?" She demanded.
"What?" Jordan replied, his mouth falling open slightly.
"You heard me," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.
"There's nothing going on between Elle and me… Why are you so upset?" He asked, moving towards her. Willa stared up at him for a moment, her jaw tight. "Wills, come on… What's wrong?" Jordan asked softly. He continued getting closer to her until he was standing right in front of her. He gave her a small smile and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Come on Wills, whatever it is, you can tell me," he encouraged. Willa continued to stare at him and blinked before opening her mouth. She took a deep breath and prepared to speak, but instead closed her mouth again and continued to look at him as if she were considering something. The following moment, before Jordan could react, Willa's hands moved to either side of his neck, bringing him down to her level, before she crashed her lips onto his. Jordan's eyes widened in shock as Willa kissed him. It took him a moment to realize what was going on before he carefully pulled away from the kiss. "Willa, what the hell was that?" He asked. Willa looked up at him, her face falling as she realized not only what she had done, but Jordan's unfavorable reaction.
"I…..I'm sorry," she said in a small voice as she stepped away.
"Wills," He commented softly as she stepped away. Willa blinked as her eyes began to fill with tears.
"I sh…should go to bed," she murmured, looking away.
"Wills." Jordan repeated as he stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Talk to me."
"I…. I can't." She replied, shaking her head as tears began to fall.
"Sure you can," Jordan softly told her. He took one hand off of her shoulders and gently wiped away one of her tears with his thumb. Willa closed her eyes and leaned into his touch for a moment. She slowly reopened her eyes and looked at him.
"I…..I'm in love with you," she quietly admitted. Jordan blinked as her words hit him.
"Oh Wills…" He murmured softly. Willa bit her lip and stepped closer to him, her hands moving to his chest.
"I know, I know, it might be weird, I mean, you and Ollie being best friends, and him being so overprotective of me and Elle all the time….but, we could make it work, I think," she hopefully said. Jordan breathed a sad sigh and shook his head.
"Wills, that's not it…" He carefully replied.
"Wh… What?" She breathed, taking a half-step backwards. Jordan's heart clenched and he swallowed thickly as he mustered up the courage to continue, just knowing he'd be hurting someone he cared about.
"Willa, I care about you, a lot. I just...don't feel like that…towards you." he whispered.
"Oh…" She commented her voice breaking as she took a step backwards, her eyes swimming with tears. "Oh of course… I understand." She nodded.
"Willa," he breathed, hearing the hurt in her voice.
"No, I totally get it," she nodded again as tears rolled down her cheeks, "It's fine, forget I said anything." Jordan opened his mouth to reply when a groan from where they had left Adrian and Oliver was heard. Jordan and Willa were surprised and looked over to see Oliver sitting up and rubbing his eye.
"What time is it?" He groggily murmured.
"Time for bed." Willa commented, her voice shaking. "Night Ollie." Turning on her heel, she moved towards her room and slammed the door behind her. Jordan looked over at Willa's closed bedroom door and for a moment considered going to her to make sure she was alright. In the end, he decided it'd probably be for the best if he left her alone for now. He sighed and turned around to look at Oliver.
"We should probably wake Adrian up and get out of here," he commented.
"I'm awake," Adrian commented as he sat up and looked at him. Jordan blinked a few times, taken aback by Adrian being fairly more alert than Oliver, and for the hard look Adrian seemed to be currently giving him.
"Oh, okay, great," he replied.
"Uh huh." Adrian replied as he pushed himself up and onto his feet.
"Did Derek leave already?" Oliver asked around a yawn as he slowly got up. Jordan frowned.
"I don't think so," he replied, "I thought he was just putting Ally to bed….but he should've been out by now," he mused. As if on cue, Alana's door opened and Derek appeared.
"Hey, I think I'm going to hang here with Alana tonight," he commented.
"Here's hoping the walls are sound-proof." Oliver snickered from his spot on the floor.
"Haha, very funny," Derek dryly replied before disappearing back inside Alana's room and shutting the door.
"Get up man." Jordan commented, rolling his eyes.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Oliver replied as he stood up.
"Willa and Elle in bed?" He questioned as he stretched.
"How tired are you?" Jordan chuckled. "You did see Willa just go off to bed when you woke up, didn't you?" Oliver blinked.
"Oh…right," he replied. "Sorry, guess I was still half asleep," he replied. "What about Elle?" He asked.
"Yeah, she's in bed," Adrian answered for Jordan. Jordan looked over at him, wondering exactly how long he had been awake and how much he had heard.
"Alright." Oliver replied with a yawn. "Let's go then."
"Yeah," Jordan nodded.
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The following morning, Willa exited her room to find Elle curled up on the couch watching cartoons with a bowl of cereal in her lap. "Hey." Her older sister grinned.
"Hi," she replied as she moved to the kitchen.
"So I figured that once Alana gets up, we can put some tunes on and organize the living room and kitchen to make it look more our style in here. How's that sound?" Elle questioned as Willa began to dig through the fridge.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Willa distantly replied. Elle frowned and set her bowl down on the coffee table.
"Is something wrong?" She asked.
"No, everything's just peachy." Willa fired back. Elle stood up and moved towards the kitchen.
"Willie?" She asked. Willa paused and turned to look at her sister for a moment. She sighed and shook her head.
"Nothing," She replied. "….Just didn't sleep well last night, I guess," she explained, "feeling a little cranky."
"I've got cartoons on if you wanted to watch them." Elle offered as she stepped into the kitchen. "I know how much you love cartoons." Willa frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked. "Are you saying I'm immature?"
"Huh?" Elle asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"You're calling me immature because I like cartoons." Willa spat. "Thanks a lot, you're an amazing sister."
"Wow, you weren't kidding about feeling cranky," Elle muttered.
"Oh, bite me!" Willa yelled.
"Willie," Elle spoke, taking a step closer. "I don't know what's going on, but I swear, I was not calling you immature. I'd never think that about you," she sincerely replied.
"A likely story." Willa snarled as she stormed out of the kitchen. Elle quickly followed her younger sister.
"Willa, come on, what's really going on?" She asked.
"Nothing." The younger Torres sister snapped.
"Bull," Elle insisted.
"Go to hell." Willa shot as she stopped in front of her bedroom door.
"Willa," Elle sighed as she continued to follow her, "come on, talk to me, please?" She gently pleaded.
"You know exactly why!" She fired back.
"What are you talking about?" Elle asked.
"Jordan!" Willa shrieked. Elle blinked a few times, still confused.
"What about Jordan?" She asked.
"How long did you think you could keep your relationship a secret Elle?"
"Huh?" Elle exclaimed, her voice going up an octave. "What relationship are you talking about?"
"Don't play stupid Elle; it doesn't look good on you." Willa replied, crossing her arms.
"Believe me, I'm not playing stupid," she replied, "Jordan and I have no relationship." She sighed. "Come on, Willie," she gently continued, "I know how much you like him. I'd never hurt you like that."
"Then why did you act like a couple last night when he put you to bed?" Her younger sister demanded. "He kissed you!"
"What are you talking about?" Elle replied, shocked.
"When he put you down on your bed, he kissed you." Willa commented, suddenly feeling an overwhelming urge to cry wash over her.
"Wills." Elle commented gently, stepping towards her sister. "There is nothing between Jordan and me."
"Yeah, sure," Willa shot back, unconvinced.
"Why would I do that?" Elle demanded. "Please tell me why you think I'd go back on my word?"
"I… I don't know." Her sister replied lamely a few moments later. Elle sighed and took a few steps closer to her sister.
"Because deep down you know I would never, ever, ever, even think of hurting you," she commented. The younger girl took a deep breath and sighed.
"I'm sorry." Elle smiled, glad to see she had gotten through to Willa and moved closer to give her a hug.
"It's okay," she replied. After a moment, Elle stepped away. "I need to grab something from the lounge; I'll be back shortly, okay?"
"Okay," Willa nodded. Giving her sister a smile, Elle moved from their suite and waited for the doors to hiss shut behind her, before storming off towards Jordan and Derek's shared suite. Once she reached the room, she pounded on the door fiercely. It took a few moments before the door hissed open and a highly disheveled Jordan appeared in the doorframe, shirtless with his boxers snug around his hips.
"Morning Elle." He commented around a yawn. As soon as Elle laid eyes on his face, her hand swung out and she slapped him as hard as she could.
"Ow!" Jordan cried as he stumbled backwards, holding his cheek. "The hell was that for?" Elle moved into the suite and let the door hiss shut behind her.
"What the hell did you say to my sister?" She demanded. Jordan looked at her as he rubbed his cheek.
"What?" He asked.
"Don't play dumb, asshole," Elle hissed. "What the hell did you say to her to make her think you and I were together?"
"…I didn't say anything?" Jordan replied, his brows furrowing.
"Oh, okay, so you just took the liberty to kiss me while I was sleeping and you were putting me to bed, then?" She challenged, crossing her arms.
"I didn't realize it was a crime to kiss someone goodnight." He grumbled as he threw himself onto the couch.
"When you're not dating the person it is!" Elle shrieked as she moved closer to him. Jordan rolled his eyes.
"I kissed you on the cheek, its not like I shoved my tongue down your throat." Elle fell silent as Jordan stood. "Look, I'm sorry that I kissed you, god forbid." He grumbled. "Is that all?" He asked as he stepped aside and moved to the door to show her out.
"Willa's upset," Elle stated. "So, obviously something more than just a kiss on the cheek happened."
"She… May have kissed me." Came the mumbled statement. Elle's eyes widened at that.
"What?" She asked.
"Yeah…" He sighed. "She kissed me and…told me how she feels about me," he muttered as he scratched the back of his neck.
"And let me guess." Elle stated after a moment. "You don't feel the same." Jordan sighed and looked down.
"I didn't want to hurt her," he replied. "But I couldn't lie to her."
"I guess being honest with Willa is better than leading her on." Elle conceded after a few moments… "Why though?"
"Why what?" Jordan asked as he moved to the kitchen and got himself a coffee cup from the cabinet.
"Why you don't return her feelings." Elle stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Jordan paused a moment to consider her words before he shrugged.
"I just….don't," he replied as he moved over to the coffee machine. "That's not how I see her."
"Oh." She replied after a brief pause. "Well…maybe you could try," she commented. "I mean, maybe if you just took her out or something…..your feelings would change."
"I don't think so." Jordan replied as he turned to face her. "Besides… I kinda like someone else." Elle's eyes narrowed at that.
"You broke my baby sister's heart because of someone else?" She demanded as she walked over to him in the kitchen. "You pick some bimbo cadet over Willa? What the hell is wrong with you?" She snapped, slapping his arm. "My sister is a person of substance. You'd have to look far and pretty fucking wide to find someone as good as her!"
"Actually no, it's not some bimbo cadet." He shot back. "She's gorgeous, intelligent woman with a beautiful personality."
"Yeah right," Elle spat. "I bet she's some nimrod who can barely do simple math, with implants the size of Mt. Everest. Yeah, loads of personality there," Elle hissed.
"Why would you say that?" He questioned, slightly hurt.
"Because I know you Jordan." Elle replied with a sigh.
"Obviously, not very well," Jordan shot back.
"Prove me wrong then." She stated, holding her arms open. Jordan stared at her for a moment before setting his coffee cup down and quickly moving closer to her. His arms went around her waist just as his lips pressed against hers. Elle's eyes widened in surprised as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping across her lips, asking for permission. Elle surprised herself parting her lips, allowing his tongue entrance as her hands rested on his shoulders. After a few moments, when air became necessary, Jordan pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.
"It's you." He breathed out.