Hey there! Thanks for waiting so long for this chapter... I just wasn't very inspired. BUT I KNOW WHAT I'M WRITING NEXT. Which is good. Unfortunately, school starts in a week, and I am a super-busy person. 4am-8pm I will be busy every single day...my brain is going to explode.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and egged me on to post this! 3 I would mention you all, but there's so many of you! Anywho, read on dear readers.

Disclaimer: Taz and Up and the .E. are not mine. :)

Chapter 14

'Well, here goes nothing' Taz thought as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror's reflection, a pair of scissors in hand. Her hair hung down, wet from her shower and brushed of any tangles. It was now or never. She brought the scissors up to her hair, right above her shoulder and *SNIP* over a foot of her beautiful black hair fell into the garbage can sitting at her feet. Taz gulped. There was no going back now. She worked away, trying to remember how her mama would cut her hair as a child. Didn't she normally compare the length of the strands on one side of her face to the other? Taz placed the scissors on the sink and did so, her pink tongue sliding out from her mouth as she ended up biting it when she was concentrating. Hmm the right side needed to be a bit shorter...

A few minutes later and her job was complete. Taz took in her reflection with wide, brown eyes. She looked... tougher. But it was still her. It wasn't the most perfect haircut in the world, but it framed her face pretty good right? Wasn't too short, wasn't very long... And for the first time in recent memory she now had bangs. Side bangs of course, because normal cut across the forehead bangs would probably just look ridiculous. Someone knocked on the door, causing her to jump on the balls of her feet. "Taz! You done in there?" Up grumbled. He probably had just woken up...which was unusually late for him. Mary and Dancing-Tacos had already left to preform their duties for the day, but Up had been snoring away when Taz decided to take her shower.

"! One moment!" Taz kicked the can back under the sink and placed the scissors next to all the toothbrushes. She was about to walk out when she realized she was only in a green towel... "mierda." she hissed. The girl had forgotten to bring a clean change of clothes. Taz sighed, and opened up the door. Guess he was in for a shock. But she had had the pleasure of seeing him walk around in a towel without a shirt every day, it washigh time she paid him back for it.
"Buenos días, Up." Taz said as she breezed past him, not glancing his way. The same couldn't be said for him.

"Your, your hair!" He stood near the bathroom flabbergasted, towel and clothes in hand, totally bypassing the fact she was in a towel. Well, that was good.

"Yea?" She sat town on her bed gripping her towel to her chest.

"You cut it!"

"You said to."

"I didn't think you actually would!" Taz grinned and rolled her eyes. Men.

"It was getting too long." She said. Up brought a hand to his eyes and rubbed them, then yawned.

"Well it looks good." He stood there for a moment, and an awkward silence settled.

"Um, aren't you supposed to be taking a shower?"

"What?"He blinked blearily, then did a mental facepalm. "Oh yea. Man, I am out of it today." He turned without another word and entered the bathroom, the door shutting behind him.

Taz frowned as she dug around in her drawers for some clean clothes to wear. Was Up feeling ok? Ten minutes later he emerged from the steamy bathroom, entirely clothed for once, and collapsed on his bed. She was wearing camouflage-pants today and a black t-shirt, and was just slipping on her socks when Up groaned. Loudly.

"Is something wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"Yes." He said, the reply being muffled by his pillow. "Ungh. I don't think I can teach today."

Uh-oh. That wasn't good "So... what about the class that starts in an hour?"

He muttered something then rolled onto his side, facing the wall. "You've gotta go tell the Admiral that i'm sick."He shifted again to throw his blanket over himself. "Make him get a substitute or something." Taz nodded resolutely and then shoved her feet into her boots.

"Yeeees Paaadre...do you want me to get you anything for breakfast?"

"No... I probably won't be able to keep it down." He grumbled. Taz bit her lip worriedly and felt bad for cracking the padre joke. That didn't sound good... Up never missed breakfast.

"I'm going to get Dr. James for you too, ok?" She decided, not caring if he refused.

Up mumbled something that sounded a lot like "m'kay", and then Taz was out the door on a mission.

Alright... where was the Admiral's office again? Headquarters wing was... west of here. Her footsteps echoed down the hall, bouncing back to her ears. Let's see, and the Admirals office was three floors above the cafeteria. Taz's stride became more assured as she figured out her plan of action. She would go to Admiral Gregor, swing by the medical bay, grab the Dr. and then stop at the cafeteria for some breakfast for her and Up. It didn't matter if he didn't want to eat, she was going to make him.

Half an hour later Taz had Dr. James trailing behind her, counting on the girl to bring him to the sick Lieutenant. He had been about to go on break when she strode into the medical bay, asking for him specifically. The brief needle incident had flashed though his mind and he tried to ignore it as he asked what was wrong. Apparently her friend had come down with something debilitating.

"Is he too sick to make it over here?"

"I think so, he refused to get out of bed. I had to find him a substitute for his class." Taz replied, then waited by the doors, albeit a bit fidgety while waiting for the Jamaican doctor to finish his shift.

The two arrived at her quarters and she rose on her toes to press her hand to the scanner to open the door. Dr. James held back a chuckle, masking it with a cough. She raised an eyebrow at the ill timed cough, but ignored it so she could get the doctor to Up faster.

"Up?" she whispered into the darkness. "You awake?" A few choice curse words floated through the air, signifying that yes, in fact he was awake. "Good, I brought Dr. James, he's going to figure out why you're acting like a zombie. And watch your mouth."

" 'M not a zombie." He grumbled into his pillow. " I'm a sick human being who's very much alive thank ya very much." She rolled her eyes and gestured for the doctor to step inside.

"I swear, he sounds like a female on her period. This is the crankiest he's ever been."

Dr. James nodded and walked over to Up. "I'll see what I can do. Because women on their period are terrifying."

Taz chuckled as she walked over to the door, stepping halfway out of it. "And I bet male rangers are worse!" Then she was gone, leaving Up in the hands of a doctor. She needed to get Up some grub.

Thanks for reading! Please review, and try to guess what's going to happen while Up's sick. :P Following and fav's are nice too. Gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Until next update! *waves*