Ria drove up to the O'Neill house, her hands clutching the steering wheel nervously. She had left her sweater there, and while she could have just phoned and someone could have brought to the base, she admitted to herself that she wanted to see Tony again...
She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the meeting. Then, she got out of the car and walked up to the door.
Tony heard a knock at the door and groaned, rolling over. His dark hair was standing up and he still wasn't quite awake yet. Stretching with a yawn, he rose from his bed on the couch and padded over to the door.
"Hello?" He asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.
"Good morning." She said, surprised to see his dark tank top and pajama pants.
He blinked, then smiled. "Ria! Nice to see you...what brings you here at..." He twisted around to take a look at the clock. "...10:30 in the morning?"
"Uh...I left my sweater." She gave him a tiny chuckle. "Sleep in this morning?"
He grinned at her. "I keep pretty crazy hours as a dancer...most of my competitions are VERY late at night, so I get in the habit of being up at night and asleep during the day."
"Ah...and where's everyone else?"
Tony gave her a shrug that inadvertently showed off his strong, broad shoulders to their best advantage. "I have NO idea." He replied, his accent sounding thicker than usual.
Suddenly, Ria was enamored by the accent...she was somewhat taken aback by this. After all, she'd never considered herself to be an "accent" girl.
No, she thought to herself, I'm not an accent girl...all men are still out for one thing!
Tony stood there leaning on the door before he stepped back respectfully. "Where are my manners? Please, come in."
"Oh...uh...okay." She stammered, stepping inside.
He closed the door behind her, taking care to give her space. Taking a seat on the couch, Tony grabbed his blanket and pulled it around himself. "Sorry, but I run a little on the cold side...I'm not hiding from you." He joked.
"Well, it is early November in Colorado Springs...most people wear sweatshirts to bed at this time of year..." Ria said, chuckling, and surprising herself at her ease.
"Well, NOWHERE is as cold as Kosovo..." He said, shivering involuntarily.
She chuckled. "What about Siberia?"
Tony chuckled at this. "I'm sure Lena would know...she's from up that way." He was surprised how easy it was to talk to Ria...she was so unlike Inna, who always pushed him away when he tried to speak to her.
Ria saw her sweater, folded neatly on the rocking chair in the corner. "I should probably get my sweater and go..." She said, hesitant to leave. She was, for once since she'd been raped, enjoying herself in the company of a man.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to...I'm enjoying the company." Tony responded, honestly.
"Okay..."
He looked sideways at her. "So...where are you from?"
" Kansas City, Missouri."
"I've been through there a few times...great city but even greater Jazz." He said reminiscently.
"Yep." She said, with a smile. "I've tinkered around on the piano, but...while I appreciate the art, I'm more of a classical musician."
Tony shrugged. "I love listening and dancing to Jazz, but when it comes to music, I'm more of a Latin and Rock kind of guy...I play a little guitar."
"Really? That's kinda fun..."
"It gives me something to unwind with and it's portable enough that I can take it easily from place to place when I travel."
"Yeah...unfortunately, I shot myself in the foot when I learned to play the piano and sing...although sometimes, if I really need a pick-me-up, I'll sing some Jazz standard..."
"Hey, you can take your voice with you wherever you go as well..." He said softly.
"Yes, but when you're an opera singer, it's kinda hard to bring the whole orchestra with you." She said, smiling. "But thank you for the reminder..."
"Hmmm...I wonder if they have "Orchestra For iPod" yet..." Tony answered with mock solemnity in his voice.
"I don't think so...but if they do, you'll have to tell me..."
He nodded gravely before cracking up. "I'll be sure to do that." He laughed.
Ria pulled back into herself for a moment. She wasn't a particularly open person anymore...so why the hell was she telling this Tony person all of her deepest, darkest secrets? After all, opera wasn't exactly an art form that was embraced by "popular culture" any longer...
"Something wrong?" Tony asked, studying her.
"It's...nothing." Ria said, looking away.
"Ria..." Tony said quietly. Something in his voice pulled her gaze up to meet his.
"I feel like I could tell you anything." She whispered. "And that scares me...I mean, I just met you last night..."
His chocolate brown eyes were locked on hers. "You're not the only scared one..." He admitted.
She looked down at the ground. "I...I should probably get my sweater..."
"Ria, please...stay. If I've made you uncomfortable, I apologize." Tony pleaded, looking miserable.
"No...you're fine..." She said, still not really wanting to leave herself. "I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable."
Tony studied her for a long moment. "I don't know why, but somehow I feel more comfortable just sitting and talking with you than I have with anyone."
"Really?" She asked, timidly.
He gave her a slow smile. "Yeah..."
She debated asking this question, but it just wouldn't leave her mind. "Who was she?"
Tony didn't pretend to misunderstand the question. "She was my former dance partner."
"And?" She prompted, quietly.
"She ended up cheating on me with one of my best friends." He finished quietly.
Ria almost had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry...I didn't...I shouldn't have..."
"It's ok." Tony said, surprised to find that it really was ok.
Reaching out his hand slowly, he wiped away a single tear that was creeping down her face.
She looked into his eyes for the first time. "Thank you..."
"For what?" he asked.
"I don't know..." She said, behind yet another tear.
Weighing his options carefully, Tony leaned forward and cautiously put his arms around her, pulling her into a comforting but loose embrace that she could break any time she wanted to.
Suddenly, she broke into sobs, and pulled him closer to her.
Wrapping his arms more securely around her, Tony held her as she cried, gently rubbing a hand up and down her back as he hummed an old Albanian folksong.
A few moments later, she pulled away, wiping her tears. "I'm sorry..."
He released her, feeling a sense of regret that he quickly brushed aside. "It's fine, Ria...really."
The chiming of the hallway clock brought Ria back to reality, and she stood. "I have to go..."
Getting to his feet like a proper gentleman, Tony opened the door for her. "See you soon?" He asked hesitantly.
She nodded, and then stopped. She chuckled nervously as she turned around. "I never got my sweater!"
Tony chuckled and reached over, snagging the sweater off the chair. He handed it to her, his fingers brushing her lightly.
She felt a tiny shock of electricity ripple past her skin and find its way straight to her nerves, sending a shiver up her spine. "Thank you." She said, her voice low.
"Drive safely." Tony said, seriously.
She gave him a small smile, still very much insecure about how vulnerable and yet safe she felt around him. "I will. You take care, okay?"
"You too."
She nodded. "Good-bye."
"I prefer see you later." He answered with a grin.
She grinned. "Okay...see you later."
He waved from the door as he watched her drive away. Smiling to himself, he went and showered, singing as he did so.
Everybody returned only a few minutes after Tony had gotten dressed again.
"Hello everybody!" He said cheerfully.
"Hello?" Nick asked, never before having seen Tony in such a good mood first thing in the morning.
"What?" Tony asked, still smiling.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Tony?"
Giving Nick a wounded look, Tony gracefully leapt over the back of the sofa and landed on the cushion. "I'm still here, Nick." He replied wryly. "I just...had a visitor, that's all."
"Who?" Lena asked as she helped little Nicky O'Neill off with his jacket.
"Ria. She left her sweater here last night and came to get it." Tony answered, his eyes fixed on the floor.
"That's great!" Lena said, not looking at her friend.
Nick, on the other hand, noticed Tony's body language. "Something happen?'
"Besides her weeping in my arms, not much..."
By now, Lena had finished and stood next to her husband. "What?"
Tony sighed. "We were talking and...we had a moment." He replied, knowing very well that the married couple would catch his drift.
Lena could barely contain her excitement. "You did?"
He nodded and got a faraway look in his eyes. "Talking to her was probably the most comfortable thing I've ever done...even more comfortable than dancing."
"So, why do you look like you just lost a trophy by a point?" Nick asked, studying his friend.
"I don't think she's quite as comfortable with me yet..."
"Tony, she's got a lot to deal with..."
The Albanian nodded. "I know that...but when I held her, she pulled ME closer to her...and that right there gives me a little hope." He finished with a small smile.
"I'm happy for you." Nick said, a tiny smile gracing his lips.
Tony's smile widened into a grin. "I got her to say "see you later" instead of goodbye."
"See...she likes you." Lena said with a knowing smile.
"She just may need to have some time..." Nick agreed.
A blush slowly spread over Tony's face, but he nodded soberly. "It's kinda scary...but I already know that I'd do anything for her..." He whispered.
Nick looked at Lena and then back at Tony. "I know what you mean."
Tony smiled as Lena blushed this time. "The things we're prepared to do for love...like buying fake jewels in bulk..." He teased.
Lena rolled her eyes and Tony laughed. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk."
"I saw a sign for Karaoke In The Park this afternoon..." Nick said. "And we all know how much you like to sing..."
"Mmm..." Tony murmured.
As Tony began walking out the door, he turned. "Hey, Nick? Did you find me a place to practice?"
Nick shook his head. "I'll keep looking."
He nodded. "Thanks..."
Suddenly, a thought came to him. "Uh...Nick, isn't the roof above the boys' room flat?"
Nick gave his friend a sharp look. "Yes..."
Tony's eyebrow raised in interest. "Well...it might do for a little while..."
"Tony..." Nick began warningly.
"What? I did this all the time as a kid!" He said as he dashed off to Tommy and Danny and Nicky's room.
"Oy...somehow I do NOT have a good feeling about this..." Nick groaned.
"Neither do I." Lena breathed. "I'm NOT letting the boys anywhere near Tony for the next twelve years!"
Nick chuckled. Then, he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Shall we try to keep Tony from giving our sons bad ideas?"
"We might as well try..."
Tony walked into the room where Tommy and Danny sat, playing with Legos and opened a window.
"Uncle Tony, what are you doing?" Danny asked curiously.
"I'm gonna dance on the roof like I did when I was..." He stopped himself. If Lena had any inkling that he was encouraging her boys in something potentially dangerous, she would kill him. He was STILL trying to recover from the tongue-lashing he'd received after taking Nick ice-fishing! "Like I did in New York."
"Ah. Well don't fall." Danny advised sagely.
"Thanks for having such faith in me." Tony said, mocking hurt as he climbed out the window.
Tommy giggled and Danny smiled. "Anytime." The boy replied.
As Tony's feet could barely be seen through the glass, Nick and Lena reached the room.
"Oy..." Nick said slowly.
"He's doing what he did in New York." Tommy said, proudly. "When we grow up can we do that?"
Nick and Lena exchanged looks. "Only when you are VERY grown up!"
"Sweet!" Tommy said, running outside to see Uncle Tony dance on the roof.
Danny shook his head, but followed his twin outside to see the spectacle.
Tony had begun some simple stretches and then gracefully begun some turns with the O'Neills and the Kosoviches watching in horrified fascination. A car pulled up and Cassie stepped out. With the trees in the way, she wasn't able to see why everyone was gathered around the back bedroom, but as she got closer, she noticed Tony dancing on the roof. "TONY!" She cried, in surprise.
Tony was startled by Cassie's shout and tried to balance, but to no avail. "AAH!" He yelped as he pitched forward and off the edge of the roof.
"TONY!" Lena cried as she ran to the man on the ground.
The adults practically threw their children behind them as they hurried to aid Tony.
"Oy..." He said, clutching his right arm.
"Tony, you okay?" Nick asked, bending down as far as his own injured appendage would allow.
"Hurts." Tony said past gritted teeth.
Sam pushed past everyone, being the one with the most medical field training. "It's broken." She confirmed.
"Great..." Tony groaned.
"I can splint it temporarily and we can get you to the infirmary." She said, looking the dancer in the eyes.
He nodded. "Do what you need to do."
"Are you sure you want to tell her that?" Jack asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "She splinted my leg once...and let me tell you, it hurt like hell!"
"Jack!" Lena scolded as the children looked at their uncle and father in horror at the bad word that had escaped his lips.
"I've broken my legs before...it can't hurt as bad as having a Boy Scout do it." Tony joked lightly.
Sam threw her husband a glare as she carefully got to her knees. Somehow doing this when one was not nearly five months pregnant was a LOT easier...
Closing his eyes, Tony clenched his teeth and prepared himself for the inevitable pain to follow.
"I'm sorry..." Sam apologized as she pulled on the injured limb.
"That's...okay..." Tony replied, breathing hard to keep from screaming.
When Grace screamed at the sight of what her mother was doing to Tony, Nick turned around. He noticed Cassie's blank, horrified look. "I'm gonna go and do some damage control." He told his wife.
She looked behind her and nodded.
In order to distract himself from what Sam was doing, Tony started softly singing the Bon Jovi classic "Livin' On A Prayer".
Lena looked at Tony. "Bon Jovi?"
"Hey, you got a better idea?" He shot back.
"Not exactly." She admitted.
She turned to the kids. "All right...let's go in the backyard, okay, kids?"
They all obeyed and Danny had an arm around Grace. And for once, the adults didn't do a thing about it...still too wrapped up in Tony's injury to worry about the puppy love going on...
But as Lena herded the children to the backyard to play with the swing set that Jack had set up for the kids, Cassie took a breath and walked into the house, unaware that Nick was following her.
Sam had to laugh when Tony began singing "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman," complete with falsetto.
"Uh, Tony...I'm not trying to make you feel feminine." She said, chuckling.
He merely grinned and went straight into "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
Sam just chuckled as she finished tying the last knot. "Okay...Jack, can you help me get him into the car?"
"Yeah." He said, helping her place Tony carefully in the backseat. "Where are we taking him?" He asked softly.
"The infirmary." She said, as if there was no question.
"And we're gonna get him in there with no clearance how?"
She bit her lip. "Well, it is kinda your base now, isn't it?"
"I can always be blindfolded and turn my iPod up..." Tony volunteered.
Jack looked at Sam and then at Tony and back at Sam. "Sam, you know that clearance doesn't just drop out of the sky…"
"But Jack, he needs to go to the infirmary!" She whispered harshly.
"We could take him to a hospital!" Jack insisted.
"I have insurance." The injured man said through clenched teeth as he felt another shockwave of pain.
Sam took a deep breath. "Right." She jumped into the front seat of the car as Jack ran around to the driver's seat.
"You okay there, Tony?"
"You betcha." He said, trying not to pass out.
--
Meanwhile, Cassie stood in the kitchen, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"Cassie?" Nick asked, gently alerting her to his presence.
She turned, taking a small gasp as she realized that someone had caught her in her moment of weakness. "Nick!" She said, wiping her cheeks.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I enjoy potentially ruining dancer careers." She said, giving Nick a sarcastic smile.
"You haven't done that yet." He said, comfortingly.
"Keyword: potentially."
"Cassie, the first incident was really my fault. I should never have followed you and Liam. And Tony was stupid to practice on the roof! Lena and I told him that, but he insisted that he did it all the time as a kid! Right then and there, we knew we'd never be able to convince him otherwise."
"So, you let him get on the roof?"
"He's thirty years old, Cassie!" Nick said, chuckling. "How the heck were we supposed to tell him that he was grounded?"
She managed a smile at his pun. "I don't know…"
"Anyway, Cassie…it's not your fault. It was an ACCIDENT. That's all that it was."
She nodded. "I know…"
Nick studied her for a long moment. "Then why do you think that you deserve hell and everything in it whenever something happens?" He asked gently.
Cassie looked at the ground. "Because I do."
Nick reached out and tipped her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. "No, you don't." He responded firmly.
She pulled away. "Yes, I do, Nick..."
"I'm afraid I'm a man, and therefore don't understand...explain it to me."
"I can't." She said, looking out the window at the children playing outside. "It's classified."
Nick crossed his arms. "In case you've forgotten, I have clearance."
"Not for this, you don't..."
There was a haunted look in her eyes that Nick had never seen before in the usually happy-go-lucky young woman.
"Then tell someone who does...I hate seeing you like this." Nick told her, a sad expression on his face. Turning away, he began walking away with his slight limp.
"Nick!" She called after him. "It's...I almost blew up Earth."
He turned his face and looked at her. "Did you have a plan to do this?"
Her lip quivered. "They saved me and almost died..."
"Cassandra, look at me." Nick ordered, his voice quiet, yet commanding.
She swallowed down tears and looked into his eyes.
He held her gaze. "Did you come here intending to destroy the people of this planet?"
"No. But...I should have..."
He placed a finger up in the air. "Just because you didn't know doesn't mean you SHOULD have known..."
He placed gentle hands on her shoulders. "You've been placing a burden on yourself that should be reserved for the person who did this."
"She's dead." Cassie said, looking at the floor. "But if that was the only thing I'd done, I'd be okay..."
"Tell me."
"Before that, when I was ten, my mother asked me to go to school, I went off to play in the forest. When I came back, everyone was dead...And then, when I was fifteen, I got sick, and I..." She whimpered softly. "I hurt my mom...they wouldn't let me go back, and I...I almost got them killed again..."
"You're not the only one who's hurt their mother..." Nick replied softly, his own eyes mirroring the pain in Cassie's.
She swallowed. For a moment, she could see flashes of Nick's memory, and in that instant, she put her hand on his shoulder. "It'll all be okay."
He gave her a small half smile, then sobered. "Cassie, as for you going and playing in the forest...it's because of you that the SGC knows anything about your people...by being alive, THEY are still alive. You remember them and all of the things that your parents taught you...that's something you can never lose."
She nodded, returning the half-smile before giving him a light hug. "Thanks for your help." She said, sadly. "But it's really hard to be the sole survivor of an entire people and then threaten the lives of those you hold dearest to you not once, but twice..."
"Yes…it is…but you're strong, and you can handle it…"
She nodded as she sighed. "Trust me...everything's going to be okay between you and your mother...and Thomas lives on in you, Raddeus, your mother, and even your sons…"
"My mother?" He choked, as tears burned the back of his eyes at the mention of his mother and little brother.
She gave a weak smile. "I'm…psychic."
He took a deep breath before nodding. "Wow…"
"It'll get harder before it gets better, but...all will be resolved..."
He couldn't stop the tears from spilling over and falling down his cheeks.
Nick rubbed at his face with a free hand, though his eyes were now red. "Ready to go face the world?"
She shrugged. "Maybe..." Then, she grinned. "I'm supposed to meet Liam for lunch..."
"There you go..." He said, nudging her gently.
She sobered again. "Let me know how Tony is, okay?"
"You gonna be okay?" She asked after his wordless nod.
"As ok as I get." Nick replied.
"Okay." She said, eyeing him carefully. "Are you sure I didn't just totally weird you out?"
He nodded. "To be perfectly honest, Raddeus and I almost have a telepathic connection...we always have since we were children...we can sometimes feel each other's emotions."
"I've heard of that...are you by any chance part Maori?"
Nick smiled. "We're 3/4 Maori."
She nodded. "So...you're used to someone telling you exactly how you feel..."
He nodded and smiled ruefully at her. "I never had to call Raddy after I won a competition...he would call me!"
She laughed. "That's an amazing connection..."
"It's something we grew up with...to us, it's perfectly normal." He shrugged.
She nodded. "But don't take it for granted, Nick..." She said, seriously, almost returning to her somber telepathic state of mind. "He knows more about you than even you know..."
Nick's brow furrowed slightly, but he nodded his understanding and guided her outside to the car. "Liam will be waiting." He teased.
"Sorry...that probably made me sound like a stalker." She said, recognizing the furrowed brow as a sign of her slightly catatonic state of "seeing."
"As long as you stalk Liam..." Nick said, winking cheekily at her.
She chuckled. "I don't think what we do is exactly called stalking..."
Nick shuddered. "Gah!"
"So, you can dish it out, but you can't take it?" She asked, referencing his reaction to the mini-scarring that she had given him.
"Oh, dishing it up is NO problem..." He replied, a wicked grin on his face.
"Taking it on the other hand?" Lena asked, as she led the children, traipsing through the kitchen.
"I only take it from you, dear." He replied suavely.
Cassie chuckled. "I've gotta go, or I'd stick around..."
"Go on with you, then."
"Just don't scar the kids..." She pleaded as she hurried out the door.
"We'll try..." Nick said, reprising the line from "Shall We Dance?"
"Do you HAVE to quote Tony's movie when he's not around?"
"Of course! He's not here to smack me!" Nick shot back, looking extremely pleased with himself.
She smacked him lightly on the arm. "But I am...and I'm starting to get tired of you quoting my favorite film!"
"Oy...meanie!" He pouted.
"Meanie?" She asked, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Don't you remember why it's my favorite film?"
He smirked and pulled her closer to him. "Why don't you remind me?"
"Well, you see...there's this dancer...and he's competing in the first competition that Paulina saw...his partner was the one with the gorgeous dress...with all those lovely sequins..." She said, winking as she pulled out of his embrace.
Nick's mouth dropped open, then he smirked. "Danny, help me upstairs." He ordered his eldest.
Lena raised an eyebrow. "Oh no...the kids are our responsibility!"
Nick looked at her innocently. "I just need to use the bathroom."
"There's a bathroom on this floor." She said, walking away, a slight sway in her hips.
Nick kept himself from growling. "I know that, but I also wanted to change my shirt. Come, Danny."
The boy obediently helped his father upstairs and gave him other assistance he required.
Lena chuckled to herself as she got lunch on the table. She was going to be the death of her husband yet...
Nick and Danny came back a few minutes later, Nick in a pair of tight jeans that had a rip in the left knee and an even tighter turquoise tank top that set off his dark complexion and hair very well. He had even applied some of her favorite cologne.
Lena looked up from the macaroni and cheese she had prepared for the kids only to gasp at the sight of her VERY hot husband...
Nick allowed his son to lead him to the table where he took a seat, slouching slightly, his arm nonchalantly hanging over the back of the chair.
"Did you want some lunch?" Lena asked, recovering her voice after a few seconds. So much for being the death of her husband...he would be the death of her...
"That'd be lovely." He replied in full accent.
The tightening in her stomach increased as did her blush. Underneath her breath in Russian, she muttered a few choice words as she handed the bowl to him.
"Ta, luv." he replied, winking at her and allowing his fingers to brush hers.
The electric shock was still there...and she took a deep breath. She and Nick were the only adults there...they couldn't just leave the kids...No matter how much she wanted to...
"Hello? Anybody home?" Daniel Jackson called from the living room.
Lena practically ran to the archaeologist. "Daniel! Could you watch the kids?"
"Ummm...sure. Teal'c and I were actually coming to see if they wanted to go to the park." Daniel replied, understanding all too well what was going on after seeing how Nick was dressed.
"But we just got back!" Grace pouted. "And I'm hungry!"
"Why don't we go to McDonald's then?" Daniel asked, thinking quickly.
"They'd love to!" Lena said, helping Nick up from his chair.
Daniel shook his head a couple times, trying VERY hard to keep his brain from wandering down paths he did NOT want to contemplate. "Have...fun...whatever. Come on guys, let's go get shoes on."
However, as they walked out the door, the make-out session had already begun, Nick's smirk still VERY much in place.
--
Tony drifted in and out of consciousness on the ride over to the hospital, his leg throbbing.
"Almost there, Tony." Sam reassured.
"Okay...I think the driver is going to get my bill for this.." He joked weakly.
"Hey..." Jack said, pulling into the emergency room entrance of the hospital. "I heard that..."
"I know." Tony moaned, clutching his arm and saying several phrases in Albanian.
Sam took a deep breath as she stepped out of the truck and walked over to the door and opened it. "Okay...come on, Tony..."
Ria walked into the room, picking up the chart on the door. As a nurse practitioner, she often cared for injured limbs on her own. She rifled through the chart. "My name is Ria Sangford, Mr. Dovol..." She looked at the name on her chart and then up at her patient. "Tony?"
Tony looked up blearily at her. "Ria?" He asked hopefully.
"Hi." She said, smiling sympathetically. "So...what happened?"
"I was dancing on the roof and gravity decided to come calling." He said, panting. His arm was really hurting.
"Okay...Tony...stay with me..." She said, soothingly.
He focused his eyes on her face and blinked several times. "Always." He finally murmured.
--
An hour later, Ria was finished with her shift and passed Tony's room. She wondered if she should stop in and see how he was doing again- this time as his friend- however, as she was contemplating this, Samantha O'Neill walked past, having just come from the restroom. "Ria!"
She smiled. "Colonel Carter!"
"It's Sam."
"Sam." She said, nodding. "How's Tony?"
"He's all right…keeps insisting that he doesn't need any painkillers, but…he's all right."
Ria shook her head. "Taking one's medication is not a sign of weakness…if anything NOT taking prescriptions is a sign of weakness."
"I agree…but he won't listen to Jack or me."
She took a deep breath. "D'you think he'd listen to me?"
"Maybe."
Ria opened the door. "Tony?"
"Ria!" He murmured, deliriously.
"So, you're trying to be a macho man…"
"What?"
She sat on the side of the bed, her jacket folded over her left arm. She gently brushed away one strand of his unruly dark hair from his face. "Why aren't you taking your pain medication?"
"It's for sissies…" He said, slurring his 's's.
She chuckled. "Tony, you can hardly focus on what's happening around you. What's so macho about that?"
He chuckled softly. "Okay…fine…you got a glass of water?"
"Of course."
Sam brought the small pitcher over and filled up the glass. Meanwhile, Ria handed Tony the small pain pills. "Here."
He placed the pills on his tongue and took a swig of water to swallow them down with.
She smiled as he settled against the pillows again. "That wasn't so hard, now, was it?"
He shook his head. "Nope."
She stood. "Then, I guess my job here is done…"
"No…stay…"
"Are you sure?"
"I'd like you to stay if you can…"
She chuckled. "I just got off…"
"Now…I thought you worked at the base that everyone seems to have some connection to…" He chuckled. "So…what are you doing here in a public hospital?"
"They're understaffed. I volunteer here whenever I can."
"Oh."
"Yeah…I love it here…the staff is busy, but they're all in it for the job…not the pay, and you can see it…"
"Yeah, you can." He said, looking into her eyes.
Suddenly, they heard the door close, and she turned to find that the O'Neills had left the room.
"Think they'll come back when they realize that they've left their precious cargo?" She teased.
"I don't know…Sam seemed to be taking good care of that…" Tony mused with a teasing gleam in his eye.
"Hmmm…I might have to just take you home then…"
"I wouldn't mind that…"
"Not to MY house!" She chuckled.
"D'oh!"
"To YOUR house!" She shook her head, laughing.
"That'd be quite a drive." Tony said, regaining composure.
"Huh?"
"I live in New York City…"
She swatted him playfully on his uninjured arm. "TONY!"
"What?"
"Hasn't your medication kicked in yet? You should be ASLEEP!"
"I don't know." He said, loftily. "YOU'RE the doctor."
She shook her head. "You're keeping yourself up, aren't you?"
He bit his lip. "Okay…fine…you caught me…"
"Tony, take a nap…when you're done, I'll be here, and I'll take you back to your house…unless the O'Neills didn't REALLY leave us behind…"
He smiled as he let his eyes close. "Okay."
--
Cassie rang the bell to Liam's apartment.
"Yes?"
"It's me, Cassandra."
"Oh, come on up!"
"I'd love to…I don't have a key." She chuckled.
"Right…then I'll be right down…"
"Okay."
Sure enough, a few seconds later, Liam, dressed in black slacks and a blue shirt, came to greet Cassie. He kissed her cheek. "So…how are you?"
"I'm fine." She said, with a somewhat hesitant smile.
"Bella?"
"Tony was rehearsing on the roof and I startled him and he fell off the roof…"
Liam looked at her, surprised. "You really have a thing against dancers, don't you?"
She playfully swatted his arm. "Be good!"
"I'll try…" He said with a grin, reprising Richard Gere's line from "Shall We Dance?"
She tried to glare at him, but ended up laughing instead. "You are a nut, you know that? An absolute nut!"
"Pecan, peanut, walnut, almond, or Brazilian nut?"
She shook her head. "I don't know…I am quite partial to almonds, myself."
"Then, I shall forever be your almond joy." He said with a facetious grin.
She laughed. "Are you trying to make me look like a giggling idiot?"
"You're not an idiot." He said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Nope…you're mia bella…"
"I'm your beautiful?"
"Yes."
She smiled. "You're SO sweet!"
"Thank you. I practice regularly…"
"On who? Lena?" She teased.
"I'll have you know that between my instruction from Nick and my practice on Lena, I have become the master of flattery!"
"Oh…nice…"
"I'm not going to win, am I?" He asked, giving a theatrical sigh.
"Not a chance."
They got into Liam's car, and drove off. "So…Mario and Luigi's?"
Cassie chuckled. She still could not keep from laughing every time she heard their names.
"What?"
"Nothing…"
"Still can't help but laugh at their names, can you?"
She chuckled again. "Well, can you blame me?"
"No, I told you on our first date that I couldn't help but laugh at their names, either…"
She laughed. "Oh boy…"
"So…I ask again…Mario and Luigi's?"
"Might as well…" She chuckled.
--
Tony opened his eyes, feeling less groggy and overall, better, to find Ria sitting beside his bed.
"Hey!"
"Hey!" She responded, as she looked up from her book. "How're you feeling?"
"Better…"
"Good."
"So…Sam and Jack really did leave us, didn't they?"
"Yes, I think they're trying to give us some…alone time…"
"Oh brother."
"That's what I said…" She laughed.
"They must have cast their lot with Nick…"
"Wouldn't surprise me…"
"Me either."
"Well, sadly for you…the hospital is about to kick you out…"
"Darn."
"So…wanna come with me? I'll take you back to the General's…"
"Sure." He said, getting out of the hospital bed.
He was still a little bit groggy from the medication, and he wobbled from the dizzying effects of the painkillers. As he did so, however, Ria bent and captured his arm on her shoulder, steadying him as she stood and placed an arm around his waist. "Ready?"
"Yes."
"Excellent."
Tony smiled at everyone they passed, even wishing people a cheery "good day". He got many smiles in response.
"I should warn you..." Ria whispered. "All of these nurses are religious watchers of Dancing With the Stars."
He smirked. "That's ok."
"Well, don't complain when they walk by and swat your behind..."
"Oh believe me, I'm already used to that from dance competitions!" He responded wryly.
"Well, theirs is a cross between hero-worship and fan girl madness...and I can't save you..."
Tony sighed. "Such is the price of fame..."
She gave him a low chuckle as she walked out to her dark blue Honda. "Here." She said, opening the passenger door for him.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome." She said with a smile.
Looking around, Tony saw the radio. "Mind if I turn it on?" He asked.
"Go ahead."
He smiled his thanks at her and flicked the knob on. After finding rap station after rap station, he finally settled on an oldies station playing an old Beatles song, "And I Love Her". Tony sang along, creating his own lower harmony line to the haunting melody that Paul McCartney was singing.
"I love that song." She said with a smile.
He grinned. "So do I...the Beatles were a good band, but I presonally prefer the Moody Blues better."
She chuckled. "Me too...you've got a nice voice. And a good sense of harmony."
Tony smiled. "My sister Lana is a classically trained singer...she taught me how to use my voice."
"Ah. Gotta watch out for those classically trained singers." She teased.
"Yep!" He chuckled.
She laughed as she remembered her days in choir.
"What?"
"Oh, it's just...something I remembered from my days in choir..."
"Okay..."
"Well, you seem to be a low tenor...I was just remembering the fun we used to poke at the tenors..."
"Wanna fill me in?"
She chuckled. "Sure...we used to make fun of them by taking something shiny and hovering it in front of their eyes...then, we'd chant 'shiny object...shiny object...'"
He laughed. "Why on Earth would you do that?"
"Because our tenors had a VERY hard time focusing..." She laughed.
"Well, I'll have you know I focus VERY well." Tony teased.
"On what? The shiny lights or the shiny dance floor?"
"The shiny disco ball." He responded with a serious look before he started snickering.
"At least YOU are able to make light of it...we accidentally offended a number of the tenors..." She chuckled, somewhat embarrassed.
"Awww...poor babies."
"That was our response...they didn't really appreciate it as much as we thought they would..." She laughed.
Tony chuckled, then started bobbing his head as the Kiss song "Crazy Nights" came on. He played air guitar as best as he could.
"Air guitar?" She asked over the din of the music in the background, a distinct laugh in her voice.
"Of course! ALL men play air guitar...except for Nick, who can actually play REAL guitar!"
"He can?"
Tony nodded. "He went to Julliard for a while.
"Julliard?" She asked, surprised.
"Yep. That's where he got his doctorate in ethnomusicology from."
"I had a friend who was an AMAZING pianist...she auditioned for the Master's program at Julliard and they told her to try back later..."
Tony smiled. "Nick plays 5 instruments."
"You're kidding!"
"Nope!"
"Wow...I guess he manages to hide his talents under a bushel..."
"With the kids, he doesn't get to play as much anymore."
"I could see how that would happen..."
Tony sighed. "He plays great jazz drums...you ought to hear him on "Sing, Sing, Sing" sometime."
"Think we should tag-team him sometime? You could Jive with Cassandra!"
Tony grinned. "You'd Quickstep to that song, my dear..."
She blushed. "Sorry..."
"Not a problem."
"I thought that I was getting a hang of the dance lingo last night...but I only embarrassed myself today..." She laughed, nervously.
"Ria, it's fine." Tony said, resting his good hand lightly on her arm.
She smiled. "Sorry...every once in a while, I get kind of a panic attack of nervousness...and it's usually with people that I feel the most comfortable with...so, you should count yourself lucky."
He smiled lazily. "I certainly will, at that..."
She blushed again. "I didn't mean to make that sound like I was...well, you know...some prize to tote around...I just meant..."
She trailed off. "I'm babbling, aren't I?"
"Just a little bit." He chuckled.
She took a deep breath as they approached the O'Neill house. "Sorry."
"Ria...relax."
"Kinda hard..." She admitted as she pulled up in front of the house. "I don't think I've been alone with a guy like this since..." Her eyes glazed over with sorrowful recollection before she forced herself out of the reverie. "Never mind..."
Tony stopped her gently, but firmly. "Since what, Ria?" He asked quietly.
Tears started to touch her eyes. "Since my last date...and that was before my date raped me."
Tony closed his eyes and clenched his teeth together. If he didn't, he knew he would start swearing and want to go find the rat that had done this to her.
"But you knew about that...didn't you?" She asked, studying him, carefully.
"Yes." He sighed.
She gave a derisive chuckle. "So...how'd he get you to say yes? Did he tell you that poor, pitiful Ria needs to know how a gentleman would behave?"
"You are ANYTHING but poor and pitiful." Tony responded, his eyes blazing. "Don't you even think for a minute that I'm doing this out of pity...after my former dance partner dumped me for my former best friend 3 weeks before the biggest competition of the year, I got plenty of pity and I know how much I enjoyed it."
Tears stung her cheeks in the November chill that had suddenly taken hold of those in the car. "I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me...I'm usually better collected than this."
"Sometimes holding everything in just makes it worse." He said gently, his hand rubbing her arm slowly.
She bit her lip to keep herself from sobbing as she collected herself again. "And sometimes, holding everything in is the only way you can keep living..."
Tony took his hand off of her arm and tipped her head up to look at him. "I might not have known you very long, but I do know that I want to be your friend...someone you can lean on if you ever need to."
She gave a tender, yet sorrowful smile, back to this man. "Thank you...but I'm not sure if I'm ready to lean on anyone else...once you start to do that, you can get hurt again."
Her voice was quiet and timid, indicating just how afraid she had become.
Tony nodded. "Believe me, I know that one all too well myself. However, when you ARE ready, I'll be there."
She chuckled through her tears. "Wow...there are some knights in shining armor, aren't there?"
"I'm not a knight...just a guy who tried to do the right thing."
"Well, in my book, that makes one eligible for knighthood." She whispered, truly looking him in the eyes for the first time since they'd met. Both were astounded by just what had been unveiled in this exercise.
"Uh..." Tony began, looking away, suddenly feeling very exposed. "I...I think there's someone watching at the window to see when we'll come inside."
"You go ahead." She said, with a sad smile.
Considering his options carefully, Tony decided to throw caution to the wind. Leaning forward, he put his good arm around her, pulling her against him in a quick hug. "If you need me, call." He whispered before turning away to head into the house.
"I will." She answered, more truthfully than she would have thought possible.
He turned his head, giving her one last smile before the door opened and he was lost to her sight. However, she did not move from her place in front of the house for a long time, thinking back on what had just transpired.