Disclaimer: I don't own Bones. I just play with Hart Hanson and Fox's characters. They can have them back when I'm done.
YenYen76: Ha Legates gets even sweeter. He'll start matching his cheeks LOL. Michelle gets even better in this chapter heh.
Guinnesshero: Keep it up big boy. Keep it up.
Angelbach: Of course Legates wins teehee. Yeah, unfortunately she does and it gets worse booo. Wait until you see the guys in action in this chapter *wiggle eyebrows*
Nertooold54: It kind of makes me wonder because people (myself included) never write it in their stories. It's just months and months of glorious smut. So I figured I'd go a little real well sort of ;-) had to amp up the hormones a little. Heh, he hooked up with a cougar LOL. In Second Comes Marriage you'll see a bit more about that whole relationship.
ArielBrennan: Who doesn't hate mother nature. She's a bugger. Yeah, I almost think I went too sweet with Legates but I wanted him to be sweet and not embarrassed about it like Booth would be =D. Ha, I actually had to google pet names. I started running out of them in chapter 30ish.
Silver Maker: It's still showing you as Guest. FFN has been a little funky since they started playing with things. =( Interestingly, my husband says that some of those details bore him /shrug. I go with my instinct. Thank you =D I really am glad that you're liking it.
Guest: Yeah, I wrote Legates to be the 'dream' boyfriend...well for now any way *wiggle eyebrows*.
Chapter 49 - A Hormonal Woman in a Tee Shirt and Panties
Techie looked over at Legates as he drove them on base.
"So what's the deal with all that girlie stuff?" Techie asked, concerned with Michelle's current state.
"It's her girlie stuff," Legates said, shrugging.
He wasn't sure if Michelle would like him to share. Techie looked at Legates with a raised eyebrow. Legates let out a sigh partially resignation partially frustration.
"I'm telling you this and if you tell her I told you I will shoot you," Legates promised. Techie raised his hands in a I got it gesture.
"She has something called Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder," Legates said, turning and heading towards the offices.
"Okay and that means?" Techie questioned not having a clue what Legates was talking about.
"Take anything you've ever heard about PMS and multiply it by like fifty," Legates grunted.
"Everything?" Techie said, his mind scrambling through the things he'd seen with Andrea.
"The pain, the bloating, the crankiness, the crying jags, the tiredness, the mood swings all of it," Legates said, pulling into a parking place.
"And there's nothing they can do?" Techie said, horrified at the thought of someone having to deal with that every month. Andrea was bad enough but making her fifty times worse made him mentally cringe.
"She said they tried other therapies and they didn't work so they put her on Depro to control some of the symptoms. So, if she forgets to get her shot it's worse than what you're seeing now," Legates muttered as he turned the truck off. Techie let out a low whistle and shook his head.
"She's embarrassed at us seeing her like this so just act like nothing is going on," Legates told Techie, as he grabbed his hat.
"Ok," Techie said, climbing out of the truck.
After accountability, Legates drove Techie back to the dorms, dropped him off then returned to base. He flew through his test, laughing that sixty percent of the test was body parts. He had absolutely not one problem with the body parts. The other forty percent was definition and conjugation. He had a feeling that the next part of the class was going to suck. They would start with the no speaking English in the classroom or to the teacher.
He hated when they had these parts because sometimes he'd forget to switch back to English and not realize it had happened until some poor person gave him the I have no idea what you're saying look. He turned the test in and sat back down to wait for everyone else to finish. He wished it was like college where you could leave once you finished.
He sat staring at the blackboard making a mental list of things he was going to buy after he left here. Hmm PX or Target, he wondered. Maybe with the amount he was spending Boscovs would be a good idea. They gave a military discount. When the last test was turned in, Legates jumped to his feet and made his way to his truck. Pausing before pulling out, he scanned the people milling around the building. Leaning out of the truck, he let out a sharp whistle making the men look up.
"Maggs," he called out. Maggs broke away from the men he was standing with and walked over to the truck.
"What?" He asked in a smart assed tone as he approached.
"You done for the day?" Legates asked with a hurried look on his face.
"Uh, yeah, what's up?" Maggs asked, squinting at Legates.
"Get in, we're going shopping," Legates said.
Maggs walked around the front of the truck and climbed in. Backing out of his parking place, Legates drove to Boscovs and parked. They climbed out of the truck and walked towards the door.
"What do I owe the pleasure of this shopping trip?" Maggs asked with a smirk.
"I need to buy something expensive. I'll need your help unloading and I need to make another stop and don't want to leave it alone in the back of the truck," Legates said, glancing around the store.
He walked straight towards the bedding and bath. Starting at the towels, he picked up more than a few in several colors and tucked them under his arm. Pausing, he looked around and saw a register. Walking over, he waited a minute then a woman walked up to the register.
"Are you ready to check out?" She asked with a wide smile.
"Um no, I was wondering if I could leave these here? I have quite a few things to get and there don't seem to be any type of carts here," he said, glancing around.
"Here, just place your things in here," she said, indicating what looked like a handcart used for transporting bedding stock for folding.
"Thanks," he said, giving the woman a charm smile.
"Dude, how much shit are you buying?" Maggs asked, looking around nervously.
"I need a comforter, pillows, a TV, umm," Legates said, pausing.
Maggs started sputtering as Legates walked towards the bedding. Going down the bedding aisle, Legates looked at pillows. He spent probably ten minutes squeezing, poking and otherwise testing pillows before deciding on three.
"Are you stress testing them?" Maggs asked with a laugh as he watched Legates poking and prodding at the pillows.
"Hell yeah, I have to fight Michelle for my pillow," he muttered.
"Is that why you're buying three?" Maggs asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"You're right," Legates said then picked up another. Maggs burst into laughter until Legates shoved the pillows into his arms.
"Take these over to where the towels are," he said. Maggs walked off shaking his head and snickering. Legates was so whipped.
"I'm not whipped, Maggs," Legates called from where he stood in front of the comforters.
When Maggs returned, he saw Legates perusing down comforters, fingering the samples hanging from the tags around the bags. Finally deciding, he turned to take it to the register.
"Duvet," Maggs said, laughing at Legates.
"Say what?" Legates asked, looking quizzically at Maggs.
"It's a cover that goes over the comforter. I mean would you really spend two hundred plus dollars on a bed spread and not protect it? What happens if you spill something on it?" Maggs asked, leering as he said the word spill. Spinning on his heel with a sigh, Legates turned back towards the bedding. Finding the duvets, he frowned at the lack of selection.
"You had another stop. Maybe Target?" Maggs suggested with a quirked eyebrow.
"You seem to know a lot about this girlie stuff. You a girl out of uniform?" Legates asked with a chuckle.
"No, my ex worked at Macy's in the bedding department," Maggs shrugged as he explained. Maggs took the comforter from Legates' hands.
"What are you looking for in your comforter? Warmth? Fluffiness?" Maggs asked, looking at the comforter.
"Fluffiness," Legates said without hesitation.
"Okay," Maggs said, leaving and heading back towards the comforters. Legates trailed behind him and watched as Maggs read labels.
"How big?" Maggs asked.
"King," Legates said. Maggs jerked around and stared wide eyed at Legates.
"You have a king sized bed in that room?"
"No, I just want a big blanket," Legates said, frowning slightly.
"Okay," Maggs reached in and handed him a comforter that was almost half the cost. Legates frowned and looked at the price tag again.
"It's not always about the price tag. Trust me on this okay? I listened to this shit for over a year. She babbled incessantly about this stupid shit as if I gave a fuck. But I will say I slept in the most comfortable bed for that year," Maggs said, grinning.
Nodding, Legates took the comforter and walked back to the counter and set it in the cart with his other stuff. The lady walked up and smiled.
"Did you find everything?" She asked with a smile.
"Uh, I need to buy a TV. Do I need to go over there and pay for it separately?" He asked, hoping that wasn't the case.
"No, sir just ask one of the sales associates and he will give you a tag to bring back here. Then he'll give you a number so you can pick it up at the back door. Or if you would prefer I can give you a scanner gun and you can start a registry," she said.
Their mouths fell open in horror and their eyes bugged as her comment registered.
"Wha?" Legates sputtered in horror
"We're not-" Maggs said at the same time.
"You don't have to hide it. Don't ask Don't tell was repealed," she said, waving her hand.
"Ma'am, I'm buying this stuff for my girlfriend," Legates said.
"And I used to date Lisa over in the Macy's bedding department. Take your lunch break and go ask her about Ajay," Maggs said, his eyes narrowing.
"My apologies. I just assumed because you were buying bedding," she said, blushing lightly at her mistake, "if you just get the tag from the sales person I'll finish ringing you up."
"Thanks," Legates said.
"Oh and sir. There are coupons in the flyers as you enter the Electronics department," she told him with a grin.
"Thanks again," he said, smiling.
The men headed back to the electronics department. Legates stood in front of the 65" LCD TV almost drooling. Maggs looked at the price tag and smirked.
"Can you afford that?" Maggs asked with a raised eyebrow. Legates turned and looked at him.
"When I bought my truck I put thirty five thousand down on it," Legates said, shooting Maggs a winning look.
"Um, do we work for the same employer?" Maggs asked, looking at Legates in amazement.
"Yeah, but like I told Michelle. I don't really spend money on anything. And when I was in Afghanistan I got my regular pay plus hazard pay and had no expenses. Plus it's tax exempt. At the end of every month I have any extra money transferred to my accountant. He invests it and I get accrued interest at the end of the next month. I just keep investing and I have plenty of money to play with," Legates smirked.
"Hook a brother up," Maggs said, his mouth falling open.
"You have to have some money for the initial investment," Legates told him.
"Hey I can get some together," Maggs said.
"Okay, I'll give you his number," Legates said, turning his attention back to the TV.
"Need a DVD player too," Legates mumbled.
"No, what you need is a Blu-ray player," Maggs told him.
Legates nodded and turned to signal one of the salesmen that were lurking but trying to look like they were doing something else. One of the men came forward wearing a large smile.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" He asked with a wide smile that kind of reminded Legates of a shark.
"Yeah, do you have any of these in stock?" Legates asked the man with a narrow eyed look.
"We do have one left," the man nodded.
"Okay, I'd like to buy that and...Maggs, go find me a Blu-ray player," Legates said.
Maggs turned on his heel and headed to the Blu-ray player section. He reappeared a moment later with a grin. Legates rolled his eyes.
"And whatever Blu-ray player he picks out," Legates said.
"Okay, are you ready to check out or do you have more shopping to do?" The salesman asked with a smile.
"We have a bunch of stuff over in bath and bedding. We were told you could give us a ticket," Legates said.
"Sure, let me get that stuff for you," he said. He walked to a counter, pulled a couple of tags off and returned.
"Just give them this number when you pull up to the back door," he said.
"Thanks," Legates said. He glanced at his watch and blanched.
"We gotta make tracks, Maggs. I told Michelle I'd be back an hour ago," he said, walking quickly towards the register.
Five minutes later, they were checked out and driving around the back of the store.
"Why is it so important that you get back when you said?" Maggs asked, grinning as he teased Legates.
"Because Michelle doesn't feel good and I don't like leaving her alone when she feels like she does," Legates said gruffly.
"Awwwww," Maggs said, cooing and fluttering his eyelashes.
Legates punched him on the arm and opened the door. He handed the tag to the man at the back door and put his tailgate down. He got back into the truck and backed up to the loading dock. The stock boy grinned a happy grin as he realized the truck was the right height to just roll the dolly onto the back of the truck. He rolled the TV into the truck and Legates climbed out.
Using the runner, Legates climbed into the back. Opening the tool box, he pulled out a set of winching straps. The stock boy watched in amazement as Legates hooked the straps to his truck and strapped down the TV.
"Thanks," Legates said, picking up the Blu-ray player. He realized that it was a combination Blue-ray DvD player and shook his head at Maggs thoroughness.
Jumping over the side of the truck, Legates landed with cat like agility on the ground. The stock boy pushed the dolly off the truck, back onto the dock then closed the tailgate. He watched the truck pull away and shook his head. Legates drove quickly and carefully through the DC traffic to the Target down the road from the dorms.
"Stay put," Legates said, getting out of the truck.
"Yes, daddy," Maggs said, smirking. Rolling down the window, Maggs stuck his head out the window.
"Daddy, I want a candy bar," he whined out the window.
Legates spun on his heel, put his hands on his hips, and scowled at Maggs. Maggs burst into laughter and rolled the window up. Turning, Legates went into the store. He knew what he wanted. He pushed a cart quickly to the bedding and started digging through the duvets.
"Aha," he muttered, pulling out a navy blue flannel duvet.
He grabbed two more, matching sheets, a few pillowcases then headed for the candy aisle. He realized he'd have to come back to the movie section so he changed direction and went to the movie aisle first. After going up and down the aisles, he picked through the movies. In went Braveheart, Titanic, Gone with the Wind and Triple X. Pausing a moment, he swung around and went to the pharmacy section. Grabbing a large bottle of Pepto Bismol, he threw it in the cart.
Sighing in resignation, he went down THATaisle. Shuddering, he scanned and thanked the good lord that her particular brand had a color and symbol match allowing him to quickly see what he needed. Grabbing two, he threw them in the cart. Leaving the aisle quickly, he headed to the junk food. After grabbing a couple bags of chips, some Hershey Dark Chocolate Bliss, some Pepsi and Coke he went to the freezer section. His gut was screaming Ben and Jerry's which he wasn't sure why because she had never ate it around him. Following his instincts, he pushed the cart along the freezer section until he found the Ben and Jerry's. He groaned, this store had an entire door of Ben and Jerry's. Sighing, he opened the door and grabbed one of each. Stopping for a second, he doubled up on some of the ones that looked like something she'd like.
Snorting, he went to the register and smirked. Grabbing one of the PowerPuff Girls mylar balloons and a snickers bar, he threw them up on the checkout belt. He proceeded to unload the cart. The woman's eyebrow rose at the movies they went even higher at the chocolate and random junk food. A smirk spread across her face at the sight of the feminine products on the belt. He gave the woman his best Army face, paid the bill, put the bags in the cart, and left the store.
He tried not to burst into laughter at the sight of Maggs singing in the truck. Legates couldn't hear Maggs but the look on Maggs face indicated he was belting whatever out at the top of his lungs. He yanked the door behind Maggs open and heard.
Don't tell me you're sorry 'cause you're not
And baby when I know you're only sorry you got caught
Legates burst into rolling laughter, Maggs was even doing the hand gestures. Legates yanked open the passenger's side door.
"Where you a good boy?" Legates asked, still laughing at Maggs.
"Yes, daddy," Maggs said, smirking. Legates untied the balloon and gave that and the candy bar to Maggs.
"Yay," Maggs said, sarcastically as Legates unloaded the cart. Maggs reached between the seats and pulled the Blu-ray video out of the bag.
"Unnghh seriously? Gone with the Wind? What have you gone gay on me?" Maggs said, grimacing at the movie.
Legates laughed and closed the back door. Walking around the truck, he got in and quickly drove down the road to the dorm.
"It's the original chick flick, it's a classic," Legates said, smirking.
Maggs shook his head and laughed as he put the disc back in the bag. The men climbed out of the truck and Legates put the tailgate down. He unstrapped the TV and looked at it. Getting behind the TV, he pushed it to the tailgate and turned it carefully.
"Maybe we should prop the door open," Legates said.
"Yeah, good idea," Maggs said. Martinez chose that moment to open the door.
"Hey, Martinez, hold that open," Maggs yelled.
Martinez turned to look at them and it took everything he had to keep his mouth closed. Moving at a steady pace, they crossed the snow covered grass and went through the door.
Maggs backed up the steps and Legates pushed from the bottom. Martinez slid past them and up onto the second floor landing. Opening the door, his eyes skimmed the box as they went past.
"What'd you rob a bank?" Martinez asked, following them down the hall. They grunted and Legates glared at Martinez. Martinez reached for the door handle.
"Knock," Legates barked before Martinez could open the door. The door flew open and Techie stood on the other side scowling.
"Where the hell have you been, douche," Techie rumbled.
"Shopping," Legates said, pushing past Martinez and Techie. He and Maggs set the TV down and Legates looked around.
"She just went into the shower," Techie said, nodding towards the bathroom door. Legates nodded then headed towards the door.
"Okay time to line the guys up. Addison and Oaks are now specialists," Techie said with pride as if he'd had something to do with it.
"Everyone is still in uniform?" Legates said, raising an eyebrow.
"Some of us took more than one class," Techie snorted. Legates laughed and nodded as they headed towards the door.
"Line it up guys," Techie bellowed down the hall. Romero stuck his head out the door.
"Not you, Romero," Techie said, scowling at the man. Maggs smirked at Romero as he leaned against the wall. Martinez was coming up the steps and Maggs waved him in. The men came scrambling out of their rooms and lined up against the wall. The men straightened up from their leaning positions and waited as Oaks shoved Addison in between the two lines of men. As Addison walked between the two men, they each slammed their fists into the new patches on the two men's arms. After smacking the pair on the back in congratulations, Legates turned to look at Maggs.
"We have to go get the rest of the stuff," he said, making Maggs nod.
"You're not done yet?" Techie said in amazement.
"Nope, come on, Maggs," Legates said, grinning at Maggs.
"What do I get out of this?"
"You already got a balloon and a candy bar. But I'll let you watch the TV in a few days," Legates said.
"Alright, alright," Maggs sighed.
They left the room and Techie started clearing a space on top of the dressers. Michelle stumbled out of the bathroom and Techie's eyebrow rose. She was wearing one of Legates' shirts, a pair of panties and nothing else. She crawled into the bed and dry swallowed a pill. Shaking his head, Techie opened the TV box and started removing it from the box. Grunting, he lifted it onto the dresser and slid it more towards Legates' side.
By the time Legates and Maggs got back from the truck Techie was playing with the remote and flicking through Michelle's iPod list. Her iPod was firmly docked in the stereo which was now hooked to the TV. Maggs dropped the bags with a grunt. Techie turned and his eyes got wide.
"What did you buy the whole store?" Techie asked, eyeing everything.
"No," Legates muttered as he started digging through the bags.
He found the three bags and walked them to the kitchenette. He opened the freezer and Techie started chuckling as he saw Legates unloading pints of Ben and Jerry's into the freezer.
"You going to be able to pay your rent, honey buns?" Techie asked, his eyebrows rising.
"Yeah and I'll even have money left over," Legates said, as he quickly put the ice cream in the freezer.
Michelle grunted from the other side of the bookcases. Legates put the last pint in the freezer and headed in her direction.
"Hey, Techie, wash that shit, please," Legates said, pointing to the bags of sheets as he walked around the bookcases.
Techie looked at the bags and his eyes narrowed. Maggs decided to cut Techie some slack and dug out the duvets, sheets, pillowcases and towels. Techie walked to Legates' closet and opened the door. He pulled down the laundry items. Legates listened, heard the door close and the room got quiet.
"Hey, Baby," he said, pulling his boots off and climbing into the bed with her.
She sniffled and he winced feeling bad for her. He wrapped around her and pulled her back against him.
"I yelled at Techie," she whispered.
"He probably deserved it," Legates said.
"He flushed the toilet and woke me up," Michelle sniffled. Legates chuckled and pulled her tighter against him.
"Yeah, well, who gives a shit if he's pissed off," Legates murmured. She sighed and then groaned.
"I told you this was a bad idea," she murmured.
"No, Baby, it's fine," he told her, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
She shook her head and tried to burrow between him and the mattress. He chuckled and shook his head. Sitting up, he got up off the bed but stopped when she whined. He turned to see her looking like someone was kicking her puppy.
"I'm just getting something. I'll be right back," he said, smiling softly at her. She whined and rolled up in the blanket. He chuckled as he dug around in the bags.
"Huh, there it is," he said, pulling out the comforter then the pillows.
He opened the down comforter, pulled it out and shook it out. Carrying it around the corner, he dropped it on the bed. Walking back around to the bags again, he removed the wrapping from the pillows. He carried them around the corner and put the pillows near the top of the bed. She made a humming almost purring noise as she grabbed for the pillows. He watched fascinated as she tried to snuggle with them all at the same time.
He picked up the down comforter and threw it over her. She snuggled down and let out a contented sigh. He smirked and shook his head. He turned around and looked at the bags on the floor and noticed a coffee mug on the floor near the door. Walking over, he picked it up and was looking at it when Techie walked in.
"It's a coffee mug," he told Legates.
"You think? Why is it by the door?" Legates asked, looking at Techie with a frown. Techie chuckled at the look on Legates' face.
"Well, after I woke her up with the toilet, she went all hormonal," Techie said.
"I heard," Legates muttered. Techie chuckled and shook his head.
"And Romero came looking for you for something and didn't know. She almost took his head off with the coffee mug. He lit out of here like someone lit his ass on fire. Wish I had my phone on me, that was a YouTube worthy moment," Techie said, chuckling.
Legates chuckled and carried the coffee mug to the sink. He started digging around in the bags and putting stuff away as Techie watched wearing a smirk.
"Jesus, did you buy one of everything?" Techie asked, still watching Legates put the food away.
"Heh, haven't been with her long enough to know what she'd crave so I hit all the majors. Salty, sweet, spicy, creamy and chocolate," Legates said, laughing. Techie shook his head and opened the refrigerator door and shook his head.
"Pepsi? That's foul," Techie muttered.
"Eh, it's for her. There's Coke in the back," Legates said.
Techie grabbed a Coke then proceeded to hook up the Blu-ray player. Michelle made a mewling noise then there was some shuffling and a sigh. Legates bit back a chuckle and shook his head.
"So, you can go out and just buy a huge ass tv and all this crap and still pay the bills. You didn't dip into your investment money did you?" Techie asked in almost chiding tone.
They both heard a slight gasp. Legates decided to squash that line of thought right here and now.
"Nope, I have been reinvesting my play money since I've not had anything to pay for or with," Legates said, shrugging. Techie nodded in understanding.
"You going to fire that bad boy up or did you buy it to collect dust?" Techie asked, waving his bottle of Coke towards the TV.
"Depends. Sweetheart, you want to watch some TV?" Legates called over towards the bookcases.
"Mm that's fine," she muttered.
"Do you want anything to eat?" Legates asked, before picking up the Blu-ray movies.
"I doubt you have what I want," she muttered.
"Try me," he said, shaking his head and looking at the ceiling.
"Chocolate Therapy," she mumbled.
He turned to the freezer and started digging. He pulled out a pint then got her a spoon. He carried the pint, the spoon and a bag of chips in one hand. Reaching with his other hand, he picked up the blu-ray movies. He walked around the corner and set the movies then the chips down. He held the pint out to her and watched her eyes go wide with surprise. She crooned as she almost tackled him for the ice cream.
"Baby, I promise I'm going to give it to you," he said, chuckling.
"Mine," she said almost playfully.
Techie snorted and flopped on the bed waiting for the TV to come on. Legates opened the bag of Ruffles potato chips and almost laughed when her hand sneaked into the bag to swipe one. He watched her with twinkling eyes as she used a potato chip as a spoon.
"Ladies' choice," Legates said, gesturing to the movies. She looked at the movies and then glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
"You want to watch Titanic don't you," he said with a knowing smile.
She suddenly became interested in the ice cream in her hands. Rolling his eyes heavenward, he stood up and carried the movie to the player. Three minutes and several instructions from Techie later, they were sitting at the head of the bed watching the opening credits of Titanic. The door burst open and Michelle pushed the pint into Legates' hands and dove under the pile of covers.
"I heard ya'll got a new TV. Do you know why Maggs is walking around with a PowerPuff Girls balloon tied to his wrist?" Perkins asked as he walked into the room.
Legates let a chuckle roll from him at Perkins comment. He felt Michelle curl up and put her head on his leg. Perkins stuck his head around the corner of the bookcase.
"Hey, there you are. Where's Michelle?" Perkins asked, his eyes scanning the bed but seeing nothing but a large down comforter and a pile of pillows.
"Dunno," Legates lied, hoping Perkins would go away.
"Huh, yeah right and I suppose these are for you?" Perkins said, his hand coming around the bookcase as well clutching a package of feminine products that had been sitting on the floor.
Techie snorted his laughter and waited to see how Legates would get out of this one. Michelle closed her eyes and prayed that Perkins wasn't holding what she thought he was holding.
"No they're for you. You'll need them when I plant my foot so far up your ass it bleeds," Legates said, smirking at Perkins.
"Testy, testy. Nice movie by the way, pussy," Perkins said, shooting Legates a teasing look.
"It's Techie's," Legates said, eating a chip. He felt Michelle stomach roll on his leg then heard her moan.
"Legates, did your leg just moan?" Perkins asked, now sure that Michelle was hiding under the covers.
Legates frowned then jerked in surprise. Did she just? Oh yes she did. Moving carefully, he got up from the bed and walked into the kitchenette. Popping the lid on the ice cream, he stuck it in the freezer. Picking up the Pepto Bismol, he carried it back to the bed.
"If you love your sense of smell don't lift the covers," Michelle mumbled in a low tone. Legates chuckled and stuck his hand holding the bottle under the covers.
"You coming out, Michelle?" Perkins asked his voice full of laughter.
"No. Josh, can you make him go away?" Michelle whined from under the covers.
Legates pointed to the door and mouthed 'out'. Perkins gave a half assed salute and left the room. Michelle appeared from under the covers in a fog that made Legates eyes water.
"Baby, if that's what happens when I feed you chocolate you're not getting any more," Legates said with a grin. Michelle cringed back from him and fought with the bottle trying to open it.
"Here," Legates said, taking the bottle from her hands.
Making quick work of the safety seal, he opened the bottle. Leaning over, he dropped a kiss on her lips before handing her the bottle.
"I was teasing," he whispered against her lips.
She blushed and took the bottle from his hands. From the corner of his eye, he saw her chugging Pepto and mentally gagged. He turned back to the TV and hit the play button. The movie started again and Legates only semi-watched. Truth be told, he was more interested at what was going on at the foot of the bed. Michelle had moved closer to the TV and this apparently required a new nest.
He tried not to laugh at the thought that she was like a dog circling to find just the right spot. Covers were fluffed, pillows were moved, blankets were pulled. By the time she was done, all you could see coming out from under the covers was her face. Techie walked past about half way through the movie, paused looked at Michelle and shook his head.
"She looks like some kind of fluffy bunny or something," Techie commented. Legates chuckled and shook his head.
"With long sharp pointy teeth," she said.
Techie burst into laughter and continued on to the bathroom. Legates rolled over and crawled down to the end of the bed where she lay. Curling up around her, he smiled as she wiggled back closer to him.
"Eeehhh," she whined.
"Awww," he said, kissing her temple.
They were lying there quietly when there was a quick knock and the door burst open before anyone could reply. Romero came walking into the room making Michelle jump. Techie had just stepped out of the bathroom when he caught sight of Michelle grabbing the bottle of soda that Legates had set on the floor near the foot of the bed. As Techie blinked, he saw the bottle fly and hit Romero in the chest. Romero stalked forward a scowl firmly in place.
"What the hell is your problem you cunt? That's the second time you've thrown something at me," Romero bellowed at Michelle.
"Romero-" Legates growled, rage boiling up in his veins.
"Cunt? CUNT? Romero, you are an annoying dickless piece of shit that couldn't get a man if you tried," Michelle screeched back in anger, leaping from under the covers.
She stalked towards Romero with a fierce look on her face. Techie watched in fascination as he realized Romero, a Green Beret, was about to be taken down by a hormonal woman in a large tee shirt and panties.
"That's the second time today you've burst into this room without invitation. Didn't your mother teach you any manners? Don't even get me started on barging in on showers because you want to see Josh naked. This is not a college dorm, hell my college dorm mates have more respect for privacy than you do. And who the fuck do you think you are calling me a cunt?" Michelle screamed as Romero backed away from her angry form coming towards him.
Legates' unit had come down the hall when they heard Michelle screaming. A crowd had gathered in the doorway to watch what was going on.
"I've known him longer than you have," Romero growled.
"Yippee fucking skippy for you. Doesn't change the fact that this is not your room," Michelle growled, leaning in towards Romero.
"It ain't yours either," Romero growled back. Legates suddenly got the feeling that this fight had absolutely nothing to do with a room.
"No, but I don't go barging into people's rooms without knocking," she caught Goodman's eye, "well not without provocation," she amended. Goodman shot her a grin and shook his head, letting her know he didn't care.
"Don't you think we're tired of seeing your ass around here? We can't do anything because of your girlie sensibilities," Romero said, crossing his arms and glaring at her.
A stunned and hurt look flashed across her face before she looked up at the men who had been quietly filing into the room behind Romero.
"Is that true? And please be honest," she asked the men behind Romero.
Wilson swore when he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. Pushing past Romero, he walked to where she was standing and enfolded her in a hug. She sniffed and pulled back to stand there and stared at Romero. There was a sudden rush as the men realized it was time to make a decision.
They pushed past Romero jostling him as they moved past. Romero's mouth fell open as Martinez and Maggs stood with Legates unit behind Michelle. The men glowered at Romero and his eyes hardened. Looking over at Techie, she blinked slowly.
"Did you need me to spend less time here? I know that I do spend quite a bit of time here," she asked shyly. Techie snorted and shook his head as he looked at the ceiling.
"Michelle, you cook, you do laundry, you make coffee on the mornings you're here, I let Legates tell Perkins that Titanic was my movie and because you're here I get to watch a big ass awesome TV. I have absolutely no problem with you being here. You're family, you're one of us," Techie said, crossing his arms. A faint blush rose on her cheeks.
"Thanks guys," Michelle said, looking around at the guys. Turning back to face Romero, the fire lit under her again.
"You...you can get the hell out. And you can stay the hell out unless you are invited. You will use common courtesy. If you open the bathroom door and hear the shower running, assume someone forgot to lock the door. Pull it closed and wait for them to finish. And if your parents never taught this to you then allow me. If you don't have anything nice to say DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL," Michelle's voice had steadily risen until she yelled the last words in his face.
"You're going to let her talk to me like that?" Romero asked Legates as he backed away from the she devil that was pushing towards him.
"You're lucky I don't smash your teeth into the back of your skull," Legates replied as Michelle pushed Romero out the door and slammed it in his face.
Romero stood there his face scowling at the door that had just been slammed in his face.
A/N: And tomorrow we'll see reactions to Romero's actions ), more hormonal craziness, ten minutes, cabaret, suspicion, sulking, bitch, lessons, conjugal trailer, Barbara Ann, Titanic, underwear, B&J dealer, heating pad, snails, ten year old girls, Jello, meat, thin ice, snugglie, toes, desiccated bodies, two days, study guides, stairs, patchouli, getting sick, and contagions.