The Virus

Chapter 6

Authors Note: I had to add some lighter stuff in here. I hope it's not too fluffy! My brain wouldn't allow me to skip out the last scene.

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When she returned to camp Cassie had still not arrived back. She couldn't see the Colonel anywhere either. She knew she should go and speak to some of the other Earth refugees but found all she wanted to do was sleep. She slipped into her and Cassie's bed feeling relieved to be out of prying eyes, warm, dry and comfortable. She sleepily wondered where the Colonel had gone and whether they should have talked about things further. She supposed she would find out later.

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She woke to the sound of laughter and it took her a moment to remember where she was. The flickering glow from the fire outside danced across the front of the tent and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. She wasn't sure how long she had slept but the scent of food made her stomach grumble. She crawled out of the tent and found Cassie, Tara, Sophie and the Colonel seated on large logs around the fire. Obviously someone had found the energy to drag them over.

"Good morning Sunshine," the Colonel winked at her. So they were pretending their earlier conversation hadn't happened? Fine with her.

"Very funny Sir," she sat down beside him and he immediately handed her a bowl. She looked down and screwed up her nose. Soup, again.

"There is bread tonight too!" Cassie handed Sam a chunk of bread. "We bought it off the villagers today." Cassie told her proudly.

"What did you buy it with?" Obviously Earth money was of no use to them.

"We bought it with Jewellery." Tara answered.

"Good idea." A comfortable silence fell over the group as they all sat lost in their own thoughts. There was the quiet murmur of other voices around the camp and a little breeze had picked up making the fire crackle. The moment she had finished soaking up the last of her soup with her bread and put it in her mouth the bowl was whisked from her hands and a stick was placed on her lap.

"Uh?" She swallowed the large mouthful with a wince. "What the hell?" Cassie didn't answer straight away but gave her a huge grin.

"Guess what Jack brought with him?"

"Beer!" Sam responded brightly.

"Do you really think I'd lug beer around in my pack?" He asked with a chuckle.

"No," she sighed theatrically. "It was just wishful thinking."

"Marshmallows!" He opened the packet and gave her first choice. She grinned and took a whole handful before handing the packet to an excited Cassie.

"Greedy," he muttered and elbowed her playfully in the ribs.

"I just know what Cassie is like…" She pointed to the girl who now had an entire lap full of marshmallows.

"Sorry, I can't help it." Cassie grinned. "I love them too much!"

"I know!" She and the Colonel spoke at the same time and both turned to each other in surprise. Sometimes she forgot that he knew Cassie almost as well as she did. The packet got handed back to the Colonel after the other ladies had taken their share and he frowned into the almost empty bag.

"Now that's not fair!" All the women around the fire remained quiet. Sam knew someone should offer to hand a couple back to him… but they were all intent on keeping their treat. "Fine!" His hand came seemingly out of nowhere and the handful in her lap disappeared. Whether it was purposeful or not she couldn't decide but his fingers had grazed her inner thigh a lot higher up than was really appropriate… which in turn set something off between her legs that really should not be happening… she felt her jaw drop in surprise.

"Hey!" She finally found her voice and lunged to grab them back from his hands. He moved his hands out of her way and began stabbing the marshmallows onto the end of his stick.

She stood up her hands falling to her hips and she gave him the fiercest look she could muster. He looked up at her and his hands suddenly stopped what they were doing and his whole face slackened. Clearly he hadn't expected her to fight him for them.

"Give them back!" She stepped forward into his space and he visibly flinched. She grinned and while he was distracted grabbed the remaining marshmallows. He had about 5 already skewered on his stick but this left her with… she sat back down and counted them. 6, she had one more than him!

"I win." She resisted the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him and used her stick to begin stabbing her own marshmallows. The colonel grumbled something under his breath next to her and she turned to Cassie to gloat. She found the girl was staring at Sam with the strangest smile on her face. "What?" She demanded, suddenly worried she had something on her face or stuck between her teeth.

"Just…" Cassie tilted her head. "Never mind." The girl put her stick into the fire with a little smile gracing her face. It was so nice to be smiling again. Sam wondered if Cassie's cheeks ached the way hers did. The muscles used for smiling hadn't been used in far too long, until today of course. She held her own stick into the fire and waited until the marshmallows were flaming before pulling the stick out. She blew them out and snuck a glance at the man next to her.

"Why did you murder your marshmallows?" He asked, looking truly offended.

"I like them like this." She stuck out her tongue and licked at the first marshmallow on her stick and then sucked out the sweet goodness inside the blackened exterior. His eyes widened and of course the moment she realized the affect she was having on him she decided it was time for a little payback. She sent her tongue on a slow course over her lips and then moved onto the next marshmallow. He seemed unable to look away and when she had reached her third marshmallow she couldn't keep it in any longer and she let out a giggle. It surprised her almost as much as it seemed to surprise him.

"No giggling!" His response sounded automatic, his voice a little husky.

"This is payback." She whispered, leaning into his space a little. He looked down at her lap and back up to her face and then smirked.

"Alright, fairs fair." He told her.

TBC..