A great hang put with the guys.
Thirteen
The bar was old, and mostly wood, and featured an honest to goodness jukebox that was currently droning out something from the country western side of the record catalog. Jade tipped back in her chair and took a sip of her beer, gazing across the table's surface at the five men gathered around it.
Damn, it's been a long time. Jade let her eyes linger on her old friends. They were all the same age, more or less, as she was, and some things hadn't changed much. Mike and Ricardo still looked like GI Joe dolls, complete with buzz cuts and bodybuilder physiques. Duds and John were still inseparable, two lanky, spare men with straight, blond brown hair and southern drawls.
And Chuckie, of course. Jade let a faint smile cross her face. Chuckie had actually gotten better looking over the years. He'd left the gawkiness of his late teens behind, and grown into a six foot plus body with nice, broad shoulders and an athletic waistline. Tucked into his naval captain's uniform, he cut a very impressive figure and Jade had no problem cheerfully acknowledging that to herself.
"So, now what is it you're doing, Jade?" Chuckie turned, and leaned on his chair arm, gazing into her eyes with his twinkling gray ones. "I hear you're turning the base up side it's head down."
"Making trouble. Like usual." Jade replied, with a chuckle. "The Pentagon hired me to go tell the Navy how to do its job better."
"Ooooo.." The five men chorused a groan. "No shit?" Chuckie laughed. "They didn't, did they?"
"They did." Jade lifted her beer, and took a sip. "Mother of ironies, huh?"
"Son of a bitch." Mike rocked back and forth on uneven chair legs. "The brass on base must be ready to have a heart attack." He poked a finger at Jade. "I still remember the day you redone the base telecom and sent all them private notes of the CO'sto the DFAS router."
Heh. Jade snickered. "I remember that too. Guy was an idiot to be using base mail to send love notes to that girl he picked up in Chicago."
"Yeap.. you were a hell raiser, for sure." Mike chuckled. "Bet you still are."
"That's what they say." Jade demurred. "Only now they pay me for it." She added.
Chuckie cocked his head curiously. "You still working for ILS, right?" He waited for Jade to shake her head. "So what kind of money do they pay for what you do?" He noticed Jade's lifted eyebrow. "Round numbers, I mean. We always figured you do all right, because you got more brains than half the earth, but for real, Jade.. did you end up kicking ass?"
Jade glanced around the weather-beaten bar, and caught the interested looks from her old pals. They'd all done well in the Navy, and all of them, even Mike had grudgingly admitted to being career sailors. "Well." She took a swig of beer and rolled the beverage around in her mouth before swallowing. "I'm the founder and chief information officer of the largest IS gaming and Media company in the world…my base is seven figures, if that's what you're asking."
They all looked at each other, then back at her. There was a moment of stunned silence.
"Well." Chuckie rubbed his jaw. "God damn."
Jade smiled. "So I guess I'm buying then, huh?" She remarked dryly. "See? You shoulda dragged me out to someplace nicer."
"Son of a bitch." Mike started laughing. "Son of a bitch.. you're actually one of them corporate big shots?"
"Fraid so." Jade agreed solemnly. "Got me a big office, floor to ceiling glass windows, teak wood desk, the whole nine yards." She told them. "Everyone running around scared to death of me, you name it."
"Wow." Chuckie shook his head. "I can believe the last part, cause you can be a scary individual when you wanna be, old buddy, but thinking of you in an ivory tower's givin' me a headache." He slapped Jade's knee lightly, then poked the spot. "You don't spend all your time behind that desk though, do you? You don't look much like a cream puff."
"No more than you do." Jade let a mildly evil grin touch her lips, as she curled a foot around the leg of his chair and jerked hard, nearly sending him sprawling backwards. "Spending your time sitting in that nice comfy chair on the bridge."
"Uh oh.. here we go." Mike burst into laughter. "I knew it was just a matter of time…the two of you ain't changed for shit."
"You.." Chuckie grabbed for the edge of the table to keep from tipping over, and the surface moved, sending the two mugs of beer on it flying. "Yow.. son of a.."
"Hey!" Mike yelped, and leaped to his feet, only barely avoiding being soaked. "Cut that out, bilgebrain." He pointed a finger at Chuckie. "Don't you start, either. You never have gotten over getting your ass kicked in that obstacle course the night we all graduated."
Chuckie snorted. "Get out of here, I don't even remember that."
"I do." Jade drawled, with an even more evil grin. "But since I was the one doing the kicking, I guess that's natural." Oh, she certainly did remember that night. They'd had a beer or two way too many, and she'd been just at the very top edge of her best physical conditioning, seriously intent on getting herself into BUDS training and only too happy to prove that to any other navy brat who questioned her. Twenty of them had straggled out of their graduation party, and bets had started flying.
"That was then." Chuckie reminded her pointedly.
The words came out before she had a chance to think about them. "C'mon, Chuckie.. I could still kick your ass on that course."
Now he grinned. "Oh yeah? How much do you wanna bet?"
Mike groaned. "Oh no… not again. For pete's sake you two! You're furking adults now!"
"Hundred bucks!" Chuckie leaned forward eagerly. "C'mon."
She was out of her mind. Jade dimly realized, as she watched herself rise to the challenge, almost as though seeing someone else do it. "How about a thousand?" She drawled softly. "C'mon, tough guy. See if you can lift anything but binoculars now." A tiny voice cleared its throat internally. Hope you know what you're doing, big shot, or you're gonna be picking splinters out of your ass for a week. "How about it, Chuckie?"
His eyes glinted, and his well shaped nostrils flared. "You got it. Let's go. I got a lot of things I could do with a thousand bucks."
Jade set her bottle down, and stood. "After you?" She held a hand up and pointed to the door. She gave the rest of the group, who were muttering and shaking their heads a smile. "C'mon, guys… after this I'll treat you to dinner… how bout it?"
"You ain't gonna be in any condition to treat anyone." Chuckie warned, with a big grin.
"Save your breath." Jade booted him in the butt before he could move, then booted him again when he tried to evade her. "You're gonna need it."
"Hey!" Chuckie slapped at her leg with his uniform hat. "Cut that out, or I'll... I'll..."
"What, tell my daddy?" Jade was enjoying herself thoroughly. "Last time you did that I got a banana split out of it."
"Wench." Chuckie started laughing. "God damn you, you're such a wild weasel... ow!" He slapped at Jade's boot again, which had just impacted his butt. "I am gonna push your ass so far down in that mud you'll have to call a deep sea diver to go find you."
"Careful, hairball.." Duds rumbled softly. "If'n that deep sea diver's her daddy, your ass is gonna flying over the mess hall by morning."
They all laughed, and jostled out the door into a still drizzling evening. "How is yer old man doin, Jade?" Mike asked, lowering his voice a little, and getting serious. "Man, I was glad they got him back."
Jade exhaled. "He's fine." She replied. "He and mom got this fifty some foot Bertram and they're having a blast on it. They've been out to Hawaii twice, and I can't remember ever seeing him so happy."
"Wow." Mike smiled. "That's way cool."
"He got a boat?" Duds asked curiously. "Man, that musta been some pension… or did you get that for him?"
Jade smiled, and ran a hand through her now damp hair. "What do you think?"
Duds laughed. "Daddy's girl all the way, that's for damn sure… c'mon, let's get this damn thing over with..I'm hungry!"
"You're always hungry, mouth on wheels." Chuckie chided him, giving him a backslap in the belly. "That's why you're outgrowing your uniform.. lookit that.."
"Cut that out!" Duds nudged him. "Leave my buttons alone, pervert."
"Butthead."
Jade sucked in a wet breath, overcome with a wash of giddy enjoyment, looking ahead to the dark, mud spattered challenge in front of her. So it was crazy.
That was all right.
Everyone had to have a crazy night now and then, right?
Tori leaned back in the seat of the stolid, gray pickup truck Jim was navigating through the flooded streets. She had her seatbelt securely fastened around her body, and her feet were braced solidly against the floor, steadying her as the truck moved.
Jim wasn't really a bad driver, she'd decided, just an impatient one, and little things such as sidewalks and divider islands proved little or no impediment to his progress in getting from point A to point B in the quickest possible manner. "Nice truck, dad." She patted the fabric seat. "I like it. Jade was telling me about the one she had when she was younger."
Forced by convention to stop at a red light, Jim sat back and folded his arms. "Ceci tried for some days to get me to agree to drive in one of them Beetle cars."
Tori raised an eyebrow.
"Well, young lady, that is exactly how I felt about it too." The retired SEAL drawled. "Them are the ugliest things I ever did see, and there was no way, no how I was going to be sitting inside one of them, much less drive it."
"I couldn't picture that." Tori shook her head. "It would be like you having a moped, or Jade drinking skim milk."
"She hates that." Jim agreed. "Even when she was a tot, Cec used to try and get her to drink it, and she'd toss her bottle cross the kitchen."
"I know." Tori closed her eyes, as the light changed and Jim used the opportunity to cross three lanes between four other cars. "I suggested it once." She paused. "Only because I worry about her cholesterol, and mine... but I got a lecture about cows, and water, and the fact that if she wanted to drink white, chlorinated liquid, she'd just add food coloring to the tap."
Jim snorted. "She's particular 'bout a few things, that's one of 'em." He admitted. "Got that one from me, I do believe."
"Gee, what a surprise." Tori peeked at him, and grinned tolerantly. "Anyway, I got her to stop having chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, so I figure I'm ahead of the game."
James peered through the rain drops, and spotted his target. He aimed the truck towards the entrance, and proceeded accordingly. "She's a healthy kid." He stated. "Always was…worst thing she ever did get was them chicken pox. Lord, that was a mess."
"I heard you got them too." Tori smiled at him, pretending she didn't see the trucks bearing down on them as Jim crossed the intersection. The pickup darted into the parking lot of the Volvo dealership just in time, though she imagined she could feel the draft of the eighteen wheeler crossing behind them. They pulled into an empty spot, and she released her safety belt with a sense of relief.
Jim leaned on his steering wheel and peered out the window, observing the rows of shiny, if rain spattered, new cars. "You getting one of these damn things too?" His voice was surprised.
"Sort of." Tori pointed. "See? That's the one Jade has."
"Uh huh." Jim nodded.
"That's the one I'm getting." She indicated a row to the left.
"Sonofabiscuit.. ain't that cute." Her father in law chuckled softly. "All bitty and spunky looking. Figures."
Tori gave his arm a poke. "Hey.. at least it's not a Beetle." She opened the door. "C'mon… this won't take long, and I'm hungry." She got out and grabbed for the doorframe as a wave of dizziness passed over her. "Whoa."
Jim circled the front of the truck and put a hand on her shoulder. "You all right?"
Tori leaned against the metal frame and took a deep breath, waiting for the world to stop spinning. "Yeah… like a dork I skipped lunch, and I know better." Her vision cleared and she shook her head. "Low blood sugar runs in my family… I usually keep granola bars around but I ran out, and I meant to stop this morning."
"That ain't a good thing." James stuck his head inside the truck, and rummaged in a bag behind the seat. "Here…" He handed Tori a banana. "Forgot I had those damn things."
Tori peeled the fruit and took a bite, a little disturbed by the shaking of her hands. "Maybe I was just overstressed today." She joked faintly, aware of Jim's concerned expression. "I had some really confrontational meetings, and I was a little worried about Jade driving down there in this weather." She swallowed a few mouthfuls, and was relieved when the shakiness faded.
"I do believe we might need to be worrying about you." Jim stated. "You're white as Caesar's ghost, Tori. Sit down here."
"No, it's okay." Tori reassured him. "I feel a lot better, honestly." She finished her banana, and neatly folded the skin, then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, dad."
James blushed, faintly visible in the lamplight bathing them. "That was a lotta fuss for a little old banana." He muttered. "You sure you don't want something else? Maybe an orange, or whatever the hell else Ceci stuck in the back of this here truck?"
Tori smiled. "Does Jade know how lucky she is?"
"Huh?"
"I don't think she does." Tori pushed away from the truck and straightened her sleeves, then tossed the banana peel into a nearby garbage can. "Let's go get my new wheels." She slid her hand around Jim's arm, and walked with him towards the showroom, where she could see dim forms of hopeful salesmen lurking in wait.
The door opened as they reached it, and she stepped inside the cool, well lit showroom to be greeted by a very nice looking young man in a neatly fitted suit and tie. "Hi." Tori smiled at him. "I've got an appointment.. I'm supposed to pick up a car?"
Staccato heels made their heads turn, to see a black woman with dark to frosted ombre hair walking towards them, a warm smile on her face. "Ms. Vega?"
"That's right." Tori replied.
"Excellent.. if you'd step over here to my desk and sign these papers, I'll have your car brought round. "She glanced at James. "Can I get your husband some coffee?"
Tori thought her father in law's grizzled eyebrows were going to pop right off his head and stick in the drop ceiling. "Sure." She cheerfully agreed. "C'mon, honey.. sit down here."
"Excuse me." James barked. "This here young lady is not mah wife." He pinned the saleswoman with a fierce glare. "What do ah look like to you.. some kinda candy assed cradle robber?"
The woman's jaw dropped, and she looked from Tori to James in bewilderment. "I'm very sorry sir." She stammered. "I know I shouldn't assume… I just thought..well, excuse me. I'm very sorry." She put the papers down. "Ma'am, if you could just sign these?"
"Sure." Tori sat down and slid the stack over, picking up a pen. The saleswoman scurried quickly away.
James snorted, and sat down next to her. "Mah god."
Tori giggled. "You're really funny."
"That was most certainly not funny, young lady."
She turned her head. "How old are you?" Tori watched the blue eyes blink a few times. "Well?"
James sat up straighter. "Ah am forty eight years old." He paused. "Why?"
Tori leaned closer to him. "Cause I'm almost thirty… " She whispered. "It's not that far fetched, Dad." She went back to signing her papers, getting through half of them before she heard Jim sigh.
"You're right, kumquat." He said. "Mah kid has not one clue as to how lucky she is."
Tori felt her face ease into a smile as she finished, putting the pen down and glancing up as the saleswoman came back. "All done."
"Here you go." The woman handed her a set of keys, and pointed, to where the shadowy form of her new card was just pulling up outside the door. "And again, I'm really sorry, sir."
Jim sighed, and stood. "That's all right."
They walked to the door, and pushed it open. "You going to kick the tires for me, dad?" Tori teased. "Jade wanted me to get a.. what are those called? A Hummer."
James snorted. "Fer what?" He circled the new car curiously. "Damn things steer like a Greyhound bus, and you can't park them for nothin." He opened a door and peeked inside. "Leather, would you look at that? Mah kid is definitely rubbing off on you."
Tori opened the driver side door and sniffed appreciatively. "Oh yes." She chortled. "C'mon.. let's take it for a test ride.. there's a good restaurant right down the block."
Jim slid into the passenger seat, which he adjusted to make room for his long legs. "Ain't one of them raw fish stores, is it?"
"Um."
A dark brow cocked. "Tell you what. I'll go eat them raw fishies, if you let me drive on the way back."
"Oh boy."
"Sonofabitch!"
Jade heard the gasping croak behind her as she reached the last wooden wall, and lunged forward, crouching down and releasing her body upward to stretch out and grab the top rail, pulling upward before she could crash against the hard surface. Her boots scraped, then caught a purchase, and she powered up and over the top, releasing her hold and letting herself fall downward towards a murky mud covered surface.
Behind her, she could hear Chuckie grunt as he hit the top of the wall, but then her boots were hitting the ground, and she almost sprawled forward, barely catching her balance before she hopped forward and starting running towards the ropes.
Climbing ropes, one of the toughest things for anyone, especially a woman to do. Jade wiped her palms on her thighs just before she reached them, and took a breath, ruefully acknowledging that she certainly wasn't a teenager anymore before she leaped and caught the rope, feeling the wet, scratchy hemp bite into her hands. Her legs responded in old memory, curling around the rope beneath her and tightening, supporting her weight as she reached up for a second handhold.
Well. Jade felt the spatters of rain hit her, and heard the clank of the rope next to her as Chuckie tried to catch up. It wasn't as hard as she had feared. She powered up the rope and released one hand to slap the bell on top, then slid neatly down, wincing a little as the rough hemp stung her hands. She hit the ground and ducked around the edge of the climbing pit, bolting across the uneven ground and leaping over the water that separated the obstacles from the last, long hundred yards every tired, sore recruit had to run at top speed over. Jade heard Chuckie finally hit the bell and slither down after her, but she knew she was home free now.
Running was something she was very used to, something her body, stressed by this unusual task long forgotten, was accustomed to doing on a daily basis. She tucked her fingers into a half fist and leaned forward into a powerful, even stride, and just ran.
"Shit." She heard Chuckie groan behind her, and it made her laugh, and the hoots of the other men suddenly rolled around her as they spotted her clearing the end of the pits and heading towards the finish. She tucked her head down and bolted, feeling a crazy surge of energy as the wind brushed her hair back, and the rain stung her face.
The trees that marked the end flashed by, and she slowed, bouncing to a halt and into the welcoming arms of the four waiting sailors, who caught her and slapped her back, laughing and razzing Chuckie who finally made it past with a curse.
Jade could feel her heart pounding from the exertion, and it certainly hadn't been nearly as good a performance as the last time she'd done it, but… she chuckled as she watched Chuckie lean over, holding his belly, his face a visible crimson even in the low light. "Gotta lay off the damn beer, Chuck." She put her hands on her hips, glad beyond measure she'd kept up the sessions in the gym, and the running, and the martial arts, if for no other reason than to be able to stand here in this mud covered patch of ground with a bunch of her old friends, and look better than they did.
Erf. Jade winced. That was damned egotistical, wasn't it?
"Hot damn, Jade." Mike clapped a long arm over her shoulders. "You are still one hot mother, you know that? How about marrying me?"
Jade laughed. "I thought you had a girlfriend?" She poked him. "Or at least that's what you were bragging about in that bar…"
"Well, I didn't hear you say you was married." He joked back. "So I figured I got a chance."
It was a strange feeling. Jade took a breath, and released it. She'd been straightforward and out regarding her sexuality for so long, she'd forgotten what it felt like to be around people who had no idea, and to whom it would matter.
To who it would matter to her if they knew. Jade felt her euphoric mood evaporate and she took a mental step back, and tried to figure out what to do. Her nature disliked unneeded lies, but a part of her was enjoying this unexpected reacceptance into an old world, and resisted the estrangement she knew acknowledging her lifestyle would cause.
"Asshole. You ain't got no chance." Duds snorted. "Jade's got way better taste than you."
Jade managed a smile, then she walked over to where Chuckie was still recovering. "Hey." She bumped him lightly. "You all right?"
Her old boyfriend straightened, then blew out a breath. "Other than having my god damned ego dragged over a bed of nails, and my bank account emptied? I'm great." His lips twisted. "Will you take a check?"
"Don't worry about it." Jade shook her head slightly. "It was worth the kick just to see if I could still do it."
"Wench." Chuckie's face relaxed a little, as he realized Jade was serious. "Just for that, you're gonna take us out to the steakhouse." He pointed towards the parking lot. "Now that I proved ship captains do spend too much time sitting on their butts, let's go."
The four others strolled ahead, leaving Chuckie and Jade to walk together towards the parked cars. "Wench." The Naval officer gave her a look. "I'm gonna have to explain to half the base why I got bandaids all over my hands from that damn course tomorrow." He held up his hands, visibly scuffed and scraped in the streetlamp light.
"Me too." Jade admitted, holding up her own hands in evidence. "I don't get much in the way of calluses pounding a keyboard."
"Ah." Chuckie sighed. "We're getting too old for this."
Jade chuckled. "Yeah." She flexed her hands, wincing a little.
They were both quiet for a few strides. "Ass kicking or not, it's good to see you, Jade." Chuckie finally said softly. "Got some good memories of us."
"So do I." Jade replied. "Your letters used to crack me up in college." She reflected on those long past times. "I'm sorry we lost touch."
Chuckie shrugged one shoulder. "We knew we would.. that was two real different worlds we were going off into. " He glanced at Jade. "I knew I didn't end up doing too bad.. always wondered where you ended up. Might have figured you to be some top brass somewhere."
"I used to wonder if I'd made the right choice." Jade inhaled, and looked around. "Now I know I did, but.. " She shook her head. "Definitely had second thoughts." She raised her voice. "Hey.. head over to the third row.. I'll drive."
"Don't trust Mike?" Chuckie laughed. "He's not half as bad a driver as your daddy ever was."
"No. I figure I'm the only one who's likely to have room for all of us." She said dryly. "Unless you ended up getting a Suburban.. did you?"
"Hell no." Chuckie snorted.
'That's what I thought." Jade angled her steps towards the Lexus. "C'mon… I figure it's going to take my shock absorbers to handle you herd of steers anyway."
"Oo… " Her old friend laughed. "I think you hang out with us just so you can feel petite, in that case." He bumped Jade's shoulder with his own. "Hey… "His voice dropped a little. "You going with someone right now, Jade?"
The approach came around a blind corner and surprised her. "Yeah." She managed to answer, on an uneven breath. "Yeah, I am.. why?"
A shrug. "Just asking." Chuckie said. "I'm between ships, if you catch my drift, and I thought if you were too.. maybe we could hook up, for old time's sake."
Jade realized she had about ten seconds before they caught up with the waiting four others. She lifted a hand and unlocked her doors. "Not a chance. " She softened the words with a smile. "I'm very married…and very happy about it."
"Ah well. "Chuckie returned the smile. "Just the way my luck's been running… what've we got here?" He turned his attention to the car. "Good lord, do you mean to tell me you drive a damn Volvo?"
"Yep." Jade opened the driver's side door and watched them pile in. "Hey.. one of you guys has to get in the back.. you can't fit in there."
"Heh." Mike chuckled. "Wanna bet? You forget what service we're in, JaeJae." The back seat was filled to the brim with squished sailors. "More room in here than in a Polaris.. get driving."
Jade rolled her eyes, but slid behind the wheel and started the engine. "Why do I get the feeling I'm gonna regret this?" She felt the car rock as the men in back started singing and moving back and forth.
"C'mon, Jade… sing with us. I know you can." Duds chortled. "What do you do with some drunken sailors…."
Jade sighed as she pulled out of the parking slot, but joined in anyway, filled with a very mixed set of emotions. It had been a day far too full of conflict and she found herself sure of only one single thing.
Five sailors and fifteen beers equaled the tonal quality of six dozen sets of dog's toenails on a chalkboard.
Jesus. Jade hoped she survived the short drive to the steakhouse.
Tori yawned, as she collected her steaming mug of hot chocolate and wandered back into the living room. Chino butted the back of her knees and almost made her trip, the animal very glad to see at least one half of her family after the long day. "Hey.. cut that out." Tori chided the dog. "You're Not the one who's going to have to clean this tile if I spill chocolate all over it."
"Gruff." Chino pounced on her hippo and brought it over, crouching down and shaking it, begging for some playtime.
"Okay.. let me put this down." Tori laughed, setting aside her cup and grabbing the toy. "Go get it.. g'wan.." She tossed the stuffed animal to the other side of the grand room and watched Chino scramble after it, her toenails sliding on the hard surface.
"Bring it here." Tori sat down on the couch and tugged the toy free of Chino's very white teeth, throwing it over past the dining room table as the retriever acted true to her breed and fetched it. "Good girl." She played with the dog for a while, taking a moment in between tosses to turn on the television and stretch her body out along the couch with a sense of relief.
It had been a very long day, with a surprisingly nice ending. Tori smiled, remembering the hour spent patiently coaxing James into sharing her sushi, in the little sushi dive on the beach she and Jade loved to go to.
Mental note, Tori. She reminded herself. Don't take SEALS to sushi bars unless you want to know things about the fish you're eating that would make the plots of excellent sci fi movies. He'd finally settled on the cooked variety of sashimi and some stir fry chicken, leaving Tori to her more adventurous raw tidbits. They'd shared some saki, though, and she'd enjoyed the evening very much, listening to stories of Jade's harum scarum youth and hearing the note of unconscious pride in Jim's voice even when telling the goriest details.
Tori leaned back against the leather surface, tensing and relaxing her muscles as she idly watched Steve Irwin cavort across the screen, hugging a crocodile to him and enthusing over it's toothy good looks. "What a whack job." She commented. "Did you know he had his own toy line, Chino? Should I get you some? You want to chew Steve's head off?"
"Gruff." Chino tossed the slightly soggy hippo up to land on Tori's side.
"I'll take that as a no." Tori tossed the toy again, then slid down and put her head on the couch arm, allowing her eyes to close briefly as she considered the tasks she had left to do that evening. A wash was due, and she had those reports to go over, and there was that project Jade had left her.
Tori let one eye open and regarded the room, then she closed it again. Or she could just take a nap here on the couch, which was nice and warm and comfortable. Maybe she could compromise, she reasoned, snoozing until Jade called, which would definitely wake her up.
Yeah. That was a good idea. She reached over and picked up her cell phone which was lying on the coffee table and brought it closer, resting her hand on it as she allowed the sleepy feeling to take over and relax her, easing away the last of the lingering headache she'd been aggravated by all day long.
It was very quiet as Jade pulled into her parking spot, sliding in next to a shiny, new, smaller version of the car she was driving. She got out and closed the door gently, then ran a hand over the dark blue paint of Tori's new car. "Nice." She approved, peering inside before making her way up the small flight of stairs to the door.
It had been a nice dinner, if loud, and they'd made it back to the base just after midnight. She'd let her friends out, then sat there for over ten minutes, wondering why she didn't just get out herself and go to the bunk they'd assigned her.
Finally, she'd gotten out of the Volvo, and instead of going toward the building, she'd walked back over to the guardhouse and asked them if the roads had opened.
They had.
Jade had walked back to the car, gotten inside, and left, choosing the drive back to San Francisco in the early hours over staying on the base, hardly knowing why she'd take the long trek when the Navy bed could hardly be that uncomfortable.
The feeling of relief as she keyed in the lock convinced her it had been a good decision, though, not that she'd really doubted it. She opened the door and slid inside, stopping in surprise as she spotted the lights still on, and heard the television's low mutter.
Chino jumped off the couch and ran over, shaking her head sleepily, clearly startled to see Jade but glad. Jade rubbed her ears, but kept her eyes on the dozing form curled up in the corner of the couch.
Quietly, Jade walked over and knelt beside where Tori was sleeping, allowing herself a long moment just to study her wife. Okay. She smiled silently. So this is why you came home. Asleep, Tori's face held a relaxed innocence that always touched Jade's heart, and she found herself looking forward to the surprised delight she knew would be there when she woke the brunette woman up.
"Tor." Jade stroked Tori's cheek gently, and after a second, the dark lashes stirred, and lifted, revealing slightly dazed brown eyes that fastened on her face, then brightened in welcome as a smile appeared at the same time. "Sorry I didn't call."
"No problem." Tori replied, her voice slightly husky from sleep. "I like this mode of contact much better anyway." Her smile widened. "I guess the road opened, huh?"
Jade nodded. "Yeah.. I had dinner with the guys, and when I got back.. they said it had, so I decided to come on home instead of staying down there."
"Good." Tori caught Jade's hand and pressed it against her cheek, then kissed it. "Crudpuppies.. I had so much I wanted to do tonight... I fell asleep figuring your call would wake me up." Her fingers felt something odd, and she turned Jade's hand over. "Holy crap.. what did you do to your hands?"
Jade cleared her throat gently. "Ah.. well… " She laughed with a touch of embarrassment. "You're not going to believe this, but I um.."
Tori hitched herself up on an elbow and examined Jade's palm. The surface was scuffed and bruised, and several long cuts were visible. "Is that a splinter? What happened?"
"Probably." Jade sighed. "It involved a bet, some obstacles, and a lot of ego."
"With your ego coming out on top, right?" Tori guessed, giving her a tolerant grin, seeing the half hidden look of smirking triumph cross Jade's face. "I thought so. Let me go get the tweezers." She planted a kiss on the base of Jade's thumb, then stretched out, pulling her T-shirt tight against her body and squeaking a little as Jade took that opportunity to lean over and nibble her in a very sensitive spot. "Oo… hold that thought."
She squirmed up out of the couch and stood, facing Jade as she straightened. "Jade… you do realize you're covered in mud.. right?" Tori inquired, plucking at her wife's shirt. "Did you spend the whole night like this?"
Jade looked down. "Uh." She blinked at the gray stains which covered her liberally. "Well, we all did.. and it was raining.. and I was wet… I don't think I.."
"Noticed." Tori nodded. "No, I guess you wouldn't if the fabric was wet. C'mon." She inserted her fingers into Jade's waistband and tugged. "Into the shower with you, my little mudpuppy."
"You just want me to get naked and wet with you." Jade observed, as she obediently allowed herself to be hauled along. Now that Tori mentioned it, though, the jeans she was wearing were getting kind of itchy.
"And you have an issue with this?" Tori stopped, and faced her, lifting a brow.
"No." Jade stepped closer. "It sounds better and better every second."
Tori smiled, and resumed her tugging.
They left their clothes in one corner of the bathroom and went under the warm water, with Tori making little tsking noises as she took their scrub sponge and attempted to clean the mud off Jade's skin. "Do I dare ask what you were doing?"
Jade had been standing with her eyes closed, thoroughly enjoying the attention. The slightly rough texture of the sponge was leaving a nice tingle behind it, and now she lifted one eyelid to see Tori looking up at her through wisps of steam and water. "Huh? Oh.. we had a bet on between me and Chuck.. which one of us could make it through the torture pit first."
"Ah." Tori scrubbed a stubborn spot, keeping her head down and swallowing a jolt of irrational jealousy. "You won, I take it?" She asked. "It's going to be interesting meeting him on Friday.. unless you've changed your mind and would rather I didn't go." She forced herself to look up. "I know these are old friends of yours, Jade.. and they probably don't know you're gay, do they?"
Jade's eyes widened a little in visible surprise. "No, they don't." She answered honestly. "In fact, Chuckie asked if I was available tonight.. " A smile tugged at her lips. "I told him I was very taken." She thought a moment, feeling the water beat down on her back. "It's a hard question, Tori… I'm not going to say I haven't been thinking about it."
Tori kept still, watching her face, seeing only intent thought behind her expression. "I know. It's hard." She agreed softly. "Telling my family was hard… I've never felt embarrassed by it, but I knew they'd be."
"Mm."
"I think it will make them uncomfortable."
Jade nodded. "I think you're right."
Tori inhaled, surprised at how difficult it was to get the words out. "So I think it's better if you go without me, this time."
"It'd make them more comfortable if that's what I did." Jade agreed softly. "They're a very traditional family."
A breath. "So that's what you'll do, right?"
"No." Jade's voice was quite calm, and almost amused. "If I was in the business of making people comfortable I'd be an airline flight attendant. I'm not. I'm an individualist nonconformist with a lot more attitude than sense, so if they can't accept the fact that I'm gay, and I'm married to you, they can just kiss my ass." She leaned over and brushed Tori's lips with her own, feeling the small gust of surprise as her wife reacted and exhaled in surprise. "But thanks for offering.. and by the way, I think you missed a spot."
Hm. Tori resumed scrubbing, a dumb grin on her face. "Did I?" She worked her way up Jade's belly to her breasts, making very sure there were no lurking patches of mud. "I'll just have to go over everything twice." Her hands slid over Jade's collarbone and across her shoulders as she licked the warm droplets of water off the skin in front of her nose. "Mm."
A light touch behind her neck moved her hair back, then Jade's teeth were taking tiny nibbles out of her throat as their bodies slid together and she felt Jade's thigh between her own. She forgot the sponge, letting it drop.
Jade felt like her body was on fire, not from the water coursing over both of them, but from Tori's touch, dancing over her skin in gentle motions that teased her senses, running down her sides.
She had a feeling getting up in the morning was going to be a problem.
Of course… they could just solve that by not going to sleep.
