Oh uncle Jeff...


Twenty Nine


Tori chewed on a carrot as she watched the large pot of soup cook. Discharge had taken less time than she'd thought it would, and they'd gotten home before lunch was served at the hospital.

Which was, she reflected wryly, a good thing, because it was fish. Now, normally Jade liked fish, and so did Tori, but as Jade put it, she liked her fish to be of some identifiable species and not pasteurized processed cod-like fishcakes.

Ugh. Even the boiled smell coming down the hallway had made Tori wince. So she'd been glad when the orderly showed up with a wheelchair, to take Jade downstairs. Of course, it had taken her ten minutes of arguing with her lover to get the stubborn woman to sit in the wheelchair, but they were out at last, and tucked in the Volvo headed home.

Jade had been quiet. Tori suspected she was in some pain, but she didn't press her on the subject, theorizing that Jade had been poked and prodded and messed with almost past her tolerance the last twenty-four hours and would only resent the mothering.

She wouldn't resent the soup, though. Tori poked a wooden spoon in and gave the mixture a stir. The spicy, rich scent of seafood gumbo wafted up, and she felt her mouth water in response. "Mm." She lifted the spoon and took a taste. "Glad I had a container of this in the freezer, Chino."

"Yawp." Chino agreed, peering up hopefully at her.

She pointed the spoon at the puppy Seinfeld style saying "No soup for you." Tori took a biscuit from the dog jar and tossed it to her. "This will make you chuck up your Labrador guts all night."

Chino crunched on her biscuit contentedly. "Growf."

Tori smiled, then turned and pulled two good-sized bowls down from the cupboard. They were sturdy, a nice shade of bone inside and a pretty cobalt on the outside. She and Jade had purchased them at the Mikasa outlet just a few weeks prior, on a rare afternoon's shopping together. That had been fun, Tori mused, as she ladled portions into each bowl. Just a long Saturday, that had started with breakfast at, of all places, MacDonalds, and ended with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

"And you didn't get any of that doggie bag, did ya, Cheebles?" Tori put the bowls on a small wicker tray and added silverware, then popped the door on the convection oven and removed a few buttermilk biscuits. "Okay, let's go bring mommy Jade lunch." She picked up the tray and walked into the living room, where Jade had resumed her nest on the couch.

"Hey." Tori put the tray down on the coffee table. "Hungry?"

Jade lifted her head and sniffed at the bowls. "Is that gumbo?"

"Mmhm."

"Mm." Jade smiled and settled back against the soft leather. She was dressed in her pajamas, with a fleece blanket tucked around her and her laptop resting on her knees. Now she watched as Tori picked up one of the bowls and brought it over, settling it into her lap. "Where did this come from?"

"Fedex delivered it." Tori answered without a beat. "Didn't you hear them?"

"On Sunday?" Jade asked.

"New service." Tori offered her a spoonful, pleased when Jade opened her mouth and accepted it. "How's it going?"

"Eh." Jade chewed a bit of conch and swallowed it. "I don't know. It's…" She reached up and rubbed her eyes a little. "Hard to concentrate. My head hurts."

Tori checked her watch. "You can take a couple more Tylenol." She offered. "Or you could just… oh… I don't know, lie down and get some rest."

Jade considered. "Let me try the pills first." She decided. "I'm really not tired." She accepted the spoon Tori held out and settled the bowl on her stomach. "Thanks for the soup."

"Any time." Tori ruffled her hair. "You know, you're not nearly as bad a patient as I thought you'd be."

Jade sucked on the spoon and regarded her lover thoughtfully. "Would you like me to become an unruly curmudgeon? I could." She asked, with a faint smile. "But I figured it made no sense to have both of us be miserable."

"I appreciate that." Tori reached over and squeezed Jade's thigh. "I just wanted you to know that I don't mind taking care of you, Jade."

Dark lashes fluttered. "I don't mind letting you," Jade said.

Tori picked up her bowl and sat down on the couch, picking up Jade's legs and sliding underneath them. She wriggled into a comfortable spot, then crossed her ankles and took a spoonful of soup. "What are we watching?"

"Mpf?" Jade hastily swallowed, then glanced to her left. "Oh… I don't know, I was just browsing, and I…"

"Good grief, Jade, that woman is almost naked." Tori stared at the screen in fascination. "What in the hell is she doing with that stick?"

"Um." Jade bit her lip. "I'm not sure. It's one of those action things. You know I never watch that stuff." She watched anyway. "Hey.. she's pretty cute."

Tori glanced at her. "I guess."

"Looks a little like you." Jade went on.

"No, she doesn't." Tori laughed. "Not unless I spent twenty-four hours a day for six months in a gym, and got a serious haircut." She watched the image on the screen. "Oo. Nice kick."

"Mm." Jade agreed. "Nice outfit."

Tori's eyebrows lifted, and she gave her lover a sideways look. "Are you hinting at something?"

"Me?" Blue eyes opened a little wider. "Are you insinuating that I might want to see you in two strips of leather and a pair of floppy boots?"

A grin tugged at Tori's lips. "Would you?"

"Bet your ass I would." Jade laughed.

Tori reviewed the screen. "I'd look ridiculous."

"You'd look mouth-watering." Jade bit into a chunk of spicy fish. "Can I have that for a birthday present?"

"Jade!" Tori blushed, pleased at the compliment but embarrassed at the same time. "You sound so carnal."

Jade chuckled, then jumped a little as her cell phone rang. "Crap." She balanced her bowl on her lap and put the spoon down, then picked up the buzzing instrument. "Yeah?"

"Jade!" Alastair's voice boomed down the line. "Good gravy! What in the hell happened? Why didn't you call me? Where are you?!"

Jade held the phone away from her ear and grimaced. "When you're done yelling, lemme know." She waited, then moved the phone closer when no other sounds issued from it. "Good afternoon, Alastair."

"Jade." He sounded exasperated. "For Christ's sake, they said you were in the hospital!"

"I was." Jade stretched a little. "We ran into a little trouble on the base." She said. "I got a knock on the head, they wanted to take some pictures. No big deal, Alastair."

"That's not what I heard." Her boss retorted. "I heard you were already hurt when you went down there and got knocked out by some jackass with a gun."

Jade took a breath, then released it. "You told me to find a solution." She said. "I found one."

Alastair let out a gust of air. "What makes you think any solution or any problem is worth risking you? Why didn't you tell me you were hurt, Jade? You think I give two shits about some half-ass piece of crap government contract?"

Jade was quiet for a moment. "Alastair?"

"What?" Her boss bellowed.

"Thanks for caring."

There was silence for a few heartbeats, then Alastair sighed. "Well, damn it all to hell, Jade."

Time to take control back of this conversation, Jade's more logical half asserted. "All right. Now that you've called, let me get this over with." She composed her thoughts. "We went down there trying to retain the data evidence. I told you that was the government's concern, right?"

"Right." Alastair exhaled.

"Well, I fucked up." Jade had a pause slightly after saying that, so unusual was it for her to have to pronounce those words applied to herself. "I didn't find out what was going on first, and we walked right into both a military exercise and a setup."

Alastair didn't even say a word.

"Thank god my father was with us." Jade went on in a quiet, unemotional voice. "They knew we were coming, and they were using the exercise to cover their tracks. With real bullets. If it hadn't been for Dad, things would have been a lot worse."

"So." Her chairman's voice sounded grim "What's your analysis?"

Jade watched Tori's profile, as she sat moving her spoon around in her soup with her eyes on the television screen. "I was too close to the problem." She said, watching Tori's movements still. "I should have backed out of it. "

"Ah."

"We should have just dropped the results into the government's lap, and submitted our bill." Jade went on. "Now we're going to be involved in lawsuits at the very least."

A sigh. "Anyone else get hurt?"

Jade remembered Jeff Ainsbright's slumped form. "Not any of our people." She replied. "I take full responsibility for this, Alastair."

"Mm." Her Chairman murmured. "You always do, Jade. I've never seen you do less." He considered a moment... "Still and all, we did fulfill the contract, didn't we? As far as that request for service?"

"Yes."

"All right," Alastair said. "Let's keep things in perspective, Jade."

"From a man who was yelling at the top of their lungs when I picked up the phone, that's quite a statement," Jade remarked dryly.

"Well, I was more concerned about you," Alastair replied. "The fact is, we achieved our goal, and we were just going above and beyond for the customer when things went badly."

"Alastair." Jade sighed.

"I'm not making excuses." Her Chairman snapped. "Oliver took advantage of you when he asked you to intervene, and you know it, Jade. He was counting on your being personally involved, and he used that."

Jade opened her mouth to refute the charge, then closed it again as her mind ran over what her boss had said. Had he? She looked up to see Tori regarding her, with a sympathetic look on her face.

"I don't blame him for that." Alastair continued hurriedly. "He was in a tight spot and saw a way out of it. I'd have done the same thing."

Jade sighed. "Maybe."

"So, take it easy, all right?"

"Alastair." Jade replied. "You can tell me all day long I was within spec, but we both know I wasn't."

"Eh." A verbal shrug came over the line. "We can talk about it later, Jade. How are you, anyway?"

Jade recognized a deliberate change of subject when she heard one, but didn't have the energy to protest. "I'm all right." She replied. "I had a concussion, and I messed up my shoulder a couple days ago. It's really no big deal." Something occurred to her. "I do have to stay home for a few days, though. I'll call in for the board meeting on Tuesday."

"Great," Alastair said. "Looks like the budget's right on for the fourth quarter, and projections are up for next year thanks to your network."

Jade smiled. "Trying to cheer me up?"

A chuckle. "Is it working?"

Jade felt better for having told her boss what was going on. "Yeah."

"Good."

Jade held the phone against her ear and took a spoonful of soup. "How'd you find out about me in the first place?" She asked, around a mouthful of shrimp.

"Your mother called me," Alastair told her, with a touch of smugness in his tone.

Jade stopped in mid-chew and almost snorted bisque out her nose. "My mother?"

Tori snickered. "Oh oh."


"I had to do it." Jeff Ainsbright stated, for the tenth time. He was seated behind his desk, watching James West's tall, burly form pace back and forth. "Jim, you don't understand."

"Hell, I don't." Jim snapped, turning to face him. "You had to sell your damn soul out? That what you're saying?"

Ainsbright sighed and shook his head. "God damn it, Jim." He said. "Spare me your moralistic hogwash, will you? Maybe you never wanted to work your way out of that three-bedroom shack down the row, but I did."

Jim glowered at him. "Least what I had, I got honestly."

"And what was that?" Jeff replied. "You couldn't even afford to get your damn wife a new dress most of the time. You never had nothing, you never left her nothing... you couldn't even send your kid to college." He stood up and poked a thumb at his own chest. "I wasn't about to live like that. So yeah, when they offered me some good money to look the other way, you bet your ass I did."

"Ah would not have, not for all the damn money in the US." Jim stated flatly. "And what'd it get you?"

"A nice house." Ainsbright answered. "A nice car, my wife's a member of the country club and she loves it. My kid's a ship captain."

"You buy him that too?" Jim asked, sarcastically.

"What'd you ever give your kid?" Jeff taunted. "A used tennis ball?"

"Care." The retired SEAL replied. "And knowin' what was right and wrong." He folded his arms. "I didn't have to do nothing else. She made her own future without beggin' me for handouts."

Ainsbright rolled his eyes. "You're a fool, James. You always were." He stood up. "All right, look." A hand lifted. "Yeah, I knew about everything here. I knew about the shipments, and I knew they were covering them. But I never had anything directly to do with any of it, hear?"

Jim studied him.

"I did what I did for my family," Jeff stated. "To give them a better life."

"Now they ain't gonna have nothing," Jim said. "With your ass in jail."

Ainsbright snorted. "Not for bad recordkeeping, Jim." He managed a thin lipped smile. "That's all your brilliant little wunderkind is going to find now."

Thoughtful blue eyes regarded him. "Think so?"

"I know it. I made sure of that personally." Ainsbright snapped. "Despite you getting your ass in the way, that is. I wasn't after your damn kid."

"You had a damn M16 with a scope." Jim closed on him again. "Who were you after?"

"No one." Ainsbright answered coolly. "It was all part of the exercise." He pointed at Jim. "Which your daughter interrupted with an unauthorized breach of the base. If anything happened to her here, it's her fault. Not mine." A pause. "For that matter, you better just hope I don't bring you up on assault charges."

James blinked. "You do that, and ah will make direly sure you'll have been assaulted for it."

"That a threat?" Jeff snorted. "Get out of here, Jim. You're out of your league, and you don't belong here anymore."

Jim turned, and walked to the window, gazing out at the grassy space before the building. "Ain't that the truest thing you done said here today?" He rumbled. "If you aint the one who's running this show, Jeff. Who is?" He turned and eyed the commander, who remained silent. "They pay you to take the fall for them?"

The base commander shook his head. "I'm not taking a fall, Jim. I told you that."

"Cause you think you out thunk my kid, is that it?" A smile twisted James's face. "Better hope you're right. I sure never could."

Jeff snorted. "I'm smarter than you are, Jim. We both know that."

A slow nod. "That may be true, Jeff. But you aint' smarter than she is. So you better be damn sure you've got all your tracks covered, or it's your ass what's going to be run up that there flagpole outside." He turned and pointed, then turned back and walked over to the base commander, stopping within a pace of him. "Because she will nail you."

Their eyes locked. "I'm sure." Jeff finally said. "I've got good people who made very, very sure of that." He turned and straightened his jacket. "Now, if you'll excuse me, James – I've got a lunch date with my wife." He gestured towards the door. "I'll have you escorted to the gate." He turned back towards his desk, then stopped dead.

The office was empty.

"Son of a bitch." The commander raced to the window and looked out, leaning out to look up and down. Then he pulled his head back in and searched the room with anxious eyes. "Where in the f…" Cursing, he reached for the phone and lifted it, dialing a number quickly. "Security? This is the commander. We've got an unauthorized entry. Send a security team to my office and put the base on alert."


The alarm went off before dawn, and Tori reached over quickly to silence it. It stopped it's low buzz, and she let her hand drop back down onto the pillow as she glanced over at Jade's sleeping form.

Her lover didn't stir, her body relaxed in slumber and her breathing slow and even. Good. Tori sighed in relief. Jade had worked obsessively over what data she had in her laptop until after midnight, only surrendering when Tori coaxed her off the couch and into the bed, where she'd fallen asleep almost in the middle of a protest.

Tori spent a moment just watching Jade's profile, outlined by the pale blue nightlight in the bathroom. Then she rolled over and eased out of bed on the opposite side, twitching the down comforter back into place. She stifled a yawn with one hand as she made her way into the bathroom, and closed the door quietly behind her before she flipped the light on.

"Ugh." Tori winced and closed her eyes, waiting for a moment before she reopened them and blinked at her reflection. A very disheveled looking, grumpy woman looked back at her and she stuck her tongue out at the image.

She had such a damn busy day planned at work. First, she'd have to coordinate the recovery of whatever Sinjin retained in that black box. Assuming Jade remembered how to reassemble the puzzle pieces, then she'd have to assign a high-security team to work with the database, reconstructing it meticulously and recording their steps line by line.

Then, since it was a Monday, she knew there would be at least five or six major disasters for her to handle, along with the usual running operations issues. Thank god, Tori mused, as she splashed water on her face and lathered up some soap. Jade's new network had reduced her crisis calls by eighty percent, it's flexibility and reliability making her life much more pleasant.

So, she'd get some liquid breakfast, throw on her running gear, do her laps, then shower, then head for the office. Tori dried her face and nodded at her now still scruffy, but more alert-looking reflection. "Right?" She watched her lower lip poke out, as though by its own volition.

Her brow creased. "Okay, what's wrong?" The lip poked out further in a pout. "Victoria Vega, you are not going to pout because Jade gets to stay home and you don't, y'here me?"

"Growf." Chino hopped up and put her paws on the sink, peering up at Tori as if wondering who her mom was talking to.

"Sure, that's easy for you to say." Tori turned and tapped the end of her toothbrush on Chino's nose. "You get to stay here with her."

Chino's tail wagged.

"Yeah, yeah. Rufh min fin." Tori spoke through a mouthful of toothpaste.

It was a beautiful morning. Tori took a deep breath of the cool, salt tinged air as she walked down the path to the beach, enjoying the lack of humidity that made their running uncomfortable, bordering on brutal during the summer months. As she reached the winding path that lead around the island, she paused to stretch her muscles out, as a few seagulls drifted by to watch.

It was quiet at this hour, the soft clanks from the marina and the bird's curious squawks the only sounds that broke the dawn hush. Tori finished her warmup and started down the path at a slow jog, waiting for her body to wake up and get into synch before she picked her pace up and settled into her run.

She'd finally gotten used to this. Tori watched a small tug move past the south side of the island as she headed around the marina. In fact, she'd come to look forward to the time she and Jade set aside for their joint morning exercise, because it was a great way to start the day with some peace and quiet.

Okay. Tori smiled, as she rounded the island's northern side. And some companionable togetherness. They'd started debating current events the past few weeks, and she found herself missing the company.

How had Jade stood it all those years alone? The thought intruded itself. The another thought made her almost stop in her tracks. How did you stand it all those years alone, Tori?

Wow. Tori tried to remember what her life had been like before she'd met Jade. It had been… well, all right, she guessed. She'd had fun, with her friends at work, and with Andre. She hadn't been lonely, had she?

Second lap already? Tori sighed, and nibbled her lower lip. No, she really hadn't been lonely. She'd been more like… waiting. That was it. She nodded to herself. She'd always had the feeling that just around the bend, just around that next corner she'd find someone special.

Okay, so it wasn't around a corner, and the person barged into her office intent on firing her but… she'd found it. Tori smiled, and leaned forward a little, picking up her pace. Faster I go, faster I get back.


Jade kept her eyes closed, aware of the fact that she was alone in bed. This didn't make her very happy. The bed was comfortable, but it was a lot warmer and more comfortable if it was full of a certain Latina she knew, who tended to drape nice smelling and cutely shaped parts her herself all over Jade.

On the other hand, Jade reasoned, she could also smell cinnamon and the scent of fresh coffee, which meant she was trading off waking up chilly and grumpy for sticky buns and a cup of Santa's White Christmas in her big blue mug.

Hm.

She heard soft clinks from the kitchen, then the light scuff of bare feet against tile heading in her direction. It was strange, but she could actually feel Tori's presence as her lover entered the room, bringing the nice smells closer, and combining them with apricot skin scrub and the clean cotton t-shirt that covered Tori's freshly showered body.

Mm. Jade briefly wondered if she could just suck on Tori, and forgo the sticky bun. She opened one eye. "Morning."

"Hi there, cute stuff." Tori set the small tray down on their bedside table. On it was a plate with two buns, and the anticipated blue mug. "How do you feel?"

Jade closed her fingers on the knee conveniently close by and squeezed. "Mm.. not bad."

She joked wryly. "Like crap, honestly." She then admitted. "I feel like I'll never get rid of this headache and my arm's killing me. I think I slept wrong."

Tori rattled the small bottle on the tray. "I came prepared." She removed a small glass from next to the mug. "Here... " She handed Jade some juice and three tablets. "You might want to spend some time outside later – it's gorgeous."

Jade finished the juice and handed the glass back. "Thanks. I'll take the laptop out there." She said, "You better get dressed."

"Oh." Tori plucked at her shirt, which had an almost life-size Dilbert sprawled across its surface. "You mean I can't go to work like this? C'mon, Jade."

Jade cocked her head slightly. "Well, okay, hon, but don't stand with your back to the light, okay? It's a little translucent."

Tori looked down. "It is?" She asked in surprise. "Where?"

A finger reached out and tickled a very sensitive spot.

"Yeak!" A snorting laugh escaped Tori. "Okay, okay. I see your point." She gazed fondly at Jade. "Let me go get into my monkey suit."

Jade tangled her fingers in the soft cotton and tugged. "Thanks for breakfast." She said, "And you can go to work dressed casually today if you want. It won't kill anyone."

Tori considered that then nodded. "Okay, I will." She decided. "I'm in the mood for jeans." She turned and made her way into the living room, then took the stairs two at a time.


"When're we gonna see what we got?" Brent asked, sticking his hands in his pockets and regarding the locked, steel box in the corner of Sinjin's office.

"When Jade says we do." Sinjin didn't look up from the folder he was writing on. "Go do something, will ya, Brent? It's not going to levitate out of that box."

Brent stayed put. "We risked our necks to get that thing."

Now, Sinjin looked up. "You volunteered."

"So?" The tech squared a pugnacious jaw. "We still did."

"And your point is what?" The MISChief asked. "Look, you wouldn't know what the hell was in there even if I did open and link it. It's not readable."

Brent's brow creased. "Huh? Then what'd we do it for? You mean we can't use it?"

"I didn't say that." Sinjin took an impatient breath. "I said you can't read it. I can't read it. Yoda the Jedi Master can't read it." He pointed at the box. "But Jade can. She knows what formula she used to structure the sector copy. She's the one who has to reconstruct it, okay?"

"Oh." Brent looked interested.

Sinjin leaned back. "Hey. Why the fuck did you go with us?" He asked bluntly. "You spent the last two weeks blowing shit all over this office about how you felt about the boss."

Brent studied him sullenly. "It's not right."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… you, my Aunt Matilda, and Dr. Laura with your homophobic bullshit." Sinjin snapped. "All of you can kiss my ass. So why offer to help out someone you hate so much?"

Brent shrugged. "The Navy sucks." He commented, then turned and walked out, leaving a bewildered Sinjin to stare after him.

"What the hell was that?" Sinjin asked in the empty air. "Why the fuck do I get all the warped SIMMS in San Francisco working for me?" He shook his head and glanced at his screen. "Ah." An alert showed him that Tori had logged into the office systems. He checked a second alarm, scowling a little on seeing it dark. "Shit. C'mon, Jade. I want to know if we got those bastards too."


The bow of the boat rocked up and down in the very light chop, making an almost soothing motion as Ceci walked along the edge of the deck. Good thing, she mused thoughtfully. That I'm not prone to seasickness. That would have been a hell of a thing to find out after I talked Jim into this thing, wouldn't it?

She spotted her husband seated on the very front of the bow, resting his arms on the railing as he watched the sun rise over the sea. He was dressed in his shortie wetsuit, which glistened with the seawater that also dampened his grizzled hair and scattered sparkles over his tanned skin.

"Hey, sailor boy." Ceci took a seat next to him.

"Y'know, Cec." Jim turned his head and looked thoughtfully at her. "I do believe I do not consider that a compliment anymore."

Ceci looked at him. "Jim." She put a hand on his leg. "Don't say that. A bunch of jackasses shouldn't take a lifetime of pride away from you. C'mon now." She found herself in the weird position of defending a service she'd never really liked or understood. "You know the vast majority aren't like that. They're like you." She gazed into the pale blue eyes "Well, not just like you."

Jim sighed. "Ah remember doing bartering myself back on that there base."

"Everyone did." Ceci laughed. "C'mon, Jim. That's how we managed to trade enough for that Christmas party that one year, remember? When you won that stuffed tiger from Brad at the carnival, and gave it to Jade?"

Jim brooded. "How was that different than what this was? Jeff said he'd done it for his family. Well, I done that for my family."

"Hon." Ceci managed not to smile. "I don't think even the Attorney General, bless his Magaheart, would see tins of peanut butter and a case of beer in the same light as selling black market M16s and cocaine."

"Mph."

"Besides, how could we possibly deny Jade her peanut butter?" Ceci asked. "She ate so much of that I'm surprised she doesn't carry a top hat and cane and wear spats."

Jim laughed wryly, in pure reflex. "She surely did like that stuff." He agreed, then sighed. "Maybe that's how it starts, though. Folks think that's all right, then it just goes a little further, and further…"

"No." Ceci shook her head. "There's a line there, Jim. You and I both know that. Someone decided to cross that line." She put a hand on his arm. "It just so happens that person was a friend of ours."

James scowled. "Jackass."

"Mm."

"Hope Jade nails his ass to the ground with a sharpened flagpole."

Now it was Ceci's turn to laugh.