Fast Times (chap 1) - About A Girl
Hey there :)
Guess what? I have FIIIINALLY finished my first Sea Patrol fanfic at this point in time. 6 Chapters, 20,000 words long; im feeling very proud of myself. This is chapter 1. Review if you like it, Review if you dont; I'll be posting the following chapters shortly :)
Peace and Love, ellen
Sea Patrol Fic - Fast Times (Buffer/X) - About A Girl
Author: e-ellens
Summary: A Sea Patrol story based of The Academy Is... album 'Fast Times At Barrington High'. I take no credit for either the characters created or the BRILLIANT work of William Beckett and the crew from TAI
Pairings/Characters: Kate, Buffer.
Rating: Relatively PG-13
Disclaimer: Definately not my sandbox. but i wish it was. Could play with Buffer all day long. Although, sand and wet places might get a little uncomfortable :D
Spoilers: Eh, not spoiler-ing in particular. Well, not this chapter at least. Just general knowledge mainly.
A/N: I will try to keep these characters true to the series in regards to personality. But, that being said, it mightnt happen in places. Just so you know.
ABOUT A GIRL
Life on the Hammersley was like living in the pocket of your best mates for days or weeks on end. But living with guys is one thing; living with women was a completely different ball game. There was Nav, who was practically an honorary bloke after what we put her through when she was assigned to the Hammersley, named ‘off limits’ to anyone with indecent intentions. But then a new XO was placed on board. Kate.
One song about a girl
Can't breathe when I'm around her
I'll wait here every day
In case she scratch the surface
She’ll never notice
“Urgh!” Peter groaned, as he rolled over in his bunk. They had just been called out for a three-week peace keeping mission up north. Being in the presence of a beautiful woman for three weeks straight; trying to hold himself together and not lose it in front of her. As such, one of the most recent ploys to keep his mind off Kate was to keep an eye on the Nav. No one had missed the stolen glances from Buffer to Nav but, like everything else on the ship, it becomes someone else’s business.
Many times Buffer, as he was more commonly known by his shipmates, had been the target of snide comments which were generated by ET for the most part. What they didn’t understand was that he had no intention behind the glances. Nav watching was, and would continue to be, a platonic past time to get his mind off a particular XO. After repeatedly stating his non-existent feelings for the Nav, Buffer finally took matters into his own hands. Spotting Nav walking quickly away from a dumbstruck ET one evening, Buff took his chance. Within three strides, Buffer had ET up against a wall in all his menacing glory.
“Buff, what the hell?” choked out a startled ET, who still watched the retreating Nav. Using his free hand, Buffer turned ET’s head towards him.
“Listen, mate, and listen well. Chase Nav all you want, but quit trying to hide your relationship with her behind a falsely created one on my behalf,” Buffer growled out, whilst keeping an eye for any idle crew members who might try to intervene.
I'm not in love
This is not my heart
I'm not gonna waste these words
About a girl
ET spluttered for a second, unsure what he had done to alert a shipmate to his and Nav’s situation.
“Falsely created?” he threw back at Buffer, whilst raising an eyebrow and trying to wipe his face of other emotions. “Then how is it that whenever Nikki’s in your presence, your eyes are glued to her?”
Buffer rolled his eyes and loosened his grip on ET. “Well, at least you’re not denying it,” he replied, smirking as ET cursed at the slip up of names. “Think whatever you want, but she’s like a little sister, and I'm not the only one on board who feels the same way. Mess with her and you’ll have more than just me to answer to.” Buffer shook his head, trying to get back on track. “Look, I don’t particularly care what you guys have going on after hours, just lay off with all the jokes.”
“Everything alright here?” called a stern, female voice from the end of the corridor. Swearing under his breath, Buffer stepped back from ET, both straightening up as the XO walked towards them. Stopping a couple of feet away, the Executive Officer of Hammersley looked between Buffer and ET, a questioning look in her eyes, before focusing on Buffer.
“Yes, Ma’am. Everything’s in perfect order. Just clearing up an issue, but everything is sorted,” Buffer stated swiftly whilst standing to attention. ET, a beat behind Buffer, nodded his agreement.
“Of course, Ma’am. There’s nothing to worry about here,” ET added, quickly. Still looking questioningly between the two, the X dismissed the smaller ET as her eyes fell, once again, on Buffer.
“Are you sure it’s all sorted?” she asked, softly, well aware of ship gossip and how close the crew became to one another. Looking around, Kate noticed a small, unfrequented storeroom off to their right. Nodding towards it, she indicated that Buffer follow her into the room. Closing the door behind them, Kate turned towards a mystified Buffer, who was standing to attention in the middle of the room. Taking a breath, Kate leaned against the door and surveyed the man.
“You know, if you needed or need to talk to anyone, there are other options other than violence,” she stated lightly, taking her eyes off him, and looking awkwardly around the room. ‘Stupid!’ she scolded herself, as butterflies erupted in her stomach. ‘You shouldn’t have enclosed yourself in the room with him!’ Kate shifted her weight from foot to foot as she raised her face to the man who caught her eye when she was first posted to The Hammersley. Finally being alone with him, Kate lost all train of thought.
Last night I knew what to say
but you weren't there to hear it
these lines so well rehearsed
Tongue tied and overloaded
you’ll never notice
Barely restraining his eyes from rolling at the XO, Buffer replied, “I assure you, Ma’am, that there is nothing to worry about between ET and myself.” Grinning quickly, he added, “Just so you know, what happened back there wasn’t really violence, just... forceful words.”
Trusting his words, to an extent, Kate raised an eyebrow and pushed off the wall as she opened the door. “Well, whatever it was, Buff, don’t let me catch it again. I don’t think the ship could stand to lose the person on the other end of your violence.”
Buffer smirked and walked towards the door, slowly. “Touché, X. I’ll try to remember that.” As he walked out the door, Buffer glanced back at the XO, trying to capture everything to memory. ‘She has a sense of humour; a somewhat twisted one at that’ Buffer thought, with a grin. ‘The type of girl who rolled her eyes at her parents when she was growing up.’ As he looked back, he caught Kate’s eyes and gave her a mock salute. As predicted, just has he was turning back around, he caught a glimpse of rolling eyes.
I'm not in love
This is not my heart
I'm not gonna waste these words
About a girl
As he sat out on deck after his watch, Buffer was seriously thinking over everything he had felt since Kate was posted aboard Hammersley. ‘Well, there’s the first question answered, right there’ he thought, as he noticed he’d stopped calling the XO ‘X’. He wasn’t one to just fall in love, no matter how much he wanted to find someone to settle down with and start a family. He wasn’t attracting the right girls that accepted his marriage to the navy, not like old Swain-o found with Sally. It was like everyone he met made him choose. He sighed softly and lay back on deck, looking up at the stars. Unseen by Buffer, Kate was watching him from the upper deck.
To be loved, to be loved
what more could you ask for?
To be loved, to be loved
everyone wants to be loved
to be loved
what more could you ask for?
To be loved, to be loved
everyone…
‘Why must it be so damn hard to find someone accepting to love?’ Buffer asked himself, silently cursing his love and addiction to the sea. Whilst not hating it in the least, Buffer believed his choice of career had limited any chance at pure, unaltered love. That chance of finding that special someone to share in the good times and the bad.
“Care for some company?” asked a voice nearby. Once again, Kate had approached the larger man as silently as she had earlier in the day. Sitting upright, Buffer looked towards the woman who had turned his life on board the Hammersley upside down. After he appraised her sudden appearance, deciding she was there as another shipmate rather than the ‘XO’, he lay back down and continued to stare at the stars.
“You’re more than welcome to,” he replied lightly, whilst trying to get his nerves from singing with his close proximity to Kate. After she settled herself down, lying like he was, Buffer turned his face towards her. “So, what brings you out onto deck at who knows what time of night?” he asked her with raised eyebrows, seeing if he could catch another glimpse of the seldom-seen side of the X.
Kate, internally smiling at how easily they had fallen into a comfortable conversation, rested her head on her hands and turned to face Buffer. “Oh, you know, just wanted to think some things over. Stuff like how to deal with an overload of testosterone-filled males and keep myself alive,” she replied, smirking, to see his reaction.
I'm not in love
This is not my heart
I'm not gonna waste these words
About a girl
Buffer let out a short bark of verbal laughter, whilst his body shook with internal amusement. She was undeniably a firecracker once she was off duty. Buffer decided right there that he definitely wanted to learn more about this particular firecracker. Even if he couldn’t attract love.
He glanced over towards Kate and smiled at her joke, revelling in the comfortable silence that had surrounded them. As Buffer was smiling, he received one from Kate in return; not a smirk but a pure, genuine smile that lit hope in his stomach. ‘Perhaps I can find love after all...’
[[ to be continued...]]