Halloween
Prompted by the bewitching mercscilla, I think I got all the prompts except for hunter, sorry about that (quoting Samantha when she tells Tabitha about Adam :D )
Let´s see, rating is NC- 17, the pairing Wash/Taylor, obviously, and I don´t own anything except maybe some costumes- you might want to listen to some witchy songs while reading it, enjoy and let me know what you think!
Also, more Halloween prompts are welcome as long as they are about my favorite- and only writable (for me)- couple :D
Technically the idea to celebrate Halloween had been a good one, giving everybody a chance to relax and enjoy themselves, having worked hard during the months after the occupation with half the colony having to be rebuilt.
So a night of fun was well deserved and even though no one could seem to remember who had brought it up, everybody wanted to help with the organization.
Up to now Taylor had been all for it but right at this moment, standing in the shadows of command and nursing a glass of mulled wine, he wasn´t sure that the night had been such a good idea after all.
The reason for his sudden doubts presented itself in form of his first lieutenant who was currently standing next to the large bonfire, deeply in conversation with Dave Guzman.
That in itself wouldn't have been anything special, being second and third in command the two soldiers talked to each other often, apart from the fact that they were friends they also needed to coordinate Terra Nova´s security and military operations.
Unfortunately nothing was normal that night, both Wash and Guzman were off duty and accordingly had dressed up for the occasion, Guz was sporting a black tux and high colored, black cloak, making a quite convincing vampire in the commander´s opinion while Wash was unmistakably a witch, causing heads to turn and men to throw her appreciative glances when they caught sight of her.
The lieutenant´s dress was made of a shimmering, emerald green fabric, showing off her body in a spectacular way with a tight, sleeveless and rather low cut bodice and floor length, flared skirt- Taylor was no expert on matters of clothing but he was prepared to bet that the dress had been expensive and also that Wash had had it custom made for the night, they had a few talented seamstresses at the colony and a lot of people had used the festival as an excuse to indulge a little, there were costumes everywhere, displayed beautifully by the light of the large fire.
Wash also had her hair down, the long dark tresses gently curled, framing her face and giving her a softer, more womanly appearance than she presented in her combat fatigues and leather jacket and a broom in her hand and a pair of high heeled boots completed the ensemble.
The commander had been watching her for the better part of an hour now, unable to turn his eyes away, she was looking spectacular and the way she was smiling at something Guzman was telling her wasn´t helpful, she didn´t smile often, his lieutenant, there hadn´t been much in her life to smile about and seeing it so rarely made it even more precious.
Guz reached for her hand and she shook her head, then visibly gave in and allowed him to drag her after him towards the dance floor, her hand still in her comrade´s and Taylor´s own clenched around his glass.
He recognized the feeling, hadn´t felt it this intensely for a long time but now it was boiling up, fully consuming his often praised rationality- he was jealous.
Jealous of Guzman who was currently holding Wash in his arms, jealous of every man who could openly flirt with her and try to impress her and he couldn´t quite believe it, when had he started to see her in that way, as a woman rather than a comrade, a friend?
"Must be the damn dress" he muttered, glaring ineffectively at the pair who was still dancing, looking as though they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
And why shouldn´t they, they made a nice couple, both young and attractive, athletic, sharp witted and competitive, a perfect match.
As though on their own account Taylor´s feet began to carry him towards the plaza, smiling and nodding in greeting at soldiers and civilians alike until he reached the crowded bonfire.
"Evening, Commander, you don´t look happy- even more than usual, I mean- nice costume."
Tom Boylan, dressed as a giant pumpkin and looking absolutely ridiculous, heartily clapped Taylor´s shoulder and the commander crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at his former friend.
"I´m not wearing a costume, Tom- what do you want?"
The other shrugged, grinning widely.
"Just having a friendly chat with an old friend- oh, wait, that´s not us, is it- well, anyway, stop glaring, you´re beginning to scare people."
"If you´d just stop annoying me-"
"Tell you what, Taylor, sometimes rules are important and very useful but sometimes rules are a real nuisance and you have to bend them to ensure living happily ever after."
"Right, thanks for that generous piece of advice, now if you´ll excuse me, I need to talk to my lieutenant."
"Better make it quick, you´re not getting any younger" Boylan called after him and Taylor briefly entertained the idea of shooting the other man but then that would probably ruin the party and besides he had spent one hundred and eighteen days alone in the jungle already, he wasn´t keen to relive the experience.
After his return to the colony he had actually thought that he might manage to get along with the former soldier better than before but then of course this was Boylan and once the shock had worn off he had quickly been back to his former- annoying- self.
Taylor impatiently waited for the song to end and when it did he was happy to see Wash stepping out of Guzman´s embrace and nod towards the table with refreshments, then his eyes narrowed when Guzman took her hand again and began leading her out of the crowd.
The commander made his way over to the table as well, reaching it at the same moment as the couple from a different direction.
"Good evening, Sir" Guzman greeted his CO politely, letting go of Wash´s hand at last to pour them each a drink while Wash turned towards Taylor, looking beautiful with her cheeks flushed from dancing and dark eyes sparkling in the firelight.
"Sir, I haven´t seen you all night."
"Been busy, Wash, you know how it is."
She frowned.
"As far as I remember you said we were finished for the day, I would´t-"
Guzman reappeared at that moment and handed Wash her drink.
"Here you go, Alicia- Sir, can I get you anything?"
Trying to not let his annoyance with Guzman´s show, Taylor shook his head.
"Thank you, Guz, I´m good- seems to be a success."
"It is, Sir, everybody is enjoying themselves, even my moody teenage daughter."
Guzman nodded towards a group of young people, all of them dressed as zombies, who were standing close by, his seventeen year old, among them.
Taylor nodded, trying to look as though he was interested but at the moment he was much more keen on watching Wash who was sipping her drink, an almost dreamy expression on her face as she watched people dancing, the fire light was casting a reddish glow on her black hair, her eyes seemed almost amber instead of their usual dark brown.
Tasha Guzman came over to them, blushing when she saw the commander.
"Good evening, Sir- hey, Alicia."
Wash smiled at the girl, then looked up at Guzman.
"Don´t you want to ask your daughter to dance?"
Guz grinned, taking Tasha`s hand and the girl blushed even more but looked pleased all the same as her father led her into the crowd while Taylor turned to his second.
"Care to dance, too, Lieutenant?"
"You don´t dance" she stated dryly, looking suspicious.
"Don´t doesn´t mean can´t, Wash- now come on, indulge an old man."
She rolled her eyes but took the arm he offered her all the same, leaning her broom against the table, much like she might have done with her gun in a similar situation, making Taylor grin.
"Yes, Sir."
"It wasn´t meant as an order, Wash" he told her, still amused, then gasped when she shoved her elbow into his rips, thinking that he was lucky she had discarded the broom.
"Shut up, Sir."
"Is that a way to talk to your CO, woman?"
She shrugged, allowing him to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her closer to him as they began to dance to the slow music.
"I´m off duty, Sir, so I was hoping you´d let it slide for once."
"For once?"
Taylor chuckled, twirling Wash around and pulling her close to him again as the song ended, unwilling to let her go just yet.
"I believe the dance is over" Wash whispered to him as she leaned her cheek against his shoulder, "if you want another one you have to ask again."
"Feeling rebellious tonight, aren´t you."
"I thought it wasn´t meant to be an order, Sir" she replied but didn´t move from her position, instead she relaxed even more against him.
They danced to three more songs, then Taylor led his lieutenant back to the refreshment table where they found Guzman already waiting for them.
"There you are."
Taylor led go of Wash reluctantly, then watched as Guzman wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side, a possessive move that made Taylor grit his teeth.
"I´ll be on my way, then, enjoy your night."
With a nod to Wash the commander left, not trusting himself to stay and watch her with Guzman any longer without risking to make a complete fool of himself.
Before he could escape, Jim Shannon stepped into his way, wearing a shaggy black suit and pointed ears, probably a creation of Maddy and looking perfectly content despite his looks.
"Evening, Taylor."
"Shannon- what´s that supposed to be?"
"A werewolf, don´t let Maddy hear that you didn´t recognize it, she´d be seriously hurt."
The sheriff took a sip of something that looked unnaturally green from his glass, then nodded towards the refreshment table where Wash was now talking to the older Shannon daughter and Mark Reynolds, both of them dressed in identical brown shaggy fur, apparently meant to match Jim´s.
"Is your wife dressed as a werewolf, too?"
Taylor asked, amused despite himself.
"No, she´s a vampire, Zoe´s as well."
Hearing the term vampire reminded Taylor why he wanted to get away and he smiled unconvincingly at Shannon before excusing himself, ignoring Boylan´s sly grin from where he was pouring drinks for the smaller children and walking straight towards the housing units, he wanted some peace and quiet, far away from Guzman and this far too beautiful version of his second in command but two glasses of whiskey later Taylor wasn´t feeling better, images of Wash smiling and leaning against Guzman still whirling in his head.
Telling himself that he was perfectly ok with the two officers in a relationship with each other wasn´t helpful either, Wash deserved some happiness and so did Guzman after the whole ordeal they had gone through with the Phoenix group, stuck at the colony, trying to protect the civilians as well as sabotaging their enemies while Taylor himself had played hide and seek in the woods, he should just step aside and allow their friendship to progress to something more if that was what they both wanted.
The fact that he had never actually admitted to himself how he felt about Wash until he had seen her in a dress and his mind had gone all caveman was making him feel even more stupid, his lieutenant was rightfully proud of her achievements as a soldier and if she knew of his thoughts about her she´d probably shoot him.
A knock at the door made him get up, grateful for any distraction but when he opened the door and found himself face to face with Wash, he realized that the evening´s complications weren´t over yet.
"Wash."
"Trick or treat?"
"What?"
She smiled in a way he had come to associate with trouble over the years.
"Trick or treat, Sir?"
He needed to compose himself, come up with something witty as a response, so he tried to win more time.
"Depends."
Wash twirled a strand of hair around her finger, still smiling and Taylor´s gaze was involuntarily drawn to her lips that were painted a shade of ruby red he was sure hadn´t been present when he had seen her earlier.
"Being elusive doesn´t count, Sir- just answer the question."
She was looking at him from under unusually long and thick eyelashes, she certainly had put a lot of effort into applying her make up and damn him if it wasn´t making an impression, idiotic as it might be, her overly female attire was getting to him and where she usually was beautiful, made up like that she was absolutely stunning.
His voice was uncharacteristically raspy as he asked "So what kind of treat did you have in mind?"
"I believe traditionally it´s candy, Sir" she emphasized his title, leaning against the doorframe now, her body curving in a way that left little to Taylor´s imagination, not that that was stopping his mind from engaging in most interesting fantasies.
"Candy?"
She pushed away from the doorframe and took a step towards him, their bodies almost touching, her lips so close to his he could smell the sweet scent of mulled wine on her breath.
"Yes-" she breathed, then she surprised him completely by leaning towards him and pressing her lips to his, her hand moving to cup the back of his neck, holding him to her.
Stunned Taylor didn't react at all for a moment, then he wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her to him, only breaking the kiss when the need for oxygen became to great to resist.
"Are you drunk?"
She shook her head, her free hand toying with his shirt sleeve.
"Maybe a little tipsy-"
"Good."
He kissed her again, hands already searching for the zipper on her dress, pulling it down without hesitation when he found it.
"One time I wear a dress and you can´t wait to get me out of it" Wash sighed, leaning her head back to give him better access to her neck as he began to explore her body.
"Looks even better now" Taylor teased, referring to the lacy black lingerie she was wearing, wondering at the same time why she would even have anything like it, after all she must have brought it through the portal with her or have bought it from one of the vendors afterwards and he couldn´t really see her doing either.
"Thank you, Sir" she purred, a tone of voice Taylor would never have dreamed of hearing from her but he found that he enjoyed it immensely.
"I´m afraid it´ll have to go as well, though" he added, rather feeling than hearing her chuckle when he opened the clasp of her bra and pulled the garment off her body, letting it fall to the floor before hooking his fingers underneath the waistband of her panties, leaning in to whisper into her ear.
"Leave the boots."
She laughed, a high pitched, merry sound Taylor would never have associated with his lieutenant and he found it charming, only one more thing of so many he was discovering about her tonight.
"Never would have taken you for a shoe fetishist."
She hooked one leg around Taylor´s hip, moaning softly when his hand on her lower back pulled her flush against his body, taking her mouth in another hungry kiss.
"Bedroom" she whispered against his lips, gasping when his grip on her tightened.
"Pushy, aren´t you" he drawled, chuckling when she sighed in frustration at his lack of hurry.
"Have I ever told you that you talk to damn much?"
"Occasionally" he reached around her for her other thigh and lifted her up against him, amazed how someone so strong and tough as his lieutenant could be so light weighted at the same time, carrying her was no effort at all and he carefully put her down onto his bed before drawing back to look at her, dark hair a perfect contrast to the white sheets, red lips begging to be kissed again, tempting in a way he´d never have thought possible and he once again felt grateful for getting another chance with her and this time he was determined to make the most of it.
"So how´s the treat so far, Lieutenant?"
Taylor asked while pulling his shirt up over his head, amused by the way Wash followed his every movement with unmistakable hunger in her eyes, licking her lips when he stepped out of his fatigues.
"Just fine, Sir" she replied in the same tone, "there´s definite room for improvement, though."
Nathaniel stretched out next to her and ran his fingertips along her collarbone, watching with fascination when her eyelids fluttered and her lips parted in a soft moan.
"You know what the best thing about this treat is, Wash?"
She shook her head, her back arching when he moved his hand lower, cupping her breast and running the pad of his thumb over her nipple.
"It works both ways" he leaned over her, covering her lips with his again, continuing to caress and tease her until she was impatiently pushing her body up into his hands, her fingernails digging into his scalp as their kisses intensified into a frenzied battle of tongues and teeth until they finally broke away, both of them panting.
Wash bit her lip, her head falling back against the sheets as Taylor´s hand ran up her inner thigh until his fingertips played over her lace covered center.
"I actually didn´t have the feeling you were enjoying Halloween very much" she told him but he could tell from her tone that she was teasing and he pressed his thumb down on her clit, grinning when she gasped and bucked against him.
"It wasn´t so much about Halloween, more about some strange creatures in long dark cloaks invading my territory."
He peeled the flimsy lace down her legs and parted them, enjoying the way her muscles flexed against his sides as he settled himself between her thighs, his pubic bone brushing against her clit when he balanced himself above her.
She was looking up at him, her cheeks flushed and lips slightly swollen, eyes glazed over as she tried to control her breathing.
"Your territory, Sir?"
"Everything within at least ten feet around you, Lieutenant" Taylor felt her legs wrap around his hips and pushed more insistently against her until she was writhing underneath him and his restraint was impossible to hold up anymore.
The first thrust felt incredible and the feeling only grew better, years of working flawlessly together making it easy to read each other´s reactions, adjust positions and movements until Wash came with a strangled cry, her body shuddering around him pulling Nathaniel right over the edge with her.
He buried his face in her neck, feeling her racing heartbeat underneath his lips and he gently sucked at her pulse point, feeling her tremble in response, her thighs falling open as she drew a deep, shuddering breath and he rolled them so he came to lie on his back with Alicia draped across his body, her head on his chest.
"Sweet enough?"
He teased, tenderly mussing up her dark hair.
"Delicious" she sighed happily, "what a shame trick or treating only works once a year."
She sat up and began unlacing her boots,he chuckled as he watched her watching him, her dark eyes twinkling mischievously.
"No way, I´m not letting you out of my sight again."
The shoes hit the floor and she crawled back towards him, yawning as she settled back into his embrace.
"Good, in that case you´ll have to do my morning patrol with me."
Taylor briefly shifted Wash to pull the covers up and over them, then hugged her tightly to him again, marveling on how right it felt to be there with her like this and how he could not have seen it until now, so many years wasted, so much time spend alone.
"You´re thinking too loud" she mumbled, lifting herself up to look at him, "stop pondering the what ifs and just go to sleep."
"So now you can read my thoughts?"
He tried his very best to sound indignant but she was far too adorable with her tousled hair and sleep hooded eyes as she observed his expression and apparently came to the conclusion that sleep was more important than responding to him baiting her.
"Shut up, Sir."
She put her head back onto his chest and this time Taylor kept silent as he watched her drift off to sleep, for once accepting the wisdom of his lieutenant´s statement without arguing.
Let´s see, rating is NC- 17, the pairing Wash/Taylor, obviously, and I don´t own anything except maybe some costumes- you might want to listen to some witchy songs while reading it, enjoy and let me know what you think!
Also, more Halloween prompts are welcome as long as they are about my favorite- and only writable (for me)- couple :D
Technically the idea to celebrate Halloween had been a good one, giving everybody a chance to relax and enjoy themselves, having worked hard during the months after the occupation with half the colony having to be rebuilt.
So a night of fun was well deserved and even though no one could seem to remember who had brought it up, everybody wanted to help with the organization.
Up to now Taylor had been all for it but right at this moment, standing in the shadows of command and nursing a glass of mulled wine, he wasn´t sure that the night had been such a good idea after all.
The reason for his sudden doubts presented itself in form of his first lieutenant who was currently standing next to the large bonfire, deeply in conversation with Dave Guzman.
That in itself wouldn't have been anything special, being second and third in command the two soldiers talked to each other often, apart from the fact that they were friends they also needed to coordinate Terra Nova´s security and military operations.
Unfortunately nothing was normal that night, both Wash and Guzman were off duty and accordingly had dressed up for the occasion, Guz was sporting a black tux and high colored, black cloak, making a quite convincing vampire in the commander´s opinion while Wash was unmistakably a witch, causing heads to turn and men to throw her appreciative glances when they caught sight of her.
The lieutenant´s dress was made of a shimmering, emerald green fabric, showing off her body in a spectacular way with a tight, sleeveless and rather low cut bodice and floor length, flared skirt- Taylor was no expert on matters of clothing but he was prepared to bet that the dress had been expensive and also that Wash had had it custom made for the night, they had a few talented seamstresses at the colony and a lot of people had used the festival as an excuse to indulge a little, there were costumes everywhere, displayed beautifully by the light of the large fire.
Wash also had her hair down, the long dark tresses gently curled, framing her face and giving her a softer, more womanly appearance than she presented in her combat fatigues and leather jacket and a broom in her hand and a pair of high heeled boots completed the ensemble.
The commander had been watching her for the better part of an hour now, unable to turn his eyes away, she was looking spectacular and the way she was smiling at something Guzman was telling her wasn´t helpful, she didn´t smile often, his lieutenant, there hadn´t been much in her life to smile about and seeing it so rarely made it even more precious.
Guz reached for her hand and she shook her head, then visibly gave in and allowed him to drag her after him towards the dance floor, her hand still in her comrade´s and Taylor´s own clenched around his glass.
He recognized the feeling, hadn´t felt it this intensely for a long time but now it was boiling up, fully consuming his often praised rationality- he was jealous.
Jealous of Guzman who was currently holding Wash in his arms, jealous of every man who could openly flirt with her and try to impress her and he couldn´t quite believe it, when had he started to see her in that way, as a woman rather than a comrade, a friend?
"Must be the damn dress" he muttered, glaring ineffectively at the pair who was still dancing, looking as though they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
And why shouldn´t they, they made a nice couple, both young and attractive, athletic, sharp witted and competitive, a perfect match.
As though on their own account Taylor´s feet began to carry him towards the plaza, smiling and nodding in greeting at soldiers and civilians alike until he reached the crowded bonfire.
"Evening, Commander, you don´t look happy- even more than usual, I mean- nice costume."
Tom Boylan, dressed as a giant pumpkin and looking absolutely ridiculous, heartily clapped Taylor´s shoulder and the commander crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at his former friend.
"I´m not wearing a costume, Tom- what do you want?"
The other shrugged, grinning widely.
"Just having a friendly chat with an old friend- oh, wait, that´s not us, is it- well, anyway, stop glaring, you´re beginning to scare people."
"If you´d just stop annoying me-"
"Tell you what, Taylor, sometimes rules are important and very useful but sometimes rules are a real nuisance and you have to bend them to ensure living happily ever after."
"Right, thanks for that generous piece of advice, now if you´ll excuse me, I need to talk to my lieutenant."
"Better make it quick, you´re not getting any younger" Boylan called after him and Taylor briefly entertained the idea of shooting the other man but then that would probably ruin the party and besides he had spent one hundred and eighteen days alone in the jungle already, he wasn´t keen to relive the experience.
After his return to the colony he had actually thought that he might manage to get along with the former soldier better than before but then of course this was Boylan and once the shock had worn off he had quickly been back to his former- annoying- self.
Taylor impatiently waited for the song to end and when it did he was happy to see Wash stepping out of Guzman´s embrace and nod towards the table with refreshments, then his eyes narrowed when Guzman took her hand again and began leading her out of the crowd.
The commander made his way over to the table as well, reaching it at the same moment as the couple from a different direction.
"Good evening, Sir" Guzman greeted his CO politely, letting go of Wash´s hand at last to pour them each a drink while Wash turned towards Taylor, looking beautiful with her cheeks flushed from dancing and dark eyes sparkling in the firelight.
"Sir, I haven´t seen you all night."
"Been busy, Wash, you know how it is."
She frowned.
"As far as I remember you said we were finished for the day, I would´t-"
Guzman reappeared at that moment and handed Wash her drink.
"Here you go, Alicia- Sir, can I get you anything?"
Trying to not let his annoyance with Guzman´s show, Taylor shook his head.
"Thank you, Guz, I´m good- seems to be a success."
"It is, Sir, everybody is enjoying themselves, even my moody teenage daughter."
Guzman nodded towards a group of young people, all of them dressed as zombies, who were standing close by, his seventeen year old, among them.
Taylor nodded, trying to look as though he was interested but at the moment he was much more keen on watching Wash who was sipping her drink, an almost dreamy expression on her face as she watched people dancing, the fire light was casting a reddish glow on her black hair, her eyes seemed almost amber instead of their usual dark brown.
Tasha Guzman came over to them, blushing when she saw the commander.
"Good evening, Sir- hey, Alicia."
Wash smiled at the girl, then looked up at Guzman.
"Don´t you want to ask your daughter to dance?"
Guz grinned, taking Tasha`s hand and the girl blushed even more but looked pleased all the same as her father led her into the crowd while Taylor turned to his second.
"Care to dance, too, Lieutenant?"
"You don´t dance" she stated dryly, looking suspicious.
"Don´t doesn´t mean can´t, Wash- now come on, indulge an old man."
She rolled her eyes but took the arm he offered her all the same, leaning her broom against the table, much like she might have done with her gun in a similar situation, making Taylor grin.
"Yes, Sir."
"It wasn´t meant as an order, Wash" he told her, still amused, then gasped when she shoved her elbow into his rips, thinking that he was lucky she had discarded the broom.
"Shut up, Sir."
"Is that a way to talk to your CO, woman?"
She shrugged, allowing him to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her closer to him as they began to dance to the slow music.
"I´m off duty, Sir, so I was hoping you´d let it slide for once."
"For once?"
Taylor chuckled, twirling Wash around and pulling her close to him again as the song ended, unwilling to let her go just yet.
"I believe the dance is over" Wash whispered to him as she leaned her cheek against his shoulder, "if you want another one you have to ask again."
"Feeling rebellious tonight, aren´t you."
"I thought it wasn´t meant to be an order, Sir" she replied but didn´t move from her position, instead she relaxed even more against him.
They danced to three more songs, then Taylor led his lieutenant back to the refreshment table where they found Guzman already waiting for them.
"There you are."
Taylor led go of Wash reluctantly, then watched as Guzman wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side, a possessive move that made Taylor grit his teeth.
"I´ll be on my way, then, enjoy your night."
With a nod to Wash the commander left, not trusting himself to stay and watch her with Guzman any longer without risking to make a complete fool of himself.
Before he could escape, Jim Shannon stepped into his way, wearing a shaggy black suit and pointed ears, probably a creation of Maddy and looking perfectly content despite his looks.
"Evening, Taylor."
"Shannon- what´s that supposed to be?"
"A werewolf, don´t let Maddy hear that you didn´t recognize it, she´d be seriously hurt."
The sheriff took a sip of something that looked unnaturally green from his glass, then nodded towards the refreshment table where Wash was now talking to the older Shannon daughter and Mark Reynolds, both of them dressed in identical brown shaggy fur, apparently meant to match Jim´s.
"Is your wife dressed as a werewolf, too?"
Taylor asked, amused despite himself.
"No, she´s a vampire, Zoe´s as well."
Hearing the term vampire reminded Taylor why he wanted to get away and he smiled unconvincingly at Shannon before excusing himself, ignoring Boylan´s sly grin from where he was pouring drinks for the smaller children and walking straight towards the housing units, he wanted some peace and quiet, far away from Guzman and this far too beautiful version of his second in command but two glasses of whiskey later Taylor wasn´t feeling better, images of Wash smiling and leaning against Guzman still whirling in his head.
Telling himself that he was perfectly ok with the two officers in a relationship with each other wasn´t helpful either, Wash deserved some happiness and so did Guzman after the whole ordeal they had gone through with the Phoenix group, stuck at the colony, trying to protect the civilians as well as sabotaging their enemies while Taylor himself had played hide and seek in the woods, he should just step aside and allow their friendship to progress to something more if that was what they both wanted.
The fact that he had never actually admitted to himself how he felt about Wash until he had seen her in a dress and his mind had gone all caveman was making him feel even more stupid, his lieutenant was rightfully proud of her achievements as a soldier and if she knew of his thoughts about her she´d probably shoot him.
A knock at the door made him get up, grateful for any distraction but when he opened the door and found himself face to face with Wash, he realized that the evening´s complications weren´t over yet.
"Wash."
"Trick or treat?"
"What?"
She smiled in a way he had come to associate with trouble over the years.
"Trick or treat, Sir?"
He needed to compose himself, come up with something witty as a response, so he tried to win more time.
"Depends."
Wash twirled a strand of hair around her finger, still smiling and Taylor´s gaze was involuntarily drawn to her lips that were painted a shade of ruby red he was sure hadn´t been present when he had seen her earlier.
"Being elusive doesn´t count, Sir- just answer the question."
She was looking at him from under unusually long and thick eyelashes, she certainly had put a lot of effort into applying her make up and damn him if it wasn´t making an impression, idiotic as it might be, her overly female attire was getting to him and where she usually was beautiful, made up like that she was absolutely stunning.
His voice was uncharacteristically raspy as he asked "So what kind of treat did you have in mind?"
"I believe traditionally it´s candy, Sir" she emphasized his title, leaning against the doorframe now, her body curving in a way that left little to Taylor´s imagination, not that that was stopping his mind from engaging in most interesting fantasies.
"Candy?"
She pushed away from the doorframe and took a step towards him, their bodies almost touching, her lips so close to his he could smell the sweet scent of mulled wine on her breath.
"Yes-" she breathed, then she surprised him completely by leaning towards him and pressing her lips to his, her hand moving to cup the back of his neck, holding him to her.
Stunned Taylor didn't react at all for a moment, then he wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her to him, only breaking the kiss when the need for oxygen became to great to resist.
"Are you drunk?"
She shook her head, her free hand toying with his shirt sleeve.
"Maybe a little tipsy-"
"Good."
He kissed her again, hands already searching for the zipper on her dress, pulling it down without hesitation when he found it.
"One time I wear a dress and you can´t wait to get me out of it" Wash sighed, leaning her head back to give him better access to her neck as he began to explore her body.
"Looks even better now" Taylor teased, referring to the lacy black lingerie she was wearing, wondering at the same time why she would even have anything like it, after all she must have brought it through the portal with her or have bought it from one of the vendors afterwards and he couldn´t really see her doing either.
"Thank you, Sir" she purred, a tone of voice Taylor would never have dreamed of hearing from her but he found that he enjoyed it immensely.
"I´m afraid it´ll have to go as well, though" he added, rather feeling than hearing her chuckle when he opened the clasp of her bra and pulled the garment off her body, letting it fall to the floor before hooking his fingers underneath the waistband of her panties, leaning in to whisper into her ear.
"Leave the boots."
She laughed, a high pitched, merry sound Taylor would never have associated with his lieutenant and he found it charming, only one more thing of so many he was discovering about her tonight.
"Never would have taken you for a shoe fetishist."
She hooked one leg around Taylor´s hip, moaning softly when his hand on her lower back pulled her flush against his body, taking her mouth in another hungry kiss.
"Bedroom" she whispered against his lips, gasping when his grip on her tightened.
"Pushy, aren´t you" he drawled, chuckling when she sighed in frustration at his lack of hurry.
"Have I ever told you that you talk to damn much?"
"Occasionally" he reached around her for her other thigh and lifted her up against him, amazed how someone so strong and tough as his lieutenant could be so light weighted at the same time, carrying her was no effort at all and he carefully put her down onto his bed before drawing back to look at her, dark hair a perfect contrast to the white sheets, red lips begging to be kissed again, tempting in a way he´d never have thought possible and he once again felt grateful for getting another chance with her and this time he was determined to make the most of it.
"So how´s the treat so far, Lieutenant?"
Taylor asked while pulling his shirt up over his head, amused by the way Wash followed his every movement with unmistakable hunger in her eyes, licking her lips when he stepped out of his fatigues.
"Just fine, Sir" she replied in the same tone, "there´s definite room for improvement, though."
Nathaniel stretched out next to her and ran his fingertips along her collarbone, watching with fascination when her eyelids fluttered and her lips parted in a soft moan.
"You know what the best thing about this treat is, Wash?"
She shook her head, her back arching when he moved his hand lower, cupping her breast and running the pad of his thumb over her nipple.
"It works both ways" he leaned over her, covering her lips with his again, continuing to caress and tease her until she was impatiently pushing her body up into his hands, her fingernails digging into his scalp as their kisses intensified into a frenzied battle of tongues and teeth until they finally broke away, both of them panting.
Wash bit her lip, her head falling back against the sheets as Taylor´s hand ran up her inner thigh until his fingertips played over her lace covered center.
"I actually didn´t have the feeling you were enjoying Halloween very much" she told him but he could tell from her tone that she was teasing and he pressed his thumb down on her clit, grinning when she gasped and bucked against him.
"It wasn´t so much about Halloween, more about some strange creatures in long dark cloaks invading my territory."
He peeled the flimsy lace down her legs and parted them, enjoying the way her muscles flexed against his sides as he settled himself between her thighs, his pubic bone brushing against her clit when he balanced himself above her.
She was looking up at him, her cheeks flushed and lips slightly swollen, eyes glazed over as she tried to control her breathing.
"Your territory, Sir?"
"Everything within at least ten feet around you, Lieutenant" Taylor felt her legs wrap around his hips and pushed more insistently against her until she was writhing underneath him and his restraint was impossible to hold up anymore.
The first thrust felt incredible and the feeling only grew better, years of working flawlessly together making it easy to read each other´s reactions, adjust positions and movements until Wash came with a strangled cry, her body shuddering around him pulling Nathaniel right over the edge with her.
He buried his face in her neck, feeling her racing heartbeat underneath his lips and he gently sucked at her pulse point, feeling her tremble in response, her thighs falling open as she drew a deep, shuddering breath and he rolled them so he came to lie on his back with Alicia draped across his body, her head on his chest.
"Sweet enough?"
He teased, tenderly mussing up her dark hair.
"Delicious" she sighed happily, "what a shame trick or treating only works once a year."
She sat up and began unlacing her boots,he chuckled as he watched her watching him, her dark eyes twinkling mischievously.
"No way, I´m not letting you out of my sight again."
The shoes hit the floor and she crawled back towards him, yawning as she settled back into his embrace.
"Good, in that case you´ll have to do my morning patrol with me."
Taylor briefly shifted Wash to pull the covers up and over them, then hugged her tightly to him again, marveling on how right it felt to be there with her like this and how he could not have seen it until now, so many years wasted, so much time spend alone.
"You´re thinking too loud" she mumbled, lifting herself up to look at him, "stop pondering the what ifs and just go to sleep."
"So now you can read my thoughts?"
He tried his very best to sound indignant but she was far too adorable with her tousled hair and sleep hooded eyes as she observed his expression and apparently came to the conclusion that sleep was more important than responding to him baiting her.
"Shut up, Sir."
She put her head back onto his chest and this time Taylor kept silent as he watched her drift off to sleep, for once accepting the wisdom of his lieutenant´s statement without arguing.