3 weeks to Christmas
Part 2/5
Pairing: Wash/Taylor
Timelie: 2144
Rating: PG-15
Spoilers: General
Disclaimer: Not mine
Lots of Eggnog, trees and some heartbreak ;)
As she´s fighting her way through the cold white mass of snow, Wash has to admit that the novelty has worn off a bit but there´s no use complaining, she´s out here to get a job done and the sooner it´s finished, the sooner she can get back to the colony and get some hot drink from Boylan´s to warm her up again.
"Lieutenant, we´re good to go."
She turns towards the rhinos and nods at her Corporal, the young woman looks as wet and cold as Wash is feeling and as eager to go home.
"Thanks, Riley- everybody, we´re heading back."
Wash is joined in the front of her rhino by one of her fresh recruits, a young man named Mark Reynolds she already has taken a shine to, the boy is talented, disciplined and hard working, all she is looking for in a soldier.
"How was your first trip OTG, Private?"
"Fine, Ma´am- a little cold" he adds truthfully, pulling his gloves off and rubbing his hands together to get the circulation started again.
She has taken a group of younger men this time, the area they have been getting the pine trees from isn't dangerous and it´s important for the recruits to get some OTG experience as soon as possible.
"You have any plans for Christmas yet?"
She asks, despite herself, she usually isn´t one to make small talk but she really likes the boy and wants to know how he´s getting on.
"Some friends and I are meeting up, Ma´am, nothing too special, just some food and drinks and perhaps small presents."
She nods, it´s nice to know that the boys are getting along well enough to make holiday plans together, she doesn´t have any plans herself yet, last year she has eaten dinner with Guz while Taylor spend the evening with Lucas, now Lucas is gone and Guz´s daughter is here and that probably will leave both her and the commander alone which is a bit depressing but can´t be helped, she isn´t exactly in the position to ask her CO to spend Christmas with her after all, as much as the mere idea thrills her, it´s simply not appropriate, wouldn´t even be if her motives were which they are decidedly not.
They arrive back at the colony in the late afternoon, it´s already dark and Wash arranges for the trees to be moved out of the way before walking over to the small cabin in the market where Tom Boylan is busy hanging a fresh pine garland, grinning brightly when he spots her.
"Lieutenant, my, you look frozen."
He climbs down from his ladder and Wash follows him over to the entrance, it´s crowded in front of the makeshift bar, three people are serving the customers mulled wine and other hot drinks.
"Looks like you´re making more here than at the bar right now" Wash observes and Boylan grins happily.
"Bar will be filling up later but you´re right, this is really paying off. You´ll be pleased to hear that I finally managed to produce your favorite."
Boylan winks at her as he pours a generous helping of eggnog into a mug and tops it with whipped cream before handing it to her, watching as she cautiously takes a sip, it´s perfect, just the way she likes it with a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon.
"You´ve outdone yourself."
He chuckles, pleased with himself, then he roams underneath the counter and comes back up with a large chocolate chip cookie.
"Bakery´s come up with these, interested?"
"Are you joking? It´s chocolate, of course I am."
Both eggnog and chocolate chip cookie in hand, Wash makes her way up to command, not at all surprised when she finds her CO still behind his desk.
"Boylan was looking for you earlier, he wants you to try something."
"Just eggnog, Sir."
His expression softens, his lieutenant´s weakness for the typical female fancy never ceasing to amuse him.
"Should have known- I´m sorry I´m being so- disagreeable, about Christmas."
She shrugs dispassionately.
"I don´t really care, Sir, it´s simply a good excuse to drink eggnog and eat lots of cookies."
"Ah, I see- so how is the eggnog?"
"It´s really good, want some?"
She holds out the mug to him without thinking, then almost drops it when he reaches for it, his fingertips brushing against her´s and small jolts of electricity seem to erupt all over her skin.
Taylor doesn´t seem to notice her reaction, he takes a sip of her eggnog and nods approvingly, then puts the mug down onto the desk in front of her and leans back in his chair, observing her.
"You should get changed, wouldn´t want you to get sick."
"Why, because you´d have to organize the Christmas tree sale in my place?"
Wash teases and Taylor groans, burying his head in his hands.
"Evil woman, you can´t just spring something like that on me."
Finishing her eggnog Wash glances at her watch, her shift is over and she really wants a hot shower, dry clothes, food and sleep, in that order.
"I´ll go then, Sir, meet you at the mess later?"
He looks up.
"What´s on the menu for tonight?"
"I don´t know but it´s freezing outside, so the market isn´t really an option."
"You know what, why don´t we just meet at your place, Boylan wants to organize a party for military members and their families on Christmas Eve, we can discuss that over dinner."
They´ve done that before, working lunches or dinners at one of their units, just like they´ve done while living at the Chicago dome while preparing for Terra Nova, the only difference is that back then they would order in, now one of them has to buy food in the market and bring it over.
"That´ll work, give me half an hour."
"See you in thirty then."
Wash has just gotten out of her bedroom, now clad in soft sweat pants and a turtleneck sweater, when she hears a tapping sound coming from her front door.
Frowning she walks over, usually Taylor would just let himself inside but when she opens the door the reason for knocking is apparent, he´s carrying not only a bag of food but also two mugs which smell deliciously of more eggnog.
"You really liked it that much?"
She takes the mugs from him and steps back so he can walk past her, it´s snowing again and Wash can´t help but admire the beautiful picture, even though she now knows from experience that she won´t find it so pretty when she has to go outside again in the morning.
"I have to admit it was rather tasty, Boylan will tease me for weeks about drinking it, I hope you appreciate my efforts."
She laughs, closing the door again and carries the mugs over to her living room table, there´s a fire burning in the small fire place and it´s warm and cozy and now the scent of spicy eggnog is filling the air, adding to the relaxed atmosphere.
Taylor has gotten out of his parka and hung it up next to her front door, now he is in her kitchen area, putting their dinner on plates.
The food vendors have changed their menus to accommodate the colder season, wiping out traditional recopies and Wash deeply inhales the delicious scent that´s wafting over to her.
"What did you bring?"
"Irish Stew, ever had it before?"
"No but I know how it´s made- there´s fresh bread if you want any, I bought it this morning before I went OTG."
She watches Taylor cut some bread, thinking that having him in her kitchen is something she could get used to and at the same moment reprimands herself for it, she really needs to be more careful with her own thoughts, they have a nasty tendency to run away without her permission lately.
"Something on your mind?"
He is looking at her expectantly and she hastily shakes her head, hoping he will put the flush on her cheeks down to the heat of the fire.
"Just hungry."
He comes over with the plates and they eat their stew and bread and then sip their eggnog while Taylor tells Wash about Boylan´s plans for the Christmas party which is going to take place at the bar on the 24th.
"Are you going?"
Wash asks, trying not to let on how much his answer matters to her.
"I suppose so, it´s not as though I have anywhere else to be- how about you, are you coming? Last year you spent the evening with Guzman."
For some reason he sounds disapproving.
"Tasha´s here now, so it´ll be family time."
"He didn´t ask you to add to the family time?"
Not quite sure what exactly he´s hinting it Wash nods.
"He did, Tasha, too."
"And you still said no?"
Now this isn´t a conversation she has been planning to have with him but now she has already said too much and will have to explain, uncomfortable as it it feels.
"It´s more about Tasha than about Guz, actually, she´s-" Alicia hesitates briefly, searching for the right term to put the girl´s relationship with her, finally she settles on "attached."
"I see."
Taylor nods thoughtfully, then takes his last sip of eggnog while Wash gets up and walks over to the kitchen area to make some tea, still thinking about Tasha Guzman.
The girl´s sweet of course and she´s flattered that Tasha looks up to her so much but at the same time she doesn´t want to send the wrong message, she loves Guz as a friend and she wishes him all the happiness in the world but she isn't interested in a relationship with him and his daughter will have to look for someone to fill the void her mother´s death has left in her life elsewhere, there are plenty of unattached women in the colony who would happily take care of father and daughter both.
"So how´s this nuisance going to work tomorrow?"
She looks up, for a moment not sure what he is talking about, then she catches on.
"You mean the tree sale? It´s not going to be a sale, actually, more an auction."
"An auction? You mean people are expected to bid? Wash, that´ll take all day."
He actually sounds horrified and Wash almost feels sorry for him- almost.
"Sorry about that, Sir, it´s supposed to be an entertainment for everybody."
"Put some rum into that tea, will you, I need it."
She does, pouring a generous amount of alcohol into both mugs before carrying them back over to the sofa and handing one to Taylor.
"There you go, Rum with some tea."
"Good girl" he grins at her frown and pats the seat next to him.
"Come on, sit down again, I´ll stop complaining now, I promise."
"Good, then I won´t tell you what´s planned for next weekend."
"Uh- next weekend?"
"Well, it´s three more weeks to Christmas and there´ll be something planned for every weekend so the wait won´t get too long, especially for the kids."
"Like the tree sale- tree auction."
Wash nods before taking a careful sip of her hot tea, waiting for Taylor´s curiosity to get the better of him, she doesn´t have to wait for long.
"Ok, tell me, what´s next weekend?"
"The bakery is organizing a baking day for the children, they will be using the barracks´s kitchens for it and you´re supposed to be the first to taste the end products."
Nathaniel actually blanches at that prospect.
"You mean eat their cookies? Wash, I don´t want food poisoning, why do people always have to put idiotic ideas into children´s heads?"
"It´s rather hard to go wrong with cookies, Nathaniel, just do them the favor, they are all looking up to you, you know that."
Taylor groans, sinking deeper into the sofa cushions.
"Sometimes I really hate my life- so what´s happening weekend before Christmas?"
Wash ponders her options for a moment.
"Perhaps you´d rather be surprised, Sir."
The next morning Wash is up before dawn and she now wishes she hadn´t had so much rum the previous night, she´s not exactly hung over but it´s been much more difficult to get out of bed than usual, especially since she already noticed that it has kept snowing the night previous when she looked out of her bedroom window.
Taylor has stayed at her place until after midnight, they have drunk tea with rum that has contained less and less tea the later it got but at the time it had been great, they have talked about their plans for the colony, about their new soldiers and the commander has been more relaxed than Wash has seen him in a while.
The lieutenant yawns as she makes her way over to the gate, she´s shivering despite her fur lined jacket, it has stopped snowing but somehow now it seems even colder, the snow is crunching beneath her boots and for a moment she actually considers to just call in sick and go back to bed, she knows that she won´t do it of course but it´s nice to imagine it.
Taylor is already waiting for her, looking much more awake than she feels for some unknown reason, he too is wearing his warmest jacket, hands buried deep in his pockets.
"Morning, Wash."
"Morning, Sir."
She stifles another yawn and Taylor smiles affectionately at her.
"Tired, Lieutenant?"
"Yes- I´m sorry."
"No need, I have it on good authority that someone got you drunk against your will."
They go about their patrol in silence, scarfs pulled up over their mouths and noses and both of them are glad when the gate comes back into view, the first vendors are already opening in the market as they make their way over to the mess hall, looking forward to a cup of hot coffee.
They settle down in a quiet corner with their breakfast and are joined by Guzman a few minutes later, Wash greeting her friend with a warm smile.
"Hey, you´re up early."
"Tell me about it, Tasha has her eyes set on that one special tree, she´ll kill me if I´m not on time to buy it for her."
"Welcome to life with a teenager" Taylor says dryly, shrugging when both Wash and Guz stare at him.
"What? I know what I´m talking about, I´ve been there."
Wash is the first to recover from the shock of her CO so openly referring to his son in a random conversation, usually Taylor does anything he can to avoid even thinking about Lucas but if that´s going to change and things will go back to normal as far as that´s possible, Wash won´t complain.
"So the real reason you are here is to persuade me to put the tree aside for you?"
She inquires and Guzman shrugs, looking a little sheepish.
"Sounds a little illegal if you put it that way- you´re doing it anyway?"
She chuckles, it never ceases to amuse her how easily Tasha can wrap their fierce third in command around her little finger.
"I´ll see what I can do for you."
The auction is a success, the trees selling in record time Wash finds herself in the possession of a rather fine one herself when it´s all over, even though she hadn´t exactly planned on it but the vendors are more than grateful that she has volunteered to organize the sale, despite her no- nonsense reputation and it´s their way to express their thanks.
Guz, relieved that she has managed to get him the tree Tasha wanted, offers to carry her tree home for her and after a moment´s hesitation she accepts, she could carry it herself of course but she has to admit that this way is much more convenient.
After he has leaned the tree against the wall of her housing unit, Wash concludes that now he has carried her tree here she´d better offer him something warm to drink, other than her Guz is working a nightshift.
"Uhm- Wash?"
She pauses on her doorstep, turning towards him.
"Yes?"
He is looking at something over their heads and Wash rolls her eyes, this can´t be happening, can it?
"Seriously?"
She sighs as she spots the bunch of mistletoe fastened to the doorframe with a small red ribbon.
"And whose brilliant idea was this?"
Guz looks slightly embarrassed.
"I might have given Tasha and Skye some of what I brought back yesterday, they were begging so hard, I didn´t know they were going to put some here."
Wash isn´t as surprised, actually she is convinced that Guz´s daughter has been hoping for her father and Alicia to end up in this situation, unfortunately they have already drawn a small audience by now, citizens and soldiers who have been walking by on their way back home have stopped and are watching, amusement visible on every face as they wait for the two lieutenants to kiss.
"Fine, let´s get it over with" Wash feels Guz´s arms wrap around her waist, he pulls her to him and it´s only then that she realizes that this isn´t a good idea and that her friend is probably taking this very, very wrong.
She´s proven right a moment later when his lips meet her´s, there´s nothing chaste about the kiss, not from his side at least and Wash doesn´t know how to end it quickly enough without embarrassing him in front of everybody else, so she kisses him back for a moment before gently pushing against his chest, indicating for him to let her go.
He does so reluctantly and for a moment Wash´s relieved, then she turns around and her eyes lock with Taylor´s and the expression she sees there is enough to make her heart stop for a moment before starting to pound at a sickening pace in her chest.
The small crowed applauds them, catcalls and cheers are audible before people start off again, leaving Wash who´s barely aware that Guzman is talking to her but she´s too focussed on Taylor who is walking away in direction of his own house and she moves to hurry after him but Guz´s hand on her arm stops her.
"I have to-"
"You have to talk to me, Alicia, Taylor can wait."
He sounds so agitated that she stops struggling and instead looks up into his face, alarmed at the heartbreak so clearly visible in his dark eyes, she´s finally released and Guzman steps back from her.
"You weren´t exactly thrilled at the prospect of kissing me, right?"
She hesitates briefly, not really certain what to say, then she shakes her head, this is bad enough as it is, there´s no use pretending.
"No, I wasn´t, I knew you might take it wrong- you´re my friend, Dave and I love you but not in the way you probably want me to."
This is even harder than she has imagined, she can´t remember to have encouraged him in the past but then she knows all too well how easy it is to interpret things the way one wishes to see them, just like she is doing right now, hoping that Taylor´s reaction earlier might implicate that he´s jealous when he´s probably just unhappy because two of his officers are fooling around with each other in public.
"I know you don´t want to hear it right now but I´m sorry, I should have said something when I started to suspect you wanted to be more than friends."
Guz shakes his head.
"It´s not your fault, I must have been blind, just forget this ever happened, ok?"
"What do you mean you´ve been blind?"
He laughs bitterly, nodding towards the house at the other end of the barracks.
"Taylor- that´s why you keep turning all the guys down, you´re waiting for him to make a move, aren´t you."
"No, he never would even consider-"
"He would, believe me, if you haven´t noticed how he looks at you, you´re even blinder than me, Wash- it´s ok, I´ll go home and lick my wounds for a while, don´t worry about me, I´ll be fine."
Wash knows better than to follow him, she will give him time to come to terms with her rejecting him and hopefully their friendship will survive, he´s important to her and she doesn´t want to loose him as a friend.
What she has to decide now is what to do about Taylor, he has vanished into his house and not come out again and she really wants to go over there, on the other hand her CO obviously isn´t interested in talking to her right now, if he was he would have stayed and demanded her attention.
Finally she decides to wait, she will see him later, it´s Saturday and they have met at Boylan´s for a couple of drinks every Saturday night without fail ever since the bar has opened.
"Ma´am, are you all right?"
She looks up, finding Mark Reynolds standing in front of her porch, the young man is looking at her expectantly from under the hood of his parka.
"Reynolds- yes, I´m fine, why?"
"It´s just that you have been standing there for some time now and I was wondering if you´re ok."
Wash can´t help but smile, the boy is kind of cute with his blue eyes and worried expression, if she had had a little brother she wouldn´t have minded him being exactly like Mark Reynolds.
"It´s nothing" Wash sighs, deciding that some honesty won´t hurt, either he talks and the fact that she isn´t romantically linked to Guzman will spread a bit faster which might be helpful and spare her some annoying conversations or he won´t talk and it won´t matter.
"I have some trouble with a friend who´d like to be more than friends" she tells him, leaning against her doorframe as she watches his reaction, she almost misses it, it´s nothing but a tiny widening of his eyes before he nods.
"I see, Ma´am."
"You do?"
His answer surprises her a bit but at the same time she´s curious what he will say next.
"I passed Lieutenant Guzman just around the corner, he didn´t look happy and Skye Tate told me that Tasha was hoping you and her Dad would get together in time for Boylan´s Christmas party."
The explanation is simple and Wash decides that she´ll have to have a little talk with Tasha about spreading rumors about the colony, especially when it concerns people who are gossiped about enough as it is.
"My advice, Reynolds, if you find yourself falling for someone-" the boy blushes and Wash adds "sometime in the future- tell them as soon as possible, preferably before everyone else knows about it."
Mark nods, looking very serious now.
"That´s a good advice, Ma´am, thank you."
He salutes her and walks off again while Wash finally enters her house and closes the door behind herself, she needs to shower and change and find something for dinner before going over to Boylan´s.
At nine thirty Wash is utterly frustrated, she´s been sitting at their usual table for over an hour and Taylor hasn´t turned up, he simply stood her up, granted, their meetings aren´t really a fixed thing but given the fact that they´ve been spending their Saturday nights here together for almost a year now she thinks she can expect him to at least excuse himself.
Guz is absent as well and people have been staring at her all night, clearly wondering what the absence of both the commander and the second lieutenant might mean and how exactly her own presence is responsible for it.
After another ten minutes and with her third drink finished Wash finally has enough and leaves, shivering in the cold outside as she makes her way back over towards the barracks, having every intention to go to bed and try to forget the whole day but then she sees light in Taylor´s window and decides to confront him after all, now she has a reason, after all she has waited for him long enough to feel utterly humiliated in front of half the security force.
She has to knock three times until Taylor finally opens the door, frowning when he sees her.
"Lieutenant, what can I do for you?"
"Why haven´t you come to Boylan´s?"
She asks, ignoring his hostile tone.
He hesitates, clearly irritated, then shrugs.
"I didn´t think you´d miss me."
Up to now Wash has felt hurt, now she feels the hurt being replaced by anger, his arrogance is getting to her and she won´t let him get away with it, insubordination be damned.
She crosses her arms over her chest, standing up straight, her voice now perfectly controlled, cool and emotionless as she braces herself.
"And why would that be, Sir?"
His frown deepens at her using his title, throwing his own aggressiveness back in his face.
"Thought you´d be good with Guzman for company."
For a moment she´s speechless, she hasn´t expected him to actually admit to being jealous of Guz, the mere thought is ridiculous but perhaps she isn´t alone in this after all.
She feels herself deflate and shakes her head, suddenly feeling rather exasperated, how can someone as accomplished and self esteemed as Nathaniel Taylor act so childish, why hasn´t he just asked instead of hiding at his house.
"With all due respect, Sir, you´re an idiot" she growls before turning on her heel and marching away in direction of her own unit, ignoring his indignant gasp, she hears his door slam behind her but it´s only when she hears the crunching of snow behind herself that she realizes he has closed it from the outside and is following her.
She doesn´t stop, instead she walks a little faster but she doesn´t manage to reach her door before he reaches her, his arms wrapping around her waist like steel bands, pulling her back against his chest.
"You´re right, I´m an idiot- I should have believed you when you said you weren´t interested in him."
"Yes, you should have."
She relaxes against him, his familiar presence is soothing her frazzled nerves effectively and his hold on her changes from restraining to something more intimate, it´s comforting to be held like this, safe, relaxing.
"Seeing you kissing another man was-" Taylor´s voice trails off as he searches for words, finally he adds "I don´t want to see it again, ever."
"Is that an order?"
She teases, smiling when she feels him inhaling the scent of her hair before he replies.
"No, it´s a request."
She turns in his arms, facing him again.
"And what do I gain by granting that request?"
She isn´t really surprised when he kisses her then but that doesn´t mean she is prepared for the way it makes her feel, she has waited so long, wished for it so hard and now suddenly it´s happening and though the moment leading up to it hasn´t been perfect- how could it be when it involves two people so driven, so stubborn and passionate as they are- Wash wouldn´t change any of it, she hardly notices that it starts to snow again until her wet hair begins to cling to her neck, whimpers when Taylor breaks the kiss.
"I think we should take this somewhere more comfortable" he pulls her with him over to her house, chuckling quietly at the sight of the mistletoe still attached to the doorframe.
"If it wasn´t so damn cold I might make use of this" he tells her while unlocking her door and she laughs, too, as she leads the way inside.
Pairing: Wash/Taylor
Timelie: 2144
Rating: PG-15
Spoilers: General
Disclaimer: Not mine
Lots of Eggnog, trees and some heartbreak ;)
As she´s fighting her way through the cold white mass of snow, Wash has to admit that the novelty has worn off a bit but there´s no use complaining, she´s out here to get a job done and the sooner it´s finished, the sooner she can get back to the colony and get some hot drink from Boylan´s to warm her up again.
"Lieutenant, we´re good to go."
She turns towards the rhinos and nods at her Corporal, the young woman looks as wet and cold as Wash is feeling and as eager to go home.
"Thanks, Riley- everybody, we´re heading back."
Wash is joined in the front of her rhino by one of her fresh recruits, a young man named Mark Reynolds she already has taken a shine to, the boy is talented, disciplined and hard working, all she is looking for in a soldier.
"How was your first trip OTG, Private?"
"Fine, Ma´am- a little cold" he adds truthfully, pulling his gloves off and rubbing his hands together to get the circulation started again.
She has taken a group of younger men this time, the area they have been getting the pine trees from isn't dangerous and it´s important for the recruits to get some OTG experience as soon as possible.
"You have any plans for Christmas yet?"
She asks, despite herself, she usually isn´t one to make small talk but she really likes the boy and wants to know how he´s getting on.
"Some friends and I are meeting up, Ma´am, nothing too special, just some food and drinks and perhaps small presents."
She nods, it´s nice to know that the boys are getting along well enough to make holiday plans together, she doesn´t have any plans herself yet, last year she has eaten dinner with Guz while Taylor spend the evening with Lucas, now Lucas is gone and Guz´s daughter is here and that probably will leave both her and the commander alone which is a bit depressing but can´t be helped, she isn´t exactly in the position to ask her CO to spend Christmas with her after all, as much as the mere idea thrills her, it´s simply not appropriate, wouldn´t even be if her motives were which they are decidedly not.
They arrive back at the colony in the late afternoon, it´s already dark and Wash arranges for the trees to be moved out of the way before walking over to the small cabin in the market where Tom Boylan is busy hanging a fresh pine garland, grinning brightly when he spots her.
"Lieutenant, my, you look frozen."
He climbs down from his ladder and Wash follows him over to the entrance, it´s crowded in front of the makeshift bar, three people are serving the customers mulled wine and other hot drinks.
"Looks like you´re making more here than at the bar right now" Wash observes and Boylan grins happily.
"Bar will be filling up later but you´re right, this is really paying off. You´ll be pleased to hear that I finally managed to produce your favorite."
Boylan winks at her as he pours a generous helping of eggnog into a mug and tops it with whipped cream before handing it to her, watching as she cautiously takes a sip, it´s perfect, just the way she likes it with a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon.
"You´ve outdone yourself."
He chuckles, pleased with himself, then he roams underneath the counter and comes back up with a large chocolate chip cookie.
"Bakery´s come up with these, interested?"
"Are you joking? It´s chocolate, of course I am."
Both eggnog and chocolate chip cookie in hand, Wash makes her way up to command, not at all surprised when she finds her CO still behind his desk.
"Boylan was looking for you earlier, he wants you to try something."
"Just eggnog, Sir."
His expression softens, his lieutenant´s weakness for the typical female fancy never ceasing to amuse him.
"Should have known- I´m sorry I´m being so- disagreeable, about Christmas."
She shrugs dispassionately.
"I don´t really care, Sir, it´s simply a good excuse to drink eggnog and eat lots of cookies."
"Ah, I see- so how is the eggnog?"
"It´s really good, want some?"
She holds out the mug to him without thinking, then almost drops it when he reaches for it, his fingertips brushing against her´s and small jolts of electricity seem to erupt all over her skin.
Taylor doesn´t seem to notice her reaction, he takes a sip of her eggnog and nods approvingly, then puts the mug down onto the desk in front of her and leans back in his chair, observing her.
"You should get changed, wouldn´t want you to get sick."
"Why, because you´d have to organize the Christmas tree sale in my place?"
Wash teases and Taylor groans, burying his head in his hands.
"Evil woman, you can´t just spring something like that on me."
Finishing her eggnog Wash glances at her watch, her shift is over and she really wants a hot shower, dry clothes, food and sleep, in that order.
"I´ll go then, Sir, meet you at the mess later?"
He looks up.
"What´s on the menu for tonight?"
"I don´t know but it´s freezing outside, so the market isn´t really an option."
"You know what, why don´t we just meet at your place, Boylan wants to organize a party for military members and their families on Christmas Eve, we can discuss that over dinner."
They´ve done that before, working lunches or dinners at one of their units, just like they´ve done while living at the Chicago dome while preparing for Terra Nova, the only difference is that back then they would order in, now one of them has to buy food in the market and bring it over.
"That´ll work, give me half an hour."
"See you in thirty then."
Wash has just gotten out of her bedroom, now clad in soft sweat pants and a turtleneck sweater, when she hears a tapping sound coming from her front door.
Frowning she walks over, usually Taylor would just let himself inside but when she opens the door the reason for knocking is apparent, he´s carrying not only a bag of food but also two mugs which smell deliciously of more eggnog.
"You really liked it that much?"
She takes the mugs from him and steps back so he can walk past her, it´s snowing again and Wash can´t help but admire the beautiful picture, even though she now knows from experience that she won´t find it so pretty when she has to go outside again in the morning.
"I have to admit it was rather tasty, Boylan will tease me for weeks about drinking it, I hope you appreciate my efforts."
She laughs, closing the door again and carries the mugs over to her living room table, there´s a fire burning in the small fire place and it´s warm and cozy and now the scent of spicy eggnog is filling the air, adding to the relaxed atmosphere.
Taylor has gotten out of his parka and hung it up next to her front door, now he is in her kitchen area, putting their dinner on plates.
The food vendors have changed their menus to accommodate the colder season, wiping out traditional recopies and Wash deeply inhales the delicious scent that´s wafting over to her.
"What did you bring?"
"Irish Stew, ever had it before?"
"No but I know how it´s made- there´s fresh bread if you want any, I bought it this morning before I went OTG."
She watches Taylor cut some bread, thinking that having him in her kitchen is something she could get used to and at the same moment reprimands herself for it, she really needs to be more careful with her own thoughts, they have a nasty tendency to run away without her permission lately.
"Something on your mind?"
He is looking at her expectantly and she hastily shakes her head, hoping he will put the flush on her cheeks down to the heat of the fire.
"Just hungry."
He comes over with the plates and they eat their stew and bread and then sip their eggnog while Taylor tells Wash about Boylan´s plans for the Christmas party which is going to take place at the bar on the 24th.
"Are you going?"
Wash asks, trying not to let on how much his answer matters to her.
"I suppose so, it´s not as though I have anywhere else to be- how about you, are you coming? Last year you spent the evening with Guzman."
For some reason he sounds disapproving.
"Tasha´s here now, so it´ll be family time."
"He didn´t ask you to add to the family time?"
Not quite sure what exactly he´s hinting it Wash nods.
"He did, Tasha, too."
"And you still said no?"
Now this isn´t a conversation she has been planning to have with him but now she has already said too much and will have to explain, uncomfortable as it it feels.
"It´s more about Tasha than about Guz, actually, she´s-" Alicia hesitates briefly, searching for the right term to put the girl´s relationship with her, finally she settles on "attached."
"I see."
Taylor nods thoughtfully, then takes his last sip of eggnog while Wash gets up and walks over to the kitchen area to make some tea, still thinking about Tasha Guzman.
The girl´s sweet of course and she´s flattered that Tasha looks up to her so much but at the same time she doesn´t want to send the wrong message, she loves Guz as a friend and she wishes him all the happiness in the world but she isn't interested in a relationship with him and his daughter will have to look for someone to fill the void her mother´s death has left in her life elsewhere, there are plenty of unattached women in the colony who would happily take care of father and daughter both.
"So how´s this nuisance going to work tomorrow?"
She looks up, for a moment not sure what he is talking about, then she catches on.
"You mean the tree sale? It´s not going to be a sale, actually, more an auction."
"An auction? You mean people are expected to bid? Wash, that´ll take all day."
He actually sounds horrified and Wash almost feels sorry for him- almost.
"Sorry about that, Sir, it´s supposed to be an entertainment for everybody."
"Put some rum into that tea, will you, I need it."
She does, pouring a generous amount of alcohol into both mugs before carrying them back over to the sofa and handing one to Taylor.
"There you go, Rum with some tea."
"Good girl" he grins at her frown and pats the seat next to him.
"Come on, sit down again, I´ll stop complaining now, I promise."
"Good, then I won´t tell you what´s planned for next weekend."
"Uh- next weekend?"
"Well, it´s three more weeks to Christmas and there´ll be something planned for every weekend so the wait won´t get too long, especially for the kids."
"Like the tree sale- tree auction."
Wash nods before taking a careful sip of her hot tea, waiting for Taylor´s curiosity to get the better of him, she doesn´t have to wait for long.
"Ok, tell me, what´s next weekend?"
"The bakery is organizing a baking day for the children, they will be using the barracks´s kitchens for it and you´re supposed to be the first to taste the end products."
Nathaniel actually blanches at that prospect.
"You mean eat their cookies? Wash, I don´t want food poisoning, why do people always have to put idiotic ideas into children´s heads?"
"It´s rather hard to go wrong with cookies, Nathaniel, just do them the favor, they are all looking up to you, you know that."
Taylor groans, sinking deeper into the sofa cushions.
"Sometimes I really hate my life- so what´s happening weekend before Christmas?"
Wash ponders her options for a moment.
"Perhaps you´d rather be surprised, Sir."
The next morning Wash is up before dawn and she now wishes she hadn´t had so much rum the previous night, she´s not exactly hung over but it´s been much more difficult to get out of bed than usual, especially since she already noticed that it has kept snowing the night previous when she looked out of her bedroom window.
Taylor has stayed at her place until after midnight, they have drunk tea with rum that has contained less and less tea the later it got but at the time it had been great, they have talked about their plans for the colony, about their new soldiers and the commander has been more relaxed than Wash has seen him in a while.
The lieutenant yawns as she makes her way over to the gate, she´s shivering despite her fur lined jacket, it has stopped snowing but somehow now it seems even colder, the snow is crunching beneath her boots and for a moment she actually considers to just call in sick and go back to bed, she knows that she won´t do it of course but it´s nice to imagine it.
Taylor is already waiting for her, looking much more awake than she feels for some unknown reason, he too is wearing his warmest jacket, hands buried deep in his pockets.
"Morning, Wash."
"Morning, Sir."
She stifles another yawn and Taylor smiles affectionately at her.
"Tired, Lieutenant?"
"Yes- I´m sorry."
"No need, I have it on good authority that someone got you drunk against your will."
They go about their patrol in silence, scarfs pulled up over their mouths and noses and both of them are glad when the gate comes back into view, the first vendors are already opening in the market as they make their way over to the mess hall, looking forward to a cup of hot coffee.
They settle down in a quiet corner with their breakfast and are joined by Guzman a few minutes later, Wash greeting her friend with a warm smile.
"Hey, you´re up early."
"Tell me about it, Tasha has her eyes set on that one special tree, she´ll kill me if I´m not on time to buy it for her."
"Welcome to life with a teenager" Taylor says dryly, shrugging when both Wash and Guz stare at him.
"What? I know what I´m talking about, I´ve been there."
Wash is the first to recover from the shock of her CO so openly referring to his son in a random conversation, usually Taylor does anything he can to avoid even thinking about Lucas but if that´s going to change and things will go back to normal as far as that´s possible, Wash won´t complain.
"So the real reason you are here is to persuade me to put the tree aside for you?"
She inquires and Guzman shrugs, looking a little sheepish.
"Sounds a little illegal if you put it that way- you´re doing it anyway?"
She chuckles, it never ceases to amuse her how easily Tasha can wrap their fierce third in command around her little finger.
"I´ll see what I can do for you."
The auction is a success, the trees selling in record time Wash finds herself in the possession of a rather fine one herself when it´s all over, even though she hadn´t exactly planned on it but the vendors are more than grateful that she has volunteered to organize the sale, despite her no- nonsense reputation and it´s their way to express their thanks.
Guz, relieved that she has managed to get him the tree Tasha wanted, offers to carry her tree home for her and after a moment´s hesitation she accepts, she could carry it herself of course but she has to admit that this way is much more convenient.
After he has leaned the tree against the wall of her housing unit, Wash concludes that now he has carried her tree here she´d better offer him something warm to drink, other than her Guz is working a nightshift.
"Uhm- Wash?"
She pauses on her doorstep, turning towards him.
"Yes?"
He is looking at something over their heads and Wash rolls her eyes, this can´t be happening, can it?
"Seriously?"
She sighs as she spots the bunch of mistletoe fastened to the doorframe with a small red ribbon.
"And whose brilliant idea was this?"
Guz looks slightly embarrassed.
"I might have given Tasha and Skye some of what I brought back yesterday, they were begging so hard, I didn´t know they were going to put some here."
Wash isn´t as surprised, actually she is convinced that Guz´s daughter has been hoping for her father and Alicia to end up in this situation, unfortunately they have already drawn a small audience by now, citizens and soldiers who have been walking by on their way back home have stopped and are watching, amusement visible on every face as they wait for the two lieutenants to kiss.
"Fine, let´s get it over with" Wash feels Guz´s arms wrap around her waist, he pulls her to him and it´s only then that she realizes that this isn´t a good idea and that her friend is probably taking this very, very wrong.
She´s proven right a moment later when his lips meet her´s, there´s nothing chaste about the kiss, not from his side at least and Wash doesn´t know how to end it quickly enough without embarrassing him in front of everybody else, so she kisses him back for a moment before gently pushing against his chest, indicating for him to let her go.
He does so reluctantly and for a moment Wash´s relieved, then she turns around and her eyes lock with Taylor´s and the expression she sees there is enough to make her heart stop for a moment before starting to pound at a sickening pace in her chest.
The small crowed applauds them, catcalls and cheers are audible before people start off again, leaving Wash who´s barely aware that Guzman is talking to her but she´s too focussed on Taylor who is walking away in direction of his own house and she moves to hurry after him but Guz´s hand on her arm stops her.
"I have to-"
"You have to talk to me, Alicia, Taylor can wait."
He sounds so agitated that she stops struggling and instead looks up into his face, alarmed at the heartbreak so clearly visible in his dark eyes, she´s finally released and Guzman steps back from her.
"You weren´t exactly thrilled at the prospect of kissing me, right?"
She hesitates briefly, not really certain what to say, then she shakes her head, this is bad enough as it is, there´s no use pretending.
"No, I wasn´t, I knew you might take it wrong- you´re my friend, Dave and I love you but not in the way you probably want me to."
This is even harder than she has imagined, she can´t remember to have encouraged him in the past but then she knows all too well how easy it is to interpret things the way one wishes to see them, just like she is doing right now, hoping that Taylor´s reaction earlier might implicate that he´s jealous when he´s probably just unhappy because two of his officers are fooling around with each other in public.
"I know you don´t want to hear it right now but I´m sorry, I should have said something when I started to suspect you wanted to be more than friends."
Guz shakes his head.
"It´s not your fault, I must have been blind, just forget this ever happened, ok?"
"What do you mean you´ve been blind?"
He laughs bitterly, nodding towards the house at the other end of the barracks.
"Taylor- that´s why you keep turning all the guys down, you´re waiting for him to make a move, aren´t you."
"No, he never would even consider-"
"He would, believe me, if you haven´t noticed how he looks at you, you´re even blinder than me, Wash- it´s ok, I´ll go home and lick my wounds for a while, don´t worry about me, I´ll be fine."
Wash knows better than to follow him, she will give him time to come to terms with her rejecting him and hopefully their friendship will survive, he´s important to her and she doesn´t want to loose him as a friend.
What she has to decide now is what to do about Taylor, he has vanished into his house and not come out again and she really wants to go over there, on the other hand her CO obviously isn´t interested in talking to her right now, if he was he would have stayed and demanded her attention.
Finally she decides to wait, she will see him later, it´s Saturday and they have met at Boylan´s for a couple of drinks every Saturday night without fail ever since the bar has opened.
"Ma´am, are you all right?"
She looks up, finding Mark Reynolds standing in front of her porch, the young man is looking at her expectantly from under the hood of his parka.
"Reynolds- yes, I´m fine, why?"
"It´s just that you have been standing there for some time now and I was wondering if you´re ok."
Wash can´t help but smile, the boy is kind of cute with his blue eyes and worried expression, if she had had a little brother she wouldn´t have minded him being exactly like Mark Reynolds.
"It´s nothing" Wash sighs, deciding that some honesty won´t hurt, either he talks and the fact that she isn´t romantically linked to Guzman will spread a bit faster which might be helpful and spare her some annoying conversations or he won´t talk and it won´t matter.
"I have some trouble with a friend who´d like to be more than friends" she tells him, leaning against her doorframe as she watches his reaction, she almost misses it, it´s nothing but a tiny widening of his eyes before he nods.
"I see, Ma´am."
"You do?"
His answer surprises her a bit but at the same time she´s curious what he will say next.
"I passed Lieutenant Guzman just around the corner, he didn´t look happy and Skye Tate told me that Tasha was hoping you and her Dad would get together in time for Boylan´s Christmas party."
The explanation is simple and Wash decides that she´ll have to have a little talk with Tasha about spreading rumors about the colony, especially when it concerns people who are gossiped about enough as it is.
"My advice, Reynolds, if you find yourself falling for someone-" the boy blushes and Wash adds "sometime in the future- tell them as soon as possible, preferably before everyone else knows about it."
Mark nods, looking very serious now.
"That´s a good advice, Ma´am, thank you."
He salutes her and walks off again while Wash finally enters her house and closes the door behind herself, she needs to shower and change and find something for dinner before going over to Boylan´s.
At nine thirty Wash is utterly frustrated, she´s been sitting at their usual table for over an hour and Taylor hasn´t turned up, he simply stood her up, granted, their meetings aren´t really a fixed thing but given the fact that they´ve been spending their Saturday nights here together for almost a year now she thinks she can expect him to at least excuse himself.
Guz is absent as well and people have been staring at her all night, clearly wondering what the absence of both the commander and the second lieutenant might mean and how exactly her own presence is responsible for it.
After another ten minutes and with her third drink finished Wash finally has enough and leaves, shivering in the cold outside as she makes her way back over towards the barracks, having every intention to go to bed and try to forget the whole day but then she sees light in Taylor´s window and decides to confront him after all, now she has a reason, after all she has waited for him long enough to feel utterly humiliated in front of half the security force.
She has to knock three times until Taylor finally opens the door, frowning when he sees her.
"Lieutenant, what can I do for you?"
"Why haven´t you come to Boylan´s?"
She asks, ignoring his hostile tone.
He hesitates, clearly irritated, then shrugs.
"I didn´t think you´d miss me."
Up to now Wash has felt hurt, now she feels the hurt being replaced by anger, his arrogance is getting to her and she won´t let him get away with it, insubordination be damned.
She crosses her arms over her chest, standing up straight, her voice now perfectly controlled, cool and emotionless as she braces herself.
"And why would that be, Sir?"
His frown deepens at her using his title, throwing his own aggressiveness back in his face.
"Thought you´d be good with Guzman for company."
For a moment she´s speechless, she hasn´t expected him to actually admit to being jealous of Guz, the mere thought is ridiculous but perhaps she isn´t alone in this after all.
She feels herself deflate and shakes her head, suddenly feeling rather exasperated, how can someone as accomplished and self esteemed as Nathaniel Taylor act so childish, why hasn´t he just asked instead of hiding at his house.
"With all due respect, Sir, you´re an idiot" she growls before turning on her heel and marching away in direction of her own unit, ignoring his indignant gasp, she hears his door slam behind her but it´s only when she hears the crunching of snow behind herself that she realizes he has closed it from the outside and is following her.
She doesn´t stop, instead she walks a little faster but she doesn´t manage to reach her door before he reaches her, his arms wrapping around her waist like steel bands, pulling her back against his chest.
"You´re right, I´m an idiot- I should have believed you when you said you weren´t interested in him."
"Yes, you should have."
She relaxes against him, his familiar presence is soothing her frazzled nerves effectively and his hold on her changes from restraining to something more intimate, it´s comforting to be held like this, safe, relaxing.
"Seeing you kissing another man was-" Taylor´s voice trails off as he searches for words, finally he adds "I don´t want to see it again, ever."
"Is that an order?"
She teases, smiling when she feels him inhaling the scent of her hair before he replies.
"No, it´s a request."
She turns in his arms, facing him again.
"And what do I gain by granting that request?"
She isn´t really surprised when he kisses her then but that doesn´t mean she is prepared for the way it makes her feel, she has waited so long, wished for it so hard and now suddenly it´s happening and though the moment leading up to it hasn´t been perfect- how could it be when it involves two people so driven, so stubborn and passionate as they are- Wash wouldn´t change any of it, she hardly notices that it starts to snow again until her wet hair begins to cling to her neck, whimpers when Taylor breaks the kiss.
"I think we should take this somewhere more comfortable" he pulls her with him over to her house, chuckling quietly at the sight of the mistletoe still attached to the doorframe.
"If it wasn´t so damn cold I might make use of this" he tells her while unlocking her door and she laughs, too, as she leads the way inside.