As We Go (2/?)
Characters: Alicia Washington, Laura Reilly, Nathaniel Taylor, Mark Reynolds
Word Count: 1,893
Warning: Violence
Summary: Alicia Washington spars with Corporal Reilly, gets caught day dreaming, and gives the younger solider a little lesson about the importance of distractions.
A/N: 19 hours of no internet. I could have posted last night. Fight Scenes are hard to write, my beta has assured me that it was good. Name: Laura Reilly. Action is coming, stay tuned. Comments are very important. Font size is misbehaving.
There should be a tag for Reilly...*hint hint*
Lieutenant Alicia Washington enjoys being in charge of hand-to-hand combat training. No weapons, no armour; just your body and the instincts you were trained to have. What she enjoys the most is how the younger soldiers keep tabs on how many bouts the other’s won, how there are some in the group that everyone wants to show up (whom she and even Commander Taylor at times will show up to give their ego a down grade) She calls them out on their mistakes, shouts pointers and breaks her stoicism to smirk when a boaster ends up on his back. What she notices with a certain amount of intrigue is how the young women in the group (a minority as it has been for longer than a century) rarely boast and often come out on top of the boys.
That is what she is reminded of while Corporal Reilly takes down Mark Reynolds for the fifth time in a row. He’s off his game today. He and Reilly’s skills are evenly distributed between them; his exceeding in one area, hers exceeding in another, evening out the playing field. It falls to one of two reasons. One, Reilly’s been practicing after hours; or two, Mark is distracted.
“Reynolds, do you like being put on your ass?” She calls and he groans as he gets up.
“No, ma’am.” He offers, getting back into the proper stance but keeping his attention on the Lieutenant. Laura Reilly is in a similar stance, eyes on the Lieutenant as well.
“Then watch for bluffs and maybe you won’t be knocked out.” She nods at them to continue and puts her hands on her hips. She watches Laura’s moves more than Mark’s. She notices the bluffs, the blocks, the clever attacks, the well perceived dodges...The way her hips move. How the muscles in her arms and shoulders contract with each strike. How her chest rises and falls with each breath, and how with each inhalation her dark gray tank top strains ever so subtly against her....
“Reynolds, watch her fist!” She calls out a moment too late as the infuriatingly distracting woman fakes a punch, leaving him unbalanced and in the vulnerable state (perfect state) for her to kick his legs out from under him. A few hoots of encouragement from the peanut gallery have a grin splashed across Laura’s face. It’s gone in a flash, only remaining in her eyes as she helps Mark up and sends a playful punch to his arm.
“Reilly, with me. Everyone else partner up. Best out of five, winner only has to run the course twice.” The Lieutenant grins; the usual for the Obstacle Course is five times and God knows it’s muddy as hell. She hears the banter as they pair up and has to smirk through the groans and comments; “Sorry, but I’m winning this.” Or “Only twice? The Lieutenant must be in a good mood today.” She ignores their comments and eyes her sparring partner.
“Whenever you’re ready!” She calls. Some soldiers chuckle and each pair begin their match. Alicia sheds her jacket and tosses it onto a patch of grass; it’s where she puts her gun, two knives and comm. unit before stepping up to Laura and easing into a familiar stance. The younger woman focuses but the glint of mirth in her eyes isn’t lost. For a moment each takes the other in, eyes identifying the slightest of muscle quirks that give away the first attack. Neither gives anything away. Appreciating the scenery would be another definition...Alicia snaps herself to attention and steps forward fast, her fist moves to Laura’s tummy. Laura’s torso moves to the side without thought, easily dodging the blow and bringing her own down on the Lieutenant. She strikes Alicia’s neck and the Lieutenant retaliates with a kick. Laura catches Alicia’s leg under her knee and pulls, bringing them closer together and leaving Alicia with only one leg to use. Laura’s punch to Alicia’s side fails when she intercepts it and locks it under her arm at such an angle that it could break. Alicia uses her free leg to bring them to the ground. Laura’s back hits the dirt and the air is the forced out of her lungs. Alicia pins Laura’s arms over her head; one of her legs is pinned awkwardly under Laura’s and she uses that to flip their position. Alicia growls and manages to twist away. She goes in for another blow but Laura intercepts it and uses that to move-unbelievably fast-under her. Flipping them, and then twisting, so that she has Alicia’s back plastered to her front. Laura comes out victorious. One of her legs trapping Alicia’s the other half kneeling; she’s sitting up on an angle and has the Lieutenant in a choke hold.
“Round 1.” She says, honey-like voice assaulting Alicia’s mind. She releases the raven-haired solider. Shouts of congratulations burst out from the others and the two women look up to see most of the soldiers had been watching them spar.
“Get back to it or I’ll make it three times through the course!” The Lieutenant shouts, standing. Laura follows suit and the two brush the dust from their attire.
“Ready if you are, Lieutenant.” Laura Reilly flashes her a grin and settles back into the starting stance.
“Corporal, I’m not going to go easy on you.”
By the end of the five matches Alicia has won three and Laura has won two. She offers and hand to the younger soldier and Laura takes it jumping up with her pride intact.
“How about we both run the course three times?” She offers, hand extended, Laura flashes her a grin and shakes her hand. Good compromise, even though the Lieutenant doesn’t even have to run the course.
“Sounds good.” She manages through her heavy breathing and they walk together to the aforementioned Obstacle Course of muddy doom.
~#~
The files on her Plex usually don’t bore her to the extent that her skull feels hollowed out. No, she’s usually quite focused on the files and manages to finish before Commander Taylor. At the moment she’s distracted. None too pure images flutter through her train of thought while she stares blankly at the screen of her Plex. She’s re-appreciating all of the impressive pairs that Laura Reilly possesses...Impressive legs; good runner, quick step, strong swimmer...Impressive arms; great left hook, good climber. Impressive hands; if her technical background is any indicator-which it is-she’s good with her hands, good with tools, circuitry, mechanics...Impressive...Distracting breasts...straining ever so slightly against the constraints of her (military design) bra...her hands would be a wonderful substitute for it...Her eyes, emotive, intense; that intense gaze fixed on her. Half lidded eyes coming to a close when her lips meet with the dark skin of her neck; that honey voice would say her name...Alicia...
“Alicia.” She looks up from her Plex to look at Nathaniel. He has a look of concern on his face, and she quirks a brow at him.
“Nathaniel.” She replies copying him by using his first name.
“Wash, I tried to get your attention three times.” She frowns.
“Sorry, sir. I was distracted.” She looks back down at her Plex and grimaces, knowing full well he’s still watching her.
“You’re telling me. Take off Wash, I’ll finish up here.” He says, reaching over to take her Plex. She shifts away and looks at him like he’s lost his mind.
“Nathaniel, I can finish the file. I won’t be distracted again.” Her casual use of his first name is by far enough to have him raising his hands in surrender. He gives her a pointed look.
“I insist. You’re dismissed.” She sighs but doesn’t argue and passes him the Plex.
“Goodnight, sir.” She calls back over her shoulder.
“Night, Wash.” She takes the steps two at a time, lets her hair down and starts making her way in the direction of her housing unit.
~#~
She walks quickly and quietly through the darkness, taking in the smell of damp air, and tilts her head to better hear the distant sound of something that isn’t unlike crickets chirping. As she rounds a corner she slows and a wicked smile comes over her features. Corporal Reilly walks up ahead, most likely just about finished her Nightly Patrol. It takes Alicia a heartbeat of a moment to decide to follow the younger soldier. She takes deliberately silent steps in pursuit of Laura Reilly, her eyes remaining on the reflective glow of the younger woman’s armoured jacket.
~#~
Laura Reilly has always been good with her instincts. It doesn’t take her long to sense someone following her. Doesn’t hear them, doesn’t see them; feels their eyes on her. It’s too late for a civilian to be out. Patrol is about to end but no one else’s route overlaps with hers. She doesn’t devise a plan, simply keeps walking. In every sense of the word she literally feels the gaze, of whoever is following her, drop below her belt. She stops at the precise moment she hears a breath of a laugh from the exact her person she’d thought up. She doesn’t expect her to walk right into her though.
~#~
Alicia follows slightly too close behind the Corporal. Her eyes haven’t left the visible area of Laura’s neck and shoulders until this moment when they stray to the Corporal’s hips. A breath of a laugh escapes her and she looks away turning her head to the moon. She feels half inclined to scold the younger soldier for not noticing her presence and yet finds that she’s scolding herself when she walks right into the woman in question. Something not dissimilar to a gasp escapes Alicia and her hands fly up instinctually to soften the collision, and find themselves pressed against the small amount of space between the Corporal’s armoured jack and cargos, where a tiny line of skin is exposed. Laura’s back is nearly flush against Alicia’s front; she can feel the Lieutenant’s breath across her neck.
“I knew you were there.” Her voice is low in the darkness. Alicia’s hands slip underneath the jacket and press into the warm skin of Laura’s lower back. Her quiet but sharp expulsion of breath doesn’t go unnoticed.
“I was starting to think you hadn’t noticed me.” Alicia says, tone informal (almost pleasantly so) and low. Her hands press into Laura’s skin a little more.
“Noticing things is important. You need to be perceptive.” One of her hands leaves Laura’s back at the same time her left hand moves-under the jacket-to Laura’s tummy, fingers tracing greedily over the scar she’d noticed when they’d been in the Med Tent five days earlier. Laura barely suppresses the urge to shiver.
“Distractions are also important.” Alicia says, her voice becoming very quiet and almost wickedly sexy. Laura gasps when she feels the point of her own knife on the underside of her chin. Just like that the Lieutenant is gone. Having lowered the blade and pushed it against Laura’s chest. She catches it before it can fall, watching Alicia Washington’s hair flow as she disappears around the next corner. She finishes her patrol in a sort of trance; perfectly aware and perceptive, but with the back of her neck tingling with the ghost of the Lieutenant’s lips.