Team Building with Jack Landors (SPD, A Squad, #26, T)
characters: SPD’s A Squad (Jack, Charlie, Rose)
prompt #26: just passing through
word count: 900
rating: T
summary: "Get bored with the party?"
backstory: Team Building with Jack Landors
Team Building with Jack Landors (just passing through)
by *Andrea
The A Wing lounge was dark, but Jack wasn’t stupid and he’d played his share of “no one here but us couch cushions.” He stopped in the open doorway and knocked on the inside wall, just in case. He was pretty sure he would hear them if they were up to something they didn’t want interrupted, but still. No reason to barge into someone else’s space.
Unless they were your own teammates, of course.
No one answered the knock, and he did briefly entertain the thought that they had snuck off base. They hadn’t left through any of the regular exits; he’d checked. And they could be in any number of places on the base itself, but he wasn’t the only one he’d sent off to search. He would find them eventually.
“It’s Jack,” he told the darkened room. “There’s some people looking for you.”
Which told them exactly nothing, so he was a little surprised when Charlie’s voice floated back to him then. “Get bored with the party? You could set up some target practice.”
He shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. “We’ve already got a jousting ring.”
“Yeah, I saw.” Charlie sounded amused. “I figured actual weapons was the next logical step.”
Jack scoffed. “If you think those jousting sticks aren’t actual weapons, you’ve obviously never seen Sky lay someone out with one of them.”
“Please tell me you kept him away from the punch,” Charlie replied.
“He doesn’t drink,” Jack told her.
There was the sound of movement from inside the lounge, someone sitting up, maybe. “Who told you that?” Charlie’s voice wanted to know.
“He did.” Jack could hear someone else moving, and he relaxed a little. He’d assumed they were together, but he hadn’t been sure. “Bad associations, he says.”
It was Rose who laughed. Her quiet voice was very clear, even from where he was. “You’re losing your touch, dear.”
“Okay, look. Lights,” Charlie said, louder. They sprang up, shadows vanishing, and Charlie and Rose appeared on the far couch. The one that had been turned so that it faced the window, its back to the door. Charlie had already twisted to eye Jack in the doorway.
“Someone’s been pulling your leg,” she told him. “Because whatever Sky did or didn’t do in the past, he had a couple of beers the other night and there are pictures to prove it.”
He blinked. Really?
“Friday,” Rose offered, turning to look at him over the back of the couch. “He and Syd went out, and when they came back they brought the party with them. Dan came by to invite us.”
“Rose wouldn’t let me drink,” Charlie muttered.
“Oh, because that would have gone so well,” Rose retorted. “That’s the last thing any of us needed, a ‘who can drink the most beer’ competition.”
Jack hadn’t heard anything about alcohol at this little get-together, which had been described to him as “hanging out in the lounge” after Sky and Syd came back from dinner with Sky’s mom. He’d been jealous because he hadn’t even met Sky’s mom yet, and he wasn’t sure how that was possible since he’d met members of everyone else’s family. Apparently there was even more to it than that.
“If it helps,” Rose said, and he looked up to see her still watching him, “there was widespread agreement that he was only drinking because he missed you.”
“Oh, please,” Charlie said. “Sky hasn’t done that since--”
Jack raised an eyebrow when she stopped.
“Since Dru,” Rose said quietly. “He used to go out with Gibbs when Dru was off on training flights.”
Jack didn’t know what to say to that. “I’m really trying to avoid comparisons to Dru,” he said at last. “He’s already making them enough for both of us. Thanks, though.” And he meant that, because he actually did want to know about Dru. He just didn’t want to think that Sky was thinking about it all the time.
“You come up here to tell us something?” Charlie wanted to know.
“Really,” he insisted. “It’s not like I’m not curious, you know? All I know about the guy is what I guess from the times I mess up and Sky goes, ‘Dru did that too,’ or... you know, whatever.”
He saw Rose glance at Charlie, saw her look back. “You’re kind of like him,” Charlie said abruptly. “Not in the selling out way, but. You kind of talk the same way.”
“You probably would have laughed at the same things,” Rose added. She was more gentle about it, and she followed with, “You’re a lot sweeter, though. Dru didn’t hang out with just anyone. He was kind of a snob.”
“Of course, so is Sky,” Charlie muttered.
“You’re better for him,” Rose said. “He needs you.”
This time, the silence hung over them until Jack cleared his throat. “You’ve got some guests,” he said. “They’re, uh... at the party. Looking for you.”
He could see Charlie frowning. “What guests?”
Rose asked, more simply, “Who?”
He’d been specifically instructed not to tell them. Probably because the guests in question didn’t want to give Charlie a chance to decide how she was going to react ahead of time. He figured they knew better than he did.
“I think you’ll want to come and see,” Jack said.
prompt #26: just passing through
word count: 900
rating: T
summary: "Get bored with the party?"
backstory: Team Building with Jack Landors
Team Building with Jack Landors (just passing through)
by *Andrea
The A Wing lounge was dark, but Jack wasn’t stupid and he’d played his share of “no one here but us couch cushions.” He stopped in the open doorway and knocked on the inside wall, just in case. He was pretty sure he would hear them if they were up to something they didn’t want interrupted, but still. No reason to barge into someone else’s space.
Unless they were your own teammates, of course.
No one answered the knock, and he did briefly entertain the thought that they had snuck off base. They hadn’t left through any of the regular exits; he’d checked. And they could be in any number of places on the base itself, but he wasn’t the only one he’d sent off to search. He would find them eventually.
“It’s Jack,” he told the darkened room. “There’s some people looking for you.”
Which told them exactly nothing, so he was a little surprised when Charlie’s voice floated back to him then. “Get bored with the party? You could set up some target practice.”
He shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. “We’ve already got a jousting ring.”
“Yeah, I saw.” Charlie sounded amused. “I figured actual weapons was the next logical step.”
Jack scoffed. “If you think those jousting sticks aren’t actual weapons, you’ve obviously never seen Sky lay someone out with one of them.”
“Please tell me you kept him away from the punch,” Charlie replied.
“He doesn’t drink,” Jack told her.
There was the sound of movement from inside the lounge, someone sitting up, maybe. “Who told you that?” Charlie’s voice wanted to know.
“He did.” Jack could hear someone else moving, and he relaxed a little. He’d assumed they were together, but he hadn’t been sure. “Bad associations, he says.”
It was Rose who laughed. Her quiet voice was very clear, even from where he was. “You’re losing your touch, dear.”
“Okay, look. Lights,” Charlie said, louder. They sprang up, shadows vanishing, and Charlie and Rose appeared on the far couch. The one that had been turned so that it faced the window, its back to the door. Charlie had already twisted to eye Jack in the doorway.
“Someone’s been pulling your leg,” she told him. “Because whatever Sky did or didn’t do in the past, he had a couple of beers the other night and there are pictures to prove it.”
He blinked. Really?
“Friday,” Rose offered, turning to look at him over the back of the couch. “He and Syd went out, and when they came back they brought the party with them. Dan came by to invite us.”
“Rose wouldn’t let me drink,” Charlie muttered.
“Oh, because that would have gone so well,” Rose retorted. “That’s the last thing any of us needed, a ‘who can drink the most beer’ competition.”
Jack hadn’t heard anything about alcohol at this little get-together, which had been described to him as “hanging out in the lounge” after Sky and Syd came back from dinner with Sky’s mom. He’d been jealous because he hadn’t even met Sky’s mom yet, and he wasn’t sure how that was possible since he’d met members of everyone else’s family. Apparently there was even more to it than that.
“If it helps,” Rose said, and he looked up to see her still watching him, “there was widespread agreement that he was only drinking because he missed you.”
“Oh, please,” Charlie said. “Sky hasn’t done that since--”
Jack raised an eyebrow when she stopped.
“Since Dru,” Rose said quietly. “He used to go out with Gibbs when Dru was off on training flights.”
Jack didn’t know what to say to that. “I’m really trying to avoid comparisons to Dru,” he said at last. “He’s already making them enough for both of us. Thanks, though.” And he meant that, because he actually did want to know about Dru. He just didn’t want to think that Sky was thinking about it all the time.
“You come up here to tell us something?” Charlie wanted to know.
“Really,” he insisted. “It’s not like I’m not curious, you know? All I know about the guy is what I guess from the times I mess up and Sky goes, ‘Dru did that too,’ or... you know, whatever.”
He saw Rose glance at Charlie, saw her look back. “You’re kind of like him,” Charlie said abruptly. “Not in the selling out way, but. You kind of talk the same way.”
“You probably would have laughed at the same things,” Rose added. She was more gentle about it, and she followed with, “You’re a lot sweeter, though. Dru didn’t hang out with just anyone. He was kind of a snob.”
“Of course, so is Sky,” Charlie muttered.
“You’re better for him,” Rose said. “He needs you.”
This time, the silence hung over them until Jack cleared his throat. “You’ve got some guests,” he said. “They’re, uh... at the party. Looking for you.”
He could see Charlie frowning. “What guests?”
Rose asked, more simply, “Who?”
He’d been specifically instructed not to tell them. Probably because the guests in question didn’t want to give Charlie a chance to decide how she was going to react ahead of time. He figured they knew better than he did.
“I think you’ll want to come and see,” Jack said.