Wanna Bet? - August 20th
Twisted Shorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge - Day 20
Title: Wanna Bet?
Author:hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/SG:A
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Stargate people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Faith tests some boundaries.
Notes: Part 20 of Faith Sheppard - Links Page
Seasons: Post-series/Season 2
Word Count: 2600
Carson narrowed his gaze on his patient. “You’re released. But I want you to take it easy. And no off-world missions this week.”
“I can do one or the other, not both,” Faith replied as she stood.
“No missions,” he said. “Taking it easy was always a stretch.”
She grinned. “I’m okay, Carson. Really.”
He sighed. “On the one hand, it would be easier to treat you if you were human, because I know based on your weight how much to give you. On the other, a human would still be touch and go, no matter how quickly they got medical attention.” His blue gaze pinned her brown one. “What I’m saying, lass, is you scared me.”
“I will do my best not to get shot in the back,” she promised.
“See that you do.”
She strolled from the infirmary. She headed straight for Radek’s lab. She knocked on the doorframe.
Radek looked at her with a winning smile. “Faith!”
Haly came running at her from the lab bench. She collided with Faith’s legs.
“Yes,” Faith said. “I’m cleared to putter around the base for the foreseeable future. I give it ten days tops before I can get cleared for missions.”
“Only ten?”
“Only because Carson worries.” She walked over, managing with Haly attached to her. “What are you working on?”
“Just some of the Wraith tech that was plucked from the ocean or from the deceased.”
“Anything of note?”
“Not really. All interesting, none of it a way to cripple them. I’m working on a way to detect their technological signature but so far…”
“If it was simple, the Ancients never would have abandoned Atlantis,” she reminded him.
He smiled. “You’re right, of course.”
“Thanks for watching, Haly.”
“I generally don’t like children. But she’s an easily entertained child,” he assured. “And her numbers are improving.”
88888888
Faith grabbed Carson’s shoulder and pulled him away from Rodney. “You need to let me have a look at you.”
“I’m fine, lass,” he told her distractedly.
“That doesn’t make me back off any more than it works when I say it to you.” She forced him to sit on a stool. “I’m not taking you away, I’m just pulling you aside to take a look at you.”
“Cadman saved me,” Carson told her. “I feel like I owe her.”
“Well, Radek got Rodney out, just a matter of time before he gets Laura out.”
“You are friends?”
“Poker night,” Faith explained.
“You too?”
“Me and Haly.”
“Oh.” He looked around. “Where is Haly?”
“With Katie Brown.”
“Ah, poker’s how you got such a reliable sitter.”
“Katie and Susan don’t leave base, but Katie doesn’t have clients except her plants.” She made a face. “And I think Haly likes the mess Katie always has in her projects.”
“Dirt does seem to cover all of her lab.”
“Right?” Faith smiled. “Everything looks good.”
“I know,” he said.
“Yeah, remember that attitude the next time I need a post-mission check…”
88888888
Faith pulled on an exercise tank top and pants. She and Haly left their room and walked to the gym. It was a normal part of their days. The gym doors opened to Ronon and a couple of Marines sparring. And he was knocking them down almost as fast as they could get up.
When Ronon was the only one left standing and none of the Marines was quick to move off the mats, Haly looked at the man. He was tall and strong, his hair was dark, and he paced like an agitated animal. He looked like he wanted to pick a fight with the next person he spotted.
“Haly,” Faith said. “Why don’t you go sit in the window?”
She moved across to the small bench and sat down.
Faith kicked off her shoes and adjusted her stance. “Shall we?”
“A fight with someone injured…not what I’m looking for,” he told her.
“Not injured. All healed up.” She slid back. “Bring it.”
Ronon debated for an instant before rushing her. Faith dropped and used his weight and own momentum to catapult him over her back. She turned to look at him.
“You dropped something,” she taunted, holding out the knife that had been on his waist.
Ronon grinned.
This time he just started swinging the moment she was in reach. They exchanged blows more powerful than Faith had ever used or received from someone she wasn’t trying to kill. He was stronger than she gave him credit for, and he took a hit like a champion boxer.
She had the Slayer on her side. That didn’t stop her jaw from aching, or the welling of blood in her mouth. Ronon didn’t seem to notice the cut on his cheek or that his knuckles had split. He grabbed her biceps like he was going to throw her. Faith planted her feet and took both hands, shoving them flat against his chest with enough force to throw him back into the wall.
Ronon rushed her, using his weight to take her down. His entire body was on top of hers, she was pinned, her arms trapped straight between them.
“Fuck,” she muttered. “Get off,” she snapped, her entire body going cold. Panic took her over. “Shitshitshitshitshit,” she was trying to buck him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” a voice demanded.
Ronon shifted to look up at John.
Faith took the quarter inch of space and freed her arm, she used her elbow to nail him in the throat. She gained enough leverage to push him away and rolled up onto her feet. Only once she was standing, did the whole situation sink in. Embarrassment flooded her as well as rage at her own weakness.
“Faith,” John said, taking a step towards her.
She held out a hand staying him. “Don’t.” She looked at Ronon who was holding his throat. “Sorry.”
“All good,” he croaked.
John looked between them, cataloguing the injuries visible on both of them. “Are you two out of your minds?”
Faith shook her head. “It was harmless.”
“It didn’t look harmless.”
“Okay. It was some fun that got out of hand,” she bit out. She kneeled down in front of Ronon, the greatest distance from him to be able to check his throat. Satisfied that he was breathing and swallowing just fine. “You’re going to need to ice that,” she said. She moved back swiftly and stood.
Faith was grateful that Haly picked up her shoes and rushed over. Faith took the shoes and they left the gym. Haly’s hand suddenly slipped into hers. This reinforced the need to control her emotions, Haly shouldn’t have to see her freak out over something as simple as being pinned. Calm, cool, collected, that was what was required.
88888888
John spun to face Ronon. “What the hell was that?”
“Impressive,” one of the Marines said.
John turned to glare at him.
“We’ve been going at Ronon all afternoon. We weren’t making a dent and are all covered in bruises,” he explained. “Faith got the first hit in and she returned everything hit for hit.”
“She challenged him and she’s only half his size,” another Marine pointed out. “It was going fine until Ronon managed to pin her.”
“Clear the room,” John ordered.
The Marines filed out.
Ronon passively stood staring down at John.
“Faith is off limits,” John said.
“She came to me,” Ronon told him defiantly.
“She was shot less than a week ago!”
Ronon rotated his shoulders, his voice low as he replied, “That’s between you and your wife.” He sulked past John and out the door.
John walked to the door and shouted after him. “She’s my sister!”
88888888
John waved his hand at the door to announce his presence.
Faith opened the door. She was was dressed in a tee and lounge pants. There were a few signs of bruising, all of it looking like it had been received weeks ago not four hours ago.
“How is it sometimes you heal all at once and sometimes it’s just quicker than normal?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes and stepped back to let him in. Haly waved from the table where she was working on coloring something. He waved back and took a seat next to her.
“I have no idea. Why did B nearly killing me leave me in a coma for most of a year?” She shrugged. “I’m sure Giles or Willow have some answers, but I don’t.”
John watched her for a long moment. “I invited Ronon to join my team. After this afternoon though, I’m thinking it’s not such a good idea.”
“Why?”
His eyes tracked to Haly before returning to her. “You had that trapped look.”
“I had a bad moment,” she admitted. “But that’s not because of him.” She rubbed her arm. “Not only does he understand more about Wraith tactics than anyone we’ve met, he survived running from them for seven years.” She sat down. “That takes a fortitude of will and mind that I don’t think even you or I could claim to have.”
“He’s good,” John admitted.
“More than good, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that strong outside of the Slayers.”
“Are you sure?”
She sighed. “He’s rough around the edges, but no more than I am. Ronon will probably be easier to fix than I am, all his stuff is when he was an adult. With time and patience, he could be good for Atlantis.”
“And until then?”
“He growls and howls and bites,” she replied with a small grin. “It’s just going to take time for him to find the human part of him again.”
“You seem sure of that.”
“You are too, otherwise you wouldn’t have started training him.” She shrugged. “Besides, it’s not like he’s a demon. If he gets to a point that he’s going to snap, he’ll just leave, not leave a trail of bodies in his wake.”
John nodded. He set his hand on top of hers for a moment. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
88888888
The bell rang just as Faith was readying the room for bedtime. She frowned and headed over to the door. It slid open.
“Ronon,” she said in surprise.
“I wanted to apologize.”
“For what?” Faith said as she moved to the side to allow him in. Two guards were behind him. She motioned them to stop and closed the door.
He frowned at her, trying to decipher her a bit.
Her gaze slid behind him. “Stop!” she held out a hand. She grabbed the front of Ronon’s shirt and spun him so that their positions were reversed. She abruptly released him and turned to kneel.
It was only then he realized Haly had been standing right behind him.
“What have I told you about walk up behind people?” Faith asked.
“Don’t,” Haly replied, he mouth slanting in distress.
“Yeah, remember how you made Dr. Jackson jump?”
She nodded.
“What happens if you startle a soldier?”
“Get hurt.”
“Yeah. So, please don’t.”
She nodded, her eyes a little shiny.
Faith stood. “Sorry,” she said to Ronon.
He nodded. “I wouldn’t have hurt her.”
“I’m pretty sure a can of snakes would send you through the roof,” she replied. “Most wouldn’t mean to, doesn’t mean we’re not trained to strike first.”
He couldn’t argue with that.
“Here,” Haly said, holding a paper up to him.
Ronon frowned and looked at Faith, she just shrugged, puzzled. He took the paper and looked at it. It was a rough drawing of him, his dreads looked like a brown bug on his head and his limbs were large but misshapen.
He crouched down and looked at the girl. “Not bad.”
She smiled widely, thrilled by his approval.
“It’s still time for bed,” Faith told Haly.
Haly pointed to her head. “Hair.”
Faith sat down at the table, pulling Haly into her lap. Her gaze darted up to Ronon. “Sit down, you’re too tall to talk to up there.”
He dropped into another chair at the table.
Faith grabbed the brush and ran it through Haly’s hair several times.
“You’re stronger than the soldiers,” Ronon said as he watched her hands.
“Slayer,” Haly told him turning to look at him.
Faith grabbed her head and turned it the right way. “As Haly said, I’m a Slayer, a rare warrior on Earth. Seven years ago, I gained the powers I have. Fast, strong, advanced healing.”
“And Sheppard’s sister.”
“You heard someone talking,” she guessed.
He shrugged.
“John and I are new to this. We didn’t meet or learn that we were related until we moved to Atlantis a year ago.”
“He’s protective.”
She grimaced as she started slowly braiding Haly’s hair. “John has older brother issues that aren’t helped by the fact that as the youngest and a Slayer I’m quite reckless.”
“He didn’t like us fighting.”
Faith shook her head. “He knows I fight. The first time he ever saw me in action, I was fighting Teyla in the gym.”
“I think it was because it was me.”
“No,” she said as she finished the braid and tied a band in it. “That was about me, not you.” She settled her arms around Haly. This wasn’t about her, this was about his perception of John - tainted by John’s protectiveness. She took a deep breath. “My childhood was less than pleasant. Not because of Wraith or demons, because my mother was terrible and the men who were around her were terrible to her and to me.” She swallowed, her gaze on the door as her head rested against Haly’s. “I’m pretty controlled, but there are always things that unexpectedly remind me of…things.” She tilted her head to regard him. “John is a good guy, just and a fine leader. In regards to me, he’s still figuring out how to be what he thinks I need.”
“And what do you need?”
“I don’t know,” she replied, “Which is probably why he can’t figure it out either.” She grinned. “But there is something you can do.”
“What?”
“Another round, bantos, no blood - show we can control ourselves.”
He nodded. “Sure.”
88888888
Faith and Haly sat down across from Major Lorne.
“Morning,” Haly greeted.
“Good morning, Haly. Faith.”
“So a couple missions under your belt,” Faith said. “What do you think?”
“How is McKay still alive?”
Faith snorted. “Well, he’s a genius and despite how annoy he is, he pulls our collective asses out of the fire often enough.”
“Aren’t you the one who came up with the idea of cloaking the City during the Siege?”
“Anybody can have an idea,” she told him dismissively.
“You’re more forgiving than I am,” Lorne said.
She considered as she took a bite of fruit. “It’s not forgiving. Watchers are…researchers, they have degrees in how to look things up. Some take up arms, but they’re pretty rare. I respect that Rodney puts his ass on the line just as much as he runs his mouth.”
“He runs his mouth a lot.”
“Okay, half as much as he runs his mouth,” she conceded with a smile.
“Even that sounds like a stretch,” he said, a grin on his face.
“Give it a few months,” she told him, “you’ll be proven wrong.”
He straightened a bit. “Wanna bet?”
“Sure.”
88888888
“Wait,” Laura said setting down her beer. “What did you bet?”
“I win, I get to join his team regularly. He wins, dinner.”
Susan and Laura whooped while Katie grinned. Faith rolled her eyes, then focused on her cards. “Come on, someone ante up.”
Title: Wanna Bet?
Author:hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/SG:A
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Stargate people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Faith tests some boundaries.
Notes: Part 20 of Faith Sheppard - Links Page
Seasons: Post-series/Season 2
Word Count: 2600
Carson narrowed his gaze on his patient. “You’re released. But I want you to take it easy. And no off-world missions this week.”
“I can do one or the other, not both,” Faith replied as she stood.
“No missions,” he said. “Taking it easy was always a stretch.”
She grinned. “I’m okay, Carson. Really.”
He sighed. “On the one hand, it would be easier to treat you if you were human, because I know based on your weight how much to give you. On the other, a human would still be touch and go, no matter how quickly they got medical attention.” His blue gaze pinned her brown one. “What I’m saying, lass, is you scared me.”
“I will do my best not to get shot in the back,” she promised.
“See that you do.”
She strolled from the infirmary. She headed straight for Radek’s lab. She knocked on the doorframe.
Radek looked at her with a winning smile. “Faith!”
Haly came running at her from the lab bench. She collided with Faith’s legs.
“Yes,” Faith said. “I’m cleared to putter around the base for the foreseeable future. I give it ten days tops before I can get cleared for missions.”
“Only ten?”
“Only because Carson worries.” She walked over, managing with Haly attached to her. “What are you working on?”
“Just some of the Wraith tech that was plucked from the ocean or from the deceased.”
“Anything of note?”
“Not really. All interesting, none of it a way to cripple them. I’m working on a way to detect their technological signature but so far…”
“If it was simple, the Ancients never would have abandoned Atlantis,” she reminded him.
He smiled. “You’re right, of course.”
“Thanks for watching, Haly.”
“I generally don’t like children. But she’s an easily entertained child,” he assured. “And her numbers are improving.”
88888888
Faith grabbed Carson’s shoulder and pulled him away from Rodney. “You need to let me have a look at you.”
“I’m fine, lass,” he told her distractedly.
“That doesn’t make me back off any more than it works when I say it to you.” She forced him to sit on a stool. “I’m not taking you away, I’m just pulling you aside to take a look at you.”
“Cadman saved me,” Carson told her. “I feel like I owe her.”
“Well, Radek got Rodney out, just a matter of time before he gets Laura out.”
“You are friends?”
“Poker night,” Faith explained.
“You too?”
“Me and Haly.”
“Oh.” He looked around. “Where is Haly?”
“With Katie Brown.”
“Ah, poker’s how you got such a reliable sitter.”
“Katie and Susan don’t leave base, but Katie doesn’t have clients except her plants.” She made a face. “And I think Haly likes the mess Katie always has in her projects.”
“Dirt does seem to cover all of her lab.”
“Right?” Faith smiled. “Everything looks good.”
“I know,” he said.
“Yeah, remember that attitude the next time I need a post-mission check…”
88888888
Faith pulled on an exercise tank top and pants. She and Haly left their room and walked to the gym. It was a normal part of their days. The gym doors opened to Ronon and a couple of Marines sparring. And he was knocking them down almost as fast as they could get up.
When Ronon was the only one left standing and none of the Marines was quick to move off the mats, Haly looked at the man. He was tall and strong, his hair was dark, and he paced like an agitated animal. He looked like he wanted to pick a fight with the next person he spotted.
“Haly,” Faith said. “Why don’t you go sit in the window?”
She moved across to the small bench and sat down.
Faith kicked off her shoes and adjusted her stance. “Shall we?”
“A fight with someone injured…not what I’m looking for,” he told her.
“Not injured. All healed up.” She slid back. “Bring it.”
Ronon debated for an instant before rushing her. Faith dropped and used his weight and own momentum to catapult him over her back. She turned to look at him.
“You dropped something,” she taunted, holding out the knife that had been on his waist.
Ronon grinned.
This time he just started swinging the moment she was in reach. They exchanged blows more powerful than Faith had ever used or received from someone she wasn’t trying to kill. He was stronger than she gave him credit for, and he took a hit like a champion boxer.
She had the Slayer on her side. That didn’t stop her jaw from aching, or the welling of blood in her mouth. Ronon didn’t seem to notice the cut on his cheek or that his knuckles had split. He grabbed her biceps like he was going to throw her. Faith planted her feet and took both hands, shoving them flat against his chest with enough force to throw him back into the wall.
Ronon rushed her, using his weight to take her down. His entire body was on top of hers, she was pinned, her arms trapped straight between them.
“Fuck,” she muttered. “Get off,” she snapped, her entire body going cold. Panic took her over. “Shitshitshitshitshit,” she was trying to buck him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” a voice demanded.
Ronon shifted to look up at John.
Faith took the quarter inch of space and freed her arm, she used her elbow to nail him in the throat. She gained enough leverage to push him away and rolled up onto her feet. Only once she was standing, did the whole situation sink in. Embarrassment flooded her as well as rage at her own weakness.
“Faith,” John said, taking a step towards her.
She held out a hand staying him. “Don’t.” She looked at Ronon who was holding his throat. “Sorry.”
“All good,” he croaked.
John looked between them, cataloguing the injuries visible on both of them. “Are you two out of your minds?”
Faith shook her head. “It was harmless.”
“It didn’t look harmless.”
“Okay. It was some fun that got out of hand,” she bit out. She kneeled down in front of Ronon, the greatest distance from him to be able to check his throat. Satisfied that he was breathing and swallowing just fine. “You’re going to need to ice that,” she said. She moved back swiftly and stood.
Faith was grateful that Haly picked up her shoes and rushed over. Faith took the shoes and they left the gym. Haly’s hand suddenly slipped into hers. This reinforced the need to control her emotions, Haly shouldn’t have to see her freak out over something as simple as being pinned. Calm, cool, collected, that was what was required.
88888888
John spun to face Ronon. “What the hell was that?”
“Impressive,” one of the Marines said.
John turned to glare at him.
“We’ve been going at Ronon all afternoon. We weren’t making a dent and are all covered in bruises,” he explained. “Faith got the first hit in and she returned everything hit for hit.”
“She challenged him and she’s only half his size,” another Marine pointed out. “It was going fine until Ronon managed to pin her.”
“Clear the room,” John ordered.
The Marines filed out.
Ronon passively stood staring down at John.
“Faith is off limits,” John said.
“She came to me,” Ronon told him defiantly.
“She was shot less than a week ago!”
Ronon rotated his shoulders, his voice low as he replied, “That’s between you and your wife.” He sulked past John and out the door.
John walked to the door and shouted after him. “She’s my sister!”
88888888
John waved his hand at the door to announce his presence.
Faith opened the door. She was was dressed in a tee and lounge pants. There were a few signs of bruising, all of it looking like it had been received weeks ago not four hours ago.
“How is it sometimes you heal all at once and sometimes it’s just quicker than normal?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes and stepped back to let him in. Haly waved from the table where she was working on coloring something. He waved back and took a seat next to her.
“I have no idea. Why did B nearly killing me leave me in a coma for most of a year?” She shrugged. “I’m sure Giles or Willow have some answers, but I don’t.”
John watched her for a long moment. “I invited Ronon to join my team. After this afternoon though, I’m thinking it’s not such a good idea.”
“Why?”
His eyes tracked to Haly before returning to her. “You had that trapped look.”
“I had a bad moment,” she admitted. “But that’s not because of him.” She rubbed her arm. “Not only does he understand more about Wraith tactics than anyone we’ve met, he survived running from them for seven years.” She sat down. “That takes a fortitude of will and mind that I don’t think even you or I could claim to have.”
“He’s good,” John admitted.
“More than good, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that strong outside of the Slayers.”
“Are you sure?”
She sighed. “He’s rough around the edges, but no more than I am. Ronon will probably be easier to fix than I am, all his stuff is when he was an adult. With time and patience, he could be good for Atlantis.”
“And until then?”
“He growls and howls and bites,” she replied with a small grin. “It’s just going to take time for him to find the human part of him again.”
“You seem sure of that.”
“You are too, otherwise you wouldn’t have started training him.” She shrugged. “Besides, it’s not like he’s a demon. If he gets to a point that he’s going to snap, he’ll just leave, not leave a trail of bodies in his wake.”
John nodded. He set his hand on top of hers for a moment. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
88888888
The bell rang just as Faith was readying the room for bedtime. She frowned and headed over to the door. It slid open.
“Ronon,” she said in surprise.
“I wanted to apologize.”
“For what?” Faith said as she moved to the side to allow him in. Two guards were behind him. She motioned them to stop and closed the door.
He frowned at her, trying to decipher her a bit.
Her gaze slid behind him. “Stop!” she held out a hand. She grabbed the front of Ronon’s shirt and spun him so that their positions were reversed. She abruptly released him and turned to kneel.
It was only then he realized Haly had been standing right behind him.
“What have I told you about walk up behind people?” Faith asked.
“Don’t,” Haly replied, he mouth slanting in distress.
“Yeah, remember how you made Dr. Jackson jump?”
She nodded.
“What happens if you startle a soldier?”
“Get hurt.”
“Yeah. So, please don’t.”
She nodded, her eyes a little shiny.
Faith stood. “Sorry,” she said to Ronon.
He nodded. “I wouldn’t have hurt her.”
“I’m pretty sure a can of snakes would send you through the roof,” she replied. “Most wouldn’t mean to, doesn’t mean we’re not trained to strike first.”
He couldn’t argue with that.
“Here,” Haly said, holding a paper up to him.
Ronon frowned and looked at Faith, she just shrugged, puzzled. He took the paper and looked at it. It was a rough drawing of him, his dreads looked like a brown bug on his head and his limbs were large but misshapen.
He crouched down and looked at the girl. “Not bad.”
She smiled widely, thrilled by his approval.
“It’s still time for bed,” Faith told Haly.
Haly pointed to her head. “Hair.”
Faith sat down at the table, pulling Haly into her lap. Her gaze darted up to Ronon. “Sit down, you’re too tall to talk to up there.”
He dropped into another chair at the table.
Faith grabbed the brush and ran it through Haly’s hair several times.
“You’re stronger than the soldiers,” Ronon said as he watched her hands.
“Slayer,” Haly told him turning to look at him.
Faith grabbed her head and turned it the right way. “As Haly said, I’m a Slayer, a rare warrior on Earth. Seven years ago, I gained the powers I have. Fast, strong, advanced healing.”
“And Sheppard’s sister.”
“You heard someone talking,” she guessed.
He shrugged.
“John and I are new to this. We didn’t meet or learn that we were related until we moved to Atlantis a year ago.”
“He’s protective.”
She grimaced as she started slowly braiding Haly’s hair. “John has older brother issues that aren’t helped by the fact that as the youngest and a Slayer I’m quite reckless.”
“He didn’t like us fighting.”
Faith shook her head. “He knows I fight. The first time he ever saw me in action, I was fighting Teyla in the gym.”
“I think it was because it was me.”
“No,” she said as she finished the braid and tied a band in it. “That was about me, not you.” She settled her arms around Haly. This wasn’t about her, this was about his perception of John - tainted by John’s protectiveness. She took a deep breath. “My childhood was less than pleasant. Not because of Wraith or demons, because my mother was terrible and the men who were around her were terrible to her and to me.” She swallowed, her gaze on the door as her head rested against Haly’s. “I’m pretty controlled, but there are always things that unexpectedly remind me of…things.” She tilted her head to regard him. “John is a good guy, just and a fine leader. In regards to me, he’s still figuring out how to be what he thinks I need.”
“And what do you need?”
“I don’t know,” she replied, “Which is probably why he can’t figure it out either.” She grinned. “But there is something you can do.”
“What?”
“Another round, bantos, no blood - show we can control ourselves.”
He nodded. “Sure.”
88888888
Faith and Haly sat down across from Major Lorne.
“Morning,” Haly greeted.
“Good morning, Haly. Faith.”
“So a couple missions under your belt,” Faith said. “What do you think?”
“How is McKay still alive?”
Faith snorted. “Well, he’s a genius and despite how annoy he is, he pulls our collective asses out of the fire often enough.”
“Aren’t you the one who came up with the idea of cloaking the City during the Siege?”
“Anybody can have an idea,” she told him dismissively.
“You’re more forgiving than I am,” Lorne said.
She considered as she took a bite of fruit. “It’s not forgiving. Watchers are…researchers, they have degrees in how to look things up. Some take up arms, but they’re pretty rare. I respect that Rodney puts his ass on the line just as much as he runs his mouth.”
“He runs his mouth a lot.”
“Okay, half as much as he runs his mouth,” she conceded with a smile.
“Even that sounds like a stretch,” he said, a grin on his face.
“Give it a few months,” she told him, “you’ll be proven wrong.”
He straightened a bit. “Wanna bet?”
“Sure.”
88888888
“Wait,” Laura said setting down her beer. “What did you bet?”
“I win, I get to join his team regularly. He wins, dinner.”
Susan and Laura whooped while Katie grinned. Faith rolled her eyes, then focused on her cards. “Come on, someone ante up.”