"'ey" It was Swanson, poking his head into the niche Hector had found for himself. Usually a retreat into that area
meant the dark Delta wanted privacy and everyone pretty much respected that. Hector was big on privacy. But this -
this was just too good not to be the one to deliver the news and that was worth breaking a few taboos. After the last
couple of missions they'd just gotten done running themselves ragged over, he thought he deserved this. Enjoying
drawing out the moment, Swanson leaned casually on the crate that made up the beginning of one of the 'walls'.
"You know, there are some days, its just all worth getting out of bed for." He commented. "The sun is shining, the birds
would be singing if there were any, and happy little surprises just have this funny way of cropping up all over the
place." He shook his head, folding his arms across his chest as if he was going to do this all day. Smirk barely held
back at the look he was receiving. Giving in he asked:
"You ever heard that phrase 'mad dogs and English women'?" He asked.
Andi, sitting on the table, feet propped up on a chair, laughed. "Its not like that at all." She protested with a smile for
the Ranger teasing her about it. "Ants taste entirely different in Africa."
Mike, standing slightly to the side, couldn't decide whether to roll his eyes or stifle a grin. You'd think some of the
soldiers tripping over themselves to crowd around Andi hadn't seen a woman in months. Oh, wait... he took another
swallow of his soda and thought - again - what a bad idea this had been.
The last few ops had been more than a little difficult. They were successful, if you measured that in terms of everyone
coming back alive and accomplishing what they set out to do. But they were still difficult. So the first chance for peace
he had gotten, Hector had taken it. He'd attend the barbecue later. He hadn't eaten in two days, what was another
hour or so?
And for the first time since he had chewed out a Ranger for doing it, his space was invaded. By a Delta. He expected a
Ranger or a regular military person to try it, but a Delta? Especially Swanson?
He was going to just close his eyes and pretend he was sleeping or something, until he went away, but Swanson kept
talking. The last phrase caught his ear and he looked at Swanson.
"You serious?" He asked carefully. This wasn't something to joke about, and if necessary he'd prove it to the blonde
man later, in a nice good naturedly rough housing way.
Swanson shrugged. "If she's yea tall with cinnamon brown hair and her guard dog is a former operative we can't pin
down..." He didn't get much more out before Hector was leaving his hiding place and jogging out toward the hangar
where the meal was being prepared and served, fold out tables set up, and CDs from home blaring over the PA
system. He moved so suddenly and quickly, Swanson did a double take before catching up.
"Think its past someone's bed time." Hector said, smacking a Ranger upside the head in a joking manner, finally have
waded his way through the crowd.
Andi turned away from the question that had just been asked and her entire face changed, going soft and warm and
welcoming as the smile bloomed. From his spot, kicked back against a wall, Mike watched the entire world fade away
for her.
"Hey." Even the voice changed, went softer and somehow warmer as she stood up, stepping foward and lifting her face
for a kiss before she realized that he might not want to kiss her. Here. In front of everyone. She wasn't sure suddenly
where the physical boundries fell in this type of thing. For her, friends had them. And family didn't. And - to hell with it...
she curved her fingers against his chest, light against the fabric of his shirt and met his dark eyes with her own as she
stepped close. The edges of her lips curved.
"I was in the neighborhood." She offered.
"In the neighborhood my foot." He said with a chuckle. But he was glad she had suddenly showed up. Showed he
wasn't the only one with that habit after all! And definitely worth having privacy invaded, even if Swanson was soon to
be missing those American chocolate bars he coveted...
No one had quieted down, but they were definitely being watched. Mike was right, that time, when he said Deltas didn't
take women. And if the Rangers did, he had never run across a female one and never bothered to ask. So the only
females on the base were a few nurses, a doctor and a typist, who weren't present. The medical people were
preparing the infirmary for the expected hangovers and nausea from overeating in the morning, and the typist....she
was probably preparing her retirement papers, as she did during every party.
Hector was aware of being observed, but it was shoved into the back of his mind, as the rest of the people in the room
also were shoved to the back of his mind and awareness. Boundaries or not, who cared? He had them, oh he had
them, but they always managed to disappear when she was around. Only for her though.
He kissed her, and though it wasn't the objective, the circle around them got a little wider as some of the men moved
on, figuring she wasn't a Red Cross person crashing for a little fun. And if she was, it definitely wasn't for fun with them.
"This is getting me back for waking you up, isn't it?" He asked with a grin. "I love payback."
"Mm," she agreed contentedly, eyes still closed as her lips curved. "I think I like 'payback' now too." Safe. And warm.
And - rightwhereshewassupposedtobe... "You smell good." She murmured softly against his jaw before opening her
eyes to look up at him. Eyes smiling as she confessed: "I missed you. And Mike was going nowhere near this area. So I
convinced him to give me a lift." She tipped her head back a bit. Enough to give his face a studied once over to make
sure everything was still in one piece. Mark had mentioned missions in the plural when she'd arrived. At the moment
she was standing pressed too close to him to check the rest of him. Her fingers moved against his chest. "So here I
am."
"Well, good to know it wasn't the food that made you decide to take a field trip." He said. He was fine. Nothing a hot
shower and meal wouldn't fix. He'd already had the shower, so that was half done at least. No major injuries, just a few
bruises and scrapes here and there, he'd probably done worse shaving, come to think of it.
"I'll tell the guys to fill Mike up for that." He said and gestured to Mike and the food. Mostly the uninvited guests were
ushered out, this being a military installation and all, but the Deltas of his chalk had way laid that idea, for at least they
knew somewhat what was going on.
Mike looked over as Swanson joined him.
"Can't believe what slacker security you've got here." He told the blond Delta with a shake of his head. Swanson
grinned.
"Oh, we wouldn't have let you on base. Too ugly and shifty looking. But her - hell, sure, you bring her you can come
anytime."
"Only when he's here." Mike commented, watching Hector gesture. "Otherwise it'd be meat to the lions."
"Thanks for that." Swanson stated, voice quieter. Mike shook his head.
"I must be out of my mind." He commented in good humored disgust. He glanced over at the Delta. "Come on, let me
pay my dues and then you can tell me who its safe to cut in line on. And I'll lie to you and claim Suzette is wasting away
in remorse that you're gone."
"Mike will be grateful." Andi agreed. "He wasn't responding well to my bribe of protein bars." She glanced over at the
food tables and the roasting meat, thinking it reminded her, in some odd way, of the tribal feasts. "Should I be
concerned about tobacco sauce?" she asked.
"She won't show it, but she misses me desperately." Swanson said with a chuckle, knowing better, but wanted to tease
anyway. He looked over at Mike. "Happened to be in the neighborhood or did she convince you this was a bright idea?"
"She happened to convince me." Mike said, still sure it wasn't a bright idea.
"Well, we got enough food for an army. Literally. Let's go get it before the Rangers eat it all." Swanson said, clapping
him on the back and leading him away from Hector and Andi.
Hector laughed. "Only if you eat off my plate." He said. "The other guys, well, they just look tough. Their taste buds are
actually pretty weak." He took her hand. "Come on, I'm starving." He was, actually.
"You mean they've actually still got tastebuds instead of having burned them off already" Andi corrected blithely, letting
Hector take the lead, more than content to follow, her hand safely in his. It gave her time to look around and notice
things. Like the little touches people had added to try to make the hanger feel more like home. And the obvious lack of
any female influence at all in those attempts.
She hadn't been at all sure about coming here. But - she'd missed him. And - wanted to see if she was welcome in his
world.
She'd been on too many circuit lectures and in too many new and uncomfortable situations to not know how to make
herself blend acceptably. She could chat easily with the men that handed her plates and offered their opinion on what
she should and shouldn't try for food. It was hardly the first time she'd been the only new person in a place and so her
smiles were honest and sincere as well as the interest in what was being said. And all that didn't mean that she wasn't
so impossibly much more comfortable performing all the habits and patterns with Hector next to her.
By the time they cleared the line, her plate was a great deal fuller than she was sure she could eat in two sittings much
less one. But it was hard to turn any of the offers down when everyone was so enthusiastic and helpful.
"I'm not being fattened up to end up tossed in a volcano at the end of this or anything, am I?" She asked Hector. Well
aware his plate was possibly more full than even hers.
"Well, fattened up at least." Hector said with a chuckle as he reached for the tabasco sauce and started putting it on
the barbecued pork, the rice, the vegetables...he wasn't kidding. He put it on everything he could get his hands on.
"There's not a volcano locally around here, so don't worry. Besides, we don't offer up sacrifices on the first visit, that's
just plain rude."
"Come on." He said and led her to a table that hadn't been overtaken with rowdy soldiers yet. This was almost a
celebration. All you could eat buffet, music, people talking and laughing. Complete decompression from what they had
been doing just yesterday. The base, had she shown up yesterday, was rather empty, everyone pretty much off on a
mission or some such official assignment. This wasn't a base like the traditional sort. Really just a string of warehouses
converted over, supposed to be temporary, but bureaucrats definition of temporary was different than everyone else's
it seemed. "Told you we went all out on the barbecues. The only way to do it, really." He said and started to eat.
"Hm." Andi agreed non-committally, glancing around the building at the people. Wondering who they were, where they
were from, what they liked to talk about. The individual people behind the mass. She studious avoided any of the food
on Hector's plate, wondering what deep psychological need drove him to torture himself by burying all his food in that
horrible hot sauce.
"This reminds me of home." She commented, trying the food curiously. "Everyone had a plot of land they farmed from
but the men still went hunting sometimes too. Every now and then the whole village would celebrate and we'd eat like
this." Meals were much more communal than a 'traditional' family anyway but sometimes the entire village would come
together. She gave Mark a smile as he and someone she didn't know joined them at the table. "Except there was less
of this sauce." She meant the barbecue, "and more Errol Flynn. Do you suppose I could secure a bottle to send
home?" She asked Hector.
"Sure." Hector said about the barbecue sauce. "Even throw in some tabasco sauce too. Someone in your home village
might have good enough sense to like it." And even if he couldn't officially secure it (the military could be incredibly
anal about surprising things) he'd still secure it and send it to her mother.
Mark chuckled at the conversation, having a pretty good idea what was going through Hector's mind, his shoulders
squared a bit more and his eyes narrowed a tiny bit. But he was still in a relaxed mood, so it was hard to pick up.
"Gotta have the sauce." Mark said. "Its not a barbecue without it. So how do you like our little home away from home?"
He asked, gesturing to the expansive hangar.