"So we sit tight and we let everyone do their job and we see how things look in the morning, yeah?" Andi summed the
situation up calmly and Suzette, recovered, simply rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Oui." She tossed up a hand, sounding more bored with the idea than objective. "We wait." Her eyes narrowed and she
scanned the interior of the tent, noting the lack of blond hair among the soldiers present. "And I will think of words to
say." She added darkly. "To you too." She threatened Andi with a pointed finger and than moved to the back of the
tent to begin putting loose supplies into boxes.
Andi winced, finding that threat somehow more immediate than the shadows outside. Which was probably saying
something considering the situation outside was bringing up quite a few unpleasant memories from childhood that
involved shadows in the night. Hector was probably due out on patrol or something of the sort and she forced herself
to rationally accept that despite the fact she found his currently rather intimidating presence very reassuring.
"We'll keep everyone here and quiet." She commented softly. Then she looked up at Hector with a fleeting smile and
added: "And you owe me a favor now."
"I do?" He said, managing to grin at that one. "Oh boy, should I be worried?"
"I'd be." Suzette commented as she sorted through supplies, to see if they had to leave the tent at all. He nodded at
Suzette with a chuckle as he took a seat in one of the chairs, seemingly relaxed, but the chair actually afforded him a
great view of the tent and any shadows outside.
"Okay, I'll bite." He said, wanting to relieve the tension he'd brought on everyone. "You got a favor in mind at all yet?
And it better not be getting out of my gumbo, ain't gonna happen."
"Gumbo?" Suzette asked. "That's from New Orleans, is it not?"
"Louisiana in general. Have family there." He said. "But yeah, its rather Francophile down there."
"At least some Americans have common sense." Suzette said.
"To live in a soup bowl below sea level? Not exactly the smartest thing in the world." Hector commented. Suzette dipped
her head in acknowledgment of that.
"Oui, but what a soup bowl!"
Andi didn't interrupt. It was the first time Suzette had talked to Hector in anything other than snarls. Her way of
apologizing. And maybe her way of offering the olive branch too, Andi couldn't tell in such a short time. But she could
hope. Suz wasn't cruel. Just - protective. Fiercely protective.
When her da talked about angels, he didn't talk about chubby babies in diapers. He talked about eight foot tall giants
with shoulders that brushed the insides of buildings and faces terrifying with the power of God's presence. The kind
that had to tell you 'be not afraid' because of the glory and might of their very being.
The kind that actually could protect you against danger.
Moving over to help Suzette with the sorting, Andi hesitated and then stopped behind Hector. Touched his cheek and
then rested her hand on his shoulder. She believed in unseen protectors. She'd seen too much to not. But that didn't
change the fact one hair's width that having him here made all the difference to her. That the ghosting shadows
outside didn't seem half as foreboding as they would - as they had - otherwise. That him simply being here made
facing everything calmly no less necessary but so much easier.
She wasn't used to feeling that way about anyone.
"Maybe I'll just be like one of the fey from the old tales." She told him, voice soft and low. "I did the favor you asked for.
More than you asked. And now I'll let you forget about it until a day somewhere down the road when I call on you to
collect."
"You're too American to realize how much trouble those collections always get the mortal into." Suzette commented with
a cheerfully wicked glint in her eyes.
"Now I know I'm in over my head." He said with a chuckle and looked at her with warm eyes, his hand reaching up to
stroke the back of her head, the hair that was still hanging down loose and free.
Although part of him was still very much aware and alert of the surroundings, especially the darkness outside, the rest
of him just gave into the feeling that in spite of everything going on around them, the whole universe seemed to close
down and shut down around the small space occupying just the two of them. And he liked that.
"You'll probably have to adjust your strategy; I don't plan on forgetting anything." Especially not anything where she
was concerned.
Suzette looked on with worry moving through her eyes and it was a suddenly dividing worry. A worry that shifted
between the soldier hurting her friend and breaking her heart when he discarded her and the new worry that he wasn't
going to let Andi go. Because there was a single minded possessiveness in his touch that scared her.
Andi closed her eyes and let out a soft sound at his touch, lips curving upward. Softening and leaning down into him a
bit, careful to keep from entangling him in case he had to move but so - very glad for his touch. It sent a warmth
spreading through her that melted into the muscles that were knotted painfully across her shoulders and back.
Soothed away the childhood memories of shadows moving in the darkness.
"When I was young there was a movement in Zaire to wipe foreign influence out of the country." Her voice was soft and
calm and Suzette had to strain to hear it. Because it wasn't meant for her ears. "Some groups took things to an
extreme. Mum and Da stayed in the compound but they hid me in the village. Every night some of the tribe would stand
guard outside the compound and I would go to sleep wrapped up in one of the families in their hut. They claimed us
and kept us safe and they didn't have to." Suzette's eyes went wide in surprise. She'd never heard that story before. In
fact, she'd never heard any stories about Andi's childhood that weren't humorous and trivial. And yet, here she was, in
the darkness, telling a complete stranger...
Andi sighed out, a long silent release as if the past were slipping out with it. Rested her hand gently over Hector's heart.
"I'm glad you’re here." She murmured softly. "This isn't the first time we've had ghosts in our camp. But I'm glad you're
here."
"The ghosts won't be bothering anyone tonight." He said, for by now Mike and some Deltas were surrounding the
'ghosts,' checking out their reasons, identifying any threat that they might represent. Then Mike would turn his head as
the Deltas eliminated the threat.
But it was a good feeling, knowing he was keeping someone safe. Oh he'd been told he 'kept the world safe' etc, etc so
forth all through training. but it was so intangible and unseen. But here in this tent, he remembered why he became a
Delta in the first place.
"I promise. This tent is as secure as Fort Knox right now."
Andi turned her face to press a soft kiss against his cheekbone. Laughing quietly against him.
"And if I knew what Fort Knox was I'm sure I'd be impressed." She teased softly. In a minute, she'd step away. Start
pulling her weight and helping Suz with the sorting. Finish up the reports. Make another round with the children she'd
just moved to make sure everyone was sleeping well.
Give up the warmth of his touch...
In a minute.
Clancy would be ready to move in a few days. Probably shorter than she was comfortable with in fact but there were
too many forces on both sides that wanted the situation over with. Hector would go with him. And that would most likely
be that. She understood that often what you wanted most, you couldn't have. There was no bitterness to that thought.
She shut her eyes briefly. But oh, she would miss him when he was gone. Miss him and miss what he did to the world
around him. And she would miss what he opened up inside her as well.
So she took the minute more to let the rest of the world take care of itself without her. Took the minute more to simply
be with him.
"You would be." He said with a smile in his eyes as he looked at her in that dazy state of hyper awareness and
relaxation as he held her in the darkness of the tent. Suzette had decided to ignore this, not call attention to herself,
just let them be.
She might not approve, actually she really didn't, but she had never seen Andi like this, she'd let her friend have this
memory to hold on to when it was all over. As long as he didn't hurt her, then Delta or not, she'd kill him.
The minute Andi was going to leave at the end of stretched. Went long and slow and forgot to count itself. The world
and its tensions and responsibilities waited somewhere just outside of Hector's embrace. She knew it. But for this
minute, none of that mattered. For this minute she was where she belonged. And she didn't know if she'd ever felt so
at peace with anything before as she did now.
And than the minute suddenly snapped back into itself as there was a whistle at the tent entrance and a minute later,
at a whisper from one of the men hidden in the shadows near the front, Mike ducked in. He took in the tent with a
practiced glance but he was already headed toward the back. Having known where Hector would be. Andi
straightened, shifted so she wasn't in the way but didn't move away. Mike gave Suzette a nod and Andi a bitter sweet
smile. Then he looked at Hector.
"Something interesting." He commented.
Hector didn't move away any more than Andi did, just looked over at Mike. "Interesting? I hate that word, interesting."
He said with a raised eyebrow. especially when it came to shadows in the dark. interesting was never a good word.
Suzette gave Mike a sympathetic look and a bottle of water.
Mike took the water with a tired smile for Suzette. She really saw too much sometimes. With his other hand he took a
scrap of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Hector.
"They had a list." He stated, voice quiet and level. "A list of med supplies." Andi shifted over to read it in the dim light
over Hector's shoulder, eyes narrowing.
"It’s detailed." Mike pointed out. "Not just the usual snatch and grab. Not necessarily the stuff that would sell highest on
the black market either."
Andi touched a couple lines with her finger.
"They've got bandages on here?" She asked. Mike nodded.
"That's where things get interesting." He commented. "Because that's pretty much the list I'd write if I was going to set
up my own clinic in the area."
Hector looked over the list. "Okay, call me an ignoramus or whatever...but what's so bad about setting up their own
clinic?" He asked. "Maybe they'd be more likely to trust their 'own' people or whatever."
Mike nodded. "Who knows? Anyway, I took the liberty of telling them all to stand down, but we're guarding the supply
tent until Sam makes up his mind."
"You woke up Sam?" Hector said.
"Had to. So he should be in here at any moment to yell at all of us."
Andi took the list, eyebrows still down and Suzette came over to look at it curiously herself. Organization was a militia
thing. Not what you'd usually see in 'angels of mercy' trying to open up a clinic.
"We supply this kind of stuff." Andi murmured, more to Suzette than the men. "Why wouldn't they just come to us and
ask?"
"Too scared, too greedy, maybe its not a clean clinic our directors would approve." Suzette suggested.
"It’s not as if we wouldn't miss this much if it was lifted." Andi stated, turning the list over curiously. "And its not as if we
wouldn't hear of something else going up in the area."
"We could ask?" Suzette suggested and Mike made a muffled, choking noise.
"You could try." He offered. "They're pretty ignorant. Or faking it better than someone should be able to. Just say a
man told them he'd pay them good if they brought the supplies to him. No name." He glanced at Hector, eyebrow
shifting. "And not so good on the descriptions. More impressed with the suit he was wearing than distinguishing
markings. But they didn't think he was foreign. Swan's got the stats that we could get."
Suzette let out a little snort at the 'accountant's' mention and Andi looked sideways at her and wondered if all that
anger was going to get her in trouble with the Delta or not. Not in a harm's way kind of thing, but - for Suz, passions ran
high and when they ran high enough they tended to run together. And Suz, from all appearances, was very angry at
the moment.
"Got most of the crew laying low." Mike commented. "But Sam's going to find out about a few more of them just
because not everyone's going to undercover right now."
"Speaking of which." Andi commented mildly, stepping forward and slightly in front of Hector, handing the list back to
Mike as Sam strode into the room. Ready for a fight but well aware he couldn't - quite - blame this on the soldiers in
their midst.