"and in your heart you'll know it's time" (lebo m.)

[starandrea]

YAY I FINISHED TEAM BUILDING! I literally cheered when I finished this epilogue! A lot, actually. I didn't really mean to write this story in the first place, but I always thought it was important, so I'm glad PRAU came along and was all inspirational. Grand credi and muchos gracias to everyone who cheered and loved this story on! ::hearts::

(1. Though the Dragon Waits, 2. The Seduction of Schuyler Tate, 3. Team Building with Jack Landors. If you want to read Team Building alone, easy: Sky and Jack are dating, A Squad is in rehab, and when Jack gave up his B Squad position to Sky, he took Charlie's A Squad morpher instead and filled in temporary replacements for the rest of her team.)

Extra note: if you read the prompts below from top to bottom, paying no attention to the way the cut tags are numbered, they will be in the right order. (Following against all odds.)


parents

She tilted her hand a little, making sure the polish came all the way to the edge of the nail. It did, of course. It wasn't like she ever missed. Still, it was good to inspect perfection from all angles.

Movement in the doorway made her look up, and she smiled at Dan's slouch.

"Hey," he offered, smiling back. "Want some company?"

"Yes, please." Syd dipped her brush back in the bottle, adding, "You didn't dispatch any more of my stalkers this evening, did you?"

"Do I get extra credit if I say yes?" Dan asked, bracing his arms against the back of the couch.

"Like you need any." She smoothed another cap of polish over her ring finger, then lifted her face for a kiss. He obliged, leaning forward and brushing his lips against hers. Syd smiled. "That was very girly, thank you."

"I can learn," he said. "Do I get a seat on the couch, or will that throw off your concentration?"

She scoffed. "Please. I could paint my nails in my sleep."

Dan grinned as he came around the end of the couch and sprawled beside her. "That explains the color, then."

She pretended to be offended. "This color is an exact match for the dress I will be wearing tomorrow night. Which reminds me--" She lowered her hand and gave Dan her full attention. "Would you escort me to my parents' Christmas party?"

"Tomorrow night?" He lifted an arm off the back of the couch and waved it in a way that was vaguely reminiscent of a bow. "It would be my honor. Whom do we have to thank for the unexpected time off?"

"Kat," she said, frowning down at her fingers again. "And Charlie. Charlie made the schedule, but Kat bullied the commander into giving us extra time. No one works Christmas or Christmas Eve. Charlie did the rest by request."

"Dare I ask who's running the base for the next two days?"

"Well, Kat will be here." She finished her right hand and put the brush back in the bottle carefully. "She got volunteers from the orientiation levels who aren't going home. Which I'm guessing means Jack will stop by to throw them a surprise party at some point. And the commander will be around, of course."

"It's gonna be a fun couple of days," Dan said dryly. "I'm almost sorry to miss it. Can we stop by too, or will this party go all night?"

"Probably all night," Syd admitted. "But I'm betting Jack's party is Thursday morning. Probably about... eleven o'clock. We could easily happen to be here around that time."

She got a raised eyebrow for this. "What did you do, steal his datebook?"

"Sky's," she corrected. "His family never comes to our party because they have their own plans. Regular plans. There's always a gap around lunch on Christmas Day when he sneaks out. I'm guessing Jack will take advantage of it."

Dan saluted her gently, fist across his chest, then asked, "Does this mean we're sleeping over at your parents' house?"

"Believe me," she said, "it's easier than getting home afterward." She paused, then added, "But if you don't want to, I understand."

"Hey, if you're willing to have me," he told her, "I'm willing to be there."

Syd wrinkled her nose. "Even if it means being subject to my family's curiosity for the rest of your life? I warned you about that, you know. If you come home with me, they'll never stop caring about you. No matter what happens."

"If you can deal with it, I can deal with it," he said.

"Look at Jack, after all," she said, lifting her hands to survey the top coat again. "He's been adopted."

Dan watched her wave her hands around idly. "Yeah, why is that, again?"

"I don't know." She tilted her head. "Something about hiding him from the time police. As long as you pretend not to be surprised when it comes up, it'll be fine."

"Got it." Dan sounded amused. "Anything other specific reactions I should remember?"

"You won't have to drink if you tell them you're on call," she said. "Don't be fooled if they give you a denominational holiday greeting; say something neutral back. Oh, and they'll probably ask you when we're getting married."

"Oh?" He didn't sound startled. "Should I have picked out a ring?"

"Don't be silly." Syd rolled her eyes. "Obviously, if there's going to be a ring, I have to pick it out."

Dan actually laughed. "My mistake. So sorry; I'll be sure to consult you."

She sniffed. "See that you do."

"Hey," he said, still grinning. "Am I really supposed to propose? Because I could probably handle that, but it seems a little early. I thought your parents would be scandalized enough just meeting me."

"Are you kidding?" Syd thought he probably was: he'd known her even before she joined SPD. "After everything I've done? You'd have to work pretty hard to be more scandalous than me."

"Princess Sydney," Dan teased. "You have to be the best at everything, don't you."

"Yes," she said primly. "But," she allowed, when he didn't challenge this, "you can be the best with me. If you like."

He bent his head to her shoulder to press a kiss to her bare skin. "Done," he declared. "Pick out your ring."

She beamed. "I would definitely hug you right now, except this color really does match my dress and the top coat is the shiny kind that isn't quick-set."

"Hold your arms out to the sides," Dan suggested. She did, shifting a little to the side, and he wrapped her in a careful embrace that never once threatened her still-soft nails.

That, Syd thought, was true love.



attitude

Bridge had a rainbow duffel bag specifically for events like these, but he couldn't find it, so he was using a military bag decorated with multi-colored yarn instead. Not an SPD military bag, which would have been dark blue, but a US military bag, which was camo green. It worked better with the holiday theme, he thought.

Especially after Z had helped him braid tinsel and variegated yarn around the handles. They'd made yarn pom-poms for the zippers and woven funny little stick figures through the mesh pockets with colored pipe cleaners. It kind of looked like a craft store had exploded, which basically made it the best thing ever for a Christmas Eve party at the homeless shelter.

He was currently squeezing last-minute stuff into the already packed bag while Sky stared at a tiny little box on the table beside his bed. Bridge had left him alone with it for long enough that he wondered what Sky was seeing. But hey, this was part of his process, so. If Sky needed to stare at a ring box, he needed to stare at a ring box.

Bridge squeezed his squeaky clown nose experimentally. Sky didn't move, so he squeezed it a couple more times before he tossed it into the bag. Actual clowns were scary, but clown noses were funny. Especially if the person wearing them was juggling things that had candy in them.

What else was he missing? Candy, check. More candy, check. Sparkly things, colorful things, glue, clothespins, elastics... no, those weren't the important things. He was forgetting something important.

"Sky," he said at last.

Sky didn't move. "Yeah?"

Bridge studied him, still sitting stiff and straight on the edge of his bed as he contemplated the box. There was a piece of paper lying next to him. Not his reader, not his pager with the memo function, but an actual piece of paper with writing on it. Unattended. Bridge went over and picked it up.

"Hey," Sky protested. He stood up, reaching for it even as Bridge turned away, pretending not to notice.

Marriage Questionnaire, the paper read. The two words were centered at the top of the page, and underneath was the addendum, as presented to Jack Landors by Sky Tate.

Bridge considered that. It was all in Jack's careless scrawl, and he was pretty sure no such questionnaire had ever been presented. The record of it was totally filled out, though, if a little repetitive. Living arrangements, it said. Negotiable.

Working arrangements, the list continued. Negotiable. Pets: negotiable. Kids: negotiable. Time Force: crazy, reaction to: negotiable.

How long, it said at the bottom. Forever.

Bridge turned the paper sideways to read what Jack had written in the wide margin of the list. We can't decide everything ahead of time, Sky. But we can decide together. As many times as it takes. What do you say? Jack.

He lowered the paper, turning back to Sky. "Funny," he said, propping the list up on the table in front of Sky's clock. He used the ring box as a paperweight to keep it from sliding forward. "I think you might have been staring at the wrong thing."

A banging on the door prevented Sky from answering, and Z swung in without waiting for either of them to invite her. "T-shirts!" she declared, a second her following her in with a matching armful. "Ready to be decorated! Do you have an extra bag?"

Bridge glanced around, spotted his laundry bag, and upended it on the floor. There wasn't that much in it, but he heard Sky sigh, so he kicked the clothes out of the way before he held it open for Z--well, both Zs--to fill up. He knew he'd been forgetting something.

"Perfect," Z said brightly, although it was possible that she liked the plan as much for the way it annoyed Sky as for its inherent genius. "We each get to make one too, right? There should be enough there."

"Of course," Bridge agreed, tightening the drawstring on the t-shirts that declared, Hug me, I'm awesome! He swung it over his shoulder with a flourish, and Z picked up the craft bag before he could get to it.

He beamed at her. "Doing it together is the most important thing, after all."



destruction

"I see," Kat said, staring out at the devastation that underwrote the current cleanup efforts in her lab. "Was there any particular reason you decided to model it on a young dog?"

"Well," Sophie said, "we thought RIC might like someone to take care of? I mean, he's been around a while, so it seemed rude to introduce an older, wiser version. That's really his role. It seemed like the new one should be more puppyish."

"They're robots," Kat pointed out. "Age doesn't have to be a factor in their behavior."

"Well, can we call it their personality, then?" Sophie stepped out of the way of one of the collection bots. "RIC's gotten a lot more thoughtful, kind of responsible, almost. He needs someone who leaps without looking. To balance him out."

Kat was mindful of who she was talking to, so she didn't question the characterization. It was an effort. "I see," she repeated. She was trying not to think about what her lab might look like with Sophie and Boom in charge of it for an extended period of time. "Well. As long as you clean up after yourselves."

"We're on it," Sophie promised. "It'll be totally clear before I go down to the mess hall tonight. Um, except for the floor. The gouged parts might have to set overnight."

She felt her lips twitch, so it was probably time to change the subject. "Is the mess hall serving a holiday dinner this evening?"

"Oh, yes!" Sophie looked pleased. "With candle globes and everything. And if you go down early, you can sign up for Jack's Secret Santa."

Kat frowned. That didn't bode well. "I thought Jack had already left the base. Isn't he supposed to be celebrating with Sky's family?"

"Oh, he is." Another cargo bot trundled by, this one carrying supplies for the repairs going on under her desk. "He put me in charge of the project. I mean, he set it all up in advance--I'm just going to make sure everyone knows how to play and take care of the details."

"Such as?" Kat asked curiously.

"Collecting names," Sophie said. "There's a big box that everyone can use to sign up until just before eight o'clock. That's when we pass the names out. Everyone gets one, and you have the rest of the night to make something. You have to wrap it up somehow, put your person's name on it, and make sure it's under the tree by lunchtime tomorrow."

"You have to make something?" Kat repeated.

"Anything you want," Sophie agreed. "No one's allowed to give away things they didn't make themselves, but that's the only rule. You can even ask your person what they want if you like."

Kat raised an eyebrow. "Where does the 'secret' part come in?"

"Jack says that's just to make it sound cool," Sophie told her. "You can keep it a secret if you want, but you don't have to."

Now she did smile, and it happened before she had the chance to notice. That sounded very much like Jack. "When do sign-ups start?" she asked.

"The box is already out," Sophie assured her. "Bridge and Z helped Jack decorate it last night."

"I guess I'll go put my name in, then." Kat turned away from the activity even as a final question occurred to her. "Sophie? Just out of curiosity... where's the new puppy now?"

"Hmm?" Sophie looked up as though she hadn't really heard, but there was an easy-to-read mischief behind her innocent expression. "Oh, don't worry. I sent it home with Sky."



robot

"Are you sure we can't leave it alone?" Jack was eyeing the robot dog warily. "It looks pretty calm to me."

"It's learning," Sky said. "It's basing its behavior patterns on us. In the absence of interaction, its internal code stops creating new response algorithms and starts copying old ones--with greater and greater amplitude--until it starts receiving feedback again."

Jack's bemused look was aimed at him now, so Sky elaborated, "It freaks out."

"Right." Jack reached down to pat the dog carefully on the top of its head. "You could have just said that."

"I did say that," Sky pointed out. "Why are you patting it?"

"Why do you throw tennis balls for RIC?" Jack countered, and Sky closed his mouth.

Fortunately, the front door opened and activity on the porch cut off their conversation. "Hello!" his mom called. "Who did you bring with you?"

"Base Tech project," Sky called back. "Sophie wanted to get it off the base before Kat took it apart."

"Uh, Sky," Jack said under his breath. "I think she means me."

Sky rolled his eyes. "Why would she mean you? She already knows who you are."

"Hi, Jack!" his mom added, coming down the porch steps. His uncle was right behind her, only closing the door before he came to join them in the driveway. "We're so glad you could join us for dinner. Is that a dog?"

"It looks like a dog," his uncle said. "But this is SPD. Pretty much everything they do looks like a dog."

"Yeah, I hear that," Jack said with a grin. "Nice to meet you; Sky's told me a lot about you."

Which wasn't completely true, but Jack always knew what people wanted to hear. "Jack," Sky said, "my mom, Catherine, and my dad's brother, Chris."

"Sky's fiance," his uncle greeted Jack, shaking his hand. "You're a brave man."

Jack laughed. "Hey, you raised him," he said. "I only have to live with him."

Sky was trying to keep an eye on them while his mom hugged him. He'd figured they would either hate each other on sight or bond instantly. He wasn't totally sure which way it had gone... but it was clearly going to be embarrassing for him no matter what they decided.

"Hi, Jack," his mom repeated as she released him. Sky knew she'd already decided to like Jack. She was reaching out for his hand, and Sky relaxed a little when Jack took it in both of his. His mom beamed. "Merry Christmas."

"Same to you," Jack said, flashing her a bright smile and a charmingly innocent expression. He immediately looked five years younger. Like a teenager who hadn't seen anything, didn't know anything of the world Sky had grown up in.

How did he do that, Sky wondered, when it should be exactly the opposite?

"It's great to meet you," Jack was saying. "Thanks for having me."

"I'm so sorry we haven't met before now." His mom did in fact look chagrinned, like they hadn't had the world blowing up around them for most of the last year. "It isn't lack of interest, I promise you. There's just been so much going on."

"Well, they tell me this is the best time of year for family," Jack said, still sweet and sort of... not like him. "I'm glad we could all be here tonight."

Sky was struck by the inappropriate urge to laugh, and he managed to repress it only by looking away. He heard his uncle say gruffly, "You celebrate Christmas, Jack?"

"I celebrate everything," Jack said. "Nothing like a good party to make us appreciate what we have, right?"

"Very practical," his uncle said, sounding suddenly more amused. More like Sky felt. "Maybe we should try that, Cathy. We might get more presents."

"We'd have to give more presents," she pointed out.

"That's the easy part," Jack put in.

"Jack's instituted overnight Secret Santas on base," Sky said. "The latest in a long string of parties and projects designed to make Commander Cruger completely insane."

"Hey," Jack protested. "I'm introducing him to Earth culture! I'm sure he appreciates it."

Sky shook his head, but the dog barked and that made his mom look down. "Does it need anything?" she asked. "Light? Power?"

"A power nap?" his uncle suggested.

"Attention," Sky said. "Pretty much all the time."

"Well, you've brought it to the right place," his mom said with a smile. "Why don't we go inside--does it do stairs?"

"Stairs and escalators," Sky said, putting a casual hand on Jack's shoulder as they turned toward the house. "At least in theory."

"Theories are made for testing," Jack said cheerfully, and Sky looked over at just the right moment to catch his eye. Jack grinned at him. Sky's arm went around his shoulders without thinking, and Jack slung an arm around him in return.

It was strange... so strange to be here at his mom's house with the man he was going to marry. Strange like worlds colliding, strange like reality reshaping itself. Strange like something he had never really expected to see.

Strange in a good way.



deaf

The good and the bad of flying on Christmas Day were the same: no one wanted to do it. Rose muttered something dire about throwing things and pulled a pillow over her head, so Charlie went off to breakfast alone. She came back with scones, which were Rose's favorite, and two filled water bottles, which they'd make her dump at security and refill on the other side but she didn't care. She'd be surprised if any of her teammates traveled without water anymore.

"Hey," she murmured, in case Rose had already pulled out her earbuds. "You awake yet?"

There was no response. Rose would kill her if she woke up with less than half an hour to go, but she could still have a few minutes. Charlie piled their bags by the door, checked their flight status, and glanced up when the allcall came on.

With the condition of the city, the chaos on the streets and the waves of disaster reports still coming in, it was a credit to Jack that the whole base didn't flinch at the sound of the allcall. It delivered its share of bad news, but co-opting it for music had been a good idea. Even if the commander kept rumbling about disciplining the responsible parties.

"Hey," Charlie repeated, louder. She got up and pulled the pillow away from Rose, leaning down to tug her earbuds free. "Breakfast music. Listen."

"'M listening," Rose mumbled. "Syd gave it to me."

Syd had given her a copy of C Squad's playlist. Interesting, but not the point. "So listen with everyone else," Charlie said.

"I fly, sometimes, through the frozen trees in the winter woods..."

"Does this mean it's time to get up?" Rose muttered.

"In their robes of white, chanting silently..."

"Dear," Charlie said dryly, "it's considerably past time to get up. I got you a scone."

"Scones?" Rose opened her eyes, cringing at the light and blinking as she rolled over onto her back. "When are we leaving?"

"Thirty-two minutes. Your stuff's all ready except your music and the shirt you're wearing. Get dressed and you win a scone," Charlie added, holding it up to prove its existence. "We can get something else to eat at the airport."

"Flight?" Rose asked, pushing herself up on her elbows and watching her earbuds tumble down into the blankets.

"On time," Charlie said, rescuing the music chip and the new earbuds together. "Clothes," she said, pointing to the end of the bed.

Rose made several noises that were not at all like grumbling but might have been protests of some kind. She stretched her way over the covers and out of her t-shirt anyway, and Charlie was happy to watch. The scones were ready whenever Rose was.

"And they bid me sing, and I comply, in the winter woods..."

"Thanks," Rose said, not quite managing to stifle a yawn. She still hadn't gotten off the bed. "For letting me sleep."

"But I stumble in my turn, because I can not find the words..."

Charlie shrugged, because obviously. "You said you wanted to."

Rose shot her a look that wasn't sleepy or annoyed or impatient. It was, inexplicably, a smile, and Charlie had learned not to ask. She just accepted what Rose gave her.

"In that church of birch and pine, the only word that comes to mind is 'beautiful'..."

"So quietly, I sing 'beautiful' in the winter woods
And the trees agree, they all agree in the winter woods
We all agree in the winter woods"

~"Winter Woods"~
(lyrics performed by Peter Mayer)


hopelessness

She shouldn't have been surprised to find Jack in the mess hall, feet up on one of the chairs, surveying the post-breakfast trickle of base residents who hadn't found anywhere else to go for the holidays. Or people who, like him, had gone and found themselves drawn back. It was a small but important group, Z thought.

"Hey," she said, throwing herself down in a chair beside him. They were in the same place that the Secret Santa drawing had been the night before: beneath the single jousting banner that had remained since the Solstice party that weekend. "Merry Christmas."

"Yeah, you too," Jack said. His eyes flicked in her direction, but he was already smiling out at the hall. "Having fun?"

"You bet," she agreed. "Bridge and I signed up for your Secret Santa; I hope that doesn't throw it off."

"The more the merrier," Jack said. She'd known he would say that. "Can't wait to see what Bridge made."

"What about you?" Z asked, poking him in the side. "Aren't you supposed to be loving it up with Sky's family? How was Christmas Eve? Are they all as crazy as he is?"

"Nah, they're great." Jack didn't seem to realize he'd just agreed with her that Sky was crazy. "His uncle's kind of... weirdly normal. His mom's a character, though. You know she could take over this base and convince us it was our idea?"

"That sounds about right," Z said with a grin. "He had to get it from somewhere."

"I told them I had a surprise party to run," Jack continued. "I thought she was going to come run it herself. I'm still not convinced we won't be getting a visit from Mrs. Claus or something later on."

"Oh, that reminds me." Not that she didn't want to meet Sky's family, but really, one of him was enough. "Can I invite Lynelle to the base for lunch? Bridge's sister?" she added, in case he didn't remember. "Anyone who could authorize it's on vacation."

Jack scoffed. "You're such a liar, Z."

"Okay, I want you to authorize it because Cruger's still mad about the thing with Dru, and that was like, ten years ago." Z rolled her eyes. "I figure he can't fire you. Not that he hasn't tried."

Jack dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "She's welcome. Obviously. Bring her whenever you want. Party starts at eleven."

"Thanks, Jack."

"Anytime." He tipped his head toward her, and then up toward the ceiling. "By the way, nice banner."

"I actually didn't have anything to do with that," Z said, following his gaze. "C Squad did it all on their own. Well," she added, when he smirked at her, "I might have traded them a few pictures, but it was their idea. Mostly."

"Uh-huh." Jack wasn't buying it, of course. Before he could explain exactly what Sky thought of the banner, she spotted Kat just entering the mess hall and she bounced up out of her chair."

"Hey, it's Kat. I haven't even see her long enough to congratulate her. Bye, Jack."

He probably waved. She didn't check. She didn't really have to.

Kat looked up as Z wandered into the non-existent line behind her. She smiled a little. "Hello, Z. Tell me, is it appropriate to say 'Merry Christmas' even to someone who isn't celebrating?"

"It is to me," Z said cheerfully. "Jack says we celebrate every day. Sometimes it's just fancier than others."

"In that case," Kat said, pushing her tray along in front of her, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Kat," Z replied. "And hey, I hear I should congratulate you."

Kat skipped the pudding, so Z took one for her. "That's what people say when you're pregnant here?" Kat asked, and it was clearly a question she already knew the answer to. "I've heard it a lot over the last few days."

Okay. That was a "back off" vibe if she'd ever heard one.

"Hey, if you don't want to talk about it," Z said, "I'm not talking about it. Here, have some pudding." She snuck it onto Kat's tray and added, "Are you doing Jack's Secret Santa?"

"Yes," Kat said, smiling again. Right choice, then. "Sophie told me about it yesterday."

"Oh, thanks for the days off," Z said, going back for an extra pudding for herself when Kat didn't refuse it. "Christmas Eve and Christmas, I mean. Charlie said you made a deal with the commander."

"Something like that," Kat agreed.

"Good morning," a new voice said from just behind her. Z blinked, looking from Isinia to Kat without having any idea what she was supposed to say.

"Um," she said at last, when Kat just nodded. "Hi?"

"I understand that they are the current Red Rangers?" Isinia continued, glancing in the direction of the banner beside the tree to make it clear what she meant. Jack had disappeared, Z noticed, and she wondered where he'd gone. "Is their likeness a display of professional recognition?"

"Not exactly," Kat said, in what was probably the understatement of the year.

Kat's "thank you" banner was still lit by the windows above the tree, but below it the final jousting banner hung prominently to one side. Sky seated on their makeshift throne, Jack standing beside it with his arm draped casually over the back. C Squad had originally been projecting images onto the banners, but Z was pretty sure this one was permanent.

She was still surprised Sky hadn't yanked it down yet.

"Yet it remains," Isinia was saying, and Z heard the question as clearly as Kat.

"They've become figureheads," Kat remarked. "Symbols of what the base can be. What it is. What brought us through the war with Grumm, and the ideals that will guide the reconstruction. I think everyone looks up to them."

Z glanced at the banner again, raising her eyebrows, but when she looked back Isinia was nodding. "I see," she said, sounding very much like Kat for a second there.

"Besides," Z couldn't resist adding, "the commander must have thought Sky would make them take it down. I think he underestimated how totally hopeless he and Jack are together."

"I wouldn't say hopeless." Kat was smiling a little. Maybe pregnancy made her more cheerful. "I'd say... just the opposite, in fact."

"Then," Isinia said, "it would seem that is a very auspicious representation."

Oh, Jack, Z thought fondly. They just believe whatever you tell them, don't they.

In retrospect, she thought Jack's remarks about Sky's mom were funnier than she'd realized. It took one to know one, after all.



blind

"Sir."

Cruger didn't have to look to know that Jack had come to impart some wisdom for the morning. "What is it, Cadet."

Jack took this as an invitation to join him on the balcony, which it wouldn't have been if he'd thought there was anything that could make Jack go away. He'd tried. He'd tried very hard, if it came to that, but it was only fair that his own attempt at manipulation would backfire in such spectacular fashion.

"Kat told me to stay out of your..." Jack's hand waved, easily visible, impossible to interpret. "Relationship. Business. Whatever."

He saw no reason to dignify this with an answer.

"And I was going to," Jack said, bracing his hands on the railing that separated them from the lower level of the mess hall. "Until I saw you up here. Alone. When she's down there."

He set his jaw, because anything he said now only validated Jack's right to speak to him about this. He had done just fine without Jack Landors giving him advice his entire life.

"That's not her choice, Commander," Jack said. "That's yours."

"That is her choice," he growled before he could stop himself. "She's made her pre-existing loyalties clear."

Jack snorted. "What, by letting everyone know she's pregnant? You're the one with a wife, Commander."

There were only so many times he could threaten Jack with professional termination before even pretending to care became a joke. "And my wife is the one she wants to talk to," he muttered, surveying the hall.

"Your wife is the one who's available," Jack informed him. "Out of all the people on this base, she told Isinia Cruger. Does that sound like someone who doesn't want your attention? What do you want her to do, hold up a sign?"

"I want her to tell me," he snarled. "Why Mexico? Pregnant, since when? What do I have to do to be the one she confides in?"

"You have to be there." Jack, too, was staring down at the tables below. "Stop waiting for her to appear at your side. Stop expecting her to psychically know when you need her. Stop summoning her."

"No one summons Dr. Manx," he grumbled.

"Not unless she lets them," Jack agreed. "She lets you. You could return the favor. Try being the psychic one for a change."

"I am not psychic," he snapped.

"Neither is she," Jack said, with more patience than was strictly necessary. "You don't have to have magic powers to know when someone wants you around.

"Well," Jack added, eyeing him out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe you do. Most people don't."

Cruger growled at him wordlessly.

Jack grinned outright. "New experience for you, Commander?"

As though his glare had ever worked on Jack. "You're pushing it, Cadet."

"I've got a lot to do," Jack said, taking his hands off of the railing as though getting ready to go. Letting him have the appearance of winning. The way Kat did. "Sir."

Jack managed a decent salute in his street clothes and missing badge. Cruger didn't bother to dismiss him, and Jack didn't seem to expect it. He just stepped back and moved on.



reluctant hero

They were in a hurry; that was the only excuse Rose had for not noticing the little girl who had suddenly appeared underfoot. They'd already been through security, stopping to eat in one of the little snack shops inside the terminal. Not a restaurant: Charlie had less patience for that than she used to, but she was fine if they could get their food themselves and be left alone.

Rose had teased her into playing one of the menu games on the back of their table cards. They were close enough to their gate that they'd tried to keep an eye on crowd conditions and pre-boarding calls from inside the shop, and that had probably been a mistake. But they both knew better than to take a seat at the gate sooner than they had to: there was nowhere else to go if someone sat down next to them and started talking.

"Um, hi," the little girl said, as Rose came to an abrupt halt and Charlie swung her backpack high to keep from knocking her over. "I'm, um--I mean... hi!"

"Sol," a man said, just as suddenly in their way. "Come on, please. I'm sure these ladies are trying to catch a flight."

"Hi," Charlie told the little girl. "Nice to meet you."

The girl beamed adoringly up at her, and Rose couldn't help smiling. "I'm Sol," she said. She seemed to draw courage from Charlie's greeting. "I--my dad said you were really busy," she blurted out. "But, if you have time? Could you sign my hat?"

"Sure thing, Sol," Charlie said. "How do you spell your name?"

Rose was already letting her backpack slide off and Charlie must have seen it, because she didn't make a move for her own. Des had given her detail markers, and she was carrying two of them to finish the dragon. One of them was dark enough to show up on the girl's red cap.

"S-O-L," the girl said eagerly. "Like the sun!"

Her father must have known enough to keep his mouth shut. Charlie had far less tolerance for men than she did for little girls. But he just stood by, hand on the girl's shoulder as she pulled off her baseball cap and held it out.

Sol didn't have any hair.

"The Angels, huh?" Charlie said, taking the cap and studying it. "That's a good team. Are you a fan?"

"Yup!" Sol sounded proud. "I watch all their games. My dad takes me when we're at home. It's really hot, but I get ice cream, so it's okay."

"So you live around here?" Charlie asked. "You ever been to the SPD base?"

Rose found the markers, pulling the darker one out and handing it to Charlie. She got a smile from the dad and an offhanded "thanks" from Charlie, but Sol's eyes remained fixed on Charlie. "I've seen pictures of it," she said. "It's a long way from the hospital."

She was perfectly matter-of-fact, but she'd just confirmed what Rose had hoped wasn't true. Charlie didn't bat an eye. "Well," she said, careful with the marker's tip even as she traced a message over the brim of the hat, "if you ever want to see it up close, you just let me know."

"Really?" Sol craned her neck to look up at her dad. "Can we? Can I go?"

"Ask if I can give you a present," Charlie added, not looking up from the baseball cap.

"Can I have a present?" Sol asked her dad.

Charlie was paying closer attention than it appeared. Rose saw her glance sideways, catching the dad's eye. He nodded, and Sol exclaimed, "Yes! Yes, you can give me a present!"

Rose thought she might climb over Charlie's arm to see her hat as Charlie finished signing it. Charlie capped the marker, pushing it into her pocket as she returned the girl's hat. She didn't seem at all self-conscious about her lack of hair, beaming proudly as she settled the baseball cap back on her head.

Sol, Charlie had written. Keep on shining. Love, Charlie Carrera

She didn't sign "love" for just anyone, Rose thought, smiling as the girl lifted her chin. Only for children under ten, and only for girls. It won her fans for life when she did it.

"You know how people in the military wear dogtags?" Charlie was saying. "Metal tags with their name on them?"

"Yup," Sol said. "My mom's in the military. She's awesome."

"I bet she is," Charlie agreed. "SPD makes us wear dogtags too, but sometimes they get in the way. So I wear this instead." She was taking off the bracelet that had her name, species, and badge number on it.

"Why don't you keep it," she continued, offering it to Sol, who held out both hands with wide eyes. "Me and Rose are going to spend Kwanzaa with Rose's family, but we'll be back first thing next year. If you want to see the base, and your family says it's okay, I'll give your dad a comm code he can call."

This time the dad beat Rose to it, fumbling in his pocket for a pager which he offered to Charlie. "What's your last name?" she asked, typing in what was probably the second or third tier public relations number.

"Takiernen," Sol and her dad said at the same time.

"Okay," Charlie said, handing the pager back. "If you have time, just give the base a call and tell them you're Sol Takiernen, and Charlie Carrera gave you her ID bracelet and promised you a tour. Okay?"

"Okay," Sol echoed. "Thanks!"

"Thank you," her dad added, as Charlie grabbed Rose's backpack and held it up for her to slide back into. "Really, thank you."

"Safe travel," Charlie said, fingers brushing the girl's shoulder as they stepped around her.

"Happy Kwanzaa!" Sol called after them.

Charlie kept walking, throwing a wave over her shoulder, but Rose looked back. "Have a good holiday," she said with a smile.

Sol beamed. She was holding up her hand to her dad, and as Rose watched, he fastened Charlie's bracelet around her wrist. Then Rose bumped into Charlie, who grabbed her elbow and steered her around a luggage cart and into the waiting area for their gate.

No one was sitting down, already divided into lines for the final boarding shuffle. Charlie had her ticket in one hand and Rose's marker in the other. "Thanks," she said, in a normal tone of voice. "I'll get you a new one."

"I'll get you a new bracelet," Rose said. "SPD's going to start ordering them in bulk."

Charlie shrugged. "They owe me for the year we were gone."

"Some people go their whole lives without replacing their dogtags," Rose said.

"How nice for them."

Rose smiled, handing over her ticket and photo ID without being prompted. Some things, like holidays and children and Charlie, just never changed. No matter which planet they were on.



life

They were all there. Dan hadn't expected that, but he thought this might be the last time it took him by surprise. Jack didn't do anything alone. He didn't do anything in a group, either. He just did, and other people turned up to do it too.

He and Syd had planned to come, of course. After a not completely disastrous encounter with Syd's family, they'd slept late this morning and wandered into the mess hall in time to witness the transformation. People were put to work as they arrived, and the two of them were no exception.

Red and green tablecloths. Silver and gold balloons were being passed around; Dan had no idea where they were supposed to end up and apparently no one else did either. Presents were being dropped off one by one, and Bridge had set up a last-minute wrapping station next to the tree.

The holographic projectors were a mystery--until five minutes before eleven, when it started to snow in the mess hall. Giant, pretty, see-through flakes, distractingly laughable... they never landed, and they disappeared as soon as something got between them and the projector. It made everyone in the hall cast invisible snowflake-free shadows.

Z was apparently helping the kitchen staff, keeping them from having to maneuver through the chaos. She'd recruited several people to assist, not that she needed them. The sum total of Sophie's job seemed to be to keep her new robot puppy from chasing the still nameless kitten.

Cadet volunteers were coming in, along with support staff, lab rats, and officers who'd drawn the short straw. Or maybe they'd traded the Christmas holiday for alternative time during the season. It was impossible to tell which of them would rather have been somewhere else, because everyone who walked into the not-so-surprise party looked delighted, pleased, or at least mildly entertained.

Even Sky, who didn't in Dan's experience do mild entertainment: he was either laughing at you or glaring at you, and there was very little in between. But today he was standing next to the tree, possibly keeping a record of who dropped off a present and for whom--like the anti-Santa, Dan thought--while Jack yelled things to him from various locations around the hall that either made him smile or shout back.

The shouting was inevitably hilarious. Sky was almost as irreverent as Jack today, and the two of them set an example of blind rank that kept the rest of the room from looking for insignia or saluting every time they turned around. For now, the hierarchy was gone, and they were all just people trying to help each other out.

As Jack's team had always been.



what has gone before

"Bah, humbug! No that's too strong, it is my favorite holiday..."

"Jack," Sky said. "Just pretending that the base has a new mascot doesn't mean the cat isn't your responsibility."

"But all this year's been a busy blur, don't think I have the energy--"

"A responsibility I've delegated to Sophie!" Jack protested. "Who was, I think I should point out, the one who rescued the cat in the first place."

"To add to my already mad rush just 'cause it's 'tis the season"

"Sophie has a new dog," Sky said. "I think she has her hands full."

"The perfect gift for me would completions and connections left from last year,"

"Oh, please," Jack scoffed. "She gave us the dog last night, I think I can give her the cat this morning. Don't let that act fool you, either; she's designing upgrades behind her eyelids."

"Had his number but never the time, most of '81 passed along those lines..."

Sky held up the electronic pad in his hand and Jack obligingly stepped closer. Instead of pointing out anything on it, though, Sky murmured, "You're aware there's a woman on the balcony who's been watching you for the last seven minutes."

Jack grinned. "Everyone watches me, Sky. It's because I'm so great."

Sky just raised his eyebrows, and Jack added, "Human looking, black hair, really non-festive clothing? Yeah. Couldn't look more like she was trying to blend in if she wanted to."

"She doesn't work on the base," Sky said quietly.

Jack gave him a look that was a lot less skeptical than it would have been a year ago. "What'd you do, memorize the roster?"

Sky waved the pad at him. "Computer. Image correlation. Technology is your friend, Jack; learn to use it."

"Believe me, I weighed the chances of you memorizing every single person on this base against the odds of the computer providing useful information, and what do you know: it came up in your favor."

"Which probably says more about how you think I spend my time than it does about your ability to talk to the computer," Sky said, eyeing him with something like amusement.

Jack smirked. "I know exactly how you spend your time."

"She's wearing a guest pass," Sky told him.

"Good," Jack said, waving it off. "She's probably someone's sister or girlfriend or something. Let's talk about whether or not I'm supposed to get your mom a hostess gift for putting up with me two nights running."

"Yes," Sky said. "I already picked it up. I'd rather talk about this banner and why it's still up when I'm sure C Squad promised you it would be gone by Monday morning. Four days ago," he added, in case that wasn't clear.

"Oh, they took all their banners down." Jack looked up, studying the remaining banner from below. "This one's mine now, so I put it back up."

Sky was staring at him. "Yours?" he repeated.

"Mine," Jack agreed. "You like it? They've got an artist on their team."

"Is that what it's called."

"It's a great picture," Jack said. "Everyone who sees it likes it."

"And everyone sees it," Sky finished for him. "You can't do anything without making it into a spectacle, can you."

Jack snorted. "That's funny, coming from you. May I remind you that I was a highly successful thief for many years. I don't know where you get this idea that I can't keep a low profile."

"You were successful because you can walk through walls," Sky said. "You got caught because you don't know how to keep your mouth shut."

Jack pushed the pad away. "I got caught because I came back to help you!" he exclaimed.

Unexpectedly, Sky smiled. "Did I ever thank you for that?"

"No," Jack said, still suspicious.

"Thanks," Sky said simply.

When he didn't qualify it, Jack found himself strangely grateful. "Sure," he said, for lack of any better response. "No problem."

Sky let out his breath in a huff that was almost a laugh, and Jack felt his lips twitch. "Okay," he admitted. "Maybe a few problems." He was definitely smiling now. "They were worth it, though."

"Yeah?" Sky's gaze was steady on him.

"Yeah," Jack said. Like it was even a question anymore. "Absolutely."

"Jack!" Z shouted. "What do we do if we have extra presents?"

"So on with the boots, back out in the snow to the only all-night grocery,"

"We... celebrate extra long?" Jack guessed. "Why?"

"When what to my wondering eyes should appear: in the line is that guy I've been chasing all year!"

"Some people brought multiples," Sky said under his breath. "They made a couple things, or they made a batch and wrapped them separately."

"'I'm spending this one alone,' he said, 'I need a break, this year's been crazy.'"

"Because Santa loves us," Syd offered. "And why wouldn't he? We are the best, after all."

"I said, 'Me too, but why are you... you mean you forgot cranberries too?'"

"It might be more accurate to say that we love each other," Bridge said. "But I can't disagree with your reasoning."

"Then suddenly we laughed and laughed, caught on to what was happening,"

"And that," Jack said with fond satisfaction, "is an excuse for a party if I ever heard one."

"That Christmas magic's brought this tale to a very happy ending..."

"Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Couldn't miss this one this year!"

~"Christmas Wrapping"~
(lyrics performed by the Waitresses)


leaving it all behind

She hadn't had a chance to learn much about the twenty-first century yet. She would, she must, she had to know. But today she could only spare this brief glimpse; there was still so much to learn about her own time... her new time.

So much easier than Jack's. Twenty years later, instead of a thousand years earlier. She still had her pretty interstellar view, her teleportals and her beloved hoverboard, her familiar comfort food. She had everything she had denied him.

It was only fair, then, that when he'd gone he had taken anything that might have made it home. Peace, purpose, and family, all lost in one fell swoop. He wasn't hers anymore. He didn't even know the name "Hyanni," and revealing it would give him no reason to call her "Mom."

He'd made a life here. She had no idea how when her own was in pieces: shattered by the frantic temporal flight meant to keep her free, yanking her out of government control only weeks before. Yet here he was, already grown, a man of the time.

And now they wanted him back.

♥♥♥

There are, of course, fifty more prompts in the complete prompt table. It is not impossible that I will come back and write the second half of the table into a follow-up story; I just have some other things to do first. A thirty-first century revolution to plot, a novel to finish, that sort of thing. In the meantime, it seems only appropriate to wish you a happy holiday! Ithabise!