For the next few post. JT and Maggie posts will be written together by Angel and Badkarma.
JT was walking up to the entrance to the tunnel, when a hand reached out and stopped her. Without thinking she responded her body moving with a speed and smoothness that would have startled the other person, if they hadn't been expecting just such a move. Before JT knew what was what she found herself pressed up against the wall with a large body pressed against her.
"Shhh, it's me Ramos," she heard in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
"What the hell's going on?" She responded in the same low tone, the adrenaline that still pumped through her veins made her sound a bit breathless.
"There's someone out there and they ain't one of us," he replied as he let her go and step back.
"And?" she asked, knowing he wouldn't be so hesitant about letting them get close to the entrance if it was just someone wanderer outside.
"And, Maggie is out there too,"he replied, "I think-"
"So let the great artist handle it-," JT said.
"So's Leary and he's got a gun pointed at the guy, JT! Now ain't the time to let your jealousy get him killed," Ramos said in disgust before turning back to watch what was happening outside.
Ramos whispered, "He's not looking happy either! Go get the others JT, quick!"
JT flashed Ramos a angry look, "Jealous!?" she hissed.. "Kiss mine Ramos!"
Ramos ignored her as he turned to watch the action outside. JT made a face at his turned back and left to go get the others, returning in a few minutes with guns ready.
***Outside, Leary looked in disbelief at a man he'd thought died years ago. "Ham? Ham Tyler?
"Yeah kid, it's me. Surprised I'm alive and kicking huh?"
"You SOB!" Joy replaced surprise in Leary's voice as he handed his gun back to Maggie and reached out to shake Tyler's hand, before the two started punching each other's arms and other weird, male-bonding rituals conveying their happiness at seeing each other.
Maggie took the gun and watched with a mixture of amusement and disbelief as Leary went from protective lover, to good ole buddy in 10 seconds flat.
Will I ever understand men? She wondered as she watched the two and waited for the others to come out.
From inside the cave, the others watched.
"Well..whats our move?" Rexer asked, his voice low.
"Shhh..." JT hissed, "Look."
"Looks like he knows him," Dane comented.
"And happy to see him too," Rexer spoke up as he moved from his hiding spot and walked out toward the opening, followed by the others. They kept their weapons on guard though, just in case they would prove to be necessary.
Each took a gaurd position around the strangers, their guns not pointed at the two men, but it was clear a wrong move would correct that.
"You wanna call your dogs off Leary?" Tyler asked sarcastically, looking around at the woman and three men who surrounded them.
As he said this, he turned and looked each SEAL, and Maggie, in the eye, as if to judging their fitness. They must have passed judgement because when he looked back at Leary, Maggie could see a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.
"Dogs?" Leary asked with a faint lifting of his eyebrow.
"Well they sure ain't pussy cats," Tyler said back, earning a laugh from Leary and a brief smile from the others.
"Amen brother," The beared man at his side said before smiling himself.
"Ladies, and gentleman," As Leary said ladies he nodded his head at JT, who smiled sarcastically at him, "I'd like for you to meet one of the meanest men I've ever met, and the best friend a man could ask for, Ham Tyler. As of right now, he's on our side, so don't shoot him." This caused the others to laugh and make a few remarks before Ham introduced his friend, Chris Farber.
"Ok people, let's move this inside. We don't have time for your group to go raining on the Visitor's parade, at least not yet. So this little excursion you had planned is cancelled right now." Tyler then ordered, secretly delighted with the look of surprised that crossed the other's faces.
"How did you know--," Leary began, only to be interrupted as Tyler and Chris began motioning them back toward the tunnels.
"All will be made clear soon, old friend. Right now let's get some place where I can tell you what's been going on, okay?"
Seeing he wasn't going to learn anything unless he did what Tyler wanted, Leary agreed and asked Maggie to lead Ham and Chris to the meeting room, while he and the others went to put away their weapons.
Ten minutes later they were all seated around the long wooden table Ramos had found a few weeks before, Leary looked at Ham.
"Ok Tyler what's going on and how do you know about our plans?"
JT was still steamed at Ramos. Jealous! How dare he connect such a prim, disgusting word with her? What the hell made him think for one minute she was jealous!?
Never in her life had JT Shannon ever been jealous of anything or anyone--well, there was that time in the bar when some mini-skirt floozy had caught Dane's attention before he and JT had aired their attraction to each other. But, that was different. No way was she jealous now, jealous? Of what? She flashed Ramos a quick, unnoticed glare as she held her temper at bay.
Dane glanced over at JT just in time to see the anger still flashing in her eyes, and it peeked his curiosity, as she turned her gaze back from Ramos to Tyler. Tyler stood at the head of the table flanked by his associate Chris Faber.
As Dane listened to the older man, he wondered just what had transpired to cause the look that JT directed toward Ramos. He made a mental note to find out later.
Whatever it was that was bugging JT was festering and spilling out into the team. This wasn't good and it needed to be dealt with ASAP, before it caused a rip in the team that couldn't be fixed. And Dane was damned adamant in finding out what it was and getting it cleared up. Not only for JT's sake, but also for the team's sake as well. He had seen instances like this tear a team apart and he was going to do everything in his power to see that that didn't happen here.
The most important thing right now was they needed to stick together if they were going to have any chance at all at beating these aliens. The more Dane listened to Ham Tyler's words, the stronger he believed this. And, the more he worried about JT loosing her cool.
