She had said to bite her, so he did.

He leaned forward and nipped the tip of her nose.

Still smiling he continued.

"Either we learn to share the bed, together or I'll start sleepin on the floor too.  Not that you aint capable, just that I need you rested as well.  You might yawn or worse, fall asleep, at the worst possible moment."

He paused

"Deal?"

She was caught off guard by the fact that he actually nipped her nose with his teeth.  She almost thought he was coming in for a kiss and had frozen in shock but instead, he had actually bitten her!

She couldn't help but to stand there with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open.

"Either we learn to share the bed, together or I'll start sleepin on the floor too.  Not that you aint capable, just that I need you rested as well.  You might yawn or worse, fall asleep, at the worst possible moment."

"Share the same..." she whispered in shock. 

"Deal?"

She finally had the wherewithal to close her mouth.  She was wondering what exactly he was offering.

"Capt'n... We don't have that kind of relationship," she stammered.  "Not that you aren't a gorram attractive man, but we can't..."

This was all too surreal.

"The bed is yours."

He smiled.

"Haven't you ever just slept with someone you've shared a bed with?"

He paused

"Cause thats all I'm offerin.  A place to sleep.  I'll say it again, I need you rested when we arrive.  Nothin else."

He didn't say that he thought she was attractive as well, because he did.  It was just too soon since Beth was taken out of his life and that kind of relationship was not what he needed or wanted at this time in his life.

"Haven't you ever just slept with someone you've shared a bed with?"

Abe blanched a little then snorted.

"Of course I have, but I ain't five any more and you as hell aren't one of my brothers!"

She crossed her arms over her chest readying for a fight with him.  She was not going to let him give up that bed.  No matter how he dressed it up.

"Cause thats all I'm offerin.  A place to sleep.  I'll say it again, I need you rested when we arrive.  Nothin else."

She cocked her head a little.

"Are you... serious?

Sleep together?  In the same bunk? 

A very small bunk?

Ian saw her expression and followed her gaze to the offending bunk.

"Sure, it's a bit small...ish.  But if we lay on our sides, we'll fit."

He smiled

"Back to back."

He left off the 'of course'

He smiled again and waited.

She looked at the bunk and then back at Ian.

Several times.

"Sure, it's a bit small...ish.  But if we lay on our sides, we'll fit."

Abe snorted.  Smallish?  Was he kidding?  That bed was hardly smallish.  It was plain small.  She looked at him again.  He was still smiling.

What was with the smile?  She couldn't help but return the smile.

"Back to back."

She snorted again.

"Really Capt'n?  I don't think that's going to work.  There ain't enough room in that bed to go back to back, not unless you want to completely straight," she told him as she eyed the size of the bed some more, calculating the positioning.  "And I think I'd be more comfortable in the other parts of the ship."

She sighed.

I'll agree to some spooning, but no hanky business.  I just want to bend my knees a little," she waved her hand towards the bed.  "After you."

He pursed his lips in thought.

"I can live with that"

He took a step and was even with the bed.  He crawled in and moved to the bulkhead.  At least it was warm and insulated against the Black.

He patted the bed.

"Your turn.  You're nearly dead on yer feet as it is."

"Your turn.  You're nearly dead on yer feet as it is."

Abe was tired.  Very tired.  She had only been getting an hour here and there of decent sleep since they boarded Blaze. So she acquiesced her stance on sharing the bed and laid down on it after the Capt'n climbed in.

It was nice.  The cot was relatively comfy and their bodies fit well together.  One thing she noticed right away was the amount of heat the man threw off.  She was warm.  Comfortably so.  He was like having a blanket wrapped around you.  Unconsciously, she let out a sigh of comfort, but caught herself.

"Hey... Uh... Are you comfortable enough?"

Ian smiled.

"Go to sleep, Abenette.  Tomorrow's another day.  We'll be dirtside soon with a whole lot more trouble for each of us.  Sleep now.  Rest."

He paused

"Yeah, I'm comfortable."

Sleep was coming at a nearly alarming rate but Abe still heard his words.

"Go to sleep, Abenette.  Tomorrow's another day.  We'll be dirtside soon with a whole lot more trouble for each of us.  Sleep now.  Rest."

Abe frowned, even though she had her eyes closed.

"Don't call me Abenette.  My low life, maniacal, overbearing father called me that," Abe said groggily.  "I'll never be her again."

She actually was looking forward to being dirtside.  She could actually enjoy some trouble at this point.  Dude and the others were being neglected.  You can only clean a gun so many times before you had the real itch to use them.

"Yeah, I'm comfortable."

"Good."

That was all she got out of her mouth before her body shut down, succumbing to sleep.  The first comfortable and refreshing sleep she had in months.  Somehow she knew it was because of him.

Chapter Two - Dirtside

Ian had slept well that first night.  He knew that it was because of his friend being in close proximity

The remainder of the flight went much the same way.  They would spar during the day and rest when they could.  Ian was brusied in a few places by the time they broke atmo on re-entry.

Ian followed Abe's example and cleaned his weapons almost daily.

They had been cleared for approch on a stealth vector as soon as they got into the system.  The Black exploded in firey reds and oranges before fading to blues and whites of the sky.

They touched down in a field far from any port or landing strip.

Now was the time for death to ride with them

First, Ian set the shuttle to fumagate mode.  It had been a long trip and fresh air on the return would be nice.

Abe stepped outside and took a deep drag of fresh air into her lungs.  She was dressed as usual with cargo pants and a cropped tank with a jacket over it.  She was also armed to the teeth with Dude, Sam, and Tiny Tim.  She looked over at the ship as it was getting a good airing out before turning to Ian.

"Not saying anything bad about you Capt'n, but it sure smells fresher out here," she smirked playfully at him as she did.  "So we going to get some decent grub or are we on the job right off?"

God, she hoped there was food involved first.

"And are we staying on the ship?  Or will there be a real bed involved?"

She blushed after that statement, knowing that it sounded way differently that she meant.  Plus she got the niggling feeling that she just wasn't ready to go back to separate beds again.  She rather liked bunking with the Capt'n, even if all they did was sleep.

Ian looked at her and smiled.

"Grub first."

His stomach growled and he looked down at it and back to Abe.

"Then a room with real showers and a fine bed ..."

His PDA bleeped.  He took it out and looked at it.  It was Commander Monty in all her  ... glory ...

"Yes COmmander?"

Quote from: From Commander Monty"I am sorry but as my information indicated you are Planetside, you will need to meet with my contact and get about your mission.  Nicities will have to wait. I'm afraid."

Her image vanished and was replaced with coordinates.

"She must have put a tracker on the shuttle.  We'll find it later.  Right now, food and drink are in order.  We'll meet up with ther contact later."

He was very matter of fact about his statement.

He was not smiling.

"Grub first."

Now he was talking. No wonder she liked him.  She wanted good food too.  She smiled as his stomach growled ridiculously loud.  She couldn't help but roll her eyes at that just a little.

"Then a room with real showers and a fine bed ..."

"Yes, a fine bed.  One just a little bigger and softer than what we have.  And a shower...*groans* The things I could do with a shower!"

She was interrupted when the Capt'n's PDA's alarm sounded.  She frowned when she saw it was the Commander.  She had an intense dislike for the woman.  The feeling was probably mutual.  That is if the Commander even knew that she had tagged along.

"I am sorry but as my information indicated you are Planetside, you will need to meet with my contact and get about your mission.  Nicities will have to wait. I'm afraid."

The her image was replaced with the coordinates they were supposed to head off to.

"Nicities waiting?  She can stick that up her ass..." Abe mumbled at that message.  God she just really wanted some food.  Something other than protein bars.

"She must have put a tracker on the shuttle.  We'll find it later.  Right now, food and drink are in order.  We'll meet up with ther contact later."

"Damn straight," she agreed.  She sniffed the air a little.  She smelled fresh baked bread.  As much as she wanted to go and lazily spend some time gorging herself in a restaurant, she wondered if the Commander would penalize Ian if they didn't hop to it.  "Pissing her off by making her wait might not be in our best interest though, especially if the target is thinking about using the chemical weapons somewhere in the near future."

She nodded towards the place with the bread.

"What do you say about something portable?"

Ian nodded.  He liked the idea and began walking in the direction of the food.  It was a street vendor and Ian purchased to ... somethings ... on a stick.  It could have been rat or dog or cat, he didn't know.  Nor did he care. 

He bit into it and nodded once.

"Tastes like chicken."

Ian agreed with her idea about food on the go.  As he went to one vendor, she stopped at another one.  One that sold small loaves of bread.  When they met back up, he had procured some kind of meat on a stick.

"Tastes like chicken."

She shrugged as well and placed the meat between the two pieces of bread she got and took a bite.

"It does," she agreed as she handed him a piece of bread for himself.  "Just needs some mustard."

As they walked they ate in silence.  When she finished, she looked over at him.

"So what's the plan?"