The Ecliptic Express Incident. Faced with the relentless zombies and other horrifying creatures, S.T.A.R.S. officer Rebecca Chambers makes an alliance with Billy Coen, an escaped criminal. Unknowingly, Rebecca stumbles into the prelude of an event where she will be tested to her limits and her greatest fears will be realised. Together, Billy and Rebecca must survive the nightmare and expose the dark secrets of what has caused it.
Bravo had been running through simulations for an upcoming OP for hours, even Blackburn joined out of boredom. Donned in Tactical Civies almost missing his younger days as a Seal. When Jason had called for a long overdue break, most lounged on crates around the warehouse or lay on the cool concrete floor. The heat inside the warehouse wasn't helping them any even with the giant doors opened, a breeze just wasn't in the cards to cool them off. Summer was a sweltering bitch.
"Davis!" Authority rang out in a voice they all knew too well.
Banshee, at least that was her call sign. A fighter pilot who made her approach sound like the shrill wailing of death. Cover fire sounded more menacing when she was involved as if she was calling upon some supernatural force.
Other pilots and most soldiers period steered clear of her convinced that she was the human embodiment of Death, but not Bravo. She was their good luck charm.
"Damn it Davis we're gonna be..."
She stopped dead in her tracks in the doorway of the warehouse. Mouth & eyes wide gawking at the sight of Eric Blackburn in a backward baseball hat. Licking her lips and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand hoping they'd think it was because of the heat and not the drool she was almost certain was forming at the sight of that man. A flushed tingle raced through her. Her bottom lip sucked between her teeth. A total loss for words except 'fuck that's hot' running through her mind.
Clay was the first to notice and snorted a laugh. Ray and Jason exchanged raised eyes glancing between Blackburn and Banshee. Sonny was the only one who got to his feet waving his hand in front of her face.
"Think she's broken." Sonny got close squinting his eyes smirking attempting to annoy her like always.
"Quinn, leave her be." Eric failed to hide the smirk tugging at his mouth. His expression only went stoneface when Jason smugly cleared his throat beside him.
"There you are!" Davis came in hot from behind, dressed in civilian attire. The tension was thick between Banshee and Eric.
"Fuckin' hell," mumbled Banshee. She couldn't not look at Eric and he was visibly enjoying that fact too.
"What was that?" Lisa chuckled beside her.
"Fuckin' hat," Banshee grumbled in an angry whisper. Angry in the sense that that man did things to her without even trying.
"Banshee." Sonny nudged her trying to break her gaze, but she swept his legs out from underneath him knocking him flat on his behind.
Shaking her thoughts away focusing on Davis beside her.
"Ready?" Damned if she didn't side-eye that man like he was a sacred gift to the male species.
"Don't know, are you?" Lisa knew everything, knew those two were like pathetic star-crossed lovers.
"Shut up, let's go!" The glare at Lisa spoke volumes, but mostly 'shut your mouth and don't say a word about my crush'.
"Where are you two going in such a hurry?" Ray never failed with that big brother sort of energy.
"Girl's night." The annoyance in Banshee's voice made it clear that it wasn't her idea.
"I'm gonna get your ass up on that stage," Lisa smirked beside her, she'd been planning this for weeks.
"Oh fuck off!" No one could eye roll like Banshee. The whites of her eyes made her appear deadly in a way the Bravo men could never understand.
"Stage?" Jason could sense Blackburn tensing beside him.
"Yeah, Magic Mike Live." The laugh that erupted from Lisa at the looks the guys were giving her. "Tryin' to get Banshee to lighten up or laid whatever happens first."
"You're so dead to me now," Banshee growled stomping away from Davis who followed behind laughing.
"What was that?" Jason slyly grinned prodding Blackburn.
"What was what?" Eric inspected his rifle in a poor attempt at playing dumb.
"Why the hell was Banshee ... entranced by your ugly mug?" If it'd been spoken by anyone other than Sonny, Eric would have suggested they perform lunch duty for the Greenies. Though that thought was tucked away depending on what else he said.
"No idea what you mean," Eric shrugged but lies never helped anyone in the history of human existence.
"Something's up." Hayes squinted at Blackburn trying to read him. There was the obvious but something else.
"He's sweet on her." Full Metal chimed in grinning. "Seen them eyefucking each other for months now."
"Bullshit!?" Jason was overly amused and yet in denial of Metal's claims until the flood of color on Blackburn was on full display.
"Leave it be." Eric took off his hat wiping his forehead before placing it back. "Ain't gonna happen."
"Why not?" Ray was forever the romantic at heart even if he didn't always show it.
"Don't always get what we want." Eric shrugged standing up avoiding eye contact as he made his way out of the warehouse tired of the simulation and the questions. "Not in the cards for me boys."
'Besides,' he thought. 'She's out looking for something younger.'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Eric had made the mistake later that night of thinking he could grab a drink at the Bulkhead without interruption but his Bravo boys just couldn't let what happened early in the day end the way it did. They got him drunk enough to spill his guts without shame. His crush, lust, love, all of the above for her.
The dopey little lovesick thoughts of marriage and a house with a white picket fence. How this marriage would work because it was her. That she was the last, the forever, the never anyone else. BBQs in the backyard and dancing under the stars. Good morning kisses that'd have her squirming away from him because his beard tickled her skin. He was in deep and over his head in love with her.
Bravo wasn't done though once they knew the truth. No, no, Bravo and alcohol had always been a bad idea, but now that their commander and his pitiful lack of a love life were involved they decided to poke the bear. Each one filled Eric's head with the idea of how to win her over, to get the girl. Eric was beyond intoxicated by the time he showed up at her house.
A horrendously loud techno beat playing from her front door woke her out of a deep sleep. Groggy she answered her door to find Eric drunkenly trying to dance on her front porch. Not one bit of him was moving to the beat of the music. He was uncoordinated like a baby horse trying to stand upright. She could hear Bravo hidden in the shadows laughing, snapping pictures.
Wordlessly she pulled Eric inside her house slamming the door shut behind her. Kicking off his shoes as he stumbled towards her couch. Part of her was irritated at being woken up, the other tried not to laugh seeing him in such a state.
"I..." tugging at his jacket trying to get it off only for his arm to get stuck. "I ..." interrupted but a hiccup. "I love you."
"Really?" She bit her lip to keep from laughing as she freed his arm from his jacket sleeve.
"Damn right, I do!" Blackburn declared clumsily flopping on her couch. "And..."
"And what Eric?"
"You know my name??" Heavy-lidded eyes blinked back at her as his head moved like a bobblehead doll.
"Of course I do," she laughed pushing him back on the couch and covering him with a blanket.
"Mo- moving a lil' fast there," he eyed her hands tucking the blanket around his shoulders. "Not usually that kind of guy but you... I'd do..."
"Get some sleep." Eric's eyes were already closed the moment his head finally touched the pillowed arm of the couch.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Too bright, it felt like he had surgical lights blazing down on him as his eyelids fluttered open. Covering his arm over his eyes groaning he felt like hot garbage in the desert heat. His mouth was dry and felt like it was coated in sand. His neck and back felt stiff from sleeping in an awkward position. It was the smell of coffee that brought him to his senses.
Eric felt a soft touch on his arm and flirty laughter. Peeking through his fingers he saw her closing all the curtains around her living room to block out the morning sun. There was a large glass of water, a bottle of Tylenol on the coffee table beside him, and a steaming cup of coffee.
"Wanna talk about it?" She posed the question before settling herself in a recliner across from him. A cup of coffee was clasped between her hands.
"Bout what?" He sat up and lifted the blanket just enough to check if he was clothed or not. Wouldn't have been the first time Bravo had gotten him drunk enough to streak.
"That whole dancing incident on my front porch." Smirking at him as he fell back on the couch covering his face and groaning.
"Nope." Popping a couple of Tylenol and downing the glass of water avoiding her gaze.
"The show was lame in case you were wondering." Sipping her coffee noticing him glance her way. "Magic Mike Live that it is."
"Uh huh," rubbing his face as he sat up. His back was cracking and crunching as he did so, just another reminder that he wasn't as young as the men she'd seen in that stupid show the night before.
"Elephant in the room," she mumbled. "It's the hat especially backward... and the beard. The tactical civies didn't hurt either, but that damned hat."
Eric's attention was now curiously locked on her but confusion was still there. How could she be talking about an old man like that? He felt every bit his age whether he said it outloud or not, then again that was the downfall of his career in the military. It was rough and cruel on his body.
"At first it was the uniform Henly with rolled-up sleeves showing off your forearms and I thought I could just file that image away and that would be it, but then the hat came into play making the beard the icing on the cake."
She paused drawing in a slowed deep breath, her eyes intently staring at her cup of coffee.
"Metal's not entirely wrong," closing her eyes with a tiny smile. "But if ... if it's just me. It's okay, I'm not everyone's shot of whiskey."
"Wouldn't have let myself get talked into that whole drunken dancing shit if it was a one-sided feelin' darlin'."
Tilting his head to the side softly smiling. He should have been nervous as all hell sitting there in front of her after last night but somehow she made all those jumbled anxiety-riddled feelings disappear. Sitting up straight leaning his elbows on his thighs, taking in the sight of her watching his movements.
Sipping his coffee, her eyes lingered on his fingers. Her bottom lip sucked between her teeth. Catching each other's eyes from across the room only to look away and huff a muted laugh. A fluttering in his stomach he hadn't felt since he was young, an ache he craved for too long. Like he was at the top of a roller coaster and suddenly rushing down. Love was funny like that.
When the hell was the last time he felt like that? His first marriage? High school? Eric would have been lying if he never admitted that cliche warm & fuzzy feeling he got every time she looked at him, and smiled at him. Every time she said his damned name it felt like he was burning from the inside out in the greatest damned way.
His smile slowly grew. A laugh that started low & gruff soon rumbling & shaking his whole body. She had it just as bad as he did. She was in over her head and treading water and unsure how to push past that thin layer of fear that previous relationships had tainted them both with. "Pathetic star-crossed lovers' Davis had described the two of them and he agreed.
"The hat was what did ya in?" Smirking at her in a way that could only be described as quintessential southern charisma. "Really?! All I had to do was wear a damned hat sooner to have this conversation without feelin' like an ass?"
"What can I say?" shrugging her shoulders. "You make it look... scrumptious."
