Disclaimer: Here is the last chapter. Now, to get back to Convergent Paths…

Author's note: Our little side-story comes to an end. It was fun. And who knows, Nasty may make another appearance somewhere down the line... (shhhh!) Back to Convergent Paths…

Double-Date, Pt. 4

I.

"Hey." Tyler reached across the table and gave Eri a nudge. She didn't stir and he jostled her again, a little harder. "Hey, dronehead. Wake up."

She mumbled a petulant reply. "Quit it."

"The hell I will. We're leaving. You want to spend the night here or something?"

She sat up, heaved a huge sigh and palmed her bloodshot eyes. It certainly looked as if the crowd had thinned out. "What time is it?" she yawned.

Jane was already standing and tugging her jacket on and she peered at her wristwatch. "It's going on oh-two hundred. You were out for a good while."

Harper was on her feet so fast it was as if someone had lit a fire under her behind. "Damn! Her Nibs is gonna' blow a fuse."

"That's what I was trying to tell you, stupid," Atwood said, fully sobered up now, ignoring her glare. Nasty looked at the two a little humorously and gave them all a bit of advice. "You may want to avoid the main entrance. Hayes might have some sympathizers still hanging about, but I know another way out of here."

"Sounds good to me," Neil agreed. "Jane, what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Ryan did make you the boss of our cozy little party, so you're in charge. And speaking of the sarge, I think he's going to be happy when we get back," he smirked.

"Why is that?" Jane's curiosity overrode her irritation and she threw him a questioning look as they followed Nasty away from the table; the rest of the other woman's squad remained seated in various postures that clearly indicated that were perfectly content to remain where they were. In fact, Mara and Lee were already ignoring them, the latter shuffling a deck of cards.

"He wanted me to bet on Yates, but yours truly was smarter than the average bear and waited until Eri got into the ring. Look." He pulled out a wad of bills and displayed considerably more money than what Ryan had initially given him to wager.

"Oh, God, Neil. Please tell me you didn't…"

"Yep. I made a bunch of cash tonight."

Proudfoot looked back over her shoulder. Eri was walking a little unsteadily… evidently, all the alcohol she had put away earlier was starting to talk. Tyler knelt, offering her a lift, and despite her protests she hopped on his back anyway. Head lolling and arms draped around his neck, it almost looked as if she was dozing off again. Jane turned back to Neil. "She'll kick your ass if she finds out, you know."

"Well, she ain't gonna' find out," he replied a bit defensively, and stuffed the winnings back into his pocket. "Just don't say anything to the sarge, okay?"

Her face grew sly. "Oh, I won't. But when he sees how lucky you got, he might make you his betting broker from now on. As a matter of fact the Captain may want in on the action too, once he finds out."

Neil grimaced and Jane managed to keep the smug smile off her face, but just barely.

II.

The rusty hinges complained as the door swung open and five silhouettes paused in the wedge of dim light that spilled out. Nasty peered out into the narrow side alley that ran alongside the building housing the subterranean club and scanned their surroundings. "All clear. Good." She stepped out and bade her charges to follow. Atwood was last, Harper still riding shotgun. But the doorway was low and she bonked the top of her head against the frame. "Ow! Watch it, you jerk!"

"So? You're still drunk you shouldn't feel a thing."

Eri gingerly rubbed her scalp and wondered when Ty had suddenly decided to grow some balls. There was a time when he wouldn't have said a word but she wasn't about to let him get away with it. "Yeah? And you're ugly. Thing is, later on I'll be sober and you'll still be ugly. Now let me down, 'less you want me to get sick up here." Her voice had developed a noticeable slur. "

Nasty chuckled inwardly. If these two were trying to hide their mutual attraction behind witty barbs they were doing a pretty lousy job at it. As they all neared the mouth of the alleyway, she pointed to the low buildings clustered in the near distance. Some barracks windows were lit, even at this unholy hour of the morning. "Go around the backside, there's less foot traffic. And if any XO's are up you're less apt to be busted. Oh, and here's your girlfriend's stuff, Slim. You hang onto 'em since she's too wasted, hey?"

"'Wasted?'" Harper had been sitting against the wall but she lurched to her feet. "I'll show you who's 'wasted…'"

"Shut up." Tyler said, not looking at her. His eyes instead were on what Nasty now held out to him, and he wasn't really surprised to see Eri's knives, confiscated before they first entered the club, now lying in her palm. He took them, felt fresh cellophane crackled in his grasp, and took a closer look at the stogy before tucking it all into a jacket pocket. "Huh? I've never seen her smoke–"

"Never too late to start." She shrugged, her nose ring glinting in the low light. "My own special blend, mind. Consider it a bonus."

Jane was standing slightly apart from the others, arms crossed, looking like she wanted to nothing more in the world than just to get the hell out of here. "We should be heading back."

Nasty hooked the thumbs into her belt loops and appeared to mull something over for a second. "Eldridge, corporal. The name is Lieutenant Teri Eldridge."

Jane was taken aback. Damn if Nasty–Eldridge, pardon–was showing a slightly more humane side…was this night was full of surprises or what?

At that moment the door behind them was kicked open so forcefully that its outer handle took a chunk out of the concrete wall, and who should step out but Hayes and a brace of his cronies. His right eye was swollen up and puffy but glittered savagely. One of his associates had straightened his nose the best he could but it was still a little crooked. His gaze took them all in, widening slightly as he locked in on Eri, and he approached the quintet in the purposeful stiff-legged stride of one who is highly pissed-off. "Well, well, if it ain't the little champion," he growled, needlessly cracking his knuckles.

"You deserved it, you pompous toad."

Tyler shook his head. Great. Of all times Eri chose to get smart.

Hayes stopped in his tracks and a vein pulsed in his temple as his blood pressure skyrocketed. He may have lost in the ring but now he fully intended to dish out some payback. "That's gonna' cost you, you bitch!"

"You can bill me!"

"Jesus jumped-up Christ on a pony, Vince. Back off already." Standing next to Jane, Nasty was remarkably calm considering the potential violence hovering about them on invisible wings. "You lost fair and square. Be a man, nut it up and face the fact that you got your ass owned by a chick half your height."

At this Neil gave an ill-suppressed snort and Hayes whirled, but in his anger he mistook the other Deep Eye for the culprit. "What the hell are you laughing at?" he snapped.

Not one to be intimidated, Jane gave an answer that was totally out of left field. "A sore loser, that's what."

Nasty's eyebrows flew up below her platinum blonde bangs, and Hayes was so shocked he couldn't do anything but glare as Jane continued. "I'd be more than happy to settle it here and now, lieutenant. Are you game, or are you just a chickenshit?"

Stunned, Tyler gawked, and poor Neil was absolutely appalled; had he been sitting in a chair he would have fallen out of it. "Jane, are you nuts?" he hissed.

One of Vince's companions cackled and egged him on. "Hey man, you gonna' take this crap?"

Lip curling in a snarl, the lieutenant decided that he would not. "Shit no, Jonas." He bailed his fists but the other soldier stood her ground. When he was within a pace of the corporal, Jane Proudfoot, veteran Deep Eye and bane of Phantoms everywhere, put all of her power behind a ferocious right. At the same time Nasty's left fist vanished in a blur, and by God they struck with perfect synchronization. Vince never saw it coming and for the second time found himself on the receiving end of feminine wrath. He toppled like a demolished building, lying sprawled out cold on the gritty pavement. The other males present were speechless.

Eri broke the silence. "Yeah, he got knocked the fuck out!"

"Watcha' have to do that for!" the second of Vince's buddies exclaimed while Jonas knelt beside Hayes, who was out for the count.

"Oh please, Reynolds. He was asking for it." Nasty leaned against the wall and serenely lit up another cigar, glancing at the prone lieutenant. "You two get that piece of shit out of here. If he shows his face in my bloody lounge again it'll be the last thing he does in his life. And I fucking mean it." Something, either the expression on her face or the tone of her voice, made Jonas and Reynolds hasten to haul their buddy away.

Jane grit her teeth as she discreetly flexed her fingers because her knuckles were smarting something fierce. She hadn't socked anyone like that since her early academy days (though she had considered giving a certain annoying tech an occasional clout). She felt eyes on her, and indeed a glance revealed said person standing with his mouth hanging open. He closed it, then opened it again and she frowned. "Will you stop that? You look like a fish."

Neil's retort was interrupted by the faint wail of sirens, distant but rapidly approaching. He didn't know if his group was responsible for the enforcement but didn't intend to stick around and find out. Tyler was looking around nervously. "Shit. Who called the cops?"

"MP's, more than likely." Nasty corrected. She pushed off of the wall. "Probably some damn plebe who saw Hayes trail us from the Underground and then did the math. Or, it could have been Vince himself," she said reflectively. "Regardless, this is where I say tootles, kiddies…I can't afford to get caught, sordid background and all that, ya' know. You guys better get gone." She sauntered back to the door, but before entering she turned and pointed at Jane.

"Nice right hook, corporal. Get the practice in while you can, 'cause when this cast comes off I might not be so likable."

III.

And so the two couples headed back to their quarters, the exteriors of which resembled nothing more than cubes of featureless gray concrete. Eri and Tyler thanked their companions for the memorable evening and vanished around the corner of the nearest building, taking to the backways to avoid detection. However they hadn't been out of sight for a moment before a stream of colorful expletives drifted back, making Neil wince. "She swears like a true soldier. Worse then you, even."

"Whatever." Jane looked at him closely as they began to walk again. "What's with you?"
A wrinkle had creased his brow. "Um…nothing. Okay, I'll admit it, that was the first time I really ever saw you slug anyone."

"I wasn't about to let Harper upstage me, especially with Eldridge watching. Did it scare you?"

"No, it's the thought of you getting back into the ring with Nasty again. That scares me. You're going to take her up it, aren't you?" His frown bordered on a pout.

She managed to conceal the very small smile on her lips. "Thanks for the concern, but I can take care of myself. You of all people should know that." Now they had stopped before their two-story barracks, literally only a couple of blocks from where X-COM was housed.

"Ah, you were showing off." He fixed her with a bright eye.

"I was not."

"Yes, you were."

Hands on her hips, Jane steeled herself against his puppy-dog face and glared. "Look. Keep it up and you're gonna' get the same treatment Hayes did. Only you're going to be missing some teeth as well..." Her scowl switched to puzzlement because Neil had started rambling through his pockets.

"I knew I forgot something…where the hell…? Oh, here it is!"He tugged a crumpled napkin from a front pants pocket and unfolded it as carefully as he could but something fell out and ticked on the pavement beside his foot. At first Jane thought it was a bead or a button of some kind, but he retrieved it and displayed it in his palm and she saw what it was.

"Eri's tooth. I managed to recover it after the fight." He carefully wiped it clean, placed it back in the napkin, refolded it and tucked it away.

"You'd better return that before she comes looking for you." She grasped his narrow shoulders, turned him around and shoved, but not unkindly. "Don't just stand there, get moving."

"I could use some company. Hey, we're a team, right? What if there's like a–a full moon or something?"

Jane pressed her fingertips against her temples. She had played baby-sitter enough tonight and she could already feel a rant developing. She spoke slowly and deliberately. "Neil, if you were a werewolf you'd end up chasing your own tail. I'm turning in." She headed up the narrow stairway.

He watched her go, standing there until her footsteps faded. Okay, fine then. He could handle this himself…that is, provided that he didn't encounter any more of the lieutenant's fans. He began to follow the route that Tyler and Eri had taken. Along the way he saw a couple of other officers he didn't recognize, but they pretty much ignored him, and after a brief stroll down the street he stood before another wing of the forth barracks building where the Captain Broderick's squad stayed.

He located the stairs and, finally entering a small corridor on the second floor, scratched his head. The other team occupied rooms on either side of the hallway here, and he tried to recall who was staying where. Wait a minute, aren't Harper and Captain Broderick sharing quarters? Probably so the captain could keep an eye on her, which wasn't a bad idea. He cautiously approached the right hand door at the far end of the hall, not at all keen on disturbing a commanding officer at this hour. He'd much rather be with Jane…that is, if her mood allowed. But the small lump of enamel in his pocket reminded him that he had an errand to run first, and so he hastened.

Something thumped against the door to his left. His startled yelp echoed off the linoleum floor and he clapped a hand over his mouth, rebuking himself. He froze, listening, and the noise came again. The number above the ringer was 4F, Atwood's room. What the devil was going on in there?

Maybe I should just give the tooth to him, Neil mused. Harper was probably passed out anyway. Squaring his shoulders, he pressed the buzzer. There was a stumbling, a brief curse and a girlish giggle, then silence followed by a hastily whispered word, just on the other side of the door: "Quiet!"

Okay, this is getting weird. He was debating on abandoning his mission when the door slid halfway open, and the face that peeked out and gave him a gap-toothed grin made him do a double take. "Howdy, Neil," she chirped.

As his eyes further adjusted to the interior gloom, he noted that except for the bedsheet she clutched before her, Eri was naked. The cloth's flimsiness threatened to reveal quite a bit more than he wished to see; indeed, she had carelessly allowed it to slip a little and the upper swell of her breasts were prominent. Behind her, a shirtless Tyler was peeping from the side door that led to the bedroom. Neil gulped as it all fell into place. The tops of his ears began to grow hot, and he idly wondered if it was actually possible for his hair to catch fire. Hastily, he dug into his pocket and handed over the napkin. "I, uh…you forgot this. Maybe Dr. Ross can fix it."

She eagerly worked at its folds and peered within. "Why, thank you," she said graciously, not sounding the least bit drunk now. "I don't have anyplace to put it on me right now, though." She turned to her companion and Neil glimpsed a rather un-tomboyish figure. He fidgeted, suddenly becoming rather fascinated with the doorframe, and he heard her say, "Ty, sweetie, hang onto this for me, will you?"

'Sweetie?' It appeared that these two had ceased any and all hostilities. "You sure that you're okay? I mean, after that fight–" He stopped in mid-sentence as Tyler stepped up behind Eri. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder as easily as one might carry a bedroll. Her impromptu eveningwear fell to the floor in an untidy heap, and Neil hunched his shoulders but her expected outburst never came. Instead, to his surprise, she merely giggled.

"Naw, she's okay, corporal. We had a long talk. Oh, and by the way, thanks for the pep talk earlier." The young pilot winked. "As you can see, it came in handy."

Eh? What was this? Had the kid suddenly turned alpha? Dear God, I've created a monster! Now Tyler had turned to march back to the bedroom, but before he could take a step Eri reached out and seized the door handle. Her greenish-blue eyes grinned so wolfishly that Fleming actually flinched. "Hey, Neil," she whispered. "You some sort of hypnotist, or shrink, or something? What the hell did you tell him?"

"Well, I–" He was sweating and tried not to stare, bare as she was.

"And Jane wants you, Neil. No, really. You should take the initiative and surprise her. Women love surprises."

"Huh?"

She lowered an eyelid in a lascivious wink. "Oh, yeah. She told me all about it when we took a powder. Tit for tat…"

"Speaking of tits, c'mon. We just got started." Tyler smacked her conveniently positioned backside.

"Nighty-night, Neil." She pursed her lips and blew the stupefied tech a kiss as she was toted off, almost overbalancing her abductor in order to close the door.

"Umm. Yeah. See you guys in the morning." Astounded at this turn of events, he stood there for a few moments then self-consciously backed away, unwilling to hear any, shall it be said, 'vocalizations'. And as he walked away he ruminated on Eri's remark, gears turning in his mind. Then he grinned lopsidedly to nobody in particular. Aw, what the hell, why not? Ready or not Jane, here I come! Cupid had nothing on him–his job here was done. Lengthening his stride and strengthening his resolve, he left the happy couple to their unfinished business.

FINIS