G. I. Joe 1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but two dogs and a cat, and sometimes the kids when they'll claim me._

_Author's Note/Summary: Lady Jaye has finally discovered that beneath the arrogant exterior of the Warrant Officer there beats the heart of someone she would like to be friends with, or maybe more. Warning: A bit of fluff romance! _

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><p>It had been a long mission and she was glad to be returning to base. She looked at Roadblock and had to smile. The big lug was asleep, his head resting on her shoulder.<p>

She had been too keyed up after the success of the mission to sleep. It was a lot like being in a show, she thought. You immersed yourself in the character and it took a little while to come out of it. Of course, all she wanted now was a shower and a soft bed to sleep in. Her latest role as a lounge singer hadn't exactly come with luxurious surroundings!

She was also looking forward to seeing Flint. They had gotten along better recently and she had to wonder if there was something more there. She was really enjoying spending time with him, finding that underneath the arrogant exterior there really was an intelligent, interesting man when he finally let her see that part of him.

It had been on a recent mission. She had been injured and had to wait for medical attention along with her extraction. It had been a difficult period and Flint had kept her amused with his stories of home as well as his time at school. Something had changed between them after that, and they often sought out one another's company while on base together or on a mission.

He still acted like the arrogant jerk now and then, but Jaye often wondered if it was something he used to cover up his insecurity. Most men were like that, she reasoned, thinking of some of the boys she had known growing up. However, whenever it was just the two of them, he didn't seem to have that problem.

She nudged Roadblock awake as they landed at headquarters. "Hey there, sleepyhead," she joked. "We're home."

Roadblock stretched and yawned. "I have to say, it's been fun working with you, Lady Jaye," he grinned.

"Same to you, big guy. You ready to get off this plane?"

They grabbed their bags and joined their teammates. "I'll see you tonight at dinner?" she asked Roadblock, patting him on the back.

He nodded. "Before the end of this day, we have a rematch to play," he reminded her, alluding to the chess game they had played before they had left. Jaye laughed. "You're on!" she answered.

She wanted nothing more than a shower and change, but first, she had to go to Duke's office and give him the details on the mission. Afterwards, she headed back to her quarters for a much needed shower and change. She met Scarlett in the shared living area and greeted her friend.

"Anything new going on?" Jaye asked. Her mission had lasted over two weeks, but she felt she had been away longer.

Scarlett shrugged. "Same old, I guess. We got a couple new team members, but you'll meet them soon enough. You heading to dinner?"

Jaye smiled. "Yeah, and then Roadblock and I have a hot and heavy date to play chess," she laughed.

Scarlett smiled. "I'll walk with you. Interesting new recruits. I believe you may know one of them."

Jaye stopped and looked at her friend. "I know that smile! What are you up to?"

Scarlett tried to look innocent, but ending up bursting out laughing. "Let's just say it's been interesting since you've been gone. You'll see at dinner," she promised.

Jaye sighed. She searched her mind for anyone she knew who would likely be Joe recruits.

Her question was soon answered as she entered the mess hall and was immediately lifted into the air, enveloped in a huge hug. "Ali! Good to see you!" a male voice said into her ear.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ace!" she laughed. "When did you get here?"

Scarlett leaned against the doorway and smiled. When the newbies had shown up, Ace had immediately asked her about Jaye. Apparently, they had trained together at one point and Scarlett wondered how far the friendship had gone. She glanced over to where Flint was sitting with Duke and saw him watching the two, frowning. Lady Jaye and Flint had been spending a lot of time together and she wondered what was going on with that. Maybe having Ace here might force him to make a move, she smirked. Ace seemed like a nice enough guy, but it seemed her friend and Flint had a lot more in common.

Snake Eyes moved behind her and drew her attention away from where Lady Jaye and Ace were still talking, reliving old times.

"What do you mean, what am I up to?" she questioned him, after he finished signing to her. "Absolutely nothing," she said, feigning her innocent look. She could almost hear him sigh and shake his head. Instead, he led her over to one of the tables, away from the two old friends.

After Ace and Jaye had eaten dinner and caught up to the present, Roadblock came over and reminded her of their chess match.

"This I have to see. Last time we had a match, what, you ended up throwing the board?" Ace joked. "Not a good loser…too competitive!"

"I certainly did not!" Jaye laughed, hitting him on the arm.

"She still packs quite a punch," he muttered aside to Roadblock, who laughed.

"You two are funny, that's no lie, makes me think you have a family tie," he rhymed.

Ace's laughter turned to choking and Jaye pounded him on the back. "Not exactly, big guy," she told Roadblock. "Just good friends, right Ace?" There was a warning note in her voice.

"Sure!" he said, getting his breath back as they entered the Rec Room. There were already some Joes there, but the chess table was clear. She rubbed her hands together and grinned at Roadblock. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be!" he grinned back.

Ace grabbed a chair and settled next to Jaye. "Keep it quiet, flyboy," she muttered to him, giving him a friendly shove. He just smiled back at her, looking innocent.

Back at the mess hall, Scarlett was thinking about the exchange between Ace and Lady Jaye. Apparently, they had some sort of connection. She once again glanced at Flint and saw he and Duke were ready to leave, deep in discussion. She felt a nudge at her shoulder and looked at Snake Eyes. "What?"

"What are you up to?" he signed to her. "I can see steam rising from that red hair of yours."

"How well do you think Ace and Jaye know each other?" she asked him softly.

He shrugged, but she could feel he was watching her closely. She sighed. "Well, you know how she and Flint have been getting along, right? This might throw a wrench in the works."

"You are not a matchmaker!" he signed, exasperated. "What are you thinking? Just let things work out for themselves."

"I guess," she muttered, watching the two men leave the mess. "Bears watching, though," she added thoughtfully.


	3. Chapter 3

"So what do you think of the new recruits?" Duke asked Flint as they walked down the hall to his office.

"Seem a little raw. The pilot, Ace, seems a little cocky, if you ask me, too sure of himself," he answered slowly.

Duke glanced at Flint, wondering. "Not too long ago, we could say the same about another officer coming in and acting a little…"

"All right!" Flint interrupted, laughing. "I got the point. We'll see what they can do. When are you sending them out?"

"I was thinking of giving Jaye a few days to rest and sending her and Ace out together. They trained together and seem like they get along pretty well. She should be able to give him a few pointers as well," said Duke thoughtfully, not noticing the expression on the warrant officer's face.

"Don't you think he's a little brash for Lady Jaye?" asked Flint, trying to sound casual. "They may have trained together, but I'm not sure if they would do well teamed up."

The two men paused at the Rec Room door and looked in. Roadblock was laughing at something Ace was saying while Jaye studied the chess board, frowning. Suddenly, she grinned and announced, "Checkmate!" There was a groan from the crowd that had formed around the players and they noticed some money exchanging hands.

Duke sighed. "We really should do something about that," he groaned, thinking Hawk would have a fit if he knew his men were betting money on chess games, as well as any other competition they could!

Flint was thinking along a totally different line than the CO. He looked at Jaye as she grinned over at Roadblock, then at something Ace said. He sighed. Until this guy came along, he was wondering if he had a chance with the covert ops specialist. After their last mission together, things had changed between them and he had hoped to surprise her tonight with….well, never mind that now, he frowned. Obviously this flyboy was someone special to her, judging by the way he greeted her at dinner and the way she responded.

Duke took his sigh to mean Flint agreed with his assessment of the gambling. "I guess we should have a talk with them, but I doubt it'll stop." He continued to talk as they made their way down the hall, but Flint couldn't recall later what it was about, since his mind was still on Lady Jaye.


	4. Chapter 4

Back at the Rec Room, Jaye pleaded exhaustion and decided to retire early. She hadn't seen Flint around and Ace had distracted her from looking for him at dinner. She had hoped he would come in during the chess match, but had not been one of the onlookers during the heated battle. While she enjoyed playing with Roadblock, she enjoyed more the little comments she and Flint would make with each other during their play.

"What, no late night tonight?" grinned Ace, disappointed she wasn't staying around. "What if I threaten to spill dirty stories about you to everyone?"

She laughed and patted him on the cheek. "How many would you have to make up? No, I need to be going. I'm glad you're here, though," she said, giving him a hug. "You're a decent wing man."

"Decent? Wing man?" he acted hurt. "Ha ha, very funny! Night, Ali. See you tomorrow."

"Night, Ace."

Roadblock snickered, causing Ace to look at him.

"You're barking up the wrong tree, my man, since she obviously has in her mind other plans."

"What's with the rhyming anyway?" Ace asked. "You telling me there's someone else?"

"Could be," Roadblock shrugged, smiling as he watched Lady Jaye leave.

Jaye frowned as she tried to think of where Flint could be. She didn't exactly want to check his quarters. If someone saw her, she'd be embarrassed, since the women's barracks were on the other side of the compound. Imagine what they would think! Shrugging, she decided to check his office. She had to admit, she was disappointed he hadn't found her. Maybe she was pushing things a little much. That thought had her stopping. What if he hadn't wanted to see her? What if he was avoiding her because he had changed his mind, or decided to stop whatever was happening between them? She frowned. _In that case, he should have the nerve to tell me so himself!_ she thought angrily.

She continued on to his office, thinking the worst until she stopped in front of his door. She hesitated before knocking. What if she was just flying off the handle about nothing? What if he had been here the whole time and been buried under paperwork?

Taking a deep breath, she knocked. She listened and when she didn't hear anyone answer, she tried the doorknob. The office was empty. Hearing someone coming around the corner, she panicked and went inside, quickly shutting the door. What was she doing? It was perfectly all right to come talk to the warrant officer, especially if she had questions. Granted, those questions were more of a personal matter, but no one had to know that! She sighed. _Stupid, stupid_, she berated herself. She tensed as she heard voices stop outside the door. _Great, now how am I going to explain that I am here, by myself, in the dark, in the office of one of my commanding officers. When did a friendly chat turn into subterfuge? _She eyed the desk and considered ducking under it. That caused her to roll her eyes. _Get it together!_ she ordered herself.

She watched the doorknob turn as the voices continued. She recognized Duke's voice and inwardly groaned. Great, she'd be hearing it forever from him if he caught her in here! She strained to hear the other voice, hoping that it wasn't Hawk. Now, General Hawk would really have a hard time finding her in here alone! Duke would tease, but she wasn't sure what kind of reprimand Hawk would do, not to mention what excuse she would use!


	5. Chapter 5

She heard Duke's voice move down the hallway, but the door to the office opened. Quickly, she ducked behind the door, hoping it was Flint. Then again, how would she explain to _him_ she was in here? _This is __not__ a win-win situation! _she panicked. She closed her eyes and wished herself anywhere but here.

Flint decided that if he was not going to be spending time with Jaye tonight, he might as well get some paperwork done. He absentmindedly flipped on the light and shut the door, picked up a file, and sat down, studying it.

Jaye opened her eyes and couldn't believe he hadn't looked up! If only he hadn't shut the door, she could've slipped out. _Of all the damnable luck_, she cursed to herself.

She had to do something. Any second now he would look up and see her. Suddenly, the whole thing seemed funny to her and she clapped her hand over her mouth to stop the giggles. It was like a scene out of a bad movie - a chick flick, maybe, or some romantic comedy. She couldn't help it and started to giggle. Flint looked up in alarm, spotting Jaye, dropping the file on the desk.

"Ali?" he asked, shocked to see her standing there.

She couldn't stop laughing. She slid to the floor, tears in her eyes, trying to keep it inside but not succeeding too well. Flint hurried around his desk to her. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded her head, her laughs subsiding back to giggles. She clamped her lips together to stop, but one look at his face had her laughing all over again. Tears streamed down her face.

"Do you need me to call Doc?" Flint asked, wondering if she was becoming hysterical. He'd never really experience a woman going into hysterics. What was it you were supposed to do, slap them or something? He searched his mind quickly for a solution.

"S'okay," she managed to gasp out. "Really. I…" she stopped as a giggle escaped. "Sorry," she managed to say and hiccupped.

"You sure you're okay?" he frowned. He took in her red face and tears. "Was it the mission? Did someone do something?"

She shook her head. "Remind me to tell you," she gasped out, "sometime later. Right now, I think I'm so damn tired that my brain exploded back there a few minutes ago."

He helped her up and to one of the few chairs in his small office. He grabbed a bottle of water from the small fridge he had behind his desk. She thanked him and drank.

"Seriously, I think I'm okay now," she said, embarrassed. "Sorry. I can let you get back to work."


	6. Chapter 6

"What were you doing in here?" Flint finally asked, puzzled. "Last I saw, you were in the Rec Room playing chess." Thinking of Ace hovering over her, he frowned.

"Believe it or not, I was looking for you," she sighed, exhaustion starting to set in after her hysterical fit.

"Me? I figured you were busy enough with your new friend."

"Who, Ace? Nah, he's just a guy I trained with a while back and we get along pretty well." No need to go into the brief relationship they had before they discovered they were better off as just friends.

"Well, now you found me," Flint said, smiling after her latest remark, "what did you need?"

She became flustered. This was not exactly going the way she wanted it to. Romantic comedy or not, she told herself, it was now becoming one of those teen movies where the main character does all the wrong things and embarrasses herself. She sighed.

"I just thought….never mind. I can see you have work to do. I'll go," she said, blushing. She started to get up, but he reached out and held her hand.

"I'd like to hear what you thought," he said softly, looking at her in the way that made her heart skip a beat. He rubbed his thumb along her hand, sending little quivers up her spine.

_What the hell am I doing?_ she asked herself.

"I just thought," she paused, trying to find the words. "I guess I wondered if…..you wanted to talk," she finished lamely. God, she felt like a fool! _Get out while you still can!_ her instinct was yelling at her.

Flint gave the lopsided smile she liked so much.

He liked seeing her like this - vulnerable. One, he was very happy about what she had said about Ace. Even more, he was thrilled that she had sought him out, to the fact that she was hiding in his office. He wasn't sure why she felt the need to hide, but he'd get that out of her later.

"Want to take a walk?" he asked, deciding she had been embarrassed long enough. From what he'd learned talking with Lady Jaye, he knew she didn't embarrass easily and was definitely feeling awkward right now.

She smiled at his suggestion, nodding her head. Anything to keep him from staring at her! She couldn't think with his thumb stroking her hand and the looks he was giving her!

He decided to be a gentleman and not push her further, so he talked of a book he was reading and was pleased that she had read it, too. Of course, she pointed out, she had read it in the original German it was written in, but she thought the English translation did a pretty fair job. Flint had to smile – _that's my girl_, he thought.

He walked her to the female barracks and up to her door.

"Thanks," she murmured, still embarrassed by the office scene.

"One of these days," he teased, "you're going to have to tell me what that was all about."

Cupping his hand under her chin, he gave her a soft kiss goodnight. She could feel the spark between them and reached up to deepen the kiss. She wasn't sure how much farther they would've gone, but Scarlett opened the door at that moment and cleared her throat.

The two broke away quickly, looking like kids with their hands caught in the cookie jar. Scarlett grinned. "Don't mind me," she teased, pleased to see the two of them together. She would definitely have to tell Snake Eyes that he was wrong and she was right tomorrow!

"Um, I guess I'd better go," Flint said to Lady Jaye, running a nervous hand through his hair.

She bit her lip. "Thanks for walking me back to my quarters," she answered shyly.

Leaning up, she whispered in his ear. "Tomorrow night?"

He smiled, squeezing her hand. "Most definitely."


End file.

G. I. Joe, Romance