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After all those years with the most comfortable thing she’d slept on being an old cot or bunk, it was strange to Carolina to wake up in a comfortable bed. Even stranger when she remembered that she was back on earth in an apartment she owned, with a normal job and life. With a yawn the ex-freelancer opened her eyes and stared over at the wall from her position on her stomach, just taking in the peace for a moment before turning her head to look at the old, rusted AI chip lying on her bedside table, the one that had used to hold Epsilon. She scowled slightly in painful remembrance.
“Morning, bro,” she mumbled, pushing herself up on her arms and swinging her legs around to sit on the edge of the bed. If she were to be completely honest, this whole ‘normal’ thing wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. It was weird waking up without a gun in her hand or by her side, strange not being in armor and ready for a fight constantly. No running for her life, no bullets or knives, just this overwhelming quiet that seemed to loom over her. Carolina sighed and rubbed her face a bit before getting up.
She turned to face the only window in the room, then just stood there a moment contemplating opening it or not. In the end she strode over, pulling the blinds back and unlocking it before giving a strong push upwards to let a warm breeze enter the room and the sounds of the street that lay beyond the trees hit her ears. It was such a mundane sound and felt out of place for a moment until she reminded herself that it was, in fact, normal.
The sound of twittering caught her attention and she glanced upwards at a branch just outside her window from a flowery tree with white blossoms. On the branch sat two fat little blue birds, one of them was preening its wings while the other looked around and sang joyfully. Carolina found herself smiling at the sight and she leaned forward on the windowsill, watching them. The one preening its wing finished and looked up at the other, twittering in reply. They did that for a little while, singing together, then one of them gently nudged the other and they took off, flying somewhere Carolina couldn’t go.
With one last glance out the window Carolina walked away from it, changing out of her pajamas and into a black T-shirt and jeans, sitting on her bed to pull her socks on. As she finished with her left foot she looked over at her nightstand again, her eyes falling upon the photo there this time. Is was of the Sim. Troopers, their ‘elite’ team, Kimball, Wash, and herself. She smiled at it and picked it up on her right hand, looking at it.
It was so unlike the picture that had been taken of the freelancer team, where they had all been so separated from each other the Reds and Blues were banded together. A good example of this was the fact that Tucker had tackled Caboose from behind seconds before the picture snapped, both arms wrapped around his neck with his head sticking over Caboose’s left shoulder and the both of them were grinning and laughing. She chuckled a little at the memory, the ‘elite’ team had been singing the whole time and annoying everybody...it had been a good day.
She set the picture back down and grabbed her shoes from under her bed, pulling them on and tying them up. Once that was done she grabbed the AI chip, straightening out the chain attached to it before stringing it over her neck. She shut the window, though left the blinds open, and locked it. Taking one last glance around the room, Carolina grabbed her backpack and headed into the kitchen. She tossed her water bottle into the front pocket of the backpack and the packet of Oreos into the large back one, then zipped both shut.
She grabbed her jacket from beside the door, slipping it on and straightening it. It was aqua, just as her old armor had been. She slung the backpack over her shoulders and grabbed the keys, giving the apartment a once-over to make sure there wasn’t something she was forgetting. She unlocked the door and stepped into the hallway, locking the door behind her before heading down the hall. She opened the door for someone coming in with a large box, smiling when they thanked her, and walked outside. She breathed in a deep breath of the ending summer air and walked down the sidewalk with a bit of a bounce in her step.
Today was going to be a good day.
AΩ
“Caboose, wake up!” Tucker poked his head into the other man’s room, snorting when he saw his hair sticking up in every direction possible when he looked at him with drool hanging from his mouth. “Get your lazy butt outta bed, Wash’s orders.” Caboose mumbled some kind of reply, nodding tiredly, before pushing himself up on his arms. “Remember, the tags go in the back of your clothing.” Tucker closed the door and walked back down the hall.
“I’m not sure what’s weirder. You voluntarily waking up Caboose or that you actually got up with the alarm this morning,” Wash teased from his place on the couch, looking up from his book. Tucker rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen, grabbing two beers before heading back out. “Tucker, it’s not even noon.”
“So? We’ve got a long day ahead, you could use the ease on your nerves. And I always wake up with a beer,” Tucker responded, holding one out for Wash. After a moment Wash sighed and took it, setting his book town and twisting off the cap. “Knew you’d listen to reason.” Tucker plopped down beside him. “To good times.” Wash chuckled and the gently knocked their bottles together before drinking. It quickly became a race of who could down it first, a race Wash won. “Aw, what? Boo!” Wash laughed and set his bottle on the coffee table. He grinned.
“I win!” Tucker huffed and Wash raised a brow. “Well? Don’t I get a prize?” Tucker burst out laughing at that and set his bottle down, Wash chuckling a bit. Tucker was pretty easy to amuse most of the time.
“Oh, I’ll give you one just for that line, that was awesome.” Wash laughed at that, Tucker swinging over to straddle his legs. Wash’s hands rested on Tucker’s chest as they kissed, much more skilled now than that first teeth knocking one after they had won the war on Chorus, that had been painful. They stayed like that for a while, hands and lips caressing each other, until they heard Caboose’s door open.
“I’m ready!” he called as he headed down the hall. Tucker stood up, reaching out a hand and pulling Wash to his feet. Tucker grinned and gave him a quick peck before heading into the kitchen. “Can I carry the muffins, Agent Washingtub? Please?” Caboose clasped his hands together with a bright smile, causing Wash to chuckle and Tucker to roll his eyes a bit, though he was smiling.
“Caboose, it’s David, remember? And yes, just don’t drop them, ok?” Caboose nodded enthusiastically, grabbing the container from the counter. “We ready to go?” They both nodded, Wash pulling on his backpack, which he never left home without no matter what. “Great, come on.” He opened the door and they all headed out. He poked his head in to make sure all the lights were off before closing it and locking it shut.
“David, come on!” Tucker called, the pair of them already at the exit of the building. Wash double checked the locks before jogging to catch up, hooking the key to his belt loop. Once there he took Tucker’s hand and the trio headed out into the sun. They turned down the sidewalk and walked, though for Caboose it was more like skipping. Tucker chuckled at that. “He’s funny.” Wash nodded in agreement with a smile, giving Tucker’s hand a light squeeze and getting one in return.
AΩ
The blaring noise of the alarm was a rude awakening and Doc quickly shot his hand out to shut it up. He yawned and stretched in his bed, extending his arms forward and raising his back like a cat would. He sat up and rubbed his face, glancing around his room a moment before standing up. He pulled his tank top over his head, causing his hair to stick up at all ends, and pulled on a purple sweater instead. He tossed his sweatpants onto the bed and replaced them with jeans, he yawned once again while brushing his hair before walking out into the hallway.
Eat something. O’malley’s voice whispered in the back of his mind, the result of being stuck in that weird dimension for so long. Doc smiled in thanks for the advice and he grabbed a grain bar from the cupboard. Protein, fool. O’malley scolded impatiently. Doc sighed and opened the fridge, pulling out a hard boiled egg as well. He wiggled it in front of his vision.
“Happy now?” he asked rhetorically. He felt the other huff in annoyance but he didn’t speak up on the matter again. Doc ate the bar and egg, washing them down with a glass of water as he leaned against the counter. His phone buzzed on the counter and he grabbed it, opening it and seeing a text from Donut announcing that he was there. Doc tossed out the wrapper and grabbed his bag of cookies along with the keys.
Kitchen light is on. Doc hummed in remembrance and went back to flick the switch. He walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind him before heading down the sidewalk and towards the parking lot, spotting Donut’s car easily. His friend waved enthusiastically from the driver’s seat and Doc grinned, jogging to get there faster.
“Morning!” Donut greeted cheerily as Doc got into the car, closing the door and buckling up. “How are you?” Donut put the car into gear and drove off.
“I’m doing well! New job’s going great and my neighbor moved, so no more noisy dog,” Doc responded, shifting to get comfortable in his seat.
“That’s great! And how’s O’malley?” Doc smiled, grateful that Donut just accepted the other presence as normal. O’malley tended to freak everyone else out, he had gotten fired from his old job because of him. An evil laugh filled that car as Doc’s small smile was replaced with O’malley’s wide grin.
“I’m just fine, Frankie!” Donut frowned a little at the nickname but didn’t comment, O’malley was doing it to get under his skin and he wasn’t going to let him. “How’s the bakery going?” Donut’s smile quickly returned and the two listened as he prattled on about the shop he had opened. Neither of them really cared but it got Donut talking and that meant they didn’t have to, and it made Donut happy to talk about it. So, win-win.
AΩ
“If you’re not out here in the next five minutes I’m leaving without you!” Simmons called from the kitchen. He heard Grif grumble something in reply and he shook his head, grabbing the salsa from the cupboard and putting it in his backpack, which he had placed on the counter. He glanced around, wondering if he’d forgotten anything...Simmons grabbed his cellphone from the table and stuffed it in his pants pocket. When he turned back around he was surprised to find Grif standing in the kitchen. “I’m impressed.”
“Shuddup,” Grif mumbled, munching on a chocolate bar. He was as dressed as he’d ever be, wearing a wrinkled orange t-shirt along with stained jeans, he was even wearing matching socks today. Simmons snorted and walked back into the kitchen, zipping up his backpack. He squeaked loudly in surprise as Grif slapped his butt and he glared, getting a laugh in return.
“I hate you,” Simmons grumbled, going a deep red. Grif wrapped an arm around Simmons waist, pulling him close and kissing his temple. Simmons went red up to his ears and his glare softened as he grumbled.
“Love you too, babe,” he said cheerily as he headed towards the door. “I’m driving, dibs!” Simmons cursed loudly and Grif laughed, pulling his shoes on. Simmons walked over and whacked him upside the head. “Ow! Hey!” Simmons huffed and pulled his backpack on. “Come on, kissass, we’re already late.”
“Yeah, because of you!” Simmons argued, walking out into the hallway. Grif followed behind and Simmons locked the door behind them. “Honestly, the fact that you still have your job is a miracle.” Grif laughed and the two headed outside, hand-in-hand while Simmons ranted and Grif only half listened.
AΩ
“Sir, you can’t leave.” The voice was gentle but strained, obviously stressed out from the day’s events. Sarge paid her no heed as he packed a backpack with stuff he’d need. He wasn’t missing this and she wasn’t going to be the one to make him if he did. She sighed again. “Sir, you’re not allowed to leave the premises, it’s the rules.” Sarge grunted and closed the backpack up.
“Don’t care,” he huffed, seeming to catch her off guard. He smirked at her shocked stare, her mouth agape. “Ya’ll didn’t think I could talk, didchya?” She shook her head. Sarge had purposely been staying silent so that no one would ask him stupid questions, it had worked so far but today he just couldn’t contain himself. “Listen, little lady, there’s a reunion goin’ on and my men are comin’ t’ pick me up. So, unless ya got a swat team lined up to fight me, I ain’t stayin’.” He hoisted the backpack over his shoulders.
“O-Oh,” she said quietly, stepping aside when Sarge shoved her gently. He tipped an imaginary hat to her and walked out of the room and down the hall. He ignored the stares from the other nurses and such, since he had been pretending to not be able to walk either. What could he say? These people were idiots and too fun to mess with to pass up. He walked into the entry and leaned against the front desk.
“Tell Dr. Tyler that Sarge is goin’ fer a walk.” The lady looked up, blinking in surprise. Sarge chuckled and headed out. “See ya!” He waved and pushed the doors open, walking out into the afternoon sun. He inhaled deeply. “Ah, tha’s more like it!”
“Hey, Sarge!” He looked over as he saw the car pulling up, Grif honking the horn. “Get your ass in here, old man.” Sarge snorted and headed over, tossing his bag into the backseat before climbing in. Grif looked over the back of his seat at Sarge. “You have to bust out of there A-Team style?” They all looked over as the doors burst open, doctors and nurses yelling at them. Sarge yanked his seatbelt on. “ Drive numbnuts!” Grif let out a loud whooping noise and hit the gas, the tires squealing on their way out of the veteran hospital. Simmons screamed and held on tight as Grif sped out of the parking lot and out onto the road, laughing his head off.
“What the fuck! You could’ve gotten us killed!” Simmons shrieked, glaring daggers at him. “You shouldn’t drive like that, doctors or no doctors! Did you get your licenses from a crackerjack box? Jesus!” Grif grinned at Simmons, leaning back in his seat. Simmons puffed out his cheeks. “Grif!” Sarge laughed heartily and clasped them both on the shoulders, grinning.
“It’s good to be back, boys!” They both just smiled at him.
AΩ
Carolina was walking down the sidewalk with a surprising bounce in her step and a smile on her face. She couldn’t really remember a time when she had been this giddy, because happy didn’t quite describe what she was feeling. She was happy and excited and anxious at the same time. She allowed herself a little hop, since there was no one else on the sidewalk, and turned into the park. She couldn’t wait to-
“CAROLINA!” The unified shout startled the ex-agent into jumping a few inches off the ground. She grinned wildly as she saw the others were all already there, sitting at a table and waving her over to them wildly. She jogged over to them. The first person she hugged was Wash.
“Hey, it’s about time you got here. What took you so long?” Wash asked, grinning at her. Carolina snorted and shoved him off her, the others all chuckling. “Seriously though, it’s good to see you.” He smiled at her. A second later the chatter from the group started up, loud as everyone struggled to be heard over the others as they talked to each other. The noise was refreshing and made Carolina feel perfectly at home. She took a seat next to Wash, on what appeared to be the blue side of the table. It was really good to see them all.
AΩ
Kimball sat with her feet up on her desk, eyes locked on a cloud that was framed perfectly by the one window in her office. By her feet was a bottle of wine despite the fact that she wasn’t really an alcohol person, never saw a purpose for it, but today it felt appropriate. It was the day the war ended, after all, the day those bunch of idiots finally saved the day and won the final battle. Yeah, appropriate was the right word.
She put her feet back on the ground and grabbed the bottle, looking it over a moment before setting it back down and sifting through her drawers for a bottle opener that she knew was somewhere. The sound of a loud knocking put the search to an end as she stood up and walked over. Rolling her shoulders back and straightening her back, Kimball opened the door only to be bombarded by loud greetings and Palomo hugging her tight.
“Thought we’d join you,” Smith said in his usual monotone voice. Kimball couldn’t help but smile, opening the door all the way so they could all come in.
“I brought cake!” Jensen exclaimed proudly, grinning widely as she entered last. Kimball smiled and closed the door, watching as they all gathered around the room with smiles, Bitters and Palomo arguing about something or other. It was nice not to have to celebrate alone.