Sunday Snippet: Adventures in Nugget Sitting

Finally, a fairly lovely week. The weather took a turn for the better with mild temperatures and some sun.

Gotta say The Magicians finale shocked and surprised me. Loved it! The premiere of The Hunters has me intrigued so I'll continue watching to see how things pan out. No episode of Bitten this week, unless I missed the US viewing night. I've seen the next to last episode and some big twisty-turns I didn't expect.

Agents of SHIELD had a great episode. I have to give Brett Dalton credit for being so good at playing truly creepy. He's got the chops to pull it off.

Legends of Tomorrow also had another great episode. And finally, looks like we'll have a new / another villain. Glad to see the potential there.

Loving Wynonna Earp. I'm all caught up and really excited about the potential for this series. Still need to watch the first three episodes of Banshee, which I'm hoping to do later tonight. Also started a new ITV drama, Marcella, and so far, really like it. One of my favorite actors is starring so I'll be glued no matter what. LOL

And finally, I'm getting back into X Company, an excellent Canadian drama about WWII. Loving the second season so far.

And that's it for television this week.

Tonight's post is from Adventures in Nugget Sitting, a sexy short that didn't begin with a prompt that I can remember, but it's an idea I fell in love with—having my main female character finally realize a few key truths.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Isla Sands, an excellent poker player, loses a card draw and has to babysit the drunken newbie pilot. Between the endless questions, throwing up, and clingy behavior of her charge, Isla takes time to wonder why Riggs Marvelton always does the same for her. And why he never attempts to just kill her and put both out of their misery.

And a sneaky peek…

Riggs Marvelton hooked his arm around Isla and hauled her close. "Hey there, Sands. You're weaving again." She never failed to end up in his sights when she went overboard.

He made sure of it.

Isla laughed and stumbled. "I'm weaving because there're two corridors. Not sure which one I should use." She turned, facing him, her arms going around his waist. "You gonna help me get to my bunk?"

What else would he do? He always made sure she got to her rack.

He tightened his grip and walked her backwards. "Yep. I'll get you tucked in and settled down." When her hands moved lower to grab his ass, he let his eyes close briefly.

If only she'd get grabby hands when she didn't have alcohol-fueled lust. Just once, he wanted her to make a move that didn't involve beer or shots.

Isla stopped, her eyes going wide. "Riggs. I'm gonna…" Her hand flew to her mouth.

He made a quick turn and dragged her to the head, shoving the hatch open with his shoulder. Pushing her forward, he barely got her clear of the stall before she dropped to her knees and heaved. Guiding her closer to the toilet, he twisted her ponytail around his hand, keeping it out of the line of fire. He'd done the act so many times he had the motion down to a science, knew just how to grip the mane so it didn't hurt her. She expelled the contents of her stomach and took a shaky breath. Riggs had a wad of toilet paper ready, holding it out so Isla could wipe her mouth.

She glanced up, her eyes teary from the exertion. "Thanks." Her hand trembled but she took the paper and scrubbed her lips before tossing it in the bowl.

Rising up on wobbly legs, she leaned against the interior of the stall. Riggs let go of her hair then flushed, clearing away the foul-smelling bile. He backed out of the enclosure and crossed over to the sink. Dispersing several paper towels, he ran them under cold water than returned to Isla's side.

He offered the cool compress to her. "Here. This will help with the headache."

Isla took the moistened towels and held it to her head. "Just leave me here." She groaned. "I can't move or I'll hurl again." Her shoulders started a slide down the metal wall.

Riggs caught her and swept his arm under her legs. "C'mon, Isla. You know me better than that." He turned sideways and eased out of the stall. "Said I'd get you to your rack and I will." Ducking through the hatch, he started for quarters.

Isla tucked her head under his chin. "Remind me to thank you tomorrow." Her voice drifted off and she went slack.

Riggs shook his head. "Sure thing, Isla." Right, as if.

The hatch stood open when he arrived at the senior pilots' quarters. He carried her through and deposited her on the berth. After arranging her comfortably, he drew a light blanket over her. He placed the cold compress on her forehead then sat on the edge of the bunk. Thankfully, quarters were pretty much empty with only a few of the curtains closed on several racks.

He heaved a sigh and stretched out the kinks in his neck then started to stand.

Isla threw an arm out, catching him by surprise. He glanced down, wondering if they'd be making a mad dash for the head again.

She didn't open her eyes, but she grasped his fingers. "I love you, Riggs. You're the best." Her hand pulled away from his, landing on the mattress.

Riggs exhaled slowly. "Yeah, yeah. I'm awesome." Turning, he trudged out of the bunkroom. "Someday you'll actually realize just how much."

If only.

As an opener, I love the dynamic between Riggs and Isla. They've known each other a long time and I hope that comes through in this scene.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Zulu Delta Niner

Just in time for the weekend, snow showers in Ohio. LOL Considering I was still wearing shorts and flip-flops in October, I won't gripe anymore. J

Update on the gimpy kid… she'd made huge strides over the last week, going from her splint down to a boot and now easing into a brace. She's doing therapy and it's making a huge difference. She won't be ready to jump hurdles before the end of track season, but she's mobile and crutchless for the most part. *throws confetti*

Sad there isn't a new Walking Dead, but also a little relieved. I'll give next season a quick go then decide if I can deal with Negan or not.

The Magicians is almost to the season ender and I'm kind of excited to see what happens. Bitten is also two episodes away from its finale and I'm kind of sad there won't be any new episodes to look forward to.

No new The Flash, but Agents of SHIELD had a terrific showing. I rather like how the deep division seems to be setting up Captain America: Civil War.

Arrow… wow. I'm actually kind of shocked at who we lost. That said, never say die in a show based on a comic series. There's a solid chance we'll see the one we lost again.

Legends of Tomorrow put a good episode together. I really love the complicated mix and relationships portrayed. I will admit, I'm actually kind of tired of Savage constantly having the upper hand. I'd like to see a serious blow dealt to him and maybe an introduction of some other villains.

Still need to watch Banshee, but I have the eps ready to go. And the first episode of Wynonna Earp proved awesome! If the second ep is as good, I'm all-in. Kind of looking forward to The Hunters and hoping it holds my interest.

That's it for TV this week.

Tonight's post is from Zulu Delta Niner, a novella built around the challenge of writing a story set in a specific time period. I put a little spin on the idea, opting to write with Kent State 1970 in mind, but maintaining my sci-fi / speculative romance flair.

Here's the mini-blurb:

In a war torn galaxy, Nell Watkinson works to save lives on the front lines in the battle arena. When she returns home, she meets Jerrick Haight, a man who's not afraid to fight if his number is called, but he vehemently opposes waging war when it spreads resources so thin their own people suffer. On opposite sides of a moral dilemma, Jerrick's actions put him in danger and Nell uses everything at her disposal to save his life.

And a sneaky peek…

Nell Watkinson smoothed her hand over her patient's forehead then checked the readout on the thermostrip. "Your temperature is staying down, Rod. That's good news." She noted the degree on his chart.

The flight hit turbulence when they entered inner-atmo and she feared the bumpy ride would jar his slow-healing injuries.

Rod gave a weak smile. "How'd I get so lucky to have my nurse travel all the way home with me?" Another pocket of air and a rough dip made him wince.

She shook her head, cursing the storm, the pilot, and last but not least, her irritating father for dragging her home. Dragging some rolled up blankets, she tucked several around Rod, hoping to add some stability to his remaining journey.

Glancing down, she smiled. "Rod, I'm not a nurse. You know I'm a ranking medic in the combat medical corps and you're stuck with me because I got called to come home." She checked his fluids and pulled out another bag of saline to replace the almost depleted one.

He watched her work. "How long?" He snagged the empty pouch when she hung the new one.

Nell frowned. "How long what?" Her focus split between too many things, she didn't have a clue what he meant.

He chuckled. "Since you've been home?"

She cleared up the debris, doing a quick calculation. "Hmm. Three years, give or take. Shipped out as soon as I made rank and had a choice. Haven't returned since." Too many reasons to get into, even on a longer than normal flight.

But running fast and far topped the list. Quickly followed by the intense need to decide her fate without anyone else's input. And, of course, saving as many lives as she could while war waged out in the black put her training to good use.

If she had her way, she wouldn't be here now. Too bad her father's pull far exceeded hers. But she'd dutifully show her face in his presence and dance to his tune.

For a very short period of time.

Then the gloves would come off and she'd demand he leave her alone again.

Rod cleared his throat. "You must be excited then. Coming home."

Nell held a bottle of water with a straw to his lips. "I'll be thrilled to land." And not because she couldn't contain her glee with being back.

But she wouldn't bring Rod down. His stay would be permanent. He wouldn't return to his unit, the damage to his leg too severe. But he'd live to a ripe, old age, something way too many men would never see.

When he drank his fill, he settled back down and his eyes drifted shut. Good. He needed sleep and plenty of rest. He'd survived a brutal battle that wiped out most of his platoon and the physical scars might fade over time, but she worried over the hidden ones, the mental and emotional toll of war.

Oh, yeah. She definitely wanted a chance to give her dad a piece of her mind.

The introduction of Nell ended up being fun to write. Looking forward to sharing the intro of Jerrick sometime in the future.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Zipper Incident

So, first week of April in Ohio and we had a wintry mix of sleet and snow yesterday. *shakes head* Come on, Mother Nature, cut us a break. LOL

On the television front… The Walking Dead set everything up for the finale tonight. I'm actually thinking I won't watch it live. It's been a rough week and my brain might just break if one of my faves doesn't make it out alive.

Missed Gotham on Monday and haven't caught up yet. This plays into the rough week angle. My teenage daughter had her first track meet Monday night and badly sprained her ankle during the warm-ups. The poor kid didn't even get to compete. The good news is she cleared all the hurdles. The bad news? She needs to work on the landings. LOL Needless to say, she's on crutches and miserable but gets to see the orthopedic guy tomorrow. Whew.

The Flash and Agents of SHIELD had great episodes. I liked seeing the fallout from previous episodes on both shows. Time travel always kicks my interest up a notch and The Flash usually pulls off nice twists when it happens. Henry Simmons is terrific at playing Mack and I'm glad he's on Agents of SHIELD.

Arrow added some new layers to relationships and it was cool to see a Flash villain show up in Star City. I kind of liked having Felicity save the day and Curtis was a total riot in the Arrow cave / bunker. I love his character so much.

Legends of Tomorrow surprised me with revealing how Mick survived his encounter with Snart. Very cool to see Sara back in Nanda Parbot and being introduced to Talia. I loved the little seeds / references to Nyssa, too.

I checked into The Magicians and love the kind of twisty things they're doing with the relationships there. Bitten also had a great episode, but I'm truly sad another pack member met his end. I'm very ready for Elena and company to kick ass and end the menacing presence in their lives.

I'll be catching up with Wynonna Earp and Banshee sometime today. Will probably be adding little bits to next week's post on both.

And that's it for television this week.

Tonight's post is from The Zipper Incident, a sexy short that found life from a prompt I completed for a fanfiction piece. The prompt asked for the same incident to be told from three or four points of view, which was fun to write, but ultimately not the way I like to present a story. But I loved the premise enough to rewrite from the hero and heroine point of view only.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Layne Donaker makes a grave error when she mistakenly uses a super adhesive on Hyde Scarlotti's zippers—all of them, including his flight suit. Hyde is beyond done with her stupid pranks and calls her out in front of the entire crew, which Layne doesn't take kindly.

And a sneaky peek…

Layne Donaker stumbled into the bunkroom and flopped back onto her berth. "Damn Hyde, saying I needed adult supervision." Okay, she might be a wee bit drunk, but she handled her alcohol better than he did.

Always. Even when the drinking celebrated Hyde Scarlotti's new rank of lieutenant, something she should be thrilled about. Except he already started pulling back and away by ordering her to slow down and take it easy.

Rolling over on her side, she heaved a sigh. "As if his promotion suddenly makes him all authoritarian." Well, his bump in rank did make him a superior officer. "Shit. I have to salute him now." Didn't that suck balls?

Not for him. But she'd been up for the same promotion. Two slots, four people. Hyde made the grade, Layne didn't. Something about her lack of by the book decision making. And, yeah, she liked to challenge standard operating procedure. Sometimes the status quo got stale and needed a good shake-up. Of course, Hyde tried to tell her she needed to consider her answers carefully when she took the oral exam. Did she listen?

Hell, no. Layne shot straight from the hip and always would. Even if it cost a move up the chain of command.

But the price also included losing the one person she'd been with since basic training.

Hyde.

Didn't matter if he said nothing would change. Everything would. And Layne didn't like ripples. Not when it came to her personal relationships.

She growled. "He's already thinking like an SO, telling me not to down so many shots and to go easy because I've got first watch." A snort escaped her. "Maybe I traded shifts with someone. Did he think to ask me? Nope." She flung an arm out to make her point and knocked a picture of her and Hyde from the interior wall of her space.

Picking the image up, she frowned. "He's so confident he's got this all figured out." She stashed the frame under her pillow. "Methinks I need to show him he doesn't." A very bad idea formed in her mind and her lips twisted in a smile.

Sitting up, then waiting for the room to stop spinning, she slid off the bunk and wobbled her way to the set of lockers on the far wall. Layne didn't open hers. Instead, she thumbed the combination to Hyde's lock and yanked hard on the door. Fumbling around inside, she dragged out all his clothes—uniforms, flight suits, fatigues, and civvies. Dropping them on the deck, she gave a drunken chuckle at the crazy-wicked prank she intended to pull. Layne crossed over to the community storage area and rummaged around until she found what she wanted. She made her way back over to the pile of garments, stumbling over the heap and crashing to the floor on her knees.

She winced, then laughed. "Serves me right. Shoulda been paying attention." Sorting the pile, she pushed all the shirts aside.

She had no need for those.

Next, she went through the remaining items and found anything with zippers. Grabbing the tube of glue, she popped the lid off and spread a long strip down the first notched length. She picked up the next pair of pants and repeated the process.

Her lips twisted in a sneer. "Mr. Superior thinks everything is going to be the same. But he'll find out it's not going to be. This should get the point across." She glued every single zipper on each piece of clothing—including his flight suit—together then put the garments back in his locker.

She capped the adhesive and stashed it back in the storage area then crawled back into her bunk. Her head throbbed and she already had the beginnings of cotton-mouth from too much alcohol consumed. Rolling over to her side, she let sleep claim her, praying the hangover wouldn't be killer in the morning.

Kind of longish, but this sets up the story, which ended up being so much fun to write.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Zipped Lips

Happy Easter to those who observe and celebrate. We're having some lovely weather in Ohio, which might only last twenty-four hours because—hello!—it's Ohio. LOL I'm still battling the flu… apparently I got the full two-week version. Yay, me.

That said, I did enjoy my week of new shows on television. The Walking Dead followed up the Carol / Maggie excellence with another terrific episode. I'm still not all that excited for Negan to show up, but eh, we'll see what happens when he does.

Gotham took a turn I didn't expect and I'm definitely interested in where things go from here. Nygma is one crafty, creepy dude. The Magicians continues to keep me intrigued. I truly love the dynamic between Penny and Quentin. The Lost Girl finale had me sobbing… again. I'm going to miss that show so much. Bitten twisted the spikes in a little deeper, but I loved the spin with making Rachel the one with powers instead of Rocco. Awesome to see Paige again.

The Flash made a reveal I didn't expect until the end of the season, so kudos for keeping me on my toes. Arrow took a turn I didn't exactly like, but I'm in for the long haul with Oliver and company. Looking forward to a new Legends episode this week.

Agents of SHIELD keeps getting better and better. I'm excited for the Most Wanted spin off. I love those characters.

The finale for Murdoch Mysteries proved excellent. I can't believe they keep coming up with great stuff after almost ten years. Here's to another terrific season whenever it premieres.

And that's the television update for this week.

Tonight's post is from Zipped Lips, a sexy short based on the prompt "Keeping quiet is half the fun".

Here's the mini-blurb:

Details of intimate encounters are spilled during a rousing card game and recent hook-ups are brought to light, but Keavy Smart and Gresham Young have the best secret—trying to keep quiet is half the fun and zipped lips means none of the crew is the wiser.

And a sneaky peek…

Keavy Smart pulled a chair up to the card table and plopped down, waiting for the next hand to start or a round of drinks to be served. The usual suspects were present and accounted for. Mark Bynum acted as dealer and ringleader. Lara Sullivan and Masha Jones flanked either side of him and kept a lively run of dialog going. Willa Upton and Jake Founder held the next two spots at the table. Holding the final place, Gresham Young, rocked back on chair, lifting the front legs from the floor.

He checked his cards before folding. "I'm out." He tossed his hand on the scarred surface of the table.

Mark nodded. "And Young is out. That leaves me and the two beauties." He referred to Lara and Masha, who each flashed him a smirk.

Lara raised the bet and Mark called. Masha won the hand and did her standard happy chair dance, whooping and yipping her victory.

Jake rolled his eyes. "Geez. It sounds like she's having sex." He pushed back, got up, and went to the bar.

Willa snorted. "And how would you know?" She waggled her eyebrows.

Jake returned to the table and poured shots. "Are you kidding? Not like she knows how to be quiet." He slid a glass down to Masha then raised his in a toast.

Masha clicked her tongue against her teeth. "That's not me you're hearing. It's Lara."

Gresham choked and sputtered. Keavy thanked the universe she waited to down hers. She held the shot, waiting to see if anything else came spilling out.

Lara didn't disappoint. "Hey, not my fault. When you've got four hands working you over, they can pretty much hit every. Sensitive. Spot."

Willa's mouth dropped open. "No. Way. Who's the lucky third party?" Her gaze scanned everyone sitting at the table.

Lara huffed out a laugh. "Well, it's not Jake, because he's usually sharing your bunk."

Willa blushed, but shrugged, unable to deny the dig.

Mark raised his hand. "Uh, the lucky dude who gets to double team Lara is me." He leaned in toward Willa. "By the way, you two aren't exactly quiet. Just saying." He downed his shot and poured another one.

Keavy quickly tossed her drink back. She had a feeling she wouldn't escape the conversation unscathed.

Jake jumped back in. "Look, I challenge anyone to keep quiet during sex. In fact, I don't know anyone who can."

Masha quirked a brow. "Oh really? Smart and Young seem to have mastered the whole silent sex thing." She settled back in her seat. "Care to enlighten us?"

Gresham frowned. "That would imply Keavy and I are having sex." He stopped there.

Lara shook her head. "She didn't say that. Maybe neither of you is getting any."

Laughter broke out around the table.

Mark added his two cents. "Or we'll get two good versions of how to keep it down while getting hot and heavy."

Keavy finally broke her silence. "The secret to not making noise is…" She topped off her glass and downed it then waited until all eyes were on her, except for Gresh's. "Going to stay a secret." She grinned when a chorus of groans met her non-answer. "And on that happy note, I'm going to bow out and go find someplace a little less crowded to blow off some steam." Rising, she made a quick exit and headed for the gym.

I'm having a lot of fun with this one. Can't wait to see where it goes.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Zero Sum

Well, it's the first day of spring and we're getting snow in Ohio. LOL I'm also down with the flu, so not a fun week.

Another light week in television. The Walking Dead had a terrific Carol / Maggie episode that ended up being one of the best ever.

Gotham's episode took an interesting turn. I'm excited to see what happens with Cobblepot back on the loose. Nygma is sliding into total crazytown and I'm loving it. I have a feeling Hugo is lining up a bunch of pieces and I'm very interesting in where all that goes. My other Monday night shows provided excellent viewing. The Magicians went in a direction I didn't really see coming. Lost Girl amped everything up for the finale and Bitten made me cry. LOL

Agents of SHIELD surprised me and that makes me happy. Looking forward to more and seeing where things go. Murdoch Mysteries had a great episode and the finale looks terrific. Fingers crossed there's not a huge cliffhanger.

My shows should be back this week and I'm ready and waiting.

That's it for TV this week.

Tonight's post is from Zero Sum, a novella based on the prompt "Abandoned. Character or characters either feel left behind or are left behind and have to deal with how everyone else is happier than they are. I didn't quite stick with the actual meaning, but I did keep to the spirit.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Sabrina Delft and Carrick Stafford have a zero sum relationship—whenever one gains something, the other has a corresponding loss. But when they're stranded on an abandoned mining colony and forced to rely on each other, they learn to balance the good with the bad and end up with a total win.

And a sneaky peek…

Sabrina Delft gazed out the canopy of the small supply hopper she occupied with Carrick Stafford. The trip to the anchorage to replenish ammunition, medications, and several new entertainment modules should have been a nice respite from flying patrols and providing protection detail to ore freighters on transport runs. Instead, the five day jaunt turned into an exercise of patience.

Carrick drove her utterly mad. On purpose. Just because he could.

Gah! And she let him. Idiot.

The object of her wrath poked his head around the corner of the cockpit. "Hey, if you're done stargazing, I've got a problem up here." He rolled his eyes and didn't wait for a response.

Stargazing? More like maintaining enough distance to keep from strangling him. Ass hat.

Rising from her spot by the canopy, she trudged to the cockpit. "How is your problem any concern of mine—" The flashing red of the instrument panel cut off her scathing statement. "Shit. What the hell did you do?" Warning lights blinked everywhere but the alert klaxons remained silent.

Carrick growled. "Because it's not just mine. It's ours." He shot her an angry glare. "I muted the klaxons as soon as the board lit up. Thought I could handle it." His hands flew over buttons and switches, but nothing diminished the sea of crimson.

He obviously couldn't handle the situation. At least not alone.

Sabrina slid into the empty seat and quickly did a remote scan. "Argh. It's bad, Carrick. Our main cable linking the computer to everything else is fried. We're going to lose control of the ship if we don't land somewhere." A terrible situation quickly on the way to life-threatening.

If they didn't do an emergency drop-down and find a way to fix the ship, they'd drift in space until the life support system shut down, if they didn't die from lack of supplies first. The ration supply for the final two and half days could stretch, but not far.

They didn't have a lot of options. "I'll see if there's any place we can land." She stood up and pulled the star charts down, flipping through panels until she found the right quadrant.

Carrick shook his head. "Are you serious? We can't land the ship. We'll never get it back in the atmosphere." He continued shutting off as much as he could and the panel finally dimmed to a dull scarlet.

She angled her head around. "We can't stay up here. We're lucky we've got minimal control. If we don't land, we can't survive." She traced their journey from the anchorage to their current location with her finger. "We set down, hope the emergency beacon works, and assess the damage." She tapped the star chart. "If we're lucky, we can get close to this mining colony. It's been out of service for several years, but we might find supplies to make repairs." Turning, she met his gaze. "It's our best option. Can you maneuver the ship, or do I need to take over?" She hoped the challenge would quell any argument.

Carrick snorted. "I can get us there. Just mark the damned coordinates." He set his jaw and focused on the helm.

Always fun to put characters at odds into a situation where they have to work together. Can't wait to see where Carrick and Sabrina end up.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Zen State

Whew. Had a super-busy week running all over the place with my teenagers. Glad it's over.

Another light television week, which worked out well, considering the whole crazytown express thing. The Walking Dead turned in a fine outing, but I'm still kind of dreading the whole Neegan thing. Here's hoping I'm projecting for nothing.

My Monday lineup continues to impress. I hope Syfy continues to keep that day of the week filled with awesome shows. I can't always count on the network to make the best decisions. LOL

Tuesday's Teen Wolf finale didn't disappoint. I can honestly say I'm quite happy with how everything turned out. Theo received a just fate and, as usual, Scott's side had all the bases covered. I was a little disappointed I didn't get to see how things turned out for Parrish. I have my own personal head canon for his future. Agents of SHIELD returned and not a bad effort.

Legends of Tomorrow is still putting on a good show. I have a few, small quibbles with some aspects of the development, but I'll save those for my fandom blog where spoilers are discussed openly.

Murdoch Mysteries ended up being pretty great. I love how the show, even after being on for almost ten years, still finds new ground to cover. Seriously, can't ask for more than that in a long-running favorite.

And that's it for TV this week.

Tonight's post is from Zen State, a sexy short story that got its start with the prompt "One character finds the other self-pleasuring". Bonus points for name moaning. Seriously? How could I resist that one?

Here's the mini-blurb:

Rue Chambers and Blaise Watkinson have secret fantasies about each other all the time, but don't act on them. At least not until both are trying to achieve a zen state by self-pleasuring and end up in the same place at the same time.

And a sneaky peek…

"And that wraps up the morning briefing." Blaise Watkinson, the CAG, glanced up, his gaze scanning the room, landing briefly on each pilot before he spoke again. "Dismissed."

Rue Chambers had it bad. If a single word uttered by the CAG could induce a shivery fissure of desire. The voice always got her. The raspy, rough quality never failed to zing all her hot spots. Morning briefings were all the more torturous because Rue hated the early AM hour and she always left with inappropriate thoughts blazing through her mind.

Rising, she started for the exit, fully intent upon hitting the hangar deck to pick up a shift in maintenance. The chief could always use an extra pair of hands and she could use the physical labor to work off some of the keyed up tension.

"Chambers. A moment please." Blaise called from somewhere behind her.

Rue paused and turned, intending to meet him halfway. But he surprised her by being less than ten feet away. She drew in a shaky breath, trying to calm her racing pulse. He didn't need to know how attractive she found him. Not like they could hookup. His higher rank meant she needed to keep a safe, minimum distance and stop indulging her baser instincts. Frat regs notwithstanding, Blaise had a reputation for sticking to protocol.

Dammit.

Rue met his gaze. "Sir?" Her feet itched to beat a hasty retreat.

Blaise propped a shoulder on the bulkhead. "You were late to the briefing this morning. Care to tell me why?" An eyebrow quirked in question.

Shit. She'd hoped he missed her sliding in after he'd started. And no way could she admit the reason why. Sorry, Sir. I took advantage of an empty bunkroom to self-pleasure, hoping it would take the edge off my attraction for you. First, her quick masturbatory session failed to have the desired effect. Second, Blaise would probably slap her with a reprimand for conduct unbecoming. So, no, she didn't care to tell him why.

But she had to say something. "I'm sorry, Sir. I slept through reverie, had trouble sleeping last night." The words stuttered off her tongue, her usual skill with stretching the truth totally escaping her.

Blaise narrowed his eyes, probably recognizing the lie. He studied her, saying nothing, for several long moments. Long enough, she finally had to glance down or wilt under the perusal. When she looked back up, he'd tilted his head to one side, a contemplative gleam in his eyes.

He straightened and shoved away from the bulkhead. "Are we going to have a problem with insomnia?" His gaze pinned her to the spot.

She shook her head, scrambling for a response. "Uh, no, Sir. No more caffeine after five PM for me." Her attempt at humor must have worked because he cracked a smile.

With a nod, he swept his arm forward, indicating she should precede him out into the corridor. "I'll expect to see you on time tomorrow then." He strode ahead then glanced over his shoulder. "You're on dog watch, right?" He referred to the hours between 1600 and 2000.

Rue inclined her chin. "Yes. I'll be sure to hit my rack as soon as I get off shift and grab some chow." She'd be ready for a semi-early night.

Blaise held her gaze a moment then faced forward again. "As long as you're on time tomorrow, Chambers." He made a left at the junction of the corridor and disappeared from her line of vision.

Rue heaved a relieved sigh. She'd skated free and clear on that potential minefield.

Now she had to make sure she absolutely made it to the morning briefing bright and early.

I'm seriously hoping to find the time to finish this one up. So much fun to write.

And that's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Yellow Fang

Okay, not exactly a super strong week of viewing pleasure, but pretty good for the shows that were on.

The Walking Dead is amping up the tension and the group is going to take on Neegan. I hope the hype is worth it. He's apparently a BFD in the comics so I'm reserving judgment. I'd rather he not gobble up screen time from my fave characters.

Gotham returned with a terrific episode. I'm quite curious to see where they're going to end up taking Gordon. But I like that his squeaky clean armor is getting tarnished. The Magicians continues to intrigue me but I'm also wondering where things are going. There seems to be something of an overlying arc yet I can't quite figure out what it is. As always, Lost Girl and Bitten make me happy. I can't stress enough how much I'll miss both when they're gone.

Agent Carter ended with a terrific bang. I'll sadly miss the show if it doesn't return. That said, what a great two season arc.

Legends of Tomorrow surprised me again. I missed the first fifteen minutes but got caught up quickly. Looking forward to this week's episode.

Teen Wolf is coming together for the big battle. Looking forward to seeing how it ends. I also caught up on Murdoch Mysteries and have to say, I love this show so much. And that's it for this week's update.

Tonight's post is from Yellow Fang, a novella that came from another prompt. Loss, a character loses something dear to them. The sages loved this one.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Yancy the Yellow is Palmer Gump's only childhood friend—a stuffed toy from her dad. Missing and presumed killed in action, an auction is held for Palmer's personal items. When she returns, she gets everything back… except for Yancy, which leaves her feeling a little lost and unsettled, until it finds its way back to her via Dannon Bennett.

And a sneaky peek…

Palmer Gump rifled through her storage box, digging way down to the bottom until her fingers brushed against the soft fur of Yancy, the yellow-fanged wolverine her dad, Peter, had given her so long ago. Grabbing the worn, plush animal, she removed him and shoved the container aside. Smoothing her fingers over the wiry, synthetic mane, she smiled.

How many rough moments, bad times, and terrible days had Yancy seen her through?

Too many to count.

The fact her dad never gave her anything after Yancy definitely played into why she loved the stuffed toy so much. Then again, dads couldn't give their daughters gifts from beyond the grave. He left for his final mission the night he'd given Palmer Yancy, the story he'd told her etched permanently in her mind.

"Palmer, my girl, there's gonna come a day when some handsome, young lad will try to make you his princess. And I may not be around to give my approval." He reached into his pocket and withdrew the small wolverine. "You know my unit is called the howling wolverines, right?"

Palmer nodded. The scary animal represented what her dad and his platoon could do in action.

Peter took her hand and placed the miniature version in her palm. "Well, this is Yancy and he's our mascot. He'll always be here, even if I'm not. And he'll keep you safe, no matter what. And any man who's worthy of you will receive Yancy's approval." He gave her a wink. "Think of him as acting in my stead if I'm not around, okay?"

Palmer nodded, but didn't completely understand.

Her dad leaned in and whispered. "Anyone who wants to be your prince will have to love the wolf, too." He gave her hand a squeeze then tucked her into bed. "I have to roll out later tonight and it might be a while before I get back home." His fingers brushed her bangs out of her face. "But you know I love you more than anything, don't you?"

Palmer smiled and nodded, letting out a big yawn. "I know, daddy. I love you, too." She cuddled her gift, her most favorite new toy ever. "Good night."

Her dad had kissed her cheek and paused in the doorway before turning out the light. Palmer remembered the look on his face, a wistful mix of love and sadness. Two months later, when the chaplain had come to deliver the news of her father's death, Palmer ran to get Yancy and didn't let the last connection to her dad out of her sight for weeks. The wolverine went everywhere with her, traveling from base to base after her mom married another military man. Then Yancy came along to each and every post Palmer had been assigned to.

Now he provided a measure of comfort and calm when she needed each the most. The shuffle of feet drew her attention and she tucked Yancy under her pillow then braced for an argument. Sure enough, Dannon Bennett strolled through the door and braced his shoulders against the wall before crossing his arms over his well-defined chest.

He met and held her gaze, his blue eyes serious and solemn. "You're not ready, Palmer." His glance darted downward. "If it were anything but solo recon, I wouldn't be so concerned. But it's solo recon, Palmer."

His lack of confidence stung more than it should. Dannon spoke up when he didn't agree with decisions and he definitely didn't think their CO made the right call. But Palmer paid attention during her training. She might be a novice at solitary operations, but she wouldn't shirt her duty.

She squared her shoulders and stood. "You're wrong, Dannon. The colonel thinks I'm ready and I am." Backing away, she closed her locker and grabbed her rucksack. "I'm mission operational and I leave at dusk." Dannon's lack of faith be damned.

Brushing past him, she left quarters and strode toward the ready room. He didn't make a move to follow and she actually thanked the universe. If he said anything else negative, she might have to punch him in the face. Just because they shared a bed more often than not didn't give him the right to hold her back.

She'd do her recon, come home, and then they could hash out the difference of opinion. Right now, she had a job to do.

I've put something of a twist on the loss angle and I love how it's all working out. Long way to go on this one, but the brainstorming / outline is complete. Just need time to sit and finish.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye