Generation 4, Chapter 6: Farewell to France

When Sam and Mitchell finally awoke, the situation looked pretty grim. Sam went on a cussing spree, pushing past us and rushing down the stairs to someplace, and Mitchell...well, he was a lot calmer. Darcy theorized that it was because he wasn't entirely lucid.

Things finally returned to normal the next morning, but none of us were happy. There were a lot of bruised egos in the room.

"I don't think I'm coming back to France anytime soon," Darcy groaned next to me, her neck resting comfortably against the back of the sofa. It was an interesting scene to observe. Darcy never sounded depressed. When everyone was down in the dumps, she'd crack the volume up on a Hi-Fi and start dancing with them. The strange thing was, it always worked. People seemed happier around her, and irritated around me, mostly because I over analyzed things and shared my opinion too easily. Perhaps I should have left the room a long time ago.

"Definitely," Samantha agreed, looking equally as sad as Darcy. "I'm trained in combat, but when the first real opportunity presented itself, I got my butt kicked my a thief. Just wait till my dad hears about this... I'll be the shame of the family."

"Then what am I supposed to feel like?" Mitchell hummed, his eyes half closed, seemingly still bothered by the headache he complained of earlier. I suddenly felt a lot better about the fact that I hadn't been in the room with them guarding Vala.

"Oh, shut up, you big baby. You're an artist, not a fighter. It's expected that you wouldn't be able to defend yourself."

"No need to get agitated...," he sniffled, adjusting himself in his seat. Mitchell didn't have a better answer, because he knew it was true. His arms were puny, and he had no knowledge of martial arts whatsoever.

"She's right," Darcy cleared her throat, sparing a moment to look Mitchell in the eyes before she went back to lounging against the chair. "You're only trained with your paintbrush, not your hands."

While they argued, I zoned out, my eyes pinned on the fireplace. In a way, the wood and fire were also fighting for their lives. Sadly, the wood was losing, having no way to defend itself against the flames. It needed help from a friend: Water.

It was a clear representative of our lives. If we wanted to win against the bad guys, we had to work together.

And there I go again, over analyzing things...," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, trying to focus my thoughts on their discussion.

"You know, we're being really negative here, guys...," I started, interrupting whoever was busy ranting away about their problems. "So Vala escaped. So she kicked our butts pretty well. But the thing is, we're still alive! And seeing as she's pretty well trained herself, we should be grateful. Better yet, we should be enjoying the fact that we're in France , an extremely beautiful country with a rich culture, instead of being depressed like hell. We should be enjoying the few days we have left here!"

"He kinda has a point...," Mitchell mused, though he appeared to agree with me, he didn't make the effort to get up at all.

"Sort of," Sam nodded slightly, "but I think I need a few more hours of sleep before I can join him and his high spirits."

At that precise moment, Jack made the mistake of entering the room and making a bravado comment, as usual. "Damn. I can't believe that chick got you down, Sam. I mean, you want me to join the air force, but if you got your butt kicked, what am I supposed to think?"

Lesson learned: Never insult an officer of the air force when she's been defeated.

"Oh, don't get me started on that," with surprising agility, Sam jumped over the back of the sofa and faced Jack head on. "I haven't been trained as long as the other recruits, but trust me, I can still put your face into the ground. Yes, I was beaten, but next time, it won't be done so easily."

As Jack and Sam continued their quarreling, Darcy finally made the effort to sit upright. "Nice speech you made," she commented.

"Thanks," I smiled, "but it doesn't seem to have worked."

"Nonsense! You got me sitting up, so that's something, wouldn't you say?" Darcy curiously looked at the two fighting, chuckling to herself. "I have to admit, they'd make a cute couple."

"Right... The two of them fighting the whole time? Oh, the poor children!" I joined in with her laughter, but paused. "If they have any. Judging from that, I don't think it would happen."

"I think it would," she persisted with her idea. "I mean, you have got to see the chemistry between the two. If only she wasn't trying to change him into someone he-."

Darcy broke off with her statement as the sound of skin meeting skin with a strong force emanated through the room.

Sam had slapped Jack through the face.

"Don't you ever think that you're a superior specimen!" she hollered, blinking rapidly, struggling to keep her gaze focused on him. She turned towards us. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a cold shower now...maybe more than one."

We all stared after her as she hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Even Mitchell was sitting upright. Jack tenderly poked at his cheek, grimacing as he found a sweet spot that pained more than the rest. "I think she slapped one of my teeth loose."

"What did you say to her? That she's hormonal?" Darcy could barely contain the laughter that was fighting to make an appearance.

"Something like that, maybe...," Jack rotated his jaw. "I don't think I'll ever say that to her again."

~*~

Jack was in an incredibly sour mood when we left the boarding house, and for good reason. Though he didn't lose one of his teeth, the slap was still burned into his skin.

Samantha was much chirpier after her shower, agreeing to accompany us around the small vacation town. As Mitchell and Darcy decided to explore the grounds of the winery hand in hand, I was forced to spend some more quality time with Sam. After seeing what she did to Jack, I was a little nervous just to be standing next to her.

"I don't think Jack was insulting you. He...he just has a weird way of approaching things, that's all. He hasn't had much experience with women, to be honest." I decided to break the ice that was forming between us, defending my best friend in the process. Though I defended his honor behind his back, I still believe that he got what was coming to him.

"I know...," she bit her lip, her eyes pinned on the sight of the Eiffel Tower that peeked over the hills. "It's just that the whole subject of men and women and who's superior is a touchy one for me. I've been defending myself for a long time. That's what you get when you have three crazy brothers, a strict father, and an absent mother."

"Woah...," I felt dumbstruck. "No wonder you slapped him."

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I'm on okay-ish terms with them, though. Why else would my dad let me borrow one of his jets? Of course, he's doing it with ulterior motives, hoping that he can soft soap me into changing into someone I'm not."

A comment that Darcy had made earlier suddenly popped into my mind. "Isn't that kind of what you're doing to Jack? Trying to change him?"

"No, no, definitely not!" Sam turned his head towards me, smiling slightly. "I'm just trying to let him see that he has so much more potential, something that he's hiding behind that macho act of his. All he needs is some discipline."

"You know who else needs discipline?" I jerked my head towards Darcy and Mitchell, who seemed to be having a lot of fun in each other's company. "Those two. It's unsettling, watching my sister with another guy. That protective feeling towards her is trying to take control." In all honesty, that wasn't the only reason it bothered me. I was afraid that Darcy could experience the same heartache as I did with Sarah. We had enjoyed walking along the streets of Paris, arms around each other, but somehow, that had unraveled into chaos.

Sam chuckled. "Let the young people enjoy themselves."

I could only frown in response. When did I start feeling so old in comparison to Darcy, who was but a year younger than me?

~♥~

Jeez... This chapter is out a lot later than the usual. O.o Mi scusi, I've been really busy, and, to be honest, not in the mood for writing or taking the time to load my game.

Our test series has officially has officially started, and I should actually be studying right now, but I'm just taking a few minutes off to write this. So, expect some more delays in the future!

Oh, I've been meaning to ask. Who of you bought Sunlit Tides? What do you think of it?

Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to read the chapter (and my ranting ^_^), and have a super great day! Hope you guys don't have as much homework as I do.

PS: I made some poses that I'm thinking of uploading...thoughts on that? They've actually appeared on my blog. Darcy and Mitchell in the last photo of this post, and some poses back in chapter four, where Vala had Daniel on the floor.

:)

Generation 4, Chapter 5: The greedy ones are never happy

When I had been kidnapped to search for something archaeological against my will, I didn't even think that we'd stay in the same country. But apparently, that wasn't the case.

Blindfolded and stuck in a car, it was still clear to me that we were in France, judging by the French phrases being shouted at the speeding car and its driver.

And now we were in Champ Les Sims, a quaint little vacationing town that housed many adventures as well as secrets. Vala seemed determined to uncover one of those secrets. The way she acted, nervous and quick, made it clear that her life depended on it.

"Darling, why are you observing a rock? Are you intentionally wasting time so that someone would come to rescue you? I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Daniel, but no one knows where you are." Though she seemed a lot more nervous than before, she still kept to her interesting but annoying nature, hurling the words "darling" and "dear" every few minutes.

"Because...," I fought to keep my voice even and not appear too hostile, "it's the only stone here with writing on it, so it may contain clues to what the hell you're searching for."

Tracing my fingers along the outlines of the strange symbols revealed some sort of switch. Nervously, I reached out to prod it, awaiting dastard consequences. There weren't any.

"Well, that proved to be fruitless. Do you have anymore interesting theories, Doctor Jackson?" her voice dripped with sarcasm, applying the most to the word 'doctor'. "I thought you were supposed to be smart at figuring things out."

"I am," I stretched my muscles, preparing myself for what had to be done next. "Turn around and you'll see what I've uncovered."

"What good is a hole in the ground going to do us?" Vala turned around and followed closely in my footsteps.

"Ancient civilizations have a thing for being secretive," the excitement in getting a chance to explain it was hardly containable. "And they had a thing for putting switches in such holes. They're usually stuck to a wall, but seeing as there aren't any around, the people must have felt that it was okay to put it in the ground."

Poking and fiddling around with my fingers in the holes revealed two things: A switch as I had expected, and a cool, round object. Was this what Vala was after? I sure hoped it was.

"Seems like the people that lived here decided it was okay to put some of their treasure here... What do you think?" I asked, lifting the gold object up for her to see.

"It's pretty...," her face expression contradicted her words. "But not what I was looking for. You can bag that, though. If I do fail, which I really hope won't happen, a few riches should be enough to appease them...for a while."

"So they're gonna kill you if you don't bring them what they're looking for?" I asked in a quiet voice, frowning, gauging her reaction.

She sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. This is my last chance at redeeming myself. I...I messed up too much in the past." Her chin dropped to her chest, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Anyhow," she recovered from her almost-breakdown, "I'm not quite ready to accept defeat. What else did you find in the hole?"

"A switch," I shrugged, "but I don't see what it opened."

"Well, let's get searching, then!" she hollered, pushing me towards the edge of the small hill. "You start searching on the ground, and I'll have a peek around here."

It was a good thing she had to brains to search around the hill. Right at the front of it was a barely concealed staircase, leading down to a dark room, most likely made out of stone.

"Now this...," she smiled, "looks promising. And might I say, with your butt in the picture, it makes all of this look so much better."

I coughed, peeking over my shoulder at her. "Um... Let's just get going. Please."

"Have it your way then," she chuckled, nudging me down the stairs.

Entering the hidden tomb felt like entering a different world. To think that people had once lived there in the stone structure was incredible. Not only that, but it was the first real adventure I had ever endeavored.

"This...is fantastic," I breathed, observing every small detail strewn across the walls. It was a small chamber, with hardly anything interesting concealed, but before me was a door that may have led to something that was a little more interesting.

"Oh, you archaeologists and your silly desire to find out all about the history of some forgotten people...," Vala shook her head as she came to stand behind me. "What is the point of learning about the past experiences of other people when you should be focusing on what's going on right now with the world?"

"I had always hoped we could learn from their mistakes,"I sighed, "but that seems  unlikely."

"Uh huh... As unlikely as the fact that I'm going to uncover that rubble over there," she jerked her chin towards the boulders laying before us. "So, get working. You seriously need to work out more. Those arms of yours are so...puny."

It was true. I hardly worked out anymore, being swamped with studies and adjusting to living in a new town with a crazy roommate that seemed determined to antagonize my sister around every corner, but that didn't mean that my arms were useless.

"How's it coming?" Vala inquired after a half hour of rocks flying in all directions.

"Pretty much the same as when you asked me about five minutes ago," I replied tersely, flinging the pick into the rubble with more force than what was necessary. The rugged rock wall finally came tumbling around our feet, revealing a stone wall.

"What now, oh mighty warrior princess?" I asked, wiping the sweat that converged above my brow.

"Ah, you've got your sense of sarcasm back, it seems. Mock me all you want, Daniel, but I'm not as useless as you think I am."

"Whatever you say," smirking, I backed away from her glare.

"I'll prove you wrong," she seemed determined to do just that, moving towards the wall to poke around and find any secrets it may contain.

"Oh, so you're street smart, is that it?"

"Actually, I am. I didn't have anyone around to teach me values and the meaning of life or whatever, like you were taught. I had a mother who died of a drug overdose and a father who was never at home because he was always away scamming people out of a lot of money."

"Vala...," I started, but stopped as I saw she wasn't going to stop talking.

"I tried my hardest, you know, I tried. But you try being someone better after you were shunned by your own grandparents, and spit upon by anyone that you walked by. Just try forming lasting relationships after that."

Now would have been the perfect time to make an escape. But, strangely, I couldn't will my feet to move. Perhaps it was the adrenaline rush that I got from doing something dangerous for a change, or the fact that I felt sorry for her. She didn't have it easy.

"I...was quick to judge... I'm sorry. I forget that thieves usually have it bad at home...if any of it is true. Wait, are you just making stuff up and messing around with me so I'll feel sorry for you?!"

"Is it working?" she sounded happy.

"Just shut up and open the door," I grumbled.

"It seems that you've forgotten the fact that I'm holding you hostage and that you should be polite towards your captor, otherwise you might be killed," she pointed out.

"Ah, but I would counter with the fact that you need me alive."

"Hmm. You're indeed smart," she smiled slightly, giving the wall a quick rap with her fist. The force against the wall revealed a crack, and when she pressed against it with her body weight, it moved. "Well, well, well. We've got a hidden door."

The door only revealed another set of puzzles. While Vala glorified in the loot that was lying around the room, I was charged with opening the door.

" 'Vala' is an interesting name... How did your parents come with that one?" I mused as I activated the pressure plate that should open the next door. In theory. It could either open the door, or activate a trap.

"To be honest, they didn't name me Vala. My full name is Valencia Larissa. But who the hell wants to be called Valencia all the time? I would have been the laughing stock of the century. I had the ingenuity to use the 'Va' from my first name and the 'La' from my second name, to form 'Vala'."

"That makes sense...sort of," I nodded. The steel chain binding the door dropped to the ground with a loud clang. "This should be interesting..."

All that lay behind the next door was rubble, but double the amount we had first encountered.

"I fail to see the interesting part of this...," Vala tapped her heel against the floor impatiently.

"I might have been mistaken on that...," I cleared my throat. "But I'm definitely not clearing all of this by myself. It's time for you to get your hands dirty."

"Una tortura," she sighed. I learned something else about my captor: She could speak Italian.

~*~

In the meantime, Daniel's rescuers were a lot closer than he or Vala could have expected. Mitchell had the brains to follow the blacked out van that housed Daniel. He called Darcy as soon as he parked near the abandoned cemetery, informing her of their new location. Many hours later, they arrived, a little tired from theirride of the jet, but still determined as ever.

"So they're in there?" Darcy asked as soon as she climbed out of their vehicle.

"Yup. I was kind of surprised to see him wearing normal clothes... Seems like his kidnapper isn't too harsh on him. They seem to be quarreling a lot, though."

"Let's hope the chick hasn't killed him because of that," Jack scratched his neck, peering down the staircase.

~*~

It took a lot of manpower to uncover the door behind the rubble, but even when we accomplished that, there were still many other puzzles to solve. My opinion of the tomb had changed. Some ancient civilization had definitely not lived here. The place was most likely built to house their treasure in the event that they had ever returned to their homeland. So far, it seemed like they hadn't.

The final door, which Vala assumed must be the room with the item in it that she was looking for, was locked with a keystone. After another hour of digging around stones, I uncovered it, and was instructed to place it in the keyhole.

Vala had assumed correctly. Behind the door was a treasure chest, located in the middle of the room, as if it was some object to be worship. That gave her a sliver of hope.

"It has to be it...," she kept muttering, moving towards the box and heaving the top open.

The sound of footsteps behind us was clear, yet Vala remained oblivious, enthralled in the findings of the chest.

"It's not here...," she whispered ominously, giving the chest a pat down to check for any secret compartments. "There are only documents...most likely a map that leads to what I'm searching for. This isn't good..."

"No, it's not," I chuckled. "You're busted."

"What do you mean...?" she asked, rising from her crouched position.

"Just turn around and see. The welcoming committee has finally arrived."

She turned, though it was a fatal move. I had made the decision to deliver a well-packed punch to the face. It was the only way we would be able to make her go peacefully and turn her over to the authorities.

As she lay on the ground, unconscious, I felt a strong sense of guilt. I never wanted to hit a girl in the face. That had been a rule my mother had lain down since I was a child.

"This is for your own good, Vala. Maybe this way you still get to live."

~*~

After a long ride back at the boarding house, Darcy had offered to cook us dinner, while Mitchell and Samantha, both people I still had to get to know better, kept a eye on Vala before we would take her to the police station.

"Hey there, mister Macho. So, how was it, punching a girl in the face? And might I confess, quite a pretty one."

"Oh, come on, Jack. You can see the poor guy is distraught," Darcy chuckled, closing the fridge and bringing out a bottle of Coca-Cola.

"Yeah... Not something I want to do, ever again. If I ever encounter a girl fight, I'd rather leave them to fight it out than step in and get hit by one, or being forced to hit one."

"You're saying you never brawled with Darcy?" Jack frowned.

"Well... She packed the punches. I just ran away. Cowardly, maybe, but our mom prohibited me from ever defending myself, I swear. She kept prattling on about how I was stronger than Darcy, and I could hurt her a lot more than she could hurt me. Sounds like a lie to me now that I think about it."

"Lies are something that you shouldn't be worried about now," Darcy was as pale as vampires are supposed to be in the myths. "Guys... Mitchell should have been down here by now. He said he would swap out with one of us, and he was pretty impatient... I think something is wrong."

She had no idea just how right she was.

Sprinting up the stairs and swinging the door to their room open only revealed two passed-out individuals, instead of the expected three standing ones. Somehow, Vala had been able to beat both Samantha and Mitchell.

"She's good...," I shook my head in disbelief.

"I hate to admit it, but I have to agree with that sentiment," Darcy nearly growled, and moved closer to the bedside table. "There's a note here."

Curious, I came to stand next to her, taking the note from her.

"Thanks for the fun time. I'll see you again someday." was all that was written on the note.

"I have a eerie feeling that we will see her again...," I smirked, crumbling the note in my hand.

Generation 4, Chapter 4: On the wrong side of the law

I should have known better than trust the word of a criminal.

The mistake was all mine, in the end. I tried to take advantage of her supposed soft-heartedness and made a move to escape, which ended in me having my back flat against the ground, hardly able to move. There was also the subject of her being a woman. I had always been taught not to raise my hand against one, but at that very moment, every part of me wanted to break that rule.

"Just kill me already. It won't help for you to torture me. I have nothing to say," raising my head slightly, I coughed the words out, almost expecting blood to stain my shirt. Surprisingly enough, it didn't.

"Oh, that's not what I was going for... I actually need your help," I could see her grinning as she maneuvered around me. "You see, I found out that you're an archaeologist...someone that finds riches in dangerous parts of the world. My organization needs more riches, so you're going to help me found one in particular, which happens to be here in France. A very sacred artifact, apparently."

"Correction: Archaeologists do dig out historical artifacts, but they don't always have a lot of value, and most of all, I'm not one to go into dangerous places."

"That's all about to change, mister... I'm sorry, I never did catch your name?"

"Daniel Jackson... Doctor Jackson, actually."

"Ah, so you're a clever one. Fantastic," edged with her English accent, the word sounded even more sarcastic than it was intended.

My instinct for self preservation and survival proved to be to strong, and I made the fatal mistake. I tried to run again, and regretted it instantly as her boot collided with my back.

"Now don't go making foolish decisions like that, Daniel. Or how about Danny? Do you mind if I call you that?"

"Yes," I croaked.

"No matter," she chuckled. "My name's Vala. There, we're no longer strangers. Do you think you could be a little more cooperative now?"

"Not a chance, bitch," I coughed this time, kicking away from her. Though it had been a foolish delivery, it served its purpose, actually colliding with her knee. She keeled over on her back, groaning in pain.

I may have been a push over in the beginning, but not for much longer.

Unfortunately, I hadn't taken into account that she might recuperate quite fast.

Like a lightning bolt sent from the heavens, she attacked me, causing us both to hit the floor, where I ended up being the cushion, shielding her from most of the pain that followed.

"What's up with the blonde highlights?" I couldn't help but ask as strands of her hair tickled against my skin.

"I'm a criminal, Daniel, and that means I have to change my identity, sometimes my appearance as well. After this scandal, I'm going blonde... I just wanted to get a preview of what I'm going to have to live with for a very long time."

"If you weren't a thief, you could keep your hair color, your natural appearance. You wouldn't have to change for anyone, except yourself."

"You're hurt...you're bleeding near your lip," she pointed out, ignoring my statement. Her next move was so unexpected, it still shocked me when I repeated the memory inside my head. She bent down with her head, planting a kiss on my lips. When she pulled back, she bore a massive smile.

"You're a fruitcake," I said, taken aback by her actions.

With careful precision, she headbutted me. All that followed was darkness.

~*~

"Are you okay, sir?" the confused repairman raised an eyebrow as he observed the behavior of the man who stepped inside the broken down elevator.

"I'm fine... But an acquaintance of mine isn't. If you could shut up for a few more seconds and focus more on the elevator itself than me, things would go a lot more smoothly."

Mitchell was thankful for Daniel literally saving his life, but he wasn't prepared for him to die. It was against how he was raised, letting someone else take the fall. Of course, he had done nothing wrong. However, Daniel had done nothing wrong, either."

"I can't help Daniel on my own...," he muttered almost to himself, ignoring the irritated gaze of the man beside him. "There is someone that would go to the ends of the earth to help him, though."

With practiced ease, Mitchell's finger maneuvered over the screen of his phone, typing in a familiar number.

"Hi, Darcy? This is Mitchell. Your brother needs your help. It's an emergency."

~*~

"You know that Daniel is going to kill you when he finds out you've been smoking in his living room, since he pays the rent and all...," Darcy couldn't help but point out that small fact as her gaze was glued on the television screen. The smell emanating from the busted-up cigarette bothered her.

"He doesn't need to know," Jack blew a cloud of smoke into the air. "He's in Paris, for Pete's sake. Who's going to tell him? Little old you?"

"No," she shook her head, pointing at the smoke detector. "Little old that."

"Oh, shit," frantically, he threw the half-smoked cigarette into the sink. "Why the hell did he have to install that crappy thing."

"For two reasons. One, to alert everyone that there's a fire in his house that he might not have started and did not know about, which alerts the fire department, and two, to keep you from smoking in his apartment. Satisfied with the answers?"

"No," he grumbled, making his way over to the couch.

There had always been a sort of attraction in the relationship between Jack and Darcy. Mostly from Jack's side, of course. Darcy was thoroughly repulsed by the man, and only accepted him around her for Daniel's sake. He was, after all, Daniel's best friend. How that had happened was something that spooked Darcy down to her core.

So when Jack had decided to try his luck yet again, it was expected for her to deny his request.

"You must be really chilly...," was Jack's opening line that morning. "How about I keep you warm for a while?"

"Jack, no, just...no. You're a pig, you know that," she shied away from his touch.

"Oh, come on! Why wear such a revealing top if you don't want the attention it garners?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I like wearing it. Did you ever think of that?"

"Never crossed my mind, really."

"You're an idiot," with her fingers massaging her forehead to ease the oncoming headache, she walked out of the room and onto the balcony.

Before she could lose herself in her own thoughts, the sound of her phone buzzing in her pocket brought her back to the real world. Grudgingly, she struggled getting the phone out, but finally pressed the green button, not even bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hey, this is Darcy, Whoever this is, you better make this good, otherwise, I'm disconnecting this call."

"Hi, Darcy? This is Mitchell. Your brother needs your help. It's an emergency."

That qualified as "good" in Darcy's book. In reality, it was extremely bad, edging towards being disastrous.

"Oh, this is bad...," Darcy breathed as Mitchell hung up, having explained most of his situation, and the danger they were in.

Turning around, she aimed towards the door to tell Jack everything she had just been told, but stopped in her tracks as she noticed a blonde haired woman occupying the space near the kitchen, looking very displeased with Jack and vice versa.

"Trust me, the air force is ten times better than the military. You could at least have a life later on, and it's so much more exciting. They actually need someone with your expertise, Jack."

"You're just feeding me that speech to recruit me. And though it's compelling, I'll admit, I can't say yes."

Stepping in to avoid a bloodbath from erupting in her brother's apartment, Darcy took it upon herself to learn all she could about the girl arguing with Jack. Anyone that disliked him qualified as a friend of hers.

"Hi there, may I help you?" Darcy chirped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "My name's Darcy Jackson, this is my brother's apartment. I'd like it if you at least introduce yourself before tearing this place up."

"Captain Doctor Samantha Casey," she held her chin high, even though she was eyeballing Jack the entire time.

"A captain and a doctor? Holy Hannah, that's quite an accomplishment."

"Thanks," she smiled slightly. "Now if you could just explain it to Jack here... You could ascend the ranks easily, you know. With your attitude, you can do almost anything."

"Seriously?" he looked thoughtful. "Huh... Colonel Harrington. I like the sound of that. I'll think about it."

"Hold your horses, Jack," Samantha rolled her eyes at him. "You don't get to that rank so easily. You earn it."

"As much as I want to see how this plays out in the end, and what Jack's decision will be, there's an emergency," Darcy cleared her throat, catching the attention of the two people in front of her. "Daniel got himself into a bit of trouble in Paris. We need to go help bring him back. I'm on my way to go call the airport and book us some tickets...that is, if you want to come with Jack."

"There's no need for that," Samantha interrupted before Jack could say a word. "My dad is pretty influential. I'm sure he could charter a plane for us. We could be there in no time."

Jack groaned. "What's the catch? You women don't do anything without an ulterior motive."

Samantha shrugged. "You join the air force."

"Oh, so I have to give up my freedom to save my best friend? ...I'll do it."

"I like you already," Darcy chuckled, fetching the apartment's keys off of the table and leading the two out the door.