(Note: I DO NOT OWN ANY of the characters aside from Avery. All rights go to their respective owners. I do not own GI Joe, Hellboy, or Zelda. If I did, I would be one happy girl. Also: There are many debates as to Sheik’s gender and while I ordinarily believe Sheik is in fact a female, for this story Sheik is male and not Zelda, nor does he have any affiliations with the other Zelda characters. Enjoy!)
Scarlett and Snake Eyes had been dating for over a year now. Every single day their love and passion only grew stronger, never weaker. Scarlett constantly gave Snake Eyes another reason to get up in the morning, something Snake Eyes had been looking for for years. The couple had grown extremely comfortable in each other’s company, growing to explore in ways they never thought possible.
Snake Eyes and Scarlett now shared a room in the military unit they lived in with their fellow Joes. Snake Eyes woke up every morning with his beloved redhead nestled in his arms, and Scarlett awoke to the sound of his heartbeat as he held her close. Needless to say, life had been treating the couple well. One morning Snake Eyes opened his eyes to see it was already ten in the morning. He and Scarlett had slept in for hours. The only possible reason for this was that there were no missions to complete, so Hawk had let them sleep. He looked over at Scarlett, her face tucked into his shoulder, blissfully unaware.
She moved her head slightly and sighed happily. “Do we have to get up just yet?” she asked sleepily. Snake Eyes grinned. He never could believe that this beautiful woman really wanted to be with him, when Duke made it clear every day that she could be with him. The thought of the all-American blonde twisted his stomach into a knot, but he pushed that aside to focus on the dreamy redhead.
Knowing full well she was still half asleep and probably wouldn’t even realize he was signing to her, Snake Eyes instead chose a more… physical method of waking her up. He ran a finger down the side of her face, enjoying the way her eyelashes fluttered and her lips parted. She reached up a hand to grab his, holding it gently. “Snake Eyes…I want eggs.” Snake Eyes smiled down at her and threw off the blanket they shared, succeeding in waking her up. “Hey!” Scarlett cried, reaching for the blanket. She wore nothing but panties and one of his soft, black shirts. “It’s cold in here!”
“The cold will do you good,” Snake Eyes signed. She watched his hands for a moment and then smirked.
“And some heat will do both of us good,” Scarlett said, smiling one of her slow, sexy smiles, her gaze lingering on the ninja’s bare chest. Just as Snake Eyes sat back down on the bed and pulled Scarlett close to him, just as their lips were about to touch, a knock sounded out on the door. Scarlett jumped but Snake Eyes merely sighed silently.
“Scarlett! Snake Eyes!” Duke called out. “You need to help with Avery and Sheik’s mission today.” Sheik was Snake Eyes’ ninja apprentice, whom had grown so skilled as to almost beat his master. Sheik was Avery’s bodyguard, although Avery loathed the term. Scarlett and Snake Eyes both realized that their relationship was similar to theirs-Sheik loved Avery, and protected her constantly, and Avery loved Sheik and was just beginning to realize it.
“We’ll be there in ten,” Scarlett yelled back. She turned back to Snake Eyes. “You know…ten minutes is enough time for us to shower together.” She winked and hopped off the bed, walking to their bathroom. Snake Eyes watched her hips sway suggestively and shook his head. He loved his redheaded goddess.
Fifteen minutes later Snake Eyes and Scarlett were in a control room, watching the mission through the video cameras strategically placed in the town the military unit resided. They were both alone in the room. No one else would be coming to assist them.
“Can you believe what Avery can do?” Scarlett asked after they were all set up. Avery was a telepath, albeit not a defensive one. Her abilities were made to go into someone’s mind and extract knowledge, to plant ideas. She could also read minds but prided herself on doing so only when necessary, because she respected everyone’s privacy. Because of her lack of sign language skill, she often read Snake Eyes’ mind. He had invented a signal of tapping his head to signal her to read what he was thinking. If he didn’t give the signal, she didn’t violate his head.
“I can believe it. I have seen many things, my love.” Scarlett smiled sadly at this, scooting her chair closer to her ninja’s.
“I know. I’m sorry for that. Why is Avery in a playground?” Scarlett touched a button and, holding it down, spoke into a microphone. “Avery. Why are you in a playground?” She watched the other redhead on the screen, who was reclining on a child’s toy in the park. Avery lifted her head and pressed a button on the receiver in her ear.
“It brings back memories,” her voice came through the transmitter. “I’m waiting for Sheik. And the store I’m supposed to glean insight from doesn’t open for another…” she paused. “Another fifteen minutes, I believe.”
“Good excuse,” Scarlett said. Snake Eyes signed something to her and she added, “Snake Eyes says Sheik won’t show until you’re in danger or until you need him. This isn’t a friendly mission.”
In the playground, Avery listened to Scarlett’s voice in her ear. Once she was done Avery replied, “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll start walking to the store now. Once I get there it should be open.” After she heard Scarlett’s agreement, the telepath stood and walked to the door of the playground. The park was surrounded by fence, to keep the children in, and there was only one chain-link door out. Before she could reach it, however, she saw who had just entered the playground. Adam.
Adam stood behind her. Avery turned and smiled uncomfortably at him. “Uh, hey, Adam…I would love to talk but I have to go. My mom, ah, needs help with the laundry, and my dog is sick, and my little sister..”
Adam cut her off. “Save it, Avery. I just want to talk for a second.”
“I really have to go, Adam.” Avery looked down at her shorts and low-rise black Converse. She adjusted her large, white off the shoulder top, which exposed one bra strap on her left shoulder. Avery turned to leave but Adam grabbed her wrist, preventing her from leaving. Avery stopped, stared at the ground for a second before she turned. “Let me go,” she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Adam merely pulled her close. Avery banged against his chest.
“I want to tell you that I still love you,” he said, trying to sound romantic. To Avery, however, he sounded slimy.
“We broke up two years ago, Adam. I’m not coming back to you. Now let me go, or suffer the consequences.”
“And what consequences would that be?” Avery felt rather than heard Sheik drop down behind her. Adam’s face grew mocking as he studied the ninja, with his blue eyes and hair hanging down over the white mask that covered his mouth and nose. Sheik didn’t say a word, just drew one of his many throwing knives and pointed it in Adam’s face.
“Release her. Now.” He said, low and dangerous. Adam, eyes wide, quickly let go of his hold on Avery’s arm. She rubbed her wrist and took a step back, closer to Sheik. The redhead and the ninja exited the park. Avery never looked back.
“Somehow I knew you would need my help,” Sheik said when they were a safe distance away.
Avery smirked. “I thought I was supposed to be the telepath.”
In the control room, Scarlett and Snake Eyes silently watched the scene unfolding before them. “Kind of reminds me of you and Duke,” Scarlett broke the silence softly.
“I don’t think Avery realizes how Sheik loves her. He treats her the way I treated you before we began our relationship and she recognized my feelings once she saw us interact. I am surprised she can’t do the same in her own relationship with Sheik.”
“Should we tell her?” Snake Eyes was shaking his head even before Scarlett finished. She looked at the monitor, on which Sheik and Avery talked playfully as they headed for the store. “I can’t believe what happened back there. I’ve been attacked by Cobra, by civilians, by ninjas, by assassins, by everything except an angry ex who just wanted me back.”
“And I am glad for that.” Scarlett smiled.
“You know, Snake…I never really got the chance to tell you, or found the right words…but you’re…This isn’t coming out right.” She sighed, looked down, then her green eyes flashed up to look at Snake Eye’s visor, which covered his pale blue eyes. “We’ve been through a lot, and this took me awhile to realize…Hell, it took me awhile to realize I love you, but…through everything, you’ve always been with me. I know now that without you, I wouldn’t have a purpose, a reason to go on. You’re the only thing keeping me going and for that, I just wanted to say, thank you.” Scarlett smiled, her heartfelt speech finished. Snake Eyes removed his visor and masks so she could see his face, see the tears lingering in his eyes.
“All these years, you have been the same for me. You are all I think about, all I need. All that keeps me sane.” Snake Eyes’s redheaded girlfriend reached out to cup his face with her hand. She stood and sat in his lap sidesaddle. Scarlett wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled slowly.
Scarlett pressed her lips against his gently, reverently, as if tasting the most delicious thing in the world and wanting to taste it slow, to remember it forever. “I love you,” she whispered against his mouth. Snake Eyes held her by her waist and kissed her back, thinking in the back of his mind how lucky he was to have a beautiful woman who not only loved him, but loved him despite his scars and ugliness. Sometimes he had a hard time believing she truly loved him, that she could truly love him, but when she was melting under him and her lips were moving against his and she was making those soft little noises he loved so much, he believed it. Oh, he believed, all right.
Avery’s voice over the transmitter interrupted their tender moment. “Hey, guys?” She said. “The store is open. I’m going in now. Over.”
Scarlett, not letting go of Snake Eyes, reached over and pressed the button. She broke the kiss for a moment to say, “Good, over.” Then Scarlett turned back to Snake Eyes, a mischievous look in her eyes. She began kissing him with all her bent-up passion, all the feelings she had been holding back until the few moments alone in their shared room. Snake Eyes gladly kissed her back, matching her heat equally.
Outside, Avery heard Scarlett’s short, clipped answer and grimaced. “What is it?” Sheik asked, walking backwards in front of her.
“I think she’s in there alone with Snake Eyes again.”
“Ah,” the ninja apprentice replied knowingly. The store loomed ahead.
“Well, that’s where I go in and you disappear,” Avery sighed.
“I’ll be covering you, Avery. You know that, right?”
Avery glanced at him in surprise. “Of course I know that. Why, what made you assume I didn’t?”
He shrugged, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he grinned under his mask. Without a wave, he was gone, although Avery could still feel protective eyes on her as she made her way to the store.
What had gotten into Sheik? She wondered. It almost sounded as if…as if he was being more than mission-protective. Almost as protective as Snake Eyes is to Scarlett, which makes no sense because Snake Eyes…
Oh my god. Avery stopped, her eyes widening. Does he love her? Avery continued walking and thought back on all the memories. The traning missions, sparring together, him waking up extra early with her to train with her, just because Avery wanted to prove she was more than a fifteen year old telepath who needed a babysitter. Surrounded by big, strong men at the army base, Avery certainly didn’t feel unsafe. She felt more…exposed, knowing every move in sparring, every punch to the punching bag, was watched with a critical eye. Avery was certainly still a minor, but being an emancipated minor made her capable of making her own decisions, and that included moving to a military unit for training. It’s not like she had any friends to leave behind.
Thinking back even further, Avery remembered her first week with the army. She had done things by herself, aside from the group training lessons with Snake Eyes. She ate alone, slept alone, trained alone. Then Sheik came back from a mission and once he saw her, he approached her. After that, Avery was never lonely. Sheik made sure of that. Sometimes she felt he could see right through her, could see exactly what she was feeling and thinking. This unnerved Avery because she was supposed to be the rare telepath, but other than that she didn’t mind it.
With a slight jerk, Avery realized the truth: She loved Sheik. Avery wanted to stop and stare at the distance for an indefinite period of time, but she had a mission to accomplish and Sheik was watching her besides.
The redhead reached the store not long after that and walked inside, wandering around for a moment to alleviate any suspicions. After several more people entered the store, Avery went up to the cashier. Thank her lucky stars that the cashier was a boy a year older than her. This will go much quicker than she had originally planned. She leaned over the counter, leaning on her forearms. She smiled flirtatiously. “Hey,” Avery said, smiling at him with not only her mouth but her eyes as well. It worked; he was instantly captivated.
“H-hi,” he replied. “Can I uh…” he rubbed the back of his head. “Can I help you with something?” He asked, his voice cracking.
Avery tried not to grimace. “Yes, actually, you can. I was looking for the manager…can you tell me where he is?”
“Or I could show you?” the pimply boy offered. Avery knew this trick. The boy would make a wrong turn and end up in an empty storage room, and then they would magically be attached at the lip. However tempting declining might be, though, Avery knew he wouldn’t help her otherwise, so she smiled and accepted the offer.
Back in the control room, Scarlett admired Avery’s flirt technique. “She’s pretty good,” she said. Snake Eyes raised a shoulder in ambivalence. Scarlett leaned forward and pressed a button. “Sheik,” she said. “Avery got the cashier boy’s help, but it looks like he’s going to pull the old ‘Oops we’re lost now we should make out’ trick. Do you mind searching for the manager?”
“Sure,” Sheik replied. “Don’t you think Avery might need help though?”
Snake Eyes signed something to Scarlett. After a moment of watching his hands Scarlett said to Sheik, “Uh, yeah, she might need some help. Just watch, though. Don’t interfere unless you’re certain she can’t get out of it without blowing something up or shooting someone.”
On the other side of the receiver, Sheik grimaced. Avery was a strong girl, he of all people knew that, but that didn’t negate the protection he felt for her. Sometimes he wondered if it was supposed to be this much, this overprotective, but then he ignored it, reminding himself that if the telepath was hurt, they could very well be screwed. She could provide them with the Cobra intel they needed. No one needed to try Snake Eyes’ terror tactics anymore to get hostages to talk. All they needed was her in a room with them for a minute, and that was it.
Sheik located Avery and the cashier quickly. They were indeed in a large storage room, albeit not even close to empty, but secluded nonetheless. Sheik didn’t need Avery in order to know what the cashier was thinking; he could see it in his pants.
Avery looked around the darkened room full of boxes. Scarlett’s voice sounded in her ear. “Look around when he’s distracted. There’s gotta be some intel in there. Breaker got some in a scanner; look for electronic things that store information, however menial.” Avery pressed the button in her ear then released it, signaling that she got the message. She looked over at the zit-encrusted boy-his name, according to his name tag, was Craig. She smiled in confusion.
“Uh, Craig, is it? Where are we? This isn’t the manager’s office.” Craig turned to her and smiled, a menacing smile she hadn’t thought he would be capable of.
“Do what I say and I’ll take you to him afterwards. He’ll be glad to know you can provide such a valuable service.” His hands wandered to his fly. Avery’s eyes swept down to his hands, then back up to his face.
She shrugged. “Fine, but I get to be on top.” Craig’s menacing smile grew into something like triumph.
“Good thing you’re cooperating. I really hate it when they scream.” He pulled her in a small aisle created by large crates covered in clear plastic. He then laid down on the floor, waiting for her to do the same. Avery hopped on top of him and pulled something out of the back of her shorts, the only place to keep it. It was a gun.
She pressed it to his chest. “Cooperate, and you won’t get hurt.” Craig’s eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously. He didn’t move. “Now tell me where I can find your manager, or else I tell the police you’ve been raping customers in a storage facility.”
“You don’t have any proof.” Avery smirked.
“On the contrary. I’ve been wearing this,” she turned her head so he could see, “in my ear. It recorded exactly what you’re saying and the people on the other end can hear it as well. If I say so, right now, they’ll send it to the police, Craig.” She paused for effect. “I also believe you mentioned something about me providing a valuable service for your manager. That means he’s been raping the girls too? Now, tell me where he is, or I send this to the police.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Avery fired off a shot, missing his head purposely by mere inches. He shrieked. “You crazy bitch! That almost hit me!”
Sheik, balanced on a rafter above and out of sight, watched the scene with an amused expression on his face. He should have known Avery wouldn’t let this scumbag walk all over her. She didn’t need telepathy, either, to know his intentions. He watched silently as Avery finally got the location of the manager, who was a prominent higher-up in the Cobra hierarchy, and stood. She kept the gun pointed at him, he noted. Something stirred in his gut…something like pride? He knew it was ridiculous to be proud. Rescuing her and being able to take out his anger on guys like the one down there was so much more fun, but if she was just a wilted flower then there was no way she would be in the Joes right now.
Avery walked backwards, much like he had before, keeping the gun focused on him. Just as she reached back to open the door, it flung open and hit her in the back, causing her to throw the gun as she stumbled forward. Avery hit the floor and turned to see who it was. Sheik’s eyes widened. The manager.
“What the hell is going on in here?” The manager demanded in his rough, country accent. The large, pinkish man focused on Avery. His demeanor changed into something more evil and mocking. “Well, well, well. Craig, you sure did get me a looker this time. Good job. As usual, you can have the leftovers.”
The manager approached Avery. This was when Sheik moved without realizing it at first. In a matter of moments, the ninja was in front of Avery, holding out his knife to the manager’s throat. “Bad move,” he growled.
Scarlett and Snake Eyes watched in shock as Sheik beat the crap out of Craig and the manager. Both tried to fight but Sheik, being Snake Eyes’ best student, beat them without batting an eyelash. “Look how protective he is,” Scarlett said in wonder.
That night, once everyone had gone to bed, after Avery and Sheik got back, Avery stood in the sparring area, practicing her flips, kicks, and jumps. She used the time to clear her head. What was up with Sheik earlier? She remembered being on the floor, getting ready to fight for her life when suddenly he was there, and he was pissed. What was it that had made him so angry? Was it her? Avery flushed a little at that, so focused on her thoughts that she didn’t sense anyone behind her until he spoke.
“You’re up late,” Sheik said. Avery jumped, turned. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. This confused her. Avery looked at the ground, avoiding his piercing eyes.
“Yeah, well. I couldn’t sleep.” She glanced up, smiled at him. “Thanks, for earlier. I could have handled them myself, of course, but thank you nonetheless.” Sheik grinned.
“What can I say? Being the ninja superhero is in my blood.” Avery laughed and swatted him playfully on the arm.
“Thought I heard some voices in here.” Avery jumped again and turning, saw a familiar face standing in the doorway. She saw a big, red guy about her age. He had horns and a tail and black hair pulled back in a ponytail. Avery’s jaw dropped.
“Red?!” She took a step forward. “Oh my god, is that you?” Laughing, Avery ran forward and embraced Red warmly. He rubbed her back gently, laughing.
“I knew you wouldn’t even know I was here. I missed you, kiddo.” Avery pulled back, a look of pretend shock on her face.
“Kiddo? When did you get here?”
“This morning. They told me you were on a mission with your ninja friend.”
Sheik stood silently back, watching Avery hug a guy who looked like a demon, and still greet him like someone she cared deeply for. It was obvious from the start that Red loved her strongly, despite calling her ‘kiddo.’ A wave of jealousy swept through him, surprising himself.
Avery pulled away from Red completely and walked towards Sheik, pulling Red with her. Sheik noticed the way Red grinned triumphantly when she didn’t break the contact between them. His eyes narrowed darkly. “Sheik, this is Red. I lived with him in the BPRD, the people who took me in to help me learn to control my abilities.”
“You lived with him?”
“Well, not in the same room but we lived in the same facility. Like you and I do.” She smiled. Sheik noticed she was still holding on to Red’s arm.
“Avery, do you want to go get some tea or something? You still drink, right?” Avery looked down at the floor for a second. Sheik knew she did that when she was nervous, hesitant, or when she didn’t know what to say or do. Avery raised her eyes to meet Sheik’s, then Red’s.
“Actually, Red, I think I’m going to go run.”
“At ten at night?”
“It’s the best time for me to run. I don’t sleep much anymore anyway.”
Red turned her gently, so that Avery faced him. “Are you having the nightmares again?” Sheik heard the sudden breath Avery sucked in. He saw the flash of something in her eyes. Pain? Longing? Instead of answering Red, Avery backed away, out of his reach.
“I, uh, have to go now…” she mumbled almost incoherently and then ran out of the training room, off to find a treadmill. Red grinned mockingly at Sheik.
“You don’t know about the nightmares, do you.” It wasn’t a question.
“No. How do you know? I’ve known Avery for almost a month and I know she doesn’t open up to people that easily.”
Red raised a shoulder, then let it drop. “I walked in on her when she was having one. Screaming and all that. She was using her telekinesis without even knowing it; shit was flying around everywhere. She could have gotten hurt. Took me and my old man, who looks like me just a lot bigger, to get to her and wake her up. After that the whole team made her talk to us. It wasn’t even two days later when she left and joined you guys.”
Avery ran down the hallway, not looking for a treadmill but heading to her friends. She stopped at Snake Eyes’ and Scarlett’s door. They were never asleep at this time; being the only alone time the unlikely couple got, they stayed up as late as they could. She knocked once, nervously. Scarlett opened the door, visibly surprised.
“Avery?”
“Uh, hi. Can I talk to you for a minute? About something…personal?” Scarlett smiled gently and moved to let the younger girl in. She saw Snake Eyes putting his mask back on, sitting in a lotus fold on the bed. He cocked his head at her, undeniably saying ‘are you okay?’
Scarlett motioned for her to take a seat on the leather sofa. Avery did so, holding her hands in her lap. Scarlett took a seat beside her. “Is this about Sheik?” she asked gently. Avery nodded.
“Kind of. Why didn’t you tell me Red was here? Did he join us?”
“Yeah, he joined us. I didn’t tell you because it would distract you from your mission.”
Avery exhaled. “Okay.”
“So what’s the issue?”
“Red and Sheik…here, at the same time.”
“How do you feel about them?” Avery glanced up at Scarlett, choosing her words carefully.
“It scares me that Red is here. He knows too much about me, about my past and…that makes me feel out of control. There’s nothing stopping him from telling everyone here…” she trailed off.
“From telling everyone what?”
Avery took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you because I trust you and Snake Eyes.” She smiled at the silent ninja. “When I was five my parents had another little girl. They named her Ashley. I loved Ashley, even though most kids that age would get jealous. I would always ask for ‘mommy and the baby’ not just mommy. When I was nine and she was four, Ashley was diagnosed with terminal cancer. We tried everything, but one year later she still died. Mom left us not long after, and Dad, who already had a small drinking problem, became the stereotypical alcoholic. From the age of ten to thirteen, my life was a constant cycle of abuse and rape. I didn’t know how to get out. Then one day, my powers kicked in, and I could feel the situation from his point of view and mine. I would have to live everything twice-through his eyes, and through my own.
“A few months after my thirteenth birthday,” Avery continued, “I was walking around, hoping that if I come home after he’s passed out on the couch, he won’t beat me. I saw Red’s father, Hellboy, who is huge, by the way. He was fighting this, this thing, it looked like a hound but it wasn’t and I helped him without meaning to. My telekinesis was just beginning to grow and it took a lot for me to make a shield around him, stopping the train.”
“You were in a subway?”
Avery smiled sadly. “I was making plans to run away. At that point, all I thought about was leaving, or suicide. I chose to run. Anyway, that’s how he found out that I had unique abilities. He took me to this nondescript facility and I met an old man that they all called the Professor, but Hellboy called him father. The Professor told me all about the BPRD, and how they can help me learn to control my gifts. When he said I would have to move in if I wanted to learn, though, I agreed. I didn’t need to learn anymore.
“That same night I moved in and met Red. He scared me at first, with all his crazy jokes and loud laughter, but he helped me train and became my friend. I never told anyone about my father, though. One night I was having another nightmare and Red and Hellboy managed to wake me up. They all made me tell them what it was about. I told them my sister died and my mom left. They don’t know about my father.” Avery glanced back and forth between them. “Please don’t tell anyone,” she begged.
Scarlett put her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “We won’t tell anyone,” she promised. “But I think you should tell Sheik. What do you think of Sheik, anyway? You never told us.”
“Uhm, on the mission I was thinking about him and I kinda got the sense he might be interested in me and that made me realize that I do care for him. Sometimes when I see him, after I’ve had a really bad nightmare, when I can’t stop remembering my father’s touch, I have to try really hard not to just throw myself into his arms and cry.” Avery shifted, uncomfortable. She had never been this honest with anyone before.
“Do you want us to tell him?” Avery glanced up at her in surprise.
“What? You would do that?”
“If it’s what you want.”
“Then yes, I think I want him to know. But don’t tell him about my father. Anything else you can, but not my father.”
“Okay.” After that they all chatted like old friends and then Avery grew tired. She fell asleep on the couch and Snake Eyes carried her back to her own room, tucking her into her own bed. He looked down at the sleeping girl, brushing hair out of her face. He was surprised that she had been holding all of this in all her life, and hadn’t told anyone about it. He had a feeling that something bad was going to go down between her, Red, and Sheik.
The next morning at breakfast Avery sat alone. She held her chin in her hand and poked at her scrambled eggs with a fork. She sighed. Last night had been one of the worst nightmares she’d had since joining the Joes. She awoke to find almost everything toppled over, moved, and even some books she was subconsciously holding to the ceiling. Avery had woken up late this morning, and thus she was one of the last people to get breakfast. While she was still trying to eat, everyone else was finishing up. Avery looked over and saw Sheik talking with some other girls. There weren’t many people there that were their age, but there were a few. These girls happened to be, like some of the older women here, perfect. Long, glistening blonde hair, perfectly pink lips, manicured nails, sparkling white teeth…Avery looked down at her own outfit, grey skinny jeans with one of her trademark oversize shirts that hang off the shoulder, revealing one white bra strap. The shirt today was purple. She thought about her long, wavy red hair and green eyes and small spattering of freckles across her nose. She was nothing like those girls. She did have a nice body though. Waking up every morning for a month to work out tended to slim a person down.
Across the room, Sheik noticed Avery sitting by herself again. By this time she would have eaten the bare minimum of food needed to work out and gone on to train. He saw the bags under her eyes, the droop of her shoulders. She abruptly stood up and left the room, leaving her breakfast untouched. Sheik excused himself from the giggling girls and followed Avery. Just as he was about to call out her name, Red approached her. Without thinking Sheik shrank back into the shadows. Early this morning, when he didn’t find Avery anywhere, he went into the dojo to train and found Snake Eyes. There, Snake Eyes told him what Avery had said last night-that she was confused and had some really bad things in her past that were resurfacing. He told him that he can’t tell him anything else because it’s between him and Avery, but he had mentioned that she was beginning to have feelings for him.
Red put a hand on Avery’s shoulder and turned her to face him. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“What is it, Red? I’m busy right now.”
“I was just in your room looking for you, and I saw everything was a huge mess. Did you have another nightmare last night?”
Avery pulled back, brilliant green eyes flashing. She looked mad. “What were you doing in my room?” She demanded.
“I couldn’t find you and I just wanted to talk to you about something.”
“You didn’t have any right to go in my room. I thought I locked the door.” She glanced away, obviously trying to remember if she locked her door or not.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Red asked, visibly growing frustrated with the redhead before him.
“What does it matter? If I wanted to tell you, I would! You and Hellboy and Liz and the Professor forced me to tell you guys what it was about! I told you it was of my sister who died and my mom who left, but that was a lie. It was about my father.”
Red looked at her, his eyes searching hers for more clues of the contents of her dreams. “What did he do to you?”
“I don’t feel like having this conversation right now.”
“No, you’re going to tell me!”
Avery took a step back, staring at him. “Red. I am NOT going to tell you! I don’t want to tell you! This is something personal, something I’m not just going to say when you tell me to. It doesn’t affect my actions with the Joes, so I don’t need to tell anyone.”
“You would tell that ninja friend of yours, Sheik or whatever.”
“Are you jealous, Red, that I made another friend?”
“I think he might be more than a friend.” Red crossed his arms and stared intently at Avery, whose mouth opened and closed. Sheik’s heart nearly stopped. Was she going to admit feelings for him?
“Maybe he is, Red, but no matter who he is or how much I care for him, he’ll always be a better friend than you.”
“Why?” Red asked dangerously. Sheik had to force himself not to go up to Red and punch him for making Avery so upset.
“Because he never made me relive the things that haunt me, just to soothe his curiosity.” With that, Avery turned and walked off. Red made no move against her.
Sheik stood in that spot for a long moment afterwards, thinking about what Avery had said. There was no doubt about it now; he definitely loved her, but did she love him? He walked down a path outside in the woods, where he and Avery normally ran. Although he was deep in thought, Sheik’s ninja senses were still on alert. He heard the sound of someone crying softly, not sobbing, and somehow knew instantly who it was.
He followed the noise and saw his favorite redhead sitting against a tree, her head on her knees, sobbing. Sheik approached her noiselessly. “Avery?” She looked up, startled.
Avery had been crying for fifteen minutes when Sheik showed up. It didn’t surprise her that she hadn’t heard him, but it did surprise her that he showed. Avery stood, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “Yeah?” She asked, trying to act as if she wasn’t crying.
“I heard you and Red by accident…are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to?” In that moment, the difference between Sheik and Red were amazing. Whereas Red was rude and demanding, Sheik was soft and gentle. Avery suddenly snapped inside; she couldn’t take it any longer. Avery threw herself into his arms, snuggling her face into his chest. She could feel Sheik’s surprise, but after a moment he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, his head resting on hers.
“Oh, Sheik,” Avery said. “There’s something I need to tell you.” She pulled back just enough to see his face. “I…I love you,”
Sheik felt as if the world was crashing down around him in slow motion. He was holding Avery, his Avery, in his arms and almost couldn’t hear her when she told him she loved him. Sheik stared at her for a moment, realizing abruptly that he hadn’t said anything. He responded by pulling his mask down, revealing his nose and mouth, and kissed her. Sheik kissed Avery gently at first, determined to wipe away the memory of her father, although he didn’t know what he did to her yet. So it was a surprise when she opened her mouth and kissed him back with a passion he hadn’t known she had. She whispered his name against his mouth and Sheik felt something of him fall away, something that was replaced by Avery.
Sheik was holding her, Sheik was kissing her, Sheik loved her. Avery couldn’t remember the last time she felt so safe and secure and wildly blissful. His mouth on hers was burning, burning and she found she liked it. She felt like she might melt when he lifted one hand from her waist to cup her face, stroking her cheek. It was magical.
Sheik could feel Avery melting against him, could feel the way her knees buckled when he touched her face. He had to admit, he liked being able to make her feel this way. No, he didn’t just like it. He loved it. Avery had been fighting everyone here, determined not to let anyone in and right here, right now, she was being as honest as she possibly could at the moment. Sheik knew she would open up to him, but only when she’s ready, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.
“Aw, look at them,” Scarlett stood by her window and watched as Avery and Sheik walked back to the military unit, arms wrapped around each other. Snake Eyes stood behind her, one hand on the small of her back. “I wonder who told who,” Scarlett mused. She looked at Snake Eyes to see his response. He didn’t raise his hands to say anything, but she saw his smile and the look of proud happiness in his eyes.
“They had a good ending, just like we did.”
“The story isn’t over yet, Snakes,” Scarlett said. “There’s still Red.”
“I don’t think he’ll be a problem anymore. Sheik is very protective and when Red comes along will probably become possessive. Knowing Avery and her feelings for Sheik, she’ll probably like it.”
“You know what else this story left out?” Snake Eyes looked at her curiously. “A good love scene.” Scarlett smirked and pushed Snake Eyes back on the bed. Although he could have easily stopped her, he fell back willingly and watched as Scarlett crawled on top of him.
And that night, the military unit was filled with a lonely red man, two ninjas with their redheads and one blonde man who just wanted the older redhead. And while some people might say they would go for the all-American blonde man, well, lets just say most women have a thing for ninjas.
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