My Love Will Laugh With Me (Before Morning Comes)

Thief Sergeant Moron

If anyone asks Dr. Lelah Fidelis Rene, there is no such thing as coincidences.

She believes in facts. With everything she has, Lelah believes there is a reasoning for everything that happens on this planet. Why do earthquakes happen? Tectonic plates break along a fault line creating seismic waves that shake the area. Why is she an archaeologist? Lelah dreamed of Ancient Egypt since she was a child. Why did Nick Morton steal from her?

He wants to die.

He doesn't want to live because Lelah has many rules, and he broke most of them in a single night. Don't wake her up. Check. Don't flirt with Lelah in front of her best friend he's trying to sleep with. Check. Don't proposition her for a threesome when he finds out she is pansexual and staying in the same suite as a female colleague. Check. Don't leave a one night stand, especially her friend, the morning after without so much as a note after n their shared suite. Check. Don't take her belongings without permission. Hmmm. Stealing their lives' work that Lelah sacrificed her whole life for?

He's asking to die.

As always, Lelah comes early and prepared to northern Iraq just moments before her colleague. She stomps through the sand unseen; her five feet hiding her from the busy soldiers' gaze. The area is surrounded by them, and she knows exactly why. The men march in unison leaving her unseen and unheard easily drowned hers out. She continues to creep through the sand, watching them all with a hawk's focus, until she notices his face. Nick Morton.

Thanks to having a younger big sister, she gives him the uppercut of his life.(She ignores the dream of a bronzed woman she's never met curling her fingers into a perfect fist.)

Her fist connects with his jaw with a solid crack. His jaw rattled with the impact as he left the sand to crash into it only seconds later. He rose with a crack of his jaw and a perfect imprint of her knuckles blooming near his chin.

"I deserve that," he said moving his jaw sideways and back to ensure it wasn't popped out of place.

The men cringed in sympathy rubbing their jaws in unison.

"That is the least I owe you," she finished primly before looking at the approaching Dr. Jennifer Halsey.

The statuesque blonde walked over with each step surprising graceful despite the unsteady landscape. She kept her head high and her shoulders back as she stared at the scene. Two men, one black and obviously of a higher rank, the other not, wearing what could pass as civilian clothes. Both drop their hands from their chin at her attention. The last is the Nick Morton, the thief, on his ass rubbing his tender face.

"Pity, Lelah found you first." Jenny held out her hand. He didn't question it and was on his feet fast enough. With one hand, she studied the growing mark. "That'll sting," she clicks to herself softly. The same hand that checked his face let go only to connect harshly to the skin of his cheek. The sound of the rushing air between her fingertips created a satisfying loud whack. She smiles as a matching bruise, albeit lighter than the punch, starts to rise to the surface. "I hope that stung too," she finishes dryly.

Lelah smirks at Jenny's side holding in a snicker.

"Now where is it?"

Moron grasps his cheek hissing at the forming mark. He looks between both women shocked.

"Where is it?" Lelah repeats Jenny stepping closer to him. He flinches. "Don't play dumb. We're in the middle of the desert and your boss isn't protecting you right now. Do you want to go home in casts or walking on two feet?"

"What? Where is what?"

Lelah sighs, exasperated.

She walks into Moron's face rolling her eyes at his rookie mistake.

"You know exactly what we're talking about," Lelah says gritting it through her teeth. "You already admitted I punched you for a reason. Just say it so we can move on."

Nick stays silent eyes jumping between the two women. The blonde Jenny, slender and tall, waited for his response with a hand on her hip. The brunette Lelah waits stone-faced her crossed over her chest. He keeps his eyes firmly on theirs still sore from the punch about a comment, not an action.

"The letter," she scowls deeper. "The map you stole from me."

Nick fake gasps.

"Map? I have no idea what you're talking about."

His eyebrows raise, and Lelah tilts her head giving Jenny the universal can-you-believe-this-shit side eye women share.

"I've never even had the opportunity to steal anything from you, Miss...?"

Both women chuckle, incredulous.

"It's 2017, Sergeant Moron. No will cares if a woman has casual sex," Lelah says giving the men around her a pointed glare.

Jenny sarcastically smiles at the man in camo.

"Sergeant Nick is under the impression I would be embarrassed to tell you I had him in my hotel room three nights ago in Baghdad. While I was in the bathroom, he hit on my roommate-"

"It was a bad joke," he says eyeing Lelah warily.

Jenny continues as if he never spoke.

"And whilst I was sleeping, he went through my things," Jenny glares at Nick. "I'm not embarrassed, Nick. Disgusted? Yes. Regretful? Yes," She scoffs. "But mainly just amazed, at your ability to mimic all the qualities of genuine human intimacy if only for..." Jenny glances down meaningfully to the men's laughs. "Fifteen seconds?"

"Ten," Lelah corrected. "To think, I was in the next room and you could've had more fun with me."

Jenny winked as everyone laughed.

The Colonel coughed loudly.

"Where is the map, Moron-Morton?" he corrects himself.

Nick looks up at the Colonel voice higher than usual.

"Sir, I admit that Miss Halsey and I spent an amazing evening together in Baghdad," he says emphasizing the next sentence loudly. "A long and satisfying evening," He ignored Lelah as she made a v with her pointer and middle finger licking the space in-between. Jenny bit her cheek as they both straightened their faces. "-if her reactions are to be considered sincere. But sir, I left with nothing more than fond memories."

He looks between the Colonel and Jenny.

"Now, perhaps I may have neglected to say goodbye to her the next morning only because she was exhausted and I didn't want to wake her."

Jenny walked away finished with the whole conversation.

"And the reward for my gracious consideration?" he says loudly in her direction. "Sir, 'Hell hath no fury.'"

A sudden weight hits his back leg. He collapses with the last word as he falls into the ground. A small puff of dust rises. Lelah looks away biting her tongue and escaping to Jenny.Nick stays there half kneeling in the sand.

"Get up," Lelah calls out. "You're embarrassing yourself."

He starts to get up but continues watching them walk farther away.

No one tells him about the dusty footprint on the back of his calf.

"Stop watching my ass!"

A/N: Ahmanet in the next chapter!!! I am so excited!!!! 

Update: Just tweaked this a little bit.