Believe it or not, Scarlett and I used to be friends-and rather close friends. We even lived together in a suite in the female barracks. I joined the team shortly after Scarlett and we were the only two female senior staff members. Scarlett seemed to be pleased there was another woman on the force-and I can understand why. I'm sure she felt isolated at times. Heck, even with the two of us it still felt lonely. Most of our teammates were great, but it was nice to be able to talk to one another and commiserate about issues that only females could understand. Plus, there were some teammates that needed reminding that we were equals and not pin up cheerleaders. Don't get me wrong- we could easily put them in their place when we came across those ogling, chauvinistic meat heads, but it sure was nice knowing I had a back up in case one of them didn't get the memo the first time.

We got along great as roommates…I mean she did spend a lot of time with Snake Eyes so I had the suite to myself quite a lot. But when she was there, she was considerate and clean. We would hang out and watch TV or read magazines together-the trashier the better! A lot of the times I could insert some personal story I knew about the model on the cover and she would find it fascinating that I knew these people in real life. There were only a few times I can remember when she had Snake Eyes come over while I was there and well…they were unbelievably quiet…like I would assume a ninja and someone who trained hard and was practically a ninja herself would be.

It wasn't until Duke arrived that there had been any sort of problem between us. I remember the first time I saw him. Scarlett was giving him a tour and she had brought him to the motor pool and introduced us. He was super attractive with the fresh cut blond hair and blue eyes that you could just swim in forever. He made some sort of joke that I missed because I had been so distracted by his gorgeous physique. I only know it was a joke because he and Scarlett were laughing. I laughed too and tossed my blond hair over my shoulder in a flirtatious manner. I mean- I could totally see us together! The joe team Barbie and Ken. But it was more than his looks…Duke was actually personable and got to know his troops. I remember him visiting the motor pool often in his first weeks here. We would talk at length about anything and everything. He was so easy to talk to. It made him even more attractive to me.

I started flirting with Duke every chance I got, hoping he'd get the hint but it turns out that Duke is pretty much an adult Boy Scout and didn't pick up on any of it no matter how obvious I was. For someone as hot as he was, you would think he'd be more advanced in social situations with the opposite sex. It was so frustrating! Of course, looking back I know that it's also because by this time Scarlett already had him wrapped around her finger. Keep in mind she was still with Snake Eyes.

I was so hot for Duke that keeping the feelings to myself was eating me alive. So, I confided my feelings to Scarlett. After all, we were pretty good friends at this point. She seemed kind of surprised at first, but ended up being supportive and offered to talk to him. I kept pestering her to see if she talked with him and she always seemed to have an excuse as to why she hadn't yet. That should have been a red flag, but like I said. We were friends and I didn't have a reason not to believe her. Now I know it's probably because she was too busy trying to get with Duke herself. Yes, while she was still with Snake Eyes.

I guess I was a bit na?ve of how much time Scarlett was actually spending with Duke at this point. I always assumed when she wasn't "home", she was with Snake Eyes. I mean, he was her boyfriend. Why would I think she was with anyone else? But then the rumors started questioning just how close Scarlett and Duke were…and I started paying attention to how much they were together. At first, I tried to shut the rumors down because I knew Scarlett was trying to talk to Duke for me. Plus, she had Snake Eyes. So, when I accidentally joked with Snake Eyes about if I would ever see my roommate again, it didn't go over well because she hadn't been spending the nights with him.

That's when the rumors really started picking up and a crack developed in the foundation of Scarlett and Snake Eye's relationship. Turns out Scarlett had been leaving Snake Eyes' place late enough that I was already in bed and was leaving super early in the morning for pre-dawn work outs with Duke. Scarlett was furious at me for the joke I made with Snake Eyes and at first I did feel terrible but then I realized this all could have been avoided if Scarlett was honest with me and told me what was going on and where she was going. I know I wasn't her keeper or anything but keep in mind we were friends and if she would have been honest with me about how much she was hanging out with Duke, I wouldn't have made that joke to Snake Eyes.

That's when things started getting really weird and awkward. Scarlett was spending even more time with Duke. Snake Eyes didn't seem to mind and seemed confident on where their relationship stood. It was bizarre but I didn't dare question it. Scarlett and I had just gotten back on good terms after my blunder and I wasn't going to mess things up again. I decided to just focus on Duke. At this point, I had given up on figuring out if Scarlett had talked to Duke about me yet but I sure as heck wanted him to know I was interested in taking our friendship to the next level. I put on a really cute tight-fitting outfit, walked to his quarters, and knocked on his door. He was definitely surprised to see me but also seemed happy about it and invited me in.

((Flashback))

"You've got a really nice place. Guess that's a perk of being Top." I complimented Duke as he came back to the couch with colas for us.

"I hear the female barracks are built similar. Don't you have a living area and a kitchenette too?" Duke asked.

"We do, but you have all this room for yourself. That has to be fantastic." I smiled still enamored by his apartment.

"It's okay. Sometimes it does get lonely." Duke replied taking a sip of coke.

"Oh, really? I mean, I guess I could see that. But you know…there are ways to make sure you're not lonely." I replied rather sultry while batting my eyelashes as I scooted over closer to him.

"I'm sure you never run into that problem. You have a pretty fantastic roommate." Duke answered totally not picking up on my flirtation.

"Scarlett? Yeah, she's pretty great but she doesn't stay in our quarters much. I guess you could say I'm lonely too." I scooted over another few inches towards him.

"She still spending nights with Snake Eyes?" Duke asked taking another swig.

"I thinks so-" then I bit my tongue, "You know what…I don't really want to comment because the last time I said something I got in a lot of hot water." I refrained myself.

"Yeah, that was crazy. I have no idea why people would think she'd be spending the night here with me." Duke shook his head.

"You're kidding, right?" I looked at him in disbelief. Duke shook his head like he didn't know what I was talking about.

"Duke, you're always with her. On the field, off the field, meals, working out, training…you're always together." I literally spelled it out for him. "I can't believe Snake Eyes just stands to the sidelines and takes it. If I were him, I'd be pissed!"

"Maybe he's not the jealous type? Besides, he has nothing to worry about. Scarlett would never be deceitful." Duke shrugged. "Maybe I should back off so people stop talking."

"Or you could give them something else to talk about?" I grinned leaning closer. "Maybe about being with someone else?" I whispered in his ear. I made sure my chest brushed against him and he could get a good look at what I had to offer. There is no way he could ignore my advances now. I grinned as his head started tilting and leaning towards mine coming in for a kiss.

A knock on the door surprised us both and we jumped apart, him more so than me. He went to the door and opened it slightly at first but then opened it wider revealing Scarlett on the other side.

"Oh! I didn't realize you had company." Scarlett's voice jumped in surprise. "I can come back later." She sniffled and her eyes were red and puffy. She had obviously been crying.

"No!" Duke exclaimed quickly, "You're upset. Come in." Duke moved so Scarlett could enter.

"Really, I don't want to interrupt. I'll come back later." Scarlett's tearful voice replied as she shook her head.

"Shana, come in." Duke almost demanded. I was a little startled that he had used her civilian name, but it seemed to work to get her inside. She sat down on the couch next to me and Duke sat next to her.

"It's over." Scarlett gulped before tears began streaming down her face. "Snake Eyes"

"Oh…Shana…I'm sorry…"Duke softly replied and took her hands in his.

"Yeah, me too…"I added and put my hand on her shoulder.

"We both agreed that it was best to end things…I don't know why I'm crying." Scarlett pulled her hands back from Duke's to wipe the tears off of her face.

"You've been with him a long time. It's only natural you'd be sad…even if it is something you both agreed was for the best." I tried to console her.

"I guess you're right. I just didn't think I'd feel so…empty." Scarlett clenched her eyes shut and began to fold into herself.

"Hey…hey…it's okay…." Duke put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. She clutched his shirt and buried her head into his shoulder while she wept.

"How about we go back to our quarters and soak up your sorrows in some ice cream we have in the freezer, huh? I got some new trashy magazines too." I offered.

"I don't know if I can. What if Snake Eyes drops by? I don't want him to see me like this." Scarlett argued.

"I highly doubt he's going to come looking for you. The man is probably just as broken up as you are." I argued back.

"She can stay here as long as she likes. It's no bother." Duke interjected.

"Not a good idea. What if someone sees you leaving Duke's quarters tonight alone? It's only going to make the rumors worse." I argued back.

"She's right, Duke. I don't want anything to get worse." Scarlett sighed. "It's already late enough, we should probably both get going."

I stood up with Scarlett and Duke escorted us to the door. I opened the door and went out into the hall and turned expecting Scarlett to follow me out. I watched as Duke caught her arm and pulled her into a hug, engulfing her fully. He moved his lips close to her ear and I heard whispers but I couldn't make out what he was saying. She pulled away and while looking in his eyes nodded before walking out the door.

I was dying to ask her what that was all about, but I wasn't about to try and upset her more. "I'm really sorry, Scarlett." I offered instead.

"Thanks. I thought I was so prepared for it to be over but turns out I'm not. Even with it being mutual, it still hurts. But I just keep thinking back to what Duke's been telling me…that if we weren't truly happy, better to move on." Scarlett sighed.

"Duke's been giving you relationship advice?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah, I mean…we're pretty close. He's been here for me a lot." Scarlett smiled briefly.

"Yeah, I know…I guess I'm just surprised that he could pick up that you weren't happy." I replied.

"To be honest, this isn't the first time I was on his doorstep crying." Scarlett revealed.

"Really?" I asked shocked.

"Things with Snake Eyes have been tense for a while. We tried to pretend like they weren't…but I think we were finally exhausted of pretending. Our whole relationship has been him disappearing from time to time and me never hearing from him until he would choose to show back up. It was something I had to accept if I wanted to be with him. It's a pretty lonely partnership to be in. I didn't realize how lonely until Duke and I were getting sent on mission after mission together. It gave us a lot of time to talk and to get to know each other. We've had some pretty deep conversations. It's really easy to talk to him. It's so comfortable." Scarlett continued.

"Yeah, I feel the same way." I agreed. We were back at our quarters.

"So yeah, Duke's been getting the brunt of my emotional roller coaster with Snake Eyes. I bet he's happy that it's over." Scarlett gave a small sarcastic chuckle.

"Don't say that. He was just as upset as you were." I frowned as I swiped the pass card and opened the door.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Scarlett shrugged and then changed the topic, "Say, let's dive into that ice cream you offered."

"You got it." I answered and we entered our suite.

((End Flashback))

Looking back, I should have realized from that point on I had no chance with Duke now that Snake Eyes and Scarlett had broken up, but I was so infatuated with Duke that I blindly still pursued him for months and months. After all we had been so close to kissing. I figured he'd want to pick up where we left off eventually. But Duke's and all of our free time became very limited once Cobra activity started picking up. We were all on edge waiting for the shoe to drop. Scarlett had been called with a small team of joes to fly the new sky strikers to base, which meant she'd be gone for a few days. I had been busy in the motor pool making sure all of our vehicles were up to snuff in case of a Cobra attack and barely had any free time either. But once I did find a free moment, I decided to make my next move on Duke.

((Flashback))

I checked his quarters but there was no answer so next I went to his office. Sure enough after I knocked I heard a familiar voice call for me to come in.

"Hey, you." I greeted him with a smile.

"Oh hey, Cover Girl, how are things in the motor pool?" Duke asked shuffling some papers around.

"Busy, but I figured I'd give you an update that all of our vehicles are ready for whenever they're needed." I replied.

"That's good news." Duke almost grimaced as he looked over his desk. "Reports are coming in that Cobra's chomping on the bit for a good fight and I'm worried they'll strike while our best pilots are off base." I could see the tension running throughout his upper body so I walked around behind his desk.

"We'll be able to take whatever they dish out. We always have and always will." I quietly replied as I put my hands on his shoulders and began kneading them. "You're super tense, Duke. Let me help you relax." I whispered in his ear as I continued to massage his neck, back, and shoulders.

"Courtney…"Duke replied.

"I love the way my name sounds on your lips." I grinned. "But I think my lips pressing against yours sounds even better." I leaned over him letting my blond locks tickle his neck. I craned and tilted my head to get in position to kiss him when his radio beeped startling us both.

"Duke. The new sky strikers are coming into range and should be landing shortly." Stalker's voice spoke through the walkie-talkie.

"I'm on my way, Stalker." Duke replied and stood up. He turned and looked at me uncomfortably, "Thanks for the report, CG. I'll try to stop down to the motor pool a little later and check out your progress."

"Sure, Duke." I nodded biting my lip in frustration of being interrupted again. We left his office together and I watched him run towards the exit that led to the air field.

((End flashback))

Almost as if he had known, no sooner had the new Sky Strikers arrived when Cobra struck. They damaged most of the new planes and a lot of the battle artillery. They left as quickly as they arrived, Duke surmising it was a warning that something bigger was on the horizon—which it definitely was. Cobra was about to reveal their biggest plan yet to take over the world. Duke even got captured at one point, but he was able to escape and we were able to recover him and bring him back to base. I had been working in the motor pool when I heard them radio that the chopper had landed and he needed medical attention. I rushed right out and was able to be at his side as he was wheeled into headquarters on a stretcher. He was weak but recovered quickly enough to bravely take charge once again. We were scrambling at headquarters to keep up with Cobra. Then Scarlett was captured and things seemed overwhelmingly desperate. We were able to stop Cobra's energy beam from hitting the Empire State Building, but Cobra still had the upper hand having Scarlett as a prisoner. Duke was the only one who could lead us to the Cobra base but he couldn't remember how to get there. Doc suggested Duke use his sensory deprivation tank to try and go back through his memories to find the way to Cobra base. I was shocked that Doc let us all watch as Duke was almost completely naked while submerged but I certainly wasn't going to complain! Luckily it worked and we found out that Duke gave his ring which had a homing beacon in it to a female slave. It would lead us right to the base!

((Flashback))

I slipped into the back and into the room where Duke had been taken after getting out of the sensory tank. Disappointedly, he was already dressed.

"May I say that your body is better than any fantasy I've ever imagined?" I announced my presence. Duke swiveled his head around to face me.

"Huh?" he asked confused.

I sauntered over to him and ran my hands up and down his chest, "I knew you were in fantastic shape, but wow….talk about ripped! You have the body of a god." I glanced down at his crotch, "I imagine that's true for everything you have to offer."

"You…you were there?" Duke asked surprised.

"Sure was! You didn't think I'd miss out on it, did you?" I winked.

"No…I…I guess I'm just surprised Doc didn't limit the viewing audience. I'll have to talk to him about his policy about that later." Duke replied calmly as he sat in a chair and put on his boots.

"It's good to know that you're into blonds." I changed the subject.

"What?" Duke asked foggily.

"Blonds. We saw a real cute blond girl that you dated in college during the memory scan. Blonds definitely are more fun. Wouldn't you agree?" I asked.

Duke garbled out some answer that I couldn't understand. He sighed heavily and ran his hands through the hair on either side of his face.

"Oh, wow…you're really worried about slave girl. Should I be jealous?" I teased trying to lighten the mood.

"What?" Duke asked confused almost like I was speaking a foreign language.

"The young hot thing you gave your ring to. Should I be jealous?" I repeated myself. Duke shifted his eyes away from me and the look on his face told me all I needed to know about what was really eating at him. The color drained from my face. How could I have been so stupid!

"Oh my god…"I softly breathed, "this is about Scarlett. You're worried about her."

Duke snapped upright in the chair, "Of course I'm worried. She's my friend and teammate."

"No….this is different…the way you're acting…"I calmly replied even though I felt like crying. "How long?" I asked even though I didn't really want an answer.

"How long what?" Duke asked staring me down.

"Come off it, Duke. How long have you and Scarlett been…"I trailed off knowing Duke could fill in the rest.

"We're not…"Duke started in a tone that even one of the Dreadnocks would have known he was bluffing.

"Don't make me feel even dumber than I already feel, Duke!" I exclaimed harshly before quieting down again, "How long?"

"It's not so cut and dry like that." Duke sighed.

"What do you mean 'it's not so cut and dry'? "I cried in frustration.

"Look, I don't want to hurt your feelings…"Duke began.

"Well too bad, Duke, you already have!" I spat. "Just tell me…"

"A few weeks after the break up, Scarlett and I ended up in bed together….we never expected for things to go that far…" Duke began to explain.

"Oh my god!" I covered my mouth as a tear ran down my face. "That long ago?"

"No! I mean…yes, but it was just that one time…" Duke took a breath, "until a couple weeks ago when it happened again and we decided we wanted to continue pursuing things…romantically."

"So, you're a couple?" I asked squeezing my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. I could not let Duke see how devastated I was.

"We haven't really labeled anything yet, but I would like to think so. I care a lot for her and I believe she feels the same about me."

"Well, it would have been nice for one of you to clue me in!" I snapped.

"Courtney…"Duke started to try and console me.

"NO! Fuck you! Fuck Scarlett too! Fuck you both!" I cursed before storming out.

((End flashback))

Duke and his team left swiftly after that to go rescue Scarlett and to destroy Cobra's MASS device. I was left with a skeleton crew to hold down the fort. My whole world was rocked that day. I felt so foolish that I had been spending so much time pursuing Duke while my supposed friend was fucking him behind my back. I thought I had left all that mean girl shit behind me when I left the modeling world. It was cruel that Scarlett had left me in the dark. She knew how I felt about him! She witnessed my attempts to try to get his attention! Why didn't she have the decency to tell me? Had they been laughing behind my back about it the whole time?

The team came back triumphant of course and it was all I could do to hold it together seeing Duke and Scarlett together. That slave girl had her hands all over Duke. I was both happy and sad over that. Happy because it made Scarlett look like the second choice but sad because I was no choice. One thing I knew for sure is I could not share my living space with a backstabbing bitch. After celebrating that we had won the war and had captured Cobra Commander, I went back to my quarters rather quickly and started packing up my stuff. I was actually surprised that Scarlett came back to our quarters. I figured she'd want to get back in Duke's pants and spend the night at his place.

((Flashback))

I moved another box from my bedroom out into the living area when the front door opened and Scarlett walked in.

"Hey…"she called softly. Her eyes were red and puffy just like the night she had shown up at Duke's after breaking up with Snake Eyes.

I couldn't even answer her I was so angry. "What's all this?" Scarlett asked referring to the boxes.

"I'm moving out." I simply replied not daring to look at her again.

"Courtney…" Scarlett began.

"NO! YOU ARE SUCH A BITCH!" I screamed.

"Can we talk?" Scarlett asked weakly.

"Oh! Now you want to talk?! It's too late for that!" I yelled as I slammed down the box.

"Please!?" Scarlett begged but was met with my silence. Scarlett's voice softened, "You're right. I should have told you. It was wrong of me not to. I was just trying to spare your feelings."

"And this is SO much better!" I yelled. I turned towards her and folded my hands in front of my chest.

"I did what you asked and I told Duke you were interested. I brought you up any chance I could." Scarlett explained. "I had no idea he had feelings for me."

"Oh, and I'm sure you are so innocent in all this! Duke wouldn't be interested unless he thought he had a chance. And with all the time you spent with him instead of Snake Eyes…no wonder he thought he had one!" I hurled back.

"No! It wasn't like that!" Scarlett shook her head vehemently as she started to cry.

"Is that why Snake Eyes dumped you? Because you were already cheating on him with Duke?" I speculated.

"NO! I'D NEVER!" Scarlett exclaimed through her tears.

"I have a hard time believing that!" I snarled as I went back into my bedroom for another box.

"Really! I had no idea how Duke felt…and I was shocked when I realized I felt things too. I had no desire to get involved with someone so soon after Snake Eyes...but it just happened." Scarlett tried explaining.

"Right…you just happened to trip onto his bed and his dick ended up inside you." I sarcastically replied as I taped up another box.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry!" Scarlett cried.

"If you were truly sorry you wouldn't have slept with him in the first place!" I couldn't hold off the tears anymore.

"It wasn't intentional! I swear!" Scarlett exclaimed defensively, "But it might not even matter now…" her weary voice trailed off.

"What's the matter Red? Trouble in paradise? You can steal a man but can't keep him?" I jabbed.

Scarlett sighed, "I know you're upset right now so I'm going to let that slide."

"Let what slide? THE TRUTH?!" I cried with a laugh.

"That's not the truth! I didn't steal him from you!" Scarlett cried in frustration.

"Seems like karma's already in full swing and Slave Girl managed to turn Duke's head enough that he didn't even show you in his memories! He's already erased and replaced you!" I spat in her face. Scarlett scrunched her face up and I braced myself for her to slap me but then there was a knock on the door. Scarlett stormed to the door and opened it. Duke was on the other side.

"This is not the time." Scarlett snarled.

"Actually, it's the perfect time, Duke. Come in." I contradicted her.

"Shana, I'm sorry…" Duke started.

"Oh, isn't this a scene? Groveling for her forgiveness? She was just groveling for mine!" I exclaimed folding my arms against my chest as I leaned against the doorframe to my bedroom.

"Courtney, could you give us a minute?" Duke asked.

"Oh like the way you both gave me a MINUTE? I don't think so!" I exclaimed. "I already filled her in about the sensory tank. We all got to see you and your Slave Girl in action." I laughed.

"So it is true!" Scarlett exclaimed furiously before storming into her bedroom and slamming the door.

"NO! IT'S NOT!" Duke yelled and pounded on her door. He swiveled around and stared at me "Courtney! Why would you say that!" he furiously snapped.

"Payback's a bitch. Isn't it?" I smirked as I continued packing. Duke continued to knock on Scarlett's door and begging her to open up and talk to him. I continued packing through the whole thing. After awhile Duke turned around and slid down the door defeatedly. He watched as I put another box down.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?" Duke grumbled.

"I'm moving out and into my own quarters." I stated triumphantly.

"No, you're not. It's ridiculous for you to move out because of this." Duke shook his head.

"It's not ridiculous and I am definitely getting assigned to new quarters... because if I don't, I'm going directly to Colonel Sharp and telling him that you are sleeping with someone under your command." I threatened.

"You really hate Shana and me so much you'd do that?" he asked.

"Actually, I hate Shana a lot more so I would probably tell Sharp that she seduced you and coerced you into sleeping with her. That way she gets the boot and you get to stay Top Kick…and I'll be right here for you to cry on my shoulder when she's gone." I plotted.

"Do you hear how delusional you sound?" Duke shook his head at me.

"Might not sound so delusional once she's gone and you need to blow your load." I shrugged.

"Damn it, Courtney! This petty high school bullshit needs to stop. It's beneath you. I thought it's why you left the modeling world." Duke exclaimed tiredly.

"Yeah, I thought I left it there too. Turns out there are mean girls everywhere you go that will stab you in the back if you give them the chance!" I exclaimed.

"She's not a mean girl. None of this was meant to hurt you." Duke sighed rolling his head back to rest on Scarlett's door.

"And yet here we are…" I snidely replied. "You better have my new quarters ready by tonight or else I'm going to Sharp." I stormed out unable to look at him anymore and went down to the motor pool to start assessing the damage from the battle.

((End Flashback))

That day changed everything between the three of us. I did get assigned to new quarters that night and Duke even had my stuff moved for me so it was waiting for me when I got back from the motor pool. My new quarters were as far as possible from my old one which I was very thankful for. The first few weeks after learning that Scarlett and Duke were together were a struggle for me. I was so annoyed with myself that I let myself get hurt like that. I should have seen the flags. I should have known better. I would NEVER make that mistake again. Cobra was quiet for the next few weeks so I didn't run into Duke or Scarlett much while on duty. They didn't dare look at me when we did happen to pass each other and I never saw them together. Rumor had it that they were still on the outs because of Slave Girl. Ace's betting pool whether or not Duke and Scarlett were sleeping together was at an all-time high. I could have raked in a lot of money if I revealed what I knew….but if I ever wanted a chance with Duke, I needed to keep the information to myself. Yeah, I was still hung up on Duke. After analyzing everything that had happened, I'd come to the conclusion that Scarlett was totally at fault and she had somehow gotten Duke to sleep with her. It totally made sense. I mean, how could he go from wanting to kiss me to fucking my roommate so quickly?

I remembered Duke telling me that I was better than the petty bullshit and he was right. I was better than that and he believed in me. So, I decided to give myself a make-over both inside and out. I cut my hair short and dyed it auburn. Duke is attracted to red heads so I figured I'd heat up the competition and give him a choice. He deserved someone better. Someone like me.

((Flashback))

I walked confidently into the mess with my new hairstyle. I was actually digging my new pixie haircut. I could feel all the joes staring and could hear the gasps while I slid my tray down the track.

"What? A girl's not allowed to have a makeover?" I smiled wryly.

"Well, I'm digging it." Clutch grinned sliding next to her.

"You'll dig anything that doesn't have a penis." I scoffed crassly as I grabbed my food. I picked up my tray and scanned for a place to sit…and saw the perfect table.

"You saving this for someone special?" I innocently asked as I approached an empty seat at Duke's table.

"Love the new look, Cover Girl. Maybe we should start calling you Red too." Grunt suggested as he passed her.

"No thanks, but if you're going to insist on giving me a nickname, how about Gorgeous? I think that suites me much better and definitely more flattering. Don't you think so, Duke?" I asked sitting down with him and the others at the table. I guess they all sensed that Duke and I needed to talk because each one made an excuse as to why they needed to suddenly leave. Beach Head, a newer joe, was the last to pick up his tray.

"Christ, the last thing we need around here is another ginger." He grimaced before he left.

"What was that all about?" I nodded in the direction Beach Head had gone.

"I don't really want to get into it." Duke sighed and threw down his napkin.

"Let me guess. Scarlett's giving him a hard time falling in line?" I chuckled. Beach Head was known as being a Type A, by the book, hard ass, drill sergeant who thought women still belonged in the kitchen and not the battlefield. I just ignored his ass along with his comments most of the time but I sure could see Scarlett locking horns with him on the regular since they were both among the top tier of command.

Duke remained quiet, signaling my guess was correct. "Well, did you suggest he try sleeping with her? That seems to make men happy around here." I offered.

"Cover Girl!" Duke snarled warningly.

"You mean, Gorgeous? I'd much prefer you to call me that." I winked. Duke pushed back his chair to leave.

"Aw, Duke, I was just kidding! Don't go…" I pouted.

"No, you weren't." Duke sighed as he pulled his chair back in. "Why do you have to be like this?"

"Why did you have to fuck her?" I furiously whispered in response.

"I'm not going to get into this with you again." Duke sighed.

"Rumor has it that Scarlett's panties don't want you to get into them again either." I cracked as I took a bite of my sandwich.

"No thanks to you! You made her think something happened that didn't!" Duke exclaimed as furious as he could without making a scene.

"Maybe it did? Maybe it didn't? I don't really care either way. You need to find yourself a woman who isn't so insecure." I advised.

"And I bet you're going suggest someone like you." Duke sighed.

"Well, I did dye my hair since red heads are a turn on for you." I winked. "You haven't told me how much you like it yet." I rested my chin on the palm of my hand waiting.

Duke leaned in close, "There's only one red head that will ever have my attention around here and it's not you."

"Ouch, that hurt…but I wouldn't write me off so quickly. Lord knows I don't plan on giving up." I quipped taking a sip of my drink. I watched Duke's eyes darted past me and I turned around to see Scarlett entering the mess. She caught our eyes and skipped the line and came straight to our table.

"I had to come see for myself." Scarlett replied. "So, are you trying to steal my look, steal my man, or both?"

"You've left him in the cold so long I figured I'd try and warm him up. Besides, you're one to talk about stealing a man!" I stood up in her face. If she wanted to give the people in the mess a show, I was ready to give one too.

"I didn't steal anything. He was never yours. He was never even interested in you despite you throwing yourself at him every chance you got!" Scarlett lashed back. "Makes you look pathetic if you ask me!" A chorus off "ooh"s and "damn"s erupted around us.

"What's pathetic is you not even letting your bed get cold after Snake Eyes before letting Duke roll into it!" The shock and awe peanut gallery commented once again.

"At least someone wants to be in my bed. Can you say the same?" Scarlett asked. She turned from me and looked at Duke. "Can we go somewhere and talk?" Duke didn't have to be asked twice. He stood up immediately and followed her out of the mess, dumping his trash on the way. I picked up what was left of my lunch and left the mess so I wouldn't have to hear the others' comments. I was furious. If Scarlett wanted a war, I'd give her one.

((End Flashback))

Despite the fact that Scarlett and I were now mortal enemies, we tried our hardest to never let our issues interfere with our duty to serve our country. Sure, it was tense when we had to work together but most of the time we were able to put our personal feelings aside when it came to fighting against Cobra. Our personal war absolutely had to take a back seat to the REAL war at hand. Cobra was getting stronger and hitting harder so the brass had recruited a whole bunch of new officers to join the team, including another female. Her code name was Lady Jaye. She was assigned to bunk with Scarlett and they became fast friends. She was obviously wary of me, but a lot of the time she served as a mediator between Scarlett and me.

As far as Duke was concerned, I planted myself next to him any chance I got. Mostly to be a thorn in Scarlett's side, but I can't lie…part of me still hoped that one day he would come around and realize it was me he wanted instead. A few days ago on Christmas, I made my boldest move yet. It wasn't planned but the timing just ended up being too perfect to let it pass by. Cobra ambushed us Christmas Eve and we ended up having a battle with them to stop them from destroying Keystone City with vehicles that they stole from us and making it look like the joe team was responsible. We had gained the upper hand and Cobra was foiled at the last minute thanks to Desto's weapon making Shipwreck's bird, Polly, into a giant bird!

((Flashback))

Duke walked over after Giant Polly released him from her grip. "Well, Cover Girl, Merry Christmas." He came and knelt beside me and looked at me with concern, "Are you okay?"

My heart soared at the tone of concern in his voice. "Yeah, thanks. And you?"

"Okay…but what are we going to do about that rather larger bird over there?" he asked thumbing towards the Giant Polly.

"Whatever he says, Duke." I shook my head. "Whatever he says."

"Yeah, I guess we better…at least until we fix Destro's gun." Duke sighed. His eyes looked extra blue against the snow that was falling. He was so handsome. My heart was beating fast. I knew if I didn't speak, he'd turn his attention to other members of the team and this moment I had with him would be over.

"Oh!" I exclaimed thinking quick, "Got you a little present, Duke." I smiled coyly.

"Oh? What's that?" Duke asked curiously. I was almost a little taken aback by his reply. Normally he would have told me to 'buzz off' or that he 'didn't want to know'. Must have been the spirit of Christmas.

"The key to your handcuffs." I pulled the key out of my pocket and held it up for him to see.

Duke laughed a hearty laugh, "Aw, you shouldn't have."

And that's when I did it. I grabbed his face and kissed him. It was a quick kiss but a kiss. And it felt good. It felt so good.

"Merry Christmas, Duke." I softly whispered. I then unlocked his handcuffs.

"Courtney…"Duke sighed.

"Shhh, it only has to be between you and me." I gazed in his eyes teasingly "and Mutt, Wild Bill, Roadblock, Dusty, and Ripcord."

"Don't forget the biggest blabbermouth of all Shipwreck!" Duke exclaimed. "What were you thinking?"

"I think you know what I was thinking." I grinned.

"After all these months…your hate for her is still so strong. This is going to destroy her." Duke sighed. And that's when I saw the tears in his eyes.

"She deserves every ounce of hurt that this brings her. Maybe then she'll understand my pain." I muttered.

"But do you understand this is my pain too? If Scarlett is hurting, I'm hurting too." Duke replied. I dropped my gaze into the snow. "And if you care for me…like you say you do…then why do you want to hurt me?"

"I don't!" I cried.

"Well, you are." Duke stated before standing up and walking away.

The kiss had felt so good but I'm not quite sure it was worth the price.

((End flashback))

When we got back to base, the gossip about me kissing Duke spread like wildfire. I could feel everyone's eyes burning on me as I walked about base. I guess I never took into account just how big the Scarlett fan club was. And then there was Duke who stayed silent the whole way back from the mission and now he wouldn't even look at me. Kissing him had gotten me the opposite of what I wanted. Scarlett returned from visiting her family the following day and you could tell from the look on her face she already knew about it when she touched down. She and Duke had it out on the tarmac and the security cameras caught it all. Joes were passing it along and rewatching it like it was an epic episode of Days of Our Lives.

And that's where we are in present time. I'd been trying to keep a low profile but I needed to get out and see something different than the walls of my quarters. I decided to take a walk down to the rec room to see if anything was going on.

I entered the rec room and immediately heard the dialogue I practically had ingrained to my brain over the past couple days.

"Shana, it meant nothing! It was all her! I swear it!" Duke's voice cried.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Scarlett's voice hissed.

"Please!" Duke's voice begged. I turned and saw a group of joes around the big screen TV watching the scene on the tarmac.

"Look, I know it was her and not you but it still stings. I need some space." Scarlett's watery voice replied.

"Shana...I love you." Duke's voice trembled with desperation.

"I just need some space, Conrad." Scarlett forcefully reminded him before walking off.

"You lot should be ashamed of yourselves for watching this in here! Why don't you get your own lives!" I snapped as I barged in front of the screen.

"Will you look who it is? The director behind all of this!" Footloose exclaimed.

"You must be pretty proud of yourself. It might just win an Emmy!" Leatherneck joked.

"Yeah! What gives, Gorgeous? I would think you'd be watching this on repeat! Enjoying your victory!" Grunt exclaimed

"Would all of you knock it off? It's not like that at all!" I yelled.

"Oh but it is! This is all your fault because you can't seem to pull up your big girl panties and realize that Duke ain't interested!" a voice called out from the other direction from where I was looking. I turned to see Beach Head with his hands folded across his chest glaring at me. We locked eyes briefly before he stormed out of the room.

"What's going on? I heard some yelling." Scarlett came into the room. She looked at the TV and the color drained from her face when she recognized what was on the screen. She looked at me and narrowed her eyes. "Hosting a public screening, are you?" She fumed. "Guess you forgot to invite the main stars of the show!"

"NO! I was yelling at them for watching it!" I pointed to the crowd of joes.

"Yeah right, because you of all people are the moral compass of the team!" Scarlett scoffed.

"She's actually telling the truth." Leatherneck replied.

Scarlett glared at him and then back at me, "I think it's time you and I have to talk."

"Agreed." I nodded and swallowed hard. We both turned to see Leatherneck, Grunt, Footloose and the few others were watching us like we were the feature presentation. Somehow, they had even gotten popcorn.

"GET OUT!" Scarlett screamed with the fire of hell burning in her eyes. The group scattered, desperately scared for their lives. The popcorn bowl went flying and hit the ground with a thud, the kernels raining down around it.

"So, we're going to do this?" I asked boldly, hoping my voice didn't give away how badly I was shaking.

"I think it's about time." Scarlett replied stepping closer to me. I closed my eyes waiting for her to swing at me. After a seconds had passed and I had felt no punch her voice called out, "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to hit me." I replied with my eyes still shut.

Scarlett huffed, "Trust me I want to, but I don't really think that will solve anything." She folded her arms in front of her chest and leaned against the couch, "Can you be honest with me?"

"Okay?" I asked opening my eyes knowing she wasn't going to hit me.

"Do you ever plan on giving up on Duke?" she asked plainly.

"I don't know. Why?" I asked narrowing my eyes. I saw tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

"Because it's not fair…"she sniffled. "This isn't fair to him. He's trying so hard to keep the peace between us and not hurt your feelings and not hurt my feelings…It's just not fair to him."

"So?" I asked giving her a side eye.

"So, I'm letting him go." She wiped the tears from her face as she regained control of her emotions.

"What?!" I cried.

"I love him too much to put him through this anymore. I have to let him go. He doesn't need the stress of all this on top of what he already has to worry about." Scarlett coughed through a sob that so desperately wanted to release itself.

"Are you serious?" I asked in total disbelief of what I was hearing.

"He needs to be in top form to run this team and it's obvious he can't when he's too worried about you and me and what your next plan is to hurt me. The team will suffer and it's incredibly selfish of me to put my needs in front of that. We all took the oath that our duty to protect America would always come first. I need to keep my word and this is the way I can help Duke keep his. If it's meant to be, maybe Duke and I can reconnect when the team no longer needs our services." Scarlett answered, clearly trying to convince herself that this was the course of action that needed to be taken.

I was speechless. I just stood staring at this woman who was always so confident and collected and here she was withering right in front of my eyes. You would have thought I'd jump for joy at her revelation. I had won! I had taken away the thing that mattered most to her…just like she had done to me. But this wasn't a celebratory moment, far from it.

"Just please…" Scarlett took a few moments to wipe away some new tears that had started to fall, "If you're still going to pursue him…can you please not do it in front of me? I know that is a lot to ask and I certainly don't have a right to ask you for anything. This all started because I held the truth from you and I've been paying for it every day since you moved out."

My brain still didn't know how to respond but my gut immediately took over and words flew out of my mouth, "I don't think Duke would be at his best without you." Scarlett hesitantly brought her eyes to mine waiting for me to continue. "Also, I'm pretty sure he would never forgive me."

"You can stand in line behind me for his forgiveness." Scarlett replied sobbing so hard she was shaking.

"You really do love him, don't you?" I softly replied. Scarlett nodded as she hugged herself. I rubbed my chin slightly, "All this time I thought for certain you got with him to spite me. You wanted him just because I wanted him." Scarlett was heaving pretty heavily trying to catch her breath. "But the reality is you've been feeling guilty for falling in love with him while you were trying to help me."

"So guilty." Scarlett agreed in between sobs. "I tried to turn off the feelings. You were my friend and I wanted to see you happy…but the feelings were so powerful…I've never felt this way about anyone before and it got to the point I just couldn't hold them back anymore."

"I see that now." I replied dropping my gaze low. She was a blubbering mess and I was responsible. I was feeling pretty remorseful for everything I had done to spite her, especially kissing Duke. "I'm sorry I kissed him." Scarlett let out a small chuckle as her sobbing subsided.

"You're laughing?" I asked.

"Never in a million years did I ever think I'd hear you apologize for that." Scarlett sniffled loudly. She looked up and I could see her confidence regaining control. "I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you about Duke. If roles were reversed, I wouldn't have wanted to be kept in the dark either."

"You'll stay with him then?" I replied.

"If we're good…I'd like to." Scarlett replied bashfully. She shook her head briefly before correcting herself smiling, "I'd love to."

"We're good." I assured her. "But if you ever hurt him…"

"You'll start your shenanigans again?" Scarlett raised her eyebrow.

"Worse. I'll come after you." I let a small smile slip onto my lips.

"I have no doubt you will." Scarlett replied wiping the remaining tears from her face. "I'm glad we talked."

"Oh no you don't…don't you dare get sappy on me! I'm doing this for the good of the team!" I exclaimed, "Hopefully Beach Head will be more pleasant now that he won't have to deal with us wanting to rip each other's faces off during PT."

"Speaking of Beach Head…" Scarlett trailed off not being able to contain her grin.

"What?" I asked alarmed.

"I think he might have a thing for you. Your name has been on his lips an awful lot this week." Scarlett revealed as she sniffed away the last of her sobs.

"No way. He was just in here yelling at me to 'put on my big girl panties and realize Duke ain't interested'" I mimicked his tone.

"Maybe because he is?" Scarlett shrugged.

"Are you listening to yourself? This is Beach Head you're talking about." I cried in disbelief.

"Hey," Scarlett put her hands up defensively, "Stranger things have happened. I mean look at us talking…and getting along."

I heartily laughed, not remembering the last time I laughed so fully. "Absolutely true." A few quiet moments passed and things began to feel awkward.

"See you around?" Scarlett asked probably feeling it too.

"Go have some great make up sex with your man." I grinned nodding in the direction of Duke's quarters.

"Courtney!" Scarlett exclaimed her eyes wide.

"What? Am I wrong?" I asked still grinning.

"Well…..no" Scarlett replied her cheeks turning the same color as her hair.

"Spare me the details….please. At least for now." I put my hand up.

We did a little awkward wave good bye and both set out opposite directions. On the way back to my quarters, I passed the gym and peaked inside to see Duke doing some reps of pull ups shirtless. He was facing away from me so didn't see me come in.

"Boy, Scarlett's going to be upset not to find you in your quarters." I greeted him and slapped his ass.

"What the hell?!" a voice exclaimed. I froze. It wasn't Duke's voice. I looked up and Beach Head was glaring at me.

"Who do you think you are coming in here and smacking me on the ass like that?" Beach Head glared.

"Sorry I thought you were Duke. You look similar from the back." I shrugged. I had to admit it wasn't a bad looking site by any stretch of the imagination.

"Like that makes it any better?" he huffed and stalked away and grabbed a towel and wiped his face. "I should write you up for sexual harassment. Duke should have too."

"Why are you so obsessed over my relationship with Duke? Maybe you need to put on your big boy pants and realize it's none of your business!" I folded my arms in front of my chest.

"YOUR RELATIONSHIP?!" Beach Head exploded, "When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that there is NO relationship! Duke will never leave Scarlett for you no matter how much you try to screw it up! You've tried and tried and tried and look what happens! They always go back to each other. You are SO delusional!"

I actually flinched at his words. Hearing it from his point of view really made me realize that the only person making me look like a fool this whole time was me. "Wow…I didn't know how you really felt about me…"I could feel the tears coming. "Thanks for clarifying."

"I didn't mean for it to come out like that." Beach Head softened.

"Are you sure? Because it sure as hell sounded like you meant it!" I yelled at him.

"Look, it's driving me bonkers enough that they are breaking frat regs but it kills me that someone as smart as you can't see that they belong together. I just don't get it why you can't leave them alone." Beach Head continued.

"It's a complicated situation, but I think it's finally rectified itself." I replied.

"It has?" Beach Head raised an eyebrow.

I nodded fervently, "Tonight, actually."

"You want me to believe that between when I left the rec room and now you had some big epiphany and you are over trying to screw things over between them?" Beach Head looked at me in disbelief.

"After you left, Scarlett came in." I started explaining.

"Well, you look alright. Guess she didn't beat the sense into you." Beach Head commented.

I chuckled, "I thought she was going to hit me too."

"I wouldn't have blamed her if she did." Beach replied.

"Me neither." I agreed.

"But that's not Princess Peach's style. She doesn't hurt people. Not on purpose anyway." Beach Head sighed.

"You're right…and that's something I came to realize tonight. Ultimately, she was trying NOT to hurt me. I'm so used to the modeling world where women push each other down to get ahead. Everyone has an ulterior motive and the main goal is to be better than everyone else and come out on top. Sometimes I forget that's not how the rest of the world behaves." I sighed.

"So what happened that made you think your strategy might not be the way to go?" Beach Head asked.

"She was going to leave him." I simply said.

"Leave Duke?" Beach Head almost gasped.

"She said she was going to leave him so I could pursue him and he wouldn't have to worry about her feelings or the stress it was putting on their relationship." I further explained.

"Now that definitely sounds like Princess Peach. Pure selflessness." Beach Head nodded.

"Yeah, I get that now." I agreed sheepishly. "I thought I'd be so happy about her breaking things off…but I wasn't."

"Because you knew deep down it wasn't right what she was proposing." Beach Head replied. "I knew your heart would eventually lead you straight."

"I'm sorry it took me this long to realize it." I confided in him.

"Me too." Beach Head whispered moving closer to me. "You're not the only one that's been chasing after something you thought you couldn't get." I locked eyes with him and I could see more than just Beach Head. I could see Wayne, the person behind the hardened soldier's exterior. "I was about to give up on you, Barbie Doll. I didn't want to waste anymore time wondering if you'd ever take off the blinders. Ain't no man want to be second best in a woman's life."

"Wayne…"I breathed feeling slightly dizzy. Had Scarlett been right? This all seemed surreal.

"I don't know how you did it, Courtney, but you did it. You got under my skin." Beach Head divulged. "To the point of me lying in bed night after night wondering if you could ever see yourself with a hardheaded uptight buzzkill like myself."

"Maybe you just need someone like to me to help loosen you up?" I suggested.

"Maybe." Beach Head nodded. "Care to grab coffee and talk sometime?"

"How about a coke and we can talk now?" I suggested. "Why waste any more time?"

"Yeah…sure…that sounds good." Beach Head agreed.

"But, Beach, you better put a shirt on." I replied. He looked at me curiously. "Because if you don't…I can't guarantee your pants are going to stay on much longer either."