SERIES/UNIVERSE: ATF
DISCLAIMERS: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al. Adriana is mine ... don't mind if you borrow her, just ask first, give her back intact and give credit where credit is due. Mindy belongs to herself and my neighbors, though she still thinks my family and I belong to her.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so I was wrong. Casey decided she wanted to tell her story. Like I'm really gonna argue with her? As a friend of mine in junior high always used to say, I may be dumb, but I ain't stupid!
I've borrowed characters from other shows, namely Poltergeist: The Legacy (Philip Callaghan) and MacGyver (Sam and Angus MacGyver). Cheyenne and Carys belong to the evil twin, who graciously gave me permission to use her ladies. Special thanks to Monica and Gray, for straightening out my confusion about the use of 'hot tamale.'
Casey Welles followed Judge Travis through the winding halls of the Federal Building which was home to the Denver ATF, and wondered how she would ever be able to find her way through them again. Maybe they could spare a guide for her first week, while she got used to things? She really didn't want to ask ... even before Judge Travis contacted her aunt Nettie, to see if Casey was available for the job, JD had told her all about the last office assistant.
Casey shuddered. She didn't wanna be nothing like Petra Vickers, no sir! And it wasn't just JD, neither, though Miz Vickers made him mad once by calling him a 'little boy.' Casey stifled a giggle, remembering. Ohh, that was a real good way to get him mad! JD was a bit sensitive about his height ... especially given the size of his best friend and self-appointed big brother, Buck Wilmington. Casey pointed out that JD was taller than Buck's younger sister Adriana, and JD scowled at her. That was different. She was a girl.
Casey whapped him for that. If Adriana was a girl at twenty-five, what did that make nineteen year old Casey? JD kept silent, thereby avoiding putting his foot in his mouth. Again. She loved him, that wasn't a secret, but lord, could that boy put his foot in his mouth! Casey had also decided she liked Adriana's 'Lord and Lady,' though Adriana didn't say that around Aunt Nettie at first. She was real careful about who knew her beliefs. Had to know if they could be trusted. Casey didn't think Miz Vickers ever saw Adriana's Hera medallion.
Casey had. Aunt Nettie had, once she observed that what a person called themselves...whether it was Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, pagan, Wiccan ... wasn't nearly as important as the way they acted toward others. That was what determined whether they were a good person. Josiah had murmured, just low enough for Casey to hear him, 'amen to that, sister. Amen to that.' Of course, then that started a debate about what constituted a pagan.
Casey was so busy thinking, she narrowly missed running right into the judge's back. She held back an 'eep,' and instead kept silent as the judge opened the door to the office of Team Seven. Casey smiled, listening to the banter between JD and Buck ... then outright laughed when Nathan put it a smart ass remark of his own. Casey liked Nate. Most people didn't realize he wasn't serious all the time. In fact, he could be as much of a smart ass as Ezra or JD.
Like one time, while he and Adriana were practicing their dance routine. As usual, at least in the early days before the competition, they had been in sweats ... comfortable clothes. Adriana had missed her cue, and ended up on the floor. Casey, who was waiting for JD and watching the rehearsal, blinked at the words flowing from the archaeologist. What language was she speaking, because it sure as hell wasn't English!
Nathan asked, as he helped her to her feet, "What was that? A language ya learned from Vin?" Adriana admitted as much, then asked what made him think that. Nathan grinned, his brown eyes twinkling with mischief as he answered, "Well, mainly, it was the fact that I've noticed ya swearin' one way one time, and a different way a different time. When ya swear in the office, it's in a language which Ezra can understand. When it's just the two of us, it's more like you're swearing to yourself, so ya don't really think about it."
Adriana blushed and Nathan added, "Ain't a bad thing. The last time you swore in the office, I could count the shades a' red Ezra turned. Never knew he could turn about as many shades of red as Vin. Hell, I never even knew he knew how to blush." He shook his head in amazement and Adriana just giggled. A half second after that, Nate winked at her, which set them to laughing all over again.
And they were absolutely devastating in their costumes. Casey sighed, remembering. Nathan in his bullfighter's costume (Casey knew it was properly a 'toreador,' but Ezra winced when she mispronounced it, so she just stuck with 'bullfighter). Adriana wore a dress ... a gown ... worn by castanet players, which was provided by Inez. It was her way of saying all was forgiven for Adriana sending a forward which had her private, 'girls only' email address by mistake, back when she first started at the ATF. An email which ended up in Buck's hands. Adriana hadn't stopped apologizing for a solid week.
Really, though, how was Adriana supposed to know that 'hot tamale' had anything to do with sex? It had never come up before. Casey hadn't known, either, and her roommate was from Texas, a Texan who referred to herself as 'Tex-Mex.' She called her roomie a hot tamale all the time, and Ara didn't say word one about it. And Casey called Ara that, for the same reason Inez's friends did ... 'cause of her temper. Buck couldn't understand why his little sister could get away with calling her that, and he couldn't. Nathan answered, "It's a female thing, Buck, and your sister don't swing that way."
He got hit in the head with a wet rag for that, but it got the point across. Judge Travis just stood in the doorway, watching 'his' team. Casey peeked around the judge. Yes, everyone was there. She could see Josiah, going over something with Adriana. Vin was typing something ... consulting a book every few minutes, mumbling something, before going back to typing. Ezra was on the phone, his eyes not meeting anyone else's, which meant he was probably talking to someone maybe he shouldn't be.
And then Chris came out of his office, saying easily, "Judge ... do we have our new office assistant today?" He smiled when he caught sight of Casey, peering around the judge's shoulder, as if she was a little girl hiding behind her father for protection. The college student saw everyone stop what they were doing. Adriana, who had been sitting on Josiah's desk as they worked, eased herself to the ground, then Josiah stood as well.
Both were smiling broadly, and Judge Travis said, "Yes, Miss Welles has reported for duty." Casey shivered. It sounded so official, so ... special. So unlike her previous jobs. The judge continued, "Dr. Wilmington, since you've been carrying the bulk of the work the last two weeks, would you mind training Miss Welles today ... or, however long she needs it?" Adriana grinned broadly, her dark eyes sparkling.
"It would be my honor, Judge Travis. Casey ... first things first. You still call me 'Adriana.' Got it?" the archaeologist asked. The college student nodded ... good, that was one less thing to worry about. Adriana continued, "I'll give you the dime tour first, complete with landmarks so you don't get lost." Casey blinked and Adriana added with a shrug, "I got lost more times than I could count in my first day here, much less my first week. Picked up on a few things that might help."
Uh ... yeah, to say the least. Adriana continued, "And thwap me upside the head if I start over-explaining things. I know you're not stupid, so call me on it if I sound like I'm patronizing you." Uhm, Adriana never did that before ... why would she start now? The archaeologist said, slipping carefully past the judge, "Well, even before I came here, I was never sure if I was getting my point across ... so I tend to overexplain things."
Gotcha. And really, it made sense. Aunt Nettie told her once that Adriana was a bit insecure, and wasn't that what she was talking about? Being afraid that her point wasn't getting across, that was kinda being insecure, wasn't it? Adriana continued, "I'll take you to Team Eight's area first. I don't usually call 'em offices, because Mac gets claustrophobic when you do that. He's more of a field op. You know Cheyenne from JD. Don't imagine you've met Philip yet. He's a priest who helps us out sometimes officially, and unofficially, a lot more often."
Ooookay. Adriana said, glancing at her from the corner of her eye, "And tell me to shut up if I start babbling. I do that when I'm nervous." Nervous? Casey's companion explained, "This is the first time in years I've trained anyone. I did it when I was working in the warehouses, when I was in college, but that was a long time ago. So, I'm a little nervous." And Casey felt some of her own nerves quiet, with that admission.
Truth was, she had been a bundle of nerves, coming here this morning. She was scared out of her mind. She didn't know if she could handle the job, never mind her words to Judge Travis when he asked her. Casey was nineteen years old, and she never tried anything like this before. But as she walked through the halls with her guide and companion, Casey understood something. She wouldn't be alone. Casey could do this job ... and do it well.
The End (I swear! I mean it this time!)
Feedback to Author