Black Mirror

Chapter 2 - Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time

***FIONNA***

I'm a fire elemental, but as a lifelong resident of the Sierra Nevadas, I hate the fucking desert. Not to sound like whiny old Anakin in Attack of the Clones, but I don't like sand. I even used to hate going to the beach...although in Bearville, the only beach is on the edge of town, by this lake that's always chilly even in the dead of summer. Gabe went there with me and Kelly Jackson and Tanner Ferris once and enjoyed the swim, although being a water elemental, as opposed to fire like me, air like Tanner, or land like Kelly, probably gives him a much better tolerance for cold swims than the rest of us. That, and he was hoping to ask out Tanner at the time, and took perverse pleasure in teasing him with the sight of his wet body, covered only in goosebumps and a Speedo. (They hooked up the next night in their room at Castledown, but then things got awkward between them, and they almost asked to change roommates. Almost.)

At least the sand on that beach, despite its disgusting habit of sneaking into everyone's cracks, was pretty. It sparkled in the sunlight, because the lake was a well-known pyrite deposit. Not gold - only in Heaven and Earth are the Sierras known for being Gold Country. In Hell, it's more like Silver Country. Or Quicksilver Country in some parts, most of which were rendered uninhabitable by mining practices that predated environmental consciousness. (The angels do NOT find out about this. They think we're so self-righteous about being the most progressive race in the three dimensions, and if they know this about our history, they'll never let us live it down.)

Sitting in this diner with the rest of my squad, I reflect that at least we've waited till summer started coming to an end before making our journey to Sedona, Arizona. Although, to be fair, Russell had to do a hell of a lot of ass-kissing negotiations to grant himself, plus no less than four of his prize new recruits for the Guardian program (myself included), leave for our mission to find and use the fabled, time-traveling Black Mirror. That's why, even though we found out about this mission in the middle of August, it took us until just after the start of September to finally set off from Bearville.

To my left, Kensi pores over the breakfast section of the menu, despite it being lunchtime. She didn't eat this morning, because she's on her period and she had some serious cramps. (Even dying doesn't put the kibosh on that particular curse, not if you're a young woman like her or me.) By now, though, she's feeling well enough to hold down some good old-fashioned French toast - or so she hopes.

To my right, Gabe and I are looking at actual lunch foods, but his partner seems to have a similar breakfast-y craving to Kensi's. "What, they don't offer Southwestern Christmas omelets around here?" asks Harris McCallum with a sharp laugh. "No red and green chile peppers for color and texture?"

Russell looks up from his own menu and shakes his head. "I always thought Southwestern Christmas was more of a New Mexico thing, not Arizona."

"What, just 'cause it was on Breaking Bad?" Harris snickers.

"If you want it that bad, just order it à la carte, buddy," Gabe says to Harris.

I can't help but mimic Harris' smile at Gabe's last word. They're more than just friends and partners, but for whatever reason, the otherwise-innocuous "buddy" has been Gabe's pet name for Harris pretty much since they first met. He's always had quite the talent for touching terms of endearment. Especially for guys he loves - and I'm not just talking about romantic love, of course. I almost didn't know Alex's real name until I first met him - and up to that point, he was only "the cheeky bastard" as far as I knew.

And yes, I'm pretty damn sure Gabe loves Harris. They've only known each other for three months, but Gabe fell hard and fast for him. For two reasons, I'm thinking. Uno, Harris is bi - I've noticed that Gabe, for whatever reason, clicks better with bi than with gay dudes (as Tanner, or Kyle's angel, could tell you), and he's said to me before that he's still not 100% certain of his own sexuality for that reason. Y dos, Harris has the personality of a dog - playful, protective, prone to eating anything, and by all accounts, just a tad bit bitey, if you know what I mean.