[Billie Jean Witwer]

0205
Mess Hall
Vedic Base

She couldn’t sleep, not even after talking to Az, not even when she knew going back home was like a dream come true. Yet this galaxy, this base had become a home away from home. Their arrival had brought life to the base that had not seen a souls in many years. Gave it a meaning to a structure that only awaited to be used. Billie look around the mess hall, it was quite, hardly anyone was around at this time of the night, expect the SF’s who were on night duty in the hallways and other places around the base. There were memories here, they were leaving behind forever. Tugging her robe closer, she curled up on the chair and nibbled on a cookie she had with her, in fact it was the whole bag.

On one side she should be jumping with joy at the thought of being with her family again, back on the planet where she had been born, raised and was the reason she was here to protect it. But that didn’t mean that they had to leave this place unguarded. Remembering why they were leaving, gave her the urge to shoot Cowden in the leg. The nerve of that man. He had no idea what they were defending, exploring and what it mean to be out here. He won’t even acknowledge the stark beauty of the universe and space, even if it slapped him in the face. Cranky she pulled out another cookie to slaughter with her teeth. “Son of a gun” she muttered as she rested her chin on her knee.

Tag: Nick Harper

[Nick Harper]

0205
Mess Hall
Vedic Base

The Admiral had read the memo notifying the expedition that they were all being called home to everyone in gathered in front of the Stargate, the news had not come well, though some were excited to be going home while others did not feel the same way. The next few days were a mix of packing and people still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that they were going home, one of those days their favorite space pirate Broomhilda Wolfe came to visit, Nick told him the news and no sooner did Wolfe hear what Nick had to say was he off to talk to Admiral Oxford. 

A few hours later as Nick was helping pack up the Med bay he was summoned to Oxfords office where he spent another few hours conversing with both Wolfe and the Admiral, followed by a brief conversation with Major Harris and Captain Oxford, a decision was made. Nick was not going to be joining everyone else when they returned home. He was going to stay behind on an "extended assignment" were he would be working with Wolfe to continue the expeditions work, but on a much smaller scale. 

That final discussion did not end till well after midnight and by then everyone was wanting their respective beds, everyone except Nick. He had to much on his mind and he had missed dinner, so naturally he headed to the mess hall to see what was left, as he walked into the room he thought he was alone and did not expect to see a tiny blond woman curled up in a chair eating cookies.  "Can't sleep?" he asked as he walked up to her, "Or you just have the munchies?" he added as he took a seat across from her. 

TAG: Billie Jean Witwer

[Billie Jean Witwer]

0205
Mess Hall
Vedic Base

She heard the footsteps and knew it was him before she even looked up. It was hard no to know when Harper was in the room. The boots against the floor sounded different for each man and woman who graced the base with their presences. The thought of this place being empty again tore her. From the time she had been stationed here till now. Bills had seen and done more than she ever thought she could. Even despite being trained for it, some missions has been a surprise. Tucking her loose hair behind her ear, Bills looked at him, “Yea,” rubbed her face and then twisted her mouth, “especially after hearing all that.” Going for a third cookie, “We all know one day we have pack and leave...but…..” she bit into the biscuit.

“It should be exciting that we get to go back home,” she said. Her mind went to her sister she hadn’t seen since being stationed here, her parents whom she missed dearly, plus her annoying older brother. It was a chance to do things she wrote in letters back home. Looking in the mirror did little. “Get to see family, friends. Catch up on movies and other stuff we might have missed out on, do things we made a list of. Yet it doesn’t feel that way.”

Chuckling after hearing about the munchies, she shook her head in amusement, “My munchies,” but turned the bag so it face him, “What are you doing up?” With more than half of the base asleep; it looked like that only two of them were awake. Letting out a yawn she shook her head again. “And in the mess hall?” It wasn’t like Harper to be running around dead at night.

Tag: Nick Harper

[Nick Harper]

0206
Mess Hall
Vedic Base

“Yea, especially after hearing all that.” 

While she spoke Nick grabbed an empty chair and sat down across from her, resting his arms on the table he listened to what she had to say.  “We all know one day we have pack and leave...but…..” he could not really tell if she was sad to leave or just tired, but she had her cookies, so that was one thing that would brighten her mood.
“It should be exciting that we get to go back home,”  Nick did not look at her for a moment,  “Get to see family, friends. Catch up on movies and other stuff we might have missed out on, do things we made a list of. Yet it doesn’t feel that way.”

"Yeah...about that..." he said quietly, he brought a hand up and scratched his chin, he realized by undergoing this newest adventure he’d miss out on doing things like seeing a movie...with her, or going to eat..with her. “What are you doing up and in the mess hall?” he looked at her and shrugged, "I figured I would come and see what a two am interrogation session was like." he replied with a smirk, he had to tell her one way or another and he would rather her hear it from him than someone else. "I actually just got out of a meeting with Admiral Oxford..." he paused, "And a few other people." he added.

TAG: Billie Jean Witwer

[Billie Jean Witwer]

0206
Mess Hall
Vedic Base

She looked at him puzzled when he began but never finished. Yet watching him scratch his chin was funny, or maybe it was 2 in the morning and her brain was all sleep fuzzied. Or it was all the sugar from the cookies already making her hyper, so she in a funny place. On the other hand they had been friends for so long, it was easy to find somethings about him funny. She threw him a look when he mentioned interrogation session, “For real?” she asked not believing him. It was easy to be the target of his odd jokes. They all did range from her height to her obsession to the cookies. Her love for cookies wasn’t a secret by far. Most were smart to leave her cookies alone.

“Meeting?” she tipped her head and stole her fourth, “at this time of the day? Why?” Briefing were boring enough, but a meetings were like a snore. How much did one achieve from it? Meeting were useless unless they were productive. But it wasn’t a normal meeting was it? She got that much from his face. Shifting in her seat, “What was it about?”

Tag: Nick Harper

[Nick Harper]

0207
Mess Hall
Vedic Base


“Meeting....at this time of the day? Why?”

"It actually started around seven last night and went on...lots of back and forth and then paperwork and then more back and forth." he replied. They had gone over every detail possible and then some, lots of questions and what if's, mostly it was trying to figure out how'd those who were going back to Earth would explain why they were missing a medic. When she asked him what it was about Nick just looked at her for a moment, "Well um...you know how we have all been told to basically pack up and go home." once again he reached up and scratched his chin, "You want some milk with those cookies?" he asked with a nervous laugh, of everyone he knew, he was most nervous about her reaction to his choice the most and yet he wanted her to hear it first, even before his dad who wouldn't even know for several more weeks. 

TAG: Billie Jean Witwer

[Billie Jean Witwer]

0207
Mess Hall
Vedic Base

Nibbling on her cookie, she listened. While meeting lasting hours wasn’t new by any means, but the amount paperwork that went into this one was shocking. What type of meeting had he attended that required so much paperwork and possible fried brain? What was he up to anyway? Billie wondered as looked at him. Hopefully it wasn’t anything that could land the man in trouble. That would be the last thing her CO would need. Finding her cousin in trouble would not sit well with Harris. One the other hand, it was hard to image the baby face serge doing something that was frown on. Unless he was saving someone’s life.

Milk? She wonder if he was really serious. The nervous laugh was something new to her when it came to Harper. “No,” she decline the offer, “I don’t want milk with my cookies. If I did, I would have grabbed one earlier.” Leaning over towards him, “You look nervous, Harper. What gives?” Something had to. Was he off to marry his alien girlfriend? That one would be hard to explain to the old man back home.

Tag: Nick Harper

[Nick Harper]

0208
Mess Hall
Vedic Base

Did she need any milk for her cookies? Nick cringed inside his head as he realized how stupid that question sounded, of course she didn't. The woman knew what she wanted and had no problem getting it herself. She saw right through his attempt at avoiding the subject at hand, “You look nervous, Harper. What gives?” Nick scratched his chin again and looked down at his hands, only to look back up at her, "So we have been ordered to pack up and go home..." he repeated, "I am not going. At least not yet, an opportunity has come up and Admiral Oxford has given me permission to take it, so for a few months or so after everyone leaves I will be working with Captain Wolfe on an extended mission of sorts." once he was done talking he gave her a small smile, all while praying she did not decide to reach across the table and smack him. 

TAG: Billie Jean Witwer

[Billie Jean Witwer]

0208
Mess Hall
Vedic Base

It was unlike him to even act like this. Harper was normally a confident man. The nerves didn’t suit him and neither did the air of uncertainness she could feel from him. But then again it was 2 in the morning and she was still partly asleep as well. She could be mis-reading his body language, even she was sure she wasn’t. When he repeated the first line again, she rose an eyebrow. Oh yea, something was bothering him, likely so much he was scratching his chin again. “You said that already,” she pointed out, “We are going home, whether we like it or not. Not to mention our work here is nowhere near done.”

She blinked when he said he wasn’t going, but when he finished, she was having hard time wrapping it around her head, “You are not going home?” she asked so she get a clarification, “Extended Mission?” No sooner had the words been out, she wanted to take them back. Her brain was slowly processing what this meant. “Oh,” she kept her cookie on the bag and brushed the crumbs of her fingers, “Oh…” she repeated, keeping a lid on her thoughts and whatnot.

“That’s ……great….I guess.” She looked at him and gave him a small smile, when she really wanted to whack him over his head and call him crazy. But hiding her disappointment was the only way, as that would be the last thing he would need from his friends and the expedition members. He had Admiral's support after all.

Tag: Nick Harper