First off, a big Thank You! And Hug! To EW! For putting up the prompt list and helping me with this as my life gets busier. Thank You! It is in her honor that this week's word goes up. While checking the list to make sure that an idea I had had not been used, I noticed another, better word had not been used, so here it is: Confession Also, be gone late this week, and by then, EW will have everything I have, we have dates available, so if you want one or have prompt ideas, EW is the person to notify until I get back mid next week. Thanks!

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Sounds like I need to catch up with this story...but it seems like Anna is getting what she deserves!

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KT: Hmmm...but maybe there are reasons that Nambu CAN'T think of? I wonder...

EW: Joe is getting dressed? Not fair! (stomps foot). Let's see how Jun gets the team back on their feet and in their clothes!

Originally posted by Daniella T EW: Joe is getting dressed? Not fair! (stomps foot).

Oh, come on, DT! You can't have the fun of Joe getting undressed without him getting dressed once in a while!

EW, I agree with the others: it's good to see the team working together again! KT, I'm with Nambu on this one: he's given Jun multiple chances and she made her own mess. I can appreciate her desire for a 'normal life', but she really should have been more careful with her bracelet.

This is an attempt to combine two Bradbury's prompts in one, "confession" and last week's "prize": //Sometimes the darkness is ready to envelop me. I am the one who had to be always firm, always alert, always on duty. When Mark has doubts about his leading abilities, when Jason is hiding his fear through being snarky, when Princess, Tiny and Keyop are worried, concerned, or simply at a loss of what to do with Zoltar, they come to me. I am the Chief, I should have all the solutions in my pocket. But I have a confession to make: this is just as hard for me, if not more. You see, I have to live everyday knowing that my five kids are on the front line of danger. "Keep your eyes on the prize", as the saying goes. Think of winning, and think of peace. The prize will be to still have our sanity at the end of the war. I take it for granted that we may not have our lives. I am tired, so tired of being strong. Sometimes the only thing that keeps me going is not my duty to Earth, to the Federation, but the thought that my work is helping the team in its fight. Oh I am tenacious all right. As long as they need me, I will be there. But sometimes the darkness threatens to envelop me.//

DT -- I must admit that, in the beginning, Zark was going to launch into one of his "the team needs me most of all" monologues. (Zark somehow got stuck in my brain!) But I wised up in time to realize that you were showing us a side of Chief Anderson we usually don't think of. This piece would cause one to look at some of his decisions in a different light.

You're right, EW! That's why I added the phrase "I am the Chief" Otherwise this was risking to become the only serious Zark fic in the universe!

Originally posted by Daniella T Otherwise this was risking to become the only serious Zark fic in the universe!

I don't know about that....I consider it every BotP fic writer's serious duty to devise a worthy end to Zark!

DT: Nice to see the Chief's POV here, his feelings, etc. The Chief never sleeps!

Originally posted by Daniella T Otherwise this was risking to become the only serious Zark fic in the universe!

A serious Zark fic? That's un-possible! LOL.

Great insight, DT!

EW- Joe's on the lose. Now they have to get to Ken to save him from the pervert. KT - He can only expect them to withstand their hormones for so long. Eventually, they're going to find someone to love. It's just human nature. DT - I hope the Chief isn't about to have a nervous breakdown. We can only take so much stress before we break.

BR: Oh yes...the poor guy is right on the edge!

That's not good. If he loses it, the team would be up the creek.

EW: I like that you're taking it seriously that Joe wasn't exactly given an option ... picking on Jinpei might be trying to distract from the fact that he was captured, too? Wonder what their reaction will be to Ken's predicament. KT: Nambu's being smart about this, I see. All the more reason to keep Kaden there. At least it's sinking in for him that they won't all be single forever. DT: Oh, this feels so real ... I almost hope that he'd have these kinds of thoughts, that he really cares for them at this level, as much as it must hurt. (LOL on the serious Zark fic)

This stems from #118 (Forgot), #120 (Allowance), #121.2 (Hang), #130 (Book), #124 (Awesome) and then #138 (Pallid). Whew! ******************** Prompt # 132--Confession The following Friday night: It had been a long week indeed. Galactor had been oddly quiet, not having seen hide nor hair of them at all the last few days. But between coming down with the bug that Jinpei had gotten, and blowing a head gasket in the G2, as well as a tire the other day on the track, Joe was glad to finally get a breather. The Snack was packed, which was not unusual for a Friday night. It was still cold and snowy outside, but the eatery was warm and the liquor flowed freely. Couples gyrated and swayed on the small parquet dance floor, and the overhead colored lights flashed in time to the music. Ken had yet to arrive, that was, if he was going to show at all and Ryu had said something about taking a girl out to the movies. It looked like he was on his own for the night. Joe stood by the old style jukebox, one arm braced against it, flipping through the choices as he plugged the machine with coins. His beer rested atop the machine, the sweat on the brown bottle glistening with the flashes of color from the mirrored disco ball above the dance floor. He vaguely heard calls of "Hi Jun" from behind him, and cast a glance over his shoulder. There was Jun emerging from the ladies room, and she waved to some of her better known customers in greeting. She spied him from across the room and approached, her strides long and easy. She smiled brightly at him when she caught his eye. "Hey Junie..." Joe greeted her, beginning turning back to the jukebox, but then too late realized her expression changed to one of stone. Before he knew it, she had grabbed his ear in a vice-like grip and was pulling him along behind her, much to the amusement of the other patrons. "Hey! What the fu...Owwww! Jun!" he shouted, and tried twisting around, but she held him fast. Holy crap she was going to rip his ear right off his head, leaving him with nothing but a bloody nub! It was all he could do to follow her, hunched over, reeling through the busy kitchen and out the rear door, into the alley behind the Snack. Jun abruptly released his ear and with a strength that belied her size she shoved him against the brick wall, right next to the snow-topped overflowing garbage dumpster. "What did you do?!" she demanded, suddenly shoving her fist beneath his nose. His head spun wildly. Do? What the fuck was she raving about? "Hey! Jun," he cried, staring down at her, at her clenched fist. "What's with the fist?! What the hell are you talking..." "Oh I think you know exactly what I'm talking about!" she glared at him, her green eyes shooting daggers. "Or do I need to remind you?" His heart pounded......wait.....wait... "Oh but Joe-aniki knows and Ken likes freaky chicks!?" she shouted, leaning further into him, his back shoved uncomfortably against the grungy alley wall. Oh. shit. Break out the hip-waders ladies and gentlemen, because he was in it....and deep. Her hand flashed out and she smacked him smartly upside the head. "It was a joke Junie, a joke that was all." he flinched, rubbing the side of his head."It backfired..." "That's your confession?! It was a joke!?" Jesus Christ! He hadn't seen her so pissed in a long time. And he couldn't retaliate against her, he didn't want to hurt her, and he did kinda deserve her anger, he supposed. Well, okay... more than kinda.... She stood there her arms crossed over her chest, just glaring at him. "I didn't know the kid would take it so seriously! I'm sorry Jun!" "Oh not as sorry as you're going to be, Condor. ...." she promised him as she turned on her heel, and headed back into the Snack.

Redbird: *snicker* Oh dear, Joe, you're in big trouble. Not to mention everyone in the J is going to be asking you for weeks if you still have your ear!

oh dear...... what has Jun got in mind? Wouldn't want to be in the Condor's shoes right now!

I'm confused... what exactly did Joe do?

TJ -- He told Jinpei that Jun had 6 toes on each foot and that's why Ken' so into her. (According to Joe, Ken likes "freaky girls".)

Originally posted by ElectricWhite TJ -- He told Jinpei that Jun had 6 toes on each foot and that's why Ken' so into her. (According to Joe, Ken likes "freaky girls".)

Okay, I must have missed that somewhere...

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Wow...somehow the thought of Ken "fighting dirty" never occurred to me!

Me too, EW, in canon, but this Ken is 'Galactor Trained' though.... that would make a difference.

I know it feels a little weird but I told myself that, as KT said, Ken was raised among Galactor .. more importantly, though, he's taken it as his mission to make sure this team is good and Joe will stay alive. He'd consider this a vital lesson. Not to mention, he had to have been feeling the "oh good we get to beat him up!" vibe and might have possibly wanted to remind them that he does know what he's doing, hehe. There might have been a tiny bit of pride in there, too, not to mention that this Ken is a little bit of a brat.

If things keep up this way, I wonder how the team is going to take Joe backing up Ken instead of Adam? As for Ken fighting "dirty", Sensei is right--when lives are on the line, and it's real combat--it's no holds barred. The kids were expecting Ken to fight "clean" and Ken knew that! LOL.

I'd been thinking this scene could be when the team starts to accept Ken. By the end, I knew it had just built more resentment ... I'm sure they all by this point expect Joe to take Ken's "side" and that probably bugs them ... but I bet Ken's been wanting to do that to Adam for a while. And I think he knew Adam was the only one he could do it to (aside from Joe), anyone else and there would have been a lot more trouble.