Jun soaked up the sun, unable to stop smiling. She'd been looking so forward to the beach. Her new bikini was a total hit, making Ken blush and stutter, Joe lift his shades and raise his eyebrows in appreciation, and poor Ryu spill his drink all over himself. Life was good. What was it about the beach? It wasn't like it was the only place she could feel the sun's warmth. Yet, something about the heat and surf and sand made her feel at peace, like everything was right with the world and always would be. Add in the sound of children playing -- even if that meant her own "boys," her teammates, acting like idiots -- and it was pure perfection. Speaking of idiots, she heard Jinpei let out a shriek, and opened her eyes just in time to see Ken and Ryu hurling him into the water. He splashed down in a flailing pile of limbs, quickly resurfacing soon after to shake his fist and promise retribution. "Kid shoulda been an opera singer," said Joe with a chuckle. "Listen to those lungs." Jun jumped a bit. How had the sneaky bugger gotten behind her? "Well, he's still young. Maybe after the war he'll create and star in the first ever combination marine biology and entomology opera." An amused snort was Joe's only answer. Even though he didn't speak again, she could feel him there, watching the others with her. Somehow that left her with an overwhelming warmth, that elusive sense of true family that she only ever seemed to feel with him around. What that meant, she wasn't sure. Not wanting to lose this feeling of contentment, she didn't question it. There was no room for in her life for wasting a good thing, especially when Jinpei managed to douse her with water in his attempt to soak his fleeing brothers. That drew Jun into the fray with a shriek. Time to teach her idiots a lesson! The Marine Satan mission had Jun sick with worry throughout. Even after, when Ken and Joe were home safe and sound, she couldn't escape the feeling that something was very, very wrong. Sure, Joe was rarely the cheeriest person on the planet. The black cloud hovering over his head ever since, though, was darker and more suffocating than usual. Ken's concerned glances made it clear that he knew, or at least had noticed. Yet whenever she drew up the courage to ask him what was going on, Ken shook his head before she could get a word out, making it clear that she wasn't welcome as usual in their brotherly code of silence. It was enough to drive a girl to drink. Especially since all the boys had skipped out on her early. Ken had muttered something about delivering something for Hakase, Joe had a date despite being in a mood sour enough to spoil fresh milk, and Ryu had invited Jinpei on a convenient-sounding fishing trip that would pull their youngest member away all weekend. So much for help with the rush. Though, as Jun poured herself another shot and looked around the J, she had to admit that zero customers didn't exactly make for a busy night. Good that Hakase subsidized her payments with supposed regular booked-out events. Otherwise, she and the kid would be living on the street. She made it through two more shots before the bell chimed as the door opened. Relieved to have some form of company, Jun lifted her head to offer greetings, only to find Joe sulking inside with a whole host of stormy black clouds surrounding him. A mood like that deserved a gentle touch. Too bad she wasn't feeling gentle. "Good date?" Joe grumbled something under his breath, tossed his jacket on an empty stool, and slid onto his usual perch. "I shoulda been a priest." "Father Joe." Jun couldn't help it. She giggled. "Has a certain ring to it." When he just grunted in response, Jun slid a shotglasss onto the counter. "I know you swear tequila off on a regular basis but that's what I've got out." "It'll do." She filled his shot glass and then refilled her own. Rather than pushing him to talk like she usually did, Jun just watched him knock the first one back, then topped him up. One day, she'd get Hakase to bring another girl into the project somehow. Though, with her luck, the new girl would be far more interested in boning one of the guys than hanging out with another female. "I know why I'm drinking," said Joe after a couple more shots. "How about you?" Jun made a noncommittal sound. The boys did it to her all the time, so why not? She reached for the bottle again but the room started spinning. Oops. Time to cut herself off. "That bad, huh?" "I guess." She supposed she shouldn't be surprised when he didn't even try to press further. To keep herself from snapping at him, Jun started wiping down the counter, focusing on a sticky spot that didn't seem ready to die just yet. After a few more minutes, Joe sighed and slid the bottle back her way. "Okay. Spill it." "What, the drink?" she asked dryly, splashing just a bit more into her shot glass. "Tell me what's bugging you before you scrub right through the bar." A glance at his face told her that he didn't really want to hear it, but he was also looking resigned. Knocking back what she'd put in her glass, she decided what the hell, might as well go for it. "I should ask the same of you." Joe blinked, brow furrowing. "Huh?" "Ever since the Marine Satan mission," she said, glass still in her hand as she talked, "you've been storming and sulking and sour and snarky and ... and ... psycho!" "Psycho starts with a P." Joe smirked. "Don't argue with the girl who provides the booze." Jun waved her empty glass in front of him. He inclined his head as though not wanting to risk disagreeing. After a frustrating few moments of pushing his shot glass along the bar, he finally said, "That mission stirred up some rough memories." That much she believed. "Like what?" Joe fidgeted with his shot glass. Growing up with him, she'd learned to recognize the lines. The set of his mouth said that these were old memories. Before memories. The kinds of memories orphans buried deep, and learned to never ask one another about, since things got turned around fast and suddenly the asker was forced to dredge their own before out of the dark corners where they'd buried it. The little girl inside of her curled up, her determination crumbling. Maybe it was best not to pry after all. When he didn't say anything further, she decided that was the right decision, and reached over to turn on the TV. She'd let Jinpei watch a documentary on whales earlier, so the channel was still set to public television, which meant that she wasn't entirely surprised when a haunting voice filled the club. Something about this particular song always gave Jun chills. Cold fingers of memory crept up the back of her neck, gripping and squeezing. "Nessun Dorma," grumbled Joe. "I fucking hate this song." He slid off his stool and started flipping channels. Usually the boys' endless channel surfing drove her nuts, but for once, the interruptions gave her instant relief. Anything to get rid of that damned music. That was, until he flipped a few more times and then shut the TV back off, trapping her again with the darkness of her thoughts. "I'm gonna go," he said with a sigh. "Find yourself some better company, Jun." He tossed a few bills on the counter and then left without another word. The whole time, all Jun could think of was the fact that company was exactly what had been her mind the moment he came in. It was weird, though. Usually Italian opera made Joe go kind of wistful. She didn't remember him reacting to one quite like that before. As the door closed, she let out a sigh of her own. Time to lock up. Some ice cream and a nice hot bath sounded like just what the doctor ordered. It wasn't like she got alone time very often. Might as well enjoy it. The next day business picked up, but being on her own meant Jun was run ragged. Despite the fact that none of the boys thought she could cook, no one had keeled over from food poisoning, and there were no complaints about the food. Now that all was quiet, all she manage was to stare at the fridge. Cooking just for herself was definitely not in the cards. Her nerves jangled at the sound of the J's front bell. Not wanting to ruin a good night, though, Jun plastered on a smile and went to greet her latest customer. Except, instead of a stranger or even a civilian regular, she found Joe turning her OPEN sign to CLOSED and locking the door. "Uh ..." Jun leaned against the bar, her temper a bit piqued, "what makes you so special that I should close early just for you?" He turned with a grin and lifted his hands to show that he'd brought Thai takeout. "Peace offering." Jun's stomach greeted that news with a growl worthy of a monster mech. No point in pretending not to be swayed. "I'll get some plates." By the time she returned, Joe had all the containers set out and open. They both dug in without another word, and Jun had to admit, as peace offerings went he couldn't have picked anything more perfect. Well, he could open up to her. She fought back a sigh as she plucked out an extra shrimp. Like that would ever happen. Just like she expected, they finished eating in silence. He didn't offer to do the dishes, either, though she supposed since he brought the food she could let him slide on that one. Rather than pulling out the booze this time, she grabbed some glasses after clearing the plates and poured cheap beer from the taps. Joe didn't complain. Apparently her many object lessons in what happens to whiners -- they got water for the rest of the night -- had sunk in. He even tolerated her small-talk for a few minutes before getting up to turn on the TV. She bit back a sigh. So much for chatting. "What are we watching?" "This." Joe flipped a few channels until they were back to public television. The haunting strains of Nessun Dorma filled the club agai

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Was her imagination just out of control? Jun clenched her hands behind the bar, hoping that she wasn't just grasping at anything in the hopes of giving herself a past. "No other children around? No friends?" "I had friends. There was Alan ..." Joe went quiet, gaze going unfocused at yet more memories. "I had friends. I don't remember any of them being there. I wouldn't have wanted them there, anyway." Jun bit her lip. The feeling that surged forward was the desperate need for a friend, or her mother, but her mother was ... what? Gone? "I don't remember much more." He spread his hands then kind of shrugged. "Sorry." She opened her mouth but nothing came out. That was it? No big revelations? Joe finally took another bit of his sandwich, watching her. "Disappointed?" It was hard to read his expression. Jun guessed her own must have been obvious, though, and managed a weak smile. "Sorry." The opera continued playing. Her nerves felt so jangled that she itched to shut it off, but memories still skittered under the surface of her skin. She wasn't ready to let go of the chance to know more about her past. Not just yet. "So why do you hate it?" Those storm grey eyes were focused on her, now. Jun fidgeted with a cloth and started wiping up the bar. He wasn't giving up, though. She'd forced him to look at his own painful past. It was time to pony up. "I don't know," she admitted, still wiping at the counter. "The music makes me itchy, like I want to hide under a bed and never come out. I've never been able to figure out why it bothers me so much." Joe nodded, still watching her, though with an unusually gentle, thoughtful expression. "Guess we have something in common, huh?" Not knowing what to say, she kept wiping. She wiped and wiped until Joe finally grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop, and opening the floodgate for the tears that had been threatening to spill. "Maybe one day you'll remember." Joe squeezed her hand. "And if you don't ... maybe it's for the best." She had the bad feeling that it might be. Still, a giant hole yawned inside her, an empty space where the truth might make her feel whole. Even if that truth was the stuff of nightmares. Jun spent the next week feeling low and a bit lost. She appreciated the way that Jinpei seemed to sense that something was wrong, doing a few extra chores here and there despite her insisting that everything was fine. The hopeful little smiles he shot her way each morning melted her heart. It sucked not being able to smile back the way he was looking for, but things took as long as they took, and soon enough he'd tire of his vigil even if she stayed in her funk. Come to think of it, she'd better enjoy the attention while it lasted. That thought amused her enough to lighten her mood a bit. With the lunch traffic over, and no other plans for the evening, Jun decided that it would be a good time to inventory the bar. With business so sporadic it really hurt when she lost business because she couldn't provide the things her customers expected. She grabbed her books and order forms and got to work, losing herself in the simple minutia of checking the list against what she actually had, and making notes on what to restock. As usual, a few bottles seemed far lower than they should be. Probably one of the guys was slipping behind the bar when she was out of the room, or just her not paying enough attention when she was enjoying her own wares. A couple new hidden cameras might be a good idea. Soon Jinpei would be old enough that he'd probably get into the booze himself. That thought saddened her somehow. He'd been forced to grow up so fast in so many ways, even faster than the rest of them. She really cherished what little childhood he'd been allowed to retain. Thinking about his childhood, of course, brought her mind back to her own. Or, at least, what little she remembered of it. She was becoming more convinced by the day that she must have created these latest memories. Maybe she pulled bits and pieces from movies and TV, or stories she heard at the orphanage when she was little. At least that thought made more sense than what the "memories" suggested. The J's door chimed, pulling Jun's attention back outside herself. She looked up to find Joe striding in. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets, dark circles under his eyes making his gaze surlier than usual. "Rough night?" Jun put her elbow on the bar and rested her chin on her hand. He shot her a withering look at the obvious answer to her question. "Rough few nights." She nearly asked if he wanted to talk about it, but if he wanted to talk, he would. If he didn't, he wouldn't. "Coffee?" His grunt was answer enough. Jun found that the pot was nearly empty, so she started a fresh one, knowing that the only thing more grumpy than a sleep-deprived Condor was a sleep deprived Condor with crappy dregs of coffee. Frankly, he'd looked so tired that she was surprised to find him still awake when she returned, instead of fast asleep with his head down on the bar. He sat in groggy silence while he waited, so she went back to doing inventory, pausing only to pour and then refill his coffee. When he finally spoke, she was taken off guard and didn't really hear what he said. "What was that?" After a moment's pause, as though he was reconsidering whether he should say it again, Joe answered, "Princess Anne." Jun froze. The bottle she was holding shook in her hand, so she carefully set it down. "There was a little girl with pigtails and big green eyes, with a doll named Princess Anne." She couldn't breathe. Her back was to him, but she couldn't bring herself to turn around, to acknowledge what he was saying. "I wasn't lying before." Joe's tone was soft if a little defensive. "I didn't remember this when you asked. All week I've been having crazy-ass dreams with opera music and other weird shit, but the last few nights ..." Jun swallowed thickly, memories tickling the edge of her consciousness but refusing to reveal themselves. This had to be the dream. The idea that she and Joe knew each other as children was insane. Was she so desperate to find her past, to have one at all, that she just couldn't let the notion go? "The last few night's dreams were particularly ugly." Joe's tone hardened a bit. "It took all week for me to pull it together. There was this asshole neighbour, see, who was fucking perfect for Galactor. My dad would crank the opera loud whenever the yelling next door got really bad. My mom would shoo me away whenever the wife showed up, hiding part of her face, or clutching a crying little girl." Jun's stomach lurched at the rush of images and emotions. A monster in her house, roaring and chasing. Hiding under a bed and cringing as her mother screamed. Countless stings and from hands and belts. "Except one day it got kinda quiet," Joe continued. "The asshole had gotten his wife assigned to a suicide mission. My parents were furious, only finding out once he smirked and shared the news that she was gone, and he got angry that they gave a shit." Unable to stand under the weight of it, Jun sank to her knees. "Mommy's got to go to work." How many times had she heard that? A fleeting image passed so fast that Jun almost missed it, then wished she had missed it. She knew those colourful masks. Everyone on the team knew them. "And then ..." The sound of Joe's voice cracking made Jun nearly flee upstairs. She wrapped her arms around herself, and had flashes of using the comforting the gesture far too many times when she was little. "Then one day his daughter was gone." She couldn't breathe again. She closed her eyes and just listened. "That's when my parents started fighting a lot." There was a tightness to Joe's voice that told her how difficult that was for him admit. "They kept turning up that opera over and over to hide it, but I wasn't stupid. Apparently he'd dragged his little girl off somewhere and dumped her ... somewhere far ..." His voice choked off. Tears flooded down her cheeks at the abandonment that piled onto the sense of loss she'd already been feeling. Just as it must have for Joe, the pieces clicked into place, and finally she understood. "Your mother isn't coming back, you little bitch, and now you aren't either."

Her father had spoken with such venom, with such a gleam in his eyes, that she'd truly feared even at her tender age that he was going to kill her. Instead, he'd taken her halfway around the world and dumped her where no one would know her, where no one would know where she belonged. That was how she'd ended up all alone in an orphanage high in the mountains, with warm, soothing memories of the sun and a beach she could never get to again. She didn't realize she was sobbing until strong arms wrapped around her. The tight embrace anchored her, giving her a port against the storm of anguish and rage and grief that the truth had unleashed, until she was so exhausted that she might have fallen without his support. All she could do was hang there, drifting, with the warm gusts of his breath against the back of her neck. It was a long time before he finally spoke. "I heard more than once, something that meant nothing to me then. Now, though ..." Jun summoned the energy to croak out a weak, "What?" Joe took a long, deep breath in and out before saying, "We can't let Gio grow up like them." He was suggesting something, she could tell. Her brain couldn't function well enough, though, to put it together. "Jun ..." he said in nearly a whisper against the back of her neck, "my parents left Galactor, betrayed Galactor, because of you. Because of what your father did to you and your mother." She swallowed. His parents were killed because of her? "They wanted me to be free. They wanted me to be a human being, not some animal." The gratitude and understanding in his voice practically set her crying again. Instead, since she had nothing left, they just sat like that on the floor until Jinpei called to gloat that he beat Ryu by some insane amount in their zombie killing game and would be coming back in a couple of hours. Without uttering a word, Joe helped her stand and climb the stairs so she could shower and sort herself out before her little brother got home. Like she could possibly process all of this in a mere two hours. She wasn't sure she could come to terms with what she'd learned in the next two lifetimes. Revelations Jun sat by Joe's bedside, numb all the way down to her core. It had been months since the horrible revelations about her past, months in which Joe had offered silent support and kept her secret, just as Ken had done for him. Hakase had assured them that Joe would survive despite the twenty-nine bullets he took on BC Island, but he looked so terribly pale even against the stark white of the med unit sheets. At times she found it hard to believe he would ever open his eyes again. How could he go there without telling anyone but Jinpei? Both she and Ken would have understood Joe's need to visit his parents' graves, given that this was the first anniversary of their death where he knew of their true sacrifice. Even just she could have helped him slip in and out without gaining Galactor's notice. Having someone to run surveillance and interference could have prevented so much bloodshed and pain. The only other good thing Joe had left there, one of his best friends, wouldn't have to be dead now by Joe's own hand. If she was honest, she also desperately wanted Joe to wake up so she could slap him. He might have been ready to go back there, but she hadn't been. While they were on BC Island, it had taken everything she had to shove down faded memory fragments that threatened to burst forth, and focus on the task at hand. The safety of Crescent Coral base and the unnerving stillness of the med wing didn't offer the same distractions. "How's he doing?" Jun practically leapt out of her chair at Ken's question. When had he gotten there? "The same." He lingered, and without turning, she knew his brow was knitted as he tried to think of the right thing to say. Or the right thing to ask. She was sure he'd noticed she'd been different for a while now, but after a few probing questions here and there he'd either decided that she'd tell him when she wanted to, or that pushing further just wasn't a great idea. It felt cowardly to sit in silence and hope he went away, but that's what she did. Why, she wasn't sure. He'd kept Joe's secret until Joe's running off to BC Island forced the issue. He'd even told Jinpei off when Jinpei commented about Joe's parents being part of their worst enemy. Yet, the idea of confessing what she'd learned to Ken or any of the others filled her with hollowness and dread. Maybe it wasn't so much the link to Galactor. As she waited for him to give up and leave, she considered the way Joe looked at her now, from time to time. His expression wasn't exactly full of pity but sometimes it seemed close. He treated her more like a china doll now than he ever had before, though they also had a new closeness that she wouldn't trade for the world. Ken squeezed her shoulder, but this time she'd heard the rustle of clothing before he moved, so she wasn't startled. Relief filled her as he left, but also because she finally understood. She'd always been "different" because she was the only girl. They'd always treated her as more fragile, more in need of protection. While it was fun at moments where she got to dress up -- or down, in the case of bikinis -- and remind them that she had feminine charms as a woman, knowing her terrible past would make them see her as more of a delicate little girl. Just as Jun was enjoying a growing sense of peace at her newfound understanding, Joe groaned. He started fumbling around so she poured him some water, helping him drink it, and waited for him to look a bit more lucid before smacking him in the arm. "Ooow ... what?" She looked him right in those slanted bleary eyes. "You're an ass, you know that?" Guilt flashed through them. Yup, he knew. "That's okay," she sighed, patting the arm she'd just hit. "You're our ass." He groaned again. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that." "Too bad," she said, contemplating another smack on the arm. "It's what you get." Joe just grunted, closed his eyes, and fell back asleep. Once he did, Jun got up and went out into the hall to call the others and give them an update. From Jinpei's enthusiastic response, he'd be there shortly, no doubt to ask Joe bizarre questions about his past. If that wasn't punishment enough for being so inconsiderate, she didn't know what was. Smiling, Jun returned to her seat. This was her family now. And just like Joe, the team was her chance to make sure that the world wasn't filled with horrible people like her father. That was how she'd avenge her mother. Galactor would not be allowed to destroy this world that found her a family of her own after everything she'd been through. An odd family, yes, but one that was thundering down the hall to check on one of their own, and one that she'd do anything to protect. Anything.

This is great! Made me tear up reading it.

Looks like it's a bad time for team family news!

Originally posted by amethyst "That's okay," she sighed, patting the arm she'd just hit. "You're our ass."

LOL! Love it. Talk about camaraderie!

That is revelation. A very interesting twist. I'm glad to it didn't continue onto Joe's 'death'. Now Joe and Jun have a special relationship. Its got to be as hard on Jun as it was to Joe to find out her parents were with Galactor. I hope Jun's father got what he deserved.

If only you knew how many Kleenex I've used....

That was very emotional! Poor Jun! Although it is not the most pleasant connection, it's nice that she and Joe will be able to share their feelings with each other. Hmmm...I wonder if Ken will get jealous that she and Joe share a secret?

Now that Jun has this commonality with Joe, will she start seeking revenge too? She and Joe both got a lot to digest in this one. I love stories that revolve around the relationships between the characters!

Wow, what an unexpected -and both sad and beautiful- connection for Jun and Joe to have.

I admit, I was tearing up a bit as well when I read this story, particularly the part where Joe fills in 'the gaps' for Jun. I really like the way this was revealed slowly, bringing out bits of the story over time. Thank you, Chris, for answering my prompt in such a thoughtful, emotional way, and for developing further on the characters we know so well.

I'm glad you liked it, TJ. I got focused onto the fact that Joe and Jun were found in completely different places, which made the thought that they knew each other as children require me to figure out how she ended up "way over there" instead of on BC Island. I did wonder what I got myself into when it was Joe who had the final answers, and I wasn't writing his POV, but I finally figured that out! Redbird was my long-suffering beta on this.

It was my pleasure to beta, CW!

Just finished reading this -- and I'm still reeling! Beautiful! Everyone did their very best for this Christmas Gift Exchange, it seems!

Thanks DT (and everyone else who I couldn't thank back when I was being all secret). I thought a good way to throw everyone off and to just do something different would be to write Jun's POV, which I always find a bit of a challenge. (I've always found guys easier to write in general.) It's a good stretch for me.

FWIW, you did a great job with Jun's POV!

Thanks.