You see things; and you say, &#39;Why?&#39;

"So, uh. How much worse than his bite is his bark?" Xander asks, hand on the door-panel.

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"Cover-your-ears worse?" Bridge supplies.

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"So I don't have to cover my ears if he bites me?"

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"He's not gonna bite you," Bridge promises.

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"Good to know. You're the only one allowed to do that."

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"...How did I know you were gonna say that?" Bridge smirks. "But, um... we should probably knock?" Preferably before his mind started to run with certain trains of thought regarding things he hadn't been able to do for the past four days. Seriously, this was worse than the cabins. At least in the cabins he could sneak away to Xander's.

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"And by we, we mean me," Xander says. Nonetheless, he raises his hand to knock at the panel --

And the door slides open.

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"Cadet Carson, Mr. Harris," Cruger greets them. "Sit down, please," he gestures to a pair of uncomfortable-looking chairs before sitting down himself. Folding his hands on his desk, he looks at the pair with a serious expression on his face. "I trust you know why I've called you here." Not actually waiting for either of them to respond, he continues, his gaze focusing on Bridge as he does so: "Time-travel is not something to be undertaken lightly. In the past, we've permitted you to use SPD technology to bring visitors here, but that was with the understanding that the visit was temporary and they'd be returning home shortly. It was also, by no means, an invitation to do so whenever you wished. Furthermore, as you *might* have noticed, the situation has changed since you brought Ms. Gilmore here. SPD is responsible for keeping the Earth's civilian population safe, and you'd now add one *more* to that number?"

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"Actually it's Mrs. Skywalker now," Xander points out. Because that's the important correction that needs to be made here.

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"...What?" In addition to the two decades he'd spent living on Earth, as an SPD officer Doggie had encountered many humans in his travels throughout the galaxy. Which meant he felt he had a pretty good understanding of human gender roles, and this young man certainly did not look like a Mrs. *Anything*.

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"He meant Rory Gilmore," Bridge supplies helpfully. "Is now Rory Skywalker. There was a wedding and everything. It was pretty cool."

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"No tulle demon attacks or anything," Xander agrees. "'Course, a wedding without a demon-attack, I dunno. Doesn't seem natural, y'know?"

Edited Date: 2008-08-22 05:13 am (UTC)

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"Wouldn't that make ours the only proper wedding out of all of them so far then?" Bridge asks Xander. At Cruger's surprised look, Bridge pulls the chain around his neck out from underneath his uniform jacket, showing him the ring dangling from it. "That'd be why he came back with me, and why I'm not gonna stay anywhere he isn't."

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There's a low growl - not a bark, not a bite, just a growl. "You got married."

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"Yep," and Bridge can't help the goofy grin that springs to his face as he says that, despite the seriousness of the conversation, because that had been pretty much the best day ever. "There's nothing against it in the regs," he points out. "And you can't *order* me to leave him." Three years at Fandom High had given Bridge a certain confidence he'd lacked at the Academy. And four months without Xander had given him a determination never to let that happen again.

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The noise Cruger makes next could certainly be mistaken for the prelude to a bark, though. "And you think this is the most responsible thing you could have chosen to do at a time like this?"

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"Yes," Bridge says emphatically. "I love him, and I wasn't going to just leave him behind. That's hardly a responsible thing to do, is it?"

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Something in the phrasing makes Cruger's lip twitch, but it's barely visible. His reply is more measured than the previous one, though. "It might have kept him safer."

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Xander snorts. "Clearly you needed to spend more time in Fandom."

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"Not to mention his own reality isn't exactly the safest place ever," Bridge informs Cruger. "Xander's been fighting demons and stuff since before I was born. Therefore... not exactly your average civilian, there."

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"I've been through my share of invasions," Xander agrees. "Usually it's demons instead of aliens, though there was that one time with the crazy-eating snot monster from space that probably qualifies for both."

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"See?" Bridge says pointedly. Which might not be the best argument ever, but how does one top "crazy-eating snot monster from space" anyway? It sort of speaks for itself.

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"I'm beginning to," the commander replies dryly.

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"We're not even the only married couple on base," Bridge points out. "And there's those unused quarters in the B-Squad wing..."

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It's not that Xander's not cowed by the threat of a bark, it's just that he's Xander. "So in conclusion, he married me so he could get a better dorm room."

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"I did *not*!" Bridge yelps, resisting the urge to flail. "Please don't listen to him, sir."

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Cruger's face is absolutely straight when he replies. Probably. It's not as if either of the humans would be able to tell. "So you don't want new quarters?"

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Bridge facepalms. "That isn't what I- I only meant- I'm pretty sure three people can't fit in the room I'm sharing with Sky right now."

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Xander blinks once, stifles a snicker, then nods at the big blue dog. "Well-played."

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Grrrrrowl.

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"...Well-played, sir?"

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"I'm glad you think so," Cruger comments, in a tone that suggests he's really not all that concerned with what Xander thinks of him. "Very well. Your argument certainly has merit. He may stay."

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"Yes!" Bridge does a little victory fistpump. "Uh. Thank you. Sir."

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"You're welcome," Cruger replies. "Dismissed," he adds with a nod.

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"Right," Bridge nods, giving Cruger a salute. "Thank you. Again," he says, as he and Xander stand up to leave.

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