Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Bosley’s POV

Bosley eyed her three Angels as they sat on the couch in her office for their latest mission debriefing. They looked … unusual. Somehow. It was hard to put a finger on …

“What’s the go?” asked Sabina, snapping her gum.

It was annoying; Sabina often was. Bosley glared at her agent though it was filled with plenty of affection … probably poorly hidden. Sabina was wearing what looked like a soccer jersey that seemed too big for her … and was old and faded besides. Had Sabina played soccer in high school? In university? Had Sabina gone to university?! Bosley racked her brains; she hadn’t known Sabina Wilson back then, of course. But she’d heard plenty of ‘school stories’ about ‘the good old days’, also referred to as ‘worse than prison, I kid you not’, because Sabina tended to talk non-stop, no filter, about a host of assorted and unrelated topics.

“When did you play soccer?” Bosley asked Sabina, giving up on trying to debrief the mission … at least for now. First point of action! Figure out what was up with her ever-suspicious (ever-lovable) Angels.

“Never,” said Sabina with a wink.

Then Sabina smirked at Jane, obviously. Bosley looked at Jane, narrowing her eyes as she tried to work out what Sabina was smirking about. Jane was sitting straight, perfect posture, attentive yet bland expression on her face. Bosley was 90% sure it was a fake expression, which was pretty usual for Jane Kano who tended to wear a blank face or put on an expected expression much more than she showed her real feelings.

“What’s the deal with the jersey from Goodwill?” Bosley asked Sabina, fishing for intel.

Sabina laughed but didn’t reply.

Bosley looked back at Jane, trying to figure out what was off about the otherwise usual picture of ‘spy perfection’. Aha! That was it! There was something imperfect about Jane. It was her sweater. It was a light-coloured knit, comfy looking, slouchy … which was all very well, but what was off about it was that it Didn’t Quite Fit. It was a little too small. Bosley was pretty sure it was a style that was meant to be overlarge, worn almost like a small dress, the kind of thing you’d slouch about the home in. Or to be more accurate … the kind of outfit Sabina Wilson was prone to wearing as she slouched about off-mission. Bosley had certainly seen the same in many safe houses, over the years.

Bosley squinted more closely. In fact! This particular sweater looked incredibly familiar. It was an actual sweater she’d (often) seen Sabina slouching in. Not Jane Kano’s sweater at all! That was why it was small on Jane, and kind of weird looking. It was Sabina’s fucking sweater.

Excited, Bosley whipped her head back in Sabina’s direction. Now she recognised the school colours of the soccer jersey Sabina was wearing: Jane Kano’s school colours! Jane had been something of an all-star athlete (of course) during her high school days; Bosley vaguely remembered it from pouring over Jane’s personnel file when she first took over as Jane’s ‘Bosley’ after Edgar Dessange’s tragic death …

Sabina was wearing Jane’s jersey! How … Bosley wrinkled her nose. Cute. Sickenly so. Bosley grimaced accordingly. Jane’s sharp eyes were on her; Bosley stared back unapologetically and winked. Jane scowled, looking deeply uncomfortable. She’d obviously picked up what Bosley had noticed. Sabina meanwhile was leaning across the couch to press a soft kiss to Elena’s cheek, Elena being situated in the middle position between her two girlfriends (also her two teammates). Bosley followed the gesture and then got stuck staring at Elena’s top.

Elena was wearing something that looked very ‘spy like’ but was clearly too big for her. Some kind of dark dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, that looked like it belonged in the office of MI6. Hell, it probably did. Bosley rolled her eyes. She’d bet good money that it belonged to Kano! Underneath the shirt Elena was wearing something that glittered brightly, some kind of undershirt or sports bra or something. Bosley couldn’t tell what it was exactly, only that it was outlandish and definitely belonged to Wilson. Not to Houghlin.

Elena smiled at Bosley, warmly, openly, and completely unembarrassed. Her soft brown eyes were knowing so Bosley knew that Elena (astute as she was) had noticed what Bosley was noticing.

“It makes me feel special,” said Elena, answering Bosley’s unasked question.

“You are special!” cooed Sabina, kissing Elena’s cheek again.

“It was a bet,” grated out Jane, folding her arms defensively over her chest and scowling at her girlfriends, Sabina in particular.

“I won!” revealed Sabina, winking at Bosley. Then at Jane, seemingly for good measure.

“Ah…” said Bosley because that … explained everything. Yet didn’t, at the same time.

Which was … typical. Just another day debriefing her Angels after a mission. Getting side-tracked (yet again) by unimportant (yet oddly fascinating) issues like why they were wearing each other’s clothing. Bosley’s sharp eyes glanced between the three-of-them. Sabina, grinning. Jane, scowling. Elena, (somehow) looking adorable. Bosley’s eyes settled on Elena, her newest and most innocent-seeming Angel. Also … one of the nicest people Bosley had ever met. No joke.

“You’re doing it for them,” Bosley realised, accidentally saying this out loud. Elena was wearing her girlfriends’ clothes (both of them) to support them in the aftermath of their bet (whatever the hell it had been). Not because Elena had to or ‘it made her feel special’. Just because.

Because she loved them.

Half of Bosley melted into a puddle. The other half was shocked! Elena Houghlin had just lied to Bosley’s face! Even though she’d seemed so innocent and honest as she did it! It would be concerning if it wasn’t so … endearing. Bosley scowled at Elena who was bright red and turning steadily redder. Sabina was laughing, holding her sides. Jane seemed like she might be flushing but her face was blank (no doubt by force of iron will) and she’d placed a supportive hand on Elena’s thigh. Bosley grinned smugly, pleased to have figured out the mystery.

“Sorry, Bos,” Elena squeaked, obviously meaning for lying.

“It’s fine, Angel,” Bosley said comfortingly, having forgiven Elena already. It was impossible not to when she blushed like a squeezed tomato. “Let’s get back to business.”

Elena sighed with evident relief and sagged back against the couch. Sabina reached out to place a supportive hand on Elena’s other thigh.

“I could play soccer,” said Sabina, tone thoughtful. “I’m good at kicking things.”

“It’s a lot harder than it looks,” sniped Jane. “And kicking my shins doesn’t count towards ball skills.”

“I have other kinds of ball skills,” Sabina said, winking saucily at Bosley who groaned and rolled her eyes, in tandem with Jane groaning and rolling hers. This was clearly a reference to Sabina’s unparalleled grifting skills (and the way she flirted with close to everyone, ball-owners included).

“Back to business!” Bosley insisted, trying to save the mission debriefing while there was still time … from the way Jane was now glaring across Elena at Sabina, at least two of her Angels might be about to have a throwdown.

They could and should save it for the bedroom! Bosley was not here to witness whatever weird-arse foreplay led up to Kano and Wilson having Angry Sex, or whatever-the-fuck they got up to between missions. Accordingly, Bosley used her ‘I’ve had it up to here!’ tone, reserved for special occasions. Mostly used on these three Angels: her regular team who she oversaw and supported with her dear friend, Saint.

Sabina’s eyes snapped to Bosley’s, looking appropriately (if fakely) meek. Jane subsided, face going blank. Elena’s eyes were (pleasingly) wide. Bosley hid the smirk her face wanted to make. The shit she had to put up with! More than the other Bosleys, she was sure. Nobody else was the Bosley for a regular Angels’ team who doubled as a polyamorous triad in their off time, after all.

She was so here for it.

Chapter Text

Elena’s POV

“Have you told your parents about us?” Jane’s voice is casual as she addresses her girlfriends, suspiciously so.

Sabina spits her affogato out. Coffee and ice-cream sprays everywhere. Elena squeals and leaps back, instinctively … her chair goes flying. She still gets some of Sabina’s coffee on her, regardless. Jane meanwhile has (somehow!) leapt back successfully, mission-level instincts turning on automatically as she is wont to do. Not a drop has landed on Jane. The Angels are having coffee together on their back deck, a regular morning ritual when they are at home.

“Gross, dude,” Sabina complains, even though she was the one who was ‘gross’. Sabina sighs and plops back down in her chair, regarding her empty mug mournfully. “I was looking forward to drinking that.”

Elena rescues her own chair and sits back down, wiping off her soiled shirt as best she can. She’ll need to change, after they have coffee. Her cappuccino is (fortunately, somehow) unspilled. Normally Elena might leave temporarily to go and sponge out her shirt to prevent stains, but she is too interested in the topic of conversation. Why is Jane asking them this?! Jane, of all people?

“Answer my question,” Jane tells Sabina, voice unreadable, “and I’ll make you another one.”

Jane owns the ultra-expensive coffee machine in the Angels’ kitchen (‘CoffeeBabe’) that Sabina gave her as a gift, ‘liberated’ from a mission gone wrong. Jane makes their morning coffees, partly as an act of love and partly to prevent either of her girlfriends from touching her precious machine. Jane’s kind of … possessive.

Sabina looks like she’s thinking seriously about Jane’s offer. Elena holds her breath. Sabina almost never talks about her past, let alone her family. Only the odd jokey (and maybe slightly bitter) line here and there, that (somehow) opens up more questions, without revealing answers. There’s a long pause. Jane and Elena stare at Sabina. Finally:

“My parents don’t know anything about me.” Sabina’s tone is suspiciously casual. “Besides,” she rolls her eyes expressively, though Elena can’t tell what the expression is. “They think I’m still in prison.”

“What?” says Jane, eyes boring into Sabina. “Why would they think that?”

“I didn’t enlighten them otherwise,” says Sabina, and she laughs, short and sharp and … if Elena had to pick it, hurt.

Jane stares at Sabina and Elena reaches out to gently run a hand down Jane’s bicep, seeking to reorient her girlfriend. Elena can tell that Sabina is growing antsy under the staring, and that Jane is feeling agitated herself. Elena’s high emotional intelligence makes it relatively easy for her to read her girlfriends and know how to relate with them.

“What about you?” Elena asks Jane.

Her girlfriend’s dark eyes settle on her with an unreadable expression. For all that Elena has paid careful attention to Jane Kano’s micro signals over their time together – as friends, teammates, and finally, girlfriends – and catalogued all Jane’s tells, she’s hard-pressed to tell what Jane is thinking. In fact, she can’t tell. Unusually, Elena has no idea.

“…Yes,” says Jane, after a pause. She drinks the rest of her double espresso: there is none left.

“How’d it go?” Sabina asks, and from the way she blurts this question, half-desperate, half-disbelieving, Elena guesses that Sabina (strangely enough) wants the approval of Jane’s parents. Even though the Angels have never discussed Jane’s parents or family let alone met them, and Elena has no idea if Jane even has any … or sprang from the ocean fully formed, like Venus birthing out of the foam.

“Not worth talking about,” says Jane, morosely.

Elena frowns, not liking the ways her girlfriend’s shoulders suddenly sag. She shuffles her chair closer and moves her hand from Jane’s bicep to rest supportively on her thigh. Jane doesn’t move away or stiffen, but she doesn’t respond either. Elena is unsure how to read her girlfriend just now. Touch is a risk (Jane often prefers space). But it’s a risk Elena’s going to take …

“Fuuuck,” says Sabina, just as morosely as Jane. Then she adds as an afterthought, “so you have parents?” She shoots Jane a flirty look. “I thought you sprang from the ocean all naked and gorgeous, like Aphrodite out of that giant-arse seashell.”

Elena knows her girlfriends well so she’s well aware that this is Sabina’s ill-timed and inappropriately humourous version of ‘cheering Jane up’. Elena glances at Jane to see if it’s working. It’s kind of 50/50. Sabina either hits the jackpot … or breaks the whole pot open and cuts herself on the shards. It’s usually unpredictable which way it will go.

“Is that flirting?” says Jane, dry and unimpressed. Her tone says clearly that she considers it to be subpar.

Elena flushes, even though Jane has directed this at Sabina. It’s because Elena’s remembering that she herself had a similar thought about Jane and the ocean, only moments before Sabina’s remark. Jane gives her a strange look. Elena avoids Jane’s eyes. Sabina is giving her a strange look too; Elena avoids Sabina. Now Jane and Sabina are making eyes at each other that are about Elena … she can see them perfectly well out of her periphery vision. She ignores them and sips her cappuccino, trying to recover. She can feel her blush going down … thank goodness …

“What about you, Lena?” Jane asks, voice suspiciously mild. “Have you told your parents about us?”

Even though Elena knew they were going to talk about this (it’s the topic of conversation after all) Jane’s question hits her like a brick to the heart. She doesn’t expect it too; it’s been quite a while after all since … the accident. Elena’s grieved. Elena’s come to acceptance. Elena’s never talked about her parents with her girlfriends (her parents being her father and paternal grandmother, who raised her together) or her biological mother either for that matter (who she’s estranged from, and who has never wanted anything to do with her).

Elena’s never told them that her father and grandmother died in a car accident before Elena met her girlfriends. Elena’s not sure exactly why this is … probably because it’s obvious that both Sabina and Jane had horrible home lives, which is why they don’t talk about their childhoods. Elena conversely had a happy childhood and has lots of beautiful memories. Yet that’s all she has left: memories. It’s confusing. She’s not sure why she hasn’t just told them … normally Elena is upfront, transparent, honest. Maybe it’s that if her parents were still here, Elena would tell them in a second flat about her girlfriends, and not stop telling them.

Sabina and Jane would have been dragged to family dinners so many times that they would have gotten sick of it and would be making up excuses to avoid coming to another one. Dadi (her grandma) would have shown Elena’s girlfriends every baby photo of her, ten times over. Pita (her dad) would have given them both ‘the talk’, i.e., ‘hurt my daughter and I will end you’ … if he could manage not to be too intimidated by Jane Kano. Considering that both Elena’s girls could have ‘ended’ her father before he took one step, is irrelevant. He still would have tried. Then he would have gotten to know them and fallen in love with Sabina’s humour (he had plenty of cheesy humour himself) and Jane’s stoicism (he admired stoicism, though he was pretty poor at it himself).

There would have been no problem with Elena being with women (her family had celebrated her coming out as a lesbian during high school) or even being polyamorous (if anything she would have gotten points for ‘being true to herself’ and ‘more is better’). That wasn’t even a question in her mind. So, on one hand Elena was as lucky as they come: instant acceptance of her parental units for herself, just as she was, and for her significant others by extension. On the other hand, Elena was unlucky. What did acceptance matter once your loved ones are dead?

“Calm down, baby,” Sabina’s voice is half-panicked. Elena realises dimly that Sabina is sitting next to her and has one hand on her back and the other on her thigh. Elena is panting for breath; she didn’t realise this was happening.

“Steady breaths,” Jane says in what sound like forced calm on Elena’s other side. Jane’s hand takes Elena by the jaw, softly-firmly and turns her so they are looking head-on. “Breathe with me.”

Elena keeps eye contact with Jane and breathes in time with her girlfriend. Sabina’s grounding touch helps too. Vaguely she becomes aware that both her girlfriends are breathing in sync with her. Long slow breaths. Jane lets go of Elena’s jaw, runs one hand gently down her cheek. Sabina rubs her back, comfortingly. Elena feels herself calm; her breath is regular again. She blinks a few times and realises hot tears are flowing down her face. She didn’t mean to cry. She didn’t know she was crying.

“Sorry,” she tells her girlfriends, sniffling. “My folks are … d-dead.” She rests her elbows on the outdoor table, and weeps into her hands, her shoulders shaking.

The silence is charged. Elena suspects that if she was looking at her girlfriends, she’d see them exchanging horrified looks. Sabina’s hand freezes on Elena’s back for long moments before starting up the soothing rubbing again. Jane swears under her breath then falls silent. Elena cries for a long time. Eventually she’s all cried out and she wipes her face, leans back in her chair, accepts the tissues that Jane hands her with Jane’s face uncharacteristically soft. Elena doesn’t know where Jane got these; she doesn’t care. She blows her nose, noisily.

“I don’t know why I didn’t tell you … that’s confusing,” she tells her girlfriends, who stare at her with identical troubled expressions. “But if they were alive, I would’ve told Pita and Dadi about you the moment I met you. And all the way through.” Elena smiles big, suddenly feels happy, her tears are all cried out. “They would have loved you both! You would’ve been part of our family.”

Jane looks shocked. Then smiles, tentatively, small but there. Sabina grins outright, soft and pleased and flushing as though she’s just met Elena’s parents.

“For real?” Sabina asks, voice faintly wondering. “No probs with all our girls on girls on girls action?”

“You know I came out in high school,” Elena reminds her. “My folks celebrated. They threw me a party!” She smiles fondly at the memory.

“But our triad…” says Jane, sounding faintly disbelieving.

“They had polyamorous friends,” says Elena. “And friends with all sorts of other relationship configurations too … polyamory was far from the most alternative choice available. Dadi and Pita were some of the most open-minded people I’ve ever met. They both lost their ties to their extended family because of it, long ago, and they swore they’d never let that happen to me.” She smirks a little, fondly. “You should hear what Pita got up to when he was a teenager … what Dadi had to put up with…”

Sabina grins and fist pumps:

“Sounds like my kind of guy.”

“You would have talked each other’s ears off,” Elena agrees. “Trying to outdo each other with your wild and…” she grins teasingly at Sabina, “probably wildly inflated, stories.”

“I inflate nothing, yo,” says Sabina, mock offended. “I’m a shower not a grower.”

“You’re the best I’ve ever had,” Elena tells Sabina coyly, barely knowing what they’re talking about, only that she’s happy in this moment, safe with her girlfriends, and flirting humourously with Sabina Wilson because that’s what Sabina loves to do (and Elena loves it too). Elena smiles at Jane, softly. “You too.”

“I wish we’d met them,” says Jane to Elena, very quiet. Jane’s dark eyes are serious, sad. Elena nods, takes Jane’s hand when she reaches out to Elena. Holds hands with her girlfriend and holds eye contact too.

“I wish you had too.”

Chapter Text

Sabina’s POV

“I don’t know why we’re in this bedroom,” Jane complains, trailing after Sabina. “This isn’t our mission objective!”

“It’s a side mission,” Sabina tells Jane earnestly. “Haven’t you ever played video games?”

Jane grumbles under her breath saying something unflattering, probably about Sabina and her ‘teenage boy addiction’ to computer games … or something along those lines, Sabina’s been dissed by Jane Kano before. Not just about this, about plenty: mutual dissing is kind of their thing. Accordingly, she doesn’t bother listening. She’s much too interested in the (sparkly!) diamond necklace on the dresser … her whole reason for side-missioning into this mansion’s master bedroom in the first place.

“Hey!” Jane sounds alert now, and maybe even a little anxious. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“‘Liberating’ this baby,” Sabina tells her girlfriend cheerfully, sweeping the necklace up and shoving it into her pocket. She rap-sings softly to herself the iconic lyrics by Vanilla Ice: “ice, ice, baby!”

“You can’t do that!” Jane protests, half-shocked, half-disapproving.

Jane actually steps in front of Sabina on her way back out the bedroom, stopping her with one hand flat against her chest. Sabina looks down at Jane’s hand. Looks up at Jane through her lashes. Flutters them at her girlfriend.

“Here?” she flirts jokily. “Now?!”

“No, you loser!” Jane gives her a little shove, not too hard, but hard enough that Sabina takes a step back, involuntarily. “Put those diamonds back.”

Sabina stares at her girlfriend in surprise. Sabina semi-often steals during missions, over and above any stealing involved in their official mission objectives. She jokes about it openly, calls it ‘liberating’. Sabina thought Jane knew this about her; Sabina has never hidden it. She even stole … er, liberated an ultra-expensive coffee machine for her addicted-to-coffee girlfriend, one Jane Kano, and it now lives pride of place in the Angels’ kitchen and fuels their daily addiction.

“Why?” she asks, thankful that Bosley has stepped away from their group comms to help out another team’s Bosley (something that occasionally happens) and it’s just the two-of-them. Well, the three-of-them, counting Elena. However, Elena’s occupied with being their lookout with eyes on the ground floor exit and has yet to cut into this conversation ... she probably can’t speak aloud without being made. No doubt she’s listening though. The thought is oddly comforting.

“Just put it back,” snaps Jane, seeming way more annoyed than Sabina thinks is warranted.

Sometimes Jane is like that, mysterious and unexplainable from Sabina’s point of view. It’s probably something to do with how different the two-of-them are … which can extend to their value systems. Jane tends to be highly principled (about odd things though … Sabina can never quite pick it). Sabina herself doesn’t really care. She doesn’t even know how to spell ‘principle’ let alone how to have one. She just does what feels right. And right now, that’s ‘ice, ice, baby.’ This necklace is waaay too sparkly to leave un-liberated. It must be freed, and forthwith! For what purpose, Sabina doesn’t even know yet. That’ll come to her at some point in her unknown future. It always does.

“Make me,” says Sabina, and her tone is half-flirty, half-pointed.

Sabina is trying to provoke Jane … because that’s close to the only way to get Jane Kano to make a mistake. And Sabina needs Jane to make a mistake if she’s to successfully complete her current side mission of thieving the shit out of this necklace. Jane rolls her eyes impatiently, crosses her arms over her chest.

“Put it back,” she repeats, voice now a low growl.

Sabina would find it sexy if she wasn’t so busy trying to game her girlfriend. Not to mention feeling annoyed. Sabina reaches into her pocket and paces backwards, as though she’s going to put the necklace back on the dresser. Jane relaxes incrementally. Sabina turns her body towards the dresser so that the necklace is hidden from Jane. She unclasps it, and then clicks it around her neck, admiring her reflection in the mirror. Totally sparkly! Sabina has never sparkled so much except for … practically every time she goes clubbing! Jane-in-the-mirror is glaring murder at her, though fortunately Jane hasn’t moved from the doorway.

“It looks sooo good, baby,” says Sabina, voice pleading. She whirls to give Jane a better view. “It belongs with me.”

“We’re not thieves,” says Jane, voice (oddly) pointed. “We’re Angels.”

Sabina rolls her eyes. She finds that to be a very poor argument. Illogical too. Charlie’s Angels steal shit all the time. It’s at least a third of the reason why Charlie recruited Sabina herself: she’s très skilled at stealing shit! Amongst other assorted criminal activities …

“I’m both,” Sabina tells Jane, also pointedly. “Don’t make me wrestle you!”

She dives straight at Jane before she’s finished her sentence: it’s the only way to catch Kano off guard! Jane wins most of the time when they brawl: she’s (probably) Charlie’s best brawler, so it’s just to be expected. Yet Sabina is no slouch at brawling despite being a grifting specialist, and sometimes Sabina even beats the mighty Jane (and is amongst the few Angels who can). She especially is likely to when she’s being unpredictable. Lucky that she’s especially good at being random! Sabina dives between and through Jane’s legs, throwing her whole body into it and then sliding across the smooth marble floor to crash into the wall, which is actually the inside of the indoor balcony. On one hand Sabina succeeds: Jane doesn’t stop her! On the other hand she fails: the wall stopped her! It fucking stopped her hard.

Groaning, Sabina flops onto her back, and stares up into the unreadable expression of her (fucking intimidating!) girlfriend, who is now standing over her, staring. Then scowling.  

“That was pathetic,” Jane tells her, not pulling any punches.

“Got past you, didn’t I?” Sabina points out, rubbing at her cheek gingerly. It seems to be one big bruise. It hurts like hell to touch. She must have cheek-butted the wall. If only she’d turned the other cheek … to the butt-cheek …

“Are you okay?!” That’s Elena, whispering over their group comms, sounding urgent. She must be worried enough to risk blowing her cover.

“Don’t talk, Lena,” Jane practically orders. “Sabina’s fine. We’ll be down soon.”

“Not without the necklace,” Sabina tells Jane and it’s half a demand, half-pleading.

“Do what you want,” snipes Jane, “I’m not about to watch you take a header off the balcony because you’re as stubborn as a bloody mule.”

She reaches a hand down to Sabina who takes it. Jane hauls her to her feet.

“Takes one to know one,” snipes Sabina, because Jane is the most stubborn person she’s ever met.

Apparently not now though: Jane is actually backing down. Sabina’s accidental and unintended strategy of injuring herself via the wall, worked!  She feels smug. She touches her cheek and winces. Then touches the diamond necklace around her throat and gloats. Jane is watching her. Predictably, Jane rolls her eyes.

“Let’s meet up with Elena,” Jane says, turning and striding down the hall.

Sabina follows cheerfully: she loves side missions!

Chapter Text

Jane’s POV

Jane lingers in the bedroom door, gazing at her (incorrigible) girlfriends who are both propped up against the liberal pillows and cushions on their bed, taking turns reading aloud from Elena’s tablet. They keep breaking down into giggle fits while squealing certain lines at each other. Jane knows that they’re ‘reading fanfiction’ together, which is a strange and stupid thing that Sabina and Elena are wont to do.

“What are you doing?” Jane asks them, although she already knows the answer. She moves to sit on the edge of the bed, facing them.

“Ummm…” says Sabina, looking as though she’s only just noticed Jane and is trying to come up with a good lie. Jane suspects that this is because her girlfriends are well aware that she disapproves of their silly hobby; Jane doesn’t hide it. “Memes on facebook?” Sabina tries.

It’s a pretty weak deception as they go. Although Sabina does love memes … that much is true. Jane rolls her eyes. For a master grifter Sabina really needs to work on her lying game.

“You mean fanfiction,” Jane corrects Sabina. Elena squeals and covers her face, clearly embarrassed. Sabina just grins at Jane, unapologetically.

“Yo, if you knew that dude, why did you ask us?” Sabina rolls her eyes. “Just admit that you want in on this action, and we’ll read you the funniest crack on AO3.”

“Crack?” Jane asks doubtfully.

She doesn’t know that much about fanfiction. Only enough to know that nobody should waste their time with that drivel. Jane also knows that AO3 is a popular multi-fandom fanfiction archive, ‘Archive of Our Own’. Not that she’d admit to that, unless you forced her …

“It’s a genre,” Elena explains, unhiding from her hands and lighting up in a way that Jane recognises as Elena’s Geek Mode engaging.

Sabina pouts dotingly at Elena; Sabina tends to find her Geek Mode adorable. Jane grits her teeth to stop herself from forming a similar expression: she’s similarly affected by Geeky Elena. But right now, Jane doesn’t want to show it! She needs to nip this fanfiction addiction in the bud. Well … it’s way too advanced to be in the budding stage. She needs to snip off some of the flowers blooming all over the prolific fanfiction bush? Something along those lines …

“Crack fanfiction is absurd,” Elena tells Jane excitedly, not seeming to notice her (probably constipated) expression. “Often intentionally.”

“It’s better when it’s intentional,” Sabina pipes up. “Like way funnier.” She pauses and chews on her bottom lip. “No wait … it can be funnier when it’s unintentional…”

“Both can be good,” says Elena. “Though I prefer intentional. It’s hilarious.”

“That’s why you’re giggling like schoolgirls,” says Jane disapprovingly, although she’s actually a little envious. It must be nice to laugh so hard … must be fun …

“Right,” agrees Elena. “Authors write it to have fun; readers read it to have fun! It’s often ridiculous, completely implausible, and as though … the author is on crack.”

Elena smirks and it’s coy in a way that Jane doesn’t really understand but which has her eyes lingering on Elena’s cupid lips. They are … kissable as always.

“It’s a lot like our jobs,” Sabina says, winking at Jane. “Whatever the fuck it is that ‘Charlie’s Angels’ do.”

Jane frowns; she doesn’t appreciate their (respectable) profession being made light of. Even if she does sort of know what Sabina is getting at …

“So you’re reading crack fanfiction together … and making each other crack up?” Jane guesses slowly, trying to make sense of her girlfriends’ mutual weirdness.

“It’s soooooo good,” Sabina tells her, beginning to chortle again, seemingly to herself. “Like you would not believe the shit that comes out of this author’s insaneo mind, named ‘She’s_Not_Oblivious’. She’s like some famous crackfic author. Lena got me onto her.”

“Wait just a second…” Jane looks at Elena, hard. “‘She’s … Not … Oblivious?’”

Jane pronounces the author’s name carefully, spacing out the words. Jane arches one sardonic eyebrow at Elena. She has heard Elena squeak out this very same saying (“I’m not oblivious!”) in protest on a number of (embarrassing for Elena) occasions. Jane’s quick mind and suspicious nature prove correct. Elena has turned tomato red and is avoiding Jane’s eyes religiously. Sabina, meanwhile, seems oblivious to their interplay.

“Famous crackfic author?” Jane says, still staring at Elena. “What an utter waste of time and talent!”

“Crackfic is legitimate,” Elena hisses, her soft brown eyes flashing up to meet Jane’s, though her cheeks are red as red.

“Well … sort of,” says Sabina, looking over Elena’s shoulder at the crack fanfiction they are currently reading. “As much as anyone on crack would believe their trip was ‘legitimate’.” Sabina makes quote marks with her fingers and then starts chortling to herself again. She still hasn’t seemed to click that Jane and Elena are having a whole ‘nother conversation.

“Surely there are much better things that … people, could do with their valuable time,” says Jane, glaring at Elena mildly.

“Our time is our own!” Elena argues, standing up to Jane admirably, in Jane’s (private) view. “People should do whatever interests and hobbies they choose to, what they truly enjoy and want to do!”

Jane Kano respects it when people stand up to her … and her girlfriends are some of the very rare people who do so. Sabina when she’s pushed to her edge and explodes into (sudden) anger. Elena is usually more judicious … Jane is ‘legitimately’ apprehensive of Elena Houghlin, sometimes. Nobody else can make Jane feel like a small and naughty child … who needs to get their act together. Elena doesn’t do this often, but when she does, Jane usually crawls where Elena points her to (so to speak), appropriately whipped.

Still, Jane knows she’s right about fanfiction in general and crack fanfiction in particular. It’s a waste of her girlfriend’s valuable time. Even if Elena is (apparently!) some kind of famous crackfic author on AO3! Elena’s evidently kept this a well-guarded (guilty?) secret from them until Jane (easily) sussed it out. Secret, for obvious reasons. Being that fanfiction is kind of … woeful, for reasons that Jane can’t easily put her finger in, and that if you’re going to be an author (who’s any good), at least make some money out of it. Write real fiction. Not fan bloody fiction! Jane doesn’t get it.

“Be that as it may,” Jane tells Elena, a tad huffily, “some hobbies are just too … silly.”

Elena flushes redder (which shouldn’t be possible) and casts her eyes down. Too late Jane picks up that Elena’s feeling hurt. And avoiding Jane’s eyes in maybe … shame. This is rare enough that Jane flounders. She feels guilty, annoyed, upset, desperately wants to fix it, and has not much clue how to do so. Especially since Jane’s opinion hasn’t changed: fanfiction sucks; crack fanfiction sucks more. She just doesn’t want to hurt her soft and sensitive girlfriend’s feelings. Yet she does want to express her true opinion and stand for it. That’s all. Is that too much to ask?

“You’re one to talk,” Sabina tells Jane, now glancing uncertainly between Jane and Elena. Sabina seems to have (finally) picked up on the tension. “Your hobbies amount to compulsively cleaning your weapons, and then compulsively looking at photos of those same weapons in magazines.” Sabina rolls her eyes playfully. “Booor-ing.”

Jane rolls her eyes back.

“My hobbies have a higher purpose,” she points out, folding her arms. “Acing our missions. Protecting our lives.”

Sabina yawns widely.

“Sorry, did you say something?” She smirks at Jane, who glowers back; that yawn was deliberate! “What’s with the ‘higher purpose’ BS?” Sabina winks at Jane. “You do that shit because you jones for weapons, baby. They make you hard! We all know that so don’t try to pretty it up.”

“Whatever,” Jane mutters sulkily.

She can’t contest it because it’s pretty much true. Jane is nothing if not fair-minded. Damn Sabina Wilson and her random-yet-startling level of insight. No matter that Sabina (of course) has to put it in such a crass way: that’s just Sabina. Jane looks back at Elena, who is now looking at the tablet’s screen, studiously avoiding Jane’s eyes.

“Fine,” says Jane, directing this towards Elena even though her girlfriend isn’t looking at her. “People have a right to do whatever hobbies they enjoy.” She sighs. “No matter how stupid and time-wasting they … might seem to be, to other people.”

It’s the best Jane can do, just now. It’s true, it includes Jane’s opinion, but it gives what ground to Elena that Jane’s fair-mindedness forces her to, now that Sabina’s called her out royally. Elena’s eyes flash up to meet Jane’s. She smiles: small and shy but it’s there. Jane knows that Elena catches her meaning, easily. Jane smiles back, relieved. She hates to be at odds with Elena: it’s rare. Sabina is still glancing between them, still looking confused.

“Yo, girlfriends, did I miss something?” Sabina asks them.

“You miss a lot,” Jane tells Sabina, which is another truth.

Sabina pouts.

“You’re so cute,” says Elena to Sabina, leaning across to press a soft kiss to her pout.

It’s a diversionary tactic if Jane’s ever seen one. It works too, perfectly. Sabina grins at Elena, happily. Elena smiles back, and the two-of-them kiss, more leisurely. Jane grins a little too, dotingly: her girlfriends are very cute together.

Even if one of them is a hopeless fanfiction addict and often quite oblivious.

And the other one is the (secret) famous crackfic author, She’s_Not_Oblivious!

Chapter Text

Elena’s POV

Elena yawns and pries one eyelid open, with some difficulty. Sabina and herself went clubbing last night at their local hotspot, Cherrybomb, and it’s the morning after. Sabina goes clubbing or some other form of partying, pretty regularly. Elena semi-often joins her girlfriend. It is Very Rare for Jane to join them: Jane Kano has better things to do with her valuable time.

Now Elena has been woken up (too early!) by something, and it sucks, because she has a hangover. Which is not surprising, considering how many shots she did off her girlfriend’s sexy abdomen and how much their dancing resembled fucking standing up. At least from what Elena can (vaguely) remember …

Ah yes, it’s her other girlfriend. Through one hazy eye Elena studies Jane, and pouts in her girlfriend’s general direction. Jane is getting dressed in sports gear. Jane has risen early … because Jane always rises early (except on Sunday, when the Angels share a ritual that involves sleeping in and cuddling). Jane is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed … because she was born that way. Or maybe it’s because Jane keeps to a strict-ish routine which includes going for a run first thing in the morning. Or maybe it’s because Jane doesn’t do shots off Sabina’s sexy abs and spend most of the night at their local club …

“Morning sleepy,” Jane tells her, voice rich with affection, yet simultaneously sardonic.

Jane smirks at Elena and even through one hazy eye Elena picks up that it’s a tad sadistic. Jane tends to enjoy teasing her girlfriends … probably more than she should. Sometimes Elena gets off on it, such as when Jane is dominating her in the kinky bedroom sense … or both her and Sabina! Sometimes, like now, it’s annoying as fuck. Elena scowls at her girlfriend. Jane’s such a Morning Person.

“You’re such a morning person,” Elena tells Jane, and it comes out as a whine.

Elena isn’t worried about waking Sabina because their girlfriend sleeps like the dead. Just now Sabina is carked out stomach down, drooling into the pillow. Elena can feel Sabina’s warm breath (and maybe a little drool too) on the back of her neck. She groans a little; she doesn’t want to be drooled on! But she’s too tired-and-grumpy to do anything about it.

“You could be too,” Jane tells her, sotto voce, and it’s definitely sadistic. “But you wanted to ‘hit the town’.” Jane is obviously quoting Sabina who made a jokey announcement about the same, last night on their way out the door.

“We had fun,” Elena agrees, feeling a little better at the memory. She grins at Jane. “You should join us next time.”

“Maybe,” says Jane, non-committally. “But it would really cut into me being a morning person.” She finishes lacing her sneakers and blows a kiss to Elena.

Elena grins and blows a kiss back. Somehow both her eyes are open; she doesn’t remember that happening.  

“Enjoy your run,” she tells Jane.

“Always,” says Jane. Then she winks at Elena. “Enjoy your hangover.”

She’s out the bedroom door before Elena can so much as pout in protest.

Chapter Text

Sabina’s POV

Sabina steps into their bedroom and stares. It’s romantic as shit! Someone has lit a bunch of candles, and the nice ones too, like from those fancy home and bath shops … the ones you give folks as gifts when you have no idea what-the-hell else to get them. The fairy lights are on. There are a couple of gypsy lanterns that are brand new: Sabina doesn’t recognise them. Music is playing in the background – soft and decadently sensual with flutes and violins, and the kind of drum beat underneath that makes it impossible not to move your hips.

Sabina starts to move her hips accordingly. She hums to herself and looks around for more signs of what’s going on. That is, she’s pretty sure that sex is going on. Soon! Otherwise, why decorate the bedroom like a Romantic Trope? Sabina reads fanfiction. She knows what a ton of candles and fairy lights means. It means someone wants in someone’s panties, pronto! Hopefully, Sabina’s. Well, it’s gorgeous and all, but her girlfriend? girlfriends? really didn’t need to bother. Sabina’s easy as. She would have dropped her panties for a grunt (hell, she has – she’s dating Jane Kano). Sabina moves her hips some more. She’s in a very good mood! Sabina loves sex!

“You’re so cute.” It’s Elena.

Sabina’s girlfriend steps out of the ensuite bathroom into their bedroom, wearing nothing but a fuzzy towel. Elena’s olive skin is damp from the shower, and Sabina’s mouth goes dry. Her eyes follow one bead of moisture hungrily as it moves slowly down Elena’s bared shoulder, tracing her girlfriend’s curves lovingly. Sabina’s eyes settle on the rounded tops of Elena’s breasts, only just revealed over the towel. Sabina stares.

“You’re home early,” says Elena, pouting just a little. “The surprise isn’t finished.”

“I’m surprised, totally surprised, babygirl,” Sabina rambles, having no idea what the surprise is that she’s supposedly missed, and not caring neither.

“Well, we have to wait,” Elena tells Sabina earnestly. “For the surprise to get home.”

Sabina blinks. That sounds kind of weird. Unless …

“The surprise is Jane?” she guesses.

“Right,” Elena winks and giggles. “She’s involved, anyway.”

Elena moves over to Sabina and wraps her arms around Sabina’s waist, leaning against Sabina’s chest. Sabina hugs her girlfriend back automatically, and feels her breathing begin to pick up. Naked-under-a-towel Elena Houghlin is Very Close to Sabina, and for all that they’ve been girlfriends for a long while now, Sabina is totally horny when it comes to Elena. And Jane. And anything involving showers or towels or hip-shaking music or romantic fairy lights or fancy-arse candles …

“Maybe we could start, and Janey could join in when she gets here?” Sabina suggests hopefully. To her lust-fogged brain, it seems like a brilliant idea.

“We should wait,” says Elena, but to her credit (by Sabina’s estimate), she does sound reluctant. Elena’s voice is a little breathy in that way that Sabina knows means that Elena is turned on. Sabina could probably seduce Elena if she tried … but that wouldn’t be kosher. Right? Right. Right? Right. Right?

Right.

There is the sound of the front door opening and closing. Sabina sags in Elena’s arms, sighing out in relief. Oh thank fuck! Jane is home! Sabina was struggling massively with not giving into temptation.

“You’re home early,” says Jane’s voice, from behind Sabina; Jane is standing in the bedroom door.

“So I’ve been told,” says Sabina cheerfully. “Are you my surprise?”

“You told her?” This is evidently addressed to Elena: Jane sounds annoyed.

“No!” Elena yelps. Then she sighs, steps out of Sabina’s arms. “Maybe. Accidentally. But not what it was! Just that there was a surprise and that we had to wait for you.”

Jane grunts, and Sabina thinks that it’s relieved. Jane steps into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Sabina watches with interest. That seems … unnecessary. Nobody is here but the three-of-them. Maybe it’s part of the surprise? Jane is stepping towards her now, moving smoothly if slowly. Her lips curve up with just a hint of smirk and Sabina realises for the first time that Jane’s carrying a small box. Sabina stares at the box: it must contain her surprise! She grins big. Then looks up at Jane who has stopped in front of her. Elena is behind Sabina; she steps in close, wrapping her arms loosely around Sabina’s waist and leaning against her back.

“We picked these out for you online … for us to use on you,” Jane tells Sabina, voice husky with a certain promise that Sabina can’t read but desperately wants to. It’s related to Jane’s Domme voice, Sabina can tell that much … but it’s different too. “For tonight. I went and picked them up.”

Sabina holds her breath and reaches out to open the box. Jane watches her, closely. A collection of long candles are nestled in the box, all in different colours. Sabina arches her eyebrows. She reaches out slowly, picks up one of the candles, studies it carefully, smirks. She recognises it easily. This is a … special candle … with a special melting point. It’s not for romantic lighting. It’s for romantic dripping of wax at a safe-ish temperature all over Sabina’s naked body, especially parts that make her squeal and squiggle. It's ‘torture’ … if torture means feeling pain right on the edge of pain-pleasure, that goes straight to her clit and makes her beg to be fucked.

“Love it!” Sabina announces, popping the candle back in the box. “It’s been too long since I did wax play.”

Elena groans into Sabina’s neck.

“You’ve already done it?”

“Of course, cutie pie,” Sabina tells Elena easily. “I’ve done most things, you know that.”

“We wanted something special,” Elena all but whines. “Something new! Something you haven’t experienced that would be an actual surprise.”

“I love it though!” Sabina hurries to reassure her girlfriends. “Especially receiving. Especially if you tie me up first.”

“That can be arranged,” Jane all but growls, seeming half-annoyed, half-resigned and fully horny.

“That’s a good idea,” Elena husks against Sabina’s neck and Sabina can tell that her girlfriend is turned on by the image. “It’ll make our experiments easier.”

“For Science,” Sabina agrees happily, because she knows her Scientist Girlfriend TM can get a little obsessive over experimentation, including the kinky kind, and Sabina is Okay With That. More than okay!

“Get on the bed,” Jane growls and Sabina sashays over, as fast as she can sashay while moving to the hip-wiggling music.

What a great surprise!

Chapter Text

Jane’s POV

Jane groans. She’s being tortured! She is being forced to sit through a movie marathon as picked out by Elena Houghlin, and she can’t think of anything worse … unless it’s a movie marathon as picked out by Sabina Wilson. Unfortunately, Jane (and Sabina) lost a bet, and this was the price to pay. Jane’s sure Elena has deliberately picked movies that Jane can’t stand. That’s more Sabina’s style though … maybe it’s just that Elena’s taste in movies is remarkably different to Jane’s? So different that it’s hard to believe that they’re girlfriends …

Right now, they are watching a romantic comedy classic, ‘When Harry Met Sally’. It’s terrible. Like literally, one of the most boring and nauseating excuses for a movie that Jane has ever had to slog through. Sabina seems into it, which surprises Jane. She shoots Sabina an annoyed look and Sabina smirks back at her.

“What?” she teases Jane, as though she knows what Jane is thinking. “I’m into Meg Ryan.” Sabina shrugs. “It doesn’t really matter what she’s doing. Saying. Acting. Whatever.”

Sabina shrugs and crams a (large) handful of popcorn into her mouth, staring appreciatively at tousled-haired Meg Ryan on the large projector screen. Sabina chews loudly. A couple pieces spill out onto the floor. Jane winces. Sabina’s so annoying!

“Well, that’s lucky,” says Jane drily, frowning at the popcorn on their loungeroom floor, that’s just out of reach of Jane picking it up and basketball-shooting it (with laser precision!) into the bin across the room. “Because Ryan can’t act, that’s for sure.”

“How dare you!” says Elena from where she sits nestled between Jane and Sabina on their couch. Unfortunately – and a little scarily – Elena sounds serious. “She’s a great actor.”

“Ummm…” Sabina snorts even though her mouth is still half full of popcorn. “No, she’s not.” She side-eyes Elena. “She’s pretty though,” Sabina points out hopefully, as though that will placate Elena. “Very pretty!”

“She’s alright,” says Jane dismissively. “If you’re into the adorable factor.”

Elena huffs, staring sulkily at the screen. It’s very cute, as are most things Elena does (mysteriously). Jane makes sure to hide her doting smile in case Elena happens to glance over; Elena doesn’t like being doted on when she’s cross. Not that she gets cross too often. Sabina stares at Jane over Elena’s head and makes eyes that are obviously meant to indicate their girlfriend. Jane stares at Sabina, trying to figure out what her (annoying) girlfriend is on about. Something about her other sulkily-adorable girlfriend …

“‘Adorable factor’,” mouths Sabina, gazing at the side of Elena’s face meaningfully then back at Jane.

Oh! Jane flushes in embarrassment. She gets it now. Obviously both Jane and Sabina are into ‘the adorable factor’ … because they’re into Elena Houghlin. Elena is way more adorable than Meg Ryan though! Ryan is like, so adorable that it backfires and becomes nauseating. Elena walks that fine line right before it turns. Somehow. Jane opens her mouth to tell Sabina all this, then closes it with a snap. Probably Elena would become grumpier if she was to hear herself talked about like a hallmark card or a soft squishy teddy bear. While that would definitely be … adorable, it might have other negative consequences that Jane doesn’t want to wear …

“What are you two talking about?” Elena asks, and her voice comes out sulky and a little squeakier than usual … which reminds Jane of Meg Ryan. How horrifying!

“Just how cute you are, cutie pie,” Sabina tells Elena, which is honest, if not a good idea in Jane’s book.

“Do you really think Meg Ryan’s not a good actor?” Elena asks Sabina, and her pout has somehow grown in cuteness.

Jane stares, kind of entranced. She no longer knows what’s happening in the movie. Not that Jane cares, in any case. She’s here under duress!

“Do you want me to lie?” Sabina checks with Elena. “Because I can totally do that.” She smirks and points a thumb back towards her own chest proudly. “I’m a master grifter.”

“Hard to believe,” Jane comments, sotto voce, “when you put it like that.”

Sabina smirks, not seeming put out.

“What about you?” Elena has turned towards Jane and is regarding her with soft brown eyes and The Pout of Doom. “You really think Meg’s not wonderful?”

“Ahhh…” says Jane, thrown for a loop even though she’s Absolutely Certain that Meg is far from wonderful.

“Isn’t it enough that we have to watch this crap?” Sabina wonders aloud. “We lost the bet, babygirl. Stop trying to make us lie about Ryan.”

“So you think this is crap, too!” says Jane, and she can’t help it if her voice comes out triumphant. She knew she wasn’t the only one suffering through this drivel!

“Of course,” says Sabina reasonably. “But … eye candy. At least there’s eye candy.”

“This is a serious movie!” says Elena petulantly. “It’s one of the greatest rom coms ever made! It’s so deep and it has real substance!”

“Wha…” Sabina’s mouth drops open and she stares at Elena like she’s speaking a foreign language.

A piece of half-chewed popcorn drops out Sabina’s mouth and hits the floor. Normally Jane would find that disgusting, but right now she’s too fulfilled by Sabina looking at Elena like she’s a crazy person. Which is exactly how Jane wants to look at Elena (though she’s not sure if she has the guts to … thankfully Sabina is too oblivious to need guts …). Because this movie is not ‘the greatest ever made’ anything. And the only ‘substance’ Jane’s picking up is a thick air of boredom. Elena looks at Jane next and Jane looks away hurriedly.

“I can’t believe this!” Elena sounds huffy. She folds her arms over her chest and pouts at the screen. It’s super cute. But she’s obviously upset and Jane Can’t. Have. That. Jane attempts comfort:

“You can make us watch a movie marathon with all your favourites,” she tells Elena calmly, “because you won the bet. But you can’t make us like them.” Jane side-eyes Elena meaningfully. “You know that.”

Elena’s pout gets even poutier, and she seems to be focusing on the projector screen way more intently than necessary. Jane realises that her supremely rational ‘comfort attempt’ may have failed. Has failed. Spectacularly. It obviously wasn’t what Elena needed. Even though Jane’s just telling Elena the (obvious) truth.

“But we love you!” adds Sabina, wrapping a comforting arm around Elena’s shoulders and tousling her hair affectionately. “Even though your taste in movies sucks arse!”

Elena bursts into tears. Jane is torn between panicking, comforting Elena (somehow! but how?!), and grinning sardonically at Sabina … because Sabina’s comfort-attempt was even worse than Jane’s. Although … it was also truth-telling. Jane sighs. Right, right … Jane remembers now. Having a girlfriend isn’t always about logic and rationality and truth-telling (or even, that often). It’s about hearts and flowers and empathy and emotions and sensitivity … all things that Elena Houghlin is fantastic at and Jane Kano … sucks arse at. It’s probably even why Elena likes nauseating movies, like ‘When Harry Met Sally’. You probably have to be a (weird!) hearts and flowers type, to appreciate their … charms.

Well, Jane appreciates Elena. That much is certainly true. She sighs again, and attempts comfort: take two.

“You wanted us to like this movie?” Jane guesses, trying to keep her voice gentle. “And you’re upset that we … don’t?”

Jane is able to do this empathic manoeuvre only from long exposure to Elena, and careful observation that was originally based on suspicion of Elena’ motives … but has come to be grudgingly respectful. This is something like what Elena (often) does to Jane and Sabina, when they are upset. It mostly has Very Good Results.

“Yes!” squeaks Elena and turns to bury her face in Jane’s breasts and hide there.

Jane melts. She willingly wraps her arms around Elena’s back and holds her, looking at Sabina for extra help. What should Jane do next? Sabina winks and gives Jane a thumbs up. She looks cheerful, unconcerned, curious, and totally interested in what’s happening. Sabina is still cramming popcorn into her mouth, only now she’s watching Jane and Elena like they are the cheesy rom com movie, instead of watching the screen. She’s probably thinking about how pretty and/or sexy they are, if Jane knows Sabina (and Jane does) … and has no idea what’s actually going on.

Jane strokes the back of Elena’s head and glares at Sabina. She’s So Not Helpful! Sabina’s getting popcorn all over the floor. And she’s chewing with her mouth open. Sabina grins at Jane; she doesn’t seem upset about the glaring.

“I could tell you what movie I want to watch?” Sabina suddenly offers, directed at Elena’s back. “One that Jane likes too. If that’s er … important to you. If you’d rather that we watch something all of us like, than watching your favourites.”

Jane blinks. What a stupid idea. Or … it would be, if it was offered to Jane (who would totally get off on making her girlfriends watch movies that they hate). Or even if it was offered to Sabina. Elena’s different though. She cares about what they both enjoy … she’s (oddly) sensitive to it. Maybe Sabina’s offer is actually … a good idea. Like, romantic. Thoughtful. Something weird like that.

“Thank you, baby,” Elena mumbles into Jane’s breasts, though it’s clearly directed at Sabina. “Let’s do that.”

Jane’s mouth drops. Sabina bloody got it right! Jane can’t believe it. Somehow, working together (yet not together), the two-of-them have successfully tag-teamed Elena and comforted their Adorable Girlfriend. Sabina grins big and fist pumps in the air. Jane grins back. When Sabina reaches one greasy hand towards Jane to offer her a fist bump, Jane reaches around Elena’s back, and fist bumps Sabina back.

Even better, they can stop watching this movie!

Chapter Text

Elena’s POV

The Angels are chasing each other through a forest at night-time. Technically they’re playing ‘Spotlight’ – it was Sabina’s bright idea (of course). Sabina got Jane to join in by claiming it would be good for honing their spy skills. She got Elena to join in by claiming it was ‘romantic as shit’. Elena doesn’t know what Sabina’s true motive is … she imagines it’s as pure and simple as ‘fun’. Sabina does a lot of things just to have fun, and they’re often pretty random. Elena really digs it about her fun-loving girlfriend. Sabina does make Elena’s world much more fun, and she knows the same is true for the rest of their extended team (Bosley and Saint), and especially true for tends-towards-the-dour Jane Kano.

“You’re cheating,” Jane growls, and Elena can just make out Jane somewhere ahead of her, hot on Sabina’s heels as they weave between the trees.

Sabina is fleeing from Jane who is hunting her down. Both Elena’s girlfriends are Way Better at this game than she is (and probably at most athletic games, for that matter … Elena does better with puzzles). Elena knows that Sabina has stolen the torch off Jane (who is currently ‘it’ as ‘the seeker’) and is running away with it. That makes it impossible for Jane to shine the torch on each of her girlfriends to get them out, while saying their name aloud. That’s what’s meant to happen after Jane discovers their hiding places … not that anybody’s hiding right now …

Jane almost tagged Sabina out (Elena was watching from a nearby bush she’d crouched behind … a lousy hiding place, but hey, they’d been playing for a while and Elena was too tired to find a better spot). Yet at the last minute Sabina had pounced down from the tree she’d been perched halfway up – kind of precariously – and swiped the torch out of Jane’s hand … without the beam landing on her. It was an impressive move. Elena admired Sabina: it’s hard to catch Jane off guard! Wildcard Sabina Wilson was often the only one who could …

Then Sabina was haring off into the dark forest, fleeing from Jane with the torch turned off, laughing all the while. Jane after long frozen moments (no doubt overcome with the audacity of their girlfriend flagrantly making up her own rules) had sworn her head off and followed. Elena had risen meekly and followed after Jane, as quickly as she could. Luckily the moon was almost full, and the forest wasn’t that dense: she could see her girlfriends relatively easily. They were making enough noise even if she couldn’t see them, crashing through the undergrowth. What else was Elena meant to do? She didn’t want to get lost in the forest! She wanted to be with her girls.

The Angels run and run and run. Elena is sweating, and huffing, and tired, and … over it! She’s reached a clearing. She slows to a halt, breathing heavily, leaning over to place her hands on her knees. She squints to the other side of the clearing: Sabina and Jane are disappearing into the forest. It looks like Jane might have almost caught up to Sabina. Hopefully that’s the case. Elena is definitely over it: she doesn’t want to keep playing anymore. Instead, she traipses into the middle of the clearing and practically throws herself down on the soft grass. She gazes up at the moon, enjoying the cool of the air, the beauty of the sky. Her breath is calming down. Her sweat is drying against her body.

Elena feels peaceful, content. Although the moon is bright, they are far from city lights and Elena can easily see the stars … way more of them than she normally sees at home. The Angels are on a camping trip and apart from games of Spotlight that go on way longer than seems ‘fun’, Elena is into it. She gazes at the moon and stars and wisps of cloud that move slowly across the mostly clear sky. Beautiful!

“Beautiful,” says Jane appreciatively, voice pitched low.

Jane has somehow re-joined Elena; she didn’t hear her girlfriend coming. It’s not that surprising because brawler specialist Jane Kano is all-things BAMF … and stalking soundlessly through a forest at night is probably one of them. Elena looks up at Jane who is a moonlit silhouette standing over her, and sees the gleam of Jane’s dark eyes, watching Elena piercingly. Elena knows Jane’s ‘beautiful’ was about her. She blushes lightly. There is a flash of white teeth as Jane smiles and then Jane is lying down smoothly, her arm and leg pressed flush against Elena’s. They stare up at the sky, together.

“Where’s Bina?” Elena asks.

“Here!” announces Sabina cheerfully, flopping down noisily on Elena’s other side. “I won.”

“You cheated,” gripes Jane. “That’s an automatic loss.”

“You’re an automatic loss,” flirts Sabina, which doesn’t make sense, but Elena knows it’s flirting because Sabina’s using her flirty tone.

It’s the particular shade-of-tone Sabina uses when she’s seeking to rile Jane up, which is something Sabina does a lot. Elena suspects the randomness of the flirt’s content is also about riling Jane up. Sabina is probably hoping to rile Jane up enough that they’ll have passionate outdoor sex in the forest. Elena’s pretty sure that this is Sabina’s current (see-through) motivation. She wonders idly if Jane is aware of the same.

“You’re a…” Jane trails off with a sudden and uncharacteristic, “oooh!” She points up at the sky. “Shooting star!”

Elena just so happened to be looking in the right place at the right time and she smiles brightly. Wow! That was … wow!

“Wow!” Elena says.

“I didn’t see it,” says Sabina, and Elena can hear the pout in her girlfriend’s voice.

“No wish for you,” says Jane, sotto voce.

“Fuck you too,” says Sabina, but Elena can tell it’s her usual good-natured banter with Jane, and that Sabina isn’t truly upset.

“That’s what you would have wished for,” Jane teases Sabina.

Elena giggles before she can stop herself. That’s the truth! Sabina chortles too, obviously appreciating Jane’s remark. Sabina leans up on one elbow and grins down at them both. Elena smiles back, lovingly. Sabina is so cute! Elena even knows what her incorrigible girlfriend is about to say …

“Make my wish come true?” Sabina looks hopeful.

“Aw, baby,” says Elena to Sabina, half-coquettish, half-teasing. “Kiss me.” She pulls Sabina down on top of her eagerly.

The two-of-them kiss, passionately. Beside them Elena hears Jane roll up to lean on her elbow, obviously to watch. Elena has a good feeling about this … she’s pretty sure Jane is about to join in with them … sure enough …

“Kiss me,” Jane tells Sabina, voice gruff, practically an order.

Elena opens her eyes to see that Jane has gripped Sabina by the hair (none too gently) and that her girlfriends are now kissing over the top of Elena. Sabina moans into Jane’s mouth. Both their eyes are closed. Elena smirks up at them.

Evidently, they’re not going to be looking for any more shooting stars tonight …

Chapter Text

Sabina’s POV

When Sabina was in prison they used to occasionally have ‘game days’ to play sports out in the yard (aka the dusty square enclosed by chicken wire … if the chickens were the prehistoric variety). Sabina was into it because it was fresh air, she liked to roughhouse, and she got bored easily. Anything novel was cool in her books; Sabina hated being bored.

These days she hasn’t been in prison for a very long time … and she doesn’t talk about it if she can help it. That’s because Sabina’s now one of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ … and Charlie’s Angels are ‘the good guys’. Generally speaking, peeps in prison are ‘the bad guys’ or at least everyone thinks they are. Sabina feels like it would be a rather bad idea to remind her fellow good guys that she’s … kind of a bad guy. Like, not a good conversation topic for the water cooler. Something you sort of keep to yourself, like a makeshift shiv that you keep up your sleeve … until you’re out in the yard for Game Day.

So when the Angels have to infiltrate a prison for their latest mission, Sabina is Not Into It. She’s super antsy. Prison brings back bad memories (a lot of them) and Sabina tries to avoid bad things in favour of good and fun and sexy and non-boring things. Unfortunately, she’s having trouble avoiding, just for the minute. That’s because she’s dressed as a (fake) prisoner in a truly garish (yet familiar) orange jumpsuit, hands cuffed in front of her, one bicep clutched firmly in Jane’s powerful grip. Jane is dressed as a (fake) prison guard.

Sabina is sulky: why did Jane get the good role? Why did Sabina get the sucky one? Why did Elena get to do tech from the van parked outside, helping Bosley out as their eyes and ears? Sabina scuffs her foot on the concrete floor, just to be annoying, and Jane mutters something under her breath, and clutches Sabina’s bicep a little more firmly.

“What’s up?” Jane mouths at Sabina as they keep moving down the corridor, and her dark eyes are worried.

Sabina sighs. She knows Jane knows that Sabina is antsy … for reasons. It’s probably obvious, after all. She shouldn’t (literally) drag her feet. She should just be upfront about it (like Elena Houghlin, she who is Excellent at seeking support directly). However … Bosley and Elena are listening over their group comms and that’s kind of … awkward, so Sabina simply shrugs and pouts at Jane. She tries to come up with a roundabout way of saying what she wants to communicate. One that Jane will understand without Sabina having to embarrass herself more than wearing this outfit already does.

“I look fugly,” she tells Jane mournfully. “This is so not my colour.”

Normally Jane would rib Sabina mercilessly, given such a perfect setup. This time she only regards Sabina soberly as they pace towards their mission destination. Jane stays silent.

“Why am I the prisoner?” Sabina asks, and it comes out grumpy. She can’t help it right now; she’s feeling too agitated.

Again, Jane passes up the many (clever! hilarious! snarky-arse) lines that Sabina knows her girlfriend could easily make at this juncture.

“Because I suck at seeming … cowed,” Jane says simply, and Sabina stares in surprise.

It’s … true, of course. That’s why Jane’s playing the prison guard: she’s like, 250% more believable as a guard, and would probably mess up the prisoner role the moment another inmate looked at her sideways (Jane is Very Bad at grifting, they all know that). Sabina even (already) knows why Elena is in the van instead of in the prison, helping them. It’s because Sabina and Jane … and even Bosley coddle Elena on missions as ‘their team’s baby’. Even after all this time, when Elena is definitely no longer a rookie, they’re all far more protective of her than is warranted. By unspoken agreement they take extra care that Elena doesn’t get hurt … or exposed to anything too dangerous-seeming or out of her ballpark. Sabina is pretty damn sure that Elena has yet to pick up on this … even though she’s normally the extra perceptive type. If Sabina (and Jane! and Bosley!) have their way, Elena Will Never Know.

A twangy notification noise buzzes over the PA system.

“Prisoners, report to the yard!” says a bossy voice that gives Sabina chills even though she’s never heard it in her life. It’s too similar to … other bossy voices over other PAs. “It’s Game Day.”

“What the hell is Game Day?” asks Jane, glancing around the corridor cautiously.

“Sports games,” mutters Sabina, “in the chicken pen. All the prisoners will be outside.” She glances up at Jane. “We’re a go.” For their mission objective, Sabina means. It should prove relatively easy with no one between them and their goal.

“Lucky, Angels,” says Bosley over comms. “Though … strange. I didn’t see that in the schedule.”

“Maybe it’s an amendment?” says Elena in her Tech Genius voice that Sabina loves to hear her girlfriend use, in and outside the bedroom. “Let me double check…”

Jane and Sabina have reached a door. Sabina watches as Jane swipes her (stolen) security access pass through the lock. The door opens. They step through, moving relatively slowly. Jane’s body is tense; Sabina can tell that her badass girlfriend is on full alert. Sabina herself stays slightly hunched over, deliberately. It’s a ploy: she looks more like a disheartened prisoner this way and will be underestimated. Should the Angels be confronted, Sabina will have one up on anyone attacking them. Since her hands are cuffed together, she’s starting off one down, and one up is a good idea! Not that Sabina is truly handcuffed. These are special Angels’ tech cuffs that only appear to be secure, but that Sabina can wrench apart with a complicated twisting manoeuvre. It takes a little while though, maybe 20 seconds to perform. She’ll need a bit of time and space to wriggle out of them, should that prove necessary …

“I hate Game Day,” Sabina mutters to herself, thinking about a particularly bad memory of that time she’d been on the wrong side of a shiv being pulled in the yard … by that impressively muscular chick … what had her name been again? She’d looked like a terminator – if the terminator happened to have a lot of prison tattoos – and hit like one too. Oh yeah, ‘Grady’. Sabina had been in the med unit for like, a couple months. She’d been So Fucking Bored …

“Hey!” says Jane, and her fingers are squeezing Sabina’s bicep hard enough to bruise it. “Pay attention.”

Jane’s voice is sharp, but her eyes are soft, so Sabina thinks maybe the sharp tone is just for comms or just because Jane doesn’t know how else to get her attention. Sabina blinks at her girlfriend, feeling a little dazed. Jane stops walking, and takes Sabina by the other arm too, squeezing both reassuringly.

“Game Day was a last-minute amendment,” Elena tells them over comms. “I don’t think anything’s fishy. It’s just … poor admin.”

“I know all about that,” says Bosley, voice ironic.

“Bos, are you dissing yourself?” teases Sabina, smiling up at Jane.

Sabina’s feeling a lot better all of a sudden. It’s something about the care and concern in Jane’s eyes and the warmth of her girlfriend’s capable hands holding her arms. It’s something about Bosley joking at her own expense (hinting that Bosley sucks at the admin that she’s forced to do as part of her role) … Sabina knows Bosley did that for Sabina. It’s Bosley’s way of helping: she must have twigged that Sabina’s struggling a little with the similarity of this mission’s location to … Bad Memories. Bosley’s good like that.

“We’re an international detective-cum-spy agency,” Bosley mock gripes. “Yet we don’t budget in admin professionals. It’s … sad.”

“Something about secrecy?” guesses Elena, Thinking Voice engaged. “It’s a mystery…”

Jane gestures with her eyebrows in a way that Sabina knows means Jane is checking whether she’s good to keep going. She shoots Jane a small grateful grin, and nods, once.

“Take me to your interrogation room,” Sabina banters with Jane, because now that she’s feeling better, banter with her sexy-arse ‘prison guard’ girlfriend is what Sabina is here for. How could you pass up all the sweet banter opportunities that a prison mission presents? It would be a travesty!

“To make you talk?” Jane digs back. “What about to make you shut up?”

“Well that’s easy,” says Sabina. “Just put your fingers in my…”

Jane stops walking suddenly, pressing one hand over Sabina’s mouth. Sabina blinks, half-startled, half-aroused. Well. That’s one way to do it! She looks at Jane enquiringly and sees her girlfriend is peering around with eagle eye intensity. Ohhhhh… It’s because Jane’s heard something suspicious. Bad timing! This was just getting good …

Jane shoots Sabina a sharp look paired with a subtle hand gesture that Sabina recognises as their pre-agreed signal for Sabina to start ‘taking off her handcuffs’. With a sigh into Jane’s restraining hand (still over her mouth) Sabina starts the complicated twisting manoeuvres. Jane’s hand drops away, as though she’s just remembered it’s there. Jane rests one hand on Sabina’s nearest bicep, lightly. Further down the corridor a door opens. A massive guard steps through, frowns at them, starts striding towards them. He is about seven foot tall and not in the basketball-player-from-Europe kind of way. Sabina is intimidated! She stops twisting the cuffs and stares instead. Jane nudges her in the side and Sabina hurriedly starts twisting again.

“Who are you?!” booms Massive Guard.

“Who are you?” Jane snaps back, and if Sabina wasn’t too busy being intimidated by Massive Guard she’d be intimidated by Jane Kano. That badass tone Jane is using is scary.

“Intruders!” accuses their opponent, only about six strides away.

Clearly, he is not intimidated, and Sabina decides he’s stupid, even though he’s admittedly Very Big. If he had a lick of sense he’d be worried about super spy, Jane. Of course … he doesn’t know Jane’s a super spy (as is Sabina, for that matter). Well, he’s about to find out …

Fucking Game Day: it’s fucking on!

Chapter Text

Jane’s POV

Jane isn’t touchy-feely like both her girlfriends. They obviously have ‘touch’ as one of their love languages … if not their mother tongue. Ever since she’s met them, they’ve been prone to touch each other faaar more than seems necessary, at least from Jane’s ‘I like my space’ point of view. On top of that, they touched Jane faaaaaar more than she was used to (but is very used to by now).

For instance, back when Elena first graduated from Angels’ training school and the three-of-them were ‘just friends and teammates’ (nothing to see here) Jane could expect to be touched somehow about five times a day by each offender.

Sabina:
-the pointless fist bump that Jane considered hadn’t been properly earned
-the playful punch in the shoulder that kind of hurt more than it should
-the shove into someone they were walking past … or a wall … or a random piece of furniture
-the high five for no-good-reason (if Jane deigned to complete it, that is)
-the raspberry blown against the back of her neck (so rude!)
… and more in the same vein, if you didn’t count blows to various parts of Jane’s body during sparring matches (which Jane didn’t).

Elena:
-taking Jane’s hand in hers, just for a few seconds (why?)
-putting her arm around Jane companionably and leaning her head against Jane’s shoulder (why?)
-standing on tiptoe to peck a kiss on Jane’s cheek (why?)
-a quick brush of her hand along Jane’s arm or leg (why?)
-folding Jane into a hug (why?) … that never lasted that long because Jane stepped back (why?)
… and more in the same vein, if you didn’t count Elena trying to land a blow to various parts of Jane’s body during sparring matches … yet being blocked or evaded (which Jane didn’t).

Sometime around that time, someone (probably Sabina, dispenser of random facts at random times) told Jane the (boring and how-is-this-relevant) intel that the five ‘official’ love languages are touch, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, and gifts. For some strange reason this caught Jane’s attention. She immediately chewed it over and mentally assigned her teammates to their respective categories.

Elena:
-touch ✔ ✔ ✔
-quality time ✔ ✔
-words of affirmation ✔ ✔
-acts of service ✔
-gifts ✔

Jane based this data on Elena doing all of these for Jane (and Sabina for that matter) on a close to daily basis, though at different frequencies. For instance, Elena gave thoughtful gifts (like buying Jane and Sabina their coffees) but only at appropriate times and only to appropriate amounts (nothing too big or flashy for ‘friends and teammates’). Similarly, Elena performed acts of service (like returning Jane’s pistols and knives to an Angels’ weapons locker so that Jane could unwind) but only at appropriate times like when Jane was especially tired or hurting after a hard mission.

Elena was good at reading social cues (from what Jane could tell) and at … relational pacing. She seemed to match herself to the people around her. Jane found this … considerate. Also, suspicious. Jane didn’t do that! Jane was Jane, come sun or rain. So … why did Elena Houghlin? What was she … trying to achieve? What was her motive?

Elena was touchy-feely with Jane and Sabina, and also with Bosley and Saint to a lesser extent. But she didn’t touch all and sundry like Sabina ‘accidentally walked into your back again’ Wilson. Elena enjoyed quality time and liked to hang out a lot, but she didn’t impose the same on Jane: Elena seemed to pick up on Jane’s need for space; she didn’t trot after Jane nagging her to hang more, the way Sabina might.

Elena gave words of affirmation, but she saved these for meaningful moments and always said them like she really meant it. Having said that, Elena gave compliments faaar more than Jane felt comfortable with … and the way that Elena stared softly into Jane’s eyes with her heart in her soft brown eyes sometimes felt … off-putting. It was kind of hard to be around. Jane (somehow) knew Elena was sincere though, which was close to the only thing that stopped her from leaving the room to take some much-needed space.

As for Sabina:
-touch ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
-quality time ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
-words of affirmation 💣
-acts of service 🛸
-gifts 🥷

Jane based this data on Sabina being … weird. For instance, the touch score was based on how much Sabina touched people in general (not just Jane and Elena) … which was a lot. More than Jane had ever seen anyone touch people before! Sabina affectionately touched Bosley, Saint, other Angels (most of whom Jane had barely even talked to, yet many of whom seemed to be friends with Sabina), her marks, random people in clubs, random people not in clubs, and even criminals! (Though to be fair, Sabina’s marks were all criminal types, so … yeah.)

Sabina didn’t seem to like being alone and spent most if not all her time around other people … hence the high quality time score. Words of affirmation (like compliments) were a volatile risk when it came to Wilson … she seemed to love-and-hate receiving them in equal measure, and results could be … explosive. It seemed to depend on … unknown factors. As far as Jane could tell Sabina enjoyed digs, tolerated barbs, got jokey and dismissive when legitimately praised, soaked up flattery as though it was sincere (inexplicable! surely she knew?), enjoyed assorted flirtatious remarks as though they were her due, predictably turned to mush when Elena said something tender, and got tongue-tied and extra idiotic when Jane tried (operative word, ‘tried’) to be nice.

Acts of service looked like Sabina doing something seemingly thoughtful for the wrong person at the right time … or something seemingly thoughtless for the right person at the wrong time. Jane couldn’t read it and it was weird to be on the receiving end of (like practically everything about Sabina Wilson, for that matter). It was maybe a bit like being experimented on by aliens: are they helping or hurting? Doing it for the human subject or for the aliens or for some higher universal purpose or lower devious purpose? Impossible to tell. They’re aliens!

Yet gifts were even weirder! Sabina occasionally gave gifts … but they were stolen from various missions. She had the gall (and balls) to call it ‘liberating’. It wasn’t liberating, it was stealing. Is it a gift when someone steals it for you?! Jane thinks not. Or Sabina would (try to) give Jane something like her half-eaten weird-flavoured sandwich. Again … is that a ‘gift’? Really?

Jane’s own list was something like:
-touch ❌
-quality time ✔
-words of affirmation ❌
-acts of service ✔ ✔ ✔
-gifts ✔

Well … maybe that wasn’t quite accurate. Maybe it was more like …

Jane:
-touch 🩸
-quality time ⏳
-words of affirmation 🩸 ☠
-acts of service ✔ ✔ ✔
-gifts ✔

The truth was, affectionate touch sometimes hurt to receive. Like opening an old scar and making it bleed (why would you?). It made Jane feel itchy from the inside out and like she couldn’t breathe properly, and so needed to get out into the open air. This was the case only if the touch was unwanted or too much or ill-timed. Which it usually was. Underneath all of that, loving touch sometimes felt … like something Jane had never known she could Like That Much. That felt confusing and vulnerable and wasn’t something Jane was prepared to waste further time introspecting. So … yeah. So much for touch.

Quality time was enjoyable sometimes … provided Jane had plenty of alone time to support it. She liked being alone and doing her own thing; it had always been that way. However, Jane liked hanging out with Elena and/or Sabina too … and far more than anyone else. That kind of surprised her. She didn’t usually make time for hanging out with others because it wasn’t that enjoyable … more like an arduous task that she had to slog through to get back to her own company. Elena and Sabina seemed to be exceptions.

Words of affirmation not only hurt to receive, they seemed manipulative and/or pointless and/or empty, and usually made Jane want to kill somebody. Oh wait … sometimes they were okay if Sabina was delivering them … because Sabina did so in a backhanded, dismissible, jokey, flirtatious?, weird?, and supremely punchable way (as in goading Jane into punching Sabina). That was okay with Jane … maybe even more than okay. She enjoyed giving Sabina affirmation in kind, and if it got to be too much, she could easily trip her teammate … who never got upset about such things and would immediately drag Jane down by the shins so that they were both rolling around in the muck.

Acts of service were Jane’s cup of tea: she was good at them. It came naturally to her to see what needed doing practically, and to do it. She found that she wanted to help Elena and Sabina out this way … and she did so, whether they noticed it or not. If Sabina didn’t pay good enough attention during a mission briefing (how like her) Jane would simply hand Sabina the costume she was supposed to don, once they got into the Angels’ dressing room. Sabina would grin at her, half-embarrassed, half-grateful, and put it on without question, trusting that Jane knew what Bosley had said for each of the three-of-them to wear (Jane paid meticulous attention in briefings).

If Elena mentioned that the light had stopped working in her HQ bedroom, Jane would go to the service room and get a replacement bulb. She knew which one to get without checking; such details came naturally to Jane, pragmatic and observant as she was. Each of the Angels’ had their own makeshift guest bedroom at their current local HQ (they’d been assigned there for the next little while at least), and Jane spent quite a lot of time in both Elena and Sabina’s bedrooms. It was a simple matter to bring the bulb the next time they were ‘visiting’ and replace it for Elena … who blushed and seemed charmed.

Jane gave gifts occasionally (probably at a similar frequency to Elena) and they were appropriate and more importantly, Not Stolen Goods. The antique kukri hanging over Sabina’s bedroom’s mantelpiece was one example. Okay, okay, it had been procured during a mission … but it hadn’t been stealing, because the owner was lying dead, accidentally? killed during the Angels’ shootout with the bad guys. Jane knew that Sabina was Very Into kukris (a kind of short sword with a distinct recurve in its blade, hailing from the Indian subcontinent. With a long, impressive history - including mythology - and many possible uses). It was the least Jane could do to pick it up (when Sabina was looking the other way), clean the blood off it (ick! whose blood?!), sneak it into her outfit, clean and polish it in her HQ bedroom, wrap it up in fancy gift paper. Then bide Jane’s time until about a fortnight later when Sabina seemed to be feeling particularly down (for no known reason that Jane could tell), and then she presented the gift to her teammate, also for no known reason.

Sabina had been beside herself. Like a Labrador puppy chasing its tail. Jane had been a little worried that Sabina might cut herself on the machete-type blade in her excitement. Elena had smiled at Jane with those soft-as-butter eyes that simultaneously warmed Jane and made her want to run out of the room. Jane had avoided Elena’s eyes and scowled at Sabina’s antics.

“What are you going to do with it?” Jane had growled, which was mostly about changing the topic so that Sabina would hopefully be distracted and calm down, and Elena would hopefully be distracted and stop making googly eyes at the side of Jane’s (heated) face.

“Display, baby!” Sabina had crowed, now prancing around her bedroom in what looked like some kind of ancient war dance, between pausing in what was probably meant to be scary warrior poses.

“You’re going to display it?” Elena had checked; she was always good at interpreting Sabina-ese. Half the time Jane (secretly) relied on Elena to translate for her. Just now Jane was too busy feeling weird because Sabina had just … sort of called her ‘baby’. Sort of. Unless Sabina was calling the kukri ‘baby’ … which was probably just as likely.

“Yeah!” said Sabina, posing (impressively? idiotically?) with both hands over her head clutching the kukri’s handle, the recurved blade pointing backwards. “Pride of place, over the mantlepiece!”

Jane stopped feeling annoyed and started feeling chuffed. That meant that … Sabina really liked Jane’s gift. Like really really liked it. Jane’s scowl turned into a grin: she couldn’t help it. Elena was smiling too, and Sabina’s face was bright and happy.

“Let me help you,” said Jane, rising to hold her hand out to Sabina for the kukri … who rather surprisingly just handed it over; Jane had thought she might have to pry the weapon out of Sabina’s hands.

Sabina was grinning dopily at Jane, and Sabina may or may not have been flushing lightly. Jane felt too embarrassed to stare hard enough to find out. Her own skin felt kind of hot … maybe Jane was blushing too. She took the kukri, turned towards Sabina’s mantlepiece and started considering how best to hang the weapon. Jane displayed a lot of weapons in her bedroom; it was practically the only form of decoration she went in for. The kukri should be over the centre if Sabina wanted it ‘pride of place’. Jane went over to get a better look at the requisite shelving and wall.

“This is one of the best gifts I’ve ever been given,” Sabina told Jane’s back.

“You’re such a spy-type,” Jane dissed, without looking at her teammate. It was simultaneously a compliment.

“You looked really cute doing your war dance,” Elena told Sabina. Jane blushed, even though Elena had said that to Sabina (not Jane).

Something about Elena’s tone … something about what she’d just said … Jane couldn’t put her finger on it exactly. It was like the flirting that Sabina was always doing (annoyingly) with everyone, and with Jane and Elena even more than with everyone else. That didn’t mean anything (of course), because Sabina Wilson was a Hopeless Flirt and incorrigible to boot. Somehow though when Elena Houghlin was the one who was (maybe) flirting it was … blushworthy. Was Elena flirting with Sabina? Jane knew Elena was gay (she was open about it). Presumably Sabina was everyone-sexual (judging by her flirting, anyway). Jane was straight (of course) but that didn’t mean she didn’t notice it when beautiful-and-sexy women (like Elena and Sabina) flirted with each other. Or maybe flirted with each other.

Was flirting a love language? If so, it was one that Jane was very bad at … she had enough self-awareness and self-honesty to admit to this (privately). Jane still (uncomfortably) remembered how embarrassed (and excited) she’d felt trying to flirt with ‘handsome nerd’ Langston, Elena’s friend and co-worker from Brok Industries … who Jane had dated for all of two seconds. Most mortifyingly, Sabina and Elena had caught her mid flirt attempt (just before Elena went into Angels’ training, and just after Jane had finally revenge-killed Hodak). The two-of-them had teased Jane remorselessly … even so-called ‘sensitive’ Elena! Dating Langston had been fun, sexily sweat-inducing, uncomfortable, weird, and as Jane quickly realised … not-worth-the-effort. He was … lovely, but Jane was … bad at dating. Bad at flirting. Bad at emotional intimacy. Bad at being stared at dopily by a cute guy with soft eyes that reminded her of cute-girl-Elena’s even softer eyes …

“Want me to teach you?” That was Sabina, to Elena, evidently about her war dance. Sabina’s voice was a low purr and Jane knew that Sabina was flirting, because she’d heard Sabina deliver that purr to herself on too many occasions to count.

“…Yes,” Elena’s voice was almost a squeak.

Jane suspected Elena was nervous. But why would Elena be nervous? Unless Elena had been flirting, and Sabina was flirting back, and now Elena was flirting back to Sabina’s flirting … or getting nervous about being called on Elena’s original flirting … or…. Jane blinked and cut her line of thinking. It was impossible to know! Jane was bad at flirting anyway, so she shouldn’t try and interpret whatever it was that her teammates were doing behind her back yet right in front of her face. Nonetheless she quickly added ‘flirting’ as a love language to her mental catalogue. It now looked like:

Elena:
-touch ✔ ✔ ✔
-quality time ✔ ✔
-words of affirmation ✔ ✔
-acts of service ✔
-gifts ✔
-flirting ✔ 🌸

Sabina:
-touch ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
-quality time ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
-words of affirmation 💣
-acts of service 🛸
-gifts 🥷
-flirting ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Jane:
-touch 🩸
-quality time ⏳
-words of affirmation 🩸 ☠
-acts of service ✔ ✔ ✔
-gifts ✔
-flirting 🗑

The flower icon indicated that Elena’s flirting was sweet and adorable.

Sabina’s flirting seemed to be right up there with her touchy-feelyness. Like some kind of addiction.

Jane’s flirting was rubbish.

Jane sighed to herself and went back to affixing the kukri over Sabina’s mantlepiece. Maybe she should ask Sabina to give her a few lessons on ‘how to flirt’ sometime … Wilson was obviously some kind of expert. No, that would blow Sabina’s head up to epic proportions. Jane would just have to figure it out on her own. Not that she had anybody who she currently wanted to flirt with, in her life. Jane was far too invested in her friendship-and-teamhood with Elena and Sabina, and she didn’t have time for other (boring and useless) people.

She only had time for the three-of-them.

Chapter Text

Elena’s POV

The first time Sabina writes Elena a poem, it’s a haiku. It’s delivered to Elena as a paper airplane that hits her in the side of the face. She yelps (not expecting this!), looks all around to try and figure out what happened, then looks down at the slightly dented paper plane lying on the bench beside her. Elena is seated overlooking the marble fountain on the lawn at her local Angels’ HQ. It showcases a series of cherubs with swords: a nod to ‘Charlie’s Angels’. One cherub is an oddity: it bears a cheeky smile and gun.

Said cherub kind of reminds Elena of her cheeky girlfriend, one Sabina Wilson. Sabina is wearing a similar cheeky smile from where she stands in line for the nearby coffee cart: the two-of-them have come here on a coffee date. Elena stares at Sabina suspiciously: her grin is even more shit-eating than usual. Then Elena stares down at the paper plane. Ahhhhhh. Sabina threw it at her! Of course. But … why? Slowly Elena unfolds it. A poem is written on the inside … no a haiku. Elena blinks in surprise. She reads it:

𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓆𝓊𝑒𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻

𝐼 𝒻𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝓎 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈

𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒸𝓊𝓉𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒

Elena blushes and coos; she can’t help herself! It’s … so cute! Did Sabina write this?! Elena’s impressed! She didn’t know Sabina could write poetry. Half-decent poetry, at that. Sabina is now sitting down beside Elena, grinning big and bearing their coffees in Angels’ brand keep cups. Sabina passes Elena her usual (favourite) cappuccino. Sabina has her usual (favourite) affogato.

“You like it?” Sabina asks, voice suspiciously casual.

“Yes!” Elena all but gushes. “Did you write this?!” She blushes harder. “About me?”

“You’re the only Angel I know who’s tranqued herself,” Sabina says jokily. She winks at Elena, and it’s flirtatious.

“I wasn’t an Angel then,” Elena mumbles, now feeling a little embarrassed.

Is she ever going to live that down? It had happened during a mission-series when civilian Elena first met Sabina and Jane, ‘sexy lady spies’ who were totally impressive and who she couldn’t keep her eyes off. Sabina had given Elena an Angels’ tech ‘breath mint’ that doubled as a tranquiliser. It was essential to stick the correct side to your intended victim’s skin … otherwise you’d accidentally tranquilise yourself. In the heat of the moment, Elena had used the incorrect side. The rest was … embarrassing history.

“Aw sorry, babycake,” says Sabina, and now she sounds apologetic. “You’re right, you were just a civvy.” She laughs a little. “Besides, I know quite a few Angels who’ve tranqued themselves … in various talk-worthy ways…” Sabina shoulder-bumps Elena’s shoulder playfully, and Elena thinks it’s meant to be comforting. “It’s practically a rite of passage.”

Elena smiles at Sabina; she’s forgiven her girlfriend already. It’s hard not to, when Sabina is so endearing. Besides, Sabina wrote her a poem!

“What’s the occasion?” Elena asks curiously.

She strokes her thumb over the words of the poem on the unfolded airplane: Sabina’s handwriting.

“That I love you,” Sabina says easily. “No occasion needed.”

Elena’s smile is so wide that it hurts. Sabina can be … supremely sweet. Romantic, thoughtful, surprising. Not many people know this about her girlfriend: Sabina doesn’t seem that way at first glance. Elena knows. Elena loves it! Jane their mutual girlfriend, knows. Elena knows Jane loves it too, though she reacts in a host of ways … that sometimes seem like the opposite.

“I love you too,” Elena tells Sabina, turning her head to kiss her girlfriend’s cheek.

Sabina’s dimple is showing; she’s smiling that big. Elena presses another kiss to the dimple. Sabina turns her head, and their lips meet. It’s short and sweet and filled with love.

Just like the poem.

Chapter Text

Sabina’s POV

Sabina is sitting out on the back deck of the Angels' home, swinging in the hammock. She hung it (from the oak tree and one corner of the deck’s roofing) a long time ago, when she first moved in with her girlfriends. It’s one of Sabina’s favourite places to hang out. Elena and Jane certainly spend a lot of time out here too. Right now though, they’re not at home.

Elena’s on a mini tech-related mission, paired up with fellow tech specialist, Sakura Kobayashi. Sabina’s friends with Sakura (who doubles as a grifter specialist) and the mission is a low-danger one … so she’s not worried about Elena. Sometimes the Angels are called on to do missions outside of their regular teams, paired or teamed up with the extended international roster. Most of the time though, Sabina, Elena and Jane work together as an official team-of-three, headed up by Bosley 342 and supported by their Saint.

Jane’s at their local Angels’ HQ, no doubt sparring and using the training facilities with close to religious fervour. Jane Kano never stops working on her brawling and mission-related skills … which is probably what makes her such a kickass Angel. Sabina grins appreciatively at the thought of Jane’s BAMFness. Sabina works hard too of course (so does Elena), but Kano’s in a class of her own. Sabina herself is taking today off other than going for a run … she feels like lazing, thus she lazes. For Sabina Wilson, it’s that simple. Do what you feel. Be who you are. Lie in the hammock: that’s what it’s there for!

Since her girlfriends are out, Sabina has their home to herself … and accordingly, she’s brought her box of treasures out onto the deck. It sits on her lap as she swings in the hammock, and she’s rifling through it. Normally it lives hidden under the Angels’ bed … Sabina has no fear that her girlfriends will mess with it, because they’re both good at respecting privacy (far better than Sabina). She keeps her most precious knick-knacks in this box, at least those that she feels embarrassed about displaying publicly … or wants to keep just to and for herself.

These include certain photos of the three-of-them together or in their twos or by themselves, that Sabina especially likes and has printed out (old-fashioned is sometimes best): some sexy, some cute, some awkward-AF, some naked. Feelgood photos of their team-of-five, including Bosley 342 and Saint. The flowers that Elena gave Sabina the first time Elena ever did this (she’s done it many times): Sabina pressed and dried them in the thickest book she could find (which certainly wasn’t hers) and kept them for posterity. An inspirational quote (Gag! Yet it helped her so much…) that Saint told her during an especially difficult time, that Sabina penned out in calligraphy on fancy paper, and rolled up like a scroll (Saint doesn’t know this).

An empty mini liqueur bottle (absinthe), that hails from one of the rare (and ‘justified’) times that Bosley and Sabina got completely shit-faced together. Bosley had told Sabina her real name while under the influence, ‘Rebekah Gold’, and Sabina does Bos the solid of pretending that never happened and Sabina doesn’t know: she’s unsure if Bosley remembers. Since then, Bosley has accidentally revealed this ‘secret intel’ on another mission or two in any case. But that’s neither here nor there. The bottle’s still special. It was the first accident. Firsts count!

Speaking of firsts, Sabina lifts her precious golden gun out the box, and grins at it nostalgically. This gold Beretta 92FS pistol is from the first time she met Jane Kano, on a mission in Brazil which doubled as her final ‘date’ with mark, Australian Jonny. Jane had worn a ninja outfit that looked like a cosplay of Catwoman (sooo hot). She’d pushed Sabina off the roof! Jane had been totally badass while taking out multiple bad guys; Sabina had definitely noticed, despite being engaged with her own bad guy aka Jonny Smith. Jane had saved Sabina from being shot by one of Jonny’s bodyguards … with this very golden gun.

After that mission the Beretta 92FS was supposed to end up in one of the many Angels’ armouries for use by the extended team. Sabina had ‘liberated’ it on the sly instead and put it in her box of treasures. She wasn’t girlfriends with Jane back then … they weren’t even friends, yet alone teammates. They’d only just met. Sabina already had a giant crush but that was to be expected: it was Catwoman! Still, eventually they’d become girlfriends, along with Elena Houghlin their mutual girlfriend, and that made the gun even more special to Sabina. Oh sure, it could be considered creepy and weird that Sabina had taken the gun way back then and kept it all this time … only taking it out occasionally to polish and admire it. That’s why it was a secret; that’s why it was in the box. Sabina has a sense of self-preservation!

Eventually she’d realised that she could sneak the golden gun onto a mission here and there and pretend that she’d picked it up from an Angels’ weapons locker … who was to know that she hadn’t? Sabina could give her golden beauty a chance to breathe and some Angels’ action to feast upon. So she’d done so. However, Jane had seemed suspicious on at least one of those occasions … Jane tended to have an amazing (scary!) BS radar when it came to Sabina … alas alack. Sabina hadn’t dared to take the gun out for a spin in recent times. She’d kept it in the box, with its other embarrassing friends. Suddenly:

“You kept that?” Jane’s voice is unreadable.

Sabina sits up abruptly, shocked out of her reverie. She’d been polishing the golden gun with her sweater, gazing at it sappily. The hammock spins: Sabina spills out of it onto her arse. The box that was on her lap tips over and its contents scatter on the ground. The golden gun itself skids over to land at Jane’s feet. To be more exact, Jane’s combat boots. Jane stares down at with an unreadable expression, taps it gently with the toe of one boot. Then she looks at Sabina and arches one sardonic eyebrow.

“Ow!” Sabina protests to her girlfriend, reaching under her butt to rub it gingerly. “Don’t sneak up on me!”

“I didn’t,” Jane says calmly. “I just walked out onto the deck like a normal person.”

Sabina glares at Jane, then subsides: it’s probably true. Sabina was too lost in memories of Catwoman Jane to be paying enough attention to hear Realtime Jane. Besides, Sabina had expected Jane to be occupied at their base for way longer … not back home.

“You’re back already?” Sabina asks quickly, trying to distract Jane from her unboxed treasures.

Sabina’s cheeks are flaming red so she rather doubts it will work. Sure enough, Jane ignores the question. Jane crouches down, picks up the golden gun, studies it. Then holsters it in the back of her pants, all with close to no expression. She eyes the rest of the scattered knick-knacks and both eyebrows arch, high. Then Jane rises and crosses to Sabina who has frozen in place, feeling caught, face unpleasantly hot. Jane reaches down, obviously to help Sabina rise. Sabina looks at her girlfriend’s hand. She puts her own in it and Jane pulls her to her feet.

“Your arse okay?” Jane asks, and her tone has that subtle flavour that Sabina knows is half a humourous dig and half girlfriendly concern.

“Bruised,” Sabina tells Jane, with a pout.

Sabina clears her throat uncomfortably, wanting her (precious) gun back but not wanting to ask for it. Instead, she bends down and scoops her various treasures back into the box. None of them are damaged, looks like, thank God! Though some are now a little dirty. Even Bosley’s bottle is uncracked; Sabina sighs with relief. She closes the box firmly. Then she lays back in the hammock, gingerly, and eyes Jane who has merely stood and watched this whole procedure. A slightly awkward silence.

“That’s your … special box,” Jane says slowly.

“Show me your ‘special box’ and I’ll show you mine,” joke-flirts Sabina, trying once again to distract Jane.

She knows Jane (and Elena) know about the existence of Sabina’s treasure box (and where it hides), even if they respect her privacy and don’t look inside it. So much for that, because Jane has now seen pretty much everything, even if she hasn’t looked through it closely. Jane rolls her eyes, no doubt at Sabina’s particularly bad pun. She sits down in one of the outdoor chairs, facing Sabina. Jane reaches behind herself and pulls out the Beretta 92FS, laying it atop one thigh. It gleams golden in the sun. Sabina stares at it greedily: she wants it back! Then she glances up at Jane’s unreadable expression, aware that her own cheeks are still flushed, though less than before.

“This is from Rio de Janeiro,” Jane tells Sabina, like Sabina doesn’t already know that. She was hoping that Jane didn’t know that … but obviously Jane’s eagle eyes miss nothing and her head for mission-relevant details remembers everything. Even a weapon from years ago. That Jane touched for like, less than five seconds. Fuckity fuck.  

“Is it?” says Sabina guiltily. She looks everywhere but Jane, and her eyes end up back on the golden gun. It glints coquettishly at her … obviously it wants to be back with Sabina and its box-friends! What a beauty it is, all gold and shiny. It really draws the eye …

“You kept this…” says Jane slowly, and Sabina feels her girlfriend’s piercing gaze upon her, as Jane works through the intel aloud. “All this time. Instead of … putting it … in one of our weapons arsenals?”

“Ummm…” Sabina’s eyes dart up to Jane’s briefly then skid away. “Is there a correct answer?”

“Why?” Jane asks, voice unreadable. “Tell me, and I’ll give it back.”

Sabina makes full eye contact with her girlfriend now, taken aback. Is Jane really going to make her say it? The fucking sadist! Jane’s going to make her say it. Sabina finds herself chortling. Then breaking out in sweat.

“Fine, dude,” she tells Jane, a little grumpily though good-naturedly. “I wanted a memento of ‘Cosplay Catwoman’. Y’know, the weirdo who pushed me off a fucking roof. After she saved my arse by incapacitating a bunch of bad guys including the fucker who was pointing this beauty at me.” Sabina grins nostalgically. “It was the shiniest memento available.” Sabina means out of the various weapons that the Angels had procured from that mission, mostly assorted guns.

“…Thought as much,” says Jane, eyes locked with Sabina’s. The corner of her lips quirks up. “That’s so…”

“Creepy?” guesses Sabina, looking down with a whole new flush. This is why she didn’t want Jane to know …

“I was going to say, ‘Sabina’,” says Jane, voice very dry. “But sure, maybe it’s a little creepy too. In a…” Jane clears her throat and sounds uncomfortable, “sweet way.”

Sabina grins, sitting up. She sticks her legs over the side of the hammock so she’s sitting with her feet on the ground, one leg on either side.

“You’re fucking sweet,” she tells Jane happily. Sabina’s embarrassment is gone, just like that; she feels heaps better. Plus, she wants her memento! “Now give me back my gun.”

“Or what?” Jane wants to know, and she has the audacity to wink at Sabina. The tease!

“Or I’ll…” Sabina studies Jane closely.

Yeah, Jane’s dark eyes are particularly intense, and her skin is a little flushed … Sabina rather thinks that Jane is ‘in the mood’. The sex mood that is, one of the most important moods of all! Sabina’s practically always in the mood, so she’s particularly interested when her girlfriends are too … and with Jane that’s relatively rare. Sabina should take this golden opportunity! She gives it her best shot. Sabina tries fluttering her eyelashes at Jane, who follows the motion closely, more closely than she would if she wasn’t in the mood …

“…Beg you nicely?” Sabina tries, in her best ‘demure’ voice. “Do anything you want me to? Service your ‘treasure box’?”

Jane rolls her eyes but she’s smirking at the same time.

“Which is it?” she asks Sabina mildly. “That’s three separate offers.”

“…Beg you nicely?” Sabina guesses. What is Jane in the mood for? Sabina can’t tell, probably because Sabina is in the mood for everything! Jane favours her with an opaque look. Sabina tries winking. Then her eye is drawn to the gun again, glinting in the sun. Her mouth waters a little. She looks back at Jane.

“You don’t have to beg me,” Jane tells her, standing and crossing to stand in front of Sabina. Just like that she (inexplicably!) hands over the gun and Sabina automatically reaches up to take it; their fingers brush. Sabina shivers. When Jane speaks her voice has an unusual note in it. Sabina can’t be sure, but she thinks maybe it’s … shy. “I’m glad you kept it.”

Sabina beams up at her girlfriend. Jane smiles back.

“Now come to the bedroom and beg,” Jane tells her, and just like that she’s turning on her heel, pacing regally across the deck to disappear inside their home.

Sabina stares after her ever-mysterious girlfriend. She blinks a couple times. Jane obviously assumes Sabina will follow her, without question. Well, Jane’s … fully correct. Sabina blushes even though nobody’s here to see it. Then lets out a whoop and fist-pumps the air. Shoves the golden gun into her treasure box, and hurriedly clambers to her feet.

Follows Jane inside as fast as she can.

Chapter Text

Jane’s POV

Out of the three-of-them, Elena’s the one who cooks the most. Not that often of course, because the Angels are usually too busy or tired for cooking, what with active missions, preparation for the next mission, recovering from the previous mission, and training hard. They are more likely to grab takeout or eat at base (most Angels’ bases have a cafeteria or the equivalent). Right now they’re on a week’s leave and Elena is in the kitchen, cooking up a storm.

“What are you making?” Jane asks, entering the room quietly and slipping up onto one of the barstools at the countertop. Elena is fussing over the stove. Jane enjoys watching Elena cook and often keeps her girlfriend company; it’s soothing.

“Secret family recipe,” Elena tells her, with a soft smile. It looks nostalgic … maybe Elena’s remembering her family.

Jane is uncertain what to say: Jane is often uncertain what to say in life. It’s why she talks less and lets her actions speak for her. In this moment Jane is uncertain because Elena revealed recently that her parents died in a car accident sometime before she met Jane and Sabina. Specifically, Elena’s father and grandmother who apparently raised her together. Jane doesn’t know very many details (as yet), only that Elena was estranged from her biological mother growing up (and still is), that her parents were accepting and supportive people (extending towards outright celebrating Elena’s homosexuality), and that somehow, those very traits resulted in them being estranged from their wider extended family a long time ago.

“Your … parents’ recipe?” Jane guesses, a little awkwardly. She racks her brains for what Elena called them: terms that Jane didn’t recognise, in another language. Jane thinks it’s one of the many Indian languages but she’s not sure. She carefully made a mental note at the time (as Jane tends to do), updating her internal file on Elena. “Pita and … Dadi?” Jane tries. She knows she gets it right because Elena’s smile is as bright as the sun.

“Yes!” Elena’s eyes soften, seemingly in memory. “It’s Dadi’s. From her family, going way back.”

That’s Elena’s paternal grandmother. Jane nods seriously. She looks down at the various ingredients spread out over the countertop in front of her. Elena turns back to the stove.

“Will you tell me what it is?” Jane tries. Elena hasn’t answered Jane’s original question and she’s not sure if it’s intentional.

“I want you to eat it first,” Elena says mysteriously, and her tone is just a little teasing. “Or at least … taste it.”

“Uh huh.” Jane’s voice comes out droll, but she is grinning (subtly) at the back of Elena’s head. “Any particular reason for that?”

“You’ll find out then,” says Elena and now her voice is definitely teasing.

“Okay,” says Jane mildly, reaching over to snag an intriguing looking small red plastic bottle that she hasn’t seen before, amongst the many ingredients. It must live in the spice cupboard, which is admittedly, mostly full of Elena’s spices. It’s definitely airtight.

“I wouldn’t open that if I was you,” says Elena. She smirks at Jane over her shoulder and goes back to whatever she’s doing on the stove.

Elena’s hands are moving quickly, and Jane is momentarily entranced: Elena’s a good cook. Far better than Jane (who is serviceable) and Sabina whose cooking Must Not Be Spoken Of (it’s inedible, except for a few basic meals which Jane grudgingly admits Sabina does … fine). Jane Kano admires skill in all domains … so of course she admires what she clearly recognises as skill from how good Elena’s meals taste. Besides, it’s evident in Elena’s gracefully coordinated movements, and the way she juggles various mini tasks involved in making her Mystery Dish … as though she’s not even thinking about it. Second nature. Elena must have made this many times. Presumably with her Dadi. The thought makes Jane feel sad somehow, and a little happy too. She chews on her bottom lip uncertainly. Slowly puts the bottle back down.  

“Wise choice!” This is Sabina, who’s just traipsed in, and practically bounces onto the barstool next to Jane, leaning over to nip at Jane’s shoulder playfully. It seems to be a weird Sabina greeting, random as always. It doesn’t hurt; it does make Jane feel alert. She scowls at Sabina but it’s affectionate … Jane kind of likes how much Sabina touches her and even how weirdly … though she’s often simultaneously annoyed.

“Why’s that?” Jane asks Sabina, now eyeing the bottle cautiously. What do Sabina and Elena know, that Jane doesn’t know? It’s unusual for her to not-be-in-the-know … Jane doesn’t like it very much …

“The devil’s dung,” says Sabina cheerfully. “Don’t smell it!” Jane’s mouth drops open. She stares at Sabina who is chortling then at Elena who is moving rapidly between the countertop and stove, hands moving smoothly between ingredients, mid cooking-dance.

“Don’t smell it,” Elena agrees, with a wink at Sabina.

“You’re feeding us something … called ‘the devil’s dung’?!” says Jane, and she can’t help it, her voice comes out aghast.

“That’s what uninitiated Europeans call it,” Sabina tells Jane in her ‘helpful’ voice. “It’s not its real name.”

“What’s its real name?” asks Jane, staring at the now scary-seeming bottle.

“Hing,” says Elena and next thing Jane knows, Elena has picked up the bottle and turned towards the stove. She opens it quickly and pops just a pinch into a pan filled with ghee. It bubbles energetically before dissolving. Elena has already resealed the bottle and it’s back near Jane.

“Did you smell it?” Sabina asks Jane and Sabina appears to be sniffing even more energetically than the bubbles. “Gag me!” Sabina doesn’t sound upset about this. Jane’s eyes widen. She sniffs suspiciously, but she can’t smell anything. Maybe it’s dissipated already? Jane doesn’t know whether to be upset or relieved.

“It’s magic,” Elena tells Jane, smiling lovingly at her as she grabs another spice from the bench, then Elena is back working over the stove.

“Smelly smelly magic,” adds Sabina. “Like us.”

“What?” Jane glares at Sabina.

“Like how we work so good together,” Sabina tells her with a shit-eating grin. “You’d never think our three flavours would make a meal. I mean, Elena’s sooo sweet, I’m … acquired, and you’re so…” Sabina pokes Jane’s arm teasingly, “sour.”

Jane glares sourly. Sabina smirks. She goes on:

“Yet together with our flavours combined we are…”

“…Magic,” agrees Elena from the stove. “I know just what you mean.” She looks back and blows a kiss at them. It’s very sweet indeed, very Elena Houghlin.

Sabina does some kind of chomping motion with her mouth. It seems like she’s miming catching Elena’s kiss in her mouth and … eating it. Jane rolls her eyes. Yes, Sabina Wilson is definitely … an acquired taste. Accurate.

Okay, okay, her girlfriends maybe have a point. The three-of-them are very different from each other, yet they somehow work. They maybe even work because they are so different. Their flavours combine in a way that is – Dour Jane wants to gag – magical.

Accurate.

Chapter Text

Elena’s POV

The Angels are several questions deep into ‘Truth or Dare’, only they’re playing a (fun!) drinking game variation of it, ‘Truth or Drink’. They’re at one of the Angels’ official safehouses in an unfamiliar city; they’ve travelled here with their Bosley and Saint to undertake a series of missions that called for their unique skillsets. That’s all going to start the day after tomorrow. Just now their team is settling in. Bosley and Saint have gone in search of a local bar (Bosley’s idea); it’s their night off.

The Angels are set up in the loungeroom. Sabina is lying on the (very fluffy) rug in front of the fireplace; a fire crackles home-ily. Elena is curled up on one end of the couch with a throw over her knees: it’s a bit chilly, even with the fire. Jane is seated on the far side of the couch. A couple bottles of high-quality tequila sit on the coffee table, surrounded by three shot glasses, multiple lime wedges, and a dish of salt. They are playing Truth or Drink ‘Mexican style’ … which basically means that they’re getting drunk on tequila.

It was Sabina’s idea (of course) and Elena happens to think it was inspired. That’s probably something to do with how badly she’s losing, meaning that she’s already tipsy … embarrassingly much more so than either of her girlfriends. Elena doesn’t feel embarrassed though, and that’s because she’s pleasantly tipsy. That’s probably one of the best things about being tipsy, at least in Elena’s book. She grins at her girlfriends happily. Jane smiles back indulgently. Sabina chortles from the rug.

“You’re losing,” she teases Elena, and Sabina sounds plenty chuffed about that. “Already.”

“Is it losing if you’re enjoying yourself?” Elena asks the room. It’s a rhetorical question. She already knows the answer: it’s a definitive ‘no’.

“My turn,” says Jane, swiping a card out of the box of cards bearing Truth or Drink questions that they discovered in this safehouse.

Angels’ safehouses tend to have … the strangest things. Elena has no idea why this one has boardgames and various card games in it … but it does. Maybe some Angels got bored during an extended mission? Maybe one of the Saints thought that games are good for optimum wellbeing? It’s a mystery. It does mean Elena doesn’t have to think of her own questions, which is fantastic … thinking of good questions is increasingly hard the more she drinks (although annoyingly? endearingly? it actually seems to get easier for drunk-Sabina). Besides, the Angels have played this game enough over their time together that Elena is running out of (good) questions.

The rules are that they have to answer the question if it’s their turn, truthfully and fully, to the satisfaction of their girlfriends. Otherwise, they have to take a shot. If they pass a question and choose not to answer, it’s a shot. No choosing another question allowed. Thems the breaks. The hard part about their version of the game is that by doing it with tequila shots, it’s impossible not to get drunk Very Fast if they pass. So truth-telling and answering all the questions is generally the best idea if they want to win.

Jane wants to win: Elena can tell. That’s normal for Jane Kano; she’s highly competitive about most if not all things. The challenge for Jane is that she’s not a big talker and doesn’t like sharing at the best of times. Jane is rising to the challenge though, masterfully. The prize of ‘defeating her girlfriends’ is enough of a motivation. Sabina also wants to win: Elena can tell. That’s because Jane wants to win … and Sabina loves to resist Jane and rile her up, just for the hell of it. The weird thing about Sabina is that she’s not into winning for winning itself, she’s into it so that Jane loses. Those two are so weird.

Elena doesn’t really care about winning; she never has. However, she’s technically the best of the three-of-them at truth-telling: she’s open and honest and finds wearing her heart on her sleeve easy. Yet Elena also gets drunk relatively easily … so there’s that. Besides, Sabina’s been cheating, Elena is pretty sure … though she can’t prove it. Sabina’s cheating (somehow, cleverly) is how Elena’s ended up taking two shots in a relatively short space of time. She blames Sabina! Tipsy already at two.

If Elena-and-Sabina can just get Jane to take a shot or two, she’ll be right there with Elena. Jane doesn’t drink very often so her alcohol tolerance is low. Sabina however is another story. She drinks on any mission she can get away with … despite it being against protocol. Her drinking is even officially approved during many of her grifting objectives. Sabina’s a party girl and has an impressive alcohol tolerance … Elena-and-Jane will have to get Sabina to drink much more than either of them to get Sabina to lose. So unfair!

The point being (is there a point?), Elena doesn’t know how she’s going to win this game. Oh well, she doesn’t really care about winning. She’s here to have fun! She’s already having fun! She grins at Jane happily, then at Sabina, who’s flat on her back and cycling her legs through the air, as though she’s riding a bicycle upside-down. Weeeird …

“What was your first impression of me?” Jane reads out. Both eyebrows arch. Sabina chortles loudly.

“That’s a good one!”

Elena feels nervous. Jane is looking at her, albeit with an unreadable expression. It’s Elena’s turn to answer. She racks her tipsy brains. What was her first impression of Jane Kano? It would have been in that café in Germany, when Elena was meeting with ‘Mr Bosley’ (Edgar, aka Jane’s Bosley) and Jane was posing as a waitress. Elena didn’t know that Jane was actually a super spy who was secretly working with Bosley. Elena was just there to blow the whistle on Brock Industries, who seemed to be hellbent on ignoring the very serious safety flaws with the Calisto device, that she’d help create. She’d asked the waitress for a coffee. She’d asked Jane for a coffee …

Elena feels uncomfortable. This memory is tied up in the fistfight that broke out between Jane and an assassin in that same café, only minutes later. Then Elena had found herself in a getaway car driven by Bosley while Jane shot at a pursuing Hodak (the assassin) with various guns, and he shot back. It had been … terrifying. The worst part was that Bosley-real-name-Edgar had died in that car chase. Elena knows that Jane is still grieving about that, albeit on the down-low, maybe even on the down-low from herself. Elena doesn’t want to bring up bad memories or make Jane go anywhere she’s not ready to go …

Elena risks a glance at Jane. Her girlfriend is staring at her with remote eyes. Too remote, Elena decides. Jane is upset. Even if she’s masking it. She’s probably thinking about Edgar right now, that’s Elena’s best guess. Elena shouldn’t answer this question. For Jane’s sake. She sits up and leans over the coffee table, starts prepping for a shot.

“Pass,” Elena says.

“What!” Sabina looks surprised. “But it’s such an easy-peasy question, babygirl. I even know your answer!” Sabina sits up and crosses her legs. She puts on a voice that Elena suspects is meant to represent Elena: it’s a passable imitation. “I drooled all over myself. The waitress was sooo hot. I imagined her wearing the waitress uniform in my bedroom. Then I found out she was a sexy lady spy! Hot lady spies are exactly my type.”

“That sounds like you,” says Jane dryly. “If that had been the first time you met me. Not Lena.”

Jane is talking to Sabina but she’s looking at Elena, and her dark eyes are grateful. Elena knows that Jane knows why Elena decided to pass. She shoots Jane a warm smile. Then takes the shot: Lick! (salt off her hand), Shoot! (drink the tequila quickly), Suck! (finish by sucking a wedge of lime). That makes three shots in a relatively short time. Elena is very tipsy now.

“Your turn,” Jane tells Sabina. “Same question.” When one of the Angels asks a question, the other two have to answer it in turn, going in alphabetical order.

“Truth!” says Sabina cheerfully. She looks at Elena. “Okay, so the first time I met Janey was on my final date with my mark, Australian Jonny. I was grifting him all the way to Charlie’s bank, that dirty embezzler.”

Elena already knows this story (of course), but she also knows that Sabina loves telling stories, especially stories that involve the three-of-them. Elena’s willing to listen as many times as Sabina wants to tell them. There’s always something a little different in any case: a new joke, some vulnerable detail that Sabina lets slip accidentally, a different spin on the memory, or the way Sabina’s mood can change how she sees what happened. Elena smiles at Sabina, dotingly. Sabina’s cute when she’s excited. Out of the corner of her eye Elena catches Jane hiding her own smile. Elena reads that as Jane thinking Sabina’s cute, too.

“The elevator opened,” says Sabina, “right on cue. And this hot-AF ninja absolutely fucking ninjaed the bejesus out of a ton of bad guys.” Sabina grins nostalgically. “She was doing a Catwoman cosplay, so she was wear…”

“…I was not!” Jane cuts in.

“…ing this sexy black cat-burglar number with shiny silver buckles,” Sabina continues right over the top of Jane, as though their girlfriend didn’t interrupt. “Totally hot. I wanted to unbuckle her. Also, I wanted to be her. Also, I wanted to fight like her, because … hot damn!” A pause.

“Are you finished?” Jane asks. Her voice is dry, but Elena catches the flush subtly infusing Jane’s dark skin. Jane is flattered. And hiding it, for whatever strange Jane reasons.

“Sure,” says Sabina. “You give a great first impression.” She grins at Jane, affectionately. A pause and then Jane grins back, just as affectionately. She lobs the box of cards at Sabina who catches it easily.

Sabina closes her eyes, sticks her tongue out the side of her mouth, and picks a random card. Then reads it out:

“When did you first know you were attracted to me?” Sabina grins big and fist-pumps the air. “Perfect question!” She winks at Elena. “You’re up, boo.”

Elena blinks and tries to think. Was there ever a time that she wasn’t attracted to Sabina Wilson? Noooooo. So that means it must have been the first time she met Sabina. Or maybe not. Elena met Sabina when she helped Jane fish Elena out of the river, fresh from the car accident that had left Jane’s Bosley’s body beneath dark waters. Elena was too out of it to notice Sabina in ‘that way’. Then she vaguely remembers Sabina stealing a car (OMG!) and the three-of-them driving to a safer location so that they could rendezvous with someone official (who turned out to be Bosley 342, Sabina’s Bosley). Elena spent quite a lot of time throwing up in a field. Bosley eventually arrived and Elena freaked out about who the strange, yet highly fashionable woman was. Then they went to what turned out to be a safehouse, and Bosley and the Angels filled Elena in on what was happening.

Sabina, tousled-haired from the shower, and dressed in little but a sweater had made Elena a cup of some kind of tea, handed it over. Maybe she’d first noticed Sabina’s attractiveness then. Only in passing, because Elena was still pretty shocked, and Could Hardly Believe that the terrible man with the tattoos (Hodak) had been shooting at her. At Elena! With a submachine gun! Mounted in some kind of urban assault vehicle! Unbelievable! More than that … terrifying!

“In passing?” Elena checks with her girlfriends. “Like just a … glimmer of attraction? Or more than that?”

“Both!” says Sabina at the same time as Jane says,

“Either.” They glare at each other, but it’s playful. Elena blinks. She’s not sure how she’s meant to answer but she starts anyway.

“At the safehouse. When you made me tea.” She smiles at Sabina who is smiling back, all soft happiness. It’s easy to make Sabina happy. Elena kind of loves that about her girlfriend.

“So early!” says Sabina. “I noticed you at the same time as that totally cute dog, when you were walking into the café.” She nods to herself. “From my lookout.” She winks at Elena. “I thought to myself, ‘what a total cutie’.”

“You were perving on our client?” Jane asks, “with your binoculars?”

“It’s an important part of being the lookout,” Sabina claims.

Elena just blushes and smiles at Sabina. She’s charmed. It’s a Very Sabina answer. Sure, Sabina is attracted to a lot of people; she’s the biggest flirt Elena’s ever known. It’s still nice to know that Sabina was into her, the moment Sabina laid eyes on her, long before they ever became girlfriends. Elena tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and begins to play with it. She might be feeling horny. That’s part of getting tipsy for Elena: the two usually go together. She flutters her eyelashes at Sabina who looks incredibly interested and sits up straighter. Sabina winks at her.

Jane clears her throat. Elena looks at Jane enquiringly, though not without a final eyelash-flutter at Sabina.

“My turn,” says Jane, looking between Elena and Sabina knowingly, like she knows exactly what they’re doing. She probably does.

Jane certainly has to watch the two-of-them flirt with each other, a lot, tipsy or no. They both have much higher libidos than Jane, which means they end up having sex-as-a-dyad more than Jane does with either of them. Jane isn’t upset by this from what Elena can tell: if anything, she seems supportive and maybe even … relieved. It means Jane never gets pressured for sex when she’s not in the mood, after all. Just another (possible) advantage of being in a group relationship …

“Yay!” says Sabina happily, no doubt jonesing to hear Jane’s answer. “Dish, baby! When did you first want to get all up in my business?”

Sabina sticks her thumb back towards her chest and nods knowingly, as though she’s totally aware of why Jane might want to. It’s arrogant and audacious and very fucking cute. Okay, okay, Elena is getting hornier by the minute … she admits it … she finds Sabina charming. Elena always has. She finds Jane just as charming, but in a whole ‘nother way. Elena looks at Jane with interest, curious to hear her girlfriend’s answer.

“That’s not the question,” Jane says dryly. “It’s, ‘when did I first know I was attracted to you?’”.

Jane pauses, looks oddly embarrassed. Elena wonders what that’s about. Then she remembers how long it took Jane to realise that she like-liked Sabina and Elena … a Very Long Time Indeed. The two-of-them waited for Jane for ages, while Jane freaked out in various ways and dragged her feet. It had been cute-yet-sad. Elena knows it had something to do with Jane not knowing she wasn’t straight (it turns out Jane’s bisexual), and something to do with Jane not knowing that polyamory existed, let alone was a viable option (she had trouble realising she loved two people at once). Elena doesn’t know much more than that because Jane hasn’t revealed her inner workings from that period. Elena only knows what she observed at the time, and it was … that Jane was a hot mess. Which is extremely unusual for Jane Kano … and seemed like it was very hard to go through.

Elena pouts at Jane empathically. Does that mean Jane didn’t know … for a long time? Is Jane worried about revealing this, given that Sabina knew instantly and Elena close-to-the-first-meeting? If so, Jane isn’t being fair on herself. Elena was happily gay by that time: she came out during high school, celebrated by her family. So of course Elena would notice her attractions to other women, including her future-girlfriends. Sabina seems to be everybody-sexual and is a skilled grifter to boot. Obviously, Sabina notices when she’s attracted to people … she (generally) acts on it, too.

Jane is in another boat. She must have been raised to think that same sex attraction is abnormal at the least, wrong at the most. Elena doesn’t have to be told this by Jane, to know it’s true: everything she’s seen of her reticent girlfriend gives that game away. Same deal with polyamory. Elena’s parents accepted alternative relationship styles as par for the course, so of course she does too, shame-free. Sabina is sex-positive and doesn’t blink an eye at relationship styles that Elena has never heard of.

Jane is from the other side of the fence: the side where there’s only one viable option … so other options aren't even mentioned. Jane had a lot more to deal with inside-of-her to make the potential of their triad a legitimate possibility. That’s why Jane needed Elena-and-Sabina to give her time, to catch up to where they were at. Elena knew that intuitively at the time, and it’s why she waited, and coached Sabina into waiting with her. Would happily wait for Jane again!

Elena watches as Jane frowns down at her hands. Finally, Jane sighs.

“Pass,” Jane tells them.

She shifts over to the coffee table, begins prepping a shot. It will be Jane’s first. Sabina pouts at Jane but Elena catches Sabina’s eye and shakes her head a little, silently warning her girlfriend to give Jane a break. Sabina shouldn’t tease Jane just now. Not about this. Sabina looks confused, but nods. Elena smiles her gratitude. Jane has just downed her shot. She grimaces.

“My turn,” says Elena, and Sabina passes over the box of cards. Elena takes one out, and tentatively holds it up, closes one eye as she looks to see the question. Is it safe?! The view is blurry, so Elena opens the eye again. Even with both eyes the view stays a little blurry. Oh yeah, that’s because she’s three-shots-in. Elena giggles to herself.

“You’re so fucking cute,” Sabina tells Elena.

“You’ve got to read it out loud,” Jane points out to Elena, using her ‘helpful’ voice. “And … agreed.” About Elena being cute, she knows Jane means. She grins happily at Jane, then at Sabina. She reads out:

“When did you realise that you loved me?”

“That’s easy,” says Jane. “It was just after Sabina showed us the choreography for that…” Jane’s voice turns awkward, “sexy dance.”

Sabina chortles to herself, loudly.

“The one you said was ‘too sexy!’ And then you ran away from us like a little bitch!”

“…Yes,” Jane’s voice is very dry. “But before I … left...”

“Ran away,” repeats Sabina, sniggering.

“Left,” Jane corrects. “After you tackled me to the floor,” Jane glares at Sabina, “and after you,” she looks at Elena, “said that we should slow down and talk about it.”

Elena smiles at Jane softly. She remembers that day, very well indeed. Elena and Jane had been sitting on the stage in their local HQ’s ballroom, watching Sabina dance. Sabina had been teaching her teammates her latest carefully choreographed Angels’ dance routine, designed to distract the bad guys with the power of Charlie’s Angels’ sexiness. Jane had been distracted by Sabina’s sexy moves … waaay more distracted than Jane was comfortable with at the time. She’d all but fled the room, when Sabina was still mid dance. Sabina and Elena had run after Jane, catching her halfway down the hallway courtesy of Sabina tackling her. Jane had snapped Elena’s head off, and when Elena had deflated, Jane had quickly (and uncharacteristically) apologised …

“I told you to shut up,” says Jane, and Elena’s eyes widen. Jane remembers too! “You … looked hurt. I … said…” Jane coughs, says the next word in a gruff voice, “sorry.” She clears her throat. “You … gave me a … look.”

“Oh yeah,” says Sabina thoughtfully, “I know just the look you mean.” She grins big. “The ‘puppy dog wagging its tail’ look. All soft brown eyes, and ‘I forgive you, babe, no problemo’, and ‘butter melts in my mouth’, like, ‘sooo much butter’.”

“Ah … maybe?” Jane shoots Sabina a look that is half-confused, half-annoyed. She looks back at Elena. “As I was saying…” Jane shrugs uncomfortably, “that’s when I … realised.”

“I totally remember that!” claims Sabina. “Your mouth fell open! I told you that you were gonna catch flies.”

“…That’s right,” Jane confirms, seemingly reluctantly. She rolls her eyes and mutters, “so damn annoying.” Then Jane stops eye-rolling and stares right at Sabina, dark eyes serious. “Then I realised that I loved you too.”

“…Wow.” Sabina doesn’t seem to have anything to say to that. Instead, her mouth drops open, much like Jane’s did that very day, after Sabina told her she was going to catch flies. Elena remembers that!

“Your mouth fell open a second time!” she tells Jane, and it comes out excited. “Had you just realised about Bina?”

“Yes,” says Jane, and she smiles softly.

“And I reminded you about the flies!” says Sabina, seeming to regain her power of speech. She bounces up from the rug to the couch, seating herself between Elena and Jane. Sabina does the very same gesture that she did on That Fateful Day, miming a fly flying into her own open mouth. Elena giggles: adorable! Jane smiles drolly.

“You ran away again, pretty soon after that,” Sabina reminds Jane. “Like, literally. Too freaked?”

Elena looks at Jane curiously. Elena already knows that Jane freaked out (because why would she have run away, otherwise?) but she doesn’t know if Jane will be willing to let them know that, upfront. Jane shrugs, smiles a small and oddly resigned smile, seems mellow.

“Too freaked.” Her voice comes out a little raspy.

Elena wants to comfort Jane, but her girlfriend is too far away to just reach out and touch: she’s on the other side of Sabina. So Elena crawls onto Sabina’s lap, who helps her happily once she realises what Elena’s doing, cuddling her close. From her perch on Sabina’s lap, Elena reaches out a comforting hand to Jane. Her girlfriend smiles at her: she looks charmed. She takes Elena’s hand willingly.

“You’re so tipsy,” Sabina accuses Elena, and Sabina sounds like she’s very much enjoying the same. “It like, makes your cute-factor unbearable, Lena.” Sabina groans theatrically. “You’re gonna kill us!”

“It would be such a … sweet death though,” says Jane, a little tipsily herself. Sabina chortles helplessly, wrapping her arms around Elena’s waist. Elena giggles and blows Jane a kiss.

She couldn’t care less that she’s well on her way to losing this game.

Sometimes you have to lose to win.

Chapter Text

Saint’s POV

“Well, you were right.” Bosley flops down in an armchair in Saint’s therapy room that doubles as his office, a little to the side of where he’s sitting at his desk.

The door was open; Saint is off the clock. Bosley didn’t bother to knock, and he wouldn’t expect her to: they are very good friends, and colleagues besides. Saint was playing one of his favourite computer games (Theme Hospital) and he’s kind of glad that Bosley interrupted. He was losing badly, and it was getting stressful. Yet it was too compulsive for him to stop playing … he closes his laptop with relief.

“About?” he asks Bosley, leaning back in his chair.

“Our Angels.” Bosley sighs.

The two-of-them head up an official team-of-three of Charlie’s Angels who work together regularly: Jane Kano, Sabina Wilson, and Elena Houghlin. It’s hugely fulfilling: Saint loves his job. He still helps to take care of other Angels on the extended international team, but most of the time he’s engaged with the three Angels he shares with Bosley 342.

Saint raises an enquiring eyebrow at his friend and co-worker. She sighs again. Then she mumbles in a half-annoyed half-impressed tone:

“You won the bet.”

“What?” Saint is surprised, then pleased. “I did?” He smiles widely. “I knew it…”

“Of course you did,” Bosley sounds a little pissy. She sighs again. “You’re so damn perceptive…”

‘The bet’ refers to assorted bets that have been going on for maaany months now, in the illicit betting ring at this local Angels’ HQ. The ring is headed up by Angel and grifter specialist, Mandy Rainer. Most of the Angels know about the betting ring and participate in it (between active missions) with relish. Many Bosleys know too and more than a few Saints. It’s hidden from the more uptight types who seem likely to tell Charlie on them. Saint suspects that Charlie probably already knows (Charlie knows everything) and that Charlie wouldn’t shut down the betting ring in any case (though they might pretend to be against it, to the more uptight Bosleys’ faces). Charlie is … wise. Saint admires Charlie’s insight into what keeps Townsend Agency thriving; Saint privately thinks that the new Charlie (whoever it is that’s replaced the original), is the better Charlie.

Bosley 342 is all about betting (she loves it!) and accordingly, made multiple bets towards the current pot. Saint made only one. The focus of betting concerns their three Angels. Almost everyone has noticed how Jane, Sabina, and Elena are … all over each other. Not in the usual teammate way neither. They’re quite obviously ‘more than a team’, even if that hasn’t fully developed to be … whatever it will turn out to be. Most of HQ is avidly betting on ‘when they will get together’. Meaning, sexually. Meaning, who will get with who, what they will do in bed together (oh my!), and where they will do it.

Saint and Bosley placed their bets together, so he knows that Bosley’s original bet was on Jane and Sabina to get together, ‘any moment now, any room, any position’. This proved too expensive to place, so Bosley modified her bet to be Jane and Sabina, in the next week, in the training room, and in the missionary position.

Saint had started to place his bet, telling Mandy and a group of co-workers that he was betting for all three Angels. Bosley (and everyone) had appeared shocked … then excitedly in agreement. Bosley had hurriedly modified her bet to be all three Angels, in the next three weeks, in Sabina’s HQ bedroom, in a ‘three-way missionary position’ (whatever the hell that is).

Saint had hurried to correct Bosley’s misunderstanding. He didn’t mean a threesome (though he was sure threesomes would happen). He meant an official group relationship of some kind, probably something like a polyamorous triad. As he told his audience at the time:

“I just … sense that those three are … in love with each other, that’s all.”

Bosley had appeared gobsmacked.

“Fuck me,” she had finally said. “You’re so right. I can’t believe I didn’t see that…”

“It’s obvious,” Mandy had agreed, not looking at all surprised. “But … that doesn’t mean they’ll end up together in polyamorous bliss. I mean, Sabina’s involved.” Mandy had rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I’ve watched Bina sleep her way through half this city, not to mention what she gets up to on away missions. There’s just no way she’ll settle down, with anyone.”

“You might be surprised,” Saint had told her, with a mild smile. Mandy merely arched an eyebrow:

“Alrighty then,” she’d told Saint, writing his bet down. “It’s your funeral.”

Saint just smiled. Later on, as Saint and Bosley were enroute to her office, she’d reopened the topic:

“I agree with Mandy.” Bosley had side-eyed Saint who’d nodded at her encouragingly. “Not just about Sabina,” Bosley continued. “There’re more factors involved, Daniel. Even if our Angels are … in love …” she looked thoughtful, “I don’t think they’ll end up together as more than … temporary fuck-buddies … who are really good friends.” Bosley looked sad suddenly. “Elena’s too … oblivious. Jane’s too … guarded. And yeah, Sabina’s too … ‘Sabina’.”

“Don’t count them out, Bekah,” Saint had told her. “Our Angels are more than they seem.” He smiled at his friend gently. “The heart is the most powerful guide of all.”

“I hate it when you get all hippy-dippy spouty,” Bosley had complained good-naturedly, but Saint could easily hear the affection in her voice, loud and clear.

“You love it,” he teased her. “And you’re going to lose a lot of money.”

Bosley had laughed and Saint had laughed too. Now he smiles widely at the memory and winks at Bosley. He can’t help it. He’s very happy! It’s more than winning the bet (though that’s nice too). It’s that their three Angels really are in love! It’s how somehow (finally) they’ve worked this out and entered into an official relationship together. Saint thinks they’ll make a great threesome … they just fit somehow. It’s kismet. It’s something like an accident that didn’t just happen accidentally. An accident where you can’t look away. An accident that you want to happen. It’s finally happened!

Bosley smiles back, at first gingerly, then just as happily as Saint.

“I know!” she tells him, and her voice comes out excited. “They’re such a trainwreck! But they finally crashed together!”

“I know,” he says, soft and knowing. “It was … inevitable.”

“They’re going to be … even more annoying to work with now,” Bosley guesses thoughtfully. “If that’s possible.”

“You love it,” Saint teases Bosley, because he knows that she does. She also loves complaining about it humourously. “Besides, just think of the hard time you can give them about their new relationship. All the off-colour sex jokes you can make.” He rolls his eyes playfully. “You know so many of those.”

Bosley does. She’s a woman of the world and quite sexually active as a matter of course. Saint knows this because she semi-regularly begs him to play her wingman … and he does so. He’s a very good friend indeed. Rebekah’s told him many times and Saint agrees with her.

“Oh yeah,” Bosley sits up straight and looks thrilled at the thought. “That’s going to be fantastic.”

Saint smiles at her fondly. She smiles back.

“You’re a rich man,” she tells him and now her voice is suspiciously casual. “You won the whole fucking pot.”

“Wow,” says Saint, blinking. “Didn’t anyone else bet on a triad?”

“No way,” says Bosley with dark humour. “We all had our minds in the gutter. Or in our pants. Only you were able to…” she arches an eyebrow at him playfully, “see past all that to The Power of True Love.”

“Then I deserve the money,” says Saint, and though he delivers this line tongue in cheek, he’s still surprised that he was the only one who thought the Angels would end up as an official three. Isn’t it obvious? It seemed obvious to him. Inevitable.

“In fact, Daniel,” Bosley goes on, “you’re sooo rich, that we should definitely have dinner to celebrate. At the fanciest, snobbiest, most expensive restaurant that we can find.”

“That I pay for?” Saint guesses dryly. Then he winks at Bosley. He’s not upset. It’s actually a very good idea. He wants to celebrate this! Who better to do so with than Rebekah? She’s the happiest alongside him of course: the two-of-them have the most invested in their Angels’ happiness, outside of Jane, Sabina, and Elena.

“That the winnings pay for,” Bosley corrects him. She winks back. Saint smirks.

“Fine,” he tells her. “You pick the restaurant. I have to go and clean myself up, so we make it through the door.” He’ll have to find something fancy … he starts to mentally mull through his various outfits; what will work best? What eye makeup will go with it? What jewellery? Bosley smiles widely.

“Me too. Let’s make ourselves look pretty and stuff ourselves silly.” She smirks. “I know just the hot spot for us to check out. Sure to be booked solid but I can pull a few strings and get us in.” She buffs her polished nails against her top. “It’s part of being a Bosley.”

Saint smiles approval. He can’t wait! Fine company, fine wine, fine dining, and an excuse to wear a flashy outfit that’s even more exotic than usual.

All thanks to their Angels!

Chapter Text

Sabina’s POV

“It’s a well-known fact that cats hate dogs.” Sabina announces this piece of random trivia to the room as though it is indeed, a well-known fact (is it?). Alas, nobody bites.

That's probably because the room in question is the weights room at her local Angels’ HQ, and its occupants are occupied. One occupant is one of Sabina's two girlfriends: Jane Kano. Another is one of Jane’s preferred sparring partners, fellow brawler, Angie Helg. The last occupant is one of Angie’s regular teammates (in her team-of-three), combined grifter and tech specialist, Sakura Kobayashi.

Sabina is friends with her fellow grifter, Sakura and on friendly terms with Angie. Jane is friends with no one (well, presumably she’s friends with Sabina and Elena … they were good friends before they were girlfriends). However, Jane does like punching people in the face, and she seems to particularly like punching Angie … so maybe that counts as friends, for Jane? Casual friends? More than acquaintances? Sabina isn’t sure. She’s happy to run into her girlfriend though! She smirks over at Jane and gives her girlfriend a casual salute.

Jane smiles back from where she’s lying back on a weight bench. Then goes back to bench-pressing what looks like a truly impressive amount of weight. Angie is spotting Jane, so Sabina gives a mental check towards the theory of Jane and Angie being actual friends. Sabina will have to tease Jane about that … but not until later when they’re in private. It isn’t wise to tease Jane in certain scenarios. Such as in public, in front of fellow Angels who may or may not be Jane’s friends. If Jane has friends …

Sabina saunters over to Sakura instead who is gazing at herself in the mirrored wall, doing bicep curls with a pair of dumbbells.

“Trying to look prettier?” Sabina asks casually. She winks at the Japanese Angel in the mirror: it’s definitely teasing. They’re used to ribbing each other; it’s virtually part of the grifter skillset. Sakura grins back, looking at Sabina via the mirror.

“You can never go wrong with bigger guns,” Sakura intones, as though this is some kind of Golden Rule. It’s also a great pun, beefy with double meaning! Sabina approves.

“For hitting people with?” Sabina banters, leaning against a nearby weight machine.

“Or hitting on people.” Sakura smirks suggestively.

Nearby, Jane sits up and straddles her weight bench, dripping sweat. Jane’s just finished her set of reps. Angie has just helped Jane lower her impressively loaded barbell into place on its support rack. Angie tosses Jane a towel and she wipes at her brow.

“Mmmmmm,” says Sabina, now looking Jane over with hungry eyes (she can’t help it). “I love the weights room.”

“I don’t know why,” snarks Jane, glancing at Sabina with evident disapproval. “You don’t seem to be working out.”

“I’m here for another kind of working out,” Sabina tells her girlfriend airily. “The Fun Kind.”

“What’s that?” asks Angie. She sounds confused. Angie is tall (she has an inch on Jane), pale skinned, and blonde, with a thick European accent.

Sabina knows where Angie hails from … but she’s always careful to refer to Angie’s ‘European’ accent if it happens to come up in conversation. This is because Jane doesn’t know and clearly won’t just ask Angie to find out (for whatever strange Jane reason) … and Sabina loves to have material to hold over Jane’s head to tease her girlfriend with. Sabina hasn’t worked out exactly how to tease Jane with this particular intel yet, but she’s sure it will come up naturally at some point.

Sabina is nothing if not willing to wait, when it comes to the long game. The long games are the sweetest … and in the meantime she can distract herself with the short game. Which also involves riling Jane up, just for the fun of it. While Sabina’s at it, she may as well have some fun at Angie’s expense too. Why not! The more confused people the better. The more pleasure for Sabina Wilson, wild child Angel and grifter extraordinaire …

“I suppose Bosley 311 doesn’t believe in fun…” says Sabina to Angie, with an ‘isn’t that a pity’ tone creeping into her voice. She (fake) pouts at Angie sympathetically. Angie looks more confused. Behind them, Sabina catches Sakura smirking into the mirror as she pumps iron: Sakura clearly knows just what Sabina is up to. She also clearly approves …

Bosley 311 heads up the Angels’ regular team of Angie, Sakura, and science specialist, Olawumi. He has the same European accent as Angie and stands 6 foot five, with white-blonde hair and elegant spectacles. 311 has an extremely annoying habit of correcting people for any little lapse in logic and is supposedly highly intelligent. Sabina doesn’t like him. She knows Jane respects his competence though, which is just like Jane ‘competent’ Kano. Elena is intimidated by 311, which just makes Sabina dislike him more.

“What does fun have to do with being an Angel?” Angie finally asks. She still looks confused.

Sabina’s eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. Say what?! Is there any other point to being one of Charlie’s Angels? Sabina is all about The Fun! Being an Angel is high-octane fun. If it wasn’t fun, she wouldn’t be doing it. If it wasn’t fun, they might as well be dead! Sabina can’t even think of a witty remark she’s so stunned by Angie’s seemingly serious question. It’s fucking ludicrous!

“Some of us are Angels for other reasons,” says Jane, glaring at Sabina from across the room. Her voice lowers meaningfully. “Good ones.”

Sabina closes her open mouth with a snap.

“Like what?” she asks, staring from her girlfriend to Angie and back again.

“It’s my duty!” says Angie. She straightens up and Sabina almost expects Angie to place her hand over her heart or do some kind of military salute. Angie appears entirely serious; there’s no hint of humour about her just now. “It’s my pride and honour,” Angie adds, nodding firmly. “To be an Angel, is truly glorious.”

Sabina blinks. Okaaaaaay then. This seems to have (somehow) turned into an advertisement for ‘Join the army: your country’s war effort needs you!’ She half expects Angie to start singing a national anthem. It’s a lucky break that Charlie doesn’t have a theme song …

“To be one of the good guys,” Jane adds, nodding at Angie in seeming approval. “To end the bad guys.” Sabina stares at her girlfriend. Really?! Jane’s here to ‘end’ the bad guys?! Now this scene has turned into a country western movie and Jane’s presumably the ‘white hat’ cowgirl, fighting off the ‘black hat’ baddies.

“You’re not serious…” says Sabina to her girlfriend. “You sound like a cowboy movie trailer.” Sabina smirks. “Released on home video.”

Jane glares at Sabina darkly. Angie looks between them, nervously. Behind Sabina, Sakura clears her throat.

“Too much testosterone in here,” mutters Sakura, sotto voce. “I’m gonna go spar.” She raises her voice. “Angie, wanna join?”

“Yes please!” Angie seems far keener than seems warranted considering that Sakura is an average brawler, and Angie is near the top of the polls (so to speak). The two teammates hurry out of the weights room, slamming the door behind them.

Jane is still glaring at Sabina. It’s an impressively long glare. Sabina guesses that maybe her girlfriend is truly annoyed at her, rather than just ‘normally annoyed’. Even so, Sabina can’t stop pushing her girlfriend’s buttons right now. Jane’s being barmy.

“You hate home video that much?” Sabina prods, crossing the room to sit astride Jane’s weight bench, facing her girlfriend. Jane sits at the far end, so they are about a yard apart.

“Why do you have to make light of everything?” Jane asks, and yes, Sabina’s girlfriend does seem (oddly) Truly Annoyed. “Charlie’s Angels is an … excellent cause. It has meaning.”

“Now you sound like a home movie made for the W Network,” digs Sabina. She arches her eyebrows with fake horror: “Women’s. Lifestyle. Programming.”

“I hate you,” mutters Jane, dark eyes piercing into Sabina.

“I love you too,” says Sabina automatically, holding eye contact. “Even though you’re a prig.”

“At least I’m a prig with a purpose!” argues Jane, and Sabina smirks. That line was pathetic. Sabina is winning this argument! “You’re an irresponsible ass,” Jane accuses next. “I can’t believe you’re an Angel to have ‘fun’.” Jane rolls her eyes. “You’re missing the whole point of Townsend Agency.”

“I hate you,” mumbles Sabina; it’s her turn to glare at Jane.

“I love you too,” snaps Jane, echoing Sabina’s earlier response. Then she drops her glare, rolls her eyes and shoulders, sighs out long and loud. “Okay, fine. You’re here to have…” Jane makes quote marks with her fingers, “‘a good time’.”

Sabina stops glaring, goes back to smirking. She rolls her shoulders too and also sighs.

“Yep! And you’re here to be my good time.”

Jane glares.

“I mean, to be a good guy.” Sabina winks at Jane. “And to give me a good time along the way.”

Jane stares at her for long seconds. Then nods, seemingly reluctantly.

“…Yes. And you’re here to be a good guy along the way...” Jane rolls her eyes, “to having fun.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.” Sabina grins, and leans forward, offering Jane her fist for a fist bump. “Agree to disagree?”

Jane bumps her fist to Sabina’s lightly.

They smile at each other affectionately. Then Sabina makes cow eyes at Jane, just so she can enjoy how her girlfriend flushes lightly while looking annoyed all over again. Sabina loves it! Jane hates it (obviously) and Sabina loves how much Jane hates it. She loves riling her girlfriend up on the regular.

It’s just so fun!

Chapter Text

Jane’s POV

Jane steps through the front door of their local animal shelter, looking around for her girlfriends. Elena phoned for Jane to come meet them here, citing that Sabina was distraught. Elena hung up before Jane could get more details, strange in and of itself. Jane rushed over in her forest green Alpha Motors Jax because she’ll always come when her girlfriends call, if she possibly can. However, Jane has no clue why she’s here … and she really doesn’t like not knowing. Jane is on edge!

“Can I help you?”

The receptionist is a mousy-haired middle-aged woman … who look like she’s given up on giving a damn. That’s just going by the liberal food stains on her mismatched clothing, a frumpy outfit that looks like it was the first thing she grabbed out of the closet, without checking. Also by her general air of boredom. Her nametag is homemade and written in marker. It says, ‘Cookie’, which Jane didn’t know was a human name. She thought it was a pet one. Maybe it’s a joke? A bad one?

Jane stares at ‘Cookie’ in mild surprise, and maybe also mild distaste. Then she says:

“I’m looking for … my girlfriends. They said to meet them here.”

“Oh yes, the loud one,” says Cookie, nodding wisely, “who doesn’t shut up.” She picks up a jam doughnut and starts eating it, even though Jane is standing right there. “I think she’s having some kind of … episode. I call her ‘Yippy’.”

“What?” Jane stares at the woman, now feeling angry. Even though she has a very strong feeling that the woman is probably describing Sabina Wilson … and describing Sabina accurately at that. Or rather, describing Yippy.

“The soft one’s trying to calm Yippy down,” Cookie tells Jane, between mouthfuls of doughnut. Jam smears around her lips. She chews with her mouth open and keeps talking through the chewing. “‘Puppy Eyes’, I call her. She’s got puppy dog eyes.”

Again, it’s accurate, if Cookie is talking about Elena Houghlin, and Jane is pretty damn sure she is. Jane feels annoyed, begrudgingly admiring (those are spot on nicknames), and a rising sense of impatience.

“Where are they?” Jane snaps, not bothering to be polite. Cookie is chowing down on doughnuts with her mouth open, mid customer interaction, for Chrissake. Politeness has left the building. If it was ever even here: politeness isn’t part of this business, apparently. It’s someone else’s business.

“Down aisle C,” says Cookie, taking another bite of doughnut. More jam smears on her face. “They’re with Sassy.”

“Who’s ‘Sassy’?” Jane asks cautiously. Then more assertively. “Where’s aisle C?”

“Sassy’s the not-so-sassy one,” says Cookie which is less than helpful, although she appears entirely serious. “Aisle C is next to B and D.”

Jane rolls her eyes. She can see she’s going to get no help here. This is incompetence at its worst! Jane Kano can’t abide incompetence. Wheeling on her heel, she strides into the main shelter, leaving reception behind, and leaving Cookie to her boredom-assuaging doughnuts (if that’s what they are).

There are about ten aisles from what Jane can see at first glance: it’s a big shelter. None of them are labelled (incompetence!). Still, ‘aisle C’ has to be the third from one of the sides … that just stands to reason. Jane goes from the left first, because that’s logical. She enters the third aisle from the left, and strides down it, ignoring the host of forlorn pets in cages, eyeing her hopefully or fearfully on her way past, while making woeful noises. This place is damn depressing. Jane hopes she doesn’t have to be here for long …

A tower of (incompetently!) stacked crates blocks the aisle about halfway along. It’s a workplace health and safety hazard: Jane disapproves. She scowls, and steps around it gingerly. Once she does, she’s treated to a view of her girlfriends at the far end of the aisle. Her scowl becomes a relieved smile: Jane can’t help herself. Her shoulders automatically lower: they were hunched. Jane guessed correctly! This is indeed aisle C. She hurries towards them.

As Jane approaches, she takes in the relevant details, maps out pertinent intel. Sabina is on her knees in front of a cage. Rather unusually, Sabina seems to be … weeping. Also … laughing. Weeping and laughing (what?!). Also, talking non-stop … and this seems to be directed at the occupant of the cage (what?!). Obviously, it’s an animal, though Jane can’t see what kind yet: this is a multi-species shelter. Sabina is cooing and using a ‘baby talk’ voice, which paired with the weeping-laughing sets Jane’s teeth on edge and raises her hackles. It’s just so much … emotion. What is going on?!

Elena is standing behind Sabina, one hand in their girlfriend’s hair: Jane realises that Elena’s stroking it. Maybe … comfortingly? Elena is talking too, every now and then, but her voice is so soft and gentle that Jane can’t hear what she’s saying. Jane is about five yards away when Elena glances towards Jane, as though she can sense her approach. The shelter is noisy with animal sounds. Jane hadn’t made any obvious noise and is moving stealthily just as a matter of habit … so maybe Elena did. Jane wouldn’t put it past her girlfriend. Elena’s often eerily perceptive … in a way that Jane has yet to understand, despite their long relationship.

“Janey!” Elena sounds so relieved. “Thank God you’re here!”

“What’s wrong?” Jane reaches her girlfriends’ sides, and takes Elena’s hand, looks down at Sabina’s nearby head. It seems more wildly tousled than usual, as though Sabina’s been running her hands through it. “What are you doing here?”

“Bina found Sassy,” Elena tells Jane. Elena looks at Jane with wide eyes and squeezes her hand meaningfully. “A dog who reminds her of one she had growing up.”

Jane’s own eyes widen. Sabina almost never shares about her childhood, apart from the odd jokey (and incomprehensible) remark. When her girlfriends try to get her to say more, she tends to evade; Jane knows next to nothing about Sabina’s past. Only that it was … obviously painful. Otherwise, why would Sabina be so close-lipped? Jane is close-lipped about her own family life, and that’s for Very Good Reasons. She knows it’s a similar deal for Sabina: that just makes sense.

So Jane has never heard of a childhood dog. Sabina is nuts about dogs, that much is true: she thinks they’re the cutest thing ever (practically every single dog she meets). The Angels can’t own a pet dog though, because it’s not feasible with the demands of their careers. Sabina understands this; they’ve talked about it in passing. So what is Sabina doing now with ‘Sassy’, a dog at an animal shelter?!

“She doesn’t remind me!” Sabina insists from where she still crouches in front of the cage. “It is Sassy. I’d know her anywhere!” She’s finally stopped the laughing-weeping noises, which is something, but she doesn’t look at Jane or Elena. Sabina stares at Sassy.

“Wouldn’t she be too old?” Elena points out gently. “You said Sassy was five when you were five, right? And Sassy was a mastiff … big dogs don’t live that long…”

Jane knows none of what Elena is talking about. Sabina must have revealed it during this encounter …

“She was sooo fucking cute,” Sabina mumbles, and Jane has to strain her ears to pick up what her girlfriend’s saying. Sabina sounds thoroughly agitated, and she’s shifting back and forth even though she’s down on her knees. “Like how do dogs get so cute? You should have seen her jowls…”

Jane arches both eyebrows at Elena. What is going on?! Jane still doesn’t have much clue. Sabina’s obvious distress is brutal to witness … Jane needs more intel!

“Bina’s mastiff was named Sassy too,” Elena tells Jane. “Just like this one. Plus they look alike.” Elena’s eyes say more to Jane than her words do. They are wide and compassionate, damp with unshed tears. Elena mouths her next words to Jane, obviously so Sabina won’t hear her. “She won’t listen to me.” Jane nods, once, squeezes Elena’s hand. She’s starting to understand the situation. She’s starting to get why Elena called for her to come …

Jane kneels down at Sabina’s side; Elena remains standing. Jane glances up and sees that Elena has stepped in close behind Sabina’s back, close enough that their girlfriend could lean back against Elena’s legs, if she wanted to. Elena is stroking Sabina’s hair with both hands. Jane glances at Sabina’s nearby face: her girlfriend’s wide green eyes are fixed on the dog in the cage. Sabina doesn’t look at Jane, let alone greet her. She appears thoroughly engrossed in ‘Sassy’. Jane studies the dog in question.

Sassy is one of the biggest dogs Jane has ever seen: her name is written on a small whiteboard on the side of the cage. This same whiteboard reveals that Sassy’s a female neapolitan mastiff, colour ‘tawny’, age unknown (olllllld from the looks of it, like maybe at death’s door). Sassy is lying down calmly, staring at Sabina with sad eyes. Sabina keeps staring back with even sadder eyes.

“It’s her, it’s her, it’s her,” Sabina is mumbling, seemingly to herself, and Jane feels very upset, all of a sudden. She reaches out and wraps a protective arm around her girlfriend’s trembling shoulders. Holds Sabina firmly.

“What do you want to do?” Jane asks Sabina, and the question somehow cuts through Sabina’s funk (or whatever it is).

“Take her home,” says Sabina, knuckling away her tears.

She finally looks at Jane. Her eyes are desperate, and fragile with sudden hope. Jane’s heart is squeezing painfully in her chest; Sabina’s hard to be around when she’s this vulnerable. Jane has hardly ever seen her girlfriend this vulnerable! Sabina’s usually more towards the tough end of the spectrum or bouncing about from joke to joke. Just now she’s raw.

“Even though she’s not your Sassy?” Jane checks. She wants Sabina to know what she’s doing. To make an informed decision.

Sabina looks like she’s about to break down in tears, but she juts her jaw fiercely.

“She may as well be.”

Jane takes that as a yes: Sabina’s version of ‘yes’. Sabina knows it’s not her childhood pet, at least on some level (good). At the same time, this Sassy somehow has turned into Sabina’s childhood pet, for Sabina. That’s also true. Jane has seen something like this phenomenon once … with a fellow MI6 agent who lost their professional partner during a mission gone wrong. Then met another agent who reminded them strongly of their dead teammate. It was … heartrending. Jane’s heart squeezes even more painfully and she draws in a breath with some difficulty.

“Sassy seems very old,” Jane points out firmly, forces herself to point out. Sabina needs to know the facts. “She’ll probably die soon.”

Sabina turns back to look at the dog. She doesn’t argue with what Jane said. Jane guesses this is because it’s obviously true. You just have to look at the state of the dog in the cage to see it.

“Even though Sassy will … likely die soon?” Jane goes on, still staring at Sabina.

“Everybody dies,” says Sabina, gazing mournfully at Sassy. “If it’s her time, so what.” Sabina shrugs and repeats herself, though it’s become a mumble. “Everybody dies.”

Jane takes this as another ‘yes’, Sabina-style. Sabina still wants to take Sassy home with them, even knowing that Sassy is at death’s door. Jane looks up at Elena who gazes down at her with heart-filled eyes. Elena nods, firmly. Jane knows this is an answer to the question that is framed in her mind, yet to be verbalised. Elena is (somehow) able to read Jane’s mind on this occasion, just like she is on so many. Elena is a ‘yes’ too.

Jane sighs to herself. Jane is a ‘yes’, of course … she wouldn’t have gone down this line of questioning with Sabina, if she hadn’t resigned herself to where it would likely end up. The moment that Sabina said, ‘take her home’ and Jane began fact-checking, she guessed that the Angels were about to acquire a giant dog, as old as they come, just so it could die in their bloody home …

It’ll be a good death though; Jane can tell that much. Sassy will die peacefully, nourished with plenty of love and attention from Sabina ‘Yippy’ Wilson. If anything, Jane and Elena will have to prompt Sabina not to bombard the old dog too much, to let Sassy have her space … Jane knows all about the importance of space! Either way, living and then dying in their comfortable home will be superior to living and dying in this cage. Jane knows that much.

Her pragmatic and strategic mind sorts through logistics: they’ll have to take leave, of course, to make this work, to care appropriately for this dog. Luckily, the Angels have plenty stored up. What a way to spend their leave! Jane kind of can’t believe she’s going to agree to this … that she’s the one who got this ball rolling … but what could Jane do! Sabina was a wreck in a way that was Completely Unacceptable. Sabina’s found her ‘childhood dog’. Jane didn’t really have a choice … not when Sabina is this distraught … what the hell happened in Sabina’s childhood?! Jane sighs.

“Fine,” she tells Sabina. “Let’s take Sassy home.”

Sabina turns and stares at Jane. Her eyes churn with hope and disbelief.  

“Seriously?”

Jane holds Sabina’s eyes so that her girlfriend will know she is serious, and nods firmly.

“Yes.”

Sabina sags in place. Jane tightens her arm around her girlfriend. Elena kneels down on Sabina’s other side and wraps an arm around Sabina too, Elena’s arm brushing up against Jane’s.

“Let’s take your Sassy home,” Elena says very gently, then presses a tender kiss to Sabina’s cheek.

Sabina bursts into tears. Regular tears, not the strange tears-laughter of before. Jane feels oddly relieved, even though Sabina’s crying, and Jane hates it when her girlfriends cry. She holds Sabina firmly, and gazes at their new dog sceptically. Sassy-the-dog gazes back with what seems like mild curiosity: she doesn’t look sad any longer. Maybe Sassy can somehow tell that she’s just been adopted. She looks intelligent. At least from what Jane can tell at a glance, not that Jane knows much about dogs …

Sabina has turned and flung her arms around Jane, burrowing her face into Jane’s neck. Jane didn’t expect this, so she rocks back a little; they are still on their knees. Elena smiles at Jane from behind Sabina, and shuffles forward to wrap her arms around Sabina’s shaking back. Their girlfriend sobs between them but Jane can tell that it’s tears of relief. Maybe also of weariness: Sabina and Elena must have been here for quite a while. Jane regains her equilibrium and hugs back, then readjusts her arms so that Elena is more included in their group hug.

“We have a dog,” says Elena, smiling tearfully over Sabina at Jane.

“We have a dog,” Jane repeats, drily.

“We have a dog!” Sabina mumbles, still buried in Jane’s neck. “The best dog ever!” Sabina’s sobs have mostly stopped but she doesn’t stop clinging to Jane, a little too tightly for comfort. Jane simply keeps holding Sabina: her girlfriend must need it. Elena does the same.

Jane will always give her girlfriends what they need, if she possibly can. Even if Jane herself doesn’t like it, all that much. Even if it’s … kind of ridiculous. Less than practical. Weird and inexplicable. Like Sassy the lookalike dog, giant, ancient, and soon-to-be deceased.

Sabina finally pulls back from their group hug and staggers to her feet. She grins down at Jane and Elena, widely. Then at Sassy. There are no more tears, though Sabina’s cheeks are liberally stained with tear tracks. She looks happy enough to burst!

Like Jane’s heart.

Chapter Text

Elena’s POV

At sweet sixteen, Elena Houghlin’s soulmate marks appeared on her pinky toes, just above where they met the the tops of her feet. The marks looked like tattoos, meaning that she continued to wear open-toed shoes when she wanted: she could get away with it. This was a relief because Elena’s (cute) feet were one of her best features (in her book) and she wanted to flaunt them. On the left pinky toe: tiny angel wings (like a cherub!) in rainbow colours. On the right: matching angel wings but in matte black. These mini ‘tattoos’ were Very Cute Indeed and she liked showing them off, especially since people hardly ever twigged that they were bonafide soulmate marks … seeing as there were two of them.

Having two soulmate marks was rare, though not unheard of. It usually meant you’d end up in some kind of three-way relationship configuration rather than the far more common two-way. Something like polygamy or polyamory or relationship anarchy (any and all of which sounded promising to Elena!). It could mean other things though, like that your first soulmate would die at some point … yet you’d (luckily) meet a second soulmate (most people didn’t, even if their first soulmate died). Or that your soulmate had a split personality. Or that you had a split personality (Elena doesn’t think that she does. As far as she knows…). It could mean a lot of things … it was impossible to know for sure, until you met your soulmate/s. Then it was obvious!

So when Elena, proudly out as gay since high school, met two ‘lady spies’ and found out they called themselves ‘Charlie’s Angels’, Everything Was Obvious. These were her soulmates! It couldn’t be more obvious! Their meet cute couldn’t have been cuter! (Though it had also been way-too-dangerous, tragic, and vomit-inducing.) Sabina and Jane even had golden wings tattoos (obvious!), some kind of comms system that they used for spy-talk and that worked by bone conduction. The golden wings tattoos (Sabina’s on the back of her neck and Jane’s on her inner left wrist) looked just like Elena’s soulmate marks: just bigger and goldener. They weren’t soulmate marks of course; they were real tattoos. Still, they were the next closest thing, and Some Kind Of Sign! For sure!

Still, Elena bided her time: why not enjoy the ride? Elena Houghlin, as a biiiiiig fan of the romance genre, wanted to make the most of every moment between her meet cute with her soulmates and their Big Love Confession. Accordingly, she didn’t out and tell her new ‘friends’ that they were her soulmates: she just wore open-toed shoes around them and made sure to point her feet in their direction (It's called ‘flirting’. Look it up.).

When Bosley 342 invited Elena to join international detectives-cum-spies Townsend Agency and become a ‘lady spy’ herself (on the back of Charles ‘Charlie’ Townsend’s approval) Elena jumped at the opportunity. As if she was ever going to do anything else! Once she’d met Sabina Wilson and Jane Kano! How could she?! They were her §ðµlmå†ê§. They just didn’t know it yet. It turned out that both of them were a lot denser than Elena had ever imagined her soulmates might be … but that was cute. Totally endearing. Funny too! Elena was into it. Sabina and Jane were Just So Oblivious.

Elena could be patient if it meant that she’d end up with an even more romantic moment once her soulmates realised who she was and what they were to each other. So Elena watched and waited and bought-and-wore many new pairs of especially cute open-toed shoes. It was a fantastic excuse to own more shoes! Not that she’d ever needed an excuse …

Once Elena finished Angels training school she joined a regular team-of-three with Sabina and Jane. She didn’t have to work to make this happen: it all sort of just fell into place. Elena took that as par for the course: the three-of-them were §ðµlmå†ê§. They were destined to be together! Her toe marks said so! Obviously, they’d end up in close proximity and various (cute!) situations that threw them together. It just stood to reason. It was the Tools Of Destiny and The Way Destiny Works. It was part of the romance genre.

Six months down the track, Elena was starting to wonder what was up with Destiny. What was the hold up?! Elena’s patience (impressive as it was) was beginning to wear thin. Her horniness (also impressive) was growing thick. It was hard to be around Sabina and Jane without ever consummating their soulmate-ness, so to speak. No love confessions. No soulful eye-gazing. No romantic dates (Elena was all about romance). No wild monkey sex (that too). Elena hadn’t even so much as glimpsed Sabina or Jane’s soulmate marks as yet, although she’d certainly done her level best to do so. They hadn’t seemed to glimpse hers either, despite all the foot flaunting and pointing of toes. Despite all the gorgeous shoes she’d bought and worn and taken off because she was ‘getting a blister’ or ‘her feet were so hot’, et cetera. It was getting darn annoying …

Now Elena has just taken her latest pair of shoes off ‘because her feet hurt from dancing’. These shoes are a special (read: expensive) design, reminiscent of Cinderella’s glass slippers: strappy and delicate high heels (open-toed of course) in silvery-blue. The Angels have just completed a(nother) successful mission. They are sitting packed together in the back of an uber (don’t ask), enroute back to their local HQ.

“Doesn’t one of you want to sit in the front seat?” asks their uber driver. He is staring at them in the rearview mirror with a look of mild shock on his face.

This probably has something to do with how their party dresses are in (literal) tatters, and they are bruised and dirty. He hasn’t asked about it directly, and Elena thinks this is because of social mores. Thank God for societal conditioning! The Angles get away with a lot of weirdness, because of other people having to be polite. Especially Sabina as a specialist grifter.

 “No,” all three-of-them say, emphatically.

Elena smirks to herself, because it’s so cute. Her soulmates are cute! Obviously all three-of-them want to sit pressed up against each other, bruises and social judgement notwithstanding. Elena’s in the middle and it’s her favourite position. She looks down at her bare feet; her shoes lie nearby. Her soulmate marks are fully on display, just as adorable as usual. Elena is still into them, all these years later. She wiggles her pinky toes and appreciates how the mini angel wings flex. It’s almost like they’re flying!

“When did you get those tattoos?” Jane’s voice is unreadable. Her eyes are on Elena’s toes. Jane’s face is unreadable too.

Elena’s heart leaps in hope. She looks at Jane carefully, trying to spot any micro signals that might indicate that Jane has just realised Elena Is Her §ðµlmå†ê. Alas, Elena can’t see any. Jane’s beautiful, bruised face doesn’t so much as twitch. Elena sighs with disappointment, visibly deflates. Looks away.

“They’re not tats, yo,” says Sabina and Elena looks at her other teammate in surprise. Wait! Sabina … knows that?

“What are they then?” asks Jane, voice still unreadable.

“They’re this.” Sabina’s voice is teasing. Elena’s eyes go wide.

Sabina is twisting her body so that her arse points their way and is hiking up her party dress at the same time. It’s very short (and tight) so it doesn’t have far to hike. Sabina hikes up her panties simultaneously: Elena can see them clutched in Sabina’s fingers. Her mouth waters. Sabina doesn’t lift that far, just enough for Elena and Jane to see that at the juncture where Sabina’s (sexy!) thighs meet her (sexier!) arse, on the bottom-most curve of said arse, are two tiny soulmate marks, one on each butt cheek.

The car swerves. Elena squeals. She looks up to see the uber driver with his jaw dropped, gawking in the rearview. At Sabina’s arse.

“Eyes! Forward!” Jane sounds ready to kill someone. The car straightens up and the (hapless) driver definitely doesn’t have his eyes anywhere near the rearview (either one), any longer. Then Jane’s face swings around to gawk at Sabina’s arse. Elena goes back to gawking too. Wow!

On Sabina’s left butt cheek, a tiny set of bubblegum pink angel wings is displayed (how cuuute!). On her right one, there’s the same tiny matte black wings that Elena has on her right pinky toe. Wow and Wow!!

Elena looks up at Sabina’s cheeky grin, and gazes into her teammate’s verdant green eyes. These twinkle playfully.

“You knew!” Elena accuses Sabina and it ends in a squeak. “All this time!”

“So did yooou,” teases Sabina, mock pouting at Elena over her shoulder. Sabina shimmies her dress back down and turns to face Elena, now grinning hugely. “Pot meet kettle.”

“Kettle meet pot,” teases back Elena, and she smiles at Sabina shyly, feeling very happy indeed. She wraps a tendril of hair around one finger and flutters her lashes. Elena is overtly flirting with her soulmate! Finally! It’s totally fun too!

Sabina stares at Elena’s lips Very Obviously. Her eyes have gone half-lidded and are filled with lust. Elena knows Sabina wants to kiss her, is thinking about kissing her, is probably just about to kiss her. Elena wants Sabina to! Her eyes are on Sabina’s lips, too. It’s automatic and hypnotic. Elena’s heart is beating very fast … she’s so damn excited …

“Knew what?” asks Jane behind Elena’s back. Jane sounds bemused. Elena sighs (Kiss blocked! By her other soulmate no less!) and turns to face forward, glances at Jane. Somehow, she can feel the weight of Sabina’s gaze directed Jane’s way too.

“Where are your marks?” Sabina outright asks Jane. “Just show us, babe.”

“What?” Jane sounds annoyed. “That’s personal.”

“Soulmate marks are personal?” Elena’s eyebrows are in her hairline. “From your soulmates?!”

Too late she realises that Jane (somehow!) hasn’t put two and two together. Until This Very Moment. Jane’s eyebrows rise too. Her jaw drops. She stares from Elena to Sabina to Elena to Sabina like they’ve grown two heads each. Then from Elena to Sabina. To Elena. To Sabina. When she finally speaks her voice comes out in a squeak.

“Soulmates?” Jane squeaks. She clears her throat, looks embarrassed, tries again. Her voice comes out deeper. “Soulmates?” Jane appears flabbergasted.

“Yeah, us three,” says Sabina, smirking hugely at Jane. “Even though we’re women.” Sabina makes an obviously fake shocked look, putting one hand over her open mouth and making her eyes huge. “Even though there’s three-of-us!” Sabina’s fake shocked look somehow gets Even More Shocked. Elena fights back a giggle. It’s partly about how ridiculous Sabina looks (on purpose) and how ridiculous flabbergasted-Jane looks (not on purpose). “Even though we’re Angels!” Sabina adds, with a fake gasp punctuating. She puts on a smarmy British accent that Elena gathers is probably meant to be Jane … and definitely meant to piss Jane off. “That’s not protocol!”

“Shut it,” says Jane, now glaring at Sabina. “I don’t care about any of that.”

“You don’t?” Elena asks, feeling a little surprised. All of that sort of seemed like it might be factors that Jane Kano cared about … quite a lot indeed. Elena’s sometimes felt nervous about it, during this ‘waiting period’. She’s done her best not to worry though … soulmates find a way … that’s Destiny’s Promise …

“Of course not,” says Jane, accent especially clipped … which Elena knows is one of the micro tells that means Jane’s feeling emotional. “Soulmates trump everything.” Jane says this as though everybody knows it (everyone does. Or at least all the Soulmate Advocates do. The Soulmate Naysayers decry it as excuse-making bunk).

Jane goes back to staring at Elena then at Sabina then back again. She looks like she can’t believe what she’s seeing. Her dark eyes are dazed. Elena gazes back hopefully. Out of the corner of her eye she sees that Sabina (who has leaned forward) is smirking at Jane. Sabina winks. It’s … supremely unhelpful. Also, very Sabina. Elena fights to keep her lips from curving upwards and keeps her eyes on Jane. Attempts to look serious. Like she’s a good candidate to be Jane Kano’s soulmate. An appropriate choice (even though you don’t get a choice: it’s Destiny’s Choice). Someone that Jane should hurry up and admit the truth about and get on with the Program Of Destiny. Pronto!

Finally, Jane sinks back in her seat and faces forward. She still seems dazed.

“I think we broke her,” Sabina tells Elena.

“Bina,” says Elena, a faint note of admonishment in her voice. Sabina needs to rein it in, give Jane a break. This is obviously a world-shaking realisation for Jane!

The two-of-them should support Jane through it and help her admit to herself what Elena has already admitted to herself, many looooong months ago. The three-of-them are meant to be together. Finally, they know that they’re soulmates (Yessssss!). The Big Reveal has happened. What comes next? Ah yes! They should be kissing! Well, as soon as Jane is ready. It might take Jane awhile to be ready for kissing. However, Sabina seems ready. Elena is sooo ready! Maybe the two-of-them could start first? Jane could … join in, later? Once she’s ready? Elena glances between Sabina and Jane, wondering what she should do (or not do). Her heart is beating fast. Her hands are sweating. Her pinky toes are wiggling.

“I’m not broken,” Jane mutters, sounding half-annoyed, half-amazed. She turns to look at them. “I’m just … a little surprised.”

Elena fights to keep her expression serious and compassionate. She really wants to make a similar expression to Sabina, who currently looks disbelieving, and is sniggering into her fist. Elena knows that this is because Jane is making the understatement of the year. Jane says ‘a little surprised’ but she looks like a bomb just went off inside her heart. Not even Jane Kano and her trademark masked expression can mask that.

“Why?” Elena asks, careful not to look directly at Sabina. She might start sniggering too if she does.

“I don’t have soulmate marks,” Jane tells them, voice now unreadable.

Elena’s jaw drops. She doesn’t feel like laughing anymore. What?! Impossible! Elena was certain that Jane was her §ê¢ðñÐ §ðµlmå†ê. All signs pointed towards it. Elena is in love with Jane, that much is certain. She’s in love with both Jane and Sabina, her teammates, friends, and soulmates-to-be-confirmed. She wants Jane! The matte black wings are Jane: they totally seem Jane-like. They have to be!

“No way!” says Sabina, and her laughter’s gone too: Sabina looks shocked. “But you’re our soulmate, Janey! No question.” Now Sabina looks considering. “Have you had a body check? Your marks are probably just somewhere you can’t see properly.”

“No,” says Jane, looking embarrassed and irate. “It’s too personal.”

“I can check for you,” offers Sabina, not seeming put off by Jane’s gruff tone. Elena has noticed that Sabina very rarely is, unlike pretty much every other human that comes into Jane’s vicinity. “While us three are having sex. It’ll be a fun game!” Sabina winks at Jane. “Kinky as fuck.”

Elena blinks, goes red. It would be. Elena would love the three-of-them to play that game together … as soon as possible. Her heart is filled with hope. Her panties are filled with … another form of hope. Please let Sabina be right! Sabina must be right, right? It’s the only answer. The only acceptable answer. Jane mustn’t be able to see her soulmate marks (sometimes that happens). Usually, people are so desperate to find out about their soulmate that they have someone check their entire body carefully, if a mark doesn’t show up in the usual ‘appearance period’. Like a doctor.

Of course, some rare people don’t have soulmates, and don’t have soulmate marks accordingly. Maybe Jane thought she was one of those? Elena can well understand that private and reclusive Jane Kano might not have wanted to get a body check. She probably easily believed that she wasn’t the soulmate type …

Elena badly wants to reach over and take Jane’s nearby hand, hold it comfortingly. She side-eyes Jane, wondering if Jane would allow this, and more than that, if she’d even like it. Jane is much more a fan of her own space than Elena and Sabina are: they’re both touchy-feely. Elena knows Jane fairly well at this point: she’s observed Jane closely for months and months and months and months (it’s not stalkerish if it’s your soulmate). She wants to know everything about Jane! (It's sweet, not creepy. Soulmate version rules.) She decides that Jane probably doesn’t want to be touched. Yet. Elena keeps her hand to herself. After a lengthy pause, Jane speaks up. Her voice is extra gruff.

“What makes you think we’re going to have…” Jane lowers her voice so much that it’s almost impossible to make out the last word, “sex?” Elena still hears it though. She’s staring right at Jane’s lips, which helps.

“Don’t you want to?” Sabina sounds surprised, as though the thought didn’t even cross her mind. Elena glances between Sabina and Jane.

“…I want to.” Jane’s voice is even gruffer. Her dark skin suffuses with blood, and though the difference is subtle, Elena catches it. She stares at Jane, entranced. Jane is blushing. Astounding! Gorgeous. A pause and when Jane speaks again her voice cracks painfully. “But what if we’re not s-soulmates?”

“Don’t be silly,” Sabina says easily. “I’m like, 150% sure it’s you for me, Kano. You and Lena.” Sabina reaches across Elena and punches Jane’s bicep, but so gently that it’s more of a nudge than a punch. “Your marks are just somewhere totally illicit. Obviously.”

Jane stares at Sabina, expression unreadable, but blush still evident. Then she looks at Elena.

“I love you,” says Elena, and she didn’t mean to confess her love in this moment: it just explodes out of her. “I don’t care if you have a mark or not.” It’s just the truth; Elena tells the truth. Elena drowns in Jane’s dark eyes: they are very wide, pupils blown. Elena’s own eyes swim with tears. She reaches back to fumble for Sabina’s hand, takes it in hers, entwines their fingers. “I love you both.”

Sabina squeezes Elena’s hand. Elena squeezes back. She holds her free hand out to Jane, not taking her eyes away from Jane’s. A long and loaded pause. Elena can hear her heart beating, it’s thudding that hard. It feels like it’s about to burst out of her chest!

Then Jane reaches out. Takes Elena’s hand. Elena sighs out in sheer relief. She’s still breathing out when Jane leans forward and kisses her, stealing the last of her breath. Elena is so surprised that she doesn’t kiss back for a long, charged moment. Then she does, with everything she has. The kiss is everything. Elena is overcome.

Behind her she feels Sabina leaning forward, and then Sabina’s hand has slipped out of Elena’s to wrap around her waist instead. Sabina is kissing Elena’s neck, soft languorous kisses with very definite intent.

“Wow!” It’s their uber driver. It comes out as a squeak.

Elena pulls back from Jane, blushing up a firestorm. She glances to the front. The driver is gawking in the rearview. Sabina is still holding Elena, still kissing her neck. No, Sabina is nipping at Elena’s neck now, apparently either thoroughly engrossed, or a fan of public displays of affection, or unfazed by social judgment. Somehow Elena is not surprised. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Jane glaring fiercely at the driver. He squeaks again. Looks forward. A line of sweat drips down his cheek.

They are pulling up outside their local Angels’ HQ.

“Put a pause on it,” Jane tells Sabina, voice very dry. “Save it for the bedroom.” Jane opens her door and gets out the uber, reaching back to help Elena out. Elena follows willingly. Jane’s hand feels so good in hers. She loves being helped out of a car by Jane! Sabina pops out the other side of the uber, dangling Elena’s Cinderella-shoes in one hand.

“My bedroom!” Sabina tells the two-of-them, happy and hungry all at once. “Let’s do this!” She wiggles her fingers in a playful wave after the fast-departing uber driver, then whirls and starts charging towards HQ.

Elena hurries eagerly after Sabina, dragging Jane behind by their joined hands. Sabina has the right idea! Elena glances back at Jane who is moving more quickly now, striding after her, smiling at her warmly.

Elena’s made of joy.

Epilogue

An hour later the Angels lie together in the king-sized bed in Sabina’s HQ bedroom. They are naked and sticky, and Elena enjoys the cool air on her exposed skin, drying the sweat of their recent energetic activities.

“You’re sooo bad,” Sabina teases Jane from one side of Elena. “You’re the only person I’ve ever heard of who has their soulmate marks on their 🎵.” Sabina’s ending wolf-whistle is suggestive, and her smile is even more so.

“I didn’t put them there,” grouses Jane. “I didn’t even know they were there!”

It turns out Jane’s soulmate marks match Elena’s and Sabina’s, just as Sabina claimed they would. Sabina discovered them on the insides of Jane’s vulva’s outer labia lips, completely hidden from the world, nestled protectively between her outer and inner lips. Sure enough there were tiny bubblegum pink wings on the left inner lip (sooo cute, Elena had a nice long look for herself), and rainbow-coloured wings on the right (awww…).

It turns out that Jane’s especially sensitive to sitmuli on her soulmate marks, so Sabina spent quite a lot of time giving them special attention, mostly with her tongue. Elena had loved watching. At one point Elena had retrieved a hand mirror and held it angled between Jane’s thighs just so, giving her (confirmed!) soulmate the opportunity to see her own soulmate marks, for the first time ever. Jane had stared.

“Wow,” she’d murmured. Then her face had melted into the softest smile Elena had ever seen on it. “Wow…”

“See, idiot,” Sabina had pressed a soft kiss to Jane’s cheek, underscoring the seeming harshness of her words. “Told you that you were our soulmate.”

“You were right,” Jane had said, voice wondering. She smiled down at Elena, then looked at her marks again in the mirror. “It’s both of you.”

Now the three-of-them cuddle together in bed, in the aftermath of the best sex Elena ever remembers having (which is no surprise, given that it’s §ðµlmå†ê §êx™).

“So you did notice my marks…” Elena says suddenly, glancing over at Jane. She’s just twigging that of course Jane Kano must have noticed all along, right from the start. Jane has excellent situational awareness, which she uses to good effect during their Angels’ missions. Of course, Jane noticed Elena flaunting her bare toes all over the place. How could she not?!

“Yes,” Jane admits easily, sounding relaxed and open in a way that Elena can’t ever remember hearing. Then again, she’s never lain in bed with Jane before, after Elena and Sabina opened Jane literally, and coaxed her into multiple orgasms … all that tension (sooo much tension) melting away into afterglow.  

“You never said anything,” says Elena slowly, stroking her hand along Jane’s nearby thigh, just because she can.

“Neither did you,” Jane points out, mildly. She leans over to press a soft kiss to Elena’s shoulder. “I figured you were … trying to find your soulmates. That you thought they were Angels, because your marks were wings. That’s why you wore all those gorgeous shoes around HQ.” Jane shrugs. “Or that they were tattoos, not soulmate marks. The jury was out.”

Elena is amazed. Jane had her pegged! Jane was also observing Elena, for months and months and months and months! (Not creepily, thanks to §ðµlmå†ê§-hððÐ.) Then she smiles, charmed.

“You liked my shoes?”

“Totally fabulous,” Sabina says, at the same time as Jane says:

“Of course.”

“What about you?” Elena asks, turning to look at Sabina. “You obviously noticed too!”

“Right,” says Sabina easily. “I figured you were waiting for Janey to get with the program. Two wings, yo. Two soulmates to go! So I kept it in my pants, like a fucking champion.”

“What a champion,” Jane says drily, sotto voce engaged. “I saw you leering at Lena’s feet, too many times to count.”

“Because you were leering too,” banters Sabina. “Obviously.”

Elena grins happily and strokes her other hand down Sabina’s nearby thigh. She’s sandwiched between Jane and Sabina, naked, stroking their naked thighs. How lucky is she! Two soulmates! She loves them both! Destiny has revealed them unto each other! All is well in the world. They are finally in bed together. Soon Elena will gather enough energy to go again, and she Really Wants To Go Again. She’s been waiting so long now. Far too long. No more waiting for the three-of-them.

On top of all that, it turns out that both her soulmates are totally into her shoe collection, and even more so into her feet. Elena wiggles her toes pleasurably, beneath the covers. She feels Sabina press a kiss to one cheek at the same time as Jane presses a kiss to the other one. Apparently, her soulmates have regathered their energy too …

This is why she waited.

Chapter Text

Sabina’s POV

Sabina carries the tray of hot chocolate out into the Angels’ backyard: they’re having a fire in their brazier. It’s early night-time: the first stars have appeared in the sky; the moon is yet to rise. The weather is a little chilly but not overly cold … perfect for an outdoor fire. Jane has carried over the outdoor chairs from their deck and Elena sits next to her. Their familiar voices carry on the breeze to Sabina as she approaches: she can hear them murmuring together, and occasionally laughing.

Most usually it’s Elena who suggests that the Angels drink hot chocolate … and prepares it for them too. Sabina’s noticed that Elena does this when she thinks that the three-of-them could stand some extra togetherness or comfort … or else just for fun. It was Sabina’s idea this evening, as was the fire. Jane volunteered to prepare the fire; Sabina made hot chocolate. Elena simply sat back and relaxed.

Sabina reaches her girlfriends who both look up with warm smiles. She hands Elena her hot chocolate: Elena drinks it with cream and a couple marshmallows (regular sized). Sabina hands Jane hers: Jane drinks it straight, no garnishes. Finally, Sabina takes up her own, and ditches the tray off to the side, sits across the fire from her girlfriends. Sabina’s hot chocolate is almost half made of cream and has liberal mini marshmallows – the kind kids eat. At parties. They’re a party in her mouth!

Sabina sips her hot chocolate happily: warm and chocolatey, and oh so creamy! Perfect. She can feel a cream-moustache forming on her upper lip, and she doesn’t lick it off because it will just reform a moment later. No point until she’s finished. Instead, she grins across the brazier at her girlfriends. The firelight makes strange and flickering shadows on their faces. The two-of-them look beautiful … but then again, they always do. Even when they’re dirty, bruised, and weary after a full-on Angels’ mission. Which is fairly common.

“Thanks for making us these, Bina,” Elena’s voice is warm, sweet like hot chocolate.

“Tastes good,” agrees Jane, sipping hers.

“I love hot chocolate,” Sabina says contentedly. Sabina does! But what she really means in this homey moment is that she loves her girlfriends, and she loves this moment with them. Elena’s soft eyes go softer: she’s gazing at Sabina. Jane relaxes in her chair. Her dark eyes gleam in the firelight and her teeth flash white in a small and knowing smile.

Sabina’s understood.

Chapter Text

Jane’s POV

Elena is ill with the flu. She’s lying in the middle of the Angels’ king-sized bed, curled up around a giant pillow, half buried under a fluffy throw. Jane pauses in their bedroom doorway; she’s just come home from the local Angels’ HQ … Sabina texted to let Jane know Elena’s status. Jane sums up the situation in a glance. Elena looks miserable. She’s sniffling close to constantly and a mountain of tissues litter the floor (okay, so that’s an exaggeration). Elena’s obviously just tossed them aside as she’s used them, too wiped to care about proper hygiene (which she usually follows as does Jane; Sabina is the messy one).

Sabina arrives from the kitchen, bearing a tray of herbal tea. She nudges Jane with her hip, evidently trying to get Jane to move out of the way.

“Move your fine arse,” Sabina tells Jane who automatically steps into the bedroom and to the side, and automatically glares. “Tea delivery for Lena.”

“I feel so sick!” Elena tells them, emerging from under the throw. Her voice comes out congested. She pouts, and sighs, and hugs her pillow tighter.

Jane’s heart pangs. She’s surprised that she doesn’t feel annoyed … she always thought that she had no time for sick people (whiny and weak, that’s what her family always taught Jane about sickness. It’s weak to be sick and weaker to complain). Being Elena’s girlfriend has challenged Jane’s belief systems in ways that she has yet to understand: Elena is open about feeling bad and she doesn’t seem ashamed. She lets it all hang out … practically everything that Jane doesn’t let show … let alone allow to ‘hang out’.

“You look sick!” Sabina tells Elena cheerfully. “Sick as a dog.” Sabina sets the tray on the bedside table and sits down beside Elena. Passes over a tall glass of something vaguely medicinal looking: maybe she got it from Saint’s stash? Steam rises. “Have some tea,” Sabina prompts Elena encouragingly.

Jane smells mint, lemon, and something else that she doesn’t recognise. She approaches the bed cautiously, sits down on Elena’s other side. Jane gingerly avoids several stray tissues abandoned on the bedspread. She watches as Elena receives Sabina’s tea gratefully, sitting up and leaning back against the liberal pillows to sip at it.

“‘sgood,” Elena tells Sabina. “Helps my sore throat.”

“Cutie,” says Sabina affectionately, now flopping back against the pillows against Elena’s side. Sabina reaches an arm around Elena’s shoulders and squeezes. “Flu sucks arse.”

Elena makes a sniffly-snorty noise that is probably meant to indicate agreement. She sips her tea again. Then sneezes, violently. Jane hurriedly reaches over and grabs the tea out of Elena’s hand, puts it on the bedside table. Jane is grimacing, because some of Elena’s sneeze got on her. She realises that she’s not going to be able to avoid Elena’s (disgusting) germs … if she’s to take care of her girlfriend in the way her heart’s demanding. Jane signs to herself, in resignation. Germs it is. Jane has an excellent immune system, in any case. She hardly ever gets sick.  

Jane gets up, grabs a bin from their ensuite bathroom, and starts gathering up the dirty tissues. Then she leaves the room to empty it, returns, puts it by the bed with an extra meaningful look at Elena: she should aim her tissues into the bin. Elena pouts and nods. Then sneezes all over Jane. Once, twice, thrice! Jane backs away. Sabina is sniggering, not bothering to hide it. She’s turned towards Elena now and is cuddling their girlfriend close. The tea sits mostly empty on the bedside table; Elena must have drunk it when Jane was busy.

Jane’s girlfriends lie half propped up against multiple pillows. Sabina makes comforting noises in the back of her throat, pure nonsense: they’re not real words. Elena lies limply in Sabina’s arms, mostly focused on her snot and tissues. Jane privately thinks that her girlfriends are very cute indeed … impossibly cute considering how pale and grumpy Elena looks, and how she’s currently mopping up snot. Jane sighs and goes to the bathroom, washes her hands carefully … though her pragmatic thoughts inform her it’s a waste of time. Rejoins her girlfriends, moving to sit propped up against Elena’s other side.

Jane reaches over to the bedside table to pour a glass of water from the jug sitting there. Elena should stay hydrated. That’s key with flu, as is bed rest. Jane hands the glass to Elena and her girlfriend accepts it willingly, drinks it. Hands it back. Jane smiles approval; sets it down. Elena sneezes against Jane’s neck. She doesn’t catch it with a tissue in time, though a moment later she’s mopping at her nose. Jane sighs again. She grabs a tissue too and wipes her neck, crumples it and basketball shoots it into the nearby bin. Two points! Reaches over and puts the back of her hand to Elena’s forehead, holds it there. It’s hot. Elena obviously has a fever.

“Fever,” Sabina tells Jane, from where she snuggles into Elena. “I checked our baby’s temperature just before you got here. Not too high.” Jane nods with approval; it’s good that Sabina doublechecked. Elena ignores them, too invested with her tissues.

Fever is (often) part and parcel of flu, Jane knows. Elena’s body is fighting off the infection, mounting a defence. Fever is part of that defence, it’s helping Elena get better, even if it’s making her feel worse. The most helpful thing that Elena’s girlfriends can do for her right now, is distract her from her healing symptoms’ funkiness. Comfort her. It’s getting close to bedtime; Jane glances at Elena enquiringly.

“Want a bedtime story?”

“Yes!” says Sabina, green eyes flashing with what seems like excitement, at the same time as Elena mumbles:

“Yes please.”

Jane and Elena both look at Sabina. Jane blinks. Sabina seems … way too excited for Jane’s simple offer. Now Sabina is looking embarrassed (unusual), hiding her face against Elena’s cheek. Jane looks at Elena who shakes her head minutely. Then sneezes. Jane doesn’t understand why, but she gets that Elena is saying not to pursue this strangeness with Sabina right now. Elena has high emotional intelligence which Jane has learned to (grudgingly) trust, over their time together. So she follows Elena’s unspoken advice.

“It’s about a monster,” Jane begins, nudging the tissue box closer to Elena – it got knocked out of her girlfriend’s easy reach, somehow.

Elena grabs a tissue with urgency and swabs at her dripping nose. She’s pouting grumpily. Jane gets distracted by Just How Cute the pouting is, then forces herself to refocus. Then she gets distracted by how disgusting Elena’s snot storm is … Sabina’s emerged from her hiding place to smirk across at Jane. Sabina doesn’t seem to find ill people’s bodily fluids ick-worthy in the way that Jane does. Maybe it’s part of Sabina being messy. Or maybe not. She does seem to find Jane’s preference for hygiene amusing. Jane finds Sabina’s messiness annoying and not amusing! Jane scowls at her smirking girlfriend.

“The monster,” Sabina prompts Jane. She sounds excited, and like she’s trying (and failing) to mask it.

Elena sniffles and looks at Jane with sleepy eyes. Elena looks curious but tired: there are dark shadows under her soft brown eyes. Jane’s heart pangs. She shifts more onto her side so that she can see her girlfriends better and reaches over to rest a hand against Elena’s nearby belly. Jane knows that Elena loves affectionate touch. Inexplicably, even when she’s ill. Even more than when she’s well! Jane wants to be left alone when she’s ill, certainly not touched. How strange Jane’s girlfriends are … both of them …

That’s why Jane’s touching Elena right now … because she knows Elena likes it. Jane wants to touch ill people even less than she wants to touch people in general. Which isn’t much at all. Though admittedly, it’s different with her girlfriends … Jane seems to share more touch with them than she could have ever seen herself enjoying before she met them … and has gotten used to them … used to the (weird) touchy-feelyness that is both Elena and Sabina … albeit in different styles …

“A monster?” Elena asks. She coughs a little. Jane wonders if Elena’s sore throat is going to develop into a cough. There’s a pretty good chance …

“A monster,” Jane agrees. “A giant wolf who was … feeling very ill.”

Sabina’s eyes widen and her lips form a cute little ‘o’. She seems fascinated. Elena blinks sleepily, and her lips curve up in just a hint of a smile. Then she sneezes. Her lips go back to pouting.

“Ill how?” Sabina asks. Jane doesn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused. Trying to tell a bedtime story while Sabina is present is turning into an interactive event. Can’t Sabina just listen? Apparently not …

“Like me,” Elena guesses, and then she giggles. Then coughs. Sneezes, twice.

Jane rolls her eyes even though she’s also fighting back a grin. Make that two girlfriends who can’t listen properly. This bedtime story is interactive, whether Jane wants it to be or not.

“Like you,” Jane agrees wryly. “The giant wolf had a temperature,” she reaches over and smooths her hand over Elena’s hot forehead, “and sniffles,” she runs one gentle finger down the bridge of Elena’s nose, “and a sore throat.” Jane taps the hollow of Elena’s throat very lightly. Elena smiles at Jane; she looks endeared. Then she sniffles, dabs her nose.

Sabina is smiling too, happy and hungry somehow, following all Jane’s illustrative movements with strained attention. Jane suddenly realises that Sabina is acting like a child … who is hungry to be told a bedtime story. Maybe Sabina never has been? Jane’s heart pangs more painfully than it has since she arrived home. She clears her throat, awkwardly. Reaches over Elena towards Sabina.

“Not like you,” Jane tells Sabina, and her voice comes out a little gruff. “The giant wolf had a temperature – you don’t,” Jane smooths her hand over Sabina’s cool forehead. Sabina’s eyes get huge. She looks thoroughly invested. Elena watches closely too, and her eyes are very soft. “No sniffles, unlike the monster,” Jane runs one finger down the bridge of Sabina’s nose. “No sore throat.” Jane taps the hollow of Sabina’s throat. Sabina grins hugely. Jane can’t help smiling back.

She takes her hand back. Elena sniffles, wipes at her nose. Sabina gazes attentively at Jane; Jane has never seen Sabina paying such close attention, so still and focused. She didn’t know Sabina could.

“So, the giant wolf went to see the local witch,” Jane tells her girlfriends. “Because…” Jane racks her brains, “that’s what monsters do when they want to be cured.” Jane smirks. “It’s like their version of going to the doctor.”

Sabina nods enthusiastically. Elena giggles. Jane’s not sure if Elena’s giggling at the story or at Sabina, but that doesn’t really matter. The main thing is that Elena’s distracted from the misery of flu, which is what Jane’s going for. It’s the whole point of telling this (silly) bedtime story.

“The witch was all out of medicinal herbs,” Jane tells her girlfriends, kind of amazed at the wave of creativity that has come over her … though Jane can’t take full credit.

She vaguely remembers being told a version of this story … that Jane is now embellishing and changing to match the current circumstances. It was long ago, by someone faceless but warm, unknown yet loving. Someone that (little?) Jane loved very much (but who?). Jane is drawing it out of the dim recesses of her memory and using it to good effect. She’s responding to the needs of the moment with the resources that she has, the intel she has buried in her brain. The needs of her girlfriends.

“…And the wolf didn’t like herbs in any case.” Jane smirks to herself. “He liked meat.”

“And grandmas!” says Sabina out of the blue. Jane rolls her eyes, but her smirk is growing. “…Right. And grandmothers.” Jane guesses that Sabina is referring to the famous fairy tale, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ (and the Big Bad Wolf). Probably.

Elena is smiling sleepily. Her eyes are almost closed at this point. She sniffles. Her eyes close all the way. Jane’s widen. Elena is asleep! Or practically asleep. Well on her way. Jane catches Sabina’s eye then looks at Elena meaningfully. Jane should stop telling her story. They should let Elena sleep. She needs her sleep! It’ll help her get well.

Sabina looks at Elena, nods, pouts a little. Looks back at Jane.

“I’ll tell you the rest later,” Jane mouths silently; the Angels are trained in lip reading. Sabina’s eyes go huge. Then she breaks out in an equally huge smile, nods enthusiastically. Jane smiles back. Then reaches to turn off the bedside lamp on her side. Sabina does the same on the other.

In tandem they slide carefully under the covers, adjusting them so that Elena is under the covers too. Elena’s breathing has evened out, even though it’s snuffly: she’s obviously asleep. Jane curls in close, wraps a protective arm around her ill girlfriend. Elena’s top rides up a little and Jane’s forearm touches naked skin: it’s hot with fever. Jane feels grateful that Elena fell asleep so easily.

Sabina shifts closer on Elena’s other side, and her arm slides along the side of Jane’s. It feels good. Jane likes to be able to feel both her girlfriends, provided she’s in the mood for touch. It’s reassuring. It means that they’re in arm’s reach, easy for Jane to protect, should the need arise (not that it’s likely to, unless they’re on a mission). Jane prefers to keep an eye on both of them, especially if one or both are compromised. Elena is just now. Elena should be kept close.

Sabina’s arm tightens around Elena; Jane can feel Sabina’s muscles flexing where their arms brush. Sabina plainly feels similarly: Jane likes that … she likes having two girlfriends and being on the same page with one of them about the other. It’s the best part of being a threesome. It’s like being a ready-made family, a team, a unit. Everything is easier, at least when it comes to looking out for each other. To taking care of each other. Sure, other challenges arise that twosome’s don’t face, but right now Jane is focused on the good.

Focused on Elena’s peacefully sleeping body, nestled in her arms. On Sabina, protecting Elena right alongside Jane. On being together, through sickness and health, and facing down whatever comes. Jane relaxes.

She falls asleep.

Chapter Text

Elena’s POV

Elena is about to board one of Townsend Agency’s small private jets: she’s heading to Africa for a mission (location top secret, to be advised). She’s to join up with a team of Angels already stationed there; Elena’s technical genius is being called upon. That unknown team needs her. That unmet Bosley needs her. Just for now, just for a short mission. Still, Elena is leaving her regular team behind. Her girlfriends and teammates: Sabina Wilson and Jane Kano. Their Bosley, number 342 and their Saint.

This is part and parcel of being an international organisation of detectives-cum-spies. All three Angels have had to do it, here and there, and their Bosley and Saint have worked with other Angels too. Before Elena turned informant against Brock Industries and met her girlfriends, the two-of-them worked all over the place too. That fateful mission was only the second time that Sabina and Jane had worked together: they weren’t a regular team. Once Elena graduated Angels’ training school, Jane had suggested that the three-of-them apply to Charlie to be a regular team, under Bosley 342.

Jane had thought that they would make ‘the ultimate team’ … and if anyone would know, it would be strategically gifted Jane. Truth be told, Elena didn’t really care about being the ultimate team … though she knew Jane did and she kind of loved that about Jane. Elena cared about being on a team with Jane and Sabina! She’d been surprised; she’d been excited. Upon Jane’s suggestion, Elena immediately realised that it was all she wanted, to be a team with Jane and Sabina. Elena was a YES!

After all, Elena had joined Townsend Agency because of them, these newish friends who she felt more connected with than she could ever remember feeling with people who weren’t family. Elena’s intuition had proved correct: the three-of-them had not only become an official team, working together most of the time, they’d become Very Good Friends. No, more than friends, more than teammates, more than could easily be put into words.

Eventually (inevitably?) they’d become official girlfriends … but that had only been a label for something that had already happened, in their hearts. Their bond had grown and blossomed over time … whatever it is that’s beyond words and names and concepts, that forms the spirit of a relationship. Then, at Elena’s shy suggestion, the Angels had moved in together. Eventually they’d developed into family, chosen family, something more than the sum of their parts.

Elena had seen it coming long ago, had wanted it to come! Yet she hadn’t known for sure that her nebulous dream would come to life. She hadn’t been able to control it … although she’d certainly breathed air into it at every opportunity.

Now Elena stands on the tarmac, at the bottom of the airstair that leads up to the private jet’s entrance. Her girlfriends have come to see her off. Sabina is pouting and looking sulky … but Elena knows that’s because Sabina misses her already. Sabina doesn’t like them to be separated though she doesn’t say it outright. She just shows it with all her body language and behaviours … at least to Elena’s perceptive gaze. To Elena’s high emotional intelligence, it’s as good as if Sabina said it directly, set to background music. She pouts back at Sabina, sympathetically. Her girlfriend’s face relaxes into a grin: Sabina’s moods change easily. Elena smiles back happily.

Elena glances at Jane who is standing by Sabina’s side, with extra good posture, straight as a soldier on parade. Jane’s face is expressionless, her dark eyes piercing. These micro signals are as good as macro to Elena, thanks to long study of All Things Jane. While Jane isn’t as easy to read as Sabina (for Elena, let alone everyone else), time and relational proximity have done their work. Elena can easily see that Jane’s upset: Jane doesn’t want Elena to be out of Jane’s protective reach. Jane is hiding this. Jane is ‘being supportive’. Jane is ‘doing the right thing’ both for Charlie’s Angels (who loyal-natured Jane is loyal to) and by her girlfriendly principles (Elena needs to be free to come and go).

Elena appreciates this about Jane, all of it. She smiles at Jane, shyly, tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. Jane’s eyes soften. Her posture relaxes, incrementally. Beside Jane, Sabina hip checks Jane, for no good reason that Elena can see. Elena doesn’t need to ‘see’ a reason though: she can sense one. Sabina did that instinctively; her way of supporting Jane. Somehow it works, just like it usually does. Jane shoots a glare at Sabina, with very little heat. Then she sighs and relaxes even further. Sabina grins at Jane. The corner of Jane’s lips quirks back, though she (apparently) doesn’t look at Sabina. Elena is aware that Jane is aware of Sabina … just as aware as Elena is of both her girlfriends. Jane isn’t looking at Sabina deliberately. For Jane reasons.

“I’ll be back soon,” Elena tells her girlfriends, hefting her small travel bag over her shoulder. She doesn’t have to take much, because the local Angels' HQ will have what she needs. Most of what she’s taking is sentimental. For personal comfort or reminders of her girlfriends.

“Yeah, Bos said it’ll only be a month, max,” Sabina says. Her verdant green eyes widen in mock horror … though Elena catches a flash of gravity beneath the jokiness. “A whole fucking month!” Sabina groans theatrically. “I’ll die of boredom.”

“You’re always saying that,” Jane says drily. “It hasn’t happened yet.”

“It’s your job to entertain me,” Sabina tells Jane teasingly, poking her in the bicep. “Now that Lena’s on the other side of the world.”

“Africa’s hardly the other side of the world,” gripes Jane. “And it’s not our job to entertain you.”

“I’ll miss you,” Elena tells her girlfriends, sincerely. She will. She’ll miss their constant bickering … that she gets excellent entertainment value from! Never a dull moment with the chemical of Kano reacting with the chemical of Wilson. The scientist in Elena is fascinated. “I’ll miss this,” she gestures between them, meaning her girlfriends’ ongoing banter fest.

“Of course you will!” says Sabina with obvious pride. She wraps a companionable arm around Jane’s back and squeezes tightly. “It’s better than a show. And you get front row seats. For free!”

Jane scowls at Sabina, looking at their girlfriend as though her pride is inexplicable (and Elena’s pretty sure that it is, to Jane Kano). But Jane’s arm has crept around Sabina in turn, just the same. Jane is squeezing back. Elena smiles warmly at her girlfriends: they are so cute together! The perfect foils, for each other. Inexplicable, sure, but they just work, anyhow. It’s one of life’s great mysteries.

“Kiss for good luck!” Sabina announces, stepping forward to wrap both arms around Elena’s neck. Elena allows her travel bag to drop to the ground: kissing Sabina is more important. She wraps both arms around her girlfriend’s waist and their lips meet softly. They hold the kiss for long sweet moments. Elena can feel that Sabina is totally immersed in the moment: completely invested in their love. Elena is too. She loses track of everything.

When they emerge from each other, Jane is stepping forward, her face unmasked into softness. Obviously, Elena-and-Sabina’s kiss melted Jane. She wraps her arms around them both and leans her head down to kiss Elena on the lips. Sabina buries her face into their sides, holding them both close. Elena closes her eyes and kisses Jane back. For she doesn’t know how long, because she isn’t paying attention to anything but her girlfriends.

When they step back from each other, it’s only a little: they still stay close. The Angels are no longer holding each other … but they may as well be.

“That was a lot of luck,” says Sabina, smirking at Elena and Jane. “A hell of a lot of luck.”

“I won’t need it.” Elena smiles with contentment. “I have you two.”

“That doesn’t even make sense,” says Jane, but she says it so warmly that she may as well have said something sickeningly romantic. The three-of-them smile at each other. Step back further.

“You don’t make sense,” says Sabina to Jane, voice infused with warmth. She winks at Elena. “You’re going to ace your mission.”

“You are,” Jane tells Elena seriously. “You’re the best at what you do.”

“Thank you,” Elena tells her girlfriends shyly. “I’m kind of excited!”

“About the challenge,” says Jane, nodding wisely.

Jane understands the pleasure of a professional challenge: both Elena’s girlfriends do. They’re both amongst the best in their respective domains (Jane brawling, Sabina grifting), if not the best on Charlie’s roster … and they both get joy and satisfaction out of mastery and pushing beyond it. Elena kind of loves that about them. It’s something they all have in common. Underneath their differences.

“I want to hear all about it,” Sabina tells Elena. “Especially anything adventurous!”

Elena knows that Sabina means this, even though Elena will probably have to miss out key details. Some of the missing details will be because of secrecy: a lot of what happens on mission, stays on mission … for security purposes. Some details can be shared with fellow non-mission Angels but not all. Some of the missing details will be because Sabina won’t know what Elena is talking about. It would be like Sabina trying to explain what she did during a grifting mission (which Elena also likes to hear about). Accordingly, Sabina converts a lot of her stories into ‘the layperson’s version’ giving Elena the gist of what happened, as much as can be conveyed to a non-grifter. Elena’s tech-or-hacking stories are much the same.

“Of course, baby,” Elena tells Sabina, leaning over to kiss her girlfriend’s cheek. “I’ll take mental notes.”

A steward appears in the plane’s door.

“Time to go!” they call down the stairs. “Ms Houghlin?”

“‘Ms Houghlin’,” Sabina mouths at Elena with a cheeky grin. Elena giggles and leans over to kiss Jane’s cheek.

“Shush, you,” Jane tells Sabina. To Elena: “text us when you land?” Elena smiles at Jane, touches her arm reassuringly.

“Will do. Bye, Janey.” She smiles at Sabina. “Bye, Bina.”

Elena’s girlfriends reach out in unison and each take one of her hands in one of theirs. Jane is standing very straight again, and Sabina is pouting. There’s nothing Elena can do about it though: she has to go. Part of partings are that they’re difficult. It’s what makes reuniting so pleasurable. She squeezes her girlfriends’ hands; they squeeze back. Both their eyes are damp, and Elena’s eyes are too.

She turns to go, feeling the weight of Sabina’s and Jane’s gazes on her back.

“Bye, Lena!” calls Sabina. She sounds anxious.

“We’ll see you soon.” That’s Jane, voice low and controlled.

Elena glances back once she reaches the plane’s doorway. Waves at her girlfriends who wave back, Sabina enthusiastically, Jane with a lift of her hand and serious eyes. The steward gestures Elena inside the plane, closes the door. Elena sits down by the window. Looks out. Waves at her girlfriends again. They wave back then move away; they have to now that the plane is getting ready to take off.

Elena watches them go. Even though Jane and Sabina are walking away from her (hand-in-hand) Elena can feel them inside her heart. It’s like the three-of-them are still together. Physical distance isn’t important when it comes to the spirit of a relationship. It isn’t about the names and forms and distance.

Love is placeless.

Chapter Text

Sabina’s POV

“Have you heard?” Sabina asks Jane this in her best annoying voice. It’s just so easy with Jane ‘dour’ Kano. Jane is on the edge of being annoyed like, all the time, so it doesn’t take Sabina much to tip her girlfriend over. It’s so damn fulfilling …

“Heard what?” Sure enough, Jane (already) sounds annoyed.

As usual, Jane has set herself up for the fall. She doesn’t seem to realise that she’s doing it … or maybe she even does it to set Sabina up for her next (brilliant!) joke. Could Jane be … generously doing that? Sabina doesn’t think so. At least most of the time. Sometimes maybe, if Jane is feeling particularly soft … and Jane Kano is Very Soft Indeed. That’s the secret that only her girlfriends know about her, as far as Sabina can tell.

Sabina pauses for dramatic effect. Jane eyes her with evident annoyance. It’s building, rapidly: Sabina can tell! Sabina waits for the maximum level of annoyance before Jane tips into ‘true annoyance’. That’s fun for no one. Finally:

“How much I’m into you?” Sabina smirks at Jane who looks momentarily poleaxed. Blinks a couple times. Then scowls at Sabina. Then … smiles. Reluctantly. Jane looks charmed. Also, annoyed (at herself? at Sabina?) for looking charmed. Sabina’s smirk widens. It’s mega fulfilling!

“You’re so annoying,” Jane finally says. Her voice is dry.

“I know,” Sabina says cheerfully. “You love that about me.”

“… I do.” Jane admits this grudgingly, but she admits it all the same. Sabina loves how Jane doesn’t leave her hanging. She always comes through when it really counts. It’s a Jane-ism. It’s part of why Sabina digs Jane so much. What she loves about her girlfriend.

It’s not just about their ‘strengths’, it’s also about their ‘flaws’. Jane has some fucking endearing (terrible) flaws. Sabina is into it. Sabina has flaws too! Who doesn’t?! Nobody Sabina knows, or wants to know. They would be truly annoying to be around, after all …. Not just ‘fun’ annoying. ‘Entertaining’ annoying. ‘I’m not-so-secretly into you, so I’m annoying you like kids in kindergarten’ annoying. Like Sabina Wilson.

“Have you heard?” Jane asks Sabina suddenly. Sabina blinks. Her eyes go huge. Is Jane about to … attempt a joke? Does Jane make jokes?! Oh, Sabina knows that Jane does indeed make jokes … occasionally … some of the best jokes Sabina’s heard. It always surprises Sabina though. She fucking loves it!

“Heard what?” Sabina asks, a little breathlessly. She’s excited.

“That the rubbish needs taking out,” Jane tells Sabina, very drily indeed. “It’s your turn.”

Sabina blinks. Then she cracks up. That’s hilarious! Unexpectedly so, because it’s also a very bad joke indeed. Also, it’s true. Jane is telling Sabina to hurry up and take the trash out, already. How trashy! Sabina bends over, laughing harder. She cracks herself up! She stands back up, wiping tears from her eyes.

“It wasn’t that funny,” Jane tells Sabina, voice even drier. Then she smirks. It’s over fast; Sabina almost doesn’t catch it. Yet she does: Jane didn’t hide it in time. Sabina smirks back.

Jane points at the garbage bin, arching an eyebrow. Sabina moves to start taking out the trash, still smirking to herself. Her thoughts go something like this:

Have you heard? Jane Kano has a secret sense of humour! It’s developed heeeaps since Sabina’s been Jane’s girlfriend, along with their cute baby, Elena Houghlin. Jane’s coming along in leaps and bounds.

Sabina credits herself.

Chapter Text

Bosley 369’s POV

Bosley 369 frowns at the intercom, sitting pride of place in his office. It looks like an old-fashioned radio but it’s actually a highly secure Angels’ tech device that allows the Bosleys to communicate directly with their (top secret, never sighted in person) leader: Charles ‘Charlie’ Townsend. Charlie has just finished issuing his instructions and their meeting is over. Bosley 369 is not pleased about Charlie’s latest orders. Not pleased at all!

Apparently, Bosley 342 (the one-and-only female Bosley, who is an ex-Angel of all things!) has just been drafted for a short mission overseas. Her unique skillset is called for to lead a team of Angels working out of Italy. The Saint that she usually works with has gone with her (it’s so annoyingly inefficient how the Saints don’t have numbers, like how the Bosleys do. Why is that, exactly?). Because of 342’s last-minute mission, Charlie has asked 369 to step in and lead 342’s regular team of Angels, currently stationed out of this HQ. The three-of-them are about to embark on a mission: they’ve already been briefed.

Bosley 369 has come across said Angels before, but two-of-them only in passing. He’s had the most to do with Sabina Wilson, who he did a few missions with out of Rio … he was Not Impressed. Wilson is a wild card, the wild card by all accounts, if gossiping Bosleys around the water cooler are to be believed (and 369 believes them). She’s a rebellious little fucker who goes off the wall at the slightest provocation and doesn’t observe protocol. Even worse than that (does it get worse?!), is the disturbing secret ability she has to randomly go ‘berserk’ during missions gone (incredibly) wrong (yes, that’s worse). Bosley had to witness it once, and he’s been trying to forget it ever since … he doesn’t want to work with Wilson ever again!

These days Wilson is teamed up with ex-MI6 agent, Jane Kano and much more newish Angel, Elena Houghlin. Kano is a phenomenal brawler (by all accounts) and if it wasn’t for having to work with Wilson, Bosley 369 would be (very) curious to see Kano in action. Houghlin is a tech specialist (something of a genius?), and from what Bosley hears, she’s polite and professional, and does what she’s told. That’s the way an Angel should be … Bosley would be interested to work with Houghlin too … if it wasn’t for Wilson.

However, Charlie insisted that Wilson, Kano, and Houghlin are a package deal, and that their next scheduled mission needs to be done as their regular team-of-three. Bosley has no choice. He’s so not looking forward to this ordeal. He sighs in defeat, rests his head in his hands. It’s a good five minutes before he manages to raise his head, with another mournful sigh. He catches a glimpse of himself in the window’s reflection. His bushy black beard is bristling, he’s that agitated. Damn Wilson!

Well, orders are orders. Bosley doesn’t have a choice. He puts on his headphones and leans across to his computer, keys in the commands that will activate the golden angel wings of his new (temporary) agents: the Angels’ tech comms system works by bone conduction, via tattoo.

“Kano, Houghlin, Wilson,” he snaps professionally. “This is Bosley 369. Come in.”

“Bosley,” the tone is equally professional, if indecipherable. The computer’s voice recognition technology informs him that it belongs to Jane Kano. “Standing by.”

“Are the others with you?” Bosley asks. He can’t tell. He doesn’t have eyes on the Angels, only ears. He’s not sure where they’re currently located in this HQ … if he knew that, he could get eyes via the security camera system. Probably.

“Yes,” says a gentle voice. Bosley’s computer informs him that it belongs to Elena Houghlin.

“It’s you.” The voice is a little raspy, maybe … nervous? Bosley’s eyebrows arch. He doesn’t need his computer to tell him that it’s Sabina Wilson. He recognises her voice.

“Wilson,” he acknowledges, unenthusiastically.

His last memory of Wilson (a bad one) is of chewing her out after the (top secret) berserking incident. Bosley had been terrified, traumatised! He doesn’t remember it very well, but he vaguely recalls losing his temper (he was stressed!) and telling Sabina off. It was … unprofessional. He shouldn’t have done it. He regrets doing it. He regrets remembering it even more. It makes him feel uncomfortable, prickly, like everything to do with that damn (horrifying) berserking ability. He blinks a couple times and forces himself to focus.

“Just follow orders … for once,” he tells Wilson, fighting to keep his voice neutral. “And we’ll get through this mission just fine.”

“Whatever,” Wilson sounds (childishly, unprofessionally) sulky. Bosley glares at the computer. He can’t see Wilson but if he could, he’d be glaring at her.

There is a pause. Is it awkward? Bosley thinks it might be awkward.

“We’re at the garage,” says Kano finally. “Meet you there?” Bosley is going to be their getaway driver for this mission.

“In five minutes,” Bosley tells them, relieved that Kano got the ball rolling again. “Let’s take the black Ferrari.” Townsend Agency owns a veritable host of getaway vehicles, being an international detective-cum-spy organisation of some repute.

“Acknowledged,” says Kano.

Bosley turns off his computer, takes off his headphones. Then turns to his side desk to collect and put on his portable comms device (Angels’ tech earphones). These will connect to a computer custom built into the Ferrari, more Angels’ tech (all their getaway vehicles boast the same). The group comms is off for the moment: recently the Lab Angels have made improvements that mean the Angels can turn their own wings on and off at will, by pitching their voice a certain way. Bosley can initiate a call (of course). Or the Angels can. Bosley can even override the Angels’ wings and forcibly turn them on … but this is considered Very Bad Form under usual events and is only used in emergencies.

Bosley collects his favourite concealed carry pistol, a Glock 27. Tucks it into his concealed carry vest (He wears this on most days, mission or no mission. It's wise to be prepared!). Slides on a suit jacket. Looks into the mirror briefly: any crumbs? (He ate a sandwich just before Charlie’s unexpected call.) No crumbs. It’s a hazard of having such a flourishing beard: doublechecking is advisable. Bosley needs to look professional: that’s important. He heads out his office, enroute for HQ’s garage. He walks swiftly. He arrives five minutes on the dot. The three Angels are waiting by the Ferrari. Bosley smiles approval, small and tight.

“Greetings, Angels,” he tells them, sliding into the driver’s seat. “Let’s go.”

Kano slides into the passenger seat, gracefully. Houghlin hurriedly climbs into the back, as does Wilson, though Wilson is moving slowly. It’s annoying to Bosley. He pretends not to notice, tries not to grind his teeth. Then turns the sportscar on, and guns the engine. They’re away! Enroute for their destination, a warehouse in the industrial district.

“Everyone’s up to speed?” Bosley checks. “Charlie said you’ve already been briefed by 342.”

“Correct,” says Kano. “Any further instructions?” She looks at him expectantly, dark eyes piercing. He isn’t looking at her directly, but he can feel her gaze on the side of his face. It’s a bit like a laser in its intensity. Bosley half-approves and is half-intimidated. He masks his response (professionally) and shakes his head.

“Nothing further,” he tells Kano. “As you’ve already been informed, I’ll ride your wings from this vehicle. It’s an in-and-out mission, fast, you should be done in twenty minutes max. I’ll have eyes on you once we get there, courtesy of Houghlin’s earlier hack job into the security system.” Bosley nods towards the Ferrari’s dashboard: a specialised computer is built into it. Bosley will have a visual on the Angels as they undertake the mission, via this monitor.

Kano nods. Bosley glances in the rearview mirror. Houghlin is watching him attentively: she nods too. Wilson is staring out the window and appears to be pouting. Bosley doubts she’s listening; she certainly doesn’t appear to be listening. He remembers from their earlier missions together that Wilson always seemed to have the attention span of a gnat. It’s so annoying.

He doesn’t know how Wilson’s been a successful Angel for all this time … and the extra annoying thing is that she has! Wilson has done very well for herself (and for Townsend Agency) on many grifter missions, too many to count. Even Bosley 369 has to admit that much. He may disapprove of Wilson (heavily) but he gives credit where it's due. It’s important to be fair-minded, as a Bosley. Otherwise, strategising is compromised. That would never do.

He scowls. Looks back at the road. Focuses on driving. Eventually their destination comes into view. Bosley drives straight past, then pulls up smoothly on a deserted side street. It’s along the backside of the warehouse. Maybe he shouldn’t have chosen the Ferrari … it will stand out in the industrial district. It’s a shame it’s daytime … the car’s blackness would blend in at night. Oh well, too late now …

“Group comms are on,” Bosley informs the team, switching his comms on accordingly. “Let’s get moving, Angels! Remember, twenty minutes max.”

“Acknowledged.” Kano is already getting out of the sportscar. Wilson and Houghlin are too, though they are a beat behind. Bosley watches in the rearview as the Angels stand together, just to the side.

“Our handshake!” says Wilson, coming through clearly over comms. She sounds insistent.

Bosley sees Kano roll her eyes. Houghlin smiles at Wilson who winks back. Then Bosley watches in mild disbelief as the Angels perform a three-way complicated ‘gangsta handshake’. His eyebrows skyrocket. They’re on a time limit, for goodness’ sake! What are they doing?! The Angels finish.

“C’mon,” Kano’s voice is gruff. She turns on a dime and strides off towards the warehouse. Houghlin trots after Kano, hot on her heels. Wilson brings up the rear, apparently fiddling with something in the pocket of her leather jacket and not appearing to hurry. Inconceivable! The three Angels round the corner, out of Bosley’s sight.

Bosley glances at the dashboard’s built-in monitor and fiddles between the available camera views. He quickly finds and brings up the security cameras at the front of the warehouse. Now he has a view of the Angels again, quite good quality too. These cameras are higher tech than he expected. Houghlin’s done an excellent job of breaching and rerouting the camera feed for the Angels’ purposes … but that’s only what Bosley expects, given her reputation. He smiles with satisfaction.

The Angels approach the warehouse, moving quickly. Kano is on point, obviously on high alert, scanning the area for possible threats. Her movements are poised and powerful; Bosley can easily see the threat she represents, at a glance. He wouldn’t underestimate her. Not for a second! Houghlin is off to the side, also alert. She looks oddly anxious. Almost like a … civilian. Bosley blinks.

If he didn’t know better, he wouldn’t peg Houghlin as a spy-type. He’d peg her as some poor young woman who accidentally got lost and needs directions. He wonders if it’s deliberate: Houghlin looks so … sweet and innocent. Maybe she has grifting potential? He’s never heard anything about that though … surely 342 or other Bosleys who’ve worked with Houghlin would have spotted such, and recommended a specialist shift? (There are dual-specialist Angels.) Bosley 342 used to be something of a grifter, back in her Angels’ heyday. She would have spotted it if Houghlin had grifting potential, for sure. Houghlin must … truly be anxious. Yet not trying to mask it. How strange.

Wilson is still lagging behind her teammates, even though she’s technically guarding the Angels’ six. She’s got a pair of stylish sunglasses on now (they weren’t there before): maybe that’s what she was fishing around for in her pocket? She looks ridiculous. Wilson’s dressed like a hipster! No, a hipster guy! Wilson’s leather jacket sleeves are rolled up now, showing off forearms covered in tattoos (those weren’t there last time Bosley worked with her: they must be fake). Her skinny jeans are very tight indeed. It’s a wonder she can move in them …

“Get a move on, Wilson,” Bosley snaps over comms. “Stop lagging.”

“Chill, dude,” drawls Wilson, shooting the nearby security camera a wink. Bosley scowls. She even sounds like a hipster!

“Ready,” says Kano tersely, and Bosley is momentarily stumped. Kano isn’t speaking to him: he realises that much. But he doesn’t know who she’s talking to or what she’s talking about …. She’s pressed herself flat against the wall, near the front door. Her weapon is out and by her side, a SIG-Sauer P250 Compact sidearm.

Houghlin scuttles to the other side of the front door, ducking behind a nearby stack of crates.

“Ready!” Houghlin says. It comes out squeaky. If Bosley didn’t know better, he’d think this was Houghlin’s first mission. Or that she was a civilian. He blinks.

Wilson steps up to the front door and knocks. Bosley stares. What is going on?! He doesn’t say anything, because he realises that the Angels are executing some kind of deliberate manoeuvre that they’ve planned out or else improvised … that much is clear. They will need to concentrate: he should stay quiet. But he wants to. He wants to demand an explanation of what is going on, of what they think they’re doing! This is a time limited mission! Only twenty minutes, max! They should already be inside the warehouse at this point … they’re wasting valuable time …

… and they’re knocking on the front door of the bad guys’ lair (so to speak). That seems … incredibly stupid. Bosley’s bushy black eyebrows are in his hairline. His beard is quivering with agitation.

The front door opens. Bosley holds his breath. A thug sticks his head out, suspiciously. He’s dressed like a classic thug (most thugs are) and a half-smoked cigarette dangles from his lips. He looks Wilson up and down, spits his cigarette out onto the ground near her feet. Straightens up. Is he … posturing? Bosley can’t quite tell. The thug is staring at Wilson (which is to be expected), and he’s not attacking her (which is good). What is going on?!

“Gross, man,” Wilson tells the thug, casually stepping on the cigarette with the toe of one combat boot and squidging it out against the ground. “Is that the way you greet a lady?”

“You’re no lady,” growls the thug, looking Wilson up and down, and leering. “What do you want?”

“A smoke,” says Wilson, and her voice is coy now, flirtatious. She winks at the thug and licks her lips. Does she have lipstick on? (She didn’t in the car.) She does! It’s black. Or maybe dark purple. She looks ridiculous. Like a hipster. Bosley stares at the camera view uncomprehendingly.

“Get out of here,” says the thug with evident disbelief, but Bosley can’t help noticing that he hasn’t closed the door. “What the fuck are you doing here?” In the industrial district, outside a seemingly abandoned warehouse, is probably what the thug means. That’s Bosley’s guess. It’s a good question.

“My boy told me to come,” says Wilson, not seeming to break a sweat. She pouts (flirtatiously?) at the thug and gestures towards his pocket. “C’mon, dude. Bum a smoke? Come out and smoke one with me.” She cocks her hip, and her tight shirt rides up her belly, under her jacket.

Bosley realises suddenly that Wilson is attempting to grift this thug. She wants to get him out of the warehouse, that much is becoming obvious. He’s probably the front door guard, so that … could be a good move. It’s certainly faster than breaking in. If this works out, the Angels can waltz in the front door.

“You’re dreaming,” growls the thug, but he doesn’t sound upset. His eyes are on Wilson’s midriff. He starts to step towards her …

Out of nowhere, Kano bursts into action. It’s over before Bosley can finish blinking. As far as he can make out Kano stepped to the side as the thug stepped out, and pistol whipped him over the temple. Expertly. Bosley gasps. The thug falls forward without so much as a cry. Lies at Wilson’s feet. He’s plainly unconscious. Kano looks down at the body, and a small smug smile flickers across her face. It’s gone so fast that Bosley wonders if he imagined it. Kano is expressionless.

“So BAMF!” Wilson tells Kano (whatever the hell that means). Wilson seems proud. She pushes her sunglasses up to rest atop her head.

“Good job,” Kano tells Wilson, picking up the thug’s ankles, and dragging him towards the crates where Houghlin’s hiding. Houghlin has stepped out, and joins Kano, helping drag the thug’s body out of sight. They’re obviously hiding it.

Inexplicably, Wilson crouches down and retrieves the half-smoked cigarette. It’s apparently still lit (somehow) … maybe she didn’t stub it out? Only appeared to? Bosley knows it’s lit because Wilson has taken a puff. Her eyes close in what might be bliss.

“Bina!” Houghlin sounds appalled. “Throw that away!” Presumably ‘Bina’ is short for ‘Sabina’. This team is on good terms then …

“That’s disgusting,” says Kano, appearing beside Wilson and grabbing the cigarette from her fingers, flicking it far away. Probably much further than was necessary, by Bosley’s assessment. Kano is glaring at Wilson, but Wilson doesn’t seem to be paying attention. She’s probably grieving her lost cigarette, if the mournful look on her face as she stares after it is anything to go by. “Let’s go,” says Kano. “Seventeen minutes left on the clock.”

The Angels disappear into the front door. Bosley shifts camera views. He’s now got eyes on them from inside the warehouse, on the ground floor. Kano is tucking some kind of pistol into the back of her pants with her left hand; she has her SIG-Sauer P250 Compact out in her right. Bosley realises that Kano must have frisked the thug for his weapon and commandeered it. He approves.

Houghlin has her own weapon out now, a Glock 19. She is surveying the area carefully. Kano moves steadily to one side of the room, scanning the area. Houghlin moves toward the other side. Wilson lingers by the door. She has her arms folded over her chest and as best Bosley can make out … is sulking.

“Stop sulking,” says Kano in a low voice, and she sounds annoyed (as well she might). “We don’t have time for that.”

“‘m not sulking.” Wilson might be a grifter, but the lie is obvious. Bosley rolls his eyes as he watches, listens in. It this normal for this Angels’ team? Wilson is so unprofessional, a concerning liability. How do these three get anything done?! Maybe he should recommend an official reprimand …

“All clear,” says Houghlin. “Let’s go up a level.”

“Agreed.” That’s Kano.

The three Angels move up the stairs. They’re old and rickety: this warehouse has been abandoned for a long time, by all appearances. Due to Charlie’s intel, Bosley knows that it’s not really true: it’s the secret base of operations for a drug ring. It’s not abandoned. However, the unmaintained appearance apparently isn’t just a disguise. It’s also … real.

“Careful, Angels,” Bosley cautions over their group comms. “This building … isn’t up to code.”

“OHS hazard,” says Wilson, with a grin. “If we don’t get shot first, we’ll fall through these stairs.”

“Please don’t say that.” Houghlin sounds anxious. She looks it too.

“Aw, babygirl,” says Wilson, sounding faintly apologetic. “I’m just joking.”

Bosley blinks at the camera. ‘Babygirl’? Say … what?! Is that the sort of thing the Angels are calling each other these days? As in, some kind of … teammate endearment? Are these three Angels ‘friends’? Is that … wise? Dual relationships (such as being friends) can compromise effective professional relationships (such as being teammates) …

“Focus,” says Kano.

The Angels are almost at the next floor. Intel says that the experimental drug sample that they’re recovering on this in-and-out mission, will probably be located somewhere here. Once HQ’s lab studies it, Charlie will know better how to proceed … this is an advance mission.

Kano is making urgent hand signals at her teammates. Bosley squints at the camera. His heart starts beating faster. Kano has … spotted enemies! She’s saying that there are three thugs on this level and silently conveying their directions. Kano moves stealthily to the side, stepping behind some shelving. Houghlin crouches behind the banister at the top of the stairway. Wilson looks up at the camera, for no reason that Bosley can tell, straight into his eyes …

… it’s just an illusion (Wilson can’t see him) but it seems so real. Bosley shivers. Then Wilson does something Very Weird. She mouths silently at the camera, clearly intending the message for Bosley and Bosley alone. Wilson is halfway down the stairs, a fair distance behind Houghlin. Neither of her teammates are looking at her. Bosley is trained in lip reading, just like all the Angels and Bosleys are. He catches Sabina’s mouthed request easily.

“Hold down the horn.” Wilson’s green eyes are huge. Bosley stares at her. Wilson wants him to … honk the Ferrari’s horn? Really? Why?! Wilson joins her hands together in a praying motion. She looks thoroughly sincere. “Please, Bos,” she mouths at the camera. “Trust me.”

Bosley closes his eyes. It’s a strategic make-or-break moment. He doesn’t have time to think it through: he has to make the call! He hopes to heaven he’s not wrong about this! Bosley honks the horn. He holds it down and keeps holding.

On the monitor he sees movement. He uses his unoccupied hand to flick through camera views, rapidly. There! A thug, on the first level, moving towards the window to look out towards the Ferrari (parked on the street below, on the opposite side to the stairway the Angels have come up). There! A second thug, joining the first. They are talking to each other: Bosley can tell from their body language. However, Bosley can’t hear anything over the raucous honking. The third thug is approaching them from behind, also moving over towards the window.

Next thing, Bosley sees Kano, a flash on the monitor. She is sprinting towards a fridge on the other side of the warehouse, behind the thugs’ backs. They don’t turn around: they can’t hear her. Bosley’s eyes widen. The fridge! It’s the logical place for the sample to be: this experimental drug is supposedly unstable and needs to be kept cold. Very cold. He watches as Kano opens the freezer compartment and rifles around. Houghlin has popped over the top of the banister and is holding her weapon trained on the three thugs’ backs, shifting between them rapidly. The thugs keep looking down towards the street. Houghlin glances tensely towards Kano and the fridge, then back at the thugs. Bosley keeps holding down the horn …

Wilson has moved to the top of the stairs and is running across the room, headed directly for Kano. Houghlin’s head moves to watch, wide-eyed. Wilson vaults over a table that is in her way, with surprising agility. She makes it look easy. Bosley remembers vaguely that Wilson has parkour skills (of all things!) on her eclectic resume. Right alongside her assorted criminal convictions …

Kano pokes her head out of the freezer. She has a baggie clutched in one hand: it must be the sample! Kano looks at Wilson; Wilson looks at Kano. Wilson sticks her hand up in the air, still running towards Kano, full pelt. Kano winds up and pegs the baggie, straight at Wilson, hard. Bosley’s jaw drops. Wilson catches the baggie on the run, snagging it out of mid-air. Then skids behind a nearby shelf as though she’s completing a home run. Kano steps back behind the fridge, an oddly casual movement. She’s hidden from the thugs' current position, if only just. Houghlin’s lips make an ‘o’: she might be squeaking. Houghlin pops back down behind the banister, out of sight. Bosley quickly realises the reason.

The thugs are turning back around, even though Bosley’s still honking. They seem suspicious, as well they might! Bosley has been honking for a long time. Anyone with half a brain would suspect a ‘distraction’ is underway. The thugs start searching the room, guns now out. Bosley keeps his hand on the horn, because maybe the loud-and-distracting noise will work in the Angels’ favour. It seems worth a shot …

A gunshot rings out! One thug screams, clutching at his lower leg. He hops around a few times then falls over, clutching a bloodied shin. Though Bosley is honking, he can still make out these sounds over the Angels’ group comms, they’re that loud. Just. The other two thugs stop and stare at their comrade. They appear shocked.

Kano steps out from behind the fridge: calm, cool, collected. Her pistol is already raised: she shoots. Immediately, she hits. Another thug falls: blood pools around his head. The third thug whirls towards Kano, who dives to the floor. Houghlin has popped up behind the banister and she is shooting at the third thug: one, two, three shots! He starts to whirl towards her, and her fourth shot finally hits him. He screams and falls, his gun falling from his limp hand. Bosley thinks that Houghlin maybe clipped the thug’s shoulder: it’s hard to tell. Not a fatal shot (like Kano’s), probably not a disabling one either (like the first thug’s shin).

Kano is up and moving, sprinting towards the three downed thugs. Wilson ducks out from behind her shelving, running in parallel to Kano’s trajectory. Wilson was closer; the two-of-them arrive by the thugs at roughly the same time. Bosley stops honking. He stares at the camera view, fascinated. These two Angels seem oddly in sync. It’s fascinating to watch … he feels a bit hypnotised …

“Sorry about that,” says Wilson to the thug who’s clutching his shin. It comes out bantery: Wilson doesn’t sound sorry. Bosley realises that it was Wilson who shot the first thug … she must have shot him from under the shelving. As she was lying on the floor after that skid …. Wilson kicks his gun away: it was lying on the floor nearby. “And about this!” Wilson bends down and hits him over the head with the butt of her golden Beretta 92FS. It’s professionally done: he drops at her feet, unconscious.

Meanwhile Kano has kicked the third thug in the jaw, not stopping to talk about it. He was halfway back up to his feet, clutching at his wounded shoulder. Kano kicked him on the back of her sprint, with all her momentum behind it. His body arches back through the air then hits the ground hard, skull-back first. Bosley has no doubt that the thug is unconscious. Possibly even dead. That was one hell of a kick … where did Kano learn that move …

The third thug lies motionless between Kano and Wilson, blood pooling from the gunshot wound to his head. Clearly, he’s already dead. Wilson offers her hand to Kano in a high-five, over the dead thug’s body.

“Fucking aced it!” she tells Kano, what seems like excitedly. “Only ten minutes.”

Bosley glances at the car’s clock. It’s only been ten minutes! Wilson’s correct. The Angels achieved their mission objective in ten minutes, half of the allotted timeframe … Bosley glances back up.

Kano is high-fiving Wilson, a little gingerly. She looks … amused. Wryly so.

“You did great!” Houghlin seems excited too. She is moving quickly towards her teammates, half-running, awkwardly holstering her Glock in the back of her pants as she goes. “Oh, thank God that’s over.” Houghlin sounds entirely sincere.

It’s odd. Houghlin is an Angel. Yet she doesn’t seem to … ‘get off’ on missions, the way Bosley has known countless Angels (and Bosleys) to do … in a professional way, of course. Bosley 369 suspects that some Angels (and Bosleys?) even ‘get off’ on missions in an unprofessional way. Like Sabina Wilson …. Houghlin is another kind of creature. Bosley doesn’t understand her.

“Good work,” Kano tells Houghlin, also seeming sincere. “You played your part.”

Bosley supposes that this is true. He watches as Houghlin reaches Kano, slamming into Kano (what?), wrapping her arms around her taller teammate’s waist (huh?). She burrows her face into Kano’s … breast area (uhhh…). Kano wraps her arms around Houghlin’s back, pulls her close. Closes her eyes and leans her head atop of Houghlin’s. Wilson is watching Kano and Houghlin with … suspiciously soft eyes. Wilson looks … sentimental? Soppy? Soft?! Bosley gawks. Uncomprehendingly.

Long moments pass. Finally, Kano and Houghlin separate, pulling back slowly, and smiling tenderly at each other. Bosley has never seen that expression on Kano’s face before, not that he has looked at Kano’s face all that much. He doesn’t know what to make of it! So … goopy. Kano looks goopy. Houghlin does too, but it seems more fitting on her, despite the fact that he’s worked with her for all of ten minutes. Houghlin just seems like the goopy type. Practically a civilian.

Wilson moves over to her teammates, and pinches Kano on the butt. Bosley gasps. He was not expecting that! Kano slaps Wilson’s hand away, scowling. Wilson doesn’t seem perturbed; she winks at Kano, blows her a kiss. Then leans over to press a soft kiss to Houghlin’s cheek. Houghlin smiles happily. Kano stops scowling, smiles at both her teammates. The Angels all look goopy now, Wilson included. It’s … incredibly unprofessional. Bosley’s jaw is on the floor. He can’t stop staring.

“Bosley, we’ve got the drugs,” says Kano, voice turning professional, face dropping into an unreadable mask. She looks straight at a nearby camera, straight into Bosley’s eyes. He stares back, although Kano can’t see him. Still looking in the camera, Kano holds out one hand in Wilson's direction in a 'give me' gesture. Wilson pulls the drug baggie out of her jacket pocket and plops it into Kano's hand. Wilson winks at the camera. Kano continues: “rendezvousing with you soon. Enroute.” Houghlin is gazing at the baggie in Kano’s hand with wide eyes. A bit like Bosley has seen the Lab Angels look at their latest experiment …

“Good work, Angels,” Bosley says, and his voice comes out weak. He says this automatically: it’s what you say after your team of Angels succeeds at their mission. It’s a standard Bosley catchphrase: it’s professional; they’ll expect it from him. Bosley expects it from himself. He blinks a few times, before he manages the last part: “see you soon.”

The Angels are moving through the warehouse, bantering amongst themselves. Bosley watches them dazedly; he isn’t listening to them anymore. He turns off the group comms’ sound … it isn’t needed; this mission is over for all intents and purposes. Bosley flicks a switch on the dashboard: he is placing a call. Back to HQ and one of his fellow Bosleys, number 397. Bosley 369 trusts 397’s opinion … and besides, 397 is much more sociable than 369, much more up on all the latest gossip and happenings around HQ.  

“Bosley!” says 397 in his thick Chinese accent, answering the call. Bosley 397 sniggers. 369 knows this is because 397 finds it funny that they are all called ‘Bosley’, and likes to have fun with it. 397 has a weird sense of humour.

“Bosley,” replies 369, rolling his eyes. “What do you know about Bosley 342’s regular team? Kano, Houghlin, and…” 369’s beard quivers, “Wilson.”

“What, the Agency’s infamous Very First ‘official polyamorous triad’?” asks 397. He laughs, seemingly to himself. “What a shocker that was…”

“What do you mean ‘first’?” 369 asks faintly. “There’s more than one?!”

“There is now,” says 397. “Internationally speaking. But when those three finally got their act together and…” his voice turns humourous, “got it on, they were the first.”  

“How do you know this?!” asks 369. He’s shocked.

“Everybody was betting on it,” says 397. “Of course. Huiqing was so disappointed…” 397 sniggers again. 369 knows that Huiqing is one of 397’s regular Angels. But he has no idea why she would have been disappointed, or what 397 is on about, in reference to ‘betting’. Say what?!

“Betting?!” 369 asks, suspiciously.

“Oh!” 397 sounds stressed suddenly. His voice turns oddly serious. “I er… misspoke. It’s a turn of phrase. I meant… something else. Not, ‘betting’. You know how it is, English being my second language and all…”

369 stares at the car phone, suspiciously. 397 speaks excellent English, thick Chinese accent aside. Filled with English idioms, no less. In point of fact, 369 sometimes suspects 397 of putting on a much thicker (and more stereotypical sounding) Chinese accent than he truly has, perhaps for humour value or to be underestimated (or both). It’s so unprofessional. Nevertheless, 369 can’t prove this, and he likes 397, so help him! 397 is fun to be around, and sometimes the serious and strait-laced nature of Townsend Agency gets a bit much … even for an upstanding professional like 369 …

“I ah… have to go,” 397 still sounds stressed. “There’s a … sudden mission. Let’s talk about it later.” He hangs up before 369 can so much as answer.

369 goes back to staring at the dashboard monitor, and at his temporary Angels, who have now reached the warehouse’s front door and are moving outside. Apparently, they are the Agency’s ‘first official polyamorous triad’. They are ‘infamous’ for being the same!

‘Official’ suggests that Charlie signs off on it (inconceivable; what was Charlie thinking?!) … and more embarrassingly (for Bosley 369) that everyone knows about it (except apparently, him). ‘Triad’ suggests that they are in some kind of three-way ... 'relationship'. Besides being a professional team-of-three, that is, the usual number that the Angels are teamed in. ‘Polyamorous’ means God knows what … Bosley has barely even heard the term before: it’s some kind of newfangled hipster nonsense, isn’t it? He rolls his eyes to himself.

Well, at least it explains the goop. Also (rather relievingly) it means that Bosley doesn’t have to follow up on said goop. That would have been awkward! However, Bosley would have had to do it, because it would have been The Right Thing To Do. It would have been his professional duty to report any … concerning weirdness or … tangled and murky dual? threefold? relationships. Luckily, Charlie already knows and signs off on the goop. It’s official goop. So official that these three Angels didn’t bother to hide it from Bosley, during this mission. They must have assumed that he already knew. Like everybody else does. Bosley’s beard quivers with annoyed embarrassment.

The Angels have arrived back at the Ferrari: they’re climbing inside. Bosley stills his beard, attempting to appear calm and competent. Kano climbs in the passenger seat and hands him the drug baggie. Bosley receives it with a real smile. Excellent! This is what their team came here to secure.

“Looks good,” he says, checking it over. Then he hands it back to Kano, gestures for her to store it in the small portable cooler packed with ice that the Angels have brought for this purpose. She does so. Bosley starts up the sportscar, starts heading back for base.

“That was some nice work, Angels,” he tells the team, sincerely if gruffly. “In impressive timing too.” Praise is due where praise is due. An important part of being a Bosley is affirming your agent/s and team/s, and giving appropriate credit. Bosley isn’t going to skimp on that, just because of today’s other … disconcerting discoveries. Bosley 369 is good at his job, and he intends to stay good at it.

“Thank you, Bosley,” says Houghlin happily. She smiles at him in the rearview. He smiles back, automatically.

Jane nods from beside him. The corner of her lips quirk up; she seems subtly pleased. Maybe even … proud. Well, she should be. Bosley is impressed, especially by Kano. That kick was … what kicks are made of. The way she sprinted into action when he started honking, going straight for the drug retrieval without a second thought, and knowing just where to go. Without having to confer with Wilson first, and find out Wilson’s unspoken and clearly improvised plan, that was … something. Kano’s really something.

Wilson is looking down at her lap; she hasn’t made eye contact in the rearview. Bosley doesn’t know why. Maybe Wilson doesn’t like him … any more than he likes her. Maybe she feels awkward after the (top secret) berserking incident … he knows he does. He wonders if Kano and Houghlin know about Wilson’s (horrifying) ability or whether the Agency has opted to keep that secret from them (he suspects the latter). Last he checked, nobody knows except those higher-ups who’ve been directly involved, and Sabina Wilson herself.

As Bosley watches, Houghlin reaches over and takes Wilson’s hand, squeezes it gently. Wilson glances over, and they hold gazes. The angle is wrong for Bosley to see their expressions. He moves his eyes to look out the front windshield, feeling uncomfortable. It’s probably more goopyness …

It’s not long before their makeshift team is pulling up in the garage at HQ. They all get out the sportscar, Kano handing the portable cooler over to Bosley. He nods at the Angels, attempts a smile.

“I’ll take this to the Lab Angels,” he tells them. “Go and get checked over by a Saint. We’ll debrief tomorrow.”

“Nobody’s injured,” says Wilson, sounding a little sulky. She’s back to arms folded over her chest and she’s eyeing him, green eyes flashing. Maybe it’s a challenge? Bosley scowls at her, annoyed. Protocol is protocol! It doesn’t matter if the Angels are injured or not (he knows they’re not injured: he had eyes on that mission!). They still need to get cleared by a Saint.

“Protocol,” he tells her. It’s a reprimand.

“Protocol,” repeats Kano, with a short professional nod at him. Apparently, Kano’s agreeing with him. Bosley nods in satisfaction. Kano is a true professional. That’s the way Angels are supposed to be.

“Suck my proto-balls,” gripes Sabina. “It’s proto-lol!”

“Sabina!” Houghlin sounds shocked. She outright grabs Wilson’s arm and starts pulling Wilson away from them. Hurriedly. “We’re on our way,” Houghlin calls back to Bosley, nodding adamantly all the while. “Thanks, Bosley. Bye!”

Bosley’s beard was already bristling in annoyance; now it bristles in confusion. Houghlin has dragged Wilson out of the garage and Bosley can no longer see them. It’s harder to be annoyed-rapidly-verging-on-angry when you can’t see your target …

“Was this a one-time deal?” Kano asks him. She is still standing nearby, and her dark eyes watch him closely. “It was last minute.”

Bosley realises that Kano is pumping him for intel. Or maybe she’s trying to distract him from his anger at Wilson. Maybe both. He sighs, puts down the cooler. Regards Kano seriously.

“Unknown,” he tells her honestly. “342 was drafted at the last minute, along with your team’s Saint. Technically they shouldn’t be gone long, but you know how these things can be. It’s ... always a coin toss. When it comes down to it.”

Kano nods slowly.

“Thanks, Bosley,” she finally says, facial and verbal expressions unreadable. “Maybe see you soon.” She strides out of the room. Bosley looks after her. He nods to himself, as he picks up the cooler.

He would like to work with Jane Kano again. She’s … intriguing. He can well believe that she’s the best of the best, when it comes to the specialist brawlers. Just like he’s heard talk of by the extended team and read in the reports. He’d like to see more of Kano in action, and pair up his strategic talent with her own (he’s heard she’s strategically gifted). It’d be fulfilling.

It’s such a pity that Kano is a package deal these days, with Sabina Wilson. For all that Wilson is supposedly the best of the best herself, amongst the specialist grifters, Bosley doesn’t have the time of day for her. She’s too … unpredictable. Annoying. Unprofessional. Just look at how she acted today! Well … maybe she was more impressive than he first thought she was capable of. She did get the Angels into the building in record time. Additionally, it was Wilson’s improvised idea to honk the horn (a stroke of brilliance). She brawled with Kano like they were paired figure skaters. That was really something …

Bosley shakes his head in annoyance. Whatever! He doesn’t want to work with Wilson again, not unless he has to. Houghlin though, it’d be interesting to see her hacking expertise up close. Or to team with her for a mission that presented a technical challenge. She’s supposed to be amongst the best of the techies, and what Bosley doesn’t like to work with the best of the Angels? Besides, Houghlin was pleasant to work with: polite and obedient.

Then again … working with any of these three would mean working with all of them (nine times out of ten) and having to see more goop, up close and personal. Bosley wrinkles his nose in distaste. His beard is quivering again, involuntarily.

Nobody’s got time for that!

Chapter Text

Jane’s POV

Jane Kano is not a hugger. Everyone knows that! Jane tries to make sure that everyone knows that … she doesn’t want to be hugged. Especially not by randoms, let alone by people she actually knows. Random strangers don’t usually hug Jane of course … she must emit some kind of ‘keep away from me’ signal, courtesy of her body language. That’s Jane’s going theory. She is glad about it too: it’s the way it should be.

Jane has come to realise that she must be emitting said signal because sometimes random strangers do hug her girlfriends. It’s rare, but it happens. Like a particularly weepy stranger (a colleague of a client who’d booked the Angels’ services) after the Angels rescued them on a mission. That middle aged woman had rushed right into Elena Houghlin’s arms (though they’d never met each other before!). Had clung to Elena, tightly. Elena had held the woman back, immediately, wrapping her arms around the woman firmly. Elena had made cooing noises in the back of her throat and rubbed the woman’s back. Jane had gawked. Sabina had grinned, looked charmed. Unlike Jane, Sabina didn’t seem shocked. Sabina seemed … endeared.

Another example: the clearly stoned-out-of-his-mind raver, who’d rushed up to Sabina Wilson in some club that the Angels had been casing, in preparation for an upcoming mission. Sabina had been standing by the bar at the time, doing shots (of course). She’d only just started: Sabina hadn’t been tipsy, let alone drunk. The raver had been young, maybe barely legal, and had seemed … upset. He’d gibbered something unintelligible Sabina’s way (Jane had been standing nearby), and Sabina had done the inconceivable. She’d stepped towards him and gathered his gangly body into a hug. An affectionate hug, a friendly hug … an embrace meant to comfort and soothe.

Jane had gawked. She couldn’t understand why Sabina was voluntarily touching this (sweaty, smelly, random) guy … who was now hugging her back with evident relief. He clung to Sabina and sobbed into her shoulder and Jane could hear Sabina soothing him, saying (weird) things like:

“Calm down, dude, it’s not so bad as it seems…”, and

“It’s just a wonky trip. You’ll be fine. I can tell.”

Eventually the young man had calmed down. Sabina had led him away, sat him down in a booth, fetched him some water. Then sat down too and talked with him for a while. Jane had continued gawking, still standing by the bar. Elena had joined her, gazed over at Sabina, smiled warmly.

“What’s going on?” Jane had asked Elena, faintly. Elena generally knew what was going on with (incomprehensible) relational situations … Elena would be able to fill Jane in.

“Bina’s helping him,” Elena had told Jane, nudging Jane’s shoulder gently with her own.

Elena had then stepped away, putting space between them, and Jane had been grateful. She wasn’t feeling like touch right now … she was feeling a bit claustrophobic, truth be told. This club was far too packed for comfort. Jane didn’t like tight spaces: a carefully guarded secret that only her girlfriends knew about her. Elena usually seemed to pick up on Jane’s desire for space (somehow) and was good at respecting it. So yes … Jane felt grateful. It was kind of like they were hugging … in reverse. A hug-made-of-space.

“Why?” Jane had asked, after a pause. Elena had shrugged, looking over towards Sabina with her soft brown eyes even softer than usual.

“Because he needs it.”

Jane had stared at Elena. Then followed her girlfriend’s gaze over to Sabina. Jane had felt weird. She hadn’t exactly understood what Elena was getting at. Why this was happening. She could tell that Elena was happy about it though and … filled with love for Sabina. Jane could also tell that Sabina was fine (not hurt, not in danger), despite this potentially dangerous situation (to Jane’s way of thinking).

Sabina was occupied with this scruffy stranger because Needs Must. Jane wouldn’t have helped him … she didn’t know him, and besides, she wouldn’t have known how to help. She certainly wouldn’t have touched him. Yet Sabina wasn’t Jane. Any more than Elena was. At the end of the day, Jane’s girlfriends had some very weird quirks, and she still didn’t get them fully, despite their long and happy girlfriendhood together …

Jane had sighed to herself, relaxed back against the bar. Continued watching Sabina, just in case. Just to be sure that Sabina was safe in this unknown scenario. Elena had stayed beside Jane, watching Sabina too. Elena hadn’t seemed worried; she’d seemed happy. Weird!

Another example of hugging weirdness was the Angels’ Bosley, aka Bosley 342. Sometimes (rarely) Bosley hugged Jane. It was usually only desperate moments, probably because Bosley thought that ‘Jane really needed it’ or something annoying like that. Mostly Bosley and Jane didn’t touch, which Jane appreciated … it was her clear preference.

Not so Jane’s girlfriends … they both touched Bosley as a matter of course, affectionately or playfully. With Elena it was mostly hugs (Elena seemed to be made out of hugs). With Sabina it was punches in the arm and fist bumps and high fives and yes … hugs. Jane’s girlfriends were huggers, that was just the truth of it. With the two-of-them, Bosley was a hugger too. Maybe Bosley was a hugger all the time … Jane didn’t know that intel. She didn’t really want to know, either.

It was a similar deal with their team’s Saint, only he almost never touched Jane (unlike Bosley) and she was supremely glad about that. It was nice to have somebody in her circle who actually perceived and respected her desire for touch-free space. Saint didn’t impose touch upon Jane. Touchy-feely types often seemed to have some kind of weird (invasive) belief that touch was ‘loving’ and/or ‘healing’ and/or ‘everyone should like it’. They foisted their touches upon innocent others who didn’t enjoy touch, which basically made their hugs violent, regardless of how much they believed hugging was ‘loving’. Jane hated it!

She didn’t know why she hated it so much …

… Jane wasn’t a hugger.

However … it was different for Jane with her girlfriends. This had taken time to develop, over the course of their relationship. Oh, she’d enjoyed the occasional hug, from near the start of knowing Sabina and then Elena, provided it didn’t go on for too long, wasn’t too tight and restricting. Over time, she’d come to enjoy more hugs from the two-of-them (one-on-one or in a group), more often, and hugs that went for longer. That were held more tightly. It had been a slow but steady change, like running water smoothing over a rough rock. Jane had barely noticed it as it was happening. She more noticed it in hindsight, because the amount of change was appreciable. Her ‘rock’ was much more … smooth.

Sabina and Elena were both very touchy-feely people (albeit in their own styles). The two-of-them had been all over each other, from close to the start. Once the Angels’ personal romantic-and-sexual relationship had ‘gone official’, this had only gotten worse. Jane was more used to her girlfriends draped all over each other, touching in some way or other, than them being apart. Jane didn’t mind it … she even liked it. For all that Jane wasn’t a toucher, those two were. It just seemed ‘right’, for them to be touching each other. On top of that, Jane was pragmatic. She realised that her girlfriends desired touch (unlike Jane), to some insanely high degree. Since they had each other, they filled up their touch tanks. Their tanks were never empty.

Conversely, Jane got to fill up her space tank, without it bothering either of her girlfriends unduly. It was an ideal system. Elegant, win-win-win, convenient. Jane was pleased about it. Grateful, relieved. Everyone got to be themselves, pressure-free. Nobody was nagging at anyone to change. Jane could hug or not hug, as she actually felt to do so. No faking (Jane hated faking), no manipulation (Jane loathed manipulation), no forcing herself to do what she didn’t want to do (which Jane mostly saw as utter BS … and refused to do as a matter of principle).

Now Jane is stepping down from the sparring ring at their local Angels’ HQ, having just finished her latest matchup. She’s wearing athletic gear and is hot and sweaty. A shower would be good …

“Elena needs you!” It’s one of the Angels on the extended Townsend Agency team who’s also based out of this HQ: fellow brawler, Angie Helg. Angie has just entered the training room at a run, pulling up beside Jane. She’s looking at Jane, breathing hard. Jane snaps to attention.

“Where?!”

“The lab on this level!”

Jane is already gone, sprinting out the training room and heading for the lab. As she rounds the corner she sees Sabina sprinting towards the lab, from the other end of the hallway. Jane feels relieved. Someone must have gone and gotten Sabina, filled her in about Elena too! Jane’s eyes lock with Sabina’s as they run all out, directly towards each other, convening on the lab that’s halfway along this hall. Sabina’s green eyes are wide, slightly panicked. Jane feels her own eyes narrow in focus. Jane reaches the lab first, but only just. She throws the door open, explodes inside. Sabina is hot on her heels.

Elena is kneeling on the floor crouched over, her face in her hands. She’s bawling. Jane has no idea what’s wrong! She’s terrified! She’s at Elena’s side in an instant, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend’s back, trying to get Elena to sit up and show them what’s wrong. Elena doesn’t move with Jane’s guiding hands (which is unusual), she stays bent over, keeps weeping brokenly. The sobs shake her whole body: she’s crying with her entire body.

“What’s wrong?!” cries Sabina, crouched at Elena’s other side, leaning down, trying to get a better look. “Are you hurt?”

No answer, just more violent weeping. It’s terrible. Jane exchanges urgent eye contact with Sabina, over Elena’s bent head. What should they do?! How can they help?! Sabina’s eyes are huge; she actually looks pale. She shakes her head at Jane, indicating that she has no idea. Jane’s panic grows. If Sabina has no idea, how is Jane supposed to?!

“Not hurt,” Elena finally gasps out, in between sobs. “Don’t worry.” She’s trying to sit up and Jane hurriedly helps, gently pulling Elena up by one arm while Sabina does the same by the other. Relief rushes through Jane as she (finally!) gets a good look at her girlfriend: Elena’s clearly been crying for all that she’s worth … but there’s no blood or bruising or injury. She’s not hurt physically. As far as Jane can tell …

“What’s wrong, cutie?” Sabina’s voice comes out raspy, and very gentle. “Why are you crying?”

Elena is still crying, though much less hard than she was. Her (beloved) face is puffy and red, liberally stained with tears, and her nose is snotty. She’s obviously incredibly upset, which ramps up Jane’s unease. One strange (and useful?) thing about Elena Houghlin is that she doesn’t tend to hide her pain (emotional or physical) which means that Jane can efficiently support her girlfriend, whenever that’s called for. Jane is searching Elena’s face with anxious eyes now, trying to figure out how best to help. Across from Jane, Sabina seems to be doing the same.

“I just found out that one of my … b-best friends in high school, M-Melanie, actually died from … s-s-suicide.” Elena covers her face, and her sobs get stronger. She keeps talking, and though it’s muffled by her hands and sobs, Jane can make it out. “Back then, we were t-told it was a c-car accident. They l-lied to us!”

Jane’s eyes widen. She stares at a distraught Elena, who she is still grasping by one arm. Then stares at Sabina who stares back with an (oddly) unreadable expression on her face. Sabina’s face was open just a moment ago, filled with worry for Elena. Suddenly it’s closed, as though all the windows and doors slammed shut, simultaneously. Something’s up with Sabina. Even Jane can tell (it’s often hard for her to tell … it’s not hard right now). Yet Jane has no idea what it is, and right now Elena needs them. Jane makes a mental note about Sabina, a bookmark to come back to. Then turns her attention back to Elena. Wraps one arm around her sobbing girlfriend’s shaking shoulders. Cuddles her close. Rests her other hand softly against Elena’s belly: she knows her girlfriend likes that, (astonishingly) finds it soothing. Rubs very gently.

Sabina’s face is back to open and worried, as though it never closed. She shuffles in close on Elena’s other side and wraps both her arms around Elena. One of them brushes against Jane’s arm, and it’s good, it’s good to feel Sabina close in this moment, as they hold Elena close between them. Elena continues crying, sobbing into her hands. She cries for a very long time. Jane’s body gets uncomfortable, stiff, crampy. She keeps holding Elena anyway. So does Sabina. The two-of-them hold Elena for as long as the tears flow.

Jane Kano is not a hugger … by nature, or maybe it’s by nurture, or possibly it’s both. Regardless, hugs have (somewhat) grown on her, over time, at least with her girlfriends. That doesn’t mean Jane’s a natural hugger though (like how Elena and Sabina both are), it means that she’s their girlfriend. Jane Kano is not a hugger …

… Except when her girlfriends need her to be.

Chapter Text

Elena’s POV

Eight months into their official teamship as an Angels’ regular team-of-three, Elena slow danced with Sabina, for the very first time. Sabina had been in their local HQ’s ballroom, perfecting the choreography of her latest ‘Angels’ dance number’, set to pumping dance music. Such dance numbers were useful for distracting the bad guys during key moments … at least on missions that leant themselves to dancing.

Elena had spied on Sabina from the doorway … well, she hadn’t been ‘spying’. She’d been watching, appreciatively. Later on, Sabina had playfully accused Elena of spying on Sabina that fateful day, but it’s all how you look at it. Elena looks at it as enjoying her teammate-and-friend’s sexy sexy dance moves. And okay, said sexy moves were … lust-worthy, and Elena was enjoying watching. Like, a lot. A lot, a lot. A heck of a lot …

Elena had giggled. She hadn’t been able to stop herself. Sabina had whirled, caught Elena’s eye, done a (sexy) shimmy. There had been more cheesy dance moves including Sabina enticing Elena over to dance with her (like Elena was going to turn that offer down!). Sabina had complimented Elena’s dancing (in a very Sabina way). Then she’d wrapped her arms loosely around Elena’s neck (which was just so damn exciting!), and drawn Elena in to dance with her, as a couple.

Sabina had continued moving to the music; Elena had easily matched her teammate’s movements. Dancing was so fun: Elena loved to dance! Their current dancing was loose and fun and sexy. Elena brought her hands up to Sabina’s waist, a little tentatively, a little teasingly. Why not? Sabina already knew that Elena wanted ‘something more’ with both Sabina and Jane. Elena had confessed this secret to her teammates, six months into their official teamship. Sabina had seemed shocked. Then she’d beamed, radiantly happy, so beautiful that Elena had stared, thoroughly caught up. She’d seen Jane staring at Sabina too, out of the corner of her eye.

“Yes!” Sabina had nodded ultra-enthusiastically at Elena, smiling like the sun. “Yes to something more!”

Jane kept staring, now at them both, face unreadable. To Elena’s careful gaze, Jane had seemed to be … shocked. Automatically masking what she felt (as Jane tended to default to, whenever she felt vulnerable). Quite possibly … freaking out, without even understanding what was going on, herself. Elena had known, in every bone, that she needed to take a step back, give Jane Kano space. Let Jane breathe. Give Jane room to figure out what she wanted on her own, and wait for Jane to make the next move, In Jane’s Timing.

So Elena had cautioned Sabina, who was (literally) bouncing excitedly in place, that the three-of-them should take it:

“One step at a time.”

It was the only way that Elena could have both Jane and Sabina … that was her EQ-educated hunch. The only way to get closer with both-of-them, for their relationship to develop into whatever it was Meant To Be. No rushing: they had to take it slow. Elena wanted both her teammates to be … ‘something more’ with her! More than she had ever wanted, anything. Anyone! That meant waiting.

Sabina had followed Elena’s lead these last couple months, though Elena could easily tell Sabina was champing at the bit, impatient and confused. Sabina Wilson wasn’t one to wait, for anything. However, here she was, waiting like a champion! Elena somehow knew this was because Sabina was just as into Jane as Elena was … Sabina must trust Elena’s guidance that they need to go slow, for Jane’s sake. That touched Elena, more than she could say. To be trusted … meant so much: Elena knew its value. To be trusted by Sabina Wilson, meant the world.

Sabina acted open and bouncy on the outside, and was generally a friendly, gregarious person. Yet Elena sensed a deep wariness inside her friend, that perhaps most people didn’t pick up on. To Elena’s perceptivity, Sabina seemed like someone who was naturally trusting … but had had distrust beaten into her. Now Sabina faked trust, like putting on a grifting mask … so most people never realised that Sabina didn’t trust them. Elena realised though, and more than that, she realised that Sabina trusted Elena. That was strange and wonderful! Elena didn’t know how or why Sabina trusted her … but she was Oh So Glad that Sabina did.

Jane Kano was another story. Just like Sabina, Elena sensed a deep wariness inside of Jane. Yet unlike Sabina, Jane didn’t seem trusting on the outside. She wore her distrust of people on her sleeve, and didn’t hide her suspicious, even cynical, nature. Jane didn’t trust Elena; she didn’t trust anyone. Well … maybe Jane trusted both her teammates to some small degree. Enough to work with them effectively during missions. Maybe this bud-of-trust was growing … Elena was hopeful it was growing. She thought it probably was. It seemed like earning Jane’s trust, was the way to go, and Elena intended to end up at that destination, if at all possible. However, that would likely take time and evidence and … letting Jane develop trust at her own pacing. It would take Elena’s (well-honed) patience: she was willing to wait. She sensed it’d be more than worth it … Jane was worth waiting for.

Now, in the HQ ballroom, Elena rests her hands lightly on Sabina’s waist and watches charmed as her teammate flushes with what seems like … arousal. Sabina looks gorgeous, all flushed and entranced, gazing at Elena lustfully, like Elena is the butter on Sabina’s bread. Elena adores how much Sabina desires her … it’s always been as clear as day. Elena loves being desired. She desires Sabina too. Very Much Indeed.

The two-of-them keep dancing … in a flirty, light, and fun way. Sabina twirls Elena, and Elena throws back her head and laughs. It’s so fun! Sabina is so fun to be with. Sabina is now staring at her, outright. Sabina’s pupils are huge. Elena can easily tell that Sabina wants to kiss her. Sabina couldn’t be more obvious! Elena smiles at Sabina, endeared, and twirls Sabina. Two can play the twirling game! It’s Sabina’s turn to twirl! Sabina spins easily into the twirl, but once it’s complete, she stops. She’s not dancing anymore. She’s staring at Elena, wide-eyed. Sabina looks dazed. Stunned! Like someone clocked her in the jaw. Concern thrums through Elena.

“What is it, Bina?” she asks, stopping dancing, studying Sabina worriedly. “Are you okay, baby?” Sabina has a Very Strange expression on her face: Elena unusually can’t read her teammate. Sabina definitely looks shocked. Yet it’s more than shocked. It’s … something more …. “Sabina!” Elena feels a little freaked. Is Sabina okay?

Sabina shakes her head, almost as though she’s trying to clear it. Then out of nowhere she announces:

“I love you!”

Elena’s jaw drops. She. Is. Shocked. Elena was not expecting Sabina to confess love to her just now … even though Elena loves Sabina, for sure. Not yet, not here, not like this. Sabina is grinning at Elena nervously-yet-happily, seeming excited and bouncy and Just So Sabina. It’s clear to Elena that Sabina is bursting with the love she feels (for Elena! wow!) and that it exploded out of Sabina, into this moment. Sabina’s radiant.

Sabina starts dancing again. After a short pause Elena joins back in. However, their dancing is different. Elena steps in close to Sabina, pressing their bodies together, snugly. Elena wraps her arms around Sabina’s chest – tightly – and nuzzles her face into Sabina’s neck. Breathes the unique scent of Sabina, in. The two-of-them are swaying together, even though it’s a fast, exciting song. Not at all the kind of number that you romantically slow dance too. Even so. Even so.

Elena is made of love: she can feel her own ‘I love you’ oozing out of every pore, and into every action. Words come last, on this occasion. She murmurs them against Sabina’s neck:

“I love you too.”

Sabina lets go of Elena, grins hugely and does a double fist-pump. It’s so cute! Elena smiles widely at her teammate. Sabina is clearly on cloud nine. Elena is too. Then Sabina pulls her back in, wraps her up tightly. They slow dance to the next three (inappropriately fast) songs.

It’s heaven.

Chapter Text

Sabina’s POV

“What are you doing?” Jane sounds slightly annoyed and also slightly muffled.

Sabina pops her head out from under the blankets she is busy stretching over the Angels’ couch, in their loungeroom. She winks at her girlfriend than pops her head back in. Goes back to trying to build her Amazing Structure, from the inside out. Sabina’s gathered various blankets, bed sheets, pillows, and cushions together. These are the construction materials needed for her current building project …

“Building a blanket fort!” she tells Jane.

“…Why?” Jane sounds nonplussed.

“Why not?” Sabina asks logically. It’s Sunday: it’s the Angels’ day off, by long tradition. They take Sundays easy if they don’t have an active mission scheduled … sleeping in and cuddling together, and then usually staying close to home, doing ‘nothing’ … also usually together.

“I think you’re doing it wrong.” Jane’s slightly muffled voice is now dry. Sabina realises that Jane sounds muffled because of Sabina’s blankets (that Sabina’s under), not because of Jane. She pops her head back out again.

“So, help me then!” Sabina grins at her girlfriend, who has seated herself on the nearby armchair and is eyeing Sabina with an expression of mild disbelief. “Come show me how I’m ‘doing it wrong’, babe.” Sabina’s voice turns teasing. “That’ll be like, mega fulfilling for you.”

Jane glares. It’s probably because Sabina just poked her with the humour stick at Jane’s own expense, and Jane … didn’t like it. Sabina hurriedly pulls her head back under the safety of her blankets. If she can’t see Jane’s glare, it can’t taser her with its impressive intensity. That’s how that shit works, right? Right.

“What are you doing?” It’s Elena’s voice now, just as muffled as Jane’s was. Sabina peeps cautiously out of the blankets. Elena is approaching from the kitchen, bearing a tray of three mugs of … Sabina pokes her head out more, sniffing the air for clues. Hot chocolate! Yessssss!

“A blanket fort!” Sabina tells Elena enthusiastically, poking her head out all the way. “Soon to be created with the energy of hot chocolate!”

Elena giggles. Puts down the tray on the nearby coffee table. Holds a mug of hot chocolate out to Jane, who takes it with a small, pleased smile. Then perches on the coffee table, facing the couch, and holds out a hot chocolate. Sabina reaches a greedy hand out from under a blanket and swipes it. She chortles to herself, taking the mug beneath her makeshift fort. Suddenly there is a rumpling in the fort, from one side. Oho, a breach! A familiar (beloved) face sneaks under. It’s Elena! Sabina’s girlfriend is entering the fort!

Elena curls up next to Sabina on the couch (under the blankets) and smiles at her. Elena has her own mug of hot chocolate, and she blows on it, contentedly. Even though it’s dim under these blankets, Sabina and Elena can see each other just fine. Sabina grins at her (sneaky! cuuute!) girlfriend. Starts to drink her own hot chocolate. Gets a cream moustache (of course). It’s impossible not to, considering that Sabina takes her hot chocolate, half made of cream …

“I like your fort,” Elena tells Sabina, blowing her a kiss between sips.

“It’s not finished yet!” Sabina tells her girlfriend excitedly. “You can help me.”

“Of course,” says Elena. “That’s why I came in.”

They smile at each other, happily. Suddenly there is another disturbance in the force! Er, fort. It’s Jane Kano of all people, crawling in on Sabina’s other side. Jane looks grumpy. Maybe a little confused. She also has her hot chocolate with her, balancing it carefully. Jane is tall so the fort blanket knocks into her head. Elena giggles. Sabina chortles. Jane glares.

“I don’t get you,” Jane tells Sabina, very grumpily indeed. “How is this a fort?” Jane uses her free hand to hold one of the blankets up higher (there’s multiple blankets), so that Jane’s head has more room, and she can see her girlfriends better. Jane looks around consideringly, inside their cosy cave (so to speak). “This could definitely stand to be improved…”

“That’s why you came in, right?” Sabina tells Jane, comfortably; it’s not really a question. “So you can perfect our blanket base. Make structural improvements and all that jazz.”

“‘All that jazz’…” Jane scoffs, seeming half-annoyed, half-considering.

Jane is still examining the ‘fort’ around them, dark eyes considering. Jane has a familiar look on her beautiful face, one that Sabina thinks of as ‘Strategic Mode: engaged’ … or something along those lines. Jane’s obviously plotting how to make this fort (much) better. She’ll be good at it too, no doubt, much better than Sabina. It’s lucky that Sabina attracted Jane to come in here (finally!), thanks to Elena’s help (just by Elena’s adorable presence entering the fort, and thus leaving Jane out in the cold … where her curiosity couldn’t bear it any longer).

“You’ll do a great job, Janey,” Elena tells Jane earnestly, nibbling on one of her hot chocolate’s marshmallows. “We’ll help you of course.” Elena smiles at Jane, and it might hold just a hint of teasing. If it does, it’s well-hidden: Sabina is having trouble knowing for sure. “Just give us your orders,” suggest Elena to Jane, and oh yeah, that’s definitely teasing. Sabina is sure now.

Jane favours Elena with a slightly suspicious look, mixed with intrigue.

“It’ll be a fun game!” says Sabina excitedly. She flutters her eyelashes at Jane, just because she can. “Maybe even a … sexy one?” Sabina’s voice has turned hopeful. She can’t help it. She’d love the three-of-them to play Blanket Fort: the sexy version. Whatever the hell that is …

“Maybe…” says Jane, with an unreadable expression on her face as she gazes at Sabina. “But first we need to make this ‘fort’, decent.”

Sabina sighs in mild disappointment. Then bounces back a second later, flashing Jane a wink and grin:

“Do we need to be decent for that?” It’s a very bad joke. Sabina is full of those! Jane’s one of her favourite targets.

“Keep your pants on,” says Jane, not without humour. “Finish your hot chocolate. Then I’ll tell you my improvement ideas….” Jane glances around the fort again and it’s definitely assessing.

Sabina grins and sips her hot chocolate. Jane is evidently going to take point, lead the Angels in a blanket fort improvement mission! It’s so exciting! What a fun Sunday! Sabina’s idea was brilliant, and it’s also proving to be A Great Success. Her girlfriends are totally into it: she knew they would be. What’s more, nobody has even questioned Sabina about why they’re building their fort from the inside-out rather than the outside-in (Which is lucky, because she has no good answer. The answer is ‘because’).

Later on, the three-of-them might use said blanket fort for … other activities. The kind of fun and sexy games that lend themselves to blankets, bed sheets, pillows, and cushions. Elena is sure to want to! Sabina definitely wants to! Jane might want to, she might not. Either way, whether those games are made of two or three participants, Sabina is looking forward to it. Right now, she’s looking forward to the rest of this hot chocolate. She grins at Elena: her girlfriend is watching Jane with a sappy look on her face. Sabina grins at Jane: her girlfriend is studying the blanket fort with laser-like focus. They’re both so cute …

Perfect denizens of this blanket fort!

Chapter Text

Jane’s POV

Jane and Sabina are waiting near the private landing strip used by their local Angels’ HQ. Elena’s flight is due back soon, on one of the Angels’ private jets: she’s returning from a mission to ‘somewhere in Africa’ (hey, it’s a big continent). Jane and Sabina don’t know much about the mission: most of the intel has been kept top secret, which is fairly standard procedure. All they know is that Elena was called in to support an Angels’ team already stationed there as a tech specialist … no surprise there, Elena Houghlin is amongst the best techies on the international roster.

At the time of departure, their Bosley had told the three-of-them that Elena should be gone for no longer than a month, max, passing down that intel from Charlie. One month has turned into two: this sometimes happens. Jane knows it’s just part of their roles, working as part of an extended team of Angels for international detective-cum-spy organisation, Townsend Agency. Missions can be … unpredictable, at the best of times.

It’s an ever-changing field once you get out on the field: Jane Kano excels at moving with that ever-flowing field, using her situational awareness, gut instincts, and strategic brilliance to execute winning plays, under incredible pressure. She reads the fluxing parameters and adjusts accordingly, staying cool, calm, and collected. So Jane isn’t surprised that Elena’s field of play changed, and that her girlfriend had to stay for longer than originally forecast. That doesn’t mean that Jane isn’t irritated about it, if not angry … kept carefully private from anyone except Sabina.

Right now, Sabina looks like she’s having some kind of minor fit. Sabina shifts about restlessly beside Jane, moving from foot to foot, and kicking at random pebbles. She drags her hands though her short, bleached hair, then tugs the sleeves of her leather jacket up, back down, up again. Scuffs her hands through her hair again: it’s looking increasingly wild. Kicks a pebble, hard. Sighs out, digs her hands in the pockets of her stylish jeans, then pulls them out again. It’s easy for Jane to pick up Sabina’s tension: it’s screamingly obvious.

Jane reaches out and wraps an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders, pulls her in close against Jane’s side. Holds her there, firmly. It seems to help ground Sabina, as touch so often does ... and just as Jane was hoping for. Sabina calms right down, becoming a lot stiller than she was, though she still fidgets. Sabina wraps an arm around Jane’s waist, and plays with the side of Jane’s jacket, which is also leather today.  Sabina’s squinting up at the sky now, no doubt searching for Elena’s plane.

“It’s due in five minutes,” Jane tells her girlfriend gruffly. “No point looking yet.”

“You’ve been looking too,” Sabina points out, “I saw you.”

“Whatever.” It’s true but it makes Jane feel annoyed that Sabina pointed this out (Even though, fair enough … Jane pointed out the same thing!) Elena wouldn’t point it out. Elena is considerate (almost to a fault), sensitive, and comforting. She’d probably be reassuring them both right now, without even seeming to. Jane scowls at nothing in particular. She’s staring up at the sky too.

“Angry Jane,” says Sabina, voice husky with affection. “You’ve been hell to live with this last month.”

“Fuck you,” gripes Jane, without any heat whatsoever. She squeezes Sabina closer, and it’s half-remonstrating, half-affectionate. “You’re no picnic yourself.”

“We totally need Lena,” says Sabina, a little mournfully, a little humourously. “She’s like, the fucking lynchpin of our three-way operation.”

Jane blinks. It’s an apt metaphor. She’s never really thought about it in those terms, but it’s … surprisingly accurate. Elena Houghlin does indeed serve as some kind of ‘lynchpin’ for their Angels’ team … let alone their polyamorous triad. Somehow, Elena is just like the pin passing through the end of an axle: keeping the wheel from falling off. Keeping the whole damn thing working and moving forward efficiently. Jane doesn’t know how Elena does it … but she does. Jane can easily see it, even if she can’t understand it.

“Accurate,” says Jane, after a pause. She blinks up at the sky. “We’re lucky to have her.”

“You know it.” Sabina sounds cheerful now. Her voice turns warm and rich. “I love you, Janey. But I think I’d kill you if it was just you-and-me.” Sabina sniggers. “No offence.”

“None taken.” Jane is smiling wryly, though she’s still looking at the sky. “Because I’d kill you first.”

“Accurate,” says Sabina, nodding adamantly up at the sky. “You’re way too BAMF for me. Poor me, dead by fucking girlfriend.” Jane can feel Sabina’s eyes on her now, and she turns her head to gaze back. Predictably, Sabina winks at her. “Hopefully while we’re angry-fucking.”

Jane rolls her eyes. Then she laughs. Sabina laughs too. Then her fingers dig into Jane’s waist hard enough to hurt:

“Ooh look!”

Jane looks. It’s a plane, in the sky, heading their way. It’s Elena! Jane smiles widely. She shakes Sabina a little in celebration, by the arm that Jane still has wrapped around her girlfriend’s shoulders. It’s playful. Sabina clearly reads it as such: they playfight together quite often. Sabina is turning in towards Jane, abruptly, and Jane knows it’s some kind of impromptu wrestling move. Unlike Elena, who would be throwing her arms around Jane in an embrace, if she started a similar movement.

Jane turns in sync, catching Sabina mid grapple. Sabina bites back a laugh and wrestles Jane in earnest, trying to throw her down to the ground. Jane wrestles back. They are still shoving at each other, playfully, going nowhere near full power (more like a third) when the plane lands. They pull away from each other, dishevelled, breathing hard …

… look towards the plane, in sync. Elena is at the window, grinning widely at them. She’s waving. Jane waves eagerly. Beside her she can see Sabina doing the same, only Sabina is jumping up and down and using both hands.

“Our baby!” Sabina sounds beside herself with excitement.

Jane is a little surprised that Sabina isn’t running in circles, like a dog chasing its own tail when its owners come home. Jane is excited too, but she does her best to look dignified. Then she forgets about dignity: the plane door is opening and the airstair has folded down. The steward, briefly visible in the doorway, steps aside. Elena appears, her small travel bag hoisted over one shoulder. She is absolutely beaming. Jane stares, a little transfixed. Elena is so goddamn beautiful …

Elena is hurrying down the stairs and Sabina is running towards their girlfriend, full pelt. Jane smiles, and runs after Sabina. The two-of-them meet Elena at the base of the airstair, Sabina arriving a second before Jane. Sabina throws her arms around Elena and clings tightly. Jane wraps her arms around them both. Elena has dropped her bag, and is clinging back, one arm around Sabina, one arm (awkwardly) around Jane. Elena is (predictably) crying: tears of joy. Sabina is making excited noises (impossible to explain) and half jumping up and down.

Jane’s eyes are filled with tears: they spill over. Run down her cheeks and drip into Elena’s hair: Jane’s head is resting atop Elena’s. Jane is surprised to find herself crying (she hardly ever cries; she hates crying) … and not surprised, all at the same time. Yet it doesn’t seem important: what is important is holding both her girlfriends tightly, and welcoming Elena back home with them. The Angels are reunited, at long bloody last!

Together, as they should be.

Chapter Text

Elena’s POV

“Sooo … what are we doing?” Elena’s voice comes out a little doubtful.

The Angels are on shore leave and Sabina insisted that the three-of-them go and ‘party on a beach’ (of course). Somehow, only a day later, they’re vacationing on a tropical island and Elena feels a bit like she’s in a dream. It’s a dream about postcard-like beaches (yay!), and cocktails she’s never even heard of (so, a good dream, yeah?), and Sabina Wilson, wearing a sinfully skimpy bikini (wow, this dream just keeps getting better and better…). The bikini is leopard print … Elena suspects. There’s so little material that Elena can’t be 100% sure. It seems important to be sure. She’s currently ogling Sabina to try and work it out (yeah, that’s why). Elena’s been occupied with this mission for the last ten minutes (okay, maybe longer).

“That’s going to fall off the moment you try and swim in it,” Jane tells Sabina, arriving beside them. Jane sinks gracefully into the third deck chair.

Elena and Sabina are sitting on the beach (it’s an amazing beach) on comfy deck chairs, under a couple of frondy palm trees. The sky is crystal clear blue. The morning sun shines down, though Elena is currently half in the sun, half in the shade. She hasn’t decided yet which it’s to be: she’s distracted. She isn’t all that sure what is going on … she only woke up about half an hour ago. Elena woke up in some kind of luxury villa right on this paradisical beach (it’s good to be an Angel!) and sleepily put on swimwear before stumbling out to join her skimpily clad girlfriend. Who was yelling at her through the open door to, ‘Hurry up and get your cute arse out here! For a surprise!’

“It’s not for swimming, boo,” Sabina tells Jane comfortably. She raises her pointer and middle fingers to her eyes and then makes a gesture that directs the same fingers to her nipples. Elena follows the gesture automatically. Stares, feeling kind of hot. Sabina’s nipples are erect under the thin material of what only just passes as a bikini, and Elena loves Sabina’s nipples, like a lot. Elena wonders vaguely if she’s getting heatstroke … no, she knows why she’s feeling hot …

“Uh-huh,” says Jane, voice remarkably dry. But then Jane goes silent and when Elena manages to glance to see why, she sees that Jane is leering at Sabina too. Pretending not to, of course, because Jane Kano is good at maintaining her dignity (certainly much better than Elena Houghlin), but Jane is looking just the same. Avidly. A pause.

“What are we doing?” repeats Elena, back to staring at Sabina … and not at her girlfriend’s face. “I’m confused.”

“It’s a picnic!” Sabina announces excitedly, and Elena looks around in confusion, because Sabina is now gesturing like a windmill, seemingly at the area around them.

Embarrassingly, the evidence of a picnic is all around: a large picnic basket, a blanket spread out on the sand, an icebox that’s probably filled with alcohol (even though it’s first thing in the morning), and a cute beach umbrella off to one side (not that it’s needed, with the palm trees’ current shade). It’s embarrassing because this evidence was (apparently) always here, and Elena Houghlin is meant to be a spy. Obviously, she was too distracted to see what was right in front of her eyes …

“Wow!” says Elena, because wow.

“A breakfast picnic,” Sabina adds, nodding enthusiastically. She jumps up, flops down on the blanket and opens up both the picnic basket and the ice box, lifting items one by one as she shows off her goodies (not those goodies). Sabina starts to ramble, and Elena listens in mild disbelief, torn between staring at the goodies that Sabina’s revealing or at Sabina’s goodies.

“We’ve got fruit, like so much fruit, yo, and it’s sooo fresh and juicy and tropical! Cheese and crackers, like maybe ten kinds of cheese? The crackers are totes fancy, and hey lookie here, we’ve got shrimps, uh fried, hmm, is that weird? Who cares, they’ll be delish! Ooh chocolate! It’s Belgian, y’know those cute little shells? Must be a nod to being at the beach, huh? A bunch of nuts, fresh coconut, yoghurt, and baguettes, and croissants, and pastries, and jaaam, and French toast … whoa! I am going to explode. And coffee, and Bloody Marys and …”

“Coffee!” says Jane with excitement, suddenly kneeling beside Sabina and rooting through the picnic basket.

Jane moved so fast that Elena isn’t entirely sure she saw the transition between Jane’s chair and where Jane is now. She maybe felt the rush of breeze though, from Jane’s rapid movement. Elena blinks a couple of times. Stares at Jane. Notices (for the first time) that Jane is wearing a bikini too, and while it shows a lot less skin than Sabina’s (which isn’t hard to do), there’s something about showing less … that shows more. It’s white and elegant, and it sets off Jane’s dark skin perfectly and Elena’s mouth is watering. She drags her eyes down Jane’s body s.l.o.w.l.y. then back up, just as slowly. She can’t look away!

“Lena wants to have you for breakfast,” Sabina tells Jane, grinning widely between the two-of-them. “Right after she has me.”

“That can be arranged,” says Jane, very cheerfully for Jane Kano: Elena blinks in shock. It must be a result of finding coffee (Jane is addicted), and the Angels’ current location in paradise, and other mitigating factors.

More importantly, Jane is in the mood! Elena smiles widely, at both her girlfriends. It’s rarer for Jane to be in the mood for sex than it is for Elena or Sabina, but when Jane is … well, let’s just say that there’s a reason that Elena is currently shifting uncomfortably in her deck chair, wondering if her swimwear is showing (embarrassing) evidence of her arousal. It seems like Elena is about to get lucky, very soon … probably right after breakfast. Group sex seems on the cards: what a fantastic holiday postcard! Elena loves group sex. So much that she could almost skip this delicious picnic breakfast (but Sabina’s gone to so much trouble … that’s so sweet …) and rush back to their villa and Go For It! Unless her girlfriends would rather have sex on the beach (not the cocktail), which Elena would be … totally up for. She glances around the beach, not so covertly. It seems pretty secluded right now … certainly enough to risk it …

“Breakfast first,” Jane tells Elena, with definite amusement. Jane rolls her eyes at Sabina and it’s humourous. “We’re having a picnic.”

“You betcha we are,” says Sabina, winking at Jane. “You betcha all the way to the beach.”

Jane holds up what looks like a mug of coffee in a toasting gesture, and Sabina holds up a glass of … Elena squints.

“Mimosa!” she squeals, leaping up to hurry over and join her girlfriends on the blanket. “Me too!”

“You love these, babygirl,” laughs Sabina, handing Elena one of the fruity cocktails. Elena nods enthusiastically: she does! Jane smirks at Elena, then nods at Sabina in seeming approval.

The Angels smile at each other and click their drinks together.

Picnic commenced!

Chapter Text

Sabina’s POV

It’s Fall. Sabina is walking (leisurely) in a forest, with her girlfriends. They’re in Scotland, for an international Angels’ mission, with Bosley 342 and their Saint in tow. Bos and Saintly are back at the safehouse: their team has just finished their mission successfully and debriefed it. Now they’re all taking a couple days off before returning home (why not?). That means sightseeing. Sabina is into sightseeing. It’s novel, and Sabina hates to be bored. She likes to keep things fresh, changing, invigorating!

The air is very fresh, nippy, and frankly Far Too Cold. Sabina doesn’t mind though, because she’s with her girlfriends-who-are-also-her-teammates: they’re here to have fun (Sabina’s decided! That makes it so), and it’s novel. The trees are an impressive array of oranges, reds, and browns. Leaves fall around the Angels, gently, on a breeze. It’s a bit like a Disney movie. If a Disney movie was fucking cold.

Sabina burrows her hands into her toasty jacket’s pockets: it’s cargo green with pink (fake) fur. It has a cute hood which she’s totally enjoying wearing for kicks, let alone that it keeps her ears warm. Sabina gets off on weird things … according to other people. From her point of view, they’re the weird ones. Or at least the not-fun ones! Sabina gets off on this jacket. Not in a sexual way, although … isn’t everything sexual? Like sex is life-energy or something hippy-dippy like that. Sabina is supremely sexual, and she’s Fucking Alive! It’s sort of the same thing, at least to her. It’s hard to put into words … or thoughts … Sabina gives up cheerfully.

Looks at her girlfriends who are on either side of her. Jane looks less dour than usual … which means Jane is having a great time. Sabina grins at her girlfriend. Jane is wearing a dark trench coat that makes her look extra BAMF, like some kind of action hero who’s not-so-under-cover. Sabina digs it! Jane’s hot! Maybe they could have sex later, with that trench coat involved … Sabina would be totally into it … they should go inside though. It’s way too cold to have outdoor sex out here, even though Sabina would usually be into forest sex, if it was up for grabs …

“What are you thinking about?” Jane sounds a little suspicious.

“How sexy you look in that trench,” Sabina tells Jane, throwing in a wink for good measure.

Elena giggles on Jane’s other side. Jane glares, but the tips of her ears subtly change colour, maybe … darkening. Sabina knows this probably means that Jane is blushing (hahaha!) and flattered, and that makes Sabina’s grin even bigger. She hip checks Jane playfully. Jane hip checks her back, a little harder.

“It’s sooo pretty here,” says Elena, in a dreamy voice.

“It is,” Jane agrees, smiling over at Elena. Jane looks at Sabina and admits slightly grudgingly: “coming here for a walk was a good idea.”

“I knew you’d like the leaves!” Sabina tells Elena enthusiastically. Then she grins at Jane. “Thanks, baby!”

Elena is wearing one of Sabina’s jackets today, which is something that Elena sometimes does (wears Sabina’s clothes), mostly because she knows Sabina gets off on it. Sabina knows that this is Elena’s true motivation … and that is even better from Sabina’s point of view, than if Elena was doing it because she liked Sabina’s clothes. It makes her feel connected with Elena, maybe in a slightly possessive (disturbing?) way, but she doesn’t spend that much time analysing her feelings … Sabina mostly just feels them, to the max! Or does anything-and-everything to avoid feeling them.

Sabina’s jacket that Elena’s snuggled up in (awww) is a corduroy sherpa one in ‘tobacco brown’. That’s a fancy way of saying that Elena looks hot, cute, and smokable, all at once. Also, warm in this cold weather, which is the main thing. Sabina puts a companionable arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders, and tugs Elena in close for a moment, as they’re walking.

“You look smokable,” Sabina tells Elena flirtily. “I dig your jacket.”

Beside them, Jane rolls her eyes. It’s so forceful that Sabina easily catches it out of the corner of her eye.

“It’s so … off-colour, when you compliment yourself, by complimenting one of us,” Jane sounds disapproving.

“Thanks, babe,” Sabina tells Jane, pretending like she just received a compliment.

Predictably, Jane’s eyebrows rise into her hairline, and she looks confused and even-more-annoyed. It makes Sabina want to laugh (which is why she did it) but she holds her face in a smug expression. All the better for getting a rise out of Jane ‘I do not approve’ Kano … and for ‘helping’ Sabina’s way-too-serious girlfriend, lighten up (and therefore have a funner time).

Beside Sabina, Elena is (predictably) giggling. Sabina wouldn’t be surprised if Elena knew exactly what Sabina is doing and why … Elena usually does.

“You’re so bad,” Elena tells Sabina, but she says this so affectionately that it suffuses Sabina with warmth. Then Elena is popping between Sabina and Jane, into the middle position. She takes one of each of their hands, in hers. Keeps walking. Swings their hands a little.

“You do look good in that jacket,” Jane allows, directing this to Elena, who smiles up at Jane sweetly:

“Your trenchcoat is amazing. It reminds me of The Matrix.” Elena’s tone turns just a little coy, and her eyelashes flutter almost imperceptibly, as she watches Jane. “Or Selene in Underworld…”

This is Elena flirting with Jane, subtly. Sabina has seen her girlfriend do it a thousand times, and she’s even picked up on why Elena is so subtle with Jane (she’s not with Sabina). It took Sabina a long time to click to it, but she got there in the end. It’s because Jane’s libido is much lower than Elena’s and Sabina’s, and Elena Houghlin is nothing if not considerate. She likes to give Jane opportunities to engage sexually (when Elena wants Jane), but in a way that Jane can back out of easefully … as though they never even happened. So easefully that it doesn’t put Jane off that they have such a (naturally) different initiation rate. This keeps Jane initiating with Elena, when Jane wants to. It keeps things good between Elena and Jane.

Sabina knows why Elena is doing this Sensitive Flirting Dance with Jane, but Sabina hasn’t changed her own modus operandi. She can’t! Not and stay Sabina Wilson! Sabina flirts with Jane constantly, because that’s what Sabina does (with close to everyone, let alone her actual girlfriends). Sabina Wilson loves flirting! Also, she does it because if she stopped doing it, and went all Elena-like subtle, it would freak Jane out! Jane expects Sabina to be ‘outrageous’. It’s part of what Jane loves about Sabina (obviously). Even if Jane pretends not to, and rides Sabina back, gives her a hard time for all the ways the two-of-them are different.

Sabina sees straight through Jane … as easily as through tinted glass …. At first glance tinted glass appears hard to see through. It isn’t though, if you step up nice and close, get in Jane Kano’s face. Then it’s easy-to-see.

A pause during which Sabina can tell that Jane is considering Elena’s flirtation, and probably … mulling over how Jane herself is feeling. It can take Jane a long time to know her own thoughts and feelings … she tends to move slowly. Once Jane knows, she knows. Once Jane knows, she acts. But it seems to take her a long time to know.

“It’s warm,” Jane says finally, looking along the track. “Perfect for Autumn in Scotland.” Jane keeps walking, keeps holding Elena’s hand. She doesn’t flirt back, and Sabina knows that this combined with Jane’s style-of-reply, means that Jane isn’t in the mood for things to escalate sexually. Not right now.

“It looks very warm,” Elena agrees, no longer coy, and not seeming upset.

Sabina knows that Elena won’t be: she tends to be responsive to bids for either togetherness or space from her girlfriends, and not take them personally. Sabina doesn’t get this … but she’s grateful about it. Sometimes Sabina feels annoyed or anxious when Jane ‘takes space’ … or even worse, hurt. She kind of gets that there’s no reason to get upset (usually), because it’s mostly not personal (it’s just How Jane Is). Still, Sabina is the way that she is too, and it’s Just So Relieving that she can easily turn to Elena at such times (and often does) … and be cuddled into comfort or sexed into oblivion. Sabina’s totally lucky!

“You look smokable too,” Elena tells Sabina, and it’s gently teasing, and definitely flirtatious. Sabina grins widely, squeezes her girlfriend’s hand enthusiastically.

“Oh, I am!” she tells Elena earnestly-yet-jokily. “You can smoke me as soon as we get back to our nice warm safehouse.” Sabina glances around the forest: totally gorgeous, but fucking chilly. “It’s too cold out here.”

“It’s a plan,” Elena sounds happy. She squeezes Sabina’s hand back. Jane glances over, smiles warmly at both of them.

Clearly Jane is fully aware that Sabina and Elena have just planned a sex date. They’ve never hidden their liaisons from Jane: the Angels are all open with each other about having sex in their dyads as well as their triad … they have been from the beginning.

“Just don’t let Bosley and Saint catch you,” Jane instructs, and now she seems serious, maybe a little discomforted. “That would be awkward…”

“Totally, boo,” Sabina tells Jane. Sabina makes her eyes wide and nods at Jane as though it’s the best idea ever and she would never have thought of that herself. Sabina’s tone turns fake serious. “You are so right about that.”

Elena giggles (predictably). Jane scowls (predictably). Sabina hip checks Jane (predictably). Jane hip checks Sabina back, harder (predictably). A leaf falls, right in front of Sabina’s nose. She laughs in startlement, then tries to catch it with her teeth, before it can fall all the way to the forest floor. She misses.

“Spy-like reflexes,” says Jane, voice droll.

“I didn’t see you catching it!” Sabina says, staring mournfully at the leaf-at-her-feet.

“It didn’t fall on me!” Jane says.

“There’s more leaves,” Elena points out, voice gently humourous. She gestures around them. “Like … a lot.” The breeze is stirring, and indeed, there are a lot more leaves. They are falling off the trees and swirling around the Angels.

Sabina fist pumps the air and rushes forward, dropping her girlfriends’ hands in favour of catching leaves with her teeth. Or trying to. Behind her she can hear Elena giggling helplessly. Jane is probably staring at Sabina in disbelief. That would be just like Jane Kano …

Sabina succeeds! (It only took her about ten tries.) She whirls around with a large orange leaf between her teeth. She sees Elena giggling, standing back where Sabina left her, with her arms wrapped around her own chest. Sabina also sees Jane, standing quite close by. Jane has caught a leaf in her teeth. It’s red. Sabina’s eyes widen. Her jaw drops. Her leaf drops out of her wide-open mouth, drifts downwards. Jane grins widely, dark eyes sparkling with mischief. She spits her own leaf out.

“Who are you … and what have you done with Jane Kano?” Sabina asks her girlfriend. Her voice comes out a little dazed. Jane laughs. Then steps forward a couple paces, and kisses Sabina, right on the lips. It’s just a peck, but it’s filled with zest. Jane steps back, looking suspiciously casual. Elena runs up, wraps both her hands around one of Jane’s arms. Grins at Sabina hugely.

“Aw, babies!” Elena tells both of them, excitedly. Elena laughs with what might be joy. “You’re both so cute.”

Jane smiles a full-hearted smile: all her teeth show. Sabina smiles widely at her girlfriends. Joy fills up her entire body, and it’s so much that she almost feels like a helium balloon, like she could float up into these gently falling leaves.

It must be love.

Chapter Text

All the team’s POVs

Saint’s POV

Dear Diary

Today I gave my Angels’ team new homework in our mandatory group therapy session. Each of them is to write a diary entry about how they felt during and after their latest mission. This was my new therapeutic supervisor’s idea: apparently that Saint just returned from a professional development conference that claims that writing and then sharing journal entries, can knit teams together in an oddly powerful way. If this claim is true, it’ll be excellent for improved teamwork on the field.

I have to admit, I’m not sold (Although here I am doing the exercise, as honestly as possible, for sharing later confidentially with my supervisor. Hi, 'Saint'!). It’s not that I’m disbelieving of the claim: we need to test this theory. Upon testing it, we’ll know more …

My main reservation is that one of my Angels, Jane Kano, has never formed the all-important therapeutic alliance with me (which I’m only a little sad about these days: I’ve mostly come to acceptance). Jane simply doesn’t trust me (or close to anyone, I’d posit – it’s not personal). So anything Jane writes in her diary will merely be ‘professional nonsense’, meant to fool our tests enough to get her cleared for the next mission. This exercise is pointless for her (thus for our team by extension).

However, I’m intrigued to see what Elena Houghlin comes up with. Elena is so open, honest, and emotionally nuanced, that I’m sure I’ll enjoy her take. Maybe even gain valuable insights from it, which I appreciate.

As for my third Angel, Sabina Wilson, whatever she writes is … sure to be amusing.

P.S. I couldn’t talk Bosley into doing this exercise, even though it was highly recommended that all the Bosleys participate along with their teams. I’ll try again tomorrow … maybe after she’s had a drink or two.

~Saint (the one who works with Bosley 342)

Jane’s POV

Dear Diary

Objective: Report how I felt during and after our latest Angels’ mission.

Results during mission: During the mission I felt alert and focused. I give my overall situational awareness level a ranking of 7 out of a possible 10. It should have been at least an 8, so I need to give attention to improvement, ASAP.

Areas for improvement: I got too distracted by Sabina’s knife throw at one enemy, which passed relatively near Elena’s head (Elena was engaging another enemy nearby, in hand-to-hand combat). Sabina was taking out an enemy that was charging down Elena from the left: it was the correct move. Sabina has respectable knife marksmanship (I’d give her a ranging score of 6 to 8, out of 10, depending on the day). Even if Sabina had been a 6 on that day (and she was more like a 7.5), the distance between Elena’s head and the target’s head, meant that Elena was in no real danger. I should have stayed fully focused on my own target.

Results after mission: I feel normal. Nothing undue to report.

Question: Will we have to do this exercise again?

Follow-up question: What is the point of this exercise?

~Jane Kano

Elena’s POV

Dear Diary

I was glad to receive this homework! I would like to discover more about how my teammates feel during and after missions: I can sense how it will help us work better together. I’d also like to share my own feelings and have my team understand me better. Being understood is one of my favourite things … I feel cared for and supported when someone understands me. I also prefer to understand other people (especially my teammates), because then I can support them optimally, and let them know their importance to me (in a way that makes sense to them).

I suspect we are all so different from each other, that we have a lot to learn from each other’s experiencing. For instance, during our latest mission, I felt anxious most of the time (this is usual for me, I figure it’s a natural side effect of adrenaline and being in life-and-death scenarios). There was a point where Jane was fighting two highly skilled enemies at the same time, and I was scared for her. I know Jane is highly skilled herself, as highly skilled as they come! But I still felt scared. I rushed over to help (I’d just incapacitated my own target, thank goodness).

Before I was even halfway there, Jane did this amazing move (I’ve never seen it before) where she cracked both their heads together (somehow, I have no idea how …). Suddenly they were lying at her feet, moaning, but definitely not about to get up anytime soon. I was still running towards Jane, and I looked down at the two men and saw that one of them … had no more nose. What I mean to say is, it was all splintered and bloody and gross and …

… I felt sick. I stopped running and threw up. It was terrible! I felt embarrassed, and nauseous, and scared. Only now I sort of felt scared of Jane, even though she’d never hurt me. Not scared for her anymore, because there was no more danger: Jane had taken care of the danger.

Now, after that mission, I feel anxious as I write about these feelings for sharing with my team (even though it’s my truth). That’s because I don’t want to hurt Jane’s feelings – I want her to know that I admire her fighting ability, even though the results also sometimes scare me. I want her to know that I trust her, even though she’s dangerous … in the sense that she can hurt and kill people relatively easily (just a part of our jobs I know … and I can do this too … I always feel strange thinking about that).

So yeah, I feel vulnerable at the thought of sharing these thoughts and feelings. But glad too, because they’re my real experience, and I want to be known as I really am. Even though it’s embarrassing. Even though I threw up again … which is such a pity, because it’s broken my twelve-mission streak (twelve missions without throwing up: it was a record!).

I know it will be okay though, even if this kind of emotional intimacy can feel hard. We’re such a great team. Sharing our thoughts and feelings can only make us closer! Stronger. A better team.

~Elena 😊 💪 💗

Sabina’s POV

Dear Diary

This is such a stupid idea: whose monumentally stupid idea was this? I know it’s not Saintly’s … even though it does sound sort of like a 'Saint' kind of deal … so it must have come from one of the other Saints. Maybe one of the higher-up Saints, who sit around all day in their offices, playing harps (badly) and polishing their halos (if you know what I mean). They don’t know much about what it’s like to be out on the mission field, obviously. Otherwise, they wouldn’t ask such fucking stupid questions about ‘people’s feelings’.

Hmm, how did I feel on our latest mission? I felt … excited. I love missions! I felt horny (what else is new), and charged (rawr!), and antsy and alive and frisky. It’s not so different from how I usually feel, just amped up higher, like to the max! I love Angels’ missions! They make me feel alive!

There was this fantastic moment where I aced a knife throw. It was a thing of beauty: I was on fire! Thrill-factor 100! Even better, I totally saved Elena’s cute arse from some goon who was about to take her out from stage left. That gave her time to deal with the fucker who’d already engaged her. The throw looked waaay cool, like something out of The Matrix. I only regret that there was no slow motion or leather trench coat. I was wearing a yummy leather jacket … but a leather trench would have been sexier. No doubt about it.

Have I mentioned that I’m totally into knives? We should have more knives. I mean, guns are cool too … I really dig guns. But knives are so sharp and pointy and glinty and sexy and yeah. It’s hard to put into words. I get why some folks have a knife kink. I’d say that I do too, only it’s not super strong, and I’m into most kinks. If you’re into everything, doesn’t it sort of become your normal? Like, it’s not kinky anymore? Now that’s a sexy question … maybe one for that higher-up Saint who set this idiotic exercise to ponder …

How I am feeling now? Annoyed to be doing this stupid homework. Bored out of my fucking mind. There’s much better things I could be doing. Or people. Or things to people. I’m suddenly wondering where Jane and Elena are and what they’re up to. So I’m feeling, curious, you could say. Also, horny. The horniness is growing, steadily. I need to go …

~Sabina

Bosley’s POV

Dear Diary

So, I’m finally doing this exercise, courtesy of Saint talking me into it. He’s persistent, I’ll give him that. I’ve got to say, I’m not sold on why our team is doing this. It seems kind of … corny, cringey, pointless. How can we expect our Angels to take us seriously when it counts (briefings, debriefings, active missions) if we order them to do such trite homework for mandatory therapy? Food for thought.

How did I feel during our latest mission? I was the getaway driver, and was heading up group comms with eyes and ears on our Angels. I felt a mixture of emotions (of course, isn’t that obvious!). Different feelings during different moments, as you would expect from any functioning human being …

For instance, there was a key moment when Sabina aced a knife throw at an enemy who was charging down Elena, while Elena was engaged fighting another enemy in hand-to-hand combat. Elena didn’t see the newcomer (from what I could tell over camera), so Sabina stepping in was timely. That knife throw was a thing of beauty. I cheered! I felt proud. Also, relieved. Again, how else would any functioning human who witnessed that feel? This exercise seems … kind of pointless.

There was another key moment where Jane was engaged with two highly skilled enemies and I felt a flicker of worry: probably pointless to feel, given that Kano is a machine. Still, Jane’s enemies seemed formidable … so there it is. I felt a little worried. Elena finished off her opponent and ran over to assist, but only got halfway there before Jane played castanets with their heads. It was a thing of beauty! I cheered. I felt proud. Also, relieved. Again, how else would any functioning human who witnessed that feel?!

Elena stopped running and threw up. I felt grossed out (like anyone would: it’s vomit). It was such a pity because Elena was on a twelve mission non-vomiting streak … which was a new record. We’re trying to train her out of vomiting when she gets overly anxious, because frankly, it’s not very spy-like. Also, it’s gross. I suppose Elena’s just too sensitive though … she couldn’t hack the sight of whatever happened to one of the thug-castanets’ noses. Don’t get me wrong, Elena’s sensitivity (while more unusual in our line of work) isn’t anything to worry about: she does fine as an Angel. She’s a tech specialist after all (not a brawler), and besides, Elena’s sensitivity comes in handy for soft skills’ domains, like holding our team together.

Anyway, after our mission I feel fine. Normal. Nothing undue to report. Also, frankly, more than a little annoyed to be wasting valuable time doing this pointless exercise. Please make a note that I want this exercise reviewed professionally, before any of the Angels’ teams are ordered to do it again.

I suspect the findings will be that Charlie’s Angels were made for more important things than moaning to ‘dear diary’ about their feels and fancies.

~Bosley 342

Chapter Text

Jane’s POV

Jane Kano is sitting in the Angels’ local café, ‘Bean Me Up’ with her girlfriends, Elena Houghlin and Sabina Wilson. The Angels visit semi-often, ever since they moved into a home in this neighbourhood (a long while back). It’s the site where Elena first started to ask her two newish girlfriends to move in with her (way back when) … then chickened out when the conversation turned to Sabina’s habit of flirting with close-to-everything that moves (and how Jane and Elena felt about that). Or maybe Elena didn’t ‘chicken out’ (Jane’s words), maybe she just was … sensitive and considerate to the needs of the moment. Like how Elena tends to be. Elena had ended up proposing the idea in her HQ bedroom instead, over pizza.

Jane smiles to herself at the (good) memory, lifting and sipping her usual double espresso. Most mornings Jane makes her girlfriends their favourite coffees on Jane’s ultra-expensive (and ultra-high quality) coffee machine, nicknamed ‘CoffeeBabe’, back at home. It was a gift (close to when the Angels first moved in together) from Sabina … if you can call something that Sabina ‘liberated’ during a mission, a gift. Sabina certainly does! Jane’s got to admit that it’s one of the best gifts she’s ever received … even if it’s technically also stolen goods.

Even with such quality coffee at home (thank God, because Jane is secretly addicted), the Angels still like to visit their local. It’s fun, and it makes a good group date (the Angels have kept going on ‘dates’ throughout their relationship … they didn’t stop just because they became official). This is a high-quality coffee establishment, so Jane is happy to support their business. She supports quality. She supports coffee. She supports dating, in that her secret top priority (personal) mission is the upkeep and flourishing of her triad-and-team. Jane is all about support!

“What are you thinking about, boo?” Sabina asks curiously, poking Jane in the bicep.

The Angels are perched on cushioned stools today, around a small round table. Sabina has her usual affogato, made by this café with less ice-cream than Sabina prefers, and certainly less then Jane puts in for her girlfriend back at home. Technically Sabina likes to drink affogatos with Way More ice-cream than they should have, but Jane indulges the (bad) habit. It’s Sabina. Jane practically expects Sabina to have bad habits! To be made out of bad habits …

“Coffee,” says Jane, which is sort of true, and sort of a (tiny) white lie. She catches herself in the white lie, rolls her eyes, and elaborates. “Moving in together.” She rolls her eyes again. “Our history of coming to this cafe.”

“We have lots of good memories here,” says Elena happily, sipping her usual cappuccino. “I like it here.”

“You like it anywhere,” Jane tells Elena, and it’s a subtle dig, softly teasing. Elena smiles, not seeming at all offended. She nods, briefly touches one of Jane’s thighs under the table. It’s affectionate. Jane smirks at Elena. Sabina is smirking too.

“I like it here too!” Sabina says this cheerfully and Jane rolls her eyes. She knows that Sabina likes it here.

The first time the Angels ever came to Bean Me Up was on a mission, playing backup support for another Angels’ team. Sabina had grifted her mark aka ‘gym guy’ Josh right over at the bar, and Jane had had to watch that travesty from her seat near the front door. Elena had watched from her seat by the back door. Sabina had (predictably) tried to pick Josh up and she’d even succeeded! Despite Bosley’s outright orders (over group comms) for Sabina to ‘keep him in the café’ and ‘don’t sleep with the mark’ (the two-of-them had been about to head to Josh’s nearby place for what Sabina called a ‘workout’), Sabina had shifted on a dime to talk Josh (easily) into bathroom sex. With Sabina. During the mission.

Jane did not approve! She quickly cut Sabina and Josh off enroute, no matter that Sabina was ‘just Jane’s teammate’ at the time. Sabina was completely off mission (not that unusual) … although Jane’s become much more aware of how her chaotic girlfriend thinks, courtesy of long exposure. Sabina probably saw it as ‘even better grifting’ of her mark, that would serve to thoroughly distract him while Sabina was getting hers at the same time. Sabina hadn’t been ashamed of getting caught; she’d seemed cheerful if resigned. She’d followed Jane back to the front table, bringing Josh-the-mark in tow, and had ‘distracted’ him from there instead, while Jane glared bloody murder.

Jane glares at Sabina as the memory rolls over her. Jane does not like Josh! She looks around the café suspiciously, checking if he’s around. Jane hasn’t seen him since back then … which is lucky for Josh. Maybe he’s moved away? It seemed like this place was probably his local … he was wearing workout gear that fateful day …

“Josh isn’t here,” says Sabina to Jane, smirking at Elena.

“Stop it, you,” says Elena to Sabina, gently. “That was hard on us.” Elena smirks a little herself, even though her voice remains serious. “We were both crushing on you big time, and struggling to face up to it … and you were all over your mark, right in front of us!”

“Oh yeah,” says Sabina, sounding contrite-yet-not. “I forgot.”

Jane guesses that Sabina means that she (temporarily) forgot about how Jane and Elena both tend towards jealousy when other people get ‘involved’ with Sabina. Involved in some kind of sexual sense, (sometimes) including flirting, let alone anything more … escalated. Such interactions happen in Sabina’s grifting role (which is often about seducing marks) … or just because Sabina is Sabina.

Whereas Sabina claims that she never feels jealousy (so weird). Sabina even claims that thoughts of Jane and/or Elena having sex with other people are ‘incredibly hot’ and make her ‘incredibly horny’. Jane doesn’t want to have sex with anyone else! (So she doesn’t.) Or imagine it! (She doesn’t.) Elena is similar, at least much more similar to Jane than she is to their girlfriend. Sabina is the other side of their triad’s equation: she wants to have sex with many many people … and within the bounds of the Angels’ current polyamorous agreement, does. For Sabina Wilson, sex is about sex for sex’s sake, not about love or even romance. For Jane, it’s all connected, inextricably. Jane doesn’t have (or want) sex, if she’s not in love.  The way that she’s (completely) in love with both Sabina and Elena.

The Angels almost broke up over this issue … or at least Jane and Sabina did. Somehow, they made it through suffering and back to each other … and Jane couldn’t be more grateful. Jane doesn’t want to lose Sabina! She couldn’t want anything less. However, Jane still doesn’t want to lay eyes on bloody Josh The Mark! Why would she? Jane feels grumpy, folds her arms over her chest, glares at nothing in particular. She’s suddenly in a bad mood.

“Aw, Janey,” Sabina sounds truly contrite now, by Jane’s girlfriendly estimation. “Don’t be like that.” Sabina reaches over and swipes Jane’s coffee, taking the briefest sip out of it. Jane glares harder:

“Hey!”

Sabina hurriedly puts Jane’s coffee down, even nudging it closer to Jane, if gingerly. Jane is aware that Sabina doing this (odd) gesture is kind of the same thing as Elena touching Jane’s thigh under the table. Sabina’s version of the same. Sabina is trying to comfort Jane or distract her or something. Whatever the something is, it’s meant with love. Jane huffs a little, sighs out. Relaxes incrementally. Glares at Sabina but with much less heat. Sabina winks back.

“How about a sweet treat?” Elena asks, in a voice that Jane considers to be sweeter than any treat Elena could bake for them (Elena sometimes bakes … and it’s always delicious).

“Yes!” says Sabina, sitting up straight, and gesturing towards the waitstaff. “What a sweet idea!”

“Fine,” Jane grumps out, but she’s sitting up a little straighter too, interested to check out one of the cakes she sighted in the cabinet, earlier. Jane has had one (mental) eye on that objective … from when the Angels’ first entered.

The waitstaff arrives. It’s Josh The Mark. Jane stares, aghast. Is she imagining this?! No! Jane can’t be … is this some kind of (bad) dream?! Jane wonders if she hit her head. This seems way too weird (and annoying) to be real …

Josh grins at the Angels, cheerfully. He looks just like Jane remembers him. Tall (roughly the same height as Jane), good-looking, sandy-haired and blue-eyed, with impressive musculature that suggests he works out at the gym regularly. Yet not so impressive that it suggests he knows a damn about real fighting, or what’s really involved in using those muscles towards real world aims. They’re all for show, about appearance over raw strength, power, and endurance. Jane scoffs, openly. He’s SO not impressive …

“Josh!” Sabina looks happy to see him. It’s damn annoying. “You work here now?” She grins at Josh’s biceps appreciatively: Josh is wearing a muscle shirt, underneath his leather apron. “Still pump, I see.”

“Six days a week,” Josh says cheerfully. He winks at Sabina. “This pays the gym bill.”

“Don’t you have something … more impressive to do?” Jane wonders. Her voice is acerbic. She looks Josh up and down, scathingly. He’s in his mid-to-late twenties, at least from what Jane can tell. Shouldn’t he have some kind of career? This job is for students, right?

“I don’t care about any of that,” says Josh, not seeming put out. “Cruising around here, plenty of free coffee, pumping iron and…” he eyes Sabina suggestively, “meeting pretty girls, that does it for me.”

Josh clearly remembers Sabina Wilson. Jane is not surprised and more than that … Jane is not amused. Outrage thrums through Jane and she’s sneering, hard. But before she can bite Josh’s head off (as she fully intends to do), and put him in his place, Elena jumps in:

“You know we’re partners, right?” Elena stares at Josh and it’s not a friendly stare. “Us three. Romantic and sexual partners. We live together.” Elena nods firmly, eyeing Josh intensely. “We have been for a long time now. We’re in a polyamorous triad. It’s like being married, only not.”

Josh’s jaw drops. So does Jane’s. So does Sabina’s. They all stare at Elena. Josh eventually moves his shocked gaze from Elena to Sabina to Jane, and then back again. He stares some more.

“Oh … wow,” Josh finally says, to Elena. “Nooo … I did not realise that.” He glances at Jane, does a double take, grimaces in what might be fear. Jane realises that Josh has only just recognised her … presumably from when Jane interrupted his original liaison with Sabina. It’s unimpressive, how slow his memory seems to be. Josh looks back at Sabina, and he might be sweating. “Was that true back when…”

“We hadn’t gotten together yet,” Sabina tells him, still staring at Angry Elena, just like Jane’s gone back to doing. “But even now we’re op…”

Jane knows Sabina is about to say ‘open’, because technically the Angels are. They’ve come up with a special trial agreement: one month of being sexually exclusive (i.e., ‘closed’), and then one month of being sexually open, alternating. They’re still testing their joint proposal out, to see if it meets everyone’s needs enough, and whether it’s ‘real world viable’.

It’s about super-sexual Sabina filling up her sex/kink/play needs during ‘open months’ in a way that respects safer sex and keeps the same out of her girlfriends’ faces. Sabina is the one who gets horny to the point of painfulness, and champs at the bit for sexual engagement, in a way that Jane doesn’t fully understand (Jane is nothing like this). It’s also about Jane and Elena not having to constantly face Sabina-with-others and how that makes them feel (jealous or hurt or annoyed or … murderous) … on closed months.

Jane herself has no intention of ‘playing’ with other people, even though it’s allowed. What would the point be? Jane’s sexual needs are taken care of by her girlfriends, much more than adequately! She simply isn’t interested in other people. Elena seems to have no interest in exploring sexually outside their triad either, despite her higher libido. At least right now.

Now, Jane kicks Sabina under the table, hard. Sabina cuts off mid statement, howls with pain, grabs at her shin. It was a hard kick, so Jane understands. She feels apologetic, but not that apologetic … because her design was to get Sabina to shut up before she could announce their triad’s ‘openness’ to (bloody) Josh … and Jane’s design worked. Jane feels mostly smug. Also, relieved.

“Three desserts,” Elena tells Josh hurriedly, appearing to ignore Jane’s smirking and Sabina’s furious shin-rubbing, now with her head buried half under the table.  “Marble cake with a side of cream, angel food cake, and devil’s food cake.”

“Great,” Josh appears relieved. He’s already backing away from the table; Jane didn’t see him write the order down.

Jane is still staring at Elena in surprise … but she’s perfectly aware of what Josh is doing in her trained peripheral vision (backing away), and what Sabina is doing (still rubbing her shin and making whining noises). Jane hopes Josh gets the order right, not that three measly items should be that hard to remember. However, Josh doesn’t seem impressive (in any way at all), so maybe he’ll have trouble remembering a simple dessert order … he should have written it down …

Sabina finally pops back up from rubbing her shin.

“Ow!” she tells Jane, with emphasis. “Way too hard, babe. This isn’t a bdsm scene.”

“You deserved it,” says Jane, and it’s just a little sulky. Jane feels embarrassed to hear her own voice sound that way (it’s childish), but it’s too late now. Jane glares at Sabina.

“Josh is fair game,” Sabina tells Jane, glaring back. “It’s open month.”

“Not right in front of us,” Elena cuts in, and she sounds pissed. Elena rolls her eyes forcefully, and it’s so uncharacteristic as to have Jane staring at Elena in shock, all over again. “Have a little consideration,” Elena tells Sabina, and her voice comes out Extremely Grumpy. “You can keep our agreement in a way that doesn’t rub it in our faces.” Elena gestures towards Jane and herself. “You know it’s hard for us!”

Sabina blinks a couple times. She looks stunned. Maybe a little hurt. She chews her bottom lip, stares at Elena. Then blinks and looks at Jane, who looks back automatically. In sync, they both turn their heads to stare at Elena who is staring grumpily back at them. Finally:

“… You’re right,” Sabina sounds chagrined. “I can…” she blinks again, “be more on the down low.” Sabina blinks again. Her voice turns vaguely pleading and she’s beginning to pout. “Don’t be mad, baby.” This is directed at Elena. “I just didn’t think.” Sabina sighs. “I forget how you two feel about this shit.”

‘It’s weird’, are Sabina’s unspoken words, but Jane hears them loud and clear. Sabina finds the way that Jane and Elena experience her (unashamed, and often outrageous) flirtatious and sexual behaviour … weird. Sabina seems to have trouble remembering that they don’t experience it the way she does. Jane … kind of understands, because Jane has trouble believing that Sabina is the way that she is, too. It is indeed, weird.

“No, I’m sorry.” Elena deflates, doesn’t seem angry anymore. “I was a … bit much, just now.” Elena looks embarrassed. Her voice turns squeaky, and she flushes. “I got jealous.”

“Ooh, cutie!” Sabina perks up immediately. “You totally did!” Sabina grins hugely.

Jane has trouble believing how quickly Sabina’s moods can change but Seeing Is Believing. She’s certainly witnessed the same, many many times. Jane stares at Elena some more: her girlfriend’s face has turned into a tomato. Elena is clearly … incredibly embarrassed. Jane reaches out tentatively, puts her hand on Elena’s thigh, under the table.

“I liked it,” Jane tells Elena.

“Of course you did,” Sabina tells Jane, smirking hugely. “You didn’t get put in your place…” Sabina’s eyes go wide and fakely innocent, “like moi.” Sabina’s smirk (impossibly) widens. “Or get pissed all over territorially, like poor Joshie.”

“Sabina!” Jane is disgusted. “Don’t be gross!”

“It is kind of what I did,” says Elena, voice still squeaky with embarrassment, not seeming offended by Sabina’s graphic imagery. Elena covers her face with both hands. “Oh God.”

“He’ll get over it,” says Sabina cheerfully. “It’ll make a great story for all the staff.” She grins around the café. “We’ll be their main talking point for the next week.”

“Oh God,” repeats Elena, face still buried in her hands. “We can’t come back here … I’ve ruined our favourite coffee joint …”

“Don’t be silly,” Jane tells Elena, sternly. “We’ll just wait a while.” Jane grips Elena’s thigh under the table. “There’s sure to be plenty of other … embarrassing customer interactions, for the staff to gossip about.” Jane rolls her eyes. “We can’t be the only ones.”

“We can’t be the only ones,” repeats Sabina to Elena, comforting voice engaged. “Not in this line of work.” She appears to be trying to hide a chortle, and in Jane’s professional opinion, Sabina is doing A Crap Job.

“Still, Elena has a point,” Jane tells Sabina, trying to drill this home with the intensity of her gaze. “No matter how she delivered it.”

“Fine, fine,” says Sabina breezily. “Flirt with total hottie Josh in the back alley, got it. Not in front of the loves of my life.”

Jane glares. Elena glares. Sabina smirks, then looks flustered, then appears chagrined. It’s not because Sabina’s ‘sorry’ … Jane’s picked that much up. It’s because Sabina doesn’t want to make them mad. Jane now knows that Sabina absolutely hates (and fears) her girlfriends being upset with her. Jane feels oddly sympathetic towards Sabina for that particular trait. Seems like kind of a big Achilles’ heel … it makes Sabina Way Too Vulnerable.

Jane caves. She reaches under the table and rests her other hand on Sabina’s thigh, supportively. Squeezes, once. Sabina’s eyes flash to Jane’s, wide and green and yes … a tiny bit frightened. Sabina is freaking out, just a little, on the down low: Jane read that correctly. Jane gives Sabina her best firm look. It means something like, ‘pull it together, nothing’s really wrong.’ Sabina gazes back, eyes almost thirsty. Then she relaxes, shoots Jane a small smile. Sabina appears relieved. Jane smiles back. Removes her hands from both her girlfriends’ thighs. Leans back in her seat. Finishes her double espresso.

Everything is fine. The Angels are about to enjoy a sweet treat together, at their favourite local café. Jane has just had a Very Good coffee. She watches her girlfriends affectionately: they are now pecking lips softly, in a brief kiss. Elena initiated it: she’s reassuring Sabina too, Elena-style. A new waitstaff arrives at the Angels’ table bearing their desserts: it’s not Josh. He must have asked one of his co-workers to deliver the order instead. Smart boy. Maybe he’s a little less … unimpressive, than Jane has been privately judging …

Sabina looks excited. She grabs the marble cake with extra cream: Elena ordered for the three-of-them perfectly by Jane’s assessment, no matter that it was hurried … and all about getting Josh to leave. Jane picks up the fork for her devil’s food cake, eyeing it with relish. Elena must have caught Jane making eyes at this temptation on the way in. Elena’s so observant of her girlfriends … and she uses it towards considerate behaviours like this. Jane approves. Elena has already started on her angel food cake. Elena sighs out in what seems like bliss. The Angels all smile at each other. Sabina (predictably) has cream on her lips, sprinkled with cake crumbs. Jane knows that Sabina won’t wipe this off until she’s finished eating: she never does.

“Shall we toast with cake?” suggests Elena, holding up her fork with a piece of cake wedged on the end. Elena smiles shyly, at both of them. “To us.”

Jane can get behind that! She raises her own fork-with-cake. Sabina does the same, licking her lips.

“To us,” says Jane, voice gravelly. She means it.

“To us!” says Sabina, beaming at them both. “We’re the bombs.”

Jane rolls her eyes because she’s not even sure what that means … but a moment later, Sabina’s meaning drops in. Jane gets the gist of it (which is all she needs to get). The gist of it is love, has always been love, delivered in each Angel’s unique flavour. Jane stops rolling her eyes and taps her fork against Sabina’s instead, then against Elena’s. Her girlfriends tap their forks together with each other. Then they all eat cake.

Together.