*Robbie*

Marshal Jane Freeman was watching her commander closely. He was off, that was for sure. Robbie Sinclair was a space-cold bastard who dedicated himself to his work to the exclusion of everything, and everyone, else. At least, he had been up until a week ago.

This past week he had been...distracted. Ever since he had gotten together with that little cutie from Hazard. Not really Jane's type, but she could see what was appealing, with those big brown eyes and waif-like demeanor. It had been just one night, but ever since then it seemed like his mind had been wandering more. Not really when he was on the job, but when he relaxed a little bit, when they were alone in his office, he was just...off. Jane decided to test him.

"So you got my memo on the shift rotations?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Good, good. I knew that writing it in Cyrillic wouldn't pose any difficulty for you."

"Nope."

"Seeing as how you studied ancient Russian history in school."

"Mm...yeah."

"Uh-huh." She eyed him closely. "Just like Wyl Leyton did."

"What?" He sat up suddenly, his eyes snapping over to her. "What about Wyl?"

Jane sighed in exasperation. "You are totally out of it, boss-man."

"What do you mean?"

"I just told you I wrote you a memo in Cyrillic, for shit's sake! Most people don't even know what that is anymore! You didn't snap out of it until I mentioned Wyl Leyton's name." She leaned back in her chair, staring at him. "He's still on your mind, huh." She saw the reluctance in his face. "C'mon Robbie, confession is good for the soul. Spill it."

Robbie sighed. He had drifted off, without even realizing it. It was like this past week he'd been stumbling around in a daze, reliving every moment he'd spent with Wyl in his mind at the most inopportune times. Even the station master had noticed something was distracting him, and gone so far as to offer counseling.

Counseling. Fuck it, Robbie didn't need counseling, he needed Wyl. Gorgeous, hot, funny, sexy Wyl who made him feel like he was worth a damn at something more than breaking people down. This last week he hadn't even been very good at that. His nights were full of dreams of Wyl, dreams which, while extremely enjoyable, weren't the type that allowed for steady sleep, and his working hours were filled with unrelenting memories and anticipation. Without Jane covering his back, it would have been a very tough week.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"I miss him," he said finally, a little uncomfortably. Jane was fast becoming a good friend, his only friend on the station, but still, talking about feelings was so...not him.

"You like him."

"Yes."

"As more than just a hot fuck."

"Jane..."

"Robbie, it wasn't hard for me to see that you were into him. And obviously he was way into you. So try not to get shy now."

"You thought he was into me?" He tried to hide the relief he felt at her words. Robbie knew the sex was incredible and that Wyl had been neglected for a long time, but he wasn't so sure about how he'd fared in the light of the day, so to speak.

Jane laughed. "You're adorable when you're insecure! Into you? You couldn't pry him off of you in the bedroom, and you were just sleeping when I came in. When I watched him say goodbye from the control center, it looked like all he could do not to jump you. And it was his idea to facilitate his coming back, right?" She waited for Robbie's nod. "So yes, he's into you. Feelings assuaged, hugs all around. What else?" she encouraged.

"Well...I'm looking forward to him coming back."

"Why? For another wild night?"

"Yes, but not just that." Robbie averted his eyes, looking out into space. "I want to know more about him. There's a lot to learn. He's a bonder, but he wouldn't tell me why."

"A bonder?" Jane shook her head. "That's rough. My daddy was a bonder before he entered the military; they were offering debt removal for service back then. And yeah, I've heard they can be touchy about why they're in the system. On the plus side, odds are pretty good he isn't a criminal."

"Wait." Robbie turned to stare at her. "How could anyone who broke the law be eligible for the bond system? I thought it was just for debts."

"It is, but there are different types of debts, and the planets all have their own guidelines for punishment.” Jane shrugged. “Monetary debt is the simplest, straight-up. Pretty easy to deal with too, since friends and family are allowed to help pay the bond off. Sometimes if a person is involved in financial fraud the government will grab their property as well as placing a debt on them. Same thing goes for petty thievery, certain drug users, reckless endangerment or manslaughter charges...it all depends. The more money a planet or Alliance needs, the more crimes they turn into bond-debt instead of jail time. Bonds can sell for a lot of money if the skills are right."

Wyl definitely had skills. He was a good mechanic, too...Robbie felt a blush coming on. "Think I should try to find out his history from him?"

"If you really like him, you probably should. And if he really likes you, he'll tell you eventually, because you need to be honest with the people close to you."

Robbie smiled. "Tell me again why you're a marshal and not a counselor."

She rolled her eyes. "Because I can't stand listening to people bitch about their fucking problems all day."

"You're doing a pretty good job with me."

"Are you kidding? I'm pulling bloody teeth." Jane shook her head. "You're a tough guy, Robbie. You don't complain about anything, you don't ask for sympathy, you don't ask for a break. I really respect that." She grinned. "That's why you get my advice for free."

"I'm a lucky guy."

"Too right you are. When does he come in?"

"Not for another five hours."

"Oh, you'll be useless." Jane stood up and stretched. "It's about time for a break anyway. Put Dawson in charge and let's spar for a while. I haven't worked my control techniques for weeks."

Robbie got to his feet. "Get ready to get beaten."

"Ha! So says the pretty boy, all brawn and no brains. I'll have you dancin' to my lead in no time." She struck a pose, flexing, then walked out. Robbie smiled after her and grabbed for his comm. It would do him some good to get his mind off Wyl for a while.

If anything could do that.