Project Winters

A completely gratuitous story to indulge my obsession for Baird.

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The deployment of the lightmass bomb had seemed to go off without a hitch, or near enough anyway, locust activity had quieted and gradually each squad of Gears were returning to the few bases of operation the humans still had left awaiting a stretch of much needed downtime. For all they knew the locust threat had been eliminated and nobody more than the members of Delta were looking forward to a break from the fighting, the blood and the death. Time to regroup, recuperate and of course relax.

The four remaining members of Delta had been enjoying their R&R for a day or two watching more and more squads returning from various fronts of battle, scarred, broken and less numerous members but all possessing a joyous and hopeful attitude. Could the war really be nearing an end? These thoughts were running pretty deep through most of the Gears minds, however being back in some sort of civilisation was quickly allowing far baser thoughts and desires to creep back in and Damon Baird was no exception to this.

Well it was probably on all of their minds now that they had some space to think but as they observed more and more squads returning one in particular stirred up just those thoughts in Private Baird’s mind, dragging up some embarrassing memories he’d rather leave forgotten and old questions he could perhaps finally get a chance to have answered, that is if he could pull himself together and not act like such an arse this time around.

“Hey Baird, isn’t that Psi squad just coming in over there?” Coles voice suddenly dragged him out of his thoughts, obviously looking over in exactly the same direction he was.

“Yeah, looks like.” Was all the distracted reply Baird gave, something told Cole he was trying to avoid discussing the matter, perhaps he knew the ribbing that the ex-pro sports man was dying to give him.

“Well? Aren’t you gonna go say Hi to some of your old squad mates?” He raised two dark eyebrows at the blonde man beside him, “Or are you still too chicken shit to go talk to Holly after the fool you made of yourself.”

“Fuck you!”

“Oh hey wait what’s this? Whose Holly, Baird?” Dom suddenly piped up, gaining an interest in the conversation only when Baird began to get pissy.

“None of your damn business Santiago, so just drop it okay!”

“Oh I see, like that is it? So what did she do to get you all riled up, Cole you know what this is all about I take it.”

Cole grinned at Baird, he may have been far friendlier with Baird than he was the other two in Delta but he did so like to wind the man up, and he made it far too easy. “Sergeant Winters, she’s the ranking officer with Psi squad. Baird was posted with them for a while, before he joined Alpha with me. Apparently he, ah, had some trouble focussing and obeying orders.”

Dom frowned and cast a sideways look towards the scowling blonde in their midst. “So what, Baird? You had a problem with a woman being superior to you? Couldn’t handle her ordering you around?”

Cole laughed, “Oh hell no, he just wanted to get in her pants.”

That was enough for Baird, still scowling he stood to make a hasty exit. Okay so it was true, didn’t mean he wanted to sit there and listen to the rest of them laugh about it.

“I think he liked her ordering him around, was just wishing she’d give him some dirtier ones. You know that brain of his, always working overtime? Well around her he was thinking way too much about the wrong kinda stuff and could never seem to focus or follow orders. She thought he was incompetent and that’s why they had him reposted.” Cole continued as Baird walked away, he’d talk to him later and make everything alright between them again but it was always good to see the snarky blonde taken down a peg or two.

Dom laughed loud and throatily at this sudden insight into Baird and even Marcus was seen to crack a smile, “Oh man Cole you should not have told us that, y’know he is never going to hear the end of it now!” Dom replied having slumped from the effort of laughing, it was the first bit of light relief he’d felt in a good long while, thoughts of the war and of his missing Maria plagued him day and night it was nice to push it to the back of his mind for a few moments and actually laugh.

“So who is she then Cole?” Marcus growled in his usual gravely voice.

“See the blonde down there with those four guys, that’s Psi and the blonde, of course, is Miss Holly Winters. Have to hand it to Baird I can see why he likes her, pretty, more than capable of handling herself and is one of a very few women in the Gears, Anya not included seeing as we all know Fenix here is sweet for her! But Baird’s gotta face it man she ain’t ever gonna be interested in him.”

“Yeah well not if she thinks he’s an incompetent ass!” Marcus replied, hastening to avoid the topic of Anya he might just do something about that at some point but it would be in his own time and when he could drag up the nerve to tell her. A locust horde he could handle but telling that woman exactly how he felt about her, that was a hell of a lot harder.

“Yeah but a part of me hopes she just forgets all about that, mans so uptight, he needs to get laid!”

“Don’t we all Cole.” Dom sighed a little dismally, though those weren’t the reasons he was so desperate to find Maria it was all one and the same when it came down to it.

Baird was in much the same frame of mind, however he wasn’t as convinced as Cole was that he wouldn’t have a chance with Holly, but he might have his work cut out for him. Especially when considering the opinion she must have forged of him before his hasty departure for Alpha squad, it didn’t really bare thinking about, but he was a smart guy and could easily prove her wrong couldn’t he? Who knew she might not even remember who he was.