To Lure, To Rejoice; To Rejoice - Perchance To Sing

By MMW

"To taste, or not to taste - that is the question," Meredith said, knowing no one would hear her in amongst the cacophony of noise that was the saloon on a Friday night after work. Though she had just wanted to go home and forget this week had ever happened, she had somehow allowed the other Admins to talk her into going to the Saloon with them. Now she sat at a table, a hot tea and some sort of appetizer sitting before her. The tea she trusted. The appetizer was another story entirely.

"What did you say?" Sandra called over the noise of the person singing, well, attempting to sing, along with the karaoke.

"Nothing, just thinking on it being Friday and all," she shouted back wondering if Sandra could hear even half of what she said. With a sigh she decided against trying the unidentified food item no matter how many people swore it was great and waited as patiently as she could for the caterwauling to cease.

Finally the song finished and the bar heaved a collective sigh of relief. They all knew of at least one person who was about to be cut off. "So why did you lure me here again?" she asked of no one in particular.

"So you could rejoice with us that it's Friday!" Sandi exclaimed, a huge smile on her face.

"And to maybe get you to sing some karaoke," Sunni threw in, and evil glint in her eye.

Meredith laughed. "I see, so it was something like: To lure - to rejoice; to rejoice - perchance to sing," she said, a smile fighting to be born.

Sunni groaned. "You shouldn't do that to us on a Friday night!" she complained.

"What?" Sandra asked.

"Misquote Shakespeare," Meredith supplied, her evil little smile finally breaking free.

"Uh, oh," Sandi said.

"What?" Sunni asked.

"Here comes Team Seven," she informed. "Well, at least Buck, Ezra and Vin."

Meredith sat back a little further in her chair. She hadn't been working at the ATF long, but had heard more than enough about Team Seven to wonder about them. She had typed up several things for this group of men including providing some aid to Vin Tanner, but she'd never actually met them. Tonight, as worn out as she was - and, she decided, she must be worn out to be misquoting Shakespeare - she wasn't sure she was up to meeting anyone.

"Hey guys!" Sandi greeted.

"Hi!" supplied Sandra.

"Hello," Sunni said.

Meredith nodded.

"Buck, Ezra, Vin, I'd like to introduce you to Meredith," Sunni said. "She's one of our more recent additions."

"Pleased ta meet you," Buck said moving over to take her hand. Holding it, he looked into her eyes and turned on the Wilmington charm. "Now how I missed the notice a beautiful woman like you was starting I'll never know," he finished before kissing her knuckle.

More amused than anything, Meredith smiled at him, resisting the urge to laugh and replied, "Yes, well. My job does keep me busy as I'm sure yours does." Then seeing that he wasn't going to release her hand anytime soon, she added gently, "And I think I'll need that hand back if you don't mind." She heard Ezra and Vin chuckle as Buck had the courtesy to look abashed.

"Hey, why don't you join us," Sandra encouraged.

Meredith had, to be honest about it, been thinking of calling it a night, but with the addition of the three men, she felt obliged to stay a little longer. Sipping her tea, she listened to those around her banter back and forth. Eventually, after she began to get comfortable with the newcomers, she would toss out the occasional comment but mostly kept to herself.

As she sat, she studied the men sitting with them. She decided she liked them. They could be fun and after her subtle brush off, Buck had relaxed and started treating her as anyone else. According to office gossip, that might not last, but she suspected he was far more of a gentleman than most women gave him credit for. Ezra was every inch the gentleman. She enjoyed his wordplay and his little rants. Vin was quiet, but his sense of humor proved deadly. Meredith appreciated his dry wit and perfect timing. She ended up with pictures of the men very different from what she had pieced together from their reports.

Of course, she thought idly, it doesn't hurt that they're excellent eye candy either.

Picking up on the conversation again, Buck and Vin were discussing a professional Snowboarder and why he claimed he had been called to that career. Before she could stop the thought from being voiced she said, "Thus conscious does make professional Snowboarders of us all…" Realizing she'd said that aloud, she felt her cheeks color and wished she could disappear.

Sunni, Ezra and Sandra all started chuckling. 

"Was that more misquoted Shakespeare?" Sandi asked trying to figure out what was going on.

"Hamlet's soliloquy if I'm not mistaken," Ezra suppled.

Meredith nodded. "I was re-reading it at lunch." Looking at her watch, she noted the time and gauged how tired she felt. "And on that note," she said, standing, "I'm going to head for home."

As the others protested and eventually began wishing her a good night, she looked each person in the eye to wish them a good night. When she reached Vin, their eyes met and she felt a shock race through her.  When souls touch… She had no idea where that idea came from and shook it off as she continued her goodbyes and left.

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