Title: The Importance of knocking

Category: Terra Nova

Ship: Taylor/Wash, mentions of Maddy/Mark

Genre: Humor/Romance/Crack-y

Rated: PG-13

Word Count: 1540

Summary: Knock before you enter, always, always knock and wait until you are granted entrance.

Author's Note: Un-beta, any and all mistakes are mine.

It amused me to write this, I hope it does the same for you. I would like to emphasize that this is CRACK.

November prompt: "Maddy Shannon had burst into the command centre once before - perhaps the memory of what happened that time should have been more carefully considered before she did it again." (We have some great prompts and people over at the LJ community so join us if you like; the link is on my profile)

Maddy walks in on Wash and Taylor... in flagrante, as it were. – makesometime

… … …

Honestly she doesn't know why she does it, she's a polite young woman, her parents taught her manners. Please and thank you, knock before you enter, always, always knock and wait until you are granted entrance. So why she wonders as she stands frozen taking in the scene before her didn't she knock this time? She should leave, she should at the very least turn around and give them their rightful privacy but it seems impossible even when her brain is screaming at her to do so, to move.

She stands there amazed at what she has discovered and even though she has had her suspicions about just how close the two people before her are, she never expected her suspicions to be confirmed like this.

Commander Nathaniel Taylor the leader of their home is leaning against his glass table, his head tipped back towards the sky, his mouth parted as he breathe heavy, his face flushed, the veins of his neck visible, he looks nothing like the collected and in control leader she has come to know in the two years she has been in Terra Nova. One of his hands is clenching and unclenching at his side in small spasms, while the other is clasping the jet black hair of the woman on her knees before him. She has her back to her but Maddy doesn't need to see her face to know who it is, in the time she has been there she has come to know Alicia Washington not just as her boyfriend's friend and superior but as a close friend herself. She's just never known her like this, even in her state she is stunned at the submissive position the older woman has taken, when submissive was the last word she would ever use for the woman.

"Alicia," Commander Taylor growls brings her out of her stupor and also brings out a high pitched sound passed her lips before she can stop it.

The Commander and his lieutenant freeze comically in place and dimly in the back of Maddy's mind, the part that isn't drowning in embarrassment realizes that these two people who are known for their sharp instincts and alertness where so lost in their little world of two that it's taken them this long to realize that she's been in the room. She swirls around as Alicia slowly rises because her movement has put even more of the Commander on display and she if ever wants to be able to look the older man in the face again she really shouldn't see that part of him. She feels the urge to let out a hysterical laugh as she hears clothes ruffling and zippers being pulled up, she bites her lip until she can taste blood when she hears a whispered 'shit' come out of the man's mouth.

"I-I-I…"

"Shannon," Commander Taylor says in his gruff voice cutting her stammer. "Turn around."

It's the last thing she wants to do, but she can't disobey the man any more than the rest of the colony. She finds the man sitting behind his desk, while Alicia is leaning against it, they both have blank faces as they look at her, like nothing has happened and for a moment she wonders if she just imagined it because you can't tell she walked in on anything from their poker faces, only the slightest smirk on Alicia still wet lips and a raise of her eyebrow as she looks at her tells the truth.

"You need something Maddy?" Alicia addresses her sounding like her friend and not like a soldier.

"I…." Maddy tries to speak helplessly because her mind has gone blank and she can't remember what she had come into the command centre for; she had been looking for the woman that much she remembered. "Nothing…forget it, I'm- I'm just going to…go…now"

She breathed a sigh of relief as the Commander simply nodded at her; she turned to leave pausing when the man called out to her making her cringe with his words.

"Miss Shannon, remember it's polite to knock….for next time."

She barely gets out a stammered 'yes sir' before she flees out the door.

… … …

She's not surprised that Alicia seeks her out just hours later and she follows when the woman tells her to come with her, they walk through the streets to Terra Nova until they reach the bar. She's eighteen now, she can enter it and drink if she wants but never has, it seems a day for firsts, she follows Alicia as she stops first at the bar and asks for a bottle and two shot glasses. She follows her again as she leads her into a secluded corner in the back, ignoring the looks that follow them from the other patrons. The soldiers off duty aren't use to seeing their superior officer there; the lot of them sitting up straight as they pass them by but Alicia ignores them all.

Alicia opens the bottle, measuring out equal amounts into each glass, before pushing one in front of her. "If we're going to have this conversation I think we're both going to need some of this."

Maddy groans, her face turning red, not that it has really stopped since she walk in on them, she been walking around for hours with her face the color of a tomato. Alicia raises an eyebrow at the sound picking up her glass. Maddy follows, grimacing as she takes in the taste.

"Well?"

Maddy looks up at her friend, her eyes watering from the hard liquor but it seem to be working because the warm feeling from the amber beverage is helping her speak. "I am so, so, so sorry, it wasn't my intention-"

She stops as the older woman chuckles. "I know, he does too."

Maddy lets out breath of relief at the words.

"Maddy," Alicia spoke softly leaning in close, no one could hear them but still. "No one knows…we'd like to keep it that way."

"Of course" Maddy answered immediately surprised that was even a question, she'd take it to her grave not just because it wasn't any of her business, but because she would never betray her friend's trust that way.

Alicia gave her a smile, her posture relaxing. "Thank you."

Maddy placed her hand over the older woman's giving it a squeeze, smiling when the woman smiled back. "You happy?"

She watched as a tender look crossed the usually stern soldier. "We are."

"I'm glad Alicia," Maddy smiled again, the humor of the situation finally taking over. "He certainly looked happy when I walked in."

The loud startled laugh Alicia lets out has more than one person looking over at them, but they both ignore it as they lean in close, giggling. As their laughter dies down, Alicia gives her an impish smile. "It was almost worth it you walking in; his face after you left….I'll remember it forever."

Maddy covered her face laughing as she moaned. "I'm never going to be able face him again."

"Don't worry I don't think he'll be seeking you out for a while himself." Alicia joked, before turning serious. "Sorry we embarrassed you."

"I embarrassed myself by not knocking," Maddy waved off. "Besides it was…"

Alicia narrowed her eyes, smirking as she trailed off, blushing again. "It was?"

"Nothing," Maddy answered quickly, shaking her head. "It's too embarrassing to say, I'd die."

"Oh come on!" Alicia wheedled as she poured another shot. "You kind of owe me embarrassing after today, tell me."

Maddy took the shot and tipped it back, it had been running through her head since she had seen what she had seen and she was curious…

"It was…educational?" Maddy hedged, cringing when Alicia gave her an amused look as she told her to continue. "Okay, Mark and I, we've been together for a long time now…and we've done things…he's done things that I've really enjoyed but I've never returned that favor."

Maddy gave the woman a mocking glare as she snorted into her drink. "Not funny."

Alicia chuckled. "Completely funny, so you want to return the favor…come here."

Maddy leaned in as Alicia started whispering in her ear, her face turning redder with each word. She stared in wonder as the woman leaned away, a smirk firmly placed on her face.

"Just like that." Maddy squeaked out.

"Maddy," Alicia started as she rose from the table. "You go for that boy's belt he's not going to stop you."

Maddy watched as Alicia walked away, pausing to greet Mark who had walked in with his friends, she watched as the woman pointed in her direction and the smile on Mark's face as he spotted her started walking towards her.

"Hi baby," Mark greeted her, leaning down to kiss her lips. "How was your day?"

She caught Alicia's eyes, the woman giving her an amused but supportive look before walking out the door. Turning to her boyfriend she gave him a flirty smile as she leaned in for another kiss, a slow and lingering one, grinning when his breath shuttered.

"Educational."

"That's good." Mark answered, his eyes a dark grey as he stared at her mouth.

"I think you'll think so too."