The Scent of Love

Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Summary: In times of war, sometimes, the only companion a soldier has is the gun. But sometimes, there's another companion, one that is just as strong as a weapon, and is far more valuable than any gun. For Sergeant Lupo, the scars of battle would be hidden, raw and bleeding, but she would not carry them alone. Pre-Eureka, to end of series.

"There are so many jobs now that dogs are being used for- Originally it was kind of looked at as that patrol dog or the bomb-detection dog, but now they're being used to find the IEDs [improved explosive devices]. Some of them are actually being used for therapy in the field, which is really incredible. But they're starting to look at all of the different potential components that these dogs can contribute to...and the detection area is so important because these dogs are better than any machine that we have — and they can save lives."

- NPR Interview

"I'm proud of you, Josefina."

I've heard that my entire life. The only time I didn't hear those words, was when I slammed Luca into the doorway of my room, breaking his nose and fracturing a clavicle in the process. I was eight, and hadn't realized my own strength.

Sometimes I still don't.

The black of the uniform was crisp and smooth; it'd been hanging in my closet since I'd started at The Point, a constant reminder of what I was working towards. I'd started at fourteen instead of eighteen; Dad had pulled some major strings to get me in. And, being Colonel Lupo's only daughter, well, I had a bit of a disadvantage at fourteen. At seventeen, I still had disadvantages.

"I know, Dad. I'm well aware of how proud you are of me." I replied. Davie rolled his eyes.

"Jeez Jojo, you could at least act grateful that Dad's proud of you. He had to get clearance to come to your graduation."

"It's not every day your only daughter graduates from The Point." Dad said, beaming. I lowered my head, swallowing.

"I know, Davie. I... I am, I just... I'm nervous."

"About what? Graduation's over. You don't have to come back here ever again." Luca said.

"I get it. She's worried about her new deployment." Ricco piped up, setting his cup down. I turned to glare at him.

"I'm not nervous about my deployment! I'm not a... a chicken like you." I replied, hands on my hips.

"I'm not a chicken, Jojo. I'm the smart one, remember?" I rolled my eyes.

"Right. I forgot, nearly getting yourself blown up in Desert Storm is real smart." I could see Ricco's eyes darken, and before I could blink, he had me over his shoulder, headed for the grass on the quad.

"Ricco! Put me down!"

"Tommass! You put Josefina down this instant!" He stopped, and minutes later, I felt him set me back on my feet. Not even the strictest drill sergeant could ignite that much fear into my brothers. Only Dad. Once I'd regained my balance, I punched my brother hard in the arm before returning to the table we'd been sitting at.

"God, Jojo, you sure pack a punch." I couldn't help smiling at him.

"Ah, you know, six point knock out. Nothing major." I replied, sitting next to Dad.

"Just because you graduated with top honors, like the rest of us."

"And matched every honor, every achievement. I made a mark on that school, not you!" I said, turning on Luca. Sometimes, being the only girl- and the baby at that- is a real pain in the ass.

"And thank god you did. I don't think I could handle listening to another Ricco, Davie or Luca achievement. It's about time that school got a taste of Josie." I turned, and, I admit it, I squealed. I don't do it often, so it's foreign. At least to me.

"Gwen!" I rushed to her, throwing my arms around her and nearly sending us both to the grass.

"Thank god she went for Gwen instead of us first." I heard Lan's voice, and Tam's muffled reply.

"You came! Thank god! I was afraid you wouldn't come!"

"And miss seeing you finally leave The Point? Not a chance." Gwen said, pulling away and letting Tam wrap me in a hug.

The fact that my three best friends had managed to come to my graduation, especially since they all finally graduated from their own schools. Unlike most girls, Lan, Gwen, Tam and I grew up on military bases- our dads all served in the Army, same division, and so we spent the majority of our childhoods being shuffled from one base to the next, leaving one school before enrolling in another. By the time we four turned ten, we'd all lived not only in the U.S., but also various parts of Europe, Canada, Central and South America, and Mexico.

We'd been shipped off to our respective schools all at age fourteen- too much trouble for our parents, together or apart. And now, finally, after four years, we were all together again. For a while, anyway.

"Oh, Jo, before I forget, I got you something. For graduation." I turned from my conversation with my friends, to see my dad set a box on the grass at my feet.

"Dad? Wh... what did you get me? A... a komodo dragon?" I couldn't fight the push of curiousity pulling me toward the box, and I looked up at him, waiting for his reply. He chuckled.

"No. Luca wanted to get you that, but I put my foot down. I figured that this... this would help you get through a lot of those... unnerving, sleepless nights on deployment. I know when I had it, it helped me."

Utterly and completely curious now, I knelt down and lifted the lid, to find myself staring into the light blue eyes of a puppy. After a moment, I tilted the box onto its side, and backed up, letting it come to me.

"Oh a puppy!" Tam cried; she may be the blonde, but she's no ditz, and when it comes to animals, well, if she could, she'd adopt every animal in every shelter, no matter the cost.

"Come here. I won't hurt you." I whispered to it, and slowly, it moved out of the box, coming towards me.

"What kind is it?" Gwen asked, turning to my dad.

"Newfoundland and Husky mix. Two months old."

"She's just a baby." I said, scooping her up once she got close enough and holding her to me, allowing her to lick at my face.

"You gave her a dog? You do realize this is Jojo we're talking about, right?" Davie said. "She can barely take care of herself, let alone another human being, let alone a puppy."

I glared at him. "Shove it, Davie!" I replied, throwing my cap at him. He pulled away, sticking his tongue out at me.

"What are you going to name her, Josie?" Lan asked, sitting beside me to stroke her fur.

"I don't know."

"She's so adorable." Tam said, joining us; Gwen rolled her eyes, before kneeling down and giving into the cuteness of the puppy. Gwen's tough, but even she can't resist a puppy.

"She looks like a small pile of ash in a giant land of green." Gwen said, running her fingers through the puppy's fur.

"That's it!"

"What's it, Josie?" Tam asked. I turned to her.

"Ashland." I turned back to Gwen and leaned over, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you Gwen, I love you, you're a genius." Her brow furrowed.

"What'd I say?" But I didn't get a chance to explain, because when I looked up next, the Dean of The Point was standing before me, holding out a slip of paper. I put the puppy on the grass and stood.

"Sorry to interrupt, Lupo, but I have your orders."

"Orders?" I took the paper, unfolding it.

"What's it say?" After a moment, I looked back at Dad.

"I... I've been assigned."

"To where?" Ricco asked, coming to read over my shoulder.

"To... to Iraq."

"Why?" Tam asked, scooping up the puppy.

"To... to fight. It says we... we've been attacked."