A/N - I don't know an awful lot about army ranks etc, so please ignore any mistakes made on my part :)

Anyone with a basic knowledge of the - then current - political situation regarding Crimea knew it was coming; the tension between Russia and the USA had been building for months and more and more countries had been getting involved on both sides of the argument. But of course, everyone had hoped that it wouldn't have gone to, what was always, the last resort.

The entire ED had come to a standstill to listen to the message that was being broadcasted on live TV from the British prime minister at 10 Downing Street on the TV in reception.
"It is with the deepest regret that Russia have not pulled their armed forces out of Crimea, or the Ukrainian military bases, which is why Britain, and the USA, have declared war on Russia." David Cameron explained, and within seconds the ED began to get noisy again as the rest of the broadcast was drowned out. Worried relatives and colleagues talking to each other whilst some members of the staff found it hard to accept the news. Sam couldn't believe her ears as she looked up and met eyes with her husband across the reception. He made his way through the crowd politely and paused in front of his wife.
"You okay?" Tom asked softly as he tucked a bit of loose hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, fine. I just... I really hoped that it wouldn't come to this." She admitted.
"Me too." Tom stated quietly, which let an awkward silence fall over them for a few moments.
"Right, we'd better get on. This ED isn't going to get any quieter is it." Sam concluded as she straightened her yellow stethoscope around her neck.
"Wait, Sam-" Tom called but she had disappeared into resus. He could only guess that she was trying to ignore the global issue. But he was sure that he would be able to discuss it with her later - she just needed some time for the news to sink in.

As the minutes turned into hours the day began to slowly creep by. But the political situation had escalated so much further. More and more countries had gotten involved which had put so many more people in fear and danger. People couldn't believe how quickly the situation had worsened until several of the worlds superpowers were involved. To put it simply : UK, USA, Japan, France and India, against Russia, China and Germany. But that was mere hours after the declaration of war... Who knew what would happen in the near future?

Tom and Sam were making their way out to their car after a long day at work when they noticed that everything was suddenly so much gloomier. Nobody had a smile on their face, the morning's clear blue sky had disappeared above the thick, dark grey clouds and there wasn't the usual buzz of people on the grass by the peace garden.
"I know it's date night, but can we stay in tonight?" Sam asked wearily as they both got into the car and pulled their seat belts on.
"Yeah sure. I'll cook us something." He replied kindly as he too had to admit that the last thing that he wanted would be to go out and have a meal at a posh restaurant together and pretend that everything was going to be okay because they knew that they weren't as safe as they had been that morning when they woke up in each other's arms. "What do you fancy for dinner?" He asked, but Sam shrugged.
"I'm not really hungry." Sam admitted and once again, and silence began to creep upon them until Tom decided to speak up.

"Look, are you being quiet because you're worried about this war?" Tom asked quietly.
"War happens Tom. Just get over it." Sam snapped but she instantly regretted being so rude to her husband as he had only asked her a question as he cared for his wife's happiness. "Sorry... It's been a long day." She apologised.
"Okay, how about a nice bowl of my amazing chicken soup, and then a nice hot bath together?" He suggested to change the subject.
"Your 'amazing chicken soup' is just a tin of Heinz soup isn't it?" Sam retorted.
"Maybe." Tom replied sheepishly. "Is that a yes?" He asked.
"Yeah, go on then." Sam gave a small smile. "But you're having the tap end of the bath." She ordered.
"I always have the tap end." Tom moaned.
"Exactly, so you're used to it." Sam concluded smugly.

The couple were lying in the hot, steamy, soapy bath and Tom had Sam's feet on his lap. He was giving her a gentle foot massage to relieve some of her stress when her phone began ringing. She dried her hand on the towel besides her, and then answered the call from an unknown number.
"Hello?... Ma'am." She suddenly became formal and Tom looked at her in confusion. "Right... Yes... I'm not entirely sure... Can I have some time to think it over?... Okay, thank you Ma'am... Yes, I'll get back to you soon... Goodbye." She hung up the phone and put it next to the bath on the floor again before she settled down in the water but her mind was restless, but she kept her head above water as she had her hair in a bun to prevent it from getting wet. "The um... The army are deploying troops all over the world, mainly in Russia, Ukraine and Crimea... And they've got enough soldiers who were on the reserves, but they haven't got nearly enough combat medics." Sam explained slowly and Tom's face became clearly despaired as he knew where it was going.

"And they've asked you to join up again." He concluded and Sam gave a small nod. "Are you considering it?"
"I suppose... I mean, they need medics and it takes years to have them fully trained so obviously, their first choice is ex-army members to get medics out there as soon as." Sam said slowly. "What do you think I should do?" She asked timidly as he began to trail his finger lightly over the top of her foot in the water.
"C'mon I can't make that decision for you." Tom stated.
"I'm not asking you to I just... Before, when I signed up, I had nobody but Dylan, and he didn't exactly protest at me leaving, but... I don't know, now I've got you and... I don't know Tom." She admitted and they fell into a silence once more that lasted several minutes until he came to a decision.

"Well I know." Tom stated and Sam looked up at him in confusion. He knew that she had never truly wanted to leave the army, she just needed a break after the shooting incident. And he knew she was right, and that if the pair weren't married, she would of course have accepted the offer no questions asked. But as much as he supported her decision to serve their country, he didn't want her doing it alone. "If you join, I'll join. And if the army are so desperate then they'll let us stay together rather than not have two emergency doctors who are fully trained. That is, if you want to join of course." Tom explained.

"Of course I want to join but I don't understand; you... You'd really join the army just to stay with me?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, of course I would. But we'd need to make sure that we'd be able to stay together first." Tom said sternly. Sam smiled as she repositioned herself in the bath and got on of him, chest to chest. She gave him a deep passionate kiss on the lips before she stared lovingly into his eyes.
"Are you sure you don't want more time to think about it?" Sam asked.
"Sam, as long as I'm with you, I don't care where I am, who else I'm working with or what I'm doing." Tom stated.
"Don't give me all the cheesy stuff." Sam cringed as she buried her head in his chest that was just above the water level.

"So what's the rules on making love in the army?" Tom said suggestively as he smoothed his hands over her back in the water.
"It's technically not allowed, but basically, as long as you don't get caught, you can do it as much as you want." Sam explained bluntly.
"Well discrete is my middle name." Tom joked. "Oh, and what do we do about protection?" He asked curiously.
"Um... You can get pretty much every single form of birth control at base camps, but I'll go on the pill to make things easier."
"Okay. And what's the rules on making love in this bath?" Tom asked and Sam couldn't help but smirk.

"That's a no go because I'm not on the pill yet and you haven't got anything, so you'll have to wait until we're in bed." Sam stated firmly.
"Right." Tom nodded and Sam could tell he was up to something by the look on his face. "What?!" He laughed.
"You've got that smug look that means you're going to do something stupid." Sam stated.
"Well then, I'd better get on with it." He announced as he pulled the plug out underneath him, wrapped his arms under Sam's bum and stood up in the bath with her weight on against his abdomen and her legs straddled around his waist.
"What are you doing?" Sam remarked.
"Well you said we have to wait until we're in bed, and I can't wait any longer so I'm just speeding up the process." He admitted jokily as he stepped out of the bath and placed her on her feet on the bathroom mat. He wrapped a towel around her body, and then one around his waist, before he took the hairband out of Sam's bun and let her thick, dry hair fall down around her shoulders. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" Tom smiled as he pecked her on the lips.

"Yes, but don't let that stop you from saying it more than once." Sam smiled and Tom chuckled.
"Right, to the bedroom!" He announced before he strolled confidently into the room, dropped his towel and launched himself on the bed. Sam rolled her eyes before she went in, dropped her towel too and joined him under the duvet to make love.

Sam and Tom were laying naked under the duvet, relaxing after their strenuous activity when Sam slid out of bed and pulled her dressing gown on.
"Now now, I didn't have you down as a sex and run girl Mrs Kent." Tom remarked.
"I'm ringing the base back to discuss terms." Sam stated as she grabbed her mobile from the bathroom and then sat on the end of the bed besides Tom's legs.
"Make it perfectly clear that we're to be deployed together or they can stuff it." Tom ordered.
"I will... But I think I might have to rephrase that for Ma'am." Sam smiled sheepishly.
"Come here." Tom smiled as Sam put the phone to her ear but Tom pulled Sam so that she was lying chest down on top of him with just the duvet and her dressing gown separating their naked bodies. "Put it on speaker so I can hear." He ordered.
"Fine, but you need to keep quiet." Sam ordered as she pressed a button on her iPhone and then placed it on the bedside table just inches away from her.
"Major Nicholls." A stern voice announced.
"Yes Ma'am, I would like to discuss terms on my return to the force..." Sam began in a formal tone and Tom smiled as he tucked her hair behind her ears to keep it out of her face.

Sam and Tom arrived in the ED the next day holding hands for support, but instead of going straight to the staff room to get changed, they first went to Zoe's office. Sam took a deep breath before she knocked on the door and entered with Tom.
"Shouldn't you two be changed and in cubicles by now?" Zoe questioned.
"We've still got five minutes and we just wanted to inform you of something." Sam explained carefully.
"Right, and what is that?" Zoe asked because she didn't have the time to be waiting around all day; she was due in a meeting soon.
"Tom and I... Well we're joining the Royal Army Medical Corps." Sam stated bluntly and Zoe's face lit up in shock at what she had said. She wasn't shocked by Sam returning, but as far as she knew, Tom had no experience in the armed forces whatsoever.
"The army?" Zoe asked.
"Yes." Sam replied simply. "Um we've got a two day medical and fitness assessment this weekend, and depending on whether we pass that or not, we'll be given between a few days and a few weeks notice before we're taken to a more intense training camp." Sam explained.
"Right." Zoe nodded, as she knew that with the global declaration of war, employers had been told to be more lenient in losing their employees to the armed forces because they were sending troops all over the world because with the worlds super powers fighting, poorer countries were beginning to run riot without fear of punishment. "And... I'm assuming you'll be wanting to leave here as soon as you've got the dates for the training camp."
"Yeah, pretty much." Tom stated.

"Well, I don't know what to say." Zoe admitted. "Obviously I don't want to lose either of you, becuase you're both brilliant doctors but I know you'll make everyone here proud of you."
"Thanks. And um, we want to keep it low key. No big send offs or anything. I mean, it's not exactly something to celebrate is it?" Sam stated.
"No of course not, if that's what you want then I'll keep it to myself." Zoe nodded in understanding.
"Thanks. We'd better go and get changed." Tom stated before the couple left the room.

The married couple were just about to leave work when Sam paused.
"Hang on a minute, I just need to go and grab something." Sam stated and Tom went to follow her but she paused again. "You wait here, I won't be long." She ordered before she quickly walked into the hospital entrance. A couple of minutes later, she exited and Tom watched her clip her handbag shut, but he was sure he caught a glimpse of a pharmacy bag.
"What did you get?" He asked curiously.
"What? Oh um, I forgot my phone."
"No you didn't, your phone was in your trouser pocket the whole time." Tom stated as he glanced at the rectangular object in her skinny jeans pocket. "C'mon, what did you put in your bag?" He asked.
"Nothing." Sam replied simply as she began to walk to the car, but Tom crept up behind her, snatched her bag and opened it to find a pharmacy bag with two boxes of the 28 day combined pill in it. "Tom! Give it back now!" Sam ordered in a panic and Tom quickly returned the bag to her which she hastily did back up.
"Why didn't you just tell me that you'd gotten the pill?" Tom asked curiously but Sam just continued walking back to the car. "You're embarrassed aren't you?"

"What? No I don't care." Sam lied convincingly, but Tom always knew when she was lying; she usually failed to make eye contact when she did.
"Oh c'mon, we're both doctors. And don't say you're not embarrassed because in the entire time that I've known you and we've been married, you've never once said anything about your period. You always keep it to yourself."
"Pft. And that's a bad thing?" Sam protested weakly.
"It is when you lie in bed in pain in the middle of the night, but you're too embarrassed to get out of bed to get pain relief because you think that it'll give it away." Tom stated and Sam kept her eyes on the floor as she let her hair cover her flushed cheeks. "Look I know it's a sensitive subject, but please don't feel that you have to hide it from me okay?" Tom said softly as he gently grabbed her arm to stop her from walking so fast and turned her to face him. She finally looked up and met his eyes, before she gave a reluctant nod. Tom knew it was the best he was going to get out of her so he put his arm around her shoulders and slowly began to walk back to the car. "C'mon, let's go home." He smiled.

Sam and Tom arrived home after an exhausting day at work to find two thick, A4 envelopes on the door mate delivered first class.
"Ooh, just think. After an entire day of filling out paperwork, we get to fill out more paperwork." Sam said sarcastically as she picked them up and then made her way through to the kitchen. "They must be the medical forms and details." Sam stated.
"Yippee." Tom sighed and he and Sam got changed into comfortable clothes and had their dinner before they settled down in the living room with the table in front of them, ready to fill out the forms.
"Right, I know it's hard for you, but these forms have to be really neat - not in your infamous hyroglific writing." Sam said patronisingly as she handed him a black biro pen and got one for herself.
"In block capitals." Tom read off of the first of many sheets that he had to fill out. "If I write in block capitals, it's even worse than my normal hand writing." Tom moaned. "Sam..." He began as he fluttered his eyelashes at her.

"Would you like me to fill out the forms for you?" Sam huffed.
"Yes please." Tom nodded eagerly and Sam rolled her eyes before she grabbed his forms to fill out first.

Tom was sitting with his feet on the table, watching the TV whilst Sam was leaning on the table, filling out her forms which she was only halfway through. She had her head propped up by her hand, and Tom could tell by the way that she was writing so slowly that she was extremely tired.
"C'mon, come to bed. You can finish these off tomorrow." He said softly as he switched the TV off, leant forward and took the pen out of her aching hand.
"What time is it?" Sam asked wearily as she ran her hands over her face.
"Almost midnight." Tom replied. "Come on, bedtime sleepy head." Tom whispered as he helped her off of the sofa, grabbed her hand and guided her through to their bedroom.

Sam soon drifted off into a slumber, but her dreams were not the usual random ones she had. But instead, they were of how incredibly brave and committed her husband was for going into a war zone with her, just to keep them together. And of how much she absolutely loved her husband because there was nothing that she would ever let break them apart unlike her previous marriage.

Despite being tired also, Tom found it a little more difficult to sleep, as he kept on worrying about the details of what he had let himself in for. Sam would probably know people in the training camps, she would know procedures, ranks and unwritten rules of the army. But he would be a complete novice to the job. However despite his worries, he was just happy that he had a guarantee from Sam's 'Ma'am' as she called her, that they would be deployed together and kept together. They had only received that guarantee becuase the army needed medics, and Sam and Tom were highly qualified. He snuggled forward and wrapped his arms around Sam to keep her warm and comforted during the night, before he finally managed to fall asleep.

Thanks for reading, please review and let me know what you think :)