Disclaimer: I own only Characters you have never seen, and the sub-plot, I do not own any thing you may recognize. So Please do not sue me.
A/N: Flashbacks that are bolded are from before their first tour and ones italics are during and after their first tour
Prologue
Sam Braddock stood in the middle for a crowded Toronto Airport, hoping for a glance of his best friend for the first time since they were eighteen and shipped out on their first tour.
Families filled the Ottawa Rockcliffe Airport. There were many in army fatigues being swarmed by family in plain clothes.
Eighteen year old Samuel Braddock stood with his parents, father General Don Braddock in full dress uniform and mother Daphne in a sundress. There was also a fellow eighteen year old in army fatigues. She was a few inches shorter than Sam, she had blue eyes and her red hair was tied in a tight bun.
"You two be careful, you hear me," Don says.
"Yes sir," Sam and the girl says.
"Don, you know they will be careful," Daphne says.
"I know but I can't believe I'm losing both of you," Don says.
"Dad, don't worry about me and Scarlett, we will be fine, right Scar," Sam says.
"Don't worry Dad, you trained us well," the girl says named Scarlett. Her uniform name tag read 'Giorgi'.
"I will not burry another child, do you two hear me," Daphne says.
"Yes mom," the two officers say.
"Category B Joint Task Force 2, proceed to the aircraft," a Commander calls.
"That's us," Sam says as he and Scarlett give their parents one last hug.
The two pull away and walk towards the aircraft. Through the crowd you could tell that they were the youngest members.
"You know you didn't have to enlist," Sam says as they walk.
"Things changed Sam," Scarlett says.
"Yeah I know, I was there, but that does not mean that you should enlist instead of going to college, like you planned," Sam says.
"Ever think this is something I have to do for my parents," Scarlett says.
"No I think this has a lot to do with what happen five months ago," Sam says.
"This has nothing to do with that and I thought we weren't going to talk about that," Scarlett says.
"No you decided that you didn't want to talk about it," Sam says.
"What is there to talk about? Sam, nothing we can do is going to bring our baby back. So why shouldn't we move on with our lives," Scarlett says.
Sam was about to respond but they reached the aircraft and were separated into two different companies.
They had not really seen much of each other since. Maybe a day between tours if they were lucky and their tours meshed together but it wasn't often, till Matt's deaths, where she came for the funeral and stayed a few days with him. She wasn't home when he came home to visit a few months ago after the heartache with Jules. The truth was that Jules wasn't Scar and he still wanted Scar. They never did finish talking about their almost child.
Sam scans the crowd trying to find the flaming red hair that he had missed. Sam and Scar grew up together after her parents were killed in action when they were two and four. They were god siblings, best friends, lovers, and girlfriend and boyfriend, but most of all they were soldiers. They stuck together through thick and thin. During high points, like Grade Eight and High School Graduation and High School Formals and Proms, and the low points, like the Custody Battle between his parents and her aunt over her, and the miscarriage, they were together.
'Hopefully we'll never be apart again,' Sam thinks as he scans the crowd, keeping his eyes and ears open.
The call that had come in a week ago came as a surprise to him.
Sam had just entered his apartment. He could hear the phone ringing. He raced to find it but the machine got to it before he did. He was surprised when her voice filled his apartment.
"Braddock did you misplace your phone again? Typical Sammy, I wish I could say that I am surprised but I'm not. So I'm calling from my last tour, I'm out after this one. I know you are thinking, what are you going to do now," Scarlett says.
He was shocked that she was done after five years. He continues to look for the phone.
"Well let me ask you this, do you think that Toronto can handle the both of us? Yes that is right I'm moving to Toronto to attend the University of Toronto for Counselling Psychology," Scarlett says.
He smiles and thinks 'finally' as he finds the phone and answers it.
"About time you go back to school," he says flopping down on the couch.
"Told you it had to do with my folks, so can I crash with you for a few weeks," she asks almost scared.
"How about you move in with me instead," he rebuts.
"Really," she says surprised.
"It'll be like old times," he assures her.
"Next Friday, 12 pm, Toronto Airport," she says.
"I'll be there," Sam says.
"Got to go and finish my work," she says.
"Bye," Sam says before hearing the dial tone.
Greg had seriously asked him if he were on drugs when he went in the next day. Eddie thought he just in a good mood because over 400 soldiers were coming home and a hundred of them were JTF2 soldiers. Spike, Wordy, and Lou thought it was a new girlfriend. Jules was shocked to see him all hyped up. Eddie was proven right when he had asked for today off, so he could pick up a long time friend.
When he was further questioned all anyone got out of him was that it was his god sister who was also his best friend and this was her final tour before she started up at the University of Toronto in two months. Of course he had to promise to bring her to Team Drinks tonight, so they could all meet her and thank her for her service to their country.
'I hope she doesn't kill me for that,' Sam thinks as he sees many others waiting for loved ones that have come home from war.
"Flight 234, from Ottawa Rockcliff Airport is now exiting Gate 9, we like to thank the men and women who have served to keep us safe," a flight attendant says as almost two hundred soldiers in fatigues exit the gate.
The entire airport goes into applause and watches as soldiers reunite with family and friends. Sam looks through the crowd.
"Braddock," a soldier calls racing to him.
"Giorgi," Sam says catching her in his arms as he spins her and she clings to tightly to him. "I've missed you, Scar."