(A/N: Hello :P I honestly have no idea where this came from… I was on a road trip with the fam, listening to music and thinking of Victorious, and this is what came of it… Anyways, it's 1 in the morning, and even though this isn't very well-written and I should probably spend more time editing it, I'm leaving tomorrow again and I don't know if we'll have internet, so I'm posting it! Enjoy!)
Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Or Travelin' Soldier by the Dixie Chicks.
Two days, past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army green
Sat down in a booth in a café there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He's a little shy so she gives him a smile
He says 'Would you mind sitting down for a while and talking to me
I'm feeling a little low'
She said 'I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go'
So they went down and they sat on the pier
He said 'I betcha got a boyfriend but I don't care
I got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you?'
"Cat!" Robbie exclaimed as a young girl wearing a pink dress and a bow in her hair sauntered up to his table. He stood up, hugging his old friend.
"Hi Robbie," she replied. She giggled. "What are you wearing?"
"Oh," Robbie said, looking down at the military uniform he was wearing. "Well, I'm going into the army."
Cat's face fell. "Why?" she asked.
"I couldn't really make it as an actor, I guess," Robbie told her. "So I figure, I'll help fight for my country."
"That's very brave of you," Cat said shyly with a smile. "So when do you leave?"
Robbie checked his watch. "About five hours," he replied. "Do you want to maybe sit down and catch up a little bit later?"
"I'm off in an hour," Cat said. "And I know the perfect place."
An hour and fifteen minutes later, Cat and Robbie were walking around the pier Cat worked at, talking about anything and everything.
"So are you and Andre still together?" Robbie asked her. Cat stopped walking. She smiled at Robbie.
"We had different life plans," she told him. "I wanted to go to college for acting; he went straight into the business. That's why I'm working here- to make my way through college. I'm single as a dollar right now!"
"Oh," Robbie replied, trying to hide the happiness he felt at that. "Could you write down your address, maybe? I just, I don't have anybody to write a letter to. Would you mind if I sent one back here to you?"
"I'd love that," Cat said with a grin. His heart soared.
Robbie checked his watch. "Almost time to go," he told Cat sadly. "Hey Cat, would you mind doing something for me while I'm gone?"
"Anything," Cat promised.
"Can you take care of Rex for me? I don't think he'd like Vietnam much…"
Cat took Rex from Robbie, hugging him close to her chest. She then leaned over, kissing Robbie bittersweetly.
"You were right," she whispered in his ear. "A girl can't fake that much passion. I certainly can't."
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waiting for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone
When the letters said soldier's comin' home
"Cat, why do you even keep that stupid puppet?" Cat's mom asked when Cat was home for Christmas vacation the next year. Cat looked down at Rex, cradled in her arms.
"He's Robbie's," Cat said simply. "I promised Robbie I'd take good care of Rex."
"Are you ever going to start dating again, honey?" her father asked gingerly. Something in Cat snapped. How could they expect her to date somebody else when Robbie was going to come back soon? Their love was stronger than all the awful things he was fighting against over in Vietnam. She would wait for him through anything.
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm engaged, for God's sake!" she screamed. "I love Robbie! Why would I date somebody else because he happens to be out fighting for our country?"
Cat's parents exchanged glances. And Cat knew exactly what they were thinking.
"You and Robbie are in very different places in your life, Cat, honey," her mom told her. "He's fighting in the war, and you're in college. He's seen a lot of things you can't even imagine. You may be the same age, but you are very young and inexperienced in the world compared to Robbie."
Cat stared at them. "I love him," she said, her voice filled with unusual steeled defiance. And that was the end of that conversation.
So the letters came from an army camp
In California, then Vietnam
And he told her of his heart, it might be love
And all of the things he was so scared of
He said 'When it's gettin' kinda rough over here
I think of that day sittin' down on the pier
And I close my eyes, and see your pretty smile
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for a while'
Cat got her first letter on a Friday. Her roommate Olivia came back from her music theory class to find Cat sitting on her bed, tears streaming down her face as she clutched Rex, reading the letter over and over again until she couldn't see through the tears anymore. Olivia had never seen Cat like that before, so depressed and needy. She silently cursed Robbie for doing that to her best friend. But even Olivia, who'd never actually fallen in love, knew the signs. And she prayed every night that Robbie would come back soon.
"He misses me," Cat informed Olivia as Olivia read the latest letter over with Cat again. "He says that I'm the only thing that keeps him going when things are rough. And he wants to get married when he comes home. If he comes home." Cat looked down, tears filling her eyes again. "And he's not going to be able to write for a while. He says not to worry, but what if…?" she trailed off.
"Hey, hey, Cat, it'll be okay," Olivia reassured her. "Robbie's gonna come home soon. He loves you. Love is strong enough to overcome anything, even an awful war."
Cat knew that. But sometimes she wondered if love was going to be enough to get Robbie home safe. Or if he'd forever be out in the field, fighting for his country, but in the meantime forgetting to fight for him and Cat.
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waiting for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone
When the letters said soldier's comin' home
"One grande non-fat mocha latte," Cat told the Skybucks employee, fishing through her purse for her wallet.
"Oh no, babe, it's on the house," the man told her, grinning at Cat. He handed Cat her coffee. "Hey, call me sometime, okay?"
Cat stared at him, doe-eyed. "I'm engaged," she informed the man- Ethan, it said on the cup. Ethan leered at her.
"Good," Ethan told her, leaning closer to Cat. "Get out while you can. I can bet you I'm a hell of a lot better than whatever scumbag you're getting married to."
"My scumbag is out there fighting in Vietnam for the United States, and you're working in a coffee chain," Cat replied with raised eyebrows. "And you have the nerve to insult him and hit on his fiancée?"
Ethan leaned in even closer, his breath smelling of tobacco and peppermint. Cat hated peppermint, and she hated cigarettes even more. Robbie had always smelled of freshly mowed grass and red velvet cupcakes, just like Cat loved.
"It's not hitting on her if she hits back," Ethan whispered in her ear. He made a move to kiss Cat. Cat slapped him.
"Hey!" Ethan exclaimed, jumping back as he clutched his cheek. "I didn't actually mean hit me back!"
Cat smirked at him, grabbing her coffee as she turned away. "Oops," she said, sticking a little American flag into a crook in the counter. "Go Team USA!" she exclaimed, walking out of the coffee shop with disgust. She would love Robbie forever. Nothing anybody did or said would change that, and as long as she lived, she'd never even so much as hold the hand of another guy.
One Friday night at a football game
The Lord's Prayer said and the anthem sang
A man said 'Folks would you bow your heads
For a list of local Vietnam dead'
Cryin' all alone under the stands
Was a piccolo player in the marching band
And one name read that nobody really cared
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair
"Folks, please bow your heads," a man said at a football game, the American flag flying above his head. "I have a list of local American soldiers who recently died fighting in Vietnam."
Cat doubled over under the stands, tears streaming down her face. She knew it was kind of them to read the list in remembrance, but that didn't change how much one of those names was going to hurt her. The letters had stopped coming three months ago, and she'd gotten word a month later that Robbie had been killed in action. One of the men in his squad had mailed Cat a letter telling her of how Robbie had died trying to save a young woman with two young children from a bomb that had been set off in the middle of a village. The last thing he'd told his squad was that if he didn't make it, to tell Cat that he loved her forever and ever and then some; and that Rex had a surprise for her if she undid the stitching on his left hand.
Cat held Rex, her hands shaking as she pulled the stitches out. She shook the hand out, and a beautiful diamond ring fell out. Cat gasped, picking it up. It was already welded to a silver ring that had Cat&Robbie inscribed on the inside.
"Robbie Shapiro," the man read out. Nobody said a thing, and the arena was silent for a moment, in which you could- if you tried- hear the quiet sobs of a woman crying behind the stands as she slipped a ring on her finger.
Cat picked up the note that had fallen out with Robbie's ring, still sobbing uncontrollably.
Dear Cat,
If you're reading this, then I suppose that means I'm dead. Even though it's too late, will you marry me, Cat? I got this made while you were finishing up your shift, just in case I didn't come back. Rex has been keeping it safe for you. Look, I know it's kind of early to be telling you this, but you're going to be okay, Cat. I know you will, and someday if you want to move on and be the wonderful woman I know you'll be, that's okay with me. I love you.
Forever Your Travelin' Soldier,
Robbie
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waiting for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone
When the letters said soldier's comin'
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waiting for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone
When the letters said soldier's comin' home
"Mrs. Olsen?" a little second grader called. Cat turned around, waddling over to her student, Emily, (which, given her huge belly, was not very easy). She followed Emily's finger, which was pointing to a dark-haired puppet sitting on her music classroom windowsill. "How come you always have that puppet there?"
Cat smiled; her eyes shiny with nostalgia. "His name is Rex," she told Emily. "He belonged to a very old friend of mine."
"Well then how come you have him?" Emily asked.
"Because my friend gave him to me for safe-keeping," Cat replied. "But my friend- his name was Robbie- died fighting in a war."
"Oh," she squeaked. "I'm sorry. Why is Rex missing his hand?"
Cat glanced at Robbie's puppet. She smiled, slipping her hand into her pocket. She felt the cool plastic of Rex's hand there, holding Robbie's ring and note safe for her. She never let it out of reach. "I don't know," she lied smoothly, leading the girl away from the puppet. She bent down, straightening the bow in pretty little Emily's hair. She'd never told Robbie's story to anyone, not even her husband. Some things were just better left alone.
(A/N: Did you like it? Hate it? I feel like it was very out of character, but whatever… Personally, Rex really creeps me out, but I felt like adding him in was a nice touch so he's in here :P Anyways, I should really go to bed, but review and tell me what you thought! And also, I'm trying to work on updating my other stories, but I've been on vacation/ I've had a really rough year and I've been taking a breather to step back and reassess my life and all, so my updates may continue to be spotty a little bit longer… Sorry! Love you all, Gracie 3)