CHAPTER ONE: THE GOOD OLD DAYS

She couldn't believe what was happening. A month ago they were here to find and stop ISIS and now they were getting ready to start a forward charge in some small town in the Kandahar province in Afghanistan to stop them from launching a nuke aimed for the States. She stood there looking at the hand drawn map of the town. She was supposed to lead Zulu 3 to flank them on the right and give covering fire from the rooftop of a building to help the charge. She had 7 men under her command. As soon as she was informed of her orders she was asked who she wanted in her squad. " I'll take Colins, Vasquez, Miller, Smith, Connors, Gallante and Lopez sir." she said looking up to see her captain smiling. "What?" she asked with confusion. " Lieutenant Shepard, you don't have to hide the relationship you and Sargeant Riley Colins have." he said, his smile got even bigger at her shocked reaction. "What? How...how did you know? Sir!" she asked. " Considering you two spend every minute that your not in combat together, the looks you two give each other and all the times you two think your hidden and give each other quick kisses not to mention the fact that you bring him along with you whenever you go out on a mission. Look I don't mind as long as you both can still do your job. Understood?" he said looking at her waiting for an answer. "Yes sir! Thank you sir!" she said as she saluted her superior officer. He returned the salute and she left headquarters and made her way over to the spot most of the marines from her squad had brought out some lawn chairs and made into a relaxation area for them. As she got closer she saw the men from her squad shirtless and the women in excercice bras doing push ups. "What in the hell is going on here?" she asked her squad. They all jumped up to attention and saluted her out of habit but when they saw it was her they all relaxed and sat down. "Just a little push up contest Lt, it's all good." Connors said trying to catch her breath. "Who was winning?" Shepard asked looking at the group already knowing the answer. "Your stupid ass boyfriend that's who." Gallante said as he was still out of breath. Riley was sitting on a box of crates, his short light brown hair clinging to his forehead from the sweat out of its usual spiked upwards haircut. She looked at his sweating body, looking at the tattoo of a cross on his left pectoral and the muscles in his chest, arms and abdomen contracting and releasing every time he breathed. She felt a heat shoot straight to her core at the sight of him. "Quit starin at his abs woman. I know they look hot as hell and all but it's kinda weird. Y'all can fuck later when we aren't around." Lopez said as she made a disgusted look on her face. "Sorry. Anyway, we got new orders." everybody's heads shot up at those words" we're going to flank the enemy positions on the right during the charge and give covering fire from a rooftop. Colins, Lopez, Connors, Gallante, Smith, Miller and Vasquez you're coming with me who means that Biosa, Edwards, Richards and Winters you guys are going to be making the push with 1st platoon and the captain. Clear?" she asked looking to her troops. "CLEAR!" they all screamed out their response. "Good. Now go get your gear. We leave in forty minutes." she said as the squad took off to get ready. "Jane!" Riley said walking up to her. "Yeah Riley what's up?" she asked as he stood in front of her. He leant down and locked his lips with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss pushing her tongue in his mouth and playing with his tongue. She ran her left hand through his hair and started rubbing the back of his head when he pulled away. She kept her left hand at the back of his head and started tracing the cross on his chest with her right hand as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I should go and get my gear ready." he said stepping back at a respectful distance. "Riley wait. I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with but... I love you and thank you for being there for Me." she said looking in his eyes. He placed his right hand on her cheek and smiled at her."I love you too Jane Shepard and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat." he said giving her a quick peck on the lips before leaving to get his gear.

Jane Shepard sprung awake in her bed from the dream. She loomed around the captain's quarters happy to see nothing out of the ordinary. She checked her omni-tool and saw it was 0300 hours. She had to get up at 0600. She layed back down and fell asleep thinking about that day.

Riley bounced up in the air from the bump they just hit with their truck. "Fucking shit man can you go easy?" Smith yelled to the front of the truck they were driving in as he rubbed his ass. Smith and Vasquez were the ones closest to the cab of the truck then it was Connors and Miller then Shepard and Riley in the back near the exit. Lopez and Gallante were in the cab of the truck with Gallante driving. "Gallante how far to the checkpoint?" Shepard asked through her radio headset. "Should be there any minute now Lieuten..." Gallante never got to finish his sentence as the front of the truck got hammered by rounds, three piercing through the windshield hitting him in the chest. The truck turned and smashed in the corner of a building knocking everyone off their balance. Riley was the first one to jump out the back of the truck, he turned off the safety of his M4A1 assault rifle and switched it to semi-automatic. He had an M4A1 with a holographic sight and an M203 underbarrel grenade launcher attached to his rifle. He leaned out from the cover of the rock and shot 3 rounds down range towards the small waist high dirt wall that was near an alleyway where an insurgent was hiding. He leaned back in cover to see the rest of his unit jump out of the truck. Smith pulled the firing bolt back on his M29 SAW and opened the bipod than ran to the side of the truck where Riley was and laid down next to the truck with his weapon pointed towards the dirt wall and layed down suppressing fire. Shepard and Miller opened the driver side door and pulled out Gallante's body. At the bottom of the cab was Lopez taking cover from the rounds that were hitting the windshield. "Lopez come on we have to get moving. Let's go!" Shepard said pulling Lopez out of the truck. Riley and Smith were hammering down on the ennemie's position making it impossible for them to pop out of cover without being hit. "Jane crosses the street while we have them pinned down!" Riley said to Shepard as he popped out of cover to empty the rest of his mag down the field. As the rounds hit the dirt wall someone on the other side let out a pain filled scream as a man fell to the ground his head and right arm falling past the wall enough for them to see. "Everybody cross now." Shepard said as she led her squad across the street. Vasquez and Miller were on point leading the squad through the small dirt road with buildings on both sides. "Vasquez turn right up the next alley." Shepard said as she checked the map. When they got up to the next alley everybody put their backs to the wall Miller and Vasquez turned down the alley with their weapons raised but they were cut down by an enemy that had set up a small MG nest in a building that had a window pointing into the alleyway. The rounds cut through them like a knife cutting through butter. The rounds flew by the rest of the unit that were taking cover at the entrance of the alley. "SON OF A BITCH!" Smith screamed as the enemy machine gunner kept shooting small burst at the entrance. "Riley what the hell are you doing?" Shepard asked with fear as she saw him slide closer to the opening of the small passageway. He poked his head out and pulled it right back before there was a storm of rounds that hit the side of the wall where his head was moments ago. "I can get him with a frag." Riley said as he grabbed a frag from his vest and pulled the pin. He counted to three then popped out of cover and tossed the grenade down the alley and threw himself back into cover as rounds were hitting everywhere just before an explosion which sent chunks of dirt, brick and dust flying out of the alley. Riley picked himself up and was met with the dangerous glare of Jane as she stood there with anger and fear clear on her face. "You crazy bastard!" she said as she walked to the entrance. Smith was the first one in line down the alley. Miller and Vasquez were riddled with bullets and bullet holes. Shepard collected their dogtags just like she did with Gallante then they were on the move again towards the building they needed to get to. They finally got to the street they had to be on, they could see the building but as soon as they tried to cross the road to be on the right side the enemies at a barricade in the middle of the street further down opened up at their position as they weren't even a third of the way there. One of the rounds sliced its way throught Smith's neck causing the man to drop in the street. "SMITH!" Connors yelled as she grabbed him under the arms and dragged him back to cover. Connors tried to craddle Smith's limp body in her arms one last time hoping it would bring him back to her. "David baby c'mon you gotta pull through baby! You promised me that you would take me to California remember?" Connors said as she cried holding her dead lover. Riley and Lopez were returning fire at the enemy position wnen enemy reenforcemnts came. "Jane we have to keep moving." Riley said looking back to Shepard who nodded. "Jess c'mon we have to go." Shepard said trying to pull the girl with her. "NO! I'll give you covering fire from here. I'm not gonna leave him here. I can't!" Connors said as she grabbed Smith's gun and layed down some suppressing fire. Shepard nodded and led Riley and Lopez across the street into one of the buildings."We'll jump from roof to roof." Shepard said as they walked up the stairs. As they got to the seventh floor a man came charging out of a room and tackled Lopez off the side of the stairs breaking through the wooden rail. They fell to the very botttom with an ungraceful thud. Riley looked over to see Lopez and her attacker laying in a pool of their blood combined on the ground floor. "Fuck!" he said looking back to Shepard. "C'mon we have to keep going Riley. We can't stop now." she said as she started climbing the stairs again. "Right behind you babe." Riley said as he watched every single inch of every floor until they reached the top floor. They pushed open the door and shielded their eyes from the sun, Riley walked over to the edge of the building on the side where the main force was making its push. There they saw men and women being shot up as they charged the enemy forces. They looked over to the other building next to them. Their checkpoint. They looked at the gap between buildings and Shepard swallowed the lump in her throat that she got from the sight. "It's only a little gap. Here I'll go first." he said with a smile as he gave her quick kiss then ran and lept off the side of the building and rolled when he landed on the roof next to them. Shepard did the same thing and lept off the side of the building but fell short and barely even touched the edge when Riley caught her wrist. "I got you darling." he said with a smile but from their combined weight and from the movement of the catch, Riley started sliding off the roof. As quickly as he could he swung Shepard in the window below them just before he was dragged off, letting go of her hand. Shepard's head popped out of the window as he fell and he could hear her scream his name but he never hit the ground. The nuke detonated just before he slammed against the ground vaporizing everthing around the nuke.

Shepard sprung awake for the second time and looked around the captain's quarters making sure nothing moved since she had fallen asleep. She checked her omni-tool and groaned when it showed 0400 hours. She got out of bed deciding she was done with sleep. She put on her uniform and walked to the bridge to meet Joker. Alenko was up and working at his terminal she gave him a quick hello and kept walking to the cockpit. "Morning Joker." she said as she stood behind him. "Morning Shepard did you...What the hell? Ma'am alarm says there is an unidentified signature on the ship!" Joker said as he double checked the system. "Where?" she asked getting ready to investigate. "Your room ma'am!" Joker said as she ran down to her room, she got Alenko to follow her both taking out their pistols and bringing it up to the ready. They barged in the room when the door opened and Shepard almost lost her balance when she saw the man that was standing in the middle of her room in full combat gear and desert camouflage fatigues and ballistic helmet. "Riley? She asked unable to believe what she was seeing. "Jane?" the man replied when he turned around allowing her an unobscured view of his face.

Shepard smiled at the sight of the man that she thought was lost.