AN: I listen to music all of the time, and this came to me. The first fic that I ever did in one day, and if you know me, or my other stories, than you know that it takes me FOREVER to go through with something. This is something that I am not proud of.

This is a McCollins fic, but EVEN if you aren't a McCollins fan don't turn around just yet. The story really doesn't have to do with that. Wonderful song also, so please go listen to it.

My first Rookie Blue fic and I am so glad to be doing this and let us just pretend that Rookie Blue takes place in Canada.

And I support and my heart goes out to everyone in the Military, or used to be, and for everyone who is in any type of law enforcement (Fireman and Paramedics included.)

The song is American Soldier by Toby Keith. Also, for those of you who criticize country music, still give this song a chances please.

I'm just trying to be a father,

Raise a daughter and a son,

Be a lover to their mother, everything to everyone,

Up and at 'em bright and early,

I'm all business in my suit…

His cell phone rang an all too familiar number. A number he had know for quite some time while he was in the military. They needed him back for one more mission, a mission that would be for eighteen months. That is eighteen months away from the love of his life and their two children, a daughter and a son.

I'm just trying to be one of the best TPD coppers. Protect the city that I love, and go home to my wife and our family every night. I'm just trying to protect her back and get the bad guys off of the streets for our kids every night.

She turns on the kettle and coffee machine, goes and wakes up the kids, tell them Daddy has to go away for awhile and they will be staying home with their mommy. It's not an easy conversation to have with a seven and five year old. But they're trying to understand it the best they can. Nicole understands it more than Christopher.

Yeah, I'm dressed up for success from my head down to my boots,

I don't do it for the money, there's bills that I can't pay,

I don't do it for the glory; I just do it anyway,

Providing for our future's my responsibility…

He shaves his stubble nice and fresh, throws on his suit and then goes and finishes eating breakfast with them. Nicole on his lap while he ruffles Christopher's hair, bypassing for once that there is toys on the eating table. Nicole a spitting image of her beautiful mother, Christopher a spitting image of his father, and minus the fact that they may be spitting images but Nicole has his eyes, while Christopher has Andy's eyes.

I look over to my wife who has a wary look on her face as she gazes at the stack of un aid bills on the counter top, probably wondering if will have to take another mortgage out on the house. I shoot her an award winning smile when she turns her head back over to the kids and me.

I remember back to when I first started at TPD and everyone kept thanking me for serving our country, I said thanks then went on my way feeling guilty as ever knowing that I just accepted something that I didn't want or need.

Hearing Christopher make noises with his mouth for the toy soldiers that he was playing with made my head look back down at them, love shining through my eyes to them and my heart swelling and breaking at the same time knowing that the love I see in their and their mother's eyes will be gone for the nest eighteen months.

Yeah, I'm real good under pressure,

Being all I can be,

And I can't call in sick when the weekends been to strong,

I just work straight through the holidays,

And sometimes all night long…

I hear my name being called and am brought out of my dream, my very real dream that had happened nine months ago. They need back-up and they need it now, that's why I was awoken. I quickly grab my weapon that I was assigned to, as I had slept in my clothes just in case of emergency, quickly wrote a message inside my vest to my wife and our kids, grabbed my helmet, said a silent prayer and followed the group out.

Getting in my position, I cleared my throat to hide a cough and rubbed my nose to prevent a sneeze. I had been feeling off for a few days now, but would never once say a word, they needed me just as much as I needed them, whether I was healthy or not.

We were on position for all night long I heard through my radio. Fire stop and my mind wander as to why I had that dream today, today was Christmas. And I wasn't there, maybe in spirit and in gifts that were signed, 'With lots of love, Mommy and Daddy XOXOXO.' But not in actually reality, and physically. I can't hug and kiss my wife, I couldn't sit my son and daughter on my lap on Christmas eve and read The Night Before Christmas to them.

You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door,

Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady, hey I'm true down to the core,

And I will always do my duty, no matter what the price,

I've counted up the cost,

I know the sacrifice…

The fire started back up and I resumed my position, let a few shots fire out from the barrel of my M16 riffle. I don't even flinch anymore like I use to when I first started out, not that I will ever tell anyone that. It is one of the many secrets and regrets of my time in the military that I will carry to the grave with me.

One of my men is down, shoulder wound, and he is out in the open with more shots being fired at him. I need to get him to safety, no matter what. I know what can happen if I do what I am about to do, I cannot go home to my family, my wife can receive two men at her front door with a letter and some unforgettable news, my son and daughter will know that their daddy will never be coming home again.

But what about his family? His wife and children? I see may opportunity when the fire calms down and I run. I run to him and try to get him to safety, I finally reach him and the fire gets more and more rapidly faster. I get down in front of me and fire back, hitting two in the chest and three in the head. I grab his arm and pull him up and to safety with me behind the bunk where everyone else was.

Oh, and I don't want to die for you,

But if dieing's asking me,

I'll bear that cross with honor,

'Cause freedom don't come free,

I'm an American soldier, an American…

I know the risk was high, but I had to do it. Not just for him, whose thanking me non-stop, but for my family and country, and me. Because I know for a fact that if he would have die a part of me would have died also and I never would have been able to forgive myself.

If I have to die, than I will die for my country and my wife and kids, I will die for my partners at fifteen, and I will die for my faith. I don't have the right to be here today, I've earned the right and that's why I'm here, that's why I became a copper, and that's why I became a soldier.

An American soldier. I'm an American soldier and I will fight for my country all the way in another country. And I will fight for what's right and the freedom that my wife and family deserve, the freedom that they earned for just being an American.

Beside my brothers and my sisters, I will proudly take the stand,

When liberty's in jeopardy, I will always do what's right.

I'm out here on the front lines, so sleep in peace tonight,

American soldier, I'm an American soldier…

By now the sun is rising, and the night has fallen. It's time for me to stand front and center beside my brothers and my sisters as we take the front line and fight for our freedom. These terrorist awoke us in the middle of the night for a war, and I'm going to bring them one.

We were all sent over here last minute, we have all been Honorably Discharged already and we haven't worked together in over a decade. But once upon a time, we were a team. We had each other's back; we had each other's lives on the line. Now though, we spent the entire ride here catching up on each other's lives.

I use to be the ruthless one, didn't have anyone to come back home too, so I would always be first and run out in the line of fire, just serving my country one fight at a time. Jonny down at the end had a baby girl when we were discharged, now she's almost a teenager. Clara had a fiancé at the time, now she has a husband and twin five year-old sons. Ronny from the country was just like me, now he is engaged with triplets on the way, due any day now.

These people may just seem like normal everyday people to you, but they're my family. And they, are part of the reason as to why I am fighting for my country and am front and center with them right now. They are the reason I ran out in that line of fire, and they are the reason I would give my life right now in this exact moment.

Yeah an American soldier, an American,

Besides my brothers and my sisters, I will always take the stand,

When liberty's in jeopardy, I will always do what's right,

I'm out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonight,

American Soldier, I'm an American…

We just receive the news tonight; we get to go home early. Being here for eleven months was long enough anyways, and I can't wait to go home and kiss my wife till my last day on the world, hold my son and daughter and never let go. Maybe even build a fort in the living room with them, and have a campfire out there with their mommy also.

At part of me isn't quite ready to leave yet, a part of me wants to stay here laughing and sleeping on the hard beds knowing that I have my team to back me up. No, actually I don't have a team to back me up anymore, I have a family. And a damn good one at that. Just like the old times, the old times when a part of me will forever stay here, with them in this awful place. Knowing that I served my country and family proud, and now it's time to go home to my other family. My home family, because this right here is my war family, my first family.

We are all loaded up and ready to go back home. Sitting down in my seat, looking around at my war family, I know one thing for sure; they will always be my first family. Even before I got my home one.

An American,

An American Soldier.

AN: Please review and favorite this story. It's worth it. Thanks for ready.

GO AMERICA!

And GO AMERICAN SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILY'S!

Their family's deserve some credit also, they're a huge part of serving this country also.