Luna gave a tired yawn, stretching her arms and running her fingers through her hair. The sun was just setting over the factory roofs of Bowerstone Industrial and she wanted to get home soon.

She heard the sudden sound of footsteps pounding towards her and turned to see a young woman pelting towards her.

"Your majesty! I have something for you!" the woman cried, waving a piece of paper in her hand.

She finally made it to her sovereign and stopped, panting heavily as she doubled over, and Luna waited for her to regain her breath. Eventually she straightened up, handing the piece of paper over to Luna.

"My lady," she began, "a soldier recently returned from an important assignment in Aurora. I met him in Bowerstone a few months ago and he struck me as the most beautiful man I've ever met. I want to see him again. Would you give this letter to him?"

Luna took the piece of paper from the woman with a questioning glance.

"Where is he now?" she asked.

"He and his friends went into the Riveter's Rest a few hours ago. They're probably flat on their faces with beer by now," the woman replied. "He's the only blonde in there."

"Roaring drunk? Sounds like the army," Luna grunted, then looked up at the woman with a small smile. "Of course I will."

The woman flashed her a grateful smile as Luna turned and began to head towards the pub.

Out of interest, Luna pulled open the letter and read it. Shock registered on her face before she summoned a fireball and burned the letter.

She didn't even want to begin thinking about the kinds of things this woman had talked about. If she did, she was going to get visual images, and even now, her face had flared up with a pink, sensual flush.

She ran her hand through her black and red hair again, breathing deeply, and walked over to the Riveter's Rest. She swung the door open and swept her gaze over the soldiers.

Blonde…blonde…ah, there! She spotted a blonde head and swept over to it. She tilted the head towards her face and got the shock of her life.

Ben Finn's unconscious face was between her fingertips.

She let out a soft gasp, stepping backwards hastily and tripping over the legs of a soldier who was lying, snoring, on the ground. She landed heavily on her arse, letting out a hurt noise. She planted both hands on either side of her body and pushed upwards, forcing herself to her feet, and righting her balance. She took a step forward and her foot landed in some drink. She slid, her hand slamming onto the table as she tried to stop herself. She heard Ben start, and looked to her left to see if he was awake.

He was. His cerulean eyes were gazing into her dark blues, and he was looking half-amused, half-confused, and completely hungover.

She stood up straight, and walked out without a word. She heard the sound of a chair scraping back, and hurried footsteps.

"Hang on a minute!" she heard Ben cry out. Seconds later there was a hand on her wrist.

"I haven't seen you in six months!" she heard him say. "Now turn around and give your friend a hug!"

She folded her arms and kept her face away from him.

"If you don't hug me, I'm going to hug you anyway," he warned her.

"Don't touch me," she muttered.

"Come on, Lu," he begged. "A hug for old times' sake! I haven't seen any of our little gang in ages!"

She whipped her body around and glared at him.

"Yes, and whose fault was that? Dancing off for six months and doing nothing, and then suddenly you're a soldier again!" she spat angrily. "If you wanted to see us you could have dropped in and asked."

"I did, but you were always busy!" he argued.

"You all left me," she barked. "Page, I haven't seen in months. Kalin is also always busy. You were gallivanting off doing Avo only knows what. Logan, Walter and Swift are dead. My truest company turned out to be Elliot and my two boys."

Ben raised an eyebrow.

"He's your husband," he reminded her. "Pretty damn shocking if he didn't stick with you."

"I had a promotion for you!" she shouted. "You were going to be a general!"

"I'm not cut out for that!" he protested,

"Oh, yes, beat yourself up for sympathy. You didn't even give yourself a chance," she snarled.

"I got antsy!" he replied. "I wanted to travel again!"

"And in doing so you left your friends behind?" she asked angrily.

"You're the only one who's reacted like this, Luna," Ben began suspiciously. "Having second thoughts about going for Elliot? Because you know, I've never forgotten what happened in Mourningwood Fort…was I too much for you?"

She spluttered angrily, turning and walking away.

"I'm right!" he crowed. "You're having second thoughts! Oh, Ben Finn, you irresistible devil!"

She swung on her heel, marching back towards him, and slapped him in the face. There was a small 'ow' from him, and he reached up to feel his cheek.

"Steady on, old girl," he murmured. "You really don't want to do that." He straightened up, looking directly into her eyes, and his brow quirked. She flushed and glared at him. He leaned forward slightly and she stepped away, beginning to walk towards Bowerstone Market. He followed her.

"Let me buy you a drink and we can catch up with what we've missed," he begged her.

"And suddenly you want to be on my good side," she snapped. "Maybe I don't want you to come back into my life. Did you ever consider that?"

Ben stared at her.

"You get angry at me when I return because I didn't say goodbye. And now you don't want your friends to come back? What is wrong with you, Luna?" he demanded.

"Because everything was normal! It had a routine and I was happy with it!" she burst out, whirling around to face him. "Your appearance changed my routine and now I don't know what to do."

"How about get on with life?" Ben suggested. She snarled at him.

"Shut up! You of all people should know why it's so complicated that you returned."

"Why?" he retorted. "Because at Mourningwood I didn't get a chance to do this?"

He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, pressing their lips together roughly and kissing her. She went limp in his arms for a few moments. Then she swiftly brought her knee up between his legs. He staggered backwards with a whine.

"That's exactly what the problem was," she hissed. "Standing next to Elliot, and all I wanted to do was just grab you and kiss you." She threw up her hands. "Do you think it was easy for me?! Elliot was my first! We're practically soulmates! We've known each other since we were twelve and I never gave him up, not once. And suddenly there's this other man, this beautiful, impossible, roguish man who's caught my attention and I had to choose, Ben, again!"

"And you think it was easy for me?!" he asked angrily. "You gave me all these signals at the fort and when we get to Bowerstone there's nothing. I winked at you and suddenly there's this other man by your side, and you two are kissing. Why do you think I went after Page, of all people, whom I knew would never trust me enough to like me? This is what I do, Luna! Signals, signals, signals, nothing, so I pursue something I'll never get." He stopped ranting. "It hurts."

"Of course it hurts! But you made that choice!" she hissed.

He kissed her again, reveling in the warmth of her body as he pulled her against him once more.

"I felt like a fool," he told her quietly. "Of course you'd never want me. I'm a common soldier and you were a princess. And now you're the Queen." He kissed her softly. "I want to earn you, Luna. I want to fight for you and feel like I've earned my place with you."

"Then pay me back for all the months you left," she whispered. "Push yourself. Be a general and lead my men."

His face took on a pained look and he stepped away.

"That's cruel," he told her.

"Swiftie would've wanted it," she retorted. He laughed harshly.

"You're a taskmaster in a million, Luna," he said. "Fine. I'll become a general."

A/N

So I decided to begin re-writing this, because I want to.

This was originally 'Daring the Captain' and I took one look at it and face-palmed.

Blue