Everything felt like it was falling apart.

Chris didn't feel in control like he used to…he was tired. Guilt wrecked him on the inside as he stared off in the distance, deep in thought. He led so many men throughout the years. You are the reason why all your men are dead…Captain Chris huh? All those men were sent to an early grave….

"C…Captain?" Piers' voice breaks his thoughts. Chris lets out a shaky breath and turns toward him. Piers scanned his Captain's face. He looked emotionally drained. The young soldier's brow furrowed. He didn't like to see Chris like this. "Are you alright sir?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Why don't you get some rest?" He didn't seem like he wanted to talk.

Piers left him to go to his room to rest. He sat down at the foot of his bed, unlacing his boots. He thought of Chris. He could only wonder what was going on in his head half the time. Chris sure didn't seem like he was going to tell him any time soon. It was probably better that way. After changing, Piers rolled into his bed and fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Piers was awoken by a knock at the door. It was Chris, changed and ready to head out. He left Piers to get ready. Soon the two were in the plane, heading toward their objective point. The two didn't speak during the plane ride. Chris was absorbed in his thoughts again. He seemed to do that quite often. The mission was to take out a swarm of J'avo in an area about 15 minutes away. As they neared the mission point, Chris clenched his jaw and stared straight ahead. Time to head out.

Blood…blood everywhere.

A few hours passed since they landed. All the while, the Captain and Piers were killing J'avo in the area. It seemed like they were out there for days…just the two of them, no backup, and no other soldiers. Piers searched the area for remaining enemies. They were all dead. He looked down at the ground, a puddle of dark blood beneath his boots. He touched at his forehead only to find blood on his gloves. He was…exhausted. His body begged for rest.

"Piers. We are all clear. Let's go." Piers turned to see Chris walking toward him. His face was smeared with a mixture of dirt and blood. He could hear his captain's heavy breathing. "Yes Sir." With that, the two headed out. They went to a local area that was set up for them to rest for a few days. It was a small motel. It wasn't much, but hell, it was a lot better than sleeping outside in the cold.

Before heading off to sleep, Chris asked Piers to talk to him for a moment. Piers entered Chris' room, his eyelids feeling heavy. He wanted sleep more than anything right now. When he stared at his Captain's face, however, he saw the same pain that it held the previous night…what was he going to tell him?

Chris took a deep breath and spoke. "Piers..." he said, "All my men…they are all gone. Everyone…b-but you...dead. All the men I commanded…" His voice trailed off as he turned away, his eyes focusing on the window. Piers felt a chill run through his spine at Chris' words; he didn't want to see his Captain like this. Not now. Not after all he had been through. Suddenly Chris turned around, and looked Piers right in the eyes. "You are all I got on my team now. We are both going to get through this."

Piers gave a nod in response. "Yes, Captain. I won't let you down." His eyes averted to the ground for a moment. "Sir…you can't blame yourself for those deaths…we have to keep moving on..." His words left Chris silent for a few moments. The Captain tried to keep his emotions in control…Piers was right. He had to stop blaming himself…but it hurt. To see so many of his men die in front of him. Oh God, he felt like he was falling apart...he couldn't do this…not in front of Piers. He let Piers go so he could get some rest. All he wanted right now was to be alone, and to sleep.

The following morning, Piers awoke and let his Captain know he was going to step out for a bit, to get breakfast. After speaking with him last night, Piers sensed that he wanted to be alone for a while. It was still early. His body still ached a bit, but he seemed to have a constant alarm in his head, waking him up early every morning. He went to a small diner nearby and ordered food. When his food arrived and he began to eat, Piers noticed a woman walking over to him. She had dark long hair, her skin milky white. "Mind if I sit here?"

Piers looked around. The diner was completely empty, other than the people who worked there. "Uh…sure." He said slowly in response. She sat down beside him, a coffee in her hands. He felt her eyes on him. He shifted slightly in his seat. Why did he feel so uncomfortable? Piers looked at the woman, her eyes were piercing into his.

"Well, you look like you could use some company." She was right. The realization sunk in that he wanted someone to talk to, even if just for a little while. "Yes…I would like that a lot." She smiled. The two introduced themselves. The woman's name was Sonja. She looked young, maybe in her early twenties. They chatted for a while. Piers noticed she was much closer next to him than before. He stared down at her hands. Oh...how he wanted to hold them, to feel her warm skin…to simply touch them. He slid his hand over hers without thinking.

Piers heard Sonja take a quick breath in, she must have not expected it. He jerked his hand away, immediately feeling his face go warm. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"His words came out jumbled. To his surprise, she touched the tips of his fingers with her own.

" You feel so…cold.." Piers looked down at Sonja's hand touching his. Looking back into her eyes, he noticed something there. A want…a need.

He felt her other hand touch his thigh. It slightly startled him. He could feel his body heat rise at her slight touch. The two were silent for a few moments, till Sonja spoke. "We should leave…don't you think?"