Disclaimer from the prologue applies. The only characters that are mine are Haley, Summer, and Brooke (John and Ellen's biological daughter). I started writing this story after being inspired by the awesome performances of Simon Bowman and Lea Salonga. So here's the cast list of who I see in mind as I write:

Chris--Simon Bowman
Kim--Lea Salonga
John--Peter Polycarpou
Ellen--Claire Moore
Summer (OC, Army nurse)--Rose Byrne
Haley (OC, John and Ellen's adopted Bui-Doi daughter)--Bethany Joy Galeotti
Brooke (OC that will appear later, John and Ellen's biological daughter)--Sophia Bush

Okay, enjoy!

Chapter 1

United States Embassy, Saigon
April, 1975

Kim Truong had packed her small bag with only her wedding dress, a few sets of clean underclothing, and her family shrine, and had come with Chris to the embassy.

"Are you sure they'll let me come with you?" the seventeen-year-old girl asked fearfully.

"Once I tell them that I wish to marry you before we leave, they'll have no choice but to let you come with me," he assured her. "We still have a chaplain on staff here and he'll marry us before we evacuate." He smiled and kissed her. "And if we don't have time here, he'll probably marry us once we're safely out of Saigon."

Kim nodded, hoping and praying with everything inside her that he was right. They had only made promises to each other. It was enough for them, but she knew it wasn't legal and binding, yet. She felt him squeeze her hand as they faced the ambassador together.

A few minutes later, the confrontation was over and Kim was hustled away from Chris and turned over to a nurse in the U.S. Army for a medical examination. Kim wasn't too terribly concerned as she hadn't been a bar girl for very long and Chris was the only man she'd ever been with. The nurse's name was Summer and she chattered amiably as she conducted the examination.

"Oh! I'm sorry," the nurse chuckled. "Here I am chattering on and on, and I'm not known as a chatterbox."

"It's okay," Kim assured her in her careful English. "I think I need a distraction."

Summer smiled. "You're lucky Sergeant Scott brought you when he did. The ambassador was going to issue the order to freeze like today."

Kim wrinkled her nose in confusion. "I don't understand."

"It would mean there would be no more Vietnamese allowed to leave." The other girl shook her head sadly. "Saigon is falling apart."

"Yes, I know." A tear broke free and rolled down Kim's cheek as she thought of the other bar girls she was leaving behind. Would Thuy have them all killed when he discovered she had gone with Chris? She shuddered at the thought.

"All done," Summer said, startling Kim out of her thoughts. She directed Kim to what looked like a lavatory. "You can take a quick shower in there. I'll get out some clothes for you. I have your bag here."

"My…wedding dress is in there," Kim told her. "I think it might be wrinkled. We didn't have much time to leave."

Summer nodded in understanding. "Say no more. I'll see what I can do with it."

Thirty minutes later, Kim was dressed in her traditional Vietnamese wedding gown and pant set and combing through her wet and slightly tangled hair. Summer then used a hair dryer and helped her fashion her long hair into a serviceable knot and then Kim carefully pinned the headpiece in place.

"You look beautiful," Summer breathed. "But wait!" She grabbed her own purse took out her make-up kit. Kim's coloring made it easy for Summer to apply a light layer of eye shadow, blush, and lipstick. A knock at the door startled both women.

"You ladies ready?" Estevez called out. "The chaplain's ready and things are going crazy out there. We have to get outta here soon, so if the sergeant and his gal wanna get married, we gotta do it now."

"Just a second, Estevez!" Summer called back. She then turned back to Kim. "Okay, I'm assuming you've got the something old, something new, right?"

Kim laughed. "Yes, my dress is new, and these earrings belonged to Gigi, and she said they were antiques."

Summer quickly took off her own bracelet and fastened it to Kim's thin wrist. "Okay, here's your something borrowed. What about something blue?"

Kim smiled and pulled a blue silk scarf from her pocket and fashioned it in a loose knot on her neck. "What is this all about?"

"Oh, it's just tradition for American weddings that the bride needs to have something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue." Summer smiled sadly. "Even if you and Sergeant Scott are having a quickie wedding ceremony with the chaplain, I wanted to make sure some traditions were still adhered to. Now come on, Miss Truong. Let's get you married!"

The ceremony was short, but rich with feeling. Kim and Chris were oblivious to the chaos going on outside as they exchanged vows, and then rings that Summer and John had been gracious enough to let them have to bind the marriage.

Chris cupped her face, leaned down and kissed her and the bonds became final. Just then, a knock at the door startled everyone.

"The last two choppers have landed!" Private Mark Kellerman said.

Ambassador Graham Martin got up. "All right, let's go. Mrs. Scott, you have just enough time to change, and then we have to go."

Kim nodded as Summer handed her a t-shirt and pants, similar to the ones Kim had been wearing when she'd first arrived at the embassy. Neither woman spoke as Kim gave the bracelet back and quickly changed into the clean shirt and pants set that Summer had given her.

"Thank you for all your kindnesses," Kim said as the two women hugged goodbye. Summer would be going on the other chopper with John, Estevez, and a few other Marines while Kim and Chris would be flying with the ambassador and some other high ranking officers.

Suddenly, everything was chaos. Thankfully, Chris and Kim had clung to each other's hands otherwise they would've been separated. John had made sure Kim was safely buckled in beside Chris as the chopper took flight and then he hurried to his own chopper.

Kim had mixed feelings about everything. Yes, she was leaving Vietnam, her homeland, but it had become a war zone, and her family was dead. She was going to America, to a new life with a man who loved her. She shook her head to clear it, feeling the fatigue wash over her as the chopper rose higher in the sky. Feeling Chris's arm slide around her shoulders, she let him guide her head to his shoulder. Resting against him did it. She was out like a light.