A/N: Ok, I decided to continue as I just like how cute this story is in my head that makes me smile while I'm at work. So thank you to everyone who reviewed and look forward to making everyone smile some more. Enjoy.


Chapter 2


"Shore leave for 60 days. I know what I'm doing." Cruz said with a dreamy smile as he was going first going to get ridiculously drunk. Maybe find a fine woman to hold before he started the search for his family. He knew his priorities were totally screwed up but the contagious cure was out there and if his family was alive. They'd catch it. "What are you going to be doing Miller?" Cruz asked as they walked down the gangway with their sea bags slung over their shoulders.

"I'm going to hop on a transport to Nebraska and go home. I need to find my Mom or at least what happened to her if. You know." Miller said, he couldn't say the word 'dead' in the same sentence as she was the only family he had in the world.

"I hope you find her alive." Cruz told him.

"Me too." Miller said.

"But for tonight we are going to party right?" Cruz asked him.

"Yeah, we are." Miller said with a smile as he thought of Larrin. Unlike Wolf, he had been caught up in last minute duties before he and many others on the ship had to finish before they were allowed to take leave. But even with the delay he was looking forward to seeing her again.

"And hey maybe you'll find that chick who laid one you." Cruz said.

"Not interested." Miller said giving a shake of his head. Cruz stopped and looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

"What? she was hot." Cruz said.

"Nope, not interested." Miller told him with a smile as he'd take a beer with Larrin over the girl who just randomly kissed him and ran off into the crowd.

"Not interested." Cruz repeated in disbelief.


Flashback


Miller waved goodbye to the Mother and son as he'd just finished passing the cure onto them. He couldn't help but think about his mother and whether she was still alive. The ache at not knowing gnawed at him.

"Hello?" a melodic voice with an Australian accent said, Miller looked up and froze as possibly the most beautiful woman he'd seen all day stood in front him.

She had mesmerising hazel eyes that were mix of grass green and whiskey brown. Long dark brown hair that was almost black that hung in loose waves around her shoulders and down her back. Her skin was slightly tanned and she had the cutest sprinkle of freckles across her face.

But it was her smile that caught him the most and made him tongue tied as it just lit up her whole face and made him warm inside like soaking up sunlight on a cold autumn morning.

All the while he was drinking her in. She stood with her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she looked at him with curiosity completely unaware of her appeal.

"I'm told all you sailors are spreading a cure?" she asked, Miller blinked at her as he was surprised she was talking to him. She had to by pass at least 10 other navy sailors who were definitely more attractive than him. He knew this from every time he went to a bar with them, he was the average looking guy that made all the other guys look like they walked off a men's health cover.

"Ah-" He cleared his throat hated how he sounded like a teenager than a man. "Yeah, yeah we are." Miller said to her, inwardly kicking himself for stuttering and being weird. Lame, bro. You gotta be more like Cruz and Wolf... he inwardly chastised himself as he fully expected her to walk off soon but she remained in place.

"So how does this work?" she asked taking a step closer to him, a soft smile playing on her lips. She was possibly the first person he'd talk to who didn't look haunted by the pandemic but then he learned from Wolf that it was easy to pretend one was happy even after the worst. Frankly he wanted to bask in her glow as long as she allowed him.

"Hand?" he asked, he held out his in offer just as he practised on the ship when Dr Scott showed them how to transmit the cure. She slid her hand into his. he couldn't help but notice how small her hand looked in his but also how firm her grip was like one of a quietly confident person.

"So you just hold my hand?" She asked him with open curiosity.

"Well, the Doc says you have to move in closer." Miller told her as he clasped his other hand over hers. He wanted to tug her closer but held off as he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"This close?" she asked him as she stepped towards him until they were nearly toe to toe. He couldn't help but notice that she was fairly tall. Sure she still had to tilt her face to look up at him but it wasn't like she was breaking her neck to do so. Part of him knew if he was more confident and let go of his own inhibitions as she was close enough to steal a kiss but held back. One; because he was a gentleman and two; she was

"Yeah." He said he swallowed nervously while secretly grateful he had the foresight to brush his teeth so he wouldn't end up doing what he did with Dr Scott.

"And we just stand here?" she asked him as she still held onto his hand and looked at him. Her eye contact wavered a bit but he knew she was scanning the crowds for signs of trouble. It made him wonder if she was a soldier but given her posture and her slim frame. He doubted it as most military women he knew were incredibly fit and they had a certain way about their posture and how they held themselves.

"Pretty much. Most people hug me and I had one girl kiss me." Miller said, he learned it was best not to mention that he had to breathe on her as some people had found that creepy. She gave a chuckle as a lovely blush graced her cheeks.

"Sorry, I'm going to disappoint you but I'm not that forward when I'm sober." She said a smile spread across her lips that brightened her whole face.

"This is better." He told her, and it was true. He was really enjoying just talking to her and holding her hand. Sure it felt a little awkward but he liked it. Maybe it was that they would have more time together than a quick kiss would ever allow him.

"Really?" She asked her nose scrunched adorably in disbelief.

"Yeah, I like to know the gir-er woman before I get intimate with her." Miller said, his mother taught him to treat a woman respectfully and that if he wanted to be respected as a man he had to show patience and kindness. So far his mother's rules of how to get a girlfriend ended up with him in the friend zone or completely rejected just because he didn't look like Lt Green or Wolf Taylor. But he didn't dwell on that as he always felt that his lack of a love life was not the be all and end all of who he was.

"A kiss is intimate?" she asked him.

"I believe so Ma'am. Yes." he said, he felt his cheeks redden as he knew it made him sound old fashioned. Most guys would jump at the chance of a random kiss or one night stand but it wasn't something Miller enjoyed. "So, have you been in St Louis long?" Miller asked her changing the topic.

"Only a day, I heard the radio call and was closer to here than the other ports." She answered all the while Miller couldn't stop staring at her. She frowned at him. "What? do I have something on my face or in my teeth?" she asked him.

"No, just your accent. You're Australian right?" He asked lamely at it was completely obvious she was Australian but it was better than admitting he was completely transfixed by her.

"Yeah, I know. I tried speaking with an American accent but I can't get used to saying hard R's." she told him with a shrug.

"Why would you want to speak like an American? Your accent is way cooler." Miller assured her.

"People kind of don't like foreigners here when there's a pandemic but with a cure that will change. But I have to say that contagious cure is rather ingenious. Though does it take this long for transmission?" she asked him.

"Not sure, am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked her.

"No, I'm good." She assured him with warm closed lip smile. "Though it wouldn't hurt if I knew your name." she added.

"Seaman Eric Miller but everyone just calls me Miller." He told her.

"I'm Larrin, it's nice to meet you." She told him.


Miller smiled at the memory as they had talked about some of the most random things after that and he'd enjoyed it. The awkwardness of trying to be cool had faded and his instant crush on her just increased exponentially. But that was be expected given she was way out of his league and while she hadn't blatantly flirted with him but he didn't exactly feel like she was pigeon-holing him as a 'friend'. Yet. The sense of potential was a little exhilarating and a bit of an ego boost even if she was Wolf's sister.

The weird part was that he knew he should be scared of that as Wolf could give him a slow and painful death for just looking at his sister sideways. Part of him felt like assuring Wolf that once Larrin got an eyeful of all the other sailors from the ship she'd drop him like a hot potato but he decided to be an optimist about the situation and just remember it was a beer with Larrin and Wolf which in itself would be a good time as he learn a lot about the Taylor family and have a laugh as he knew people who had siblings had great stories to share.

"You know for someone who isn't interested you're looking pretty happy." Cruz told him, snapping Miller out of thoughts.

"I'm just happy we're finally home and able to find our families." Miller told him, he knew it bad but he was purposefully not telling anyone about Larrin as he selfishly wanted to keep her to himself a little longer.

"I know, just an inauguration ball to get through then we can get into our civvies and get good and drunk." Cruz told him.

"Yeah, sound good." Miller lied as he liked the idea of a few quiet drinks and a long night's sleep on a plush hotel bed a whole lot better than watching Cruz chase women.