Okay so I just noticed that I changed something without telling you guys. I decided to change the timeline so that the wedding hasn't happened yet. So congratulations! You've all been invited to Jess and Becker's wedding! Enjoy!

Katie backed away from the sound carefully, not wanting to attract the attention of whatever it was. She heard Howell move behind her and she held up her hand to stop him.

"Are you armed?" Becker's voice was loud in her ear and she winced. Katie glanced to around to see if there was anything she could use for a weapon, or if Howell's EMD had landed nearby, and silently cursed herself for not carrying her own. Giving up on finding the gun, she slowly knelt to the ground and pulled out the combat knife her father had given her five years ago for her sixteenth birthday. It felt right in her hand and she thanked God, not for the first time, that her father was overprotective and paranoid.

"I have my knife," she told Becker quietly. She heard Becker snort.

"What the hell do you need us for then?" He asked trying to joke, but Katie could hear the tension in his voice. She knew the Captain was a man who would do anything to protect his people, and he hated it when he couldn't.

"Just stand there and look pretty," she whispered back hoping it would make him a little more at ease. She heard him laugh a little at the inside joke that had started soon after she'd begun working at the ARC.

Katie was on her way to the medical wing to check in with the doctors before meeting up with the rest of Becker's team when noises from the gym caught her attention. The soldiers were all standing to the side of wrestling mats that had been pulled to the middle of the floor. They were shouting encouragements and jeers at two men circling each other warily. Both men were strangers to her, but the larger of the two she recognized as the one who'd smacked the soldier had made a lewd comment about her. She'd been watching the men's reactions to the comment without them realizing it and had been forced to stifle a giggle at the look on the man's face when he'd been smacked, not to mention the look of satisfaction on the one who'd done the smacking. They each had a rubber practice knife in one hand and a few red marks where their opponent had made a hit.

She took a few steps into the gym, unable to stop herself, completely mesmerized by the flowing movements of the fighters. The smaller man suddenly thrust his knife at the larger soldier's gut, only to end up flat on his back and disarmed.

"And Howell wins again," Becker called from the sidelines. The larger man, who was apparently Howell, offered the defeated man a hand which was quickly accepted with good grace. Katie watched Becker walk over to where his second in command was posting something on the wall, before returning her attention to the mat where Howell was setting up for the next match.

"I can show you how to handle a knife," a voice said suggestively on her left. She rolled her eyes as she looked at the soldier who'd inched closer without her realizing it.

"I'm okay thanks," she said. She tugged at the black uniform she was wearing to remind herself that she had to be in charge at the moment. She'd made the uniform into her safety blanket. A weight settled on her shoulder and she quickly shoved the soldier's arm off her as if it burned.

"Don't be shy baby," he said taking another step towards her. Katie found herself standing on the mat as she quickly backed away from him. The faces of the soldiers that surrounded the mat showed a myriad of different emotions, but most were a mix of anger and disgust which was directed at the soldier who was trying his best to pull her back towards him.

"Back off Franklin," a voice said. Katie spun around to find Howell standing near the mat looking a little more than pissed. Normally she would have been thrilled to have someone else take care of this particular problem, but her pride was still smarting a bit from this morning. Becker had found her before she'd had a chance to change into her uniform and talk herself out of her normally shy personality. So instead of meeting Corporal Kathryn Bennett Army Medic, they'd met Katie Bennett wilting flower. And that pissed her off.

"Thank you sir," she said nodding in their direction. She figured sir would work since they both out ranked her. "but I can handle it."

"You can handle me all you want baby," the young soldier said making Katie roll her eyes.

"The only person who would willingly handle you would be yourself," she said earning a murderous glare from the lewd soldier and gut wrenching laughter from the others. They obviously hadn't expected the shy girl they'd met that morning to have that kind of spunk. Satisfied with her victory Katie quickly spun on her heel and made her way to the door.

"I should have known a frigid little bitch like you is only good for standing there and looking pretty." Katie froze and turned around slowly.

"Mat now," she ground out between clenched teeth. The soldiers around her must have recognized the deadly intent in her voice because they quickly moved out of her way, all except Howell at least. He blocked her path with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"You can't fight him," he said in a way that said he didn't expect an argument. Unfortunately for him Katie felt like giving him one.

"Is that an order?" she asked knowing full well that he couldn't give a good excuse for it to be. He was about to answer when he was stopped by Becker's voice.

"Let her fight Howell," he said to the obvious surprise of all the soldiers who just gaped at him. She sent Howell a saccharine smile and plucked the sparring knife from his fingers.

Once Becker called for them to start Katie attacked as soon as her opponent opened his mouth to taunt her. She had him disarmed and pinned to the ground in less than three moves, once again leaving the soldiers gaping in shock. The soldier on the ground whimpered in pain as Katie put more pressure on his twisted shoulder, pressing it farther out of place.

"Touch me again, and I'll kill you," she said quietly, but the rest of the soldiers heard her to. They took a small step back as she let go of the soldier's arm and walked out of the gym. She was so focused on getting to the safety of a bathroom before the shaking started that she didn't realize someone was behind her until a hand landed on her shoulder. Her startled yelp echoed in the hallway and she turned to see a repentant Howell standing behind her.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn't mean to scare you," He said before she could say anything.

"I can take care of myself," she snapped, her emotions still raw after the fight. She instantly regretted it when his face went cold.

"Fine," he said shortly as he turned away, "Later Kate." Katie's fists clenched at the name.

"Never call me Kate," she bit out. Howell stopped and turned with a twinkle in his eye that made Katie groan. She was quickly regretting that she'd shown just how much that name bothered her.

"But it suits you so well," he said before turning and jogging back to the gym. Katie sighed and slid down the wall behind her as her hands began shaking.

"Katie?" Becker's near shout brought her back to reality faster than a bucket of ice water. "You still with me?"

"I'm fine just…" A ear splitting yowl interrupted Katie and she jumped back just as a small black shape hurtled past her. She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"We're good Becker," she said nearly laughing, "It was just a stray cat." She turned back to Howell and saw his eyes go wide a second before something big hit her back knocking her to the floor. She heard Becker and Howell yell.

"Katie!"