Chapter 8: A/N: Hi peeps! Sorry this has taken so long to post this chapter. You will find that this story has a very confusing plot. No lie there! Anyway, for all you Americans out there (and everyone else) please pray for the families of ALL of the Fort Hood shooting victims. They need our support. Please keep their families in prayer. I hope you guys like this chapter. Please R&R. Thank you!

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Kandahar, KAN Afghanistan

Mike's POV:

I've been back at JTF1's compound for a full 24 hours now; I think. It was just really hard seeing Sam like he was, all cut up and scared and young. I mean, I'm 40 years old, turning 41 in January and Sam's what, 26? 27 in December? He looked bad, and I mean bad bad. A twenty-six year old should not be having anything like a cardiac arrest! But I am surprised it didn't happen sooner the way his father treats him. I'm sort of surprised Sam hasn't committed suicide but I guess when he moved to Toronto and met his fiancé, life got a whole lot better. I'll be glad when this tour is up so I can resign from Staff Sargent and go back to Churchill, Manitoba to be far away from all of this chaos. Since JTF6 moved to the base, we are stuck about 40 miles away from where JTF6's old camp was, all alone. In the morning I'm summoned to answer a call from SSgt Bradley. When I pick up the phone this is how the conversation goes.

"Hello? Mike Laurence? This is Bradley from JTF6." He says.

"Hello, what's going on?" I ask. No one from a different unit should be calling another unit unless something bad, usually really bad, has happened.

"Uh, David Ellison has been killed by a roadside bomb. I'm sorry."

"What?! No, no you've got the wrong David. You can't be talking about the same David Ellison that I am."

"I'm so sorry Mike. Someone found him last night, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Marcus, his roommate committed suicide last night over David's death. I know you said David meant the world to you and I am truly very sorry for your loss. You may come over and see them both if you'd like. You know where we are. I'm sorry Mike." Bradley says emptily.

It takes me a few minutes to digest what Bradley is saying. Sam? My little Sammy was killed by a roadside bomb? No, no it just can't be.

"No, no Sa-David's a fighter." Very quietly I squeak, "He's – he's my son."

"I'm very sorry for your loss Mike. David was a fighter. Please, let me know if there is anything I can do. Perhaps I will see you soon? You can come over here any time you wish. I'm really sorry." Bradley states and hangs up.

I place the phone back in its cradle and dazedly walk down the hall to my room in the compound. I sit grief-stricken on the edge of my bed and barely notice when Leif, my 1st lieutenant from Denmark and roommate, walks into our room and sits on the bed next to me.

"Michael, I heard. I know what he meant to you. I'm so, so sorry Michael. I'm so sorry he had to leave you that way."

A few minutes of silence pass before I can't stand it any longer.

"He did something. He did something to Sammy! He did something to my son!" I yell in rage through my tears. "He did something and I'm going to find out what it was."

"Bradley said you could come over to JTF6 right? Why don't you go over for a few days? I can hold the fort down." Leif states.

"Are you sure, Leif? I mean, it can wait, I guess." I say feeling guilty.

"Are you kidding me Michael? It can wait? Seriously? Just like yesterday you were talking about seeing Sam for the first time in nine years and how he looked really bad and how he said he loved you too. No, it can't wait. Go see him. C'mon Michael, just go. You'll feel better. Even if it wasn't a roadside bomb and someone killed him, it'll make you feel a little better that he's at rest now. He was too young to die but at least he's resting. Go Michael. I'll keep in touch." Leif encourages as he packs up my bags.

I guess I'm going to the base. I help Leif pack up my things and he sends me out in Humvee. I still feel like I'm taking advantage of him, but I trust Leif with my life and the lives of my soldiers in the unit. He always does a good job taking care of everything. I'm glad he's in second in command.

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Kandahar, KAN Afghanistan

Jules' POV:

We step off the plane in Kandahar and all you can see for miles is sand. No wonder Sam hated it here. Everything's all dry and lifeless. It gives a new meaning to 'no-man's land' that's for sure. Ed hands me my two very full suitcases and all the guys (and Clark) grab their bags too. Just as we are getting our bearings, I spot a very familiar woman walking in our direction.

"Natalie?" I ask when she is within earshot.

"Huh? Julianna? You guys must've heard about S-" she starts before breaking into sobs.

I try to console her, but we're both lost in grief. When we stop, Spike's arm is wrapped around Natalie's shoulders and Clark is by my side.

"I'm sorry; it's just so hard to think that, that my brother is-is gone. I'm being selfish though. You and Sammy were going to get married in the summer. It must be harder on you Jules, I hardly ever saw him but you saw him every day." Natalie says.

"I think it's hard on everyone." I say feeling Clark's arm around my waist. I return the gesture.

"Were you guys going to see my parents? I'm sure my Mom has a place for you guys to stay."

"Oh, that's great. We won't be staying long though." Spike says. I find it odd that he doesn't mention the coordinates or the journal Sarge and I showed everyone on the plane.

"Oh, ok. I guess you guys have to get back to work. Toronto always needs help." She says with a weak smile. "Well you guys can follow me to the house. I'll grab a limo for you."

In five minutes all seven of us are riding in a black limousine to the base in Kandahar. Clark sits next to me but he fidgets uncomfortably. I don't think he's ever been out of Canada and if he has, he hasn't gone far. We finally arrive at the front gates of the large army base. Clark helps me out and we all grab our bags. Natalie has arranged for us to meet Mrs. Braddock. The General is not available tonight. This time change is messing me up. Apparently it's 12:30 pm on Thursday the 7th. When did that happen?! The introductions between the Team and Sam's mother are painful and tense. I think we all suspect something different. Mrs. Braddock, Jacqueline as she tells us to call her, makes everyone lunch and apologizes for Jason, aka the General, not being able to meet us tonight. Jacqueline is pleasant and kind but you can tell she's not exactly the most comfortable with all of Team One being here with me.

She finds two large apartments for us to rent that are right down the street from their house. The rooms are large. All the men stay in one apartment and I'm by myself next door. It's almost worse than my house with half of a king-sized bed empty and cold. I guess that's how I'm feeling on the inside too. I plan on staying in my apartment for the rest of the day until Clark knocks on my door.

"Hey Jules? It's Clark." He says.

"Hold on a second. I'll be right there." I say walking to door and opening it. "Hi," I say quietly. It's a bit strange having Ed's sixteen year old son with us, but I like his company.

"Hi, I was wondering, do you want to go on a walk with me? Just down a few streets and back. If you want to, I mean." He says glancing uncomfortably up at me.

"I'd love to. Is it ok with Ed?"

"Yeah, I asked him before I came over. He just said to watch the signs and remember where we are."

"Ok, I think we can do that." I say smiling. "Let me get some better clothes on and I'll be right out." I say grabbing a different shirt and pair of pants then walk into the bathroom closing and locking the door behind me while Clark sits down on my bed.

I grab my cell phone, pistol, and keys when I'm ready and we head outside. The streets are busy, but not packed. There are soldiers walking around and Humvees driving through. Up ahead I see a sign that says the other part of the compound is a little further ahead. Clark and I walk through the streets and the sad-attempts at parks. We laugh at each other and it just feels good to be around someone who doesn't see all the mess I see every day. Somehow after work, Sam was always able to shut down the part of his brain that saw all the chaos and become a younger, more carefree man. And no, he wasn't drunk. Deep down though, Clark and I are hurting. I can tell by the way he walks and looks at things that he's not truly happy, yet again, neither am I. We've been out and about for a few hours and it's starting to grow dark. We start walking back to the apartments when Clark stops in front of me and turns around.

"Clark? What's wrong?" I ask. Of course it is my natural instinct to assume something is wrong.

"Jules, this is from Sam." He says and pulls a sapphire necklace out of a jewelry box he had in his pocket.

"What?" I ask a little confused but stunned by the beauty of the sapphire. They're my favorite gem.

"Six days ago on November 1st Sam came up to me and asked me to keep this and if anything ever happened to him, to give it to you. He said sapphires are your favorite." Clark explains handing the box over to me.

"Oh, Sammy." I squeak starting to cry again.

Well, I didn't really realize that we are still in the street until Clark leads me closer to the side of a building.

"Jules, I didn't mean to make you upset. I just,"

"No, Clark you didn't make me upset. It's just; Sam knew something like this was going to happen. That's why, well partly why this is so upsetting. He knew that someone was going to kill him and he didn't tell anyone because he didn't want to worry us or have them hunt him down and kill him in front of anyone. I guess he just figured that he'd rather be murdered where no one would see it happen than have it happen in front of someone he loved. That's all Clark. Thank you for bringing this. I know he meant a lot to you." I say trying to make sense of this situation.

"He was your fiancé. He was just like a brother to me. Except he wasn't always very talkative." Clark says smiling a bit.

He's got that right. Sam isn't very talkative when he's around certain people or places, but if you know him, oh he'll talk alright! Sam is one of the most reserved people I've met though. I always assumed it was from the army, you know, speak only when you're spoken to; don't talk out of line; that kind of thing. Clark suddenly throws himself into my arms his body heaving with his tears. I wrap my arms around him trying to comfort but also trying to quiet him down. Someone taps me on my shoulder and my hand flies for my pistol. Then I hear the voice. It's Natalie.

"Oh! Sorry Jules. I didn't mean to scare you. I ought to know by now not to sneak up on cops, I guess I still need to practice that one." She says laughing nervously.

Clark sniffles a few times as Natalie continues.

"Mom told me to find you and tell you that if you want to see Sam, she and I will be there tonight. His funeral is tomorrow and all soldiers have closed-casket funerals. Injuries and such. You're welcome to come tomorrow as well, but if you wanted some alone time, tonight would be the time." She states quietly.

I glance at Clark then Natalie. Does she really have to be so blunt? I know she's used to soldiers dying and funerals and all, but she sounds like they happen every day and are common knowledge. It doesn't seem like she suspects any foul play from anyone! In her mind I suppose, Sam was just another unfortunate soldier to be blown to smithereens by an IED. I hope it's a little different though because Sam is her brother.

"Yes, I would like to come with you tonight. Clark, do you want me to take you back?"

Clark's face says it all. 'Yes, of course I want to see Sam. No, I definitely do not want to see Sam; he was blown away by an IED! But he's like my brother. It's not my place; it's Jules' fiancé and Natalie's blood-related brother. I want to make sure it's him. I, oh, I don't know!'

"It's ok if you don't want to go Clark. I can take you back. Really."

"I think I'd like to go back." He says quietly; deciding it is better to remember Sam how he was, a friendly, quiet, young adult who would sit and listen to you and was engaged to his father's teammate. Not as a pale, cold, body who had no expression, possibly blown up in pieces (he hopes not) and completely lifeless. Clark has been to enough funerals. He doesn't need to see Sam's body to accept that he's gone.

"Ok, I'll take you back." I say.

"I'll come with you Jules; if that's ok. We can go see him together." Natalie suggests.

"Ok."

The three of us walk back to the apartments. I tell the rest of my team where I'm going and they all hug me goodnight and goodbye. Natalie and I walk to a low concrete building a few blocks away. We enter and Jacqueline is already there. Still no sign of the General. Doesn't he care? Maybe he doesn't. Sam said they didn't have a good relationship but I doubt it was that bad. I follow Natalie as she leads me into a large room with two caskets in it. One is Sam's, the other, I have no idea and neither does Natalie.

"I believe that is Kyle Morrison. He was also killed by an IED. Terrible things they are. He left his wife pregnant with their third child. It's a shame and it happens so quickly. The surgeon in JTF6 said there was nothing they could do to save him. It happens too often. All of these young women and men just being killed mercilessly by the insurgents. It's awful." Jaqueline explains when I ask her.

Sam's body is in a normal-sized dark oak casket with a large Canadian flag draped over it. Tears gather in my eyes just seeing that and knowing my fiancé is in there and just – gone. We all stand next to each other and pray for a few minutes. It's awful is right. The love of my life has died sixty years earlier than he should have, he was probably all alone when it happened and I highly doubt it was instantaneous. My little Sammy wanted to spare me of watching his murder so he came over to no man's land and just let it happen.

Jacqueline takes a deep breath and opens her son's casket. The small bit of his lifeless body I see is quite enough and I swiftly retreat to the back of the room sobbing. She and Natalie stand over him like they are trying to pick out what ice cream they want to buy!

"I've got to go." I announce and run out of the building.

I feel better once I'm outside but what I saw will be burned in my brain forever. I finally haul myself up the steps to my apartment. Tears still drip down my face as I open my door, enter, lock the door, fling myself onto my bed hugging a pillow and sobbing into it. I hear voices outside of my door, but I don't care. Sam is gone and that's all that matters.

"Jules? Hey Jules? Open the door." Ed states.

I don't move and I hear the lock being picked. A few seconds later, Ed, Sarge, Wordy, Spike and Clark walk into my room. I don't look up at them. I just close my eyes and wish it to all go away. My eyes are forced open however by Wordy making sure that I don't have a concussion. I feel a little claustrophobic as all of my teammates sit around and hold me. Sarge is the kindest, Wordy is the gentlest, Spike is the most careful, and Ed is the most father-like. Clark just sits near me. I sob uncontrollably and everything is just a big blur. I feel like I've been drinking all night, but I haven't had anything in weeks. I feel Ed holding me again then I black out.

(0700 a.m.)

"Jules? Sweetie it's time to get up." Someone says softly. They start to gently tug the sheets off of me and lightly shake my shoulder until I start to moan quietly. "C'mon Jules, you've got to wake up. You too Clark."

Now I realize that Ed is the one talking to me. Why do I have to get up? Sam's funeral is today and – and – and do I have say any more? I open my eyes as my Team Leader picks me up out of the bed.

"Ed, put me down," I mumble. "I don't want go anywhere. I just – I just want Sammy to be alive." I start cry again.

"Shhh, I know Jules. I know sweetie. I know how much you miss him Jules but you can't get all depressed on me." Ed murmurs allowing me to bury my head into his chest as he strokes my hair. "Clark, c'mon get up."

"Dad,"

"Clark, get up and grab a pair of Jules' clothes from her suitcase."

"Eddie I don't want to go." I sob harder wrapping my arms around his back in a weak embrace.

"Shhh, its ok Jules. You're going to be ok." Ed soothes hugging me back as Clark places a pair of my clothes on the bed next to his father. "Thank you Clark. You can go get dressed too."

I hear Clark leaving my room and I try to turn around, wriggling out of Ed's arms. As I look around my room, Clark's sleeping bag is on the floor next to my side of the bed, Sarge is sitting in a nearby chair and another empty chair sits next to Sarge's. I assume Sarge and Ed slept in the chairs and Clark slept next to me on the floor. Sarge smiles tiredly at me.

"Hey Jules. How are you?"

"Sarge, I don't want to go to Sammy's funeral. He didn't just die, somebody killed him and it wasn't the insurgents. Please Sarge, I don't want to go!" I start to sob again.

"It's ok Jules. Why don't we just scout out the base, talk to his CO, see if he made any friends; just try to get some background information on Sam and his family." Sarge suggests.

I helplessly nod my head.

"C'mon Jules, why don't you take a shower and get dressed. We'll get breakfast around. It's ok." Ed states setting me on the floor and guiding me to the bathroom.

I sigh and take a shower then get dressed. When I finish applying the last bit of makeup I hear loud commotion in my room. I poke my head out of the door to see what's going on. Spike is running around my room yelling at the top of his lungs.

"What the heck?" I say as I step out into the chaos.

"Jules! Jules! The coordinates! Zilupe! Zilupe, Latvia!" Spike shouts excitedly.

"What are you talking about Spike?" I ask taking a chance to walk across the room.

"The coordinates in Sam's journal are the coordinates to Zilupe, Latvia." Spike explains.

"Where the heck is that?" Ed asks.

"Uh, Latvia is on the Atlantic side of Russia in-between Estonia and Lithuania. Zilupe is a small town close to Russia."

"Ok and why would Sam have the coordinates of Zilupe, Latvia in his journal?" Sarge asks turning to me.

"I don't know. He never mentioned anything about it." I state embarrassed that I hardly know anything about my fiancé's past.

"Alright, well let's go around the base and try to find some clues that can help us find out who and what killed Sam." Ed says very reasonably.

We all nod and pack up some things for the day after eating a light breakfast. There's not much food around here if you're not in a unit or an official staying for conferences. Around 8:45 am we all walk out onto the streets. There are throngs of soldiers in crisp dress uniforms lining the streets. I overheard that Kyle Morrison's body will be driven through the main street at 9 o'clock. Apparently, Kyle and Sam were in the same unit when Sam supposedly "conned his way into a unit." Sam's funeral will be held at 10 o'clock. He has an actual funeral since he is the General's son and was one of the best snipers the Canadian army had. Many officials were saddened hearing that he had been killed but not because they cared about him, they were just sad that they had lost one of their best snipers. I try not to think about it too much as we walk through the base trying to find Sam's Commanding Officer. We went from the first compound to the second asking soldiers and officers, book-keepers and cooks; no one had ever heard or met a Samuel Braddock! We rephrased the questions several times but still, no one knew anything! We still wander through the streets pretty much feeling hopeless. We couldn't find anything. It seemed like Sam wasn't even in Kandahar except somehow, he was killed by an IED. I saw his body, he's gone but how did he get here and why doesn't anyone know who he is? It's frustrating to say the least.

We stop in a small restaurant for lunch though I don't think anyone has an appetite. Clark always stays close to my side. Natalie calls me saying that she has set up a meeting for us with her father at two o'clock, well 01400 as she says. I'm nervous about meeting him, what will he say? I've never been formally introduced but Sam never acted like he wanted me to meet the General. Two o'clock rolls around and we walk up to a low sprawling beige building. The corridors are long and empty. Sarge is the one that actually finds the conference room General Braddock is waiting for us in. Ed knocks on the door and three security guards frisk us then allow us entrance.

"Sargent Parker, Constable Lane, Constable Wordsworth, Constable Scarlatti, Constable Callaghan and Young Mr. Lane; I have been expecting you." The General states as we take our seats.

"Hello sir. I understand that you are grieving in this time of, tragedy, as are we, but can we ask you a few questions about Sam?" Sarge states with the perfect balance of respect and force.

"Yes, of course you may. It is only natural to be curious. What do you wish to know?" The General says with a heavy voice.

"I know that when you called us on Tuesday, you said that Sam had called you begging you to buy him a seat on the next plane to Kandahar. You also mentioned that he said that he couldn't stand it in Toronto anymore. Is that correct?" Sarge asks.

"Yes, that is what he told me."

"Sir, we have been asking around his unit and no one has heard of or met a Samuel Braddock. Why is that? No one knew he was here or who he was if he was even here at all." Sarge presses harder.

"I don't know Sargent Parker. I did what my son wanted me to do and that is that. I do not know why his unit does not know who he is, was. Since he was desperate and cunning enough and I'm sure he wasn't in a sound state of mind, he probably used an alias. I don't know!" General Braddock exclaims.

"Sir, please." I start. "We need answers. My fiancé said you summoned him to Ottawa for meetings over the weekend and when he was supposed to be back at work on Tuesday, we get a call saying that he has died. We were getting married in May! I lost the love of my life and you aren't giving us any answers!" I shout while sobbing.

"Do you think this is an interrogation for his murder?! I just buried my son for God's sake! If I had any answers to give you, any closure to offer, I would've done it by now! I don't have any answers; I don't have any closure for why my son was suddenly ripped from my life! I don't have anything except a death certificate and a body. What do you want from me?!" The General shouts as tears stream down his own face.

I open my mouth to speak but Clark places his hand on my own. He shakes his head, 'no.'

"Jules, this isn't helping. We aren't getting anywhere. We're all upset; we're all grieving." He says quietly begging me to stop.

The General is struggling to get himself under control as am I. Maybe I did go too far, push him too hard. I just have a hard time seeing General Braddock as Sam's father and an even harder time seeing him as father who cares about his son. Sam never talked about him, at least not to me.

"I'm sorry sir. I didn't realize what I was saying. We are all grieving Sam's death. Apparently none of us have any logical explanation of why such a phenomenal guy like Sam, is now suddenly gone forever. My team and I have to leave later today but please call me if you find anything. I – I'm really sorry for your loss sir." I choke out, tears welling in the corner of my eyes again.

Clark wraps his arm around my waist as we stand up preparing to leave.

"Julianna, I'm so sorry that you and Samuel were so close. I – I know how hard this is and I wish that Samuel wasn't planning on marrying you so it wouldn't have been so hard for you to say goodbye to him. I'll call you if I find anything. Forgive me Julianna for yelling at you earlier. I was in the wrong. I'm sorry. Please, have a safe flight. If you wish to talk more, I'll keep my schedule open. Please, stay safe." The General states softly and gently.

The sincerity in his voice makes me wonder if all of the bad things that I've heard about him are all wrong. He sounds like he truly misses his son and he actually seems to be a human.

"Thank you." Sarge replies as everyone stands. "Here's our number. Perhaps we'll talk again sometime?"

"Yes perhaps we will. Be careful." The General states again as he holds the door open for us.

He nods to me when I walk out of the door. As we walk down the desolate hallway to the door, we're all in our own little worlds. Everyone thought that the General was a monster of a man, cruel and harsh but just now he was a broken man; grieving the loss of his only son. Was all of the slight information we had on him wrong? Did we jump to conclusions? Are we just trying to find someone to blame instead of finding who really killed Sam? Was this a good idea to come over here at all, I mean, Sam said, well wrote, 'go to where I am' but did he really want us seeing all this? Was he even murdered? I mean, if he was desperate enough to lie to me, then maybe he just killed himself. I guess he didn't love me as much as I thought he did. Maybe I rushed him into the thought of marriage and he wasn't ready for it! What if this is all my fault?! What if I did this to him?! He wasn't ready, how could he have been ready to commit his life to me when he didn't even want me knowing everything about him. He's been hiding things from me because he didn't want me to find out or he just wasn't ready to share. I – I think I killed my fiancé.

"Jules? Earth to Jules!" Spike shouts.

"Huh? What?" I ask. I look at my surroundings. How did we get back to our apartment so fast?

"Are you ready to go?" Ed asks.

"Yeah, just give me a second." I say grabbing my suitcase and making sure that Sam's journal is in my carry-on bag. "Ok. I'm good."

"Alright. To Latvia we go." Sarge says as we climb into a very large taxi.

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Kandahar, KAN Afghanistan

Howie's POV:

What a day. This morning I stood on the streets sobbing as Kyle's body was driven through, then I attended David Ellison's funeral and on top of that Marcus has committed suicide over David's death. His drive through will be tomorrow morning. I'm all alone in my room now. I think SSgt. Bradley is going to move someone in with me until my tour is up in a year. These past two days have been very hard. As I sit on the edge of my bed in my quiet room in the compound, I decide that I should read what Kyle had addressed to me. I riffle through my bags that I still have not unpacked until I find Kyle's letter. Except what I find is not Kyle's letter. It is written in Pashto and is from, wait, David Ellison? Is – is that possible? My eyes wash over the pages, my brain devours the words. I read in confusion and horror. This cannot be happening!

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Kandahar, KAN Afghanistan

Mike's POV:

If you think your morning is stressful, you wouldn't believe how stressful my morning was. Sam's funeral was long and tense. Something definitely wasn't right. I tried to find Jules' face in the small crowd, but she wasn't there. Why wouldn't she come? Was she not told? I promised Sammy that I would find her and keep her safe. That's what I have to do. That's my job now but why wasn't she at her own fiancé's funeral? Its things like that, which bother me. I also heard that Marcus' drive through is tomorrow. He just didn't seem like the kind of guy that would commit suicide. Sam said he had only been over here since Saturday KAN time. If someone killed him on Tuesday, then Marcus would've only known him for a little less than three whole days. That's not a whole lot of time to get to know someone. I've been walking around the base just looking for answers. None of this is making sense. General Braddock said a few words at Sam's funeral but didn't look particularly sad. Then again, no one really did. Do these men not have hearts anymore? Have they lost their soul? Is it really that bad in their lives that they can't smile every once in a while? Has it become that bad?

"Why can't I find anything?" I mutter to myself as I'm walking down the street.

Staff Sargent Bradley doesn't know anything about a Samuel Braddock and neither do any of the other soldiers in JFT6. Only a handful had even heard of David Ellison. Why was it such a secret? Why can't I find Jules? I can't miss her. She's a beautiful young woman and there are not many women on the base so she shouldn't be that hard to find! But, oh, yes she is. I'm still wandering around at 01600. The sky is beginning to darken. The sun transforms into a fiery pink-orange creature basking everything in its intense glow. Three streets ahead of me, six people load luggage into a large taxi, climb in and pull away heading for the airport.

'I wonder who that could be.' I ask myself.

I find myself staring at ever-shrinking taxi unable to split my gaze. When it is no longer in sight, I sigh and walk back to the compound. Maybe I will have more answers tomorrow. God takes time. After all, He has all the time in the world.

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Leaving Kandahar, KAN Afghanistan:

Greg's POV:

Eddie, Wordy, Spike, Jules, Clark and I board the plane heading for Riga, Latvia. From there we will drive to Zilupe. The flight will take five hours and sixteen minutes and the drive will take four hours and thirteen minutes. Our flight leaves at 4:30 pm so we will arrive in Riga at 11:16 pm. We'll drink a ton of coffee and arrive in Zilupe 3:29 am. As the airplane takes off from the runway, Jules looks over at me.

"Sarge, I feel like we're missing something."

I know what she means. We arrive safely in Riga and then Wordy, Eddie, Spike and I take turns driving to Zilupe. We arrive on time; find a hotel to stay and crash there. Jules and Clark are pretty much beat. Eddie finally gets me to fall asleep until about six in the morning. The rest of my team starts waking up at about seven. We leave the hotel after we eat breakfast to find 'daddy's little nun.' As we walk through the streets of Zilupe, Wordy points out a Catholic church.

"Boss, Catholic churches have nuns, rights?" he asks.

"Yes, I believe so. Let's ask the nuns about Sam." I suggest.

My team crosses the street and enters the church. We enter and find the nuns in the back room. Thankfully there were a few that spoke English.

"Did any of you have a son named Sam or Samuel?" Eddie asks.

They turn and look at each other, then us.

"Eddie," Spike hisses. "Nuns don't get married, hence they don't have children."

"Oh, yeah, right. Sort of forgot about that." Eddie whispers back. He stands and thinks for a second. "Ok, let me rephrase that. Did any of you know a little blonde haired boy by the name of Samuel?"

One nun cautiously steps forwards after a minute. "Yes." She says quietly.

"Ok, can we talk to you about him? I promise, we will not hurt you in any way." I promise.

She glances towards the other nuns and when they nod, she says, "Follow me, I will take you to my house."

So we follow her out of the church and walk down a street or two to her house. It's a good-sized house with a polished stone walkway and flowers. She leads us inside and tells us to sit down in her living room while she brings us water. When she comes back in, she sits down as well and starts to talk.

"Samuel is my son." She says in broken English.

Jules spins her head towards me. "Isn't Jacqueline his mother?"

I shrug. "Go on." I say to the woman.

"Oh, I am being rude. Forgive me. I am Xenia Wilson. Yes, I am Samuel's mother. Leons was a good husband. A very good husband. He was not home very often, but he was lovely." Xenia says her eyes happy and bright.

"Who is Leons?" Jules asks.

"Samuel's father. Lovely man."

Jules turns to me. "The General's name is Leons?"

I shrug again. "So what happened, Ms. Wilson?"

"Oh, I am not sure. I do not know all of the reasons for why he left and took Samuel with him. I haven't seen either of them for many, many years though. I've always wondered what became of little Samuel." She says thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry Ms. Wilson, Samuel has died." Eddie states, glancing down at the floor his eyes barely meeting hers.

Pain and sorrow wash across Xenia's face as she absorbs the news. She begins to cry softly but abruptly stops. "I should've known better." She states angrily. "I should never have done that to him."

My whole team's ears prick up. "Excuse me Ms. Wilson, do you mind telling us what you did to him?" I ask gently.

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry. Follow me upstairs, if you wish." She says and walks up the winding stair case. We scurry to catch up to her. She leads us into a small bedroom. As soon as I walk in, I can tell it was Sam's from when he was a young boy. I hear Jules gasp and whimper as Clark wraps his arms around her. "This was Samuel's bedroom from when he was very, very little. I haven't touched it and he has not ever been back. I will let you have some privacy." She says and hurries down the stairs.

I walk around the small room looking at what was Sam's life. There isn't much furnishings but it is cozy nonetheless. Jules shakily walks over to the small bed in the corner and brushes her fingers against the material. She throws herself onto it and breaks into choked sobs. Through her gasps I hear her saying that she can still smell his scent on the pillows. She slowly gets herself together and we go into 'seek' mode. We don't exactly ransack the room; just very carefully go through everything. On a small dusty bookcase, Jules pulls out a leather backed book. It's another one of Sam's journals. She opens it to the first page and begins to read aloud.


December 17, 1992: Dear DiaryWorld Latvia,

It's my fith birthday twoday and Daddy gave me this jurnal. I'm living in Latvea Latvia. Daddy says it's sumwear in Yurup Europe next to Rusha Russia and in beetween Estonea Estonia and Litawaynea Lithuania. When it snowed yesturday, Mommy hit me cuz she sayed I wuz two exsited. She didn't let me play in the snow. Daddy yells at me when he comes home and I am crying cuz Mommy hit me. He sayed I wuz week if I cryed and he needed me to be strong. I wish Daddy wuz home more, Mommy drinks out of glas botles and yells and hits me harder. I wish Daddy culd protect me. Daddy and Mommy wer yelling at each other last night. I herd Daddy saying the skool called asking if I wuz fighting. He told Mommy she had to stop hitting me. I herd her say that if I wuzn't so bad, she wuldn't have to hit me. I'm not bad. I do everything she tels me. Maybe it will get better.

~Samuel W. Braddock


I look at my team. Xenia was an alcoholic and abusive? This sweet woman? I find that hard to believe. Jules flips through the next few entries but stops when she comes across this one.


January 15, 1993: Dear Latvia,

I came home from school two hours ago. A lot has happened. Mommy wuz trying to find the key to the glas botle fridge. I know wear it is but I didn't tell her. Daddy told me to never tell her wear it is. I didn't. She must've found it on her own. She opened the fridge and started to drink out of the glas botles. I went downstairs and she threw her botle at me. It hit me in the head, shattering. Blood wuz driping down my face and all the way upstars she threw botles at me. She kept drinking. I crawled into the bathroom closet wear I am now. I'm scared. I don't know when Daddy's coming home, if he's coming home at all. I hear Mommy stumbling up the stares and lock me in the closet. I'm just so slee-


Jason's {aka the General, aka Leon} POV:

I finally drive into the driveway of my house. This week has been far too stressful. It's a bit late, but I'd like to have a nice, quiet dinner with Samuel and Xenia. The lights are on inside as I unlock the door. I will never forget what I saw next. Blood is splattered on the walls, shattered glass lay strewn on the floor, and the whole house is dead silent. I run down to the basement and find that one of my worst fears has come true. The alcohol fridge door is wide open and there must be at least twenty bottles missing. I run back up the steps to find a window. Xenia's car is gone and so are her keys but where is Sammy?!

"Samuel? Sammy?! Sammy, talk to me!" I run through the house calling for my son.

I'm in a total panic. What if she took him with her? What if he ran away? What if, what if she accidently killed him?! I run upstairs to my son's room. It's empty. I keep calling for him. I'm almost out of places to look when I think about the bathroom closet. I try to open the door. It's locked. I'm still calling for Sammy. I try to bust the door down. It doesn't budge. I'm terrified that I'm going to find his tiny little body curled up in there all limp and cold. No, Sammy can't be dead. I've got to find him! If only this stupid door would open!

"Ughh," I grunt as something in my shoulder pops out of place when I slam into the door.

I don't have to breathe through the pain. The thought of finding my little son dead in this closet numbs my whole body. Finally after one more slam, the lock breaks and I frantically pull the door open.

"No! No Sammy!" I choke as I see his tiny little body lying in motionless little heap.

I drop to my knees and crawl to my son. I gently pull him into my lap and feel for a pulse. I cry as a weak little beating in his neck reaches my shaking fingertips.

"Oh Sammy! Good son." I murmur.

Then I notice the blood streaming down the side of his pale face and down his limp little arms.

"Sammy, why didn't I see this coming? Why didn't I leave her already? I can't believe she did this to you buddy."

I gently lay him back down on the carpeted floor that is already stained with Sammy's blood. I crawl out of the closet to fetch some antiseptic wipes and bandages from the bathroom. When I grab them, I crawl back into the closet, pick Sammy up again and clean out his cuts. A few pieces of glass were still in his hair but I carefully pick them out. I wrap Sammy's little body up in a big, fluffy towel and hold him close to my chest crying. A half hour later, Sammy starts to moan quietly.

"Hey Sammy, its ok. Daddy's here Sammy. I'm going to take care of you."

His little baby blue eyes flutter open and he starts to cry but quickly stops himself. Why did I always yell at him if he cried? He's in pain, he's scared. What kind of a father am I not allowing my son to cry when he's hurt? A bad one, that's what. I'm a terrible father, marrying an alcoholic wife and letting her beat my son. I didn't care enough to stop her and now look what she's done. Look what I've done.

"It's ok, Sammy. It's ok to cry son. I love you Sammy. I love you so, so much Sammy. I'm so sorry any of this happened. Please forgive me. C'mon Sammy, Daddy's going to take you far away from here. I'll keep you safe Sammy. Daddy will keep you safe." I promise.

I tell Sammy to go to his room and start packing up his important things. I go to my room and pack up all of my clothes and special things. I know where we're going. It's going to be hard, just me and Sammy. I'm still a high-ranking military official in the Canadian Army and now I'm a single-dad. At least Sammy will be safe and I'll do my best to keep him happy.


- - - - - - - - I woke up a half hour ago in Daddy's arms. I hurt all over. I wuz crying but tried to stop. Daddy yells at me when I cry. He told it wuz ok to cry though. Daddy told me he was going to take me far away from Latvia. He said he'd keep me safe and that he's so sorry any of this happened. For the first time since I've been alive he told me he loved me. I love you too Daddy. He told me to pack up all of my important things. He won't let me take you jurnal. He told me that he'd buy me another one when we get to Russia. I have to go now. Daddy's packing up the rest of our things. He says we have to go before Mommy comes back.

~Samuel W. Braddock.

59.9500° N, 30.3000° E


Jules glances up from the journal, her eyes filled with tears. My whole team is crying.

"How could he just let her beat Sam?" Jules asks.

"I don't know, Jules. Let's ask her." I say and summon Ms. Wilson to Sam's room. "Ms. Wilson, do you remember January 15, 1993 at all?"

"Yes, I will never forget that night. It was the worst night of my life." She says. "It's a little blurry. I know I had been drinking and I was just so happy that I had found Leons' key to the alcohol fridge. I know I started beating Samuel. And I remember leaving the house. I came back four days later. Leons' car was gone and divorce papers were shoved in the front door. When I walked inside there was still Samuel's blood on the wall, still glass on the floor, still the trauma and terror from four nights earlier. Samuel was gone, Leons was gone, and nearly all of their belongings were gone as well. I have very little left of them. I still regret my decision of that night and that is why I became a nun. No one knows this but me and Leons. I just can't believe that Samuel is dead."

"Yes, we are having a hard time believing it ourselves." I say.

"Would you like more water?" She asks.

"Yes, I think that would be nice. Thank you." I say.

"I'll be right back." She says walking downstairs again.

We keep rummaging around Sam's room. Clark is moving books around on the shelf but I hear a crinkling.

"Hold on a second, Clark." I say. "What's behind that Atlas?"

He pulls it out and a folded note is jammed between the back of the atlas and the back of the bookcase. He hands it to Jules who opens it and reads it quietly.


September 30, 2013: Jules
Hey babe; you probably just finished reading the journal entries I wrote when I was five. I didn't realize how bad my spelling was. The General taught me well, afterwards. The only thing he ever did was teach me. He taught me fear, politics, pain, justice, women, drugs, alcohol, driving, weapons, passion, books, and love. Once I learned to love, he broke me apart, destroyed me. I'm so sorry I had to leave you this way. I will not be upset nor angered when you go on with your life, marry another man and have beautiful little children. I want you to Jules. I'm dead, it is finished but you must live. Find my killer; destroy them just as they have destroyed me. I love you so much Jules and I will love you no matter where I am. You can do this sweetie. Please be careful. I love you babe.
~Samuel W. Braddock

Jules starts to cry and we prepare to leave. She takes the journal, note and atlas as we start walking downstairs. Spike is Googling the coordinates Sam left us. Saint Petersburg, Russia; here we come.

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A/N: Ok, thanks so much for reading! I hope you liked it! I'm sorry it takes me so long to write these chapters. I do have three new fanfics coming your way soon though! Also, if you wanted to read the rest of the book 'I'll Get Us Through This My Way' PM me and I can send you the rest of it through PM's either chapter by chapter on request or the whole thing at once. I had written 16 chapters on it, so there will be a lot of PM's. Let me know. Thanks so much for reading! Please review!