"Holy shit."

That is about as eloquent as I can get, given the fact that the woman I'd never thought I'd see again is currently standing in front of me. Regina is in a black sports bra and the standard-issue olive drab military running shorts, rubbing her eyes as she seemingly struggles to pull herself out of her sleepy state to process the fact that we are now apparently going to be roommates.

"Emma?"

I take a step closer to her, not able to prevent the grin from appearing on my face as she yawns widely, her eyes becoming more focused as I get within a couple paces of her.

"Hey Captain Mills. Sorry I woke you." My heart flutters in my chest at the sight of my former drill instructor, and I let my eyes wander over the dark-haired woman in front of me. Even in the poorly-lit space, it was easy to notice the darker tan on the woman's face and arms, likely from time spent in the desert on her current deployment. The tan stopped near her biceps, obviously where the uniform shirtsleeves lay on a daily basis, and given her current state of undress, I could see that the rest of her upper body and abdomen lacked the tanned skin. Her abdomen was as toned as I remembered from that time in boot camp when I'd seen her changing her t-shirt after the physical fitness test in which she had easily beaten my ass in the run. But standing so close, I notice a jagged scar that wrapped around the left side of her abdomen, one that I had not noticed in the mere seconds I had seen her changing that day. Her legs are toned and tan, probably from hours spent doing PT under the intense desert sun. Her feet are bare, and as I take in the whole picture of the woman standing before me, half asleep, I can't help but smile at the difference in the way I was seeing Regina now. I had never seen her in such a state of disarray, used to seeing her squared away and in drill instructor mode.

"How…how are you here?" Regina's brow furrows slightly, and she reaches out a tentative hand, as if to check to make sure this isn't a dream and that I'm actually standing in front of her. It lands on my forearm, her palm warm against my skin.

"Deployment. My unit just landed. We're going to be stationed here for the next month or so before we ship out to Afghanistan."

Regina looks up at me and I'm immediately drawn to those intensely dark eyes. As they connect with mine, I can no longer resist and pull her gently to me, wrapping her up in my arms and resting my forehead on her shoulder. She smells like shampoo and soap and the feel of her soft skin beneath my palms is better than I could have anticipated. Exhaling slowly, I feel her hands clutching tightly at the straps of my Kevlar vest as she melts into the embrace.

"You're here. I thought I'd never see you again." She murmurs quietly against me. "You're here."

Pulling back, I press a soft kiss along her hairline. "I'm here." Shaking my head in disbelief at how crazy it is that we would be reunited all these months later halfway around the world, I let out a soft chuckle. "This is crazy."

Regina smiles and nods. "It is." Her hands move along the straps of my vest for a moment before she slides her fingers beneath the Velcro that secures it and begins to separate it so she can help me take off the bulky object. It's an oddly sweet gesture, but one that feels slightly strange at the same time. I shimmy out of the vest and she places it on the floor beside my bunk before reaching out and pulling me to her again, sighing softly as she fits her body snugly against mine, this time without the bulky bulletproof vest between us. "I feel like this is a dream."

My thumbs rub small circles where my hands are splayed on either side of her ribs, and I feel the raised skin of her scar beneath the pad of my thumb as it moves. As I breathe in Regina's clean scent again, I close my eyes in contentment. Even in my exhausted and jet-lagged brain, I knew that we were not going to be able to act on anything due to the strictly enforced "no fraternization on deployment" rule that had been hammered into our brains, but right now all that I cared about was how natural it felt to have Regina in my arms once again. It was better than any of my dreams over the past several months. Taking in another soft breath I still my hands against her warm skin, suddenly feeling self-conscious at my sweaty and travel-weary body. I'd been in my uniform for over twenty-four hours and after being crammed on a plane for the majority of that time, I was definitely overdue for a shower to wash away the grime and accumulated sweat.

"Go back to sleep Regina." I tell her. "I'm very happy to see you but I really need a shower." I wrinkle my nose a bit. "I smell like sweat and the BO of fifty other guys after being crammed in that C-130."

She laughs in reply, pulling back as requested with a soft smile. "The showers are down the hall to the right." She bends down and picks up my toiletry kit from where I had dropped it, handing it to me once she straightens up.

"Thanks." I toss the kit onto my bunk for a second as I begin to strip off my uniform jacket. I watch as Regina crosses the small room and settles gently into her bunk again. I finish gathering my things and prepare to leave the room. "I'm really glad you're here Regina." I flip off the lights and pull open the door. "Get some sleep. We can catch up tomorrow, okay?"

In the sliver of light from the hallway I can see her yawning sleepily as she burrows deeper into her sleeping bag.

"I'm glad you're here too Emma. I look forward to it." Dark eyes flutter shut. "Goodnight."

I close the door softly and head down the hall until I find the showers. It's a pretty primitive set up but once the water is flowing from the showerhead and I'm standing under the lukewarm spray, I can't help but sigh contentedly. As I lather up my hair and begin to rinse it, I can feel the emotional and physical exhaustion of the past couple days hitting me hard. It seems like weeks ago that I was standing on the tarmac at the base saying goodbye to Henry and Mary Margaret. And now, here I am, halfway across the world in a war zone, showering in a makeshift shower. As I think back about the dark-haired woman that I will now be sharing a room with, I can't help but chuckle and think that life is strange. But I'd be a fool not to make the most of every minute with a woman like Regina Mills, that much is clear.

I finish up showering quickly, glad to be rid of the grimy feeling that long hours of travel often bring. Throwing on a fresh pair of shorts and a t-shirt feels pretty great, and I gather up my things and head down the hallway back to my room. It's dark, but the soft even breathing from across the room tells me that Regina is fast asleep again, so I decide to deal with sorting my things out tomorrow. With a big yawn, I pull my damp hair up into a messy bun and pull my sleeping bag out from where it was strapped to my rucksack. I roll it out on the bare mattress and immediately collapse onto it with a grateful groan. Even though it is an unfamiliar bed and place, I can't fight the exhaustion anymore and quickly fall into a deep sleep.


After a much-needed eight-hour nap, I woke up to the gentle sound of my watch alarm. The room was dark, but after stretching my arms up over my head I craned my neck slightly to find Regina's bunk already empty. I was slightly disappointed but knowing her rank I'm sure she had people to be in charge of, so she likely wouldn't still be in bed at 9am. I rose out of bed and swiftly got my things organized in the small shared space. Now that it was daylight, I took a moment to look around the room. There were four beds set up around the walls, but it looked as though it was just Regina and I for the time being, as the other two beds lay bare and unoccupied. Regina's bunk was neatly squared away, with no personal items visible. I pulled a couple of Henry's drawings out of my rucksack and placed them on my bed, hoping to remember to put them up later beside my bunk for a few personal touches to remind me of home. Glancing at my watch again, I knew I needed to hurry up and get my uniform on and head out for our 9:30am formation. I hauled my ass into gear and began to get ready for my first official day of deployment.

The day turned out to be busy, serving to make sure we are familiar with operations on the base, even if it would be our temporary home. The base was larger than I had realized, and housed a fair amount of troops permanently, plus some transient units that were either coming and going from other areas in the Middle East. I quickly learned just how hot the desert actually is in the middle of the day and was grateful of the air conditioning units that churned away in the common areas to keep us somewhat cool, even if it was still hovering around eighty degrees indoors. I resigned myself to the fact that a lot of this deployment was going to be spent covered in sweat, that much was clear.

After a jam-packed day, the officers released us for the evening, pointing us in the direction of the chow hall to get some dinner. August met up with a few of the other guys from our platoon and grabbed a table as I hopped into line and began to pile my plate high with food. Filling up a few cups with water and Powerade in order to replenish some of the fluids that I had sweat out throughout the day, I steady my tray and glance around the large cafeteria-style room. Just before my eyes get to the table that August and the guys are saving, I notice Regina sitting by herself a few tables away. Excited at the prospect of catching up a bit with her, I decide on skipping sitting with the guys and head toward her.

"Hey. Mind if I join you?"

Regina looks up in surprise, but immediately her surprise turns to a soft smile. She nods and gestures for me to take a seat, which I do after carefully placing my tray on the metal table. "Good evening, Lance Corporal Swan."

I grin, surprised at how she has noticed my recent promotion right off the bat. "Yeah, that happened the week before we deployed." I pick up my fork and begin to eat my food. After a few bites I look up and find Regina watching me.

"You have done quite well for yourself it seems," She begins. "How are you adjusting to life on the base so far?"

We launch into an amiable conversation. Regina had left her drill instructor post to join up with a logistics unit that was headed into deployment and had been deployed to the middle east for the past six months. She was here in Iraq for another three weeks as her unit transitioned leadership to another, and then was headed back stateside. I learned that this was her second combat tour, and that she had been deployed previously right after she had graduated from the Naval Academy. She seemed somewhat uneasy when I tried to ask more about her prior deployment, so I tried to steer the conversation in another direction when I saw the strained look on her face. It's still extremely strange to be sitting and having dinner with Regina after all those months in which I couldn't stop thinking about how I had missed my chance with her.

A short while later we have both finished up our dinners and have headed back out into the oppressive heat to head to the other side of the base where our room is located. We start the walk in silence, but after a few moments Regina asks a question.

"Do you have more training this evening?"

I shake my head. "No. Humbert said to take it easy tonight since we're gonna jump headfirst into manning the security checkpoint tomorrow."

In my peripheral vision I can see her reaching up to adjust the brim of her cap against the waning sunlight. She doesn't reply but I can see her nodding slowly in reply. It's quiet again for the rest of the walk, and with each step we take toward our room I can feel a certain tension beginning to mount. We finally make it to the building and enter silently, passing through the narrow hallway until we get to our room. I reach forward to pull the door open, gesturing for Regina to enter the room first. I flip on the light as soon as she is through the door and follow suit, entering the small room.

I watch as Regina moves over to her bunk and sits down, beginning to strip off her jacket and boots. I lean back against the door and watch as she completes her tasks methodically, hanging her uniform jacket neatly on a hanger and pushing her boots under the bed frame and out of the way. She lifts her hands and begins to loosen her hair from her bun, and I watch as dark waves come loose and fall to frame her face. Once she is done, she rolls her neck as if releasing all the tension from her day and then raises her face to meet my gaze, her face flushing slightly as she realizes I have been watching her every move.

I smile, feeling my face flushing too.

"I want to kiss you." I push off from the wall, figuring that I would just go with a direct approach in tackling the elephant in the room. I move to sit on my bunk, unlacing my boots before pulling them off. I straighten up and turn to the side so I can gauge her reaction.

"The feeling is mutual Emma." She replies quietly, tucking her bottom lip between perfectly white teeth.

I unbutton my jacket slowly, trying to put my thoughts into order as I do so. Once it is off, I untuck my shirt from my pants and stand from my bed, crossing the distance and moving to sit down next to Regina, angling myself and tucking one leg up onto the bed casually. Reaching out, I brace myself with one arm on the bed beside her and lean forward, intently studying every inch of her face as I consider my next move.

"Do you believe in fate? Or like, destiny?"

Regina's brow furrows at my question and I instinctively reach up with my free hand to smooth away the wrinkles that are temporarily marring her gorgeous face with my thumb for a few seconds. She leans into the touch and her eyes flutter shut as I move my hand to cup her cheek.

"No." She replies softly. "I don't."

I swipe my thumb gently across the scar on her upper lip and this action causes her eyes to flutter open and connect with mine.

"Well, I think I do. How else can you explain this? Explain us?" I pause to gather my thoughts. "When I left your cabin that last time, I thought I'd never see you again. This connection I feel to you…it's crazy Regina. But I can't help but think that us having this time here, even if its just a few weeks, it's fate. It's gotta be."

Her eyes search mine intently for a moment, and I can see the apprehension clearly written all over her face. She opens her mouth to speak, and when she does, the words that come out are in all honesty a bit of a surprise.

"This cannot leave this room Emma. Our relationship cannot leave these four walls. Do you understand me?" She reaches up and takes hold of my wrist, swiping her thumb across my skin a few times. "I need you to promise me."

I nod and lean forward to press my forehead against hers. Our soft breathing is the only sound in the room.

"I promise Regina. Can I kiss you now?"

She lets out a soft laugh at that, but nods and closes the small distance between us so that her lips touch mine in the sweetest kiss. I can feel her smiling into the kiss, and after eight months of pining for this woman, it feels amazing to be so close to her again. After a moment I break the kiss, pulling back slightly and pushing a few strands of hair behind Regina's ear.

"I never thought I'd be able to do that again." I duck my head and tuck my face into the sweet-smelling skin where her neck meets her shoulder. I feel her relax into me, wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me closer. I scoot forward a bit to accommodate the embrace, sighing happily as I do and bringing one hand up to trace patterns along Regina's back.

"Me either." Regina replies, pressing a kiss to my temple. "This is very unexpected."

We spend a few moments just enjoying being close to one another. A short while later, I find myself fighting a losing battle with jet lag, no longer unable to stifle the yawns that are making their appearance. When I finally realize my need to sleep, I am a bit upset to have to release Regina and move to my own bed. With another yawn I pull my arms from around her, leaning in to peck her on the cheek before I scoot back a bit.

"Jet lag sucks." I mutter, pulling the hair tie out of my hair and rearranging it into a messy bun. "I really need to get some sleep."

Regina smiles sympathetically before chuckling. She rubs her hand along my bicep affectionately before giving it a gentle squeeze. "Go on…get ready for bed then."

I follow instructions, reluctantly standing up and heading over to my bunk area. Squatting down, I locate a fresh t-shirt to sleep in and begin to strip off my uniform piece by piece. Once I'm down to my sports bra and boxer briefs, I toss on the t-shirt and sit down on the edge of my bed to gather my toothpaste and toothbrush so I can go brush my teeth before settling in. But as soon as I am on the bed, a wave of exhaustion hits and I can't help as my body slumps down to the side and onto the bed. Picking my feet up, I drop the toothbrush and toothpaste onto the floor with a gentle clatter which elicits a quiet chuckle from the brunette across the room as I tuck my feet up onto the bed so I'm settled on my side.

"Will you judge me if I'm too tired to brush my teeth?" I turn my head slightly so I can look across the room, watching as Regina slips off her uniform pants. The sight of her in black panties makes me swallow thickly and I turn my head back before she can notice that I was watching her again.

"Your secret is safe with me." She assures from across the room. My eyes shut as I hear her bare feet padding across the floor, and the light flickers off as she flips the switch, throwing the room into darkness. Quiet footsteps head back toward the other end of the room but stop after a few steps. I can feel Regina's presence rather than hear her, and I open my eyes to find her squatting beside my bed. She reaches out, brushing her knuckles down my cheek before leaning down to kiss me softly. "Goodnight Emma."

I smile sleepily as she pulls away and heads for her own bed. As I drift off into sleep, I can't help but thank my lucky stars that fate has brought us back together, even if it's just for a short while. I knew that it would be difficult to maintain professional boundaries, but as long as we were in the confines of our room, I planned on making every moment with Regina count.


Hey guys! Thanks for reading. Just wanted to say that we are definitely headed into M territory from here on out with this story, so a heads up to those of you who aren't really into that type of thing.

As always, thanks for your reviews and comments. This has been fun to write so far, and it is far from over.