December 30th 2018

Soap sat by a fire, the bitter cold Ukrainian winter air biting at his skin despite the many layers he wore. It's only been two months since the one-four-one said goodbye to their families and were shipped out to the Ukraine and Russia, Soap and Price along with a few others being those in the Ukraine. Saying goodbye to his family for yet another time right after breaking up with Aaron had really taken a toll on Soap. The way his family looked at him and how Sadie broke down in tears again tore him apart. He hasn't been the same since then and all those around him knew it. Price especially. He saw the light in his protégée's eyes fade after his leave to say his goodbyes and it tore him apart. However, every time Price asked what was wrong, Soap brushed him off. The Scot had not even told his closest friend he had broken up with Aaron.

Now here they were sitting in a crappy building with no heat in the dead of winter counting down the days until they could go home. In the last sixty days Soap has been more quiet, more distant, and hell, even a bit more reckless. Once that became a concern, Price couldn't ignore Soap's change anymore. That night he walked over and took a seat next to Soap, holding his hands up to warm them from the fire's heat. "What's going on with you, son?" Price asked, determined to get an actual answer. "And don't say nothing."

Soap looked at Price and let out an annoyed breath. "I'm fine old man."

"No you aren't. And I'm sick of seeing you like this."

"Like what?"

"Like someone took a baseball bat to your ego!"

Soap stood up quickly and turned his back to Price as he stepped away. Price let out an annoyed breath. "Soap." he said a bit softer. "I need to know what's going on with my team."

Putting his hands on his waist, Soap turned around to look at Price. He looked genuinely concerned and worried, but Soap didn't know where to begin. With the fact that he couldn't take anymore family goodbyes or with how he broke up with the best woman to ever happen to him. Breaking up with Aaron was one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his life. He could still hear her voice crack with tears as she pleaded for him to stay. Just like he could still hear Sadie's tear filled voice begging him to stay home and not get on another plane that would take him miles away. The voice of his mother telling him to be safe and his brother telling him to come back in one piece.

"I broke up with Aaron." Soap blurted out, causing Price to sit back in his seat in surprise. "At her brother's wedding no less."

"Now why on Earth would you do a dumb thing like that?" Price questioned.

"I told her it was because I could never give her the life she deserved which wasn't a lie, but I left out the part of how I thought this time…" Soap trailed off, not knowing how to say the next part.

"This time what?" Price pressed as he stood up.

"That this time I might not come back."

The statement made Price take a step back in complete shock. Soap, John MacTavish, one of his closest friends just revealed to him that he might not live through this tour. After all they had gone through together the last few years made the confession hit all the more harder. Price has nearly lost Soap more than once, hell, more than twice, and the idea of him being gone for good hit close to the heart.

"Why the bloody hell would you be thinking like that, huh?"

Soap crossed his arms and looked around at the dark room they were in, the only light given off by the flames in front of them. It was a small two story building with just enough space for the team to take up residence in. Some men were upstairs sleeping, others taking watch outside, and Soap and Price in what everyone took to call the common room where they had briefings, ate, and played the occasional game of cards.

"All my close calls, I barely it out of all of them." Soap explained. "And I owe some of that to luck…along with the work of some damn good doctors. But I figure whatever luck I had has run out by now."

Price let what Soap had told him soak in before taking a seat again and pulling out two Villa Claras from his jacket, telling Soap to sit down. "That's an order." he added. Soap sat down reluctantly, taking the cigar Price offered him. The men lit their cigars, each of them taking a long drag before either of them said anything.

"It isn't just Aaron, is it?" Price asked.

"I keep wondering ow my family would handle it if someone showed up at their door with my death notice." Soap confessed as he went to take another drag.

Price took a puff from his cigar as he figured out what to say to Soap.

"I think after what happened with Jen and then being with Aaron for so long cracked open another part of you, son."

Soap furrowed his eyebrows and turned his head to Price. "What do you mean?"

"I think being with Aaron after Jen didn't make you think of what you couldn't give her, but rather what you were afraid of trying to have again and because of that rather than do the obvious thing and end this part of your life to pursue the one you really long for, you just keep finding excuses to stay here."

Hearing it put like that, Soap realized Price was right. He grew up watching his parents in a happy marriage and saw his older brother find a woman he was head over heels for that gave him a daughter. He knew he wanted a family one day and he planned on pursuing that with Jen after that extended tour, but then that ended. After that, the idea of starting a family seemed impossible until he realized how serious he and Aaron were. But the fear that something compromised that led him to just keep avoiding it. Even though he knew Aaron wasn't anything remotely like Jen, the fear still existed that the two of them just fell apart if he tried to advance the relationship. That's why rather stay and propose to the perfect girl, he agreed to come to the Ukraine, to just put off the commitment.

"I'm telling you this as your friend, Soap." Price said. "You've done more for your country, for the world, than anyone could even hope to achieve in multiple lifetimes. It's time to think about what it is you really want for the rest of your life. This, sitting in some run down building in the middle of the Ukraine to hopefully find a few rogue Russians, or sitting in a home with a pretty girl and maybe a little one someday."

Soap knew what he wanted. As fulfilling this life had been and honoring it had been serving his country, he knew it was time for him to go home...for good. He wanted Aaron. He wanted her, family dinners with his parents, quality time with Sadie, goofing around with his Jeremy…he wanted his family and one of his own. Looking at Price, he smiled. "You've always had a way with words old man."

Price smiled. "So after this tour…"

"I'm going home."

Price patted Soap's back. "You've earned it."

It was Soap's turn to smile, but it quickly faded when he realized it meant leaving Price. They'd been together on a team for years and now Soap was ready to walk away from him. Could he really do that? "What about you?" he had to ask.

"Don't worry about me, kid. I'm actually looking into some quieter work with MacMillan overseeing operations out of Hereford."

It made Soap smile. He was ready to go home, Price would have a safer job, and he knew the team he built would be in good hands with whoever he and Price directed as the new commanding officers. The time has flown by, seeming as if it was just yesterday he just joined Price and now the two of them were moving towards a different life. They've certainly come a long way fighting battles only few could come out victorious, dealing with major war criminals, dodging literal bullets…but all of it led to whatever was next for them. That's when Soap realized something.

"What if I go back and Aaron doesn't want to be with me anymore?" Soap asked. He knew he didn't deserve her after what he did and wouldn't blame her for not giving him another chance, but that wouldn't make the blow hurt any less. Even if he told her straight up he wanted to see her happy even if it wasn't with him. And as much as he wanted to believe that, he knew deep down he wanted her to be happy with him and only him.

"You deal with it when you get there." was all Price said as he took the last puff of his cigar.

The next ten months couldn't go by fast enough.

AN:

Unrelated to this story, any Uncharted fans out there? I'm a huge one myself and have been juggling around story ideas in my head for a few days. Would any of you be interested in reading one after this story is completed? Just curious. As always, please review!