Polish: Proszę = Please and Nie ma za co = You're welcome.

French: Mon amie = My friend (female)

Russian: Kotyonok = Kitten. Moi Sladkiy = My sweetness and Da = Yes


It felt a little bittersweet being back in Hereford now, but she knew the vacation was only temporary and they needed to go back to work sooner rather than later.

Skylar placed her bag on her bed and opened it, grabbing the matryoshka from the top and placed it nicely on her nightstand. As she pulled everything else out, she realized she might have come back with more than she had left with. Which was okay, she didn't bring much to begin with since the majority of the time she's in uniform. Most of the stuff she brought was more clothes since she was getting tired of what she brought and some other miscellaneous things.

She grabbed her shirts and walked over to her closet to hang them up, wondering where Ash was since she wasn't in their room. Then again she is busy and could be anywhere on base, she'll just have to wait and tell her everything later.

As she put her clothes away she heard the door open, turning to see Ela walking into her room and sit down on her bed. "I would like to know everything. Proszę."

Skylar rolled her eyes and laughed, putting the shirt she had in her hand back in the closet. "Would you like me to start at the beginning?"

"Yes I would."

"It started at the holiday party, Fuze left to go work on his cluster charges and Alex asked if I wanted to be his drinking partner. We eventually landed outside and I slipped on some ice, he fell on top of me and then. We, uh kissed." She smiled to herself, thinking back on that day and how if it wasn't for him asking her to go outside, maybe things would be a lot different right now. "We slept together that night, after more drinking in his room. I woke up, panicked and two days later we were together."

Ela sat up a bit straighter, arching a brow and smirked over at her. "You panicked? Why? Do you not like one night stands?"

"No it's not that." She sighed and looked down at the shirt that was in her hands and tossed it back on the bed before she took a seat. "Something happened before I came to Rainbow, something that made me reserved and not trust people easily. Without going into full detail I had a boyfriend who wasn't kind, he was a monster."

Ela's face faltered, something she never thought she'd see from the older woman.

"I never would have guessed. I knew you were a bit closed off and untrusting of some, I never knew it was because of something like that. Does he know?"

"Yeah I told him when we were in Maine." She grabbed the dog tag he gifted her between her fingers, a small smile forming on her face. "Compared to my ex, he treats me like a queen. I never knew how affectionate he could be."

She placed her hand on her shoulder, smiling over at her. "Do you love him?"

"I do, a lot actually." She mirrored the smile on Ela's face, thinking back on the ring. "I could see myself marrying him someday."

The glint in her eyes disappeared, making Skylar a bit worried and she removed her hand from her shoulder. "While you were gone and Thermite started the 'rumor' about you two, it traveled quickly. Most people don't care, your business is your business, others not so much."

"I knew some people wouldn't approve, for whatever reason. Most likely the age difference."

Sadness overtook her face and she sighed through her nose. She knew she shouldn't let this affect her too much, her and Alex got a whole lot closer during the few weeks away and she knows he loves hers, as she does him.

"I say it's none of their business on who you date. Don't let people's unwarranted opinions stop you from being with him. If he makes you this happy, don't lose it."

"Thanks Ela." She gave her a small smile and let out a soft sigh. "I know I shouldn't and even Alex said the same thing. He makes me happy, very happy and their opinions don't matter."

"That's my girl."

Skylar chuckled and stood up to put the rest of her clothes back into her closet. As she grabbed her shirt she looked back over to Ela. "Now you made me curious, who doesn't like it?"

"Thermite, Finka - I'm sure you already knew that. Rook, he seems more confused than anything, Frost and that's all I know so far."

"Aww did I mess up Finka flirting with him? Well too bad he never liked her anyways." She placed her shirt on a coat hanger and hung it up.

Ela laughed and nodded in agreement. "It was only to humor her. He looked bored of it truthfully, he looked way more into flirting with you. For obvious reasons."

"I wonder what those reasons were?" She laughed and hung up another shirt. "I wonder why Julien seems confused, as you put it. I would ask him but I don't want to make things weird for him."

"He probably wonders why you fell for one of the older Specialists on base and not someone younger."

"And he's too sweet to say anything. Frost I understand since she doesn't have a great relationship with the Spetsnaz. And Thermite, I kinda had a feeling he wouldn't like it."

They both went quiet for a moment and Skylar went back to putting her clothes away in the closet. When she finally got all of her shirts away she went to go put her pants away in the dresser.

"He cares about you Sky, like a little sister, he doesn't want to see you get hurt."

She stopped what she was doing for a moment, her eyes losing the light in them, only momentarily. It never crossed her mind that he cared that much about her, yet it did make sense on why he seemed so defensive over her dating someone like Tachanka.

"I know he does, I just never knew he cared that much." She placed a few of her pants in the drawer and turned to her. "Alex wouldn't hurt me, you should've seen how he got when he realized I was abused in the past."

"You should probably talk to him about that, maybe he'll feel differently about it."

"Maybe someday I will. I haven't really told anyone about what happened."

A knock at the door forced their attention to it, she walked over and opened it, seeing Alex standing outside of it. She chuckled and stepped to the side to let him in. "Why didn't you just come in moi sladkiy?"

"Kotyonok, I didn't want to interrupt. I heard you talking and it wouldn't have been nice for me to walk in."

"That's sweet, but we're only talking about who already doesn't like our relationship, you could've peaked your head in."

"Next time I'll just eavesdrop outside the door and figure out if I should peak my head in or not."

"Fair enough." She laughed.

Ela watched them both for a moment, seeing both of their faces light up when they looked at each other. She may have only known Skylar for a few months and Tachanka a few years but to see them both so happy and..in love was heartwarmingly disgusting.

"You guys are so in love it's disgusting." She got up and headed for the door, but before she left she turned back towards them. "I am happy for you two though."

"Thanks Ela."

"Nie ma za co."

Ela left them alone after that, shutting the door behind her. Alex laughed and leaned down to kiss her, his hand sliding down her side and pulled her closer to him. She hummed into the kiss, pulling away from him and gazed into his eyes.

"I already miss being on vacation. I want to go back."

She pouted her bottom lip up at him making him laugh and kiss her nose. "Sorry kotyonok, you knew we needed to go back to work at some point. Besides we still have to go see Grace tomorrow."

"I know but it was so peaceful, not counting the handful of times I cried."

He grabbed her hips and picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as he walked them over to the bed and sat down. "It was peaceful and it made me very happy to spend everyday with you." He brushed some hair out of her face and cupped her cheek, feeling the smooth skin beneath his thumb. "Those handful of times you cried helped you kotyonok. Don't forget that."

"I think that was the best part, spending everyday together." Her hand came up to cover his that rested on her face. "I know they did and I'm sure that wasn't the last of it."

Alex moved his hand from her face and moved them back against the wall, that's when she got off his lap and maneuvered herself so her head was resting in it. He smiled down at her and began to thread his fingers through her hair. Such a simple gesture that made her feel so calm.

"I agree and I got to meet your family, got your dad's blessing to marry you."

"WHAT!?"

Skylar and Alex looked over at the door to see it open and Ash walked in. She laughed and sat up, seeing the confusion and slight shock etched across her face.

"No Eliza we're not engaged."

"Then how did you find out…." She turned her attention over to Alex once realization took over. "You have a ring, don't you?"

Ash walked over to her bed and sat down, glancing between them.

"Da, I do. Skylar knows as well."

"When I was getting dressed before we went somewhere I overheard him say 'just ask her, she's going to say yes. Stop being so afraid' and he hid the ring from me. Later that night I went to snoop and found it. We decided that it wasn't time yet and that whenever he finally asks me I'll say yes."

She nodded her head, the shocked expression leaving her face. "Of course you would go snooping Sky."

She shrugged her shoulders and laughed. "It was cute seeing him trying to hide it from me. And he should've moved it afterwards anyways. So technically it's his fault."

Alex glared over at her - sighing through his nose. "I didn't think you would go and snoop in the middle of the night."

"That was your first mistake moi sladkiy."

He huffed and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. It made Skylar laugh and lean up to give him a quick kiss. "You know I love you."

"I love you too." His face and body relaxed and he gave her a small smile.

"Oh my god I think I might puke." She stood up and grabbed her purse off the floor and headed for the door. "I need to run some errands, you two love birds have fun and by all that is good...please use a condom."

There was a unison of 'aww' and all Ash did was shake her head and leave the room. Skylar chuckled and returned to laying down with her head resting on his lap. He threaded his fingers through her hair, and looked down at her with contentment etched on his face.

She smiled up at him, eyes crinkling at the side. "I love you!"

"I love you too!" He chuckled. "What do you want to do today?"

"I have to talk to Jordan later or maybe I should do it soon, get it over with." She sat up and turned to him, shrugging her shoulders. "Other than that I don't know, what do you want to do today?"

"Why do you have to talk with him? Is it because of us?"

"It is. I just never realized he cares for me to that extent. He doesn't like us together because he doesn't want to see me hurt in the long run."

Alex nodded his head, contemplating her words. "I didn't know he cared about you to that degree. I know he cares, I just didn't think it was that much."

"That's what I'm saying. The talk isn't going to change anything, just maybe he'll come around eventually. My CTU already approves and I hope he does, but I'm not holding my breath."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him, kissing the top of her head. "If it happens, it happens."

"Yeah." She took a deep and sighed, curling up next to him. They just had one more day and then it was fully back to work. Back to the rigorous training, seeing the people she doesn't like and having an almost strict schedule. But now she has a very handsome Spetsnaz soldier to share a bed with a blow off some steam after a hard day's work. "As much as I hate that we go back to work in a few days, I'm happy I can blow off some steam with you after a hard, long and tiring day. It's nice to know I have someone waiting for me."

"But kotyonok, I'll tire you out more if we blow off some steam after work."

She looked up to see the smirk on his face and the devious look in his eyes. She snorted and shook her head. "Yeah, but that's a good kind of tired. A tired where I feel very satisfied afterwards."

He hummed in reply, kissing the top of her head once again. "That is true."

"Told you." She chuckled, then moved away from him. "I think I should go find Jordan, get it over with. How about I meet you in your room and we can figure out something to do?"

"Okay." They both got off the bed and he leaned down to kiss her. "If I'm not in my room I might be in the workshop, got to make sure my beloved LMG is all ready to go for work."

Skylar snorted and shook her head, giving him another kiss. "Yeah, but you love me more!"

"That is very true and it will never change."

xXx

After her and Alex parted ways, the first place she went to check was the workshop. He spent a good chunk of time in there already, but when she got there he was nowhere to be found.

"Huh." She said to herself, then grabbed her phone from her pocket to dial his number. Not wanting to run around base trying to find him.

A few rings later he picked up. "Hello."

"Hi, where are you?"

"I'm with Mira, I needed her help with my exothermic charges. Why?"

She left the workshop and headed towards the R&D. "I'm heading there now and I just need to talk to you that's all."

"Oh okay."

She rolled her eyes and hung up, putting her phone back in her pocket. As she walked over there, she saw that most of the other operators were already on base, slowly getting ready to head back to work in a few days.

This job was a god sent to her, it changed her life for the better and she has met a lot of lifelong friends from it. However she does have some issues with how Six picks the operators. Just because they're good at something doesn't mean you should ignore the red flags.

As she rounded the corner she saw Lion walking down the hall, unfortunately with Finka. She quietly scoffed and rolled her eyes, continuing on down the hall.

"Mon amie, I wasn't expecting to see you back yet." said Lion as he stopped to talk to her.

"Yeah, Alex and I decided to come back early, we have to go into London tomorrow and thought it'd be best to get a head start on the jet lag." She chuckled. "How's Alexis?"

"Alexis is good, a typical teenager. A lot better than how I was at that age, so I'm proud."

Skylar gave him a small smile and lightly shoved at his shoulder. "That's good, he has a lot of good people around him to guide him through this crazy thing we call life."

"That's true." Lion chuckled. "So mon amie, when can I hear about how you and Tachanka ended up together?"

There was a smirk on his face and she rolled her eyes, glancing over to Finka who was standing off to the side. Half expecting her to say something about it, only she didn't, she kept quiet. But by the look on her face she wasn't happy about it.

"To make the long story short, it happened at the holiday party. Or well a few days afterwards we made it official." She chuckled. "So far it's been nothing short of amazing."

"I can tell, I don't think I've ever seen you this happy." He crossed his arms and rolled back on his heels. "I take it Rainbow's famous 'lord' is pleasuring you well enough then."

"Olivier!" Her mouth fell agape and she laughed, shaking her head. "That's personal."

"So that's a yes?"

"That's a I'm not telling you."

"It's a yes." He uncrossed his arms and laughed. "Well I'm happy for you."

"Thank you! Now I have to go talk to Jordan."

"Okay, I'll see you later mon amie."

She gave Lion one last smile and then headed towards the R&D lab where he was.

When she walked into the lab she saw Jordan and Elena working on his exothermic charges at one of the tables and walked over. "Hello, do you mind if I steal Jordan for a few minutes?"

Mira finished what she was doing and looked over at her. "Only if you tell me how the last few weeks were for you. Since you did spend almost all of your time with him, did you not?"

Skylar scoffed and pulled out a stool and took a seat. "I did and it was amazing. I haven't been this happy in so long. We even plan on moving off base soon, to get more privacy."

"Moving in already?"

"Yup." She looked down at her hands and smiled to herself. "We talked about a lot the last few weeks. Moving in together, marriage and even kids."

"Wow." Mira gave her a small smile and a nod. "Alright you can take Jordan now."

She laughed and stood up. "Don't worry I'll give him back in like twenty minutes."

She and Jordan left the R&D lab after that, heading outside for more privacy. As she headed towards a bench the farthest from the door she wondered if she could tell him about her past, either way she couldn't fully back out now.

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Jordan as he took a seat.

"My relationship with Alex that you clearly don't like." She took a seat next to him and sighed - holding up her hand to stop him from talking. "I just want to know why?"

Jordan sighed and looked down at his bandaged hands, then over to her. "He's so much older than you Sky and I'm not saying he's a bad person and he very clearly makes you happy. I guess I don't want to see you getting hurt when he decides to go through a midlife crisis."

"Alex would never hurt me Jordan, ever." She looked away from him, back at the building, tears beginning to well in her eyes. "There's something I need to tell you and you better promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise."

"When I was a Marine I was in an abusive relationship, the man I was with tore me down to nothing. When I finally got free of his grasp, and that was after the ambush I realized he took everything from me." She took a deep breath and exhaled it a second later. "After that I was terrified of dating, because I was so scared of it happening again. Then I joined Rainbow and Alex came into my life. And ever since we met he has shown me nothing but love and kindness and that even though I was abused I was still worthy of being loved. He treats me like a queen compared to the other guy."

Thermite's face faltered and he had a look of disbelief on his face. A million things were running through his mind and a lot about Skylar as a person was making more sense. He just never expected for her to be so open with him and he respected that. Now he should return it.

"Fuck, I never would have guest. I'm so sorry Skylar, you didn't deserve that." He brought her in for a hug, a moment later he pulled away. "Thank you for being so open with me. I may never like the age difference between you two, but I am willing to let that go if he makes you this happy. He clearly did something right for you to let down those walls and let him in."

"Thank you Jordan! And I can live with that." She chuckled. "He's doing a lot of things right."

"So, moving in together?"

"Yes, we both think it'll do some good. It'll give us a lot more privacy and it'll just be nice to have someone to come home to after work."

He nodded his head and sighed through his nose. "You do have a good point. Alright, thank you for telling me and why don't you go find him before he has a heart attack."

She scoffed and stood up - rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. And why don't you go back to helping Mira work on your exothermic charges."

Jordan stood up and laughed. "Yeah, yeah." He mocked. "I'm going, I'm going."

Skylar laughed and followed him back into the building, then they parted ways. She was happy the conversation went well and that he could put aside his feelings for her happiness and she was okay with him not liking the age difference. Now with that out of the way, it was time to go find Alex and most likely talk with Mira later on because she knows she would like all of the details of what happened the past few weeks.

The first place she'll check would be his room, knowing full well he probably decided to work on his LMG there instead of the workshop.

It didn't take long for her to get to his room, she made a fist and knocked a few times before peeking her head in. "It's your kotyonok." She chuckled to herself to see him sitting on his bed not working on his LMG, instead he was on his phone. "I thought you were going to work on your LMG moi sladkiy?"

She shut the door behind her and took a seat on the bed. He sat up a bit straighter and set his phone aside. "Didn't feel like it, I had something better planned."

"Oh?" Her ears perked up. "What is it?"

"Do you want to shoot it?"

"Wait what? Are you serious?"

"Da, I'm serious."

A big smile formed on her face and she jumped off the bed, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. "Well come on then."

He laughed and stood up, kissing her forehead. "You're like a kid in a candy store kotyonok."

"Well I'm gonna be shooting your beloved LMG, you don't let anyone touch it and you're gonna let me shoot it? Of course I'm gonna act like a kid in a candy store."

"I trust you with my life kotyonok, so I trust you enough with my LMG."

Her face softened and she took a few steps forward, placing a more passionate kiss upon his lips. "I love you!"

"I love you too kotyonok!"

He gave her another kiss before dismounting his LMG and placing it over his shoulder and grabbed the stand with his free hand.

Like a giddy child Skylar jogged over to the door and opened it, letting him go out first and shut it behind her. She never knew how excited she would be, just to shoot one gun. Then again, it wasn't just some gun, it was Tachanka's beloved degtyaryov, the one he doesn't let anyone touch and now he's letting her not only touch it, but shoot it. This made her beyond excited.

"So what's the kick back on that thing?"

"The recoil isn't bad, however I would recommend you keeping it tight to your collarbone at first." He glanced down at her as they walked down the hall. "Think of it as your sniper rifle."

"Okay."

They made their way to the shooting range and the closer they got the more excited she became. She couldn't wait to get her hands on it.

Alex had his own special one made for him, due to the fact that his LMG could do more damage and to test how it can destroy breachable walls. It was decent sized, with targets all around and a few walls spread out around the room with more targets behind them.

She watched him set it up with ease, picturing him firing it and how hot he looks doing so.

"Alright kotyonok, it's all yours." He stepped away and motioned for her to use it.

With a giant smile on her face she went over to it, getting a feel for it before pulling the trigger. It was a lot heavier than she expected, even when mounted. She's wielded LMG's before, but nothing like this. This was made to suit a man like Alex.

"I never realized how heavy it was, even when mounted."

"You'll get used to it." He leaned down and gave the top of her head a kiss. "Now why don't you fire it?"

"Yes sir." She mocked as she looked over her shoulder to see him pulling out his phone. "Are you going to record me moi sladkiy?"

"Da."

Skylar laughed and shook her head, then pulled the trigger. Hitting the first few targets with ease, she turned to the first wall of her left, hearing the bullets penetrate it like butter. The kickback wasn't bad, something she would have to get used to a bit, but over all she felt powerful using it.

She moved away and looked over at him with awe and amazement. "Wow, that was...amazing!"

He shut his phone off and placed it back in his pocket, then walked over to her. "Seeing you use that gun with ease and how gorgeous you looked while doing so was quite the turn on kotyonok!"

"Was it now?" she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. "Thank you for even letting me shoot it. I really appreciate it."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, letting his hands rest on the small of her back, hovering just above her ass. "It really was kotyonok, I think you deserve a reward later." He gave her a smirk and a kiss on the nose, making her giggle. "I meant it Skylar, I trust you with my life and I love you more than anything in this world. And I only trust you with my degtyaryovs'."

Her face softened and she leaned up again, giving him a much more passionate kiss this time. Still entangled in the kiss, he picked her up and pinned her against the wall, then pulled away - slightly panting.

"You're one of the only people I trust here with my life Alex and I'm so happy you're mine!"

"Forever and always kotyonok!" He leaned over to give her one last kiss before setting her down. "Now why don't you shoot the LMG to your heart's content and I'll wait for you out in the observation booth."

"Okay." She laughed and gave him one last kiss before he left the room.

Alex took a seat out in the observation booth and watched her. The gun was the perfect height for her and she seemed to be doing very well with it. But the more he watched her, the more his mind wondered, thinking about the future. He already knew he would marry her one day soon, and hopefully have a bunch of little Senaviev's. That was also the issue. His age. He doesn't want to be too old to enjoy his kids growing up, he doesn't want to miss any of it.

He glanced back over to her, still hearing the bullets penetrating the targets around the range. It made him softly laugh to himself, seeing her so excited to shoot just one gun.

However the more he stared at her, the more he pictured her holding their newborn child in her arms, having them come to visit him while at work and having them waiting for him to come home. The more he imagined it and the more they talked about it, the more he was wanting it to come true. Sooner rather than later. It'll be something he would have to talk with her about.

"Are you okay moi sladkiy?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, blinking his eyes a few times to see her standing in front of him. "I was just thinking. I didn't even hear you come out."

"What was it about?" She took a seat next to him, linking their arms together. "I ran out of bullets and you don't have a spare mag."

"Oh, sorry." He chuckled. "I was thinking about the future, our future."

"It's okay. So what was it about?"

"Our future children."

She moved away from him, a smirk on her face and curiosity in her eyes. "What about our future children?"

Alex sighed through his nose and moved her arm that was linked with his to hold her hand instead. His eyes locked with hers, conveying a mix of emotions. Fear, a bit of anxiety, but also excitement.

"Could we talk about welcoming our first a little sooner?"

Skylar's mouth fell agape and she looked over at him with shock and disbelief. Did she even hear him right? "Moi sladkiy, are you sure?"

"Da." He nodded. "I'm already fifty, I don't want to miss anything about our kids growing up. I want to be there for them, to raise them, to guide them."

Her face softened and she cupped his cheek with her hand, feeling the stubble of his jaw on her palm. "You really are sure about this. Okay. I think once we find our own place, then we can start trying for that little one."

He leaned into the gesture, nuzzling her hand. "You're okay with this kotyonok?"

"Absolutely." She moved her hand off his cheeks and sighed. "I don't care what people think anymore, if they think we're rushing things, that's on them. We've talked about this for weeks, we both know what we want. That's all that matters, and truthfully? I meant it when I said I wanted our children to get a few good, long decades with you."

"That's my kotyonok!" He leaned over to kiss her forehead. "I wasn't entirely sure if you were ready for that yet. To become a mama."

"I would already be one if that miscarriage never happened." A small, sad smile spread across her face. She never fully admitted how much that affected her. "Secretly, I've always been ready."

"You really wanted that child, didn't you?"

She didn't say anything, just nodded her head. That child would've been more of a blessing then a curse, even if she had a custody battle for years to come. That child would've been loved and spoiled by her and her grandparents', aunts and uncles. Then it was snatched from her, like her team and like her dignity.

"That child gave me hope, then that was snatched away from me too."

"I know I can come off as an iconoclast, but if there is a God out there, I think he was protecting you." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him - kissing her temple. "You would have been tied to Henry for a very long time, always battling him to protect your child."

"I know and you're probably right." She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "It just sucks."

"I know." He laid his head on top of hers and took her hand into his. "It won't be long now before you have a child in your arms. Our child!"

She smiled to herself and moved her head off his shoulder and looked over at him. "I can't wait for that, looking down at our child all swaddled and safe in my arms. I know for a fact if we have a daughter first, she'll wrap you around her little finger in a heartbeat."

"No doubt about that kotyonok! Or we might have twins, a boy and a girl."

"I don't think you would be ready for that moi sladkiy." She chuckled. "You would be way too worried."

"Da, this is true, I would worry about you. I also trust you enough that you wouldn't push past your limits."

Skylar laughed and shook her head, leaning over to give him a kiss. "I wouldn't push past my limits, but I can also see you being a bit overprotective."

"Would that be a bad thing kotyonok? You're carrying our child, I don't want anything to happen to you or our child."

"Why don't we talk about this in your room?" She stood up and stretched. "After you give me that reward you promised."

Alex let out one of his booming laughs and stood up. "I think I can oblige and give you that reward."

"Oh why thank you m'lord." She rolled her eyes and laughed at the shocked look on his face.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her against him, crushing their lips together. "M'lord? Sounds like my kotyonok needs some discipline instead."

She looked up at him, batting her eyelashes and pouted her bottom lip. "I don't think so, I think your kotyonok needs a good love making session with their future baby daddy."

A big smile spread across his face, and he leaned down to place a tamer kiss upon her lips. "The things you do to me Skylar!"

She chuckled and pulled away. "Come on, we have a bed to occupy."

After loading up his LMG, they headed off to his room.

xXx

It's been a few hours and Skylar was snuggled up against his chest as they watched some movie they found on Netflix. His fingers threading through her hair as he watched it, perfectly content on where he was.

She hummed in content, tracing a few scars on his chest, the ones that were very close to his heart. "Moi sladkiy? What happened here?"

Alex gulped and sighed, those were scars he would love to forget about, it's futile, he never will. He paused the movie and sat up, making her a bit worried.

"It was during a mission, November 13th, 2016 to be exact. I was on my LMG, waiting for them to breach, they did. Only they shot first before I could, a few bullets went straight through my chest." He looked down and closed his eyes. He didn't want to say the next part, but when he felt her climb into his lap and wrap her arms around him, he inhaled a breath, opened his eyes and continued. "I was declared clinically dead for two minutes, I don't know how I survived. I did and I'm grateful."

"I'm glad you survived too. I wouldn't be with the man of my dreams right now if you didn't." She kissed his temple and pulled away with a small smile. "That explains the ballistics shield more. To make it safer for you."

He nodded. "While I was recovering, Mira and a few others made it for me. After Six made sure the LMG was looked over to make sure it was up to code."

"Well I'm happy it is and you have more protection. I can't stand the thought of losing you."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere kotyonok,I promise."

"That's a big promise to keep moi sladkiy."

"It is, and I plan on keeping it."

She softly chuckled and looked up at him, gazing into his blue eyes. "I hope so. Or we might not be having that child so soon." She smirked and gave him a kiss before she straddled him, resting her head on his chest. "We should probably start looking for a place soon, because once I'm off my birth control you will definitely be a papa within the year."

"So I take it, you don't want to give birth to our first child on base?" He laughed and looked down at her unamused look on her face. "I'm only joking kotyonok, I agree we should find a place soon. We don't need to start trying just yet, even though I know you want to."

Skylar laughed and sat up, tracing a finger down his torso. "You know me so well." She laughed. "I do want to start trying for that child as soon as possible, but I know in the long run it'll be a hell of a lot better when we have our own place first. I won't have to stress and I can just relax."

Alex gave her a soft smile and covered her hand with his. He did find it quite endearing on how badly she wanted to be a mom, and he couldn't blame her, she would already be one if that miscarriage didn't happen. And as much as she wants to become a mom as soon as possible, she knows what would be better for them in the long run and is more than willing to wait the year or so before they even start trying.

"I'm not sure how fast we'll be able to find a place with it being winter. Spring might be better."

"You're probably right, it doesn't hurt to look though."

"No it doesn't." He leaned over to kiss her forehead, and softly chuckled. "Why don't we get some dinner?"

"Good idea, I'm starving." She got off his lap and picked up her clothes off the floor and began to put them on. "I don't know what I want to eat."

He got off the bed and picked up his jeans from the floor and put them on. "We don't need to eat on base if you don't want to."

Skylar clipped her bra and then put on her shirt, contemplating his words. Going out to eat did sound better, plus it gave them a bit more privacy. "Truthfully moi sladkiy? I just want to relish the last few days of vacation. So yeah let's go out to eat."

Alex laughed and put on his shirt, he was slightly worried about her, knowing full well she wasn't going to be happy when they have to go back to their work routine. Which meant they couldn't spend every minute together like they have the past few weeks. Deep down she knows she can occupy herself with other people, and he's sure Ela or Ash will keep her company.

"Where would you like to go?" He glanced over at her, seeing her tying up her boots and went to go grab his. "I know you and Ash or Ela go out to eat a lot, so I'm sure my kotyonok knows all the best places."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It's not our fault some of the food sucks here, and I do." She checked the clock to see that it was almost 4 pm. "Damn, King Street Kitchen is closing soon. What about the Mediterrane Restaurant? It opens in a few hours and has some really good pizza."

"That sounds good." He sat back down on the bed to put his shoes on. "Will my kotyonok be sleeping in her own bed tonight or will she be in mine?"

"I think it would be smart to sleep in my own bed….but we will be living together soon and I think we should get used to it and used to forcing ourselves up when we're in bed together and don't want to."

"Really?" He finished tying his shoe and placed his foot on the ground. "I was expecting you to sleep in your own bed."

Skylar chuckled and shook her head. "Nope, I like waking up in your arms every morning. And I plan on keeping it that way."

"Good, I'm happy about that."

He tied his other shoe and heard her laugh again. It was like music to his ears, hearing her laugh or her voice in general made him so much happier. Making him very grateful that he could hear her voice everyday.

"I figured you would be!" She said with a smirk. "Honestly? I don't think I could sleep alone again. I've woken up in your arms everyday for the past three weeks, I don't want that to change."

"It never will kotyonok." He placed his hand on the back of her head and gently pulled her forward so he could kiss her forehead. "Unless you want it too."

"I never will!" She gave him a small smile and kissed his nose, making him chuckle. "I will always want to wake up in your arms every morning."

"Good! I will always want you to be in my arms every morning kotyonok!"

xXx

They were both looking over the menu to see what they wanted, Skylar was craving both the Margherita pizza and the Tagliatelle Di Funghi pasta dish, which were two of her favorites. But no way could she eat them both.

She looked up from her menu over at Alex. "What are you getting moi sladkiy?"

"I'm thinking of getting either the steak pepalola or the beef fungioli. What about you kotyonok?"

He looked up from his menu to see her taking a sip of her water. "I'm debating on either the margherita pizza or the tagliatelle di funghi pasta dish. Both are very good."

He set the menu down and took a sip of his water before speaking. "Why don't we share the pizza and you get your pasta dish while I get the beef fungioli?"

"You want to share a pizza? How cute." She chuckled and set her menu down. "I think that's a good idea, and a little romantic."

"I am the romantic type kotyonok!"

He crossed his arms and smirked, it made Skylar roll her eyes and chuckle. She can give him that, he was a romantic at heart and she loved it. It also made her very excited to see what he would do for Valentines day.

"That is true." She laughed. "And I love it!"

Alex laughed and leaned forward to grab her hand, caressing the top of it with his thumb and gazed into her eyes. "And I love you, don't forget that kotyonok!"

"I never will!"

The waiter soon came over to take their orders and take back the menus, then left. Skylar looked around the restaurant, seeing all the people there eating as well and thought back on the first time she came here. It was with Ash and Thermite and Thermite thought he could eat two whole pizzas to himself. Spoil, he couldn't and nearly vomited on the street afterwards. It made her chuckle.

She looked over at him, seeing him on his phone once again, only this time he was smiling down at the screen and that made her curious. "What're looking at moi sladkiy?"

He looked up when he heard her speak, smiling over at her. "Just something...for you. I know it's early, it's something for Valentines day."

"Alex it just turned January a day ago." She laughed. "And you're already thinking about Valentine's day?"

"Da, it'll be here before you know it kotyonok! And I want it to be perfect!"

"That is true and since it is Valentine's day, I wouldn't mind if you go all out." She watched his face light up and it made her laugh. "So spoil me to your heart's content."

If they weren't in public she was certain he would be jumping up and down, which would be a sight to see in itself. A fifty year old Spetsnaz soldier jumping up and down with joy because his girlfriend gave the okay to spoil her on Valentine's day.

"I will definitely remember that!"

It wasn't long after when their food arrived and they ate in comfortable silence for a bit. However Skylar was somewhat eavesdropping on the couple next to them, unfortunately the conversation wasn't that good and put her full attention back on Alex.

"Oh I never told you how the conversation with Jordan went."

"No you didn't."

She chuckled and fiddled around with her pasta for a moment. "It surprisingly went well. He said he can put his feelings aside if you made me this happy. He just doesn't like the age difference and I can live with that."

His eyes went wide for a moment and he swallowed the food that was in his mouth and set the pizza back down on his plate. "I wasn't expecting that. Did you tell him about your past?"

"I did, I think he kinda got the gist. That if I went through something like that, then it was clear you did something right to make me let you in."

Alex nodded his head and leaned forward, taking her hand into his. "What did I do to make you...fall for me? I know you told me before, but I can't help but wonder if there's more."

Skylar sighed and looked away for a brief moment. "Not here, when we're back in your room."

"Okay." He gave her a small smile and removed his hand, Skylar immediately missing the contact. "I can wait."

She mirrored his smile and leaned over to give him a chaste kiss.

xXx

Dinner went well and they spent another hour driving around town before heading back to base. They just wanted some quiet alone time before heading back and to pick up some ice cream for dessert.

Now that they were back at base and she changed into something more comfortable, as did he, now there were both under the covers eating their ice cream and watching some random movie. Eventually Skylar broke the silence.

"When you go through something I did, and you finally get a crush on someone it's terrifying." She sat up more and set her bowl down in front of her, glancing over at him. "Henry had this facade, he was kind, funny, nothing made me think differently. Then he got me and things changed drastically. It made me so damn wary."

"You thought I would do the same?"

She looked over at him and nodded her head. "Deep down though, I always knew you wouldn't. Something inside me said you would never do such a thing, and it was right."

He gave her a small smile and moved his and her bowl over to the nightstand and scooped her up and placed her in his lap. "I would never stoop that low, ever. How would anyone do that to someone they 'care' about?"

"I know you wouldn't, it's not in you." She looked up at him and gave him a chaste kiss. "Henry never cared about me that's why. He cared only about what I could do for him."

Alex wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. The more he found out about him and what he did, the more he wanted to meet him, but knew it was a slim chance. He would never be able to hit that abusive bastard in the jaw a few dozen times and that made him quite upset. Skylar deserved a hell of a lot better than what he did to her, and she might never fully recover from it, at least now she knows what it's like to be treated with nothing but love!

"He needs a fist to the face a few dozen times."

"No argument there moi sladkiy." She chuckled, only for it to quickly die down as she gazed into his blue eyes. "This may sound cliche, but thank you...for saving me!"

His eyes glistened over and he moved that one dangling strand of hair behind her ear. And the butterflies that danced occasionally in the pit of his stomach returned. He never saw himself saving someone, at least not in the figurative sense, but he's happy that he could save her!