AUTHOR'S NOTE:
A big Thank You to the following readers for your great comments on the previous chapter: MasterofCupcakes, Loki God of Evil, RandomDragon2.0, and Willow Falk, a.k.a. Willow Julien!
I also wish to thank RandomDragon2.0 and Scubyrojo26 for adding this story to their Favorites list!
Happy birthday wishes go to Willow Falk and Loki God of Evil, for I remember that their special days fall around this time of year!
And Happy Easter to all!
The action in the chapter below takes place three nights after the previous chapter...
Chapter 49 - Warmth on a Cold Night
Wednesday, January 4th, 9:00 p.m...
Nine o'clock on a brisk January evening found Sergeant Brossette by himself, finishing up clerical work for a fellow soldier. It was unusual for Brossette to be on duty at this hour, for he ordinarily worked during the day. Calling the morning roll for one section of Kryptarium prisoners was one of his responsibilities.
However, Major Amber had given his fellow soldier, an evening clerical worker named O'Reilly, the night off. In the man's place, she had ordered Brossette to work on both the morning and evening shifts.
He had been disappointed over this. Not only for the obvious reason that it meant extra work for him, but it also meant he would not have time to go over to the hospital and see if Corporal Smith was able to receive visitors yet. Furthermore, it meant that Major Amber was still irritated with him about their conversation from three nights ago.
Brossette rubbed his bleary eyes, glad that he would soon be able to go back to his quarters and finally collapse on his bed for a few hours of sleep before he had to awaken for the morning roll call once again.
A sharp rapping on the office door startled him.
Who could be wanting any paperwork at this time of night? he wondered as he strode over to answer the knocking.
He opened the door and was stunned to see Major Amber standing there. Though she was frowning, his heart fluttered at the sight of her.
"Uh, Major Amber," he stammered, saluting as he moved to allow her passage into the office.
"Sergeant Brossette," she formally saluted back before walking through the door and into the office. "I congratulate you on choosing to remain at your assigned duty until the end of your shift and refraining from sneaking out."
Brossette closed the door after her. "Thank you, ma'am," he responded, slightly embarrassed. How does she know me so well? He had indeed considered leaving early. If any other superior officer besides her had been the one to give the order, he might indeed have disappeared by now.
Skylor removed her cloak and draped it over the back of a chair before facing him.
If the sight of her in her cloak made his heart flutter, the sight of her in a low-cut civilian dress took his breath away. The copper-colored lace-trimmed bodice revealed a lot more of her womanly charms than her uniform did. He swallowed nervously.
"I suppose you're wondering why I'm here," she said, folding her arms across her torso.
"Yes, ma'am," he murmured. She sounded very businesslike. Oh, please, Major, don't assign me any more work tonight! I'm so tired!
"Well, I'm here to tell you why I was upset with you the other night."
Major, I already feel lower than a cocodril's belly about the other night, so please have mercy and be quick...
Resting one of her fists on her hip, she shook the index finger of her other hand at him. "It's because you dared to presume to know what's best for me!"
He supposed he had done so. He looked down at the floor.
"Sergeant, did you know that I am the daughter of General Chen?" she asked.
Brossette's head bobbed up. "You mean THE General Chen? Head of the Third Division?" Fear began to well up in him.
"Yes, THAT General Chen. So, while his military paychecks are not very abundant, over the years he's rubbed elbows with various wealthy citizens of Ninjago, who presented him - and me - with lovely gifts," she continued, poking her index finger into his chest and causing him to step backward.
"So it's true that I like being around money. I do appreciate the finer things in life, like diamonds and silks," she curtly informed him as she kept advancing forward, causing him to maintain his reverse movement.
"But how dare you say that I should be surrounded in the nighttime by the arms of a rich man!" she declared.
At this point, she had backed him up against the desk. He could not retreat further.
She removed her index finger from his chest and shook it in his face. "Where I belong is in the arms of a KIND man!"
Unexpectedly, she wove her arms around his neck in an embrace. Her enticing, heady floral scent floated around them. His pulse quickened at her proximity to him.
"Sergeant, I order you to put your arms around me."
Brossette blinked his eyes as he processed her statement. Did she say what I thought she just said?
"That's an order, Brossette."
Tentatively his placed his hands on her hips. His brows knit in confusion. "You think I'm a kind man?"
Skylor said nothing. Instead, she used one of her hands behind his neck to guide his head forward and pull him into a kiss.
Mon Dieu! he silently exclaimed as her feather-soft lips caressed his own chapped ones and the warm, sensuous curves of her body molded themselves against him. His hands slid hesitantly from her hips to her lower back, but as he continued tasting the cherry red lips he thought could never be his, the initial resistance melted away, and he pressed her firmly to him, not wanting to let her go. The thought that this beautiful woman was in his arms - AND had feelings for him - was making him dizzy, so he was grateful he was backed up against the desk.
After a bit, Skylor pulled away from him gently, smiling happily for the first time that evening. "Does that answer your question?" she asked tenderly.
"Cho! Co! It does!" he answered, his heart pounding. But suddenly he froze, "But, Major -"
"Call me Skylor," she interrupted.
"Skylor," he repeated, enjoying the sound of her name from his lips. "Skylor, what about your betrothed?"
Skylor grimaced. "Well, yesterday I received a letter from him, addressed to me. But when I opened it, the letter began as 'Dearest Fifi.' Obviously I was flabbergasted. I read on."
The Purple officer crinkled her nose. "Seems she's a Purple civilian sympathizer from Shanville who Jake met right after the battle there, back when the Third Division was still in that area."
"Apparently she had showed him some Shanville 'hospitality' - if you know what I mean - because he mentioned 'those beautiful nights together' in the letter. Jake also mentioned he was including the usual money, so it's a regular occurrence for him to send it to her, and he told her to let him know if she needed anything else. And he said he'd come back to Shanville often after the war and visit her, which he didn't think would be too difficult because...his fiancee was quite gullible!" Skylor spat out those last words with venom.
She chuckled bitterly. "I guess that Jake mixed up the envelopes when he was writing letters, so I got the letter intended for her, and she got the letter intended for me." She rested her cheek against Brossette's chest.
"Oh, Skylor!" He drew her close in a hug of comfort and buried his nose in the top of her fragrant silky red hair. "A man who would choose not to cherish you with all his heart and soul is a peeshwank!"
Skylor smiled at the unusual word as she snuggled against Brossette's chest, reveling in his embrace. "Peeshwank," she repeated, practicing the pronunciation. "Doesn't sound very complimentary."
Brossette began to gently rub her back. "You're right. Where I come from it means a runt, or a little person. So have you decided what you are going to do about him?"
She looked up at him. "I am breaking our engagement to be married. I've already taken off the ring. But I'm not going to let Jake know until I can tell him in person, so I can shove Fifi's letter in his face. It might be a few months until I can do that, since right now he's way over by Ninjago Town with my father at their winter camp, at Garmadon Ranch."
Garmadon Ranch...that's Smith's home! The reminder of his Yellow Army friend brought up a question in Brossette's mind.
"What about Smith? You can't deny you are fond of him."
Skylor sighed and looked away from Brossette. "I blew my chance with Kai, but contrary to what you may think, it wasn't the other day. It actually was nearly two years ago, when he proposed marriage to me while I was living in Ninjago Town. Like a fool, I rejected him, being blinded by the Purple Cause. But being loyal to that cause has brought me only unhappiness and pain."
"So, yes, I am fond of Kai," she continued, turning her gaze back to Brossette, "but my fondness for him is now a friendship sort. He's happy with his wife, and I wish him the best. I hear he can accept visitors at the end of the week, so I will go see him."
Skylor stared at Brossette intently with her emerald green eyes. "As for me, I'm not going to blow my chance at love again."
Love?! Brossette's stomach flip-flopped. Does she love me?!
As if in answer to his unspoken question, she guided his lips to meet hers once again in a long, slow, soft kiss.
Merci, dear God in Heaven! Merci!
When their lips eventually parted, Skylor said, "Now I have a question for you, Brossette."
"What is it, Skylor?" he asked, a loopy grin on his face.
"What is your first name?"
It took him a second for his dizzy mind to remember. "Jules."
"Jules, would you please escort me to my quarters? And join me in a little nightcap? I like to drink sherry, but you can have anything you like," she winked.
Jules' loopy grin remained on his face, and he forgot all about his exhaustion from his long workday.
"Yes, ma'am!"
