Thank you for Your Service

A/N: Hi Friends. I'm horribly blocked on Fixes right now, so I wrote this to try to shake the bard loose. Anyway, trigger warnings for not so nice stuff related to rape and torture. There's nothing really graphic but the horror is definitely implied.

** Germany. Three weeks after Rescue. Present Day **

"So, we still have no idea when she's going to wake up?"

"No… and I'm very sorry, Lieutenant Mitchell. Until the swelling in her brain reduces a little more, we're not going to know if she's going to recover. It could be today; it could be three months from now."

Beca nodded her thanks to the doctor and, as he left, slowly wheeled her chair closer to the edge of her best friend's bed. She took her hand, and Chloe's fingers twitched but she didn't wake up.

"Hey, Chlo, it's just me," the brunette said softly, gently squeezing her hand and then stroking it. "I know you're in there, and that you're coming back to me. You're my best friend in the whole world, the woman who saved my life, the woman who trusted me with hers." She kept up the steady stroking against the pale, combat-roughened skin. "We got out, Chloe. They rescued us and we're back in Germany."

Pale blue eyes stayed stubbornly closed.

"You kept us alive, Chlo. You saved us both."

First Lieutenant Beale's eyelids fluttered.

The brunette gasped and leaned closer. "Chloe? Hey, Chloe? Can you hear me?"

Very slowly, the pale blue eyes Beca adored, blinked open and tracked to her. "Be…"

"It's ok," the brunette soothed. "We're out, Chlo, we're back in Germany." She jabbed the call button ocver and over, and a moment later, the doctor and a nurse entered the room.

"Be…" the redhead tried again but her eyes were rolling round the room now, seemingly unable to focus on anything as panic built in her.

Hot tears spilled down Beca's cheeks. "It's ok, Honey. We're in a hospital and we're safe."

"Lieutenant Beale," the doctor said loudly. "Can you hear me? Look at me please?"

Chloe's eyes tracked to him and focused. The doctor smiled as he gently examined her. "Your friend wasn't joking about those baby blues of yours, Lieutenant. Welcome back to Germany."

Beca could have sworn that a relieved smile fleetingly crossed her best friend's lips, and she squeezed her hand harder. "I may or may not have been talking about you a lot, Chlo.

Then the redhead's eyes were on her and the smile reappeared. "Becs," Chloe whispered… and then eased back into unconsciousness.

Xx

"You can be SUCH a stubborn bitch," Beca complained as Chloe steadfastly ignored her. "And don't you pretend like you can't hear me, Beale."

"Fuck you, Mitchell," the redhead replied, eyes closed as she continued to lie with her back to her friend.

"Said with ALL the love of course." Dark blue eyes rolled. "You need to get out of this damn room, Chloe! We were cooped up in that damn cell for longer than I can remember."

"Why?" the older woman asked. "I'm completely fine where I am. Thanks."

"What the fuck, Dude!"

"I don't want the pitying looks, ok!" Chloe finally rolled over, lifting her left hand to point at the bandaged stump of her right. "I don't want the sympathy. Oh look… there's the girl who lost her arm in combat! Poor thing!"

Irrational anger bubbled inside Beca's chest. "Well, at least you have one arm left! Someone, who shall remain nameless, lost BOTH LEGS, Chloe!" The redhead blinked. "So, get out of the goddamn fucking bed and push my goddamn fucking wheelchair." Beca's hand slammed down on the small table next to her. "GODDAMNIT!"

"IT HURTS, OK?!" Chloe yelled back, just as angry. "IT HURTS…" She trailed off and looked down. "It hurts like it's still there."

Beca swallowed and then nodded, wheeling herself closer to her friend. "C'mere," she said after a long moment's silence.

"What?"

"Please, Chlo, I can't get as close to you as I want to in this thing so, please… come here?"

For a long moment, the redhead just looked at her. Then she nodded, got out of bed and, mindful of all their stitches and healing injuries, eased into Beca's lap to face her. "I don't want to hurt you," she murmured softly as she rested what was left of her right arm against her best friend's chest. Her surgeon had had to amputate right above her elbow after they'd been unable to clear a horrific infection that had invaded all the tissue and bone in her lower arm.

"Honey, my legs hurt too," the brunette said quietly. "And I know what you mean about feeling like they're still there. But they're not, and your arm isn't… and we have to start dealing with that." She put her hands on Chloe's thighs and caressed them.

Tears spilled down the first lieutenant's cheeks. "I feel so ugly," she said, sniffling a little. "And I know that's ridiculous because we're so lucky to be alive."

"I get it," the brunette admitted. "But trust me when I tell you this, Chlo. You're still as beautiful as the day I met you."

Chloe wiped her hand across her eyes and nodded. "So are you, Becs." She leaned her forehead against her friend's and sighed softly. "God, I'm sorry I'm being so pathetic."

"We both need time to feel and grieve," Beca said softly. "But we also need to work toward getting better. We're going home in a week, and I'd really like to be able to roll myself off the plane, rather than being carried off on a damn stretcher. I want a minimalist wheelchair and I want to be able to get myself in and out of it on my own. But I don't think I can do all that without you to cheer me on."

"Then what are we waiting for," the redhead murmured with a smile. "I guess I need to learn to tie my shoes with one hand, huh?"

And, just like that, Beca caught a glimpse of her best friend's naturally sunny temperament trying to break through. "I bet there's a YouTube video for that."

"Or, I could just buy all slip-on shoes," Chloe added with a grin. "That's not cheating, right?"

Beca smiled affectionately and reached up to caress the older woman's cheeks. "Whatever it takes, Chlo. Whatever it takes."

Xx

"No!" Beca woke up suddenly, still caught in the last vestiges of her nightmare to find her friend standing by the bed and leaning over her.

"Shhh…" Chloe smiled. "It's ok, Becs. It was just a dream."

"God…" the younger woman shuddered. "That sucked." She ran a hand over her sweaty face and then pushed the bedcovers down, enjoying the chill of the room's air conditioning on her overheated skin.

"Want to talk about it?" the redhead asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"It was about HIM," the brunette shrugged. "But I really don't want to talk about it right now."

Chloe nodded, then eased the covers back and slid into the bed next to her friend. She helped Beca roll onto her side and then spooned against her back to drape her arm over her waist. "Is it weird that I miss this?" she asked softly.

There was quiet for a few moments, then Beca took a breath. "I miss it too. It's kinda hard sleeping without you."

** Afghanistan. Two Years Before Rescue **

The mattress was filthy, and the room was cold. Lieutenant Mitchell stood looking at it with her arms folded as her commanding officer stood next to her, chewing on her bottom lip.

"We could try turning it over," First Lieutenant Beale said with a shrug. "Or we could just sleep on the floor?"

"Have you seen the floor, Ma'am?" her lieutenant replied, tone mild. "I think the mattress is cleaner."

"I think you're right. At least we have a blanket," Beale added. "We'll just have to share."

"Make the best of it," Mitchell agreed. Then she turned and slowly paced the perimeter of their cell. "I don't understand why they're holding us together like this," she said.

Beale nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe it's easier for them to watch us if we're together." She looked around too then leapt to grab one of the bars across the single high window and pull herself up to get a peek outside. There was sand as far as the eye could see so she dropped down again, boots thudding on the packed dirt floor. "Although, it's not like we're going anywhere."

Mitchell tapped on the cell's metal door and then shrugged. "We're not getting through that and, unless you have a hammer and chisel hidden in your pants, we're not getting past these brick walls." She frowned confusedly. "But still, we could easily overpower one guy."

Beale nodded and took a seat on the floor, pressing her back to the wall under the window as she hugged her knees to her chest. "I have no idea where we are," she said, sheepishly pushing escaped wisps of red hair back from her forehead. "I tried to keep track of turns and directions but…"

"I know," Mitchell added. "I did too, but the way the van was fishtailing in the sand, I couldn't tell if we were actually turning or not."

Beale's head thumped against the wall as she took in and let out a deep breath. "Ok, let's evaluate," she said. "We're in a cell with a locked metal door and a barred window in a building surrounded by desert, and we haven't seen anyone since we were left here an hour ago. I haven't heard anything either, have you?"

"Negative," Mitchell replied, crossing the room to take a seat next to her commanding officer.

"So, that could mean they're leaving us here temporarily… or they're not coming back."

"My money's on the former," the brunette mused. "American officers are too valuable to just let die. I think we should assume that they're going to want intel."

First Lieutenant Beale nodded. "Agreed. Which probably means…" She trailed off and looked up at the ceiling.

There was quiet between them for a long moment, then Mitchell reached out and took the older woman's hand. "We're in this together, Ma'am," she said. "We'll be ok."

Beale chuckled. "I think at this point, Beca, you can call me Chloe," she said. "Besides, it's probably not a good idea to help them figure out our ranks."

"Right," Beca nodded. Then she looked down at the lengthening shadows. "Which brings us back to sleeping arrangements. The temperature is going to be dropping even further in the next hour or so."

Chloe's eyebrow lifted. "I think we're about to get quite a bit closer, Beca." Their eyes met and held, light blue to dark blue. "Think you can handle that?"

The brunette smirked and her lips lifted into a little grin. "I think the real question is… can YOU handle ME?"

"Challenge accepted," the redhead replied, her own smirk making Beca swallow against a suddenly dry throat. She cleared it and then stood.

"Alright, I'm going to assume that they're not going to bring us any food or water tonight so we should probably get some sleep."

"How do you want to do it?" Chloe asked as she picked up the blanket and shook it out. Luckily it seemed to be fairly clean.

"Do it?" Beca asked, eyebrows hiked. "Are you propositioning me, Beale?"

Chloe's eyes danced with mirth. "You have a dirty mind, Mitchell!" She spread the blanket out on the mattress and then pulled back one corner. "After you."

The lieutenant nodded, then unlaced and pulled off her boots. She lay down on the straw-filled bed, facing the wall and felt the pad flatten a little more as Chloe lay behind her. "Hey Beca?"

"Mmmmm?"

"Full disclosure… um… I AM actually gay."

The lieutenant chuckled softly. "Whatever. Just get closer, ok? Closer we are, the warmer it'll be."

"Ok," the redhead replied, and she spooned against her friend's back, draping a gentle arm around her waist. "This ok?" she whispered.

"Mmmm… fine," Beca replied, smiling as the warmth of her friend seeped into her. "Hey, how's your head?"

The redhead touched the cut on her forehead, feeling dried blood where it had earlier been tacky. "I think it's ok, maybe a slight concussion, but not too bad."

"Alright. Night, Chloe."

"Night, Beca."

** USA. Three Months After Rescue. Present Day **

"Fuck, I'm sorry," Chloe exclaimed as she felt Beca slip further out of her grasp. "My arms feel like Jell-O."

"Just try not to drop me on my ass, Chlo," Beca chuckled as she felt her friend lowering her. Their physical therapist was about to say something when a guy they didn't know was suddenly next to them.

"Hi, let me help you," he said. He slid his hands under Beca's armpits and lifted her, inadvertently grazing the sides of her breasts.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Watch those hands, Buddy. Pretty sure I didn't give you permission to touch!"

"Sorry," he said absently as he hoisted her unceremoniously and dumped her into her wheelchair. Then he focused his attention back on Chloe. "I've seen you here a few times the last week. Just get back from overseas?"

Beca muttered something under her breath as she straightened her hoodie and adjusted her thighs into a more comfortable position. Objectively, the guy was pretty good looking, if you were into that sort of thing. He was an amputee too and he was wearing a pair of prosthetic legs that ended in running blades. She couldn't help but think they looked cool, until she saw the way he was obviously lusting over her best friend.

"Um… yeah… Beca and I got back a month ago. I'm Chloe."

"That's First Lieutenant Beale to you, Buddy!" the brunette growled. Chloe couldn't help but grin at her best friend's adorable snarkiness.

"Nice to meet you, Chloe," the man replied. "I'm Jack. How'd you lose the arm? I.E.D. or something?"

Beca muttered disgustedly. "Wow, sensitive much?"

"No, actually," the redhead replied, her eyes going to her friend briefly. "I lost it in a hospital on a military base in Germany to necrotizing fasciitis."

"Holy shit…" Jack said. "Where the hell did you pick that up?"

Chloe's blue eyes stayed steadily on his. "Afghanistan," she said succinctly. "Beca and I were prisoners of war for two years."

Jack's eyes lowered and he swallowed hard. "Saying thank you for your service isn't nearly enough," he said softly. "And I thought losing my legs in a car accident was bad."

Beca thawed a little at that. "Doesn't matter how you lost them," she said. "We all have to live with our disability just the same."

Jack and Chloe both nodded at that. The man opened his mouth to speak then but the redhead lifted her hand. "Listen, don't ask me out, Jack, ok? Thanks, but I'm not interested." He took a couple of steps closer to her, stepped into her personal space. Chloe immediately backed away. "Stop," she said. "Don't."

"Jack, back off," Beca said quietly. "Now."

"Who are you? Her mother?" the man shot back. "Chloe, just give me a chance, huh?"

"JACK," Beca said again. "Back off now."

"Beca…" Chloe's hand was pressed to her chest now. "Becs…"

The brunette quickly wheeled herself to her friend and pulled her into her lap to wrap her arms around her. "It's ok, I'm here. Just breathe, Honey."

"Fuck," the redhead gasped, eyes tightly closed. "Get him away from me."

But Jack was already across the room, watching concernedly as he talked quietly with the physical therapist.

"It's ok, Chlo, he's gone," Beca said softly as she ran her fingers through her friend's hair. "It's ok. Just breathe."

"Sorry… God… I'm sorry."

"Hey… Honey, it's me. You never have to apologize to me. You know that."

** Afghanistan. Eighteen Months Before Rescue **

Beca forced her eyes open. Forced herself to watch. Forced herself to be there every time Chloe's exhausted blue eyes tracked drunkenly to her.

HE was raping Chloe today.

Again.

Another man was holding Beca in a grip so tight, she could hardly breathe.

They were both naked, having been stripped of their clothes weeks earlier. They were covered in cuts and bruises, starving, barely kept alive with scraps and water from dirty bowls. They sometimes got dog food. If the dog didn't eat it all.

Beca and Chloe now knew why they were being held together. One always had to watch the other being brutalized. HE thought they'd eventually break to where one of them would give him the intel he wanted.

Neither had.

Even after six months.

Six long months of daily torture. Of fractured ribs and healed scars. Of beatings and whippings and brutal rapes. Beca was missing two teeth after daring to say no.

But they were still alive.

** USA. Six Months After Rescue. Present Day **

"Do you ever think about Afghanistan?" Chloe asked. "Like… about the way you felt about it before it was ruined for us?"

Beca picked a stalk of grass and chewed on it. "I barely even remember it," she said, gazing up at the blue, cloudless sky. "But I do remember the people being nice."

"Mmmm…" the redhead agreed.

They were picnicking in their back yard on a red and white checkered blanket with a bottle of champagne sitting in an ice-filled bucket. Beca's brother, Chad, was grilling burgers.

They'd been awarded Medals of Honor and honorable discharges from the army and somehow, without either of them actually making a conscious decision, had ended up living together in a nice house in a nice suburb of Atlanta, Beca's hometown. They each had a large ensuite bedroom but every night, Chloe ended up in Beca's bed, spooned against her and holding her as they soothed each other's nightmares. Exactly as they had for two years as they'd LIVED those nightmares.

** Afghanistan. One Year Before Rescue **

"You're burning up," Beca said softly, holding Chloe against her chest as she arranged their blanket over both of them.

The older woman nodded, teeth chattering as the chills of fever ran through her. Everything hurt, and her head felt fuzzy after the beating she'd taken but, being in Beca's arms was a balm for her soul. "I think I'm going to be sick," she said after a moment and Beca barely got her rolled onto her side before she threw up on the floor. "Got my bell rung again," she murmured. "Fuck, Beca. I don't know how much longer I can do this."

Gentle fingers lifted her chin and dark, red-rimmed eyes met hers. "Do you want to give them what they want, Chlo?" she asked softly. "No one would blame you if you did."

Chloe's teeth chattered as she shivered. "I'm m-m-much too s-s-stubborn to do that."

Beca nodded, then her eyes lowered. "I haven't had my period in two months," she said.

The redhead blinked and then swallowed. "It's probably malnutrition, Becs."

Tears welled in the brunette's eyes. "What… what if it's not?" she whispered.

"I… I don't know," Chloe whispered in reply. "But whatever happens, Beca, I promise we'll face it together."

Three days later, Beca took a series of ruthless kicks to the stomach… and it no longer mattered.

** USA. Seven months after rescue. Present Day **

Chloe was swearing softly under her breath as Beca watched silently from her spot by the large living room window. Her shoelaces just weren't playing ball.

"Should have stuck with the slip-ons, Chlo," the brunette sniggered, laughing then as Chloe flipped her off and stuck her tongue out at her.

"We're a team," the redhead said suddenly. "YOU do it for me." She got up and balanced herself as she lifted her foot and set it into the seat of the wheelchair between Beca's thighs. "Please?"

Dark blue eyes rolled but the younger woman nodded. "Sure." She quickly tied the laces and then Chloe swapped feet. "Ready for your run now?" she asked, but then she lifted her hands and caught her friend by the shoulders as she overbalanced and almost fell into her lap. "Whoops, careful!"

"Sorry," the redhead said sheepishly. "Still working on keeping my balance."

But to her surprise and delight, Beca pulled her down into her lap and nuzzled her neck. "I don't mind you falling for me," she murmured.

Chloe swallowed hard and a blush colored her face as she pressed her cheek against the younger woman's temple. The feelings in her chest weren't new… not by a long shot… but their situation in Afghanistan had been so harrowing that neither woman had been able to feel anything but terror and constant stress.

Now though… they were slowly healing. Together. And the feelings that had developed between them, were becoming impossible to ignore.

"Charmer," Chloe said with a beaming smile, cupping her friend's cheek and stroking it softly.

Beca took her hand and brought it to her lips to kiss its knuckles. "Chlo…" she said quietly as she looked into the redhead's eyes. "We should probably talk about… um… you know I… I love you, right?"

Chloe nodded, eyes infinitely adoring. "I do know. And, God, I love you too, Beca. But… I don't know if… I don't know if I'm ready."

The moment was electric, despite the uncertainty. And Beca's hands ran up and down the redhead's back as she waited for her to go on.

"Oh, for God's sake, you two, just get it ON already," Chad said as he wandered into the room. "The heart eyes between you are totally ridiculous!"

"Shut up, Dude!" Beca groused, throwing the nearest thing she could reach at him, which was the TV remote. It hit him in the head, and he scowled, rubbing the spot annoyedly as Chloe laughed.

"Quit while you're behind, Chad," the older woman advised. "She can still kick your ass."

Beca smirked as her brother sulked his way out of the room. "Thanks, Chlo."

Chloe leaned in and, taking her friend totally by surprise, kissed her gently on the lips. "Though, maybe your brother has a point," she said.

Beca's grin was brighter than the sun. "Yeah? Well, maybe you should reiterate it." Chloe chuckled and, this time, the kiss quickly deepened into a mess of moans and ragged breathing. They slowly eased back and Beca pecked her friend's nose. "We can take this as slowly as we both need to, Chlo. I know it'll probably trigger some memories."

"I've always said that I don't want to hate people, Becs," the redhead said as she ran her fingers through brunette locks. "But I hate HIM. I'm glad he's dead."

"I am too," the younger woman nodded. "He was pure evil."

** Afghanistan. Three Days Before Rescue **

Beca was unconscious, having passed out from the pain of having her lower legs smashed with a sledgehammer. She had screamed and screamed and screamed until her voice had disappeared into hoarse wails and Chloe could do nothing but watch, her own lower right arm screaming with pain after receiving its own blows when she'd tried to help her best friend.

"You know," the MAN said, English heavily accented. "You have put yourselves in this situation by not answering my questions when you first became my guests. But now… you have been away from your superiors for too long. Your information is no longer of any value. I think I will just kill you."

Chloe swallowed hard as she cradled her shattered arm to her chest. She and Beca had discussed the coming of this day. They had planned to stand tall and proud together as the MAN put a bullet in each of their skulls. But now… a sob escaped Chloe's chest against her will… Beca would probably remain unconscious, if not worse. And Chloe would most likely die alone.

The redhead waited. She waited for the telltale sound of the MAN cocking his weapon. But then, to her surprise, he simply turned and left the room, taking his crony with him and locking the door behind them. Chloe screamed in frustration and then crawled across the floor to her best friend to feel for a pulse, sagging with relief when she found one. Then she realized that it would probably be better for Beca if she remained unconscious.

No such luck.

Only minutes later, Beca stirred and as the pain hit her full force again, she reached out to Chloe, eyes wide with anguish.

"Kill me," she begged. "Please… just kill me. I can't do this anymore, Chloe. Please… kill me."

Chloe eased Beca into her lap and held her, kissing her forehead. "We can't die now, Becs," she whispered, looking at her own right arm. Her hand was cold and white. "They're going to come for us any day now. We have to stay strong because we'll be going home. And you can't die because, fuck, I love you, Becs, and I don't want to do life without you."

But the petite lieutenant had already eased back into unconsciousness.

** USA. Ten Months After Rescue. Present Day **

Beca moaned softly. Chloe was spooned against her, fingertips circling her nipples as she kissed along her neck and shoulder. She could feel the raised bumps of her lover's scars and they triggered the memories of the events that had caused them, but the redhead swallowed and remembered what her therapist had told her. Things from the past could no longer hurt her… unless she let them.

"God, Chlo," the brunette groaned as Chloe's hand moved down her stomach to caress, feather-light, between her thighs. It had taken a while for Beca to let her lover touch her there and she still needed the lights on when they made love, but things had become so much more relaxed over the previous couple of weeks.

Chloe's hand left its warm nest for a moment to move down Beca's thigh and over the pebbled flesh where her legs ended just above where her knees had been. "You're so beautiful," the redhead whispered. "And I love you so much." The affirmation made tears rise in the brunette's eyes and she nodded as she reached back to stroke Chloe's cheek.

"I love you too, Baby, and I'm so glad we made it out alive."

** Afghanistan. Day of Rescue **

For the last couple of days, the MAN had pretty much left them alone. Beca drifted in and out of consciousness and Chloe knew that, if they didn't get some water soon, the decision to live would be taken out of their hands by natural causes.

The redhead was cradling her best friend, the woman she loved, but every time she heard a sound, or a far-off laugh from their captors, her terror rose, and she wondered if it would be the last sound, she'd ever hear.

It was later in the afternoon when the door of the cell banged open, the clanging sound loud enough to even wake Beca from her fitful sleep.

The MAN stood at the door, staring at them. "Congratulations," he said quietly. "Today is a good day to die."

"Fuck you, Dude," Beca rasped. "Fuck you and your tiny ass dick." Chloe hugged her harder. "Well, what are you waiting for? A written fucking invitation?" Chloe kissed Beca's forehead, and their eyes met and held. If they were going to die, they were going to do it loving each other. Words were no longer needed. They just both knew.

The gun cocked. They both heard it, but just smiled at each other, pressing their foreheads together as they clasped hands.

Then there was a bright flash, followed by a loud bang and American accents were yelling. The MAN's gun skittered across the floor and stopped right by Chloe's thigh. She picked it up and pointed it, disoriented by the energy of the moment, but she suddenly saw HIM. The MAN. Trying to get away.

BANG BANG. Two shots to the head, like she'd been trained to do and the MAN was falling to the dirt floor, his brains splattered on the wall behind him. But Chloe hadn't seen the MAN's crony coming up behind her and the last thing she remembered, before waking up in a hospital in Germany, was the thud and blinding pain of a blow to her head.

** USA. Ten Months and One Day After Rescue. Present Day **

Beca's hand was in Chloe's hair, holding her as their lips moved sensually together. The redhead's fingers were inside her and hurtling her toward orgasm. Beca's hips bucked harder, her moans turning to ragged cries and, as the hour-hand of the clock slipped past midnight, she came with a cry of pleasure that helped to soothe the memories of her cries of pain in Chloe's mind.

"Chloe… fuck…" she gasped as she tried to catch her breath. "You're so good at that."

The redhead chuckled softly. "And that's with my left hand. Imagine what I can do with my tongue."

They laughed softly together, then Chloe eased Beca over onto her back so she could show her exactly what she meant.

The End.