Sir Yes Sir!
The girls entered the bar, it was one of the dingy kind, but it was the only place close to the base they could go. Te interior was all wood, with at the back of the bar a few pool tables, the center of the floor was designated as a dancing area and the rest of the place was covered with tables and booths. It was tacky to say the least, red velvet covered the seats in the booths and the floor good use a good scrub brush. Te clientele was mostly male and the few women that were there were the kind that always hung around bases looking for a few nights of fun but nothing more.
Simone turned to Lucy. "Well it doesn't rate high on class but it beats sitting at home!" Lucy just smiled and they walked up to the bar and ordered some beers. They sat a while talking and looking at the people around them. At one point Simone slapped her hand onto the table. "My god! We could have been at one of mom's Wives of officers meetings and I wouldn't have seen the difference. I thought we were here to have some fun!? Let's go shoot some pool." Lucy gave a consenting smile and the walked towards the pool tables to see if one was free.
Blackburn looked across the bar, as he had done often for the past half hour. He saw Simone bend over to shoot a ball, she was pretty and ever since he had seen her yesterday he had definitely wanted t o get to know her better. Only problem was the fact that she was the general's daughter. But he really liked her so he was just going to have to deal with it. He looked at Hoot who was sitting next to him, trying his best to pretend that he wasn't looking at Lucy MacArthur. He had never seen Hoot behaving like his in all the years he had known him. Ever since they had met the girls yesterday Hoot had repeatedly said that he "Didn't have any interest in Lucy MacArthur!" Once or twice every hour! "Man lets shoot some pool!" Blackburn said at Hoot while getting up. Hoot looked up. "You want to shoot who?" Blackburn wanted to laugh at Hoot but h back. "Naw man im bored, let's go shoot some pool!" Hoot felt caught like a child with his hand in a cookie jar. He had been watching Lucy, wondering how a girl, with her father being the disciplined man that he was, could come to a place like this drinking beer and wearing what she was wearing. The minute the girls had walked trough the door in those yeans and matching tops, in different colors, he had know they were only out for attention. And judging by the looks en all over the bar had been throwing them since the walked in, he knew they had succeeded. But he didn't care! Who was she to him but the daughter of his Ex. O. (Executive Officer)? He knew Blackburn was into Simone, why he didn't know exactly, she was pretty enough that was obvious, but there was a distinct difference between the two of them. Simone was nice and outgoing; Lucy on the other hand had something about her that annoyed and intrigued him at the same time. The fire he saw burning in her eyes yesterday had bee n deep and full of fuel, he wondered what could have made her that fierce.... But he didn't care! If he would just keep repeating that to himself, maybe she would stay out of his mind.
Blackburn walked up to Simone. "Hello again Miss MacArthur, winning are you?"
Simone had felt her hart jump when he smiled at her, god he was so good looking! "Yeah im winning but playing my sister isn't really competition; I could take her with my eyes closed." She threw him a smile. Was Blackburn mistaken or was she flirting with him?? "Well miss do you think you can take me... At a game of pool I mean." He said straight after he had realized that what he said had sounded very suggestive.
Simone suppressed a smile. Poor boy he as actually afraid to flirt with her. Most likely because he knew who her father was. "Well private there is only one way to find out isn't there." She said smiling and turned to Lucy. "You don't mind do you?" There was a kind of pleading in Simone's eyes Lucy couldn't ignore, so she stepped back and handed Blackburn her pool cue. "Not at all, you know I have a rule about only loosing 8 times in one night." Blackburn turned towards the table and Simone mouthed the words THANK YOU and winked at her.
Without looking Lucy sank into the closest booth, she knew she was doing Simone a favor but she somehow felt betrayed, left to the side because Simone liked Todd. She had always been easier with the whole guy thing, but even she had never moved this fast.
There had been a time were they both worked at the same pace when it concerned guys but after Mike Lucy had stepped back from guys all together. A bit of fun maybe, but nothing more. The thought of Mike still turned her stomach around. She had been so in love with him, also moving very fast when they first met but it had been great! She had loved him as she thought he did her. After 7 months she wanted to surprise him with lunch and went up to his barracks, there she overheard him boasting to his buddy's how he had fooled the generals daughter into thinking he loved her and how his career would be jump started by her father if he could keep her fooled. She was devastated; her first love hadn't loved her at all and just wanted to help his career by using her to get to her father. She didn't want to believe it at first, but when she confronted him with what she overheard he didn't even deny it. From that moment on she had a very deep dislike of army men, including her father. She was on her guard every time one came near her, especially if he was one of those "real army men" like her father liked to call them. An order following, sir yes sir responding brownnoser, as she liked to call them herself. She rubbed her wrist, it was now dark blue and she actually hated to admit that it was hurting. "You didn't put ice on that like I told you did you?" She had jumped at the sound of Hoot's voice. She had sat down in a booth with him; she now wished she had looked before she had sat down. "No I didn't, but then again im not prone to following orders. And it doesn't hurt!" She stared him straight in the eyes. He was the kind of man she was weary of these days. "Tell me this Miss MacArthur; if it doesn't hurt why do you keep rubbing it? That is the 7th time you've done that since you walked trough the door." Lucy mouth almost fell open. He had been watching her! Had her father asked him to play watchdog? "Tell me Sgt. Aren't all good little soldiers supposed to be in bed by 10 o'clock instead of checking up on a girl on her night out?" Hoot cleared his throat, she was trying to annoy him on purpose, but he wouldn't give in. "Naw Miss, we Sergeants get a later curfew then the normal private. But aren't good daughters of generals supposed to stay out of places like this and go to Wives of Officers meetings?" Touché Lucy thought to herself and took a sip of her beer. "Ah but im not a good daughter so I don't go to those meetings. Tell me Sgt. Im curious; did you follow special training to become this uptight and irritating or does it come natural to you?" Hoot almost spat out his beer, she just called him uptight! "Ah but better to be uptight than to be a spoiled little brat who thinks she owns the world and is gods greatest gift." He had only wanted to annoy her but he wasn't prepaid for the reaction she gave him.
"You arrogant piece of shit! How dare you judge me when you've spoken to me twice! Who the hell do you think you are?" She had stood up and was now looking down at him, daggers shooting from her eyes; if looks could have killed Hoot would have dropped dead on the spot. "Im judging you? You just called me; uptight and irritating! You wouldn't call that judgmental would you?? " Lucy placed one hand on the table and bend towards him, that's not judgmental, that the truth." Again her eyes glared as if she dared him to say one more thing. "Miss you are lucky to be a woman, any man who would have the guts to say that would have been flat on his back by now!." Hoot was now using every ounce of strength not to reach across the table and grab her arm. He just wanted to grab her arm and shake her, to get some sense into her! Lucy just let some air escape trough her clenched jaws, "You wouldn't dare hurt a woman! Good little soldier boys don't do that, and besides you are to afraid I might tell my daddy on you." Hoots stood up, that was the last drop, she had called him uptight, irritating and now she was adding scared to the list? Before he actually knew what he was doing his hand had shot across the table and grabbed her wrist and squeezed it. She still looked at him with out blinking and they just stood there for a few minutes. Lucy was just shaking with anger and pain, he had grabbed the writs he had marked the day before and it hurt like hell, but she wasn't going to give in toe him she wouldn't! Hoot looked at her still not blinking and breathing heavily, he moved his hand up her wrist a bit and then saw her gasp and tears came up in her eyes. He looked down and saw that he had grabbed her already painful wrist. Feeling a sting of guilt go through his stomach he let go in a split second. She didn't say anything and didn't even rub her wrist of pain. She simply turned around and walked towards the table were Simone was playing pool. "Im out of here could you get a cab back to base?" Before Simone could respond Blackburn had stepped forward. "Don't worry Miss I'll be happy to drive your sister home." Simone just smiled at him and handed Lucy the keys to the jeep, without taking her eyes off Blackburn. Lucy grabbed the keys and stormed pas Hoot, without looking at him and left.
Hoot sat down and drank the rest of his beer in one go, GOD he was such an ass. Were did he get off?? Ok the little verbal warfare they were having wasn't just his fault but to grab her like that and hurting her more than he had already done? He wasn't just some stupid redneck with no education he was a Ranger for god's sake! Control was one of his best things... yet both times he had met Lucy MacArthur he had lost it... "He Todd! Im leaving see you when you get back!" He greeted Simone and walked out the door. Outside he looked across the parking lot trying to remember were he had parked his car. His eye went over a jeep standing in a far corner; the figure in the jeep was supporting an arm and looking at it, opening and closing the fingers.
Lucy closed her fingers again, GOD it hurt! For the second time in two days se now had the imprint of Sgt Hoot Gibson's fingers in her arm. She should have made him let go or acknowledged the pain so he would have let go, but she just couldn't. She got lost in his eyes which had burned with fire when he had grabbed her. She lent back in the seat, this was a guy she disliked so staring into his eyes wasn't such a good idea. She felt some triumph over the guilt in his eyes though; when he had realized that he had been hurting her. She looked to the side and saw a figure coming towards the car. When he passed under the light she saw it was Hoot. She really didn't want to face him again so quickly started the jeep and drove off.
Hoot stood there looking at the dust trail the jeep had left. He had just wanted to make sure she was ok. But no doubt she saw him coming because from one moment to the next she had driven of. Simone turned to Blackburn. "So it's just the 2 of us now, want another game?" She smiled while pointing towards the pool table. Blackburn bent over the table and started to rack the balls up again. "Sure but what do you say to raising the stakes a bit?" Simone raised her eyebrows. "Raising the stakes you say. And what did you have in mind?" Blackburn hesitated. "Well if I win you have dinner with me....." he didn't finish his sentence. "And what do I get if I win?" She replied still looking into his eyes "Do I get to have you for an evening?" She thought she might have gone too far with that remark, but Blackburn simply took a drink said. "Ok" and took the first shot. Simone just decided that she was going to play as bad as she could.
Blackburn sank the eight ball into the corner pocket. "So." He said throwing his pool cue onto the table. "Which night are you free next week cause were going out t dinner, want another beer?" Simone held back a smile; he had actually thought he beat her! She wasn't about to tell him the truth. "Yeah sure I would love another beer, and im free next Saturday."
They walked to a booth and sat down. "So what is your story?" Blackburn asked looking at her. Simone took a drink. "Well my dad a general so I am what you might call a typical army brat. I've been to I don't know how many different schools in 6 separate countries, but im glad to be back home. Actually I don't really know were home is but I guess that's this place now."
Blackburn just looked at her for a moment. "It must have been pretty cool though." Simone smiled. "I hated it, I've only had on close friend ever and that's my sister. Man we did all sorts of stuff. Threw parties in ammo warehouses, had joyrides in helicopters, tanks hummer's anything we could get our hands on. At one point we pleaded with our father if we could mover back state side and live with our grandparents but he wouldn't have it. He was against the whole idea." She sighed and took another drink of her beer. "The family is the basis of out country and an inspiration to our troops! How will it look if a four star general can't keep his family together?" She imitated her father's deep voice. "So after a while you just learn to live with it. We've both gotten a good education, I speak 4 different languages and we've had the best training the army has to offer." Blackburn looked puzzled. "Army training?" Simone smiled at him again. "Hmm funny that hasn't gotten out yet it usually does pretty fast. Me and Lucy are both army, we are not always on active duty. We are only on active duty when our father wants us to. So we couldn't make for a transfer as he will only put us on active duty when we are in a 10 mile radius of him. I think it his silly little way of trying to protect us. But enough about me lets hear about you!"
Blackburn just smiled. "There is not much to tell. Grew up on a farm in a small town were everybody was in everybody's business. Got sick of it all and wanted out. I saw one of those 'Be all you can be' posters and believed it. I wanted to see the world. The joke is that right after boot camp I got stationed here and I haven't been anywhere. I share an apartment with Hoot and he's the best friend I have. Can I ask you one more thing?" He looked at her like he was going to ask her for her ATM code or something. She just nodded and he continued. "See what I cant get is how you and your sister are so different, you are so nice and out going and she is.... I mean this in a nice way is sworn! But she is kind of a bitch sometimes isn't she? I mean she is nice enough to me but when she looks at Hoot the air freezes over." Simone was torn inside, he wasn't supposed to say that about her sister and she wanted to tell him off, but on the other hand he was right. "Trust me she has her reasons, trust me. But I don't know you well enough to tell you so don't ask."
The rest of the evening they sat together and talked, when it was time to go home the got in Todd's car and he drove her back to the base.
When they got to the house, Blackburn jumped out of the car to hold open the door for her and walked her to the front porch. "So here you are, its dinner on Saturday then? What time should I pick you ox?" Simone looked him in they eyes. "Yes Saturday, round 8 o'clock would be fine. Were are we going by the way? I need to know cause then I know what to wear?" Blackburn closed his eyes for a moment and then looked at her again. "Doesn't matter what you wear you will look nice in it anyway." Was Simone mistaken or did the top of his ears just turn red? She leant in to him a bit wanting to kiss him for being so sweet, she mover her head into his as he bent forwards. Their lips now only inches away from each other, when all of a sudden the porch lights sprung on. Blackburn jumped away from her in fear that her father might see him.
The front door swung open and Lucy stormed out. "God I've been waiting for hours for you to get back! Do you know what the old man did?"
Simone loved her sister but hated her temper and her timing, but before she could say anything Lucy continued. "The crackpot has put us on active duty again!" Simone just looked at her. "Well it is a bit sooner than I expected but he always does no biggy." Lucy grimaced. "Yeah but we didn't get an office job this time! We are on active base duty! As of tomorrow I am working on the shooting range and you will be working in the ammo depot!" Now Simone's smile faded. "He did what??? GOD!! Like I really wanted to wear green all day again!" Have you talked to him yet??" "Off course I did but he won't listen! He said that all the office work we had done made us soft and we needed some training up again!" Lucy raised her hands in the air of frustration. "Like I really need to be around a couple of those idiots again. Didn't we get enough of that in boot?? I swear to god, Im not talking to him ever again!"
At that point Blackburn saw the general on the porch. "Well my dear that will mean a lot les talking back than wont it!" Lucy turned around to see her father standing on the porch, he was quit an impressive man, if he wasn't being a great pain! "Now ladies I wont you inside, you have an early day tomorrow, so say goodbye to private Blackburn, lights out in 10 minutes!" With these words he walked back inside.
They both responded with; "Sir Yes Sir!"
Lucy just sighed and turned to follow her father, Simone turned to Blackburn. "He likes to talk to us like we're 10 years old, makes him feel all big and in command." She kissed him on the cheek, she wanted to really kiss him but wasn't sure that her father would be watching. "Ill see you on Saturday." She whispered to him, turned around and walked inside.
Blackburn just stood there for a moment and then got back into his car....
The girls entered the bar, it was one of the dingy kind, but it was the only place close to the base they could go. Te interior was all wood, with at the back of the bar a few pool tables, the center of the floor was designated as a dancing area and the rest of the place was covered with tables and booths. It was tacky to say the least, red velvet covered the seats in the booths and the floor good use a good scrub brush. Te clientele was mostly male and the few women that were there were the kind that always hung around bases looking for a few nights of fun but nothing more.
Simone turned to Lucy. "Well it doesn't rate high on class but it beats sitting at home!" Lucy just smiled and they walked up to the bar and ordered some beers. They sat a while talking and looking at the people around them. At one point Simone slapped her hand onto the table. "My god! We could have been at one of mom's Wives of officers meetings and I wouldn't have seen the difference. I thought we were here to have some fun!? Let's go shoot some pool." Lucy gave a consenting smile and the walked towards the pool tables to see if one was free.
Blackburn looked across the bar, as he had done often for the past half hour. He saw Simone bend over to shoot a ball, she was pretty and ever since he had seen her yesterday he had definitely wanted t o get to know her better. Only problem was the fact that she was the general's daughter. But he really liked her so he was just going to have to deal with it. He looked at Hoot who was sitting next to him, trying his best to pretend that he wasn't looking at Lucy MacArthur. He had never seen Hoot behaving like his in all the years he had known him. Ever since they had met the girls yesterday Hoot had repeatedly said that he "Didn't have any interest in Lucy MacArthur!" Once or twice every hour! "Man lets shoot some pool!" Blackburn said at Hoot while getting up. Hoot looked up. "You want to shoot who?" Blackburn wanted to laugh at Hoot but h back. "Naw man im bored, let's go shoot some pool!" Hoot felt caught like a child with his hand in a cookie jar. He had been watching Lucy, wondering how a girl, with her father being the disciplined man that he was, could come to a place like this drinking beer and wearing what she was wearing. The minute the girls had walked trough the door in those yeans and matching tops, in different colors, he had know they were only out for attention. And judging by the looks en all over the bar had been throwing them since the walked in, he knew they had succeeded. But he didn't care! Who was she to him but the daughter of his Ex. O. (Executive Officer)? He knew Blackburn was into Simone, why he didn't know exactly, she was pretty enough that was obvious, but there was a distinct difference between the two of them. Simone was nice and outgoing; Lucy on the other hand had something about her that annoyed and intrigued him at the same time. The fire he saw burning in her eyes yesterday had bee n deep and full of fuel, he wondered what could have made her that fierce.... But he didn't care! If he would just keep repeating that to himself, maybe she would stay out of his mind.
Blackburn walked up to Simone. "Hello again Miss MacArthur, winning are you?"
Simone had felt her hart jump when he smiled at her, god he was so good looking! "Yeah im winning but playing my sister isn't really competition; I could take her with my eyes closed." She threw him a smile. Was Blackburn mistaken or was she flirting with him?? "Well miss do you think you can take me... At a game of pool I mean." He said straight after he had realized that what he said had sounded very suggestive.
Simone suppressed a smile. Poor boy he as actually afraid to flirt with her. Most likely because he knew who her father was. "Well private there is only one way to find out isn't there." She said smiling and turned to Lucy. "You don't mind do you?" There was a kind of pleading in Simone's eyes Lucy couldn't ignore, so she stepped back and handed Blackburn her pool cue. "Not at all, you know I have a rule about only loosing 8 times in one night." Blackburn turned towards the table and Simone mouthed the words THANK YOU and winked at her.
Without looking Lucy sank into the closest booth, she knew she was doing Simone a favor but she somehow felt betrayed, left to the side because Simone liked Todd. She had always been easier with the whole guy thing, but even she had never moved this fast.
There had been a time were they both worked at the same pace when it concerned guys but after Mike Lucy had stepped back from guys all together. A bit of fun maybe, but nothing more. The thought of Mike still turned her stomach around. She had been so in love with him, also moving very fast when they first met but it had been great! She had loved him as she thought he did her. After 7 months she wanted to surprise him with lunch and went up to his barracks, there she overheard him boasting to his buddy's how he had fooled the generals daughter into thinking he loved her and how his career would be jump started by her father if he could keep her fooled. She was devastated; her first love hadn't loved her at all and just wanted to help his career by using her to get to her father. She didn't want to believe it at first, but when she confronted him with what she overheard he didn't even deny it. From that moment on she had a very deep dislike of army men, including her father. She was on her guard every time one came near her, especially if he was one of those "real army men" like her father liked to call them. An order following, sir yes sir responding brownnoser, as she liked to call them herself. She rubbed her wrist, it was now dark blue and she actually hated to admit that it was hurting. "You didn't put ice on that like I told you did you?" She had jumped at the sound of Hoot's voice. She had sat down in a booth with him; she now wished she had looked before she had sat down. "No I didn't, but then again im not prone to following orders. And it doesn't hurt!" She stared him straight in the eyes. He was the kind of man she was weary of these days. "Tell me this Miss MacArthur; if it doesn't hurt why do you keep rubbing it? That is the 7th time you've done that since you walked trough the door." Lucy mouth almost fell open. He had been watching her! Had her father asked him to play watchdog? "Tell me Sgt. Aren't all good little soldiers supposed to be in bed by 10 o'clock instead of checking up on a girl on her night out?" Hoot cleared his throat, she was trying to annoy him on purpose, but he wouldn't give in. "Naw Miss, we Sergeants get a later curfew then the normal private. But aren't good daughters of generals supposed to stay out of places like this and go to Wives of Officers meetings?" Touché Lucy thought to herself and took a sip of her beer. "Ah but im not a good daughter so I don't go to those meetings. Tell me Sgt. Im curious; did you follow special training to become this uptight and irritating or does it come natural to you?" Hoot almost spat out his beer, she just called him uptight! "Ah but better to be uptight than to be a spoiled little brat who thinks she owns the world and is gods greatest gift." He had only wanted to annoy her but he wasn't prepaid for the reaction she gave him.
"You arrogant piece of shit! How dare you judge me when you've spoken to me twice! Who the hell do you think you are?" She had stood up and was now looking down at him, daggers shooting from her eyes; if looks could have killed Hoot would have dropped dead on the spot. "Im judging you? You just called me; uptight and irritating! You wouldn't call that judgmental would you?? " Lucy placed one hand on the table and bend towards him, that's not judgmental, that the truth." Again her eyes glared as if she dared him to say one more thing. "Miss you are lucky to be a woman, any man who would have the guts to say that would have been flat on his back by now!." Hoot was now using every ounce of strength not to reach across the table and grab her arm. He just wanted to grab her arm and shake her, to get some sense into her! Lucy just let some air escape trough her clenched jaws, "You wouldn't dare hurt a woman! Good little soldier boys don't do that, and besides you are to afraid I might tell my daddy on you." Hoots stood up, that was the last drop, she had called him uptight, irritating and now she was adding scared to the list? Before he actually knew what he was doing his hand had shot across the table and grabbed her wrist and squeezed it. She still looked at him with out blinking and they just stood there for a few minutes. Lucy was just shaking with anger and pain, he had grabbed the writs he had marked the day before and it hurt like hell, but she wasn't going to give in toe him she wouldn't! Hoot looked at her still not blinking and breathing heavily, he moved his hand up her wrist a bit and then saw her gasp and tears came up in her eyes. He looked down and saw that he had grabbed her already painful wrist. Feeling a sting of guilt go through his stomach he let go in a split second. She didn't say anything and didn't even rub her wrist of pain. She simply turned around and walked towards the table were Simone was playing pool. "Im out of here could you get a cab back to base?" Before Simone could respond Blackburn had stepped forward. "Don't worry Miss I'll be happy to drive your sister home." Simone just smiled at him and handed Lucy the keys to the jeep, without taking her eyes off Blackburn. Lucy grabbed the keys and stormed pas Hoot, without looking at him and left.
Hoot sat down and drank the rest of his beer in one go, GOD he was such an ass. Were did he get off?? Ok the little verbal warfare they were having wasn't just his fault but to grab her like that and hurting her more than he had already done? He wasn't just some stupid redneck with no education he was a Ranger for god's sake! Control was one of his best things... yet both times he had met Lucy MacArthur he had lost it... "He Todd! Im leaving see you when you get back!" He greeted Simone and walked out the door. Outside he looked across the parking lot trying to remember were he had parked his car. His eye went over a jeep standing in a far corner; the figure in the jeep was supporting an arm and looking at it, opening and closing the fingers.
Lucy closed her fingers again, GOD it hurt! For the second time in two days se now had the imprint of Sgt Hoot Gibson's fingers in her arm. She should have made him let go or acknowledged the pain so he would have let go, but she just couldn't. She got lost in his eyes which had burned with fire when he had grabbed her. She lent back in the seat, this was a guy she disliked so staring into his eyes wasn't such a good idea. She felt some triumph over the guilt in his eyes though; when he had realized that he had been hurting her. She looked to the side and saw a figure coming towards the car. When he passed under the light she saw it was Hoot. She really didn't want to face him again so quickly started the jeep and drove off.
Hoot stood there looking at the dust trail the jeep had left. He had just wanted to make sure she was ok. But no doubt she saw him coming because from one moment to the next she had driven of. Simone turned to Blackburn. "So it's just the 2 of us now, want another game?" She smiled while pointing towards the pool table. Blackburn bent over the table and started to rack the balls up again. "Sure but what do you say to raising the stakes a bit?" Simone raised her eyebrows. "Raising the stakes you say. And what did you have in mind?" Blackburn hesitated. "Well if I win you have dinner with me....." he didn't finish his sentence. "And what do I get if I win?" She replied still looking into his eyes "Do I get to have you for an evening?" She thought she might have gone too far with that remark, but Blackburn simply took a drink said. "Ok" and took the first shot. Simone just decided that she was going to play as bad as she could.
Blackburn sank the eight ball into the corner pocket. "So." He said throwing his pool cue onto the table. "Which night are you free next week cause were going out t dinner, want another beer?" Simone held back a smile; he had actually thought he beat her! She wasn't about to tell him the truth. "Yeah sure I would love another beer, and im free next Saturday."
They walked to a booth and sat down. "So what is your story?" Blackburn asked looking at her. Simone took a drink. "Well my dad a general so I am what you might call a typical army brat. I've been to I don't know how many different schools in 6 separate countries, but im glad to be back home. Actually I don't really know were home is but I guess that's this place now."
Blackburn just looked at her for a moment. "It must have been pretty cool though." Simone smiled. "I hated it, I've only had on close friend ever and that's my sister. Man we did all sorts of stuff. Threw parties in ammo warehouses, had joyrides in helicopters, tanks hummer's anything we could get our hands on. At one point we pleaded with our father if we could mover back state side and live with our grandparents but he wouldn't have it. He was against the whole idea." She sighed and took another drink of her beer. "The family is the basis of out country and an inspiration to our troops! How will it look if a four star general can't keep his family together?" She imitated her father's deep voice. "So after a while you just learn to live with it. We've both gotten a good education, I speak 4 different languages and we've had the best training the army has to offer." Blackburn looked puzzled. "Army training?" Simone smiled at him again. "Hmm funny that hasn't gotten out yet it usually does pretty fast. Me and Lucy are both army, we are not always on active duty. We are only on active duty when our father wants us to. So we couldn't make for a transfer as he will only put us on active duty when we are in a 10 mile radius of him. I think it his silly little way of trying to protect us. But enough about me lets hear about you!"
Blackburn just smiled. "There is not much to tell. Grew up on a farm in a small town were everybody was in everybody's business. Got sick of it all and wanted out. I saw one of those 'Be all you can be' posters and believed it. I wanted to see the world. The joke is that right after boot camp I got stationed here and I haven't been anywhere. I share an apartment with Hoot and he's the best friend I have. Can I ask you one more thing?" He looked at her like he was going to ask her for her ATM code or something. She just nodded and he continued. "See what I cant get is how you and your sister are so different, you are so nice and out going and she is.... I mean this in a nice way is sworn! But she is kind of a bitch sometimes isn't she? I mean she is nice enough to me but when she looks at Hoot the air freezes over." Simone was torn inside, he wasn't supposed to say that about her sister and she wanted to tell him off, but on the other hand he was right. "Trust me she has her reasons, trust me. But I don't know you well enough to tell you so don't ask."
The rest of the evening they sat together and talked, when it was time to go home the got in Todd's car and he drove her back to the base.
When they got to the house, Blackburn jumped out of the car to hold open the door for her and walked her to the front porch. "So here you are, its dinner on Saturday then? What time should I pick you ox?" Simone looked him in they eyes. "Yes Saturday, round 8 o'clock would be fine. Were are we going by the way? I need to know cause then I know what to wear?" Blackburn closed his eyes for a moment and then looked at her again. "Doesn't matter what you wear you will look nice in it anyway." Was Simone mistaken or did the top of his ears just turn red? She leant in to him a bit wanting to kiss him for being so sweet, she mover her head into his as he bent forwards. Their lips now only inches away from each other, when all of a sudden the porch lights sprung on. Blackburn jumped away from her in fear that her father might see him.
The front door swung open and Lucy stormed out. "God I've been waiting for hours for you to get back! Do you know what the old man did?"
Simone loved her sister but hated her temper and her timing, but before she could say anything Lucy continued. "The crackpot has put us on active duty again!" Simone just looked at her. "Well it is a bit sooner than I expected but he always does no biggy." Lucy grimaced. "Yeah but we didn't get an office job this time! We are on active base duty! As of tomorrow I am working on the shooting range and you will be working in the ammo depot!" Now Simone's smile faded. "He did what??? GOD!! Like I really wanted to wear green all day again!" Have you talked to him yet??" "Off course I did but he won't listen! He said that all the office work we had done made us soft and we needed some training up again!" Lucy raised her hands in the air of frustration. "Like I really need to be around a couple of those idiots again. Didn't we get enough of that in boot?? I swear to god, Im not talking to him ever again!"
At that point Blackburn saw the general on the porch. "Well my dear that will mean a lot les talking back than wont it!" Lucy turned around to see her father standing on the porch, he was quit an impressive man, if he wasn't being a great pain! "Now ladies I wont you inside, you have an early day tomorrow, so say goodbye to private Blackburn, lights out in 10 minutes!" With these words he walked back inside.
They both responded with; "Sir Yes Sir!"
Lucy just sighed and turned to follow her father, Simone turned to Blackburn. "He likes to talk to us like we're 10 years old, makes him feel all big and in command." She kissed him on the cheek, she wanted to really kiss him but wasn't sure that her father would be watching. "Ill see you on Saturday." She whispered to him, turned around and walked inside.
Blackburn just stood there for a moment and then got back into his car....