Chapter 24

They came through the door, laughing, holding onto each other.

The evening had been a fun one. The night before they just relaxed at her apartment, ordering in, watching a movie with Souke.

Tonight was the fun night.

He had taken her out to dinner and then danced with her.

They had followed it with a boat ride through the canal and the whole time, he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss with everything he held back for weeks on end.

She looked amazing wearing a short red dress with matching red pumps that can only be described as scandalous while he played it cool with just a button down blue dress shirt and casual dark pants.

He wanted to wait though until they got back to her apartment where they could be alone to do anything that they wanted to do and he could kiss her as long as he wanted to.

He looked back into her face and couldn't stop staring. She couldn't stop smiling as she looked back at him and shut the door. Their arms were around each other and their bodies were close. She leaned up against the door as she met his gaze.

"So is he here?" Sawyer asked as he looked around the apartment.

"No." She said with a smile as she rubbed his chest. "He took out that girl from his class. He's been after her for months. She finally said yes to going out with him. They are both celebrating graduating from law school. Souke scored an A for the final. He's too busy right now. He'll be out for hours. We're all alone here."

"Hmmm." Sawyer said with a smirk as he drew her closer into his body. "Whatever shall we do, Major?"

"Whatever we want to, Commander." Hope answered as she looked directly into his eyes.

"You're beautiful." He told her as he smiled. "You are just so…. beautiful."

She blushed at the response and saw him leaning closer. "Come here, Sawyer." She whispered seductively to him.

All thoughts disappeared from her mind.

The failure to sync with Unit 1, her father's cancer, the impending mission was which inching closer by the day, and now the only thing that mattered…. was to be with him.

The mission could fail. She could die. He could die. The world could end.

She wanted to live in the moment and to hell with her rules and regulations.

She never felt this way before and she didn't want to let this moment slip away.

His lips were about to brush against hers as his hand rested lightly on her cheek. Her arms came around his neck…. and then….

"Hope? Is that you? Are you home?"

Damnit, Souke! She thought.

For Christ's sake, Souke! Sawyer thought. Don't you ever go out?

"I thought you said he went out?' Sawyer whispered to her..

"I thought that too." Hope whispered back as she looked back at him and sighed as she lightly placed her palm against his cheek and smiled. "Let me find out what's going on. Something feels odd. I've felt that way all day, maybe that's why my sync failed. All though, Souke's not one to break a date."

"Okay, let's find out what's up and then after this, let's go to my place." He whispered to her as he kissed her cheek.

Hope smirked at him and then raised her eyebrow at him. "Deal." Then as she parted from him, she called out. . "Souke? Why are you home? Didn't you have a date?"

Sawyer saw Souke come down the hall with a cell phone in his palm and breathed in. "I did but, I've been trying to reach you for over two hours, Hope!" Souke said as he had a worried look on his face."I tried you on your cell but all I got was voice mail. You must have turned it off."

."Oh." Hope said as she studied her brother's face.

"Uh…hi, Sawyer." Souke said as he put his hand behind his neck. "Listen, guys, I'm sorry….to have...you know...interrupted...but…"

Hope caught the look immediately. Something's wrong. "Souke?" She asked as she studied his face seeing sadness on it. "Souke, what is it?"

"Yeah, Souke." Sawyer said as he crossed his arms with a scowl. "What is it?"

"Hope, Mom's on the phone." He said sadly. "We have to go home."

"What?" Hope asked as her eyes went wide.

"We…. have to go home." Souke said in a low voice as a tear came out of his eye and he held out the cell phone to her..

Hope's eyes widened. "Oh dear God." She said in a whisper as she ran to Souke, taking the cell phone from his palm and bringing it to her ear. "Mom?" Hope asked nervously.

"Hope?" Asuka's voice cracked. "How soon can you get here?"

"Mom, don't tell me…" Hope said as she felt her breathing quickening while she shook.

"What's wrong, Souke?" Sawyer asked as he looked at him.

"Our Dad, Sawyer.." Souke responded as he put his hands on his hips and looked towards his sister.

"Oh no." Sawyer said. "Souke, about before, I didn't mean to sound…"

"Its all right, Sawyer." Souke said. "I have interrupted you guys twice before." He managed a smile but then turned his attention to Hope focusing on her as he breathed in.

"Hope, you and Souke need to be here soon." Asuka told her daughter over the phone.

Hope nodded her head. "We'll go right now, Mom. We'll get in the car right now. Where's Reina?"

"She's on her way." Asuka told her.

"Mama, we'll leavenow."

"Okay." Asuka said to her. "I love you both." Asuka whispered.

"We love you too, Mom. We'll be there shortly." Hope said as she hung up the phone and looked towards her brother. "Get your stuff together. We've got to go."

"Gotcha." Souke said as he made his way to his room.

"Hope?" Sawyer asked.

"I have to go my parents' house." Hope said to him. "I won't be able to report to duty tomorrow, Commander. I'm sorry."

Commander? Sawyer thought and then said quickly. "Of course not." Sawyer said to her. "Hope, it's all right."

"Not quite." Hope said as she walked away from him and went into her bedroom, she opened the closet door and looked through it taking out a few outfits and grabbing her suitcase from the bottom of the closest..

Sawyer followed her. "Hope, you don't have to…."

"What?" Hope asked as she spun around, and put the suitcase on the floor.. "I don't have to what? Perform the EVA test again? To hell with it! I have to leave tonight to get there by the morning. Duty be damned!" She said as she walked over to her bed and laid her clothes down on it.

"No, I know that. Wait, why are you driving? Flying would get you there quicker. You could fly there, Hope." Sawyer told her as he approached her. "Hope, I'll get you a chopper." Sawyer told her. "You can be there in one hour."

"Sawyer, you don't have to…"

"I want to." He said to her with a smile. "I'd like to go with you."

She turned to him saying. "Again, you don't have to, Sawyer."

"I want to, Hope." Sawyer told her. "I know about your father."

"How? I never told you that! Wait, of course…. my file. Its in there." Hope breathed in. "Of course you knew." She said angrily.

"No, Hope that's not how I knew!" Sawyer told her angrily. "I've worked with your mother! You're mother is my friend and my mentor! I've met your father! I think he's a very brave man! I respect him so much! I'd like to be there too." Sawyer told her. "It was because I work with your mother, Hope. Your mother trusts me. I've met your father on several occasions. He's a remarkable man."

"He's dying!" Hope yelledout as she looked at him. "Did you know that part?" Hope blurted as tears came out her eyes and she turned away from him. "He's dying, Sawyer!".

"I know." Sawyer told her as he walked over to her, standing behind her. "I want to be there for you." He said as he placed his hands on her arms, and kissed the back of the head. "Let me go with you."

"No." Hope said tearfully as she tried to hold herself together.

"Let me be your strength." He whispered to her gently as he shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around her. "Please, Hope, let me be there for you. Don't' shut me out."

"Sawyer…"

"Its okay." He told her in a gentle, low voice as he pressed his lips to her head and held them there. "It's okay I want to be strong for you. I want to be there for you."

Hope could feel the tears coming to her as she shut her eyes and breathed in, she put her hand over his arm.. "Okay, Sawyer." She whispered.

He smiled at her. "It's okay." He told her. "Don't feel as if you have to hold back your emotions from me. I understand and I'm here for you."

"Sawyer…" Hope tearfully said as she turned and clutched onto his shirt, crying onto his chest. "Its not right, Sawyer! It's not fair! Why? WHY?"

"I don't know why." Sawyer said as he shut his eyes and held her tight. "I just know…. you need me and I'm not letting you go without me."

Souke had finished packing his suitcase quickly. He took only a few things and then laid down the second to last thing he wanted to bring, a black suit in a garment bag. He stood in his room for a minute and then stared down at his bed.

He crouched down and reached underneath the bed, pulling out a black case. He stared at it for a moment and then picked it up, placing it on top of the bed. He saw his keys on the night table dresser and grabbed them, thumbing through them until he came across a small silver key which he used to unlock the case and then flip the locks on both sides.

He took a deep breath as he opened the case and stared at the object inside of it.

I haven't touched this except to go down to the range and its never once been fired at anyone. Not even when I was a cop.

Then taking another deep breath, he removed the leather holster that was draped across it and put it in on, snapping it into place. Removing the object, he held it in his hand as he removed the clip from it and checked it, it was empty.. Then he took from the case a small box and began to load the clip.

After he finished, he loaded the clip and slid the action back. Holding the object in his hands, he took another breath as he placed the object into the shoulder holster. He stood up as he closed the case and then put that into the suitcase, closing it shut.

He then grabbed his jacket from the bed and put it on, buttoning it up and looking at himself back in the mirror.

I am uneasy. Something doesn't feel right besides of what's going to happen.. He thought to himself. I'll do what I have to do though if it comes down to it. My Dad would want me to protect my family and if neccessary, I will..

Souke grabbed the suitcase and the garment bag and walked out into the hall with it, passing by Hope's bedroom. He stopped for a moment and looked in the room..

Sawyer was holding Hope in his arms as she cried onto him. Souke breathed in and nodded his head. Thank you, Sawyer. He thought to himself.

Sawyer looked over to him and smiled. Souke smiled back and nodded as he made his way down the hall.

Sawyer pulled back from her as he said. "I'll call in the chopper now. We can be there in less then an hour."

"Sawyer…" Hope said.

"I'm here." He whispered to her with a smile.

"I'll be right back." She said as she took some clothes and walked over to the bathroom door. "I'm just...going to change."

He nodded at her with a smile and then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed while she went into the bathroom to change..

"This is Commander Dell." He said firmly. "Major Ikari will not be reporting in tomorrow.. She is on extended family leave. I will alert you to her return. I am calling it a family leave. I need a chopper for transportation immediately. Have it ready on Helipad-A. I will fly it myself."

Hope came out of the bathroom wearing a orange short-sleeved shirt and jeans. She looked over at him and breathed in, as she heard the last part of his telephone conversation.. "You can pilot a chopper?"

Sawyer nodded. "You're not the only one who can fly, Hope. For me, it was a fringe benefit of the CIA. Just choppers though, and maybe small pipers. I can't fly a jet like you." He told her with a smirk. "Whenever you're ready, we'll get going."

She smiled as she looked to him with tears still in her eyes.

He smiled back at her

( More updates on the way including the end which is coming up….get ready for shockers and surprises. See ya soon! As always thanks to all of you reviewing and especially Nick2951. You rock!)