Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter. It's not at all holiday themed, but I hope youlike it!

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Soldier grumbled to himself as he patrolled outside of the Process base. All these ceasefire days were starting to make him antsy, and he itched to shoot something, fingers curled against the trigger of his shotgun. But ceasefire meant no fighting which meant no bullets, which meant Soldier was unfortunately going to go a third day without killing anyway. The horror.

To make it worst, Ms. Pauling had stopped by earlier yesterday to inform them that ceasefire would hold over the weekend , much to the delight of everyone but Soldier. The American patriot looked about ready to go on his own unauthorized killing spree through BLU base, but decided drinking his rage into a stupor would be a little less likely to get him fired and shipped off the face of the map. So, he spent last night drinking with Demoman, who was going through boxes of old movies he found in the Process base's basement, while Scout hopped around adding in his unwanted two cents. It was after the jackrabbit mentioned visiting his mother over the weekend, something completely disallowed during ceasefire (that is, visiting family), that Soldier roundhouse kicked him into the infirmary. Medic had been busy writing, perhaps in a journal, perhaps about his team members, most likely about the various ways to dissect them. He offered Scout a bed and a few pain pills, before leaving the grumpy young man to himself.

After such violence, Soldier decided he needed air, and after punching his hangover in the balls, took his shotgun and patrolled the perimeter. It was around 10 AM that morning when he took a smoke break, leaning against the railing that lined the stairs leading to the base's entrance. He puffed at his cigar, one hand moving to readjust the helmet on his head as he glanced around. The front of RED's base, led down a road that would later, a mile off, branch off to another road that would eventually hit the highway. It was not as secluded at Dustbowl, with the closest town less than an hour away, but still felt that way, surrounded by thick white walls and conifers here and there.

Soldier blinked, pushing the brim of his helmet up with his thumb. Was that a taxi? Farther out, down the road, was a yellow dot speeding toward the base. Soldier's usual scowl slowly turned into a smirk, cigar between his teeth. Ceasefire meant he couldn't just bounce in guerilla style and start murdering BLU team – it didn't say anything about intruders. Soldier had never seen Ms. Pauling or one of the Administrator's henchpeople arrive in taxis, and knew immediately there would be blood.

The yellow vehicle pulled up to the front of the base, and stopped, engine still running.

"Show yourself, maggot!" Soldier exclaimed, cigar falling out of his mouth and hands holding his shotgun up as he squinted to make out who was in the cab. The backseat opened, and long slender legs popped out. Soldier blinked.

A short curvy woman stepped out wearing a red dress that clung to her body, a black belt tight against her thin waist. She had on a loose trench coat, beige and casual, not too expensive, and moved to adjust the red headband holding her short dark hair back. She didn't meet Soldier's eyes, this fair woman who smoothed out her dress and reached for a tacky gold purse from inside the cab.

"Here ya go. Thank you so much for all the help." The woman offered the driver some bills, flashing him a bright smile. Soldier slowly lowered the shotgun, and once again his thumb moved to push up his helmet. The woman waved as the taxi sped off, before turning to finally meet his blue eyes with her own cobalt ones.

"Hi there. It was real hard to find this place, woo," the red woman made a motion to fan herself, as if she had ran the entire way. She walked over to Soldier in dark heels, purse over one arm and smiled at him with her bright lipstick.

"I'm here to visit my son. He works here," she explained, her high voice holding an accent Soldier was sure he heard before. But insofar, all the American man could do was stare.

She was gorgeous.

Soldier had met many dames before, but this one had something he couldn't explain. And even moreso, he felt as if he had seen her before, or perhaps heard her voice. Regardless, she looked stunning, amazing, a true American beauty if Soldier had seen one. Hell, he was tempted to take off his helmet for her.

"Sir?" Soldier then realized that the woman had been talking, and now looked a bit annoyed. "Can I please visit my son?"

There was no way this woman was anyone's mom on the team. She looked entirely too young – most likely a civilian who wandered to the wrong address. Soldier straightened up, trying to give off an air of authority as he held the shotgun straight at his side.

"Sorry, lady-er ma'am. No civilians are allowed here," Soldier recited, ready to ask the woman if she would rather he take her to town for a nice dinner and maybe a few kisses and whatnot.

"Oh, this must be one of those security things," the woman laughed lightly, as if Soldier was not at all serious, and fumbled through her bag before pulling out an ID. Soldier glanced at it, but didn't recognize the name. Though, now that he thought of it, her surname did look a mite familiar…

"Ma'!" Soldier and the red woman looked over to the building, at a window on the second floor that Scout was currently leaning out of.

"Cripes, Ma'! What are you doin' here!" The runner looked red, near matching his shirt. His mother shot him a stern look.

"You get down here this second young man and give your mother a hug, or so help me-"

"Ma'!" whined Scout. "You can't be here. If the guys-"

"Excuse you? What did you say?" Scout mother started to sass her son as she made her way past the dumbstruck Soldier and into the base.

:::

"Honestly, hon, I don't see what the big deal is. It wasn't too long a trip, and the taxi driver was mighty nice to help me find this place. " Scout's mother was sitting in the small common room offered to the team, smiling wide as she glanced at each of Scout's teammates. When Soldier finally buzzed the woman in with his ID card, staring wide eyed at the beauty he had learned to be related to Scout, she had started yelling for her son to get down there. A woman's voice was almost never heard in base unless it was the Administrator, and Ms. Pauling did not at all have a Boston accent. After the younger man had gotten scolded and whispered for his mom just not to say his name, she let herself in.

The other mercenaries had one by one come to see what Scout's whining was, only to be greeted by his young looking mother who talked her way around the base, and into the common room. When Medic, last person to get the memo, showed up, Scout's mother was finishing off the tail end of her trip to the base. The doctor glanced around at the team, surprised to see them all assembled without a hint of impending violence. Scout sat next to his mother on the couch, looking constipated, and on her other side, Pyro listened with great interest, nodding along to the story. Engineer sat in one of the loveseats across from them, looking to have just come from the garage in his hardhat and goggles. Behind the other loveseat stood Heavy, arms crossed but smiling, and to his side was Sniper, hat and sunglasses gone, looking a bit confused. Spy was at the door, and had shot Medic a raised eyebrow and shrug when the doctor came in, but otherwise seemed to be listening to the red woman's tale. Demo was lounging in the other loveseat in front of Heavy, and Medic had to do a double take just to make sure he wasn't stashing his alcohol somewhere on his person. The only person Medic almost missed was Soldier, standing against the far wall, stark still, hands at his sides. Medic blinked. Why wasn't he rambling about rules and regulations, about the strict orders to never have civilians on base?

"Well, it sure is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. I'm the team's engineer. " Engineer greeted, trying to fill the awkward silence as the rest of the team mused over the best way to embarrass Scout in front of his mother. He held out his hand, the one without the glove, and the woman shook it.

"Pleasure is mine. Now if I'm right from my boy's letters, I ain't allowed to ask your name or nuthin'."

"I'm afraid so," responded Spy, standing against the door frame, smoking as he eyed the woman in the red dress. She looked an awful lot like his petit chauffeur, but obviously not as beautiful, the Frenchman thought. Scout's mother seemed to similarly see the resemblance between her lover and Spy too, and took a moment to stare.

Catching this eye contact, Scout immediately got into his mother's line of vision, bouncing on the worn couch. No way did he need two spies dating his mother.

"Yeah, Ma', these are the guys. That dude with the ugly goggles is Engie," Scout pointed at Engineer who just frowned, "the smoking prick is Spy," Spy shot the younger man a middle finger, "that there's the doc, watch out for him," Medic, from his post next to Spy just raised an eyebrow, "fat dude over there is Heavy-"

"It is honor to meet Scout's mother," Heavy offered, reaching to shake Scout's Ma's hand. The woman giggled at his tender hold and Scout looked ready to bash his head in for the interruption.

"Aaaanyway," Scout grumbled, shooting Heavy an unnoticed glare, "guy with the wrinkles is Sniper-"

"Wot."

"That's Demo, usually drunk as balls," Demo, proper polite to ladies, just smiled, promising to give Scout a painful noogie later on, "Soldier's over there, he yells a ton and doesn't have an inside voice," Soldier said nothing, staring straight at Scout's mother, standing up in perfect posture, "And the guy next to you is Pyro, though I swear one time I thought he was a girl."

With that finished, Scout sighed, picking himself up from the couch, pulling his mother up too as she smiled at Pyro who just stared at her.

"Well woulda look at the time, Ma', looks like you gotta get goin'-"

"Oh no," Scout's mother pulled away, crossing her arms firmly across her chest. "I don't think so. This is the closest you've been stationed to me young man, and I plan to make the most of it. Now where is the kitchen? I'm goin' ta' cook you up a healthy homecooked meal."

"Maaaaaaaaaaa'!"

"For you and all your friends. I'm sure that's okay with you gentlemen," Scout's ma asked, glancing around at the group who nodded enthusiastically, stomachs quivering at the thought of a real meal, not something half-assed that most of them made when it was their turn to cook. Unknowingly, they all decided then that it was no big deal to have a civilian on base, being that it was Scout's mother who was planning on cooking, and hell maybe she would even clean the bathroom if they were really nice.

So, Engineer politely led the woman to the base's kitchen with a moping Scout in tow, as everyone went back to their own devices, excited about the prospect of a good meal. The only one left in the common room was Soldier, still standing against the wall, having not moved an inch. He blinked behind his helmet.

Even though the patriot had spent the entire time in her presence trying to deny it, it didn't matter. For, Soldier now realized he was in love. In love with Scout's mother. And he was going to win her heart, the good ol' fashioned American way.

Which, to Soldier, may not actually be good, ol', or fashioned at all.

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Soldier has feelings. WHAT A TWIST.