Chapter 4

The whole squadron was standing in formation for the mandatory meeting with their new commander, and Jay still hadn't seen Emma. He frantically searched for her when he returned from his run and found their dorm room empty. As much as he wanted to keep looking for her, he knew they would both be in trouble if at least one of them weren't present at this ridiculous thing to cover for the other. That didn't mean that he wasn't frantically scanning every person who came through searching for his friend. He was so focused on his search that when a flash of short brunette hair came into his peripheral vision, he didn't even think twice about it. He also didn't notice the slight pinch that said person had applied to his side. It wasn't until he heard the telltale exasperated sign coming from the same area that he turned his head and looked at who had filed into formation next to him. His heart jumped out of his chest. Emma was standing there with mischief dancing in her eyes, but her hair was short. Shorter than he could ever remember her having it, and it was a deep chocolate brown.

Emma couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her face. She could practically hear the gears in Jay's head grinding, attempting to catch up to what was going on. Deciding to help him along, she began to speak, "What? Does it look that bad?" she asked, doing her best to keep the humor out of her voice. Just as she opened her mouth to explain, a loud voice at the front of the room called everyone to attention. She quickly shook her head, still seeing the question in Jay's eyes, and mouthed silently, "later." Now facing the front and in the deafening quiet, Emma did her best to maintain a calm facade and let her eyes drift across the platform in front of them. Though she knew that it was pointless, she couldn't help but hold out a little hope that the Cameron in question was not the same one from her past. She decided this morning, as she was cutting off her hair with a pair of trauma shears, that there was no point in freaking out too much until she laid eyes on this person and saw for herself if it was really him or not. She still went ahead with changing her hair, as she very well couldn't show up to formation with half-cut hair. That would bring more attention to herself rather than help her blend in, as had been her initial plan. She figured changing her hair, combined with the not-so-flattering uniform and the subtle changes to her face as she grew and matured, would help her not be as recognizable to someone who hadn't seen her for the better part of 6 years. She was determined to make sure that if the man in question were her Sean, then she would never spend enough time around him for him to realize exactly who she was. Better to just ignore him and not let herself think too much about it. All she had to do was finish these last four months on this deployment, and she would never have to worry about him again. Just as she was about to let herself relax, still not recognizing any of the men who had gathered in front of the squadron, the last of the ground walked into view. Emma visibly flinched as if she had been struck in the gut. There he was. Sean Cameron. He was more attractive than she ever could have imagined him.

Growing up and military life had definitely treated him well. He looked even fitter than she thought possible, and his eyes were as clear and beautiful as ever. Even after all of her preparations, and planning, she was taken off guard by how much his being here affected her. Within seconds, she was covered in a cold sweat and could hear churning oceans in her ears. Just as she felt like she was about to collapse, a strong, gentle hand braced itself across her lower back and began rubbing small circles in an attempt to ground her. She made the smallest of shifts in her body weight into the proffered hand to let them know that she was good and that she appreciated the gesture. She knew Jay had been watching her like a hawk and was glad he was there to make sure she didn't collapse and make a complete fool out of herself.

Sean Cameron was more anxious than he could ever remember being in his life. While he has only been in the service for about three years, he has worked his way up the ranks fairly quickly and still felt like he didn't really deserve to be where he was. He was genuinely surprised every time he came up for a promotion, and he was actually selected for it. And while he had commanded many troops, this was to be his first time commanding in a hostile setting where lives were on the line every day. He wanted to not only make his bosses and mentors proud, but he wanted to be the best leader he could be for his soldiers who have no doubt seen more action than he could ever imagine. He just hoped that they wouldn't be able to sense his fear, and his nerves. The man he replaced had lead the best and most successful squadron, as well as the smallest amount of injuries and deaths than any other deployed unit at this time. It was also a squad known for getting the job done quickly, efficiently, and with astounding amounts of teamwork, and feats of bravery. These were the people he was now facing, and telling that he was now to be their top of chain. He had heard in the chow hall a few days ago when he had been eating, some of the unrest that seemed to be in the squad about their leader leaving and the no good punk who was to replace him. He knew that they had been a very close unit, and hoped that with time, they would come to like and respect him, just as they very clearly did his predecessor. As he was looking over the sea of faces before him, searching for any signs of descent, or hostility, he was caught off guard by one of the only women there. She was tall, and thin, but very obviously was in shape, and had a defined look to her muscles. His eyes couldn't help but to make their way over the curves that he could tell were hiding underneath that unflattering uniform. And while he never broke the fraternization rules, it never hurt to have something nice to fantasize about, especially when you were 1000 miles away from civilization and so few women in sight. What struck him more as he made is way up to her face was both awe, then confusion. She girl appeared to be sick, he could see the color drained out of her face, and for a few short seconds, it looked as though she was actually going to pass out. A look of both hurt and fear on her face gave him pause. He only saw her eyes for a brief second before she closed them, clearly attempting to pull herself together. But the strangest sense of longing and familiarity overwhelmed him in that short time he saw them. He attempted to take in her features with more detail, from her short chocolate hair, to the curves of her lips, and while he couldn't shake the feeling that he somehow knew her, nothing came to mind. It wasn't until his second in command motioned to him to begin his briefing that he pulled his eyes away from her, and pushed the whole situation out of his mind. An hour later, as he was sitting in his new quarters, going over the entire thing again in his mind, did something occur to him. Was her reaction and the way she looked because of him? Did he know her somehow? She did appear fine when he had first come into the room and a little distracted and anxious perhaps, but not as stricken as she had been. It wasn't until he came into her line of sight that she began to look ill and pained. As he got ready for bed that night, he decided the whole thing. As commander, it is his job to know and build a relationship with all of his troops, and first on his list would be figuring out who that girl had been and how exactly they might know one another.