The night seemed to be progressing slow but calm which was nice for the two soldiers who were currently enjoying their first night of their very much earned two week leave-they'd gotten to Hector's house around 4pm and it was now 5:30pm after being driven there by Cody from Fort Striker. The Haddock's, Jorgenson's and then Skylar's, Heather's, and Darius's friends could clearly all see that Hector wasn't the guy they thought he was. The guy actually had a hilarious sense of humor and he certainly while skinny as hell was not a twig-he had very defined muscles that the girls aside from Heather were almost drooling over and the guys now who used to tease Hector about his twig figure were bordering the jealousy line that they hadn't seen Hector in almost a year since he joined the military that they only found out about four months ago because of a live broadcast from Iraq but now seeing him-he was built well and there was no denying it. They had gotten to meet Tallon-Hector's battle buddy from Reception Battalion and saw that those two, meaning Hector and Tallon were the best of friends and had no shame in their sexuality of being bisexual and joked pretty easily about having sex even though the people in the room couldn't tell if they were joking or actually being serious.

It came out that Hector and Tallon both smoked cigarettes-not heavily but enough to relax and also they drank but not heavy on that either. The two both had one nip each of fireball whiskey but nothing since but that was to be expected since they weren't allowed to get shitfaced drunk according to Tallon-not on leave at least. Hector and Tallon had no limit on anything it seemed in any subject-the two had shared a cigarette right before dinner for Thor's sake. It was weird to see it honestly and no one knew what to make of Hector. They knew he was a soldier-apparently a good one at that being he was Staff Sergeant and in command of his platoon but this wasn't the guy they knew a year ago. It was like a completely different personality but the person still looked, talked, and sounded like Hector and looked was stretching now with his newfound muscles. While all sitting around in the living room after dinner-everyone was just asking Hector and Tallon questions about whatever they could and if the two weren't allowed to answer they just stated so. The clock was ticking closer to 6pm while the questions kept rolling in to Hector and Tallon.

"So what's with the whole battle buddy thing? Does everyone in the military have one?" Carmen asked softly.

"Yep. It's one of the first things we had to do before getting to our bunks at Reception Battalion," Tallon said with a nod.

"In short the battle buddy is the one who becomes your new best friend for the the remainder of your military career. When paired-if you fucked up then so did your battle buddy. Their flaws fell on you because it was your job to make sure they didn't fail and vice-versa. If one of us got in trouble-both got yelled at and suffered the same punishment. Battle buddies always have each others backs, no matter what." Hector explained.

"But like what if one of you got sick?" Heather inquired.

"Doesn't matter. This idiot over here got sick twice during BCT and AIT, never told anyone." Tallon rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "When Hector got sick with a cold during BCT-he didn't tell anyone. We just figured it out when he was coughing up a lung at 2:30am. I had the guys keep an eye on him and I went and got our Drill Sergeant. And when he caught a bug the week before AIT, the guys came to get me to tell me he was sick and I had to sit with him and have them go get the Drill Sergeant. As his battle buddy-it's my job to sit with him until help comes. Same with being on the battlefield," Tallon said.

"So what's it like in Iraq-I mean is like constant battles?" Astrid questioned lightly. Hector wouldn't like talking to her and Tallon could see it that Hector didn't like having Astrid there because of what she and the others did to him but he was putting up with it for whatever reason that he was.

"Well it's hot as shit from about mid May to September where the temp alone can hit in the one hundred fifteen range. Summer in Iraq lasts from April to October with July being the worst. For colder months, January would have to of been the worst with temps as low as twenty but winter lasts November to March. Hardly any snowfall though and didn't see much range but the sandstorms are pretty bad-that's normally when we'd get attacked because the enemies would use the storm for ambush," Tallon answered feeling like Hector didn't want to talk directly to her.

"What about missions-do you do those all the time?" Skylar asked.

"For patrols we work on a schedule-to a degree but it always changes. For anything else-it's based on the platoon's or squad's level of skill," Hector said.

"So your rank of Staff Sergeant-what does that let you do?" Jessie asked.

"Well, right now overseas-I'm in charge of my platoon. Captain Cody Greyson is the commanding officer but on missions and patrols, I command it and report back to him." Hector responded.

"And the platoon that's...how many soldiers for you?" Val inquired gently.

"Forty-seven not including myself. Dragon platoon is made up of two twenty-four squadrons. The guys and I have Barrack A and the girls have Barrack C. Twenty-four each to a barrack. But all together is forty-eight and all of us break down into eight-six person units. I lead Inferno: made up of Tallon, Thaxter, Evan, Viktor, Ryan, and myself. We set these up during the last mission of Basic-three damn days in the forest." Hector mumbled.

"That mission sucked but you got us out," Tallon chuckled.

"Only because Evan couldn't," Hector stated.

"Doesn't matter-he didn't know how to get us around the officer enemies and handed control of the platoon to you to get us out. It was your idea to split us into units and go around instead of move as a large group. You got us out first and landed us a really nice stuffed chicken dinner. Just like when you took charge of the bag exercise. Take some pride man, you're one hell of a leader to us all," Tallon punched his arm.

"Damn it, Tallon! Watch the arm-that shit still hurts from a week and a half ago," Hector grumbled.

"Sorry bro, I forgot about that mission where you got yourself grazed savin' one of the girls from getting shot," Tallon said. Hector rolled his eyes and lifted his sleeve to see a little blood seeping from the few stitches there.

"Thanks for busting my stitches, dick," Hector mumbled.

"Do we...need to go to the hospital?" Val asked quickly.

"Nah, it's fine. I'll handle it-go get the kit outta one of our bags, Tallon." Hector told him as he nodded and headed down the stairs and returned about two minutes later with a gray first aid kit and opened it grabbing a few things. "Thread the needle for me," he stated. Tallon stated as he threaded the needle and prepared it for Hector-who was pulled out a needle and small bottle that he stuck the needle in and flipped it upside down, pulling the bottom down and filling the needle then taking it out and putting the bottle down while Tallon then grabbed a small rag from inside the box and put it on Hector's arm to clean the blood away and then used a sterile pad to clear the area. Next the others watched as Tallon got the other stitches out of the way before taking the needle with the liquid in it and sticking it in Hector's arm a little above the wound and pushed the plunger in.

"What is that stuff?" Heather asked.

"It's a small dose of Ketamine-enough to numb the area," Hector stated after Tallon nodded to him and gave him the needle and thread now.

"Want me to stitch or dab for you?" Tallon asked him.

"You dab, I'll stitch." Hector said as Tallon got a fresh piece of thick gauze and kept it ready. And then for the next fifteen minutes-they watched Hector stitch his own arm while Tallon kept it clear of blood for him. When it was done, Hector tied off the stitches and Tallon cut the extra off then got another clean piece of gauze and held it in place while he wrapped it and tied it off as Hector fixed his sleeve and then got up to clean everything up before returning.

"Oh I could never do army-that freaks me right out." Carmen shuddered a bit.

"So how did this happen?" Spencer asked curiously.

"One of the girls fell when we were running to extraction-Hector went back for her and as soon as he got her up, he got hit in the arm. It grazed him but was still enough to need stitches, I forgot he had it because Hector has an incredibly high tolerance level for pain," Tallon chuckled.

"So how many times has be been shot?" Heather asked now.

"Seven or eight and stabbed twice." Tallon said.

"Good Odin above son," Spencer sighed.

"Don't start, it's a risk every soldier takes and it's part of the job. We all know the risk and the price of fighting in war," Hector stated firmly.

"Have you lost anyone?" Drew asked him as both Hector and Tallon went quiet now-Hector closed his eyes as Tallon sighed.

"Oh, not something you can discuss right?" Astrid asked.

"No, it's not that. We just...don't like too." Tallon said, as he put his arm over Hector's shoulders then pulled out one of the cigarettes and offered it to him-Hector took it as he got up and walked outside the house. They heard the lighter flick on and then saw the smoke. "Bout two months in-we lost four comrades in a hard mission. It was just a simple patrol that we got ambushed on and they stepped on an IED or Improvised Explosive Device-male and female died instantly, and the other girl was lying wounded and got gunned down trying to get back to us the last one we managed to get lost his leg- but he died at the hospital from losing to much blood. Hit the platoon really hard. And then about a month ago we lost two others. RPG blast. We all know the risks on being out there-we know death is possible but nothing prepares you for it when you see some of your best friends die right in front of you," he sighed out looking towards the door.

"So that's why...he's out there right now? It hurts him to talk about?" Carmen asked as Tallon nodded.

"It hit him hard because he was the closest one to them and we had to stay back in case of another IED going off. We kept the enemies back-made them retreat then swept the area for IED's-when it was clear, we gathered the bodies and returned to base. Just...give him a few minutes, he'll be okay. Just don't ask anything involving deaths," Tallon told them.

"We won't, sorry." said Mandy.

"It's alright, you didn't know." Tallon replied with a small smile as he looked towards the door seeing Hector leaning against the frame with the cigarette between his fingers-it was almost halfway gone. They stayed pretty quiet while he finished it then put it out preparing to come back in but he stopped and stepped farther out now. "Hec, you good?" he asked. Hector reached his hand inside and felt along the wall until he found the switch and flipped it on.

"What the name of Thor," Hector said heading outside quickly and instantly saw that Evan was wearing no coat and holding Aiden who was wrapped in the coat. Evan stumbled a bit but Hector caught him, "What are you doing here-it's thirty below right now," Hector said quickly.

"Fight with...Mia...she...just left us on the side of the road about five m-miles fr-from here..." Evan shivered out.

"TALLON! Get out here-Larsden needs help!" Hector called towards the door. Tallon quickly rushed out and over to Evan now.

"Ta-Take...Aiden...in...side," Evan forced out as Hector took the young one year old from Evan and cradled him close as Tallon supported Evan to stand and get him inside. Once in Hector shut the door as Tallon got Evan to the couch slowly. "How...is my...son?" Evan asked.

"Cold as shit-you should have called me stupid! You walked five miles in this weather with him-you both could have died!" Hector scolded him quietly as he got the coat off Aiden to find the boy's clothes a little wet, so Hector took them off leaving the boy in only his diaper as Hector handed him to Tallon for a moment as he got his shirt off and held the boy against his chest while Tallon got a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped around them both-then one for Evan. After about a minute-the child began to whimper slightly and curl against Hector.

"She didn't...really...give me time to call for a ride she took off with my phone in the car. At least I had the diaper bag, is...Aiden okay?" Evan asked as his voice was beginning to return to normal now that he was warming up.

"He will be. His clothes were wet and he was really cold. I'm using my body heat to keep him warm right now, I think he's just a little scared. I got him-you just worry about you getting warm," Hector ordered.

"Sir, yes sir..." Evan mumbled to him as Aiden began to cry more and Hector rocked him a bit and looked over at Evan now who had his head in his hands-clearly miserable over the fight he had with his girlfriend.

"Hey, Hec-question for ya?" Evan said quietly.

"Shoot," Hector replied while calming Aiden down who now yawned as Hayden laid him on the couch and got him dressed in one of the spare sets in his diaper bag. Hector picked him back up after getting his shirt on and continued to rock him a little as Aiden started falling asleep against his chest.

"How do you know when it's over?" Hector was slightly taken aback by the question. How the hell did he answer that?

"What makes you think I know? Pretty sure we covered the fact I've never had a relationship," Hector said lightly as he sat beside his friend. "You don't know it's over bro," he added.

"She told me that if she left me with Aiden then I'd have no choice but to quit the military to care for him since I've been gone about a year already and she's had to do it alone," Evan sighed.

"Look, I can't speak on relationships. I've never had one but I can tell ya this okay?" Evan looked over at him. "She loves you and you both love your son. You made him out of you love for one another,"

"We made him on prom night, Hector," Evan closed his eyes looking down again.

"Hey, knock off the pity me bullshit alright. Why'd you two do it on prom night, tell me that?" Hector huffed.

"Because we wanted to," Evan said.

"Why,"

"Because we love each other," Evan replied now.

"I rest my case then. You two made love because you wanted to and you love one another. You two made this little guy right here. I know shit is tough with you being away from them. All that anger you saw-it's fear bro. She's scared to lose you because we're deployed and she knows how dangerous it can get. Look at me-I've been shot like seven times in the seven months we were there and we still got another seven months to go before the tour ends. My family saw me get shot live on TV the day that reporter snuck on the chopper. And bear in mind that they didn't even know where I was until that day. I bailed without a word to anyone. Mia is scared to lose you and upset that Aiden here is already a year old and you missed most of that first year because of Basic, AIT, and now deployment. She doesn't want Aiden to grow up not knowing who his father is if Odin forbid it-but you died. She loves you, Evan. Trying to talk to her tonight is pointless-let her calm down. And tomorrow you two can talk it out. I'll even babysit for you," Hector told him.

"And what am I supposed to say to her? Sorry you're scared but I can't just quit," Evan looked away.

"No. You tell her that you love her and you're sorry for missing out on so much but you're only trying to make sure that his and her futures are safer and better. That's why you joined, Evan. To give Aiden a better life-to take care of Mia and Aiden better than the shitty minimum wage job offered here in Berk or any island around the Archipelago. This is why we fight my friend. Remember the motto we live by? Fighting Today For Families' Tomorrows. That is why we carry the guns, suffer ungodly heat for hours, stay up and guard for sixteen to twenty hours, we eat that vacuumed pack crap, why we rush into a battle others would run away from, when hear that horn signal and hear the explosions and gunfire but scared or not we fucking move our asses because if we don't fight for the people we care about then who is going to keep them safe? This is why we risk our lives and never give up. To make sure our families here back at home are safe even if we aren't. We fight for them to have freedom. This is what it means to be a soldier-to wear the uniform that we do. The true soldier fights not because we hate what is in front of us but because we love what is behind us. We face enemies-but would we have the drive to fight them head on if we didn't have something to to fight and protect behind us," Hector told him.

"And I know that, Hector but-," Evan started.

"Shut it. Take my word for it-tell her what I said to you. Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?" Hector asked him.

"No, Staff Sergeant Haddock, you haven't." Evan sighed calmer now and found a smile.

"She'll come around. You'll see, you two will be fine by lunch tomorrow," Hector chuckled as he patted his friend's back. "You can crash here tonight with Aiden-you two can take my bed in the basement. Tal and I will take the floor," he added.

"Thanks man. You really are an awesome friend and leader, always know what to say in any situation." Evan smiled as Hector handed him back his sleeping son. "And thanks for takin' care of him. He knows you as Unka Iccup though-hope that's okay?"

"Only because he's your son, I'll allow it. I hate that nickname," Hector grumbled, he hated being called Hiccup-he'd had that nickname since he was four.

"Well he couldn't say Hector or Hec but seems to be able to do 'Iccup for some strange reason," Evan chuckled now.

"Uh huh, sure. You and the guys of Inferno are the ONLY ones allowed to use that nickname," Hector stated as he glanced out the window now and saw it had started to snow hard again, "Well, I hope the rest of you brought your sleepover gear because no one is drivin' home in that." he motioned outside now.

"We'll just leave now and get home before it gets mad," Jessie stated.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear the first time. No One Is Driving Home In THAT." Hector stated firmly opening the blinds to the large picture window and showing how fast and hard the snow was falling-also the fact that you couldn't even see the driveway anymore.

"Hector's right-I can't let you kids drive home in that. It's not safe, we got plenty of room here for one night," Spencer agreed with his son now.

"So where we all gonna sleep?" Danielle asked.

"Boys can sleep in the basement between mine and Darius's rooms. Girls can stay in the den or living room I suppose," Hector shrugged. Feeling like they weren't getting a choice in the matter the others just nodded.

"I'll let your parents know. Hector why don't you take the guys down and pull out the sleeping bags," Val stated.

"Got it, Mom. Let's go boys," Hector motioned for them to follow him. Tallon and Evan were first behind him and then Darius-after him it was Skylar, Jessie, Drew, Trent, and Freddie into the basement. Hector mumbled something about it starting to look like a really long night. First day and night on leave and this kind of thing happened. He didn't mind putting Tallon and Evan up for the night-maybe not even Freddie. But the other four aside from his brother-that was pushing it. Having his main bullies spending the night at his house because of another storm-what fun this was turning out to be. At least he had Tallon and Evan to keep him company. To think it was only 7:20pm or so-the night wasn't even close to being over yet.