"I can't believe Hunter has been deployed for three months," Caitlyn sighed heavily while sitting down to lunch with her friends. Such was true, though. Hunter had been deployed since the 25th of November in the year 2016. Now, today was February 28th, 2017. Technically, tomorrow on March first, Hunter would be seventeen years old and for once, he would be around to celebrate it with his family and friends because he was in Iraq for another fifteen months. Since that day at the airport when he walked through that boarding gate onto a C-130 A.I.A.F(Archi Island Air Force) transport plane with the other soldiers of Plasma Fire company and then he was gone. Viola, Caitlyn, and Audrey cried the whole drive back to Berkton wishing it wasn't true, that he hadn't joined the army and was now being deployed overseas.

Another stunning moment of that day was Hunter giving Audrey the promise ring, saying that when he got back he promised to do whatever she wanted because they would both be eighteen and wouldn't have restrictions. What sucked the most was they barely got to Hunter. Texting and calling with his cell phone was out because it never got a good signal to do either with so that limited him to writing letters, e-mailing, and the occasional Skype call if the wifi would hold for a few minutes. Hunter tried his best to make contact but sometimes he was too busy or tired. In the last three months, Audrey, his friends, and family only got to hear from him a total of five times. Hunter got one e-mail through after arriving in Iraq, letting them know he made it safely and was about to go to sleep because thirteen hours put them at midnight when they reached their destination.

It took everyone some time to adjust to the fact Hunter was also two hours ahead of them so while it could be 9 pm for the residents of Archi, it was 11 pm for Hunter and that was a time he could be sleeping, on a mission, patrol, or guard. Letters or e-mails were Hunter's easiest way of communicating with them. Right before they left, Sal gave Hunter his laptop so he wouldn't have to rely on his cell phone which never had service or take his tablet with him. Christmas had been very quiet and ringing in the 2017 year were miserable and lonesome without Hunter but somehow he managed to call on Christmas for a total of ten minutes before the connection got crappy again. It wasn't the greatest situation but they all tried to make the best of it and prayed Hunter would just be safe that's all they wanted more than talking to him.

Over in Iraq, things had been somewhat nuts. Camp Draconia was the main operating base for Archi Island and then there were some smaller support bases in other locations. This camp was home to a Division, a group of soldiers ranging between ten and fifteen thousand. Of course, it broke down into smaller groups all around the base. There was a central building that was used for war related aspects such as meetings, it was basically the military HQ in Iraq. To house so many soldiers, they were broken up into battalions so something along the lines of three to eight hundred per section. For Hunter and so many others, it wasn't any different than during Basic and AIT where Fort Draco had been a battalion of three hundred and eighty-four soldiers which got broken down into companies, platoons, and squadrons.

Plasma Fire was one of seven companies present in the battalion Hunter was part of. There were seven hundred and twenty-two soldiers in the Nightstrike Battalion. The way housing got set up was much like Fort Draco. Each company had their own spot within the battalion section. So to say that Plasma Fire had four barracks and these ones allowed platoons to stay together. Females on one side and males on the other; it worked out nicely for Alpha Hooligan platoon because Striker One had eight men and four women while Striker Two had ten boys and two girls. All together, Hooligan held eighteen males and six females. The barrack was one building that held up to twenty-eight people. Inside such building, the left and right were lined with what appeared to be dorm rooms.

The rooms slept four each and were equipped with four metal closets. As for restroom facilities, not the greatest as Hunter and the others so discovered. There was one room at the end of the barrack hall with four showers and four toilets that the entire platoon had to share. Needless to say, it took a while for them to develop a system to use. It was hard to make a schedule because they never knew when there could be an attack or mission to take care of so they did the best they could. The one thing about the facilities was them being separated for privacy. Two showers and two toilets on the left and right with a wall in between for the just in case factor that it wasn't an all male platoon.

The girls would use the right side and the males on the left. Given there were less females than males, when the time was available, the girls would lets the boys use their side to since they had their showers down to ten minutes a piece and that was to go to the bathroom, shower, shave, and get dressed. It only went so quickly because the males converted to using the shower to wash quick and shave with the help of a hanging mirror and if they did a run over shave every day then it never got too long to require a lot of maintenance.

As for other aspects, Hunter attended meetings with Harry and the other three platoon leaders. It was all for the sake of determining which groups were going out to do what. Such as missions, guards, or patrols. Harry would attend the larger meetings and report back to Plasma Fire. It wasn't all bad, there were some nifty amenities to use the work out center; there was one for each battalion right near the officers building and chow hall. Of course, not everyone ate at the same time, it was split up to cut down on the amount of people being served. Most of that was based on the groups out on orders from their leaders. It wasn't the greatest sometimes, being deployed that was but they all muddled through without much complications.

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't fighting all the time and there were a lot of lounging about, dull, peaceful days where not a single thing would happen as Hunter came to discover in the last three months since he deployed to Iraq. There was an entertainment hall, big building with a stage, instruments, benches, and chairs. If groups got bored or had nothing to do, then soldiers were welcome to go there and try to spark up a little fun for themselves by playing music and singing karaoke but the rule was that they had to pay attention for emergency orders just in case. Iraq wasn't horrible, Hunter had tons of pictures of him with his platoon hanging out, or on patrols through the towns with some of the locals. Also around the base were some typical fast food places. No, it wasn't bad at all.

Hunter did his best to contact home but sometimes his only options were e-mail or writing a letter. There was wifi available for a small fee per month but the connection was still terrible. Days like today, he was missing his family because technically, Hunter was turning seventeen tomorrow when March started. This was the first birthday where he wouldn't be with them and highly doubted he would get through to call home either. It was bothering Hunter a lot but he hadn't said anything to anyone as he would just try to call a bit later on. Right now, it was only 7 pm and he would try to call in a little bit but it wasn't looking so promising.

"You okay man?" came Theo's voice to bring Hunter back to his thoughts.

"Huh?" Hunter asked while glancing over to Theo and Andrew.

"You've been zoned out for ten minutes, Hunt. Is everything okay?" Treyden inquired.

"Yeah, just trying to think of a way to kill time before I call home," Hunter replied.

"You sure? You look down today," Andrew asked.

"Nah, I'm fine," Hunter smiled. "Just processing that this is my first birthday I'm spending alone. Well, without my family," he shrugged.

"Today is your birthday?" Harry blinked, and Hunter looked over to see Harry and the other three platoon leaders sitting at the table behind them.

"Well, technically its the 29th but that only comes every four years, so I guess...tomorrow I'll be seventeen," Hunter shrugged a bit.

"Ah, leap year kid then. Won't happen again until 2020," Asher chuckled and Hunter nodded. "You got all of us," he added. All of Plasma Fire company was hanging in the entertainment hall. It could comfortable fit close to a thousand though and it was always a fun place for them to all see one another since the barracks were too small to fit everyone. Speaking of birthdays, Treyden turned seventeen on February 13th and didn't have such a great day to start because he was missing his mother. January had been hard for Treyden because it marked one year since his mother had been killed in action.

All Trey wanted to do on his birthday was hear from his father and it almost didn't happen but the man managed to get through on Hunter's laptop through Skype. Treyden got to tell his father that he missed and loved him. It was all it took for Treyden to be happy again. Most of January, the platoon was around to keep him distracted or give Treyden someone to talk to. All around, good day.

"I know, but it would be nice if the reception wouldn't suck so I could call home," Hunter chuckled.

"Can't be helped lad," Harry shrugged. "Have ya tried thus far?"

"Few times but nothing so I will probably just send an email before I go to bed," Hunter replied calmly while taking a drink from his water bottle. The temperatures in Iraq varied drastically between the months. June, July, and August being the worst with numbers that could reach up in the one hundred and twenties. The coldest months would fall between November, December, January and February with temperature somewhere in the forties to sixties. July being the hottest and January as the coldest. It took some getting used too overall.

"So what's your plan for the rest of the night?" Theo inquired.

Hunter gave a shrug of his shoulders, "I dunno. We don't have anything to do tonight, so maybe I just turn in early," he yawned while getting up and putting his hat back on.

"Dude, it's 7 pm. You sure you are okay?" Treyden asked.

"I'm fine, Trey. I didn't say I was going to sleep, just back the barrack," Hunter smiled while heading for the exit, he gave a wave. "See ya later," and with that, he was out of sight.

"Anyone else buying Hunter's famous I'm fine line?" Andrew glanced around Striker One and even to Harry and Asher.

"Nope. Last time he told us he was fine; he blacked out during graduation and proceeded to get worse until it got life threatening. Not saying he's sick or nothing but something is bothering him," Jay mentioned.

"Think it might be the fact this is the first birthday he has to spend without his family added to that he also can't get a call through?" Asher added his two cents in.

"Hunter has told me that every year since he was five he would go out for dinner with his family and friends. They always threw him a surprise party, and he knew they would but never suspect what theme it would be or how they'd go about it. Somethings we always hold close, and I guess him not getting that this year probably has him a little down in the dumps," Treyden stated.

"Well, maybe we can do something for him?" Amber suggested.

"Like what?" Nikolas inquired.

"We could throw him a party right here, one from Plasma Fire. It wouldn't be what he's used to getting but still a surprise from his friends?" Amanda pointed out as Elizabeth and Danielle nodded in agreement.

"We can't pull something like that off. Hunter would get suspicious," Zander huffed.

"How would he? Hunter went to the barrack and said he was going to turn in early. I'm sure we can put something together, just to make it feel a little closer to home?" Danielle reminded.

"You know, it's not such a bad idea. Hunter went out of his way last month to make sure I didn't feel down," Treyden said referring to when Hunter always got Trey to smile during January and through his birthday.

"It's fine with me, just don't go crazy. Girls, I'm sure you can rummage up a few things from the kitchen, and the rest of us can find some décor," Harry informed.

"All right then. Let's give Hunter a birthday he'll never forget from his second family!" the soldiers cheered together but not too loud because the barracks weren't far and Plasma Fire company sat closest to the entertainment and chow hall.

(An Hour Later)

By some grace of Odin, they pulled it off. The entire Plasma Fire company worked together to decorate and put out an excellent spread for Hunter's seventeenth birthday and the man didn't suspect a thing. The girls of Hooligan managed the kitchen work; making a few sheets of pizza, and a cake. Everyone else pulled through with drinks and snacks, enough for the company to enjoy. Theo, Andrew, and Treyden were sent to get Hunter to come back with them and they hoped he would agree. Reaching the barrack, they moved to their room and went to knock but realized that Hunter might be asleep so they peeked in slow and saw Hunter lying on his bed quietly, eyes closed but not sleeping.

"Hunter?" Theo asked.

"Hm? Hey guys, what's up?" Hunter asked turning over and looked at them.

"Oh, good. You are awake," Andrew smiled. "Why don't you come back with us?" he asked being straightforward.

"I think I'll just turn in. It's getting late, and I was almost asleep before you came in," Hunter replied.

"Please? For a little bit? Andersen let us hook up some music and it's a lot less boring," Treyden smiled. Hunter sighed heavily as he sat up then got down off the top bunk and slipped on his boots. Hunter grabbed his hat and coat before heading out of the room and the others grinned, they hoped this would cheer him up. Reaching the location ten minutes later, Hunter walked in.

"SURPRISE!" Plasma Fire shouted happily. Hunter blinked a few times as Theo, Treyden, and Andrew came up behind him while laughing.

"W-What is all this?" Hunter asked looking around to see a table with food, drinks, and cake on it. There were plates, cups, napkins plastic utensils.

"Well, the company here though you might have left earlier because you were feeling down about not being home for your birthday and not being able to call either, so they pulled together to throw you a birthday party," Asher smiled.

"We know that it's not what you get at home but maybe this can be a close second with all your friends around to celebrate with ya," said Amber coming over with the rest of the Striker One girls.

"You all did this for me?" Hunter inquired as Treyden put his arm over Hunter's shoulders and gave him a nod. "But why? I'm nothing special," he mentioned.

"Oh hush, Haddock," someone stated.

"You might lead Hooligan, but you're a good friend to all of us. Some of this group barely get to see you unless we're all together. If you see someone looking down or having a problem, you step in and try to help. We thought since you're willing to do that then we can throw a surprise birthday party for the guy who goes out of his way to attempt in making all our lives a little less miserable while we're here," Treyden told him. "Especially me all through January and my birthday, I never did thank you for that," he added.

"Happy Birthday, Hunter!" the company called out as Hunter couldn't help but smile. It was shocking and unbelievable, they all went out of their way to throw him a party because they recognized he was upset about not being home or able to call for his birthday. It was a good feeling to know they did this so he wouldn't have to spend the day alone. So maybe being deployed wasn't so bad, he did have some really cool friends who cared about him and everyone together like this did make it feel like he was closer to home.

(Berkton)

Salvatore, Caitlyn, Audrey, Viola, and the rest of Hunter's friends were at the Haddock household as it was 6 pm and they were sitting together in the living room with all cell phones present, the laptop out with Skype and e-mail open in case Hunter called. Of course, they knew the chance was slim for a call but perhaps an e-mail would come through.

"This sucks," Caitlyn huffed.

"We all know it might not happen. Hunter could be on patrol, guard, or a mission right now. There's probably no service again even if he's not doing one of those three things," Sal sighed heavily, but he understood what it was like to be deployed and barely get to make contact with family back home.

"There probably is decent wifi and service, but everyone there uses it, so it slows it down and makes it impossible to get a call through," Heather mentioned.

"Also a good point," Fisher nodded in agreement. "Didn't Hunter say his battalion alone as close to seven hundred and thirty people in it?"

"Yes, that he did, Fisher. Fort Draco itself is a Division. That's ten to fifteen thousand soldiers at one base," Salvatore nodded to confirm. In the silence, one of the phones lit up, and they all held their breath it was Hunter. Audrey reached for hers as it was lighting up and she checked it over.

"No call, it's just the news app letting me know there's a live broadcast," Audrey informed.

"Why do you have to get alerted for that?" Viola questioned.

"Oh. Because sometimes the news covers stories overseas and I have my preferences set to when they are doing something live from Iraq, thought it might be one more way to see him," Audrey shrugged once.

"What channel?" Caitlyn asked now.

"Archi News 8," Audrey replied as Caitlyn turned the TV on and flipped to the channel as it showed the anchor woman sitting at her desk.

"Good evening, Archi Island. Before we get into the rest of the news, I just received word from our own Jared Hughes about a few Camp Draconia soldiers banding together to make a fellow friend smile. We take you live to Iraq for the story," the woman smiled as the screen changed to show the male reporter standing with a microphone. Behind him was a group of soldiers listening to music and having fun.

"Thank you, Diana. I'm here in the entertainment hall with the Plasma Fire company of Dreki Battalion where I just watched these soldiers go out of their way to cheer up a friend. Here's the touching moment once more," Jared stated.

"Plasma Fire is...Hunter's company, isn't it?" Renee asked.

"Yeah," Audree nodded. The group of them sat watching and became stunned to see the soldiers jump up and yell 'surprise' to the soldier who walked in with three others. As the camera turned, they were able to see the face of the soldier. Hunter. Caitlyn quickly turned the TV up as they listened to the conversation and learned that Hunter was the one the others pulled together to cheer up because he was upset about not being able to call or be home for his birthday. The last thing they saw was Hunter's shocked face form to a smile.

"Let's see if we can't get a word with the man of the hour," Jared said as he made his way through the soldiers to get to Hunter who was standing in a small group of people holding a soda in hand and seeming to have a good time. "Excuse me young man, do you have a minute to talk?" Jared asked.

"Sure," Hunter replied as he moved off to the side with Jared.

"How did it make you feel knowing your friends put all this together for you?" Jared asked curiously.

"Honestly, I was confused. I had only been sitting in here with them an hour ago and mentioned that it sucked I wasn't home for my birthday and couldn't get a call through either. I wasn't expecting something like this but I suppose it makes me feel grateful and happy that they went through the trouble of throwing me a surprise birthday party so I wouldn't have to spend it alone," Hunter replied calmly with a smile.

"Now did they all come up with it?" Jared questioned.

"Every year since I was five, I would spend my birthday with my family and friends back home after they threw a surprise party for me. This year, I'm deployed and can't be there or make a call to them so my friends here thought to throw a surprise party so it would feel like I was closer to home," Hunter explained.

"We're his second family!" Theo smiled wide as he jumped on Hunter's back laughing, but Hunter was able to support the extra weight before Theo got down while Trey and Andrew came over.

"The idea came from the fact that since being here when Hunter sees someone having a problem or looking down, he goes out of his way to make them smile and never worries about himself," Andrew mentioned now.

"So when we saw him looking a bit down, we decided to return the favor," Treyden put his arm over Hunter's shoulders. "The girls made all the food and cake, the rest of us decorated. I had to agree with the idea; Hunter went above and beyond the call of duty for being a friend to me last month and on my birthday,"

"And what did he do for you?" Jared smiled.

"Well, last year in January; my mother was killed in action. It wasn't easy, and this guy right here managed to get me to smile every day whether it was pranking the others or just giving me someone to talk to," Treyden enlightened.

"For Trey's birthday, Hunter set up a plan for Treyden's Dad to call in to wish Trey a happy birthday," Andrew said.

"Wait, you did all that?" Treyden asked looking at Hunter with wide eyes as Hunter only shrugged.

"You didn't know?" Jared asked.

"Trey only knew that his father called him from Skype. Hunter was the mastermind behind that by sending an e-mail to Treyden's Dad who is on his own deployment for another nine months with the Archi Navy. Hunter knew that all Trey wanted was to get to hear from his father for his birthday, so Hunter made it happen," Theo said.

"Y-You used that brief fifteen minutes of good connection and our off night for my Dad to call me on my birthday instead of calling home to your family?" Treyden questioned slowly. "You barely get to talk to them as it is, why give that up for me?"

"I knew how much it meant for you to hear from him. I'm willing to give up one of the few opportunities I get to call home to make sure you got the one thing you wanted for your birthday. You're more than my battle buddy, Trey. You're my best friend," Hunter told him with a smile.

"And you're mine. Thank you, Hunter," Treyden responded as he put his hand up and Hunter connected his own to Trey's, then they hugged before separating. "Now let's get back to enjoying your party," he added.

"Sergeant Haddock, anything you'd like to say to your family back home if their watching?" Jared held the microphone towards him. Hunter faced the camera.

"Just that I love and miss them like but not to worry about me because I'm completely okay with all these guys and girls having my back in any and all situations," Hunter stated then headed off with Trey, Theo, and Andrew back into the party.

"Well, there you have it folks and now back to you in the studio, Diana," Jared said.

Hunter's family, friends, and girlfriend sat in the Haddock household living room after the broadcast to Iraq cut out and returned to the stupid with more on the news regarding weather or other events. Caitlyn turned it back down and set the remote aside.

"So we could have heard from him two weeks ago, but he gave up his time for Trey," Caitlyn asked.

"It was a generous thing to do, sacrifice a chance to call home so he could make sure his friend was happy," Fisher mentioned.

"But it sucks too," Audrey looked down.

"Hey, we got to see him on TV and get a message that way," Travis reminded.

"If nothing else, kids, we know he is okay and that is enough for me," Salvatore said calmly with a smile. It warmed his heart to know Hunter was happy where he was. Granted, being deployed to a war zone wasn't a snuggly feeling, but there was comfort in knowing that Hunter's friends had his back and willing to do something that reminded Hunter of home even when he wasn't there. The best feeling for Salvatore was knowing his son was safe and doing just fine.