The End of a New Beginning

Ayden was stressed.

In the past couple of days, she'd only rested when forced by Elena or her command group. The rest of the time, she moved around, marching and visiting with different groups, trying to get to everyone. Everyone wanted to talk to her, hear the story of how she came storming in, with her little sidekick, single-handedly to rescue them all, but that's not it. She made them talk, too. Learned their names, their stories. She'd never had a fantastic memory, though now it showed otherwise. She'd be gone for hours, walking with the men at the back of the herd, and when she'd come back, she's able to greet everyone by name and rank. If someone seemed down, she reminded them of loved ones they've got waiting.

Then, there was also the fact that there was no possible way for over two hundred men to march in silence. Between the stomping of the men's feet and the rumble emitted from the engines of the vehicles they'd stolen, the noise was inevitable. That was a given. Ayden thanked their lucky stars that they hadn't been discovered by any patrols on their trek to camp. The moved slowly, they moved noisily, but they hadn't been caught.

The noise was inevitable, but she really wished they didn't have to add to it by singing.

Ayden didn't bother to find out what they were singing, but, each time they got to a certain part, she noticed, the men got louder. They'd sing it on repeat about a dozen times, and the trees would shake from the force of their shouts. Damian was the loudest of them all.

Ayden just sighed and smiled warily, tightening her arms around Aziz's legs, which were wrapped around her waist as he hung on her back; she had decided to give him a piggy-back ride for most of the trip as to not tire his short, ten-year-old legs. For the first time since the rescue, the tension lines were gone from Damian's face. Beneath the dirt and wariness, he looked happy. They all did. After days of marching and weeks of captivity, they were almost there. And the singing helped. They'd sing in French and Belgian, Dari and some other language Ayden could not recognize. They'd sing love songs and silly songs and bawdy songs, and the more they sang, the lighter of foot everyone got, and the happier Damian looked, Ayden noticed. There were many times Ayden was tempted to sing; music was in her blood from generations and generations back before her own, but she didn't. The last time she sang, it was a farewell song that explained that who she used to be was gone. Ever since, she hadn't sung and had avoided any music as much as she could, though, she couldn't begrudge her men the noise, even less Elena who had joined in on the singing.

"You look too serious, Ayden," she told her, slapping her on the back. "Lighten up a little. Sing."

Ayden hesitated, tempted, then simply shook her head. "I'll lighten up when we're safe."

It was a lie, and Elena knew it.

"We are safe. We've got a mile at most, then we're back. You did it."

Her voice sounded hoarse, but her eyes were fever bright, and she had a kind of manic energy to her that Ayden recognized. It was the kind of high that a person got from pushing themselves too hard. When their body is close to giving out, but their mind is pushing them to keep going, just a little longer. Ayden recognized it because that was the look she'd had in her own eyes her whole life. There was no use saying anything, though. Elena was only pushing herself because she had to, for her brother, who was only doing the same for her. Because the alternative was climbing into one of the trucks with the sick and injured and being carried into camp. And Ayden knew neither would do that. Heck, she had a hole in her side, yet she knew she wasn't going to climb in either. Even Aziz, the little boy who was a bit injured and completely tired, stuck by her side, whether it was hanging from her back or not; she never knew stubbornness could be contagious. They all wanted to make it on their own two feet. They were going to.

And after that...

Ayden swallowed hard, then let out a shaky breath.

Damian noticed that. He seemed to notice her and everything about her, these past few days. He frowned. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes snapped his way, though she only stole a glance. "Nothing. Nothing, just, you know... tired."

Damian snorted. "Right. You don't get tired anymore, remember?"

She shook her head. "It's not that I don't get tired, it's just that it doesn't happen as easily as it used to."

"Don't change the subject." He didn't stop, but he slowed, eyes narrowed. "You got all pensive."

"Damian..."

"Ayden."

She took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm just worried about what'll happen when we get there. I'm going to be in a lot of trouble," she mumbled.

"You rescued..."

"Against orders. I'm in deep shit." She shrugged. "I have to submit myself for disciplinary action. I might get thrown in prison for the rest of the war. Heck, the rest of my life." She groaned. "And I don't think I'll be able to dodge it this time," she muttered to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Damian rolled his eyes and veered off course, so he bumped into Ayden, knocking her with his shoulder. "You know, if you look up noble in the dictionary, your picture is right beside it."

"That, and self-sacrificing nitwit," Elena added, joining the pair.

Ayden could feel heat creeping over her face, as the back of Damian's hand brushed against hers. Neither of them has bathed for days, and Damian smelled of sweat and dirt, but it was starting to feel somewhat familiar to her, and she hated that, which only frustrated her as she wasn't one to hate. It curled through her, making her stomach tighten and warmth spread like waves through her. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, then quickly looked away before she could think any more and get a bigger migraine than she already had.

She looked down at her moving feet and frowned. "I've done so many wrong things before... now I just wanna do the right thing," she said softly.

Elena looked over at her and gave her a fond look. "You did do the right thing." Her fingers curled around hers, and she squeezed her hand slightly before dropping it. "And if those idiots can't see that, then... then I don't know how we're gonna win this war."

"Lena," she started to say, but she was cut off by one of the men they'd sent ahead crashing through the underbrush, whooping.

"We're here!" he hollered, waving his hat above his head. "Camp's right around the corner!"

Ayden and Elena's eyes met.

"Okay, I'm worried now," Elena admitted as they both picked up their pace.

Behind them, the men quieted down, the raucous singing giving way to quiet talking. Their footsteps changed from an offbeat shuffling to the more precise step of a march. Postures straightened. Weapons were cradled properly. Heads were held high. The march into camp, a unified army made of every Allie in the force brought together by captivity and united in the common cause of getting home. And they were.

Ayden, however, seemed to have changed her demeanor. She could feel the anger she'd felt before she'd left suddenly making its way back into her system, though she remained calm, even when Colonel Doolittle met her and the rest of the unit at the gate. While she still felt like he needed to be punched, she understood he was a superior officer, and she had disobeyed him.

Swallowing hard, she saluted him and said, "Some of these men, as well as this boy here, need medical attention. I'd also like to surrender myself for disciplinary action."

Elena frowned; she wasn't going to let her do this alone. "I, too, would like to surrender myself for same cause, Sir."

The Colonel glanced around at the group of men, both, the ones she brought back, and the ones cheering behind him.

"That won't be necessary," he said as if it pained him to admit it. But then he smiled. Well, really, his lips only twitched, but it twitched in what could easily pass off as a smile, no matter how tiny it was.

She smiled too, just a bit. "Yes, Sir."

The Colonel then turned to walk away from Ayden, though stopped for a moment when he noticed Andrew grinning widely and said, "Don't start with me, Carson," before walking off.

When the Colonel was gone, Andrew made his way over to Ayden, a stern look replacing the grin he was actually having a hard time fighting back.

He was about to scold her straight on, though stopped short when he noticed the boy clinging onto her for dear life, and he said, "You got a kid glued to your hip..." Ayden opened her mouth to speak, but Andrew cut her off. "But never mind that. You're late."

Ayden chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about that." She brought out the three broken gadgets that would've given her the possibility to contact him. "It's kinda hard to call a ride when the only possible ways to call are broken."

Andrew couldn't help but smile as he grabbed the girl and pulled her into a headlock. "Good job, Captain."

"I'm not a—"

"Hey!" Elena called loudly, from behind them, to catch everyone's attention. "Let's hear it for Captain Shades!"

Ayden turned around and looked at her as everyone started cheering and applauding. She met Elena's eyes, then simply shrugged one shoulder before smiling at her, shaking her head.

"You little bitch," Ayden said, her smile never faltering.

Elena grinned at her. "Language," she playfully scolded, before pulling her into a tight yet gentle embrace, making sure not to squash the child or break her best friend.

Ayden kept smiling as the rest of the men begin shouting her name. Elena was grinning at her a little maniacally, definitely strung out on too much stress and too little sleep. But she can see the pride in her eyes, too.

Around her, hundreds of men cheered for her, but there were only two who she cared about at that moment. Only two whose opinions really mattered.

And she glowed under their prideful eyes.

However, her glowing happiness faded a while later when Doolittle called her and Elena into his office. He was a bit off-put by the little boy who wouldn't let go of Ayden, but dismissed it either way and simply got to the point the moment the door closed.

"Twelve? Fifteen? Really?"

Ayden's cheeks flushed as she was so tempted to scoff and swear; hadn't they gone over this? Jaw clenched, she opted for remaining calm and diplomatic; she was in enough trouble as it was. "Actually, I'm sixteen, Colonel... as I told you before."

"I'm fourteen, Sir," Elena mumbled, clearly offended.

"All the same, you two enlisted while being underage. You should be kicked out, not only for that, but also for that little disciplinary act you pulled."

Both girls ducked their heads in embarrassment.

"Shostakovitch, you're dismissed. Jaubert, stay."

Elena's brows shot upward in surprise; he actually knows her name now? She glanced Ayden's way and only left when the latter sent her a nod to comply.

"Sir, I understand that what I did was—"

"Absolutely brilliant."

"Completely stupid— wait, what?" Ayden was confused.

Colonel Doolittle sighed. "Three things, Jaubert: you're too young to be here, you kept a hell lot of secrets from me, and you broke the rules to go on a mission that was not to take place. I should kick you out. I should kick Shostakovitch junior out— she's a freakin' fourteen-year-old in the army!"

Ayden's jaw clenched. Was he going to kick them out? Ugh! This was no better than just doing it in front of the others.

"I should kick you out," he repeated, but then something unexpected happened. Something that threw Ayden off-guard; his gaze turned soft. "I really should, but I won't."

Ayden looked at him, blinking owlishly, unsure if she heard what she thought she heard him say. "Y... you won't?" The question came out hoarse and slow.

His lips twitched. "One usually wins a war with guts; I'm saying that from experience. And you may be just a kid, you may be just a girl, but you got 'em. Not only that, you've got willpower, dependability, courage, decisiveness, endurance, you lack a bit of enthusiasm, but it's there. You've also got integrity—"

Ayden cut him off with a laugh; she couldn't help it. "Integrity? I'm sorry for my rude interruption, Sir, but how on earth do I have integrity? I basically lied to the whole board about my age and health."

"But you're being honest about it now, and that's good enough for me." The look she gave him was full of disbelief, but she did not speak again as he resumed his enumeration. "'Cause you've also got quite a good judgment, you're just, filled with a hell lot of knowledge for a kid your age— say, are you a prodigy back at your place?" Ayden felt her cheeks heat up as she fought the urge to duck her head at the laud. "Still and all, you've got tact and loyalty."

He cleared his throat. "Now, you may be wondering why the hell I just enumerated all that."

Ayden ducked her head once more, nodding almost timidly. "Sir."

"Well, first, know that I'm being honest with you. You are all those things, and possibly more, but, the reason I enumerated those specific traits is that those are the traits of a good soldier." Ayden felt warm inside. "You wanna know what else I see in you? I see worthiness, selflessness, the trust of many on your shoulders, faith, meek... you're a kind person, even if you try to show otherwise." Ayden's eyes snapped to his. "You're respectable and admirable, and that is a good leader, Jaubert. A great one."

He sighed. "I should really send you away, but we need good soldiers like you and Shostakovitch. We need a good leader like you."

Ayden throat went dry as she felt excitement beginning to bubble up in her chest. "What are you saying, sir?"

"I'm saying that I'm taking you and your friend under my wing, and I'll let you stay. I'll settle things down with the board so you can stay here. But I need you to do something for me."

Ayden's heart started pounding against her chest. "What?"

The Colonel's eyes twinkled with a new light in them. "You think you're up for putting those super soldier abilities of yours to use?"

Ayden's lips pursed as she thought. She was used to working alone— she was used to doing everything alone— being alone. But now, she knew people. They knew her. They felt like they owed her their life when she somehow felt like it was the other way around...

"Well, it depends... can I do that with a team?" she asked, hopeful.

"We're already putting together the best men."

Ayden's eyes twinkled. "With all due respect, Sir, I've already got a few men in mind I'd like to have on my team."

"Think you can gather one within less than two weeks?"

Ayden gave him a small smirk. "I think I can manage."

The Colonel gave her a tiny smile before nodding. "Good, but manage that later. You've got to see a doctor; there's a hole on your side."

Ayden's smirk turned into a sheepish smile. "Yes, Sir."

"And take that kid with you."

"Oh, shit— I mean, yes, Sir!"

It turned out the days' long march had been good for something after all. By the time they settled back down at camp, Damian was so exhausted that he didn't even notice all the medics and doctors who poked and prodded at him. He regained consciousness slowly. It was the good, slow, though, like waking up on Saturday morning, sun streaming in through the window after a restful sleep.

He reached up with both hands and rubbed his eyes. For the first time in forever, he felt clean. The sticky sweat and caked on dirt was off his skin. He didn't stink of fear.

"You awake?"

Damian opened his eyes and saw her there, sitting in a chair next to his bed, her feet propped up on the edge of the bed, a notebook balanced on her knees. His eyes squinted slightly as he really took her in for the first time.

She had a slightly tanned, olive complexion with a wealth of brown curly hair that was braided back and tossed to the side, falling just a few inches past her shoulder, unique bicolor eyes that were becoming familiar to him, and an oval face with fine bone structure. Her eyes were as large as those of a doe and were followed by a cute buttoned nose, quite prominent cheekbones, and full pink lips. Her eyebrows were darker than her hair and were straighter than they were arched. She wore a long-sleeved black shirt, paired up with a pair of khaki cargo pants, a small sleeveless military vest, and a jacket which was draped over the back of the chair she occupied; she wore a loose tie, too, though it was almost comical as it didn't really go with her attire, never mind both being of military colors.

"Am I dead?" he blurted out.

She looked up from her notebook she had been writing in and raised an brow at him. "No."

"... Are you sure I'm not—"

"You're not. I wouldn't be here if you were," she replied before turning her attention back to her notes.

"You look a hell lot like an angel, so I don't doubt you'd be there," he mumbled.

She looked back at him and bit her lip, chuckling. "You're not dead." She moved forward and gave him a tiny, gentle pinch in the arm. "See? Not dead."

Her smile was small, yet soft and genuine, and made the corners of her eyes wrinkle.

Damian shook his head as he sat up. "So I'm not." He paused. "How long have you been sitting there watching me?"

She chuckled. "Don't flatter yourself; I haven't been watching you. I've got more interesting things to be worried about," she said. She dropped her legs from the bed and leaned forward. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just marched two hundred miles." He saw a glass of water next to his bed and grabbed it. He looked around as he drained it, the cool liquid soothing the sore parched desert of his throat. He was in a hospital. "How long have I been asleep?"

"On and off for five days. You woke up to eat and stuff, but you weren't exactly coherent."

He winced. "Did I say anything embarrassing?"

Ayden chuckled. "You're clear."

Damian flopped back. His back protested at the jarring movement, but it was just sore muscles, nothing serious. "My sister?"

"Right beside you." He looked to his left, and, sure enough, there was his sister, head on the bed as she slept in an uncomfortable position in her chair. "I tried to get her to move, but she wouldn't budge. Girl sleeps like a rock."

"Oh, trust me, I know."

"Right, so how are you really feeling?"

He looked at her for a moment, the sighed.

"Fine," he lied. She raised her eyebrows; he was easy to read as Elena. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" he said with a smart smile.

She rolled her eyes, internally groaning. She hated when people flirted with her.

Ayden looked back up at him and gave him a tight smile. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she repeated in a sweet, innocent voice.

"Yeah," Damian repeated curiously.

"Good." Ayden stood up, took his wrist, pressed an elbow to the back of his neck and twisted his arm behind him.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, but his body had no choice but to give into her assault.

Ayden leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "Flirt with me again, and I will not hesitate to kill you, never mind that you're Elena's brother and the whole point of the mission was to rescue you. I'm no dancer, okay? I'm a damn soldier. Got it, Sergeant?"

Damian swallowed hard and nodded. "Got it," he gasped.

"Good." She released him as she made her way to the exit, Damian watching her every step. "Oh, and tell Elena I'll be 'round the corner."

As she disappeared from his sight, Damian couldn't help but groan as he flopped back onto the bed. "I am so screwed."

"Y'got that right; hands off my best friend."

Damian turned to see his sister glaring at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She scoffed. "Please, don't think I didn't catch you staring at her throughout the whole way back to camp since we got you. And seriously? 'You look a hell lot like an angel'? That's gotta be the lamest thing you've told a gal, брат." (Brother)

"Can you blame me? I thought I was dead," he mumbled, running a hand over his face.

"Well, you're not, so snap out of it," she grumbled, before speaking in a softer tone. "I'm glad you're alright."

He gave his sister a small smile, reaching for her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Well, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

She looked at him for a moment before laughing, shaking her head. "You know, I may be reckless, but if it weren't for Ayden, you wouldn't be here safe; I wouldn't have dared myself to go to your rescue, even if you are my favorite brother."

"I'm your only brother."

"Favorite sibling."

"I am your only sibling."

"Technically you're my only full sibling." Elena sighed. "I'm not brave like her."

Damian looked at her for a moment before saying, "Tell me about her."

Elena furrowed her brows as she looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "Ayden... well, I know you noticed how it seems like she has some sort of split personality... and maybe she does— I mean, when we went to rescue you and the rest of the unit, there were times when she would be lighthearted and teasing, but, at other times, she would be so cold and... worn out."

Her gaze shifted down to her hand in her brother's. "If I'm totally honest with you, she's my idol, even if she's only 'bout a year and a few months older than me. She's really awesome to be around with once you get to know her, but, when you don't, she comes off as a mature young woman— which she totally is, by the way. She's more than often quiet, and I can tell she's overly insecure, even with her new looks... but, that aside, she's possibly the most kindhearted, compassionate and caring person I've ever met and known. And that's what makes her a good person."

"When you lose someone... that loss... it stays with you. You can love someone so much... but you can never love people as much as you can miss them. I know what it's like, okay?"

Elena's heart suddenly clenched as she remembered when Ayden told her that. The look on the brunette's lovely face was melancholic and her eyes... once again, Elena was struck by the age-old wariness in her once deep brown hues. Eyes that have seen too much. Elena has only seen that look in some older soldiers and, sometimes, her grandfathers, who were both war veterans. But never in someone as young as Ayden, a girl who wished to be all-powerful to keep everyone from getting hurt in any way.

Oh, Ayden…

"I should be! And someday, I will be. I promise you! I will even learn to stop people from dying!"

"She's a good person," Elena continued softly, her eyes suddenly sad as she remembered how broken Ayden had looked then. "She's undoubtedly endured a hell lot of temptations— suffered a lot, but her heart... her heart is pure."

"I should have been out with him! I'd have had his back— we would've made it out together, and he would've been here alive!"

"She accepts and puts other people's feelings before her own. She always makes good assumptions on how those feelings would turn out in any situation, and instantly jumps in on any occasion presented to try and change it so that no one suffers as badly as she surely has in the past."

"It's as painful as hell— I don't want you going through that, Lena."

"I mean, she planned the whole rescue mission to save you and the rest of the one-o-sixth!" Elena chuckled, pushing a rogue strand of hair away from her face. "The thing that just makes me laugh, sometimes, is how selfish she thinks she is when she's actually selfless, and that only makes me idolize her even more for that. I don't know her past. She might have been tortured, mistreated, bullied— I don't know. All I know is that she's broken to the core, yet she doesn't let that bring her down. She uses that as her trigger to push herself forward and save other people's lives." Elena smiled. "She's incredibly exceptional. Extraordinary... She's a survivor. And you know what?"

"What?"

Her smile never faltered as she turned to look at her brother. "When we got you at the lab, she saw a map. She reproduced most of it, but not all. It showed all... well, most of the hidden weapon facilities of Al-Qaeda. But that's not the point." Her eyes twinkled. "She's got a mission coming up. She's gonna go after them. The Colonel's hoping that, if we get enough of them, we'll manage to find the main base and finally bring it down."

"So, basically, what you're telling me is that you're excited that your best friend is putting her life on the line again when, just a few days ago, you balled your eyes out when you thought she was dead?"

"No! Stop twisting my words! What I'm sayin' is that the whole Cap'n Shades thing I came up with is actually front line now; he wants her to lead a team. And she's already choosing her teammates. So far, she's got Marvin—"

"Who the heck is Marvin?"

She ignored his interruption, and continued. "She's got good ol' Dan... er... that other guy who led the race— Annie? Anyway, then she's got Ronnie, who doesn't really know how to say no to a lady. She's thinkin' of askin' the Scottish guy, oh! And that guy she calls Hugh. And then that Chris guy..."

"You're not going."

"Wha— I didn't even say—"

"You didn't have to. You and I both know you would've gone anyway, even if she told you not to."

"Well, you know what? Too bad for you because I am going, whether you two like it or not."

"Lena, you shouldn't even be here; you're only fourte—"

"So what?" she snapped. "Carmi was only fifteen when she enlisted and got drafted. She's sixteen now, but that's only because she just turned it a few months ago. I'm going."

"Elena—"

"I'm going."

"El—"

"No."

"Elena Gracelyn Mirelle Shostakovitch, you will not be going on this mission, and that is final!"

"No! You wanna know what's final? Your arguments, because I am going. Okay? I'm going because I am indebted to her. She helped me save you, Damian. If she hadn't gone, I wouldn't have gone, and you would've been dead! So, whatever you have against me going, well, guess what— I don't care because, even though she probably doesn't know, I made an oath to her from the start, and I'm not backing out on it. I decided to stick by her side from the beginning, and I'm sticking by it for the long haul, Damian."

Damian watched her with squinted eyes and pursed lips throughout her whole speech and stayed silent for a few more seconds before saying, "I'll go with you."

"I already told I'm g—" Elena stopped short, blinking owlishly. "Wait, what?"

Damian sighed. "I said I'll go too."

Elena stared at him for a moment, then snorted. "Good luck asking Ayden to let you on the team."

Damian shrugged. "No, you, good luck. I don't need it."

Elena laughed. "Oh, you're gonna need it with her. You flirted with her. Now, she may not be one to hate, but I know she does not like it when guys do that. I, on the other hand, will be let on without an ounce of hesitation."

"Really."

"Well... maybe not an ounce, but she will let me. All I have to do is bat my eyelashes and give her the puppy eyes; it'll be much more effective now that she knows my real age."

"Or much less effective because of it. She let you in on the rescue because she thought you were old enough to look after yourself."

Elena only smiled, shaking her head. "You don't know what, or how she thinks." She stood. "Anyway, brother, rest. You'll be checked out with the others later this afternoon, alright? I'll see you then."

Jamie sighed and slowly turned his head. "I told you, Dad, I'm..." he trailed off when he noticed that his father wasn't the one standing there. "Ayden."

Her lips twitched in an attempt to smile, though it only came out as a grimace. "I thought I was Ayden," she joked half-heartedly.

He cracked a smile. "You're here."

"I couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye, now, could I?" she said softly, walking forward toward his bed.

He chuckled. "I guess not." His eyes shifted toward the encased instrument hanging from her shoulder, and his brows instantly raised in surprise. "You brought it out?" he asked softly.

She cracked a smile at his innocent face. "Only for you."

He leaned back against his pillows. "Can you sing me something?"

She hesitated for a moment before nodding and bringing her guitar out. After making sure it was tuned, she sat on the edge of the bed beside him and began to play a soft melody on her acoustic guitar before singing to him, pouring her heart and soul into the lyrics the flowed out through her lips. When she finished, he saw the look on her face and felt his own heart break even more.

"Ayden..." he said softly. She only shook her head, pushing him into pulling her into his arms in a cold yet warm embrace. She pushed her guitar aside and returned the gesture, though ever so gently as though she were afraid he might break and, at this point, it was hard not to imagine that happening.

"You're going to have to eventually, you know."

She shook her head, holding him a little tighter. "No, Jamie. I... I can't—"

"I'm not asking you to forget me. I'm just asking you to stay strong and move on," he said softly.

She shook her head again, letting out a small, heartbreaking laugh. "I'll never be able to move on, Jamie..." she managed to choke out through her constricted throat.

Beep— Beep— Beep—

He caressed her face which was pressed against his chest; she was warm in comparison to his cold body, and that made her shiver slightly as he ran his fingers against her cheek.

"I love you," he whispered.

She looked up at him, eyes watering. "Please don't leave me, Jamie," she croaked.

His breathing was becoming harder, and that made her instantly loosen her grip around him. "I... I can't... I can't promise... you anything anymore... Ayden, and... for that, I am so sorry."

Her brows furrowed, eyes only widening in realization when she heard the heart monitor slowing down. She shook her head, a few tears betraying her.

"Please... please, James... Please, I need you... I need you now, more than ever."

"Stay... strong..." His breath came out slow, and the monitor was silent.

Her breathing hitched as she watched him close his eyes, his arms falling from around her. "No... James... Jamie? Please... open your eyes... wake up!" She shook him, not wanting to believe— to accept that he was gone. "Please! Wake up!"

Jamie's father instantly walked over to her as his wife went off with the nurse to call the doctor.

"Somebody! Please! Bring him—"

"Carmen, let him go—"

"No!" she cried out as Reverend Grenadier placed his hands on her shoulders. She shook him off. "No! He can't... he can't— he promised! Jamie! Please! Come back!"

She stared out the window; it was raining. She watched people run for cover and umbrellas open as the clouds dropped their tubs of water. Puddles were plinking as the rainfall became heavier. Her attention never wavered from the murmuring of the rain through the window, not even when her eyes fluttered as a tear went rogue from the bucket that was threatening to spill, as the soft murmur was the only thing, at that moment, that could keep her from losing her mind.

I'm not asking you to forget me. I'm just asking you to stay strong and move on, he told her. I love you, he said a few seconds later. How could she move on from someone who understood her so well? Who loved her as she was— broken and bruised? Then there was the fact that she never got to tell him... and now he's gone... she knew she would never be able to tell it to anyone else; when he died, the words died in her throat along with him.

"Yo, Ayden!"

Finally tearing her attention away from the window, she turned, eyes meeting the person who was calling her out. It was Anthony. His arm was in a sling, forehead wrapped in gauze, but, other than that, he was fresh and clean.

"Yeah?"

"That Carson guy with a bunch of inventions?" Ayden nodded. "He came around a few moments ago. Said that when we see you, to tell you to meet him back at camp, in his office."

Ayden frowned. "Did he say what for?"

"He said he had some new gadgets for you."

"Oh. Er... okay, thanks."

"It's o-seven-thirty. He said it'd be best if you got there by o-eight-hundred, so I suggest you leave now if you don't wanna be late."

She gave him a small appreciative smile. "Right. Thanks."

A speck of doubt grew to a gnawing sensation on her shoulders by the time she made it Andrew's working office. Here she thought she would be late, and Andrew wasn't even there.

Great, now he's got secretaries, she thought to herself, mentally rolling her eyes at how lazy the inventor was becoming.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Mr. Carson," she politely told the lady at the desk, who was distracted by the morning paper.

Ayden wanted to laugh; sure, the raven-haired Private was a pretty young woman, probably in her early twenties, but, even sitting down, she was visibly short. However, she remained calm and quiet as she waited for her answer; she did not like to be rude, even though her thoughts were rude enough.

The raven-haired lady— Pvt. Jeannette was written on her name tag— did not look up, which was actually rude, but at least she answered.

"He's in with Colonel Doolittle," she replied carelessly, but when she looked up to see who it was, her attitude instantly got friendlier, "Of course, you're welcome to wait."

Ayden blinked owlishly, unsure of how to react to the lady's change of demeanor. Something about her smile made her feel a bit uneasy. It was only a polite smile, but it looked more devious than that. Maybe it was just all in her mind, Ayden thought as she quietly sat down on the free chair beside the desk, placing her hands in her lap, looking around to avoid eye contact.

"I... uh, read about what you did," said Pvt. Jeannette, that sinister smile of hers never wavering as she spun around in her chair and flashed the newspaper with Ayden's big rescue mission plastered all over the front page.

Ayden fought back a frown; she'd been told about hers and Elena's age being kept out of the press and a secret, but, for some reason, some part of her was now actually against that. Some part of her now wanted the world to know that she was only sixteen.

"Oh, that... yeah... well, that's..." Ayden fumbled her fingers and her words, unable to concentrate with this woman staring so intently at her like that. "... just doing what needed to be done."

"Sounded like more than that," Pvt. Jeannette nearly purred. "You saved nearly three hundred men... maybe even more."

Ayden simply smiled, feeling awkward and a bit nervous, her cheeks flushing faintly, as she thought she saw the Private looking her up and down, with... interest?

Oh, God, please no...

Ayden let out a nervous chuckle. "Really, it's not a big deal." She waved her hand. If Elena's brother hadn't been among the captured, she probably wouldn't have gotten involved in the first place... okay, maybe she would've, but, well, let's just say Damian was more of the main trigger in the entire operation.

"Tell that to their wives and their families." Pvt. Jeannette slowly pulled out of her chair and walked coyly towards her. Now Ayden knew she didn't imagine things. She still wasn't used to this kind of attention from men, so getting it from a woman was even more unexpected and nerve-wrecking.

Ayden tucked her arms and clenched her body together uncomfortably. "Uh... I don't think they were all married. Most of them were probably less than twenty-five."

"You're a hero," Pvt. Jeannette whispered softly in her face, close enough for a whiff of her sickly sweet perfume to tingle Ayden's senses and paralyze her.

God, please tell me this isn't happening...

"Well, th-that depends on how—"

"Your fellow women of America... and, well, many other countries of course; they owe you their thanks." Pvt. Jeannette clutched onto Ayden's tie and pulled her to behind the shelf of files, "And since they're not here..."

Even when she had approached her, Ayden still hadn't expected that kiss. It was most certainly not the friendly kiss on the cheek she could handle, or the quick endearing kiss on the lips. It was the passionate kiss of wanting, and the red alerts in Ayden's head screamed for her to pull away and get out of there, but she was paralyzed; she had never been stuck in a situation where she found out she was attractive to people of her same gender, even less stuck with one who was daring enough to kiss her. Plus there was the fact that Ayden wasn't asexual. She was straight, and she had never even been kissed before... well, unless you count the smooch she shared with her first crush when she was only six... Even with her first boyfriend, they never got to kiss— he was taken to prison before their lips could even touch. And Jamie? She hadn't been with him long enough to feel ready to kiss him. Now, here she was, eyes as wide as a deer who'd been caught in headlights, paralyzed as she was having her first kiss stolen by a woman who was probably more than four years older than her. Mind you, she was very pretty, but Ayden was straight. And she wanted it to end, but she couldn't just push this woman away; she would probably end up throwing her through a wall with her enhanced strength.

Before she could gather her thoughts and push Pvt. Jeannette off, she heard a familiar stern call, "Captain!"

It was Clarissa Dalton. She had started out a soldier as well, with Ayden, though she quickly switched to nurse the moment they were shipped off to Kabul. She really was nineteen, and a good friend, though when they left their continent, they saw less of each other when they got their orders.

The moment Ayden saw her there, she was relieved and grateful for her interrupting call, but judging from Clara's hands on her hips and her reprimanding glare, Ayden was horrified that she might have gotten the wrong idea.

"We're ready for you if you're not otherwise busy," she said with disdain that made Ayden panic internally.

After rubbing the kiss off of her lips, trying not to look disgusted fore it would be rude, she went after her friend, hoping to explain everything, "Clarissa, wait!"

"It's not my business," Clara said curtly as she refused to face her.

She kept marching forward as she processed what she saw. Here she thought Ayden was the purest, most straight young woman she knew, and if she didn't act on her impulses with her, then those impulses must not have existed if that floozy Jeanette was more tempting. Her anger and confusion seethed and flushed her cheeks.

"Clarissa, that is not what you think it was," Ayden spoke quietly as she paced behind her, trying to keep up.

"I don't think anything, Carmen," Clara shot her down. She had nothing to say to her right now. "You said you wanted to join the army, and now here you are. Wish came true."

Ayden chuckled humorlessly, shaking her head. "I know what you're thinking, and, let me just tell you: you got the wrong idea. This wasn't like Katy Perry's 'I kissed a girl, and I liked it' song, okay? I didn't like it. This lady, who is probably over five years older than me, came onto me. And I am freaking out right now, Clara, because I just had my first kiss stolen by a girl. A woman. Female. Femme. Mujer. The same freakin' gender as me, and I have never felt more uncomfortable and violated in my entire life!" Ayden breathed out.

Clara stared at her with wide eyes the entire time Ayden spoke. When she was done, she pulled her into a hug. "Oh, my poor baby."

Ayden groaned childishly, slight defeat laced upon her face and tone. "Just because I'm sixteen, it doesn't mean I'm a baby."

"You are to me."

"As far as you knew a few weeks ago, I was older than you."

"Not anymore."

"Alright, Cap, I got a lot of things I want to—" Andrew walked up right next to Ayden and cocked his head when he saw her in Clara's arms, eyes watery. "Hey, doll face, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Andrew," She jolted when she saw he was there and pulled out of Clara hold, putting on a fake smile, "It's just a minor migraine."

He sighed. "Ayden, if something's going on, you can tell me." He waved his arm around, "There are no judgments here."

Clara opened her mouth to speak, but instantly shut it when she noticed Ayden's glare. "Don't even think about it."

"You know what would make you feel better?" Andrew said loudly.

Ayden groaned silently; she knew that whatever he was going to suggest was only going to annoy her. "What, Carson?"

"I know this perfect place, not far from camp, where they make the best fondues."

Ayden gave him a flat look. "Again, Andrew, no. And I don't even like cheese."

"That's a lie, and you know it," he said as he led her into his office. "You love cheese— you eat cheesecake to the point where it wouldn't be healthy anymore."

Ayden huffed. "That's because it's cake," she said.

"But the fondue is so—"

"No, Andrew."

"But I—"

"No."

"Ayden—"

"No, now show me your stupid gadgets already."

"They're not stupid! They're awesome. And they're awesome because I—"

"Because you're a genius. Got it. Go."

"By the way, I have some ideas for your uniform."

Ayden sighed. "Does it involve tight pants and cropped tops?"

"... Maybe?"

She sighed again. "God, Andrew, you will be the death of me."

"... That's a good thing, right?"