katydid13: Thank you

Brown eyed Girl 75: Herb likes to keep things short and sweet. Don't worry, she received a more detailed description in the mail a few days later. I'm so glad you loved the letters between Viv and Gary, here is more for you

rejazzz: This chapter won't have you laughing, but I think you'll enjoy it.

A/N: To avoid confusion, Gary and Vivianne are Canadian, and the story is set in 1979. Canada did not participate in Vietnam or any other war during this time. We were in Lebanon on a peace keeping mission, which is a major part of the story line. Special thanks for BEG 75 for the help with the story line.

ooOoo

The stone men on Water Street still cry for the day, when the pride of the city, went marching away. A thousand men slaughtered, to hear the King say…. Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me

Recruiting Sergeant- Great Big Sea

ooOoo

It was another few weeks before I heard from Gary again, and I did I had accepted the job offer from this Herb Brooks. Apparently he wanted me as nothing more than… I guess you could say I was nothing more than a secretary. It wouldn't be a lot of money, and I'd have to sublet my apartment, but that was easy to do. I'd at least get three squares a day, better than stale popcorn, I'll tell you that.

I'd been waiting to see what Herb wanted me to do with this job he'd offered. He had told me to meet him at the University of Minnesota ice arena by the end of the first week of June. Wait a minute, I thought the coaching job wasn't made public until June… hmm… did he have a feeling that he'd gotten the job? Well, from what I know about Herb Brooks, which is not much, I admit he didn't really seem the type to be that big-headed.

While I started with this job I thought, hey, why not? Three squares a day and money to boot… sounds good. But still, if Herb wants me for the job we still have to figure out when and where this is happening, or if he even needs me for the team at all.

Turns out I really didn't have a lot to worry about. By June Herb was head coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, and I was officially Vivianne Hallet, Olympic… paper pusher. Hooray for me.

As Herb worked through another drill on the ice that first day, I was in charge of sorting player applications and sorting locket room arrangements. As I grabbed the numerous amount of paper and tucked them under my arm, I felt them slip from my grasp and scatter all over the floor.

"Ah shit…" I whispered as I sank to my knees and proceeded to at least preserve what was left of my dignity and get these files to Herb's office.

"Need a hand?" I heard a suave, older voice ask.

I looked up and saw the face of none other than my big brother, Gary Hallet, walking toward me.

ooOoo

"Oh my God!" I shouted, standing up quickly and running as fast as I could. As soon as I reached him, I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist. "Oh my God, what are you doing down here?"

"I can't come to see my little sis once in a while? I's hasn't seen you in over five months."

"I know, I know, but this is… so unexpected! How did you find out I was in Minnesota?"

"A little birdie told me." He hugged me close again and let my feet drop to the floor before releasing me.

"You sure it wasn't a cod? Only bird I ever saw was that damned seagull that bit me in the leg when I was six."

"Some guy named Jimmy wrote to me and told me." Gary was smiling at me, that smile that I called the "Gary smile". It kind of curved to the right, only revealing a few teeth, but that was my brother.

"Jimmy wrote to you, did he?" I smiled back, patting my brother on the shoulder.

"Sure he did. Lemme tell you, sis, you've got a good job here."

"It's three squares a day and enough for me to live on so long's as I sublet my apartment," I answered, then turned to face him. "Look, Gary, you don't do anything without having something else in mind. Why are you here?"

"I wanted to tell you something in person, sis. Somehow telling you this in a letter wouldn't be the right thing."

"What are you talking about? Someone die or something?"

"No, no one died."

"But you're so serious, Gary. What happened?"

"We better sit down with this…" he grabbed my hand and led me to an obscure corner of the arena, where a ratty old table and chairs sat. I wondered how long it had been since someone had washed the damn thing, let alone when the chairs had been replaced.

"Sit down, sis…" he told me.

"I'm sitting, Gary," I noted to him, although I'm sure he saw that my ass was firmly planted in the chair. "What the hell is going on?"

"I…"

"You what? What did you do? Shayna's not pregnant, is she?"

"No. Viv, Shayna isn't pregnant. It's got nothing to do with Shayna. It's about me."

"What happened, Gary? Just tell me!"

He was stoic for a moment before bending forward and whispering "I've joined up."

I stopped dead in my tracks. Had he just said what I thought he'd said?

"What?" I'm sure my mouth was open here. It couldn't be true. Gary would not do something so pigheaded, so stupid. Not when our mother needed him so badly. It was already bad enough that she felt I'd abandoned her, now this?

"I've joined up…"

I couldn't control what my body was doing. I got up out of the chair, stepped forward, grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt, and pulled him up. I'm surprised I was that strong, but even more so that he didn't even resist.

"No…" I let go of him and backed away from him. "No no no no, tell me you're lying. Please… Gary, tell me you didn't do this!"

"It's true Viv."

"I don't believe you!" I shouted. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm perfectly serious, Viv," he told me, holding out his hands to me. "I ship out from St. John's in a few days. I'm heading to Lebanon."

"Lebanon?" Lebanon? Why? I had no idea where that was, and even if I did I wouldn't even know what to say to that. "What's in Lebanon, Gary?"

"It's a peacekeeping mission, Vivianne," he told me. "We aren't there to fight, we're trying to restore order."

"I don't care if you're there to build a fucking restaurant, Gary! How could you do this?"

He didn't answer me.

"You'll die, Gary. If you go over there you're going to die…" the tears were flowing steadily now. I was in shock. I didn't know what to say or do, and forget trying to wipe the tears and they flowed down my cheeks.

He kissed me on the forehead, hugged me tight, and without another word, left me standing there alone.

ooOoo

My hands still shaking, I grabbed the paperwork that sat on the table beside me and carried it to Herb's office. Once there, I couldn't contain myself any longer. I collapsed to the floor and curled into a ball against the wall. Why? Why did I have to be so stupid and leave Mom when I did? I should've known the 'You need to be independent. I'll get there eventually' wouldn't stick. No sane person wants to take care of their mother for the rest of their lives. Was this some sort of revenge on me for moving before he did?

The emotions that had taken hold on my intestines and was squeezing them for their own amusement where now holding on tighter than ever before. The tears came more fiercely as I felt my shoulders heaving up and down with shed and unshed tears. It was getting to the point where I didn't care where I was or who saw me, I was just ready to die at that point.

I heard the door open, a pair of shoes shuffle past me, and the squeak of the chair as someone sat down in it. I refused to look up and acknowledge who it was.

I heard nothing else but the sound of a pen scratching on paper. Once it stopped, the shuffling of feet ceased right by me, and soon enough, someone lifted my chin and looked me in the eye.

"You okay there, Vivianne?"

It was Craig Patrick, assistant coach. From what I had observed he was more likely to be the one to listen to his players and those closely associated with them. It seemed Herb and Craig were playing a sort of 'good cop, bad cop' routine. It wasn't hard to figure out who was who.

And to be honest, I couldn't be more thankful that it was him I was looking at at that moment.

I was even more surprised at his reaction to my next move. He helped me off the floor and placed his hands on my shoulders.

I couldn't stop myself. The tears flowed again and my face contorted into the saddest face I had probably even done, and collapsed into him.

He didn't hesitate to pull me close and hug me.