12pm Barnaul Airport, Russia

Some two hours later, without wasting any time, Yuri had Bree and Yana on a plane back to England. As if it was not obvious enough, someone was after her but the reason still remained unknown.

Bree was a bit antsy about pulling out of Russia so soon after the attack with Yana in tow but Yuri insisted she go ahead and he would be sure to follow after some time passed and everything was sorted out.

At the airport, Bree suddenly got anxious about the situation all over again just twenty minutes before boarding. "This does not feel right, Yuri…" Bree whined as she rubbed her belly and bounced slightly on the balls of her feet like a 7year old in serious need of a piss.

Yuri reached out and clasped both her hands in his and touched the tip of her nose with his index finger. "I know you've got this, Bree. Home is the best place for you to be right now. Everything would be fine." He said in an attempt to reassure her, but her teary, wide-eyed stare told him differently.

"So, just go home, stay low and please…" he continued then stopped. From the fresh new look of despair on her face he knew he didn't have to say more.

Bree turned her head away from him a fraction then nodded in agreement to his unsaid words which would have been 'I'm worried too'. "I will." She said quietly. Yuri touched her shoulder then knelt to speak with Yana.

He gently took her hand and drew her into his arms. "Be a good girl for mommy." He whispered as her touched one of her rich brown curls that complemented her tiny mocha coloured face. Yuri sighed as he placed a kiss on his daughter's cheek, "Daddy loves you." He said.

Yana giggled with delight and strained to wrap her little arms around his neck as her way of giving him a big hug. "Bye bye, Yuwee!" she said. "Bye bye, Baby." He replied then stared up at Bree before he stood.

"You have to tell him." he said in all seriousness.

After they said their final farewells, she boarded the plane and immediately asked for a blanket so she can wrap Yana and herself tight for protection against the sudden onslaught of the chills.

The incident in Barnaul left Bree shaken; Not shaken as in afraid but as in angry as hell. Someone had tried to breach her orb of security and she could not have that, especially since she had another little life to think about.

She sat back in her seat and looked out the window of the aircraft at the rain that beat against the glass which reminded her of the wild emotions that beat against her heart. Sure she was going home and she should be happy but she knew there was something that had to be done, she just didn't know how she was going to do it. She was letting her fears get the best of her and it was driving her crazy.

A few hours later Bree's taxi pulled up to the apartment in Hereford and the driver helped her inside with her luggage. Only after she closed the door behind her and heard the lock click she actually felt safe in some way and the feeling of fear had subsided.

Though fear was something she had known for most of her life, she only came to know true fear when she decided to join the military and witnessed the death of the people she considered her family on a regular basis. If she said she feared for her own life she'd be lying because she knew her greatest fear is the fear of being left all alone.

Meanwhile…

Back at the base, MacTavish was furious. General Sharpe had given him the order to deploy a handful of squad members to do a little recce on the location for their next operation somewhere south of Thailand.

The guys managed to get it done but instead of returning to Hereford immediately like they were told, they took a little unauthorized detour, blew their cover and not only fucked up the entire plan but made their entire unit look like a bunch of bloody amateurs.

In all his years he had seen fuck ups but not as bad as this one. It would take weeks even months to smooth this over with their contact and not to mention the few government operatives who knew about this taking place. Sharpe would have his arse on a platter if he didn't fix this one quickly.

News travelled fast on the base especially when it's fresh shit that hit the fan. As he stalked back to his office after the official debriefing and arse chewing, he knew the others had gotten wind of what took place. No one dared to make eye contact with him as he passed by for fear of getting an arse chewing of their own if they stared at the Captain for too long.

These people knew him well enough to sense when he was in a bad mood. It was almost comical to witness those who just happened to be in his line of sight scrambling out of the way as he closed in on their position.

By the time he got back and shut his door, he could have sworn he heard a collective sigh from the other side. Feeling worn and agitated, John collapsed into his chair with an 'umph' and turned himself to face the window.

What he needed was not there. He knew for a fact if she was there she would have found a way to calm him so he could think clearly once again. Every King needed a Queen to guard his heart and soothe his soul, but after the phone call he got that morning he was sure that this Queen had left his arse behind.

Silently he cursed himself for driving her away like he did. Maybe he should have thought out another way to handle the situation without getting her too much involved. But he knew his girl was way smarter than that and could see right through him when she needed to.

"Bree..." he sighed out loud then sprang up in his seat when he realised that he had almost clasping a hand to his mouth as if he had cursed Her Majesty to her face.

The sudden knock at the door made him jump out of his skin; Damn he was so out of it today. "Come in" he said as he struggled to regain his composure. It was Pvt. Dalton with a silly grin on his face that was a cross between scared as hell and having to take a shit.

"Sir." he said in greeting. John sat back and nodded in response. The look on his face had taken Chuck by surprise, instead of a pissed off scowl pure sadness existed in his eyes. John looked away, suddenly finding interest in a loose piece of thread that hung from his uniform.

Chuck felt his insides clench as he thought about what could possibly be causing John pain such as this. He knew the gravity of the situation that took place but it was not enough to have their Captain all emotionally exposed like he was at the moment.

"I know this must be a bad time, but it is important." He started then hating the way he sounded, so… weak.

John looked up at him, presumably normal again. "Go on" he urged.

"I did some more digging like you asked and I found a name." Chuck said handing him a tiny slip of paper.

John took it from him, opened it up and there it was plain as day in blue ink. "Dex Toreno." He said mostly to himself.

Suddenly he snapped his attention back to Chuck.

"Good work Soldier..." John said as he extended a hand to Chuck who bristled slightly then took it firmly. "This means a lot to me. Thank you."

Chuck nodded, unable to speak as he felt the odd sensation of his inner body temperature rising at their brief moment of physical contact.

"Anytime sir." He replied eventually, his gaze still set on John behind the desk as he leaned back and stared at the piece of paper again.

"We'll talk in a couple days." John said as he dismissed him.

At first chance, Chuck turned swiftly and was out the door in a flash. Without looking back he walked purposefully in the direction of the garage at the western end of the base so he can clear his head.

Two years ago he met John who made him feel like he could conquer to world in a day. Immediately he found himself looking up to him as a mentor and sometimes even like a father despite their small age difference.

Whether he was looking for the love of a father to replace the one he lost when his own father banished him for coming out or he genuinely wanted to be like John; He did not know. But one thing he knew for sure was that these feelings he had were so real, they were almost too dangerous to deal with.

It was for this reason he stomped up the dusty path to the usually deserted building in search of the object of his false affection.

Slowly he walked in and pulled the slightly rusted door shut behind him with a loud crack. That's when he spotted the man he had come to see; the only man who truly knew him for who he was.

Covered in grease and sweat, Pvt. Don Alexis popped up from beneath one of the many vehicles in need of repair. Upon seeing Chuck standing at the vestibule, his face immediately broke into a bright smile.

Don was a half foot shorter than Chuck with fiery red hair and odd black eyes he was indeed a character to behold.

"Chuck!" he said as he grabbed a piece of cloth to wipe his hands, hurrying over to greet him.

Chuck stared at Don as he approached him and swallowed hard. The look on Chuck's face made his bright smile disappear completely and his eyes welled with concern until he noticed what was really wrong. "Fancy seeing you here…" Don said slowly. "Shouldn't you be with him?"

Chuck stuffed his hands into his pockets as he came to a stop. Nervously he shifted his weight to his other foot and lightly kicked at the few grains of gravel on the concrete floor of the garage.

"You were… weren't you?" Don probed deeper, searching for an explanation as to why Chuck was in such a mood. "Yeah" Chuck said then folded his arms across his chest. Since they began their service they always stuck together and shared their lives with each other.

Don was the only one to know about and partake in his secret since they were so alike; and they both knew if word got out on base their goose was cooked.

In addition to their sexual orientation, Don also knew how Chuck felt about their Captain and it troubled him deeply because it was hard to see the one you want, pining after someone else.

Hereford – Back at the apartment… 8pm

Soap's sleek black Maserati pulled up outside the presumably empty apartment he once shared with the only woman he felt was right for him.

Tonight he was well on his way to Annabelle's house for another 'quiet' evening, but his instincts suggested that it was a set up to either let her jump his bones or meet her precious group of female friends.

This was why he decided to stop by the apartment for a drink to push himself into the 'Don't-give-a-fuck' zone to deal with an evening of endless woman chatter and possibly forced sex. Why he was being so wicked to himself was beyond him.

In addition to that he had no idea that Bree would be back in town so early until he opened the front door and spotted her bags sitting at the bottom of the staircase.

His eyes did a quick sweep of the foyer and the adjacent rooms for signs of activity then silently cursed himself. The fact that he came to the apartment while she was there meant that he had just set her up for more trouble than he had bargained for and possibly set the last piece of the puzzle in place for his worst fears to befall him.

Quickly he decided to abort his mission and turned to leave for Annabelle's when…

"John?"

Instantly his insides froze then warmed up at the sound of her voice behind him. 'Yes, baby?' he wanted to say but restrained himself.

"Hey, Bree." he opted for instead.

When he turned around to face her, he took his time to appreciate her with his eyes where she stood at the foot of the staircase then swallowed hard.

Bree looked fantastic as she usually does but not being around her for a while had left him feeling thirstier than usual. Like the lonely soldier he was before he opened up himself to her.

She had her hair braided into a single fishtail that hung loosely over her shoulder with an elastic band wrapped at the end to keep it in place. John just wanted to reach out and caress her face then take her into his arms and let her know how much he missed her.

Being with her was his passion and loving her was his power.

"I um…I …" he tried again and feeling annoyed at how flustered he sounded. Awkwardly he raised a hand to his head and raked a few fingers through his hair.

"Where is Yana?" John asked with a hopeful look flashing across his features.

"She's asleep." She replied.

Bree looked at him strangely. "Are you okay?" she said, looking equally as nervous as he felt.

Bree felt her insides react to John when he was all emotional on the inside but refused to show it like the male animal he was. The feeling she got off of him was so unbelievable it made her wonder if it was a good time to let him know…

"Aye, I'm good. Just thought I'd swing by for a bit…" John said after he regained 50% of his composure. "Didn't expect to find you here…"

Bree diverted her eyes from his suddenly intent stare. It was obvious that he knew where she had been so it made no sense to deny. But the reason she returned so early and the piece of truth she had to lay on him was overwhelming.

"I know… I just felt it was best to get back sooner than later." She replied.

"So, how was Russia?" he asked then mentally slapped himself. He originally intended to remain totally impassive about the whole situation but he just had to know.

"It was lovely." Bree said quite conceitedly. 'How dare he…' she thought to herself; beginning to feel somewhat annoyed by his imposition.

John bit his lip, crossed his arms and nodded slowly as he continued to look at her from head to toe; the tension that weighed on his handsome features was hard to deny.

Everything about her seemed normal except for the fact that she was no longer his main squeeze, but he couldn't help getting the feeling that something was wrong.

Tentatively, he took a small step towards her. When she didn't react he took a few more until he was exactly one foot before her. "I'm glad you're okay, Bree. That night…"

"Uh…yeah, about that" she said, the wrapped her arms around herself self-consciously. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, really."

Her nervous laugh that came after made him feel warm on the inside. "It's fine…" he said, softly then shrugged but kept his gaze on her.

Bree stole a chance and settled her eyes on his. His concerned, baby blue stare had her transfixed for a second that turned into a moment.

"I did some shopping on my way back from the airport. Please, help yourself to something to drink if you like." She started, trying to make herself busy.

Quickly she turned toward the kitchen and in that split second her toe got snagged on the edge of the giant Persian rug at the foot of the stairs and she lurched forward.

Acting on impulse, John reached out and caught her just before she hit the floor. In one fluid move he righted her then held her close to him.

"You need to be more careful." He said gently as he looked down at her. He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent; coconut body wash… just how he liked it.

Bree pressed her palm to her head which was now resting on John's chest amidst the once shared foyer littered with menacing memorabilia of their failed love.

"Yeah I do." She said, trying her best to laugh it off but her smile faded when she looked up at him and was instantly reminded that there was something he had to know about. Yuri's words were being replayed in her mind. 'He deserves to know…'

As she opened her mouth to speak again, John's phone vibrated and rang in his pocket. "Hm… I got to take this." He sighed as he released her and slipped the device out of his pocket.

In his doing so, Bree's eyes stole a quick glance at the screen and it was there she got her much dreaded answer that shot her in the chest like a bullet from a high powered rifle. Right then and there she retreated into herself. 'Annabelle'

John's apologetic look made the situation worse as he side swiped the screen to answer the call of the other woman. "Yeah, I'll be right there." He said briefly as he turned away with the intention of returning his attention back to Bree; but by the time the call ended she was already gone.