Hey guys! This one's pretty short, so sorry about that, but enjoy anyways! And hope everyone had a fantabulous Valentine's Day!

Francis watched Alfred drift out of the barracks, and his smile waned. Shouldn't he be happy that he is having a… Wait… I keep forgetting that Alfred is only nineteen. He's still a child himself. A child having a child… A child fighting a man's war.

Francis ran his fingers through his hair and slowly sat down on Alfred's bunk. "I can't imagine being in his position," he said to Perry, "Being so young and finding out that I am to become a father." Perry crossed his arms and sat down next to Francis. The others meandered over from the other side of the barracks to gather around Alfred's bunk.

"So, hold on," Brunner said, his hand raised, "Somewhere in the world, there's going to be a little Jonesey?"

"Apparently so," Perry remarked.

"Ok then, if that's the case, then who knows anything about the girl?"

The barracks were silent.

Bodnar spoke up after a moment. "Well, he never really said anything about her, did he?"

The others all shook their heads.

"Could it be that…" It was almost as if his lips didn't want to put the words into the air. "Maybe it was a one-night stand? Or… Maybe some sort of a mistake?"

The silence went from uncomfortable, to heavy, to suffocating. No one wanted to entertain the thought that Alfred, the boy that had quickly turned into the beloved 'younger brother' of the group of Marines, had gone off and gotten a girl pregnant. One-night stand, girlfriend, it didn't matter. What did matter to these men was if Alfred would own this and take responsibility for what he had done.

La Salle cleared his throat. "Nineteen years old or not, he's put some girl in an impossibly precarious situation while he is here, an ocean away. He can't be there for her. He can't provide for her." He then shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, what happens if, you know, he's killed. What happens to his child and the mother? They're not married, so she and the child get no monetary death benefits. They receive nothing. Nothing but shame and pity. And then they're forgotten. They fade into obscurity. Everyone moves on but them, because how could they?"

Francis shook his head as he heard the words whispered in his ear by Perry. Perry's translation was the only sound that could be heard.

That's when he made a decision.

Francis got up from where he was sitting on Alfred's bunk and pushed through the knot of men. He could feel their eyes on his back as he made his way across the barrack, through the door, and out into the sunshine.

He wanted to talk to Alfred about this, or at least see what his reaction was since he had left so quickly.

He didn't have to look for long. Not twenty yards from the door sat Alfred under tree. Its branches were laden with green, and Alfred's face was shaded by its leaves. There was a spot beside a protruding root that was just big enough for him to take a seat next to Alfred. He eased himself down slowly, ran his fingers through his hair, and sighed, but Francis said nothing. Alfred's eyes were closed and the ends of his lips were curled up in a slight smile. A content smile.

The two men sat together like this for many minutes. Feeling the breeze. Watching the birds flutter to and fro. Neither of them speaking to the other.

Alfred finally opened his eyes and turned to his new companion. Francis tore his gaze from the countryside that he loved so to meet Alfred's eyes. They were bright but misty. He smiled. He could hold it for only a moment before his lip began to tremble.

Francis' heart ached for Alfred, and he pulled him into a strong embrace. Alfred frantically returned it, his whole body shaking. His face hidden, the tears flowed freely.

"What on earth am I going to do?" Alfred asked between sobs. "She's there, I'm here… If I… Who's going to…?" He couldn't finish the thought. He broke off into heartrending silence.

Francis didn't know what to do other than to hold him close. Everyone in the little unit had grown to become closer than family. What one felt, they all felt. Francis wept with his brother and held him as closely as he could.

If there was anything that he could do for Alfred, he would do it without a second thought. He would be there for him in every way that he possibly could.

There was no need for a translator for that to be understood.

-x-x-x-

Francis left Alfred under the tree about a half hour later, once his sobs had quieted. He wanted to leave him alone to his thoughts some more before he returned to the rest of the men. When he opened the door of the barracks, every eye was instantly on him.

"Well… How's he taking it?" someone asked.

Perry translated.

"He's scared. Scared that he won't make it home to care for his new family. He just needs some time."

The others nodded, and the subject was dropped.

Perry handed Francis an envelope addressed to him. "This is for you."

Francis thanked him and took it. It was another update on Estelle's condition. He had arranged for biweekly updates on her status to be sent to him, but they were sent through safe passages of course. Francis ripped the envelope open and read the paper inside. She was still improving physically, but her mental status was another thing. She had yet to say a word, but if even the shadow of a man passed over her window, she was reduced to screams of terror. This had become a new development once Francis had left. It tore him apart to hear of her suffering, but there was nothing that he could do for her. Her appetite had started to improve slightly now however, so Francis was pleased.

"How's your sister?" Brunner asked. All the men knew of Estelle's plight.

"She is doing well," Francis said. "Improving every day."

He wasn't altogether lying, and the others knew it. They waited in patient silence for the full truth.

Francis sighed. "Her appetite is growing. She still screams."

The others nodded thoughtfully. Perry gave him a good-natured slap on the shoulder. "She'll come around, don't worry. Now let's hit the chow hall, I'm starved."

Everyone started to head toward the door, but Francis hung back for a moment. He folded the slip of paper up and slid it into a small box that he kept by his bunk. In the box was every update that he had gotten on Estelle's condition, along with an old photo of her that he had taken from their living room and taped to the lid of the box.

A reminder to himself that the old Estelle was somewhere, buried deep inside the new one.

That that old Estelle could come back.

Sometimes though, he couldn't convince himself that she could.

-x-x-x-

A tap on his shoulder while eating his potatoes made Francis turn around. It was Ortiz. "Bonnefoy, I need to see you once you finish, so hurry it up."

La Salle took a swig of his coffee. "What do you want with him? He was just going to listen to my story about my ex wife!"

"La Salle, if I have to hear that story about your ex wife one more time," Ortiz warned, "I'm going to find the nearest cliff and launch myself from it, and I'll be taking you with me."

Francis shoveled what little was left on his plate into his mouth, as did Perry, and the two men got to their feet to follow Ortiz out of the chow hall. Laughter chased them out, and Ortiz led the men to his office.

Once inside, Ortiz beckoned the two men to his desk, where a map was spread out over the top of it. "Here's the deal, Bonnefoy. Your job with this operation may just be the most important out of all of ours. You know that you're going to be flying us in, and I wanted to go over details with you."

Once Perry translated, Francis nodded and pulled up a chair.

For an hour, the men poured over the map, plans, and every detail. If everything worked out, the flight in and out would go off without a hitch. Francis would fly in, the men would drop over the DZ, Francis would fly out and back to the airfield to be debriefed.

Simple and painless. He could do it in his sleep.

If they didn't get behind, he'd be home for breakfast.

Francis smiled and assured Ortiz that he would perform his duties to the best of his ability, and that he hoped that he could make Ortiz proud.

Ortiz slapped him on the arm. "Kid, you already have."

Again, sorry so short. Kind of a filler. But thanks for reading, and feel free to review!

Love as always,

Harley