December 20, 1967

Vietnam

Jesselynn Thorne and Sergeant Frank Woods

Sergeant Woods leaned back against the stacked, wooden crates that seemed to be lying around everywhere he stepped. They held numerous things, depending on the area they were required in. Some tents needed extra ammo and weapons while the infirmary tents always had extra supplies on hand, though the crates never stayed outside for very long. It seemed they were using more and more of their medical supplies and instruments with each hour that passed by. The NVA were coming at them in brute forces and showing no mercy as the battle was becoming more and more serious.

He wore his usual dull green T-shirt and camouflage pants and his combat boots. The day was winding down, well, as much as it possibly could, as the orange-red stretched across the sky and clouds giving some a brief dreamy atmosphere. It did no such thing for Woods, though. It was just sunset; what could possibly be so magnificent about it? Justin seemed to love it though. Said he always had since he was a kid. Then again, he was practically raised by just women his whole life.

Justin seemed to be growing on old Woods, though. Though he was in his twenties, he still showed his childish personality whenever he could. Especially when that girl, Roxanne, was around. Apparently, he caught wind that she rather preferred a laid-back, silly guy than someone so stern and serious. It was rather amusing to watch him over-exaggerate his jokes with mild sound effects and motion with his hands. He was a man, but a kid in so many ways. The complete opposite of his sister, it seemed.

Woods' thoughts changed quickly at the last thought. He found it hard to be in her presence anymore after their last real conversation together. Before, he had just thought her to be a very serious workaholic, but now there was more to her than what he had assumed. That complexity made him nervous for some unexplainable reason and he hated it. He knew there was something more she was keeping hidden from everybody, but he honestly would rather not hear it. Every time he glanced in her direction, he kept expecting her to start breaking down and crying like some child. All he could think about was the little girl in her story that had practically died right along with her parents.

Then, there was that feeling of familiarity. He could relate with the woman. He had never really known his father before he died and he was practically alienated from the rest of his family, mostly his sister. He honestly wasn't expecting any letter soon and wasn't going to sit around waiting for the impossible either. He had made his peace with that clear fact long ago, but still, there was a bit of curiosity every now and then. He sometimes wondered how his sister had grown and how his mother was coping with everything. Many years ago he had gotten the news that his sister had a son, but that was the last time he had ever heard from his family. The boy had to be eight by now, if his calculation was right. He didn't even know his name. He scoffed thinking how pathetic it was that he didn't know his own nephew's name or anything about him besides the fact that he existed somewhere in this world.

He knew his sister had been married, though. She was engaged before he enlisted. He could barely remember the guy that was now his brother-in-law, but remembered he was a pretty decent guy. Their mother absolutely loved him. Maybe he was going to take Frank's place. Then, he probably already has.

Woods was partially happy and pleased with that. If he did happen to need someone to carry out the message that her only son was dead, at least she'd have her daughter and new son to comfort with this news and help her overcome it. That is, if she hadn't already forgotten about him. He honestly couldn't blame had she; he had been gone for probably decades by now. He lost track of the time over the years, but he knew it had been a very long time.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a small, thin hand suddenly grab his shoulder, demanding his attention. He turned his body halfway to see the smaller figure now standing directly beside her. It took him a second to figure out who it was, but when she spoke, her name immediately came to mind.

"Have you talked to her yet?" Roxanne demanded after she had blown a straight strand of hair out of her face that had been tickling her nose.

"Who?" He questioned back as he folded his arms across his chest and looked down at her. He was still surprised she had directly come to him. She usually spoke through Justin if she wanted something from him. It was obviously more important to her since she came straight for him to display her message.

Roxanne rolled her eyes softly and groaned softly, shoulders slumping. It was obvious it had been a very long day for the medical staff. "Jess!"

He should have expected that. He had agreed to talk with her, much to Mason's surprise. He still chuckled remembering Mason's shocked expression when he easily accepted. Now, he wished he had thought about it more than what he had.

"Oh, yeah. Not yet." He simply replied. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to reply to something like this.

"Well, you better hurry! When she starts opening her books, she doesn't make time for nobody. Also, if she's talking to Dr. Flirt, just interrupt. Trust me, it's fine." She said as she crossed her arms, trying to hide her annoyance.

"Doctor what?" Woods questioned, wondering why someone with such a nickname would possibly be talking to Jesselynn. For some unexplainable reason, it unnerved him. Jesselynn was somewhat his friend, an acquaintance. Why would he possibly care if someone was supposedly flirting with her?

"Well, his real name is Dr. Joshua Webber, but he's been flirting with Jesselynn since he got here about a month ago. He's single -widowed, actually- and amazed with Jesselynn. She looks a lot like his deceased wife; same wavy hair and green eyes. It's actually kind of creepy if you ask me." She explained as she brushed away another annoying strand that was blown by the wind and dust that had been picked up by a nearby departing helicopter.

"What does she think about it?" He questioned almost innocently like an upset child. His eyes occasionally glanced over at the small building that Jesselynn normally resided in, almost imagining this doctor that Roxanne spoke of smiling and flirting with her. In his imagination, he pictured her completely ignoring him. Though, he wasn't sure if it was assumption or hope.

"Eh, her normal. Just smile and nod and act like she's paying attention to him. She finds it too weird how she and his deceased wife look identical to even consider liking him like he seems to like her. Besides, she said she wasn't ready for something like that. After breaking off her engagement, she just wants a little slice of normal before even thinking about that again." Roxanne explained noticing the change of his voice with a slight grin.

Woods said nothing but nodded, mostly to himself rather than to her. That was one thought answered. He tried to tell himself that he didn't care that Jesselynn was gaining attention, though it was rather small, from the male surgeons. It was none of his business and he had bigger things to fret over, but he still didn't want to think of her, that stubborn, serious woman, in a position as such.

"Well, you better get going or I will shove you in there!" Roxanne said, snapping him out of his current thoughts, lightly pushing on his shoulder.

Woods glanced at Roxanne then over to the building that contained the woman that had been their topic of conversation. He knew that Roxanne wouldn't let him do anything else but talk to her so he figured that he might as well. Besides, there was a tiny portion of himself that wanted to speak with her. He couldn't understand or explain it, but he knew it was there.

With another soft push from Roxanne, he found his feet slowly carrying him over to the medic's center. At least that was what many called it since those who were part of the medical profession normally stayed close to their line of work. Now that he thought about it, that's actually how it should be. For some, like Jesselynn, it was practically home though.

He could already tell that this woman was a workaholic; he could sense so after their first real conversation together. From Roxanne's and some of Justin's stories, that had always been her life. There was nothing and no one else in her life except her brother and her career. She didn't know life without the two. Her brother wished that she would learn, though. He mentioned that to Woods almost every day.

Within no time, Woods found himself rapping his knuckles on the door and entering at the same time, a ritual he was growing used to doing. He could already tell that it was a rather quiet day for those that were stuck in there by the only noise being those of the machines some men were hooked onto and faint coughs or someone clearing their throats. Well, everything was quiet except for the scurrying of feet across an office floor to his right. He grinned for a split second when he knew that it was Jesselynn. She could never just sit down and be still. It seemed impossible for her.

With a short-spaced walk and another knocking ritual, he softly closed the door to the office behind him and looked up at the woman. Her long wavy hair was flowing down her back, with a few wild strands sticking out for the crown of her head, and the fronts were pulled back with a simple clip that was decorated with fake diamonds though some seemed to be missing and left a dull, gray opening. She wore normal apparel –a white, form-fitting dress that tickled the top of her knees and a light blue cardigan— but was surprised to see that she was bare-footed this time around.

He grinned once again and cleared his throat, signaling his presence in the room since it had apparently gone unnoticed by the busy woman.

Jesselynn stopped dead in her tracks in front of a filing cabinet, arms still reaching for a package on top of the black cabinet, and looked over at the visitor. Her expression softened some from the look of annoyance and she gave him a half-hearted grin. She had expected Woods to be another certain doctor that was honestly getting on her nerves about his proposal. He knew that he was just doing so to unnerve her, but she was growing tired of his games. Especially after she had ushered him out of her office seconds ago.

"Bad timing?" Woods questioned with a grin as he crossed his arms around his chest, looking around her office. Papers and folders were scattered anywhere and everywhere they could be contained and her office chair sat in the middle of the space between her desk and the filing cabinet opposite of the one she was busying herself with. It was small, four-walled room and was about as wide a child's room. It had no windows and the only entrance and exit was the door he just came through. He now noticed that she had brought an extra cot into the room. Roxanne obviously wasn't kidding when she said that Jesselynn practically lived there.

Jesselynn took a glance around her office, suddenly embarrassed about the mess, with Woods as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "What? Oh, um, no. Just organizing…Well, sort of." She said as she did a self-inspection of her small office space.

Woods gave her a crooked, half-hearted grin and looked up at her. She was now busying herself with her papers and reached over and pushed her office chair towards Woods that he seized with one hand. Once she figured that her desk was somewhat clean, Jesselynn stepped around her desk and sat on top of it, immediately tugging at the hem of her dress as she kept herself upright by gripping the edge of her desk by her sides.

"How's Justin been doing?" Jesselynn asked automatically knowing the reason behind his visit. He had done so once or twice before and she had already suspected that he was taking Mason's place.

"Good, I guess. Kid's good with taking orders. Very alert and light on his feet. Gets distracted real easily though. If anybody even mentions that girl, Roxanne, he starts daydreaming and he'd get his head blown off his shoulders if he did that out there on the field." Woods summarized, telling her of Justin's recent news as it came to his memory.

Jesselynn chuckled softly and Woods began to notice that she had a gentle, almost childlike face. Her features and expressions were soft with big, round puppy-dog eyes. She looked like a child in some ways, but the truth of her years was evident in her mature, green eyes. Though he knew that she had to be in her early thirties by now, her thin, fragile body didn't help clarify her age either. She did have some meat on her bones, but it was in the areas where she covered the most. She had quite the hourglass figure and flattered it well with sundresses that hugged and encased her tiny waist.

When Jesselynn began speaking again, Woods' eyes snapped back up to hers in hopes that she hadn't caught him looking her up and down. He was almost embarrassed at the thought, though he refused to show it. He learned over the years to cover his inner emotions very well. Still, he was glad to see that Jesselynn hadn't even noticed that his eyes had shifted.

"Justin's always been like that. He'd always get in trouble at school for daydreaming and doodling in his books when he was supposed to be working. I don't remember those years too well, but I do remember Mom saying that whenever she was changing his diaper or just holding him, he'd always be looking around the room like he was lost in his own little world. She always called him her little daydreamer…" Jesselynn started, letting her words drift away as the familiar tug at her heart disabled her speech.

Woods expression softened slightly, noticing the way she let her words drift off. It didn't take a genius to realize that there was something she was holding back. Woods decided to leave it be, though. It wasn't any of his business. Besides, why would she tell him? The only reason she wanted to talk to him was to hear about her brother. That's the only reason she talked with anyone, it seemed like. He still wasn't sure if that was a personal-comfort or avoidance technique.

"You really love your brother, don't ya?" Woods said more as a statement than a question. It was obvious that she was devoted to her baby brother.

"Well, of course. He's the only real family I have left. Besides, if you think about it, who else is there?" Jesselynn stated with a humorless chuckle. She already regretted opening her mouth. She tried to tell herself that she never wanted pity from anyone and didn't want to talk about her past, but even after twenty odd years she still found herself blabbing the same emotions absentmindedly.

Woods cocked a brow at her for he found her story rather pathetic and untrue. "What about Roxanne? You two talk like you've known each all your lives. Is that relationship one-sided or something?" Woods questioned.

Jesselynn immediately flashed up to his at his statement, finding it almost insulting that he would question her friendship with Roxanne. "Of course not, she's like my sister, if I were lucky to have one. I've told others about my background in the past, but once they learned about me they no longer wanted anything to do with me. I was just getting used to being alone when Roxanne came along. She's the only true friend I've ever had since I was very little."

"So, you don't consider her family?" Woods questioned again, suddenly feeling as though he was now a psychiatrist as he looked up at the woman and tried to figure her out.

Jesselynn softly frowned at him for a minute before softening her expression and letting out a breath. "Okay, you're right…I just wouldn't want to burden her though. She's got parents back home, her little girl. She has real family that pray and worry for her every day. What kind of friend would I be to just intrude on that special bond?" She said looking down at him with true sincerity gleaming in her eyes.

Woods felt his eyebrows straighten and the crooked grin he had faded. "A normal one? If you're really that close with her then she'd want you to be part of her family, officially. Trust me; I think she already considers you family like that."

Jesselynn averted her eyes to the ground underneath her as she absentmindedly pulled her sweater sleeve up to her elbow. She knew he had a point, but she wasn't ready to exactly admit it. She also didn't realize that she wore that cardigan for reason that morning and once she remembered, she knew it was too late but tried to quickly shove the sleeve back down.

Woods watched her pull her sleeve up and reveal about four, long dark marks that were beginning to fade on her forearm. Woods caught Jesselynn's frantic expression as she shoved her sleeve back down and placed her hand on top of it as though he would still be able to see the marks through her thick sweater. For a split second, he decided that he do nothing for it may have been just a shadow, but two reasons told him that was wrong: he knew a bruise when he saw one –he had gained many during his years— and the fact that she overreacted so strongly knew that she was intentionally hiding it.

Before she could do anything else, Woods practically flew out of his chair and immediately stood in front of her, grabbing her arm. He remembered that they were bruises and he should be careful, but he was more focused on what kind of bruises they were and how she could have possibly received them.

Woods wrapped a hand around her wrist and began to gently pull back her cardigan sleeve again, ignoring Jesselynn's frantic, stuttered commands and threats. As he pulled back the extra layer and revealed the tanned skin of her arm, Woods glanced up at Jesselynn. He was surprised to see that she neither glared nor frowned at him, but had a look of sheer hopelessness and defeat. She obviously understood that he wasn't going to forget about it.

His eyes narrowed when he inspected the marks on her forearm. Just as he had suspected, someone had gripped her hard enough with their hand to leave their mark. He had no idea who was the suspect though. Considering that the hand print seemed larger than a woman's hand, it had to be a man that grabbed her.

"Who did this?

Jesselynn kept staring down at the ground and avoided his eyes, knowing she'd spill everything the second she caught someone's eyes. "Who said anyone did?" She questioned, wishing that the topic would be dismissed and they could go on with their regular routines.

"Quit bullshitting me, Jess. Give me the truth." Woods said in an annoyed tone, surprised that she would even think that he would fall for that.

"It was no one, okay? I…I did it myself. It was an accident." Jesselynn said in a shaky voice as she glanced around the room, trying to think of something that would back up her sudden, false story.

Woods raised a brow at her. "Jess, I'm not falling for that. I just told you, tell me the damn truth. Who grabbed you? Was it that Doctor Flirt or whatever the hell his name is?" Woods said as he remembered that Roxanne had said that the surgeon had been spending time alone with Jesselynn recently and seemed to be with her most when she was alone in her office.

"What? No! Of course not, why would you think that?" Jesselynn said as she stood off her desk, eyebrows raised in surprise as she tried to move away from him with no avail.

"Then who, Jesse? Why can't you tell me who did this?" Woods nearly shouted at her. He was no longer in the mood to play games.

"Why should I tell you? You're practically a stranger to me, Sergeant! The only reason I bother talking to you is to learn about Justin! I think it is none of your business about what happens to me!" Jesselynn protested as she tried to yank her arm from Woods' strong grip on her wrist.

"If you won't tell me then I could always ask Justin or Roxanne! If it's anyone here that's hurting you, they can get in serious shit and stop hurting you. That's why I want to know, Jesselynn. Besides, I promised your brother I wouldn't let nothing happen to you. I respect the kid and I don't plan on breaking promises anytime soon." Woods said, speaking softer now as he looked her straight in her eyes, hoping she would see the sincerity behind his words.

Jesselynn's glare softened into a frown, knowing he was right. She couldn't believe that Justin had made such a proposition with the man, but what puzzled her more was the clear fact that he had accepted it so easily. Why? "Why? Why would you want to look after me?"

"That don't matter right now. Right now, you need to tell me who did this." He said ignoring her question. He didn't even know the real reason why he chose to do so. He was still figuring it out himself.

Jesselynn sighed and let her arm go limp in his grasp that was loosening as well. "Marcus…"

"Who the hell's Marcus?"

"You remember I told you about breaking my engagement with my fiancée because things got difficult? Well, this was why. Recently, he told me to come and meet him for some kind of proposition he had. When I smart-mouthed him a couple of times, he grabbed me and slapped me. I immediately left when he was done." Jesselynn explained as she sat back on the top of her desk.

Woods' eyes narrowed again as he listened to her story. He thought that there were just arguments in their relationship, but he had no idea that that was the true reason behind it. "How long?"

Jesselynn looked down at the ground as she answered his question. "Nearly ten years."

"Ten years! Why the hell didn't you tell anyone?" Woods suddenly blurted out as he raised his voice, causing Jesselynn to jump slightly.

"Who could I tell? The only people in my life were Justin and Marcus! Nobody else would believe me anyway. Marcus was an artist in deception." Jesselynn said as she glared at a crack in the ground underneath her.

"So, you just let it happen for ten years?" Woods questioned. He couldn't believe that this woman, who loves her brother so much, would allow him in her and her brother's lives.

"What else could I do? He was helping my brother and leaving him alone. He helped my brother get in the best schools and pretty much paid for everything that he wanted. He was able to give my brother the life I never could have if I was on my own. All I had to be was keep quiet…It was easy, at first." Jesselynn snapped as her vision flicked up to Woods' eyes.

"It shouldn't be easy, Jess. You shouldn't've even let your brother or yourself in that shit!" Woods scolded, brows furrowed together in either anger or concern. He wasn't sure anymore.

Jesselynn hopped down from the desk again and stood in front of the angered man, now regretting even speaking out against him. The top of her head reached his chin and she could see from her peripheral vision his strong, menacing muscles throughout his arms and chest. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea anymore. She thought about how lucky she was that Marcus wasn't as well-toned as Woods seemed to be. She'd have to be covering a lot more than just a little bruise and scratch.

"You don't even know me, Sergeant! How dare you even tell me what to do with my life, especially judge me for past mistakes!" Jesselynn spat at him with a slightly raised voice, too scared to raise her voice any louder for fear of attracting attention.

Woods chewed on the inside of his lip from saying anything unnecessary or worse to the situation. He knew there was a lot he would say, should it be other than Jesselynn he was arguing with, but he knew that his mother would surely disown for saying such things in the presence of a lady. Without thinking much of it, he swiftly raised his arm to point a finger at her, but didn't realize how fast and close he got to her face. Her reaction swept every inch of anger out of his system.

Jesselynn immediately jumped back with a flinch, a momentary flash of fear crossed her expression and she swore she was beginning to see a display of the strength behind his menacing muscles she had just been observing. Her first instinct was to scream and shriek for Marcus to stop, but when she realized that she wasn't back home and wasn't dealing with an upset drunk, she felt stupid and embarrassed.

Woods lowered his arm back to his side and took a half-step closer to Jesselynn, entirely forgetting what they were even arguing about in the first place. "Jess…I wouldn't…Are you okay?" He asked innocently with a surprisingly softer tone.

Jesselynn looked up and nearly blushed in embarrassment from the sincerity in his eyes. She didn't like looking so weak and helpless in front of others. She was a grown woman, not a child. She needed to get over and quit throwing a pity party for herself and move on. Still, there were moments where nights with Marcus would kick back to her memory and she'd lash out in the same fear she did at that present time.

"Yes, I just…It's nothing…Forget about it, Woods." Jesselynn said nervously fixing her cardigan jacket and turned and briskly walked over to the farthest filing cabinet in attempt to escape her fear.

Woods just followed her and nearly cornered her in front of the filing cabinet. "No, you're not. Look, I'm sorry if I scared you, Jess. I would never hurt you…You know that, right?" He said as he stared straight down in her eyes, forcing her to look up at him by placing an arm opposite her head that was near the top cabinet. As he looked down at her, he could see the faint trace of a small bruise in the corner of her mouth and a scab which hinted that Marcus had busted her lip when he slapped her. The thought made his blood curdle, but he knew he had to keep calm if he wanted Jesselynn to trust him.

Jesselynn searched his eyes and his face, but found no sign of any kind of bluff or lie. She sincerely believed him, but there was a part of her that wanted nothing but her own safety and satisfaction and wanted to prove him wrong. Everybody hurts you in the end whether or not it's accidental or not. That's the way it seemed, at least. Yet, she could tell that he was absolutely serious by his slow, steady actions and soft voice and eyes.

"Yes…I believe you."

Woods returned his arm to his side and stood straight when he realized he had leaned closer to her when he spoke to her. He looked down as Jesselynn began to stare down at the ground beneath them, eyelashes resting against the hollow of her cheeks. He nearly grinned when he thought that she looked like a little kid after a heartfelt talk. The awkward tension and flush of skin were evidence of that comparison. For some unexplained reason, Woods looked down at the bruise on her mouth, covered with light make-up, and wanted to cup her cheek in his palm. He felt protective of this woman, but he couldn't explain it. He felt ridiculous even thinking so and was ecstatic that she was unable to read his thoughts. He would rather be blown up on the field than face a hurdle like that.

With that thought, Woods reached back and scratched the back of his neck and stepped away from her, giving her some room. He almost feared that she would somehow hear his thoughts should he be any closer. "Take my advice or forget it in the next two seconds, whichever you want. But, I think you should start talkin' with your brother. He deserves to know what you've been tellin' everybody else." He started as he began backing up towards the door.

"He does know about Marcus. Trust me, he knows." Jesselynn said as she looked down at her bare feet and glanced up at him.

"Besides Marcus…About your folks. He deserves to know the truth. And trust me; once when he's gone, you'd kill to have just one talk with him. You can't restart when the game's already over." He said as he was halfway through the door, feeling the need to be away from her presence before he did something he was really going to regret.

Jesselynn wanted to argue with him, but knew he was right. Justin always wanted to know about their parents and asked her almost every day when he was little. As he got older, he realized that she just wouldn't open up about it any longer. Now, they were both adults and Justin never really knew his parents while Jesselynn had been selfishly keeping the memories to herself. Her heart almost broke when she realized the truth behind the words. She was hogging her parents just like she thought Justin had done when he was just a baby.

She looked up to say one last word to Woods, but found that he was already gone. That left her, backed into the corner of her office, with her mouth hanging open and a heavy heart hanging loosely in her chest. She wished Woods was still here. There was something about his presence that made her feel safe and actually valuable and useful, for once. He reminded her of her father, in many ways. He'd be strict and commanding one second and the next he was gathering you in one of his famous, rib-cracking bear-hugs. Perhaps that was why she had the inclination to just crawl into his arms and disappear from the world. She wanted the safety and security of her father.

Now, she was left with a cold, empty office with no one but her own thoughts and mountains of paperwork to deal with. She much preferred Frank's commanding presence over battling the aggravating filing cabinet that constantly liked to test her strength.

Well, Woods finally knows about Jesselynn and Marcus and the drama between them. What do you think of Woods' reaction? Do you think there's more he's hiding? What will Woods and Jesse's relationship be now that he knows her secret?

Creative Question: What do you think will happen with Woods and Jesse now? What are your predictions for their future, besides the most obvious future? Something big will finally bring them together, but what will it be? Ideas?

Thank you again for reading and please review! I am living on them! Also, thank you so much, WheresDaBeef, for your review! I had no idea anybody would even read it that fast let alone take time out of their day to review!

WheresDaBeef: Thank you! It was just something that I slapped down after a long, hard thought of making a cameo appearance for them. I'm actually thinking about doing more, that is, if everyone wants me to. Also, funny thing, I was just actually thinking about doing that in a couple of chapters! I may not use Jessica and Michael though, maybe another Woods kid. Unless you absolutely want the "dynamic duo" then I think I can manage something :) Thank you for reviewing!