A/N: This chapter has been a very long time in the making and is probably my all time favourite for this story. If you like it as well, please let me know.

Also, I obviously know who this chapter is about because I wrote it but I'd be interested in knowing who you guys think it is.

Thank you.

Chapter 22

It seemed absurd that he would be standing here now, in this nondescript room buried in the bottom of the White House in the presence of the President of the United States once again. Shane Schofield's thoughts briefly turned back to the conversation they had had the previous night and why on earth he had agreed to do this.

"Sir," he said tentatively to the President. "Why are you doing this? I know I'm the grunt and you're the politician but I know enough to know that you need the conservative vote if you're going to win the election this year."

"Captain," the President replied, "When one man saves another's life, a certain debt is owed. This country needs you more than it needs me and besides, who wants to be re-elected for a second term anyway? The job's a nightmare."

"Oh and Shane," he added with a rare smile, "Don't wear the sunglasses."

Despite the flurry of activity going on around them, the room was mostly bare.
Just a stark table and a pair of chairs.

Shane took his assigned seat. He slipped his glasses off and laid them carefully beside him on the table, exposing the scars to the rooms view.
Beside him, a blonde woman with perfectly set hair and a power suit took the other.

The lights flashed on.
Cameras started to whir.
His hands started to shake
and the woman beside him began to talk, staring straight down the camera.

"In a historical moment for our nation, the President will today introduce a bill to parliament to strike the controversial 'Don't Ask, Don't tell' policy officially from United States law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Here with me to provide a personal perspective on life under this policy and an appeal for its demise is Captain Shane M. Schofield of the United States Marine Corp. At the stroke of midnight tonight, Captain Schofield will no longer be a United States Marine despite many years of honourable service to the corp and country as he was dismissed dishonourably from service under this policy for revealing that he identifies as homosexual."

She turned to him and he swallowed hard.

"Captain," she began but he quickly cut her off.

"Excuse me," he said, "I know you've got questions you want to ask me but I sort of just wanted to talk. I think I know what I need to say."

The woman shot the lead camera man a quizzical look. This wasn't what she was expecting but he shrugged at her as if to say, if it's a disaster we can always reshoot it. She nodded discretely at him and he began to talk.

If he had been able to see the screens, he would have seen that they panned the camera for a close shot, so that he was the only one in the frame.
It would stay that way for the duration of the filming.

"When I first came out, I saw a few of those 'It Gets Better' Videos. I especially liked the one from Kermit the frog but the thing is, they're wrong. When you're a marine, it doesn't get better.

A few years ago now, when I was placed in command of my first recon unit, there was a marine in it. Funnily enough, there were actually a dozen marines in it but this one stands out. He was just a kid, joined the Marines right out of high school and loved it like nothing else. Being a marine was his passion. All he wanted to do was serve his country. He wasn't real bright like but he worked hard and he was a good kid. I was proud to be his commander.

And then, one day, I found him shooting up on base.

I could've killed him I was so angry. I couldn't understand why when he loved being a Marine he would throw it away over something as stupid as drugs. He was terrified, didn't know if he could trust me or not but in the end, he had no choice. He showed me the bottle.
He was shooting up AZT."

Pause

"I looked it up. Azidothymidine or AZT is a reverse transcriptase inhibitor.
You only take AZT if you're HIV positive.

He was dying alone because he couldn't tell anyone.

In the end, he died on a mission. I know that was what he wanted, if he was going to die anyway, he wanted to do it in a way that mattered, that brought honor to him and his family and to the corp. His body was destroyed and afterwards, I broke into his locker and removed the AZT, so that no one would find out. I thought that if the corp knew, they would rescind the medal he received for services to his country – it was only a small comfort to his family but they shouldn't have lost that as well.
Nobody ever knew until now.

But since then I've lived wondering, was his death really an accident? Maybe it was but I'm willing to bet that at the end, he was relieved."

He fixed the camera with a piercing gaze.

"He was worthy of the name Marine and being gay shouldn't change that. In the end, he died because he loved his country more than he loved himself. Don't belittle that."