Author's Note: Woo hoo! Another chapter! And this one I wrote in one night…so I don't know if it's semi-decent or anything. Sticking with the old format! Great reviews for the last chapter! Lots of fantastic review for 'Moments' and it's companion pieces, 'Take Me' and 'Mother's Intuition' from Wolfyfangrl ,so I just like to say thanks ;)
Disclaimer: I own nothing :'(
Glass was all over the floor of the Holden home. Papers lined the hallway. Clothes and picture frames lay scattered over the furniture. The lights were on but no one was inside. The home of Major General Michael Holden had never looked like this before. The Holden house was in a word…spotless. Always. No exceptions.
It was just the Holden girls for the weekend, the General was away in D.C. for a meeting that determined the fate of Fort Marshall. Claudia Joy and Emmalin Holden had been taking care of errands all afternoon. Dropping things off at the dry cleaners, stopping by Roxy LeBlanc's, and picking up a few groceries for around the house had taken much longer than expected. The previously powder-blue sky was now dark. The cloudless South Carolina night sky was lined with twinkling stars.
As soon as Claudia Joy placed the key in the deadbolt, she knew something was amiss. She just didn't know what. Turning to look at her seventeen year old daughter, carrying bags of groceries in her arms, Claudia Joy asked if maybe they had forgotten something. And when Emmalin shrugged in response Claudia Joy resumed unlocking her front door, revealing the disaster zone that lay behind the thick mahogany wood.
"Oh my God. What happened?" Emmalin's eyes widened, taking in the mess strewn across her previously spotless home. Who would brake into the Post Commander's house?
"Emmalin stay here. Someone's broken in. There might still be someone inside." Claudia Joy whispered. Trying her best to put on a brave front for her daughter, though she was terrified. Someone had intruded in her home, they trespassed on her territory, and who knows what that unknown person or persons wanted.
"Mom…what do I do?" Grabbing her mother by the wrist before she could fully disappear into the house. Fear filled her voice, nothing like this had ever happened to the seventeen year old before and she didn't have a clue what to do. Headlines from the nine o'clock news flashed across her eyes; "Family Killed in House Attack", "Mother and Daughter Murdered By Neighbors", and "Terrorists Attacking the Home Front" were a few that rung through her ears.
"Stay here. Use your cell phone to call the MP's. I'm going to make sure no one's inside." Claudia Joy gently pulled her wrist from her daughter and slowly entered her home.
"Don't go in there! Some mass-murder with a baseball bat could be hiding out in our house!" Emmalin whisper-shouted, to scared to follow.
"I'll be fine. Call Jeremy." Claudia Joy called, pulling an thick metal umbrella from the coat rack. The Hello Kitty covered umbrella didn't exactly look like a fierce weapon but it would have to do.
"Alright." The hockey player whispered weakly, pulling out her pink phone to call her boyfriend and the post MP's.
Less than five seconds after Specialist Jeremy Sherwood got the call, he was dressed and out the door. Jumping in his truck, he was accompanied by his mother who was busy worrying herself sick in the passenger seat. Millions of thoughts raced through his brain at the speed of an Air Force Fighter Jet as he pulled up to the curb of the Holden home.
Jeremy made his way to where his girlfriend was waiting on the porch for him. The look of anxiety and fear that covered her beautiful features made his blood boil, his famous temper rising, heating his skin even in the night air. He didn't know who had broken into the Holden home but they had better be lucky they hadn't laid a finger on Emmalin. If they were the result of so much as a papercut on her tiny body, he'd tear them limb from limb.
"You okay? Where's your Mom?" The Specialist asked concernedly, wrapping the petite brunette in a tight embrace and kissing her forehead soothingly. He shrugged his jacket off and threw it over her shoulders. He gently released Emmalin as she slide her arms through his jacket sleeves.
"Thanks for coming. She's inside with the MP's. Whoever broke-in's gone, I'm just a little freaked out right now. This had never happened before." Fear threaded her voice, the Army Brat tightly laced their fingers together. Her small, cold hand fitting perfectly in his large, warm one.
"I know, baby. It's okay." Jeremy stroked her hair softly with his free hand.
"We don't know what they took or even if they took anything. They were going through stuff, so that means they were looking for something. But it looks like everything's all here." Emmalin explained, fighting off tears. Relief flooded through-out her petite body now that Jeremy was here. She felt secure, loved, and most importantly safe. She raised the color of the nineteen year old's fleece jacket to her nose slowly inhaling in his familiar masculine sandalwood smell. Jeremy's scent alone was enough to make Emmalin's pulse stop racing.
"Don't worry about it right now. We'll worry about that later. Right now we need to find out how they got in." His lips danced against her softly, making all her fears melt. Jeremy pulled away much too soon for Emmalin's likes but that was okay since she could see him mother sprinting across the lawn.
"They broke a window in the dining room and crawled in through there." Emmalin informed, wrapping her arms around the soldier's torso and resting her head against his solid chest, the feel of his cotton shirt caressing her cheek.
"I'll board it up tonight." Jeremy promised, stroking the seventeen year old's long dark hair.
"Sweetheart are you okay? Where's Claudia Joy? What happened?" Denise Sherwood threw her arms around Emmalin tightly. Slowly Emmalin could feel her lungs shrivel as the desperate need for oxygen grew.
"Mom…Mom, she can't breathe!" Jeremy shouted as he watched the color drain from his love's face. Emmalin was quickly turning a whole mass of different colors, like purple and blue and pink before fresh air filled her bloodstream.
"Sorry! Claudia Joy!" The dark haired EMT apologized, before seeing her best friend approach with the Military Police.
"Denise, Jeremy. Thanks for coming." Claudia Joy said appreciation filling her eyes. The women quickly embraced as the MP's gathered their gear at the door.
"Ma'am, we'll keep a lookout across post. Active immediately. It's best to contact the General since whatever was taken seems to have been taken from his paperwork." Major Jordan Daniels said formally.
"Thank you, Major Daniels." The FRG leader thanked, shaking the Major's hand.
"Happy to serve, Mrs. Holden. Miss Holden." Major Daniels said sincerely, before he and his unit pulled away. Their squad car sirens flashing silently as they disappeared beyond the dark street corner.
"What could they have taken from Dad's office?" Emmalin asked worriedly as they relocated to the living room. She picked a flower vase off the floor and returned it to it's usual position on top of a table as she spoke. Jeremy began sticking picture frames back on their wall hooks.
"I don't know sweetheart. But whatever it is, I don't think they found it because they seemed to have searched the whole house." The Army Wife sighed. She knew they were in for a long night.
"The window needs to be fixed tonight. Do you have any boards handy?" Specialist Sherwood asked. Glancing into the dining room with the large broken window.
"In the garage. If you don't mind?" Claudia Joy smiled. Having friends and loved ones around through hard times always made them easier, despite tonight's events she couldn't help but feel blessed.
"It's no problem. Hammer and nails out there too?" Jeremy's husky voice asked, as he headed off in the direction of the Holden garage. He leaned in to kiss Emmalin's forehead before leaving.
"Somewhere. Thank you Jeremy." CJ thanked.
"Come on Claudia Joy, let's make tea." Denise lead her best friend to the kitchen.
By the time the tea kettle's airy whistle blew, Jeremy had boarded the windows and Denise had almost finished a quick dinner. Emmalin had nearly restored the living room to it's original glory and Claudia Joy had cleared the house of broken glass.
"You didn't have to go through all this trouble Denise." The FRG Leader insisted as the dark-haired woman began putting her a plate dinner of cinnamon garlic roast chicken, vegetable stir-fry, and fruit salad into the fridge.
"No trouble at all!" The Army Wife gushed.
"Jeremy, I'm considering marrying into your family just so I can come to Thanksgiving." Emmalin laughed, kissing the soldier's cheek sweetly.
"I'd marry Jeremy just to go Thanksgiving too." Claudia Joy teased. Denise's cooking was amazing during holiday season.
"Mom, are you getting the hot's for my man?" The seventeen year old teased, wrapping her arms possessively around her boyfriend.
"Sweetheart I only have eyes for your father…it's when Grandma comes to visit that you have to start worrying. She's going through this whole cougar phase."
"Mom…can Jeremy stay the night? Please? Just for tonight." Emmalin asked, earning a surprised look from all of her companions. Apparently this was news even to Jeremy.
"I…Well…sure. It's a good idea to have someone here." Claudia Joy struggled to find words for her daughter's request. She reluctantly agreed, thinking how much safer they'd be if the soldier stayed tonight. Michael wasn't coming home until tomorrow night and what if the intruder(s) returned?
"Thanks…can you stay?" Asked Emmalin, turning her attention the nineteen year old. She reached for his hand and slide their fingers together.
"Yeah." Jeremy gave her hand a light squeeze.
"Alright, I'll go make up the guest bedroom." Claudia Joy announced, heading for the stairs.
"Why do we need the guest bedroom? Is Mrs. Sherwood staying the night too?" Emmalin called after her mother, before the Army Wife could reach the stair banister.
"What?" Claudia Joy asked confusedly. If Jeremy wasn't staying in the guest room where was he staying? The couch?
"Mom, Jeremy's staying the night with me…in my room." Emmalin announced. Determination clear in her tone. She was resolute on getting her way on this matter.
"In your bed?" Her mother gasped, looking at Denise with a look of disbelief. As if the other Army Wife could make her daughter change her mind. Jeremy was smart and decided to stay out of this one. Mrs. Sherwood was more than willing to follow her son's lead.
"Well he probably wouldn't be all that comfortable on the floor." The Army Brat pointed out, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"I…You…He…But…" Words couldn't seem to form in Claudia Joy's throat, it was as if her vocal cords suddenly forgot how to work, "…the door stay opens. All night. No argument. And I reserve the right to do a clothing check at anytime tonight." She concluded finally, after much thought. The Army Wife's could swear she felt herself breaking out in hives, itchy red hives all across her skin.
Did her seventeen year old just announce that she was spending an all-nighter in her room with her boyfriend? For a second Claudia Joy looked like she might be having a heart attack.
"Mom, we'll be good. We're not having sex." Emmalin promised, reassuringly.
"I'm trusting you." Denise told Jeremy seriously. Hugging him goodbye.
"I know. Nothing's gonna happen, Mom." Jeremy swore, giving his mother a tiny peck on the cheek.
"Well, we're gonna head to bed. So…see you in the morning?" Suggested the hockey fanatic, reaching for Jeremy's hand.
"Goodnight Emmalin. Night Jeremy…the door stays open and I'm going to check!" The Army Brat kissed each teenager on the cheek before they retreated up the stairs.
"I can't believe you got away that." Jeremy said amazed, as Emmalin pulled him into her bedroom by the hand. The nineteen year old made sure to leave the door wide open behind him.
"Me neither…but I'm glad." Emmalin smiled, slipping her shoes off. She couldn't believe her mother actually agreed. This would definetly not be happening if the General where home….crap, she hoped her father wouldn't find out about this.
"You're sure about this? Same bed?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow. Emmalin had never really slept in a bed with a guy before and he didn't want to pressure her into anything. Sure, she stayed with him in his hospital bed but there had been both of their parents watching them the whole time.
"Yeah. I want you here!" Emmalin laughed, pulling her shirt over her head slowly revealing a lacy red bra. Then she quickly slide out of her jeans, displaying a pair of matching underwear. She threw her discarded clothes into the hamper in her closet.
"Sexy panties? I'm starting to think you planned this. Are you seducing me, baby?" Jeremy teased, sliding an index finger under one of the straps of her lacy thong. Giving the semi-sheer fabric a little tug. He leaned down to kiss the hallow behind her ear tenderly. She'd never let him see her in her underwear before tonight. The nineteen year old couldn't help but think that it was well worth the wait.
"Ohh yes! So I plotted to get you to my bed…now can you unhook my bra, please?" She turned her back to the soldier and pulled her long tresses off her back. He deafly undid the red lace and slowly slide the straps down her shoulders. Emmalin tossed the bra in the hamper with her other clothes.
Standing on her tippy-toes, the Army Brat pulled Jeremy's grey 'Army' t-shirt over his head. With a smile she pulled his shirt on, the soft cotton fabric falling to her thighs.
"I'm pretty sure this is what your mom was picturing when she started getting hives." Jeremy teased, pulling her flush against him and kissing Emmalin roughly. His warm, moist tongue trailed across her rosy, full bottom lip asking for entrance. Their tongues tangled and Jeremy lifted Emmalin in his arms to make up for their noticeable height difference. The Army Brat's legs wrapped around the soldier's hips tightly as her arms entwined around his neck and stroked his hair softly.
"It's not like you've never seen my breasts before. She knows you've seen me topless." Emmalin pointed out as Jeremy set her down softly, her feet gently touching the floor. Emmalin tugged the metal clasp on Jeremy's jeans apart and pulled down the zipper. The faded blue denim slide down his legs, pooling at Jeremy's feet as he stepped out of them. Emmalin snapped the waistband of Jeremy's plaid boxers playfully.
"Remember that we promised to behave." Jeremy teased as he lifted Emmalin into her bed. Laying kisses across her forehead and cheeks as he slide in-between the sheets with her. Emmalin pulled her pink comforter over their bodies as Jeremy switched the light off.
"Are you reminding me or yourself?" The brunette teased, running her fingers through his buzz cut.
"Both." He placed soft kisses down her neck before starting another tongue war.
Emmalin cuddled deep into Jeremy's warm chest as his arms wrapped around her small frame. Her eyes began fluttering closed as Jeremy pulled her flush against his chest.
"Sweet dreams, baby." Jeremy whispered against Emmalin's ear, laying a soft kiss against the tip.
"Sweet dreams, I love you." Emmalin smiled as she began to drift to dream land.
"Love you more." Jeremy kissed the seventeen year old's forehead as he started to fall asleep himself.
The Holden intruder was captured in the morning with stolen medical insurance papers. It was a man who had been suffering with PTSD after his tour of Afghanistan, he had foregone treatment but had a slight relapse. He's currently in Mercer…in handcuffs…and they make sure that he takes his medication.
Major General Michael Holden continues to remain optimistic about Fort Marshall's fate. Claudia Joy had a severe breakout of hives in the middle of the night and had to run to the PX for calamine lotion…she does that when she panics. Emmalin and Jeremy DID behave…Claudia Joy got another batch of hives anyway. Life in Ft. Marshall probably wasn't considered the norm. for most Army Bases but it was home!
Author's Note 2: I plan on updating really, really soon! Stay tuned! And I have more companion pieces coming soon too :)