"She isn't a refugee!" yelled Harper. "She's a child and she needs me!"

Harper advanced on Miller until she was right under his nose. Horvath knew he needed to step in, given his position as Sergeant, but he wasn't sure he wanted to. He had never once gone against Miller's orders, but that was because the captain had always, always, done the right thing. For this decision, Horvath wasn't sure, but he stepped up anyway. He grabbed Harper's arm and said, "Back up private."

Harper wasn't listening. She continued to stare angrily up at her captain.

"Lewis, back up," said Horvath slowly.

Harper was livid as Horvath pulled gently. She didn't move. That was when Jackson stepped up behind her. He replaced Horvath's hand on Harper's arm.

"Come on," he said quietly. "Let it go."

When she heard his voice, Harper started to tremble slightly, but she followed Jackson's guiding tug on her arm. She stepped back, still ripping Miller's head off with her eyes. Miller followed her movements watching her go calmly, like nothing had happened. He then turned his eyes on Wade, and Rita. She was clinging to his field jacket, with tears clinging to her cheeks.

"Wade." It was obvious what he wanted by his tone, and Wade had no choice but to comply.

He turned his attention to Rita and hugged her, tighter than he had hugged anyone for a long time. He squeezed his eyes closed hoping the tears gathering there wouldn't show themselves, but, like tears do, they followed gravity and fell. They rolled down the medic's cheeks and into Rita's hair. More tears fell as he felt the child wrap her small arms around his neck, trying desperately to stay there forever.

She was a smart child, and knew exactly what was going on. After a few minutes, Wade reluctantly pulled her away and set her down, nodding toward Harper. She stared up at him with chocolate brown eyes, silently pleading to stay with him. He clenched his jaw angrily.

Of coarse he wasn't mad at the her. He was pissed at Miller for putting him, Harper and Rita through all this nonsense for nothing. They could accomplish their mission and take Rita with them, no problem. Wade's thoughts strayed to the night before when she had fallen asleep curled against his chest. She was the most comforting thing in this war, and Miller was taking it away from him. Fury suddenly boiled deep within his soul.

"Go," said Wade through clenched teeth.

Rita's eyes widened at his tone and she tried to touch his leg, but he stepped back out of her reach and pointed to the jeep.

"Go," he said again.

His composure was threatening to break down if she didn't go soon.

"GO!" he yelled making Rita jump backwards then run to Harper and hide behind her legs.

All Harper did was step aside not looking at Rita at all. Rita stared up at Harper, the only one she had left in the world, and all she did was stare off into the tree line. Rita grabbed Harper's pant leg and tugged gently but was still ignored. Tears were now pouring out of her round eyes.

"Get out of here," hissed Harper coldly, still refusing to even glance at the child.

To Rita, her voice was cold and cruel, but the rest of the squad could hear pain, and anguish threatening to overtake her. Jackson felt Harper start to shake violently in the effort to be cruel to Rita. He knew she wanted to drop to her knees and pull Rita close, and tell her it would be alright, but the reality was; it wasn't going to be alright. Jackson squeezed Harper's arm telling her it was alright. He knew it was much easier on Rita in the long run if she believed the squad had stopped caring about her.

Rita sadly dropped her head then turned to Miller. He picked her up gently and placed her in the jeep next to the hulk and he drove away without another word. The squad watched them go silently.

When they disappeared over the crest of the hill, Harper let herself go. She started shaking so badly that Jackson had to hold her full weight so she wouldn't come crashing to the ground. He gently let her sit as he knelt behind her. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and pulled her into him. He wrapped his arms around her back, letting her cry into his chest.

After a minute of this, Harper seemed to remember where she was and she pulled her head off Jackson's shoulder quickly. She wiped her eyes and stood up glaring at miller but saying nothing. Jackson stood behind to her casting wary eyes on her back. He was ready to grab her if she lunged at Miller, as was everyone else in the squad. Miller on the other hand looked completely calm. His eyes were the only thing that betrayed him. There was fire behind his green eyes, but his voice was calm.

"Pull yourselves together. We are leaving in 40 minutes," then he was gone across the field.

Harper didn't know what Miller meant by, 'pull yourselves together, but when she turned to face her squad, she saw that all of them, including Reiben, had tears running down their faces. Although they all wiped them away as soon as she saw them, she had defiantly seen them. Wade on the other hand, didn't even bother to wipe his tears away, because they came to fast. Harper walked to him and embraced him, letting her tears fall to.

Wade was almost as young as Harper. He was only 21, and far to young to be in the army, but as she thought about it, she was only 19. Right at that second, she realized how stupid she had been. No matter what happened at home when she was a kid, she had made the stupid decision to come to the army, and this is what she got.

She squeezed Wade's shoulder and said, "she will be safer with the refugees, Wade."

Wade pulled back and stared at Harper.

"You really believe that?" he asked through sobs.

Harper looked pitifully at him then looked at her feet. Wade was about to say something when someone from the wounded tent, screamed. Wade looked toward the tend as someone yelled, "Medic! We need a medic!"

Wade looked back at Harper, almost asking permission to go.

"Go," Harper said nodding. "They need you."

Wade nodded and took off at a gallop across the field. As Harper turned back to Mellish, Horvath, Reiben, Upham and Jackson, she could feel her face flush under their stares.

"What are you staring at?" she asked coldly shoving between Reiben and Mellish.

"Take it easy," said Reiben. "We are all going to miss her," he said sounding sincere for the fist time since Harper had met him.

Reiben caught his mistake as soon as the words were out of his mouth, but he had no time to make it better. Harper rounded on him, eyes blazing.

"You didn't even want her to come with us in the first place! You didn't even like her!" Harper yelled advancing on him.

Reiben raised his hands. "Listen, I just-"

"Reiben why don't you stop talking for once!" shouted Harper, her dormant tears resurfacing.

"Hey sweetheart, listen up. I just-" but his sentence was ripped from him by Harper's fist colliding with Reiben's ribcage.

He doubled over as Jackson, Mellish and Horvath dove on her.

"And stop calling me SWEETHEART!" she shouted shoving Jackson off and at the same time tripping Mellish.

Reiben regained his composure and glared at Harper.

"Put a leash on her, Jackson," Reiben said massaging his bruised ribs.

Harper ripped her arm out of Horvath's grasp and before any of them saw what was happening, Harper had launched herself at Reiben. She knocked him on his back, surprising him with her speed and agility. Harper landed a few good punches in Reiben's chest and even one good one to his jaw before he flipped her over. By now he was to angry to even care that she was a woman, and he started beating like she was just another soldier. But Harper was skilled at hand to hand combat and was a very good match for Reiben.

Jackson, Mellish, Horvath and even Upham were on them trying to pry the two off each other, but Upham got an elbow to the chest, and Mellish got a fist to the jaw. Finally, with some help from a dozen soldiers and Wade, they managed to get the two privates off each other.

"Shut up! What's wrong with you two! Your acting like children!"

Jackson and Wade were having some problems holding Harper by themselves, so with the help of four soldiers, they subdued her. Mellish and Horvath were having less problems with Reiben, but they needed an extra pair of hands too. Finally Miller appeared in the middle of the circle glaring at both soldiers. He shook his head.

"What am I going to do with you two?" he asked, glancing with tired eyes between them.

Harper struggled violently against the soldiers holding her, still having eyes only for Reiben. Jackson had an arm around Harper's neck, and hooked under one arm in something close to a choke hold, and was successfully holding her, but probably not for long if she kept struggling.

"Stop it," he hissed into her ear, but she didn't seem to be listening. "Harper!" he said in a loud whisper.

That seemed to snap her out of her trance and she relaxed into the holds of all the soldiers. She looked around then tears began to fall, though they were not tears of anger or pain. She was embarrassed. She dropped her head as Jackson nodded to the four soldiers holding her. They relaxed their holds then let her go warily. Wade and Jackson kept their hands on her arms. But there really was no need. She was finished.

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