Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Hi there! So I saw this prompt in otpprompts on Tumblr and I just had to do it. It's not exactly what I pictured in mind but I hope you still enjoy it! This is dedicated to JuseaPeterson, for being with me throughout my journey. Also, apologies for the whole military stuff, I'm not an expert so...please forgive me!


An Angel in Disguise

I gaze intently at the picture of the brunette staring back at me with a smile that can light up even the gloomiest planet. I consider her my lucky charm, my angel in disguise…. Maybe it's because she saved me, but I'm willing to do anything for this princess. Anything.


I've always had a bad feeling about that base camp they were talking about. When I voiced out my opinion to the General, he just laughed at me and mocked my gut. "You're a soldier, Private. There is no room for gut feelings."

So we were forced to move north. We were under the orders of CSM Damian Belaire, who is under SMA Martin King. They're very nice people, CSM Belaire has been...not exactly like a father-figure...more like someone I have always looked up to during the war; but SMA King, as nice as he is, only cares about wealth and power. So he had followed the General's orders.

"You tried," CSM Belaire said, patting my bacl.

"I really think that it isn't right to go up there, sir." I pursed my lips. "I didn't try hard enough. Sir, I really think that I have to—"

"Don't work yourself up, Arthur." He cut me gently and then clasped his hand on my shoulder. "Get some sleep, big day ahead of us tomorrow."

I looked out towards the moon. "Yeah, big day."

The next day, we had left camp early and gone to the hideout with as much firepower as we could have. CSM Belaire was in front of us, leading the way. From where I was walking, I could see his every move. He constantly checked his pocket; probably where he puts some sort of lucky charm, everyone here has them. Suddenly, he had stopped and spoke to SMA King. With a nod, he had gone down but the troop continued to march forward. I had stopped and watched him scan the ground.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I lost something." The people around me just a few seconds ago had already gone ahead, while the ones that were once behind me didn't bother to see what was going on. "I'm a coward, Private. I can never go on a day without looking at my children and wife's pictures." He shrugs. "Not all men are as courageous as you, son."

"Do you need help looking for it?"

"I'd like that, yes. I dropped the picture of my daughter somewhere. I was getting jittery so I decided to look at my photos, but I noticed that hers is missing. It's my favorite one of her."

I nodded. I had never seen her before but I was guessing that there weren't many pictures of young girls lying around that time. "Does she look like you?"

He shook his head. "She looks more like her mother." He took out one photo from his pocket and showed it to me. "This is my wife, Cassie." A woman a bit younger than CSM Belaire with red, wavy hair and freckles is holding a book but smiling at the camera. "But my daughter's hair is brown and she doesn't have freckles."

"Your wife is beautiful, sir," I told him and he smiled. "I think I can recognize your daughter."

He smiled wider and clasped my shoulder. "Thank you, Arthur."

We searched the area for a few minutes before retracing our steps. CSM Belaire had apologized profusely, saying that the two of us should be following the troop and not looking for something so personal. "But I'd be dead in seconds if I don't have it with me."

I shook my head. "It's not a problem, sir."

"Tell me, son," he started as we continued our search and at the same time, conscious of our surroundings, "do you have a family?"

"I enlisted right out of grad school, sir. All I have back home are my parents and brother."

"I see. Are you close to them?"

"Quite. I have a picture of them, too." I reached for my pocket and handed him the photo. "Also some dogs, my brother loves them."

CSM looked at the picture with a smile. "You're all very good looking. Your brother is still in school, I assume?" I nodded and told him that he's in his last year of grad school. He looked at the photo again and said, "My daughter loves dogs as well."

"How old is your daughter, sir?"

"She's younger than you by a few years. Probably around your brother's age. She's in Paris right now, taking up architecture in Ecole D'Architecture."

"Wow," I whistled. "And your son?"

"He's already working," he replied, "I refused to let him enlist."

I nodded, understanding. I looked down again, just in case, and saw something white, like paper. I took my chances and picked it up. If it was someone else's photo then I guessed I could keep it and ask if anyone owned it. But when I saw the person in the photograph, I never wanted to give it back.

Her brown locks framing her face, a beautiful white dress that makes her look like a Greek goddess, a white, thin scarf hanging around her neck, her lips curled into a smile that matched her eyes that are shining brightly like she's the happiest person in the world. Her pink, rosy cheeks...she's absolutely beautiful.

"You found it," CSM Belaire's voice startled me.

I blinked and looked up at him admiring the picture as well. "Is this her?"

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation. "Your daughter is beautiful." I looked at it again and thought that with someone like her waiting for me at home, I'd do my best to keep myself alive. "She is." And I've seen many beautiful women in my twenty-nine years of living.

"That was during Cassie's and my renewing of vows." He paused. "Why don't you keep the picture for me?" he suggested.

I looked up and my eyes widened. "What?"

He grinned. "Keep the picture for me for now. I have a family picture with me, too. You can use another photo to look at."

"Um...but, sir—" But before I got to continue my sentence, we heard an explosion coming from where we had just been. "Sir!" More explosions could be heard and screams of some men. I just wasn't sure whose men.

He pushed back. "We don't know what it is, we have to go back to the barracks and report this. The two of us are outnumbered. Go! Go!"

I placed the photo in my pocket and started running towards the base camp.

Just imagine, if CSM Belaire hadn't checked his pocket to look at his family's pictures then the two of us would have been with our troops. We would've been dead. The explosion we heard were bombs that were hidden underground. When CSM Belaire, some troops and myself had gone to scout out the area, we saw no survivors but many missing.

"Your gut was right," he tells me when we were informed of the news. All I could do is say a silent prayer and thank the Lord that CSM Belaire and I are still alive.

Then I remember the reason why we're alive. I fish out the picture from my pocket and have another look at it before I hold it up to the man next to me. "Sir," I say quietly, he's still shaken up from what had happened—I would be, too, a lot of those men had families, "the picture of your daughter."

He smiles weakly. "Keep it for me, will you? I honestly think that my princess is your angel. You weren't obliged to help me look for it. I didn't ask for your help until you offered. She didn't want you to die or go MIA either, Arthur. Keep it."

He pushes my hand away, a gesture to let me know it's okay. "Thank you, sir." I don't dare hide my grin as I look at the picture again. "Thank you, Princess."

A few days later, we were given a message that the two of us, CSM Belaire and I, and some others, would be sent home. I overhead CSM Belaire and SMA King's replacement, SMA Brown, talking about how he should retire and take care of his family. "You have served this country more than you need to, Damian. Go home. It isn't too late to watch your children grow every day and not have them worrying about you."

As I pack, someone behind me clears their throat. "Arthur."

I turn around and see CSM Belaire. "Sir."

"Are you in a hurry to get home? To Seattle?"

"I've written to my family about expecting me."

He nods. "I see. I was just hoping you could come over to my home for a few days. We're hosting a party next week, just to celebrate." He shrugs and begins to walk away but stops before he reaches his bed. "My daughter will be there."

"I can always just tell my parents that I'm visiting some...friends," I suddenly say. "They'd like that. I never had many friends at home."

He smirks. "Good. I'll see you later."


The Belaires live in Brooklyn and despite Mr. Belaire—he had told me to start calling him Damian but I refused—admiring the apartments, they live in a three-storey house with a beautiful lawn and an even bigger backyard. "When Cassie and I had Theo, we had a huge dilemma about where to live. We loved this house but we didn't really want to leave our first home."

"This is a really nice place," I tell him. "How'd you end up choosing it?"

"We thought of the future, not the present," he replies with a small smile. "Come on," he gestures. He opens the small fence door and then closes it behind us. When we reach the middle of the walkway, the door bursts open and the older woman I've seen in the picture comes rushing out.

"Damian!" she calls. Mr. Belaire drops his bags and hugs his wife tightly. "You're home."

"I'm home," he repeats, "and I'm not leaving again."

She hugs him again before kissing him. "I'm so happy. Now I don't have to expect any letter from them about you."

Two more people come out right after her. A man about my age or a bit younger...and my princess. She looks even more beautiful up close. "Daddy!" she yells and jumps on him. "You're back!"

"Welcome home, Dad," Theo says, giving him a pat as his sister continues to hug him.

Mr. Belaire and his daughter finally let go of each other before he pats my back. "As I said in my letter, I brought my friend, Arthur Brandon."

Mrs. Belaire gives me a warm, welcome hug. "It's very nice to meet you, Arthur. I hope you feel at home here. Theo, help Arthur with his bags and bring them to the guest room."

I start to protest, "Oh, no, it's fine, I—"

"Nonsense," Mrs. Belaire says, "you are our guest." Theo gives me a nod before reaching for my bags and heading inside.

Mr. Belaire clasps my shoulder and says, "Arthur, this is my daughter, Ariadne."

She smiles at me, and it's even nicer than the picture that I still have in my pocket. "Hi." She holds out her hand for me to shake. "Dad's written nice things about you."

"He's told me nice things about you, too," I say, shaking her hand.

We stand there, smiling at each other for a while before Mr. Belaire clears his throat and we instantly let go of each other's hands, completely forgetting that we're still in contact. "Arthur, let's get ready before having dinner, shall we? I think they'll enjoy hearing the story of our angel in disguise."

I smile. "Right."


There we go. I hope you enjoyed it! Please tell me what you thought of it!

Also, I found out recently that this is the plot to The Lucky Ones (or one of those Nicholas Sparks books?). I didn't know that, I'm sorry. Again, I just found this in a prompt blog and it didn't say anything about Nicholas Sparks (and I'm not a fan so…).