Chapter Three~ First Day

Clara POV

0400 Hours

This was the life. Waking up in a soft, warm bed, being able to take one's time getting up and getting ready (as oppose to getting yelled at by one's staff sergeant to "get your ass moving, we're wasting daylight!") and just being able to take it easy.

And by take it easy, Clara meant getting up, doing her stretches, then going outside in the sweet autumn predawn air and going for a little five-mile run before hitting the training room. Of course, it made it all the better that she could pull out her ipod and run to the beat. You can't do stuff like that in the army. She was only on mile two, after fifteen minutes (she was taking it easy since she was on holiday…sort of), and she felt ready to take on a damn rhinoceros.

Her blood was pumping, her muscles pulling and releasing, and her breath coming even, in-out, in-out. It was exhilarating; this feeling of strength and power in one's body, and it was something that Clara never got used to. She had never been one for sports growing up, but when she was a senior in high school, hearing all the things the recruiters were saying, she started to wonder. That feeling got stronger when she told her friends at the lunch table and they kept telling her she wouldn't make it.

Five miles done, time to make good use of David's training room in the basement.

She did. The first thing she did after basic training got out and she had been accepted, was go home and go out with her friends to share the good news. But there had been one person who wasn't so happy that she had made it. Lyonal Marcus. The guy she'd had a thing for since forever. Clara had thought he was her friend, but he was the one who was strongest against her going into the military. And when he had found out the she was planning on it, he made a point of joining just so he could laugh in her face later.

Push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, weight-lifting, punching bag…the punching bag was the best. The only problem was that she was so used to doing all of these things that she didn't even have to think about them anymore.

When Lyonal had found out that night that she had managed to get in, he went on a drunken rampage. He had gotten thrown out because of his attitude, court marshaled, if you will. By the time she had told them, he had already consumed two or three beers and a couple of shots, and damn was he mad. Clara had been so happy and excited to be back home with her friends that she didn't even notice Lyonal getting more and more frustrated by the second.

Thwack! Tap-tap-thwack! Breathe, in-out, in-out. Hit, hit, hit. Harder, faster, COME ON, YOU WEAKLING! The bag was starting to swing a bit harder from the blows landing on it.

She hadn't realized how angry he was, but it was a good thing she never drank outside of the house. She was always the designated driver at parties. But even drunk, Lyonal was silent as a house cat, but that was the only training he'd managed to pick up from basic.

He snuck up on her. She had been about to get in the car when he came up behind her and slammed it shut. He had her pinned against the door and breathed in her ear.

"You think you're so good, don't you sweetheart? Well?! Huh, you think you're better than me, think you're so much smarter than me because you managed to survive hell-week. Well, let me tell you somethin', sweetheart, you're gonna wish you had never even heard of that damn ASVAB test, or that fucking recruiter. I bet you were bangin' with one of the staff sergeants, huh? Maybe more, hmm, sweetheart? That's the only way a piece of trash like you could have ever survived it. Well, then, why don't you show me some of those moves you used on the dudes. I think I like that idea." He had been completely unaware of her pleads and denials, the way she shook her head. Then she had tried to get away, and-

"Hey." Clara swung around and would have clocked the Lt. in the jaw if he hadn't managed to block her swing and hold onto her when she tried to fight him.

She had been so far into the memory that she hadn't realized who it was that was behind her. For a moment, she was back in that dark, dingy parking lot, trying to run away from the drunkard, tripping over her heels…then she was pulled out the memory. It wasn't Lyonal that had a death grip on her wrist, trying to pin her down. It was the Lt. holding her just barely hard enough to keep her from taking another shot at him. Her vision seemed to flicker between times for a moment, before settling back into the present.

Clara gasped, "Oh, Lt. Sorry, I was off in-"

"La-La Land again? I kinda figured that. You were pretty damned focused on that punching bag there for a little while. It kinda looked like you were tryin' to fight for your life for a second."

"Huh? Oh, no, I was…just, y'know…thinkin'. I guess I got kinda caught up in the…y'know…" she started pretending to punch an invisible object in front of her.

Shane chuckled, "Yeah, I know what you mean." He looked her up and down. "So, how long you been up?"

"0400. Normal time for me. If not, I end up getting yelled at by my staff sergeant, and believe me, that is not a pretty sight."

"Ah. Well, I figured that since we didn't get to finish our conversation last night…" Clara didn't fail to notice the faintest red starting to spread up the Lt.'s neck and ears. "Well, you know what I mean. I was wondering if you knew of any way that I might be able to get them to actually do what I say rather than just either ignoring me or being complete pains in the ass and doing the opposite."

"Well, as long as you don't intend to use that sort of language around the children. I can just hear their mother now, wondering where her precious little babies learned such vulgar words." A Cheshire grin started to form on her face.

"What? Oh, no ma'am. I am very much able to regulate my language for the sake of the kids…and their mom."

"That's good, because I wouldn't want to have to be the one to explain why her kids are screaming ass every time they get a boo-boo."

The Lt. was silent for a few moments as he processed the seemingly instantaneous change in her mood. "Alright then. So, you got any ideas?"

She laughed, then shook her head and turned around to look at the punching bag again. "Yes, sir, I do. But let me finish up here, I'm almost finished with my usual training time." Then she went back to hitting the bag of sand for a few more moments.

Shane POV

Damn, that woman is a piece of work. He had gone all around the house looking for her when he realized that she wasn't in her room when he had found the door to the basement training room. Upon going down the stairs he had not only found her, but she seemed to be in sort of a trance in hitting the bag. She looked angry, scared, fierce, and sensual…all at the same time.

Gah! Really need to stop thinking like that. She is the kids' aunt…if not by blood then in spirit, and she's Davy Boy's best friend. Think of her as a sister, yeah, that's it. Sister, sister, sister.

But when Shane had gone up behind her and startled her, he wasn't surprised that the Sgt. swung at him. No, it was the look in her eyes that scared him shitless for half a second. La-La Land, she had called it, but he didn't think that was the case. It was more like a Nightmare Wasteland if the way her face held such pain was anything to go by. It was like she actually wasn't there.

And the way they had cleared upon recognizing him…it worried him. Something was definitely off about her, and he intended to find out. That's what Navy S.E.A.L.s did best, right?

But he didn't have time to wonder with that now. It was time to wake the soldiers, and he intended for them to all be awake when he gave them their tracers.

Clara POV

It was kind of funny watching the Lt. giving the kids a lesson in how things were done military-style. Of course, Clara had no issue with it, but when he went and broke down Seth's door because he thought he had locked it to go back to bed was just a little over the line.

"Look, I can fix it with a hammer and a couple of nails-"

"What?! Are you nuts? Look at my door, it's busted in half! God, I can't believe this! What is wrong with you, you crazy ba-"

"Seth, watch your language!" Clara snapped from the top of the stairs.

"That's right. And if you had been wearing this, this wouldn't have happened." He snapped the tracker on Seth's wrist and walked off. As he passed Clara, he stopped for a moment and whispered, "And this is why I hate training new recruits." He cast a glance over his shoulder at the enraged teenager and stormed back down the stairs.

Clara sighed and bowed her head, silently cursing all the damn built up testosterone in the house. It was giving her the worst headache, and it was only gonna get worse if she didn't stop it.

"Seth?" she stepped over his door and into his room, "Honey, look, I know it's hard, with everything that's goin' on, but believe me when I say that Lt. Wolfe is only here to make sure you guys are alright."

"Why you are on his side all of the sudden?!" the young boy jumped up and faced her, his face red with anger. "You don't know a single thing that's gone on in this house in the past three years, Aunt Clara. You just left us for that stupid job, and now you're siding with the very guy that's gonna make our lives a living hell!"

"Hey! Watch your mouth when you talk to me, young man. I am not on his side, I am on your side. I have always been on your side. What I'm saying is that Lt. Wolfe was sent here to protect you guys…and so was I. All he's doin' is makin' sure that you guys are where you're supposed to be. What if someone where to take one of you and you were stupid enough to take off that bracelet? Hmm? I'll tell you what. We would have no idea where you were or how to get you back, and then we would take even longer to get you to safety.

"And I do, in fact, know what's been goin' on in this house, Seth, because I asked your mom and dad to keep me informed of anythin' that happened. Zoe too. Every time somethin' major happened in the family, she called or emailed me to tell me what was goin' on. I wanted to be here for you, I really did, but I had a job to do and I couldn't just up and leave without permission. And believe me when I say, that I did try to come back more often. You guys are my family, and I just want the best for you. But if you insist on givin' Lt. Wolfe a hard time about this, I can't stop any disciplinary action he takes, since your mother gave him permission to do whatever he had to.

"So, the next time you feel like calling someone a deserter, or blaming them for your unhappiness, I suggest you think very hard about it before you say anything."

And with that, she turned on her heel and marched back down the stairs to go see if she could find Shane and talk to him.

A/N: Ok, yes, I know, I am updating pretty fast and my story is probably crapsauce. But, to be fair, I worked on it all through Christmas break without internet and then just updated all I had on here. Yes, I know you're probably wondering when I'll get back to my other stories, and I would like to tell you...I'M WORKING ON IT, SO DON'T HATE ME PLEEEEEEEEEASE! Anywho, hugs and cookies to all who read and review on the current chapters.

Luvs

AcaciaDawn.