Love from the past (Need 1 female, pm me if interested)

[Bardiche]

(Looking for a female to join this thread. PM me if interested and i will tell you my idea.)

The mild glow from an infra red light filled the cabin of the military chopper. The six elite soldiers in the anti terrorist force sat ready in their camouflage uniforms.

"Five minutes to DZ." The soldiers heard in their headsets.

Tom Pirelli went through his equipment once again. Everything was in order. His gear was tied shut and his M4 automatic rifle was secured so it wouldn't fall of as he descended down the rope to the ground or hinder him from getting down to the Southeast Asian jungle fast enough.

There was nothing more now than to wait for the signal to repel down to the ground and for a second he let his thoughts wander from the task ahead of him to his home. His family's plantation, located on a green hill high up in Atherton Tablelands in northern Queensland

He had thought of his home a lot lately. The morning mist. The welcoming smell of freshly baked bread in his mothers kitchen in the winter. It was damn long since he saw his family. But since he joined the Australian Special Air Service Regiment he had been sent to so many foreign combat zones and been home so rarely that he had almost forgotten how much he loved the place.

A tap on his shoulder drew him back to reality. Ed McBride, one of the US Rangers that had joined SASR for this mission leaned toward him.

"Can you do me a favor buddy?" Ed shouted.

Tom's eyes narrowed while he tried to read his friends expression, which wasn't easy as his face was camouflage painted.

"Take this." Ed threw a watch to Tom. An old thing. A watch that was a gift to old service men when they retired.

"Can you take care of that for me?"

"Since when do you need someone to take care of your stuff?" Tom asked as he looked down at the watch in his hand.

"Come on. Just this time. In case something happen to me." Ed sounded very serious. Not like the cheerful man Tom had learned to know and like.

"Get a grip buddy. This mission will be easy." Tom said, trying to ease Ed's fears.

"I know, but do as i ask and take care of the damn watch."

When Tom turned the watch he saw that it was inscribed on the back. To Robert Edward McBride. With appreciation. 10 januari, 1925.

"It was my grand grand fathers." Ed shouted. "My father gave it to me and i want to keep it safe for my son."

"Your son?"

"Yes."

They didn't speak much of their families but Tom knew that Ed had a wife and a son of about eight years old home in Virginia.

"Take care of it for your son. It will be safe with you."

"No." The desperation in Ed's voice sent a chill down Tom's spine.

"Do me this favor. Just this time." Ed pleaded.

"Please Tom. I thought we were friends." Ed continued to beg.

"Of course we are. We are more than that, we are buddies."

That was true. He really liked the american with his constant smile. The blond very short hair and the navy blue eyes. Ed was a first class soldier and a good man straight through. He was everything good you could imagine in a 6 feet muscle package.

Tom hadn't counted in being so close to the american, but he and Ed respected one another and from the start there had been a bond between them Tom couldn't explain.

"One minute to DZ."

That was the signal for the men to release the safety belts and move to the ramp further back in the chopper. The chopper lowered down and started to cirkle and the men prepared. Ed was the fifth that would descend down the rope while Tom who was the squads leader was the last. One soldier was already lowering the rope from the ramp and leaned out to see it fall toward the ground. He then signalled to Zeke who was the first to go. Zeke took the rope with both of his hands and wrapped on one of his feet, turned and jumped from the ramp and was gone.

Tom sighed. "I hold on to it. But i will give it back as soon as the mission is completed." He put on his night goggles and saw Ed's teeth's glimmer in green as he was smiling.

"Thank you buddy." Ed shouted before he still smilíng turned around and prepared for his own drop.



.

 

[sexy_curves]

soundes interesting. how would the plot move, where would the female be incorporated?

 

[Bardiche]

Bump...

 

[Zarafina]

Mary (Cameron) McBride

She'd received a letter from her husband's commander some few weeks ago, telling her that Ed had gone missing. It wasn't the first time she'd received such a message, and usually, Mary didn't worry. But this time something felt wrong. This time, she found herself growing more and more anxious as days stretched to weeks.

Her son had just turned eight. Ed had loved the boy as his own. Mary looked in on the sleeping child and wiped tears from her eyes. He's been so good to you. To us. she thought, closing the door gently, and moving to her bedroom to slip into a long flannel gown and a warm robe, before moving to sit before the fireplace with a glass of wine.

 

[Bardiche]

Tom didn't like this task he had taken on himself. But a promise was a promise. He felt the watch in the pocket of his jeans. It was a reminder of Ed. He couldn't believe it. Ed was gone. Lost somewhere in the jungle. Tom knew in his heart that his friend couldn't have survived. He sighed as he raised his hand to stop a taxi.

It was morning and traffic was hectic. Tom sat deep in thoughts as the cab raced through the streets. He felt sorry for Ed's wife and kid. It was at times like this he was glad he didn't get married. Almost glad. He refused to think about the past. He had mostly managed to keep his past in the closet. A past that he gladly forgot if he only could.

The cab stopped and Tom opened the door and payed the cabby. He rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms against his jeans. He also wore a brown leather jacket over his white t-shirt.

He walked over to the house of Ed and Mary McBride. He knew their son was named Ethan. He had even seen pictures of the kid. He knocked on the door as he thought ringing the bell might be more intrusive. He looked over at some children playing when the door opened.

"Good morning Mrs McBride." He said as he turned to face the woman and almost fainted. Whatever next he was about to say was stuck in his throat as he stared at her. Suddenly he didn't know what to say.

"Mary?" Was the word that came out as he tried to calm himself.

 

[Zarafina]

She had not slept well again, but that was the norm these last weeks. Worrying about Ed, her loving husband, had her stomach in knots. She'd showered, which helped, and gotten Ethan off to school, then returned to their home .. a home that felt so empty.

The knock at the door startled her, and she looked at the clock. Who could it be, at this hour?

Opening the door she was startled. A face she'd not seen in eight years stood on her doorstep. The face of a man she'd loved back when she was a girl. "T-Tom ..?" Her voice was higher than she'd have liked, and she tried to clear her throat.

He'd called her Mrs McBride. But he'd never known she got married, had he? She'd left Australia without telling anyone .. and her wedding was even kept small. Her mind raced with confusion.

"Tom .. what are you doing here? How .. ?"

 

[Bardiche]

It was really Mary. Mary Cameron. The young woman he had loved with a passion. The only woman he tried hard to forget but never really could. He stared at her. His confusion was evident as he tried to think. She must be Ed's wife. That fact suddenly dawned on him. His latest memory of her was that she refused to talk with him. That memory had almost erased all the good times they had. Almost.

He brushed his palm against his jeans again and the feeling of the watch was a reminder of why he was there. He take a deep breath.

"I am here because i promised Ed i would." He can't help but sounding abrupt. The shock of seeing her had him completely forgetting his manners. At least he could speak in sentences now.

"I have something for his son Ethan." He fished up the watch from the pocket. He held it in his hand as he watched her. He realised that she was even more beautiful now than when she was twenty. He could see why Ed had married her. But that didn't stop the pain he felt in the knowledge that she had married another.

 

[Zarafina]

Tom. He was as ruggedly handsome as he'd been the last day they'd seen eachother. Oh, if only her Father hadn't kept them from running off! If only .. then she wouldn't have fled to the states when she found out she was pregnant. She wouldn't have married Ed McBride ...

Ed. He was here because of Ed. "Oh .. god ..." Mary reached for the door, feeling faint all of a sudden. 'No .. " she whispered, biting her lip against the tears. She'd prepared herself for this. Every time the call came that his mission had encountered trouble, she'd prepared herself. But this time ...

"His .. son .. " Mary's mind was reeling, and she shook her head a moment, reaching for the watch. Clutching it in her fingers she read the engaving on tha back, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Tom .. please .. come in. I .. " She didn't know what she wanted to say, and only looked to him, pleading.

 

[Bardiche]

Tom was really shaken by her response. He had been prepared for some emotional outburst. But this was Mary. He clenched his fists to keep them from touching her. She wasn't his to comfort. Not anymore. He simply nodded and walked inside the doorway. He would answer any questions he could. He knew that he couldn't answer many though. He kept his distance to her as he walked past her.

"I am sorry." He muttered under his breath. He never felt comfortable being around grief. Grieving relatives over dead soldiers always got to him. There was no proof that Ed was dead. When the searching party came back there was no body. Tom knew that his friends chances of being alive was microscopical though.

He turned to look at her and felt her pain. He wasn't sure what she wanted from him. He had done what he came here for. His job was completed now. He just wanted to leave her. He knew that he couldn't leave before he knew what she wanted though. If he could give her some peace of mind it was worth something. Even if he had to hold in his own pain in doing so.

 

[Zarafina]

It was really him. Mary couldn't believe her eyes. She thought back to eight years ago and a fresh pain struck her. Her father had told her he was using her. That he would never come for her. She hadn't wanted to believe him .. but Tom never did come by again .. and then the pregnancy.

"Please just .. have .. some coffee with me or .. something." she whispered, barely able to look at him. She wasn't as heartbroken as one would imagine, but pain did show on her beautiful features.

She moved to the kitchen, laying the watch on the counter, and leaned against it heavily. The house was neat, and looked much like might be expected .. though there were few pictures of the couple. Several of Ed himself .. more of Mary. Only a wedding photo showed them together.

She was quiet for a long time. She wanted to ask him. She had to know. But she didn't want to appear cold. She'd just been told her husband was gone .. and she's thinking about their own past? how would that look?

"Tom .. why didn't you come?" The words rushed from her lips before she could stop herself.

 

[Bardiche]

Tom hadn't expected that question. She was married and their history was just that. History. He swallowed as he looked at her. How could he answer her? That her cousin Sonia had told him that Mary didn't want to have anything to do with him. That her father had sent him to Perth a week later. He had no choice but to do as he was ordered to not be deemed a deserter.

"I was told you didn't wanted to see me again." He said in a low voice and brushed his hair with his hand in frustration. He imagined that he was over her. It had taken a long time but the pain had subsided. Now that he stood in her house he knew that it had just subsided so he would survive. He had thought he would never see her again.

"It is in the past now and you are married." He look at her. "Ed is the finest man i know so it seem you made a good choice of husband." He try to smile but it feel unnatural so he stop trying.

 

[Zarafina]

"You .. were .. what?!" Mary's eyes widened, her grief, for the moment, put aside. "I .. I went to meet you .. I tried." Her emotions were all tangled, suddenly. He'd come to her door, to tell her that her husband of almost six years was dead .. and here she was, unable to force back the feelings she'd had for him all those years ago.

"Father caught me. He stopped me and .. he told me you didn't want me. That you were using me because of him .." she rambled, looking to him with a blend of hurt and rage ... but behind it all was the love that had never died.

"Tom ... Tom you have to believe me. I loved you. I always loved you ..." whispered the woman from his past, reaching a hand to him. Her left hand. As she did, she caught sight of the simple golden band she wore, and her face twisted. "Ed .. oh, god." she whispered, shaking suddenly. 'Ed .. you were good to me .. and to my son ...' she said, to no one in particular.

 

[Bardiche]

Tom didn't notice how she said my son and not our son. He was conflicted. He wanted to reach out and hold her. Comfort her. She loved him? He had stopped believing that a long time ago. What a mess they had made of their lives. She was another mans wife. That still hurt. That her husband was Ed didn't make things easier for him to accept. He damned the fate that had sent him here. If Ed hadn't fallen from the helicopter Tom hadn't known who his wife was. He had probably never met Mary again.

His hands closes at his side to avoid doing something stupid. Like touching her. He try to mask his feelings as he look at her. He felt his throat tighten and stood silent for a moment.

"Ed thought of you every time we were out." He finally said with a slight smile. "You and your son." He sighed deeply. "You meant the world to him." He don't let his jealousy be noticed. This was the woman he had planned to marry. To have children with. He had always known she would be a great mom. From what he heard Ed saying of Ethan she had done a good job with him.

 

[Zarafina]

Hearing how Ed doted on her, how he spoke of her to others caused Mary to sob again. He -had- been a good husband. And a wonderful father. But not the one Mary had dreamed about. She cared for him, true. But the man she loved was standing in her kitchen.

"Tom .." she began softly, looking up to him then. Her eyes betrayed her love, even now. "Tom, Ethan is not Ed's son." she said softly, biting her bottom lip a moment. She hesitated. He'd already believed she willingly turned away from him. What would he think when she told him about his son?

"My son ... our son ... turned eight two months ago."

She watched him, fearful, as that news sunk in. Would he believe her? Did he believe her when she said she had never said the things he'd been told? That her father had manipulated them both?

 

[Bardiche]

The words coming from her. Telling him he was a father. Tom felt his chest constrict as he stared at her again. His world was turned upside down and he just didn't know how he should react. He held in his first response that wasn't gonna lead anywhere. He wanted to yell at her. Asking her why she didn't tell him. She could have found him by asking the Australian army of his whereabouts.

"I am Ethans dad?" He asked just to be sure he had heard her right. By her expression he could tell she was telling him the truth. Did Ed know? Was the next question popping up in his mind.

Right away he knew that Ed couldn't have known that Tom was Ethans father. Ed didn't know of Marys and Toms past. He felt a tremor in his legs and sat down at one of the kitchen chairs.

"That is quite some news." He looked up at her with what he hoped wasn't an accusing stare. She had been through a lot already without him coming here and destroy whatever she had left.

Once again he thought of Ed's smile whenever he talked about Ethan and Mary. He hadn't met Mary until Ethan was an infant but he still had loved the kid as his own. Tom was glad that Ethan at least had a dad that had loved him.

 

[Zarafina]

"You are the only man I was ever with before .. before I ran away." Mary replied, a soft flush showing in her cheeks. Even now .. so many years later, thinking of their time together made her blush.

She blinked. She realized that Tom didn't know anything. He didn't know what happened after that night.

"I found out a few weeks after .. after I was supposed to run away with you." she murmured, clasping her hands together. "Father .. demanded I 'terminate it' .. like my being pregnant was some .. foul thing. I didn't want to. It was your baby. I .. I thought that, even if you didn't want me, really .. I could still keep .. a part of you."

Her voice broke, and she sobbed softly. "Mama helped me get away. She bought me tickets to come here. I stayed with one of her cousins until Ethan was born and .. they helped me until I could get stable. I .. thought about finding you. Telling you. But he said .. he said you ... "

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "I met Ed when Ethan was about eight months old, and we dated for a while. He wanted a family. I .. needed help. He was a good man, so I agreed to marry him." She didn't exactly say she never loved Ed, but it was in her voice.

"I thought I'd never see you again." she whispered, tears trailing down her cheeks.

 

[Bardiche]

Tom stood up and walked over to her. His hands was unsteady but he knew he had to do something. This was the woman he always had loved. Even after all this time he knew that he loved her still. He tentatively reached out to her. His hand gently touched her cheek. He felt her wet tears against his skin and sighed.

"I never really forgot you." He mumble as he try to control his emotions. He was a soldier. He had seen some of his friends die and hadn't reacted this strongly. Not even when Ed fell. His mouth was dry and he felt his jaw twitch.

"In your fathers eyes i wasn't worth to be with you. I was just a private that never got promoted. A fact he saw to." He just couldn't stop himself anymore and drew her into his arms and held her. He sniffed at her hair and closed his eyes. He was still conflicted but she felt so good to hold. So good in his arms.

 

[Zarafina]

She trembled when she felt his fingers brushing her cheek, and memories flooded her mind. Thoughts of their time before her father forced them apart... for it was clear to Mary this was all his doing.

"He never wanted me to have a life of my own .." she whispered, her throat tight with tears. But then his arms were around her, and she turned her face into his shoulder. This was like a dream. His arms felt so good. She'd always loved how he held her .. so strong, and protective.

"Tom... Tom .. I never stopped loving you. I .. I thought .. and he said .. and you were gone. I asked at the base. They said you left .." she stammered, rambling suddenly, unable to focus. His arms were around here, and she felt like she was finally where she belonged.