The Assignment (CLOSED)

[zydrate]

She had told him everything.

Everything.

And he still had the audacity to say she was lying to him. And she didn't know what was worse, him calling her a liar or the fact that he walked out on her.

Nicole watched him walk out of small italian restaurant. Perhaps a cozy setting wasn't really the place to have a serious talk. Thank goodness it was a Monday and the room they had been seated in was empty.

But now what? Should she go after him?

No, he was pretty pissed.

Instead, she just sat there and poured herself another glass of wine and downed it in one shot.

Ok, so he was mad. She got it. She was ready for it. But expecting it versus it actually happening were 2 different things.

Should she go to him? Call him later? Nicole was never in this situation before so she was unsure on how to handle it.

With a heavy sigh, she reached into her purse and threw down $200 in cash even though the bill wasn't over $87, she just didn't care about anything else but how she had hurt him right now...

*** 2 weeks later ***
No calls.

He never called Nicole.

And she didn't call him because well, she told him the truth and if he wanted to act like what they had wasn't special enough to call her, then well... was it worth it?

Yes, she was still hurt. It hurt that he walked off the way he did. It hurt that he didn't call.

She should have called him. But work.

Work always got in the way.

Like it did now. She had to get her head back into the game. Push her personal life behind her right now. Besides, there was nothing she could do. He was back in New York and she was on her way to her new assignment.

Some reporter wanted to do a report from the front lines of the latest war and it was up to Nicole and her team to protect him and his crew.

Nicole's team referred to this as B.S.

Baby-sitting.

Was this punishment for their failure at their last mission?

Officially, no.

Unofficially, yes. It was a bullshit assignment.

The news team had been informed they were going to have military escorts. No arguments. Nicole would be in charge with their security. So basically, baby-sitting.

B.S.

Well, after the past shitty few weeks, she just shrugged it off and got to work. They had a job to do. Would it be dangerous? That would depend all on where they were going.

As her and her team walked down the corridor, she opened the file to get the names of the journalist and his crew. The team would include the journalist and 2 members of his crew. So in all, a total of 3.. plus Nicole's own 4 man team, so a grand total of 8.

To keep things on the low, the journalist and his network affiliation weren't given until that morning. The teams would meet each other and then Nicole and her team would have 12 hours to prepare with the information on the places the journalist wanted to go. And Nicole would report this morning on what places she approved of. They had wanted to keep them at minimal risk areas but of course, he was wanting the most dangerous.

Perfect.

Opening the file, she got her first glance at the crew.

Alexander Campbell. American Journalist. National News Anchor.

The man who walked out on her after she told him the truth of what she did for a living. The man who called her a liar after she had led him on to believe she was a flight attendant which was why she was always gone...

The man she had no business meeting but somehow their paths crossed and something clicked between them. Something she couldn't explain. She had always settled on the fact that she would never be with anyone because her 'job'. Then she met him.

Goddamnit.

B.S. job.

She kept her emotions in control. OK, she could do this.

With a deep breath, she knocked on the door of the conference room before opening it and she immediately saw the look in his eyes that he was just as surprised to see her as she had been when she opened his file.

 

[BeachBum25]

He thought she was the one. He thought they would settle down together and have a family. It was possible that he was thinking further into the future than Nicole was, if that was even her real name. She told him that she wasn't a flight attendant. When she told him what she did, he was shocked. Who was this person sitting across from him in the Italian restaurant? He was here for a romantic dinner and now his whole world was turned upside down.

Did he do the right thing? He wasn't sure, but he couldn't sit there any longer. He had been living a lie. She had been leading him through a lie. He got up and he stormed out, and he didn't look back. He couldn't lok back, because if he saw her, he would stop and probably go back and forgive her, and right now, he couldn't.

He went about his daily routine like nothing had happened. However, behind the scenes he was making plans for a change. As a National News Anchor with a major network, he no longer went out and found the stories, he simply reported the stories that others found. Yes, he was good at what he did, which is why he was on the evening news five nights a week. Now, however, he needed to do something different. He needed to do something that would allow him to get his mind off Nicole. Or maybe to figure out if he should reach back out to her. He needed to break up his routine.

Alex went to the network managers and told them about his idea. At first they laughed. Then they asked if he was crazy. Then they just sat there staring at him. After several minutes they came out with their answer. NO. There was no way they were going to let their prized news anchor put himself in danger by going to the front lines of a war. Just, flat out NO.

He sat quietly for a moment looking down at the conference table. When he looked up he said, "it wasn't a request. I am telling you that I am going to do this. You can make the arrangements for me, and get someone to fill in for me for a couple of months, or, I will make the arrangements with another news organization and you can find someone to replace me... permanently. That is where you get to make a decision."

He had walked out of the meeting, and he heard back later that day from the News Manager, that the network would make the arrangements. He told the manager he wanted an aide and a camera person to go with him, but they had to be willing to volunteer. He did not want anyone being forced into this dangerous assignment.

A week later Alex was called into a meeting after the evening news and he was informed that the details had been worked out. However, the only way the military would allow him to go was if he had a protection detail. His response was, "as long as they don't get in the way and as long as they do not censor what I want to report."

That all led up to today. It came together pretty quickly. He was sitting in a conference room about to meet the head of the security team that would be travelling with him. He had a feeling it was going to be some big, hard-nosed guy that would want to tell Alex that things were going to have to go his way. When the door opened and he looked up, his jaw dropped. "What was she doing here," he thought.

"What the........" He stared at her. "Why the fuck are you here?"

 

[zydrate]

"Good afternoon to you as well." Nicole said, ignoring his outburst. Behind her, Nicole's second in command, Sgt. Jesse Akins let out a small chuckle and leaned in toward Nicole, whispering "I don't think he's forgiven you Mase.."

Nicole elbowed him and one glace back at the Sergeant put him in his place. Yeah, they knew about each other's personal lives... they were a team after all. Nicole had worked with them for over 3 years, which is why they worked so well together.

Except their last mission.

Nicole pushed that thought from her mind and continued on, "Gentlemen, I am Staff Sergeant Nicole Mason, and this is Sergeant Akins.. we're going to be providing you and your crew security for your assignement." Nicole's voice held a confident tone as she waved at Jesse, "We've been assigned as your detail so, the locations provided to us are still being looked at and are yet to be approved by both my higher ups and of course, your network affiliation. So, all in all, we won't know anything until later tonight but for now, we wanted to introduce ourselves... any questions?"

She rested her right elbow on the butt her sidearm and waited. She had noticed that Alex hadn't taken his eyes off of her and if looks could kill...she'd be dead right now.

"I know you're not happy with this and trust me, we could be doing something a lot more important at the moment, so, let's all try to get along for the sake of this mission. I need you trust myself and my team. We will do what we can to protect you but you have to remember, that means you listen to us. When we say move, you do it. No questions asked."

The other 2 members of Alex's crew didn't look too pleased. Hell, they didn't look too fit either. God help them if they had to run for cover...

Nicole leaned over to Jesse and told him, "Go with the crew and see what equipment is needing to be transported and then get with Clark and see where we can stow them safely..." with no question, Akins got up and motioned the 2 crewmen out... leaving Nicole and Alex alone in the conference room.

Not bothering to get personal, knowing by his greeting earlier that he hadn't forgiven her, Nicole stuck to business, "I'll be looking over the places picked and we'll see what's needed to get those approved but you know, I can seriously tell you, it's not likely we're going to be able to fulfill your request. It's just too dangerous." It was nothing personal, she hoped he understood...

 

[BeachBum25]

The longer he sat there, the angrier he got. His mind was racing. He wondered if she had found out what he was doing and had requested the assignment. He also wondered if she had been spying on him in some way and that was how she found out about what he was doing.

He watched as she stood there across the table from him leaning on her sidearm. Was that pose for him? Was she trying to let him know that she was in charge, and that his assignment was reliant on her?

He got even angrier when she sent her second-in-command out with his assistant and his cameraperson. Why was she trying to get them alone?

After the others left, he listened to what she had to say. He didn't react right away. He took a deep breath, and looking directly into her eyes, responded, "I am not afraid of going to the places I chose. I know I can get them approved. If, however, you are going to stand in the way of what I want to do, then I will use some connections I have to have you removed from the assignment, and I will have them put someone who is not out to personally fuck up what I am trying to do on my protection. Hell, I didn't ask for any protection. This is what the military wants, and they give me YOU. What kind of fucked up leadership do they have. They had to know about us. Hell, I was probably the only one that didn't REALLY know about us."

He stood up from his rant and headed toward the door. Then, he stopped, and continued. "Tell them that it is not a good idea for you to be anywhere near me. That is what I am going to tell them. What the fuck..... haven't you done enough damage to me already? Now, you are going to be going into a war zone with me. Fuck that."

He stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. He was going to make a beeline for his office and make a phone call to a source in the military that he knew would help him out.

 

[zydrate]

"Well... shit..." Nicole said under her breath when the door slammed behind Alex.

Nicole just sat there and a few minutes later, Jesse returned, shaking his head, hiding a smile.

"I see he wasn't too please."

She just looked at her second in command, "What gave you that idea?" She said sarcastically as she stood and met him by the door, "What did you come up with?"

Jesse, who was a big guy, just sighed and was as frustrated with the situation just as Nicole had been, "Equipment transport shouldn't be a problem. But the guys... they aren't too vested in this. They don't want to go... hell, they're not even in shape to make the trip, at least in my opinion. Nothing against the guys, I'm sure they're good at their job but what if we come under attack? Not sure they could run for cover in time."

Nicole nodded, still thinking about Alex's outburst. Man, that guy could hold a grudge.

She had know he had a temper and although he had never taken out anything on her, she had seen him blow up before... mostly at his sources or those working with him.

"Do you think they'll reassign us?" Jesse asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the frame of the door.

Nicole sighed and shook her head, "No... my guess is that Alex is trying to get a different group to escort him but it's going to work. It's not like the military has another group just sitting around waiting for some assignment."

As if on cue, Nicole's phone rang and she looked down at the display.

"Fuck.." she said before answering, "Yes sir?"

It took a while to assure the General that she had not done anything to jeopardize the mission. It was just that Alex preferred a different escort.

"We are not a fucking for hire protection service!! Fix this!" And he hung up.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex was on his cell phone the second he was out the door of the conference room. "I don't know what kind of joke someone is playing, but assigning HER to be my protection is not going to work. How can I trust her? There is no way. Find someone for me or else I will go on the evening news and report that the government is trying to hide something by keeping me out of the war zone."

He headed to his office where he met with the assistant and the cameraperson. It was there that Alex found out that neither of them had volunteered for the position. They told Alex that they had been given the assignment and were threatened with being fired if they didn't take it. Alex nodded, stood up and walked out.

Storming into the News Manager's office, and slamming the door behind him, Alex exploded. "Are you trying to sabotage the assignment. Sending those two with me? It would be one thing if they volunteered, but now I find out they had no desire to go and you told them they had to go or they were fired. They are not going, and you will not fire them." He was on another rant. Alex had a tendency to do that. It was one of the reasons that he had been so successful; he never stopped at the first roadblock. He continued to push until he got the story.

"If someone is going to be assigned, I want Eric as my cameraperson, and Alexis as my assistant. They are the 2 best, and they will be able to keep up with me. So, if there are no volunteers, get those two on the assignment while I figure out what they are going to do with the fucking protection detail. I can't believe they assigned HER. Did you know about this?"

The manager says he only found out about it earlier that morning when he saw the name on the information sent to him by the military. He had no idea she was in the military.

Alex stormed out of the office and headed back to his office. He knew he had to settle down, but he couldn't. Part of the reason for doing this was to clear his mind of Nicole and to figure out what to do about her. Now they wanted to send her along with him. How exactly would that help the situation?

As he approached his office, he saw her and her second-in-command standing at the door to the office. "Are you here to tell me that he is taking over?" Alex pointed at the second-in command.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole didn't answer him. She wasn't going to give up on this. She was very aware of his hard headedness. It was something that attracted her to him. She didn't like weak men. And Nicole could hold herself up to anyone. At least she thought so. She had been through interrogations, both on the giving and receiving ends.

Alexander Campbell was not going to break her, that was for sure.

In a calm and collected manner, Nicole reached for his office door and opened it, waiting for him to enter. When he didn't, Nicole walked in first and sat at the chair in front os his desk, removing her hat, as one is taught in the military. She then leaned back in the chair, waiting for him.

Up to this time, Nicole didn't say a thing. Finally, after what seemed like a minute, she heard the door close. She also heard Alex muttering curses about this whole situation.

"You know, I've never been here before. You've never invited me." She said carelessly. When he didn't answer, she continued, "Alexander Campbell. Did you know I've never heard of you before? Why? I've spent more time overseas and on assignment that I didn't make it back to the US too often. And when I was in the US, I didn't watch TV. I didn't watch the news. So my surprise was real when you said you were who you were. It was weird because, you're always in the public eye and I can't be. But I still stuck with you. Your schedule was perfect for me when I came back to visit. You worked late so when we did get together, it was always at your place or mine... well, my sister's place."

Nicole had used her sister's life as a flight attendant as her own. It was a good cover. That was one of the many lines of truths she had revealed to him when she told him everything that night.

Her voice was still a very calm tone, "I had already apologized for what happened. For what I said and did. But you have to know, I had no other choice. You work for the news. I make the news. With what I know now, I wish I could do things differently but I can't. I wasn't even supposed to tell you anything. I was supposed to break things off that night. Which I'm sure I probably did that also."

"If you really want someone else to take over. Fine. I get it. It won't be my team, that's for sure. But if you do want someone else to do this, it will surely be my team rescuing your ass because no one knows the territory better than us." With that, she stood up formally, grabbed her hat, put it back on and walked out, not wanting to give him a chance to respond.

Sure, she could have slammed the door to his office but didn't bother. Instead, she closed it gently. She motioned to Jesse and he left the woman he was talking to immediately, following Nicole. "Did he change his mind?"

Nicole shrugged as they waited for the elevator, "I don't know." Jesse didn't push it further.

***
Tami's cat was there to greet Nicole when she got back to her sister's place. What was it with this damn cat liking her so much?

After she secured her weapon, Nicole threw her hat over on the chair and literally was able to let her hair down by taking it out of the low ponytail she had it secured it.

She had grabbed a bottle of water and took a big drink of it. It was late. Very late. She hadn't heard from the top of what was going on and she half expected it. Usually, things like this would probably be relayed back to her last minute. All she wanted to do was get some rest... or at least, try to get some rest in before the next leg of what ever she and her team were going to be assigned next.

 

[BeachBum25]

Sitting across the desk from Nicole, Alex half-listened to what she was saying. A lot was running through his mind. If she thought what she had to say helped, she was sadly mistaken. One comment she made felt like a dagger to his heart. Despite his anger at Nicole for deceiving him, he still cared for him, but when she had basically said that she couldn't trust him because of his chosen profession... well, that hurt.

He remained quiet. When Nicole got up to leave, he made no attempt to stop her, nor did he even attempt to make a comment to her or argue with her. He just let her leave. Alex turned his chair around, and stared out his large window at the sky. His mind, for a few minutes, just shut down.

The sight of a large jet flying overhead snapped him out of his little trance. Maybe he should just cancel the idea of the mission. After all, the whole reason for going was to be able to figure things out with Nicole. He had no idea what he would have come up with while on the front lines, but was sure that he would have a definitive decision once he returned. Now that he knew that Nicole did not trust him, was there really a decision to be made?

A knock on the door, snapped him back into the present. He turned his chair around to see the network president entering his office. Before Alex knew it, she was sitting across the desk from him. Paula Foley was a tough woman who did not take shit from anyone. It was probably the reason that Alex got along with her so well; they were a lot alike. She stared at him and then said, "I thought you were better than this. You have always been a professional, and now you are letting personal shit get in the way of you doing your job."

Alex started to respond, but she interrupted him. "No, just listen to me and be quiet. You are letting your love life, or former love life whatever it is get in the way of a once in a lifetime assignment. Never before has the anchor for a national network news, left the studio to go to the front lines the way you have proposed. Yes, some have gone to a war zone, but never up with the troops the way you have suggested that you want to go. Now, because your ex, or whatever the hell she is to you, is on the security detail assigned to you, you are acting like a little baby and throwing a temper tantrum. Grow the fuck up Alexander. The person I am looking at isn't the person I have grown to respect here at the network."

She paused, and once again Alex started to respond. Foley held up her hand. "Save it. I need an answer by tomorrow morning at 7 am. Either you are going to go or not. If you are going, the team that was assigned to you will be accompanying you. I was told they are the best, and I am only willing to do it with the best watching your ass." Paula Foley stood and walked to the door. She turned around momentarily. "7 am." She closed the door behind her and left.

Grabbing his suit jacket and his briefcase, Alex left his office and took a taxi home. He went to the refrigerator, took out a beer and opened it and walked into the living room and turned on the television. He put on the baseball game and started to watch it. Soon he was sound asleep on the sofa. At 5 am, he woke up, grabbed his phone and texted Paula Foley. "I'm in"

After sending the text, Alex went in and showered and got ready for the day. He knew that there would be meetings about the assignment and what the security leader expected from everyone. Alex also thought about who he could replace the assistant and the cameraperson with. He was going to get to the office and talk to a couple of people and see if they had any interest.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole was able to get in a couple of hours of sleep but had woken up around 3am. That didn't surprise her since she was used to waking up early and she didn't have a sleep schedule to begin with. One had to sleep when they could.

That and Tami's cat was playing with something... the water bottle lid from last night. Ugh...

Nicole quickly showered and hastily threw her hair in a ponytail... she didn't care, she wasn't around to impress anyone anyway. It wasn't even 4am and she was ready to go. She hadn't heard from anyone regarding the assignment but she'd rather be prepared than not at all. If Alex changed his mind, that was fine. The team would quickly be assigned something else. If he did decide to go ahead with it, then at least they'd be ready.

On her way, she sent a message to the rest of the team to meet her at the base. For now, that was where they would gather and hatch out a plan.

***

The team kept to themselves, as they always did when on a new base. They actually didn't have a home base so, no matter what, they stayed away from talking to others. They talked quietly amongst themselves, making haphazard plans and throwing around ideas should they be called out. They sort of all stood out. Everyone else was in fatigues while Nicole and her teammates were dressed in black cargos and black t-shirts, matching sidearms.

Nicole was working on her second cup of coffee when her phone went off. She answered and it was the higher uppers.

It was a go.

"We're on." Nicole said as she stood and the team followed.

And like that, Nicole and her team, Jesse (her second), Emil, Rich and Theo. Although they all had ranks, each never addressed each other by it. But they knew who was in charge and each trusted each other with their life. Also, each knew about the other person's life, the guys knew about Nicole's love life...well, not all but enough. They knew the optics behind this assignment. They knew about how Nicole and Alex where a thing... are a thing?

Who knew anymore. After yesterday, Nicole knew she had probably blown it.

The morning rushed by quickly. Nicole spent most of the morning on the phone with different departments about how all this would be planned out. Of course, what her and her team had planned out had quickly changed so many times in order to meet with what the news station had requested. Some of the places the station...or Alex really, had requested were extremely dangerous... at least the last report received. They would need to plan out alternate options in case it was too dangerous for all.

The plan had so far been that they would all leave from the base around 6PM and then from there, board a military transport from there and endure a 10 hour flight before changing to another 6 hour flight before reaching one of their destinations. It wasn't going to be easy if you weren't used to it.

Nicole was intently studying a map, not noticing that Alex and his news team had been let in to the large conference room. Jesse nudged her, getting her attention, nodding over to their new arrivals...

 

[BeachBum25]

He had no idea how this was going to go. When he originally had thought about going to the front lines, he envisioned daily reports for the evening news about what the brave troops were doing to protect their freedom. The more he thought about it, he changed his mind to a series of reports that would run when he returned to his evening anchor position. He had even considered turning it into a documentary that would run on the network, although, he had not run that idea past the management team.

When he got to the office, he called a couple of people to see if there was any interest in volunteering for the mission. The two that management had chosen were unacceptable. Not only would they not be able to keep up, but they were not good at what they did, in Alex's eyes.

His first choice for cameraperson was Lisa Powell. He had worked with her when he was at the local network affiliate, and he knew she was good. They had been very close when they worked together. They even went out a few times, however, they both knew that a relationship could jeopardize their professionalism on the job, and they had mutually decided to be just friends and co-workers. When Alex called Lisa about the mission, she said yes almost before he finished the question.

His first choice for his assistant, was a also a co-worker from the local affiliate. However Jonathan Short said he wasn't interested. He said he liked life to much to risk it on that assignment. Alex's second choice was Stephanie Lee. She was a personal assistant to one of the local news anchors, and that anchor always bragged about how great she was and how she knew just what he needed from her. Stephanie jumped at the chance to get away from the local anchor for a little while.

When Alex walked into the meeting with his new team, he saw the looks he got. He let Lisa and Stephanie take a seat, and then he sat down across from Nicole. He looked into her eyes. "So, I guess you won and you are going to be stuck guarding my ass for a while. I will put my personal feelings aside.... for a while anyway." Alex knew that Lisa and Stephanie had no idea what he was talking about. They didn't need to know... not at the moment anyway.

Alex remained focused on Nicole. "Here is the deal, though. You are not going to tell me that I can't go to certain places, in advance. If it is determined once we get in country that an area is too dangerous, I will trust the professionalism of your team. However, we are not going to sit here in the safety of a conference room and make decisions about the safety of an area based on information that could be days, if not weeks old. I understand that you are the professionals, but I do not want to be kept from an area where our troops are risking their lives for the right for us to be safe back here."

Continuing to look at Nicole, Alex paused for a second. The without breaking eye contact, "Agreed?" Then, without waiting for Nicole's response, Alex said, "We are packed and ready to go. When do we leave?"

 

[zydrate]

So, he wanted to be in charge.

Nicole could understand that to some degree but really, was he aware of the danger of this mission? This wasn't like the movies, that was for sure. They were entering hostile territory... why? So he could get a story?

He had said she had won. Well, he was wrong. She didn't win.

He didn't understand that she was trying to protect him?

Why? Because... she cared for him. Yeah, what happened between them happened. But deep within Nicole, she had hoped there was still a chance for things to work out.

Perhaps what she had said last night wasn't as eloquent as she had liked. But that wasn't her style. She wasn't as educated as Alex had been. She didn't go to any fancy college like he did. She worked from the ground up to get where she was at.

Sure, she was still hurt with how things turned out but there was nothing she couldn't do about it now. Instead, she sighed, not breaking eye contact with him, matching his determination, agreeing without agreeing. She stood and answered his question, "We leave in 4 hours." And from there, she had explained what they would be doing. The duration of the flight and where they would be holed up. It wasn't some fancy hotel he was used to, but of course, she didn't say that out-loud. They would get more solid information once they arrived. She hadn't wanted to overload them with too much information just yet.

Nicole wasn't the vindictive type, if Alex wanted to go somewhere, she and her team would do their best to accommodate them.

She hadn't not noticed the women with Alex. It didn't pass her that they were very pretty. And hell, smart looking too.

"Theo will make sure your equipment will be secured during the flight but that's about it. We're not here to help move or set up your equipment. That's all on you and your team. You do your part and we'll do ours. Sound good?"

"Clocks counting. 3 hours and 45 minutes." With that Nicole nodded to Theo, who looked like he was only too happy to help out the other ladies. Nicole wanted to roll her eyes but instead, she just shook her head and let them figure out what was going to go where. "Someone will be by later to escort you all to get some dinner before we leave. Also, you were given Visas that have your name picture on it. Make sure you have it on your at all times. If anyone that's not a member of our team or from home base tries to make you do something, direct them to me. I don't want anyone to say anything wrong to the point where it will get any of us shot, all right? I sort of want to make it out alive on this one."

"Any questions? No? Good." She and Jesse got up to leave. They had to get their own stuff ready also. There was still a lot to do.

 

[BeachBum25]

"I am ready to do my part, and I know that the team I have assembled is ready to do theirs. We won't need your help with our equipment. We are capable of doing everything necessary to do our job." Alex smiled at Nicole as she got up to leave. Yes, there was a tug of war going on here. They were both trying to one-up the other. He was certain that Nicole didn't like his attitude. Now that he was seeing what her real life was, he was certain that she rarely had anyone act toward her the way that he was.

"Just tell Theo to let us know where to deliver our equipment. There isn't much. We travel light. This is not some major dramatic production. This is about news, not about Hollywood." He stood up and looked to Lisa and Stephanie and nodded. "Do you ladies have any questions for the leader of our security detail? They both shook their heads no. "Okay, let's double check what we have and get it to where Theo wants it. Then we will wait for our escort to dinner since we are ready to go already."

After double-checking their equipment, Alex, Lisa and Stephanie sat quietly and counted the minutes until it was time to leave. He noticed the women whispering and then looking in his direction. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Lisa was the one who spoke up, and asked what the deal was between Alex and the security team leader. So, it was obvious there was something going on.... even to two women who had no idea about the relationship between Nicole and Alex.

"Well, the short version is that we used to go out.... or we are still going out and are on a break. I am not exactly sure what it is, but I apologize for mixing you up in that. I promise that it will not be an issue while we are working on this assignment. I will make sure everything within my control goes smoothly."

He left it at that. He did not, however stop thinking about it... about Nicole. Alex thought about their relationship. Did they still have one? Were they done and over with? Was there a way for them to get back to the way they were? Is that what he wanted? Why would he? She had lied to him about who she was since the first time he met her. Yes, he had been in love with her.... saw himself spending their lives together. How could that happen now? Would he ever believe anything she told him if they got back together?

As he continued to think about Nicole, Alex thought about his reaction when she told him about her real life. The more he thought about it, he started to realize that his reaction really wasn't anger, although that was how it came out. He reacted out of hurt. The woman he loved was telling him that she wasn't who he thought she was, and that felt like a punch in the gut.

He heard someone call "Dinner," and looked up to see Emil, one of Nicole's team members standing there. He told them he would lead them to where they would eat. Alex stood up and waited for Lisa and Stephanie to follow Emil, before following them all out the door. During dinner, Alex didn't eat much. It wasn't a testament to the quality of the food, although it would be taken that way by others. It had everything to do with his mind being on Nicole. He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not see her walk in and sit down opposite him.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole was basically running herself ragged. Not just her, but her team also. She had met with some of the higher ups to give a report on their status. Afterward, she had met with the captain piloting the cargo plane, confirming their flight plan. That was his department, and she was only too aware of how annoyed with her he was.

She was used to the reaction. It came with the territory of what she did.

20 minutes later, Nicole entered the dining hall and saw the news crew talking amongst themselves. Their tray of food nearly untouched. Nerves perhaps? Or maybe it was the food... who knew, it was time to go.

She grabbed 2 rolls and some jelly. This was her dinner. She was hyped up on adrenaline, but she knew she had to eat something but didn’t want anything too heavy.

“Hello…” Nicole said as she sat across from Alex and the other ladies with him. She didn’t pay any mind as they all looked at her. She just proceeded to eat her bread and jelly, yeah, maybe she wasn’t lady like but oh well, “I just got out of the mission debriefing, which was just the flight information. We won’t be travelling alone but the flight is over 10 hours, I want you all to be aware of that. Once we board, I’ll give you all a brief tour and instructions. You can sit where you like but I would suggest you stay with us.” Nicole was in complete work mode as she kept on talking, “It’s going to be extremely uncomfortable and a bit loud. You have the option to wear hearing protection... I would suggest you do. Again, you don’t have to, but I wouldn’t go without it too long. We’ll be going with several other military personal so it’s going to be crowded.”

“There are restrooms on board, so don’t worry about that.” She then directed her attention to the Lisa and Stephanie, “If anyone bugs you or makes you feel uncomfortable, let me know and I’ll deal with them, ok?”

They acknowledged and Nicole was glad. She was really looking out for everyone’s welfare, and she hoped she was giving off that vibe. Some of those guys could be very… well, they could be assholes. Plain and simple.

Nicole looked up and saw Jesse signal to her, letting her know that it was time.

She stood up and tapped the table, “Let’s get going.”

************************************************
Once everyone was situation in the plane, Nicole and her team were sitting behind Alex and his crew. They were getting all looks from the others and some others just didn’t care. Nothing major happened, then again, only 5 hours had passed. It would be another 5-6 hours before they reached their first destination and then after that, a few more hours.

It was nearly 4AM local time when they reached the raggedy base which was fenced off with guards patrolling. This would be their home for a couple of days before moving out. Right now, Nicole knew everyone needed some decent sleep and even though she had said they weren’t going to help with their equipment, it was just faster if they did assist them. Afterward, Nicole directed the guys and Alex to where they would stay, and she would be leading the other ladies where they would be staying.

Later that day, they would all get together and map out their locations but right now, everyone needed some decent rest.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex found it fascinating to watch Nicole work. This was not the woman that he knew. This was a strong military leader who liked being in control of the situation. When she spoke, it was in an authoritative manner, and when she asked if anyone had questions, it was obvious that she really wasn't interested if you did. You either understood what she wanted, or you better be able to catch on quick.

He wore ear protection throughout the long flight. Alex had no problems flying on the military transport plane. Yes, he was accustomed to flying first class and experiencing the finer things that his position allowed him, but he had worked hard to get there, and was not a prima donna despite what many people thought of him. He had a difficult upbringing, one he didn't like to talk about. In fact, Nicole knew very little about what he went through as a child. He had overcome a lot, so, flying on a loud military plane was not going to be a bother to him.

Once they landed, Alex noticed that Nicole had her team help them unload equipment. Alex carried the heavy camera equipment; over the protests that came from Lisa. She stared at Alex and told him she was capable of hauling her own equipment. "I know you are Lisa. I just grabbed the first things I could. I will let you carry your equipment throughout the rest of the assignment... okay?" She shook her head and started getting other equipment. She was hardnosed, which was why she was Alex's first choice to come with him.

He was shown to his temporary quarters. He was bunking with the male members of Nicole's team. As he got settled in, Jesse and Emil walked over to Alex and asked him what the deal was between him and Nicole. Alex looked at them and thought for a minute. "Guys, I know that it is obvious that there is, or was, something between us. You work with Nicole. If you are going to get information about what is going on between her and me, it is going to have to come from her. I am not sharing anything. If I did, and she found out, she would be even more upset with me."

Alex saw that his response did not satisfy Nicole's team members. Jesse shared that they knew that Alex and Nicole were in a relationship but something had happened. Then, Jesse said they didn't want Alex doing anything that would interfere with the mission. "Listen, I know I flew off the handle at that first meeting. What I am willing to share with you is this..... the reason for that is that I do not want to be the one that is responsible for anything happening to Nicole. All of this is new to me, but I don't want anything to happen to her because of some report that I want to do. I will do whatever I need to do to minimize any risk for her, and for you."

The team members backed off, but it was obvious they wanted more details. Alex was sure that they didn't know all of what had gone down between Nicole and Alex, so, Alex was sure they would have more questions for him while they were on this assignment.

Alex found that his mind was racing and he couldn't get any sleep. He was thinking through his plan and making sure he knew exactly what he wanted to report on. He wanted to make sure that the people watching the news reports he would ultimately do understood that the heroes fighting for them were real people with families and lives they wanted to go home to, and Alex wanted to make sure that viewers saw the conditions those heroes dealt with on a daily basis. His mind also wandered to Nicole. Yes, he was still angry with her. Yes, he wasn't sure how much he could trust her. Still, he cared for her..... loved her.

When they met later in the day, Alex decided it was time to try to thaw the icy feelings between the two of them, and he thought it best to do it in front of everyone. "Nicole, I think I need to let you know what I am looking for on this assignment, and why I am doing it." He then laid it all out in front of everyone. He wanted to see what the troops really experienced everyday. He wanted viewers to see them and know what they had given up at home. "These men and women are sacrificing everyday; not just in putting their lives at risk, but in what they have left behind... husbands, wives, children, parents, friends. The people at home have to see them for the total heroes that they are."

Alex stopped. He had been looking at Nicole the entire time despite the fact he was talking to the entire team and to his team also. "This whole assignment started off on the wrong foot, and that was all my fault. I was wrong. I will not do anything that will jeopardize anyone's safety... not yours, not your team's, not my team's. However, I still want to be able to get as close to the men and women who are up against it everyday."

He looked around the table at everyone. Then he looked back to Nicole. "You are the leader. Tell us what we need to know and what we need to do. Let me know how we are going to get the story of those heroes."

 

[zydrate]

In their quarters, Nicole picked out where she was going to sleep. By the door, of course. They were the only females on the base. Not that this worried Nicole but hey, old habits... Which was fine since this was the first time Nicole would be alone with the other ladies... Alex's crew, as it were.

"So, Nicole, there is a lot of tension between you and Alex... he had said you and him used to be an item."

Nicole thought, 'Used to be'? He said that? Man, had she fucked it all up that bad?

It shouldn't have hurt but it did. Nicole played it off. She didn't sense jealousy, it was more curiosity, "We dated." Was all she said as she removed her gear, She had removed what wouldn't impede on her person as she slept. So essentially, just her gear,

Had they wanted more from her? Probably.

Would she give them more? No.

***

"Goddamnit!" Nicole huffed in frustration. It was a good thing she was alone in the small conference room. The morning had gone by somewhat fast. She had woken up, cleaned up and went to breakfast with the ladies. Later, Emil had escorted the crew to their equipment so they could make sure everything was accounted for. Nicole, on the other hand, sequestered herself in a small conference room where she was thoroughly fed up with the information she was getting from all sides. She knew this would be difficult and had convinced herself that it would be easier to obtain information once she was on base.

She wasn't sure how long she was sitting there, staring at the wall. Her mind was racing on what to do next. There was a knock at the door and Jesse led everyone in.

Once everyone was seated, Nicole quietly let Jesse know that they were having a set back but she was sure it would be resolved in a couple of hours. She would elaborate more on it later.

He only nodded.

A few more comments and small talk were made when Alex started to talk about what he had planned. He never broke off eye contact with Nicole and it was almost like they were the only ones in the room. Corny? Probably. But this was what she had been intrigued with him about... his passion. When they would get together after his was off from work, she'd let him go on and on about his work that day or what he had planned for the next day...

He said she was the leader and he didn't want to put anyone in danger. "Thank you Alex. The team and I appreciate it..." I appreciate it, she thought to herself.

Down to business, she pulled up map of their surroundings on an overhead monitor, pointing out where they were currently at. Where Alex had wanted to go and how long it would take to get there. So far, the locations weren't too bad. From the information she had received from the higher ups, things were at a strangely calm stance right now. And that in itself left her feeling uneasy. Earlier in the morning, she had sent Rich out on his own to see if they could get a better visual of what they were going to deal with.

She hadn't heard back from him just yet, which wasn't unusual, just...not taking the edge off of Nicole's gut feeling.

"So," Nicole said when they had a tentative plan that all could agree on, "If you have objections, fine, I get it, but I believe its too late in the day to head out anywhere and then be safely back in a decent time so, if you're all OK with it," she looked pointedly at the news crew, "We can leave early in the morning?" It was hard to clear things with them as Nicole was used to just setting up the plan with her team and carrying it out.

The meeting broke up and Nicole held her team behind, "Anyone hear from Rich?"

No one did yet.

"Transponder location?"

"Not reading it. Could be out...?"

He would have checked in by now no matter what. "One more hour. There's no reason for him not to check in. Meanwhile, keep an eye on his transponder."

All they could do right now was wait. Yeah, it wasn't like Rich to not check in but, things could happen, good or bad. Right now, it was only an hour past not checking in. They had tried to reach him. As much as Nicole wanted to go out and find him, she'd have to wait a bit more. Sure, the chances of him 'forgetting' to check in were probable but it just wasn't like him. "Just in case, get a vehicle ready, Emil and I will go. Jesse, you and Theo stay here."

Their meeting broke up and Nicole headed to get her gear ready, just in case.

 

[BeachBum25]

"Tomorrow will be fine with us," Alex responded to Nicole when she said it was too late in the day to start out. "We will be ready whenever you want. Just let us know when we are leaving." With that, Alex stood up, nodded to Nicole, and followed Lisa and Stephanie out of the conference room. They didn't go far, because there really wasn't anywhere for them to go.

"Are you two okay with what we are about to do? If not, it is not too late to back out, but I will need a little time to make different arrangements." They both assured him that they were good to go. He thanked them, and then just sat around chatting for a little while. Now it was the ladies turn to grill Alex about what was up between him and Nicole. Lisa said, "we were talking with Nicole last night and she said the two of you used to date. What happened."

Alex really didn't want to talk about him and Nicole... not unless he was talking with Nicole. He did listed to what Lisa said and took in that Lisa said Nicole said they used to date. Well, he figured that was accurate, although he was still disappointed with the "used to date."

"Well, we dated for a while. I may have... well, did mess things up. You both know that I can be pretty intense sometimes. So, can we just leave it at that?"

Turning his attention to Nicole coming out of the conference room, Alex knew something was up. Even in her military outfit, Alex could read her body language. Something was wrong. If there was nothing wrong, there was something that was not the way that Nicole had planned for it to be.

He watched Nicole walk away, and then Alex walked up to Jesse. "Is everything okay? I am not just asking for the benefit of my reporting. I can tell Nicole is upset, so, I just want to make sure everyone is okay." Jesse looked at Alex and told him that it was nothing for him to worry about. Alex responded to that angrily. "Jesse, everything about this is for me to worry about. When I planned this, nobody told me I needed to have an escort, or babysitter, which is how I am sure that you and the team view it. So, if there is anyone in trouble, it is for me to worry about." Jesse paused and then told Alex it was probably nothing, but Rich was gone longer than they expected and hadn't checked in. He said things like that happen, but Nicole tends to be over-protective of her team. "Behind her back we call her mother hen."

Alex responded, "I can see that. I also know why you call her that behind her back. Don't worry, she won't hear it from me." Alex walked back over to Lisa and Stephanie and sat back down. "Let's go over what we are trying to get tomorrow. Tomorrow will be background info. We will go over geography and where the enemy is in relation to our troops and the location we are filming from. Stephanie, while we are filming, you can scout for some of the troops for us to talk with. Don't go too far. Make sure the team knows where you are and that someone is with you at all times."

They chatted for a while. Lisa and Stephanie threw out some ideas. Some of them were things Alex never considered, which was great. It was also why he had chosen these two to come with him... even if Stephanie was his second choice. "We will wait around for instructions. I am not sure what time we are leaving in the morning, but I want us all to be well-rested. As soon as we find out our departure time we will eat and get some sleep."

 

[zydrate]

A couple of hours passed by the time Nicole and Emil returned. They had found Rich and the reason he hadn’t responded. The truck he was in with some other personnel had taken a wrong turn, causing them to wreck the huge truck. Some were hurt but nothing serious. There were issues with communications… if Nicole and Emil hadn’t gone out, then who knows what would’ve happened.

Just a complete shit show, as she heard someone call it.

Could have been worse…way worse. No one to blame. Just the fact they were all back safe was a win for today.

None of this would hinder their plans for the next day. Sure, Rich had a few bumps and bruises, but he had insisted he was fine. Everyone was fine. The truck…well, they couldn’t do anything about it. That wasn’t Nicole’s concern anyway.

The small dining hall was empty when she entered. It wasn’t too late, but she was tired. The fatigue of traveling was finally catching up to her to her as she knew it would. One thing was for sure, she was going to sleep good tonight. She placed her arms on the table and put her head down on them. It wasn’t an act of defeat just someone needing some time to herself for the moment.

Nicole heard someone approaching but she didn’t look up, instead, she spoke, her voice muffled, “I know it’s you Alex…” she said, knowing his gait anywhere. She had spent enough time with the man to know certain things about him. "Is everything OK?" Her voice still muffled before she turned her head and continued to let it rest on her arms. She was glad they had reached a somewhat tentative peace, at least for this assignment.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex ate with Lisa and Stephanie. "Not that this food is the greatest, but it might be the last real meal you have for a while, so, eat up." Alex didn't know whether they were going to be brought back to the base every night, or if they would be bunking down with the troops they were with on some nights. He had a feeling that the plan was to bring them back to the base, especially since he had the two women on his news team.

Despite the advice he had given to Lisa and Stephanie, Alex didn't eat much. He picked at the food, eating a little at a time. His mind was on Nicole. He knew there was something wrong. He knew her body language. He was worried that he had been the cause of someone being hurt. He was worried about Nicole.

After they finished eating, He walked the ladies to the barracks they had slept in before. After telling them he would see them soon, he headed in the direction of the barracks he was to sleep in. Zach decided to take a detour. He thought he saw Nicole go into the dining hall.

When he opened the door, he saw Nicole with her head in her arms at one of the tables. He quietly closed the door and moved toward her. He was about ten feet away from her when she said she knew he was there. He sat down across from Nicole. "I am the one that should be asking if everything is okay. I know you well enough. I can tell when something is wrong. I could see it in your body language earlier Nicole."

He watched her as she kept her head in her arms. He wasn't sure she would share anything with him, even if there was a problem. Maybe he was here just to let her know that he wasn't as angry as he had once been.... that he was getting over the initial shock of her story and was ready to move on. Maybe he was here to make sure that the assignment was going to be able to continue. He wasn't exactly sure. The one thing he did know was that he still cared about her.

"I know you are under a lot of stress, and I am the one causing the stress. Please know that was not my intention when I planned this. I had no idea that I would have to have a babysitter. Yes, I know that is how you feel about this assignment. I thought we would just get dropped with the troops and be able to do what we do. I guess that shows my naivete."

He was talking too much. He stopped and just looked at the top of Nicole's head. He waited a few minutes. She remained quiet. Alex decided it would be best to just leave her alone, so, he got up from the table and quietly headed out of the dining hall.

 

[zydrate]

"You're not part of my stress..." Nicole said, her head still resting on her arms. She knew Alex had gone but still, it was something.

Should she let him walk out on her again?

No.

Pushing back the chair she was sitting in, Nicole got up and hurried to the door and saw Alex. She jogged up to him and stood in front of him, "Hey... I just wanted to say you are not a cause of my stress..."

Sighing, she dropped her shoulders, "Its just the way things are when we're on assignment. Yes I do have to worry about you and your crew but I also have to worry about my own team. I knew what I was getting into and sometimes, it gets to me but I never blame anyone, nor will I blame anyone... least of all you."

Luckily it was late and no one was out, except those on patrol at the gate. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry Alex. I just can't tell you some things. I wish you could understand that. It's not because I'm trying to be deceitful, but not everything is an open book with my job."

She wanted to tell him everything like before but truthfully, she was afraid of how he was going to react again. She had seen it once. Experienced it once. She didn't want to go through the hurt again. But how long could she have gone on lying to him...especially when she started to care about him so much?

"Look, get some rest, we'll be leaving early in the morning. I want to see if we can get out of here at least an hour early. I think that would give us all some time to settle into our new locale before you and your crew can start working, OK?"

With that, she turned and headed toward her temporary quarters. Perhaps it would be OK in the future, perhaps not... they'd just have to wait and find out.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex stopped and looked at Nicole. Damn, she was beautiful, even in her military garb. Maybe even moreso because of the outfit.

He listened to what she had to say. He knew that now was not the time to say anything to her. It was time to just listen. He was over the initial shock that had set him off in the restaurant. Yes, that was certainly not his finest hour. Someday, no matter what happened between them, he would have to apologize to Nicole for that.

When she said that she was sorry, he simply nodded; acknowledging it. That was something else he was going to have to set straight. It wasn't what she did that upset him. It was the deception.. deception from someone he cared about.

Watching her walk away, Alex did not try to stop Nicole. He let her have the last word. This was her show, and he was going to let her direct it the way she wanted.

Walking back to his sleeping quarters, Alex thought about the original intention of his assignment. He had come up with it as a way to get away. He had spent every waking moment thinking about Nicole... thinking about how much he cared for her..... thinking about how she had deceived him... wondering if they were really a lie. Now, the assignment had Nicole with him. Not exactly a way of clearing his mind of her, but, hey, maybe it would be for the best... he could see what she really does.

when he got to his bunk, Nicole's team members were already asleep. In a matter of minutes after hitting the sack, Alex was sound asleep. It felt like he had only been asleep for a couple of minutes when he heard Nicole come into the room and wake them all up. Alex was up quickly. He was excited about getting started. The team members on the other hand didn't seem so anxious. Alex was sure they did not look forward to babysitting detail.

When Alex got outside, Lisa and Stephanie were standing there waiting for him. "Wow, look at you two up and ready to go." Alex pointed back to where the protection team was slowly getting ready. "I don't think our babysitters are real excited about getting going this early... if at all. Just remember, we have to follow their directions." Both women scoffed at him. Stephanie said, "Is that your way of telling yourself to do what they say?"

When Nicole and the team came outside, Alex turned to them and said to Nicole, "We are ready when you are. Just tell us what you need us to do." Alex was very cooperative right now. Would he continue to be that way when they were out getting their material? Even he did not know.

 

[zydrate]

It was early and everyone was ready... just about.

Nicole walked up to both Stephanie and Lisa, explaining to them what she was doing. Nicole had clipped a tracker on the belt of their pants. They would be able to locate them if they got lost or something happened. She had given Stephanie a radio, telling her to keep it with her and that way, she'd be able to contact anyone from the team.. again, if they got separated.

Doing the same for Alex, sans the radio, Nicole told him he would need to keep it on at all times while they were out. It wasn't to keep him 'leashed', so to speak, but just to make sure they could detect him in case.. just in case...

The team ended up taking two trucks, Nicole and Emil with Alex and Stephanie in the lead and Rich, Jesse, Stephanie and Theo following. Nicole's team where armed with their side arms and rifles. Each of her team were extremely comfortable in handling their weapons. It was second nature to them as they carried it around as well as travelled with it... although the purpose of the weapons was to know how to use them, the point was not to use them.

After they had reached their first destination, it hadn't taken long for Alex's team to set up and do their thing. His team had been able to talk with some personnel and even join them for lunch. Nicole's team stayed within sight but didn't join them. She hadn't wanted their presence to interfere with Alex's job.

And oh God, what a job he did. She didn't show it but she was impressed with how well he talked with the others there, flowed into their conversations... asked questions without sounding like he was prying.

Soon, they were off to their next leg of the journey. There were still no reports of hostilities so that at least was some good news.

It was past night fall when they reached their next destination for the day. The CO had been all but happy to welcome Alex and his team. Again, Nicole and her team didn't interfere. Their job was to protect the team from outside hostilities and that was it. Tonight they would be bunking with the battalion there and again, in the morning, be on their way. As usual, Nicole's team weren't as warmly welcomed as Alex's news crew.

Nicole didn't take it personally. It was just a part of what they did.

 

[BeachBum25]

Once they left the base, Alex was in a zone. It had been a while since he had been out of the studio and doing the work of a reporter. This felt good. This is what reporting the news was really all about... going out and finding it.

At their first stop, Alex mad the necessary introductions and assured the CO that all he wanted to do was give credit to him and his troops for what they were doing. Alex assured him that he had no intention of painting them in anything but a positive light.

Alex didn't ask many questions; he didn't have to. Many of the soldiers were willing to talk. Some of them were happy to see outsiders. Others were much more reserved, but eventually did open up.. a little. When Zach asked, "what do you miss most?" the troops went on for over 45 minutes talking about it. Zach just listened. Every once in a while, he would probe a little further with one of the young soldiers, but, for the most part, he just listened.

Each time the conversation slowed down, Alex would ask another question... always making it about the men. He wanted to reassure them that this was THEIR story, not his. While talking, men came and went. When new soldiers sat down, they were slow to respond in the beginning until they saw how the others were responding. Alex was certain from their first stop that they had enough material to fill a full week's worth of reports.

At their second stop, Alex didn't feel the love from the CO. Despite Alex's assurances that he was there for them, the CO was not buying it. He kept talking about Hollywood should stay away from his men and not distract them from doing what they are supposed to do. Alex assured him that they would not get in the way. The CO seemed to relax when Alex showed him some of the footage from their first stop.

As they were getting ready to bunk down for the night, Alex heard a couple of soldiers talking about getting ready to go out on a recon mission. A light bulb went off in his head. Alex went to the Co and asked about going out with the team on the recon. "It will only be me. I will have a handheld camera.. night vision.. nothing to give away a location. I wil not get in the way. I just want the people to see what your brave men do on the regular."

The CO thought about it and asked Alex if his security team know about this plan. "No, I haven't told them. If I did, at least one, if not more, of them would insist on going with. I know she will be pissed with me, but I will smooth it over on the trip to our next destination." The CO paused a little longer, but then finally agreed. He reminded Alex that if shit hit the fan, he would be on his own. His men were not there to protect him. Alex acknowledged that. "I understand."

Alex got the small camera, and then did something he knew would set Nicole off... he removed his tracking device from his belt. He couldn't leave it there because Nicole would come looking for him and that would put her in danger, and it would piss off the CO. He then set out with the recon team. He mounted the small camera to his helmet and followed along with the team. They placed him in the middle so they didn't have to worry about him pulling up the rear, but they told him he had to keep up.

Alex didn't hear the first shot fired, but he did hear it hit the rock right next to him. Everyone took cover. As Alex dove onto the sand behind a rock, he felt a burning sensation in his calf. "Fuck." He crawled behind the rock and took cover. He couldn't communicate with anyone. All hell was breaking loose. It was several hours until the firing stopped. Yes, it had slowed over time, but there were still shots ringing out. Alex had no idea what was going on. He had no idea about the condition of the men he had been with. He had no idea about the condition of his leg. The darkness hid what had happened.

When the sun came up, Alex was able to see that his leg was bleeding, but not too badly. He also noticed that he was alone. He got up and looked around. He didn't see any of the recon troops he had been with. Then he looked around, and tried to figure out where he was in relation to the base. He had just been following last night; not paying attention to where he was going. Damn, this wasn't good. The one thing that worried him the most was the tongue-lashing he was going to get from Nicole. He knew she was going to be upset, because the one thing he said he wouldn't do, he had done. He said he wouldn't do anything to put them in danger. Now they were going to be in danger as they came looking for him.

Then. What was that? He heard some talking. The only problem was, they were not speaking English. He looked around the rock, and there they were.

 

[zydrate]

Lisa, Alex’s camera person, had approached Nicole earlier that night, saying that she couldn’t find Alex. The last time she had seen him, he was talking to a group of men and had wanted to speak with them off camera, so Lisa called it a night. There had been a problem with one of the shots as she was reviewing and had wanted to speak to Alex about it to see if they needed to do another take.

But she couldn’t find him.

After some digging, Nicole found out, he had gone out with some members of the team… a recon team.

To say she was mad…well, Nicole was furious. Not only with Alex but also with the CO of the small base. He had let an unarmed civilian go out with a recon team?! Nicole asked him why he didn’t just shoot him in the head himself?! Just because he wasn’t directly his responsibility didn’t mean he wasn’t responsible for him or anyone else that came through those gates! Even if Alex was aware of the dangers, he should have never been left to go with them.

The CO countered with Nicole, first off, telling her that she had better watch what she was saying and accusing him off because of rank. And then said that he was her responsibility and shouldn’t have let him out of her sights to begin with.

Perhaps that much was true, but the CO let him go only because he was retiring in a few weeks and according to the rumors and gossip on the base, he just didn’t care anymore. And of course, Nicole let him know so.

If that was going to get her disciplinary action, sobeit. She had to go out and find Alex.

****

The 3-mile hike was nothing. Not when you were running on adrenaline. Although Nicole had wanted to go faster, she also knew they had to be careful. They couldn’t just drive up and hope to find the team on the side of road like it was a bus stop. No, this was the safest. The last communication from the recon team was not far off from where they last report…meaning they must have gotten ambushed just after the call.

There had been no calls after that.

The team had caught up to the recon team’s position about an hour before dawn. They had to move quietly and didn’t dare rush in. There was no way to just walk up and see if there were any survivors. Once in awhile a shot rang out. From their position, Emil had scanned the area and saw a few bodies on the ground. None were moving.

He had also reported he could see Alex moving. Holding his leg.

“Looks like he’s injured… but he’s staying down for now.”

The sun slowly rose, and they detected insurgents moving toward them…toward Alex’s position. Nicole and her team were hidden in the in the bushes amongst the bugs and whatever else liked to crawl around. But moved forward, out of sight and quietly.

In her earpiece, Nicole heard Jesse speak lowly, “4 nearing.”

Nicole didn’t hesitate because she and her team had them in their sights in their scopes. “Make them count..." She was talking about their shots, "Take them out…3….2……” one got close to Alex and was about to yell when Nicole called out, still whispering, “Now!”

And just like that, all 4 men nearing Alex’s position dropped to the ground. Dead.

The team moved in. If that rag-tag group of men were sent to scout out anything, then chances are, the place would be flooded with more soon. As they moved forward, Nicole gave the OK to Rich to contact for support. They were 10 minutes out.

A lot could happen in 10 minutes.

In 10 minutes, they could all be dead or they could be rescued. That would depend if their ride got there in time or not. As they waited, Nicole checked over the other men and found only one dead, the 4 were wounded and had lost a lot of blood. The team did the best they could to patch the men up, including Alex, in order to stabilize them.

All this time, Nicole did not say one word to Alex.

Mostly because she was beyond pissed at him. And second, he was injured. It could have been worse...

The 2 choppers arrived, splitting up the injured onto one and Nicole's team on another. She didn't ride back with Alex, only because the medic was doing what he could for everyone injured.

They reached the base and from there, all hell broke loose. It seemed in her infinite wisdom, Stephanie had decided to contact the station and let them know that Alex had been hurt...and that in itself was a media frenzy. One the military hadn't been prepared for and neither had Nicole's team.

They were told to step back, the PR department would handle it from here.

 

[BeachBum25]

One minute Alex believed he was going to be captured, or worse, killed. The next minute the blood of the enemy combatants was splattered all over him. He had no idea where the shots came from, and, frankly, didn't care, but he was certain Nicole had something to do with it. Why? Because he knew she would be pissed once she found out he was gone and would have hightailed it to their location.

Alex had hoped to incur Nicole's wrath once he had safely returned to base. That wasn't going to happen now. When she arrived, she ignored him. In Alex's mind, that was worse than having to take the tongue lashing that he deserved. He was prepared for that. He did not like the silent treatment.

The medics worked on him and told him he was going to be fine. It was just a little shrapnel from a bullet that must have hit a rock and exploded. His wounds were superficial. He told them not to worry about him, and to focus on the members of the Recon team. They were the ones who were really injured.

The chopper ride back to the base was uneventful. The reason for that was that Nicole and Alex were in separate choppers. Since they were separated, there was no fireworks, yet. That all changed when they landed. The injured recon men were rushed off to the field hospital. Alex waved them off and said he would report to the field hospital soon... "just work on them, now."

Lisa and Stephanie met him and started screaming at Alex. They both were freaking out... they were straddling that line of being worried about him and being extremely pissed off at him.... probably more to the pissed side of the line. Alex looked over and saw Nicole speaking with someone. She looked upset with what she was hearing. That was when Stephanie shared that she had been in touch with the News Director at the network. Alex's only response was a loud, "FUCK."

He walked away from Stephanie and Lisa. Alex knew what was going to happen; he was going to become the story. The focus was not going to be on the soldiers that were wounded. No, it was going to be on his dumb ass who should never have been there in the first place. That was not what he wanted. Alex was not going to let himself be the story. He didn't care what anyone else wanted.

While waiting at the field hospital, he thought about Nicole. "Fuck" He probably was responsible for her getting her ass chewed out and perhaps worse than that. He needed to find out who he needed to talk to to make sure they knew that Alex alone was responsible for Alex getting wounded. He snuck off, took off his tracking device, and did everything possible to slip away from the protection team. It was not Nicole's fault. Of course, Alex had a feeling that the military would think differently. The ego of the military would not allow them to believe that any civilian was capable of eluding them.. .well, eluding the good ones anyway.

After getting his leg rebandaged, Alex went looking for Nicole. He couldn't find her. Another f-bomb came out of his mouth. He found Stephanie and Lisa and asked them about Nicole. They told him that the team had been called to a meeting, and, from the rumors they heard, the team was being pulled off the assignment. Lisa said she heard that the PR branch of the army was going to be handling things going forward. "The fuck they are. I am not letting those hacks get in the way. They will fuck up everything that we are trying to do. I will call this whole thing off before letting them get involved."

Alex got on the sat phone and called the network News Director. "Call them off, NOW. I don't know who you have to talk to, but have them back off. I will not talk with them. I will not share any information with them. I will fly home today and call this off if they don't get out of the way. Oh, and one other thing... I don't know who else you need to talk to, but the security team stays the same. Same deal... if there is a change in the security team, I am coming home right away."

Alex hung up the sat phone without saying goodbye, then he went looking for the meeting that Nicole and her team were in.

 

[zydrate]

The meeting had been over for nearly 10 minutes and Nicole sat alone in the conference room. She was thinking.

She wasn’t deterred by the chewing out she had gotten by the CO of the base. She had some choice remarks back to him and he wasn’t happy about that. He had said he was going to report that this was all her fault and she had told him to go ahead. Because she would only be happy to report him for letting HIS team go out with an unarmed, untrained civilian. How the job of the recon team was to recon and report. That was it. She had spoken to some members of the team and had said that their team leader had led them too close to the enemy… almost purposely.

So, no matter what, even without Alex going with the team it would have been Nicole’s team (who were not associated with the base or the commander) who would still have had to go out and save their asses. Plain and simple. And the reason he was mad was because he was close to retirement and didn’t want a blemish on his record.

He wasn’t happy with that and called the meeting to an end.

Nicole’s team knew better than to say anything and after the meeting was over, they walked out also, knowing she’d needed some time alone.

The door to the conference room opened and there was Alex. Nicole made brief eye contact with him before he turned to close the door behind him and sat down across her.

No one said anything for nearly 5 minutes.

“You know… I’m not sure why you hate me so much.” Her voice stayed steady. It was one thing about Nicole, she never yelled or screamed. It just wasn’t her. Sure, she raised her voice once in while but nothing to the point of yelling. She found that tactic never worked on anyone. Instead, she stayed calm and collected. “When this assignment started, all I had asked was that you listen to my expertise regarding this circus you’ve created.” She stood up and pushed in her chair, “A part of me wants to think this is because of what happened, on a personal level, between us nearly 3 weeks ago.”

She wasn’t going to give him a chance to talk…yet “Yes, I lied to you. But I didn’t do it out of spite or hatred, I did it because of my job. I told you there were certain things I couldn’t tell you. You had told me, at the first leg of this mission that you wouldn’t do anything to put this team, yourself, or your assistants in any danger. Yet, when the chance presented itself…” she didn’t have to finish that sentence to let him know what she was talking about.

“But… I’m not mad. I think I’m more disappointed than anything else. I’m disappointed you didn’t listen to me. I’m disappointed that you didn’t think of what could’ve happen out there. You could have been killed.” She stopped on that part as it hurt to say. “I care a lot about you Alex. More than I should. I can even, unabashedly say, I love you. You freaked me out today.” Man, this was like the time when she had told him the truth, “And if I can’t have your cooperation, I can’t do my job in protecting you and your crew. I know we were initially pulled off detail and then put back on, probably thanks to your contacts, but I can’t do this. I will not have you put my team in danger again just so you can get an in-depth story...” She stood and walked to the door, “Another team is flying in and won’t be here for another day or so… but they will take over as your escorts for the remaining time. In the meantime, try to stay out of trouble.” With that, she walked out in order to gather up her team so they could get ready to leave.