Chapter Sixteen
The things we do for friends, Angela thought to herself and groaned at her strange reflection in the bathroom mirror.
Her hair was pulled back into a tight yet elegant bun that had far more pins holding it together than Angela thought was physically possible. There was also quite a bit of blood and sweat in there now too. Well not really blood, but it sure felt like it. There was definitely a lot of sweat and time put into it though and she couldn't remember a single time she had ever spent so much time working on her hair before. It just wasn't something she normally worried about, unlike Michelle.
She also wore makeup for the first time in a very long time. As she stared at her features that were lightly covered in some blush and mascara she realized that she could honestly only count three different times she had worn makeup. She refused to put on lipstick though. That was where she drew the line. There was no need for it and it was usually so hard to maintain. Too much of a hassle and she didn't care who was getting married.
Stepping back she gazed at her entire body for a long moment, frowning at the stupid little spring dress that Sandy had helped her pick out. It was a light blue and made from a light fabric that breathed a lot, but did it honestly have to be so short? The thing barely came down to her knees! It also showed off far more of her chest than she was happy about. It really didn't show any cleavage or anything like that, but pretty damn close.
What a nightmare that shopping trip had been. What had initially started out as quick run into the town to pick out something nice had turned into a two day ordeal. Sandy was hyper most of the time, but that was just pushing it. She dragged Angela from store to store—not that there were very many—and forced her to buy one thing after another. Makeup, perfume, bobby-pins, a dress, and even new bloody socks! What was the point of having to buy new socks? Weren't hers already good enough? They were cute... ish.
That hadn't even been the worst of it though, although Angela wished it had been. But no, Sandy smelled a juicy story in Alexander's appearance and she sniffed it out like a damn blood hound. It was seriously like being around a more rambunctious version of Michelle, only luckily this one didn't have an inclination towards the mysterious captain. Or was that lucky? No... that was getting off topic. It really didn't matter if she was interested in him in that way or not. And why should it?
It had taken a good hour and a half of explaining things to Sandy before the girl finally shut up about it. She had to explain nearly everything she knew about him and even speculate on a bunch of things she didn't know. Just dealing with all of that was enough to wind a person and Angela had been dead on her feet even before they got to the first store. It made her really regret her decision in bringing him along that morning. If she had just left him at home she could have avoided a whole bunch of headaches.
Just thinking back on it was starting to give her one.
“So, that guy you brought home with you,” Sandy had said, bringing up the one subject that Angela really hadn't wanted to talk about, “Is there anything going on between you two?”
“Nope,” had been her quick reply.
“Seriously, Angie! It's me you're talking to here! It's not like I'll tell anyone. I really don't even have anyone important to tell!”
“I'm not trying to hide anything, Sandy. There is honestly nothing going on between Alex and I!”
It had been a mistake to use his first name in that moment, especially a short version of it. She had realized it too late and Sandy had jumped on it like it was a hundred dollar bill. “Then why do you call him by his first name? Do you do that on base too?”
It was at that point that Angela had rounded on her friend as they had been walking down the sidewalk to a small boutique that catered more towards girls and women. “You don't understand. It's complicated... he's complicated. He's not like anyone else.”
“Oh?” Sandy smiled and raised her eyebrows in a provocative way, wiggling them slightly. “I'm sure he's not. All those long and lonely nights out in the field. Those heart to hearts before a battle! I can just imagine the kinds of things you would say to one another then!”
“Ugh! Stop it. Seriously! I didn't mean it like that. He's... he's not really a normal person. He grew up in England and has been fighting since he was just a kid! I don't even think he's interested in those kinds of things! All he knows is how to fight. Besides, he's only seventeen!” Angela explained and then took a deep breath. She had realized that everything she had just said to her friend had been things she had been saying to herself for a few weeks now. Funny how that works.
“My god you are an idiot! First of all, let's talk about him only being seventeen. I can see why you might get caught up on that; it is a little odd. Especially since you said he was your commanding officer. But you seem to be forgetting one thing: you and him are over there fighting for your very survival. Do you really think it matters in that sense? Besides, if it really bothers you then it's not like you can't wait until he turns eighteen. Right?”
“Just stop. Please...” she begged but her friend had utterly ignored her plea.
“And if he wasn't interested in those kinds of things then why is he here? Yeah, yeah, I know. You said he was ordered to. But really? Also, why wasn't he getting all angry when you were getting mad at him earlier? Instead he just brushed it off like it never even happened. Seems kind of fishy to me.”
Angela had groaned at her friend then, but only received a happy smile in return. Sandy just didn't understand though. No one really did. Not even Angela. The things that Alex had been through, the things that he had seen were not something anyone could ever hope to understand. There was only one thing that mattered to him, and that was kill as many of those UNE monsters as he could before he died. Anything besides that was just getting in the way.
“Look, I just think that maybe you should throw out your rule now. I mean you did what you wanted; you got the career you had been dreaming of since you were old enough to understand what it was. You're a pilot now, Angie! Maybe now you can relax a little bit and enjoy a little romance. It's not like it can get in your way anymore, now that you're where you want to be. It doesn't even have to be with him. Just live a little.”
It was those words that had stuck with her even five days later. One on hand her friend did have a point. She had sworn off romance and dating growing up so she could focus entirely on getting into the Mech program and becoming a pilot. Now that she had finally accomplished that and had even seen combat was there really any point in keeping her rule alive? Especially after almost dying the first time she had faced off against the UNE's. Maybe a little romance was just what she needed to keep herself going in this war.
There was also a flip side to that as well. What if she did start seeing someone and for one reason or another she got too distracted and it led to her death or the death of one of her friends? Was that really a risk she was willing to take? She knew that it was more than possible. She had heard stories about just that thing. If you weren't one hundred percent focused on your task there was a great chance of something happening; especially as a Mech pilot who sat in the cockpit of one of the most advanced pieces of machinery ever invented. Mech pilots needed more concentration than any other soldier out on the front line. There was no denying that.
Yet every time she thought about that she would see an image of Thomas and Commander Roberts flash through her mind. They were definitely dating, there was no doubting it. And they were even on the front lines. Yet it didn't seem to be causing them any problems. In fact it didn't seem to have any effect at all. Well that wasn't entirely true. The two of them were able to relax at the end of a hard day and find comfort in the others arms. That was probably a huge morale boost for them that not many other pilots got.
“Just forget it. It's not worth the energy trying to figure it out...” she whispered to her reflection in the mirror and then adjusted the black belt around the waist of her stupid little dress. When she spoke next her voice was loud and a little menacing, “Are you ready yet? I swear to god, if you make us late I will beat the snot out of you!”
A muffled groaned echoed through the hallway just behind her and Angela heard something bang against the wall a few feet down. “Do I really have to wear this?!” Alexander yelled back a second later, his voice full of dread and a little embarrassment.
“Yes! For the hundredth time you have to wear it! Kimberly had it sent here all the way from Germany! You better be wearing it right now! We only have half an hour until the ceremony starts!”
“But you're not wearing your dress uniform! Can't I just put on a nice shirt, some clean slacks, and a pair of trainers?” Alexander pleaded but his words were falling on deaf ears.
“You are a captain in the military! So yes you have to wear your dress uniform! Besides, you don't even have a nice shirt! I know! I did your laundry yesterday!”
“But these aren't even my friends! Why do I have to go? This really isn't fair!”
Angela growled to herself and left the bathroom, totally forgetting to turn off the light on her way out. She stomped down towards the room Alexander was using and without even knocking she threw it open. It didn't even dawn on her that he might not even be dressed, but thankfully she didn't have to worry in the end. He wasn't in his underwear thank god.
Instead he wore a tight fitting drab green dress jacket and a pair of dress pants in the same colour. The front of his jacket was covered in so many medals, pins, and military badges that he looked like some kind of cartoon version of a real solider, yet the bright colours and shiny brass that glinted in the light from the window looked smart. The jacket was done up at the chin and she couldn't tell if he was wearing a tie or not, but she assumed he was. Most military dress uniforms required one. A large white belt clung tightly to his waist and his pants were perfectly ironed and worn. Even his boots were polished to a high sheen and sparkled in the sunlight.
“Wow...” Angela said before she could stop herself.
“W... what?” Alexander asked warily, his eyes never leaving Angela's face. “It looks dumb, doesn't it?”
“No... it looks good on you. Better than I thought,” she admitted, once more before she could stop herself. It was the truth though. Even with his short height and his thin frame the uniform suited him. He looked older and more distinguished with it on.
“Thanks. You look pretty good too,” he quickly replied and Angela felt like punching herself in the chest. Her heart was not supposed to skip a beat like that. Even her own body was beginning to betray her. “I still don't see why I have to go though.”
“Because Kim wanted you to see what it was like living a life outside the military. Remember? Going to a wedding and meeting new people while having some fun is a good way to do that. Besides, you don't even know what they're like. You've never been to one before.”
“I have,” Alexander answered as he picked up his green military beret. “There were tons of weddings back in the refugee camps. For a few months there was one like every week. I never really liked them.”
Angela regarded Alexander thoughtfully for a moment, noticing the slightly haunted look in his eyes. She didn't think that it was caused by his thoughts of home though. There was something else that was bothering him. Something that made him dislike the idea of going to a wedding.
“Why didn't you like them?” she asked.
“They were stupid. The majority of the time it was just a couple of young people looking to do it before one of them joined the military. Sometimes out of love, others out of forlorn hope, and even some just so the other person would get their military benefits when they died in combat. That's not what marriage is supposed to be about. And they would always invite all the children from the neighbouring tents to come. Sometimes we even outnumbered the adults by four or five to one.”
“Why would they invite so many kids?”
“For the food. There was always an abundance of food at weddings. Everyone pitched in. So they invited us so we could eat as much as we could stomach without people getting mad because there was so little to go around. The more of them I went to and the older I got I began to realize that there was nothing special about what was going on. Just a bunch of adults trying to grasp whatever hope they could and a bunch of children stuffing their faces until they got ill. So now I just see weddings as something pointless.”
Angela remained quiet for a long moment, drinking in Alexander's words. She could see why the idea of going to a wedding was a little hard for him to swallow, but she didn't think it really justified anything. This wasn't England. And the people getting married today weren't doing it because one of them was going to war. They were doing it because they had been with one another since middle school and they loved each other. There was no other reason. Also, Angela refused to go alone. As much as she hated having him be her date—not really—she didn't like the prospect of going alone any more. And she had a secret weapon to ensure that that would not happen.
“Okay, I understand,” she began and Alexander looked up at her with slightly hopeful eyes. “You're still going though. And before you open your mouth to say anything, I think you should remember just who it was that came down to the sheriff's office and got you out of trouble for fooling around in the mud pit. Also, don't forget who hasn't told Kimberly about it yet.”
The hopeful glint that had lit his eyes only a moment ago was quickly replaced with a slightly hurt look that had a hint of anger behind it. It was actually a little heartbreaking to see, but Angela stood her ground and didn't give him an inch. It was for his own good after all. Well, both their own good. If Kimberly found out that she wasn't doing as she had asked her to... well Angela didn't want to think about it. This was the woman who had gotten signed orders to send Alexander on a vacation after all.
“You're blackmailing me?” he asked and his voice was very wary now.
“It sure looks like it. You did cause a lot of trouble for me; having to explain who you were, why you were here, and why I was trying to get you off the hook. You're just lucky I managed to get you out of there before they tried to give you a ticket or booked you. I mean really, a captain with the NATO forces almost getting arrested for something as stupid as going muddin'.”
“I think you're getting the wrong idea here. It's not like I was aware that doing that... what did you call it? Muddin'? Right... well it's not like I knew it was illegal. I was just along for the ride!” Alexander refuted, but even he seemed to realize that he wasn't being entirely honest.
“Wasn't Mark going on and on about how good of a driver you were? That you managed to climb a truck over a steep hill when no one else had before?” she quickly asked, knowing that they were both thinking the same thing. She should have him with this.
“Damn it! Can Mark not keep his mouth closed?” Alexander growled to himself and Angela was a little surprised.
Since that little escapade that ended up getting them nearly ticketed, Mark had been coming over quite a bit to see Alex. It was strange. Really strange. First of all Alexander was usually so anti-social. He rarely talked to other people unless he was required to or he already knew them. So for him to be hanging out with Mark so often all of a sudden was so far away from how he usually acted that Angela had no idea what to make of it. She wouldn't say that they had become friends or anything, but it sure seemed to be going that way.
“No, he can't. Now, are you ready to go?” she repeated her earlier question and Alex looked up at her angrily. His mood quickly shifted though and his shoulders sagged slightly as he merely nodded that he was ready. “Good! Let's go before we're late!”
Angela turned and left the room, leaving Alexander to put his beret on properly before he followed her outside. The ceremony was being held at the local church down town and was a few minutes away from the house, something that Angela was glad for. If it had been out of town then they really would have been late. Even still, the ride there took longer than she wanted and she had a lot of time to be alone with her thoughts as Alexander pouted in the seat next to her. That's right. He was actually pouting. He really was younger than he appeared when he was the commanding officer of one of the most advanced squadrons the world had ever seen.
As she looked at him out of the corner of her eye she really was amazed at how much they had both changed since first meeting. Back then she wanted nothing to do with him and hated the fact that he had replaced her as the squadron commander. Now though... Well now it was different. She knew it had been the right choice to put him in charge. His skill alone was enough to outshine her, and if you added his experience then he was on a totally different playing field than anyone else in the armed forces.
Even Alexander himself had changed quite a bit from their first meeting, when she yelled at him out by the runway back in Nevada. When she had confronted him then he had been heated and passionate about putting her in her place. That part of Alex had come out a few times since then; like when he had pushed her up against the wall of the Carrier and flat out told her not to tell anyone what had really happened in their first battle. But it wasn't as common for him to act like that anymore. Especially when he wasn't in uniform and they weren't on base.
Maybe Sandy had been right when she pointed out the fact that he wasn't really arguing with her when she tried to push him into doing something. He was a little more meek than he normally was, that was for sure. Even now, on the way to the wedding, he sat quietly and looked out the side window without complaining. Sure, he had complained a ton before hand, but that had stopped.
They were even going on a date! Well, it wasn't a real date! But still! She could never have imagined a time that the two of them would be dressed nicely and heading out to view a wedding together! Just a few weeks ago it had seemed so inconceivable that it was laughable. But there they were; Angela in a dress she really didn't feel comfortable in and Alexander in his military dress uniform. She wondered if they really did look like a couple right now.
“Slow down,” Alexander commented and Angela nearly jerked the wheel to the left and into oncoming traffic. She had been so caught up in her own internal thoughts that for a moment she thought she might have been saying them out loud, and that was why Alexander was warning her to slow things down. Instead it turned out that she had been about to miss the entrance to the parking lot of the church and he had just noticed it.
“S... sorry,” she breathed and pulled into the already packed lot. “Thanks.”
Together they got out and headed inside the large white church as other people dressed nicely filed in as well. Most of the pews had been occupied already and an usher told them that it was divided in half, one side for each family. Since Angela was a friend of both the bride and the groom she had her choice in picking which side to sit on, choosing the side with the least amount of people.
The first thing she realized as she and Alexander headed to their seats was that every eye in the building seemed to turn towards them. Curious gazes lingered on both of their faces and people whispered to the ones next to them, no doubt wondering one of a hundred different things. The topic Angela was sure was the most talked about was the strange and sudden appearance of Alexander in his British military dress uniform. It was rare enough to see off duty military personnel in a small town like this one, but it was even rarer to see someone from England dressed to the nines.
Angela felt a little bad for him in that moment. She knew he didn't like to be the center of attention like that, but there was nothing either of them could do now. Besides, she found more than a few curious eyes on her as well. No doubt the story of her return home had spread through the town already. It was made even bigger news by the interviews she gave from the front lines over a week ago.
The two of them sat down at the far edge of a pew in the very back of the church and most people turned their attention else where. It was nice, but at the same time she knew that it would only get worse at the reception. There people wouldn't have to be so quiet and they could move around and mingle with other guests, so she knew that their questions would eventually come forward. They had a few hours to wait before that happened at least.
Angela had been right in her thought that if they hadn't hurried they would have been late. No more than five minutes after they had arrived and took their seats, the ushers led the last few stragglers to their own and then closed the doors to the church. A few moments later Jimmy and his best man, Mark, made their way to the front and stood side by side, waiting for the bride to arrive. Although it was such a big day for Jimmy, Angela noticed that he himself seemed to be a little shocked by Alexander's attire. His eyes bulged slightly and he puffed out his chest a little, trying to make himself look a little better than he already did in his simple suit and tie.
It was a natural reaction, but a funny one none the less. Alexander did cut an imposing figure when he wasn't just lazing around or arguing about wearing civilian clothing. So for the groom to be a little put out that someone was dressed better than him was to be expected. However it changed nothing. Angela even got a little happy when she pictured what his reaction would be if he saw Alexander climbing out of the cockpit of the Aegis. Now that was a sight to see.
When the bride finally entered the church the entire building went quiet and watched her walk down the aisle in her fluffy and a little gaudy white dress. At this point all eyes went to the front of the church and the ceremony began. It was just how she had expected it would be too. Slow, boring, and hard to hear all the way at the back. But that really wasn't that big of a deal. The wedding wasn't for her or for anyone else; but instead for her two friends who stood hand in hand at the front.
It was a pretty traditional wedding in terms of what was said and the vows that were exchanged. They even threw rice at the newlyweds as they left the church and climbed into Jimmy's pickup truck, leaving everyone behind until the reception started. It wasn't long after that that Alexander and Angela left as well, preferring to get away from the eyes that were following them again. Never in her life had she ever experienced this before and she wondered if this was how Alex felt every time someone from the military learned who he really was. Must be tough.
There really wasn't much to do with the three hour wait they had before the reception started, so Angela took them back to her parents place. Her father was at work and her mother had been called out to help an elderly neighbour who had gotten sick recently, so they had the whole place to themselves. Normally this wouldn't have bothered Angela, but with her recent thoughts about Alexander and her own wants and desires, she was suddenly very aware that they were indeed alone in her house. She had never had a boy at her place when her parents were gone before.
Then again, thinking back on it this wasn't even the most daring situation she had been in before. Well at least until recently. There had been that night on the Carrier where she had fallen asleep in Alex's room when he was still there. That had been pretty out of it for her, even though there was no pretext and nothing going on between them. Still, it was a lot different now than it had been before. Back then she had a tight lid on her feelings, but now they seemed to be spilling over and out of her control.
Thankfully Alexander spent most of his time out on the back porch looking out over the large lake—he still hadn't gone for a walk around it yet. It was also pretty lucky for her that time seemed to pass by quickly and before she knew it, Alex was back in his uniform and they were heading out to the local civic hall where the reception was being held.
When they arrived they found that they were yet again one of the last groups of people to get there. The hall was already packed to the gills by now and the parking lot had no free spots, forcing Angela to park a block down from it. Not that she minded. The sun was starting to set already and it was still warm, so the walk was nice. However that all changed once they got into the large hall and found that the temperature was at least ten degrees hotter in there than it was outside. It wasn't that noticeable for her, being in a dress and all, but she was sure that Alexander was going to feel it in his stuffy and tight dress uniform.
Unlike the ceremony which was traditional and a little uptight, the reception turned out to be more of a relaxed event. There was no head table, only small circular tables that people were encouraged to use and switch between whenever they wanted. The bride and groom didn't even enter to fanfare and instead were already there when Angela entered the hall. The music was pumping, the drinks were flowing, and the food was laid out on a large table near the back of the building. It all actually looked pretty fun. Well mostly; she sure as hell wasn't going to go near the dance floor if she could help it. She hated dancing and always made a fool out of herself whenever she tried.
Just after arriving they found a small table in the middle of the room that was empty, so they quickly grabbed it up and sat in silence as people ran back and forth speaking loudly and laughing. Sadly it didn't remain like that for very long as a few curious and brave people made their way over and sat down with them, plates of food with forks at the ready. Angela really hoped they were just planning on eating and not asking questions, but she really didn't hold her breath. They would eventually ask whatever questions were on their minds.
“Your friends are coming this way,” Alexander suddenly pointed out with a bored voice. Looking in the direction his finger was pointed, Angela found both Mark and Sandy heading towards their table, big smiles on their faces and a mischievous glint in their eyes. Whatever they were up to was probably going to be bad for someone. Most likely her.
“Jeez, you guys sure know how to make an entrance,” Mark laughed and took the only empty chair at the table, leaving Sandy to stand next to Angela.
“What do you mean?” Angela asked. “We just got here and took a seat. How is that making an entrance?”
“When you're a local hero you don't have to do anything flashy to make a scene. It doesn't hurt that you also walked in with a guy in a military uniform from Britain,” he explained and slapped Alexander on the back, causing the shorter and younger man to nearly cough in surprise. “You two are all anyone can talk about right now. And this is a wedding!”
“Sorry,” she sighed sadly, and honestly meant it. She hadn't intended to take all the attention away from the couple on their big day. “I should probably go and apologize to Jimmy and Melissa about taking all the attention away from them.”
“Don't bother,” Sandy quickly butted in, but still she grabbed Angela's arm and pulled her out of her seat. “Jimmy doesn't really care because he's so laid back, and Melissa is just glad that you were able to make it. She's also pretty excited that the whole thing is a big deal. She thinks it makes the day more special or something.”
“T... that's good, I guess,” Angela replied slowly and tried to figure out why her friend was making her stand up. “What's going on.”
“Well it's come to everyone's attention that you've been in town for a week now and only met up with a few people, so I am here to escort you around so you can say hi to everyone. And don't worry about Alex! Mark will make sure he's looked after,” she said, winking after the last part. Damn did she ever want to slap that stupid smile off her face.
“I'm the only person he knows here. Besides, he's my responsibility while we're in town. I can't just abandon him!” she tried to explain but it didn't seem like Sandy was having any of it right then.
“You know Mark, right Alex?” she instead asked Alexander.
“Y... yeah,” he said slowly at first, but then quickly followed up with, “it's fine, Lieutenant. Go and catch up with your friends. It's not like anything is going to happen while you're gone.”
Angela really wanted to argue that point, but thought better of it. She knew that Sandy and Mark were separating them for a reason, she just didn't know what it was yet. And that scared her a little. Sandy prided herself on setting people up, and if she was going to try and convince her to make a move on Alex or someone else then she had another thing coming to her.
“Good! Let's go now!” he friend exclaimed and then walked off towards a large group of people standing by the bride and groom, pulling Angela behind her forcefully.
Angela was dragged from person to person for the next forty minutes. A lot of the people she knew from before she had joined the armed forces, but most were complete strangers to her. It was nice to say hi to some old friends and hear what they had done with their lives since graduating, but sadly it never ended there. She was bombarded with questions and praised for her interview and her courage for becoming a Mech pilot. It was like she had suddenly become a big time celebrity and she had trouble adjusting to this new dynamic. She really didn't even know how to answer most of the questions she was being asked. What had it been like seeing the aliens in person? How scared was she? How many did she kill? How many people died? What were the machines they fought with like? It was quite dizzying being asked those same questions constantly and she really didn't know what to say other than simple answers that were either not the truth or stretching the truth. She couldn't very well tell them she froze up and nearly got herself and her friends killed the first time she was in a battle.
The praise was even worse. They were treating her like this big war hero who had saved the world or something. It couldn't have been further from the truth. She was just one pilot in a new Mech out there. The only thing she was doing was trying to keep herself alive, and she wasn't even very good at doing that. She was nothing compared to those that had been out there fighting on the front lines for years. She was nothing compared to Alexander and the people who fought in the United Kingdom before it fell. And she doubted she ever would be.
After going around the room for the second and final time—getting to people she and Sandy had missed the first time around—Angela was finally allowed to get something to drink and rest for a little bit. She and her friend stood next to the table with all the food and drinks on it and looked out over the room stuffed full of happy and smiling people. Her eyes instantly fell on Alexander still sitting at the same table having some kind of animated conversation with Mark. There was even a smile on the normally sour kids face. She still couldn't believe he was the same person who had schooled her and her friends the first day he was on base. He seemed nothing like him.
“That's the eighth time I've seen you looking at him,” Sandy smiled beside her and Angela quickly tore her eyes away from her captain. She instead tried to focus intently on the people dancing like there was no tomorrow on the dance floor. “You're like a little kid. You know that?”
“Hey!” she immediately took offence and rounded on Sandy who giggled at her with a cup of juice in her nail-polished fingers. “Just what the hell do you mean by that?”
“Calm down, I'm not trying to make fun of you. I'm just saying that you keep staring at the poor guy like you're afraid he's going to disappear. You really wouldn't understand that though, would you? You never went through the whole boy phase or anything.”
“I had more important things to worry about than guys,” she growled and turned back to the dance floor just as Jimmy and Melissa stepped on to it, a huge cheer from the people gathered rising through the already loud and hot air.
“Exactly! So maybe you should just take my advice for once, now that I know something you don't!”
Angela really didn't want to hear whatever Sandy was going to say. Then again she probably had no say in the matter. Whenever Sandy wanted you to know something she would tell you whether you wanted to know or not. Whenever she wanted you to do something she would force you into even if you were busy doing something else. It was just who she was and it was something her friends eventually got used to. Well 'used to' was a pretty strong phrase. Maybe ignored would be better. Yeah, her friends would simply ignore it and let whatever happened happen. It was better to just stand out of the way and let it be done.
So with that in mind she replied, keeping the internal groan from her voice as much as possible, “Go on.”
“You've never been good at expressing your feelings very well, especially feelings like love and that kind of stuff. Remember when you liked Bobby in the first grade? You ended up kicking him because you didn't know what else to do,” she pointed out and Angela could vividly remember being sent to the principals office for it. “I'm sure it hasn't changed much since then. You probably even yelled at Alex at some point. Right? Or maybe you pretended to hate him?”
“I didn't pretend to hate him!” she quickly cut in to her friends inane explanation. “I really did hate him at first! He was so cocky and so cold! And he was better than me and he made sure everyone knew it!”
“But you don't hate him anymore? What changed?”
“He changed. Or maybe I changed. I don't know! All I know is that one day I hate his guts and the next day he's helping me out of a stuck parachute in a tree even though he could have gotten hurt! He's so weird! He'll lecture you about what you're supposed to be doing and then he'll go and do the opposite! Like when he saved me! I had ignored orders and yet he still came and saved me, breaking his own orders! Then he takes all the damn blame like it was nothing! What is with him?!”
“W... wow,” Sandy breathed and suddenly Angela realized she had just unloaded everything that had been bothering her for the last few weeks. She hadn't meant to vent like that. Even worse was the fact that she had said all that in front of the worst person possible.
Wait. That wasn't entirely true. If she had said that in front of Sarah, Michelle, or Lisa it would have been a lot worse. Sarah probably would have been disappointed in her for developing feelings for the person who had just shown up and taken over their squadron. Michelle would probably try to claw Angela's eyes out because she didn't want any competition. And Lisa... well Angela didn't know what Lisa would do. Her motives were still hard to figure out when it came to Alexander.
“You really like this guy, don't you?” Sandy asked and Angela forced herself to take a deep breath and look at Alexander across the room from them. A few more people around Mark's age had gathered and it looked like both him and Alex were explaining something to them, using their hands to make gestures. It probably had something to do with their trip to the mud pit.
“Damn it!” she growled and shook her head. “I swear to god that if you tell anyone about this I will come back and shoot you! Do you understand?”
“I won't tell anyone,” her friend agreed and smiled happily. Why shouldn't she be happy? She had finally gotten down to the bottom of everything. “So, what are you going to do?”
“Nothing,” Angela answered quickly and turned to face the back wall and pour herself another drink.
“What! Why not?! You've finally admitted your feelings to yourself! You can't just stop there!”
“It's not that simple, Sandy. We're at war and we're members of the same battle group. Besides, Alexander probably doesn't see me like that. He's always been surrounded by girls and I don't think he's ever had a girlfriend. I don't think dating is even an option for him.”
“What are you talking about? He's a guy, isn't he?” Sandy asked and Angela was suddenly laughing.
It was a giddy and bubbly laugh that had come out of nowhere, totally engulfing her like some kind of fit or seizure. She doubled over and grabbed at her sides as they began to hurt and her friend was suddenly backing away, a look of confusion and fear in her eyes.
“W... what did I say?”
“H... he's not a guy!” Angela laughed louder now and people around them took notice. “H... he... he's not even human... I... I don't think!”
“O... okay. Calm down there, Chuckles. What's gotten into you all of a sudden? Did you hit your head or something this morning?”
At this point Angela took a deep breath and pushed her laughter back down to the pit of her stomach. It took her a moment to gather her giggles in and get enough oxygen in her body to stop her head from spinning. It had been so long since she had last laughed like that and she couldn't believe it was over something so stupid. Over something she and the other pilots had joked about after seeing Alexander fighting the UNE horde in their final test.
“Sorry...” she wiped a tear away from her eye and sighed deeply. “But no, I don't think he is a guy. You haven't seen him fighting before. He's... well he's amazing. Too amazing.”
Sandy took a step closer once more and eyed her friend curiously. Angela knew that Sandy had thought she had lost it; and who knows, maybe she was right. She certainly felt different than she did a few minutes ago. The pit of nervousness in her stomach that been plaguing her for a few weeks had lifted and she suddenly felt like a million bucks. She even felt a little giddy. Like she had had too much sugar or something. It was so strong that Angela wondered if she would get addicted to feeling like that. She didn't even know what had triggered it.
“Right... well... that was interesting. Anyways, maybe we should get back to the party. The speeches are coming up soon and I need to finish mine off before it's too late.”
Three hours later Angela and Alexander pulled up beside her parent's house. The sun had long since gone down and soft yellow lights shone through the windows, creating little squares of light on the grass outside. Both of her parent's vehicles were in the driveway and she knew they had probably just finished up dinner and washing the dishes. It was their routine. Eat late and make sure everything was clean and good to go for the next morning. They never missed a beat.
They climbed out of the small rental car and breathed in the fresh and cool night air. As soon as they had left the reception, Alexander had shed most of his dress uniform and now carried his tie, jacket, and beret in his hands. His dress shirt was unbuttoned and flapped gently in the breeze, showing the grey undershirt he had on underneath it. He looked a hundred times happier now that he wasn't stuck in a stuffy uniform inside a hot building. Angela had actually be surprised he had lasted so long.
She hadn't intended on staying for as long as they had, but it ended up being that way. Alexander himself was mostly engrossed in conversation with Mark and some of his friends, so he barely even noticed what was going on around him. That had been the main reason they had been there so long; Angela couldn't bring herself to pry him away when he looked like he was enjoying himself for probably the first time in a very long time. Besides, it had been what Kimberly was hoping for. The whole reason she had forced him to go with Angela was because she wanted him to relax and unwind outside of a combat zone, and it seemed like he had done just that.
“It's such a nice night,” he commented and closed the door to the car gently, the sound of it echoing through the dimly lit street. “Maybe I'll finally take that walk along the lake like I've been planning.”
“You should do it then,” Angela offered and Alexander turned back to look at her.
“Once I've changed and washed up, I guess.”
“I don't think so. You said the same thing two days ago and then you ended up curling up on the couch and napping for most of the day. Just throw your uniform in the car and go for your walk now!”
“Heh... no time like the present, eh?” Alexander chuckled and did as Angela suggested. Once he had thrown his jacket, tie, and beret in the car he turned and began to walk to the side of the house. Just before he disappeared behind it though he turned and looked back at her, his hand out in a gesture for her to come along. “You're not going to make me go alone are you? It's dark and I'll probably get lost.”
“Good point,” she admitted and threw her small handbag into the car along with his clothing.
The two of them strode through the darkness until they reached a small foot path that led around the edge of the lake. It led through peoples backyards and vacant lots, never veering too far from the main attraction. With the moon high in the sky and the sound of bugs humming and chirping all around them Angela found herself thinking that this would be a pretty romantic end to a date. If it had actually been a date that they had just gone on, which it wasn't. She now had to constantly remind herself of that.
Damn you, Sandy, she cursed her friend in her thoughts. If it had been her digging so deep she probably wouldn't be having thoughts like that right now.
They walked in silence, just admiring the beauty that was all around them and relishing the cool feeling of the breeze on their skin. When they reached the spot that the shore curved and began to lead away from all the houses they turned back, both probably realizing that it was starting to get a little late and they had been up for a while. Even though they hadn't done much that day they both felt pretty exhausted. It must have been the atmosphere of the party. Couple that with the fact that neither of them had been very active since since getting there and it was no wonder they were so tuckered out.
Even though nothing was said, Angela still found herself enjoying Alexander's company. She was actually a little sad when they reached her backyard again and came to a stop. Maybe they should have gone farther. Alexander also seemed a little hesitant for the walk to end and he turned to face the lake, the large reflection of the moon lighting up his tired looking face. Even now he was still smiling a little bit and he sighed deeply to himself.
“What's up?” Angela asked, facing Alex instead of looking out over the lake like he was.
“You're pretty lucky. You know that?” he commented softly and Angela had to strain her ears to hear him.
“How am I lucky?” she asked, only to realize what he had meant a second later. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.” he laughed gently and Angela's heart did one of it's now normal skips. “You've got great parents that care deeply for you, friends who treat you like one of the gang even though you've been gone for four years, and a beautiful view just sitting outside your house. I want you to remember all of that. Remember how this place makes you feel and never let it go. Because once you're back out in the field it will be the only thing that keeps you going. The only thought that keeps you together.”
“A... Alex...”
“I also want to thank you for sharing this place with me. I actually had a lot of fun and I owe it all to you. So thank you, for trusting me enough to bring me here with you.”
“I... I was forced to bring you here,” she reminded him, but Alexander only shook his head and turned to face her with that cute little smile of his.
“No, you could have said no just like Sarah did. But you didn't. So thank you for that.”
Angela's heart was now in full on panic mode. Gazing across at Alexander's pale and handsome face under the moonlight was bad enough, but having to hear him say all those things to her made it all the more worse. It felt like her heart was about to pop out of her chest and she had a huge lump of nervous energy in her throat, making it nearly impossible to swallow. She seemed to even forget how to blink and stood there staring at him like a moron.
“Alex,” she spoke, her voice no longer her own.
“Hmm?”
Angela didn't answer. She didn't even know what she had been about to say. All she knew was that her cheeks were now burning under his intense gaze and she wished she could look away. At the same time she didn't want to though. She wanted him to keep looking at her like that. She wanted those cold yet vibrant blue eyes to hold her gaze and never let go.
No, that wasn't it. Not entirely. She wanted him. Confessing all that stuff to Sandy earlier had given her a sense of freedom, but it was only momentary. Being there in that moment she realized she wanted more of that feeling. She didn't care anymore that he was a little younger, or that he was her superior officer, or that they had even been enemies in the beginning. Right there in that moment the only thing she cared about was him.
Without realizing what she was doing until it was almost too late, Angela noticed that she was now leaning towards him. She took a small step forward and looked down at his lips, chewing on her own as that one thought consumed her entire mind. The look in Alexander's eyes was surprise. That was to be expected. But even though he looked so surprised she refused to step away now. She was so close to his face. So close to his lips.
“A... Angela...” he breathed and it washed over her red hot face.
“Shh,” she hushed him gently and moved in even closer now.
Their lips were less than an inch away now. Alexander remained rooted on the spot and it was in that moment that Angela closed her eyes. She had never really kissed anyone before, but that didn't bother her. She knew Alex had never kissed someone either, so it's not like either of them knew how bad it might be.
The speed at which she was moving was so excruciatingly slow that Angela had to stop herself from growling. It's wasn't like she could change it; she was moving as fast as her body would allow her in its shocked state. Not that it mattered, they were so close now that it would only be another few seconds before their lips finally met.
That's when it happened. Or rather that's when two things happened. First their lips gently brushed against one another. It wasn't enough to call it a kiss, but it was definitely close. So damn close. Angela could feel a jolt of excitement and nervousness rush through her body and she shivered slightly as she tried to force her lips closer to his. It was in that moment, the moment just before a real kiss, that a loud and concerned voice broke through the air, ruining whatever moment the two of them had been about to share.
“Angela!” her mother's voice hissed through the darkness and a patch of light shone through the darkness as the back door to her house was opened. Her mother came bursting out of it and onto the back deck, her hand held high in the air and panic in her voice. “Your... your little radio started vibrating on the bathroom counter!”
As quickly as either of them could move, both she and Alex stumbled away from each other and avoided eye contact. It was then that Angela realized something wasn't right. “Radio?” she repeated the word and looked towards her mother who was trying to get her attention. What was her radio doing in the bathroom? She thought she had put it in her handbag.
Feeling like she needed some space away from Alexander for a moment, Angela rushed towards her mother and climbed the wooden staircase up onto the deck. Her mother's face was pale and her hair was all over the place, something that was never a good sign. Instead of saying anything though, her mother held out her hand and produced the little ear piece she and the rest of the pilots on the team had been given. It was indeed vibrating in her open palm.
Wondering what was going on, Angela grabbed it and pushed it into her ear. Before she could press the button to answer the call, Alexander suddenly called out and now his voice sounded a little off too. It wasn't scared or panicked like her mothers, but it was definitely different. It was hard, and a little stunned.
“Baker! You need to see this!” he called out and Angela, against her better judgement, walked back down the stairs and towards him.
“Hang on, I think Kimberly's calling to check up on us,” she replied and quickly pressed the small button on the device fitted into her ear. All at once there was a loud sound and a worried voice broke through it.
“Baker! What the hell! Are you there?!” Kimberly demanded and she sounded pissed.
“I'm here! What's up?”
“Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to contact you and Alex for ten minutes now!”
“We were at the wedding reception,” she quickly answered and came to stand next to Alexander now. He didn't even seem to notice her; all of his attention was up on the night sky above the lake. “What's up? Is everything alright?”
“You don't know?!” was Kimberly's angry reply and Angela couldn't help but cringe. It wasn't often that the captain got angry like that. Something must be really bothering her. “Forget it! I'll explain it to you when you in route! I've had a car sent for both you and Alex! Pack up your stuff and wait for it! It'll be there in twenty minutes!”
“Wait! What's going on? We still have a week left on our leave!”
Before Angela could get a reply the line went dead and static filled the void. Sighing in confusion she pulled the device out of her ear and clenched it in her hand, having no pocket to put it in on her dress. It was then that she remembered that Alex had told her to come look at something and she turned back to him, the memory of their near kiss still fresh on her mind. She was sure her cheeks were bright red. She could feel the heat coming from them.
“What's up?” she asked, trying to play it cool.
“Look,” he said simply and never even looked at her. That was a little rude.
“What am I looking at?” she asked with a grumble and gazed out over the large lake before them. All she could see was the dark water and the large reflection of the moon. “I don't see anything.”
“UP!” he suddenly yelled and grabbed her head in his hands. Without another word he titled her chin up to the night sky and her eyes focused on the tapestry of stars blinking down at them.
Once again she didn't see anything. At first. It looked like the normal night sky she was used to back home and she didn't see why it would have him so enthralled. It's not like he had seen it before. Hell, he had even spent most of the night staring at it a few days back. It was just a bunch of stars! And that's when she saw it. One of the stars was moving. No, it wasn't just moving, it was moving towards them and it was big. Big and bright.
Angela had seen shooting stars before, but she had never seen one quite like this. It looked far off and yet was still five times larger than any of the stars in the sky. Even its tail was odd, with sparkles of gold and red flickering in the fire as it burned up in the atmosphere. No, this was definitely not like any of the stars she had seen before, and for some reason it filled her with a sense of dread. She had once witnessed something very similar to this before; on the television. When was it? About a year ago? A little more?
“W... what's going on?” she heard herself ask, unaware that she had even been willing herself to speak.
“It's a UNE Hive,” Alexander said and Angela's stomach clenched so tightly that she almost puked up what she had eaten earlier.
Now it suddenly made sense. The call from Kimberly and the worried tone in her mothers voice. This was definitely something to be afraid of. The last time the UNE's crashed landed on Earth had been just over a year ago, and shortly after that the Battle of London had been fought. A new wave of enemies was entering the battle.