The senior NCO opened the door to the Orderly Room, and waited for Whitney to enter, following her into the building. "Your office, or mine?"

"Yours is fine." Whitney didn't want to set the wrong tone by insisting on her own office.

After they entered her office, Karen walked around behind the desk, and waited for the XO to sit down first, following suit when she did.

Whitney nervously stood right back up after Karen sat down. "About last night…"

"Forget it. That has nothing to do with work."

"Yes it does. We have to work together. What I did was wrong, and I shouldn't have done it, but I did, and I can't change that. I told you I was sorry, and I meant it." Whitney paused for a moment. She could not read Karen. The woman was sitting there looking at her with an implacable expression on her face. You are so frustrating. "Are you just going to sit there and say nothing?"

Karen was unnerved when she found herself wanting to apologize for over reacting, and became defensive. "What do you want me to say? You invaded my privacy. Why didn't you just ask if you wanted to know something?"

An unbelieving laugh forced its way out of Whitney's mouth. "Yeah, right. You hardly said anything all the way home, unless I specifically asked you something, and then I'm going to ask you what kind of movies you like." Whitney walked over to the window trying to gather her thoughts before turning back to face Karen. "If I had, would you've answered?"

Would I have? Karen met the inquisitive green eyes, before glancing away. "I don't know."

"Neither did I." Whitney walked back over to the chair, and sat down. "Karen, could we please put that incident behind us. It's not something I will ever do again. If I ever want to know anything, I'll just ask you."

The tall woman was finding it increasingly difficult to remain aloof. First, she looked at me with those beautiful green eyes, and then she calls me Karen. Where is my will power? And why do I think I just may have come out on the short end of the stick in this conversation? Managing to maintain what she felt was the appropriate level of professional decorum, Karen said, "Fine. Consider it forgotten. Anything else you want to talk about."

A rueful smile appeared on Whitney's face. "Yes, but nothing that would interest you."

"How do you know? Try me." She needed to know if the new officer was having any problems. It was her job.

The XO just shook her head. "Some other time maybe. Thanks for hearing me out. Goodnight, Top." All Whitney wanted to do was leave, before she gave in to her temptation to tell Karen some things that she was quite sure would shock the woman.

Karen hadn't missed the crossover from personal to professional when Whitney addressed her, and a little disappointed, she countered with, "Goodnight, Whitney."

The small woman stopped in her tracks. Karen had actually called her Whitney without being prompted to? She glanced over her shoulder and smiled, before turning back to the door, not trusting herself to speak. The XO knew it was just a little thing, but somehow it seemed like a huge breakthrough, and she didn't want to say anything to spoil the moment.

Karen's eyes tracked Whitney to the door. Actually, she did feel better with that incident behind them, but she didn't understand the XO's motivation for looking at the movies in the first place. Whether she would've answered a personal question or not, still didn't explain why Whitney was so curious. The first sergeant acknowledged she was increasingly curious about the young woman, and wanted to know more about her, but it seemed like Whitney was just as curious about her. Interesting. She's naturally curious and friendly. That's all it is.

Karen left her thoughts behind, and locked up once again before walking over to the barracks. It looked like she was finally going to get an early night in. Her lack of sleep was affecting her focus, or so she chose to think.

Whitney arrived back at her room and sank down into the loveseat, a huge weight off of her shoulders. Now what? Now nothing. It was obvious Karen wasn't particularly interested in her friendship, but the first sergeant's unexpected use of her name still brought a smile to her face. Maybe there was a chance after all.

Suddenly wishing she had someone to talk to, Whitney picked up the phone and dialed her parents' number. She spent a few minutes conversing with her mother and father before asking to speak to Nana. She enjoyed a close relationship with the small feisty woman, and talking with her might divert her attention from the emotional roller coaster she'd been on for days.

Whitney hung up the phone smiling. Nana had used her unique sense of humor to bring her up to date on everything happening in her small home town, and just talking to her had lifted the XO's spirits considerably. She decided to spend the rest of the evening just relaxing and watching TV. Searching the listings, she settled on one of her favorite movies, As Good As It Gets. She began losing herself in the romantic comedy, finally pushing Karen from her mind. There was no point in dwelling on something she couldn't do anything about. Whitney almost convinced herself of that, too.

***

After arriving home and eating a TV dinner, Karen walked into the living room and sank onto the couch. She glanced at the coffee table where the three movies still sat, untouched since Whitney had looked at them. Out of habit, she switched on the TV, but was uninterested in watching it and got up restlessly. Karen walked outside, the clear night affording her a gorgeous celestial display. Opening a lawn chair, she sat down enjoying the cool evening breeze. A sudden burning desire to talk to Whitney filled her mind, before she angrily quelled the thought.

Unsettled, Karen walked back into the house. She pulled an old copy paper box out of the closet in her bedroom, and sat down on the floor, straddling it with her long legs. She removed the lid and pulled out a black three-ring notebook. The tall woman opened it, and looked at the first of many military certificates, all carefully encased in document protectors. It was her certificate awarded upon completion of the First Sergeant Academy. Karen had graduated at the top of her class, and clearly remembered the extra effort she'd put forth to make sure her efforts were recognized, but that was always the case. She'd always had to prove herself and work twice as hard as her male counterparts to receive the same recognition they did for lesser feats. She slowly paged through the book, reading each entry.

Karen remembered how proud she been when presented with her myriad of awards, and closed the book after reading the last entry. She pulled a small black box out of the larger one. Taking the lid off, she looked at the Bronze Star, her most coveted award. She had some scars to show for that one, compliments of the Persian Gulf. Karen suddenly realized her whole adult life was contained in the copy box, and finding that thought very disturbing, she closed the box and shoved it back in the closet.

Snorting self depreciatingly, Karen decided the only way she was going to get to bed early was to shut off her thoughts, and her mind was no longer obeying her will. Frustrated, she went to her workout room, and brutally worked her body until physical exhaustion surpassed her ability to think, and after a quick shower, she fell into bed, immediately falling asleep.

The next morning, after checking to make sure she had completed all the tasks Gary had given her, Whitney walked up to Battalion intent on finally reviewing the green sheets that captured the essentials of each soldier. She was given a thick stack of computer-generated forms, and was directed to an empty desk in the personnel office.

The XO glanced at the first one, but her attention soon wavered. A few minutes later, she gave up trying to remain detached, and quickly located Karen's form in the alphabetical stack. Her birthday was October 31, 1969, and she had entered the Army in 1987, scoring a very high 142 of 160 on the entrance exam. Now that was impressive. Other than that, the personal part of the form was not very enlightening, except for two things. Karen had never been married, and she had a bachelor's degree. I wonder why she didn't pursue an officer track?

Whitney began reading the military information listed. Karen had been promoted very quickly throughout her career, and had attended all the NCO leadership courses through the first sergeant's course. No surprises there. Her specialty was Radio and Communications, and previous assignments included Texas, Germany twice, South Korea, Grenada, and the Persian Gulf. Whitney paused, and then carefully reread the awards section. Bronze Star, Purple Heart (2), Meritorious Service Medal (4), and two Army Commendation Medals. That's some list of medals. She turned her attention to the other awards, noting that she was an expert in marksmanship, an expert driver, and had several ribbons for overseas service, including those specific to duty in Grenada, and Saudi Arabia. Of course there were also the usual ones everyone got, like one for service, and another for good conduct.

Whitney laid the form down. While it had answered some of her questions, it had brought up several more. She said if you wanted to know something, you should ask. Whitney held back a rueful chuckle at the image that thought evoked, and began reviewing the other forms.

***

Karen returned to her office after spending most of the morning checking the sections to determine their readiness for the field. Gary was due back later, and she'd review her findings with him.

The first sergeant picked up the repair form Whitney had given her yesterday. She dialed Supply's number, waiting impatiently for it to be answered. "Greg, who sent in the maintenance request on the generator?"

"Jordan did."

"Send him up here. I would like to personally ask him why the form wasn't routed through my office."

Greg shook his head and sighed. "Why am I not surprised? Will do, Top."

Karen looked up at the staff sergeant standing in her doorway when he rapped on the doorframe. His black curly hair hung loosely over his forehead giving him a boyish appearance. "Come in."

Jordan walked in and stood casually in front of the first sergeant's desk. "SFC Fuller said you wanted to see me."

"Why didn't I see the maintenance request on the generator before it went out?" Karen watched Jordan closely. He never showed any initiative, doing only enough to get by, and she had no use for NCO's with that attitude.

"You were busy, and I wanted to make sure we got it back in time for the field." Jordan was irritated that she had noticed the oversight, but was careful not to let it show. If it hadn't been for that damn butter bar, she'd have never even known about it.

Karen raised an eyebrow, angry at the casual attitude of the man standing in front of her desk. His demeanor was just short of insolent. "So you decided to bypass SOP and send it off. Why isn't it back yet? Certainly, since you personally handled the request, and…" she picked up the form, and read from it to make her point, "it was sent to maintenance almost two weeks ago, it should've been returned by now."

"They're probably just behind. I'll give them call." Jordan folded his arms across his chest, and shifted his weight to his other leg trying to keep his face expressionless to hide his concern.

Suddenly standing up, Karen growled, "Don't bother. I already did. They have no record of ever receiving it. You want to explain that to me?"

Shit. Jordan had known the generator would turn up missing, but they weren't due for an inspection for several months, and by then, no one would have known when it had disappeared. He'd planned on telling Fuller it was in repair if he asked about it, and Jordan knew the NCOIC would never have questioned it. Goddamn XO. The last thing he needed was Top on his ass.

His voice sincere, Jordan met the tall woman's eyes. "There has to be some mistake. I took it over there myself in the four by four. I'll go check with the guy who signed it in."

Karen narrowed her eyes. She had her own suspicions about the missing generator. "You do that."

Jordan turned to leave, and was halted by Karen's steely voice. "If that generator doesn't turn up, you're looking at an Article 15 when we get back from the field. And I will recommend a reduction in grade to the Commander. So you might want to think about that while you're looking for it."

Jordan's eyes narrowed, and he departed the office without a word. I don't think so.

Karen picked up the next item in her inbox, Whitney's personnel form. She didn't have to read it. She'd already memorized every entry. The XO was born on October 4, 1974 in Dansville, Wisconsin, but listed her home of record as Madison. She smiled when she saw her degree was in political science. Her next of kin was Linda Gordon, and her marital status was single. Karen had no interest in the few military entries. Realizing she had not even glanced at the form in her hand, she put it back in her inbox, and tried, unsuccessfully to focus on the upcoming field exercise.

***

CPT Johnson sat behind his desk contemplating Karen's briefing. He'd known she would ensure that everything ran smoothly while he was gone, and the field preparations would be completed. What had been surprising, though, were her positive comments about the new XO.

He picked up the memo from LT Gordon again and looked at it. She'd meticulously given him the status of each of the things on his list. Gary picked up the phone and dialed her number.

"LT Gordon."

"I'm ready for you to brief me now."

"Yes, Sir. I'll be right there."

Gary listened to the thorough briefing closely. This was an impressive young woman, but there was something she needed to learn, and in a way, he hated to bring it up because it was the result of his own oversight. He should've known better than to put hand receipts in the memo with a field trip coming up, but he'd wanted to keep the new officer busy while he was gone.

"I think you did a great job with the hand receipts. Through your efforts we have identified a missing generator."

"It's at maintenance," Whitney commented, puzzled.

"No it's not. Top hasn't seen you since you returned from S1, but it was never logged in. Good work."

Whitney smiled, pleased with the compliment. "Thank you."

"There is one thing I want to mention, though. We have an excellent first sergeant. I rely heavily on her, and trust her implicitly. She's the best I've ever served with. When she makes a suggestion, I listen because she doesn't make them arbitrarily, or without looking at the overall picture. The three of us are a team. I want you to keep that in mind."

The XO knew she had just received an important piece of advice. She met Gary's eyes. "The hand receipts."

He nodded. "I shouldn't have put that on the list. It was an error on my part. Karen knew that. By the way, she never mentioned her disagreement with your decision in her briefing."

She didn't? Whitney had mentioned it figuring Gary already knew about it anyway. Karen had tried to protect her, and that thought was of much more importance to her than Gary's gentle lecture.

"I won't make the same mistake again."

"No problem. You did do a great job with the hand receipts."

"Thank you."

"Oh, and Whitney?" When he had her attention, Gary said, "I probably would've done the same thing when I was new."

Whitney smiled her appreciation at him before leaving the office. Curious about why Karen didn't tell Gary that she disagreed with her decision, Whitney decided to stop in the first sergeant's office. She stopped in the open doorway and waited for Karen to glance up. "Mind if I come in?"

"No. What's on your mind?" Karen laid down the new regulation she'd been reading, and directed her full attention to the XO.

Whitney closed the door and sank into the chair next to Karen's desk. Slouching comfortably, she turned to face Karen. "Remember when you said to ask something if I wanted to know it?"

Uh oh. Karen instantly became wary. "Yeah."

"I was just wondering why you didn't tell Gary you disagreed with my decision to go ahead and do the hand receipts."

What a loaded question. Karen thought her answer over carefully. She knew it was something she normally would've mentioned, but hadn't wanted to call attention to what she still considered a poor decision. She must have mentioned it herself. That's the only way it would've come up. "Didn't seem much point. It's over and done with. Besides, I didn't get a chance to tell you, but the generator that was supposed to be in repair is actually missing." Karen smiled. "So I'd say some good came of it."

Whitney returned the smile. "Thanks. I'm glad you didn't mention it." She paused for a moment before voicing her thoughts. "We still gonna go running tomorrow?"

"Sure, if you want to." The tall woman leaned back in her chair enjoying the private exchange with Whitney.

"I'd like that. Want to go to Mom's afterwards?"

Karen hesitated, knowing technically it was a violation of policy, and now that Gary had returned, she could no longer justify it as looking out for the new officer. And Mom's was frequented by a lot of military personnel. "You know, technically that could be considered fraternization."

The hopeful expression faded from Whitney's face, to be replaced by disappointment. "Yeah. You're right. I didn't think breakfast was really a big deal."

Watching the change come over Whitney's face was more than Karen could stand. Damn it. It's only breakfast. Karen had a burst of inspiration. There was a way to do breakfast and not worry about being seen. "How about this. After running we go to my house, and I'll make breakfast."

Shocked, Whitney was barely able to keep her mouth from falling open. She turned dancing green eyes to Karen, her excitement conveyed in her voice. "That would be great."

Karen smiled, and ignored the voice in the back of her mind that questioned the wisdom of her decision.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and before departing, the two women agreed to meet at the PT site at 0900 the next morning.

***

Karen woke early, filled with anticipation. She had slept well, and was pleased to note she'd been able to subdue her doubts for the time being, or rather, ignore them. She quickly vacuumed and walked through the house, straightening it. After dressing, she drove to a nearby grocery store.

She had no idea what Whitney liked, and ended up purchasing a dozen eggs, a couple of ham steaks, a package of sausage, a package of bacon, two loaves of bread--one white and one rye--a gallon of orange juice, one tub each of butter and margarine, and just to make sure she had all bases covered, she added a half gallon of cranberry juice. At the checkout, Karen grabbed a small bouquet of carnations to decorate the table. Arriving back home, she put everything away and quickly changed into her shorts, hoping she wouldn't be late.

Whitney was so excited that she woke up at least half a dozen times during the night to look at the clock. Unable to sleep, she finally got up at 6am and tried to watch the news, but found herself pacing around the room instead, as the time crawled by. When 0900 rolled around, she was more than ready to go and run off her excess energy, and drove to the PT area barely able to quell her excitement.

Karen hadn't arrived yet, so she sat in the car listening to the radio. The one thing she'd noticed since her arrival was the prevalence of country music. Well, she had no problem with that, she'd grown up listening to it. The unmistakable voice of Reba McEntire wafted from the radio, and Whitney was caught up the lyrics of the sweet love song. A glance at her watch revealed it was 0910, and a tendril of worry made itself felt. What if Karen changed her mind? That thought never had time to fully formulate before the silver Sable pulled in next to her and the tall woman exited, smiling warmly. "Sorry I'm late."

"Not a problem." Whitney was so happy to see her, she could care less she'd arrived a few minutes late.

"You didn't have any problem running the three mile route Wednesday and Friday. Want to try four miles today?"

Whitney was up to the challenge. She inwardly smiled. I could run any distance with you. The thought almost made her laugh aloud. Yeah, sure you can. "I think I'm up to it."

Both women enjoyed the leisurely run, and while it had taxed Whitney somewhat, she finished with the tall woman. Karen glanced at her companion. "Do you remember how to get to my house? Or I could wait until you have time to shower." Karen impulsively added, "Or you could shower at my place."

Hiding her surprise, Whitney had no problem selecting her preference. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd rather shower at your place. Then I could watch breakfast while you shower."

"Sounds like a plan. Why don't you go get your clothes while I check the barracks? I'll meet you back at the Company."

Whitney couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Okay, see you in a few." She knew why Karen had selected the Company to meet at. No one would be there.

****

When they arrived at her house, Karen asked Whitney to pull her car into the garage and after she closed the garage door, they made their way into the house.

"Why don't you take a shower first?"

Whitney nodded. "Sounds good." She followed Karen down the hall, and took the towel and washcloth Karen handed to her from the linen closet. The warm water felt good as it washed the sweat off her body, and she emerged a short time later in a pair of cut-offs and a blue pull over top.

She joined Karen in the kitchen, and had to stifle a chuckle. The tall woman had enough food out to feed ten people. Two empty skillets sat on the stove, and there were eggs, ham, bacon, sausage and two loaves of bread sitting on the Formica counter.

Karen was frustrated, and with a rueful look said, "I forgot to ask you what you wanted. I've got ham…"

The shorter woman interrupted, wanting to set her companion at ease. "The ham steaks look really good."

Karen smiled her appreciation and adjusted the flame under both skillets, placing the ham steaks in one and a chunk of butter in the other. She quickly put the remainder of the food back into the refrigerator.

Whitney watched her interestedly. Karen seemed nervous, and had the heat too high. Vegetable shortening was already popping and splattering the stove from one skillet, and butter was taking on an odor in the other. She looks so uncomfortable in here. Whitney joined Karen at the stove. "Why don't you go take a shower? I can watch over breakfast until you get done."

"You sure you don't mind? I mean I did invite you…"

"Hey, relax already. It's no problem." Whitney smiled warmly. "Really."

"Okay, I'll make it fast."

The minute Karen left the kitchen, Whitney turned down the flames under the ham steaks and flipped them. She took the other skillet over to the sink and ran hot water in it, standing back to avoid the splattering brown butter. After quickly washing and drying it, she returned it to the stove and put a small amount of shortening into the skillet, waited for it to melt, and then broke four eggs into it. Whitney put two pieces of rye bread in the toaster and then grabbed a dishcloth to wipe the splattered grease from the stove. She found two plates in the cupboard, and by the time Karen returned, she had breakfast on the table.

Smiling, Karen said, "Thanks. It looks great. What do you want to drink? I have orange juice, cranberry juice, milk, coffee, tea…" Karen trailed off when she ran out of options.

"How 'bout coffee and cranberry juice?"

Karen poured the juice and coffee, and joined Whitney at the table. Not knowing what to say, she turned her attention to her food. She glanced up at Whitney. "This is really good."

"Thanks. Hope you like your eggs over easy."

"Yeah, that's fine."

Between bites, Whitney tried to engage Karen in a conversation. "What're you going to do this weekend?"

"Nothing special. I should cut the grass. I'll probably go into the office for a while. What about you?"

"I thought I might go see a movie. I don't know too many people, and the few I've met don't hang on post on weekends." Whitney shrugged. "Living out of a room isn't much fun. They charge enough for it, too. I could probably rent an apartment for a lot less."

Upon her arrival, she'd thought the room was nice, until she realized there was absolutely no privacy. The walls were paper thin, and visitors would never escape the scrutiny of some of the other tenants. While that hadn't bothered her before, it had suddenly become more important.

Karen began to relax, and countered, "I know exactly what you mean. That's why I bought this place. I hate living out of a room."

Both women had finished their breakfast and were sipping on their coffee. Neither was in any hurry to part. The small woman glanced at Karen. "These carnations are really pretty. I love the little dab of red on the edges."

"I thought they would look nice on the table." Karen could feel her cheeks begin to warm, and hoping Whitney wouldn't notice, she added without thinking, "My aunt always put flowers on the table when we ate."

"Did your aunt live with you?" Whitney hadn't missed the slight rise in color, and it warmed her heart to know that Karen had gone to the extra trouble of adding flowers.

"I lived with her. My mother was too busy with my stepfather to be bothered." Karen shifted in her chair uncomfortably. What is wrong with me? God, nothing like telling her my life history.

Whitney was surprised by the revelation, but didn't miss Karen's discomfort. Gently, she said, "I'm sorry. I hate when parents palm their kids off. I was a lot luckier than you. I've got pretty good parents. I grew up on a farm, and all three of us kids had to work hard. My parents were poor, but we knew they loved us. Dad could be pretty tough sometimes, but when Nana came to live with us, he mellowed out a lot. Nana's his mother." Karen seemed less withdrawn, and Whitney asked, "You have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. I was it." Karen countered, "You have brothers or sisters?"

"Two brothers. Jacob is the oldest. He's married, and is the proud father of a baby girl." Whitney grinned, still excited about her first niece. "Chrissy just turned four months old yesterday. I called home, and Nana said she's sprouting bright red hair." She chuckled. "Don't know where she got that. None of us have it. Peter's my younger brother. He just graduated, and decided to go ROTC, too. I think he'll probably make a career of it. The military has always fascinated him."

Karen listened to the lilting sound of her companion's voice, and began to relax. She was enjoying her time with Whitney and didn't want it to come to an end. In the back of her mind, the nagging voice remained, but the tall woman continued to ignore it and live for the moment, for once in her life.

"What was your aunt like?"

Karen was startled by the question, quite content to continue hearing about Whitney's family. It surprised her that she was considering answering, because she'd long ago ceased to talk about her personal life with anyone. Whitney was different. Something about the woman called to her. "She was one cool lady. Treated me like I was her own. She put up with a lot of shit from me when I first arrived, too. All worked out though." Karen shrugged signaling an end to what she wanted to say.

Whitney was thrilled that Karen had finally trusted her enough to share a little about her past. She had no intentions of pushing her, and quickly turned the conversation to some of her childhood adventures on the farm. Before either woman was aware of it, a couple of hours passed. Whitney had done the most talking, but Karen had occasionally given glimpses into her childhood, as well.

Karen stood up. "I've got to use the bathroom. Be right back."

The younger woman gathered up the dishes and rinsed them, not that it would do much good, because the remains of their food had long ago dried. She was putting them in the dishwasher when Karen returned.

"You don't have to do that. I was going to get it later."

Whitney smiled at the tall woman. "I'd feel better if you let me help. I did make half the mess."

"Well, if you feel that way about it, don't let me stop you," Karen teased, and then laughed at the startled look on Whitney's face.

Knowing she'd probably been standing there with her mouth open, Whitney joined in the laughter. It was so good to see her companion in such good humor.

Once the kitchen was cleaned up, Whitney decided to leave before she outstayed her welcome. "I’d better go now."

Karen hid her disappointment. "Okay. It was fun."

"Yes it was. Do you think we could do it again sometime?" Whitney held her breath, waiting for the answer.

"How 'bout next Saturday?" The doubts in her mind about the wisdom of her invitation disappeared when a bright smile lit up her companion's face.

"Okay. I'll bring the food."

Karen quirked a half-smile, and shook her head. "I'll never eat all that stuff in the fridge. Maybe you could bring food another time."

Whitney wanted to shout for joy. Another time. She said another time. Yes!!! Only partially successful at hiding her excitement, she grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

Walking the small woman out to her car, Karen opened the garage door and waved as she pulled into the street. She smiled at the return wave, and with it came the sure knowledge that she already missed her. At least they would be running together tomorrow.

Driving toward post, Whitney was on cloud nine. She'd have been content to stay at Karen's all day if she'd thought she could get away with it, but at least there'd be another time, and she would get to see her the next morning.

Karen walked through the company area checking on each section's readiness status. PT had been cancelled that morning due to the Battalion training exercise, and work formation had been at 0500. Glancing at her watch, she noted they still had another forty minutes before they were due at the assembly area. Satisfied with her findings, she went in search of the Commander to brief him. Yeah, right. Update Gary AND see Whitney. She ignored the cynical voice in her head, but did acknowledge she certainly wouldn't mind seeing the XO.

She located both officers in the Motor Pool, and updated them on the Company's status. Her morning brightened the moment she saw Whitney, and although her demeanor remained totally professional, Karen smiled inwardly at the warmth she saw in XO's eyes. At precisely 0700, the convoy pulled out enroute to Battalion.

***

Karen walked through the bivouac site monitoring progress and giving instructions when needed. All the supplies were offloaded, and the tents had been set up. The latrine was being dug well beyond camp perimeter, and the Mess Hall was handing out field rations. Satisfied there was nothing further she could do, Karen headed toward the tent she shared with the Commander and XO.

Opening the flap, she ducked inside and dug her backpack from beneath the others. Karen unbuckled the cover and shoved her clothes aside until she felt a narrow cardboard box. She pulled it out, and sank down onto her nylon cot with a sigh of relief. The first sergeant adjusted the forty-five on her hip to a more comfortable position, and then opened the box. Pulling out a HoHo, she removed the wrapper and took a bite, enjoying the sweet taste of the chocolate dessert. She was still chewing when Whitney emerged through the tent door.

Whitney grinned. "You brought a private stash, too?"

"Of course. What'd you bring?"

Her eyes twinkling, the XO walked over to her backpack, pulled out a plain brown box and held it up in the air. "I've got home made oatmeal cookies from Nana. I told her I was going to the field, and she sent them overnight delivery. Want one?"

"Are you kidding? I don't remember the last time I had home made cookies. I'll trade you a HoHo."

Laughing, Whitney opened the box and passed it to Karen. "That's okay. I think I'll pass. Here, help yourself. Feel free if I'm not around, but save me a couple, okay?"

Karen rolled her eyes and feigned hurt. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna eat all your cookies."

Whitney chuckled and plucked a cookie from the box, enjoying the tasty treat after the long morning of work. "Gary's up at battalion. I heard the Division Commander's planning on stopping out tomorrow."

"He usually does. I gotta go check to see if all the camouflage is in place yet. I want to make sure we're not spotted during the fly over. Want to come?"

"Yeah, I'd like to." Whitney appreciated Karen's offer, and knew she would learn much by accompanying her. Grinning to herself, she knew that was not the only reason she wanted to stay with the tall woman.

Karen picked up her helmet, placed it on her head, and walked out of the tent holding the flap open for Whitney. They toured the entire camp area, chatting companionably, stopping when necessary to lend advice or instruction. Karen spent considerable time explaining what was wrong and right about each section that they visited, and ensured any deficiencies were corrected before moving on.

Turning to the XO, Karen nodded her head toward Commo. "Do you notice anything wrong here?"

Whitney had paid close attention to everything the first sergeant had pointed out on their rounds, and the deficiency was obvious to her. "The camouflage doesn't blend with the surroundings, and their vehicles are parked too far away."

Karen smiled warmly at her companion. It was a pleasure to teach someone who learned so quickly and was genuinely interested in gaining knowledge. "How about letting them know."

"Okay." The XO was pleased at the show of trust by Karen and approached the NCOIC, SSG Sexton. Walking around the camp area with him, she offered suggestions to make the camouflage look more natural and explained why it might be a good idea to move the vehicles closer.

The tall woman leaned against a tree watching the interaction between the two. Whitney had approached the NCOIC with sensitivity, never criticizing, merely suggesting a better way to do things. She was so disarming; Sexton hadn't even been offended, and was soon nodding his head and smiling at the officer. You are something else. Darkness fell, and they continued making rounds, ensuring blackout procedure was being followed.

Whitney began to wonder if Karen ever got tired. Her legs were complaining, and she longed to sit down somewhere; even the ground would be fine at this point. She gamely kept up, though, determined not to complain.

The Commander caught up with them when he returned from Battalion and briefed them on the training schedule for the next few days. It was all fairly routine to Karen, but she was looking forward to the night driving exercise. That was always fun. Gary had been invited to ride with the Battalion Commander, so Karen and Whitney would lead the Company through the treacherous trails the following night.

Whitney decided to make one last trip to the latrine before turning in. She picked up her flashlight, unscrewed the top, and placed a red lens cover over the light before replacing it. Blackout orders had been issued, and the red lens was not visible for any distance, thus protecting their location. Whitney acknowledged ruefully, it also didn't lend much light when trekking through the woods at night. She left the immediate camp area, following a narrow trail through the woods. It was a breezy night, and leaves skittered along the ground, the night alive with the sounds of nature. Whitney ambled along enjoying the walk, her thoughts on a tall, dark woman.

Karen had disappeared about an hour before to check the perimeter. Knowing her, she was probably sneaking up on the guards and scaring the heck out of them. There was no way anyone would hear the first sergeant approach if she didn't want them to. Whitney knew that from personal experience, and was glad she wasn't standing watch.

She looked off to her left when she heard a rustling in the leaves, and saw a rabbit emerge before it disappeared back into the woods. A little further on, she came to the tent surrounding the make shift bathroom, and directed her light to the sign, noting that it was not in use. She pulled the door back and entered, shining her light around the dark area. Wind rippled the canvas walls creating a dull thwopping sound each time it impacted against the heavy cloth. Whitney knew the reasons for the distant location of the tent, but it still gave her a very isolated feeling.

Hearing a slight rustle of leaves on her left, she pointed her red light toward the ground, and froze. She may have been raised on a farm, but that didn't mean she had to like snakes. Matter of fact, she hated them, and the idea that she was sharing the tent with a very real, very live, very poisonous rattlesnake totally shook her. The diamondback was a couple of feet away, and she breathed a sigh of relief that it had not coiled to strike or sounded its rattle. It was a large specimen, and Whitney wasn't about to take any chances with its reach. She could feel her heart pounding, and prayed for the snake to move on. Instead, it had stopped, its tongue flicking in and out, constantly checking the air.

An irritated male voice yelled, "Hey, hurry up in there, will ya?"

Whitney took a deep breath preparing to answer, but the snake had raised its head higher at the sound, and she didn't want to do anything to direct it's attention to her. She knew they heard through vibration, and wished the soldier hadn't yelled so loudly. It felt like she'd been standing there for hours, but it couldn't have been more than ten or fifteen minutes, and her arm was aching from holding the flashlight on the reptile.

From the rear, Karen stealthily approached the soldier who had yelled. Noise discipline was being enforced, and that meant low voices. Standing right behind him, she leaned forward and hissed, "What the hell are you doing yelling out here."

The soldier jumped and practically fell into Karen, he was so startled. "Sorry, Top, but I gotta go, and someone's been in there for at least ten minutes."

"That's no reason to break noise discipline. Now I suggest you take your entrenching tool and put it to use, now."

Nodding his head, he said, "Okay, Top," and quickly walked off into the woods. Karen directed her attention to the tent. In a voice barely audible, but carried on the wind, she asked, "Is anyone in there?"

Whitney's eyes were on the unmoving snake, and trying to keep her voice low and calm, she answered, "There's a rattlesnake about two feet from me."

Karen recognized the XO's voice, and forced herself to remain calm. "Where are you in the tent, and is the snake to your front or rear?"

Still frozen, Whitney softly called out, "I am about three feet directly in front of the door." Trying to calm her trembling voice, she added, "It's maybe two feet away on my left side, facing me."

Karen's stomach was already tied in knots, and the fear in Whitney's voice cinched each one a little tighter. She pushed her concern aside, focusing instead on how to best help the younger woman. Entering through the door behind her would most likely result in Whitney being bitten, so she'd have to find a way to distract the snake.

She quickly searched the ground for a branch that was heavy enough to use as a club, and thin enough to probe beneath one of the canvas walls. Finding one suitable, she tested its strength, and removed the small twigs from it. Karen quickly removed the red lens cover from her flashlight, and silently moved toward the canvas on Whitney's left. "I'm going to try to distract it, so be ready to back through the door."

Karen had to know where the snake was to help Whitney, so she laid on the ground and slowly lifted the canvas high enough to enable her to illuminate the inside with her flashlight, every muscle tensed and poised to jump back. A loud burring sound immediately permeated the air, and Karen found herself looking into the cold flat eyes of a very angry rattler.

Whitney began moving the moment the snake turned toward the canvas, but when she saw the shadow of Karen's face beneath the tent, and the snake coiled to strike, she took her flashlight and threw it, hitting the snake squarely in the head before jumping out the door.

The first sergeant took advantage of the diversion and jerked back, rolling away from the tent wall, and regaining her feet in one fluid motion, but she didn't miss the thunk of the snake impacting against the canvas where her head had been only scant seconds before.

Her heart in her throat, Whitney ran around the side of the tent and collided with Karen. Never hesitating, she threw her arms around the taller woman. "I'm so glad you're okay. You could've been bitten."

Karen was caught completely off guard by the hug, and instinctively wrapped her arms around the smaller trembling woman. "Hey, it's okay. I'm fine." She would've been more than content to continue holding Whitney close in her arms, and had to force herself to let go. Peering down at the XO, Karen's concern was reflected in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Whitney dropped her arms, her heart slowly returning to a regular rhythm, and shakily said, "It was horrible. That beast just wouldn't go away, and then I was so scared you'd been bitten. Why did you get down on the ground?"

"It was the only way I could see it, and make sure to draw its attention away from you. I sure wasn't gonna let you get bitten if I could do anything about it." Karen was suddenly afraid she might've said too much, and changed the subject. "We've got to get that snake out of there. The next person might not be so lucky."

"What're you gonna do? Kill it?"

"Not if I don't have to. It'll depend on the snake." Karen began looking around for a longer branch, and looked up when the XO began talking.

"Do you need me to help?" Whitney looked away, embarrassed. "I hate snakes."

Karen's heart went out to her companion. It must have been terrifying for her to stand in that tent and face both the terror of being bitten by a rattler and her fear of snakes, too. Gently she said, "No. It's not the first time I've had to relocate a snake."

The small woman wrestled with her fear, her desire to help Karen in the forefront of her mind. "Well, I could hold the door open, and I could hold the flashlight."

Karen's warm smile went unseen in the dark. "Thanks. I'd appreciate that."

Following Karen to the door, Whitney said, "My flashlight’s in there." The first sergeant grinned as she pulled back the canvas and shined the light inside. "Okay, the snake’s over there near the commode." She handed Whitney her flashlight. Keep your light on it." Once the reptile was illuminated, Karen entered the tent.

Not wanting to watch, but unable to turn her eyes away, Whitney saw Karen expertly trap the snake's head against the ground, before picking it up, her hand securely enclosed around the reptile's body just behind it's head. It took every ounce of courage Whitney possessed to stand at the door, holding the flap open as Karen carried the writhing reptile through it, disappearing into the woods. And she knew in her heart if it had been anyone else, she never would have managed it.

Karen checked the tent thoroughly for any other unwelcome visitors, then picked up Whitney’s flashlight and returned it to her. She proclaimed it secure, and stood guard until Whitney finished. Gary was asleep when they returned to their tent, and each woman quietly removed their field equipment, jacket and boots, opting to sleep in their T-shirts and trousers, as was field custom.

Karen lay on top of her sleeping bag with her arms crossed beneath her head. She relived her fear at Whitney's predicament, and the feel of the small woman in her arms. She had fit so comfortably against her, and it had felt so right. Karen was aware she'd begun to feel a strong protectiveness emerge when around the XO. It suddenly occurred to her that it had been present all along, from the night she'd met her and offered her a lift to the BOQ, until tonight when she willingly put herself at risk to keep Whitney safe. And she still couldn't put words to her feelings when Whitney diverted the snake's attention, so that she, too, could escape unscathed.

She'd done everything she could to push the XO away and keep her at arms length, but had been unable to. Not only had Whitney been persistent, but she couldn't bear being away from her either. This was a no win situation. If she pursued this friendship, and it evolved into anything more, she'd likely be looking at a court martial for fraternization, and a less than honorable discharge that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Even if they were lucky enough to avoid detection, did she want to live like that? In constant fear that her military career could come crashing down at any time?

The only answer that made sense was to forget the friendship. The problem was she didn't want to. At the same time, Karen was having difficulty understanding why she would put so much at risk to pursue it when there were no guarantees it would even be lasting. For the first time in her career, the tall woman began to feel totally suffocated by the regulations she'd lived under for years, and her resentment began to grow.

Whitney crawled into her sleeping bag, too keyed up to sleep after the events of the last hour. She glanced across the tent in the direction of Karen's cot and was comforted by her presence. Whitney knew she was being ridiculous. The snake was nowhere near the campsite, but she been unnerved by the standoff and was still a little shaky. She remembered the feel of Karen's strong arms holding her close, and wished she were still wrapped in that comforting embrace.

Hugging Karen had been a totally instinctive response driven by her own fear, and concern for the tall woman's safety. She was glad Karen hadn't been offended. Whitney thought about her interest in the first sergeant. She wanted to spend time with her, but in moments of close introspection, she also realized Karen had a lot more to lose than she did if they chose to continue building their friendship. The implications for her were much less dire because she had no intentions of staying in the Army. If she really were a friend, she'd be thinking about Karen, instead of her own desires. Suddenly something Karen had mentioned her first day on the job came to mind. It wouldn't solve the problem, but it might diminish it some. Whitney decided to check it out when they returned to garrison, and feel asleep shortly thereafter.

***

The next day was uneventful, and Whitney divided her time equally between Karen and Gary. She helped oversee a map-reading course, and NBC training. At 1255, Gary left for a battalion meeting, and Whitney decided to eat lunch in the tent, hoping Karen might chose to do the same. She had no idea where the first sergeant was, but took some consolation in the fact that the Mess Hall had prepared hot roast beef sandwiches for the noon meal. After eating, she dug out her backpack. In addition to the oatmeal cookies, she'd brought along granola bars and hard candy. The XO would've preferred chocolate, but had been afraid it might be too messy. Relaxing on her cot, she bit into one of the oatmeal cookies, savoring the home-cooked flavor.

Karen finally got the last soldier through the short confidence course they'd set up. Geez, you'd think it was hard or something the way some of them acted. She decided their poor performance merited some additional training when they returned to post. Looking at her watch, she noted it was already 1330 and hoped Whitney was in their tent. She'd enjoyed the short break with the woman yesterday and stepped up her pace, anxious for a repeat of the previous afternoon.

Pulling the flap open, Karen smiled at Whitney's greeting. "Hi yourself. You eating cookies again?"

Chuckling, Whitney teased, "You're just jealous. Want one?"

"I'm not jealous, but yeah. I'd love one." Karen retrieved a cookie from the box and bit into it, thoroughly enjoying the sweet taste. She grinned, and picked up her box of HoHo's. "Want one?"

"Thanks, but I'm kind of full. I had a hot roast beef sandwich. Wasn't too bad either. Better than field rations. Did you eat?"

"No. I'm not that hungry, besides they've already closed up the chow line." Karen took another cookie from the box. "You ever been night driving before?"

"No. Why are we waiting until 2200? It's dark way before then." Whitney wasn't particularly keen about driving around in the dark with low illumination headlights that were about useless from what she'd seen.

Karen shrugged. "Old Man set the time. Who knows what motivated him to set it that late. Doesn't really matter, though. Dark is dark."

Whitney opened her canteen, and took a drink of the cool water. "Karen?"

The first sergeant turned vivid blue eyes on the smaller woman. "Yeah?"

"I never thanked you for helping me last night."

Karen never thought and responded from the heart. "Yes, you did." She remembered all too clearly, the feel of Whitney's body against her, and that was plenty thanks enough. "Besides, you helped me, too."

"I still don't remember thanking you, but I guess we did both sorta help."

The tall woman winked, wanting her companion to relax. "Yep. We sure did. Poor Old Jake just couldn't compete with us."

Looking at Karen's twinkling eyes, she grinned. "Old Jake? Where'd you come up with that?"

The smile faded from Karen's face, a puzzled look taking its place. "They didn't teach you that in ROTC? It's a standard Army acronym for rattlesnake."

It took Whitney a second to realize Karen was kidding, and she laughed. "You are bad!"

Karen lazily smiled, her eyes conveying her feelings. "Some people say that."

Whitney's eyes widened slightly. She's flirting with me!

Taking in the look on her companion's face, the dark woman suddenly realized her words had come across exactly as she thought them, not as she meant to say them. "I'm due back at the confidence course. See you later." She cleared the tent as the words left her mouth.

The XO was still dumbfounded, but the warm glow the words had elicited stayed with her. She blew out a breath. Whoo. Is she sexy!

***

Karen drove the jeep slowly, her night goggles in place, giving the darkness an opaque green cast. She kept their speed slow, varying between five and ten miles per hour to allow easy maneuverability on the steep, rutted trails.

"This road's a trip. What'd they do, bring a bulldozer out here to make it worse?" Whitney was uneasy, not fully trusting the Hummer. A couple of times it seemed like they would roll for sure. Karen had reassured her by explaining the vehicle's suspension was built for this kind of terrain.

The first sergeant smiled, knowing the XO didn't expect an answer. Many soldiers hated their first exposure to night driving. She hadn't, but then she'd always liked to push the limits. They had come up an incline, and it gave her a good view of the rest of the Company. One Hummer was 500 feet behind the rest of the convoy, and looked like it was sitting still. Just what they needed, a broken down vehicle on a battalion training exercise. Stopping, she turned to Whitney, and said, "I'll be right back." Karen jumped out of the vehicle, and walked to the Hummer directly behind hers. SFC White was the driver. "John, take over until I get back. One of our vehicles has fallen way behind. Keep it between five and ten until I get back."

"Will do. You going cross country?"

Karen grinned. "Yep."

John shook his head, chuckling. "I shoulda figured."

Climbing back in the vehicle, Karen swung off the road and started down a steep hill, taking the most direct route to the stalled vehicle. Whitney hung on for dear life. Even with the night goggles to light the way, the terrain was steep, with deep ruts cutting across the earth, and trees dotting the landscape. Karen crested the last hill, and saw the stalled vehicle five hundred feet in front of her. They bounced toward their goal, Karen expertly dodging the trees and ruts. Whitney began to feel comfortable once she noticed the practiced ease with which Karen maneuvered the hilly terrain, even though this last stretch was straight down.

Karen drove down the steep incline in second gear, her foot occasionally tapping the brake, dodging trees and deep ruts in the road. Suddenly, a bright white flash blinded Karen, and she simultaneously hit the brake and ripped the goggles from her eyes, cursing loudly. She couldn't see, and desperately tried to bring the sliding Hummer to a stop, knowing there'd been trees all around them, but the front wheel hit a rut, propelling them forward into one of the trees she'd tried so hard to avoid. Karen's head slammed against the windshield, and little sparks of light danced in front of her eyes.

Whitney removed her goggles seconds after Karen did, and reached for something to hold onto. The Hummers had been field stripped, their doors and roofs removed. She instinctively reached for the dashboard, but they hit a rut before her hands found purchase, and when the Hummer impacted against a tree, she was thrown from the vehicle. Her fear never had time to register before she felt a sharp pain in her head, and the darkness became even darker as the night sounds faded to nothingness.

When SSG Jordan raised his arm with the flashlight in his hand and flicked it on, SP4 Tilford body tackled him, but the damage had already been done. "You sonofabitch!" You'll blind them. He was still grappling with Jordan when the loud sound of the crash filled the air. "You bastard!" Tilford pulled away from Jordan prepared to run and help at the crash scene. Jordan jumped him from the rear, and pinned him to the ground. "Shut up, and listen to me. You say one goddamn word, and I'll blow the whistle on your brother. I'll make damn sure you're implicated, too. So you better think about that." Jordan released the younger man, and watched him run toward the first sergeant's vehicle. He quickly replaced the red lens in his flashlight, and followed the path of his subordinate.

Karen raised a hand to her forehand, and looked to her right to check on Whitney. Her heart began thudding quickly when she realized the XO wasn't there. Quickly exiting the Hummer, she had to stand still for a minute to let her head clear. She walked around to the far side of the vehicle and fear clutched her gut when she saw the unmoving form of the smaller woman; and before Karen realized she was moving, she was on her knees at Whitney's side. She placed two fingers against the side of her throat, and prayed to any higher entity that might be listening.

Karen breathed an audible sigh of relief when she felt the steady, even pulse. She quickly ran her hands down Whitney's arms and legs, somewhat comforted at not finding any obvious injuries. Knowing she must have hit her head fairly hard to lose consciousness, Karen was afraid to move her for fear of causing further damage in case of a neck or spinal injury. She glanced at Tilford as he slid to his knees beside her.

"What can I do, Top?"

Karen rapidly fired off orders. "Go see if the radio in my Hummer works, and get the medics down here. Then call the CO. When you get him, let me know."

Tilford ran over to her vehicle, found the radio intact, and did as instructed.

The tall woman quickly unbuttoned her jacket and laid it over the XO, ignoring the chill she felt clad in her brown T-shirt. "Whitney, can you hear me?" She placed her hand against the XO's cheek, speaking softly. "I'm so sorry, please wake up…"

"Top, I got CPT Johnson on the radio."

She quickly stood up, ignoring the increased throbbing in her head at the movement, and strode over to her vehicle. Karen saw Jordan approach out of the corner of her eye as she depressed the button on the radio. "Sir, my vehicle is wrapped around a tree. The XO was thrown clear and is unconscious. Medics are en route."

Gary was shocked, immediately grasping the gravity of the situation by the succinct report, and abandoned radio procedure. "Where are you?"

"Approximately 2.5 miles from the start of the trail, in the free drive area." Karen delivered the location quickly, the need to return to Whitney foremost in her mind.

"Roger. I'll be there shortly. Out."

Jordan stood off to the side watching Karen talk to the CO, and Tilford look nervous kneeling next to the XO. He'd hadn't intended to do permanent damage, merely put their nosy asses out of commission for a while until he had time to find a replacement generator. He grew concerned at Whitney's unmoving form, and followed Karen when she returned to the XO's side.

Kneeling down, Karen caught both soldiers in her gaze. "Get up on the road and direct the medics and CO down here." They scurried off, unnerved by her cold, hard tone. She returned her attention to the prone figure on the ground. Glancing at her watch, she realized only three minutes had passed, but it seemed like hours.

Laying her hand on Whitney's forehead, she spoke quietly. "Come on sweetie, open those pretty green eyes. Please be okay." Her tone became more desperate when there was no reaction, and she continued to croon soft words while gently stroking the small woman's face.

The first thing Whitney became aware of was a dull throbbing in the back of her head that became more pronounced as the blackness she'd been encased in began to recede. Gradually regaining her senses, she realized someone was talking to her, and caressing her face. Her eyes fluttered open, and when her sight cleared, she saw a dark face leaning over her.

Karen was so relieved when Whitney's eyes opened, she had to forcibly stop herself from wrapping her arms around the XO and hugging her. She breathed a sigh of relief, her words barely audible. "Oh thank you, thank you." Peering intently at Whitney's face, she asked, "How do you feel?"

The XO didn't remember anything except the bright flash of light, and was trying to understand why she was lying on the ground. "I have a headache that won't quit, and the back of my head really hurts." She paused, trying to keep the pain at bay. "What happened?"

"Oh Whitney, I'm so sorry. I just couldn't see. I'm not sure what it was, could've been an unfiltered flashlight."

The XO's head continued to clear, and she was confused when she heard the pain in Karen's voice. She began to sit up, but strong hands held her in place.

"No. Don't sit up." Karen's voice was gentle, but firm. "You might hurt yourself further. Medics are on the way."

Whitney ceased her attempt, and said gently. "This wasn't your fault. I remember being totally blinded by that light, so you had to be, too. So why are you apologizing?"

Looking away, Karen explained, "I was driving."

"Good thing, too. Anybody else was driving and we'd probably be a lot worse off." There was no way she was going to let Karen take responsibility for something she'd had no control over.

Thoughts tumbled randomly through Karen's mind. Here Whitney was lying on the ground, with, at the very least, a head injury that had to hurt like hell, and she was trying to make her feel better. Finally able to verbalize, Karen spoke from her heart. "You're a very special woman."

The sound of voices began to fill the air, and Whitney smiled through her headache, quickly whispering, "Thanks. So are you."

Karen gently squeezed Whitney's hand before moving away to allow the rapidly approaching medics access to their patient. When one approached her and insisted she be checked out, she inclined her head toward the XO, and brusquely insisted, "I'm fine. It's fairly obvious to me that patient is the one who needs your attention." The unnerved medic quickly moved back toward his two peers already checking out the prone figure.

A short time later, the medics slipped a backboard under Whitney, and transported her to the waiting ambulance. Gary arrived, and waited until Whitney was safely aboard the military vehicle before questioning Karen. "What happened?"

"When we crested Timber Ridge, I saw one of our Hummers straggling behind the convoy. I put White in charge, and cut through the free space to find out what the problem was. A flash of light blinded me. My guess is it was an unfiltered flashlight."

"Sonofabitch!" Gary spat. "We just covered that in class today. What goddamn idiot could've been so stupid?"

Karen's demeanor abruptly changed, danger rolling off her in waves. Her voice flat, and cold, she said, "I don't know, but I will find out."

Gary felt his guts turn to ice as he witnessed the transformation. "Top, take it easy. There'll be a thorough investigation. You know the snoops will be all over this one." Trying to redirect her attention, he asked, "What are Tilford and Jordan doing here?"

"I haven't had a chance to ask them, but I suspect they were in the straggling Hummer." Karen glanced over at the two soldiers standing off to the side. "I think I'll go find out right now."

She was gone before Gary could take a step, and he called out, "Wait up."

Jordan felt a tendril of fear course through him when Karen pierced him with hard blue eyes. "Let me see your flashlight."

He quickly handed it over. After checking it, the first sergeant pointed toward the wayward Hummer sitting on the dirt road. "That your vehicle?" When the sergeant nodded, she continued, "Did you remove the red lens from your flashlight at anytime tonight?"

"No Top. I know better than that. Besides, they even covered it in class today. I was shocked when I saw that light. Came from somewhere behind us in the woods."

"Why were you straggling so far behind?"

"Tilford was having trouble with his night goggles, so I stopped to try and help him. The strap had broken and I was trying to rethread it so he could see, because I knew it wasn't safe to drive at night without a spotter."

Karen narrowed her eyes. She couldn't argue the explanation. Matter of fact, his answers had been just a little too pat, but she didn't have any proof other than the screaming of her senses that he was lying. "Send Tilford over here." When he left, she glanced at Gary, and growled, "I don't believe him."

"I'm not sure I do either, but without proof, there's not much we can do."

Jordan approached Tilford, and said, "It's your turn." Lowering his voice to a whisper, he added, "Don't forget what I said." Tiford glared at the sergeant, and jogged over to where the first sergeant and Commander were waiting.

Karen repeated her earlier questions. Tilford backed up Jordan about his goggles breaking, but kept shifting nervously back and forth. He was relieved when she finally finished grilling him. "Is LT Gordon gonna be okay?"

Karen momentarily glanced away. It was the same thing she was worried about. Even though Whitney had seemed alert, Karen knew how dangerous head injuries were, and that Whitney could have a fractured skull or internal injuries from the impact. She turned back to Tilford. "We haven't received a report on her condition yet."

The remainder of the evening passed quickly with the arrival of an internal investigative team. Karen was like a caged animal. Unable to sleep, and not able to find out anything on Whitney's condition, she roamed the dark woods relentlessly, busting one soldier for sleeping on guard duty, and securing another soldier's weapon when he set it down. New guards were quickly warned at the beginning of each two-hour shift. "Top's on the warpath. Play it by the book."

Karen's worry began to grow to alarm as time continued to pass without a report. Hourly visits to Commo had proved fruitless. She wanted to be with Whitney, and instead she was stuck out here with no hope of returning to base until the field exercises ended the next afternoon.

***

Whitney lay on the gurney looking at the bright lights overhead. She'd already had both a CT scan and an MRI after the Radiologist thought he saw something abnormal on the routine head films. Her neck was secured in a collar, and she was waiting to hear the results of the latest tests. Whitney's head was throbbing, but the medical personnel had given her nothing for pain, insisting it was important for her to stay alert, and a nurse had been at her side since her arrival. From the way she felt, Whitney decided there were probably quite a few bruises on her body, but didn't feel too badly overall, except for a god-awful headache.

She played back the words Karen had spoken to her, remembering the concern and worry the voice had reflected. The gentle squeezing of her hand by the tall woman's larger one had been so reassuring. There was no longer any doubt in her mind that Karen cared at least a little about her. Where were they headed? No one knew what the future held, and Whitney was beginning to realize just how heavily the odds were stacked against a successful friendship, let alone anything else.

Her thoughts were interrupted when one of the ER doctors walked into her cubicle. "LT Gordon, you were extremely lucky. You've got a slight concussion and a small subdural hematoma, but everything else checks out. You've been cleared by neuro, so we can take the collar off. We're going to keep you overnight for observation, and then release you to quarters. You're scheduled to report to Clinic Friday afternoon, and if there are no problems, you'll receive a pass to return to duty."

Whitney smiled with relief. "Do I still have to stay awake?" The events of the long day and her traumatic experience had exhausted her, and the small woman longed to close her weary eyes.

"No, but you will be awakened every hour so your neuro signs can be checked."

Well, that's better than no sleep. "Thanks. Could someone let my unit know my status?"

A nurse glanced over, and said, "Yes, ma'am. I'll take care of that."

Whitney was transported to her room a short time later, and fell asleep.

****

Tilford paced back and forth on guard duty. He was torn between the desire to protect his brother, and the need to turn Jordan in. He had no doubt the sergeant would take his brother down with him and implicate him as well. His major fault in this mess was family loyalty, but things were getting out of hand. It was one thing to be aware of a theft ring, and quite another when a member started hurting people. But who would believe me anyway? It would be my word against that of NCO's. I wouldn't have a chance. No closer to a solution than he had been, his inner turmoil grew as he continued to be haunted by the still form of the XO lying on the ground.

***

Karen's fears were finally put to rest at dawn the following morning. Battalion sent down word that the XO was fine, except for some bruises and a concussion. She walked back to her tent and sat down, suddenly overcome with exhaustion. Karen picked up Whitney's box of oatmeal cookies and closed the flaps tightly, carefully placing it in Whitney's backpack before cinching the straps. Maybe they would stay fresher that way. Karen repacked all the XO's gear, and neatly placed it with her own. Sitting down again, she shoved the locks of hair that had escaped hairpins back up, readjusting the pins. You know you're falling in love with her, don't you? You're a wreck. Look at yourself. The first sergeant lowered her head to her hands, and never even tried to disagree with the inner voice that taunted her.

The day crawled by, and when the convoy was finally ready to return to garrison, Karen breathed a sigh of relief. There would be several hours of work once they returned, but at least she could go see Whitney then, and make sure she really was okay.

****

Whitney slept on and off throughout the remainder of the night and morning. At noon, her doctor told her she would be discharged a little later. Whitney still had a throbbing headache, but they'd given her codeine for pain, and that had helped considerably. Once her discharge was processed, she called a cab, arriving back at the BOQ at 1600.

She took a bath, and then put on jogging shorts and a T-shirt. Pulling back the bedcovers, she leaned against the headboard, her back and head supported by pillows. Picking up the remote, she turned on the TV and absently flipped through the channels, settling on the Disney Channel.

About an hour later, a knock sounded at her door. She got up to answer it, and smiled when she saw Bonnie. "Hey."

"Hi there. We were going to get something to eat. Want to come?"

"Nah. I'm on quarters 'til Friday. Thanks for asking."

A questioning look appeared on Bonnie's face. "What's wrong?"

Whitney gave a brief version of the accident. "I guess I was pretty lucky."

"I'll say! I'm so glad you're okay. You could've been killed!" Bonnie couldn't believe some idiot would turn on a flashlight during night maneuvers. "Do you know who did it?"

Whitney shrugged. "I have no idea."

Bonnie just shook her head. "Idiot. Hey, you want us to bring you something back?"

"No thanks. I'm really not hungry, and I've got things in the fridge to snack on, but thanks anyway."

"Okay. Mind if we stop in for a few minutes when we get back?"

The XO smiled. "No, I'd like that."

"Okay, see you later."

***

Karen visited each section, monitoring their progress as they unloaded and secured vehicles, turning in weapons and protective gear. At 1900 she released the soldiers. The CO had already left, and Karen quickly locked up the Orderly Room, stopping briefly at the barracks before leaving post. She'd made time to call the hospital and knew Whitney had been released.

The tall woman took a short but welcome shower, washing the field dirt from her body, and then quickly washed her hair. She blew it most of the way dry, donned a pair of jeans, and a white pullover shirt. Slipping on her running shoes, she was out the door less than an hour after she'd returned.

Driving back toward post, she made a detour to the mall, stopping at one of her favorite stores. She parked outside the BOQ, looked in the rearview mirror, quickly arranging her hair with her hand, and grabbed her purchase before exiting the car.

Karen walked down the hall, stopping outside Whitney's room, suddenly nervous. Hesitating momentarily, she rapped twice. The door opened and she found herself looking at a strange woman with dark curly brown hair. "I must have the wrong…"

Julie opened her eyes slightly, hardly able to keep from staring. Talk about gorgeous. Finding her voice, she said, "If you're looking for Whitney, you have the right place." When the visitor nodded, she moved away from the door. "Hi, I'm Julie."

She took the offered hand, and said, "Karen," her eyes searching out Whitney. Julie's eyes widened as the name sank in. This had to be Karen Wilson. Damn, has she got presence.

A warm smiled covered Whitney's face. "Hi, Ka-Top." Her cheeks warmed at the partial slip.

Karen returned the smile, and said, "How're you feeling, Lieutenant?"

"Not bad really," Whitney assured the tall woman.

"I can come back later. I didn't know you'd have company."

Bonnie and Julie watched the interaction with interest. Standing up, Bonnie said, "No. We were just going. See ya tomorrow, Whitney."

After seeing her friends off, she turned back to Karen. "Thanks for stopping by. Why don't you sit down?"

Karen pulled out a chair at the small table near the bed and sat down. She reached into her bag, pulled out a box and handed it to Whitney. "I thought you might like this."

Whitney's pleasure was reflected in her face as she opened the box of mixed chocolates. Plucking one from the assortment, she bit into it, savoring the rich taste of good chocolate. She held out the box. "Want one?"

The tall woman smiled, and shook her head. "No, you go ahead." She watched Whitney eat two more pieces of candy before replacing the lid and setting it aside. "I have your things in my car. I can go get them now."

"Why don't you just wait until you leave?" Whitney asked reasonably.

"I don't want to stay too long. You should be resting." Karen wouldn't have minded staying all evening if she thought the younger woman was up to it, but Whitney needed to rest, and she hadn't missed the veiled look between Whitney's guests when they decided to leave, and knew her visit was being monitored.

Whitney sat on the bed looking closely at Karen. She had dark circles under her eyes, and looked a little haggard. "You look tired. Did you get any sleep last night?"

Karen glanced away. How could I? I was too worried about you. "Not much. I figured I'd catch up tonight. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine. They gave me some pain pills, so I sleep a lot, but my head already feels much better."

Standing up, Karen smiled. "I'm glad. I'll go get your things now. Be right back."

Watching her walk out of the room, Whitney felt a moment of pure happiness. Not only had Karen come to visit, but she had gone to the trouble of bringing her candy. Unable to put words to her feelings, she just grinned contentedly.

Karen grabbed Whitney's field gear, and closed the trunk. She felt a huge sense of relief. Even though she'd heard the XO was okay, she'd needed to see her to verify it with her own eyes. Her face was a little pale and there were some bruises on her arms, but everything considered, she looked good.

She knocked twice, entered the room, and set the gear in a corner. Karen turned to look at Whitney. "Guess I should be going now. You sure you don't need anything?"

Whitney got up, walked over to the tall woman and handed her a piece of paper. "That's my phone number in case you need me for anything tomorrow."

Karen folded up the piece of paper, putting it in her wallet. "Thanks. I'll give you a call if anything comes up." She was aware they both knew it was unlikely, but the gesture had touched her. It had personalized her visit.

Karen sat back in her chair and sighed. The day had been interminably long; with clean up from the field exercise being conducted in each section amidst frequent interruptions from a team sent to investigate the accident. Nothing had been uncovered, and Karen felt it unlikely that anything ever would be given the circumstances surrounding the accident. She still didn't believe Jordan had nothing to do with it, but Tilford's statement had been unforthcoming, as well.

She took out her wallet, opened it, and plucked out a small piece of paper. Unfolding it, she smoothed it out on her desk and looked at it. Karen had resisted the urge to call Whitney all day, unable to think of a plausible reason to contact the younger woman. She had finally come up with an idea. Whitney was on quarters and wouldn't be able to leave to get a hot meal. Picking up the phone, she dialed the number on the paper, waiting impatiently for the XO to answer.

"Hello."

Karen grinned at the sound of Whitney's voice. "Hi yourself."

"Hey, how you doing?" Whitney was surprised and pleased by the phone call. Even though she'd given Karen the number, she hadn't really expected her to use it.

"I'm fine. Question is how're you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday, that's for sure. I still have a headache, but it's not nearly as intense." She smiled into the phone. "Thanks for asking."

Karen momentarily hesitated, not expecting to be thanked for her concern. "Uh, you're welcome." She plunged ahead, feeling awkward. "I thought maybe since you're on quarters and can't get out, you might like a hot meal."

"Oh would I ever. That would be great!" Whitney stood up and walked to the end of the cord length, too excited to sit.

Picking up the piece of paper and folding it back up, Karen grinned at the response. "What do you want? You're choice. Anything at all. My treat."

"Oh you don't have to…"

"I want to. So what's your favorite?"

Whitney thought quickly. She loved Chinese, but she didn't want to put Karen out either. "Are there any good Chinese restaurants around?"

"Yeah. There's a really good one downtown." Karen would've eaten anything just to spend time with the small woman, but was delighted at her choice. Chinese was a favorite of hers, too. "What do you want?"

"Lets see. How about two shrimp egg rolls, beef and broccoli, and fried rice instead of white."

Karen just shook her head as she listened to the order and decided to tease the XO. "You sure that's going to be enough? I mean it is only two egg rolls…"

"Very funny! Just wait. Paybacks are a bitch." Her tone started out indignant, but she ended up quietly laughing.

"Um hum. That's what they say." Karen began chuckling with Whitney and glanced at her watch. "Hey, I gotta go. I'll be there about 1900. That okay?"

"That's great. Thanks, Karen." Whitney would've liked to say more, but didn't want to make the dark woman uncomfortable. She was absolutely ecstatic that Karen had thought of her.

"Okay. See you then." The first sergeant was still grinning when she replaced the receiver. Karen walked down to Gary's office. The investigative team was to brief them in five minutes on their findings.

Whitney sat on the bed trying to calm down. She would've been happy with just a phone call, but dinner, too? It was like a dream come true. Come on. Settle down. It's only because she feels bad about the accident. Whitney shook her head, disagreeing. No it's not. She likes me. The young woman examined that thought, and knew there was some truth to it. She decided to take things as they came, and to enjoy each moment for what it was.

Glancing around the room, Whitney decided it was presentable and began rummaging through her dresser drawers trying to decide what to wear. She finally settled on her teal shorts, and the matching white top with teal trim on the collar and sleeves. A quick look at the clock revealed it was only 4:30, and Whitney sank down onto the love seat, amused. This isn't a date. She's just bringing you something to eat.

Knocking interrupted Whitney's thoughts. She got up, looked through the peephole and smiled. Opening the door, she grinned at Bonnie. "Hey."

"Hi. You feeling any better?" The officer eyed Whitney closely. Surprisingly, she looked great.

"Yeah. My headache's mostly gone." She nodded her head toward the loveseat. "Have a seat. You're off kinda early, aren't you?" Whitney sat down on the bed.

"A little." Bonnie sat down and grinned, her eyes alight with curiosity. "So how long did Wilson stay last night?"

Whitney started chuckling, and decided to blow off the answer. "Only a few minutes. She only came over to see how I was doing. Anything else you want to know, Ms. Gossip Central."

"Ah come on. I'm not that bad. She's very attractive. Did you see the look on Julie's face when she realized who she was? I almost started laughing, but Julie would've killed me."

"She is good looking." Whitney's comment was supplemented by her thoughts. Drop dead gorgeous fits her to a tee, actually.

"Is she married?"

Whitney shrugged, attempting to appear disinterested. "No. Why are you so curious about her anyway?"

"Because no one knows a thing about her personal life, so that makes everything much more interesting. Haven't you ever been just curious about someone before?"

Where she's concerned, I'm curious about everything. "Yeah, I suppose so." Whitney got up and walked over to the refrigerator. "Want something to drink?"

"You got any Coke?" Bonnie noticed Whitney's shorts and top sitting on the dresser. "What are you gonna get dressed for? You can't leave until tomorrow anyway."

She handed Bonnie a Coke, and sat back down. How do I handle this one? Oh well, here goes nothing. "I'm tired of sitting around in my sleeping shirt."

Bonnie furrowed her brow. "Okay." She didn't think that made a whole lot of sense. "You want us to bring you some dinner?"

I have no luck. "Thanks, but it's already taken care of." Whitney quickly changed the direction of the conversation. "Where do you and Julie go every weekend?"

"Whoa, wait a minute. It's already taken care of? What does that mean?" When Whitney didn't immediately answer, she added, "Hey, I know it's none of my business. If you'd rather not say, no problem."

Sighing inwardly, Whitney knew she had to be honest in case Karen was seen. "1SG Wilson is dropping off dinner."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "She's coming over here again?"

In an attempt to downplay the news, Whitney feigned nonchalance. "She feels bad about the accident. It's no big deal." Actually, it's a huge deal, but you don't need to know that. "So anyway, are you avoiding my question or is it too personal?"

The dark haired woman looked at Whitney intently, searching for any hidden meaning in her face. "We just prefer to spend time away from here on the weekends. We've decided to get a place off post, so we've been out looking."

"You two been friends long?" Whitney was curious about the inseparable women. This was the first time she'd ever seen one without the other.

"We both got here around the same time and just hit it off." Bonnie stood up. "I should get going. You're supposed to be resting."

Whitney smiled. "I'm glad you stopped by. Tell Julie I said hi."

"Okay. See you later."

After seeing Bonnie to the door, Whitney started her bath water and wondered if there was something more than just friendship between her friends. It might explain why Bonnie had been in such a big hurry to leave. She knew it was going to have to be one of those unanswered questions, though, because even if she found a way to approach the subject, Whitney didn't want to do anything to invite their suspicion on her and Karen.

***

Karen listened to the briefing in silence. Just as she'd suspected, the team had uncovered nothing and was going to close out the case as a suspicious accident. She still thought Jordan was either behind it or knew who was. What didn't make sense was that if her suspicions were correct, why hadn't Tilford said anything? The first sergeant decided to talk to him again tomorrow since the investigation would be "officially" over. She wanted to catch him off-guard.

Precisely ten minutes after Gary departed, Karen locked up the building and drove to the barracks. She briefed the CQ, advised her she was leaving, and departed, ignoring the surprised look on the sergeant's face.

She arrived home at 5:30 intent on finding something appropriate to wear. After a quick but thorough perusal of her clothes, she settled on a pair of black walking shorts, and a red, short-sleeved pullover top.

Karen called the restaurant before taking her shower, and was out the door at 6:30, which had been no easy feat considering the amount of time it took to dry her hair and the extra time she'd taken with it to style it just right. She drove with the window down enjoying the warm breeze on her face, her thoughts on Whitney.

The XO had only missed two days, yet it felt like much longer. Karen kept expecting her to walk by the door, or pop in and say hi. If she'd had any doubt about just how much she enjoyed being around the younger woman, it was now gone, and Whitney seemed to enjoy her company just as much. One of these days they were going to have to talk. Really talk.

Karen had just exited her car when a red pickup made a sharp turn into the parking lot, blocking her path to the BOQ. Her eyes narrowed when she recognized the driver.

Donnie leaned out the window grinning wickedly. "Hey Karen, I heard you almost killed your new XO, then tried to blame it on a flashlight." He had been thrilled to hear of the incident, and his tone became belligerent and derisive. "What happened? Big ole tree just jump out and bite you?" He started laughing. "Guess you ain't so perfect after all. Geez, what a surprise."

I am not in the mood for this. Donnie's comments hurt even though Karen knew she could've done nothing to prevent the accident. She quickly thought over her options, deciding her best approach would be to ignore the idiot, and not give him the satisfaction of seeing a reaction to his words. Karen moved toward the front of the truck to go around it, but before she could do so, Donnie inched the vehicle up, stopping her again.

Her entire demeanor subtly changed as she set the bag of food on her car, approaching the truck window empty handed. Donnie was hanging out the window, smirking. Karen glared at him, and delivered her message in a steely voice. "I'm not in the mood for your shit, and I would strongly advise you to move, now."

The man was having way too much fun, and resented her attitude. She was the one who had screwed up, not him. "What's the matter? Truth hurt? Why else you bringing food here?"

Donnie suddenly felt himself falling as the door was jerked open, and before he could latch onto it, he was slammed against the truck and pinned in place by an arm locked across his neck. He started struggling, then found his wrist encased in an iron grip and his elbow suddenly hyperextended. "I'm only gonna tell you this once, so listen closely. We can do one of two things here. You can get back in your truck and drive out of here, or I'm gonna wipe you all over this lot. Your choice."

A pang of fear rippled through Donnie, but there was no way he was going to take this crap from a woman. He sneered, and bravado colored his words. "We both know you ain't gonna start something in front of the BOQ, so fuck off, bitch."

Karen twisted Donnie's arm until pain was etched across his face, her countenance hard and controlled. "Try me."

"You're assaulting an NCO." Donnie was unable to move and he gritted his teeth against the torturous strain on his elbow.

A sardonic grin covered Karen's face. "What you gonna do? Go crying to Smadge?"

"Fuck you." Donnie struggled and felt increased pressure against his throat. She was glaring at him like some demon from hell, and his guts tightened when he suddenly realized that she meant exactly what she'd said. "Let go of me, you bitch. I'm leaving."

Karen let go and stepped back, her finely honed muscles tense and set to explode into action at the slightest provocation. Donnie slowly got into his truck, determined not to show her how unnerved he was. Glaring at her, he put the truck into reverse. "This ain't over." He backed away, burning a short strip of rubber as he exited the parking lot.

The tall woman watched him pull away, and took a deep calming breath, feeling her tight muscles begin to loosen. Jerk. She retrieved the bag of food, and made her way to the BOQ entrance.

Whitney smiled warmly. "Hi. Come on in." She moved aside shutting the door behind her visitor.

"Hey." Karen walked over to the small table, set the bag down, and lowered herself into a chair. "You look better; how ya feeling?"

"Good. I can hardly wait to get off quarters. I'm starting to get claustrophobic." She sat down, watching Karen remove the contents of the bag that included Styrofoam plates and plastic ware.

After divvying up the food, the women began eating, both hungry. Whitney glanced at Karen. "The investigative team stopped here earlier today. Did they find out anything?"

"No. I didn't figure they would. I think Jordan knows more than he's saying, and I intend to talk to Tilford again tomorrow. The whole thing just doesn't ring true. A light coming from the woods? I don't think so."

Whitney's forehead furrowed. "Is that what they said? I don't know, but it seemed awful bright to be coming from across the road."

Shrugging, Karen agreed. "I know, but any light at all when wearing night goggles is magnified so it's hard to tell. If it was deliberate, someone knew what they were doing."

"You think it might have been deliberate?" Whitney stopped eating and met Karen's eyes. "Why would anyone do that?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. Now that the investigative team's out of here, people will start relaxing. I still think Tilford knows more than he's saying. Something's been going on with him for a while now. It may be totally unrelated, but it won't hurt to check it out."

"I want to know who did it, too, but I really hope it was an accident. The idea that it was done on purpose is a little hard to take. "Whitney's face was troubled, and she absently stirred the food on her plate.

"Hey." Karen waited until Whitney looked up before continuing, and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. The main thing is you're okay."

"Yeah. You're right. "Whitney took a bite of her egg roll. "This is really good."

"Glad you like it. I think it's the best Chinese place in town, and I've tried them all." Shrugging, she grinned. "What can I say? I like Chinese."

"You have good taste."

Not expecting the simple compliment, Karen could feel her ears beginning to heat. "Thanks."

Whitney resisted the urge to tease Karen about blushing, and began to close up the containers. She was full and it looked like her companion was, too. "I'll put the leftovers in the refrigerator for now, okay?"

"I really should go." Karen would've liked to stay, but this was the BOQ and it wasn't a good idea.

"I thought maybe you could stay and watch TV for a little while." Whitney tried to keep her disappointment from showing. "There's a movie on pay-per-view that's supposed to be good."

The tall woman wrestled with her conscience. It was not a question of whether or not she wanted to stay. That was a given, she did. So why not just do what you want? Don't you think it's about time you started controlling your own life? I do control my own life, she answered herself. Really? Then why not just do what you want to? "Okay."

A warm smile lit up Whitney's face. "Great." She flicked on the TV and nodded her head towards the loveseat. "You can't see TV very well from there." She shrugged. "I usually just watch it from the bed." Whitney paused, and glanced at Karen. "You could have part of the bed. There's room for both of us."

"That's okay. I can just pull the chair next to the bed and sit there. I'll be able to see fine." Karen decided there was no way she wanted to sit that close to Whitney. She had a hard enough time controlling her libido when around the smaller woman.

"Okay, but that isn't a very comfortable way to watch TV." Whitney sat on the bed and scooted until her back was resting against two pillows in front of the headboard.

Karen pulled a chair from the table next to the bed and sat down. She crossed her legs at the ankles and slouched down, her arms folded across her chest. "This'll be fine." She glanced at Whitney, and smiled.

"Do you want something to drink?" Whitney began moving off the bed.

"Wait. I can get it." Karen stood up. "What do you want?"

"Coke. Thanks." She sat back and watched Karen bend down to remove the cans from the refrigerator. She was thoroughly enjoying the view and wished the dark woman would sit on the bed with her.

"Here you go." Karen handed Whitney a can, and settled back into her chair popping the top on her own can, and taking a big swallow. She rested her ankle on her knee, holding the can loosely between her hands in her lap.

Whitney opened her can and took a drink before setting it on the night table next to the bed. She surreptitiously watched Karen from the corner of her eye.

"So, what's the movie?" Karen knew Whitney was watching her because she'd been doing the same thing. This is getting ridiculous. We really need to talk.

"Double Jeopardy. I heard it was good. Guess we'll find out." Whitney knew she'd been observed, and was a little embarrassed. She was going to have to be a little more discreet. Karen had given no indication of wanting anything other than a simple friendship with her, and while she wanted more, Whitney had no intentions of pushing her.

The women watched the movie in a comfortable silence. Karen began shifting around in the chair about an hour after it started, the hard seat becoming quite uncomfortable.

Whitney looked over, smiled, then scooted to one side of the bed. She patted the space next to her. "There really is enough room for both of us here."

Standing up, Karen pushed the chair back up under the table, walked to the bed and sat down. She quirked a half-smile. "Thanks. My butt was going to sleep." Whitney handed her one of the pillows, and she propped it in front of the headboard, resting against it.

She tried to refocus on the movie, but was unable to even though she continued to stare at the TV. Her senses were tuned to the smaller woman sitting next to her on the bed, her body providing an unending stream of sensations; and to make matters worse, she could feel her body responding. This is never going to work. I need to go home.

Whitney was happy that Karen had finally relaxed enough to move onto the bed. It seemed perfectly normal for them to be sitting side-by-side on the bed watching a movie. "You like the movie?" Her own attention had wandered ever since Karen had joined her on the bed, and she was very aware of the sensuality that seemed to roll off the enigmatic woman in waves.

"Yeah, it's really good, but I think I should go so you can get some rest. We could watch it again another time."

"I'm not that tired." Whitney briefly laid a hand on Karen's arm and gazed into her vivid blue eyes. "Can't you stay a little longer?"

Karen was captured in the depths of Whitney's sparkling green eyes, and her heart began thudding wildly. She broke contact in attempt to dissipate the sexual tension. Oh god. And she wants me to stay? "Okay, but just for another half-hour."

The younger woman had felt the impact of their connection just as intensely and she had to catch her breath when Karen looked away. Turning back to face her companion, she smiled. "Good. Want another Coke?"

"Nah. I'm fine. You want me to get you one?" Whitney smiled and shook her head. She was just happy Karen wasn't leaving yet.

Whitney walked Karen to the door a half-hour later. "Thanks for bringing dinner and keeping me company for a while."

"You're welcome. I enjoyed your company, too. "Karen smiled down at the smaller woman. " When's your appointment tomorrow?"

"1500. I should get a pass back to work then, but I don't know if I'll get finished in time to come in." Whitney had her hand on the door, but was delaying opening it. She was still in no hurry for Karen to leave.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Monday is soon enough. That was a pretty hard hit you took." Karen stood casually against the wall, her casual demeanor hiding her intense desire to wrap Whitney in her arms.

"It's a good thing I have a hard head." Whitney couldn't think of any other way to prolong Karen's departure, and finally opened the door. "If I get done early enough, I'll still stop in."

"Okay. If you don't, would you mind giving me a call? To let me know how your appointment went?"

"Count on it." She smiled up at Karen. "Bye."

Karen returned her smile and stepped out into the hallway. "See you."

***

Jordan walked into the nightclub and sat down at the bar. Waving the bartender over, he ordered bourbon and Coke. He'd arrived early and his contact, Sommerson wasn't here. The man was not going to be pleased when he asked for the generator back. The NCO sighed. He probably shouldn't have called him. Sommerson was a real bastard. He'd known the risk he was taking by getting involved with the guy, but his gambling had gotten him in trouble with loan sharks. That's how he'd come to Sommerson's attention in the first place. The man had offered him a way to pay off his debts, but now he owned him.

A tall man wearing a blue sports shirt and black Chinos sauntered in, glanced around and then made his way to the bar, sliding onto the stool next to Jordan. "So what's so important it couldn't wait until next week?"

"I need the generator back." Jordan shifted nervously on his stool.

"Are you crazy? Even if I was inclined to return it, which I'm not, that generator is long gone. I'm not in the storage business." Sommerson turned to look directly at Jordan, his face hard. "That's what you wanted to see me about?"

Jordan knew he was treading on thin ice, and plunged ahead. "The theft was uncovered already."

"That's your problem, handle it. And if you ever call an emergency meeting for some bullshit like this again, it'll be the last time you do it."

Fear coursed through Jordan. He'd heard rumors about a couple of ring members that had mysteriously disappeared. Trying to save face, he plunged ahead. "Uh, we got a problem."

Sommerson turned his full attention to the man sitting next to him and sneered. "And just what might that be?"

"A guy in my company. You know, Tilford's younger brother. He could blow everything."

"We've known about him. Tilford guaranteed he'd keep him quiet. I believe his words were, 'He's real into that family loyalty shit.'"

Jordan hesitated, and the crime boss turned angry eyes on him, and growled, "What?"

"Uh, he was with me…" Jordan searched for way to keep from implicating himself, and came up empty.

Iron gray eyes drilled into him. "He was with you when...?"

Jordan looked down at the floor. "I staged an accident. I was just trying to create a diversion 'til I could replace that generator."

"You stupid sonofabitch. You got shit for brains? I should feed you to the dogs right now." Sommerson shifted in his chair, rapidly processing the information and the threat to his lucrative business. "I'll have him taken care of. One more fuck up, and I'll take care of you, too. "He glared at his subordinate. "Got it?"

The NCO's insides had turned to water. "Yes."

"Good. Now get the hell out of here before I change my mind."

Whitney felt considerably better the next day, and was looking forward to her appointment at the clinic so she would be free to leave her quarters. She hated being cooped up in her room all day, and had alternated between watching TV--well, more like flipping through the channels since she'd been unable to find anything that captured her attention--and trying to read a new paperback she'd bought at the PX.

She glanced at her watch after being seen by the doctor and cleared for duty, noting it was already 4:30. She still had time to make it to MILPO before they closed, so she hurriedly left the building.

Karen strode toward Battalion Headquarters, irritated at the late summons by CSM Grady. She'd been expecting a call from Whitney when she answered the phone, not a 1700 meeting with her boss. It occurred to her that Donnie may have complained, but she quickly dismissed that thought, figuring he'd be too embarrassed to say anything. It was more likely about her accident in the field.

Forty-five minutes later she returned to the Company, angry at the outcome. Normally, she'd have just taken it in stride and ignored its negative implications, but lately Karen had found herself being less open minded when treated unfairly. Grady had reviewed the investigative team's report with her. Then she'd been subjected to a lecture about placing more emphasis on field safety when conducting training so incidents like this didn't happen in the future. Karen snorted. Yeah, right. He'd been uninterested when she patiently explained they had conducted just such a class prior to the night driving exercise. In her mind the whole damn thing had been nothing but an exercise in posturing at her expense.

Whitney glanced around her room restlessly. She'd looked forward to talking to Karen all day, and the woman had literally disappeared. After obtaining the information she wanted from Personnel, she'd stopped at the Orderly Room only to find Karen's car in the lot, but the building locked up tight. She'd called three times in the last half hour without success. She was about to call again when the phone rang, startling her. Hoping it was Karen, she answered. "Hello."

Her irritation with Grady slipped away at the welcome sound of the XO's voice. "Hi there. How'd it go today?"

Flopping down onto the bed, Whitney smiled into the phone. "Good. I'm off quarters and return to light duty Monday. Guess I won't be running PT for a few days." She absently twirled a lock of hair resting on her shoulder before blurting out what she was worried about. "We're still doing breakfast tomorrow, aren't we? I know I can't run yet…"

"So what? Do you really think…" Karen clamped her mouth down to shut off the flow of words. "Besides you have to help me eat all that food."

Relieved, Whitney pondered Karen's unfinished sentence. Do I really think what? She chuckled as she remembered the scene from the previous weekend. "Sounds good. Same time as last week?"

"How about 0900 instead?" Karen had a sudden thought, and if all went well, they'd need to eat earlier.

"Sure." I have no problem with that at all. "But does that give you enough time?"

Karen's brow furrowed. "Enough time for what?"

"Um, well, for you to go running and check in with the CQ and stuff." Whitney had been taken off-guard at explaining what she meant. Karen always spent time on post Saturday morning.

"I'm not planning to go on post tomorrow. I'm sure they'll survive if I don't show up for one day." Karen knew her regular presence at Ft. Bragg on weekends was only because she'd had nothing better to do, and it kept her from feeling isolated and alone.

Whitney's mouth dropped open in surprise. She found herself agreeing, and wondered when she'd made the conscious decision to answer. "Yeah. It won't hurt them at all, and besides it's about time you took a break."

For you, yes. "Glad you agree. So what would you like for breakfast?"

"You know, it's my turn to cook."

"It seems to me you cooked last week." Karen remembered her relief that breakfast had been finished, even though she'd taken a very quick shower and had intended to do it herself.

"I like to cook. I used to help Nana in the mornings, and I can't really cook in my room. All I've got here is nuking ability."

Karen was relieved. She had a few special recipes of her own, her aunt had seen to that, but they were dinner meals. Breakfast had never been her forte, and she'd been chased out of the kitchen on more than one occasion until breakfast was ready. She smiled into the phone. "I'd like that. Making breakfast isn't really my thing."

"Great. Makes me feel like I'm helping, too."

You don't have to do anything to help. Just being with you is enough. "Okay, sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow morning then."

Whitney clearly conveyed her enthusiasm. "Count on it."

"I am." Suddenly nervous about having spoken her thoughts so plainly, Karen decided to end the conversation before she put her foot too far in her mouth. "See you tomorrow."

You sure will. "Okay. Have a nice evening." Whitney hung up the phone and lay back on the bed. How am I ever going to get through the evening? Sitting up, she decided to try and figure out what to wear tomorrow.

"You too." Karen hung up the phone and sat back in her chair propping her feet on the desk. She was in no hurry to go home and looked at her inbox. Sitting upright, she picked up the first document, hoping the evening would pass quickly.

***

Whitney had spent another long night in anticipation of spending some time, alone, with Karen. She shook her head beginning to realize just how in over her head she was in her feelings for the tall woman. Everything about her was fascinating, and those eyes... Every single time she looked into the blue orbs, it seemed like she was entering the doorway to a place where only the two of them existed.

She chastised herself. Just friends, huh? Whitney banished the thought. She no longer held any illusions about whether she wanted more, and was nervous about what Karen's reaction would be when she mentioned her visit to Personnel the day before.

After going through her entire wardrobe--which needed some enhancing--and not finding anything that appealed to her, Whitney finally decided to just go casual like she had last week, and wear her cutoffs and a tank top. It was supposed to go into the eighties, one of those rare days that time of year, and those clothes would be comfortable.

Karen had stayed on post until 2200 the night before hoping to pass the evening quickly. It hadn't happened, because she'd spent more time thinking about Whitney than doing work. She had decided to talk to Whitney today and was extremely uneasy. Had she read the signs correctly? If she hadn't, Whitney could burn her if she chose to, but somehow Karen didn't think she would. It was still risky, though, because there were no guarantees of that, nothing but a gut feeling and deep-seated hope that the smaller woman wanted more, too.

She'd already straightened the house, and Whitney was due to arrive in ten minutes. Karen had donned cutoffs and a blue T-shirt in preparation for the expedition she wanted to take Whitney on, and hoped she would agree to spend the day with her. She glanced around the house one more time, knowing there was nothing out of place, but filled with nervous anticipation and needing to do something. Glancing at a throw pillow on the couch, she picked it up and fluffed it, before she started chuckling, and tossed it back. You are hopeless.

Continued

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