Soldier Keep On Marching On

A Day In the Life

Pain makes you stronger
Heartbreak makes you wiser
And fear makes you braver.

**********

The night out was one of the best decisions she'd had in a while. It'd been too long since Aiden had been able to let loose, forget the world, and laugh and joke with her friends. Kain started on his drinks with stories they knew well enough to join in and retell their own point of views. They took turns going around spouting nonsense. No one mentioned the two people missing, but they all shared the thought that they'd drink for them. When the games began Riza and Aiden teamed up against the boys who failed miserably at whatever game they decided to play every other half hour. 

And as time passed and their fellow patrons dwindled to just them, the group decided it was time to leave the bar. They separated at the door, Kain, Falman, and Breda heading to the dorms the military provided, Riza following them because her apartment was in the relative same direction. 

Roy took in her flushed cheeks and wobbly frame. "Come on then," he said as he prodded Aiden's side. "Let's get you home."

"I can walk home just fine thank you very much," she huffed as she proceeded to trip over her feet.

Roy rolled his eyes and laughed. Aiden pouted and held out a hand for help. As they strolled down the deserted street both people found the silence comfortable; there was no need to speak. Above them, dark clouds rumbled and the light pitter-patter of rain signaled the beginning of a storm. The temperature dropped and she began to shiver as the rain poured down. A long black coat was set over her shoulders and she turned to stare up at Roy who immediately looked away.

The rain fell harder and Aiden grinned, grabbing his hand and taking off down the street. He didn't question it as they acted like teenagers and splashed in the growing puddles and kicked water at each other. Her small giggles turned into laughs when she slipped and took him down with her, his laughter joining hers. They laid on the sidewalk in the rain until their laughs died down and they pulled themselves to their feet. She smiled up at him and they headed down the street.

When they reached his house he pulled her inside despite her protests that she could get home on her own. Like hell he was going to let her leave in the happy drunk state she was in, not to mention the rain and the hour.

While he was away doing something, Aiden looked around the place she'd been a handful of times before. On the mantle of the fireplace, she spied a picture. It was the one she'd taken a year ago when they'd all decided to go out for dinner. Major Armstrong was in the back cooking while Kain sat at the bar in front of him and chatted. At their table, Riza was handing Breda and Falman (who sat on one side) chicken wings while looking at Jean who had been making a terrible joke. On the other side of the table sat Roy and Maes. Roy was smiling at something she couldn't remember and Maes was grinning and laughing. Aiden herself wasn't in the picture, she had been behind the camera laughing at how she'd managed to get a photo of Maes rather than the other way around.

Moving on from that one, she noticed more pictures along the mantle. One showed the time Jean had slipped in mud during a party and them laughing at him, another showed when Roy had been promoted to Colonel. She was surprised to find a photo of her curled up on a sofa fast asleep in the old Eastern Command office. There were more but she paid no attention to them.

A towel was placed over her head, pulling her away from the photos. Aiden smiled up at the man again. "Hi."

He returned the smile with a gentle one of his own. "Hi." They were silent and she looked back at the photo of herself. "Hughes took that one a few years ago. That was the time you stayed up for a week straight on a murder case until you crashed. I'd never seen you look so determined to catch a suspect. Or so tired. We worried about you when you refused to sleep."