love of a travlin' soilder [open]

[Abby Bailey]

Abby,
I miss you more each day. Its lonely over here, sure my unit is here but we are all Islands. At least recently, we saw our first firefight a few days ago. It all started by a bomb, it was kid Abby. No older than 10, a kid. Fredrick slowed down so he wouldn’t him and the bomb strapped to the kid’s chest went off. Fran, Red and Sam all died. Sam’s wife had a baby boy a few months ago, and he died without ever seeing his son. I don’t want to be that guy Abs, I don’t you to be notified I was KIA. I don’t ant to die and leave my baby sister behind to deal with the mess. So I’m thinking when I get leave next I’ll just visit you. I just need more time with my sister. I love you Abby. Don’t forget I love you more than the whole sky.

Your favorite brother,
Martin

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A small tear fell from the tip of her nose and landed on the letter, smearing the ink. It was hard to read her brother’s letter when he was like this. It was even harder with him so far away. Abby folded the letter and sighed. It was only six months before Martin would be able to come home. Six months felt like a lifetime, it felt like a lifetime since she ad seen him anyway. Now with two Bailey boys over in Iraq she didn’t know how she would deal with all of this. The chance of one of her brothers dieing had doubled. Not to mention the fact Gavin would once more get out of rehab, stay clean for a few weeks, maybe a month and start using again. How did they all get so screwed up? The question had often plagued her when she had moments to think, it was like they never were suppose to be a happy family and those few years of bliss were being punished.

With a heavy sigh, Abby leaned back into the bench. ”I love you more than the whole sky.”, this made her smile. When things started to go south, Abby would whisper it to Martin, but only when they were alone, or close enough for her to whisper it. Reading it now made her feel closer to him. Swinging her legs up on the bench she laid down to watch the clouds. A few more tears escaped. It was silly she was crying right now, she had received many letter from Martin and none of them had made her cry. Maybe it was the finality in his voice or the fact he seemed ready to die. Hopefully this would pass.

To take her mind off of the letter Abby reached into her bag, she might as well do some homework while she was just sitting around. It was like a never ending load of work, all she ever did was read, and tutor and then read some more. She hardly had time for her own pleasure reading these days. Picking up the anatomy text she sighed, of course she had to pick the driest text. Oh well, she needed to read it and better now or she would put it off till the last second. The wind had begun to pick up and before she knew it the letter took off in the wind. “NO!” she shouted, leaping from her bench to chase it. The anatomy text tumbled to the ground knocking over her soda can and getting her bag as well as her other text books wet. Looking at the mess she sighed, the letter had whipped away too quickly for her to even chase it. A few more tears fell and she sunk, defeated, back into the bench. It just hadn’t been her day.[/blockquote][/size]

[Mason Skillz]

Masons day had been like all other school days long and boring. When his last lesson finally ended, Mason was straight out hsi seat and out the door, barely catching what the homework was, but he guessed he could ask someone else tommorow, he needed to get out the classroom before he really did go insane. Adjusting the strap of his bag, Mason slung it over his shoulder. He walked down the hallways, sighing as they started to get crowded as all the other classes started to finish. Mason managed to push and slip his way down the corridor and finally make it out to the grounds. Taking a deep breath of freash air, Mason looked down at his watch, he didn't have anything urgent to do, so decided to cut across the college grounds and see who was around before ehading to work. Twisting one of his lisp piercings slightly, Mason walked past people who glanced at him, most peopel tended to do it, because of the tattoos and piercings, but Mason was use to it now and jsut ignored people and kept his ice blue eyes looking forward.

After about a mintue of walking, mason was begining to get bored, he hadn't spotted any of his freinds hanging around and guessed most of them had already left. Letting otu a sigh, Mason carried on walking, as he did he herd soeone shout now, but didn't bother to look up and see who it was, he doubted he knew them or had anything to do with them shouting no. as he took another step, MAson noticed a bit of paper drift past him. Stopping Mason knelt down and picked it up of the floor and finalyl his ice blue eyes looked around and foucused on a girl just a little ahead of him sitting down on one of the benches. Masons guess was the bit of paper belonged to the girl, who from were Mason was standing looekd pretty upset. MAson kept hold of the paper as he walked over tot he girl.

"Excuse me, i think you dropped this" Mason said, as he came to a slight stop in front of the girl and looked at her as he held out the piece of paper to her. Mason wasn't to sure if he had seen the girl before, afterall there was a lot of peopel around the collge so it was hard to keep track of everyone that you might see. Mason stood ther epaitently as he waited to see if this piece of paper actualyl belonged to the girl or not.

[Abby Bailey]

Abby would just have to suck it up. She had wanted to save the letters, just in case… Not that one letter would be missed too horribly but it did mention a wife and kid of a buddy. It wasn’t unusual for her to hear from other wives, sisters, and mothers, just last week she had heard from someone related to a member of Martin’s unit, they just want to know what’s going on, some just want those last few stories of their loved ones. Not that this letter was one that anyone would want to read. Someone was now standing in front of her, he cast a shadow over her now wet bag, looking up it took a few seconds to process what he was saying to her.

A folded piece of paper stared back at her from his hands and she smiled. “Thank you.” Reaching out to take the letter back she sighed with relief. “It’s from my brother, he’s… Uh, he’s overseas right now.” She trailed off slightly; this guy didn’t care who the letter was from and where he was. Never the less he had rescued the letter from permanent obscurity and she was grateful. She pilled the mess at her feet beside her on the bench and stood up. She was short but she felt it polite to stand when she introduced herself. “I’m Abby.” Abby held her hand out to shake his with a warm smile.

She recognized this guy, his tattoos were unforgettable. She was unsure of his name but that wasn’t unusual, outside of her group of friends she didn’t really know many people. Abby wasn’t going to lie she liked this guy, he was like the guys back home she was too afraid to speak to, the ones that always went to the Vampire convention at Mercy Brown’s grave. The ones that always looked at her funny, lets face a girl in an argyle sweater and pearls was severely out of place in a graveyard. “Well, thank you; you get to be my hero for the day. Can I get you a cup of coffee or a soda, maybe a candy bar?” She knew it wasn’t necessary but she felt like it was. That and she wanted to talk to him, he was interesting and probably worth talking, unlike so many.

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[Mason Skillz]

Mason had been slight surprised to find that not a single one of hsi freinds was hanging around the college grounds, he guessed they all had other stuff to be doing. He kept hold of the bit of paper in his hand to make sure it didn't blow away again as he went over to the girl on the ebnch and held it out to her. He gave her a warm smile as she thanked him and took the piece of paper from him, "No probelm" Mason told her, as he listend to her mention something about the letter being from her brother who was over seas, "Thats cool, I thought it might have been yours" Mason told her as his hand fell back to hsi side once she ahd the piece of paper back. He watched the girl stood up and just like many people she was much shorter than he was, "Its nice to meet you Abby, I'm Mason" He said as he took her hand gently in his and shook it slightly before he let go. His blue eyes drifted over her for a moment, trying to remember if he ahd seen her before, she seemed faguely familair to him, but Mason couldn't recall were he had actually seen her before, but he guessed it didn't matter to much, he wouldn't forget her now that he ahd actually spoken to her. Mason shifted slightly on his feet, as he looked to the girl, as he flicked the hair out of his eyes.

A faint smile played across Mason's lips when he herd what Abby said to him, "Well i'm glad that i get to be your hero for he day, i feel special now" Mason laughed lightly, before listening to waht Abby sauid to him next. Mason looked thoughtful for a moment he had awhile till he needed to get to work and wasn't interested in walking around to find his other friends, so making a new one seemed like his best option, and coffee always sounded good to Mason. "Sure lets get soem coffee then, i think i need another caffiene fix" Mason nodded slightly, he gave Abby another slight smil, he was itnerested in getting to know her, he got on with msot peopel so had his finegrs crossed that he and Abby would get on okay.

[Abby Bailey]

She had been holding her breath. She was sort of use to rejection from the general population unless they needed help with a paper. The wind blew and she smiled, he had accepted. It was rather rare she smiled about a simple acceptance for an offer of coffee, but Mason was different something about him made her want to have coffee with someone who didn’t know anything about her. Someone she could just be Abby with. Someone who wouldn’t judge her strange fascination of vampires as weird; Abby gathered her things and slung them over her shoulder. There was a place just down the way; it was small and tucked away. One of her favorites, the girl who worked there was a high school drop-out; Abby was helping her with her GED. With a nod of her head, as if to say “this way,” she started to walk in the direction of the café.

”It may seem silly, but the letter is really important. Thank you again. She shook her head, it was silly. Sentimental and silly, with the lack of her parents, her brothers were all she had, that and her silly stories. She looked at him sideways, trying to get a better view of his face and tattoos, just trying to take in all that mad up Mason. Maybe she would be able to deduce all that was Mason. She was doing it again, reading someone like they were a book. People weren’t like books, they were people with unpredictable feelings. So, te-tell me something about yourself nobody else knows. I promise to be judgment free. In return I can offer up secret information of my own.” Secrets were always best discussed over a latté.

[Mason Skillz]

Mason was happy at the offer to go and have some coffee, firstly cause he really needed the caffeine to get him through work, and because Abby seemed like someone that could turn out to be a really good friend, and Mason was all for having friends no matter what clique they were or anything like that. Mason pushed a piece of his hair away from his eyes as he looked to Abby who was picking all her stuff up before putting it over her shoulder. Mason saw Abby nod her head slightly and he started to walk in the direction sh ehad suggested, and fell into step beside her. His blue eyes swept over her for a moment, before he brought them to look back in front of him, he'd decided he had seen Abby before but was pretty sure they hadn't spoken before today. Mason glanced at th epeopel they walked past, before his attention was back to Abby as she told him that i tmay be silly but the letter was really important. "Its not silly if something means alot to you, you don't want to lose it, I'm just glad i could help you out" Mason smiled, he understood that some things really meant alot to people, and that the letter was important to Abby, so he was glad that he had picked it up when he had seen it.

He looked back to Abby as she asked him to tell her something that nobody else knew about him, Mason looked thoughtful for a moment, there were a few things that no one knew about him. He nodded his head slightly when Abby said that she would be judgment free and in return would offer up a secret about her. "Sounds fair" Mason agreed, before he looked thoughtful again for a moment, before his ice blue eyes looked to Abby. "Well my biological parents were both druggies and alcoholics, and well yeah they weren't very nice people" Mason told Abby, there wasn't a single other person that knew what his biological parents had really been like, Mason wasn't that fond of those memories.

[Abby Bailey]

Abby hadn’t expected a secret quite like that. With a sideways glance she lightly touched his arm. It was her way of saying she got it. Granite it wasn’t her parents, just her older brother. It was still painful no matter who it was. Biological parents? Was he adopted then? Not that it mattered anymore, sounds like he somehow got out. The adoption part didn’t matter, his parents being drug addicts that mattered. Her hand lingered on his arm just a bit longer before it once found its place at her side. ”You say biological like they aren’t your parents. Were you adopted then? she blushed a little. “sorry, it’s my turn.”

With a slight wrinkle of her nose she tried to decide what to tell him. Originally she had planned on telling him something sort of frivolous, however with his revelation she needed to tell him something with more of a meaning. Maybe she would stick along the lines and tell him about her brother. They were there at the shop and she led them to a table outside, in a corner. With a light sigh she sat down and waited for him to take his seat. “ I have three brothers, two are in Iraq. The third brother is in rehab, because he and a group of friends broke into a convenience store and killed two people. He was so high he doesn’t remember who held the gun or who pulled the trigger, He was a minor at the time so he’s in rehab, he didn’t pull the trigger.” She seemed to disappear for a moment, like she was just repeating something she had heard. It wasn’t often she talked about her brothers and rarer still she brought this up. The waitress came and Abby once more appeared with a smile and ordered an iced vanilla latte.

[Mason Skillz]

Mason felt Abby touch his arm lightly after he ahd told ehr about his parents, it wasn't a subject he really brough tup much, but something told him that he coudl be sure that abby would keep it a secret and not tell anyone else about it. His eyes dropepd to the floor for a moment before they looked back to Abby as he ehrd what she was saying to him now. "Its okay, but yeah I'm adopted now since i was about seven" Mason told Abby, he wasn't ashamed of it at all most people knew that he was adopted but no one really knew why he had been, but Mason knew he had been lucky to have gotten away from his biological parents when he did. Mason looked aroudn as they ehaded down the street, he wandered about some random things for a moment, before Abby drew his attetion right back to her as she started to expalin about her three brothers. Mason was a little shocked and felt bad for Abby as she exaplined about one of ehr brothers and how he was in rehab, and then to have to cope with her other two brothers being in Iraq that was alot for one person to deal with.

"I'm sorry that your borthers in rehab and that the other two are in Iraq, thats gotta be really hard to deal with" Mason said softly to Abby, as they reached the coffee shop. Mason tookt he seat opposite from Abby, and gave her a small smiel as he did. Once he was sat down, mason stertched his arms out slightly, and looekd to the girl that had some over to the table, he herd Abby order and then asked for a iced latte aswell. His ice blue eyes looked back to Abby.

[Abby Bailey]

While sure her brothers were a lot to deal with so was the fact the people who make up your genes are lousy people. He was lucky though he found a set of parents who not only wanted him but chose to have him. Abby’s parents weren’t all that great, they were distant people who long forgot who their family was a long time ago. “You forget, you wake up in Miami and forget where everyone is. Or you just don’t think about it.” She smiled. It was easier to smile when in good company especially someone who just sort of got it. Her friends would never let the fact go that her brother is a criminal. So as far as they knew she had two brothers in Iraq and her brother still lives with mom and dad. It was interesting that people would judge her based on her brother.

Folding her hands in her lap she looked back at him. Abby held his gaze for just a moment before she looked down at the napkins at the table again. There was something odd about looking into someone eyes for so long. It was almost uncomfortable but at the same time comforting. Strange, just strange. ”Okay, tell me something else. Whatever you want to say. Tell me anything.” She wanted to get off the topic of drugs and brothers, it was something she preferred not to talk abut but she was okay that Mason knew, it made her feel safe knowing someone else knew.

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[Mason Skillz]

His past wasn't something that Mason normally spoke about or really thought about, it was in the past now he couldn't change any of it, and now he was lucky enough that the people that had adopted him were giving him plenty of oppurtunites to do stuff. Mason looked across at Abby as she spoke and he nodded his head slightly at what she weas saying. "Sometimes its easier to just try and forget about the complicated stuff" Mason agreed, forgetting was something that Mason had started to become pretty good at now it was one of his ways of coping with what happened to him, but then he had other ways that weren't the best ways to deal with it but it didn't stop Mason, but he wasn't going to tell Abby about any of that and risk her not talking to him again, he enjoyed her company and that she hadn't judged him by what his realy parents had been like. Mason leaned back in his chair slightly and looked around at where Abby had brought him, it was a nice place and it was cool to sit outside seeming as the weather was so good today.

Mason looked across at Abby for a moment, but dropped his eyes as she dropped hers. Masons attetion was brought away from Abby for a moment as the girl returned with their drinks and set them down. Mason looked at his for a breif moment before he looked to Abby again as she asked him to tell her something else about him. Mason thought about it for a moment deciding to pick something that wasn't as dramatic as his parents or any of his other problems for that matter. "Okay, well at the moment I'm training to be a tattoo artist, my mom owns a shop of her own so i work their" Mason expalined, tattooing was a big part of Mason it didn't take a rocket scienist to figure that out, you ownly had to look at his hands, arms and chest.

[Abby Bailey]

Abby watched him, how he moved his mannerisms the way the wind caught his hair. She was studying him closely, hoping to unravel all that was Mason in just a few hours by careful observation. He knew what it was like to play second fiddle to an addiction yet there was something else he was hiding, something just below the surface Abby couldn’t put her finger on. Not that it mattered he was already creeping into the place in her little heart where he would stay until he broke it. She felt suddenly embarrassed, like the fact she was starting to fall in like with him was odd and something to be carefully concealed behind her clever brave face. Suddenly aware of how uncomfortable she was she adjusted herself and smiled.

Tattoo artist. When and if I finally decide on a tattoo can I get a discount? She cracked a smile and laughed slightly. So do you work in other mediums or just skin?... And ink. She blushed, saying the word skin seemed wildly inappropriate. Like she had just gone off and kissed him. She went to grab a napkin but managed to knock her coffee down the front of her shirt. Jumping up unaware of the fact her shirt was becoming see through she sighed and tried to clean herself up before shooting mason a pained look. It’s just not my day is it? Brilliant Abby, now he’ll think you’re a charming klutz and the last person on earth to take to a nice dinner.

[Mason Skillz]

Mason had become pretty good at covering up the parts that he didn't want people to find out about him, and he didn't need for Abby to find out about his addicion and never want to talk to him again, so not mentioning it at all was probably the best thing that he could do, and he didn't really think that you told someone that you had known for a couple of hours that you had a drug problem. Mason looked across to Abby his ice blue eyes sweeping over her for a moment, he liked the fact that she hadn't judged him because of the way he looked and actually seemed to want to talk to him more, Mason knew that he was probably going to end up really liking Abby. Mason let his blue eyes look away and glance round at all th eother people thatwere sitting down outside and then at the people that were walking past, after a moment he looked back to Abby and saw her smiling, and smiled back at her.

"Yeah a tattoo artist, and of course you'll get a discount, maybe i'll even let you have it for free" Mason said with a faint smile playing on his lips as he did. Mason herd Abby's other question as he picked up his drink formt he table, "I like to sketch alot, normally just random stuff but sketchings good" Mason nodded slightly, before drinking a bit of his drink and placing it back down onto the table. As he looekd up again, Mason saw Abby knock her drink, and saw it spill over her shirt. Mason unzipped the jacket that he was wearing as he herd what Abby said to him, "Ah don't worry we all get those days, and here you can put this on" Mason smiled, as he held his jacket out to Abby, knowing she probably wouldn't want to sit there with her shirt going see through.

[Abby Bailey]

[[Sorry it took so long to get back to you, my computer was acting all wonky]]

Abby smiled taking the jacket and zipped it up to the top. A pathetic smile played at her lips for a few moments before fading completely. She felt like a fool sitting there in front of the coffee shop and her new friend. Thanks again. Hopefully someday I can come to your rescue. With a sigh she looked down at the concrete, there was a crack that ran the entire patio surface of the café. Like the ground was going to split any minute and swallow her up with it. She hoped it would.

Free, no not for free. I’d have to pay somehow, maybe when the time comes I’ll take you to dinner. She stood up. It had to be time for her to make her exit, her shirt was wet and she felt rather silly sitting there and worried she might say something she would soon regret. With a smile she squeezed his hand with hers. Thank you Mason, I don’t want to leave but I should probably change and we have to meet up again now I have your jacket. She lingered there for a moment she wasn’t sure if she was waiting or just liked the human contact.

[Mason Skillz]

Mason watched Abby take his jacket from hima dn zip it all the way up, he gave her a slight smile. He was actually surprised that it wasn't him that managed to spill his drink, it was something he would normally do. "No problem, and yeah maybe someday you will be able to come to my rescue" Mason nodded with a small smile playing across his lips as his blue eyes looekd across the table to Abby. Mason picked up hsi drink from the table and finsihed waht was left in it. His thoguhts wandered for a moment, thinking about pretty random stuff, until his attetion was back on Abby as she spoke to hima bout getting a tattoo. Mason laughed slightly as Abby said she would have to pay hims omehow and then suggested taking him out for dinner. "I thoguht it was the guy that was meanty to ask the girl out for dinner" Mason teased slightly as he smiled at Abby, "But i'll keep dinner in mind" Mason nodded, as his blue eys looked away for a breif moment.

Seeing Abby stand up, Mason looked back to her, as he felt her hand on his own, as she thanked hima nd said that she should porbably go change and that they would have to meet again because she now had his jacket. "Yeah we will have to meet agian thats my faviroute jacket you got there, and it would be good to hang out with you again" Mason said as he looked up at Abby, he was sad to say goodbye to ehr already but guessed she was right about them having to meet again now she ahd his jacket. "I enjoyed hanging with you, i'll see you around" Mason told Abby as he stood up from hsi chair now. He lent down and gave Abby a slight hug, before grabbing his bag and starting to turn to walk away now.

[Abby Bailey]

Before she knew what she was doing Abby grabbed his arm and pulled him to her for a hug. It wasn’t one of those plastic hugs that people give one another it was a really hug, the type that allow you to feel what the other person feels. Maybe it was the fact he listened or she just wanted to feel what he felt. She liked the way he smelled, it was another thing to add to the list. Thank you again Mason It was a simple gesture, a hug, it was one of warmth and love and sometimes that’s what people needed. Pulling away she grabbed his hands with hers like you do after hugging a friend you haven’t seen in ages. Perhaps you can ask me to dinner sometime, so you don’t feel so weird about going.

Pulling a marker out of her bag she wrote her number on his palm, that way he could get his jacket back, and so he would have her number and an excuse to call. With a small smile she turned to leave. He would have to call her right? She had his jacket.