Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Butterfly Effect

I'm sure you've heard of it before, The Butterfly Effect. It is the concept that small causes can have large effects. Now, I'm no scientist, as this has been made clear to me, but I'm here to tell you that, not only is this absolutely true but also, those small causes can have little to nothing to do with the effects. Would you like an example?

Well, let me tell you the story of a seemingly insignificant accountant who found an error one day and three weeks later found herself on a God-forsaken island brimming with monsters. Have I piqued your interest? I'm sure you're curious about everything in the middle, but don't worry, I have all the details. After all, it is my story.

Chapter Text

I waited nervously outside of Mr Clavers office, pulling my tweed skirt down over my knees every time my fidgeting made it ride up. I've been a bookkeeper in his office for four months, ever since I finished my college classes for accounting. I wasn't so good yet as to earn a promotion so I could only guess I was in some sort of trouble. I wondered how I could already have gotten myself in trouble till I remembered how unprepared my 'education' actually left me. Honor rolls and Presidents lists didn't mean much in the work place, experience did. Something I was severely lacking.

"Please just don't fire me," I muttered to myself as I rubbed my neck under the collar of my white blouse.

I was startled by Mr Clavers opening his office door, the bamboo blinds rattling against the glass.

"Come on in Maybelle," he said to me brusquely.

I quickly stood and straightened my clothes before entering his office, closing the door behind me. Mr Monroe, my supervisor was there as well, reminding me a bit of Colonel Sanders in his white linen suit.

"Have a seat," Mr Clavers said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.

The wooden chair squeaked as I sat down in it and awaited judgement. Mr Clavers was a military man, retired now. Instead of a military uniform, he wore a business uniform, which in his mind was a three piece pinstripe suit. Today it was charcoal gray with a red tie.

"Mr Monroe tells me you're having some trouble doing your work," he says as he sits behind his desk.

"Trouble?" I repeat, confused. "No, sir. No trouble."

"He says you keep bringing up errors that aren't really there, is that true?" Mr Clavers tries to clarify and interrogate simultaneously.

"I do bring up errors that I find, sir. Isn't that what you want? Accurate bookkeeping free from errors?" I answer him.

"You see sir," Mr Monroe whined. "She just doesn't get it. I've explained to her a thousand times that all the money is properly accounted for, she just doesn't understand."

"I do understand," I almost snapped. "The liabilities are understated but assets are not overstated by the same amount. There is money unaccounted for."

The two men share a look.

"Maybelle," Mr Clavers began softly, interlocking his fingers. "I know you're new here, you just finished college and have your student loans to repay. Couldn't you be the one taking the money and then trying to get some bonus for blowing the whistle?"

I was dumbfounded. My mouth fell open and I nearly floundered like a fish.

"Of course I'm not stealing! If I were, then shouldn't Mr Monroe have believed me when I said the books were wrong?"

"I've had my suspicions thus far," Mr Monroe said solemnly. "I had brought it up to Mr Clavers earlier and we were waiting to see if you'd stop on your own."

I was mortified, I couldn't believe this was happening to me.

"Sir, I haven't stolen a cent, I swear to you," I said with desperation disguised as conviction.

Again, they exchanged a look.

"I'll tell you what," Mr Clavers said, leaning forward like a car salesman making an offer.
"An army buddy of mine needs some help at the base. Why don't you go down there and work for him, and we'll see if the books work themselves out while you're gone."

My brows knit in confusion.
"Are- are you firing me?" I asked.

"No, not if you accept my offer. If we have this same problem while you're gone, we'll know it wasn't you. We'll get it squared away and you can come back to work here. Otherwise..."
He shrugged.

I didn't have a clue what to say to this.

"If you quit now it's as good as admitting you're guilty," Mr Monroe 'helpfully' pointed out.

Mr Clavers heartily nodded in agreement.

"Well I'm not guilty," I stated firmly.

Mr Clavers gave a smug smile.
"Alright, I'll let old Suggins know he's got that new kitchen hand. We'll call you tomorrow with the details. You won't have to come in to the office from now on."

I sat there staring at him for an uncomfortable amount of time just trying to process whatever the heck just happened. He must've gotten impatient with my lack of understanding and waved a hand to shoo me out of the office.

Slowly I got up and made my way to door on shaky legs.

"Be sure to clean out your desk!" Mr Monroe called after me.

That's all it took for me to go from bewildered to boiling mad. I did clean out my desk, loudly. And I did leave, in a huff. I threw my stuff in the backseat and got in my car. After turning on the engine, I gripped the steering wheel and screamed.

Chapter Text

My daddy went to prison for being a conscientious objector to the war.

"Jesus said I should love my neighbor and my enemy, how could I go to war and kill either one of them?" He had explained to me.

I always admired him for it. And I was dumbfounded that the whole church seemed to miss this point in the Bible as they were all off finding ways to support the war. When Grandma passed away, the pastor told my sister and I that it was God's will, that he wanted another angel in heaven. My sister got angry at this.

"Why would God hurt the rest of us like this?" She questioned.

Daddy showed us a few scriptures like James 1:13 that said "when under trial, let no one say 'I am being tried by God.' For with evil things god cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone."

My sister decided to stay mad at God. I decided to believe in the God the Bible actually described and I stopped going to Church.

I think my sister did it on purpose, marrying a military man. I don't know who exactly she was rebelling against, but she certainly got lucky. Jack loved her 110%, which is 10% more than she deserved if you asked me, and he was an absolute decent guy. She kind of did a bad job at rebelling actually.

Anyways, that all explains how the military became such a prominent feature in the life of a politically neutral girl like me. The thought strikes me on odd days at random times. 'It is odd that the military is almost a daily fixture in your life, isn't it?' And I always answer the thought with the same level of genuine surprise. 'It certainly is!'

My sister likes to tell me to have more conversations with actual people and less with myself. I tell her that I can't help being the only good listener I know. Billy is a close second though.

I sat on the floor next to Billy, coloring books and crayons all over the coffee table. I had gone to stay with my sister near the base I was now working at. I told myself it was only temporary, that surely I wouldn't really have to do this. I just had to agree at first because that was the only choice they gave me. That was three weeks ago. I still had no idea what to do.

"Look at my puppy," Billy said, holding up his coloring book to show me a green and blue dog.

"Very nice. What's his name?" I asked, pretending to pet him.

Billy looked thoughtful.
"Should I name him after one of Daddy's soldier friends? That way when he comes home he won't miss them so much."

"Hey, that's really good thinking," I remarked, impressed. " You're so smart and nice to your Daddy. Do you know the names of any of his friends?"

"I know! I'll get the letters he sent me, he mentions his friends in those," Billy said before excitedly running off.

A terrible cacophony came from the mustard colored phone in the kitchen and my sister raced to grab it. I never knew if she was hoping it was Jack or if she just wanted the noise to stop as soon as possible.

"Hello? Hey baby!"

Jack it was.

Billy bounded in with an arm full of letters and dropped them on the coffee table in front of me.

"Wow, your Daddy wrote you all these letters?" I asked him and he nodded proudly. "He sure does love you. Let's see what we got."

I opened a letter and skimmed for names, my attention split between it and my sister on the phone.

"What?" My sisters voice was not as happy as it sounded a second ago.

Mills.

"What do you mean another mission?"

Cole.

"The war is over, you're supposed to come home!"

Slivko.

"I don't care if it's not dangerous, I wanted you to come home."

Reles.

"Here you go, buddy," I said, writing these names on the back page of his coloring book. "You can pick one."

"Well can you at least do something about Maybelle?"

My head snapped up at the mention of my name. Do what about me?

"The boys down here aren't the gentlemanly type, I'm worried about her. Besides, she always comes home smelling like barbecue and dirty dishwater. And if she stays any longer Billy will love her more than me,"She explained to him.

I rolled my eyes. the guys do make some colorful remarks to me in the lunch line sometimes, the brave ones at least. Momma says I got a mean face that could turn a growling dog into a whimpering one. Not all the time of course, I got a baby face that makes people think I'm about a decade younger than I actually am. I had to agree with her that the work is hard and disgusting though.

"You do? You can?! Wonderful! She'll be thrilled! No, I'm still upset with you."

I stared at her back intently, waiting for any explanation on what I'll be thrilled about.

"Hey the Carol Burnette show is on," Billy said excitedly.

The tv now drowned out my sisters conversation so I went back to coloring, making sure no crayons were lost in the shag carpet.

"I don't think Daddy's coming home," Billy said out of the blue.

"He'll just be late is all," I told him.

Billy seemed to think about this.
"We'll see," he repeated something his mother always said to him which in this instance sounded ominous.

I looked at him from the corner of my eye as the audience on tv laughed.

Chapter Text

Apparently, the thing I would be thrilled about was joining this mission Jack was going on. She hadn't asked me what I thought of any of this and I had to practically drag the details out of her. She wasn't much help at all in providing them because she hadn't cared to get them in the first place. Luckily, the man Jack spoke to found me.

"Maybelle Driscoll?" A nice looking older gentleman approached me in my sloppy joe covered apron as a wolf whistle was hurled at my back.

"Yes sir?" I replied.

"Jay Willis," he smiled, extending a hand.

"Nice to meet you sir," I said as a matter of formality as I shook his hand. I still had no idea who he was or what he wanted.

"I'm a friend of Jack's, he told me about your situation. Let's step out of this hot kitchen and talk about it."

We walked outside, the breeze drying the sweat on my face. I ripped off that itchy hair net and stuffed it in my pocket. We sat at a nearby picnic table, the army green paint peeling off in places.

"So you were working for Clavers, were you?" He said with a knowing smile. "He was a BTO if I ever saw one."

"BTO, sir?" I asked, having never heard this before.

"Big time operator. It's what we called men who thought they were important."

I smiled at this and made a mental note to slip that into conversation if I ever went back to work for him.

"I have no doubt that coffee cooler was stealing his own money and blaming you for it. That's partly why I agreed to help you out. Did Mrs Chapman explain the mission to you?"

"No sir, she was a bit stingy with specifics."

"Well, we received satellite images of an uncharted island. LandSat is setting out on a mapping expedition which Monarch is piggy backing on."

"Monarch?" I interrupted.

"A research organization, they want to see what's on the island. It's a last ditch effort to save themselves, they're nearly bankrupt," he explained. "You'll be heading out with them from D.C. to Singapore in two days time."

"Two days?" I was shell shocked.

"There's a limited window of time to reach the place," he explained.

I felt sick. Two days was not long enough to prepare for leaving the country.

"Are you leading the mission?" I asked him.

He laughed.
"No, not me. I only heard about it from brother, he's a Senator. It's going to be led by lieutenant colonel Preston Packard, Jack's superior officer. A word of advice," he got more serious. "Keep your distance from Packard and try not to ruffle his feathers."

"Yes, sir," I nodded.

He smiled at me and shook his head.
"Those sky devil boys are just gonna love you," he laughed.

---

"Try this one," Grace said, throwing another sports bra at my head.

I caught it as it fell and fixed my hair as I sighed. I really could clobber her.

"This is not my size," I told her.

"Do you mean that I had a child and my little sister still has bigger boobs than me?" She asked, catching the bra as I tossed it back at her.

I shrugged.
"Don't blame me for soaking up all the genetics you left behind."

She rolled her eyes.
"So what size are you?"

Embarrassed, I looked around and then whispered.
"32 double D."

"Oh buzz off."

"Grace, this was all your idea," I remind her.

Billy ran by with a bra on his head, singing the Batman theme song. Without even looking, she grabbed a strap and clotheslined the poor kid.

"Stop running in the store," she told him, taking the brazier off his head.

"I can't believe mom and dad let you do this to me," I say, sliding hangers back on the rack.

"Oh yes, we're all sorry you get to leave the country and have an adventure and see my husband before I do," the venom was dripping off her teeth.

I sighed exasperatedly.
"That's not what I mean," I try to tell her.
"I'm just a book keeper, I don't belong there."

"Yeah, aren't you lucky then. You get something you don't deserve and shouldn't even have."

"Has anyone ever told you, you have a piece of burnt toast where your heart should be?"

We finished shopping late that night and I still wasn't convinced I had I everything I needed, even though Grace insisted I had bought two of everything in the travel size department.
--

Mom, Dad, Grace, and Billy saw me off at the airport. I was flying to D.C. and meeting up with the scientists and flying to Singapore with them. Mom was telling me for the thousandth time not to drink the water there and please, for the love of God be careful. Dad kept telling me to hold my bag tight and keep an eye on my surroundings. Grace just hated me. She stood there with her arms crossed, sucking her teeth, glaring daggers at me.

"You tell Jack to hurry up and get his butt home," is all she had to say to me.

Billy gave me a huge hug that was so tight I thought for sure I'd have to take him with me.
"Give this to Daddy for me," he said, handing me a folded piece of paper from a coloring book.

I opened it up and saw the puppy he colored. In the bottom right corner he had scrawled "Slivko", the S and K were backwards.

"Sure thing, Billy," I told him, stroking his dark hair. "But, didn't you want to do that yourself?"

"You should do it," he said firmly.

He was being ominous again so I carefully folded the picture back up and put it safely inside my note book.

After a million "I love you"s from mom and dad and a few tears, glares from Grace, and hollow eyed waves from Billy, I was on the plane.

It's a weird sensation to be on your own but not alone. I sat there and, even though there were other passengers next to me and flight attendants in the aisles, I felt so alone in my own body. I was completely self contained and it was as if I was the only real person that existed in that moment. Luckily it was shattered by the announcement for take off.

Chapter Text

A few hours and one Jane Austen novel later, I landed in D.C. I stepped out of the long, hot tunnel from the plane to the airport and was blinded by the sunlight. They built the whole place with glass, it seems. I put on my sunglasses and made my way toward baggage claim. Once past the security area there are people waiting for passengers, holding up signs with their names on them. I do a double take when I notice my name on one of those signs. A young black man is standing there talking with a young Asian girl who is holding the sign. For some reason I look around, I don't know for what exactly, and then cautiously approach them.

He notices me first.
"Mable Driscoll?" He asks.

"It's Maybelle," I say but nod anyway.

"Ah, I see. I'm Houston Brooks, and this is San Lin," He smiles and shakes my hand, introducing himself and the girl.

"Nice to meet you," I say as I shake her hand too.

"We're here to pick you up and escort you to the base. We'll be making our flight to Singapore from there," He explains.
"Here, let me get your bag," he said, grabbing the strap of my brand new rolling luggage.

"So you're an accountant?" San asked me, looking genuinely friendly.

"Well I went to school for it, but I was working
just as a bookkeeper," I told her, hoisting my bag on my shoulder and playing with the strap.

Now that I was in a whole new place, I was feeling excited. I would have been a bit more enthusiastic if I wasn't a little bit restrained around new people.

"It's a shame what happened to you," Houston shook his head. "I thought that new act they put through to protect whistleblowers would have been more effective than this."

"It always takes things a while to become effective," San replied sadly, the breeze blowing her black hair gracefully.

"But look on the bright side," he smiled excitedly. "Now you have this great opportunity."

Normally I was someone who looks on the bright side, my sister was always disgusted with my ability to find a silver lining for anything. Maybe with everything that had happened, I forgot to be my optimistic self for a while. Now, with my feet on new ground and the smell of a new city in the air I was getting more excited.

"I'm sure I'll be less nervous once I know a little more about what we'll be doing," I tell him.

They stop by a military jeep that looks terribly out of place amidst the other cars in the lot. There was a soldier sitting at the wheel that got out when he noticed us and helped Houston put my bag in the trunk area.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of time to tell you all about it," San smiled at me.

Her and I hopped in the back seat and Houston sat up front. Soon the engine rumbled to life and we made our way out of the parking lot.

"You guys have obviously heard about me, but I haven't heard a thing about you. Why don't we start there?" I suggested, hoping I could get them to do a lot of the talking.

"I'm a biologist," San told me briefly.

"Oh wow, you must be really smart," I said surprised.

She appeared younger than me at first but she was obviously my superior in education and success.

Houston chimed in with his introduction.
"I graduated Yale, I'm a geologist. Monarch recruited me for my work in seismology, especially for a ground breaking theory I have," he said, chuckling to himself.

I laughed too, but I realized how far out of my element I was. I was a measly accountant and they were scientists. Sure, I was smart enough to do the job I chose, and everyone needs accountants. Under normal circumstances I'd seem like I did quite well for myself. But these circumstances were not normal. In fact, it sounded like some colloquial saying, "she was about as useful as an accountant in the jungle."

'Comparison is the thief of joy,' I mentally scolded myself. 'No more falling into a negative mindset.'

"When we get to the base," Houston went on. "You'll meet Bill Randa. He's heading our bit of the expedition. He's on the senior staff at Monarch. Once we get to Singapore, we'll meet up with our tracker, James Conrad, and photographer, Mason Weaver. Us and the Landsat team will have a military escort to the island."

"Got it," I nod. "How long until we leave for Singapore?"

"Bright and early tomorrow morning," he smiled excitedly. "By the way, we're taking the tourist route back to the base, you might wanna look to your left."

I did so and my mouth fell open. It was the Washington monument.

"126 years old, 554 feet 7 inches," the soldier piped up for the first time. "And looks nothing like George Washington."

Chapter Text

"The island is surrounded by a perpetual storm system," Bill Randa explained to me over dinner that night at the base. "That's why it's so important we go now, while there's a break in that system."

He was an older, heavy set gentleman, whose wrinkles made him look like he was perpetually sneering, but otherwise didn't seem unkind. He was very close with Houston since he had been the only one to believe and support his theories.

"We don't know exactly what we're going to find on this island," Houston said after wiping his mouth. "We want to learn about it geographically and biologically, -who knows what we might discover! Alternative fuel, medicine, new species, the possibilities are endless."
He spoke so passionately that some of the soldiers near by stopped eating to look at him.

Houston and San seemed excited, the thrill of the unknown gleamed in their eyes. But the expression on Mr Randa's face was a bit harder to read. If I didn't know any better, I would think he knew what was there and he wasn't too thrilled about it. But he was definitely determined.

"I'm a bit relieved that you're going with us," Mr Randa told me.

"Oh?" I said, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
"Why's that?"

"You have an inside connection," Mr Randa smiled knowingly.

"Oh, you mean my brother in law," the disappointment barely hidden in my voice. I thought I could actually be useful for something more than that.

"It'll be nice to have someone that they'll listen to. I'm afraid our mission sounds a bit crazy to them," he explained.

"Well, I can't say I'm too relieved about all this, it means Jack won't be going home yet," I told him.

"I am sorry for that, but that was out of my hands. I requested a military escort, but I'm not the one that chose your brother in laws team," Mr Randa explained.

I shrugged.
"That may be, but if this mission wasn't happening, they'd never have to ask anyone to go on it."

"The Landsat team may have asked for a military escort on their own," Mr Randa quipped back at me.

"I guess I'll just have to blame it on the whole island," I joked. "But you're lucky I'm here and not my sister, or you would be done for."

After dinner, San and I walked back to the room they prepared for us. We were far from the men's barracks and luckily we had our own bathrooms. I was thankful for the opportunity to take a shower before our 20 hour flight.

I was getting excited about seeing Jack again. I hadn't spent a whole lot of time with him considering how long he and my sister had been married, but we got along pretty well. That's how it felt to me, anyway. No matter how much time had past since I'd seen him, we would always pick back up wherever we left off. He always remembered what I had been up to and asked me about it the next time. Whenever Grace went off on one of her classic tangents, he and I would share a knowing look. In fact, many of her antics were our inside jokes. Jack was what some people would call simple, I suppose. But what he lacked in school smarts he made up for in common sense and kindness. When I was going to college, he asked me if I could teach him how to balance a check book, which I gladly did. He picked it up really fast, faster than I did in class. I also liked to think I did a better job of explaining things than some of the teachers.

"What are you thinking about?" San asked me as she moved things around in her suitcase, trying to find her toiletries bag.

"Oh, just Jack I guess. It'll be nice to see him again but I feel guilty," I said, scrunching my nose.

"That you will see him before his family?" She guessed.

I nodded.

She smiled.
"My brother is married," she said with a far off look. "My sister in law is one of my best friends. I think I would be excited to see her and not think much about my brother."

"I suppose it would be like that too if it wasn't for Billy."

"Who's Billy?" She asked.

"My nephew," I said and watched her expression change to a sympathetic one. "He deserves to see his dad before I do."

"Well, you be sure to tell him all about Billy and bring him home safely," she told me.

I chuckled.
"I bet he'll bring me home in a body bag," I joked. "Sounded like that tracker guy you hired wasn't so optimistic about this trip. I'll be taken down by one of those mosquitos in a second."
I snapped my fingers to emphasize my point.

"You will not!" San laughed at me, playfully shoving my arm.

We joked as we walked to the bathrooms to get ready for bed. I was already feeling worn out from my travels that day, I couldn't imagine how I'd feel after a 20 hour flight. Guessed I'd find out soon enough though.

After washing up we came back to our room.

"What about you and Houston?" I asked with a yawn as I pulled back the itchiest green blanket in the world and said a silent prayer of thanks for the white sheet that would go between it and I.

"What about us?-He and I?"

Oh she slipped up.

"Is anything going on between you two?" I expounded with a deliriously sleepy grin.

She sighed and squinted in thought.
"I suppose he's what you would call a nerd."

I snorted.
"Says the biologist."

She scoffed.
"Sure, I study nature, but I also go outside once in a while."

I chuckled at this and was thinking I'd just let the conversation end there and fall asleep, but she piped up after a brief pause.
"Why? Do you like him?"

"Sweetie, I'm no scientist, but I know chemistry when I see it."

Chapter Text

"Who thought flights that long were ok?!" I griped loudly as I arched my back and stretched.

Mr Randa was limping a little bit too after sitting that long, and Houston and San looked really tired too.

Too tired and sore to care about how I looked to them, I bent over and touched my toes and put my palms on the floor to stretch me out. I rolled my neck around and swung my arms, stretching them. I hated running but I felt like running now just because I could.

We were all spilling out onto this strip of asphalt and sticking to it in the heat. We had landed in the middle of nowhere, at least I thought so because there were no buildings or city lights that I could see except for the control tower. The sun was just beginning to set and it was a wonderful palette of purples, reds and oranges. As I stood stretching and admiring it, I heard the now familiar rumble of an army jeep.

"Oh no, don't make me sit down again!" I whined to myself mostly when I turned and saw a small fleet of the vehicles coming toward us.

Houston heard me though and shrugged in his response.
"Get it in while you can," He said and suddenly set down his bags and ran at me.

I let out a startled but playful scream as I dropped my stuff and ran away from him. San joined us as we all ran haphazardly around the tarmac in an insane game of tag.

"Throw in some jumping jacks!" One of the soldiers yelled at us as they loaded all the equipment from the plane onto the trucks.

We all complied and soon looked like a bunch hyper active starfish hopping around.

"Lunges!" Another soldier called and we complied again.

"Push ups!"

"I can't do those," I yelled back, stopping and putting my hands on my hips, sucking wind.

Mr Randa stood there shaking his head at the three of us with an amused smirk.
"Alright, kindergartners, load it up," He called, beckoning us over with his hand.

"Beat you to the jeep!" I yelled as I took off first.

"No fair!" Houston hollered.

I'm not sure what exactly had gotten into me to make me act this way, but it was refreshing. I was probably just so gosh darn tired of being on that airplane I wasn't thinking straight. I grabbed by bag and suitcase from where I had dropped them. Houston was on my heels and headed for his stuff. I gave his rolling suitcase a little shove out of his way so I could regain my lead.

"You dirty cheater!" He laughed.

I was too out of breath to laugh but I did have a huge grin on my face.

San and I were in the same vehicle together and helped each other freshen up a bit, sharing a compact mirror, brush, and flash light. I wanted to make sure I didn't look like garbage when I saw Jack and met his superiors. I wanted to make a good impression. After putting on a fresh face and trading my braids for a pony tail, I felt better. Somehow I actually managed to fall asleep, as if I hadn't done enough of that on the plane. I can't tell how long it was until the bumpy lullaby of the jeep came to a stop, but I woke to the smell of the ocean.

Singapore had a smell of its own compared to America, but the ocean was the same. we had driven onto this dock area with boats to our left and and a bustling market to our right. I couldn't tell exactly what was going down in this place. San and I got out of the jeep, trying to adjust to our new location with the sleep still on our brains. We got out luggage and looked around at the various soldiers and men in blue jackets. Houston and Mr Randa walked over to us.

"This way, ladies," Mr Randa beckoned us to follow him toward the ramp to the boat.

A very stern looking black man stood at the end of it with his arms crossed.

"Lieutenant Colonel Packard I presume," Mr Randa greeted him by handing over some papers.

"Mr Randa," He greeted coolly as he looked at the papers and at each one of us. "and friends."
His gaze settled on me and I tensed up, remembering what Mr Willis had told me about him.
"Maybelle Driscoll?" He asked me.

"Yes, sir," I replied most like a soldier as I could.

He seemed amused at this and smiled.
"You seem like a good kid, especially with Chapman vouching for you. Better not keep him waiting up there," He told me as he gestured toward the ramp.

"Thank you, sir," I said and scurried away before I could mess this good turn of events up.

I realized however, that I didn't want to be the first one on the boat because I had no idea what to do once I got there. So I sidestepped and let Mr Randa go ahead of me once we were past Packard.

"You're coming in handy already," Mr Randa commented with a smile in his voice.

Our little group filed onto the deck of the ship and milled there for a moment. The ship was a behemoth, the deck was so large it held several helicopters with room for half a football field or so it seemed to me. I was looking around at everything but finally noticed some soldiers by the helicopters looking in our direction. it was a little hard to see in the darkness and my eyes were blurry from tiredness. I looked beside me to see if San was there, but she was partially hidden behind Houston and Mr Randa. I looked back and saw them still there, chuckling a bit now. I guess they must be looking at me, and I was proved right when one decided to wave.

"You boys stop drooling on yourselves," a familiar voice barked at them. "That's my baby sister in law."

I snapped my head farther to my right and saw Jack walking up to us, a big grin on his face.

"Jackie!" I called, dropping my bag and jogging to meeting him halfway.

He picked me up in a big bear hug before plopping me back down on the deck.

"Little Maybelle, you sure are a sight for sore eyes!" He told me, ruffling my bangs.

"It's nice to see a familiar face too!" I said, pushing his hand away with a smile and fixing my hair. "I really wish you were setting eyes on Grace and Billy, though."

"You're good enough for now," he said as slung his arm over my shoulder and walked me back over to my travel companions. "You'll make this last mission more bearable for sure."

He looked at Mr Randa and saluted.
"Major Jack Chapman, sir. Thank you for accompanying my sister in law."

"It was a pleasure," Mr Randa smiled.

"I'll show you where the conference room is and then take you to your quarters so you can freshen up and prepare your presentation," Jack said. "Right this way."

He led us the way he had come from and we passed closer to the guys by the helicopters.

"Who you got there, Jack?" One asked him.

"Never you mind, Reles," Jack called back with a petty grin. "Ya'll can meet her later."

As we stepped inside, I almost thought I could hear a few cheers behind me.

"Sorry about them, they don't mean no harm," Jack told me. "They're a good bunch of boys, just been away from home too long. No one here has seen an American girl in long time, you're bound to remind the guys of their sisters or girlfriends back home. That, or Marilyn Monroe, I can't tell if you lost weight or put some on," he teased, poking my ribs.

"Oh stop it, Jackie," I huffed as I jerked away from being tickled. "Grace was just getting on my case about that too. You must share a mental connection with her."

I knew I wasn't a pretty girl. My friends were always called pretty and beautiful while the only compliments I got were on my eyes and my figure. I was confident in my eyes, but the rest was a mess to me. I could only just handle Grace and Jack and their two versions of teasing me about it.

"You brought other clothes, right?" He asked me.

I looked down at my business casual attire, gray slacks and short sleeve black turtleneck.

"Oh you mean jungle clothes?" I asked. "Yeah I brought those. I just wanted to make a good impression since I'm technically working here."

"Well, you just relax there, Mabeline," he smirked, using one of his nick names for me. "This is a pleasure cruise for you."

We stopped in front of an open door and Jack made sure he got everyone's attention.

"Here's the conference room, it's one level up from your quarters," he told us.

"Wait, I'm still working aren't I? Am I on kitchen duty?" I asked when we got moving again.

Jack took my suitcase as we made our way down a flight of stairs.

"The only thing you're doing with the kitchen is eating what comes out of it, if you can stomach it that is. You'll be working with something a little more familiar to your real job. After the meeting I'll send you down to the hold and you make sure we got all our supplies before we shove off in the morning."

"Cool!" I said with a new spring in my step.

"It's a lot so I'll send one of the boys to help you out," he said as he stopped to show Mr Randa and Houston to their room before leading me and San a little farther.

"Here's where you'll be staying," he said as he stopped outside another room. It seemed a little nicer than the one we left Houston and Mr Randa in.
"I'll let you get settled in and see you at the meeting in one hour," he told me and gave another smile.
"I sure am happy to see you again."

Chapter Text

After Jack left, I threw myself on the cot San hadn't chosen for herself. There was a little timer by the head of it and I set it for a half hour and closed my eyes.

"Just a half hour," I assured San before falling into a deep sleep.

I awoke to a hand gently rubbing my back.
"Pardon my intrusion, but did you want that alarm to wake you up?"

My heavy eyes shot open and my sleep hangover sobered up immediately at the unfamiliar, yet gorgeous British voice that spoke to me then. I rolled over to have it confirmed that the voice belonged to an equally gorgeous face. Bright blue eyes and amused brows looked down at me. He straightened up when I didn't say anything and I sat up as well.

"Sorry, I was on my way to the meeting when I heard the alarm going off," he said with a small smile.

"Oh," I said, finally comprehending reality. "It's ok, thanks. What time is it?" I rubbed under my eye to see if I had smudged my makeup. I was probably an absolute mess.

"The meeting starts in 10, if that's what you're wondering," he said.

"Right, thank you. Um, I'm Maybelle," I introduced awkwardly.

"James Conrad," he said, shaking my hand.
"I'll see you there," he said before leaving my room.

Once he was gone I flung myself off the bed and over to the mirror to see what the damage was. Not too terrible, I was lucky. I fixed myself up to be presentable for the meeting and then cautiously stepped out of my room, closing the door behind me. I remembered my way to the stairs and went up, voices trickling down from the floor above. My level was relatively empty when I'd left my room and I saw why. Everyone was up here, filing into the conference room.  I made my way inside and saw Jack nearby. He caught my eye and nodded to me to come over.
I wove carefully through the crowded room and stopped by his side. He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Alright boys, this is my sister in law, Maybelle," he introduced me to the guys he had been talking to before I arrived.

"This is Cole," he said about an older man who nodded to me.
"Mills," a young black man who grinned at me.
"Reles," a tan and stout man who gave me a wink.
"And Slivko," a tall skinny young man with a puppy dog face who smiled politely.

"Oh that reminds me!" I said, pulling out from my pocket the picture Billy asked me to pass on. 
"You have a puppy and he was named after Slivko," I said handing it over to Jack.
"It's nice to meet you all," I said to the men I'd just met.

"Maybelle sure is a pretty name," Slivko complimented.

"Isn't that the town Andy Griffith is the sheriff of?" Cole asked.

"No, that's Mayberry," Glenn corrected with barely contained frustration like this happens all the time.

Jack was happily looking at the picture Billy had colored.
"My boy is becoming a real artist," he said. "Don't know why he'd choose to name him Slivko though."

"He asked me to help him find the names of your army buddies in your letters. He thought if he named the dog after one of them, you wouldn't miss them so much when you came home," I explained.

"Awe," Mills and Reles intoned together.

"Well I guess Slivko is like a puppy, it'll suit just fine," Jack teased him, ignoring the others.

"Yeah but like, a Rottweiler puppy, right?" Slivko said, causing the others to laugh at him and shake their heads negative.

"More golden retriever," I suggested. He was pretty cute I supposed.

"Yeah, there you go," Reles agreed, slapping his shoulder. "Golden Boy."

I caught his eye and gave an apologetic look but stilled smiled.

The guys got to talking again and I noticed out of the corner of my eye, a tall man in a dark shirt enter the room. It was James Conrad, the British beauty that had been in my room. Jack noticed me looking and the red tinge on my cheeks.

"Hey, the door to my room locks, right?" I tried to ask him so the others wouldn't hear.

"Yeah, why?" He asked.

"No reason."

Just then we were all called to find a seat and pay attention. My science buddies were on the other side of the room and I thought about fighting my way through the Landsat teams seats to get over there but Jack led me to a seat by him in the middle of all the soldiers. Jack was to my right on the aisle and Slivko sat to my left.

A man named Victor from the Landsat team began explaining about the island which I had all heard from Randa and Houston earlier, but he showed slides. I was surprised to see the island actually looked like a Skull.

"Charming," I mumbled to myself and heard Slivko chuckle beside me.

Soon Houston was up there and said something he hadn't mentioned before, seismic charges.

"You're dropping bombs?" Came James Conrad's voice, giving me a shiver.

Houston faltered.
"Scientific instruments."

"You hear that boys?" Slivko piped up. "We're scientists now!"

The military side of the room laughed at this while the Landsat team scoffed.

"You're not scientists," one remarked snidely.

I wasn't so sure about this now and had a look of concern on my face aimed and Mr Randa and San across the room. I was startled a little by Jack getting up, missing that he had a speech to make as well. He pointed to the north side of the island and said a team would be there in three days time and to please not miss it.

"What happens if we miss it?" I leaned over and whispered to Slivko.

"Don't worry, we won't," he assured me, dodging the question.

Just what the heck kind of mission was this?

Chapter Text

After the meeting, Jack had led me to the store room before I had time to talk to Houston, San or Mr Randa. He set me up with a huge spreadsheet pad, a pencil, and two flashlights, one for me and one for whoever he sent to help me.

"Jack, why does this mission seem a lot less happy-go-map an island and a lot more scary-don't miss the boat?" I asked him.

"It's all just precautionary, how hard could it really be?" He tried to reassure me.
"I have to go attend to my duties but we can talk more later, one of the boys'll come soon."

I sighed and got to work, thoroughly aggravated with it within a few moments. I had to hold the flashlight to look at the crates and tickets on things, then had to put it in my mouth so it would shine on the pad I carried in one hand and used the other to mark things off. I really needed a third arm to do this by myself. I soon started mumbling to myself out of irritation, aggravation and to keep myself from getting scared because I was alone in this dark creepy room. At least I thought I was alone. I rounded a corner to the next row and saw James Conrad.

"Are you holding fire next to a box of explosives?"

He was in front of a box which, from where I stood I could see, was labeled "Seismic Charges" with the warning of them being explosive made just as clear. He had been closely inspecting it, using a lighter for illumination, which he almost dropped from me startling him.

His blue eyes shown even in the darkness as he looked at me, one brow raised.

"I was careful," he smirked. "What are you doing down here?"

"Inventory," I sighed holding up the pad. "Want a flashlight?"

"You're not upset with me for looking at this?" He questioned, surprised.

I shrugged.
"I didn't like the sound of these either," I told him, handing him my spare flashlight.

"I thought you were with Randa's team?" He asked, brows now knit in curiosity as he crossed his arms and leaned on the crate.

"I came with them but I'm not really with them. My brother in law, Chapman, got them to let me tag along. I'm an accountant and extremely unqualified to be here," I explained, completely defenseless to his charms.

He was about to reply, something witty I'm sure due to the look on his face, when something over my shoulder caught his attention.

"And what are you doing down here?"

I turned to see who he was talking to, expecting to see one of the soldiers sent to help me, but it was a woman. And she was holding a camera.

"Maybelle, this is Mason Weaver,  the war photographer," James introduced with a tone of indifference.

"Anti war photographer," she corrected him without looking at me.

I found it odd that the first thought that came to my mind was that her face was shaped like a gumdrop.

"What are you doing down here?" She asked him.

Seeing that I was no longer part of this conversation because those two were eyeing each other intensely, I side stepped James and got back to work. The two of them stepped out of ear shot to continue their conversation. I could tell that Conrad was both too old to be interested in someone like me, and that I could not keep up with someone like him. However, I was well within my rights to appreciate his good looks and charm. I barely registered the sound of approaching footsteps and was half startled by my next guest.

"There you are," Slivko smiled when he rounded the corner and saw me.

"Hey, drew the short straw huh?" I asked as I checked off the box of Seismic charges.

"No, I won the round of Rock Paper Scissors,  actually," he grinned.

Cute, I thought and couldn't help but grin back.

"So how can I help?" He asked, rubbing his hands together.

"If you want to be my third arm and man the flashlight that would be great," I told him, handing it over. "I need to read the boxes and mark them off."

"No problem," he said.
He came and hovered over my left shoulder, being really good at aiming the light on the box or the pad depending on which I was looking at.
"So, come here often?" He joked to break the silence.

"Only always," I joked back. "Where are you from?"

"Detroit," he answered. "You?"

"Tennessee, same as Jack," I told him.

"You don't have an accent though," he pointed out as we made our way down the line, never failing to be good at his job.

"I wasn't born there, I was born in Nevada, spent my teens in Washington state, then we moved to Tennessee when Grace got pregnant and Jack was deployed."

"Oh yeah, Dear Billy," he mused. "Jack talks about him a lot, Grace too, and I think he's mentioned you too."

"Well the order of importance is right," I said, distracted by my work and by the new scent I just realized was Slivko. It wasn't a bad smell at all, quite the contrary, but confused me to no end because I couldn't put my finger on what it was. The fact that he was standing so close and we were making successful conversation was also throwing off my balance.

"Did you teach him how to balance a check book?" He suddenly asked me.

This was interesting enough that I turned away from my work and looked at him. He was about six feet tall, which was five or so inches taller than me, so I was looking up into his face now as he smiled,waiting for my answer.

"Yeah I did," I finally answered.

He got really excited at this.
"He was telling us about that and how cool you were, now I remember! Some guys would make fun of Jack because he, uh, well," he stammered, realizing he was on the verge of putting his foot in his mouth.

"Hasn't been afforded all the education one assumes from a grown man?" I offered. It was the truth and payed no insult to Jack's intelligence.

"Sure," Slivko gave a sigh of relief before continuing on. "Boy, were those guys surprised when they saw him afterwards. Me and the guys you met earlier, we all know Jack is smart enough, but we wondered where he'd learned all this stuff. That's when he told us about you. We were really curious about you after that."

"Oh dear, I hope I haven't disappointed anyone," I said, guessing that Jack, being the sweetheart he is, talked me up better than I was.

"Far from it," Slivko suddenly chuckled. "Personality wise seems like he described you dead on, but the physical description was way off. You must be a hundred pounds lighter than he said."

I spat out a laugh of disbelief.
"He said I was fat?!" I asked, turned fully to the young man now, mouth hanging open in shock.

Slivko laughed and confirmed with a nod.
"Half of us were planning to visit Chapman state side just to meet you, guess he was trying to prevent that."

"That sounds like him," I consented. "But I don't believe that many would care to meet me."

Slivko looked down at me seriously. The lighting in this spot wasn't too bad, and yet I couldn't tell if his eyes were brown or the darkest green I ever saw.

"There's two types of army guys, and I hope I don't offend you with any of this, but one type dreams of girls like Barbi Benton, while the rest dream of nice, smart girls their moms would be proud of."

"Is that so?" I asked. "As long as they're not a hundred pounds too heavy?"

"Then it's the best of both worlds! Which, if I may say, you are."

There was something so innocent in the way he payed me that compliment, that I blushed harder than when I'd seen James Conrad enter the room. I hoped the lights were dim enough to hide it.

"Well, you may say so," I told him before spinning around and getting back to work, a grin tugging my mouth with a vengeance.

Chapter Text

After I finished my job of checking the inventory, Slivko walked me back to my room, insisting that if anything happened to me on his watch Jack would kill him. He also gave me directions to the washrooms set aside for the ladies on this trip.

I didn't find San in our room or the washrooms, either that night or this morning, but I was overjoyed to shower and shave my legs. It was so warm, I really wanted to be able to wear shorts.

Wish granted, I left the washrooms in denim shorts and a pink t-shirt and was returning my pajamas and bathroom bag to my room before going up on deck where I assumed everyone was. As I approached my room, barefoot because I forgot my shoes and had hands too full to carry them anyway, I saw Slivko slouching against the wall opposite my door. His combat boots weren't tied, his camo pants hung up on them. He wore a white t-shirt with patches of damp on it and I believe his hair was dripping water but he was still wearing that red bandana he had on yesterday. He was picking at a callus on his hand, impatiently waiting.

"Hey," I called, as I approached.

He snapped to attention and smiled at me. I assumed he had knocked and thought I was either asleep or ignoring him. In the cramped hallway he seemed even taller and I noticed his shoulders were as broad Conrad's.

"There you are," he said, seeming happier now.
"We were having so much fun up on deck and I didn't want you to miss it," he explained.

"I was just on my way," I replied slipping by him and into my room.
I left the door open as I put my things away quickly and grabbed my socks and shoes. I threw those on hurriedly, knowing Slivko was standing there waiting for me instead of going on ahead.

"Ok," I breathed as I hopped out of the room, flipping my still damp hair back over my shoulder.

Slivko smirked and startled me by kneeling down. Apparently I hadn't tied my shoe well and he was redoing it for me. It was so simple, but for some reason struck me as romantic. I didn't know if that made me crazy or was just the result of being very sheltered. I watched his shoulder blades move under the soft cotton of his shirt, the left shoulder completely wet and almost transparent.

"What's going on up there? Why are you so wet?" I asked, poking his shoulder.

He stood up with a mischievous grin.
"You'll see," he said mysteriously.

We made our way up the stairs and down the hall and we were about to step out the door when Slivko reached his arm in front of me and, as he looked both ways out the door, it landed on my waist and gently pulled me behind him. I was now behind those broad shoulders and smelling his scent again. Right as I regained my senses and wondered why he did that, I simultaneously received the answer. I heard a whooshing noise and Slivko was getting drenched. It splashed me a little over his shoulders. I gave a yelp, grabbing the back of his shirt and ducking behind him better. I heard a few laughs outside and Slivko turned to me with a rueful smirk, water running down his face and dripping from his nose, his shirt drenched and clinging to him.

"That's what we're up to," he said.

"I got you good!" Reles pointed and laughed at Slivko as we stepped outside.

"Yes, thank you," Slivko sarcastically replied and wiped his face with his also wet hand.

"Oh Maybelle, I didn't see you there," Reles said a little bashfully. "Sorry about that."

"It's ok, I have a knight in soggy armor," I patted Slivko's shoulder.

We walked over to where Mills and Cole were sitting on some folding chairs, a record player going.

"Here you go," Mills said, setting up another chair for me.

I thanked him and took a seat. Facing the way I had come from, I now saw Slivko peeling off his wet shirt and quickly diverted my eyes before I could blush.

"What are you guys playing?" I cleared my throat and asked Mills and Cole who had some sort of card game going.

"Go fish," Cole replied.

I raised a brow which Mills responded to with a nod and roll of his eyes, as if to say yes it's true and yes it's lame. Slivko wrung out his shirt and I felt a few drops hit my ankles. I had to squint with the sun in my face anyway, so I risked a sideways glance at him. I saw flexed muscles and immediately diverted my attention again.

"Deal me in on the next round," I told the other two.

"Didn't you want me to cut that hair of yours?" Reles asked Cole.

"Oh yeah," Cole said indifferently.
"Here, you can finish my hand," he said, handing me his cards.

"I'm really good at this game," Mills bragged to me. "And I won't go easy on you just 'cause of Jack."

Slivko walked over and draped his shirt over the back of my chair to dry. In doing so he gave me a little poke between the shoulder blades, then stood behind Mills. I looked at him and he gave me a conspiratorial nod and smirk. I noticed he craned his neck and looked at Mills's cards.

Mason Weaver appeared on deck then with her camera. She glanced our way but started taking pictures of the scenery.

"Then I won't go easy on you either," I told Mills.

"It's your turn," Mills informed me.

I looked at my hand then glanced at Slivko. He crossed his arms but held four fingers out.

"Do you have any fours?" I asked.

Mills expression darkened as he handed two cards over.

"Do you have any Kings?" He asked.

"Go fish."

I noticed Mason had aimed her camera our way now.

Slivko rubbed his eye and gave me the signal for two. Reles noticed what we were up to and quietly laughed.

"Do you have any twos?" I asked, barely containing a chuckle.

"Man!" Mills complained as he handed one over.

I set down my twos.

Mason came over and greeted us, seeming much friendlier than the first time I encountered her. She began chatting with Reles and Cole, taking their picture.

"Any sevens?" Mills asked me, getting back to the game.

I handed one over, then glanced at Slivko for my next signal. He was doing a number higher than five but with the sun I couldn't quite make it out. Mills noticed my squinting and turned to see Slivko in the act.

"Oh you dirty cheaters!!" Mills hollered as he flew up and chased after Slivko. "Tryin' to help your little girl friend, huh?" He teased.

Slivko laughed and was soon at Mills mercy in a head lock. It was comical because Mills was so much smaller.

"And Maybelle," He hollered at me. "I thought you were a nice girl!"

I put my hands up and shrugged, like what can I say.

Out of nowhere I got blasted briefly with the hose, making me scream. Reles stood there with the smoking gun.

"See, band of brothers," Mills told Slivko who was still laughing.

Reles saluted Mills. I stood up and rung out the bottom of my shirt and used a dry part of my sleeve to dry my face. Mason was snapping away. I was soon startled by a strong arm grabbing my waist and lifting me in the air, causing me to gasp.

"Maybelle, are you getting into trouble already?" Jack asked me.

"Apparently!" I replied, feebly kicking my legs.

We all played around for a long time after that. The boys posed for Mason's camera, Slivko got me to dance to a few songs from the record player and I even ended up on his shoulders so I could reach and touch the blade of his helicopter. I sat with Jack as he wrote a letter to Billy.

"Sweetie, you spelled it right the first time," I said, pointing to a word he'd crossed out and tried to spell again. "You gotta believe in yourself more."

Slivko walked by and put a pair of sunglasses on me since I'd been squinting so much and putting my hand up to block the sun.

"Ooh 'sweetie'," Mills cooed.

"It's sweet pea when she's feeling ornery," Jack admitted even though it could only lead to more teasing.

I had actually gotten this from Jack's southern belle mother. I learned that you could say just about anything to someone as long as you called them something like Sweetie or blessed their soul afterwards.

"Ok, I can't be left out of this," Mills shook his head. "Give me one too."

"What, a nick name?" I asked, surprised.

Slivko pulled on his now dry shirt.
"I want one too!" He piped up.

"Alright," I gave in and thought about it. "Uh, Mills can be Sugar and-"

"But sugar is white ain't it? How's that fit?" Cole interrupted.

Mills rolled his eyes back into his head for the tenth time today while Slivko cringed.

"Well then he's Brown Sugar, how bout that?" I quickly remarked causing them all to crack up laughing.

"That wit of yours is five steps ahead of everyone else," Jack remarked when the laughter died down.

"What about me?" Slivko asked, nudging my foot with his.

I pushed up the sunglasses he'd put on me and looked at him thoughtfully. He was such a cute thing.

"Hmmm, I'm gonna call you Slivie," I smiled at him.

Chapter Text

Since I was still functioning on American time, I found myself wandering to the cafeteria when everyone else had gone to bed. Or was it called a galley? I couldn't remember all the boat terminology and was probably confusing some of it with submarine jargon I'd heard in movies. Either way, I was looking for some tea.
I had my head inside a promising looking cabinet when I heard that deep British voice again.

"Can I help you find something?" James Conrad asked.

I jumped a little, hitting my head as I pulled out of the cabinet and fell back on my butt.

"Tea," I winced, rubbing my head.

He walked over and opened the cabinet above the one I had been in and pulled out a tin of tea bags.

"Honey, or sugar?" He looked down at me and asked.

I scrambled up on my feet and was standing next to him.

"Honey," I replied, with a very odd feeling even though we were talking about literal honey.

He nodded and retrieved that out of the cabinet as well. He also knew where the kettle and mugs were and just got to work making tea for the both of us.

"Looks like you had fun today," he commented.

"Hm?" I was confused since I hadn't seen him on deck all day.

"You know the far end of the boat? The upper level of that with the room where they steer the boat?" He was kind enough to dumb it down for me and I blushed, embarrassed.
"That's where I was. I saw you all playing. It seems like you get along well with everyone already, and I'm sure Mason will share some of those pictures she took if you ask her."

"That would be nice, I'll have to do that," I nodded.

"Listen," he said, pushing off the counter he was leaning on and walking toward me.
"There's something about this mission they aren't telling us, and I'm afraid it's going to be more dangerous than I expected."

My gut dropped in fear.
"What do you mean, they're not telling us something?"

He took another step closer and whispered.
"Weaver had spoken to three sources who told her the same story verbatim. That happens when they've been given a story to tell instead of the truth. She believes this whole thing is a secret military operation."

"For what exactly?" I asked.

"That I couldn't tell you," he said taking a step back as the kettle whistled.
"But your scientist friends have their own agenda."

"I've had that feeling for a while," I agreed.

"I spoke with Chapman as much as I could about the potential dangers and told him that, if he wanted, I'd gladly keep an eye on you and keep you safe. He consented to it, so tomorrow we should take the same helicopter," he told me.

"Why can't I go with Jack?" I asked.

"He has to follow orders. Here and now he is a soldier before he is your brother in law."

My gaze hit the floor as the truth of his words hit me.

He was handing me a steaming mug now.
"I hope I put enough honey, you seem like the kind of girl who likes it sweet," he said.

I thanked him with an awkward blush and took the mug.

"What's going on?" A sleepy Mills asked, weaving into the kitchen just then.

"Jet lag," I told him. "Thought tea would put me to sleep."

He nodded and got a glass of milk for himself, side eyeing Conrad who merely stood there offering no explanation for his presence.

"Well, I'll head back to bed. Get a good night sleep Sugar, big day tomorrow," I told Mills as I walked out.

I drank all my tea, begrudgingly admitting to myself that he'd put the perfect amount of honey in it, but I could not fall asleep. I felt uneasy about this whole operation. San laid there, blissfully deep in sleep. I thought of waking her and asking her some questions but I didn't know what to ask exactly. I remembered Jack's comment the night I did inventory. If something was up and he knew about it, he wouldn't let me anywhere near it. Then why would he agree to let Conrad keep an eye on me? He was just being a protective brother in law, Conrad was right, he's a soldier first here.

With a mind made up to believe in Jack, I tucked myself back into bed and fell asleep.

By sunrise the whole ship was bustling. I quickly washed up and got ready, wearing jeans and boots this time, and a black and white striped shirt. I grabbed my back pack filled with everything I deigned a necessity, and Slivko's sunglasses, and made my way up on deck with San. We hadn't spoken much, but when I started walking towards the helicopter Conrad was standing by instead of the one where Houston and Mr Randa were, she grabbed my arm.

"Aren't you coming with us?" She asked over the noise.

"Jack wants me to go with Mr Conrad," I told her.

"Oh, ok," she said understandingly but also disappointed.
"See you when we land, then," she smiled and waved as we parted ways.

I nodded and waved at her before walking over to Conrad who seemed to be waiting for me. Once I got closer I noticed Slivko in the pilot seat glancing between me and Conrad with a sad puppy dog expression on his face.

"Are you my pilot?" I asked him excitedly.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, managing a small smile.

Jack walked up then and I waved at him. He seemed serious. He walked up and shook Conrad's hand before looking down at me. He took the sunglasses off my face and set them atop my head and looked at me seriously.

"Now Maybelle," he began. "You listen to Mr Conrad here and don't let him out of your sight or at least out of screaming range. He's gonna keep you safe, alright?"

I nodded.

Jack extended his hand, pinky up, and I gave him a pinky promise. He smiled at me before giving me a quick hug and walking off to his Helicopter again.

Conrad got into the helicopter first and offered me a hand getting in. Slivko was still looking nervously at us and I couldn't figure it out.

"Room for one more?" Mason asked, appearing suddenly.

"Perfect, we'll keep her in like bookends," Conrad said.

"Your brother in law worried about you?" Mason asked with a knowing smile as she got in beside me.

I nodded at her as Conrad tried to help me with the seat belt.

"Everyone prepared for take off?" Slivko asked us.

Conrad doubled checked my belt and his as Weaver did her own and they told him it was good to go. I hugged my back pack, excitedly. Slivie was gonna fly.

Chapter Text

It was so very odd and amazing to leave a boat and take to the skies. There was no visible land, just the huge boat and endless waters beneath us. It thrilled me a little that we had no doors, it was a little scary, but Slivko was such a good pilot that we hardly came off level and I never felt the threat of falling out.

"Having fun?" Conrad yelled to be heard.

I nodded with a huge smile and went back to looking around at everything. He chuckled and enjoyed the view as well. We were flying toward this huge wall of dark gray clouds. Flashes of lightning illuminated them from time to time and over the sound of the helicopter I could hear rumbles of thunder.

"Is that the perpetual storm system?" I asked Conrad.

"Yep."

"And they call this a break in it?" I asked incredulously.

He merely shrugged.

Oh geez, I thought. I put all my faith in the golden retriever flying the helicopter and held my back pack tight.

The helicopter blades were like giant egg beaters stirring the clouds up. It was cold and damp and windy. The ride became bumpy and brief feelings of weightlessness were followed by slamming back down. Slivko tried to follow the least cloudy path through the storm and lightening flashed so close to us I felt the static. We hit a particularly bad air pocket and had a brief but big drop. A sharp gasp escaped my mouth and my left hand got a mind and eyes of its own and clamped onto Conrad's wrist. I squeezed my eyes shut as the lightening intensified and I felt Conrad gently grab my wrist with his other hand and move it from his wrist to his hand and gave a reassuring squeeze. I bit my lips as the bumps got worse, the thunder louder and the lightening more frequent until suddenly it all stopped. The ride was smooth again and the sun was shining warmly. I opened my eyes slowly and breathed a sigh of relief as my body went limp.

"Are you ok?" Conrad leaned over and asked me.

I realized I hadn't let go of his hand yet and did so now with a sheepish smile, assuring him I was fine. But I wasn't embarrassed for long once I saw the view. I was soon leaning over Mason and Conrad trying to see everything, feeling so exhilarated. So much greenery was split by rivers of bright blue water and peaked with sharp, craggy mountain tops. It looked like paradise. I could picture a tropical hotel here soon, but for now it was pristine and untouched.

One of the helicopters landed and sent up a smoke flair. I watched the tiny forms of San and Houston on the ground before we moved on.

"They're gonna start dropping the charges now," Slivko yelled over his shoulder.

True enough, the rhythmic noise of the helicopter and pristine scenery were interrupted with a loud explosion. I frowned and furrowed my brows as I saw the flames rise and trees fall. The second one I could actually see animals running from on the ground and I was even more upset.

"They're killing things!" I exclaimed to no one in particular.

A third went off and so did I.
"How many are they dropping?!"

Mason and Conrad exchanged an uncomfortable look.

I leaned back, disgruntled. So much for pristine, I thought as another charge went off. It was followed rapidly by another, but this one sounded much more violent than the others.

"What was that?" I asked.

The atmosphere suddenly felt different. Something was wrong. I looked straight forward and noticed a strange shape on the horizon.

"What is that?" I pointed.

I was drowned out by Slivko suddenly responding to an order over the radio. We lurched forward straight toward that strange shape. As we got closer I could hardly believe my eyes.

"What is that!" I repeated, panic bubbling up in my body.

I was answered with a deafening roar from the giant ape like creature.

One time I had been in a car accident where I saw the person speeding towards me in the rear view mirror. The realization was slow at first but when the consequences were clear in my mind it was terrifying. It felt like a part of me left my body and was replaced with this feeling that reality was about to change in some way very soon and I didn't quite know how yet, I was merely and audience to it. This situation felt a million times worse.

The realization was slow, the most obvious part was: there's a giant ape. That's what my eyes told my brain. Once equipped with that information, my brain ran everything through at hyper speed like my overactive imagination usually does.

The first thing I knew was that a giant ape is not normal, a giant ape is a monster. I'm seeing one right now so monsters are real. I've lived on this earth never suspecting this thing existed until now. And speaking of now, we were flying right at it and it did not look friendly. So the second thing I knew was that I was very likely to die. Peter Pan said that to die would be an awfully big adventure, but I had no such optimism.

Slivko took his place in the perimeter they formed around the thing. I froze, everything sounded like I was underwater, I couldn't even scream. I watched with mute horror as the creature picked of helicopters like they were flies. Their machine guns sounded tinny as they fired at him. We had no gunner of our own but I didn't stop to wonder why we're still here. Conrad must have because he yelled something at Slivko who shouted back. I saw something coming at us and it was as if reality snapped back like a rubber band. The mans body hit the windshield and all I could hear was my own screaming. The poor man slid over the top of the helicopter and hit the blades. My terror in his behalf was quickly replaced by my own as we began to fall. Conrad grabbed me, sheltering me with his body and holding my head closely to his shoulder to brace for impact. I knew the screaming I heard was me, but it didn't feel like me. And then I didn't feel anything.

Chapter Text

When I started working for Mr Clavers, I had to choose a physician on the companies list of health providers. I didn't know that when you get a new physician, they really want to get to know you. What I mean by that is they drew so much blood from me, much more than expected, and I hadn't eaten breakfast that morning. I don't recall passing out at all. When I opened my eyes it felt like I was waking up for the first time that day. Everything felt fine until a nurse slapped me in the face.

I was just waking up now and it was nice. My face was against something warm and soft, must be my pillow. Something across my hips felt funny though, and now I was hearing voices from another room. My pillow smelled familiar, what was that? Something I couldn't put my finger on. Oh right, it smelled like Slivko.

And came the slap.

As I understood later, that funny feeling across my hips was the seat belt and I was dangling over the cockpit by it. The world came into sharp focus when Weaver, again as I later discovered, cut the seatbelt and I felt myself falling. With a hoarse scream I grabbed what ever or whoever was in front of me for dear life. Something caught my legs but I tore them away and wrapped them around whatever my arms had found. I clung there taking ragged breaths as strong arms wrapped around me tightly. My face was buried in a soft T-shirt and my nose was filled with Slivko's scent which actually was calming. A little. I was very not calm, my heart was beating like a hummingbird.

"Whoah, I got you. I got you. No more falling. No more falling," Slivko's voice was soft and comforting in my ear as he held me securely.

With me clinging to him like a koala, he hopped out of the helicopter.
"We're on solid ground now," he told me.

I opened my eyes and saw he was right. I took a few more breaths and slowly put my feet on the ground and let go of him.

"Are you hurt?" He asked me, holding my face and looking at me intently.

All I felt were his thumbs on my cheeks and all I saw were those eyes. I still couldn't tell if they were brown or green. Then I noticed a scratch on his cheek.

"You're hurt," I pointed out to him as I brushed my fingers on his jaw.

"I'm fine, I'm more worried about if you have a concussion or not," he shrugged my concern off.

"Ok, that depends. Did you see a giant ape too?" I asked, holding onto his wrists.

He nodded fervently.
"Yes, that happened, and everyone else is being way too cool about it," he complained loudly at Mason and Conrad.

The latter walked up just then, a pair of binoculars in his hand.
"They're all down," Conrad informed us. "But there's a river, half a click that way-"

He was still talking but I was confused.

"What's a click?" I asked at the same time Slivko had his outburst.

"Are we really not gonna talk about this? Stuff like that doesn't just happen!"

Conrad asked Mason if she was alright and I suddenly remembered Jack.

"Oh my god, Jack!" I cried as I grabbed Slivko.

His eyes widened and he rushed over and began digging through the wreckage. He returned to my side with a radio and began signaling a May Day and asking for a response. I held his arm tightly in anticipation but all we got was static.

"We're scattered over miles, save it for when we get in range of someone," Conrad advised.

"He's probably fine," Slivko assured me, holding my hand giving me a serious look.

We began picking up what we needed and what we could. Conrad insisted, and Slivko agreed, that I was only to carry my backpack and nothing more. They were still convinced I had a concussion.

Slivko carried an M16, the radio, and his portable record player. He wouldn't give up on trying to reach some one on the radio and could not forgive Mason and Conrad for being so blasé about our current predicament.

Conrad was telling him for the second time to save the battery for when we got closer when a motion to our left caught everyone's attention. It was a murky body of water and some white cranes had vacated their perches on some logs and branches. I noticed ripples in the waters surface were just reaching the bank near us. I had been walking behind Slivko this whole time, and I watched as his arm did that same motion as when we were on the boat. His hand found my waist again with out him having to look, and moved me right behind him before quickly taking up his gun. Something huge was emerging from the water. I almost believed it was some tree come to life but what I mistook for branches and logs were really antlers. Some sort of buffalo type creature the size of a building stared lazily at us.

Slivko was anxiously lining up a shot, his breathing uneven. I gently held the strap of his record player.

"Slivko," Conrad said softly.

"What?!" He replied in the exact opposite manner.

"Put down the gun," Conrad slowly reached over and tipped the barrel down.

The behemoth in front of us turned away and we watched him slip quietly back into the water. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and gave Slivko's back a reassuring pat.

"Ok, I know this is a horrible situation," I said when we got back to walking. "But that thing, the one that didn't try to kill us just now, was amazing!"

"It sure was," Mason agreed, holding her camera that now contained its photo reverently.

"Conrad!" A distant voice called.
We all froze and looked for the source. It sounded like Houston to me.

"There!" I pointed, catching sight of him and San in the tall grass they were trailed by one of the Landsat guys, the one who started the meeting.

They were running to us, each carrying a gun. San tossed hers aside and nearly tackled me in a hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" She told me, squeezing my neck.

"I'm glad you're ok too!" I told her.
"Have you seen Jack?" I asked, holding her at arms length.

She sadly shook her head and apologized.

"It's ok," I told her. "We'll find him."

Our expanded party started moving again once Conrad had explained our plan to them. Houston and San had been looking for Randa who we were sorry to have no report of.

Conrad turned and looked at me.
"Are you doing alright Maybelle?" He asked me.
"Do you need to rest?"

"No, I'm fine," I waved him off. "We don't have time."

"What's wrong?" San asked, her little brows knit in concern.

"She passed out during the crash, I'm afraid she has a concussion," Conrad said as he took a closer look at me.

Slivko eyed him and shifted next to me as well.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," I told them both.  "There are bigger things to worry about."

Chapter Text

The day reached its peak and was incredibly hot. I felt like I was breathing soup with the humidity as well. I hated my jeans for being hot and chaffing when they got damp from my sweat, but they kept most of the bugs from biting my legs.

"You doing ok, May?" Slivko asked.

I looked up from the uneven ground I'd been carefully watching and saw him looking back at me. Conrad must've heard because he also glanced back.

"It's just really hot," I panted. I had to come to a sudden halt when I realized he had stopped walking and faced me now. Stopping was a bad idea because my head felt funny now.

He looked at me with furrowed brows.

"Hey guys, let's take a quick break?" He called over his shoulder.

Houston and San were pleased with this idea and rested on the nearest thing they could sit on, catching their breath and mopping the sweat from their faces.

Slivko set down his gun and took all the bags off his shoulders, setting them by a nearby tree.

"Come here," he waved me over to him.
"Give me this," He said grabbing a back pack strap.

He helped me take it off and set it with his stuff. It was so nice to get rid of the weight and let my sweaty back breath a bit.

"Is everything alright?" Conrad asked, stepping over to us.

"She's over heating," Slivko told him. "If she has a concussion she needs to stay hydrated."

Conrad nodded as he looked at me.
"That's right. You don't look so good, Darling."

Slivko's jaw clenched.

"All this humidity, I just can't do a thing with my hair," I joked.

"Weren't you supposed to take care of her?" Slivko questioned him as he slung his gun over his shoulder and took my hand in his.

He led me over to a small waterfall that was nearby. We were having to take a small detour into the woods because we couldn't walk on the bank of the river due to it turning into a straight vertical cliff. Small streams along or path told us we were still going the right way. Once we were standing by the waterfall he took my other hand from by my side and turned them palms up before putting them under the water.

"The veins are close to the surface on the inside of your arms," He explained, tracing his finger from my inner wrist to my elbow, making me shiver from the ticklishness of it. "Cool off the blood here and it makes its way everywhere else."

"That's really smart," I said, running my whole forearms under the water.

He dug into a pocket on his pant leg and pulled out a silver flask. It must have been empty, because he opened it and put it directly under the water, filling it. The others came and cooled off too, taking a drink as well.

"Take a little sip, not too much or you'll get sick," He warned, handing it to me.

"Wow, you're really smart," I told him before obediently taking a few small sips.

"I'm in the military, sweetheart," He smirked at me.

I nearly choked on the water because he made me laugh.

"Hey, you're looking like yourself again. Feeling better?" He chuckled, taking the flask from me.

"Yeah," I responded, then gasped when he poured some of the cold water on the back of my neck. "Geez, a little warning."

He took a drink and then poured the rest on the back of his neck. I caught some water and threw it at him, splashing him in the face.

"Yeah, definitely feeling better!" He laughed, wiping it off his face and flicking it at me.

He stood next to me and ran his arms under the cold water too. It really made me feel a whole lot better, I wasn't so lightheaded now and breathing was easier. I remembered that feeling I had on my flight to Washington, like I was the only real person in the world. It wasn't too obvious for me to do it, so I brushed my arm against his a little as I got up by my elbows wet. He felt real to me. I glanced up at him and he looked down at me. I didn't have anything to say, but I also didn't look away. He smiled and splashed me, causing me to flinch. We splashed and played till the Landsat guy started complaining about how much time it will take to get to the north side of the island. Slivko filled his flask and pocketed it again.

"Let me know if you get thirsty," He told me before walking back to his stuff. He helped me put my back pack on again and I helped him get all his stuff too. We set off again but I was feeling good enough to make conversation now.

"So, Slivko," I began. "We've shared a near death experience together and I just realized I don't even know your first name."

"It's Reg," He called over his shoulder.

"Reg? What's that short for?"

"Nothing," He replied. "It's just Reg."

"I'm sorry, but you do not look like a Reg."

"What do I look like?" He asked, amused.

"Well I guess you look like a Slivko."

"And you know a lot of Slivko's to say this with a certainty?" He bantered on with me.

"No, Just you. But now if I ever met another one I could say that they do not look like a Slivko. Unless they did kinda look like you.."

"Are you delirious or something right now?" Houston piped up good naturedly.

"I'm just trying to keep up morale here," I defended. "We really should get to know each other. When we get home, we probably won't be able to talk to anyone about all this. And even if we could, who would be able to relate to us? We're gonna have to stay friends when we get out of here."

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"That's a pretty good point," Mason commented as she looked around at everyone. "We're all gonna be in therapy together."

"So here's an important question. Cookies: Soft or crunchy?"

We went around with different questions and actually started to have a little bit of fun. I got to know them all a bit better. San and Mason were on team crunchy cookies; Houston, Slivko and I were team soft, and Conrad was team "I'm British and they're biscuits." The Landsat guy failed to see how any of this was important, but sometimes laughed with us. In the midst of all this, we saw something coming up ahead.

"What's that?" Houston asked.

Emerging from the trees we were greeted by a broken archway. A building had been here at some point, a very old one built with roughly made stone bricks. There was no ceiling and not much for walls left, but it was also painted with a vibrant yellow color in a strangely artistic way.

"People have been here already," I stated the obvious as we looked around.

"Not recently, I'd guess," Slivko said, nudging a bit of rubble with the toe of his boot, his grip ready on his gun.

Mason picked up her camera and aimed it around, looking for a good shot. She suddenly let out a startled yell and dropped it, the strap around her neck saving its life. It was hard to see at first but the walls were moving.

I was expecting it this time and it felt like I was watching in slow motion. The arm came out, found it's mark with the usual accuracy and I was guided behind his back again. I was actully at the very center of everyone as we were surrounded by people, natives, brandishing spears at us. Conrad was telling everyone not to shoot and again Slivko seemed really antsy as the people approached us without fear. I held on to the strap of his record player again and put a hand on his back to let him know I was there and hopefully get him to calm down and not shoot anyone.

"Hey! Hey! Whoah, it's ok!" A voice called out.

A man in a World War 2 bomber jacket with a wild beard suddenly appeared, smiling crazily at us. He calmed down the natives who eventually lowered their weapons. Everyone was looking at him so confused, but I was excited about finding more people.

"They told me you were coming," He smiled. "28 years of trying to get back to the world, and the world comes to me?" He was so excited to see us and maybe a little crazy, but he seemed very endearing to me.
"You are more beautiful than a hot dog and cold beer on opening day," He said directly to Conrad which made me chuckle.

"Well, he's not wrong," I said under my breath.

"But you're real," The man said before squinting at us. "Aren't you?"

No one seemed to be making a move so I stepped from between Slivko and Conrad, the former grabbing my arm to keep me going too far.

"Yes, very real. And very glad to meet you," I said to him.

He grinned at me and bounced on his toes.
"I put on the old flight suit for you guys," He straightened his jacket and gave us a salute.
"Lieutenant Hank Marlow of the 45th.Now come one inside! You don't wanna be out here after dark," He said with a nervous laugh as he led us out the way he had come.

The natives, though very somber, didn't seem to have any problem with us now. They walked by without being overly cautious at all. Slivko, however, was the poster child for caution as he sandwiched me between himself and Conrad and kept me there with a hand on the small of my back.

"Oh good, there's an inside," I said happily.

Chapter Text

Hank and his native friends led us through the ruins and into a clearing, on the far side of which was a huge wall. A few of those huge buffalo creatures were milling about the clearing, eating the tall grass.

"Home sweet home," Hank chuckled as he led us across the clearing, right through the herd.

Conrad matched his pace to Hank's and started asking him some questions. With his departure, Slivko took my hand again and kept as tight a grip on it as his gun, keeping a sharp eye on the creatures and natives around us. I rolled my eyes with a smile. I thought of assuring him that everything was fine but I really didn't mind him holding my hand. Maybe he was the one who needed it. So I stayed quiet and stayed close, hoping it made him feel better.

"How did you get here?" I asked Hank.

"Well, as I mentioned, I was a pilot in world war 2. I was in a dog fight with the Japanese pilot and we both crashed on the beach. Neither of us was a good shot," he chuckled. "With out the war and with out the world, we became brothers."

I was listening but I was also mesmerized by the animals. But I barely noticed certain aspects of the wall till we were right in front of it. Now I was thankful for Slivko's hand. The wall was much bigger up close and covered in spiked logs. Some, or I suppose most, were covered in blood. Some of it old, some fresh, and swarms of flies buzzed around them. Hank led us to a narrow opening in it, just big enough for one person.

"You like it?" Hank asked us, patting the wall affectionately. "It keeps the big stuff out."

"Yes, we saw that," Conrad said, following him through.

"What, Kong?" Hank scoffed. "He's not the problem."

Not letting go of my hand, Slivko motioned for me to go through first and he followed.

"Come on, I'll show you," Hank beckoned us.

We followed him through the natives village and he explained them to us a little. They were called the Iwi's and in their society there was no personal property or crime. But they also never smiled. I saw this was the case as I looked around. The people were somber, clothed in yellow, red, or blue and all were painted with similar art work in those colors. They had small grass huts and they were all at work in one way or another. Some tended to crops, some were spinning thread, and some were cooking. The heavenly smell of barbecue reached my nose and I was suddenly aware of how starving I was.

Hank abruptly stopped when a very old couple painted in blue approached us. They just stared at Hank and he stared back for about ten seconds, before they nodded and walked off.

"Good news guys, they say you can bunk here tonight," Hank informed us and began leading the way again.

Conrad seemed confused.
"I didn't hear them say anything," he said, catching up with the older man.

"They don't really talk," he explained.

"They don't talk, they don't smile," Slivko murmured, shaking his head.

"That's why there's no crime," I whispered to him, making him crack a small smile.

We rounded a hillside and saw two huge ships, broken and rusted, far more inland than it made sense for them to be. It made a little more sense when I made out that they didn't just run aground, but they were practically set here, the gashes in the hull where evenly spaced like fingers or claws. If I had not seen that ape, I never would have come to that conclusion.  Hank led us toward the smaller, more dilapidated one to the left.

"If you value your hands, don't touch anything," Hank warned us. "This is sacred ground to them."

Slivko pulled me closer to him and farther from the wall when he heard this. We entered the hull and saw a memorial of sorts. Slender gray stones, pictures painted in white that you could only see from certain perspectives. Hank explained that the island is full of monsters and the Iwi's lived in constant fear. Then one day, one of those monsters started protecting them from the things that were eating them.

"Kong's a pretty good king. Keeps to himself, mostly. This is his home, we're just guests," Hank said. "But you don't go into someone's house and start dropping bombs, unless you're picking a fight."

"Wait," Mason piped up. "Didn't Kong kill your friend?"

"No," he answered and turned a dark look at one of the paintings. "One of them did."

I turned to look at it, having to take a step to the left. What I saw made me recoil and press myself to Slivko's side.

"Kong's God on the island but the devils live below us," Hank said ominously. "Kong was just mad. All those bombs you guys dropped woke a bunch of them up. Kong can take care of them when they're still little, but you do not want to wake up the big one. Kong is still growing, so we're lucky right now, because when he goes, the big one comes up."

"And what are they called?" Conrad asked.

Hank shifted his gaze before finally answering softly.
"The Iwi's won't speak their name, but I call 'em Skull Crawlers."

"Why?" Conrad pressed, his voice low like Hank's.

Hank seemed to falter here.
"Because it sounds neat," he admitted. "And I'm trying to scare you. I've never said it out loud before, it sounds stupid now that I think about it. You just call them whatever you want."

"I'm totally fine with calling them that," Mason said.
"Are you fine with that?" She asked Conrad who heartily agreed.

I could tell they were just pandering to him because they thought he was crazy.

"Listen," Conrad began. "There's a refueling team planned to rendezvous at the north end of the island in three days time."

"You should come with us," Mason suggested.

Hank smiled and let out a chuckle. Conrad nervously laughed along until Hank patted him a few too many times on the face and told him there's no way you can reach the north side of the island in three days.

My heart dropped to the ground hearing this, but Slivko turned to comfort me. With his free hand he pulled my face to his chest and whispered assurances that we weren't stuck here forever, that there was still hope. I gripped the side of his soft shirt as a tear escaped. But he was right, there was hope. Hank's expression brightened a bit as he added to his statement.

"Unless you had a boat."

Chapter Text

Hank led us to the river bank where there was a small dock. The natives had their log canoes neatly lined up on the bank which made Hank's look large and out of place. I couldn't really tell where it began or ended or how exactly it was to function, but it was better than nothing for sure.

"Lovely," Conrad stated blandly.

Mason had gone off with her camera to play with the natives and I'm not sure what San and Houston were doing but they were definitely together. They were almost as attached as Slivko and I, and since I was still attached to him, I ended up at the river with him, Conrad, Victor, and Hank.

"My god," Victor, blurted. "That looks like pure tetanus. Does it even float?"

Hank had been admiring his craft and took offense at this.
"She's called the Gray Fox," he stated sternly. "And she floats."

He explained how he and Gunpei, the Japanese pilot, had salvaged parts of their planes and spent six years of their lives building this. I could tell he was proud of it and that to insult it would be to insult his friends memory.

"Wow," I piped up, trying to cheer him back up. "You made a boat out of plane parts, all by yourselves? You guys must be geniuses, that's really impressive, Hank."

He seemed to be pleased at my remark and smiled.
"Well thank you ma'am," he almost blushed as he patted the boat.

I giggled at his innocent mannerisms, I was really starting to like him.

The guys went to take a closer look at it and I was trailed along as well. I don't think Conrad and Victor noticed Slivko and I's handholding and I soon suspected Slivko had quite forgotten too. He was bent over, trying to open the hatch to the engine with just one hand.

"Hey, Slivie?" I said quietly, tapping his shoulder.

He turned to me and I became a tiny bit flustered because he was looking at me like I had 110% of his attention. In this situation especially it was surprising because anything I could say right now was not as important as this boat.

"You can have your hand back for a little bit so you can look at this, I won't mind," I told him kindly and soft enough that the others wouldn't hear.

He looked at our hands and blushed. "Sorry," he said with a small embarrassed laugh as he let go.

"I wasn't complaining," I clarified as I helped him open the hatch.

"It'll take us a little work to get her running, but it's worth a shot," Hank said. "It'll be getting dark soon though, so no point in starting now I suppose. We'll get to it first thing in the morning."

Slivko poked around a little bit and seemed hopeful about the state of things.

"What do you think Slivko, anything you can do?" Conrad asked him.

"Not too shabby," Slivko nodded. "We can get something out of it."

Conrad nodded and disembarked the Gray Fox, Victor following him.

"You know about that?" I asked Slivko, pointing to the engine.

He looked at me with a nonchalant expression about it.
"Yeah, my Dad owns a garage," He informed me.

I made an impressed face before also making my way off the boat.
"You are full of surprises," I told him as we stepped off the boat.

"Well, I would be, wouldn't I? We've only known each other for, what, three days now?" He pointed out.

"Is that all?!" I said, surprised as we trailed behind the others, the destination unclear and unimportant to me.

He gave a shrug and a smile.

"Geez," I breathed. "It feels longer than that, doesn't it? Like, at least four days," I joked.

"It does," he agreed, matching my tone  and giving a chuckle. The setting sun was in his face as he looked at me, making his skin glow warmly and him squint adorably.

We took a few steps before I held out my hand to him.
"Hey, did you want this back?" I asked.

He stopped and threw his head back with an embarrassed laugh.

"I was just-" he stopped and sighed.

"I know, I know. I'm just teasing you," I cut him off with a goofy grin.

He mumbled an "oh gosh" as he blushed and smiled.

After a moment of walking again I put up my hand.
"You seriously don't want it?" I teased.

He bit back his smile and shook his head at my antics. Whatever he was about to do or say was interrupted by Hank calling out to us.

"Hey! You guys hungry?"

"Yes!" I hollered dramatically. "But Slivko isn't and says I can eat his!"

Slivko tried to protest this but I tried to cover his mouth and it turned into a brief play fight as we struggled with each other.

"How do you guys have the energy for that?" Victor asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Because things aren't as bad as they were half an hour ago," I answered.

We approached a small fire where the Iwi's had set up some food for us and, my goodness, it smelled so good. My stomach growled and I salivated like crazy. Everyone else had started to gather too and some took a seat and set upon the food. I dropped my back pack and started helping Slivko unload all his stuff as well.

"Hank," I said as I carefully set the record player down. "How do you thank them without saying anything or smiling?"

"I find that a slight bow usually does the trick," he replied.

I turned to the people standing nearby and gave them a bow before sitting down to eat.

"Awfully nice of them to feed us after we blew up their island and woke up those nasty things," I commented as naturally as I could and tried not to obviously watch the reactions around me.

Everyone sort of froze as the realization hit them then slowly glanced at one another. Conrad and Slivko were still standing and gave them a bow, while San and Houston got up to do so as well. Mason emerged from behind them all with a wild far off look in her glassy eyes.

"Hey," I called her, patting the spot not occupied by Slivko next to me for her to come sit.

She did so and I handed her the other drumstick I'd picked up. I'm not sure what animal it was but I didn't care.
"You ok?" I asked her, licking my fingers and looking at her in concern.

"Yeah, fine," she said, seeming to snap out of it. "But starving, thank you," she said and dug in.

I stuffed my mouth so I could chew and pour us all cups of water when I noticed the little clay cups and pitchers. I gave one to Slivko then Mason and then my own. Their mouths were too full to thank me more than a grunt or nod and that was fine. Silence prevailed as we all ate to satisfaction.

Chapter Text

Once the sun was set and there was just a faint blue glow left, all the Iwi's went to their huts and Hank explained that they rose and set with the sun. He put the fire out and led us all to his home, the larger ship to the right of the one we visited earlier. He told us that most everything above the hull was still in pretty good condition.

He brought us to one room in particular that had a big table and stools and his large collection of salvaged items. Slivko set up his record player and Mason set up her camera on the deck Hank built off the hole in the wall and aimed it at the amazing aurora borealis that was happening in the sky. I was just as happy to look at it from atop one of the stools. After spending all day outside, I was extremely thankful to be inside, especially at night. San and Houston occupied themselves with something in the corner and Conrad was watching Mason.

I thoughtfully observed Conrad observing Mason while I sat there, rolling my sore, tired ankles. I supposed they would look pretty cute together, but they also gave off this vibe of just being old buddies. My thoughts were interrupted by Hank.

"I don't know if I'm going to like whoever is under this beard."

I turned to see him with an old mirror on the table in front of him, sawing off his beard with a huge knife. Out of the corner of my eye also noticed Slivko playing around with one of the natives spears. I quirked my eyebrows at the two weirdos before hopping off my stool and going to fetch my back pack.

"I have some scissors Hank," I told him.

I dug them out from my little tool kit and also noticed my first aid kit in there too. I grabbed it as well and set it on the table.

"I can't tell when I'm talking, or when I'm not talking," Hank said.

"You're talking," Victor informed him, looking concerned.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I'm talking?"

"Yes."

"Your mouth is moving," Hank said as I walked up and waited to get his attention to hand him the scissors.

"What?" Victor asked, confused.

"I'm gonna stab you by the end of the night," Hank suddenly said and my eyes went wide.

"Really?" Victor asked, just as baffled.

"Just kidding," Hank laughed.

Suddenly Slivko was behind me. He grabbed my wrist with one hand and removed the scissors with the other, setting them on the table in front of Hank and led me away by the waist.

"Oo~kay~, getting you away from the crazy guy with the knife," He muttered quietly in my ear as he shuffled behind me.

"Says the guy that was just playing around with a spear," I dead panned back at him.
"Oh, come here," I said, remembering my first aid kit and led him by the wrist to the other end of the table.

I picked it up and showed it to him with a forced smile.
"Sit," I said.

"I'm ok, May," he tried to tell me but I pouted at him.

"I can't do anything about monsters, but I can do something about infection," I told him.
When that didn't do the trick, I pouted again and added a "Please, Slivie?"

He rolled his eyes and sat down, defeated, and I smiled in triumph.

I pulled out the sterile package of cotton balls and swabs, ointment, and the large-ish bottle of rubbing alcohol. I poured some on my hands and rubbed them together, carefully cleaning them and waving them around a little to dry them. I opened the package and pulled out a cotton ball, putting some alcohol on it.

"K, it's gonna sting," I grimaced apologetically at him and he just nodded.

I gently held his face with my right hand as I started with the scratch on his right cheek. He winced at first contact.

"Sorry," I said as I pulled away the cotton and gently blew on it to help the stinging stop.

He closed his eyes and I saw him make a fist.

I tried to hurry, gently patting the wound and blowing alternately, until it was finally done. I took both hands away and got more alcohol on the reverse side and coming back to get the scratch on his neck, bracing my right hand on the other side of his neck. I started the same routine but when I blew on it, Slivko took a deep breath and pursed his lips as he let it out through his nose.

"Does it hurt that bad?" I asked, my brows scrunched in worry.

"Oh yeah, you're killing him," Hank giggled.

Slivko just shook his head, eyes still closed, lips still pursed. His face was turning red.
"I'm fine, just hurry please," He told me.

I tried to hurry, covering the whole thing before gently blowing on it at the end and that's when he reacted again.

"Seriously, are you ok?" I asked again.

Hank just giggled some more.
"I don't think it's the alcohol," He told me with this mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Come on," He said when I just looked at him confused. "Haven't you ever had some one blow on your neck before?"

I blushed and I think Slivko nearly died.
"No I haven't," I said flustered as I tossed the used cotton ball over my shoulder and grabbed the tube of ointment.

I was now very self conscious as I applied it. I tried not to brace myself by holding the other side of his face, but it was just too difficult not to since I was right handed but had to use my left. I dabbed it on gently but quickly, feeling the temperature of his face rise. I almost giggled.

"Ok, last one," I said as I got out the cotton swab and alcohol.

"What other one?" Slivko asked.

The one by your eyebrow," I said tapping my own. "I really don't want to get any of this in your eye, ok? Chin up please."

He obeyed and closed his eyes again. It was different this time because I was coming straight at his face instead of to the side. I used my right hand this time and gingerly held his face with my left, not touching the scratches I just took care of.

"K, here it comes," I warned him before dabbing with the cotton swab. the stool he was sitting on was just a bit too tall and the combination of being on my tiptoes with his face tilted up at me as I stood slightly between his knees to be close enough to reach properly had me feeling lightheaded.

Hank was watching with a smile, his beard trimming put on hold for the moment.

"What are you doing?" Conrad asked suddenly from the doorway, nearly making me jump out of my skin.

I put down the swab but before I could answer, Hank piped up.

"I think she's making sure he goes home with just as handsome a face as when he left."

Conrad looked at me with both eyebrows raised after this comment.

Totally flustered by all of this I hit my hip on the corner of the table as I turned back with the ointment.

"Ouch," I winced, bending over slightly. I couldn't grab it because my hands were clean and I had to put one more dab of ointment on Slivko.

"You ok?" He asked me, opening one eye.

"Yeah I just bumped my hip," I said, still wincing as I dabbed the ointment on and took a step back.
"All done."

I was still wincing from the pain and scrunched to one side as I held my throbbing hip bone.

"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked, getting up from the stool and taking a step toward me.

"I wonder if it's from the seat belt," Conrad piped up, coming to my side.
"Do you mind?" He asked me nicely.

"What?" I asked.

"I think you may be hurt from the crash, you were hanging from the seat belt after all. Would you mind, just, lifting your shirt a little bit?" Conrad asked in the most polite way possible.

Slivko turned another shade of red on the tip of his ears.

I blushed and gingerly pulled up the corner of my shirt to expose one hip. I noticed a tinge of purple and tried to push my jeans down slightly to see better but that hurt. I winced and involuntarily leaned forward. Slivko caught my shoulder.

"It's a pretty bad bruise," Conrad informed me.

"You were walking around all day like this?" Slivko asked, surprised.

I shrugged.
"Guess I must have."

"Well, you're quite a trooper," Conrad smiled and patted my shoulder before walking off and joining Mason on the deck again.

I looked back at Slivko who was still staring at me and I awkwardly shifted.
"Is it feeling better now?" I asked him, gesturing at my face and then his.

He seemed to snap out of something with a slight shake of his head.
"Yeah, fine. Thanks," He said, shoving his hands in his back pockets.

"It was the least I could do," I waved him off. "You did so much more for me today."

"Well," He drew out the word like he was totally up to something. "If you feel like you still owe me, you could give me this dance."

I noticed that the record had just started playing a slow song and Slivko held out his hand. I bit back a smile at the cheesiness of it and placed my hand in his. His grin broke out to full size as he spun me toward the empty part of the room. He pulled me toward him and our hands fell into place, his on my waist, mine on his shoulder.

"Wow," I remarked. "Did you learn to dance in the military too?" I asked, impressed that he knew what he was doing.

"No," he laughed. "I, uh, used to do swing dancing back home," He explained, cutely embarrassed. "Something my mom liked to do."

"That's so sweet," I remarked in all seriousness as we slowly turned. "I don't know how to dance at all, I hope you're not disappointed."

"Nope," He said quickly. "Not a bit."
he smiled softly down at me.

"You two are cuter than box full of puppies," Hank commented, breaking the atmosphere around us.

I snorted and tried not to laugh, burying my face in Slivko's shoulder from embarrassment. He seized the opportunity to wrap his arm around my waist.

"I have been told I look like a Golden retriever," he commented in return.

When I had recomposed myself a little, I lifted my head and settled my chin on his shoulder. I had to admit I was really enjoying myself in the moment. It surprised me how comfortable I became with Slivko so quickly. I had never done anything like this before, but I liked it. It was so strange that, here on this terrible island with so many bad things happening all around us, I was enjoying myself. in our lazy circles my gaze finally landed on the view of the night sky again and as the lights washed over the sky, a wave of guilt washed over me.

I sighed heavily and felt Slivko shiver in response.
"Oh, Sorry," I said, pulling back.

"What's wrong?" He asked, stopping when he noticed my expression.

I shook my head.
"I just... I wish I knew if Jack was safe. I wish he were here, then i might not feel so guilty about enjoying myself," I explained, feeling the sting of tears behind my eyes.

Slivko pulled me close to him again and rubbed my back as he shushed me.
"It used to really bug me whenever some of the guys got leave and they would come back with all these great stories, bragging about all the fun they had while I was stuck on base. One time I mentioned it to Jack and do you know what he said?"

"What?" I asked, the side of my face pressed to his shoulder.

"Why be mad at some one for enjoying themselves?"

Chapter Text

The combination of Slivko's comfortable shoulder, warmth, and rubbing my back soon made me realize I was exhausted. Every muscle that had been tensed from the stress of the day suddenly relaxed a bit, including my eyelids.

"Did you just doze off?" Slivko asked, an amused lilt in his voice.

"I'm so tired," I said lazily, putting so much of my body weight against Slivko.

"Oh, somebodies bed time," Hank commented when he noticed us.
"That doorway," he pointed past us. "Take a right then the last door on the right. I made the best hammock in there."

Slivko nodded and steered me that way. The hallway was really dark, only a shaft of moonlight from the far end came in. My sleepiness was slowly being replaced with fear again.

"I don't mind sleeping in there," I said, jerking my thumb back behind us.

"There's no where to sleep in there," Slivko pointed out.

"I can fall asleep anywhere."

"You'd be way more comfortable in the hammock."

"But where will-"

"Maybelle, what's wrong?" He asked pointedly.

"It's a dark creepy hallway and it's far from where the rest of you are and I'm scared," I admitted quickly.

Slivko chuckled as we finally entered the room. The hammock did look awesome, like you would feel like a baby kangaroo in a pouch. It hung to the left of the doorway and the wall to the right had an open window. It probably started as just a hole, but Hank had done his best to make it more homey.

"We're safe, remember? Hank said the wall keeps the big stuff out," Slivko reminded me, nudging me toward the hammock.

"Yeah, the big stuff. But what about the little stuff or the flying stuff or the crawling climbing stuff that could get through that window-" My increasingly agitated rant was cut off by Slivko's hand covering my mouth.

"Ok ok!" Slivko relented. "Geez now you've freaked me out. You think of everything." He complained.

I sniffled again and He sighed.
"What now?"

"Jack is out there with all of it," I choked.

"Maybelle," Slivko entreated, grabbing my shoulders. "Please turn off your brain and just go to sleep."

"I can't turn it off," I whimpered.

He stared at the ceiling for a moment, hands still braced on my shoulders.
"I hope nobody kills me for this," he finally sighed.

He led me over to the hammock and hopped right in, leaving one leg thrown over the side and planted on the floor.
"Get in," he sighed again.

Too tired to complain or argue, and actually grateful that I wouldn't be alone in this dark creepy place, I did as he said. The whole time I was trying to get in I had that funny sensation like when you lean back too far in your chair and expect you'll die. But when the peril was finally over and I was finally in, Slivko's right arm as my pillow, I had to admit it was a really awesome hammock. It wasn't stretched flat like most hammocks you see in people's back yards, it was more like trying to pick someone up in a blanket. The sides curled up around us cozily and rolled us toward each other. I soon had his shoulder as my pillow again and found a now familiar comfort in it.

"I'll keep your brain occupied till you fall asleep," he said quietly. "Why don't we play that game again, when we were walking through the jungle and taking turns asking questions."

I could feel the vibration of his voice when he spoke and our feet got all tangled together in the narrow end of the hammock as he set us rocking with his foot and pulled it in. I don't know if it was just because I was exhausted or what, but it was the most comfortable thing in the world to me.

"Ok, me first. What in the world do you smell like?" I asked.

"Smell like?" He asked surprised. "Dirt and sweat I'm sure- please don't sniff me," he said, grabbing my nose as I tried to smell his shirt.

"No, it's a good smell and I have been trying to figure it out since the night you helped me do the inventory," I explained as I grabbed his hand off my nose but didn't let go.

He seemed flustered.
"My aunt makes soap and she puts it in the care packages dad sends me, it's probably something in that," he explained.

I was about to ask him why he didn't mention his mom but he reminded me it was his turn.

"Why did you become an accountant?" He asked, not doing anything with the hand I was still holding.

I shrugged a little and used both hands to play with his, looking at it as I answered.

"It was the shortest and cheapest course they offered .. that would get me a good job anyway," I answered. He had extremely long fingers.

"I thought maybe you liked math," he said.

"I hate it," I giggled and he laughed at me too.

"How can an accountant hate math?!" He asked with a laugh.

"Easily," I answered. "Ok, so you said your dad had a garage right? So what's your favorite car?"

"Easy," he answered immediately. "68 Dodge Charger."

"Ooh," I commented. "In black I guess."

"Yep," I could hear the grin in his voice.

"Nice," I commented.

He hummed in thought and I could feel it in my ear.
"Is there anyone that would kill me for this?" He asked nervously.

"Maybe my mom," I chuckled. "But probably not if she knew the circumstances. Which she probably never will, so I just won't tell her about this." I answered his question and this led neatly to the one I wanted to ask.
"What does your mom put in your care packages?" I asked.

Slivko was quiet for a moment before he sighed.
"Nothing," he said in a voice so soft and sad I immediately regretted asking.

I held his hand tenderly, curly our arms in between us.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Slivie. I didn't mean to-"

"It's ok," he cut me off. "It's not like she abandoned me or anything. It was breast cancer, nothing anybody could do. Nobodies fault," he assured me, squeezing my hand back.

I nodded sadly and rubbed my thumbs on his hand in effort to comfort him.

"But we're trying to keep your mind off sad things, remember?" He asked with that usual Slivko pep in his voice again.
"I'm gonna ask questions and you just answer and try to fall asleep, ok? Hmm let's see.. do you like gold or silver?"

"Silver," I yawned.

"Batman or Super Man?"

"Spider-Man."

"That... wasn't an option, but noted. Sailing or flying?"

"Flying," I yawned again and curled into his side some, my eyes closing heavily and my nose getting a steady supply of soap and sweat and dirt that was kinda good all together in a weird way.

"Me or Conrad?" Was the last thing I heard from him that night.

"You," was the last thing I said.

Chapter Text

"Slivko?" I called, searching in the dark jungle around me.

There was no answer aside from the insects and creatures shrieking around me.

"Jack?" I called as I pushed branches aside and stumbled over the rocks and roots around me.

I started to feel panic as I groped around in the dark, the noises pressing closer around me.

"Slivko!"  I cried, trying to go faster through the darkness.

Through the buzzing and the shrieking I heard steady thuds, like giant footsteps. They were getting closer, louder, and I pressed forward in terror. I was stumbling, branches scratching my face and arms, tripping over rocks and slipping in mud. Right when it sounded like the footsteps were right on top of me, the ground I tread gave way to a cliff. With a scream I fell through the air and

THUD!

My eyes opened and were blinded by the sunlight streaming through the window. I propped myself up and squinted, looking around, seeing a familiar ship cabin around me and a certain hammock that still had a hold of one foot. Now that I was safe from the dangers of my dream, I dropped my head down and groaned in pain from hitting the floor. Once satisfied, I sat up and looked around. No sign of Slivko, but in the corner was the mirror Hank had been using last night, a big bowl of water, and my back pack. I leaned forward on my hands and knees, poking my head out the door and looking both ways down the hall.

"Hello?" I called.

No answer.

"Guys?" I called a little louder for good measure.

Alone. Good.

I crawled over to the mirror and water and started washing up. I smiled as I took all my travel size toiletries out of my back pack.

"Who's crazy now, Grace?" I muttered to myself.

I had packed some extra clothes as well, so I used the shirt I was wearing like a washcloth and cleaned my face, neck, arms and most of my body. At the end I washed my hair and then put on my clean clothes, feeling much more human again. I packed all my stuff up, putting my dirty clothes in the bottom of my back pack. I could have left behind to lighten my load a little, but it just felt wrong leaving my stuff behind in this scary place. I stood and put my back pack on my shoulders, looking around to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything and my eyes landed on the hammock for a moment. I got a mental picture of Slivko and I nestled in it, me playing with his hand as we talked, and I blushed super hard. I was so exhausted, the last thing I really remembered was him telling me about his mom. I went to leave the room, but something held my body back for just a moment as I still gazed at the hammock. It was like I was trying to commit it to memory or something. Satisfied with both my mental picture and my mental instability, I finally left it behind and went to find the others.

I stepped out into the sweltering heat of the sun and took a look around in case anyone was nearby. The natives were busily working around the village, but a few noticed me and came over. As they approached I gave a respectful bow to greet them, not sure exactly what I was supposed to do. They nodded back to me, their eyes almost lifeless in their stoic expressions. They extended their yellow painted arms back towards where they came from, a gesture for me to come this way. I obliged them and was led to a small circle of women who beckoned me to sit with them. Once I was seated on some palm leaves I was handed a bowl of some meat and some cut up fruit.

"Thank you," I said aloud before remembering I should bow instead of speak. I couldn't help but smile at them, though. They sure were nice considering where they lived.

I began eating quietly with them, looking at the work they were doing. One was making thread and another was weaving a basket while others cut fruit and meat. I was surprised when a small girl emerged from behind one womans back. I hadn't seen any children yet. She stood there, watching me with shining black eyes. Then I felt a gentle tug on my hair and saw another girl, slightly bigger, stroking it carefully. The women glanced up as they worked, not too concerned. I held still, not bothered by the attention.

Five minutes later I had two little girls putting the final touches on a new hairdo, and the little one had drawn all over my left arm in their yellow body paint.

"Look at you," Mason's amused voiced piped up to my left. "You've been accepted into the tribe."

Satisfied with their handiwork, the little girls scurried away. The small one looking back at me one more time before disappearing.

"How do I look?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Not bad at all," She said honestly before pulling up her camera to take a picture.

I posed cheesily for it before bowing to the women around me and getting up.

"I'm gonna go check out the boat, you coming?" I asked her.

She gave me a weird smirk.
"Nah, i'm gonna hang out and take some more pictures. I want to get as much of this civilization as possible, there's no other like it," She explained in clear reverence of these people thriving on such an inhospitable island.
"But, uh," She smirked again. "Say hi to Slivko for me."

I was left staring at her back, confused as she strolled away. If I wasn't mistaken, she giggled to herself too. I grabbed my back pack and headed for the boat, but after a few steps a sudden realization made me stop midstep. What if Mason knew about... about the hammock?

Oh geez.

I could see the boat ahead of me now. Victor was perched on the nose of it, observing the scenery while Hank and Conrad worked on the helm. I didn't see Slivko. As I got closer the sound of their conversation drifted toward me and I thought I could hear Slivko's voice. Hank and Conrad were grinning at something, I assumed work was going well on the boat.

"Oh, Hey Maybelle!" Hank called out with a wave when he noticed me coming, the grins still plaster on his and Conrad's faces.

"I'm not falling for it," I thought I heard Slivko's voice from somewhere down in the hatch with the engine.

"You look lovely this morning, Maybelle," Hank said, suspiciously putting emphasis on my name. "The little ones got ahold of you, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm not actually sure what my hair looks like," I said as I gingerly felt it.

Slivko popped up out of the hatch like a prairie dog at the sound of my voice. He had grease smudges on his face and arms and his skin glistened with sweat. His surprised face soon melted into a goofy grin, squinting into the sun light.
"Looks nice," He smiled.

"Thanks," I said, stepping onto the boat now as Hank and Conrad stifled giggles.

I looked at them oddly for a moment.
"So how's it going?"

"Well, Slivko seems very optimistic that we can set off by noon. But he woke up in a ridiculously good mood," Hank chuckled.

Slivko's face was already ruddy from working in the heat, but the tips of his ears all but burst into flames. He ducked back down into the hatch before answering.
"Yeah it's right on the verge," He said.

"Can you really get her running?" Hank asked.

"Yeah, if I don't, my Dad will disown me.. if I ever see him again," Slivko mumbled the last part.

"Hey," I said in a no nonsense way. "You will."

I set my back pack on deck and sat down next to the hatch.

"Well, I suppose if anyone can turn her on, it's you, Slivko," Conrad stated like there was some inside joke or double meaning to this.

There was a thud and some muttered cursing from the hatch.

Chapter Text

"What are you guys up to?" I asked them, sensing something was amiss.

Conrad and Hank suddenly broke their teammate stance and shook their heads, assuring me nothing was up in that way only guilty people do. They went back to tinkering with their project all too innocently.

"Ok," I said, still suspicious. "Well, what were you guys talking about before?"

So much happened all at once, Victor spat out a  humorless 'Ha!', another thud and more muffled cursing from the hatch, and Hank and Conrad snorting back laughter.

"The heck is the matter with all of you?" I aimed mostly at the men on deck.
"Are you ok, Slivko?"

"I'm fine," Slivko said with a strained voice. "We were... we... were..." he grappled for a moment for words. "Catching Hank up on everything that's been happening in the world, weren't we Conrad."

The last bit was not a question, it was a command. And Conrad obeyed, forcing a straight face and recited some facts about the war.

"Hold the phone here, Churchill," Hank interrupted, gaining Conrad's genuine attention now. "Russia was our ally. Now you're saying we're at war with them?"

"It's more of a Cold War," Conrad explained.

"Cold War?" Hank questioned. "Like...like they take the summers off?"

He was so innocent, so dead serious, I almost burst out laughing. Conrad just stared at him at a complete loss for words, while I casually bit my lips, tried to breath and pretended the tears coming out of my eyes were natural. Slivko emerged briefly and witnessed this with a lopsided smile.

"What about the Cubs?" Hank suddenly asked, excitedly. "The Cubs win a World Series yet?"

"The Cubs?" Slivko repeatedly doubtfully.
"Man, not even close. Were they ever good?"

Conrad gave him a mildly stern look, warning him to watch it.

"Happens to be my team," Hank defended. "Where are you from?"

"Detroit," Slivko answered, a little playfulness in his tone that I recognized as bringing trouble.

"Oh ok yeah," Hank countered. "The Tigers, they win at all this year?" He already had a smugly satisfied look on his face like he already knew the answer.

Conrad watched Hank with an amused smile threatening to crack on his face.

"Well, no," Slivko admitted.

"No? Then, yeah," Hank said victoriously.

Slivko gave me a sideways glance before popping up and asking "Hey, who do you think would win in a fight, a tiger or a cub?"

I stared up at this boy with furrowed brows because I was confused and forcing myself not to smile or laugh like I really wanted to.

"...a Tiger would win," Hank said matter of factly.

Slivko grinned and nodded adorably. I wanted so much to giggle at his cuteness but it was conflicted with the view of his muscular chest being eye level for me at the moment. That soft green shirt really draped well over him. He soon ducted back down into the hatch, pleased with himself.

"Because a cub is a baby bear," Hank went on. "A full grown Tiger could eat a baby bear."

Slivko had a smirk on his face as he pulled up a hose and handed it to me. I was practically screaming in my closed mouth trying not to laugh, it was killing me.

"You gotta think it through," Hank told him, tapping his temple with a hammer.

"We also put a man on the moon," Victor piped up, drawing Hank's attention away so I could wipe my tears and breathe, shaking my head at a still grinning Slivko.

"Be nice to him," I mouthed, barely a whisper, in scolding Slivko.

"No kidding," Hank stated, impressed as he glanced at the sky. "What'd they do, just leave him up there?"

A laugh nearly escaped me, coming out as a strange noise as I rolled over on the deck and heaved with the pain of silent laughter.

"What's he eating up there?" Hank asked.

Without missing a beat, the up till now humorless Victor replied "Spam. Tang."

This only made my situation worse and also caused Slivko to snort and give up as well, leaning over and resting his forehead on my shoulder as he laughed too. He snapped right back up like nothing happened when Hank started to ask him a question. I could look at no one and could not speak or I would certainly lose it, so I pretended to be looking down into the hatch.

I don't even know what they said, I was so focused on regaining my composure.

Soon Slivko ducked back down in the hatch and messed with a few things before looking up at me with his puppy dog eyes, our faces close. His eyes were brown, I discovered as I melted like a chocolate bar in the sun.

"Sorry I left you alone this morning," he said quietly just for me, the color rising to the tips of his ears again.

"It's ok," I said just as softly. "I figured you'd be working on this as soon as it was light enough. It's way more important. I did fall out of the hammock tho."

"Oh my gosh, are you ok?" He asked concerned as he fumbled the wrench he was using.

"I'm fine," I assured him, amused and touched at the amount of concern he always showed for me when other things were clearly more important.

"I had a hard time getting out of the hammock too," he said. Like an idiot I missed the beginning of his playful tone.

"It is hard getting in and out of them, isn't it?" I agreed.

"Especially when someone is hugging you like a teddy bear and has their leg thrown over you," He countered with a flirtatious smile that instantly made me blush.

Mortified, I covered my stunned red face with my hands.
"Yes I imagine it's hard to escape from that as well," I agreed embarrassed.

"Especially when you have to, but don't want to."

I bit a flustered smile back and sat up, unable to handle Slivko at this proximity while he was emitting so much flirt. I was literally reacting like a little school girl, he had flustered me up so bad.

"I think we can try it now," Slivko announced to Hank and Conrad.

"Alright," Conrad replied. "Almost ready here too."

After a minute more of tinkering, they tried to start her up. Slivko crouched in the hatch, monitoring his handiwork and making changes as needed. She sputtered once and they set up to try again. I sat on pins and needles with fingers crossed. She nearly caught that time.

"Third times the charm," Slivko said hopefully.

With a terrible racket and belch of black smoke, she roared to life.

"Yes!" Slivko cried with a cough as he emerged from the hatch.

"You did it!" I yelled, excitedly throwing my arms around his neck. I was still squealing as I pulled back and grabbed his face, planting a kiss on his forehead before I knew what I was about. Both of us just stared at each other in mild shock for half a moment till I cleverly excused myself, saying I would go get the others.

As I scampered back to the village I kept my fingers pressed to my smiling lips. That was the first time they had ever made contact with a boy.

Chapter Text

I excitedly gathered Mason, San and Houston and we ran back to the dock, the whole village on our heels. Hank was patting Slivko on the back as the boat rumbled steadily. As we approached, Slivko turned and we locked eyes. His broad celebratory smile turned into soft lopsided one just for me and his eyes looked at me in a way that put butterflies in my tummy. It made me contemplate staying here behind these walls where it was safer just so nothing bad could happen to him. He was watching me so fixedly he was startled by Mason boarding the boat ahead of me and flinging her arms around him.

"You did it!" She cheered as his eyes widened and his arms went out for balance.

He looked nervously at me but I just giggled. Houston helped San board the boat and I followed. Hank's happy expression turned somber as he gazed past my shoulder. I turned to see the villagers crowded on the bank, the two blue painted elders had been right behind me. Everyone fell silent as they looked at them, not sure how they were going to react to this. Slivko reached around Mason and hooked a finger in my belt loop, pulling me away from Hank and them and right next to him instead.

"Well," Hank said to them, sounding a little choked up. "I guess.. this is goodbye."

The elders bowed to him as the boat started drifting from the bank. I was struck by the sadness of this moment. 28 years was a long time, he knew these people longer than anyone he knew back home, and now he was leaving them behind on this island of monsters. Sure, his plan had always been to leave here, but it's one thing in theory and another in practice. I reached fro Slivko's hand as the shore got smaller, Hank never taking his eyes off the villagers and they never moved a muscle as they watched us in silence. The wall guarding the river was lifted for us to pass and it soon blocked our last view of them. Mason had taken a few photos and now seemed glassy eyed as well. Hank sighed as he wiped his eyes. I slipped my hand from Slivko's and went over to comfort him, patting him on the back. He gave me a small smile and recomposed himself, putting a hand on my shoulder in thanks.

"Alright," He said, clearing his throat. "North side of the island. Let's get going!"

I sat at the very front of the boat, the breeze running over the water was cool and it blew my hair behind me. Slivko perched on the top of the boat messing with the radio, trying to get a signal. I turned at looked at Hank who leaned on the side of the boat just behind me.

He smiled at me and I smiled back.
"You know," he began, looking in his shirt pocket and producing a photo. "I have a wife."
He handed me the photo and I carefully gripped it, afraid of something so precious flying away with the breeze.
"Had a wife?" Hank suddenly questioned himself. "I don't know anymore. Right before my plane went down she sent me a message saying we just had a baby boy. Imagine that! I have a son out there. A full grown man I've never met."

I could feel my heart breaking as I handed him back the photo. So many things had been stolen from him.

"Yeah," Slivko piped up. "She definitely thinks you're dead."

"Hey!" Conrad and I both yelled at him, I chucked a loose bolt for good measure.

He just shrugged at us after dodging the projectile. 28 years was a long time, and I kind of had to agree with Slivko, but that's not what we should say to Hank.

"You never know how long a person can wait," Conrad tried to comfort Hank.

"Yeah, I'm sure you got yourself a good girl Hank," I assured him. "If I had a little person that was half me and half the love of my life I would wait forever."

Hank smiled at me sadly.
"I'm fine either way," He said, gazing ahead again. "You do remind me of her, though."

"Well then she's probably waiting for you," I told him.

This made him smile a little more genuinely. Our moment was shattered by the radio crackling to life.

Slivko gave a relieved cheer as Mills was heard on the other end.

"Slivko man it's good to hear from you!" He crackled through.

"It's good to hear you too!" Slivko replied.

"Where you at?"

"We're on a boat. Well, it's more of a plane.. boat. It's a ploat," Slivko replied cutely.

"Where'd you get a boat?" Mills asked, surprised.

"We found this crazy Santa Clause guy from World War 2, you'll meet him," Slivko said with a smile, making me chuckle.

"Have them send up a flare," Conrad reminded him.

"Oh yeah, send up a flare so we can get your location."

We all quieted down and kept an eye out before seeing a flash of red burst over the trees ahead of us.

We all cheered.
"You're about two clicks north of us, we're on our way to you. get over to the river on the West side of your position," Slivko instructed.

Mills was asking something about the boat but the radio was garbling it up.

"Ask if Jack is there!" I got up and rushed to the base of the roof, looking up hopefully at Slivko who immediately complied.

There was no answer but static no matter how many times he repeated it. He looked down at me apologetically.

"It's ok, guess we'll see soon enough," I said, deciding to stand in the shade for a bit.

Slivko hopped down from his perch now that the radio had done enough for us.

"Who's Jack?" Hank asked, intrigued as he looked between Slivko and I.

"Her brother in law," Slivko answered him quickly.

"Brother in law?" Hank repeated with mild surprise. "Where's your sister?"

"Back home," I answered. "It's.. It's really complicated how I ended up being here."

"The more I get to know about you guys, the more complicated it all sounds," Hank agreed, scratching his head.

Victor stood at the bow and gazed at the peninsula we were head for, the smoke from the flare drifting in the breeze.

"Thank go-"

We never got to hear what he was thankful for because in that second he was lifted off the boat by some horrid flying monster. I screamed and Slivko pushed me under the protection of the boat before he grabbed his gun and ran to the bow with Conrad, trying to shoot the creature and save Victor. More of the terrible things were swarming as Victor screamed. I watched in mute terror as my blood ran cold.

"I can't get a clear shot!" Slivko cried, neither he or Conrad able to fire a shot.

The things grabbed at Victors limbs, pulling him three directions at once before one swooped in and took his arm off. His screams were so horrible that I promptly turned and vomited over the side of the boat. San came over and patted my back, tears filling her eyes.

"He's gone," Hank stated, as the screams faded.

This wasn't good enough for Slivko though.
"Are we not gonna say anything about what just happened?!"

"He's gone!" Hank stated more firmly. "Nothing we could do," He added a little less harshly.

Slivko turned and saw me still heaving over the side.

"Oh geez," he said, rushing over to me. "Are you ok Maybelle?"

I spit and wiped my mouth before straightening back up to face the devastated look on Slivko's face. He held my shoulders and waited for me to answer.

"I thought we were done dying," I sobbed. "Things started to go well, I thought no one would die anymore. He- he," I began crying harder and Slivko hugged me tightly.

"I know, I know," He said as he rubbed my back. "I'm sorry."

I pulled back just enough to look at him.
"Please," I begged. "Please don't sit on top of the boat anymore."

Chapter Text

Conrad and Hank lightly grounded the Ploat on a pebbley bank of the river. We all disembarked and milled around, very quiet after what had just happened. I had managed to recompose myself enough by then and turned my attention to the downcast Slivko who was sitting beside me on a log.

"Hey," I said softly.
When he didn't respond, I gently took his hand and slipped my fingers between his.
"Don't beat yourself up, alright?" I told him. "There's no ...pterodactyl protocol," I sighed at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.
"You did the best you could."

He sighed and stared at our entwined fingers.

"You reacted really quickly, though," I commended. "And you just jumped right out there where you could've gotten snatched up, which now that I think about it gives me chest pains," I sighed but Slivko exhaled one little laugh.

"I know I'm not your commanding officer or anybody special, but I'm really proud of everything you've done," the words were only just out of my mouth when we heard something moving through the foliage behind us.

Slivko turned and a small smile appeared as he recognized who it was. He turned to me and gave my hand a squeeze.
"You are special, Maybelle," he said before getting up and running over to Packard and Mills who had emerged from the jungle.

I stood up and scanned the new coming faces for Jack. There was Packard, Mills, Cole, and Reles. Randa was there with them too and Houston and San ran up to him. That rude Landsat guy trailed out of the jungle with some more military men but no Jack. I went up to Mills who was talking with Slivko.

"Where's Jack?" I asked him.

He, Cole and Reles exchanged a look.
"The last time the radio worked, he was with the downed C Stallion to the West. We were on our way to him when we got you guys on the radio," Mills explained.

"Yes! Thank goodness!" I said, the relief lifting the weight off my chest.

I overheard Packard and Conrad talking about Jack which initiated an outburst from Hank.

"We have a saying on the island," Hank began in near hysterics. "East is best, West is worst. And we say it for a good reason. Now northwest... eh we can talk about that."

Conrad also seemed doubtful about going to find him because it took us away from the rendezvous point and time. I understood that, I did, but Jack was family and he needed to get back to his wife and son. I couldn't live with myself if I just left him behind in this horrible place just so I could go home. I marched over to them.

"I know the needs of the many should outweigh the needs of the few and all that," I began on Conrad. "But there is a little boy waiting for his daddy to come home and I won't be able to live if I don't try to make that happen."

He stared hard at me with his brows knit.

"Fine," he said after a sigh. "But if we don't find him at those coordinates we don't go off looking, we get back here by morning."

"Fine by me," Packard smiled.

"Thank you," I said quietly and earnestly to Conrad.

"This is a good group of boys," Hank was saying to Slivko and his friends. "We're all gonna die together out here. You're a good group of boys to die with, I'll tell you that much," he laughed a bit neurotically.
"You shouldn't have come here."

I turned and raised a brow at him and saw the equally disturbed looks on the faces of the soldiers he spoke to. I had gotten a little bit used to Hank by now but this was their first encounter with him and it showed.

Slivko came over to me with an anxious look on his face.

"Maybelle, I'm not sure about this," he said to me quietly, leading me away from over hearing ears. "It sounds dangerous. Mills was saying that Packard has been acting strange too. I don't think this is safe."

"This whole place isn't safe," I said. "Either way, it'll be hard to live with the possible consequences. Either we leave Jack here and I can never see my sister or my nephew again, or we take a chance where other people could die. There's no winning. I know I'm totally not logical on this because my family is involved, I know that. But I have to do this."

Slivko ran his hand over his face and sighed, his other hand on his hip.
"Alright, fine," he said. "But for the love of God, be careful and don't leave my side. If things go bad you stay right behind me, ok? Promise."

I put out my pinky and he eyed me before hooking his around it.
"Promise."

Chapter Text

We all set off from there, wasting no time. Slivko walked beside me as Mills and Reles questioned him about Hank and our adventures. I mostly stayed quiet and focused on keeping up. Slivko would glance at me regularly to assure I kept my promise to stay by his side.

"Maybelle," Reles said, getting my attention. "Right before we lost the radio connection, Jack asked about you. I just thought you should know that."

"Thank you, Reles," I told him as my heart clenched.

As much as I was worried about Jack, I knew he was just as worried about me. I wish I could have talked to him once to let him know I was alive this whole time. At least I should be seeing him soon.

"So you've kept Slivko alive this whole time, good job," Reles continued with small chuckle when he noticed my stricken face.

"Are you kidding?" I asked. "He's saved my life like six times so far."

"What's this?" Cole said from behind us. "Slivko did?"

Slivko and Mills were looking at me now too.

"What?" I asked them all. "He's in the military, sweethearts."

The guys fell apart laughing at this and Slivko turned red remembering I was quoting his own words.

We reached the top of a grassy hill and the sight before us halted the laughter and sucked all the optimism out of my body. It was a wasteland of bones covered in smoke and gloom.

"I told you," Hank said nervously. "This is their territory. We'll never make it through."

Packard ignored him and pressed forward.

"I've only lived here 28 years," Hank muttered. "What do I know?"

"I'm sorry Hank," I said, feeling bad for doing this to him.

"I don't mind helping you look for your family," Hank told me. "But I don't think his cause is as noble as yours," he said nodding at Packard.

Slivko shifted the bag he was carrying and gripped his gun before looking seriously over at me.
"Right by me," he reminded and I nodded.

The smell was awful. It was like the sulfur smell from the hot springs in Yellowstone, but worse. There was the smell of death. Mason and Randa were taking pictures of the fallen giants around us. I was in awe of them as well. How often do you see a fresh triceratops skull?

A sudden explosion of flames caused me to jump and grab the back of Slivko's shirt as he turned to face the cause of the blast.

"Watch those fumes!" Randa yelled, as Cole dusted himself off.

I felt Slivko relax and I breathed again. Hank was sticking close to Slivko and I, brandishing a katana. Conrad and Mason weren't far off either.

Our cautious trail through the boneyard was going fairly well, until a bloodcurdling growl came from the smoke to our left. Before I could fully experience the terror of what that meant, Slivko and Hank both grabbed me and threw me behind a large bone and sandwiched me between them. Mason and Conrad crouched behind one ten feet away. Everyone scattered to various hiding places, but the thing was heading our way, the sound of footsteps and a terrible dragging noise approaching as it growled and gurgled. It was right over us, smelling worse than the fumes and decay. My breathing became uneven.

"Don't look," Slivko whispered as he held onto me from behind, the side of his face pressed to mine.

I closed my eyes and bit my lips, trying not to make a sound, as the thing above us started retching. It was so awful I wanted to vomit as well, but I had already emptied my stomach earlier. It coughed something up and I could hear the bile and chunks hit the ground and the bone we were hiding behind, the hot, wet, rancid smell swirling in my face.  With a moan, the thing turned and left the way it had come, the same stomping and dragging noise fading away. I heard Hank whispering to Conrad about something, couldn't make it out. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Hank's back.

"Are you ok?" Slivko asked, his face still beside mine.

"I think so," I replied. "Are you?"

"Yeah," he answered.

Hank turned to face us.
"It's ok now, go that way," he said pointing behind us.

I knew that none of this was ok, especially not to Hank, but there was no time to be suspicious. That thing was still around, I just knew it. But we had to keep going. Slivko picked me up with him as he stood and turned me away from whatever that thing had coughed up. We all regrouped and began pressing forward again, everyone who had a gun had it drawn and pointed it at every noise we heard. Mason and Randa aimed their cameras with the same rigors. I held the strap of Slivko's bag and followed him on shaky legs.

I'm sure in the history of the world, one picture has made all hell break loose before, but not quite like this. Mr Randa snapped a photo and the flash bulb kept sparking and popping. The faint cry of the skull crawler was heard again. I think my heart stopped beating as its thudding steps were heard coming at a much faster pace.

Mr Randa's last words were a curse.

The thing was so much bigger and scarier than I imagined from the natives depiction of them. It seemed like it wasn't fully formed. The skull bone was exposed and the body was a sickly purple color like exposed muscles. It only had two front legs and long, thick tail. It opened its huge jaws and devoured Mr Randa. I heard Houston scream. With a flick of its tail, the skull crawler vanished back into the smoke, the whole attack lasting mere seconds.

I found myself with Mason in the protective circle of Conrad, Slivko, and Hank. We could still hear the pops and flashes of the camera going off as the skull crawler circled us with terrifying speed, until a sickly moment of silence. The calm before the storm.

Hank took a stance with his blade and said something in Japanese.

Then the storm hit.

The Skull crawler burst from the smoke barreling down on us. Conrad and Slivko grabbed Mason and I and hauled us out of the way as Hank sidestepped it's claw and dealt a severe slash down its arm before it was off assaulting the others. Slivko pulled me over to a huge skull and shoved me inside.

"Stay here!" He told me before running off, firing shots at the monster.

"No!" I yelled as I tried to grab him and keep him from going. But, just like Jack, he was a soldier first.

Packard beckoned him over to where they were, but before he could take more than a few steps, a vent by him exploded in flames and I watched as he was thrown through the air like a rag doll. I screamed the most painful scream that ever escaped my throat. He lay there not moving, a green gas seeping from the bag he had been carrying. Tears streaming down my face I ran to him, not caring about that monster.

"Slivko!" I yelled as I slid to his side in the dirt.
"Wake up! Please wake up!" I said shaking him and touching his placid face.

I heard the Skull crawler screech behind me and turned to stare into its face as the green smoke swirled around it.

I tried harder to get Slivko to get up when Mason went running by, distracting the monster into chasing her instead. She slid under this cage of rib bones and I heard her scream as it crashed through them. Packard yelled and there was a burst of flames as they tried burning it.

"Maybelle!" Conrad yelled suddenly appearing by my side. "Is he alive?!"

"I don't know!" I cried.

"Slivko!" Conrad yelled, slapping him in the face.

Slivko's eyes shot open and he gasped.

"Yes!" I said as relief washed over me.

Conrad and I pulled him up but he had hurt his leg. We put his arms around our shoulders and tried to make our get away when the soldier with the flame thrower went sailing over our heads.

"Run!" Conrad yelled.

I struggled but I was not giving up. Gritting my teeth I summoned every ounce of determination and strength I had. We were making it close to this cave and barely sidestepped a vent near the entrance, the skull crawler bearing down on us. In a sudden burst of explosive heat, the three of us were thrown forward, Mason also landing beside Conrad. The Skull crawler screamed in well deserved agony as its chest was burned open. Convinced it was dying and no longer a threat, I laid back and tried to breathe. We all just laid there in exhausted agony.

"Sorry.. about.. your.. Dad's lighter," Mason panted.

"It's fine," Conrad said, equally out of breath.

"You didn't stay there," Slivko said, hitting my arm.

I rolled my eyes.
"You almost died," I pointed out, kicking his leg.

The realization hit me for real now and I used the last molecule of strength I had to roll over and hug his side.

Chapter Text

"Guys!" Mills yelled.

He and the others ran up and around the dead Skull crawler to see if we were alive.

"Not dead," Slivko called, one arm wrapped around me.

"Looking pretty cozy," Reles commented to him as he held out a hand to help him up.

"Is Hank ok?" I asked as Mills helped me up too.

My question was answered by Hank scurrying over to us right then and patting Slivko and I's cheeks as he grinned happily at us.
"You're alive!" He cried.
"Oh and you guys too," Hank added, looking down and offering Conrad a hand.

Cole came up and helped Mason.

Slivko wobbled on his hurt leg and grabbed onto my shoulder for balance.

"Oh, gosh your leg," I said remembering finally. "how bad is it?"

I supported him and led him over to a rock. He winced as he sat down on it.

"Not terrible," He answered.

Reles and I knelt in front of him and I took my back pack off, busting out the first aid kit again as Reles inspected for breaks.

"Doesn't seem broken," Reles informed us. "Might be a sprain or a pulled muscle."

I got out a bottle Ibuprofen and presented it proudly to Slivko.

"Lucky twerp," Reles chuckled. "You had the nurse with you the whole time."

"Do you need anything?" I asked him, offering up the first aid kit.

"What's the biggest bandage you got?" He asked me.

I rummaged through it and found one about the size of my palm and showed it to him. He nodded.

"Wanna slap it on this?" He asked, lifting up his shirt to show a huge cut on his ribs.

"Oh, my gosh!" I gasped.

"Geez man, what happened to you?" Slivko asked, grimacing at the gory wound.

"Got it in the crash," Reles explained.

I gently inspected it.
"I have some alcohol," I told him. "It might be infected already, but I can slow it down till we get back to the boat."

"I like that optimism," Reles chuckled as I got out the bottle of alcohol.

"Ok," I took a deep breath and let it out in a determined sigh. "this is gonna hurt."

I began pouring it over the wound. His muscles contracted slightly but he didn't make a peep otherwise.

"Wow," I said, impressed as I fanned his skin dry to apply the bandage. "You took that really well."

I threw a look over my shoulder at Slivko, remembering the fuss he made over me cleaning up his face. The tips of his ears were red.

"There you go," I said as I tried to gently smooth the bandage out, but I noticed my hands were shaking.

"Thanks," Reles said as he pulled his shirt back down.

"May?" Slivko called, noticing me watching my shaking hand.

I looked up at him.

"It's probably the adrenaline, you'll be ok," He said, nodding at my hand.
"You ok?"He asked, squeezing my shoulder.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I really should be freaking out, I mean, I just saw people die and I almost died and you almost died- maybe I am freaking out," My voice started to sound croakey as I was on the verge of hysterical crying.

"You can freak out later," Reles told me. "right now you got to keep it together, alright? That's how you're gonna make it out of here."

I nodded, swallowing the excruciating lump in my raw throat.

"Come on you guys," Hank called. "We gotta get moving."

I sighed and put my things back in my pack, putting it back on. I stood and offered Slivko my hand to help him up.

"I can help him," Reles offered as he stood.

"I want to," I replied. "I promised not to leave his side. And we saw what happens when he leaves my side," I pointed out.

Slivko took my hand and got up.

"Lesson learned," he smirked.

I put his arm over my shoulder and we made our way after the others.

"I know I kinda made it a joke, but I am serious, you scared me death," I scolded him firmly.

"I'm sorry May," He said softly as he pulled me closer and kissed the side of my head.

I melted just a little bit and hated myself for it.

"Just don't do it again," I told him, rubbing his back.

"Promise."

We got out of the boneyard without further incident and made it into a strange forest. Everything was pale and flaky, from the trees to the ground. I wondered if we would use the radio to find Jack. I didn't see much sign of the helicopter and I was getting antsy. The only thing that held me together was my grip on Slivko. He'd become such a reassuring, comforting presence, I didn't know what I'd do with out him.

"Are we getting closer, do you think?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure," He told me. "I didn't catch what the coordinates were when they talked about it."

Up ahead I noticed that everyone had stopped and Conrad, Hank and Packard seemed to be arguing. At first I was too far away to hear what exactly they were saying. Slivko and I wobbled up just when Conrad dangled some dog tags in front of Packard.

"Your man is dead," He told him.

My blood ran cold.

"What?"

Every eye turned to me in the following silence, the atmosphere heavy with realization, and the regret crossed Conrad's face instantly.

"I'm sorry, Maybelle," He said, his gaze downcast. He stepped over and handed me the tags.

I hesitated as the world began to spin. I didn't want to touch those, I didn't want to see. But I had to, I had to prove it wrong.

My hand shook as the cool metal hit my palm. One tag was bent, but the engraving caught the light.

Jack Chapman.

My knees nearly buckled as my heart plummeted down to them.

"Where did you get them?" I questioned defiantly.

"Maybelle," Conrad said calmly, but I was set in denial.

"How do you know?!" I demanded, the tears making my voice crack.

Slivko held me tighter.

"I know," He said in a soft voice but firm tone.

"Oh God," I choked, staring at the tags, the hysteria rising. "Billy, Billy-"

I got stuck on repeat until the deep sobs racked my body. Slivko pulled me to him and held me tight as I sobbed onto his shirt.

It was all for nothing. We came this far and Jack wasn't here. He would never go home, no matter how hard I tried to find him. My sister just lost her husband when she was so close to getting him back. Billy wouldn't have a Dad to teach him how to ride a bike- he needed his father for so much still. And I'd just lost one of my best friends- my brother. That gentle southern charm had just been snuffed out like a flame and the world was darker for it. This wasn't fair, this wasn't right. Every realization was like another wave of pain pounding my heart till felt like a physical beating.

"Kong didn't kill Chapman," I heard Conrad saying.

"No, but he did kill these men," Packard retorted, and I heard the jingle of more dog tags.

In that moment something in me snapped.

"You killed them!" I suddenly yelled at him.

Slivko was startled by my sudden violent outburst and tried to reign me in as I went for Packard.

"If you hadn't accept this last mission- if you just let them go home, he wouldn't have died! My sister would still have a husband and my nephew would have his father!" I screamed with startlingly good eloquence for someone who had just been crying as hard I had.

It took Slivko and Reles to hold me back.

"Maybelle, please," Slivko said, his voice choked up.

Packard looked at me with an insane glint in his eye.
"It is not my fault," He stated. "I'm going to get to the chopper and kill that thing."

Hank was at the end of his rope with this situation.
"I can't let you do that!" He said, pointing his blade at Packard.

Packard turned to him and quickly knocked the blade aside and hit Hank with the butt of his gun, causing him to crumple to the ground, before aiming it at him. I saw red and my ears rang as I tried to break free again.

Mason looked as angry as I felt and stepped up to Packard but Conrad pulled her back. He put up his hands in defeat.

"Alright," He consented in a reasonable tone. "You do what you have to do, and I will take these civilians to safety. Alright?"

Packard faltered for a moment before lowering his aim and nodding. I could see that our group had split. Conrad stood with Mason, Hank, San, and Houston and they faced the group of soldiers. As I stood in the middle of this with Slivko I remembered that, he may have been with us this whole time, but he still wore camo.

"You're coming with us, right?" I asked desperately as I turned and grabbed his shirt.

He didn't say a word, didn't even look me in the face.

"Slivie?" I questioned, the panic rising in my chest as I held his face and tried to look him in the eyes.

I'd just lost Jack, I couldn't lose him too.

He gave me a tight hug and I almost felt relieved.

"Conrad," he said. "Keep her safe."

My eyes widened in horror. Jack had made Conrad promise the same thing and he was dead now.

"No!" I cried, holding him tight as he tried to pull away. "We promised! We promised to stay together, please!"

Slivko tried to push me away and I could see the tears on his face as he bit his lips.

"Please, I don't want you to go!" I sobbed clinging to his shirt.

"I have to go!" He cried, trying to pry my hands off of him.

"Maybelle, let him go," Conrad said.

"We promised!"

In the end, Conrad had to hold me back as Slivko tore himself from me, the pain plain on his face as he turned away and held Reles for support. I fought kicking and screaming as I watched them walk away from me, not looking back. Conrad could tel he wasn't going to get me under control anytime soon, so he threw me over his shoulder and carried me away as I sobbed till it felt like I'd never be able to speak again.

Chapter Text

After two minutes of hanging upside down while crying hysterically I was about to pass out. My head was pounding but it didn't compare to the pain in my chest.

Conrad soon set me down on a rock and caught my swaying frame from falling over.

"Maybelle," Conrad said, pushing my hair out of my face. "I know this is hard, and I'm so sorry. But I need you- we need you- to just hold on a little longer. We have to get to the boat. Can you manage to walk on your own and help us get back to the boat in time?"

I was sniffling so much snot, barely able to breathe through my nose. My eyes were cloudy with tears and I could hardly see him properly. My throat felt like a gravel road on fire and my lips were swollen like they usually got when I cried and I felt them cracking, my salty tears stinging them. All in all, I couldn't answer Conrad just then.

"Hold on, let me try," Hank said, sitting beside me.

Conrad sighed and backed off.

"First things first," Hank said, pulling a scrap of cloth from his pocket.
He dried my tears and wiped my face off before letting me blow my nose. After seeing the volume of mucus I expelled, he merely threw the rag over his shoulder. He pulled out a flask and had me take a drink. It did soothe my throat some.

"There now, sweetheart," he said kindly. "Is that just a little bit better?"

I nodded and handed him the flask.

"Now, I may know better than anyone what you're going through, and it's a heck of a lot," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "But you gotta keep fighting for everyone that's left to fight for. We have a chance to get off this island and go home to them. We might even have a chance to get those boys back too, you'll never know if you don't try. I need you to try because I sure don't want to leave a swell gal like you in a terrible place like this, but I gotta get home just like you do. They have to get home too," he pointed to Conrad, Mason, San and Houston who all looked at me with their brows knit in concern and empathy.
"So what do you say? Can you fight a bit longer?"

"None of what happened is your fault," Conrad added. "No one can blame you for what happened to Jack."

I took a deep, shaky breath and let it out in a phlegmy sigh.
"Ok," I said in hoarse, unrecognizable voice.
"You're right, we have to get home. Once we get off the island I can go back to being upset. It won't make me a bad person right?"

"Sweetie," Hank smiled as he hugged me. "You could never be a bad person."

He pulled back and wiped the fresh tears off my cheeks.
"Ok now, save it for later and let's get going."

I got up and managed the strength and will to walk. Hank stayed close to me and it helped offset Slivko's absence. Not by much, though. We walked until the sun started to fall in the sky.

"Alright," Conrad stopped us. "You wait here, I'm going to get to higher ground and spot the boat before it gets too dark."

"I'm going with you," Mason volunteered.

"Fine," he replied.

"I'll be waiting," Hank replied good naturedly as he sat on a log and examined his pistol.

I felt as exhausted as to be expected for someone who had a good cry and hiked through a tropical jungle all in one day. So I put my back pack at Hank's feet, trusting him to protect me, and laid my head on it. I was soon fast asleep.

When I was awoken, night had fully fallen. San was gently shaking me and calling my name.

"Maybelle, wake up," she said.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up, slightly disoriented.

"Come on, we have to go to the boat," she told me.

I looked around.
"Where's Hank?" I asked.

Houston looked nervously around us, fidgeting with his gun.

"He went with Mason and Conrad," San admitted. "They're going to save Kong."

I tried to spring up but I didn't have the strength or coordination at the moment.

"Did they just leave? I want to go," I said, my heart skipping an agonizing beat that they had left me behind.

"Maybelle, you're in no condition to go. They only did it because they were worried about you," San explained. "Now, please, we have to go to the boat."

I got my back pack and put it on. I didn't want to slow these two down and knew we stood a better chance all together, but I was so worried about everyone else too.

"What's the plan? When are they coming?" I asked.

Houston led the way toward the boat.
"We wait till dawn," he answered.

"Then what?"

"We just wait till dawn," he repeated.

The broken pieces of my heart were crushed by what went unsaid. If they weren't there by dawn, we were to leave without them.

The darkness and the silence of my friends left me to my thoughts. My dark and dangerous thoughts. I had realized that, when Jack was discovered to be dead, Packard didn't care to look for anyone else. That meant Jack died alone. If Kong could kill those skull crawlers, what would he do to Packard who was trying to kill him? What would the natives do if he succeeded? They depended on Kong for protection. But most of all, aside from wishing Jack was alive, I wished Slivko were here. I wished he would be safe but I knew how futile attempts of safety were here. And I wondered how I found space to care about him amidst the heart break of losing a family member, knowing the pain the rest of my family would go through when they found out. Four days? Had I really only known him four days?

A small light of relief hit me when we saw the Ploat gleam in the moonlight ahead. We had actually found it. We clambered aboard and sat in the dark, catching our breath. It was odd to have nothing to do but wait. We were all too nervous to fall asleep, afraid of what might come out of the dark. It took just five minutes before our stomachs growled in unison.

Houston grabbed a bag and pulled out some tins of food, tossing some to San and I.

"Gotta eat to live," he said. "That's what we're trying to do right?"

His logic was irrefutable so I felt no guilt in digging right in. It helped quite a bit. It wasn't comfort food, but just having something in my stomach made me feel better. I could finally think again. After licking two tins clean and stretching my tired legs, I settled in for the waiting.

We passed hours in silence and my heart sank when I noticed the sky beginning to lighten. It kept getting brighter, but we never heard footsteps from the woods or any sign from the others. San and Houston got up and nervously paced.

"They told us to leave at dawn," San said.

"I know," Houston stated darkly.

"It's dawn," she pointed out.

"I know," He barked again.

"So what do we do?" she questioned.

"I don't know," he sighed agitatedly.

"I do," I said, standing at the helm and turning the engine on my first try.

Chapter Text

I had watched Conrad and Hank just enough to pilot the Ploat with a measure of success. That, coupled with my resolute determination, turned us into a force to be reckoned with. I was going balls to the walls fast, skipping like a stone over the water, disturbing the peaceful dawn with a maxed out engine roar.

"Which way?!" I yelled at Houston when we approached a fork in the river.

"How would I know?" He cried.

"Seriously?! A geologist with no sense of direction?!" I snapped.

"Go that way!" San told me over the noise as she gestured to the left.

I obeyed without question and turned us that way. This route led us into a gorge with a high rock wall to our left and thick jungle to the right. I prayed we wouldn't run aground or get stuck in too narrow of a passage.

"Get up top," I told San, handing her the binoculars from the cubby by the helm. "Look out for shallows and let me know if it gets too narrow up ahead."

"Houston!" I yelled, getting his attention. "Keep and eye and ear on her for me!"

He nodded affirmative.

We went along fine in the narrow stretch, though it went on far longer than I would have liked. I didn't know if we would come out in the right place. I didn't know where the right place was either. I refused to entertain the notion of how improbable it was that we could find them at all, or the statistical likelihood that they would all be alive. I just kept my hopes and the throttle up.

"It's widening out again!" San informed us.

The river became quite large again as we met up with another fork of it, but our view to the left was still obscured by the mountain. I wished we could get past it faster but the end was in sight. It was then we started to hear the noise. It sounded like something was wrong with the Ploat almost and I was on the verge of panic. There were some thuds and grumbling and a loud sort of bang, but we kept up our speed with no issue, no smoke, no sign of trouble, and were finally about to come out from under the shadow of the mountain.

When that rock wall gave way to the unobstructed view, I echoed that last sentiments of Bill Randa. Coming our way was a huge skull crawler, at least twice as big as the one we'd already encountered. It's hard to read the expression of a creature that wears it's skull on the outside, but this one seemed to me to be more aware and deliberate in its actions. It wasn't a mindless predator like the last one was. It was a deliberate killer, a sentient being. This brought a whole new sense of dread to me. I hoped Packard had not succeeded in killing Kong, he would be our only hope against this. What if it got off the island? There was no telling how much destruction it would be capable of.

"It's them!" San cried, pointing at the water as she looked through the binoculars. "It's them!"

I saw a few small figures struggling to run in the shallow water, and I swear I noticed a red bandana. My heart performed some crazy acrobatics, swelling with relief that at least some of them were alive and we had found them, and plummeting with the stress of that thing bearing down on them.

"Houston," I bellowed. "I hope you're better with that gun than directions."

He looked at me, confused, till I nodded behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the turret and I saw him smirk. We had a plane machine gun.

What happened next I'll never forget. A geologist, biologist, and accountant unwaveringly steered a boat made out of world war 2 aircraft straight into the face of monster. Houston got the gun working like a dream in no time at all and was showering the thing with bullets before I could be surprised. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to slow the thing down but merely pissed it off. I could make them out now. Conrad was in front, followed by Reles, Mills, Hank, and.....

Slivko.

They were bee lining it right for us but so was that thing. Noticing the predicament, Conrad set to luring it after him and away from the Ploat, which both luckily and sadly worked. I slowed down so we could pick them up while Houston desperately tried to reload the machine gun. San came down and her and I began helping the men onto the Ploat. It was strange sensation, like I was two people at once. One was pumping with adrenaline and was only thinking of the next move to stay alive. The other just had the same thought over and over: Slivko is still alive, He's still alive.

We pulled up Hank followed by Reles who both scrambled over to help Houston with the machine gun. I was trying to watch what I was doing, keep an eye on Conrad, and one on Slivko. Right when I was sure I was about to watch Conrad die, the now familiar roar of Kong filled the air. San and I had just pulled Mills aboard then and we all sort of froze as the skull crawler turned to face the source. Kong, looking a little worse for wear, emerged onto the scene. Conrad seized the moment of distraction and started booking it back toward the Ploat. Slivko had paused to look as well and was still staring.

"Slivko!" I barked.

He snapped his head back around to look at me.

"Get on the boat!" I ordered, hand outstretched to help him.

He obeyed and grabbed my hand, sending a bolt of electricity to my heart. He was really there, he was really alive.

"Where's Conrad going?" I asked, noticing him change directions.

"Mason is on the ridge," Slivko replied, pointing it out to us.

Kong and the Skull crawler were getting closer to us as they fought and I instinctively grabbed Slivko's arm.

He turned from the nearing violence to me and looked me square in the eye as he grabbed my shoulders, blocking the horrifying scene.

"Maybelle," He began, his brown eyes full of remorse below his worried brows. "Before anything happens, I am so sorry I left you. Please forgive me, I'm so sorry, I never should have-"

I cut off his rambling attempt at what I'm sure he thought could be his last words. We didn't have time for so many, we needed to get it together and survive. So I put my hands on either side of his face and pulled him in, pressing my lips to his. It wasn't a passionate kiss like you see in movies, it was solid and still, but I think it said everything I needed it to say. It wasn't quick either, even though our situation was urgent. It needed to be long enough to remember, just in case. I had to make sure I knew how his lips felt and how he tasted. Just in case.

I finally pulled away and we both took a deep, much needed breath as he looked so deeply in my eyes I though he might be able to read my mind. I hoped he found whatever he was looking for in them before everything started going wrong.

"He ain't getting up!" Mills yelled.

We turned our attention and saw the Skull crawler pinning down Kong who appeared to be caught in the chains of some wrecked ships in the lagoon. Reles and Hank finally got the machine gun ready again and began firing at it to distract it and give Kong a chance. It stopped just before delivering a death blow to the giant primate and turned to us. Satisfied that Kong was firmly tied down, it turned to us again. The bullets weren't effective enough against it, it was probably like firing a BB gun at a rhino. But without it holding him down, Kong began to struggle against the chains with a herculean effort. Still, it was approaching us too quickly, it would be on top of us before he was free for sure. Everyone who could get their hands on a gun was firing at the monster, hoping for a miracle.

And a miracle we got.

From on the ridge we heard the pop of a flare. It sizzled like a firecracker as it made a straight trip into the creatures eye. At first it just paused, a little confused about what had just happened, until the flare finally popped. It roared in pain as it desperately clawed at its own face, trying to dislodge it. I looked up at Mason on the ridge who had just bought us some time. It was just enough, too. As the crawler was still recovering, Kong freed himself. We watched as a huge boat propeller slammed into the creature and slammed it into the ridge. Mason was knocked from the top, but thankfully was falling over the water and not solid ground, there was a chance she could survive it. Still I was worried for her. Conrad yelled her name and I saw him running that way.

Kong and the skull crawler had a brief struggle before he dealt a blow with the propeller, slashing its throat open.

All together we cheered as the thing fell, lifelessly. San and Houston hugged and Slivko pulled me to him, one arm around my shoulders and one holding my head to his chest. Kong didn't take time to revel in his victory, he went straight to where Mason had fallen and reached into the water.

"Oh my god, he's saving her," I said, pulling my head away to get a better look.

He scooped her out and we saw her small shape in his hand. She wasn't moving. Our worry for her increased when the Skull crawler suddenly moved. It moved just as fast as I did as I screamed to get Kong's attention, everyone joining me. He turned and just barely lifted his forearm in time to block the massive jaws. He tried to fend the thing off one handed, keeping Mason as far from it as possible. Its sinister forked tongue shot out and wrapped itself around Kong's wrist, trying to pull it into it's mouth.

"No!" I cried, covering my own mouth with my hand.

Why wouldn't this thing die? I was so aggravated, this needed to be over, enough people had died.

The skull crawler succeeded in pulling Kong's whole arm down its throat. Kong roared in outrage and fought back, eventually we saw his fist emerge, the Skull crawler's internal organs following suit. It fell limp once more. This time only Hank cheered.

"Come back from that, you son of a-"

the rest of us watched as Kong opened his fingers and observed Mason. He walked to shore, near to where Conrad was, and gently set her down where we couldn't see her. Conrad raced over that way and disappeared from sight too. Kong wearily stepped back and looked at the corpse and our little ploat nearby. He took a deep breath and let out a mighty roar, beating his chest proudly.

"Way to go big guy," Hank smiled and saluted him.

Mills and Reles looked much how I felt, like 20 years was just shaved off our lifespans. Slivko and I were still holding onto each other and I felt him sigh. I looked up at him and he looked down at me, from my eyes to my lips and I blushed, remembering what I had done earlier. I had given him my very first kiss. I wasn't even sure if I knew how to kiss, I had probably botched the whole thing. In the heat of the moment, things were too crazy for me to be self conscious, but now I was. He seemed to be leaning down toward me until Hank interrupted.

"Look!" He yelled, pointing at the shore.

Conrad and Mason stood there waving at us.

"Let's go pick them up," Hank said as he went over to the helm. "Let's get her started back up, Slivko?"

Slivko cleared his throat with a disappointed look before giving a small apologetic look and going over to help Hank.

I noticed Mills staring off into the distance, looking quite sad. I finally did a mental assessment of the survivors and noticed that Cole and Packard were missing.

"Mills?" I called softly, walking up to him.

He turned to me, a tear escaping which he quickly wiped away.

"Cole?" I asked simply.

He shook his head, biting back more tears.

"I'm sorry," I told him, pulling him into a hug.

"I'm sorry about Jack, too," He told me, patting my back. "Oh, that reminds me."

Mills pulled away and set down his pack, rooting in it for a moment before pulling out a well worn black notebook. It was Jack's.

"We found his things, where it happened," He explained sadly. "Figure you could take it home to Grace and Billy."

Tears were now falling from my eyes as I ran my hand over the cracked leather cover. I nodded to Mills but was unable to speak. Reles also came over and patted me on the back.

We were close enough to shore now and we helped Conrad and Mason aboard. Mason and I immediately hugged.

"Are you ok?" I asked, finally choking back the tears just enough.

"Yeah, I'm ok," She assured me. "Thank God you got here!"

"Thank God you fired that flare!" I countered.

"What exactly happened?" She pulled back and asked me.

I pursed my lips in thought as to what to tell her.

"You don't want to know," I told her once I decided that being down a monster's throat was not a pleasant piece of information.

"Alright, who wants to get out of here and get to the rendezvous point?" Hank piped up, steering the ploat away from the shore.

We all gave an exhausted affirmation to his sentiments. I stood at the front of the ploat, the sun finally coming out and shining on us. A flock of white cranes flew over us as we skimmed the sparkling waters. I looked down at the book in my hand and my relieved heart turned into a grieving one again. I knew there was nothing more than this to take home with me, but it would never be enough. Strong arms wrapped around me from behind as Slivko rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Is it Jack's?" he asked softly.

I nodded, tears falling again.

"I'm so sorry, May," he said just as soft as before as he pressed a kiss to the side of my head. I held onto his arms and leaned against him as the sound of distant chopper blades reached our ears, soon cutting through the clouds in front of us.

It was finally over.

Chapter Text

I looked out the chopper window at the Ploat floating idly in the water. It seemed a shame to me to just leave it behind, Hank and Gunpei had worked so hard on it and it was an amazing bit of resourceful engineering. That and the fact it totally saved our lives. It rocked gently in the waves caused by the helicopter and became smaller and smaller as we flew away from it. I guess we were all leaving something behind on this island. My absent minded thoughts were interrupted by Slivko buckling me into my seat properly. Hank sat across from me and smirked as he looked between Slivko and I. The two of them made me realize that we were also leaving this island with something we didn't have before.

"Maybelle," Hank called over the noise. He nodded over at San and Houston. "They told me it was your idea to come for us."

Slivko looked at me as he buckled himself in next to me.

"You did a good job keeping it together," Hank smiled. "You were very brave, Jack would be proud of you."

"He would be," Slivko quickly seconded. "I am too."

I tried to smile gratefully at them while the tears stung my eyes. Slivko slipped his fingers between mine and squeezed my hand as we flew into the clouds and the cockpit darkened.

"I forgot about this part," I said as I squeezed his hand in return when the turbulence hit.

It didn't seem to last as long this time, but the way home is always shorter than the way to your destination. After a brief rough patch the sun was soon filling the smooth flying chopper again. I craned my neck to look out the window, back at the island. It was just a wall of clouds on a blue sea getting farther and farther away. It was almost like waking up from a nightmare, as if the island wasn't really there at all. Part of me felt like nothing had actually happened, but looking at the faces around me, the ones that were there and the ones that were missing, I knew that wasn't true. Hank was holding Gunpei's Katana and staring back toward the island as I had done. We exchanged a look I found a great deal of comfort in. Hank and I would always know the pain of leaving someone we were powerless to save behind.

"But you gotta keep fighting for everyone that's left to fight for."

Hank's words rang in my head again as I looked at Slivko's hand in mine. We were both filthy dirty and a little bloody. My small hand looked like a child's in his larger one, his fingers reaching over the back of my hand nearly to my wrist, but it looked perfect to me. He rubbed my hand with his thumb and I could almost smile again. It was hard for me to think about not having him around, but that's exactly what would happen soon. I would go home to Tennessee and he would go home to Michigan or stay on a base somewhere. So I tried to put my grieving on hold just a little bit longer and really absorb whatever time we had left together. I needed some memories of him that didn't involve fighting for our lives, something to look back on without having to think of that island. But even now I knew that wasn't going to work. I would always think of the moments we had there. When he pulled me out of the helicopter, every time he pulled me behind him to protect me, Slow dancing with him, the hammock, and the kiss. Those things would always happen on the island. I would have to go back every time I wanted to remember one of them.

I leaned my head on his shoulder as the tears fell anyway. They landed on his skin, leaving pale tracks in the dirt he was covered in. He rested his head on mine and held my hand with both of his until the chopper set down on the ship. It was so weird to be back there already. So much had happened in just a few days, it was hard to wrap my head around the concept of time now. Slivko let go of my hand just long enough for us to get out of our seatbelts, and he took it again as he helped me off the chopper. Everyone stood around on deck for a moment and looked at each other. I guess we were all thinking of the last time we were here. We were so excited and hopeful, much less dirty and exhausted. If we knew then what we knew now, we never would have left the ship. And I was remembering the last time I saw Jack was right here. I may not have kept my promise to stay within yelling distance of Conrad at all times, and I may not have been 100% safe at all times either, but I had stayed alive. At least I had kept that part of the promise I had made to him. As I looked back at the chopper we just got off of, I could almost see the two of us standing there, making that pinky promise.

"May?" Slivko called my attention.

I shook the image from my mind and looked at him.

"We have to go make our report and explain what happened," He told me, gesturing to Mills and Reles who stood by us.

"Why don't you go get some food, take a shower and I'll come find you when I'm done, Ok?" he said as he rubbed my arm with his free hand.

"Yeah, ok," I nodded.

He gave me a quick hug before going off with Mills an Reles. Mason came up and handed me my back pack, and San joined us as we walked toward our cabins. None of us really knew what to say and we were too tired to care much about the silence. Mason only broke it to ask if we were heading to the kitchen or the showers first.

"I can't eat if I'm smelling myself like this," I replied.

The two other girls nodded in agreement and we headed that way. We just grabbed our bags from our rooms, too dirty to try sifting through our clean clothes and too lazy as well. We had this whole bathroom to ourselves, off limits from the male crew members, but it was still set up for men as in no privacy. None of us cared though, even though I totally would have under normal circumstances.

I watched the dirt swirl down the drain mixed with the yellow body paint the little native girls had put on my arm the previous morning. I lent San and Mason plenty of conditioner because our hair was a tangled dirty mess. We all rinsed and repeated and repeated, that was for sure. I hadn't appreciated cleanliness so much before, it was a great comfort to put clean clothes on and smell nice again.

Now even more tired than before, we shuffled to the kitchen. Conrad and Hank sat there shoveling food in their faces. Hank was on his third plate and Conrad was on his second. The smell hit me and made me realize just how starving I was.

"What are we having?" Mason asked, sitting across from Conrad.

"The cook is treating us to something special," Conrad told her.

I could see the chicken bones on their plates and traces of gravy and corn. Comfort food.

"Here you go ladies," The cook said as he set down three plates piled high in front of us. "Just let me know if you want seconds."

There was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn on the cob. I'm sure I would have salivated at a can of spam given how hungry I was, but I was extremely grateful for this meal.

"How is it, Hank?" I asked him as I dunked my drumstick in the mashed potatoes and gravy and took an unladylike bite.

Hank was beaming, I never saw someone smile and eat at the same time before.
"It's so good," He giggled, making me crack a small smile.

Houston came in, all cleaned up, followed by a dirty Reles and Mills. Houston sat next to San while the two soldiers sat with the other two dirty men. They both slapped manilla folders down on the table in front of them and stared at them with a heavy expression.

"What's that?" San asked.

"We have to write a report," Reles explained.

"So what did happen to you guys before we met up with you?" Mason asked, licking her fingers after setting her corn cob down.

Mills eyes widened and he shivered.
"You don't want to know," He said with a hollow voice.

"I kinda do, that's why I asked," Mason countered.

"He's just a little sensitive, he almost got eaten by a giant spider,"Reles explained. "And when we killed it, all the guts came down on him."

Everyone but Hank paused in their eating and looked at Mills just as the cook set a plate of food in front of him, Reles and Houston.

"Well," Mason stated simply before going back to her meal.

Slivko came sliding in the door, his hair dripping wet, his clean white shirt clinging to his damp skin and a folder in his hand as well. He dropped onto the bench next to me smelling like his old self, minus the dirt.

"Hey," He panted, his right knee bumping into my left and staying there.

I responded by bumping my shoulder into his before going back to eating. He opened up his folder and began scribbling in it furiously, his hair dripping on the pages.

"You had time to dry off," I mumbled around a mouthful as I raked his wet hair back with my fingers and shook the water off.
"Huh, so you do have a forehead.." I said when it dawned on me that wasn't wearing that red bandana now.

He chuckled at me as the cook came with a plate for him. He looked around for some silverware but there was none left on our table, only the next one. I took my bite of mashed potatoes and handed him my fork, going back to the finger foods on my plate.

"Thanks," He said, taking it without qualms and eating with his left hand as he continued to write with his right.

"What's the rush man?" Mills asked him.

Slivko looked up and his cheeks went a little pink.
"Just wanted to get it out of the way," He replied.

"Are you gonna tell about the people on the island?" I asked quietly.

The three soldiers shared a look.
"Actually, we talked it over with Houston and we're not going to say anything about Kong, the Skull Crawlers, or the Natives," Slivko explained.

"Monarch will monitor the island now," Houston elaborated. "If the government knew about it, they would just destroy everything. This way Kong and the Natives can live in peace away from the rest of the world. This is actually so much bigger than just Kong, we need to understand it all better before we get governments involved."

He was really getting his nerd fire stoked up talking about it.

"So how are you going to explain all the choppers going down, all the.." I couldn't get the word 'deaths' to come out, but everyone knew what I meant.

"We can blame the crashes on the storm system," Mason suggested.

"And I'm sure Conrad can come up with a few ideas," Houston said like there was some sort of inside joke there.

"What should I tell.." Again the words got stuck in my throat.

Slivko turned to me then, setting everything aside.
"The truth," He stated, looking deep in my eyes again. "You were on separate choppers, they went down miles apart and there was nothing you could do."

"He's right, May," Hank agreed. "There's nothing you could have done."

"I know how it feels," Mills told me. "I couldn't stop Cole either."

"But you saved us," Conrad said.

"We helped too," Houston reminded him, bring up the mood a little as some of them chuckled.

Slivko rubbed my back and sighed.
"It's gonna take a lot more than this to convince you, isn't it?" He asked with a disappointed tone.

I exhaled a very small laugh through my nose, but didn't disagree.

"Well, I'm gonna hit the showers," Mills sighed as he tiredly pushed himself up from the table.

Reles nodded as he scraped up the last bit of food from his plate and followed suit.

"Probably a good idea," Conrad agreed.

One by one everyone got up heading to bed until it was just Slivko, Hank and I. Slivko had started scribbling again and I was reading over his shoulder so I would know what story to corroborate.

"Is there any dessert?" Hank called out.

"It just came out!" The cook called back to him.

He appeared a moment later with a piping hot cake pan and some plates.
"I don't have anything for frosting, but I managed to whip up a cake," He said, cutting some slices.

"Thank you," I said as I pulled a plate over to me.

I licked my dinner fork clean and picked up a bite, blowing it cool enough to eat. The cook came back with glasses and a pitcher of milk.

"Oh, you are a saint!" Hank beamed.

I gave a small smile at Hank and cooled a bite down before offering it to Slivko.

"So, uh," Hank started in on us. "How long have you two known each other?"

Slivko and I squinted at each other as we tried to count the days that had blurred together.

"Uh, the night with the inventory," I said holding up one finger.

"The next day we spent on the deck," Slivko added and I put up another finger.

"The first day.." I put up a third finger.

"Hammock."

"That was the first day," I reminded him. "The next day was the day with the ploat."

I counted that day as the fourth.

"That was.. yesterday," Slivko said, scrunching his eyebrows briefly in realization.

"So, five days," I answered Hank.

He sat there, looking back and forth between us with shining eyes and big grin.
"Wow," He stated. "You two seem like high school sweethearts already."

Slivko couldn't have been redder if he were a stop sign.

Chapter Text

I could practically feel the heat coming off of Slivko's face and thought he might spontaneously combust. He nervously fiddled with his pencil, avoiding Hank and I's gazes. I thought Hank and i were teaming up on Slivie, but I was surprised to find my own head on the chopping block next.

"Maybelle, I'm surprised at you," Hank said, causing me to look at him with wide eyes. "I thought you were a good girl, but you kissed this guy after only 5 days?"

I hadn't thought that anyone else would have noticed me kiss him, what with impending doom barreling down on us at the time.

"Maybelle is a good girl," Slivko sat up straight and quickly defended my shell shocked self. "It just wasn't under normal circumstances. People do impulsive things when under that much stress."

"Oh, I see," Hank nodded. "One of those 'I'm about to die, so I might as well' type things."

"No, of course not!" I snapped, offended at this much worse interpretation.

Hank grinned like I had just fallen neatly into the trap he set and Slivko snapped his head around to look at me. I met his gaze, a little miffed at him for that suggestion in the first place. He was there for that kiss, he looked me in the eyes after it, how could he not know why I did it?

"Alright," Hank relented. "We shouldn't tease her so much, she's had a rough day."

"I wasn't teasing her, you started it!" Slivko spluttered.

"Yeah but she looks mad at you," Hank pointed out as he got up from the table.
"I'm gonna go enjoying running water and a real bed for the first time in 28 years, you deal with this," He said gesturing to me.

"Ok, thanks," Slivko replied with deadpan sarcasm.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed to," I seconded, pushing up from the table.

Slivko caught my wrist.
"No, wait May, let me fix this," He pleaded.

I sighed and sat back down while Hank made a clean getaway down the hall.

"You know I didn't mean what hank said, right?" He asked me hopefully.

"That's not the part that upsets me," I responded without looking at him, too embarrassed about what I was so close to admitting.

"What is it then?" He asked, still holding my wrist and looking at me so intently.

I sighed and rubbed my face with my free hand.
"After I kissed you," those words were so hard to say for some reason and I felt my face heat up. "you looked at me.. and it was like you could see right through me, and I just- I thought for sure you knew why I did it."

Slivko looked down.
"So you're disappointed I got it wrong," He said quietly.

I hadn't expected him to say that and I looked over at him now. When he looked back up at me, he had this pathetic puppy dog face on and my heart melted a little.

"Well," I began. "I guess you had just been running for your life... and I did cut you off mid sentence and everything."

He began to smile.

"And you weren't exactly wrong either, I wouldn't have kissed a guy I only knew for five days under normal circumstances- except that was the first time so I don't have anything to base that on actually," I got to rambling.

"Wait," Slivko cut in. "That was your first kiss?"

I blushed harder.
"Yeah, was it bad?" I face palmed as soon as the words were out of my mouth, why on earth did I just ask him that?

"No," He grinned with barely contained  laughter. "I just- I don't know.. I'm your first kiss."

I looked at him with one raised brow, amused by his reaction but also dying of embarrassment on the inside.

"You know," He started with that mischievous tone as he threw one leg over the bench so he could face me straight on.
"It's just a shame that it happened when it did, I mean," He scooched closer. "that crazy horrible monster was coming for us, I was trying to apologize for leaving you, we thought we might die- it was a very stressful situation. Was it the ideal first kiss?"

"Although the situation was not ideal, the kiss itself was, to me at least," I answered, barely able to look at him as he hovered over my shoulder. "I suppose it would be difficult to reminisce over it though, given those circumstances you mentioned."

"You know," he said, checking his watch. "It's not even noon yet-"

"What!?" I cried, grabbing his arm to look at his watch myself. "What the heck."

Slivko chuckled.
"I was gonna say, we could claim it's still not under normal circumstances and have a redo, if you wanted, something we could remember without monsters and all that."

"Oh yeah?" I grinned at him as my face turned red again.

He nodded and was leaning in right then and there, but I stopped him with a hand to his chest.
"Ok, but not in the cafeteria, geez, try for some ambiance" I teased.

"Where?" He asked with excitement in his voice and a glimmer in his eyes.

"Come on," I got up and grabbed his hand, dragging him along.

"Where are we going? The briefing room where we first met?" he asked as we walked swiftly down the corridor.

"No," I replied shortly as we passed it and made our way out onto the deck. The breeze whipped my hair around and I blinked in the blinding sunlight. I don't know why I expected it to be the middle of the night, my internal clock was so broken.

"The deck?" Slivko asked.

"Yeah," I said turning to him. "It's where we had our only normal day, and it was the last place I saw Jack. If I try hard enough, I can pretend that was today and everything was still alright."

He smiled down at me a bit sadly when he heard my explanation. Without another word, he pushed my hair back and held my face as he leaned down and gave me my first kiss. I put my hands on his waist as he gave me my second. And third. He gave me a tight hug afterward.

"I'm gonna miss you when we go home," I said into his shoulder.

He took a deep breath and let out a sigh.
"I almost wish things wouldn't go back to normal," He admitted. "I'm gonna write to you though, and whenever I have the money I'll come visit."

"You will?" I asked happily.

"I promise."

Chapter Text

Slivko held my hand as he walked me back to my room. I started to sway a little as the exhaustion caught up with me, but he kept me on the right path. He leaned by the door when we reached my room and gave me a look.

"What?" I asked with a tired sigh.

He looked thoughtful for a moment but finally shook his head.
"It's nothing."

"Slivko," I stated. "I gotta go to sleep, if you wanna say something just say it."

"What if you have nightmares?" He asked with a worried look.

"I think I'm too tired to dream at all," I told him, rubbing my eyes.

"I'm just worried you might have them again and I won't be there to stop them for you."

I paused and looked at him for a moment.

"Did you stop them before?" I asked him as I leaned on the door.

"The night on the island you did have nightmares," he explained. "It woke me up and I figured out how to make them stop so you could sleep better."

"How did you make them stop?"

He smirked.
"Hey, Miss Accountant," he teased. "I have the market cornered, I'm not telling my trade secret."

I rolled my eyes and weakly hit his chest.
"Goodnight Slivie," I said opening the door.

"It's still the middle of the day," he countered.

"Whatever," I poked my head back out to say.

He caught my face and gave my forehead a kiss.
"Goodnight, Maybelle," he said quietly with a smirk.

We kept eye contact as he walked backward down the hallway with a smug little flirty face and I fought my own grin with my tongue in my cheek.

San and Mason were dead asleep and I flopped down on my bed, immediately joining them.

"Maybelle," I was gently shaken awake by Mason.
She stood over me looking very chipper all things considered.

"What?" I asked groggily alarmed. "What time is it?"

"Calm down," She chuckled. "It's like 9pm, we're gonna make it back to Singapore by the morning, and I thought you'd want to make the most of the time left."

I rubbed my face and tried to wake up fully.
"What?" I asked, still tired and disoriented.

"Oh come on, Maybelle!" Mason sang as she sat heavily on my bed, bouncing me.
"You and Slivko!" She shook my shoulder again as she smiled down at me.

"Excuse me?" I spluttered.

She gave me a knowing look and got comfortable.
"Maybelle, don't deny it. It might seem crazy because you haven't known him that long, but you and Slivko have a little something special going on, it's so obvious. And it's my advice to you that you at least try to enjoy it before you get home and reality sets in.. and he's not there anymore."

I stared at her for a second.

"So, it does seem crazy?" I asked her, not denying anything.

She gave a thoughtful hum.
"The idea in itself may seem crazy, you know, the whole 'They're like a total married couple but they've only known each other for less than a week.'" She began and I giggled. "But if they were to actually see the two of you together they would totally get it and it wouldn't seem crazy at all."

"Really?" I asked with a wrinkled nose.

"Trust me," She waved her hands assuredly. "It'll happen."

"Well," I sighed as I sat up. "I better go find him then."

She smiled at me and tried to shoo me away, making me have to fight to get my toothbrush and things to freshen up.

"Hey, uh, where's Conrad?" I paused at the door to ask her with a quirked brow.

"What?" She chuckled, totally flustered.

"You and Conrad," I stated with a mischievous grin.

"What?" She asked at much too high a decibel. "That's-"

"Crazy?" I asked and then shut the door as she threw a shoe at me.

I freshened up and stopped by my room to drop off my things and found it empty. I smiled to myself, figuring that Mason was in the vicinity of Conrad. And maybe San was near Houston. Meanwhile, I had to figure out where Slivko was. I started meandering and ran into Reles as he came out of the ship's doctor office.

"Hey," I greeted him. "How's the injury?"

"I will live," he smiled tiredly. "Thanks to you."

"I bet you would've been fine either way," I shrugged off his praise.

"Don't be modest, I definitely would have died without you one way or another. So what are you doing wandering around, Looking for Reg?"

I blushed and nodded which caused him to smile.

"That way, number 22. Last I saw, he was still asleep," He told me as he jerked his thumb in the direction I had been going.

"Thanks," I said as I awkwardly danced around him and kept going down the hall.

I found 22 and gave a ginger knock that received no reply, so I carefully opened the door.

"Slivko?" I called quietly.

Poking my head around the door revealed the boy in question sprawled face down on his mattress, shirtless, with an arm slung over the side. I couldn't help but smile as I tip toed in, shutting the door behind me.

I'd seen him without his shirt on before, but now his fair skin was bruised in many places. I walked over and carefully sat on the edge of the bed and inspected his broad back. The tops of his shoulders were marked with the helicopter seat belts and the straps of the bags he carried everyday. I sighed as I lightly traced my finger over one of them. I nearly snorted as a soft, sleepy whimper escaped him.

I thought I would wake him up, but it was hard. He was so peaceful and adorable in his sleep. He was adorable when he was awake as well, but never this still. It was my first opportunity to just look at him. Naturally, as soon as I thought this, he stirred and turned on his side, pulling his arm back from over the edge. I saw his brows knot together and his cute little turtle lips were turned down in a frown. I gently brushed his cheek hope to relax him, but he startled awake.

"Sorry," I apologized softly as he looked up at me.

"May?" He said with a husky, tired voice.

"Yeah," I said as he gently grabbed my wrist as if he were checking if I were real or a dream.

Apparently satisfied that I was real, he suddenly yanked me down and wrapped his arms around me.

"10 more minutes," he yawned.

I chuckled and tried to squirm away but he held on too tight. I gave up on resisting and admired him from this new angle. His chin was resting atop my head so I couldn't see his face, but I could see his neck and chest which were covered in scratches and bruises respectively. I didn't realize he'd gotten such a terrible one on his chest and I absentmindedly brushed my fingers over this one too.

"Trying to get to second base?" Slivko's groggy voice startled me and I immediately retracted my hand.

"I was inspecting this bruise, but at least bustiness is something we have in common," I teased.

He had a fit of low, throaty giggles before rolling away onto his back and rubbing his face. I propped myself up on my elbow and watched him till he was done. His hands fell to his sides as he sighed, eyes still closed. He finally opened them and turned to me.

"How long?" He asked.

"Have I been here?" I questioned.

"Till we dock," he clarified.

"It's about 9:15 right now and we'll be there in the morning."

"Maybelle," he stated with mock astonishment.

"What?" I replied in the same tone.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

Chapter Text

"Why?" I asked Slivko after just staring at him confused for a few seconds.

He rolled over and propped himself on his elbow too so he was face to face with me.

"Slivie," I said in a warning tone.

He rolled his eyes at me and sighed.
"What are you thinking about, May? I was going to show you where Jack's room is and help you pack up his stuff to take home to Grace and Billy," He went from sarcastic teasing to soft and caring as he rubbed my arm.

I pouted because he was being cute and thoughtful and I was trying not to cry about him or Jack again.

"Hey," he said softly. "It'll be ok, I'll help you, and you can cry all you want afterward and I'll hold you while you do it so it's good for both of us."

I chuckled at his attempt to cheer me up and wiped away a tear that escaped the corner of my eye.

"Or we can do the crying and holding first," He offered leaning toward me.

"Oh my gosh," I snorted. "Would you please put your shirt on and let's do the other thing."

"Awe, ok," he pouted. "It's just on the floor over there."

He proceeded to steam roll over me as he reached for his shirt on the floor, his body weight pinning my arms in place and nearly crushing me. I groaned but it turned into a laugh at the end.

"You're a sneaky little turd," I told him as he sat up and pulled his shirt over his head.

"Yes I am," He responded with a cheeky smile before getting up.

I reached my hand to him.
"Help me up, I was recently crushed half to death."

He smirked and pulled me up easily. He put his arm around my shoulders and grabbed a back pack from the foot of his bed before he led me out of his room. Fortunately no one was around to see us and assume anything crude. We walked down the hall quite a ways and didn't encounter anyone at all by the time we reached Jack's door.

"Ready?" Slivko asked quietly, wrapping his other arm around me as well and resting his cheek on my head as we stared at the door in front of us.

"Yeah," I sighed after taking a deep breath and hugging him back for a moment.

He straightened up and opened the door, keeping one arm around me still. I took another deep breath as we stepped in. Pictures of Grace and Billy were taped to the wall above his neatly made bed. It was like someone dropped anchor on my heart, everything in me hit the floor under the weight of the sadness. I was choking up and I gripped Slivko's shirt.

"If it's too hard, I can do this for you," he told me, empathy knitting his brow when he noticed the change in my breathing.

"No," I said firmly as I tried to compose myself. "I have to do this. I owe it to Jack and Grace, it's the least I can do- the literal least thing-"
My words were spewing out faster and faster.

"May, stop talking, stop thinking, and just breath," Slivko said as he gave my shoulder a squeeze.

"Right," I agreed as I took a few calming breaths.

Slivko set the back pack gently on the bed and looked around before his eyes landed back on me.

"I'll take the pictures down and we'll put them in one of the notebooks so nothing happens to them," He said.

"Ok," I nodded taking a step toward the bed and the pictures, but Slivko grabbed me and turned me around.

"No, I said I'll get the photos, if you look at them you'll fall apart," he explained.

"Ok," I repeated and headed for the bookshelf instead.

I started taking the notebooks off the shelf one by one, the repetitive motion helping me calm down a little. Slivko knelt on the bed and carefully took down each photo, delicately folding the tape around the corners so it wouldn't stick to anything else before setting them in a stack by his knee. I watched him from the corner of my eye, he was being so thoughtful, it was almost disconcerting. It provided an alternative thought process to distract me so I went down that road.

Slivko was taking care of me and being thoughtful and considerate beyond what 5 days of knowing someone should earn you. Granted, we were drawn closer by a series massive life changing events including near death experiences, but I never expected such things to carry on afterward. Books and movies always end before they showed me the part of the story I now found myself in.

Mason said we were like a married couple. Is this what it's like? The caring and the flirting and reassuring embraces? Is this what my sister had with Jack?

Is this what she just lost?

That thought hit me so hard, breaking my heart all over again. I couldn't believe there was anything left to break, it should all have been ground to powder by now. The thought of Slivko being gone, of losing him, even just after 5 days, was horrible. Grace had known Jack for years, she married him, she had a child with him, so I could only guess that she'd feel a million times worse than I did just imagining all this.

I had been frozen, staring at Slivko for a while now as he ever so carefully took down the photos and showed so much respect for Jack's things. He glanced over at me with his soft chocolatey eyes and my powdered heart almost skipped a beat.

"May, you ok?" He asked me as he gathered up the finished stack of photos.

"Yeah, I'm ok," I lied.

It felt like the world had turned upside down and he was the only thing still right side up. I had just compared him and I to Grace and Jack, did that mean I was in love? Was I really in love after five days of mayhem and death, was that even possible? Or would it start to go away as soon as we each got home? And then a worse thought hit me. Did I even deserve to find my own Jack when my sister just lost hers?

"May?" Slivko questioned again, not believing I was fine.
He slid the photos into the top notebook of the stack I was holding before taking them and putting them in the bag. He turned and looked at me, taking my hands in his. The granules of my heart shook with the electricity of his touch but at the same time I felt comforted. How could one person give you those two feelings at once?

"Why do you look... scared? What's wrong?" He inquired, looking a little scared himself.

I looked at his eyes, so dark and so concerned. I looked at his large hands gently holding mine. I looked at his lips and remembered the way he kissed me.

"I am scared," I told him with a shaky voice.

"Of what?" He pursued, brows knotted in worry as he waited for an answer.

I looked up as the tears brimmed in my eyes and I took a deep breath. I didn't know what to say.

He stood up and moved his hands to my face, trying to get me to look at him.
"May, please, tell me what's wrong," he pleaded softly.

"I can't," I said, my voice mangled from trying to hold back tears and emotion. "I don't know how."

His worried expression turned into a sad one as he looked down, his hands resting heavily on my shoulders.

"Well," he began, his voice sounding choked up too. "When you figure it out, would you please tell me? I don't want you to be scared."

And then we were both crying.

Chapter Text

I stared up at a white sky through pencil shaving trees. Birds and insects chirped as I swayed in the breeze.

I was dreaming.

I was in a blue hammock in the forest where I found out Jack was dead. And Slivko was with me. His arms were around me and my head rested on his shoulder as we rocked back and forth.

"Are you still scared, May?" He asked me.

I picked my head up to look at him and I saw something over the edge of the hammock. Between the trees I could see a shape that I knew, one that made my heart beat faster.

"Yes," I answered as my eyes landed on his.

"What are you scared of?" He asked calmly as the hammock creaked rhythmically.

"I don't know," I replied nervously.

"Yes you do."
My head snapped up at the sound of my sisters angry voice. She stood over the hammock with her arms crossed.
"You're scared you might find out what it feels like to be me."

Suddenly I was standing next to her.

"You're scared something will happen to him," she accused as she pointed at Slivko who stood on the other side of the hammock next to Jack.

"Just like what happened to me," Jack said.

A shadow past behind them.

"Why?" Grace asked. "Why didn't you bring Jack home to me? It's not fair."

"Why isn't it fair?" Slivko asked.

"Why didn't you bring my love home?" Grace asked.

A shadow moved behind the men again.

"Do you love him?" Jack asked.

Slivko looked at me.
"May, do you love me?"

"You can't love him if you didn't save Jack."

"Do you love me?"

"It's not fair."

It went back and forth between Grace and Slivko as the shadow in the trees got closer and closer. Suddenly Jack spoke up again.

"Why didn't you save me?"

The Skull crawler was looming over him and Slivko but they just stood there, staring at me as the massive jaws opened above them. I lunged for them but the hammock was in the way and before I could witness those teeth sink into two of the most important men I know, I was falling down into a blue void.

"May! Wake up!"

I woke up panting in a cold sweat with a throbbing headache. My blurry vision started to clear and I could make out Slivko's face in front of me looking very concerned as he knelt by the bed. One of his hands was tangled in my hair at the base of my neck.

"Slivko," I sighed in relief as I reached out and touched his face.

"I'm here," he answered, leaning into my hand.

I sighed again and resisted the urge to wrap my arms around his neck. That dream had really gotten to me and I could still hear my sisters voice ringing in my ears.

"It's not fair."

"Bad dream?" Slivko asked.

I nodded as I slowly pulled my hand away. His hand stayed put.

"Sorry I didn't stop it sooner," he apologized. "After you cried yourself to sleep I decided to pack up the rest of Jack's things for you."

"Thank you, that's so sweet. You're so sweet, Slivie."

He sighed and released my hair as he hung his head.

"Maybelle, I wish you'd tell me what's the matter," he said as he lifted his head just enough to give me puppy dog eyes.

"I don't know how," I repeated as I rubbed my eyes.

"I don't care," he perked up sitting on the edge of the bed by me and I sat up and faced him.

"I don't care if you tell me the right way or the wrong way, I just want to know how to help you," he said seriously.

"It's not fair."

I shook my head as if I could dislodge the voice but it caused Slivko to sigh.

"Ok," he said in a sad voice that gave me a pain in my chest. "I'm sorry, I won't push it. You can tell me if and when you're ready."

He turned away and reached for the now full back pack. I watched him and felt as if something in me were magnetized to him and kept pulling on me. I didn't know what this feeling was but the fact that it felt good made me feel guilty.

"It's not fair."

He set the back pack between us.
"Here it all is, May," he said, unusually downcast. "I packed his second pair of boots just in case.. you know, if Billy grows into them or wants them."

I tightened my chin before it could wobble. I pushed the back pack aside and scooched closer to him, finally caving and wrapping my arms around his neck. He hugged me back with a sigh as he buried his face in my neck and shoulder.

The ship was going to dock in a few hours so all  of us from the island met together in the cafeteria again. Hank looked great. Clean shaven, clean in general, and well rested. He sat beside Reles and Mills while Conrad, Mason, San, and Houston sat opposite them. Slivko and I fit ourselves in on Hank's side. All of our bags were packed and ready, stacked haphazardly in the corner of the room, and a strange silence fell over us all.

"I, uh, brought this," Mills said, sliding a note pad and pen into the center of the table. "I thought we could write to each other... or call."

After we stared at it for a moment too long I reached for it and began writing. I passed it to Slivko and it made its way around the table until everyone had a list of the others addresses. I could tell Slivko was still worrying about me by his glances and the way he kept a hand on me at all times as if I were a balloon that might float away.

"What's your sister and nephews names again?" Hank asked me.

"Grace and Billy," everyone answered in unison before I could.

He made a note of that on his list.

"I just want to thank you all again for getting me off that island," he said as he looked at each and every one of us.

"It was an honor, sir," Slivko said and the three soldiers saluted him.

"You better write me and tell me if I was right about your wife," I ordered him.

"I will," he smiled.

Slivko reached for my hand and squeezed it. He seemed anxious.

"You ok?" I asked him quietly.

He let out a sharp sigh.
"I'm just not looking forward to saying goodbye," he told me with a sad, forced smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Well, there's the 16 hour flight home still," I reminded him.

He bit his lips as he looked down once again with a shake of his head.
"We're not going together," he informed me. "They'll send you and Hank home right away, they have work they're going to do," he nodded toward San and the rest on the other side of the table. "And I wait here till they ship the whole platoon home."

"When's that?" I asked with widening eyes.

"Just a few days I think," he muttered as he looked at our hands entwined between us.

"Oh," I deflated a bit.

We fell into an awkward silence after that until the boat horn went off. Land ho.

Chapter Text

We all stood on deck watching the lights on shore get bigger and brighter. The breeze was chilly that night. Reles had put his cap on my head and Slivko wrapped me up in his camo uniform shirt and his arms as he stood behind me. He didn't care what the others thought of the sight, he would rest his chin atop my head or on my shoulder as we conversed with the others. I tried to absorb this affection through the guilt that darkened my disposition because I knew it was going to end soon. Conrad looked between us with a particularly soft expression while Hank and Mason were practically giddy.

Slivko sighed right by my ear.
"I know I said I wouldn't push it," he started. "But I don't want to part like this. I'll just be worried about you for God knows how long."

I smirked to myself and patted his arm. I love how he just said things straightforward. Communication had never been an issue between us until now, and it was my fault. I didn't like what it was doing to him so I knew I had to tell him something or he really would worry all by himself for months on end.

I turned around in his arms to face him and put my own around his neck.
"Ok," I breathed with a small smile.

He seemed surprised for a second before giving me that 110% attention face that got me so flustered before.

"I had just imagined what it might be like for Grace, you know, what she's going through," Slivko nodded encouragingly for me to go on. "And it was scary that I could do that, imagine it. But I was only able to imagine it because of you."

He looked a little confused.
"Because of me?"

I looked down for a moment as the heat rose to my cheeks. We were now so close to shore we could hear the bustle of the market.

"Because.. I care about you," I explained before scrunching my brows. "But it's not fair to Grace."

I knew I was botching this explanation because I wasn't being direct enough, but I couldn't help it. He looked helpless as he tried to put this puzzle together.

"May, I care about you too," was the first thing he addressed and it made my broken heart melt. "But what's not fair?"

I gave him a sad smile.
"None of it," I said, giving him a tight hug as we came to a halt by the dock. "None of this is fair."

He hugged me like it was impossible to hold me close enough, and pressed his lips to my temple one last time.

They had setup the ramp leading down to the dock and several cars were already waiting.

"May," Hank called gently. "It's time to go."

Slivko's grip tightened even more and felt the tears sting my eyes. This boy was the best thing in the world and I just knew that no one else would ever be like him.

"You stay safe," I ordered him. "You get home safe, ok? Promise."

"I promise," his quiet voice shook. "You stay safe too, and when you get home, phone the base and they can send us a message here to let me know you got home ok."

He pulled away and dug in a pocket of his cargo pants till he pulled out a pen. He grabbed my wrist and pushed the sleeve up before writing on my skin.

"Tell them this is the ship and it's location and they'll do it," he explained, wiping a tear away.

I nodded and began to take the shirt he'd given off to return it, but he grabbed the collar and closed it again.

"Keep it," he insisted.

I then patted my pockets and searched around for something I could give him, they'd already taken my bags away. I pulled the elastic from my hair and slipped it onto his wrist.

"Sorry, it's not much-" I began with a sniffle.

"It's fine," he cut me off.

We just stared at each other for a second before Hank piped up again.

"May, I hate to do this, I mean, I really hate it, but we have to go," he said sorrowfully.

I nodded without taking my eyes off of Slivko, not giving any sign of budging.

"How about you escort her to the vehicle, soldier?" Hank suggested in an effort to move us along somehow.

Slivko put his arm around me and we made our way slowly down the ramp as Hank went ahead of us. Mason and the others were waiting in one jeep already and watching us sympathetically. Hank opened the jeep door for me and I turned to Slivko one last time and forced a smile.

"I'll see you around," I told him, trying to sound cheery.

His face was still sad as he looked at me and I bit my lips before I could talk myself out of my next thought. I got on my tip toes and gave him kiss number 5. The goodbye kiss.

Chapter Text

I leaned on the jeep door despite the rain and stared at the blackness flying by. I wrapped the collar of Slivko's shirt right under my nose where it could soak up my tears like it had soaked up his scent.

"Maybelle, would you come away from the window please?" Hank asked me. "Your situation will not improve if you catch a cold."

I turned to look at him with bloodshot dead eyes, but he merely chuckled. Nevertheless I leaned back in my seat away from the window cut out of the jeeps soft top.

"You're never gonna take that off, are you?" He asked with a grin, pinching the sleeve of Slivko's uniform. "Did you notice the right front pocket?"

I looked down and saw the upside down letters for 'Slivko'. I touched the embroidery, tracing each letter.

"Did I mention my wife was my high school sweetheart?" Hank asked me, a story waiting at the other end of my answer.

I shook my head and turned toward him in my seat.

"Well she was," he began his story with a wistful smile and a far away look.
"I was captain of the football team," he stated proudly. "And I had a letterman jacket- blue white, and gold. After Shirley and I started going steady, I gave it to her. She was always in it," he said fondly with glistening eyes.
He came back from his memories and went on.
"It was her coat in the winter, in the spring and fall she had the sleeves pushed up, and in the summer she wore it around her shoulders or around her tiny waist. And it made me so gosh darn happy, seeing how proudly she wore my name and my number, and that everyone could see she was my girl," he sighed, some of the mirth leaving his eyes. "I realize now how silly that sounds, her being 'mine'. But I suppose we like to say we own the things we love, even the people, because it makes them seem more permanent that way."

I liked listening to Hank. He was a marvel of perseverance and positivity in the face of overwhelming adversity and ill fate. And the way he talked about his wife was like no time had past at all, he was still like a high school sweetheart. It amazed me that his love could last even in complete absence for so very long. It gave me a sense of hope.

"I wonder if she got rid of my clothes," he mused to himself.

I looked at him from my cozy camo cocoon and sighed.
"After 28 years, she might have," I admitted. "But I bet she kept the letterman jacket. You know why?"

He looked at me expectantly with those bright eyes of his.

"Because I could get rid of anything else in my closet, but I'm never getting rid of this," I told him holding out my arms to indicate Slivko's jacket.

He smiled so broadly at this.

"Do you like that answer because Shirley and I are alike?" I inquired.

He didn't answer until after he'd taken a look out the window, the smile still plastered on his face.
"I like it because you know what I'm talking about. You have it too," he clarified.

I rolled my eyes.
"I don't have a high school sweetheart, Hank," I countered. "Remember, I've only known him five days."

"Oh right," he guffawed. "Is that why you're so tore up about saying goodbye? Is that why you gave him yet another kiss? Don't kid yourself, kid. The time doesn't matter, you got what you got."

"Got what you got? Got what my sister.. had?" I scoffed.

"Yeah, you do," he plainly stated. "Do yourself a favor and don't take too long to figure that out."

Hank and I fell into a comfortable silence for a while after that, snuggled down in the uncomfortable car seats with the cold rain dripping through the soft top. Hank was a cool guy, kind of like that insightful yet eccentric uncle that appears at family reunions. I felt very comfortable around him, and as he seemed willing to offer advice, I found myself willing to ask for it.

Hank and I made for an odd pair in a Singapore airport cafe. We sat opposite each other at a wrought iron patio table set, he still dressed in his world war 2 uniform and I in camo from head to thighs in Reles's cap and Slivko's oversized shirt. We stuffed our faces with chicken sandwiches and downed bottles of water, realizing we were dehydrated and it would only get worse on the plane. Our military escorts sat nearby, making sure we would get home alright. The military wouldn't fly us out seeing as they were getting ready to move operations back home in a few days time anyway. They found us seats on a commercial flight back home. Stacked by my seat was my suitcase, my bag, and the bag of Jack's things.

"So your sister showed up in your dream?" Hank asked around a mouthful.

I nodded as I licked my thumb and swallowed my bite. I had been telling Hank about the dream I had. I figured that since I couldn't talk about it with Slivko and when I got home no one would understand any of this. Hank was all I had for the next 16 or so hours, and honestly was the best candidate. So before I got home to Grace and Billy, Mom and Dad, I needed to do this for me.

"And?" He prodded me to go on.

I leaned back in the uncomfortable iron chair, white paint peeling off and floating to the floor.

"She said I was afraid something bad would happen to Slivko like something bad happened to Jack," I recounted.

"And is that true?" Hank pursued before taking another big bite.

"Yes," I answered before taking a bite myself.

"Why did your sister show up then? If you were just scared of something bad happening to Slivko, then something bad could have just happened to Slivko," Hank pointed out.

I chewed thoughtfully for a moment, stretching my legs in my soggy converse.
"I already did think Slivko and I- that we might have something special. But then it hit me that Grace had something special with Jack and look how that turned out. I thought how I'd feel if something bad happened to Slivko and how it must be so much worse for Grace and- I guess... that scared me."

"You're scared... that you have something that good?" Hank deciphered.

I scrunched my face in thought.
"I'm scared of the good part?"

"A common occurrence," Hank commented. "What else happened?"

"They kept asking if I was in love with Slivko and Grace kept saying it wasn't fair. That I couldn't love Slivko if I didn't bring Jack home."

"Oh, there we go," Hank crowed, wiping his mouth. "Guilt."

I waited for his further observance on this.

"Maybelle, do not blame yourself for Jack, there is literally nothing you could have done. And just because your sister lost the love of her life doesn't mean you don't deserve to have one," he stated.

"Easier said than done," I sighed, crossing my arms.

"I know it is, that's why I can say it," Hank commented as he leaned on the table, shifting it under his weight. "You're gonna have to figure out how to believe it on your own."

I let my limbs go limp and threw my head back.

"Thems the brakes, kid," Hank sighed sympathetically.

I lifted my head to look back at him, unimpressed, and noticed our escorts coming up to us.

"Ready to get home?" They asked us.

Chapter Text

If we were and odd pair in the cafe, Hank and I were downright freaks on the plane. We sat together, receiving all kinds of stares and hearing comments in multiple languages that had to be about us.

"You'll land in New York," our escort was explaining to us as he crouched in the aisle. "There'll be another escort waiting for you to take you to the hospital, get you squared away to go home without infecting your family with any tropical diseases. Then they'll put you on your flights home."

Hank and I nodded to him that we understood his instructions.

"And I'll inform Slivko that you got on the plane alright," he said just to me, glancing at the shirt.

"Oh," I glanced down at the embroidered letters too. "Thanks."

"Well, have a safe flight home," he nodded before standing and making his way off the plane.

Hank giggled next to me and I gave him a sideways look.
"What?" I asked shortly.

He shook his head with a grin still on his face.
"Everybody sees it," he teased in a sing song voice.

"Ok, Hank," I rolled my eyes. "We can talk about something else for once."

"Oh no, I love talking about this," Hank stated as he played with the tray table. "I haven't had anyone to talk to in quite a while and this is something I actually know a bit about."

"Well, I can help you catch up on things if you want," I offered, getting cozy in the airplane seat.

"I can learn all that boring stuff later," he said, waving it off. "I'd rather talk about my new friend."

I smiled. Something about Hank reminded me of Slivko just a little. Nothing in the way he looked, of course, but something in his disposition. It was too subtle for me to put my finger on but it was there all the same.

"You're not nervous about going home, are you?" I found myself asking.

He squinted thoughtfully and fiddled with the tray table again.
"Part of me says that it's the only thing I've wanted for the past 28 years.." he began but his smile faltered. "But 28 years is a mighty long time."

I knew better than to interject anything during his pause, he was winding up his pitch and I would wait for it.

"I know that Shirley won't be the same as when I left- I sure ain't the same as when I left," he finally got started "And maybe she remarried- that's ok, for all she knew I was dead, so it ain't like she was unfaithful. I'm just worried that... nothing is ever gonna feel like Home again."

We sat thoughtfully for a moment before I patted his arm.

"A cold beer and a hot dog on opening day," I reminded him and smiled as a grin split his lips too.

"Ah, Maybelle," Hank sighed. "You are an old soul."

"No, the world just hasn't mentally aged you so it's more like we're the same age," I stated as they announced take off.

"That- that almost makes sense," Hank nodded.

After five hours of conversation and naps, I found the note in Slivko's pocket. I unfolded it as Hank slept beside me and began reading.

Dear May,

I'm writing this as you're sleeping. You seemed really freaked out and I don't know why, maybe you'll be able to tell me when you wake up. I wish you would so I could make it better, but that's why I'm writing this.

I want you to know that you did everything you could. You may not have been able to save Jack, but you were able to save me, Mills, Reles, Conrad, Mason, and Hank, which you did. You did that May, and I'm really grateful. I'm sure everyone else is grateful too, especially Hank. He finally gets to go home after 28 years thanks to you. I never met your sister, but Jack would talk about her all the time and I know that she's not going to blame you. If you love her this much that it tears you up to the point you pass out from crying, she loves you just as much. Trust me, it's easy to love you.

There was still more to his letter but at this point I just about slammed it down on the tray table, my hand covering those words as my heart beat completely out of rhythm. Hank startled awake with a snort beside me.

" We there yet?" He yawned, looking around until he noticed my white knuckles holding down the letter.

"Maybelle," he cautiously addressed me. "Your face is turning purple. Is it bad, or good?"

I just stared at the letter, the word 'Love' burning into my palm.

"Both."

And suddenly I absolutely had to finish reading it, I nearly tore it in two trying to pick it up again so quickly.

I hope that I said everything you need to hear. I wish I could be with you all the time to tell you myself. Remember how I told you my aunt made soap that she sends to me? Of course you do, you remember everything. There's a bar of it in the front pocket of the back pack. I'll see you real soon, May.

Love, Slivko

Hank caught the letter, saving it from damage as I flipped up the tray table and pulled the back pack out from under the seat in front of me. I hoisted it onto my lap and shoved my hand in the front pocket, my fingers meeting the smooth rectangle of a bar of soap. I pulled it out and took a sniff of Slivko's signature scent.

"What a dork," I laughed even as tears poured down my cheeks.

Hank was thoroughly confused as to why I was half laughing, half crying over a bar of soap, so he took a look at the letter. His confusion was replaced with a gentle smile.

"Maybelle," he spoke softly. "He loves you."

I covered my own smile behind my hand in floppy sleeve and wiped my face dry, careful not to get any tears on the soap.

"And do you love him?"

My mind flashed back to my dream and my smile slowly wilted.

"They asked me that, too. In my dream," I said staring blankly at the letter in his hands.

"And? What did you say?" He pressed.

"I didn't say anything."

"Why not?"

"Because Grace said it wasn't fair."

"What isn't fair?"

"For me to love him."

"Why?"

Our voices were rising as we became increasingly more agitated and we attracted the attention of nearby passengers.

"Because Jack just died," I went on quick shooting my answers.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Hank contended at a high decible.

Suddenly I was mad.

"Because my sister just lost the love of her life so it's not fair for me to find mine right now," I nearly yelled, feeling hot under the collar as my brows were knot together. 

Hank merely smiled and pointed a finger at me.
"There it is."

A stewardess came up just then and asked if everything was alright. Hank just smiled, completely useless, as I assured her everything was fine (a lie) and apologized for disturbing the other passengers. Hank was smug for the next ten hours of the flight.

Chapter Text

I was curled up on a hospital bed, jet lagged and perforated. They took blood to run tests and hooked me to an IV because I was severely dehydrated. Hank and I got to stay in the same room, some sort of VIP one that was really nice, resting as they ran their tests. He was sitting up and alert, chatting with nurses and doctors, flicking through channels on the tv. I had fallen into a fever and just cocooned myself in Slivko's shirt and a hospital blanket, half asleep.

The restful atmosphere was thrown off when an important looking man with a briefcase came in along with two MP's. They stationed themselves at the end of Hank's bed.

"Lieutenant Hank Marlow," the man barked with such excessive patriotism he almost looked like a bald eagle, before all three saluted him. "It's good to have you home, soldier."

Hank hastily sat up straight and saluted in return.

"I'm Darrel Washburn," the man introduced himself as he stood at ease, his brown suit pants perfectly creased. "I'm here to get your signature on a few documents so that we can bring you back from the dead."

"That would be nice, sir," Hank beamed with a touch of emotion.

One of the MP's held Mr Washburn's briefcase for him as he opened it, while the other moved the table in place for him to use. It was between Hank and I's beds and as he passed me I thought he noticed the shirt I was wrapped in.

Hank scratched away at all the papers they pushed on him, even giving finger prints as well. The one MP occasionally glanced my way, I could tell since my eyes were only half closed. Mr Washburn tidied the stack of paper and returned it to his brief case before pulling out another folder.

"When I heard how long you'd been gone," Sergeant Eagle Face began. "I immediately did some research. You were married to Shirley Fields who is the mother of your son, John Marlow. In here I have her current address and I wanted to tell you that she never remarried."

I sprang up out of my bed with a triumphant "Ha!" As I pointed at a smiling, teary eyed Hank from between two buttons.
"I told you so!"

A second after that I became lightheaded and that nosey MP steadied me and got me back over to my bed.

"Yes you did, Maybelle," Hank chuckled, wiping a tear away. "Did you tell her I was alive?"

Mr Washburn smiled.
"I figured I'd leave your homecoming announcements up to you, in case you wanted to surprise her."

The MP was still lingering by my bedside and leaned a little closer.
"Miss? Do you know warrant officer Reg Slivko?" He asked.

I looked at the shirt and back at his tan face and dark eyes before nodding. He smiled.

"I'm from Detroit too, we started on the same base together. How is he?"

"He's been better, but he's alive," I stated.

"I'm glad to hear it," he nodded. "From the base I can send him a message that you guys made it back to the mainland safely if you'd like."

"I gotta ask," I finally piped up, weakly flinging my hand up and letting it hit the bed. "Why does everyone take one look at this and want to send a message?" I asked him, indicating the shirt.

He smirked in response.
"For one, only girlfriends get to wear the uniform. Secondly," he reached for my wrist and turned my arm slightly. "This right here."
He pointed at the ship name and coordinates on my arm in faded ink.
He offered me a pen.
"You might wanna go over it again," he suggested.

"It's on my right arm," I said dismally. "I'm right handed."

The MP chuckled and uncapped the pen himself before retracing the words on my skin for me.

"How long have you two been going steady?" He asked.

I snorted.
"Beats me. It's quite unconventional," I explained. "I've known him for about six days now, four of which were spent in a constant near death experience."

His eyebrows were raised in disbelief as he slowly recapped the pen.
"That is unconventional," he agreed.

I nodded an 'I told you so' nod at him before giving a sigh.

"So how did you get him to fall for you?" He asked me as he pulled up a chair and sat by my bed.

I watched this bold move of his and gave him a "Pardon?"

"Slivko only loved two things when I knew him: cars and rock n roll," he explained.

"He still loves rock and roll, he carried that darn record player all over that island," I informed him with small exasperated sigh even though the corners of my mouth turned up.
"And the first night after the crash, he even got me to slow dance with him, can you believe that? Slow dancing in the jungle after a helicopter crash," I smiled wistfully, remembering how he comforted me after I'd played nurse on him.

The MP chuckled next to me.
"Sounds like quite the adventure," he agreed.

"You don't know the half of it," I mumbled.

"Corporal," Mr Washburn called, getting the young man's attention and signaling to go.

"Gotta go, what was your name?" He asked as he stood.

"Maybelle Driscoll, what's yours?"

"Darrel Hawkins, it was pleasure to meet you," he said and shook my hand.

"Likewise," I said as he gave me a smile, saluted Hank one last time and followed his superior out.

"He knew Slivko?" Hank asked me.

I nodded and curled up in bed again, taking a sniff of Slivko's scent.

"What a small world," Hank commented as he stroked the folder in his hands.

"Congrats," I told him, nodding to it.

"Thanks," he grinned. "And thanks for believing that she'd wait for me. Almost feels like you made it come true."

"Would have if I could have," I winked.

Hank sighed.
"Promise me one thing May," he requested. "Don't make Slivko wait as long as I've made Shirley wait. Trust me, life is too short and too precious to waste."

Chapter Text

The hospital had to keep Hank longer than me since he needed every vaccine since 1942, but I didn't want to leave him alone until I absolutely had to. I was the only familiar face he knew on this continent. It was only an extra day and it gave my fever a chance to break, also breaking up the flying which gets exhausting.

I thought I'd be dying to get home, but I wasn't. It was almost like it didn't matter where I was, things just were what they were. Maybe I wasn't too keen on getting back because I was too scared of seeing Grace, finaling finding out how she was doing. I guess once I was finally home that meant things were over and I'd have to start adjusting to life instead of moving from one thing to the next like I had been. Being in my own bed would be nice, but it wouldn't stop the nightmares. Running water and proper housing would never be taken for granted again, but they wouldn't keep out the memories of those monsters. Jack wouldn't be there. Slivko wouldn't be there. I couldn't be 100% truthful with my family about what happened on that island, the things I had seen and been through. That was going to be the hardest part.

When they finally set the discharge time for Hank the military set us up with flights home leaving around the same time. Hank and I would go to the airport together and then part ways. Once I knew when I'd be getting home I called Mom and Dad. They didn't answer and I figured they were with Grace. As I didn't have the to guts to call there, I tried my aunt Elizabeth who did answer.

"Oh Maybelle!" She'd cried. "You poor dear!"

After hearing her blubber her sympathies I finally requested that she let Mom and Dad know when I'd be at the airport. Not trusting her at all, however, I also asked Mr Washburn to inform the base down there too. He assured me that he already did and MP's would be there to, at the very least, verify my safe arrival. When it was time for Hank and I to go, Darrel and another MP showed up to be our escorts. They took us down to a car instead of a jeep which was welcome indeed.

That day it was raining in Washington. It fit my mood quite well, but did nothing to dull Hank's cheer. He looked around wide eyed at everything, pointing out things that had changed and things that hadn't. Darrel was happy to converse with him on these subjects while I was unusually quiet. But I listened to every word, committing Hank and his happy face to memory.

I suddenly knew a handful of truly remarkable people. Most people in my life till now had been considerably nondescript. Now I knew San Lin the brilliant biologist, Houston Brooks the genius geologist, Mason Weaver the antiwar photographer, James Conrad the former British Special Air Service Captain turned tracker, Slivko the mechanic and chopper pilot, and Hank Marlow the man lost in time. I certainly wouldn't forget them, and I didn't want to. It was amazing how a group of such diverse people were thrown together and, through a shared experience, became oddly bound to each other for life.

I felt worse and worse the closer we got to the airport. I wore Reles cap and Slivko's shirt with my best pair of bell bottoms and my now beat to death tennis shoes. I carried the back pack of Jack's things while Darrel carried the other two bags for me through the airport. I tried to stay close to Hank while every step made me want to drop to the floor and just cry. His flight would leave before mine so I got to see him off at his gate first. I liked that better than leaving him behind, but I still wished I wasn't going to be left alone.

We sat by each other in those squeaky airport seats and suddenly couldn't think of anything to say. When we were down to the last 10 minutes and anxiety was twisting my insides, Hank finally spoke up.

"Maybelle," he began softly. "Thanks for staying with me. I couldn't have done this without you."

"You survived on that island for 28 years, you didn't need me for anything," I chuckled while wiping tears away.

"I'm going to miss you," he told me which made me choke up big time.

The flight attendants called for passengers to board then. Hank and I stood up and gave each other a big hug.

"I'm gonna miss you too," I croaked past the lump in my throat. "But you go find Shirley and John and you make up for lost time, alright?"

"I will," he said with a voice laced with emotion. "And when you get home, don't forget that you're not alone, ok? And if you ever do feel alone you call Slivko and I'm sure he'll come right to you."

We chuckled and pulled apart a bit.

"Go home, Hank," I said patting his shoulder.

His eyes brimmed with tears.
"I'm going home."

Darrel stayed by me as the other MP and Hank made their way onto the plane. Gunpei's katana had special papers and a safe place to go on the plane. Hank turned back right before he was out of sight and gave me a salute. I smiled and saluted back before he disappeared.

Darrel offered me a handkerchief as we made our way to my gate and I gratefully accepted it.

"You ok?" He asked me as I sniffled.

"Yeah," I breathed as I dried the last tear and took a deep breath.

He spotted a cafe and nodded for me to follow him. I had no choice, he was carrying my things and I didn't know what my gate was.

"What would cheer you up?" He asked as we stood in line.

I gazed at the menu and came up with strawberry lemonade and a chocolate chip muffin. He ordered an ice coffee for himself and paid for everything.

"So, I don't think you really answered my question," Darrel stated as we sat at a table.

I froze mid chew as I tried to recall what question he could be talking about.

"How you got Slivko to fall for you," he clarified as he lightly chuckled at my confused face.

I nodded and swallowed before answering.
"I have no idea what I did," I answered truthfully. "I think Jack had told them all how I taught him to balance a checkbook-"

"Who's Jack?" Darrel interjected.

I swallowed again even though I hadn't taken a bite.
"He's my brother in law, he uh, he didn't make it."

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry," Darrel apologized, his nice features turning down in sincere sadness.

I shook my head.
"You didn't know, no worries," I assured him.

"Is that why you don't seem to keen on being alone, or going home for that matter?"

I gave a rueful chuckle.
"Did you get that from Slivie or did he get it from you?"

"What's that?"

"That perceptive eye that sees through the bull crap and that direct manner."

He chuckled.
"I must have gotten it from Slivie, don't think I won't tease him relentlessly for that."

"What was he like when you knew him?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

"Well, he joined up when his mom died, thinking this was something he had to do. But he was never meant to be a soldier, the military just wasn't the place for him. He was smart and funny and just couldn't stick exactly to regulation," he chuckled a bit. "Come to think of it, I think I know why he fell for you."

"Oh?" I prompted even though I was trying to process the other things he had said.

"You don't follow regulation either," he pointed out. "Social regulation, that is."

"Is that bad?" I asked, confused.

"No, it's great," he assured me. "The way you are with Hank for example. He's from world war 2 and you're like best friends with him after just a few days."

"I'm not sure I understand," I shook my head with a small smile.

"Well, what made you fall for Slivie?"

I chuckled and looked away for a moment as the memories came rolling through.

"He didn't hesitate to stand between me and danger, he'd just reach out and grab my waist and pull me behind him. He didn't even have to look, he just always knew where my waist was," I began and had Darrel laughing already. "He took care of me all the time- well almost all the time."

"Almost?" Darrel questioned.

"When we first crashed, Slivko was the only non-civilian in the group," I explained. "We promised we'd stick together, but once we found the other soldiers he had to follow orders and that got us separated."

"That must have been rough."

"It happened right after I found out Jack was dead too," I sighed, remembering the pain of that day.

"What happened after that?" Darrel asked.

"Mason, Conrad, and Hank went to stop Packard from... from some wild goose chase he was on to find one of the choppers," I had to improvise at the last second. "They left me, Houston and San with the Ploat-"

"Ploat?"

"A boat that Hank and Gunpei made out of their airplanes," I explained.

Darrel looked caught in this whirlwind of information.

"Anyway," I went on. "the three of us got the boat running and went to save them so we could all make it to the rendezvous point in time."

"Geez, that's intense," Darrel pronounced. "What did you do before all of this happened, were you a student or something?"

"I'm an accountant," I snorted. "I had no business being on that trip."

Darrel looked at me, shocked.
"Wow, that's amazing."

"What's amazing is that I survived any of it."

"No," he interjected seriously. "You decided to take a boat made out of world war 2 fighter planes to rescue people on an uncharted island instead of just going to the rendezvous point, that's brave .. and selfless- and just awesome."

I fidgeted in my seat a little.
"Well, I guess."

He suddenly checked his watch.
"Oh geez, we gotta get to your gate," He said as he got up and threw his cup away before grabbing my bags again.

I stuffed the last bite of muffin my mouth and brought the rest of my lemonade with me. I followed Darrel as he briskly walked ahead of me. He was about Slivko's height, maybe a little taller, but his shoulders weren't quite as broad and his skin wasn't as fair. Still, with the military uniform, I could almost imagine it was Slivko. I imagined how it would be if he were taking me home instead. What if he came home with me? What if home was the same place for both of us? What if every time I got on a plane to go somewhere, he was going with me? I got so caught up in thinking how nice that would be that I ran right into Darrel when he had stopped walking.

"You alright there?" He asked as I rubbed my nose.

"Yeah, sorry. Lost in thought," I told him as I adjusted Reles' hat.

He looked a me with an amused smirk.
"This is your gate," He informed me, gesturing to the waiting area left of us.

"What were you thinking about?" Darrel asked once we had sat down.

I gave him a sideways look.
"You don't really follow social regulations either you know," I remarked.

"Takes one to know one," He shrugged with a smile. "The only social norm you do follow is evading questions you don't want to answer."

"Well, you got me there," I muttered sarcastically.

He let it go with a smile before moving on to something else.
"So what's waiting for you at home?"

I took a deep breath and let out a long sigh as I let my vision go out of focus.
"Mom, Dad, recently widowed sister, and five year old nephew," I listed with a grimace that was reflected on Darrel's face as well.

"Yikes," He stated.

"Yeah...you know," I mused. "You're the only person who hasn't tried to be reassuring and comforting about it."

"Does that offend you?"

"No, it's kind of refreshing," I realized. "It's nice to have someone just agree with me that this is gonna suck."

"Well," He sighed. "Things can suck, but they usually don't suck forever. And if they do suck forever, you eventually get used to it."

"That's inspired," I laughed at his particular brand of comfort.

The lady at the counter announced the flight would begin boarding in a moment.

"Well," Darrel stated, clapping his hands on his knees. "Guess this is it."

"Guess it is," I agreed.

I got up and swung the back pack over my shoulders and looked to Darrel to hand me my other bags but he offered his hand instead. I shook it with a small smile.

"It was nice to meet you, Maybelle," He said smiling at me.

"Likewise," I agreed.

I got my other bags and headed toward the gate.

"And maybe I'll see you again one day," He called after me, causing me to turn around. "Maybe at a wedding, Mrs Slivko."

I couln't help the huge grin that broke out on my face as I blushed.
"Awe, shut up," I told him, seeing him smile before I made my way down the corridor.

I was on my own on my way back home.

Chapter Text

Do you ever act a certain way around different people? Like, the version of yourself your best friend knows is not exactly the version your mom knows, and definitely not the version your teachers know? When you're by yourself is it different too?

I hadn't been by myself for a quite a while and so much had happened, I'd have to see who I was now.

I shuffled onto the plane with the handful of other passengers and took my seat by the window on the right side of the plane. I carefully slid the back pack under the seat in front of me and got comfortable. The sun had started to break through the clouds and the rain had let up a bit. I gazed out the window, following the trail of a raindrop with my finger. I looked from the drop to my hand, my left hand, and the ring finger in particular.

Mrs Slivko

I bit my lip as a shiver passed through me. Married to Slivie? What would that be like? The word Wonderful flashed in my mind and nearly made me giggle before I waved it away and tried to be reasonable. I was not a Jane Austen character, how could I consider marriage when I'd only known him for a week. And that's when the inner argument between logic and emotion began.

But consider the quality of that week. Most people start out by learning small, meaningless things about each other. With Slivko you already know he'd stand between you death itself.

But what about when circumstances aren't so dire? Can he put me first in smaller things? Do we have common interests enough to get along in the normal world?

Isn't there a level of care and understanding there that transcends things like that? Could you really imagine being with anyone else? He knows your whole story. He knows how to stop the nightmares. He wants to.

"Please prepare for take off," the speaker crackled to life, interrupting my internal argument.

I noticed no one was sitting on my row with me.

"Well," I thought to myself. "Here's the opportunity for some quality alone time."

Once we were in the air, I stretched my legs over the empty seats and tipped my cap down over my eyes and settled in. Logic and emotion began their banter once more.

I figured out a lot of things out by the time we touched down in Tennessee. For instance, I wasn't afraid of skullcrawlers coming up in my hometown. There had been no reason to believe in monsters before, so I thought it was safe to say that things would carry on as they always had. Especially since Kong was safe and protecting us all.

Still, I knew I would have nightmares replaying the horrors I had seen on that island. That's the part I was afraid of. I was afraid that I'd see Jack die in my dreams and that I would never be able to change that.

I was still afraid that Grace might blame me for not bringing him home. And even if she didn't blame me for it, there was heaps more negative thoughts and emotions she could have toward me. But I wouldn't know until I saw her, so I should try to wait and not assume or worry too much.

I really wished my sister still had her husband. I wish Billy had his dad. And I wished I had my friend. I wished I could tell him about Hank and about Slivko. I wanted to know what he would think of it all. That's what prompted me to look at that notebook Mills handed over to me. I flipped through the warped and wavy pages until a letter to Grace caught my eye. The date was within the past week.

My dearest Grace,

You know I love you Gracie, and I'd give anything to be with you and Billy right now. I'm sorry I won't come home when I said I would. It's nice to see Maybelle again, though. You'll be happy to know she made fast friends with everyone. I know you worry about her making friends. She's thick as thieves with Slivko already, you should see them. It'd be a riot if she fell for an enlisted man too, don't you think? She told me a lot about you and Billy, gave me his drawing. I miss you two with all my heart and can't wait to be back with you soon.

Love, your man, Jack.

I chuckled as I wiped the tears away. Guess he did have something to say about me and Slivko after all. I wished so hard he was still here that my chest hurt.

Stepping foot back in Tennessee I could feel the Maybelle I was before was coming back a little. Action hero Maybelle got to take a bit of a rest even though she was still right under my skin. I guess the two of them would eventually fit together a bit more seamlessly.

I noticed my parents before they noticed me. Two MP's were there and they were talking with them when I came out. They had Billy with them and he was faster on the draw. He tugged Mom's sleeve and pointed at me. Her and Dad looked sad and very tired, but they perked up at the sight of me.

They rushed over and hugged me tightly, Mom was crying instantly as she looked me over, inspecting me for injury.

"Are you alright, May? You look so different! Are you sure you're ok? You got so tan- did you lose weight? Why are you wearing so much camouflage?" Mom questioned all in one breath.

I smiled and hugged her again.
"I missed you."

The ride home was interesting to say the least. I sat in the back seat with Billy, Dad stared at me in the rear view mirror as he drove and mom practically faced the wrong way in her seat so she could look at me.

"We don't know much about what happened and Billy has been burning up with questions," Dad said. "He wanted to come with us to get you so badly so he could see you and ask you, but we made a deal that he could only ask during the car ride home so it wouldn't upset Grace. Is that alright May, sweetie?"

I nodded and the interrogation began.

"Mommy says Daddy isn't coming home," he began. "Because Daddy died. Is that true, Auntie May?"

I nodded solemnly as I tried not to get too choked up. Mom's mascara was everywhere but her eyelashes now.

"What happened?" Billy asked.

I took a deep breath as I recalled what Slivko put in his report, trying to remember the words instead of his freshly showered scent as I read over his shoulder.

"His chopper went down in the storm," I managed to say before my throat tightened up and I had to swallow.

"You didn't fly with Daddy?" Billy asked, his little brows knotted in confusion and mild offense.

"Daddy made me promise to fly with his friends who could look out for me while he was working," I explained as I stroked his raven locks back from his face.

"Oh," he said. "What happened to you?"

"We crashed too-"

"You did?" Billy interjected with surprise.

"Yeah, I got this from the seat belt," I said as showed a peek of the bruise across my hip.

"Oh sweetie," Mom sniffled as she reached for my hand, the water works starting all over again. Her and dad were probably just as curious as Billy about everything, and equally in the dark.

"What happened after you crashed?" Billy asked.

"Well, your daddy made me go with the tracker. Do you know what a tracker is?"

Billy nodded fervently.
"They find animals in Africa and stuff like that."

"Right, so he led the rest of us through the jungle trying to find other people. And the whole time, Slivko kept calling out on the radio in case anyone could hear us. And I asked him to call for your Daddy too, because I didn't know." I had to stop and swallow the lump in my throat again.

"Did you find anybody?" Billy prodded.

"We found a few others and I asked if they had seen your Daddy, but they hadn't. So we kept looking and you'll never guess what we found."

"What? What did you find?" Billy asked excitedly while Mom and Dad looked concerned.

"We found a man who had crashed his plane ... during world war 2," I supplied dramatically.

Dad swerved a little and a car next to us honked at him.

"Whoah," Billy breathed.

I nodded in agreement.
"His name is Hank Marlow and he had been on the island for 28 years-"

"Maybelle," dad interrupted. "Are you embellishing this story at all?"

"No, Dad." I promised. "I'm telling the truth."

"Yeah Grandpa," Billy defended. "This is serious."

Dad settled back down and Billy encouraged me to continue.

"A Japanese pilot he had been fighting crashed too. They had to work together to try and get off the island, so they used pieces of their planes to make a boat. But before they could finish, the Japanese soldier died. So we had to help him finish his boat."

"Was it a cool boat? Did you drive it?" Billy asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

"It was a cool boat. Since it was a boat made out of planes, Slivko called it a Ploat."

Billy giggled.

"Hank named it the Gray Fox, though. And I did get to drive it. We had gotten split up from some people and I used it to go find them."

Dad swerved again and more honks were heard.

"But you didn't find daddy?" Billy asked sadly.

"I looked, I really did. I even went through one of the most dangerous parts of the island to try and find him, you believe me, right?"

Billy nodded fast and hard which made me feel better.

"But there wasn't anything I could do," I said as the tears fell again.

I handed over Jack's dog tags into Billy's little hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I cried. "I wish I could have saved him. I wanted to so bad-"

Billy scooched over and wrapped his arms around me.
"I know auntie May, it's ok," he said soothingly as I hugged him back and held mom's hand as well as we both cried.

Chapter Text

Grace was not at Mom and Dad's house. I did not know where Grace was, no one seemed to think I should know, so I didn't ask. The kitchen table was covered in cards and paper work of some kind and there were casserole dishes everywhere with sticky notes about who they belonged to.

Jungle Maybelle felt very weird standing in the living room. Mom went to the kitchen as Dad sat down at the mound of papers and Billy had one arm wrapped around my leg.

"Sweetie are you hungry? Can I make you anything or get you anything? Really, I'll go out and get whatever you want," Mom said as she began washing yet another casserole dish.

"I'm ok for now, I think I'm gonna lay down for a little first," I told her.

"Ok, you get some rest, you deserve it," she nodded and Dad turned to give me a tight lipped smile.

"There's plenty of food," she added as she gazed at the dishes scattered around.

I trailed my finger down the wall as I walked to my room, Billy following. It felt like a dream, finally being home. I kicked off my shoes, set down my bags and threw myself horizontally across my bed. Billy climbed up and lay beside me.

"Where's your momma, kiddo?" I asked him as my curiosity got the best of me.

"She's at home," he said as he ran his fingers over Slivko's shirt.

"What's she doing?"

"She signs papers and makes calls for daddy's funeral. That's why she couldn't come today," he explained. "Is this Daddy's?"

I rolled over on my side and showed him the pocket.
"No sir," I said. "This belongs to warrant officer Reg Slivko. And this hat belongs to Reles. I don't know his first name or his title," I said as I took the hat off and stuck it on his head.

"Why'd they give it to you?" Billy asked as he examined the brim.

"It was when I had to say bye to them. We were out on the boat and it was cold," I yawned, not mentioning anything about how girlfriends get to wear the uniform. "Can you do me a favor and grab that army back pack for me?"

He scampered off the bed and grabbed it, heaving it up before scrambling back on the bed.

"Thank you," I said as I pulled it closer.
"Now, this guy right here," I pointed to the name on the shirt. "He thought you might like to have..." I dug around and pulled out the boots. "These."

Billy grasped them.
"These are Daddy's boots?" He asked.

I nodded.

He held them reverently for a moment.

"This guy," he pointed to the shirt. "He seems nice."

"He is," I smiled. "He saved me a lot. He's very brave and smart. He fixed the Ploat."

"Wow, I wish I could meet him," He said wistfully.

"You probably will, he said he would come visit me," I told him.

"Really? Cool!"

I giggled softly at his enthusiasm.

"Until he can come visit he said he would write letters, you can write him one too, if you want."

"I can't write yet."

"I'll help you," I said as I laid my head back down.

"Can you show me where the seat belt hurt you again?" He asked, rerouting the topic entirely.

I rolled onto by back and showed him again.

"Does it hurt real bad?" He asked.

I shrugged as I put my shirt over my hips again.
"Only sometimes."

"Did you get hurt anywhere else?" He asked.

"On my back a little, from the explosion," I yawned again.

"There was an explosion?!" Billy screeched.

I immediately shushed him, afraid Mom and Dad might hear. They seemed concerned enough with the minor details I had shared already. If they knew about Kong and the Skull Crawlers I think they might actually fall over and die.

"Don't tell Gram and Gramps about that, ok?" I instructed him in a hushed voice.

He nodded and zipped his lips.
"Let's take a nap now," he said as he moved the back pack and set the boots down on the floor.

"You want to take a nap?" I asked, surprised by his willingness.

"You need a nap," he told me plainly. "I'll be here to keep watch."

I chuckled.
"Alright then."

I closed my eyes and relaxed, the little noises Billy was making were somehow soothing, and I was drifting between sleep and wake. I was in and out of consciousness and it made the real world and the memories my subconscious brought out to play merge together.

I was laying on my bed but now Slivko lay in front of me, propped up on his elbow as he stared at me. I reached out and held his other hand. I smiled as the shivers ran up my spine the way it did whenever we held hands. What would it be like if he were really here? What would Mom and Dad have said about him or to him? What would he have said about all the casserole dishes? He for sure wouldn't be in my room and on my bed. Slivko in my dream came closer and lay right up against me and closed his eyes. I stroked his hair back and lightly kissed his forehead. I was now convinced that naps with Slivko would be one of the greatest things and wondered when on earth I'd be able to test this theory.

That's when I came back to the real world. I found Billy curled up against me, still awake, with his hand in mine. There was some noise coming from the living room and I thought maybe Grace had come. This was soon confirmed incorrect by my cousin Jared coming through my door and throwing himself next to me on the bed.

"May!" He cried dramatically as he wound his arms around me to give a tight hug. "You're alive!"

"Be careful!" Billy hollered at him as he feebly hit the 15 year old's arms. "She has owies from crashing in a helicopter and exploding!"

"What?!" Jared exclaimed, his voice cracking. ""What the crap happened to you, May?"

"It's like Billy said, crashed helicopter and an explosion," I concurred. "But Mom and Dad don't know about the explosion so keep your mouth shut."

"Geez!" He drew out the word. "Did you almost die?"

I gave him the stink eye and nodded at the young and impressionable Billy.

"I'm here aren't I? So it's fine," I stated clearly.

"You should come say hi to Mom, she's been losing her wig ever since you called her," Jared said after getting the hint.

"Did grace come with you guys? Was she here?" I asked.

He shook his head.

I pouted thoughtfully. 
"Does she not want to see me?" I asked him out of the side of my mouth so Billy wouldn't hear.

Jared scrunched his brows in confusion.
"I don't know. Why?"

"Nevermind," I said as I sat up and got off the bed, the boys following.

I shuffled down the hall with Billy on a leg and Jared with his arms around my shoulders from behind, revelling in the fact that he was almost taller than me now. Aunt Elizabeth jumped up when she saw me coming.

"Oh there she is, with her boys," She cried with a smile, her eyes misty. "We're all so glad you're home." 

She wrapped me up in a huge hug, her bosoms nearly suffocating me. Aunt Elizabeth was a large woman. 

"Are you feeling better, sweetheart?" Mom asked.

I nodded.

"Here, I warmed you up some, um... casserole."

Chapter Text

I took the plate mom offered me and sat at the table to eat. I gazed over at the papers dad was going over before picking up one of the cards on the table.

Sorry for your loss

I pushed the cards away from my plate. I wasn't ready to see that yet.

"Dad, um," I worked up my nerve to carefully ask him: "when's, uh, when is the funeral?"

"It's a week from today, we wanted to make sure you were home for it and there's a lot to plan as well," dad replied solemnly as he shuffled through the papers in front of him.

I nodded and tried to go on acting normal, like I hadn't just asked when my brother in law's funeral was over sympathy cards and casserole.

"Everyone was so relieved to hear that you were coming home, Maybelle," Aunt Elizabeth said in an effort to lift the mood as I rolled up my sleeves a bit so I could eat.

"We got ahold of everyone to let them know," she was saying as the ink on my arm caught my eye.

Crap! I was supposed to go to the base to send Slivko a message that I got home alright!

I shot up from my seat startling everyone, especially dad who drug his pen clear across the page as he flinched.
"Sorry, I forgot I was supposed to go do something at the base as soon as I got back," I explained awkwardly. "I better go do that real quick before it gets too late."

"May!" Mom called with an unhinged lilt in her voice as I quickly fetched my shoes and my keys. "Is everything ok? Why do you have to go to the base?"

"Everything is fine," I said as positively as possible as I stood there looking like a train wreck to them, I'm sure.

"I don't want you running off alone, you just got home," Dad said.

"I know, I'm sorry. But I just have to do this. I'll go straight there and come straight home," I promised.

"What do you have to do so urgently?" Mom questioned.

I ran a hand over my face.
"The guys wanted me to send a message to the boat when I got home, they were worried about me," I said as I impatiently shifted from foot to foot.

"Guys?" Mom repeated.

"Look, I'll explain it when I get home. I promised I'd do this, I have to go," I stated before walking to the front door.

"Jared, honey," Elizabeth cooed in forced calmness as I opened the front door. "Why don't you go with her?"

"Why?" He asked, earning a smack to the head. "Ow! Ok, I'll go!"

He ran after me and closed the door behind him.

"Guess I'm babysitting you now," he said as he got in the passenger seat of my old pink Cadillac. "Since I won't get paid, can you at least tell me what the heck is going on?"

I sighed as I started the engine.
"I already told Billy the story today and frankly, it's exhausting. Can I do it another day?"

I pulled out at a fast clip and braked hard enough to rattle my cousin.

"Ok fine!" He relented as he gripped the door and dashboard.  "Just take it easy!"

I pulled up to the gate and saw a familiar face working the guard shack. Mack was one of the guys I saw frequently when I was working on the base.

"Maybelle? Is that you girl?" He asked as he looked me over, his teeth gleaming white in contrast with his ebony skin.

"Yes, sir," I sighed with a hopeful smile.

"I heard about what happened, I'm sorry about Jack," he nodded to me with a frown. "But what brings you here?"

"I was told to come here so they could send a message to the boat and let them know I got home safe," I said as I showed him the writing on my arm as proof.

"Uh-huh," he hummed suspiciously. "That's not Jack's." He said pointing to the shirt I was wearing and I instantly regretted not leaving it at home.

"No sir," I admitted with another sigh.

His smile was like a crescent moon in the black sky.
"Alright, I'll call ahead for you," he said as he raised the gate.

"Thanks, Mack," I said before driving on through.

I met an MP along the way who directed me to the building where I could get on the radio. I parked and tossed the keys at Jared.

"What's this?" He asked, holding them up in his palm.

"If you want to listen to the radio or drive around the parking lot," I shrugged.

"I'm not coming in with you?" He asked, confused.

"No reason to," I said as I got out of the car before he could add anything.

I got inside and was surprised to find Jay Willis, the man who had come to tell me about the trip in the first place.

"Maybelle," he stated as he offered his hand to shake. "May I offer my condolences for your brother in law, and my sincere apologies for your own suffering."

"Uhm, ok," I said as I shook his hand, having no idea how to really respond to this.

"I want you to know that I am fully briefed about the events on the island," he whispered meaningfully. "And I am doing everything I can to get you some financial compensation- now I know it won't bring him back or make up for what has happened to you, but it'll help you with costs that are bound to come up. Maybe buy you a few plane tickets," he ventured as he looked at the name on the shirt and gave me a small smirk.

"Wait a second," I said, shocked. "You know what happened on the island?"

He nodded and I squinted suspiciously.

"Prove it," I dared to challenge.

He looked at me with a semi impressed smile.
"Skull Crawlers."

My eyes went wide.

"Now, my dear," he went on. "Let's get you in touch with that boat. I'm sure there's a young man dying to know how his.. shirt is doing."

We went into another room with a wall covered in switches and screens and a table with a few different microphones. A few MP's were there working.

"Alright fellas," Mr Willis clapped his hand. "We have a boat to catch. Maybelle, if you please."

I pulled up my sleeve and showed them the writing which they jotted down before setting the radio. A speaker crackled to life a few moments later.

"Should I write out the message I'd like to send or will you just let them know I got home?" I asked.

Mr Willis looked at me strangely as leaned on the table with the microphones.
"We're not just gonna send them Morse code," he said as a live voice came from the radio.
"Yes, I need to speak to warrant officer Slivko on the double," he answered the man.

"Yes, sir. Right away," the response crackled in.

"Are you kidding me?" I grinned as my heart skipped a beat and pumped wildly in my chest.

"Warrant Officer Reg Slivko on the line, sir," Slivko's voice came over the line and I felt my pulse in my ears.

"Are you missing a shirt, soldier?" Mr Willis asked as he smirked at me.

"I- I believe that I am, sir. Have you found it?" Slivko sounded excited now as he played along.

"Yes I have, and there's something strange in it, can you verify?"

I giggled as I took a few steps closer.

"It was last seen on a lovely young lady as she made her way home," Slivko laughed.

"That's confirmed," Mr Willis smiled and stepped back from the radio, motioning to the MP's to give me some privacy.

"Hi Slivko," I spoke into the mic as I sat at the table.

"Maybelle! You made it home!" He greeted.

"Yeah, I made it back today. How're you doing?" I asked him as I realized I was nearly tearing up.

"I'm fine, I've been getting messages about you almost everyday," he laughed.

"I know! Everyone I met wanted to send one," I giggled.

"It sure is good to hear your voice though," he said.

"Yeah, same here. I wasn't expecting this," I stated as I threw a grateful look over my shoulder at Mr Willis.

"How are things at home?" He asked me over the crackling radio signal.

"Um, well," I began. "I haven't seen Grace, I don't know why she hasn't come around yet. But Billy came with Mom and Dad to get me from the airport. Asked me all sorts of questions in the car and at least I know he doesn't blame me for not bringing his Dad home."

"Of course he wouldn't," Slivko stated as if it were obvious. "He's got the best aunt in the world, of course he's gonna love you no matter what."

"Oh gosh, I miss you. When are you coming home?" I asked.

"I miss you too, I keep forgetting you're not on the boat. I went and stole the pillow from your bunk-"

"Slivie," I giggled. "You nut, when are you coming home?"

"We leave tomorrow!" He said happily. "Should hit the East coast in five or six days. Listen, there's a storm coming in right now, I might lose you any minute here."

"Oh ok," I said suddenly anxious. "Is it bad?"

"I've seen worse," he joked. "Oh, when is the funeral?"

"A week from today," I answered. "I don't know how I'm gonna handle it."

The radio crackled suddenly.

"I'm sorry, May. I'd give anything to be there with you right now, you know that right?" His voice was a little garbled as the signal deteriorated.

"I know," I sniffled as tears stung my eyes.

"May, -id you fin- ..letter?" He cut out with static.

"Did I find a letter?" I spoke up to be heard over the crackling.

"-in - shirt-"

"Oh! The letter in your shirt, yes I found it!" I called.

The line was pure static.

"Hello? Slivie!" I called.

Mr Willis came over and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"We lost the connection, I'm sorry," he apologized.

I wiped my eyes and stood up, offering him a handshake.
"Thank you so much for this," I said as I tried to keep my emotions contained. "It was more than I hoped for."

"Can I get some one to take you home?" He offered.

"No, I'll be fine," I assured him. "Thank you. I better get home though, my parents are worried about me."

I bowed out and made my way out into the hall where I unexpectedly collided with Jared.

"You have got some explaining to do now," he told me.

"What are you doing in here?" I demanded in a screechy whisper as I hit his shoulder.

"Eavesdropping! Obviously!" He retorted. "Now who is this Slivko?" He demanded as he grabbed the shirt.

"Be careful!" I told him as I smacked his hand away and smoothed it out.

"Oh my god, May!" He cried.

"Fine, I'll explain in the car, now let's go," I relented as I drug him out by his ear.

Chapter Text

"Why the crap did you come in there?!" I demanded as we got back in the car.

"You were acting all weird, what was I supposed to do?!" He responded, equally indignant.

"You could not eavesdrop for starters!" I suggested as I turned the engine on and pulled out of the space.

"You come back from a trip across the world where you almost died, where Jack did die, and you're acting all weird, and now you're talking to some guy back on the boat like you like him- what the heck is going on?"

"Don't tell Mom and Dad or anyone about this," I warned.

"Why?!"

"Because! They've got enough going on with what they do know, I don't need to add to it. I'll be fine," I tried to assure him.

"Wait, you didn't deny anything. You do like that guy!" He realized excitedly.

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Oh my gosh, you're not denying it," he continued to torment me. "Ok, let's make a deal."

I raised a brow at him.

"You tell me the real story of what happened and I won't tell anyone about the guy on the boat," he stated smugly.

I'd stopped at a red light in time to shoot him a death glare.

"You're black mailing me?!"

----------------

He black mailed me.

By the time we pulled up in front of the house he knew the story minus Kong and the Skull Crawlers. Even without that part of the story he was still shocked and just sat in the passenger seat wide eyed.

"See why I don't want to tell my parents everything?" I intoned.

He nodded silently.

I threw my head back against the car seat and sighed.

"World war 2 pilot," Jared repeated with a hollow voice.

"Yep."

"An exploding field."

"Uh huh."

"A boat made of 28 year old planes."

"Ploat."

"You have a boyfriend."

"I-" my head jerked up as a denial was on the tip of my tongue, but there was no good reason.
"I do," I admitted as I let my head fall back again.

"He seems alright," Jared admitted, causing me to turn and look at him.

"You think so?" I asked.

Jared shrugged.
"If he saved your life that many times it kinda transcends just wanting to get in your pants."

"Oh gross, way to kill it," I tsked.

"He didn't get in your pants, right?"

"No he didn't get in any of my clothing," I said as I squeezed my eyes shut.

"But you did make out with him."

"I kissed him, I didn't make out with him-" I was cut off mid defense.

"You said on deck he kissed you a few times, that's making out. You're older than me for Pete's sake, you should know this!"

"Get out of the car," I punctuated, firmly putting an end to this conversation. "Now, you better honor our deal, not a word of this to anyone."

"Yeah they don't need to know you're a total harpy now-"

I threw my arm around his neck as we walked up to the house under the lavender and lilac sky. He cried uncle by the time we got to the door.

"There you are," Mom said overly cheerful. "I've been keeping your plate warm, would you like to eat now?"

"No more places to run off to?" Dad asked under his breath.

"No, no more running off. Thanks Mom," I tried to play it cool and be the good daughter again.

"So, how did it go?" Mom asked as she set the plate in front of me and took a seat.

"Great," I forced a smile as I gave Jared a sideways look to make sure he was keeping his mouth shut. "Mr Willis was there waiting for me, the guy who first came to tell me about the trip."

"Oh, I see," Mom stated as she looked at my Dad. Guess this gave some validity to my actions.

"He put me on the radio with the guys on the boat, the ones Jack worked with. They wanted to know I got home ok," I continued explaining.

"Well, that's nice of them," Mom said mostly to Dad again.

Everyone but Elizabeth fell silent and I was able to eat without interruption. When I was done, I excused myself to take a shower.

I stood in front of the mirror for a minute. I wasn't really tan as much as I was burnt and my face looked very tired. I took off Slivko's shirt and carefully folded it, giving it a good sniff before I set it on the counter. Then I peeled my t shirt off and inspected my own body for cuts and bruises. I better know what to hide from everyone. It looked like pants and long sleeves for me for a while.

When I finished and came out of the bathroom, I saw mom getting ready to take Billy home.

"Grace isn't picking him up?" I asked her.

"No, she's been... busy. You understand," she said as she gathered up coloring books and crayons into his little back pack.

"I don't think I do," I bravely threw out there. "Does she not want to see me?"

Mom looked at me sharply.
"Why on earth would you think that?"

I gestured around us.
"Because she hasn't come to see me all day."

"I told you, she's busy."

I sighed and gave up, making my way to my room. I set Slivko's shirt on the pillow next to me and pulled the letter out. I wonder if he heard my answer over the radio before it cut out? I opened it and read it at least three times. He was the only one saying what I needed to hear.

Chapter Text

The next afternoon I finally saw Grace. Mom had me pack up all my stuff so I could stay with her and help her around the house as she prepared for the funeral. I got the feeling that everybody was kind of putting me on hold till the funeral was over. It was just too much to deal with all at once and since I was home now, safe, I was the obvious candidate for the backburner. I understood it, kind of, but it still hurt just a little. My guilt said I deserved it, though.

I stood with Mom on Grace's porch, the back pack of Jack's things on my shoulders, Slivko's shirt draped over my black T and denim shorts and my other bags on the porch by the new tennis shoes aunt Elizabeth had gotten for me.

"Sweetie, maybe you wanna take off the ... camo," Mom suggested.

"Why?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, it just- it might remind her of- you know," Mom kept groping for words.

I didn't bother to argue, just took off the backpack and tied the shirt around my waist instead.

"Is that better? You think that's ok?" I asked.

"Yes, dear. Thank you," Mom spoke over me as the door opened.

Grace stood there, red faced and puffy with the craziest hair I'd ever seen on her.

"Hey, Mom," She sniffled. "Hey, May."
I thought I smelled booze on her breath.

"Hey Grace," I echoed as Billy bounded past her and threw himself at me.

"Auntie May!" He screamed happily.

Grace winced at the volume of his little voice.

"Hey bud," I greeted quietly as we made our way inside, Grace picking some of Billy's toys up off the floor.

"Honey, have you been.."Mom trailed off.

"What?" Grace asked as she straightened up.

"Nothing, sweetie," Mom yielded.

Ah, I see how it is.

I stood there with Billy wrapped around my legs, waiting for... I don't know what, some sort of recognition more than 'Hey, May.'

"May, why don't you go put your things in your room," Mom said as she made her way to the kitchen with Grace trailing behind her.

I nodded with tight lips as I lugged my bags and Billy down the hall.

"At least you love me," I muttered to Billy when we were far enough away.

"I do love you auntie May," He giggled as he hugged my leg tighter and I nearly fell over.

Grace had gone to sleep and Mom and I were quietly doing household chores while Billy kept getting underfoot. People kept interrupting us, bringing over food. Mom washed the dishes and I folded laundry in the kitchen with her.

"So..." I began softly. "She's been... drinking?"

Dishes clattered as mom turned to me, dishwater splashing everywhere as she eyed me.
"She is not drinking," She stated firmly.

I stared up at her, frozen, holding a half folded shirt in midair still as dishwater crept slowly toward me.

"Ok," I surrendered.

"She's really not," Mom added as she went back to washing dishes.

"Alright."

We worked in silence for a few minutes after that.

"Did you- did you really rescue a world war 2 pilot?" She asked hesitantly.

I smirked.
"Yeah, we did," I answered shortly, not sure where she was going with this.

"'We', so you made friends then?" She went on as she scrubbed away.

"Uh, yeah," I shrugged. I guess it could be simplified that way.

"That's nice."

I let my arms fall in my lap.
"We're friends because we survived 3 days on an island together, it's not the ideal friend making situation," I pointed out.

Mom sighed and scrubbed more vigorously.
"You're right, I'm sorry," she apologized.

"It's fine," I said softly, realizing I had been a little harsh with that last statement.

"You mentioned one yesterday a couple times, what was his name again?" She asked.

I licked my lips and checked to see that she wasn't looking at me.
"Uh, Slivko?" I tried to sound completely natural.

"Yes, that sounds right," she agreed. "What, uh, how did you-?"

"He's a pilot," I jumped in to save her. "Jack put me on his chopper."

"Well, bless him for that," she breathed. "And the tracker went with you?"

"Yeah. He's British. And a real looker, you'd have liked him," I told her earning a small chuckle.

"I suppose I owe him a big thank you."

"Why's that?"

"For protecting you of course."

"Oh," I faltered. "Yeah, well, he and Slivko would kinda like take turns," I explained awkwardly.

"Were you the only girl?" She asked suddenly as her scrubbing stopped abruptly.

"No, there was Mason and San," I told her.

"Those are girls?" She asked.

"Yes, Mom," I chuckled as I stacked up all the folded laundry.

"Well I'm relieved that was the case."

I rolled my eyes with a small smile at the corner of my mouth.

Grace shuffled into the kitchen then looking bleary eyed. Mom immediately hovered over her offering to make her something to eat and telling her everyone who stopped by. I was invisible again to all but Billy.

"Auntie May, did you bring Daddy's boots from your house?" He asked me as I sat there folding more laundry.

This got Graces attention.
"What? What's he talking about?" She asked me.

I looked between her and Mom, hoping for some kind of signal on what to do.

"I uh," I started off stammering. "I brought some of Jack's things home with me to uh, to give you. It's was Sl- it was uh, one- one of the guys ideas. Want me to get it for you now?"

"Yes," she responded shortly and mom quickly tried to add on to it.
"-please. Thank you Maybelle, that's so thoughtful of you."

I stood up and went to fetch the back pack and met them in the living room.  I sat on the couch and put the back pack between us, not really sure what to say. I guess no one else did either because Grace just went right into it. She pulled out the boots and looked at me.

"He thought Billy might grow into them," I offered.

She handed them over to the eager little boy in question. I wasn't sure what the next thing was going to be since Slivko was the one who'd really packed this. She pulled out some notebooks, a comb, an olive green t shirt, a pen, and his dog tags.

"We took his photos down and put them in one of the notebooks," I mentioned.

She hesitantly picked up the notebook who's cover wouldn't lay flat and slid out the pictures. Her chin began to quiver as she went through them and I fought tears myself. Mom all but had Grace in her lap, she was trying to be as close as possible.

Abruptly, Grace tossed the photos back on the coffee table, got up and left the room.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Mom tried to ask, but the only reply was the slam of her bedroom door.

When it became obvious that Grace was not coming out anytime soon, mom decided she better go. She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and told me how thoughtful I was for bringing Jack's things before giving me a mile long list of things to do for Grace. Billy and I were on our own for the rest of the night and it didn't feel so good.

I think that's why the nightmares came.

Chapter Text

"Maybelle, what am I going to do with you?" My mom complained after the fifth ensemble. "It's impossible to dress you head to toe in black without it looking... seductive!"

"Mom."

I didn't have it in me to vehemently protest since my sister had just kicked me out. After two days of being a maid, babysitter, personal manager and cook I overheard her on the phone with mom saying I was having nightmares and she couldn't handle it and didn't want it to freak out Billy. The little guy had been totally cool about it though. He'd crawl into my bed and wake me up from them. He asked me if I had nightmares because I had seen scary things and I said yes. He said he had nightmares about scary stuff too, so he understood.

Grace, however, did not. So here I was, back in my parents house, finding a funeral outfit.

"I think we'll just have to go shopping," mom said as she threw up her hands.

I stood in a black dress that hugged every curve and made me look like a slinky little cocktail waitress and had to agree with her.

I changed into denim shorts and a black t shirt, throwing Slivko's shirt over it. Mom looked concerned every time I wore it, but it helped with the anxiety of having a sister that hated me.

We got to the mall and went in every department store, mom trying to explain to the sales people what we were looking for. A black button down and pencil skirt made me look like a business woman, every dress looked like a party dress which was not appropriate, and suits made me look like an old lady or a politicians daughter. Nothing looked proper for a funeral and mom was losing her mind. I couldn't care less but I was running out of energy from changing my clothes 23 times. She finally spotted one in a store window as we were driving home and quickly parked the car. Two minutes later I had it on. It was simple with cap sleeves and came to my knee.

Mom sighed.
"Well I suppose if Marylin went to a funeral she'd look like that too."

We bought it.

•••••

I jolted up in bed with a cold sweat trickling down my face and tried to catch my breath. I had a nightmare that Grace was haunting me like a ghost on the island, screaming at me the whole time to hurry up and go save her husband. I threw back my covers and went to the bathroom to wash my face. As I looked at my frazzled self in the mirror I wished that Slivko had told me the trick to make the nightmares stop. A sudden idea came to me. That night in the hammock I don't remember having bad dreams until Slivko had left me alone, even though he said I did. I went back to my room and softly closed the door. I grabbed Slivko's shirt, the soap and the letter before hopping on my bed. I grabbed my extra pillow and buttoned up the shirt around it and then I rubbed the bar of soap on it a little. I snuggled in bed with it and read the letter in the dim light over and over until I fell back asleep.

"You're easy to love."

••••••

I woke up to mom gently knocking on my door. I was curled around Slivko's stuffed shirt like my life depended on it and I covered it up with my blankets before mom could open the door.

"Good morning sweetheart," she smiled softly in at me. "Breakfast is ready. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," I yawned.

"Oh good, glad to hear it," she said before stepping out again.

I took the pillow out of the shirt and folded it carefully, putting the soap and the letter in the front pocket before hiding it under my pillow.

And that became my routine every night leading up to the funeral.

Chapter Text

I stood in front of the mirror in my room looking perfect and feeling perfectly miserable. Today was the funeral. That meant that after today there would be no sound reason to hold off on anything, yet I knew that nothing would be addressed afterwards. Grace would still avoid me and hate me, and my parents would look at me with mild worry and concern without being able to talk to me about what I'd gone through. And life would just go on like that into the indefinite future.

"May, did you already use the waterproof mascara?" Mom asked as she came into my room.

"Yeah, I'm all ready," I said as I turned away from the mirror.

Mom bit her lips as her brows scrunched together.
"Oh sweetie, you look so beautiful," she said as she examined my curled hair, subtle makeup, dress and heels.

The only nice black shoes I owned were 6 inch wedges. I got them so I could tower over the men in the office when I wanted to be intimidating. That was back when I actually had a job.

I bent down from my nearly 6 foot stance to hug her.
"I better finish getting ready!" She said as her eyes began to water and she scurried out of my room.

My doorway was then filled by Jared in a black suit and tie.

"Hey," he sighed as he leaned on the door frame.

"Hey," I answered as I checked my hair one more time just to have something to do.

"Today feels weird," he said as he came in and sat on the edge of my bed.

"Is it because of your Dad?" I asked as I sat beside him.

About 8 years ago Aunt Elizabeth had become a widow too. I hadn't quite appreciated what she had been through at the time, not like I could now, and I felt a twinge of guilt about it.

"You'd think that'd be it, but it's not," he shook his head.

I frowned in thought.
"What is it?"

He shrugged.
"I don't know, just feels weird."

"Well thanks for that cryptic premonition," I said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Are you ready? We should get there early," Dad said as he stomped down the hall tying his tie.

"We're ready, Dad," I assured him.

"Elizabeth is driving Grace and Billy, we're taking Jared," he stated the obvious.

"Yes, Dad," I said as I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Do you want us to wait in the car? Or I could just take him in my car."

The funeral would be a military funeral so we had to start our day at the base and proceed to the burial site. I wasn't over the fact that they were burying an empty coffin.

"Yeah go wait in the car," he said as he walked by the door again.

I tucked my drivers license and lipstick in the pocket of my dress and grabbed Slivko's back pack.

"What are you taking that for?" Jared asked as we walked out of my room.

"It's a pair of back up shoes just in case they put me to work doing something," I only half fibbed. I had a certain shirt and a pair of pants too.

We went out the front door, the sun blinding me at first. How rude of the sky to be clear, it's supposed to rain for funerals.

"So," Jared began as soon as we closed the car doors. "How's the boyfriend?"

That was the first time a smirk tugged the corner of my mouth in days.

"He's been crossing an ocean but he should be getting in about now," I said, the thought of at least being on the same continent as him making me feel just a little bit better.

"Gosh," Jared smiled with a shake of his head. "You don't deny it at all, you just totally embraced being a girlfriend and having a boyfriend again."

"Whatever, it's not like either of us have said as much to each other," I pointed out.

"But it's implied," he said waving a finger at me. "The only people that throw around labels are the ones who don't know how they feel."

"Ok," I turned to him, sitting up straighter. "And how the heck do you know anything about this? Last I checked you're 15, why you sound like a wise old hippie all of a sudden?"

"I am still a kid, and I still see things for what they are instead of what the world conditions you to think it is," he explained.

"Oh my gosh," I muttered as I slumped back in my seat. "Well, you're not wrong, but I am concerned and we will talk about all this later."

Dad poked his head out the front door and squinted at the car before pulling back. Soon he and mom walked out.

"There you are, we were looking for you!" Dad complained as he got in the car.

"You - but you told us to wait in the car," I reminded him.

This got no reply as we pulled out of the drive way.

I gave Jared a sideways "god help me" glance.

•••••••

I wobbled in my heels on the grass as we milled around, waiting for attendees to arrive. A few clouds had the decency to show up too. Jared stayed close and Billy came and went as his attention span allowed.

"Oh my god," Jared said suddenly.

"What?"

"It's your ex," he stated and I cautiously followed his gaze.

About 3 years ago, when all my friends started dating, there was this guy who was so persistent I eventually turned into a door mat and dated him for a few months. In the beginning I had even said no, but he wouldn't listen. I grew a spine and dumped him because not listening was a habit of his.

"Nice," I said sarcastically as I turned away and rolled my eyes.

I suppose it was nice of him to show up, but three years is too long to keep pretending he's still relevant.

A good sized crowd had gathered by now, they were all milling around the white chairs set up on the lawn and kept the rest of my family busy as they offered their condolences. Jared and I stayed on the outskirts and only were approached by those we knew very well. And ex boyfriends too.

"Hi Maybelle," I heard Steve's voice behind me.

I plastered a polite yet mournful smile on my face before turning around to face him.

"Hi Steve," I almost downright sighed.

"I'm really sorry about Jack," he began and went in for a hug.

I grimaced over his shoulder and quickly converted my face back to normal as I pulled back.

"It's nice to see you again though," he was saying but I was distracted by some vehicles pulling up in the distance behind him.

His voice droned on as I saw a man step out that looked a lot like Conrad. He turned and helped a woman out that looked a lot like Mason. I squinted and became convinced it really was them as a swell of relief washed over me. I was about to politely excuse myself from Steve who had gotten to the 'if you need anything just let me know' portion of his speech when a third figure got out of the other side of the car. He was in a black suit but I'd recognize him anywhere.

Slivko.

Chapter Text

Slivko was here. He wasn't just back in America, back on dry land, he was here. Unless I finally snapped and this was a hallucination. My heart skipped a beat and then made up for it by beating like crazy and I felt dizzy.

"Jared!" I said frantically as I grabbed his shoulder, not taking my eyes off Slivko who was just walking around the car to where Mason and Conrad were standing.  "Do you see three people standing there, two guys and a woman?"

"Uh, yeah- what are you doing?!"

As soon as he confirmed it I started taking off my shoes. I left them and the two boys behind as I ran down the grassy hill. Slivko was looking at the large group of people, not in my direction. Mason noticed me first and waved frantically before hitting Slivko on the arm and pointing to me.

"Here she comes!" I heard her say.

Slivko's expresion brightened when he saw me and I felt tears fly off my face. I was almost to him and he opened his arms to catch me as I launched myself off the grass and flung my arms around his neck.

"Well hello to you too!" He exclaimed as he tightly wrapped his arms around me and held me off the ground. His scent confirmed that this really wasn't a hallucination and happy tears filled my eyes.

"You're here!" I exclaimed into the crook of his neck. "How are you here?!"

He chuckled, still holding me off the ground since I was barefoot.
"The boat got in day before yesterday and after all the paper work I had just enough time to make it here. So, here I am," he explained.

"You're here!" I repeated.

"We're here too," Mason pointed out.

"Maybelle!" Jared's chastising voice was heard before he hit me in the butt with one of my shoes. "You need to get off your boyfriend and put your shoes on, you're gonna cause a scene!"

"Oh gosh, you're right," I said sadly.

He put my shoes on the pavement and Slivko set me down in them.

"Who's this?" Mason asked with a raised brow as she looked Jared up and down.

"My cousin, Jared," I answered as I unwillingly let go of Slivko and turned to greet her too.
"Thank you so much for coming, it's so good to see you."

I hugged her and then Conrad before finally facing Slivko again, still not over the fact that he was standing right there in front of me. He had a cute smirk as he just stared at me softly.

"So this is Mason and Conrad, then?" Jared asked.

"Yeah," I confirmed, still looking at Slivko.

"I'm Reg," Slivko said as he extended his hand. "But she calls me-"

"Slivko, yes. I know," Jared nodded as he shook his hand.

Slivko looked both amused and confused.

"How are things now that you're home?" Slivko asked me with his head tilted adorably.

I was about to answer when Jared jumped in.
"Not too good," He said, causing me to give him a miffed glare.

"What's wrong?" Slivko asked, head tilted the other way now, looking concerned.

"It's not that bad," I tried to recover.

"Grace kicked her out," Jared threw in.

"What?!" Slivko took a step forward, looking between me and Jared while Mason and Conrad observed all of it.

"Shut up," I hissed at Jared.

"No, I'll hear the un-sugar coated version of things," Slivko said as he turned to Jared.

"Her parent's won't really talk about things, they've been preoccupied with Grace, Grace has been cold and distant to her when she was staying with her to help out and then sent her home when she started having nightmares," Jared hit the highlights as I squeezed my eyes shut and hung my head.

Slivko sighed and ran a hand down his face before wrapping me in another hug.

"I'm so sorry, May," he said with such a sorrowful tone.

"Oh he is definitely an upgrade from Steve," Jared noted.

There was a pause as Slivko's shoulders drooped.
"Who's Steve?"

"Jared, you need to stop saying words," I told him.

"It's her ex-" He started but I cut him off.

"He's irrelevant, has been for three years, will continue to be for the rest of time."
I assured Slivko as I squeezed him a little tighter.

"Dude, your mom's coming!" Jared warned me, slapping my arm.

I quickly pulled back and was met with a confused golden retriever face.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm so sorry, things were so weird when I got home that I haven't been able to tell anyone about you. I mean, I talked about you but I haven't found the right time to tell anyone-"

"He knows," Slivko pointed to Jared.

"There was eavesdropping and blackmail involved," I said with a wave of my hands to which Jared just nodded nonchalantly.

Slivko seemed genuinely baffled but there was no time to explain further because my mother was upon us.

"Maybelle," She called as she walked up beside me. "Who are your friends, dear?"

"This is Mason Weaver, the photographer I told you about," I began as Mom reached to shake her hand.

"Oh!" Mom exclaimed. "These are the ones that were with you!"

"Yeah," I nodded. "This is Slivko- Reg Slivko, the pilot. And James Conrad, the tracker."

"I just want to thank you all for helping my little girl get home safe," Mom said, misting up as she shook their hands.

Slivko gave me a pained look once my mom had moved from him to Conrad.

"Oh no, we're entirely indebted to your daughter for saving our lives," Conrad said.

Mom breezed right over this by stating that it was going to begin soon and won't we all come find a seat.

"Are you upset with me?" I asked Slivko quietly as we trailed the group.

"No! No, of course not," He started out, inconspicuously placing his hand on my back. "I just- I pictured meeting your parents going a little differently. And I'm so mad that you're having nightmares and no one is taking care of you- I swear, I will go pawn my grandfather's pocket watch, get another plane ticket and take you home with me if you want."

I stared up at him as he spoke so passionately, his brows knotted and a red tinge to his ears.
"You really would," I noted with a melting heart. "It's tempting, like really tempting, but I think that things might get better once the funeral is over. I should wait a little longer and give it a chance."

Slivko sighed.
"I knew you'd say that. I can't promise I won't come back and kidnap you, though."

"It's only kidnapping if it's against my will," I didn't get to hear a witty reply to this statement as we were now invited to find our seats.

"I'm gonna sit between you two and make sure you keep your gosh darn hands to yourselves," Jared stated as he squeezed between us.

Chapter Text

I sat between Jared and Billy who had Slivko and Grace on their other sides respectively. Conrad and Mason were seated across from me and sometimes I'd catch their sympathetic eye. The ceremony didn't really affect me, I knew Jack wasn't in the casket and I was distracted by the surprise guests, but when they started to talk about Jack it was different. It brought back memories and made me think of him when he was alive which just threw into harsh light the fact that he was gone. Billy wrapped himself around my arm and I looked down at him as I wiped tears away. I wondered if he really understood. I looked past him and saw the tears going down Grace's cheeks.

"Billy," I leaned down and whispered. "Why don't you hold Mommy's hand, she needs you right now."

He nodded and scooched closer to her, he touched her hand and she latched onto him. I turned the other way and saw Slivko looking at me behind Jared's back. We just stared at each other for a long moment. I couldn't believe he was here. On the island and the boat he was the realest thing in the world to me. Now, here in my hometown with my whole family around he was even more real, but so real that it was unreal... my head was spinning. All I knew was, now that he was here, I didn't want him to go. But, as they lowered the empty casket down into the ground, I remembered that nothing good can stay. That's when I really started crying.

After the service, Jared got up to go check on his mom and Slivko immediately slid into his spot. He put one arm around the back of my chair and the other grabbed my hand, his body leaned toward me. I finished patting my face dry with a handkerchief before looking over at him. There weren't any words to say, and it was alright because he was there. He stroked the back of my hand with his thumb and gave me the softest look as I sniffled.

"Auntie May?" Billy said from beside me.

"Hm?" I hummed, turning to look at him.

"Auntie May," Slivko repeated in a whisper like it was the cutest thing he ever heard.

"Who's that?" He asked, looking at Slivko.

"This is Slivko, you remember I told you about him?" I said placing my other hand on Slivko's too.

Billy nodded as his little face lit up. He clambered down from his seat and hopped up in the empty one next to Slivko before throwing his arms around him. Slivko chuckled and let go of my hand to pat Billy's arm affectionately.

"It's nice to meet you," he said to him. "Your Dad was always talking about you."

"Yeah?" Billy asked happily. "Auntie May told me you're a pilot like Dad and that you fixed the Ploat and you sent Dad's boots home for me. Do you think I'll grow into them one day?"

"I think you definitely will, you have a tall Dad and a tall Aunt, it's in your genetics for sure," Slivko assured him.

Conrad and Mason came up to us then and introduced themselves to Billy. He was so star struck to meet the people I'd told him about, he peppered them with questions and was thrilled to have everything I'd already told him confirmed.

"San and Houston had Mr Randa's funeral to attend but they wanted us to give you their regards," Slivko told me while Billy was distracted. "Mills and Reles went to Cole's, but also send their regards."

"That's sweet of them," I commented before adding earnestly, "And it's so sweet of all of you to have come here. I can't even tell you how much I appreciate it. I'm so glad I get to see you again, it's just what I needed."

Slivko looked down sheepishly with pink cheeks and small smirk.
"I'm really glad to see you too," he told me. "I wish I could stay with you until things get better with your family. I really want to be here for you."

I smiled with a quivering chin. He was so sweet with his puppy dog eyes.
"How long are you staying?" I asked as I tried to recompose myself.

He stretched out his arm to expose his watch and check the time, but all I saw was my hair tie on his wrist.

"I actually have a flight home in about one hour," he said.

"Oh," I said, the single syllable dripping with disappointment as my heart plummeted.

"I know," he acknowledged. "It's not a long layover. But it's better than nothing, right?" He asked hopefully.

"Of course, I'm sorry. I'll take anything I can get," I checked myself and gave a small smile.

"I'd rather stay with you, you know that right?"

I chuckled.
"I know because you keep saying so. Your poor Dad," I teased. "And I'm no better because I'd rather you stay too."

"If you asked me to, I would," he said seriously.

I patted his shoulder.
"I'm not worried about it. I know if everything on that island couldn't keep us apart, a plane ride won't be too big of an obstacle," I assured him to which he smiled.

"Maybelle?" My Dad's voice caught my attention and I turned off the hearts in my eyes from looking at Slivko. "Would you introduce me to your friends?"

"Oh yeah," I fumbled as I stood up and Slivko followed suit. "This is James Conrad, Mason Weaver, and Sli- Reg Slivko."

He chuckled at me for slipping up on his name again.

"You're not the World War 2 pilot, are you?" Dad asked Conrad, obviously teasing.

"Oh no sir," Conrad answered. "That would be Hank Marlow who was quite eager to get home as I'm sure you can imagine."

Dad gaped like a gold fish for a moment.
"Oh right. And remind me what you do again?"

"I was working as a tracker on the expedition," Conrad obliged him.

"And I'm the anti war photographer, not the biologist," Mason provided.

"I was their pilot," Slivko supplied as he gestured at the three of us when Dad's eyes landed on him.

"You?" Dad seemed shocked. "You can hardly be older than Maybelle, and you're a pilot?"

"Yes, sir," the poor baby seemed nervous with my Dad questioning him.

"He's an excellent pilot," Conrad vouched as if trying to win my Dad over to liking him.

"And he fixed the boat too," Mason added.

"The boat?" Dad repeated.

"The one made of the fighter planes," Mason clarified.

"Oh yes, I think I remember Maybelle mentioning that," Dad mused.

It was almost like he hadn't believed me and now it was all being confirmed and he didn't know how to process it.

"Well, you're all welcome to come back to our house for the wake, 341 Fox Lane," Dad said before turning and putting a hand on my arm. "You need to go home with Elizabeth and get the house ready for that, alright?"

"Oh Dad, they have a flight to catch in a just a little while and I'd really like to stay with them till they have to go," I explained.

"Sweetie," Dad said with that tone. "We need to be there for your sister today."

"I know, but they came here before even going home-" I started getting upset.

"May," Slivko piped up, putting his hand on the small of my back so my dad wouldn't see. "It's ok, we have to leave in a few minutes anyway. It's not a big deal."

"But-"

"Maybelle," Dad stated firmly.

I sighed and my breath shook in anger.
"Fine," I snapped. "Can I at least say goodbye to them?"

"Of course," Dad said sweetly.

"Why don't you walk us to our car?" Conrad suggested.

Dad went his separate way as I walked down the hill with them.

"I am so sorry," I sighed.

"It's alright," Conrad assured me.

"It is not," Mason countered. "Yeah sure it's hard to lose a husband and father, but they shouldn't be ignoring Maybelle and discrediting what she's been through."

"I get what you're saying," Conrad interrupted. "But I was just trying to be comforting."

Mason backed down sheepishly.

"But we all know the right man for that job is Slivko here, so why don't we give you two a moment then?" Conrad offered. "Maybelle, it was lovely to see you again and we'll keep in touch."

Conrad gave me a hug and I thanked him again for coming. Mason stepped up and pulled a large-ish envelope from her bag.

"I developed some photos- well I developed all the photos but I thought you would like to have these ones," she said as she handed the envelope to me. "Don't worry, nothing confidential."

"Thank you so much," I said and gave her a hug.

"You take care, alright? You'll be hearing from me soon," she said as she started getting a little teary and tried to play it off.

She walked over to the car and Conrad opened the door for her, both of them getting in. It was just me and Slivko now and I knew this would be the hardest.

"I'm really sorry about my dad," I started. "If I had my way I'd be at the gate watching your plane take off before I went home."

"May," he lightly chuckled as he grabbed my shoulders. "Let's not waste time apologizing or wishing we had more time, ok?"

"Right," I agreed.

"Last time we talked I asked you a question, and I didn't get to hear the answer," he began.

"May!" Aunt Elizabeth's voice called and I swear I could have thrown something at her. "I'm headed to the car dear! We gotta go."

"Just a minute, I'm saying goodbye!" I hollered back.

I turned to Slivko with an exasperated sigh.
"I'm sorry, uh your question of did I find the letter?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, his dark chocolatey eyes searching mine.

"I did find it," I said. "And I've read it 16 times."

He smiled.
"You did?"

"You're the only one who has said what I need to hear," I told him. "Thank you."

"And-" Slivko was cut off by my aunt yelling at me again.

"Just a second!" I shouted. "God, I am so sorry, this is awful."

I sighed heavily as the sting of tears pricked my senses. "You were saying?"

"Just that, if you liked that letter, make sure you're the first one to check the mail everyday because there's a lot more where that came from," he said but I could tell it wasn't his original thought. "You better not keep your aunt waiting, I think her head might explode."

"I'll most likely kill her first," I said as I wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him a tight hug. "I missed you. And I'll miss you more now, but I'm so glad I got to see you, and hug you again. And we'll see each other soon, right?"

"Right," he said softly as he placed a hand on my head as the other arm squeezed my shoulders. "I miss you too. Now, go on or we'll be here forever." He chuckled as he unwillingly pulled away.

I could see his eyes getting red as if he were trying not to cry. He looked as if he were about to say something more and he reached up and touched my face for a brief moment before just as quickly retracting. A flickering, fake smile twitched on his cute Cupid's bow lips before he barely whispered a goodbye. He took determined strides to the other side of the car and opened the door, but before he got in he looked at me over the roof one last time.

"Bye Slivie," I said as the tears brimmed and overflowed.

His lips set in a hard frown and it reminded me of the day we parted in that pencil shaving forest and I knew. I knew that this was killing him too.

He gave a nod before getting in the car and shutting the door. I stood on the sidewalk, watching till the car was out of sight. The windows were tinted black but I just knew that, unlike that day in the forest, he was looking back the whole time.

Chapter Text

Hot, angry tears left tracks down my face and I wiped them away aggressively as I stomped toward aunt Elizabeth's car. Slivko was the only good thing in my world right now and they all ruined our goodbye. I guess, in their defense, they had no idea how much I needed him over them or how genuinely awful they all made me feel.

I flung the car door open, threw myself inside, and slammed the door closed behind me. My legs were crossed and my arms were too as I glared out the window and tried not to cry.

"Sorry, I tried to stall her," Jared whispered as he slid over my backpack.

I didn't acknowledge him, I just kept glaring out the window in the direction Slivko had gone as aunt Elizabeth backed out of the parking space. When we reached the first stop light I remembered the envelope in my hand and set to opening it. I gently pulled out a thick stack of photographs and the first image I saw was of Slivko helping me cheat at go fish with Mills. The sun was hitting my face as I squinted up at Slivko who stood there with the breeze ruffling his hair as he held up two fingers. My heart melted, it was such a perfect picture. Not to mention that Slivie had been shirtless for it. I flipped to the next photo and saw myself laughing as Mills sprang up at a retreating Slivko. Then there was me being blasted by Reles with the hose as Mills had Slivko in a head lock.

I felt a smile threaten to spread and quickly re hardened my scowl. I didn't want aunt Elizabeth to forget I was upset with her. However, the next photo softened my features and broke my heart. It was Jack hoisting me in the air, big smiles on both of our faces as the sun shined brightly on us. It captured a moment back when nothing bad had happened yet. We didn't even know the dangers we would face or the horrors we would see. It was just a very odd family moment. I missed him so much, and I knew that Grace and Billy missed him even more. They didn't get to have one last moment with him like I did and that made me feel so guilty. I quickly flipped to the next picture as tears were about to fall, but it was no better. Jack was watching Slivko, Mills and I as we danced to some song on the record player. The next one was me on Slivko's shoulders, reaching up to touch a helicopter blade. There was one of me sitting next to Jack as he wrote a letter to Billy, and another a second later when Slivko came over and was putting sunglasses on my face. There was some of the goofy pictures the guys all took together, flexing and making faces, and then came pictures from the day of the trip. She took one of me and Conrad in the helicopter, and then it cut to being in the jungle. She had taken a picture of Slivko and I cooling off in the little water fall and I almost smirked. Based on her pictures I had to wonder how soon she started liking the two of us together. Being that the very next picture was of Slivko and I when he wouldn't let go of my hand, I assumed it was quite early. I was surprised greatly by the next pictures because I hadn't noticed her when she took them. She had a picture of me when I was treating Slivko's cuts and when we were slow dancing. Pictures from the next day included Hank and I on the Ploat when he showed me his wife's photo and one from behind as Slivko and I were standing side by side. There was one of Hank and Conrad standing at the helm and then for some stupid reason I remembered Victor and I almost felt sick. The next picture was of Slivko and I when we were making a pinky promise. A promise we seemed to break over and over again. Seeing how all hell broke loose soon after that pinky promise was made, there was a large gap in the photographic timeline. It skipped right to the chopper ride off the island, Slivko and I were leaning on each other looking beat to death and filthy. I assumed that would be the end, but the next photo I flipped to wasn't the first one I started with. Apparently Mason had taken a photo when we got back to the dock. It was a little blurry but that somehow made it even better. I was on my tiptoes kissing Slivko goodbye.

"Here we are!" Aunt Elizabeth announced, bringing me back to reality.

I slid that photo back to the bottom of the stack and then stuffed them all back in the envelope before I put it in my back pack and got out of the car.

"May, are you feeling alright?" Elizabeth asked me when she caught a glimpse of my face.

"No," I stated blandly as I walked past her to the front door.

She didn't question me further after that. I put my bag in my room and put on different shoes before coming out to help get things ready. We set up food and drinks, and disposable plates, cups, and silverware. Jared went over to their house and brought over even more food. It wasn't long before Mom and Dad showed up with Grace and Billy. None of them said a word to me except Billy.

"Where did your friends go?" He asked, the disappointment knitting his little brows.

"They had to go home," I told him.

"Awe," he complained.

"When everybody leaves I'll show you the pictures Mason gave me," I offered.

"Ok!" Content with this he ran off.

Some more people were showing up as well and mom came in the kitchen.

"Maybelle, that Mr Willis is here to see you," she informed me.

I stepped out of the kitchen and saw him standing in the living room. I couldn't tell if his uniform made him look out of place or if he was the only normal one here.

"Maybelle, good to see you," he shook my hand and then turned to my mother. "May I speak with her privately for just a moment?"

"Yes, you can step onto the back porch if you like," Mom stated. She looked scared that I might be in trouble.

I didn't know why he'd be here, I didn't notice him at the funeral. He followed me out the back door and we took a seat on the patio furniture.

"I'm sorry I couldn't attend the funeral service today," he apologized. "But I was working, getting you this."

He reached in his jacket and pulled out a long white envelope and slid it across the table to me. Confused, I picked it up and stared at it for a second before opening it.

"The story is that you exposed account fraud at Mr Clavers' office and this is your reward for blowing the whistle. But you remember what it's really for," he explained as I pulled out a check.

$100,000.

My eyes nearly bugged out.

"Yes sir," I stated. "Thank you very much."

"I hope you enjoyed the other surprise as well," he smirked.

I looked up at him a little more confused.

"Your warrant officer," he stated plainly and I blushed. "I may have helped them get here and properly dressed for the funeral."

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much sir," I said, completely touched.

"No problem at all," he waved me off. "Well, I should let you get back to your family now."

We stood and stepped back into the house and I saw him to the door.

"What did he want?" Mom and Dad inquired once he was gone.

"Uh, just giving me my reward for blowing the whistle on Mr Clavers' account fraud," I explained, looking down at the envelope.

"Oh, well, go put that in your room and come help with the guests," mom said before bustling away with Dad.

I sighed and rolled my eyes before trudging back to my room. I put the check in my bedside table drawer and came back out to the living room. The front door was just open now as people kept streaming in, but I noticed Jack's parents were here. When his mother caught sight of me her face looked distorted with anger. I tried to shake it off, told myself that people grieve differently and it was probably nothing. Mom pulled me out of my thoughts, asking me to set some snacks on the coffee table in the living room.

As I walked in and set the crystal dishes on the table, Mrs Chapman was still looking at me.

"You," she stated sharply, causing the conversation in the room to hush. "How dare you."

My heart started hammering as I slowly straightened up and awaited her next words.

"It should have been Jack coming home, not you!" She cried angrily.

She had more to add to that, but I couldn't hear her, the words she had already spoken were like a knife in my heart. A cold sweat broke out on my body and my ears were underwater. The terror that had been lurking in my mind this whole time broke free as she confirmed the truth of it. Jack should be here and I should be dead. That's what she wanted. That's probably what Grace wanted. They might get their wish, it felt like I was dying right there and then.

As reality swirled around me, I could almost imagine Slivko's arm reaching across me and landing on my waist, pulling me behind him to protect me from her. I was imagining it, wasn't I?

The sun coming in the window was blocked by a broad shoulder, voices still underwater and barely audible to me as my knees weakened. And then I was lifted off the floor and carried away. The only thing I could see clearly was Slivko's face.

He came back.

Chapter Text

I was so sure I had finally snapped.

I was staring at Slivko's angry profile as he charged down the hallway. There was a commotion going on in the living room that my ears couldn't quite hear or my brain couldn't quite process. Either way it was drowned out further when Slivko entered my room and closed the door behind us.

Instantly his other arm wrapped around me and he held me closer than ever before. His warmth, his feel, and his scent confirmed he was real and I immediately melted into him. Every ounce of sadness and grief came pouring out of me as I sobbed on his jacket. He stroked my hair and tried to soothe me.

Even though I had thought of all the things she had said to me, to actually hear them coming from someone else hurt so much worse.

"She wishes I was dead!" I cried, my voice hitching between each word. "They don't want me-"

Slivko pulled back and held my face in his hands. Those deep, soul searching brown eyes looked so sad as he stared me down.
"No, May. Don't listen to her, please don't listen to her," he begged with such a heartbroken tone.
"That was a horrible thing for her to say. She's just upset, she didn't mean it. Please May, listen to me." He pleaded as he rested his forehead on mine.

"Grace hates me too," I continued to cry as I clung to his waist and buried my face in the crook of his neck again. "My parents don't even like me anymore."

I felt his fingertips press into my skin as he tried to hold me even tighter, one hand slipping up into my hair as he cradled my head against his shoulder.
"No, May," he repeated as tears choked his voice. "You're wrong."

"It would've been better if Jack came home instead," I cried even harder.

"No!" The word came from two voices at once, Slivko and Grace.

I turned my head and stared at her from under Slivko's chin. He didn't let go of me as Grace came into the room, a stricken look on her face.

"Is that what you think, Maybelle? That I want to trade you for Jack?" She demanded.

I saw her throat bob as she swallowed hard. She didn't seem to care that I was wrapped in Slivko still as she went on speaking. Mom and Dad appeared in the doorway behind her looking panicked, but I couldn't take my eyes off Grace.

"You think I'm- what- I'm disappointed you came home? I'm not! I always knew that something could happen to Jack, that was part of his job and I knew that going in. But you-" her voice hitched as her face began to turn red. "You're my baby sister, and I sent you out there."

She was crying harder than I'd ever seen before. Her face was red and puffy and veins stuck out on her neck and forehead. With a shaky hand she wiped the snot from under her nose. Slivko had rested his chin atop my head and I felt his tears fall in my hair.

"If anything had happened to you, that would have been on me," she explained. "I thought you would hate me for almost getting you killed."

"I never thought that!" I burst as I turned toward her within Slivko's arms. He settled for having his arms draped around my shoulders as I talked to my sister.  "I'm just- I'm sorry, Grace!"

"Sorry for what?!" She countered, not seeming to have a clue what I was talking about.

"I tried so hard to find him, I really did," I sobbed. "I wanted him to come home to you but I couldn't bring him home."

It was so hard to get those words out as my emotion threatened to drown them. Grace's face distorted in sadness as I spoke and she had to look up at the ceiling to help keep from crying.

"I know," she croaked. "I know you tried. I know you probably almost got yourself killed trying, because you're always thinking of others and never yourself. You're a good person, May," I felt Slivko nod fervently in agreement. "I don't blame you for anything, and you shouldn't feel bad about surviving! I wish you and Jack could have come home, but I'm not disappointed with you," she had tears gushing down her face as reached out her arms to me and took two quick strides to throw them around me.

Slivko retracted just in time to avoid an absolute entanglement, but still kept a hand on my waist, the one thing he had perfect aim with.

Mom and Dad walked up to us then. Mom joined our hug as we cried all over each other. I couldn't see, but I overheard Dad talking to Slivko.

"Uh, thanks for... getting her out of there," he said to him.

"With all due respect sir," Slivko began and I almost tensed up anxiously awaiting whatever he could have to say 'with all due respect'.
"I know what it's like to lose someone, and I know what it's like to get lost in the shuffle of things like Maybelle has. But you need to know that whatever she's told you is not an exaggeration, if anything she downplayed it so you don't even know the half of it. What we went through together on that island made the war seem like a playground fight to me," he paused and sighed heavily. "What I'm trying to say is, Maybelle really needs all of you right now. She needs you to really look at her and really listen to her. Please."

I buried my face among mom and Grace's arms so they wouldn't see me smile. My heart was being torn in every direction today, but right then I could feel it melt a little. I felt this warmth settle in my chest and a little voice in the back of mind piped up.

"I really love that boy."

Dad cleared his throat and gave a slight pause.
"You make a good point. Perhaps I haven't given her enough credit," he finally admitted. "And we'll have to fix that.. as soon as we're done with the Chapman's, I hope you understand."

Grace gently pulled away and wiped her face.
"Yes, I'm sorry about what she said. I was telling her off a bit too harshly when, um, this guy here just walked off with you," she said, gesturing to Slivko as if noticing him for the first time. "I better go deal with that now, but I wanted to come to you first."

I just nodded to show her I understood and appreciated it as I wiped my face too.

"I don't suppose you'd be able to stay with Maybelle while we do that?" Dad asked Slivko.

The latter and I shared a very brief glance of utter surprise.

"Yes sir, I can. I'm catching the red eye later tonight," Slivko answered him.

"Thank you," Dad said to Slivko before turning to me. "Why don't you get some fresh air. Maybe take your friend to the diner and get some waffles," he smiled. "Just do me a favor and let him drive your car."

I lightly chuckled and half sniffled as I agreed with him. He held my shoulder and planted a kiss on my forehead before they all filed out, leaving me alone with Slivko. I couldn't believe that they had willingly left me alone in my bedroom with a boy, no questions asked. Nearly instantly we were in each other's arms again as I gave a heavy sigh and groan.

"I'm so tired of crying," I said as I cozied up to him.

"Good," he stated before kissing the top of my head. "Because I hate to see you cry."

Chapter Text

As I stood there gently swaying in Slivko's embrace, I took a deep breath and let it out. My head was pounding from all the crying, but my heart finally felt lighter.

"So," I began with a playful lilt in my voice. Unfortunately it was hardly recognizable due to my raspy throat and stuffy nose. "Did you miss your flight on purpose or accident?"

"On purpose, of course," he replied with a smile in his own voice as his hand trailed from my shoulder to my waist and gave me a squeeze. "I just really didn't like leaving you like that, and, I know it's a bit selfish considering the emotional roller coaster you're on today, but I really didn't like not being able to kiss you goodbye."

I giggled lightly at this.

"It might not be the best timing, but, if it's alright with you, I'll make up for it right now," he said softly.

"I know how gross I look when I cry, you really wanna kiss this nasty face?" I asked a bit incredulously.

"Hey," he said softly as he brought his hand to my face, tilting my chin up with his fingers and looking me in the eyes. "Don't talk about my beautiful girl like that."

After delivering that flawless one liner, he closed the distance between us with a slow and deliberate kiss that lasted at least ten heart beats. He barely separated our lips for half a second before pressing another kiss with a low hum that sent an electric thrill up my spine.

"You're all salty," he said against my lips before brushing his nose past mine and kissing me again from that angle.

But then he abruptly pulled away and I had to get my head off cloud 9 and back to earth.

"Sorry," he said biting his bottom lip. "I got a little carried away there."

I was still speechless but I looked questioningly at him. He sighed with one quirked brow.

"I had been given the rather good advice that I shouldn't take advantage of you in your emotional state," he explained awkwardly.

"Hank?" I questioned.

"Hank," he nodded.

"M-Kay, maybe we should get out of the bedroom then," I suggested.

"Good idea, what was your dad saying about waffles?" He asked with a completely casual tone now as we disentangled ourselves. "I'm actually starving."

"Me too. Just let me get presentable again and we can go," I agreed as I got my car keys. "Are you confident enough to drive a pink Cadillac, officer Slivko?" I asked as I tossed them to him.

He caught them with a thoughtful smirk.
"It's not officer anymore," he told me.

"Oh?"

"I got myself discharged," he expounded. "I'm definitely done with all that, it was just a stupid thing I did when mom died, and besides that I figured I shouldn't make you worry about something happening to me anymore."

I nearly let out a big "Awe!" as relief washed over me, but I bit my lips. Still, it must've been written all over my face because he smirked at me.

"I must've gotten that part right," he mused as he rubbed the back of his neck.

I had taken half the strides necessary to wind up back in his arms when a cry of "Auntie May!" filled the room. I nearly tripped as I spun around and stood next to Slivko innocently. Billy stood in the doorway and a huge grin broke out on his face as his eyes landed on him.

"Slivko!" He cried and ran up to him.

"Hey little man!" He greeted, picking him up and getting his neck wrung by Billy's little arms.

"You came back!" Billy cheered.

"You are so much like your aunt, you know that?" Slivko was looking at me with a smirk despite the fact he was speaking to Billy.

I smiled back at him.

"Oh good," Jared's voice came from the doorway now. "I sent him in ahead of me in case you were making out or something gross like that- are we getting waffles or what?"

"How do you know about the waffles part?" I questioned after rolling my eyes at the first part.

"Please," he scoffed. "You really thought your dad was cool leaving you guys alone together all night?"

"Ah, I knew it was too good to be true," I complained, "pounding" my fist on empty air.

"Yeah, really," Jared supplied sarcastically. "Now come on, I'm starving." He slid off my door frame and sauntered down the hall.

"I like your family," Slivko said as he set Billy down, a big 'but' imminent in the rest of his sentence. "But, it's gonna take me a while to get used to him."

Chapter Text

I rolled my eyes.
"He's so weird," I agreed as I walked past Slivko and sat down at my vanity with a sigh.

My tear stained face was a red puffy mess. I took a tissue and began cleaning up when I noticed Slivko in my mirror. He was standing in the middle of my room with his hands in his pockets, looking around like he was at the most fascinating exhibit at the museum.

It was odd to have him standing in my room. I got so used to him dressed in camo and surrounded by jungle or helicopters, that red bandana wrapped around his head and danger surrounding us. Now here he was, clean and dressed in a nice suit, right in my room. It let me imagine just for a moment that we were just normal people whose biggest problem was what movie to go see on a Friday night. But that made me wonder if Slivko and I ever would have gotten together without all the madness.

Slivko caught my eye in the mirror and a little smirk formed on his face.
"I know," he sighed as he took a seat on the foot of my bed.

"What?" I asked, having no clue what he was talking about.

Broken from my thoughts I hurried up and powdered my face as I waited for his answer.

"It feels normal for a second, right?"

His words almost gave me a chill and turned to look at him instead of his reflection.

"Yeah," I said surprised, and his smile got bigger. "How did you-"

"Hey, you're not the only one with an imagination, you know?" He grinned at me.

"Well, I know but-"

"Come on!" Jared bellowed just outside my door, soon visible in the doorway.

"In a minute!" I snapped back at him and when he opened his mouth to reply I grabbed my tissue box and made to chuck it at his head.

As Jared retreated, Slivko grabbed my wrist and put the tissue box back on my vanity, leaning close by my face to do so. I caught a whiff of his scent and felt my cheeks go red.

"May," he said softly as he held my hand and placed the other on my knee.
My heart fluttered as I got to see every shade of brown in his eyes.
"So everything thats happened has been big and scary and definitely not normal," he emphasized. "But after a while all the little things will feel real and normal again. Like hanging out in your room one day won't include a funeral and mass emotional breakdowns. At least, not on the good days."

A smile broke out on my face as I listened to him.

"So, waffles?" He asked hopefully, looking up at me.

I took a deep breath as my eyes roamed over his adorable face. I reached up with my free hand and brushed his hair back from his face and ran my thumb across his cheek.

"Waffles," I agreed.
———————
Slivko had taken off his jacket and his white sleeves were rolled up, his forearms flexing as he steered my car. He had on his aviator sunglasses and the breeze from the open window ruffled his hair and his loosened tie. Jared and Billy were making a ruckus in the back seat, but I barely registered it. I was just staring at this gorgeous guy driving my pink caddy. Oh if anyone I knew could see me now. What would they think?

"May!" Jared shattered my daydreams. "Could you stop drooling long enough to tell him which way to turn?"

I threw a sideways glare at Jared and tried to ignore the adorably raised eyebrow hovering over Slivko's glasses.

"Take a left," I instructed sheepishly.
I made sure to multitask properly after that, the directions and the ogling.

We soon pulled in at the diner, the neon lights flashing on the hood in the now fading sunlight, Moonlight Drive. I felt better already, I really loved this diner. I dragged my family here so many times, I'm sure that's why they suggested it. It was stuck in the 50's which was fun to me. The waitresses wore poodle skirts and the floors were black and white checkered tiles. The booths and stools were minty green and all the chrome reflected the pink neon lights. Not to mention the over the top, excessively decadent ice cream and mind blowing waffles.

I got out of the car and caught Billy who was climbing out the window as Slivko and Jared came around the car. The smell of rain was trickling through the air as the lights danced on Slivko's white shirt, making him all my favorite colors. He gave a smirk as his hand found my waist and we all walked in the diner together.

"Maybelle? Is that you doll?" I was greeted by my favorite waitress immediately.

"Hi Pearl," I blushed as she looked Slivko up and down with mild awe.

"Hi Pearl!" Billy repeated, bouncing by my side. "There's one, two, three, four of us."

"That's right baby!" She said to Billy with a bright smile before whispering to me as she grabbed the menus: "but he's about a 10, girl."

"Can we have a booth please?" I asked through a tight smile and tried not to laugh.

"Anything you like," she stated as she led us to my favorite booth, the one by the jukebox no body used anymore.

I slid in next to Billy and Slivko sat across from me with Jared.

"Now doll," Pearl began as she set the menus down and gave Billy his crayons. "Are you coming from a-a funeral today?"

"Yes ma'am," I answered softly, making sure Billy was distracted enough.

Pearl nodded and glanced at Slivko once more. "Order anything you like, it's on the house today," she winked.

"Oh, no Pearl," I said, catching her before she walked away. "That's too much."

Pearl rolled her eyes.
"Honey, please, you practically keep us in business and you're the best tipper hands down. The jukebox is full of your change," she said before turning on her heel and sauntering off in her patent leathers.

I turned back to see Slivko watching me with an amused face.

"Oh you got him now," Jared said, observing him as well. "Free food is the way to literally anyone's heart, am I right?"

"It's a bonus," is all Slivko replied before looking through the menu.

I didn't need to check the menu, I always ordered the same thing, but I made sure Billy knew what he wanted. Slivko was asking Jared about a few things on the menu and they were having their first decent conversation. Until Slivko asked what I usually get.

"Ugh, she gets the same thing every time!" Jared groaned. "Everywhere we go she finds one thing on the menu she likes and sticks to it until she dies."

"Excessive," I stated. "I try other things."

"Oh right, I'm sorry," Jared was not sorry. "One time you got a blueberry waffle instead of chocolate chip."

"It was blueberry season and I love blueberries," I defended.

"Is everyone ready to order?" Pearl asked, walking up just then.

"Cheese burger with fries and chocolate milkshake," Jared ordered.

"I'll take the Astronaut breakfast and the Milky Way float," Slivko requested.

"Breakfast for dinner, I love it," Pearl commented.

"Corn dog comets!" Billy piped up.

"Alright," Pearl smiled. "And the usual for you, doll?"

I saw Jared giving me a smug face. I couldn't help it though, I liked what I wanted and wanted what I liked.

"Yes," I replied through semi clenched teeth. "Thank you."

"Auntie May," Billy tugged in my arm as Pearl left with our orders. "Can you play that song on the joobox for me?"

"Which one?" I asked him.

"The happy one, you know! I always like it when you play it," Billy did his best to explain.

"The one about leaving yesterday behind?" I asked.

"Yeah!"

I heard a dime clink on the table top and turned to see Slivko sliding it over to me. I smiled as I grabbed it and got up to go to the jukebox.

https://youtu.be/RpQryiTbHo8

"Get ready to listen to a lot of Monkees," I overheard Jared telling Slivko as I slid back into the booth.

"You mean more good music?" I retaliated.

"He just doesn't strike me as the boy band type of guy," Jared gestures to Slivko.

"All bands with boys are boy bands!" I pointed out. "But shush now, this is a really good song, one that's actually perfect for today. An excellent choice, Billy."

Remember the feeling as a child, when you woke up and morning smiled, it's time you felt like you did then. There's just no percentage in remembering the past, it's time you learn to live again at last.

Slivko was staring at the table top just listening to the lyrics, and I watched him listen.

Come with me leave yesterday behind, and take a giant step outside your mind.

His eyes flicked up to mine and he gave a smile that seemed sad.
"Yeah, it is a good song for today," he agreed.

You stare at me in disbelief, say for you there's no relief, but I swear I'll prove you wrong.

Slivko's gaze held mine and I felt his foot slide next to mine.

"Whiiiiiipped," Jared drew out in a long whisper as he looked at Slivko. I used my free foot to kick him in the shin.

"This is why I can't have nice things," I muttered to Slivko as I rested my chin on my palm.

He just chuckled, taking everything my crazy family threw at him in stride. He was amazing. Still I wished we could have some time alone to really talk. Both of us were having to hold so much back, it was difficult to make any real conversation.

"Maybelle, is that you?" Came a familiar voice and I nearly cringed.

I looked up and saw my friend Vanna, her brother Harry, Theo, and Steve my ex.

Just kill me.

Chapter Text

"Oh my gosh May, I can't believe you're here," Vanna said as she plopped down next to me. "How did the funeral go? I'm so sorry we couldn't make it. Hi, I'm Vanna," she introduced herself to Slivko and put her hand out for a shake.

Slivko looked at her hand then back at her face and gave her a vaguely civil handshake. I noticed Steve looking down, probably seeing the footsie situation going on.

Theo did a much more genuine introduction and Slivko was much more polite to him, they shook hands then Theo said hello to Jared and Billy also. Theo was a saint and angel and I had no problems with him whatsoever. The rest, however, were a bitty iffy.

"Oh, well, it was alright," I was saying to Vanna in an attempt to answer the question she had asked.

"Where's your sister," she asked, glancing at Billy over my shoulder.

"She had something to take care of so we went out to get some air," I explained.

"Oh yeah, Steve told us there was some big blow up at the wake. He heard it as he was walking up," Vanna chimed.

With this bit of information my stomach dropped and I was feeling more and more like a cornered animal, but I wasn't feeling like cowering with my tail tucked. I felt like getting out of the corner.

Slivko was looking at me intently, as if looking for a hint to step in. Steve had been eyeing him this whole time and suddenly leaned a hand on the table between us.

"Maybelle, could we talk?" He asked.

I glanced at Slivko whose ears were turning an angry shade of red. I'd been such a doormat with Steve before, I wasn't going to do it again. Especially not when Slivko was only around for a limited time. So I got out of the corner.

"Oh, well, not right now," I told him.

I could see the surprise on his face as well as the smug triumphant look on Slivko's. It made me feel a little braver.

"Slivko is flying home later tonight so we're trying to make the most of our time," I told them, hoping they'd get the hint.

"Oh was he on that trip you took too?" Vanna questioned, the hunger for a juicy story gleaming in her eyes.

I could see Pearl coming up behind them with a full tray and felt a wave of relief.

"Hey our food is here now so we'll let you get going. We'll catch up another day, Kay? Have a good night," I told her with firm politeness and a friendly pat on the arm.

"Oh ok," she said as she scrambled to get out of Pearls way, obviously caught off guard by everything.

Theo gave my shoulder a pat as he walked by and said he was sorry about Jack. Everyone else was nearly tripping over themselves.

"Here you go," Pearl said as she set down the tray and handed out plates. "Extra extra whip cream for you baby doll."

My waffles were nearly invisible under the fluffy white cream. I thanked her and she went on her way. I looked up to see Slivko and Jared just staring at me.

"What?" I asked them.

"That girl is jerk-"
"You totally put Steve in his place!"
"Those are your friends?"
"Oh my god, her face!"
"I'm glad you told them off-"
"That was the best!"
"It's like you can't catch a break today!"

They just kept talking over and agreeing with each other like this, actually getting along for a moment. I couldn't help but smile at them.

"What?" They asked in unison when they noticed me.

"First, she's an acquaintance. Second, I handled it didn't I? And third," I looked at Slivko meaningfully. "I've caught plenty of breaks today."

He grinned and Jared rolled his eyes.

"It's kinda ticking me off that Steve over heard any of that, though. And then told them all about it," I added, scrunching my nose unhappily. "But now that I'm thinking of it, what was it like when you showed up? I was checked out," I asked Slivko, passing a hand in front of my face.

Slivko swallowed as he glanced in the direction they'd all gone.
"Well, I was right behind Steve actually," he told me. "I blew right by him when the, uh, yelling started because I just knew you were involved somehow. I tried to get her to stop yelling at you and when your family showed up I figured they'd handle it and I just got you out of there."

"You really impressed my mom with that move by the way," Jared informed him.

"Well, it was effective," Slivko shrugged.

"So could you, like, bench press Maybelle?" Jared was asking.

I was only half listening because a cute older couple had walked up to the juke box and were picking out a song. Soon enough, a soft tune was being pumped out to fill the air of the diner.

We'll meet again.

My heart skipped a beat and Slivko snapped to attention, our eyes meeting instantly. This was the song Hank had sung on the ploat.

Don't know where, don't know when.

A lump formed in my throat that I tried to swallow.

But I know we'll meet again some sunny day.

I was thinking about Jack and all the scriptures dad had shown me about resurrection and, with new tears streaming down my face, wondering how I had forgotten that, we'll meet again.

Some sunny day.

"May?" Slivko asked. His brows arched in question.

"I'm ok," I sniffled as I wiped the tears away.

Slivko looked over his shoulder and saw the older couple slow dancing by the jukebox. He stood up and offered me his hand, a soft, sad smile tugging the corner of his mouth. I slid my hand in his, the contact giving me a thrill as always. Once I was standing, he led me over by the juke box before turning around and slipping his other arm around my waist and pulling me very close. I bit back a smile as I put my arm around his shoulder and leaned into him. I flashed back to the last time we did this, back on the island. He felt sturdy and safe as he slowly spun me to the music, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As we spun I caught a glimpse of Steve a ways away and I just shut my eyes and buried my face in the crook of Slivko's neck till we'd gone past. It was fortuitous that I reopened them when I was facing the window, or else I would have missed Grace and my parents pulling into the parking lot.

Chapter Text

I lurched to a stop and took a step back from Slivko, both startling and confusing the poor boy.

"May?" He questioned, grabbing me by the elbows to prevent me from getting farther away. "What's wrong?"

"My parents and Grace are here," I told him a little wide eyed.

A hurt look crossed his face for a moment.
"So?" He asked softly.

"They don't know about this, remember?" I said as I kept an eye on them through the window.

"Can't they find out now?" He asked me with a hopeful lilt in his voice.

"No!" I accidentally snapped and regretted it instantly.

Slivko's shoulders drooped and he wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Oh, no no no, I didn't- I'm so sorry. It's just-" I was stuttering as I placed my hands on his chest, panicking as my family got closer to the door. "They had to deal with one daughter becoming a widow, their grandson losing his father, and their other daughter's crack pot stories actually being true. I don't want you to be just another thing that happened today. I want this to have its own day- a good day."

I reached up tentatively and touched his face trying to get him to look at me.
"Can we do that? Pretty please?" I asked him, brushing my thumb by the corner of his mouth.

After a second he nodded and I had time to push up on my tiptoes and press a quick kiss to his lips before having to dive over to my seat in the booth right before my family came through the door.

"What's the deal?" Jared asked, surprised at our sudden return and doing a double take of Slivko's blushing face.

"Mom, Dad and Grace just came in," I informed him.

"Oh," he agreed with a 'yikes' face.

I nodded my agreement and looked over again as Pearl was pointing them over to us.

"Mommy!" Billy cried excitedly, finally coming down off his corn dog cloud.

I slid out of the booth again to let him out. He scampered by and wrapped himself around his mothers legs. She looked 10 years older but she still managed a smile as she picked him up and hugged him back. Mom and Dad seemed to be dragging their feet a little and looked exhausted.

"Hey May," Grace gave me a small, sad, tired smile and a one armed hugged before sliding into the booth.

Mom gave me a tight hug and dad kissed my head almost exactly where Slivko had a moment ago. It felt like my nervous heart tripped and fell on its face. They had slid in next to Grace leaving me no option but to sit next to Slivko, whose face was still pink. He slid closer to Jared to make room for me and I had to sit there like I was sitting next to a friend that I had definitely not just kissed 10 seconds ago.

I thought I should say something, but I didn't know what. I almost asked how it went but didn't think that was a safe topic. Grace held Billy on her lap as he happily munched on his food. All three of the adults had a vacant look in their tired eyes.

"So, how'd it go?" Jared asked either on purpose or obliviously.

I didn't realize I'd grabbed a fistful of my dress until Slivko's hand settled on top of mine. He'd moved his fork to his left hand like he had done on the boat and entwined our fingers on the seat between us. It wasn't obvious or apparent that it was happening, but I felt like I had a flashing neon arrow above me pointing it out, just waiting to be busted.

Grace looked like she was waking up from sleeping with her eyes open. "Huh? Oh, um, it'll be alright," she answered vaguely.

"You know what?" Dad spoke up, his eyes fixed on Slivko's plate, my face heated up in case he had X-ray vision all of a sudden and saw me holding hands just beneath the table. "I'm starving."

"Me too," Grace agreed, her eyebrows knitting in realization.

Dad flagged down Pearl as she was going by.

"I'll have what he's having," dad told her, pointing at Slivko.

He and I gave each other an awkward sideways glance at the exact same moment.

"Me too," Grace seconded.

"I just want some comfort food. Anything with mashed potatoes and gravy, please," mom told her.

Pearl nodded and went on her way as Dad was pushing my plate over to me. It almost seemed like another awkward silence would envelope us all again, but surprisingly, Grace spoke up.

"I'm sorry, can you remind me of your name?" She asked Slivko.

"Reg Slivko," he answered, rubbing his thumb against mine.

"Slivko," she repeated like she finally put something together. "You're the one that-" her voice caught and her eyes glistened a little, but she made a determined face and just pointed at him, while the poor baby looked like a deer in the headlights.

"He gave me daddies boots," Billy tried to remind her helpfully.

"Yes," Grace smiled, her throat tight. "He did."

"And he fixed the ploat," Billy added.

"He's in a lot of her stories, did you notice that?" Jared mumbled.

I was very happy to feel Slivko shift beside me and hear a soft "ow!" from my misbehaving cousin.

"Oh yes, Maybelle has mentioned you quite a few times," Mom agreed innocently. "Pilot, ploat, and uh the back pack."

"Please, by all means, tell us about yourself. We need a diversion right now," Grace requested of him.

He chuckled and set down his fork, squeezing my hand happily.

"What would you like to know?"

Chapter Text

What a charmer he was. They'd hung on every word, asking questions, even laughing. I was able to learn a few new things too. They all went on and on and I listened and watched them, occasionally answering a question or telling part of a story. Slivko made it possible for me to talk with my family about the island and the trip without them shutting down. I'm glad they were so tired though, or else they may have caught on to the way he would look at me so adorably or the fact that they'd only seen one of each of our hands all night.

He hadn't let go of me for a second. He'd held my hand, rubbed the back of it with his thumb, used both hands to play with my fingers and tickle my palm. I had to bite back smiles and giggles and shivers.

"So, Maybelle," Grace said after a moment of comfortable silence had fallen on us. "If you want to, you can come stay with Billy and I again. Only if you want to, you can take some time to think about it."
She had an apologetic tone to her voice as if she thought I really might not want to.

"Please come Auntie May!" Billy begged. "I miss you!"

My heart broke at his pouting face.
"Well how could I say no to that?" I responded.

"Yay!" Billy cheered.

Slivko looked over at me like 'there, you see? It wasn't that bad.' Oh dear, did we really have our own telepathy already?

"Speaking of home," dad piped up, his gaze directed at Slivko. "I thought you were on your way to yours. Do you need a place to stay?"

"Ah, thank you sir," Slivko blushed and seemed a little embarrassed. "I missed my first flight and they reassigned me to a red eye at midnight."

As he told this little fib he was fiddling with my ring finger.

"Oh it's already 10:40," mom pointed out almost nervous. "And you need almost half an hour just to get to the airport. Honey, should they leave now do you think?" She asked Dad.

"Well, it looks like he can skip luggage," dad said, rubbing the stubble that was already forming on his face, the scratchy sound clearly audible. "They probably have a few minutes still."

He started to talk cars with Slivko, again, I didn't really mind, however, because I really had his attention as I wound my finger round his wrist between my hair tie and his skin. When dad asked him his opinion on motorcycles his voice almost cracked and he had to clear his throat.

After a while Pearl came by to check on us and let us know her shift would be ending in five minutes.

"You have the short shift tonight?" I asked her, looking behind me at the clock.

Panic rose as I realized it still read 10:40.

"Oh that clock is broken," Pearl informed me of the fatefully obvious. "It's just about 11:30."

"Oh dear," mom gasped while Grace just looked wide eyed at us.

"Well better get a move on," Dad told me and Slivko. "We'll get Jared home before Elizabeth has a heart attack, and you be safe and come straight home after you drop him off, do you hear?"

Oh yes! What I heard was "Time alone with Slivko."

"Yes, I will," I promised quickly, nearly ejecting myself from my seat. I had to get us out of there before he realized what he'd said.

With Slivko hot on my heels we booked it out of the diner. The chill night air hit my skin as we opened the diner door and gave me a burst of energy.

"Keys," I smiled widely at Slivko as we quick stepped through the parking lot.

He pulled them out of his pocket and tossed them to me over the roof of the car. We both wore smiles threatening to get out of control and let out a sigh of relief as we closed the doors behind us and stared at each other for a second.

"What?" He asked with a slight laugh.

"I can't believe my dad actually allowed me some time alone with you. Seriously. This is all I've wanted all day," I explained as I turned the engine on.

I could see his face turn red even in the dark.

"Oh my goodness, do I blush as easily as you?" I teased as I reversed out of the parking space.

He scoffed.
"For someone as shameless as you, yes," he answered.

My jaw dropped in mock offense and I couldn't help laughing.
"Shameless?!"

"Hey, you grabbed me and kissed me first," he Shrugged.

"No, our 'first' kiss was on deck and I believe you initiated it," I played back.

He gave a grimace at being caught in his own scam.
"Alright well you kissed me in full view of your ex just a while ago." He shot back.

My head snapped around to look at him as we came to a red light. "He saw?"

Slivko pursed his lips and nodded.

I gave a devilish giggle.
"Well, that's out of the way I guess," I said with a shrug as I merged onto the freeway. After a pause I added: "I don't care. I don't even care."

"I got to meet just about everyone in your life, huh?" Slivko asked.

"Steve is not in my life, thank you very much," I pointed out.

"But he was at one point. Why did you guys break up?" He asked me.

"We have like, half an hour left together and you wanna talk about my ex?" I asked with a quirked brow.

"Make it quick then," he smiled cheekily.

"Fine," I sighed. "It started when my best friend since childhood started a wild and .. reckless lifestyle, cutting off contact with me. Then my other best friend didn't know how to comfort me and got distracted by her first boyfriend. I told Steve no for like a week, but he was so persistent and I was so exhausted by everything else that I caved when I should have been strong. Over time I got to realize that his inability to accept no as an answer was a habit. And the things I was saying no to kept getting bigger. So... before it was something too big, I broke things off."

It was a little awkward explaining this to Slivko, but also, somehow, gave me an exhilarating feeling of relief. So much so that I decided to share something I'd never said aloud before.

"You know, when I broke it off," I began, feeling Slivko's gaze. "He got teary and... and got this far off look and mumbled 'I always thought I'd have somebody.' And that stupid word, 'somebody', made me so upset. I was just somebody he was settling for so he wouldn't be alone."

"Please," Slivko pleaded, his hands flying in my peripheral vision. "Please tell me you were upset because you know you're not just somebody- that you deserve more than being settled for."

"At the risk of sounding narcissistic," I said with a shaky sigh. "Yes."

"Good," Slivko stated.

"So how about you?" I asked. "You have an ex girlfriend- or girlfriends, plural- I should know about?"

"You'll just have to come to Detroit and see for yourself," he replied with all the smugness in the world.

"Turd," I breathed as I took the off ramp, earning a chuckle from him.

"What am I gonna do without you?" The question was directed mostly at the black asphalt and flashing white stripes of the road. It was more rhetorical than anything.

Slivko's hand patted my shoulder a few times before giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm still here right now," he said softly.

"Well, I hope life has no surprises waiting for you at home. I hope it's nice and easy and peaceful and you can just transition back into it smoothly," I told him.

"That is some wishful thinking," he chuckled. "But it means a lot that you want such good things for me."

"Well geez, of course I want good things for you," my brows knit at the very idea of anything else. I was hating every little blue sign that pointed the way to the airport. Little harbingers of separation.

"And I want the same for you, that's why it breaks my heart that everything was going so bad for you," he said desperately.

"Yeah but then you showed up," I reminded him. "And everything got better. Grace took me back in, they all talked about the island for more than a minute without shutting down, and... we made out a little... things aren't really that bad now," I giggled as we turned into the vast parking lot. "Except for now you're leaving."

Slivko sighed heavily.
"That sucks for me too. You're such a jerk for not running away with me."

I snorted.
"Yeah I guess I am," I agreed as I pulled into a space and turned off the engine.

My heart clenched because we were getting closer and closer to goodbye. But it also was beating like crazy because I was now alone in a dark, parked car with Slivko, who was just staring at me. After a second he slid across the bench seat till he was close to me. I discreetly took a glance at my watch as he did this. He was looking at my lip and leaning in.

"Sliv?" I whispered just as his lips were about to touch mine.

He hummed a response.

"It's 11:50, I think we need to run."

And run we did. Hands held tight all the way through the check in and up to the gate. The last few passengers were boarding and they were announcing the final boarding call.

"God, I guess we don't have much time for a goodbye," Slivko said, a little out of breath.

"It's probably for the best," I panted. "Those are always the most agonizing."

"Sir are you on this flight?" One of the attendants asked him.

"Yeah, I just need a second," he said as he handed over his ticket and turned back to me. "If it's not long, I just have to make it memorable."

With that, his hands found my waist one final time and pulled me close. Real close. He kissed me good and hard right there, everything he hadn't done because we were with my family all night was packed into that one kiss. That one kiss probably actually counted as 5, I don't know. I lost count and all strength in my knees. My fingers found their way into his soft hair and my thumb brushed his jaw and ear. When he pulled away I was almost seeing double and it was all I could do to stand upright. I think I might have heard some applause from the travelers around us.

"We'll meet again," he said softly, face still close to mine. Then he started backing away, holding onto me till the last possible second, and then, with a wave, he was out of view.

I'm not sure when I'd started crying, but there were already puddles in my collar bones and damp spots on my dress.

We'll meet again.

Chapter Text

Ever since Slivko left I'd been walking around in a fog. My parents were getting sick of repeating themselves because I wasn't listening the first time, and Grace was always having to remind me of things to do around the house. She was equally in a fog, though, and often couldn't remember if she'd actually told me to do something. It kept me out of trouble with her about 80% of the time.

After two weeks I got a letter from him. He told me he had made it home and missed me already. He was also upset because his dad's garage was in trouble financially and he was working to help him save it. Unfortunately that meant he wasn't getting paid at the moment. He promised he would look for a second job to earn money for an airplane ticket. It reminded me of that check in my nightstand and I almost told him about it until I remembered it was to help Grace. I didn't want him to think I wouldn't use it to see him so I just left it out of my letter back to him. I assured him I could wait and I really hoped his dad's business would be ok.

A few days later I got another letter from him that was smudged with oil and smelled like gasoline. I almost cried. He said the business was losing money somehow and they were all taking on as much work as possible to offset it. He wished I was there to be their accountant.

It seemed like he was writing letters before getting my replies because the next letter I got finally responded to what I'd said to him.

Hey May,

I like the way that sounds, Hey May. Thanks for understanding about dad's garage. I really will make it up to you though. I really do want to see you, but I think you know that. At least I hope you do. It's so weird, some days I think I see you and I'm always disappointed that it's not real. Sometimes I hear your voice making some remark about whatever I'm doing or what you'd think of something. That usually makes me smile before I miss you like crazy. The worst is when I have something I want to tell you and I actually look around expecting to find you. That brings me down hard. If it wasn't for all the work distracting me I'd probably go crazy just missing you. We took Sunday off and went to the lake. The water is so cold still but I jumped in anyway. I want to bring you there one day, I think you would like it.

He filled the page with a list of places he wanted to take me and things he wanted to do. I could picture us doing it all and it made me feel better until I looked up from the page. Back to reality.

I tried to write him back about all the things we could do where I lived but it was harder than I thought. Sure I had plenty of ideas, but I had this nagging ache like we'd never get to do it. Halfway through I was almost crying when I looked up and saw the clock.

"Shoot!" I said, throwing the letters in my desk drawer and running out of the house.

I was late to pick up Billy. Again.

I pulled up to the school and saw him sitting on the curb, only a few other children mulling around as their parents talked. He saw my car and perked right up.

"Hey buddy!" I greeted as he hopped in the backseat. "Did you wait long?"

"It's ok auntie May," he told me, flinging his backpack across the seat.

"No it's not. How about some ice cream to make it up to you?" I suggested, turning to look at him.

"Ok!" He easily agreed.

We got ice cream before going home where I helped him with his homework, gave him dinner and eventually put him to bed. Grace was still working on getting Jack's pension and figuring out where they would have to move to since she'd eventually have to leave the base. She also went to meetings with fellow military widows. It was good for her, I could tell already, but she'd still cry at the drop of a hat. She usually set me off too.

I had been going around applying for jobs the past few days too, so far I hadn't heard back from any. After putting Billy to bed I went back to my letter to Slivko. I tried to tell him about what was going on but it was hard. He already had his own problems, I didn't want to make him worry about me too. Lord knows what he'd do. Probably something stupid like bail on his dad and come to my aid instead. My pen had been hovering over the paper for a long time when there was a knock on my bedroom door.

"Come in," I said as I wiped my face.

"Hey," a puffy eyed Grace greeted quietly as she sat on the edge of my bed. "Billy ok?"

I made sure Slivko's shirt was well hidden. I put it on one of my pillows every night when I went to bed and then hid it under them during the day with the soap and his first letter.

"Yep," I nodded. "Homework done, fed and in bed."

She nodded.
"Were you ... were you late again?"

I slumped a little.
"Just a few minutes this time, it wasn't too bad at all," I admitted.

"You can't keep doing that to Billy-"

"I know," I cut her off. "I know and it's gonna stop. I promise."

She sighed.
"I wish I knew what was up with you. It's like only your body is here."

I looked down, not sure what to say to that.

"How was your interview? Was that today?" She asked, changing the subject.

"It's tomorrow," I replied.

"You got your clothes ready?" She asked.

Our conversations were always so... so tired.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Well, good luck tomorrow and please pick Billy up on time," she mildly begged as she stood up.

I nodded fervently.

"Well, I'm gonna hit the hay too, goodnight," she said as she left my room, glancing at my desk before closing my door.

A week later I ended up not getting any of the jobs I had applied for and I hadn't finished my letter to Slivko either. I had hit some kind of wall and was just figuring out that I felt angry. Why or at what I didn't know. I came home on a Saturday after another botched interview and slammed the door a little too hard. Grace peered around the corner of the kitchen at me as I roughly took off my blazer, kicked off my shoes and threw myself across the couch face first.

"I take it the interview didn't go well," Grace said calmly from above me.

I just groaned into a cushion.

"Well, this might cheer you up, you have two letters today," she said, the sound of paper crinkling reaching my ears.

I bolted up. I'd been so good at checking the mail first so she wouldn't notice how many letters I was getting from Slivko. I had one from him after a small hiatus when I hadn't responded to his last one, and one from Hank. My heart leapt at this. I'd been so busy with everything else, I'd almost forgotten my buddy my pal my Hank. I tore right into his letter first dying to know what he had to say, praying it was something that would help me.

Dear Maybelle,

How are you kiddo? I miss you like crazy but probably not as much as a certain young man does. I waited to write to you because I knew you had your brother in law's funeral and all and it didn't seem polite to tell you my good news at the time. But! I have good news! I found Shirley and you were right! She had waited all this time for me. We renewed our wedding vows so we're legally married again, can you believe I got to marry the love of my life twice? And my son! I met my son and he's the spitting image of me, can you believe that? Oh Maybelle, words cannot describe how happy I am. I am so grateful to you for helping me get home, honestly I am. And I hope you and that little rascal learn a lesson from me and don't waste any precious time that you have. You two love each other, it's easy to see, so don't let it pass you by. You're not stuck on an actual island but you might get stuck on an emotional one if you're not careful. Just make sure you're happy and if you're not, change something, get happy. I'm rooting for you kiddo! I hope I can see you again one day and you can meet my family, I told them all about you. You better write me back!

Love Hank

I was sobbing and smiling like a mad woman as I read his letter. I was so happy for him.

"May, is everything ok?" Grace asked as she dried a glass, looking at me from the doorway to the kitchen.

I sniffled and wiped my face.
"It's from Hank," I explained. "The pilot from World War 2. He made it home to his wife and son. She'd waited for him for 28 years and they got married again."

"Oh my gosh," she said, walking over to me on the couch.

I carefully folded the letter and put it back in the envelope so she wouldn't be able to see what else he said.

"That's amazing," Grace commented. "You- you really cared about him huh? You're so emotional right now."

She handed me her towel and I dried my face.

"He's amazing," I agreed. "He lost so much for so long. I'm happy things worked out for him."

"That's nice, May," she said genuinely as she rubbed my shoulder before getting up and going back in the kitchen.

I now ventured to open Slivko's. It was the shortest one I'd seen him write yet and I got a little nervous.

Dear May,

It's been a while since I got a letter from you and I was getting a little worried. It's really hard being apart from you. I just wanted to tell you again that I really wish we could be together, I want to be with you. I should have taken the opportunity to say this face to face but I think it's important that you know this clearly.

I love you.

I can understand somewhat why you haven't told your family about us, but I hope it's not because you don't really want to be with me. I'm in agony May, if you just tell me you love me too I can live with the long distance relationship for as long as you need, I just need to know it's gonna lead to something in the end. After everything we've been through I don't want to lose you now, so please just let me know.

Truly Yours, Slivko

My hand covered my mouth as I silently sobbed, my heart being torn in two. He loved me but I had made him doubt if I loved him. He was like Grace, in love but all by themselves now. I wish he was here so I could scream it in his face I love you, I love you too! The thought hit me that I could call him, I could call him and tell him right now. But I couldn't. I couldn't let Grace see me in love, flaunting exactly what she had and lost right in her face. I could use a pay phone, I could go call him from a pay phone. I grabbed up the two letters and bolted for my room, speeding right by Grace as she came out of the kitchen.

"Whoa, May!" She called. "Are you ok?" She sounded really concerned.

"I'm fine!" I called back, my voice distorted by a snotty nose and a strained throat.

I stashed the letters and dug out the list of addresses and phone numbers.

I nearly collided with her in the hallway.
"May, what are you doing?" She asked, avoiding a flying elbow as I scurried away.

"I have to go do something," I answered as I grabbed my keys.

"May!" She called as she followed hot on my heels.

"I'm fine," I lied as I grabbed my keys.

"May! Your shoes!"

I'd already shut the door on her and padded barefoot to my car. I wasn't going to lose Slivko, I wasn't going to lose Grace, I had no idea what I was going to do. I got in my car and drove off to the nearest payphone I was familiar with, the one in front of Moonlight Diner. As I peeled away I saw Grace in my rear view mirror.

Do you ever feel like the universe is conspiring against you? That, no matter how hard you try, you just can't get what you want? Apparently I was having one of those days.

I crookedly pulled into a parking space and got out of my car, the sharp asphalt hurting my feet but I didn't really notice. I got to the payphone, Slivko's number in hand, when I realized I didn't have any change on me. I ran back to my car and began tearing it apart to look for some.

"Maybelle?"

I froze.

No. Not now. Please, God, not now.

"Maybelle, are you alright?" Steve asked.

I stared at him for a moment before I realized what I looked like right now. Tear stained and barefoot I swallowed my pride.

"Steve," I sighed. "Do you have a dime?"

He looked me up and down.

"Sure, but what's wrong?" He asked, not even reaching in his pocket for the dime.

"It's really important, I need to make a phone call," I said urgently.

"Why couldn't you make the call from home?" He asked suspiciously. "Are you about to call that guy you were with?"

"Yes!" I shouted, tired of everything about him. "I need to call Slivko and I need to tell him I love him too! There! Are you happy?"

His surprised brows suddenly furrowed.
"I'm not giving you a dime," he said darkly.

I rolled my eyes and started to march for the diner, Pearl would give me one, but Steve caught my wrist. He ripped the paper out of my hand and looked at it.

"Hey!" I screamed, swiping desperately for it. "Give that back!"

He shoved me away and, looking me dead in the eye, began to tear it up. My guts hit the ground as my heart leapt into my throat. I'd never hated someone before, but I hated Steve right now. Reason left my body and the next thing I knew I'd wound my fist tight and pulled it back before letting it fly straight to Steve's nose. I didn't know he was such a bleeder. He crumpled to the ground and I got back in my car, pulling out as he hollered in pain, drawing a crowd from the diner. The back of my hand was covered in his blood. My feet were bleeding too. I was seeing a lot of red. I had to get back and write Slivko a letter now, I had to get his address from the envelopes he'd sent me. I had to tell him - something.

I pulled back into Gace's drive way. She wasn't outside anymore. I looked at my hand and my feet before heaving a sigh. I couldn't hide this. I might as well face it head on.

When I walked in the house, Grace was standing over the dining room table. There was a familiar lump of camo on the table next to a stack of papers and Manila envelope. I froze by the door, Grace catching my eye before I could run away again. I guess there wasn't anything I could hide anymore.

Chapter Text

Grace and I just stood there, a room apart, staring at each other. My eyes flicked over all the evidence she had collected, and she looked at everything that was wrong with me.

"Who's blood is that?" She asked, surprisingly calm.

Following her eyes I looked at my hand, the blood drying and hiding a bruise.
"Uh, Steve's," I admitted.

"Steve's?" She repeated. "Well, I'm sure you had a good reason for that."

She took her socks off and walked over to hand them to me.
"You're bleeding too, though. Please don't get it on my carpet or I won't get the deposit back."

I don't know why we were being so calm, but I slid her socks on my now aching and dirty feet and made my way over to the table behind her.

"I was just so worried about you," she began as I took a seat. "I thought something bad had happened. I thought maybe there was an explanation in one of the letters you got so I looked for it after you left. I know you're probably mad that I did that, but I just didn't know what else to do."

I nodded.

"I know that something is wrong, I don't know what's going on with you anymore and it's breaking my heart," her voice cracked a little and I stifled a sob.

"Maybelle," she said, still all calm and soft as she picked up Slivko's first and last letters. "Are you two really in love?"

My heart constricted. I wanted to finally admit it and get the burden off my chest but something wouldn't let me tell her. When I didn't answer, she set the letters aside and opened the folder, picking up the photo of me kissing Slivko goodbye in Singapore.

"May?" She repeated softly.

I broke. Sobs racked my body as Grace knelt in front of me, her eyebrows knit in concern and her hands stroking my arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry," I blubbered through tears and snot.

"What, What are you sorry for?" She shook her head.

"It's not fair," I repeated her words from my dreams.

"May, I don't understand. Help me understand."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself a little. My throat was tight and burning and I tried to swallow the lump in it.

"You just lost Jack," I became an incoherent mess after just those words but a look of understanding lit Grace's face.

"You think it's not fair for you to be in love after I just lost Jack?" She ventured.

All I could do was nod.

"Oh May," she sighed as she stood up, pulling me up by my hands and giving me a hug.

I was getting tears and snot all over her shirt as I cried about everything. I cried about Slivko not knowing I loved him, I cried about Steve being a jerk, I cried because my stupid feet hurt, I cried because Jack was gone and my sister was alone. Grace rubbed my back, not letting go of me.

"I love Jack, and I miss him like crazy," she told me. "And even if I knew how it all turned out ahead of time I still wouldn't trade it for anything. And I sure wouldn't want you to miss out on a love like that either. Especially not for my sake."

My crying had slowed down and now was just a steady about of sniffling. I hugged her tighter, a wave of relief washing over me.

"So stop crying and tell me what the heck happened," she giggled lightly at the end.

I started telling her the story of Slivko and I as we got me cleaned up. My feet soaked in the tub and Grace sat on the toilet lid as I iced my sore hand and told her how we met and how he'd taken care of me on the island, how sweet he was to me, how his dad's business was in trouble, and finally this last letter.

"So the only reason you'd kept him at a distance this whole time and hadn't told any of us about him was because you thought I'd be ... sad?" Grace questioned after listening carefully.

I winced.
"Well, kinda," I faltered. "I just didn't want to flaunt what you'd just .. lost in your face."

"Oh gosh," she shook her head. "You think of the craziest things May. And you have twice the emotions of normal humans. I want you to be happy, you idiot."

I chuckled.

"So are you gonna call this guy now?" She asked.

"I can't," I grimaced. "Steve tore up his phone number and everyone else's addresses."

She looked appalled.
"Well then I'm really glad you decked him."

I chuckled as I checked on my knuckles.

"You know I found something else in your room," Grace told me. "The check?"

"Oh you found that too, huh?"

"Mhm," she nodded.

"I was holding onto it in case you needed it, I wanted to save it for an emergency."

"Well we have an emergency," she stated. "My baby sister is in love with a guy in Detroit and needs to go tell him so."

I looked at her wide eyed.
"What?" I asked flatly.

She smiled at me.
"Let's go on a road trip May, it'll be so good for all three of us. Please?"

I was shocked. This couldn't be real.

"Come on, this is totally something you have to say to his face. Imagine how surprised he'll be when you show up at his door. He'll never doubt you ever again! We can see so much along the way, like when we were kids. I haven't been able to do that for Billy like mom and dad did for us. Let's go May!"

Grace was almost giddy and I couldn't argue with her.

"What do we tell mom and dad?" I asked her.

"You just leave them to me," she said mysteriously. "I'll take care of them and you go get Billy from school. Then, we'll pack."

She left me sitting on the side of the tub completely blindsided.

Chapter Text

Grace, Billy and I sat at the kitchen table that night, maps spread out all over it. She was plotting our course, picking sights to see along the way, estimating the time it would take and the cost. She wasn't concerned about the cost one bit since she found out about the check. I was still dumbfounded that she had got mom and dad to agree to this.

"What did you say to them?" I asked her when she'd come home with 'good news'.

"Why does it matter?" She asked, her arms full of the maps she'd just bought.

My eyes had widened at her.
"Did you tell the truth at least?" I questioned.

She gave me a withering look as she dumped the maps on the kitchen table.

"I told them you were in love with that wonderful young man we'd spent the evening of the funeral with, but had been putting him off for my sake. I told them I was absolutely sick of your selflessness and ridiculous thoughtfulness that I was going to take you to see him. I also mentioned that Steve had been horrid to you so you especially deserve this. And I told them not to try to talk you out of it because we've all been smothering you way too much, we need to let you have this," she finished recounting to me and we soon found ourselves pouring over maps, Billy and I watching Grace in awe of her determination.

I rested my chin on Billy's little shoulder as he sat on my lap. His dark curls were soft against my cheek. It was well past his bed time but we let him stay up.

"Who are we going to see?" Billy asked me, his hands resting on my arm wrapped around his waist.

"Slivko, the one we went to the diner with. He gave you your daddy's boots?" I reminded him.

"Oh!" He said brightly. "I like him!"

"So does Maybelle," Grace said with a teasing lilt before glancing at me.

"So do I," she added sincerely when she saw my unamused face.

"I'm still confused about something," I told her. "Why is everyone so cool about this? I was expecting some kind of resistance, you know? Like I haven't known him long enough, that kind of argument."

"Why? Are you trying to get out of it?"

"What? No, I -"

"Do you not really love him?"

"That's not-"

"Then shut up and be thankful," she said shortly.

I paused, a little surprised by her response and having no comeback. I don't know what came over me exactly but I giggled. I giggled and couldn't stop. Grace looked at me with a little smile that grew until she was giggling too.

"What?" Billy asked. "What's so funny?"

Billy zonked out while Grace and I packed. It was close to 1 in the morning and reality felt a bit altered. I wasn't sure why we were acting like it was so urgent to leave. I mean, sure I wanted to see Slivko and clear all this up, but he also had no idea I was coming so he wasn't expecting me on a certain day or anything. But is this was something Grace needed I wasn't about to stop her.

Grace waltzed into my room then with one of her bags and put all my letters and the folder of photos into it.

"I wasn't done with these," she explained when I gave her a questioning look.

Every we hadn't written anything about the creatures, not really anything about the island at all actually, so I didn't see the harm in letting her read them. I just shook my head at her and rolled my eyes.

"Did you ever kiss Steve?" She asked out of the blue.

"Ew, no," I answered immediately as I refolded a shirt to pack.

She laughed at me.
"You dated him for months, you didn't always think 'ew'," she pointed out. "So what's different about this guy? Why'd you let him kiss you?"

"Well," I tilted my head. "I kissed him."

I wasn't looking at her but I felt her eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"You kissed him?" She repeated. "Oh! Do tell!"

I fiddled with the shirt in my hand some more, stalling a little. A goofy grin passed my face thinking of him.

"We'll see," I started. "We were going into this really dangerous area of the island to- to try and find Jack. Slivko didn't like the idea and made me promise to stay close. We all almost died... but anyway, after that is when we split up- right when I found out about Jack. Then Conrad, Mason and Hank went back for them and when no one came back we went after everyone and when I saw Slivko again he started this long apology for leaving me but we were all about- about to die again and we didn't have time for it so I just grabbed his face and kissed him."

I'd nearly torn my shirt in two by the time I'd finished my story and Grace wore a shell shocked expression. Slowly it melted into a sly and suspicious look.

"That's not the only time you kissed," she stated. "How many times have you kissed him?"

I looked up as I did the math.
"6."

Graces mouth dropped open.
"Well," is all she said for a few minutes.
"He gave you his shirt," she pointed out meaningfully.

"He did," I agreed just as meaningful.

We stood there nodding seriously at each other for a stupidly long time.

We finished packing by 1 am and then slept until sunrise. Grace was armed with coffee and her hair swept up in a bandana, I had a bun of messy bed hair, tea, and Slivko's sunglasses and shirt. We loaded my car with our luggage and a sleeping Billy and with Grace as my map bearing copilot, we set off on a winding road that would eventually lead me right to Slivko.