Love On The Line
By Dimples
Disclaimers:
The characters in this story are all mine and the story is all mine. The characters may look like two of our favorite actresses that are not mine, but that's where the similarity ends.
Love/Sex/Language:
Yes to all of the above. This story depicts an explicit loving relationship between adult women. If you're under-aged or live in a place that this isn't allowed or this isn't your cup of tea, I suggest you move along and look for something else to occupy your free time.
Violence:
This story deals with war hence it will have scenes that depict violence, sometimes quite explicitly. I'll try my best to make them as tasteful as possible but if this offends you, I suggest you skip them.
Thanks:
To my wonderful, amazing friend, Stormy. Thank you for everything. I hope you know how much I care and appreciate you.
To all the readers that took the time to write to me and tell me what they thought, you encouraged me to keep on writing.
And to all the great bards around and their amazing stories that I loved reading and gave me the inspiration to start writing my own.
Author's comments and Feedback: This is an uber novel, much the same as my previous ones and I hope you'll like it. Unfortunately, the story is yet to be finished because I'm quite busy in my day to day life at the moment so I apologize ahead for the delays in my posting of the parts. I promise to try and write as fast as I possibly can. I hope you decide on reading it anyhow...
The same as my other stories, everything in this story is meant purely for fun and I hope you find it funny (in places it was meant to be funny), dramatic (the same) and so on. I would really appreciate knowing what you think of my stories. Tell me if I'm doin' alright or if I royally suck. Some plot ideas would be very much appreciated also. Actually, come to think of it, any comment would be very much appreciated :) mailto:Dimples_2000_fr@yahoo.com
Copyright © Dimples Jan 2003. All rights reserved.
Part Five
Ch. 13
"That woman is the most infuriating person I have ever had the displeasure of meeting! Ugh!" Ashley was talking a mile a minute as she marched back to her tent. She was furious with the smug captain. "I was this close to finally getting something," she used her hands to illustrate her words as she continued to herself, "but no...miss dark and brooding had to interfere!" She flopped down on the cot and felt the metal give a little under her weight. "Ahh!" She shrieked as she jumped up. Stomping her foot like a three year old, Ashley started pacing the small space of her tent.
Dusk was approaching and she still hadn't found out much about anything. Somehow, it seemed that she was even more confused than before. She knew the time for action was approaching for the soldiers and she was afraid that she might lose her chance to get the information she was after.
A bell rang in the distance and Ashley looked up. She walked to the flaps of her entrance and gazed out. The soldiers were forming three straight lines in the direction of the mass hall. Riley and the other two officers were shouting some orders from the head of the lines. Ashley watched in fascination as the soldiers started marching towards the large tent in the middle of the base. She hadn't noticed that she had slipped out of her tent and was standing unmoving, watching the formidable force move as one.
Ashley gasped in surprise when someone tapped her on the shoulder. "You need a special invitation, Ms. Grayson?" Riley breathed in Ashley's ear. Ashley's eyes narrowed dangerously and she took a step backwards. "No cappy, but thanks for offering." She said and started walking towards the mass hall as well.
Riley bit her tongue to keep from commenting and just stood and watched the stubborn little reporter as she made her way across the base. "I can almost smell trouble on her." She said bitterly before following the others inside.
After eating their dinner, the officers put the soldiers through a few more drills before they dismissed them to their respective tents. Ashley tried to get to speak to Jason, Mike or Bradley again but to no avail. Riley had kept a close eye on her the whole evening and she couldn't utter a single word without encountering the soldier's ice blue eyes.
As night fell, the air turned colder and the millions of mosquitoes that had been biting her all day relented a bit. Ashley was finally tucked into her cot, bundled up in three green blankets, laying flat on her back as she sat staring at the sky. There was a tiny, round hole in the roof of her tent, which made it possible for her to gaze at the stars. She breathed a small sigh before her eyes slowly drifted shut. No more than a half hour later, Ashley shifted in her cot to try and get into a more comfortable position and she heard the most frightening sound. Her cot creaked and groaned as she tried to lay motionless, staring wide-eyed at the canopy roof when her cot suddenly gave. The metal springs that had been holding the cot together gave in the middle and Ashley sank in between. She released a high pitched squeak before she started struggling with her confining blankets.
After finally managing to release herself from her self-imprisonment, she tried to grab onto something to be able to pull herself out of her cot. After only three tries, she managed to roll onto the floor. She lay on the cold sand, her hair tousled from sleep and struggle as she looked around. In a small fit of anger, she beat her fists on the ground. When her hand hit a small pebble, she winced and got herself off the floor. "Now what the hell am I supposed to do?" She asked no one in particular.
Huffing in exasperation, she pulled the green mattress out of the hole in the cot and threw it to the ground. Padding the mattress with a blanket, she settled herself back into her previous position. "This is just great. What else could possibly go wrong?"
Before her sentence was even finished, she heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. "Of course." She whined, sarcastically.
Miserably, she closed her eyes and tried to get a few hours of sleep before she had to get up again.
It was a quarter to three in the morning when Ashley woke abruptly from her deep sleep. The sound of horns blasting through the base made Ashley jump from her make-shift bed and look around, worriedly. "Oh God...This is it...What should I do?" She threw a pair of pants on and a second sweatshirt as she approached the flaps of her entrance. Slowly, she reached out a hand and moved one of the flaps aside. What she saw made her heart return to its somewhat regular beat but her eyes turned angry. "A drill!" She said matter-of-factly.
Ashley stepped out and stood at the front of her tent. It was raining heavily and all she could see was total blackness. It took several minutes for her to get used to the darkness and pouring rain. The ground was muddy and slippery and it was cold. She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the running men on the now muddy field. Her breath puffed out of her mouth in white smoky vapors as she shivered. All she could hear was the soldier's grunts of effort, Riley's deep voice screaming out orders, the pouring rain and her own beating heart. She watched on for what seemed like an eternity but was no more than a few long minutes, and then turned back into her tent.
Shaking her head, she took off the wet sweatshirt and bundled herself up in the two warm blankets she had left on her cot. Making herself as comfortable as possible, she slowly fell asleep to the sounds of the soldiers training outside.
No more than three hours later, Ashley started hearing voices outside of her tent. Blinking her eyes open, she looked around and tried to orientate herself to her new position. A groan escaped her mouth when she tried to turn onto her side. The floor wasn't the most comfortable place a person could sleep in. Her back was sore, her neck stiff and her abused muscles, screaming. Throwing the blankest off of her, she took a deep breath and pushed herself onto her knees. "Ugh...Oh God that hurts." Relaxing in that position, she finally took the last step onto her feet. A small squeak tore from her throat as she straightened. Moving on stiff legs, she picked up the blankets and the mattress and threw them on the ruined metal cot. "New day, new war." Ashley mumbled to herself as she stepped into the bright sunlight.
"You got that right. That comment might just be literal." Said Riley. After she had spent half of the night drilling her soldiers and preparing them for most worst case scenarios, she went back to her tent and tried to get as much sleep as she could. The other two officers and herself had already planned out a surprise attack on the enemy's headquarters and she had a feeling that was to be the day. She wasn't sure if her soldiers were ready, she wasn't even sure if she herself was ready, but she did know one thing for sure, they wouldn't be anymore ready than they already were at the moment. They needed to get on with it.
"What does that mean?" Asked Ashley in confusion.
"Today might be the day we attack." Riley wasn't exactly sure why she was giving out the information to the little reporter, but it had just slipped from her mouth.
Ashley's eyes brightened and she smiled slowly, "Really?"
Riley straightened and nodded sharply, moving her cold mask of indifference back into place. "I'll see you at breakfast, Ms. Grayson." She said and left.
Ashley shook her had and said to herself, "That is one strange individual."
Ch. 14
Ashley went back inside her tent and quickly pulled a more appropriate outfit for the upcoming day. She pulled on a pair of khaki green pants, very similar to the military ones, a white tank top and a pair of comfortable black boots. Running her fingers through her hair, she tried her best to comb through the tangles. The rain from last night hadn't made the situation any better. She took a small pouch with her toiletries out of her bag and walked out of her tent toward the showers. Quickly washing up and setting her hair into a tight pony tail, she rushed back to her tent to tuck the pouch back to where it belonged and then left to the mass hall. Her stomach was already grumbling to be fed.
The mass hall was bustling with activity and conversation. The soldiers were formed in a line in front of the serving stands while the others were already seated at tables, eating and talking. She picked up a wooden tray and plastic utensils from the head of the line and waited. As the line moved, more soldiers gathered behind her. "Hey Ashley." Said the soldier from behind her. Ashley turned and smiled as she saw Jason. "Hello Jason."
"You look quite freshened up this morning." He said, charmingly. A small smile curling the corner of his lips.
"Well thank you. Can't say the same about you though..." She said. Jason seemed nice enough but she was getting weird vibes off of him.
Jason chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, well after you've been up most of the night rather than sleeping, I guess anyone would look kind of beat..."
Ashley nodded and moved on along the line. She stopped in front of one of the stands and smiled when she noticed Bradley was the one serving the dishes. "Hey Bradley."
Bradley raised his tired eyes to Ashley and smiled, his eyes twinkling immediately. "Hey Ashley, how are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. So, you got stuck with kitchen duty, huh?"
Bradley smiled and nodded, "Yeah, but that's okay. It means I won't be stuck with guard duty tonight. So, you want some of this?" He asked and raised a serving spoon filled with a white gooey mixture.
Ashley scrunched up her face and asked, "What is that exactly?"
"Oh, it's porridge, army style." He said and chuckled.
Ashley grinned and said, "What the hell, give me some."
"Oh, a brave soul, I like that..." He blushed when the words escaped his mouth without intent and he lowered his head as he poured the mixture into a bowl.
"Thank you." Ashley smiled at Bradley one last time and picked up her bowl, putting it on her tray. Moving along the line, she took some scrambled eggs, cheese and bread, some fruit and a bottle of water. Reaching the end of the line, she scanned the room for an empty place. Her eyes made contact with Riley's electric blue ones and she stopped for a moment. Riley sat with the other two officers and the table was mostly empty. She saw Riley's mouth open in preparation to say something when Jason stepped in front of her, blocking her view of Riley. Ashley snapped her head up and looked at the smiling Jason. "There's an empty table over there." He said as he motioned with his finger toward the back of the room.
Ashley moved around Jason and looked over at Riley's table again. Riley had averted her eyes back to her table mates and she seemed to be getting ready to leave. A hand touched her on the shoulder and she spun around, "That is, if you want to sit with me." Jason said softly.
Ashley looked once more at Riley's table and saw them getting up before turning to look at Jason, "Of course I want to sit with you."
Jason answered with a smile and led them to the table he had picked out.
Riley had been watching Ashley since the moment she had stepped through the large tent's flaps. Her gaze moved with her as she stood in line, then as she talked with Jason and Bradley and finally, when she searched for a place to sit. Her mind was telling her to keep her mouth shut, to get up and leave but she couldn't, wouldn't listen. She was the commander of the base and Ashley was her responsibility. She had to keep her safe. Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Taunted her inner voice.
'You shut up. I'm only looking after her. Besides, what could I possibly find in that little ungrateful, spoiled brat?' She answered herself. She sneered as she could almost feel her inner self smirk at her. Shaking her head, she noticed one of her soldiers blocking her view of Ashley. Riley's eyes narrowed as she looked on. She watched the soldier pointing at a table near the back and she sighed when Ashley looked at the table and seemed to smile at the soldier. Rick called out to her then and she turned her eyes back to her officers. "Shall we go over the plans one last time before heading out tonight?"
"Of course. We'll go over the plans and then I'll let the troops in on the info as well and let them rest till we head out. Let's go." Riley said and got up, followed by Sgt. Hudson and Lt. Sorenson.
Ashley had really wanted another chance to speak with the intriguing, yet extremely infuriating commander. She was positive she could have gotten a few more details out of her. While pondering to herself over Riley's earlier words, she had missed out on what Jason had said to her. Shaking her head and blushing slightly, she smiled and asked him to repeat his question. Jason smiled and said, "I asked where you're from?"
"Oh uh, I'm from Oregon. You?" She answered distractingly.
"I'm from Boston originally. My home for the past few months has been DC though. So what made you want to become a reporter?"
"What can I say, I was born of a curious nature. What made you want to become a soldier?"
He gave her a rakish grin, "I was born of a lethal nature."
Ashley smiled tightly and tried to change the subject. Her gut instinct hadn't failed her before and it was rebelling furiously at that moment. "So, have you heard anything new of the attack?"
Jason shrugged, "Not really. That captain is quite the bitch, excuse my language, but she just rubs me the wrong way. She saunters in here like she owns the place with her impossible bravado, thinking she'll be able to do anything that the other officers hadn't been able to. And they are men, no offense."
Ashley's eyes turned darker green and she felt compelled to defend the woman, whom she knew fit Jason's description like a glove. "First of all, she is your commander and I'm sure there is much reason behind that and second, I've personally been in situations like you've never even dreamt of, much less experienced for yourself, so don't talk to me about women being lesser than men!" She got up from her seat angrily, took the fruit that was left on her plate and turned towards the exit, leaving Jason behind, sitting with his mouth agape.
"Talk about being a pompous jerk!" Ashley mumbled to herself on her way out. She wasn't paying much attention as she walked and was startled when she bumped into a solid form, making her stumble backwards. Strong hands held from falling on her butt. "We meet again. Are you following me?" Asked a smirking Riley.
Ashley blushed slightly, the tips of her ears reddening as she gazed at mirth filled, ice blue eyes. "If anything, captain, I would say you are following me!" She pulled back from the strong arms and went back on her way toward her tent, mumbling unintelligible things about pompous jerks milling all around.
Riley chuckled as she looked at Ashley's retreating form and then a pensive look took on precedence. Tonight's the night. This is it. She straightened her shoulders and headed to the situation room, she knew her officers were probably already waiting for her.
After Ashley left the table, Jason tried to compose himself and to ignore his companions' ribbings. "Got a feisty one there, Jase." Commented one soldier as Jason passed, then another joined in, "I would be careful with that one, Jason my man. She might just bite." Raising a bout of laughter from the surrounding tables. Jason smiled tightly and nodded as he passed by, not even sparing a glance in their direction. He threw the wooden trey into its place and the rest of his meal in the garbage and headed for the exit with one intent on his mind ; finding Ashley Grayson.
Ashley was still angry at the behavior of both Jason and Riley and was looking for her journal to vent. She was rummaging through her things and mumbling and so she didn't hear when someone had entered her tent. Ashley thought she saw a glimpse of the notebook at the back of her backpack and bent forward to get a hold of it. She yelped in surprise when she was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled against a strong, large body. Before she could scream or do anything, the person that had grabbed her, covered her mouth with a large hand and captured her arms against her body, preventing her of any movement. Ashley didn't realize who it was at first until she heard the low timbre of his voice whisper in her ear. "You really shouldn't have acted the way you did, Ashley. That wasn't very nice of you, especially since I have been nothing but nice to you. Don't you think you were a little too harsh?"
Ashley nodded fervently, breathing sharply through her nose. He was holding her so powerfully against him that her legs were in the air. She whimpered softly as a trickle of fear sent a cold shiver down her spine. She wanted to think positively, she wanted to believe that in this crowded base someone would hear and would come to her help, but her mind and her fear were playing cruel tricks on her.
"You know that everybody laughed at me after you left? Made me feel like a fool for letting a little thing like you talk to me the way you did? How dare you speak to me, a man like that, huh? Didn't your boyfriend teach you any manners?" Jason sneered as he pushed his hand roughly underneath her tank top.
Ashley's anger flared at his words and she started struggling against his bulk, making him loosen his hold. She took the opportunity to bite his palm and stomp her heel into his booted foot. Jason yelled in outrage and pulled his hand away from her mouth, looking for blood yet not lessening his hold on her enough to let her escape. However, he had given her the opportunity to scream for help. Without thinking as to the implications of her actions, she screamed, "Riley!"
Riley and her officers were huddled around the small make-shift table, studying a map of the enemy territory and the building a plan of action when they heard Ashley's scream. Riley's head snapped up and she spared a quick look at her officers before bolting from her chair and running in the direction of the scream.
"You stupid bitch! Look what you've done to my hand!" Jason turned Ashley around, throwing her on the ruined cot. He began advancing towards her, his fist pulled up to strike when he was yanked backwards and thrown tot he floor by an unseen force. Ashley gasped when she opened her eyes. Riley was standing over Jason's prone body, her shoulders rigid and tense, her whole body coiled and ready to strike. She pulled her fist backwards and punched Jason in the face. Ashley cringed at the sound of breaking bone, she was positive that Riley had broken Jason's nose. Riley was panting when she turned around to face Ashley. Her eyes softened when she looked at the young reporter. Ashley hadn't noticed before, but her top had been ripped sometime in the midst of the ordeal.
"Are you alright?" Riley asked as she helped pull Ashley to her feet. Lt. Sorenson and Sgt. Hudson rushed into her tent that same moment, looking around to see what was the cause of the commotion. Seeing Jason laid out on the floor, his face bleeding, they didn't ask any questions as they went to pick him up and take him with them.
Riley kept a concerned eye on Ashley as she barked a few orders to her officers about what they should do with Jason, once he regained consciousness. Turning her full attention to Ashley she asked again, "Are you okay?"
Ashley looked into Riley's concerned eyes and felt like crying. She wasn't used to feeling vulnerable and the experience had shaken her to her core. Feeling tears threaten, she turned her face away from Riley's questioning gaze. Riley's eyes grew in horror, had she been too late? With no more thought, she pulled the blonde into her arms. Caressing her back slowly, she asked, "Did he...I mean, did he do anything?"
Ashley shook her head and wiped her eyes, pulling away from the warm embrace. Sniffling, she said, "No, he didn't do anything. I'm fine. You got here just in time." She paused for a moment and then shyly looked into compassionate baby blues. "Thank you."
Riley smiled tightly and nodded.
"Don't think that this means I like you or anything, I still think you're an arrogant, annoying jerk." Ashley continued with a defiant chin thrust forward.
Riley's lips twitched into half a smile and then a deep laugh let loose, "Of course not. Wouldn't have it any other way." She went to the tent's entrance and said, "Get changed and come to my tent. I'll you show you to your new quarters." Before Ashley could say anything, Riley stopped her, "Don't even think about arguing, you're staying with me, period." And then left the tent.
Ashley shook her head as she started gathering her things. She pulled on a new, green tank and started toward Riley's tent. Riley met her halfway. "Put your things in there, I'll get you a cot when I get back. In the meantime, you can use mine. Get some rest, tonight's going to be rough. I'll be in the situation tent, if you need anything just holler." Riley winked at her and walked away, not before posting a soldier to guard her tent and Ashley.