(( Sorry to leave you all with a cliffy, and a tear jerker! Forgive me? Anyways, thank you all for your continued support, it means a great deal to me! I hope you all continue to enjoy the story! ))

~*~ 5 Months of Deployment ~* ~ His POV ~*~

“That’s your wife?” Junhoe asked as he leaned over the center counsel to get a better view of the picture that stayed locked along the sun visor, getting biffed in the process, making him retreat in a quick manner.

“It is, and I’m driving” Seung spoke, not wishing to hear the sassy comments about his wife like so many of the other soldiers were forced to hear when representing a picture of their girl or wife.

“I just wanted to see” the older male complained with a pout, however his attention would fall towards the road once more, knowing that soon they would be in the helicopter on their way home. “One more day… Think you will walk in on your wife cheating?”

“Of course not” Seung was quick to answer, his already sour mood dampening with the thought of another man touching his wife. “Why, you think your wife is cheating?” He tried to tease, however was alarmed when the male didn’t smile but instead sighed heavily and ran his hand through his dirty hair, them both needing a bath.

“The ones that look good always cheat. They got so many men chasing them, it’s like an open buffet. How could you expect them to be loyal?” Junhoe expressed with a shrug of his shoulders, the smile that once took Seung quick to wear off, recalling just how many people tried with his wife when he was there, he could only imagine how many tried with his absence.

“I trust her…” Seung spoke with confidence as his eyes roamed towards the picture of Abi and his two sons, a soft smile taking his lips at the thought of seeing them again. “She wouldn’t cheat on me.”

“If you say so man” Junhoe hmphed, showing the conversation was over.

~*~*~*~

He couldn’t recall why it had happened, but he could remember the large flames that took over the large aircraft. He recalled it colliding harshly with the thick terrain of the jungle, the scent of burning flesh making him nauseous as he crawled desperately away from the scene, hoping to escape the horror. He wasn’t alone, but he felt alone as he stared at the burning remains of those he once called brothers, the wounds that covered his appeal being nothing to the hole that stole his heart.

The smoke filled his lungs like thick poison, suffocating him with it’s harsh fingers and lingering within his lungs like a nasty alcohol. His mind swayed for logic and rationality, but the reality was much worse than the illusion he tried to project, his eyes being glued to the spreading fire that traveled the tree’s large tops fuming a black smog within the air. He was frozen despite the dangers that still lingered, his legs refusing to move him, despite what his logic was screaming at him.

“We need to move!” A voice called for his attention, but his eyes couldn’t leave the scene, his hopes and dreams tangling within the smoke that covered the area. “Choi, we need to move now!” The voice pulled his attention, his head nodding as he found the strength he lost, his heart breaking with every step that he took further into the thick terrain, knowing that his chance to see his family, was flittering away without mercy.

~*~ Abi’s POV ~*~ Same time ~*~

She couldn’t sleep as she ce again within her large bed, her arm reaching out for the warmth she desperately wished to hold, yet was met with the coldness of silk. Her eyes slowly fluttered to an open as she stared at the nothingness beside her, a soft sigh escaping her lips. She had missed him before, but this was an entire different level of loneliness, her heart racing every day with wonder if he was safe and still alive, her desperation to see him again raising with every passing second.

“Breakfast is ready” she spoke softly as she sat the two plates along the table, watching as the two boys dug into the beautiful plates she had created, before returning towards the window outside, knowing by heart the cars came around this time.

She dreaded this time of day every morning, watching frantically for any car that looked like the ones she had seen at her neighbors. She knew it was a horrible habit, that she should be optimistic, but something about today made her stomach feel uneasy. So focused on the front road, she had failed to notice the car that pulled into her driveway, that was until feeling a hand on her soldier, causing her to jump frantically.

“Jiyong!” She screamed at him, only to be met with a mischievous grin.

“Relax and get away from the window. He’s due home shortly and would kill me if you looked like you haven’t taken care of yourself” Ji offered as he stole some of the eggs from the pan, helping himself to the food as he often did.

“I have been taking care of myself” she quickly corrected as she stepped away from the window and instead began making two more plates, knowing that it wasn’t healthy to simply wait for something that would only hurt her. “I just feel weird today…” She admitted as she sat down the plates, her eyes falling towards the window once more.

“How about this then, you eat and I’ll watch for a car okay?” Ji encouraged, allowing some tension to roll from her shoulders as she nodded and joined the kids at the table, noting just how big of a mess they were making out of her perfect display.

~*~ Ji-Yong’s POV ~*~

‘They would have been here by now if something happened’ he kept reminding himself yet he never saw Abi look so distant, his eyes dancing between the television and to the broken woman who pretended to be watching. He wasn’t an idiot, he could see that her vision was still on the door, and it made his heart sink just the slightest at the thought of something happening. He clearly remembered the last conversation he had with his best friend, and the thought of it becoming a reality was too painful to accept.

“Promise you’ll take care of her if I don’t return” his voice sounded so defeated, so unsure of the future that Ji found himself choking back tears.

“Don’t say that, you’ll come ho…”

“I don’t want her to be alone for the remainder of her life, I want her to experience love again, but I can’t accept any other person to love her except for you” his voice interrupted the protest, clearly pronouncing his last wishes in case something was to happen.

“I can’t do that…” Ji spoke honestly, despite how many times he envied the couple, that didn’t mean that he wished for them to be apart.

“I need you too. I can’t leave unless I know someone will love her when she needs it the most. Please Ji… I wouldn’t ask it unless I really needed to hear it.”

His attention was snapped back to the here and now when a knock came to the door, his eyes immediately falling towards Abi who seemed frozen. He could tell what thoughts lined her and thus he stood himself up and began towards the door, knowing she didn’t have the strength. He felt confident that it would only be a friend, someone who was coming to check on her, and as his hand went for the handle, he was alarmed when Abigail’s hand held his in place, preventing him from opening the door.

“Please don’t” she whispered, and it sounded so fragile, that he could have almost ignored the knocks that sounded again.

“Abi it’s fine” he tried to comfort, but her grip only tightened on his hand, showing that his words didn’t help in the slightest.

“I can’t accept it… I can’t hear it… Please don’t answer the door” she continued to whisper, tears quickly falling down her cheeks and he had to look away, his heart aching yet his confidence being higher than the pain.

“It’s okay, it’s not about him” Ji whispered softly, fighting her hand to turn the knob, opening the door swiftly and freezing instantly when being greeted by two soldiers with their hats off, his eyes immediately falling towards Abi in pure horror.