Anywhere

Dear my love, haven't you wanted to be with meAnd dear my love, haven't you longed to be freeI can't keep pretending that I don't even know youAnd at sweet night, you are my ownTake my hand

We're leaving here tonightThere's no need to tell anyoneThey'd only hold us downSo by the morning's lightWe'll be half way to anywhereWhere love is more than just your name-Evanescence

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Siberian Facility; 22 April, 1992

Almost two months had passed since Tessa had been able to set James onto the mental path leading him back to himself. They didn't dare use her abilities to adjust the walls she'd knocked askew in his mind, not as long as they were in the base. Once they were free and relatively safe, she would bring him back to who he truly was. James was fine with the wait. He could uphold the guise of The Winter Soldier for just a little longer.

Keeping himself away from Tessa's bed was another story altogether. He couldn't visit too often or there would be suspicions from her father. Those first few days after her time in the infirmary had slipped under the radar with the lie that The Winter Soldier was keeping her safe while she slept. Alexander Pierce had accepted that explanation when he inquired as to why there had been such a prominent amount of time with him in her room. The fib passed Pierce's logic because he was too busy making Karpov clean up the mess he'd caused with the serum that had been stolen from Stark.

The weeks that followed were a little more difficult.

Tessa had begun work on a new mission that would get James and herself out of the base and alone together. It had to be believable and it had to be something that her father would approve. They didn't have to make allowances for the other Winter Soldiers; they had been ordered into indefinite cryostasis because of their instability. To say HYDRA was displeased was the understatement of the century.

The facility was returned into Tessa's hands to control, and Karpov had been sent back to his place as a sleeper agent in the now-Russian military. He wasn't going to last there, either. The Soviets had fallen a week and a half following the mission to obtain the serums. From there, he would be lucky if he was able to retire into obscurity in Cleveland. Until then, he would disappear and take the red book with him. His efforts to undermine Tessa meant nothing; the book wasn't as important as the trigger words it held within, and it didn't hold a candle to the bond that had been created between Tessa and her Soldier.

Tessa was currently in her TOC studying the information she had collected and was preparing her report to submit to her father for his approval. She couldn't make a mistake; this was the way she was getting James out of this fucking hell.People called their target Le Diable Blanc -- The White Devil -- and he headed up one of the thieves guilds in New Orleans. He'd gotten on HYDRA's radar in a bad way when he'd stolen away a book that they could have used. In her research, it turned out he had been to the Weapon X facility not long before she, James and Logan had been there. That was a while ago, though, and things had moved on.

The White Devil went by several names, but his real name was Remy LeBeau. From what Tessa had been able to figure out, he had been a manifested mutant at birth with significant abilities and blood red eyes. His parents abandoned him and he was taken in by the then-patriarch of the Thieves Guild. There he was raised and trained and went through hardships that were not so different than Tessa's own early years as a full mutation. He even had a piece of his brainstem removed in order to tone down the powerful mutant abilities within him, and that had done little more than change the color of his eyes. 

Did she want to really kill him? No, she really didn't. Did she want to reveal where he was to the rest of HYDRA? No, she really didn't. As far as HYDRA knew, Tesla and her Winter Soldier were going back to Canada and the former location of the Weapon X facility to look in the area for LeBeau. In fact, they were ditching the HYDRA trackers on the vehicles, she was going to short out their personal intramuscular tracking beacons and then they would go to New Orleans, but only to explain to Remy that he needed to take time and make himself scarce for a while. It was for his own safety.

Regardless, a report was a report, and Tessa was being as thorough as possible. She couldn't chance James being put back into the chair for her to scramble him to pieces. The wear on him was already becoming too difficult with the pieces of his personality clashing with one another. She'd personally put up soundproofing in his room because his nightmares brought screams, and it was another something the rest of the base didn't need to know. The sooner they were in the field, the sooner she could release his mind entirely and, hopefully, nurse him back into his old self.

She hoped.

The door behind her opened, but only one person was allowed to enter the room without knocking. If it was someone other than James, they'd get the literal shock of their life.

James was wearing a thick, long-sleeved shirt that was almost navy blue. It would have matched her suit so perfectly, had she been wearing it. Instead, she was in a white sweater, jeans and a pair of black Nikes her father had sent her this past Christmas. Alexander Pierce didn't even visit his daughter anymore.

While James didn't ask questions of her, she glanced up toward him as he began to follow her thought process along the left wall, slowly taking in each and every notation she had scribbled or picture she had taken.

He reached up to the map where she'd marked the former location of the Weapon X facility. His metal finger traced across the printing over the town of Edmonton, but his fingers soon crawled southward to the area where Tessa had made a meaningless circle of wax to indicate a search area where they would begin.

He already knew the real plan. They would, indeed, fly to Canada then travel south into America by motorcycle until they got to a private landing strip. Tessa would charter a plane and James would fly them to New Orleans once all of the trackers were shut off. They had to work quickly, because they would be watched until HYDRA's link to them was shut down, then the soldiers would begin to follow and search.

"How long?" He asked, knowing full well the camera in the room was on and they would be listened to by someone.

"It won't be long now. I'm finishing up the mission brief to send to my father," she stated. "Once he approves it, I want to be ready to go. This guy is a danger. We need that book."

James nodded his head but continued on with the information she had laid out on the wall with notes, maps, facts and falsehoods that might confuse those who would come looking for them.

"I have the mission pallet ready to go. It will be loaded up just as soon as we get the green light." Tessa spoke, her pen scribbling over the page before her. "Could you give the guys a hand when it's time for that?"

The Winter Soldier still wasn't accustomed to anyone asking for his help. It was always an order. James glanced back toward Tessa to look at her oddly, just as The Winter Soldier would have.

"Yes," he stated simply, gruffly.

Tess nodded her head but went right on with the report, never once raising her attention his direction. James went back to looking at the wall until he reached the end of the information. Gone were days when he needed to suggest a change in tactics with his handler. She had grown into a leader, a soldier, the love of his extremely fucked up life.

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Siberian Facility; 25 April, 1992

The op was a go; Tessa had just received word from her father. The facility was in motion with soldiers getting things ready, including her Winter Soldier. They would leave tonight and arrive in Canada the following afternoon. The rest of that day would be spent in and around Jasper National Park just to keep up appearances and for Tessa to make plans with the air charter to the south of their location. She would also arrange for a motorcycle to be purchased.

Crossing the border into the United States was nothing. There were so many rural areas to cross where no one was the wiser. There was a great deal of cash at her disposal without anyone even knowing she had it. It was readily available for field work, and Tessa had unfettered access to it since she ran the facility now.

They would buy what they needed and ideally set up cache locations of their own throughout the Midwest on the way to New Orleans, just in case they had to rabbit again in the future. Tessa was nervous as shit, but outwardly she looked much like her father when it came to being calculating and focused.

Once Tessa strode into the loading bay, she passed between soldiers who were loading up the transport, never pausing in her step but timing herself so that she walked between each of them rather than plowing them over. Since Colonel Karpov was no longer here, Tessa had named someone to watch over things in her stead; his name was Major Ivan Sidorov. He was one sleeper agent that had retained his position in Spetsnaz within the Russian Federation, and he was much easier to deal with than Karpov ever was.

The man was an absolute monster, though. Not in mannerisms, really, but he stood a full foot taller than Tessa and three inches taller than even James. He was one solid block of muscle that could tear through human enemies like they were made out of hot butter. While he was at the Siberian facility, Tessa let him get away with letting his facial hair grow so a smattering of scruff covered his lower face with most of it concentrated on a mustache-in-progress.

Thank God he liked Tessa, though. He even liked James. The two worked well together at directing things and keeping the facility running smoothly. Fortunately, he hadn't been around for long enough to live and bleed HYDRA just yet, so he could end an ally for the two of them after they escaped. Tessa really didn't like leaving him to gain the ire of her father when she went missing.

"Major," Tessa said as she neared him and gently interrupted the instruction he was giving to a couple of the soldiers who needed to assure the correct balance within the cargo hold of the transport. "What is left on the list of things to get done before we leave tonight?"

Sidorov pivoted his huge body toward his bosslady and immediately, efficiently gave his report. Green eyes found Tessa and his full attention turned entirely on her. He was eager to please, and it showed in how studious he always was in his work.

"Adjusting the center of gravity to make the ride smoother," he stated as beefy arms came up and tangled over his broad chest, his stance shifting a little wider as he let himself fall into an easy posture. "After that, things should be ready to go whenever you're ready to dust off."

Tessa gave him a smile of her lips and a nod of her head, "You are never a disappointment, Major. Thank you for everything you do for me here. I truly do appreciate it and trust you to handle things as well as I would."

The bear of a man gave a smile that warmed his eyes, "It's my pleasure to work for you, Miss Pierce. Thank you for the opportunity."

"When my father calls for updates, don't let him push you around," she stated without hesitation. She didn't care how high on the food chain her dad was, Ivan didn't deserve the bullshit that came with Alexander Pierce's attitude. "I trust you. Trust me in this, please. I wouldn't have brought you here to work with us unless I saw your real potential. You will do great things, and you will do them with conscience and the proper drive that Vasily never had."

Rich, icy blue colored eyes regarded the greens of his and she gave him a soft and sure smile. She was counting on Ivan to pull through for her once shit hit the fan. With any luck, he would trust her in everything that would happen in the days following this one. She had to have one ally in HYDRA that might step up to the plate for her if they got caught going off script in the field.

As for James, he had never doubted the loyalty of Sidorov, and he didn't think the commitment he held toward Tessa was anything more than dedication born of admiration. He never once thought that the man was going to try and worm his way into Tessa's life or, more importantly, into her bed. The Winter Soldier gave them nothing more than a glance before continuing on with his work with the others.

This one kindness would come back to help them in the future, but it was a difficult spot for Tessa to put the Major into, and she knew that in the deepest pit of her stained soul. Hopefully Ivan would find a way to forgive her someday.

For now, she gave the large man a soft smile then turned and headed off toward the chow hall. No longer were the steps of her Soldier too light for her to hear them; she heard him fall in line behind her just as she slipped into the corridor.

"We'll grab an early dinner right now then grab our go-bags and head out," It was all she could say about the matter right that second. They would be listened to as long as they were in the facility or on the transport that would carry them to Canada. After they got away from that, then they could really talk.

As she talked, James moved up beside her to walk as an equal, but it took a great deal of effort to keep his hand from moving to the small of her back in that too-familiar manner that might raise red flags. There were too many emotions in his head now, and The Winter Soldier was beginning to clash with the goodness that remained of James Buchanan Barnes.

"Everything else is ready to go," was all he said as their stride parted an oncoming cluster of soldiers who didn't want to get close to either HYDRA operative.

"Good," Tessa said and gave him a small smile. "Thank you for helping with loading up the transport. I had last minute things I had to talk to my father about the operation." More lies to lay bare to lead her dad and everyone else away from the direction they would be going.

He nodded and nothing more. Once they reached the chow hall, they both grabbed their trays and moved over to the table that was usually always empty. No one wanted to sit near either of them, and they weren't going to chance taking their seats and risking the hard glare of the metal-armed assassin.

Dinner progressed in silence with both Tessa and James eating as much as they could. There was a good chance that, after they left the area around Edmonton, they wouldn't be able to stop for a filling meal until they were in the heart of the Midwest. They would take snacks, though; they always did. While Tessa didn't need as much to build her reserves back up these days, if she did expend enough energy to be drained, she'd need the bits and bobs they always carried.

Once they were done eating and had returned the trays to the window, the two headed out and around the bunker to the residential area that was solely occupied by herself, her Soldier and Major Sidorov. Everyone else slept in another area entirely. Upon reaching James' door, Tessa paused, her arms rising to cross over her chest briefly, her stance neutral, unreadable by the cameras.

"Grab your bag and meet me in the cargo bay," Tessa stated simply. He didn't take her tone personally. "I'm going to address the staff before we leave."

She had done it a time or two, but this was really her first time to do so as she turned over control of the facility to another while she went into the field. At James' silent nod, she returned the gesture then pivoted and headed to her own quarters.

Her bag was already on her bed and ready to go. She even tossed in a couple of her favorite books so that they weren't left behind. For now, it was slung across her body. When she turned to move out, she never looked back on anything she was leaving behind. Instead, the light was shut out and she hoped it was the last time she'd be there.

Upon reaching the cargo bay, the workers were gathered and waiting, and The Winter Soldier stood stoic on the lowered ramp of the aerial transport they would soon leave in. Tessa had all eyes on her as she unwrapped the bag from across her body and walked over to toss it up into the transport. She'd put it in its place before she left.

Turning, she moved to stand before the men who worked daily beneath her. Her small form returned to a strong stance, arms crossing over her chest as she regarded the faces of each man and tucked them away in the back of her mind just so she'd recognize them later if they were sent after her.

"Thank you all for being here," she began. "I am leaving the facility in the hands of Major Sidorov until we return. His is the only order you need follow while we're away. I know a lot of you weren't ready for me to take control of the program here, but you've helped make it a smashing success. Know that I am proud of each and every one of you and the things you do to keep this place going. You're in good hands."

One final nod of her head was given to the men, and she gave a bow of her head to Ivan in respect before she turned and made her way over to the ramp. Her Soldier's metal hand reached down to help her up, but his touch didn't linger. He was soon taking over tucking her bag in next to his in the cargo of the transport.

Tessa's heart was hammering in her chest when she turned and gave everyone a small smile and another nod. She brought her fist up and pressed the red button that would shut the ramp of the craft. In the dark there, she and her Soldier paused to briefly brush their fingers in passing before he followed her up into the area where she would typically sit.

She did so, but only to let James continue on up into the cockpit so he could slide into the pilot's seat. He really wasn't a man who was illiterate in technology; he just didn't like or trust it, and now was only the stirring of that dislike that would grow as time passed.

Strapping in, Tessa leaned her head back and clasped her hands onto her lap to hide the trembling of them. She felt the engine rumble to life and eventually the shift when they took flight. Still she waited until she could feel them no longer climbing in altitude.

At that point, Tessa unfastened her belt and rose to make her way forward to the cockpit to join her lover there. While they couldn't discuss things openly, she felt better being beside him, and he felt more a piece of their partnership whenever she went out of her way to include him in her life. The more the buried pieces of him returned, the less willing he was to accept HYDRA, but he had to be there for Tessa. He had to protect her in any way he could.

When Tessa turned her eyes his direction, his gaze was already on her. She gave him the smallest smile which he returned, but they said nothing. They didn't even touch just in case there was a camera on them somewhere. With a quiet ride ahead of them, Tessa would concentrate on their real plans and let him get them there safely.

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Alberta, Canada; 26-27 April, 1992

The airfield held a single car that was neither a big name brand nor a newer model, but they didn't need it for long. They unloaded only some of the aerial transport and put the bare minimum into the trunk. The items would soon be consolidated to fit into their go-bags or into saddlebags on the motorcycle Tessa would be purchasing. The rest would be left behind. Their armored suits were left in Siberia, hopefully in a footlocker that no one would check for a while.

The majority of their luggage would be cash, firearms and ammunition. Tessa would handle holding the go-bags across her body once they changed methods of moving forward. For now, they drove to the small town north of the national park and had a meal. Tessa went through a phonebook and jotted down the names and phone numbers of charter flight agencies across the border and a motorcycle dealership in Edmonton. Both were willing to accept cash, and neither were huge businesses to begin with. They couldn't draw attention to themselves.

Their meal consumed, they checked into a hotel in the town but only carried their things inside to order to pack them more compactly into the go-bags. For now, they would be heavy as hell, but that would change tomorrow morning. For the night, they headed toward the Weapon X facility and meandered back and forth through the park itself as if searching for their prey.

There in the dark, they could touch, hold each other's hands and kiss each other as they wanted, and those were priorities that needed their own sort of tending. They could also discuss just what they were going to do now.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll drive to Edmonton," Tessa stated, her right fingers laced between the metal digits of her lover. "We'll take a few loops around the city before getting close to the shop. I'll climb off at a stop sign and I want you to continue driving around for another hour or so. I'll meet you at the city center we discussed, blow our trackers, leave the car and immediately head toward the charter tarmac. We know there are HYDRA operatives in the area, so we have to be so careful."

She came to a stop but continued to grip his hand so that he would stop too when he felt their forward momentum end. In the moonlight, he looked toward her. They were standing in the area where remnants of Logan and Sabretooth had torn the trees from the ground with their scuffle.

"I need you to make a decision, James," she stated, her eyes finding his about the time her free hand rose to caress against his cheek. "I need you to decide if you want me to break your mind free right here, right now where no one can hear us. I will, gladly, but it has to be your decision."

It took James all of three seconds to weigh his options and give his reply.

"No," he said firmly. "I need what's left of The Winter Soldier while I have to keep you safe. I can't chance falling under the weight of everything else while we're running."

Tessa swallowed the tennis ball that had lodged itself in her throat, but she nodded regardless. It was his choice, not hers.

"Then I'll wait until we're safe," she gave him a nod then leaned up and pressed her lips against his again. It took everything in both of them to keep their embraces from devolving into something more physical, but they just couldn't chance it right now. "I will bring you back, my love. You have my promise."

"I know, Tess," he murmured against her lips then let his right arm wrap around the back of her shoulders to pull her into a tight hug against his body. Each of them felt the super soldier serum warmth of the other, and that alone was a great comfort right then. As his mouth moved to press a kiss to her temple, he spoke softly yet again. "I love you. Always know that. Whether I'm me or him, you are our heart and soul."

The words made a knot catch in the young woman's throat. She hadn't heard anyone tell her they loved her in so long, and for the streak to end on the lips of James...  It made her heart leap and bound against her sternum. 

"I love you too, James. Every piece of me loves you," she whispered back, her free arm wrapping around his waist to hold them close.

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Edmonton, Alberta; 21 April, 1992

(Not exact, but close enough.)

The motorcycle Tessa decided on was a 1991 Indian Scout in matte black with an extended bench and high foot pegs for the back and saddlebags on each side to help carry things. It wasn't going to be the most comfortable motorcycle for two people, but it would work for now. It was sleek and slick and fit her Soldier perfectly. As Tessa drove it down the street, it fit her quite nicely, too, but that was the driver's seat.

Seeing their car parked beneath an out of the way area of the city center, she eased the bike into the parking space beside him and pushed the kickstand down with the heel of her boot before killing the ignition altogether.

"Good pick?" she asked him, honey brows lifting in hope.

"Amazing pick, Doll," he gave her a grin then held up the two helmets he'd managed to pick up during his seemingly endless ride around the city. Neither of them really needed a helmet, but it would obscure their identities.

His words made her quirk the most adorably-pure grin he'd seen on her in years. It even made him give a wide smile that she didn't get to see too often at all.

"Sometimes I forget how old you are," she chuckled. "Then you go and say something like that and it reminds me all over again."

"Please," he smirked and shook his head. "Biologically, I'm not as old as I should be. Besides, I still know just how to make you melt."

And that was absolutely true. All of it.

"What do you say we run away, hm?" she said with a smile and side nod of her head toward the bike. Immediately afterward, she pulled their bags from the trunk and crisscrossed their straps across her body.

James paused in front of her, kissed her lips then went about smoothing her hair back so he could set the helmet down over her head. He strapped it beneath her chin and assured the visor was secured in place. He then pulled on his own and turned so that she could rest her hand over the deltoid area of his left arm. Her own tracker was in the same place.

Reaching up, she laid her hand against his arm and sent that electromagnetic pulse that would fry his tracker. It momentarily knocked out the entire arm, but the rest was quick to boot back up. He calibrated once he was able to and climbed onto the bike to start it up. She climbed on behind him before she fried her own tracker in the same manner, adding in a bit of strength to fry the car's tracker too, along with half the cars nearby.

Now the race was on, and they had very little time to get out of Edmonton.

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United States Border, Saskatchewan; 22 April, 1992

After leaving Edmonton, James had driven east to Regina (which rhymes with fun) before heading directly south toward the American border. It was the middle of the night by this point, but they were stopped on the dirt road and staring at the line of HYDRA operatives lining the path ahead of them. Her father had wasted no time in sending out teams in search of them throughout the area.

Tessa watched from over James' left shoulder while he sized up the group they were going to have to deal with before they could continue. In all, there looked to be about ten ahead of them, and while it wasn't a staggering sum of people, killing them or letting them go wouldn't matter at all when it came to HYDRA knowing where they were.

"We take them out entirely and ride like hell," Tessa finally answered her Soldier's silence.

Without a word, he slowly eased the kickstand down but continued to hold the bike up with his feet firmly on the ground. The headlight of the bike would blind them to some of their movements, and that would at least allow Tessa to drop both bags onto the gravel and climb off.

The instant the light went off, James let the Indian prop against the kickstand and he slid off to stand in front of his beloved. She pressed herself close to him so he knew exactly where she was, and he felt the shift in the air around them. Static grew and extended outward until he felt Tessa rest the flat of her palm between his shoulder blades.

At that point, he removed his helmet to improve his field of vision, rested it on a handlebar then stalked forward toward the others with Tessa as close as she could be against his back without hindering his movements. The agents didn't initially think anything of the advance. So far, the loss of the trackers could be explained away, and they'd been ordered not to kill either Tessa or The Winter Soldier.

If they had actually been on the path of this man they were looking for, things could be explained away, but they couldn't rely on that to be the case. The instant they were near enough to see one another, James lurched forward and began tearing through each of the operatives.

Tessa's lightning was building up within her then spilling out in a wide cone of bolts that caught and killed three men immediately and flung two more back away from the bulk of the group. It was those two men that she put all her concentration into. The wrath of electricity she handed them was boundless. She didn't hold anything back at all the way she tried to during training. She was shocking to kill, and she was efficient at it.

HYDRA operatives unleashed rounds from the rifles they held, some sparking off of James' left arm and others going awry into the night. In full Winter Soldier mode, James cracked skulls, slit throats and hit one operative hard enough in the chest that he had collapsed and his synapses died out soon after what must have been a heart attack felled him.

Both of them stood there a moment, just waiting for more operatives to appear or men to get up from the ground. When nothing happened, Tessa strode over to shove two of the bodies out of the road while James tossed another three off into the ditch where no one would be easily seen.

The second they were done, pure adrenaline hastened them back over to the bike so they could climb back on, James after he put the helmet back on and Tessa after she crossed their bags over her torso again. As he upended the kickstand, her arms wrapped around his waist tightly and gravel spat out behind a momentarily stationary back tire. Once traction was found, they fired off into the night.

It was a full thirty minutes later when James felt Tessa's grip slacken around him and he reached down to grip her wrists into his left hand. He turned down an old, unused drive leading toward a decrepit barn in the middle of Nowhere, Montana and wasted no time in propping up the bike and moving to gingerly climb off while holding Tessa in place. While she hadn't felt it, one of those rounds had torn through her jacket, shirt and the lower left region of her abdomen.

"Shit," James breathed out when he found the blood soaking her clothing. Holding her in place with one arm, he carefully removed their bags from her small body and let them fall to the ground then immediately pulled her from the Scout and adjusted until he could cradle-carry her into the barn.

It smelled of moldering hay and rotting wood, but it was out of sight of anyone in the area. Trying not to give in to panic, James laid Tessa out over some of the abandoned hay and adjusted her so that he could make sure the bullet went through her body. This was not going to feel good for her at all when she woke back up.

Letting his teeth clench tight enough to make the muscles of his jaw quake, he slipped off his right glove then used his pinky to probe as much of the wound as he could, but he didn't feel any shrapnel inside of her. He tossed the glove down where it would be joined by the second soon after. Both then were covered by his leather jacket when he shed it. His shirt was shredded into strips that he folded up and bound in place with other strips just to hold pressure on both the entry and exit wounds on her body.

Only then did he feel safe enough to run outside to the bike, grab their bags then push the motorcycle out of the open and into the barn with them. They'd stay here tonight, maybe two depending on how Tessa felt when she woke back up. For now... Well, he had to stitch up wounds, and there were no amount of words to speak that said how thankful he was that she'd packed a first aid kit in their belongings.

Blessedly, Tessa stayed out while he sewed up her flesh and bandaged the wounds. She didn't wake up again until the following morning.

A soft cry was given when Tessa blinked open bleary eyes to look at the sunlight illuminating dust motes that floated into the sunbeams coming from the ruined roof of the barn. The cry sent the door shutting as James stepped back from his watch there and hurried to where she laid.

"No, don't sit up," he said, his knees skidding through the hay as he came to a halt at her side. "Just rest, Doll. You were hit during the fight last night, but I sewed you up the best I could. Now you just need to heal and we'll get back on the road."

Icy blue eyes looked up at him with mild disbelief, but she let him talk her into laying back down. She hadn't even felt the shot get her initially, but she sure as shit felt it right now.

"We're going to skip the flight and just continue south like this when you're up for traveling," Tessa made no move to correct him when he took control of their plans.

"Where are we?" she croaked out, her brow pinching in both pain and over the fact that her mouth felt so parched right then.

"Somewhere in Montana still. I had to stop when you almost fell off the motorcycle," he was worried. That much was clear as day on his face. Tessa didn't try to reassure him beyond reaching to take his hand into her own. "As soon as you feel better, we've gotta move, but I want you to just rest right now."

Tessa nodded and said nothing in return. He was right, her Soldier. 

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Posted: 10 August, 2021