The night was restless for Eric and Mia. As soldiers, they both knew that missions like this were usually the most dangerous. Once their eyes finally shut, they slept for a few hours.

Eric did not sleep well. Memories surfaced of the soldiers he knew along the way who never made it home. A flag lay perched on the casket of a young soldier, and the gunshot made him jump.

He woke up. "Daniel." He muttered as his eyes opened.

Mia was resting peacefully beside him. Her sleeping face was so serene, he thought he was looking at an Angel. Eric checked the time. 3 am. He had to be up in an hour.

Eric shook his head and got out of bed. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep any longer.

He walked silently through the dark house; his feet made no sound as he padded to the kitchen, a trademark of years in training. He turned a lamp in the living room on as he made some last-minute checks on their gear. Seeing that everything was in order, Eric put on his headphones. Every day before he went to work, Eric would scroll through social media or the news. Today was no different. He pulled up the news outlets and began to scroll.

After a few minutes of scrolling, Eric’s eyes widened. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest as he read an article about what happened north of Esponia.

"Moscow is still engaging in heavy combat with the forces of the Cartharic Empire. According to Russian media, the city has heavily fortified itself. Residents are mandated to stay inside. Anyone caught disobeying the orders will be shot on sight."

Eric turned his phone off and sat in the stillness of the darkened room.

A few minutes later, Mia walked into the room. She noticed the light from the lamp and walked over to Eric, sitting on his lap. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Eric pulled her close, his arms wrapping around her like a cocoon.

"We built an amazing family and house." He murmured, kissing her forehead.

She smiled at the kiss and pressed herself as close as she could, enjoying his warmth with closed eyes.

"We did. Which is why it is important for us to fight for it. Even though every fiber of my being says we can run away and escape it, doing so would let everyone we know and love down. We also can’t have our daughters growing up in a world where we were cowards."

Eric stroked her hair, and they sat in silence until Eric’s alarm went off. They looked at each other, sharing a long kiss before Mia got up off his lap. Mia turned on the living room light, and Eric went to wake Jessica up.

Eric knocked gently on Jessica’s door, and a muffled groan answered shortly after. "I’m already awake. I’ll be out there in a few." A raspy voice called out from inside the room.

"Okay. We gotta leave in about thirty minutes, so get ready. I’ll have some cereal ready for you."

There was no response, and Eric went back to the kitchen.

The house became alive with activity as the adults prepared for their mission, each in their own way. No one spoke except for Liara. The toddler babbled in her high chair, occasionally throwing food on the ground. None of them bothered to correct her.

Gear was checked, and Eric took the bags to their truck. He loaded the trunk with their gear and set the diaper bag inside the cab. He paused as he started the vehicle, looking at the dashboard. A picture of the family at a picnic stared back at him. He slid his finger over the picture, a single tear falling down his cheek.

"Someday, we can go on more."

After starting the truck, Eric made his way back to the house.

Liara started crying as she was put in her car seat. She banged her fist on Mia’s chest and screamed. "No go! No Go!"

Mia kissed her head, ignoring the tiny fists beating on her chest. "I know, sweetie. I don’t want to go either." She whispered before closing the door.

The ride to Samara’s was filled with Liara’s screaming. Each stop sign and the final stoplight were daggers that pierced deeper into Eric’s chest. He focused on the road, his free hand squeezing Mia’s thigh as if she were the one thing keeping him sane.

Samara was waiting for them outside her home. Her husband, John, waited behind her. His face was grim as he watched Eric, Jessica, and Mia get out of the truck. Liara’s voice was now raspy from screaming, but she continued yelling out. The sounds of her crying drowned out the still atmosphere.

Eric, Mia, and Jessica crowded around Liara. Each adult gave the toddler a kiss on the head before Eric handed both the diaper bag and the car seat to Samara. "We should be back in roughly one week," Eric said gruffly, his eyes meeting John’s. "Thank you for once again taking care of her when we go away."

John nodded solemnly. "It is the least we can do, Eric. You do so much for us."

The truck ride to Hood Hill was silent. Eric found himself staring down at the picture on the dashboard to distract himself and refrain from turning the truck around.

They arrived at Hood Hill at 0445. Most of the team was already there. As Eric, Jessica, and Mia got out of the truck, Michael walked over. He looked up at Eric, giving him a small nod. "Thank you for last night." He said quietly. "As soon as I heard that we would be moving out again, Ayeolla nearly broke down right in the middle of dinner."

The captain sighed before looking down at the ground. "How do you do it, Eric? I don’t know how much longer I can take us just going on missions one after the other. It feels like we are in one cursed loop after another."

Eric patted Michael on the back.

"You know how it is, Mike. Mia and I talked about this early on in our marriage. In the end, you have to tell yourself that you are building the world you want with your own hands."

Michael didn’t nod and couldn’t look up at Eric.

"Eric, she’s pregnant."