Page 46 of Metal & Mud

"Hey, did you know about Bron?"

"Yeah, Crews told me about it the other day." Carter unwrapped his lunch from the DFAC. "Not that unexpected, really. I mean, Bron's been an E-4 for longer than I've been in the Army."

"Yeah but... I thought we were training to be a functioning team, you know?" Logan said, feeling the weight of disappointment in his chest. "I mean, what has the past two months been if incorporating me's only plugging one hole right before we get another?"

"Battalion will transfer someone in to fill the gap," Carter said. "Inter-battalion transfer, probably someone who just pinned E-4 themselves from Bravo Company, they're just going into their red cycle of rest and re-training. But that's the way the Army is, man. A soldier's only going to spend two years or so with a unit before they get shuffled around. I mean, we get a little longer here in the 3/3 because we're an irregular unit and we do some weird shit that you can't just plug any regular fuckin' Spec-4 in and keep the wheels going. But it's not a lot more. Three, three and a half years tops and we're off to some regular unit. Probably better for us anyway. The hazard pay we get is nice, but I've been shot at more times than I like to think about. Paychecks smell a lot sweeter when I get to hang around and spend them."

"So... we just go with it?" Logan asked, his frustration mounting. "Is there any damn sense to it at all? Or just needs of the Army?"

Bron clapped Logan on the shoulder as he joined them. "That's the Army, Hollywood. They need Sergeants, and I want to stay in. It sucks, yeah, especially when you start feeling like a team. But everyone moves on eventually. It's all about contracts, unit rotations... the needs of the Army, you know?"

"Did you ever do that?" Logan asked, and Bron nodded.

"My unit right out of boot," he said. "Got there three months before a trip to 'stan, did my year, and transferred out right after we touched down Stateside since I knew I wanted to keep doing hooah shit. So I got sent here to Charlie Company. For you it'll be different. Colonel Remsburg tries to keep one company 'green,' the other 'yellow,' and the third 'red' in terms of if he has to send someone halfway around the world tomorrow, but it's not always that way. So he spreads out the transfers in a trickle, keeping the pain at a minimum."

"We're going into our green phase," Carter said, "so after Bron's transfer, the team won't change right away unless something big happens like someone gets hurt."

"Obviously." Logan was still troubled. "I guess I didn't think about it. I was getting comfortable with you guys."

"Hell Hollywood, your time's going to come too," Bron said. "You can pin E-4 without an issue, but when it comes time for you to look at Sergeant? Yeah, you might be in the same boat I am. And with your education? Army's always looking for smart NCOs, so that time might be sooner rather than later. Shit, your brains, you might make E-6 before I do if you want."

The three went back to eating, but Logan didn't really feel hungry any longer. That one phrase kept running over and over in his head.

Sooner rather than later.

* * *

22

LOGAN

The motel room wasn't much. Just a basic setup with industrial carpet, a small TV mounted on the walla light brown comforter spread over a king-sized bed.

It was terrible in many ways, and not what Logan would have wanted at all. In his mind, when he told Sabby he loved her, it was going to be a whole production, with five-star facilities and memorable surroundings. There'd be music, fine dining, and making love on a bed that felt like a cloud around them.

His dream was not to tell her toward the end of the month when his funds were low, forcing him to settle for a discount room close to base just to afford the privacy while still being able to return for morning duties the next day.

"Hey."

He understood Sabby saw the frustration in his eyes when she cupped his face. As their eyes locked, he realized he was focused on the wrong thing. They could be in a five-star resort or in a tent.

She didn't care. What Sabby cared about was Logan, being with him.

"Sorry," he said, his hands settling on her waist. "I just... I guess I was hoping our first time making love after saying it would be more planned than this."

Sabby smiled. "Logan, we don't have to have sex, even though I definitely enjoy having sex with you. In fact, I haven't said it, but you're everything I could have ever dreamed about in a lover. But loving you is more than sex. We could get a pizza and sit on the bed, watching Netflix and geeking out all night before sleeping quite politely in the same bed. I think we're going to have a lot of nights like that."

"You think?" Logan asked.

Sabby nodded.

"Sounds rather domestic."

"Is that a problem?" Sabby asked. "I can be domestic. I can be a domestic goddess if you remember."

"So you can be a domestic goddess, a badass rocker, a good singer... anything else?"

"I can be the succubus of your darkest, wildest fantasies, who needs her sexy, powerful lover to teach her all sorts of things she's only dreamed about," Sabby said with a grin. "But I think you already knew that."

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