Thinking of You (Full)

[nero_wolf]

Eric stopped for a moment when she handed it back to him, and the question, who else?

"Well... im not..." why did he pause, he knew her so well. The girl he loved made this for him when he was sick, but that was a long time ago. Not sure fo how to continue other then with the truth. However this did bring a tear to his eye as he turned to her, only to be able to spout a heart broken sentence.

"Well... uh.... I guess i can only call her my best friend in the whole world." Eric was able to say, putting the soup down on an near by table.

"But that was a long time ago..." Eric trailed off, as he dropped his head with a sob, and a sort of half cough half laugh. He missed her so much, but he could say no more through the longing that pulled at his heart.  

[elphy_and_fiyero]

Rachel didn't know what to say. Obviously, he was hurting about something. Or someone. "She must have meant a lot to you." She rubbed his back to try and calm him down. The first thing that came to her mind was that the girl was killed somehow. Supposedly an accident or worse. And although he had coughed, she could hear the sob behind it.

The last night they spent together was a night filled with magic. Their clothes lied on the floor and Rachel was wrapped in his arms. Their eyes gazing at each other as the moon's light peaked in through the window. "Tell me something about you that I don't know." Eric said and Rachel laughed.

"Honey, we've known we were soul mates since we were children. We've spent most of our time together. What makes you think there is something you don't know about me? I'm sure if I quizzed you right now about myself you would get a perfect score. Maybe even say things that I don't even know about myself." Eric smiled as at the fact. It was true. He knew every story, every scar, and everything about Rachel. They were best friends who never kept a secret.

"Alright, then promise me something. If something happens to me-" He began but Rachel didn't want to hear it.

"Stop right there. Nothing is going to happen to you. You're going to come home to me and we will live happily ever after." Eric shook his head, trying to prepare her for what might happen.

"Rachel, I'm serious. Promise me that if anything happens to me, you'll marry Jason." She was about to protest but he placed two fingers on her lips. "Promise me. I don't want you alone. I want you taken care of." She sighed but agreed. No matter what happened, if it came to it, she would obey his wishes.
~~~~~~~~~
Rachel hugged Eric one last time. A hug tighter than the last. His new uniform still smelled new. The bus behind him was loading which wasn't giving them a lot of time. Soon it would leave and he would be gone for sometime. If only she really knew how long it really was going to be. "Right me everyday, ok?" She asked. "If you don't, I'll come over there and hunt you down. Not to mention bring you home. I'm not afraid of any general." Eric laughed and buried his face in his hair. Taking in every scent.

"I promise." He muttered and looked back at her. "I love you, Rach. I always will. Nothing will ever change that." He moved some hair out of her face as more tears ran down both of their cheeks.

"I know, Eric. I love you too. Now promise me this. You will come back to me. I can't live my life without you." Eric was about to bring up Jason but, this time, she shook her head. "No, I don't want to hear his name. I don't care about him. I care about you. Now promise me, soldier boy, you'll come back to me." He smiled. There was no way he could argue with her. Not at a time like this. The bus honked and a man called for all soldiers to board the bus. It was about to leave. The two looked at the bus, wishing it wasn't true. Rachel forced him to look at her. "Promise me." She whispered.

"I promise." He kissed her one last time. Not knowing when they would be able to touch again. They broke apart and he ran to the bus, catching up with the other soldiers. Letting him go soon became the biggest regret of her life.

Rachel tuned back in to the other Eric sitting next to her. "There, there. No use crying over spilled milk. It was in the past. Now, it's time to move on." She soon wished she could take it back. After all, she was being a hypocrite. There had still been many nights where she cried over the man she still missed. "I'm sorry." She told him. "What happened to her?" She asked, still thinking there was some kind of accident.
 

[nero_wolf]

Eric took several deep breaths, sat up and faced her once again. Using all the will he had in the world to try and tell her. The girl who so very much reminded him of her. He would tell her, she seemed all to familiar and comforting to ignore the chance to try and be done with what had happened int eh past. He knew however that nothing would change or come of this.

"I don't think anything happened to her." Eric said taking his sleeve across his face before moving on.

"I think... when i went away, i..." Eric stopped there, not sure how to or if he wanted to continue.


"It was a long time ago, and when i came back..." This still gave him no pleasure to tell. it made no sense when he said it himself, no one believed him before anyways, why would she now.

"She simply had moved on, as far as i can tell, after i got back from my deployment." Was the simplest thing that came to his mind to say, and that's all he did, nodded his as to say thats my story and im sticking to it.  

[elphy_and_fiyero]

Rachel stood up from the table and made some tea. To her, it always calmed the nerves and thought it would help him. "Here. This will help with your cold....and other things." She said and handed him a tissue. She had to admit, she felt pity for him. She was almost in the same situation. Except she was told what happened to the man that she loved. There was no mystery in it. The military that told her of his death had brought proof. A few items that were hidden in the dirt were now in a box on a shelf in her room. There was no way of getting rid of them.

Rachel poured herself a cup of tea and tried to calm her own nerves. There was no reason for both of them to be crying. "If it helps, I know what you're going through. At least you still get to talk to her. I had my best friend leave me. I only regret letting him go. He was deployed like you. Except he never came came back." That's when the thought came to her. Maybe this Eric knew her Eric. Even if he wasn't alive anymore, she could still see if he died a hero. "Can I ask you something? I know there's probably a one in a million chance but...did you know an Eric Francis?"
 

[nero_wolf]

Eric stopped. His eyes open and distant as she asked him that. Tea in hand, Eric blinked for a moment. How do you respond to that when your supposed to be dead. There was only the truth.

"I... Im Eric... Francis..." He trailed off as he looked up to her eyes, his eyes clear of tears but light and surprise. It must be her he thought to himself as he stood. How could he tell her to be sure, what if she had moved on, she did have a kid, he wanted to know. He needed more time.

"Im Eric Francis' friend. He was in my unit." All he could do was stall for time, and all tat brought about was a lie. Plain faced, but hesitant.

"Are you Rachel Summers?" Eric said with only one thing in mind to tell her if she was, if not. Well, if not, he would do something else, go back to looking for her.

Eric stood, tea in one hand, faced with life and with a person who was looking for him, or at least his name. He was fairly sure the military pronounced him MIA after awhile of his capture, but how could he be sure?  

[elphy_and_fiyero]

Rachel's cup froze in the air as she was about to take a sip. He knew her name? So Eric had talked about her. It was just like him to brag about his girl. Rachel smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's me. I hope he didn't brag too much about me." She laughed but really it was to hold back coming on tears.

"He promised he would come back to me." She looked down at the cup of tea in her hand. It hurt to talk about Eric let along think about him. She had tried to move on. Married Jason after a promise but her heart wouldn't move on. It wouldn't let her. Rachel took a sip of her tea as she tried to calm herself. "At first they told me he went missing and that they were looking for him. A few months later, they told me they called off the search and announced him dead." She shrugged. "I really didn't know what else to think. If it wasn't for Nathan, I wouldn't be here. He's the real reason why I kept going after Eric."

If Rachel hadn't gotten pregnant with Nathanial, she would have ended her life. To her, living a life without the man she loved wasn't worth living. There wouldn't have been a reason to live. Rachel drummed her fingers against the glass cup.

"Will you stop fidgeting?" Eric laughed as Rachel tapped against the counter. Her nerves were getting the better of her as she waited for the test results to be posted.

"I can't help it. You know how jumping I get when I'm nervous." She whined as her knees began to wiggle uncontrollably. Eric placed his hands on her shoulders and kept his eyes on hers until she finally looked at him.

"Rach, it's ok. You'll do fine. You studied harder than anyone I know." He kissed the top of her head and continued to keep her calm but talking about other things. In the end, she was one of the top scorers on test. She has passed with flying colors.

Rachel shook her head and looked back to the man beside her. "I mean, the little munchkin is a handle full alone." She laughed and shook her head. "But he's my boy." In truth, Nathaniel was the only living piece of Eric left. That she knew of anyway.
 

[nero_wolf]

Eric remained standing as he watched her. A smile came to his face, before being blown away by a sneeze, which also threw him back into his seat.

"Eric did talk about you alot. I Love you very much, and he has a message for you." Eric said and then wiped his nose. With a great sigh, he had lied to the one he loved. How could he get back? now he knew it was her, but he couldn't just turn right back around and tell her it was him. He had to be smarter then that, but he could never outsmart Rachel. He knew that.

"He told me that, if ever we where released, and i found you, i should tell you..." Eric couldn't think of anything to say, all he wanted to do now was to hold her in his arm, rock her on the couch... anything to bring them together again.

"He wanted me to tell you to never give up hope, you'll get him back, when he can return. We both made it out of there alive, and i think, when he came back, he came to a dead mans welcome... That... must have been what turned him away from here... when he first got back." Eric had told her, hopefully she would see him for him, forgive him and take him back, but if she didn't, it gave Eric more time to think.

"He misses you, wants you back... and..." He trails of with something under his breath, stifled by a sneeze. He stand again, and finishes his tea.

"Please, if you don't mind, may i have a second glass? I don't know why he didn't look for you when he first came, back. All i know, is he... I think he was hoping you kept to a promise... or something he told me you made to him. I think he thought you would be happy again..."  

[elphy_and_fiyero]

Rachel choked back a laugh. He couldn't still be alive. It was impossible. If he was, Eric would be in her arms and sleeping in the same bed. Living in the same apartment, helping to raise their son. Rachel shook her head as she remembered something Eric once said. She took his cup and poured him another glass and handed it back to him. "Hard to believe he'd do that. And I quote: 'There is nothing in the world that can keep me from returning home to you. Nothing will ever keep me from you. I might be gone for a while when I do go off places, but I will always come back to you.' End quote." Anger was rising in her.

"If he was still alive, he would have kept up to that promise. And if he wanted to see if I kept my promise he would have asked himself. Not a messenger." Rachel began to pace back and forth. Obviously, the tea wasn't really working. The thought of him finally coming home and not seeing her didn't fit with her. He wouldn't do this to her.

"After he left, I was only happy knowing that he was alive. Then when I found out about the search and his possible death it nearly killed me inside. But I was pregnant with Nathan and had to keep going." She folded her arms and tried not to look at him. "Yeah, I kept his stupid promise. Though I swore that if I ever saw him again I would kill him for making me do it. Jason is not what I call father material."
 

[nero_wolf]

Eric didnt expect her to act like this. He loved her, and could not stand to see her in the state she was in. Now how was he going to dig himself out of this hole? He wasn't sure.

"Im sorry ive upset you. I.." He trailed off again, not sure of how to continue. He ought to just tell her. Why was he not? Something inside him told him it would be better to wait. But how could he wait to be with the one he loved so much, again. He couldn't tell her now, she would be furious, for only a moment, then she would take him back into her arms and forgive him. Or would she?

"Would you forgive him... for not coming back when he did?" Eric said, half not thinking, half to know if he would be alive to see the rest of her life.  

[elphy_and_fiyero]

Rachel slowly sat down, somewhat taken aback by the question. Was it possible that she could forgive him? Could she? At first she didn't really answer his question. After all, Eric had left her alone with a child for years without a word that he was even remotely alright. Then again, he didn't know about the birth of their son. "Would you?" She finally asked. "I mean, he leaves. Writes me letter for three days and then nothing. Not a word for years. And now you tell me that he's back, alive even, and yet he can't come and find me? Take me in his arms and tell me everything is ok?" She sighed as she tried to calm down. She taking her anger out of someone who really had no say in the matter.

"I'd be stupid of me not to forgive him. I just want to see him. Talk to him. Here his voice again. See his face. I think he owes me that much." She said and hugged her knees close to her. So he was alive. Rachel made a vow that she would never doubt again. "I just want to know what's taking him so long to come back to me. I kept my promise....for awhile, anyway. Now it's time for him to keep his." She put her legs down and folded her arms. There was something else that she was wondering.

"Do you talk to him? Do you see him?" She asked but when he didn't answer she leaned forward, wanting to know about the man that she loved. "Please, tell me. I have to know if it's really true. Is Eric Francis really alive?"
 

[nero_wolf]

"Eric Francis is alive and well, i see him every day..." Eric knew it, she hurt, and he could right that. What should he do? he should tell her, and thats what he was gonna do.

"I hurt more and more every day that i was stuck in that god forsaken desert. It wasn't the desert that hurt, it was the distance from you, how would your be if i was gone? I didn't know..." Eric joined her, next to her, placing his palm on her back, below her neck.

"I didn't know if i would return, and when i did. I couldn't stand the thought of you having moved on. I regretted the time i told you to remarry... how could i be so stupid?" Eric said as he began to rub her back, up and down with his palm.

"At least... I..." Again, trailing off, turning his head to cough. "I don't know why i ran from happiness when i heard that the people i loved didn't think i would return."

"This is all he talks about really... All i ever go over in my head... he, I... Missed you..." Eric Could no longer lie, but he couldn't face her with himself, he didnt want her to hurt... it hurt him to see her as she was.  

[elphy_and_fiyero]

She paused as she heard the words over and over again. I didn't know. I didn't know I would return. I missed you. They rung in her head like a constant ringing. Rachel stood up and looked at him. Those eyes. That face. It was him. Tears were finally falling from her cheeks. He was alive and standing right in front of her. She couldn't keep it inside any more. She balled up her fist and hit him as hard as she could in the arm. "You son of gun! You knew who I was and you didn't say anything!" Rachel nearly jumped on him and hugged him tightly.

"Don't you ever leave me like that again for that long. Those are my orders." She buried her face in his neck and took in his scent. After the years that had passed, the scent was still the same. If only they had hugged before. His arms felt more than welcoming to her. Suddenly, she kissed him fiercely before kissing every inch of his face. It was all real and it wasn't a dream. She pulled back so that she could really look at him.

"They next time they call you out to war, I'll break your legs so that you can stay here. They can't have you ever again. It's my turn to have you." She told him and wiped her cheeks.