Sergeant's Cinderella

Chapter 1

Aiden

The alarm blared out of the darkness. Aiden slowly opened his eyes and reached over to hit the snooze button. Laying back and closing his eyes, he heard the other Marines in the barracks start to shuffle around and get ready for their various morning activities before work. Many of them were new recruits that had recently been transferred to the base after finishing their training at AIT. A small smile came to his lips as he thought back to the time when he was a new recruit at the base, barely making his way through the new life of the military. Everything had been a bit confusing, but he took each day at a time until he was confident in the new role he had taken on.

Several years had passed since then. Now he was a Sergeant, overseeing a special division of men and women who handled the artillery confiscated from the East. Their unit had recently returned from a tour in Iraq after finishing the rotation. Aiden had hoped for some peace and quiet until the next rotation but he returned only to get stuck in the middle of another fight.

Throwing back the covers, Aiden rose quickly, threw on a T-shirt, and made his bed. Pausing slightly, he looked at the side of his bed where he used to pray every morning. He used to be so diligent about the small spiritual activities. Seeing the horrors of war in Iraq had left him wondering if God actually existed when so much suffer was happening among faithful people. He closed his eyes and shook his head briefly before heading out the door with his gym bag. Since his return about a month ago he was in better shape than he had been in before he left. Who knew that frustration would be such a great motivator to work out?

At least one good thing came from the stress and annoyance of the numberless blind dates his mom was constantly setting him up on. His mother was determined to find a girl for him but each one seemed to only be interested in the high pay grade and health benefits that come from being married to a spouse in the military.

Walking down the hall to the gym, Aiden let his thoughts wander back to the only girl that had ever caught his eye. He remembered it had been some little recruit who was in boot camp when he'd been assigned to the training facility right before his deployment two years ago. She was the smallest in her group and he had almost laughed as he watched her go through the training. Even the Despite all odds, her determination won out and she was given the title of a Marine. However, the base had a traumatic experience that year with one of the poolies so most of what he remembered was a blur. Even the faces of the recruits seemed to be lost in the depths of his memory.

Once at the gym, Aiden threw down his bag and grabbed a dumbbell to start a set of arm curls, shaking the memory from his mind. It would definitely take a hard working and stubborn girl like that to ever tie down such a hardened man like him, that was for sure. He did regret never having kept contact with her after the completion of her training. He was definitely way past being able to do anything about that now though.

Aiden went through his usual workout routine and then headed back to his room to shower and prepare for the day. Quickly, he dressed in his uniform and strapped on his firearms, making sure to grab his cap on the way out. While they awaited their next assignment, Aiden's unit helped on the gun range for boot camp as range instructors. Aiden loved being at the range and teaching the new recruits to properly use their assigned weapons; there was just something so satisfying about watching them hit target after target without fail once they made it to the end of their training. He reached the loading dock just as the recruits jogged up to the platform and hurried into formation.

Aiden stood at attention as the Drill Sergeants took a lengthy amount of time lecturing the recruits and then yelled for them to board the bus that would take them to the range. After the other Marines had boarded, he followed them and took his seat in the front. This was a new batch so it was going to be a long day of showing them how to correctly assemble and clean the weapons.

Aiden almost smiled as he thought of how terrified these young poolies must be, but caught himself. No emotion, that was what he lived by now when he was on duty. He couldn't be distracted even for a moment. What had happened the last time couldn't happen again. It just couldn't.

Glancing at the recruits behind him in the rear view mirror, Aiden saw a slew of mixed emotions, ranging from anticipation to fear, play across each of their faces as they entered the gun range parking lot. Once the bus had come to a stop in the parking lot, he stood and disembarked, hearing the Drill Sergeant once again begin to lecture the recruits and then yell for them to move. He watched as they rushed off the bus and into their normal formation, shuffling to correct their spacing in hopes the Drill Sergeant's wouldn't yell at them again. Only a couple days in, these youngsters still had a lot to learn before they would be ready to be named United States Marines.

"Sergeant, over to you."

"Thank you Sir," Aiden said loudly, quickly falling into his role as the shooting instructor. "Welcome to my range folks. Get used to being out here in the sun practicing, cause that's what y'all will be doing for the rest of the week. Your gun will be your best friend by the time you leave here today, so you better pay attention. Before anything

else, you are a rifleman!"

"Your rifle is your biggest tool-earn how to use it quickly and properly. Corporal Blakeley, please assign them their weapons. Once you have received your weapon, fall back into formation for more instructions. Move it!" The recruits scrambled to form a line as he shouted the order. Aiden's friend and battle mate, Spencer Blakeley, proceeded to hand out and assign each one of them a weapon for their use during the extent of their basic training.

Spence had been with Aiden for quite some time, both having served through their last deployment together in Iraq. Both had been through hard times right before, helping them to bond and strengthen one another. Spence had started to go down hill leading up to their deployment. He ended up losing his young wife, Amy, in childbirth right before their departure. Not having time for closure left a huge wound that made it hard for him to work during the first few months over sea. Aiden had watched him push through each day to the next, trying to be a support to his brother in arms. It'd been hard, Aiden had been struggling with his own ghosts at that time too.

That was in the past though, both had made it through the deployment and emotional pain. Aiden had learned who could or couldn't be trusted while out there in the hot sands of Iraq. Spence had quickly earned his trust, testing and proving it time and time again during the long fire fights against the insurgence. He was definitely a great friend and knew Aiden feelings. Especially when it came to the dating situation, since he hadn't re-entered the dating scene himself for a long period of time after their deployment.

Stepping to the front of the formation with his automatic M4 Rifle, Aiden began his lecture. Breaking down his weapon was something he could do in his sleep, so it always amused him to watch the new recruits shock and confusion when he did it the first time. Later they would try to figure it out themselves after he briefed them on the step by step process. It would be a slow couple of days for sure but after that would come the fun part: target practice. He only had to make it through the rest of the day and then avoid his mother's phone call that evening.

Easier said than done though.