Don't fear the reaper - Captain John Price

XXII

Drops of rain were falling down from the sky onto the cold ground. The newly formed puddles were reflecting the empty streets as if showing a completely different life. Little houses were situated along the asphalted road, each keeping its own story inside of the strong bricked walls. On one side, elderly neighbors were waiting for the family to visit them during the holidays while on a completely different side, the young couple was ready to create a family of their own. Life can be so different and beautiful from one door to another, yet keep all the possible pain in the darkest corner of each house.

The heavy door shut behind a brunette, as the lonely bag was sitting on her shoulder. Amelia could take hours going through her old stuff, and waking up with the long-forgotten feeling of nostalgia, but still keep all the memories under the same roof. She didn't want to waste the captain's time, and after a couple of hours surrounded by the walls that once felt warm, Knight wanted nothing else but to escape the house that never turned into a home. Price opened a passenger's door, letting her escape the cold rain in the car. The ride to Hereford was supposed to take three hours for the two, and some time more to the base. The wind adjusted the captain's beanie, just for him to fix it a moment later. A weather forecast over the radio wasn't the most satisfying thing to hear that day. Strong winds with endless rain were telling John to be more cautious on the road. The songs were changing with one another, as the houses were flying through the window of the black car, as it finally reached the highway.

"Are you alright, love?" The captain couldn't help but notice how quiet the atmosphere was in the car. His hand landed on the knee of a brunette, taking her attention from the outside world she was watching through the tinted window.

"Yeah, I'm okay, thank you, John," Amelia let a soft smile appear on her face just for a moment. Price's touch sent a wave of warmth through her body that she was craving so bad for. Her cold land covered the man's hand, letting their fingers lock, and to the surprise of a woman, the captain did not pull his hand away.

"There's nothing you to thank me for, Lia," John kept his hand on the wheel, keeping the car under his control on the slippery road. The silence made a ride feel as if it was torture for the two of them, and a conversation was one of a few ways to make the time fly. "Tell me more about your past. Before joining the army. They say it's easier to let go of things when you say them out loud."

"You don't have to do this, Price. There are enough things to keep you bothered aside from my past," She signed, her hand letting go of the man's as if Amelia wanted to keep his whole attention on the gray asphalt of the road and nothing else around.

"It's a long ride. We have enough time," The volume of the radio was lowered by the man, so whatever was on the radio would not disturb them. John looked at a brunette just for a moment, with a soft smile full of calmness on his face.

"It all went downhill after high school I think. Johnny was my only friend through school time, and when he left for the army things felt complicated, and lonely," Knight didn't notice how the warm temperature of the car or the presence of the captain made her talk about the days she would rather forget than mention out loud ever again. "Then I failed the entry exam to the medical university, and was ready to bury in the ground my dream of becoming a doctor."

"Everything always seems to go wrong when we are young, eh?" Price's hand came back on the thigh of a woman, as he quickly glanced at her before bringing his attention back to the road, as the car in front of them was closer in the distance with each moment.

"Exactly! But then, things started feeling better. I had a relationship and was sure I would marry him one day, until life showed he was a total asshole," A woman shook her shoulders. It felt weird talking about Alex again. Not with her own self in her thoughts, but out loud. Especially with the man who found a place in her bed, and Amelia's heart. "And then it didn't matter anymore, because he died in a car accident."

"How old were you when this happened?" John wasn't used to driving a car long distances after the deployments. The soft seat suddenly felt like a wooden chair, as the man made it lean a bit backward, hoping his back would finally relax.

"Right after my 20th birthday. Spring was almost over, quite a shitty way to start the best years of my life," A brunette looked at the world outside of the car. The tall trees and landscapes on the hill reminded her of that spring when everything rushed to the point of no return.

"You see, love, death is an inevitable part of our life," Price took a deep breath, letting his fingers rush through the recently trimmed facial hair of the captain. Years in service made him know death better than any other feeling. Countless times when he was one step away from meeting the reaper, and the days when he was a bit luckier than the other people out in the battleground. "We meet its first face to face when our elder loved ones die, then tragedies happen and we burry our friend. I buried way too many teammates, and it is fucking hard every single time."

"I'm so sorry, John," Amelia took her eyes away from the small town they were passing and let herself examine the facial expression of the captain. His hand was resting on the brunette's leg just to be covered by hers a moment later. Suddenly, the man wasn't comforting her anymore, instead, they were giving each other the human warmth of understanding.

"So what happened next?" Price didn't want to spend any more time talking about death. The more anyone fears, or talks about it, the faster reaper comes into their life just to take it away.

"I was working, but I didn't feel that I belonged in a small, warm office. The pain and disappointment in my mind were simply unbearable, and shortly in autumn, I joined forces," At one point, a brunette understood how her long story could fit on one page, or into a short conversation. And before her words could be admitted, Amelia could say that John was right. It did feel better. He didn't judge her and just listened. In our large, fast world, sometimes all want is to be heard and understood. Price knew it better than anyone else did.

"I appreciate you telling me all this, Lia," The map echoed in the car asking the man to turn from the highway to another road. The car stopped at the traffic, waiting for the cars to turn to their destinations. Using this moment, the captain looked at a brunette, letting their eyes stay on each other for a little longer.

"And I appreciate you listening to all this," Amelia almost whispered, feeling how her breath was taken away by the man in the driver's seat. Even if their story would never lead to a happy ending, Knight would rather be left with a broken heart than never go through the feelings that Price was making her feel.

Suddenly, John turned to the other side, bringing confusion to the map that was trying to rebuild the route. The small restaurant at the golf club was quite on a rainy day but was a great opportunity for Price to bring the feeling of relaxation back to his stiff back. The time has been past the lunch, and closer to dinner. The car stopped at the parking lot, surrounded by only a couple of other cars of the rare visitors to the gold club.

"You made my physical pain easier to carry, and to keep my own demons under control. The least I can do is to listen to you, love," The captain turned to a woman, as the engine of the car was quiet, he finally could keep his eyes on Amelia. His hand found the messy hair string that was falling on a brunette's face, just to keep away.

"Trust me, Price, if I could I would take all your sufferings away," Knight covered his hand with hers, feeling warmer than on a summer day, despite the cold rain outside of the car. She was slowly drowning in the blue eyes of the captain, whispering the words to him.

"I know, dove," A soft smile was sitting on the edges of his lips. It was nice to feel loved, and taken care of, and Price knew that their relationship was reaching the point where the two were feeling more towards each other than being just a fling for a night. However, the conversation about it was sitting for another day. Now, the only thing that was keeping the captain awake at night was his mission. He had to find Makarov end this story for good, and then deal with anything else. "But, instead of sacrifices, we can help each other stay sane, does it sound good to you?"

"Yes. Yes, it does, Captain," Amelia nodded, knowing that if one of them was thinking rationally it was him, and definitely not her. A brunette closed her eyes, feeling as if the hard weight of her past was taken off her shoulders.

It was the time to turn over the page of the past, and let the future knock on her door. Knight knew that nothing happens without a reason, and maybe, Price and her needed each other to appear in their life, just to bring back the light of joy back into their gray days of reality. But, they were still at war with the outside world.