Ella's Guardian Angel

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Ella's Guardian Angel

By chris

Ella was sitting on the bus that was taking her from the airport, when she happened to see an old truck drive up beside of the bus. She looked down and saw the Texas plates and a thought went through her head, "That truck is a long way from home." As that thought passed through her head, the enormity of what she had gotten herself into hit her. The truck wasn't the one that was a long way from home, she was. She, a poor Kentucky girl, was on her way to the Air Force boot camp and she suddenly became frighten. When she had signed up for the Air Force six months ago, she thought that it was the best way for her to get money for college. She would give the government four years of her life and they would in return help her to pay her way to a degree. When she and her friend Alice had talked about it, they both agreed to do this together and that way they would have a friend with them but Alice got cold feet at the last minute and didn't sign on the dotted line. Ella started to back out too but she knew that this was the only way for her to pay for college. So she went ahead and signed, determined to make it through the next four years. However now she wasn't so sure. It was easy then to say that she could do it but now it was time to pay the piper and she wasn't so sure that she could.

She looked around her and she saw all the other girls that were on the bus. Some look tough enough to take on the world and some of the others looked about as scared as she did. That made her feel better but not much. She watched as the flat land past by her and she was already missing the mountains that she had grown up in. She was so homesick for a place that she couldn't wait to get away from. Then she saw the big sign going across the entrance of the road leading into the base. She felt her stomach turn over and she wanted to yell out to the bus driver to stop the bus and let her off. But she was never one to say anything, so she kept her mouth shut. She decided that she signed the paper saying that she would do this and she damn well was going to. She had her courage built back up by the time the bus stopped then all her courage went out the window when the drill instructor, who looked like a female body builder, jumped into the bus and started to yell at them. Telling them to get off the bus and line up and she was using language that would have made a sailor blush. Ella almost peed on herself but then she was too busy grabbing her bag and getting off the bus before the drill instructor threw her off the bus as she was threatening to do. Ella moved faster than she had ever thought possible. She was lining up behind the rest of the girls as the drill instructor continued to yell at them all. She was calling them names that no one should get called. Ella was wondering just what got into this woman and why she was so angry at them. Ella was thinking that this was definitely the worse idea that she had ever come up with. Her only thought was to find someone to talk to so that she could get the hell out of here and on her way. She just didn't know who to talk to but she did know she wasn't going to ask this drill instructor anything. She just wanted to stay out of her way, only as she was thinking this, the instructor had ordered the girls to start marching and that order didn't sink into Ella's head until she found that the drill instructor was now inches from her face asking her if she needed a special invitation or what. Ella grabbed her bag and caught up with the other girls with the drill instructor on her heels hollering at her. Ella spent the rest of the day going from one building to another getting issued her new clothes and she tried her best to keep out of the drill instructor's way but the drill instructor had already zeroed in on Ella trying to make her an example to the other girls. So she was in Ella's face for the rest of the day. The only relief she got from the drill instructor was when they were eating dinner but that lasted a whole twenty minutes then it was back to their barracks where they got hollered at by another drill instructor. There again, Ella found that things would be completely different from what she had always know. Being the only girl in her family she had a bedroom to herself but now she was looking at four rows of bunks lined up with a wall separating two of the rolls of bunks from the other two. Finally they were allowed to take a shower and that is where Ella got her next shock, as the shower was just one big room with shower nozzles all along both walls. Ella was a modest girl and the thought of undressing in front of all these other girls bothered her but again she had no choice as the drill instructor was there making sure that they all washed. Ella felt like she was in prison and in a way she was. So she quickly shed her clothes and jumped up under an empty shower nozzle and she washed as quickly as she could just like the rest of the girls were doing. It was the fastest shower that she had ever had but she got all of her parts clean. Then once they were all dressed in their tee shirts and panties, they were all made to go back into the shower and clean it up making sure than there were soap scum left anywhere. Then they were finally allowed to go to bed. Ella walked down the last roll and found her bunk. She didn't have much time to say anything to the two girls that were in each of the bunks beside of her as the drill instructor was turning off the lights just as she was getting to her bed. So she quickly put her stuff on the chair beside of her locker and she slipped into her small bunk that was smaller than a normal twin bed. Then as she lay on her back, she began to realize that she wasn't going to get out of here anytime soon and she felt the first tears begin to fall from her eyes. She tried to stop them but that made them come faster. She was trying hard to keep from sobbing when she felt a hand on her arm. She tensed up as she looked over to whom the hand was attached to.

"What's the matter honey?" The soft but confident voice whispered to her.

"I think I made a mistake, I need to talk to someone about getting out of here." Ella whispered back as her tears stopped now that she was finally getting to tell someone willing to listen her problem.

"No you can't leave now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You'll be left wondering what would have happened if you had stayed. It'll be alright. The most that they can do is to yell at us or make us run or something, it's not like they're going to take us out back and beat the shit out of us. So you don't really have anything to worry about. Besides you got me now, I'll look out for you and you can look out for me. That way we can both get through this. How about that, is it a deal?" The voice asked her.

Ella thought for a moment and she then felt the hand give her arm a squeeze. That was enough to restore her confidence, "Okay, but if they take me out back and beat the shit out of me, I'm coming looking for you." Ella whispered to her new friend.

"Fair enough, my name is Sandra, what's yours?" Sandra asked.

"Ella and thanks." Ella said as she felt Sandra's hand leave her arm but she quickly reached out and she grasped it in her own hand and gave it a squeeze.

"No problem, there may be a night when I need you to tell me it's going to be okay." Sandra said as she squeezed Ella's hand back before she let it go.

It was about this time that the drill instructor appeared at the end of the room so they both turned on their sides facing each other and the whispering stopped for the night. Ella closed her eyes and she felt like she could do it now. She had a friend and that was all she really needed and soon she was asleep.

After what seemed like a whole fifteen minutes, Ella was awaken by the light coming on and there was some idiot banging on a trash can and hollering at the top of her voice. Ella sat up and she was about to holler at the asshole who was making the noise when she realized just where she was. The woman drill instructor was yelling at them to get their hands out of their pussies and grab their socks. This language embarrassed Ella but she got the message and so she jumped out of the bed. It was only then that she got a good look at the girl who had befriended her when she needed it most. Sandra was pulling on her pants and she looked up at Ella and gave her the sweetest smile that Ella had ever seen. Ella had to smile back and she mouthed the words "Thank you." to Sandra who just smiled bigger and then she motioned for Ella to start getting dressed so Ella quickly grabbed her pants. As she got dressed, she looked Sandra over and saw that she was a couple inches shorter than she was but then at five-nine, Ella was taller than most girls. And while Ella was slim and small breasted, Sandra had a fuller figure with B or a small C cup breasts. Sandra also had full lips and long black hair where Ella had long straight blond hair. Sandra's blue eyes seemed to light up every time that she looked at her. Ella always thought that her light green eyes were her best asset but Sandra's eyes seemed to do her one better. Ella decided that Sandra was a very beautiful girl and she wondered why she had decided to join the Air Force. However that would be a question that she would have to wait until later to ask as right now they all had twenty minutes to make their beds, brush their teeth and go to the bathroom. Ella didn't think all the girls could get that done in so little time but then with a mean looking drill instructor yelling, you would be surprised how fast those very things could actually be done. They then were told rather unkindly to get their asses down the steps and to form up into four lines just outside the door.

Ella got with Sandra and followed her. She figured that Sandra would show her but once they got there and had formed up, the drill instructor yelled at them some more as she wanted them to line up by height. Ella wanted to tell the instructor that she didn't tell them that but she knew to keep her mouth shut. So she slipped in behind of Sandra and she was lucky enough that she didn't get moved and was thus able to stay behind her as most of the other girls got moved yet again before the drill instructor was satisfied. She then showed them how they were to march. Then she started them out and of course they were all out of step. She stopped them several times before they got to the chow hall, to try and get them into step. By the time they got there, they were mostly in step. They were then allowed to enter the chow hall going one line at a time. It wasn't until they got seated that Ella was able to get to talk to Sandra.

"Thanks again for what you did last night, I'm not sure I would have made it through the night." Ella told her as she started to eat.

"Hey, it's cool, like I said, we're in this together now, you look out for me and I'll look out for you." Sandra told her talking with her mouth full as they have very little time to eat and she was starving.

"So where're from?" Ella asked.

"Seattle, Washington, how about you?" Sandra said then asked.

"Jenkins, Kentucky, It's a poor coal mining town, I doubt you've ever heard of it." Ella told her.

"No you got me on that one, I knew your accent threw me." Sandra told her.

"You mean my poor country twang, you know how dumb us country girls are." Ella said feeling a little defensive about her accent.

"Dumb you aren't and I actually love your accent, it's pretty." Sandra said looking Ella in the eye and Ella knew that she was telling the truth.

"Sorry, I get a little defensive about my accent. And I like yours too, I've never met anyone from the northwest." Ella said.

"And I have never met anyone from eastern Kentucky." Sandra said.

"How did you know that Jenkins was in eastern Kentucky, you said you haven't heard of it?" Ella asked.

"Because you said it was a coal mining town and that meant mountains and they are in the eastern part of Kentucky. I'm not as dumb as I look either." Sandra said smiling.

"I think we're going to be great friends." Ella said smiling and feeling good for the first time since she got there.

"We already are great friends." Sandra told her.

"Yes we are." Ella said and she started to say something else when the instructor yelled that they had two minutes to finish eating and get their trays put up. So that ended the conversation as both Sandra and Ella took a last couple bites then rushed to get their trays put away. They continued their marching lesions and also they were taught how to salute and more importantly who and when they were to salute. Ella had some trouble getting the salute right and the drill instructor let her know about it. As she was being yelled at, she thought about how Sandra had told her the night before that they most that they could do to her is yell and not beat the shit out of her. That made the yelling easier to take but all the same she would just as soon not be yelled at period. But she was quickly learning that they loved to yell at the airmen or airwomen in her case. Ella didn't get to talk to Sandra again until that evening when they were allowed a whole twenty-five minutes to eat. Ella had always been a slow eater but here that was a luxury that she couldn't afford so she started to eat faster. So she ate and talked to Sandra trying to find out much more about her new friend and Sandra was doing much the same thing with her, it was just that they were so hungry and time was limited that they couldn't get much in as far as a conversation. That night Ella followed Sandra into the shower and she got beside of her as they showered. They talked as they washed their bodies and Ella noted that Sandra was a very pretty girl but then she went back to washing her hair. What she didn't notice that Sandra was eyeing her very carefully, however Sandra averted her eyes when Ella opened her eyes again.

That night as they both got into bed and the lights were turned out, Ella felt Sandra's hand on her arm and she turned to face her. She saw Sandra smile at her and she moved her arm so that Sandra's hand slid down to her hand. Ella squeezed her friends hand and they held hands for a few moments before they let go so that they could get some sleep.

The next morning after being awaked by the lights and banging on the trash can, they all were allowed to get dressed and then before breakfast, they were taught the proper way to make a bed. Ella was having lots of trouble getting the sheets pulled down tight enough and her corners were terrible but Sandra who seemed to pick it right up, came over and showed her how it was done. So when the drill instructor came to inspect her work, she wasn't yelled at and Ella knew she owed Sandra yet again. Then that day they went out to the drill area and they started what would be their morning routine of exercises and running. Then they went to their first of many classes that they would have. About the only time during the first couple of weeks for Ella to talk to Sandra was when they ate or the morning and evening as they either got ready for bed or when they were awaken. At least the banging of the trash can ended as they all learned to wake up when the lights were turned on.

It wasn't until they had been there three weeks that they got a free day or at least most of a free day. It was a Sunday and after they had eaten their breakfast and then put through their exercises and running, they were allowed to spend the rest of the day on their own. They could chose to study their manuals or just roam the base. Sandra was having some trouble with the manual so Ella helped her with that for an hour or so. Ella felt good that she was finally able to help Sandra at something as Sandra seemed to be doing all the helping up to that point. They had become fast friends by this point and Ella felt that she could tell Sandra and feel safe doing so. Sandra was just a sweet girl and Ella felt great having her as a friend.

"So what do you want to do today." Sandra asked as she slammed her book shut indicating that studying was done for the day.

"I don't care as long as it is out of here." Ella said as she was longing to just get out into the air. All the orders and strict regimentation was getting to her and she longed to just walk as she did in her mountains back home.

"That sounds good to me, let's go and see what trouble we can get ourselves into." Sandra said as she got up and reached out her hand to pull Ella to her feet. Ella felt Sandra squeeze her hand as she pulled on it and she saw that Sandra was giving her a sweet smile. Ella smiled back and she saw that Sandra was in no hurry to let go of her hand. Ella let her hold it as it felt nice and it gave her some comfort. But as they heard voices, Sandra let go of her hand and Ella saw that Sandra seemed to be irritated having to do so.

"Freedom at last." Ella cried out once they were out of range of the other girls coming out of the building.

"Well as free as we're going to get considering that we're stuck inside of a Air Force base." Sandra countered.

"Hey this is the first day we've had off since we've gotten here, that's freedom to me." Ella said as she reached over and she put her arm around Sandra's waist and gave her a squeeze then she let her go as she took off running. "Come on slow poke, let's check out this place and see what's there to do. You said you want to get into some trouble so now's your chance!" Ella called to her.

"God don't you get enough running every morning!" Sandra cried back and then she took off after her friend.

Ella got a good lead on Sandra and then she slowed down to let Sandra catch up with her. "Damn girl, I wish I had your long legs to run with." Sandra huffed out when she finally caught up with Ella.

"They're for sale, fifty bucks apiece." Ella said as she laughed. Then she watched as Sandra reached down into her front pocket and she pulled out two dollar bills.

"Here's a down payment, I'll give you the rest when they finally decide to pay us." Sandra said as she handed the money to Ella.

Ella laughed and then she told Sandra, "Nope, all or nothing."

"You didn't say that to begin with so there." Sandra said as she put the money in Ella's pocket. "Now I own your legs."

"No you only own two percent of my legs and that I believe comes out to be my two little toes." Ella replied with a laugh.

"That's fine but by the time we get out of here I will own them all." Sandra replied so take good care of my legs." Sandra said as she gave Ella a cute little wink.

"You're funny." Ella said as she laughed but then she saw that Sandra actually seemed serious and that made her wonder about her friend but she didn't let her mind wonder too long, as they had the day to enjoy themselves and she planned on doing just that.

"Come on girl and let's see what there is on this base." Ella told Sandra and she started walking.

"Where we going?" Sandra asked her.

"I don't know but this is supposed to be one of the biggest Air Force bases there is, there has to be something to do." Ella said.

"I'm with you babe." Sandra said as they started to walk.

"Why did you join?" Ella asked.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time, I guess." Sandra said, "What about you?"

"I didn't have any money to go to college so I figured that was the best way to get it. I put money away and let them add to it so when I get out in four years, I'll have enough to go." Ella told her and then she went back to her question to Sandra. "Now tell me the truth, why did you join?"

"I was being serious. I got out of high school and I didn't want to go to college and there was no work except fast food places. I knew I didn't want to sling hamburgers for the rest of my life. Then one day I passed by a recruiting station and I walked in. I signed up that day not caring what they put me into and I guess I got lucky that they needed supply clerks." Sandra told her and this time Ella believed her.

"We did get lucky there. I took that because I figured that I could take part time classes as I served my time." Ella said. "At least we'll be together for tech school but I know there is no way we will get assigned to the same base after that.

"I know..." Sandra said and then Ella could see Sandra's forehead knit up as if she got a thought.

"What?" Ella asked as a slight smile passed across Sandra's lips.

"I think I may have a way for us to be assigned together even after tech school." Sandra replied and then she asked, "You got some change?"

"Yea, why?" Ella asked.

"I need to call a old friend who can get us assigned together for as long as we are in the Air Force." Sandra said as she started to look for a pay phone.

"Your friend a senator or something?" Ella asked as she went with Sandra toward a bank of phones that they had spotted a ways back.

"Better, she's a congressman's daughter." Sandra said with a devilish grin on her face.

"Will she help us?" Ella asked as they got to the phone bank.

"She will after I make her an offer that she can't refuse." Sandra said with a wink.

"You don't come from a mafia family do you?" Ella asked halfway seriously.

"Maybe..." Sandra said with a wicked grin and Ella began to think that she just might be. So as Sandra made her call, Ella walked off a few steps not really wanting to know what Sandra was up to but she was hoping that whatever it was, it would work. Sandra spent about an half hour on the phone and she could see that whatever she was saying to the congressman's daughter that it seemed to be working.

"I think I convinced her to help us. I told her I'd give her a call in a couple of weeks and see what she was able to do." Sandra said smiling.

"What did you tell her?" Ella asked.

"Let's see if it works first, then maybe I'll tell you." Sandra told her, and then she changed the subject by saying, "Hey let's go find us a juicy hamburger, I'm dying for one."

"That's sounds great and we can take our time eating. I think that the Airman's club has a grill, let's go there." Ella said and they took off for where they thought that the club was.

They did find it and after getting hit on by half of the males there, they made their way to the grill and got their hamburgers and fries. Then they went out to the patio and ate in peace and quiet. And for Ella, she finally got to eat her food slowly and actually enjoy it. They talked of their past and were able to get learn more about each other. For Ella, it was nice to get to know her friend and the more she knew the more that she liked. She never had a lot of friends but she always had a best friend that she was close to. And Sandra was now that friend however with Sandra, it seemed that the bond was even tighter. Maybe it was the situation they were in where they depended on each other more but Ella didn't think so. It was like she and Sandra were a perfect fit. They were different enough to make their time interesting and also they were similar enough to make the bond stick. Ella just couldn't seem to think that she would even be able to live without Sandra nearby. As Ella crawled into bed that night, she sent out a silent prayer to the gods that be, that Sandra's plan to keep them together after tech school would work.

The next day was their first at the obstacle course and that proved to be interesting. It was about two miles long and they had to run to each obstacle and then climb through it, over it, or under it whichever the case may be. Ella made sure that she lined up opposite of Sandra so that they could do it together. There were two lines and they each got into separate lines but made sure that they were even with each other. As they got to the line, Ella gave Sandra the thumbs up and they were off. Even thought Ella could run faster than Sandra, she made sure that she kept her pace even with Sandra's. The first one was a series of logs that went out at a forty-five degree angle and you had to crawl over one then under the next. Thus was relatively easy for both of them and they encouraged each other as they went over it. The next one was a rope over a ten foot area of mud and water. You had to run up to the rope and grab it then swing over to the other side. To Ella this was like the rope they had back home over the swimming hole. So Ella had no trouble clearing the water and mud but for Sandra this was something completely new and as she grabbed the rope her hands slipped a little and she barely made it over the water but she did and Ella cheered her on. They had walls to climb over after that and tubes to run through but both made it through without falling or missing a obstacle. When they got to the finish line, they both cheered then Sandra came over to her and gave her a big hug before quickly letting go. The hug felt so nice to Ella that she found herself wanting the hug to last much longer. She felt safe and secure when she was in her friends arms.

The rest of the week went on with more classes and lots of exercising and running. They seemed to love to make them do these things and Ella had finally gotten the drill instructor off her back with Sandra helping her with the things she was as good at. They had found out the best way to get through basic was just to melt into the rest of the girls. Never doing things too well or to badly. If they didn't remember your name then they didn't pick on you. The next Sunday they got off again and after Ella helped Sandra with her studies for an hour or so, they hurried out of the barracks. They walked around and talked as they tried to find something interesting to do. They passed by the movie theater but it was showing a film that they both had already seen. Ella was glad as she didn't really want to spend two hours sitting in a dark theater where she couldn't talk. She loved to talk and Sandra was a great listener. So Ella suggested that they go back to the Airman's club for another burger and fries. They got their food and headed back to the patio. They had to fight off the guys there but soon the guys got the message and left them in peace. They talked more, mostly about the Air Force and where they wanted to be stationed at. Ella wanted to go somewhere that had a college nearby and Sandra didn't really care as long as it was somewhere far away. She wanted to go someplace strange and wonderful. She talked about going to Hawaii or even Alaska. Then she started to list places overseas that she wouldn't mind going. Ella didn't really want to go overseas but if Sandra was there then she would go too.

The last few weeks of basic went quick enough for Ella and by the time that it ended, she was glad that Sandra had put her hand on her arm that first night as she was much more confident in her abilities. And now she was getting on a bus and heading north to the base that they were going to do their Tech school training which was a six week training course. There really wasn't that much to learn to be a supply clerk. It wasn't like she and Sandra were going to be scheduling supplies for the entire Air Force. They were just going to be checking the paperwork that others turned in requesting supplies and then higher ups would actually make the decisions.

Sandra led them to the back of the bus and there wasn't that many on the bus so that they had most of the rear of the bus to themselves. Sandra scooted in first and Ella slid in beside of her. Ella was excited about starting the next part of their adventure, as it was no longer just her adventure as Sandra was a big part of her adventure. As the bus started out, Ella leaned over and gave Sandra a kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Sandra asked.

"For getting me through this, I couldn't have done it without you." Ella said seriously.

"Hey you helped me as much I helped you." Sandra said as she put her arm around Ella's shoulders and pulled her in close.

"I don't know about that, but thanks all the same." Ella told her and she leaned into Sandra and she let her friend hold her a minute then she sat back up. Ella noticed that Sandra seemed very disappointed when she slipped out of her arms. Ella started to say something but then she saw Sandra's face brighten.

"Guess what?" Sandra asked her.

"What?" Ella asked.

"You have to guess?" Sandra said teasing her.

"I hate guessing, I never come close. So just tell me what you got to say." Ella told her.

"Nope, you got to guess." Sandra said as she closed her mouth indicating that she wasn't saying anything more until Ella guessed.

Ella sat there for a few minutes as she tried to wait Sandra out. Ella watched her friend for a few moments hoping to see her crack but Ella wasn't so sure that Sandra was going to crack. So she turned her head forward and they rode for a while with neither saying anything. Ella felt her will breaking as the longer it went, the more she wanted to know just what Sandra was wanting to tell her.

"You won the lottery." Ella finally said and she saw Sandra's face break out into a smile.

"Nope, try again." Sandra said with glee as Ella was finally going to play along.

Ella sat there for a for a few moments as she really didn't have a clue as to what Sandra was wanting her to guess. "We're both officially Airman Basic's now." Ella said.

"Well yea we are but that isn't it." Sandra replied. "Try harder."

"I'm trying harder but I told you that I wasn't good at this." Ella told her.

"One more guess and then I'll give you a hint." Sandra told her.

"Good, then..." Ella started to say but then Sandra stopped her.

"But it has to be a good guess or you don't get the hint about what the future may hold." Sandra told her.

It took a moment for Sandra's words to sink in but then she looked over at Sandra with a questioning look. Sandra sat there trying not to give any more away than she had already. Ella was half afraid to actually say what she was thinking but she had to know, "You're friend came through for us?" Ella asked excitably.

"Yep," Sandra said.

"Really?" Ella asked but before Sandra could answer, Ella had her arms wrapped around her hugging her tightly. Ella felt Sandra put her arms around her shoulders pulling her in close. Ella felt so happy and Sandra's arms holding her felt even better so she stayed in those arms longer than she had ever before but then she pulled back forcing a reluctant Sandra to let go of her.

"Where are we going to be stationed?" Ella asked her.

"I don't know, but I do know that we'll be together." Sandra told her.

"We'll I don't care as long as I got my best friend with me, that is all that matters." Ella told her.

"I'm with you there. I couldn't imagine you being on one side of the world and me on the other." Sandra told her and Ella saw just how deeply Sandra felt about that in Sandra's eyes.

"So when did you find out?" Ella asked.

Sandra hesitated for a second before she said, "Last week while you were getting our food, I went and called my old friend and she told me that her father was able to pull a few strings for us."

"You waited a week to tell me!" Ella said a little louder than she meant to. And then she pouted at little hurt that Sandra waited so long to tell her.

"I wanted to wait until we could be alone and not in a big crowd like we were last week. I had meant to wait until we got tech school but I couldn't wait any longer, I just had to tell you." Sandra said with a slight smile hoping to win Ella back over.

Ella sat there a moment still pouting before she decided to let Sandra off the hook. "Oh okay, I forgive you this time but if you do that again then our friendship is off." Ella threatened her but she knew the threat was a false one as she would never let anything come between her and Sandra for long.

"I'll remember that." Sandra said as she put her arm around Ella and pulled her in for a hug and Ella stayed in Sandra's arms for a moment but she was too excited to stay in place long as she sat back up and she began to talk again about where they wanted to be stationed. They both knew that one had nothing to do with the other. They would go wherever the Air Force decide they needed to be sent.

It was about an eight hour ride up to their new base so they talked for a while and then the whine of the tires on the road got to them. Ella felt her eyelids getting heavy so she closed them and was soon asleep. As she slept, she felt her dreams change and she was somewhere where she felt comfortable and secure. What she didn't know was that Sandra had taken her into her arms and held her tightly against her body and then Sandra did something that she hadn't dared to up to now, she kissed her friend lightly on the lips. This made Ella coo in her sleep and she settled deeper into Sandra's arms. When the bus slowed to get off the interstate, Ella slowly woke up. She found that Sandra was asleep and that she was enveloped in Sandra's arms. She looked over at her friend and she saw that Sandra had a contented smile on her face. Ella gave Sandra a squeeze before she tried to slip from Sandra's arms. She had hoped to not wake her but she did.

"Where you going?" Sandra said as she awoke with a start.

"Nowhere, I think we're getting close to our new home." Ella said as she saw that Sandra was shook up but then Sandra's usually smile appeared again.

"Oh okay. I hope it's close, I got to go pee." Sandra told her.

"Me too. I think we slept through the last pee stop." Ella told her.

"So what do you think this base will be like?" Sandra asked her.

"I don't know but at least we will have more freedom here. I know we will have to study and all but at least we will have the weekends free. We can go do some things and maybe ever get off the base." Ella told her.

"From what I've heard, I think we will, the only problem is that we have no car and don't have a clue as to what there is to do once we get off the base." Sandra told her.

"I don't care, the first chance we get, we are going off base, even if it is to go outside the gate then walk back in." Ella told her.

"Then that's what we'll do. I promise to get you off base as soon as I can." Sandra said as she gave her friend a hug.

They then watched as they went off the interstate and then it was just a short distance before they saw the sign that said that the base was just ahead. They both looked at each other and Ella said a small prayer for small miracles. They talked about what they were seeing as they rode onto the old base that was now used just for training of recruits. They were met at their stop by a female airman who told all the girls about the base and then they were divided up by whatever their training would be. As it turned out Ella and Sandra were the only supply clerks so they were left for last as the airman gave the rest of the girls their assigned room and when their classes would start. She finally got to Sandra and Ella and she told them that their class wouldn't start until Monday of the following week allowing the rest of their class to get there. So that gave them four free days to relax and get use to the base. She then took them into the woman's barracks. This time there would be two to a room but there was still community bathroom and showers. Ella was glad that at least they were allowed to room together which might not have been the case if the rest of the class had arrived with them. They were assigned to the sixth floor and they got their keys.

They grabbed their duffle bags and headed into the building. They both looked for a restroom on the ground floor but there wasn't one so they got on the elevator and made their way to the their floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened they didn't bother to find their room but the bathroom. They had to go to the middle of the floor before they finally found the promise land. They dropped their duffle bags in the hallway and they darted into the bathroom. Ella glanced around and found that at least there were doors on the toilet stalls here but the shower was again just an open room. Sandra hit the first door and Ella took the next one. Ella had just a bit of trouble getting her buckle undone but she finally did and she got her pants and panties down just as she felt the pee start to flow. She plopped down onto the toilet and she let her piss go.

"Oh god that feels good." Sandra sighed out loud.

"Tell me about it, I almost peed all over myself." Ella said and then she started to giggle as she realized what they were talking about.

"What are you giggling about?" Sandra asked as she finished peeing.

"How strange that anyone would consider us if they walked in right now and heard us." Ella said and then she started to laugh and Sandra was soon laughing with her.

"Well we are weird so I guess they would have us pegged right off the bat." Sandra said as she laughed.

"Speak for yourself, I'll have you know that I'm perfectly normal, you're the weird one." Ella told her as she wiped herself.

"You're judge by the company you keep, you know." Sandra said as she came out of her stall and saw Ella waiting for her.

"Then I guess I need to keep my distance from you from now on." Ella said as straight faced as she could manage.

"Too late for that now, you're stuck with me now." Sandra countered and she had a smug look on her face.

Ella tried to think of a comeback but she knew that Sandra had her this time. "Okay, so I'm weird too, so let's go find our room and get out of these clothes." Ella said as she grabbed Sandra's hand and she pulled her out of the bathroom.

The grabbed their bags and they started to look for their room number. They found that they were actually down by the elevator from which they had came. So the headed back down the hall until they got to their room. Ella waited for Sandra to get her key out and get the door unlocked. They stepped into their room and Ella saw that while it was better than the barracks that they had come from, it wasn't much better. There were two twin beds and then along the wall and opposite of the beds was a study area with two chairs and the beside of that was a closet with doors that when folded out revealed two sets of drawers and a bar to hang their clothes.

What's first on the list of things to do?" Sandra asked as she laid her duffle bag on the far bed and Ella put hers.

"Let's unpack and then take a shower. Then we can go to the commissary to get some things to snack on and a iron. Since it is now up to us to keep our uniforms cleaned and pressed. Then we'll go get us something to eat." Ella suggested.

"Sounds good to me. I can't wait to get out of these clothes, I feel like they have stuck to me being in that bus all day." Sandra told her.

Ella went to her duffle bag and began to pull her uniforms out as Sandra did the same. They talked as they put their stuff away. Ella wanted to put on some civilian clothes but they had been in her overnight bag for over six weeks now so they needed to be washed and pressed before she could wear them so she was stuck with her uniforms until she could get that done. Once they had their stuff put away, they both grabbed a towel and their toiletries and headed back down the hallway. There were more girls on the floor now as they were coming back from their day of classes. They talked to a few on the way to the bathroom and when they got to the showers, they found that that there were several girls already there. They put their stuff down on the bench by the shower and they began to undress. Ella had for the most part gotten over her shyness about getting undressed around other girls but now there were a whole new set of girls to get use to with only Sandra being the only familiar girl there. Ella began to unbutton her blouse and she saw that Sandra was watching her without being obvious about it. In a way it felt strange but it also made Ella feel good for some reason. Ella also was doing her own looking as Sandra slowly undressed. Sandra was such a pretty girl and she did like looking at her. She thought that it was just that she admired her but somewhere deep inside of her, she knew that there was more to it. They had taken their sweet time getting undressed so that by the time they stepped into the shower area, the other girls that were there were now leaving. They exchanged hellos and then Ella followed Sandra to the back of the shower. They both turned on their shower and they ducked under the warm spray. Ella let out a sigh as she felt her body relaxing from the spray. They talked as they showered and Ella noticed that Sandra was being more obvious with her stares and for some reason this didn't make Ella uncomfortable as it would if it was some other girl looking at her that way. They both took their time washing and once they were clean they just stood under the spray. It had been a long time since they had been able to just take their time to shower so they were taking full advantage of the time they had now. Ella noticed that every time that she looked over at Sandra, she was looking at her. That made her feel nice as she figured that Sandra was just admiring her body and that was something that few if any boys had done back home but then she didn't encourage anyone to do so. She had never gone out on a date as none of the boys around home seemed to interest her. She just figured that she was wanting something better.

They finally decided that they had been in the shower long enough plus other girls were starting to enter the restroom. Their moment of privacy had ended so they shut off the water and made their way back to where their towels were. Once they were dried, they put on clean a clean uniform then headed back to their room. They put their hair up and then made their way back out. It took them a while to find the commissary but they eventually got there and they wandered around for a while before they found the iron that they were looking for. They also checked out the clothes section. While there wasn't a great variety of things to wear, the both did find some jeans and tops that weren't half bad. They dropped off their purchases at their room and then they headed out to find something to eat. Since this was a much smaller base there wasn't as much to do here and they ended back at the chow hall to eat. The food wasn't half bad through and for Ella the best part was that she was able to eat slowly.

"Sorry," Ella said as she realized that Sandra was already done with her food. Sandra had gotten used to eating fast and so she was done with her food when Ella was only halfway through hers.

"That's okay, I need to eat slower, besides I love to watch you chew." Sandra said.

"Funny..." Ella said thinking that Sandra was making fun of her.

"No, I'm serious, you have a almost sensual way of chewing." Sandra said very seriously.

"Now I know that you are messing with me." Ella told her but from the look on Sandra's face she saw that Sandra was being serious.

"I'm not, I'm really not. You chew so slowly and it is like you are trying to get every last bit of favor from each bite." Sandra said as she reached over and placed her hand on Ella's arm.

"No one has ever told me that, now I feeling self conscious about chewing." Ella said as she tried to chew and not be obvious about it.

"I shouldn't have said anything, now you won't let me watch you eat." Sandra told her as she squeezed her arm before she took her hand away as some people were coming toward them.

"That's okay, you can watch me eat if you want to." Ella said as she picked up another bite but she was almost done eating before she stopped trying to hide her chewing. However she remembered Sandra telling her that her chewing was sensual. That was something that stuck in the back of her mind for much longer.

"So what's next up on the agenda?" Ella asked to change the subject.

"You wouldn't mind going back to the commissary would you?" Sandra asked.

"No, what did we forget?" Ella asked.

"I was just thinking that we have no TV or anything in the room. That room is going to get awfully quite when we are there. So I thought that we could find a radio or something." Sandra told her.

"I didn't think about that. I'm sure that we can find a cheap one and maybe one with a CD player so we can play some CD's." Ella replied.

"That's cool, what type of music do you like?" Sandra asked.

"I was afraid that you would eventually get around to asking me that." Ella said with a slight smile on her face.

"Please don't tell me that you're a country fan, oh god please don't tell me that." Sandra said dramatically.

"Yep, that was all I listened to at home. But don't worry, I won't get any country tapes, I know that you don't like to listen to country music." Ella said remembering Sandra telling her one day when they were at the airman's club when a country song came on the juke box that she hated country music of all types. Ella chose not to say anything at the time about how she loved the song that was playing.

"No that's not fair, you get any CD that you want and we'll listen to it. And I suspect that you don't like hip-hop?" Sandra asked and Ella shook her head no. "So you listen to mine and I'll listen to yours, that's what friends do and that's what we'll do."

"You sure?" Ella asked, "I really don't have to get anything you don't like." Ella went on to say.

"No I don't mind, I don't hate it as much as I make out that I do." Sandra confessed.

"Tell you what, I'll give you veto power on any CD I want." Ella told her.

"Then I'll give you the same thing." Sandra declared as she held out her hand and they shook on it.

They went on back to the commissary and found a good but cheap CD player and then they went to the CD section. They both looked over for what they wanted and then they let the other use their veto power, however neither chose to use it. So when they got back, Sandra insisted that they play one of Ella's CD's first. So Ella put her CD in and they got out of their uniforms. They both stripped down to their bras and panties and then the bra's came off and they put on a tee shirt. They then started to make up their beds before laying on top of them as they listened to the music and talked. It wasn't long before their talking slowed and they both fell asleep.

Ella woke up as the first rays of light shown through the window. She had been conditioned through basic training to wake up when the lights came on. Ella sat up and she saw that Sandra was still asleep as she was sleeping on her side with her back to the window and was thus facing her. Ella watched Sandra sleep and she could see the tranquil look on her face. Sandra's black hair was splayed across her pillow and her left arm was curled around the pillow. Ella's eyes were drawn to Sandra's full lips and she thought about how kissable those lips were. She wasn't sure why she thought that but that was what kept running through her mind. She was concentrating so much on those lips that she didn't notice Sandra begin to stir until she saw Sandra open her eyes. Sandra blinked a time or two as her eyes focused and then Ella realized that Sandra was staring back at her but not saying anything. Sandra had this smile on her face that Ella couldn't read but she knew that Sandra's smile was communicating with her.

"Morning," Sandra finally said and that broke Ella from her train of thought.

"Morning, you sleep well?" Ella asked getting her mind back to the present.

"Yea, it was nice, I didn't have to listen to fifty girls snoring all night." Sandra said and Ella was about to agree with her until Sandra added, "I only had one snoring girl."

Ella not missing a beat said, "Yea you do snore a lot don't you."

"Good comeback," Sandra said smiling as she stretched and then she sat up.

"I thought so." Ella said smiling smugly and she got out of bed, she started to walk between the beds when she felt Sandra grab her by the arm and pull her down on her bed. Ella yelped and then she felt Sandra swing around and was now sitting on her back. Sandra still had her by the arm and she pulled it behind Ella's back but she didn't pull it to the point that caused Ella any pain, it just trapped her on the bed.

"Now who snores?" Sandra asked her and she bent over placing her head next to Ella's.

"You do!" Ella said defiantly.

Sandra then started to bounce on Ella's back, as she asked again, "Who snores?"

"You do!" Ella said even more defiantly as she started to giggle.

"I do not!" Sandra said as she slipped off of Ella's back and laid down beside of her, "Do I?" she asked with a bit of uncertainty in her voice.

Ella started to say yes until she realized that Sandra really wanted to know the answer. "No you don't snore." She told her friend as she reached over and brushed the hair from her eyes. "Do I?"

"No but you sure do fart a lot!" Sandra said and then she laughed real big.

"Oh you little snot!" Ella said as she grabbed Sandra's pillow and started to beat her with it.

"Ouch!" Sandra yelled and then she started to fend off the blows as she went for Ella's pillow and the fight was on. They went around the room hitting or trying to hit each other with their pillows until they were out of breath.

"Time out!" Ella cried as she put lowered her pillow still laughing. Then she turned serious as she said "I got to go pee."

"Me too now that you mention it." Sandra said as she crossed her legs, 'Actually I really have to go."

"Me too!" Ella said as she grabbed her pants and slipped them on. Sandra was doing the same thing as they raced down the hallway to get to the bathroom.

After breakfast at the chow hall, they gathered up all their clothes and sheets taking them to the laundry mat on base. They took their new CD player and they put on a CD as their clothes washed. They had the place to themselves so they could relax and have fun. So when a cool song came on, Sandra jumped from the dryer she was sitting on and she started to dance. She reached out her arms to Ella who hesitated for a second before she jumped down and she joined Sandra in front of the dryers. They danced to the music and they each tried to copy the other's moves as they danced. Sandra was a little more outgoing with her dance moves and Ella was at first reluctant to try them but Sandra kept encouraging her and that made Ella try them out. They danced and laughed as the music played and that made doing the laundry fun for once.

When they got back to their room, Ella started to iron their uniforms as Sandra put the rest of their clothes away. Once everything was done, they changed into their civilian clothes and they headed for the door. Now the problem was to how to find their way off base. They couldn't call a cab and get it to pick them up and there wasn't any transportation going from the base into town. Ella was about to give up but Sandra was determined to get her off base. They had a map of the base and Sandra found the shortest way that led to an exit off the base. They set out walking and had been going for a while when car pulled up beside of them.

"Where you heading?" a middle aged lady asked as she rolled down the passenger window.

"Into town." Sandra replied as she went to the window.

"Where about?" She asked.

"We don't care." Ella said and then Sandra added, "We just got out of basic and she haven't seen civilization for a long time now."

The lady laughed and she said, "I can appreciate that. I'm Ruth Jackson and I'm on the way to Wal Mart. I can give you a lift there and back. Would that satisfy your need for the real world."

"That's works for us. I could use some panties and bras, the ones I saw at the commissary are..." Ella said trying to be polite.

"... made for grannies and not young women." Mrs. Jackson finished for her.

"Yea, they are." Sandra said with a laugh.

"Hop in and let's see if we can get you two some panties made after the turn of the century." Mrs. Jackson said.

"Thanks Mrs. Jackson," They both said together.

"Call me Ruth, I may be old but I'm not that old." She said with a big horse laugh.

"So are you in the Air Force?" Ella asked as she hopped into the backseat giving Sandra the front.

"Oh hell no, I'm not one who knows when to keep my mouth shut as my husband puts it." Ruth said laughing again.

"So what does he do?" Sandra asked.

"He's a doctor and a very good one. He could make a bundle out in the real world but he loves it in the Air Force and I love the old fart so I'm stuck here with him." Ruth said and Ella could sense just how much Ruth did love her husband, to follow him all over the world like she did.

"So how do you two like it so far?" Ruth asked.

"Well we have only been to basic so it's not like we have had a chance to see what the Air Force is really like." Ella told her.

"Well actually the rest of your time is about the same as basic. People telling you what to do for the next four years." Ruth told them and Ella figured that Ruth was right.

"We just joined so that we could get money for college. Once we do our four years, we're going to go to college together." Ella proudly proclaimed. Sandra turned around and she looked back at Ella and Ella could read her eyes. Sandra had told her that school wasn't her thing so going to college wasn't her dream but Ella had other ideas for her friend.

"That's good, you need to go to college and get your education. The military isn't a place for pretty young ladies like yourselves." Ruth told them.

"Thank you, but Sandra is the pretty one." Ella told Ruth.

"Tell her, she's just as pretty as I am." Sandra told Ruth and Ruth looked over at Sandra and she saw in Sandra's eyes what Ella hadn't recognized quiet yet.

Ruth looked into the rearview mirror and she said to Ella, "You ought to listen to your friend, she's not bullshitting you."

Ella blushed as she had trouble talking but she did manage a weak, "thank you."

Then she quickly changed the subject as she got Ruth to talk about all the places that she had been stationed with her husband. Ruth was a talker and she kept them both entertained for the trip to Wal Mart where she let them go do their own shopping and they met back at the entrance for the ride back home. When they got back, Ruth decided that they were long past due for a home cooked meal so she took them on to her house on base. They helped her put up the groceries and as they were doing that, Ruth's two girls came home from school. Nina was nine and she was her mother made over. She looked like her and she warmed up to Ella and Sandra quickly while Ruth's youngest girl Alina who was six was the shy type. She tended to hide behind her sister until she got used to the two strange girls being in her house. It was Ella who drew her out and soon, Alina had Ella by the hand taking her to her room to show her all her dolls. It was there that Ella spent the rest of the afternoon playing house with Alina. When Ruth's husband came home, Ella noticed right off that he didn't like the idea of Ruth bringing home two girls fresh out of basic. It wasn't something that he would have done but it was something that Ruth did do and he accepted it. Ella also saw that the love that Ruth had for her husband was returned in equal portion. So he welcomed them into his home after his little girls got their share of kisses and hugs.

The evening turned out to be very enjoyable as they ate and then Ella helped the girls with their homework as Sandra was entertained by Ruth and her husband. As they were getting ready to leave, Ruth told Ella that anytime she wanted to come over and tutor her girls, she was welcome and Alina quickly added that she could come over every day to play.

"I like Ruth, she's tells it like it is." Sandra said as were walking back to their barracks.

"Yea, she's nice. I liked her too." Ella said and then she added, "There is so much love in that family. I wish..."

"...that you grew up in a family like that?" Sandra asked.

"Yea I do." Ella said.

"What was it like growing up for you? You have never really told me much about it other than that your father is a miner and you have three older brothers who are now miners too. And that your mother died when you were born. Other than that you have told me little but I have sort of demised didn't have a great childhood." Sandra said.

Ella thought for a minute about what Sandra was asking and about how Sandra had decided that she hadn't had a great childhood. Ella had never thought of it that way but Sandra's comments got her to thinking.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Sandra told her. "I don't want to bring up bad memories." She added as she hooked her arm into Ella's and she pulled her in close.

"It's not that I have bad memories, I was never abused or anything like that. It is more like I didn't..." Ella started to say and then she wasn't sure what she wanted to say. Her childhood was just there. Ella thought for a minute and then she began again. "You know how I said that there was so much love in Ruth's family?"

"Yea," Sandra answered.

"Well I never felt loved at home. My father was stuck with me after mom died and he knew how to raised boys but a girl was out of his league. My brothers were tough like he was and they didn't need to really be looked after but a girl needs more than that. So I grew up the best that I could and when I got old enough to do the cooking then that became my job. I became more like my father's and brother's housekeeper. They did their best and no one at school ever dared to bother me because they knew that they would have to face my brothers. When someone got sick, I took care of them. And when I was young and found out that one of classmates had her first period, I didn't have a clue as to what was going on with her and what the big deal was. So I went to the library and looked it up. Then I got myself prepared. I went to the store and got all the supplies I thought I would need. I loaded up on pads and tampons. I also read about PMS so I bought several packages of Midol just in case." Ella said and she looked over at Sandra and saw that she was smiling and Ella had to smile too as now it did seem silly but she was young and innocent. "I hid the stuff in my room but the only problem was that I turned out to be a late bloomer and I had to wait two more years for my first period and it came and went without anyone knowing except myself. That was the first time that I really wanted a mother, I had no one to share it with. I was becoming a woman and no one in my family noticed. I just felt like I grew up alone when actually I had four other people sharing the house with me." Ella said and suddenly she felt sad.

"Ella, you got me now, you'll never feel alone again, I promise." Sandra said as she stopped them and she turned Ella toward her and she pulled her in close. She hugged Ella tightly. Ella put her head on Sandra's shoulder as she put her arms around her. Ella felt tears come to her eyes and she didn't try to hold them back. She could feel Sandra's hands caressing her back and she heard Sandra whisper to her that she wasn't ever going to be alone again. Ella cried for a few moments and then she pulled back.

"I don't deserve a friend like you." Ella told her.

"That's true you don't but I guess you got lucky." Sandra said with a straight face and Ella was surprised at Sandra's arrogance then she saw just a crack of a smile from her.

"Oh... god will get you for that one and if she doesn't then I will." Ella said as she stepped back and put her hands on her hips.

Sandra laughed and then she said, "Got you!"

"Yes you did you little shit." Ella said laughing. Then she asked, "So what about your family, what was it like?"

"Nothing like yours, that's for sure. I meant it wasn't perfect. My parents got divorced when I was eight and then I split my time between my father and mother for the next ten years. Mom was good to me as was my father but they also had their own lives as they dated and eventually got remarried. The only bad part was going from one house to another and never feeling like either was really my home but then a lot of kids from divorced parents feel that way. So I guess I had a semi-normal childhood but at least now I know why I decided to enter the recruiter's office that day." She said.

"Why?" Ella asked.

"The fates had to make sure that we got together so they guided me into that office and made me write my name down on that piece of paper." Sandra said very seriously.

"I'm glad that they did." Ella said as she gave Sandra and hug and then they started to walk again talking more about their childhoods and how much their childhood made them who they were now.

The weekend went fast as they met more of the girls that were training there. Saturday night they went with a few of them to the Airman's club and had a few beers. They were of course hit upon by the guys that greatly outnumbers the girls there. The girls that they were with welcomed the attention but Ella declined each and every offer to have a beer or dance that was offered and she noticed that Sandra was doing the same thing. Ella figured that Sandra did it because she was doing it and Sandra didn't want Ella to be left alone but there was something in the way that Sandra declined the offers sent her way that told Ella that Sandra wasn't in the least bit interested in the guys that came on to her. Ella figured that Sandra wanted something much better and with her looks, she could get it. However for Ella that reasoning didn't completely fit, there was something more to it than that. All the same, Ella was glad that Sandra stayed with her. Sunday they slept late as they both figured that it would be their last time to do so until the following weekend.

Tech school wasn't all that hard for either of them. It was just a matter of learning the way things flowed through the supply chair and the important forms that needed to be completed before any supplies could be issued. This wasn't rocket science so while they had to study some, it wasn't a great deal and that explained why their training was so short as it barely lasted six weeks. Ella had to help Sandra on a few of the things that she didn't seem to understand but it really was an easy course with more memory work than actual learning. They did go back to visit Ruth and her girls several times while they were there. In fact that was where Ella was drawn to the most. It was like she needed to be around a place where there was so much happiness and laughter. Sandra went willingly as she would do anything to make her friend happy. When they arrived each time, Ella was immediately taken away by the girls to play, leaving Ruth and Sandra to talk. It was on their last trip to Ruth's that Ella happened to come into the kitchen where Sandra and Ruth were talking and it seemed to be a serious conversation. Ella only caught Sandra's last response to Ruth before they noticed her and they quickly changed to subject to what the girls had Ella playing.

"What did you promise Ruth that you would do?" Ella asked Sandra as they walked back to their barracks.

"What are you talking about?" Sandra said much too quickly and then she added, "I didn't promise Ruth to do anything."

Ella started to pressed Sandra as she knew from the way that Sandra was looking at her that Sandra did promise Ruth something but then Sandra changed the subject by saying, "I wonder where we will get stationed next. I hope it's Hawaii. I would love to learn to surf."

Ella wanted to go back to the promise thing but she could almost sense that Sandra didn't want to go back to that so she let it go for the moment but she knew that she would bring it back up soon. So she discussed the various pluses and minuses of each place that they could think of them being sent. Unfortunately when they got their orders after their graduation ceremony, the place that they were sent was the one place that they had never thought of being sent.

"What does your orders say?" Ella asked as she held her unopened orders.

"It had better say the same thing as yours does." Sandra said as she looked down at the unopened orders that were in her hands.

"Well one of us has to open their orders." Ella said as her heart felt heavy with fear that Sandra's friend wouldn't come through for them.

"Give me yours and I will opened them both and then we can look at them at the same time." Sandra said as she took Ella's orders from her.

Ella stood there trying not to let the fear of being separated from Sandra overcome her. She had come to need Sandra more than anyone in her life. She felt a bond with her that couldn't be broken but at the same time, there was a need deep within her to be with Sandra and the thought of not having Sandra nearby was more than she could handle. She watched closely as Sandra opened first her own orders and then her orders without looking at them. Ella went to stand by Sandra as she turned the orders over and they both were stunned into silence. Ella couldn't believe what the orders said and when she saw the reporting date, she was even more shocked. It was like she couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. Ella felt her knees go weak and her whole body was shaking with a different fear than she was feeling only moments before. She glanced over at Sandra and she saw that her face was white and she was shaking. Ella at first thought that her rock of a friend had finally found something that she couldn't handle but when Sandra spoke, she realized that Sandra was shaking for a much different reason than she had thought.

"That bitch! I'm catching the next plane out of here and I'm going to kill her." Sandra said as her anger spilled out.

"No don't!" Ella said as something within her made her act.

Sandra gave a stunned look to Ella and she asked," Do you realize where they are sending us?" Then before Ella could say anything Sandra asked another question, "Do you realize that they are sending us to Iraq? In case you haven't heard, there is a war going on over there and our troops are being killed at every turn and we are now considered a part of those very same troops." Ella started to say something again when Sandra went on with, "And they are shipping us out Wednesday with no training, they can't do that. We need to protest this and now."

Ella finally had to put her hand over Sandra's mouth to stop her talking and she saw that seemed to make Sandra even madder so Ella started to talk before Sandra took her anger out on her.

"Hush a minute and let's talk this out before we do anything we will regret." Ella said and when Sandra started to say something Ella put her hand back over Sandra's mouth.

This time Sandra pulled it away and she said, "I really wish you will quit doing that."

"Then will you let me finish talking before you say anything?" Ella asked as she took her hand away.

Sandra looked at Ella carefully and Ella could see that it was killing her to remain silent but in the end Sandra gave in, "Okay but then I'm going to do what I think is best for us."

"Fine but let me have my say." Ella said and Sandra motioned for her to hurry up and say her peace so that she could go and kill her friend.

"I don't think we should do a thing." Ella was saying when Sandra shouted, "What?!"

Ella put her hands on her hips and she gave what she hoped was her meanest look to Sandra.

"Okay, okay, I will hush and listen." Sandra said as she appeared to calm down for a moment.

"Good now listen to me." Ella said and before Sandra could respond she went on. "Look we'll be together and that's the most important thing. If we protest too much then they may separate us and I can't handle that. I will go anywhere to be with you and that includes a war zone."

"You realized that we could be killed over there. This isn't play, this is war." Sandra said surprised that Ella would be willing to go to Iraq.

"I know it is and that scares the hell out of me but being without you scares me even more." Ella told Sandra. "I just don't want to lose you, you're the best friend that I've ever had." Ella said as she felt her eyes began to tear up. There was something inside of her that told her that Sandra cared about her like no one else had ever cared. She just couldn't afford to lose that.

Sandra looked at her and then she reached out and she pulled Ella into her body. She gripped her tightly and Ella clung to Sandra with all her might. "I can't lose you..." Ella said as she started to cry.

"You won't baby, you won't." Sandra whispered into her ear as she gripped Ella tighter and she turned her head towards Ella's and she kissed her forehead.

"Your friend thought that she screwed us but she didn't, she gave us just what we wanted. It's not like we'll be out in the streets fighting, we're going to be on a base making sure that everyone has what they need to survive. We signed up to serve our country and now we are going to get to do just that." Ella said.

"I thought I was the brave one of the two of us but I guess I'm not as brave as you are." Sandra said.

"Oh I'm scared shitless but having you there with me makes it okay. I just know that if we are together nothing bad will happen to either of us. It is when we are apart that really scares the hell out of me." Ella told her.

"Then we won't ever be apart." Sandra told her as she again kissed her forehead.

"Thanks," Ella said and she held onto her friend tighter.

"I guess we had better go to the clinic and get out shots like our orders says." Sandra said.

"Now that really scares me, I hate shots." Ella said as she pulled back and she smiled at Sandra.

"Don't tell anyone but I hate them too." Sandra said as she laughed and that made Ella laugh.

"Come on and let's get this over with." Ella said as she took Sandra's hand and she pulled her toward the clinic.

That night Ella laid in her bed and she thought about what was ahead of them. She was scared about going to Iraq. The war had been going so badly and now the president had decided to send a surge of troops and they got caught up with that surge. She was scared and she looked over at Sandra and she saw that her friend was still awake. They had talked and talked about what they were getting into and finally they talked themselves out. But Ella still needed more, she needed Sandra to hold her so she got up. She saw Sandra turn and look at her. She came over to Sandra's bed and without saying anything, she pulled Sandra's covers back and she slipped into bed with her.

"Hold me." Ella said in almost a whisper.

Sandra didn't say a word, she just turned to her side and she pulled Ella in close to her. She kissed her softly on the forehead and then she kissed both of Ella's eyelids as Ella closed her eyes. Ella felt safe once again and she was able to fall asleep. The next morning when Ella woke up she found that Sandra was awake and was looking at her carefully.

"Morning,' Sandra said softly.

"Morning, I hope you didn't mind me sleeping with you. I just needed..." Ella start to say but Sandra stopped her.

"You can share my bed anytime you want." Sandra said and Ella felt something deep within her start to stir. She wasn't sure what it was and Sandra didn't give her time to really think about it.

"But as nice as this feels and it does feel nice but I kind of need to visit the bathroom." Sandra said with a giggle.

"Now that you mention it..." Ella said but before she could move, she felt Sandra's lips touch her forehead again and that made that stirring that Ella felt before stronger but now she really did have to pee so she got up and she helped Sandra up.

Saturday they spend the day trying to decide what they needed to take with them. They only had a limited about of weight that they could take and their uniforms took up most of that weight. They did take their CD player not knowing if they would have any electricity to use it and they got cell phones that they could use in Iraq. While they were in town, they found a hair salon that they could donate their hair to cancer victims that had lost their hair. They had talked about it all morning and decided if they were going to Iraq then their long hair would be more trouble than it was worth. Ella hated to lose her long hair that had taken her so long to grow but at least it was going to a worthy cause. She they went in and each held the other's hand as most of their hair came off. Ella managed not to cry but it was hard. Only having Sandra there made it okay. Then as she watched Sandra get hers cut, she felt Sandra squeezing her hand hard so she knew that Sandra felt the same way about her hair as she did.

On Sunday they talked about seeing Ruth and her family but then they decided to just call Ruth and tell her that they were being stationed in Hawaii. Ella made Sandra make the call as she knew she was a terrible liar. They knew that Ruth would try her best to get them out of their orders and that wasn't what they wanted. So they just spent their time together and they avoided everyone else. Monday and Tuesday was busy getting the rest of their affairs together, ever getting their wills made out as the orders suggested for them to do. Then on Wednesday, they packed up their stuff and they headed for the airport. They caught a small place to Dallas and from there they got on a plane to Charleston, South Carolina. There was a transport base there that they would catch on Thursday morning to head overseas. They went out that night and had a nice seafood dinner and they went down to the battery and looked out to the ocean. They knew that come morning they would be heading to the middle east. They were both still scared but they had gotten the worst of the fear out of their system so now they were as ready as they were going to get. That night, Ella slipped into Sandra's bed and snuggled in close to her. She got her kiss on the forehead that she was now coming to expect from Sandra. Ella was beginning to come to understand the stirrings that she felt when Sandra hugged her and when she kissed her forehead. At first she didn't believe what her heart was telling her but then she began to realize that her heart was right. She wasn't anywhere close to talking to Sandra about it. She needed more time to get it all clear in her head. For now, she just wanted Sandra to keep holding her and that was something Sandra was very happy to do.

"You ready for this?" Ella asked as they lay in bed the next morning.

"Yea, I'm ready. I'm just not ready to get out of this nice warm bed." Sandra said as she snuggled in a little closer to Ella.

"Me either, maybe we could just stay here all day and miss our flight." Ella suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me, that's what we'll do then." Sandra told her as she flashed a sweet smile.

"Cool, we'll go AWOL and never leave the base." Ella said as she giggled.

"We'd make history, court marshaled because we wouldn't leave the bed." Sandra said laughing.

"It would be worth a court marshaled to say here in this bed with you." Sandra said and Ella could see that Sandra was saying more than just avoiding going to Iraq.

"If only..." Ella said as she slowly began to pull back.

"Spoils sport," Sandra said with a pout but she too began to get out of the warm bed.

"I'm sorry but we do need to get ready. We got lots to do and the plane is to leave at ten AM." Ella said as she reached out and Sandra took her hand. Ella helped her up and she found that she was staring into Sandra's eyes. Ella wanted to look away but she couldn't, at least not at first. But as every second passed, Ella could see Sandra's eyes get wider and wider. It was almost that she was seeing into Sandra's soul. She could see that Sandra cared so deeply for her and yet she could see more. It was then that Ella had to break away. She had to think this over and they had no more time to do that.

"Let's get our buns in gear girl. They're not going to hold the plane for just us." Ella finally said as she broke away from Sandra.

"They might." Sandra suggested and then she laughed.

"Yea right, and I will be the next Secretary of Defense." Ella told her.

"It's so nice to meet you Madam Secretary." Sandra said formally as she reached out and shook Ella's hand.

"You're silly." Ella said with a laugh as she put her pants on.

"That I am." Sandra said as she started to get dressed too.

They got dressed and went to the bathroom before they went to the nearest chow hall to grab a bit of breakfast. Ella tried to eat but she was just too nervous to eat much and Sandra was the same way. They would be on a plane for the next ten hours as they headed to the middle east. When they got to the military side of the airport, they found themselves amongst several hundred army troops that were heading to the same place they were. Ella looked at the faces of these troops and she saw that she and Sandra weren't the only ones showing their nervousness but the troops seemed to be able to hide it better. There were five other women heading there and they naturally gathered together. They talked about what their jobs were going to be and Sandra and Ella realized that they probably had the safest jobs. That made them feel a little better but not by a bunch. Sooner than Ella would have liked, their plane was readied and they began to load up. Ella felt her stomach churn and she thought that she was going to throw up there on the tarmac and then she felt Sandra's hand grasp her hand. She looked over at Sandra and smiled. She should have known that Sandra would do just the right thing when she needed it.

They went up into the large plane and they went down the aisle until they found two seats on the right side of the plane. Sandra slipped in first and she sat by the window as Ella had no desire to look out. She wasn't much for flying which was surprising considering that she had joined the Air Force. Once everyone was strapped in, the plane was quickly backed up and then it headed for the runway. Sandra gripped Ella's hand tightly as the plane lifted up. They were quickly at cruising altitude. It was a eight hour flight to England where they landed only long enough to refuel and then it was back in the air to Turkey. Most of the others in the plane slept on the way but Ella was just too nervous so she kept talking to Sandra thus keeping her awake. When she had to visit the bathroom, she made Sandra go with her as she didn't like being without something to hold her down if they hit air pocket. It was another four hour flight to Turkey and it was there that they finally got to actually get up and walk around for a while but their freedom from the air was short lived as they were met just inside of the terminal by a airman who told them that there was a cargo plane getting ready to take off and it was going to their new base. Ella was disappointed that they wouldn't have any time to spend in Turkey but they got their duffle bags and they followed the airman to the small cargo plane. When they got to the plane, they saw several pallets of supplies being put into the back of the plane where a large ramp had been lowered. It was night there and the cool air was whirling across the tarmac. Ella moved in close to Sandra and she felt Sandra put her arm around her waist. They were standing back toward the side of the plane so no one really played any attention to them until everything was loaded into the plane and it was only then were they escorted into the plane and showed where to sit. They were also given a pair of ear plugs to muffle the sound of the engines. They wasn't a plane built for the comfort of it's passengers. It was made to haul the cargo needed to fight a war.

"What are those black bags used for?" Ella shouted into Sandra's ear as she pointed to the pallet sitting right in front of them.

Sandra looked at her wondering why she would ask such an insensitive question but then she seemed to realize that Ella really didn't know. "They're body bags honey." Sandra told her.

"Body bags?..." Ella asked and then it hit her just what Sandra was trying to tell her. "Oh god!" Ella said as she covered her mouth. It all came home to her at that moment just what they were heading into and she felt the fear rise up within her body. She looked over at Sandra showing that fear and Sandra put her arm around her shoulders and she pulled her in close.

"Remember what we said, we are going to talk care of each other here and nothing is going to happen. We're going to walk out of here eighteen months from now feeling stronger than we have ever been and closer to each other." Sandra said and Ella looked up into Sandra's strong eyes and she felt her fear recede but it didn't go completely away.

"I know we will. You got me and I got you." Ella told her friend as she looked deeper into Sandra's eyes could see that Sandra was just as scared as she was, she was just doing a little better in controlling her fear.

They spent the rest of the flight huddles together as the plane was cold and it was just too hard to talk over the roar of the engine. Then as they entered into Iraq, the plane began to make a series of turns that kept them both unbalanced. Ella wondered if the pilot had suddenly forgotten how to fly a plane however the pilot was just doing his best to avoid being shot down by some insurgent holding a rocket waiting for a chance to use it on some American plane. The landing was also rough as the pilot got the plane down on the ground as quickly as possible. Ella and Sandra were both bounced around and against each other and when Ella looked over at one of the crew, she could see that he was dying to laugh at them but he was holding it in. He was used to and was expecting the landing as he knew just what the pilot was trying to do and he appreciated the effort as he didn't want to get shot down anymore than the pilot did. When Ella stood up she found that her knees were shaking and she wasn't sure that they were going to hold her up but then she saw that whole crew was now watching them so she locked her knees together and she pinched Sandra's arm as she motioned with her head to the crew that was watching them. She saw Sandra whole demeanor change as she too locked her knees until she got them under control and then she took a stray string of hair and she carefully put it back in place giving the men watching them a mean look for messing up her hair with their obviously poor flying ability. Ella had to give her friend credit for being able to turn things around so quickly. She then reached down and grabbed her duffle bag and she turned to face Ella.

"Get your duffle bag girl, we were sent here to sort out the supply problem and we need to get started tonight." She said and then she went toward the back of the plane which had been lowered so the unloading could be started.

"Oh god you are good girl!" Ella said laughing as she glanced back and saw that the air crew were still watching them.

"I didn't want them to spread it about that we're both scared shitless." Sandra said and then she added, "Even if that is exactly what we are."

"We won't ever let them see us cry." Ella said as she straighten her spine as she walked.

"Yep, that we save for when we are alone." Ella said and then she saw a big tall man approaching them and she nudged Sandra so that she would see him. As he came closer, Ella saw the Maple Leafs on his shoulder and she nudged Sandra again telling her that an officer was approaching. When he was a few feet away, they dropped their bags and saluted him.

He came closer and waited for a second before he saluted them back. "I take it that you two are my new supply clerks. I'm Major Hill and your new commanding officer. " He said crisply.

"Yes sir." They said in unison and then Sandra added just as crisply, "I Airman Basic Moore and this is Airman Basic Benson."

"You mean to tell me that this is your first assignment. I told them I needed two experienced clerks. I need help and I don't have time to nursemaid two girls that don't know what the hell their doing. Don't bother unpacking, I'm getting you two the hell out of here, you don't belong here." He said angrily as he started to walk away from them.

Ella looked at Sandra and she saw Sandra getting angry and that made her feel better. She didn't like being here but she also didn't want to be sent home with their tails stuck between their legs. Ella then watched as Sandra ran ahead and she saw her grab the Major by the arm and she swung him around. Ella quickly caught up just in case Sandra did something that would get them both thrown in to the brig.

"Now wait a minute here Major, we may be young and inexperienced but we are good. We can and will help you out. You give us a chance and we'll show you just how fucking good we are." Sandra told him.

Elle just knew that when Sandra said "fucking" that they were screwed as she saw the anger rise inside of the Major. Then she saw the expression on his face slowly change. "Well I guess you do have some backbone, how about your friend there?"

She almost left basic before she gave it a chance but Sandra came to her aid and convinced her to stay. She decided then and there that she wasn't going to make that mistake again. "I can do it, all you got to do is tell me what needs to be done and it will be done." Ella said as she came up beside of Sandra. "You got us here so you might as well see if we can do the job. You may be throwing away the best clerks that you ever had." Ella added figuring that they had nothing to lose. If they fucked up and got sent away then they were no worse off than if they got sent away without ever having a chance to prove what they could do.

He stood there on the tarmac and looked them both over very carefully. Ella knew that their futures lied in his decision that he was about to make. Ella tried to look a lot more confident than she felt. He kept staring at them and Ella just wished that he would go ahead and make his decision. After what seemed an eternity, his shoulders sagged and Ella just knew that he had decided to send them back home.

"I'm not going to be a nursemaid to you too. You do what I tell you to do and you are to get it done quickly. I don't want any argument or any bullshit from each of you. I don't have the time to get done what has to be done now." Major Hill told them.

Ella wanted to jump for joy and she saw a big smile spread across Sandra's face but they both kept their mouths shut figuring that was the best thing for them to do.

"Well don't just stand there, get your scrawny asses in gear. You start work tonight. I got a mountain of paperwork for you to get cleared up." He ordered as he took long strides.

"Yes sir!" Ella said quickly and Sandra echoed her. They then grabbed their duffle bags and ran to catch up with him. When they did catch up, they found that they still had to half run to keep up with his pace.

"You both know what each form is for and how it is to be routed.? They did at least teach you that didn't they?" He said roughly.

"Yes sir. They taught us all the forms and how and who they are to go to. We know it all." Ella told him.

"Well forget all that shit they taught you. Everything goes through me and I have the final approval. You are not to make any decisions, just make sure that the paper work is filled out and if I tell you to send something somewhere then do it. Then it is up to you to get the paperwork to back it up. We are fighting a war here and we don't have time to fill out a piece of paperwork so that we can get the supplies where they are needed. That is now your job and then you are to get it to headquarters." He told them as a jet took off almost drowning out what he was saying.

"Yes sir." Ella told him.

He kept talking as they went toward what would be their new home. Ella stayed close to him trying to hear everything he was saying as she had a feeling that this was the only on the job training that they were going to get and she was pretty much right. He took them to a tent that had Supply Center across the top. There was one large desk that was covered with forms sprayed all across it. There was also two smaller desks and they too had piles of forms piled on top of them.

"This is your new home as you will be spending most of your time here. The tent behind of this one is where you will be sleeping. I had it put there so that even if you are sleeping and someone needs something then you can get in here and find it if you need to. The phone here rings back there too. There is a laptop somewhere on those desks for you both. It has all the supplies loaded in it and as something comes in I want it entered into the inventory and as something goes out then you take it out. It is the same program that they taught you in tech school so you shouldn't have any trouble with it. I also want you to check the inventory in your free time and make sure what it in the computer is really here. All these forms need to be entered into the system and updated. I haven't had any sleep in three days so I am going to catch some shuteye." He said as he walked out of the tent then he stuck his head inside the flap. "If something comes up you can call me on that phone. My number is 4593." He said as she let the flap go and he was gone.

"Oh god is this place a mess." Ella said as she looked around the room.

"You can say that again." Sandra said. "So what do we do now?"

"First we find all the incoming forms and I will start to enter them into the system. Then as I'm doing that, you can put the outgoing forms in order and we'll both put them in." Ella suggested.

Sounds fine with me but I think we'll both need lots of coffee or we'll never get through the night." Sandra told her and Ella readily agreed.

So Ella got started on the incoming forms as Sandra put the coffee on and then Sandra joined her in the middle of the tent trying to separate the forms and make heads and tails out of the mess that they were left to. As the hours slowly passed, the planes came in and out. She began to tell the difference between the fighter jets and the cargo planes. Not that it made much difference as they were both loud seeing how they were located near the runway. They worked as fast as they could but Ella couldn't see where they were making any headway. It seemed the more forms that Ella entered, the more Sandra brought to her. They had been at it for about four hours before Ella realized that the coffee was getting to her plus the fact that it had been hours since she had last visited the bathroom.

"Sandra, I've to got pee, where is the bathroom around here?" Ella asked.

"Damned if I know but I need to go too." Sandra replied as she got up.

"We'll lets go find it and fast." Ella said as she got up and headed for the opening of the tent. Once outside, they saw that the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. The sky was a bright orange and very pretty. Ella thought to herself that with such beauty there couldn't be a war going on but then she saw a fighter lift into the air and underneath the wings were lots of bombs. Then two drones lifted off right after it. She knew then just where she was. She caught back up to Sandra and they looked around for anything that looked like a bathroom but they couldn't see anything. They walked around a bit before they stopped a airman in a jeep. When Sandra asked him where the bathrooms were, he looked at her funny and then he realized that she was serious. He then pointed over to a series of small buildings lined up in a roll and far from any of the other tents and buildings. Sandra looked over at Ella and Ella looked back at her.

"You ever used a outhouse before?" Sandra asked.

"We may be backwards but we do have inside plumbing." Ella told her.

"Looks like this will be a first for both of us." Sandra said as she grabbed Ella's hand and they hurried toward the buildings.

When they got there, Ella looked over at Sandra and asked, "Which are the men's and which are the women's?"

"I don't think there is a difference. Just find and empty one and go." Sandra said as she went down the outhouses until she found a empty one.

Ella found that the next one was empty and she opened it up. The smell wasn't great but her need overcame that and she dropped her pants down and she turned around but then she found that there had obviously been a man in there previous to her. She didn't have time to wipe the seat off so she pulled her pants up enough for her to climb up on the seat and she squatted down and let her pee go. The relief was so great that the smell no longer bothered her. She realized that the trick to using a outhouse was to wait until you couldn't wait any longer and then go. You didn't care at that point about where you had to go.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto." Ella said to Sandra as they came out of their respective outhouses.

"You got that right." Sandra said as she went to the hand washing station positioned near the outhouses.

About that time, there heard some guns being fired and they both jumped. "I know we're not in Kansas now." Sandra said. "I suggest we get back to the tent."

"I'm way ahead of you." Ella said as she quickly washed her hands and they practically ran back to the supply tent. It wasn't like the tent was going to stop any bullets but Ella felt safer there with Sandra with her. But once in the tent, Ella found that while one need had been taken care of, another came upon her. She was hungry. While neither wanted to leave the tent, they both knew that they needed to eat. So they both listened for gunfire and not hearing any, they headed back out. This time they didn't have to ask where the chow hall was, their noses told them. They smelled the food cooking and they followed it to a large tent. When they entered, they found a line already forming so they joined it. They talked as they line quickly went up to the serving line. Ella got her tray and she was looking over what was available. She was trying to decide what she wanted when she was handed a full plate of eggs, sausage, and gravy. She thanked the server and took her tray. She waited for Sandra and she wondered aloud if they were allowed to take the food with them when she saw a couple of airmen leaving the tent with their trays so she and Sandra followed them. All the stupid rules that they had learned through basic and tech school were cased aside here. So when they got back to their tent, they gobbled down a few bites and then started back to work. They worked through the day and they had just about gotten caught up right at nightfall when they started to get a bunch of inventory coming in and lots of requests going out. They processed the incoming stuff and then they got the outgoing organized, Sandra called Major Hill. He made her go over all the requests and then he approved them all. So they both worked on getting the stuff processed so that it could be taken to the warehouse and the airmen there could pull it to send it out. As the night worn on, both Sandra and Ella found it harder to stay awake and alert. The coffee had long since lost its effect on them.

"I can't believe it, you both got this place organized." Major Hill said as he entered the tent.

It took Ella a moment to realize that Major Hill had entered the room and a moment longer to realized that he had said something. When these two things finally made it to her fogged up brain, she jumped to her feet and saluted the Major saying, "Yes Sir." It took Sandra a moment more to jump her feet and salute him.

"Let me take a look and see what you've done." Major Hill said as he went to his desk and opened up his laptop to log in. Ella watched him, silently daring him to find a mistake. He was studying everything carefully and Ella could see his frown slowly turn into something like appreciation. "Everything looks good I guess you both can do what you said you could." He finally said.

"We told you we could." Sandra said with more than a little anger.

"Yes you did." He said and then he looked them both over. "Just when did you both get some sleep?"

Ella looked over at Sandra and her mind went blank. It had been so long, she wasn't sure, she just knew that she was at the end of her rope.

"I guess when we left the US a couple of days ago, I think. Actually I'm not sure now. What day is it anyway?" Sandra asked.

"Didn't you take a break or anything?" He asked now with concern on his face.

"Just to pee and eat sir. You told us that you wanted this placed straightened out. Then about the time that we got that done. A bunch of planes landed with more stuff so we stayed to process that since you were nowhere to be found." Sandra told him and Ella knew he was going to chew her out for the outburst.

"I guess I wasn't and for that I'm sorry. I caught a few hours sleep and then the General had me at the command center trying to come up with a better way to get the supplies to the Army troops. With this surge of troops, it has stretched everyone to the limits, me included. I guess I should have been a better commander and for that I'm sorry. I meant for you two to take turns and not work at the same time." He told them.

"There was too much to do for just one person, besides we're a team and we'd prefer to work together." Ella said having gotten her brain working again.

He studied that for a moment and Ella knew for sure that he was going to make them split their shifts. "I think that we can work something out. But for now, you both need to get some sleep. You're not going to do me any good the way you are now." He told them and Ella felt relieved.

"Thank you sir." Sandra said as she started to pick up their trays where they had gotten their last mean.

"Just leave that, I'll get someone to take those back. You two I'm ordering to get some sleep. You hear me." He said forcefully.

"Yes Sir!" they said in unison. Then they turned and went out of the tent.

As soon as Ella was outside of the tent all the fatigue that she felt before Major Hill came in, returned in full force and she felt her knees go weak and she almost fell.

"Ella, you okay?" Sandra asked as she grabbed her before she fell.

"Yea, sorry, I just feel like I am wore completely out. I don't have anything left inside of me." Ella said as she felt like she just wanted to sit down and cry.

"I know baby, I'm the same way. We both need some rest, lots of rest." Sandra said as she started Ella walking again.

"I know you're just as tired as I am." Ella said getting her emotions under control and she got her legs back under her but she didn't pull away from Sandra, that felt too nice.

"I'm glad our tent is just behind the office, otherwise we would both be sleeping out here in the open." Ella told her.

"Yea that is a good thing since I had planned to sleep in the nude." Sandra deadpanned.

It took Ella a moment to hear just what Sandra had said and when she did, she let out a horse laugh. "Oh god, you probably would." Ella said still laughing.

"Sure, watch me." Sandra said as she let Ella go and she started to unbutton her shirt but by that time they were entering their tent so no one saw what she was doing. But Sandra never got past the second button as she went straight to the closest bunk and she sat down. Ella sat beside of her and she started to remove her boots. She knew that her feet must stink but she didn't care as the rest of her couldn't smell much better. When she got them off, she looked over at Sandra to see her lay down in the bunk and she reached out and pulled Ella down to her. Ella wasn't so sure it was a good idea for them to sleep in the same bunk but the need to be next to Sandra as she slept overcame any fear of being caught in the same bunk with her. Ella felt Sandra pull her in close and she felt Sandra kiss her cheek just a second before she fell asleep.

"It was about ten hours later that Ella felt Sandra begin to stir beside of her and she opened her eyes. For a moment, she didn't know where she was but then a jet went down the runway and she quickly remembered.

"How you feeling baby?" Sandra asked using a term of endearment that Ella caught.

"Like I just woke up from a three day drunk." Ella said as she tried to stretch and ever muscle protested as well as her head feeling like it was being pounded by a sledgehammer.

"And just how many three day drunks have you been on?" Sandra asked and she propped herself up on her elbow.

"Including the one I just came off of, one." Ella said with a smile.

"Oh for a second there I thought I was friends with a big lush." Sandra said with a laugh that made Ella feel better as Sandra always seemed to be able to do.

"You know what I want right now?" Ella asked.

"I would say a shower from the way you smell.": Sandra said as she pinched her nose closed.

"Hey you don't smell so sweet either, sugarpie." Ella told her as she grabbed the pillow from under Sandra's head and hit her with it.

"Hey no fair!" Sandra said laughing as she covered her head from the blows that Ella was giving her with the pillow.

"I was actually thinking of getting something to eat as well as a shower." Ella corrected Sandra as she stopped beating Sandra with the pillow and she sat up in the bed.

"That sounds good too but just where is the shower?" Sandra asked.

"I don't but let's get some clean uniforms and find it. I know Major Hill is wondering if we went AWOL." Ella said as she got up and opened her duffle bag to get the stuff she needed.

They both then went out to find the showers. It didn't take them long to find the building marked "Showers" and there was a small side for the women and a much larger side for the men which was logical since there were a vast amount more men than women on the base. As Ella undressed, she felt like she was having to peel the clothes off of her body as she had been wearing them so long. She then stepped into the shower and turned on the water and she quickly found out that the warm water was lukewarm at best but it felt nice all the same. As Ella washed her hair, she was glad that she had gotten it cut. As much as she hated losing all that hair, it was now much easier to wash and she didn't have to spend all night getting the tangles out. Sandra was standing close by and at first they both concentrated on just getting the grime and dried sweat off of her body but once she felt human, she began to notice Sandra and she saw that Sandra was again paying attention to her. Ella let Sandra look as it made her feel nice and as she looked at Sandra she began to feel something stirring in her body., She had felt this before but it was getting stronger. Ella had always thought that she knew that she wasn't attracted to women but now with Sandra she wasn't so sure. But she also knew that there was more to it than that. Ella was lost in her thoughts but then she realized that she was just staring at Sandra and she quickly turned toward the nozzle, turning it off signaling that the shower was over. She smiled at Sandra and then she stepped out of the shower as Sandra followed her. She didn't know that Sandra was watching her ass move and how she had this love struck look in her eyes as Ella turned, Sandra was able to get it back together.

From there they headed to the chow hall and they devoured their plate of food, then they both went back for seconds. Ella had never eaten so much in her life but then again she had never felt this hungry. While she didn't finish her second plate of food, it was enough to make her feel full and human again.

After dinner, Ella decided that it was time to call Ruth and confessed their lie. Ella knew that Ruth would chew them out but she surprised them by not doing so. She just asked how they were and made them promise her that they would call a couple of times a week to check in with her. When they got done with the call, both Sandra and Ella wasn't so sure that Ruth wouldn't try to do something to get them back home so they decided that no matter what, they would keep calling her and assuring Ruth that they were fine.

"We're reporting back to duty sir." Sandra said as she entered the supply tent to see Major Hill sitting at his desk drinking a cup of coffee.

"I figured that you'd sleep for another few hours. Are you sure you both got enough sleep?" He asked genuinely concerned for them.

"Yes sir, and we got a shower and meal in so we are ready to go at it again." Ella told him.

"I've been thinking about how you both want to work together and I have found a way to do it but there is a drawback to it." He told them and before they could respond, he went on with his plan. "If you two would work from 1600 hours to 0600 hours, that would give you ten hours to sleep and rest. I can cover that time or if I'm called away I will let you know and we can put a sign out for them to call you via a intercom that I'm having installed in your tent. Most of the supplies will be going out during the hours that you are on duty. But this doesn't give you much free time to yourselves."

"Well it's not like there is a lot to do here when we aren't working so we would just as soon keep ourselves busy." Sandra told him.

"True and if one of you needs some rest then you can take turns taking naps but don't make that too much of a habit." He warned them.

"No sir, we won't." Ella told him.

"Plus once we get past this initial surge then things will calm down but until then, we'll be busy." He said.

"That works for us sir. So what do you have for us to do right now?" Sandra asked.

"Actually I have some supplies that just came in, you can start there as I go catch some sleep, then I'll see where we go from there." He said as she got up and left leaving Sandra and Ella to finish up what he didn't get done while they were sleeping.

It didn't take them long to catch up with the work left behind by Major Hill. Then the planes started to land and the work really picked up. They were both entering orders and then processing the outgoing supplies. Major Hill had already seen what was coming in and he had left a list of what was to be done with them so Ella went straight to processing the supplies as the people came in to get them. They worked and worked until the flow finally stopped and they decided that it might be their last chance to take a pee break and get something to eat. So they put a sign out as to where they could be found and they headed to the latrines and then to the chow hall. They grabbed a tray and when they got back, they found a line at the tent. So they again processed more supplies as they tried to get a bite down. Ella couldn't believe just how much equipment, food, and other supplies that an army needed to fight a war.

Major Hill stopped in later and helped them out and allow them to get out and stretch their legs. It was dark as they eased out of the tent.

"So where do you want to go?" Sandra asked as she looked over at Ella.

"I don't know, but let's not go too far." Ella told her.

"You chicken?" Sandra asked with a smirk.

"Yep and you're not?" Ella asked her.

"Nope." Sandra said confidently.

"Okay let's go to the gate and you can walk out into Iraq." Sandra said as she grabbed Sandra's hand trying to call Sandra's bluff.

"Hey, I said I wasn't chicken, I didn't say anything about being stupid." Sandra said with a laugh as she pulled back on Ella's hand but she didn't let go of it.

"Are you not afraid?" Ella asked seriously as they walked toward the runway to watch the planes land and take off.

"Yes, I'm just as afraid as you are. I may act brave but I'm not. It's you that gives me strength." Sandra said as she squeezed Ella's hand.

"I thought that it was you that was giving me the strength to keep going." Ella said as she turned to Sandra and smiled at her.

"Hey we're in this together remember." Sandra said as they walked on.

They walked and talked for a little while then made a stop at the latrines before reporting back to work. Their timing was perfect as the pace picked up and Major Hill got called away by the commanding general. So the rest of their shift was busy and the hours seemed to slip away. Major Hill was late in relieving them and he told them to get lots of sleep as they next few days they were expecting the need for supplies to increase as more men and equipment poured into the country.

This time when Ella got to their tent, she was tired but not exhausted like she was the last time she had laid down to sleep. They both stripped down to their tee shirts and panties and then Sandra slipped into her bunk. Ella stood there for a brief moment as she wondered whether she should go to her own bunk or do what she really wanted to do which was to sleep next to Sandra. As she hesitated, she saw Sandra give her a sweet smile and she held up her blanket. Ella tried not to smile too broadly as she slipped into the bed and snuggled in next to Sandra. She felt Sandra's arms draw her in close and she felt safe again, safe enough to fall asleep.

When Ella woke up, she was that Sandra was already awake and she was looking at her with this far off look in her eyes. She waited a moment for Sandra to say something but then she saw that Sandra's mind was in another world. She wasn't so sure where that world was but from the look in Sandra's eyes she knew that she too was in that world with her.

"Morning." Ella finally said and she had to wait for a brief moment for Sandra to come back to earth.

"Morning or should I say afternoon." Sandra said smiling.

"I stand corrected, Good afternoon smartass." Ella said as she stuck her tongue out at Sandra.

"Oh I'm a smartass now." Sandra said with a pout on her face.

"You've always been a smartass, smartass." Ella said again trying not to giggle.

"And I take pride in that fact too." Sandra said laughing.

"You would!" Ella said laughing with Sandra. Then as the laughter died down, Ella snuggled in close to Sandra and she said in half a whisper, "Can we stay here for the rest of our tour?"

"I wouldn't mind that one bit but I think Major Hill would have something to say about it." Sandra said as she put her arms around Ella and hugged her tightly.

Ella stayed there for a few minutes before she pulled back and said, "I guess we had better go get something to eat and relieve Major Hill."

"Do we have to?" Sandra asked.

"Afraid so, now let's get our buns to the shower." Ella said.

"One last hug?" Sandra asked hopefully.

"Sure," Ella said as she smiled sweetly and then she snuggled back against Sandra and she let Sandra hug her tightly. Ella meant to stay there for only a moment but that moment passed and many more moments passed before she finally pulled back and she got out of the bunk. She would loved to have stayed there even longer but duty called and she had to answer that call as did Sandra.

They quickly settled into a routine of work and sleep. As Major Hill predicted, the number of cargo planes landing increased dramatically for the next few weeks. They were kept busy for almost all of their fourteen hour shift. They really didn't mind as that kept them busy and Ella about forgot where they really were. The war was there but other than hearing the planes take off and land, they were insulated from it.

However the war eventually came to them. They should have known something was up when Major Hill had told them were the nearest bunker was the week before. And for a day or so Ella was more aware of what was going on but then when nothing happened, she and Sandra both forgot about everything other than their work and then their time to lay in each other's arms while they slept. This was becoming a special time for Ella. Even though she was spending twenty-four hours a day with Sandra, she felt like that it wasn't enough. She needed to be by Sandra and Sandra didn't seem to mind, in fact, it was Sandra that made sure that Ella came to her bunk every night. They had their quite times as they worked so in a way they had their times apart even though they were in the same room but they were close to each other all the same.

Then that fateful day as they were leaving the supply tent after working their shift, Ella heard a strange sound coming from somewhere across the base. "Listen, what's that?" Ella asked as she stopped at the tent flaps.

"Get to the bunker now!" Major Hill cried out.

"What?" Ella asked as she turned to see Major Hill as he came running from behind his desk.

"I said to get your fucking asses to the bunker! That's a incoming missile!" He hollered and this time Ella got the message and she looked at Sandra whose face was white as a sheet. Ella then felt Sandra grab her hand and she was being jerked out the tent.

"Come on girl, the insurgents are lobbing bombs at us!" Sandra yelled as she pulled Ella toward the bunker that was about one hundred yards from the supply tent. They had only gotten about a third of the way to the bunker when they heard the first bomb hit but it was far away, yet she could feel the earth shake beneath her feet. All the same, Ella felt that it was much too close to her. It was silent for a moment and Ella thought that it was over with and she started to slow down but Sandra wouldn't let her, she pulled harder on her arm.

"Ella, run girl!" She cried out as she turned her head back toward Ella imploring her to move faster.

Ella then heard that same whine she had heard before and she got her legs in gear. They made it into the bunker as the bomb hit and this one was closer but still distant from where they were. There were several people in the bunker, huddled against the bags of sand. Sandra led Ella to the back corner away from everyone else. Now that she was in relative safety, Ella felt her nerves take over and she felt her knees go weak. Sandra was a step ahead of her and she grabbed Ella helping her to sit down in the sand. Ella stretched out her legs in front of her and Sandra was on her knees with Ella's legs between them. The bunker was relatively dark so no one could really see them not that that they would as their attention was on whatever the insurgents were sending at them. Ella felt better having Sandra so near but she was scared all the same. It was quite for a few moments but this time Ella didn't believe it was all over. She was sure that there were more to come and there was. She heard the whine of the crude engine that was propelling whatever bombs the insurgents were using. This time the whine was louder and clearer. She just knew this one was going to hit them and she pulled Sandra up against her. The bomb hit somewhere very close and Ella felt the concussion through the bunker as the loose sand came down from around the bags of sand that made up the bunker. She let out a scream and she felt her bladder let go.

"Oh god!" Ella cried out and her whole body was shaking.

"We're okay baby, don't worry." She heard Sandra say into her ear as Sandra held her closer.

"No, their bombing us!" Ella cried.

"But their haven't hit us and they're not going to." Sandra said as she began to use her hands to caress Ella's back trying to sooth and calm her.

As Ella heard the now familiar whine of an incoming shell, she pulled Sandra in tighter and she started to cry. She was so afraid and her whole body was shaking. She could feel Sandra's body shaking too but her voice was calm as she kept reassuring her. The bomb hit close again and Ella let out a cry of fear. She was scared out of her wits and then she felt Sandra kissing her face still talking to her trying to calm her down. Ella just held on and she welcomed Sandra's soothing kisses. Then as the next shell hit, Ella felt Sandra's lips touching her lips. Even as scared as she was, the kiss registered deep inside of her mind and even deeper within her heart.

End of Part One

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think of my story. I welcome all comments good or bad. You can email me at numlfl@hotmail.com