The Gift of a Rose

Scarlett had served in various bases around the world, but remaining in the desert surrounding the Pit made her miss home for the first time in her career.  The endless ocean of blistering sand made her long for the magnolia trees and lush gardens of Georgia.  She thought re-reading an old classic would help ease the sudden feeling of longing.  However, Gone With the Wind only reminded her of all the other things the desert lacked.

Heavily accented bickering broke her concentration from the worn paperback in front of her.  Heavy Duty and Breaker had resumed their long running argument of why one football team clearly trumped another.  Since they had moved into the Pit, the two men had rehashed the same argument at least once a day.

Rolling her eyes, the red headed beauty tried to return her attention to the novel, but only found another distraction.

A rose, a perfect desert rose to get technical, hovered just above the book.  Scarlett let her vision follow the black leather clad arm from where it held the delicate bloom to the masked face of the ninja who offered it.

She had never known a man could be so expressive without words until she had met Snake Eyes.

“Thank you,” she said softly, taking the rose.

The Silent Master nodded and moved away as silently as he had come.

Scarlett watched him go with a smile on her face; her homesickness gone and something warm filling its place.