Cpt. Robert U. Terwilliger

You're off to your family reunion with John in tow. The lucky fellow. I'm so glad you came by to see me before you left, though.

I̶̧̼̋͐̀͘ͅ'̵̢̻͖̜͔̬̤͙̰͎̗͖͎̬̙̃́̐̊̽͊̔̐̈̂̔̌̈́̒͐̄̓͒̔̎̕ḿ̴̡̢̛̛̛̺̟̩͇̤̹̥͕̳̼͓̥͉̪̳̺͕̙̮̱̋͐͒̊̀́͆͒͂̓̏͛͋̐̄́͑͘ͅ ̶̧̟̬̝͇̺̫̘̹͕̦̺̪͈̣̋́͒̓̾͗̈́̑̈́̿͊͌͐͒͘͝ͅh̸̛̻͈͉̖̻͎̓͑̔̓̓̑͑͋̀̔̓̋̅̑͂̅͆̀̈͘͝͝à̷̡͍̭̭̗͖͖͐̒͑̌̾͒̉̒͛͆̅̽̓͘̚͘͝v̴̢̙̪̲͖̗̞̰̆̄̇̈́̈́͌̓͌͌̀͊̑̓̆͜͝ͅḯ̶̢̨̺̦̭̮̝͙̳͇̖͖̞̱̲̽̊̈̈́͑͛̊̇̈́̊͂̆̂̋̚̚͝ͅͅń̸̨̢̻͕͚̩̣͖̣͓͍̱̠͈̹̜̤̈́͑̐͠͝͝ͅg̴̡͇̖̱̟̱͉̖̘̎͌̊́͛̂͐̏̈̍̑̈́̆̈́̒̊͊̇̏̾̕ ̵͉͒̊̓̂̀̀̐̃̒͝͠ͅͅţ̷̜͚̞̎̈́̆̐̾̓̽͆͐̊̀̎̽́̈́͝r̴͎̮̣̗͖̓̈́̿ŏ̵̥̰̳͖̱̺̱̥͓̲̬̜͎͔̳̗̻̙̟̞́̎͊̐̚͝u̵͉͔̥̭̯͒̅͋ḃ̵̟̞͍̼͉͕̳̭̤́̈̓̊̈́̿̇̊̉͑̊̌͗͊͗̂͆l̶̀̌͆̿͝ͅe̸̡͖̯̫̠͕̤̪̻͓̪̤̼̝̻̥̹͓̻̹͋̆͐́̊́͌͐̂̋́́͋̈̀͊̓̀̄́̐ͅͅ ̶͔̝̫̺̪̝̪̹̹̱͉̣̟̺̮͇̯̼͂̑̾̓͜h̴̨̡̨̟͖͎̘̺̣̘̼̪̤͎̥͒̽̋̉̍̉͋͊͒̌̃̕̕̕ͅȁ̴̠͙̗̣͖̎n̸̢̛̖̺̭̺̯̖͚͇͚̣̜̬̯̭̰͍͙͚̩͐̇͛̔͊̐̐̈́̎͛͌̔͘͜͝͠͝͠͠g̸̨̡͕̯̼̣̫̦͔̝͎̠͍̦̉̇̃͋̀̃̚͜ͅi̵̠̮͕̩̖̹̫̦̯͎̳̠͚̤̼͍̞̻͍̊͊̄͛̏̀̀̊͂̂͊͊̈́̓̽̓͌͑̈́̈́̚͠͝ͅn̴̢̢̧̧̜̭͎̤͚̘̦̼̑̂̀͋̀̀̍͋̐͜͝͝͝ġ̸̨̳̭̣̤̹̬̙͔͈̺͖͇̪̓̐͒͌ ̴̢̧̖̖̝̮̮͉͎̱̣̳̲̖̭͓̬͊̏̀̿̚ͅo̴̢̘͕͇̙̫͚̝̪͚͍̙̽̐̇́͋̚͜͠n̶̥͕̰͓͚̞͔̺̬͉̻͍̤͎̗̅ͅͅͅ.̵̼͎̞̟̲̪͕̭̯͇̽͊͂̇̊́̋̅̓̈́̍͒̓͗̈́̿́̈́͛́̚̕͝.̵̨̨̨̧̞̰̞͓̲̱͎̩̗͓̟͎͙̰̺̗̦̫̈͐̎͆̄̓̔̌̃̏͆̊́͋̋̓̂̏̉̇͠͠͝ͅ.̸͎̼̈̉̎͒̊̾̏̈́͆͑́̇̇̅̆͋̚̚.̸̩͕̥̔̾̈͗̅̉͋̈́̑͋͆͂̈́̾̕͝.̸̨̛̘̬̝̩̭̱̗͚͈̦̦̻̦͍͓͉͉̯̫͕̀̽̏̉̀̔́͊̋͗̆̌̒͌̌͗̓́̚͝ͅ

It means so much.

I'm the only one left of the original lot who isn't fully taken over. The others have been put into a medical coma to protect them, and it seems to be helping them a bit. We've gotten a few more since I was admitted to the Infirmary, though - since my dearest sergeant brought me here.

Col. Laramie is the most recent to be assailed by...whatever fell device this is.

T̵̗͛h̸̹̘̓͂͘e̷̊͗̏ͅ ̷̺̯͎̈́ͅŵ̴̡̬̗̀ͅȧ̸̙k̴̭͌i̴̺͉̞͌͌̈n̶̟̐g̸͙͂̊̅̃ ̵̨̦̊̚ņ̵̈ȋ̶͈̥̱̽g̸̛̺h̵̭͑͂t̷̗͝m̷̨͙̤͓̉̒̇a̸̡̾̿̓̈́r̵̛̰͊͘ȅ̵̠̟͍̩̾̕ ̴͖͔̥̃͘t̸͖̓̊͝͠ẖ̶̲̳̟́ȁ̷͈͔̹̀̅͋͜t̵̨͉̼͗̓̾̂ ̵̨̯̥̔s̵̤̻͆̌̃͝t̵̗̍ã̴̧̮̬͆̉͜ļ̶͕͙̔͊̚k̴̘͖̓̔̔̍s̵̖͒̏͘ ̶̡̾̋m̸̪̦̳̦̓̃̒̋ẽ̶̼͜͝ͅ ̶̲͛ͅr̸̬̯̩̆̈́ḝ̵͇̩̖͋l̵̨̨͋ę̵͈̻̈́͐ǹ̴̼̙̇ṯ̴̞̽̏̈͠l̶̤̘̭̀̑ͅë̸̜̩̱́͆̀̿s̷̼̓s̷̙̻͕͎̾̋l̵̮͍͎̀͌̅̕͜ŷ̵͕̲̉.̸̽̉̋̚͜

My dearest sergeant....

I keep running over that moment in my mind, when you....well, there's no other word for it - when you rescued me, at the Chaffee Gate. I think I almost succumbed entirely, then. I'd be like most of the others. Like the Colonel soon will be, I'm afraid.

Does this make you my knight in shining armor, Russell?

I don't want to get you in trouble. I've kept you out of it for years, but how can I resist such charms? That quirky smile of yours that just lights up a room?

The way you rested your hand over mine when you came to see me....

You're close to an answer, I know it. Some help for us. Deliverance from this. I just close my eyes and remember your arm around me as you helped me into the Jeep that day. The tender way you take care of me. It's been a long time since anyone looked at me the way you have the last few times you've come to tell me about your research. Is that a spark of affection I see twinkling in those gentle brown eyes?

It might be enough to hold t̴̨̏ẖ̷̽ȉ̸̪s̷̭̀ ̴̘͝t̷̙̀h̷̬̔i̵͍̽n̶̞͑ḡ̸̩ ̴̱͆ at bay.

Sometimes, the way you look at me reminds me of another sweet fellow I once knew, and to whom I owe so much. I wonder where you are now, Teo? I hope you're well......

Hurry home, dear Russell.

I hope you bring help.

I hope you miss me as much as I miss you.

{I can't just leave this alone. There could be a connection between this Nexus thing, and what's happening to him. This....this could be really serious. I wonder if I need to run back to Ft. Arnold, to keep him company. Then, I'll give him all the strength I can give him to keep fighting....}

{Or....is he reaching out to me, here? Special?}

{I can feel something.}

{I can't quite tell if what I'm feeling is from him, or from within myself. How much does it matter where it's coming from? This almost feels like he's holding me.... I'll visit him again when we get back to the base. He's drawing strength from how he feels about me. This...has been building for some time, now.}

{Since Berlin? Oh, please tell me I haven't been holding you back, sir. You should be so much more by now.}

Has there ever been an exorcism delivered in a kiss...?

{What would John think? I know he's not really the jealous type, but usually that's just about our girls. Maybe he's already figured it out. John's pretty perceptive.}

{I've been staring at this yarn for about 10 minutes. I know what I'm looking for: baby-soft fingerling, pearlescent white, 2 skeins from the same batch. The stuff that can stand up to being baby clothes and everything that goes with that. Somebody's grandma is staring at me from the Red Heart section. I guess she's never seen a soldier before who knows his way around a crochet hook. Red-letter day for Doris, I guess. Geez, she's got enough for a queen-size counterpane in her cart, there. Probably for a grandkid. You'd think she'd be busy enough.... There it is. Way to the back of the bin. Got the last two, lucky me. And lucky Rachel. Check out here, go get a bunch of ice, head back, whip up a little lace dress, cute little hat and matching booties..... She's going to look so adorable. And somewhere in there, help out Zeke. Kibbitz while John helps.....}

{And try not to get too distracted thinking about losing my fingers into those coppery curls.....about sneaking a kiss for my captain under everyone's noses, like how John had done when he decided to sneak over from his bed to kiss freshly stitched- and bandaged-up me in the Infirmary back in Berlin. I must be half out of my mind.}

{What would that voice of his sound like in a sigh? He couldn't be more different from John. Robert's just so classy and sophisticated. I'm just the unit's resident goof who likes to sing Motown, yet Robert lays there pining for me in that Infirmary bed. ...My captain..... Sheesh. It's getting a lot harder to think of him like I should be thinking. One runaway thought, and 12 years of salutes and strict chain-of-command training just goes flying out the window.... With Mort looking up to me like he has been, with the family being so proud of me...I can't afford to screw this up.}

I also can't bear the thought of not kissing him. ....This is gonna unleash something we can't put back. I just know it.

Stay. I'm okay. I'm even feeling a bit better. Stay and visit with your family. That's important, too.

Uh....well....I guess that cat's outta the bag.....

Wait.....what? He...he what, now?

{Robert blushes a deep, deep shade of red.}

Can he...does he know what I'm....

....feeling?

You're in trouble now, Captain CopperTop.... Just think what it'll be like. When he loses all control. And...has his way with you.

Now, see here, that's just not...{sigh}.... No. Get out of my head. It was almost better when it was frightening nightmares. They at least weren't...so distracting.... And take these feelings with you when you vacate! I'm certain they aren't mine!

Oh. Aren't they, now? Just who do you think you're kidding, anyway? Why do you think it's taking me so long to work on you? All these feelings of yours getting in my way. I tried to pull them out by the root, but they're...they're really stuck in there. I might as well use them to further my ends, and maybe then, they'll finally let me in and own you.

You mean....they....