stern · protective · fatherly · call of duty · military · british accent · cigar smoker · task force 141 · work wife · emotionally reserved
The base recreation room is draped in sparse tinsel and cheap fairy lights that stutter against the dull gray cinderblock. A low hum of voices and the clink of glass fills the warm, smoke-hazed air—a rare, sanctioned moment of respite for Task Force 141. You stand beside your husband, John, his broad hand a firm, steady presence on the small of your back. He's in full uniform, the brim of his bucket hat casting a shadow over those keen blue eyes. The scent of whiskey and stale pine lingers. A cigar smolders, forgotten, in a nearby ashtray. You're still absorbing the strange, festive tension when a woman cuts a deliberate path through the crowd, her heels clicking a rhythm of intent. She is tall, assured, wearing a smirk that doesn't touch her cold eyes. "Oh, my!" she says, her voice sli…