18
"A Piece of Peace"
April 19, 2017 – 12:09:25
Soap
The Farmhouse, just outside Little Nadezhda

Soap placed the packet of Villa Clara's back down on the table, lighting the matchstick and holding the small flame to the cigar. He wasn't a big smoker any more, having kicked the habit when he first joined the military, but he made an exception for these cigars in particular. Especially when shared with an old friend.

"I remember the first time I bought these," Price said, from across the table. In his hand, he clutched his own cigar, taking a long puff before exhaling the smoke into the air. "Was stationed just outside of Havana. The blokes at the regiment used to smoke these awful British made ones. Tasted like sawdust. So, after chatting with the locals I bought a locally made one. Never looked back."

Soap chuckled. "Twas a fine choice old man."

The pair were seated at the freshly re-varnished wooden dining room table at Nikolai's farmhouse. They had been living in the safe house for the last few months since their final showdown with Dmitry Ivanov, the last bastion of Makarov's regime. With the death of Ivanov, it meant the Russian loyalist group Nikolai was a part of, combined by the western forces, made easy work of any remaining supporters of Makarov's terrorist ideals. Within the month, the world started healing. People had begun to walk the streets without fear, airports had reopened, cities welcomed newcomers and everyone could finally breath again. The news reported that America had begun rebuilding after their massive loses, and most of Europe had started putting themselves back together too. For the moment, everything seemed to be getting back to normal, which was a nice change of scenery from the last few years.

After the four of them got back to the farmhouse all those months ago, Soap was dejected to find himself back in bed rest, but luckily it wasn't for as long as last time. Kat had seen to his, Nikolai and Price's full recovery, without any of them needing to get any serious surgery or call in outside doctors for help. But Soap couldn't lie, despite Kat seemingly acting like her old self again, he knew she had changed after what happened.

He had never wanted to turn her into a soldier like himself. A killer. Someone whose entire job revolved around not caring and getting the task done. Caring is what got him thrown in the Gulag in the first place. Ivanov had taken advantage of he and Price's friendship, and then taken advantage of his caring for Kat. That was why it was frowned upon, and that was why his father had maintained such distance from him in the first place as a young boy. You had to become like a robot, putting your country before your friends.

Soap wasn't sure if he could do that anymore though, nor did he want to.

"You reckon she's done yet?" Price asked, snapping Soap out of his thoughts.

The pair had been banned from going outside all morning. Kat and Nikolai had been working on something over the past few weeks, the pair of them heading down to the village and smuggling back things to stow away in the shed. Price and Soap had both tried getting information out of Nikolai, who would merely raise his hands and say he had been sworn to secrecy by Kat. Soap was curious as to what Kat had been spending all her days doing, but he didn't press her. She had found something to distract her, something to keep her mind occupied in the similar way he had done with his drawings. He wasn't about to take away her coping mechanism for her, whatever it would be. The main thing he didn't like was how much time she was spending on it. Alone out in the shed or in the back corner of the farm working away at something. Mainly because, he couldn't be with her, and the days were counting down before he wouldn't see her for months.

He couldn't deny he had always cared for her, since the moment he had heard her voice while in the coma. And being awake with her only made it worse. Then, he became all she had left, and it made denying any feelings he had developed for her even harder. Until finally he couldn't deny them, anymore, and it seemed neither could she.

Neither Price or Nikolai had said anything to him about it though. And while they kept their relationship strictly platonic while around them, Soap was certain the stolen glances and times they both would mysteriously disappear to spend time alone together, hadn't gone unnoticed.

But he knew it couldn't last forever. So he figured, bugger it. She was be leaving tomorrow morning anyway.

"No idea," Soap replied, eventually. "But I'm curious to see what the hell she's been up to."

Price nodded, exhaling more cigar smoke. Soap must have been sporting a worried look, because Price looked over to him, removing the cigar from his mouth.

"She'll be great you know, over there."

Soap cleared his throat, taking a long puff of the cigar.

"I know she will," he replied, trying to hide his sadness.

Price watched him for a moment, surveying his response before placing his cigar back in his mouth.

"It's all she ever wanted, isn't it?" Price pointed out. "To be a doctor like her father. And she even gets all of her education sped through because of her on field experience. She'll be back before you know it, and then we won't be able to get rid of her if we tried."

Soap wanted to smile. To say all that was true and he was happy for her, and he was… but he knew he'd miss her. Bloody hell he'd miss her. And things would be worse once they were reunited, not better. Because then he'd have to deal with the fact that they would be on the same team, the same squad. The now re-established, Task Force 141.

Soap had thought Price was joking when he first told him his plan. Price had put Kat forward as a new recruit for the squad, despite her lack of training. He had been so impressed with her on field work rescuing Soap and her survival before that whist on the run, he had managed to convince the military that she was more than qualified for the job, and they needed new squad members. This led to Kat being accepted at a prominent Russian Hospital, where she would earn a basic medical degree. She then would do a month of training back in the U.K, where they would meet back up with her as then an official member of the squad as their combat medic.

Soap had first thought Kat would refuse the offer. After all, she had been having nightmares of her fight with Ivanov since it happened. Every other night she'd wake up in a cold sweat, thrashing the covers and tears streaming down her face. When this happened, he would just hold her close and wait for the nightmare to stop, before she'd finally fall quiet again.

He thought surely after that, the last thing she wanted to do was go back into a fight, but if anything, it drove her more. She knew that if she hadn't been there, Price could have died. She was paramount in getting them all out alive, which was all she wanted - to save people. And she knew she do that if she joined them. Soap wasn't about to protest a noble reason like that, despite the fact he knew their fleeting romance would surely have to end. If Price and his friendship could be exploited so easily, then he feared what people would do if they found out about them.

"Hey, son," Price said. Soap looked over to Price who was still watching him. Soap knew his eyes looked sad, but he didn't try to hide them. It wasn't worth it with Price; the man could read a person like a newspaper. "I know in the Task Force we have rules and guidelines we have to follow. You know, all that kinda bullshit you have to do in the military. But if there's one thing I've never done, it's listen to the ones I think are horseshit. Caring doesn't make you weak. Hell, I watched a girl who had never been in an argument in her life, swim through a sewer tunnel, sneak through a heavily guarded Gulag, run out in the open during a firefight, and save my life all because she cared for you. If that makes you weak, then consider me the weakest man in the world, because that seems pretty damn strong to me."

"But Price-"

"Fuck the rules Soap," Price cut off, quickly. "They'd never look out for you. Why should you them?"

Soap went to respond, before he heard a pair of heavy boots walk into the room from behind him. He looked around to see Nikolai, fresh from outside, a thick woolen beanie stretched out over his head.

"We're ready, come on!" Nikolai ordered, gesturing for them to follow.

Price and Soap begrudgingly stubbed out their cigars, before standing up and following Nikolai out through the living room to the front door. They threw on some heavier coats that were draped over the coat rack, before emerging out into the frosty early afternoon. The sun was high in the sky, but in true Russian style, the snow wasn't eager to leave, with a thin layer of snow still layering the ground.

They followed Nikolai out past the helicopter to the very back area of the farmhouse land, where Kat stood just before the tree line and the fence. In front of her, were an array of intricately carved grey head stones, all of which with delicately detailed engravings.

Kat turned around as she saw them coming. She wore her favorite dark coat and her hair was, as usual, swept to the side in a thick braid. Her cheeks were red from being out in the cold, and Soap wanted nothing more than to sweep her into a hug to warm her up, but instead he merely offered her a sweet smile.

"So, this is what she's been working on," Price said, arms outstretched. He looked at the headstones and narrowed his eyes. "A graveyard?"

"A very specific graveyard," Kat replied, turning around to face the stones, the 3 men standing around her. "After you told me you had arranged for my Papa and brother to be buried for me Price, I realized that while I want to return to Prague one day to visit them, I don't know if I'm strong enough yet. I also realized that you three probably didn't have a space to go to grieve your fallen friends and family. So, I made a space for all of us. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. We have extra stones just in case."

Soap felt a prickle behind his eyes as he scanned over the names on the headstones. Some he didn't recognize, probably Price's old regiment members or Nikolai's Loyalist comrades who had fallen in battle. But others he knew all too well…

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Gary "Roach" Sanderson

Yuri

Dr Jaroslav Svoboda

Andrej Svoboda

Tereza Svobodová

All of them given a proper resting place in an area just for them. She had planted an array of gorgeous frost resistant shrubs and flowers all around, even placing a small stone bench just to the side. It was the perfect place to come, sit and reflect on those who they had lost, something they had all never really had before.

It was beautiful.

"This is amazing Kat," Soap commended, looking to her and smiling. "Thank you."

"Everyone deserves a place to rest," Kat said, slowly. "I'm just glad all these people have that now. The people we cared for, can finally be a peace, all together."

The four stood in silence for a moment, the gentle breeze rustling through the trees and shrubs, as a soft sprinkle of snow fell from the sky, as if nature itself was agreeing with Kat's sentiment.

"You're a good kid, Kat," Price said, eventually. "I'm gonna go make us some tea."

He gave Kat a soft pat on the shoulder before turning around and heading back to the farmhouse. Nikolai promptly followed, nodding at the remaining pair before disappearing also.

Soap and Kat stood in silence for a while, before Soap wrapped his cold hand around hers.

"I'm glad ye could finish it before leaving," Soap said, quietly. "It'll be nice for me to come out here when you're gone."

Kat looked over to him.

"It's not like I'm going completely off the grid," she replied. "We can still talk."

Soap shrugged.

"It won't the same," he said. "We can't… Once we're back together, we're also back on the clock. Things'll change."

"Things always have to change," Kat said. "That doesn't make it always bad."

Silence fell over them again, as the sun dipped behind a cloud, covering them in shadows. There was so much Soap wanted to say, wanted to express, but it was never his strong suit for obvious reasons. Being with Kat was the closest he'd ever been to properly feeling things, properly wanting normal things like a picket fence and a family. He had always said he couldn't have those things, wasn't the right person for it nor would he be allowed. But now, more than anything, part of him wondered if he could have both?

"I love you," he said it before he could even stop himself. He had never said it to anyone before. None of his high school girlfriends, or the women he had left just before joining the Task Force. But he could say it now. "You know that, right?"

Kat grinned.

"Well, I should hope so," Kat smiled, impishly. "I did save your life, multiple times."

"I think yer meant to just say it back y'know," Soap teased, shaking his head.

Kat giggled and lent up against him, her head nestled under his chin.

"I don't know what will happen next," she replied, the pair of them looking forward together. "But I do know that working with you and Price will mean I can help people, and that's all I've wanted. On top of that, I get to stay with you." She looked up at him with her bright blue eyes. "And that I know, is a good thing."

He lent down and kissed her; her lips cold from the snow. He hated being so unsure about what would be coming next, but she was right. Whatever it was, at least they could face it together, along with Price and Nikolai, and anyone else who would eventually join their relaunched squad. Price had been saying for weeks that he knew something new was on the horizon. With Makarov dead and all his followers either arrested, dead or in hiding, there was a power vacuum now. An empty position for the, "world's next biggest asshole" as Price had put it. Soon, someone would ultimately take that space, making waves for the rest of the world and it would be up to them, once again, to stop them.

There was no rest for the wicked, and the world had too many wicked people in it for the good people to rest either.

Eventually, they broke apart, Kat stepping forward and picking some flowers off a nearby bush and placing them in front of each of the headstones, pausing for a moment at each, even the ones she didn't know. She returned to Soap's side, taking his hand again.

"Time for tea?" Soap asked her.

She smiled.

"That sounds great," Kat replied, eagerly.

Soap was glad finally for some good British tea, and while Ghost had always made the best cuppa, Price had gotten better over the years.

The pair made their way through the freshly fallen snow back towards the farm house, leaving long streaks in the snow from their footprints. They walked up the steps and crossed the front porch, Soap opening the door when he noticed Kat had paused behind him.

"Ye 'lright?" Soap asked, looking back to her.

"I just remembered something I've been meaning to ask you!" Kat cried; her eyes wide.

"What is it?" Soap asked, crossing his arms definitely.

"Why do they call you 'Soap'?" she asked, grinning. "Like… what's all about? I know they give nicknames in the military; I've gathered that... but why 'Soap'?"

She was practically giggling as she spoke, and Soap shook his head a little. He hoped he'd not to have to explain it to her, as it was a rather long and unfortunate story.

"Well, it's a long story," Soap began. "Come on, I'll tell ye inside."

Kat grinned excitedly, as he opened the door, letting her in first before following and closing it behind him.

He still wasn't sure what the future held, but he was glad of a few things. One, that he hadn't died in a bar in Prague. Two, that he had found Price and that World War Three was finally over. And three, that after all those years of not caring, he had finally found someone worth caring for, and was cared for in return. And even though tomorrow meant change would come, he would face it head on like he always did and he would face it with more vigor, and power than in the past. Why? Because now he realized that he had people worth fighting for, and that that sure as hell didn't make him weak or useless. On the contrary, it made him stronger than he had ever been before.

And he realized, even if it was just for that moment, that he was finally happy.


A/N: And we did it, we have reached the end! A BIG thank you to everyone who has given this fic a read, especially those of you who went out of your way to favorite/follow, or leave a review! Extra special shout outs to Shy911, Antoinebp23 and codfan56 for leaving multiple lovely reviews. Thanks of course to Infinity Ward for creating such wonderful characters like Soap, Price, and Nikolai whom I had such fun writing dialogue for and trying to capture their voices as best as I could. And lastly, thank YOU for enjoying Kat as a character. Writing OC's into established worlds can be tough, but I'm glad you all seemed to like her! Even though Soap died in MW3, he can still live on in our hearts and in this fic! I might come back to writing COD fanfics one day when an idea strikes, but for now I hope to see you again in my next stories. Take care out there everyone! Much love and see you next time, Sarah :) x