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A strong southern wind found itself passing through the countryside of Dijon. The scratching of tree branches could be heard against the window of Marian's living quarters as the wind howled furiously. It was half past 0400, and it didn't seem like the weather would let up any time soon. The blonde groaned slightly and rolled over in her bed. The previous day had been a long one for her, mostly consisting of paperwork she hadn’t felt like doing. Geena had tasked Carla with helping her, but instead, the happy-go-lucky blonde had messed about and drank herself into a cola-stupor before passing out beside Marian's desk for several hours. Marian had stayed up fairly late trying to finish everything but had promptly given up by 0100 hours. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the door creak open slightly. It was Jennifer.
"Marian...? Are you awake?" she said, with a quiver in her voice.
"Jen...? What're you doing awake at this hour?" Marian's voice was slurred from drowsiness, and she readjusted herself to face Jennifer.
"I know this sounds childish, but... I'm afraid of strong winds..." Jennifer's tone was still shaky as she let herself in. She managed to find Marian's bed in the pitch blackness of her room and sat herself down gently on the edge of it. The wind was getting stronger outside, causing a surge of cold air to pass through some of the cracks in the walls.
"I keep forgetting how drafty your room is... do you mind if I-" Jennifer's words were cut short as Marian gently pulled her under the covers and wrapped them snugly around her.
"There's no reason to be afraid anymore Jennifer, I've got you..." Marian was still half asleep, and probably didn't fully realize what she had just done. Jennifer's face was now in the crook of her neck, and the brunette could feel herself flush a bright crimson. Any time the weather got bad, Jennifer would always find herself wandering into Marian's room for comfort and support. Marian didn't seem to mind it either, which was quite unusual given her temper at most things. It seemed Marian had made an exception for the brunette and liked her company more than she was willing to admit. They had become quite close since their training days in the USMC, and often spent lots of time together. Unbeknownst to Marian, Jennifer happened to feel the same way.
The wind raged on, causing the tree to scrape harshly against the window. The sudden noise caused Jennifer to jerk slightly, and upon doing so she tightened her grip around Marian's waist. Marian, feeling the girls grip strengthen around her, opened her eyes for a moment. She lazily looked down to see Jennifer clinging to her tightly, and without thinking planted a kiss on the top of her head. After a moment had passed, the air around them stood still, and Marian was suddenly fully awake, as if roll-call had just begun from her days in boot-camp.
"J-Jennifer I..." The blonde was stuttering furiously, barely able to form a coherent sentence.
"Marian..." Jennifer said gently. She looked up at her, trying to find her eyes amidst the darkness. She aimlessly reached out in an attempt to cup Marian's face with her hand and eventually found the right spot. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Their faces were inches apart now, and Marian's breath hitched as she realized how close they were. Her mind was going crazy with thoughts on what to do, eventually settling on a determined "Screw it! It's now or never!". She closed the gap between the two of them and gently wrapped her arms around Jennifer's waist. The other girl hadn't expected this to happen, but didn't reject the kiss, instead choosing to deepen it. After a few moments, things became heated, their tongues dancing back and forth in rhythmic passion. As the wind outside reached peak strength, so too did their kiss, and both girls felt themselves melting into each other's arm as they finally parted lips. Jennifer's breathing was heavy, and she could barely get her words out.
"M-Marian... you..." She wanted more and decided to take full advantage of this unique situation that had presented itself to her. Since her training days at the USMC, where she met the girl who would soon become her best friend, she had quickly developed admiration for the blonde. Admiration which would eventually turn into full blown love. However, being the shy, timid girl she was, Jennifer found it hard to confront people about her feelings. She was content with simply never telling Marian, so long as she could remain close to her like this. This kiss however, had changed everything. Something suddenly came over her, mind beginning to race as she climbed on top of the blonde and gently pinned her to the bed, giving her another deep and passionate kiss. Her familiar popped out, its tail wagging furiously. Marian's also manifested as she returned the kiss, moaning deeply into Jennifer's mouth. This one lasted quite a bit longer than the first, and once the two finally parted, Marian sat up and gently readjusted herself so that Jennifer was now sitting in her lap. The wind had completely died down and faint rays of sunlight had begun to breach the horizon. The girls sat in each other's arms and continued to gaze into each other's eyes as the sun slowly rose, illuminating each other’s faces. Darkness turned to early dawn and Marian was taken aback at how stunning Jennifer looked in the orange glow of the morning sun. She had never given it much thought until now, but she was truly beautiful. Her short, light brown hair, golden brown eyes, and slightly tanned Cajun skin... it made Marian's heart skip a beat. Without thinking, some of her thoughts accidentally slipped past her lips.
"You're so beautiful Jennifer..." she said, her voice airy. Jennifer turned crimson again, eyes widening and then quickly darting away from Marian's gaze. She was speechless. No one had ever called her beautiful before, and she’d certainly never thought it herself. Jennifer had always struggled with self-confidence, in fact it was one of the reasons she’d become a Marine, to break out of her shell and become a stronger person. In that moment, she thought back to her time with Marian again, before they joined the 506th, and how little by little, being by Marian's side had given her the courage to become a stronger person. She met the blonde’s gaze once again and said what she'd been wanting to say for a very long time, eyes tearing up as a smile grew on her face, her voice remaining as gentle as always. "I love you Marian..."
Hearing this Marian smiled widely, quickly replying "I love you too Jennifer... you're the most important person to me on this god forsaken earth, and I would do anything for you." Without even thinking, Marian pulled the girl into a tight hug that seemed to last an eternity.
"Never let go Marian, I never want you to let go..." Jennifer's vision was becoming blurry.
"I promise you; I will never let go. We will always be together, no matter what gets thrown our way. No war, no hellish beast on this earth, will ever stop me from caring about you, and loving you with all of my heart." Her grip around Jennifer tightened and she hugged her with all of her being. Dawn turned to early morning as the sounds of Carla waking up in the room next to them and running about brought the two girls back to reality.
"Uh oh, looks like the cola fiend is awake." Marian said, chuckling dryly.
"Goodness, we stayed up all night, didn't we?" Jennifer parted from Marian to stretch with a yawn. Marian watched and couldn't help but think "God, she's so damn cute..."
"’Sure did. We better get ready before the boss finds us together. That would be fockin' awkward, wouldn't it?" Marian sighed before carefully lifting Jennifer off of her lap and setting her on the bed beside her.
"Ah, y-yes... let's go get ready." With that, the two carefully made their way out of Marian's living quarters and headed off to the showers to start their day, both feeling quite content with the events that had just transpired. With their feelings for each other fully recognized, they could now start becoming closer in a different, far more intimate way.