Hi guys! I just finished this small one-shot today. I was playing with this idea for a while now, and I really hope you will like this! Please leave me reviews if you do! Feedback inspires me to write more! (:

Soldiers

Julia threw a searching glance at the man sitting next to her in the car. His gaze, however stayed focused on the road his lips set into a firm line, his eyes cold and angry. Biting her lips, she turned her attention back to the road as well. They were heading home to grab some warm cloths and blankets for the night. They needed every supply they could find to survive the night at the school. It was getting colder and colder with every minute and they could only guess how bad the night would be. They needed to hurry too. After bringing the blankets to the school they promised Rebecca to take the ambulance and get some petrol and food from the Sweetbriar Rose.

"Is everything all right?" Julia asked softly, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. It was obvious everything was not okay with him but she didn't want to push, well not too much.

"Yeah." Barbie murmured. "Everything is just fine." His voice dripping from sarcasm.

Julia rolled her eyes annoyed and as she unbuckled her seatbelt, she turned to face him. The hell with it. Something was eating him and she was about to find out what.

"What are you doing? Put that back on, it is not safe!" Barbie frowned at her before turning his attention back to the road.

"Ha, says the guy who never ever uses the seatbelt." Julia shot back with a half-smile.

Barbie glanced at her from the corner of his eyes disapprovingly but the smallest of a smile touched his lips.

"So, Mr. Barbara, split the beans. You have a look on your face all day, like you had bit into a lemon." Julia said with searching eyes.

Barbie raised an eyebrow. "I don't like lemons." He stated.

"I know you don't." She answered rolling her eyes. "Stop avoiding the topic." she added exasperatedly.

There was silence for a long moment. "This is just… I can't believe Big Jim just threw the egg." Barbie began his voice heavy with anger. Julia watched him with careful eyes. She could understand his irritation, she was just as pissed at Big Jim, but she was sure there was something more he was not telling. Throwing one last glance at Barbie she turned to stare out the window watching the passing scenery, knowing that for now, there was nothing she could do to make him talk.

They were passing by the familiar houses and yards, getting closer to their home. On one side there were the houses and on the other side of the street the dome. And behind the wall of the dome, the soldiers. She frowned yet again.

"The soldiers are back." She said finally. "They disappeared after the bomb and they came back after you came back." The frown deepened on her forehead. "It feels as if they would be watching us." She added. She turned towards Barbie in time to catch as annoyance and anger run through his face. She could see him gritting his teeth unable to hide the look of irritation. Tilting her head Julia waited for some kind of comment but he stayed silent. She turned back again to watch the soldiers.

"I can't explain why, but I feel they are watching us. They made no attempt to contact us at all, and it is not like I could catch them looking at us but... They seem to be more real, more here than they were before." she added her eyes searching the faces outside of the dome. The car stopped and Julia realized in surprise they arrived but neither of them made any attempt to get out of the car.

"Maybe we could try to contact them. Maybe they would be more open this time?" She wondered out loud.

"I don't think so." Barbie said his narrowed eyes following the soldiers as they marched up and down outside the dome.

"Maybe I could try to stipe naked in front of them again." Julia joked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"No." Barbie said with such a force Julia raised an eyebrow with a small smile.

"Wait, again?" He frowned suddenly, turning to her with a surprised look on his face.

"I told you the first morning after the dome came down that I tried but they didn't even blink?" She grinned back at him as his eyes widened in shock.

"I thought you were joking." He muttered his jaw dropping now in disbelief and with a fraction of anger in his voice.

Julia couldn't hold back her giggle. "Okay, I was not completely naked." She winked at him. "But now that you are saying, maybe I should have done that to earn some kind of response." She added teasingly.

Barbie shook his head with an amused smile on his face, his body relaxing from its tense state. He leaned over to place one quick kiss on her lips. "No." He whispered against her lips. His voice was soft but there was no mistaking the underlying possesion in it. Then he placed another kiss on the tip of her nose.

Julia looked up, ready with a snappy comeback about jealous and obsessive men but the look on his face stopped her. He was staring out the window behind her, his eyes dangerously low as he followed the soldiers every move.

"What is it?" Julia asked turning her head as well to have a better look at what was going on outside. Soldiers were marching up and down, nothing new. She turned back to him with a confused look on her face.

After a long silence Barbie let out a heavy sigh. "They are watching." He said finally.

The statement hang between them for a moment. Julia blinked a few times throwing another glance towards the other side of the dome. "Are you sure? They don't seem to care about us one way or another." she frowned.

"They are my father's men. They are watching everything. That is how he knew about everything inside the dome." Barbie said with a bitter undertone.

"Everything?" Julia asked. "Melanie too?"

Barbie shook his head. "No, I am sure he has no idea about Melanie. But he knows everything else, the egg, the people…us." He trailed off looking at her. She could see his jaw clench, his hand fist at his sides. Julia knew that tone, he was beyond pissed. "When I hacked his computer, well Hunter did, anyway there were a lot a photos about the people inside the dome but most of them were about you and me and us together." He explained closing his eyes in fury.

"So, he knows. Not like we were keeping it a secret." Julia said not fully understanding his reason to be so angry.

"You don't understand. He was trying to find a way to get to me and I just played right into his hands." he gripped the wheel at this point so tight, his knuckles turned white. "He suspected we were in some kind of relationship but he couldn't know how serious it was. But I gave him the perfect weapon to use against me when I admitted my feelings for you." His voice was getting lauder with every moment. "I have put you into danger." He said bowing his head in desperation.

Julia tilted her head and lifted a hand to gently caress his face. "Hey." She said softly. Barbie turned hesitantly to her. "Why would I be in danger? Why would he want to hurt me? However you look at it, he is still your dad and you are his only son. It must have been a shock when he found out you were inside the dome. Then you got out and now you are back again. Maybe he wants to make sure you are safe."

Barbie snorted in response. "I debt he would be worried about my safety." His voice was acid.

"Why are you so sure? Do you really have such a terrible relationship?" She asked frowning.

He said nothing for a while. "We used to have a normal father-son relationship." He started after a while, his voice carefully calm and neutral. "Until I became a teenager and my mom got sick."

"What happened?" Julia asked softly.

"I wasn't an easy kid to handle." Barbie said closing his eyes for a moment. "And I am not such a good man." He added turning to Julia. She started to open her mouth in disagreement.

"No, really I am not." He said holding up a hand. "You don't know me…. The me before you… I was in every kind of fights you can imagine, every night. I was spending days with gambling, drinking, in jail..." He trailed off not really wanting to tell her every dirty little detail. Glancing at her he was sure she got the picture. "I joined the army after a huge fight with my dad. After Iraq, after my mom died, it just got worse. I couldn't find my place, I could not find anything that would grab my attention for more than a few hours." He said. Anything or anyone. "I became the hitman for Maxine and all I did, all I knew, was fighting."

They sat in complete silence for a while. "You are my second chance, Julia." His voice was almost a whisper as he lay his head back on the seat. Uncertain and a bit shy he turned to look at her.

Julia moved suddenly over onto his lap. "That is your past Barbie." she said, her eyes gentle and understanding. "And you can't change that. You might have had a rough start but you are not that man anymore." She smiled at him leaning over to place a kiss on his jaw. "I know you are not."

Barbie let out a sigh in relief. "Only for you, baby." He said smiling wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer for a deep and tender kiss.

"You know I don't completely agree with you about that." She said after they parted. "I have seen what you did for this town, not just for me." She put her finger on his lips before he could start arguing. "Are you sure your father did not change? That he does not want to make up?"

Barbie snorted again. "After the crap he pulled? I don't think so." His voice was harsh, his arms holding her closer.

"With the video message he sent to me?" Julia asked tilting her head.

"Yes. He wants the egg no matter what. For whatever reason…" He said. "He doesn't care how he gets it. Through you or me." He rested his chin on her shoulder. "He was ready to let his hitmen beat me to dead if it meant he could get a hold on it." The soft gasp from Julia made him look at her.

"He did this with you?" She asked in complete disbelief and shock, running her hands over the sore, purple/blue marks on his cheek.

Barbie shook his head with disgust. "His hitman. He would never do the dirty job himself. He never did."

"I don't understand. What does he want with the egg?" Julia said deep in thoughts. Barbie shrugged in response.

"Make more money? Gain more power? Both would fit his profile." He said bitterly.

Julia looked at him with sympathy. She hated to see him like this. Angry and bitter. "Well we won't be best friends I guess." She said trying to ease the tension. But it was true. After finding out what he did with Barbie, she only felt anger and hatred towards the elder Mr. Barbara.

"Even if he would want to he is not coming anywhere near us." Barbie said his jaw clenching with determination. "Not to Melanie, not to you."

Julia raised her eyebrow in mock-surprise. "I am a big girl. I can protect myself if I have to you know." She said but a small, loving smile crept to her lips.

"But you don't have to." Barbie said leaning down to capture her lips into a kiss.