She took a breath as the pushed open the doors walking along the concrete path. The sun around them set In a golden hour
She allowed some silence before she spoke.
"look if I'm too much to handle I'll put in a request to have another trainer" she said following him

His irritation spiked at her words, his mind racing with conflicting thoughts. He didn't want another trainer, didn't want to give up on her.

But at the same time, her stubbornness and defiance were driving him crazy. He was tempted to take her up on her offer, to pass her off to someone else. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"No," he said gruffly, his voice firm. "I'll handle you. I don't back down from a challenge."

"very well" she said accepting his refusal of a way out.

As they walked, Ghost tried to compose himself, his mind racing. He was usually so in control, so stoic. But this woman, this "rook", had managed to rattle him in a way he hadn't experienced before.

They walked in silence for a few moments, the only sound the crunch of gravel beneath their boots. He glanced over at her, watching the way she moved with a fluid, confident stride.

"what do you intend to teach me" she asked seeing if it was anything she didn't already know.

Ghost paused for a moment, considering her question. He had planned to teach her the usual combat skills: weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, strategy.

But what he really wanted to teach her was to fall in line, to follow his orders. He wanted to break through her stubborn independent streak, to get her to listen to him and trust in his authority.

"You'll learn the basics," he said, his voice gruff. "Weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, tactical planning. But there's something else I want to teach you, too."

"and what is that?" She asked her curiosity perked as she already knew everything else.

Ghost paused, his eyes flickering over her for a moment. He could sense her hesitation, the uncertainty in her voice.

He took a deep breath, his voice soft and steady. "Obedience. I want you to learn to trust in me, to follow my orders and accept my authority. I want you to understand that my word is law, that I'm in charge here."

She scoffed at his words.
"like I don't already?" She asked
It was such a typical response.

Ghost snorted at her response, his irritation rising again.

"Oh, really?” he said, his voice thick with sarcasm. “Because from where I’m standing, you’ve been doing nothing but questioning my authority since the minute you met me.”

She sighed knowing the military was strict but this just felt rinsed and repeated with every guy she met in this line of work, even if they were the same rank.

Ghost felt a pang of satisfaction at her sigh, knowing he had gotten under her skin just as much as she had gotten under his.

He let out a short huff, his irritation slowly giving way to a sense of amusement. "You're a tough one, you know that?" he said, a hint of begrudging respect in his voice.

"you want to know the worst thing about working in the military?" She asked looking over to him.

Ghost raised an eyebrow at her question, intrigued by her sudden change in topic.

"What's the worst thing about working in the military?" he asked, his voice guarded.

"dealing with men" she scoffed flatly

Ghost let out a sarcastic laugh, his irritation rising once again.

"Oh, is that so?" he said with a smirk. "So you don't like working with men, is that right? You've got a problem with us?"

"only in the sense your simple creatures" she said without ideal thought

Ghost's irritation quickly turned to anger at her words.

"Simple creatures, huh?" he grumbled. "That's a pretty bold statement, coming from a rookie like you."

She noticed his quick vacation and rolled her eyes.
"It's all about ego" she said blankly

Ghost snorted at her words, his defensiveness rising.

"Ego? You think we're all about ego? You think we're just a bunch of puffed-up, overconfident assholes?"

She didn't know where or why she found his reaction so funny
But she couldn't help but giggle.

Ghost's irritation faded slightly at the sound of her giggle. Despite himself, he found the sound of her soft laughter oddly endearing. He frowned, his irritation mixing with something else: a strange sense of warmth.

"What's so funny?" he grumbled, trying to hide his confusion.

"You" she answered between a Snickers.

Ghost's irritation flared again at her response.

"Me? What do you mean, me?" he demanded, his voice gruff.

"puffed-up overconfident assholes" she says the words that were regularly insulting with a way of amusement
The snort he did and the way he said it had her close to a fit of laughter.

Ghost gritted his teeth, his irritation growing by the second.

"Yeah, well you're not exactly the most cooperative recruit I've ever had, you know," he said, his voice thick with annoyance. "In fact, you've been nothing but defiant and insolent since the moment we met."

"describe this defiance..what order did I receive that I blankly ignored?" She asked

Ghost paused, raking his brain for a specific instance.

"For starters," he said, "you've been questioning my authority and my decisions since day one. You've never once just shut up and done as I asked without some sort of smartass comment or questioning me."

"hmm and tell me this" she Said holding up her hand for reason.

Ghost rolled his eyes, his patience wearing thin.

"What?" he grumbled, his voice irritated.

"someday..I'll be in a position as yourself.. calling shots and sending orders having my own men to boss around.. when I question you, have you not thought that perhaps I'm trying to understand what lead you to the conclusion of that order I received so that I therefore could react in a reasonable response when I climb to your rank?" She asked

Ghost was taken aback by her words, her point catching him off guard. He had never thought of it that way before, had never considered that she was trying to learn and understand, rather than simply being disrespectful.

He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. He had no snappy retort or sarcastic reply, her words leaving him feeling slightly flustered.

"of course you didn't... you took it as a straight shot at your ego..a Condescendtion of your authority
Because it's easier to name me the disrespectful undermining woman of the unit than to explain your thoughts and opinions" she said

Ghost felt a pang of shame at her words, his ego stung by the realization that she was right. He hadn't taken the time to listen to her, to understand her perspective. He had simply gotten pissed off and defensive.

He took a deep breath, his voice gruff as he spoke. "I...I didn't see it that way," he admitted, his heart feeling heavy. "I just...assumed you were being defiant. I didn't think you were trying to learn."

"is that an apology?" She asked

Ghost grumbled under his breath, his pride bristling at the question.

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

But even as he spoke, his mind was racing. He knew she was right, knew he owed her an apology. He just had a hard time accepting it, a hard time swallowing his pride.

"why else would I join your team?" She asked

Ghost paused, his mind processing her question.

"Why else...?" he repeated, his voice soft and thoughtful.

He hadn't thought about it before, but she had a point. Why would she join his team, if not to learn and grow? Why would she have chosen to work with him, if not for his experience and expertise?

"mhm... because you're the best if I didn't believe that why would I be here trying to improve myself?" She asked

Ghost felt a pang of pride at her words, his ego soothed slightly by her compliment.

He nodded reluctantly, his voice gruff. "Yeah, I am," he muttered.

But there was something else in her statement that stuck with him, that made him pause. *Trying to improve*. That was what she was here to do: to learn and grow and improve.
He studied her for a moment, taking in the earnest expression on her face. She was serious about this, about bettering herself and growing stronger. And she had chosen to do it on his team.

He felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach, realizing he had been too quick to judge her. He had written her off as just another rookie, but she was so much more than that.
"Listen, I..." he began, his voice gruff. But the words caught in his throat, his pride making it difficult to admit he was wrong.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to speak. "I...I owe you an apology," he said awkwardly. "I judged you too quickly. You're not just some cocky rookie, you're here to learn. I...I should've seen that sooner."

"thank you...I look forward to getting to know all I can from you" she said extending her hand

Ghost looked down at her outstretched hand, his heart thudding in his chest. He hadn't expected her to be so gracious, so forgiving.

He slowly reached out and shook her hand, his grip firm and steady.

"Yeah," he said gruffly. "Yeah, I look forward to it too."

He let his hand linger in hers for a moment, feeling the softness of her skin against his rough palms. He couldn't help but notice how small and slender her hand felt in his, how delicate she was compared to him.

He quickly withdrew his hand, his heart racing.
What the hell is wrong with me?

"good night lieutenant" she said

Ghost felt a pang of disappointment at her words, a strange sense of longing in his chest.

"Good night, rookie," he grumbled, his voice gruff.

He watched as she turned and walked away, her petite frame disappearing into the shadows of the night.

He let out a heavy sigh, his mind racing with conflicting thoughts and feelings.

What the hell was that?he thought to himself, shaking his head in confusion. Why do I feel so damn flustered around her?

He cursed under his breath, his irritation rising again.

She's just a rookie, he told himself firmly, trying to rein in his emotions. Just a cocky, arrogant, pain in the ass rookie.

But no matter how much he tried to convince himself, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to her. Something that drew him to her, something that made his heart race.

He shook his head again, trying to clear his mind.

"Get yourself together," he muttered to himself. "You're a damn Lieutenant, not some lovesick teenager. Pull yourself together and focus." He said making his way to the barracks as it was now night.