Lacy was attempting to do the impossible, change her mother’s mind about joining the military. It was tough going but she would be eighteen in a year but she wanted to have at least her parent’s approval before she took that step. Lacy knew the branch she wanted, it was Army in honour of her brother and her father though she had no idea beyond that. It was why she was at the gym that early, she knew she had a physical to pass and honestly she hadn’t a clue if she could even do that much.

Sports weren’t usually her thing and she had made up some excuse of staying over a friends until she had told her friend she had to go study. It was early but then the gym was open twenty four hours, handy for all kinds of things. She had been running, punching and pushing what weights she could for an hour when she finally dropped down onto a bench at the side of the room. Her gym cloths stuck uncomfortably to her but it would be worth it in the long run she told herself.

Sat on the bench taking a sip of her water she glanced around the room as looking at a couple of the others she could see how out of shape she was. One year to remedy that so she could push herself through basic training and then who knew what but right now. Being able to meet the requirements was her first goal as she took a break simply watching a few others as she tried to catch her breath.

Every day that he was not either on-base training or needed in any shape or form, Alex spent it at the gym. He was not exactly an obsessed muscle-head who wanted to look tough or macho, there was no need for it but, he needed to keep a healthy state of mind and not fall out of the habit of keeping his body in shape. Being a SEAL, he had put his body through a lot of things, certainly. The days where he was training to become a SEAL seemed far behind him, even though it really was not.

Alex had made sure he had fed his dog and locked up the door.

Once he had been at the gym, choosing where to start was easy. He had hit the treadmill first, keeping at a comfortable pace for 5 km before switching it up to quick sets before deciding to move onto something that would work out his upper body, the punching bag. Though it seemed sporadic, Alex knew what he was doing. As he was changing between machines, he had noticed a woman working rather tirelessly on various other machines and bags before settling herself down at the bench.

Don't go making this weird, Alex.

Coming off the punching bag, Alex wandered over to her, seating himself down on the bench, holding his bottle in one hand, he popped the cap and took a long drink before settling the bottle down besides him. "Excuse me, ma'am, just couldn't help but notice how hard you're working. You, uh, training for something?"

Lacy took another drink from her bottle when she watched a guy who seemed to be more sporadic in his choice of what he was doing. Maybe he had a better way of working than she did as she went from one thing into the next, she needed to run so far, do so many push ups, sit ups, oh there was a list as long as her arm of what she needed to be able to do before she even managed to be selected into the military. For a kid that tended to stay away from sports at school she was regretting that choice every single day now.

It wasnt that she unable to do the sports side of things, she just hadn’t had much of an interest in it until it was required and now. Running a mile and a half was killing her, push ups she was struggling with twenty and sit ups she wasn’t even going to go there. Lacy was aiming for the most she could do but she was a way off being able to eve meet minimum requirements which irked her a lot. The military was a family thing and since her brother died, it was her thing to do and it annoyed her not to be good at it from the very start.

The gym, well she was making every attempt she could to try and get twenty push ups to forty and sit ups, well those hurt but she needed almost double the push up requirement. Lacy was lost in her own head for a second when they guy she had been watching came to sit down on the bench with her. Ma’am? Lacy turned her head and smiled at the guy. “Thank you for noticing Sir and yes I am.” Lacy said proudly, if there was one thing she had been taught it was manners and knowing who to call sir. Joining the army was the one thing she wanted to do, to be just like her brother and father though her mother. Well that was an issue she might not have to worry about in a year when she could sign up herself.

“I’m trying to pass the army physical fitness test I want to take in just under a year and as you’ve seen. I’m nowhere near ready to take it.” Lacy explained as she glanced over at him. “But you seem like you’ve got this fitness thing mastered the way you were jumping between everything. You seem like a pro at this but not that I was watching... well I was but not in a creepy way... I mean... water.” Lacy remarked  feeling her face flush a little red as she grabbed her water bottle. An effort made to make her look a little more normal though this enviroment she wasnt used to. It wasn't school or a military get together and she usually had reasonable people skills but maybe it was because she was being sneaky about being at the gym. Maybe that was the reason she was rambling like a stalker. She realised that maybe watching people in a gym was bad practice or odd or she looked like a stalker now. Great, she would have to slink out and find another gym to go to she thought for a moment, as she stopped herself from saying anything further and took a drink of her water.

Despite his whole life having to go around calling his superiors 'sir' or 'ma'am', it felt weird for the phrase to be turned on him. Alexander only smiled in response to it, noting the pride that had accompanied those words and could not help himself but feel the tug of curiousness seep in.

“I’m trying to pass the army physical fitness test I want to take in just under a year and as you’ve seen. I’m nowhere near ready to take it.”

Alex nodded, it made sense now. He grinned, knowingly.

“But you seem like you’ve got this fitness thing mastered the way you were jumping between everything. You seem like a pro at this but not that I was watching... well I was but not in a creepy way... I mean... water.”

He raised a brow, but not mockingly. Alexander couldn't help himself but chuckle lightly at the fact she seemed to get a little more flustered as her sentence went on. He waved a dismissive hand. "I've never been great with sticking to a routine, which I guess surprised my family when I told them I was signing on to join the Navy."

Being that he was a Navy SEAL, that was a fact he could not share with those around him unless it was immediate family - and even then, he was reluctant to tell them.

To relieve the awkwardness that the other party (and himself) felt, he decided to stick along the line of something that seemed comfortable to talk about, and perhaps, he could help out with. "Do you know what branch you're going into in the army?" He paused, mentally kicking himself. He should have started out with an introduction, so he stuck his hand out, having wiped most of the sweat off on his trousers. "Sorry, name's Alexander. Most call me Alex."

Almost everyone she came into contact with on the base was as Sir or a Ma’am. She was used to her father’s military friends coming over and despite the rebellious urge to call them by their first names. Lacy usually always started with Sir or Ma’am until she was told otherwise. She had grown accustomed to spotting military personnel; they had a way about them. A walk or an air that was separate to that of a civilian. She always figured it was to do with training and marching but she had never really asked much about it.

Lacy saw the knowing grin on the man’s face, oh so he had taken a test like that before she was sure. Well you never mastered fitness things like him without either having a reason or being military which given the base close by. It went without saying that people might be. Then of course she had to run on into her creepy string of words. Yes she was nervous or had no idea what to do in this setting or what was appropriate.

The more she spoke the worse it got as she wondered if that was something that could hinder her desire to be military. Talks too much, instant no she though when she got to the recruiters office. Lacy breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him wave a dismissive hand. Thank you, thank you, thank you she thought silently. “Ooh Navy...” She said with a distinct grin, “but I know what you mean. My sister is Navy so I can’t say anything too bad about it other than the Army is better.” She teased knowing the rivalry well.

The dinner table talk could get... interesting at times if the subject came up on who was the better branch. “So how come you joined the Navy if you’re not a routine guy? Thought that the Navy was pretty routine like.” Lacy asked wondering about the man, for a person who had an aversion to routine. It wasnt like the Navy was anything but routine or so she guessed. “My family wasnt too surprised when I told them it’s just the getting them to agree to it part that I’m working on. Then again in a year I can sign up myself so I guess permission isn’t required after that.” Lacy said, the hint of sadness creeping into her features over the matter.

Lacy was glad when Alex decided to stick to something she could relate to. Yes awkward was well, trying to say you were not being creepy and acting like a creep at the same time. She could feel the sting of a blush in her cheeks as she thought over his question. “That’s where I’m struggling, there’s a lot of choice but I think infantry if I can. Though what do you do in the Navy?” She asked him not realising that he might not be able to say. “And what would you suggest? After all asking is around is the only way to figure it all out right.” She added smiling.

Wiping the sweat of her own hand Lacy took Alex’s hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you Alexander. Is it okay if I call you Alex, Sir?” She asked smiling figuring she would ask first. “I should have introduced myself too, before the I’m not being creepy part.” She joked, “I’m Lacy, most call me Lacy or Lace.”

Alexander couldn't help the rather amused grin that remained on his face as the woman had continued speaking, sparking that old rivalry right up the backside. "I'm sure your sister probably would have something to say about that." Of course, the Navy being his branch, he defended it with all he had. Alex had thanked it on multiple times for keeping him on the straight and not ending up with a juvenile record.

“So how come you joined the Navy if you’re not a routine guy? Thought that the Navy was pretty routine like.”

"It is. Just needed to get away from the home...step-father was an ass." Alex said.

He had not fully come to terms with it, but the demons had been settled enough that he was slightly more open to talking about it. He gave her a soft smile, taking another sip from his water bottle as he watched her closely. There was a hint of sadness that he could see, but he did not want to comment on it, in case it was a personal matter. "Must be exciting. I know I couldn't wait, even joined up at 17."

Being a SEAL, there was not much lee-way in talking about the Brotherhood, but certainly, he could reveal that he was did demolitions, being that he had been a mineman before he had transferred to BUD/s. "Dealt with mines and all the good stuff that goes boom."

“And what would you suggest? After all asking is around is the only way to figure it all out right.”

"I would suggest turning to the Navy," He paused for a moment to chuckle. "In all seriousness, from what you said, infantry could be an interesting path but it does come with it's risks - as you probably know. Depends whether you want to be signals, a combat medic or a general infantry-woman. Of course there are other jobs available but those are the ones I can list off my head. From what I hear, it depends on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, ASVAB."

Alex didn't know whether that helped any, but he hoped that he did. He knew that once someone had set their mind along a path, it was better to suggest options than to turn them down because of x reason or y reason. He grinned when she introduced herself, nodding as she asked permission whether she could call him Alex. "Of course it is. It's good to meet you, Lacy."

Lacy chuckled and shook her head when he mentioned her sisters. “No she just chose wrong, every family has the one kid that chose wrong.” She said grinning, oh sure if she mentioned it to her sister it would likely cause the biggest sibling war in history. Then again Army was so much better or so she had been told, her dad was army, her brother was and her sister just had to go Navy. Then again the Navy seemed to be working for this guy so maybe she was the kid who was in the wrong service.

“Ah, sorry that your step-father was an ass. No one deserved that but at least you get the Navy right. Dinghies, oars, water...” She teased though she was genuintly sorry about his step-father. She could see it was a tough subject as she smiled back. Lacy was lucky to have a great family, sure her dad was away a lot growing up, her mum did the job of two parents when that happened and her brother and sister were, well annoying at best. There was no chance she would have it any other way.

Lacy grinned, she felt the excitement of signing up she couldn’t wait to take that step and finally do what she wanted to do. In the sense of serving her country but the excitement was tinged with sadness that her mother was blocking that from happening. “Oh it is, I can’t wait to sign those papers, get to travel, learn and have a purpose.” Lacy said grinning, so sure that was the exciting part. “I guess I’m just not sure my family will entirely understand that. Military family but we’ve lost family and my mum well, she isn’t exactly thrilled that I’m not deciding to be a librarian for the rest of my life.”

Lacy stared at him as she gulped a drink of water, he was the bomb guy. “That is soo cool.” She practically squealed, “You’re the bomb guy the actual bomb guy. You are officially one of the top hero’s of the world. So thank you for all you do.” Lacy said practically beaming at him, “And what’s it like, you know holding a bomb or do you hold them or just leave them?” She mused not entirely sure as at seventeen it wasn’t a subject she was entirely familiar with other than the movies she had seen and half of that was fake anyway.

“Ouch, Navy no I cannot do that. Don’t get my wrong, obviously they have great people there but the sea and the boats and yeah. Land is much better.” She said grinning. “Infantry now that does sound good, the ground force to make sure the Navy has something to patrol in the sea. You make a good point though signals, medic or general infantry does sound like fun.” Lacy had no idea what she was even capable of when it came to this. Holding information in her head was easy but fitness and being generally army like. Yeah she needed work.

His suggestions helped a lot as it gave her a place to start or something to think about. Lacy couldn’t help but smile when he nodded to her calling him Alex. “It’s an honour to be talking to you, navy bomb guy Alex. So how come you’re here today and not out trying to fish for nemo explosives?” She asked though to Lacy the sea and oceans were a mix of Battleship the movie and Finding Nemo with a hint of Little Mermaid just for the adventure.

“Ah, sorry that your step-father was an ass. No one deserved that but at least you get the Navy right. Dinghies, oars, water...”

Alex shrugged it off, trying to play it off as if he did not mind it too much. It still affected him and he wanted to protect his mother but deploying at random intervals had made it difficult to keep track. But, in all, he let out a soft chuckle. "Hey, hey. At least we get to play with rubber ducks without questionable looks."

He nodded as he listened to Lacy explain the reasoning behind her enlistment and her want to join up. He could sense the excitement and couldn't help but think about his own feelings when he had signed up the first time and her grin was infectious - making him grin as well. It was good that they had a military connection in some form, making conversation less awkward for both parties.

“I guess I’m just not sure my family will entirely understand that. Military family but we’ve lost family and my mum well, she isn’t exactly thrilled that I’m not deciding to be a librarian for the rest of my life.”

His face had fallen slightly at the statement that they had lost someone. Alex knew that the life was high in rewards but at the same time, was high in risk as well. He felt for a fallen comrade, even if they were a different branch - family was family at the end of things. "I can understand her concern, though, if it's your passion and your drive - don't let her hold you back. All parents worry, even military parents. Maybe even more so, I guess."

“You’re the bomb guy the actual bomb guy. You are officially one of the top hero’s of the world. So thank you for all you do.”

Well, he was not exactly expecting that response. Alex scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile creeping onto his face. "Ah, thank you. I really appreciate it, Lacy. Though, couldn't have done it without the rest of my team and family support."

It was nice to be acknowledged for what he did, though he had taken it on as a thankless job. Alex grinned as he listened to the following questions about what he actually did with the bomb. He paused to think about it, "I've held a dud before, mostly to get to grips with them in training but I think it would mostly be left alone, in case we trip any wires. It's not just cutting the blue or red wire, unfortunately. I've kind of specalised in demolitions, which I guess is a next step up."

Alex took in what was being said, and good to hear that his suggestions were taken on board. Though, he did not want to be the deciding factor of what she did in the army. It was purely suggestions from what he read and had looked at when he had considered enlisting.

“It’s an honour to be talking to you, navy bomb guy Alex. So how come you’re here today and not out trying to fish for nemo explosives?”

He smiled. "Man, you're making me feel old by referencing Nemo. We don't always go out fishing for explosives, y'know. Fitness is important and I like being away from the lads every so often, though I'm always on-call if they need us."

Alex paused for a moment, taking another gulp of water from his bottle.

"Tell you what, if you want at some point and being that I'm not playing Nemo, I could help you towards your fitness for the Army?"

Lacy could see that maybe it wasn’t all water under the bridge for Alex and his father, then again she was extremely lucky with her parents. Sure her dad was away a lot growing up but when he was home it was great. It was about a normal as things could be. “I never thought of that.” Lacy said laughing, “You guys with the rubber ducks, next thing you’ll be telling me you wear shower caps in case it rains but speaking of ducks... your favourite coloured duck would be what?” She asked grinning, “The cute little yellow ones or the random coloured ones?”

So sure she knew that they Navy guys didn’t play with rubber ducks, well if they did they did but it was still too funny not to tease him about. Grinning was about all she did when she spoke about signing up, it was the one thing she wanted to do above all else. Sure people wanted to be cops, medics, astronauts and firemen but she wanted to be in the army. Seeing Alex grin, only made her grin more glad that the conversation was turning a little less awkward than her appearing to be a stalker. Not her finest hour of conversation but then again she had done worse but usually she would be able to move a few months later so it was really a case of say what she thought.

Tierney was pretty much home now for however long her parents decided this time. No General to tell them when to move, just her parents. When she saw Alex’s face fall at the mention of losing someone she winced. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that though it was no secret and her family, well they didn’t really talk much about her brother. “I know why she worries I just wish she’d let me do my own thing. I’m not my brother and I want to do this for him too, to honour him and make sure that the Army has one Pierce still in it.” Lacy explained, glad that someone could see it her way or at least be supportive over her choice.

A total stranger up until they exchanged names was more supportive of her military choice than her own mother. Go figure. “But thanks, I won’t let her hold me back but I’ll make sure to leave your name out of it. Or I’m sure she might hunt you down.” Lacy joked however true the sentiment might be behind it. Lacy chuckled seeing the sheepish smile creeping onto his face. “Bombs aren’t a team sport, if you touch it it’s your issue so yeah. It’s all you though not sure finder’s keepers apply to bombs though.” She said unsure on the entire situation of that but she guessed if you found it, it became an issue for that person.

Lacy listened to Alex intently as he explained it was more than just a blue or red wire thing. “And here was me thinking that Die Hard was the way it all worked. Then again throw in a green wire and the odds get lower.” She added as she thought about specialising in demolitions. “Wait so you’re even the bomb guys, bomb guy. The one that they go to if you’re specialised in it. So you’re like the Jason Bourne of the Navy, that is pretty cool you know. You should give yourself way more credit, plus gold stars for the danger factor too.” Lacy replied almost a little too excited over the fact she was sitting next to a guy that did that for a job.

She couldn’t stop the laugh when he said she was making him feel old by her reference. “Old you look like you’re twelve.” She stated smirking, “Maybe not that young but still it’s probably too much sea water. You need to spend more time on land looking at the fish in an aquarium.” She teased as she listened to him. Lacy was about to make a mention of Jaws and a shark fin when he offered to help toward her fitness for the Army. For a moment she just stared at him, the blank look on her face before she practically lit up like it was Christmas.

“Are you serious? I mean really? You’d do that to help me?” She stuttered as she nodded, “Yeah that’d be great thank you. If you have time and you are se about it. You know when you’re not trying to be aqua man bomb guy or Nemo or annoying clown fish with explosives.” She rambled as she nodded grinning at him.