Requested by: iPaintMelodies & loukim0107 & todaywewrite
OC: Poppy Rogers

The echoing sound of another cannon being fired shook the tent of soldiers. Many of them were awaken, jumping from their cots and immediately stumbling towards the opening in the curtain. From outside there were shouts and sudden screams.

Two of the soldiers in that tent hadn't ran out right away. Hunched on his cot, Lafayette peered out through the opening. He could see the soldiers running forward all at once, still half asleep. Something in his stomach flipped upside down and he instantly felt sick.

To his left, putting on a belt that just barely fit, was Poppy. It had taken Lafayette quite a while to get adjusted to the fact that the man he thought he knew was a woman. But now that the secret was out, he was more determined than ever to get her out of the field safely.

"Are we going to do this or not?" Poppy grabbed a gun from a nearby table. She glanced over at her friend and realized how sullen he had become. "Lafayette?" Her hand reached out to touch his shoulder comfortingly, but he only forced her to start walking with him.

"We can't wait any longer," he muttered, surprisingly not in his native language. The two of them poke their heads out from the tent, instantly shrinking back in fear. Bullets were flying everywhere, the smoke rising higher by the second. Other tents had caught on fire.

It was mayhem. Lafayette's eyes flashed back and forth, having not expected to see such madness. However, it all made for a better escape.

He tightened his grip on her hand, thinking as quickly as he could. If he turned either way, there would be danger he couldn't have predicted. The smoke had grown too thick for him to determine what was ahead.

There was a sudden shout and he felt a single brush of air blow past his cheek. Frozen on the spot, Lafayette made eye contact with a redcoat. His blood ran cold as the man tried to shoot at him again. "Run!" Without a second to lose, the two soldiers dashed off down the field.

Poppy watched as fellow comrades, people she had gotten to know so well, fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Flashes of red cornered her and she whimpered in fear. All that she had trained for, planned, risked her life for, was gone from her system.

She let out a scream of terror, a high pitched one. A few heads turned. Had that sounded feminine to them? Panic flooded her heart as she felt eyes on her, as Lafayette kept tugging her farther away. But many of them continued on fighting like nothing had happen.

Only some turned away. Poppy could still feel the eyes on her back. Tripping over broken pieces of wood, she gripped tighter to his hand, praying no one was following. Too scared to turn around and face a bloody scarred soldier, she hung her head low and kept running.

"Up ahead!"

Lifting her head, she could see only a few yards away, the forest. Once they got there, they'd be safe from the bitter war. Just a few more yards, Poppy reminded herself. The injury from before was throbbing in her side again.

Out of nowhere, swooped from the clutches of her friend, Poppy was lifted off her feet. She felt herself being dragged the opposite way, for only two or so feet. Lafayette turned around at the sense of lost touch, leaping forward at the men who had grabbed her.

With their gleaming redcoats, the three men sneered at him. "You thought you'd get away that easy?" One of them slammed himself again Lafayette, knocking both of them to the ground. The man jumped to his feet, unaffected, kicking his foot into the injured soldier's side.

"Argh!" Lafayette curled up in a tight ball, letting the tears spring from his eyes. There was laughter from above him. Don't let them win this. Another kick. You're fighting for America. Even harsher kick. Fight back.

But he was too weak to even speak. From the other side, Poppy was propped up against one of the men's knees. A gag was across her mouth, forcing her to choke and scream as she watched her friend give into the abuse.

No. The word was just on the tip of her tongue, but the rubber taste of the gag made her swallow it back down. She warned herself not to cry or show any sort of emotion.

Lafayette let out a groan and grew silent. The man turned around and exchanged some conversation with the other two. Thrashing around on the ground, Poppy tried to reach her foot out and get her friend's gun. From his struggling, it had managed to fall on the ground.

She wasn't slick enough for them. A polished boot hit her straight in the stomach. The gag tasted worse as she groaned. You've really done it this time, Poppy scolded herself.

One of the redcoats shouted, "And where did you think you were going? You aren't that smart, you bastard." Poppy shut her eyes when she felt one of them spit at her. She took a deep breath before opening them again.

"Well, you know what this means. Time to say goodbye to your pathetic future." They all jeered as she shook her head hurriedly. But they weren't going to listen.

Two hands gripped her shoulders, while the others grabbed her by her feet. Swaying back and forth in the air, she let her head lean back, watching the world swing around her. The air stung her eyes as she realized that would be the last time she might ever see life. It was time to be sent to her death.

As they began singing some drinking song, bringing her closer to a tree, Poppy glanced backwards at her friend. Still restless on the ground, Lafayette was clearly knocked out, unable to rescue her. Her heart pounded as he vanished from sight and she was taken into the woods.

What she didn't know was that he was perfectly alert and alive. Lafayette was wounded, but never broken. After he listened to the footsteps fade into the distance, he jumped to his feet, swooping up his gun. He charged towards the forest, slipping over his feet.

Poppy felt a rope being wrapped around her neck. She had barely any strength to fight against them. You've lost. All she had worked for was going down the drain. And now she had to face the one thing she had tried to destroy seconds before her death.

Her mind spun in circles when she felt the world being separated from her once again. It made her eyes fill with tears even more.

The moment her final prayers crossed her mind, there was loud gunshot and then the sound of an unfamiliar language. Poppy opened her eyes and gasped. French. The man who's back was turned was speaking French.

"Gilbert!"

Sobbing, Poppy reached her hand out and he took it, pulling her to her feet. The loose rope around her neck released its grasp. Lafayette grabbed her by the waist and held her to his hip as he fired at the other redcoats. In a blur of red and black, they fell to the ground.

Silence. Gripping into each other, as if letting go would mean goodbye, Lafayette and Poppy tried to catch their breath. The blood from the three bodies around them touched their feet, staining their boots.

Poppy shut her eyes in relief and pressed her head against his chest. "You came back." She repeated the phrase over and over, like she couldn't believe it. Lafayette knocked her hat off, ruffling her hair with his hand. Kissing her forehead, he murmured his thanks of her survival. Both of them were a mess of blood, tears, and dirt.

Somewhere in the distance, there were cheers of victory for the men in blue coats. Once again, the redcoats had been defeated. Poppy glanced up and smiled to herself. "Do you hear that? We did it." She weeped in relief on his shoulder. She could finally go home.

Lafayette wrapped his arms around her, staring out in the distance of the demolished tents and dots of red and blue. For a moment he stayed silent, tears filling his eyes. And then in a hushed whisper he said, "We're going home."

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A/N: Thank you to those who requested this, including, iPaintMelodies, loukim0107, and todaywewrite! I know it's been a long wait, but here you go. And wow, the reads on these one shots are going up everyday! Your support means so much to me, thank you.