Chapter Text
Author’s notes:
Warning
This fic deals heavily with war, trauma, and the long aftermath of violence. It includes depictions of the Vietnam War, gun violence, injury, psychological collapse, grief, survivor’s guilt, rape, and themes of self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt. This story does not soften those realities or treat them gently.
Please read with care and step away if you need to.
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About This Story
I started this fic in 2022, right after season 4 ended, and it’s lived with me longer than most things I’ve written. A lot of care went into getting the tone right, the era right, and the emotional weight right instead of dramatic for its own sake.
This is a story about love under impossible conditions, about what war takes and what it leaves behind, and about how the damage doesn’t disappear just because the fighting stops. I tried to treat the history, the trauma, and these characters with respect.
Nothing here is meant to glorify war or suffering. It’s meant to show the cost and the after.
Letting this fic exist outside my writing space feels strange in a way that’s hard to explain, but it’s time to let it be read.
Thank you for handling it gently.
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Support Note
If this story brings up difficult feelings for you, or you’re going through hard time. Help is available, and reaching out is NOT weakness.
— U.S. & Canada: 988.
— UK & ROI 116 123.
— Australia: 13 11 14
— Elsewhere: findahelpline.com
Take care of yourself, step away if you need to, and read at your own pace.
Your mental health and well being matters more than finishing a chapter.