Hey guys! I know I have like a million different stories going on, but this one just popped into my head and I had to get it out. It has been on my mind all day. I have another one that's been floating in my brain since middle school (yeah, its been there that long) that I'm hoping to start on next while I keep on with the ones still going. I hope you all enjoy it! I promise I will keep the updates coming on all of my stories!

P.S. This particular story was inspired by my own life ( Army Wife) and music. Mostly the music. Songs like: Come Home Soon and Without A Sound by SheDaisy, For You by Keith Urban, Just A Dream by Carrie Underwood, There You'll Be by Faith Hill, Wild Horses by Brittini Black, Far Away and I'd Come For You by Nickelback, Soldier by Shania Twain, She's My Kind of Rain by Tim McGraw, and Ashes by Celine Dion...just to name a few. Just incase you are one of those people that listens to music while you read to set the mood.

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Jake. Saban owns the rest of the characters.

Staring nervously and chewing on her thumb, Kimberly begged the phone to ring but she knew it wouldn't. She didn't know where he was or what he was doing but she willed the phone to ring just to know he was safe. Several minutes passed and she heard Jason coming down the stairs and knew they'd be leaving soon. She was in no mood to celebrate, but she'd fake it if she had too. For her friends sakes. Her mind was somewhere unknown. Somewhere with him.

"Are you ready," Jason asked as he descended the stairs. Her head snapped up and she gave him her best smile.

"Yeah," she said. They'd come back to his house to shower and change after the tournament and he wore a black t-shirt and jeans. She wore white jean shorts and a pretty pink short sleeved handkerchief cut peasant top and flat white tennis shoes. She left her hair down. She nervously twisted the gold wedding band around her ring finger and prayed none of her friends would notice. She was so distracted and she knew Jason's whole purpose for bringing her here was to keep her mind occupied.

They entered the party at Ernie's Juice Bar and shared hugs with friends and chatted but she couldn't keep her focus. She was somewhere far away. While other friends were mingling, Kimberly made herself busy by helping Ernie set up and refill pitchers and stuff.

"Hey," came the only other voice that could make her stop dead in her tracks. She looked up and saw Tommy, sitting at the counter across from her, "You okay?" She let out a sigh and nodded.

"Yeah," she answered, afraid to even look at him, "I'm sorry. I'm just not all here."

"You want to talk about…" his voice trailed off when he noticed the tiny gold band on her left ring finger, "….I'm sorry….when did you get married?" He said it with a stunned yet hurt tone. She quickly retracted her hand from the pitcher and started digging for ice.

"About a month ago," she said, tears welling in her eyes, "Tommy, its not….I didn't tell anyone. It was quick and just…." She just got lost in her words and tears fell silently down her face. He, always being the gentlemen, took her hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb.

"Are you happy," he asked. Her head shot up and she met his eyes. She gave him a sad smile.

"Most of the time," she said, honestly. He furrowed a brow at her and she responded with, "Its complicated."

"So tell me about it," he offered. She twisted her ring and lifted the only "necklace" she wore. From under her shirt, she pulled a set of dog tags on the usual metal beaded chain.

"I don't even know where he is right now," she said, sadly, "God, Tommy, I am so sorry. I never wanted to…I never meant to…."

"Kim," he said, giving her hand a squeeze, "It's okay. I mean don't get me wrong, I hate the way you went about it but all I ever wanted was for you to be happy."

"Tommy, that's all I wanted for either of us," she said, "I felt like I was holding you back and we both just had so much going on. I didn't want you to miss out on anything that you might want just because I was keeping you from it. I was terrified to walk away from us because I will always love you. But I was more afraid of…..of waking up one day and one of resenting the other because we didn't get the freedom to explore life fully." Tommy nodded. He got where she was coming from but he knew he'd never have resented for anything, He wouldn't admit it now but he still loved her.

"I understand," he said, "And I forgive you." She gave him a smile but she was still a long way away from him and from their friends. So he continued, "But are you going to tell me why you're so distracted right now?" She was drying a glass with a towel and blew hair out of her face. She was terrified that something had happened to him.

"I haven't heard from him," she said, finally, "In a while. Not a letter. Not a phone call. Nothing. I don't know where they are or what they are doing. I'm terrified."

"Well, why don't you out that glass down cause you've been drying it for the last ten minutes and come hang out with your friends that have missed you," he suggested, "Come on, you know you can lean on us. Besides, they're gonna be so mad that you got married and didn't tell anybody." Kim let out a small giggle but quickly got serious.

"Tommy," she said, "We did it because he doesn't have any family. His mom died when he was just a toddler and his dad….well, we don't know. His grandparents raised him until he was sixteen and they passed away almost back to back. He was in the system until eighteen and then he enlisted in the Army. We met mostly by accident. He had a friend that was a gymnast at the gym and they enlisted together. Aaron came back to visit everybody and we all went out to dinner to catch up and stuff. We started out pen pals and then it just started to change. I wouldn't ever cheat and I was so torn about it. I never wanted to hurt you. I guess you could say that I took a chance. Anyway, he and Aaron went through Special Forces training and so now, when they leave no one knows where most of the time. But we got married because he was afraid that something might happen to him and he didn't want to die knowing that there wouldn't be anybody there."

"Wow," Tommy said, already feeling bad for the guy. He couldn't imagine having no one to go home too.

"What if something happened to him," she said, her eyes welling again, "They'd have no one to inform. There'd be no one to stand for him and say goodbye. No one should be that alone."

"Well, he has you now," Tommy said, giving her hand another squeeze, "And if we ever get to meet the guy, maybe he'll have us too."

"That's really big of you," she said, coming around the counter and giving him a hug, "You don't know what it means to me for you to say that."

"I'd say anything to see you smile, Kim," he said, letting her know, in his own way that he still loved her. She looked at him and knew. She hugged him again and whispered in his ear, "I do love him, Tommy, more than I can even put into words. But he'll never have my heart. It's always been yours." She let go and walked over to their friends and he followed as she sat at the table starting to say what she had just told Tommy about the biggest event in her life.

An hour into the party, she was standing near the refreshment table waiting almost impatiently for the line to move so she could get lemonade when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey Kim," came Ernie's voice as she turned to face him, "There's someone over by the door asking for you."

"Thanks Ernie," she said, and looked toward the door with confusion. She didn't see anybody for a minute but then a few people moved from the counter and she saw him. He was standing there in dirty ACU's, holding his cover in his hand. He turned it nervously, searching the crowd for her. Her cup fell to the floor making a noise that caught the attention of her friends at the table she was standing next to and her hands flew to her face. They watched her reaction and all looked in the direction she was. She finally found her feet and ran across the room and into the arms of Sgt. Jake Fielding. She wrapped her legs around him and her arms around his neck and kissed him without thinking.

"God, I missed you," he said as he held her close. It felt like a year since he'd seen her. This last mission just seemed to drag on forever. She studied his face. He had a squared, chiseled face, full lips, a slightly wide but pointed nose and brown eyes. His hair was military cut, shaved on the sides and longer on the top. Flattened from wearing his cover, so the longer ends hung over his forehead a little. He had a little five o'clock shadow going on and he was well built, muscular and it showed. He usually had the girls drooling when he walked by, especially when he was in uniform.

"I was so worried," she whispered in his ear, "I was afraid something had happened to you."

"Nah," he laughed a little, "Maybe got a little hairy for a minute but nothing I couldn't handle."

"I'm so glad you're here," she said as he set her back on her feet, "I want to introduce you to my friends."

"I can't wait to meet them," he said, putting his hand gently on the back of her head and pulling it close to kiss her forehead. Then she took his hand and led him over to where the rest of the group was staring and waiting patiently.

"Hey guys," she said, exceptionally more herself than she previously had been, "I want you all to meet Jake. Jake, this is Kat, Tanya, Jason you know, Adam, Rocky, Justin and this is Tommy." Each one gave him a wave as Kim introduced him but Tommy reached over and shook his hand. Adam pulled up an extra chair so Jake could sit down and he pulled Kim down on his lap. It made Tommy uncomfortable but he didn't show it. They fell into an easy conversation. The group asking him questions about what he did and how he liked it and he answered and he asked them about themselves and so on.

As the party started to wind down, the girls busied themselves with clearing off tables and helping Ernie wash the dishes. Jake hung his ACU jacket on a chair and started helping the guys fold up the extra tables and carry them to the storage room. One such trip found Tommy and Jake alone for the first time.

"Hey man," Jake said, politely, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure," Tommy said, only feeling slightly uncomfortable, "What's up?"

"I want to apologize," Jake said, causing Tommy to furrow his brow in confusion, "I'm not that guy. I wouldn't ever snake another guys girl. I knew about you. I know about you. She talks about all of you so much. I know how much she misses it here, but uh, she talks about you the most. I feel like I owe you an apology. I never meant to take her."

"You don't have too…" Tommy started, feeling more awkward now but Jake held up his hand and Tommy stopped.

"I'm not stupid. I know she's never going to love me like that. I know I'll never have her heart the way you do," Jake said, "I've come to terms with that. I don't expect that to ever change. I just want you to know that she didn't walk away easily. She cried about it for weeks after and I told her that it was okay to change her mind. I love her. I do. She's all I've got, save for a buddy that has been there since we were kids. But Aaron and I are in the same boat now. Look, I just wanted you to know that. I love her and she's the best thing to ever walk into my life, but I know I'm not the best thing that's ever happened to her. You are."

"I appreciate that, man," Tommy said, "And I'm sorry you feel like you need to apologize but you don't. I appreciate it but no apologies necessary. Unless you hurt her, then I might have to kill you." At that, they both chuckled.

"I can promise you," Jake said, placing a hand on Tommy's shoulder, "Unless I die, that'll never happen."

"Well let's hope that doesn't happen," Tommy said, knowing all too well what military life was like.

"You guys are just as important to me as you are to her and it's because you are to her and I want to have a good relationship with all of you," Jake said, hoping Tommy understood where he was coming from and how important this was to him, "Because you all are her family. I don't have one anymore but I did and I know what it means to lose them and I just hope that one day you guys can accept me. I hope one day, you can accept me."

"Bro, you're already apart of the family," Jason said, coming into the tail end of the conversation with Adam, carrying a table.

"Yeah man," Tommy said, "No doubt." Jason and Adam exited as quickly as they had come and Jake turned back to Tommy.

"You are the most important person to her," Jake said, looking down at his dirty boots, "That's why it's so important to me that we are okay. I don't want anyone she's close too to hate me because I basically stole her away."

"Listen," Tommy said, stacking a few more tables, "I'm glad she found someone that cares this much. Not just about her but about the people closest to her too. It means a lot, but you've gotta know, I'm not the most important person in her world. Not anymore. You are. She loves you. Any idiot can see that."

"She loves you too. And I know you still love her. I can see it in your face," Jake said, looking Tommy squarely in the eye. Tommy just kind of nodded and looked down at his shoes, so Jake continued, "Which is why I need to ask you a favor." Tommy's eyes shot up and his mind immediately thought the worst.

"What's that," Tommy asked, praying that this guy didn't ask him to stay out of her life entirely.

"I need to know if you…" Jake trailed off for a second, "God, this is hard….I need to know if you will be there. Take care of her, if something happens to me."

"Of course," Tommy said, utterly surprised, "Absolutely, man. But don't think like that. You'll be fine."

"That's just it," Jake said, looking out into the youth center to make sure no one, especially Kimberly, was nearby, "There's been talk. A lot of talk lately, that something is coming. Something is going to happen. We're going to end up going to war."

"Are you sure," Tommy asked, suddenly tense.

"No," Jake said, "Its all rumors. I honestly don't think we have anything to worry about but if I'm wrong and something does happen. I just need to know that she'll be taken care of."

"You have my word," Tommy said, giving Jake his hand and they shook.

"Thanks, Tommy," Jake said, "I'm sorry if I got a little chick flicky on you." Tommy busted up laughing and then looked at him and pinched his fingers together and said, "Maybe a little." They laughed and continued to stack up the tables and chairs as the guys brought them in.

"Well they certainly seem to be getting along," Katherine noted about Jake and Tommy.

"I'm glad," Kim said, "I was terrified, honestly."

"I mean I can understand why," Kat said, "I'm not trying to be a bitch or anything but that letter really tore him up."

"I was trying to find the best way to go about it and I don't know," Kim said, looking from Kat to Tanya, who she barely knew but loved immediately, "Hindsight being what it is, I think I could've found a better way."

"Maybe," Tanya said, eyeing Jake just a little, "But I have to say, girl, he is fine." The girls busted up laughing at Tanya's exaggerated use of the word 'fine' and all nodded and continued to watch and appreciate how the hard labor worked all of the guys muscles.

"Good lord, if this isn't a drool fest," Kim laughed finally, as she turned back to the counter to continue cleaning up.

After the party was over, they all congregated at Jason's house and lit a bon fire in the backyard. It finally gave Jake a chance to shower and change into something other than fatigues. It was an ongoing party. It went on, just the group of rangers and their new military addition having a good time. At some point someone suggested making it a regular thing. All of the rangers getting together at least once a year to hang out for a couple weeks in the summer. Everyone was in agreement.

So they did just that. Every year, for two weeks out of the summer they met at someone's house and spent two weeks with each other just hanging out and catching up. Eventually Jake figured out their secret and what brought them all together. He accepted it and he loved hearing their stories and they loved hearing his. He became just as much a part of their family as anyone of them had when they became rangers. The only difference being that he wasn't the same kind, because eventually he moved up into the Army Rangers, which was no easy feat on its own. But still. every summer together was great.

And then September 11, 2001 happened. That day changed everything.