PROLOGUE
Coming Home
She held large the dark green duffel bag close to her as she carried it over her shoulder. She kept her eyes cast downward as she stepped off the bus that just transported her from the base to the nearest bus station within San Diego. Her other hand held camouflage jacket that had seen many battles. The grey USMC t-shirt fit snuggly against her toned chest, the letters going right across her breasts. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and her feet were adorned with tan combat marine boots.
The sun was bright as it blazed down over the southern city of California, but the heat didn't phase her one bit as she finally looked up and around for the blue eyes she'd been dying to see for nearly six months now. She found them, after searching amongst the busy crowd. It was hard not to drop the heavy duffel bag she still held tightly over her shoulder and run to her lover. The blue eyes and long, what appeared to be lighter brown hair now was a sight she didn't think she'd ever see again after her most recent tour in Iraq. Pictures, letters and dreams were the only thing that got her through the lonely nights of bombings, gun shootings, blood and eerie silence after a battle.
Their eyes locked and they were soon face to face, trying to figure out if the moment was real. Finally, she dropped the bag at their feet and wrapped her arms around the slender waist of the woman in front of her—her arms going around her neck in retaliation.
"God, I missed you so much," Alex let out as she held Marissa tightly.
Marissa choked back a sob as she buried her face in Alex' hair, "I missed you too, I'm so glad you're home."
Why was their meeting after six long months apart in a busy bus station instead of on base like all the other returning Marines? One law—don't ask, don't tell.
For those of you that don't live in the United States, and even those that do if you don't know, in the military there is a standing law called Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The definition of it says that gay and/or bisexual men and women cannot participate in acts of homosexuality freely. You are not to speak of it nor ask about it, rendering the Don't Ask, Don't Tell title. Until recently, this law has been in effect for many years, and maybe it was in 'protection' of the homosexuals as claimed, but it took away freedom. Thanks to President Obama, this law is going to hopefully be written out, giving the homosexual community a boost in their rights. I started writing this before President Obama declared it be done with, so it will play into this fiction. This is a serious matter but this is purely fiction (characters, etc – the idea of it is very real and many men and women have had to go through this).