Mary watched as a white haired man in his late 60s or early 70s walked up to the weathered grave stone a few plots over. He gently brushed the grass clippings off the top and placed his bouquet of flowers in front of the old granite.

"I've found that talking to her helps me sort my problems out." He said not looking up from his place standing in front of the grave.

"Excuse me?" Mary asked. The man pinned her with his dark eyes.

"Talking helps. Especially when you weren't expecting this to happen." Mary saw the same pain reflected in his eyes that she had been experiencing the past two weeks.

"How long were you two married?" Mary asked softly.

"Unfortunately, I never had the privilege of being her husband." The man gave her a sad smile and somehow that made it even worse. "She was the fiercest woman I had ever met. Besides my mother of course."

"How did you two meet?" Mary asked looking at the man who was so obviously in love even after all these years.

"She was visiting her cousin for the summer and I had just gotten back from boot camp. We were at the same bonfire one night."

"He had us scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush! On our hands and knees!" Victor took a swig of his beer while his buddies talked over each other to comment on his memories from boot camp. He looked across the fire and all he could see was her. Her bright blue eyes. Her sleek blonde hair. Her flirty smile when she noticed him watching.

"Victor. Victor! You alright man?" One of his friends asked breaking him out of his fog.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Excuse me." Victor pushed through his clump of friends and went around the fire. "Hi."

"Hi." The beautiful blonde girl replied gazing up at him.

"I'm Victor."

"I know. The whole town won't shut up about you." The woman smirked at him.

"You know, Blue, this is usually where you tell me your name." He said smirking right back.

"But I like Blue so much." Victor shook his head and smiled at the girl.

"Well then, Blue, would you care to dance." Victor tilted his head to indicate where a few other couples were moving quickly along with the music.

"I think I'd like that." She took his hand and he couldn't help but follow her.

"We danced all night long. Talked in between songs. We didn't even realize how much time had passed until the sun started to rise and we noticed our friends were long gone." Mary looked at Victor's sad eyes and wistful smile. He had really loved this woman. "She never did tell me her name."

"What?!" Mary exclaimed laughing.

"Yup. I had to find out from one of my friends."

"Hey! Hey, Blue!" Victor yelled jogging across the street to catch up with the blonde haired woman who had captured his attention just a few days ago.

"Hello, Victor." She almost beamed at him. He smiled back at her before shuffling awkwardly.

"I was, uh, I was wondering if you'd like to hit up Johnny's tonight?" He ran his hand over his shaved head and shuffled awkwardly again.

"Yeah. I'd like that. When would you like to go?" Victor smiled sheepishly at her.

"Right now?" Blue laughed at his expression before taking his hand.

"Alright, let's go." Victor grinned back at her and squeezed her hand gently. The two walked hand in hand down the street to a small diner with "Johnny's Burger Joint" lit up on the front.

"Morning,Victor." Maria said coming up and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Morning, Maria." Victor said returning the kiss and giving her a quick hug. "Blue, this is my sister, Maria. Maria, this is..."

"We've met." Maria interrupt. "She came in the other day with her cousins."

"It's nice to meet you, again." Blue said smiling at her.

"You as well. It's not everyday my baby brother has a date." Maria teased.

"Maria." Victor gritted out.

"Relax, Victor, I'll show you to your table. He never lets me have any fun." Maria stage whispered and the blonde woman grinned at Victor's groan.

"That first date was one of the best days of my life, followed by the best summer of my life." The old man covered his face with his hand and let out a shuddering breath. "We spent everyday together. My mother complained but I know she loved her almost as much as I did. Sometimes I wish I had known how it would end, so I could have put a stop to it. Others, I'm so glad I didn't."

"What happened?" Mary asked softly.

"I got orders to Japan."

"What are we going to do?" Blue held the same paper he had only an hour ago. The paper that could change both their lives tremendously.

"We can always try long distance." Victor said holding her hand tightly.

"You know that never works." Blue cupped his cheek gently and he nodded. "We'll just have to make the most of the time we have left. It's amazing what you can cram in a week."

Victor placed a gently kiss to her palm, her wrist, her shoulder, until he met her lips. "As long as I get to spend it with you."

Blue rose to knees and moved over to stand him. "Kiss me again." He did, again and again and again. He laid her gently on the blanket below them and hovered over her.

"Are you sure." He asked.

"Yes." She breathed. An hour later the two lay tangled together. The blanket was half on the ground and half wrapped around them. Their picnic basket scattered

"Marry me." Victor breathed against her shoulder, placing a gentle kiss on the exposed skin.

"What?" She sat straight up and clutched the blanket to her chest.

"Marry me." Victor repeated.

"We've known each other for two months. I leave for the Naval Academy in three weeks."

"So after the Academy." Victor said sitting up and ignoring his nudity.

"I'll be an officer." She said softly.

"And I'll be enlisted." Victor sighed and cradled his head in his hands.

"Let's just enjoy the time we have left." She ran her fingers through his hair and Victor looked up into her blue eyes.

"I asked her to marry me every day for the next week and again almost 10 years later."

"You saw her again?" Mary asked surprised.

"We were both stationed at JAG HQ. We were both so different. She still had those bright blue eyes though."

"What happened?"

"She was an officer. I was still enlisted. We pretended we'd never met, until she got deployed aboard an aircraft carrier and I got sent to Afghanistan. I was so stupid. I stopped by her apartment the night before she left."

"Gunny, what are you doing here." She pulled her cardigan more securely around herself.

"Cut the crap, Blue." She sighed before nodding and letting him through the door.

"Why are you here?"

"I can't let you go again." He said crowding her space. He cupped her cheek and stared into her bright blue eyes, the same ones that had captured his attention 10 years ago. "I'm going to kiss you." He whispered

"Victor." She whispered back. He kissed her and poured every moment of missing her, thinking of her, regretting her into it. She led him to her room, tired of fighting, keeping him at a distance, guarding her heart.

"Marry me." He whispered hours later against her bare shoulder, a street lamp shining through the window the only light. She sighed and he cut her off before she could say anything. "I'm retiring after this tour and I've waited 10 years for you. Marry me."

"Okay." He flipped her over and loomed over her. They grinned at each other and he kissed her again.

"Okay."

"When I got back I learned she'd gotten pregnant and disappeared. I looked everywhere for her and when I couldn't find her I re-enlisted. My sister called me halfway through my next tour that she'd been murdered."

"Why?" Mary asked heartbroken at the tears filling his eyes.

"She'd been working with the Agency to bring down a mole within JAG. He thought the child was his and killed her to hide it from his family."

"No one knew the baby was mine and I didn't see the point in tarnishing her name any more or endangering my own career. I kept quiet. I come back every year on the anniversary of our first meeting though. She deserves that much from me at least."

"I don't think she would blame you for this." Mary said gently touching his arm.

"It's either myself or her and I could never hold anything against her for long. Thank you for listening to an old man ramble. I do need to get going though." He turned to go and Mary felt the need to ask him one more question.

"Did you ever marry, after Blue I mean." The old man shook his head his dark eyes piercing hers.

"I knew she was the one for me the moment her eyes met mine. I couldn't bear replacing her and the women I met couldn't bear being a dead woman's replacement. So, no, I never married. I hope you find the strength to move on though, Mary. Widowhood is a very lonely life." With that he turned and left for good. Mary never saw him or his haunted eyes again. She turned to look at the gravestone a few over from her husband's.

LOREN MARIE SINGER

OCT 1973 - JAN 2003

BABY SINGER

JAN 2003