Disclaimer: I don't own Army Wives or any of its characters…I just like to play with them…

A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting…things always seem to get crazy and I never have time to update…gah! Anyway, here's the next part…I hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 3:

Caroline tapped her foot impatiently on the floor while her phone range. It was a little before 11pm on Sunday night after a whirlwind twenty-four hours with Thomas. They met up in Virginia Beach around lunchtime and had dinner with his parents' house on post at Fort Monroe. That night they left the parents for a hotel near the beach.

Thomas was the reason she was currently alone. Unlike Caroline who was finished with her semester, Thomas had to return to west Point for finals and his responsibilities as a second-class cadet during graduation week. Normally, the couple would wait until summer leave to spend time together, but Thomas was going straight from school to Germany for training, which meant no leave until mid-July, so they squeezed in a visit.

Even though it was rushed, Caroline had the most romantic night of her nineteen years. Unfortunately, Thomas had to leave at 2pm for the almost eight hour drive back to West Point, so Charlotte said goodbye and spent the rest of the day with Thomas' parents. After dinner, Caroline started her own 7½ hour drive home. She made it halfway before stopping at a hotel. After a quick shower, she picked up the phone to call home. Now all someone had to do was pick up.

"Major Sherwood's residence." Jeremy's voice finally came over the line.

"Hey Jeremy."

"Hey Caroline." He glanced at the clock, and concern crept into his voice when he saw how late it was. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah – I'm at a hotel near Fayettville."

'Then why are you calling so late?"

"I wanted to talk to Mom."

"She's out."

"Our mother?"

"She's helping a friend who just had a baby."

"That makes sense." She paused. "But I was seriously hoping you'd say she was a Jody bar."

"Like that would happen." Jeremy laughed. "So what's up?"

"Thomas and I got engaged!"

"Wow – congrats."

"Thanks." She looked down at the ring on her hand. "I still can't believe it's real."

"The engagement or the rock?"

"Shut-up." She chuckled good-naturedly. "Do you have to be so cynical?"

"I'm really happy for you."

"I know." She leaned back against the pillows on her bed. "This is turning out to be an excellent month. I know Dad's deployed, but I'm engaged and you're going off to West Point…"

Jeremy cut her off. "I'm not going."

"What?"

"I'm not going to West Point."

"Since when?"

"Since I decided."

"But R-Day's in less than five weeks," she argued, referring to the first day of Cadet Basic Training or Beast. Between dating Thomas and growing up on posts, Caroline was more than familiar with West Point's schedule for the incoming plebe class.

"I don't care!"

"Have you really thought about this? Attending West Point is a huge honor. The education alone…"

He cut her off again. "God, Carrie, you sound just like Mom!"

"So what?" Caroline's voice raised to match his tone. "This has been your dream for so long and now you're just going to walk away."

"I can't walk away from something I never wanted!"

"Jer, this is nerve talking – it's an overwhelming commitment."

"I'm not scared."

"I didn't say you were," she said calmly. "I just want you to think before you throw away your dreams."

'It's not my dream – not that you'd understand."

"Try me."

"You can't understand because you're the golden child."

"No, that would be you – you're the son, remember?"

"But you're the perfect daughter. You don't drink, you don't smoke, you have a scholarship at Duke, and now you're engaged to a West Point Cadet. You're going to be the perfect army wife just like Mom. What more could Dad want?"

Caroline was surprised by the bitterness she heard in her brother's voice. She knew that living up to their dad's standards was difficult, but she had no idea that Jeremy was so upset. "I accepted Thomas' proposal because I love him – the fact that I'm going to be an army wife is incidental. But this isn't about me, or Mom or Dad – it's about you, Jeremy, so talk to me."

After a moment of silence, Jeremy spoke, "Don't you ever get tired of being all Army all the time?"

"Yeah, sometimes – do you?"

"It seems like our family lives and breathes for the Army."

Caroline could sense that her brother wasn't ready to say more, so she spoke instead. "That's one of the tings I've thought about a lot over the last year. Ever since Thomas and I got serious, I've been wondering if I'm really okay with spending the rest of my life tied to the Army. Do I really want to have to pack up my life and move every three years until Thomas retires? This life can make you give up so much. But then I think of everything we've gotten from the Army – we've lived all over the world, met so many people, and been a part of something so much bigger than just our family."

"You're romanticizing it, Carrie," Jeremy told her. "Think of everyone you've had to say goodbye to over the years, all the times you had start over in a new school, the deployments, and the constant 'yes sirs,' 'no ma'ams,' and 0600 hours – not to mention always wondering if when the phone rings it will be someone telling you Dad's dead."

"Sure there's bad stuff too, but the civilian world has just as many problems – we just never experienced them."

"Maybe I want to." He paused and she waited for him to continue. "You've gotten to go away to school, but I've never lived without the Army. And if I go to West Point, I'm signing away the next nine years of my life, and for what, to make Dad happy?"

"Do you really not want to go?"

"No – at least not now. Mom and Dad have wanted West Point for me since before I could walk. At one point, I wanted to go, but now it's more about them. I've never been anything but 'Major Sherwood's Son' – I just want to be Jeremy, you know?"

"Yeah." She nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Have you told them?"

"Just Mom."

"And?"

"She wants me to reconsider."

"Understandable."

"I don't know how to tell Dad."

"Look, Jeremy, when I get home I'll help you figure this out."

"You're not alone in this."

"Thanks, Carrie."

"Anytime." She smiled. "I'll be home tomorrow afternoon – we'll talk then."

"Okay – good night."

"Good night."

Ding-dong.

Roxy and Denise looked at each other in concern. They had been watching the babies in the empty Holden house without incident until the ringing of the doorbell.

"Do we get that?"

"We can't ignore it." Denise looked down at the baby in her arms.

"Why not?"

"My car's out front – it would be suspicious. Besides, you said that Lenore Baker already has been here once today." She looked at Roxy's free arm. "Can you take both?"

"Yeah, just let me sit down first."

With Roxy seated in a rocking chair with the sleeping twins, Denise straightened her skirt and headed to the front door. Glancing through the window, she breathed a sight of relief at whom she saw.

"Carrie Leigh, what are you doing here?" Denise asked when she opened the door.

"I could as you the same thing, Mom." The teenager smirked. "Are you the new doorman for the Holdens?"

Denise grabbed her arm and ushered her inside. "Just get in here."

"Sure." She looked at her mother in confusion. "Is something wrong?"

"No – what are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to our house when I saw your car out front. I wanted to talk to you, so I figured I'd just pop in." She glanced around the foyer. "Where's Mrs. Holden?"

"She's…" Denise began, but was cut off by a baby's cry.

"Is that…?"

"A cat."

The second baby began to cry and Caroline raised an eyebrow. "And that's two cats? You know, when Jeremy told me you were helping a friend with a baby, I didn't think it would be at the Holden's. Did Amanda or Emmalin have a secret teenage pregnancy without telling me?"

"Caroline Leigh Sherwood…" Denise scolded.

She held up her hand. "Don't worry, Mom, I won't even ask."

Denise smiled. "Good."

"Can I get a little help in here?" Roxy's voice came from the other room.

"That's not very discreet, Roxy," Denise said as she walked in followed by Caroline. "What if it was Lenore Baker?"

"Lenore calls you 'mom' now?" Roxy asked, as Denise took one of the babies from her arms.

"What if I brought her with me?" Caroline took the other baby and began to bounce him up and down gently as she walked. "Mrs. Baker and I hang out all the time – we're in a book club."

"Very funny, Caroline."

Denise looked from Roxy to her daughter. "You two know each other?"

"I met Mrs. LeBlanc a couple weeks ago when I was on a run," Caroline explained.

"My youngest threw a ball at her head," Roxy added. "And she still gave me her number for if I ever need a sitter."

"Yet you haven't called."

"Maybe if you'd start calling me Roxy instead of Mrs. LeBlanc," Roxy joked, getting a smile from both Denise and Caroline.

"I'll work on it," Caroline told her.

"That's all I ask."

Denise changed the subject. "So, Caroline, what's so important that you had to talk to me right now?"

"Nothing." She shifted the baby in her arms to free her left hand. "Just this." The sun glinted off the diamond on her ring finger. "Thomas proposed yesterday."

"Congratulations, sweetie." Denise smiled. "Bring your hand over here."

Caroline obeyed with a grin. "It was his grandmother's."

"It's beautiful."

"Thank you." She studied her mother's face. "You don't look surprised – did Jeremy say something after I called him?"

"No, but Thomas met with your dad a few weeks ago to get his blessing…"

"And Dad told you," Caroline finished, knowing how her parent s felt about full disclosure.

"I was thrilled then and I'm thrilled now that you said yes."

"And Dad?"

"He gave his blessing."

"I know, but I want to know what he thinks."

"He wants you to finish school – so do I."

"I will," she assured her. "Thomas doesn't want me to drop out either."

"I know he doesn't and so does your father, which is why he was thrilled too. Your dad's happy when you're happy."

"I just wish I could tell him how happy I am right now, you know?"

"I know," Denise smiled. "You can talk to him first thing the next time he calls."

"Yeah." She nodded and looked around the room, suddenly remember they weren't alone. "Where's Mrs. LeBlanc?"

"Kitchen." Roxy appeared in the doorway. "I wanted to give y'all some privacy, but now that it's all out in the open, congratulations!"

"Thanks!" She grinned. "It feels like I'm walking on air."

"It's supposed to." Denise smiled. "And now you need to float right on home and unpack."

"Killjoy." Caroline walked over to Roxy. "Can you take him?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." Caroline turned to her Mom. "Will you be home in time for dinner?"

"Maybe – you and Jeremy can start without me."

"Okee-dokee. Bye Mom. Bye Mrs. LeBlanc."

A/N: As always, I love feedback…please keep it coming!