Late Saturday Morning.

ESPN was still on. It had been on all night long and the TV remote was MIA. Along with Sanderson's pants and the bed pillows. He propped himself on one elbow and surveyed the bed. Realizing in the process that he was famished. He was starving, he hadn't been so hungry in years. He looked over his shoulder and saw the reason why. Which was sleeping. Wrapped in the blanket with her legs intertwined with his.

He fell back on the bed. Wondering whether he had the strength to get up and change the channel. Unsure if he could stand listening to croquet tournament scores any longer.

Instead he poked her arm.

Nothing. She didn't so much as stir. There was no change in her deep breathing. Again he poked her arm with his finger.

She continued to sleep.

He almost felt guilty. That was until he remembered that she had started it. Reaching across the few inches of bed that separated them he took hold of the white sheet she was cocooned in. With ease he pulled her to him by the blanket and elicited a soft moan from her. Her eyes fluttered and her hands reached out, pushing against him as she stretched lazily. She opened her eyes. Looked around and a small smile crept over her lips. Again she moaned, contently. She watched as he propped himself on one elbow and looked down at her, running his fingertips through her thick hair.

"Did you bring me breakfast?"

With another moan she gestured toward her bag. "Momma G packed some Gator Tail and a Pecan Pie. She thinks they're starving you." She watched as he quickly rolled off the bed and padded over the threadbare carpet towards her bag, which had been dropped by the front door.

"She's not wrong," Sanderson murmured.

Diana watched as he dug through her stuff and extracted a cooler, removing two foil wrapped objects and a box of plastic forks. "I may have to go get some water…did you see a drink machine on the way in?"

Amused as his seemingly sudden change in moods. She teased, "Oh yeah, I dare you to go outside like that."

He gave her a look and managed to procure a water bottle from her purse. It was half full but would do.

"Did she send any messages?"

Spreading out on the bed, Diana nodded, "She wants you to send her a General, preferably one that strongly resembled Harrison Ford."

He padded back to the bed and plopped down. Placing a pillow in his lap for a tray, Jeff began to open the Gator Tail wrap. "I thought she got married?"

"I think she killed her husband."

He made a face and the aroma of tangy bite sized Gator Tails filled his nose and his stomach growled, "She did not."

Diana rolled onto her side and propped herself up on her elbow. Declaring, "She won the lotto and he filed for divorce and alimony. He disappeared the next day and they found his watch in the swamp."

After a few bites of perfectly cooked and seasoned gator, Jeff argued, managing not to get food allover, "The sheriff is probably investigating the disappearance."

He speared a piece of gator and held it out for Diana. Who ate it off the fork, countering, "The sheriff is her brother."

Thoughtfully he ate a few more pieces. Then reached the conclusion, "He's dead. She killed him."

Diana gestured and reached into the foil for another piece of meat. Grabbed two and greedily ate them while adding, "The kids are picking up the southern vernacular."

He rolled his eyes, "Dear God."

While chewing she shook her head, "But…they still have their German accents and are swearing in Italian. It's really cute." He gave her a look of concern and she stole another piece of gator. "They're now really into reptiles. Jordan takes the little boat out with Momma G in the morning to hunt lunch. And Daniel will go from puddle to puddle hunting Crawfish."

"I think we may have permanently damaged our children."

Diana waved him off and reached across his lap for her water bottle, "Oh, they're beyond damaged." She took a sip of water and told him, "Eat up cowboy, you're going to need your energy."

His head whipped around, "What about you?"

"I've been on Momma G's Southern Diet for weeks, I need to burn off the food."

He smiled, shook his head, laughed, and turned back to his gator, "How are the girls doing?"

Diana sighed. For a few moments she was silent. He glanced back at her and she replied, "They're fine but…Rachael still isn't really bonded with her sisters, she's much closer to Jordan. The two of them hole away at night and are planning their future."

"World domination?"

She was silent. Which was bad. His eyebrows rose and she replied, "They've been calling recruiters."

He dropped the gator, "Are you serious?"

"All five branches. They're really looking into each service. Jordan seems to be leaning toward the Navy or Marines. Rachael wants something with aviation, fighter jets…I think."

That afternoon…

"So, all good behavior and accomplishments need to be rewarded, Dr. Phil says. So my graduation should be met with a reward, a big one."

Having commandeered the bed, Diana peered over the end and cocked an eyebrow in disbelief, "Since when the hell do you listen to Dr. Phil?"

The TV was still on ESPN.

The A/C was on full blast and the cell phones were all plugged into their chargers. That was as far as they had gotten outside the bed and shower. Diana watched as the man she had come to love continued without pause doing his push-ups, his speech unhampered, "One of the guys is reading his book on parenting in the barracks."

Long ago she had stopped counting how many sit-ups, crunches, push-ups, pull-ups and whatnot he did. All she knew was it was a God-awful amount. "And you're going somewhere with this observation?"

For a moment he paused, just long enough to fold one arm behind his back and start doing push-ups on one arm with ease. Not slowing in his speed. Breathing steady, "I should get a reward for all this work."

With a sigh she began to crack her toes. All his exercise almost inspired her to get up and jog, or something. Almost. It would require her to get off the bed. "What do you call this?"

"Incentive."

"Incentive," she murmured, feeling the word out on her tongue, to which she added, "All right, nothing kinky though. I'm not twenty anymore."

She could have sworn he shook his head. She began to swing her legs and promptly dropped them when he said, "I want to get married."

With a groan she whined, "I though we agreed no more weddings. Weren't we going to continue to live in cohabitated bliss?"

He glanced sideways at her and continued his workout.

"Fine, when you make general we'll get married."

"Captain," he countered.

She made a face, "Any idiot can make captain. General."

"Captain," he argued as he switched arms.

Annoyed, she rolled onto her back so she didn't have to look at his short-shorts. Or his muscles while he so effortlessly worked out. She lifted her feet up and viewed her toes with fascination, "Fine, Colonel."

"Bird Colonel."

She calculated that up in her head, rolled over so her hair spilled forward, "Lieutenant Colonel it is."

He paused mid-push-up. "If we wait until I'm a Lieutenant Colonel, then I want to adopt Daniel."

Her eyes darkened as her brows narrowed. "Is this some kind of manly honor thing?"

"Nope. It's a father thing."

Diana scowled and placed her chin on the edge of the bed. He continued his workout and waited for her response. Finally she sighed, "In the event you make a Bird Colonel. In that momentous event. If you still want to get married I'll marry you. We'll see about Daniel."

"What's to see?"

She began to play with the pillows with her toes, "I don't know Jeff…we'll see. I just don't know. He already thinks you're his father. Isn't that enough?"

He thought about it for a few minutes, honestly.

"No."

She glared, "Why do you have to be such a pain in the ass. Leave it to me to pick Mr. I-Always-Do-The-Right-Thing to live in sin with."

Which earned her a curious look. He finished up and rolled onto his back. His face and chest flushed red from the exercise. He hooked his legs up and on the bed, right beside her. Close enough she leant against him and rested her face on his calf.

"I love you."

She glowered, "Don't sweet talk me."

He pulled himself up in the ultimate sit-up. Putting himself face to face with her and gently kissing her lips.

Quietly she told him, "I don't want him to loose a father."

A look of confusion crossed his face and she continued, "I lost my father. Robin and Rachael lost their father, Daniel doesn't remember and I don't want him to loose something he never had to begin with. I don't want to set him up for future pain that I could prevent."

Again he kissed her, he took her face in his strong calloused hands and kissed her until she responded.