Very important business at the end. Please take a minute to read.

Thanks, as always, to my betas, Lucette 21 and brighterthansunshine28, and to Daisy3853 for the pre-read. I want to send them all their own Navalward to do with as they please.

Special love and appreciation to everyone who takes the time to review. You make my day.

Still 1942.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

I woke up later the same night of the incident at the club to the sound of Edward's voice. It was still dark, I was disoriented, and thought I heard him say "fire" and "he's gone" but I couldn't be sure. It took me a minute to realize he was still asleep.

The moonlight coming through the bedroom windows illuminated the distress and fear on Edward's face. He was shaking and sweating and was obviously in the throes of a nightmare. I reached out to touch his arm to offer him some comfort but he wrenched it violently away from me and shouted, "No!"

I wasn't sure what to do until he spoke again. "Please...I can't...smoke...no...please...please." The despair in his voice was so raw and I reached out to him again, unconcerned that he had just pushed me away.

He was lying on his back and I moved close to him so I could put my hands on his shoulders. He tried to pull away but I held fast.

"Edward." His face turned to the sound of my voice and softened the slightest bit. "Edward, it's okay." I put my hand on his forehead and smoothed his damp hair away from his face. "You're going to be fine. Shhh."

He mumbled something I couldn't understand and then sighed deeply before calming completely. I waited a few more minutes to be sure his nightmare had passed and then gathered him in my arms, wanting to continue offering him any comfort I could. His arms came around me and I heard him say my name as he buried his head in my chest and I drifted back to sleep.

I woke up with the sun barely over the horizon and Edward's shadowed eyes staring at me; the dark circles that had completely disappeared over the course of our time together were back. I wondered if his nightmares haunted him while he was away or if was just a coincidence. I turned to face him as he continued to stare at me and the sense of unease I felt the night before came back with a vengeance.

"Good morning." I smiled at him but he looked haunted and didn't return it. My smile faltered as I said, "What is it?"

"Last night is exactly why I don't want you living by yourself in a strange city." I turned onto my back, not wanting to deal with this discussion or the look of worry on his face. "Bella..."

"I know. I'm sorry." I just stared at the ceiling.

"What happened last night isn't the only reason I'm bringing this up, we were going to have this conversation anyway. You didn't handle it well when I left before, and I know some of it had to do with your father, but I know you and that wasn't all of it."

"I will admit that I wasn't in great shape, but so much happened right before you left. What with the attack just miles from home and my dad..." My voice caught at the mention of Charlie, but I continued, wanting him to understand. "I was completely overwhelmed. But it got better. I kept busy and tried to make the best of it." It was true, but I also knew I was glossing over the intense despair and emptiness I felt for those weeks.

Edward moved closer to me and put his hand on my cheek, gently turning me to him and said softly, "Bella, look at me."

Reluctantly, I turned to face him and saw the concern and love he had for me in his expression. It made my heart feel tight; he was going to be putting his life on the line and he didn't need to worry about me on top of it, but there was no way I would go back to Hawaii if he wasn't assigned to a ship out of Pearl Harbor.

"I want you to stay in Hawaii."

"No. You drop this right now, Edward Cullen. I'm going to be where you are. If that's Hawaii, great, but don't you dare ask me to be separated from you for longer than necessary."

"I don't want you to be alone. I'm not comfortable with it and I need you to take me seriously, please."

"I understand your concern, and I promise to be more careful than I was last night. But I need you to believe me when I say that being apart from you is what makes me lonely and unhappy. The prospect of seeing you will go a long way to making my days happier. Please, I need you with me on this. I'm not going to change my mind."

"It's not just that, Bella. I don't think you realize the potential danger. When you told me in your letter that a boy back home asked you on a date..." His jaw clenched and his eyes closed briefly. "Some boys don't know how to take no for an answer. What if that happens and you're alone? I'm not going to be around to protect you and that terrifies me."

"We don't even know where you're going yet. This may well be a useless conversation." God, how I hoped I was right. "But in the mean time I need you to accept that I'm going to be where you are."

"Bella..." He tried to sound stern, but I could hear the waver in his voice. I had known him long enough to know when I was winning.

"Edward, I promise to be careful and I promise to go home if things get bad for me. But they won't and I want to be waiting for you when you come home." I leaned in closer and kissed his soft lips and put my hands in his hair.

His resigned sigh let me know he would support me before he even spoke. I couldn't imagine losing any time with him when he came home. Besides, we were married now and I wanted to make us a home, however temporary.

"Promise me something." His voice was quiet as he ran his fingers along the side of my face. "Promise me that you'll be diligent when you're out by yourself. Promise me that you'll go home if you start to feel too lonely. I'll telegram you if we come home on short notice so we won't miss any time together. Please?"

"Okay, I promise." I meant it, but doubted I would get too lonely. Just knowing when I would see him again would be enough to keep me going. That he might never come home was something I refused to consider, he would always come back to me. He had to, because I was sure I wouldn't survive the loss of him.

"Thank you," he said, moving closer to me. He kissed me so sweetly but I couldn't allow myself to be distracted.

I pulled gently away from him and put my hand on his cheek. "Edward, I want to talk to you about something else."

His brow knit together and he nodded. "Of course. Anything."

I ran my thumb along the dark circles under his eyes. "You had a nightmare last night. A bad one."

I watched his eyes widen and his cheeks redden slightly.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm just worried about you. You were talking and it sounded like you were dreaming about that day at Pearl Harbor." I swallowed, not wanting to think about that day any more than Edward did. "I just...have you had them before? Your eyes look so tired and they looked that way when you got here."

He looked at me, reticence written on his face. "Edward, it's still me. You used to tell me everything. Don't let that change because we're married. You're still my best friend, let me be yours."

He took a deep breath. "I've been having them ever since my first night at Annapolis. Last night was the first one I've ever had in bed with you. I usually wake up, that's why I was surprised when you told me about it." He swallowed loudly and averted his eyes. "I don't know why I didn't wake up this time."

I moved my hand from his cheek and into his hair. "I spoke to you, and I think you heard me. You calmed down, then I held you while I fell back to sleep."

He looked surprised. "Really?"

"Talk to me, Edward." I stroked his cheek again, willing him to continue. He closed his eyes briefly and looked back at me with such a profound sadness that it made my stomach hurt.

"I've felt different since that day. Like I have this feeling inside of me. I don't want to call it anger. It's more like fear and anger and sadness all rolled together, fighting to get out of me." His jaw clenched tightly. "The things I saw, Bella. I know I told you about most of it that night, but it's like it's been seared into my brain and I can't forget or move past it." He moved away from me and onto his back, staring at the ceiling, the white bed sheet falling to his waist. "I relive it every time I close my eyes. The smoke, the death, the men on fire, the screaming. It's just too much sometimes."

I moved closer to him, not knowing what to say but wanting to offer him the comfort of my closeness. "I thought the nightmares were under control. I've been having the most restful sleep I've ever had since we've been here. I guess what happened last night brought it back to the forefront."

"I'm so sorry." I felt awful that my actions caused him so much pain.

He pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around me. "You did nothing wrong. If anything, I'm grateful that you were able to keep the dreams at bay for as long as you did." He kissed the top of my head and sighed deeply. "I love you."

I ran my fingers through the light sprinkling of bronze hair on his chest. "I love you, too." I was worried about what it would be like for him when we were apart, but didn't vocalize it. There was nothing I could do about it and I didn't want to think about him leaving me.

I kissed up his chest until I reached his lips and softly kissed his mouth. I might not have been able to take his nightmares away completely, but I could make his waking hours as happy as possible by showing him just how much I loved him.

When I emerged from the shower later that morning I went to look out the window and was shocked at what I saw.

"Edward!"

He came running into the bedroom, a look of concern on his face. "What is it?"

I turned to the window and gestured for him to come closer. "Look. Snow!"

Having grown up in Hawaii, neither of us had ever seen snow. I saw a smile slowly form on Edward's face as he came to stand behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders and slowly ran them up and down my arms. "Wow. It looks like it's been coming down for a while. Too bad we were too preoccupied to notice," he whispered in my ear.

I giggled and turned to face him as his arms wound around my waist, meeting at my lower back. "Can we go outside? I want to make a snowman."

"Anything you want, Bella," he said, kissing me quickly on the lips. "But I'm not sure we have the right clothes."

"Oh," I said, disappointed. I had packed our warmest coats, anticipating cold weather, but they were Hawaii winter coats and I didn't expect them to stand up to a New York snowstorm.

Edward looked down at me and kissed me again. "I hate to see you disappointed. Let me see what I can do." He touched me gently, running his hand from the top of my head down to my neck before walking back to the living room. "Start getting dressed," he called as I heard him pick up the phone.

An hour later we were standing in Central Park in hats, gloves, boots and warm coats, snow falling around us. Everything was white and pristine as far as the eye could see, the park was eerily quiet and Edward was next to me. It was almost magical.

"You look cute with a red nose," Edward said, his face inches from mine. I felt his sweet, warm breath on my face and I leaned in to kiss him. His lips were so warm and soft and I wanted to cry with how perfect the moment was.

We stood there kissing for a few minutes until I heard Alice call our names as she and Jasper came running up to us. They were bundled up as we were and I looked at Edward. "How did you..."

He kissed me one last time and said, "Never mind." He smiled wickedly at me then turned to greet Alice and Jasper.

"This is amazing," Jasper said. "I've never seen anything like it." He took Alice's hand and kissed her on the cheek, which was red from the cold or embarrassment or joy or maybe all three. She looked as happy as I'd seen her since we arrived in New York.

Edward put his arm around my waist and we started to walk deeper into the park, Alice and Jasper next to us, holding gloved hands.

"Did yours come yet?" I heard Jasper ask Edward. I stiffened, knowing what Jasper was asking, but it was a subject I had been avoiding thinking about at all costs.

Edward's arm tightened around me and he leaned over to kiss the top of my head. "No, not yet. Yours?"

"No. I'm hoping by the time we get back. We're leaving tomorrow, so I think-"

Edward released me, reached down to grab a handful of snow and threw it at Jasper, effectively ending the conversation. They threw snowballs at each other for a few minutes before I asked Edward to stop so we could make a snowman. We were in a more crowded area of the park and there were kids making snow forts and sledding down hills. There were boys having snowball fights and girls making snow angels.

We spent the next hour trying to build a snowman and did a pretty serviceable job of it, especially considering it was our first time. We used rocks and sticks for the face and named him Hau, the Hawaiian word for snow. By the time we finished I was so cold that Alice and I practically begged to go back to the hotel.

We went through the lobby, soaking wet, and made our way to the elevators before I stopped Edward in front of the hotel café.

"I want hot chocolate. I think that would be a perfect way to end our little adventure, don't you?"

His mouth turned up into the sweetest smile as he took the hat from my head and said, "Absolutely. God, I love you."

I kissed him quickly and grabbed Alice so we could dry off in the ladies room while Edward and Jasper got us a table.

As soon as we closed the door behind us Alice was practically jumping up and down. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!"

I couldn't help but smile at her happiness. "What, Alice?" I laughed.

Her words came out quickly and I had to strain to hear her. "Jasper asked me to wait for him. He said he doesn't want to get engaged while I'm still in high school, but once I'm finished we will and he wants me to meet him when he's on leave and I want to graduate early just like you and Edward did and who knows I could have a wedding this time next year." She stopped to catch her breath and I hugged her, happy that she was so close to getting what she wanted.

"I'm so happy for you," I said, squeezing her tightly. "See, you just had to be patient."

She stepped back and we started to freshen up as she told me about her conversation with Jasper. The incident in the alley the previous night had shaken him and the thought of losing her made him spring into action. He realized that he loved her and wanted to be with her forever. It was important to him to be responsible, however, and do things properly, which meant asking Carlisle's permission and getting her an engagement ring and making the required announcements. This would all take time and he was leaving tomorrow, but with her promise to wait for him.

When we got back to the restaurant and found Edward and Jasper at a table all the way on the back, they seemed to be deep in conversation. They stopped talking and stood as we got to the table and held out our chairs for us.

"I ordered you a hot chocolate," Edward said to me.

I took his hand and said, "Thank you." I loved how he took care of me.

"So, how was breakfast this morning?" I asked Alice.

Alice looked down and Jasper grabbed her hand. "It was fine," Jasper said.

"It actually was fine," Alice said. "I just..."

"Is there something going on that I don't know about?" Edward asked.

Just then our drinks came, along with a plate of pastries for us to share. They looked delicious and I smiled at Edward. He kissed my temple and smiled at me; he knew I had a soft spot for eclairs and cream puffs.

I sipped the warm chocolate as Edward said, "So..."

"It's nothing. Alice thinks my mother doesn't like her, that's all," Jasper said.

"Everyone loves Alice," Edward said. "How is that possible?"

I heard Alice sigh but it was Jasper who answered. "My mother just has a way about her. She doesn't hate you, Ali." He took Alice's hand and kissed it, giving her a smile that she tentatively returned.

Edward reached over, grabbed an eclair and put it on the plate in front of me. Some of the chocolate got on his fingers and I watched in rapt attention as he licked it off, his tongue darting out over his index finger. While his thumb was in his mouth he looked over at me and caught me staring. A smile slowly spread across his face as we continued to stare at each other.

Jasper cleared his throat. "Come on, you two. Cut it out," he laughed.

I shook my head to clear it and looked down. I sometimes forgot the rest of the world existed when Edward looked at me like that.

"Sorry," Edward said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate and smiling.

"Anyway, breakfast was very pleasant this morning," Alice said. "Maybe I just overreacted before." She shrugged her shoulders and bit into an eclair and I was sure that she wasn't feeling as nonchalant as she was acting.

We talked and laughed and finished up our drinks and pastries before making our way back to the elevators.

We were stopped by a hotel clerk in the lobby. "Excuse me, Lieutenant Cullen? Lieutenant Whitlock? Something came for you and it was marked urgent. I'll just go get it. Please wait here."

Edward nodded and the clerk turned around and headed for the front desk. Edward turned to me and put one hand on my waist and the other on my cheek, running his thumb along my cheekbone. It was soothing but it didn't stop my heart from pounding in my chest so loudly I was sure Edward could hear it. I was vaguely aware of Alice's voice but I couldn't focus on anything except Edward and his hands on me and the depth of his green eyes as they bore into mine. We didn't say anything as we stared into each others eyes; we didn't need to. Reality was finally here and no matter how much we wanted to, there was nothing we could do to stop it.

The clerk returned and Edward took the thick envelope, finally averting his eyes from mine and entwining our fingers as we made our way to the elevator. I didn't know what happened to Jasper and Alice and couldn't find it in myself to care. My future was in an envelope in Edward's hand and that was all my mind could focus on.

We were silent and stiff on the way up to our room. The normally friendly elevator operator noticed our disposition and didn't say a word as we ascended to the top floor, he simply tipped his cap as we got out.

Once we were in our room I sat on the edge of the couch, wringing my hands, waiting for Edward to open the envelope. He looked at it as it shook in his hands and then looked at me, clearly nervous.

"Just do it, Edward. We have to find out eventually." I didn't want to him to leave, but part of me was anticipating the relief of finally knowing.

He looked at me for another moment before turning it over and opening it. He pulled out the a few sheets of paper and I got up from the couch, my nerves frayed and on edge.

As he read it, his hands trembled noticeably. His eyes sought me when he was finished. When they found me his hand reached out to me. He was still shaking.

"Bella." He pulled me into a tight hug and I was terrified.

"Edward, what is it, please." The anticipation and fear were enough to bring tears to my eyes. He pulled back and looked at me, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Office of Naval Intelligence. Stationed in Silver Spring, Maryland." I looked at him, momentarily confused.

Then it dawned on me. He would be stationed stateside. He wouldn't be at sea at all. We could live together. There would be no waiting for letters, no nightmares that he would never return, no threat of death or injury. I would lie down every night with my husband and wake up to him every morning.

The relief I felt made my knees buckle, but Edward was there to hold me up. He held me close for a long minute as I let the reality of our situation sink in completely. I looked up at him as his arms continued to hold me close. He was smiling down at me and his eyes were bright.

"Can you find us a house and move us in 4 weeks?" My brows came together in confusion. "I'll have 4 weeks of advanced training in Illinois and I report to ONI immediately afterward."

I kissed him deeply for a long minute before I said, "Of course I can. I can do anything as long as I'm with you."

We spent a few minutes going over Edward's paperwork and the details of his assignment. Edward told me that he had been fairly certain that he would be placed in Intelligence based on his special training at Annapolis, but couldn't be certain where he would be stationed, especially considering the global reach of the war.

He still couldn't tell me much about what went on at Annapolis, but he did reveal that most of his training concentrated on his mental acuity as opposed to the other recruits who ran drills and learned how to man certain stations on war ships.

We spent some time talking about what would happen while Edward was at his additional 4 weeks of training but quickly decided to seek out Carlisle and Esme to tell them our news and ask for their help. We found their room and when Esme answered the door, she looked at Edward, waiting for his news. He laughed and hugged her, picking her up and spinning her before putting her down gently.

"Edward?"

"I'm stationed stateside, Mom." His smile was wide and happy as he looked at his mother, waiting for his news to register.

"Oh!" Her hand went to her mouth and she looked like she was going to cry. Carlisle came over to Edward and shook his hand, congratulating him and asking for more details.

We all sat down and Edward held my hand while we went over the details. We decided that Carlisle would come to Maryland with me while I searched for a place for Edward and I to live before going back to Hawaii and packing us up for the move.

As we were finalizing the logistics Alice came in, looking upset. Jasper would be the Communications officer on the Heavy Cruiser USS San Francisco, based out of Norfolk, Virginia.

She seemed genuinely happy that Edward would be stationed stateside and even asked us if she could stay with us while Jasper was on leave. We assured her that once we were settled she would be welcome any time.

Since this would be the last night we would all be together for the foreseeable future, we decided to have a family dinner with the Whitlocks. It was somewhat subdued, given that Jasper would be out to sea and at war in a matter of days, but I was having a hard time concealing my happiness.

That Edward wasn't leaving me was an outcome I had barely allowed myself to consider; I didn't want to hope for something that was so unlikely. We could have our life now. We would live together and I could love him every day without fear that he would be harmed. It was every dream I had come true and I felt very, very lucky and more than a little excited at the prospect of Edward and I starting our life together.

We made love that night, but it was different than almost every other time. I hadn't realized until then that we had been rushing, trying to fit in as much as we could in the short time we thought we had together. This was unhurried and gentle and sweet and I hoped it would be like that from now on.

As I fell asleep that night, Edward's warm body behind me, holding me close, I felt content. I would miss him for the 4 weeks he would be gone, but I had no more fear that he would leave me or be taken from me.

The rest of my life was set to begin.

This is a long one, please bear with me.

Edward's assignment was planned from the beginning. Stick with me here, I know what I'm doing. Sort of.

Review and I'll send you an EPOV from part of chapter 9. Do it, you know you want to know what was going on in his head. Besides, Edward's thoughts during chapter 9 were much more interesting than his thoughts during chapter 10.

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www (dot) thefandomgivesback (dot) com.

Thanks for your attention.