5 WEEKS before E-DAY

[Ephyra, 1800 hours]

After all the stresses of watching people burn to death under the Hammer of Dawn, the announcement of a cease-fire after 79 years of constant attack and counter-attack, followed immediately by a lethal ambush on C Company from a group of Indie hold-outs, Dom was more than ready to get home to his wife and kids. Marcus was driving, and he had that super-serious look on his face that he always got when he was thinking about Anya.

"You should ask her out."

Marcus didn't take his eyes from the road. "Out?"

"Yeah, 'out', Marcus. As in a date."

"We see each other plenty."

"You see each other only when you personally feel like it, and even then pretty much all you do is have sex."

Marcus sighed. "I'm beginning to wish I hadn't told you about me and her."

"I would have guessed it anyway. Listen, Marcus, I'm serious. She's going to start thinking that all you want is sex; that she doesn't mean anything to you beyond that."

"That's not how she's wired. She's Anya. She wouldn't think that about me."

"She will eventually. You want to head this off at the pass. Living with Maria has taught me that an ounce of prevention is worth a frigging truckload of cure."

"She'll be fine." Marcus was starting to look a little worried.

"She won't, not if you carry on like this. Look at it objectively: you haven't told anyone except me, you've never been on a date, you never stay the night, you've never given her anything – not even a birthday card – and you don't talk about anything except work. If it weren't for the fact that you're sleeping with her, you wouldn't have any relationship at all. Everything else aside, that's just goddamn rude, and your parents raised you to be a gentleman."

Marcus looked grim. "You really think one date will fix all that?"

"Hell, yes. Coming from you, a little gesture will go a long way. I'm not saying you should recite poetry or go horseback riding or write her a symphony," Marcus's mouth curved up a bit at the mental image of him doing any of those things. "Just arrange to eat at the same table with her in public. Okay? If you're worried about an officer seeing you fraternizing, pick somewhere on the other side of town that's way too expensive for a military salary."

Dom could see Marcus was mulling it over, weighing the pros and cons carefully. Dom guessed that the "pro" column was pretty much just Anya.

"Okay."

"Yeah?" When Marcus said that, Dom realized how little faith he'd had in his short speech. Normally getting Marcus to do something he didn't want to do was like pushing a bag of wet cement up a hill.

"That's great!" Marcus cut his eyes sideways at Dom. "Don't worry, I'm not going to be taking pictures from the shadows or anything. I won't even tell Maria if you don't want me to."

"You can tell Maria. I don't want you to have to keep secrets from your wife."

"Thanks."

They pulled up to Dom's villa-style house. He was standing in the open front door with no memory of getting out of the car and walking up the path. "Maria?" he called. Dom heard the thunder of normally dainty feet coming from the kitchen at the back of the house. Maria rounded the corner and launched herself at Dom. It would have knocked him down the steps, but since this was always how she greeted him when he came home from deployment, he was braced and ready for her. He hefted her up and she wrapped her legs and arms around him, kissing him like she was trying to draw the breath out of his lungs.

Finally she sat back against the arms circling her hips and smiled at him. "Hello to you too," Dom said.

"Good enough?" Maria fluttered her eyelashes.

"I'd give it an eight point eight."

Maria looked insulted. "An eight point eight? How did I miss a full point and two tenths?"

"You didn't grab my ass."

She laughed. "That's because Marcus is standing behind you."

Dom jumped. "Oh, shit!" He looked back outside. Marcus was lounging against his car, concentrating intently on re-arranging the cards in his wallet. He was always embarrassed by lavish displays of affection. His parents hadn't been big into touching or expressing emotions, and since he hadn't met the Santiagos until he was ten, he had never been able to loosen up. The Fenix stoicism was too deeply engrained. "Sorry, Marcus, I forgot you were there for a second."

"No offense taken, Dom."

Maria climbed down from her perch on Dom. "Come inside, Marcus."

"Thanks, Maria, but I think I'll just go home."

"But you have to stay, I set your place at the table already. The kids would be so disappointed."

"I really should—"

"Marcus!" She put her hands on her hips. It was her "Stern Mother" voice, and even winners of Embry Stars were not immune to its power.

"All right."

"Wonderful! Come in and sit down. Dom, would you go get the kids from upstairs?"

"Sure thing, baby." He kissed her silky cheek, lingering a little longer than necessary. She trailed a hand down his arm as he turned to go up the stairs, and his blood sang.

He really hoped Marcus wouldn't stay long after dinner.