YOU GUYS ARE INSANE. OH MY GOD. 40 reviews? I can't believe it. You. Are. The. Best. I love you all so much. I've never gotten that many reviews at one time on a story. So, thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed his return. I think you'll enjoy this chapter, then. Also, a warning for those because the end of the chapter hints toward something. There will not be a sex scene in this story. I don't write them, I will not write them. So please, don't ask. Because the answer is already here. But there will be a lot of fun moments and flirty ones to come. So don't give up on me yet, okay? ;) But anyway, again, thank you.

Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Ally would be happy if she never had to let go of his hand ever again. Together, they walked up and down the boardwalk of the beach, talking about nothing and everything. He'd just bought her ice cream, and she couldn't stop stealing glances when he wasn't looking her way. He had been quiet since the kiss and she wondered for a second if he regretted it, only to laugh at her own mind. His hand squeezing hers and the feeling of warmth between them told her she was crazy.

"What do you want to do?" he murmured as they neared the main road again.

The sun was starting to cast toward the west, even though there were still a few hours of daylight left. Ally thought about his question, not too sure. There was so much she wanted to do with him and so little time she had before he was off again. Two weeks seemed like an hour in respect to how long they had to wait in-between that.

"I just want to be with you," she answered firmly.

He smiled down at her. "You're already with me," he laughed lightly.

She too smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Okay. I don't know. You're the one who is here to visit. What do you want to do?"

He gave her a teasing expression, "I asked first."

"Oh?"

They laughed. "We can go back to my house," Ally finally decided. "My parents would love to meet you and we could be alone after," she added, trying to gauge his reaction. Somewhere, Cassidy was silently cheering.

Austin nodded, no verbal answer as she changed directions, heading back to the diner to grab her car. Once there, Austin stopped behind the vehicle, running his hands over the 'support our troops' ribbon on the painted metal, smiling at the one next to it that said 'my boyfriend is a hero'. She came up beside him, sliding her hands around his waist. "I have more coming," she admitted sheepishly. "They were all so adorable."

"You'll run out of space," he joked, tangling his hands with hers again. They couldn't stop touching each other.

"They're just reminders," she assured him. "I only want the real thing."

With that, they got into her car and drove quickly to her house within miles of the diner. Her parents car sat next to hers in the driveway and she looked up at her two story house with a slight smile. Fear was trying to wedge it's way into her happiness, worry that her parents might not suddenly approve. They were good to her usually, respected her decisions and knew she thought with a level head. There wasn't much for them to worry about. But they never had much to say about the boyfriend she spoke of and it made her wonder if for once maybe they didn't approve. There wasn't time to keep thinking about that though, as her doorway opened and her mother stepped onto the porch like she was waiting for them to arrive.

"Mom," she said happily.

Her mother, middle aged yet still beautiful and graceful as ever, smiled lovingly back at her. "Hello, Ally," she answered, as the two came closer. Ally glanced at her boyfriend, who stood rigid behind her, looking more like a soldier than the sweet boy she had been holding not too long ago. Her mother turned to greet him next. "And hello there. You must be Austin. I'm Ally's mom. You can call me Penny."

Austin flicked his eyes up with a smile. "Hello, Ms. Dawson."

"Penny," she laughed again. "You military boys are too polite."

He shrugged, the smile still on his face and Ally grinned at them both, taking his hand and leading him up the steps until they were inside. She could hear the TV on in the living room, meaning her father wasn't too far away. This she was more afraid of. He had never approved of her last boyfriend and she worried somehow, he'd feel the same about Austin, even if they were completely different.

Ally glanced into the kitchen, wondering if she should put off the meeting to grab something to drink, or maybe even wait until they pursued the couple, but then shrugged it off.

"Come on," she ushered Austin, taking his hand and leading him into the living room. The TV had on some sort of drama and Ally hoped it had put him into a good mood. Her father was a bit more hard to please in general and that scared her. He glanced up as the duo entered the room, pausing the TV with the remote. Ally squeezed Austin's hand as he tensed. "Hi dad."

He stood up at the sound of his daughter's voice, eyes only on her boyfriend. "Hello, Ally." He waited as if Austin should introduce himself first, but then nodded toward him. "You must be Austin," he said, mimicking her mother. "I'm Lester Dawson, Ally's father."

Ally nearly laughed at how official her parents were being, but kept quiet.

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Austin replied honestly, holding out his hand to shake. Her father glanced down at it and then shrugged, shaking his hand. "Your daughter is lovely."

His gaze turned to Ally and he smiled proudly at her. "That she is. I hope you take good care of her."

Ally nearly groaned. "He does," she muttered.

"I try my best, sir," Austin said again. "I care about her."

"Good. Well, her mother is making dinner, so you're welcome to stay. In the meantime, you're more than welcome to do whatever it is kids do these days together." He paused. "With the door open, that is."

Austin's face flushed red and Ally snorted, quickly running out of the room with him. For once, she was the one laughing at his embarrassment. She giggled all the way up the stairs, not stopping once to look at her boyfriend's bewilderment. Once alone again—the door open—she laughed. "Sorry. That went better than I thought, though."

Austin shrugged. "I spend my time in a war, don't I? I can survive your parents."

Ally threw her work clothes onto the bed, looking at the clock. It was almost seven, giving them about a half hour until they were called downstairs again. She glanced at Austin, who stood in the middle of her room, as if he wasn't sure where he could go. She giggled again, patting her bed until he was sitting beside of her. "I can give you a tour later, but for now," she whispered, leaning toward him. "We are alone."

"Your parents are downstairs," he reminded her.

Ally laughed, backing up. "That's not what I meant," she said, blushing. "I just meant… never mind."

Austin blinked. "Well, I wouldn't mind the thought I had."

The girl grinned. "I wouldn't either."

"We'll just be quiet," he assured her, leaning forward so that she fell backwards toward her pillow, hair falling around it. He pulled off the jacket again, throwing it near her work uniform. His bag was still in her car with a change of clothes. In the meantime, they'd have to work with the uniform he wore. On top of her, he pressed gentle kisses onto her neck, resisting the urge to rise a movie rating. She giggled, taking her hands and rubbing them up and down his arms. They were strong and firm, warm and toned beneath her soft fingers.

"I've dreamt about this," she admitted quietly. "I was worried it would never be a reality."

"Oh?" he whispered. "Well, here we are."

"Here we are," she answered.

Discovering each other was probably the best part of being with him, she realized. Each curve of her body he seemed to find, and she found each of his. It was hard to detangle herself from him when her mother called for dinner, her face flushed and tingling from kissing, and her body warm with the thought of him being with her like this for a while. They broke apart and walked down the stairs innocently, smiling secretly at each other as they neared the kitchen. She caught him looking into the rooms of her house as they passed by, reminding herself to show him when dinner was over. In the meantime, he had more parent pleasing to do.

"Dinner is served," her mother cooed with a laugh. "I hope you like tacos, Austin."

Austin grinned. "Ma'am, tacos are great. You could have served me anything though. We eat a lot of MREs at the base, so real food just sounds wonderful."

"Oh, you poor thing! Ally, you must bring him back here before he goes back. I want to cook him a feast."

"I don't thank he'll say no," Ally assured her with a laugh. Austin blushed again and she got giddy.

They took seats, piling on the food until their plates were stuffed. Her father still hadn't said anything, but from the look in his eyes, he approved. Ally quickly poured them some lemonade and began to eat, trying to keep herself calm and him as well, considering Austin looked nervous despite how well he came off.

"These are delicious," he said after a moment. "Thank you."

She beamed. "I like him, he compliments my cooking," she said to her family. "My husband and daughter don't often enough."

Ally rolled her eyes. "She's just saying that to look good."

"Oh," Austin laughed. "Well, it's the truth."

"Don't butter her up," her father said with a laugh, too. "Otherwise we'll be on the streets, and you'll be moving in."

And with that, Ally knew they'd be fine.

After dinner, Ally nearly pulled Austin away from the table, thanking them and excusing herself. Once out of the kitchen, she took the lead and pushed him toward a wall, shoving her mouth on his. He tasted spicy, like the food he'd just devoured, and she didn't want to stop. But risking being caught meant the feeling about him might change, so she took his hand again and started toward the front of the house.

"I've been terribly rude," she giggled. "Let me show you the Dawson residence."

He grinned. "I like what we were doing, though."

"Boys," she teased. "Only want one thing."

"No," his expression fell. "That's not what I meant!"

Ally felt her own expression fall. "No," she agreed. "And I know that. I was just playing with you. Come on."

They walked toward the main hallway again and she showed him each room, including a music room where her parents sometimes kept overstock from the music store they owned in the mall. The grand piano in the middle was a mainstay, though. Austin walked toward it like a magnet, tracing fingers over it with gentle ease.

"You know how to play?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, actually. I can only play the guitar."

She grinned. "That's the only instrument I don't play. I could use some practice."

He turned. "Maybe someday I can show you."

"You didn't bring your guitar back with you?"

His expression fell again. "I … uh… my guitar broke on the way over there. I don't have one anymore."

She sensed something worse than that, but didn't press it. "Oh. Well, there is one over there in the corner. If you want to grab it, maybe we can work on something while you're here."

He did as he was told, walking over to where a guitar lay perched near the wall. He took it with gentle hands, carrying it over to where she sat, hands waiting by the keys. He sat next to her, and she began to play the piano slowly. The tune was familiar to her, but not to him. It was a song she had written a while back, the one she'd sent the lyrics to. He began to catch onto the beat, and strummed the guitar, oddly perfectly in tune. Together, they sat and played, for what felt like only a few minutes, but must have gone into an hour as the sun faded from the sky and the darkness took over. When they were done, she turned to him and smiled.

"You're good," she told him.

"Did I ever tell you I was in a band?"

Ally shook her head, resisting the urge to say 'you haven't told me much at all'. Instead, she waited for him to continue. He didn't. "What did you play?"

"Guitar and sang," he said after a moment. "It was fun."

"Oh." He was so quiet about his past. She felt the urge to ask again, but bit her tongue. He'd talk when he wanted to and pushing him wouldn't help anything.

"Was that the song you wrote to me?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"It's beautiful," he admitted. "You're talented."

Ally blushed. "Thank you."

Ally soon continued their momentarily forgotten tour, stopping back in her bedroom once it was over. They collapsed onto the bed, soon again holding each other. Austin pressed a kiss to her cheek, sliding over closer so that he could repeat the process. She turned her face so it was her lips and grinned at his expression. She was more confident when he was around, more comfortable doing things because he cared about her.

"I don't want this to ever end," she said, almost repeating what he said on the pier. "Let's stay here forever."

He chuckled. "Gladly."

Soon though, her parents were calling to her that they were heading to bed. They didn't say it, but that meant it was time for Austin to leave and for her to consider the same. Ally stood with a deflated sigh, knowing she'd have to wait overnight to see him again. She pictured dropping him off at his parents, watching him go inside and turn to smile back at her, feeling the same way.

"So," she said, pulling on her shoes. "Where am I driving you?"

"Oh," he answered, his expression dropping fast. "I can walk. It's not far."

"No! I want to drive you," she insisted with a smile. "More time for us, even if it's just a few minutes."

Austin didn't budge, though. "No. It's okay. I'll walk."

"Austin…"

He gave her a look that almost seemed like he was pleading with her. Ally nodded after a moment, giving up as she walked him to the door. They stood at the steps, the light from the porch shining down on them. Despite the cool air, Ally still felt warm. He leaned forward to kiss her, gentle and quick and then smiled. "I'll grab my bag from your car."

"Sure," she answered. It sucked to even say goodbye for a few hours. "See you tomorrow?"

Austin nodded. "Yes."

"How will I call you?" she called out to him, as he opened the trunk and grabbed his one bag. He smiled.

"You won't need to."

Ally blinked, but nodded as she went to close the door. He waved once and started off down the street, his eyes seemingly clouded with an emotion she couldn't process suddenly. With a sigh, she closed the door and stood there, shaking her head. She turned her heel and went toward the stairs, stopping when there was a knock on the door. Ally almost laughed. What did he forget?

She opened it again, and Austin stood there, bag at his feet. "About my past," he said quickly, looking remorseful and almost embarrassed. "Maybe now is a good time to talk about it."

Ally cursed quietly as he dragged the bag up the steps of her house and into her bedroom. She had no idea what was going on, and hoped her parents were already asleep. If they caught her with him in her room, the feeling of welcome would soon be gone. He'd be no longer a friend to anyone in the house other than her.

She glanced into the hallway, glad to hear nothing but the fan above her head and then closed the door. Austin was stripping off his shirt when she turned, and a blush crept up her cheeks at the sight of his body. Abs. Abs were all she could see and she had to look away before he caught sight of how eager she looked at him. He put on a fresh white shirt from his bag and turned to face her. "I need to change," he admitted. "Would you mind if I used your bathroom?" The room next to hers happened to have a door that led from hers to it. She shook her head. "Thanks."

Disappointed that he'd only change his shirt there, and slightly glad too because she'd never been that far with a boy (Dallas had been an okay kisser, but they'd never been farther than making out and that had been with their clothes on), she sat on the bed, her mind whirling with what he might tell her. Maybe he didn't talk about his past because he'd lived a life of crime. Maybe he had been in jail before he joined the military. Then, she laughed. She was being ridiculous. She knew him better than that. It was probably because his family was a few towns over, maybe part of another suburb of Miami and he felt embarrassed for not realizing how far she'd have to drive. Or maybe he just didn't want to leave and that's how he decided to stay.

The door reopened and he entered in a pair of sweatpants and bare feet. He smiled slightly at her, but the odd expression he'd had since leaving her house the first time never left his face. He took a seat next to her, taking her hand and pulling her close. He pressed one kiss to her lips, careful and calm about it. Ally pulled away.

"What's going on?"

He sighed, rubbing his arms. "I don't have anywhere to go," he admitted.

"What?" She blinked once. "I can drive you over a few towns. It's not a problem. Really."

He stared at her. "Where? Why?"

"You don't live a while away?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. No, Ally."

"I don't understand."

"Dez mentioned to you that you should ask about my past," he explained. "There is a reason why, Ally. I don't exactly come from the best background."

Ally cursed. Maybe he had been in jail! Again, it fizzled quickly. He wasn't that kind of person, she could tell. "Austin…"

"My parents threw me out," he said flatly, his voice sounding weak suddenly. "I decided to join the military, and my parents threw me out."

Her heart sank. "Oh."

"My parents had a plan for me since I was young. I was expected to take over our business, work there until I could retire, and pretty much, never leave the state once. I was supposed to take that with no question, nothing else. I love music, they hated it. They claimed it a distraction, something that I needed to get rid of to make more time for studying. I was already graduating early, but that didn't matter. Anything I enjoyed was a distraction."

Ally just listened.

"I tried to tell them, tried to explain how I had a band, a life of my own that I wanted. That a business wasn't something I would succeed in, that it made me bored. I wanted to see the world."

He laughed.

"They just didn't care. My father especially. He said that the mattress store was my future, just like it was his. I needed to get over the dreams I had because they didn't matter anymore."

Ally's face color drained. "Mattress store?" Things started to make sense. The woman at the store she'd gone to with Cassidy that day, how she stared at her necklace and asked questions about the boy overseas she was dating. How oddly familiar she looked. She was Austin's mother.

"Yeah," he said, not seeing the fear on her face. "So, I had enough. I was always on edge, always trying to live two lives. I just… I needed something to get me out of there. Nothing else would work. I wandered into the mall that day, looking for some sort of escape. I happened to look up and see the recruiting office and never looked back. I went home that night, thinking maybe they'd support me if I worked hard enough. The papers were like drugs to them, I had just become a criminal. My things were thrown down the stairs, and I was told to get out."

She was shaking, picturing him alone without a family and time to spend before he shipped off. "I wandered for a while, until it was time to leave for basic training. I haven't heard from them since, I don't think they even care that I'm gone." He closed his eyes and then added bitterly, "If I died, I think they'd even celebrate."

That stopped her. If anything, his mother had seemed worried that day, like she wanted to know that he was okay. "No," she finally said. "No. That's not true."

"Ally, you don't know them. You don't understand," he explained.

"I've met your mother," she said quietly. "I do know."

"You what?"

He seemed unable to believe that.

"I went into the mattress store with Cassidy one day. She had just gotten her own place. I was stopped by a woman with sad eyes, asking me about my necklace. I thought she was creepy at first, maybe just weird, but it makes sense now. I met your mother."

He froze.

"She wanted to know how you were, if you were happy."

He looked broken suddenly. "She did?"

"She misses you," Ally said quietly. "I don't know about your father, but your mom definitely misses you."

Austin seemed too shocked to form any words, but his shoulders slumped, like he was letting something off them and then he began to shake. Seconds later, he was crying and she had no idea what to do. He leaned forward, trying to hide his face. Ally leaned forward as well, wrapping her arms around his shaking frame. "It's okay," she whispered. "You're okay."

Ally understood all the things that never made sense about the day they met after he told her. How he asked to write to her because he had no one, how he was so thankful for her as a person, not as someone he found pretty. She cared when he thought no one else did. It was such an empowering feeling to have, and somehow scary as well. She had no idea how much she'd meant to him when she thought she did.

He lay next to her in bed, curled around her with one arm on her waist. He'd fallen asleep about an hour before, after talking more about his life before he joined, stories about the store, and his childhood. His tears had since dried, but his body still seemed weak. She wanted to wrap herself around him as a shield, to protect him from the past he'd left behind. He made a decision out of impulse that landed him in a land of hell. Yeah, it was his job and his decision, but he was her age, young and stupid, and scared.

She curled closer to him, feeling his chest rise and fall. He had no where to go, but how would she explain this to her parents in the morning? She didn't dare tell him to leave, but she knew she couldn't hide him for a week without them noticing. Ally sighed.

He slept peacefully, it seemed for a while as she surfed on her phone, sending a quick text to Dez about their talk, thanking him for telling her to ask.

He shifted in bed moments into an email to Trish, explaining in detail about their upcoming trip and how excited they both were, his body suddenly thrashing. Ally gasped and then covered her mouth to make no other noise, looking at the boy. He tossed and turned, his face deep in worry. She didn't know what was happening.

"Austin," she whispered. "Austin, wake up!"

She was scared he'd wake her parents.

"Austin!"

He sat up suddenly, sweat pouring off his face. Frantically, he glanced around the room until he saw Ally sitting next to him, her face pale and scared. "Sorry," he murmured after a few seconds. "I'm sorry."

"Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I get nightmares when time zones change. Happened since I was a kid."

Ally didn't notice because she was tired and asleep, but that was a lie. Before he left for war, he'd never been out of Miami.

The next morning, Ally woke to his arm around her again, pulling her close to him. He had insisted on sleeping on the floor after their conversation, but she told him no. It wasn't like they were about to do anything, and she refused to make him feel worse by saying 'yes, sleep on the floor'. Her parents had always been supportive of her dreams and the things she enjoyed. She couldn't imagine being forced into something he hated. Besides, he was in a fragile state right then, and she couldn't say no to those damn puppy eyes.

"Good morning," a voice murmured quietly from beside her. She shifted in bed until she was facing him and smiled lazily at his sleep covered face. His hair shot up in a million different directions but his face looked more relaxed than she'd seen in a while. Maybe he had been afraid of telling her over there and that was why he hadn't been sleeping.

"Morning," she giggled back. He leaned forward to kiss her lips.

Morning breath or not, she gave in and pressed her lips against his, feeling him move close enough that their chests were touching and his hands were trailing her back. In only a tank top and a pair of shorts, she'd never been more exposed to him. His fingers stopped just above her butt, rubbing the skin on her lower back that just happened to be exposed. It sent her body into shivers, which placed a smile on his face.

She again giggled, pulling her legs over his, her stomach pressed against his abs. They moved as one for a second, taking each other's movements so that they were linked before diving into a lustful few moments. Ally could feel him breathing on her neck as they broke apart and then in surprise, she felt his lips suck on the gentle skin there, kissing and pulling at it.

Ally moaned in delight.

He chuckled and began to suck harder, but Ally stopped him. "My uniform won't cover that," she answered.

"Scarf?" he murmured back.

"Its almost eighty out there right now," she reminded him.

"Just wear them like spots," he shrugged.

Ally laughed. "I'm not an animal."

He again shrugged, moving back toward her face, kissing each part of her body that was exposed. She arched in bed and this made him smirk again, until suddenly she felt something down toward the edge of her stomach. "Oh," she muttered, feeling a blush creep up on her lips. "Um…"

"I'm sorry," he swore, sitting up quickly, his face flushing as well. "I uh… crap."

Ally giggled, shaking her head. "It's okay. I just… I didn't expect it."

"I don't want to rush you," he swore.

Ally nodded. "I don't want to rush either, but it's okay."

He relaxed in more than one place after a few minutes, and they spent the morning cuddling, their bodies intertwined.