It was around 10pm when Sonny let himself him inside Emily's house through the deck's sliding door. He had parked his truck a few streets away and had walked over.

He removed his cap and walked further inside the house. He found her in the sofa reading a book.

She closed her book upon seeing him enter the living room. She stood and he took her in his arms.

"You scared me. Don't ever do that again," he said as he let her go.

"It wasn't my intention. Good thing someone dropped Mily, milk and a blueberry muffin this morning. Who knows what would have happened if it hadn't been the case?"

She kissed him intensely. It wasn't about passion it was about what she felt for him and it was something she hadn't felt for such a long time. She wondered what it would be like if they were free to live their relationship out in the open and she desperately yearned for her notice period to be over.

"I told you, I'd take care of you and I meant it."

She cocked her head to the side. "Even when I won't be in the Navy anymore?"

He let his finger stroke the side of her cheek. "Baby, no matter where you are, no matter what you do, that will never change."

She smiled and felt relieved.

"Now, that includes making sure that you get some sleep. Eric got you to eat, I'm going to get you to sleep."

"Won't be difficult, I'm exhausted."

He furrowed his brow. "Then why are you still up?"

"I was waiting for you." She answered simply.

"I'll go, you need your rest. Hopefully, I'll be able to see you tomorrow."

He turned and was about to walk away when he felt her soft hand on his forearm. He turned his head back towards her.

"Stay. I want you to stay tonight."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if Eric stops by tomorrow morning to check up on you or someone sees me leave the house?"

"Sonny, Syria is a ticking time bomb. If I'm right, within a week's time max, you could be deployed and who knows for how long. Let me worry about Eric if he shows up, which I doubt. Right now, I just want you."

He kissed her. "OK."

He watched as she turned out the lights, then took his hand and led him upstairs.

They kissed passionately as the water cascaded over their bodies. After a night's worth of sleep, Emily had woken Sonny up very sensually and they had spent the first hour of the morning making love. It was obvious that she was feeling much better, but he didn't bring it up.

"Em are you here?" they heard Eric's voice call out from downstairs, as they were drying themselves off.

She put her finger on Sonny's lips, kissed him, and walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel.

"Hey", she called from the foyer at Eric standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi, brought breakfast," he said showing a paper bag with Styrofoam containers, "French toast, your favorite."

"You are a life saver, give me 5 minutes to get dressed and dry my hair a bit. Set everything up in the kitchen."

He smiled and nodded. She seemed much better and was chipper. The previous day's event was over.

She walked back toward the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She didn't need to lock it, Eric would never come up.

She let the towel drop to the floor as Sonny walked out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around his waist.

He walked over to her, pushed her against the wall and kissed her. He was attracted to her, her body, her scent, her smile, and her passion for everything she did. When he removed his mouth from hers, she smiled.

"I should get dressed and so should you."

He let her go and headed towards the left side of the bed to grab his clothes and start dressing.

"Why? Eric's got French Toast for me too?"

She knew he was joking.

"I'm in no hurry. I'm kind of stuck here, until he leaves."

"No, you're not. He's on the opposite side of the house, you can go out the front door. I'll have your six, I promise," she said as she dressed in her work uniform.

"Well then, if you've got my six, I don't need to worry."

He watched as she quickly blow dried her hair and put it in a braid, the similar one that she had the first day he had met her in Bouet. If someone had told him that almost two months later, they would be together, he would never have believed it. She had seemed untouchable and he had never imagined someone like her would even acknowledge his presence and yet here they were. He had been afraid in the beginning that the difference in rank would make it so that she didn't envision him as her equal, but she had never let that transpire, not once.

She started down the stairs, Sonny in tow. "Eric, can you check if there's milk in the fridge? If not, there is some in the pantry."

"Yeah sure," she heard him reply. She knew there wasn't any in the fridge and that meant that they had a short window of opportunity to get Sonny out the door.

She sped up and he followed. She opened the front door, kissed him, and then closed it quietly. She reached the kitchen just as he was walking out of the pantry.

He leaned in and hugged her. "How are you feeling? Did you get a good night's sleep?"

"I feel great. And yes, I think last night was one of the best night's sleep I've had in a long time. And before you say anything, I promise that no matter what happens over the next days or weeks with Syria, I will eat and rest."

"Good. Let's eat."

"Let me just get my phone and see if I have any important calls," she said as she headed towards the living room. Her eyes shot wide open in semi-panic when she noticed Sonny's cap on the coffee table. She grabbed it and quickly placed it in her tote bag before Eric saw it.