Later that night….

The house was almost quiet.

All the kids were in bed. They weren't asleep, but they were in bed, a small victory in Sanderson's mind. He had gotten all four of the talking ones in bed while Diana put down the youngest.

Then he waited in the hall while she went to go take a shower.

Not because he was suspicious of the kids.

But he had been a father for a while and knew how the bed-time game was played.

First Rachael was thirsty and needed a glass of water. Then Jordan had to go to the bathroom. Then Robin wanted one last kiss before she fell asleep, then they all wanted a kiss. Finally Alexandria had heard a noise and was convinced that someone was in the house.

Twenty minutes later he walked into the bedroom he shared with Diana and peeked in the crib at a sleeping child.

A sound asleep child.

He looked down at him and watched for just a moment. Perfectly content in that moment.

Diana's soft voice didn't surprise him or make him jump. He had heard the shower stop and her walk out of the bathroom.

"What did Grimes want?"

Sanderson didn't bother to turn around, he could see her in the mirror. He could see the blue towel wrapped around her body and another on her hair. With one last look at Daniel he walked to the bed and dropped on it. "He offered me a job."

She watched him. She watched the rise and fall of his chest from where he laid on the bed. "A job?"

"Yup. Word got out that I might be leaving if I don't get a desk job. So he offered me a great job with great money, anywhere I want to go."

She heard his words.

But no enthusiasm. There was no emotion in his voice, nothing. Diana began to dry her hair as she walked to the bed, "Try to contain your enthusiasm Jeff."

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Diana saw it.

She pulled the towel from her hair and began to really dry her hair, while she sat down beside him on the bed. His blue eyes looked up at her and he confessed, "I don't know if I can leave. I've been doing this my whole life. Even when I get leave…I never leave the base, rarely. This is me. All of this is me."

He saw in her eyes that she understood how he felt. He could see compassion and understanding in her eyes. She dropped the wet towel from her hands onto the bed and touched his face. "It's ok. Jeff, you have to make this choice for yourself. This is your career and your life. Don't worry about money or the kids or me."

"The money would be great. We wouldn't have to worry," he told her.

She cocked her head to one side and continued her gentle exploration of his cheek. "Will you be happy?"

His hesitation was her answer.

Very carefully Diana leant over and her lips brushed over his in a gentle kiss. She whispered against his lips, "I don't want you to be miserable." She placed one more kiss on his lips and began to sit up.

His calloused hand caught her arm and held her in place, inches away from his face. "And I don't want you to be miserable."

She placed one more soft kiss against his lips, then kissed his chin and nose. "This is the only life I have ever known. I love our kids. I don't mind my job. And I'm falling in love with you. I want you to be happy too."

There was a silence that followed, thoughts raced through his mind, she could see it.

She pulled her legs underneath her so she was closer to him. She traced her fingers through his hair and added, "You have already served your country. You have been loyal to your men. You have saved lives and made the world a better place. You don't owe anyone anything. I know why you do it, you enjoy it, it challenges you, and you love your men. Do what you want, not what you think is expected of you. If you want to go to Fort Bragg and teach, fine, I don't care. If you want to stay on active duty and get deployed, then that's ok too. Or if you want to get out, then get out. But don't pick something that you think is expected of you."

The miniscule smile began to slightly grow, "I bet you never had this conversation with Hoot."

A smile grew on her lips.

She caressed his face and softly kissed him, that time he returned the kiss. Slowly but deeply, teasing and demanding all at once. It pulled her in and refused to let go.

When he stopped she shook her head, then took a breath and licked her lips, tasting him, "No. Not this conversation. I knew Hoot would stay in until his…I knew he would be a lifer, and I knew he was happy where he was, doing what he was doing."

Neither were able to move away. The mere inches between their faces were too much as it was. He kissed her again. Happy to feel her against his lips. His fingers trailed into her wet hair and he leant up, closing in the distance between them, softly he whispered, "Thank you."

A few days later...

A knock on Sanderson's office door made him glanced up from his paper. A issue of USA Today lay open on his desk, along with a mug of coffee, an apple, and a styrofoam box of lunch. It was his lunch hour.

Sanderson immediatly stood at attention to the uniformed man.

A man he hadn't seen since early in his career. Not Army Boot Camp or the Ranger Boot Camp, but his Delta Training. The man walked in in full uniform. The medal and ribbons on his chest a impressive resume of his career.

"At ease, I won't be long."

Unsure of whether to sit or continue standing, Sanderson waited to see what St. Marco would tell him. When the man continued to stand so did Sanderson. He reached into his pocket, "I have heard that you are considering civilian life."

"Yes sir, I have been considering civilian life."

With a blank face St. Marco spoke without hint of emotion, his dark eyes cold. "It would be a crime to see you go after all the Army has done to train you."

Sanderson was silent, waiting.

St. Marco laid a sealed envelope on Sanderson's desk. "It would be a tremedous loss."

"Sir?"

St. Marco looked at the man he had trained years ago, "Yes?"

"Sir, may I asked something, freely?"

"You may," St. Marco answered, to which Sanderson asked, "Is your pressence here of your own free will? Or are you here on the army's behalf?"

"Open the letter."

Authors Note: Hi all! Thanks for reading this! This is where this story here ends, there will be a sequel to this, which I am plotting now. Enjoy and thank you for the reviews and your patience with my sudden lack of updates. There was a massive influx in homework, so enjoy and review:)