Hey! I'm sorry this wasn't up when I said it was going to be...I got kinda distracted. Not a good reason, I know, but my boyfriend came over yesterday and we hung out. But, to make up for it, this chapter's extra long! And really exciting! If I do say so myself. Well, enjoy! :)


Chapter 28

He went and picked up Allison and they went downtown and met her parents there. The concert was on the river front; they had a stage set up and the opening band was still playing. Across from the stage were a set of steps that led up to the courthouse. There were people sitting on the stairs and Ben followed Allison and her parents and sat down along with the rest of the people. Ben sat down on the end, with Allison beside him. Her mom sat on the other side of her and her father was on the other end.

They still had forty-five minutes to wait and people continued to show up. There was a huge space between the stage and the steps and people stood down there and it quickly filled up. While they were waiting, her parents got to talking with some of the people that had sat down beside them. Ben and Allison talked to each other for almost twenty-five minutes until she asked,

"Do you see any bathrooms anywhere?"

"Yeah, there's some rent-a- johns down there; we passed them when we were walking up."

"Okay, I'll be right back then." He smiled,

"Okay." She smiled too and gave him a kiss before standing up and making her way to the bathroom. He watched her until he couldn't see her anymore. Her mom turned to him,

"Where was Allison going?"

"She went to the bathroom." Her mom nodded and introduced Ben to the people they were talking to.

He talked to them for a few minutes about different things until he looked down at his watch; fifteen minutes had passed since he saw Allison go to the bathroom. He figured there must be a line but, when a couple of more minutes passed, he looked down the street and scanned the crown and saw something that made his heart stop.

He immediately stood up and quickly pushed through the crowd of people, trying to get to that spot. As he got closer, he saw Allison and the scared look on her face. He saw the man smiling and trying to get close to her, but he saw her keep backing up. He eventually got up to where they were and he saw Allison look his way and saw a look of relief pass over her face,

"Ben!"

While she was looking at Ben, the man scooted up beside her and put his hand on her side. She jumped and looked back at the man and stepped back some more until she backed up against the courthouse wall. When Ben finally reached her, he stepped in between her and the guy. Up close, the guy looked younger; about their age.

"You better back up right now." The guy laughed,

"And just who are you?"

"I'm someone you don't want to mess with, so I'll tell you again, you better back up." He laughed again and took a step back. Ben turned around towards Allison and put his hands on her cheeks,

"Are you okay?" She nodded and he could see tears start to form in her eyes and could see her shaking. His nostrils were flaring as he heard the guy behind him say,

"So, is this your new boyfriend, Allison?"

"You know him?" She nodded as a tear fell down her cheek. He turned back around to face the guy when he heard someone call out,

"Hey, Seth, what's taking you so long?" His stomach dropped as he put the pieces together. His nostrils were flaring as he turned around to face Seth. He heard Allison say his name but he ignored her. Seth looked at him,

"What are you looking at?" Ben didn't say anything, hoping that he would have the power to restrain himself. Seth continued,

"What? Did Allison tell you about me? It doesn't surprise me; I was the best thing that happened to her. Too bad she's a whore and a slut." He gritted his teeth, his anger rising, and said,

"Don't ever talk about her like that." Seth laughed again and Ben was reaching his boiling point.

"What? You actually fell for the whore? That's too bad because I'm bringing her back to my place tonight," He moved closer to Ben's face and stopped right in front of it,

"And there's not a damn thing you can do about it." Ben's nostrils flared again and he couldn't restrain himself anymore and he lunged at Seth.

He wrapped his arms around Seth's waist and locked them. He tackled him and it sent them both flying over the counter at the beer tent. Bottles fell and crashed beside them as Ben balled his fist and connected it with Seth's nose. Seth was still in shock, but quickly regrouped.

When Ben went to punch again, Seth grabbed a bottle and swung it at Ben's face. It hit near his eye and he heard Allison scream and yell his name. He heard people yelling and cheering but none of that mattered as he slammed his fist into Seth's face, this time connecting with his cheek. Ben punched him again and Seth tried to get a punch in, but Ben quickly dodged it.

Somehow, Seth managed to sit up and he tackled Ben, landing on top of him. Ben quickly and swiftly gout out from under him and tackled him, going back over the counter and onto the floor, right in the middle of the crowd. He heard Allison yelling at him to please stop and that it wasn't worth it, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. When he tackled Seth over the counter, he landed on top of him and slammed his forehead down onto Seth's nose and he heard it crack. Seth managed to throw another punch and it connected with Ben's cheek.

He went to throw another punch but felt himself being dragged up. Someone pulled him by his collar and he turned around to see two huge security guards. Two more came and dragged Seth off across the road. The security guards continued to hold him as he tried to calm his anger. When he finally calmed down, the security guards let him go.

He turned around and everyone was staring at him, including Allison and, now, her parents. He looked away and down at his knuckles and saw that they were bleeding. He felt blood run down his nose and his forehead. He tried to wipe it and already felt a scar above his eye.

As he tried to wipe the blood from his nose, he saw a police officer approaching him. He told him that this was supposed to be a family concert,

"I'm sorry, sir."

"I'm sure you are, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Wait, you're kicking me out?"

"Yes, you just fought at a family concert, get out. Security?" Before Ben had a chance to respond, he was being dragged down the street by the same security guards. He heard Allison yell his name and turned his head just in time to see her pushing through the crowd towards him.

They brought him to the barricades and moved them and threw him down. They turned and walked back down the street and, a couple of seconds later, Allison bent underneath the barricade, followed by her parents. She ran over to him and helped him up and threw her arms around his neck,

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She pulled away,

"What is your problem? Fighting like that."

"I couldn't take it; I told you what would happen if I ever crossed paths with him." She shook her head and, despite herself, smiled and hugged him again. He hugged her and, when he pulled away, he immediately started to apologize to her parents,

"Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, I'm so sorry, I-" Her dad cut him off,

"Don't be sorry, Ben, we're not mad or upset."

"You're not?" Her mom shook her head,

"No, though we wouldn't have preferred the fighting, we're glad that you were willing to stand up for her." Allison smiled and he couldn't help but smile,

"Of course, I would have ever let someone do that to her, especially not Seth, I know all about him." Her dad nodded,

"Well, what are we going to do now? You can't go back in."

"Go back in and enjoy the concert, I don't want you to miss it just for me." She looked at him,

"What? No, I don't want to watch it without you."

"Allison, it's fine. I'll just see them the next time they come. I know how bad you wanted to see it; I'll just talk to you after." She looked at him and he added,

"Please?" She finally sighed,

"Okay." He smiled and gave her a kiss,

"Good, now go rock out for me."


It took him about ten minutes to get back to his house. His dad's car was in the driveway and, when he went inside, his dad was sitting in the chair. He stood up as Ben walked in the room,

"Hey, you're home early." When he got close, he must have seen the cuts on Ben's face,

"Whoa, why do you have cuts on your face?"

"It's nothing."

"No, why do you have cuts on your face?" Ben shook his head,

"I got into a fight at the concert."

"What? With who?"

"With Allison's ex- boyfriend."

"Why?"

He sighed and told his father about what Seth had done to her when Allison broke it off with him. He also told him about seeing Allison's face and the terrified look on it. He had tried to stay calm, he really had, but Seth kept pushing until Ben couldn't take it anymore.

"So, that's it; we started fighting. He got a couple of punches in and he broke a bottle over my head and above my eye. But he was pretty torn up." His dad smiled, but shook his head,

"You shouldn't have been fighting, especially at a concert Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were kind enough to invite you to."

"I know and I apologized to them twice. They told me not to be sorry though; they were glad I was willing to stand up for her."

"Yeah, that's true. I'm proud of you, too, son." He smiled,

"Thank you."

He spent the rest of the night with his father and talked for hours. At 10:00, his dad finally went to bed. He watched T.V. for about thirty minutes before he heard a car pull into his driveway. He raised his eyebrow and got up and looked out of the window, seeing Allison's car in the driveway. He turned the T.V. off and went and opened the door. He walked out of the porch as she got out of her car. He smiled as she waved and walked over to him.

"What are you doing here? It's 10:30." She smiled and shrugged her shoulders,

"I don't know, I just wanted to see you." He smiled,

"Well, let's go inside."

They went inside and sat down on the couch. He didn't cut on any lights but he turned on the T.V. so there would be a little light in the room. As they sat down, she looked at him, seeing the scars started to form on his face. She shook her head,

"You look a mess."

"Thank you." They both smiled and he put his arm around her as she cuddled up beneath his arm.

"So, how was the concert?"

"It was really good; I probably won't have voice tomorrow." He smiled,

"I'm glad you had fun."

"It would have been even more fun if you wouldn't have gotten thrown out.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He looked at her as she continued,

"I was scared. I came out of the bathroom and I saw him standing at the beer tent. I got butterflies in my stomach and I just stood there for a minute before I tried to slip past him. Unfortunately, he saw me and called my name. I tried to ignore him and squeeze past everyone, but he grabbed arm and pulled me towards him. He knew I was scared and I tried not to be, but I guess I couldn't hide it. When I saw you, I wasn't scared anymore; I knew you would protect me." She took a small break, then looked up at him and smiled,

"I think the lord sent you to me." He looked at her and smiled, knowing he would never love someone as much as he loved Allison. He leaned in and kissed her softly. He put his forehead to hers and closed his eyes,

"He sent you to me, too. You helped save me." She smiled and kissed him. He kissed her back and brought his hand up to her cheek. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and they kissed for a while before he forced himself to pull away,

"Allison, we can't do this."

"What? We're only kissing."

"I know, but we can't do…that; my dad's asleep down the hall." She smiled,

"Who said anything about doing you-know-what? We were just kissing." He nodded and looked away,

"I know, but it crept in my head and I know how you feel about the whole thing so I had to stop myself." She looked at him for a minute and smiled and kissed him softly.

"Thank you. You're rare, you know that?" He smiled,

"What do you mean?"

"You're rare in a lot of ways, this 'situation' being a perfect example. I don't think I've ever met a guy that's willing to stop himself, despite what he's feeling, for me." She smiled again,

"I love you." He smiled and kissed her,

"I love you, too."

They sat on the couch, cuddling and kissing for hours before she forced herself to leave. They kissed goodbye for a few minutes before she went and got in her car and drove home. He closed the door and went back to his room and fell asleep almost instantly.


The next few days flew by; he fell into an easy routine, one he could imagine doing for the rest of his life. He spent as much time with Allison as he could; depending on her college schedule. Tuesdays and Thursdays, she had class from two to six and on Wednesdays and Fridays, she had class from eight to twelve. They spent as much time together as possible and, while she was at class, he spent time with his father.

He started to take days off to spend time with Ben. Though Ben told him he shouldn't sacrifice his work for him, his father wouldn't hear of it.

"You're only home for two weeks; I'm going to spend as much time with you as I can." So, while Allison was in class, he spent time with his father and, when she was done with her class, he spent time with her.

They did all kinds of things over the next few days; they went to the beach three days in a row and, though they were a little red by the third day, they applied enough sunscreen so that they didn't burn. They also went on the boardwalk.. They ended up going to Britts, like they did when they first met.

They sat on the beach at night and watched for shooting stars and ended up falling asleep in each other's arms. They also went to her parent's house for dinner twice and hey ate with his father one night. They went to church that Sunday; it was the first time he had sat with Allison and his father together. After church, his dad took them out to dinner, like he always did on Sundays.

They went to the beach again that afternoon and walked along the shore, hand in hand, as the sand moved between their toes. They lay on the beach again and while they were lying there, a plane passed overhead. He immediately thought about having to go back. He had to go back Friday afternoon at 6:00. Though it was five days away, he was still thinking about it. He had yet to tell her about the 'lists' and knew he had to do it soon.

They laid on the beach for a couple of more hours before he drove her back to her dorm. While they were driving, he kept thinking about those lists. When they reached her dorm, he decided to go ahead and tell her about them. He reached for her hand in the seat,

"Hey, I've got to tell you something." She looked at him,

"What is it?"

"Last week one of my friends from the Air Force came by the house. He had been transferred to Seymour Johnson and he stopped by to visit. One of the things he told me was that his wife had filed for divorce." Her expression turned sad,

"I'm so sorry; did he say why?" He took a deep breath,

"The Air Force is releasing four lists. The lists have people's names that are in the Air Force on them and, if your name is on there, you have to stay in for another four years." She looked at him; sadness, confusion and anger all in her expression,

"What? 4 years?" He nodded,

"They've already released one list, don't worry I wasn't on it. But Matt was; he told his wife and she said she couldn't do it anymore."

"Oh my gosh; that's terrible."

"I know, but I kind of see where she's coming from; they have two small children and she's basically a single parent. But I still couldn't believe it when I heard it."

"I know, that's terrible. I couldn't imagine doing that to someone, especially at a time when your friend needed the support." Ben nodded and smiled,

"So, I take it that if I happen to be picked to stay for another four years, you wouldn't bail on me?" He asked it in a joking manner, but was as serious as he had ever been She looked at him and squeezed his hand,

"Of course not. Yeah, it might be hard, maybe even really hard, but I couldn't imagine breaking up with you, especially after all we've been through." He smiled and leaned in and kissed her,

"Thank you."

She smiled and kissed him again. She put her hands on his cheeks while they were kissing and he unbuckled and scooted closer to her. They kissed for a while before she pulled away, smiling,

"Okay we have to stop; I'm going to get kicked out." He smiled,

"Alright, alright."

They kissed again before she got out and walked up the stairs and into her dorm. It took him about twenty minutes to get home and it was 9:00 when he pulled into the driveway. He got out and went inside.

He talked with his father for about thirty minutes. He told him he told Allison about the lists and that she had said she wouldn't leave even if he was put on those lists.

"Well, that's great news."

"Yeah, it is. I'm still praying that I'm not going to be on there, though. I want to get out as soon as I can and I don't want Allison to have to keep waiting for me."

"I understand completely; but Allison's strong and she loves you. I know she would wait as long as she had to."

"I hope so." He nodded and then remembered something,

"Oh, your cousin, Lauren, called today. She's coming down tomorrow to see you. You were really close with her, weren't you?" He nodded, remembering they used to always play together as children until she moved away with her parents when they were fourteen,

"Yeah I was, what time is she coming?"

"She said around lunchtime." He nodded,

"Okay, well I'm going to head to bed, all right?"

"Okay, goodnight."

"Goodnight."


He woke up at 9:00 the next morning. He took a jog around the neighborhood and came home and took a shower. By the time he got dressed, it was 10:30. He ate breakfast with his father and talked to him for a bit before they heard a car pull into the driveway. They looked at the clock at it was 11:30.

Ben got up and went outside to see Lauren getting out of her car. She was taller than he remembered; she had long black hair and, when she saw him, she smiled. He went over and gave her a hug,

"Hey, cuz." He smiled,

"Hey, how are you?"

"I'm good, how have you been? I haven't seen you in forever."

"I know it has been a while; I'm good." She smiled,

"Well, come on, let's go inside; my dad's excited to see you."

They spent the next couple of hours talking and catching up. Lauren had just graduated from ECU-East Carolina University- with a degree in law. He told her about Allison and how they had met and everything that had happened. She smiled,

"Aww, that is so sweet; you're such a nice guy cuz."

"Thank you."

"Where is she?" He smiled and looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 4:00. It was Tuesday, which meant she had class from two to six.

"She's in class at UNCW." She nodded,

"Well, I think I need some fresh air; you want to come with me?"

"Sure."


They went out on the back deck and talked for almost two hours, mostly about their childhood and the memories they had together.

"We used to spend all day back here." She said. He nodded,

"I know; do you remember when we carved or names into the bricks on the side of the house?" She laughed and nodded,

"Yeah I remember. Are they still there?"

"I don't know, let's go see." They got up and walked around to the side of the house, between the fence and the house. They searched for a minute before he found it,

"Here it is." He pointed to two bricks that had 'Ben Carter' and 'Lauren Watson' inscribed on them. She laughed and touched it with her hand,

"Wow, I remember that day." They were quiet for a minute before she asked,

"Can I tell you something?

"Sure, what is it?" She didn't say anything right away, but she finally looked at him and said, in a barely audible voice,

"I'm pregnant."

"What?" He asked, shocked. She nodded,

"I found out two days ago. He saw a tear fall down her cheek and he sighed and hugged her.

He held her for a few minutes. He could hear her crying and he stroked her hair and kissed her head. He laid his head on top of hers and looked towards the front of the house. That's when he saw Allison standing there, with tears on her cheeks. She put her hands over her mouth and said, in a voice just loud enough so that Ben could hear.

"Oh, god." She turned and ran in front of the house, sobbing. His heart dropped; he knew exactly why she was crying and knew he had to clear things up for her. He immediately let go of Lauren,

"I'm sorry, hold on."

He ran as fast as he could from beside the house and saw Allison opening the door to her car. He ran to her,

"Allison, it's not what it looks like." She shook her head as he reached her. He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away.

"Allison, please, it's not what it looks like." She turned to face him and he saw tears streaming down her face,

"Get away from me."

"Allison, I swear it to you, it's not what it looks like she's-"

She cut him off and got in her car and slammed the door. She cut the car on and backed out of the driveway as he continued to yell her name and pleaded with her to stop. She didn't stop and, as soon as she got out of his driveway, she sped away down the street. He ran to the edge of the road, still yelling her name, but it did no good. He saw her turn at the end of the street and she disappeared down the road. He immediately ran inside and grabbed his keys. His father saw him,

"Whoa, Ben, what happened?"

"Allison thinks I'm cheating on her."

"Whoa, what? Why?"

"She saw me hugging Lauren! I have to go; I have to go after her." His dad held up his hands,

"Ben, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down! She thinks I'm cheating on her! I have to go talk to her."

"That's not a good idea."

"What do you mean it's not a good idea? She. Thinks. I'm. Cheating. On. Her. What part of that do you not get?"

"I know, I know, but if what you're saying is true, she's probably devastated. You need to give her some time to calm down."

"What? No, I need to talk to her right now."

"I'm telling you, she's not going to want to talk to you. Give her a little bit of time until she calms down, then go and talk to her."

Despite how much he wanted to race after her to explain what she saw, he convinced himself that his father was right. She was probably devastated and needed time to come to her senses and know that he would never, in a million years, cheat on her. He finally nodded,

"You're right, how long should I wait?"

He ended up waiting for almost a half an hour. He decided that it had to be the longest half hour ever and wanted nothing more than to rush over to her dorm and explain. While he was waiting, his cousin came in and he explained to her what happened.

"Oh my gosh, she thinks you're cheating on her?"

"By the look on her face and the fact that she had tears streaming down her face? Yeah, and I need to go explain right now, but my dad said to wait and give her some time to calm down."

"Your dad's right, but I think you've waited long enough. Go." Ben nodded,

"Okay, thanks, wish me luck."


:O oh no! I told you guys this chapter was exciting! The next one will be up soon, I promise! Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review!