Hawaii
Island of Oahu
With piercing chorus of screeching tires, and a rumble of hydraulics, 200,000 pounds worth of C-17 Globemaster heavy lift transport aircraft settled onto the heavily scorched tarmac of Hickam Air Force base.
Flaps steeply lowered, the gargantuan aircraft lumbered forward, its 4 SUV-sized Pratt and Whitney turbines going into full reverse thrust to bring the transport's immense bulk to a stop.
Carried by its weight and speed though, the Globemaster thundered on for several seconds more anyway, its 170ft long wings casting fittingly wide shadows that flew off to either side, sweeping over the millions of rippling blades of lush, jade green grass that surrounded the runway.
Overhead, the sun, though not that high up yet, was still blazing down, bringing temperatures up to t-shirt-wearable levels. It was a temperate day, with only a moderate amount of off-white clouds decorating the sky.
In other words, it was a run of the mill day on the island of Oahu. Neither the misery of Minnesota's winters, or the melting heat of Arizona's summers: it was Goldilocks weather in the Aloha state today. As usual.
Under these balmy conditions, the Globemaster slowed down to taxing speeds, and began to lumber its way off the main runway, headed at a respectable clip ( for an aircraft of its intimidating bulk ), past the already landed array of military planes and aircraft parked in their spaces on the apron, for the arrivals terminal to offload its passengers.
Several dozen reservists of the United States Military, fresh off combat deployments, and even fresher returning home.
Well, fresh-ish. After a dozen or so hours of combined flying ( from the sands, mountains, and jungles of the various 3rd world nations they'd been sent off to ), jammed into the cavernous space of a military-grade transport aircraft, virtually all of them were experiencing varying levels of muscle cramps, thirst, exhaustion, or ( for the worst off ), all of the above.
Emirates Airlines comfort quality, the Globemaster did not have.
Yet, for all those discomforts, as soon as the C-17's rear ramp struck the tarmac, allowing the unrivaled tropical air and aroma of Oahu to flood the plane's interior, along with the bright Pacific sun, none of the ill effects of their trip mattered at all to these warriors of freedom.
They were home at last, was why.
Home.
Kit bags in hand, or perched on their fatigued shoulders, and with service caps adorning their shaved heads, the recently returned reservists began to file off the Globemaster. Boots, some of which still had clumps of dusts trapped in their grooves, beat out a rhythm on the bare metal of the ramp as the men disembarked.
At first, they were a group. A loose formation of uniforms, moving as one. Within minutes, though, as they approached the gathered welcoming party that was waiting for them, everyone began to drift away from one another.
They were all American brothers, the best the world could ask for, but for now, they had their own special worlds to run right back to.
They were home, after all. The air they were breathing, the land they were standing in, the tan colored and modern buildings of the airbase itself-
This was America. They were back.
For Junior Reigns, nothing drove home the fact that he was that home more than who was waiting for him.
He instantly recognized the beautiful young woman standing there, beside a silver Chevvy sedan. The sight of her smile was more than enough to put one on Junior's face too, and boosted his mood by a wide margin.
How could it not ? He hadn't stopped thinking about seeing Tani Rey's smile during this entire deployment. Not a day had gone by out there, in the sands and mountains of Afghanistan, without him thinking of her.
He knew she'd make time to be here. No matter how crazy hectic things might've been for 5-0, she'd make time to be here.
And now, she was actually here, in front of him.
The ex Lifeguard always looked wholesomely attractive, but in her current outfit of a knee length blue dress dotted with white spots, Junior could easily conclude she was positively radiant. Tani generally didn't wear skirts and dresses that much anyway, but neither did she mind putting one on for certain occasions.
Or, evidently, for a certain SEAL who'd finally gotten back to the land of the free.
Smiling with open affection, Tani waited as said SEAL approached her, proudly holding up a simply handwritten paper sign with Junior's surname on it in bold black letters:
" REIGNS "
That was him, all right.
" I am Reigns .", the sign's namesake greeted its owner, not even attempting to fight off the grin that'd stretched across his jaw.
After so long separated from her, saying anything to her face to face was enough. It was real, not like leaving a message.
And he could finally hear her voice.
" Welcome home, Mr Reigns. "
Yep. As pleasant as she always sounded. Junior really had missed that voice, and he didn't realize how much till now. There weren't any women out there, as a SEAL in the field. But it wouldn't matter anyway.
Because none of them were Tani.
There was no mistaking the warm tint to her words, either. She was definitely happy to see him.
Worth it. Getting jammed in a flying metal box for a long haul trip to get back to her ?
Worth it.
" Can I, take your bag ? ", she offered, glancing casually to the one dangling by its straps from Junior's right hand.
A welcome offer, yes, but not what the SEAL wanted from her right now.
He had something else in mind.
" No, ". He shook his head. " But, I'll take a hug. "
Clearly, Tani must've been hoping he'd say that. Or, she was that willing to go for it. Either way it didn't matter, because barely a second after Junior said it, she practically launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his broad shoulders and pulling them both tightly together.
Without thinking at all, Junior embraced her right back, and held her firmly.
The press of her against him, the way her brunette hair brushed his face-
Everything was worth it, now. Everything he'd been through up till this moment, was worthwhile now that he could hold his girl in his arms again.
Home at last Home, at last
For the moment- in this moment- everything was good.
" I'm happy you're home safe ", Tani murmured in his ear.
Her tone had shifted, slightly. There was a tightness to it now. A very slight tremble, a certain note that said she'd been truly worried about him while he'd been gone- that she'd really missed him.
Really wanted, to see him again.
It was something that Junior reciprocated 100 percent. There wasn't a way he could fully put it into words, either, but he wouldn't leave it unsaid.
" Its good to see you ".
His hold on her didn't relax. Not yet.
He didn't want it too.
On the coastal roads of Oahu.
Roughly 5 minutes later
Disturbingly, the SEAL still hadn't spoken.
That had Tani mildly worried. The way their initial reunion had gone back at Hickam, she'd thought all was well with Junior- the way he'd smiled so genuinely the moment he'd seen her, the way he'd hugged her, and simply how happy he'd seemed to be-
Tani hadn't thought, or realized, there was anything more. Not then, anyway.
But now, at the wheel of her Chevvy with him in the passenger seat to her right, the brunette let her gaze flick over to the SEAL. Studied his face, the one she found quite good looking indeed, and tried to gauge what was going on in his head.
But, all she got was a frankly rather blank expression. Junior wasn't paying much attention to what was outside the windows, even though he was staring out of them. He simply, stared. Quietly.
Not haunted, though. Or a depressed stare. It was- well, Tani wasn't sure what to call it, actually.
Tired, perhaps, was the best she could do. More of the psychical variety, from the looks of it. Like he'd been pushing himself to the limit for a fairly decent stretch, and had finally gotten a breather.
Like he'd finally gotten somewhere, safe.
Tani wanted to say something, as she navigated the sedan down the freeway. But, that was the problem: What to say ?
Be direct ? Something lighthearted ? What did a woman say to her man when he was so fresh off deployment, that he looked like he was pretty out of it ?
It was uncharted(4) territory for her. While Junior had been away, she'd been missing him. Now he was right here, right next to her,
Eventually, though, she finally decided she had to speak.
" So- how was it ? ". The question was a bit more tentative than she'd wanted it to be, but it was out there, at least.
" I mean ", she quickly continued, while the momentum was up. " I know you can't talk about the details, but how did it go ? "
Tani watched his face again as she finished asking, waiting to see how he'd react.
After a brief pause, Junior nodded slightly. " It was good. "
He remained staring straight ahead, out the front windows as they cruised along. And said nothing more.
It was good.
What did that mean, though ? It was an answer, but Tani was left uncertain, and still concerned.
She wanted to know more. Junior was special to her, and she wanted to know more, because he mattered to her.
But, as she was running through a mental list of how to do that- of what to say-, Junior spoke up.
" Hey- take the next right. "
He gestured ahead, indicating an upcoming off ramp that was leading off that way.
Tani saw it too, but wasn't anticipating the instruction, needless to say.
It was pretty out of the blue, after all. Take the next right ?
Why ? She was even more confused now. First, Junior had hardly said anything during this ride, and now he wanted her to take a random turn for seemingly no reason.
Well, no, Tani corrected herself. That wasn't true. He had a reason. He simply hadn't said so yet.
So, she asked. " Ok, but- where are we going ? "
"-Take the next right "., Junior repeated, somewhat more insistently than before.
He repeated the same gesture, too. Tani was completely lost here, and had nothing to go on.
Except everything she had for him, of course. And that was, she realized, still enough, even though she didn't quite understand.
She took the upcoming right.
Isolated stretch of Oahu coastline
Another 5 or so minutes later
The sedan trundled to a halt, stopping at the very edge of a sprawling patch of wild grass, and only a few yards away from the ocean's waves.
Inside, Tani put the Chevvy in park, and switched off the engine with a quick twist of the key.
She took a second or so to take in the view, because it was admittedly an impressive one . The Pacific, the largest ocean on Earth, stretched out to the horizon. Said horizon had the sun hanging relatively low over it, still only about a quarter of the way up on its upward track.
The impossibly massive ocean was glittering like a glass window with the reflected sun. It was beautiful.
But, a second was all Tani wanted to give it. She had other, more important things to focus on right now.
Namely- why Junior had told her to come here from the get go ?!
Sightseeing ?! That didn't seem likely. Junior hadn't shown an interest in doing that before, and she'd known him for a while. There was nothing else here, after all.
What did he have in mind ?
Tani absolutely had to find out now.
" Ok. ", She turned to face him. " Why exactly-"
She didn't get any further than that, though.
Because, the very next second, Junior's lips were pressed against hers.
He was kissing her.
Junior Reigns.H-He was actually kissing her. On the mouth.
Firmly, and passionately. His lips were against hers, and this was a real kiss through and through.
Tani could hardly think straight. She could hardly think at all, actually. Her situational awareness had all but evaporated.
All she could really aware of, was the kiss itself.
The heady rush of endorphins blasted through her veins, and she immediately got a strong case of butterflies.
Oh, my God-!
Finally, she could think again, but only really because Junior had pulled back.
He was still close, though. Only a few inches away, looking her right in the eyes.
Tani was automatically looking right into his, and couldn't help but wonder if the adoring expression in them was the same as hers.
It had to be. Tani had wanted- had longed for this. Everything she had for him had been a slow burn, but an inexorable one- and now it'd reached its culmination.
A slow burn that'd been simmering for a long while, like heating a full pot of water over a low fire. Ever since that dance they'd shared at that wedding she'd taken him along to. When they'd slow danced so close together their foreheads touched, and their lips had only barely brushed against each other- only a hair shy of a kiss right then and there.
That one night, had changed everything. Tani had known that for sure ever since. She'd known how much wanted to be with him. Every day after that, the fire had warmed, and warmed, and warmed-
Until this had happened. At long last, it'd happened.
And, cherry on top: Junior was smiling again. A genuine, warm smile. One that showed things were better inside.
" Been thinking about this ever since I left ", her SEAL declared.
And, there it was. The final grain of sand in the castle, so to speak. The strength of what he'd said, and that he's said it at all.
Junior had been thinking of how much she meant to him, all that time he'd been gone, even though there'd been a thousand miles between them. He'd been thinking about this moment.
He'd wanted this kiss so much too.
But, Tani would not leave it at only one. She couldn't.
At once, she leaned forward, and kissed Junior again, as firmly as before. Tani pressed her lips firmly into his, putting all her energy into it.
She would make this worthwhile.
Again, she put her arms around him, slipping them around his shoulders, and clasping them behind his back. Tani pulled herself against the SEAL, sliding up and out of her seat and pressing bodily into him. Junior let her have her way, and made no effort to do anything- other than grip her sides and keep her where she was.
Which was more than fine with the former lifeguard. She deepened the kiss ( if that were even possible at this point ), clamping her lips over Junior's; he was no less passionate in kissing her back.
Tani's fingertips dug deeply enough into the fabric of the SEAL's uniform so that she could touch the rock solid muscle beneath.
Chills traveled at lightning speeds up and down her spine, and a palpable shiver ran through her. Struggling to find a way to take in air while kissing at the same time, Tani's hands soon found their way to the buttons of the SEAL's fatigues. With somewhat clumsy, but determined movements, she began to undo them.
" Can I- Can I get this off ", she breathed.
It was supposed to be a question, but came out as a statement. Not that it soon proved to matter, though, because-
" Let me help you with that. "
Junior did indeed assist her- with military precision, he undid all the buttons with record speed. His tunic thus loosened, he then shrugged it completely off, exposing the light green colored t-shit under it.
" There we go ". He allowed a hand to slide over Tani's thigh, gently grasping it.
The ex-lifeguard didn't reply with words. Instead, she went right back to deeply kissing him, while sliding her hands up his chest, palms skating with savoring pressure over his pectorals.
That set the tone and pace. There was nothing but authentic passion going on here, and it steered their every move. Hands on both sides went to work, caressing their way over the contours of each other's torsos, legs, and around the backs of necks. Their lips kept meeting over and over, in repeated kisses that were each as driven by emotion as the one before.
As the sun outside inched its way higher and higher, the two in the Chevvy ignored it.
They ignored everything, because they were lost in each other.
Neither of them had tracked the time.
Neither of them knew how long they'd been here.
Not exactly, anyway. Everything had become a blur- a mosaic of bliss, you could call it. If they were to try guessing, there was still too much leeway in weather they'd been at it for 15 minutes, or 30, or 45, or-
Well, it didn't matter. It didn't matter at all.
Because, fittingly, they'd coasted to a satisfied pause all on their own. Mostly.
Lying with his ( bared ) back against the rear passenger door, Junior Reigns searched through himself for any traces of stress. Any hints of tension, or angst, or other negatives that he could gladly do without.
He couldn't find much of any of them. Like locked boxes, they were still there, but they were dulled-edged now. Like something, stronger- much stronger- had overwhelmed them, and had heavily entrenched itself.
There was no mistaking what that presence was.
Lying against- no, on him-, Tani Rey ( minus her dress, which had joined Junior's tunic in getting draped over one of the seat headrests somewhere ) minutely adjusted her head's position on Junior's shoulder. She was very comfortably nestled in place, with one of her hands resting on his chest.
Junior's right arm was also resting- around Tani's shoulders. Actually, all of both of them was resting.
Completely at ease, completely relaxed, completley happy.
And immensely satisfied.
" Wow...that was nice. "
Tani sucsessfully came up with something to say.
It was always uncertain, to find anything to say at all after you'd spent God-knew-how-long making out like the one someone you'd wanted to make out with as badly as ever, to boot.
After all, what could top that ? It was easily one of those " words simply aren't enough here " kind of moments, to be sure.
But, the sentiment Tani had expressed was one she beleived in. And judging from the response from Junior a second later, he fully agreed.
" Yeah. Yeah, it was. " A smile was still on his face- or maybe it was a fresh one. Given that you tend to close your eyes when you kiss, Tani couldn't be sure.
A welcome sight either way, though.
" I got to say, though ", the SEAL mused. " Didn't think it'd be in a car. "
Somehow, that made him sound like a high school boy. Inexplicably, Tani found herself giggling.
" What- you were the one who told me to pull over ! ", she reminded him.
Junior chuckled at that, conceeding the point. He did not laugh often, Tani remembered. The sound of it was wonderful to her.
Everything about her current predicament was pure wonderful, actually.
The sun was bathing them in its light.
They'd shared a kissing session-led by their frst real kiss-that still had her pulse going like a freight train.
And she was absolutely in love with this man. One who was as smitten with her, too.
The look in Junior's eyes said as much. It made Tani's heart flutter, and she clutched at the SEAL's chest. She could be vulnerable here, and it didn't matter.
Not at all.
" Come here ", he whispered to her.
Immedietley afterwards, he leaned down, and planted another ( How many, by now ? Nobody was counting ! ) searing kiss on her lips.
And Tani let her mind go blank as she melted into it.
Because at last, at long last, after too many days-
She- and he- had found the greatest treasure of all:
Happiness.