A couple of time jumps throughout, fyi. The final chapter needed to be split up. Here's part one of two...

^^TotS^^

EPOV

"Okay, fine. You go."

Bella is thrashing on the bed, laughing hysterically after hearing my latest choice for a girl's name. I really don't think Estelle is that bad.

"I don't see what's so funny, you know. How cute would it be to call her Stella? And it even rhymes with Bella!"

When she finally composes herself, she reaches her hand out, and I help pull her into a sitting position. Her belly definitely hinders her movements these days – to the point that I could bounce a quarter off of it. My beautiful, petite wife looks like she swallowed a basketball.

And she waddles. Waddles. It kills me.

"Edward, am I giving birth to an eighty year old? She'll come out wearing reading glasses attached to a chain around her neck. And I don't want anything that rhymes with Bella. Then she becomes Stella Smella. It doesn't pass the playground test, babe."

I shake my head. "You and the damn playground test."

"Hey, I'm dead serious. You can't name a kid some oddball name and not expect them to get made fun of! Kids are fucking cruel. I was Bella Smella for several years until I knocked this snooty girl on her ass," she snorts. "That was the last time Victoria Smythe made fun of me! Of course, I also ended up in the principal's office…stupid playground politics."

"Oh, honey." I lean over and kiss her temple. "All right, moving on. What's your suggestion?"

"I haven't thought about a girl's name as much as I've thought about a boy's."

"Okay, so we'll switch to boys. What's on your mind?"

"I'm loving Christopher."

I look up at the ceiling, mulling it over. Christopher Masen. Not bad…in fact… "I like it. Love it, actually."

Her face lights up. "Really? Just like that?"

"Just like that." I seal it with a kiss. "How about a middle name?"

"Hadn't gotten that far," she giggles before furrowing her brows. "Ummm, what was your dad's middle name?"

"Edward."

She snorts.

"Yeah. He was Anthony Edward and I'm Edward Anthony. My parents weren't very imaginative." My mind churns. "But I do like the idea of naming the baby after somebody we know and love. How 'bout your dad? What's his middle name?"

"Mortimer and that would be a hell fucking no."

My guffaw is instantaneous. "Charles Mortimer Swan. Let me guess…family name?"

"Yes. My great grandfather."

We're silent for another minute while Bella flips through the pages of 50,001 Best Baby Names.

"And Flynn is definitely off the table?"

I look down my nose at my delusional but adorable wife. "Honey, it's not even in the same time zone."

She blows raspberries at me but then continues to peruse her pages. An idea hits me…wonder if she'll go for it.

"What about Michael?"

A thoughtful half-smile forms at the corner of her mouth, but she stays quiet.

"He loved you. You loved him." I thread my fingers through hers, looking down at our clasped hands. "And we wouldn't have—"

Her feathery lips move to mine to silence what we both know. When I open my eyes, hers are glistening with unshed tears that speak volumes.

"Michael's beautiful," she confirms softly. "Christopher Michael Masen."

^^TotS^^

"You sure you're okay with this?"

Riley hands me a beer from the cooler, while I turn the steak and chicken kabobs on the grill. Bella left them in our fridge for me to cook for the gang for dinner. I promised her they'd be ready when she got home.

"It's a done deal, E. As soon as school lets out, she'll be with Kalia and me full time. Emmett and I'll make sure these girls stay safe and healthy. I heard Rose is going to North Carolina for those first three weeks of June."

"Oh, so it's definite, then?"

He shrugs after his pull. "I guess. Her foster mom wanted her to come back so she could throw her a baby shower. And that's the time Emmett will be with you at UFG anyway, so it'll all work out time wise. He'll get back just as she does."

"I spoke to the colonel again, and even though he was a dickwad about going in the first place, at least he agreed that at the first sign of labor— and I mean the first fuckin' sign, Riley— he'll let me jet outta there." I slide the tongs back through the handle of the grill. "I swear to Christ, if my wife twitches or raises her eyebrows, I'm leaving. You've gotta promise me you'll call."

"I promise."

"Because she's gonna be a hero about it. I just about throttled her the other day when she told me she rolled her ankle and fell to her knee walking her class down the sidewalk."

"How the hell did she do that?"

"I dunno. Some fuckin' tree root that she wasn't paying attention to."

"And let me guess, you—"

"I had her at the office strapped up to the damn fetal monitor within twenty minutes of her telling me."

Riley's confusion is apparent. "So, why the throttling, then?"

"Because she didn't fucking tell me until the end of her school day and it happened at eleven that morning!" I chug half my bottle. "I'm serious, Ri. ANY-thing happens and you call me, got it?"

"Yes, sir."

I roll my neck, my face contorting to get the tension out. Yes, she was fine and yes, the baby was fine. I just…I just hate that I'm leaving. That's what it comes down to.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I clear my throat. "Just wish things were different."

Riley chuffs and tosses his bottle in the recycling bin. "I hear ya."

Motherfuck! I'm so goddamn brainless sometimes.

"I'm sorry," I say, reaching for Riley's shoulder. "I always manage to put my foot in my mouth."

"Don't worry about it. And stop berating yourself. You're allowed to be upset. Just because Nalani died doesn't mean I get to have the cornerstone on grief and anger for the rest of our lives. There's enough of life sucking to go around," he chortles.

I nod, but still feel like a shithead.

"Mmmmm, I smelled that barbeque from the driveway," Bella chirps as she rounds the corner of our house before throwing her arms around my neck. "You rock, hubby."

After a few kisses, she pulls back with a smile. I tug on the ends of her hair. "Looks cute. I've never seen it this short before."

"Yeah, I figured with the warmer temperatures on their way, getting it chopped would feel cooler and lighter." She pulls it back behind her head. "I told Miko as long as I could still get it all up into a ponytail, I'd be fine. Shoulder-length works for me," she adds with a smile.

"Works for me, too." I wink before Bella turns toward Riley.

"Hey roomie!" She leans down and kisses his cheek. "Where's my girl?"

"She'll be over in a bit with Em and Rosalie. They took her to a matinee on Kadena."

"Oh, cool." She sits back in her lounge chair, slips off her sandals and props her feet up. "Look at me, I'm definitely retaining water today."

Riley narrows his brows and leans forward, probably not knowing where to look, but Bella helps by wiggling her toes.

"My feet and ankles are hideously fat."

I roll my eyes, hating when she puts herself down. "You're not fat. You've been on your feet all day and you're almost seven months pregnant."

"Probably doesn't help that I had a Caprese salad for lunch today, either." She sighs and crosses her ankles. "Oh well, you don't mind being married to a hobbit, do you?"

I burst out laughing while Riley shakes his head.

"You're the prettiest hobbit around." I tap her nose and give her a quick kiss. "My very own Bella Baggins."

"So, what are we talking about?" she questions, grabbing a bottle of water from her bag.

"I was just filling Ri in on the plan of attack while I'm away." I send a pointed look toward my wife. "He knows that at the first sign of labor, he's calling me and I'm flying back here."

"Sir, yes sir!" My wife salutes me, except that her tongue is sticking out. Troublemaker. "Do not mock me, Mrs. Masen."

"I'm so totally not mocking you, honey. Do you think I want to have this baby without you? I promise to be honest with Riley if I'm ever feeling off."

I get back to turning the kabobs and notice Bella maneuvering her way up and out of the lounge chair before coming up behind me and wrapping her arms around to my chest, our baby belly firmly planted on my lower back.

"No way this is happening as a twosome, Major," she murmurs into my shoulder blade. "We're a threesome got it? Go Team Masen."

^^TotS^^

BPOV

Four days later, at precisely three o'clock in the morning, we find ourselves parked outside the armory on Kinser. Edward needed to be one of the first people here as he's leading the initial wave of Marines over to Korea for the exercise. They'll collect the weapons they need to bring with them and then board the buses taking them to Kadena Air Force base for their flight.

I'm behind the wheel, though my belly tries to hinder me, I can still drive well enough. Edward is cracking his knuckles, his jaw tensing and releasing through every forced sigh.

"I fucking hate this."

"I know you do."

"I can't believe I'm leaving you."

"You're not leaving me, you're going to work."

"Bella…"

"Edward…" I parrot his tone, really trying to keep it light because if I get mushy, he's going to have a stroke. I'm going to miss him terribly. I hate that he'll be gone for the next seven weeks of our lives, but it is what it is. Not much we can do about it, short of me going into labor this second. And that wouldn't solve a thing, because not only would the baby be born too early, but Edward would still have to go to Korea after his ten days of paternity leave are depleted.

He tips his head back on the headrest.

"Give us a kiss and go. The sooner you leave, the sooner we get you back."

"That's a load of shit."

I nod. "It is, but I'm trying to make you smile." Then I realize there's something even better I can give to him as a going away gift.

I take his hand. "Here. Your little peanut is kicking out Morse Code."

At least that earns me a big grin as he presses his palm into the very distinctive movements of the elbow, knee, hand or foot that's jabbing near my belly button.

"Love you so much, Warfighter," he whispers with a kiss to the little nudger. "Be good to Momma."

Taking a deep breath, I swallow down the lump rising in my throat. He finds my gaze and gives me a half-assed attempt at a smile.

"I've gotta go."

"Yes, you do. We'll be waiting for you when you get back, Daddy."

He presses his forehead into mine. "Love you, Clementine."

"Love you." I brush my lips against his a few times, savoring his taste. "Go."

^^TotS^^

The days drag on now that Edward is away. He calls me every night; at least we're in the same time zone. Apparently things are going well in the exercise, but he can't really elaborate…secret stuff and OPSEC and all that jazz, I guess.

I don't know who invented Skype, but I'm so thankful it exists. At least that way Edward can put his eyeballs on me, as he says.

Tonight, I'm stretched out on the couch with the laptop propped up on my knees. My shirt is pulled up to my bra so that he can watch my belly. The baby is getting big enough that when he or she shifts to get more comfortable in their tight quarters, my entire belly undulates in slow motion, it's freaking hilarious.

"Goddammit, I miss you."

"Miss you too, hubby. Three weeks down, four weeks to go, though."

He nods but scrunches his face, looking concerned. "How're you doing today?"

I half-shrug, thinking back over the bittersweet moments that surfaced.

"Mom and Dad called me earlier to check in. I got a little misty when we were on the phone."

"Understandable. I wish I were there with you."

"I know. I had a talk with the little one after lunch." I smile, recalling how active the baby seemed to be while I was speaking to him or her earlier this afternoon. I recount the story for Edward.

"I'm feeling a little blue today, Peanut. Four years ago your big brother was born an angel." I rub the area where I feel a limb push me as my eyes well up for the third time today. "And even though I never got to hear him laugh or cry, I still love him every day. I'm sure he's been watching over you while you grow to be big and strong, so that you can laugh and cry for me and Daddy someday really soon."

I don't even realize I'm weeping until a salty tear reaches my lips and I lick it away.

"Bella…" My husband's voice sounds like he's aching, in sync with my sadness.

"Sorry." I shake my head, mustering a smile. "Didn't think I'd get upset again."

"Please, don't apologize." He scrubs his face brusquely. "This is one of the reasons why I hate that I'm away now. Last week with Mike's anniversary and now today."

"I'm fine, really." I dash away the remaining tears.

"What you said to the baby was pretty perfect, though."

I nod, taking a shuddery breath, ready to move on to happier thoughts. "I went out to dinner with Emmett and Rosalie tonight to celebrate the end of the school year. She's flying out in a few days to go home for her baby shower."

"I wish you would've let her plan something for you, too."

"Nahh, it's not necessary. We already have the essentials, plus the pack-n-play and the teddy bear nursery set. I'd rather wait to find out what we're having before we have people spending tons of money on neutral clothes and stuff. Oh, and the faculty at Kinser gave me an Aafes gift card, today! It's enough to buy the glider I want for the baby's room. How sweet is that?"

"That was really nice of them." He twists his arm to check his wristwatch. "Well listen, it's getting late, baby. You need to rest, and I have to be up in a few hours."

"Okay. I miss you, Major."

"Miss you, too." He puckers his lips, kissing the air. "Give me a call tomorrow after you settle in a Riley's."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you. 'Night."

I end the call and wrap my arms around my belly as the baby shifts again.

Four years.

My head falls back on the arm of the couch. Life would've been so different had I carried my son to term. Life would've been so different had Mike never gone on that domestic disturbance call.

It's painful to use the cliché that everything happens for a reason. In the midst of that raw cloud of pain, you don't want to look for a silver lining. The bottom line is that Mike didn't deserve to die. And had the doctors and I known about my condition, my baby might've survived past nineteen weeks.

But in the end, we can't keep putting a question mark where God put a period.

It happened. It was tragic. But here I am now, treasured by a compassionate, generous and loving husband, while a healthy, beautiful baby— who'll be arriving in less than two months— continues to grow inside of me.

I'm immeasurably blessed.

The love we have for one person won't ever replace the love you find with another; the heart, in its infinite strength, only expands to make room for more.

And that's how I continue to put one foot in front of the other. Life— filled to the brim with all its beauty and heartache— still manages to go on.

^^TotS^^

The following day, I pack up a couple of bags of clothes and make my way over to the Foster Towers to move in with Riley and Kalia. After dinner, Riley sits us down to establish some ground rules.

"Now, I don't know a helluva lot about going into labor and whatnot— just what I've seen in movies— so unless you want me to show up with a stack of newspapers and some boiled water, I'm going to need help from both of you."

I pull my lips into my mouth to keep from laughing in his face. Another damn supply and logistics officer. Here we freaking go.

"Bella, this is for you." He hands me a bell. A school bell like the teacher used to ring on Little House on the Prairie. Oh, dear God.

"Riley…where on earth did you even get this artifact?"

"The BX on Kadena. That place has fuckin' everything."

"Rileeeeeey!" Kalia scolds.

"Goddammit…SORRY, sorry. Shit," he mutters, widening his eyes. "MOTHERFRI—"

Reaching into his trousers, he pulls out two dollars, stomps over to the dining room table and plunks them in the basket that sits in the center. It resembles the offering basket that gets passed around my parents' church. It's only missing the weekly parish envelopes.

"That has an extra fifty cents in case I screw up during this talk," he admits to Kalia, who nods. "I'm kinda wound up. You're gonna have to give me a little leeway."

"Fine by me. The more you curse the more often we go out to dinner." She giggles as he rolls his eyes, a blush coming across his face.

"Hey, I'm doing a lot better than when we first started out in Hawaii. I took you out every night for a week in the beginning."

"That's true. We were at Boots and Kimo's every other meal last summer."

Just as I begin to enjoy the typical banter between the two of them, Riley's attention comes back to me.

"Okay, so you have to be truthful, Bella. If you feel sick, weird, funny or experience any pain whatsoever, you need to tell me immediately. You both have my cell number and my desk number at the office. If I'm not at my desk, the call gets forwarded to my XO and he'll track me down."

He stares directly at us until we nod in acknowledgement. Major Biers is in action.

"Good to go. So Bella, if you need anything, but you're too tired or whatever, just ring this bell and I'll come running."

"Like Mr. Belvedere?"

"Now, how do you know who Mr. Belvedere is?" He cocks his head, smirk in place.

"TV Land reruns, dude. And anyway, I'm going to require that you use a British accent if you're going to force me to ring a bell for you."

Without missing a beat, he chimes back in.

"Spit spot, Kalia. Turn on the telly. Cheerio, old chap."

"Okay, relax Mary Poppins."

We all start laughing at the ridiculous turn this conversation has taken.

"But seriously, you and this baby are on my watch, Mrs. Masen. I've only ever failed at one mission before, and it cost me everything. I'm not gonna let it happen again."

I'm taken aback by Riley's sudden and horrible self-assessment, but before I can say anything, the doorbell rings and it's Senna, Kalia's tutor.

Even though school ended this week, Kalia's teacher advised Riley to have her continue with her tutoring so she doesn't backslide over the summer. Senna helped her greatly improve over the last five months, so she agreed to stay on with Kalia through summer sessions.

Riley's posture stiffens as soon as Senna's through the door. He excuses himself, heading for the balcony with a beer. I chat with Senna for a few minutes while Kalia gathers her materials, before I decide to grab a bottle of water and join Riley outside.

"Mind if I sit?"

He extends his hand. "Please."

Their apartment is on the ninth floor of the tower, so they have a fantastic view of the sea when you look beyond the hub bub of Okinawan life off Route 58. Makes me miss the view from the deck of my old apartment. That place rocked for the four months I had it, but my life with Edward can't compare.

"I need to say something to you."

He takes a long pull from his beer and nods. "Okay."

"It really disturbed me that you said you failed at a prior mission." I'm met with silence as he fiddles with the lifted edge of his beer's label. "Riley…you didn't fail Nalani."

"Didn't I?"

I close my eyes, shaking my head. "How can you say that? You're raising her little sister all on your own right now. Don't you think you're doing everything Nalani asked of you?"

"It shouldn't have taken me so long to make things official with her. We could've started a life together months, even years earlier than we did, but it was my fear of commitment that kept her at arm's length. If we were already married, she might not have even been out that night. If I'd been a better man, she'd still be alive." He spits out that last bit and it's a punch to my gut.

"Where— where is all this coming from? There's no way you could have predicted what might've happened that night last summer. You can't torture yourself thinking things would've been different if you'd been married."

He doesn't respond, so I don't push. A few minutes later, the sliding door opens.

"Riley, is it okay if I go with Senna out to the picnic benches in the courtyard and do my work there? It's too nice to stay inside."

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Thanks!"

"But grab some bug spray. And take some dessert down for you and her. And some waters!" he continues to call out long after she closes the door behind her.

I don't normally like to intervene, but I decide to bite the bullet having witnessed Riley's odd behavior on several occasions.

"Can I say something else?"

"Shoot."

"Does any of this self-loathing have to do with Senna?"

He looks me square in the eye. "Why would you think that?"

I shrug. "You're different when she comes around. You morph into this anti-Riley that none of us—"

"None of us? Who's us?"

"Me, Kalia…I think Em and Rose noticed it at one point."

"What did Kalia say?"

I open my mouth to speak, but he jumps in again.

"And when?"

"She first mentioned it back in March. She said you get all quiet and weird when Senna comes over. And you do." I bend my face to try and catch his gaze. "You don't act like yourself at all when she walks through the door. I just thought maybe there was…something there."

He shakes his head. "Nahh, I'm just wrestling with shit in my head. If I act different around her, it's just a coincidence."

I nod, swallowing a gulp of water as another minute of silence passes by. "All right. Well listen…I'm here if you ever, y'know…need to chat."

He gnaws on his bottom lip, bobbing his head.

I decide to head back inside to fire up my laptop, but he reaches out for my arm before I turn around.

"Do you think she's noticed?"

"Who? Senna?"

He nods.

"Ummm, probably not. She might just think it's your personality if that's the only side you've ever shown around her, Ri."

He wraps his palm around the back of his neck and squeezes repeatedly.

"I don't mean to be a dick."

"Then don't be," I whisper. "We know how awesome you are, honey. And we know how much you love Kalia. There's no reason to not let your awesomeness show to others."

He's quiet…thinking about my words, I hope.

"Thanks, Bella." He lets go of my arm, but not before I pat his hand reassuringly and head back inside.

I smile to myself.

Baby steps. Itty, bitty baby steps.

It's only been ten months. He'll get there when he's ready.

^^TotS^^

EPOV

While I'm reviewing the manpower and supplies for tomorrow's exercise, my cell rings.

"Major Masen."

"Honey?"

"Hey, gorgeous. What's with the voice?"

"Uhh, I'm kinda in the hospital."

I shoot straight out of my chair "You're in labor? Christ! I'm coming right now!"

"Wait, wait. No, it's not labor, but I'm okay and the baby's okay."

"Well, what the hell happened? Are you sick? Is Riley with you?" I fire off my questions without breathing.

"Yeah, Riley's here and I'm not sick, just a hazard to myself again. You're actually gonna laugh."

"I highly doubt that." Christ almighty, my fucking heart is slamming in my rib cage. "Just tell me what happened."

"Camp Foster is having a family carnival today and tomorrow. Riley and I took Kalia and a couple of her friends this afternoon. While the girls were in line for a ride, I told Riley I needed to test my blood sugar since I'd eaten a little earlier. We were parked right next to the field, so it only took me a minute to get back to the car. I opened the door and just reached in to grab my test kit which was lying on the passenger seat." I hear her take a deep breath. "We were parked sort of on an incline and I guess I didn't push the door open enough for the catch to engage, so it came slamming back into me, smacking me forward, and I cracked my nose on the door jamb."

"WHAT?!"

"I think I broke my nose. At least it feels like I did."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me, Bella."

She whines. "Don't be mad at me. It really hurts!"

I switch the call to speaker phone and hold my head in my hands. This girl's trying to kill me.

"I'm not mad at you."

"It was like a damn Three Stooges moment, I swear. The door slams into me, I slam into the car."

"So, what happened next?"

"Riley came looking for me when I didn't come back a few minutes later. He found me crying with blood gushing from my nose."

I shake my head, biting my tongue.

"Hello?"

"So, you're in the ER?"

"Yes."

"Put Riley on the phone."

"Yeah, man." Riley sounds as drained as I feel.

"How bad is it?"

"Well, the bleeding from inside her nose stopped. She's got a cut across the bridge where she cracked it against the jamb."

"And it's really broken?"

"Kinda swollen at the moment. They'll probably take x-rays to give us the official word. Sorry, I wasn't there."

"Not your fault. Is everything else going all right? Kalia's okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Just trying to keep your wife in one piece." He chuckles, adding, "It ain't easy."

"Tell me about it," I chuff. "Thanks for looking out for her. Put her back on, will you?"

"Sure. Stay calm out there. Baby's still locked up right-n-tight."

"Thanks, Ri."

"Hi, honey."

"If I asked you to wrap yourself in bubble wrap and sit in a chair for the next three weeks, would you listen to me?"

"Are you putting me in time-out?"

"I'm trying."

She doesn't immediately respond.

"I'm really sorry."

I swallow tightly and shake my head before answering. "I know you are. And I know you certainly didn't mean to do this. Just please, please be careful. I'm fuckin' dying over here, Bella."

"I know." She pauses before continuing. "Can I call you later tonight?"

"Of course. Let me know what the x-ray says, okay?"

"I will. I love you."

"Love you, too."

I end the call and lean back in my chair, digging my fingers into my eyes.

Fifteen more days. We can do this.

Maybe that time-out I put her in will work.

^^TotS^^

The next two weeks manage to fly by, surprisingly enough. With General Kessler on deck, the Marines looked sharper, kept busy— hell, even went above and beyond their duties— and we completed the mission with stellar results.

After hating every minute of being away from Bella, at least my FitRep will receive gleaming marks.

We have a smooth flight back to Oki; it's the bus ride from Kadena to Kinser that drags.

Christ, have we hit every fuckin' red light on 58?

"A little anxious there, sir?" The Marines around us laugh at Lance Corporal Malcom's jab when they see my leg bouncing uncontrollably.

"Watch it, Malcom. Or else I'll order a formation for zero five tomorrow."

The entire bus groans and someone chucks a napkin at Malcom's head.

"He's about to be a Daddy, Mal. The Major's allowed to be anxious."

I nod. "Thank you, Jensen. No duty for you for the rest of the fiscal year."

Whistles and shouts of "teacher's pet" erupt as we pull into the same parking lot we left from seven weeks ago. I scan the area for our car, but can't find Bella in the crowd.

My Marines exit the bus, many into the waiting arms of their spouses and children. Some in the crowd have decorated signs, a few are waving flags. It's certainly not as much hoopla as I've seen for when a MEU returns home from the war, but it's still a warm welcome.

I'm the last off the bus, a smile in place for the family fanfare, my eyes still searching. I turn around to let the corporal from Motor T know he's free to return the bus to the depot, when I feel a tugging on my arm.

"Welcome back, Edward!"

Kalia.

"Well hey, cutie! I've missed your face." I give her a hug and glance around again. "I take it you're the messenger."

She nods with a big smile. "We got here a little late and Riley had to park toward the back of the lot. He didn't want Bella to walk so far in the heat."

I throw my sea bag over my shoulder. "Your brother's a smart man. Lead the way."

After maneuvering through the crowd, I spot Riley standing at his car, his hand up in the air. As we approach, Riley walks around to open Bella's door, helping her to her feet.

Her smile is radiant. Skype doesn't do my wife justice. Christ, she's amazing.

"Look at you." I wrap my arms around her while she tucks her face into my neck as best she can, and it makes me laugh. "You're a little further away than the last time we did this."

She snorts and squeezes me tighter. "I'm gargantuan. Twenty-eight pounds and counting. This baby's gonna come out looking like a seven-month old."

We both laugh before I finally kiss her sweet lips. We don't make a show of it because of Riley and Kalia, but once I get her home, all bets are off.

"Stop it. You're healthy and gorgeous and the baby will be, too."

I pull my head back to get a good look at her face, her nose, specifically. She immediately covers it up.

"Don't! You're making me self-conscious," she whines. "Is it really that bad?"

"I can see a little red mark where the scab was, but it really looks fine. I don't see any changes."

"It bends a little this way." She motions with her finger, but I'm stumped and shake my head.

"I'll take your word for it. To me, you're perfect." I lean down and kiss her once more before turning back to Riley.

"Thanks for everything, brother." I shake Ri's hand and we hug it out, knowing this was a challenge for everyone.

Riley smiles, directing his response at Bella. "With the exception of a couple small heart attacks, we did fine."

"Hey, we all know the cracked nose was not my fault. And the flat tire that stranded me and Kalia on Kadena was definitely not my fault!"

Riley and I both shake our heads remembering the lunacy.

"The guys at Makimanato found two nails in that tire, and you both know it!"

"And the yakisoba?" Riley adds.

"Oh, the yakisoba choking thing was barely even an incident," Bella defends as we all pile into the nicely air-conditioned car. "I coughed out the pea pod, didn't I?"

Riley glares in the rear view mirror at my wife. "Not before fourteen more grey hairs sprouted right here at my temple." He points to his right ear. "If you look really closely, the pattern they make spells out the word B-E-L-L-A."

Bella clicks her tongue, shaking her head. "Whatever, dude."

We pull up to our townhouse, saying our goodbyes. Bella hugs Kalia while Riley and I yank her bags from the trunk.

"Really, thank you again. I know she drove you a little nuts, but it did my heart good to know she was in your hands."

"Nahh, she was great. Helped Kalia and me quite a bit, actually. We did a lot of smiling and laughing." He looks at the girls wistfully. "Hasn't been enough of that in the last eleven months."

He pats my back and gets a last hug from Bella and we wave them off before heading inside.

Home, sweet home…finally. Time to make up for seven lost weeks with my wife.

Military Terms:

UFG – Ulchi Freedom Guardian; a combined military exercise between South Korea and the US. This annual exercise is the world's largest computerized command and control implementation which mainly focuses on defending South Korea from a North Korean attack.

OPSEC - Operational Security; the act of keeping military activities, training, plans, etc, protected from adversaries, hackers, spies and anyone who might intend to do harm in any way to a specific mission or those involved with it.

Aafes - Army & Air Force Exchange Service; the long and fancy name for the chain of PX's and BX's on military bases throughout the world.

XO- Executive Officer; second in command in an office, company, group and so on.

"right-n-tight" - Military slang for something being very well done, details are covered and in good order.

"on deck" - Military lingo meaning present and accounted for. If the general was going to be "on deck" for the exercise, that means he's going to be there to observe and participate in some if not all of the training.

FitRep - Fitness report. Proficiency reports given to all Marines to evaluate every aspect of their performance, both physical and on the job within their MOS. Every Marine, no matter the rank, receives FitReps by their commanding officer. These also weigh heavily when it comes time for promotions in the ranks.

"Oki" - shortened nickname for the island of Okinawa, Japan.

Formation - an organized and structured grouping of Marines (or any military branch) for the purposes of accountability, execution of duties, and precision control and movement of that group (i.e.- drill and ceremony)

"zero five" - Military speak for five o'clock in the morning.

"duty" - 24 hour watch of property and facilities within a given command. Every single night there is always one officer and several enlisted Marines who are assigned this task. Their schedules rotate, of course. They are responsible for overseeing the guard, preserving order, protecting property, enforcing inspection regulations, and guarding prisoners

MEU - Marine Expeditionary Unit; an expeditionary quick reaction force, deployed and ready for immediate response to any crisis. A MEU embarks Marines and equipment onto ships. This ship will have escort ships and submarines to protect them from air, surface, and submarine threats. Usually around 2,200 Marines are a part of a MEU which include logistical combat elements as well as air and ground forces all under the direction of one commander.

"Motor T" - Marines in Motor T are in charge of operating and maintaining tactical military and commercial motor vehicles. They're responsible for transporting resources, people, equipment and supplies.

Makimanato - Trusted car mechanic outside of the gates of Camp Kinser on Okinawa.

A/N: Love and thanks to Team Cabana for their constant help and support. One more chapter until our TotS journey is technically complete. But again, there will be an epilogue and one additional outtake that I have planned for our characters. Thank you for coming on this adventure with Spearward, Clementine and me. Your kind words and love for this tale have meant more than you'll ever know. Thank you so much to all those who read and review.

And please make sure you have The Sinners on alert...you won't want to miss this epic compilation. www . fanfiction . net u/5447587/

The Sinners Are Coming
March 4, 2014
Se7en Stories from Se7en
of the
Twilight Fandom's Most Sinful
Will You Follow?