Author's Note: Just a progress update. ;-) I've been working hard to finish this story before my classes resume, and I recently started Chapter 39 (out of 48). I should be updating more frequently now since most of the chapters are done, so keep an eye out. Enjoy and please don't forget to R&R! Reviews are always appreciated and loved. Peace.

Chapter Sixteen: A Moment's Respite

Sometimes in life, even in the midst of a nasty war for human survival, good things can happen. I'd spent months in a charred and battle-torn forest, thirty-plus days in an intensive care unit on an orbital hospital, and a harsh week in a boiling desert. And yet, despite everything that happened, I'd managed to finally find happiness again.

I had Willis back for twenty-four blissful hours, and nearly a year and a half early, too.

"So? You going to tell me how you were wounded on Heath?" Willis asked quietly as we walked from my office on Europa Base to the restaurant across town. It was a long walk, to be sure, but we were two young and very fit Marines; to us, the walk was nothing more than routine.

As soon as my husband asked the question, I shook my head involuntarily. I didn't want to ruin our time with thoughts of all I'd seen on Heath, most of which I wanted desperately to forget.

Before I even articulated this to Willis, he seemed to perceive my hesitation and reach the correct conclusion.

"Right," he said. "No war talk." He lifted his head to the sky, no doubt rebuking himself for bringing it up. "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Will. I promise we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Willis looked at me, half-surprised and half-admiring. He finally smiled and used his arm, which was around my shoulders, to pull me closer. He kissed me and said, "I don't know how I made out on Rondurass without you, Coop."

I cocked an eyebrow at him, one corner of my mouth curling into a smirk. "You better not have 'made out' on Rondurass without me."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Cooper," Willis said. Then, lowering his voice and grinning, he added, "Though I did have some very pleasant dreams about you."

"Dream no more, honey. I'm right here now."

Willis smiled. "And I'm thankful for that."

We walked several blocks without saying anything, simply enjoying each other's company instead. It was great to have him back, even if only for a short period. When the restaurant was in sight, Willis spoke again.

"How's Gabe doing, Natalie? Any updates from Mrs. Cooper?"

"Got a letchip a few weeks ago. ONI sent Mom to St. Louis," I answered.

"Earth?"

"Yep."

"Man, he's lucky. First time I went to Earth was when I got stationed there a year ago on rotated defense duty." Willis snorted. "What a joke. The Covies don't even know its location."

Little did either of us know, that fact would soon change in the months to come.

"I miss him, Will," I said quietly. "I miss him a lot."

My husband gave my shoulder a squeeze. "I know, Coop. I miss him, too. Terribly. We just have to hang in there until this crappy war is over."

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"That," I said, putting down my fork at last, "was some of the best chow I've ever had in my life, I think."

Willis put a hand to his belly. "I think I ate enough food for four people. I thought going days without chow would give you a larger stomach capacity later, but I guess not."

"Well, even if you develop a huge ass, I'll still love you," I quipped, trying hard not to laugh. I failed.

"Thanks, honey. I'm sure what you said makes a lot of sense, seeing as I'm a six-foot-one, hundred fifty-five pound male. If anything, I am borderline malnourished."

I patted his hand. "Don't get your boxers in a bunch. The very fact that you're a lean mean flyin' machine makes me that much more of a comedic genius."

"Uh-huh." Willis grinned at me for a moment, then asked, "Shall we?"

"Yeah. I've never seen the Lumiar River at night."

Lucky for us, La Rosa Bianca sat right on part of the river; all Willis and I had to do was step outside the restaurant to walk along the riverbank. The Lumiar stretched for miles, as it was one of Sigma Octanus IV's biggest rivers, and my husband and I made full use of that distance. Really more of a night hike, our walk took us far from the place we dined, but we didn't care. Lost in conversation, distance and time seemed to flow together and move slowly.

Finally, we realized that we'd been hiking for over two hours. It was late into the warm night and all would have been covered in darkness if it weren't for the huge, beautiful full moon looming above. Willis pulled a compact packet out of one of his pockets and from the card-sized plastic produced a large blanket. He spread it out a few yards from the river's edge, and we sat down.

I leaned my head against his shoulder as he moved closer to put his arm around me. Not for the first time, I wondered what I would do without him.

"Natalie?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to wait anymore."

"For what?"

He sighed and took a deep breath. I wondered what he was going to say; he seemed nervous, which was out of character for him.

"I know you really wanted to do it in a church, and that a big family and friends ceremony has always meant a lot to you. But with this war, we've only seen each other three times since we were married by a judge. And that was almost five years ago. I know we wanted this done then, but with our combat missions and deployments on distant planets…"

"Will, what in God's name are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely confused.

He looked at me, his face close to mine. "Natalie, I just…We should have the real wedding we've always wanted. I think we've been forced to wait long enough." He smiled at me, his features bright in the moonlight. "So what do you say?"

I laughed. "We've been through this before, remember? I already said yes. I don't care about a big event anymore, Will. We're married, and that's what matters."

"All the same, I promise you, the moment the war's over, we're getting the whole shebang."

"Well, we'll definitely have accumulated a lot of combat pay."

Willis smirked. "What, there's not enough shopping for you to do around here?"

I gave him a look. "You kidding? My latest fashions include 'dirty-and-torn black combat uniform', 'bloodstained-and-charred gray combat uniform', and 'smells-like-really-strong-detergent garrison uniform', which I am currently modeling."

"Natalie, you always look gorgeous, no matter what," my husband whispered in my ear.

Smirking, I raised an eyebrow at him. "You're trying real hard, aren't you?"

Willis grinned. "Is it working?"

I leaned in close to his face. "Maybe."

The banter was halted indefinitely after that. Willis wrapped his arms around me and we started kissing. It wasn't long before our jackets and boots were tossed by the wayside.

He laid me down on the blanket, and he kissed my neck as I slipped my hands under his shirt. I pulled the garment up and over his head and started undoing his fly. While I fumbled with two buttons and a zipper, Willis lifted my shirt off and slid his hands to my bra strap.

"Stupid…woman…contraptions," Willis muttered, breathing heavy.

"Pants…aren't...easy, either," I managed to say.

We both laughed.

As Willis moved on to my uniform trousers, he brushed his lips against my ear and whispered, "Natalie…"