Hi guys, LB here with the next part of VTR! I'm quite excited that AC and I are finally getting to post this, because, as AC has said, it's been a huge undertaking! One that is amazing and fun and crazy and emotional, and so we hope you love it as much as we do. I have to admit, I'm pretty sure we think of it as our baby. If all our writings were children, this one would be the one who turns out to be a FIFA star or an Olympic figure skater or a Broadway star or some genius engineer. You get the drift. Now, before I continue, I wanna send a huge THANK YOU to justatvfan, ACasey, Dimonah Tralon, and retropanda37 for reviewing! Anyways...enjoy!

AC here. I'd just like to 2nd the thanks for readers & reviewers, & to agree once more with those of you who said it was about time Beth & Casey kissed! I'm so happy! :)

Completely unaware of the goings-on in Casa Casey-Daniels, AJ sat on the Nerd Herd desk, waiting for Chuck as he got all of his stuff together. She couldn't quite explain it, but it seemed that a fair amount of her friend's possessions had found their way into the Buy More, so now he had to find them all to take with them. She'd been waiting for about fifteen minutes when Morgan and Anna walked in, the former in jeans and a Nintendo t-shirt, the latter in a whorish Goth dress.

"Hey, Morgan! What're you doing here?"

"Oh hi, AJ, we're just picking up our last pay checks. What are you doing here; didn't you take the week off for Ellie's wedding?"

"Yeah, but I came in with Chuck to officially call it quits."

Anna perked up, suddenly taking interest in the conversation. "You're leaving?"

AJ shot her a fierce look, then turned back to Morgan as if he'd asked the question. "Yup, I'm heading out after the wedding. I'm thinking I'll head to Dubai, since last time around I never did make it to India."

"Wow, that's…far."

AJ shrugged. "It's not like Hawaii is all that close. Tell you what, you send me e-postcards from your travels and I'll send you some from mine."

"How long will you be gone?"

"No idea. It's a big world out there; still plenty for me to see and experience."

He nodded, and seemed to mull over her words carefully before saying, "We'll be back for Christmas you know, to spend the holidays with everyone. Maybe you should consider coming back then too?"

AJ looked over at Anna, who seemed pissed at the direction their conversation was taking, then back to Morgan, his eyes hopeful and his smile, encouraging.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan."

His smile broadened, and Anna blatantly rolled her eyes in disgust.

"So, I guess we'll see you at the wedding then?"

"Definitely."

Back at the Casey-Daniels kitchen, the two aforementioned people were trying to push away the lingering effects of their kiss, not so successfully. Beth leaned back from Casey, still a little shell-shocked.

"What just…"

Without giving her time to finish her sentence, John growled and pulled her in for another lasting kiss. When the kiss finally ended, and she could breathe again, she let out a low whistle.

"Well that was…whoa. Been waitin' a long time for that, have ya?"

"If I recall, you kissed me."

Tapping his chest, she smiled innocently at him. "Yes, but you were the one who wouldn't let go. And who pulled me back in. So in reality, you're responsible for about sixty percent of the kiss. Or kisses."

Taking a couple steps back from the table, John motioned to the three or so empty feet between them. "Better?"

Beth glared at him. "That didn't mean you should move away. I think I prefer you standin' close."

"Can't. Might be liable for the action. Why don't you come to me?"

She cocked her head, and gave him a once-over. Hm, the view here was pretty spectacular as is; was there really any reason to move? But…the temptation of his lips was a little too much to bear. Sliding off the table, she took five purposeful steps toward him, looking up into his eyes, the blue irises made darker by the passion within their depths.

"Better?"

He said nothing, but the look in his eyes pretty much summed up exactly what he was thinking. She leaned closer, but suddenly stopped. What the hell was she doing? The reality of the situation came crashing down. She was going…well, she wasn't sure where she was going to be sent. And John? He was getting his own team. And was going away for a black-ops mission. Shit. Oh shit shit shit! No. There was no way she could let this happen. They wouldn't be together. Why even try? But…no! Her mind felt like it was swirling around. She knew it would be nigh impossible to be together, but…she couldn't let him get away. Not after wanting him, chasing him for over six months. They could make it work.

"John."

He growled. Slightly frustrated with a hint of impatience. Oh, that was probably because she teased him. Whoops. She should probably kiss him. But the look on his face was priceless. Was it bad she enjoyed tormenting him? Nah, probably not.

"No kiss yet, Johnny boy."

He growled again, but it was a 'call-me-Johnny-boy-again-and-die' growl. She smiled a bit.

"John, we have to think about this. I don't just jump into relationships. I'm actually more of a 'paddle backwards at an incredible speed' type of girl. I like to know what's going on, what will be going on, and in general, where it's all going. But this, what just happened, I have no idea what it means. Where it's going. Where is it going?"

John awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. For a man so big, he sometimes seemed out of touch with his body; not graceful like he was in combat. She often wondered if it was because he spent so much time being a Marine and a combatant that he never had a chance to really be just a normal guy. But he rarely spoke of his past, and when he did, she didn't press him. She knew that some things were harder to speak of than others. Waiting for an answer, she took time again to study him.

The first thing she noticed about him was how poised for battle he always as. She always thought he'd never lighten up. But he did. He'd never be a completely laid back guy like Awesome was, but he had his moments. His tall stature and muscled features automatically made her think he was built specifically for battle. Had he lived in the time of the Greeks, he would have been one of the great heroes, like Odysseus or Hector (because Achilles was a pansy). It was obvious when they first moved in together that his passion for weapons rivaled her love for western memorabilia.

But there was another side of him. A side not many, if anyone, ever saw. The side that loved quiches, bowling, and Rembrandt. And hated crab. Who suffered through watching the Bonanza marathons on Sunday because his roommate had a slightly unhealthy obsession for all things 1800's. John still hadn't answered her. She looked into his eyes, wondering what he was thinking.

"John, I'm not expecting some all-knowing answer. I know you leave for your new mission soon, and I don't know where I'm gonna be going. But…I mean, if we wanted to make it work, we could. And, well, I mean, we have now, right?"

"We...have now. That's all I can give."

"I'll never ask for more than you have to give." There was a pause, both of them contemplating what this meant for their friendship and their newly budding relationship. Beth broke the silence first. "So…this is a bit backwards and last minute but…will you be my date to Ellie and Awesome's wedding?"

He stared at her for a minute, regret flashing in his eyes. "Can't. I leave the afternoon before."

"Oh. Well no worries; this won't be the first wedding I've attended stag." She reached out and grasped his hand. "Whatever happens, I'm always here. I won't ask for more than you can give; I know you're doing the best you can. We'll just focus on the now, mkay?"

He smirked, and leaned down for another kiss. "In that case, I can think of a few things that may need a little focus."

LB: Apparently, Beth and John are trying to make up for not kissing all this time by...kissing a lot. :) And AJ is leaving. With Morgan still with Anna. *glares at AC* But I have hope! Because Morgan seemed sad AJ was leaving, and excited at the prospect of seeing her later! So, that's my rambling...please review-we love it when you do!

AC: Um, excuse me? After what you do later in this drabble, you can't possibly be glaring at me! Wait, whoops, have I said too much? Aw well, guess you all will have to wait to see what I'm talking about. ;)