Warning to ya'll more sensitive sorts,there is some hate speech in this chapter. If you have never heard or read if before you have lived a very lucky and sheltered life.

The rest of the morning was taken up with the most in-depth tour of the facility that any recruit had probably ever gotten, and before Jasper knew it, it was well into the afternoon and he was due to meet with Emmet to sign a lease on an apartment that Emmet had found for them to rent in the middle section of town. Jasper told the Capt about Emmet and how they had looked after each other in Iraq and now that they were back home. The Capt laughed when Jasper told him that Emmet had a crush on the secretary that worked the front desk, Rosalie. "Oh that poor fool, he will have a run for his money with her, she is tough on all of us and can kick ass and take names, I wish him luck." The Capt warned Jasper about some of the less desirable places to eat in town, as well as clued him in on the best places to get cheap. good. food. As he was getting ready to leave the office the Capt walked out with him under the guise of having a smoke. "So Whitlock, uh, your packet will process in a few weeks and the academy will start in about 6 weeks. You will go through the regular hiring process. The full back ground, polygraph, physical agility and all that to get hired on, and once you are hired, then you will get issued all your gear and you will be able to pick up some special security details and such that will help with financials. Do you and Emmet have enough resources to get you through for the next few months?" Jasper was touched that the Capt was concerned enough to ask about his status, and he reassured him that both he and Emmet had more than enough money save up to live on comfortably for several years, since both had saved nearly all their combat pay for the entirety of their deployments, and instead of buying new vehicles with hefty payments, they both drove older vehicles that were in good order and paid off. Their only expenses were rent that they were going to share and food, which with Emmet's ability to eat was considerable. The military was going to be covering the cost of the academy because it was for college credit, and they would be earning the equivalent of an associates degree that would later transfer to a university for advanced studies if they wanted, and they would be on the path to solid careers.

The Capt smiled at him as he stood there on the sidewalk in front of the station, "You seem to have a good plan for the future Whitlock, what about finding someone and settling down, have you given that any thought?" Jasper shrugged at him, "I don't know, I have never really thought about. I have never been around anyone long enough to want to try, so if anything were to happen, it would be the first time." Jasper looked squarely into the Captains eyes as he said the last sentence, making sure the meaning was taken, and as he saw the look of shock cross the Captains face, he smiled and said, "But I know there has to be someone who would at least be willing to give me a chance." The Capt took a shaky drag on his cigarette and looked at Jasper over the top of his sunglasses,

"So what will you be doing until the academy starts?" Jasper really wasn't quite sure what he was going to be doing. He knew he was going to have to get the apartment set up, and do some physical conditioning in preparation for the academy, but he had no hobbies or local friends outside of Emmett, and no idea where to begin. He played guitar and occasionally performed some of his music at open mic nights, but beyond that he was a loner. The Capt smiled at him, "Then I have just the thing for you, give me your phone." Jasper handed over his phone and the Capt quickly punched in some numbers and he then handed Jasper his phone, "Give me yours so I know how to find you, I have some details coming up that you would be perfect for, I just have to run it up the flagpole and see who salutes it." Jasper quickly put his number in the Captains phone, feeling exhilarated and hopeful that it meant more than just a professional contact. 'Well, I will see you around Whitlock, behave yourself and watch out for ole Gunny, he is like a grizzly with hemorrhoids when you face him down, he will keep trying your for awhile, so you watch your six." Jasper wasn't glad to hear he had made an enemy, but he was leaving the station significantly later than he arrived, feeling like he was walking on air, with hope for the first time in his life that he had met someone who was going to make a change for him that meant something.

Emmet was not thrilled that Jasper was late to their meeting at the apartment office. It had been a long hot day of trying to locate all the things they were going to need to get the place furnished and ready to move into, and when he didn't hear back from Jas by the appointment time, frankly he was worried because it wasn't like Jas to be late or to not be where he was supposed to be. Jas was steady as a rock, calm and reliable, where Emmett was the one who tended to be more fly by the seat of his pants, let the cards fall where they may kinda fella. The old lady manager was giving him the stink eye as it got later, and he tried calling Jas once again just before he heard the familiar rumble of Jaspers truck pulling into the parking lot outside the tiny office. When Jasper came strolling into the office with a smile on his face and a drawled apology that had the ole biddy manager about ready to drop drawers and lay spraddled across her desk for him, Emmett knew something major was up. He was fairly bouncing with the need to interrogate Jasper about what had lifted the general Eyeor demeanor of his friend, but they had to wade through signing everything in triplicate and then tour the apartment, decide who got what room, and bathroom and then look for any preexisting dings or scratches and then take the form back to the manager. Since power and all the other utilities were included, all they needed was to find some furniture and they were set.

Moving out of the barracks was as simple as picking up their duffels and checking out per procedure. After that they would simply be waiting for the military to allow the clock to run out on their contracts, due to their wounds from previous deployments, the likelihood of them being stop-lossed was next to none, so they walked off base feeling like free men with their lives ahead of them. Shopping for furnishings was a fresh hell that neither of them was ready to deal with. Though they had enough money to buy as nice as they wanted, they didn't want to go too extravagant. They agreed beds were a priority, so they went and both ordered queen sized beds. After years of sleeping either on the ground or in tiny billet racks, both men wanted room to stretch out or even sleep sideways if they so desired. Emmett ordered a metal framed four poster that looked like something out of science fiction, and Jasper decided to go with a rustic mansion bed frame that looked antique. They agreed on a large, leather couch with dual recliners and a center console for gaming controllers and a large wooden coffee table that would lift up and hold dinners. They rounded out the spending for the day with a 50 inch lcd tv with all the gaming consoles as well as about 20 games to get them started. The salesmen thought they had died and gone to commission heaven and quickly arranged to have it all delivered the next day.

Dinner was a couple pizzas and beer on the floor of their new apartment as they lounged on their sleeping bags for the last time. Emmett finally got to begin his interrogation, "Alright man, you gotta tell me, what the hell was up with you, when you came in late to the meeting today? Jasper fucking Whitlock is NEVER late, and he NEVER comes in smiling and throwing down the twang like he is going to put the spurs to the ole biddy right then and there, so what the hell man,? Jasper regarded Emmett with a casual look. He had known him for longer than he had known any other person outside of family, he considered him his brother. They had fought together, bled together, nearly died together and now they were starting their new lives together, could he trust him with the one thing that had destroyed his life over and over? Jasper sighed deeply and smiled sadly at his friend, he tipped his beer up and took a long swig and softly said, "I think I met someone." Emmett let out a low whistle and looked at him, "Duuuude, really? coool. Its about damn time, I mean, I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to put yourself out there." And then Emmett did the one thing that cemented in Jaspers heart that he was his brother and best friend forever, "So, are you going to tell me about him?" Jasper regarded his friend out of the corner of his eye, "How long have you known?" Emmett shrugged,"I don't know, probably since I met you, it wasn't a deal. You are my lil brother, I look out for you, I take care of you no matter what, its something I gotta do because I owe it to the memory of my cousin Rob." Jasper had heard Emmett mention Rob a time or two when they were sitting around drinking and talking alone between missions. Emmett told Jasper that Rob had been his favorite cousin, growing up. The cousin that always lead the mischief and that knew all the dirty jokes and was always leading the adventures. He was handsome and charming and funny and the girls flocked to him but he never dated, something that Emmett never paid attention to until the day Robs' step father dragged Rob to the door of the family house by his jacket collar, yelling and slapping the back of Robs head. The family was looking on as the stepfather screamed, "Bastard faggot" and other horrible words at Rob, because he had discovered Robs journal where he had written about his love of a boy who had just recently died. Emmett described how no one moved as the stepfather shoved Rob towards the street and kicked him, telling him to leave and never come back because there were no "Queers in the family!" Emmett was crying as he told Jasper that he remembered standing there as Rob turned and looked at him and he tried to go to Rob, to tell him that he still loved him and that he still considered him family, but his own father had grabbed his arm and dragged him in the house as he fought and cried. He had taken his last beating that night, and left home shortly thereafter, but not before hearing that Rob had hung himself from a bridge abutment in the city park just down from the family home. "I never got over that, and I never will and no one will ever feel that way on my watch ever again." Emmet fisted the tears out of his eyes in an angry gesture, "Love is love, man! I don't care who the hell it is as long as they are legal age and able to consent and I don't have to watch!" Jasper found himself trying not to choke up, he looked at Emmett with his eyes shining, and he said, "Man, not even my own blood could say that, they called me a bastard and threw me away before I even knew what I was. I wasn't even completely sure I was gay until today."

Emmett stood up to go get another beer out of the fridge, he passed one to Jasper, and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "Well man, we are the only family we' ve got, you have me and I am here for you, you gotta put up with me whining about wanting Rosey and I will put up with you whining over this guy, soo, who is he?" Jasper sighed once again and said, "Well that is the problem, he is probably very much out of reach for at least the extent of the academy and maybe beyond if the sheriffs department hires us." Emmetts face took on a horrified cast to it, and he drew a deep breath, "Dude, tell me hes not rank" Jasper nodded, "Yeah, man, I fucked up big time, not only did I fall for rank, I fell for the big dog, I fell for Captain Cullen." Emmett took a deep gulp of his beer, and looked at Jasper appraisingly, "Well, I guess it could be worse, at least it aint the sheriff himself, but Jesus, could you have had worse timing or luck?" Jasper grunted at him, "I know man, if I didn't know he was interested as well, I would have just walked away and let it go, but man I know he is just as into it as I am and I cant help it, I want to know this guy." Emmett smiled at him, and got up to go take a piss, as he walked by Jaspers cell phone sounded with the tone for a text message. Jasper looked at the message and saw the phone number followed by P-11, not knowing what P-11 he called the number somewhat hesitantly. The familiar voice of Captain Cullen answered him. "Hello Whitlock, how are you doing this evening?" Jasper was a little drunk to be honest and it tended to make him a bit on the happy and even giggly side, so he languidly told the Capt, with his accent in full, panty dropping effect, "Wall im jest fine as frogs hair this evenin, howun are you?" Capt Cullen laughed softly, and replied,"Well Whitlock, I was bored so I was out driving around and I thought I would stop by and see how you are you are doing, would you like to go for a drive around town with me for a bit?" Jasper was stunned, he wanted nothing more than to spend more time with Captain Cullen. He said "That sounds like a plan, when would you be picking me up?" The Capt chuckled and said, "I am in the parking lot, how about you throw on some jeans and lets go?" "Holy Shit" Jasper exclaimed, "You could give a guy some warning!" Jasper jumped up quickly hanging up his cell phone and racing back to his bathroom, to grab a quick shower and change of clothes, he took the quickest shower in history and threw on his Levis and boots with a t-shirt, and with a shout to Emmett to not wait up, he was out the door and into the parking lot, finger combing his hair as he went, when he realized he had no idea what vehicle he was looking for, He stepped out into the middle of the parking lot and as he did, he was briefly illuminated by the light of a truck at the end of the parking lot. He began walking towards it, and the truck pulled towards him. It was a monstrous machine. The newest year full sized Dodge 4 door 4x4 with a lift that meant Jasper was going to have to hop to get into the cab. As it pulled up next to him he heard the lock click open and he pulled the door open. The interior light was rigged to not illuminate when the passenger door was open, so all he could see was the Capt dimly lit by the instrument panel. "Well Whitlock are you coming?" Jasper grinned and looked up at him, "Im doing my best" as he hopped up into the passenger seat and shut the door.