Alison woke early the next morning, and relished the feel of the luxurious bed and sheets. She spent a few minutes thinking about her plans for the next few days. Once she was fully awake she quietly got out of bed to let Flint continue his sleep. She wrapped a robe around herself and went into the living room area, and looked into all that the Biltmore property had to offer.

Her stomach let out a growl, so she went back into the bedroom to get dressed. Flint stretched and greeted her with a smile. "Good morning," she said as she sat on his side of the bed. "I was going to head down to the lobby to get breakfast."

"Why go through all that work? We can order in." He sat up and handed her the room service menu. Once she told him what she wanted, he called it in. She couldn't help but smile as he told the person on the other end that he was placing an order for him and his wife.

The food arrived a short time later, and they brought it out on to the balcony. Flint took a sip of his coffee and asked her how she wanted to spend their extra days off. "I've been given it some thought," Alison replied. "I at first thought about what places I wanted to visit, and I quickly came to the conclusion that I don't want to travel. I think I just want to stay here. I'm sorry if that's a really lame response."

Flint shook his head. "Not at all. As long as I'm with you, I don't care where I am. But I actually like the suggestion. For as long as I've lived here, I really haven't done any of the local tourist things. How about we extend our stay here a couple of days and see the sights?"

Alison eagerly agreed to the plan. Flint once again called down to the receptionist desk and said, "My new wife and I would like to extend our stay. Is the suite available?" He paused and then said, "Three nights is perfect, thank you."

After he hung up Alison said to him with a smile, "You are really enjoying using the term 'my wife'."

Flint grinned. "I am. I'm going to try and work it into as many conversations as I can."

Alison pulled him down on to the bed. "Well, your wife is looking for some undivided attention from her husband."

Later that morning they took a cab to their apartment to pick up their car and some extra clothes. They then returned to the hotel, where they changed into bathing suits and went down to the pool. It was a mild day for late December. It wasn't quite swimming weather, but it was a perfect temperature to lounge poolside. After an hour Alison woke from a semi-dozing state to Flint staring at her. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I'm just bored." He ran his hand down her leg.

She watched him do it with a smile. "Really? It's only been a couple of hours."

Flint shrugged. "I can't help it."

Alison let out a laugh, and grabbing his hand, she led Flint back to their room. Later on that afternoon they drove around the outskirts of Phoenix, taking in the beautiful scenery Arizona had to offer. Alison reflected on the fact that it had only been a few weeks since she had taken a similar drive, but that time felt like a lifetime ago and a world away.

The following morning, Alison went down to the lobby to await the arrival of Scarlett and Cover Girl, who she invited over for a spa day, while Flint played a round of golf with Duke, Falcon and David.

"This place is gorgeous!" Scarlett said as she and Cover Girl walked in.

"Now you know why we didn't want to leave. I'll take you on a tour afterwards to show you the sites."

Cover Girl grinned at her. "You mean you've actually left your room? I figured you've done nothing but lounge around in bed the last couple of days."

Alison blushed. She led the two of them to the spa. "There's been plenty of that. In typical Flint fashion, he's been insatiable."

Cover Girl patted Alison on the shoulder. "Enjoy it while you can. From what I hear, once the baby arrives that all dries up."

"Courtney, stop," Scarlett scolded. "If that was true the world would just be made up of only children."

Cover Girl laughed. "Let me guess, you're the baby of the family." She patted Scarlett's shoulder. "I'm sure your mommy and daddy loved each other very much when they made you."

They checked into the spa, changed into their robes, grabbed a fruit plate and flavored water and then took seats in the relaxation room where they chatted quietly.

"Court, I didn't get a chance to thank you for cutting your trip home short to come to the wedding."

Cover Girl waved her off. "It was my pleasure. Not only was it worth it for the party and after party we had, but I was more than ready to come back. Every time I go home I'm reminded why I left in the first place."

"I'm sorry," Alison said. "What happened?"

Cover Girl shrugged. "I'm used to it. My parents' biggest regret in life is that I gave up my modeling career. No matter how many times I try to explain my motivations, they can't get past the fact that I gave up a cushy and lucrative job to do one that is dangerous and low-paying. I prepared myself for the lecture I knew was coming, but I was blindsided when I walked through the front door and saw what was basically a shrine to my modeling days. Needless to say the visit went downhill from there. So when Clutch called about the wedding reception, I eagerly agreed to come back."

Alison nodded and turned towards Scarlett. "Did you get a chance to go home?"

"I did. I flew to Atlanta over a week ago," Scarlett said. "After I got over the jet lag, my biggest annoyance was the constant grilling from my brothers and father about what's going on with Conrad."

Cover Girl grinned and took a seat closer to Scarlett. "Since you brought him up," she trailed off as she waved her hand.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry I did, since there is nothing to tell."

Alison shook her head. "I doubt that. The way you two acted at the reception, I could tell you are in a much better place than when you left. So something happened."

"We had a good conversation a couple of weeks ago, where we put everything out there. I may not have forgiven him for everything, but I do understand why he did it."

Alison began to respond enthusiastically, but Scarlett waved her off. "Don't get too excited. Just because we resolved our past issues, doesn't mean we have a future together."

"But maybe you do. Look at what Dash and I went through before we realized that it was only the general keeping us apart. That could be the same for you too."

Cover Girl eyed Scarlett. "Unless General Bradshaw isn't the only reason why they are staying apart." Both waited for her to continue. With an exaggerated sigh, Cover Girl said. "Duke wasn't the only mysterious blond man that lusted after Scarlett."

"Snake-Eyes?" Alison said as she looked at Scarlett. "Are you two together now?"

"No!" Scarlett said forcefully. "We've been good friends for years, and I admit this time together has brought us closer together. But I love him like a brother, nothing more."

Before Cover Girl or Alison could question Scarlett further, their names were called, bringing an end to the conversation. They were led to three separate rooms.

"This is a specialized maternity table," the attendant explained to Alison. "It'll give you a chance to lay face-down if you would like."

She did. After gingerly climbing on to the table and maneuvering herself into the cutouts, she was surprised by how comfortable she felt. "This is heavenly. I haven't been able to do this for a couple of weeks."

"You'll find yourself needing this relief more and more as the weeks continue on. You should make future appointments to help relieve the strain the growing baby is putting on your body."

Alison just nodded as she realized she wasn't going to be in town to take up the offer. But she put on her mental to-do list to find a similar place in DC. An hour later she emerged from the room feeling completely refreshed. She joined Cover Girl and Scarlett who were wearing matching smiles of contentment.

"Al, this was a wonderful idea," Scarlett said.

"I agree, thank you," Cover Girl added.

"It was my pleasure," Alison said. "And our afternoon is only beginning. We still have mani, pedis, and facials to look forward to." She leaned back with a sigh into the cushy chair. "The guys can't be having nearly as much fun as we are."

Flint held his breath as he watched the ball take a lap around the cup before it fell in the hole. He stared at it in amazement a moment before he let out a whoop and shook his fists and the golf club into the air.

"I don't believe it," David said. "I know I just saw that happen, but I still can't believe my eyes."

Duke shook his head, and then handed Flint his beer from the golf cart. "Lucky shot."

"Lucky me ass. That took skill. I bet half of the pros couldn't have made that putt."

They took a few steps back as Falcon hit his ball. His fell a few feet short of the hole which made Flint's smile even larger.

Falcon walked over, and muttered a few choice words when he saw his ball. He then turned to the others and said, "I'm going to guess based on Faireborn's shit-eating grin that he actually got it in?"

"Oh, I've been getting it in pretty consistently lately."

"Classy," David said with a look of disapproval towards Flint. "I hope you don't talk to Alison that way."

Falcon laughed. "Please. With all the years in the Army, I'm sure she's heard worse."

"Maybe," David said but he continued to scold Flint. "But she's going to be the mother of your child, so you should treat her with respect."

"Save your breath, Dave," Duke said. "I know what it's like to have a younger brother that doesn't listen to a word you say."

"Hey!" Falcon said. "I've taken your advice plenty of times."

"Really? Name one."

Falcon thought a moment. "Give me a minute. In the meantime, who wants a refill before the next hole?"

They filled up their cups. Duke and Falcon got in the cart to continue their discussion, while Flint stayed behind to walk with David. "Did you feel nervous at all when Ann was pregnant with Danny?"

"Nervous?" David said with a laugh. "I was down-right terrified. I'm pretty sure I dreamt up every worst case scenario. In the early weeks, I was afraid of a miscarriage. Once that threat passed, I worried that the baby would have birth defects, or that Ann would suffer complications during the delivery."

Flint exhaled. "It's good to see I'm not alone."

"No you're not. I wish I could tell you that it gets better, but it doesn't. Now I have, by all indications, happy and healthy kids but I still worry. Am I raising them right? What if they encounter a bad influence down the road? Have I saved enough to give them the future they want? And does Ann love me as much as she did on our wedding day, or is she being serious when she calls me a horse's ass?"

Flint couldn't help but laugh at the last question. "Yep, we are living the same life."

The two caught up to Duke and Falcon, and finished up their round a short time later. Flint looked at his watch. "I think the girls should be finishing up soon. Al and I talked about us all doing dinner together. Are you in?"

"I'd like to, but we should get back," Duke answered. "Beachhead seemed very enthusiastic about his chance to be the one in charge this afternoon."

Flint grimaced. "Say no more. You should go check on him, make sure he hasn't revamped the whole place."

David laughed. "Really? How much trouble can one guy cause? You've only been gone a few hours."

Duke and Flint traded knowing looks. "I can tell you a few stories."

Once Duke and Falcon left, Flint and David grabbed a couple of seats by the pool bar. They sat in silence a few moments, mindlessly watching the Bowl game airing on the television. During one of the commercials Flint asked, "So what was mom's conflict this week?"

David tried to stammer out an excuse but Flint waved him off. "I knew the minute she told me her plans were a lie. I figured she was upset, but I didn't realize how much."

"Don't read too much into it. She was disappointed since she's spent the time since your announcement at Thanksgiving planning out a wedding. But I think she would have changed her mind at the last minute if dad hadn't come down with the flu Christmas night." David patted his leg. "Even if she is still mad, you have the ultimate bargaining chip, her first granddaughter."

Alison, Scarlett and Cover Girl joined them a couple of minutes later. Alison leaned over to kiss Flint on the cheek. "How was it?" he asked.

"Wonderful," she replied. "Where's Duke and Falcon?"

"They wanted to head back since they figured they left Beachhead in charge long enough."

Cover Girl shuddered. "I'm glad I missed that." She then nudged Scarlett, "I'm sorry you lost your date for the evening."

"Date?" Flint asked.

Scarlett exhaled sharply. "Don't you start. These two have been bugging me all afternoon."

"It sounds like we need to get a round of drinks ordered," Flint said. "So what does everyone want?"

"Hold on, Flint," Cover Girl interrupted. "You two treated us to a wonderful afternoon. The least we can do is pay for the first round. Red, give them your credit card." Scarlett laughed but reached into her purse to hand Flint her card.

"If you're paying, get me a water and a virgin Pina Colada," Alison said. She watched as David and Flint walked over to the bar. She turned to Scarlett. "Shana, I'm sorry if I annoyed you. I just want," she paused for a moment. "I know it sounds corny and cliché, but I hope you're as happy as I am."

Scarlett smiled. "I really am. I spent the last few years either pining after Duke, dating him, or trying to recover from our break-up. I needed the time away to realize that I can find happiness without him."

"I could have told you that," Cover Girl said. "Don't get me wrong, they are a lot of fun, and every so often a girl has needs that have to be taken care of, but no woman's sole source of happiness should be a man. You need to find joy in other areas of your life as well."

Alison shook her head. "When did you become so wise?" she teased. "If I had come to talk to you last month, I could have saved Flint and I a week's worth of grief."

"You two have always underestimated me," Cover Girl said with a mock of dramatics. "But seriously, Alison, with a wedding, a baby and a new job in a new city, you're not feeling overwhelmed?"

"This is a great conversation to make her have while she's on her honeymoon," Scarlett said.

"No, it's okay," Alison said. "Maybe a lot of feelings are being masked by the post-wedding bliss, but right now I'm more excited than worried. I do know though, once I get to DC I'm sure the reality of it all is going to hit me, so you both better answer your phones when I call."

David and Flint returned and passed out the glasses they were precariously balancing. They then started to discuss dinner plans, when Cover Girl's phone rang. "Shit, it's HQ," she explained before she walked away to answer it.

"It's a weird feeling being totally removed from what the Joes have going on," Scarlett said.

Flint grimaced and looked at Alison. He was afraid she was still sensitive about her firing but she seemed to take the comment in stride.

Cover Girl returned a couple of minutes later. "Sorry, but my night's over. I have to go back."

"What's wrong?" Flint asked as he wondered if he was going to be receiving a phone call as well.

"Don't worry it's just a motor pool issue," Cover Girl explained. "Cross Country, Thunder and Tollbooth have been trying to come up with a plan to help our budget crisis with what they assured everyone was going to be a cheap, but reliable way to lower our fuel consumption. Once they said they were getting Airtight and Tripwire involved, I knew it was going to be a disaster. And supposedly I was right. Cross wants me to give them a hand with the damage control."

"You're being a good sport about it," Alison said.

Cover Girl grinned. "It's because payback's a bitch. Unfortunately, though, Shana you're my ride."

"It's okay. I'll take a raincheck on dinner. How about Saturday night? We can ring in the New Year together. Unless, of course, you'd rather be alone."

"Please," Alison said. "I'm sure by then we'll be sick of each other."

"Speak for yourself," Flint said as he wrapped his arms around Alison.

"Okay, I'll call you," Scarlett said with a laugh.

Once Scarlett and Cover Girl left, David turned to them. "I think I'm going to head back to my hotel as well. All that sun this afternoon tired me out, and I have an early flight tomorrow."

Flint hugged his brother, followed by Alison. They wished him well and then the two were alone. "So my wife, what do you want for dinner? That is assuming you too aren't going to make an excuse to ditch me."

Alison wrapped her arms around his neck. "Nope. I haven't seen you all day. I missed you," she said huskily.

"Room service it is," Flint said.

As they walked back to their room he added, "I hope it takes them a long time to deliver it."

Flint reluctantly checked them out on the morning of New Year's Eve. Not only was he sad that the too-quick honeymoon was coming to an end, but he knew that he now needed to switch his focus to moving Alison to DC. He was glad that they did finalize plans to meet up with Scarlett that night since it gave them the excuse to postpone the inevitable for one more day.

A few hours later they were seated in the crowded bar. A couple dozen Joes had come out, adding to the raucous atmosphere. Flint felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around. A semi-familiar woman was smiling at him, and it took a moment for him to remember how he knew her. "Sarah! Good to see you again."

"You too. I just came by to say hello and remind you that I owe you a drink." She looked at Alison. "I'm going to assume this is the fiancée?"

Alison stuck her hand out. With a larger than usual smile she introduced herself and then added. "Wife, actually. We just got back from our honeymoon."

"Congratulations!" Sarah said. "Then I really should buy a round. What do you want?"

Flint ordered a beer and then Alison patted her stomach. "Just water for me," she replied a little too sweetly.

Flint watched in amusement as the two women chatted about Alison's pregnancy. Since he was normally the jealous one, it was nice to be on the receiving end. But then he flashed back to the despair he had been in when he had met Sarah, and how he had considered going home with her that night. He wondered what would have happened if he had. Or if Alison hadn't had her change of heart that had led to their reconciliation. He guessed that rather than being out celebrating the coming new year, he would have been home grieving the way the current one ended.

Sarah left the two of them to join their friends. Flint leaned over to Alison and asked her to go outside with him.

"Now?" She asked as she looked at her watch. "It's nearly midnight."

"I know. I just want to talk to you a minute." He helped her down from her stool and they pushed their way through the crowd to the front door.

Once outside, Alison stretched trying to get rid of the kink in her back that formed from sitting too long at the high top table. She was glad for the chance to stand, even though she was concerned about Flint's motives for taking her outside. She had a strong suspicion it had to do with Sarah. She decided to confront the issue head-on. "Do you need to tell me that you had a fling with that woman I just met?"

Flint startled. "No," he adamantly replied. "But I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider it. I met her the night you ended our relationship."

"Oh," Alison said simply.

He grabbed her hands. "I'm not telling you this to hurt your feelings, or to bring up painful times from the past. But seeing Sarah reminded me how miserable I was that night, when I thought I lost everything. It made me think about how I could have been in a completely different place figuratively and literally, if things didn't work out between us. So it seemed appropriate before this year ended and the new one began to reiterate how much I'm looking forward to our future, both in the coming year and the years beyond."

Alison didn't know how to respond. Inside the bar, the countdown to midnight began. Flint looked towards the front door. "Do you want to go back inside?"

Alison shook her head no and embraced him. They kissed at the stroke of midnight. Once they separated she told him, "I too am very excited for the future. Happy New Year."

They went back inside where they wished their friends a happy new year, sang a very off-tune version of Auld Lang Syne and then left while the majority of the bar stayed to continue their celebrations.

Later that night Alison woke up and quickly realized she was alone in their bed. She sat up and saw a light under her door coming from the living room. She put on a robe and walked out there, where she found Flint sitting on their sofa, staring at the ultrasound photo.

"Do you think she'll have your green eyes?" Flint asked once she joined him on the couch.

"I don't know. If I remember my high school biology class correctly, I think brown eyes are the dominant color, so she'll probably end up with yours."

Flint nodded, but remained quiet. Alison rubbed his leg. "Did you have another nightmare? It's been a few days."

"Yes. I think the wedding and the honeymoon temporarily pushed them aside."

Alison leaned into him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "Do you want to tell me about them?"

Flint stayed quiet for so long, that Alison thought he was going to once again shut her out. But then he started talking. "The scenario I experienced each time Doctor Mindbender brought me to his lab was different, but the end result was the same. He made sure I was put into a position that I watched him kill our baby.

"The first time was the worst. I was so shocked, angry and upset as I watched my greatest fear play out. Once I woke up in my cell, I should have known it was only his mind games being played on me. Especially since he reenacted it over and over again. But the images seemed so real, and not being able to talk to you or see you to confirm that you were actually okay, made me believe that I lost Junior, and I was going to lose you too."

Alison had suspected that was the torture Flint suffered through, but to hear him tell her what happened broke her heart. She pulled him in for a hug. "Dash, other than telling you again that Junior is fine, I don't know what else to say to make this pain go away."

"I'm not looking for you to say anything. I know that you and the baby are fine, but just sometimes I have these moments where I need to reassure myself that is the case. Having this photo helps."

Alison grabbed Flint's hand and put it on her stomach. "We have more than just the photo. She truly is in here, and I can feel her getting stronger every day."

Flint smiled at her. "I'm glad to hear that. I'm just so excited to meet her, and hold her in my arms."

"Me too," Alison said and then kissed him. "But in the meantime we should probably come up with a better name than Junior."

Flint laughed. "I agree. Do you have any suggestions?"

"I do." Alison got up and went to the dining room table that had become a catch-all for their paperwork. She rummaged through a pile until she found the list of potential names she started. Once Flint realized what she was doing, he too stood up, walked into their bedroom and returned with his own list.

They compared the two and laughed once they realized they had nothing in common. Plus, both vetoed a large chunk of either's choices. Flint laughed again. "I'm starting to think Junior's not a bad name."

"Me too." Alison scanned through his choices again. "I can't help but notice that ninety percent of the names on your list start with the letter 'D', so I have to ask what's the story behind the cute naming tradition your family has?"

"My mother told us it's in honor of the man who saved my dad's life when they were in the Army together. She said if it wasn't for him, none of us would be here now."

Alison regretted mocking the tradition. "Dash, that's beautiful. I'm sorry for poking fun."

Flint waved her off. "Don't be. The true story isn't quite so honorable. One night while my mom was pregnant with David, my dad was involved in a drunken poker game that went very bad for him. In order to get out of paying one of his buddies a large amount of money, he promised he was going to name the baby after him. He convinced my mother by telling her the Army story, and she ran with it. Dad finally came clean when Diana was pregnant for the first time. But since David had continued the tradition, she decided to follow suit. So, while I would like to keep it going, we don't have to."

Alison nodded. "That's good to know. To be honest, my favorite name isn't on my list."

"Oh yeah? What is it?"

"Marissa. I thought it was a great name when I met the yoga instructor in La Jolla, so it was the first thing I thought of when the tech confirmed we're having a girl."

Flint nodded. "It's pretty. Different, though."

"I know. Growing up as an Alison, I thought it might be nice to have a name that was a little more unique."

Flint grinned. "And having a name like Dashiell, made me promise my future offspring that they would have a more normal name."

"Marissa is a normal name," Alison insisted.

"It is. I guess I was thinking something a little more traditional. To be honest, I had already accepted the idea that we were probably not going to automatically pick a 'D' name, but I thought something like Eleanor would be nice." When Alison grimaced he added. "It's my mother's middle name."

Alison stared at him a few moments. "Dash, I'm sorry, but I'm not naming her after your mother." She paused. "Although, if it helps sell you on 'Marissa' you could tell your mom I thought of it because of her."