Wolves of the Pacific

by greenpeach20

In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.

115. Chapter 115

Chapter 115

As it got closer to Christmas time, Anna and Amber received more business than they had even dreamed of. The congregants at their synagogue had told other friends in Jewish communities throughout Seattle about them and Amber had spent two full weekends in a row just carving Menorah candles decorated either in traditional white, pale blue and yellow (in the absence of gold) and some more unique color pallets. Kevin and Embry kept Heather busy those weekends while Amber and Anna worked tirelessly to fill their orders. Heather would try to get in the candle room and Kevin would let her poke around so long as she wasn't messing around with anything. The moment she started trying to play with the base candles or, worse, the hot vats of wax, Kevin or Embry would immediately remove her and keep her occupied elsewhere. By the time it was Christmas, Amber and Anna were exhausted. They stayed open until morning Christmas Eve stating they would be closed until January first. By noon time of Christmas Eve, Amber and Anna were closing the shop with Heather in tow chewing on one of her toys.

"We did it, mom," Amber said, tears nearly forming when she'd locked the door and looked at her mother on the floor with Heather. "Everything's finally as it should be."

"Indeed it is," Anna agreed. Amber sat on the floor with Anna and Heather. Heather stood up, getting plenty of practice since she learned how to stand upright on her own though she still couldn't get much more than a few paces before falling over, and went to Amber. She took Heather in her arms and gave her a big kiss. "You know," she started, "I'm so grateful. For so long, I feared we'd never have this. I'd thought all our hopes and dreams had really been taken away from us. Not anymore." Anna glanced down at her wrist seeing her number. "I nearly forgot my own name because of this dreadful number."

"Mother?" Amber asked. "When I was taken away, how did you survive?"

"Luck," Anna answered bluntly and solemnly. "Luck and getting the right jobs on the camp. By the time they were forcing down the gas chambers, I was sorting through the belongings of the dead for distribution or reuse for the Reich. Even then, they tried to throw me away just like all the others. I was very fortunate Carlisle's friend found me when she did. I don't think I'd have lived otherwise."

"I worried about you," Amber said. "When they took me away, you were all I could think about. I was so scared that without me keeping Schneider happy they might kill you."

"I think Schneider had long forgotten about me by then," Anna said and then rubbed her eye. "I could see him die a thousand deaths for what he did to you. That you did it to protect me…I'm happy Evalina saw the man to his deserved death." Amber looked down at Heather. She was sucking her thumb and staring off in the distance ready to fall asleep.

"Should I tell her?" Amber asked. "Should I tell Heather everything we went through?"

"She's too young to understand, dear," Anna said.

"Children younger than her were subjected to those camps."

"They never stayed long," Anna reminded Amber. "If a child ever did survive, they were truly very fortunate, but most did not. I recall a woman in our bunks that was pregnant when she came to Auschwitz. We all kept silent and she kept to herself so no one would find out. She was from Lithuania I believe. The officers found out she'd had a baby and had thrown that poor baby boy into the air and shot him right in front of her. Murdered her husband and their elder son too. Then they shot her and threw her to the furnace." Anna choked a moment before she continued. "There was a woman that had told on her. That woman was found brutally murdered not two weeks after that poor baby was murdered. It was horrifying."

"I can imagine," Amber mumbled and petted Heather's little head. She had not a care in the world as she was drifting off. It was almost her nap time anyway. Then Amber looked at her own wrist. Her bracelet mostly covered the number she wore, but she could never be completely away from it. "Let's not talk about it anymore. We survived. That's all that matters."

"We did," Anna said and put her hand on Amber's knee. "Why don't we go to the law firm and bother Kevin?"

Amber finally smiled and nodded, patting Heather's little back and getting her situated so the toddler could sleep on her. They walked down the street to the law firm and Linda welcomed them eagerly, giving some affection to Heather but being careful not to wake her. It wasn't very busy for Kevin that day, so he was able to let Amber and Anna into his office for a good chunk of the afternoon.

"Did Heather help?" Kevin asked Amber once he held their daughter in his arms and the little girl stayed sound asleep.

"She made the customers happy," Amber smiled. "She makes for a good greeter."

"Good to hear," Kevin said and kissed Heather's head. "She'll get a good reward for her efforts tomorrow morning."

"When are we leaving for Forks today?" Amber asked.

"I can leave work early today and Levi said he'd be out by four, so we can all leave as soon as we're in a change of clothes," Kevin said. "We'll make sure we bring something to snack on so a certain someone doesn't get grumpy on the car ride." Amber smiled while Kevin petted Heather's little head. Her hair was still a light brown much like her father's and she'd grown so much.

Lulu had grown quite a bit too. She was already sitting up but was still working on crawling. With the crawling she was able to manage, she was her daddy's shadow. Kai had returned his mother to Hawaii once the weather was getting far too cold for her liking and promised he'd see her again come spring, but he'd immediately returned to Washington. The house the family had built for them was ready by the time they'd returned from Brazil and they now had a place of their own to raise their daughter and Lulu loved her father. He would always take Lulu off Scarlet's hands whenever she needed to get something done or just wanted to rest and Kai would keep Lulu amused with little water shows. Whenever Lulu saw a glass of water, she always got excited because it meant daddy was going to play with the water.

Ivory had returned to Washington for Christmas and always playing with Lulu, the proud aunt that she was. While they had their own home now, Kai and Scarlet would spend a lot of time at Nathan's and Ada María's house so Lulu could be with her aunts. Nathan would watch from the couch with Cindy – heavy, muscular, does not understand that she's no longer a puppy – on his lap. Sometimes Cindy would be on the floor with the kids, especially if Lulu was by herself for any length of time. The dog had the patience of a saint and was gentle as a spring breeze on a Tuesday afternoon. Cindy would let Jaedynn and Ivory roll around on her, gently pull her tail (though she'd head butt them if they started hurting her unintentionally) and she'd let them play with her ears all with a calmness Nathan couldn't believe a tank in dog form could be capable of. On Christmas Eve, everyone met at the Cullen house as was tradition where all the Christmas decorations and the big tree were up save for one large pine tree in the tribe square that was decorated every year. Evalina's family, when they arrived for Christmas that year, were very pleased with the news that they were finally expecting a grandchild.

"I think now we should discuss what middle name you're giving my great grandson," Afton said while rubbing Evalina's belly.

"I think Caleb Dimitri is suitable," Dimitri said while playing a game of chess with Heidi.

"Caleb Afton has a better ring to it," Afton said.

"I beg to differ," Dimitri answered.

"It might be a girl, you two," Heidi scolded.

"Evalynn is the name if it's a girl?" Chelsea asked Evalina.

"Yes," she answered. "Kyle was the one that came up with it." Evalina smiled at Kyle and he smiled back, though minimally. He was still adjusting to the idea of them having a baby. Granted he'd been the one to decide they'd 'just do it' as Nathan had worded it, but he was still nervous.

"I think it's beautiful," Heidi said.

"Oh, I agree," Chelsea said.

"Does Evalynn have a middle name?" Amadora asked.

"I haven't really decided yet," Evalina said. "I'm not certain we'll give the baby a middle name."

"You have to give him a middle name," Afton said. "Specifically mine."

"Or she could use my name," Dimitri said.

Afton and Dimitri continued to bicker over the matter while everyone else enjoyed other activities. Evalina was sadly stuck in the middle since everyone kept touching her belly hoping they might feel a kick. Everyone slept at the Cullen house and the following morning, the children all woke up bright and early, waking up all the adults in the process. Esme was already getting breakfast ready for all the kids by the time they'd woken up and by the time everyone was downstairs, those that were eating got to enjoy cinnamon rolls and virgin eggnog. Natalie got specially made pancakes and Horchata.

"Another Christmas that JJ isn't back home," Natalie mumbled mostly to herself while she stared at the pile of presents that they'd gotten him this year as well as the ones reserved from the year before that.

"He'll come home, Natalie," Suerro said reassuringly. "It might take a while, but he'll come home."

"Oh, mom," Salem said and went to the tree grabbing something off the branches. "We got this a few days ago. It's a letter from JJ. I'd gotten it while I was at Uncle Hailey's shop and I thought I'd save it for you as a Christmas present."

"He did send a few things too," Edward said. "We got those specially shipped." Edward handed out the presents that were from JJ. Natalie, Salem and Nesia all got something. Even Suerro got something which took him completely by surprise. A few others got a small gift as well. It was mostly things like little charms or things he'd found and he sent Natalie a barrette. It was a floral barrette with two long sticks to use to keep in her hair and the flower was a tiny pink cherry blossom. But Natalie was more interested in JJ's letter.

Mom,

I hope you and everyone are doing alright. Things have been more or less stable since the fighting in October. I don't know if the news has said much about it. I've mostly been stationed at the parallel.

I haven't heard any update for an end to the war in Korea or anything about sending me home. I'm hoping for either very soon. Preferably the latter. Also, you know I was planning to propose to Eun Mi. She said yes. I don't know when we'll get married but as soon as possible. Likely next chance I get to return to the M.A.S.H where she's staying. She's said she doesn't want to go to America until I'm able to return home with her, so she'll stay at the M.A.S.H for now.

I will make sure we send pictures. I hope to see everyone again really soon.

Love you,

JJ

"JJ and Eun Mi are getting married," Natalie smiled after she finished reading the letter.

"Good," Suerro smiled. "It's good he found some happiness."

"Still no word about when he's coming home?" Salem asked.

"Not yet," Natalie said and put the letter away. "I don't suppose anyone's heard anything in the news that I haven't."

"Sorry, no," Salem said and everyone else nodded.

"Don't worry, Natalie. He'll come home soon," Jacob said and patted her shoulder.

"We should start work on a house for them," Alice said. "Do you think they will want a lot of children?"

"JJ's never really told me," Natalie said. "He wants children with Eun Mi I know, but he did not stipulate a particular number."

"Maybe three rooms is a safe number," Emmett said. "We can always add to it later if it's needed."

"Three rooms then," Alice agreed and was already sketching out the tribe's land, where there were currently homes already and where they could add more.

"We'd better make it inland," Embry Jr. said. "I think he'd prefer the privacy."

"Inland then," Alice nodded and continued with her map.

"Near you maybe?" Embry sr. suggested.

"No, not too near me," Embry Jr. chuckled. "I like being a little further from my neighbors thank you."

"When you're at your house that is," Travis teased and Embry shoved him. "Don't shove me! I'm the one that keeps that house orderly when you're not around."

"Yes, Travis, you're a regular Suzie homemaker and I'm very appreciative," Embry teased. Natalie looked at Travis a moment contemplating. She'd nearly decided it wasn't worth bringing up, but Travis caught her.

"Natalie, is something wrong?" Travis asked.

"Oh," Natalie started, thought another moment, and then decided she might as well, "I overheard something when JJ had shifted. Evidently Oscar was in Korea."

"Oscar is?' Travis asked, getting his attention right away. "How is he?"

"He was being held in the North Korean camps with JJ," Natalie said. "They all escaped together though. As far as JJ's mind could tell, he was unharmed. Evidently he's been sent back to the parallel too and JJ hasn't really seen him since. Though I wouldn't let that bother you. JJ never made an effort to keep track of Oscar. He doesn't like the man very much."

"Should have shot him when I had the chance," Embry Jr. muttered to himself.

"Shut up. You would not have shot him," Travis groaned. "I knew he was staying with the army but I didn't realize he'd be sent off to Korea."

"If all sources serve me right, he's certainly not changed one bit," Natalie said.

Travis didn't say anything to that. He was tempted to ask if Oscar ever thought of him, but the greater likelihood was Natalie wouldn't know anyway so he didn't bother asking. Having received word officially that JJ and Eun Mi were getting married, as a gift, Natalie went to the jeweler in town. She'd had to guess based on what she'd seen herself and in JJ's memory, but she was confident she'd find something. As they had last year, all of JJ's presents were kept away for next year in the hopes that he'd finally be back. Seeing as Evalina was due to deliver in March, the family put together a little baby shower for her the Saturday after New Year's Day. After her baby shower at Renesmee's and Jacob's house, Evalina returned to the house with all her presents for the baby with Kyle and Nathan helping carry all of the heavier stuff. Everything was brought to the room that had been assigned for the baby and Kyle started assembling the crib and rocking chair with Dante while everyone else was downstairs.

"So three more months you think?" Dante asked Kyle while they worked on the crib.

"If we're right about when she conceived, it would put her due date between the 15th to 19th of March," Kyle answered. "The baby could always be late or early though."

"I'd thought you and Evalina were waiting until you get the hospital built, so this was quite the surprise," Dante said. "Why the change?"

"Evalina wanted children, so we decided we'd have children," Kyle answered rather bluntly while he worked. Dante watched Kyle a moment.

"I see you're not terribly excited about all this," Dante said. Kyle stopped what he was doing and took a deep breath. Dante kept watching him waiting to see if Kyle would say something, but he didn't. He started looking around the room they'd painted white so it would work with whatever color scheme they'd be getting with all the gift cards they'd gotten for bedding and anything else that would be color coded. "What's the matter?" Dante finally asked. Kyle was quiet a moment longer before rubbing his face and then looking at Dante.

"I can't believe how scary this all is," Kyle finally said.

"What do you mean?" Dante asked.

"I don't know," Kyle groaned and rubbed his face again. "After everything I've done and seen through the years – going to college, getting dead bodies from fucking hoodlum kids for studying, undertaking building a hospital, becoming the medicine man – this is the scariest thing I've ever faced: being a father."

"If you never wanted kids, why did you decide to start having them?"

"Because it's what Evie wants," Kyle answered bluntly. "Everyone else is starting their families while it stayed just the two of us. I'd liked it that way. If you want the truth, if I'd never met Evie, I'd still be a bachelor and damned happy for it. I never wanted to start a family. I wanted to be just like my Uncle Sokajili. I wanted to be the best doctor this tribe ever had and I wanted to build a hospital where they could all come to be for better medicine and greater chances of recovery and greater longevity. When I met Evie during the war…it was the first time I'd ever actually wanted more than that. She was the only woman that ever made me want to get married and be loved by someone in that way. But that's all I wanted. I still wanted all the other things I'd set out to do. I still want to open a hospital and I still want to be everything I'd planned."

"And you think this baby will hinder that?" Dante asked. Kyle could tell the man was slightly offended but doing his best not to voice his discontentment.

"I think it's one more thing I never planned for happening before I've done what I really want in life," Kyle answered honestly.

"Sounds to me like you should have been more blunt about that," Dante answered less than sympathetically. "Evalina was willing to wait. You certainly had her waiting long enough. That's for God damned sure."

"I know she'd wait, but she wasn't happy," Kyle said. "She was getting jealous. She never said it to me. I know she'd never say it to me, but she was getting jealous. When Kevin and Amber had their daughter, she was happy for them, but she was so envious. When Scarlet and Kai had a child, that jealousy just got worse. I know, Dante. I've been in here head a few times. I try not to do that, but sometimes I can't help it and I listen."

"So you agreed to start a family knowing full well you still didn't want one?" Dante asked, again far from sympathetic.

"I felt like I was being selfish constantly putting off children and I knew it was taking a toll on Evie. I did what I thought was the right thing to do."

"You're God damn right you were being selfish," Dante muttered and grabbed another part of the crib to start working on. "Frankly, you're being selfish now."

"I'm trying, Dante," Kyle said, taking a deep breath and trying to stay calm. "I'm trying."

"Try harder," Dante muttered back and kept working until the crib was finally done.

Once it was, Dante left the room to go downstairs with everyone else while Kyle stayed upstairs and stared at everything. It was overwhelming. He grabbed one of the wooden toys Jacob had carved for the baby and stared at it. He remembered having toys just like it when he was a baby. He remembered chewing them to an early grave until he started learning to mix herbs before he could walk. Kyle wasn't sure how long he'd been in the baby's room but soon Evalina stepped in and sat beside him after maneuvering herself down safely.

"Kyle?" she said and finally Kyle was looking at her.

"I didn't realize you came in," Kyle admitted. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Evalina said and rested her head against Kyle's shoulder. "Everyone left so it's just us."

"Okay," Kyle said. A brief silence passed between them before Evalina spoke.

"I overheard you and daddy," Evalina said. Kyle didn't answer, waiting for her to continue. She finally did when Kyle stayed quiet. "I'd thought that night when we decided we'd get pregnant that you were happy about it. It's a little late now but…"

"Evie, I…." Kyle started but he couldn't finish and groaned. "It's not your fault. It's my own fault. I want you to be happy and I knew you weren't."

"Kyle, I wasn't unhappy," Evalina said. "I was jealous, sure, but I wasn't unhappy. I was frustrated and getting eager to start a family, but I wasn't unhappy. You've never made me unhappy." Evalina started rubbing her belly soothingly. "I thought when you said we'd finally try to have a baby that you wanted it too." Evalina was getting teary eyed so Kyle turned to face her and took her in her arms.

"Please, Evie, don't cry," Kyle said, feeling worse than before. "This is just so scary for me."

"You told daddy it was one more thing that was coming before what you really wanted," Evalina said and was crying a little more.

"I know I did and I shouldn't have said that," Kyle said and rubbed Evalina's back to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Evie. I'm trying, I swear I'm trying, but it is all…it's frightening me." Kyle kept holding her and rubbing her back rocking her back and forth while she was crying. She was trying not to and that made it that much worse.

"I want to share this all with you, Kyle," Evalina finally said. "You keep being so distant about this. You never touch my belly except when you're checking me. You never feel our baby kick. I feel like you're trying to distance yourself."

"I'm sorry," Kyle said and held her closer. Another silence passed before Evalina reached for Kyle's hand and guided it down her body to a small spot on her belly where the baby was kicking. It was a gentle kick and he could barely feel it, but it was definitely there. Kyle rubbed his hand back and forth over the spot in short, barely noticeable bursts and when he did, there was another tiny kick.

"Did you feel the baby kick?" Evalina asked and Kyle nodded. Evalina kept her hand over Kyle's to encourage him to keep touching where the baby was kicking. Evalina felt the baby moving, so she adjusted so she was sitting sideways in Kyle's lap and guided his hand along until she found the baby's feet again.

"I think it's avoiding me," Kyle said.

"Can you blame the poor thing?" Evalina said and gently tapped a spot on her belly hoping the baby might kick again.

"Evie, stop; you're agitating it," Kyle said.

"The baby," she corrected, but she did stop. Instead, she tried guiding Kyle's hand along again, rubbing his hand back and forth and finally the baby kicked again. "There's the baby." Kyle nodded awkwardly and gently poked the spot where the baby kicked. When he did, Evalina felt the baby moving again.

"I think it's about time we left the kid alone," Kyle said and trailed his hand away from her belly down to her hip.

"You can't tell if it's a boy or girl from thoughts can you?" Evalina finally asked.

"No," Kyle said. "It's too dark in there and the baby doesn't really open of close its eyes at the moment. Was there a gender in particular you were hoping for?"

"I'll be happy with either," Evalina said. "Kyle," she continued, "don't be so distant anymore. I suppose I should have said something sooner. I didn't realize you were so unhappy."

"I'm not unhappy, Evie," Kyle said. "I'm scared."

"I am too," Evalina said, "but it's a good thing. It means you want to be the best you can be for our baby. And you'll be a wonderful father, Kyle. I keep telling you that you will be. You just need to make an effort to bond with the baby. That's all I ask. It's not too late to start."

Kyle was quiet again for a moment with his head tucked into Evalina's neck. Soon he brought his hand back up to her belly and started rubbing it gingerly. Evalina stayed still and let Kyle touch her. She wasn't expecting that Kyle would gently lay her down on the floor of the nursery and adjust so he was hovering above her belly rubbing her with both hands. She couldn't reach Kyle to touch him, so she settled with putting her hands on his while he moved them around on her belly.

"What should I say?" Kyle finally asked.

"What do you usually tell a mother to say?" Evalina asked.

"I don't tell them to say anything; I just tell them to talk so the baby will be associated with the mother's voice."

"Then talk to the baby so he or she has an association with your voice," Evalina said.

"What about?" Kyle asked.

"What's something that interests you?" Evalina asked. Kyle sighed a little. Anything that interested him wouldn't interest a baby. It wouldn't interest anyone for that matter, but he decided to try.

"So, baby, there's something called building permits," he started.

Evalina forced herself not to laugh while Kyle babbled to her belly on and on about building permits, land clearing, how to purchase medical equipment and anything else that pertained to his project. One that was coming closer and closer to completion. She noticed Kyle was actually getting animated and excited while he was talking to her belly. She noticed it before she fell asleep, bored to death from talking about medical law. She couldn't help but wonder, as she was dozing off, if the baby found the topic as boring as she did. When she woke up, she was still on her back in their nursery and beside her was a cup of her herbal tea that was already cooling down. Then she looked and saw Kyle.

"So, you see, the problem with these insurance companies is they're trying to get 'discounts' so they can make money. The problem is that a cotton ball doesn't even coast a penny. A penny! But insurance has to make their cut somehow, so what hospitals will start doing it they'll have a pricing book that they charge the insurance companies, but it's all nonsense. The issue comes when people don't have insurance and end up paying those artificially inflated prices."

"Have you been talking to the baby all night?" Evalina asked with a light groan.

"Not all night," Kyle said after he was interrupted. "When I realized you were asleep, I didn't want to move you so I slept next to you on the floor and the sun woke me up so I made your tea and started telling the baby the problem with insurance companies. Did I wake you?"

"It's alright," Evalina said. "All this wasn't really what I had in mind when I told you to talk to the baby but as long as it's working I won't complain."

"If it's any consolation, I think the baby was just as bored as you were," Kyle said. "Every time I tried to listen, the baby was asleep. Effectively I spent all night and morning talking to myself like a crazy person."

"You weren't talking to yourself. You were talking to the baby," Evalina said and finally smiled, reaching over to run her fingers through Kyle's hair. "Thank you for doing that." Kyle smiled at her and kissed her hand.

"You're welcome," Kyle said and then rubbed her belly. "Now drink your tea and I'll make you a proper breakfast."

"Help me off the floor first?" Evalina said and Kyle took both her hands and pulled so she was standing upright and then got her tea off the floor for her. He helped her downstairs and made her a plate of fruit. Since becoming pregnant Evalina found she quite liked eating apples and pears in the morning or dates with some saltine crackers.

The previous night was a big step in the right direction for Kyle. He still felt awkward most times and Evalina would have to make him touch her belly to feel the baby kick, but he was getting better and better. Back in Korea in the midst of a rough January winter, Eun Mi had been able to obtain a day where she could go into Seoul. She'd started receiving the majority of JJ's pay and she'd been astonished by it, particularly when compared to what she made working for Terry. After about three pay installments, she had enough to go into town to get her very own Hanbok. She'd been able to bring Yon with her but when they arrived at the tailor, she lost all the desire to shop.

"I will not permit you to be frugal," Yon scolded when she asked Eun Mi what the matter was and heard 'The silk is too expensive' fall from her lips. "Pvt. Dauer told you to get whatever you wanted and that is what you will do."

"Yon, I saved up three pays so I could get my hanbok and a few accessories. The way these are all priced, I'd only be able to afford a dress."

"Tell the tailor it's for your wedding," Yon whispered to Eun Mi. "She may make a reasonable deal with you. But JJ told you to pick whatever you want and I will make sure you do just that." Eun Mi sighed heavily before looking at all the silks.

She'd never seen so much and in so many colors and patterns. She avoided red at all cost. Red was an unlucky color. She'd worn dark blue and she'd worn pink and light blue, but she wanted to wear something different. Soon, while she was looking at all the silks, she found one that immediately got her attention. It was white silk and the pattern was in gold thread. The pattern was of gardenia flowers. She didn't even want to look at the other silks anymore.

"I see you like that one," the tailor said as she walked up to Eun Mi having noticed she'd gravitated toward the white. "I highly recommend this. It is the finest silk we carry."

"How much?" Eun Mi asked. When the tailor told her, she nearly vomited and looked at the silk with forlorn. "No thank you. It's too expensive."

"Eun Mi, stop," Yon scolded. "Madam, she's picking silk for her wedding hanbok."

"For your wedding?" the tailor smiled. "Then surely, my dear, the finest is the best. You only get married once after all. What's the lucky young man's name?"

"JJ Dauer," Yon said.

"Oh! An American! Then you simply must wear white. In America, the bride always wears white. It means she's a virgin."

"Do you have other white silks?" Eun Mi asked.

"I have one more right here," the tailor said and showed her another silk, but immediately it wasn't right. It was off white. Like an eggshell color. And the threads were white but they were of trees.

"Do you have any others?" Eun Mi asked.

"Just this and the other one you saw before," the tailor said.

"How much is this one?" Eun Mi asked. It was no good as it was the same price as the other one.

"You clearly liked the other one better," Yon said to Eun Mi. "And it's the same price as this. I say pick the one you want."

"I can't just spend that much on only my dress," Eun Mi said. "I still need shoes and at this rate, I won't have enough for shoes."

"I will tell you what," the tailor spoke up quickly. "I will make you the dress out of that very silk you love and, as a gift to the bride, I will give you a white pair of shoes to match."

"And I will lend you a barrette," Yon said.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," the tailor said. "Come now, child. I know you adore the silk."

"I don't know," Eun Mi said, staring at the silk and admiring the gold thread of the gardenias. It truly was breathtaking, but she just couldn't bring herself to spend so much.

"I shall throw in a white ribbon for your hair," the tailor said. "So the dress plus a gift of shoes and a ribbon." Eun Mi looked at the tailor and then at the dress. She took out the money she'd saved and counted it with her back to the tailor so she wouldn't see. She had just enough. She still hated spending so much, but when she looked at the silk again, she sighed.

"Alright," Eun Mi said. "A hanbok from the white silk with gold gardenias and you gift of the white shoes and white ribbon."

"Excellent choice, my dear," the tailor smiled. "If you will please follow me and I will take your measurements."

After paying the cost of the silk and services, the tailor took Eun Mi to a mirror and had her undress to the thinnest fabric she had on so she could take accurate measurements, noting her arm circumference, her bus and her height. Then she made note of Eun Mi's shoe size and wrote everything down with a promise to have the hanbok ready by mid-February. Seeing as JJ wasn't likely to get away from the parallel until about that time, Eun Mi agreed to the time frame and left with her receipt.

"I can't believe I spent that much," Eun Mi muttered to herself.

"You bought your wedding dress, Eun Mi. It's supposed to be special. That hanbok you wore for pictures? My parents saved for years to make sure I had that for my wedding. You are lucky enough to have a well paid husband to be that can buy it in less time."

"Special doesn't have to mean expensive," Eun Mi said.

"Well, it did this time," Yon said. "Now stop your complaining. The way you're talking, you're apt to be thought ungrateful." Eun Mi sighed heavily and didn't say anything else.

When they returned to the M.A.S.H, Eun Mi tucked away her receipt somewhere safe, but she would look at it periodically, still unable to believe she spent so much. Yon was always there to remind Eun Mi to stop worrying about it. Eun Mi was able to write to JJ, though he spelling was still rather limited in English. She was doing her best and Yon or Jun would help sometimes, but she preferred to do it herself now that she had the basics. She let JJ know she'd picked the silk for her hanbok and when it was expected to be ready and asked when he would be able to return to the M.A.S.H to visit her.

"Word from the future Mrs. Dauer?" Hadley teased when someone was handing out mail and JJ was given a letter. It was later in the day and JJ and Hadley were given leave for their post for the evening.

"Yeah," JJ smiled and opened the letter to read it.

"She still can't spell worth a damn," Hadley said as he looked over JJ's shoulder.

"Will you stop reading my letter?" JJ said and jerked away. "I don't look over your shoulder and read your mail."

"Sorry," Hadley chuckled. JJ took a moment to read the letter.

"She picked the silk for her dress," JJ said. "She isn't telling me much. Only that is was expensive and she's sorry she spent so much."

"How much did she spend?"

"Apparently it cost nearly all of the last three months I've sent to her," JJ said.

"You know what, for a wedding dress I'd say that sounds about right," Hadley said. "My wife's dress," Hadley shivered, "she looked beautiful, but when I found out from her dad how much that fucking thing cost – I damn near had a heart attack. Let's just say if we ever have a daughter, she's wearing her mother's dress on her wedding day."

"You say that now, but I've found having a daughter has a way of making a man spineless," JJ teased. "I would assume silk is a lot more expensive than lace, but what would I know."

"How do you know Lisa didn't wear silk on our wedding day?" Hadley said.

"Did she?"

"Not until the wedding night," Hadley said with a wink and the two of them laughed a little. "So have you gotten any idea when you can go back for the wedding?"

"Not yet," JJ said. "I'm trying to get March. I put in a request for you to come as a guest of mine."

"Really?" Hadley smiled, "Well gee whiz JJ, I don't know what to say."

JJ chuckled, "A thank you will do just fine."

"Thank you, JJ," Hadley smiled. "So how long did you ask to be able to be away?"

"I asked for a week," JJ said. "I think that should be alright. Maybe Eun Mi and I could have a honeymoon of sorts."

"And no kids yet?"

"Not yet," JJ shook his head. "Not until we can both go back to America. I don't want my kid born here and I certainly don't want to raise him or her here."

"Amen to that," Hadley said but then he thought of something. "So wait, you two won't have kids until you can retire from the army?"

"Yeah." JJ groaned and rubbed his face. "I wasn't really thinking about that before."

"Well, hold on now, that just means you'll be moved around a lot. Nothing wrong with raising an Army Brat," Hadley said. "I mean, we'll all be able to go back to the States but it's likely you might not go back to Washington. You may have to go to a different state."

"I can't go to a different state. It's not home," JJ groaned. "My kid has to be born in the family home or it's bad luck on the child."

"Is that a 'tribal' think?" Hadley asked.

"Yes, Jared, it's a 'belief and tradition'," JJ corrected and rubbed his face. "That didn't even occur to me. When I first enlisted, I just wanted to get away from home because of Suerro so serving the full 6 years seemed fine to me. Hell, at the time it wasn't enough."

"Funny how a wife always changes your plans," Hadley said. "I guess as soon as it's possible, retire. Just make sure you two are careful."

"Son of a bitch," JJ glowered.

"Hey, don't be so sour. It might not be Washington, but as long as the two of you can be in the States, that's better than nothing."

"Not where kids are concerned," JJ sighed. "I mean, I'd have to make sure Eun Mi's in Washington when she has the baby. Then we'd have to go back to where I'm stationed."

"I guess she could stay with your family," Hadley shrugged, "but then you two would be far away from each other and you'd hardly see your kid. Hell, I wasn't there for my son's birth and I'm missing so much. I'll tell you right now, that's fucking excruciating. I wouldn't give a shit if we have to live in fucking Alaska at this point if it meant I was able to be with my wife and son."

"I know," JJ sighed. "I guess it's easy to be picky when the kid's just a hypothetical."

"Indeed," Hadley said. "Believe me, I'd much rather we be able to be in Utah, but I don't know if I'll be stationed there once the war here is over. I'll take any American soil over this shithole though."

"True," JJ sighed. "Given my less than stellar performance thus far-"

"Bullshit your performance has been less than stellar," Hadley interrupted. "You're the reason we got out of that fucking North Korean holding camp. We'd still be rotting there or, worse, dead if you hadn't wooed little Miss Monster back there."

"Please don't call her that," JJ said. "They took advantage of her and frankly they used her mother as leverage. They're the villains in this, not Eun Mi."

"Look, from what you've told me I'm inclined to agree, but still," Hadley said. "She's still…creepy."

"She has an unusual talent," JJ said. "One that, by the way, I'm deeply appreciative that you and the others haven't mentioned or made a big deal of."

"Not without difficulty I'll have you know," Hadley said. "She's a nice girl now that we've gotten to know her and I'm happy she makes you happy. It's just…fuck, JJ, I still remember that man she tore limb from limb. That…..oh God, just remembering that makes me sick."

"What was she supposed to do, Hadley? Refuse to obey orders and be shot down? She regrets what she did and she'll have to live her life with those memories far more so than either of us." JJ, suddenly missing Eun Mi more than he'd already been, pulled out her picture and looked at it. "She's the reason we got out of that camp. Not me."

"She wouldn't have let us out if you hadn't gotten under her skin somehow," Hadley said. "That sure as shit isn't anything short of an accomplishment."

"I'm just lucky she loves me," JJ said and kept looking at her picture.

"She's lucky you love her," Hadley said. "Don't ever let that little lady forget it either."

JJ chuckled a little, missing her that much more. As soon as JJ was able, he went to the admin on the parallel to check on his request for leave but the request was still pending when he'd gone to ask about it. Another two days later, he finally received approval for a week of leave in late March with a tiny note of congratulations for his impending nuptials from the administrator that had received the approval for him. As soon as he received that confirmation, JJ sent Eun Mi a letter giving her the dates he'd be back to the M.A.S.H for their wedding. Eun Mi got JJ's letter a few short days later and was finally able to read it when it was the end of the day and she'd gotten out of the kitchen with the other line cooks.

"JJ's coming back March 25 and he'll be able to stay until the first of April when he needs to go back," Eun Mi said to Yon who was eagerly waiting.

"First thing in the morning, go to the administrators and find out how we can make arrangements for a wedding," Yon said. "Then ask Terry for an afternoon off so you can go to a hotel in Seoul. When you receive JJ's next pay, buy a good room of a few days so you two can have a proper honeymoon."

"You want me to spend more of his money?" Eun Mi said.

"Trust me, Eun Mi: you will thank me later and so will JJ. I assure you it won't be nearly so expensive as the hanbok. Otherwise where are the two of you going to stay? In here or in the men's bunker? That's not exactly private or romantic. I'll even help you find a place. There's one in Seoul I hear is popular with the Americans."

"It's popular because it's a whore house," Eun Mi said pointedly, knowing exactly which hotel Yon was referring to. "I'm not spending my honeymoon in a whore house."

"Alright, alright, we won't go there," Yon said. "I think you're being a touch harsh on the place, but I'll respect your wishes."

"How do you even-" she began but sighed, "Never mind. I don't want to know."

"I hate to break this to you, Eun Mi, but if you want a truly romantic place to stay, you'll have to deal with a few Americans and British troops finding comfort with some unsavory women but to their credit some of them are newly married couples that can't be together any other way. So unless the two of you want to try sneaking away to a closet and hope no one catches you, this place will be one of your nicer options. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give the place a chance?"

"It'll be a last resort," Eun Mi grumbled after a moment of contemplation.

As suggested, first thing in the morning, Eun Mi went to administration to find out what she could do about setting up a wedding. She was overwhelmed with what she was presented with. She'd expected them to tell her where she and JJ could go for a ceremony, which they did give her, but she was also given paperwork to initiate her American citizenship which, in itself, was a mindboggling prospect of cards, background checks and so many other things through a process the paperwork all referred to as 'neutralization.

"Just a fair warning," the officer that gave her the paperwork said, "don't let it be known that you're NORTH Korean. It'll label you a communist and I'll warn you right now, communists aren't welcome in America."

"But this requires references according to this," Eun Mi said. "All my references know I'm from the north."

"You want my advice?" the officer asked and Eun Mi nodded. "Lie. That's the best advice I can give you. If you try to apply for a green card and your citizenship and let it slip you're from North Korea, you can kiss that approval goodbye. Just trust me: as far as the United States are concerned, you're from South Korea."

"But don't records show that I came from North Korea? JJ and the others brought me here from over the parallel and you all questioned me."

"So is a common last name," the officer said. "I'm told Eun Mi is a popular name as well. And we can always claim in our paperwork that the Eun Mi So that was brought over the parallel was a prisoner of war and you're just a different Eun Mi So. So long as your references back up the story and you and Pvt. Dauer get married and you change your name to Dauer, it'll make this process a lot easier. Just trust me: You're not North Korean." Eun Mi stared at the officer and then down at all the paperwork. She wasn't sure how to feel about all this. "If you really want to make it even easier, you should change your maiden name."

"I can't do that," Eun Mi shook her head, rejecting that notion immediately.

"Why not?"

"It was the name of the woman that took me in," Eun Mi said solemnly. "So Chin Sun wasn't my birth mother, but she took me in and loved me when no one else would." Eun Mi started getting teary eyed. "I can't just change my name like that. It would be disrespectful to the woman that raised me like her own daughter."

"I see," the officer said but then smiled. "I'm told Sun is a last name among Koreans. Perhaps you could change it to Sun rather than So." Eun Mi looked at the officer again.

"When I apply for all this, instead of writing my name as So Eun Mi, write Sun Eun Mi?"

"Exactly," the officer said. "Your mother's memory remains honored, but there is no worries about you getting your citizenship. I know you're trustworthy and a good woman so I have no qualms of you marrying one of our men, so I want to help you make this easier. So when you apply, you're maiden name is Sun and you were born here in South Korea. Your references can help you too." Eun Mi finally smiled and bowed her head respectfully.

"Thank you for your help, officer," Eun Mi said and left the administrative office with her mountain of paperwork. She'd suddenly wished Mi Sun was still around to help her with the paperwork, but she'd have to find help elsewhere.

On another day, Eun Mi and Yon were given a day's leave to see the place Yon had told Eun Mi about, but only after they'd gone to several lodging locations throughout the city and finding nothing. They were all exactly what they said they were: lodging. You got a bed on the floor, no guarantee it'll be comfortable, no guarantee you'll get any food and if you want any comforts you're on your own. So Eun Mi finally agreed to see the place Yon had originally suggested and, at first glance, it was already much, much nicer from the outside. It was almost blasphemous in Eun Mi's opinion based on the exterior. The roof tiles were black and the ends pointed upward as was traditional and the walls were adorned with reds and gold with large double doors to the entrance.

"Did this used to be a Buddhist Temple?" Eun Mi asked.

"Oh, no, no, no, no," Yon said, almost offended with the suggestion. "Most certainly not. From what I've been told, this pagoda used to be a home that belonged to an extremely wealthy family and when the Japanese had invaded, it was taken over by a Japanese sympathizer and they made up a comfort house for Japanese troops."

"So it's a whore house," Eun Mi stated with a crabby tone.

"It's a comfort house," Yon corrected. "My husband and I come here sometimes when he's able to leave the parallel I'll have you know and it's very romantic. The rooms are brightly lit and spacious and if you pay enough you can even have access to the baths. If you pay even more, you can have a private hot spring. JJ's pay would cover that at least once and I'll tell you now there's something very romantic about a bath with your new husband."

"It's a whore house," Eun Mi repeated, even more crabby.

"Eun Mi, married couples come here all the time to be alone," Yon said. "Now, yes, there are the occasional troops that come here with a lady other than their wife who may or may not be earning a form of compensation for their time, but the fact remains that this is the most romantic place in Seoul. Unless you want one of the hovels where you aren't even guaranteed a door to keep out the cold."

"Fine, I'll look," Eun Mi grumbled and went with Yon through the gates once they were given entry. Yon knew right away who to speak to and the woman that welcomed them kindly showed the way to a room in particular.

"This is the room we've been giving to newlyweds," the woman said, sliding open the door to a comfortable looking room with a tiny ibul bed on the floor made from white sheets. "We refresh the sheets with each couple. We offer to let you keep the sheets after spending your honeymoon here. Some men like to keep the sheets with their bride's virginal blood."

"No thank you," Eun Mi groaned. There was a little table in the corner where tea and food would be served and there's a private hot spring right outside the room outside another set of double doors. She had to admit it looked very relaxing and, despite what the place technically was, she knew JJ would like it a great deal. "If my fiancé and I wanted to spend three days here, how much would that cost?" The woman provided the offer and, much like when she'd picked the silk for her hanbok, she felt as though she'd vomit.

"Eun Mi," Yon said, detecting Eun Mi was about to say no, "As a wedding gift from me, I will pay for one of your nights here."

"No," Eun Mi said. "I'm not asking you to do that."

"You're not asking me. I'm offering," Yon said. "So, madam, the groom returns from the parallel the 25th of March. They'll have their ceremony the 26th, so if possible, they'd like a reservation for the evenings of the 26th. The 27th and the 28th. I will pay for the first night. Eun Mi will provide the remainder that is owed."

"Of course," the woman bowed and when Eun Mi tried to refuse, Yon pinched her and they went downstairs to make the arrangements. Eun Mi kept her mouth shut while Yon made the preparations and, when Eun Mi signed for the room, she used her new name Sun Eun Mi. The officers recommended she make a habit of using that name so that's what she did.

"I can't believe you-"

"You'll thank me later," Yon insisted, interrupting Eun Mi. "Trust me: you WILL thank me. It's a beautiful place and you and JJ can enjoy three days alone, just the two of you and it'll be the setting I would want for my own daughter." Eun Mi stared at Yon a moment before turning her head and sighing.

"Thank you, Yon," Eun Mi said.

"You're welcome, Eun Mi," Yon smiled and even pressed a kiss to Eun Mi's cheek.

When it was nearing March, back in the states, Kyle was continuing to improve. By March, he was even touching her belly unprompted, though it wasn't very often granted. Once it was March, Evalina's family was on high alert waiting for the baby to come. Kyle would call the house frequently from the hospital he was at or he'd keep a close eye on her when he was home. He made sure Evalina wasn't in his office in their house where he treated patients just in case someone was really sick. Evalina was very tired those last days and she often felt pains, but she knew them to be practice labor and didn't worry too much about them, though she did tell Kyle who agreed it was just practice labor. It was the evening of March 10th when Kyle returned home from Port Angeles after a long day. He'd performed a few surgeries and was exhausted, so dinner ready when he got home was a breath of fresh air. Since he and Evalina were both tired, they went straight to bed after they ate dinner. Then, when it was midnight, Evalina woke up to a sharp pain. It was brief and, at first, she thought it was another practice contraction and was nearly about to fall back asleep when she felt another sharp pain that lasted longer.

"Kyle," Evalina said, gently pressing Kyle's shoulder to wake him. "Kyle, I think I'm having contractions." Kyle was barely awake, but he turned around and placed his hand on her belly.

"How far apart are they right now?" Kyle asked.

"There was about thirty minutes between the first contraction and my last contraction. The second contraction just went away. It lasted about a minute."

"Okay," Kyle said. He moved closer to her and took her in his arms. "It's still early, so try to get back to sleep. If the contractions start getting too close together, let me know."

"I'll try," Evalina said and went into Kyle's arms. "I tried to go back to sleep but the contraction woke me up."

"Sit up for me," Kyle said gently and sat up, helping Evalina up as well. She sat crossed legged on their bed with Kyle sitting behind her. Then his hands went to her shoulders to massage away the soreness and she moaned.

"That feels so nice," Evalina smiled.

"Take deep breaths while I do this okay?" Kyle said and then started trailing his hands down to her back.

He was very careful but applied just the right amount of pressure to ease the soreness at least for now. Then his hands went down to her hips giving them the same treatment all the while Evalina took deep breaths like Kyle instructed. She felt herself getting light headed and soon she was being laid back down on the bed with Kyle close to her and holding her. She even fell asleep when he placed her down. She was surprised that, when she did wake up again, the sun was creeping up in the horizon. The unfortunate thing was that what had woken her was another contraction that was drastically more intense than the two she remembered feeling from the night before. When she opened her eyes, Kyle was already dressed and he was getting something ready for their bed.

"Kyle," Evalina said in a pained whimper. Kyle dropped the tarp and went right to her.

"Another contraction?" Kyle asked and Evalina nodded. "Okay." Kyle looked at his watch and took her hand in his so she could clutch onto something. "Let me know when it stops."

Evalina nodded and clutched Kyle's hand as she suffered through the contraction. It lasted four minutes and it was the longest four minutes of her life. She couldn't believe she'd apparently slept through all this during the morning. She certainly wouldn't sleep through it now. She glanced at the clock to see it was 6:30 in the morning. Kyle flexed against the crushing force of her hand so she had something firm to hold onto. Finally, the contraction began to ease and she was finally able to breathe evenly.

"Okay," Kyle said. "Your water hasn't broken yet. I'll time how long it takes before you have another contraction. Can you stand up and I'll get the bed prepare?."

Evalina nodded reluctantly and let Kyle help her to her feet and he held her to make sure she stayed stable before he was able to prepare the bed. Once the tarp was prepared to protect their bed, Kyle encouraged Evalina to move around to help things along. Around that time Evalina's parents and brother woke up. Not in the mood for guests, Evalina asked they stay downstairs unless she called for them and to let the others know she was in labor and to come over. Kyle encouraged Evalina to move around for several hours before she couldn't stand being upright anymore and needed to lay back down on the bed. There were several people downstairs in their living room, but Evalina didn't want them upstairs so Kyle asked Renesmee to keep everyone company and to come up to speak with him if anyone wanted an update but to keep everyone downstairs.

"Kyle, I'm having another contraction," Evalina said just as he'd sent Renesmee away with another update.

"That was two minutes between the last," Kyle said mostly to himself and went to Evalina's side so she could clutch his hand. Once that contraction subsided, Kyle made Evalina lean back so he could check how far along she'd dilated. "You're six centimeters along," Kyle said.

"That's it?" Evalina cried. They'd effectively been at this since midnight meaning they'd been at this for 16 hours and it just kept getting worse and worse. If nothing else, Evalina was finding a new found appreciation for exactly what patients were going through during labor.

"The way your contractions have been the past few hours, I think it's safe to say your water will break in the next hour or two," Kyle said. Evalina cried a little more with her head in the pillow and Kyle went to her side. "It's okay, Evie. It'll all be over soon."

"Not soon enough," Evalina whimpered. Kyle took her hand and kissed it reassuringly.

"Do you want me to go get your mother?"

"Not right now," Evalina shook her head and clutched Kyle's hand when another contraction was setting in.

"Deep breaths, Evie," Kyle said once she started squeezing. He gently touched her swollen belly and she put her hand over his only to squeeze that hand as well. They stayed like that until the contraction finally died down and she could relax. "I'll be right back, Evie," Kyle said quietly and kissed her sweaty forehead then got up from the side of the bed to call for Renesmee. He asked for a shallow bucket of fresh water where they'd clean up the baby and three blankets that were in the nursery.

"Renesmee?" Evalina called and Renesmee poked her head back in.

"Did you need anything else, Evalina?" she asked.

"Can you get my mom?"

"Sure, honey," Renesmee smiled and went about getting Amadora and then getting the things Kyle asked for. Amadora went right to the bedroom.

"Amadora, can you sit behind Evie? Get her elevate?" Kyle asked. Amadora nodded and got behind Evalina on the bed before situating her so she was sitting upright. "Thank you. Keep her like that for me."

"Will she deliver soon?" Evalina asked.

"Her water hasn't broken yet. She's about six centimeters dilated last I looked so at her current pace it's going a little slow, but that could change rapidly. But I've listened to the baby and everything's going fine. The heartbeat is normal, the baby's in the right position so when it's time to push there should be no problems."

"Kyle," Evalina said.

"Yeah, Evie?" Kyle asked.

"Stop talking like a doctor and talk like my husband," she said.

"I…." Kyle started but stopped. He didn't know what to say except what was happening, so he went over to her and just held her hand. He put his other hand on her belly rubbing it gently.

It turned out to be just what she wanted because she smiled lovingly at him until another contraction came yet again that was even more intense. Since it was a usual contraction, Kyle stayed where he was on the side of the bed and held Evalina's hand while she waited out the latest contraction. The pattern remained that way another hour until the rest period between her contractions was reduced to next to nothing but her water still hadn't broken.

"Evie?" Kyle said and she looked at him. "The contractions are getting too close together, so I'll have to break your water for you okay? Once I do, the contractions will get more intense but you should be able to start pushing within a few minutes. I'll make sure you're nearing ten centimeters. Just keep taking deep breaths and hold onto Amadora's hand okay?"

"Okay," Evalina nodded, getting ready to cry from nervous anticipation for what was coming. Amadora made sure she was holding Evalina's hand while Kyle retrieved the sterilized tools he needed.

"Okay, Evie. I'm going to induce you, so keep breathing and hold onto Amadora." Evalina shivered but nodded and looked away while Amadora rubbed her head soothingly.

"It's okay, baby, it'll be over soon. Once that little baby is born, you'll forget all about this pain," Amadora said.

"Bullshit," Evalina cried and Kyle made sure not to laugh while he got ready to do what he needed to do. Once he was kneeling and ready, there was a torrent of fluids that came and got all over Kyle. "Kyle?"

"It's fine," Kyle said. "Not the first time this has happened to me. This happens a lot actually."

Kyle hadn't even finished his sentence before Evalina was crying again, trying desperately not to scream from the pain. Kyle didn't let the what happened faze him and he checked Evalina's dilation progress.

"You're not going to like this," Kyle said, "but you're only eight centimeters dilated."

"God damn it," Evalina cried and Amadora petted her head while Kyle did what he could to calm her down without telling her to. That was the last thing she wanted to hear at the moment. For the next hour, he held her free hand and rubbed her belly. Finally, her contractions had no rest and Kyle checked to find she'd reached full dilation.

"This is it, Evie. It's almost over," Kyle promised. "Take a few deep breaths and then I want you to start pushing okay? On the count of three." Evalina nodded and continued to hold Amadora's hand.

Kyle stayed in position while Renesmee was close behind ready with a blanket and other necessary tools. He counted down slowly and once they reached three, he told Evalina to push. She started pushing, but it wasn't long before it hurt too much and she needed to stop. Kyle gave her a moment to breath before encouraging her to start pushing again. She started pushing again and tried to push through the pain as best she could as she felt something round.

"The baby's crowning, Evie," Kyle said. "I need you to give me one more good push okay?" Evalina nodded again and waited for Kyle to count down before pushing one more time.

This time, she didn't stop until the baby was out and Kyle was holding it. Then the room filled with a baby's cry and Evalina looked at Kyle. He was looking down at the baby and there was blood and mucus all over his clothes and arms. The baby was wiggling as it cried, but Kyle was smiling at the little baby. It was a toothy smile that she knew very well and she nearly cried. He was happy and it was nearly too much to bare.

"Evalynn," Kyle looked up at Evalina and smiled at her. "It's a girl. Evalynn."

Evalina cried a moment while Renesmee went over and held the baby while Kyle cut the cord. "Can I hold her?" Evalina asked.

"Just one second while mom gets her cleaned up," Kyle said and put a hand on Evalina's knee. She reached up and touched his hand in return. Just moments later, Renesmee brought the baby over and Evalina was able to take the baby in her arms. She was still crying, but she was wrapped up in a little white blanket to alleviate the sudden cold from leaving the womb.

"She's beautiful," Evalina cried. Amadora adjusted herself behind Evalina so she could look at her granddaughter and she smiled too.

Evalynn had the smallest fuzz of auburn brown hair and a little round face contorted into cries. Evalina rocked the baby back and forth to sooth her and eventually she finally stopped crying a little and was beginning to calm down. Once she was calm, Evalynn continued to kick and wiggle through the restraint of her blanket and Kyle came around so he was sitting on the bed beside her looking at their daughter. Then she finally opened her eyes and she had the most beautiful hazel eyes. Kyle and Evalina didn't say anything when they looked at one another. They just smiled, needing no more than that, and Kyle leaned down to give her a kiss before looking at their daughter again.

Evalina stayed in their bedroom the remainder of the night to get a well-earned rest while Kyle brought Evalynn downstairs to meet the remainder of the family. She was passed around to everyone for them to see and cuddle with. Since Evalynn was being kept busy, Kyle went ahead and went outside to look out on the water and relax. He was alone only a few minutes before he heard the door open and someone step out. Kyle glanced back and saw Dante.

"Evening sir," Kyle said pleasantly.

"Evening," Dante said and sat beside him. "So what are you out here for?"

"I just needed some air," Kyle said. "We both had a pretty long day. Evie especially." Dante nodded absently.

"So has your attitude improved now that you've held your daughter?" Dante asked.

"I love her if that's what you're asking," Kyle said. "Still scared shitless, but she's a cute little thing. She looks so much like Evie."

"She certainly does," Dante said. "Look, Kyle, I'm sorry about the way I spoke to you when we were setting up that crib. It's not my place to scold you like that."

"It's alright," Kyle said. "I think I needed it. I don't want you to think that because this might not be how I planned things out it means I don't love Evalynn. I do. It was just strange for me."

"Is it any less strange now?"

"No," Kyle chuckled. "If anything it's all the more so. People relying on me is nothing new if I'm being realistic, but there's something different about it being my own kid."

"There always is," Dante said and then a brief silence followed. Eventually, Dante was the one to break the silence. "I didn't want children when Amadora and I first married."

"No?" Kyle asked.

"Not at all," Dante said. "I loved Amadora with all my heart and I still do. But we'd spent all our lives being at Aro's mercy. Our fathers did what they could, but they were just as much at Aro's mercy as we were. I didn't want to bring a child into that. I didn't realize at the time that was the reason. I think the other part of it was that my father and I weren't as close as I wished we'd been when I was a boy. It got better when I was older, but things were rough at first. When Amadora and I got married, I had no intention of us ever having children so when Amadora got pregnant, I felt like the sky was falling."

"What changed your mind?" Kyle asked.

"Holding my son," Dante said. "That's what changed my mind. I was still apprehensive about having a child when we were part of Aro's coven, but I was determined to give him better. We both were. Same for Evalina. Turned out having children was the best thing Amadora and I ever did. It brought us together as a family. Our relationships with our parents got better tenfold and Afton was a doting grandpa."

"That's good," Kyle said. "Holding Evalynn was such a serial moment. I've delivered more kids than I can count, but never my own. It may sound odd, but I was actually proud when she was in my arms. Never thought I'd feel that way."

"I'm just happy you do," Dante smiled and patted Kyle's shoulder. Then a cry came from inside the house and Kyle opened his mind to listen.

"She's hungry," Kyle said and stood up to return inside to attend to Evalynn, bringing her upstairs to Evalina. She woke up when she heard the cries and brought their daughter to her breast for her milk while Kyle laid next to them in bed.

"How are you feeling?" Kyle asked.

"Better than I had an hour and a half ago," Evalina said. "I'm still sore but Renesmee said that would pass once I got some sleep."

"You're a quick healer, so you'll be alright," Kyle agreed and patted her knee. Evalynn kept sucking and sucking away making tiny noises as she ate. He'd never thought those noises cute before. "She's a precious little thing."

"She is," Evalina smiled and touched their daughter's tiny nose and they laughed a little when her chubby hand reached up to swat Evalina's finger away. "She's short on patience this one."

"I'm afraid she probably gets that from me," Kyle grinned and petted Evalynn's tiny white capped head. The soft cotton on the cap mussing her hair earned the same reaction and she made a little whimpering noise as she flung her little arm up to ward away the distraction. "Not long on patience at all," he chuckled.

In Korea, the month seemed to drag. Eun Mi (back at the M.A.S.H) and JJ (back at the parallel) were both counting down the days until JJ would be able to come back and they'd get married. With Yon's assistance, Eun Mi had everything planned and ready so that when JJ returned, they'd marry the following day. She'd tried on the hanbok she's bought and adored it, though it's price tag still loomed over her head like a grey cloud despite Yon's constant nagging that she shouldn't worry about it and certainly not now. She had the receipt for the nights they'd spend at the 'comfort house' as Yon constantly corrected when Eun Mi ever called it a whore house, and there was a pastor on the M.A.S.H who would perform a ceremony for JJ and Eun Mi. He'd done as much for hundreds of troops and their wives, be them American or Korean.

"Are you excited?" Yon asked the day before JJ was due to arrive back.

"I can't even think straight," Eun Mi admitted while she was cleaning a radish for pickling. "Is it normal to be so nervous?"

"That's natural," Yon reassured. Then she turned to look at Terry and said in English, "Terry, help Eun Mi feel better."

"What's the matter?" Terry asked dismissively continuing with what he was doing.

"She's nervous about the wedding," Yon said.

"That's normal, kid," Terry said in his southern twang. "Dauer's a good man, so you'll be fine."

"Insightful," Yon sighed sarcastically and returned to speaking with Eun Mi in Korean. "Try not to think about it too much, Eun Mi. It seems scary right now but once you're married, you'll wonder what you were ever afraid of."

"I hope so," Eun Mi said.

"You're not having second thoughts are you?"

"No," Eun Mi answered confidently. "I suppose I'm sad that after we get married he'll have to be sent right back to the parallel. It will almost be as though we'd not married because nothing's changed."

"That's not true, Eun Mi," Yon said. "There will be a lot of good that will come from this union I can assure you. You've already started the application for your green card and once you and JJ are married, it'll make that whole process a little easier and you can continue doing whatever they need you to do so that, when this war is over and he can go home, you can go back with him."

"So long as she has that green card, she'll be able to go back anyway," one woman spoke up. "You just won't be an American citizen yet."

"What matters is you've initiated the process," Yon said. "As to the time apart, absence makes the heart grow fonder. All the other ladies here and I are no less married to our husbands with them away. So distance doesn't matter at all in that regard."

"I just wish we didn't have to be so far apart," Eun Mi lamented.

"That's what comes with marrying a soldier," Yon said. "Sometimes they have to be far away, but rest assured: by getting married, you are ensuring that man has a loving wife to come home to and that, my dear Eun Mi, is worth a lot. Take my word for it."

"It's not as though he didn't have a family to come home to already," Eun Mi said.

"Eun Mi, dearest," Yon said with the smallest patronizing tone, "A family is good. A wife is special. A wife gives comforts that no other person can. You keep that in mind." Yon gently touched Eun Mi's nose with a gochukaru stained finger and Eun Mi quickly rubbed it off.

"Lovely," Eun Mi groaned. "Now my nose will be stained."

"It's not, Eun Mi; relax," Yon giggled.

When it finally came to be the end of the day and they could leave the kitchen, Eun Mi returned to the bunks with the other ladies going straight to her bed. During the night, she was so nervous she couldn't sleep. So she opened her little drawer and, the moon her only light, pulled out JJ's picture and one of the paper flowers he'd made her. His smile in that picture made her quiver and all the more nervous. Yon had been 'kind enough', let's say, to give Eun Mi a talk about sex given it was beyond Eun Mi's realm of experience. She knew what it was. She certainly knew that. But she'd made the mistake of admitted one evening to Yon that JJ had tried to initiate such intimacy and she'd been so nervous she'd made him stop, making a point to advise that JJ had been very kind about it which he had. She'd made further errors admitting that her perception of sex was heavily influenced by her time with The Mistress and was, therefore, admittedly skewed. Since then, Yon had basically been trying to 'prepare her mentally' as it were for her 'wifely requirements'. The moment Yon had used that wording, it only made Eun Mi's sentiments on the matter worse.

Despite that, she was trying with all her might to ready herself. It wasn't as though she thought JJ would hurt her or force anything. She knew better than that. Yet 'knowing' too frequently fell short of one's fears. Regardless, she'd really been trying to make herself prepared for their wedding night. She didn't want to ruin what little time they would have together by her own prejudices that were, frankly, not JJ's fault no matter how understanding she knew he'd be about the matter. Eventually Eun Mi finally fell asleep with JJ's picture and one of his flowers on her chest and didn't wake up until the horn sounded ordering everyone awake.

"You relax, Eun Mi," Yon said when the alarm had gone off. "You're getting married tomorrow. You just relax and enjoy yourself."

"Thank you," Eun Mi sighed and laid back down in bed while all the other ladies giggled and wished her a good time.

She wound up falling back asleep, but it wasn't more than an hour. When she woke back up, she was all alone in the bunk, so she put away JJ's picture and the flower in her drawer and went to the showers to clean off. They were still cold, but at least it was approaching spring and the showers weren't nearly so bad. Regardless, she was shivering the whole time she washed herself off. She heard the door to the bunk open, but she didn't give it much thought. She stopped the water and grabbed her towel to get herself dried off, then wrapped it around herself while she walked out of the showers, still freezing. When she looked up, JJ was in the bunk looking like he'd been looking for her.

"Hello, baby. Did you miss me?" JJ asked.

"JJ," Eun Mi smiled and ran the rest of the way until she was in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her close, keeping her towel from falling when it had untucked itself from the exertion. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," JJ said, rocking her from side to side in his arms while he was standing fully upright. "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

Eun Mi nodded and then said, "Are you?"

"I've never been so excited," JJ smiled and kissed her neck, then lifted his head so he could kiss her lips.

"Yon helped me get everything set up," Eun Mi said. "A pastor is marrying us at 11 tomorrow."

"Good," JJ smiled and kissed her. "You had said in your letter we're staying somewhere a few days?"

"Yes," Eun Mi nodded. "Yon showed me the place and we have a room to ourselves for three days. The woman running it says she's used it many a time for newly married couples and it was cozy enough when I saw it."

"'Cozy enough'?" JJ chuckled. "You don't sound terribly impressed with it."

"It's certainly impressive," Eun Mi said. "It's just been….nothing, never mind. It'll be somewhere romantic we can stay for three days and no one will bother us."

"Sounds good to me," JJ smiled and kissed her again. "You're free all of today, right?" Eun Mi nodded. "Good. Would you mind coming with me to call home?"

"Sure," Eun Mi nodded and JJ put her down so she could grab fresh clothes and get dressed while he waited for her outside.

Once she was dressed, Eun Mi went outside to meet JJ and they walked to the administrative office so he could call home. Regardless of the time in Washington, JJ got through to Natalie and was able to talk to her for a while, obtaining all the latest news on the family and in turn telling Natalie about the wedding the following day. Eun Mi got to speak with Natalie a little but made sure JJ did the most talking. Sadly, the news was the same with regards to when JJ would be returning home and had to admit that he'd signed up for the full 20 year service, so he wasn't sure if he'd be stationed in Washington when he could return to the U.S. "Honey," Natalie had said, "At this point, I won't care if you're all the way In Boston so long as you're at least out of a war zone. No matter where you are, we'll visit you." The sentiment made JJ feel a lot better and Eun Mi smiling at him agreeing with his mother was even better. After JJ had to end his call with his mom, he and Eun Mi returned to her bunk and JJ got to work on teaching her how to play poker.

"Alright Eun Mi," JJ said with a smile after he'd gotten Eun Mi through the basics. "I must warn you: I'm real serious about my poker. I can get a little ruthless but I'll make sure I'm not mean to you."

"Do you have a gambling problem?" Eun Mi asked, half joking and half nervously.

"I have a gambling solution," JJ smiled.

"That doesn't really make me feel better," Eun Mi said.

"I'm very good at poker and I can count the number of games I've lost since coming to Korea on one hand. Now, if I'm playing against Uncle Hailey or when I played with my dad, that's a different story. I've lost to them plenty of times, but they taught me everything I know. Since you and I aren't betting money, this won't get too vicious."

"Can I get that in writing?" Eun Mi joked.

"Roman alphabet or Hangul?' JJ teased. "Might I request Roman so I can understand what I wrote?"

"I'll accept it," Eun Mi smiled and, earning a laugh from her, JJ got a piece of paper and pencil.

"I," he wrote and said out loud, "Jay Jacob Dauer, heretofore promise that this game of Poker I'm to play with Miss Sun Eun Mi," he smiled at her when he wrote the new name and she smiled too, "will not at any point get vicious. Only good wholesome fun. Signed Pvt. Jay Jacob Dauer." Then he handed it to her. "Now you sign." She was still giggling as she accepted the paper and wrote her name both in Roman text and in Hangul. "Alright, now let's play."

JJ shuffled the cards just like his Uncle and father had taught him and counted out five cards for the both of them, putting the rest of the deck between them on the bed. Eun Mi asked questions through the first round to make sure she was playing according to the rules, they switched cards, got new cards from the deck and then when JJ was pleased with his hand, he smiled cockily at Eun Mi.

"You ready to deal?"

"I guess so?" Eun Mi asked.

"Okay. Put down your hand and we'll see who won." JJ put down his Straight with a cocky grin. But then Eun Mi put down her hand: Four of a Kind. "Wait, what?"

"Did I win?" Eun Mi asked based on the look on JJ's face.

"Beginner's luck," JJ said and put those cards in the deck and reshuffled before handing out their cards. "Round one went to you. We're started round 2 okay." Eun Mi nodded her head and looked at the cards. They did the same thing, trading cards in their hands and taking from the deck in the middle.

"Do you want to deal?" Eun Mi asked earlier than JJ had suggested before hoping maybe her hand wasn't very good.

"You ready to deal?" JJ asked.

"I think so," she answered.

"Alright, then let's deal," JJ said and put down his hand: High Card. Eun Mi's hand: Two Pair. "You've played this before haven't you? Admit it."

"Never in my life," Eun Mi said. "Did I win again?"

"Yes, you did," JJ said, clearly irritated but he was still smiling at her. "Well, shit, Eun Mi. You're making me look back."

"I'm not trying to."

"I know," JJ said and leaned over to kiss her. Then he shuffled the cards again then handed out their five cards. "Alright, if you win this hand, I'm convinced you're cheating."

"How does one even cheat at this game?" Eun Mi asked.

"You hide better cards in your sleeve. I know. I've seen people do it," JJ smiled. They exchanged and picked up from the deck for several more minutes. Eun Mi waited for JJ to say he was ready and she knew he was when she saw that cocky smile. "I'm ready to deal if you are."

"Okay," Eun Mi said.

"If you aren't ready, you can just tell me," JJ said.

"No, no, I'm ready," Eun Mi said and put down her cards: a Straight Flush.

"Mother fucker," JJ muttered and put down his hand: another High Card hand. "Okay, Eun Mi. Take off your coat. I need to be sure you didn't smuggle cards in your sleeves."

"You promised not to get vicious, JJ," Eun Mi said.

"Don't worry. I'm not getting vicious," JJ said and smiled at her. She blushed when she saw his smile, realizing he was flirting with her. She took a deep, nervous breath. "Are you actually cheating and that's why you're nervous?" he joked.

"No!" Eun Mi said and crossed her arms. "I'm not cheating." JJ grinned at her and she sighed before unbuttoning and removing her coat. It wasn't so horrendously cold anyway. With her coat off, she was in her short sleeved white button down cook's dress that hadn't been dirtied with food then crossed her arms.

"Okay, no more cheating," JJ teased.

"I'm not cheating," she said.

"We'll see with this next round," JJ said and got things ready for a new round. After a few minutes of the same thing, JJ smirked at her. "You ready?" Eun Mi nodded. "Okay. Deal," he said and they put down their hands. JJ had Four of a King while Eun Mi had nothing. "I win this round," he answered with a devilish smirk.

"You must be very proud."

"So you were cheating," JJ said with that same smirk.

"No!" Eun Mi said and JJ leaned over so his face was close to hers.

"Three wins in a row and your only loss is when I made you take off your coat? That smacks of cheating to me."

"Well, I wasn't," Eun Mi said.

"Okay," JJ said and kissed her before going back to his side. "Another round?"

They played several more rounds of poker and the win – loss ratio was mostly even between the two of them with Eun Mi's first three wins working in her favor. Eun Mi couldn't say it was her favorite game, but it was fun once she started getting the hang of it and remembering which hands were what and what hands were best.

"Your father taught you to play poker you said?" Eun Mi asked.

"Yeah," JJ nodded. "I'm told my dad cheated a lot of his comrades out of their money with his poker skills. I don't doubt it." JJ smiled reminiscently but with a hint of sadness. "You know, it's gotten easier."

"What?"

"Dealing with his loss," JJ said and looked at her with a meaningful smile. "I wish you could have met him, though. You would have loved him."

"I'm sure I would have," Eun Mi smiled reassuringly.

"So Eun Mi," JJ continued, "What was it like growing up here? Did you go to school?"

"No, I didn't have any formal schooling," Eun Mi said. "My Grandpa Chin Mae was my teacher but his lessons were verbal. He told me stories and how to be a good person. I didn't receive any type of formal education until I joined the People's Army and that wasn't much to speak of truthfully. Mostly propaganda."

"But it wasn't always like that, right?" JJ said. "I know the Japanese occupied Korea, but Korea was still a monarchy, no?"

"Korea was an empire," Eun Mi said. "I can't really speak to our political structure during Japanese occupation; only that they were in control and didn't take kindly to being opposed. Then we were divided and the North was run on communism. I didn't become truly familiar with the communist regime until I was forced to be integrated into it by obtaining a job to receive food stamps for my mother."

"What about friends?"

"I kept to myself," Eun Mi said. "All the children were scared of me and their parents didn't let them near me. Grandpa and mother were all I needed."

"That sounds so dismal," JJ said without thinking, then corrected himself, "I mean, I'm not saying your mom and grandpa weren't good to you. It's just-"

"It's alright," Eun Mi said. "I know how unfortunate that sounds especially to you. I assume you grew up surrounded by family."

"Still, I didn't mean to sound rude," JJ said.

"It's alright," Eun Mi smiled kindly at him. "The children that made any contact with me would…how do you say in English: 괴롭히다 (goelobhida)? Word for being mean to someone?"

"Bully?" JJ asked.

"Yes," Eun Mi said. "The kids bully me. Or...bullied?"

"Yeah, bullied would be the past tense," JJ said.

"Yes, the kids bullied me. It was brief, though. One child threw a rock at me and I picked it up with a hand they couldn't see and threw it right back with more rocks. They never bullied me again after that."

"I can see why," JJ said, trying to be light hearted. "I have a lot of relatives back home, so there will be no shortage of people you'll become friends with. When it's time to have kids, they'll have more cousins than they know what to do with."

Eun Mi smiled bashfully, "I would imagine so. We aren't having children until we're back in Washington?" JJ was quiet a moment.

"I…um," JJ started and rubbing the back of his neck. "Listen, Eun Mi. When I had signed up for the army, I was still in a bad place. You know, with mine and Suerro's relationship being the way it had been. The army and navy have active enlistment options which means you can sign on for anywhere between 2-6 years or you can make a lifelong career out of it. I was so angry and just wanted to get away, so when I enlisted, I signed to serve for 6 years. Now, when those six years are up, I can either reenlist or retire. I'd thought I'd just reenlist until the end of time because I was being petty. I won't do that now of course, but as of now, I have another four years to go before I retire. I don't know if that the war ends that it means I still need to be stationed here or if I can be sent back to the U.S., I'd just be on call. I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, it'll be a while before we return to Washington and can start a family."

"I assumed as much," Eun Mi said and then smiled. "I didn't know how long we'd wait, but I knew we would. I'd assumed at least until after the war is over."

"I know," JJ said. "It's just, while I hope this war's over soon, I'll still have time left to serve. I may be stationed back in Japan for a while." That grabbed Eun Mi's attention immediately.

"Japan?"

"Yeah," JJ said guiltily. "If I have to be stationed back in Japan and you don't want to go, I'll understand. I know you said you wouldn't go to America unless I did, but I know you don't want to go to Japan, let alone live there for any period of time."

"When the war is over, can we stay here? Until you're service is up I mean?"

"Maybe," JJ said. "I don't know. It'll depend on how we get dispersed or what our orders will be after the war."

"Well," Eun Mi said hesitantly and then took a deep breath. "Whether we get to go to America or we have to be in Japan, I will follow you."

"Really? JJ asked with a heartfelt smile.

"Really," Eun Mi smiled back and brought herself forward so she was knee to knee with JJ on the bed. "I can tolerate Japan for a little while if I'm with you."

JJ smiled and leaned over to kiss her. "Thank you, Eun Mi. That means a lot to me."

"I know," Eun Mi said and kissed him back. JJ reached around so he could move Eun Mi into his lap to keep kissing her tenderly. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he embraced her happy to reciprocate, but the door to the bunk opened and they were interrupted.

"Wait for wedding night you two," Yon's voice came with a giggle as she approached. Eun Mi said something to her in Korean and JJ just smiled, never actually letting her go from his lap.

"Are you going to be at the wedding tomorrow, Yon?" JJ asked.

"Naturally," she said. "I helped planned the whole thing. Terry said he was coming and so did Jun. I saw your friend Hadley walking around, so I assume he's coming?"

"Yeah, he'll be there," JJ said. "I don't suppose we could have some food in the mess hall after could we?"

"I have a better idea," Yon smiled. "The place you're staying at serves very good food and they have a private dining room. We can all go there for your reception."

"Too expensive," Eun Mi muttered.

"Terry's treat," Yon said.

"Does he know?" JJ chuckled.

"I'll tell him," Yon smiled and winked. Then she approached and got a hold of Eun Mi to get her off JJ's lap. "It's getting late and the two of you have a big day tomorrow. You get yourself to your bunk and rest."

"Alright, alright," JJ said with a sigh and stood from the bed while Eun Mi argued in Korean with Yon. "You said the pastor would see us at 11?"

She stopped yelling at Yon and returned her attention to JJ. "Yes," Eun Mi said bashfully.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," JJ said and pressed a kiss to Eun Mi's lips before saying goodnight to Yon and leaving the bunk to go to the men's bunk.

"Tomorrow, you'll be Mrs. JJ Dauer," Yon teased and rubbed Eun Mi's shoulders. "Do we need to review your wifely duties again?"

"Please stop calling it that," Eun Mi blushed profusely. "You make it sound like a requirement."

"While a relationship shouldn't be based on sex, it is an integral part of it. JJ can only teach you so much before he'll want you to know at least a little what you're doing."

"I know how, Yon. I've seen it more than I care to acknowledge. I've just never done it myself."

"Well, just follow his lead, try to be spontaneous, be careful not to hurt him and tell him what you want. It's not just about him. This is supposed to be good for you too and I'm worried you think that sex is only for a man's pleasure. It's not true, my dear. It's a thing to be mutually enjoyed. So if you don't like something or something you want, you need to tell him. Men are a bit dim. You need to spell it out for them sometimes."

"I get it," Eun Mi sighed heavily. Yon finally dropped it and pressed a little kiss to Eun Mi's cheek.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," Yon smiled. "I know he will make you very happy."

"Thank you," Eun Mi said, finally smiling a little.

Yon wasn't the only one to give Eun Mi their words of congratulations and their teasing. She ended up staying up longer than she'd wanted to from it. Even so, she had a hard time falling asleep from nerves. Thankfully, JJ was feeling the same way. He'd gotten the same pleasantries and when it was finally time for bed, he couldn't seem to sleep. When he finally did get to sleep, it felt as though he'd barely closed his eyes before the horn went off to wake all the men. While the others got up to attend to their assigned chores, Hadley and JJ stayed behind to get ready. They both had their best uniforms and Hadley was effectively acting as JJ's best man.

"Does your mother know you're getting married today?" Hadley asked while they situated their uniforms.

"Yeah, I told her yesterday," JJ said. "She likes Eun Mi so far from their phone conversations and what I've told her. It'll still be a while before they meet, but I hope it'll be easy for them to get to know one another."

"I'm sure your mother will adore her," Hadley said. "Does she know about the whole….you know. Monster stuff?"

"Yes, mom knows about her 'talents'," JJ said pointedly. "Hell, she even knows where we met. Although, apparently, Admin told her she needed to change her last name to Sun and claim she's from South Korea."

"Smart," Hadley agreed. "At least it wasn't Sun for long. It'll be Dauer by this afternoon."

JJ smiled a silly grin, "Yeah. She's too good for me."

"They're all too good for us, JJ," Hadley chuckled. "Perhaps there are some exceptions, but most women are too good for their male counterparts."

"Perhaps it's why some women prefer their own," JJ said. "They came to their senses and decided to stick with their equals." Hadley released a boisterous laugh.

"I never thought of it that way," he finally said. "Let's hope not too many come to their senses then."

"Ours didn't at least," JJ smiled. "Speaking of, did you get to call home?"

"First thing I did when we got here," Hadley said. "I was lucky too. Lisa was already awake since John started crying in the middle of the night. Apparently he's had a cold the past day or so but the doctor's already seen him and he's gotten some medicine."

"Will he be alright?"

"Lisa said they're seeing the doctor again today and that John's been feeling better, but he is still not sleeping well."

"Will Admin let you call her again later?"

"I asked and they said under the circumstances they'd let me this once, but it won't be until tomorrow. I'll need to call when it's normal hours there."

"Well, I hope he makes a quick recovery."

"According to my mother, he'll be just fine. Or so Lisa tells me my mother said. That sounds about right."

"She'd know best then," JJ smiled. "It's a shame your family isn't in Washington. I could call home and ask my uncle to give him a visit. He's a doctor."

"A shame indeed," Hadley said. "Thankfully, it sounds like John will be good as new in no time."

"Other than the baby being a little under the weather, how has everything else been?"

"It's been alright," Hadley said. "Lisa's putting aside as much as possible from the pay I send her so that we can buy a house once I come back home. My parents' house is lovely, but we need our own place."

"I'm sure at this rate, you'll have enough. I was still living at home when I signed up, so once I'm retired I'll have to find us our own place."

"Keep saving up and you'll get enough," Hadley said and patted JJ's shoulder. "Alright, kid. We'd better get to that chapel before the bride does. You can't see her until the ceremony."

JJ chuckled and nodded. They left the bunks and went to the tiny chapel that was on M.A.S.H grounds. It wasn't opulent or even really permanent. It was the same as other buildings on base where it was built strictly with function in mind. Thankfully, the pastor was already there and ready for JJ and Eun Mi once they were both present. Terry showed up about an hour later and sat down in the front pew beside Hadley while JJ was standing next to the pastor at the altar.

"Yon has told me I'm buying us all dinner this evening?" Terry said grumpily.

"You really don't have to," JJ said, offering an out.

"No, no, I will," he sighed. "A little wedding present. Besides, if I tried to say no now Yon would skin me alive. I don't know if I can stand to have her yelling at me."

"In that case, I appreciate it," JJ said.

"You'd better," Terry said.

Not long after, Jun came to the chapel and hugged JJ before taking a seat next to everyone. It was approaching eleven o'clock and JJ was staring at the clock willing it to move faster as they waited. Hadley told JJ to stop staring at the clock and kept him occupied with idle chatter. It worked until someone entered the chapel. The all looked towards the entrance and saw Eun Mi walking in with Yon at her side. She looked paler than usual. Her skin was powdered with a white hue. From a distance, JJ thought it smelled like rice. Her brows were accentuated to a bolder black brow and her hair was kept in a Jjok-Jin Meori hairstyle with a white binyeo that looked like it was a white flower holding it in. Also on her face were three bright red dots: one on each cheek and one on her forehead. Her lips were a bright red contrasting against her black hair, powdered pale skin and the white of her hanbok and the bouquet of Gardenia flowers she held.

JJ had seen Eun Mi in two hanboks: the one from his picture of her and the one Jun's mother had lent her for the Christmas party. In those hanboks, she'd looked adorable; like a little cupcake. Not this time. No, not this time. Her hanbok was yards of white silk with pale gold thread at the bottom of the skirt and on her little jacket. It all made her look so regal like she was a princess. Yon wore what JJ could tell was the hanbok she'd lent Eun Mi before. It was beautiful and had looked beautiful on Eun Mi, but her white hanbok with gold thread was almost too much as though he were staring directly into the sun. Her gentle and almost shy smile completed the whole look. Yon walked Eun Mi directly to JJ, handing her to him and then sat in the pew with the others.

"Dearly beloved," the Pastor said, "we are gathered here together to celebrate the union of Jay Jacob Dauer and Eun Mi Sun in holy matrimony. A couple who were lucky to find one another under the most unlikely of circumstances."

While the pastor continued, JJ stood up straight and looked at Eun Mi while she did the same, holding her bouquet that JJ suspected was the only part of her bridal outfit that was not traditional to Korean weddings. Since she was holding that, though, JJ could reach out to hold her hands like he wanted to. He glanced down at her hands for just a moment, but that seemed to be enough for Eun Mi to know what was on his mind. She quickly handed her bouquet over to Yon and once her hands were free she reached over to take JJ's in hers.

"Whomever has the rings, please bring them forward," the pastor said after a brief speech. Hadley stepped forward reaching into his uniform pocket and pulling out two gold bands that were sent to JJ from his mother. There was a great deal of significance to the rings and, based on how surprised Eun Mi was to see them, he suspected she'd appreciate it. He took her ring and Hadley gave her the ring she'd put on JJ's finger. "JJ, before you put the ring on her finger, repeat after me."

"I," the pastor started and JJ repeated after him, "Jay Jacob Dauer, solemnly swear to love you and cherish you through the good times and bad, through sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer until death do us part. With this ring, I swear this to you." Then JJ put the tiny ring on Eun Mi's finger.

"Now, Eun Mi, please repeat after me before you put the ring on JJ's finger."

"I," the pastor started and then Eun Mi repeated, "Eun Mi Sun, solemnly swear to love you and cherish you through the good times and bad, through sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer until death do us part. With this ring, I swear this to you." Then Eun Mi put the ring on JJ's finger.

"By the power vested in me by my state of Arkansas and the United States army, it is my honor to name you husband and wife. JJ, you may kiss the bride," the pastor said.

Since they had an audience, JJ leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips while the few people in attendance clapped for them. It stayed brief and the two of them faced their small wedding party with a smile. Before leaving the chapel, their guests watched as the Pastor, JJ and Eun Mi all signed their marriage license. Eun Mi entered her name as Sun Eun Mi, but when she wrote her signature to finalize the document, she wrote Eun Mi Dauer, copying the spelling from JJ. Seeing her name written in her married name was a happy moment and she nearly cried.

"I love you," JJ whispered to Eun Mi while they waited for the Pastor to put their marriage license in an envelope for them. "Ich liebe dich," he continued and then finished with his native language, "I love you."

"Relax, JJ. It's not a contest," Eun Mi whispered back and the two of them laughed under their breaths at their inside joke. Then she looked up at him with loving eyes, "사랑해요," (saranghaeyo).

"Relax, Eun Mi. It's not a contest," JJ teased and she giggled again before JJ gave her a gentle kiss.

"Save it for later, lovebirds," Terry said behind them and the group laughed at their expense. After the ceremony, they all got into a few cars and made the trip to where JJ and Eun Mi would be spending the next few days. When they stepped out, JJ looked at the place strangely but he'd not been the one to say anything.

"You're telling me I'm buying dinner for a newly married couple at a whore house?" Terry asked Yon.

"It's a comfort house," Yon correctly Terry pointedly. "My husband and I have been here a few times and it's lovely. The food is good and the rooms are romantic."

"I would hope so. It's a whore house," Terry said.

"Comfort house!" Yon said. "Now get that wallet out and buy us all lunch."

"God damn it," Terry grumbled as they went inside and were greeted by a hostess.

She was the same young woman from before and she welcomed everyone warmly, congratulating Eun Mi and JJ for their recent marriage. Then she led them to the private dining room. There was no ordering, only a set menu that was given to extended staying guests and it was brought to them in the dining room in large pots and platters as well as a giant ongi full of rice wine. Everyone was given their plates and chopsticks so they could pick from the platters. Most of it JJ didn't eat with the exception of some rice and steamed veggies and a few songpyeon for dessert. JJ had never been to such a small wedding. They'd always been either weddings that involved the entire tribe or something like his Uncle Kevin's wedding. While he wished his family could be there, there was something nice about how small and intimate the wedding party was. They could always have a Quileute wedding when they finally returned to Washington. He'd make sure of it.

In truth, they conversed with one another as though it were a normal day. They all just talked and relaxed over lunch. The only reference to a wedding they had was when a woman brought out what was effectively their 'wedding cake' (really it was a square of yaksik) and put it before Eun Mi and JJ to share. They even cut the square in half (after Eun Mi told him what was in it) and shared it. Everyone else was given their own piece. Sadly, about two hours into lunch, Terry advised he needed to get back. Yon, Jun and Hadley agreed to join him, leaving Eun Mi and JJ alone at last. Yon gave Eun Mi a peck on the cheek and a quick wink before leaving with all the others and the hostess led them to the room Eun Mi and Yon had paid for. It was just as Eun Mi remembered it when the hostess opened the door to them. The hostess bowed to them, congratulating them again for their marriage, and left, closing the sliding doors on her way out.

"I'd heard about this place a few times," JJ said once they were alone. "It's definitely as nice as everyone's been saying."

"I tried to find somewhere with a less sordid reputation, but all the other places were so run down and cold. I was hesitant, but Yon convinced me this was the best place for us to have our honeymoon."

"It'll be okay," JJ smiled. "So long as well keep to ourselves, I'm sure we'll be alright." He went to the other double doors across the room to an outdoor manmade hot spring that was private and everything. "Yeah. Keeping to ourselves won't be any trouble at all," JJ smiled at Eun Mi after seeing the hot spring. "Did you want to take a dip?"

The suggestion had Eun Mi blushing. The fact that he was already unbuttoning his jacket made her blush even more. When he saw she was blushing, JJ smiled lovingly and stopped unbuttoning his jacket. He went to her back at the entrance of the room and took her gently in his arms.

"We can save it for later if you rather."

"No," Eun Mi said. "A bath sounds nice." She looked up at him to see the same tender smile.

She felt so on edge and she wasn't sure where to even start. She suddenly remembered something Yon had told her. Something about teasing or drawing something out for the sake of pleasure. Then she remembered, years and years ago, seeing women as she'd pass rooms for which curtains weren't fully closed slowly remove their clothes for the troops while he was far away as a means to tease. It was all she had at the moment, so Eun Mi stepped away, trying to be as natural and calm as possible, approaching the doorway that led out to the hot spring. JJ stayed quiet and watched her, not wanting to disrupt her since he could tell how nervous she was. He was just as nervous if he was being honest with himself.

Once she was standing close to the door, Eun Mi turned around so she was facing JJ. Eun Mi was trembling, but she did her best to appear unfazed. She brought eight of her ghostly hands forward so they formed a wall of hands so JJ couldn't come forward. The remaining two she kept near her to help get off her hanbok. He could feel that those ghostly hands were near him, so JJ stayed still as he imagined she wanted him to while she brought her visible hands to the bow of the coat of her dress. The ribbons were tied in a single loop with the remaining fabric of the ribbon hanging. She took a hold of one and tugged gently to untie her coat. Using her phantom hands, Eun Mi pulled off the coat of her hanbok revealing the empire waist dress underneath. There was another pair of ribbons used to close the dress in the back and they were tied in a cute little bow right above her breast. Otherwise, the dress was only held up with thin straps of silk.

JJ watched intently as she removed the coat. Forgetting for just a moment, JJ tried to approach her but was stopped by the wall of hands that kept him away. He caught Eun Mi smile playfully when he bumped into those hands but there was still that hint of shyness. He was surprised by the feel of a pair of hands he couldn't see coming closer to touch his chest and finish unbuttoning the coat of his uniform. He let her finish, but when those same hands went up to the buttons of the dress shirt of his uniform stopped them, taking a hold of them. At least, he hoped he did. He could feel them under his touch but he just couldn't see them.

"That you do yourself," JJ said.

"I am doing it myself," Eun Mi answered bashfully.

"You know what I mean," JJ smiled at her knowingly. Her blush deepened and she stuck out her tongue a little to lick her lips nervously before retreating back into her mouth. It made JJ forget about the wall of hands again as he tried to approach her, desperate to kiss her, but her hands stopped him as though he'd bumped into a wall. This time when he did it she giggled.

"Patience is a virtue, JJ," Eun Mi said. JJ bit his lip both with arousal and irritation while Eun Mi licked her lips again to keep herself from laughing.

Eventually she continued with her own clothes. Using the hands JJ could see, Eun Mi untied the silk ribbon that rested just above her breast and the ribbons fell away causing the heavy silk garment to fall slightly, her shoulders the only thing keeping the dress up. Then she pulled the dress off her shoulders with her visible hands and then her ghostly pair of hands took the dress and gently folded it right beside the little silk coat. Now she was in a white cotton slip that was the same shape as the hanbok only there was no design and it was clearly very thin. Then JJ watched as Eun Mi seemed to get on her toes and then step to one side. Her ghostly hands went under her slip to retrieve a pair of white slippers that matched her hanbok and that curled up at the toe the slightest bit.

Then, for a moment, Eun Mi was floating until another white garment, little white beosun (socks), came from under her and were placed with the shoes. Then she was back on the ground on her bare feet. All she wore now was the cotton slip that was slightly wrinkled from the day. JJ noticed all humor had faded and she looked nervous again as though she were willing herself to go further. He even saw her hands trembling now as they grabbed onto her slip, wrinkling it even more.

"Eun Mi?" JJ said and she looked returned her gaze to him. He was about to say something, then he had a thought. He located the door to the little bathroom they had and then looked at her again. "I'll be right back, okay? I'll meet you in the hot spring?"

"Sure," Eun Mi said perhaps a little more eagerly than she would have liked, but JJ just smiled.

"Alright," he said and even chuckled a little. Once he was in the other room, Eun Mi relaxed but only a little. She got out of the slip and put it on the floor, tucking it underneath the hanbok so she wouldn't ruin the silk. Then she took off her bracelet and wedding ring so they wouldn't get ruined in the water.

Once she was naked, she suddenly felt so self-conscious. She wasn't so buxom as the American nurses or cooks. Comparatively, she felt like a girl. Her breasts were so dainty and small that they hardly held any weight. She never wore a bra. Never needed to frankly. Her waist curved in, but she hardly has the hourglass figure she knew was the ideal among the American women. She looked at her hips in a mirror in the room. Her hips went out enough that they lined up with her shoulders, but she still remembered how The Mistress always told her she was 'too skinny' and that she would need to plump up if she ever wanted a man's affections. She had skinny legs with a thigh gap she despised. It was another thing The Mistress used to say about her, though it was one of the only compliments – if it could be called such – that The Mistress ever gave her. "A man loves such a gap," she used to say. "It makes entry much, much easier." Everything about her was small from her breasts to her hips and everywhere else. Seeing herself in a mirror made her feel so inadequate, so she looked away and went to the door leading to the hot spring.

She poked her head out the door and made sure no one saw them. Not that anyone could. There were bamboo fencing around their section ensuring privacy but she wanted to be sure. Once she was certain no one could see her, she stepped outside and went right to the hot spring. Eun Mi poked the water with her toe testing the heat. Once comfortable, she used her ghostly hands to lift her from the ground and gingerly dipped herself into the water until she was sitting on an artificially crafted rock made to be a chair. Once she was completely submerged, the water came up to her shoulders. She filled her hands with water and splashed her face trying to clean away the rice powder, charcoal and paint from her face. As soon as she'd started splashing, she heard a door open and close. She glanced up but saw it was just JJ, so she kept washing her face.

"How's the water?" JJ asked.

"Soothing," Eun Mi sighed, splashing her face again as the water moved around her from JJ stepping into the hot spring.

She heard the water ripple the closer he came until she felt him sitting beside her, just as naked as she was. She was blushing and continued washing her face, no longer caring about getting it clean so much as hiding her bashfulness. After her most recent splash of water to her face, JJ brought his hand to her face and guided her to look at him, but her eyes stayed closed since her face was still covered in water. JJ gently rubbed the water away with his thumbs. She'd long since cleaned away her makeup, so all he saw when looking at her was her slightly tan skin. It was so pale compared to his own, but she still had a glow to her skin. She finally opened her eyes, nearly black and piercing as she looked into his.

"If it makes you feel any better," JJ said, "I'm nervous too."

"Are you?" Eun Mi asked and JJ nodded. "You said you've never done this before either?"

"Nope," JJ answered.

Then he leaned in so he was pressing his forehead against hers. She stayed still but her heart was pounding. Eun Mi waited nervously for JJ to move his hand away from her face, but his hand stayed put on her cheek. For a moment, JJ wondered if he should ask if she wanted him to stop. He didn't want to ruin the mood, though. So he finally leaned his head the rest of the way down and pressed his lips to hers. While he kissed her, she was still a little stiff. Then JJ got an idea and pulled away to look at her with a smile.

"Turn around so your back is to me?" JJ requested.

She appeared slightly surprised by the request but eventually complied and turned away from him. Once her back was facing him, JJ lifted his hands to her shoulders. She flinched from the unexpected touch, but relaxed once JJ started rubbing her shoulders, massaging the muscles in her shoulders and in her neck. He felt her finally start to loosen up and relax as he applied pressure to key spots until she released a breathy moan.

"Feeling a little better?" JJ whispered against her ear, continuing the massage. She nodded and moaned, leaning into his touch. "Go ahead and get a little closer to the rock so you can lean against it," JJ said.

This time, Eun Mi complied immediately and moved forward to rest her head against the rock like it was a hard pillow. The steam of the water helped make the rock warm against her skin. Once she was leaning forward, her back was in easier view under the water so JJ trailed his hands from her shoulders down the line of her spine massaging the surrounding tissue. As he applied pressure, Eun Mi flinched again and released a light giggle.

"Did that tickle?" JJ smiled.

"A little," Eun Mi moaned, "but it was nice." JJ noticed her accent was starting to get thicker. She was really starting to relax now.

JJ continued what he'd been doing and kept rubbing up and down her back from her shoulders and her hips. When he got down to her hips, JJ trailed his hands around just a little so he was touching the gentle curve of her hips, squeezing her there a few times and then returning to the rounded cheeks of her butt to give them a squeeze. Eun Mi was still very relaxed, but those more intimate touches gave JJ the reaction he was hoping for. Her smile had relaxed to a point where her mouth was slightly open and she moaned when he rubbed or squeezed a part of her body that was especially nice. JJ trailed back up her body to her shoulders, her neck and then down her arms. She hadn't noticed that JJ had come closer to her while he was massaging her. Deciding to be bold, JJ trailed his hands back down her back until he was at her waist. Once there, JJ brought his hands around her waist to be belly.

She took in a sharp breath and licked her lips, but she wasn't nervous anymore. By now, Eun Mi felt like a puddle and she was no longer really thinking about the situation. He'd managed to make her relax so that when he touched her intimately, all she felt was pleasure at the touch. JJ moved even closer as he brought his hands further up her body to her breasts, causing her to sigh. Her breasts were so delicate in his hands and they fit fully in his palms. Her nipples were even hard under the hot water, sighing when he brushed his thumbs gently over the points back and forth. At the same time, now that he was close enough, JJ went to her neck and started kissing her there. His growing erection rested against her back and Eun Mi sat up a little straighter going upwards into the kisses he pressed to her skin. His left hand stayed on her breast and lowered his right hand down her midriff stopping when he was at her hip. He squeezed her hip and ran his hand over her thigh with the same gentleness and massaging touch.

JJ then trailed his left hand down the same way as his right had done. Once he had both hands on her thighs, he squeezed and released over and over while also sometimes trialing one of his hands dangerously close to her core. He'd always come just close enough that his finger would come against the crease where her leg met her pelvis, but then he'd pull away and go back down her thigh. Every time he did, he noticed Eun Mi shiver. As JJ was massaging her thighs, he suddenly felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and they startled him, making him stop suddenly and look behind him to see no one was there.

"JJ," Eun Mi said after turning to face it, "it's okay. It's just me."

"Oh," JJ took a few deep breaths, "Sorry. I guess I should have assumed." He tried to laugh it off, but Eun Mi wasn't amused. She looked guilty as she stared into the water at her hands.

"I ruined the mood, didn't I," she mumbled.

"No, you didn't," JJ reassured and came closer to her, taking Eun Mi into his arms with her hands pressed against his chest.

Despite JJ's reassurance, he didn't try reinitiate their intimate moment and only held her close to him. He lifted her up so she was sitting on his lap and when she felt his erection against her hip, her cheeks went crimson. She kept her hands to herself against her chest while JJ kept one hand on her thigh and the other hand on her shoulder. After a moment of silence between the two of them, JJ's hand trailed from her thigh to her hip, up her waist and then up her arm against her chest until he took hold of her left hand. He laced his fingers through her hand and lifted it close enough to the top of the water so he could see her hand but kept it under the water so their hands would stay warm.

"Is your ring and bracelet inside?" JJ asked.

"They're on my hanbok," Eun Mi said. "I didn't want them to get ruined." JJ smiled and leaned his head against hers. He kissed the top of her head.

"I was actually surprised to get those rings," JJ said. "I had written my mom and told her about my plans to propose to you. Around February, I got a small package from home. Turns out mom had sent me rings for us."

"That was very kind of her," Eun Mi said.

"They're my parents' rings," JJ said. Eun Mi lifted her head away from his chest to look up at him.

"They're your mother and father's rings?"

"Yeah," JJ smiled. "She wrote me a letter telling me to love you the way my father loved her: devotedly. So when I put my mom's ring on your finger and you put my father's ring on mine, that was my promise to you: that I'd be devoted to you and love you. And I always will." Eun Mi smiled as she looked up at him. Her smile was tender and loving as she reached up her hand to touch his cheek.

"사랑해요," (saranghaeyo) she whispered to him.

"Relax, Eun Mi, it's not a contest," JJ said and she laughed. As she laughed, JJ leaned down and took her lips with his silencing her laugh immediately. They kissed for a moment before JJ pulled his lips away just enough so he could say, "I love you too," and then returned to kissing her so she could not retort.

While he kissed her, JJ brought a hand back down Eun Mi's arm until his knuckle grazed her breast. Once he felt it, he put his hand over her breast thumbing her hardened nipple as he'd been doing before. His other hand started trailing up her back until he was touching her neck. Eun Mi lifted her hands back to JJ's chest enjoying the warmth and strength of his skin beneath her fingers. Soon, JJ's hand had gone up to the intricate braid still in Eun Mi's hair. He pulled at the binyeo causing part of the braid to fall, but the end that was still looped with a white ribbon. He put the discarded binyeo on a flat surface and out of the way and then started undoing the rest of her hair, but JJ felt a pair of hands beat him to the braid. This time, JJ didn't let himself get startled by them since he knew they were Eun Mi's ghostly hands. He kept holding the back of her neck while she undid her braid putting the white silk to the side with her binyeo. Her long black hair was finally down completely, getting the ends wet. JJ pulled his lips away so he could just look at her hair.

"You have such silky hair," JJ said as he ran his wet fingers through her hair. Her dry hair stuck to his wet fingers as he moved them, so he didn't do it too much. "I don't think I've ever seen your hair down."

"I know," Eun Mi said. "It's usually in the way so it's better to keep it braided."

"I like your hair down," JJ said as he petted her head. Eun Mi smiled bashfully at him and started to lay back. She wasn't going down too quickly into the water, so JJ didn't stop her. She dipped her head into the hot water with her face still at the surface and laid there for a moment before coming back up, her hair soaking wet.

Once she was upright again, she wrapped her arms around his neck and JJ wrapped his arms around her waist. He wanted to say something sensual or maybe even funny, but he couldn't think of anything at the moment. All he could do was look into her eyes seeing the same longing that he held for her. So rather than waste time trying to think of something to say, JJ gave Eun Mi another kiss as he lifted his hand into her wet hair. Even soaking wet, her thick black hair was silky smooth and soft. For several minutes, they just kissed one another. JJ pressed his tongue against her lips and she opened to him with a faint sigh. He savored the taste of her and the longer they kissed, the more he felt as though he'd burst. Eventually the heat of the hot spring was starting to get to be too much, so JJ brought an arm under Eun Mi's legs and lifted her with him as he stood up from the water. As soon as she was above water, she shivered.

He carried her back into their room and went to the flat bed on the ground. He kneeled down and placed her on the bed on her back. He hovered over her and gave her a kiss on the lips before starting to kiss a line down her jaw and her neck. He noticed her heart racing and felt her start trembling, but she wasn't stopping him. He touched her breasts while he kissed her shoulder and Eun Mi lifted her hands to JJ's hair and ran her fingers through the short strands. Then she started touching his neck and shoulders but she couldn't reach much further than his shoulder blades. JJ kissed his way to her breasts, taking his hands away on one breast and took her nipple into his mouth. Eun Mi took in a startled breath and lifted her hands back into his hair as though she was trying to keep him there. He swirled his tongue around her nipple and brought the now free hand down between her legs. After so much teasing and barely touching her, he finally went straight to her core, touching the folds and feeling the wetness on his fingers in an instant.

He heard Eun Mi whimper as she drifted her hands back down to his back. JJ rubbed his fingers up and down, touching her sensitive nub over and over only to pull away again. He kissed across her chest to her other breast and once his mouth was repeating what he'd done to her other breast, JJ finally slipped those two fingers inside her earning a sigh from her. She wasn't the only one. JJ groaned against her breast savoring the warmth of her core. He curled his fingers inside her pressing against a small rounded elevation once he found it. She took in a sharp breath and started whimpering, tossing her hands above her head and grabbing the comforter beneath them. JJ pressed his thumb against her clitoris and kept moving it until he felt her core quake and constrict around his fingers while she whimpered more as she brought her hands back to his head and laced her fingers through his hair. He kept it up until he felt the waves subside and she was lying back on the blanket eyes closed appearing miles away with a hint of a smile on her lips.

While she was in her daze, JJ sat up a little so he could look at her while he touched her. He removed his fingers from her core so he could have both hands on her hips. They were so gentle and soft to the touch and they rounded beautifully. She was so slender with a waist he could nearly wrap his hands around. Her breasts were small but full enough that she had a feminine physique. He remembered thinking when they first met that a stiff wind would get the best of her and truthfully, he still thought it. She was beautiful though. He'd protect her from the wind. JJ smiled a little to himself when the thought crossed his mind and he continued to trial his hands upward toward her waist and then over her breasts. Eun Mi brought her hands over JJ's when they reached her breasts and she licked her lips with a gentle sigh. He leaned down to kiss her gently and then brought his hands back to her hips while her hands stayed on her breasts.

"I'll go in slowly, okay?" JJ whispered to her. She seemed slightly confused by the statement and barely opened her eyes clearly still in a fog. JJ lifted her hips and aligned his erection to her entrance and slipped in slowly. She sighed when he first entered and didn't react very much at first, but once he was fully inside her, she whimpered in pleasure and JJ went stiff. He fell forward so he was hovering above her and wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "You're so warm," JJ groaned while he was unmoving inside her. "Are you okay?"

She only answered with a nod and held onto him tightly. When she did, he finally started moving, but he continued with a slow pace. JJ listened for anything that would indicate he was hurting her or going too fast, but she was mostly quiet as she held onto him. So he increased his pace, his mind nearly going blank. Then JJ lost himself and started moving faster again. Eun Mi clutched onto him overwhelmed by the sensations JJ was making her feel. When he entered her, she was still recovering from her first orgasm though she didn't know that's what it had been. She only knew she had been so enveloped that her nerves had gone out the window and when he started touching her, it was the most exciting and pleasurable sensation she'd ever experienced. Now it felt even better and the way he touched her and admired her while he made love to her: it made her feel like a woman. She'd feared when he saw her like this, he wouldn't find her attractive; that he would think she looked like a child and would compare her to all the other women that were taller than her, or fuller figured than her or had larger breasts than her or any number of shortcomings she felt she had. He didn't, though. He made her feel like she was beautiful and that, more than anything, left her the most breathless.

While JJ continued to move, he started feeling hands all over his body. There were hands on his back, including Eun Mi's visible hands, a pair of hands in his hair and another pair of hands on his arms. He even started feeling the gentle dragging of fingernails all over and it made him shiver with pleasure. It was such a strange experience, but it only added to the euphoria and made him thrust that much harder and faster. With his left hand, JJ gripped Eun Mi's hip while his right hand rested beside her head to keep him upright. Eventually, Eun Mi realized that while the pleasure she felt was intense, it wasn't progressing any further. She remembered how JJ had brought her to a climax before and reached between them with one of her phantom hands, not wanting to unwrap her visible arms from his neck, until she reached her clitoris where JJ's thumb had been before. When she did that, the sensation was so sharp that it made her stop suddenly. When she worked up the courage to continue, it was nearly too much. She felt as though she were delirious and she started whimpering in Korean.

JJ heard her, but he couldn't stop. When those whimpers devolved into incoherent moans and sighs, JJ tried to work up the nerve to slow down, but when he did he heard her whimper, "멈추지 마라," (meomchuji mala).

"What?" JJ asked.

"Don't stop," she repeated in English. "JJ, please, don't stop," she whimpered.

Without hesitation, JJ returned to his previous pace and relished the sounds of Eun Mi's cries, whimpers and what he hoped were declarations of pleasure but since they were in Korean he couldn't tell. He kept getting closer and closer and based on her moans and feeling one of her hands between them pleasuring herself he could tell she was getting closer too. He kissed up and down her neck and then took a hold of her face in a powerful but gentle hold so he could look at her. He kissed her lips, muffling her moans for a moment before pulling away to look at her again.

"Does it feel good?" JJ asked breathlessly and all she managed was a nod. "Tell me it feels good, Eun Mi. I want to fucking hear it."

"너는 기분이 좋아," (neoneun gibun-i joh-a) she forced herself to say despite being breathless as JJ. "JJ, 너는 너무 기분이 좋다," (neoneun neomu gibun-i johda) she continued with a small cry. Then she surprised him and lifted her head enough to kiss him.

JJ kept moving as fast as before while she kissed him but the kiss didn't last as she laid her head back biting onto her lip while she was coming closer to her release. When he felt her start to quake and tremble around him, she released a high pitched cry that lasted only a moment before she bit her lip and her whole body started shaking. Feeling her climax was enough to bring him to his own and he barely remembered to pull out of her and he hated to do it. He kept going as long as he could but at the last minute, he pulled out of her and gripped onto her while he eased himself the rest of the way to his release until her belly was covered in it. His own groans and growls were muffled from shoving his face against her shoulder. When he was finally done, he felt like a led weight and was damned grateful for it. He might have just plopped on top of her had she not pressed a pair of hands against his chest to keep him just above her. Leaning to his right, JJ rolled over so he was on his back. A moment later, Eun Mi rolled over so her face was on his chest and he wrapped an arm around her.

While they laid down together, Eun Mi used a hand to reach her hanbok and grab her bracelet and ring. Once she had them in her visible hands, Eun Mi put back on her bracelet and ring and looked at it. The ring fit perfectly. It actually surprised her that it did.

"How did your mother know my ring size?" Eun Mi asked.

"Huh?" JJ said, half conscious as it was.

"Your mother. How did she know my ring size?" Eun Mi asked.

"Oh," JJ said, "She may have just guessed. I think you and her might be about the same ring size actually."

"Really? Is your mother the same height as me?"

JJ had to force himself not to laugh out loud. "No, not even close. She's nearly six feet tall."

"Feet? Oh, right. You don't use centimeters do you?"

"Can't say as I do," JJ smiled remorsefully. "For reference, when standing up straight, mom reaches up to my chin."

Eun Mi went wide eyed, "Your mother's that tall?"

"Yeah," JJ said. "I think my cousin Scarlet is a little shorter, but just about all the pack members are at least six feet tall or damn close. We're a large bunch."

"So it seems," Eun Mi said.

"But," JJ continued, "My mom's always been a skinny thing. She's taller than you sure, but you two have a very similar physic now that I think of it. Mom's a little fuller figured, but to be fair, she's had three kids. Anyway, that's probably how she was able to guess your ring size. Just one less thing to worry about."

"Does your mother approve of me? Is she alright with us getting married when she hasn't met me?"

"Mom is fond of you, but she's looking forward to meeting you. Don't worry. When you meet her, she'll love you."

"I hope so," Eun Mi said. She trailed a hand over his chest in a circular motion until goose bumps formed on his skin and he stopped her with his hand.

"Let me take a nap first," he said and, realizing what he was teasing about, Eun Mi giggled.

"I thought we'd sleep through the night," she said. Then she leaned up and kissed JJ's chin. "사랑해요," (saranghaeyo).

"I love you too," JJ said and kissed the top of her head before cradling her in his arms and going right to sleep.