Love in Camp Henderson

by crazycatmommy

After dealing with heartache, both Carter and Gomer find new love and new hope in a place they didn't suspect.

9. Unbelievable

1. Sorry about the delay. So much happened that I didn't get a chance to post.

2. There will be a lot of heavy guy-on-guy hooking up mentioned in this chapter. Please feel free to skip this chapter if you don't like it.

3. I did cry a little when writing this chapter.

4. Sergeant Hacker will be back later, along with Mendes and Jackson. No, I will not say what happened to him; you must read what happened.

5. There will be a reference from the car accident episode from the second season.

6. Twarz anioła: Polish for 'angel face.' Remember, I wrote Boyle having both Irish and Polish roots.

7. Krankenpfleger: German for 'nurse.'

*GC*

The following day started with the platoon of Company B doing their day-to-day chores; Gomer and Duke were assigned to paint outside the barracks. Gomer found himself lost in his thoughts about the night before; he couldn't help but smile while thinking back on what had occurred. He looked forward to another night in his love's arms while watching the stars.

"Gomer...Gomer!" Duke called out, making Gomer shake out of these thoughts.

"Huh...what?" Gomer stammered.

Duke looked at his friend with concern, "You okay, pal?"

"Yes...I'm sorry. I was just thinkin' is all." Gomer said with a smile.

"Is all okay?" Duke asked as he made strokes on his paintbrush.

"Yes, Duke." Gomer replied with a smile, "All is okay."

Duke gave a small smile, nodding to his friend. As the two Privates returned to painting, Duke spoke up, "Just what this barracks needs...another paint job. I lost count on how many paint jobs this building needs."

"Well, you know what they say, Duke. A fresh coat of paint makes a happy building." Gomer stated, smiling a big smile.

Duke looked up at his sweet friend, muttering, "Oh, Gomer...how does one fight positivity?"

Gomer eyed Duke, giving him a smirk, then dipped his brush into the paint can.

"Did you and Miss Alana have fun last night?" Gomer asked.

"We sure did! We ran into Boyle and his girl. She and Alana hit it off as they talked about their nursing jobs all night." Duke gave a small chuckle. "That was when they weren't pulling Boyle and me up to dance. Did you know he let me call him 'Chuck' last night, since we weren't on duty?"

"Well, ain't that nice? I knew Miss Alana and Nurse Katie would become good friends! I just knew it, I just knew it!"

Duke decided to change the subject at that point, "Things go okay with you and...you know..."

"It went well! We had a grand old time! We looked at the stars, talked, and tried to search for a shooting star. All these years of star gazin', I ain't never seen a shooting star. Not even with my telescope did I ever get a chance to catch one. What a shame. You and Miss Alana should try star gazin' one day."

"That would be nice. Imagine this, Gomer: me and Alana sitting on the beach, on top of a blanket, and she's wrapped in my arms. Gomer, I'm telling ya, she's the one! I could feel my heart beating when I held her close to me as we danced. I never had that with any other girl I've gone with."

"Why, golly, Duke...you're in love!" Gomer expressed cheerfully.

"That I am, Gome. I asked her to marry me on the dance floor last night." Duke told Gomer.

Excited, Gomer cried, "Well, for goodness sake, Duke, ain't that wonderful! Congratulations, congrat..."

"She said no." Duke cut Gomer off, making his friend frown.

"Oh...well, I'm sorry." Gomer expressed remorse over his friend.

"No worries," Duke explained some more. "She said not yet. Plus, I don't think she wanted to get married in the middle of the dance floor, which is where I would've married her if I had it my way."

"But think about it, Duke," Gomer continued, "what if she wants to wear a beautiful white dress, have pretty flowers, a delicious cake, and her daddy to walk her down the aisle."

"Gomer, when you are in love with Alana Jane Frasier, none of that stuff matters," Duke told his friend.

The sweet Private shook his head at his friend and continued painting. At that moment, a Corporal walked over to the two, turning his attention to Gomer.

"Private Pyle, you are needed in the Colonel's office. He wants to see you right away." the Corporal stated.

Gomer and Duke exchanged glances. When the Corporal walked off, Duke said, "I wonder what the Colonel wants."

"I don't know, Duke." Gomer placed his brush down and walked off.

Wondering what Colonel Grey wanted, Gomer walked to his office, feeling the anxiety build up within him, so much so that he thought of hyperventilating. Before he stepped inside, Gomer took a puff from his inhaler to help him breathe. Feeling his breath relax, Gomer walked in, only to find Carter in his office.

"Sergeant Carter?" Gomer spoke, bewildered.

"Come on in, Pyle. Take a seat." Colonel Grey spoke in an authoritative voice.

The Private and Sergeant looked at one another, feeling nervous. Gomer shut the door, moved to the chair next to Carter, and took a seat. Carter gave Gomer a look that said, 'It will be okay.' Colonel Grey sat in his chair, his hands folded on his desk, "Now...I called you both in here because I noticed something the other night. While doing my final rounds, I saw you both in a compromising position that doesn't normally happen on the base, let alone between two men."

"Sir, if you could let me explain..." Carter spoke up, ignoring Gomer's worried eyes on him, "if you should punish anyone here, let it be me. I take full responsibility, but please go easy on Pyle..."

"Just wait one moment, Sergeant." Colonel Grey spoke firmly, "now, given what I saw, I just have to say this piece..."

Gomer and Carter looked at the Colonel, wondering what he would say next, expecting the worst, when suddenly, a smile appeared on the Colonel's face, "How long did it take you two to get together?"

Feeling relieved, the Private and Sergeant took a breath out. Colonel Grey started to laugh at the two.

"Geeze, Colonel, you had me goin' there for a moment," Carter stated as he still felt his heart beating out of his chest.

"No need to feel that way, Sergeant Carter." Colonel Grey spoke. "I also wanted to add my enthusiasm at the fact you two are finally together. If you should know, Lieutenant Mayer and I had a wager. Now, the only thing I have an issue with about you two being together is that I owe Lieutenant Mayer $150.00."

Taken aback, Gomer said, "Another bet?"

Interested in this statement, Colonel Grey asked, "Who else had a wager going on, Pyle?"

"Duke and Corporal Boyle. Because Duke won the bet, Corporal Boyle had to give him money. He used his winnins' to buy his momma a refrigerator for Mother's Day." Gomer explained, causing Carter to make a weird face.

"Who gives their mother's a refrigerator for Mother's Day?" Carter asked, not surprised by what Gomer said.

"Duke does." Gomer smiled.

Colonel Grey chuckled at this information while Carter just gave Gomer a look. The Colonel asked, "Do you want me to speak to them or..."

"No need, sir," Carter spoke. "Boyle will probably hear it from me later."

The three laughed, only for Colonel Grey to say, "Okay, but in all seriousness, as happy as I am for you two, I can't have you two acting in a way that is compromising. I don't have any issue regarding you two being together, but please...relax with the public display of affection on the base."

"We will, sir," Carter responded.

"I will have you know this goes for everyone on the base, not just you two." Colonel Grey added.

"I understand, sir," Carter answered.

"Okay. That was the official response. On a personal note, damn it, it's about time you two are finally together!"

Carter and Gomer exchanged looks, smiling at one another.

"Since I have you in here, Pyle," Colonel Grey spoke, "I have it on good authority that you are to perform at General Prescott's birthday party in July."

Taken aback, Gomer looked at Carter, then back at Colonel Grey, "I...well...golly, I didn't know I was supposed to."

"Well, you are only the best singer on the base, Pyle. I will let you know that he likes you, and ever since he heard about your singing, he wants only the best singer to perform for him." Colonel Grey stated. "Can you give him a preview of what you can do?"

"Of course I can! Anything for General Prescott." Gomer beamed.

"Then it's settled. Just please, you two, cool it on your public display of affection on the base." Colonel Grey spoke. "Also, I will have it on good authority this doesn't leave the office. Lieutenant Mayer also knows not to say anything."

"Of course, sir," Carter responded. "We appreciate you and Lieutenant Mayer keeping it quiet."

"I'm glad you appreciate it, Sergeant. Now excuse me while I give Lieutenant Mayer $150.00."

Carter scoffed at Colonel Grey's comment. The Colonel dismissed the men, saying, "As you were...well...not as you were before I found you...I...you know what I mean!" Colonel Grey fumbled with his words, making the Sergeant and Private laugh.

"We know what you mean," Carter responded right before he and Gomer exited the office.

Once they were out of Colonel's office, the two laughed out of relief and hugged one another. Unbeknown to the two men, Colonel Grey heard their cackles of joy and relief. The Colonel smiled to himself on the other side of the door.

"Who am I to stop two people from being together?" he murmured as he happily returned to his paperwork.

*GC*

After the Sergeant and Private walked out of Colonel's office, the two laughed out of relief and hugged one another. Carter hugged Gomer as tightly as he did. When they pulled apart, still holding one another at arm's length but close enough to feel their beating hearts, Gomer had to say out of sheer joy, "Glory be, Glory be! The Colonel knows!"

"Yeah. Let's get out of here before I'm told I can't have you in my arms anymore." Carter joked.

Before they walked out of the building, Gomer asked the Sergeant, "Vince, are you gonna get mad at Boyle? He and Duke didn't mean no harm by it."

"Well..." Carter smirked, "let's just say I'm going to make him think I'm pissed at him."

Gomer gave a smile to the man he felt strongly for. When they two walked out, Carter made sure they were in the clear before he kissed Gomer on the lips, only to feel his soft lips against his own again. When they pulled apart, Gomer smiled. Carter returned a smile, saying, "You better get back to your duties."

"Right," Gomer replied.

As the two walked back to their area, Carter gave Gomer a look as if telling him to act natural around the other men, never mind Duke knowing about them already. Once they were around the other men, Carter got into character, yelling at Gomer, "Pyle, you are the king of knuckleheads and imbeciles! Don't you ever get me in trouble with the Colonel again! You understand me, Pyle? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"But, Sergeant, I..." Gomer spoke before getting cut off.

"Pyle, you heard me; now get back to your paint detail! Come on! Move your ass! Move it!" Carter barked as Gomer ran back over to Duke, picking up a paintbrush.

The other men watched Carter stomp off. One young man whispered to Gomer, "Boy...you getting in trouble with the Colonel? You must've done something..."

Gomer nodded his head, dismissing his platoon mate. Picking up his paintbrush, Gomer painted an area of the barracks. Duke whispered to him, "Out of curiosity...does Colonel Grey know of you two?"

"Why yes, he does, Duke, and he happily approves," Gomer said.

"Wow...the Colonel approves..." was all Duke said.

"As it turns out, he and Lieutenant Mayer had a bet goin' on like you, and Corporal Boyle did; only Lieutenant Mayer beat him," Gomer explained.

"You didn't tell him about the bet me and Boyle had, did you, Gome?" Duke asked.

"Well...it was mentioned." Gomer honestly explained, much to Duke's disappointment.

"You told him? Oh, Gomer, why? Now we're both going to hear it from him about..."

"He seemed like he was fine with it. He started to laugh, if anything, Duke."

That statement made Duke feel a little better. While Gomer painted a spot he saw needed touching up, Duke spoke again, "Well, as long as he's happy, then I'm happy too."

Meanwhile, as Carter walked into the duty hut, he happily sat at his desk, took out a cigar, and puffed on it. A few moments later, Boyle said, "Hey, I'm back with the vaccine reports, Vince."

"Oh, good. Thanks, Chuck." Carter answered, suddenly remembering the news he got, "Oh, by the way, before you do anything else, Chuck, can I ask you somethin'..."

"Of course. What's on your mind?" Boyle replied as he took a seat at his desk.

The Sergeant turned to look at the Corporal, smirking at him. Boyle looked at his Sergeant, wondering what was going through his head.

"What's with the smirk?" The Corporal asked.

Taking another puff of his cigar, Carter began to speak to the Corporal, "So what's this I hear about you and Slater having a wager goin' on between Gomer and me...seeing how long it would take for us to get together..."

Boyle felt himself on the spot. Was the Sergeant upset?

"Serge, I can explain..." Boyle tried to speak before the Sergeant cut him off.

"No need to. Gomer told me everything. He even said how Slater beat you?" Carter chuckled.

"Well..." Boyle felt his cheeks redden.

"Boyle, you're a Corporal! You let a Private beat you in a bet? Come on! I thought you were better than that!" Carter joked, feigning annoyance.

The Sergeant's expression made the Corporal chuckle.

"I take it you aren't pissed?" Boyle asked.

"At first, I was rather surprised, but then I wasn't," Carter replied, smoking his cigar more. "Plus, Colonel Grey and Lieutenant Mayer had a wager of their own."

"Did they know?" The Corporal was surprised.

"Yep, Lieutenant Mayer won, and now the Colonel owes him money." Carter chortled while Boyle shook his head and smirked.

"You know, Vince," The Corporal spoke again, "I wouldn't be surprised if more of the men here had a wager on you two."

"Wouldn't that be somethin'?" Carter replied as he puffed his cigar.

"So..." Boyle tapped his pen against his desk, "I take it Colonel is okay with it?"

"He seems more than okay with it," Carter replied. "You know...all I have to say is that never in my life, all the years I've been goin' with dames, would I be at peace and more relaxed with myself bein' with a man, let alone someone in my outfit."

"And at one point, he drove you to drink." Boyle joked.

"It's funny how things change, huh?" Carter stated.

Boyle shook his head with a smirk as he returned to work.

"Hey, Vince," Boyle spoke up again.

Carter turned to face Boyle, making a 'huh' sound. Boyle stated, "I know Gomer isn't the first man you've been with. I kind of got the gist of who Louie was."

Confused, the Sergeant spoke, "Wait...how do you..."

"Let's just say having a good instinct is a 'Boyle' family trait," Boyle answered with a smirk.

This expression made Carter roll his eyes.

*GC*

Now that they got the Colonel's approval, the Sergeant and the Private were happier than they had ever been in their past relationships. Carter didn't think that the one person who would put a smile back on his face would be someone in his outfit, as long as they both knew to keep quiet around people who didn't know. The two finally went to dinner to solidify their new relationship at a local steakhouse, unbeknown to any other patrons that they were even together.

"Golly gee," Gomer spoke with reluctance, "are you sure about this place?"

Making an 'uh huh' sound with his lips, Carter replied, "Get whatever you want."

"But this place is expensive. I don't want you blowin' all your hard-earned money on..."

"Gomer, I told you to get whatever you like, and that's an order!" Carter spoke in his Sergeant-like voice.

The Private couldn't help but grin at his love as he stared down at the menu. As their server came by, she spoke, "What would you gentlemen like to drink?"

"A rum with coke." Carter replied, then faced Gomer, "How about you?"

"Could you get me a cold bottle of soda pop, please? There is something about a soda pop from the bottle that brings out the flavor." Gomer told the waitress.

As she took down their drink orders, she looked up, asking, "I take it you gentlemen know what you want for dinner as well?"

Looking back at his menu, Gomer said to the waitress, "I'll take the steak with a side of mash potatoes and asparagus."

"Make that two?" Carter added as he took Gomer's menu, handing both menus to the waitress. The young waitress took away their menus and then left the men alone. The table fell silent when Gomer saw Carter looking down at his folded hands.

"Vince, what's wrong?"

Looking up, Carter sighed, then said, "Nothing...I can't believe the Colonel is fine with us being together, is all."

"Oh, I'm surprised myself." Gomer added, then got back to his anxiety of being at an expensive restaurant, "Goodness, are you sure this place is okay?"

"Relax!" Carter said, getting somewhat irritated with Gomer's worry. "I chose this place tonight because I wanted to bring someone special here. Hell, I've never brought any of the other dames I've been with to this place. I always thought someone had to be worth my time to come here."

Taken by surprise, Gomer asked, "You've never brought Miss Bunny here?"

"Nope. As I said, whoever I brought here had to be worth my time." Carter smiled.

The Sergeant noticed how his confession made the Private's eye twinkle; Gomer couldn't believe that Carter would choose him to take to an expensive steakhouse downtown. In response, the sweet Private took Carter by the hand, staring at him with admiration in his eyes. Their moment was interrupted when their server came back with their drinks. Thankfully, she never caught onto anything as she placed the glasses on the table...or so they thought.

"Uh...thank you." Carter managed to say, while a blush appeared on his face.

"Of course." the young waitress replied.

Before she left their table, she turned back, facing the two men, "I don't want to overstep, but...you two are adorable together."

The Private and Sergeant looked up, surprised she caught onto them. Feeling embarrassed for what had just come out of her mouth, the server blurted out, "Your food should be out soon. Excuse me..."

While running off, the two men faced each other, laughing loudly.

*GC*

After a fabulous dinner and sharing a slice of chocolate cake, they went back to the beach and stargazed. Much to Gomer's disappointment, they never caught a shooting star...yet, that is. Since the beach was quiet and secluded to their luck, the Sergeant and Private proceeded in heavy kissing and embracing under the stars. As Carter was kissing and sucking along Gomer's neck and collar bone, the Private responded with gasps and cries of delight.

"V...Vince..." Gomer spoke as he suddenly felt Carter trace his tongue along the sensitive part of his neck, "are you sure about..."

"We're fine..." Carter responded, "you and me won't get caught."

"But what if..." Gomer sharply gasped as he felt his collar bone being sucked on, "oh my goodness!"

"Gomer, just stop worryin' and enjoy the moment..." Carter replied to Gomer, slipping his hand inside Private's pants, feeling how hard he was, "shit...someone is excited already..."

"Is that bad?" The Private asked innocently, as he was taking in the sensation his body was feeling.

"Not at all..." The Sergeant whispered against his neck, kissing along his throat, as he listened to the sweet Private softly moan, "it's a good thing."

Gomer laid on the mat, feeling his Sergeant kiss the most sensitive areas of his neck, while the Sergeant whispered, "You looked so good on the rifle range the other day….couldn't take my eyes off you."

The Private moaned at his Sergeant, necking him, as Carter took his hand out of Gomer's pants. He started to rub the Private's crotch with his knee, causing Gomer to moan a little louder. It was as if Carter loved hearing those sounds, for he pressed harder to make Gomer cry louder. As this was taking place, an idea came to Gomer at that moment. The Sergeant felt himself being turned over as Gomer held his hands over his head. Not knowing what to make of what was going on, the Private pressed his lips against the Sergeant's. Carter didn't know what to make of what was happening, but he didn't question it. Gomer began to suck on Carter's neck while digging into the Sergeant's pants.

'Damn...he's taking control now. Never thought he had it in him.' Carter thought to himself as his body reacted to what was happening.

"Pyle...what are you..." Carter gasped when he felt Gomer biting down on the sensitive part of his neck, "oh shit!"

Gomer immediately stopped what he was doing, fearing he may have hurt Carter, only for Carter to look up at him, "I didn't say stop!"

"Are you..." Gomer began to ask before Carter yelled, "Keep going!"

The Private complied with the Sergeant, stroking him at a steady pace, as Carter tilted his head, feeling the pleasure run through him. With every moan and cry, the Private began to stroke faster, not realizing what would happen next. And just like that, Carter expelled all over Gomer's hand. Gomer stroked a few more times until he saw Carter could no longer take it. He released the Sergeant from his hand, laying beside him. Trying to catch his breath, Carter turned to face Gomer, "Are you sure you haven't done this before?"

"Never ever," Gomer answered.

"I find that hard to believe." Carter chuckled breathlessly. "Seriously…no one has ever gotten me to release like that...I'm still shaking..."

Gomer blushed at this. Once his breathing was under control, Carter leaned into Gomer, kissing him again. When the kiss broke, Carter placed himself back into his pants, then took hold of Gomer in a spooning position. It was silent for a few moments, with only the music on the radio filling the night air. Carter whispered in Gomer's ear, "You know you don't have to pleasure me like that."

"But I wanted to, Vince. I truly did." Gomer responded.

"I know you did," Carter told him. "I'm just sayin' you have control in this, and...I don't want you to think you have to do that just to make me happy. Plus, I want you to be happy."

"But what if pleasurin' you makes me happy? Golly, maybe I wanted to do that." Gomer said to him.

Not responding to what the Private said, the Sergeant kissed him on the temple, making Gomer smile. When they continued laying on the mat, Gomer spoke up again, "Do you know what I want?"

"Hmm?" Carter mumbled while running his hand through Gomer's thick, brown locks.

"Pancakes. Buttermilk pancakes with syrup. Did you know Miss Bee made the best buttermilk pancakes after Grandma Pyle? You actually could taste the flavor in her pancakes."

Carter made a face, then said, "So...we just have ourselves a moment, and the first thing you can think of is pancakes?"

"Well...yeah. I just thought of them, and I don't know why?" Gomer stated.

Being silent for a few seconds, Carter burst into a fit of laughs. Gomer looked up at him with his innocent brown eyes. Carter wiped his eyes, still laughing, "Sorry. I just never heard of someone wanting pancakes after doing what we just did."

"Oh..." Gomer responded. "Well, I just want pancakes is all."

Carter kissed Gomer on the nose, saying, "I'll see what Sergeant Hacker can whip up this week."

Gomer felt a blush creep on his cheeks. Even in the dark, Carter could see Gomer blushing, and he found that adorable.

"Pyle, I have a confession to make..." Carter spoke.

"What is it?" Gomer asked.

"Well...I hate to admit this, but...whenever I saw you with dames, I got a little jealous. Not because they wanted you instead of me, but I wanted you to myself, and it made me angry inside to see someone else grab your attention away."

Caught off guard by this confession, Gomer managed to say softly, "I didn't think you would be jealous."

"Yeah, well...I was." Carter admitted.

"My goodness," Gomer spoke.

"It's somethin' I'm not proud to share. I get embarrassed to admit I'm jealous, especially when it comes to you." Carter spoke. "Hell, I even got jealous when I saw you hangin' around Slater, being you two are attached to the hip and all."

"What?" Gomer cried out, as he sat up. "Oh, Vince, I would never want to be with someone like Duke! Sure, he's my best friend, and I like him and all, but he ain't the type I'd want to be with! He's a little adventurous, if you know what I mean."

Carter burst into another fit of laughter.

"Gomer, I wouldn't believe anything that clown, Slater, says," Carter stated. "I guess I feel better knowing you don't like him that way."

The Private let out a sweet chuckle before leaning to kiss Carter. As the kiss broke, Gomer looked into Carter's hazel eyes.

"You got nice eyes, Vince," Gomer said, making Carter blush. "Are they hazel?"

"Yes, they are. They are the only thing I got from the asshole my mother married. Everything else I got from my mother." Vince joked, then got serious. "Did you ever tell your friend, the Sheriff, about us?"

"Oh, I did! I called Andy and told him about us. He sounded more concerned for me if anythin', but it don't mean he ain't happy."

"Concerned how?" Carter asked.

"Well...he thinks of me like another son...kinda like a big brother to Opie, so he was just worried about me," Gomer spoke.

The Sergeant nodded his head.

"Andy and them are my other family. So I thought he deserved to know." Gomer said happily.

"I remember you said your family is scattered," Carter mentioned.

"They are, but I consider the ones closest to me family. Did I ever tell you that Andy invited Grandma Pyle to Easter dinner? That's how close we all are." Gomer spoke.

As the Sergeant took in Gomer's words, he asked, "What did Andy say, if you don't mind me askin'?"

"Uh... nothin' really. He just told me to be careful and not to move to fast, that's all." Gomer replied. "But I did call him again, and he told me Opie and Aunt Bee are happy for me."

Carter nodded his head, taking Gomer's hands.

"You know he was the one who pretty much tricked me into getting you to stay after I was about to send you home?" Carter chuckled.

Taken aback, Gomer then asked, "You wanted to send me home?"

"I did." Carter smirked as he spoke, "I was pissed about you putting on my blues. Thank God he talked me into letting you stay. Who knows what would've happened if you just went home."

"Well, I wanted to be a Marine, to be truthful," Gomer said. "For goodness sake, I can't believe Andy did that."

"Are you mad?" Carter asked.

"No, more grateful if anything! We probably wouldn't be together now if I did go back to Mayberry."

"Well, as they say, things happen for a reason." Carter chuckled.

"Yep. You are right." Gomer turned to face Carter.

The Sergeant cupped Gomer's face, softly kissing him on the lips as he stared into Gomer's eyes. The sweet Private smiled up at the Sergeant, complying with another kiss. Carter looked at Gomer, hazel eyes meeting brown eyes, as the Private spoke, "What's wrong?"

"Tell me the truth, was there someone else before me?" Carter asked. "Luanne don't count because...yeah."

Thinking back for a moment, Gomer thought of an old friend from his adolescence, "His name was Judd. He was my best friend when we was teenagers. He was the first one I had my first kiss with until he ran off."

"What do you mean he just ran off?" Carter asked.

"Just that, he kissed me and ran away. I could never understand why because he was the one who kissed me first, and I was rather surprised. Then one day, he joined the other boys in bullying me. It was him who threw a baseball at my head that made me have that concussion. I'll tell ya, the night Grandpa Pyle confronted his momma and daddy, they wasn't happy. First Grandpa Pyle was yellin' at them, then once Judd's momma and daddy found out, they gave him a whoopin'."

"I'm sure it was justified." Carter chuckled.

Gomer scoffed, then continued his story. "After that, he left Mayberry and now lives somewhere in Florida. I hadn't seen him since. I wonder how he is from time to time."

"Eh, I'm sure he's fine," Carter responded to Gomer's story.

"I think so." Gomer smiled.

Carter nodded, then faced forward to continue looking at the stars with Gomer. It fell silent when Gomer turned to his love, "What are you thinkin' 'bout?"

"Uh...don't worry about it." Carter nervously chuckled.

"Tell me." Gomer insisted.

"Nothing...I...um..." Carter suddenly became embarrassed about what he was about to say, "wow...for someone who has earned his fifth stripe, I never thought I would find myself in this position."

Gomer suddenly became confused, wondering what Carter meant by that. Breaking the mold of his mortification, the Sergeant said, "Please don't let this scare you off...but...I wanted to try something on you..."

The Private became confused, "Try what?"

"Well...shit, this is embarrassing...but I wanted to pleasure you...with my...um...mouth..."

Although the beach was pitch dark, with just the moon and stars shining their light down along the ocean, Carter felt his face go red. Gomer looked at him, making a circle shape with his lips, just responding with an 'oh' sound. The Sergeant figured that the Private wouldn't want to do something of that nature, so he fumbled with his words, "We...we don't have to do that. I mean, if you ain't ready for that, I won't..."

"Golly," Gomer felt his cheeks redden, "I never said I didn't want you to try it...I was just caught by surprise, is all..."

Taken aback by Gomer's response, Carter was speechless for the first time in his life; did the Private want to try that? Was this something Gomer wanted?

"Are you sure?" Carter spoke as he started to climb on top of the Private.

"Yes, I'm sure," Gomer responded as he repositioned himself on the mat.

"If you don't like it, I'll stop, okay?"

All the Private did was nod his head, choosing to trust the Sergeant he felt strongly for. Carter again kissed Gomer's soft lips, running his hands up his white shirt, feeling his soft skin. Gomer softly moaned to Carter's touch against his skin. The Sergeant could feel the Private getting excited already. Breaking the kiss, Carter then started to kiss and lick Gomer's neck, moving to his collarbone. The Private closed his eyes, wanting to feel the pleasure run through him. Carter suddenly started to open up Gomer's pants, while Gomer's eyes shot open, seeing what the Sergeant was about to do; part of him felt nervous. Carter caught on to Gomer's face, whispering, "You okay?"

"Uh-huh..." Gomer nodded eagerly, biting down on his lip again.

Taking that answer in, Carter moved his head lower as he removed Gomer from his pants, placing his mouth around his hard length. Not knowing how to feel about this new sensation at first, the Private felt his breath caught in his throat before letting out a soft moan. The Sergeant started to suck him while the Private laid his head back on the mat, moaning a low moan; he had never felt anything like this before. Carter bobbed his head up and down while Gomer bit down on his lip, groaning to himself; Carter was aware of Gomer biting down on his lip, which seemed to get him excited.

"Oh my goodness...oh my..." Gomer softly cried out and placed a hand on the back of Carter's head while arching his back.

At that moment, Carter started sucking harder. This made Gomer tilt his head as he bit his lip harder, gripping the mat and the Sergeant's hair. Just before he knew it, he could feel himself about to have a release.

"V...Vince...it's comin'...I...I..." Gomer struggled to say, not realizing that he had hit his tipping point at that moment.

The Sergeant continued sucking on him while the Private was beside himself in pleasure, crying out into the night sky for the first time, not caring if anyone heard him or not. Carter kept up with this until he felt Gomer couldn't take it anymore. As he pulled away, the Sergeant looked at the Private lying on the mat, trying to catch his breath, and stared up at the stars.

"G...Gomer, you alright?" Carter asked.

All Gomer could do was smile while he panted, muttering, "Shazam...

"What does 'shazam' mean?" Carter asked, worried.

"It means...that was incredible..."

The Sergeant grinned at the Private again, laying next to him to kiss his soft cheek. Gomer was beside himself, not realizing he might need his inhaler. Carter reached for the inhaler in Gomer's pocket, putting it to his lips. Carter helped sit Gomer up, assisting him while he joked, "Here, in case you lose consciousness from what happened."

As Gomer puffed away, Carter once again spoke, "As much as I take you enjoyed that, I think I might have to take it down a notch. We don't want you havin' an asthma attack. Just imagine havin' to explain that to the doctor?"

Once Gomer got his fill of the inhaler, Carter pulled it away, bringing Gomer in for another kiss, relishing the last few moments on the beach before returning to the base. After a few more minutes, the two drove back to the base, separating into their quarters. When Carter walked into the duty hut, he started to get ready for bed when suddenly, a thought came to his mind. He picked up the phone, dialing Company C. After a few rings, Sergeant Hacker picked up.

"Hello? Company C, Sergeant Hacker speaking." Hacker spoke, groggily.

"Charlie, it's Vince," Carter answered.

"Oh...hey there, Vince. What can I do you for?" Hacker asked over the other line.

Smirking to himself, Carter answered, "Remember how you said you'd make it up to me after that shit show of a birthday outing? Well, here's how you can do it..."

*GC*

The following morning, Carter and Boyle waltzed into the barracks as Carter bellowed out, "Alright, men! Get your asses up! Let's go, up and at 'em! Come on! Move it, move it!"

As the men getting up were groaning, Carter spoke, "Alright, listen up! Since I'm in a good mood today, I have decided to let you dumbasses have your football game on the base today."

This announcement caused an uproar of cheers among the men until Boyle bellowed out, "Silence!"

The men stopped cheering for Carter to say, "Before we do that, we're going on a 20-mile hike."

Upon hearing the news of going on a hike, the men groaned. Ignoring them, Carter continued to speak, "Alright, get it together! You guys are Marines! Now get up, get your asses dressed for the 20-mile hike. But first...mandatory pancake breakfast in the mess hall!"

After his speech, Carter walked out as Boyle followed behind. Gomer's gaze on Carter lingered before shaking out of his thoughts; he then proceeded to get ready to head to the mess hall. When the two higher-ups were alone, Boyle looked at Carter, asking, "Just one question...why the pancakes?"

"Don't you see, Boyle?" Carter spoke, "You do crazy things for the person you're crazy about."

*GC*

Figuring that Carter must've put in a request with Hacker, Gomer smiled as he continued to put on his green uniform. He carefully buttoned up his shirt, then grabbed his pants, putting them on one leg at a time. Afterward, he grabbed his boots, putting them on while anticipating the taste of mess hall pancakes. After he tied his shoes, he got up and walked back to his locker just to grab his cap, placing it on top of his head. Duke said to Gomer, "I wonder why we're getting pancakes today?"

Gomer didn't say a thing but continuing to dress for the day.

'I can't believe he asked Sergeant Hacker to make pancakes.' Gomer thought, while he walked back to his locker, grabbed is cap, and placed it upon his head.

"Ready, Gome?" Duke asked.

"Sure thing, buddy!" Gomer replied as he closed his locker shut before leaving the barracks with Duke and the other men.

While walking to the mess hall, Duke stopped in his tracks, extending his arm to stop Gomer first.

"Hold on...do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Gomer was adorably confused.

"The sound of Mendes not being here?" Duke answered his friend.

Gomer cutely smirked at his friend as Duke laughed, continuing their walk to the mess hall.

*GC*

After the pancake breakfast, the men returned to their barracks, getting ready for their long hike. Frankie muttered to Gomer and Duke, "I'm starting to regret going up for thirds."

"Why did you do it then?" Duke asked.

"Because it's pancakes!" Frankie cried out. "Let's just hope I don't barf on this hike because if I move, I will explode."

After Frankie vented, he left his barracks with his pack and gear on, leaving his two friends to look at one another.

"No one told him to go up for thirds." Duke chuckled.

"Who can blame him? Sergeant Hacker cooks real good, but his pancakes aren't as good as Grandma Pyle's or Miss Bee's. Did you know Grandma Pyle used to make the best buttermilk pancakes, sometimes even makin' her very own buttermilk?" Gomer spoke to his friend.

"Did you also bathe them in syrup like you did?" Duke joked as he buckled up his belt.

"Why, how did you know?" Gomer exclaimed happily. "She used to hate me doin' that. After breakfast, I would have to brush my teeth. I didn't want to, but she always made me. She said that too much syrup is a tooth rotter."

Duke snorted, "She isn't wrong."

Thinking for a few seconds, Gomer then said, "Huh...I don't think any of us Pyle's have ever had bad teeth. Only momma did because she drank a lot, but she ain't a Pyle."

Carter stormed into the barracks, bellowing, "What are you dumb asses doing? You're supposed to get into formation! Let's go! Move your asses! Don't make me cancel your game today because you want to take your time around here! Let's go!"

The screaming of the Sergeant caused the men still in the barracks to quickly finish getting ready, racing out of the barracks. As Gomer and Duke were about to leave, Carter stopped them both, "Slater get in formation. Pyle, stay behind; I need to speak with you."

Gomer and Duke exchanged glances. Duke turned back to his commanding officer, saying, "Yes, sir," before walking out.

Once Duke and the other men were out of sight, Carter shut the door, looking at Gomer once he softened his features, "How are you? Are you okay?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Gomer asked.

Carter shrugged, brushing his hand along Gomer's, their fingers intertwining, "Just asking. Did you like the pancakes?"

"They were tasty. Thank you for the pancakes."

The Sergeant nervously chuckled, "Anytime. You deserve the best."

Gomer replied with a sweet smile. Carter kissed him softly, smiling at him, as he quietly whispered, "Go get into formation. I don't want anyone getting suspicious of us."

"Right," Gomer replied as he turned around, bending to pick up his bag.

Feeling playful, Carter barked in his Sergeant-like voice, "Come on, Pyle! Pick up the pace," grabbing Gomer's bottom with full force, causing the Private to gasp.

"Sergeant Carter!" Gomer cried out.

"Sorry...I felt like doing that." Carter chuckled, making Gomer blush. "Let's go."

Once the two walked out of the barracks, Gomer stood next to Duke in formation.

"Alright! Attention!" Carter barked out, making the men stand up straight. "Right face!"

As the men turned right, Carter began to count in steps; the group marched in sync with their Sergeant's counting. Although June had begun, the air wasn't as humid and hot as it had been back in the last few days of May, and the hike wasn't so hard on Gomer. Sure he took his inhaler, but he could breathe much better, never mind that the hills were steep and narrow. Some men felt sick after devouring so many pancakes that they began throwing up.

"Let's go! It's as if you men can't handle a long hike." Carter barked, making sure to keep his eye on Gomer.

After an hour or two of what seemed to be an endless hike, the group was finally back on the base. As Carter counted steps, Boyle ordered the men to halt once they got to the barracks, then to face forward.

"Okay, hit the showers, rest up and get ready for your game in two hours. Dismissed."

As Carter and Boyle walked off, the rest of the men got back into their barracks. Gomer and Duke looked at Frankie, who was somewhat green.

"Feelin' any better, Frankie?" Gomer asked.

"After chucking up pancakes, kind of, Gomer. Thank you." Frankie answered.

Duke couldn't help but chuckle, "You better take it easy. We still have a football game to play."

"Yeah, yeah..." was all Frankie said, brushing off Duke.

As Frankie walked off, Gomer looked at his other friend, saying to Duke, "Well...I hope he learned his lesson about eatin' three sittin's of pancakes. It's like Grandma Pyle always said: too much of a good thing ain't always sunshine, apples, and rainbows."

"Whatever you say, Gomer. Let's hit the showers." Duke responded half-heartedly, only earning a slight cute smirk from Gomer.

*GC*

After two hours of relaxing, the men finally got to play their football game. It was Company B versus Company C, and Sergeants Carter and Hacker were looking forward to a little friendly competition. Both platoons were playing off in a field on the base, enjoying themselves after working so hard. The Sergeant and Corporal of Company B watched as their men tossed a football around, getting dirty on the ground.

"You think this was a smart idea?" Boyle asked.

"Eh...not really. It's just fun watching them attempt to play football." Carter joked, making Boyle chuckle.

"They aren't so bad," Boyle stated. "I've seen worse."

"Yeah, well...don't expect them to play for the Rams anytime soon," Carter responded.

The two watched as Gomer made a touchdown while his team cheered. Carter immediately got up, cheering for Gomer, "Good job, Pyle! That's how you do it!"

The sweet Private's eyes met with his Sergeant's, whose eyes were gleaming with admiration, unknowingly to the other men. As Gomer turned around to walk off, Duke patted him on the shoulder while Carter returned to watching the game with Boyle. The Corporal couldn't help but smile at Carter's reaction to Gomer making a touchdown. The Sergeant felt Boyle's eyes on him, "I know what you're thinkin', Boyle."

"I'm not thinkin' anything!" Boyle cried defensively.

"Uh huh...sure..." Carter curtly replied.

The Corporal smirked at his Sergeant, thinking he had never seen Carter happier than he was with Gomer. At that moment, Hacker and Jenson walked over to the two. Boyle's face turned sour when he saw Jenson.

"Hey there, Vince...Chuck..." Hacker greeted.

"Hi, Charlie." Boyle cooly greeted, his eyes back on the game.

"So, Vince," Hacker spoke to Carter, "were those pancakes good enough to make up for your birthday outing?"

"What do you think, Charlie?" Carter said with a light chuckle.

"I take it that I must've done something right since your men did go up for seconds, thirds...even fourths." Hacker joked, making himself and Carter chuckle.

Jenson looked over at Boyle, saying, "Hey, Chuck...what I said about your lady...it was stupid. I'm sorry for that."

Boyle looked at Jenson, seeing the sincerity of his apology in his eyes. Feeling the need to put that behind him, Boyle smiled, shaking Jenson's hand, "Thank you, Ron. I appreciate you saying that."

Watching the two Corporals' makeup, Hacker joked to Carter as he placed his arms around the two Corporals, "Aww, look at this, Vince. They made up."

Boyle rolled his eyes while he and Jenson threw Hacker's arms off of them. This made both Sergeants laugh until another round of cheers took place on the field. It was Gomer making another touchdown for his platoon. The other four off the sides caught this, while Carter smiled to himself.

"I have to say, Vince," Hacker spoke, "your man is kicking my platoon's ass. Impressive."

"Pyle's been on his game lately, Charlie," Boyle interjected.

"Do you want to trade one of my men for Pyle?" Hacker asked.

"Are you kidding?" Carter spoke, "I ain't givin' up Pyle, even if you paid me."

"Come on, Vince. I'll pay you to trade Pyle. He may be a bit weird, but he's on the ball, and someone like him deserves to be in my kitchen." Hacker almost begged Carter jokingly. "What will it take?"

"Nothin', Charlie! Pyle stays, and that's that." Carter flat-out said.

Surprised, Hacker said to Carter, "Wow...didn't think you would want to keep him that bad."

"Well...things change, you know?" Carter stated with a shrug. "Let's just drop it and watch the..."

"Sergeant Carter, look out!"

Before Carter could finish a sentence, he was tackled to the ground by three men, falling back on his head.

*GC*

As the game continued, Gomer took out his inhaler, puffing in between breaks.

"Gomer, you're kicking their asses," Duke said enthusiastically that they were winning the game. "Where did you learn how to play?"

"Well, I did like to play football with Cousin Goober and Grandpa Pyle when I was a younglin'. I wasn't the best player, but it was good exercise." Gomer chuckled while puffing his inhaler.

"Gee, what can't you do, buddy?" Duke asked.

Thinking for a second, Gomer replied, "I know I can't ever run for President."

Duke shook his head as the two walked back into the game. As one of the men on the other team threw the football, the rest started to run and tackle each other to the ground. Gomer once again caught the football, running from the others chasing him. As men from the other team surrounded the sweet Private, he wasn't sure where to go until Perez yelled, "Gomer, I'm open! Pass it here!"

Immediately, Gomer threw the football to Perez, only for Perez and two others to run after the football, not realizing they were about to back into the Sergeant, falling on top of him, causing him to fall back and hit his head. Hacker, Boyle, and Jenson were caught by surprise by what happened.

"Oh my gosh, Vince!" Gomer cried out as he ran towards Carter, not realizing he had said Carter's first name.

Catching onto this, Hacker made a confused face, 'Why did he address his Sergeant by his first name?'

Boyle and Gomer got down on their knees as Gomer held Carter, almost cradling him. The other men ran over, surrounding Carter to see if he was okay. From the looks of what happened, Carter was knocked out.

"Vince? Vince, it's Chuck. Can you hear me?" Boyle called out.

The younger Sergeant didn't reply, except with a groan.

Gomer felt a bump on the back of Carter's head, saying in a distressed voice, "He's hurt..."

"Let's take him to the infirmary," Boyle stated as he and Gomer helped Carter to his feet.

Perez stood horrified that he hurt his Sergeant, continuously saying to himself, "I didn't mean to do it. I swear it was an accident."

"Don't worry about that, Perez," Boyle spoke. "Men, the game is over, and you are all to get back into the barracks. Private Slater, you're in charge until we get back. Please don't let anything fall to shit."

"Right, Corporal," Duke answered.

As the men walked back to the barracks, Boyle and Gomer helped Carter into the jeep, driving off to the infirmary.

All of what just happened caught Hacker off guard. As Hacker gave his men the exact instructions, a thought kept running into his mind, 'Why did Pyle address Vince by his first name and not 'Sergeant?' Because that isn't off at all.'

"You alright, Serge?" Jenson asked.

"Huh...oh yeah, Ron," Hacker answered. "Just thinking is all."

*GC*

Just waking up from a head injury, Carter looked around, seeing he was back in the hospital. He looked to find Gomer, Boyle, and Katie staring at him.

"What the...how did I get here?" Carter asked.

"Robert Perez ran you over," Boyle stated.

"Are you okay, Vince?" Gomer asked.

"Yeah." Carter managed to sit up, rubbing his head. "My head is killing me."

Gomer sat behind him, placing an icepack against the back of Carter's head.

"Gomer and Chuck said you came in with a horrible bump," Katie stated. "Would you mind if I take a look for other injuries?"

"Sure," Carter replied as Katie lifted his shirt, checking for bruises.

"Oh my..." she said to herself.

"What does 'oh my' mean?" Carter asked her.

"You got a deep bruise on your back," Katie stated as she placed another ice pack on Carter's back, making him wince in pain.

"Son of a bitch! Do you torture people for fun? Shit!" Carter yelled while Boyle glared at him.

"Don't mind him, honey." The Corporal told his girlfriend, while Carter glared at him right back.

"Oh, please. I've dealt with bigger babies." Katie joked, making Boyle laugh.

This just made the Sergeant glare at the Corporal even more.

"Don't get angry. It will make your head pain worse." Gomer instructed as he held the ice pack down on the head.

"He's right." Katie gave Gomer a sweet smile. "Gomer, you're too cute."

The Private blushed at Katie. A knock on the door was heard, causing everyone to turn their heads. It was a gentleman who looked to be in his early to mid-30s with blonde hair and bluish brown eyes, speaking in a German accent, "Hello, I'm Dr. Levi Kreizler. I will be attending to you, Sergeant Carter."

"Golly, he's German," Gomer spoke, making the doctor smile.

"You are correct. Grew up in what is now called West Berlin." Dr. Kreizler replied to Gomer, already liking the Private's kind-hearted nature.

"Wait...where's Dr. Carrington? He usually..." Carter was cut off.

"Dr. Carrington has been transferred to another base, so they brought me in as his replacement." Dr. Kreizler chuckled.

"Wow...wish they would've said something," Carter muttered. "No offense, Doctor, but aren't you a little young?"

"Vince!" Boyle corrected Carter, making the Sergeant glare back at the Corporal.

"Don't worry. I promise that despite my age, I will be as wonderful as Dr. Carrington." Dr. Kreizler stated with a smile. "So, what seems to be the problem here?"

"Deep bruise on my back, a bump on my head...it's pretty self-explanatory if you ask me." Carter joked with the doctor.

The doctor chuckled at Carter's sarcasm, saying to him, "Alright. Let's see how bad it is. If everyone can give me some room?"

As he gave the order, Gomer moved to Boyle and Katie; the Private watched as Katie held onto Boyle's arm and put her head on his shoulder, making him happy they were together. His eyes moved back to Dr. Kreizler, examining Carter's head bump from the fall. As he touched it, the Sergeant flinched.

"Well, the bump isn't as serious as I thought it would be." Dr. Kreizler stated. "Other than the injury on your head and the bruise on your back, have you experienced anything like difficulty in memory, headache, or light sensitivity?"

"Uh...just a headache," Carter explained. "I was knocked out pretty hard."

"Have you tried walking to see if you can stand up straight?" Dr. Kreizler asked.

"Not yet," Carter replied

"Can you walk straight for me?" Dr. Kreizler asked Carter.

The Sergeant stood up, walking for the doctor, when he almost fell. Gomer quickly ran over to grab hold of his love before he could hit the floor.

"My goodness, Sergeant. You got yourself the wobbles." Gomer stated.

"I'm sorry...the wobbles?" Dr. Kreizler asked, trying to comprehend what Gomer meant.

"It's when you have troubles standing after hittin' your head. Last I had them was when I had a concussion as a boy. It ain't fun." Gomer explained.

Dr. Kreizler and Katie couldn't help but chuckle after Gomer explained what 'the wobbles' were.

"I see..." Dr. Kreizler observed as he turned to Katie, "Krankenschwester, I will be writing a perception for the Sergeant. If you can hand it to the pharmacy, that would be wonderful."

"Of course, Doctor," Katie answered as she took notes on her clipboard.

"Sergeant, just take it easy for the rest of the day. You should be alright tomorrow. Just ice your head and take your medication as needed." The doctor ordered.

"Right...thank you, doctor." Carter nodded.

Dr. Kreizler stood up to shake hands with Gomer and Carter. Before he left, he looked at Gomer, "You know, you remind me of someone I knew back in Germany...an American, whose name happened to be Sergeant Carter as well...except he's in the US Airforce."

"Oh...well, for hecks shake and shazam. Two Sergeant Carter's!" Gomer exclaimed.

The doctor chuckled, saying, "His name was Andrew. He was friends with a friend of my father's."

"Hold on...Andrew Carter...you mean Captain Carter?" Carter asked the doctor.

"Uh...yes. How do you know him?" Dr. Kreizler asked.

"He's good friends with my cousin Robert, and his daughter, my cousin, Mary." Carter laughed. "Talk about a small world."

"Mary, is your cousin?" Dr. Kreizler asked. "She is such a sweet girl. You're right, Sergeant; it is a small world indeed."

"Yep." Carter let out a small chuckle.

"Okay, so you rest up, and I will see you soon." the doctor said.

"Right. Thank you." Carter responded.

Once Kreizler was out of sight, Boyle gave Katie a confused look, "I'm sorry, but what did he call you?"

Katie giggled, turning to Boyle, answering, "That's 'nurse' in German. He's been calling all the nurses since he's gotten here."

All the Corporal could say was, 'Huh. Interesting."

Katie chuckled, then realized she had to get back to work, "I have to get back out there. I'll see you later?"

"Sure, twarz anioła." Boyle answered.

As the two shared a kiss, Gomer smiled, "My oh my, you two make a handsome pair."

The couple blushed at Gomer's words. Katie turned to Carter, "Sergeant, I will send your medicine to the pharmacy. You can pick it up on the way out."

Boyle kissed Katie's hand before she exited. Once she was out of sight, Gomer turned to Boyle, saying, "Golly, Corporal Boyle, I didn't know you spoke another language," intrigued at Boyle's ability to speak Polish.

"Yeah, he speaks Polish pretty damn well too," Carter added, then deciding to change the topic. "Considering I've seen more of the infirmary lately, I think we should get back to the duty hut,"

"Sounds like a plan, Vince," Boyle replied happily.

"Gomer, want to help me up?" Carter stuck out his arm to Gomer.

"Sure." Gomer helped Carter to his feet, only for Carter to stumble again.

The Private caught him, "Why Sergeant, you still have the wobbles."

This made Carter chuckle as the three men walked out of the examining room.

*GC*

Meanwhile, in Company C, Hacker was lying in his bunk while Jenson read a book. Thoughts kept running through Hacker's mind as he spoke, "You know what I realized, Ron?"

Jenson turned the page, making a 'hmm' sound. Hacker spoke again, "Pyle called Vince by his name, not 'Sergeant.' Since when does a Private call his Sergeant by their first name?"

"I don't know, Serge. I didn't even catch onto it." Jenson responded, in deep concentration, with his book.

"To be fair, Vince has been more patient with Pyle lately. And what was that when he got defensive when I suggested he switch Pyle over to me? Those two have been acting weird lately." The Sergeant spoke.

"Who knows?" Jenson replied, turning a page in his book.

"Yeah..." was all Hacker could say.

Silence fell in their bunks once again until Hacker spoke, "Jenson...I could be wrong...but..."

"But what, Serge?" Jenson put his book down, turning to face his Sergeant, "What's on your mind?"

"Do you think something is going on between Vince and Pyle?"

*GC*

A couple of days later, Hacker was walking the base alongside Jenson, where they saw Gomer raking gravel. The two exchanged looks before walking up to him.

"Hey there, Pyle." Hacker greeted Gomer with a smile.

Gomer turned to face the other Sergeant and Corporal, greeting happily, "Oh hey there, Sergeant Hacker! Corporal Jenson!"

"Hi, Pyle." Jenson greeted.

"So, Vince, has you raking today?" Hacker spoke.

"It looks like it. Sergeant Carter has had me on cleaning detail, so he just wanted to switch it up a bit." Gomer answered as he raked the gravel.

Jenson eyed Hacker. The Sergeant cleared his throat, speaking again, "So...rumor has it for a while that you have someone in your life. Whatever happened to...what's her name?"

"Luanne? Oh, it didn't work out, sadly. You know how those things go...sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. But it don't mean you gotta be sad about it. Someone new will always come and make you smile again."

"Oh, you're correct, Pyle," Hacker replied, ignoring that Jenson wanted to throw up in his mouth so badly. "So...who is it? You can tell me who it is."

"Uh...well, I'm not exactly ready to say who it is. But all I can tell you is I'm delighted." Gomer replied as he raked away.

Hacker and Jenson exchanged glances. The Sergeant of Company C was insistent, "Come on, Pyle. I won't say anything. Tell me who it is, and I won't ask you again."

"I understand you want to know, but I just can't say," Gomer told Hacker.

Hacker blocked Gomer from moving. The sweet Private could sense that Sergeant Hacker was relentless, "Pyle, I'm your friend, and you can trust me. Just tell me who it is."

"No, Sergeant Hacker. I told my special someone that we are keeping our relationship quiet, and I don't break no promises. Now, if you could, I must get back to rakin' the gravel." Gomer simply said to Hacker, not backing down.

As Gomer walked off, Hacker and Jenson watched him.

"He won't say nothing, Serge. Let's just get back to..." Jenson tried to speak but was cut off.

"Nope. I know something is up between Vince and Pyle, and I'm determined to figure it out." Hacker admitted to Jenson.

Later in the day, the men of Company B were on the rifle range, which meant the barracks and duty hut were empty. This allowed Hacker to do some deep digging. He walked into the duty hut, searching through Carter's desk, moving things around. So far, he found nothing. Next, he moved to Carter's bunk, searching through what he could find. No such luck until he saw a thing of painting canvases and a painting easel leaning against Carter's bunk. Hacker looked at them, asking, "Where did he get these?"

He picked up one of the canvases, looking at the beautifully painted picture.

"There is no way Vince Carter did this," Hacker told himself.

Hacker placed the painting down, figuring the canvases weren't enough evidence. He then moved to Carter's locker, opened it, and found gift bags. The Sergeant knelt and dug through the bags, finding art supplies inside.

"These are pretty damn expensive art supplies. I wonder where he..." Hacker thought out loud until he realized something..."Pyle came back with bags from the hobby store the day of Vince's birthday."

Figuring he's gone this far, Hacker went through the locker until he found the tin container of candies given to Carter by his cousin, Mary. He opened up the tin container, finding delicious homemade chocolates, and on top of the container, a note. The Sergeant opened the message, reading it to himself, noticing the words, 'your sweetheart' written.

"Okay...this proves my point...but it ain't enough," Hacker told himself, right before he decided to take some candies. "These are pretty good. This dame puts Milton Hershey to shame."

Once he got his fill of investigating, he closed the tin, then placed it back on the top of the shelf, digging around some more. It was when he found Carter's sketch pad. He took it out, looking at the different colored pencil drawings. He was in deep thought until he heard a noise.

"Shit...I thought they would be out longer." Hacker panicked to himself.

The Sergeant threw the sketch pad back on the top shelf and quickly slammed the locker shut, sneaking out through the back. Luckily no one caught him, as he managed to get back to his quarters in one piece. Jenson walked in, asking Hacker, "You alright, Charlie?"

Hacker looked up at Jenson, replying, "Yeah, Ron...I'm good..."

*GC*

Two days later, Gomer and Carter agreed to watch the sunset over the lookout in town. As usual, Gomer feigned needing a ride into town, asking Carter to drive him in. Feigning annoyance, Carter got up and did as asked, taking Gomer into town. Little did they know, they had someone following them in the base jeep: Sergeant Hacker. The drive to Lookout Point was instead a quick one. As they got there, the late spring and the early summer air was just right; a light cool breeze brushed over them as they sat on top of the lookout.

"Golly, there ain't anyone else here." Gomer expressed. "It's a shame for anyone to miss a beautiful sunset."

"Who cares? We got this place to ourselves." Carter stated as he leaned his seat back. "Finally...some alone time."

The sweet Private glanced over at Carter. The Sergeant faced his lover, adding, "Boy, this week was crazy."

"I understand," Gomer replied, then looked into the view. "Golly, what a shame you can't look at the sun; it's so pretty. Hard to believe that the sun is a star."

"Eh...I figure you'd like it." Carter stated. "Lean your seat back."

Gomer did as asked, leaning his seat back to lay beside the man he felt strongly for. The sky was gorgeous that evening; it looked like a watercolor painting, shades of a blueish ombre in the sky, with a hint of orange and purple clouds. The wind blew in the palm trees, and Gomer couldn't help but think it felt nice. It was a sight to see, and it was safe to say that California had sunsets compared to no other. Gomer gazed into the sky, taking it all in.

"You know what?" He spoke to Carter. "I've always believed that the sunset is one of God's paintin' projects come to life."

The Sergeant faced the Private, smiling at him.

"You know, you have a way of wordin' things," Carter told him.

"I try. I mean, I ain't the best at it." Gomer responded as he looked up at the sky.

Carter sighed, then said, "So...did you watch a sunset back home?"

"I used to a lot, especially when I worked at Wally's Fillin' Station. I liked to work the later shifts just to look at the sunset. Mayberry had nice sunsets, especially on those hot summer days in August. The prettiest ones came in the fall when the leaves were startin' to change colors, and the air got cooler. Sometimes, I would sit out in the tree outback at Grandma and Grandpa's house to watch the sunset. Grandma Pyle would yell at me because she thought I was starin' directly into the sunlight. I never did, though. I just liked watchin' the sunset."

"I don't blame you there. When I was in Korea, I used to watch the sunset with..." Carter stopped himself, realizing he was about to bring up Louie. "I was lucky to catch it when I did. It was the only thing that made me forget about the war."

"Vince," Gomer spoke as he placed his hand on top of the Sergeant's, "I know you was about to talk about Louie. It's okay. I'd like to learn more about him..."

Carter turned to face Gomer, furring his eyebrows.

"I mean, he was a part of your life once. I don't expect you to forget him." Gomer said with pure sincerity in his voice.

"I know..." Carter spoke of reluctance. "It's just that I don't want you to think that I..."

"I don't think nothin' about it, Vince. I would hate for you to forget him. If talkin' about him helps, feel free to talk about him. Tell me, did he like sunsets too?"

"He did. We used to catch them together when we had the chance. He used to tell me that the sunsets in Korea were the best he'd ever seen."

Gomer smiled at what Carter told him.

"Louie was lucky to have known you," Gomer said. "I wish I got to meet him."

"Yeah..." Carter muttered. "He...he would've liked you."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Gomer placed his head on Carter's shoulder while the Sergeant placed his hand on the Private's knee. They sat in silence for a few seconds when Gomer felt himself smile. Carter knew he was smiling, asking him, "What's got you happy?"

"I was just thinkin' is all. Robert told me the best sunsets are in Puerto Rico. You can even catch the stars on the beach at night. I saw a picture where the stars were out. It looks like the sky is glitterin'. Boy, you can see the Milky Way better there than you can here.

"Hey," Carter spoke, as Gomer looked at him, "I don't make a lot of promises, but one day, I promise, I'll take you to Puerto Rico, then you'll get to see all that," Carter replied.

Silence fell upon them again until Gomer spoke, "Do you remember when I asked you to get an ice cream soda with me, then you got into that car accident?" Gomer asked.

"Uh-huh..." Carter eyed Gomer.

The Private let out a small chuckle, "Well...I was askin' you out on a date, but I figured you weren't interested in me. I'm just lettin' you know now because I have to."

Silent for a few seconds, Carter smirked in response, "You know, I figured you were askin' me out. I didn't want it to look obvious to Boyle, so I told you to get out of the duty hut. Honestly, I would've rather gone out with you than Bunny."

Gomer looked at Carter, "But Boyle knows about us now."

"Yep...he does." Carter chuckled in response. "So...are there any other confessions you want to get out?"

Not understanding Carter's teasing, Gomer blushed for a few seconds before blurting out, "Well...when we were out at sea that time, I couldn't help but look at you in the gym...you know...when you was liftin' those heavy barbells..."

Silence fell for a few moments. Suddenly, the Sergeant burst into a fit of laughter. The Private was worried for a few seconds, only for Carter to say, "I think it's safe to say that I was kinda checkin' you out too."

"Oh..." Gomer muttered out, with a blush appearing on his face.

Carter brushed his thumb against Gomer's soft cheek, saying, "You have no idea how hard it is to be apart...having to wait to sneak around again. All that pretendin' like nothin' is goin' on back on the base only makes me remember how worth the wait you are."

The Private smiled bashfully. Carter leaned to kiss Gomer's soft lips. Little did they know, their moment was being watched and listened to as Sergeant Hacker pointed a long rang listening device towards their direction. The moment he saw them kiss, he took out a camera and took a picture of the two, smiling a sinister smile to himself.

"Gotcha..."

*GC*

The following morning, Carter was doing his paperwork in a good mood. What was Gomer doing to him? It was as if being with him had some influence over him...almost he wanted to be a better person...the person he was all along.

"Hey, Serge," Boyle spoke, causing Carter to break out of his thoughts.

"What, Chuck?" Carter responded.

"I'm going to pick up Kathryn and take her to the mess hall and shopping at the PX. I'm letting you know."

"Do what you need to do. I can handle it from here."

"You sure, Vince?" Boyle asked.

"Yeah, go! Don't keep your woman waiting." Carter chuckled. "I know what it's like to deal with a woman scorn from hunger."

Boyle laughed. As Boyle placed his cap upon his head, he walked out of the duty hut, leaving his Sergeant alone to sign papers. As he was signing, Carter brushed his thumb against his lips, smiling as he still felt Gomer's soft lips against his. Lost in his train of thought, he heard a door knock.

"Come in."

In walked Hacker. He had a huge grin plastered on his face. Carter looked up, saying, "Oh, hey there, Charlie. What can I do you for?"

"Oh...I'm sure you know what you can do me for, Vince." Hacker spoke with mischief in his voice.

This caught Carter a little off guard. He put down his pen and got up from his seat, "What do you mean by that, Charlie?"

Moving around him, Hacker took it upon himself to sit down in Carter's desk chair, "As you may know, it was driving me nuts knowing that you were with someone new but never brought it upon yourself to tell me who it was. The fact that you turned down a kiss from the waitress on your birthday was a giveaway, and since then, I was curious to know who it was..."

Feeling somewhat annoyed with Hacker's cryptic tone, Carter spoke up, "What are you getting at?"

"I know your secret, Vince...and I know why you've been defending Pyle whenever someone makes a crack at him."

"Look, Charlie, stop acting so mysterious and tell me what you know because if you want to waste both of our time..."

"Want to tell me who Louie is? Because I have an idea who this Louie might be. Also, what's this I hear about you wanting to take Pyle to Puerto Rico? I mean, I don't blame you. I heard they have beautiful beaches there. Also, what I find most interesting is that Pyle was checking you out while your platoon was out at sea...very interesting."

Carter was confused. How did Hacker know all of this?

"I have no idea what you are..." When Hacker pulled out the photo he took of Carter and Gomer from their night at the lookout, Carter was cut off at that moment. Carter observed the picture of himself and Gomer sharing a tender moment, caught by Hacker. He couldn't believe his rival would go as far and follow them out there just to get information. As he tried to snatch the photo out of Hacker's hand, Hacker pulled it back, saying, "No, no, I think I'll keep this."

For the first time in his military career, Carter felt powerless. Knowing the person he couldn't stand in the world knew his and Gomer's secret, he was unsure of what to do at that moment. Hacker smiled smugly, saying, "You know, a well-respected Sergeant, going with another man...Vince, I now have the power to show this photo to the whole base. Now I'll keep your secret if you give me Pyle...someone like him...I could use him in my kitchen...prepping meals for the Colonel and the other higher-ups..."

"Look, if you want to hurt me, that's one thing, but you will not go after Pyle. Leave him out of this!" Carter ordered Hacker.

"Wow, you're willing to take the fall for him? Impressive." Hacker said sarcastically, angering Carter more. "If that's how you like it, then fine...you're my patsy, and if you don't do as I say...I will plaster this photo around the whole camp to see. Don't think I won't do it because I will and if you mess up once...I may just take Pyle down with you."

"Leave Pyle out of this!" Carter shouted.

Hacker chuckled as he placed the photo inside his pocket, "I hope you are up for extra paperwork because I haven't started on any yet."

With that said, Hacker walked out of the duty hut, leaving Carter alone. Hacker then turned around, saying, "Oh, by the way, Boyle is right...you are a real good artist. Also, tell your cousin to send more of those...whatever you call them."

"You...you went through my stuff?" Carter couldn't believe Hacker would go through his stuff.

"Well, I needed sufficient evidence, so why not?" Hacker laughed before finally walking away, stuffing the photo in his pocket.

*GC*

That night, Carter was sitting at his desk, filing bulk papers, when Gomer walked in cheerfully.

"Hey there!" He greeted.

Carter looked up quickly, seeing Gomer, then back down at the paperwork he had to finish.

"Are you okay?" Gomer asked, concerned for his love. "Why are you doin' more paperwork?"

"Uh...just catchin' up on it, is all." Carter lied, not taking his eyes off his work.

The Private walked around Carter's desk, looking at what he was doing.

"Why are you doin' Sergeant Hacker's work?" Gomer asked.

"Because he asked me to." Carter quickly answered.

"Maybe you should..." Gomer was cut off by Carter snapping, "Unless you need something, please leave me alone! Find something else to do!"

Taken aback, Gomer softly said, "I...I don't understand..."

"Of course, you don't understand; you never understand! Now do us a favor, and leave!" Carter barked, watching Gomer flinch.

"Why are you bein' so mean?" Gomer asked.

"Because I'm stressed out, and you're adding to it!" Carter barked.

Fighting back the tears about to form in his eyes, Gomer placed his cap on his head and walked out of the duty hut. As Carter watched Gomer leave, he slammed a stack of papers on the desk, rubbing his temples.

'I don't want Hacker to hurt him...it's for his own good. God, he can do so much better than me.'

*GC*

Throughout the next few days, Carter did tasks for Hacker; whether it be filing his papers, cleaning Hacker's duty hut, or even working in the kitchen, he took the fall for Gomer only to protect him. Within those few days, he ignored Gomer completely, only talking to him when need be. By the time he was finished, he was exhausted, only getting a total of five hours of sleep before the next day. It wasn't enough that he had to do his duties and Hackers. Boyle took notice of this one day when they were alone, asking, "What the hell's gone into you, Vince?"

As he rummaged through his locker, Carter shrugged, " Nothing. Just taking on extra duties is all."

"But why?" Boyle asked. "This ain't like you. I mean, doing extra paperwork for Hacker? Of all people, why are you doing favors for Hacker?"

"Boyle, I just am! Now, stop askin' stupid questions!" Carter slammed his locker as he placed his cap upon his head.

"Where are you off to?" Boyle asked.

"Charlie wants me to clean the kitchen in the mess hall for him, so I said I would," Carter answered.

"Because you haven't been cleaning the mess hall kitchen for how many days..." That was when the Corporal put two and two together, "Serge, is Hacker trying to blackmail you?"

The Sergeant didn't answer Boyle but instead left the duty hut. As Boyle was alone, he said to himself, "Hacker probably found out about Vince and Pyle and is using this to his advantage. This is not good."

He picked up the phone, calling the Colonel. After two rings, another voice on the other line spoke, "Colonel Grey speaking?"

"Hello, Colonel Grey. It's Corporal Boyle. Are you busy?"

*GC*

As Carter was cleaning a cookie sheet covered in chicken grease, Hacker walked up behind him, patting him on the shoulder, "You know, that hairnet is a great look on you, Vince."

"Don't mock me, Hacker." Carter snapped.

Hacker chuckled, saying, "By the way, the boys and I are planning on going into town tonight, and I gave my men the night off from cleaning the dining room, so once you're done with this mess...you have a whole other mess waiting for you."

Carter couldn't believe how malicious Hacker was being. And all for what? Hacker let out a cackle before leaving the kitchen. He turned around, saying, "If I find that one crumb on the floor...remember what I said..."

Once he was alone, Carter sighed, then continued cleaning the dishes in the sink. As the next two hours went by, the kitchen was finally clean. At times like these, he was happy that his kitchen cleaning skills from when he was younger kicked in. As he walked into the dining room, he saw a mess of dirty dishes and tables covered in food.

"He did this on purpose," Carter told himself, letting out a groan of frustration.

As he got to work, he placed the dirty dishes into a bin, walking them back and forth into the kitchen. As he was scrubbing the tables down, a voice broke him out of his thoughts, "Sergeant Carter?"

Carter immediately stopped scrubbing, looking up to see Colonel Grey. He stood at attention, saluting his higher-up.

"As you were." Colonel Grey spoke as Carter relaxed. "Sergeant Carter, Corporal Boyle called me today. He was concerned for you. The other men in your platoon were also concerned for you. You have been acting off, according to them. I can see their reasoning. I mean, cleaning the mess hall, doing extra paperwork, cleaning the rifles for Company C...would you like to tell me what's going on?"

"Colonel..." Carter was stumbling with his words, "I was just doing Sergeant Hacker a couple of favors, is all."

"Sergeant Carter," Colonel Grey said in a stern voice, "with the stripes you've earned, you should know better then lying to me, especially to cover up for someone else. You've never lied to me once. Now tell me what's happening because I know this isn't part of your job description, but Sergeant Hacker and his men."

Breathing a sigh as he placed the rag down on the table, the Sergeant explained to Colonel Grey how Hacker took it upon himself to stalk himself and Gomer, even taking a photo of the two sharing a moment. He even explained to the Colonel that he was doing tasks upon Hacker's request, only to keep Gomer safe, taking the fall for it all. Colonel Grey's face went from confusion to disgust within seconds. How could Sergeant Hacker stoop this low to hurt a fellow Sergeant? Taking a deep breath, the Colonel said to the Sergeant, "I have to say, Sergeant Carter, for you to go this far to protect Pyle...it shows that you truly care for him. Where is Sergeant Hacker anyway?"

"He went into town, Sir," Carter answered.

Colonel Grey felt himself getting angry but didn't let it show, "Okay...two things, as your Colonel, I order you to stop what you are doing, go back to your duty hut, get cleaned up, and rest. As your friend, I will say I'm not very happy now, and this chat with Sergeant Hacker will not be friendly."

Staring at his Colonel, Carter could see the anger in Colonel Grey's eyes. Everyone at Camp Henderson knew that when Colonel Grey was angry, he didn't have to yell, which made it all the more intimidating; even Carter himself wouldn't cross his Colonel.

*GC*

The following morning, Sergeant Hacker spotted Carter in the mess hall with Boyle, having their breakfast. Carter eyed Gomer, sitting on the other side of the mess hall with Duke and Frankie. Gomer met Carter's eyes with sad ones and continued eating his breakfast. Seeing his friend in a rut, Boyle whispered to Carter, "Maybe you should explain what's going on..."

At that moment, Hacker walked up to the two, "So, Vince...I see you didn't clean the dining room last night. I found it still messy when I came back."

"What do you want, Charlie?" Carter asked, already irritated.

"I told you I would show off this photo if you didn't do things according to how I wanted them. Maybe the first person I plan to show this to is the Colonel?" Hacker mocked.

"Back off, Charlie." Boyle snapped.

"Boyle, it's okay." Carter cut in, then looked into Hacker's eyes, "You know what, Charlie? Do what you want because you think blackmailing me will do you any good? What do you think it's going to get you?"

Right at that moment, a Corporal walked into the mess hall towards Sergeant Hacker, "Excuse me, but Sergeant Hacker, you're wanted in the Colonel's office."

As the young Corporal walked off, Hacker smiled smugly, saying, "Don't say I didn't warn ya, Vince."

Once he walked away, Carter smirked, knowing damn well that Hacker was in for a rude awakening.

"Why are you smirking?" Boyle asked.

"Because Hacker's ass is toast, Chuck," Carter replied.

Meanwhile, Hacker walked to Colonel Grey's office, confident he would get Sergeant Carter in trouble, not expecting what would happen. As he got to the office, he found Colonel Grey talking to another Private when Sergeant Hacker walked in.

"That'll be all, Private Dullard. Sergeant Hacker, please come in. Dullard, shut the door behind you, please?"

"Yes, sir." Dullard, a stocky-looking blonde with blue eyes, answered.

As the Private walked out, he shut the door behind him, leaving Hacker alone with the higher up, "Sergeant Hacker, reporting as ordered, sir."

"At ease." Colonel Grey said as Hacker stood at ease. "So...how are you, Sergeant Hacker?"

"I'm doing okay, thank you, Colonel," Hacker replied.

"Things are swell in the mess hall, I assume?" Colonel Grey asked.

"They are going accordingly, sir," Hacker responded. "Colonel, I wanted to talk to you about Sergeant Carter and Private Pyle. You see..."

Colonel Grey cut him off, "Okay, but first, let me say something. Do you know what I found funny? I saw Sergeant Carter there after the mess hall closed, cleaning up. I found that a little off if you ask me."

"Well, about that, sir..." Hacker tried to explain.

"Sergeant Carter brought it to my attention that you are carrying a photo of him and Private Pyle sharing an intimate moment with you. He told me on good authority that if he didn't do certain tasks that you or your men are supposed to complete, you would take it upon yourself and show the photo around the base. Do you have that photo on you right now?"

"I do, sir," Hacker replied as he took the photo out of his pocket, handing it to Colonel Grey, confident in himself.

The Colonel took the photo, tearing it up in Hacker's face. Hacker couldn't believe that his plan didn't work, and Colonel Grey wasn't on his side. After the photo was torn up, Colonel Grey tossed it on the wastebasket beside his desk, glaring down at Sergeant Hacker.

"You should know better than to try and blackmail a fellow Sergeant, and all for what? What are you personally gaining from this, Sergeant Hacker?" The Colonel's voice was calm yet icy, practically intimidating, enough to scare any of the men on the base.

"I...I wasn't thinking..." Hacker stumbled with his words.

"That's the problem; you weren't thinking! There is no excuse for what you did, trying to sabotage Sergeant Carter's and Private Pyle's reputations. If I could, I would have your stripes revoked, even putting you through a court martial."

Those words almost scared Sergeant Hacker. He was about to lose his stripes over something stupid, something he should've thought twice about. Colonel Grey continued with his words, "But I won't because knowing some as sweet as Private Pyle, he would probably talk me into giving you a second chance. Instead, here's what's going to happen...you will be sent away to retraining. You will earn those stripes back one at a time."

"But sir, the physical training...and at my age, I..."

"Well, this is something you should've thought about before you tried to ruin someone else, Sergeant Hacker. I will arrange a jeep to pick you up later this afternoon. You are to empty your quarters before 12:30 PM. Now get out of my sight."

Taking in what just happened at that moment, Sergeant Hacker walked out of Colonel Grey's office, shutting the door behind him. Once he was alone, the Colonel got on his phone, dialing a number, "Hello, Corporal Stevens, can you find Sergeant Carter, and ask him to report to my office when he can?"

*GC*

"Sergeant Carter, reporting as ordered." Carter stood at attention.

"At ease, Sergeant." Colonel Grey spoke when Carter relaxed. "Sergeant Carter, I will have you know on good authority that Sergeant Hacker will be sent to retraining. What he did was despicable and will not be tolerated here on the base."

"Thank you, sir," Carter said. "I'm happy to know this."

"You have a good man in Corporal Boyle. Had it not been for him calling me, I would've never known this was happening. The reputation of Camp Henderson will not be tarnished because someone wants to act like a jackass."

This made the Sergeant chuckle.

"If you don't mind me asking, what will happen to Sergeant Hacker?"

"He will be sent to retraining, earning his stripes back one at a time." Colonel Grey explained. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, I want to say something...you willing to take the fall for Private Pyle says a lot about you. You have a good heart, Sergeant Carter. Pyle is fortunate to have someone like you."

"Trust me, Colonel," Carter spoke, "I wasn't going to let anyone hurt him. He's truly an incredible person in more ways than one."

Colonel Grey listened to how highly Carter spoke of Gomer, "You truly want to protect Pyle, huh, Sergeant."

"Let's put it this way, Colonel Grey," Carter added, "I would take on the devil and his entire army by myself just to keep him safe."

Saying this piece, Carter walked out of Colonel Grey's office, only for the Colonel to say to himself, "Now that's love."

*GC*

As Carter was walking back to his quarters, a thought came to his mind; he would take his power back in the only way he knew how to. How he wanted to kiss those soft lips again, look into those deep brown eyes that could light up an entire room. Once he got to his area, he walked into the barracks, not caring that Duke, Frankie, and Perez were also present.

"Hey there, Serge." Duke greeted Carter.

Carter walked past them, turning Gomer around. Confused, Gomer began to speak up, "Sergeant, I..."

Carter then silenced Gomer with a kiss, not caring that the other three surrounded them. Frankie and Perez looked at them confused, while Duke smiled. Frankie frowned, whispering to Perez, "Well, isn't that great, Perez? We owe Gavin money."

"I was hoping they would get together by next year," Perez responded.

When the two pulled away, Gomer felt his lips were swollen from being kissed that hard.

"I...I don't understand." Gomer muttered.

"I can explain everything," Carter whispered in Gomer's ear.

Duke eyed the other men as if telling them to give the two some space. As the other three left, Carter began to speak, "First, I just want to say how sorry I am for how I was to you. You didn't deserve me ignoring you, or talking down to you. I was goin' crazy without you, and for all of that, I'm so sorry, Gomer."

"But why were you actin' like that?" Gomer asked.

"Hacker was threatening to blackmail me. I avoided you because I told him I would take the fall for it. I was tryin' to protect you." Carter explained.

Taken aback, the Private didn't know what to think, "Well...I'm surprised at Sergeant Hacker. I didn't think he would..."

"Stoop that low? Don't be surprised because I'm not. It's safe to say I'm done with him." Carter answered, sitting Gomer down on his bunk.

The Sergeant got down on his knees, holding Gomer's hands into his, "Gomer, how I acted towards you, it was all to keep you safe; I won't excuse it, but just understand I did what I did to protect you, not to hurt you. I wasn't going to let Hacker ruin or make a fool of you. Please understand that."

"Vince, Sergeant Hacker can't make somethin' of you or me that we're not. If anythin', he's a bigger fool for even tryin' to do what he was goin' to do. Grandma Pyle always said, 'You are only a fool if you let someone make you one.'"

The Sergeant took in Gomer's words, nodding his head in understanding. At that moment, he realized that Gomer had to be protected at all costs. He kissed the Private's hands, "You know, you're something else."

Gomer blushed. He leaned into Carter, kissing him softly. When the kiss broke, the two pressed their foreheads against one another's; it was their nonverbal way of telling one another that no one could hurt them.

*GC*

Camp Hamilton, New York

"Sergeant Harris, reporting as ordered, sir!" spoke a tall, muscular man with intimidating features, blonde hair, and dark blue eyes.

"At ease, Sergeant." Colonel White ordered. "Sergeant, I understand that the death of Private McGill has affected your platoon greatly. I find that you are taking this loss personally."

"That's correct, sir. Private McGill had a lot of potential to work his way up. He was an asset in the mess hall and on the rifle range. From what I recall, he was distraught. But it doesn't excuse his accusations towards me."

Colonel White nodded his head, "I agree, Sergeant. Regardless, he will be missed. I also wanted to address a temporary transfer to another base, taking over for the mess hall Sergeant, who is on leave for retraining. That means Corporal Stone will take over as Sergeant of your platoon. The change of scenery could do you some good."

"I understand, sir," Harris answered. "To where am I to be transferred, if you don't mind me asking?"

Colonel White gave a smile, "Not at all, Sergeant. You will be transferred to Camp Henderson, California."