He wanted the lakeside cottage in remote Wisconsin. She wanted somewhere exotic like Greece or Thailand on top of a wedding with a guest list pushing five hundred.

They'd compromised:

She had complete control over every wedding detail, including the guest list.

He got a private oceanside rental in Key West for ten days as a honeymoon.

She knew the wedding was way more than he'd wanted. The guest list wasn't even the half of it. The pomp and circumstance that went with marrying her. The potential of his parents finding out (though he'd said he didn't care at this point). The formal dinner and dancing. The endless photographs. He'd done it, though.

And she was doing this.

This was their honeymoon. In Key West.

Currently, they were laying together on the sand outside of said oceanside rental, watching the beginnings of their first sunrise here. They hadn't seen their first sunrise as a married couple, they'd been in their hotel honeymoon suite sleeping since they hadn't gotten up to their room until well after three o'clock in the morning. They'd had brunch with her parents before leaving Chicago and flying from O'Hare to Tampa to Key West International.

Their rental was thanks to a friend of his sergeant's friend's friend. Or something like that. It paid to be liked because if he wasn't, the house wouldn't have been offered to him. The guy who owned it went elsewhere for the summers it sounded like.

His palm was resting comfortably against her bare hip as he came down from finishing behind her. This wasn't their first time as husband and wife, but he was pretty sure it was his favorite so far.

"See," he murmured, kissing her ear and the side of her neck. "This is so much better than Greece or Thailand. The water's right here. It's private so we can do that yet we can go down to Duval Street if we want to be out among people."

"Mm," she said softly.

"That's all you have to say to my honeymoon plans? I worked hard on these."

"They're acceptable."

"Acceptable? Just think, ten days of waking up like that."

"We're not waking up, though."

"Well, we can go to sleep and then do that again to make it be that."

She laughed, shaking her head as she pressed against him.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"It's only morning if we've been to bed."

She laughed again, turning in his arms. She brought her hand to his face, ghosting her fingertips along the scars there. She was very familiar with the rest of the ones he had. She had years to get to know them, and she was very thorough in ensuring she knew what every inch of him felt like over those years.

These, though, were new. Well, newish. And not caused by his father.

He allowed her to touch her fill. He didn't want her to. He didn't have to say so. She knew. It went from his left eyebrow, around his eye (thank God), along the side of his cheek, along his face by his jaw to his lips, and ended at his chin. It probably would have healed better if he'd gotten immediate professional attention. She didn't know all of the details, just that it had taken a week to find him.

He'd done the suturing himself. He'd done what he had to do, though, to get home. To get back to her.

Tears formed in her eyes as she thought on that again.

And then he'd thought she'd call off their wedding. Reject him.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Love you, too, Princess," he whispered, shifting a bit to kiss her fingertips.

"And I don't say it often, but I am so proud of you, John. Of what you're doing. Of how far you've come. Of being able to put the past behind you and succeed. I think back to seeing your mom on that Thanksgiving, feeling bad for her not knowing. Realizing I had a choice: ease her mind and betray your trust or keep my mouth shut. You know which choice I made. It's why we're here today. My choice is you and I know you will be able to get Sergeant next year."

"Mm, you're promoting me already? Should I be worried you have your eyes on better than base offered housing?"

She chuckled, shaking her head. He would be remaining in barracks housing (still with George) this year since she had one year left. The house she'd stayed in before sold, so she would count on the kindness of people like Gloria or June to let her visit weekends for the next year.

"No, I just believe in you. You have worked hard and if they don't promote you, your boss is obviously stupid."

"I'll be sure to relay that to President Reagen."

She reached in, kissing the scar along his lip. "Please do. If that doesn't work I'll start a letter writing campaign. I have sorority sisters on two campuses who will help me."

"Excellent. That will certainly convince him to change his mind."

"That's assuming he's stupid and passes you over, which we both know he won't be. So…"

"You know, one thing I am going to miss, Princess."

"Mm? What," she said, finding his chin. He was way beyond a five o'clock shadow at six o'clock in the morning. She didn't care. In fact she rather liked when he didn't shave when they were together like this. It was something his boss required of him that she did not.

This man.

This Marine.

Her husband.

There were times she wondered how they'd gotten here. From that day of detention to finding him with Sheila to seeing him at the Homecoming game to three years and three months after that day of detention being married.

"Your letters."

"Nothing says I can't keep writing them."

"Yeah?"

"Mm hmm, and I get to sign them Your Loving Wife now."

"I absolutely love the sound of that."

"Me, too," she said. "Now take me to bed."

"We could stay out here a little longer…"

"How much longer did you have in mind?"

"Mm, until we hear evidence people in the houses around us are up and walking around."

"The houses on either side of us are empty this week."

"Well, damn, that just means we can stay out here all day. I'll grab the sunscreen, you stay naked."

"I'll burn!"

"I'll be sure there's plenty of sunscreen on every inch of your skin, Princess."

"That's really what you want to do with our first day here?"

"Yes."

"The sound of the water is nice," she admitted.

"Is that a yes?"

"Mm, better get lots of sunscreen and water then."

"Beer, Princess. It's our honeymoon. We can stay tipsy all fucking day long."

"It's six in the morning!"

"And your point? We have nothing to do! Nowhere to be! There are no cameras here. Neither of us have really had a chance to let loose for three years."

"Fine," she said with a shake of her head. Was she really going to let him talk her into drinking beer before six in the morning?

"Yeah? You're going to drink beer with me on the beach all day? I'll get some champagne or something later for the rest of the mornings."

"Yes."

Evidently she was.

"Excellent. I always knew you'd be fun once I got you out of those Calvin's, Princess."

She eyed him as he stood, pulling his shorts on and up, and walked into the house via the sliding door. He turned around as he closed the screen behind him. She bit her lip as she took him in. He was hers. Until death do they part.

"Having second thoughts?" he asked, clearly teasing.

She had no second thoughts. No doubts. She was exactly where she was supposed to be.

With John. There had never been any other choice or option.

"Hurry up so I can show you exactly what my thoughts are."

He got a look in his eye that told her he knew exactly where her thoughts were just now. Yeah, Key West was the right choice. They'd get to Greece for sightseeing some other time. This trip was for them.

~The End~

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com