Allahu Akbar!

Ashley loved the way the outfit showed off her very fit body and decided to add a single strand of pearls with matching earrings before adding a spritz of perfume and calling it quits.

When she went back downstairs, she wasn't so lucky.

"Well, well. Someone is all decked out," her father said.

"Thank you, Dad," she said assuming that was as close to a compliment as she was going to get.

Her mother was much more generous in her praise.

"You look...beautiful, honey!" she said. "I thought you looked very pretty for the reunion, but this is really quite nice. And I love your hair!"

"Thank you, Mom," she told her.

She glanced at her watch again and saw she had about five minutes to spare so she checked her purse to make sure she had everything she needed.

Just as she finished looking, the doorbell rang and Susan hollered, "I'll get it!"

That wasn't surprising, but what was was seeing her father get up and go to the door, too.

When Susan opened it, she said, "Hello! Please come in!"

Bart stepped inside and Edwin extended his hand and said, "Semper Fi."

Bart shook it and replied, "Do or die. Are you a Marine, sir?"

"Me? Nah. But I do know a little about the Corps. My uncle Ernie was a master sergeant and he retired with 24 years in."

"Oh, okay," Bart said.

Ashley was standing there waiting when her father said, "Look, I can't thank you enough for saving my little girl's life."

It was the closest she'd ever seen her father get to being emotional and it choked her up as she waited in the wings.

"Yes! Me, too," Susan said offering him a hug.

Bart hugged her for as long as Susan needed to hold on.

"You're not only a hero to the country. You're our hero," she told him when she finally let ago, tears running down her cheeks.

"That's very kind, but I've served with actual heroes, and I'm not one of them," Bart said politely but with true conviction.

"Well, you're obviously a very modest man," Susan told him.

"Oh, I'm Bart," he finally said.

"Susan," her mom replied. "And my husband, Edwin."

As they turned around to let Bart through, he saw Ashley for the first time and stopped in his tracks.

"Wow," he said admiringly. "You look...amazing."

"Thank you," she said sweetly. "You look very nice yourself."

Bart was wearing black dress shoes with a pair of dark-blue pants, a black shirt, and a leather jacket.

"You're a lot younger than I expected," Edwin said out of the blue.

"Dad!" Ashely said, her embarrassment showing.

"It's okay," Bart said with a smile.

"I'm just well preserved, sir," he told Edwin.

"How long'd you do in the Corps, son?"

"Right at twenty years."

"Oh, okay. So you was what? A gunny sergeant or something?"

Bart didn't correct the man by telling him it was either 'gunny' or 'gunnery sergeant'. Instead he just quietly mentioned he retired as a lieutenant colonel.

"Oh, big brass, eh?" Edwin said.

"No, not really. Kind of middle of the road," Bart told him.

"I thought colonel was a pretty high rank."

Again, Bart didn't feel like explaining the very big difference between a lieutenant colonel who would command one squadron or one battalion, and a colonel who would be in charge of four or five, as he thought that would lead to another misconception about 'full colonels' which wasn't a rank.

"Bart was pilot, Dad," Ashley said stepping in to help out.

"Oh. I didn't know that," the older man said, suddenly interested. "What'd you fly?"

"F-18s. Hornets."

"Like in Top Gun?" Edwin asked.

Bart smiled then said, "Those were Navy F-14 Tomcats, but more or less the same thing."

Again, he didn't want to get into a protracted discussion on airframe capabilities or what being 'the best plane' meant and Edwin's next question told him that wasn't going to happen.

"So how old are you?" he asked point blank.

That drew another exasperated, "Dad!"

"It's okay," Bart said again. "I'm 42, sir."

"You know Ashley's only twen..."

"Ready to go!" Ashley said rather loudly cutting her father off.

"Are you sure we can't get you anything, Bart? Maybe a glass of wine?"

Susan rarely drank so the offer surprised Ashley and her father.

"No, thank you, ma'am. I'm not much of a drinker," he told her. "Although I may have a glass tonight with dinner."

"I thought Marines loved to booze it up," Edwin said further causing his daughter to cringe.

"I can't deny that," Bart told him. "I guess I'm just an exception to the rule. I prefer running or bicycling to drinking, but I do have a drink every now and then."

"Mom? Dad? We're gonna get going now, okay?" Ashley said hoping to 'stop the bleeding'.

"Oh, okay," her father said. "We was just gettin' acquainted. That's all."

"I know," she said politely before giving him a kiss on the cheek then wiping off the lipstick.

"You two have a wonderful time," her mom said before hugging her daughter.

When they hugged she said quietly but loud enough for Bart to hear, "He's very handsome."

"I'm sittin' right here, ya know?" Edwin snorted.

Ashley and her mom both smiled as did Bart who understood what was going on.

Ashley looked at him then said in reply to her mom's comment, "Yes, he is."

"It was nice meeting both of you," Bart said with a wave. "And I'll have her back by midnight, it that's okay."

He was smiling and Ashley knew he was being polite, but then again, maybe he actually meant that. Either way was fine with her.

When they got out to his car, Ashley said, "This is a rental?"

"Oh, yeah. I was surprised to see they had Corvettes you could rent and thought it might be kind of fun to drive one."

"You must have used Kayak," Ashley said as he helped her into the very low seat.

"I did," he told her. "I'd never heard of them before, but the person from the airlines who told me they were letting me fly first class at their expense mentioned it."

When he got in, Ashley told him she had no idea they'd done that so Bart explained how it came about.

"Well, in my opinion, you deserve it—and a lot more. I really am more grateful than I can put in words, Bart."

"I just got lucky," he said. "You know what they say, right? Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then."

Ashley laughed then told him, "Except for the whole bullet in your chest thing."

Bart fired up the Corvette then said rather playfully, "Not the chest. It was the side, actually. Right here, as a matter of fact."

He was pointing to where the round entered his body and Ashley cringed.

"I'm not even going to ask how badly it hurt, but...are you all right? Is this infection serious?"

"Nah. I just need to change the bandages more often. No big deal," he told her as he backed out, not wanting to mention that it was his fault.

Once they were out of her neighborhood, Bart asked, "What would you prefer? Mexican or seafood?"

"I like both," she told him. "Either one is fine."

"I could stand a little surf 'n' turf," he replied.

"Sounds wonderful!" Ashley said, happily agreeing.

Bart took them to a restaurant in Tacoma called Pacific Grill which was rated one of the best in the city, and they weren't disappointed when their food was delivered. Both meals were delicious as was the glass of white wine each of them had with the food.

During dinner Ashley wanted to talk about his career and the various places he'd been stationed, but Bart kept trying to shift the conversation back to her and her career and her life.

"I'm not very interesting," Bart said once when she asked why he didn't seem to want to talk about himself.

"You are to me," she said with a smile.

"But you're a lot more interesting to me," he replied with a smile of his own.

He was one of a very small number of men Ashley had ever met who really, really listened when she talked. Most men seemed to just wait their turn to talk about themselves while seeming to have missed or not cared about everything she said about herself. Not that she was 'all about herself' by any means, she just appreciated being able to both give and take during a conversation. And with Bart, it was mostly taking even though that's not what she wanted or expected.

The most difficult subject was explaining how his wife died and what it was like watching someone that young be taken by a disease as hideous as ALS.

He didn't show any real emotion when he talked, but Ashley could see it still hurt even after four years. He spared her the most gruesome details about seeing his beautiful wife essentially choking to death on her own saliva when she could no longer swallow.

Even so, it was very hard for Ashley to hear. Then again, if he could deal with living through it, she could at least stand hearing it.

"Has there ever been anyone else?" she asked with the utmost of respect.

"No. Never. I've uh...I've dated a few times, but I've never met anyone who really interested me."

She was about to say how sorry she was when he said, "Until I met you."

The comment was so unexpected and yet so very welcome she was momentarily unable to respond.

"What? Did I just scare you off?" he asked with a smile.

"No. Not at all," she finally managed to say. "I...I just...I guess I wasn't expecting that."

"I wouldn't have flown 3,000 miles just to see how you were doing," he told her, still smiling that amazing smile at her

He reached across the table for her hand and her heart fluttered when she laid hers in his.

"I was hoping maybe we could do this again sometime," he told her.

"Yes. Sure. Anytime," Ashley said, unable to take her eyes off his very handsome face.

"I don't know the area at all, but I did find a nightclub that plays jazz. It's still fairly early so would you maybe like to go there for a little while?"

"I'd...love to," she told him as he gently squeezed her hand.

"Jazzbones" was only a few blocks away and they could hear the sweet sounds of a tenor sax as they walked up to the entrance. There was no cover charge as long as one of them was a woman and Ashley definitely qualified and then some.

Bart found himself admiring not only her beautiful face but her very nice, very fit body several times, as well. He guessed her to be about 5'7" and closer to six feet in the heels. At 6'2" she was just a bit shorter than him and looked amazing from her long, silky hair to the four-inch heels and the very nicely fitting pencil skirt she was wearing.

Bart ordered cranberry juice but insisted Ashley have a drink if she wanted one.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" she teased.

"No. I'd much prefer you to be completely sober," he said not actually saying the words 'when we make love', but Ashley inferred the meaning and smiled.

"Then I'll have what he's having," she told the girl who took their drink order without taking her eyes off Bart's.

They made small talk and sipped their juice as the sounds of soft jazz rang out.

"So did you and your wife ever have kids?" Ashley asked very delicately.

"We came close once," Bart told her. "Brenda was six weeks pregnant a couple of years after we got married then had a miscarriage. After that it just never happened and then she got sick and..."

Rather than ask anything else about it, she changed subjects and asked, "So what do you think you'd like to do in your second career?"

"I think that depends a lot on where I end up living," he said with a smile. "The good news is I don't actually have to work, but then again, there's no way I'd sit around the house or just play golf every day."

"Oh, I see. So...do you know where you might end up living?" she asked recalling their earlier conversation.

"Again, that depends a lot on how well I'm doing on our first date," he told her while looking right at her.

"I'd say...very well."

"Well enough to have a second date?"

"Definitely," she told him. "I'd say a third is a guarantee, too."

"Are you any closer to deciding whether or not you'll stay here?" he asked.

"You know, all kidding aside, what happened at the airport really did a number on me, Bart. I don't know if I can go back there again. I know that's silly. Had that not happened, I'd have thought it was a very safe place to live."

"But it did happen, and once something like that does happen, it changes us."

She could tell he understood, and she thought she knew why either because of what happened during the war or due to losing his wife. Or possibly both.

"I'm not sure I'd ever feel safe again, while being here...being...home...makes me feel that way."

"That makes a lot of sense," he told her.

Ashley saw the way he looked at her and knew he 'got it'.

"You make me feel safe, Bart," she said before breaking eye contact with him.

"Would you maybe like to dance?" he asked in a lighter tone of voice, ignoring her compliment.

"I'd love to," she told him immediately.

Bart took her hand and led her out to the area where another couple was dancing and joined them.

Ashley put her right hand in his but only for a few seconds before sliding it around his neck.

When she did he smiled then pulled her close and Ashley melted into him as they danced cheek to cheek for a minute or so before Bart spoke.

"In case I haven't made it clear, I'm more than a little interested in you, Ashley."

Her heart skipped a beat as she smiled and said, "I wasn't sure, but I was hoping that was the case."

"Well, it is," he told her.

"Well, I'm more than a little interested in you too, Bart," she said as their eyes met and danced.

"In spite of my advanced years?" he asked with a smile.

"I am so sorry about that!" she said. "My dad can be rather...direct."

Bart chuckled softly and said, "Nah, he's great. Your dad's a real man's man."

"He's that, all right," Ashley said. "I do love him very much, but he can be rather...trying."

Bart laughed again and said, "He reminds me of one of my uncles. Very direct. Very blue collar. Very...American."

"That's my dad," Ashley said with another smile.

"I really like your mom, too."

"Too?"

"Yeah. Com on, you're dad's great. No beating around the bush, you know?"

"Well, if that's a plus, then my father is...super!"

Both of them laughed before Bart pulled her close again then said, "I really like you, Ashley. A lot."

She put both arms around him and said, "I really like you, too. A lot. And just to be clear, I don't think 42 is...advanced."

"I'm glad," he told her as he held her close. "Because I hope to be spending a lot of time with you. If you'll let me."

She pulled back and smiled at him then said, "You're welcome to spend as much time with me as you like."

He smiled back then asked, "May I kiss you?"

Her heart fluttered again as she said, "Of course you may, but in the future you never have to ask me again."

"Oh? Well, that's good to know," he said before he kissed her softly for the first time.

Her lips were soft and full and very slick. Ashley moaned softly when the kiss lingered for several seconds.

"Wow," she whispered when it ended. "I've been wondering all night what that would be like."

"Me, too," he told her. "And from my perspective, it was very, very nice."

"Yes, definitely. Same from mine," she agreed before holding him close again as they danced until the song ended.

"Bart? I want to know everything about you. What you like, what you don't like, what you hope for, what makes you happy, what you're afraid of—if anything."

He smiled brightly then said, "Well, I like being with you, I hope I'll be with you often, being with you makes me happy, and the only thing I'm afraid of is losing you."

He knew what she meant, but didn't want to get into all that right then and there.

"That was the most wonderful non-answer answer I've ever heard," she told him.

"And it was all true."

He smiled then said, "I understood what you meant. It was just easier for me to say something like that than acknowledge your need for me to open up. I will. I promise. But it'll take some time, okay? I think I'm a reasonably good listener, but I'm not much of a talker. But I will try."

"I think you're pretty wonderful, and if you need time, take as much as you need. I won't be going anywhere."

"Literally or figuratively? Have you decided to stay here?"

"I could say something silly, but what's going on between us means too much to me, so I'm just going to tell you I'd be happy here or back in Arlington...if you're with me."

"If that's an invitation to stay with you, then I will be with you, and here or there is fine with me."

"Bart? Would you really move here? You don't know a soul. You have no job and nothing tying you here," Ashley told him.

"No. I know you and your parents. So that's not true. As to work, I don't need a job, and I'll be happy doing anything as long as we're together. And if you haven't figured it out, you're my tie to this place."

He saw her eyes getting moist and said, "Was that too much too soon?"

"No," she whispered. "Not at all."

He leaned in to kiss her then said, "You did say I didn't need to ask again, right?"

"I did," she whispered as she raised up to kiss him back.

It was a little before twelve when Bart said, "I promised to have you back by midnight."

"Is it that late already?" she asked. "It feels like we just got here."

"It's funny how that works when you're enjoying yourself, isn't it?"

"It is," she said as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Did you want to stay?" he asked.

"We can leave," she told him. "Now that I know you'll be around tomorrow I'm not afraid to say goodnight."

He smiled at her then she said, "But I don't ever want to say 'goodbye' to you."

"I couldn't have said that any better had I tried," he told her as he realized he was falling in love with her. What he didn't know was she realized she felt that way about him from the moment they first kissed.

"Oh, I meant to ask you. Have you been in contact with the Navy Annex at all?"

"I called my supervisor yesterday and let him know I'm still here. I have quite a bit of sick time built up and I'll probably end up using all of it. But if what you're asking me is whether or not I've told them I'm not coming back, the answer is 'not yet'."

"Okay. I was just curious."

He smiled then told her again, "I'm okay either way."

She thought about for a few moments then said, "Until today I still wasn't sure. But now, if you're willing to stay here—assuming things continue to go well between us—I'm 99% sure I won't be going back."

"I'm sure your parents will be very happy if that's what you decide."

"Yes, they will. And now that I know I can work at the VA..."

Ashley hesitated and Bart waited.

"You know what? I'm taking the job at the VA," she told him decisively.

"Really? Ashley, I think that's fantastic! You'll still be helping service people, it'll just be those no longer on active duty."

"So, yes, I guess I have decided," she said smiling warmly at him.

"Then that makes this easy for me," he told her smiling back.

Ashley was dying inside to tell him how she felt, but she knew it was way too early, and yet, were he to tell her, she knew she'd shout it out back to him and more than likely start crying again.

Rather than risk it, the only other words she said to him that night were at her doorstep.

"I had a wonderful time, Bart. Thank you and goodnight."

The kiss goodnight felt electric, and now it was Ashley's body yearning for his. Between her body and her brain she was growing helplessly desperate for the man who'd saved her life and with whom she'd fallen deeply in love.

"Goodnight, gorgeous. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You better," she said with another smile before giving him one more quick peck.

The following morning, Ashley was up by 7am and knew her friends at the Navy Annex had been at work for the last couple of hours. She poured herself a cup of coffee then dialed the number and waited.