What's a Marine brat supposed to do !!! (TESS'S STORY PT 1)

................... I was woken up by Ben kissing my neck.

"Still the horny Marine" I said sleepily smiling at him.

Always when I’m in bed with you" he smirked "but I was wanted to see if you wanted to go get some stuff ordered for the house"

"Sure I need a shower first, how about you come with me" I said throwing off the covers and getting out of bed.

"I've had one but I think I could do with another" he smiled following me to the bathroom. "I love the new tattoo" he said as I started the shower running. "Says it all"................

............... We spent the day shopping for furniture we walked down the boardwalk and into the pizza place we loved.

"So just think this time next week we'll be married" Ben said reaching across the table and looking at my engagement ring.

“I know I’m starting to get nervous" I laughed.

"Nervous why" he asked as the waiter but down the pizza between us.

"I don't know having to get up in front of all those people" I shrugged "then will you like my dress, Will Dad completely lose it and cry like a baby".

"I've seen you walk out onto a soccer field in front of a lot more people than are going to be at our wedding" he grinned.

"I guess" I nodded.

"And yes your Dad and the other guys will probably cry like babies, but then that’s because they've loved you since before you were born" he said "and as for your dress it doesn't matter what you wear I’ll love it".

"I love you" I smiled he winked at me and took a bite from his pizza slice, I was head over heels with the guy sitting across the table from me, he'd been my best friend since we were little kids and we used to play little league and soccer, we might have lost touch for a couple of years but the more I thought about it the more I realized it was fate that in freshman year we were brought back together at Lejeune, yes we'd had a few fights like best friends do and I’d screamed in his face and told he wasn't good enough to be a Marine but I was here with him now we'd survived boot camp and his first deployment.

"You look deep in thought" Ben said bringing me back to the real world.

"Just thinking about how lucky I am having you" I sighed my phone started to ring.

Me * hey Skye

Skye * hi Tess, where are you.

Me * having something to eat with Ben we just ordered some furniture for the house.

Skye * any chance we could have a chat.

Me * sure

I looked at Ben as he answered his phone.

Me* are you at your Dads.

Skye * yeah.

Me * give me an hour and I’ll come over.

Skye okay see you in a while.

I hung up the phone at the same time Ben did.

"Skye wants to talk to me about something" I said taking another bite from the pizza.

"Yeah so does Justin, He's meeting me here in a while" Ben shrugged. "You don't think they..."

"I don't know" I said shaking my head "I’ll take the truck and pick you up when you a Justin are done".

We both finished eating Ben walked me to the truck and kissed me as Justin pulled into the parking lot.

I’ll call you later” he smiled kissing me again “I love you”.

“Love you too” I got in the truck and started the engine as Justin walked over…………………….

…………………… I drove on to the base and to Skye’s Dad’s house, he was in the front yard with Skye and Troy. I pulled into the drive way.

“Hey guys” I smiled as I got out of the truck.

“Hi Tess all set for the wedding” He asked.

“I think so” I nodded.

“I’m going to take my grandson for a walk if you ladies will excuse me” he picked up troy and set him in his stroller, we watched as they walked away.

“You know considering he didn’t want me to have the baby, he thinks the world of him” Skye smiled leaning on the front of my truck.

“I think we all fell in love with him” she looked at me “Troy not your dad” I laughed “so what’s going on, I get a call from you the same time that Ben gets one from Justin saying you both need to talk”.

“Let’s go inside” she said walking toward the house, I followed her. We went and sat in the living room.

“After you and Ben left Dannie’s yesterday Justin offered to drive me home to get changed” she shrugged “so I let him no harm right”.

“No” I said looking at her.

“We got here and Dad had taken Troyto visit my grandparents and was staying overnight there” she said getting up and walking into the kitchen to get a drink I went with her and sat on the counter.

“So what happened”.

“I asked Justin if he wanted to stay and grab some dinner and he stayed” she ran her fingers through her hair. “We talked about old times before Lilly caused all the trouble for us and before he and Katie… you know” I nodded. “He asked me about Troy and I just let it all out about how it felt when I got the visit and…” I put my hand over hers.

“I know” I nodded as tears sprang to her eyes.

“I couldn’t help but get upset you know what talking about it does to me” “She sniffed “Justin put his arms round me and couldn’t stop saying how sorry he was forasking me and that he’d made it back safe when Troy hadn’t”.

“I think they all fell a little guilty when guys don’t make it home and they do” I sighed.

“I know that and I told him it wasn’t his fault we just sort of kissed” she shrugged looking down “and I don’t know what happened I just needed to feel… wanted and loved I guess” I jumped from the counter and hugged her “we ended up in bed together now I feel so guilty that I did it, I know this is the last thing you need to deal with 6 days before you get married but…”

“Hey you went through something I don’t even want to think about because it could be any of them at any point when they are gone” I sighed “I said this to you the other day do you think Troy would want you to wear black for a year and not leave the house or sit by his grave nothing is going to bring him back, but you have the next best thing you’ll always have part of Troy with you in that cute little boy” I pointed to the picture on the window ledge of Troy sleeping in his Grandpa’s arms “It’s been almost 10 months since he was killed and you’ve done so much to give your son everything you can even working for my grandmother” we both smiled “You’re 19 you have the chance to be happy again and have a family Marine or not. No one is asking you to forget what little time you and Troy had together but you need to put it in one part of here” I pointed to her heart “and live your life again”. I didn’t realize I was crying till a tear splashed on the back of my hand “We love you and we’re not going to judge what you do and who with” I sniffed “And didn’t you say Tory’s Mom had said the same sort of thing to you”.

“Yeah she did” Skye said grabbing the box of Kleenex form the side and pulling two out, one for her and one for me I wiped my eyes “Justin toldme he’d missed me and what happened between us shouldn’t”.

“Yeah well we all know who’s fault that was don’t we” I smiled.

“Yeah I wonder if she knows about you and Ben getting married” Skye smirked.

“She stands a chance where Ben proposed to me Megan’s little sister is part of the soccer team so it’s going to have got back to Megan at least” I shrugged “But I don’t care all of the crap she started was for nothing at the end of the day we’re friends again so are Ben and Justin and me and Ben are still together”.

“We went through some rough times and came out the other side a bit battered and scared but intact” Skye laughed.

“Come on” I said walking to the door “Lets go down to the board walk and find Justin and Ben”………………………………….