Dante had to report to his assignment in Hawaii right after graduation, and both his parents damn well knew it too. Yet his dad insisted they needed to leave minutes after the graduation ceremony. He and Dante got into a fight and Dante told his father he didn’t even want him to come to the ceremony anymore. In the end, Dante’s mother came to the ceremony, but his father was nowhere in sight. After that, Dante spoke to his mother occasionally, but he never went to visit. They didn’t visit him. He hadn’t spoken to his father again until yesterday.

There was chirp over the loud speaker in the plane, rousing Dante from his troubled memories.

“Attention please, this is your uncle speaking.” Bob’s voice relayed over the crackling speaker. “Please prepare yourself for our first landing. Since we’ll just be gassing up, I ask you to remain seated until we can take off again.”

Dante buckled his seatbelt, then double-checked Laurie’s, which hadn’t been touched since they got on the plane. He eased her still dozing form back into her chair, but placed his hand over hers for landing.

Bob brought the plane down, the wheels barely bumping against the pavement before they rolled. After taxiing, Dante glanced out the window to see familiar buildings and low hills climbing from the landing strip. He knew where he was. Bob emerged from the cockpit.

“I see the flight was a good one.” He eyed Laurie’s sleeping form and Dante’s hand still covering hers.

Dante’s eyes dropped to his hand. He pulled it back like his hand had been caught in the cookie jar.

“She’s never been on a plane before. She was pretty anxious for a while,” Dante tried to explain.

“Sure she was kid, sure she was.” Bob winked at him. He strode to the cabin door, and lowered it to the ground.

“How did you get permission to land at Miramar?” Dante shifted in his seat, running his hand through his hair. “A Marine training base doesn’t just usually allow uninvited guests.”

Bob chuckled, turning to Dante.

“I told them I had a decorated Marine on board, bringing him back to his parents. They seemed to think that was worthy of a quick gas and go.”

Bob left the plane to talk to the ground crew who were waiting for him. Dante covered Laurie’s hand again, resting his other hand on his gun. He peered out the window at his old training base. He had come here several times for tactical and skills training. It changed little in the years since he left. He noticed a couple of buildings were new, but everything else remained the same.

Laurie stretched, rolling in her chair to look up at him.

“Hi,” she said sleepily. “Are we there?”

“Not yet.” He brushed a lock of hair away from her cheek. “Uncle Bob’s just filling up the gas tank and we’ll be on our way again.”

Laurie nodded, nuzzling his shoulder.

He stretched his arm around her shoulders to hold her for a few minutes.

Laurie started kissing his neck.

He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

She tilted her head up to him and drew him down to meet her.

He cupped her face, stroking her cheek while they brushed each other’s lips. Until they heard a cough.

They pulled away from each other with a startled gasp. They turned their heads to the cabin door to see Bob leaning against the doorframe.

“I hate to interrupt, but we’re ready to be on our way.” He wore a broad grin, his eyes gleaming with laughter.

Dante looked down at the floor, his cheeks heating. He hadn’t felt so embarrassed about kissing a woman since high school.

Laurie flushed, smiling at Bob. Then she laughed nervously.

Bob said nothing more; he closed the plane door and walked to the cockpit chuckling all the way.

Dante looked at Laurie. He sighed and reached for her hand as the plane began to taxi down the runway. So much for trying to hide it.

The next flight was far shorter than the first. They passed over the Rocky Mountains in those few hours, which had Laurie glued to the window again. Afterwards, Bob announced they were going to be landing. They landed at another air base, which Dante didn’t recognize at all, but Bob seemed to have many friends there, since he left the plane to talk to the ground crew for quite a while before re-boarding. He brought sandwiches and chips back with him. It had been hours since they had eaten.

Dante and Laurie were famished.

Bob took a seat across the aisle from Dante.

Laurie took the opportunity to stretch her legs while the plane wasn’t moving.

“They have a few cargo planes coming in, but we should be able to take off after that.” Bob unwrapped his sandwich and bit into his lunch.

Laurie unwrapped her sandwich, taking an enthusiastic bite. Her hair was mussed from their long journey.

Dante’s hand itched to brush through it.

She rocked back and forth, trying to work the stiffness from her joints.

“We appreciate all the trouble you’ve gone through to help us.” Holding the sandwich in one hand, she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder with the other.

Bob waved his hand.

“No trouble at all. Haven’t seen my favorite nephew in years.”

“Well, that would be because the last time you visited you drank me under the table. I just recently recovered.” Dante grinned at him.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that trip.” Bob rubbed his chin.

“Hmmm. I think I know why you can’t remember it.” Dante buried his smile in his bag of chips.

Bob laughed and winked at Laurie.

Bob brushed the crumbs from his jumpsuit, while he regarded Laurie with a steady gaze. Bob turned his eagled-eyed gaze on Dante.

Dante braced himself.

“So, uh. Does your father know about the two of you?” Bob gestured between him and Laurie.

“We didn’t really talk when I called, so no.” Dante flinched.

“You had better just tell him straight out. If he sniffs it out, it will go much worse for you,” Bob’s lips drew together in a serious, thin line.

“Why?” Laurie asked.

“My father is…” Dante fished around for a diplomatic answer. “Very down to business. He believes in following rules.”

“If he knew Dante got into a relationship with one of his witnesses, he’d turn Dante inside out,” Bob finished for him.

“Well, we don’t have to tell him. We were hiding it from the other Marshals.” Laurie wrapped her arms around her middle. Bob let out a ferocious laugh.

“You didn’t tell her about him did you?” Bob asked Dante through his laughter.

“I told her where he worked. She knows that much.” Dante ran his hand down his face and back up to rub his eyes. He was getting a headache just thinking about his father.

Bob managed to calm his fit of laughter.

“Laurie, my dear, his father was very good at his job. All he has to do is look at you. He knows what you’re thinking, somehow. The best Dante can hope for is to just tell him straight out and get it over with.” Bob pointed his sandwich at Dante to emphasize his point.

“Sir?” called a young man from outside the plane.

Dante craned his neck to see a very young airman on the stairs to the plane.

Bob strode to the door of the plane and the young man sprang to attention on stairs, thereby almost falling off before he balanced himself.

Laurie tried to hold back her laughter since she was in the willowy young man’s line of sight.

Dante coughed and hid his smile in his hand.

Bob spoke to him for a couple of minutes. The young man scurried back down the stairs. Shaking his head, Bob pressed a button to close the cabin door.

“That runt was scared of his own shadow. How do they expect these airmen to go out and sacrifice their lives when they can’t even stand on the stairs in front of a retired officer?” Bob huffed his way to the cockpit.

“They all start out that way, uncle. They’ll do what they have to do when the time comes.” Dante rested his chin on his hand. Bob just shook his head.