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Riptide was leaving the Air Force.
Copperhead had gotten married.
Panic was struggling and still talking with the counselor on base.
Outfield was requesting a transfer to a base overseas, back in the good ol’ USA, so he could get base housing. The man that was Reaper’s ‘Mini-Me’ was practically nesting. He was exceedingly pointed in asking about it and obviously wanted her there with him as much as Max wished he was with Elana.
It felt like the team was on the verge of falling apart, and that was a scary thought because when he’d heard Outfield request a transfer of duty – he almost spoke up as well, except Elana was rubbing off on him. He sat back, bit his tongue, and thought about what a change would do to them. She had her practice set up and a house, so moving someplace with base housing wasn’t an option – no matter how tempting the idea was on his part. Secondly, he didn’t want to get hit between the eyes with a re-enlistment unless his bonus was big enough or he spoke with Elana again.
It wasn’t just him anymore – but he had his wife to think about, and that was sobering. He was part of something greater, and it was wonderful. The idea that he could do something spontaneous and create a problem for them sat wrong within him. No, everything would be a calculated move that they would decide on together - like partners, spouses, and friends.
Disappearing into the barracks, he changed into a T-shirt and shorts, intending to head to the gym for a bit. He hadn’t slept well at all last night and intended to make sure he was nearly comatose this evening since they were flying tomorrow. He intended to stop by the communications room, too.
He wanted to see if Elana replied, printed a photo of them for his cockpit, and decided to send her a real bouquet of roses and not a funeral spray.
“How does she even put up with me,” he chuckled, yanking his T-shirt down over his chest as his dog tags chimed noisily. Without another word, he headed for the computers, ignoring Bubbles and Salt, who were already seated – and Teflon, who was talking trash… again.
He tuned out the man, simply giving him the finger, causing all three of them to laugh at the ‘salute’ that was almost a casual thing between them all. It could mean ‘hey,’ ‘go away,’ or much, much worse… and it was up to the person receiving the ‘salute’ to interpret it however they wanted. Teflon irritated the fire out of him – so he kinda hoped that the man took it as intended.
Logging in, he opened his email – and felt his heart skip a beat just seeing Elana’s name on there, and the fact that she’d already changed her signature.
Elana Carpenter.
Opening the email, her first line caught him, and he was done. Whatever came after the ‘My sweet and wonderful Max’ was just a bonus because he was on cloud nine already. She made his day by treating him like he meant something, and the fact that she was admitting she was happy with him?
Priceless.
“Hey!” Max snapped at the other three guys, interrupting them. “Quick – where would you take a chick for a romantic getaway.”
“My bed,” Teflon said bluntly.
“No, he said a ‘romantic getaway,’” Bubbles taunted. “Not ‘make her diseased’ or give her something soap won’t wash off.”
“Hey, no diseases here… wanna see?”
“Wanna lose it?”
“Fellas!” Max snapped. “Can we focus – please? By the way, good one, Bubbles. Nice comeback, ya’ still have a stupid call sign, but you are slowly redeeming yourself.”
“Gee. Swell,” Bubbles said flatly, rolling his eyes. “How about the Poconos or Cancun?”
“Hmm… not bad. Salt?”
“Paris? Fiji? Morocco?”
“Yeah, I was thinking that too, but she didn’t exactly jump on the idea when I mentioned it. She said ‘maybe’…” - And all three men flinched and said ‘Ouch’ simultaneously. Yeah, he had the same thought at the evasive ‘maybe’ that Elana mentioned.
“What about one of those secluded round houses at Sandals or a cabin on the water in Vietnam, the Seychelle Islands, or go hiking in New Zealand.”
“Secluded?” Max said, perking up automatically and googling the shared information, feeling a burst of hope as he did the virtual tour, picturing them there. It was indeed secluded, with a wall around a private garden that had a secluded pool. They could go out on a dinner cruise maybe or swim under the stars, and the more he looked up the resort, the more he liked it.
If his sweet Elana wanted to be whisked away someplace romantic – this was hitting all the key points she’d mentioned. She also mentioned actually buying a bikini, too, oh yes – he wanted to make sure his shy girl could indulge if she was feeling brave.
“Teflon, I cannot believe I’m gonna admit this aloud… so listen up: I appreciate your help,” Max paused and grinned. “And now I’m gonna be sick.”
“Har-de-har-har,” Teflon smirked. “And you are welcome, dork.”
Opening an email, Max quickly wrote his brother – thankful he’d been there for Elana. Reese was always two steps ahead, giving and kind, and he was really grateful to have someone like him in his life. In fact, he knew he wasn’t the only one to think that. His brother had been there for several of the firefighters who worked under him at the station and joked about how his family was growing all the time, which is how Max knew them. He’d been home a few times over the years, and most of the time, it involved eating at the station with the fellas.
