A/N: I couldn't leave this story without closure for another couple.
"We are officially moved in." Victoria emptied a crate of wedding dishes in their off-base housing unit.
"We moved in last week," Dwayne said from his position in front of the stove preparing dinner.
"We're not officially moved in until the last box has been emptied," she said, sidling up to him, looking at the stir fry and reaching for a piece of carrot.
"No picking," Dwayne scolded as he grabbed her hand.
"Maybe I just want you to hold my hand." A mischievous grin took over her features as her husband leaned down to kiss her.
The doorbell rang. Someone was repeatedly pressing it. Dwayne stiffened and pushed Victoria toward the back of the house. He motioned for her to remain quiet as he moved soundlessly to the dining room. From the window, he could see who was at the front door. A scowl overtook his face and anger flashed in his eyes for a second.
"No! You can't go. This is our honeymoon," Victoria whined like a petulant child.
"It's not Colonel Mitchell," he replied as he headed toward the door. "Better add some food to the stir fry."
"Who is it?"
"Gunnery Sergeant Will Carter."
"There's just something wrong about Will being the new Gunny," Victoria said, heading to the fridge.
"Will, what's wrong?" The second Victoria saw the blond soldier, her caring nature took over. She rushed to him and put an arm around his shoulders.
Sergeant Carter was trembling and his eyes were staring straight ahead. It looked like he's seen a ghost.
"She-she…" he muttered as he slumped onto the sofa, his face falling into his hands.
"Who?" Victoria sat next to him, rubbing his back, and looking at her husband.
"She…" Will muttered again.
"Dusty." Dwayne raised his brow and stood over them with arms crossed.
"I didn't realize they were going out." She continued her gentle contact. "I'm sorry, Will."
"No… we… your wedding," he muttered still trembling and holding his head in his hands.
"What about our wedding?" Victoria asked. She and Dwayne had a big wedding with her family two months ago on the shores of Lake George, New York. Her family wasn't happy with the quick Vegas wedding and demanded they do it right.
"We…" Will shuddered and sat up. "We had a bit too much to drink…"
Dwayne moved like lightning and smacked Will – hard – on the back of the head. "You brainless idiot."
"Ow!" Will sat up and glared. "She's supposed to be on that birth control shot."
"Dusty's pregnant!" Victoria shouted and leaped away from Will like he was diseased.
"Yes," he whimpered and slouched back against the couch.
"She's going to kill you." Victoria stepped up to Dwayne and he wrapped his arm around her waist. "What are we going to do with him?" she quietly asked the Marine.
The doorbell rang again and the Richards looked at one another and sighed.
"Come on, Carter," Dwayne said. "Let's go downstairs." The basement of the house was a weight room and small gym. There was also a table with chairs that the guys or girls used for poker nights.
Victoria headed to the front door and smiled when she opened it. As expected, Dusty Mehra stood outside with a furious expression on her face.
"Dusty…"
"Where is that son-of-a-bitch?" she growled as she strode in the house.
"Calm down, Dusty," Victoria said to her best friend.
"Don't tell me to calm down! How would you feel if you got knocked up because of a moment of weakness?"
"No one is dying in my new house." Victoria stood firm, blocking the door to the basement.
"Then let me drag his sorry ass outside."
"Please calm down." Victoria had never seen Dusty so out of control.
The Marine stomped over to sit on the same spot on the sofa that Will vacated. She also mirrored his position with her head in her hands. "My parents will kill me. Pregnant and alone. My career is over."
"Dusty!" Victoria ran over to slide her arm around the younger woman. Hormones already? This is going to be a long nine months. "Your career isn't over. Doctor Keller is still with the SGC and she's ready to pop."
"I can't be on a gate team and nine months pregnant." Dusty sat up and squeezed her eyes shut. "He ran. As soon as I told him, that coward ran."
"Finding out you're going to be a father is a big deal for a guy like Will," Victoria offered.
"I'm a fool." Dusty shook her head and her voice cracked. "Why did I have to fall for that idiot?" Her brown eyes connected with Victoria's shocked blue ones.
"You… You're…" Victoria couldn't believe it.
"Yes, I love Will Carter." Dusty seemed to be fighting off tears. "Don't ask me how or why, but…"
"You love me!" Will shouted as he whipped open the basement door.
Dusty leaped to her feet and rounded on Victoria. "You let him listen?"
"Cool it, Marine!" Master Gunny barked.
Dusty spun to shoot a glare at Victoria's husband and the blond Marine who won her heart.
"Take a seat, Mehra and Carter," Dwayne commanded.
The Marines listened to their superior and sat on opposite ends of the couch. Victoria had gotten up and joined her husband, looking down at the couple.
"You two have been going at this over a year. Everyone knows you are in love, so admit it and get the hell out of my house. My wife and I would like to enjoy what's left of the evening." Dwayne pulled Victoria close and gave her a squeeze.
She'd grown to know how to read her husband since they've been together. Dwayne was incredibly happy for Will, but his years of gruffness prevented him from telling him. The fact he didn't throw the father-to-be out the door on his backside spoke of the brotherly love between them.
The newlyweds left the room to finish cooking their dinner. They moved around the kitchen setting the small table for four. After about ten minutes without any sounds from the living room, they looked at each other.
"Is silence a good thing?" Victoria questioned.
"Not for our new couch," Dwayne said as he set his shoulders, put on his angry Marine face and stormed out the door with his wife hot on his heels.
Will and Dusty weren't on the couch. They were on a recliner; she was straddling his lap and they were engaged in a heated kiss.
"At least it's not the new couch," Dwayne said.
"That was my grandfather's favorite chair," Victoria shouted. "They're ruining it!"
The Marines pulled apart, both red-faced and panting.
"You heard my wife. Get out."
"My place?" Will offered as they got up.
"How about my car?" Dusty asked in a breathless voice.
"Isn't this what got you into trouble in the first place?" Victoria asked.
"She's already pregnant," Will replied as he passed by with a grin. "Nothing else could go wrong."
Dwayne was in the middle of a heated kiss with his wife in their bathroom. The whirlpool tub was bubbling and they both were clad in towels when a phone rang.
"Ignore it," Victoria said as she kissed along his jaw and down his throat.
"You realize Carter and Dusty probably got arrested for indecent exposure," Dwayne said as he reluctantly pushed her away.
Victoria growled and shook her head. She moved back so he could go into their bedroom and pick up the phone. His voice was low so she couldn't hear what was being said.
"MPs found them on the outskirts of the base."
"If you have to go fetch him from jail, he'll never be able to procreate again once I'm finished with him." Victoria's chest was heaving under her arms, causing her towel to loosen.
Dwayne's eyes shifted down from hers. He stepped up to her and slid his warm hands over her shoulders and leaned in to kiss her. Her eyes slid shut and she caressed his bare back with her hands.
His mouth trailed kisses along her jaw so he could whisper in her ear. "I have half a mind to let you do it."
Victoria gasped when her towel fluttered to the floor. She was scooped up and deposited in the warm, bubbling water. The combination of water jets and her husband's strong, sure hands sent a shudder down her spine.
"But leaving him with a horny, pregnant woman is more punishment than we could deliver," he stated as he climbed into the tub with his wife.
"And I thought you were getting soft since we got married." Victoria squealed as he pulled her against his body. Her eyes widening as he settled her on his lap. "Nevermind. You and soft would never go together."
Finished!
A/N: You didn't think I'd leave Will and Dusty unresolved did you? As for the cliched line... It is Carter and he loves to tempt fate.
Thank you all for your wonderful support.
Keep on the lookout for Below Decks: Season One.