"Jeremy, you ready to go?" Tyler asked, standing in Jeremy's bedroom doorway.

Jeremy was lying on his bed, fully dressed. "No."

"Come on. I have to get going." He said, dropping on to all fours about his boyfriend. "And Matt's waiting outside."

Jeremy sighed and locked his fingers around Tyler's neck. Tyler put his hands under him and stood up, pulling Jeremy too his feet.

They headed outside to where Matt was waiting in his car. Jeremy climbed into the back. Tyler dropped down next to him. Jeremy cuddled up against him.

The fifteen-minute ride from Jeremy's house to the recruiter's office was probably the quietest ride ever. The only sound was Jeremy's shaky breathing and the hum of the engine of Matt's mom's car.

"Here we are." Matt said, killing the engine.

Tyler kissed Jeremy before climbing out of the car.

Jeremy clung to Tyler's hand as they walked across the small parking lot. Matt followed.

Tyler gently pulled his hand out of Jeremy's grasp and opened the door. Matt put his arm around Jeremy's shoulder.

Tyler stood in the doorway and rendered a salute.

"Seaman recruit Tyler Lockwood requesting permission to come aboard, captain." Tyler said in a deep voice.

One of the two men sitting at the desks stood up and saluted. "Permission granted, recruit."

Tyler walked into the building and stood in front of the other occupied desk. Matt walked in, pulling Jeremy with him.

"You ready for this, Lockwood?" he asked, not looking up from his computer.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Jamie." Tyler smiled.

"Who are they?" Jamie asked, looking at Matt and Jeremy.

"Don't ask, don't tell sir." He said.

"It's not the blonde is it?" he asked, digging through the drawers in his desk.

"No sir. That's Matt. He's an old friend. He drove me down here." Tyler laughed.

"Good. Go pee in a cup." He said, setting a plastic cup on the edge of his desk.

"Matt, what's he mean don't ask, don't tell?" Jeremy asked, looking up at Matt.

"The military has a don't ask, don't tell policy about people being gay." Jamie said, turning to face the boys. "You can be gay as you want, as long as you don't tell people."

"So basically stay closeted?" Matt asked.

"Basically." He said. "You're Jeremy right. Tyler talks about you at the DEP meetings. He's worried about you."

"Everyone is." Jeremy sighed, sitting down on one of the couches.

Tyler walked back into the room and set the cup on Jamie's desk. Jamie picked the cup up by the cap and looked at the piece of paper on the side.

"You're clean. Get rid of it." he said, setting it on the edge of his desk.

Tyler knocked the cup into the garbage.

"Not in here. The bathroom!" Jamie yelled.

Tyler laughed as he pulled the cup from the garbage. He was back a second later and sat down next to Jeremy.

"I just need to find your file, have you sign some things, find your ticket and we'll be ready to get you to the airport. Got your ID?"

Tyler nodded. Jeremy leaned into him, resting his head on his shoulder.

"You'll be fine here, Jer." Tyler whispered into his ear. "You got a million people here for you. Matt will take care of you, so will Bonnie."

"Caroline. Elena. Jenna." Matt spoke up. He was leaning against the wall beside the door.

"Caroline, Elena, Jenna." He repeated.

"I don't want them, Ty. I want you." He whined.

Jamie handed Tyler a paper, which he quickly signed.

"Let's go." Jamie said, grabbing his keys.

"Can I go too? Please?" Jeremy asked quietly.

"I don't see why not." Jamie said, dropping a file in Tyler's lap. "Don't lose that…Hey, Todd, will there be any more recruits at the airport?"

"Should be four. Two of them are ours, the filled out their papers yesterday." Todd said absently.

The four headed outside. Jeremy clung to Tyler's hand.

"No, you go ride with Matt." He said, steering the teen to Matt's car. "It's a ten minute ride, and I'll probably have some things to go over with my recruiter. I'll see you there."

He kissed Jeremy on the lips before he pushed him down in the passenger seat of the car.

"Good luck, Lockwood." Matt said, clapping Tyler on the shoulder.

"Take care of him for me, okay?" Tyler said.

"Course." He said.

Tyler took Jeremy's hand and led him away from the other recruits. He pinned Jeremy to the wall and smiled at him.

"We'll be back together before you know it." Tyler said, pushing Jeremy's over grown hair out of his face. "Okay? I'll call you when I can."

Jeremy nodded, afraid if he talked he would cry.

"Lockwood! Time to go!" one of the other recruits hollered.

"I gotta go. I love you, Jeremy." He said, kissing him deeply.

"I love you too, Tyler." He said when Tyler pulled away.

Tyler smiled and him and jogged off.

Matt put his arm around the young teen's shoulders. Jeremy rested his head on Matt's shoulder as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Let's go home." Matt said, pulling Jeremy towards the doors.

Matt slowed his car to a stop in front of Jeremy's house. Jeremy wiped his eyes and climbed out of the car. Matt killed the engine and headed after him.

Jeremy was fumbling with his key, trying to unlock the door when Matt walked up. He took the key from his hands and unlocked the door. He tossed the keys in the bowl beside the door.

"You want anything to eat?" he offered, shaking his keys in his half curled fist.

"I'm okay. I'm just gonna go to bed." Jeremy said, walking slowly up the stairs.

"Want me to stay, Jer?" he asked.

He nodded. "You can stay down here and watch TV or something. Elena and Aunt Jenna won't mind. You don't need to come upstairs with me."

Matt nodded and dropped his keys on the table. He sat down on the couch in the living room and started flipping through the TV channels. He heard Jeremy walking around upstairs. He heard quiet sobbing.

Matt pushed himself off the couch and walked up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He knocked gently on Jeremy's door. There was no answer. He tried the doorknob but it was locked.

He sighed and walked into Elena's room. He knocked on the bathroom door. When Jeremy didn't answer, he pushed the door open. He pulled open the door leading into Jeremy's room and stood in the doorway.

The room was quiet. Jeremy was lying on his side on his bed, his back to the bathroom.

"Jer?" Matt said.

"He's not here. Come back later." Jeremy muttered.

"Do you need a hug, Jer?" he asked, walking across the room.

He dropped down on to the bed beside the young teenager and rubbed his back gently.

Author's note

Don't have much to say on this chapter. Just please let me know what you think.

Thanks.

- Shelby