Yes, Ma'am!

Colonel Strader came back out of what used to be her office, but Josh motioned for her to go back in then followed her inside where he explained what was going on. Both of them heard the Group Commander's private door slam shut less than a minute later, and they stood there looking at one another, almost having forgotten their own self-inflicted problems.

"Be that as it may, we were both ordered to leave," the XO told Josh.

"Ma..."

He stopped then, without thinking said, "Holly? I'm not leaving until I know for sure you'll be okay."

"I'm fine, Josh. Really."

She looked at him in the way he loved then said, "It's you I'm worried about. Your career. Your future. It's..."

Josh shut the door then walked over to her and put his arms around her again. She not only didn't push him away, she hugged him back and rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"I'm not going to the brig, and anything else that sawed-off Napoleon does to me is just fine," he told her.

His tone softened as he smiled and said, "I just need to know one thing."

"What's that?" she asked as she pulled back a little.

"The kiss. At the theater. Did that mean something to you?"

"I've played by the rules my entire career, Josh. I've never, ever done anything like that before."

She looked down for a moment then back up at him before saying, "But I've never fallen for anyone so...utterly inappropriate before, either."

Josh smiled then said, "Fallen? Seriously?"

"Yes. Fallen. I've had feelings for you since you took me home. And after you kissed me, even though you don't remember it, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

"I thought it was just me who was unable to stop thinking about you," he told her as he touched her cheek.

"I...I haven't said anything because...because I'm..."

"A LtCol and the Group XO?" Josh asked with a smile.

"Well, yes. But more importantly because I'm not someone you'd ever think of that way because...well, because I'm...43 years old."

"Oh, wow," Josh said as though it thought it was a big deal.

"I know. It's pathetic. I'm now the middle-aged woman who still thinks she's 20-something, and even worse, that a very attractive, 20-something year old officer sees her the same way. Talk about embarrassing, right?"

Before Josh could reply, Holly lowered her arms, turned around, then said, "Saying that out loud just made things even worse."

"Worse?" Josh asked as she went back to packing up her things and stuffing them in her PT bag.

"Well, yes. You've been very sweet to me, Josh, but I'm not a fool."

She hesitated then said, "Okay, maybe I am a fool for thinking someone like you could have feelings for a woman like me. And an old fool, at that."

He walked up behind her, put his hands on her shoulders then said, "If you're through trying to tell me how I feel about you, may I please speak?"

For effect, he added, "Ma'am?"

"Sorry. Yes. Of course," she said without turning around.

"I evidently asked you out when I was hypnotized. And that makes sense now since Millie told me to 'ask you again' when I wasn't. I didn't understand that at the time, but now I get it."

"Oh, right. Yes. Yes, you did. Or you at least told me you've wanted to ask me out."

"That makes sense then, because I did. And...I still do."

"Josh? Be real," she said before finally turning around.

"I'm truly flattered, but I really am 43. You can't possibly be interested in..."

"In for a penny, in for a pound," Josh told himself as stopped her from continuing by kissing her...again.

She gave in and kissed him back, then smiled and said, "Well, maybe you can."

Josh smiled and told her, "I'm more than just interested, Holly. So whatever happens...with us...with the Marine Corps...I am very interested in having a relationship with you, so...will you go out with me?"

She put her hand on his forehead to see if he might be feverish then smiled.

"You're not delirious, so...okay. I accept."

Her smile made him want to kiss her again, but she reminded them they needed to leave.

"But you could stop by later tonight if you like," she told him just before he went back to his office to gather his things.

"Maybe around 2000?"

"Eight o'clock sounds perfect," she told him before putting the last of the things she could reasonably carry in her bag.

When Josh got to the apartment, a very animated Vic Watters grabbed him immediately and said, "Dude? Did you hear?"

"No. What happened?"

"I just got a call from the CG's aide. We went to TBS together, and he's a good friend of mine."

"Yeah? And?"

"The Group CO got fired!"

"Are you serious?" shocked Josh Kennedy asked.

"Serious as a heart attack, man! And our CO is back at work and so is Negron."

"Holy shit!" Josh said.

"And guess who the acting Group CO is?"

Before he could answer, Josh said, "Yeah. Colonel hottie herself."

A dumbfounded Josh Kennedy stood there shaking his head as Vic quipped, "Oh how the mighty have fallen. And good fucking riddance, right?"

For added effect, Vic did the Nazi salute and shouted, "Sieg heil, mein Fuhrer!"

Just when Josh thought he couldn't be more surprised, his phone rang.

"Josh? Hi. It's me," he heard Holly say.

He quickly stepped into his bedroom then asked her if she'd heard.

"I did. First hand. I just left the Wing Chief of Staff's office. I'm sure you know he used to be the MACG-28 CO a couple of years back. Anyway, he called me as I was leaving base, so I detoured to the Wing Headquarters building. The short version is we're not only not relieved, he told me I'll be the acting Group CO until the new CO is onboard."

"Wow. What a difference..."

He looked at his watch, laughed, then said, "A few hours make!"

"Listen. You and I...we...we can't see each other for..."

"I understand," he told her. "I don't like it, but I understand."

"You didn't let me finish," she said.

"Finish?"

She laughed then told him, "We can't see each other...in public. Until I retire. Which isn't very far off."

"Okay. I like that a whole lot better," Josh told her.

"I told the Chief of Staff everything, by the way."

"Everything?"

"About us."

"And you're not being reprimanded or..."

Holly laughed then said, "No. In fact, it's all good. All of it. I'll tell you everything later tonight, okay?"

She paused for a moment then asked in that sweet voice of hers, "That is, if you're still coming over."

"Oh, yes ma'am," he told her, only this time 'ma'am' meant 'you betcha'!

She laughed then said, "I can't wait to see you, Josh."

"Bye...Holly," he told her as the line went dead and all of the changes in his life began to sink in.

At 1945, or 7:45 pm, Vic asked Josh where he was going 'so late'.

"Maybe I have a date," his roommate replied.

Vic nearly bought it then started laughing.

"Yeah. Right! You on a date at this time of night? Uh-huh. Sure."

Vic then said, "Hey! I know where you're going! You're headed to the drug store for some Metamucil, aren't you?"

"You know me too well," Josh told him as he opened the door.

"You sure you can drive at night, Grandpa?" Josh heard as he closed it then smiled as he thought about the beautiful, older woman who was waiting to see him.

As Josh drove, he tried to wrap his brain around everything that had happened in the last 12 hours or so. People talked about riding a roller coaster when referring to ups and downs, but this was insane. He'd gone from feeling like nothing but an overworked paper-pusher with no one in his life, or even much of a life, to being relieved of duty then restored back to duty, and most of all, he now had someone in his life. Someone he thought he might be falling in love with.

When he arrived, it was very cold outside, but he was very aware that his palms were sweaty. By the time he knocked on her door there was a pit in his stomach the size of a softball.

When the door opened Holly smiled and said, "Hi. Come in."

He thanked her then stepped inside and looked at her.

"You looked amazing at the theater, but...wow," he told her.

"Thank you, and you look very handsome yourself. Can I get you a drink?" she asked in that sweet voice he loved.

"Not unless you're having one."

"I thought maybe some champagne might be in order," she said with a happy smile.

"Well, you were the bearer of some very good news, so...sure," Josh said.

"And the news gets even better," Holly assured him as she asked if he'd might popping the cork.

He went to take the bottle, but she didn't let go.

"Not so fast—Captain," she said before she put her free hand behind his head and kissed him.

She let go then said, "Okay. Now you can open it."

"Yes, ma'am," Josh said as he tried not to laugh.

He poured some for each of them in the glasses she'd set out then handed one to her.

"So what could possibly be better than not getting fired?" he asked.

She stopped him again then proposed a toast.

"To doors. Those that open and those that close."

"I'll drink to that," Josh told her as they touched glasses then took a sip.

"Come sit down with me, and I'll tell you everything."

Josh set beside her on the couch in her very-tastefully decorated home and asked what was going on.

"Well, for starters your old boss..."

"Is keeping his job. As is Lieutenant Negron."

"Smarty pants," Holly teased when she realized he'd already heard, before taking another small sip.

"The big surprise is that you and I can...be together...just not in public and not in the same unit."

"But you're going to be the acting CO, so how can you be leaving?" a confused Josh asked.

"I'm not. You are."

"Me? Oh, no. Please don't tell me I'm going to the Wing Headquarters. Just shoot me if I am!"

"You're not," Holly told him with a laugh. "You're going back to LAAD battalion. Tomorrow."

Josh nearly choked on the sip he'd just taken. He coughed then looked at Holly and asked, "Are you kidding?"

"No. The Chief of Staff asked me what I thought was best, and I told him you'd done a great job for the Group, and that you should go back where you're the best at what you do. And he agreed."

"And he knows you and I are..." Josh began.

"Seeing each other? Yes. He thanked me for being honest, asked if anyone else knew, and I told him the only person was Colonel Clarke."

He laughed then said, "I mean, 'Does anyone human know'."

"No sh...joke? He said it like that?"

She finished another sip, laughed happily then told Josh, "He said he and the general knew something was going on in the Group. They just didn't have any proof until today. But yes, he thinks Colonel Clarke is a..."

Holly moved closer to his ear then whispered, "A dick with feet."

Josh roared and Holly joined in as months of frustration melted away.

"That is good news," Josh agreed.

"Oh. There's more!"

"Do tell!"

"As you know, I have a retirement date. But my last day in uniform is up to me."

"Right. You can take terminal leave up to 60 days in advance."

"Plus a few other days, but yes, that's about right."

She snuggled up closer then said, "The new Group CO won't be here for at least three weeks, and he'll need a week of turnover time. Plus they'll need to find a new Group XO, but the bottom line is I'll be going on terminal leave as soon as the new CO is in place and snapped in."

"Oh. I see," Josh told her before draining his glass, setting it down, and putting his arm around her.

"And that means you and I won't have to sneak around anymore."

"Holly, that's fantastic," Josh told her.

"Yeah. I think so, too," a very happy Holly Strader told him with a warm smile.

"Looks like the good guys won one today," Josh said with a smile of his own.

"Yes. Yes, they did," she agreed before pulling him close and kissing him like she never had.

"Mmmm. I've been waiting to do that for much too long," she told him.

"I'm glad you did, because that's been my fantasy since...well, pretty much since the first day I met you."

"You...you make me feel pretty and special," she told him. "But you have to understand that my body doesn't look...pretty...anymore or like it did 15 years ago when I was your..."

"Are you trying to run me off?" Josh asked with a smile.

"No. I'm just...warning you. So you won't be too disappointed. You know, whenever you see it for the first time."

"Good point, because I'll have to actually see it for myself to know for sure," he replied very seriously.

Holly laughed then asked if he was propositioning her.

"I believe I am," he told her.

"Okay. I was just asking," she said as she got up and pulled him up to her. "And since you are propositioning me...I accept your proposal."

Josh was more than amazed at just how close to perfect her body was. No, it didn't look 25, but it was still far better than most women that age, and better than 90% of the bodies he'd seen.

He told her that as he kissed and caressed it as she softly moaned and told him how amazing his was, too. After pleasuring each other orally, Josh got on top of her then said as seriously as he could, "Permission to come aboard, ma'am?"

Holly laughed then said, "Permission granted! And then some," as she reached for him and guided him in.

"So no regrets?" she asked as she rested in the crook of her lover's neck, her hand on his chest.

"Are you kidding? That was the most amazing thing I've ever done and with the most amazing woman..."

He smiled then said, "I've ever done."

"You're very skilled yourself," she told him as she laughed happily at his double entendre.

"So now what?" Josh asked.

"Well, near term, I'd say we wait a few minutes until your 27-year old body is ready to go again, and then..."

Josh's laughter interrupted her thoughts, and she laughed, too.

"It feels SO good not to live under the threat of a dictatorship," Holly said when they stopped laughing.

Josh rolled over on top of her then said just as seriously as before, "Hey. Wait a minute. Are you saying you don't like being under a...dick?"

Holly's eyes opened wide in mock surprise before she laughed again.

"Um...you won't ever hear me complaining. Ever," she told him as Josh began 'saluting' her from below.

After a second 'go', he asked what her longterm plans were.

"That depends," she told him.

"On?"

"On what my handsome, new boyfriend wants."

"Wait. You have a handsome, young boyfriend?" Josh asked, doing the serious thing again.

Holly laughed yet again then told him, "I wasn't kidding when I said I've fallen for you, Josh."

"Nor was I," he told her immediately.

"So if things go well for us, I'd be willing to support you in whatever you decide to do, and that would affect my future plans."

"Workwise?"

"Yes. And...anything else...wise."

He rolled on top of her again then asked, "Does that include having a family?"

"Josh? Don't tease about that, okay," she asked in a way that reminded him realize how important that was to her.

"I...I wasn't teasing, Holly. I want a family, too."

"We have a lot of getting to know one another first, though," she cautioned.

"We do. And I can't wait to know everything about you."

"For starters, as much as I've loved the Marine Corps, all I really want in life is a loving husband, and a child or two."

"That's it?" he asked with a gentle smile.

"Yes. That's it."

"Wow. You're a cheap date," he teased.

"I really am a low-maintenance kind of girl," she told him. "I don't ask for much, and I'm willing to give everything I have to make a relationship work."

Josh was still on top of her, and as he looked into her eyes, he said, "You are so beautiful."

"Thank you...sweetheart," she said in that voice he loved.

He did a kind of push up and looked down between them.

"I believe I'm ready for Round Three," he told her.

"Then...ding, ding, ding!" she said like a bell as she pulled him close and loved him again.

The following morning, LtCol Armstrong was waiting for him when Josh walked inside the battalion headquarters building.

"Welcome back, stranger," the huge man said with a warm smile as he extended a hand.

"Sir, it's good to be back," the young captain told him as he shook it.

"Oh, and I've got a job for you, too," the CO said.

"Sir? If you say 'battalion adjutant'..."

The battalion commander laughed and told him he wouldn't do that to him.

"But I do need an H&S Battery commander. You've already had a firing battery, and this will be a really good resume enhancer for you."

H&S stood for Headquarters and Service, and it was the only command no one really wanted. It was an important job, but it wasn't anything like being in command of a firing battery. H&S was a conglomeration of the S-shops: S-1, S-2, S-3, S-4, and S-6 (communications) along with motor transport, supply, and the adjutant's shop of four whole people. But it was a command, and Colonel Armstrong was correct.

"I'd be honored, sir," he told his CO.

"Okay. Then let's stop in and say hello to the guy who's leaving in six weeks then we'll find somewhere to put you until you take over."

The CO smiled and assured the captain it wouldn't be as the adjutant.

"I'm thinking the S-3. We need a training officer, and you could get a lot done in that amount of time."

"Training? Sign me up, sir," Josh told him as he walked back into the office he'd been in dozen of times in the past.

Not being able to see Holly or even text her during the day was torture. Not just for him, but for her, as well. But they made up for it each evening as Josh spent as much time with her as he could.

"You know Vic is asking who my new girlfriend is, right? he asked her the following evening.

"What did you tell him?" Holly asked, knowing he'd never betray them.

"You know how he kids me about being old, right?"

"Right. The walker and the Metamucil," she laughed.

"Well, I told him I was dating an older woman."

"What? You told him that?" a surprised Holly asked.

"I did. And that was the perfect cover because it played into his little schtick."

"Ah, okay. Nicely done, Captain," she said with a smile and a kiss.

"Speaking of done. How would you like me to...do you again?" he suggested with his now-famous straight face.

"Oh, gee. I don't know. Let me think. Hmmm? I've had more sex in the last two days than in the last two years, so..."

"Oh, okay. So you're satisfied then. Okay. Makes sense," Josh said as he looked away.

"Hey! I did not say that!" Holly pouted.

"You implied it," Josh said as he folded his arms in front of him.

"Then you don't know me very well, at all, do you?" she said as she began nuzzling his neck. "Because...in case you didn't know it...I just happen to be in my sexual prime."

Josh raised an eyebrow then said, "Gee, what a coincidence. Same here."

"Then I believe we should take...prime...advantage of that fact."

She pulled Josh to his feet again, but this time he pulled her close and said, "It's a good thing you don't depend on comedy for your living."

"Hey! That was funny," Holly said, pretending to be defensive.

"Uh-huh. And Colonel Clarke was a superb leader."

Holly's eyes got wide as she feigned being indignant.

"Well, see if you get to take advantage of my...my prime..."

She stopped, laughed happily, then said, "You're right. My comedy sucks."

Josh let her go then said, "Speaking of how much you suck..."

Holly laughed even louder as she pulled him toward the bedroom.

"Are you complaining?" she asked.

"Me? No. Not at all. I was just going to tell you that, unlike your comedy routine, your skills in the um, sucking department, are amazing."

"Nice save, Captain," she told him as she pulled him into the room and kicked the door shut.

Holly's last day on active duty in uniform was planned to be one week before Josh's change of command ceremony. She didn't want any kind of parade or ceremony herself. Just a quiet get together with friends and co-workers at the officer's club. Josh didn't attend because they still weren't ready to go public with their budding relationship, and as far as they knew, no one even suspected.