He Came Home

So I got the inspiration for this one as i watched the news and saw so many troops coming home for Christmas. This is sort of a departure from my usual stories, but even i have a semi softer side. As normal i hope you find some enjoyment of this one and comment if you like it. I also want to say thanks to my new friend accents and tattoos for her help in editing this and making it more readable. Enough words from me kids as always enjoy the show!

For a love that wasn't supposed to be, theirs was always tested. Brent Edwardson was still in Kuwait as he had just come from a hellish nightmare that was the war in Iraq. For the past two years he was neck deep in some heavy violence that claimed the lives of several of his fellow squad members. For all his time in only one thought kept him going. The one thing he kept in the brim of his helmet for luck was a picture of his wife Jessica and their daughter Melissa.

Walking back from his command post office he had two bits of good news. The first was he had just got his rotation orders and was going home. The second was his wife had sent him a care package. In his room he opened the box and inside was a number of CD's. He listened to them with his roommates and the new rock songs he hadn't heard made him love his wife even more.

He got a sappy mix CD of love songs that made him smile deeply as he listened to the sounds of them. His heart was feeling more for her than the songs could say. The last thing he found at the bottom was a DVD with a note attached.

It read "A Xmas gift for my baby from his baby!"

Putting on the DVD he was greeted by the sight of his two year old little girl Melissa being held by his beautiful wife Jessica. The way they played with the camera made even the hardened troops watching the DVD with him smile warmly.

A few gave him shit about how hot Jessica was and how she could ever be with him. Brent took the jibes in stride as they watched on and then the play time with Melissa ended, much to his chagrin. He hadn't seen her since she was two months old and now she was two and getting big. Time had flown by too fast.

As he watched the music video he thought of Melissa and how tiny she was in his arms the last time he saw her. His attention went back to the video when he heard giggling and two girls talking. One voice he knew was Jessica; the other was her friend that he couldn't place the name of. Brent got a smile as he thought back to how his life had gone from shit to great with Jessica and he chuckled softly as he gazed at the video further.

Brent grew up in the seedier parts of Cleveland, Ohio. He and his mother lived alone, as she was constantly kicking one loser after another from their small trailer home. From an early age he was a trouble maker. It was a constant battle for authority with teachers and he made a huge mistake of hanging with the cool kids.

Brent had little to offer his "friends" and they treated him like a stray dog for the most part; unless they needed his help with a rival. He had an uncanny ability to win any fight thrown his way and with his crew that was quite often. He would beat his opponent and only then would he feel like he belonged; like they needed him and made his feel special.

They gave him pot and alcohol and he even had sex with the cool girls a few times. It all came to a head when the hottest girl from his crew made a mistake of bringing some pot to school. She didn't want to get caught with it so he took it and held it for her; he almost got away with it. However it didn't work as the bag slipped from his pocket right in front of a school police officer no less.

Being kicked out of school was expected for him, as he was a repeat trouble maker. His outlook on life was very bleak. As he sat in his room one day an epiphany came to his mind. He was being so very stupid with his choices in life. Knowing he needed to get away from this life he knuckled down hard and at nineteen he got his G.E.D.

Brent found an opportunity to leave the misery of his life and joined the Army shortly after he got his graduation papers. Desperately wanting to get away from all his troubles he volunteered for the new Stryker Brigades. Brent went to the training center at Yakima in Washington State.

Soon after he was done training he was deployed to Iraq for nineteen hellish months. The time there was pure hell as he saw many friends killed and many more wounded. He was not spared the harshness of combat as he was wounded three times and was involved in several ferocious fire fights.

After the tour he returned to training at the center. At twenty two years old and three years under his belt, he was already a seasoned veteran and was promoted to the rank of Specialist Four. He worked hard to train up the new recruits who were training to embark on a road he would hate to travel again.

Getting a day pass he went to town one fateful day and his life was changed forever.

Jessica Martin was what every man wanted. Her stunning looks and nice personality made her a target of every man and creep in a six mile radius. At five foot five she was not a tall person, but she made up for it in personality. It was like looking into the eyes of an angel sometimes as her infectious smile was so demanding it ripped a smile from even through someone with a dour exterior.

Her laugh could start a small riot when she was in a good mood and more than once it had. But for all her looks and charm Jessica was a nice, down to earth girl. She worked hard in school and graduated with honors. She was on the softball and track teams and did well at both. Her friends all agreed she was the "It" girl on campus and when she turned down a scholarship to work with the needy it made everyone freak out.

Jessica's parents were what some people called blue bloods. They came from an old family that had made a good living in the timber markets of Washington from an early time. They had expanded into several trucking companies that still ran to the day and even held shares in the local food markets. She was not lacking in money, but what she was lacking in was a decent person to spend her time with.

For a time she dated a "nice" guy her parents fawned over. After three months she ended their relationship because he was a stuck-up jerk. Her parents were furious that she dropped him but she became adamant about staying single because of him.

Her life also met a strange path when she was working at the local children's club. It was an after school program designed to keep kids away from the troubles of the urban lifestyles. While it did help some kids it couldn't save them all. She was threatened several times and even had to run to her car to get away from the local thugs trying to intimidate her. One day it came to an unusual turn.

She was walking to her car when she bumped into Brent and everything changed. They had an interesting conversation which consisted of Brent asking for directions to the nearest Laundromat, which made Jessica laugh. She noticed Brent had no clothes to wash. When she pointed this out she found his smile to be something nice and gave him her number.

A few dates turned into a few more then it led to a kiss one magical evening. The kiss they shared that night was something neither was prepared for. Jessica felt her whole body lifting off the ground when her lips met his. Brent felt his being shocked to the core by the sweetness of her lips. Neither could help when the sweet kiss became a bit more passionate. What started as a simple peck spiraled into a full blown make out session. It was Brent that stopped the kiss by pulling back and staring into her eyes. He could see in her hazy eyes that she wasn't upset he had pulled away. At that moment they both knew what was happening between them was pure magic.

Time flew by for the lovebirds and soon they found themselves on a strange footing. Brent would spend his nights in the barracks with his eyes open looking at a picture of her on the ceiling above him. Jessica spent her nights cuddled in her bed looking at his picture on her nightstand. They finally agreed after eight months of being an item that it was right.

Her parents on the other hand had far more to say about it. They refused to allow their daughter to marry a man like Brent. It wasn't that he was nice; it was he just another useless dreg in her father's eyes. Her mother had little nice things to say about him as well. Brent took the berating from her father like a man. When her father was done Brent gave him a dark smile and walked up to Jessica and kissed her fully on the mouth in front of them. Her father protested what he was doing but Brent's glare tore into her father's eyes and caused him to back away from the couple.

"I love Jessica and no matter what you say to me; nothing will change that!" he said firmly to her father's face.

Jessica's eyes misted over when she saw Brent standing up to her father and she ran to his side. She tore him from her father and they ran out the door hand in hand. They piled into his car and Brent sped off into the night.

They drove until they found themselves in front of a jeweler. They selected their rings and their next stop was at the local courthouse. He looked very casual in his khakis and button down red shirt and Jessica wore a sundress and flats. The judge may have raised an eyebrow at them as they stood before him but he performed a quick ceremony nonetheless and after a sweet kiss Brent and Jessica were married.

Brent caught hell from his command for marrying without letting them know ahead of time. He took the discipline without complaint but he knew he would have left for her if they had forbidden him from being with Jessica.

Life was a difficult process for the two as Jessica's parents cut her off and she had to get a job. Brent found an apartment for them to live in as the only fortunate thing going for them was his steady paycheck. Between that and the job Jessica found they made due at first. Another helping factor was Jessica's friend Laura. She put them in touch with a military friendly landlord who took them in.

Their lives got more complex when Jessica announced she was pregnant with their first child. Her parents flipped out on during the announcement over the phone and made her break down crying. The first three months were difficult and there were times she thought of an abortion but she knew she couldn't do that to Brent. Every day when he came home from the base her eyes filled with happiness at the sight of him. She had a feeling life was going to be alright.

Their lives got a bit easier when she was offered a good job at a high end department store. She was a great sales person and made a good commission each month. Slowly their lives got better and then Melissa was born. Brent had just gotten back from a horrible training period when he found her in the bathroom crying. She was sitting on the toilet in agony as he came in. Jessica let him know her water had broken and he got wide eyed.

He got her into the car and drove her to the base. On the base their beautiful baby girl took her first breath and mother and father held her tight. Bringing their child home was a great moment for both of their lives as the act validated they were a family now. The joys of caring for the child however was short lived. It was just two months after Melissa was brought home that he was told of the upcoming deployment back to Iraq.

Brent maintained a brave front as he was given the news. With a heavy heart he packed his gear in the apartment and Jessica helped. They folded the clothes neatly and placed them in the duffel bags and Jessica held her tongue for as long as she could. When she finally had enough of the silence she broke it abruptly.

"How long this time?" she asked as she folded one of his green t-shirts.

"I think about thirteen months," Brent said while loading his utility top into the duffel bag.

Jessica knew that the Army usually told him one thing, but they never knew for certain.

"Baby, what about Melissa? What am I going to do while you are gone or if you get hurt?" she said in a scared tone.

"I won't honey." Brent cooed while looking back into her scared eyes.

Brent saw the fear in her eyes and every part of his soul wanted to make her understand why he was doing this. He wasn't in the Army for kicks or because he was a super patriot. He was in it for them. It was a good job when that commodity was in a very short supply. Brent knew that without what he made and the great benefits he got their lives would be much harder than it was. He set down his pack and walked into his shaking wife's arms. She hugged him tight and the tears came to her face. Tilting her chin, Brent kissed her lips softly and she sighed into the kiss.

"I will be back in one piece baby, I promise." he said to her solemnly.

Jessica nodded her head and kissed his lips accepting the promise and sealing it with her love. They packed the rest of the gear and loaded it into the car. They spent his last night in each other's arms with their baby between them. Brent memorized each line of her cute face and when the alarm sounded at four he shut it off so it wouldn't wake either of them. Kissing his baby on the head he whispered into her ear softly.

"I love you, my precious angel. I will be home to watch you grow up. Daddy promises you that sweetie."

He looked up to his sleeping wife and kissed her lips making her moan happily in her sleep. With a heavy heart Brent got out of bed and got dressed. After he was fully dressed he looked at their sleeping forms one last time and left before his courage could falter. Walking to the car Brent had his head down. He looked at the door of the apartment one last time then started the engine and drove off.

Jessica woke up a short while later and saw the empty space beside her. Her heart slowly sank as she looked at Melissa and held her close to her breast. Jessica said a soft prayer to watch over Brent and protect him from what was to come. For a few more hours she held her baby until it was time to go to work. With a heavy heart she went on with her life.

The months of the deployment were not so bad this time around. As the region was stabilizing and the indigenous personnel became more trained and ready to take on the load. Brent's unit found themselves less and less in harm's way as the Iraqi Army took over a lot of the hard work. They still had the occasional shoot out with a diehard insurgent gang or an IED attack on their vehicles. All in all, it was far nicer than his first deployment.

As time grew closer to the end of his deployment, the surge happened. The upper echelon decided to put increasing pressure on the hold outs and escalated the troop levels in country. They found themselves in heavy action almost daily. It was an ongoing cycle and before he knew it the thirteen months had come and gone, but he was still there and the days kept on going.

Jessica watched the news almost daily hoping to see Brent somehow in some way to cure her need for him. Her loneliness had begun to creep up on her, but it was abated as every now and then she got an email from him.

She could tell he was exhausted from the constant strain of battle but he kept going regardless of how much he ached. She sent him letters as often as she could. Her job had gotten better as she was now making a great deal of money from her commissions and had a great holiday season. The money coupled with his paychecks allowed them to make it pretty well. Still she was angry when he told her he was still in country and they had no idea when he was coming back.

Months and months flew by and Jessica felt herself droning on and on. She waited by the computer at nights hoping he would be on. There were times he would log on and she would be sleeping and miss his sends.

Jessica got a lot of grief from her parents about the way things were going. They lambasted him for being constantly away and not with her and the baby. They even suggested she divorce him and move back in with them. Her heart grew heavy at times thinking of how things were going and soon her mind filled with anger towards him.

She wrote an email saying she was thinking of leaving him. Her mind was filled with the anger of him never there when she was alone and dealing with their child. She railed against the Army and how it always got in between them. Her finger was over the mouse when he popped on.

"Hey baby!" Brent said in his message.

"HI! OMG I miss U!" she replied.

"Miss u too honey. Got news...going to Kuwait soon, maybe out dunno." The words popped up next to his smiling face.

Jessica's eyes widened. He always said if he was in Kuwait it was to down train and rotate back.

"OMG that's great news!" she replied.

"Indeed. =D"

Brent was typing on his laptop in the huts they used in his camp when suddenly he heard the incoming alarm.

"Shit baby... mortars gotta go ttyl!" He quickly sent the message and signed off just as quick. He slammed down the top of the laptop and rushed out of the room.

Jessica wanted to scream. She finally got to talk to him and just like that he was gone. Her eyes filled with tears as she sat in front of the screen. As she sat her mind kept going over the words he said. He was going to Kuwait soon, meaning hopefully he would be back home soon.

Replaying the words over and over in her mind she realized that she had stuck it out this long, she could go for the long run. Her eyes filled with a positive light and she looked at the email. She clicked delete and sent it to the trash bin where she deleted it from her computer. Something in her soul got a boost of positive energy and she went to the baby's room. Melissa was playing with her dolls when Jessica walked up and scooped their daughter to her arms.

Melissa laughed playfully as her mother gave her happy kisses on her face. Seeing an opportunity to do something to maybe cheer Brent up she went to the other room and got out her video camera. Jessica took a video recording of her and Melissa saying hi to him and of Melissa playing with her dolls and showing them to her daddy. The images were so cute it made her heart melt as she reviewed them. Jessica took Melissa to her friend's house and paid her pre-teen daughter thirty dollars to watch her for a few hours.

Jessica got a smirk on her face as an idea popped up and decided to be adventurous. She went to the mall and marched into Victoria's Secret. She bought a sexy red lace bra and panty set. Then she went to Spencer's and bought a cute Santa girl costume along with red fur topped stockings. Lastly, she went to Bakers and bought a nice pair of black knee boots with silver buckles.

She called her best friend Laura and had her come over. Giggling like a school girl she told Laura of her plan and Laura was shocked. Seeing how serious she was Laura relented and helped her prepare. Jessica did her make up just right and dressed in her outfit. When she was all done she looked in the mirror and was stunned at her reflection.

Her green eyes stood out with the red and whites of the skirt. The stockings were a cute touch as were the boots. The Santa hat she wore made her black hair stand out and when she was done Laura cheered her on. Selecting a special song for what she had in mind she had Laura record the show. "All I Want for Christmas is You" played and Jessica stood in front of the camera and smiled.

"Hi baby! I miss you so much and decided to give you a holiday treat! Tell all your buddies to get out and then play the rest of this," she said smiling brightly into the camera.

After a brief moment she went on.

"Here's the surprise baby!" Her smile turned into a seductive grin.

As the beat kicked in her hips came alive. Jessica danced for the camera and lip synched the words perfectly. She did the cutest strip tease she could do and even added a bit of sexiness when she dropped the top and skirt as she slowly swayed to the music. As the song went on her hips and hair swung wildly as she threw the Santa hat to the side and snapped her hips. She did a slow sensual walk towards the camera. She was sure the sight of her in her bra, panties, stockings and boots was an amazing sight for Brent. She looked dead into the camera and with tears in her eyes she whispered softly.