Mettle of Honor (gxg)

Chapter 3

A little over a year later...

"Hey, we were still damn good," Sara told Justice. "If Vance wasn't a complete moron, we would have won. You know we were in first place before that." The pair was in the barracks showers, showering naked next to one another after competing in the Best Squad competition for the 10th Mountain Division, and had come in second with their squad. They would have won, if Corporal Vance Wilson hadn't hesitated during the obstacle course, and cost them precious time. They didn't know if he had done it on purpose or not, but it was possible. Of all the members in their squad, he was the most vocal about not wanting to rely on women to help build defenses, and the comradery on the unit had suffered. Even with their skills on display time and again in drills and assignments, the man just couldn't get it into his head that they were more than qualified to build something to save his ass. If they wanted to, cuz he might not deserve it.

"I know, I know. But if we won, we would have been at the next competition in North Carolina and seen the girls longer." Justice was grumpy, and rightfully so. As many military couples learned, it wasn't easy to maintain their marriages with the time and distance demands. If anything, it was going to get worse soon, as they already got word that the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which their squad was a part of, was being deployed to Europe later this year to replace another division that was rotating home. Yeah, they'd get some leave to spend time at home before they left, but in the time that they'd been in the Army already, the visits had been few and far between. Usually, when they happened, it was a whole weekend spent in bed to make up for lost time, but the months in between those visits were rough.

Justice and Sara had grown much closer in that time, with their basic combat training and then advanced training giving them a lot of time to rely on one another and hone a friendship that was unshakable. They'd done so well in their training, that they'd both secured promotions to Private First Class, and their pick of stations. Fort Drum in upstate New York was the only East Coast location that needed some more combat engineers, so they took it in hopes that it would mean a few more visits with their girls. It did, as they were able to sneak in a couple of weekends when the girls were able to visit on their college breaks, but it was still rough.

"Second place still got us a weekend pass though," Sara reminded her. "The girls already said they'd come up to see us for it."

Justice smiled at that, happily soaping herself up as she thought about her little Elsie and all the things that she'd like to do to her once she got her alone again. Sara was thinking the same about Kate, and they knew the weekend would be filled with nothing but sexual escapades and occasional meals.

The pair weren't at all shy about seeing each other naked in the shower anymore, it was a common occurrence now, but their wives had thought it was kind of weird when they told them about it. Kate had been even more jealous when she found out that they usually showered with other women too in the communal space that left nothing to the imagination because that was all that was available. But the two women never worried about it. They had each other as best friends and comrades, and a few other friends that they'd made among their fellow soldiers, but otherwise they were pretty reclusive. And sure, they masturbated under the sheets at night a lot to relieve stress, but they never strayed from their marital vows. They loved their girls and were thankful to have their company whenever they could.

"Do you want to do the usual?" Justice asked.

"Yep. I got the hotel last time, so you get it this time, and I'll get the food." It was an easy thing to split up. The military doesn't pay much, but likewise the two of them didn't have many expenses. Neither of them had ever bought a car, content to Uber on those rare occasions when they left the base, and they never had to pay for rent or food unless they went out. Since Fort Drum was located in upstate New York, the winter there had been frigid, and they had even less reason to go out and explore the region. So, splurging a little on a nice weekend for their wives on the rare occasions they got to visit was something they always loved to do, even if it set them back a little.

"Awesome! Damn, I can't wait to see them. I knew it was going to be rough when we signed up, but this is harder than I thought." Justice hung her head, letting the water cascade over her. Elsie had a firm grip on her heart, and it hurt so much not to see her. The promise of having her in her arms this weekend certainly helped, but then there would be yet another goodbye.

"I know, but in a few years, they'll graduate, and they can move around with us. Nursing jobs can be found all over, and we could get base housing or rent an apartment. It won't be nearly as bad then." The eternal optimist, Sara couldn't help but look forward to the day when they could both see their wives on a much more regular basis.

"I can't wait to see her!" Elsie gushed as she and Kate got into the rental car at the Watertown International Airport, which was very close to Fort Drum. "Damn, she's gonna make me so sore tonight."

"And you'll love it," pointed out Kate while rolling her eyes.

"Damn right I will. Come on, don't pretend you're not gonna be railed by Sara too."

"Oh, I know I will. She's ravenous when we haven't been together for a while. She'll spend all night between my legs if I let her!" Kate was already looking forward to as many orgasms as her body could handle. "She better, considering how much crap Josie and Nel are going to give us for missing their party this weekend. Plus, it could have been fun."

Elsie just scoffed. "Who cares about those bitches? We're going to have a much better time up here than at that crappy party."

Kate just shrugged, getting behind the wheel, and heading for the base. Surprisingly, the time apart had been just as hard for the college girls, but in different ways. While Sara and Justice had been going through their grueling training, Elsie and Kate had the constant reminders of partners that they couldn't be with. Every day on campus they could see other couples enjoying their time together, and yet they knew that they couldn't have that unless they got lucky.

This weekend was a surprise, and they were happy to get on the plane to see their wives, but they also knew that soon enough they would be back on campus and surrounded by their lives. The military didn't allow Justice and Sara the freedom to see hot girls every day, whereas both Elsie and Kate would see multiple every day just going to and from their classes. Had they stayed for the party that they were missing, they could have seen even more of them in a state where alcohol could have fueled bad decisions. But they had also remained faithful. Their plan to graduate and then be with the girls was still the goal that they were hoping to achieve, but it wasn't easy.

Even taking summer classes, it would be another two years before Kate and Sara graduated from college, and then they'd still have to get their nursing licenses to do everything that they wanted. Once that was done, hopefully it would be a simple process to move to wherever Justice and Sara were, and then settle in together. But the first year was already hard, and putting in another two would be even harder. But for now, that was still in the future. Their present would be much more enjoyable, with the prospect of seeing the girls that they'd married.

They followed the directions to the Visitor Control Center, where Sara and Justice eagerly awaited them in their uniforms, and both pairs were quickly hugging and kissing their partners, with happy squeals from Elsie making everyone in the area giggle. But they all had places to be, so they quickly piled into the car, with Elsie and Justice in the back making out, while Sara and Kate settled for holding hands in the front seat all the way to the restaurant. They would need a lot of energy for the weekend, so it was better to fill up now!

They went to a little place called 1812 On the River, which was located back in Watertown because all the places near the base were geared towards soldiers, and not couples. They wanted less reminders of that life, so they went a little further afield for that. It was a nice meal, with the girls sitting on the outdoor patio overlooking the water and enjoying some good food, certainly better than Sara and Justice were used to from the mess hall.

Of course, they had to eat fast though, as they had reservations over at the Hilton, and many clothes that needed to be removed. Indeed, as each couple disappeared into their separate room, clothes were already being unbuttoned and unzipped, even if it took a little longer to get the uniforms off. But it was worth it, as before long, they were all naked and making up for lost time. This weekend, they were able to reconnect and remember all the good times that they had in the past and have reminders of what their future might hold.

They would need that to have a chance at making things work.