It's frickin' long so remember you asked for this.

***********************************

A tight coil of nerves formed in Carter's stomach as the Marine at the guard house waved them through the gates, offering Donovan a cheery welcome home. As the car drove through, Carter tensed. Even as the torrent in her mind picked up, she could still sense the change in Donovan. Though nothing shifted in his demeanor a sort of lightness came over him. The passivity of his face softened. He was home.

Carter tried to let his ease be enough to reassure her, but it didn't. As they headed further onto the base, she wasn't aware of their surroundings, too focused on their destination. By the time they stopped outside a one-story house with a fresh coat of tan paint and a trim front yard, she was gripping the center console. Her knuckles were white but she couldn't bring herself to let go.

As Donovan drew out the keys, he looked over at her. Carter felt his gaze but couldn't tear her eyes away from the house. Donovan's house. His true home. Donovan rested his hand on hers, gently prying her fingers off. Even when he laced his hand with hers, she didn't look away.

"Carter," he said, his voice coaxing her to met his gaze.

Forcibly, she ripped her attention away from the brown front door.

It was only then she saw his transformation. He was smiling at her. A smile that was offered up without any true cause. He looked younger, the weight of responsibility always weighing on him left outside the gates. Even his blue eyes had a brightness to them like he was simply a college kid coming home for Thanksgiving.

"I can't cook," Carter blurted out.

The laugh that this comment received was untroubled and somehow different than any laugh he had given. It spoke of the boy Donovan had been in this place. Someone who tackled his brothers because they annoyed him. Someone who joked around with men twice his age and never felt the difference. Someone who knew exactly who he was and what he was going to do when he grew up. It was a laugh that soothed a fraction of her nerves.

"You don't have to cook," Donovan said. "My mom will and she doesn't expect you to. Come on, they're going to love you."

Releasing her hand, Donovan climbed out. After a slow breath, Carter did as well. It was warm despite the season. The California sun watched over the world, unobscured by clouds. Around her, the smell of dirt, machine oil, and a dry heat layered the air. The low rumble of tires undercut by gunfire filled her ears. Even far from the main training area, the ground thrummed with energy. All these pieces seemed to fit into the puzzle of Donovan, defining him even more.

Taking her hand, he guided Carter up the front path and to the house. When he opened the door, they were swept up into the scent of Thanksgiving. A long hallway stretched out in front of them, doorways lining it.

"Mom, dad?" Donovan called out.

Carter knew those terms but hearing them from Donovan felt strange. He was a bachelor, a man that had been on his own since he was sixteen. But he was still someone's son. They stepped into a living room and Carter was struck by it. It was neat, a dark blue couch butted up against a white wall with a light gray carpet beneath.

But that was not what she noticed, instead it was the signs that this house had held four boys. There were marks in the wall from fights that had gotten out of hand. A spot in the carpet that looked like someone had burned a hole in it. Fraying edges on the couch that told of roughhousing boys who had clambered over it too many times.

This was Donovan's childhood. This was the part of him that she had been slowly teasing out of him. Now she saw so much and felt like she knew him better than before. His early life hadn't been easy, but these markings were signs that he had been young and wild once.

As they entered the living room a man in his fifties rose from the couch. His gray hair was military short, his face hard with earned lines and though he wore a button-down shirt and slacks it was all with the air of a uniform.

A door at the end of the room swung open and Donovan's mother stepped out. She was in every aspect a contrast to her husband. A soft face with caring blue eyes sat atop of rounded figure. Before Donovan could say anything, his mother rushed forward and hugged him.

"My boy is home," she said.

Donovan had to bend down to hug her and even then still managed to look like a little kid for a brief second. When he shook his father's hand, that boy was tucked away.

"Donovan," his father said.

"Sir."

Donovan stepped back and gestured Carter forward, placing a hand on her lower back. The feel of it was a comfort as her nerves had doubled.

"Mom, dad. I want you to meet my girlfriend, Carter Owens."

Eleanor closed the distance first, taking Carter's hand and resting her other on top.

"It is such a pleasure to meet you," she said.

"The pleasure is mine," Carter said.

Up close she could see that past the caring blue eyes was a keen intelligence underneath. An intelligence that Donovan had inherited and one that Carter felt could pick her apart layer by layer until it saw the core of who she was. But Eleanor's smile was welcoming and Carter let herself relax. When she shook Ted's hand, it was callused and as strong as a rod of iron.

"I'm happy you're here," he said.

"As am I."

Ted offered up a smile. It was a look that didn't come quickly and Carter could see that this gesture was rare for him, as if smiles were only meant for easing the spirits of a dying man.

"Ted," Eleanor said. "Why don't you and Donovan catch up and I'll show Carter around."

Beyond the swinging door was a dining room and off that was a kitchen, the smell of cooking food doubling.

"I'm not great in the kitchen," Carter said. "But I would be happy to set the table or do dishes."

The offer had been a suggestion of Maggie's when Carter had confided her lack of culinary skills and that she would have nothing to give. Eleanor's smile widened in appreciation but she shook her head.

"You're our guest, you don't have to do anything. Come, I'll show you Donovan's room."

They cut across the hallway into one of the bedrooms. Sunlight illuminated the two different single beds pushed to opposite sides, a desk that sat in the middle and odd assortment of posters and framed photos.

Without having to be told, Carter knew which side was Donovan's. Though both beds held the same military neat corners, the one on the left had a more rigid tidiness to it. The items on the bedside table were all set into straight lines and even the old pair of shoes beneath the mattress were perfectly positioned side by side.

Carter walked over and settled onto the bed, peering around the room. It was easy to see how in such a small space Donovan would butt heads with his brother. Eleanor sat down at the desk chair, resting her head on her fist. The casualness of her posture seemed at odds with the air of Marine strictness Carter could sense around her.

"He was so young when he left," she said, eyes traveling around the room.

The comment brought Carter's focus on her.

"How did you feel about him leaving?" she asked.

A sad smile played around the corners of Eleanor's mouth. The lines around her eyes seemed to deepen with a loss that hadn't healed.

"I didn't want him to go. He was only sixteen. I was worried about how being on his own and with such a big responsibility would affect him. Effect his spirit. He was such a wild and adventurous kid that I knew having to grow up so fast would steal some of that away. But even after we had talked it over in the month before he left, he still wanted to go."

The sadness faded from her smile as her eyes took on a distant look, memories taking hold.

"None of his brothers or even his father knew, but he called me every day for a year. Even if I was busy making dinner he would just ask me to put the phone on speaker so he could hear me moving about. I helped him as he adjusted. Those first few months were the hardest.

"More than being on his own it was the shock of what he really had to face. Link was struggling to come to terms with his situation and wanted nothing to do with Donovan. I believe that was the hardest part. The other part was going from being taken seriously by grown men to being surrounded by boys that still laughed at fart jokes."

Carter knew all these facts from having Donovan tell her, but somehow in his old room and hearing it from his mother, the reality of all he had gone through hitting her. More than ever her respect for him grew.

"I could feel him losing himself in that year," Eleanor continued. "It wasn't until he told me of his thoughts of quitting that we came up with the idea of college classes. He needed something that reminded him of who he was and his true age. It helped and Link eventually accepted Donovan. But for a long time, I didn't know if he was going to be able to get through it." She smiled, the look speaking of her pride in her son and his strength and determination. "But he did."

"I'm glad he did," Carter said.

Eleanor's eyes cleared, coming back from the past.

"I am too," she said, her eyes twinkling with affection.

The front door opened and the call of male voices rose, crushing the quiet of the house.

"It appears my sons have arrived," Eleanor said.

Despite how she had felt meeting Donovan's parents, Carter didn't have the same apprehension about his brothers. Already she had met two of them and her nerves weren't in the same state of agitation.

When they walked back into the living room it was to find Donovan getting roughly pulled into bone-crushing hugs. A comment was made that Carter missed and Donovan shoved James. That was all it took, the two went at each other like they were still boys. They crashed into the couch, James punched Donovan's side as he retaliated with a kick to the shin. Eleanor cleared her throat and even with the grunts and shouts, it was heard like a sixth sense.

Clint grabbed James, hauling him off Donovan and Brock gave Donovan a hand up. Next, to each other, the brother's looked like copies of one another with small aspects changed. Donovan was the smallest in size by far, the years of having to look like a teenager keeping him from developing as his brothers had.

"I believe you have someone to meet," Eleanor said, eyeing her sons.

More than their father's commanding voice, their mother had the power to still the jostling bunch. Donovan stepped over to Carter, his smile wide with something wild and mischievous. As he turned back to his brothers, he took Carter's hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"You already know James." In response to this, James gave Carter a teasing wink. "And you briefly met Brock." The oldest and the one beside James with a more square jaw nodded. "That one is Clint." The second oldest had his father's strong, sloped nose. He gave her a quick smile. "Guys this is Carter Owens."

Instead of offering up the usual forms of greetings they jumped straight in.

"You're really the one that beat Donny in a race," Clint said, head cocked like he didn't believe it.

James spread his arms out. "Makes sense to me, Donovan is the slowest."

Carter raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you saying that I wouldn't be able to beat you?"

The guys fell into a round of laughter. Donovan looked at Carter, but she wasn't offended.

"Carter, please," James said. "I understand that you might be able to win against this sorry excuse but against us? Well, that's another issue."

"So you wouldn't mind proving that?" she asked.

All three guys raised their eyebrows in surprise, looking back and forth between each other.

"Now?" Clint asked.

"Sure. Unless you want time to prepare," Carter said.

James cracked his knuckles, a wicked grin spreading over his lips.

"You planning on running in that?" he asked, nodding to her outfit.

"Nope," she said, crossing her arms. "I got my bag in the car and workout clothes in there."

Brock nudged Clint's shoulder, glancing between this brothers.

"All right let's do this."

As the guys went off to change into their own clothes, Donovan turned to Carter.

"You sure about this? Cause you don't have to do this," he said.

"I'll be fine. I promised you once that I would beat them, didn't I?"

Donovan smiled but there was a hesitancy in his eyes. Before he could question her again, she held out her hand for the keys and he placed them in her palm.

After she had retrieved her duffle bag and was about to step back into the house, the door opened and Ted stepped out.

"Carter," he said. "I want you to understand that you don't need to do this if you don't want to."

Carter smiled at him. "Sir, I see how even though they joke and mock Donovan, that they are protective of him. They want someone good enough for him. I can't cook, I'm only in my first semester of college and I'm not a leggy blonde that can stun men with my looks. I'm an eighteen-year-old girl who can assemble a gun under a minute and run your sons into the ground. They are Marines, what they understand are competition and victory. So to win their respect yes, I have to do this."

He gave her another one of his stored away smiles.

"You're a smart girl."

"I was raised by a Navy SEAL."

Ted gave a rough chuckle. "I would suggest not telling them that."

*************

As Carter was pulling her hair back into a ponytail, a knock came on the bathroom door. She opened it and went back to tying her hair. Donovan rested on the door frame.

"You ready?" he asked.

Carter would never admit this to Donovan, but two months ago, the day after Donovan had made an off-handed comment about Carter eventually meeting his family, she had started training at five in the morning. Even though he had always promised her that his family would love her there had been a seed of doubt that she would fail. That somehow if she didn't earn their approval she would lose Donovan's. And so she had done everything in her power to never let that happen. She was going to win this race because she planned on never losing him.

She cupped his face and kissed him.

"Always," she said.

Outside, Ted and Eleanor climbed into the cab of a black truck as their sons clambered into the back. When Carter sat down on the ridged floor, Donovan took the spot beside her. Dirt rose in clouds around them as they drove off, Carter's hair dancing in the wind.

As they bumped along, the brothers shared stories of their time riding in the back of the truck. Like when Clint had gotten drunk and tried to surf as the drove, nearly falling out of the back. Or how Brock had done a drive-by with paintball guns with Donovan acting as a sharpshooter. With the stories came Donovan's laugh contagious and filled with a part of him she had never seen before. It was a part that she loved seeing.

They stopped at a training area that held a track and football field. Everyone scrambled out and stopped on the track. As Carter stretched, Donovan offered whispered advice, telling her the weakness of his brothers, how Clint liked to sprint at the beginning but always lost wind towards the end. How Brock was a steady runner and if she got out in front of him after he found his stride, she couldn't lose. James was a wild card and would pull a burst of energy at the end.

By the time Carter was warmed up, she had a game plan.

"Are we doing a mile?" she asked.

The trio glanced at each other and then nodded. As they lined up, Carter could see Donovan's unease. It struck her then that he wanted them to like her just as much as she did. More than ever she wasn't going to let him down or let him go.

Ted held a stopwatch as Donovan held a starter's pistol.

"On your mark," Donovan shouted.

Around her, the energy of his brothers morphed into an intense focus that blinded them to everything else.

"Get set."

Carter felt her heart thudding in her chest and adrenaline coursing through her. The heat, the pressure of the race and the world faded away. This one moment was all that mattered right now.

The crack of the gun ripped through the air and she took off like a comet. Her feet pounded against the track, her legs pumping harder, shooting her forward. As Donovan had said, Clint sprinted forward. Carter let him, focusing on Brock instead. The moment he found his rhythm, Carter increased her speed and cut ahead of him.

As they entered their final lap, Clint had lost a bit of his steam and Carter passed him, leaving only James beside her. She waited, sensing his mounting energy as they rounded their last curve. Just as he was about to surge forward, Carter beat him to it, pulling from her reserve of strength and charging forward.

The suddenness of it was enough to surprise James for a fraction of a second. It was all the time Carter needed, taking the lead and cutting across the finish line a half a second before him.

As Carter raced to a stop, she became aware of Donovan shouting with excitement as he ran to her and scooped her up into a hug. He spun her around, careless of how sweaty she was. When he set her down, he kissed her, his face beaming with pride.

"My girl," he said.

His brothers crowded around them, jostling Donovan and offering Carter congratulatory high fives. She accepted them with a tired smile. As they ambled their way back to Eleanor and Ted, James and Brock nudged and pushed at Donovan, asking him how he managed to get her. Still trying to gather her breath, Carter barely noticed as Clint sidled up to her.

"Welcome to the family," he said.

She gave a weak laugh. "You understand we've only been dating for a couple of months and aren't even engaged, right?"

Clint gave an uncaring shrug.

"Yes, but that's on you now." Carter gave him a puzzled look. Clint pointed to where Donovan was putting James into a headlock. "I saw my brother's face when you crossed the finish line. The position is yours whenever he finally admits it and you finally accept it."

Carter smiled, feeling her fear melt away.

**********************************************************************

Bam! Take that!

(I'm not sure what you're taking but it better not be my ice cream. Thief!)

There you have it, not only did Carter meet the family but she also managed to kick the brothers' butts in a race! You got two for the price of one! I know a lot of you wanted both of these scenes and I really hope it lived up to your expectations! If not, don't tell me.

To be honest I thought it hilarious how nervous Carter was about meeting his family. I mean this is Carter Freaking Owens nothing terrifies this girl! Were you surprised by that?

What did you think of the talk with Donovan's mother?

I didn't plan for that either but it was so interesting how she viewed the whole situation and how Donovan almost quit at one point! How terrible would that have been! He wouldn't have met Carter! Okay, well he would have because we saw the alternative timeline and they found each other there.

Any who! I really hope you enjoyed this!

To show your love why don't you send me a hug!

Or you know vote, comment, follow! Either one works for me!