Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, The Last Ship.

Summary: Danny and Kara have a lot to talk about after she's released from the quarantine tent.

Note: I wrote this mainly because I really wish these two would have a decent conversation. :)

Promises

By
N. J. Borba

Kara opened her eyes and yawned as the cabin came back into focus.

A small smile curled her lips a moment later, realizing she was still snuggled up in his strong yet gentle embrace. Her back against his chest, head resting on his shoulder, the warmth of him the only blanket needed in the cool cabin. The lower bunk was tight for one person let alone the two of them, but Kara hadn't wanted him to leave. She hadn't wanted to let go of him since being released after her ordeal in the quarantine tent.

After getting the all-clear from Dr. Scott nearly three hours ago, Kara had fallen asleep almost instantly in her own bunk with Danny spooned behind her. They knew it was a risk, but considering the Captain knew she was pregnant it seemed a risk worth taking. Neither of them knew how they were going to maneuver a relationship around their Navy careers. And a surprise baby thrown into the mix had certainly shaken things up.

Normally she was the more serious of the two, the one less likely to take the risks of being caught. But at the moment, Kara found she didn't really care about anything other than Danny and the baby she'd learned about only a day ago. She could hear the soft murmur of Danny's breath in her ear, felt its warmth against her cheek. It comforted her even though the world just outside her cabin was still a mess. For a short period of time, at least, the three of them were together and alive.

"Alisha will be back soon," Kara whispered, knowing their current union would have to end eventually. As they always did.

He shifted a little so his arms wrapped around her waist, "Her duty shift doesn't end until eighteen hundred hours," Danny replied in an equally hushed, relaxed tone. "That gives us another hour or so," he added, nestling his chin against her shoulder. "Then I'll have to go back to listening to Tex snore in my cabin," Danny lamented.

A smile bloomed bright on her face, "He wasn't so bad to bunk with in the tent," Kara recalled, having found Tex's presence beside her a comfort. Almost like a fatherly figure. But more like a crazy, goofy uncle. They'd all done their best to keep an eye on each other in that tent. It had drawn them all closer in an odd sort of way.

"Maybe because you were practically in a coma most of the time," Danny remarked dimly. He sighed, instantly regretting having said those words. His left index finger reached out and twirled a bit of her long, dark hair. "Tell me about being harvest queen," he spoke with genuine interest.

"Really?" she frowned, but relaxed even more into his comfortable embrace, "That's what you're thinking about most right now after everything we've been through the last three days, my harvest queen reign?" Kara nearly laughed. She turned onto her right side to face him and watched him nod.

"It's easier than talking about…" Danny trailed off, a huge sigh punctuating his inability to put words to his fears. Not having her hair to twirl, his hand trailed downward to rest against her t-shirt covered belly, their helpless unborn child safe there for the moment. "I thought you said you were a brainiac in high school, not a beauty queen," he grinned, but suddenly realized the way his words might have been misconstrued, "I mean, I don't think you were… well, of course you're beautiful and probably were back then, too, and…"

Kara let him stammer for a moment, holding back a laugh. He was excellent at his job, never backing down from a fight, pushing through, always having the right order to give and following the ones he was given without question. But she secretly loved how flustered she could make him.

"You are beautiful," Danny finally clarified, "Without a doubt."

She did chuckle at that, "It was senior year and I wanted to fit in more. I was on the debate team and president of the science club, so naturally the popular girls made fun of me for being a nerd. Guess I wanted to prove I could be just as pretty and popular. Harvest Queen wasn't exactly the best route for popularity, not like homecoming queen or being a cheerleader, but it was something. And my mom had been harvest queen in high school. I think part of it was about wanting to make her proud."

Danny was surprised by that comment, "You told me she's always been proud and supportive of you."

"Yeah, mom's always been my biggest cheerleader," she nodded confidently, "But joining the Navy…" Kara bit her bottom lip, confidence slipping, "She wasn't happy about that at first. But I'd decided that path in the sixth grade and never wavered.

He was still too curious to drop the matter, though he sensed she would've liked to, "She disproved of the Navy?" Danny had a hard time understanding that given that almost every member of his family had done some sort of military service over the years. He noticed how Kara grew quiet for a while. It worried him to see her look so lost, like the look she'd worn as he'd declared his love for her and then told her to stay away from him. "Kara?" he softly prodded, "You okay?"

"My dad," she finally whispered. "Mom was scared of me joining the Navy because of what happened to my dad."

"You, uh… you never talk about him," Danny bravely replied, hoping to keep her talking, "I guess I always figured he left the two of you. You only ever mention your mom, and your dog, Wizard, and your horse, Rainbow," he smiled, recalling how she'd told him about her favorite childhood movie being The Wizard of Oz, and naming her pets accordingly.

"Ensign Brian Foster was stationed on a carrier overseas when I was born," she revealed, "He and mom had been married for three years and she got pregnant just before he was deployed," Kara paused, taking a deep breath, "They grew up together in Kansas and planned to get away from farming so they ran away to Virginia. But they had no money so dad joined the Navy. He was killed during a Gulf incident when I was six months old. Never got to hold me, or even see me other than pictures mom had sent him."

"Kara, I'm so sorry. I had no idea," Danny couldn't imagine what that was like. Both his parents had been there for him growing up. And even though his father was a rough and tough Navy man, Danny knew he loved his kids more than just about anything other than their mom. And he'd always been supportive and encouraging to his children.

She shrugged, "No big deal," Kara replied dismissively, "I never knew him. You can't really miss someone you never knew."

Danny doubted that was true, but he didn't say as much to her. He remained quiet, sensing she had more to say.

"Mom was devastated by his loss," she revealed, "She moved us back to her family farm in Kansas thinking we'd be safe there, away from the rest of the world. We lived with my grandparents until they both died. Mom never remarried, she barely even went out on any dates over the years, and only at the insistence of friends. She still misses him, Danny. Twenty-five years later and…" Kara sighed, knowing she could say the same of Danny if she'd lost him, "She still misses him."

"So…" Danny felt slightly uncomfortable with the topic of her mother's grief, "You joined the Navy because of your dad?"

Kara nodded, her lips a thin line as she tried to keep her composure, "I guess I thought maybe that would make me feel closer to him somehow, give me a better idea about who he was," she shrugged, struggling for the right way to explain her feelings, "Maybe that sounds silly to you," Kara's eyes dipped toward the bed, avoiding direct line of sight with him.

He noticed she looked a bit embarrassed to admit it, "No, Kara," Danny tried to assure her, reaching out and lifting her chin so he could look at her, "It doesn't sound foolish to me. But I can see how joining up upset your mom. You were all she had left and she didn't want to lose you," he watched her nod. Danny's hand slowly moved from her chin to her shoulder, trailing down her arm, and smoothing along her waist until finally resting atop her belly again. He softly rubbed circles there, "Kara, I was such an idiot, no, a… I was a jerk."

"Which time are you talking about?" she actually wore a slight smile as she teased him, feeling at ease as he opened up a bit more.

His small smile mirrored Kara's, her suddenly lighthearted mood infectious. "When I told you to stay away from me," Danny clarified, a serious look taking over his grin, "I was trying to protect you, I think, from getting hurt. But I was trying to protect myself even more because…" he sighed, trailing off. Danny looked her in the eye, though, "I wouldn't be upset if you'd… if you… I wouldn't blame you," he rubbed her belly again.

"Danny, what?" she gently prodded, sensing he was hesitant to say anything more.

"Kara, whether it's my baby or not, I don't care," he finally blurted out. "I'll love you both, take care of you both for as long as I live," Danny declared. "I promise you."

Her eyes had narrowed a bit, shocked by his words. "Danny, there was never anyone else," Kara let him know.

"It's just, I saw you and Burk on Serrana Bank," he revealed. "You seemed friendly."

She chuckled, shaking her head slowly, "That's an interesting observation you made, lieutenant. Friends being friendly toward one another." Kara flashed another faint smile, "You'll be happy to know that's all Burk and I have ever been, friends," she declared. "Danny, no matter how big a jerk you were to push me away, I wouldn't have betrayed you like that."

"Then you're saying the baby…" Danny took a deep breath to steady his self, "He's mine?"

Kara nodded before she realized what he'd just said, "What a sec… what makes you think the baby is a he?" she questioned.

"The male Green-gene runs strong in my family," he boasted, a sudden lightness in his words now that he'd cleared up that small worry, "Told you I have two older brothers and two younger brothers, right?" Danny smiled.

"Ben is the oldest," Kara recalled, "Then there's Andrew, and obviously you're third, fourth is Kyle and…" she scrunched her nose in concentration for a moment, "Don't tell me," Kara could see he was on the verge of helping her out, "Ryan is the youngest," she finally remembered.

She watched him nod and smile, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. It wasn't hard for her to read him. As much as he tried to play the stalwart Navy officer, Kara had already seen his softer side enough to know something was wrong, "Danny, you can tell me anything. You know that, right?" Kara insisted, "I mean, I just told you about my dad and I never talk about him. I can barely talk to my mom about him."

"It's just… talking about our families, it…" Danny looked her in the eye and realized that he trusted her more than he'd ever trusted anyone. Regret pooled in his belly again for the way he'd exploded at her in the officer mess one day. She'd tried to get him to open up about losing Frankie and all he'd done was explode on her. He'd been so callous in the way he'd talked about their loved ones likely being dead, "I'm scared, Kara… I'm so scared of losing you," Danny finally admitted to her.

"I'm not going anywhere," she swiftly replied.

He smiled at that simple response, no hesitation, recalling that she'd said those very same words to him while they'd been en route to the Russian ship.

"You told me you lost your focus because of me," Kara reminded him, though not meaning to scold him, "But you are my focus, Danny. My mom might be… she could be dead, along with your parents and your brothers. But I have you, and you have me. And we can be the thing that gets each other through this," she implored, "I want to be that for you."

Danny nodded, "I want that, too."

"Okay," she was happy for that small admittance on his part, "But you have to promise not to freak out on me again," Kara wasn't about to relent, feeling the need to push him out of his normal comfort zone of brooding and feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders alone. "I need you, Danny, through all of it. We have to be in this together, for each other and especially for this baby," she concluded as her hand came to rest atop his on her belly.

"You're right," he agreed, "You're absolutely right. Are you ever wrong?"

She flashed a toothy grin, "Rarely."

"Consider it a promise, Kara. I promise I'll be there for you, for both of you," he vowed. "I love you and…" his words got stuck a moment, "I still can't believe the first time I told you I loved you was like that, angry and…" Danny shook his head, "I'm so sorry."

"I figured if you said it once, it was likely you'd say it again," Kara shrugged, "And you just did," she smiled. "I love you, too, Danny.

"What am I going to do with you?" he wondered. "I don't deserve you."

"Yes, you do," she assured him. "You deserve good things, Danny. You deserve happiness and a family, me and a baby who's going to love its daddy like crazy," Kara insisted. "And… I can think of one thing you could do with me right now," she leaned in and kissed him on the lips, wanting to get away from the seriousness for a moment. It was a quick touch, gentle and sweet, but she wasted little time deepening the union. Her tongue slowly parting his lips, her fingers fervently caressing the soft hairs at the back of his neck.

Danny gave in to her desire for a moment, but he was a little surprised by her sudden advances. Usually he was the one to initiate while she tried to remain reserved, "Kara," he took a quick, shaky breath, "We can't really, not here…" he tried to catch his breath for a moment as they separated barely an inch, "Lt. Granderson will be back, you said so yourself."

His formal use of rank made her smile, "Alisha's seen me naked before, and you're not her type," Kara pointed out, placing tiny kisses along his jawline. She closed her eyes as he kissed her neck, the warmth of his lips a comfort like no other, "But if you're really worried I can close the bunk curtain."

Danny wasn't sure what to say to that, pulling back again and staring at her like she was slightly mad. But her sweet, teasing grin calmed him, "You're crazy, but I love you."

Kara lay back atop the bed, her previous desire suddenly replaced by tears that pricked the corners of her eyes, "What's crazy is how I feel today, all up and down. One minute I'm exhausted and the next I want to rip all your clothes off. And just now I was overcome by the biggest wave of… of fear."

"You're worried?" Danny lay on his side facing her, arm draped protectively across her waist.

"About the baby, yes," Kara sighed.

"You never suspected you were pregnant?" Danny asked.

She frowned, a look which caused a deep V to form between her brows. "Sure, Danny, I knew all along I was pregnant," the sarcasm dripped off her words, "But I wasn't having any morning sickness so I decided to willingly infect myself with the most deadly virus known to humankind. You know, just so I could enjoy being sick during my pregnancy."

"All you had to say was, stupid question," Danny grinned. But he could tell she wasn't in much of a joking mode. Her moods really were all over the place. "Hey, you know what I told you. Dr. Scott said he…" Danny caught himself, "Or she would be born immune."

"But how can we know that for sure until the baby's born?" Kara challenged, "And what about the Captain, he hasn't even come to talk to us about all this yet. We could be in serious trouble," she rambled on nervously, "And what if the vaccine caused the baby some sort of damage, or what if there's a mutated form of the virus at some point and he won't be immune to that. I don't know what I'd do if I lost…" Kara couldn't finish the thought, but she was surprised to find Danny grinning. "What?"

He shrugged, "Nothing, except you said he. The baby," Danny waved a hand at her covered belly, "You just called the baby a he."

Kara chuckled, grateful of the lightness that he'd brought to her fearful rant.

"Whatever happens with the Captain, we'll figure it out," Danny did his best to assure her.

A hesitant nod was given as she tried to calm down, remembering how relaxed she'd been mere minutes ago in his arms. Kara's thoughts drifted back to the twinkle in his eye when he mentioned her slip about the baby, "If it is a boy, maybe we could name him Frankie?"

It took him a moment to process that idea, touched greatly by the honor it would bring to his lost friend, "Or maybe Brian," Danny countered.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, warmed by his reciprocal gesture, "Franklin Brian Green," Kara suggested. "And if she's a girl, I still like Frankie."

"Me, too," Danny easily agreed. He curled up closer, scooting down a little so his head was near her belly, "Hi there, baby Frankie," Danny spoke in a soft voice. Kara's varying moods and the rest of the world faded into the realm of things he didn't want to worry about at the moment, "I'm your daddy, and the beautiful but slightly crazy lady carrying you is your mommy. And I promise I'm going to keep you and your mommy safe."

"Maybe you shouldn't make that promise," Kara hesitantly said, running her hands through his short dusty-blonde hair, "It's just… out here there're still so many things that could go…"

"You're right," Danny interrupted her, stopping her form saying the word wrong, "I promise," he eyed Kara even as his words were still focused on her stomach, "I promise I'll try my hardest to keep you safe, baby Frankie. And if for any reason I'm not able to do that, then your mom will keep you safe. And if she can't then Lt. Granderson or the Master Chief, Tex or Dr. Scott… someone on this ship… no, everyone on this ship will do their best to make sure you're safe and loved," his voice warbled a little.

She couldn't stop her tear from falling while listening to his emotional declaration.

He kept his eyes focused on Kara, reaching up to gently swipe away her fallen tear with the pad of his left thumb, "That last bit is the most important thing to remember," Danny continued to speak softly to the baby, "You are loved, little Frankie. And I promise you'll always be loved," he assured.

Kara placed her hands on either side of his face, dipping her head to kiss him again. This time when their lips met the union was filled with what Danny had just declared. Love. She slowly pulled out of the kiss but kept her gaze locked on his. "We still have a lot of stuff to work out," she whispered.

Danny nodded.

"But that's one promise I can agree with," Kara concurred.

The End