This story is dedicated to Tea-Induced Scribbles and a conversation we had about Ella Fitzgerald, Season 5, and the gentleman of The last Ship, along wit the ladies they love.
Every Time we Say Goodbye
This must be how Darien felt Tom mused as he flipped the burgers he had been carefully tending as he watched Sasha doing the rounds of their guests. It was their last get together before Sasha and the rest of Vulture team departed for Panama. The covert mission had been reluctantly sanctioned by President Oliver in the wake of the attack on the James and the Michener, when Intel had indicated Panamanian involvement.
This time though it was Tom staying behind, whilst Sasha deployed, the spouse left behind. Though he didn't doubt his wife's abilities in the field, he hated the fact he wouldn't be there to watch her back. He wasn't the only one unhappy about Sasha's departure, glancing over at Ashley and Sam who were also watching the step mother they'd slowly come to adore, their faces a picture of sadness and worry he'd seen before his own deployments. He was filled with a new respect, not just for Darien, but for his mother when she'd watched both her husband, then her sons, deploy, never letting on how much she must 've worried.
Calling Jeter over, Tom asked his long-time colleague to watch over the food, he walked over to the stereo system Sam had set up for him, an idea taking shape in his head. Every time his father had deployed, Jed would put on a certain song, and waltz his wife, Tom's mother Patricia, around the kitchen. He could see them in his mind, dancing slowly around the room, lost in each other's arms. As the song would finish, Jed would dip Patty, causing her to laugh merrily, before pulling her back up and kissing her soundly. It was their little ritual, one that had helped the couple manage the deployments, and maybe it could do the same for their son, Tom mused to himself.
Sasha watched Tom heading over to the stereo system, wondering just what her husband was up to. She knew Tom was deeply unhappy about her upcoming mission, but to give him credit he had remained supportive, never airing his doubts aloud, even to her. She could see it in his expressive blue eyes, in the soft, lingering touches, in the way they made love – she knew him so well. Heads turned as the music changed from the popular tunes of the day to a Cole Porter ballad – Tom walked over to Sasha and took her hand, pulling her into his arms as he began waltzing her around the garden
Every time we say goodbye
I die a little
Every time we say goodbye
I wonder why a little
Why the Gods above me
Who must be in the know
Think so little of me
They allow you to go
"Ella Fitzgerald, I wouldn't have pegged you as an Ella fan" Sasha smiled up at him, caressing his face as she did so.
"It was my Mom's favorite – he'd play it for her the night before he left for deployment" Tom replied "they'd dance around the kitchen, just the two of them alone together"
"So you thought you'd recreate it?" Sasha commented, touched he'd made such an intensely personal gesture in public, communicating his feelings through action rather than words – it was so Tom.
When you're near
There's such an air of spring about it
I can hear a lark somewhere
Begin to sing about it
There's no love song finer
But how strange the change from major to minor
Every time we say goodbye
There was no need for more words as Tom curled his arm around her waist, his long, tapered fingers laced with hers as he waltzed Sasha around the garden, his eyes never leaving hers. Slowly, other couples joined them on the makeshift dancefloor - Wolf and Azima, followed by Danny and Kara, each enjoying their own private moment together.
When you're near
There's such an air of spring about it
I can hear a lark somewhere
Begin to sing about it
There's no love song finer
But how strange the change from major to minor
Every time we say goodbye
As the song drew to a close and the last notes died away, Tom dipped Sasha backwards, just as his father had done. His wife's joyous laughter filled the air as he pulled her back up into his arms and kissed her tenderly. No matter what the future brought them, Sasha knew they'd face it together, but for now she was content to savour this evening surrounded by those dearest to her, and in the arms of the man she loved.