A/N: After watching the premiere the other night, I'm still not convinced Rachel is dead, so I guess this fic came out of the hopes that she's still hiding out there somewhere. Everyone needs a little hope and a reminder not to give up after that, so here's this. Hope you guys like it!
After having given the crew of the Nathan James their orders, President Michener had ordered Kara to go home and get some rest. She had left the President's office unsure of what to do, and before she knew it she found herself driving out to the cabin where Rachel was spending what she called her "exile".
Before little Frankie had been born, Kara had come out to the cabin once a week so Rachel could check on the baby's progress. The only time Rachel had left the cabin since the night of her shooting was to help deliver Kara's baby, and the two had become close friends since. Kara needed someone to talk to, someone who wasn't Navy, so she wasn't surprised when she realized she had subconsciously driven to Rachel's cabin.
When she arrived, she got out and knocked on the door. There was a delay of a few seconds, presumably while Tex checked to make sure it was her and the coast was clear, and then the door opened.
"Good to see ya again, Mrs. Green," Tex said with a grin. Although Danny and Kara had been married for a few months now, hearing her married name never ceased to make Kara smile.
This time, though, Tex's usual greeting brought tears to her eyes, and Tex immediately knew something was wrong. Without another word, he ushered her in and delivered her to the kitchen, where they found Rachel stirring a pot.
Rachel had heard Tex's greeting and knew it was Kara who was visiting, so when she heard footsteps coming down the hall she said without looking up, "Before you say anything, I'm only cooking because all we had was chili and Tex's chili is awful," she laughed.
"Hey now," Text protested, but didn't contradict her.
Despite herself, Kara found herself smiling a bit, and wiped her eyes. But when Rachel finally looked up from her chili and saw the look of barely concealed sadness in her friend's eyes, she said, "Tex, I think you can manage stirring for a while," and motioned for him to take over. Tex took the spoon from her, and Rachel took Kara's arm and lead her into her bedroom.
Rachel sat Kara down on her bed, grabbed a box of tissues, and sat next to her. "Now," she said. "What's wrong?"
"It's Danny," Kara said, tears in her eyes and a sob clawing at her throat. "Apparently there was a raid on the crew while they were on land. He was taken hostage, along with the CO, XO, and quite a few others," Kara tried to say more, but she couldn't, so she just buried her head in her hands.
"Oh, Kara," Rachel said, "I'm so sorry." Rachel hugged her, and Kara was glad she had come here instead of going home by herself.
After a few minutes, Rachel asked, "Do you know what happened to them?" Kara just shook her head, unable to say anything else. "So, they could still be alive?" Rachel asked.
"I… I don't know," Kara said. "We… we had to tell the James to sortie to open waters, to prevent it from being the next target." She paused for a moment before whispering, "they had to leave them behind."
There was a pause as Rachel considered what to say next. She thought about everything the crew had been through over the course of their mission, and all of the seemingly impossible things she had seen them do. It seemed to her it was too early to give up hope for Danny and the rest of the crew, but she knew it would be hard to convince Kara of that right now.
"Well," Rachel began, hoping she wasn't about to give her friend false hope. "If there is one thing the crew of the Nathan James is good at, it's doing the impossible. If Danny, Slattery, and the rest of the crew are out there, they'll find a way to get out. And you can be sure President Michener and Captain Chandler won't rest until their people are safe. They'll find them, Kara." Rachel believed what she was saying, but she could tell by the look on Kara's face that she wasn't convinced. Rachel needed to approach this a different way.
Rachel considered a different way to approach this, and thought back to her time in the hospital right after her shooting. "There was something Tom told me, while I was in the hospital," she began. "While I was still asleep. He thought I couldn't hear him, but I could," she said with a smile, and was glad when Kara gave her a weak smile back. "He said the doctors had told him I'd be lucky to survive, but he told me, 'until I see that heart monitor flatline, I'm not giving up hope, and I'm not leaving you.'" She paused, and Kara looked at her in confusion. "It's the same for you," Rachel said. "Until you know for sure they're gone, don't give up hope. Keep fighting for them, and don't leave them. You never know what the next miracle will be with this crew."
Kara thought about this for a moment, letting Rachel's words sink in. It was true that this crew always seemed to pull off the impossible, so maybe it was too early to give up. After a moment, she smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Rachel," she said. "I think I know what I have to do." Rachel smiled at the new hope in Kara's eyes, glad she could make a difference.
"You'd better get back out there," Kara said, "before Tex ruins your chili." Rachel laughed, gave Kara a quick hug, and the two headed back out into the kitchen, both feeling a little better.