Late One Night
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Kara jolted awake to the sound of toenails clipping along the wooden floor, followed by a sharp bark. She groaned.
"Not again."
Throwing off the covers, Kara tied her robe tightly around her waist, just above her bump, to provide some protection against the frigid February temperature. Halsey was an excellent guard dog – in the city where the noises were familiar. Here in the country, he seemed to think every squirrel climbing up a tree and every bunny bouncing across the yard was an imminent threat, going berserk until she let him out to investigate and inevitably waking Frankie up in the process. After the fourth or fifth night in a row, Kara had realized it was easier to get up and let the dog out than deal with a screaming toddler.
Shuffling towards the stairs, still mostly asleep, it took Kara half a second to register the fact that the front door was open and a scruffy man – beard down to his chest – stood in the doorway. He turned slightly, the moonlight glinting off the gun strapped to the small of his back when he bent to pick something up. Freezing, Kara abruptly recalled that her service weapon was still tucked safely in her locked nightstand drawer where there was no risk of Frankie getting it. That didn't mean she was defenseless, however.
"Halsey, attaque!"
The dog didn't hesitate and within seconds the intruder was flat on his back and Kara was in her bedroom retrieving her pistol, only to be met with the sound of a very familiar voice.
"Jesus, Kara! Call him off!"
Dashing down the stairs, Kara took in the sight before her. Halsey had the apparent intruder pinned down, covering most of his face and torso, but those arms and legs looked incredibly familiar.
"Danny?"
There was no mistaking his voice, and yet this man looked (and smelled, as she got closer) more like the guy who lived in the trash receptacle near her office than her husband. Approaching cautiously, Kara switched on the small lamp near the front door, flooding the space with light and confirming that the man on the floor was in fact Danny. Well, a dirty, hairy, smelly version of him anyway. Her lips twitched as she took in his obvious annoyance.
"Believe it or not, this was not the homecoming I was expecting," Danny muttered, as Halsey whined at Kara, clearly agitated over the fact that he was pinning down a familiar (well, a somewhat familiar) face.
"Halsey, halte." Stepping off Danny, the dog immediately began licking him profusely, apparently his version of an apology. Kara crossed her arms over her chest, happiness warring with irritation. "You're lucky I didn't shoot you, sneaking into the house like that. What were you thinking?"
"Since when is walking through the front door sneaking in?" Danny griped, frowning at the dog, who returned to Kara, leaning against her leg. Danny sighed, wiping dog spit from his cheek. "I thought I could surprise you and Frankie when you woke up. I didn't count on Halsey turning on me. I guess that answers the question of who Halsey thinks his handler is now."
As Danny pushed to a sitting position, Kara couldn't help but laugh. His face had more fur that Halsey. She reached out a hand to help him up. "Did Slattery kick you off the ship for violating Navy grooming standards?"
"It's a long story," Danny began, only to be interrupted by a keening wail from Frankie's room.
Kara grimaced, unsurprised that the racket had woken the child. "I'll get him."
Hurrying up the stairs, she picked the twenty-two month old out of his crib, cradling him on her shoulder, softly humming a mindless tune. A muffled footstep sounded behind her and Kara turned, realizing that Danny had followed her up the stairs. Tears glimmered in his eyes – as they always did when he saw his son again after a deployment – and Kara's irritation over his impromptu arrival disappeared, her heart melting at his tender expression. Smiling, feeling the prick of tears in her own eyes, Kara jiggled the toddler. "Frankie, Daddy's home."
Unfortunately, Frankie's reaction was not the one that either Danny or Kara expected. One look at the man standing in the doorway and the decimal level of Frankie's cries increased exponentially. "No, no, no bear. Scary bear!"
Exhausted and half-deaf from the ear-piercing shrieks, Kara shifted the toddler so Danny's frame was hidden, disregarding the shock and hurt on her husband's face for the moment. "He's just tired and confused, Danny. Let me get him calmed down and then you can see him." She hesitated before adding. "We should have some hot water if you want to take a shower while you wait. You do kind of stink."
That got her a bit of a smile, and Danny disappeared down the hall. With a tired sigh, Kara settled in the rocking chair, knowing that it would take at least thirty minutes to calm Frankie down from this level of hysteria. Once the child was back to sleep she would find Danny and figure out what he was doing home three months into what was supposed to be a six-month deployment.
But next thing she knew, Kara found herself waking up to a sunlit room, the smell of coffee wafting towards her and a major crick in her neck – most likely from spending the night in a rocking chair holding a toddler. Opening her eyes, she was treated to the sight of her husband wearing a pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt, the grizzly bear beard gone, once again looking like the man she had married and smelling like soap rather than a dumpster.
"Morning." Danny smiled that lazy smile, the one she could never resist, and Kara's heart rate doubled as it sank in that last night wasn't a dream. He was really here. Glancing down, Kara noticed that Frankie was still asleep. If she could transfer him into his crib without waking him up, they might get a few minutes to...
But alone time with Danny would have to wait, because the moment that Kara moved Frankie's eyes popped wide open. His head swiveling, it took Frankie only a moment to spy the figure standing in the doorway. With a squeal of glee, Frankie threw himself off Kara's lap, running towards his father.
"Daddy!"
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A/N – this story is dedicated to Tea-Induced Scribbles. She suggested a story involved Danny, the beard, a surprise arrival, and Frankie not recognizing his dad. This is what developed. Hope you all enjoyed!