"Man, you should have come with us to Aruba. You would have loved it." Frankie told Danny as he connected the leash to Halsey's collar. They were just an hour away from sailing to the Arctic. They were supposed to be on R&R for another week but had been called in last night.
Danny had meant to join team on their annual vacation. Yeah, their team was tight like that, with exception of Smith who had a wife and two kids he apparently loved more than beer and being of Frankie's wing-men. But his father had a heart attack, so family emergency trumped exploring Aruba's culture, booze and women.
If Danny was honest he really needed a timeout at home not chasing bikini clad women after the last mission they had. So while it was bad his Dad had a heart attack, it was great to have a legitimate excuse to stay home. He missed his family and liked to hang out with them. He liked catching up with his siblings and nieces and nephews, he got to have his fill of his Mom's cooking and talk with his Dad in the shed about life and things Danny just couldn't share with another soul for fear of being seen as weak or breaking confidentiality contracts. His father however understood as he was an active and highly decorated General in the Marine corps. So Danny could talk about his job in the Marines as Mountain Warfare Unit.
Granted he couldn't go into specific dates or details but he could say enough that he and his Dad could relate with one another on and his Dad could give him advice ranging from career advice on how to be a better leader, to career decisions for the future and also how to climb the ladder. He was being realistic as he knew that he couldn't stay in his unit forever, age would get the better of him and he needed to be smarter and plan a head. The planning ahead part was a little harder as his Mom put the screws to him to settle down and his father agreed having a wife didn't hurt an officer's image as long as he chose wisely. He secretly felt like his Mom wanted more grand children as his brother and sister were both married with two kids. His older brother's wife just had baby number three but Danny just wasn't there yet. He still had a few wild oats to sow and frankly he had no clue what he was looking for in wife. But he had to admit one day it'd be nice to come home to a woman he loved than to an empty apartment.
"How did you and the guys go?" Danny asked him.
"Bercham found wife number three." Frankie said with a grin as the man came out to them.
"Tell me you didn't marry her." Danny said to the man in disbelief as Bercham was the only one on the team besides Smith who took the dive into wedded bliss. He just couldn't keep a hold on his brides.
Danny laughed and turned but as he did someone ran straight into him. Bags dropped onto the pavement as Danny caught the person and steadied them both before they face planted. "Whoa!" Danny said with a smile as he found in his arms much to his surprise a beautiful female officer. She looked up at him, her hazel eyes distracted him for a moment as they were purest grass green colour with gold flecks that shone in the sun framed with long luscious eyelashes. She had dark mahogany hair tied back into a bun and lightly tanned skin with the tiniest sprinkle of freckles. "You ok?" he asked her regaining his composure somewhat.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you." She said distractedly as she pushed herself out of his arms. Danny reluctantly released and went to pick up her sea bag but she got to it first. "It's ok and I'm fine. I should have watched where I was going." She said quickly before she ran off not even letting Danny speak or say goodbye. He also felt a little butt sore from her 'not seeing' him, he was 6ft tall man with a damn fine physique not something that was hard to miss especially by the female population. He was usually appreciated for at least a second or two even by the taken ones.
"Look out, target acquired." Bercham joked as he slapped Danny on the back hard. Danny frowned as didn't like what the man was saying. So Danny had a way with women, it didn't mean he literally chased everything with a pulse like Frankie nor did he try to marry them like Bercham. "And she's got a fine tail on her too. Maybe this 4 month stint won't be so bad after all. That's if she's on our ship." Bercham added with an appreciative tone as he was watching the same woman run through the mess of officers and families that were heading to the ports to see the ships sailing today.
"That's a fellow sailor you're talking about." Danny told him in a clipped tone, even though he was just as guilty for watching her rush through the crowd to get on any number of ships leaving the port this morning. Knowing his luck, he'd never see her again.
"Yeah, I know all about the Naval Mountain Warfare Unit, but I've never heard of a dog setting foot on a destroyer." Master Chief Jeter said as he was holding up Danny and his team from boarding the ship because of Halsey. The Master Chief didn't seem to have much of a sense of humour given Frankie made a quip about Halsey just being a very hairy and under-dressed officer.
"This isn't just a dog. This is Admiral Halsey. And he's a mean operator." Danny told him, the hold up was in the paperwork. The ship manifest hadn't been updated to contain all of the team's names or Halsey's on it. That and majority of Naval vessels weren't happy about having animals of any type on the vessel unless it was butchered and in the cooler room. It always came down to who picked up the dog crap as they seemed to believe that Frankie would renege on his duties in regards to Halsey which was never the case. He was the dog handler and thus in charge of Halsey and his care.
"Yeah? Well, so is the Captain." Master Chief told him, he flicked through the paper work that Danny gave him for a second time looking unimpressed with the dog. "He's not going to like this." he added.
"Sir-" Danny started but a 3rd class Petty Officer raced up to them with a piece of paper and held it out to the Master Chief. The young man was red cheeked and out of breath as he must had run a fair distance as his cheeks nearly matched his red hair.
"Master Chief, this just came down the line." he said, the Master Chief took the page and thanked the man dismissing him. Danny and the others stood around waiting as the Master Chief went through the list on the new page and looked like they were going to be let onto the ship.
"Looks like you are all on the list and the dog is allowed on the ship, but know this; we keep a tight and clean ship. That dog will be leashed at all times and secure in your berth at all times with the exception of it's daily exercises and off ship missions. Am I understood?" he asked them, in normal circumstances a Master Chief making such a statement would be seen as insubordinate but Danny and the others knew the drill and frankly wanted their stay on the ship to be amicable. So they did the smart thing and gave the man respect in acknowledging the order.
"Yes, Sir." Frankie and Danny said in unison, the Master Chief ticked them off the pages and told them their berths on the ship that would be their homes for the 4 month stint.
"Welcome aboard the Nathan James." Master Chief said stepping to the side to let them pass.
"Every time." Frankie said in a slightly aggravated and exhausted tone; once they were out of hearing range of the Master Chief. They now had to dodge and evade the crew members who were quickly getting the ship supplied and ready to sail. It wouldn't be long as they were one of the few to be checked into the Nathan James manifest. Danny knew because he'd peeked at the clipboard.
"You wanted to be the dog handler." Danny told him, as they entered into the ship's interior heading to their quarters. It'd been between him and Frankie both being animal lovers but the unit was only allowed one dog. Two was rather superfluous to the team.
"Only because Halsey liked me better. You can't still be jealous about Halsey and my relationship." Frankie joked, Danny laughed but it fell short as his eyes landed on a familiar figure. He smiled as it was the woman from the parking lot.
Of all the ships to be assigned to that were departing that day he had landed on hers. He couldn't believe his luck, maybe it was finally turning around because there she stood talking to another sailor. She was still dressed in the same blue uniform but the cap was gone giving him a better look at the entirety of her now she also wasn't running away from him. He took a moment to just drink in the sight of her, he didn't really know why he was drawn to her. Sure she was beautiful but maybe it was that she didn't appear to be vapid or perhaps it was casual disinterest. Whatever it was, he was hooked. Especially when she smiled so beautifully that he wished it was him on the receiving end. She clapped the man on the arm in a very masculine manner like men did to their friends before walking away from him.
"Dude, our quarters are this way. We need to get our gear stowed away before ship set sail. You know how I like to watch the coastline disappear." Frankie said to Danny snapping the man out of his thoughts. It was a tradition of theirs to stow their gear and go up on deck.
Frankie loved watching the coast disappear, not that Danny ever understood why. It just reminded him of everything he was leaving behind and wouldn't see for months like his family. But it was part of the job, the part most people who he left behind never really understood except his family. It was why he tended to keep things light and fun.
"I know, I'll catch up." Danny assured him, he shifted his sea bag on his shoulder and headed down the p-way in the direction of the brunette that he just had to get a smile from. He headed straight for her and stepped right in her way, she would have walked right into him as she kept her head down but this time she sensed him or wasn't in a rush as she stopped right in front of him and looked up at him with a look that said 'say something or move'.
"Hey," He looked down at her name tag and rank. Something he'd missed before when they had collided into one another earlier. "Lt. Foster, we knocked into one another earlier in the parking lot." He said jogging her memory and testing out how receptive the waters were so to speak. It was a four month stint and he technically wasn't a member of the ship, she was beautiful and he was a Marine so if she was lacking a few IQ points he could convince her that the Marines was it's own branch of the military. Lord knew it had worked in the past for him.
"Oh, that was you?" she asked casually, her heart was beating a million miles an hour as she tried to play it cool. Of course she remembered him but men who looked him were trouble. That and she was pissed off as he practically ogled her chest to get her name. She hated it when guys did that and it was such a shame because he was incredibly handsome. Yet here he was hitting on her in the worst possible way. She knew the routine, the 'I'm lost, please help me.' which ended with him cockily informing her that they both knew where he'd be if she was 'interested' routine. Part of her wanted to tell him she wasn't a piece of meat or an idiot but knew being combative with male officers never ended well. It was just easier to let them get it out of their system.
"Yeah," Danny said with a smile that could melt butter, he looked around and looked a little chagrined. "Look, I'm a little turned around. You wouldn't happen to know where my quarters are?" he asked her.
"What berth did the Master Chief give you?" Kara asked, here she knew as he told her the location that he'd follow it with a cheesy 'I hear it can get very lonely out on the sea, but we won't have worry since you'll know where I'm at'. She nodded for a moment and decided to nip this in the bud. "Sure, just follow the p-way, go down two decks and hang a right." She told him in a matter of fact tone and pretended to play along with him.
She pressed her lips together and waited for him to work it out which surprisingly only took a couple seconds. She watched as he frowned and then looked at her wondering if she was having him on, then the realization that she was onto his game and that he'd underestimated her intelligence. There was a real sweet moment of silent victory on her side as he was the idiot not her.
"Isn't it the other way?" he asked, Kara's eyebrows rose as she pursed her lips in amusement.
"Yeah it is-" She made a point to check out his chest and inspect his rank as rudely as she felt he had done to her before she folded her arms looking completely unimpressed. "Lt Green, just for future reference; I'm not into tag chasers and I'm definitely not interested in debriefing you in your quarters or anywhere else on the ship. So do us both a favour and find some other honey to warm your jocks." She informed him in a curt tone. She turned on feet and walked away.
Danny stood there completely stunned as he watched Lt Foster walk away. He hadn't expected his conversation with the beautiful Lieutenant to go that way. Usually the 'I'm lost, help me' coupled with a smile worked, turned out she was a member of the 0.5 percent that were immune. He had to admit he was impressed and charmed. That and he was even more attracted to her now as he'd really have to up his game to win her over. It was lucky he had four months. He felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder and turned to see Frankie grinning like an idiot.
"Damn, I think I'm in love with her." Frankie said trying not to laugh as it was very rare to see Danny be turned down by a woman let alone be publically cut down as he just had been.
"Join the club." Danny told her.