Mari & Ilna: What can I say? I'm enjoying this adventure every bit as much as I was on day one. Maybe more.

REAL Worlders-thanks for all the enthusiastic support. You guys are the best.

Innocent Explanations

"There you are!" John stood up and crossed the deck to greet his wife, two bottles in hand. "I thought you were going to miss your own party."

"Sorry about that. I got delayed leaving work." She kissed his cheek and gratefully accepted one of the cold beers. As Steve and Catherine joined them she continued her explanation. "When I got in my car to leave the base the battery was dead. Can you believe it? Of all the nights."

"Dead?" John's eyebrows furrowed slightly with concern. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I was in the process of doing just that when Commander Davidson came along." Carrie indicated the man who had made his way out the door just after her and was standing silently off to the side of the group. "He was parked right down the aisle from me and he had a set of jumper cables and he offered to get my car started so I figured that would be faster calling AAA or having you come all the way back."

"It's lucky he was right there." John's jaw tightened slightly as he turned towards his wife's self-appointed rescuer. "Thank you," he said. "I appreciate you stepping in to help."

"My pleasure," Davidson replied.

John was well aware that his wife's distrust of the man had eased significantly over the last several weeks but his own had not. Since Davidson was appointed to oversee her new project Carrie spent long hours at work with the socially awkward commander and insisted that he had never said or done anything during that time to make her the least bit uncomfortable.

She steadfastly insisted that this party was going to be a good thing for him. Give him a chance to mingle with colleagues off base and possibly spark a new friendship or two. Carrie was sure that once he found other people with similar interests to spend time with he'd forget all about her.

John remained unconvinced but had agreed to let his wife handle things in her own way. That didn't mean, however, he wasn't keeping a very close eye on things. Besides, this night was a celebration of Carrie's achievement. He knew how hard she'd worked to attain her new rank and had no intention of putting any kind of damper on the event.

"I'm glad you're finally here because I have one surprise that can't wait a second longer." Catherine beamed, glad to finally be able to reveal the secret she'd been keeping since they first found out about the promotion. She pointed towards the far end of the deck where Grandma Ang sat talking to Joseph and Elizabeth along with a few others.

Carrie's eyes looked in the direction Catherine was indicating.

She waved at Grandma Ang and then all at once her mouth dropped open, her eyes dampened, and her hand fluttered to her chest.

"Mom? Dad?"

Bill and Kathie Stagler rushed across the deck and embraced their daughter.

"You didn't really think we'd miss this, did you?" Kathie laughed.

"I believed you when you said you couldn't get away." She leaned against her father's side. "Did you know about this?" she asked John.

"Only for the last couple of days," John grinned. "Catherine didn't trust me to keep it a secret from you."

"You knew?" Carrie wrapped her arms around her best friend. "Of course you did. Thank you for making this happen."

"I was glad to do it," Catherine smiled.

"I helped too, Lieutenant Commander," Steve pointed out. "I picked them up at the airport."

Carrie looked at Steve and her sarcastic reply died on her lips. Hearing him call her by her new rank made her feel proud. "Thanks. Seriously. This is the best surprise." She hugged him spontaneously. "But don't think it means I won't find something to bust you over in a few minutes."

Steve smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Perfect." Carrie kissed John on the cheek then linked arms with her parents. "Let's get this party started."

"I didn't touch anything," Danny grumbled.

"I'm just saying, those chicken breasts look like they've been moved." Steve eyed the grill suspiciously. "They were not ready to be turned."

"I didn't …" Danny could feel Steve's disbelieving glare even without looking directly at him and his resolve to stick to his lie began to slip. "Okay I did but they were … you know what?" He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "You're just mad Angie's first word was Danno."

"Oh please," Steve huffed.

"Anything I can do to help?" John asked as he leaned on the counter next to the grill.

"Have you heard Angie say Danno yet?" Danny asked.

"Don't listen to him." Steve lowered the heat slightly. "I think we're in pretty good shape. I let him watch the food for a few minutes while I changed Angie and he couldn't resist tinkering, but I don't think he did too much damage."

"They needed to be turned," Danny insisted.

"If they're dry I'm blaming you," Steve promised, clearly enjoying a chance to wind his best friend up. "Hey, John. Can you hand me one of those meat platters, please?"

When John didn't move Steve and Danny looked his way and saw his attention focused on Commander Davidson who standing off to the side of the party chatting with Elizabeth and Kathie Stagler.

"What?" John asked after a few seconds of silence when he realized they were both staring at him.

"A platter?" Steve repeated, and this time held out his hand.

"Oh, sure." John passed him the requested item.

"Something on your mind?" Danny asked.

John paused for a few seconds as if trying to decide whether to voice his concerns or not then leaned in and said, "I'm not the only one who finds it strange that Carrie's battery dies just as Davidson is right there to lend a hand, right?"

"I gotta be honest, that did strike me as odd," Steve nodded.

"Seems a little too convenient," Danny agreed.

"Carrie is probably gonna accuse me off making too much of this but there is something about that guy I just do not trust." John popped a coconut shrimp from the appetizer tray on the counter next to him into his mouth.

"Maybe it's time for someone to have a more direct talk with him," Danny suggested.

"If Carrie's right and he's just an extremely lonely and awkward person I'm not looking to make any trouble for him," John reasoned. "Not to mention it could be an issue for the project they're working on together which Carrie has been trying to get off the ground for years. She'd be devastated if the navy pulled the plug."

Steve began to remove the chicken from the grill. "We're going to need to employ some …" He paused as he searched for the right word. "Let's say 'unorthodox' methods to get the information we need."

"Oh goodie." Danny rolled his eyes. "That always works out so well for us."

"Gracieco, you are absolutely amazing." Carrie wrapped the smiling teenager in a hug. "This is the best party ever."

"Thanks. You deserve it!" Grace's eyes swept the deck and beach area where her family and friends were mingling easily with Carrie's parents and work friends. "It looks like everybody is having a good time."

"How could they not?" Carrie smiled genuinely. "You thought of everything. The food is great, the decorations are gorgeous … you even made sure there were games set up for both kids and adults and picked the perfect music. You are a party planning genius!"

Grace blushed. "I had lots of help."

"I know you did and I appreciate everyone who pitched in to make this day so special." Carrie put her hand under Grace's chin and waited until their eyes met. "But you were the driving force behind this party. I know how hard you worked to bring it all together. Don't be afraid to take credit for your hard work."

"Thanks." Graced smiled.

"Speaking of your awesome party planning skills," Carrie waggled her eyebrows, "Has your dad agreed to let you take the job working for Boris this summer?"

"He's still deciding but I think he's leaning towards yes," Grace bubbled excitedly. "He called and talked to Boris last week about how many hours I'd be working and exactly what I'd be doing. When he got off the phone he didn't say no right away so I think that's a good sign."

Carrie squeezed her hand. "Sounds like it."

"If I get to take the job I'm gonna save all my paychecks to put towards a car." She could barely contain her excitement. "Mom and Danno have both told me not to worry about it, that they'll take care of it, but I really want to contribute some of my own money."

Carrie smiled at the sincerity of the teenager's words. "You're a good girl, Grace Williams. I'm proud to be your friend. Now what do you say we go beat Cody and Chin at horseshoes."

"Hey, Monkey." Danno waved Grace, who had just exited the house, over to the edge of the deck where he stood talking to Steve.

"What's up?" She asked as she reached them. "Uncle Joseph is getting ready to light a fire and we're gonna make s'mores." She indicated the two large shopping bags in her hands. "I think this will be enough supplies but there's back up in Aunt Elizabeth's car just in case."

"Do you need any help carrying those?" Steve asked.

"No, I'm good."

"We just wanted to ask you …" Danny kept his voice light and neutral, "What were you talking to Commander Davidson about?"

Grace turned and looked at the guests. "Which one is Commander Davidson?"

"The man with the gray hair and white shirt." Danny said. "I saw you showing him something on your phone."

"Oh, the man who helped Carrie with her car." Grace turned back to face her father. "He asked me if I could send him copies of all the pictures I've taken tonight. He said he wants to make a slideshow as a surprise to show everyone on base."

Steve and Danny shared a wary look.

"That's ok, isn't it?" Her forehead crinkled in concern.

"It's fine," Steve assured her. "But you know what? Why don't you get all the pictures together and send them to me and I'll combine them with the ones Auntie Catherine took and give him all of them together."

"Okay," Grace nodded. "I'll send them to you after the party."

Steve smiled. "Thanks, Gracie."

"Do you need anything else?" she asked.

"No, you go ahead," Danny replied. "We'll be there in a few minutes." He smiled at her retreating form and called out, "Don't eat all the marshmallows."

Steve chuckled at Grace's, "I can't make any promises," reply.

"Maybe he really does just want to do something to show the people who couldn't make the party," Danny offered somewhat unconvincingly.

"Maybe," Steve replied. "But I'm certainly not gonna just take his word for it. He seems to have an innocent explanation ready to go for everything. I think it's time we take a little closer look at Commander Davidson."

THE END

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