Two weeks into the Arctic mission

Danny loved every minute of it. The rocking of the ship as it crashed through the rough northern waves. It was like a dream for him. His comfort zone.

It was a four month mission to the Arctic. They were currently testing some kind of new navy device. Whatever it was, it was above his pay grade to know and above his knowledge to understand in the first place. So far, he had had nothing to do except for lounging about in his quarters with the brief trip to the mainland to escort some doctor back and forth.

What the hell was she even doing here anyway? He wondered

It wasn't as if she needed an armed escort. As far as he knew, there weren't any warring nations this far out.

Anyway, if there was one word he could use to describe this mission:

Boring

He was currently in the gym, keeping up with his daily work out routine. To anyone else, it would seem like they were just put through hell but, hey, you aren't a SEAL for nothing.

He was just about to leave when they door opened behind him. He heard footsteps heading over to the treadmills across the room from him, the sound of the machine powering up and then the sound of a constant beat to trainers hitting the treadmill in a running manner.

Danny finally let go of the pull up bar he was dangling from and dropped down to the floor. He was about to turn and leave when he saw her.

She had headphones in her ears probably why she didn't notice me Danny thought. Her hair was tied in a neat knot at the back of her head. Hazel eyes that just absolutely glowed in the light. Dark hair that would fit a model from TV. The perfect skin complexion. Legs so long and muscly that she would probably give him a fun for his money.

Maybe this trip won't be so bad after all…

In the officer mess…

A month later

"Man, can we go yet? I gotta get back to the admiral" Frankie- Danny's seal team mate and best friend- whispered into his ear

Danny had again spent over an hour sitting in his cheap, steel- surprisingly comfortable- chair the navy supply. He would never admit it to anyone- much less Frankie- that he had a reason beyond breakfast to spend all that time there. He was waiting, desperately trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of a particular crewmember

A certain lieutenant.

Danny shot his teammate a silent warning glare over his shoulder. Basically saying 'shut the hell up'. Luckily, he got the message a returned to scraping at his bowl where his breakfast used to be. Half an hour ago!

Finally, the door swung open with a creak as two extra people walked into the already crowded mess room. Danny's breath immediately caught, but he didn't let it show. At least he hoped. He tried to ignore the smirk he could see creeping onto Frankie's face. The bastard. He knew about Danny's- so not pining- glances he gave her, the ones that he picked up on anyway, whenever this girl walked within about 20 feet of them.

"Look, it's your girlfr-ooofff" Frankie stopped his teasing as a particularly strong elbow nudged into his ribcage.

"God, will you shut up!" Danny hissed quietly

He briefly glanced up to check that no-one was sitting on their table to listen in on them. All clear. Still safe he thought.

Danny watched as Kara sat down to eat with her roommate. Ayisha? Alisha? Something or other. Anyway, her tag said 'Granderson'. For a brief moment, his and Kara's eyes met. Danny was stunned into paralysis as he stared into those deep, hazel eyes of hers. He could think of nothing more to do than lift his hand up and give a weak, small wave. If he could actually think, he would call it the most awkward thing that he had ever done. Only after he lowered his hand again did he offer his signature smirk that reached up to his left ear. Kara looked a little bit awkward herself as she glanced back to her roommate for a moment who was chatting to her, completely oblivious to Kara and Danny's interaction. She looked back to Danny and gave him a small smile of her own and damn it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He didn't know when Kara had turned back to talk to Granderson. He was still too stuck in his trance state to remember. Only when he got an elbow in his side did he snap back to reality. His first reaction was to whack Frankie right back but when he saw the smirk on his face and the knowing look in his eyes did Danny turn back to his meal which had long gone cold.

"Smoooooth" Frankie murmured despite the glare Danny fixed on him " . It is agonising watching you…and slightly creepy. Have you seen yourself? Especially on the bridge!" Frankie hissed the last part

Danny went wide-eyed and, despite his best efforts went redder than a beetroot. He sheepishly looked at Frankie "I don't know what you're talking about" he said in as gruff a tone as he could

"You think I don't know?" he teased "The second you're on the bridge, you watch her at CIC until the second you leave. You hardly pay attention sometimes when she's nearby"

Damn it Danny thought. He thought he was more subtle after that. Obviously not. Hopefully, Frankie was the only one who knew because, honest to god, if the captain found out… A shudder ran down his spine just thinking about what kind of consequences were waiting for him if anyone else found out.

Almost sensing his friend's thoughts, Frankie added "Don't worry, whenever someone tried to get your attention when you're in one of your…moods, I always run interference for you" Danny let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding "I got your back, man"

Beyond that point, Danny just tuned out anything else Frankie was trying to say to him. He just spent the next few minutes glancing back and forth between his empty bowl and Kara.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity for Frankie- and a godsend- Kara pushed away from her table, followed closely by Granderson. He would have whooped with joy were it not for the dozen or so others in the room. "Ok, you've seen her. That should keep you happy for the rest of the day. Now, can we go?"

Instead of an answer, Danny just sent another glare and lifted himself away from the table.

As he walked back to his quarters, only one thought played on his mind

Only three more months…then we're off this ship

But that didn't mean he couldn't have some fun before then

One week later

Danny was out admiring the view on one of the upper decks of the ship. He was able to have a view of most of the ship. He was looking out at a particularly large glacier that was passing close by the ship. That was, until he heard a loud thud coming from behind. He frowned, wondering what could be going on.

When he could go no further on the upper deck, unless he wanted to hit the chain railings preventing people from falling onto the deck below. He searched the area for movement until he saw a crewmember trying to lift up a large crate that had fallen from the person's hand

That's what caused the noise he figured

He couldn't see who it was but he was easily able to recognise the hair tied in a knot, the greatest skin he had ever seen- it was Kara.

As he watched, he could see that she was struggling to properly carry it. Her arms were stretched as far as she could get them just to carry it at all. Her steps were slow and few as she staggered across the deck. By the look on her face, she looked frustrated and tired already.

His first instinct when seeing someone like this was to hop over the railings, land in front of her-definitely not to impress her- carry it for her and not take no for an answer. But then he started to think. Would his help be welcome? Would she blow him off and just keep walking? Besides, he couldn't be seen carrying her work load, could he? That could be seen as fraternization, which was a strict no-no in the navy's view. And that had a lot of risks to it.

Kara disappeared inside the ship. If anyone saw Danny, you could easily see the internal battle going on.

Screw it he decided

Danny almost ran down the stairs and launched himself inside. He wasn't as familiar with the interior as the rest of the people onboard but he had a pretty good idea. As he jogged, he tried to plot the quickest route he could come up with. Left, right, straight, down the stairs, left, right

Stop. He paused just before the next left and waited

He waited for thirteen seconds. The sound of footsteps coming from the next turn echoed down the hall. Moments later, a massive crate slowly floated into view with a pair of soft, small hands wrapped around the sides of it.

It took every ounce of control for Danny not to easily pick up the crate and be the hero yet again. He settles for clearing his throat to grab her attention. Kara popped her head round the crate with a smile on her face as if she wasn't just carrying her weight in equipment.

"Are you alright?" he asked nervously

This was the first time that he ever gathered up the courage to speak to her in the entire month and a half they've been on their mission

"Oh" she almost yelled surprised by Danny's sudden appearance "Uh…" Kara was about to come up with some excuse, until a rather large grunt escaped her lips as the weight became too much, and she finally conceded "…not really" she sheepishly admitted

Danny smirked and reached to take the crate from Kara. When he had it securely in his arms , the two of them came face to face, their faces barely a foot apart thanks to the thin corridors.

"Sorry about that" Kara apologised sincerely "Miller was supposed to be helping me out, but knowing him, he's probably gotten lost. Again"

Danny just took a moment to stare- unintentionally- at Kara's beautiful looks and shape. Moment over, he nervously cleared his throat and tried to hide the blood he could literally feel rushing to his cheeks.

"So…is this going somewhere?" he asked glancing down the corridor ahead of them

"Oh…yeah. To the bridge. It's just spare oxygen tanks for the HAZMAT suits in case there's some kind of an emergency or…something. Anyway, shall we get going?" Kara asked as she stepped out in front of them.

Danny obediently walked behind her as she led the way –definitely not letting his gaze travel any further south than her hairline… not- right until they reached the bridge. Inside, he could see Captain Chandler and XO Slattery chatting about something or other that he couldn't be bothered with. Besides the few looks some of the bridge crew gave as they realised who was with Kara and also handling her load, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Unfortunately, one of those people that noticed just had to be Frankie. What he was doing there Danny had no idea. But one thing was now for sure, in a few hours he and Frankie were going to be trapped in a bunk together with his never ending questions.

As he was leaving, he signalled for Kara to follow him. When he stepped out, he was extremely relieved to hear an extra set of footsteps behind him.

"If you need a hand with anything again…let me know" he said with a hint of enjoyment

"I will, thanks" she said

Danny pursed his lips and stared at his feet for a moment

"Are you available?" he blurted out

Shit! he chastened himself mentally that was way too direct. Now, she's gonna think I'm

"For what?" she asked with a smirk

Oh, brilliant. She misunderstood my meaning. Perfect, that means I can…Wait, was she teasing me?

A look at her face gave him his answer. He nodded and turned to leave. He got a few steps before being called back

"Hey, Danny"

He was barely able to register anything as he turned around when there was suddenly soft lips planted on his cheek

Kara's lips

He almost whined in protest when she pulled back.

"I finish my shift at 2100" she said with an almost predator like smile "Meet you at the stern, lieutenant"

Before he could say another word, Kara had disappeared back in through the bridge door.

The only thought going through his head was

She kissed me! She actually kissed me

Were he not a SEAL, and were he not on-board a navy destroyed, he might have actually skipped with happiness as he made his way back to his quarters

So much for not fraternising