A/N – this story is dedicated to Kamilad, my #TLSsoulsister, who has been my sounding board, my cheerleader, and my friend from the beginning. Happy holidays K! – XOXO.
x
December 25, 2015
x
Kara woke up slightly disoriented, feeling like she was late for something. Glancing around the room, she realized why. Sunlight was seeping through the windows, Danny was next to her snoring, and the baby monitor was silent.
Marveling at the fact that her ten-month-old son picked Christmas, of all days, to sleep through the night for the first time ever, Kara turned towards Danny, wrapping her arm around his waist and resting her head on his chest, listening to the steady thud of his heart.
"Happy anniversary." The words were mumbled into her hair.
Smiling, Kara shifted until her chin was resting on Danny's chest and she could gaze into his still-sleepy eyes. "Happy anniversary."
One hand rose to trace her lips. "Thank you."
"For what?" Kara whispered, her own hand rising to stroke his cheek, feeling the muscles move as he grinned at her.
"For agreeing to marry me, of course. It really would have sucked if you said no in front of all of those people."
x
December 24, 2014 – 1 year, 1 days ago
"That just leaves California," Captain Chandler said, pulling out the final set of maps.
They had been there since 0830, plotting out the paths for the teams to take to maximize distribution of the contagious cure but, unlike the days leading up to their arrival in St. Louis, the lack of enthusiasm in the room was palpable. Commander Slattery had attempted to chalk it up to lack of sleep – Rachel's shooting and the subsequent search for her killer kept them up well into the night – but Kara knew that it was something far more debilitating. The loss of any life was devastating, but the ramifications of Rachel's death were far-reaching. Unlike with Frankie or Ravit or Barker or Chung, there were no other paleomicrobiologists to step in and take Rachel's place. Which is why her demise brought not just pain, but also fear – fear that if their plans went awry and the contagious cure failed, that the dying would begin again, and this time there would be no Doctor Rachel Scott to stop it.
That fear was why they were all here, studying maps and figuring out teams, rather than taking the time to mourn that they all so badly needed. Because there was simply no margin for error.
The first two paths were set. Commander Slattery, Carlton, and Rick were headed to Chicago. Not only because, according to a few of the survivors trickling into St. Louis, the military had established an effective quarantine that actually stuck in the Windy City, but also in the hopes of finding their families. Once they were finished there, Carlton would break west, moving along the Canadian border while the XO and Rick would move east towards New York. Master Chief Jeter, Tex, and Cruz were headed south and then east to cover the Gulf coast, planning to swing north once they reached the Atlantic and eventually meet up with the XO. The last path was south and west to California, and given that Captain Chandler was needed here in St. Louis to coordinate the effort both domenstic and overseas and Andrea was in charge of the repairs on the Nathan James, Kara had a pretty good guess who would be leading the final team.
Sure enough, Captain Chandler turned towards Danny. "Green, you and Wolf will lead the team to the Pacific. You'll take the southern route through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, then push north through California to Oregon and Washington until you meet up with Burk. We haven't made contact with anyone on the West Coast yet, but until we know for certain otherwise, we will operate under the assumption that there are survivors."
"Understood, sir," Danny replied.
Kara fiddled with her pencil as Danny and Captain Chandler continued to discuss details of the route and mission. She had known that Danny would be leaving, of course, but actually getting the orders was harder than she expected. In roughly thirty-six hours Danny would be gone, the two truly separated for the first time since the Nathan James left Norfolk all those months ago. Apparently sensing Kara's inner turmoil, Alisha squeezed Kara's hand under the table, and Kara gave her a reassuring smile. Danny might be leaving, but Alisha and Andrea would also be staying in St. Louis. She wouldn't truly be alone. Not until the Nathan James shipped out again, anyway.
The details for the ground teams finalized, Captain Chandler turned to the next topic on the agenda. "Any update on the request for civilian volunteers?"
With the crew no longer contagious, the next stage of the mission depended on volunteers to join the effort to spread the cure – and not just people from St. Louis either. It would take far longer than five to eight days to move the distances that were being discussed, which meant that additional people would need to join the convoys as they moved. Unfortunately the only other option, waiting until they were in a position to manufacture enough of the contagious cure vaccination to distribute to key areas, would take months - time they didn't have.
"More than three hundred people have signed up as of this morning, sir," Master Chief Jeter responded. "Doc Rios and Bertrise are screening the volunteers since Doctor Milowsky stepped in for Doctor Scott on the flight to Nebraska. Obviously preference is to those with a medical background, as well as to those who were exposed to the cure more recently, people physically capable of walking long distances as necessary, and those with family in the affected areas."
Slattery whistled. "That's double what we need."
"People are appreciative, sir. They want to be part of the efforts to save our country," Jeter replied, drawing a round of nods.
"This seems like as good a time as any to break for lunch. We'll continue at 0130," Chandler said after a moment, breaking the silence. Immediately chairs were pushed back as the group broke. Kara waved Alisha along as she waited for Danny.
"The cafeteria?" He murmured as he drew close.
Kara gave him a puzzled look. "Is there another option?"
"Well, we could go back to our room…" The rest of his suggestion was left unsaid. After months of having to sneak even a minute of private time, they were both taking advantage of this time at the hotel – time which was now limited.
Kara's growling stomach settled the question. "If we eat quickly we might still be able to fit in a nap."
Danny grinned. "Let's go."
Less than five minutes later they were seated before heaping plates. With the James out of fuel and mostly non-operational, Bacon and his team had taken over the hotel kitchen, turning out even more mouthwatering meals than usual courtesy of the additional space and equipment.
"Frankie was from California, wasn't he?" Kara asked, biting into a delectable piece of barbeque chicken.
Danny nodded, glancing around the room surreptitiously before giving up on the fork and picking the wing up with his fingers. "Los Angeles."
"I hope you find his family," Kara responded quietly, knowing without having to ask that Danny would be making a detour to look for his best friend's parents She glanced down at her still minimal bump. "Six weeks. By the time you get back I'll be huge."
Danny fiddled with his food for a minute. "I was hoping we would stay in St. Louis for a few days. Long enough to plan the wedding."
Kara blinked, still unaccustomed to both the ring that now adorned her left hand and the idea of being engaged. She gave her fiance a teasing smile. "Unlike someone I can think of, who needed to wait for the right moment, I'm ready to get married today."
This time Danny actually set down his food. "What about your mom?"
Realizing that he was serious, Kara stopped chewing. "It's important to you, isn't it? That we get married before you leave?"
"I think it means something to a kid to know that his parents are married," Danny said after a moment, obviously struggling to find the words. "I know the mission is only supposed to take six weeks but we've both heard that before. I could be gone for six months. And if anything happens…"
Kara cut him off. "Nothing is going to happen."
But they both knew how hollow those words were. Rachel had been killed walking to her room in this very hotel. "If we're married you'll have access to my pay and bank accounts, once that stuff is figured out, and you would be entitled to my benefits."
Kara thought about what her mother would say if she arrived in St. Louis to find her daughter married, and realized that Danny's desire to make sure that Kara and the baby were as secure as possible before he left was one thing that Debbie – a woman who married a man she knew less than a month and raised a daughter alone – would absolutely understand.
"Tonight's the funeral. How about tomorrow?"
x
Present
Kara brushed her lips across Danny's. "My pleasure, Lieutenant Green."
"Where's Frankie?" Danny asked after a moment, his thoughts apparently mirrored Kara's own.
"He slept through the night," Kara whispered, scared to say the words too loudly and jinx themselves. Although Frankie was an easy-going baby overall, his sleeping habits left something to be desired, the child often waking up every couple of hours, sobbing until one of his parents rescued him from the crib he seemed to detest.
Danny's eyes widened. "Seriously?"
"Mmm-hmmm," Kara responded, her hands sliding from his chest to his face. "I figure that we should take advantage of it."
"Absolute…"
The word wasn't even out of Danny's mouth before Frankie's voice broke the blessed silence. "Ma-ma? Ma-ma! MA-MA!"
"So much for that idea." With a laugh, Kara rolled out of bed and began tossing on some clothes. Walking by Danny, who was in the process of pulling his shirt over his head. Kara leaned up to give him another lingering kiss, her fingers skimming over his scruff, enjoying the way his eyes focused on her lips, leaving little doubt about what he was thinking. "Who knows, maybe he'll take a long nap."
Padding into Frankie's room, Kara lifted the child out of his crib, giving him a tight squeeze before moving to the corner to change his sopping diaper, then dressing him warmly in the little green and white stripped outfit with My First Christmas embroidered across the chest and matching cap that Andrea had given Frankie. Settling into the rocking chair to nurse the apparently starving child, Kara ran her fingers over his smooth cheek.
"Merry Christmas, my beautiful boy."
x
December 25, 2014 – 1 year ago
Kara stared out at the beautiful, unseasonably warm, day, one hand resting on her stomach where she could feel the baby tumbling over and over, the caffeine from her one cup of regular coffee apparently energizing him. A cold snap had rolled in yesterday, a sign that the locals insisted meant that snow was on its way and even knowing that snow would make it harder for the teams to move out, Kara had secretly rejoiced in the thought that she would have a white wedding, seeing it as a nod to the early days of her relationship with Danny, back in the Arctic.
But like so many other things in her life, it simply wasn't meant to be.
"Kara? Are you okay?" Alisha's voice broke through Kara's thoughts, the concern on her friend's face indicating that this wasn't the first time Alisha had called her name. The other woman's brow furrowed. "You don't have to get married today, you know. Danny will understand if you want to wait until your mother gets here or you want the time to plan a real wedding. Everyone will."
"It's not that." Kara said, turning away from the window. Not that she was happy about Debbie's absence, but the circumstances were what they were, and Danny's family would not be in attendance either. At least she had the benefit of knowing that her mother was alive and would be arriving in St. Louis in the next few weeks. "It just feels wrong, somehow. Everyone has lost so much. How can we ask people to celebrate with us when they're in mourning?"
The list of names rolled through Kara's head - Frankie, Steve, Jason, Rachel, Ravit, Andy, Barker, Lynn - and that didn't even count all the friends and family who were dead or missing.
Alisha was silent for a long minute. "Do you want to marry Danny?"
"Yes, of course." That was one thing Kara knew without a doubt.
"Then get married. This is about what you want, Kara. You and Danny. The last thing you want to do is look back and regret not getting married because you were worried about other people. Sure the timing is sucky, but it's not like tomorrow or next week or next month are going to be any better. And if you want to get married, we'll all be there to cheer you on and turn this wedding into the biggest bash St. Louis has ever seen."
Kara felt tears gather. "When did you get so smart?"
"I've always been smart. You're just finally listening," Alisha replied smartly. "Now, come on, it's time to stuff you into this uniform."
x
Present
Picking her way around the mounds of gifts piled in the living room, Kara made her way to the kitchen where Danny already had the coffee brewing.
"Don't let him mess up his outfit," she warned as she passed Frankie off to Danny and began pouring herself a cup.
"That hat looks like something those weird elf things from Harry Potter would wear," Danny said dubiously, although he did tie a large bib around Frankie's neck before attempting to feed him his yogurt. "Where did you find the Christmas outfit?"
"It's from Andrea," Kara explained, knowing that Danny would understand how important that made the outfit. "She bought it months ago at one of those vendor booths. And it looks like she wasn't the only one who added Frankie to their shopping list. Where did all of those gifts come from?"
Danny glanced towards the living room. "Oh, McMahon dropped off another bag last night after you went to sleep. I invited her to join us tonight, by the way, since she didn't have plans."
Not that Kara minded – she liked Tom and Mike's assistant – but there was the issue of space, or lack thereof. "How many does that make? Thirty-two?
"We'll set up a kids table in the study. Kat can be in charge." Danny stood, beckoning her. "Come here for a minute."
"What?" Kara asked suspiciously as she rose, allowing Danny to pull her towards the sink, which boasted a large window. She gasped. "It snowed!"
Wrapping his arms around her waist, Danny rested his chin on the top of her head. "Looks like you got your wish. It's a White Christmas."
x
December 25, 2014 – 1 year ago
"Kara!"
Kara turned, but the remainder of the Commander's words were impossible to hear over the chants of drink, drink, drink coming from the corner of the room. The small and rather sedate wedding reception that Kara envisioned had quickly developed into something more appropriate for a frat house thanks, in large part, to Alisha and Carlton, who insisted that no wedding was complete without toasts.
Lots and lots of toasts - many of which never referenced either the bride or groom, but all of which required people to drink.
Kara found herself smiling as she looked around. Across the room Carlton and Wolf were feeding Rick a shot, and Teylor appeared to be standing on his head. Closer at hand, Mason and Nishioka were attempting to teach Bertrise the Macarena while Val took advantage of Kara's distraction to drag Alisha out to the dance floor to join the conga line. Kara was slightly surprised that Captain Chandler and Commander Slattery were ignoring the crew's antics in favor of sitting in the corner of the room drinking scotch, but she supposed the real punishment would come at 0530 the next morning when the first team left for Chicago – drunk, sober or hungover. It might not be the wedding she would have planned, but it was perfect all the same.
Seeing Andrea wave again, Kara wove her way through the thinning crowd - at least some of the crew was smart enough to realize that morning was quickly approaching. "Is President Michener threatening to have us all arrested?"
That drew a chuckle. "Not quite yet. I do have something to show you, though."
As they moved towards the door to the patio, Kara noticed that Tex and Danny were headed in the same direction. "What…."
Andrea threw the door open. "Take a look."
Kara sucked in a breath, attention caught by the winter wonderland before her, a soft dusting of snow lying on the ground and trees, while snowflakes danced in the air. She felt Danny's arm slide around her waist and she leaned into his side. "It's snowing."
"You may not have gotten a white wedding," Andrea said softly. "But at least you have a white Christmas."
Blinking away tears, Kara reached out to clasp the older woman's hand. "Thank you."
"You two go on now. Enjoy the snow. And if you decide to come back inside a different way, like the emergency exit that leads directly to the stairwell, hint, hint, we won't tell a soul," Tex teased, earning himself a wack in the arm from Andrea, before the two retreated into the ballroom, leaving Danny and Kara alone.
Kara snuggled into Danny's chest, enjoying the relative quiet. "It's beautiful, isn't it? The perfect way to end to the day."
Danny pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sorry your mom wasn't here."
Kara tilted her head until she could see Danny's face. "I missed my mother, and you missed your parents and siblings. But the rest of our family was here with us. That's more than I hoped for."
Both fell silent for a moment, and then Danny stepped towards the snow, holding a hand out towards Kara. "So, Mrs. Green, are you up for a stroll?"
"Absolutely, Mr. Green," Kara replied, mimicking his flirtatious tone. "Then maybe we can find that entrance Tex mentioned."
Danny grinned. "You do know how to warm a guy up when he's been out in the snow."
x
Present
"The snow is just the icing on the cake," Kara replied, feeling herself tearing up as she gazed first at the familiar contours of Danny's face, before moving on to her little boy, then the dog who was currently licking pear splatter off the floor, and finally to to the stacks of presents that spilled out from under the tree. "The best part of today is that we get to spend today with our family."