I do not own The Brave or any of the characters, but I do own any mistakes made...
"You're the only CO I've had that doesn't see a woman first."
"Well, I may not see it, but I don't forget it because I know that getting here was harder for you than I'll ever understand."
Life is full of little moments. Moments that change your perspective and cast people in different lights. This was the moment that Dalton and Jaz started to see some light where there had once only been shadows.
The lives they led rarely translated well in long term relationships. It was hard to involve outsiders in a life that for the most part would have to be a lie. Or at the very least, a whole lot of omissions necessitated by the kind of work that they did.
They'd both tried and failed over their years of service as they learned that no matter how much love their partner had it was almost impossible to ask them to understand when you had to pick up and leave on a moments notice for god knows where and had no idea when you would be back. What made it worse was that you couldn't tell them where you were going, and when you came back even though the missions might haunt your dreams and hollow you out inside, you couldn't talk about it.
It was hard on those who did the work, and even harder on those who were left in the dark.
Neither Dalton nor Jaz had made any attempt to have a relationship in the three years that they had been working together. It was better that way. Or at least that's what they'd been telling themselves.
Amir was still a mystery to most of the team, he didn't talk often about the things that set him on this path and he seemed to cope best with a little solitude. McG on the other hand would cope by getting right with a pretty girl if time allowed, but he made it clear he had no need for emotional entanglements. And Preach, he had his kids. He was one of the few that had a real life to go home to.
Dalton and Jaz simply put the walls up and retreated to their corners of the safe house upon returning from a mission.
Or at least that's what they used to do.
It had only been 48 hours since the bomb went off on the beach shattering any sense of security their "home" had provided. Sure, it was a bunker of sorts, but they'd been calling it home for long enough that they'd been lulled into thinking that it was safe.
On this night, the eerie silence of the safe house had settled around them. Everyone had fallen asleep hours ago, but Dalton was awake tracing every shadow wondering what might be lurking in the dark. He was on high alert, listening for any sound in the distance.
That's when he heard it. It was a soft mewling sound coming from down the hall. Dalton stood silently as he pulled on a pair of flannel pants that sat at the foot of his bed and crept towards the door. The next time he heard the noise, it was followed by a sharp cry. It wasn't loud, but he knew where it was coming from.
He carefully crept down the hall and opened the door to slip inside the room. The moonlight spilled in from the window behind her illuminating the bare skin of her shoulder and deepening the shadows that fell upon her face. The nightmare held her firmly in its grasp as she whispered about the kids and the beach.
He knew all to well what was playing along the recesses of her mind in that moment.
He'd intended on simply waking her up and asking her if she wanted to talk, or perhaps recommending a few more sessions with the shrink but just as he was about to reach out to her his name fell from her lips.
He stood frozen to the spot. Had she noticed him? Was she awake?
When her eyes didn't open, he started to rethink his plan. Maybe he should just leave her be.
Dalton turned on his heel and started to leave when he heard her strangled plea, "please don't go."
When he turned back towards her sleeping form he noticed a single tear clinging to the sweep of dark lashes that caressed her cheek.
"Jaz." He whispered as he skimmed his hand gently over her shoulder.
She didn't open her eyes, she just whispered his name once again and begged him to stay. He didn't know if she was dreaming or if she was somehow aware of his presence, but as he looked at her he saw a shiver course through her and he just reacted.
"Jaz, it's ok. I've got you." He whispered as he carefully drew the covers back and laid down beside her.
Dalton allowed his hand to ghost over the soft skin of her arm before he turned on his side and watched her relax back into a dreamless sleep for a few minutes before he felt his eyes start to get heavy. He let his head fall back to the pillow and finally let sleep claim him.
He was jolted awake a short time later as Jaz started to thrash restlessly and murmur in her sleep. Without thought, he pulled her back into his chest and wrapped an arm over her as he pulled the blankets up over their shoulders and brushed the barest whisper of his lips across her shoulder that was left exposed by her tank top.
He didn't have time to think about whether it was appropriate, and frankly he was too exhausted to think about how many lines were being crossed here. In that moment, it didn't matter.
All that mattered was that she had relaxed into his embrace and breathed a sigh of relief as she settled back into his warmth. He caught the warm scent of apples that always clung to her skin, even when she was sweaty and covered in dirt. The scent had a calming familiarity that had him curling in around her once again as he let his exhaustion pull him back under.
Consequences were for clearer heads. Something he felt certain would prevail in the morning, but for now he was too consumed by exhaustion to care.
