Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with The Last Ship. Or, their characters. If I did, there would have been a lot more Danny\Kara action in the season.

Tex had decided to finally turn in for the night. After several hours of partying and drinking up a large quantity of the ship's- seemingly endless- supply of beer. He had only been part of the Nathan James crew for merely a few hours. But, it was a party. And, never let it be said that Tex ever said no to a party.

Today seemed to be a massive morale boost for the entire crew. They had successfully managed to blow their way through the coral reefs that had trapped them within Guantanamo bay and even better there was no sign of that Russian ship- the Vyerni- captained by that insane man, Ruscov.

He was on his own walking down one of the Nathan James' long, winding paths and was just about to head inside when he heard several loud voices coming from ahead.

"We got out fine" a feminine voice said- Kara- he recognised the owner without having to see her.

Tex decided to pause and keep just out of sight but close enough so that he could still hear what they were saying.

"I lost my focus because of you!" The next voice- Danny, Tex realised- said.

'Ahh' Tex realised 'lovers quarrel. This is gonna be interesting'

Danny- or Lieutenant Green, to everyone else- was someone that Tex tried to avoid whenever he could (he would never admit it, but sometimes his face still stung a bit from when Danny had slammed his head against his bunk). It wasn't that Tex was afraid of Danny- because he wasn't, all right! It was more respect than anything else. He was willing to fight for what was his. After Danny had made it very clear they Kara was 'off-limits' to anyone in that fashion, Tex kept a very good distance from the two of them.

And, if wherever Danny was when he wasn't on duty was always, always right next to Kara, then that was nobody else's business.

With his inner discussion, Tex almost missed the next bit of the argument.

"Because of me? I didn't do anything. Danny!" Kara grabbed onto Danny's forearm to keep his from walking off.

'Aww, soldier-boy's finding something awkward' Tex snickered at his own joke

The scene was becoming quite strange to Tex. Whenever he had seen Danny, he had always thought the SEAL was completely confident in anything he did. He could take getting shot at by terrorists and remain completely calm. But, now, Danny looked like he wanted to be anywhere but right in front of Kara

"This is why we're not supposed to…" Danny trailed off, a hint of desperation in his voice. The young Lieutenant seemed to be racking his brain, trying to find the right words to say.

Tex continued to watch from his little hiding place as Danny opened and closed his mouth several times trying to speak but not being able to form words. The next thing that came out of Danny's mouth completely shocked Tex.

"Look…I love you. Now, stay away from me!" he snarled

With that, Danny stormed off, heading off to god knows where.

'What. The. Hell!' Tex wondered 'What the hell is soldier-boy thinking. You don't say something like that to a woman and then just walk off'

Now, because of previous experiences, Tex usually tried to stay out of relationship troubles when it didn't directly involve him. But, now that he had actually heard what Danny had said- he just couldn't stand by, not now.

Tex watched for a few more moments and saw Kara slowly turn in the other direction and walk away. She was probably going to head to her quarters. Tex didn't know how to comfort a woman when she was going through some kind of drama. But, one thing he did know was how to deal with a navy soldier. God knows there were plenty of them at Guantanamo.

After he checked to make sure that no-one was watching, Tex took off, hoping to head Danny off before he could get back to his quarters.

Danny, hot headed and temper currently on a high, stamped along the outside of the ship. The fresh sea breeze doping nothing to help his foul mood. Luckily, there was no-one around. Partially because he didn't want to see any more 'congrats' from the rest of the crew. But, mostly because he just didn't want to talk to anyone right now.

He had come straight there, hoping that he could cool off. It wasn't working. He had just broken things off with Kara- the worst thing he had had to do since he had gotten on-board.

Getting shot at terrorists was one thing. But seeing the look of hurt and bewilderment on Kara's face hurt him the most. She looked like she had been so betrayed, and Danny had to push the urge to go back over there to her and beg for forgiveness. To comfort her and make that look on her face disappear.

But, it was for the best. Wasn't it?

'I mean, I had to do it' he told himself 'The whole crew nearly got killed because of us. Because I wanted her safe and not in the line of fire'

But, a part of Danny told him differently. That he was being a complete idiotand this was the worst possible idea that he had ever had.

He just had to keep reminding himself that this was the right course of action. For the safety of the crew and the ship, he couldn't see Kara anymore. But, deep down Danny knew that np matter how many times he told himself that, he just wouldn't be able to accept it.

By now, Danny was pacing up and down constantly. If he kept going any longer, Danny might start to wear a hole into the hull of the ship.

'This is getting me nowhere' he finally realised

Danny gave one last look out into the dark expanse of the ocean, took a deep, calming breath and decided to head back to his quarters. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could sneak into the gym later and take his frustrations pit on the punch-bag. If nothing else, that would make him feel better.

He was just about to turn the handle on the door when someone from the other side opened it and stepped out onto the observation spot. Danny was about to try and quickly rush past before the other person could engage him in a conversation, but then he recognised who it actually was.

"Hey, partner" a familiar Texan voice said

Tex.

Tex was standing right there, in front of him, and he was just looking down at him. He had an innocent smile plastered across his face. Danny knew from experience that that was never a good sign. Whatever Tex had to day, it probably wasn't going to make him feel any better.

"Tex" Danny sighed "Whatever it is, I'm really not in the mood for anyth-" Danny was cut off mid-sentence as Tex punched him, square in the face. Danny stumbled back, more because of the shock of the blow than the actual force behind it. He hit the floor with a soft thud and a quiet groan escaped his lips.

"That was for tossin' my head into the bunk earlier" Tex sneered down at Danny. When Danny tried to get up again, Tex slapped the back of his head "And that…" Tex's voice softened when he spoke next "was for Kara"

Danny was only just able to pick up on what Tex was actually saying thanks to the splitting headache that he now had. Struggling, Danny latched onto the safety rails running along the side of the ship and slowly pulled himself back up again.

"What was that for!" Danny hissed at him, still blinking, trying to get rid of his bleary vision.

Tex matched Danny's quiet town to make sure that no-one else heard "I knew that you soldier-boys could be thick-headed… but that was something else"

"What?" Danny asked, still confused "What the hell are you talking about?" As soon as they were done here, Danny was gonna go straight to the captain and get Tex thrown off the ship at the next island for this if he didn't start explaining, of he didn't toss his off right now

"You are an absolute ass, you know that" Tex said "You may have just ruined the best thing that has ever happened to you, Green" Now, Tex's voice was growing louder as he talked "If there is one thing that I can tell you-it's that that girl could have done a lot better than you"

Danny's eyes widened in shock, surprise and maybe just a bit of fear was also mixed into his facial expression. Surely Tex couldn't be talking about-

"Yeah, I saw you guys back there. You cannot just say that to a woman and then just walk off. That is not on. That was cowardice!"

Danny was now looking anywhere but at Tex. He sighed internally. He was afraid something like this was gonna happen. He could only hope that no-one else had witnessed him and Kara arguing.

"Look, Tex" Danny tried "You don't understand, I did it because-" Again, he was cut off by Tex

"No" he said "You didn't do it because of the crew! Don't try to feed me that bull! You did it for yourself. Because you didn't want to face your problems head on like a man. You chose to cut your ties and run"

Tex was able to keep his voice surprisingly calm throughout his speech. It was almost worse for Danny. He'd rather have someone yelling at him than this. So, instead, he just stood there and took it.

"One thing is pretty damn clear to me- that girl is completely in love with you. And you took that love and you threw it away" Tex snarled again

"Okay, Alright!" Danny suddenly yelled, them immediately checked his surroundings to make sure no one else had heard. He began talking an a lower voice "Yeah, I did it for me. There, I admit it. Ate you happy?" he asked sarcastically

Tex merely raised an eyebrow at him, clearly unimpressed. But, that didn't stop Danny. Suddenly, it was as if the flood gates had opened and he wasn't going to stop now.

"Yeah, I ran. I decided to get out before something else happened. I know it was stupid- cruel, even. But, I just didn't know what else to do, alright…I just wanted to keep her safe. That's all. I tried to get her to bail before we got to the Vyerni. She wouldn't go and we just got distracted. That's what happened. That's why we were late earlier. It wasn't her fault… it was mine"

Tex looked at Danny sympathetically. He sighed lowly as he looked the young lieutenant up and down. He could understand why Danny had tried to end things with Kara. It was just a stupid and unnecessary thing to do. They could figure it out if they could just talk about it. There wasn't a need to end their relationship. Even if it wasn't strictly protocol.

"Look…" Tex began, trying to find the right words to say "I get it. What you tried to do. It was just the wrong way of doing it. But, you can still make it right with her, you know"

Danny risked a quick glance over at the older-apparently wiser- man "What do I do, Tex?" he asked with a sigh "Just, tell me what you think I should do" he pleaded

Tex just clapped the side of the younger man's shoulder "You go be a man. You go talk to her. And you make it right. Not tonight though. I think you both need some time to cool down… and dry off"

"Funny, Tex" Danny said slowly "Real funny"

The next morning, Danny spend the better part of the morning searching for Kara. Some moment when he could just talk to her privately. But, no such luck. She wasn't in CIC. She wasn't in the bridge. Wasn't in the gym. Wasn't in the engine room. She had seemed to just disappear. Danny was starting to get worried. Where was she?

Danny had tried to talk to Kara's roommate, Granderson, earlier but she wasn't much help. She had basically said to him if it was alright with him, if he could 'piss off', not using those exact words because of the company they were around- notably, the captain and pretty much the entire bridge crew- but Danny got the message anyway. With her tone, there was no room for argument.

For some reason, she had seemed to be pretty angry with him. For what reason, Danny had no clue. So, with Granderson's not so helpful tip, he went back to scouring the ship.

Finally deciding to get some lunch and take a break, Danny headed towards the officers mess. Maybe he could ask someone there if they had seen Kara anywhere

Danny pushed the door open and nearly tripped when he saw who the only other person in the room was. Kara was sat at one of the tables looking down at her bowl of cereal. She looked up to see who had entered. Danny had to keep himself from gasping when he saw the state Kara was in. She had slight bags under her eyes from not sleeping and her eyes were red from crying. You probably wouldn't notice it if you were just passing her by in the corridor. But, staring right into her eyes, Danny surely did.

So, that was why Granderson was so angry at Danny. Kara must have told her what had happened between the two of them. And, more so, she must have been the one to try and comfort Kara as she cried.

Danny immediately had an urge to hunt down whoever had made her like this. Whoever had caused Kara to react like this. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to go over to her, wrap his arms around her and never leave her alone. But, then he was hit with a sickening thought.

It was him. He was the one who had made her like this. Danny sighed. How was he gonna fix this?

When she saw that it was Danny, Kara ducked her head back down towards her bowl of cereal. She tried to completely blank out Danny's very existence.

"Hi" Danny said, nervously "Been looking for you" he tried to keep his voice light

"I was helping Dr. Scott in her lab" Kara said, not making any attempt to look at Danny "We've been installing some new equipment down there all morning. Figured someone should try to get along with her now that she's staying on-board"

Danny nodded absentmindedly "Smart" he commented

At least he now knew why he couldn't find her. He had never thought to look there

Danny took a seat opposite Kara and tried not to look directly at her. He couldn't take looking at her face, not while he knew it was his fault.

"H-Hey" Danny started, weakly "About last night…I-I'm sorry about what I-"

"Forget about it Danny" Kara abruptly said. Danny internally flinched at the heat behind Kara's voice "It doesn't matter, right? As long as you've 'got your focus'. Then everything's fine, isn't it?" Kara said , her voice dripping with sarcasm. But, she hadn't raised her voice at all during that, surprising even herself.

"It's not alright" Danny said "I was stupid. I was selfish and…I-I hurt you"

While Danny was talking Kara seemed to purposefully try not to look up. Danny looked over at her uncertainly, still not sure if what he was doing was the right thing to do.

Tentatively, Danny reached over the table, intending to take Kara's hand "Please look at me, Ka-" Danny stopped abruptly when Kara flinched away from his outstretched hand. Danny pulled his hands back as if he had been burnt.

But, Danny couldn't just stop there and leave. He had to at least apologise even if she didn't want to say anything to him in return.

"Look, Kara…I need you to know that I am so sorry for what I said to you. You didn't deserve any of it. It was my fault that we were late. I know that I should have believed that you could handle it back at the Vyerni instead of making you bail. And, I'm sorry that I blamed you for it" Danny tried to get rid of the limp forming in his throat before speaking "I just wanted you safe, alright. I love you, Kara, I really do. I meant that much last night, anyway"

Kara's head perked up a bit at that last bit. For a brief moment, she looked up at Danny uncertainly. Then before Danny could say anything else, she turned away again. Danny sighed, this time actually making a noise, but probably too quiet for Kara to pick up on.

Danny was struck with an idea.

"Please, Kara" Danny pleased again "I've realised that what I did was stupid" Danny almost whined the next bit "It might have taken a few swings being taken at me by Tex to sort me out, but I got there in the end. It still hurts and everything. I will say it a million times to if I have do, Kara. I am so, so sorry"

Kara finally looked back up at Danny and instead of looking away, she just stared intently at his face and by the look of it, she was about to say something to him. After about a minute of awkward silence between two of them, Danny thought that she wasn't going to say anything after all.

"Tex really punched you in the face?" Kara asked

Her voice was such a shock to Danny that he almost gasped when he heard it. But, instead he just smiled that great, big, disarming smile of his.

"Uh, yeah… yeah, he did" Danny said. He thought it was better to stick with what Kara was saying, rather than just jump right back into apologising.

Kara stared directly at Danny, as if he had just grown another head "And you didn't punch him back?" she asked bewildered

Danny had to stamp down on the snort of laughter that threatened to escape out of him at any second

"Nope. Just stood there" he said, as if it was no big deal

Kara's eyes shot up but still looked disbelieving "Okay. Who are you and what have you done with Lieutenant Green?" she asked, mock-seriously.

Danny really did snort in laughter. But then he looked down at his lap and mumbled "Lieutenant Green did a lot of growing up last night"

Kara took one last look at Danny before lifting herself from her seat. For a moment, Danny thought that she was going to leave, but then he heard a soft, gentle voice whisper into his ear.

"Where does it hurt?"

Danny looked up to see that Kara was standing above him, her head leaning towards the back of his. He slowly and elegantly rose out of his seat so that they were facing one another.

"Sorry?" Danny asked confused, not quite catching on to what Kara meant

"Where does it hurt… from where Tex punched you?" Kara explained

Danny finally got what Kara meant. He pointed to his nose, the point where Tex had put most of his force towards. By far, the most painful spot. "Here" he said. Luckily his nose hadn't broken in the confrontation with Tex

Kara gently placed a soft and tender kiss onto Danny's nose. It was starting to turn into a scene from Indiana Jones, but Danny couldn't really care less.

"And here" Danny pointed to the back of his head where Tex had slapped him, hard.

Following Danny's hand, Kara stepped round Danny's large, muscle body and placed another kiss onto the back of Danny's head. She looped back round to face him again. Before Danny could mention anything else, Kara had placed a gently finger on Danny's lips "Here?" she asked

Danny nodded absentmindedly, all he cold think was that this was going better than he could ever have expected. Before he could process anything else, Kara pressed her lips to Danny's slowly.

They both just stayed there, blissfully ignorant to anything going on around them. Eventually, when the need for oxygen became a problem, Danny and Kara separated their heads. Danny looked down at her lovingly before speaking

"I really am sorry, you know" he said sincerely

Kara nodded at him, making sure that he knew she had heard him "I know" she whispered

Before he could say anything, Kara lightly slapped Danny of the side of his head, nowhere near as hard as Tex, thankfully. Danny groaned at the slight impact

"Just don't do it again" she whispered "You big dope"

Danny laughed "Yes ma'am" he said with a mock two-finger salute.

Danny leaned forward towards Kara, intent on kissing her again and within a second, he had completely captured Kara's lips. Danny placed both his hands on either side of Kara's head as he kissed her again and again. He gently pushed her back until she hit the edge of the table and Danny leaned down, ready to-

"Figures"

The two sprang apart so quickly, it was a wonder neither of them got whiplash. Both of them darted their heads towards the far corner of the room where they saw none other than Tex lounging about in one of the stools with his feet crossed, over another table. He was smirking widely as he looked at the pair in front of him.

'Where the hell did he come from!?' Danny wondered. All of his SEAL training and Tex was still able to sneak past him without breaking do much as a sweat. Although living on an island with over 4,000 soldiers, you're bound to pick up something.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Kara asked him

Tex simple smiled innocently and cocked his head "Door" he said simply with a nod towards the only entrance into the room behind where Kara and Danny stood.

"Well, what do you want then?" she asked, getting more irritated by the second

"Figures" he said again "He gets punched but then gets kissed by one of the hottest women on board. Whereas, I get my head slammed into a wall, but then I get soldier-boy yelling at me. How's that fair?" Tex said while barely containing his laughter that was just begging to be let out.

Danny clenched one of his finds into a fist and then stormed over to where Tex sat, pointing an accusing finger at him with his unbleached hand "Tex, you better get the hell out of here before I-"

Alright, alright. I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone" he said, beating a hasty retreat for the door. He was halfway out the door when he turned back to look at Kara briefly

"Oh, by the way, if you ever get tired of soldier-boy here, just know that I'd be more than happy to-"

"TEX" Kara and Danny yelled at the same time, both equally ready to murder Tex if he stayed in the room a moment longer.

Tex merely smirked with a smug look and held his hands up in surrender before stepping completely out of the room, the door swinging closed behind him.

Danny and Kara both stared at the door to make sure that Tex was well and truly gone before they turned back to each other. Danny took Kara's hand in his own before nodding his head to the door.

"Shall we continue this somewhere else? Somewhere more private?"

Kara smirked deviously 'I like the way my man thinks' she thought before they both departed

Before he was out of hearing range, he heard the door to the officers mess open and the giggling of Kara's voice echoed slightly down the pathway.

Tex wandered off down one of the ship's corridors, making a mental note not to go back to his shared quarters- quarters that he shared with Danny- at least until the next morning.

'Yeah, those two would be alright' he said to himself

Since he was now technically homeless, he was gonna need somewhere else to stay for the night. Hell, maybe he could get that hot doctor that he had seen earlier to open up her quarters for him. A Dr. Scott? He recalled

He smirked as a plan began to form in his head. All he would need is a rose, something alcoholic-but not too alcoholic-, some light snacks, a blanket and some good old Texas charm that he was always in good supply of.

He'd definitely be able to find those somewhere. After all, it was a big ship. Surely, there'd be plenty of surprises in stall.