Against All Odds 2
Disclaimer: yup pretty sure I don't own anything regarding Last Ship. I only own original characters.
Author's Notes: Sorry guys. I know the prologue probably had y'all WTF! Also, I have no idea the name of the new president for season 5, so I created my own name.
To the guest who reviewed Ships in the Night: while I too may not have warmed up to Sasha, I do believe that her and Rachel would have gotten along. They may have been wary and had to size each other up at first, especially in regards to Tom, but in the end I think they would have bonded. It would have been quite humorous, at least in my opinion, to watch them both go head to head with Tom.
February 19, 2015
USS Nathan James, off the coast of the United States
Rachel tossed and turned in her bed. She glanced over to her clock which read 11:15.
She had been back on the ship for 3 days now. One of the first things she did, when returning, was pulling Tom into surgery to remove the remaining bits of shrapnel. Unfortunately, immediately after, she was taken back to her quarters by her security guards.
Tom healed, but Doc Rios and Milowski were the ones who continued to check on him. She knew that Tom was avoiding her as much as she was avoiding him. She also knew that she didn't have much time. They would be in Saint Louis in two days. In two days she would learn her fate.
"Hardest thing about goodbyes. All the things you didn't say. All the unresolved stuff. The feelings. Whatnot. You and the captain….you'll get a chance to say what you need to."
Tex's words to her kept replaying. No matter how hard she tried to ignore what he said to her, it wouldn't leave her brain.
Sighing she got out of bed. She slipped on a pair of shoes and headed to the p-way. While she had a security detail during the day, Tom didn't feel it was necessary at night. She made her way up to his quarters as quickly as she could.
Standing in front of his quarters, she almost lost her nerve. Taking a breath, she knocked. She could hear movement from the inside and Tom opened the door.
"Rachel" he said surprised "Is everything okay?"
She nodded "Can I come in?"
Tom nodded and opened the door wider for her to enter and closed the door behind her. Like her, he was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.
"What do you need?"
"I...I wanted to talk to you."
"And it couldn't wait until the morning?" Tom replied
Rachel shook her head no and began speaking "While you were off dealing with the sub, we took refuge in a house. I was standing and staring out a window...thinking...about everything...when Tex came up to me. He told me the hardest thing about goodbyes was all the unresolved stuff, the feelings...the things you didn't say...he said you and I would have that chance...to talk...and we haven't.
"I've been avoiding you as much as you have been avoiding me...but we need to talk. We can't avoid it anymore."
Rachel took a moment before continuing.
"I know you are still so mad at me for what I did. I get that. I know I told you once...but I'm saying it again...I never meant to hurt you. While I don't regret killing Niels...I do regret how much my actions affected you. I regret how much it...damaged our...relationship. A relationship that started out so...rocky...and now I treasure it and I've ruined it and I don't know how to fix it…"
Rachel paused to turn her head so Tom would see the tears pooling in her eyes. She took a deep breath before turning to resume speaking.
"I am sorry Tom. I'm sorry that I put you in the position I put you in. I will accept any and all consequences to my actions. I just wish that I hadn't ruined this" she said pointing to the two of them "our relationship and for that I'm truly sorry."
They stood in silence for a few moments, just staring at each other.
"That's all I wanted to say...so I'll leave you to get some rest." Rachel said and began making her way to the door, when Tom grabbed her by the arm.
"I hated punishing you Rachel." Tom told her. "I hated that I knew what you had done before Mike even had the proof. Jeffrey asked me what I was going to do about it. I told him I didn't know...You asked me if it was what I wanted."
"I remember. You said it was never about what you wanted." Rachel whispered back.
"And it hasn't been. I didn't want to punish you, but I had too. You want to know what I wanted?"
Rachel nodded.
"I wanted to give you a medal for killing the man who killed billions. Who killed my wife. Who almost killed my children and father. He deserved to die...but I couldn't."
"I know...because the Tom who applauded me for killing him...is standing in front of me now. The Tom who punished me is the career military. But you're one and same and that is one of the things that I lov" Rachel said before cutting herself off.
Rachel looked up to Tom, hoping he didn't catch her, almost, admission of love. Instead, she found a myriad of emotions crossing his face. Shock. Confusion. Hopefulness. Desire. Without even thinking of the consequences of her actions, she moved forward and pulled his face to hers in a demanding kiss.
This kiss was far different from the one they shared months ago on the Vyerni. Then she was passing a note and he had a wife. Now, there was no note and no wife. It was just two adults who had a growing passion for one another.
Their coupling was a frenzy of clothes being discarded, moans being echoed and bodies being joined.
September 15, 2015
San Diego, CA
Allison sat in the jet, impatiently waiting for Tom Chandler's next move. She picked up her phone and dialed. It rang a few times before a voice answered.
"You have the location, take her." Allison commanded.
This was one of the last phone calls Allison Shaw made.
March 9, 2019
Saint Louis, Missouri
4:00 PM
President John Lawrence stood back and watched as the locksmith began working to open the fireproof safe.
When he had ordered the presidential office to be renovated, he never expected the crew to find a fireproof safe to be hidden under a floorboard in the far right corner of the room. No one on the staff had any idea how long it had been there or who even put it there. For as far as anyone knew it could have been put there pre the red flu.
It had taken some time to find a locksmith, but now he was anxiously awaiting, like his chief of staff, Kelly Gordon, and vice president, Nicholas Richards, to uncover the contents of the safe.
"Got it sir." the man told John.
John walked over the man, shook his hand and thanked him. His head of secret service escorted the man from the room. Kelly and Nicholas hurried over to the desk as John began pulling out documents.
"It looks like a bunch of handwritten documents. There are some receipts." Nicholas said.
"Oh my god" Kelly said "It's from President Michener."
"What?" John said "Why would Jeffrey have kept handwritten documents and in a fireproof safe? What was he hiding?"
"More like...who" Nicholas said pointing to a piece of paper "Rachel Scott is alive."
"What!" Kelly and John yelled in unison.
"According to this document. She survived surgery and he put her into hiding. It looks like he was keeping...a journal of sorts."
They each took some papers and began reading, their eyes bugging out with each passing moment.
"Nicholas, get secret service to get Tom Chandler immediately! I know he's in town for the ceremony tomorrow. I want him here in two hours!" John ordered.
Nicholas nodded and rushed out of the room.
John turned to Kelly. "Kelly, you take this and keep it locked up. Buy another safe if you need too. This can't get out until we speak to Tom, understand?"
"Yes, sir" Kelly responded. She grabbed all the papers and placed them back in the safe, picked up the safe and hurried out of the room.
John sat down, rubbed his hands over his face and leaned back in his chair. He was in a state of shock over what he had just read. He couldn't imagine the shock that Tom Chandler was about to be in.
March 9, 2019
Panama City, Panama
6:00 PM
Sasha quickly shook herself out of her stupor and began eyeing where the men were taking Rachel. She began following at a safe distance. She caught Azima's eye and motioned to where Rachel was being taken.
She lifted her champagne glass to her face, in attempt to cover her mouth, "we've got a situation."
Within seconds, Azima and Wolf approached, linked arm to arm. Danny also approached.
"Hey sweetie" Danny said putting his arm around Sasha, "look who I found"
Sasha smiled at Azima and Wolf, pretending that she was being reintroduced to them.
Sasha pointed to a quiet alcove, in the direction Rachel was taken, "Why don't we go over there where it's a little more quiet."
The others nodded and made their way to the alcove. Once there, they each "stationed" themselves to keep an eye on their surroundings.
"What's going on?" Danny asked.
"I just saw Rachel Scott." Sasha said point blank.
Danny and Wolf exchanged an incredelous look, Azima looked a bit confused.
"I know what, more like who, I saw. I may not have known Rachel but I know what she looks like and it was her. She was with four security guards. They were walking her down this hallway" Sasha said and pointed. "She looked at me with fear in her eyes. Pleading for help."
"Okay." Danny said taking charge "You and Azima head down there, try to find Rachel. If you get stopped use the excuse you're trying to find the restroom. Wolf and I will scope out the security and try to find an exit."
Azima and Sasha nodded and began walking down the hallway, gossiping about random stuff, to keep their cover up. They would stop and open doors, poking their heads in to see if Rachel was in the room.
They got to a door near the end of the hallway and Sasha found it was locked.
"This has got to be it." she whispered "why else would it be locked."
Sasha pulled a bobby pin from her hair and got to work on picking the lock while Azmia kept watch. Within seconds Sasha had the door unlocked.
"Keep watch" she told Azima and quietly entered the room and closing the door softly behind her.
"Rachel?" Sasha asked.
She saw Rachel come from a door to her left, a surprised look on her face, which immediately turned to relief.
"You know who I am?" Rachel asked.
Sasha nodded, "You're Rachel Scott."
Rachel brought her hand up to her mouth and tears began falling from her eyes. "Thank you"
"My name is Sasha Cooper. I'm with United States Navy. How long have you been here?"
"Almost four years. I was taken September fifteenth two thousand fifteen."
"But…"
"President Michener put me into hiding after my shooting. I was in Texas. He was hoping that I'd only be in hiding for a short time. After he died...I became very unsure what was going to happen. The day I was taken I was planning to head back to Saint Louis on my own."
"There's a team of us. We can get you out." Sasha told her.
"I can't…"
"Rachel, we can get you out."
"It's not that. God knows I want to leave."
"What is it then?"
"They have my children." Rachel admitted, the tears beginning to flow again. She pulled something out of her back pocket and unfolded it. She handed the picture to Sasha. "This is Emma and Jacob. You need to get my babies. You need to get my babies out of here. You need to get my babies to Tom and you need to tell him I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't tell him…"
Sasha looked at the picture of Emma and Jacob. Jacob was a spitting image of Tom. Sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Emma, she could tell, was a perfect mix of Rachel and Tom. She had Rachel's hair and complexion, but Tom's striking blue eyes.
Sasha didn't know what possessed her to pull Rachel into a hug. Her heart was breaking for Rachel, for all that she and her children had endured.
"I'm going to get you all out. I promise you. You will tell Tom yourself. I promise."