None of the characters belong to me; JE gets all the credit and the money. In this story, I get to have all the fun.

Chapter 2 – Touching Base

February 15th

My day drug on and I found that even when my spoon scraped the bottom of the Ben and Jerry's carton I wasn't feeling any better than when I got home.

I was restless and the movie flashing on my television wasn't holding my interest so I gave up and shut it off. I realized I was driving myself crazy with the pent up energy I suddenly had and wondered if this was what it was like for the guys when they had to work with me in a confined space.

It was too late to go to my parent's house or call the girls to get together. Finally I couldn't take it anymore because I couldn't get comfortable or sit still so I changed into sweats and a jacket and took off for a run.

I'd never seen the attraction before. But, desperate times call for desperate measures. In thirty minutes I was sweating despite the cold breeze blowing in my face, and I was beginning to lean over because of a pain in my side. However, I couldn't deny the fact that my mind was beginning to focus. I realized I was worried and when I searched through all the possible things I could be worried about I landed on Hal. I didn't sense he was any danger, I just wondered if he were lonely.

I realized that while running was a great way to center my thoughts, it was also a way to have a heart attack with all the gasping for breath I was doing. I stopped, turned around and walked the fifty minutes back home.

After a shower I slipped into my cotton pj's and booted up my lap top. I had used the quiet of the walk home to begin composing a note and once my e-mail account on-line was up I quickly typed in what I had come up with.

"Hey Hal! How are the cookies? I'm hoping a nosey neighbor on the flight over didn't help to relieve you of any. I was thinking about you tonight and thought you might appreciate a friendly note waiting for you the first time you checked in from California. Fortunately, nothing happened in the ten hours since you left, but that leaves me with very little to share. I can admit that I was feeling out of sorts tonight and decided to take a page from the RangeMan book and took a run. It didn't take long before I remembered why I don't run so I turned around and came back home. Of course the pint of Ben and Jerry's I ate right before heading out probably didn't help much either. Anyway, I hope you are settled, and if there is anything you would like to know from Jersey, feel free to ask. Take care of yourself. – Steph."

I felt better as soon as I pressed send and went to bed, falling asleep easily.

The next day snow was falling and I debating staying home but thought I should check in with the girls at the office and see if Connie had any files for me.

Lula was kind enough to relieve me of the box of doughnuts weighing down my arms as soon as I walked in the bonds office.

"Hey, White Girl, Why you down?" She asked.

"Who said I was down?" I asked, "I just woke up, I haven't been awake long enough to be upset over something."

"I don't know. Your face look down to me. Why don't you tell me and Connie what's on your mind." Lula offered pulling an office chair on wheels around the desk and sitting beside me with the doughnuts in her lap.

They were both staring at me as though they expected some earth shattering announcement. I decided to go with the truth.

"You guys know Hal from RangeMan, right?"

They both nodded and ate more of their doughnuts letting me continue.

"He has to go to California for the next nine months to finish out his last contract with the Navy. While he's gone he asked me to e-mail him so he stays up on the latest news from home; that way when he gets back he'll still feel connected." I explained.

"Okay," Lula said around a bite of a Boston Cream, "What's that got to do with you being down?"

"I guess I'm used to all the guys being there like a family and when one of them is missing for this long it feels off." I confessed.

"You ain't holding out on us, are you? You got a thing for Mr. Quiet Guy?" Lula asked.

"No, we're just friends. But I feel bad, he's out there with no friends and he's afraid that when he gets back he will feel like an outsider with his friends here. I wish I could help him more than just sending a few notes back and forth." I offered.

Lula's eyes squinted and I knew she was cooking up a plan. "You want to keep him from getting lonely and remind him of home, right?"

"Yes." I answered growing nervous at what Lula was thinking.

"Then we need to go shopping," She jumped up, not bothering to brush the fallen sugar off her spandex skirt.

"Why shopping?" I demanded.

"Girl, you need some cheering up and Macy's can do that. Plus, we need to get a snow globe." She finished as though her explanation was self evident.

"Why do we need a snow globe?" I asked.

"You can send it to Mr. Quiet Guy to remind him of home. It's snowing – he ain't gonna see that in California. Everybody feels better when they get a present." She finished making a great deal of sense.

I decided to take it one step further. Seeing an empty office supply box next to the door I asked Connie if I could have it.

"It saves me the trouble of throwing it out." She agreed.

I hastily took the box and followed Lula out to my Escape for a little retail therapy.

Driving back to Haywood after we were finished shopping, I had to agree with Lula, I did feel better. I took the box in and sat it on Hal's empty Desk with a sign above it that said, "Hal's box – Will be Mailed February 25th."

Then I went to my cubicle to send out an explanation to everyone.

Selecting all staff as my e-mail recipient I wrote:

"Hey guys! As you know Hal is gone finishing his contract with the Navy. But he will be coming back in December. In order to remind him of home and help him realize he is missed I put a box on his desk that I would like you to help me fill up. I'll mail it to him in ten days so you have that long to come up with one thing each to put in there. And, if you expect me to cover your shifts anymore, you better help me fill that box up. It would be great if you could let him know who each item is from and why you're including it if it isn't self explanatory. If you have any questions, you know where to find me. ~Steph."

Hoping the guys would do this the easy way, I pressed send. But, I made up my mind I would track them down if nothing appeared with in a couple of days. I was going to keep them mindful of their friend no matter what.

I decided as long as I was here I would run the search in my in-box and when I got up to leave I turned around into a mass of muscle belonging to Ranger.

"Got your e-mail, Babe." He began.

"Good. I hope the guys will help me pull some stuff together. Depending on how it goes I may do a box every month. Anybody can reach out once or twice but the continued reminders will help him know we haven't forgotten." I explained my thought behind it.

"I think it's a good idea and I know he'll appreciate it. I don't think they'll give you any trouble, but you may need to offer some encouragement to get them to help." He finished.

Hmm. What kind of encouragement could I offer?

I was interrupted from my thought by Ranger's soft chuckle. "I'm sure you'll think of something, Babe." He said before tucking a curl behind my ear and walking away.

When I got home and fed Rex he didn't seem all that excited about my plan of sending regular packages to Hal. I didn't let that dampen my enthusiasm for the idea though.

I turned on my computer and made a peanut butter and olive sandwich while I was waiting for it to boot up.

I was excited to see my e-mail account had a new message waiting for me and clicked on it without checking who it was from.

"Hey Steph, Thanks for your note. I couldn't believe you sent me something so quickly. I'm glad things are slow but I don't believe they will stay that way for very long. I'll be disappointed if they do. I got a kick out of you taking a run. I'll bet before you had been moving thirty minutes your side was cramping and you were out of breath. That's what ice cream does to you before exercise. Personally, I think it tastes better after you run, but you would have to be brave enough to try running again to test it for yourself. The endorphins make your taste buds pick up on more of the flavors in your food. Let me know if you decided to take the challenge. I'm the first one here of our returning group so it's quiet. Talk to you soon. Hal."

Hmm. Could exercise really make ice cream taste better? Was Hal challenging me or was he making it up just to see if I would fall for it and run two days in a row. This could be a trick to make up for me stunning him three years ago.

Great now I had a dilemma. Did I ignore his comment in case it was a trick, or did I try it in case it actually worked? My mind was racing back and forth and before I realized what was happening I had myself worked up and antsy again.

Pulling on my sweats from the day before I realized I had nothing to lose. The snow stopped mid-day and had mostly melted away so I had no excuse to stay inside. Twenty minutes later I hadn't felt the first cramp and although I was breathing hard I had to admit it was easier than the day before.

I decided to turn back not wanting to go too far just to perform an ice cream taste test. When I got back to my apartment I ran up the stairs and into my den before collapsing on the couch. Once I had my breathing under control I drug myself up and over to the freezer to pull out my emergency carton of Ben and Jerry's. I closed my eyes as I put the first bite in my mouth letting it melt a little on my tongue before I bit into it.

I took another bite, and then another. Then I sucked up my pride and sat down to type.

"Dear Hal, Alright, no gloating, but you're right. I took a run after I got your message and after forty minutes I was breathing hard, but not cramping. Then I sampled a few bites of frozen heaven from B&J and I think it does taste better. You better not have been pulling my leg about that (I seriously wondered if you were trying to play a trick on me to pay me back for stunning you years ago). Besides, now I've done it for the sake of science so I don't need to do it again."

I shoveled in another bite before continuing, "Lula and I went shopping today. Apparently the fact that it snowed was occasion enough to look at shoes at the mall. I thought it was ridiculous in theory but I did walk out with a strappy pair of black ones that I can't wait to wear out."

"Connie had a couple of skips for me today so I plan on doing my research at RangeMan tomorrow (aren't you proud? Research first, then I'll go off to get the skips with at least a half baked idea of what I'm up against) and then I'll try to get the bad guys the next day."

"It's still quiet here, and I'm hoping your comment that you hope it doesn't stay quiet isn't a challenge for me to get myself into trouble. Hopefully the guys will arrive to keep you company soon. What will you do when they get there? I guess I should say good night. ~Steph."

After sending my note, I pressed send and realized I was full of ice cream even though I'd only eaten half of the container. That was odd. I put it back in the freezer for next time and got ready for bed.

When I got to RangeMan the next morning I saw a couple of items had been added to Hal's box. Lester had thrown in a box of condoms (I considered taking them out, but decided to let them stay since I didn't say their contributions needed my approval). Bobby put in a bottle of multi-vitamins that a lot of the guys around the office took. He said they were specially formulated for bodies under stress. The fact that each tablet was big enough to choke a horse was reason enough for me to keep from putting my body under that kind of stress.

Cal put in a box of gum from Costco with a post-it attached telling him "Remember man, chewing helps the water to drain from your ears better. I'm jealous of all the ocean time you're getting, my wet suit is dusty." I'd forgotten Cal was a SEAL too. I'd have to talk to him later about what Hal was going through.

Somebody had thrown in a joke book which seamed to contain only x-rated material. I let it stay too despite my better judgment.

I sat down at my desk pleased with the initial contributions.

By the end of the day my ass was asleep and my eyes were closely following. Lester popped his head in my cubicle and said, "Hey Beautiful, what are you still doing here?"

I yawned as my answer making him laugh.

"That sums it up. Hey, I liked the box for Hal. That is a really nice thing to do. It can get lonely being away from home that long and you begin to think people have forgotten about you. Let me know if you want any help mailing it when you've got it all pulled together," Les offered.

My chin was practically on the floor. "What?" Les asked. "We've all been in his position at some point or another. I'm just saying it would have been nice to have someone at home willing to go out of their way to help us feel like we still had a place to return to."

With that he tugged on one of my curls in a brotherly teasing fashion and walked away whistling the Army anthem. He had barely gotten out the notes for "Over hill, over dale," before someone started singing, "Anchor's Away" as competition. That settles it – these guys are nuts, but they are my nuts.

For the next few days I followed my same routine and each night I ended up taking a brief run as a way to clear my head and settle down. By the end of the first week I had to admit I was beginning to feel the effects. I could go forty minutes, up the stairs and into the apartment without needing to collapse on the couch before reaching in the freezer for my frozen daily dose of dairy. It tasted better each day, and I found I didn't eat as much as the day before. That part was frustrating, but at least I wasn't breaking the bank with my junk food habit at the moment.

Saturday I turned on the computer after I got up not expecting a response from my note the night before.

I was excited to see Hal had found time to respond and clicked on his message.

"Hey Steph! Today was fantastic. The two guys I've worked with before arrived and we went out diving in the ocean. Our newbies will start Sunday so we took our last chance to scuba and free drive without having to be responsible for new fish."

I laughed at the way he was speaking of his trainees. They were SEALs in their own right and even if they were new, I figured it was a pretty safe bet they would be comfortable in the water.

"Anyway, now that you're getting comfortable running forty minutes have you thought about extending it by five minutes each way? It wouldn't be that much harder and you might be surprised what a difference it would make the next time you have to chase after a skip. BTW, you haven't mentioned how things are going with your skips. Am I to assume that your new method of going after the bad guys with a little research and a half baked plan is working?"

Ha! If only he knew. I didn't want to admit to what happened yesterday, but in the interest of full disclosure I might tell him. At least I wouldn't have to listen to him laugh in my face.

"I miss Ella's cooking. The mess here isn't bad, at least compared to some bases, but it is no where near as good as hers."

I'd mention that to Ella Monday and see if she wanted to include something in one of our next packages.

"It's the weekend so I'm hoping to get some details about what you're doing for fun. I don't expect you to write everyday, but I will admit that I check it every morning hoping to see your name in my in-box. Thanks. Hal."

That was sweet. I felt the same way. Having a note, no matter how short was something to look forward to.

I hit reply and started typing without thinking it through first.

"Hey Hal! Alright I'll tell you about my skip yesterday, but I don't want to hear a single bit of laughter. I went after Charles Lewis. I'd brought him in before which usually means it will either go really smoothly because they realize they will be rebonded and released, or really badly because they instantly recognize me and run. Mr. Lewis fell in the second category."

I couldn't believe I was admitting to this.

"I managed to get my foot in the door to keep him from slamming it in my face and running, but he took off anyway. I caught up with him in the alley behind his house (not a word about how running at night probably enabled me to keep up) just in time to watch him scale a fence. I managed to get over but when I rounded the top I saw the drop was about ten feet into mud. I was going to just back down and go back the way I came to preserve my clean jeans, but I heard the tale-tale sound of a dog barking and sure enough, Mr. Lewis' Doberman was charging fast."

I debated stopping there and leaving the rest for his imagination but I figured my humiliation in reality could be no worse than his imagination so I finished up.

"I went ahead and fell into the mud, which wasn't all that deep so I only fell to my knees. I thought that would be as far as my humiliation would take me, but my shoe came off when I pulled my foot out, and I had to go in with my hands to find it ruining my shirt too. By the time I got to my car I was cold (of course it wasn't cold enough to freeze the mud, but still cold enough to make you shiver when wet) and frustrated and still didn't have Mr. Lewis."

I had no idea how I was going to get him, but I was determined to do it.

"So there you have the latest installment in the chronicles of the Bombshell Bounty Hunter."

Then I changed the subject.

"Don't think I don't realize what you're doing trying to get me addicted to running. It is the weekend and I plan on vegging out and taking it easy tonight. I make no guarantees about stretching out my run any further. I hope your new fish turn out to be good swimmers, but with you as their guide they have no choice but to be good when they're done. I have a surveillance shift tomorrow with Cal. He doesn't bring me chocolate like you do. Do you think he'll talk to me at all? I hope you're being careful and I'll talk to you soon. ~Steph."

I sent it off and went over to Haywood to get the box pulled together.

I was pleased to see the guys had thrown in some other items so I wrapped up my snow globe along with a picture of the dusting we received the day he left and taped it to the outside with a note that I hoped it reminded him of the frozen tundra he left behind. I put some Hershey bars and a small jar of peanut butter in too telling him not to knock it until he tried it.

After sealing it up and getting the label on I walked over to Lester's desk. He saw the box in my arms and took it with a smile. "I'm heading out, so I'm mail this on my way," He promised before putting a kiss on the top of my head.

Sunday night I returned in time for my shift with Cal. I liked him, and knew he was much softer than his silent tattooed exterior might suggest, but I'd not pulled many shifts alone with him and wondered how long it would take before he snapped at me to be still.

We sat in companionable silence for the first ten minutes. I was trying very hard to develop a zone and surveillance shifts gave me a chance to try it out.

Before I cracked Cal reached over and opened his hand in front of me. There was a piece of Double Bubble in his palm. "Think you can blow a bubble bigger than mine?" He challenged.

Thus began the entertainment for the next half hour. He was better than me by far, which led me to suspect he cheated as his gum was already in his mouth when we started, he might have been using two pieces instead of the one I had.

"I think the package you pulled together for Hal was great, Stephanie. It's hard to be away that long so you are desperate for any remembrance from home." Cal said.

"I'm glad you guys didn't pick on me for it. I'm probably going to put another box up every month so he knows we haven't forgotten him even as time goes along." I responded.

"I got an e-mail from him this morning and he suggested you might want a little help rounding up a skip named Lewis. I'm free all day tomorrow if you want some back-up." He offered.

That was so sweet. Hal was worried about me enough to ask one of the guys to help me out. I probably should have been mad that he told someone about my embarrassing adventure, but it was a relief to think I might have some help so my temper didn't even try to wake up.

"That would be great, but the guy has a dog that I don't think likes me so I don't know if we'll be able to catch him." I confessed.

"We'll come up with something, don't worry. How about you swing by and pick me up after lunch and we'll figure it out together?" Cal suggested.

"Deal." Suddenly I was thinking of Hal's e-mail. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he said leaning up and looking at the house a little closer before relaxing.

"Why would Hal call the SEALs he's training new fish?" I wondered.

Cal laughed out loud before explaining. "They are obviously good, you can't be a SEAL and be a slacker, but they are new to his program which is like the usual Special Forces but on steroids. Everything they do demands more. Hal is one of the best I've ever seen. We served together for a while. I realized pretty quick the guy is quiet but his mind is constantly turning. Anytime he spoke up we always did what ever he said even if we outranked him. He might be soft spoken, but that guy has the heart of a warrior and the aquatic abilities of a shark. In my branch, he's a bit of a living legend already and I know the higher ups were upset that he didn't renew his contract."

Wow, not only was that the most I'd ever heard Cal say, but that was a side of Hal I'd never expected.

We had no activity at the house we were watching and our shift was over much quicker than I expected.

By the time I got home I already had my next note composed in my head.

"Hey Hal, Wow, I was not prepared for Cal to be a talker. We had a bubble blowing competition (is there any chance Cal would cheat? He won every single time.) and he filled me in a little about what you are doing. He said you were like a shark in the water and your leaving the SEALs was a bit of disappointment to your superiors. See – a regular chatty Cathy!"

I didn't want Hal to be upset that Cal had talked about him but I wanted him to know his friends here held him in high esteem.

"Cal also volunteered to help me round up Lewis tomorrow after lunch. I don't know how we'll get to him around his dog but Cal seemed confident we could. I think I should thank you for telling him, but I hope you didn't spill the whole embarrassing story in the process of asking for help on my behalf."

I debated telling him to look out for a package, but thought it would be more fun if it were a surprise.

"My mom left a message telling me I needed to come for dinner tomorrow night. It is pot roast night so it's tempting and she did throw in the big gun of my favorite dessert (pineapple upside cake) so I may just have to suck it up and endure the lecture to get to the good stuff. (Besides if I sit through the lecture first then I know the cake will be laced with her favorite flavor enhancer.)

"What is it like diving in the ocean? As much as I love the beach I've only really played in the surf so I have no idea what it is like beyond the breakers. I guess that is all the news from here. I'll talk to you tomorrow. ~Steph."

I hit send and thought about getting ready for bed, but felt that now familiar itch to move so against my better judgment I suited up and spent the next fifty minutes running in the cool evening air.

I treated myself to sleeping in on Monday and when I woke up it was nearing 10:00. I fixed a pot of coffee and while I was waiting for it to finish brewing I turned on my computer. I figured it was too early to have a message but I wanted to check before heading out for the day.

I felt like a school being passed a note when I saw the icon for a new message light up.

"Good morning Steph! I was about to go to bed and thought I'd log on to see if you'd had a chance to check in and was glad to see your message."

It was nice to know he was as hooked on our daily contact as I was.

"I'm glad you and Cal got along. I doubt he would admit to cheating, but he might have stacked the deck in his favor. I hope you weren't mad that I told him about your skip. I knew he wouldn't mind and I was afraid you wouldn't ask for help yourself. I hope you believe me when I tell you any guy there would gladly go out with you to round up the bad guys. I didn't give him the details so you don't need to be embarrassed about. You didn't tell me I could say anything about the mud and I wouldn't betray your confidence like that. You know that, don't you?"

I guess down deep I did know which is why I had no anger at the thought in the car.

"Are you going to go to your parents for pot roast with a side of guilt tonight? I'm not sure I've ever had pineapple upside cake before but I love fruit so it sounds like something I'd like to try. My favorite foods tend to be a little less sweet."

Oh, I hadn't thought of any of the Merry Men having favorite foods. Since they seemed content with twigs and bark I didn't think they had preferences. I'd have to ask him about that later.

"You asked about being below in the deep blue. I guess it isn't for everybody, but I love it. As soon as I'm a few feet down it gets quiet. There is just the sound of the water moving and if I'm in full gear the metered breathing from the tank. Because you can't see as far when the light is dim you are forced to go by instinct and your internal guide to know where you are and where you are heading. Plus when you are really moving through the water you are using all your muscles so you can find a zone and just focus on your goal. Sometimes I think being in the water is much simpler, even when I'm surrounded by danger because there are no distractions and I feel that I have an advantage because of the hours I've spent preparing."

I wonder if he will miss it when his time in the Navy is over?

"Let me know how the skip roundup goes and tell Cal I said hello. I'll talk to you again tomorrow. Hal."

I decided to wait to respond until the day was done. Somehow writing Hal had become a part of my evening routine and I wasn't sure I could go to bed without it. He'd been gone two weeks. We only had thirty seven more to go before Hal would be home.