So this last week and weekend really kicked my ass, so for that reason I apologise for this being posted a day later than usual. I've quickly edited it this afternoon, so any mistakes are all mine, and apologies in advance for them.

Also, I understand there a probably a few Australianism's in my writing. I understand that we spell some words differently and some phrases are different. If there are any you don't understand, please ask me :)

I don't own The Brave of any of its characters... But I wish I did!

Chapter 25

Preach put on an epic barbeque for the team for dinner. Amir had prepared some salads and McG took care of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Preach's home and backyard was unlike any that Jaz had ever seen. The Vallins' had come close, but she had never been there with the whole team. Even though the loss of Elijah would always hurt and he would always be missed, being here in Long Beach with her Omega team truly was the family home she never thought she would experience.

She envied Preach's daughters and hoped they weren't too young to appreciate not only this warm and loving family home, but also the great guy they had for a Dad.

She briefly wondered how her life may have turned out if she had been lucky enough to have a man like Preach for a father. But refusing to dwell on that right now, she was just thankful she was lucky enough to call Preach a friend. He was her family regardless.

Seeing Jaz lost in thought, Dalton wandered over to her from where he had been supervising Preach's grilling. He was the barbeque king at their Quonset hut, but he realised he had to relinquish control at Preach's house.

"Everything ok?" He asked Jaz as he sat down in the chair beside her.

Jaz looked around at him and shaking herself out of her thoughts she smiled reassuringly, "Yeah, all good."

He looked around at their surroundings and had an idea of what she had been thinking. He'd thought it himself on the few occasions he had been here. Preach's family and his home wasn't something he was jealous of, but he certainly envied it. His own family home didn't contain many happy memories, but he knew Jaz's didn't contain any – at all.

He reached out to run his fingers up and down her arm, and Jaz knew without even talking about it that he knew what she had been thinking about.

Before she could say anything, McG broke them out of their reverie.

"Alright you two, before you get all handsy, get one of these margaritas into you."

McG handed them both one of his concoctions, before handing Amir a glass too, "Don't worry, it's a virgin margarita for you."

"So, it's juice?" Amir queried.

"Yeah but virgin margarita sounds so much better." McG defended.

"Geez McG!" Jaz choked after having a sip, "Is this all tequila, no juice?"

"Had to make up for Amir's somehow…" McG laughed.

"By the look of it, I'm better off." Amir said as he walked inside to get the finishing touches for dinner.

Preach wandered over with the grilled meat all ready to go and they sat around the outdoor table and dug in. They downed a few more of McG's margaritas, appreciated Preach and Amir's cooking and teased and laughed at, and with each other.

Eventually, they all ended up in the hot tub.

After the margaritas they were all a bit giggly, excluding Amir of course, but he was used to it. Even Preach had downed a few drinks, more than he had done since before the blast. Not wanting to go too hard, after half an hour in the hot tub, he took himself off to bed, but assured the others they should stay in for as long as they wanted.

Amir was the next to depart, wanting to chat to Hannah since he knew she was still awake.

McG, Jaz and Dalton enjoyed the extra space in the hot tub and McG made the three of them one more margarita. Even though Jaz and Dalton were trying to refrain from PDA in front of the team, the more they drank, the flirtier they got. Or as flirty as they were going to get in public.

"Ok, well this third wheel needs to go to bed. He knows when he's not wanted." McG said dryly as he hauled himself out of the hot tub.

Jaz and Dalton barely noticed him leaving, which he didn't take to heart, in fact it made him smile. Those two had a lot of catching up to do, he just didn't need to be around to see it.

Jaz and Dalton just sat in the hot tub smiling at each other. They had barely noticed McG leaving, but they were definitely aware that they were now alone.

"No bikini huh?" Dalton observed, even though she still looked amazing in her one piece swim suit.

"Thought I would just keep that for when we are alone, for both our sakes." Jaz explained.

"Probably a good idea, although you look amazing in the swim suit you have on too." He admitted, before holding his hand out towards her, which when she accepted, he used to pull her closer to him.

Feeling bold, Jaz manoeuvred herself so she was on Dalton's lap and almost nose-to-nose with him.

"Hi." She rasped in that gravelly voice of hers.

"Hi." Dalton smoothly returned and he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close.

Her hands went up to cradle his face and she thread her fingers through his beard.

"Your beard is getting long."

"I thought you liked my beard." He commented.

"I do, I'm just making an observation." She shrugged as she moved her hands around the back of his head to play with the hair at the nape of his neck.

He ran his hands up and down her back, holding her body close to his.

Their lips were only millimetres away from each other, but they were out in the open, exposed, and at Preach's house. They weren't feeling bold enough to risk being caught just yet. The team knew they were together, but they had no intention of carrying on in front of them. Even knowing they were in the same house was enough to curb their affections… but not their needs.

"Maybe we should go and wash this chlorine off in the shower." Dalton suggested.

Jaz didn't respond, she just looked him dead in the eye, licked her lower lip and stood up to climb out of the hot tub.

Following her lead, Dalton did the same and they wrapped themselves in towels, made sure all the lights were off and the hot tub was turned off, because they were responsible adults after all, and high tailed it back to their room.

Jaz wasted no time at all. As soon as they entered the bedroom, she removed her swim suit and walked into the ensuite bathroom and by the time Dalton joined her, the water was already running and she was under it.

Dalton wasted no time and walked straight into her arms and crashed his lips onto hers. They were hungry and needy. The steam in the shower could well have been coming off their bodies during this all-encompassing kiss, their bodies rubbing against each other, hot, bothered and turned on.

They were both regretting the pact they had made to rein it in while they were staying at Preach's house. They wanted each other so desperately. But they had too much respect for Preach and their team mates, and they knew that even though their bedroom was on a different floor to the rest of them, their need for each other would ensure that staying quiet would be impossible.

Some harmless touching wasn't out of the question though.

Jaz let one of her hands wander down to where she could feel his hardness pressing against her. She let her fingertips dance over the tip, causing his hips to thrust as if chasing her fingers. Smiling into his mouth, which was still on hers, she gripped him firmly and began to stroke him up and down.

She felt the groan out of his mouth on her lips.

"Fuck Jaz, I've missed you so much."

She kissed him even harder, their tongues doing battle in the others mouth. As her hand moved faster on him, he placed his hands on the tiled wall on either side of her head to brace himself. The pleasure that Jaz was eliciting from him was already threatening to boil over and his hips thrust in time with her stroking. Just a few days apart and this felt like she was touching him for the first time. He felt like a teenager, but he had little control over his body right then and before he knew it he was pulsating in her hand and shuddered repeatedly as he came in her palm.

Still kissing him, Jaz smiled into his mouth. She loved that she had this effect on him, especially since she knew he had the exact same effect on her.

Dalton's hips finally slowed down and he pulled back from Jaz's lips slightly to look her in the eye.

"Your turn." He whispered seductively as he let his own fingers slip down her body, separating her folds and zoning in instantly on her clit.

She gasped at the instant feeling of pleasure that his fingers provided and knew that she wouldn't be able to be quiet and that she wouldn't last long.

"I've missed you too, Adam." She whispered back, returning his sentiment from moments before, before crashing her lips back onto his to drown out her cries.

His finger moved back and forth across her clit, sending mini shockwaves throughout her entire body. Keeping his thumb on her clit, he slipped one finger inside of her and began to pump it in and out of her in time with the rhythm her hips were dictating.

Jaz gripped onto his shoulders tightly to keep herself braced and when he saw her starting to give in to the euphoria, he slipped another finger inside of her, causing her to moan into his mouth at the sensation.

He moved his fingers faster and faster inside of her, while his tongue moved inside of her mouth in a similar rhythm.

Feeling her starting to convulse on his fingertips, he flicked his thumb over her clit even faster and as she moved her hands from his shoulders to grip his head tightly in both her hands to hold his lips against hers, he felt her come apart.

Wave after wave of sensation quivered through Jaz's body as she lost control of her body movements. It had only been a few days without Adam's touch, but it had felt like a life time. They continued to kiss each other, both still rocking together with the last shockwaves running through Jaz's body.

They might be reining it for this long weekend at Preach's, but the pleasure they still provided and drew from each other, still took their breath away.

They slept like babies that night. Wrapped up around each other and exhausted, but satisfyingly satiated… for now.

Dalton was up early the next morning and found Preach in the kitchen, just starting to make his smoothie.

"You're up early Top."

"I'm always up early." Dalton defended himself.

"Yeah, but now you've got a reason to stay in bed…" Preach teased, with a big grin on his face.

Dalton felt himself blush, and he can't remember the last time he blushed. Seeing this, Preach had a chuckle to himself, he knew he would be having fun with this for quite a while.

No sooner had Dalton put the coffee pot on than Amir, Jaz and McG all appeared in the kitchen.

"It's like a beacon." Preach observed, indicating towards the coffee pot.

Jaz shuffled into the kitchen and went and stood next to Dalton. Knowing she wasn't a morning person, he handed her a large cup of coffee and subtly brushed her hand with his, for which she rewarded him with a big smile.

McG and Amir saw the exchange and raised their eyebrows at each other.

"Guess I'll just get my own cup of coffee." Mcg said sarcastically, before he saw Dalton turn around with two more mugs in his hand, with his eyebrows raised.

"My bad, Top." McG immediately apologised, "Just making sure you weren't playing favourites."

"Since when did you become the moral compass of our team?" Preach teased him.

"Since I lost my spot as Top's favourite."

Dalton snorted, Jaz laughed, Amir chuckled and Preach just raised his eyebrows at him.

"Way to make a guy feel special guys." McG sulked jokingly.

"You'll get over it." Preach said dryly before changing the topic, "So are we heading out today or staying in?"

"No rehab today?" Dalton asked him.

"Not on Sunday. A buddy of mine works on one of the Catalina ferries. We could go there for the day…"

"Are you ok to go out, Preach?" Amir asked.

"Well since I have my own private doctor with me this weekend, I figure I should be fine." Preach tilted his head towards McG.

"On a boat though? Isn't your inner ear damage causing you a few problems?" Amir persisted.

"What do you think doc?" Preach directed to McG.

"I can give you something for any nausea you might feel, but if we go, I'm not leaving your side all day."

"Lucky me." Preach replied dryly, before continuing, "Ok, let me give my buddy a quick call."

When he left to grab his phone from the bedroom, Dalton confronted McG, "Is this injury a problem? Should he be going out?"

"Not going to lie, inner ear injuries and damage are tricky and can be slow to recover from. But he'll be fine with all of us with him. It's not like we're going parachuting or bungy jumping. I'll keep my eye on him." McG was confident Preach would be fine to get out and about today.

Dalton nodded, happy with McG's assessment.

Preach walked back into the kitchen looking chipper, "Ok, all set. We need to move out in an hour. Pack your beach gear, I'll grab some towels."

The other four couldn't help but all smile at each other. Seeing Preach like this, happy and excited… and alive, made them all happy too. And they couldn't wait to head out and spend the day all together.

The ferry ride over to Catalina was fairly uneventful and even Preach made it through with no nausea or balance problems. Despite that, McG barely left his side, not wanting to take any risks.

They were keen to go snorkelling once they arrived, so they hired their masks, snorkels and flippers and went and found a spot on the beach to spread their towels out and dump their gear.

Preach had to avoid getting his ear wet, so he would be minding all their gear and soaking up some sun on the sand. McG tried to stay with him, but Preach insisted he would be fine for an hour or two, while they explored in the water.

Once again, Dalton was glad that Jaz hadn't worn her bikini. He thought she looked amazing in all of her swim suits, in just about every outfit actually, but he had no control over himself when he saw her in that bikini. A beach full of people was hardly the spot for him to lose his mind.

They spent a good couple of hours floating around and exploring the beautiful marine life. Every ten minutes or so, one of them would surface to look towards Preach, making sure he was ok. He gave them the thumbs up signal every time.

After a couple of hours, they all went and had some lunch at a burger place on the pier before deciding what to do for the rest of the afternoon on Catalina Island.

Preach, McG and Amir, not so subtly, decided to go and play 9 holes of golf, knowing that Dalton and Jaz weren't really golfers or fans of the sport. It was also a low impact sport that Preach would be able to handle, but regardless, Dalton had a quick word to Preach before they took off.

"You sure you're ok to do this?" Dalton asked, a note of concern in his voice.

"You have my word that if it's too much or I start feeling dizzy that I will stop. Besides, McG will be right there with me." Preach reassured him.

"I know, but it's not necessary to make yourselves scarce, just so Jaz and I can be alone."

"We know that, but from what I can gather, you and Jaz went through an emotional few days, and you haven't really had much time to yourselves. Enjoy your afternoon, enjoy your time together. Today's moments are tomorrow's memories. Make lots of them."

"We don't call you Preach for nothing huh?" Dalton chuckled.

"Enjoy my friend, see you this afternoon." Preach called out as he left the pier area with Amir and McG.

Dalton and Jaz were a little taken aback but also appreciative of the others to give them a little bit of time to themselves. It was unexpected, but they couldn't deny that a few hours alone sounded great.

Standing at the top end of the pier, they looked around before deciding what to do.

Dalton stepped forward smiling at her, took Jaz's hand in his and said "I know", before leading her down the pier.

Jaz took a moment to enjoy just holding Adam's hand. Like a normal couple would. Not that they weren't a normal couple, but their job came with so many speed humps, that holding hands in public may soon be a non-option. But for today, she would enjoy his large hand wrapped around her smaller one, walking shoulder to shoulder with him and the plethora of feelings that came with it.

She laughed when he stopped in front of a bait and tackle hire shop. Of course she wanted to go fishing off the pier, it was her new favourite hobby! Hiring all the equipment was quite quick since Dalton knew exactly what they would need, and they wandered down the very end of the pier to find a quieter spot.

Setting up all their gear didn't take too long now that Jaz knew what she was doing too, and they were quickly sitting side-by-side with their rods in the ocean.

"So the guys aren't great at being subtle, huh?" Jaz laughed.

"Far from it." Dalton agreed, before smiling at her, "But I'm not complaining."

"Me neither." Jaz replied, suddenly feeling shy.

Dalton smiled to himself. Prior to this leave, he'd never really known Jaz to be shy. Quiet sometimes, definitely outspoken, and always ready to give a piece of her mind, but never shy.

He liked it. It was a softer side to the Jaz that was portrayed on deployment and on missions. He really liked getting to know all these different parts of her, he hoped there was a lot more to discover too. He wanted to know everything about her.

He sat thinking about how much had changed in the last few weeks between the two of them. Yeah, there had always been something between them. But he never thought that they would be at this stage. Together. As a couple.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Jaz broke through his thoughts.

Reaching over to brush her hair off of her face, he said simply, "I'm just really glad we're doing this."

She gave him one of those big beautiful smiles of hers that lights up her whole face and leant over to kiss him.

"Me too." She whispered as she pulled back to look into his eyes.

He quickly leant forward himself and gave her another quick kiss on her lips, before he turned serious, "I know we still have a lot to talk about, and a lot to figure out, but being here with you is right where I want to be."

Jaz could feel herself melting. She'd never known Adam to be this open about his feelings. She'd seen a few glimpses when he had shared a few personal memories and stories with her, but most of the time he was generally quite closed off.

She liked it. It was a softer side to the CO he was on deployment and on base, and understandably so. That was a tough job, and he could only get it done with a certain demeanour. He was one hell of a leader, but she had always known there would be a lot more to him, based on the small private moments they had shared over the years.

She still needed to keep pinching herself that the last few weeks had even happened. She'd always respected him, from the very first moment she met him. From the subtle ways he made it clear that her gender was not a barrier, that she had nothing to prove to him, and that she was an asset to the team. Elijah had liked to tease her about her 'crush' on their captain, but she had always brushed him off.

Truth was, she knew they had always shared a special bond, one that she didn't share with the others, even Elijah. But being together now, that was a different thing altogether. And she really, really liked it.

They fished for another hour, with not much luck, before returning their gear and having a wander around. They walked hand in hand, enjoyed the scenery and each other's company. When it was nearly time to meet the others, they stood on the side of the pier, arms resting on the rail and just watched the water lapping at the sand.

Dalton watched the gentle breeze blow Jaz's hair and the sun reflect off her bronzed features. She was picture perfect right then and he wished he had Amir's fancy camera to capture the moment. Instead, he pulled out his phone and snapped a quick picture of her while before she realised what he was doing.

"Hey, since when do you take sneaky pictures on your phone?" Jaz asked, a little shocked.

"Just trying to keep up with all your selfies." He shrugged, "And you look beautiful right now, I wanted to capture the moment."

"Just right now, huh?" She teased him before he just tilted his head at her, knowing she was joking.

Watching his face start to smirk she placed her hands on his chest, tilted her head up towards his and kissed him. In public. On the pier. For everyone to see.

Dalton placed his hands around her waist and pulled her close, not wanting to let go just yet.

At that moment Preach, McG and Amir were starting to walk towards them, but when they saw Jaz and Dalton start to kiss, they all stopped momentarily, nudging each other. It was strange for them to see their CO and Jaz like this, but at the same time, it was what they had been predicting for so long and they were genuinely very happy for them, even if seeing them kiss was a bit bizarre.

They kept walking towards them until they were right next to them.

"Gross." McG deadpanned, loud enough to pull Jaz and Dalton out of their embrace.

They looked both annoyed and apologetic at the same time, but when McG broke into a smile, they did too and there was that shy look on Jaz again.

"Come on love birds, we don't want to miss the ferry." Preach said with a small smile on his face.

Although they had agreed on no PDA in front of their team, they couldn't help but hold hands as they walked towards the ferry, trailing behind the others. They had all just seen them kiss, so a bit of hand holding was rather mundane in comparison.

But they both couldn't help but smile to themselves and to each other. Was this real? Was this really happening? They were still in disbelief, but so happy.

So damn happy!

Dalton and Jaz make me so damn happy too! I'm still so pissed that the show got cancelled!

Thank you to those who commented such lovely things on my last chapter, and apologies that I haven't had chance to reply to them yet, it really was one of those weeks!

Anyway, what did you think about this chapter? As always, thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it. And thank you to those who leave comments, I love you all XXX