I've decided that Alisha is like that one friend everyone has in high school who is 16 going on 42. In summer of '94, 16 going on 42 and I went to the funeral of a teammate from Vermont together. There were tons and tons of people on the highway and we found out everyone was headed to the big Grateful Dead concert way the hell up north of Burlington. After the funeral we decided to spontaneously go have two days of total rebellion. In the process of communing at the county airport with 10,000 other crazy people, we had many deep conversations and spent a lot of time moaning about our lack of boyfriend success. He had this whole analogy about looking for love being like looking for a cat. When you actively look for it, it's no where to be found. But when you're not bothering it, you find it in your lap. (We may have been really high by then.) So anyhow, my Alisha is modeled after that guy because he was a pretty great friend.

**Tell It To My Heart, Taylor Dayne**

Danny and Halsey were jogging topside despite the frigid air. Even with the bright July sunlight, there was no warmth to the air today. Halsey loved it, which was why they jogged out here every day rather than in the gym, but today the air was cold enough that it burned in Danny's lungs and dried his mouth. Even the lukewarm water bottle he'd brought out for himself and the dog was turning cold. Despite the fact that he was heating up inside his parka, he knew better then to remove it. Still, he unzipped the neck a bit and set off once again. Halsey happily loped along beside him.

A door squeaked open somewhere behind him but he'd have to wait and see who it was when he looped around again. He ran through the possibilities in his mind. Berchem was on the ice with Burk, Cruz, and Dr. Scott. Frankie, and Smith should be sleeping. Could be Cossetti or one of the young guys he'd been inviting outside for weeks. He and Burk had singled a few out who were showing promise in their guided training, but so far Miller was the only one of them had shown the individual drive it took to be a SEAL and he was already part of Burk's tac team.

Two minutes later he was surprised to see a trim form standing at the rail, wrapped tightly in a parka with the hood shielding her from the wind. His already elevated pulse crept a notch higher until she turned and he saw that it was Alisha Granderson, not Kara. He chided himself. Of course it wasn't Kara. He knew she was likely at the small desk adjacent to the C.I.C. where she did her staff planning. It was one of the other reasons he tried to get out here daily, even when it was cold. He thought of it like that advertising rule he'd learned in a marketing class in college. Get your name in front of the customer as much as possible. He pulled up short at the rail and pulled his scarf off his face so he could talk.

"Come to enjoy the nice weather Lieutenant Granderson?" He had hardly had any contact with Alisha but he knew she and Kara were friends as well as roommates so he figured it didn't hurt his case to be friendly.

"Lieutenant Green, Admiral Halsey." She acknowledged them but didn't salute. He took that as a good sign. "I'm a southern girl so I don't exactly count this as nice weather." Still she smiled warmly at him. "Do you like it this cold or are you just out here for the dog?"

"Mostly the dog. People give him treats when they think I'm not looking and then he's got to run off the extra pounds." Even now Halsey was sniffing at Alisha's pockets.

"People like my roommate you mean?"

Out of the corner of his eye he could see she was watching his reaction and he wondered how much she knew. He vaguely remembered Kara waving to her as they left the bar that first night but he hadn't been sure if she recognized him. Deciding not to give anything away he replied. "She's the prime suspect, yes."

She shrugged as she dug one of her hands into the ruff of fur under the Nathan James scarf around his neck. "People miss their pets at home on a long cruise like this. I can certainly tell he's popular. He got a better secret Santa gift than most of the sailors."

He couldn't help but smile back at her light tone. He just might have an ally in Alisha Granderson after all. "Yeah. I'm not sure how I should take it honestly. I mean, I know he's more popular than I am, but he didn't even put his name in the stocking!" He feigned a frown but he couldn't hold it when she grinned back.

"I don't think my roommate, who grew up on a farm, felt inspired to sacrifice her warmest pajamas while in the arctic to keep just any old animal warm." Her reply was soft enough that he almost thought his brain made it up. When he took in her raised eyebrows and firmly pressed lips he realized that she not only recognized him, but was trying to reassure him.

And then he was hit with the realization that now at least two people on the ship knew the nature of their relationship for sure. Frankie he could trust, no questions asked. But he didn't know Alisha and he didn't know what, if anything Kara had told her. Tension gripped him like an iron band around his chest. He racked his brain for clues about her feelings regarding rules and fraternization. Alisha was younger than him, quite likely younger than Kara even. He had the impression she was a good officer and knew she had a reputation for her unflappable composure, but he had no idea if she would support him.

She must have recognized his panic because she continued in a level voice "Don't worry Green. Your secret is safe with me. As long as you treat her right I don't care."

He forced himself to relax. Perhaps she'd know what Kara was looking for. "I want to. That is, I will, if I can just figure out how to get her to let me back in."

She cocked her head to the side. "You know that expression about leading a horse to water?"

Confused, he asked "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well, when the horse is thirsty they will lead you to the water."

He couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. "Did you just compare Lieutenant Foster to a horse?"

As an answer she simply gave the dog one final pat on the head. "Have patience Danny. The scarf was a sign she's trying to figure it out. So hang in there. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a hot cup of coffee somewhere with my name on it." She turned on her heel and swiftly made for the port side hatch.