**I Think We're Alone Now, Tiffany**
It was the first week of August, 5 days since Kara had proposed her terms, and Danny was already counting down the days until they arrived back in Norfolk. He was expecting no more than 63 days left and if it was a day more, he might just commandeer a rhib and kidnap Kara. It was nice, to openly chat with her in social situations, but it was killing him too. As much as he thought trying to be friends was pointless when he knew they both wanted something else, he couldn't risk pissing her off so much that she closed him out again. So instead, he was biding his time until he could remind her of ALL the ways they were compatible.
She was everywhere all of a sudden, which suited him fine, except of course that they were never in private. She said hi to him at the gym every morning and she sat closer to the middle of the table at breakfast so they could actually talk. She must have changed her routine in the CIC too because now she came down to take the readings from the weather instruments while he was running. The other day he'd seen her standing there with her clipboard, a pencil behind her ear and sunglasses pulled down her nose so she could read the fine print on the barometer. He'd taken advantage of her concentration to sneak up behind her and whisper "Yesterday's forecast didn't say anything about how hot you'd be today." That had earned him a disapproving finger wag which only had him thinking she'd make one badass librarian, and made it harder to keep running.
He found himself scoping out locations for a quick assignation all over the place. There was a little closet under the ladder that led up to the CIC. Between the hours of midnight and 0400 the storage rooms around the kitchen were a pretty safe bet. The armory was also a good spot when the other team was out on the ice. He and Smith had passed her in the self service laundry area the other evening. He looked in the door and recognized her backside, bent to reach in the back of the cavernous dryer for something. Instantly he remembered making fun of her for using a step stool to reach the back of the machine at her apartment. Even worse, he recalled how adorable she'd looked after, sitting on top wearing only the pair of socks she'd rescued. But with Smith there he'd had to just pass by. Too bad because he would have really liked to revisit that memory. Basically he was torturing himself because deep down he knew that unless she came to him of her own will, he'd ruin her trust. Eight weeks, he could wait out eight weeks.
Regardless of his resolve, he was getting impatient. Tonight, he was enduring an action film about a ridiculously fake earthquake in a room full of cranky people, just so he could sit next to her in a hard plastic chair. He kept reminding himself of the old training slogan "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" but of course he couldn't help but follow it up with Vince's trademark add-on "too slow is dead". So right now, Danny was sitting here watching Dwayne Johnson pretend to be a superhero guy. In 20 minutes, when the movie was over, he was going to maneuver Lieutenant Foster into a corner somewhere and make sure things weren't going too slow. He closed his eyes and thought about the route between here and their rooms. Hmmm, not many good places to duck away. Maybe he could convince her to go via the decks? There was a good corner midships under the weather deck. He could keep her warm enough for a few minutes.
Kara shifted in her seat and leaned against the chair back where his arm was casually draped. Just like taking a date to a movie in middle school, the back row still had benefits. He lightly twisted his fingers in a hank of her ponytail and felt the silky strands slip over his fingers. She huffed quietly but she didn't try to stop him. After a few minutes he grew bolder and slipped his fingers underneath the heavy weight of her hair to lightly massage the nape of her neck. She gave him a side eyed glance but he could see the corners of her mouth were turned up. Good. He wanted her to remember what it was like. He pressed a little more firmly on the tendons at the base of her neck and she closed her eyes and hung her head a little. He felt a surge of triumph as he gently slipped his fingers along her scalp.
The final scene drew to a close and he was forced to retract his arm. Kara rose from her seat, blinking as the lights were turned up, and seemed to ignore him as she slowly shuffled forward with the rest. The crowd of people erupted into comments over the credit music. "That was so unrealistic." scoffed O'Connor. "If The Rock blew off his job like that in real life, he might get the girl for like 20 seconds, but as soon as he was fired he'd be back in the doghouse." O'Connor, Mason, and Miller were walking at the tail end of a group in front of them; Kara and Maya were between; and for now, he and Halsey were tailing. Danny gave a little whistle and head tilt and put Halsey to work.
"That's not the point." Maya defended the movie. "The point was that he came back for his wife when the boyfriend was a total coward, panicked, and probably died a terrible death. What girl wouldn't love that kind of fidelity?"
Danny was surprised when Kara seized on that. Especially considering that she and Maya usually gushed over heroes together. "No, no, that's not it either. It's that he risked everything to save their child. That's what wins her back. She wouldn't have forgiven him he'd saved her and let the girl die."
As they passed out into the P-way, Maya ceded the point. "I suppose so. But.." Then she leaned closer to Kara and Danny couldn't hear what she said. Whatever it was made Kara blush and smother a giggle behind her hand though.
"Oh come on ladies, there's no secrets here." O'Connor spread his hands wide to indicate the entire group.
Maya shook her head. "Can't repeat it O'Connor. I did pay attention during harassment training. You're going to have to figure out the hero stuff yourself." Halsey nosed up between Maya and Kara and gently began steering Kara toward the right side of the passageway.
"Hey, you know I'm not here to be a hero. I'm a three and out kind of guy. I just needed an excuse to move away from Des Moines. You ever been to Des Moines Maya? It's worth moving away from." O'Connor winked at Maya and they continued to banter. They were nearing the ladder that would take them up to the weather deck. Halsey had done his job and now stood between Kara and the rest of the group so that the ladder was directly in front of her.
"I'd love to hear all about the charms of Des Moines, but I gotta take the Admiral out before we hit our racks." Danny took a step toward the ladder and saw Kara's face turn suspicious when she realized she'd been steered right to it.
"Uh, yeah, Since I'm over here I might as well take a look at my gear on deck and save myself the trip later." Kara's cheeks were tinged pink. "See you guys later." She didn't look at him but instead began marching up the stairs. Halsey proceeded, still thinking he was in herding mode and Danny brought up the rear. He was relieved to hear Maya and O'Connor return to discussing Iowa scenery as they continued down the P-way. Good, they weren't the least bit suspicious.
"So now I'm dying to know what Maya said." He wanted to keep her talking, not give her a chance to get hung up what they should and should not be doing.
"Um, it was something about letting The Rock in her cockpit?"
They emerged laughing out the hatch into a blast of chill air. It was 10 PM and the sky seemed stuck in a permanent overcast sunset. If it wasn't probably about forty degrees with a damp wind making it feel cooler, there might have been a few people out to take in the delicate lavender and peach streaks that melded the clouds and ice along the horizon. In the dim light he watched Kara's hips switching back and forth with her swift pace as she headed toward the alcove he had in mind. When she reached the spot she spun on him. "What are you thinking luring me out here this way? I know it wasn't just to get me to tell you Maya's dirty comment."
He couldn't help but grin at her. So, she had realized what he was doing after all. He stepped forward and she stepped back. "Why does Halsey know how to herd anyways?" The dog in question was sitting at his heel now, tail thumping against the deck.
Danny advanced another step and she found herself with her back against the wall of the ship. "Crowd control, sheep, pretty much the same skills really. It's good for separating targets in crowded spaces. And it keeps him from getting bored." He advanced another half step and she began to look flustered. He was close enough that she had to tilt her head up to keep eye contact. He made a hand signal to the dog half behind him.
Already suspicious, she questioned him as he brought either hand up beside her shoulders, effectively trapping her between his body and the wall. "What did you tell him to do now?" Her voice was a little breathy and he knew it wasn't from a few stairs.
"Told him to keep watch. There is no view of this corner from anywhere except the water but he'll let me know if someone is coming." She hadn't put up any resistance, which was better than he had expected, but he was still wary. He inched forward and she tilted her chin up a fraction more. When her shell pink tongue darted out to lick her lips nervously, desire slammed into him hard and he had to fight himself not to devour her immediately.
"What do we need a watch for?" It was the slight tilt of the corners of her mouth that let him know he had her.
"For this." He leaned in to capture her lips and unlike the last time, she opened beneath him easily. Her hands curled into his shirt and pulled him closer and they melded together from shoulder to hip. God it felt so good. She was warm and soft and when her hips cradled him that way, his eyes just about rolled back into his head.
When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing heavily. He rested his head against the cool metal of the ship above her shoulder and groaned softly. "You're killing me Kara."
"Yeah, this is a really bad idea." She agreed as she pressed kisses along the column of his neck. "We should really stop this before we get caught." She nosed into the collar of his shirt and bit lightly on his collarbone, licking it to soothe the skin afterward.
He leaned back to jerk a thumb at the dog. "Are you doubting his abilities?"
With a large sigh, she pushed him back a fraction of an inch. He felt the loss of her heat immediately as she took a peek under his arm at the dog. "Your brilliant watchdog is currently licking his own genitals without a care in the world." She was laughing though and relief flooded him at the sound. If she wasn't angry at him for this, there was hope yet. She tilted her face up to his and he felt so much joy to have her smiling for him again. "But, you're not playing by the rules." She teased him.
"Did we have a rule about this? I don't remember that." He cupped her face with his hands to hold her in place for another kiss. He told himself it was just one more for tonight, but even as he thought it he wasn't sure he could be that disciplined. Just the feel of her cheeks under his thumbs was electrifying.
Practically panting, she gave him a light slap on the shoulder and he knew he'd better not press his luck any farther. With a sigh, he stepped back as she pushed herself away from the wall. "Yes, not until we're back home!" In the late twilight she was damn beautiful. Her pony tail was mussed and the delicate blush from before had been replaced with a bright red flush that extended down her shirt collar. She looked like a woman who had been well and thoroughly kissed and he felt a note of satisfaction that he had been the one to put that twinkle in her eye and make her chest heave. He reached out to straighten her pony tail but she brushed his hands away, reaching up to adjust it herself. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just committing your look to memory, you know, for later." He winked.
"You don't play fair, do you?"
It was his turn to laugh now. In his best imitation of Vince he said "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying hard enough."
But the moment was over and Kara was already sidling away down the narrow deck. "Where are you going?" He reached a hand out to her but she just shook her head.
"Go enjoy your mental image. I need a cold shower before my watch starts."
She gave him a final peck on the cheek and sauntered away but he wasn't disappointed. This was the Kara he'd been missing and he was thrilled to have her back. Humming under his breath, he began to run through tomorrow's schedule in his head to see what opportunities he could create for himself then.
