A/N - a million apologies for the delay in updating! I had no intention of leaving you hanging but between work getting busy, Scousedancer coming to visit (which was a total blast! everyone should invite Scousedancer to visit - hi Scouse!), Comic-con, and my kids being out of school for the summer, I've been buried. Still, I know the delays are hard as a reader so I will try super hard not to take too long to post the last few chapters of this story. I hope you enjoy. XOXO - tmtcltb.

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"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning." - Louis L'amour

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"So it's Christmas Even and we're doing this anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia..."

Kara sipped at her water, smiling as Danny's hands moved, animating the story. This was the first time since Frankie's death that she had heard him speak about his best friend so casually, no bitterness or anger in his voice, just amusement muted by a touch of sadness. Maybe the downtime had helped. Although the last week hadn't exactly been a cruise to the Caribbean (something that no longer sound appealing after their experience getting to Serrana Bank), being in St. Louis was strangely relaxing, the responsibility of saving the world now no longer solely on their shoulders.

With the Nathan James out of commission for months, Mayor - now Vice-President - Howard Oliver had immediately thrown himself into organizing teams to spread the cure to the areas surrounding St. Louis, roping in every available public servant to assist him. And there had been no shortage of volunteers. Some were part of the original emergency plan - Oliver's staff, police officers, firefighters, doctors and nurses. But others were simply people who wanted to do what they could to help, motivated by a desire to save those who could still be saved.

The abrupt switch from eighteen hour days shifts spent hiding from the submarine, and most other human contact, to being inundated with volunteers had been jarring at first. Still, the crew immediately began taking advantage of the extra personnel, the time off requests becoming so frequent that Commander Garnett finally put the majority of the crew on an every-other-day schedule. With Danny's departure - along with all those assigned to land teams - quickly approaching, Kara was determined to enjoy every minute of their time together, and Danny seemed to feel the same way. Over the past week they had settled into an easy routine, grabbing breakfast together most mornings before Kara joined President Michener and Captain Chandler for the day's briefing, her transition from the Nathan James to President Michener's military liaison a natural one given the circumstances. Danny and Carlton spent most days putting the new surprisingly large number of volunteers with a military background through their paces, assigning those who qualified one of the coveted spots on the teams disbursing the cure, while the rest received slightly less prestigious duties here in St. Louis. Most days they were both done by 1600 hours, leaving plenty of time to eat dinner and catch up with Carlton or Alisha or visit with Ravit, and even explore the city a little.

Dragging herself back to the present, Kara focused on Danny as he continued his story. "Thirty minutes later, our helo is hovering over that Hungarian ship. Frankie is fast-roping down, dressed as Santa Claus handing out presents to that entire crew."

Carlton shook his head. "That is completely insane."

"That was Frankie Benz." Danny stared down at his beer for a moment, the group quiet, before lifting it. "To Frankie Benz."

"Hear, hear."

But before they could drink, O'Connor spoke. "To Lynn."

Then Miller. "To Maya."

Smith. Berchem. Barker. Cossetti. Cody.

So many names, so many losses. A wave of grief passed over Kara as she considered all those who weren't here. People she would never see again. Who would never again enjoy a beer with a friend. Who would never again sing a song or attend a ballgame or feel the boat rock beneath their feet. And not just those she served with on the Nathan James, but also friends from Norfolk and Annapolis and Kansas and everywhere in-between. She fought tears back, knowing that once she started crying that she wouldn't be able to stop, and not wanting to spoil the evening. Not when this might be the last time she saw many of these people for weeks, or even months.

Or ever.

Kara hadn't expected to enjoy this evening, barely managing to stuff herself into her dress uniform and unable to have so much as a drink. But despite her misgivings over the President whom they were celebrating and the series of rather dry speeches that made dinner feel never-ending, the evening had been enjoyable, especially once Tex dragged the group of them to a side-room. Separated from the politicians and other bigwigs, the party became much more like shore leave than a formal event, with Commander Slattery doing little to reign in the festivities. Kara's eyes met Danny's and she saw him swallow, but his voice was steady as he spoke.

"Hear, hear!"

As though sensing her shift in mood, Danny moved towards her, his arm sliding around her back as Tex began a round of song. She picked up his hand, ghosting it over her stomach. "He's kicking, can you feel it?"

Danny paused, waiting, until the baby did another roll, batting at his father's hand. "That's my boy."

Leaning her head against Danny's shoulder, Kara relaxed, tears receding as she joined the singing.

"We'll be all right 'cause we sail the Nathan James. We'll roll the old chariot along, and we'll all hang on behind!"

"Is now a good time?" Puzzled by the way Danny's voice shook, Kara glanced over, puzzled until she realized that he was holding a ring box. A very familiar ring box. The one that she had rejected so bitterly in Baltimore. Caught off-guard, Kara felt her jaw drop, unable to say a word.

"I've been trying to find the right moment to do this. The right way to do this." Danny paused and she could see how hard he was working to force the words out. "I know that I screwed this up before but I love you, Kara, and I want you in my life forever and I-I just think..."

Throwing her arms around him, Kara pressed her lips against his to stop the sputtering, punctuating her answer with one kiss, and then another, the catcalls from the crew not deterring her in the least.

Danny leaned back slightly, looking far more sure of himself than he had a moment before, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Does that mean yes?"

With a laugh she threw her arms around him, murmuring against his lips. "Yes! Definitely yes!"

Almost forgetting their audience, Kara was startled when Tex slapped Danny on the back hard enough for her to lose her balance. "Finally. Now I think our boy here needs a whiskey. You sure put him through the ringer, darling!"

"Just a minute." Shrugging off Tex's arm, Danny reached for Kara's left hand, sliding the ring on quickly, almost as though he was afraid that she would change her mind. A fear that wasn't completely irrational, Kara knew, not given the way his last proposal went.

"It's perfect."

Not just the ring, but the timing, the proposal and, most importantly, the man. She reached up to touch his cheek, watching his eyes morph from blue to green as their gaze met, hoping he understood everything that she wasn't saying.

"Enough of that," Tex groaned, "You two can be all sicky-sweet later. Now it's time for a celebratory drink!"

Stepping back, Kara watching Tex and Carlton drag Danny the three feet to the bar, Carlton elbowing Wolf when Rick pulled out his wallet, the words never bet against Tex, the only words that Kara made out before Alisha materialized by her side.

Alisha smirked. "Told you he didn't give the ring back."

Before Kara could think of a response, Andrea was picking up her hand. "Congratulations, Kara. There is a lot of history in this ring, a lot of love."

"That there is," Jeter commented, his face serene, but Kara thought she caught a flash of sadness in his eyes, making her wonder how he felt seeing his wife's ring on another woman's hand. "Congratulations, Lieutenant. Julia would be thrilled to know that her ring was being used to unite such a deserving couple. I wish you and Lieutenant Green a lifetime of happiness."

Blinking away tears, Kara managed a watery smile. "I'm honored to wear it."

"Your mom is going to be so excited!" Alisha squealed. "When does she arrive?"

Kara's eyes darted over to Danny, who was currently downing a shot. Wondering how long they were expected to stay when what she really wanted to do was escape to their room - alone. "Next week. Captain Chandler pulled some strings to get her on an earlier transport but medical personnel take priority."

Alisha opened her mouth but, before she could speak, the door to the ballroom slammed open to reveal Captain Chandler. "I need every available sailor geared up now."

"There's been a shooting at the hospital."

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"We have multiple reports of shots fired at Memorial East, including a call that I personally received from Doctor Scott approximately ten minutes ago. Cruz and Lewis are on premises, as well St. Louis PD. I spoke to Cruz and from what he could tell, all of the shots came from the second floor of the hospital." Chandler explained shortly as the TAC team geared up, swapping ties and jackets for bulletproof vests and guns. The Captain looked around the room, meeting each man's eyes, reminding them of what was on the second floor.

Doctor Scott. Her lab. The cure.

But as horrible as the situation was, Danny couldn't help but feel some relief when he glanced across the hotel lobby and saw who wasn't on the second floor. Caro had been working around the clock, pulling double shifts in the ER in addition to moonlighting at the lab, and with Bertrise still assisting Rachel with her work, Chris could often be found there in the evenings. So chances were good that at least one of them would have been at the hospital tonight had Rachel not insisted that all of them - she, Milowsky, Bertrise, Caro, and Chris - attend the inaugural ball. Of course, Rachel had stayed for less than an hour before disappearing, presumably to return to her work, but the others had remained, Chris and Ray playing cards and sneaking drinks when they didn't think anyone was looking, while Caro socialized with some of the personnel from the hospital while she waited for Teylor to finish his shift and join them.

Danny reached down to make certain Halsey's leash was properly hooked while Captain Chandler continued. "Cruz didn't see anything suspicious prior to the shooting, but noted that the emergency room was crowded with several groups that arrived late this afternoon. He is coordinating with local PD to evacuate those who safely be moved across the street."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Danny found himself smiling at the Captain's choice of words. Across the street was a polite way of saying Costco. When Danny and Carlton began scouting for secure locations to move President Michener in case of attack, to their amusement, the big box store located less than a quarter mile away quickly jumped to the top of the list. The large parking lot made for clear lines of sight in three directions, the interior space provided plenty of room to evacuate the entire hotel if necessary, and the lack of windows allowed for an extremely defensible position. Cruz must have remembered that when making the snap decision of where to send the people streaming out of the hospital.

"Anything from Lewis, sir?" Master Chief Jeter asked, reminding Danny of another reason why someone might be interested in the second floor of the hospital. Niels was there, still in a coma, guarded twenty-four hours a day. Lewis had laughed when he pulled the guard duty tonight, flipping Miller the bird and telling him to choke on his prime rib, the conversation devolving from there.

Chandler shook his head. "Lewis made an initial report to Cruz, stating that he was locking down the room, then he went dark."

"Everyone ready?" Slattery demanded then, without waiting for an answer, turned towards the hotel entrance where Commander Garnett stood barking out orders of her own, presumably locking down the hotel and securing the President and Vice-President. "Move out."

Danny welcomed the frigid air that greeted them on the other side of the door. If nothing else, it helped combat the whiskey shot that he had taken less than fifteen minutes before. He wasn't drunk, at least not enough for Slattery to send him back to the ballroom with an admonition to sober up like he did with Gonzolez, but he could feel the pleasant hum of the booze as it spread through his body. Just enough to dull his senses. Just enough to get him killed.

The trip from the hotel to the hospital took less than five minutes, Teylor meeting them just outside the door to the emergency room. He immediately launched into his report. "We're moving the last of the civilians now, Captain. First floor has been cleared. We have not tried to access to the second floor."

Teylor's eyes flickered to Carlton as he spoke the last sentence, and it was only then that Danny made the connection. Ravit's room was on the second floor. Paralyzed. Stuck in her bed. With no means of escape.

"You made the right call, Cruz."

Danny turned to the man beside him, who stood staring up at the lights streaming from the second story windows of the hospital. "You okay, Burk?"

"I should have been there." Carlton's eyes were slightly glazed from the alcohol - similar to Danny's own, he imagined. But there was no doubting the focus on the man's face. "If they hurt her..."

"If anyone can take care of herself, it's Ravit," Wolf interjected. Unlike the majority of the group, he appeared dead sober. Apparently the Aussie had a hell of a tolerance.

Danny rested his hand on Carlton's shoulder, thanking God that Kara was back at the hotel. When Captain Chandler began forming the team to respond to the hospital, Danny had expected Kara to try to join them. After all, she and Jeter were probably the only two sober people in the room. But she hadn't, instead joining Garnett and heading off with Nishioka to personally check on the President and Vice-President, both of whom had retired to their rooms earlier in the evening. "We'll find her, Carlton."

Turning his attention back to the CO, Danny focused on Cruz's report. "I pulled a few people who got out of the second floor aside to talk to you, if you want, but none of them seemed to know what happened. Mostly nurses and patients who heard the shots and took off. We searched them, of course, but if any of them did have a weapon, they were smart enough to dump it."

"Doubtful they know anything," Captain Chandler agreed. "Here's the plan. XO, take Burk, Wolf, and Tex and circle around to the secondary staircase. Once you get to the top, wait for my signal. Evacuate any civilians you find but search everyone, just in case, and watch your backs. These people got in unnoticed so they're probably dressed in street clothes or maybe disguised as a doctor. Everyone you don't recognize is a suspect. Jeter, Green and Miller, you're with me. We'll take the main staircase. Number one priority is Doctor Scott and evacuating civilians. Next is saving the lab."

Slattery hit his comm. "Sitrep, O'Connor?"

The response was immediate. "All ready, sir."

Chandler nodded. "Time to turn off the lights."

It was Baltimore all over again.