Chapter Fourteen : Makes You Wonder
A day later, Bravo was following Baljic around a market in Estonia. Everything was going relatively good and Theresa was actually enjoying this mission. There was sun, there was fresh air and she got to look at things in the market in the time the rest of her team had eyes on their target, adverting her eyes back to him when she was called. She was even in her civvies, instead of her khaki's. Not that she minds her uniform, but her worn in white sweater, black skinny jeans and purple sneakers was much more comfortable.
But, like everything else in life, this was not destined to go smoothly.
"All call, break." Jason ordered and Theresa tensed but immediately turned around and started walking to their rendezvous point where Ray and their driver was waiting. "Repeat, break contact."
"What's the word, big daddy?" Sonny asked the burning question.
"One of the bodyguards, we know each other." The Master Chief answered. Theresa supressed the urge to swear out loud. "We're burned."
Theresa was practically bursting with questions, but she knew better than to pounce on Jason with all of her questions. She could see from the look in his eyes that he was not even remotely happy with the newest development. Theresa wasn't any happier that their whole plan just went kaboom, so she kept quiet and let him have his silent fit.
Back at TOC – which was a really shitty and rundown warehouse – everyone was waiting to get their answers. Theresa was sitting at a table – her knives spread out in front of her as she sharpened them even more. At the table across from her, Trent was busy filling up AK clips with ammo. Finally, Ray turned around the laptop and started talking, "Jakub Kowal. Polish."
Jason explained further, "We operated with him in Afghanistan. 13 years. Polish Special Forces."
"He was with GROM?" Sonny questioned.
"Oh, yeah." Jason answered.
"Tough bastards." Sonny noted.
Mandy didn't look very pleased about all of this either, "Appears Baljic's decided to upgrade his security posture."
Jason went on, "Guy's the real deal."
"Damn shame he decided to work for an ethnic cleanser." Ray commented as Theresa picked up one of her knives and started spinning it on her index finger, careful not to kick one of them as she propped her feet up on the desk she sat at. She turned her gaze to Carter.
He was looking like a frustrated, caged animal. "All right, what does this do to the op?"
"Blows it back to the stone age." Theresa answered bluntly, just to see if Carter would give a reaction. He didn't disappoint. His eyes flashed to her, so panicked they were almost frantic.
"Anyone see a way that we don't abort?" Eric asked what everyone on Bravo was thinking. Dead silence was his only answer.
This made Carter even more panicked. "All right, look, y-you two are the ones he knows on sight, yeah?"
"Yeah, he knows me as well." Brock said. Theresa stopped spinning her knife, gaze turning to her best friend. That she didn't know. Okay, so, not only does this guy know the face of the man that practically raised her, but also the one of her best friend? Yeah, no way this mission was happening anymore. Eric has the right idea. Abort mission and go home.
Carter, however, still wasn't deterred. "All right, so we take the three of you off the snatch team."
Theresa gave him a dirty look, "Make that four. If Jason's not going, I'm not going."
"Doesn't leave much of a snatch team, does it?" Ray asked sarcastically, but Carter wasn't listening to him.
He was glaring at Theresa for her blatant refusal to do her job. Who does this woman think she is? "That's not you choice to make. This is your job."
Theresa raised a brow, starting to spin her knife on the tip of her index finger again as a somewhat smug smirk spread on her lips. "Are you going to come over here and make me do it?"
Carter took a step towards the table she was sitting at. His eyes then watched the knife spinning at the very tip of her index finger, looking like it was about to spin off her finger and fly through the air. The large array of knives on the table then caught his eyes. His mind cleared and he took a step back again, Mandy's words resounding in his head.
("There is a woman on Bravo, lt. Commander Theresa Kane. avoid her if you can, don't anger her if you can't." Mandy warned him.
Cartee raised a sceptical brow, "Let me guess, Braco is overly protective of their girl?"
"Yes, they are. But that's not why."
Now he was slightly curious. "Why then?"
"Because if you anger her, she will punch you in the face, no questioms asked. I'm talking from personal experience here." Mandy rubbed her jaw in rememberance.
"Suely such behaviour is not allowed by her Chief."
"Hayes has known her for a long time - since before she was a Seal. He lets her get away with a lot."
"What about others? There must be someone that can keep her in line."
"Hayes can, he's the only one she listens to. and also her Commander." Mandy told him. "From what I've heard, the highest ranking officer she's ever punched was an Admiral in her first year."
"I find it hard to believe that nothing happened to her after that."
"She was grounded feom active duty for a month."
He almost gaped in shock and surprise. "That's no punishment. Assulting someone, especially someone witj higher rank than you, is grounds for a Dishonorable Discharge or at the very least, an extended suspension."
"Yeah, well, according to the higher ups at CENTCOM and the Pentagon, one Lt. Commander Theresa Kane is more valuable than the occasional punch she throws."
"And I'm guessing she knows that." It was a statement, not a question.
Mandy answered anyways. "Oh, she certainly does.")
"There's not gonna be a snatch team." Jason interjected quickly. Just now Theresa's knife 'slips' from her finger and into Carter's body. "There's no way Baljic does the meet now. All right? Kowal is just gonna keep him in that hotel till he takes him to the airport."
"So we hit 'em on the way to the airport." Carter said as if it was that easy. Theresa resisted the urge to slap her palm against her forehead.
"When?" Jason asked.
Carter didn't understand what he was being asked, "What do you mean?"
Theresa might not have the best tactical mind among them, but even she knew what Jason was asking. She scoffed to herself. This is why CIA analysts don't plan operations. They collect intel, make sure said intel isn't bullshit and then pass it on to them.
"When?" Jason repeated, rising from his chair.
"When? He means, when are they going to the airport?" Ray translated for Carter, because based on the look on Carter's face, the man wasn't going to get it anytime soon. He and Jason got in the CIA Agent's face, making Theresa grin widely. For once, it wasn't her all up in someone's face. "Or do you know something we don't know?"
Jason, "Yeah."
"All right, all right." Carter scrambled for another idea as Brock walked over to his best friend. "So, we watch the hotel."
"How long?" Jason questioned. "You keep him in there all week."
Brock crouched down next to her, keeping his voice low and his attention on the three men as they spoke, "Don't you think you're enjoying this a bit too much?"
Theresa replaced her smile with an innocent look, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure you don't." Brock snorted, pointing to a Butterfly Knife on Theresa's table. When she nodded, he picked it up and started flipping it open and shut.
While they were talking, Ray went on with destroying yet another one of Carter's ideas. "Yeah, during which time, he'll have those vehicles make fake airport runs, keep us constantly guessing whether Baljic's in one of the vehicles."
"All right, so we go into the hotel!" Carter exploded, but still somehow managing to look deadly serious.
Silence fell over the room, both Theresa and Brock even momentarily stopping where they were each playing with one of Theresa's knives. Theresa recovered first, tilting her head at him. "Are you senile or just insane?"
"Mossad did it a few years ago in Dubai." He pointed out defensively.
"Mossad." Ray huffed in disbelief.
"It was an assassination, with months to plan." Mandy pointed out, completely on Bravo's side. "And they still ended up getting their pictures taken."
"Either way, the target that they hit, they didn't know they were coming. Kowal and his guys are inside that hotel room right now, waiting on us, reinforcing the doors, packing out the windows." Ray explained to him.
Theresa nodded, "It would be one huge clusterfuck."
Carter wasn't convinced, still more than a little desperate. "How do you know that?"
Ray gave him a look, "Because we know him. We trained with him, we worked with him, we fought alongside him."
"That's exactly what we would do." Something clicked in Jason's mind. "Davis, get me, uh, Baljic's hotel number, can you?"
SEAL TEAM
So, apparently Jason's great big plan is to try and bribe Kowal into giving Baljic to them. He has been sulking ever since Theresa laughed in his face when he told them his plan. Well, plan number one anyways. He had a back-up plan, or so he assured Theresa after she stopped snickering in his direction. While Jason was executing his first plan, the rest of Bravo – save for Trent – stayed put at the warehouse.
Ray had objected, Theresa threw a fit – both said that the meet could be a trap. That if he went in without back-up he may not come back. Finally, Blackburn agreed with them and told Trent to shadow him from a safe distance and to provide help if needed but to otherwise stay out of Kowal's sight.
With all of the free time, Theresa's mind wondered back to her last two conversation's with Spenser. They were both about his dad. She wondered what the blonde would do, mentally counting the time it would take them to get back to the States. By then, Ash Spenser's book reading should be done. Theresa didn't understand why she was so curious about what he would do.
Eventually, Theresa's mind ventured to her own parents. The dad she barely knew and the mom who abandoned her.
"Hey, you with us?" Brock asked, coming to stand next to his best friend where she stood in front one of the large windows, her back to the room, arms crossed over her chest.
Theresa hummed in agreement, "Just thinking."
"About?" The canine handler prodded softly and gently, knowing that if he pushed too hard at her softened walls, she would reinforce it with steel and concrete.
A deep sigh left Theresa. "My parents."
"Oh." Brock didn't know what else to say. This is a very touchy subject for her and the last time he openly asked her about it, she told him to fuck off. That was two, almost three, years ago - way before they were as close as they are now.
Heaving another heavy sigh, Theresa's shoulders slumped and she looked at her best friend. Caught off guard by the complete and utter look of vulnerability in her eyes, Brock didn't know how to speak for a few seconds. She has always been more open with him than with anyone else, but never has she let down all of her walls in front of him.
Theresa looked at her best friend, the one person in her life that's always been on her side, save for Jason. The person who watches her back, that has a bedroom in his house for her despite the fact that she has an apartment of her own, who has been patiently waiting for her to open up. A faint smile curled on the corners of her lips.
It's time, Theresa realised.
Opening her mouth, Theresa started to tell her best friend everything. Her whole story – about her mother, about her father, about her training before the Navy, about meeting Jason and how he took her into his family without hesitating. When she was done, Brock immediately wrapped her up in a tight hug.
Across the room, Ray frowned at them. "What's up with them?"
Sonny shrugged, "Who knows with those two? Could be something, could be nothing."
"Tessa's not the touchy-feely type." Ray reminded him.
"'Is different with Brock. They watch each other's back like no one else."
"Sometimes I'm jealous of that. That she took to Brock so fast, so easy but we had to work for her trust and friendship." Ray admitted.
"Tessa's a hard person to get to know," Sonny acknowledged. "But she was worth it."
"She still is." Ray agreed. Suddenly, he remembered something and wondered. "Hey, you think that what Brock said is right? About her liking Spenser?"
"I do." Sonny nodded. Not that he'd ever admit it, but he's given that topic more thought that he ever thought he would. "But I don't think she'll realise, or allow herself to realise anything, until Green is over and she is no longer his superior."
"Even if he joins Bravo, she'll still be his superior." Ray pointed out.
"Yeah, but there's a lot of grey area in that. Right now? She's his direct superior."
The two men sighed silently, wishing and hoping to the moon and back that things will get easier once Spenser is done with Green training and drafted (hopefully) onto Bravo.
SEAL TEAM
After misleading Baljic into thinking that they left the country – which Theresa thought was much smarter than his first plan, and she made sure to tell him that – Bravo went back to their original plan of grabbing him on the street, en route to the meet. Currently, she, Jason, Ray and Brock were in the back of the truck Sonny was driving. Trent was ahead of them, cutting Baljic and Kowal off.
"Stop thinking about everything that can go wrong." Jason scolded from next to her.
"I'm not." Theresa said. Brock snorted from her other side and Ray raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
"Five blocks out." Sonny hollered from the front, hitting on the side of the truck to get their attention. "It's go time." Theresa gripped her AK tighter, checking the ammo clip one last time out of habit.
"Show time." The four members of Bravo braced themselves for the impact. "Three two, one!" She heard more than felt the crash, before getting up along with the others and making her way to the pull up door. The four of them made quick work of pulling it up and jumped out, guns aimed and ready to fire.
Bullets was flying all around them, but by the time they got to Baljic's SUV, he and Kowal was both gone.
"TOC, this is Bravo 1. Negative visual on the target. He is not in the vehicle." Jason reported.
"He's in the alley." Sonny informed them.
Jason, Theresa, Sonny and Ray vaulted over the cars and gave chase after the two. Brock and Trent knew they needed to take the vehicles Bravo came with and meet the rest of the team wherever they would end up.
"TOC, target heading north." Jason stated as they ran down the alley, in the direction where they saw him. "In pursuit."
They ran up the stairs and the four split up into two teams of two at the top of the stairs where the hallway split – Jason and Sonny going right, while Ray and Theresa went left. Theresa almost rolled her eyes when she saw the inside of the building Baljic and Kowal went in. A hotel. They would have a diplomatic disaster on their hands if this went really wrong. But at least now they weren't on the street anymore and Brock and Trent wouldn't have to driver further than down the alley.
Ray and Theresa cleared their half of the first floor and made their way to the next floor. Coming out of the stairwell, they ran right into Baljic and Kowal – their guns drawn and pointed at him, just like his was pointed at them. Or rather, his gun was pointed at Ray, eyes flashing between Ray and Theresa.
Kowal was panting and smiling somewhat as he looked at the 2IC of Bravo, while Theresa was subtly trying to step closer to Ray, wanting to manoeuvre herself in between Ray and Kowal's gun. She didn't look forward to getting shot again, she really didn't – it sucked and it was restricting and she wasn't even going to start on the boredom. The point being, if the bullet she steps in front of is for one of her brother's – then no matter how annoying recovery time may be – Theresa would do it without hesitation.
"Good to see you again, Raymond." Kowal greeted, accent thick.
Ray slowly moved forward, Theresa's whole plan going to shit. Oh well, she'd just shoot him before he could shoot any of them. Her eyes went to his trigger finger – if it so much as twitches, she'd shoot him right between the eyes. Or maybe in the family jewels, if she was feeling particularly vindictive. "Of all the gin joints in all the world, huh, Jakub?"
"Who's the pretty lady?" Kowal gave a leering smile her way, trying to buy some time. For what, exactly, he didn't know.
"Someone who's definitely not a lady and wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in your brain." Theresa snapped at him, her tone icy. She wanted to take the shot, had one even, but she knew Jason would be coming around the corner any second. She waited, knowing he would give them silent orders when he arrived.
Not even a second later did Sonny and Jason round the corner.
"You don't want to do this. Not for him." Jason told him. Kowal looked visibly conflicted. But, his odds didn't look to great. Four against one. "Lifeboat time." The Master Chief said, Theresa not being exactly sure what all of that was about but it seemed to work.
Finally, deciding that this won't end good for him, Kowal lowered his gun, much to Baljic's consternation and Theresa's relief. Baljic went off on the man in Serbian, only to get silenced when Kowal head-butted him. When he stepped away from the war criminal, Theresa and Ray made their way to him. Ray body searched Baljic for any weapons while Kowal left through the nearest door.
Theresa frowned at little at the door Kowal just left through, "We're letting him go? Just like that?"
"For now." Jason nodded, not looking worried at all and Theresa let it go.
SEAL TEAM
"Hey." Theresa grinned at Jason, looking at the beer in his hands as he came up to her on the C-17. Baljic was in custody, Bravo was all in one piece, Mandy and her CIA friend was happy and they were heading home. "Can I have one?"
"Not for another two weeks, no." He looked away to smug at the denial.
Theresa scowled at him, "I'm only supposed to take the pain meds if I still have pain. Which I don't." Jason opened his mouth, but Theresa needed to say something, before she could talk herself out of it. "So, apart from being a little crazy, Carter was in the clear. Looks like I was wrong."
Jason shook his head, "No, you were right. There is something off about him, I just don't know what."
Theresa shrugged, "Well, the mission is over and we're all in one piece, so I really couldn't care less."
Jason nodded, eyeing her sideways as she sat down on a weapon filled crate. "You okay?"
Theresa's gaze snapped back to him. "Fine."
"That why you've been holding your side since we got on the plane?" Jason raised a brow, giving the hand at her right hip one very pointed look.
Her hand disappeared from her hip and she gave him a smile, "I'm fine, Jason."
"You were shot two weeks ago, Theresa." The Master Chief's voice to a hard edge, stance unyielding.
"Okay, okay, fine. Christ. Just don't have a coronary. It pulls a little. There. Happy now?" Theresa admitted a little more snappy than what was necessary, hand going back to her hip. She gently rubbed over the healed but still pink skin. "I'm thinking it's from the stairs at the hotel."
A deep frown settled between his brows, "Didn't you do your PT?"
"I did." Theresa assured him quickly, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. "But I haven't run once since I got shot. I should have ran some hills before the mission."
"Do you want to get checked out?" Theresa gave him a look. "Right, stupid question. Never mind."
"Yeah, but Trent said that even though I'm cleared for active duty, I shouldn't pick up heavy things for the next month because the skin at the area I was shot at, is very sensitive." Theresa informed him.
"You need some more time off?"
"No, I'm fine. It's nothing a few of those fancy pain pills I was prescribed and some sleep can't help." Theresa promised, leaving out the part that she has yet to pick up even one of her pain prescriptions. She didn't need them. But her side was really hurting – not enough for her to be physically or mentally affected or for it even to be called pain, but enough to bother her – so maybe she'd go and pick up some. If for nothing else then for a comfortable sleep.
"I told Brock about my past." She blurted when the silence between them stretched on.
Jason raised an expectant eyebrow, "And?"
"He took it surprising well."
"Just like I told you he would." Jason was looking smug again.
"Yeah, yeah, you are wise, all knowing and everyone should stop thinking for themselves and do as you say." Theresa teased but the normal mirth wasn't in it.
"You should." He nodded, expecting a laugh from Theresa. When only a small smile tugged at her lips before falling down, he eyed her with concern. "You okay?"
"Just wondering."
"About?"
"Just, with all of this talk about the Spenser's, I've been wondering, what would I have turned out like if you didn't take me in that day? Would I have let down everyone I care about? Would I have been a killer or assassin if left to my own devices? I certainly have the skills." Theresa's voice was a soft and fragile thing.
Jason set down his beer and joined her on the crate, "No, you wouldn't."
"How can you be so sure?" She asked, genuinely curious about the answer.
"Because, Theresa Kane, you have a heart made of gold. I know you like to pretend it doesn't exist to begin with, but I know it does. I saw it when you sat down with Mikey to build blocks on my living room floor, I see it when you and Brock pull pranks on Sonny that you swear up and down you didn't have anything to do with and I saw it in way you threw yourself over me to protect me when that bomb went off in Iran." He gave her a gentle smile. "So, maybe you would have wandered of your path a little if we hadn't met, but you would have found your back to it eventually. You know why? Cause when push comes to shove, you shove harder than anyone in this world to do the right thing. Cause you are a good person and absolutely nothing like your mother."
Well, Theresa definitely didn't expect that. She ducked her head bashfully and mumbled a shy, "Thanks, Jace."
"Always, Kiddo." He grinned.
She pulled a face, looking back at him. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"You're always gonna be my kiddo, Tessa, no matter what age you are." Jason told her matter-of-factly.
Theresa smiled warmly. A comfortable silence fell on them for a long while before she looked at him, "I know I don't say it every day, but I love you, Jason."
Swallowing past the rocks in his throat and basking in the warm feeling in chest that came from hearing those words out loud, his voice came out soft when he said, "Love you back."
SEAL TEAM
Hours later, Theresa and the rest of Bravo was back home.
They had just stepped of the plane when a stuttering guy entered Bravo's Equipment Cages and told her that Chief Siever wanted to talk to her, all the while giving wide eyed glances to the rest of the team. When she lifted her head from the table in the middle of the room where she was lying horizontally, and nodded in acknowledgement, the guy hightailed out of there.
"How much you wanna bet he's in the Navy cause of his family?" Sonny asked, looking at the door.
Brock snorted, "I'd bet my last dollar on it."
"Yeah, poor kid looked like we were going to eat him alive." Ray commented from his cage.
"Makes you wonder about the stories that goes around about us on base." Theresa noted, sitting up on the table and sliding of it in a roll. The pull of her wound was much better and the female debating over whether or not to make the trip to the drug store for her pain meds. Then she remembered the uncomfortable pull on her side, the way her insides felt like it was twisting and silently promised herself to make the trip before heading home.
Which is what she is planning to do – just as soon as she sees Siever.
Theresa left Bravo and made her way to Siever's office as quickly as possible. She hasn't slept in over 40 hours – she tried on the plane ride home, but her side kept bothering her – and she felt a little bit like a zombie. Eh. She's gone without sleep for longer.
"What's up, buttercup?" Theresa asked with a cheery grin as she entered his office.
He snorted at the sight of her, "Hello to you too. Good mission?"
"Oh, yeah." Tired or no, a good operation – even with the few snags it hit – was always enough to put her in good spirits. "HVT is alive and captured, being sent God only knows which CIA blacksite."
"Glad to hear that." Siever grinned at her.
"So, you wanted to talk to me?"
"Yeah," He nodded, back turning a little more serious. "The next part of Green training is HALO-jumps."
Theresa grinned, "Oooh, I love jumping out of a plane. What's the starting point?"
"14000 ft."
"Nice."
"Does that mean you're helping?" Adam raised a brow, knowing that he only asked Eric to ask Theresa for help in the hand-to-hand combat classes. And although she also helped him with the obstacle courses, she didn't have to help any further.
"Well, I've already helped you this far, might as well take it the rest of the way, huh? If Bravo's not called in, then sure, I'll help." Theresa grinned, satisfied with the shock and surprise on Adam's face. She was only doing this for the future of the Seal's in training. Not because she wanted to see a certain blonde a little more. Not at all. Speaking of Spenser, they had a paused conversation. "Quick question: does the Greenies have any more training for today or are they done?"
Adam gave her a strange look, "They didn't have any training today."
Theresa frowned, "I thought that was Thursday."
"It is Thursday."
"Huh." Theresa flicked her tongue over her teeth. "We were gone longer than I thought then."
Concerned eyes watched her carefully, "You good, Four?"
"Somewhat sleep deprived but, yeah. All good." With one last smile, Theresa was out of his office. As she walked, her thoughts travelled back to Spenser. Was he still on base? Did he go see his dad? If he did, what did they talk about? Was it awful? Was it nice? Is Spenser angry? Did his dad upset him? Did they make up?
When she shook herself out of her thoughts – she was really spending too much time thinking about the cocky blonde these days, but for the life of her couldn't figure out why – and looked up, she noticed that she was in the cage are for the whole of Green team.
Her eyes flashed all around the room, and she had to bite down on the insides of her cheeks when she spotted Spenser because a wide smile wanted to spread on her lips. He was sitting with his back to her, but she knew it was him. The broad shoulders and the mop of curly blonde hair easily gave him away. Then she smirked internally as she got an idea and walked up to them with a killer glare on her face. (This would give her the perfect cover to talk to him. No one would question it.)
The three guys sitting around him nearly fell of their benches when they noticed her approaching. They scattered just as she stopped behind Spenser, but before the blonde could turn to see what spooked them away, she pulled him up by the back of his collar.
"What the hell?" Spenser muttered, only to brighten up when he looked behind him and saw Theresa.
She tugged on his collar, making sure to get the message of 'follow me' across before letting him go and striding away. He caught up to her quickly, confusion written all over his face. Theresa was tempted to hit him. "You and I have a conversation to finish."
"I didn't think you we serious about that." He admitted.
"Oh, I was dead serious. Now, come on, before I drag you by your ear."
"Careful," He started, giving her a cheeky smile. "Just now I start to think that you like me." He wishes that she did, but she didn't know that.
She rolled her eyes, "Spenser, stop talking nonsense and come on already. I've had long day, and while I can stay awake for days without sleep, I prefer not to do so if I don't have to."
Seeing that this was her roundabout way of telling him that she's tired, Spenser sobered up. "Okay."
"Do you know that Sam's Diner three blocks from here?" Theresa asked him without thinking it through. "I need food."
In hindsight, it was a bad idea to make the offer. She should have just taken him to one of the many, many benches around the base and finished their talk there. Why she did what she did, she will never know. Maybe it's the sleep deprivation, or maybe, just maybe, Theresa was doing something she wants for herself, for once in her life.
"I do." He nodded, this time catching the hint. "Why so far though? Scared someone might see us?"
She gave him a flat look, "No, dumbass, they make the best waffles in Atlanta."
"Oh." Spenser felt more than a little silly.
Twenty minutes later, they were both seated in Sam's Diner. Five waffles for her and a farmhouse breakfast for Spenser was being made and while Theresa has always appreciated the good service here, she most certainly does not appreciate the way the waitress keeps gawking at Clay. Something dark and bitter twisted her stomach into knots as an angry fire burned in her chest.
The confusion most certainly didn't help her haywire feelings and she clenched her fists, looking down at the wooden table. Spenser called her, and when she looked up at him, there was worry in his deep blue gaze. "Are you okay?"
"Fine." She nodded. The knots in her stomach untangled and when Spenser smiled at her answer, the angry flames in her chest was doused. "So, what did you do about your dad?"
"I talked to him."
"How'd it go?"
"Good. Well, for me anyways."
"Good for you." Theresa gave him a small smile as the waitress came with their food. The female Seal eyed the waffles hungrily. She picked up her fork and shoved a healthy bit into her mouth, almost groaned in happiness.
Spenser, who was focused on his own food, went on with his ranting against his father since Theresa didn't seem to mind it at all. "I mean, I'm still angry, because everyone is still going to look at me like the son of the man who wrote a book about his time as a Seal."
That made her pause, forkful of waffle halfway to her mouth. She set her utensil down and look at Spenser silently, waiting for him to catch on and look up at her. When he did, she gave him a fierce look, "It might not mean much to you, but I think of you as Spenser. Cocky blonde with dead on accuracy and pretty blue eyes."
"You think my eyes are pretty?" Spenser smirked, heart soaring in his chest from her words. They meant more to him than she will ever know.
"Oh for fuck sakes." Theresa rolled her eyes and decided to not acknowledge his comment any further and to get back to their topic of conversation. "Our parents' sins doesn't define us, Spenser."
"How would you know? I mean, no offense, but it's not like everyone is judging you because of who your parents are." He retorted pointedly.
Theresa shrugged, digging back into her food. "Probably because I don't have parents."
"I, uh. Shit." He muttered to himself, looking away from the Seal. He wondered if he was about to get a fist to the face. The resounding crack of the nose she broke the second time he saw her, echoed in his ears. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"No one does. Well, Jason and Brock knows, but they don't really count cause they know everything."
Clay hesitated, wondering if he should prod further or if he should just took what she shared and let him go. Curiosity - and something inside of him that yelled to push just a little bit harder - finally won him over. "Can I ask what happened?"
This made Theresa pause. Two people in this whole world knew her story - the whole story, not bits and pieces - and one of them found out a day ago. She's known the blonde for a few months, she couldn't possibly trust him with all of that.
And yet, she did trust him. She has since he laid with her on a roof in Liberia and helped her watch for trouble. What was even worse was that she wanted to answer his question.
Theresa shrugged, "Barely knew my dad, he left when I was four. Mom left when I was fourteen."
"Don't you wonder where she is?"
"I used to. Not anymore."
"What made you stop?"
"I realised that I couldn't change anything about my situation at the time and later, when I joined the Navy and had the clearance to look for her, I realised that I didn't want to because I have a family. She'll always be my mother, but she's not my family and I'd never be able to trust her again. Besides, I'm so angry at her, I'm afraid I might actually explode if I ever see her again."
"That's, uh-" Spenser looked like he was lost and Theresa took pity on him by cutting him off.
"Yeah, I know. I look perfect, but in reality I'm all screwed up." She gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"I don't think you're screwed up." Clay said immediately, serious blue eyes capturing hers. "Just human." He place a hand on her forearm. Safety blanketed Theresa's mind, warmth spread in her chest and comfort washed over her soul. All from his touch. It startled Theresa so much that she wanted to pull away because she had never , but he just gripped her arm a little tighter, eyes pleading with her not to pull away or run.
Theresa swallowed thickly and looked away from him, but allowed his hand on her arm to stay as she focused on getting her heart rate down. Something inside of her was at peace and completely content with the skin to skin contact between her and Clay. When her heart was beating at its normal pace again and she could look at Clay again, she steadfastly ignored the comforting weight on her arm as she said, "You're gonna make it."
"What?" Clay asked, utterly confused at the statement that came out of nowhere. He didn't know what topic she was talking about now, but he did know that she was changing the subject from their previous one. Honestly? That was fine with the blonde because another topic meant her still being here and not running for the hills or punching him in the face.
The second option seemed like the most probable. Theresa Kane is not someone that runs away.
"Making it to Bravo." She said, her voice a 'duh' tone. "It'll be hard. In fact, it's supposed to be hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it." She looked at him and gave him a confident smile, gently pulling her arm away from his hand even if every fibre of her being, every molecule in her body, was screaming at her not too. "But you're going to make it."
"Thanks, Four."
"You're welcome, Spenser." She ate another bite of food. "Oh, and by the way, you're not completely awful company."
"Are you telling me you like me?" Spenser couldn't help but tease her.
"No." Theresa huffed, ignoring the way her cheeks heated up. What's with him and that stupid question anyways? "See, this is what happens when I try to be nice. People get cocky around me."
"I'm always cocky." Clay admitted easily and Theresa snorted in amusement, even if her mind was on a question that was bugging her terribly.
It took her three years to tell Brock - who has more than earned the right to know what happened in her past. So why did she feel like not only answering all of his questions, but opening up and telling Spenser everything right here in this diner?
an: phew! this was kind of hard to write. just for the record, no matter how long i may take to update, i won't ever abandon this story. theresa is too close to my heart.