A/N - as a reminder, our holiday fest is almost here! Make sure to pop back by the page on December 20th to read all of the stories! xoxo - tmtcltb

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Chapter 13 - Doubts

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"Which one should I wear?" Kara balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder, holding a blue shirt against her chest. She immediately threw it into the reject pile. Too Navy.

"The black skirt and green shirt," Alisha answered without hesitation. "Where is he taking you?"

"That homestyle Italian place Carlton likes," Kara replied absently, shimmying into the knee-length flared black skirt and a jade green blouse as she considered Alisha's recommendation. "Maybe jeans instead?"

"No," Alisha didn't hesitate. "Definitely the skirt. Easier access."

Kara choked. "Alisha!"

"I give it fifty-fifty that you even leave the house given how Danny was looking at you in those pictures from Brazil." Alisha chuckled. "You looked stunning in the gown by the way. And don't think that I failed to notice said gown's absence from your wardrobe. I was right, wasn't I? After he saw you looking like that he couldn't keep any part of his anatomy off or out of you."

Kara flushed, unable to stop herself from remembering exactly what happened to her gown. "Alisha, focus please."

"Salacious details always help me focus." Alisha chuckled. "Like I said, green shirt and skirt. There are no other options. Honestly, the rest of your wardrobe is atrocious. If you and Green really make a go of this, we need to do more shopping."

"Mmmmmm." Kara considered the outfit. It was nice but... "I think jeans would be better. I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard."

There was the clatter of something - dishes perhaps - in the background, followed by a muffled curse. "Okay, spill. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Kara replied. "I just needed help picking an outfit."

"I know that tone of voice Kara. It's the one you used right before kicking Stephan to the curb," Alisha argued. "Are you thinking about cancelling? Because Green's supposed to pick you up in less than two hours and this is going to be really awkward if..."

"No!" The word was wrenched from Kara's throat. God, she didn't want to cancel. She just... Kara flopped backwards on the bed, pulling her pillow to her chest. "I don't want to cancel. I don't. But, at the same time, I'm worried that we are making a huge mistake. My relationship with Danny was a train wreck five years ago. What makes me think that this time will be different?"

"Oh, jolly gee, you're worried about a relationship not working out. Sounds like you better cancel the first date then," Alisha replied tartly.

Kara scowled. "Sarcasm does not suit you."

Alisha sighed. "Hold on a second."

Again there was banging and Kara wondered what the hell Alisha was doing. Then she was back. "Look, Kara, you are the most independent person who I have ever met. Goal oriented. Self-sufficient. Secure in who you are and what you want. And those aren't bad things. But they also mean that you don't do uncertainty or risk well. And dating is risky. Dating Danny is especially risky because the two of you have so much history. Frankly, getting involved with him in the first place is the craziest thing that you've ever done and we all know how it ended. So no surprise that you're getting cold feet about trying again. But Green's made it clear that he's all in and if you aren't willing to take a leap of faith, then you should break it off now before it gets even messier."

Damn Alisha for being so insightful. Because she wasn't wrong. If there was one thing that Kara hated, it was not being in control.

Kara stood back up, focusing on hanging the rejected clothing back in her closet. "In other words, you think that I'm a commitment-phobe."

Alisha snorted, and that time there was definitely the flush of a toilet. Kara rolled her eyes. There was something about living with someone that made you ignore social conventions such as not peeing while talking on the phone. "Whatever you do, do not let Debbie get into your head. And no, I don't. There is a difference between being opposed to commitment and opposed to risk. You have good reasons to be anxious about this. Whether or not he intended to, Danny hurt you. Trying to protect yourself from getting hurt again is natural. You're only human, Kara."

Kara nibbled on her lip as she considered Alisha's words. "I want to try again. I do."

"Then go on the date. Forget about the past for tonight and just have fun. Let things develop naturally," Alisha replied, before adding. "And wear the skirt."

"You're sure?" Kara asked, still waffling.

"I'm sure," Alisha replied. "Consider this. When have I ever steered you wrong?"

xxxxx

Alisha was right, of course. The look that Danny gave Kara upon picking her up exactly at 1900, flowers in hand, had been sizzling. Although Alisha had been wrong on another point. Danny didn't so much as kiss Kara, never mind try to convince her to cancel their reservations in favor of take-out and sex. Instead Danny waited on the porch while Kara deposited the mix of wildflowers in water and then drove them the short distance to the restaurant. It was casual-chic, the kind of place she could imagine Danny frequenting regularly.

"Hey Green! Grab a seat anywhere."

Danny nodded, giving the host a fist-bump as they entered. Kara looked around the restaurant as Danny led her towards a corner tucked in the back. She waited for the host to leave their menus before speaking. "Come here often?"

Danny glanced up, and Kara thought there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Whenever I'm in town."

Before she could respond, their waiter appeared. "A tallboy, Green?" Danny nodded. "And for you, ma'am?"

Kara caught the curiosity in the waiter's gaze as she ordered. "A diet coke, please."

Once the man was gone, Kara turned back to Danny, hearing the edge in her voice. "Do they all know Laura too?"

That amusement was back, this time Danny's lips actually curving. "I've never brought Laura here. Carlton panicked after the time that Wolf and Azima joined us and the bartender asked Carlton if Azima was his girlfriend and barred all women from the place so that she wouldn't think he was attached. It totally pisses Azima off, by the way, so don't mention that I took you here unless you want her to start plotting my death."

Caught off guard, Kara blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "This is where Lizzie works?"

Danny grinned, leaning across the table conspiratorially. "I don't know why Carlton doesn't just ask her out already. He's here every week for the last year, except when you're deployed. It's like watching a puppy mope. Funny, but kind of sad."

Giggling, Kara tried to discreetly check out the bar. The woman there was petite, dark spiral curls piled on the top of her head. Definitely Carlton's type. "Is that her?"

Danny nodded without looking. "What are you in the mood for? The spaghetti is good, and the chicken pot pie is Bacon's recipe."

"Bacon gave out a recipe?" The idea was mind-blowing.

"In exchange for free lunch for life," Danny replied. "La Top is just down the street."

Kara nodded. She had been to La Top, Bacon's newest restaurant, several times, most recently with Stephan. Bacon never turned away a member of the crew, even when the place was packed. "I definitely think that Bacon got the short end of that stick. People would seriously kill for some of Bacon's recipes."

Fiddling with the menu, Danny seemed suddenly uncertain. "I thought about going somewhere a little nicer tonight but the options were a bit limited."

xxxxx

"Is something wrong?" Stephan frowned at Kara over the top of his menu and Kara forced herself to look at him, away from the cozy scene that was playing out across Chez Peter.

"No, all good." She smiled, but Stephan had already turned to see what caught her attention.

"I didn't know that Carlton would be here tonight," he commented, lifting his hand to wave, forcing Kara to follow suit. "Should we go say hello?"

Although it was the very last thing she wanted to do, Kara allowed Stephan to pull out her chair and followed him across the restaurant to the large table where Carlton sat with Wolf, Azima, Erik, Courtney, Danny and Laura. Stephan smiled warmly at Carlton. "Carlton and Erik, good to see you again. And you're looking as beautiful as ever, Courtney. I don't believe that I know the rest of your friends."

Realizing that there was going to be no help from her team - Carlton looked like he was about to choke on a lemon and Erik was noticeably sweating - Kara spoke up. "Stephan, please meet Wolf Foster, Azima Kandi, Danny Green and Laura Pearson. Wolf, Danny and I served together on the Nathan James." She paused. "Happy birthday, Danny."

"Thank you." Danny held out his hand to Stephan. "Nice to meet you as well. I've heard good things."

She hated how smooth his voice was, how his hands never trembled. As though he was expecting this to happen. Which, she supposed, he probably was given that he had chosen to violate their unspoken-but-understood-by-all agreement and come here, to Peter's restaurant. A place that was supposed to be safe. Kara fought the urge to turn around and walk out. Not only would Stephan be concerned (because, frankly, she didn't really care) but, Peter was sure to tell Debbie about the incident. And the last thing Kara needed was her mother getting involved - again - in her relationships.

Fortunately, Stephan seemed oblivious to the tension in the group. "A celebration! Well, this is the place to be. Peter makes a mean chocolate cake."

"I've been wanting to come here for ages," Laura gushed. "I was thrilled when I got the reservation."

Well, Kara supposed that did explain why Danny - or Carlton or Rick - hadn't nixed this plan in the bud. They probably hadn't known where they were going until they were already here and, even then, how do you explain to the current girlfriend that you have to ditch your birthday party because the place where you were going was owned by your ex-girlfriend's stepfather? Besides, Danny probably ran the odds and figured that it would be fine. After all, Kara and Stephan were only here because the fundraiser that they were scheduled to attend was cancelled last minute.

Unable to listen to the polite chit-chat for another second, Kara was just about to extradite herself when Peter exited the kitchen. Kara didn't know whether to scream or cry as he made a beeline for them. So much for hoping that Debbie wouldn't hear about this little run-in. Although listening to Debbie gush over Danny couldn't possibly be worse than staying here.

"Kara, I'm sorry to break up the party but Debbie has been looking for you. You must have forgotten to turn on your cell again." Peter nodded politely at the group. "Stephan, do you think you could drop her off at the house?"

Stephen quickly hid his confusion. The ultimate political fixer. Never thrown by anything. "Of course."

Kara managed to get through the goodbyes, listening to Stephan and Peter's polite chatter. Having gathered her purse, she paused at the doorway, glancing back at Danny. Blue eyes meeting green. And she couldn't help but wonder if the hint of sadness that she thought she saw on his face was real, or just her imagination. Wondering what it would have been like if she were the one sitting at that table next to Danny. Surrounded by friends. A four-year-old tucked between them, allowed to stay up late to celebrate his daddy's thirty-fifth birthday.

Wondering whether Danny might be imagining the same.

xxxxx

Kara suddenly realized that she wasn't the only one feeling a little anxious tonight. Danny might be a little less risk averse, as Alisha would say, or not afraid of commitment, as Debbie would argue, but that didn't mean he was blind to the potential pitfalls of trying again. Oddly, the thought was reassuring.

"This is perfect. Nothing could possibly beat Bacon's chicken pot pie." Kara reached across the table to squeeze his hand. She waited until their drinks had arrived, along with bread, and they had both ordered to speak again. "Can you imagine if we went to Chez Peter? Debbie would definitely have found a way to crash the party."

Danny laughed, and his shoulders relaxed slightly. "The day after we got back, she and Peter showed up with food and you should have seen my face. Don't get me wrong, the food was amazing, but I was hung over and the place was filled with beer cans and empty takeout containers. Wolf and Azima were asleep on the couch and Rick was having a full-on panic attack over something. Debbie actually offered to clean the place if I wasn't feeling up to it. Such a farce."

Despite her irritation with Debbie over the visit to Danny, one that she managed to make before seeing her own daughter, Kara found her lips twitching. "She insisted on staying with me for almost a week. I've never wanted to kill someone so much in my life. All she wanted to talk about were wedding plans. I swear that everyone I know is getting married."

"Yeah, we've sort of hit that age." A shadow passed over Danny's face and Kara wondered if he was thinking about Laura. "I was happy to hear that Debbie finally found someone to settle down with."

Kara set down the bread she was eating. "What does that mean?"

Danny blinked, and Kara wondered if she had come across as too harsh. "Nothing, really. Just that being widowed so young must have been tough for Debbie. I'm glad that she has Peter now."

Kara opened her mouth, only to close it. Funny how she had never really considered how hard the death of her father would have been on Debbie, or what Debbie might have been like before. Probably more like the Debbie of today, Kara realized. The very woman who seemed like a stranger to Kara probably closer to the Debbie of old. Uncomfortable with the thought, Kara pushed it away. "I'm happy for her and Peter. Just not sure about planning a bachelorette party for my mother."

"I hear that," Danny replied with a chuckle. He took a drink from his beer. "Anyway, tell me what's going on at Command. I heard a rumor that Val was threatening to quit."

Relieved at the change of topic, Kara quickly launched into a description of Val's complaints about Meylan's, as Val termed it, complete and utter lack of imagination or creativity. Three hours later, food finished and awkward topics mostly avoided, Kara's stomach was full of butterflies. The chicken pot pie was, of course, amazing and the crème brulee that Danny recommended for dessert was everything he had promised. Still, as the evening drew to a close, she could sense the awkwardness creeping in. As though neither one of them was entirely sure what to do. They were both quiet as Danny handed her into his truck for the short drive to her house. As they pulled up to the front door, Kara fiddled with her seatbelt.

Danny reached over to grasp her hand. "Hey, where did you go?"

"I..." she stopped, feeling the heat flood her body as his eyes dipped to where she was worrying her lip. "Did you want to come in?"

"I want to," Danny replied, "but I'm not going to."

That caught her off guard, her eyes snapping to his, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "Is this about what I said on the Nathan James? About wondering whether our relationship was based on sex..." Kara trailed off, uncertain of what to say next.

Danny tapped a finger on the steering wheel. "No, not entirely anyway. We kind of did everything backwards last time. I don't want to do that again. So dinner. We talk and I pick up the check. We got that part right. Now some first date nervousness. A kiss at the door. And then I go home."

"First date nervousness?" Kara asked, giggling at the incredulousness of the idea. She knew this man inside and out, had every inch of him wrapped around her. First date?

"Yup," Danny nodded solemnly. Getting out of the truck, he was at her door in a minute, continuing the conversation. "You know the kind where you spend the whole night worrying about broccoli in your teeth and if your breath smells bad when you go in for that kiss?"

She rolled her eyes as she gathered her things and stood up. "I've seen you go three weeks without a shower. Believe me, your breath was much worse then."

"Not the same thing at all." They had reached her door and Danny leaned against the wall, arms across his chest. "So, do I get a second date?"

"Oh no," Kara shook her head, mock seriously. "First you have to kiss me. Then say you'll call. Which you won't do. But you'll text right about ..." Kara trailed off, tapping a hand on her chin, "Tuesday. So you don't seem too eager but don't wait so long that I don't make other plans."

She had forgotten how quickly Danny could move, as an instant later he was sliding an arm around her waist, tugging her towards him, his mouth descending to brush hers softly. The feathery touch driving her wild. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"

Kara flushed, running a hand across the shoulder of his polo. "You don't look so bad yourself."

She raised her hands to slide them into his hair, to hold him in place for a proper kiss, ready to tell him to hell with dating. But Danny pulled away. "Tuesday then."

A hand drifted towards her lips as she watched him walk back to the truck. "Tuesday."

Thirty minutes later, Kara was in the process of flipping through channels, still smiling, when her phone buzzed.

Is it Tuesday yet?