Clay and the boys left for a mission January 1st it was now Sunday February 20th 2022.

It was 11am, Nicole was folding laundry on the couch while 5 1/2 month old Teagan was laying on a blanket on the floor kicking her feet and babbling away.

Clay walked in the front door, with his backpack on. Nicole was shocked, she wasn't expecting him home for at least another week yet. He smiled and put his bag down. Nicole let go of the shirt she was folding and ran over to give him a hug.

"Ah!" She screamed and they wrapped their arms around each-other.

"Miss me?" He asked smiling.

"Of course!" She said and kissed him.

"Can I ask why this front door wasn't locked babe?" He said taking away the sweetness of the welcome home moment, he raised his eyebrows at her concerned.

"Oh well I went out to get the mail like an hour ago I must've just forgot is all." She played off like it was no big deal.

"Nicole you can't forget... please." He said for the probably 10th time since they've lived there. She sighed.

"The last thing I want to be thinking about when I'm not home is, I hope you locked the door babe." He said sincerely looking into her beautiful eyes, realizing he was making her upset.

"I'm sorry." She said looking down at the floor. He grabbed her chin and brought it up to kiss her.

"Hey. I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She said back smiling.

"Where's that baby girl of mine?" He asked looking around and then walking over to see her on the floor. Nicole followed behind him.

"Kicking away, she just got up from her nap so she's a happy girl." Nicole told him as he got down on the floor and started to talk to her.

"Hi sweetie, are you being a good girl for mommy?" He said sweetly to her and kissed her cheek. Nicole sat down and watched him bond with Teagan.

"Did you see she's getting a tooth?" Nicole said.

"What? No! Let me see...openn" Clay said surprised he took his pinky and pulled down her bottom lip to see.

"Wow look at that." He said.

"Yeah she was a little bit of a nightmare a few nights there before it came through." Nicole explained.

"I'm sorry." Clay said, he felt bad when Nicole had to go through tougher times without him.

"It's okay." She told him. He didn't say anything he just stared at Teagan babbling.

"So...how was it?" She asked. He snapped out of his stare and looked at her.

"Oh you know. The normal. We got it done, everyone made it home." He said and picked up his baby. Nicole sensed something was maybe wrong.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asked as he held Teagan out infront of him and smiled at her sweet little face, thinking about the house full of mothers and babies that got attacked while they were overseas. The image of them all lying there dead. He couldn't imagine that being Nicole or Teagan.

"Not yet." He said and snuggled Teagan into his chest, just enjoying her being happy, healthy and safe. Nicole knew to drop the subject.

"Okay." She said and continued to fold her laundry. Clay could tell she was disappointed he didn't want to open up about it yet but he needed time to recover and reevaluate, so he ignored it. He put Teagan back on the floor and got up to get something to eat in the fridge.

"There's some lunch meat and cheese if you want a sandwich? I can make you one?" Nicole stated after seeing him look for something. He listened to her and got out everything to make one.

"I can make it, you want one?" He asked her unwrapping the bread bag.

"Um sure yeah." She put the laundry basket full of folded laundry on the steps and then came back out to assist him make the sandwich she wanted. He put mayo on all 4 slices of bread and Nicole just stood and watched. He felt her watching him closely trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Look. I'll tell you about it when I'm ready. Just not today okay?" He said tossing the dirty knife in the sink and opening the cheese.

"Yeah. Course." She said and opened the turkey, she was still worried. Clay didn't usually get like this, he came home affected but not like this. He was always open and honest with Nicole as soon as he got home.

Teagan started crying. Nicole put down the turkey to get her but Clay stopped her.

"I got her." He said and licked his fingers clean as he went to the baby.

"Hey, what's wrong T? Huh?" He said sweetly as he scooped her up and bounced her nicely, walking around the living room. Nicole loved seeing Clay be a dad, she finished the sandwich's and put all the stuff away. He got Teagan to stop crying, he was staring at her just talking calmly in his low voice, she was looking back at him, it was so sweet.

"Here honey." Nicole said to him showing him his sandwich was on a plate ready for him. He nodded seeing it. She could tell he was content with Teagan and didn't wanna put her down.

"I have an idea." Nicole said. Clay turned to hear what she was gonna say.

"We could go for a walk? It's not supposed to rain until later tonight?" She suggested.

"Yeah alright. Let's do it." He said.

"I'll pack this up, we can eat in the pavilion down at the park?" She asked seeing if he'd be down for that.

"It's a little chilly out?" Clay said.

"They enclosed it." Nicole told him.

"Sounds like a date then." He said and smiled.

"The strollers still up, out in the garage, we go for a walk about every day." Nicole said.

"Alright well I'll go change quick." He said and took Teagan with him to their bedroom. He laid her on the bed to get changed, and put on his Glock.

"Clay.." Nicole said as she stood in the doorway observing. He turned around to see her.

"You know how it is Nic." He told her and picked up Teagan.

"It's a save neighborhood..." She insisted.

"Please don't make me argue with you about this right now." He told her firmly wishing she'd understand that the world is not as safe as she thinks it is.

"Whatever. I have to get the bag." She said walking away to the nursery.

"Babe..." he called out wanting to talk to her. She just kept walking though. He dropped it and took Teagan to the garage to put in the stroller. Nicole came out with a diaper bag and lunch bag she packed.

"Hey listen-" Clay started to say but she stopped him.

"No. It's fine. I get it. Let's just drop it and have a good time together as a family. Okay?" She asked him.

"Yeah." He said and held his hand out to take the bags from her and put in the stroller basket. Nicole opened the garage door and Clay pushed the stroller out to the driveway so Nicole could shut the door behind them.

"Oh it's nice out! It's not cold..." Nicole said.

"Yeah well it was 95 degrees where I was so...anything below like 70 is cold to me"Clay said and they laughed. He looked up and down the quiet street they lived on, of course looking for trouble but not seeing any. They started walking on the sidewalk, it was a beautiful sunny day.

They sat on a blanket in the grass and ate their sandwich's while Teagan laid with them and got some fresh air also.

———

It was the middle of the night and raining like a mother all night long. It was Clays first night in almost 8 weeks he was sharing a bed with Nicole and he couldn't be happier. They both woke up to the sound of the thunder and lightening followed by Teagan screaming. It sounded like it struck right outside the house.

Clay jumped out of bed having to realize he wasn't out on a mission and it wasn't a bomb that just went off in that safe house full mother's and kids.

"Babe you okay?" Nicole sat up and said scared of Clays reaction to it.

"Yeah I just...yeah." He got up and walked out of the bedroom to get Teagan. Nicole stood in the hallway watching him.

"Shh your okay, it's all okay." He told her rocking her back and forth. He saw Nicole standing there watching, he handed Teagan to her and said he wanted to go check everything out.

"Clay I think it was just lightning..." she assured him. He still went out and walked around the house to check.

He then turned around and walked back to their room after he didn't see anything.

"Yeah I know..." he said realizing she was right. They crawled back into bed. Clay was still a little shook. Nicole could read him well and had an idea on what was going on. She laid down in bed with Teagan to nurse her back to sleep.

"It's okay Clay, I'm here with you, Teagans here, It's okay." She reassured him and touched his arm. He turned to face her and took a breath closing his eyes then looking at her and Teagan.

"I know baby..." he said, he rubbed her back.

They listened to the rain and eventually fell back asleep.

———

Well looks like Clay is really having a hard time letting this one go. It may not be something he's never seen before but it's different now. Before he was basically a bachelor, now he's married with a baby and the two are his whole world. How does he come out of this "dream" and get to a point of being able to put it behind him, talk about it with Nicole?