Author Note:

I'm finally back. I hope this posts okay and that you enjoy this bit of fluff. Drop me a note if you liked it!

CH 99- Get Away

Now that Troy had been arrested, Emma tried to get back to her normal life. Still, the reminder about a future court date that loomed on her calendar put a small damper on things. She did her best to put it all behind her. Having Clay home was the key. She knew that he would protect her at any cost. He was also helping her to deal with some logistics. Since all this started, the police hadn't let her get her car touched up. They said it would be needed for evidence. It still sat in the parking lot, covered in a tarp, with that horrible word scrawled down the driver's side. After they came back out and took even more pictures, they gave her the okay to have it fixed. Clay arranged to take it to Jason's mechanic and have it repainted. In the meantime, since Bravo was off rotation for a little while following deployment, he drove her to class and to work. She felt bad that he had to act as her chauffer. But he brushed off her objections and told her that it just meant that he got to spend more time with her.

Clay watched Emma carefully. He knew all too well how a situation like she had been through could cause some lingering mental and emotional issues. He wanted to be there for her and help her get support if she needed it. He could see her muscling her way through each day, refusing to let her fears hold her back. She had definitely inherited Jason's backbone and "Never say die," attitude. He wished he could take her away somewhere, even for a little while. As he sat in the parking lot at the Day Care, he had a thought and immediately texted Jason.

When they got back home and sat down to eat, Clay approached her about his idea.

"Em, how is the end of next week looking for you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think you could skip a day or so of classes?"

She got an intrigued look on her face as she answered.

"Well…I have a paper due in my American Lit. class, but I guess I could turn that in early. Why?'

He sat down his fork and reached for her hand.

"I was thinking that both of us could use some time away. If you can swing it."

"Away? Like where?"

She was warming up to the idea.

"You know how we've talked about visiting Mike?"

She nodded eagerly.

"Well, I checked in with Jace. He checked Mike's school schedule and your brother has a home game next Saturday. I thought we could drive up for a visit, and maybe see your Grandma while we're there too. How does that sound?"

She squeezed his hand and smiled.

"I would like that. I miss Mike and it seems like I haven't seen Grandma in ages."

"I thought it would be a nice break for us. We can make a long weekend out of it."

"That sounds great."

He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Good. Jace said that Koda can come stay with him, and he gave me your Grandma's number. I'll give her a call and make sure this will all work out with her too."

"Yea, I don't just want to show up on her doorstep," Emma chuckled.

"Actually…I was going to ask her to maybe recommend a Bed and Breakfast in town. If that's okay. We can go see her as much as you want while we're there. But I thought we might want a little privacy as well."

She looked thoughtful and then agreed. The idea of a little, romantic inn sounded perfect.

"Great! I'll take care of all the arrangements then."

Clay contacted Linda and Mike. They were both excited for the couple to come for a visit. Linda was happy to give Clay some ideas for a place to stay, and she wasn't at all put out that they wouldn't be staying with her.

Emma doubled down on her work throughout the week to get her paper done and turned in early. She contacted a classmate that she had exchanged info with at the beginning of the semester to see if she could share her notes for Friday's class. They got packed up, dropped Koda with her dad and got on the road early in the morning.

Clay did the driving, letting Emma sleep in the car. She was still emotionally exhausted. He really hoped taking her away would help her to reset and heal. She managed to nap until he stopped for gas and to quickly stretch his legs. After that, she was wide awake. She alternated between conversation and singing along to the songs on the radio. Hearing her sing was one of his greatest joys. Their discussions covered many topics from their work, to plans for the upcoming holidays. They spent quite a bit of time discussing the little girl Clay had befriended in Afghanistan. Emma mentioned how she would love to be able to help her some more, if only they had a way to get in contact.

"Hey, you know what? Alpha team is heading out for their deployment next week. Maybe we could ask the guys to check up on her."

"That would be great. Do you think I could send a couple books to her?"

"I'm sure Derek or Metal would get them to her for you."

She continued talking about what they should send and how to best help the little girl. Clay loved to see that twinkle of excitement back in her eyes and hear the hopefulness back in her tone. It had been missing since the incidents with Troy.

He reached over for her hand and brought it to his lips. She stopped talking about Gabina and looked at him, noticing the satisfied smile on his face.

"What," she asked.

"I love when you get like this. All passionate and driven."

"You're making fun of me."

"No. I'm not, I swear, Em. I'm happy you've found something you love to do. You know that I feel like being on Bravo is more than a job for me. It's good that you feel that way about teaching, about helping kids."

She squeezed his hand and returned his smile.

"Thanks honey."

They stopped again to get gas and then at a rest stop to eat the sandwiches she'd packed for them. They didn't linger, wanting to get to their destination as quickly as possible.

Just before dinner time, they pulled into Linda's driveway. She must have been watching out for them because the door opened the minute Emma got out of the car. She waited for Clay and they entered together. Linda hugged them each in turn but held Emma a little longer. Jason told her some of what had gone on and she was happy her Granddaughter was safe and whole.

"Come on in. Let's sit down."

They took seats across from Linda on the couch.

"It's good to see you Grandma."

"You too honey. How are you doing?"

Emma could see the concern reflected in her grandmother's eyes. She reached for Clay's hand as she answered.

"I'm fine, now. It was scary, but the team took care of me," she paused to look at Clay and then continued. "Clay took care of me."

They all sat quietly for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts. Then Linda spoke up.

"Well, that's enough about that. Why don't you two get cleaned up while I get dinner on the table."

Emma went off to the restroom while Clay followed Linda into the kitchen. After he washed his hands, he turned to help her with setting the table. He was just about to ask her where the plates were when Linda's words stopped him.

"Thank you for protecting our Emmie."

She followed her words with a hug and a kiss to his cheek. He was about to brush it off, but then saw the depth of emotion on her face. So, he returned the older woman's affection and answered.

"Of course. I'd never let anything happen to her."

They smiled at one another and were chatting about their drive up when Emma rejoined them. Dinner was delicious and Emma enjoyed the time with her grandmother. When they were through eating, Linda suggested that they get over to their accommodations so they could rest after their long day. Emma tried to refuse, insisting that they help her clean up.

"Honey, having you two here and seeing that you are okay with my own eyes is all I need. Now you both need to settle in and rest. I think Mike has a campus tour planned for you tomorrow before his game in the evening."

"Alright, thanks Grandma."

"You're welcome Emmie."

They exchanged hugs, Clay included, and then the couple got back into the truck to go find the Inn Linda had recommended to them.

They found the address without too much trouble. The building appeared to be an old, converted barn. Clay grabbed their bags and they entered into the lobby. Clay got them checked in and they followed the employee to their room. Their room was a corner suite on the second floor. They thanked the staff member for her help, listened to the information about breakfast tomorrow morning, and then shut the door to explore their accommodations. The décor was homey, and comfortable. They took in the large, mahogany, sleigh-bed and a quaint love seat and over-stuffed chair set in front of a field-stone fireplace. Emma wondered around the corner and found a sparking bathroom complete with an antique, claw-foot tub. She loved everything about it.

"Clay, this is perfect. Thanks for thinking about this," she said as she hugged him and went up on tip toe to kiss his cheek.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.

"You can thank your grandma. She's the one that gave me the name of this place. I'm happy they had an opening with such short notice."

They unpacked quickly and then there was a knock on the door. Clay went to answer it. Apparently, each evening the kitchen provided a complimentary tray of cookies and sweets along with an assortment of coffees and teas. Emma fixed herself a cup of mint tea while Clay dug into the cookies. After a couple sips, she decided that a soak in that tub sounded heavenly. She checked in with Clay and he was all for her relaxing.

"I'm good. Em," he said pulling out a book. "I'm going to read for a little while and have a few more of these cookies. They're really good."

"As good as mine," she joked.

"Weeeelllll….," he teased.

She crossed her arms and huffed in jest as he continued.

"No, anything you make will always be me favorite, babe," he finished as he leaned down and kissed her on the end of her nose.

They both laughed as Emma gathered up her things, grabbed her cup of tea and retired to the bathroom. As the hot water filled the tub, Emma made a selection from the tray of bath products provided. She pinned up her hair and soon she was relaxing under a mountain of bubbles while sipping her tea. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and could feel some of the stress leave her body. She finished her tea and let the vanilla scent of the bubbles soothe her.

Emma stayed in in the tub until the water was cool and her fingers were wrinkled. Then she pulled the stopper and stepped out onto the fluffy mat. Reaching for a towel, she dried herself and slipped into one of Clay's shirts that she liked to wear and a pair of boy shorts. She really had no idea how long she had been soaking, she wondered what Clay had been up to.

When she walked into their room, what she saw made her stop and smile. Clay had started a fire, and sat on the love seat, head tipped back, asleep with his book laying forgotten in his lap. She padded over quietly to him and stood, just watching him sleep. She studied his handsome face. The stress that sometimes settled around his eyes was gone and soft puffs of breath escaped through his slightly parted lips. She loved to see him this way, relaxed and unguarded. She reached to remove the book from his hands and barely touched her lips to his forehead. As she turned off the reading lamp, he stirred, and his eyes blinked open.

"Mmmm, Em. Sorry, I much have dozed off."

"Don't apologize, you need to rest as much as I do."

Now that he was awake, he saw her standing there, in his shirt and he could feel his desire sparking like the logs on this fire. He held out his hand and pulled her to him. She slid a leg to either side of his and straddled his lap. Slipping his hands down her back, they found their way under her shirt and settled on her ass.

She leaned forward and slanted her lips over his. As her tongue danced with his, she could feel him harden against her core. Emma rolled her hips gently against him, causing his fingers to flex around her and pulling a moan from his throat. When they broke apart, she stood and pulled her shirt off and peeled off her panties. His eyes roamed over her, as she stood naked, silhouetted against the flames.

"Emmie…babe…"

Emma reached for him and pulled him to stand in front of her. As he bent his head to kiss her, her fingers made quick work of the button and zipper on his pants. Once they were loose on his hips, she bent and slipped them down his legs. Clay stepped out of them and removed his shirt. She stayed on her knees in front of him and began to stroke her hands up to his ass as she kissed and licked her way to his hardened length. Clay watched her take him in hand and then slip her lips around him. Head falling back, he breathed deeply and rasped out his pleasure.

"Oh God, Baby…"

His knees started to buckle, and he sat back onto the sofa. Emma followed him and positioned herself between his legs, still loving him with her mouth. Lifting her head, she grasped him in her hand and teased him with her tongue. Clay almost lost himself in the sensations of her mouth, but he wanted to feel her.

"Em, honey, c'mere," he breathed as he reached for her hand.

Emma allowed him to pull her to a standing position and then, again, slipped herself astride him. He pulled her close to kiss her and he could feel her, hot and wet against him.

He plied his lips and tongue down her neck and her chest to her breasts. As he pursed his lips around her, she cried out his name.

"Clay…ahhhh! Yes!"

She raised herself up on her knees and positioned him at her center and slid down, engulfing him fully inside her tight heat. Now it was his turn to cry out.

"Ahhh, Emmie, mmmm."

She laid back, trusting him to hold her as she rode him with abandon. Clay supported her with his left arm as his right hand caressed down her front from her neck, between her breasts and down to where they were joined. Using his thumb, he massaged her clit as she chanted his name.

"Clay, Clay, Clay. Oh God, Clay!"

He could feel her break and pulse around him and then, thrusting into her quivering body once more, he lost himself in her.

Clay pulled her back up to his body, and she curled into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He kissed her head and whispered his love to her. She raised her lips to his and kissed him long and slow. They stayed there until Clay could no longer keep them connected and slipped free. He maneuvered them until he was laying across the love seat with her stretched on top of him.

Emma snuggled into him as he traced her back with his fingertips. He could feel her relaxing and her breathing slow. She was warm and sated and her eyes became heavy.

"I love you," she mumbled into his neck before slipping into slumber.

"I love you too. Baby," he whispered back.

Clay opened his eyes, realizing that he too must have succumbed to sleep after their lovemaking. The fire had died down and the room was cool. Emma was sound asleep on top of him. He managed to lift her and carry her to the bed without waking her. After setting his alarm, he laid down behind her, cuddling her close and pulled the covers up around them.