Chapter 2
Athena was shocked to find Evan and Clay on her doorstep a couple of days later, it wasn't early and the two looked well rested. "Hi we used some connections to stalk you." Evan said she glared at him. "And I need a favour." Evan said to her.
"After that you better not be after money." Athena said laughing.
"Can you help me surprise Maddie at work by any chance." Evan asked she beamed at this.
"Now that sailor boy I can do." Athena said to him hugging them both as Bobby appeared in the door way and eyed the two men.
"Do I even want to know how you achieved this?" Bobby asked.
"That would be breaking the law." Clay said to him which would probably be true. "Its best that you don't ask that question, that way we don't have to lie." Clay added.
"Boys do not do this again." Bobby growled at them seriously. "This isn't the first time." Bobby said to him.
"You want to see what we did when Jason's daughter brought her first boyfriend home." Evan said to them. "I hear that the boy in question who was not a gentleman to the girl in question is still terrified that Jason will show up at his house for a second round of how to treat a woman you are dating." Evan said to him. "So if you need to scare someone of, we are happy to help." Evan added Athena gave him an appraising look then burst out laughing.
"You in on that?" Athena asked.
"Before my time." Clay added. "We can follow." Clay said.
"Those two are going to be trouble but I am not comfortable with them doing stuff like that." Bobby said to his wife.
"You think I am and the fact that they won't talk about it, tells me that its not the first time that they did this and that they would do it again if they felt it necessary." Athena said to him with a shake of his head. "I'll have a word, I am sure that they were well meaning if a little terrifying." Athena said to him as she followed them to their car climbing in the back seat she slammed the door. "Now boys do you have any idea how intrusive that was?" She asked as Evan started the engine.
"Didn't actually think about it that much!" Evan said. "You may regret not taking your car." Evan said to her she looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he looked in the rear mirror.
"Do not do it again, you could have called me using whatever bloody thing you used." Athena said then yelped as he accelerated out of the street like a man possessed. "Keep it to the speed limit their Buckley." Athena said as he turned a corner that made her scream like a little girl again. "Jesus christ Buckley." Athena said to him making the two men in the front laugh. What followed was a mentally scarring experience that would make her grateful for her life for several years afterwards. As they climbed out of the car in the lot she whacked him outside the head.
"We are never letting you drive again in this city." Athena snarled still slightly shaky from the drive he smiled at her. "First you stalk me then you try and kill me." Athena said to him.
"I did tell you that you probably would regret not taking the car." Clay said to her. "He likes a thrill or had you not noticed that." Clay added Evan rolled his eyes as they entered the call centre entrance hall.
"He doesn't drive at work does he?" Athena asked.
"No one and I do mean that no one is that stupid." Evan said to him with a shake of his head.
"Can I help you?" The man behind the desk asked.
"Athena Grant, Evan Buckley and Clay we are here to surprise the idiots sister. These two just flew in from lord knows where and he is in the Navy." Athena said to the guard. "Maddie Buckley." She added the man smiled at this and handed them the guest sign in book.
"Who am I to argue with that." The guard said to them. Evan entered both of their names into the book and took the id badges offered to him handing one to Clay he took a breath and offered his hand Clay looked at him.
"Are you sure?" Clay asked.
"Our co and team leader know about us and haven't ordered us to separate, my sister is going to kill me but its nothing compared to the guilt I will carry if I live that lie with the one woman who has always accepted me for being the man that I am warts and all." Evan said to him Clay beamed at this. "If its not clear I'm in love with you, nothing would make me happy than to walk in there with your hand in mine." Evan said to him Clay snorted taking the hand and kissing him for his efforts.
"The feeling is mutual." Clay said softly.
"She's going to kill you." Athena said as she guided them to the elevator. "That being said congratulations." Athena said to them Evan smiled at Clay kissing him again. It wasn't long before they were on the floor and Sue saw them she raised an eyebrow at Athena as she led the way to Maddie's terminal she wasn't looking at them or on a call but doing some paper work.
"Well I guess someone can keep a secret." Evan said loudly enough for the woman to turn around to look at him in surprise. "Hi sis." Evan said to her she smiled widely getting to her feet she walked into his open arms kissing his cheek then she thumped him.
"You lied to me." Maddie said to him.
"You know I kill people for a living right." Evan said teasingly she beamed at him. "No point in hiding it when the people who would have an issue with it know and have issued warnings to the both of us." Evan said to her she nodded her understanding.
"You've caught the sun." She said to him.
"I hear that happens when you are fair skinned and in a hot desert." Evan said to her she looked him over. "Can we spring you from this joint?" He asked.
"Yes you can. Take the heathen and treat her." Sue said to them.
"That's the plan." Clay said to her.
"Welcome home." Sue said to Evan.
9-1-1-Seal Team-9-1-1
They arrived at the firehouse for dinner that night a couple of thousand dollars lighter, Maddie remembered just what Evan did for a living and how he made his money before he entered the service. Though Clay had an eye opening experience she wasn't at all shocked by her brothers spending habits.
"Did you treat her?" Athena asked.
"She begged me to stop at three thousand dollars." Evan said to her Athena gaped at this.
"How does a special forces operator even afford that without maxing out his credit cards, which I note you did not?" Clay asked.
"Some day I'll tell you how I made my money." Evan said to him. "If I ever put a ring on it." He added kissing his boyfriend. "Just know that I made a lot of money in college by being the intelligent idiot that I am." Evan said to him. "Or you could just ask Maddie as she is no where near as modest as I am about it." Evan said to him Clay raised an eye brow at his boyfriends sister who shrugged what can you do but she would tell him.
"Was it illegal? And do the navy know?" Clay asked.
"No and yes in that order." Evan said to him.
"How much?" Clay asked.
"I make your old man look like a pauper." Evan said to him Clay smirked at that.
"Hey guys, we aren't going to get a call calling you away are we?" Eddie asked.
"Nah we've been stood down." Evan said to him as he sat down at the table. "My sister said you'd be happy to have us join you for dinner." Evan said to Bobby.
"Well I'd ask you to make up for your cyber stalking but your sister tells me that you couldn't cook." Bobby said to him.
"Cyber stalking?" Eddie asked.
"We had a friend help us with Athena's address." Clay said to him Eddie looked shocked at this.
"And you survived that?" Hen asked.
"Well by we, I mean Evan and it was all in good form so we could surprise Maddie." Clay said to her.
"Well thats a dumb as fuck thing to do." Hen said to him Evan laughed while Clay said he knows. "You could just have dropped by the fire house." Hen said to him.
"Yeah in hindsight that would have been the easier move." Evan said to her. "Also wouldn't have cost me a favour." He added.
"Really thats your issue with this?" Athena asked him incredulously.
"Not really got a filter." Evan said to him. "Though you should meet Sonny, that man is me but made in Texas." Evan said to them Maddie groaned. "I don't think you've had that pleasure Mad's." Evan said to her.
"I don't think I want to." Maddie said to him.
"You should come up, I've got a place of my own off base for convenience these days two bed." Evan said to her she looked at him strangely. "Okay so I still live on base and I brought a place which I've been renting out since I brought it." Evan said to them.
"Oh yeah where?" Maddie asked.
"Next door to blondie as it turns out." Evan said to her. "My tennants moved out last week, I move in when I get back." Evan said to her.
"Wait Daniels place?" Clay asked.
"The one and the same, they are moving into a house in prep for their first child." Evan said to him. "No I do not kick my tennants out, I was sad to hear that they were moving." Evan said to him.
"Tennants?" Clay asked.
"Nine properties in my home state, three more in Penn. Two here in LA, four in New York." Evan said to him. "All declared with work." Evan said to him.
"I really need to have that conversation with Maddie don't I?" Clay asked.
"Yes." Maddie said to him. "So Evan are you looking at a place while here?" Maddie asked.
"I actually am not, I don't need any extra income or outgoings for the time being." Evan said to her.
"Strapped for cash?" Maddie asked incredulously.
"No cash isn't the issue time is." Evan said to him. "We're shipping out in a few weeks deployment." Evan said to her she frowned. "Last time I'll be back in town for a while." Evan said to her she sighed. "This is the life I chose, I wouldn't make any other decision and we both know I'll come home and re-enlist because its what I'm good at." Evan said to him.
"And when you're not?" Athena asked.
"Hopefully I will know and be able to walk away." Evan said to her. "There are only so many times you can be shot or shot at." Evan said to her she nodded.
"I feel that." Athena said to him. "Why did you join the Navy?"
"It was an idea I had, I just didn't realise that it would become a decision that wasn't a permanent one until Jase and Ray came and found me the day we passed and just before I signed my enlistment papers." Evan explained. "Have you ever been so good at something, that walking away from it the stupid decision because I have. I was about to walk away from people who would become closer to me than my family without giving them a chance. Bravo team is the go to team and they wanted me. For the first time in my life I felt like I was wanted." Evan said to her the flash of anger and pain in Maddie's eyes Clay wasn't quite sure who the man beside him was at that moment. He never spoke about his family besides Maddie.
"What have I ever done to deserve that?" Maddie asked.
"Daniel." Evan said to her the blood drained from her face at that name. "Twenty seven years of lies and obfuscation. You must have known that the service would dig into my past, see whether I had any ghosts in my closet that could harm me or the Navy." Evan said to her.
"How would I know that?" Maddie asked.
"You knew what I was being trained for, you honestly think that the navy would hire me without knowing the ins and outs of a ducks ass. Of course they were going to find out about me being the donor child the parents didn't want after the child I was born to save died." Evan growled. "You had your chance to come clean Madeline, you lived the lie knowing there was a great chance I knew or had been told. My best friend in the Navy had to sit me down and tell me, not family a friend. Because it got out in a rumour as it often does and every one bar me knew." Evan said to him. "I'm the civilian who made it through training its been a while and I have had to fight for every ounce of respect I have from those around me because of it. I was nothing when that got out, I had nothing and because of that my team has my back. Because you have never had it." Evan snarled then dropped his cutlery down on the table before getting to his feet. "Don't follow." Evan said as he brushed past a stunned Clay. Clay's hand grasped his for a moment and it was all he needed to know that Clay had his back.
"I didn't know." Maddie said mortified.
"Its before my time, Jason and Ray and Sonny are extremely protective of Evan. I was warned more about hurting him than about not being discreet." Clay said to her. "I've always known he had his secrets but I also know that his burnt before. He was in a relationship with a guy from alpha, when alpha's co found out not only did he not approve and order it stopped he chased Ben out of the service." Clay said to them. "You probably thought that you were protecting him, you weren't and lying to him doesn't do anyone any favours." Clay finished.
"I don't even know him any more." Maddie said to him.
"I don't think you have ever known the real Evan. He doesn't let people in very easily and he has always felt like he never fitted in. Now we know why." Clay said to him. "I don't know how you fix this Maddie but honest to god it can't get any worse. My team leader hated me because my old man wrote a reveal all on the SEAL's. It was Evan that pointed out that they should look at me for my own merits not my parents crimes." Clay said to her. "Being gay in the SEAL's is hard enough, dating a fellow SEAL when you are both are gay is inviting trouble. His done it twice and the first time it didn't work out." Clay said to her. "I love him warts and all. Had no idea he had money though it explains a few things." Clay said to them.
Maddie got up and left to talk to Evan without a word but grasped Clay's shoulder in thanks as she passed him.
"How good is he?" Eddie asked.
"At what?" Clay asked.
"You know what." Eddie asked.
"Its a career you get that right. Army." Clay said to him Eddie nodded. "He is really good at what he does." Clay said to him. "I don't know why this came up." Clay said to them.
"I think that its probably been there on his mind for a while. You don't help." Athena said to him. "You ground him, from what Maddie says he is a wild child." Athena said to him Clay nodded. "And a apparently a bit of a hot shot." She added. "This kind of secret always comes out and I think he has been done with running for a while don't you."
"Anybody who knows Evan will tell you, he doesn't run from anything. If he is hiding something like this then chances are there is a reason. On this front I think it has more to do with not hurting Maddie." Clay said to her.
"That went well." Chim said to him.
"Dude he has killed for less." Eddie said to him.