Doing things with Sonny on base was nothing new to Davis. They did things all the time like work out the logistics of a mission, organize gear and lift weights or run a lap or two. Doing things to Sonny and vice versa was something she'd never done before, but she liked it. Before Sonny she was too professional and too serious about her job to even consider hooking up—with anyone—on base or in its vicinity. Before Sonny, she never realized how limber she could be in such a small space and how agile someone Sonny's size could be either. Before Sonny, there were a lot of things she never thought she'd do, but Sonny was bringing out a whole different side of her.
The danger of getting caught was no longer applicable since she was an Officer and no longer associated with Bravo Team, but they could still get caught by the guys. She couldn't get a read on how the guys would react if they found out she was the girl causing this drastic change in Sonny's personality. There was that moment at the bar when he said her name, but the guys played it off. The resounding feeling was that she was too good for him, but of course she didn't believe it. Sonny's problems may be common knowledge, but she had her own issues too. Hell, all of Bravo had their own issues. With the kind of duties they're asked to perform, any normal person would have scars and trauma to show for it. Kill Joy didn't realize that while Bravo had problems, keeping them a team and keeping them together, that's what keeps them from crumbling.
As she drives, she shifts her position so her right arm rests on the center console. That's when Sonny, who she thought was sleeping, laces his fingers through hers and kisses the back of her hand. This is Sonny. A few staples in his head from someone misjudging him, small cuts that run nearly the length of his torso from him defending himself and still planting tender kisses on her hand so she knows he's watching her. Keeping her company as she drives home. That he loves her.
"Let's roll Petty Officer, you're home."
"We could just sleep here. It's almost three o'clock in the morning, we'll be up in a few hours anyway."
"No way, we've done enough in this car already."
"Yeah…you may want to get it detailed now."
"Shut up, now its definitely time to get out."
She helps him into his apartment and changed out the sweaty, bloody, beer scented clothes. After she locks up and settles in for the night, she makes a cup of coffee and stares out of the kitchen window. The amount of time that's past is unknown, but she feels Sonny stand flush behind her and place a kiss on the top of her head.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. You need to sleep."
"So do you. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just thinking."
"About?"
"Brett. Kill Joy. Your spin up, whose handling ISR. Being an Officer. Everything. My mind's just racing. It's fine. I don't know how some guys do it."
"Well you got guys like Kairos who aren't human, the Brock's who are real romantics and the Ray's who have God. Then you have me, Trent and J who have alcohol." She has to laugh at the accuracy and honesty of what he just said.
"Are we really gonna keep doing this after you spin up?"
"Why wouldn't we?"
"Come on Sonny," she spins around and stays with her back pressed against the sink, now facing Sonny. "I know what its like and what happens with time and distance."
"You think I would do that to you?"
"No, but no one ever means too. Jason and Alanna were never officially divorced, but I know about Amy. I know about Ray and Christine. I know you."
"You know me? What does that mean?"
"Not like that. I mean deploying is hard. You're an exceptional Seal, you always do what's necessary—no matter how ugly it is. You're not a machine though. You're gonna need someone to talk to. Someone to confide in. Someone to take comfort in. I'm not gonna be there."
"So what're you saying?"
"I don't know. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself over there."
"You know I will."
She doesn't resist when Sonny takes the rest of her coffee and pours it down the drain and then leads her to bed. She wasn't lying when she said she doesn't know what's she's trying to say, she just knows how things are. For the first time, she was having regrets about OCS and graduating. Before Sonny, she was over-the-moon about her acceptance, excited to go and ready for a change, now everything was changing and she wanted nothing more for things to go back the way they were.
Now Bravo was temporarily splintered, she was an Officer and she and Sonny were more serious. That was the one and only bright spot. This deployment was their first test and she didn't want to turn into Stella. Breaking up with someone five seconds before they're about to deploy is ice cold. For a long time, she held the quiet belief that Stella was a cold-hearted bitch, but never expressed it out loud. Her hatred has since lessened to a simple mild dislike and its partly due to hind sight and now being able to sympathize with her reasoning.
Davis isn't worried about Sonny dying (no more than usual), she was more worried about how he always pushed him and had trouble coming back. Sometimes—ninety-nine percent of the time—Spun up Sonny was black and white, high on adrenaline, drunk on America and unpredictable when cake eaters got in the way of something or someone he and his brothers wanted to capture. Now he was going to Afghanistan without her—or his brothers. Jason wouldn't be there to talk him down, Ray wouldn't be there to remind him his job (and life) were more important than some impulsive decision he wanted to follow through with, Clay wouldn't be there so he wouldn't drink away his problems alone and she wouldn't be there to remind him he didn't have to always be Show-No-Fear Bravo Three one hundred percent of the time.
When he came back in three or six months—the idea of six months still makes her heart stop—what kind of condition would he be in? What kinds of missions, raids and rescues will they have to contend with? If she wasn't an Officer, she could find out whose handling Romeo's ISR and request to spin up as Romeo's eyes using some BS excuse.
As the sun begins to rise, she still can't sleep, but puts her head against Sonny's chest, over his trident and over his heart. He hasn't even left yet and the distance is already causing her sleepless nights.
"Sonny, wake up! We gotta talk."
"Shit." She hears him whisper and slowly sit up, aware she's using his chest as a pillow. He rests on his elbows and rubs the sleep from his eyes. "Stay in the living room Ray!"
"Of course I'm staying in the living room. You think I'm walking into your bedroom after the last time?" All three of them giggle and Davis holds onto his waist a little tighter.
"What happened last time?"
"Nothing. Lemme go see what he wants. I'll be right back." She holds on tighter and kisses his chest, leaning into him, driving him completely nuts. Ray had him a little frazzled, why not add more fun?
"Well well good morning Petty Officer. Good morning indeed," she looks down and back up at Sonny.
"Jesus Christ…" he lets out before she covers his mouth with her hand.
"Hey Quinn! You coming sometime this century? I gotta talk to you! It's important!" Ten minutes later, Sonny finally left the bedroom.
"Damn. Good morning Sleeping Beauty. What the hell happened to you?" Davis watches him leave his room with just a pair of sweats and nothing else on.
"Nothing. What's so damn important?"
"Wait a minute," Davis can't see, but it suddenly dawns on her that she may have stuff lying around outside. She wraps his bedsheet around herself and looks around his room. At least the big stuff, the stuff that can't be explained like her wallet and keys are in his bedroom on his bedside table. She tries to picture Sonny's living room and if she's got clothes or other items strewn about Ray may recognize. "You're not sleeping on your couch and there's no bottle of Jack on the table."
"So?"
"Until this mystery woman, every time someone busts into your place, you're passed out on the couch or the floor and there's a bottle of Jack or a case of beer on the table."
"Shut up Ray."
"Oh hell, I interrupted something didn't I? She's here isn't she?!" Davis obviously can't see his expression or hear if he's saying anything in return just Ray. All she can catch is a few words from Sonny. "She come to look after you after the fight? Well at least she sounds caring. J wanted me to come talk to you about Clay, but first I was gonna ask if you were okay. I guess someone's taking care of that huh?"
"Again shut up. What about Clay?"
"Stella's back. They hooked up now Clay's a mess. He showed up at the bosses house early this morning, like four o'clock and passed out on the couch. We need you talk to him."
"Sure. He still there now?"
"Yeah, J doesn't want him going home and getting into it with Stella. When he goes back, one of us should go with him too. These on again off again rollercoasters have a tendency to get ugly."
"Just call me Dr. Phil Raymond Perry."
"Clay told me what you told him when we were Gucci."
"What? Am I that irresistible? That fascinating? That none of you can help, but talk about the greatest that is Sonny Quinn?"
"Guess again playboy. It's only because Sonny Quinn has a love life beyond strippers and strip clubs." Sonny says something, but she can't hear. His voice starts to lower and become nearly inaudible. "Hey, if your really like this girl, you guys will find a way to make it work. Her big dreams and your job won't be a problem."
"…different…Naima…"
"Everyone's different. You saw me this last deployment, I was a disaster, but I came home to the love of my life. She was worried about me and that was my fault, but I fessed up, apologized and will work hard at making sure I never put her in that situation again."
"…know me…"
"You're a good man and you better start believing it. Honestly, brother to brother, even though you don't want to tell me her name or anything about her, I'm happy for you, this is good for you. She's a saint for handling someone like…" Ray laughs through the rest of what he's saying.
"…you're the biggest…"
"Love you too. And who knows, give it some time and you'll fill your cage and future hooches with pictures of your own family. Now I see what was up with those questions and that look on your face when I packed that picture of Naima and the kids. I'll tell you this one thing brother, there's nothing like seeing someone and realizing she's the one you see yourself marrying and having kids with…"
What. The. Hell.
What did Sonny ask Ray when they were Gucci? What did he tell Clay? Do they already have suspicions it might be her? She thought they were keeping all of this a secret, who else has he been talking too and who knows what? She and Sonny weren't just having fun, they had that exclusive talk before he went Gucci and before she went off to OCS, but getting married and having a family was a whole different conversation. Did he already have that kind of talk with Ray? Doing the job they do and balancing a family? Was he just asking to ask? Was it because of her, he was thinking about taking the ultimate plunge? Was he thinking about it before her and maybe this had nothing to do with her.
Mrs. Sonny Quinn. It had nice ring to it, but Holy. Hell.
Davis is so deep in her thoughts, she didn't realize when Sonny walked back into the room until he kissed the back of her neck and she jumped.
"Whoa there Officer Davis, it's just me." She turns and looks him over. Trent did a good job patching him up, everything's healing nicely. He's got adorable looking bed head and his sweats are teasingly low on his waist. His eyes are staying focused on her, like there's nothing else going on and his chest continues to rise and fall ever so slightly in a beautiful rhythm.
This was going to be hard and even labelling it "hard" is an understatement. He'd be overseas kinda alone, and she'd be here stateside kinda alone. She has to think "kinda alone" because he'd have Romeo and other personnel on base, she'd have the guys and another female, like Naima to talk too, but they wouldn't have each other. Looking at him now though and savoring the last few days of alone time she had with him, she didn't care if he came home a total wreck. If he came home and found himself unable to sleep, she'd stay up with him. If he came home and every muscle and bone ached from sleeping on dirt and trekking through deplorable terrain, she'd buy him buckets of hydrogel. If he came home and needed to sleep with his other girlfriend aka his rifle for the first few nights, she'd understand. If he came home and one of his brothers didn't, she'd help him shave his beard for the ceremony. If he came home in one piece, but a different Sonny Quinn than the one who left, she'd make sure he knew she loved him—no matter what. Of course all of this, all of these scenarios, were only if he came home in the first place.
"Come home from Afghanistan." She gets back in bed, resting on her knees so they're a little more eye level. She intertwines their fingers and kisses the back of his hands like he did during the drive home after his bar fight. "I don't care what condition, just come home." They stay forehead to forehead and let it linger for some time.
"Yes m'am."
She pulls him down and they both land on their backs, pillows and blankets getting thrown around at the same time. As far as she's concerned, they can stay like this until the absolute last second. Until his feet have to make contact with the floor of the C-130, they can stay just like this.
A/N: Thanks for being patient lovelies, I'm going to try my best to upload the next chapter in a day or two; and thanks for expressing your love for the story, it means more than you know :) As for this chapter: sorry Stella fans! If you know her and Clay's ship name could you let me know? Please and thank you :)
