Author's Note: I've had some people from places other than the US ask me about the drinking age thing. So you have to be 21 to drink alcohol or buy it in a store in the US. What that generally means is that restaurants and bars will ask for ID if you order an alcoholic beverage and stores will ask as well. There are always hole in the wall places that will serve without carding (asking for ID), but most nice places will ask because they don't want to risk their liquor license. In this chapter Clay and Emma go to an over 18 night. What that means is the bar/music venue IDs everyone that enters. Everyone over 18 can get in, and everyone over 21 gets a wristband so they can order alcohol. Hope that info helps those that asked.


Clay relaxed on his couch while he waited for Emma to get ready for their evening out. They were going to a popular country bar to meet up with a group of team guys and their wives and girlfriends. The bar was having an eighteen and over night, which meant Emma would be able get in. The plans had been organized by some of the women Emma met at the SEALs wives and girlfriends book club.

As far as Clay could tell there was going to be a good size crowd from the teams there tonight. Derek and Trish from across the hall were part of the group along with one of the guys he went through Green Team with who was now on Romeo, Greg. Emma had become friends with Greg's fiancé, Bethany.

Clay was on the fence about this evening's plans. Going to a country bar, where there was sure to be dancing, wasn't at the top of his list of fun things to do, but he thought it would be enjoyable for him and Emma to hang out as a couple with Derek and Trish and some of the other guys he knew, along with their dates. He liked that Emma had become friendly with some of the other women. After all the drama about his and Emma's relationship from some of the older wives who had known Emma growing up, he thought it would be good for them to be a regular couple hanging out with friends.

Just as he was starting to wonder what was taking Emma so long, she walked out of the bedroom while still fastening on a hoop earring. His eyes widened as he took in her appearance. She had on a green silky-looking top that fastened around her neck with a silvery band, leaving her arms and shoulders bare. Along with that she was wearing a short denim miniskirt and brown cowboy boots.

"Wow," he said as he stood up and walked towards her. "You look…wow."

"Thanks," Emma said, smiling up at him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"You know," he said, "we could skip the bar and stay here."

"Uh uh," she replied, as Clay began placing nibbling kisses on her neck. "We're going out."

"You sure?" He asked teasingly, rubbing the back of her thigh just below the hem of her skirt.

"I'm positive," she said, catching his hand and removing it. "We're going out."

"Can't blame a guy for trying," he laughed.

"No," she agreed, "but we're still going out." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and tugged on his hand to pull him towards the door.

"Okay, okay," he replied, "let me grab my wallet and keys."

Clay walked over to the counter between the living room and kitchen and grabbed his things, while Emma picked up her wristlet off the coffee table. They met by the front door and headed out.


The bar was already busy when they arrived. Clay and Emma walked through the crowd looking for people they knew. Emma caught sight of Derek and pointed him out to Clay. They headed towards Derek, and she assumed Trish, with Clay making a path through the crowd, towing her along behind.

Emma had been looking forward to tonight ever since Bethany had suggested it. Originally the plan had been for just Bethany and Greg, Trish and Derek, and Emma and Clay to go out together, but once the idea was mentioned at a book club meeting, other members wanted to join them along with their significant others. She also knew there were some women coming on their own because their partner was spun up or deployed. The fact that Greg, Derek, and Clay were all in town and able to make it tonight was actually a little surprising.

Once Clay and Emma joined Derek, they found Trish there with him along with Greg and Bethany. Introductions were made, as Emma had never met Greg and Clay had never met Bethany, and they all settled onto stools around the table. The waitress came by with drinks for Greg and Bethany, who had arrived first and saved the table. She then took orders from the rest of them.

As they all began chatting, Emma noticed some other members of the book club at the next table without their significant others. They exchanged smiles and waves. She had the uncomfortable feeling they were checking her and Clay out. Although some of the women at the table were very nice, she found a couple of them to be not so friendly. According to Bethany, one of them had been interested in Clay when he was single, but he hadn't shown any interest in return.

Just as the waitress came back with their drinks, a popular song started playing. Bethany convinced Emma and Trish to go dance with her, and they were joined on the dance floor by some of the other women from the book club.

Emma stayed happily on the dance floor for three songs, but then a song she didn't particularly like came on and she decided to go back to the table and have some of her drink. She hoped the ice hadn't melted too much as she was hot and thirsty from dancing.

When she returned to the table her stool had been taken, but Clay stood up and let her sit on his. She smiled at him, then sat down and leaned into his side while drinking her seltzer. He slipped his arm around her and rested his hand on her hip as he continued his conversation with Derek and Greg. She listened in for a moment but then tuned out once she realized it was a not so riveting discussion of different gun sights. Instead she began people watching and looking out for other people she knew.


Trent wasn't sure he should have agreed to this night out. Somehow, Brock, of all people, had convinced him and Sonny to go out tonight, and instead of just having a few beers at the Bulkhead they were at a country bar. Brock had explained that a group of guys from the teams, some along with their significant others, were going to be here tonight. Trent thought it sounded like a lot of the younger guys, but Brock insisted that there would be guys they were friendly with too.

Brock was between girlfriends right now, but Trent wasn't sure if that was the reason his friend had been so interested in going out to this bar instead of their usual. Trent himself was on his own for a few days as his girlfriend was out of town for her job. Sonny was just along for the ride wherever they wanted to go. Trent thought it was because the Texan was just happy to be out with some of Bravo. With Clay spending more of his free time with Emma, Sonny had been deprived of his favorite wingman.

Sonny saw a couple of guys they knew from Romeo Team on the upper level of the bar. They headed that way and were able to grab three stools at the long counter that ran around the upper level, giving them a good view of the tables below and the dance floor. The waitress came by to take their drink orders and they settled in to shoot the breeze with Chuck and Carl, Romeo Two and Three.

Trent listened with half an ear to the story Sonny was embellishing for the other guys, while he looked out over the crowd in the lower level of the bar. On his other side he noticed Brock doing the same.

"See anyone interesting?" He teased Brock.

Brock shook his head. "Picking up women in bars never leads to a long-term relationship," he replied seriously.

"Who says it has to be long-term?" Trent asked.

Brock chuckled, then seemed to focus on someone in the crowd. "Isn't that Emma?" He questioned, gesturing down towards the crowd on the dance floor.

Trent looked closely at the area Brock seemed to be focused on. At first as he scanned the crowd, he didn't see anyone that looked like Emma, but then as he looked again, he saw a blond making her way through the dancers towards the tables by the dance floor. He thought she looked a lot like Emma, but he wasn't sure if it was her or not as he couldn't see her face.

"Maybe," he answered. "Can't be sure."

They both watched as the blond continued to make her way through the crowd, aiming towards what looked to be a specific table. Trent turned his gaze to study the occupants of the table.

"It is Emma," he announced, "because that's Clay at the table she's trying to reach."

Emma finally made her way out of the crowd of dancers and reached the table. He and Brock watched as Clay stood up to let Emma have his stool and then rested his arm around her as she sat and leaned into his side.

"What are you boys lookin' at?" Sonny asked, interrupting Trent and Brock's study of the younger couple.

"Clay and Emma are down there at one of the tables," Brock replied.

Sonny glanced down but didn't see them.

"At that table by the dance floor," Brock pointed. "Derek from Alpha is there, and is that, I don't remember his name, but isn't he on Romeo with you guys?" Brock asked, raising his voice so Chuck and Carl could hear him.

"Yeah," Chuck answered. "Greg, he's a solid guy. Good SEAL."

"I think he went through Green Team with Clay," Trent added.

Sonny frowned as he observed Clay and Emma. Trent could read the annoyance on the Texan's face. As they all watched, Derek's wife, Trish and another young woman came off the dance floor and joined the group at the table. Emma leaned forward and began chatting with the other women.

"That's Greg's fiancé," Carl interjected. "Nice girl."

"Didn't she help you cook dinner for that woman you wanted to impress?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah," Carl agreed. "The woman ended up not being worth it, but the dinner was great."

Chuck laughed and he and Carl drifted into a conversation about Carl's most recent failed relationship.

Sonny, Trent, and Brock continued to observe Emma and Clay at the table below them. Emma was still chatting with the women, but they had drawn the men into their conversation. The guys watched as Clay began to shake his head and hold up his hands in front of himself as if in surrender. The rest of the group laughed, and Emma leaned over and gave Clay a kiss on the cheek.

Trent smiled seeing how much the couple was enjoying themselves, but he could feel the tension radiating off of Sonny. Trent appreciated Sonny's protectiveness towards Emma. They all felt it. He still remembered the first time he met Emma. She was twelve years old and he had been drafted to Bravo a few months before. Jason and Alana were having a barbecue at their home and as the rookie, Trent came early, along with a few cases of beer he owed, to help set up.

Jason sent him into the yard to put out some tables and chairs. As he walked out on the deck, he saw a little blond girl curled into the corner of one of the lounge chairs. She looked as if she might have been crying before he arrived.

"Hi," he said cautiously, not sure if she expected any company. "I'm Trent, from your Dad's team."

"Hi," she replied shyly. "I'm Emma."

"Hi, Emma," he said, as he started unfolding a bunch of chairs. "Everything okay?" He asked.

She was silent for a moment and he thought she wasn't going to tell him anything.

"It's not fair!" She burst out. "Just because I'm older, I'm supposed to be nice to Mikey and not be mad at him, but it's not fair that he can come in my room and break my things! I don't break his things. He shouldn't come in my room. It's just not fair!"

Trent smiled to himself, keeping his reaction from Emma. He suspected that speech had been waiting to be vented for a while.

"That must be frustrating," he said mildly.

"It is," she agreed. "He shouldn't break my things."

"No," Trent said with a nod. "What did he break?"

"My bunny," Emma confided. "I don't play with it anymore," she added immediately. "It's from when I was a baby. My grandma gave it to me, so it's special. I keep it on my bed, and Mikey tried to take it."

He thought Emma looked like she might cry again, but he hoped not. He didn't have a lot of experience with kids, and he definitely didn't know what to do about ones that were crying.

"Maybe your bunny could be fixed," he suggested.

"Maybe," she replied quietly.

He watched as she slid over a little on the lounge chair and reached into the corner between her hip and the arm rest, pulling out a well-loved looking, white, stuffed bunny. He moved closer and sat on the end of the lounge chair as she held the bunny out to him in one hand, while in the other she clutched what looked like one of the bunny's arms.

Gently taking the bunny from Emma, Trent felt honored that she trusted him with what was obviously something very important to her. He examined the stuffed rabbit, clearly seeing where the arm had been torn away. It seemed to have been pulled off cleanly at the seam, and he believed it would be an easy fix to stitch the arm back onto the bunny's body.

"You know," he began, "on your Dad's team, I sometimes give people stitches when they get, um, a cut."

He had started to say stabbed, then quickly changed to a cut as he realized that knife wounds might not be the best thing to mention to his team leader's daughter. However, the little girl seated in front of him wore a very adult and knowing look, convincing him that she knew very well that those stitches were for things much more serious than a cut. It broke his heart a little to think about this little girl being aware of the terrible things that could happen on their missions.

He cleared his throat and continued. "I could give your bunny some stitches and get his arm fixed right up."

"Really?" Emma asked hopefully.

"Really," he confirmed with a smile. "I just need a needle and some thread."

"I know where Mom keeps her sewing things," she said happily, hopping up from the chair and darting into the house.

A few minutes later, Emma returned carrying a small basket of sewing notions. She settled back into the corner of the lounge chair and flipped open the cover on the basket. Inside she found a spool of white thread and a packet of needles.

"There are different size needles in this package," she said, holding the packet out to him.

Trent opened the envelope of needles and selected the one he thought would handle the thickness of the bunny's material. Then he took the white thread and threaded it through the eye of the needle. Making sure he had enough thread he began reattaching the bunny's arm. The stitches were less like the work of a seamstress and more like the stitches Trent would use to sew up one of his brothers, but they did the job. Soon the bunny had his arm firmly back on his body, maybe not like new but definitely looking a lot better than he had been.

Trent tied off the last stitch and handed the stuffed bunny back to Emma. Her face lit up with happiness as she examined the bunny's newly repaired arm. She smiled gratefully at Trent and hopped up from the lounge chair.

"Thank you, Uncle Trent!" She exclaimed, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I have to go show Mom," she added, then dashed off into the house, bunny cradled in her arms.

He smiled as he watched her go. He was Uncle Trent now.

That was the moment when he realized how much of a family Bravo Team was, not just the guys on the team, but their wives and kids too. That day he became Uncle Trent to Emma and Mikey and then later to Ray's kids as well, and he would protect any one of them, with his life if he had to. But Emma was the first, with that look on her face when she thanked him and called him Uncle Trent, she had snuck right into his heart and made a home.

He completely understood Sonny's reaction to Clay wanting to date Emma. Trent's own initial response was the same. That day on the C-17 when Clay asked Jason for permission to date Emma, Trent, like everyone else, immediately assumed Clay was taking advantage of her. Then Clay's anger at their assumption made Trent think. He trusted Clay with his life, and he knew Clay was an honorable man. Therefore, he had to believe he could trust Clay with Emma.

Yes, there was an age difference, but Trent didn't think it was that much of an issue. Sure, if Emma were young for her age, the difference might have been a problem, but he also thought that Clay wouldn't be interested in Emma if she weren't so mature for her age. Standing here now, remembering that knowing, adult look on twelve-year-old Emma's face, Trent knew she would understand so much more about who Clay was and what being a SEAL meant to him.

Clay needed that. He needed someone who understood him, and he needed someone who loved him. One thing Trent had learned early on about Clay was that the kid's cockiness hid a bone deep fear that he wasn't good enough. His parents' abandonment of him as a child had screwed with the kid's head, leaving him with a lot to prove and a tendency to fall in love too fast. That inclination had meant Clay was ready to commit to Stella before she even knew what it meant to be in a relationship with a SEAL. Emma knew what being a SEAL meant, both to the men who did the job and for their loved ones who had to live with it. Trent was sure he could trust Emma with Clay.

Lost in his thoughts, Trent had missed seeing Clay and Emma head onto the dance floor for a slow dance, but Sonny's bristling reaction brought Trent out of his contemplation. He followed Sonny's gaze to the middle of the dance floor. A slow song was playing, and there were Emma and Clay slowly swaying to the music. Emma had her arms around Clay's neck and his arms were around her waist. They seemed to be in their own little world out there. Emma was looking up into Clay's face as she spoke to him. He smiled at whatever she said and leaned down and kissed her.

Trent smiled. Next to him, Brock did the same. Sonny, on his other side, however, was not happy to observe the interplay. Trent suspected that if they hadn't been on the floor above the couple, Sonny would have thrown himself bodily at Clay.

"Look at him!" Sonny snarled. "He needs to keep his hands, and his lips, to himself!"

"Sonny, they're dating," Brock said reasonably.

"Hmph, dating," Sonny muttered. "What was Jay thinkin' when he said okay to that?" He shook his head. "Emma's not old enough to be datin' Spenser."

"Sonny, what do you think she's doing at school?" Trent asked.

Sonny leveled a narrow-eyed gaze at Trent. "What are you tryin' to say?" He growled.

"I'm saying," Trent stated patiently, "that Emma has been living in New York, on her own, for the last year. I'm sure she was dating while she was there, and we don't know anything about those guys."

Sonny frowned but had no response.

"Clay's only about six and a half years older than Emma," Brock pointed out. "When he's thirty-six, she'll be thirty," he added. "That's hardly a big deal."

"But she's not thirty," Sonny grumbled. "She's twenty."

"You're right. She's twenty," Trent stated. "Not twelve." He paused a moment, then added, "Alana was married to Jason at twenty."

"Yeah, but, but…," Sonny sputtered. "Look! Look at them!"

Trent and Brock looked back down on the couple. Emma was now resting her head on Clay's shoulder, and he had his chin resting against her head. Trent thought they looked like any other couple in love. No one had actually said anything other than that Clay and Emma were dating, but it was apparent to him that this was much more serious than casual dating.

He turned to Sonny and let out a frustrated sigh. "Yeah Sonny, look at them," he ordered. "Look at THEM, not his hands or lips or whatever. It's pretty obvious to anyone with eyes in their head that they're in love."

Brock nodded in agreement and so did Chuck and Carl, who had been following the conversation with interest.

"You've been so caught up in the idea that Emma's too young and that Clay's taking advantage," Trent explained, "that you haven't been paying attention to what's actually going on here."

Trent had reached the end of his patience. Sonny was a good guy and a great operator, but he could be like a dog with a bone when he made a judgement about something. He just wouldn't see any other viewpoint.

"Think about it," Trent commanded. "When have you ever seen Clay this happy? And I don't just mean tonight. All summer his whole attitude has been better. He's been more focused, and he's really been content. That's because of Emma."

"Trent's right," Brock interjected. "He hasn't given us any of that cocky, know-it-all shit lately either."

"And Emma," Trent continued as if Brock hadn't spoken, "I assume she's happy at school, but when is the last time you've seen her looking as happy as she's been tonight? I can't remember, not since before Alana died, I'm sure. Clay makes her happy."

Trent gave Sonny a piercing look, hoping that his words were getting through to the Texan. "You need to get over it, Sonny," he stated bluntly. "Because this," he added gesturing to Clay and Emma on the dance floor, "this isn't going away. And if you keep going on like this, with this attitude, you're going to push Clay away. If you force him to, he's going to choose Emma over you."

Trent stopped speaking, worried now that he'd gone too far, but he didn't know how else to get through to the hard-headed Texan. Sonny looked shocked by Trent's words, but didn't say anything in response.

"If you trust Clay with your life in the field, don't you think you should trust him with Emma at home?" Trent asked quietly.

Sonny began to respond, but then stopped. He shook his head. Trent could clearly see how frustrated Sonny was, but he didn't know what else he could say to appease his brother. Sonny needed to accept Clay and Emma's relationship. If Jason could do it, and it seemed as if he had, then Sonny could too.

"I need another drink," Sonny finally ground out and then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"That went well," Trent said with a sigh.

"He needed to hear it," Brock said calmly.

Chuck and Carl, who had been interested observers for the entire debacle, looked uncomfortable for a moment, but then Chuck spoke. "Look if Jason Hayes doesn't have a problem with it, then I expect no one else should either."

Carl nodded in agreement.

"Besides," Chuck added, "Spenser's a good guy. It's not like Thirty Mike is looking to date her."

Trent groaned. "Thanks for that image, Chuck."

Chuck grinned and flagged down the waitress to order another round.


Emma sighed as the slow dance came to an end. Clay gave her a squeeze and she smiled up at him. She suspected that Clay wasn't a big fan of dancing, so she was glad he had asked her to for this slow song. She had enjoyed being in his arms.

Before they could move to leave the dance floor, the DJ came on and announced a two-step. Emma didn't think anything of it and caught Clay's hand in hers to head back to their table.

"Wait, Emma," Clay said. "Do you want to do the two-step?"

She turned to look at him in surprise. "You know how to do the two-step?"

"I do," he replied with a pleased smile. "But if you don't…," he teased.

"Oh, I know how," she assured him, "but I think you'll need to prove to me you can."

Clay laughed. "Okay, but what do I get when I prove it to you?"

She tilted her head and gave him a considering look. "Hmmm, I'm sure I'll think of something."

"Better start thinking," he said with a grin as the music started. He took her right hand into his left and put his other arm around her and they began to dance.

Emma couldn't believe Clay knew how to two-step, and he was pretty good at it. As they moved around the floor, he even spun her a few times. She was really enjoying doing this with him and kind of wished the song would go on forever.

Unfortunately, the song did end, and their two-step was over. She smiled at Clay and gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek.

"That was really good," she said happily.

"Told you I knew how," he stated smugly.

Emma laughed. "I should have believed you," she said as they slowly started working their way back to their table.

"You can thank me when we get home," he leaned down and said in her ear.

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "We'll see," she replied.


Clay smiled at Emma as they approached the table where their friends were. He really wasn't a fan of dancing but learning the two-step had been worth it just to see how happy it made Emma now. He actually hadn't danced it in a few years, more than a few actually, so he was pleased that he hadn't stepped on her feet or anything.

"Well, well, someone's light on his feet," Derek teased as they arrived back at the table.

"Didn't learn that at BUD/S," Greg added with a grin.

Clay groaned to himself. He should have realized how much shit the guys were going to give him for this.

"I thought it was great," Trish said excitedly.

"Yeah," Bethany agreed. "I wish we could have been able to do that," she added with a pointed glance at Greg.

"Thanks for that," Greg muttered to Clay.

"No problem," Clay said with a chuckle.

A waitress was at the next table and he caught her eye. He was ready for another beer.

"Another round?" He asked the others as the waitress came over.

They all ordered drinks and as the waitress headed off, Brock, Trent and two guys from Romeo Team arrived at their table.

"Hey Twinkle Toes!" Trent greeted Clay.

Clay frowned. He didn't realize anyone from Bravo was here. The rest of the team would definitely be hearing about his dancing now.

"Hey Trent, Brock," he replied. He gave a nod to the two guys from Romeo. He didn't know them that well.

The others said hello as well, and introductions were made as needed. With such a large group now, different conversations broke out. Emma and Bethany were chatting, and Carl joined them. Bethany laughed as Carl made a comment about cooking, and then she began telling Emma why.

"Hey, Clay," Brock said with a smile, "didn't know you were a dancer."

"What can I say?" Clay responded. "I'm a man of many talents."

Trent and Brock laughed at his answer, but Emma turned from listening to Bethany and leaned across from Clay's other side, giving them a stern look.

"I liked it," she said firmly, daring them to say any more.

Trent and Brock immediately stopped laughing.

Clay smiled to himself. Emma could definitely give Naima a run for her money when it came to putting fear into the hearts of Bravo Team members.

"Have you been here long?" Clay asked Trent and Brock once Emma turned back to her conversation with Bethany and Carl.

"Maybe an hour or so," Brock replied.

"We were upstairs for a while with Chuck and Carl," Trent said. "We saw Emma from up there and realized you both were here, so we came by to say hello before we head out."

"Stay for a while," Clay suggested. "We just ordered another round so the waitress should be back soon. You can order another beer too."

"Thanks," Trent answered with a grin, "but we'll leave the country bar and dancing to you kids."

"Besides, I may or may not have a picture of you dancing that I need to share with Ray and Jason," Brock teased.

"You guys are not going to let that go, are you?" Clay asked with a sigh.

"Nope," Brock stated.

"Definitely not," Trent added.

The waitress returned with their drinks, and Trent, Brock and Chuck said their goodbyes. Carl ordered another beer and stayed. Clay thought Carl seemed to be having some kind of crazy conversation with Emma and Bethany about cooking, and he decided he needed to listen in.

The rest of the evening flew by with more beers and for the women more dancing. At times some other SEALs came by their table as well as some other women that Emma seemed to know from the book club. Finally, Clay and Emma decided to head home as the crowd and the noise had started to be too much. Greg and Bethany had left a little earlier, so Clay and Emma said goodbye to Trish and Derek, waved to some other people they knew at nearby tables, and headed out.


When they returned home, Clay grabbed each of them a glass of water in the kitchen and settled on the couch. After kicking off her cowboy boots, Emma joined him there, curling into his side and resting her head on his chest.

"That was fun," Emma said.

"It was," Clay agreed, taking a sip from his glass. After he swallowed, he added, "I wasn't sure if I'd like the bar, with all the dancing going on."

"But you can dance!" Emma said in surprise. "You did the two-step with me."

"Yeah, but I'm not really a dancer," he said dismissively, as he placed his glass on the end table. "That was just something I picked up a while ago."

Emma wrinkled her nose as she tried to figure out what Clay meant by that. As she laid there thinking, Clay chuckled to himself. She smiled, realizing that he was a little more relaxed once he had a few drinks.

"What's so funny?" She asked curiously.

"I was thinking about how I learned the two-step," Clay replied.

"Oh, there's a story here," Emma said, lifting her head off his chest to look him in the eye. "Tell me, please." She added the big eyes to help convince him.

Clay grinned. "Okay, when I was still with team three, we were stationed on the West Coast, and my friend Brian…" Clay paused after he said Brian's name.

Emma rested her head back on Clay's chest and gave him a hug. "Your friend from Green Team that died in the training accident?" She asked gently.

"Yeah," Clay said softly. He brought his hand up and stroked Emma's hair. They both sat quietly for a moment, then Clay continued. "There was a bar near the base that had theme nights, I guess you'd call it. One night was country music, and there would be dancing. Brian thought we should learn to do the two-step. I told him he was crazy."

"Why did he think you should learn the two-step?" Emma prodded, wanting Clay to continue the story.

"He thought it would be…," Clay started, but then his voice turned into a mumble.

"What did you say?" Emma asked.

"He thought it would be a good way to pick up women," Clay rattled off quickly.

Emma started laughing.

Before she could ask any more questions, Clay continued the story. "I kept saying I didn't want to learn, but he would not let it rest, until finally I gave in."

"And how did you learn?" Emma said, sitting up and doing her best to hold back more laughter.

"Brian asked a woman he met at the bar to teach us." Clay answered, shaking his head. "She had us over to her apartment and she gave us lessons."

"Oh," Emma said with a big grin, "I would have paid good money to see that."

"Hey! I was a quick study!" He exclaimed. Then he pulled her closer and added with a suggestive look, "I have great rhythm, you know."

"Do you?" She replied leaning in even closer.

"I do," he whispered and began kissing her.

"Mmm, wait," she said, breaking off the kiss. "Did it work? Did you pick up a lot of women?"

Clay sighed, giving her an exasperated look. "Brian dated the woman that gave us lessons for about six months," he replied. "Her name was Janine, I think."

"But did you impress the ladies at country night with your mad two-stepping skills?" Emma teased.

"You were impressed," Clay retorted.

"It's true. I was," she agreed. "I think Trish and Bethany were impressed too."

He groaned. "Derek and Greg are never going to let me live that down, never mind the rest of Bravo."

Emma giggled. "Well, Derek and Greg were jealous of how admiring Trish and Bethany were. Of course, you can always tell them all it was only a ploy to pick up women."

"That could work," Clay agreed.

Emma cuddled into Clay's side again. "I liked dancing with you like that. I'm glad Brian convinced you to learn," she confided, tilting her head up to give him a kiss on his jaw.

"I liked it too," Clay said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

They both laid there peacefully for a moment. "Brian was always full of plans like that," Clay said softly, breaking the silence. "Sometimes they were for trivial stuff, like learning the two-step, but other times they were for things like improving our fitness and tracking it so we would get selected for Green Team." Clay shook his head. "He would just announce out of nowhere, 'Clay, I have an idea.' And then I knew to be ready for anything."

"I wish I had met him," Emma said wistfully.

"He would have liked you," Clay assured her.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

Emma sat up and gently kissed Clay on the lips. He slipped his arms around her, pulling her closer to lie against his chest and their kiss grew in intensity. One of Clay's hands slid down her back and continued lower to toy with the hem of her miniskirt. Then his hand moved under the hem and caressed her backside.

"Emma!" He exclaimed, pulling back from their kiss. "You've been walking around all night in this tiny skirt with a thong on under it?"

"Yes," she replied with a pleased smile. "Is that a problem?"

"A problem?" Clay repeated. "You drive me crazy; you know that?"

"That's good because you drive me crazy too," she replied, then leaned in and began kissing him again. They continued for a while until Emma broke off the kiss and whispered, "So I hear you have good rhythm."

"It's true," Clay agreed with a little grin. "I could give you a demonstration if you want."

"I'd like that," she replied.

Clay smiled and stood up from the couch, swinging Emma up in his arms and carrying her to the bedroom, where he proceeded to give her an enthusiastic demonstration of his rhythm.


Emma opened the refrigerator looking to see what there might be for breakfast. Clay obviously hadn't been grocery shopping recently. There did seem to be some eggs. She grabbed the carton to check the date. They were only a week expired.

As she debated whether or not the eggs would still be edible, there was a knock on the apartment door. She frowned as she glanced that way. She wasn't aware that Clay was expecting anyone. He was still in the shower, and Emma wasn't sure if she should answer the door. She walked quietly towards it, thinking she would look through the peep hole and see who it was. Before she could, the knock came again.

"Come on, Clay. I know you're home," she heard Uncle Sonny's voice say. "Open the door."

Emma sighed. If she answered the door, her wet hair twisted into a bun would let Uncle Sonny know she had spent the night here. She wasn't embarrassed by that. She was an adult and if she wanted to stay with her boyfriend at his apartment she would, but she also knew that Uncle Sonny was still giving Clay a hard time about his dating her. She didn't want to make things more difficult for Clay.

"Clay, I saw your truck outside," Uncle Sonny called, while banging on the door again.

He wasn't going to stop. Quickly unlocking the door, Emma pulled it open, surprising Uncle Sonny on the other side as he raised his hand to knock again.

"Hi, Uncle Sonny," she said with a cheery smile.

"Emma," he replied, still looking surprised.

"Come in," she said, stepping back from the door. "Clay's in the shower, but he should be out soon."

"I, uh, okay," he answered stiffly as he stepped into the apartment.

Emma headed back towards the kitchen and grabbed the carton of eggs off the counter where she had left it. As she returned it to the refrigerator, she made a mental note to ask Clay what eggs he was using if he offered to cook her breakfast anytime soon.

Uncle Sonny was still standing by the door, looking uncomfortable. She realized that finding her here had completely thrown him off.

"Clay's planning on leaving for the base soon to meet you all for a workout," she said, breaking the silence.

"Uh, yeah," Sonny replied. "Your Dad has some whole training workout thing organized."

Emma nodded. She thought she heard the water in the bathroom turn on off. "I think he's done in the shower," she said. "I'll let him know you're here."

Before Uncle Sonny could reply, she headed back into the bedroom to let Clay know about their visitor.


Sonny began pacing in the small area of Clay's living room. He still wasn't sure if coming here was the right idea, and Emma answering the door didn't help. He did his best not to think about the fact that Emma had most likely stayed here last night.

He had laid in bed all night replaying Trent's words in his head. Was Clay happier now with Emma? Sonny kept picturing Clay with Emma on the dance floor. The way he smiled down at her when she was talking to him. The way she rested her head on his shoulder when they were dancing. He could hear Trent's final question for him repeating in his mind. 'If you trust Clay with your life in the field, don't you think you should trust him with Emma at home?'

Maybe, maybe Trent was right, but this was Emma. His little Emma. Except she wasn't little anymore. He didn't like to think about that. He figured that at this point in his life he was never having kids of his own. Jason and Ray's kids were the closest thing he was ever going to have for children, and he wasn't ready for any of them to grow up.

Sonny's first year on Bravo Team, Jason was still Bravo Two. On one of Jay's last ops before becoming One, he was stabbed in the side during hand-to-hand combat. The injury was serious, but, once the bleeding was stopped, not life threatening. Then it became infected with some strain of bacteria that was resistant to every antibiotic the docs tried.

Alana was at the end of her rope. Jason, like all of them really, was a terrible patient and in a lot of pain. Having Alana at the hospital with him seemed to be the only thing that kept him in line, but she had a two-year-old and an eight-year-old to take care of as well. Jason's father was still alive then, but his health was failing, and Jason's mother couldn't leave him to come help Alana with the kids. Alana's parents didn't seem to be available either, although Sonny had suspected that Alana didn't want to tell them about the situation.

Sonny had ended up staying at Jason's and taking care of Emma and Mikey. Even now Sonny was still surprised that Alana had trusted him to take care of her children. He knew part of the reason was that she was desperate. Sonny Quinn was nobody's first choice to stay with their kids, but Alana put her faith in him. She made him promise that he would watch those kids every minute and not let them get hurt. He could still picture the serious look Alana had on her face when she spoke to him about it. He swore he wouldn't let her down.

Watching over those children was hard work. He never let anybody say in front of him that moms had it easy, because he knew from experience that it was difficult. Mikey was into everything. You couldn't turn away from him for one minute, because if you did, that boy was into all kinds of trouble. Emma was a little easier because she could be trusted keep herself busy with books and coloring and the TV, but he could see how scared that little girl was about her daddy. Her sad little face near broke his heart.

One very long day he finally got Mikey to fall asleep in his playpen for a nap. Sonny supposed he should put the boy in his room, but the risk of moving the toddler and waking him was too much. Sonny settled on the couch ready to take a nap himself, when Emma crawled up next him with her stuffed bunny.

The little girl curled into his side and then whispered, "Uncle Sonny, is my Daddy gonna die?"

"No, no, baby," he immediately responded. "He's goin' to be just fine."

"Then why doesn't he come home?" She asked with a sob. "I want him to come home."

"Oh, baby girl, he'll be home soon," he reassured her, lifting her onto his lap. "He just has to stay at the hospital right now so the doctors can give him medicine."

"Why can't he have his medicine here?" Emma gasped between sobs. "I want him here."

"Shh, shh, baby," he soothed, rubbing the little girl's back as she cried into his chest. "He'll be home soon."

He had rocked Emma in his arms and did his best to comfort her as her sobs slowed and she drifted off to sleep.

How could that little girl that cried in his arms be the same young woman he saw last night kissing Clay Spenser? He wasn't ready for her to be grown and on her own. How could he keep his promise to Alana?

The bedroom door opened, pulling Sonny from his memories of the past. Clay came into the living room tugging on a t-shirt. Emma followed behind him carrying her purse and a small bag.

"Hey Sonny," Clay greeted him. "Were we supposed to meet this morning?"

"No, no," Sonny replied nervously. "I just had somethin' I wanted to talk to you about." He glanced at Emma, then continued. "It's not important though. We can talk another time."

"Don't leave because of me," Emma said. "I need to get going. I have some things to take care of before my shift at the hotel starts."

"If you're sure," Sonny said. "I didn't mean to interrupt your morning."

"You're really not," Emma assured him.

She walked towards the door with Clay following her.

"You get off at nine tonight, right?" He asked, as he opened the door for her.

Slipping her feet into her flip flops, Emma nodded.

"Okay," Clay said, "I'll pick you up then."

"You don't need to," she contended. "I can drive myself."

"Who knows what crazies are on the road on a Saturday night? I'll pick you up," Clay insisted.

"Okay, okay," she said, shaking her head as she started out the door.

Clay leaned out the door after Emma, and Sonny assumed the kid was giving her a kiss goodbye where he couldn't see. Sonny agreed with Clay about it being better if Emma didn't drive herself on a Saturday night in summer in Virginia Beach. All sorts of people out partying. It was good the kid was making sure she was safe.

Clay stepped back into the apartment and shut the door and locked it. He turned and looked at Sonny as if he was waiting for some type of snide comment. Sonny said nothing.

"Want some coffee?" Clay asked, heading for the kitchen.

"Um, yeah, sure," Sonny agreed.


Clay grabbed a fresh filter out of the cabinet and the can of coffee grounds. As he began putting everything into the coffee maker, he wondered what exactly Sonny had come to discuss. He kept quiet and continued making the coffee. This was Sonny's show; Clay figured. He'd wait for Sonny to make the first move.

The coffee was brewing, and Clay pulled some mugs out of the cabinet while he waited. Sonny still hadn't said anything. Clay started taking care of little chores around the kitchen, wiping up some stains on the counter, putting away some clean dishes from the dishwasher. He didn't know why Sonny was here but considering the hard time the Texan had been giving him lately, Clay wasn't going to make this easy.

"I, uh, saw you and Emma at the bar last night," Sonny finally said, breaking the silence.

"I didn't realize you were there," Clay replied. "You didn't come by the table with Trent and Brock."

There was finally coffee in the carafe and Clay turned to pour it into the mugs. He was able to use the small task to hide his hurt at learning Sonny was at the bar last night and didn't even come by to say hello.

"Yeah, Trent and I, um, had some words, I guess you'd say," Sonny explained.

Clay placed the mugs of coffee on the counter and looked at Sonny in surprise. He knew Sonny could be a hothead, but Trent wasn't one to get angry for no good reason.

"What did you do?" Clay asked as he sat down on one of his bar stools.

Sonny huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, it'd have to be me that did somethin' to get Trent upset."

Clay shrugged. It was true.

"He, uh, was tryin' to set me straight, uh, 'bout you and Emma," Sonny explained.

Well, that explained what Sonny had come by to talk about, Clay thought. He was surprised Sonny actually would talk about it though. Clay's relationship with Emma was something the Texan usually tried to avoid. If it came up at all when the Team was together, Sonny would immediately change the subject or escape the conversation by doing something else.

"Did you need to be set straight about me and Emma?" Clay asked curious as to what Sonny's opinion on that was.

"I guess you could say I did," Sonny replied. "I been kinda hard on you the last month or so, since you and Emma started datin'."

Clay didn't reply as he really couldn't disagree with that.

"It's just, when I first came to Bravo, Jason and Alana, they made me a part of their family," Sonny explained. "Alana trusted me with her kids. Me, Sonny Quinn! Who does that? Sure, Ray or Trent, or even Brock, they're responsible, but not me."

"What about me?" Clay asked.

Sonny snorted. "You? Definitely not. You'd be out there with the kids gettin' into just as much trouble as them, doin' wheelies on their bikes and all kinds of stunts."

Clay smiled faintly. Sonny was probably right about that.

"But she had me stay at her house and watch Emma and Mikey when Jason was in the hospital. That meant somethin' to me," Sonny continued, getting serious again. "Before she let me care for them kids, she made me swear that I wouldn't let anything happen to them. I can still remember the look in her eye when she told me I needed to watch them every minute. You think Naima can be scary, but she's nothin' compared to Alana Hayes when it came to her kids."

Sonny paused and cleared his throat. "I guess I feel like now that Alana is gone, I owe it to her to keep watchin' out for her kids. So maybe I got a little carried away."

More than a little, Clay thought, but he kept that opinion to himself.

"I get it, Sonny," he said. "I do, but you have to know I would never take advantage of Emma, or any woman."

"Yeah," Sonny replied, "I guess I know in my head that you ain't like that, but in my heart, I keep seein' that little girl cryin' to her Uncle Sonny, afraid her Daddy ain't never comin' home from the hospital."

Clay could understand that. He could see himself having some issues with any boyfriends Jameelah might bring home once she grew up, particularly if they were on the teams, but he needed Sonny to trust him and know that he only wanted the best for Emma. He sighed as he realized the only way he was going to be able to convince Sonny was if he opened up about how he felt.

Generally, Clay wasn't comfortable getting close to people or sharing his feelings. The guys on Bravo were probably the closest he'd ever been with anyone besides his grandparents and Brian, but there were definitely things he hadn't shared with them. Emma was probably the person he had let in the most, and he had only talked to her about Brian for the first-time last night. He just wasn't one to open up and tell everyone his life story and let his feelings show.


Sonny frowned as he continued to wait for Clay to say something more. Maybe Clay didn't understand what Sonny was trying to say. He probably didn't explain it right. He wasn't so good with words. He was much better at shooting things or blowing them up. That's probably what he'd already done to his friendship with Clay; blown it up. But he didn't know how else he could make Clay understand how important keeping the promise he made to Alana still was. He opened his mouth, ready to try again, when Clay spoke.

"I understand that you feel a responsibility to Alana, but this isn't casual for me," Clay said seriously. Then he took a deep breath and looked Sonny straight in the eye. "I love Emma," he said firmly, paused and continued, "and while I can't say I'll never do something stupid in the future that might hurt her, this isn't just some summer fling, for either of us. I don't plan on having a little fun with Emma and then moving on to someone else. You have to know that."

Sonny nodded. "I do know you wouldn't do that, but besides Alana, it's just strange that you're datin' Jason's little girl. I don't know…" His voice trailed off as he tried to figure out how to put in words what he meant.

"Tell me about it," Clay sighed. "You think I planned on that? Yeah because, you know, living down the legacy of Ash Spenser wasn't hard enough, I needed to find something to really piss people off, so I went with date my team leader's daughter."

Hearing Clay say that, Sonny realized that maybe he had been more than a little too hard on Clay.

Clay scrubbed his hands through his hair. "That day I ran into Emma in New York, I figured it was just like if I had run into a family member of anyone one on the team." Clay shook his head. "Except it wasn't."

Sonny watched Clay as he stared into the bottom of his coffee cup.

"There was something more there, but I kept ignoring it or pushing it aside, because it was Jason's daughter. There couldn't be something more with Jason's daughter, there couldn't," Clay stated. "But she kept drawing me in, making me laugh. You remember that op in Algeria with the kids and those college girls that were going to be sold?"

Sonny nodded. He knew exactly what op Clay was talking about.

"I messaged her after and then she called me back. Emma knew what to say to take my mind of it, to make me laugh." Clay sighed. "Then she was telling me a story and she mentioned some guy in her music program that had asked her out, and bam, that's all I could think about. She was trying to make me laugh at some embarrassing thing that happened, and all I could think was, 'Who is this guy? Who does he think he is asking out my Emma?'"

Clay glanced back at Sonny with an earnest look. "If that guy had been in front of me, I would have punched him, no lie." Clay sighed again, then continued, "I knew then there was more between us, but I kept pretending to myself that there wasn't. Until finally, I couldn't pretend anymore. I figured that no matter how hard Jason could make things, would make things, it couldn't be any harder than being without Emma."

Sonny was a little surprised at how much Clay had just told him. The kid had pretty much spilled his guts, which wasn't like him at all. Sonny felt a little bad now for thinking Clay didn't have good intentions when it came to Emma.

"Well, kid," Sonny said apologetically, "I guess I was so hung up on wantin' to protect Emma, that I wasn't payin' attention to how you might be feelin' in all of this. I'm sorry for that."

"I appreciate that, Son," Clay responded. "I really hated that this was affecting our friendship. I was worried that we weren't going to get past it."

"I can see where you would be worried," Sonny said with a grin. "You ain't so flush in the friend department and losing a great one like me would be bad. I'm the fun one. Without me you'd be stuck with the serious ones, like Brock."

Clay groaned and rolled his eyes. "It'd be a lot quieter anyway." He paused then and his tone grew serious again. "I think when the end of August comes and Emma has to go back to New York, I'm going to need you all then."

"Don't worry, Blondie," Sonny assured him. "We'll be here." He was quiet for a moment, and then spoke again. "Now, Jason has some big workout planned for this afternoon, and all this girly, talking about our feelings shit has made me hungry. How about we head for the diner down the street and fill up on the lumberjack breakfast? Get ourselves fueled up for the day."

"Sounds good," Clay said, grabbing their coffee mugs and putting them into the sink. "I don't think I have much to eat here."

"Get moving then, kid," Sonny ordered. "I can smell the bacon already."

As they headed out the door, Sonny was relieved that he had gotten it over with. He figured that as long as he stayed away from Ray for a while, he could avoid talking about his feelings again for a good long time.