"I never thought you'd be in Gitmo. Bit of a side step careerwise isn't it?" Tom asked as he and Jess stepped out onto the flight deck.
"Who are you? My Mom?" Jess asked him in amusement, they both smiled before she stepped forward to the railing and watched as the base slowly grew further and further away. "I chose to be stationed there for my marriage." she explained, she didn't see the point in lying.
"You're married." Tom asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I was." Jess said as she hadn't heard of anyone else surviving on the base. She hadn't been holding out hope either, she couldn't mask her grief as it crept to the forefront of her mind.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Tom said softly, Jess swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. She cleared her throat and changed the subject. She didn't want to cry in public and she needed to regain some semblance of control over herself.
"So, I was read in on your mission back in August, not that I could do anything with it as I was trapped in Gitmo. No one would risk flying to the base to pick me up while the detainees were loose." Jess said pragmatically as she leaned on the railing.
"When you were read in, was there anything else you were told? Did any of the labs stateside have any progress with a vaccine?" Tom asked.
"No, before I lost comms I was told by a colleague that they were setting up an encryption link for a lab network in the event there was a vaccine to help produce and distribute the vaccine." Jess said.
"They didn't happen to give you the encryption key to access the network?" Tom asked with a hopeful tone, Jess shook her head.
"It was just in the planning stages. But if they did get it up and running then there is a good chance those people are waiting for you all." Jess told him, she didn't know if she was giving him false hope but he needed to know.
"We need Doctor Scott to be somewhere close to having a vaccine prototype before we can even entertain the notion of finding that network." Tom said thoughtfully.
"The best way to find it would be by finding a lab stateside that is in the network." Jess said cheekily.
"Naturally." Tom said he gave her a droll look as they both knew that he didn't need to be told how to track down a lab network. But there was an argument that was going unsaid as they both knew the pros and cons of tracking the lab network down before Dr Scott had a vaccine.
"So, who was President when you last had contact with home?" she asked him.
"Late September, the Speaker of the House was President the last time we had contact through official channels. We received orders to go to Mayport but we couldn't authenticate them. And we haven't been able to contact them again. My assumption is that everyone in the Pentagon and the President's bunker are dead." Tom told her, he wore a grim expression and Jess saw the stress etched in his features.
"Shit," Jess said under her breath. She vainly hoped some of the government had survived but America was truly lost. Tom had the heavy burden of command with no back up, no relief. It was on all on him; every decision good or bad and the consequences of it all. Jess did not envy his role.
"Sums it up pretty well." Tom said in wry amusement.
"Jess?" an achingly familiar voice called out, Jess turned around and across the flight deck she spotted Tex Nolan. She froze in shock for a moment as she couldn't believe it was him. Tex made his way towards her. The world around them disappeared as they drank in the sight of one another.
Months of being apart, the stress of trying to survive and the trauma they had experienced crashed in. It mixed in with the immense relief and joy as they truly believed the other to be dead. Jess smiled and gave a shaky laugh before tears filled her eyes as he made his way to her.
"Tex." Jess breathed happily. She closed the distance between them and launched herself at him. He caught her in his arms as she wrapped her legs around him. He gripped her tightly as she buried her face in his neck and allowed herself a moment to be emotional. She held onto him as tightly as he did her for several moments, not saying a word as they just let it sink in that they were both alive and whole.
"You're alive." she murmured in his ear, before she stole his cap. She pulled it onto her head backwards and then pressed soft kisses to his neck and the side of his face.
"I missed you." he said, his voice thick with emotion. Jess released her legs and slid her feet to the ground. But she didn't let him go, she wasn't ready to yet.
"I missed you too." she whispered as fresh tears slid down her face. Tex smiled as cupped her face and used his thumbs to brush her tears away.
"You're even more beautiful than I remember." Tex mused, his eyes glittered with unshed tears.
"I'm a mess." Jess told him with a watery laugh.
"Not to me." Tex said before he kissed her passionately and it was heavenly as she melted into the pleasure and comfort of familiarity. A tiny sound escaped her, half gasp, half whimper as Jess threaded her hands into his silky hair and drank him in, reveling in every single sensation. And she'd missed him every single minute they'd been apart.
Someone loudly cleared their throat. It broke the little bubble they had been in, they reluctantly pulled back from the kiss and looked at the source of their interruption.
"Sorry, Tom. Captain Chandler, my husband Tex Nolan." Jess said as she happily introduced them.
"We've already met." Tex said with a grin as he intertwined her fingers with his and held her hand.
"You're married to him?" Tom asked genuinely surprised.
"Going on 3 years now." Jess said before she smiled serenely at Tex. Tom looked between the two not able to rationalise that a man as hairy and ungroomed as Tex could land a woman like Jess. At least the woman he knew as Jess, he was not an idiot to believe he truly knew her after a three week stint of sharing a wardroom and CIC. But he thought he had a pretty good grasp on who she was.
"Look at him, he's stunned that you were able to bag a fine looking fella like me." Tex said to Jess. The couple shared a smile of amusement that seemed a little heated in Tom's opinion as he felt the anticipatory sexual tension between them.
"Yes." Tom cleared his throat, "Well I'm glad you two were able to reunite but I have to remind you that this is a Naval vessel, not a pleasure cruise. So, some decorum would be nice." Tom said, he felt distinctly uncomfortable for having to tell a married couple they couldn't have sex on his ship.
Tex snorted a laugh and Jess smiled as they reluctantly let go of each other. They stepped away from one another to a slightly more professional distance but not without some unnecessary touching of arms and hands.
"We will do our best." Tex assured him.
"Yes, while on the ship all business." Jess agreed.
"Maybe a little pleasure. Do we get to sleep in the same room?" Tex asked, Jess smacked his arm, he chuckled cheekily.
"No." Tom said firmly.
"Phew, copy that." Tex said, accepting Tom's decision with grace. He took his cap off of Jess' head and returned it to his head.
"Are you two going to be trouble for me?" Tom asked them.
"I won't make any promises with my brother on the ship. We have some family issues, but we'll keep it off work hours." Jess assured Tom, he found himself surprised once again. One thing Tom didn't like on his ship was surprises.
"Your brother is serving on my ship?" Tom asked carefully.
"Lt Daniel Green, he didn't tell you?" Jess asked.
"No." Tom said.
"Hey, he's my new bunkmate. He's about to pick me up for the 10 cent tour. Are we about to enter another Green family minefield?" Tex asked Jess in mild amusement.
"I consider it a small family drama but he's being so overdramatic, you'll see." Jess said downplaying it, Tex gave her a look. "I swear, you'll be fine. He's mad at me. That's all." she assured him.
"Ok, well I should go, but I'll see you all later." Tex said to Jess, he touched her arm and gave it a squeeze. "Commodore." he said to Tom, the men nodded at one another before Tex left them and disappeared back into the small crowd of people on the flight deck.
"I never thought I'd see him again." Jess said, she gave a sigh as she felt a weight lifted off her.
"Why didn't you go to section 7?" Tom asked her, he made a mental note to talk to Lt Green later.
"I couldn't, I spent months watching people die from the virus and I saw how the detainees desecrated the bodies of those they killed. I was afraid..." Jess drawled off, she grew distant for a moment. Tom touched her arm, she seemed to snap back into the present with him. "Sorry, I don't like to think about it. What were we talking about?" she asked.
"Talking about the state of the world." Tom said.
"Could we table it for now, I think I need to lay down for an hour or two." Jess said, she started feel the fatigue of the past few weeks wear her down. Now she was safe, her body seemed to think it no longer needed to be on high alert.
"Of course, come with me. We'll find out where you're bunking." Tom said.
"Thank you." Jess said, she was glad he didn't push it. They headed towards the helo bay that Tex disappeared into minutes ago.
"Do I have to worry about the family saga you're bringing onto my ship?" Tom asked.
"No, we'll keep it in the family. Danny clearly wants to be discreet about it. So, don't worry about it." Jess told him, Tom however did not look convinced.
"Tex Nolan." Danny called out as crew were moving around the helo bay stowing supplies and gear.
"That's me." Tex said as he came into the helo bay with pep in his step. Danny wondered where the man found the energy after today.
"Lt Danny Green, you're bunking with me." Danny said, formally introducing himself to the man.
"Nice to meet you, though you were in the infirmary earlier when I was getting patched up. How's your friend?" Tex asked after they shook hands.
"He's going to make it." Danny replied as they headed out of the helo bay and into the ship.
"Good, ah hey, there's something we need to talk about." Tex said, Danny turned and saw the man's serious expression.
"Ok." Danny said carefully, they stepped out of the way as people passed them in the p-way to get to the helo bay.
"I'm married to Jess." Tex told him, Danny blinked a few times as his brain had to process this new tidbit of information. He took a moment to really look at Tex and try and make sense of why him. Tex was so far removed from the refined high class world Jess led him to believe she existed in.
"Your Mom and Dad looked at me the exact same way when they found out." Tex said with a grin as he smacked him on the arm in a jovial manner.
"You're Jess' husband?" Danny asked, Tex's grin broadened.
"It's like history repeating itself. Yes, I am and I want you to know that I love your sister very much and we're very happy together." Tex informed him.
"Ok, first off don't mention that she's my sister. I want to keep that on the down low." Danny told him in a low voice as he hoped no one overheard them.
"Ok." Tex said.
"Secondly, not that it's any of your business, but she lied to me for years. So, you can imagine how I feel at the moment learning everything I know for the first time in the space of a few hours." Danny told him, Tex nodded.
"I understand your position-"
"Don't defend her. You don't know anything." Danny said, he cut Tex off. A man in love with his sister would defend her to the grave and he didn't need Tex talking him to death over it.
"I think you'd be surprised by what I know but I can understand that it's a lot to process. Just don't burn all the bridges before you've had time to let it sink in." Tex advised him.
"Yeah, ok." Danny scoffed, he couldn't believe the nerve of the man to give him advice.
"So, you going to give me the 10 cent tour?" Tex said, dropping the subject.
"Yeah, come on." Danny gestured for him to follow, "Your gear is being decontaminated. When it's done, it will be sent to our berth. You'll have the top bunk, I hope you're not allergic to dogs as Admiral Halsey bunks with us." he told him, Danny started heading through the ship with Tex on his six.
"You're outranked by a dog? Does this mean you sleep on the floor?" Tex teased.
"No, why don't you and Jess share the same last name?" Danny asked.
"Actually, she legally carries my last name but uses Morley for work. She likes to keep things in separate little neat boxes." Tex said conversationally.
"Yeah, I'm finally understanding how true that is." Danny grimaced, he paused at one of the open doors to the mess, "This is the mess decks for the enlisted in here, although I think you'll probably take your meals with the officers in the wardroom." Danny told him, he changed the subject.
"You know, these are some cramped quarters. I don't know how y'all do it. I went near in crazy in lockdown in quarters 3 times this size. You've been on this ship for what? Four months now?" Tex asked.
"Almost five." Danny said in a tired tone, he moved to the stairs that would take them to the upper levels.
"Five? Wow." Tex murmured in surprise. Danny stopped as he saw Kara out of the mess with a cup of coffee. She paused and gave them a shy smile.
"Gentlemen." she said warmly.
"Ma'am." Tex tipped his head in deference, she gave a nod and walked in the direction of CIC. Tex made a show of watching her leave, "Whoa. She is tasty and clearly into you, tall and good looking." Tex said, he smacked Danny on the arm and smiled. Danny's face darkened. "Oh, lighten up, dude. I'm just saying. It's the end of the world, right?" Tex asked.
"What are you suggesting?" Danny asked him.
"You and that saucy number doing a dance or two. Maybe it'll lighten your mood." Tex said with a grin.
"There is no fraternizing policy." Danny told him in a firm tone that brokered no argument.
"Does that include marital relations?" Tex asked innocently, Danny glowered at him.
"No fraternizing. At all." Danny told him.
"Does your sister know this? Cause I'm not strong enough to say 'no' to her and her sexual needs." Tex told him. Danny shook his head at the man as he continued up the stairs.
"I can't believe I have to bunk with you." Danny said as Tex laughed at his discomfort.
"Come on, you'll love me. I'm gonna be the greatest brother in law you'll have." Tex told him, as he followed him up the ladder.
A few hours later,
Jess jolted awake terrified at a sharp knock at the door. Her heart pounded in her chest as it took a couple of moments for her to remember where she was and that she was safe. She slipped off the top bunk to the floor, and shook out her limbs as she tried to calm down. She took a deep breath and opened the door, a smile spread across her lips as Tex filled the frame.
"Hey Darling." He drawled in a salacious manner, his voice was a soothing balm to her shaken nerves.
"Hey." she replied breathlessly, her emotions were all over the place. She was trying to keep it together but her control was slipping fast.
"You ok?" he asked concerned, she lost it, tears fell down her face and she sucked in a sharp breath as she tried not to sob. "Oh, hey, you're ok. We're ok." Tex said, he wrapped her up in his arms. She buried her face in his chest and silently cried. Normally, she was not a crier, yet she couldn't seem to stop herself.
"Just hold me." She whispered as she gripped him.
"I got no problem with that." Tex said, his voice rough with emotion. He held onto her for the longest time, allowing her the time she needed to pull herself together. She needed it, she needed the strength of his arms as they tightened around her, reminding her that he was here. Jess pulled back and looked at him, she knew she looked a mess of snot and tears and didn't care.
"I'm sorry, I'm crying so much." Jess said, she sniffed and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand.
"I don't think I've seen you cry this much since that close call in Cyprus." Tex said, he brushed the tears from her face with his thumb. Jess nodded as her emotions receded and she calmed down.
"The last few months have been rough. Much rougher." Jess sighed, she drank in his features and noticed he had a new scar on the left side of his forehead that travelled through his eyebrow. She reached up and gently grazed it with her fingers. "What happened to you?" she asked softly, Tex smiled softly as he caught her fingers and pressed soft kisses to her finger tips.
"Lockdown was working, about a month in without comms with the outside world. We got too comfortable. The kid was on overnight watch. He thought Amir was having a heart attack, he broke protocol and was killed, by the time we realised what happened Amir got two more of his buddies free. It was all over from there. They picked us off one by one." Tex said softly, grief riddled his expression. He pressed a soft kiss into her palm before he rested his jaw in it.
"I'm so sorry." Jess said, she pressed her forehead to his.
"I'm the one who should be sorry, if I'd known you were alive, I would've found you." he whispered, they both knew the rules that Tom wanted them to adhere to. But it was so hard to not fall into their rhythm and comfort one another.
"I thought you were dead too. I didn't want to confirm it. I didn't want my last memories of you to be- you know." she said, her voice shaky as she felt like she was going to cry all over again just at the thought of him being lost to her.
"I know, I wish that no fraternisation rule didn't apply, but we made a deal." he sighed, their noses brushed as they closed their eyes and the need to be together was too much.
"Hmm, I remember." Jess said, they both sighed and stepped away from each other.
"You should wash up, while I cool down in the hallway and then I'll escort you to the wardroom." Tex said, he moved into the p-way putting some more distance between them. Jess nodded as she was equally affected as he was.
"Ok, give me five." she said.
"I'll be outside." Tex said, he closed the door, they needed the barrier between them to cool off.