Chapter 13

It had been a few weeks since Mandy had arrived back in VA beach.

She was finding it hard being the one at home, trying to make the most of the time with Jason between getting spun-up and she was dreading the subject of deployment. She'd taken for granted all that time she got to spend with Jason and bravo team when they all worked together, they were literally in each other's personal space constantly. All that time on deployment that she spent with them was time that their families missed them, and now she was getting a taste of what that must feel like.

It made it even more important that she tried to get this new role confirmed, maybe they would have a chance of making this work if she got to spend more time working with the team again.

She'd had lunch with Captain Lindell a week ago, he'd heard about what had happened with the agency but he made it clear his loyalty was to the navy and not the CIA, he made decisions based on what was good for his people and not the opinions of some spooks "no offence intended" he'd added.

Lindell had said with more and more agencies getting involved in more and more joint operations there was room for someone to handle those specific kind of relationships who would protect the Navy's interests here and abroad.

It had the potential to be something worthwhile and would use her specific experience without being limited by the CIA about what she could share with the operators, for once she would be 100% in the teams corner watching their backs and not torn between them and covering CIA asses.

She'd been trying to find a subtle way to ask about her and Jason's situation but it turned out thanks to the base rumour-mill that the news had already reached Lindell's ears.

"I'm not one to pay mind to base gossip Miss Ellis, but I'm also not blind so when I hear on the grapevine that you and Bravo one are an item and then I also see him so ridiculously happy and focused that it's hard to ignore the change in him, then maybe I'm going to pay a bit more attention to what people are saying"

"Yes, we are an… item….as you suggest Sir" Mandy replies

"Good. It's about time Jason Hayes had some happiness. And when he's happy the teams happy, they've been knocking every op out of the park recently"

Mandy must have looked shocked by his comments because he continued

"Look, there's some paperwork that needs to be completed. Declare the relationship. You'd be civilian contractor so technically it's different rules and officially you would report direct to myself. You have worked together and worked well for many years, I'm confident you can continue to do so professionally…"

He looked at her and continued.

"…we like to keep military couples together where we can. You're not military so some of the things we might usually do to try keep a couple stationed together wouldn't officially be open to you, but unofficially if you'd like to make the request in your contract negotiations it could be considered on a case by case basis. You've proved in the past how useful you are on deployment with joint operations with our host countries governments and military and I can only see those kind of operations happening more going forward"

Mandy had left the meeting a little shook, it hadn't quite gone the way he was expecting and she almost didn't want to get her hopes up since it seemed so perfect.

Lindell couldn't make any guarantees but the fact he was even open to the idea of her deploying with Bravo team again had her a bit giddy and relieved.

Jason had been as excited as a kid at Christmas when she'd told him. She'd had to sit him down and remind him with her serious face that he couldn't talk to the guys or anyone else about it yet and that they couldn't get too excited in case it didn't happen. He'd nodded but he hadn't stopped bouncing around in his chair so she wasn't sure he'd really listened. She found herself laughing to herself at what a big kid he could be sometimes.

But there were also some reservations in her mind that she'd kept in her own head for now and not voiced to Jason. So much of this new opportunity revolved around them doing this together, she was literally asking to be sent abroad in the hope she would be sent with Jason, that it would keep them together. But some thoughts were nagging at her.

Jason had already walked away from being bravo one, once already, and in fairness she'd probably been a catalyst. He'd gone back now and he seemed really happy being back but the reasons he left before, she wasn't clear if those reasons had really changed. What if she committed to this only for Jason not to?

There were little things too. On their own they didn't worry her but together they gave her pause. He would forget where he put the keys, or something she said the day before. Emma had mentioned something about memory pills and she'd also noticed him taking them, when she'd asked he'd just made some jokey comment and changed the subject. He'd mentioned to her a while ago about his headaches and she'd assumed they were rare but now living under the same roof she noticed him frowning from the pain or hunched over the bathroom sink rubbing his forehead more and more.

She knew Jason well enough to know if it was something he wanted to talk about then he would talk to her when he was ready, but she was uneasy waiting for him to talk to her and committing to such big career decisions when she wasn't sure what was going on with him.

"Earth to Mandy" she became aware of Stella waving her hand in front of her face. "I don't know where you go when you zone out like that but I have a feeling whenever it is there's a certain Master Chief there with you" she teases and Naima nods agreeing.

They were sat at a coffee shop, something that had become part of Mandy's new things to do since being back. She had lived off coffee in her old job but never had the time to drink it in coffee shops like this only in takeaway cups or from crappy vending machines. Drinking coffee in a proper mug, and having time to drink the whole thing while it was still warm was luxury to her.

To Naima and Stella this was their little bit of sanity while their husbands were away, and Mandy was glad to have been invited to join in it. She hoped it wouldn't be forever if she really could get back with the team a bit more.

Stella leaned over and picked up Mandy's mug, "I just need to breathe in the scent" she says as she takes a sniff and puts it back down looking at her herbal tea, she rubs her baby bump "you better appreciate these sacrifices" she says to the bump and Mandy and Naima laugh

"I don't know how you can cope without caffeine" Mandy says "I think my body would keel over from shock if I stopped. I wouldn't have survived deployment without it. Shit, I wouldn't have survived dealing with bravo team without it" she laughed out loud

"It's so strange you being with Jason now like one of us, but I forget that you've been one of them for so long." Naima says smiling

"Whats it like? Being deployed with a bunch of guys" Stella asked

"When it's time for business, it's all good but when it's a lot of waiting around it's like dealing with a bunch of untidy, bored teenage boys" Mandy joked "I mean how many times I had to tell Trent to put his damn pants on"

They all laughed

"Who was the worst to deal with" Naima asked smiling "and you're not allowed to lie just cos it's us! You can tell me if Ray's a nightmare"

"Honestly, Jason was the worst. Every deployment he's always the worst." the girls both laugh

"How come? Surely he's not that bad" Stella asked

"Oh he is, he hates waiting around he bounces around like he's vibrating and drives everyone mad! The amount of times I finally managed to fall asleep after days of no sleep and I'd be woken by Jase standing over me in the middle of the night, waking me up because he's had an idea that he needs me to look at right this second. And then 5 minutes later after he'd poured me a coffee and sat me at my laptop he'd declare how tired he was and that he was going to bed!"

Stella and Naima both giggled

"And he constantly just drank my coffee and ate my food. I'd be sat working with half a bowl of food left and he'd just come in and eat it all then tell me he was hungry and he was going to get some food"

"OMG he really is a teenage boy!" Naima said.

"You miss it?" Stella asked

"I don't miss the agency. But I miss working with the team. It's hard thinking about the idea of them deploying without me, when I left that felt weird but now it feels even weirder the idea of being away from Jason"

"I suppose for us, it's all we know being at home waiting. But for you, it's double whammy you miss Jason but you also miss being there in the action with them all" Naima reached out and gave her hand a squeeze "I think Lisa probably understands most, she's always been one of the guys but now she's kinda on the outside too. But we can at least sympathise with the missing him and worrying bit"

"I appreciate that" said Mandy, really meaning it. She enjoyed the rest of her still-warm coffee while she listened to the other two chat about baby things, half listening, half wondering when Jason would be back home.

L