Casey's flight back to the United States was long as most transport flights were, with the routes they flew. Normally, he would pass the time sleeping, but with the dual bomb shells of Kath's death and the sudden appearance of a daughter, his mind wouldn't calm enough to allow him any rest. It was early evening when the C-17 transport aircraft touched down, and there was a government-issued Chevy Suburban waiting for him at the terminal. He quickly collected his gear and tossed it into the rear of the SUV before taking his seat in the back of the vehicle.

The driver wasn't talkative, which suited Casey just fine as he wasn't much for talking. He also hadn't made much progress in sorting his thoughts in the two days since he got the news. How the hell am I supposed to take care of a kid? Will I be expected to take a desk job and never deploy? What will happen to her if I do have to deploy or go on a mission? Do kids her age still wear diapers? Casey's mind went on and on in a seemingly never-ending onslaught of questions that continued even after he had been dropped off in front of the building housing the NSA Headquarters to make his way up to Colonel Beckman's office.

Beckman had a male aide de camp seated at a desk outside of her office answering phones and typing away on his computer when Casey entered. The man only gave him the briefest of nods in acknowledgement and gestured for Casey to take a seat in the waiting area. A few minutes later, the aide called Casey's name and informed him that the Colonel would see him now. Casey grunted his thanks and, with a brief knock, entered Beckman's office.

He crossed to stand in front of the Colonel's desk and saluted, "Captain Casey, reporting as requested, Ma'am."

"At ease, Captain," Beckman ordered, "Take a seat, we have much to discuss regarding your future with the Armed Services as well as with the NSA."

Their meeting lasted nearly an hour by the time all was said and done. He was going to be transferred to Pendleton and would be provided with family housing on-base. Part of what he would be doing was identifying Marines and Sailors who might be good candidates for secondment to the covert agencies. When he was on deployment or on a mission, then he would need to find a temporary guardian for his daughter, preferably someone who could be there quickly. Beckman also briefed him on the services available to him as a parent, especially a single parent on base. Seems she had done some research on his behalf during her very little down time, and had pamphlets, informational sheets, and enrollment forms for the various services he could utilize once arriving on base.

"Captain Casey, John, I know you must be feeling overwhelmed," Beckman gave him a sympathetic look, "I can only imagine what all is going through your head right now. I wish to make your transition as easy as possible for you."

"I can't help but feel like I'm being side lined here, Ma'am," Casey stated, "Penalized for having a child."

"I know it must feel that way," Beckman nodded, "But I assure you, that is not the case. All parents have to make adjustments for their children, single parents often more so. I personally have not had to deal with such things but have worked with many in similar situations. Granted, it is usually a female operative, so you are rather unique in the fact it's rare for a male operative to be in this situation, but it does happen. It will seem counter intuitive to do so, but if you find yourself struggling in any way, there is no shame in asking for help."

Casey nodded, "Yes, Ma'am. What comes next?"

"You will have the rest of today and tomorrow to pack up your quarters in the BOQ. Your personal effects will be shipped to your residence in Pendleton while you travel to Chicago to meet your mother and get to know your daughter. As we discussed, the family residence you will be given is already furnished, although you may wish to replace it. Any items that come with the home can be given back to the department of housing on base to be used for other residences if you do not have need of it. Your travel arrangements have already been taken care of for both your travel to Chicago as well as to San Diego."

"What about my personal vehicle, Ma'am?" Casey asked.

"That will also be shipped along with your personal effects, just make sure you give the keys to the movers before departing to the airport." She saw Casey wince, "I know how precious personal vehicles are to the owners, and I can assure you, the company who will be handling your vehicle is the best. Now, you have much to do, and little time to do it. You are dismissed, my office will contact you once you have arrived at Pendleton."

Casey nodded curtly, gathering the paperwork he'd been given and stood. He saluted the superior officer and waited for her answering salute before turning on his heel and exiting the office. Still don't know how the Hell I'm gonna do this, but the only way through is forward. God help me… and that little girl.


John didn't have much in the way of personal effects. It was mostly his personal armory, a couple bonsai trees, and a mix of dark mission clothes, additional uniforms, and a few things for the rare occasion when he was fully off duty. He'd slept fit fully the night he'd arrived in DC and had done so as well the following night. It was nearly time for him to depart for the airport; he was standing watching the men efficiently collect his effects from his quarters, catalog them, and load them into the truck with the personal effects of other service members who were likewise being reassigned. Once the men were done, they had him sign off that everything had been accounted for, the head mover shook his hand and assured him that his things would be waiting for him when he arrived at Pendleton. Shortly after the movers had left, a large car hauler pulled up and a man hopped out of the cab and worked some levers on the side of the trailer to lower a ramp. Once he was done, he walked over to Casey; he was nearly as tall as Casey, well built, with dark curly hair.

"Are you Captain Casey?" The man asked.

"Yes," Casey nodded.

"Great, I'm Sam Viggiano," The man gave him a warm smile, "I've come to transport your Crown Victoria out to Pendleton for you."

Casey nodded, the men walked over to where his precious vehicle was parked, and Sam waited while Casey reverently pulled back the car cover from his car.

Sam whistled, "Wow, she's a beauty, 1985 was a good year for the Crown Victoria." He did a quick, but thorough inspection of the car, documenting notes on his clipboard as he went, "Everything seems to be in good shape here. If I can just get the keys, I'll get this 'ol girl loaded up!"

Casey, despite appreciating the respect the other man gave him and his car, he reluctantly handed over the keys to him.

"I know it's hard handing the keys over, like handing over your first born to a complete stranger, but I promise I'll take good care of her," Sam assured him as he took the keys and hopped into the car.

Casey watched carefully as Sam loaded the car onto the dual level trailer and secured it. Once he was done, he secured a car cover, specifically designed to not move during transport, over the vehicle to protect from flying debris during the cross-country journey. Climbing down from the trailer, he made quick work of retracting the loading ramp and returned to Casey's side, with his clipboard in hand.

"Alright, she's secure and tucked in for her trip," Sam gave Casey a comforting smile, "Just sign here that I received the vehicle and I'll be on my way." Sam handed the clipboard and a pen over to Casey and watched as the larger man signed the form before signing it himself to state that he'd received the vehicle in good repair and condition. "Alright, I'll see you in a week in California." Sam shook Casey's hand before ambling back over to his truck, checking once more that everything was secured on the trailer, and doing a quick walk around of his truck before hopping into the cab and driving toward the exit gate of the base.

With a grunt, Casey picked up the bags he would be traveling with and headed over to where he was to meet his ride to the airport with other service members who were heading the same way.


The flight to Chicago was blessedly short and soon he was heading down to the baggage claim area to collect his things. He only had to wait a little while for the hotel's airport shuttle to pick him up, and soon he was checked into his room. He was settling into his room when the phone next to his bed rang.

"Casey," He answered.

"Al… erm John, is that you?" The familiar voice of his mother, one he hadn't heard in much too long, came over the line.

"Yeah, mom, it's me," John choked out, the sound of his mother's voice nearly overwhelming him.

"I never thought I'd ever hear your voice again," He could hear the emotion in her voice, "Let alone see you again. My heart broke when Kathleen came to me after the funeral to tell me she was pregnant. I was so blessed she let me be a part of little Alexandra's life, especially with Howard and Beatrice gone. Would you like to come meet your daughter? We're in room 403."

"Okay, I'll be there soon," John nodded and hung up the phone. Grabbing his room key, some flowers he'd picked up for his mother at the airport, and his wallet, he left his room and headed toward the elevator to take him down to his mother's floor.

The door flew open at his knock, almost as if his mother had been waiting on the other side for his arrival, knowing her she probably had been or close to it. Before he knew it, she'd pulled him into the room and wrapped him in her tight embrace. "Oh John, I thought I'd never be able to see you again!"

"I never thought I'd see you again either," John returned her embrace, reveling in it before letting her go. She looked much the same as she had when he'd last seen her, the weekend before he proposed to Kathleen. Her dark hair was cut short but was showing a bit more grey in it than the last time he'd seen her, her blue eyes, the same shade as his, had a few more wrinkles and were slightly misty from emotion, but not much else had changed. "How are you?"

"I'm managing, Debbie has been helping me out. We were both shocked when we heard that Kathleen had died, especially in such a terrible and senseless way," Helen Coburn sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes as she led him into the room. The room had two beds, one was neatly made while the other had a small form in it, clearly sleeping, he could see a little bit of brown hair peeking out from beneath the comforter. Helen gestured for him to take a seat at the small table in the room and took the other as she continued talking. "It was just a lucky thing that I was watching Alexandra when his happened, otherwise I probably would have never known. Since Kathleen was an only child and her parents gone, I was allowed to go in and collect some things from the house for Alexandra. Clothes, toys, pictures of her mother… your flag."

"Thank you for doing that," John nodded.

"We packed up and donated the rest of her things, kept her jewelry to give to Alexandra when she's older." His mother gave him a soft smile, "She still had your ring, you know. And that necklace you gave her before you left for college with the AC on the pendant…"

They sat in silence for a while before Helen spoke again. "God, this is awkward," She groaned, "I don't know what to say to you, everything is just…"

"I don't expect you to know what to say," John assured her, "None of us could have known any of this could have happened. If I'd known she was… if she'd had the chance to tell me… maybe things would have been different."

"Don't do that to yourself," Helen shook her head, "None of this is your fault. You were doing what you were called to do. Kathleen was so proud of you, and she made sure that Alexandra knew her father was a hero."

Their conversation was interrupted by the little body stirring in the bed. Helen walked over to the waking girl, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Hey little bug, did you have a good nap?"

"Uh-huh," The girl nodded sleepily, rubbing her eyes before climbing into her nanna's lap for a snuggle. Her dark brown hair, the same shade as her mother's was tied up in pigtails that had come a little loose from sleeping. "Nanna, who that?" The girl asked, spotting the large man in the room.

"Remember how I told you about your daddy and how he was away for a long time being a Marine?" Helen asked the little girl.

"Yeah," She nodded.

"Well, that is your daddy." Helen explained, "Do you want to say 'hello?'"

Alexandra tucked her head into her nanna's shoulder, shyly.

Helen gave her son a sympathetic look, "She's a little shy sometimes, why don't you come over a little closer."

John gave her an apprehensive look as he slowly stood and made his way over to the other bed to take a seat. At his mom's encouraging nod, he gave the girl a small smile, "Hey kid…"

Alexandra lifted her head and John was met with the same blue eyes he saw in the mirror every day, the same eyes he got from his mother. Alexandra gave him a shy smile and tucked her head back into her nanna's shoulder.

Seeing her granddaughter and son were both struggling a bit she decided to step in, "It's a nice day out, and there's a park we found nearby, why don't we go enjoy the park for a bit before getting supper?"

Alexandra perked up when she heard her nanna mention the park and immediately started squirming to get down. Once Helen let her down, the girl ran to where her little shoes had been left.

Helen smiled when she heard the quiet chuckle from her son at the little girl's antics. When Alexandra came back and handed her shoes to her nanna, Helen figured this would be a good moment for her son to step in. "Why don't you ask your daddy to help you with your shoes?"

Alexandra looked between the adults, a little unsure, but when her nanna gave her an approving nod, she picked her shoes up once more and handed them to her daddy, "Help, Daddy."

"What do we say?" Helen prompted.

"Pease?" The girl added, holding out her shoes.

"Sure, kid," He gave his mom a questioning look.

"I find it works best to sit her on my lap," Helen shrugged.

John bent down, hands outstretched to the little girl, only to be surprised, when instead of letting him pick her up, Alexandra placed her shoes in his hand and proceeded to climb up on the bed next to him her little legs outstretched toward him. John shrugged his shoulders and turned toward the little girl. After a quick evaluating glance at the shoes, he undid the Velcro straps on the shoes before sliding them onto his daughter's feet and quickly securing them. "There we go, kid."

"Tank you, Daddy," Alexandra said sweetly and hopped down off the bed.

"Let's try to go potty before we go," Helen advised the little girl before leading her to the bathroom.

John took the opportunity to check out the few things of the girl's that had been left out. There was a suitcase with a variety of different little outfits and a toddler sized jacket laid over the side. A plush bear in fatigues lay in the bed where the girl had been sleeping a short time before. He heard the sound of the toilet flushing and the sink running a few moments before the bathroom door was opened and is mother and daughter returned.

"Sugar Bear!" The girl cried out, running toward him.

John's eyes went wide as he looked at his mother.

"It's what she calls her teddy bear," Helen shrugged, "Kathleen told her that was what she used to call you, and Alexandra wanted a sugar bear of her own, so they went to Build-a-Bear and got one."

John nodded and handed the bear to his daughter who hugged it tightly. Suddenly a grunt, clearly made by a woman trying to sound like a man was heard followed by, "Sempre Fi." The voice was clearly Kathleen's 'Alex' voice, the one she'd always used to mimic him.

John looked over at his mom, who gave him an amused look before getting her granddaughter's attention once more, "Okay, Alexandra, put Sugar Bear back in bed so we can go to the park. Daddy can help you with your jacket," When the little girl looked like she was about to protest, Helen cut it off with a firm, "Alexandra Nicole, it is too cold for little girls to be running around outside without their jackets."

"Yes, Ma'am," Alexandra replied before doing as she was asked. She waited patiently while John helped her into her jacket and figured out how to work the zipper closure.

"It's a bit different from this direction," John said from his position, kneeling on the floor in front of Alexandra, struggling to start the zip on the jacket. After a moment, he figured it out and carefully pulled up the zipper, careful to not go too far up.

Helen pulled on her jacket while John excused himself to retrieve his own jacket. They all met up in the lobby and made their way to the park. Helen and John mostly sat on a bench and watched as Alexandra fearlessly climbed the play structure, running this way and that around the play area. Helen couldn't help but laugh as John would occasionally tense up as if coiling up to spring to rescue his daughter from whatever perceived danger he thought she was getting into, only to relax when she was safe once more.

"You remind me so much of your father," Helen chuckled, "Your father was the same way when you and Debbie were little, ready to spring into action if either one of you ever needed his help, which you rarely ever did."

John shrugged slightly at her observation and turned back to watch his daughter playing with a couple children who had just arrived and made quick friends with her. They played for a while before the kids had to leave and Alexandra made her way over to where her daddy and nanna were sitting, "Daddy, swings pease."

John softly grunted his agreement and rose from the bench to follow the little girl to the swing set where Alexandra climbed onto one of the lower swings and looked up at him expectantly.

"She wants you to push her," Helen called out to him.

John nodded and made sure the little girl had a good grip on the chains of the swing before pulling the swing back slightly and letting it go, gently pushing on his daughter's back every time the girl swung back to him, still making sure the swing didn't go too high up. Alexandra let out a peal of giggles as she swung back and forth. Helen later told him, as they walked down the street to get dinner, that the swings were Alexandra's favorite thing at the park.

Dusk was rapidly approaching when the trio left the park to get some supper at a nearby burger chain. While they waited for their food, Alexandra enjoyed the play structure in the kids' area. Once the food arrived, they ate their supper, Alexandra finishing before her adults and playing with the toy that had come with her kids' meal.

On the way back to the hotel, Alexandra asked for her daddy to carry her, causing Helen to smile as John awkwardly picked up the girl. It didn't take long for him to figure out the best way to carry her so that her head rested on his shoulder as they continued on to the hotel.