Author note:

This one came to me a while ago but it took time to get it down. I am second guessing this one. I hope you all like it.

CH 119-Giving Thanks

The kitchen was filled with the aroma of sugar and spices as Emma bent over the oven, pulling out another hot, golden pie. She sat it on the rack to cool, next to the two baked earlier. It seemed a little much for five people, but she and her grandmother wanted to make sure everyone had their favorite. So, pecan for her dad, apple for Clay, and it wouldn't seem like Thanksgiving to her and Mike without her grandma's pumpkin pie.

She slid off the oven mitts and pushed her hair back from her face before turning to tackle the mess. As she started to stack the dirty dishes in the sink, Linda returned from the other room.

"Honey, sorry, I didn't mean to make you clean up by yourself.

She grabbed a rag and started to wipe down the counters.

"It's fine, Grandma. I don't mind."

"I know. But you did most of the work too."

"I didn't, we both…"

"You did. All I did was give a little guidance on the pie crust. And Emmie…they look delicious."

"Thanks. They're your recipes."

"Well," Linda said, patting Emma's hands. "I'm happy to pass them along to you, dear."

The two ladies decided to take a break for lunch before diving into the prep work for the rest of the meal. They moved into the living room, relaxing onto the soft couch cushions with their sandwiches and drinks. Linda turned on the TV and flipped until she found her favorite daytime gameshow. They were mostly done with their meal when Mike finally came shuffling out from his room.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead."

"Hey Grandma. It smells really good in here," he noted as he lifted his head to sniff the air.

"That's because while you were being lazy, Grandma and I made all the pies for tomorrow."

"I'm not lazy. I-I'm a growing boy. I need my rest."

Before she answered, Emma reflected on how much he actually had grown. Her 'little' brother was now a full head taller than she, and his voice had gone down a couple of octaves.

The all laughed and Mike flopped down in the easy chair, rubbing his hand through his bedhead, making the already wild arrangement stand up even more. Before anyone could say anything, a news bulletin cut into the programming. Pictures of several concrete buildings flashed across the screen as the anchor began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're coming to you to report on a breaking situation at the US Embassy in Qatar. Our sources tell us that the Embassy may have been over-run. We don't know much at this point. I will remind you that Senator Sheila Walker is in Qatar for a meeting with their Foreign Secretary. From what we can gather, the Senator's motorcade was overtaken and then used as a means to gain entrance to the Embassy grounds."

The woman droned on about current US-Qatar relations and speculated on the intentions and demands of the group. Emma, Mike, and Linda all looked at each other. There was of course no guarantee that Bravo would be called in as a part of any response or rescue, but the possibility was there. Linda got up and turned off the TV, gathering their dirty plates. Emma twirled her hair absent mindedly and worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Mike went back to his room without saying a word.

Poking her head out of the kitchen, Linda spoke to Emma.

"Emma, Emma…"

Her thoughts still centered on Clay and her dad; she didn't hear.

"Em, let's get started on the rolls."

"Huh? Oh, um…do you think we should wait?" She gestured toward the TV.

"Honey, you know as well as I do that if Bravo gets called in, there's nothing we can do about it. And tomorrow will still be Thanksgiving. Clay and your dad will want us to celebrate together."

"I know. I know you're right. I should be used to this by now. But…seeing it there on TV. It's, it's, I don't know, it seems more real."

With her words still hanging in the air, her phone rang, causing her to jump. She knew who it was before she even saw the screen.

"Clay."

"Em…uh, we're getting spun up."

"I figured."

"Huh?"

"We saw the news reports."

"Honey, I can't, there's nothing..."

"I know. I know you can't say where you're going."

"I'm sorry, Babe, about tomorrow. You and Linda and Mike should have Thanksgiving and we can all get together when we're back."

She sniffled softly and tried not to cry.

"Okay. Yea. We're fine. Don't worry about a thing here. You…you be careful. Take care of each other."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her grandmother answering her own phone.

"We will. And Em… I love you, Baby."

"I love you too."

He hung up then, but Emma stood still, her phone still at her ear. She could vaguely here snippets of her grandma's conversation with her dad, even the admonishment to come home safely. Finally, she turned and sat down her phone.

They didn't know for certain that the team was headed to Qatar. But it seemed fairly obvious that would be their destination.

"Well, let's get going. Emmie. We need to get that dough set to rise."

Emma nodded soundlessly, knowing that keeping busy was their best defense against the loneliness and fear. She joined her grandma in the kitchen and got to work. They could hear Mike turn on the shower as he made his own peace with the situation and moved forward too.

They avoided the television as they ordered pizza for dinner and then set out her mom's good plates for tomorrow's meal. After the table was set, Emma left for home, knowing she needed to get back to Koda.

Her furry companion met her at the door. Once again, she was so glad that she didn't need to come home to an empty apartment. She took the pup on his walk and after settled on the floor to roughhouse with him a little. When she tried to wrestle with him, like Clay often did, he tilted his head and looked at her questioningly.

"I know, I know. This is how you usually play with Clay. But he's at work for a while and…and."

Her emotions go the best of her, and she started to breakdown. Koda whined in sympathy and flopped down with his head in her lap.

"Thanks, buddy I don't know why I'm like this. It's not like this is his first mission since we've been together. It's… well, I never see where they are going or what's going on. Knowing where they're headed and what they're walking into is, it's almost more than I can handle."

Koda licked at her hand, conveying his concern. She leaned down and hugged his furry head, taking a few deep breaths.

"Okay, let me get us a treat. How does that sound? Ice cream for me and some chicken for you."

She sat on the sofa with her bowl of ice cream while Koda wolfed down his meat. Try as she might, she couldn't help but turn on the TV and flip to one of the 24 hr. news channels. Reports were coming in fast and furious about the situation in Qatar. Her eyes were glued to the screen as footage apparently released from the hostage takers, showed a masked gunman firing at a camera drone zooming above the main building.

"The group identifies themselves simply as the Brotherhood. A spokesman for them released the video you just saw along with a list of demands. Those include the end of US involvement I the region, and the release of some of their members that are currently incarcerated in Europe after a failed terror plot."

The reporter then went into the history of the small, little known, radicalized group, citing other incidents they had taken credit for this past year.

Emma turned the channel, hoping to hear more about what was going on. She knew that she should turn it off. The violent images and endless speculation were doing her no good. But she couldn't tear herself away. Her anxiety mounted as she wondered where Clay was and what they were going to do. She figured that rescuing the Senator would be the top priority. As the station played even more clips from previous incidents where this group was involved, her fear grew. A supposed 'expert' on The Brotherhood popped on screen.

"From what we know about them, they are ruthless and have no regard for life. They are quite willing to sacrifice the lives of others as well as their own to get what they want."

Emma squeezed her eyes shut while a sob escaped her throat.

All throughout the night she flipped from channel to channel searching for some nugget that would allay her fear. Sometime in the early morning hours, she finally succumbed to a restless sleep.

Emma struggled to wake. Blinking her eyes against the sickly amount of sunlight filtering through the blind, she sat up and realized she was on the couch, TV still on, with Koda curled at her feet. Finally, completely conscious, she registered the sound of her phone. She grabbed it and pressed the screen to answer around a yawn.

"Emmie, are you on your way, sweetie?"

"Grandma, hi. I uh," she glanced at the time and realized that it was already past the hour she said she would be at the condo. "I'm sorry. I guess I forgot my alarm last night"

"And I'll bet you barely got a wink of sleep, did you?"

It was no use trying to bluff. Her grandma would see right through it.

"No…not, not really. I couldn't seem to stop watching the news…to stop thinking…"

"Oh, Honey. You know that they know what they're doing. Your dad and Clay will be home before we know it."

"I-I know."

"I'll put everything in the oven to keep warm. You get cleaned up and come on over as soon as you can."

Dragging a hand through her tangled curls, she took a deep breath and agreed before hanging up.

She arrived at her dad's condo and let herself in. Happy for the distraction, Mike took Koda out to the back yard. That left Emma and Linda to talk. She could feel her grandmother's eyes on her, taking in the wet hair, dark circles under her eyes, and the pinched, anxious expression that painted her features.

"How are you, Em?"

"I, I honestly don't know. Logically I know that this isn't any more dangerous than other Ops that the team has run. I-I guess seeing it splashed across the screen of every major network makes it harder. It's like I'm seeing my fears happening in technicolor right in front of my eyes and I'm not able to do anything about it."

"I know. I learned a long time ago that where your dad is concerned, the best thing I can do is not watch or listen to any of that."

"You're right, but I can't seem to stop. It's almost like I'm afraid that something will happen to him, to them, and everyone else will find out before I will."

Linda took Emma in her arms and held her.

"No news is good news. You know that, Emmie. They are the absolute best at what they do. And you know that your dad and Clay will always fight to come home to us. Hold on to that."

Emma sniffed and nodded her head. Linda released her and let her wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"Come on. You call Mike and I'll get the food on the table. We'll have Thanksgiving now. And when your dad and Clay are home, we get do it all again."

Before they dug in, Linda reached for both their hands and started off their Thanksgiving tradition of stating why she was thankful. Under the current circumstances Emma wasn't sure she could think of anything. But her grandma didn't let it stop her.

"I know we're in the middle of a hard time right now. But our family has endured hard times before. I still have much for which I'm grateful. I give thanks for my health and that I have wonderful grandchildren to spend the holiday with."

Mike went next, sensing Emma's hesitancy.

"I'm thankful to be home for a while. School is great, but it's good to be home…with you guys."

All eyes turned to her, there was no avoiding it now.

"Well…I'm thankful that we are all here together. I've missed you both."

The food was delicious, Emma was sure of it. But she couldn't force much down past the tightness in her throat. Pushing bites around on her plate, she hoped it looked like she was eating. All she wanted to do was plant herself in front of the TV and listen for any small snippet of information that would tip her off to Clay and the team's well-being. Taking pity on her, Linda reached out and took her plate.

"I'll just wrap up these leftovers for you to take home, shall I?"

Emma nodded silently, grateful for the understanding. She stayed for a while, playing a couple half-hearted games of Uno while watching, "Miracle on 34th Street" with her brother and grandma. Normally, Emma was a cut-throat when it came to family games, showing no mercy on anyone. She would lay down "Skip" and "Draw 4" cards with abandon. When she twice passed the opportunity to call out "Uno" on Mike, Linda thankfully, suggested that they leave the games for another time.

She got the leash on Koda and headed for the door, plate of leftovers in hand. She and Mike hugged each other tightly, leaning on each other for strength as they had countless other times in their lives.

Next, Linda wrapped her up in an embrace meant to try and shield her from the outside world. Drawing in a breath as held her granddaughter, she sent up a silent prayer that she wouldn't need to endure anymore heartache in her life.

"Love you, Emmie."

"I love you too, Grandma."

"You sure you don't want to stay here with us? I hate to think of you all alone."

"I'll be fine. Besides, I want to…I need to be near Clay's things…in our home."

Her grandma nodded in understanding and gave her one, last hug. The finally separated, none of them knowing that at that exact moment Bravo was undertaking an intensely dangerous nighttime raid.

As soon as she was back in the door of their apartment, Emma turned on the TV once again. She switched through the channels, drinking in every word. Although everyone had much to say, they had little real information. A litany of guests came on, speculating at the country's response and what kind of operation would be needed to rescue the Senator and put an end to the siege on the embassy. It was growing later and in spite of herself, Emma's eyes were drooping. She knew she needed sleep, real sleep, not another restless night dozing on the couch in between news bulletins. She determinedly switched off the TV and retreated to the bedroom. She brushed her teeth and pulled her hair up into a messy bun. Then she pulled on one of Clay's shirts and slipped under the covers, burying her head in his pillow, trying to surround herself with his scent. In spite of herself, a strangled sob tore from her throat and tears started to dampen his pillowcase. Hearing her cries, Koda jumped up on the bed beside her and snuggled close. Thankful for his sympathy and company, she wove her fingers into his heavy fur.

Blinking into the darkness, Emma realized she must have somehow fallen asleep. As she roused, she heard her phone ping with an incoming text. Jumping to reach it, she saw it was a message from her brother. She checked the time. Why would he be texting her at this hour? She could feel the fingers of dread prickling at her skin, giving her goosebumps. She was afraid to read her brother's message, but knew she had to.

-Are U up? –

-Yea, why? –

-Turn on the news-

She threw back the covers and raced into the other room, not even feeling the impact when her shin collided with the ottoman.

"We're coming to you with more breaking news from Qatar. Overnight, there was a counter action launched by US Elite forces to take back our Embassy and rescue Senator Walker and the Embassy staff. We're going to go live to our reporter in the region for more details."

The image on the screen was grainy and the audio cut in and out.

"Thank you, Megan. I'm Kevin Kelly, coming to you from Qatar. Some hours ago, around 4 am local time US forces gained entrance to the Embassy grounds and managed to wrest control from the Brotherhood. The details are sketchy, but we can tell you that the threat was neutralized and Senator Walker and her staff, have been released and the Embassy is back under the control of the United States."

Emma breathed a sigh of relief, but her satisfaction was short-lived.

"As positive as this news is, the night was not without it's bloodshed. Several of the insurgents were killed, along with three Americans. Those names have not been released."

He kept on about the actions at the Embassy, but Emma heard nothing. It was as if her brain shut down. She couldn't process any information beyond the three Americans killed. Surely, surely it wasn't her dad…or…or…she couldn't even let her mind go there. Just the slightest hint that Clay wasn't coming home to her was inconceivable. Her phone was ringing. She reached for it and answered without taking her eyes from the screen. It was her brother.

"Em…Em, are you there?"

"Uh, yea. I'm here."

"Did you hear?"

There was a long, drawn out pause before his next question.

"You don't think…"

"No," she almost yelled. "No! It's not them. It can't be them."

Her brother said nothing else but didn't hang up. Emma finally broke the silence.

"Mike, listen, I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you and I didn't mean to..."

"I know."

"It's all…it's too much."

She tried to continue but the lump in her throat stopped her.

"I'm sorry, Em. I didn't mean to upset you more. I couldn't sleep and then I saw this. I didn't want to wake Grandma and I…I needed to talk to someone."

She tried to collect herself and be strong for her little brother. It was a role she knew well.

"It's okay. It's all going to be alright. Dad and Clay and the boys are going to be fine. I promise, Mikey Mouse." She used her old nickname for him. "You can call me anytime. You know that."

"Yea. Thanks, Em."

"Okay. Try to get some sleep."

"You, too."

"'Night."

She kept up the façade just long enough to end their call. Then she broke, dissolving into tears as she crumpled up into a ball on the sofa.

The next day was a blur. Emma hardly moved from in front of the TV. She begged off Black Friday shopping with her grandma and let all her friend's calls go to voice mail. She only moved to take Koda on short walks and then returned to the news. She didn't eat and didn't shower. She stayed in Clay's t-shirt, doing whatever she could to feel close to him. As she switched stations, they all said the same things. And still offered no insight into the US deaths that resulted from the mission. All the reporters speculated on the raid and gave their interpretations of the scant facts and what might have happened. They said too much, and yet nothing at all.

Emma now understood the phrase "ignorance is bliss." On all their other missions, Bravo probably faced similar situations, or even worse. Of course, she knew there was danger. She had dealt with both Clay and her dad being injured before. But since she didn't know details before hand, and had no idea where they were, or what enemy they faced, she could hang onto blind faith that everything would be fine and that the team would return whole and unharmed.

All night and into the next morning, she spiraled further into fear and anxiety. She knew that the security on this mission would be even higher than normal, meaning that she wouldn't be able to contact anyone, or get any messages from them until they were back home. It seemed like she was living in a nightmare, unable to wake up.

Early that afternoon, she heard footsteps approach the door and stop. Then there was a knock. She froze, not wanting to see who was on the other side or hear whatever they might be there to tell her. As long as she didn't open it, everything remained as she knew it, everyone was safe and whole. Once she answered the door, her world could change forever.

Another knock sounded. This time Koda jumped up and trotted toward the door with a whine. Emma blew out a breath and steeled herself. She knew she had no real choice. She flipped the deadbolt and turned the knob. Opening the door slowly, her eyes lowered as a last measure of defense. As she pulled open the portal, she saw brown boots, jeans, and s glimpse of blue plaid.

"Em…"

The sweet sound of him saying her name washed over her. Clay. There he was, looking tired, but unharmed. His hands were full, holding his ruck, a jacket, and juggling take out containers. He moved to take a step inside, and she shrank back, looking like a wounded animal.

"Babe?"

She collapsed to the ground, sobbing. He hurriedly put down his packages and sat down on the floor with her. Pulling her into his lap and rocking her back and forth.

"Shhh. It's okay. I'm here, I'm here."

He rubbed up and down her back and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

"It's fine. Everyone is fine, babe."

"My dad," she queried softly.

"Jace is fine. He had to stay on base a little longer. But he'll be home soon."

He looked down at her, her normally sparkling eyes dulled by fear and hear face dripping with tears of relief and exhaustion. Taking control of the situation, he stood up, lifting her in his arms and walked over to the chair and resettled them with her still in his lap. He didn't care about her red, puffy eyes, or her runny nose. He pushed the hair from her face and kissed her. His lips met hers with a gentle, steady pressure reassuring her that he was there, with her. He was home.

"I-I…all the reports said that there were three Americans dead. I didn't know…we didn't know. No one said who…who it was. I was so afraid."

"Shhh. I know, Baby. I'm sorry. I wanted to contact you. But we were under strict orders. No communication whatsoever."

There was no sense in trying to deny where they were.

"It's okay. I just…it was so hard, the knowing…without really knowing. Does that make sense?"

Drawing his finger softly down her cheek he answered.

"Yea, it does."

"The casualties?"

"I can't say anything. But everyone on Bravo is safe and accounted for."

"Thank God!"

She reached for his hand and clasped it between hers, holding it to her lips. They sat quietly, Emma content to feel his arms around her and to lean against his chest, hearing his heartbeat. Clay happy to be home with her as well after this harrowing Op.

They hardly separated for the rest of the day. Emma didn't want to let him out of her sight. She finally spoke to her dad that evening. He assured her that Clay was right. He was home, as was the rest of the team. Before they hung up, Linda made sure they knew to come over the next day for what she said would be their "real Thanksgiving."

Even if it would be re-heated leftovers, they were both looking forward to it. Emma knew that they all truly had a genuine reason to give thanks.