Title: I'll Be Home For Christmas, If Only In My Heart
Summary: Stuck at training for the holidays, Kat Nolan thinks about home and family. Post-season 5; canon-ish.
x
"When are you headed to Colin's house?" Kat Nolan asked Ray Diaz, staring out her dorm window. From the moment that Kat arrived in Monterey for the highly selective nine-month flight training program, she had been entranced by the beauty of the rough California coastline. The way that the mist rolled out every morning to reveal towering cliffs and a wild ocean. Today, however, even the sight of the waves crashing against the rocks of Del Monte beach could not lift her spirits.
It was Christmas Eve, and she was alone.
Not entirely alone, of course. There were twenty-four other officers here for the program and Kat got along well with most of them. She even considered Nisha, her roommate, a friend after almost five months of spending close to 24/7 together. But there was something about Christmas that made Kat miss home more than usual. Her eyes drifted to the clock. It was almost six in Florida so Danny and Kara would be helping the boys hang up their stockings and put out the cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. If Kat were home, she and Ray would be headed out to spend the evening trading gifts with the younger crowd, before returning home to help Danny and Kara with any last minute wrapping or food preparations. Kara always went all out for Christmas dinner when she was home, and Kat wondered what she was planning. Prime rib, most likely, although Danny once talked Kara into a roasted goose. For sides there would be potatoes - mashed and sweet, asparagus, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, and buttered rolls, and then the pies. Kat's mouth was watering at the thought of Debbie's pies.
In the ten years that had passed since her father was killed and Kat moved in with the Greens, she had never been away for so long. Little Stevie Green, who was barely two, probably wouldn't even recognize Kat the next time she saw him. That, above all else, had made Kat hesitate when she was initially offered a spot in the select program. Being so far away for so long. But Ray, in particular, had encouraged her to go. Telling her that he would request a month of leave in May for her graduation and then they could take a nice long vacation. Still, even as she wavered, Kat hadn't considered how hard it would be to spend a holiday alone. Although she had been deployed over the holidays before, it was during her time on the Nathan James, which really just meant that the location, rather than the people with whom she celebrated, was different.
"I'm running late, actually," Ray replied, sounding distracted. "What are your plans for tomorrow?"
Nothing. Well, wasn't that depressing. At least there was bound to be something special for lunch. "Oh, you know, a little of this and a little of that. Nisha and I put up a mini tree in our room so we have a bit of the Christmas spirit."
"I'm really sorry that your gift isn't there yet," Ray was saying. And despite knowing that Ray had no control over the still somewhat unreliable postal system, Kat was irrationally annoyed at him for waiting until the last minute to mail her package. "Anyway, I really do have to go. Kara said we'll video conference in the morning so you can see everyone open their gifts. Okay?"
"Sounds good." Kat forced a bit of cheer into her voice. It might not be as good as seeing them in person, but it would be something. Besides, Kat was really excited to find out whether Frankie and Mark liked their remote control cars. Unlike Ray, she had managed to get her gifts in the mail by mid-November and Kara confirmed that they arrived two weeks later. "Merry Christmas, baby."
"Merry Christmas. I love you."
"I love you too." There was a strange crash behind Ray but, before Kat could ask, he was talking again. "I'll call you in the morning, okay?"
"Bye..." But Ray was already gone. With a sigh, Kat hung up the phone, gaze turning back to the wind-swept beach. No sense in staying here moping. Kat left her room, intending to find Nisha and drag her outside for a little exercise.
Ninety minutes later, Kat and Nisha were laughing as they re-entered the dorm, only to be stopped by a frazzled looking Freddie Barstow, their squad leader. "There you are Ensign Nolan. Lieutenant Olivier wants to see you at base command at 1630."
Glancing at her watch, Kat scowled at Barstow. "That gives me less than ten minutes to change." Adding a reluctant, "sir" when Barstow gave her a pointed look.
Barstow shrugged. "Not my fault. I've been looking for you for almost thirty minutes now."
Not wanting to waste the little time that she had left arguing, Kat double-timed it up the stairs to throw on her uniform and pin up her hair. She couldn't guess what Olivier wanted, but the lieutenant was known as a stickler for punctuality, as well as not having a lot of patience for sloppiness. Grabbing her cover, Kat headed across the campus. As she entered Command, she was not entirely surprised to find the place practically empty. Anyone with high enough status to get off campus for the holidays pretty much had.
Kat knocked on Lieutenant Olivier's door, walking in when requested, only to stop in shock at a very unexpected face. "Ka...I mean, Captain Foster."
"Captain Foster is requesting your presence for a special mission," Lieutenant Olivier explained, his face making plain that he wasn't falling for whatever mission that Kara had invented that required Kat's presence. Still, one didn't just say no to a Navy Captain, especially one as well-known as Kara. Kat fought to keep the grin off her face. If Kara was here did that mean Danny and the boys came too? What about Ray? He must have known this was happening and never told her, that sneak!
Kara turned to Kat. "Is there anyone you need to talk to before we leave?"
Kat had lived with Kara long enough to get the underlying message. "I should let my roommate, Ensign Ahuja, know where I am, ma'am."
Understanding that Kat didn't want to leave her roommate alone for the holiday, Kara turned back to Lieutenant Olivier. "Actually, I might need to see Ensign Ahuja as well. Could you please ask her to come by?"
"Ma'am, Captain, this is highly irregular," Olivier began. Kara cut him off with a single finger, picking up his phone and dialing. Once it was answered, she handed the phone to Oliver without a word. "Yes, this is ... Yes, sir, I understand. Of course, sir. Thank you, sir. And Merry Christmas, Admiral."
"Well?" Kara's voice could have cut through ice.
"Admiral Slattery says that I am to assist you with anything you request, ma'am," Oliver replied. "I'll just go find Ensign Ahuja, if you want to make yourself comfortable."
Kara took half a second to make a decision. "We'll all go. That way Ensign Nolan can pack a bag."
Forty-five minutes later, Kara dismissed the driver who had escorted them to a nearby beachfront hotel. Kat threw her arms around Kara. "I can't believe that you're here! How did you keep this a secret? And did you really ask Mike to help break us out?"
Kara laughed, hugging Kat tightly in return. "What's the point in knowing a couple of Admirals if you can't use them to throw your weight around a little."
Nisha glanced over at Kat, her eyes huge, and mouthed Admirals? Kat momentarily wondered if spending so much time around the top Navy brass might have desensitized her a little. Just then Kara turned to Nisha. "I'm Kara, by the way. It's lovely to meet you. Kat has nothing but good things to say."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Captain Foster," Nisha replied, sounding a bit intimidating. "I've followed your career for years. You're an inspiration."
"You flatter me." Kara began directing them into the hotel and across the lobby. "But for the next few days, it's Kara. This is a family affair. No titles."
"Where are we going anyway?" Kat asked.
Before Kara could answer, a door opened and a deeper voice interrupted them. "There you are. I was just about to get geared up for an emergency extraction. Hey Kat."
"Danny!" Kat threw her arms around the man she had come to consider a big brother. "Oh, I missed you. This is my roommate, Nisha."
"Hi," Nisha said weakly. She dropped her voice, glancing at Kat again. "What kind of emergency extraction?"
The kind that involved lots of broken rules. "Oh, Danny's just kidding."
"There you are, young woman. About time."
"Debbie." Again Kat whirled, stopping herself from grabbing Debbie when she noticed that Debbie was holding a stack of pies. "Did you bring those with you?"
"What's Christmas without pie?" Debbie winked, before turning to Nisha. "You must be the roommate. Don't let them bother you. They sound scarier than they are."
Kat gasped when Danny opened the door to their suite. In one corner stood a full-decorated Christmas tree with presents spilling out from underneath. The walls were covered in garlands of holly and Kat could hear Christmas music playing.
"Auntie Kat! Auntie Kat!"
"Boys! Oh I missed you!" Kat dropped to her knees as she hugged Frankie and Mark tightly, giving Stevie a moment to adjust before she reached for him, cuddling his tiny body to her, smelling his sweet toddler smell. There was only one person who was missing to make this night perfect, and then, suddenly, he was there.
Ray walked towards Kat, a bouquet of roses in one hand and a grin splitting his face. "Sorry that your gift was late. It took some coordinating. It just wasn't going to be Christmas without you. So if you couldn't come to us, we figured that we would come to you."
"Here, here," Danny added, looping an arm around Kara's waist.
Kat felt the tears rolling down her face but she didn't care. She threw her arms around Ray, pulling him down for a probably-not-quite-child-appropriate kiss. "You, Ray Diaz, are crazy. But I love that about you."
"And I love you," Ray replied, before leaning down to give her another kiss. "Merry Christmas, baby."
"Merry Christmas."