Author's Notes: Thank you again for the wonderful feedback! I had a long week and really wanted to update this the other night, but honestly, it wasn't ready. Plus I have a self imposed rule, I don't publish a chapter until I'm done working on the one I'm currently on and the one I was working on changed thanks to your lovely reviews.

Chapter 2:

Jaz woke up slowly the next morning, the sun peaking in the back skylight slanted over her face and Patton's cold nose poked at her hand demanding attention. Finally, she heard the gurgling of the coffee maker and smiled before stretching to sit up. She could not remember the last time she had slept through the night without some noise waking her. She actually felt rested.

Adam saw her beginning to stir from the small dining table that doubled as his desk. He had his laptop open and an email from Andy filled with pictures of her trip to the Temple of Poseidon. He was grinning at the one of her staring at the water and the wind blowing her hair. She looked happy.

He heard Jaz pad over to stand behind him. "Andy," he stated pointing to another picture where she was talking to a child of about eight years old. He didn't talk about her much, but Jaz could tell, that of his three living sisters, he was closest to her.

"What is she doing in Greece?" Jaz asked, grabbing a mug from the cupboard and proceeding to pour herself the first mug of coffee for the day. The smell of the strong coffee already working its magic to chase away the last dregs of sleep.

"She started working there as an English teacher; at least that is what she tells me." He was still studying the pictures of his sister and Jaz could tell something was bothering him. She stood over his shoulder, studying the pictures with him, when she saw what must have made his internal alarm bells go off.

"Dark hair, blue jacket in every picture," he stated pointing to the main with the shadow of a beard on his face and a camera slung around his neck. He was facing away from Andy, but Top was right, he was in every picture. "Am I being paranoid?"

"Top, you're her big brother and with what we do for a living, kind of expected to be a little paranoid. Maybe shoot her a message and tell her to keep an eye out?" Jaz offered knowing that his sister could take care of herself.

"So, what were your plans beyond crashing on my couch?" he questioned as she moved to sit across from him steeling his last piece of toast.

"Maybe do some hiking, I haven't been here in a while and thought it might be worth checking out what if anything has changed." She wrapped her hands around the coffee mug and took a sip before smiling appreciatively.

"Well, I do need to make a run to town this afternoon for groceries, because what I have won't feed the two of us." He mentioned taking a sip of his own coffee. Having someone else in the cabin to have an actual conversation with over coffee was already more enjoyable than the quiet over the last few weeks. And Jaz was someone he could relax around for the most part.

"Not if McG and Amir are coming." She stated it matter-of-factly and hid her smile behind her coffee mug. Adam set his coffee cup down with an audible thwack.

"What do you mean they are coming here? Did anyone think it may not be the smartest plan to sneak up on a guy?" He knew they were bound to show up, but usually he had more than a same day notice.

"Why do you think I showed up first? Someone had to warn you. They wanted to descend on you and finally have the conversation about those hours in Turkey. I told them to give me a few hours to talk to you first," she explained and watched his face register just what that meant. "You didn't think I was the only one with something to say, did you?"

He scowled at her and shut his laptop before moving to the stove to start cooking eggs for the two of them. He needed something to keep his mind off the thoughts stumbling through his head. She was smirking, and he heard the camera on her phone go off and he glanced over his shoulder to see what she was taking a picture of and grinned at Patton with his paw in her hand.

Jaz sent the picture to McG and Amir as well as Preach, so that they knew she had made it safely to Top's cabin in the mountains. Picking up her coffee mug, she walked to the front door and let Patton to do his business and followed as far as the front porch. Sometime overnight it had snowed and turned the woods surrounding Dalton's cabin into a winter wonderland. She used to find such views pretty, but now she was forcibly reminded of the days she spent in the white room of the black site in Tehran.

Dalton looked up and saw that she was standing on the front porch staring at the snow, but she hadn't shut the door. Turning off the stove, he moved slowly to the front door, not wanting to startle her, but then Patton let out a sharp bark of warning. He watched in slow motion as the coffee mug she was holding slipped from her fingers and shattered upon impact with the porch, the hot coffee splashing her feet and legs.

"Shit," she cursed as she stepped back on a broken shard of the ceramic mug. "Shit!" she exclaimed, and he moved towards her.

"Don't move," he ordered sharply as he slipped his boots on and reaching down, he lifted her up off her feet by her waist and moved to deposit her on the table, so he could look at her foot.

"Patton, stay!" she ordered the dog when she saw him moving towards the porch. The dog actually listened and stayed on the step. "Top, get the dog first, I'm fine." She was pointing to the mug fragments that were between the dog and the front door. He looked her foot over quickly and assessed that he was going to need the first aid kit he kept in the bathroom just as he heard a vehicle pull up. Patton turned to bark at the approaching vehicle and jumped at McG when he opened the driver side door of their jeep.

"You two okay in there?" Amir questioned as they climbed the stairs and saw the remains of the coffee mug.

"Yeah, I dropped my coffee mug. I blame the dog," she answered looking down at her foot. Dalton glanced at her knowing that she was only telling a half truth.

"Jaz, you aren't supposed to need stitches when you're on leave," McG added as he came to kneel beside Dalton.

"Amir, can you please sweep the mug so that the dog doesn't get hurt," Jaz requested as Dalton moved to the bathroom to get the first aid kit, firmly ignoring McG's comments. She knew she would not need stitches, she was more annoyed than anything. Most of the time she didn't react to the snow that way but seeing it so pristine and the silence reminded her too much of that stark room. She had managed to not zone out thinking about Tehran most of leave, but even she could admit that part of her had spent leave running from the nightmares that still crept up on her.

McG studied her face for the first time and then lifted her right foot. "You end up at the wrong end of a fist too? What did Top beat you up for surprising him?" he teased her, but the smile she gave him didn't reach her eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her and she gave him a slight shake of her head. He knew not to push what was bothering her. She would confess in her own time if she needed.

"Nah, she tangled with someone besides me. I'm sure he didn't make the same mistake twice," Top answered him with a playful grin aimed her way.

McG pulled the shard of the mug from Jaz's foot and cleaned the wound before deciding she didn't need stitches after all, just a heavy-duty band aid. He patched her up and patted her knee affectionately before Dalton handed them both fresh cups of coffee. "Try not to step on anything that will require medical attention before we deploy, Amir on overwatch still makes me nervous," he teased before moving to sit on the couch. Amir had taken up a spot at the table and Dalton had moved to his favorite chair. Patton was still excited to see everyone and continued to move from one person to the next. The only one missing was Preach and Dalton felt like part of his family was missing.

"So, what's the plan?" Amir questioned as he took a sip of his own coffee.

"Well, apparently Top doesn't know how to go grocery shopping when he's on leave," Jaz stated with a smirk.

"I nominate Amir," McG offered with a grin.

"Second!" Jaz laughed as Top rose his hand in the air. He hated shopping anyway. It felt good to laugh again.

Jaz looked around at her guys and felt a pang that Preach wasn't there with them and shared a glance with Top. He looked almost content to just sit there and watch them interact with each other. Laughing and teasing and not looking over their shoulder. She saw the hesitancy though. Preach missing, the fact that his sister had someone following her, and he was half a world away. Patton must have sensed it too because he walked over and rested his head on Dalton's knee. Top absently scratched him behind the ears.

Amir caught the glance between their CO and sniper and felt a bit of envy with how easy the two of them were with one another. He remembered a comment Preach had made once regarding connections with people and it was no doubt that Jaz and Top had a connection that transcended CO and sniper. He had only had that experience once in his career and it had been fleeting. He was drawn back into conversation about dinner and what he could make, along with what he had been doing on leave.

They were making a list for dinner and gathering up to head into town when their cell phones all went off simultaneously. Ingrained habit had them all looking to Top once they saw that the call was from the DIA. He didn't have his secure laptop, so he dialed in from memory.

"Looks like leave's over," McG stated looking at Jaz. She nodded in response and watched as Dalton took on the mask of CO. They watched as he moved to the front porch and closed the door. It was never a good sign when he left the room.

He returned moments later and told them to pack up, they were headed to DC. They would be driving as it was faster than going to an airstrip. They seamlessly moved to pack up and Top called his uncle to let him know that they were shipping out earlier than expected and he would need to send someone over to close up the cabin for him. His uncle assured him it would be taken care of and they were out the door in a matter of an hour.

Across the country, Preach got the call and looked at his wife and daughters before moving to the other room to call in. He had not technically been cleared for duty, but he and his wife had made the decision that this would be his last deployment. He was not going out without trying his hardest to get back. He hated being away from his girls, but he loved what he did, and he needed to see his other family. He had unfinished business with them. He was on a plane to DC and would meet the team at headquarters.