Hi everyone. I'm back from overseas and wanted to post this ASAP. Please excuse any mistakes, my jet lag is hindering my editing. Hope you all enjoy!

I don't own The Brave or any of it's characters... but I wish I did!

Chapter 12

Late that afternoon Dalton returned from the airport with McG in tow, who strode into the cabin like he had lived there all his life. His larger than life presence immediately filled the cabin with a sense of fun and light heartedness and both Amir and Jaz smiled brightly when they saw him.

"Best get back in that kitchen buddy, I'm starving." McG chided while he clasped Amir's hand and clapped him on the back.

Amir just snorted, "You're always starving, but I think you'll like dinner."

"Jazzy!" McG exclaimed as he picked her up and spun her around.

"Put me down you big umph." Jaz retorted, but she wasn't angry. As soon as he put her back on the floor, he pulled her in for a real hug and kissed her forehead, genuinely happy to be reunited with four fifths of his team.

Jaz hugged him back and turned her scowl into a smile. She was just as happy to be reunited with McG, no matter how much shit she liked to hang on him.

"I'll give you the tour." Dalton offered and led McG away briefly.

"Fuck Top, this bathroom has a double shower, a double shower! Bet you've put that to good use over the years." McG baited him while wriggling his eyebrows.

This caught Jaz's attention and she just waited for Dalton to respond.

Dalton didn't take the bait and just gave him a sardonic look and stated, "No showering sandals in my shower. It's pristine and your mold mittens will not be changing that, we clear?"

"Aye, aye, Captain."

"This place is like a palace, definitely not rustic." McG had continued.

"Yeah, yeah, so I keep hearing." Dalton sighed.

"Amir," McG called out as went back into the living room, "Top filled me in on the sleeping arrangements on the drive back. Feel like giving up the bed for your much taller friend?"

Amir just looked up quickly, "Nope."

"You don't even wanna think about it?" McG questioned.

"Nope."

Jaz watched the two of them as their familiar banter picked right back up where they had left off. She couldn't help but wonder what McG's reaction was when Top had told him about the sleeping arrangements, but she was glad she wasn't present for that conversation. Not that McG's reaction would have bothered her either way, but she didn't know if she would have been able to stop her face turning red, especially when she thought about being in Dalton's bed and what they had done in there.

She would have to give Top another thank you for saving her from that conversation. He was definitely racking them up.

Dalton walked over to the fridge and got three beers out. When he handed one to Jaz, her eyes caught his briefly and the look in them was thanks enough for him.

He knew it would be easier to tell McG the news himself. McG is pretty unflappable and didn't even bat an eyelid. He just accepted it and had told Top that if that was best for Jaz, that's all he cared about. McG and Jaz acted and fought like siblings, but underneath it all, at the root of it all, their affection for each other ran deep.

Dalton held Jaz's gaze a second or two longer and just slightly nodded his head. They just had another one of their silent conversations; no words, questions or explanations needed.

A couple of hours later, Dalton was showing McG around outside the cabin with Patton, while Jaz helped Amir in the kitchen.

Towards the end of their deployment she had started helping him occasionally with his cooking and she had found it therapeutic. Amir had no expectations of her. He didn't force conversation, he wasn't confrontational and he always seemed to know when to push or not to push. It was those qualities that changed Jaz's opinion of him.

They had just finished laying everything on the dining table when Dalton and McG came back in.

Instantly recognising the scent, McG yelled with delight, "Chaka Khan!"

Amir grinned, "Thought I'd make your favourite for your arrival, and who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?"

"Thanks, it feels like weeks since I've had this." McG expressed emphatically.

"That's because it has been." Dalton rolled his eyes, but good naturedly.

Jaz just looked around the table happily. Three of her guys, all back together and as if they hadn't just spent weeks apart. Sitting around the table like this, they could almost be back in Incirlik. Except Top didn't have any paper work to prioritise, McG had his shirt on, Amir had a lot more cooking amenities available, they were surrounded by a large, lush mountain range, and of course, they were missing Preach. Also, she had a lot of new memories involving Top now, which she certainly hadn't had the last time they were deployed.

"Looks like that storm front is heading here tomorrow, we might be cabin bound." Dalton explained as they dug into Amir's Shakshuka.

"Good job I bought that bottle of tequila with me." McG said proudly, earning him another eye roll from both Top and Jaz.

After dinner, McG nominated himself to do the dishes, which shocked them all, but he was claiming to have turned over a new leaf. Amir tidied the kitchen with him, while Dalton and Jaz went outside to do a check before the storm hit and to give Patton a quick run outside.

They walked up to the jetty on the lake where they had been fishing, just for Patton to stretch his legs. Jaz took the opportunity to ask Dalton about McG while they were by themselves and out of ear shot.

"So, McG didn't bat an eyelid about the sleeping arrangements?" Jaz ferreted.

"Nope. He just wants to do what's best for you. He even offered to change it up and sleep on the floor with you a few nights."

Jaz just looked at him and he smiled cheekily and took a step closer, "Don't worry, I told him I had it, but I'd let him know if that changed."

She smiled back at him and took a step even closer so they were toe-to-toe, "I'll keep that in mind if you start snoring."

Dalton snorted, "Well we both know McG snores for the whole of the army, so good luck with that." Which they both had a chuckle at, before gazing into each other's eyes.

"So, have you put the double shower to good use over the years?" Jaz attempted to ask aloofly.

Dalton just stared back at her, holding her gaze for a long moment before whispering, "Not yet…"

Out there on the jetty, where so much emotion had been shared so far, it was hard not to feel the electricity between them. Face-to-face, they breathed in the scent of each other and stared at each other's lips, wondering if they could take the risk of tasting the others lips. Dusk was just setting and through the trees the jetty wasn't visible to the cabin, but the thought of Amir and McG just beyond those trees held them back. Just.

They only had to make it through another few hours, before they would be back in Dalton's bed, and out of eye sight and ear shot, mostly, from the others.

They ended up watching movies that night, and to keep things neutral, Jaz sat on the couch with McG, who she had been known to fall asleep on in the past. This often happened on base during quieter times. The team would gather and watch a few movies and inevitably, a few of them ended up asleep.

As predicted both McG and Jaz fell asleep, Jaz's head on McG's shoulder with his head resting on top of hers, snoring.

Before waking either of them, Amir made sure to both video this and take a photo to send through to Preach to show that not much had changed. Dalton had to wake up McG in order to lift Jaz into his arms and carry her into his bedroom. Having stirred, McG watched and couldn't help but notice the gentle way in which Top carried Jaz. It was almost reverently, as if she might break. He stared after them and tilted his head as he observed their behaviour. He tried to catch Amir's eye, but he was too busy texting on his phone, which wasn't like Amir at all.

He looked up as Top came to sit back down on the couch, obviously not going to bed himself just yet.

"Jazzy been catching up on some sleep while she's been here?" He asked.

Dalton shrugged a little and ran his hand through his beard, "Yeah, a bit. There's been a couple of nightmares, but other than that she's been ok."

'Well she needs the rest, she had a pretty shit run on deployment this time around." McG observed. Being the team medic he always needed to make sure his team mates were ok, even when they were at home.

Dalton nodded in agreeance, trying not to give anything away regarding what was happening between himself and Jaz through his facial expressions.

The three guys sat and watched the end of the movie, before Dalton decided to call it a night, so that "Jaz didn't succumb to nightmares." Which was partly true.

Amir and McG watched him walk into his bedroom and close the door behind him, before exchanging bemused glances and shaking their heads. They didn't voice anything, but with that look, they didn't need to.

Very early the next morning, before the sun had even risen, Jaz woke up from another nightmare free sleep with her face buried against Dalton's chest and his arms wrapped around her. His blonde chest hair was tickling her face, but his warmth and his own personal scent made her feel safe, like he always made her feel safe.

She flattened one of her hands on his chest and glanced upward to his face to determine if he was still asleep. He shifted slightly, but gave her no response, so she leant forward to lightly place her lips on his chest in a soft kiss. Still no response so she placed a kiss in the hollow of this throat, and then once again on his neck. Still nothing.

She then placed a feather light kiss to his lips and smiled as he stirred and lazily spoke, "Good morning," into her lips. She pressed another kiss to his lips and smiled into his mouth as one of his hands buried itself in the hair at the back of her head and held her against him, deepening the kiss.

Waking up like this was literally bliss, for the both of them.

"I guess I fell asleep on the couch again?" Jaz whispered as she pulled back from him.

"Uh huh, so unsociable." Dalton teased with a sleep roughened voice.

"Well I can try and be a little more sociable now…" She trailed off as she looked up at him through her long eyelashes. She leant forward to kiss his chest again and he responded by tilting her chin up to meet his gaze and placing a longer, possessive kiss on her lips.

They kissed languidly for a couple of minutes, pulling each other close and just appreciating waking up with each other and enjoying exploring whatever this non-labelled situation was.

Just as the kiss started to take a more heated turn, a massive clap of thunder made them jump apart. Once again their rapid reactions to loud noises kicked in and it took them a few seconds to realise that it was the weather, and not the threat of enemies.

"Storm's here, I better go let Patton out quickly." He gave Jaz a quick kiss and then got up out of bed, quickly ruffled the blankets on the floor so it looked like he had slept down there and padded out into the lounge room where McG was sleeping on the couch. Of course the thunder hadn't woken him up.

It was still pitch black outside, so Dalton didn't stay outside for too long, but with the storm starting this early, he was hopeful it might blow over early too. That way they could get out of the cabin in the afternoon.

A couple of hours and a few coffees later, the team were all up and about, albeit indoors.

While the storm raged around them, Amir was chopping vegetables and making preparations for dinner that evening. McG was watching a baseball game on the TV while Dalton and Jaz were both reading.

The constant loud rumbling of thunder, the lightning flashes and heavy downpour of rain had Patton sitting up on the couch next to Jaz, his head resting in her lap as she scratched him behind the ears comfortingly, with her focus still on the book she was reading.

Being stuck inside like this, in close quarters didn't bother them in the slightest, in fact it felt quite normal, but Dalton wanted to show them around a bit and hoped the storm didn't hang around all day.

When Amir finished up in the kitchen and came to join them in the lounge room, he picked up his phone and immediately started texting.

McG looked at him out of the corner of his eye and called him out on it, "Why you glued to your phone so much Amir? You usually give me and Jaz shit for being phone addicts."

"Just trying to keep up with you two."

McG frowned at the short dismissal, which made him even more curious, "Who you texting then?"

"Just a friend."

"A friend? Or a friend?" McG snooped with extra emphasis, suddenly becoming a lot more interested.

Jaz looked up from her book and grinned, which McG caught sight of.

"It is a friend…" McG directed this towards Jaz and she just grinned even harder.

"C'mon Jazzy, spill." When Jaz gave him donuts, he turned his attention to Dalton, "Top, you know who this is?"

Dalton didn't even look up from his book, having followed along with the conversation, but not acknowledging it until now, "Yep."

"That's it? You won't tell?"

"If there is a friend, it is Amir's choice to tell you, not mine." Dalton reasoned with his commanding officer voice.

"Fine, whatever." McG sighed. He would find out sooner or later, he would make it his mission.

If it was even possible, the rain outside was even heavier now, beating down against the roof and windows of the cabin. The noise was deafening. Dalton checked the weather radar, and although it looked catastrophic for now, it did appear to be blowing over by early afternoon. He started to formulate a plan in his head.

Sure enough, just after midday, it was a different day outside. The sun was shining and the skies were blue, but the humidity level was through the roof.

Dalton disappeared outside with Patton by his side, only to return about 20 mins later with all sorts of fishing paraphernalia that he left on the porch, before re-entering his cabin.

"Alright, how do we all feel about some fly fishing this afternoon? The best fishing is after a storm and I know the perfect place." He attempted to rally the troops.

After being stuck inside all morning, they were all keen.

"Pack a swim suit too, we can go for a dip." Dalton sub consciously directed this to Jaz, as his eyes darkened remembering she had bought a new bikini the other day. She stared back at him with glimmer of a smile on her face before heading into the bathroom to change.

Dalton drove them to a spot by the river about 20 minutes away, and got them all set up with rods and wading equipment.

Jaz was keen to fish again, after a successful outing on their last fishing attempt. She got straight into the river and Dalton showed her how to manoeuvre the longer rod. She was really enjoying this new found pastime and was glad she had persisted after her unsuccessful first attempt.

Dalton also guided Amir and McG through the basics, and they picked it up quickly. He wouldn't expect anything less from these guys. They were an Omega team for a reason.

They spent a couple of hours fishing in the river. The water was fairly calm after the morning's storm and just enjoying this cathartic pastime together, had them relaxed and happy. As the humidity continued to soar, they ditched the fishing rods on the bank and stripped down to their swim suits before letting the cool water dissipate their heated bodies.

"Now this is heaven." McG signed as he floated on his back, letting the water hold his weight.

Jaz was wading in the shallower water, just enjoying the peacefulness as Dalton waded over to her. Amir and McG were a little bit further down, having let the current float them away.

"So, umm – no new bikini today huh?" Dalton teased. Not that he was complaining about the one piece bathing suit Jaz had on, he just knew it wasn't new.

"Uh, no." Jaz ducked her head as she answered, and Dalton frowned, immediately sensing that something was wrong.

"You ok? Talk to me."

"I'm fine."

"Jaz." He said dryly, knowing her well enough to know when something was bothering her. And Jaz knew Dalton well enough that he probably wouldn't let up until she talked.

"It's just, umm – all of my scars are on display in the bikini. I didn't think it through." She couldn't meet his eyes and kept her head lowered, suddenly becoming fascinated with the current of the river around her legs.

Dalton's heart tugged at that. He had seen a lot of her scars already. Hell, she had her top off laying beneath him a couple of nights ago, but that had been in darkness, and he had only ever seen her in a one piece bathing suit. He hadn't thought she was bothered, she always seemed so strong.

"Hey – Jaz, look at me." He pleaded.

She just shook her head and kept her eyes on the water. She was not going to let the tears fall out here. Not with the other guys not too far away.

Dalton spoke again, quietly, "Jaz, those scars are a testament to you and your strength; to your courage. Yeah, you went through hell getting them. All of them. But you fought like hell to survive them, and you did. They might have bad memories attached to them, but they're also a reminder that you won; that they didn't stop you, no matter who or what gave them to you. And I know that I, for one, am super proud of your strength, of your tenacity and of your resilience. You're a survivor and those scars represent that."

When Jaz still kept her gaze lowered, struggling to contain the emotions bubbling inside of her, he was desperate to touch her, desperate to wrap her up in his arms, desperate to kiss away all her pain. So he spoke again softly, "You couldn't be more beautiful in my eyes, Jaz."

With those words, Jaz slowly raised her eyes to meet those beautiful blue orbs of his; searching them and seeing nothing but truth and honesty in their reflection. She still couldn't speak for the fear of breaking down, but she didn't need to. She would give anything to be in his arms right then, but she settled for holding his intense gaze, believing everything that his eyes were conveying right then.

Just down the river, Amir and McG were both pretending not to be watching them. They couldn't hear the conversation, but they could see the way Jaz and Dalton were looking at each other. Like they always looked at each other. Once again, they exchanged bemused glances before going back to enjoying the feel of floating down the river.

That evening, they all indulged in one of Amir's new recipes, lamb kafta, tabbouleh and manakish, a type of flatbread. It was delicious and they all enjoyed it, especially McG. After dinner he brought the bottle of tequila out of his bag ready for a big night.

Despite the groans from Dalton and Jaz, they knew they would partake in the shots, while Amir would once again look on and laugh at them, then probably laugh at them again the next morning.

"Don't write yourself off completely if you want to go to the waterfall tomorrow." Dalton reminded McG, "It take a couple of hours to hike there."

"Not a problem, Top. I always bounce back quickly," making the other three laugh hysterically since he was notorious for his hangovers. He just shrugged his shoulders with his hands up in the air, and laughed along with them.

A few shots down and Amir sent a photo of the three downing tequila to their group chat for Preach to see.

McG must be close to passing out, how many has he had? – Preach

More than he can count – Amir

Hey, I've only had three – McG

Yep, sounds about right – Preach

Next one is for you Preach – Jaz

You should all come out here. I'm ready for some alcohol – Preach

I'm there, just say when – McG

We'll figure something out – Preach

Sounds good – Top

Make sure you've got a bucket for McG, Top. Don't want him vomiting in your palace – Preach

Dalton just shook his head. He would never hear the end of this, his rustic cabin.

McG saw Amir texting away on his phone again, but it couldn't be to their group chat because there weren't messages appearing on his screen.

"Amir, do you even have any friends to text so much?"

Luckily, Amir knew that this was just McG banter, not a nasty jibe.

"Well yeah, more than just my Mom anyway." Amir threw back at him.

"Ha ha," McG retorted, but good naturedly. It was clear that Amir was still not willing to tell him who it was on the other end. He was pretty sure he'd find out eventually.

A couple more shots later and McG kicked the others off his bed, the couch, and told them if he had to be up early, he needed his beauty sleep.

Jaz and Dalton were in his room, both slightly tipsy from the tequila, but still very much of their own mind. Jaz was removing her earrings in front of a dresser of draws when Dalton walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. His touch made her shiver, and she could feel his thumb rubbing over a spot on her shoulder where she knew a scar inflicted from Tehran was located.

She stood still and as she felt his soft lips press against that same spot, she closed her eyes and inhaled, her heart thundering in her chest. She felt him press his lips against another scar, and another, until he had covered the whole area of her back exposed by her tank top.

He gently turned her around and ran his thumbs over similar scars near her collar bone, but instead of kissing them, he caught her lips with his and gave her a long lingering kiss, which she immediately responded to.

When he pulled back he rested his forehead against her and whispered, "That's what I wanted to do at the river today."

"Me too." Jaz admitted, once again feeling safe in his arms.

They got into bed, lying on their sides facing each other.

Dalton reached his hand out to trace her collarbone again, and her skin tingled all over. So much so, that she immediately leant over to kiss him, one of her hands cupping his cheek, with her fingers running through his beard.

He moved his hand down her arm, down her side and rested it on her hip, pushing her tank top and sleep shorts aside so he was caressing her skin. His fingers moved across her skin, tickling her and causing her to squirm a little, but the feel of his hand on her skin was electrifying.

Still kissing, she threaded her fingers from his beard into his hair, and pulled him close, holding him against her, so that she rolled onto her back. He ended up leaning over her and the hand on her hip, moved to the flat of her stomach and caressed the skin below her belly button.

Pulling back momentarily to look her in the eye, only to kiss her again with passion, he let his hand drift lower and lower, softly cupping her through her shorts before applying a little bit of pressure. He pulled back to lick the sensitive spot on her neck and he heard her gasp slightly.

Holding his head against her neck, with her lips right next to his ear, she whispered, "Adam, please touch me."

He wasn't sure if it was the use of his first name, or the longing he could hear in her voice, or both, but he had never heard anything so sexy and he didn't waste any time in sliding his hand beneath her shorts. His need to pleasure her far outweighed his worry of his two mates on the other sides of his walls. They would just have to be quiet.

Adam's hand kept moving lower until his fingers slid over her already wet slit and slipped between her folds. As his middle finger located her clit and started to slowly rub up and down over it, Jaz moaned and he quickly moved his lips from her neck to her lips to swallow it.

"Shhhhhhhhh, remember." He spoke into her mouth.

"Mmmhmm." Was all Jaz could respond.

His finger kept moving against her, up and down, long slow strokes, as her hips started moving in rhythm with his fingers. Jaz's eyes were closed in pleasure and Adam watched her face as he could see the bliss starting to build.

He started to make circles around her clit, still slowly to begin with, before starting to build up the speed. He predicted her moan this time and before she could let it out, he crashed his lips against hers, kissing her deeply and thoroughly.

Jaz was on fire. Having Adam's fingers touch the most sensitive part of her body, building up her ecstasy, she had never been so turned on. She had thought about this happening over the years, but never in her wildest dreams did she think it would actually happen.

She continued to kiss him back, feeling the waves of pleasure gradually building and her hips tried to keep up with the rhythm of his fingers. When the pleasure felt almost too much to bare, he increased the speed of his finger against her clit even more, kissed her deeper than ever and in no time at all she was reaching her crescendo. Pleasure flooded her entire body and she held his face against hers, making sure he muffled her cries, as her body continued to spasm through her orgasm.

His finger remained on her clit while the waves start to slow down and their kisses became less urgent. Her eyes had been closed, but when she opened them, she found those blue eyes of his studying her face, as if searching for something. When his eyes locked on her gaze, they seemed to find what they were looking for and softened with something she couldn't quite read.

Whatever it was, she had the feeling that it would be getting harder and harder to keep their hands off each other, especially knowing the kind of pleasure they were capable of sharing together.

I just love McG's energy, I think he helps to really hold this team together. What did you think of this chapter? I know it's still a slow burn, but I did warn you about that early on ;)