I'm posting this a bit earlier than expected this week because I won't have chance to post on the weekend. Hope you all enjoy :)

I don't own The Brave or any of its characters... But I wish I did!

Chapter 13

All four of them, and Patton, left the next morning to start the hike to the waterfall.

Despite last night's tequila, McG had no hangover to speak of, and had quite a pep in his step because of that. He was eager to see some sights and to share it with three of his favourite people.

Amir had his fancy camera along with him again, and stopped frequently to take photos of… everything. So much so, that McG started to give him shit about it, "Amir, it's like a thousand degrees out here. I wanna get to that waterfall before I evaporate."

That didn't stop Amir, if anything he slowed down even more. Dalton offered to stay with him, to let him take as many photos as he wanted and he sent Jaz and McG ahead.

"You remember the way, Jaz?"

Jaz just tilted her head at him without saying anything.

"Of course you do. We'll meet you there, hopefully won't be too long." Dalton told them with a small smile directed at Jaz.

McG watched Jaz return that small smile, before they took off ahead, eager to get in the water.

After walking together for a few minutes, with a little bit of distance put between them and Top and Amir, McG looked at Jaz out the corner of his eyes.

"So what's going on with you and Top?" He asked brazenly. Never one for being backward in coming forward, he decided directness was the best way to tackle this.

Jaz just looked up at him frowning, "What are you talking about?"

"C'mon Jazzy, we're spies." McG just raised his eyebrows at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jaz just shakes her head indifferently, hoping like hell she looks a lot more calm than she feels. She had been worried about Amir picking up on something, given that he was a master at what he did. McG however, she thought they might be safe from. It would appear not, and she should have known better.

They were an Omega Team.

Regardless, she was going to play dumb for as long as she could. Neither she nor Dalton had things figured out and she didn't want to give weight to whatever they may be, without having talked anything through with him.

"Ok," McG put his hands up in surrender, "But you should know that none of us would care if something was happening. We've all seen you two together; you're different with each other than with anyone else. Not saying that's a bad thing, we can just see a connection."

Preach's words from the surveillance van in Seville flashed back to Jaz just then, "You don't have to apologise for making a connection with someone. That kind of thing is not common, it shouldn't be ignored no matter how difficult the circumstances may be."

Jaz suddenly realised that they all probably thought the same thing. They all thought there was something between her and Top. They weren't wrong, but she felt vulnerable knowing that she must have been an open book for them all to pick up on it.

She still wasn't going to acknowledge it to anyone just yet. Whatever this label-less circumstance was, she and Top had to figure that out together, before anyone else did.

When she gave no response to McG, he knew that topic was done – for now. He knew better than to badger her about something she didn't want to talk about. At the end of the day, he wanted to see Jaz happy. He knew she's had more than her fair share of shit in her life, and if Top made her happy, he couldn't think of a better guy for her.

Jaz and McG had pushed on and got to the waterfall a full half an hour before Dalton and Amir arrived with Patton.

They were already in the water, having literally run in after quickly dumping their stuff, stripping off their clothes and finding relief from the heat. McG currently stood with his head right under the fall of water, letting the coolness wash all over him, while Jaz was swimming close by, keeping as much of her body underwater as possible, to take the heat out her skin.

Once Dalton and Amir joined them in the water, an epic splash fight broke out, started by none other than McG himself. He was such a big kid, another one of his lovable traits, and couldn't help himself.

The storm from the previous day had damaged some of the walking tracks leading to the waterfall, and as a result, there was hardly anyone else around today. Even Patton joined them in the water, proudly swimming his doggie paddle out to where the team were congregating.

"What? Patton swims now?" McG exclaimed.

"Sure does." Dalton answered proudly.

From where they stood in the water, Dalton pointed out a couple of things in their surrounds to McG and Amir, including another lookout at the top of the waterfall, which they were both keen to check out after some lunch.

"Amir, we need to go and see if you can stand in those rock pools." McG reminded Amir of the text conversation after Top had first sent photos of the waterfall, the day Jaz arrived at his cabin.

Amir just rolled his eyes, but decided to indulge McG otherwise he would never let up. They both made their way over to the rock pools and Dalton and Jaz laughed as they watched McG pretend to throw Amir in one of the larger pools. These two could definitely pass as brothers; they certainly acted like it.

Jaz and Dalton swam towards the rock pools to get a closer look and as Jaz stood up out of the water and started to walk towards the others, she heard a soft expletive leave Dalton's mouth, "Fuck".

She turned around to look at him and caught him staring at her, or trying not to stare at her, but not being very successful. She was wearing her new bikini, and he had just caught sight of it. It was a deep burgundy in colour, with two strings holding up the top behind her neck and back. The bottoms were just the right cut to show off her long, toned and tanned legs, and were also only being held up with strings tied at her waist.

Dalton could not believe that of all days, Jaz had decided to wear her new bikini today. Here, with the other guys, where he couldn't ogle her, couldn't touch her, couldn't kiss her, couldn't… well everything else. Fuck, she looked amazing, more than amazing!

Jaz knew the effect she was having on Dalton right then, and knew exactly why he was staying below the water level for a few more minutes. He'd put her at ease about her scars the day and night before, so she thought she would take the bikini out for a test drive, and she was hoping it would make Adam react like that.

She didn't want to draw attention to them and whatever they were, but she sure was having fun teasing him. Seeing Captain Adam Dalton lost for words, uncomfortable and clearly in discomfort, was kind of fun.

Jaz gave him a quick knowing, but sassy smile, before turning back to Amir and McG, leaving Dalton to have to once again stay underwater until the tell-tale signs of his desire had… gone down.

Turns out Amir could stand in the rock pools, much to McG's disgust. There was even photographic evidence to send to Preach.

They sat and had some lunch and layed out and soaked up the sun on their towels. Thankfully for Dalton, Jaz had put a cover-up on for now so he didn't have to go and hide out in the water again.

Amir got his camera out and started to put on his shoes. He motioned to McG, "C'mon, are we going to climb up to that lookout?"

"Let me just put my shoes on." McG sat himself up and started to get ready himself.

"And a shirt." Jaz added bluntly.

McG grinned at her, "Am I making you uncomfortable Jazzy?"

"Just being sun smart… and I don't want to vomit up my lunch, I need the energy to hike back out later." She shrugged dryly.

McG put his hand on his heart and pretended to be wounded, "You kill me Jaz."

She grinned at him and waved him and Amir off as they started walking in the direction of the path leading to the lookout. She hadn't been up to that lookout herself, but she was taking a tiny opportunity to be alone with Dalton.

She picked up her own sun screen and took her cover-up off. Looking at Dalton, she held the sunscreen out to him, "Speaking of being sun smart… can you do my back?"

Dalton looked up at her from where he was sitting on his towel with his tongue between his teeth. He slowly got to his feet, grabbed the sunscreen from her hand, purposely lingering on her wrist as he did so. She turned around and the moment she felt his hands across the top of her back, her eyes closed. Just his touch was enough to send her into a state of bliss. He moved his hands across her back and shoulders in long, slow strokes, trying desperately to control his body's reactions to just touching her skin, unsuccessfully.

He threw the sunscreen back on her towel, and with a gruff, "We're going swimming," grabbed Jaz's hand and started walking towards the water.

Jaz was just as ready to be in that water, and as soon as they were waist deep, they immediately began swimming towards the body of water between the cascading waterfall and its rock interface. It was the spot they had been in the last time they came here, alone.

No sooner had they reached their spot, than Dalton immediately grabbed Jaz to pull her close, lifted her so her legs wrapped around his waist and kissed her open mouthed and hard, as if she was his lifeline. Jaz clung tight to him and kissed him back just as hard and just as eager.

Dalton walked with Jaz wrapped around him, lips never leaving hers, hands on her ass, until her back collided with the rock face. He tried not to be too rough to ensure she didn't end up with any more scars on her back, but it was a struggle. He wanted to be as close to her as possible and as he lowered her legs to the ground, still chest deep in water, he ground his hips into hers. She could feel him, rock hard, pressed up against her.

He held her face in his hands, just staring deeply into her eyes, not quite believing the all-encompassing effect Jaz could have on him. It was as if every fibre in his body was magnetised to hers, and he couldn't get enough. He captured her lips again and again, their kisses deep and passionate.

He pressed himself into her again.

"See what you do to me?" He moaned into her mouth, in between their desperate kisses, tongues battling for dominance.

They ran their hands all over each other's bodies, and Dalton teasingly stroked his fingers along the top seam of her bikini bottoms, low on her stomach. Pulling back to look her in the eyes, he moved his fingers beneath her bikini and slid down to finger her clit. The immediate pleasure had Jaz's eyes glazing over and after stroking her a few more times, he moved even lower to slide his middle finger inside of her, making her groan.

Deciding that they were in this together, Jaz put her hand around his neck for balance and as she did so, moved her hand down inside his board shorts to grasp his cock in her hand. It was Dalton's turn to groan this time, especially when she ran her thumb across the tip of his cock, before stroking down his length.

They began stroking each other slowly and Jaz leaned forward to place a hot kiss on the pulse point of his neck. When she pulled back, they both increased their rhythm and Dalton inserted another finger inside her, intensifying her pleasure, causing her to crash her lips back onto his for an anchor. She increased the speed of her strokes up and down his cock, as he kept up the same pace of his strokes inside her.

Faster and faster they pumped each other, whirlpools of sensations building in each of them. Her grip on him becoming firmer as he stroked her inner walls more urgently, neither of them willing to come without the other.

The wave of sensations they were both feeling, the feel of the cool water taming their hot skin and their deep seated desire for each other eventually took over. Their mutual gratification becoming so frenzied they pulled their lips back from each other as they lost control, their hands frantically moving against the other.

Whirlpools of sensations turned into tidal waves, as they both cried out their ecstasy, thankful the roar of the cascading water behind them drowned out their mutual release.

Standing with their foreheads resting against each other, ripples still rolling off them and still touching each other intimately, Dalton whispered, "Did I mention that I fucking love this bikini?"

Jaz smiled at him knowingly, but with no energy to answer him yet. They both became limp in each other's arms after coming down from their orgasms, and their breathing was slowly returning to a more natural rate. Pulling their hands away from each other, Jaz put both her arms around his neck to hold herself up, joined her lips with his for a long kiss and pulled back, "Did I mention that I fucking love what you do to me?"

Dalton kissed her back, several times, slowly and deliberately. The desperation from earlier had been alleviated with their mutual pleasure and they took a few moments just to bask in the moment before they had to emerge from the waterfall and swim back into the real world; where their teammates would soon be re-joining them.

Amir and McG had reached the lookout point after a steep climb, but the view at the top was worth it.

McG whistled in appreciation, while Amir started snapping away with his camera. Top had definitely been right all these years, the Blue Ridge Mountains were magnificent.

After looking at their surroundings from all the different angles the lookout provided, they both stood against the railing, looking down at the lake below them. From this angle the actual waterfall wasn't visible, but they could hear its roar, cascading beneath them.

"As soon as we get back down there, I'm getting straight back in that water." McG said longingly, feeling the heat after the climb and Amir nodded in agreeance.

Just as they started to pull back from the railing, they saw Jaz and Dalton swim into view.

"Where did they appear from?" McG wondered.

"They must have been under the cascade or behind the waterfall."

McG had a smile spread slowly across his face, "What would they be doing there?" He asked presumptuously.

Amir shrugged nonchalantly, "Swimming."

"I doubt it," McG answered confidently.

"What else would they be doing?" Amir asked innocently, trying to bait McG into speaking his mind.

They looked at each other and after a moment, slow smiles spread across both their faces. They both knew they were thinking the same thing. It didn't need to be said.

After another brief glance down at their Captain and sniper, both now standing in the lake with Patton swimming out to them, they turned around and started the climb back down, eager to cool off and enjoy this beautiful part of the world.

That evening, they all took it in turns to shower after a long, and sweaty day of sunscreen and the great outdoors.

Amir cooked them another delicious feast of Sambusak, a Lebanese pie that he had filled with lamb and vegetables and a Fatoush Salad containing fresh vegetables and homemade flat bread. As always, it was incredible and the others all cleared their plates, with McG unsurprisingly going back for seconds.

"So what's on the agenda for tomorrow, Top?" McG asked, swallowing his last mouthful of food.

"Well it's Amir's last full day with us, is that right?" Dalton directed his question to Amir.

"Yeah, back to DC the day after tomorrow."

"DC? What's in DC?" McG was confused.

"I think you mean, who is in DC?" Jaz teased.

"So the mystery friend is in DC, huh?" McG confirmed.

Amir just looked down, still not willing to give McG his answer, so McG continued, "The only women I know in DC are the Deputy Director and Hannah. And not to be exclusive, there's Noah of course, if he takes your fancy."

Still no answer from Amir, but Jaz and Dalton were trying to supress smiles, while McG just took a second to study each of their faces. All of a sudden realisation dawned on him, thinking back to their mission in Colombia. He should have known days ago.

"Hannah. It's Hannah isn't it?" He couldn't help but grin widely and as the tips of Amir's ears began to turn pink, he added, "You sly dog, how'd you manage that, you're too short for her."

Amir finally looked up with a small, but proud smile on his face, "It would appear that Hannah appreciates a bit of culture and fine dining, and I clearly have that to offer in spades. Height isn't everything.

"No, but it's something." McG just teased back, before relenting, "Seriously though man, that's great; I'm happy for you. At least it won't cause a problem on the team, living on the other side of the world from each other for a big chunk of the year right?"

He was met with an awkward silence and after he realised what he had said, he and Amir exchanged glances and they couldn't help notice that Jaz and Dalton both averted their eyes and looked anywhere but at each other or anyone else.

Always one for keeping the peace, Amir decided to change the topic and answer Dalton's question from earlier, "How about some more fishing Top? I really enjoyed that."

Dalton looked up at Amir, extremely thankful for the change in topic, "Absolutely, I know another great spot for it. I thought the four of us could go out for dinner and drinks in town too, since it'll be our last night. Give you a night off from the kitchen." He joked to Amir.

"Wooooo, drinks! Amir's driving tomorrow night." McG was clearly ready to party.

The other three just shook their heads and laughed at him, even thought they were all looking forward to it.

They moved outside to build a fire and make s'mores, enjoying each other's company and just engaging in the easy chit chat that made them such a great team and great friends.

McG asked Amir question after question about Hannah and their blossoming romance. Amir tried hard to keep it close to his chest, but couldn't help indulging in a few answers.

He was excited about his prospects with Hannah, and so far he was extremely happy with the way things have been progressing. He would miss his team when he went back to DC, but he was also elated to spend some more time with her, and getting to know her even more. He thought for sure when they first met face-to-face in Colombia, that McG and his apparent irresistible charm would win over Hannah. When she slipped Amir her phone number in DC after their deployment was over, he didn't want to waste any time.

He felt a little guilty that he was relatively free to pursue Hannah, without having to worry about the job or the ramifications. He glanced over at Jaz and Top, who were in the middle of assembling s'mores and hoped that they could somehow find their way to each other. They were in such a difficult situation, not that they knew he was aware, and he didn't envy that one bit.

McG finally changed the topic and spoke to Jaz, laughing as he did so, "Hey Jaz, remember that time we were making s'mores on base and we put a bug in Elijah's before giving it to him? I'll never forget his face when he got to the crunchy bits."

Jaz laughed with him and Dalton smiled too. Jaz spoke sentimentally, "He would never eat anything that he hadn't either made himself or watched someone else make after that. So precious."

"Yeah." McG agreed, also feeling sentimental. "It must be weird for you without him on leave this time round huh? You always spent it with him. You gonna go and see his family?"

Jaz felt herself stiffen slightly at the question. She had been tossing up with whether to go and see the Vallins' or not. She hadn't made any further plans since being at the cabin. She didn't know whether to move on, or stay here with Dalton. She would probably have to chat to him about that sooner or later.

"To be honest, I don't know what my plans are right now." Jaz answered McG.

"Well if it were me, I'd be staying in these mountains as long as I could. It's friggen amazing here. I'll give it to you Top, it certainly lives up to all of your raving over the last few years. Glad I finally got here." McG lifted his beer in cheers to Dalton, which Dalton returned.

Jaz and Dalton were both separately processing what McG had just said.

From Jaz's point of view, she would love to stay at the cabin with Dalton as much as she could, but should she? They still weren't labelling anything, but should she go before it gets even harder to leave, before she falls any harder for him?

From Dalton's point of view, he would love Jaz to stay as long as she wants. But is that being selfish, not wanting to share her with anyone else? Or should she leave before he gets too reliant on her being around, of being able to snuggle in bed at night, and doing what they've been doing behind closed doors, and under water?

It was something they were both going to have to address at some stage, but not while Amir and McG were here.

Later that evening, when they had all headed off to bed, Dalton came up behind Jaz as she was standing in front of the mirror brushing her hair. He placed his hands on her hips and leant over and kissed her shoulder.

He caught her gaze in the mirror and whispered in her eye, "I can't stop thinking about you in that bikini today," he confessed.

She kept her eyes locked with his in the mirror, "I can't stop thinking about what that bikini led to today."

"Please wear it again sometime." Dalton had a small plea in his voice, something he didn't often let himself indulge in

She raised her eyebrows at him and smiled, eyes still locked in the mirror, "You really do love it, huh?"

His response was to spin her around and capture her lips with his, kissing her softly, but deeply.

They made their way over to the bed and after getting under the covers, turned to each other again, kissing and caressing each other until they fell asleep in one another's arms, exhausted after a long day.

Hope you liked this chapter! There's a little bit of angst coming soon, I suppose it can't all be sunshine and rainbows. But hopefully you all continue reading. I have a feeling this will be a very long story...