Hope you enjoy this chapter with the team at Preach's house.

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

Chapter 24

Special Operations Group 7 were looking forward to their first dinner together in nearly six weeks. Being on leave and settled at Preach's house meant it was a super relaxed affair and they had never been happier and grateful to be all back together. Especially without the threat of the tough-book cam ruining their meal.

Preach admitted that his wife had cooked their meal tonight before she and his daughters had left for the long weekend. As Amir helped him put the pasta bake, garlic bread and salad on the table, McG made sure they all had a beverage to drink, alcoholic for everyone other than Amir.

Knowing that at some stage they would have to face a barrage of questions, Jaz and Dalton steeled themselves before taking their place at the dining table.

Sitting down, all with drinks in their hands, Preach raised his glass in a toast, "To good times on leave."

Dalton quickly raised his glass in response, "To you Preach, and your recovery. We're all glad you're on your way back to good health."

"To Preach." They all responded, glasses held high and with big smiles on all of their faces.

None of them will ever forget the harrowing hours after the blast, not knowing if he would make it or not. They had already lost one team member during the course of that deployment and the thought of losing another, especially one they all looked up to so much, had been devastating.

Dalton had taken it especially hard. He had known Preach a really long time and relied on him not just in the field, but for friendship and advice too. He was the male family member he had never had, but wanted. He didn't want to think about the darkness he would have descended into if they had lost Preach.

"So Amir…" McG broke into their thoughts, "How's Hannah? Frightened her off yet?"

"Hannah is great thanks, she says hello to you all." Amir answered with a small smile on his face.

"You clearly have a lot to fill me in on, but you look really happy Amir." Preach observed.

"I am, thank you."

"Speaking of filling us in…" McG directed towards Dalton and Jaz, wriggling his eyebrows teasingly.

They looked at each other smiling slowly, before looking back at McG.

"Ok, before you interrogate us…" Dalton started, addressing them all with his hand up in front of him to get their attention, "… just to be serious for a second, can we just say that we know this is a… difficult situation, and we know we are putting you all in a difficult situation too. We're still figuring out how to tackle this, but if it makes you uncomfortable, or you have something to say, please do. After sorting ourselves out…" He turned and smiled softly at Jaz, which she returned, "… we knew we couldn't hide this from you guys, but we respect what you have to say. The intricacies of this situation haven't escaped us."

The other three sat there, just listening to Top while he spoke. Jaz couldn't help but look at her hands. She was still nervous about the whole situation. She knew she wanted to be with Dalton, but being open in front of the team was an entirely different concept, and not something she was used to.

Being who he was, Preach replied to Dalton, "Well I think I can speak on behalf of the three of us…" gesturing to McG and Amir, "… when I say that we won't be making this situation any more difficult for you."

Amir and McG nodded along with Preach while he continued, "We've been waiting for your damn asses to figure this all out."

"Figure this all out?" Dalton asked, confused, flashing a bewildered look at an equally confused Jaz.

Preach chuckled, "You two have been dancing around each other for too long. We knew it was only a matter of time."

"What are you talking about?" Jaz asked, still perplexed.

"Come on Jazzy, you know what we're talking about." McG accused her.

When Jaz and Dalton both looked at him innocently, he rolled his eyes.

"All the flirting, smiling, star gazing…"

They still just continued to stare back at him, their eye brows raised.

"Really?" He questioned them.

"Well then don't even get me started on 'sleeping on the floor'…" McG continued, using air quotes for the last little bit and a cheeky smile on his face.

Amir couldn't help but burst out laughing at this, earning him a sharp look from Jaz. When he caught sight of it, he put his hands up in surrender, but still with a smile on his face.

"You need to have your say too?" Dalton directed at him.

"I thought it was obvious on my first day with the team." Amir just shrugged.

"What was?" Jaz asked bluntly.

Amir looked at them both, "The exchanged glances, the immediate defence of each other, the way Top always looks to you first, the private conversations… these are just observations, not criticisms."

"Definitely not criticisms." Preach joined in, before continuing, "I think we've been aware of this way well before it registered with you guys, but that was half the fun, just watching you two circle each other. Sometimes what you truly need is right in front of you, but you've got to be willing to open your eyes and view things in a different light."

McG nodded and smiled and pointed to Preach, "The spiritual jujitsu is back!" Making them all laugh.

"We've all got a million stories about the two of you, maybe one day we'll share them with you." Preach teased before starting to eat his dinner.

After exchanging another glance, Dalton and Jaz just smiled at the other three and nodded their head in acknowledgement of their acceptance.

"Thank guys." Jaz said in a very low and quiet voice, still baffled by her team. They continued to amaze her.

She felt Dalton reach his hand under the table to squeeze her knee and she used her own hand to grip onto his momentarily. They were in this together, and they should have known their team would always have their back.

After dinner, the team went and sat outside by the pool, enjoying the warm night. Dalton and Jaz were completely wiped out after barely sleeping the last few nights, but they wanted to spend some time with their team.

Preach still had a couple of rehab appointments to attend over the weekend, but they wouldn't take long. McG talked to Preach a bit about how his treatment and rehab were going and offered to go with him to one of his appointments to chat to the doctors there, which Preach was appreciative of.

Jaz sat at the side of the pool, Patton at her side, with her feet dangling in, enjoying the feel of the cool water on her feet on this warm night. McG and Preach were still talking, sitting on the outdoor furniture just behind Jaz. Dalton and Amir were chatting and sitting a bit further around, their own feet dangling in the pool too.

She looked at these four men she worked with. Four of the five best men she had ever known, with Elijah being the only one missing. How the hell did she get so lucky?

She had felt lucky to have them before, particularly when they came for her in Tehran. That had been a break through moment for her, realising that she had people that actually cared for her, who actually cared if she lived or died. It had been Xander that helped her realise this. But now, knowing that they were in support of her and Adam and that they wanted both of them to be happy, her heart couldn't help but feel full.

Who would've thought that Jasmine Khan would have friends? Real, genuine, family-like friends?

She certainly hadn't thought so. Not friends like this anyway.

Then, she couldn't help but stare at Adam. At his confident but easy posture, at the way his eyes crinkled every time he smiled and at the way he looked at her and smiled, sensing her gaze on him.

Who would've thought that Jasmine Khan would have a boyfriend? A boyfriend?!

It felt strange to even use that word, especially about Adam. But, she had never been happier.

She smiled back at him, a secret and private smile. She felt so lucky to share a different level of intimacy with him now. A part of him that no one else had, and she still had to pinch herself to believe she shared it with him.

What a difference a day had made.

After another hour or two, they all headed to bed having all been up so early that morning. They knew that the next few nights probably wouldn't be so early if McG and his tequila had anything to do with it.

Dalton was relieved to close the door to his and Jaz's bedroom that night, even after McG had called out, "No loud funny business," to them as he went upstairs to where the rest of the bedrooms were located.

Jaz was sitting on the bed with a strange look on her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, looking concerned.

Jaz just shook her head slightly, "I just can't believe all of this."

"But in a good way, right?" Dalton checked.

"Mostly." She teased softly, tilting her head and smiling at him.

"It's weird isn't it?" Dalton asked her, sitting down on the bed next to her.

Jaz knew exactly what he meant. It was weird talking about them as a couple with the team. It was weird sharing a bedroom with each other while the team were around. It was weird that the team knew they were actually sharing a bed, not one of them sleeping on the floor. And it was weird to actually talk to Adam about all of this, to be sharing all of this with him.

"But in a good way, right?" She teased him and he flashed her one of those grins that she loved so much.

After talking about it before arriving, and agreeing to make a conscious effort not to show any PDA in front of their team, they were both itching to touch each other. They pulled back the covers on their bed and got underneath them, laying on their sides facing each other.

They both just stared at each other for a few seconds, lost in their own thoughts.

"What are you thinking?" Dalton asked her while reaching out to run his hand up and down her arm.

"Nothing." Jaz was quick to answer.

"Jaz…" He drawled out, knowing her better than that.

"Ok, fine - I'm thinking that this day has turned out a lot differently than I thought it would. This morning I wasn't even coming here and I didn't think I'd see you for the rest of our leave. And now, here we are… In bed together, at Preach's house!"

Dalton huffed out a laugh, before sobering quickly. Today had been pretty surreal.

"When Preach told me you weren't coming, I was devastated," He admitted quietly, "Nothing has ever felt as right as having you in my life. Really in my life. I wasn't willing to accept that."

Jaz lowered her eyes, "I'm sorry I left the cabin the way I did. I just couldn't… I don't know." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I was struggling with the thought of losing you, and I was trying to make it hurt less by not saying goodbye."

Dalton placed a hand underneath her chin and lifted it so that her gaze met him, "You're not going to lose me."

Jaz stared back into his blue eyes, shining with sincerity. She wished she could completely believe him, but life had shown her otherwise. She knew she trusted Adam more than anyone else, and more than she had ever trusted any other person in her life. She hoped she could work on everything else. It was another reason she wanted to talk to Xander.

That aside, it was hard to ignore the earnestness in his eyes. He made her feel safe, and that was a feeling she didn't think she would ever need from another person.

She shuffled closer towards him, placed her hand on his face so her fingers tangled in his beard, and kissed him, slowly and deeply.

She felt him place his arm around her waist and pull her even closer towards him so that their bodies were flush against each other.

Dalton kissed her back, slipping his tongue into her mouth and feeling the intensity of the kiss rapidly increase. They gripped each other tightly and their hands started to roam all over each other.

"I missed you, Jaz." Dalton breathed out, between kisses.

'It was only a few days." She managed to reply.

"Oh, so you didn't miss me?" he pulled away from her lips to ask her.

She groaned in protest and leaned forward to chase his lips with her own, but he moved his head further back, so far back that he rolled onto his back and she followed him, ending up laying on top of him.

When he still avoided her lips, she relented, "Ok, I missed you too. So much."

Looking satisfied, he finally let her lips meet his again and he tilted his head to instantly deepen their kiss.

Their need for each other was immense after being apart for a few days, and after their shared revelations earlier today. They just wanted to lose themselves in each other, but before they went too far they both felt themselves pulling away.

Breathing deeply, their chests rising and falling together, they both went to speak at the same time.

"You first." Jaz said.

"Not that I want to, but maybe we need to rein it in while we are here." Dalton suggested unconvincingly.

Jaz laughed softly at the look on his face. He clearly didn't want that, and another part of his body attested to that also, but she agreed with him.

"You're right. I mean we're in Preach's house, with the rest of the team upstairs."

"Don't remind me." Dalton groaned.

"We've done this before, we can do it again."

"Hopefully." Dalton said before reaching up to kiss her lingeringly again, before she rolled off of him and lay snuggled into his side.

Feeling slightly sentimental she murmured quietly, "Thank you for coming to get me, Adam. Again."

Dalton turned his head to meet hers, "I'll always come for you, Jaz."

Laying her hand on his chest, he gripped it with his own, and they held each other tightly, just enjoying being together. Falling asleep had never been so easy for the two of them. Warm, comfortable and content.

They woke up the next morning, like they had woken up so many times before, spooned around each other, legs tangled up and pressed close together.

Dalton had his arm around Jaz, clutching her back close to his chest and his head was buried in her luscious long locks.

Jaz revelled in the feeling of his strong arm holding her close, even more so since she had thought it would never happen again. She also revelled in the feeling of him, hard against her back. She smirked to herself, before giving a little wriggle against him.

He groaned into her hair and lay his hand flat against her stomach to simultaneously hold her still, but also hold her against him.

"You're going to kill me." He muttered, as he let his hand wander under her tank top to lay against the smooth skin on her stomach.

Feeling his hand against her skin, Jaz took a sharp breath in and felt his chest against her back shake in a laugh. He was just happy that he could get a rise out of her too.

"These few days are going to be a killer, aren't they?"

"We've survived them before, we can do it again. I'm sure we can still have some fun." Dalton whispered into her ear.

"Fun? Since when does Adam Dalton have fun?" She teased dryly.

"Really?" He said slowly, sliding his hand even further up her tank top until he cupped her breast in his hand. Using his thumb, he circled her nipple before dragging his nail over the nub, "You don't think I can have any fun?"

Trying to stifle her moans, Jaz turned her head to press her face into the pillow, as his thumb continued to tease her nipple, sending shock waves right down to her core.

All of a sudden he pulled away and jumped out of bed.

"Better get up and see what the plan is for today."

"Ugghhh!" She growled, turning to face him as he wandered into the ensuite, turning around to flash her a cheeky grin.

Amir made all of their tastebuds happy over breakfast with his signature Shakshouka. Preach was especially happy, having not been privy to this famous concoction for quite a while.

"Let's be clear Amir, you're on breakfast detail every day you're here." Preach exclaimed.

"Fine with me, whatever gets you better sooner." Amir said sincerely before joking, "And whatever keeps us away from McG's burritos."

"Hey, Preach loves my burritos." McG defended himself.

"Umm, yeah, about as much as I love rehab." Preach said dryly.

The rest of them chuckled, just happy to be back all together, and back to the usual ribbing and rapport that was normal in their team.

"So do you guys want to get out and about while you're here, or just chill and hang out here?" Preach asked them all.

"Well what are you feeling up to, buddy? We're just here to see you, we still want you to get better." Dalton reasoned.

"Let's see how rehab goes today and after I've talked to your doctors," McG threw in, "I don't want your wife thinking we've pushed you too hard."

Preach put his hands up, "Fair enough, it's just good to see all your ugly faces anyway, even if it's just hanging here by the pool."

"The water is excellent for non-weight bearing exercises." McG offered.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah – stop nagging." Preach chuckled.

Dalton smiled and took his coffee out to sit by the pool with Patton, and he was followed out by Preach and Jaz. After a little while Jaz asked Preach if he had any recommendations for where to run around his neighbourhood.

After he gave her a few directions, she went inside to get ready, collecting Dalton's empty coffee mug as she left, her fingers lingering on his as she did so.

Preach watched Dalton's eyes follow her until she disappeared inside, and couldn't help but notice the look of contentment on his face.

When Dalton caught him watching him with a grin on his face, he just rolled his eyes and said "Out with it."

Preach just shrugged, "It's just nice to see you looking happy, Top. I'm glad you took a chance."

"Yeah well, it was your stubborn words that stuck with me, about life being short and not seeing what was right in front of me."

"My stubborn words? If you weren't so damn stubborn, this would have happened a long time ago." Preach reasoned.

Dalton just smiled, "No, I think the timing is right now. I feel like my priorities have changed somewhat, and I've figured out what is important. Not to say the rest of it isn't important, but this feels good. It's not going to be smooth sailing though, we've still got a lot of hurdles to get over."

"You'll figure it out. Just like you've figured out what's important. And as the head cheerleader for Team Jalton, I'm with you every step of the way." Preach assured him.

"Thanks Preach," Dalton said, always feeling better after talking to him. Then he did a double take, "Jalton?" He asked with a confused look on his face.

"It's a ship name."

"What the hell is a ship name?" Dalton asked.

"Top, you need to keep up with the kids." Preach laughed and Dalton just kept staring at him, completely bewildered, but couldn't help but chuckle along with him, just so thankful to have Preach back to his usual self and as his and Jaz's biggest support.

Preach and McG left for Preach's rehab session a little while later. Amir was preparing a few different salads for their barbeque tonight and Jaz was still out on her run. Dalton decided to hit the pool and get a few laps in while he could.

While he swam, he couldn't help but think about what had happened over the last week. From Jaz leaving the cabin after they both called off what had been developing between them, to enduring those testing few days without her. From momentarily thinking he wouldn't see her for months to showing up at the Vallins' to try to change her mind. And the relief and the happiness of knowing she felt the same way he did.

But where to from here? They hadn't discussed anything past this long weekend.

As he surfaced at one end it was to find Jaz sitting on the side of the pool with her legs dangling in the water and looking flushed from her run.

"Hey." She greeted him with a small smile.

"Hey." He returned the sentiment, with the same smile, standing up in the water.

Jaz took a sharp breath in. She has seen Adam topless a million times, both on base and at the cabin. She had run her hands all over his chest and his rippling muscles, had kissed them too, but still the physical sight of him continued to take her breath away. He was beautiful.

Knowing they were out here alone, Dalton walked over so he stood in between Jaz's legs and rested his hands on her thighs.

"Want to join me?"

"With the others about to arrive home any time now?"

"Hmm, you're right. Maybe the hot tub later then?" Dalton suggested.

"Well it is good for Preach's recovery." Jaz laughed off and Dalton joined in with her laughter, running his hands up and down her thighs.

Turning serious for a minute, Dalton asked Jaz, "Hey, when is your appointment with Xander?"

"Wednesday at 10am." She answered simply.

"When do you fly to DC?"

"Tuesday at 11am." She answered him again, before asking a question herself, "When do you fly out?"

"Tuesday afternoon."

They were both quiet for a minute, both wondering what the next step was. They had finally realised that they wanted to be together, but in a few days they would be going their separate ways again, at least temporarily. With their recent revelations, that was the last thing they wanted.

They needed to think about this, but at least they had a few days to do so.

For now, Dalton had every intention of reaffirming to Jaz that he wanted her and wanted to be with her. He didn't want to end up parting like they did at the cabin a few days ago. She meant too much to him.

Looking up at her from his position in the pool, he couldn't help but want to be close to her. He slid his arms all the way up her legs, across her ass, earning him an eyebrow raise, and up around her waist. In one swift move he dragged her towards him, so her legs locked around him and then with a splash, he pulled her right into the pool with him.

Before she had a chance to let out a surprised yelp, he caught her lips with his and swallowed her exclamations. Jaz gave in to the kiss instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back, loving the feel of his beard against her face.

He didn't want the kiss to end, but knowing this couldn't go too far in Preach's pool, particularly in broad daylight, he pulled away with a big grin on his face.

Jaz grinned back at him, "You got me all wet," she blamed him.

He held her gaze steadily, "Is that right?" He asked her with a cheeky twinkle in his eyes.

Shaking her head slowly at him and unwinding herself from around him, she held his gaze and murmured, "You're terrible," but she couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face.

She turned to haul herself out of the pool, and could hear that McG and Preach had returned and were in the kitchen with Amir.

Turning back to Dalton she said sassily, "I'd ask you to come in the shower with me, but we both know that you can't leave the pool for another couple of minutes."

Knowing she was absolutely right, he grimaced before saying, "Now who's terrible?"

Giving him a big smile that took over her whole face, she waved him off as she headed inside.

Dalton chuckled. He might be in a bit of discomfort for a minute or two, but it was worth it to see that smile on Jaz's face. And he would do just about anything to keep it there.

Next up - more time at Preach's!

I posted another story, just a one-shot this time of Dalton watching over Jaz when they return from Tehran. It's called 'Keeping Watch' and I'd love to know what you think about it.

I'd also love to know what you think about this chapter.

Thank you as always for reading, and a special thank you to those who leave comments. I love reading them XXX