This chapter is slightly shorter than my previous ones, but I wanted to start the next chapter with a specific scene. Hope you enjoy!

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

Chapter 26

McG decided that their second last night at Preach's was going to be a big one. He had a bottle of tequila ready to go and they were going to order pizza when they got home from their day trip to Catalina.

Preach was understandably tired after a big day out; his biggest day so far since the blast that nearly took his life. McG checked him over just to make sure everything was ok and Amir made sure the hot tub was on so that Preach could relax in it after their dinner.

Dalton took Patton for a quick walk since he had been by himself all day and McG decided to join him.

After their usual chit chat of teasing each other and laughing at each other, McG thought he'd ask about Jaz.

"How are Jaz's nightmares?" He asked tentatively.

"Honestly, she doesn't have any when we are together…" He shrugged, but seeing McG's small smile he just shook his head and laughed, "… don't start."

"It doesn't bother me at all, Top." McG assured him.

"You guys really knew that I wasn't sleeping on the floor at the cabin?" Dalton asked incredulously.

McG didn't need to reply, his look said it all.

"Ok, ok… Anyway, when I turned up at the Vallins', it was obvious that she had barely slept. She looked exhausted." Dalton said softly, saddened that Jaz had reverted back to her old sleeping habits.

"So did you, Top." McG said simply, giving Dalton a knowing look.

"Yeah, I know."

After a moment of silence, McG continued, "I think it's great that you manage to comfort each other and sleep well when you are together. But I'm concerned for that situation long term. It's not always going to be feasible for you guys to sleep together, or if you guys…" He drifted off, not needing to finish the sentence.

"Yeah, I know." Dalton repeated, well aware of his train of thought, as he had thought it himself.

"It's important that you both gain some strategies to work through this. Not to say you'll be nightmare free forever, but just to lessen the impact of them. For both of you." McG explained.

"I'm glad Jaz is booked in to see Xander." Dalton acknowledged.

"You thought anymore about talking to someone yourself?"

Dalton paused and took a couple of breaths before he answered, "I have, but I'm still giving it some thought."

"Well you know I'm happy to help however I can."

Dalton smiled gratefully, "Thanks McG."

Deciding to change the topic, McG said excitedly, "Ok, let's head back, we have tequila to drink!"

Dalton just laughed, appreciating that McG could turn so quickly from a serious conversation to a light hearted one. It was one of the things he admired most about McG, and made him such a valued member of their team.

While Dalton and McG were out walking Patton, and Preach was taking a quick power nap before dinner, Amir sat showing Jaz some of the photos he had been taking, which was somewhat of a new hobby for him.

They sat at the kitchen bench with Amir's laptop open in front of them as he flicked through some photos. A lot of them were from his trip to Lebanon to see his parents. Jaz loved seeing those and where Amir had grown up. She especially loved seeing pictures of his family. She might have had a fucked up family of her own, but she loved to see and hear about other people's families. It gave her hope.

There were some photos from his time in DC and the tourist destinations he visited, and of course there were a few photos of Hannah. He immediately blushed when her face came on the screen, and Jaz couldn't help but laugh out loud and bump her shoulder into his.

"How is Hannah?" She asked teasingly.

With his cheeks still pink and a small smile on his face he answered her, "She's great."

Jaz smiled at him, "You look happy, Amir."

"I am." He said softly.

Jaz didn't know Hannah very well. Other than seeing her on the tough-book cam and a couple of times during their debrief in DC post-deployment, she hadn't had much to do with her. Remembering she was going to be in DC, she mentioned it to Amir.

"I'm going to be in DC with McG next week, maybe we could all have dinner?" Jaz suggested.

Amir was genuinely surprised and happy at the suggestion, still so happy that his friendship with Jaz was continuing to develop.

"Sounds good." He said simply, before turning back to the photos.

The next batch were from his time at Dalton's cabin. There were quite a few from their hikes, from the waterfall, a lot of nature and their fishing expeditions. They were all impressive, Amir really had an eye for photography. And then they came across the pictures he had taken of Jaz and Dalton, without them knowing.

This time it was Jaz's turn to blush, and he returned her shoulder bump from moments earlier.

"You look happy, Jaz." He shadowed her comment from before.

Jaz turned to smile at him, happy to be able to acknowledge this, "I am."

"I'm glad, you deserve to be." He said to her, "And so does Top."

"Thanks." She said quietly, still blushing slightly.

Smiling back at her, Amir continued to flick through the rest of his photos, hoping that Jaz and Top would be able to overcome any challenges that presented themselves. They were perfect for each other, he just hoped they saw that too.

When the pizzas arrived for dinner, they took them out the back by the pool, to once again enjoy Preach's fantastic outdoor area.

Patton sat at their feet, gazing eagerly at each slice of pizza each of the team members brought to their mouth. Every now and then they would toss him their crusts, which he would demolish, before approaching his next target.

McG had set up a drinks table, excitedly expecting a big night. It had beers, juice and tequila, all lined up along with shot glasses, salt and wedges of lime.

With the exception of Amir, the team were starting off with beer, wisely leaving the tequila until later on. Preach knew he wouldn't be consuming as much as McG intended to. He was happy to have a few drinks, but he wasn't stupid enough to risk the progress he had worked so hard to achieve in rehab, or the wrath of his wife.

He was however, happy to sit back and watch the antics of his team. And laugh at them.

He watched as Dalton and Jaz took on McG and Amir in a game of volleyball in the pool. McG and Amir were their own little comedy act, alternating between their bromance and hanging shit on each other.

The losing team would be taking the first tequila shots of the evening, but it back fired on McG because when he and Amir lost, he had to take a shot for himself, and then Amir's too. The same thing happened in the second round so the third round was forfeited so that McG didn't end up in bed in the next half an hour.

Wrapping themselves in towels, Amir excused himself temporarily to go and call Hannah.

"Man, he's whipped." McG joked as Amir walked inside.

"You sound jealous." Jaz said to him dryly.

"Not even close Jazzy, one of us has to fly the flag for single life." McG said to her pointedly.

Jaz huffed out a laugh, still a little surprised by not only the team's easy acceptance of her and Adam's situation, but the actual situation itself. She looked over to where Adam was pulling up a chair next to Preach and felt a rush of something she couldn't describe. But when she caught his gaze and a slow smile spread across his face, her heart pounded way more than it should for someone with her level of fitness.

An hour or so later, and a couple of tequila shots later, all except Amir were feeling the effects. Preach had only had a couple, but after quite a while without alcohol, he knew he had reached his limit for the night.

Dalton and Jaz had consumed a few each and were just at the tipsy stage, but McG was well and truly drunk. Luckily he was a happy and hilarious drunk, so he was providing much entertainment.

Jaz had gone into the kitchen in search of snacks and had found the ingredients for nachos. Knowing that they would all be grateful for the extra food in their stomachs, she started arranging some on a platter.

"Good idea, McG needs something to soak up the tequila." Dalton laughed as he wandered into the kitchen and stood across the kitchen bench from her.

"He'll still be sleeping beside a bucket tonight though." Jaz said with a knowing smile on her face.

"Standard McG." Dalton agreed with her.

"Yeah, he'll be fun in DC next week." Jaz said sarcastically, rolling her eyes but smiling at the same time.

She didn't actually think McG would be a burden at all. He liked to have fun, but when he was in medic mode, you couldn't ask for someone better to have your back.

Thinking about what she had just said, reminded Dalton that they were going their separate ways again in under 48 hours. He was determined that they would not be parting the way they did when Jaz left the cabin.

With that in mind, he looked at her and said, "Jaz, let's talk tomorrow about what happens when we leave here."

Jaz looked up and him and couldn't completely disguise the look of apprehension in her eyes. She had been thinking about her trip to DC and although she knew they were in a much better place at the moment, she couldn't help but worry what the distance might mean.

Not missing the look in her eyes, Dalton walked around the kitchen bench and stood behind her as she finished up the nachos, trying to keep herself busy.

He slid his arms around her waist from behind and brought his mouth down so it was beside her ear.

"We're not saying good bye this time Jaz," He whispered into her ear, "We'll figure this out."

Taking comfort in his arms and words, Jaz stopped what she was doing and placed her hands on his arms at her waist. She felt him press a tender kiss to her temple and she turned around to face him, his arms still locked around her.

Looking up into his eyes, she could see the truth in them and in return he could see the relief and belief in her own eyes. They smiled at each other, knowing that this time they wouldn't make the same mistakes as last time. This time they would talk. They would figure it out. Together.

She lay her hands on his chest and reached up to kiss him, holding her lips there for a long moment. Pulling back slightly she whispered against his lips, "We'll talk tomorrow," before giving him another quick kiss and pulling away to finish up the nachos.

The night rounded up with them all once again in the hot tub, and a couple more tequila shots each had Dalton, Jaz and McG with guaranteed hangovers tomorrow.

Preach and Amir had laughed quietly at them, not worried at all about these three soldiers, but highly entertained by their conversations and antics. Eventually Preach, Amir and McG all drifted off to bed with Amir grabbing a bucket to place by McG's bed.

Dalton and Jaz were still in the hot tub and were still feeling some of the effects of the tequila in their systems. The hot tub was too warm and Jaz could feel her cheeks on fire, with no mercy shown by the alcohol.

Deciding she needed to cool down, she jumped out and went and stood by the pool.

"What are you doing?" Dalton asked her.

"Cooling down." Jaz answered before she executed a perfect dive into the pool.

Dalton stood up and got out of the hot tub too. Walking over to the pool, Jaz tried to coax him in with her. He didn't need much convincing and dived in to surface right beside her.

While Jaz was treading water where he could obviously stand, he grabbed her arms and placed them around his shoulders.

Feeling him pulling her close, Jaz smiled one of her big beautiful smiles, her eyes twinkling and the night lights surrounding the pool making her glow.

Completely mesmerised by her, Dalton couldn't help but lean down and kiss her. He felt Jaz's immediate acceptance of the kiss and placed a hand on the back of her head to hold her close.

They kissed each other slowly and deeply as Dalton walked them back to the shallow end of the pool.

Jaz's hands gripped his shoulders tightly and she tilted her head to deepen the kiss even further. Before their time at the cabin, she had always imagined that Adam would be a great kisser, but he was indescribable. No words could explain the effect he had on her, and his lips took her to places she had never imagined.

Backing her up against the wall of the pool, Dalton continued to kiss Jaz like his life depended on it.

They had long forgotten they were in Preach's backyard, their senses completely taken over by their need for each other.

Pulling back briefly for air, they couldn't take their eyes off each other.

"So much for cooling down." Dalton breathed, and pressed his whole body against the length of hers.

"What was I thinking?" Jaz mumbled before pulling his head back down towards hers to re-join their lips.

Flush against each other from chest to toes, their hands moved all over each other, still entirely lost in their feelings for each other.

Despite the water surrounding them, they could feel each other trembling. Dalton pressed himself even harder against Jaz, so she had no alternative but to press back; immediately peaking their desire even higher.

They started to move against one another, searching for a cure to the ache that resided in both of them. Dalton ground into her, using the wall of the pool as leverage. She moaned into his mouth, not in pain, but in ecstasy.

Needing more, she lifted and wrapped her legs around his waist to hold him even tighter against her. She felt him thrust even harder against her, feeling his hard length rub right against her clit, right where she needed him.

Pulling away from his lips to press her hot lips up and down the length of his neck, she thrust back against him, causing him to throw his head up in bliss. The trail of her lips on his neck settled on his pulse point and as she lingered there at the same time as their hips were colliding, he couldn't help but moan out loud. She quickly vanquished it by bringing her lips back to his, swallowing the sound before they were too loud.

With their lips back together, they continued to move against each other, feeling their movements becoming faster and more urgent.

What Dalton wouldn't give to be able to just slip inside of her and feel Jaz's entire warmth surround him. This wasn't the place but he was too far gone with what they were doing now to stop.

He moved even faster against her, holding her as close as he could, feeling her breasts flattened against his chest. Jaz dug her heels into his ass to hold him as close as she possibly could while her hips moved fast against his.

They both knew they were close to the bliss they craved. With their lips devouring each other's and drowning out their groans, they didn't move them from each other as they undulated their way to their release.

Dalton's cock was rock hard and only Jaz and her body could relieve that. The pressure on Jaz's clit was almost too much to bare and she ground herself against the man she craved, ensuring they came at the same time.

They trembled and shuddered against each other as their bodies gave in to their release. Their lips swallowed each other's cries and their hands gripped each other to stop themselves from collapsing as they rode out this bliss together.

Neither of them had ever been with anyone else capable of making them feel this way.

Eventually they pulled back from their kiss, their breathing slowing to a normal rate and their shudders all but gone.

Dalton looked at Jaz. He brushed a few stray hairs back off her face and cupped his face in his hands, his thumbs caressing her cheeks.

"What do you do to me, Jaz?" He asked softly in wonderment.

Looking back up into his eyes, seeing something there that she couldn't define, but knowing it was also reflecting back in her own, she just placed her hands on his own cheeks.

"The same thing that you do to me." She whispered back, barely audible, but entirely true.

Holding each other's faces and staring into each other's eyes, they soaked up every second of their closeness and every second of whatever this feeling was.

Placing their foreheads together, their lips found their way back to each other in a kiss that could only be described as intimate. Slow, lingering and full of so much meaning that their hearts were both pounding in their chests.

They made their way to their bedroom not long after and took a quick shower to rinse the chlorine off.

They took it in turns to wash each other's body and couldn't help but steal a few kisses while doing so. They were both satiated from their encounter in the pool, but keeping their hands completely to themselves was impossible.

They stood under the warm stream of water, and just looked at each other. Jaz rested both her hands on his chest and he gripped them with his own.

Despite the shots of tequila, they were both completed sober now and still caught up in the way they made each other feel, like nothing or no one else had ever done so before.

When they had dried off and climbed into bed, they did nothing else but hold each other tight. Dalton pulled her body right up next to his and she wrapped her arms around him and intertwined her legs with his.

He kissed her forehead softly as he felt her relax completely and drift off to sleep.

Staring into the darkness, wrapped around Jaz, he knew there was no way he could be away from her for who knows how long while she was in DC. The two days without her had been bad enough, this could be a lot longer.

He was totally blindsided by the urgent need to just be with her, right next to her, by her side. But as he mulled that thought over in his head, he realised there was an option available to him, there was a way for him to not be separated from her.

He held her even closer as he felt himself drifting off to sleep. He had never slept so soundly as when he had Jaz right there next to him.

Thank you for reading! We finish up the school year in December in Australia (since our summer is Dec, Jan, Feb), so being a teacher, the next three weeks is crazy busy for me. I'll try and update when I can, but if I slow down a bit, once the holidays kick in I will be updating regularly as usual.

Thank you to all you precious people who continue to read, and as always, a special shout out to those who comment/review. It is greatly appreciated! XXX