Here's the next chapter for you all. Thanks for all your lovely comments, hope you enjoy this!

I do not own The Brave or any of it's characters... But I wish I did!

Chapter 27

Jaz woke up super early on that last full day at Preach's. Thankful that she seemed to be headache free after all of last night's tequila, she lay there in bed and enjoyed the warmth of Adam wrapped around her.

He was lying spooned behind her, his arm draped around her waist holding her close to him. She could tell by the steady rhythm of his breathing and his breath on the back of her neck that he was still asleep. She took advantage of this and rolled over as slowly and as smoothly as she could, hoping not to wake him up.

Other than tightening his arms around her, he didn't stir and she took this opportunity to just look at him.

His face was soft in slumber and he looked peaceful and at ease. It was exactly the way she felt when she slept next to him.

She didn't often get the opportunity to watch him sleep. On base, he was often the first one up and it was rare that he slept on a mission. Besides that, most of them would wake at the drop of a hat due to their training to always be on alert.

It said something that he was still sleeping while she was awake. The level of comfort they had around each other made Jaz feel like she belonged, actually belonged to something and someone.

Being with this team was the first time Jaz had ever felt like she had a family, but being with Adam like this was the first time she had ever felt like she had a person. Her person.

She didn't want to be separated from him again tomorrow. She knew they were going to talk about it today and she knew how important it was for her to see Xander Martin, but she still felt some sadness at being away from him again.

Leaning forward she pressed her lips softly to his chest, before snuggling in closer to him. She was going to enjoy every minute of her time with him, she didn't know when they would be together again after tomorrow. Laying a hand on his chest, she breathed in his masculine scent and drifted back off to sleep.

The last full day at Preach's was spent just enjoying each other's company. They had plans to go out for dinner all together that night and Preach had a rehab appointment, but other than that they laid low.

McG was nursing a hangover, and as usual he wasn't afraid to admit that. He hadn't needed the bucket that Amir had placed beside his bed, but he still felt like crap. Him and his big ideas.

Dalton asked him if he could go with them both to Preach's afternoon rehab appointment. He wanted to chat to McG about something, and he was of course genuinely interested to see how Preach's rehab was going.

McG was glad the appointment wasn't until the early afternoon, it gave him time to get over last night's tequila.

When they arrived at the rehab facility, Preach introduced Dalton to his doctor and physio. Dalton had a quick chat with them and they filled him in on Preach's progress. When they were done he thanked them for helping with Preach's recovery and went and sat down with McG, where they observed Preach going through his strengthening exercises.

It looked like Preach was definitely in good hands and both McG and Dalton were happy with his progress, but even more happy to see their team mate getting back to his old self.

The vision of Preach laying in his coma, attached to more machines that they could count is something they would never forget.

After a while, Dalton turned to McG to tackle the second reason he had wanted to come on this visit.

"Hey, can I ask you a favour?" Dalton queried McG.

"Ask away."

"You think you could get me an appointment with Xander this week?"

McG looked at him knowingly, "I thought you'd never ask."

Dalton huffed out a laugh, "Yeah, I know I was slow coming to the party, but better late than never right?"

McG smiled, before asking seriously, "You know I have to ask, in my medic capacity… you're doing this for the right reasons, right?"

Dalton respected McG's question and took no offence. In fact, he admired him for asking the question, it was what he would expect from a member of his team.

"If Jaz and I are going to figure out a way to make this work, it needs to start at the ground level. She has her stuff she needs to work through, but I have mine too. I want to do this for her, but also for myself. I know that the demons won't leave me alone unless I get some help."

McG nodded at his captain, "Good answer. One more thing though – You do realise that in DC we are going to be seeing the Deputy Director. She knows that Jaz and I are meeting with Xander, I'll have to fill her in on you being in DC too."

"I'm aware. It's ok. We might need a temporary plan, but we'll figure it out."

"Ok, if you're sure, leave it with me. I'll make a call when we get back to Preach's."

"Thanks buddy, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Top. Anything for Team Jalton." He smirked.

"Oh geez, not you too." But he couldn't help but chuckle.

Back at Preach's house, Amir and Jaz had decided to bake brownies for Preach's wife and daughters to thank them for letting them have free range of their house this weekend.

They had made a double batch in anticipation of McG's stomach and had hidden one of the batches away. Luckily so, because sure enough when he, Dalton and Preach returned from rehab, and he followed the scent to the kitchen, he looked at those brownies like it was Christmas.

Amir and Jaz just looked at each other and smiled while shaking their heads. McG was so predictable, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

Preach headed upstairs for a quick nap before their dinner later this evening, while the other four went out by the pool, soaking up some sun and just enjoying this low key time together.

They all found themselves in the pool, cooling down from the heat and enjoying the luxuries they had access to while on leave. McG had brought them all some drinks outside, before announcing his bomb into the pool.

"Look out kids!" He exclaimed as he ran up and let himself fly into the pool.

Of course someone of McG's stature was going to make a big splash and he found himself on the receiving end of similar splashes as he surfaced from his entrance into the pool.

"Hey, three on one isn't fair." He cried as the water assault didn't let up, but upon hearing his phone ringing, he hopped out as quickly as he could.

"Saved by the bell, as usual." Amir remarked, before feeling a splash of water to the back of his head.

Turning around he saw Jaz, with a big grin on her face, splashing water at both Dalton and himself.

"Really Jaz? Two on one?" Amir asked as he splashed back.

What followed was a huge water fight, water flying everywhere and all three of them laughing uncontrollably.

Dalton called out, "Amir, cover me."

As Dalton made his way behind Jaz, Amir increased his splashing intensity to try and hide Dalton's approach.

With so much water being launched onto her face, Jaz missed Dalton's sneak attack and before she knew it, she had been picked up around the waist and thrown back in the water.

Coming up spluttering, but still laughing, she set her full efforts towards Dalton as payback. She approached him with water flying everywhere but as she got close enough he managed to grab both of her wrists and wrangle them behind her back even as she squirmed. They were face to face and both drenched.

Jaz was still laughing her deep throaty laugh, a cheeky spark in her eyes and her face taken over by her beautiful smile. She was too much to resist. With a similar smile on his face, Dalton leant down to kiss her, capturing her lips with his, swallowing her laugh and feeling the water that was running down both of their faces, merging together.

Seeing Jaz and Dalton like this, enjoying each other and so uninhibited with each other, Amir made a quick exit from the pool. He just raised his eyebrows at them as he grabbed a towel to dry off, but it was great to see them both like this. He'd never seen both of them look so relaxed and having so much fun.

Pulling back from the kiss, Jaz tried to wrench her hands free. When she managed to do so, Dalton was expecting a return attack, but she surprised him by placing them on his shoulders and tilting her head back up, joining her lips back to his.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Dalton kissed her back, both still smiling into each other's mouth and holding each other close.

All of a sudden they pulled back from each other, remembering Amir was there with them. Looking for him in the pool, but seeing that he had hopped out, they both turned to face him with slightly embarrassed looks on their faces. They had made that pact not to show too much PDA in front of the team, but they had been caught up in the moment and completely forgot.

"Sorry Amir." Dalton called to him, putting his hand up in the air in acknowledgement.

Amir just shrugged and smirked, "Who am I to get in the way of Jalton?"

"Oh geez." Dalton responded, rolling his eyes.

"Jalton? That's our ship name?" Jaz asked him incredulously.

Dalton looked at her, eye brows raised, "You know what a ship name is?"

"Of course I do, get with the times." With that, she walked past him to climb out of the steps of the pool.

Grabbing her hand as she walked past so that she stopped momentarily he just looked at her, deep into her eyes, trying to convey how much he enjoyed spending this time with her, like this.

She smiled at him once again, cheeks slightly pink and looking up at him through her long lashes, before she kept walking, keeping hold of his hand until she was out of reach. After grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself she went inside to go and shower and get ready before dinner.

McG came back out just after Jaz had left, "What did I miss?"

"Jaz and Top's make out session." Amir answered dryly.

"What? Gross." McG made a face.

"Ok, ok, I said I was sorry."

"I know, but it's fun to tease." Amir chuckled at the look on Dalton's face, before he excused himself to also shower and get ready for dinner.

McG came and sat down next to Dalton and smiled at him, "DC's all sorted man. Xander will see you on Wednesday afternoon and I got you on the same flight out as me and Jaz."

Dalton looked at him, surprised that he had managed to get that sorted out so quickly. He didn't know what to do other than smile gratefully at McG. He's not sure McG knew how much this meant to him.

"Thanks buddy, I owe you one."

"I'm pretty sure I owed you quite a few, but I'll happily bank this one away." McG teased and they both chuckled.

Looking slightly more serious again, McG continued, "I also got you a room at the hotel where Jaz and I are staying. Your own room though. Didn't want to raise any flags with the higher ups."

"Yeah, good thinking." Dalton agreed with him because he hadn't quite figured out the next part yet. But being in DC where Patricia, Noah and Hannah all lived and worked, they needed to be careful to still keep this under wraps for now.

"Does Jaz know yet?" McG asked curiously.

"Not yet. I didn't want to tell her unless it was definite. I'll tell her later though, I hope she doesn't mind."

McG scoffed, "Pretty sure she's gonna be fucking ecstatic, Top. Or as ecstatic as Jaz allows herself to get."

Dalton sure hoped so. He didn't want to get in the way of the help that Jaz was seeking, especially since it had taken her a while to get to the realisation that she needed the help. He would never want to hinder that.

Having said that, he also knew that he needed the help he was seeking also, and he was pretty sure that Xander was the only person he would want to reveal some of it to. He was comfortable with Xander and had been appreciative of the help and guidance he had received from him in the past. It was the reason he had asked Xander to check in on Jaz when they had returned from Tehran.

Most of all though, he was happy that he and Jaz weren't going their separate ways tomorrow. He just hoped Jaz would feel the same way.

Despite being the first to go and get ready for dinner, Jaz was the last to finish up. In her defence she had a lot of hair to dry, it took an industrial strength hair dryer, and since they were going out, she thought she would make the effort.

Walking into the kitchen to where the four guys stood chatting around the kitchen bench, she stopped and just watched them momentarily.

She still had these moments, even after three years of working with this team, of being stunned that she worked with such great guys. All four of them were lethal, the things they could do with their bare hands wouldn't bare thinking about for most people, but it was these moments, when they were relaxed and laughing that she valued them the most.

She hadn't had a great track record with men in her life prior to meeting these guys, and Elijah of course. But these guys more than made up for every other man she had ever come across, in both their work life and their private life. Even though she didn't need protecting, being lethal herself, she still felt an air of security and reassurance whenever she was around them. Like she had never felt with anyone before. Anyone in her entire life.

Besides that, have you seen these four? All of them are handsome in their own way, none more so than Adam in Jaz's eyes, but she did appreciate the other three also, and knew they were a sight to behold whenever they went anywhere together.

Catching Adam's gaze as she started to walk towards them, she saw him smile at her and she melted. She still had to pinch herself that a guy like Adam Dalton would want to be with her, and she knew that no matter how long they would be apart for from tomorrow, there was no way she would be leaving things the way she had when she left the cabin.

Preach took them all to a restaurant right near the beach. It had a big open air balcony overlooking the ocean, fairy lights draped around the banisters and a cocktail menu that had McG excited.

They were seated at a table on the balcony and quickly ordered a drink to start them all off. Listening to the waves crashing on the shore, they perused the menu before their drinks arrived, and once they did, Preach proposed a toast.

"To great friends and team mates. Thank you for coming to SoCal to spend the weekend with this old man."

"Hey, less of the old talk. I expect to see you back out there with us in a few months." Dalton added as they all chinked their glasses together.

"Yes sir." Preach smiled, appreciating the faith that Dalton had in him.

"So, where to from here?" Preach asked them all.

"Back to DC for me." Amir answered.

"Back to Hannah you mean." Jaz quipped teasingly, before asking him, "Hey are you on the same flight as me and McG?"

"Unfortunately, I think I am."

"Good luck with that," Preach sympathised with Amir before turning to Dalton, "What about you, Top?"

Without missing a beat, Dalton answered, "Back to the mountains for me."

Preach just nodded, not missing the tiny glance downward of Jaz's eyes before quickly smiling with the rest of them.

McG also saw it and knowing what he did about Dalton's plans, he quickly changed the topic, "So I assume you're all going to come and visit me in Montana at some stage?"

"I'll see if I can fit it in." Dalton teased, but smiled knowingly at McG, appreciative of the change of topic for now. He didn't like lying to his team, and even though it was just until he had told Jaz, he still wasn't all that comfortable with it.

Their meals arrived soon after and they continued to chat, drink cocktails and enjoy each other's company.

After they finished up with dinner, they moved further down the balcony to the bar area. They pulled up some bar stools and settled themselves there for a couple more drinks.

Before she sat down, Dalton grabbed Jaz's elbow, "Hey, come for a quick walk on the beach with me?"

"Sure." Jaz replied, a little taken aback. As they wandered down the staircase that led to the beach, McG smiled knowingly after them.

When they had reached the soft sand, Dalton stopped and turned to face Jaz and started by saying, "I know we said we'd talk about what happens from here on out today, but we haven't really had a chance yet and I wanted to before all the alcohol sets in."

Jaz smiled at him, "It's ok, I'm not going to run off this time." Jaz said gently.

When Dalton just looked at her she said a little nervously, "I've been thinking about it a lot, and if you're still feeling the same way, after I'm done in DC, maybe I could re-join you at the cabin, or wherever you're going to be."

Dalton let a glimmer of a smile pass over his face. He was pleased to hear that she had thought about it and was really happy that she hadn't assumed the worst. He couldn't handle parting like they had last time.

"Umm, yeah… that sounds great, but uh…"

There was a small part of Jaz that heard the hesitation in his voice and immediately broke a little, immediately lowered her eyes and immediately assumed the worst. She quickly tried to brace herself, until she heard the rest of what he had to say.

"… I thought that I would come to DC with you." Dalton finished up, looking at her and scanning her face for a response.

Shock. That was the first thing he saw on her face.

She looked back up at him for a moment before clarifying with him, "What, you're coming with me?"

"Um, yeah. If that's ok."

When she didn't answer, he kept talking, "I wanted to be there for you. I know it's not going to be easy and I don't want you to go through it alone. Also, McG got me my own appointment with Xander. I know that I have a lot to talk through as well."

When she just kept on staring at him and still didn't answer he started to second guess himself. Maybe she didn't want him with her in DC.

"If it's not a good idea, I can –"

He was cut off abruptly by Jaz's hands on his face and her lips on his.

She had launched herself at him to stop him talking and it was the only response she had for him right then. She kissed him for a long moment and felt him bring his arms up to grab her waist.

Pulling back to look into his eyes, she could see his confusion.

"Jaz, I'm not sure…" He drifted off, a little unsure of her thoughts.

She smiled gently at him, "You're really coming with me?" She asked softly.

Relief flooded all through Adam. He had honestly thought she didn't want him with her for a second.

He smiled softly back at her, "Yeah."

She stepped even closer, pressed herself against him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him once again. This time he wrapped his arms around and held her as close as he could. They kissed softly and gently and felt the other's heart pounding in their respective chest.

"So it's ok?" Adam asked into her lips, enjoying the feel of them too much to pull back completely just yet.

"It's more than ok." She answered into his lips, following up with a few more kisses before pulling back.

"How long have you known?" Jaz was curious.

"I only confirmed it today. McG managed to secure an appointment, flight and hotel room for me, but I've been thinking of a way to avoid a goodbye since we came to Preach's."

Jaz felt a rush of something she couldn't identify flood her whole body, but she knew it made her feel warm and safe and she liked it a lot.

"McG made this happen?"

Adam just nodded.

"Thank you." She whispered to him.

He held her close, "I was serious when I said that I want to be with you, Jaz. We'll figure this stuff out as we go."

Once again she had no words, so she just pressed her lips to his and held him tight. He held her just as tightly, feeling like another little bridge had been crossed in their relationship.

Pulling back, she grabbed his hand, "Come on, we should get back before McG drinks all the cocktails."

Both of them were extremely happy as they walked back to the restaurant hand in hand and the relief that Jaz felt at not having to say goodbye to Adam tomorrow was palpable.

As they walked back to where the others were seated, Jaz walked around to sit on the stool next to McG. She put her arm around his shoulders and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you." She whispered to him.

He smiled in understanding, "Anything for you Jazzy."

"Well in that case, I'll have another mojito."

They all laughed. McG had filled Amir and Preach in on what Dalton was talking to Jaz about, and it was clear that it had gone down well.

As they all ordered more drinks, Preach caught Dalton's eye and gave him a smile. Dalton knew it was one of approval and he just smiled and nodded to Preach in response.

Preach was just happy that these two were finally sorting themselves out. It had been a long time coming, but he knew better than anyone that they needed to seize the day.

Jaz and Dalton lay in bed together that night, talking about going to DC tomorrow. Dalton had explained to Jaz that he had been thinking about talking to someone about his own demons and his own nightmares for a little while. Seeing Jaz make the commitment to seek help was his turning point and Jaz was comforted to know that he wanted that assistance too.

Dalton also explained to Jaz that they had separate hotel rooms, but she understood that. Their plight was tricky, and being in DC they would be surrounded by higher ups and lots of prying eyes who would jump all over them if they caught wind of their situation.

Wriggling herself closer to him, she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don't mind what the hotel situation is, I'm just glad you'll be there."

Dalton put his hand on her cheek and tilted her head towards him to look into her eyes, "Me too," he said softly before leaning over to kiss her.

She placed her hand on his neck to hold him close to her and kissed him back. Tilting her head to deepen it, she rolled herself onto her back, pulling him with her so he lay on top of her. Loving the feel of him on top of her, she slipped her tongue into his mouth and put all the emotion she had felt since his revelation, into this kiss. She had never felt this way about someone before, not even close, and the feelings inside of her just kept growing and growing.

"God Jaz, I want to make love to you so badly." Dalton breathed into her mouth.

"Me too." She breathed equally as desperately, even though they both knew they still weren't going to do so in Preach's house.

Instead they continued to kiss each other and touch each other long into the night. Their need for each other just continued to grow and these feelings of theirs, were only getting stronger.

Ok, so in the next chapter the team leave Preach's and make their way to DC. That should be fun and games!

Thank you as always to you wonderful people who continue to read this story, and a special thanks to those who comment/review. I really appreciate it and it really motivates me.

I must apologise if I don't post the next chapter as soon as usual. Work is chaotic at the moment, but in two weeks time, it's summer holidays... Bring it on!

What did you think of this chapter? Are you as happy as I am that Dalton is going to DC with Jaz? XXX