Here you go! I've had this written for a little while, but I have re-written it and edited it over and over. I think this is the happiest I will be with it, so see what you think. You might to re-read the last chapter if you don't remember what happened :)

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

Chapter 33

Still laying on the loungers next to the roof top pool, Adam and Jaz's hands were still entwined but they were now silent.

Adam had shared stories about the stars with Jaz, stories that he had learnt long ago as a kid; the same stories that Jaz had missed out on hearing, her childhood being nothing to write home about.

The cool night air was reminiscent of the cool nights in Incirlik and when Jaz closed her eyes, she could almost imagine she was there. The place she felt most at home.

Taking long, deep breaths, filling her lungs with crisp oxygen, she felt her eyes grow heavy with sleep and would love nothing more than to fall asleep up on this rooftop with Adam… which reminded her of her conversation with McG earlier that day.

Clearing her throat but with her eyes remaining on the stars, she started softly, "Hey, umm – McG mentioned that maybe we should try sleeping separately…" She drifted off, partly because she already knew that she didn't want to sleep without Adam by her side and partly because she still didn't want to think about the nightmares.

With his own eyes also remaining on the stars, Dalton said slowly, "He's probably right."

It wasn't hard to see where McG was coming from, but the thought of sleeping without Jaz by his side wasn't particularly appealing either.

"Maybe we can try tomorrow night…"

Jaz wasn't ready to get into why tonight she needed to be by his side. She wasn't ready to admit that talking about Arthur with Xander today had her feeling uneasy on the inside, and she was looking forward to nothing more than being wrapped in Adam's arms tonight.

"Yeah, let's try tomorrow."

Dalton felt the same way as Jaz. He knew realistically that this hurdle needed to be crossed. They needed to be able to sleep separately, but tonight he needed her in his arms. The darkness that seeps in when he thinks about Hoffman, which was the crux of his most recent session with Xander, only seemed to be brightened when he was with Jaz.

Jaz gave his hand a very grateful squeeze, which he returned immediately.

They remained on those loungers for a while longer, not speaking but feeling a sense of calm that the stars and each other provided.

Dalton and Jaz woke up in each other's arms the next morning, legs tangled together and both feeling warm and content.

Despite both being awake, they didn't move from their current positions, savouring this moment since they were going to sleep separately that night.

Jaz didn't lift her head from Adam's chest, in fact she buried her head even further into him, not being able to get enough of his masculine scent. The scent that was purely Adam. The scent that comforted her. The scent that she craved.

Dalton pulled her tighter against his chest and nuzzled her hair. Her softness always left him speechless. She was fit, her muscles firm and well defined and yet when she was in his arms, it was her softness that stood out for him. The part of her that completely melted in to him. The part of her that only he knew about. The part of her that made him never want to leave her side.

They needed to be up for breakfast to meet McG and Amir soon, but just couldn't quite bring themselves to let go of each other yet.

This was their favourite part of the day; the small moments when they were alone. When they didn't have to hide from the world or feign indifference. When the only thing that mattered was the way they felt about each other and the way they made each other feel.

"So where to today, kids?" McG asked through a mouthful of food at breakfast.

"How about some lessons in manners?" Amir asked, rolling his eyes.

"What?" McG asked, stuffing another mini croissant into his mouth with a big grin.

Turning his attention towards Dalton and Jaz, Amir asked "Do you feel like something indoors or outdoors?"

"Outdoors." They both replied in unison.

"Geez, now they speak the same too. What's next, matching tattoos?"

Jaz leaned over and flicked McG's ear, making him gasp in surprise to which Jaz just answered with a grin.

Dalton didn't even need to say anything – Jaz had this.

"Ok, well how about the waterfront at National Harbour? There's lots to do and see around that area that Hannah has shown me."

"Sounds great, Amir." Dalton agreed, "Let's move out in 30 mikes."

Half an hour later they made their way towards the National Harbour, in no hurry since they had the entire day free.

After wandering around for a little bit, enjoying the views of the Potomac River, they decided to hire some pedal boats, to give their legs a work out and take advantage of their location.

Amir and Jaz shared one boat, whilst Dalton and McG shared another, and being who they are, it soon turned into a competition.

"Last boat to that bridge buys dinner," McG hollered across to Amir and Jaz, pointing towards a bridge in the distance.

"What a coincidence that it's the bridge they are already closer to," Amir mumbled to Jaz, who just smirked in return.

"We've got this. What we lack in distance and lever length, we make up for in bad-assery."

"Bad-assery? I like that."

And with that, Jaz and Amir turned their legs over as fast as they could and before long they drew level with the other boat and flashed McG and Dalton big grins.

As they overtook the other two, they both felt a large splash of water and gasped as they looked over to see both Dalton and McG with their hands in the water.

"You're cheating." Amir called out.

"I don't remember setting any rules." McG fired back

Exchanging a quick look with Jaz, they both reached their own hands into the water and let fly. What started off as a race, soon turned into a water fight and they found themselves laughing so much that the mission to reach the bridge first was abandoned.

When their hour was up and it was time to return their boats, they were all saturated, but they were all laughing.

"I'm assuming that since you started the splashing as a way of sabotaging myself and Jaz, you realised you were about to be beaten and so therefore, dinner is on you two. Am I correct?" Amir challenged McG and Dalton.

"Well Top is on the big bucks, so I'm sure he's happy to cover it." McG gestured towards Dalton.

"Big bucks? You are sadly mistaken my friend. Your idea, your shout."

"Fine," McG gave in, putting his hands up in the air.

Wanting to dry off, they found a hot dog stand and sat down on the banks of the river to eat and let the sunshine dry their clothes.

The afternoon saw them taking a spin on the Capital Wheel, an observation wheel, right on the waterfront. Amir was particularly excited to be able to get some great photos.

They managed to get a capsule with only the four of them occupying it and Amir started taking photos straight away. They could see amazing views over Alexandria and some of the monuments that they had visited previously.

While McG was standing next to Amir taking some photos on his phone, Jaz went and stood next to Dalton on the opposite side of the capsule and caught him grinning.

"Something funny?"

He turned to look at her and with a smile he asked, "Do you feel like a tourist?"

Jaz laughed, "Yeah, big time. But technically, we are tourists."

"True. It feels a little ridiculous though."

"I don't know, I think it's kind of fun to be able to do all this stuff together. We have a bit of downtime on base, but we live on tenterhooks, waiting for the next call. Here, we are free and easy."

A small smile spread across Dalton's face, "Free and easy, huh?"

Jaz caught on to his insinuations with a smirk, but turned a little more serious as she mumbled, "Well, not as free and easy as I'd like."

Dalton took a step closer to her so they were shoulder to shoulder. The warmth and comfort she felt from his contact instantly appeased her and when he felt her lean back into him, he whispered, "We just have to be careful for a bit longer, Jaz."

Nodding her head slowly she whispered back, "I know."

They stood like that for the rest of the ride. Right next to each other, right where they felt the most at ease.

McG was true to his word and dinner was on him.

"The lobster looks good." Amir commented, perusing the menu.

"Whoa there buddy, you're not big enough to eat a lobster, and neither is my bank account."

"Think I'll have one too." Jaz agreed.

"Make that three." Dalton chimed in.

"You'll all have salads and fucking enjoy them." McG threw back.

"You don't make friends with salad." Dalton deadpanned.

"Time for new friends." McG said with a big grin on his face, which they all couldn't help but return.

Once dinner was done – none of them had lobster, or salad – they found a bar to have a couple of drinks at before they made their back to the hotel. It wasn't late, but they had been out all day and besides, Amir wanted to go and see Hannah.

As soon as they were back at the hotel, Amir left for Hannah's and the other three headed straight for the elevators to go to their rooms.

When Dalton and Jaz said their goodnights to McG, Jaz looked at Dalton in the elevator and asked him quietly, "Come to the roof with me?"

With Dalton agreeing without a second thought, they made their way to a couple of lounge chairs to sit side by side again and Jaz was grateful that they were the only ones up there.

Knowing what she wanted to talk to him about was easy. Getting started however, was not easy at all.

After a couple of moments of silence, she turned to Dalton, curling her legs underneath herself on the chair and began to speak, "I talked to Xander about Arthur yesterday. He asked me if I had spoken to anyone else about him and other than a few brief facts, I realised that I hadn't told any of you much at all. He convinced me that I should share my thoughts; that talking to someone else as well as himself might help, and could assist in easing the nightmares."

Dalton just nodded his head, understanding where Jaz was going with this, but letting her lead the conversation.

"He said to try and write things down as they come to the forefront of my mind and take note of how I'm feeling. I want to talk to you about it, but only if that's ok with you. Otherwise I can just write it all down…"

"Jaz, of course I want you to talk to me about it. I've always wanted you to, I just never wanted to push it. You needed to be ready, and needed to know that you're ready."

She nodded her head slowly, "I know this won't be easy, for either of us. And I wanted to do it up here because sometimes thinking about Tehran, just makes me feel… claustrophobic."

Dalton understood that. He knew about the stark white room she had been kept in. In all honestly though, he would have had this conversation in the middle of an Afghani prison riot, if he knew she needed to talk.

Jaz took a long deep breath and started to tell Adam everything she had told Xander the day before in that low raspy voice of hers.

"I was prepared for the physical torture, that part didn't bother me," She paused briefly and looked like she was battling with what to say next.

"My father was a prick who thought that physical abuse would appease his anger that I wasn't born a male. I learned to block that out a long time ago. But when I was beaten and Arthur found the scars that he had left behind, it felt like it gave my father some sort of power again; like I was helpless, and I hated feeling that way."

The thought of Jaz being beaten was bad enough, but Dalton couldn't help but clench his jaw and his fists tight at Jaz's confirmation of her father's physical abuse. What he wouldn't give for a few minutes alone with him. And he hated thinking of how Arthur had found those scars, but he would leave that alone for now.

"There were some mind games, all the bullshit you'd expect and a gun was shot next to my eardrum. But still, it was nothing I couldn't handle."

Jaz paused and Dalton just gave her the space and time she needed to keep going.

"When he came back into the room, he showed me pictures of all of you from the airport." Again Jaz paused with a lump in her throat, reflecting on that moment.

"Knowing that you had all been identified was one of the hardest things to cope with. The fact that they had me didn't cause me nearly as much pain as knowing that they might have all of you too. He was trying to break me, trying to get me to talk, he spoke about me potentially losing the opportunity to find love, to have a family." Jaz paused as the memory of the way she felt in that moment washed over her.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, she continued earnestly, "I didn't know that I wanted any of that until that very moment. And though I didn't let him see that he had shaken me, at that point in time it all seemed completely out of reach; it was all lost to me. Being in that stark white room and sensory deprived, just compounded the inevitability and hopelessness of the situation. And though I didn't doubt that you would have all tried to look for me, I was also well aware of what the protocols were."

Dalton swallowed hard, remembering the feeling of despair when it appeared all hope was lost on getting Jaz out; when it was suggested that they were going to have to leave without her. He would never, ever forget it, he still had nightmares about it now.

Jaz continued, "I was suddenly afraid of everything I could miss out on. It took me so long to find somewhere that I actually fit. I was afraid of leaving behind the only place I had ever really felt comfortable; the only family I had ever truly felt a part of. And then…"

Jaz trailed off, looking down at her lap where she was twisting her hands. She took another deep breath before continuing.

"And then, he showed me a picture of you." She looked up into Adam's face and he could see the anguish clouding her eyes.

"What was the picture, Jaz?"

"You were… you were – dead. Gunshot wound to the head. You were dead." She repeated in a whisper, barely audibly.

When she saw him frown, she continued swiftly, "I worked out pretty quickly that it was a fake. But for that split second, I nearly gave up. I wanted to. Seeing you like that, thinking that you had died trying to rescue me, made me want to die too. And at the same time I wanted to punch that smug look off his face and smash that hooked nose of his. It was that moment that I broke, that I rebuffed him in English, and that fucking pissed me off."

"Jaz, you didn't break. You still gave him nothing. You did exactly as you were trained to." Dalton tried to sooth her.

"Yeah, but it still pissed me off. I hated that he had won, that he had managed to get a reaction out of me." She still had regrets about what had happened, but learning to live with it was something she was trying to accomplish.

Steeling herself to get the next part out, she lowered her eyes before continuing quietly, "Next they carved me up. He didn't do it, he had minions to do his dirty work, the weak bastard, but I got through that by thinking of all of you; by thinking of Elijah. I went into a zone thinking that I would be seeing him soon, and that offered some small comfort to counteract the pain of never seeing my team again…"

She looked up at him, slightly nervous but wanting to be truthful, "… of never seeing you again."

Dalton swallowed against the lump in his throat. Hearing all of this from Jaz was difficult. He had read her medical reports so he knew what the assholes had done to her. It had been difficult at the time from the team's perspective, not knowing how to get her out. But hearing it from Jaz's side, what she had been through both physically and emotionally, was a completely different story.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when Jaz persevered, wanting to get this all out.

"And when they got me out of there, and into that van, he insinuated that he would… well I'm sure you can imagine."

Dalton's nostrils flared at that. The thought of Jaz being hurt had made him feel sick, but wondering if that had happened, made him see red. Even though she had escaped that fate, it still made his blood boil.

Jaz could see him fighting his anger. She hadn't wanted to make him angry, she just wanted to share the load, like Xander had suggested.

In a soft voice she continued, "Hearing your voice and seeing your face when you blew the door off of that van, was the single best moment of my life. I wasn't in great shape, but I knew I was going to be fine just then. You had all come for me and not just that, you had fought for me; against the Iranians and against our own protocols. I knew right then that losing any one of you again would break me and that's what Xander managed to get out of me in Incirlik - that I was afraid of losing you all."

Dalton wished like hell that they weren't on the roof right then; that they weren't in a public place with the possibility of being seen, because all he wanted to do was wrap her up in his arms and never let go. That's the exact same way he had felt after rescuing her in Tehran, hence the small embrace in the back of the getaway vehicle that had slightly placated that need.

Slightly.

"Jaz…"

He was cut off before he could say anything else, "No it's ok, you don't have to respond or try to make me feel better. That's not what this is about. It's about sharing it with you and trying to give it less weight in my mind and less of a home in my subconscious. Does that make sense?"

Dalton had heard the same thing from Xander yesterday about his own issues, "It makes a lot of sense." He told Jaz gently, still fighting the need to touch her, but becoming aware of the feeling of assurance washing over him, knowing that she wanted to share the tough stuff, the hard stuff, the fucking awful stuff - with him.

Back in Jaz's room a little while later, sitting on the couch, Dalton had a lot on his mind.

He appreciated how hard that had been for Jaz to open up and speak to him about the events in Tehran. He knew how difficult she found it to open up to anyone. Speaking to Xander had been a massive step for her, so to then speak to him also, he knew she was making progress.

If he wanted Jaz to let him in and continue to do so, he should do the same. He wanted to do the same.

Clearing his throat, he turned to Jaz, who was watching the TV, but he could tell she wasn't really paying attention. Lifting the remote from the couch he turned the TV off and Jaz turned to him expectantly.

"I spoke to Xander yesterday about Hoffman. He said very similar things to me as I now realise he did to you also. About how sharing my thoughts, or just talking to someone or venting to someone could help the… well whatever I'm feeling."

A look of understanding crossed Jaz's face and using one of his favourite phrases she said softly, "Talk to me."

Taking a deep breath, Adam shook his head slowly before beginning, "Hoffman – it bothered me and still bothers me at how good he was. He had clearly been watching us, spying on us, and not one of us had a fucking clue. How is that? He knew stuff about all of us and we have no idea how or why. All the sly tidbits he kept dropping and his quips about Patricia…"

He drifted off before shaking his head again, taking a deep breath and continuing, "Not to mention he used a young girl, a kid whose father he had murdered, to do his dirty work."

The involvement of any young people always got to them all. It made both of them angry just remembering the whole situation.

"Knowing our names rattled me, but I wasn't going to let him know that. But when he had a dig at you about me being your boyfriend, I admit I was completely thrown. How the hell had he seen that, when you and I had barely acknowledged a connection? I did not like that. I did not like knowing he had been watching all of us; been watching you."

"You know I can protect myself." Jaz interjected, trying to reassure him.

"I do know that. Of course I know that. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to protect you too."

Jaz felt a blush sweep over her face and neck. Hearing Adam speak like this, still surprised her, even though that wasn't what this was about right now.

She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as Adam continued, "He was good. He knew it, I knew it, Patricia knew it, hell – we all knew it. That, combined with his attack on Patricia and Preach, and I knew he had to be put down. He couldn't get away with all of that, and he couldn't drag Patricia down with him."

Taking another deep breath before he continued, he wondered about how what he had to say next would resonate with Jaz. He was scared to open up about this part, but a problem shared is a problem halved… or so he'd heard.

"I'm scared because I wanted to kill him. I needed to kill him. It's not like I haven't killed before, but this feeling was new; it was more than doing it for god and country. This had been for myself. I went to that apartment with one sole agenda. And if I had been tempted to waver from that at all, as soon as he mentioned my sister, I knew it was him or me. I was either going to kill him or die trying."

Jaz didn't know what he meant when he referenced his sister, but the glazed look in Adam's eyes had her holding back on that question for now. She knew he needed to get all of this out and off his chest, so she let him continue without interruption.

"It's how I felt that has me scared. I murdered him, pretty much in cold blood, and at the time I didn't feel any remorse. It was more like… relief. And that's what has me worried. I'm worried that the darkness will completely take over one day. I'm afraid of who or what I could become. Realistically I can rationalise all of this in my head, and that's what Xander has tried to do, but it still invades my sub-conscious."

"Adam…"

She was cut off before she could say anything else, "No, like you said earlier, you don't have to respond or try to make me feel better. That's not what this is about. It's about sharing it with you and trying to give it less weight in my mind and less of a home in my subconscious. Right?"

"Right." Jaz agreed.

So instead of verbally comforting him, she stood up from her position on the couch and sat herself down on his lap. Placing her hands on his cheeks and burying her fingertips in his blond hair, she leaned over and kissed him softly on his forehead, followed by another peck on his nose and finishing with a lingering but tender kiss on his lips.

She felt him place his arms around her to hold her closer against his body, and they took comfort in their proximity to each other, just holding one another.

These conversations hadn't been easy, both telling them and hearing them, but they both sensed a greater level of intimacy between them as a result of sharing their weight.

Intimacy wasn't just about the physical; it was the mental and emotional position that only some relationships are able to advance to. It was being able to be completely free in that person's presence, and having someone understand your mind and how it works.

It was clear to both of them that their relationship was certainly on a clear path in that direction.

Still sitting curled up together on the couch, they knew they would have to try and get some sleep soon.

Separately.

Neither of them were looking forward to it. Not just because of the threat of nightmares, but also because sleeping side-by-side was their favourite thing to do. They hadn't slept apart since Jaz left the cabin to visit Elijah's family, and that had been excruciating.

It wasn't going to get any easier so even though it was with reluctance, Jaz unfolded herself from Adam's lap and stood up.

Looking at him still sitting on the couch, she held a hand out to him, "It's now or never right?"

Accepting her hand, Dalton got up himself to stand in front of her. Looking down into her beautiful face, the face that looked somewhat lighter after their shared grievances, a thought suddenly came to him.

"Let's leave the adjoining door open. That way if either of us has a nightmare, we'll be able to hear it."

"I like that."

"I'll be right next door," Dalton assured her before he bent his head to kiss her lingeringly.

Wanting to lose herself in that kiss, wanting to prolong it as much as she could, Jaz wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight.

Being with him was a sanctuary, it's where she felt most safe. And while she didn't need the protection, confident enough in her own abilities, the feeling of just being with someone, was the best feeling in the world.

Tilting her head up, to look into his eyes, she studied the features on his face as if committing them to memory. She felt a little ridiculous, he was only going to be in the next room – with the door open.

Nevertheless, she couldn't deny the pull on her heart knowing that she wouldn't be snuggling into his warmth tonight, and when she looked into his crystal blue eyes, she knew he felt the same way.

With small sighs and deep breaths, they pulled away from each other and smiled at themselves for feeling so reluctant to separate.

Knowing it was just prolonging the inevitable, Adam squeezed her hand and whispered, "Goodnight Jaz," before walking into his own room but remembering to leave the door ajar.

They both got into their respective beds and lay in the dark thinking.

Thinking about how sharing their demons had actually lifted a small weight from their chests.

Thinking of their current situation and how right it felt to be together.

Thinking of each other, just a few metres away, either side of that adjoining door.

With those thoughts, they both drifted off to sleep; safe in their own beds and safe in the knowledge that even if the nightmares did prevail, the other was just a few steps away.

Phew - that was a hard one to write!

Thank you to all of you who are still reading and helping to keep these characters alive. Some days I still really struggle with the cancellation of this epic show, but don't get me started on that!

Comment if you want, I would love to know what you think XXX