Thank you so much for the lovely comments on my last chapter - sorry I haven't gotten around to answering you all yet. Well here they are, back at the cabin. As always, I would recommend reading the last chapter again to refresh your memory. Happy Wednesday and I hope you enjoy!

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

Chapter 42

Sunlight streaming through the cracks in the blinds woke Dalton up early the next morning. Even inside the cabin, he could smell the clean, fresh air that the Blue Ridge Mountains offered. While DC had been beautiful, nothing rivalled this mountain range and the peace and tranquillity that came with it.

He looked down at Jaz, curled up with her head resting on his shoulder, still fast asleep. Her long dark hair was splayed behind her on the pillow, with the aroma of her apple scented shampoo wafting into the air.

Running his hand down the arm that she had draped around his torso, he marvelled as he always did at the softness of her skin. This badass sniper who had countless methods of inflicting pain on the enemy, was so soft and supple when they were like this. And he loved it. He would hazard a guess that not many –if any—had seen this side of her and he hoped it stayed that way. He wanted to keep this side of her tucked away from anyone else. He wanted to keep it all to himself.

Despite this strong woman being every bit as capable as himself at taking care of herself—probably more so given her sniper abilities—he couldn't shake the need to want to protect her. He wished he could just wrap her up and keep her away from the rest of the world, away from anything that could hurt her. Jaz would scoff at him if he told her this to her face. She was comfortable in her abilities, more than comfortable, and she should be. She had saved the whole team's asses countless times, and yet this need to wrap her in cotton wool and keep her right by his side all the time was unshakeable.

This must be what love is. Huh. He still had a lot to learn about all of this stuff.

He debated whether to get up and put the coffee on, knowing how her need for coffee in the morning pretty much outweighed everything else. Or whether to just stay snuggled up with her, and enjoy the fact that they didn't need to scramble to exit the bedroom from different doorways, as they had done in DC to keep up the façade.

His decision was made for him when he noticed Jaz start to stir. She buried her head even further into his shoulder as the light tried to permeate her eyes and the cuteness of it all—again, something he would never tell her—had him pulling her in tighter against his side.

"Morning." He whispered to her huskily, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"Mmm, morning," She whispered back, still trying to snuggle as close to him as possible, "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long. I've been debating whether to put the coffee on for you yet, I know you love nothing more in the morning."

Finally letting her face see the light of day, she looked up at him from where she still rested on his shoulder, and said in her huskier than usual voice, "There is one thing I love more."

Adam raised his eyebrows with a small smirk on his face, "Oh yeah? What's that?"

She didn't answer him; she didn't need to. Instead she just started placing soft kisses to his shoulder, gradually moving across his collar bone, to his neck, where she placed open mouthed kisses to that sweet spot, before finally arriving at her destination.

She pressed her full mouth to his, surprising him when her tongue slipped straight into his. She sought out his own tongue and massaged it with her own, their lips on fire upon each other.

"Good answer." He managed to breath against her lips, as he yanked her across his body, his hands moulding her soft skin so she lay on top of him.

She smiled lazily against his lips and ground her lower body against him at the same time. Hearing his low groan, she breathed into his mouth, "Thought you'd like it," as they lost themselves in each other. Their morning not being quite as early as they first thought.

A couple of hours later they were up and ready to drive into town to grab some supplies. Given that there was nothing other than sundries in the cabin, they needed to stock up and also return the rental car while they were there.

They drove in tandem and as soon as they had returned the car, they both climbed into Adam's truck to find a parking space for a couple of hours. He managed to park near a café that they intended to hit up for some much needed sustenance.

As they exited the truck and Adam joined Jaz on the sidewalk, he reached out for her hand and laced his fingers with hers like it was second nature. Like they had been doing this for years.

It was a new feeling; a new concept. The last time they had been at the cabin, they hadn't put a label on their relationship, it had no definition. They had still been feeling each other out and were unsure where this was going.

When they had been in DC, they had of course kept everything behind closed doors. So now, here in these mountains, it felt so novel and liberating to be able to just simply hold hands out in the open. Even though there was nothing simple about it.

It just seemed like it was a normal concept that every other couple would do. But they were far from every other couple.

With her small hand encased in his much larger hand, a shy smile spread across her face, and a tinge of pink, which seemed to happen around this man more often than she could count.

Looking back at her with a soft, knowing smile, and a squeeze of her hand, he led them to the café, feeling like this was a big step for them and never wanting to let her go.

After a large brunch to fulfill the hunger they had built up with their… physical activities, hitting up the supermarket was next on their agenda.

They took their time, perusing each aisle, touching each other whenever possible. Adam's hand often found its way to the small of her back, Jaz repeatedly placed her hand on his shoulder or his arm and they snuck in quick kisses whenever they could. Neither of them had ever had a shopping experience like it.

Even the actual shopping itself was new. Now they were shopping for them, as a couple. This saw many sweet treats being added to the cart, planned dinners, alcohol and of course the much required toiletries. It was so domestic—and while the term domestic bliss seemed cheesy and presumptuous, that's exactly what they were feeling at this point in time.

When the groceries were done and packed in the car, they were deciding what to do next. Dalton wanted to go to the hardware store to get a few supplies and Jaz decided to check out Target. They arranged to meet up in an hour.

Jaz had been wearing the same clothes for over a month, in fact they were pretty much the same clothes that she had had on deployment also. Other than a couple of items that she had bought here last time, including that bikini that Adam loved so much, she had basically been wearing the same clothes for 10 months. While she was quite modest, and that wasn't likely to change any time soon, she wanted to get a couple more items just to add to her repertoire. Nothing fancy, just new.

She selected a couple of new t-shirts and tank tops, some shorts and a couple of sun dresses. As she added a couple of other items to her basket, she came across the swimwear section. Adam loved the bikini she had bought so much last time. It made her giggle and blush remembering his reaction to it. She already had a couple of other swimsuits, but maybe one more wouldn't hurt.

Meeting back up with Adam in an hour had him rolling his eyes at her good naturedly.

"Bought half the store again?"

"So what if I did?"

Adam just shrugged, it didn't bother him at all, but he joked, "Might have to pay another visit to the hardware store to build you another room for your clothes."

"Very funny." She elbowed him in the side as they put her bags in the back of the truck.

Grabbing her elbow, he spun her around and his lips were on hers before she could protest. Caught by surprise, but not objecting, she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back, melting into him—right there in the middle of the street. Another first for them.

Pulling away slowly, they could see the others happiness reflected in each other's eyes and the smiles didn't leave their faces.

"Need anything else?" Adam asked her, his arms still firmly around her waist.

"I think I'm good."

A particular store caught Adam's eye over her shoulder and he squinted in thought. Making a quick decision, he leaned down to give her another quick kiss before saying, "I just need to grab one more thing. I'll be quick, wait here?"

"Sure." Jaz climbed in the truck and scrolled through her phone as she waited.

About 20 minutes later, she heard him open up the back of the truck and turned around to see him placing a box in the back.

"Get what you needed?" She asked as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Yep. Good to go?"

"Let's go."

They made the trip back to the cabin with their windows rolled down, letting the breeze blow through the truck. They didn't speak all that much; they just enjoyed the fresh air and each other's quiet company.

Upon arriving back at the cabin, they unloaded their many purchases and Adam took care to place the box from his last purchase on the kitchen bench.

They re-stocked the shelves and the fridge and then Jaz went and put her new purchases away. Her bags from DC still sat on the floor in Adam's bedroom. They had been too preoccupied with each other last night when they had arrived back at the cabin to put anything away.

It felt strange this time to be putting her clothes away in Adam's room, rather than in the guest room. But they were doing this, they were really doing this. Being a couple. Living together. So even though it felt strange, it couldn't compete with the happiness she was also feeling.

After her new clothes, and toiletries were put away, she came across two of the other purchases she had made that day. Holding the two books in her hand, she went back out into the kitchen to find Adam.

"Here." She held out one of the books for him, keeping one for herself.

"What's this?" He asked her, turning the book over in his hands.

"It's a notebook, or journal. Xander advised us both to write down what keeps us awake, or what wakes us up, or what worries us, right? I thought I would get us a book that we could leave on the bed side table, or where ever you want really."

"Good idea."

"I know."

Smirking at her and then down at the book, he held it up to her, with raised eyebrows when he saw the slogan on the front of his, "Does not play well with others?"

"Perfect, right?" She shrugged.

"Couldn't be more perfect. Thank you." He laughed before he leaned down to kiss her quickly, glad that Jaz was serious about continuing their therapy. It was important to keep it up, they didn't want to undo any progress they had begun to make over the last two weeks.

Adam walked over to the kitchen bench to the box he had placed there. It was what he had purchased while Jaz waited in the car, and he was mildly worried about the reaction it would get. It could go two ways. He hoped it went the way he wanted.

Beckoning her over, he gestured to the box, "I got this for you."

"What is it?"

"Open it up." He said simply.

Jaz pulled back the lid of the box and inside she found a large glass bowl, and resting inside was a plastic bag filled with water and a bright orange gold fish swimming around in it.

She looked at him through her thick eyelashes, her eyes not showing any sign of emotion, "You got me a fish?"

Adam just nodded, not being able to get a read on Jaz's feelings.

As she pulled the bowl out of the box and placed it on the bench, a whole flood of emotion ran through her veins. All good ones. He had bought her a goldfish—to make up for the one her Dad had so ruthlessly gotten rid of. Fuck she loved this man.

She walked around the bench and he watched her approach through curious and slightly nervous eyes. She stepped right up to him and buried her face in his neck and wrapped her arms around his waist. His arms automatically wrapped around her to pull her closer. They stayed like that for a moment until she turned her head so it rested on his chest, gazing at the goldfish swimming around in the plastic bag.

"Thank you." She whispered to him, this present touching her more than he will ever know.

Resting his cheek on her head he whispered back, "You're welcome. You like it?"

"I love it." She affirmed, pulling back to look up at him, "I love you."

A slow smile spread across Adam's face and his heart pounded. He loved hearing those words.

"I love you too."

Standing on her tip toes she kissed him, hoping he knew how thankful she really was.

When they pulled away, Jaz went back to the box and pulled out a couple more things. A bag of purple pebbles for the bottom of the bowl, a container of food and a bag of what looked like rocks.

When she looked at him quizzically, he explained, "They're slow feeders. If we go away for a few days, you put it in the water and it provides food over a period of time."

"Smart. Are we going away?"

"I have every intention of taking you to a few different camping spots."

She just smiled at him, before holding up the bag of pebbles, "Purple?"

"I know it's your favourite colour."

"You do?"

"Jaz, it's been over three years, I've paid attention. Besides the journal that you just bought yourself is purple."

She couldn't help but laugh, "Guilty. But I want to hear some stories of what you paid attention to sometime."

"We'll see. Let's get this guy in his new home. Or hers." He added quickly.

They spent the next ten minutes setting up the fishbowl and acclimatising the goldfish to the water before finally releasing it to swim free. Jaz just watched it swim around and around with a look of absolute delight on her face.

"You look like a little kid."

"It's my first pet. My first real pet anyway. Oh god, what if I kill it?" She looked up from the bowl with a look of horror on her face.

Adam just tilted his head at her, "The good thing about goldfish are that they are easily replaceable."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Laughing, he asked, "What are you going to call it?"

She frowned in thought, as if she had never had a more serious task in front of her. She could put a bullet in a target's head from hundreds of metres away and yet naming the goldfish seemed so much more important. This was something personal to her, not just her job.

Something personal.

All of a sudden the right name came to her.

"Cassiopeia."

Dalton chuckled, "The vain queen?"

"If the shoe fits, right?"

His chuckle turned into a laugh, "Right. That's quite a mouthful for such a tiny fish."

"Hey, don't call my fish tiny." She defended, but Jaz took Adam's words on board, "But I suppose it can be Cass for short."

"Copy that."

Adam was so happy that the fish, that Cassiopeia, had gone down well. It had been a split second decision when they were in town, and he really wanted to do something nice for her. The look of joy glowing from every pore on her face was all he needed.

Seeing a smile on Jaz Khan's face, was all he ever wanted to see.

When Adam finally managed to drag Jaz away from Cassiopeia, they decided to spend the afternoon fishing off the jetty in the lake just across from Adam's cabin.

They sat there in the warmth, legs swinging off the end of the jetty, fishing rods in hand, not saying all that much, just enjoying the quietness of their surroundings.

Jaz was still so happy about her new pet. She had received gifts before. The team usually exchanged small trinkets or funny items on birthdays and Christmases that fell during their deployment. It wasn't usually anything big, just whatever they could get their hands on in whatever country they could. In McG's case, it was generally tequila or condoms, which he was more than happy with.

She and Elijah had bought some funny gifts for each other, usually part of some inside joke and Dalton gave everyone the same present for every event, the day off PT. But this was the first time she had received a gift of any significance; of such thought. One that actually meant something to her.

It might seem silly to be so excited about a pet fish. And she even felt silly for being afraid of being able to keep it alive. But she had never had to care for anything before; something that was actually hers anyway.

She was nervous and excited and felt like a little kid. Which was kind of ironic seeing as though she had never experienced this feeling as a kid.

Dalton was happy that the fish had gone over well. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but then he had second guessed himself and wondered if it would just be a bad reminder of her father.

Seeing her face light up and seeing her worried about the fish's welfare and its name—well she had never looked so adorable. He's seen her care for her team mates and some of their victims over the years. He knew she would be a natural, even if she didn't think so herself.

And the name of the fish, well he couldn't help but smile to himself about that. Cassiopeia. Named after the constellation he had told her about in Seville. That had been a nice night with her out on that balcony; one of his stored up memories of her. Of them.

They both sat there smiling to themselves, lost in their own thoughts but still very much aware of the other sitting beside them. This calmness and contentedness felt too good to be true.

Not wanting to ruin that, but letting the curiosity get the better of him, Adam broached carefully, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Jaz looked at him knowingly with a soft smile on her face, "You want to know when I knew?"

He nodded. He believed that Jaz loves him, he was in no doubt about that, but just like she had been, he was interested to know more.

She shuffled closer to him on the jetty so that they were thigh to thigh, "It was two things. Hearing you automatically refer to you and I as we. It just rolled off your tongue like it was second nature, like we had been an us for a lot longer. And also, the way you answered that it would be you and I dealing with the whole prospect of New York and my dad. Not just myself. Like our lives were now so intertwined that that wasn't even a question. You said it so simply, but it was my moment of clarity."

He put his hand on her thigh, needing as always to feel close to her, "Our lives are intertwined now. I mean they already were, but even more so now."

"I know. And I'm the happiest I've ever been."

"Me too." He agreed with her as he leaned down to kiss her, pressing his lips to hers as a commitment to that unity they now shared with each other.

When they pulled back, Jaz needed to clarify, "That wasn't when I fell in love with you though. I think that happened long ago, I think it's been creeping up on me and stayed hidden behind my insecurities. But that was when I realised it. When I accepted it."

"I think you and I are going to have fun trading some stories at some stage."

"At some stage…" She teased, leaning over to kiss him again.

No doubt they had plenty of thoughts and memories to exchange. This had all been building for so long, their connection evident right from the very beginning. But for now, this was enough. Knowing how they felt about each other was enough.

Suddenly reminded of something, Jaz got her phone out to send a quick text to someone she owed an answer to.

I finally figured it out – Jaz

After ten minutes or so, a reply can through.

I'm glad – Xander

You knew, of course – Jaz

Guilty. I'm proud of you, Jaz. Be happy – Xander

Thank you – Jaz

She smiled, as she put her phone away. She owed Xander so much.

"Everything ok?" Adam asked.

"If ok means that you're cooking dinner tonight, then yes."

He laughed. They were having a barbeque, so there was no doubt who was cooking.

After dinner they sat out under the back veranda, beers in hand, staring at the stars.

"I've missed this." Dalton admitted.

"Me too." Jaz agreed.

"I wouldn't change anything about the last few weeks, but I've been itching to get back here. Being here with you too, makes it infinitely better."

That blush that she couldn't hide from and had no control over, once again made its way across her face, but at least the darkness of night hid it from Adam's view.

"I would change one thing. Two things actually." Jaz admitted.

"What are those?"

"The two times I ran. When I left without a goodbye to go and see Elijah's parents, and then again when you told me that you—that you are in love with me."

Adam couldn't help but smile when she still stuttered over him revealing his feelings to her. He felt the same way. He wasn't unsure about his feelings—he had never been so sure of anything in his life—but it was still so new that it still took him by surprise.

"I wouldn't change them. They forced us to recognise what was happening between us."

"So you're saying I did us a favour?"

"Well, a favour might be a push, but it certainly made me open my eyes—to this," Dalton indicated between the two of them before continuing, "When you went to Elijah's parents, it forced me to realise what had been going on here. And what I wanted. I wanted you. And then when you ran in the hotel, even though I already knew how I felt about you, it just reaffirmed it. There was absolutely no doubt. I just wanted you to be ok, that was all I was worried about."

Jaz nodded softly, seeing his point of view.

Clearing her throat, she needed to bring up a topic they needed to discuss, "So—I know we tried a couple of nights sleeping apart in DC, and had some success. I guess to continue to come to terms with our nightmares, we need to spend a few more nights apart."

Adam looked over at her, "Good job I have two bedrooms."

"Yeah." She answered glumly.

"Jaz, come here."

"Huh?"

He held out his hand to her and repeated, "Come here."

Standing up, she crossed the couple of steps to where he was sitting, accepted his outstretched hand and laughed as he pulled her onto his lap.

Looking up at her while grasping her hand tightly and with his other wrapped around her, he smiled gently.

"Jaz, even when we are in separate bedrooms, we'll only be a wall away from each other. But if it makes you feel any better, I'm not thrilled at being away from you either. If we both didn't realise how important this was for us, both individually and as a couple, I'd just say fuck it, and spend every second with you."

"Me too." She agreed. She knew as much as he did that it was for their own good and for the best reasons. But they had only just got back to the cabin. "But we don't have to start straight away do we?" She asked coyly, looking his straight in the eye.

With a glint in his eye, he placed his hand on her soft cheek and pulled her even closer, "I think we've got a good few nights ahead of us before we need to try again."

When he saw her smile spread across her face he kissed her earnestly, wanting to make sure she knew how much he wanted her.

They had only just got back. There was no way they could spend a night apart just yet. It would come in time, but for a few nights they wanted to enjoy each other, explore each other and just love each other, in all manner of the word.

As their kiss became more passionate and hungry and their need for each other was as always sky high, Adam whispered into her mouth, his own not moving far from hers, "What say we go and put one of those nights together to good use?"

She sprung away from him, surprising him at her excitement before he was brought crashing back down to earth, "After I've said goodnight to Cassiopeia." And with that she almost ran into the cabin, leaving Adam to stare after her incredulously.

He'd created a monster.

But as he shook his head, laughed to himself and walked inside, he thought to himself not for the first time, that seeing that smile on Jaz Khan's face and the excitement she had over a pet goldfish, made absolutely everything worthwhile. He'd buy her a hundred goldfish if they made her that happy.

Because she made him happy. It was as simple as that.

I hope you all remembered the mention in my last chapter of the goldfish that Jaz's Dad flushed down the toilet. I just thought this would be a cute storyline. There are a few fluffy chapters to follow this one, because I thought they deserved it after the emotional heaviness of DC.

Thank you so much for reading. I would love to know what you think.

Much love to you all XXX