Happy Thursday! I wanted to upload this now because I won't get a chance this coming weekend. This picks up right where the last chapter left off with Dalton's sisters and their kids up at the cabin, so if you need to re-read that, please do so.

Also, this has a little throwback to Chapter 5 - which, yes, I realise that was a loooooonnggg time ago. See if you can pick it.

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

Chapter 50

The Dalton family and Jaz enjoyed cooling off in the lake. The kids had loved jumping off the jetty as well as splashing each other, dunking each other and playing with Patton who took any opportunity to show off his swimming skills.

When they went back up to the cabin to dry off and get changed, Emily hightailed it as quick as she could to haul herself up on one of the kitchen benches to sit in front of Cassiopeia's bowl. Her little face just lit up as she took so much delight in watching the fish swim around in circles.

"Remind you of anyone else we know?" Dalton asked Jaz sarcastically, standing next to her.

"Shut up." She said as she bumped his shoulder with his as she went to join Emily.

"Coooooool, you have a pet fish and Patton?" Charlie asked as he and Sam came out of the spare bedroom where Sarah had been helping them get redressed.

"We do," Jaz answered happily, "Her name is Cassiopeia."

"Cassiopeia? After the vain queen?" Sarah asked as she too exited the bedroom.

"That's the one."

Sarah flashed a quick smile with raised eyebrows to her brother who just shrugged in response. She had no doubt that her star gazing brother had shared the tales with Jaz. He had sat outside with their Mom most nights and regaled in her stories. It made Sarah happy to know that he was passing those stories on.

"Cath… Cathio… Cathi – what's her name again?" Sam asked, his lisp making the name even harder for him to get his tongue around.

"It's Cassiopeia, but we call her Cass for short." Jaz smiled at him.

"Cath?"

"That's right."

"Cass. I like that." Charlie said solemnly.

These kids were definitely all animal lovers. The boys went back to playing with Patton while Sarah and Katie sat at their Mom's old dining table just chatting. The girls gathered around the fishbowl with Jaz, and Dalton just stood in the kitchen surveying his surroundings.

Other than the other members of his team spread across the country, everyone he cared about in the world were right here in his cabin. All together. He had had his sisters and their kids around before, but with Jaz here now, it felt different. He felt differently than he ever had. A feeling of contentedness that he had never felt washed over him, and for perhaps the very first time, he had an inkling as to what he wanted his future to look like. And with that came a whole slew of other feelings and emotions and questions and concerns and worries and—hell, he couldn't even describe what else.

He nibbled on some of the snacks they had put out to tide everyone over until dinner time and as always, his gaze fell and stayed on Jaz. She was chatting and whispering to the girls like they had all been best friends for years. Emily seemed to have especially taken a liking to her and vice versa. He had seen Jaz with a few kids on missions over the years and it had always brought out a softer side of her, that she often kept hidden away.

The mission in Nigeria, where they had gone back into the shopping mall to retrieve that little girl stuck out in his memory, as did the rescue of Verina in Adana and Mina and Asim in Paris. On all of those occasions there had been a steely look of determination on Jaz's face; there was no question whatsoever that those kids would be rescued safely. When kids were involved, especially innocently, it made all of them angry and even more determined that usual. And with Jaz, it just resonated even deeper.

Snapping himself out of his reverie, before his thoughts completely ran away with him, he decided it was time to wear these kids out a bit more.

"Ok guys, do you want to play with nerf guns or go fishing off the jetty?"

"FISHING!" They all sang out in unison, surprising him.

"Really? I thought for sure nerf guns would win out."

"But we already know that Jath will win." Sam offered, to which the young girls all cheered.

Jaz smiled widely and shrugged her shoulders when Dalton looked her way. Rolling his eyes at her good naturedly, he shrugged his shoulders too, "Ok, fishing it is."

The afternoon spent on the jetty was glorious. The sun was warm, the kids were excited and the fish were biting. The adults helped the kids bait their lines and cast off and then sat back and watched on safety patrol as the kids all sat with their little legs dangling off the side of the jetty.

Liv was super proud to catch the first fish and posed with it proudly while Sarah took photos of her. They all thought that Maya would keel over with her excitement when she caught her "first fish ever". She posed multiple times for a photo and couldn't wipe the grin off her face.

Jaz remembered feeling that same way when she caught her first fish. That was when she had first talked to Dalton about Hossein, here on this very jetty. It had been emotional, but the simple task of catching that fish had diffused the emotion and proved cathartic—and that had stayed with her.

As if reading her mind, Dalton came and stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the back of her head. She leaned back against him, and couldn't be any happier in this moment. She was surrounded by this beautiful family that she already loved, and by the man she was in love with. Combine that with this idyllic location and what more could she ask for? She was choosing to ignore that tiny question in her brain that wanted to ask what happened in a couple of months' time.

"Uncle Adam, you hug Jaz a LOT." Maya made the simple observation, as they both looked over at her and reddened slightly.

"That's because they care about each other, Maya." Katie stepped in, and they both looked relieved, and not quite sure how to respond.

"It's cute." Liv observed with a smile on her face.

"It certainly is." Katie agreed with her, flashing big grins at Dalton and Jaz.

Jaz could practically hear Dalton roll his eyes, as he gave her a quick squeeze before stepping away and going to sit between the boys on the edge of the jetty and give them a few tips.

Jaz's flushed face, which she could just not get a handle on today, only deepened as Sarah came and stood next to her, agreeing with Katie, "You guys really are cute."

When Jaz didn't respond, purely through shyness, Sarah continued quietly so only Jaz could hear, "Adam sure is captivated with you. I can't tell you how happy that makes me."

Jaz glanced into her eyes and saw the truth shining there and she answered with a small smile, internally pleading with her cheeks to cool down.

"When we were younger," Sarah started, "Adam took it upon himself to be our protector; to shield us from our father's behaviour and bad habits and the consequences of those habits." She noticed Jaz's face soften in understanding, "And now knowing that he told you about that and about Jessie, makes me so grateful that he has you. He had so much anger. It was probably for the best that he joined the army as soon as he could. I imagine he feels some guilt at leaving us and I would never ask him, but it was always clear that he had his demons, and those shadows just never quite left his eyes. Whatever happened in our family—happened. Nothing can change that. But now I've seen a side of him that I always hoped I would; the fun-loving boy he was when we were much younger. All I've wanted since Jessie died and then our Mom passed away, was just to feel like a family again. This summer is the first time it has started to feel that way. He's different this time. He's always been great with the kids, but there's a new lightness in his face and a warmth in his eyes. And for the very same reason that he has not only introduced us to you, but is comfortable showing how he feels about you in front of us, makes me want to thank you whole heartedly. He's a different person and you've helped him become that."

"He's helped me more than I could ever help him." Jaz responded with a catch in her voice, having taken all of Sarah's words in.

"I wouldn't be so sure. My brother looks happy for the first time in… well I can't even give you a date. And Katie and I both know that it's because of you. We know he loves his job, and it's been both cathartic and an escape for him—one that he clearly needed. But it's this summer that any difference has been noticeable. That's not a coincidence. I would say that whatever it is you're both dealing with—you're helping each other."

Jaz didn't know what to say. Hearing this from both of Adam's sisters today had her lost for words. It was as if they could see right into their relationship and she's not sure if that made her happy or if it scared her. It was a lot. She had never had a family that cared. Never had anyone thank her for making someone else happy. The words were foreign. The feelings were foreign. She was still working through her feelings for Adam, but now the feelings that Adam's family were also invoking in her had her… she didn't even know. It was just new.

As if reading her mind, Sarah almost sounded apologetic, "I hope we're not overwhelming you today. I'm guessing two sisters of the guy you're in love with is a lot. I know all the kids together can be a lot, and hell, Katie by herself is a lot on most days."

Jaz both laughed and looked shocked at Sarah's words.

"Yeah, I know you two are supposed to be some sort of a combination of super spies and GI Joe's and Jane's—but that look you both have in your eyes, the whole world can see it." Sarah said simply with a hand on Jaz's shoulder, before smiling knowingly but reassuringly.

She walked away to check on the kid's progress and left Jaz standing there just staring after her. These Dalton's sure all had a way with words and reading people.

Dinner later that evening was some of the fish they had caught along with a few other meat items that Dalton was cooking on the grill. There was various salads and bread to accompany that and they were all hungry after building up quite an appetite.

They all sat out on the veranda while it was still warm enough, and it was fair to say that dinner with five kids was a lot more hectic than Dalton and Jaz realised. Food needed cutting up, spills needed wiping up, arguments needed diffusing and the adults needed wine. Thankfully for Dalton and Jaz—they could have more than one glass.

Following dinner, Sarah and Katie made sure the kids helped bring everything inside and along with Jaz, they cleaned up and washed all the dishes while Dalton set the kids up with some card games and colouring books. They planned to make s'mores as soon as it got a little darker and for now, a little quiet time was much needed.

When all the dishes were done, Sarah sat at the indoor dining table and just ran her hand over it, feeling all the grooves of the grain in the wood.

"Did you know that this was our mother's dining table?" She asked Jaz, with a lump in her throat.

"I do, Adam told me it's the only thing he has left of her now."

Sarah nodded, "I'm glad he kept it. This is the perfect place for it. The memories around this table are some of the few really happy moments I can remember from when we were kids. It's fitting that it's here now and we are all here, making even more happy memories."

Katie joined them, speaking softly, "I don't remember as much as Sarah and Adam do, I guess being a bit younger I was a little more sheltered from it all, but this table was a central point in our house. Mom was a great cook. And when Jessie died and Dad… uh… when Dad went away, Mom tried to continue on as normal for the rest of us and still put stellar meals on this table. It definitely has special memories."

"Your Mom sounds like she was an amazing woman." Jaz couldn't help but say softly, feeling envious of what the Dalton siblings had had, despite everything else.

"She was." Sarah replied, "And she would have liked you."

"She would have loved you." Katie clarified.

"Yes she would have."

They all turned to look at Adam standing in the doorway, having overheard the last part of their conversation. And there went Jaz's cheeks, once again flushing a deep red.

Looking between the two of them, Sarah stood up and walked towards Adam, "She would have especially loved that she doesn't take any of your shit." And with that she gave her brother a smirk and walked back out to the veranda.

Katie laughed, "She's so right." Before she followed Sarah, leaving Jaz and Dalton alone.

Dalton raised his hands as he walked towards her, "How did that end up with an attack on me?"

Jaz just laughed, loving that his sisters had the ability to put him in his place. There's not many people that have been able to do that to Captain Adam Dalton, and there's even fewer that would get away with it.

"You're just outnumbered," she said simply, but lay her hands on his chest as he stopped in front of her. She stood on her toes to kiss his lips quickly, before attempting to side step him to join everyone else outside.

But Dalton grabbed her wrists and pulled her back against him, "They were right though. My Mom would have loved you. And she definitely would have loved that you don't take any of my shit," he admitted grudgingly.

"I wish I could have met her."

"Me too."

He leaned down to catch her lips in a soft kiss, letting his immense feelings for this beautiful woman wash over him.

"Are you guys kissing again?"

Dalton pulled back with a sigh and just rested his forehead against Jaz's gently, taking a deep breath. He could feel Jaz shaking with laughter and couldn't help but start to laugh himself.

He looked deep into Jaz's eyes as he pulled away before turning around to look at the little man standing next to them, "Are you Sam or Charlie? I can't remember." He teased as he picked up Charlie and put him over his shoulder fireman style.

"I'm Charlie, Uncle Adam. You should know that by now." Charlie giggled loudly, as Dalton tickled him at the same time and carried him back outside.

It's fair to say that with the amount of chocolate around their mouths, all the kids enjoyed making and then devouring s'mores. In fact, the same could be said for the adults.

Dalton enjoyed watching the kids make the s'mores with Jaz, Sarah and Katie's help. There was chocolate and marshmallows everywhere, mixed in with a bit of dirt in some cases—but that was all part of the fun.

Katie saw Dalton just standing with a big grin on his face and couldn't help but tease him, "You look happy."

"Yeah, well sugar will do that to you."

"It's not just the sugar. It's Jaz, and it's about time."

Dalton frowned, "What do you mean it's about time?"

Katie just looked exasperated, "Really?"

When Dalton just shrugged in return, Katie filled him in, "Big brother, you may not tell us much about your job, but when you do it's only ever about your team mates. Do you think we didn't notice the change in you when Jaz was first mentioned three years ago?"

Dalton still looked bewildered.

"It was pretty clear she was new to the team, because you had never mentioned her before. But we knew straight away she was different to the others."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your eyes brightened slightly when you spoke her name, and the tone in your voice lightened. You didn't say much—you never do—but what you did say, told us enough. We had been hoping for a long time that you would meet someone, so seeing the way you reacted to the elusive Jaz, who we had no idea about, was encouraging."

Dalton still looked slightly bewildered. His poker face was pretty good given his job and the situations they found themselves in on missions, so it was annoying that Katie had picked up on something so early on. The fact that it was well and truly before he even picked up on it was especially irritating. Not that he was irritated at Katie, more so at himself.

It seemed to be a recurring theme amongst both his teammates and family that they had all apparently seen or sensed something between him and Jaz very early on. He wasn't going to deny that he had taken to her straight away. Something had instantly drawn him to her, and perhaps looking back it was their dedication to the military and the sanctuary it had provided them both. Regardless, he was beginning to think that in matters of the heart, he was definitely behind the eight-ball.

Katie watched his facial expression and couldn't help but laugh, "You're pissed that we figured it out so soon, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't say I'm pissed—annoyingly impressed is probably more like it."

"Well I'll take that compliment. And for the record, Jaz is amazing. You two are great together, hold onto her."

He felt his cheeks redden and just smiled. He had every intention of doing just that—for as long as he could.

A fire was lit and keeping a safe distance from it, other than to toast the marshmallows, the kids all sat around it. Patton was stretched out between Sam and Charlie, lapping up all the petting and attention they were giving him. Jaz sat crossed legged on the floor, with Emily having crawled into her lap, while Liv stood behind her, braiding her long hair. Similarly, Katie sat on the floor next to them, while Maya attempted to braid her hair, under the tutelage of Liv.

Dalton was sitting on the veranda steps, surveying the group in front of him, and Sarah plonked herself down next to him, having just made herself a cup of tea.

"Great day big brother."

"It's been fun."

Sarah looked at him sideways, "Really?"

Dalton chuckled, "Yeah I'm serious. I'm not going to pretend I'm not exhausted, I don't know how you do this all the time, but it really has been great."

"I would have thought with your job, you'd be used to the exhaustion."

"This is a whole different kind of tired that I haven't experienced before. Guess I never really appreciated what it took to raise a family. You're doing a great job, Sarah. Katie is too."

"Thanks." Sarah said softly, quietly touched. Granted, they didn't see each other very often, but the compliments her brother handed out were sparing. But again, maybe this was just the effect that Jaz was having on him.

"So, Jaz is pretty great."

Dalton kept his eyes on the group in front of him and nodded in agreement, "Yeah she is."

Sarah watched her brother. She watched him watching Jaz.

"You're different," Sarah said quietly, "You're different with her."

Dalton took a deep breath, not used to having these conversations, and definitely not used to having these conversations with his sisters. But it was about communication, right? And that's what he was working on. That's what he and Jaz were both working on. And if he wanted some of the demons of the past to stop rearing their ugly heads, and some of the guilt he felt with his family to heal, then maybe he should start talking to them.

"She just snuck up on me. My feelings for her just snuck up on me." He admitted as Sarah just nodded her head knowingly. "With her, I've found something that I didn't even know I was looking for."

He was quiet a moment as that sentiment settled over him and shook his head slightly in surprise. He's not sure if he had even realised that himself until he just said those words out loud. He watched Jaz, playing with Emily as she sat in her lap, and talking to his other nieces and nephews and the unmistakeable feeling of contentment he had been feeling for much of the day, was even stronger.

"I'm in love with her, and that scares the fuck out of me."

Sarah couldn't stop the smile that washed over her face. Hearing her brother speaking like this, warmed her heart and made her hopeful that perhaps her big brother would finally experience all the great things that life had to offer, despite what they had been through in the past.

"Well that's what love will do to you."

"It's definitely been a rollercoaster."

She leaned over and nudged his shoulder with his, "Welcome to adulthood."

Dalton huffed out a laugh and looked at her, "It was about time right?"

"Well it's a marathon, not a sprint, but I was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen."

"Me too, if I'm being honest."

Sarah continued to watch her brother's face, but the smile dropped from hers as she battled with what she wanted to ask him. She wondered if she should bother, she wondered if it would make him angry. But the realist in her couldn't hold back.

"As much as I love seeing you like this," she started tentatively, "and how happy it makes me that you've found Jaz and knowing you feel this way about Jaz—I need to play the devil's advocate."

Dalton looked at her curiously.

Sarah took a deep breath, drawing courage from who knows where to say and ask what she needed to, "It's no secret that romances in the military are frowned upon, and I'm guessing it's even stricter amongst team mates, especially of differing ranks. So what happens when it's time for you to be team mates again? What happens when you redeploy?"

Nothing like a sibling to bring you crashing back to reality, right?!

Did you pick up the throwback? It was Dalton's Mom's dining table that he first told Jaz about way back in Chapter 5. I knew I would bring it back up eventually, just wasn't sure how until I wrote this chapter. The next chapter will wrap up the day at the cabin, and give Jaz and Dalton some tine alone to process a few things.

Thanks to all of you who read, leave kudos and especially those of you who leave comments. I appreciate you all so much. Thanks for going on this adventure with me. Much love XXX