A/N - I was chatting with someone about Danny and Kara origin stories a while back and realized that I've hinted at a few different ways, but never really written them meeting. (That I can recall...I could be wrong...I recently said "I don't think that I've written an actual wedding before, just scenes around the wedding" and then, viola, I realized that I had a full-blown wedding in Where Kara Has Something To Tell Danny...The memory is not so good these days...lol). Anyway, I've been busy so might not get to update Once in Forever tomorrow but thought you might enjoy this. The plan is to write all the ways they could have met, although there will not be a regular update schedule. If you have an idea of how they met that you'd like to see, let me know. I can't promise to write it, but I always love hearing your thoughts! xoxo - tmtcltb

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Title: We Owe it All to Alisha

Location: The Capital Hilton, Washington D.C.

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Kara checked her phone, taking another sip of the green-apple martini that she had been nursing for the past hour while waiting for her best friend to appear. The drink was good - it should be given that it cost eighteen dollars, money that Kara fully intended to collect from Alisha once she finally got there - but Kara couldn't relax enough to enjoy it. Tonight wasn't her first time in the Capital Hilton, but the upscale lounge filled with men in high end suits and women in name brand dresses always left her on edge. Wondering whether everyone took one look at her in her simple black a-line and ballet slippers and immediately recognize her for what she was - just a girl from Kansas who saw the ocean for the first time only after she applied to the Naval Academy.

In her peripheral vision Kara caught sight of a man approaching her table, suppressing a sigh. He wasn't the first. After all, it was Friday night and a woman sitting by herself in a hotel bar, even if she was deliberately avoiding eye-contact, was apparently an irresistible lure. Either that, Kara mused, or he thought she was a prostitute. There were a couple women, and one man, that Kara suspected were working. She looked up to see the approaching man, who was at least seventy, leering at her. Yup, definitely thought that she was a working girl. Kara opened her mouth to tell the guy to shove off but, before she could speak, there was a shuffle to her left.

"There you are. Sorry I'm late."

The newcomer plunked down on the tiny stool across the hightop, dropping his sports jacket on the empty chair without a hint of hesitation. Kara blinked, and then blinked again, as she took in the absolute stranger sitting across from her. Early thirties, sandy blonde hair, eyes as blue as the water on a clear day, shoulders straining against his white button-up shirt - pretty much the opposite of the creep who was even now watching them with a slight scowl. The newcomer winked at Kara as he picked up the menu, glancing down for a moment before signaling the waitress, a cheeky smile playing on his face. "Do you want another martini?"

Tension hummed between them as Kara considered her options. The safe one - as soon as creepy was gone - would be to politely decline and get her ass out of here to wait for Alisha somewhere else. But there was something about that smile...

"One more," Kara drained her glass and waiting while he placed their order. "But don't get any ideas. I'm waiting for someone."

He raised an eyebrow. "He's late."

"She," Kara corrected, voice cool, waiting to see how he reacted.

"She as in friend or girlfriend?" He asked without missing a beat.

Kara found herself smiling. "Does it matter?"

"Not really." Intense eyes skimmed her figure in a way that let Kara know just how much it mattered. "I have an hour to burn before I meet the family for dinner and, either way, I get to spend it with a beautiful woman."

"The family?" Kara asked, eyes flickering to his left ring finger.

He held his hand up so she could see that there was no ring or tan line, his amusement obvious. "Mom, Dad, sister, sister-in-law, nieces. You get the idea. I'm Danny by the way."

"Kara." She paused as their drinks arrived. Another martini for her, a tallboy for him. "And Alisha is a friend."

The smile that spread across his face sent delicious chills up her back. She forced herself to lift her drink, taking what she hoped was a casual sip. "Do you work around here?"

"God no." Danny snorted. "I could never handle wearing a suit everyday. I'm Navy. You?"

She ran her eyes over him again. Military made sense with the cropped hair and dark tan. But the shirt and sports jacket were a step-up from anything that she had ever seen Burk or Nishioka - or even Captain Chandler - wear. "Same."

"Really?" For the first time, Danny seemed taken aback. "I pegged you for a Senate aide."

"Not a prostitute?" Kara murmured, taking a sip of her drink.

"Hell, no. That guy was an idiot." He shook his head, chuckling. "Besides the fact that your dress covers your ass and isn't coated in glitter, I recognize it. Ann Taylor. My sister-in-law has the same one. About ten of them, actually. She wears them in rotation with different scarfs. She jokes that every job has a uniform, hers just isn't as obvious as mine."

Kara bit her lower lip, amused that Danny appeared to know more about women's clothes than she did. "Is your sister-in-law a Senate aide?"

Danny leaned forward, as though sharing a secret. "Well, she was. Then she decided she was done being an aide and just got herself elected to the House. Tonight we're celebrating the passage of the first bill she sponsored."

"You're related to Beth Schecter?" Kara asked, setting down her drink in surprise. Alisha had followed the Schecter campaign compulsively, interested to see whether Beth, an openly gay woman who was married with two children, would win election. "My friend is a huge fan."

And then the smile was back. "Ah, yes, your friend. The one who left you high and dry to be mistaken for a working woman by creepy geriatrics. Where is she, by the way?"

Kara picked up her phone, confirming that Alisha still hadn't responded, before sighing. "Talking to her mother. Amy is...in denial about things. Like which one of us her daughter would rather go home with tonight."

Danny's eyes seemed to soften. "Becca's a bit older than me but I still remember her sitting us all down at the kitchen table and saying that she had to tell us something. Being a stupid teenager, I asked if she flunked out of college."

"How did your parents take it?" Kara asked, curious.

He shrugged, sipping on his beer. "Mom rolled her eyes and said that she wasn't an idiot and my father asked Becca to stop rocking her chair back on two legs before she broke it."

"Very progressive," Kara murmured.

"About some things," Danny replied, his voice suddenly reserved. Kara tipped her head, asking the unspoken question. "Having their daughter come out was a hell of a lot easier for my parents to handle than having their son join the military. Apparently it went over poorly at the next local meeting of Imagine Peace."

Despite recognizing that this was, undoubtedly, a sore spot for Danny, Kara found herself chuckling. "I suppose every family has their biases. What does Imagine Peace do, anyway? Imagine things?"

Danny laughed. "Nowadays my parents mostly stand around the local park wearing black and participating in silent protests. They've been much more tolerable since Becca told them it was bad for Beth's chances of being elected if they got caught throwing blood on the White House."

"They threw blood on the White House." Kara stared at Danny, certain that he was joking, but Danny merely shrugged.

"Family. Can't live with them but..."

"Can't live without them." If there was one sentiment that Kara understood, that was it.

Danny lifted an eyebrow. "Now you know all of my dirty secrets. Hippie parents, gay sister, sister-in-law who works in politics. Your turn to spill."

"All I have is my mother," Kara replied, keeping her smile fixed. She had no intention of mentioning Debbie's dirty little secret to Danny. Still, Kara found herself continuing, something about the way Danny spoke about his own family making her want to share. "My dad died when I was ten. Tractor accident."

"I'm sorry."

While the words were rote, Kara could see the way his eyes softened, as though he really was sorry. She fiddled with her drink. "It was a long time ago. Anyway, the second that I could, I got the hell out of Kansas and never looked back."

"Would now be a bad time to make a joke about the Wizard of Oz?" Danny asked, only the sparkle in his eyes giving him away.

"Please don't," Kara replied with a chuckle. She twirled a strand of her hair, feeling a flush of pleasure at the way Danny's eyes darkened as he watched her. "I recall Beth mentioning you in a campaign speech. You're a Marine, right?"

"Mountain Warfare Unit," Danny confirmed. "Are you at the Pentagon?"

"No, I'm an operations specialist attached to the Nathan James. We're based out of Norfolk..." Kara began, stopping when she saw the odd look on Danny's face. She spoke warily. "What?"

"My team is joining the Nathan James on Monday. Protection detail," he added when Kara blinked at him, trying to puzzle out why a team of Marines would be joining them for a tour of the Arctic. "Some scientist studying Arctic birds."

"Sounds cold," she replied.

"I know a few tricks for staying warm." The sly smile was back, and Kara felt heat pooling in her stomach.

Lifting her glass, she took another sip, meeting Danny's eyes straight on. "I have heard that thermal underwear is very effective."

Danny snorted and leaned forward but, before he could speak, Alisha walked into the lounge. Shoulders slumped. Mascara smeared. Dress wrinkled. Sure signs that the conversation with Amy went even worse than anticipated.

Danny's eyes followed Kara. "Looks like your friend made it after all."

"Yes." Kara nibbled on her bottom lip, reluctant to say goodbye. "Thank you for the drink, Danny. And the conversation. It was...stimulating."

"My pleasure." The way he purred the words sent another wave of heat through Kara, unable to stop herself from wondering what else he could do with that golden tongue. With a final nod, she slid off the stool. Noticing - and appreciating - how Danny stood as well. She had taken three steps when Danny spoke again. "Kara."

She turned. Waited. His eyes burning into hers. And then he smiled, the gesture lighting up his face and taking her breath away. "I'll see you on Monday."

Kara felt her smile grow as she walked towards Alisha.

This was going to be a very, very interesting cruise.