One month later…

Sasha had reached her last shred of patience in hopes that Tom would come back to his senses and come back to work. It wasn't that she didn't understand his need to be with his children after all that had been lost, but after so many years, she knew Tom Chandler well enough to know that his main motivation for leaving was due to his inability to rise above the guilt he felt in losing his crew members. He'd always been a very proud man; His ability to stay calm under pressure and be in "control" were two of the main reasons he'd successfully risen to the ranks of Captain with the U.S. Navy. In the absence of that "control", he ran away.

After waiting for a month, Sasha made the decision to take matters into her own hands. He may hate her for it, but she was going to do it anyway. She would drag him back kicking and screaming if she had to. The thought made her chuckle. She may not get him back on to the ship since it wasn't feasible to have the children with him on a Naval Destroyer…..but he had to get back in the game at some level. They needed him, and regardless of whether he acknowledged it or not, people wanted him back. Tom Chandler had become a face of strength and hope during the toughest times they had faced as a country, so his walking away was simply not acceptable.

Sasha spoke to Mike about her plans on a recent trip to the James after an intelligence op. After meeting with senior crew members in the Wardroom, everyone left and Mike and Sasha were alone to talk. While Mike agreed that Tom was sorely missed, he also told her it wouldn't be easy convincing him to come back.

"He's broken, Sasha. I never thought I'd see the day, but he's just not the man he used to be. I don't think any of us realized the pressure he was under OR the responsibility he felt over things that were completely out of his control. He carried so much on his shoulders and it eventually broke him." He shook his head sadly, "I don't know if we'll ever get him back."

He saw fire and resolve flicker in her eyes. "I'll get him back," she said resolutely.

In that moment, Mike had to believe her. If anyone could do it at this point, it would probably be Sasha Cooper. Lord knew he had tried and failed, so Sasha may be the one to get through to him. Realistically, she was probably their last hope. No one besides him and Sasha knew Tom well enough to confront him. To everyone else, he would always be the commander and that was a level of respect that was never broken even after leaving service.

Mike wanted Tom back in some sort of official capacity, but the most important thing to him wasn't even to get Tom working again. That would be ideal because the Navy still needed Chandler in his opinion, but Mike also wanted to know that his friend was coming out of his emotional hell. He knew Tom was putting on a good front for his kids, but there was no disguising the sadness and loneliness in his voice whenever they had talked in recent weeks. He was worried about him and hoped Sasha would be able to break through.

Mike hadn't known Sasha all those years ago when she and Tom had been together, but there was no denying the spark he'd seen return to Tom's eyes once Sasha was on the scene again. Tom respected her…..trusted her…..and maybe even still loved her. Mike had witnessed her cross lines no one else would have dared crossed with Tom which was why he had hope she would save him.

Before boarding the helo that would take her back to land, Mike gave her an encouraging smile as he shook her hand, "Get our boy back."

"I'll do my best, Captain."

He watched her board the helo with Jessie and waved them off with a silent prayer for her success.

**************LS*******************LS*****************LS

Sasha had business to attend to briefly before seeking out Tom, so she went to the "new" White House in St. Louis for a debriefing with the president and security advisors. Kara Green was there as well, so Sasha followed her out after their meeting. Sasha knew that Kara and Danny were trying to keep tabs on Tom and the kids, so she wanted her input before going to see him.

"Have you talked to him lately?" she asked Kara.

Kara smiled sadly, "Danny and I try to have dinner with him and the kids at least once a week. They love playing with Frankie and it seems to cheer up the Captain as well."

"So how would you say he is doing?"

Kara shrugged, "It's hard to say. He puts on a good front….but I think that's mostly for the kids benefit. Ya know? He still seems very sad. Danny and I have really been worried about him because we thought he would be coming out of it by now. We don't know what to do."

Sasha shook her head, "That's the same thing Captain Slattery told me. Hopefully, I can change that."

Kara's eyebrows shot up expectantly. "You're going to see him?"

Sasha started telling her plans and Kara looked relieved to hear she was going to reach out to Tom. It was evident in the way the "worry lines" softened on her face when Sasha started talking. She was a little surprised, however, to hear that Sasha didn't plan on calling him beforehand. She was just going to show up at the house.

Sasha gave her a knowing smile, "That way he won't be able to come up with an excuse to keep me away. It's always best to confront Tom head on. The element of surprise will work in my favor."

Kara couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, I'll leave that up to you, ma'am….but good luck. I really do hope you can help him. Like I said, Danny and I have been worried about him."

The two women hugged and Sasha promised to update her on any progress. Soon she was on her way to the address Kara had given her for the Chandler residence.

***************LS*****************LS****************LS

She turned onto the quiet street where the house should be located and was immediately hit with the realization that things almost seemed back to "normal". It was as if this neighborhood had been returned to it's "pre-nightmare" era. She saw evidence of families living together with bikes in driveways and toys and sports equipment in yards that were well manicured and maintained. She smiled to herself.

Looks like Tom found them a peaceful place to settle.

She watched the house numbers closely and pulled into the one marked "2643 Magnolia Circle". A small chuckle escaped her: Even the address sound 'homey' and comforting, she mused.

The house was a large two-story colonial style that was typical in the area. It boasted a large front porch that extended the entire length of the house. Having seldom settled anywhere herself for very long, Sasha had always loved houses with big front porches. They reminded her of summers at her grandmother's home in Georgia with rocking chairs, a porch swing, and plenty of iced tea and lemonade.

Realizing she was sitting in the car and staring at the house, she finally removed the keys from the ignition and took a steadying breath.

"Okay, Tom," she muttered to herself. "I hope you're ready for this."

She walked up the front steps to the front door. The inside door had been opened so that the screen-door was the only one blocking access to the house. She could hear voices inside that sounded like Tom's and most likely his kids. She took another deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

Within seconds, she saw Tom come around a corner to see who was outside. As soon as he saw her standing there, he stopped in his tracks and she saw his eyes widen in surprise.

She smiled at him softly, "Hello, Tom."

His smile was ever so faint but she was relieved to see it nonetheless.

"Sasha," was all he could manage.

"Mind if I come in?" she asked.

Seeming to shake himself out of his stupor, he closed the distance from where he'd stopped to the front door. Undoing the latch, he opened it for her, "Of course. Come in…..We were just getting ready to have some lunch."

Sasha followed him into the kitchen and couldn't help but notice how he'd lost weight. It was disheartening to see and gave her all the more determination to get him out of this….whatever "this" was….and on the road to recovery.

Ashley and Sam both smiled warmly at her when they entered the kitchen.

Ashley was the first to speak up, "Hi, Ms. Cooper! What are you doing here?" she asked cheerfully.

"Please call me Sasha," she smiled. "I was in town and decided to come by and see your dad for a while."

Sam surprised Tom and Sasha both by walking over to give her a quick hug. It pulled at her heart as she hugged him back.

Tom made Sasha a sandwich so she could join them and the foursome chatted amicably while they ate. The kids filled Sasha in on what they were doing in school and the extra-curricular activities they had going on. Sasha wasn't surprised to hear Tom was coaching Sam's baseball team. It suited him perfectly.

However, Ashley had also apparently taken an interest in cheerleading and Sasha could tell from his veiled expression that his level of comfort with that wasn't as high. No doubt because of the cheerleading uniforms, Sasha mused. Even so, he smiled as his daughter regaled Sasha with some of the cheers and stands they were learning.

After they finished, Tom asked the kids to go outside so he and Sasha could talk. He could tell she was "about to bust", as his mother use to say.

When the kids were outside and safely out of earshot, he turned to her. A small, almost imperceptible smile was on his lips, but his eyes were hollow and sad.

"So what brings you here?" he asked although he was sure he already knew the answer.

Sasha looked up at him with a soft, tender gaze in the beautiful sapphire blue eyes he'd always loved.

"You," she answered simply. She looked down at her hands before looking back up at him. "I've missed you."

She saw him swallow. "I've missed you too," he whispered.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Tom stood up. They had both drank soft drinks while having lunch with the kids, but if he knew Sasha like he thought he did, the conversation they were going to have would need something stronger.

"Want a beer?" he asked. He knew Sasha preferred white wine, but since he wasn't used to a woman in the house anymore, beer was all he could offer.

Seeing the twinkle in his eye, she smiled at him, "A beer sounds great."

He grabbed two bottles from the refrigerator, removed the caps, and handed one to her. "Let's go out front and talk."

He motioned for her to lead.

Always the gentleman, Sasha thought.

Assuming the porch swing would be too intimate, Tom walked towards the rocking chairs and they both settled and took swigs of their beers.

"So what's on your mind, Sasha?" Tom asked….knowing again what this unplanned visit was most likely about. "I'm pretty sure you didn't just drop in for a friendly visit."

Sasha looked at him with a combination for compassion and resolve in her expression. "We need you back." She answered.

Tom pursed his lips and his mouth fell downward into a frown. It was an expression those who knew him were very familiar with. He took another drink and looked out towards his front yard. "Not going to happen," he said matter-of-factly. "I'm retired…..and my kids need me."

Sasha shook her head. "I will agree that you need to be here with your children. You'll get no argument from me there. But as far as retirement goes, you know as well as I do that you're just 'running away'."

Tom's eyes darted towards her and she saw a flash of anger there. His voice, as always, remained calm and controlled when he answered, "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not running away from anything."

"Sure you are," she quipped smartly. "You may not be able to admit it to yourself, but that's exactly what you're doing."

Tom shifted in his chair and looked away from her again. "I can't talk about this right now, Sasha."

"Well, that's too bad because we're going to talk about it anyway."

He glared at her again and saw nothing but confident resolve and fire in her eyes. God, how she could infuriate him!

"What do you want me to say?" he asked as his voice rose.

"I want you to tell me that you're miserable…I want you to admit that you feel lost…and I want you to acknowledge that you miss us as much as we miss you. We still need you, Tom."

Tom's expression softened. "Are you talking about 'us' as in the Navy…..or 'us' as in you and me?"

It was Sasha's turn to look surprised as she thought about the implications of his question. She decided to be completely vulnerable and honest. At this point, what did she have to lose?

"Both," she admitted softly.

When he didn't answer, she decided to go for the jugular. After all, he was the one to bring it up, so they might as well address it now. "The morning you left…..why did you kiss me?"

Tom stood up from his chair and took a step towards the railing where he put down his beer before gripping the rail with his hands. His back was to her when he spoke, "I just needed it in that moment, I guess." Sasha's silence told him she wasn't believing a word he said. She knew him too well. He let out a sigh, "Actually, I didn't just need it in that moment, but I knew better than to ask for anything more from you then."

Sasha stood up to join him but stayed one step behind him willing him to turn around and face her. "And now?"

As she had hoped, Tom turned around and the closeness pulled them both to each other like a magnet. Peering into her eyes, he saw the same desire he felt and slowly leaned down to taste her. He had dreamed of doing it again since the morning he left the James but had doubted it would ever happen again.

The reality of the moment was even better than he'd dreamed. Running his tongue tentatively across her bottom lip, he was relieved when Sasha opened her mouth to him. She felt him smile against her mouth when she eagerly began to kiss him back. Tom had no idea what had gotten into him…..All he knew was that he needed her and he was powerless in that moment to fight it. He needed her...however he could have her. It was a fact he could no longer deny.

They broke away reluctantly but Tom continued to hold her face in his hands as he looked at her. "Will you stay?" The look on his face tugged at her heart. He looked like a little boy who was afraid of being rejected.

She smiled at him softly. "I'm not leaving," she assured him. "We still have a lot to talk about."

Tom knew how tenacious she could be and had no doubt of what she said. "I can't make any promises, Sasha. About coming back to work, I mean."

Sasha felt hope for the first time since she'd arrived. She was going to get him there; She could feel it. "I'm not asking for promises," she answered. "I just want you to agree to listen and not shut me out."

He leaned down to kiss her again. "I think I can do that."

*******LS******************LS******************LS

In the next chapter, we'll see if Sasha is able to convince Tom to return….and if so, in what capacity. We will also see a shift in their relationship as they both come to the realization that the time for "them" may have finally arrived.

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