Sunday, October 12, 2014 – 7:12 PM

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Kara was in the middle of lathering her hair when she heard a phone ringing. Unfortunately, she and Danny used the same basic ringtone, making it difficult to distinguish between the two.

"Hi Mom."

Panic shot through Kara as she imaged Danny accidentally picking up her phone and answering a call from Debbie. As soon as her mother caught wind of the fact that there was a guy in Kara's life, she would be unbearable until Kara agreed to introduce them. However, as Kara knew from past experience, introducing her mother to a guy she was dating was about as enjoyable as getting a dressing down from Commander Slattery. While Debbie was rarely without a man herself, her standards for Kara's dates were much higher and her natural charm was almost always offset by her tendency to ask the men in question obnoxiously personal questions, make snap judgments based on their answers, and launch into diatribes about the evils of mankind in general.

"No, no, everything's fine. Just been busy since I got back."

Okay, so it wasn't Debbie, thank goodness, but now Kara was curious. The way Danny described his family and up-bringing was starkly at odds with Kara's own. While the Greens sounded traditional in many respects - Danny's parents were high school sweethearts who got married and returned to raise a family in the same small rural town where they themselves grew up - they were progressive in others. For example, Joanne Green had obtained a medical degree at a time when few women did and, even more unusual, continued working after each of her three children were born. Having been raised with a working mother, Danny seemed to think nothing of the fact that Kara planned to make a career out of the Navy. A reaction that was starkly at odds with Kara's last putz of a boyfriend, who had once informed her that the only reason for a woman to join the military was to find a husband.

"No…." Joanne must have interrupted Danny because he was quiet for several minutes. "Because there was no mail delivery where I was and I haven't gone by the Post Office to empty my box yet."

Kara smiled. Danny might not have picked up his mail, but he had found time to make dinner reservations, buy her flowers and an umbrella, and arrive early for their date-turned-non-date. Knowing where she fell on his priority list was a buoying feeling.

"I'm at my girlfriend's place."

That got Kara's attention. Sure Danny said something similar to the pizza guy, but describing her that way to his mother was an entirely different level of commitment.

"Really, Mom? Don't I get enough of that from Caroline?" A sigh. "Her name is Kara. Kara Foster. She's in the Navy too."

Guiltily, Kara wondered whether Danny knew that she could hear him over the gushing water. But, really, if he wanted to have a private conversation, he could have moved to the kitchen or the living room rather than remaining in the bedroom.

"No can do. I'm up for skiing though. Around Thanksgiving?" A pause. "Sure, I'll ask Kara what weekends work for her."

Kara stopped in the middle of washing out her conditioner. Was that what it sounded like? Was Danny planning to invite her to meet his family? Excitement, mixed with a bit of terror, clawed through Kara. While she and Danny hadn't spoken in detail about how things would go once they were in Norfolk, back on the Nathan James Kara had assumed that they would keep things casual for a while. Go on a few dates. Get to know each other off the ship. Ease into things.

But if the past four days told Kara anything, it was that this was not a casual relationship. Not for her, anyway. Sure the chemistry between them was nothing short of intoxicating, but it was more than that. Rather than get on her nerves, the more time she spent with Danny the more she liked him. She enjoyed his humor. She appreciated his thoughtfulness. She even found his cheesiness endearing.

And it sounded like Danny might feel the same way.

Shutting off the water, Kara moved into the bedroom, admiring the picture that Danny made as he sprawled across her bed in only a pair of worn jeans and a threadbare t-shirt. He waggled his eyebrows, eyes following her as she crossed the bedroom to her bureau to gather some clean underwear.

"I have to go now. Dinner plans. Love you too. Say hi to Dad and Chris for me." Another pause. "Fine, tell Caro hello too."

Kara bit her lip, hiding a smile. The plan was to go out tonight. It was a goal that they had yet to accomplish and one which, if the look on Danny's face was any indication, was not one that they were likely to achieve tonight.

"Your mom?" At his affirmative grunt, Kara continued. "Are they coming down to see you?"

"Actually they want us to join them for a ski weekend in Vermont." Danny stood, walking around the bed to where she was standing. His arms slid around her waist, pulling her against him, her wet hair dampening his t-shirt. "Think you might be up for that?"

Kara hesitated, turning so she could look him in the face. "Are you? A weekend away with your family. That's a big step. I mean, we haven't even officially gone on a date. What if I turn out to be crazy and you're stuck uninviting me?"

Although she tried to make a joke out of it, Kara knew that she had failed miserably when Danny took a step back, tucking the top of her towel more firmly around her. "I know it's early, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this was something special, Kara. And I don't think that you would be either. The Navy is too important to both of us to screw it up over a fling."

Considering his words, Kara knew that he was right. On the Nathan James they had both taken a huge risk. Not just of being caught breaking the frat rules, but that things between them would go south, leaving them both in the awkward position of having to spend months working side-by-side. It wasn't a situation that Kara entered into lightly, and she knew that Danny felt the same way. She cocked her head to the side. "Does that mean you would be willing to have lunch with my mom?"

"Of course."

"She can be ... difficult," Kara cautioned.

"I would expect nothing less. What mom goes easy on her daughter's boyfriend?" Danny murmured, hands returning to her towel to loosen this time, rather than tighten.

"Boyfriend?"

"Mmmmm." A few quick movements and Kara's towel was on the floor. "Unless you object."

She reached for the hem of his t-shirt. "Not at all."