**Everything Gonna Be Alright, Big Mama Thornton**

Val gave up on convincing herself to leave the courthouse after about five minutes. People began emerging back out the front of the building and she stepped further back around the curve of the column so she could observe. A couple civilians she didn't know came out talking about some meeting the President had arranged to start planning for the next goodwill trip. Kat and her minions waved goodbye to the horses and then disappeared around the back of the building. The next time she saw Kat she was exiting the building with her Dad's arm wrapped around her shoulders. "I hear a pizza joint opened while I was gone. Wanna get an early dinner?" Relaxed and carefree, Kat looked much more like a teenager than she had even a few minutes before.

Mason came out, politely holding out his arm for Bertrice, who was laughing at something he said about Cruz and Miller getting on his nerves. "Oh Val, Lieutenant Granderson told me to ask if you could give us a hand with repairs tomorrow. Where and when should we meet?"

Apparently she had been spotted. "Where will you have the equipment?"

"Probably on the ship. Can you meet me there at 0800?" It was a little early for Val to be up and about but she supposed Alisha would be there at 0600, pacing the floor and fussing that every little thing hadn't been put to rights yet. "Yeah that sounds good. But lord knows I'll get lost if I try to find my way around the ship myself."

"Well, I'm sure Granderson could show you where, but I'm happy to meet you on the dock. See you tomorrow." With a jaunty wave he and Bertrice headed across the street for a park bench. The air was cooling as the sun set and she decided to sit so she could tuck her legs up under her coat. She wished she had more lolli's. The way her nerves were jangling, it would really help to calm her down.

Commander Slattery bounded up the steps as a group of young men went the other way. "Nice work today gentlemen. Master Chief tells me you've earned a morning off tomorrow."

There was an electronics store about two miles away. If she went now she could walk there, get some supplies that she might need tomorrow, and get back before dinner ended. She stood and dusted off her pants, pulling her tweed coat tighter as contemplated descending the steps.

"Val, are you here to welcome me home?" The familiar Aussie accent drew an instant smile.

"Wolf! So glad to see you made it in one piece." She waited for him to reach the top. He surprised her by wrapping her in a big hug.

"If you're waiting for Alisha, she's going to be a while. The officers have to make formal reports to Slattery and Chandler before they can go home." She met his warm gaze with alarm. How did he know?

In the coolest voice she could manage she said "Why would I be waiting for Lieutenant Granderson?"

"Oh come on Val." He drawled. "You don't have to pretend. Life is too short. Besides, you didn't bother to lojack anyone else, now did you?"

She leaned back against the column again. "Aggg, this is so embarrassing. First Kara, now you. And she already thinks I'm a bumbling idiot because I know next to nothing about the Navy. And I made a fool of myself with the Ramsey brothers. And she probably thinks I'm such a jerk for tracking her too. I just wanted to know she was safe!" Val buried her face in the crook of her arm. She was a jerk. In her head she could tell herself that there was no way Alisha was interested, that she'd imagined the casual sparks she'd felt in her presence. Besides, even if she felt them too, that didn't mean Alisha would act on them.

"I could stay here with you until she comes out, make it seem like I was the one suggesting we all go out together, and then have an emergency come up?"

"That's nice but we're not middle schoolers." She was touched that he would offer but still, she sighed. "No, I'm just going to wait here to apologize for violating her privacy. Then I'm going to offer to take her out to dinner to make it up to her."

"Oh, well your plan is so much more…ah.. mature." He shook his head, a grin playing at his lips. "You girls have fun."

"Wait, you're going? Don't go. Stay here and tell me about the trip. You're one of the big heroes. I want to hear all about it. How are things in the rest of the country? Did you see any places to get weed in any of the states you were in? Wait, midwest,…Mmm, probably not, but in Ontario? How were things there?"

Wolf just laughed. "No drugs, illegal or otherwise I'm afraid. It was cold and snowy most places. People were mostly glad to see us, and now all I am looking forward to some hot food, a shower, and an early bedtime."

He clasped her shoulder, prompting her to look up at him. "For what it's worth, I think you should just lay it out there and go for it." He took off down the stairs, yelling back over his shoulder, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Val sank back down to her position at the foot of the column. "The worst is that she could actually like me but be too angry to accept me." She muttered.

The sun was nearly down and Val was attempting to sketch out some code for catching the mole when she heard voices echoing through the foyer. She launched herself to her feet just in time to catch Chandler, Slattery, the Greens, and Burke. And of course, there she was, all in one piece, each tiny spiral of her hair perfectly in place. Her face was perfectly composed, as if she hadn't just reported the details on two fatalities to her Commanding officers. As they exited the building, there was more than one set of raised eyebrows directed Val's way, but other than a few polite good evenings, everyone but Alisha just continued past without stopping.

The next thing Val knew, a warm hand had grabbed her by the wrist, her body was spun around, and pressed against a column by a much smaller, but much stronger form. "Omph" she was momentarily disoriented.

"You and I need to have a little talk." Alisha's wide eyes were fierce and bright in the dim evening light. Her heart beat wildly against Val's where their chests were pressed close. Or maybe that was her own heartbeat, their bodies seemed to meld hard against soft. Val was overwhelmed with the tingles of awareness in her arm where Alisha's bare skin touched her own. She felt instantly lightheaded. Dimwitted, she simply nodded. And then that exhilarating feeling of bare skin against skin was at the nape of her neck as Alisha tugged her head down and kissed her. Stunned, she forgot to close her eyes and ended up staring where Alisha's lashes lay against her mocha cheeks. There was a delicate blush there, just under her faint little freckles.

There was nothing delicate about the heat stealing through her though. She clasped the other woman's wrist and shoulder and tugged. her close. The awareness that she could have lost her without ever having this moment made her tremble.

Alisha pulled back first and for a moment they just looked at one another, both stunned. "Thank you." The words puffed out of her mouth on a cloud of misty air.

"For what? Kissing you? Anytime babe." Val tried to play it cool but she was horrified to discover that she couldn't manage to maintain eye contact.

Alisha stepped back and the chill air rushed in to fill the new gap between them. "You know what for." She slipped her hand in her thigh pocket and pulled out her phone. With one brow raised she slid a perfectly manicured nail under the back cover and opened it up, tilting it to catch the light spilling out of the courthouse entry way. "This phone only comes with one sim card but now it looks like it has two. I know it was you."

Val bit back a smile. So she'd figured it out. "I guess I shouldn't be very surprised. You have a habit of figuring out my mischief before anyone else. When did you notice?"

"After Fort Knox. We combed through all the equipment after that. We still don't know how they found us there."

"It wasn't from that. They knew before you got there that you were going to be there. How'd you know it was me?"

Alisha smirked closed the gap between them again. "The only person who has had access to my phone since we arrived here is you. You're a decent pickpocket, but not that great."

Val tensed, wondering if she was about to have all her hopes crushed. It would be her own fault but it would still hurt. Especially now that she had experienced that first amazing kiss. It would be a cruel denial if she told Val she didn't really want her after all. "I'm sorry. Really. I won't do it again."

Alisha snorted and shook her head. "Save my life? Please, do it again."

Wolf's voice was in her head again. What's the worse that could happen? She drew a deep breath. "You know I'd do anything to see your pretty eyes close while you kiss me again."

"Oh yeah?" Alisha pressed a thigh tight against Val's so that her heated center rode high on Alisha's quad. "Good. Because I'd also like to discuss things other than my trip right now."

"Such as?" Val's voice practically croaked out. Yes! Yes! Her mind screamed. This was what she wanted. Forget all that other stuff.

"Such as what you want from me." Val swallowed hard. She'd had this all planned out, she was going to be the aggressor, the one pushing them forward. It had been a long time since she hadn't been the dominant member of her brief relationships. Make that relationship. She was pretty sure Alisha would not tolerate competition.

Alisha leaned in and the pressure of her body, crushing Val's aching breasts to her chest, combined with the feel of her fingers at the back of her neck sent shivers of delight coursing up and down her spine. "Do you know what you want from me?" Alisha asked.

All she could think about was how much she wanted to feel her. For weeks she'd been fantasizing about what it would be like together, but she'd treated it as a fantasy, one that would never come to reality. "I'm not sure." She brought one shaking hand up to caress Alisha's cheek. The skin was soft and firm and felt hot beneath her finger tips. She ran her index finger over the other woman's dark lips. "Kissing you, I want kissing you." She held Alisha's chin gently and plucked at her lips. "Beyond that, I am unsure. I don't usually do relationships."

"I am not asking for a relationship. But I know what I want. I'm asking for a chance. A chance to get to know you." Alisha slid her hands under Val's jacket and up her back. The cool air rushed in with the motion but she delighted in it anyhow because she loved the touch. It was hard not to simply close her eyes and purr.

"I would like that too, a chance to get to know you, nothing serious yet." They stood there, holding each other and grinning for a few more moments. Val breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wanna come get to know me while I eat real hot food, change out of this uniform, and take a shower?" Alisha stepped back, holding out one hand in invitation.

Val took her hand and offered her best cheeky smile. "First thing you should know about me then is that I am never content with just watching."

Her heart jumped for joy when Alisha squeezed her hand and replied. "Well, then you you should know that I'm never content just being spied on."