III.
After Elijah's death, Jaz isn't entirely sure where she stands within the team. Because she was brought in as half of a pair, and now it's just her, and she feels unbalanced against three men who have all known each other longer than they've known her.
As the newest member of the unit, the probability is high that she'll be reassigned. She's seen it happen plenty of times before, even the strongest of teams splitting apart after losing one of their own. Reassigning her would make sense, and she knows it wouldn't be personal.
But it never happens.
She doesn't realize it at the time, but while she mourns Elijah, the rest of her team is making sure they don't lose her too.
McGuire takes it upon himself to make her laugh every day, and he doesn't always succeed, but he always tries. Preach tells her about his daughters and their endless shenanigans, and always seems to have a convenient life lesson or the perfect words of wisdom to tie into his stories. Dalton doesn't really do anything different, but after a while, she begins to notice that he is always around – a steady presence in the back of the room, sitting by her side, pairing up with her on missions – far enough away that he's never hovering, but close enough to stay within reach.
Before Elijah, she didn't have one person who had her back.
Now, she has three.
...
Despite McG's best efforts, the first person to make Jaz laugh again is Dalton.
She's sitting at the table early one morning, lost in thought, when she hears footsteps coming up behind her.
Hey, she murmurs as he takes a seat.
Jaz, he greets her, toweling off his hair, what have I told you about leaving your shampoo in the shower after you're done?
She looks at him blankly. Um, not to do it?
Mm-hmm, he nods, looking at her admonishingly. And why is that?
She rolls her eyes, having been on the receiving end of this lecture many times before, but clearly not enough times to actually change her behavior. Because I like to peel the labels off the bottles and then they look just like your shampoo and then—
Realization dawns on her and she stops and leans forward, catching a familiar scent. Her eyes widen as a smile stretches across her face.
No.
He didn't.
Jaz, he narrows his eyes at her. I smell like roses.
Oh, he did.
The sound of her laughter is loud enough to wake the rest of the team, and when they get over their initial annoyance, Preach and McG happily join her in making fun of Dalton until he leaves the kitchen in defeat.
In that moment, it feels just like old times, and that's when Jaz knows she'll be okay.
...
She can't pinpoint the exact moment she and Dalton become friends.
It happens so gradually that she forgets there was ever a time she couldn't tell what he was thinking just from the look on his face and he couldn't read her like an open book.
...
They're hanging out one night, drinking beers, watching Preach and McGuire throw horseshoes. It reminds her of her childhood in New York, how she and the neighborhood kids would make up games with whatever they found lying around.
You miss it?, he asks her. The city?
She looks at him thoughtfully for a moment. A little, she replies, but not really. Most of my memories from that time aren't really happy, she admits.
Well, he says with a shrug, you can always go back and make new ones.
It sounds so simple the way he says it. Maybe it is.
What about you, she asks, where did you grow up?
Oh, nowhere near as exciting. He shoots her a grin. Rural Pennsylvania. Used to work on a farm.
She nearly spits out her drink. Oh, I cannot wait to hear about this, she smirks, grabbing them each another beer.
They swap stories back and forth all night, just a city girl, a farm boy, and the moonlight.
...
She can't pinpoint the exact moment she and Dalton become partners.
It happens so naturally that she forgets there was ever a time he didn't pair up with her in the field and she didn't cover his six.
...
Jaz is the first person he tells about the spy joining the team.
She feels a little flattered and a little betrayed and mostly insulted at the thought of bringing in someone new.
We don't need someone else, she tells him. We manage just fine, the four of us!
He listens to her patiently and waits until she's made all of her points before replying. No, Jaz, we don't need someone else, but we'll be better off with him.
She stares at him, flushed with indignation. He's right. Of course he is. It would be a tactical advantage to have another team member, especially one with a background in espionage, but she can't help hating the thought of someone else in that spot.
He sighs and lays a hand on her shoulder. It doesn't mean we forget Elijah.
Sometimes, she really hates the way he can hear the things she doesn't say.
...
She doesn't know the exact moment they become friends or partners, but she does know the moment they become something more, something indefinable.
It's been a long day, but she's having trouble falling asleep, so she wanders outside, hoping the fresh air will do her some good. She finds Dalton sitting next to a dying fire, his head tilted back, eyes looking up at the sky.
What are you doing out here, Top?, she asks, wandering over to sit down next to him.
I could ask you the same thing, he chuckles, glancing over at her lazily. She doesn't reply, leaning her head back to mirror his.
They lapse into a comfortable silence and before long, she feels her eyelids getting heavy.
Okay, but seriously, what are you doing out here? She turns her head to face him, pulling her knees up to her chest.
I was looking, he replies, at the stars.
She laughs quietly to herself. It must be the farm boy in him. But without all the bright city lights and the loud city noise, it really is quite a sight to behold.
Hmm, she murmurs sleepily. Tell me about them.
She's already nodding off as the words leave her lips, and the last thing she remembers before falling asleep is the gentle lull of his voice and the feel of a blanket draped over her shoulders.
...
A year later, in Seville, he tells her about Cepheus, Andromeda, Perseus, and Cassiopeia, pointing out the constellations one by one.
The stars are beautiful that night, but the two of them, they're looking at each other.