A/n: to answer a few questions (thanks for all the fun interaction in the comments, by the way, I love it!)... I don't think we will meet Jaz's family...but perhaps Elijah's family will get a visit. Not letting Dalton "perform" with the chick from the club - brilliant. I'll definitely take that under advisement. Jaz definitely has some more positive things coming, though not necessarily Dalton related. Stay tuned for a mid-leave team reunion for Jalton to get back on track (winky face), and yeah, Adam is gonna be regretting his cowardice of their last night and absence at breakfast for quite a while...especially since Jaz won't be home when he tries to come and visit her!
Jaz jingled her keys thoughtfully as she walked up the steps to her apartment. While she absolutely loved her job, it was good to be home. She had spent a good one part of the first flight going back and forth in her mind over the strange behavior of her captain.
His quick forgiveness when she'd questioned him during an op. His deep, almost intimate voice when teaching her about the constellations. The way his clear blue eyes had sparkled so temptingly when he told her that he knew exactly what she was thinking, but refused to prove it. The way he absolutely trusted her to make impossible shots, and then cheered her on when she did. His gentle hand on her shoulder while they were walking through a crowded street. The way just the sight of his handsome face instantly calmed her freaked out nerves after that truck bomb exploded on the beach. How he almost always picked her to partner with as they moved through different mission scenarios and how they worked in sync with each other without even trying. The flicker of firelight on his skin as they drank their beer and talked about the ghosts that haunted them. The instantaneous defense he'd thrown up when Alex Hoffman had called him her boyfriend. His tender hands that cradled her head so carefully after pulling her out of that transport-to-death van. The warmth of his body behind her as they rode under the truck floorboards and his quiet perception of her emotional needs. The intensity in his face and voice when she'd reacted to not being allowed to accompany the team to Columbia and the vulnerability in his eyes and brokenness in his voice when he said he would never forgive himself of something happened to her.
Then there was the anger he'd directed toward her when they first lost Jarif. Never before had he come down on her so outspokenly and in front of the entire crew. It was humiliating. Then he didn't trust her enough to take an easy shot and took it for her on their last mission. The way he'd so obviously avoided her that last night at dinner and the almost obnoxious behavior with the girl McG had set him up with. That was just completely out of character. Then this morning at breakfast. It was good Jaz had had a window seat because a few tearsr had slid down her cheeks as she mulled over any logical reason for him to miss breakfast. The only two she could come up with was he was either dead or just really didn't care anymore and the dead option was unlikely. Maybe being back stateside gave him perspective lacking in the heat of the field, and now he could see that the line that had seemed so fuzzy was now crystal clear.
The second flight was much more profitable. She spent half of it napping and the other half planning out her first two months back home. She'd spend the first three days giving her apartment a good scrubbing and replenishing her fridge, making cookies to share with her neighbors, and visiting the local animal shelter. Since she was always gone so long at a time, she couldn't in good conscience own her own animal, so the shelter afforded her access to all kinds of animals in need of love.
After that, it was a backpacking trip through the Cascades. Every trip was a new experience because of the frequent forest fires that ravaged the northwest and while most natives to the area got upset when the fires would change the landscape but Jaz found a certain beauty in it. The trip would take several weeks, and after that, she'd visit Elijah's family down in Texas for a bit, then return back to her apartment for a week or so before heading to Preach's home for the team's traditional mid-leave get together.
McG followed behind the officers that were directing Adam toward a containment room. The man still hadn't noticed him yet, but he figured a friendly face might come in handy.
The officers led Adam through a pair of heavy double doors that required a pass to open. One of them held up a hand to stop McG from following. "Authorized access, only sir."
"That man is a Captain in the US Special Forces, sir. I'm under his command, and I just wanted to volunteer my services if I can be of assistance in anyway."
The officer considered McG's claim, then nodded in acquiescence. "Right this way. Follow me please."
He allowed McG entrance then directed him down a series of hallways and into an empty room with only a wooden bench bolted to the floor as decoration.
"Wait here, please." And with that, the man disappeared.
McG stood in the middle of the room for several minutes before making himself comfortable on the floor. He always preferred the floor over hard chairs. Minutes passed by, seeming to turn into hours, but his watch informed him it was really only 50 minutes since he had been left.
McG had settled into a zone, almost asleep, when the door opened abruptly and three uniformed officers entered, one carrying a folding chair. He jumped to his feet, ready to testify to Adam's loyalty to the United States and position in the Army. One of the officers motioned for McG to sit on the bench.
"What is your business at the airport today? Why have you been loitering here all morning? What is your real name? Who do you work for?"
The questions came fast and hard and took McG by surprise. He sat in stunned silence for a moment before slowly beginning to answer the questions.
"My name is Sgt. Joseph McGuire. I'm a combat medic in Special Operations Team 7. Captain Adam Dalton is my commanding officer, and he reports to Deputy Director Patricia Campbell. My team just returned from two and a half years on deployment in Turkey and I came here to the airport to send off our sniper. I know Captain Dalton has a flight later on today, so I stuck around."
"And why was he racing through security with a weapon on his person? Did he stop when he saw you outside of security? His flight isn't for another four hours, so why was he in such a hurry?"
Again with the rapid fire questions.
"Uh..." McG ran an unsteady hand over his face. He had guesses for those questions, but really it was all conjecture.
"I'm not really sure...he was planning to meet us for breakfast but I guess he overslept. He was probably trying to catch Jaz before her plane left off. As to why he was carrying his weapon...I'm not sure other than carrying a gun in the field becomes second nature and he honestly probably forgot he was even packing."
The officers exchanged glances and low whispers. The one in the folding chair stood and gestures to McG. "Your story checks out. You are free to go. Thanks for your cooperation."
"Where's Top? I mean, Captain Dalton? I need to speak to him."
"He is still answering some questions," the men were ushering McG out of the room and down the hall towards the double doors. "You're free to go now."