A/n: Well! That motorcycle accident threw me for a loop! Wasn't expecting that! This story has taken on a life of its own, and I'm interested to see where it takes our beloved team.

McG sat in Adam's hospital room, shaking his head. After all the close calls and imminent danger of their last deployment, Adam had escaped relatively unharmed. The man drives a motorcycle down a country road and ends up in a body cast. The irony would have been hilarious had Adam's condition not been so serious.

McG had gotten in touch with Amir and Patricia to let them know about Adam's contact. He was grateful Adam's sisters had remembered his name and contacted him when they found him labeled at John Doe in the hospital. Apparently his things hadn't been recovered yet and no one knew who he was until they identified him.

McG had left a message with Preach's wife - the Navy Seal was still in the hospital near his home, thankfully out of his coma and recovering nicely, but still not back to normal yet.

And Jaz. McG had tried to get in touch with her but no calls were going through. Even Patricia hadn't been able to locate her or make contact. McG knew she liked to go hiking while on leave, but the total communication black out concerned him a bit.

Jaz huffed as she climbed, her legs screaming at her, and her lungs straining for every breath, but she pressed on. The lush green of the trees made the entire atmosphere seem alive. Her boots gripped the rough dirt of the trail and a slight mist tickled her face, turning her normally sleek dark hair into a mass of whisky tendrils.

Her pack dug into her shoulders, and her canteen bumped against her leg. For all the hard work of climbing mountain after mountain, the reward was worth it. She was almost to the top of the trail and the view was breathtaking.

A few more steps and she'd be at the clearing at the top. There was a break in the trees and Jaz caught her breath at the sight of clouded mountains and forest rolling into fog. Adam came unbidden into her thoughts. He would love this. The grueling hike, the woods, the waterfall she'd passed an hour ago, and this view. Was it totally crazy for her to miss him? To wish he was here with her, taking in all this beauty?

She sat, propping her back against a rock and just breathed, let the stress of all her confusion over her handsome captain drain away. Out here in the mountains, this was where she gained perspective. Tight quarters and intense missions had forged a bond between them, but now Jaz thought maybe that was it...like survivors of a mutual tragedy or trauma feeling connected even though before they were strangers. Maybe it wasn't love. Maybe it was just survival, and the dark nights and firelight glow had romanticized things in her head.

A tear surprised Jaz as it rolled down her cheek and splashed onto her arm. Letting go of her infatuation with Adam wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, but the grief she felt...that was unexpected. She hadn't realized just how much she'd grown to depend on him. And that scared her. She had never depended on anyone else before, never could. She only had herself. But Adam's insistent nature of having her back and trusting her instincts had built her confidence in ways she hadn't realized and now that he was effectively gone, she was a little unsteady.

She considered putting in for a transfer. Avoiding him altogether would be easier. But it would also be the cowardly thing to do, and Jaz was not a coward. Besides, Adam was just one man. She still had Preach and McG...okay, okay, and Amir too.

Jaz took in more deep breaths and closed her eyes, drinking in the stillness, the creaking of the forest, cracking branches and trickling water, and insects buzzing. This. This was her happy place.