A/N — so, did the leprechauns cause any mischief at your house? They made an absolute disaster at mine. Oh, wait, no, that was my kids. Rats. xoxo — tmtcltb

A/N2 — thank you to guests for the reviews. I hope you enjoy the update. :)

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Chapter 28 — Hiding in Plain Sight

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Wolf wrapped an arm around Azima, the two grinding to music that only they could hear, and Kara sent up a mental thank you to Rick and Courtney for taking the girls home with them. Although the stated intention was to let Danny and Kara enjoy the remainder of their celebration barbeque turned all-out frat party, Kara also wasn't quite ready to explain the concept of sex to Stella. Debbie had been miffed that Kara declined her offer to take the girls in favor of Rick and Courtney, but then Charlene Abbot invited Debbie to join them, smoothing the tension over somewhat. Kara suppressed a sigh, knowing that she was going to have to talk to her mother at some point about why she wasn't ready for the girls to spend the night with Debbie and suspecting that the conversation would be unpleasant. Checking her watch, Kara realized that it was only eight-thirty. Far too early to consider shutting things down and sending their friends home.

"Pretty sure I just saw Val checking out Kandie's underwear," Alisha muttered, sidling up to Kara.

"As if you weren't doing the same thing." Kara watched as Azima dipped backwards to go under the limbo stick, bending practically in half, before turning her attention to Alisha. Kara took another look at the white, eyelet sundress that Alisha was wearing. "You could have used that as your wedding dress."

Alisha snorted. "Don't think you are getting out of shopping that easily."

Kara frowned. "I thought you decided on the A-line gown with the beaded top and train?"

"I did. But then I figured why have one wedding dress when you can have two. I'll use the gown for the ceremony and something slinky for the afterparty." Alisha leaned closer. "And, in case you were wondering, I will definitely not have underwear lines."

Ignoring the comment, Kara glanced over at Val, who was currently talking off Dennis's ear about ... something. Likely trying to convince him to leave Sasha's team for her own, something that everyone except Val seemed to realize would never happen. Kara was amused to realize that Val had her back to Azima and Wolf, likely an intentional step to avoid pissing off her fiancé. "Is Val changing too?"

Alisha snorted. "It was hard enough getting her into a suit in the first place. Originally she wanted to wear linen pants and no shoes. I told her that she could do what she wanted, but the consequences might be sleeping in a tent in the backyard over our honeymoon."

"Harsh," Kara chuckled.

"So," Alisha began, letting the word drag out. "You going to tell me what's up with you and Green?"

Kara forced herself not to tense, lifting her virgin pina colada to her lips. Charlene Abbot had brought several pitchers of the drinks and they were amazing. She wondered if Debbie could get the recipe. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh please," Alisha laughed. "I mean, you might not be as bad as those two," Alisha waved at Azima and Wolf, "but I haven't seen you and Danny within five feet of each other all day except when Debbie insisted on taking pictures. And even then the girls were between you."

Damn. Kara hadn't expected anyone to pick up on the slight bit of tension that still simmered between her and Danny following the events at the courthouse, but she should have known that — if anyone was going to notice — it would be Alisha. Kara sighed, covering the motion with her drink. "We're fine. It's just..."

The way Danny jumped up the second Kara mentioned wanting a refill on her coffee.

How guilty he looked when she mentioned her surprise over not hearing from Carlton after the left the courthouse, only to find out that Danny told him not to call under penalty of death.

The way she would look up to find him watching her, as though he was expecting her to vanish before his eyes.

Treating her like glass ... the way he had in St. Louis.

Kara couldn't blame him, not exactly. She had been angry. She was still a little angry, honestly, when she thought about what happened at the courthouse. And now, on top of that, she felt guilty. Because she knew, deep down, that he didn't believe her when she said that they would be okay. Not after what happened in St. Louis — when she told him over and over again that she was fine, only to push him away. Danny might not be the most sensitive of guys, but he wasn't stupid and rarely made the same mistake twice.

"Having kids more of a cock block than you thought?" Alisha said into the silence. Surprised, Kara almost blurted out that sex had nothing to do with her and Danny's current tension — finding a place and time to have sex in a house with kids was nothing compared to sex on a naval destroyer and, frankly, that was the one area where she and Danny never struggled — but stopped when she realized that she had no idea how to explain what the real problem was. How do you explain that your husband was bending over backwards to make up for his fuck up and yet somehow it was making everything worse? Misunderstanding Kara's silence, Alisha snickered. "No wonder you jumped at Rick's offer to take the girls tonight."

Kara considered accepting Alisha's convenient excuse but decided that she really couldn't let Alisha think that she was so sex-starved that sent the girls off with Rick and Courtney a mere three days after the adoption was finalized.

"It's not that." Kara sighed, trying to figure out how to explain. Finally she shrugged. "I don't think either of us is over what happened at court yet. I half expect someone to tell me it was all a mistake."

"Oh honey!" Alisha burst out, her tone immediately going from teasing to sympathetic, slipping an arm around Kara's shoulders. "I know that you've been stressed but everything is done now. You have the official court order and everything. And you said that the visit with Stella's grandmother this morning went well, right?"

"It did," Kara confirmed. Surprisingly well, actually, given that Stella's initial reaction upon being told that she had a surviving grandmother was to stomp her feet and yell that she didn't want another grandmother before dissolving into tears. By the time Kara and Danny figured out that Stella thought Evelyn was a replacement for Debbie, rather than an addition, they were all exhausted. Still, because of Stella's reaction, Kara ended up inviting Debbie and Peter to join them for the morning visit with Evelyn. Not only did that reassure Stella somewhat, but Kara also found her mother's presence helpful in deflecting Evelyn's constant questions. Having spent a morning in Evelyn's presence, Kara felt a little bit of sympathy for the girls' mother. "Evelyn is just a lot to handle. She didn't stop talking for a second. I can sort of understand why Pablo didn't believe her story initially. She can start talking about lawns and then somehow move to horror movies and you sit there wondering just what you missed. Actually," Kara shot Alisha a smile, "it's not that different from talking to Val."

"Har, har, har," Alisha replied. "I'm going to tell her that and then you see what happens the next time Green screws up a mission and you need someone to come up with a cover story."

"Believe me, I don't plan to be back in the news ever," Kara replied. Just then the dancers separated slightly and Kara caught sight of Sasha sitting alone on the opposite side of the yard, reminding her that she wanted to thank the woman for helping them distract the press. Kara turned to Alisha. "I want to talk to Cooper but don't leave without saying goodbye."

Alisha waved a hand lazily. "Don't worry about me, I'm too busy enjoying Azima's show."

Rolling her eyes at Alisha's blatant hypocrisy, Kara made her way towards Sasha, stopping to pick up two bottled waters and an assortment of Peter's appetizers on her way over. Tom had made a point of setting up two chairs under the tree when they first arrived and, despite Sasha reassuring everyone in earshot that there was absolutely no reason why she should spend the evening sitting down, Kara noticed that Sasha had left only to use the bathroom. She settled into the chair next to Sasha, offering her one of the waters and her pick of the food. "I recommend the meatballs."

Sasha chuckled. "I actually ate a plate full of them already. Oh, and those deviled eggs were amazing."

"The benefits of being almost related to the caterer," Kara joked as Sasha popped a deviled egg into her mouth. "I'm glad that you and Tom came. I wasn't sure that you would be able to make it."

"What you mean," Sasha corrected, "Is that you weren't sure my husband would let me out of the house twice in one week."

Kara's mouth twitched. She had never spent much time with Sasha, feeling as though that would be crossing one of the unspoken lines that she and Danny established over the years. But she had always appreciated Sasha's sense of humor, as well as the way she treated Tom so, well, human. Unlike most of the people around them, she never seemed phased calling him out when she thought he was at fault.

Kara took a deviled egg of her own. "I would agree but that suggests he actually gets to make the final decision, and I somehow doubt that's the case."

There was a slight pause, then Sasha snorted. "Even Tom doesn't think that's the case. And I wouldn't have missed today any more than I would have missed the court hearing. I don't think I've ever seen Danny so happy."

Which reminded Kara of her point in coming over. "I wanted to thank you too, for distracting the press. Danny said he didn't know what you planned but we both appreciate you taking some of the heat off of us. Especially since I can guess what the last few days must have been like."

"The press has been somewhat relentless," Sasha replied with a shrug. "But the news was bound to leak at some point and the timing worked out well, actually. Sam is in St. Louis visiting with Ashley right now, so they've mostly been able to stay off the radar."

"How did they react to the news?"

"You mean did they claim we were ruining their lives, a la Kat?" Sasha asked, the amusement coloring her voice. Kara chuckled. Kat's initial reaction to Tex and Andreas's surprise had not been pleasant, although she quickly came around and now seemed to dote on Liam. "No. Ashley seems indifferent. Sam is actually excited. He apparently always wanted a little brother."

"It's a boy?" Kara asked.

Sasha nodded. "Yes."

Kara hadn't planned on saying anything, yet the words were out of her mouth before she even realized she was speaking. "It will be hard to go back to the field now."

"I know." Sasha shrugged and ate a meatball. "But it was just a matter of time anyway before people started recognizing me as the wife of the man who saved the world. Might as well leave the field for a good reason than be forced out for security reasons. We'll actually be working together more since I will be heading up a new consolidated intelligence branch."

"Mike mentioned that," Kara replied. "I agree that it makes sense to run things through one agency. Although I'm not sure how Val is going to handle the change."

Sasha's lips quirked. "Why do you think I have Dennis over there buttering her up?"

Kara chuckled before collecting the now-empty plate of appetizers and her water bottle. "Well, I just wanted to..."

"I didn't know about your miscarriage until the news broke," Sasha interrupted. "I'm sorry."

Her hands full, Kara sat down again. She turned to Sasha, processing something that felt impossible. How was it possible that Danny or Tom or Mike or, well, somebody didn't tell her? "I thought that Delta had no secrets."

"So did I," Sasha replied caustically, before adding. "I did know that Green had a thing for you within about, oh, point five seconds of joining the crew in Asia."

Kara sighed. "Alisha or Carlton?"

"Wolf, actually," Sasha replied, her smile turning into a laugh. "He said that I deserved to know the lay of the land before setting off any landmines. Number one on the list was not pissing off the acting XO by flirting with her best friend's boyfriend."

"Ex-boyfriend. Or something like that," Kara corrected, before conceding. "Although probably still not a good idea."

A look passed over Sasha's face that Kara couldn't read. "I knew that you and Danny were seeing each other off-and-on over the years."

Kara raised an eyebrow. Was seeing each other a polite term for hooking up? She went for non-committal. "Mmm-hmm."

Sasha wasn't fooled. "Call it what you will but it didn't take me long to figure out who Tex was calling when Green wasn't home or answering his cell," Sasha explained with a wave of her hand, drawing a reluctant chuckle from Kara. "I never quite understood why you two couldn't make it work when you both seemed to want to, but I figured it was the usual stuff. Opposing schedules and fights over who has to take out the dog at three am and who locked the car with the keys inside." Sasha gave her a sideways glance. "I even blamed you for most of it."

While Kara had assumed as much, having it said out loud still stung. She forced herself to continue smiling. "I guess that's fair. Alisha isn't exactly Danny's biggest fan."

But Sasha didn't take the offered out, lips pressing together for a second before she glanced at Kara, hand resting on her slight bump. "What I'm trying to say, rather badly, is that I would like to start over. Assuming you are willing."

This time Kara's smile was real. "I would like that too. I've often thought it strange how you and Danny know so much about each other, and yet we've hardly spoken outside work."

"I've thought the same." Sasha's eyes strayed to where Tom stood talking to Meylan. "It's hard on them, isn't it? Knowing they might never have children, or more children for Tom. Worrying how that will impact their relationships. When Danny told me that the two of you had decided to adopt the girls, it was like a weight was lifted off of him."

"That's not quite..." Kara began, before stopping, frowning as bits of memory popped to the forefront of her mind.

Danny mentioning adoption for the first time, saying it was something that he and Laura discussed.

Sending her a gift, a memorial for the child they lost, every year on her due date.

Telling Ms. Guy that male infertility could be a factor.

Suggesting that they talk to Tom and Sasha's doctor before making any decisions on trying for a biological child.

Lord, how had she not seen that Danny was worried he couldn't have children — an irrational fear, perhaps, but one that Kara could understand given what happened.

"Kara?" Sasha asked softly, a concerned frown crossing her face.

Forcing herself to focus, Kara managed a smile. "Sorry, lost in thought. You're right. It is hard on them. Harder than it is for us, in some ways. It just struck me that whenever my miscarriage comes up, people tell me how sorry they are, but I've never heard anyone say that to Danny."

Sasha blinked. "I had never thought about that before."

Impulsively, Kara reached out to lay a hand on Sasha's arm. "I am happy for you and Tom. It sounds like it wasn't an easy road to get here."

Sasha gave a snort. "Well, if you ever want to get into the details of IVF with ICSI, I'm your woman."

"ICSI?" Kara asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Sasha replied, before explaining. "Radiation impacts both amount and quality of sperm so based on the, um, quality of our sample the best option was to pick the healthiest and inject it directly into the egg."

Radiation.

The fallout from Ruskov's missile.

"Of course," Sasha continued. "You may not have the same issue. Mike certainly didn't. Not that I can begrudge him the twins. Based on the people we know, only about fifty percent seem to have been impacted."

Tom and Sasha going through IVF.

Rick and Courtney trying for almost a year.

Rachel talking about consulting with the fertility doctor.

How had she never made the connection?

But Kara knew the answer to that question. She didn't know because she never talked about babies or pregnancy. And when the topic did arise, Kara tuned it out.

"Good information to have, even if I don't think we will need it," Kara said, feeling an overwhelming urge to find Danny. To tell him that she knew, but more than that, she understood. She understood everything he was feeling because she felt exactly the same way — terrified of reaching for more and losing everything that she had. Kara turned to Sasha. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No," Sasha said, her confusion at the change of topic obvious.

Kara stood. "It just occurred to me that I have barely seen Danny all day. I think he might need a reminder that we are child-free for the night."

Sasha settled back in her chair. "I think I saw a couple of the guys disappear around front with cigars but, if Tom asks, I had no idea anyone was smoking. Second-hand smoke is bad for a fetus, just so you know."

Chuckling, Kara headed towards the front porch, only to slow as she rounded the house, having no idea what she actually planned to say when she found Danny. Fortunately for her, by the time she arrived on the porch, the cigars were gone and Danny and Carlton stood there talking.

Carlton straightened when he noticed Kara, giving her an assessing look. "Slattery let it slip that you were stepping down as captain of the James."

Despite coming here to talk to Danny, Kara smiled. "I am. You ready to fill my shoes, Captain Burk?"

"I could never do that, baby girl," Carlton replied, his voice soft. "But I'm honored that you're going to let me try."

Blinking away tears, Kara wrapped her arms around Carlton's waist, his arm draping across her shoulder. "The only thing that I'll miss more than sitting in the captain's chair is seeing you every day."

They stood that way for a long moment, until Danny broke the silence. "You trying to steal my wife, Burk?"

Chuckling, Carlton stepped back, rapping his knuckle against Kara's cheek. "I'm heading out. I have to start planning what I'm going to move into my new cabin. But I'll come by Command this week so we can catch up."

Nodding, Kara watched as Carlton turned and walked towards his truck. Danny's arms encircled her, pulling her back against his chest as Carlton left. Danny dropped his chin onto her shoulder, his words soft in her ears. "Any regrets?"

"About leaving the James?" Kara asked, then turned so she could meet his eyes, one hand lifting to encircle his neck. "No. I have everything I need right here in Mayport. Besides, it's too late to back out now. You're stuck with me, Green."

"Well, fortunately, I don't mind being stuck." And then, for the first time since Pablo walked into the courtroom with Evelyn Magnolia, Danny gave her a real smile. That was when she knew.

They really were going to be okay.