A/N - chronologically, this is pre-chapter 9 of Once in Forever. A little more Pablo for those who are interested. :)
x
"Been a long time since I was on a ship," Pablo said as Danny approached him on the deck. "Do they still keel-haul prisoners? Think I might be on the Captain's bad side."
Danny crossed his arms, annoyance warring with resignation. This, of course, was the problem with asking Pablo to do anything. He always came through, but he rarely followed directions. He was almost as irritating as Tex. "You were supposed to tell Kara about the plan before the news broke."
"Was I?" Pablo shrugged. "Must have slipped my mind."
"Don't play that game with me," Danny snapped. "I know you better than that."
Pablo was silent for a moment, before looking Danny straight in the eyes. "She needed to know what it was like."
Danny raised an eyebrow. He and Pablo went back a long time. Back to winter training, when they were both babies. Watching Pablo, a Texan, and Frankie, a SoCal boy, navigate six-foot snow drifts in the Sierra Nevada mountains had provided endless amusement. They shipped out together, the first time, crossing the Panama Canal lying on their stomachs on the carrier's deck, eyes glued to their scopes as they scanned the shore for potential threats. They served in the same squad in Iraq, sleeping back-to-back, guns never further than an arms length away, not knowing when the next attack might come as they pushed their way across the desert. And after that, of course, they were together in Nasiriyah. A defining moments in all of their lives.
Those who didn't leave in boxes, anyway.
Upon their return to the States, Danny and Frankie moved on to underwater demolition training and Pablo moved on to what he claimed was sniper school. The next time they ran into each other, deep in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan during an off-the-books mission, Danny quickly realized that there was no sniper school. Or, if there was, it was not the same training that Danny attended. A view that was only reinforced by the half dozen missions over the years where he and Pablo ran into each other. And while Danny had some idea of who Pablo actually worked for, he had almost no idea what the man had done since those long-ago days when their bond was forged.
Still, when push came to shove, Danny trusted Pablo the same way that he trusted Sasha or Carlton or Tex or Rick. Some bonds simply could not be broken.
Danny sighed, exasperated. "No, she didn't. Letting Kara see that news report was a dick move and you know it."
He thought about that day back in San Diego. The way Kara reacted when Danny found her among the boxcars, as if she had seen a ghost. Which, he supposed, was exactly how she must have felt, given that she had just watched a ship explode, having no reason to know that it wasn't the Nathan James. And then later, when she tracked him down after everyone was asleep - or at least leaving them alone - Kara had been almost frantic, as though she truly expected him to disappear at any moment.
Danny hadn't understood what it was like for Kara to see the decoy go down, to watch the smoking shell of the ship slide below the waves, believing that he was on board. Not really. Not until the day last year when he saw the breaking news about the sinking of the Nathan James at Mayfair. Because even while Sasha was explaining how implausible Tavo's claims were, the idea that he single-handedly took out the entire United States Navy preposterous, Danny could not stop picturing Kara's lifeless body floating unclaimed in the water.
Every report, every picture, every reference to Tavo was a physical blow to the gut until all Danny could think about was killing everyone responsible. Starting with Tavo himself. If it hadn't been for Pablo, the one who ultimately convince him that things were not what they seemed, Danny might just have tried.
"Look Green," Pablo began, before Danny cut him off.
"No, Kara didn't need to learn that lesson because she learned it years ago," Danny explained. "If you don't believe me, ask Tex about San Diego. I know that the two of you are friendlier than you admit."
Apparently that was not what Pablo expected Danny to say. He saw the surprise that flickered across the other man's face. Pablo was good, he had to be to have survived as long as he had, but nobody could remain impassive all of the time. "San Diego? When you sank the Henan? I saw Nolan's report. No mention of Foster, though. Just some civilians he picked up on the road named Carys Forest and her daughter Catherine. Of course, Nolan never did follow the company guidelines. He's smart like that. Probably why he's still alive."
Carys Forest? Danny made a note to ask Tex about that later. "I promised Kara that I would never do that to her again. You fucked me over, man."
Pablo leaned against the guide-rail. "Whatever the two of you have going on is messed up. Seriously Green."
Unfortunately, Pablo wasn't wrong there. Danny sighed again. "I know. I'm trying to fix it."
"I hope that's she worth it."
Danny considered the few weeks. Even with Kara barely speaking to him for most of it, they were still some of the best weeks of his life. He found himself smiling. "She is."
"I did enjoy pushing her buttons. Foster's got spunk, I'll give you that." Pablo chuckled. "So, will I get an invitation to the wedding or am I person non grata?"
"Don't push your luck," Danny replied. Frankly, given how angry Kara was when the team retrieved her from the safe house, Danny wouldn't be surprised to see Pablo called in for a special review in front of the Secretary of the Navy himself. And there was little doubt about which side that Admiral Chandler would take in the skirmish, either. Still, Kara wasn't generally one to hold a grudge indefinitely. "Where exactly would I send that invitation anyway?"
"Send it to the usual place. It will get there." Pablo grinned. "Eventually."
At that moment, Carlton and Tex approached across the deck, followed by two enlisted men. Carlton nodded to Danny before focusing on Pablo. "Mr. Reyes, Captain Foster asked me to escort you to the RHIB and determine where you would like to be dropped off."
Pablo winked at Danny. "That sounds like my cue. Good luck with the fair Captain. Pretty sure that you're going to need it."
As Pablo followed Carlton, Tex took his spot by the rail. Danny glanced over. "Carys and Catherine Forest?"
Tex shook his head. "I might freelance for those people from time to time, but I sure as shit don't trust them. It helps to keep the names close. Easier to remember them later if need be." He paused. "Are you ever going to tell me what the deal is with you and Pablo? If you do, I promise not to lord it over Azima."
Danny chuckled, not believing Tex for a second. He would be unable to resist the lure of holding information over Azima's head. "We were at the Euphrates River together."
Tex mulled that over. "That was a bad one."
"Pablo was our radio operator. Air support didn't know we were there. He kept trying to call them off, tell them that they were hitting their own guys. You can imagine how that went." Danny turned to stare out across the water.
"Yeah," Tex replied softly.
Danny kept staring at the water as he continued. "We're the only two left from our squad now. I'm pretty sure that keeping me alive has become Pablo's personal mission."
They were silent for a moment before Tex nodded.
"You tell your boy that if he ever gets in a bind, he can give me a call." He made it about three steps before he stopped, and turned. "And who the hell knows. I might even give him an accurate report the next time he asks."