"I know they love me, I do and I love them too, I feel like an ass for lying to them but I just can't handle their criticism anymore." David said with a heavy sigh, shooting her a grateful smile when she gave his arm a quick squeeze. "Am I a horrible person?"

"You are one of the kindest people I know. Families are hard, and you're dealing with more than most people. Not just the regular parental expectations but cultural ones as well, and on top of that the job we do- the job you do is not at all the norm."

"No it is not."

"But it's what you love. And your parents may not understand that but they've accepted it. Mostly. They're working on it." Tess amended with a small laugh, giving his arm another squeeze when he huffed.

She wished she could comfort him better but this wasn't something she had experience with; not only were her parents dead but when they had been alive they'd always been nothing but supportive. Granted her career choices at seventeen had mostly alternated between working for some cool tech company or doing humanitarian work but even though she'd struggled with what her mom and dad would think of what she'd chosen she did really believe they would be proud of her. That hadn't been an easy realization to come to, and she did still doubt herself sometimes but she had seventeen years of their love to fall back on. David's relationship with his parents was a lot different. They loved him, she'd met them so she could say that with absolute confidence but as immigrants they'd invested their own dreams in him and an operative had not been something either of them had pictured.

Not the job and the risk.

"They love you. So they are always going to worry about you and want the best for you. So let them. All you need to do is respect them and make yourself happy. The rest will fall into place."

"You're the best, you know that?"

"I do."

David returned her grin but his face quickly got soft, his dark eyes suddenly somber, rooting her where she stood. "Do you?"

"I do." She said quietly, taking a slow breath to soothe the tightness in her throat. "Just working on reminding myself that."

"We're all going to remind you too." He said with a firm nod, something about his smile making her watch him a little more closer.

They spent two more hours just walking around and talking, a little more about his parents, a lot more about her retirement, how she was actually adjusting to being back in Chicago, being back with Jay, getting to know and work with his team. It was nice to talk to someone that loved her and didn't have the complicated history with Jay that made them judge him, someone whose opinion was unbiased.

Well, as unbiased as they could be.

But mostly they just talked about random shit. David told her funny stories about things that had happened on their ops, calls that were easy to make and calls that weren't, the state of the world and what they each felt their place was in it; talking to him had always been simple, he had a natural ease about him that automatically made people relax around him. She was getting the feeling that was exactly what he wanted in these conversations but while Tess still got a niggle of discomfort at what she felt was an attempt to handle her she was mostly able to shut that voice up. The one she wasn't able to quiet was the one that told her there was another reason for this outing, the one she got every time she caught him looking at his phone and giving her that sheepish secret smile. Something was going on. Something Cas was in on because when she tried checking her phone there was a curious lack of notifications but instead of demanding an answer she played along, though she couldn't stop her stomach from twisting.

More than likely whatever was going on was a good thing, David had a good poker face but hers was better, but the unknown still made her nervous.

Would the day ever come where it didn't?

Probably not.

"So have you figured it out yet?" David asked as they got in the elevator, smirking when she gave him a dry look.

"I have figured out there is something. You could be a good friend and alleviate my concerns by just telling me."

"That takes the fun out of it."

"Making me sweat is fun?"

"Absolutely."

"You're such an asshole." She said with a laugh, elbowing him and then almost falling over when the elevator doors opened and somewhere around two dozen people shouted at her.

"Surprise!"

"Happy early birthday." David whispered as he pushed her forward, just in time for her to quickly drop down and catch John's kids as they all rushed forward.

Tess's throat was too thick to speak so she just smiled and blinked back tears as she brought them all in for hugs, squeezing them tightly until they complained and then she went for their parents, admonishing them for not telling her they were coming so she could buy her godchildren presents. There were so many people here, her team, Jay's, Liam's- two dozen people who were here for the sole purpose of celebrating her.

They'd even made cakes.

Three of them, all her favourites, cake, cheesecake and pavlova, not to mention all her favourite foods from all her favourite restaurants. And there were presents too, and given that her birthday was still almost a full month away she was sure there were going to be more to come. There were a lot of differences between all the people in this room but one of the things that brought them all together was the intense generosity they all had.

And apparently their love for her.

She felt so full of it that it was a miracle she didn't start crying, and she did have to brush a few tears away as she made her way around the room and thanked everyone for coming, and especially as she made her way to Jay who'd held back as she greeted all the others, though of course his eyes had never once left her. They were full of love, so bright she had to swallow a few times before she could speak again.

"I hear this was partly your idea."

He just shrugged and wrapped his arm around her waist, smiling as he pulled her into his side. "It was a group effort."

So she'd been told.

But it had been him and Vivienne who'd spearheaded it once they'd learned her team would be heading out the day after tomorrow.

"Thank you." Tess whispered, hoping he could feel in her kiss how much she appreciated what he'd done.

Because it wasn't just the party, wasn't just the progress he'd made with her team, or his, the bonds that had been re-forged. It was him. The way he loved her, the way he made her believe with absolute certainty that he was right.

Everything was going to be okay.

"Told you." Jay said with that smug smile, the one that made her toes curl and the soft mossy eyes that made her heart flutter.

He had.

And she wasn't ever going to doubt him again.