A/N — and I'm back! A week late and a dollar short but I'm bound and determined to get this story done. Happy 2024! xoxo — kals

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Chapter 21

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"Commander Cooper!"

Sasha turned at the sound of Danny's voice, expecting an audience given his formality, but they appeared to be alone in the p-way. She raised an eyebrow. "Commander Cooper?"

But Danny didn't respond to the teasing. "Hurtado offered me a new post. Commander of Quantico. In charge of training the new recruits. Sounds like we're going to need a ton of them."

When Danny didn't offer anything else, Sasha spoke. "It's a good offer."

They stared at each other, and Sasha could feel the distance growing between them. She knew that this was coming, had known since the first time she saw the way Danny watched Kara, when he thought that nobody could see. Maybe she had known from the day when Danny figured out that their next assignment involved Kara's ship and threw a fit. Frankly, Sasha thought that she knew before Danny did that, whatever he might have felt for Rebecca, it was nothing compared to what was happening with Kara — and it would upend everything in his life. But, as Sasha liked to tell Danny regularly, there was a difference between knowing and knowing. And now that the moment was upon them, Sasha understood that she had been in denial.

Because this sucked.

Sure, Frankie was likely to set up a betting pool for how long Danny would make it behind a desk, and Sasha would put her name in just because, but this wasn't like what happened with Rebecca. Sasha knew that in the same way she knew that she and Danny would make a kick-ass team the first time they worked together.

Sasha swallowed, attempting to force a smile, yet feeling too tired — too worn — to make it convincing. "When do you start?"

And then Danny snorted, his face breaking into a grin. "God sakes, Lisichka. You don't think that I'd say yes without seeing if you were going to make a better offer, did you? And you better be planning a better offer, Ms. Director of Naval Intelligence. Because I'm the one who almost died on this assignment so it's only fair that I get the same kind of promotion. I'm insisting on a corner office, eight weeks paid leave, and no shitty missions to the Arctic."

Sasha whacked him across the arm. "You're an ass."

Danny waggled his eyebrows. "But a funny ass. Right?"

With an exaggerated sigh, one that hid the fact that for a minute she had been imagining a world where she and Danny got together once a month for coffee, drifting further and further apart as he and Kara continued to pop out kids and Sasha ... well, exactly what her future looked like was still to be determined. Sasha resumed her path down the p-way. She glanced sideways at Danny. "You didn't tell me that Kara could shoot."

"She's in the Navy," Danny observed. "That's generally a prerequisite."

"I don't recall anything in her file about qualifying as a marksman," Sasha noted. Although, she could admit, that wasn't what she was looking for when reviewing Kara's file so might have missed it.

Danny shrugged, but his jaw tightened. "Her uncles taught her when she was a kid in Kansas."

"Is she doing okay with what happened in Mexico?" Sasha asked, voice dropping. At Danny's slightly puzzled look, she added. "Kara's not you. This might be the first time she took out someone at close range. Not that she hesitated. She can join the team any time she wants." It was the continued confusion on Danny's face that told Sasha what she needed to do. She stopped, hands going to hips, lips firming. "Do not tell me that you didn't know she took out two of our guards during our escape. It's been almost twenty-four hours since you left the palace. Didn't the two of you talk?"

Danny had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "I was focused on getting us out of there in one piece. Once we got back, Rachel wanted to check the baby. Kara was pretty dehydrated so Rachel had her hooked up to an IV and gave her something to sleep."

"I thought everything was okay," Sasha replied, concern overriding irritation at Danny's apparent idiocy.

"It is," Danny assured her. "Baby's moving fine. Just a precaution."

She stared at him for a long moment, but Danny seemed genuinely unconcerned, so Sasha let it go. It wasn't like she knew anything about pregnancy and it wasn't completely crazy to want a pregnant woman who went through such a traumatic experience to spend a little time resting. "I don't know what the situation will be at DIA, but I'm going to need help."

"Count me in," Danny said, no hesitation. Then he grinned. "The Pentagon is a lot closer to Fort Detrick than Quantico. Rachel said that's where she'll be based, once they get the place up and running again, and Kara's still determined to work with Rachel on distribution."

Feeling like things were finally going right in her world, Sasha asked. "What are you going to tell Hurtado?"

"I already suggested that he ask Anders," Danny replied.

Sasha stopped, turning to glare at him. "You already told him to ask Anders?"

"Now, now Lisichka, no reason to be mad." Danny teased, continuing down the hall and calling over his shoulders. "I swear that you're still the second, well maybe the third or the fourth... Well, definitely one of the top five women in my life."

xxxxx

Tom was on deck, snatching a moment of calm to watch the waves, when he sensed someone approaching, knowing that it was Sasha without having to turn around to look. Still, when a cup of coffee appeared in his line of sight, Tom was surprised. Given that it was barely sunset and the deck was a hive of activity, he would have expected Sasha to approach him only with official business.

He took the offered mug. "Thank you."

Sasha gazed out at the water, sipping her own coffee. "I remember the first day we met. You said the ocean was endlessly fascinating."

The memory of their chance meeting at a museum when Tom was hiding from his father, an incident burned into his mind, brought an instant smile. Turning, he leaned a hip against the rail, studying Sasha. "And you told me that you preferred the still lifes because of the calm and order."

She didn't look at him, continuing to watch the water. "Do you still feel that way? About the ocean?"

The question was unexpected yet, given that this was Sasha, completely predictable. From the moment they met, Tom had understood that Sasha was, in many ways, like the ocean. Deep, never at rest, yet full of life — chaotic, and endlessly fascinating.

"Yes," Tom replied. Then he took the plunge. "That's what I will miss the most. Well, that and my crew. But given the number of sailors the Navy lost, I doubt that I could keep the crew together for long anyway. Anyone with experience is going to be promoted and reassigned."

Now Sasha was looking directly at him, her gaze unreadable. "You're accepting a desk job?"

"Vice Chairman for Civilian Operations," Tom replied dryly, before elaborating when Sasha lifted an eyebrow. "It's a newly created position, apparently, just for me. Hard to say no to the incoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff." Then, unable to resist, he added. "This might be the first time I learned something before you."

Sasha's chuckle felt unforced. "I suspect that will be happening more and more. Congratulations on the promotion."

Tom narrowed his eyes at her. "I know that General Williams made a few more calls. Was one of them to you?"

Sasha hesitated, just for a second, before speaking. "I've been offered a new position as Deputy Director at DIA."

He leaned closer. "Your dream job."

"It was," Sasha confirmed. She turned again, gazing out at the water and Tom found himself puzzled by Sasha's lack of enthusiasm.

"I'm sure that Green can move with you, if that's the problem," Tom offered, wondering what Sasha was thinking. Why wasn't she happier?

Sasha's mouth quirked. "I already made him an offer." She sighed, turning to gaze at Tom. "I've spent fifteen years working towards this. Yet, now that the opportunity has been literally dropped in my lap..." Sasha paused. "It feels almost as though I cheated. Here through luck of the draw rather than anything that I did."

He knew instantly what she meant. The sheer number of casualties, both in the Navy and the military in general, were hard to wrap his mind around. But if anyone deserved the type of promotions that were likely going to be passed out like candy over the next few months, it was Sasha.

"You might be the only person here because of your own work," Tom corrected. "The only person who saw what was coming and managed to get ahead of it."

Sasha nodded but continued to stare out at the ocean. Tom let her have a few moments before he spoke. "Will you keep your place in DC?"

She glanced over, eyes narrowed. "Who said that I have a place in the city?"

"But you do, don't you," Tom teased. "That way you're closer to the museums."

Sasha responded with a soft laugh, one she quickly cut off, presumably aware of their audience. Not that anyone was staring but the deck was only so large. "You know me. Not a country girl."

Tom recalled those weekends when Sasha joined him at the cabin, fishing and even hunting. "You're not bad, for a city girl."

She tipped her head, studying him. "Will you need to stay in Virginia? Because of the kids?"

"Yes," Tom admitted. "I'm hoping Darien will be willing to relocate but, otherwise, I might be spending my weekends in Norfolk." He paused, before adding, "We could get that townhouse in Alexandria you always wanted. Spend our evenings eating at cafes and listening to jazz bands."

Sasha sniffed. "A request to move in together usually comes after the first date."

"And when did we ever do anything the usual way?" Tom replied, the corners of his mouth lifting.

"Commander Cooper?" Petty Officer Miller stood several feet away, nervously shifting from foot to foot. "Lieutenants Green and Benz need you to join them on a call with Commander Hurtado."

"I'll be there in a minute," Sasha responded. She waited until Miller retreated to speak again. "We should discuss this after we get back to Virginia."

Tom cupped his mug. "Okay."

"Okay?" Sasha frowned.

"What?" Tom asked, voice innocent.

"That was too ... cooperative," Sasha replied, head tipping as she studied him. "What are you planning?"

Tom tried to keep a straight face, but ruined it by laughing. "I was just thinking that I might offer Green his choice of positions. All at the Pentagon, of course. That way I'll know how to find you."

Sasha paused, then made to walk away, tossing over her shoulder. "Good luck with that."

"I don't need luck," Tom shot back. "I have Kara Foster."

Sasha smirked. "Who will be with Rachel at Fort Detrick. Although, since apparently you haven't heard, General Williams is consolidating departments. Turns out, I'm going to be moving to the Pentagon too."