2010

x

Kara was almost back to her table when she heard a voice that she would know anywhere. It might be a little deeper, perhaps a little gruffer, but she had absolutely no doubt that Danny was here. She turned, spinning in a circle, searching for him in a sea of blue uniforms. Ignoring the fact that she was currently carrying two glasses of champagne, one for her and one for Carlton who, courtesy of being dumped only two weeks prior to the Navy Ball, had become Kara's de facto date. She heard Danny speak again, weaving her way through the crowd in that direction, wishing that she was taller. But even in heels, she barely reached most of the guys' shoulders.

She was about to give up and admit defeat when she heard him, directly behind her. Kara spun, almost losing her balance, before recognizing the back of his head. As she took a step forward, another man looked up, taking in her appearance, before rolling his eyes. "Head's up, Green, frog hog approaching."

They might be at a ball, where best behavior was expected, but there were some things Kara wasn't going to tolerate. "As it happens, Ensign, this frog hog outranks you, so I suggest you apologize. Nicely."

But before the man could say anything, Danny was spinning. Kara noted uncomfortably that he had his arm around a tall blonde, but before she could begin to process that information, Danny was giving her a tight hug. Kara laughed, struggling not to spill champagne down his back. "I might need some help with these glasses."

Taking them from her hands, Danny waved at the table. "Kara, meet Jessica, Frankie, Britney, Jason, Katie, Steve and Missy. Everyone, meet Kara."

Frankie — Mr. frog hog comment — was the first to speak, his voice sounding choked. "Postcard Kara?"

Kara glanced at Danny, feeling her smile grow. Danny's postcards were as infrequent as ever, but recently he had begun adding messages. Nothing personal, not exactly. But movies that he had seen or books that he liked. Suggestions on things she might want to bring on ship for her first working Christmas. And, over time, Kara found herself doing the same. Adding notes, quotes, thoughts on some of the places where they had both been. "Guilty as charged."

"Shit." Frankie looked apoplectic. "So sorry, ma'am. I'll drop and do twenty right now."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Frankie."

Kara narrowed her eyes at Danny. "Postcard Kara, really?"

"How is it worse than Summer Camp Danny?" he retorted, drawing a laugh from the table. He turned back slightly to the crowd, adding for their benefit, "I suppose it should really be Ninja Kara. That's how we met the first time. Kara was five and I was nine. I had a broken arm and she was the only kid willing to play with me."

"Are you sure that wasn't because you smelled?" Frankie asked, eyes widening as though he was serious.

"Green always says that you're small. He never said you were hot too," another of the guys — Steve, Kara thought — added.

Before Kara could say more, Danny's hand was on her lower back. "Time to ditch the fan club. Let's dance."

It wasn't until they were on the floor that Kara realized she had never seen Danny dance, never mind danced with him. Yet their bodies moved together easily, as if they had done this a hundred times before. His voice was low when he spoke. "Sorry about Frankie. He thinks that he's funnier than he is, but he's a good guy."

"Is he on your team?" Kara asked, leaning slightly closer, welcoming the way that Danny's heat seemed to radiate into her body.

"Yeah." He paused. "I got your postcards."

"I got that impression," Kara replied, she lowered her voice to mimic Frankie. "Postcard Kara?"

Danny laughed but, oddly, she thought that she could see a bright line high on his cheeks. She decided a change of topic was appropriate. "Is Jessica your girlfriend?"

"Sort of," Danny replied. He shifted closer again and Kara was fairly certain that they were no longer regulation distance apart. "Tonight's kind of our last hurrah. The team is leaving next week. A year in Afghanistan. I told Jessica not to wait."

Kara felt the disappointment churn through her as she realized that, while Danny was only semi-attached, he would be gone for a year and, by the time he got back, she might very well be deployed herself. "We never did manage to get that coffee, did we?"

"No, we didn't."

She brushed an imaginary piece of lint from his shoulder, lifting her eyes to meet his, not caring what he might see there. "How about we schedule it now. Both time we're both in the State of Virginia?"

A smile slid across Danny's face. "It sounds like a plan."