Danny and Kara

x

"What is he doing?" Danny asked, voice incredulous.

Kara didn't move from her position tucked under his arm. The two had found a slightly secluded alcove at the Abbot's mansion with a great view of the room and Kara was taking advantage of the privacy to enjoy a bit more public affection than she would usually engage in while in uniform. Her original plan had been to help stop whatever disaster was currently unfolding with regard to Carlton and Sam, the lovely young barista he was head-over-heels for. But then Danny was stuck on the East Coast for three extra days, arriving home with just enough time to shower off the grim before Kat arrived to watch Frankie.

Under other circumstances, Kara would have been annoyed at Danny for encouraging Carlton, but she didn't want to fight right now. Besides, she had some sympathy for Danny, even if she would never admit that to her husband. It was hard to believe how ridiculous Carlton acted around a date until you saw it in action and, whatever Danny might claim, Ravit didn't count. Sure, Carlton had done and said some stupid things when he first met her, but he was also aware that they had to work together, meaning that Ravit got maybe a quarter of his usual drivel. Sam was getting a full load. Kara made a mental note to smooth things over with Sam tomorrow. She might be willing to drink crap coffee, but it wasn't her first choice and Sam made a good brew.

"What he always does," Kara informed Danny dryly. "He's acting like a complete idiot and convincing her that he's crazy. I give it thirty minutes before she leaves."

"I give up. Never helping him again." Danny gave a sound between a sigh and a groan, before wrapping his other arm around Kara. "I missed you."

"Mmmm." Kara wondered how early they could possibly leave the fundraiser without raising eyebrows. "At least your other project worked out. Look at Miller."

"How much of a push did you need to give Courtney?" Danny replied, his mouth slipping down to the slide of her neck.

"None." The word was a little too breathless and, reluctantly, Kara sat up. After all, they were in public. "You know how Kat and Ray came by earlier to help with the setup? Andrea asked Kat to slip and mention how much Eric liked Courtney. Apparently, Courtney not only took the bait, but asked Kat's advice on the best way to get Eric's attention. Kat suggested a direct approach."

"I don't know whether to applaud or be terrified," Danny admitted. "It's like watching Tex in the form of a teenage girl."

Before she could respond, Kara's attention was caught by the newest arrival. "Mike brought Maddie."

Danny's head lifted, and then he tugged Kara back into her original position. "Guess it's a good thing we didn't push Garnett in that direction. Three's a crowd." Kara turned her head, giving him a curious look, and Danny elaborated. "Cooper found out that the Captain met Ms. Rawlings last fall when he went to personally ask her to return to the Navy. Sounds like that's been going on longer than we realized."

"Interesting," Kara replied, deciding that there was no need to burst Danny's bubble by admitting that Sasha told her all of that two weeks away. Instead she watched Mike and Maddie, focusing on how his hand sat on the small of her back and she reached up to smooth his lapel. For some reason, Kara hadn't thought about Mike dating, imagining him taking a path similar to Jeter and staying single. Yet Mike had always been a family guy. Perhaps the desire not to be alone — maybe even get married and have more children — was strong enough to overcome his grief over the family he lost. Or, maybe, Maddie was just that awesome. Either way, Kara was definitely looking forward to getting to know Maddie a little better. Pretending that she couldn't feel Danny's hand squeezing her ass, Kara glanced around to find Carlton. She blinked. "Is Burk dancing with my mother?"

Danny chuckled. "Wolf suggested it. He said that women dig men who are nice to kids and old ladies. That's why they borrowed Frankie the other day — to show Sam that Burk likes kids. And tonight he's going to dance with Debbie and Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Abbot to show that he's considerate of his elders."

"Do not let Debbie hear you call her an old lady," Kara warned, before admitting. "That's kind of ... brilliant."

By which she really meant that she was impressed that any of the guys came up with such a clever idea, even if it was probably too late for Carlton to salvage any kind of relationship with Sam that didn't involve him paying her to make him coffee. Still, maybe this would help Carlton for next time. Besides, it had been nice to have an hour to herself while the guys entertained Frankie. With Danny home for almost two months before this trip, Kara got used to having him around the house to do his share of the housework and childcare. Going back to solo parenting had been exhausting, even if she basically gave up on housework after day three. She wondered if Danny noticed the pile of dishes waiting for his arrival. Kara winced, realizing that there was a decent chance that Kat would take care of them herself. Andrea might claim that the teenager did nothing around the house, but Kara found her generally pretty helpful. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that Kara was paying her.

"Did you give any more thought to that other ... matter we discussed?" Danny asked.

Kara turned so she could study Danny's face. As an only child, Kara never gave much thought to siblings once she got past the age of ten. But Danny had loved growing up with siblings and, despite the pain of losing them to the virus, Kara knew that he wanted that same experience for Frankie. For the past two weeks, Kara had waffled. The idea of adding more to their plate, especially after going it alone while Danny was gone, was slightly terrifying. That said, this is what she fundamentally wanted. Danny, Frankie, and maybe another little soul or two to love. Not simply because she wanted it, but because they both wanted it.

She let out her breath slowly. "I think that Frankie will be an amazing big brother."

The shift on Danny's face, the way his eyes gleamed, told her that this was the right decision, no matter how scary. Then he leaned closer, his lips curling. "Miller's in good hands and Wolf's here to help Burk not blow things with Sam. What do you say we ditch this place?"

Although her immediate response was to refuse — they were here as official military representatives, after all — Kara reconsidered as she realized that they weren't doing much good sitting here. Besides, she missed her husband, damn it.

She turned, giving Danny a slow smile to match his own. "How about we do one more turn of the room and then head home?"

"Sounds like a plan."