Happy Memorial Day! Let's all take a minute and remember this day is about so much more than a long weekend and cookouts. Thank you to all of the service members that have given their lives for our freedom.
Jason leans back in his camp chair and props his feet up on a cooler. "Sonny those steaks really hit the spot."
Sonny points the neck of his beer bottle towards Jason. "I may not be great at many things, but grillin meat is one of 'em."
"No one can ever say Sonny Quinn isn't modest." Trent jokes from his hammock hung between two trees.
Sonny feels Lisa laughing next to him. "Haters gonna hate."
"See man, you say you're not a Swiftie, but..." Omar points out while adding another log to the campfire. Sonny flips him off in response. "Don't shoot the messenger."
"Quite children." Ray tells the group. "We are here to honor our fallen brothers, not bicker with each other."
"I for one think Metal would have plucked each of our fingernails out if we didn't make fun of Sonny and his quoting of Taylor Swift lyrics." Brock counters.
"And no one fought like Clay and Sonny." Trent adds. "Oh, and all of Nate's pranks, he'd want us to."
"Okay, you might be right about that." Jason chuckles. "Nate would have been the one calling Sonny a Swiftie."
"Speaking of Nate, has anyone talked to Molly since?" Ray asks as he cracks open a fresh beer.
Everyone shakes their heads no. "She sent me a nice letter about Alana and how much Alana meant to her after the funeral, but that's it." Jason says adjusting so could Mandy settle in next to him.
"Remember the first op Nate ran with us?" Sonny asks the group. "I thought Davis was gonna kill him when he switched a couple of gear bags on her."
"I almost did kill him." Lisa interjects. "If memory serves you guys had to keep him sequestered on the other side of the plane, and Sonny had to babysit me, so I didn't snap his neck.
"And we told him, I swear." Ray laughs. "If there's one time and person not to mess with its Davis when she's working."
"Thank you all for respecting my process." Davis chuckles.
"Gotta have a system." Ray nods.
"You have to." Lisa agrees. "Nate was great at lifting the mood no matter what room he was in, whether it was an appropriate time to lift the mood or not."
"He always had a dumb dad joke at the worst possible times." Trent agrees. "Remember when he asked a bunch of Washington people what a masturbating cow was called."
"Beef stroganoff." Sonny chuckles. "I'm just glad I wasn't to blame for once."
"Could you imagine Metal and Nate together?" Jason smirks at the thought.
"It'd be like the cool older brother and the annoying younger brother." Mandy notes.
"That sounds like the perfect analogy." Lisa nods in agreement. "I could see Metal just fling him across the room."
"Yep." Jason laughs. "What a crazy ride it has been since he died." He looks at Sonny. "He never would have believed that you have a kid. Or that Ray went warrant."
"Us?" Ray shakes his head. "How about you and Mandy? Nate would have shit his pants seeing you getting cozy with a spook."
"Former spook." Mandy corrects from her place cuddled next Jason.
"I never told anyone this, but he used to bust my ball about the way Mandy and I would look at each other." Jason tells the group.
"Hold up." Ray holds his hands up. "I'm supposed to be the biggest fan of this relationship."
"Who knew so many of you were rooting for us all along." Mandy grins. "It almost warms my steel incased former spook heart."
"Glad to know we mean so much to ya there Mandy." Sonny jokes.
"Don't be an asshole, Sonny." Lisa scolds.
"Get'em Davis." Trent laughs.
"Some things never change." Brock comments watching the two.
"To be fair now that his battle boo isn't around to be his moral compass, I guess that job defaults back to me." Davis tells the group.
Omar leans forward in a studious fashion. "I for one am intrigued by this dynamic."
"No one asked your ass." Sonny says before throwing a marshmallow at Omar.
"Defensive much?" Omar chuckles.
"Why the hell do you sound like Clay?" Sonny asks.
"Maybe it's just that Clay was right." Omar shrugs.
"Suurrreee." Sonny nods.
"Hey Jace." Ray calls. "Remember that time you almost beat Clays ass on the flight line for taking out a terrorist?"
"Raymond." Jason says in his best dad tone. "You know damn well that was for not following a direct order." Jason defends. "I'd also like to point out that Davis had beef with him on that op too."
"Oh shit, I forgot about Davis embarrassing him on the plane in front of everyone." Brock laughs.
"Straps get straps." Lisa reminds the team. "If he had just listened the first time, I wouldn't have had to be mean about it."
"When did Clay ever listen." Jason shakes his head.
"Now you know how I feel dealing with you." Blackburn tells Jason.
"I resent that." Jason responds.
"I mean he took out Jr, if that isn't a sign, I'm not sure what is." Ray points out.
"No one cares what the universe thinks." Jason jokes.
"You know who I was thinking about the other day?" Eric says to the group. "Adam."
"Talk about a hero's death." Sonny comments. "More of us probably would have joined him if he hadn't jumped on that grenade."
"Hell, yeah brother." Ray nods in agreement. "He was a great teacher too. I really enjoyed teaching with him at green team. He helped me keep my head on straight while I was there."
"Think how many DEVGRU guys owe their training to him." Trent points out.
Jason looks at the ground. "I'll never forget having to tell Victoria and Hannah." He feels Mandy rub his knee in support.
"Hands down the worst part of the job." Blackburn agrees.
"How in the hell are we the ones left standin?" Sonny asks, looking around the circle.
"I ask myself that on a daily basis." Trent shakes his head.
Jason nods and looks around his group of brothers. "You know what they say, the best of us don't come home."