Chapter 4

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Danny slipped into Kara's cabin on his fourth attempt. He had no idea there was so much traffic in the p-way until he was waiting for the area to be empty. But Danny didn't want to take any chances, especially now. If he and Kara were really going to pull off the plan that they spent the last week perfecting, they couldn't have so much as a whiff of scandal attached to them.

It had certainly taken some effort, but Kara finally seemed to have come around to Danny's side on the whole who will notice debate. Not that Danny was an idiot. He knew perfectly well that the older married guys like Captain Chandler would figure it out. He was just counting on them not wanting to blow up either Danny or Kara's careers over something that would have happened months ago by the time they found out. Plus, if he and Kara got married quietly and put in for transfers to San Diego immediately, it was possible that Kara would be assigned to a different ship before she had to officially inform the Navy of her condition. Kara hadn't loved the idea of a transfer, since it inevitably meant a longer track to promotion, but Danny had won her over by pointing out that they would both be in the same spot. One thing that he hadn't mentioned, and he wasn't sure that Kara understood, was how much easier it would be for her to get a transfer than it would be for him. Changing SEAL teams wasn't unheard of, but it also wasn't common. That's why getting married right away was critical. Danny putting in randomly for a transfer was going to raise too many red flags. Putting in for a transfer because his wife was being moved across the country would slide under the radar, although it wouldn't help move up the timeline. Frankly, Danny wasn't sure he would be there before the kid was born.

Of course, getting caught in Kara's cabin with the door shut, would definitely scuttle any plans to keep this whole thing quiet. There were some things the Captain and XO just couldn't ignore.

Inside the cabin, Danny stopped, taking in Kara's form curled up on her bunk, facing the wall. Moving quietly, he sat down next to Kara's legs, setting a hand on her arm. "Did you get the test from Rios?"

The note asking him to meet Kara here had surprised Danny, but he assumed that this meant Kara had been successful in pinching a pregnancy test without Rios noticing. Not that Danny needed the confirmation. With her period now almost a week late, Danny had fully made the transition from what they would do if Kara was pregnant to how they were going to handle a pregnancy. Which, he supposed, was why the next words out of Kara's mouth were such a shock.

"I got my period."

Danny sat perfectly still, the words not making any sense. "You got your period? Wasn't it due last week?"

"Yes." Kara gave a strangled laugh. "It was just late. The stress, probably."

Danny tried to take in what she was saying, but the words weren't sinking in.

It was a false alarm.

She wasn't pregnant.

Kara was still facing the wall, not looking at him and Danny finally noticed how scratchy her voice had sounded. "Are you okay?"

Kara rolled towards him, moving into a sitting position, and Danny could see the red rims around her eyes. She shook her head. "It's ridiculous. I should be thrilled. We're in the clear — no need to worry about transfers or fudging dates. The weapons test will be done next week. We can head back to Norfolk and lay low for a couple months, just like we planned. This is good news."

Kara was right — this should be good news. Except, she didn't sound happy and, if Danny was honest, what he was feeling right now felt a lot more like disappointment than relief. At a loss for what to say, Danny admitted the truth. "You're right. I know that this is better. I guess I kind of got used to the idea of us having a kid."

Kara gave a half laugh, half sob. "Me too." She brushed at her eyes. "It's crazy to be sad for something you never had."

But by the time the last words were out, there were tears rolling down Kara's cheeks. Wrapping his arms around her, Danny pulled her to his chest, burying his head in her hair. As Kara cried, Danny squeezed her tightly, ignoring the part of him that wanted to insist that she had to be pregnant.

"Should you do the test, just in case?" Danny asked when the tears seemed to have stopped. After all, she hadn't seen a doctor, maybe ...

Kara leaned back, brushing at her face. "Getting your period is pretty definitive, Danny."

Danny wanted to argue, but even he realized how stupid he sounded. He had known from the very beginning that the odds were against Kara being pregnant at all. From that perspective, this was the expected result. Nothing surprising about it at all. Like Kara said, it was crazy to be sad about an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy that never even existed. Besides, this was better. It gave them an opportunity to do things the right way.

Reluctantly, he nodded. "You're right."

Kara lifted a hand to his arm. "I hope nobody saw you coming in here. I just ... didn't want to have this conversation on the deck."

"I was careful," Danny reassured her. He cupped her chin with his hand, then gave her a half smile. "You know, if you wanted, we could try to make one for real."

Eyes flaring, Kara scrambled backwards. "Daniel Joshua Green, there will be no sex for the rest of this cruise. Am I clear?"

Chuckling, Danny held up both hands. "I meant after we got back."

Kara stared at him in disbelief. "You want to talk about having a baby. On purpose. Right now."

"Well, not right now," Danny replied, deliberately misunderstanding her point. "But we'll both have leave after the Nathan James gets back to Norfolk. You aren't scheduled to deploy again for a year. Plenty of time to have a kid."

"And do what with it when I do deploy again?" Kara retorted.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "It?"

Huffing out a breath, Kara rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant. Besides, this is ridiculous. This is a terrible time to have a baby."

"Again, I'm not talking about right now." Danny leaned closer. "Although you do make a tempting picture all crumpled up and ..."

"Stop!" Kara hissed, but there was laughter in her voice and Danny was glad. He suspected that this wouldn't be the last time Kara thought of their never-actually-there baby, because he knew that it would be the last time he thought about the pregnancy-that-never-was. Some part of him still couldn't accept that it was all a mistake. Still, he was glad that he could make her laugh. That had to count for something. Kara rolled her eyes. "And, as far as pickup lines go, that one was utterly ridiculous. I'm sure I look terrible."

She kind of did, although Danny would never have admitted it. Besides, based on past experience, even subpar sex with Kara still counted as good sex. Danny leaned back against the back of her bunk. "I do have a question for you."

Kara stiffened slightly, her eyes narrowing, and Danny held back a smile — as if he was stupid enough to try talking about marriage right now. He might not be the most romantic guy, but even he knew better than that. Women liked to share this stuff and a story about a proposal while crying over a pregnancy scare wasn't a story to be shared. Her voice was wary. "What?"

"What do you think about moving in together once we're back in the States?" He asked.

He held his breath, waiting for Kara to answer. She pushed herself upright, seeming to actually be surprised by the question. Then her eyes narrowed. "Are you thinking your place or mine? Because Benz claims that you have the most uncomfortable recliners known to humankind."

Danny didn't care if she threw away every stick of his mismatched and lumpy furniture. "Whichever you prefer. Or we can get a different place. I don't care so long as it has a bed and you. Actually, to hell with the bed. The floor works. Or the wall. The shower. The..."

Kara leaned forward to brush a kiss against his lips, stopping the flow of words. "My place then. I like my furniture."

Danny followed her lips as she retreated, nibbling at the corner of her mouth and then letting his mouth glide to her ear. Kara wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she arched her neck. "No sex. I'm serious, Danny."

"Got it. No sex." Easing her down onto the bunk, lowering his chest onto hers until he could feel every inch of her body, Danny smiled against her lips. "Until Norfolk. And then we're going to christen every piece of furniture you own."

Kara pulled his lower lip into her mouth, biting down softly until Danny groaned. She feathered a hand through his hair, and he could feel her smiling. "In Norfolk, I'll let you."