All is Calm, All is Bright

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Luck was shining on Bravo. Their Christmas was happy, completely drama free, and filled with love and family.

Jason and Clay spent Christmas Eve at Trent's house. Sonny and Metal joined the party which included Uncle Sonny manning the grill, and Metal mixing the drinks. After dinner with her family, Catherine and Derrick came over for drinks and brought the cookies she and Clay had made. Brock and Katie also made an appearance after having dinner with the large Myers family in their matching Christmas pajamas.

The happy couple reported that Katie and her sister had taken Brock's advice. The threesome made a pilgrimage into D.C. where their older sister Janet, who was also eager for the bowl drama to end, had turned them on to a fancy shop where they sold handmade pottery. They found a really nice bowl which they had engraved with an old Irish saying about family that Katie remembered their mother telling them Grandma Helen had often told her when she was a child. They also had the names of all five Myer's kids and the date engraved on the bowl. The new bowl was a hit, Katie and Jenny confessed to breaking the original, leaving Brock and Corey out of the incident altogether, and as predicted, The Colonel and Mrs. Myers let them off the hook with limited lecturing.

When his parents were away for the day, Corey and Clay searched through boxes of old pictures his mother kept in their attic and came up with an old picture of his mother when she was a little girl sitting in a rocker with his great-great grandmother who had died long before any of the Myers kids were born. They gave it to Brock and Katie who had it re-touched and framed together with the old Irish saying for Katie's mom who cried when she opened it on Christmas Eve. Mrs. Myers found a perfect place to display the new bowl and picture together, out of reach to the grandchildren, but easily observable to guests who always commented and read the saying:

Family is like the branches of a tree.

We may grow in different directions,

yet our roots remain as one.

Each of us will always be part of the other.

Trent had taken Clay home with him the night before Christmas Eve when Jason was stuck late at work. He helped Trent get the house cleaned up and was his wingman for driving around town picking up everything they needed for the next day's holiday fun.

When the cleaning and shopping were finally done, Trent ordered pizza and he and the kid crashed on the couch. They enjoyed a second viewing of the Miser brothers feuding and singing, before cleaning up and getting ready for bed. Clay was on a pre-Christmas high and having a hard time settling down to sleep.

"Trent," the kid he loved so much, was bouncing around the kitchen, watching him unload the dishwasher, and talking a mile a minute. "This has been the best Christmas. When I was in foster care, I used to read books about real families and watch movies about kids at Christmas. I'd imagine myself with a family at Christmas, but I never really thought it would happen for me."

"Well, Shorty," Trent said, turning to face his hyper kid. "It did happen for you, and we are so lucky to have you in our family. I love you, and I'm glad you are having the best Christmas ever, but right now we need to settle down and get some rest. It's going to be a busy few days, and the last thing we need is you going from hyperdrive to over-tired and grouchy when you hit the wall. So let's pace ourselves and get some solid sleep tonight."

"I'll try, Trent," Clay sighed. "But it's not even ten o'clock. I don't know if I can sleep yet."

"We've been training hard at work," Trent said, shaking his head and leading the kid to the spare bedroom which Clay had officially claimed as his own. "You've been busy with all things Christmas every night and all weekend."

"I'm really not tired," Clay whined. "You know I've got more energy than some older guys I won't mention by name."

"Is that so?" Trent rolled his eyes at his kid who was clearly trying to stall the bedtime.

"I call em' like I see em'," Clay shrugged, smirking.

"Well, I call em' like I see em' also," Trent broke out his no nonsense medic voice. "It's only been a week since you were in the hospital shivering under the covers while you recovered from your late night stroll induced hypothermia,"

He paused, pointing at the bed.

"I'm going to guess you don't want to end up sick from running yourself ragged and back in the kiddie ward," Trent said, calm as always when dealing with their kid. "Am I wrong, or does having the perky nurses ordering you to turn over for temp checks and tush shots sound like a good time to you?"

That got him a glare. Bravo Four was unfazed.

"Well?" Trent said, lightly.

"No," Clay grouched, flopping down on the bed. "You are definitely not wrong about me wanting no part of the hospital. But you are wrong that I'm over-tired."

"Okay," Trent said, taking a seat on the side of the bed and resting his hand on the kid's warm back. "If you think you can lose the pout, I have a suggestion you may like."

"What is it?" Clay was curious, turning over to look up at the first real caregiver he'd ever had.

"I know Ray and Naima bought you a copy of 'A Christmas Carol' to read while you were stuck in bed," Trent said, moving his hand to rest on his squirming kid's chest, unsurprised to find his heart beating fast and knowing he wouldn't sleep well if he didn't settle down. "Did you finish it?"

"Not yet," Clay said, reaching up to wrap his fingers around Trent's wrist, not wanting him to move. "I finished the first two sections. But I just got to the second ghost."

"How about we chill out here together for a while," Trent suggested softly. "I'll read you the rest of the book. It's not too long."

Both Trent and Jason had read aloud to their boy more than once to help him settle in bed, and sometimes he and Brock would read together on long plane rides.

Clay looked up disappointed. "I don't have the book with me," he said. "It's back at the apartment."

"Well, we're in luck," Trent said, gently removing the kid's grip on his wrist. "I have a copy on my bookshelf."

"You've read A Christmas Carol?"

Trent chuckled at the kid's obvious surprise.

"It's one of my favorites," he said, returning with the book. "I'm a big fan of Dickens."

"Really?" Clay said. "I didn't know that. I like Dickens too. I read this article online somewhere about how Dickens basically brought back Christmas to England and made it a big deal like it is today. I guess before he wrote A Christmas Carol, Christmas had become just another holy day, and people didn't celebrate so much like we do now."

"Back when I was married," Trent said. "Janice and I watched a movie about that. It was called 'The Man Who Saved Christmas' or something like that. It was about Dickens and how he was inspired to write the book. It was pretty interesting."

Clay reached over, grabbed his phone, and started Googling.

"'The Man Who Invented Christmas', he said. "It got 79% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Can we watch it sometime?"

"Sure, squirt," Trent smiled, sitting down and leaning against the headboard. "So what's your favorite Dickens?"

"So far I really like this one," Clay said. "I've seen the movie on TV so I already know the story which makes it easier to read. I've read 'Oliver Twist' and 'Great Expectations'. I started 'Tale of Two Cities' but it was too hard to read and boring, so I didn't finish it."

"I hope you know how smart you are, Clay," Trent said, pulling him close. "I could never have read those books at your age and understood them. You are smart and kind and good at so many things. You know that you can be whatever you want?"

"Jason says I don't have to always be in the Navy," Clay said, quietly. "He says I can go to college like Emma and Mikey. Even if Ms. Ellis pitches a fit."

"You don't owe Ellis or the Navy anything," Trent scoffed. "You are under contract until you're twenty-two, but you don't need to be a SEAL. There are many jobs they would love to put you in. Or Jason and Blackburn can work it out so you can go to college and finish your commitment to the Navy when you get out. You could test into the Naval Academy no problem and come out a commissioned officer. You can be anything you want to be. You don't have to live our lives. Mikey is Jason's son, but he wanted no part of the military. My step-father was a farmer. Sonny's daddy raised cattle. Jason's father worked in a factory. Brock's parents run a family diner. You do what is going to make you happy."

"Corey can't wait to go away to college," Clay said. "The Colonel is upset that he won't even consider West Point where he went. He has zero interest in the Army. Corey wants to be an architect, but he's scared to tell his dad because he's afraid The Colonel will say it's a sissy job or something. But he's really good at math. And really good designing and building things. I bet he'd be a great architect."

"Do you think you'd like to go to college?" Trent asked gently, knowing Clay was anxious talking about anything that might separate him from the family and the men he was clinging to for love and security.

"I never really thought about it before," Clay whispered, reaching over to clutch Trent's shirt. "I like to read, and I like history. I was good at math and science. And I like to draw. But I didn't like school. I was always in trouble. And then the school would call my foster parents and I'd get punished again at home. A few teachers liked me, but mostly I drove them crazy because I was talking all the time and not staying in my seat. Corey talks like college will be great, and Katie says college was the best time she ever had. Brock told me once he loves Bravo and being a K9 handler, but sometimes he wonders if he might want to do something else or go to school when his time is up."

"He's told me that, too," Trent said, rubbing Clay's back. "Before Bravo, Brock was planning to do four years and then let the Navy pay for him to go back to California to college. But things change on you sometimes, and now he's attached to us, just like you are part of our family now."

"Would you be mad at Brock if he left Bravo and went to college?" Clay asked.

"Of course not, honey," Trent said, honestly. "I want Brock to be happy, just like I want you to be happy. If Bravo stops making him happy, or he thinks he wants to try something different, I will love him just like I do now. And he'll always be my kid and be part of our family. Forever. And the old man in me would be relieved and sleep a lot easier in my retirement if I knew my babies were doing something much less dangerous and stressful than galavanting around the globe getting shot at by terrorists and doing Amanda Ellis' dirty work for the CIA."

"You think Jason would be disappointed?" Clay asked, making eye contact.

"In you, or Brock?" Trent questioned.

"I don't know," Clay shrugged. "Either I guess."

"No and no," Trent said, firmly. "Jason does not expect or want either Brock or you to follow in his footsteps or live his life. And I know that for a fact. We have all given up a normal life to do the job we do. And I'm happy and proud of the life I have. But Clay, I have regrets, and so does Jason. He lost his marriage and the chance to be a real part of his kids' lives growing up. I lost three wives and the chance to be a father. Sonny and Metal never even attempted any kind of long-term relationships. Derrick and Catherine gave up having children for this life. And Ray is only with Bravo for a few more years at most. He doesn't want to end up like Jason. And that's a hard decision Brock and Katie will need to make eventually too if he stays with the teams."

"I never want to go away and leave you or Jason or Sonny," Clay said. "I love you so much. I don't want to be alone again. Not ever."

"And you never are going to lose us or be alone," Trent promised. "Not as long as any of us are breathing. But Clay, being part of our family, being Jason's son or one of my adopted babies or the kid Sonny loves more than anything in the world does not mean you need to stay on Bravo any longer than you want to. Jason, Sonny, Derrick, Metal, Josh - they were my brothers before we were SEALS and long before we were Bravo. And they will be my brothers for life, long after us old guys get booted from the Navy."

"Mikey will always be Jason's son, and Corey will always be The Colonel's kid," Trent said. "And it has nothing to do with what career they choose. Or where they choose to go to school or settle down."

"And Clay," Trent continued. "These aren't choices you need to make now. You aren't going anywhere for at least the next six years. And neither are your grumpy old uncles. So let's not get worked up. I just want you to know that you are a good boy who has so many people who love you and want you to be happy. And you can be whoever you decide you want to be. And tonight, you are going to be here with your best uncle listening to some Scrooge and getting yourself some rest so you can celebrate Christmas with the family who loves you. Same page?"

"Yes," Clay said, smiling and wrapping his arms around the man he adored. "Same page. I want to hear the rest of the story."

"Well, then how about you relax and get ready to listen, because it's a great story," Trent said, opening up to the section where the Ghost of Christmas Present appears.

Clay fought hard to hold on until the end. When the book was finished, he closed his eyes and turned over on his belly, knowing that his best loved uncle would sit with him and rub his back until he was asleep.

Once the kid was out for hopefully the night,Trent tucked him in tight and kissed his head. Leaving the door open as the kid liked, he went out to the living room to touch base with Jason and confirm this meeting wouldn't mean a last minute surprise mission.

"I'm on my way home," Jason said when he answered the phone in his truck, the exhaustion in his voice obvious to his longtime brother. "You want me to swing around and take Sunshine off your hands so you can get a good night's sleep? I know I've been sleeping with one eye open since the midnight escape and hypothermia shit-show, and I have no doubt that you are as well when you have the night-walker in your spare room. Sonny put the kid to sleep in bed with him when he kept the runt for me the other night. Said no chance Trouble was getting out on his watch."

"I don't doubt it," Trent said, seriously. "I thought I might need to bust out a paper bag to keep poor ol' Sonny from hyperventilating and hitting the pavement when I picked him up that night and he realized how fucking cold it was and that his baby was wandering around barefoot in just pajamas."

"He's not the only one who almost lost it," Jason admitted. "I pulled it together by the time I got to Norfolk, but when I walked out of the apartment, saw the snow and that fucking wind hit me, Sonny's not the only one who was losing his shit."

"Well now, he's safe and sound, asleep in his bed," Trent said. "Don't bother coming all the way out. I'm locking the new deadbolt as we speak, and I've got an alarm on every door out of here. He's not going anywhere tonight."

"Copy that, brother," Jason said.

"What's the word from Ellis?" Trent asked warily. "Should I start prepping the kid in the morning for a Christmas spin up?"

"Nope," Jason said, relieved. "Thank God, unless something outrageous and totally unexpected goes down, it looks like we're good until after the new year. I didn't want to let down my kids again, or face the wrath of my mother, but all cards on the table, I was more worried about Ray."

"Yeah," Trent said. "He's been more quiet and to himself than usual. And our nose for news, on the scene reporter told Brock who told me that when Naima was babysitting last week after Clay was released from the hospital, he heard her talking on the phone with her sister when the kids were napping and he was supposedly sleeping on the couch."

"That little shit isn't going to be happy until I make his bare ass shine," Jason said, shaking his head. "I've warned him multiple times about the eavesdropping and spreading of adult private business. He is more than old enough to know better."

"I've warned him, and so has every other adult he knows," Trent laughed. "You're right that it's probably going to take one good old fashioned spanking to cure his interest in becoming a junior private detective. But since he's already delivered the news, do you want to know what Naima had to say? Or are we taking the high ground and minding our own business?"

"If what she had to say in any way impacts Ray's role as 2IC of Bravo, it is my business," Jason said. "Spill the tea as my daughter would say."

"Apparently, according to Clay, she was very upset," Trent said. "As in cursing and shedding tears-level upset. And we both know that is not Naima's style. She always has it together and understands Ray's responsibilities on the team."

"I can see how the stress has been wearing on her since she had the new baby," Jason said. " Naima came to me not long after Alana died. Jameelah was just a baby, and Ray had become Bravo Two. You know he was honest with me from the beginning. Told me he had no ambition to ever lead a team. That he was in for ten years and then moving on and hopefully up the chain."

"And you're still onboard with that timeline," Trent asked.

"I won't try to stop him from going," Jason said, honestly. "Back then I thought maybe he'd change his mind like I did when I moved up to lead the team, but now I will have no part in pressuring him in any way. We all know the cost. And I'd never forgive myself if something happened to him and he left those kids fatherless. And Naima made it perfectly clear that she'd never forgive me either."

"She told you that?" Trent was surprised that Naima would go straight to Jason behind Ray's back.

"Oh yeah," Jason said. "Stood right in front of me, holding Jameelah, and made me promise to let him go after ten years and not try to talk him into staying on Bravo. Said she and Ray both grew up with single mothers and neither of them wants that for their own kids. Told me she'd never forget or forgive if I guilted him into staying and he was killed after ten years."

"Well, according to Clay," Trent said. "She and Ray had an argument about Christmas. He must have promised Jameelah that he'd be there to see her sing with the kid's choir in church on Christmas. Naima was pissed and told him he never should have done that because every time he leaves unexpectedly Jameelah gets upset, and now with the second baby and her job, it's hard for her to handle. Ray told her that she should take a leave from the nursing job for a while until both kids were in school, and if necessary he would stay an extra year on Bravo for the tier-one pay."

"I assume she lost it with him," Jason sighed.

"According to our own little Magnum PI," Trent said, "Naima was crying to her sister that Ray was a liar, and he swore he was done in ten years, but now that it's getting close, she's afraid he's not going to leave the team. Then she called him an asshole and said that she told him if he got spun up before Christmas, she didn't give a damn if it was three in the morning, he was getting his own daughter out of bed and telling her that his job was more important than his family because she's been the one who has to tell Jameelah and deal with her crying for the last time."

"Fuck," Jason said. "I knew something went down. Ray mentioned in passing the possibility of staying until RJ started school, but then later, he told me Naima was not having it. I think whatever she said scared him straight. He was so relieved tonight after the meeting. He never told me he had promised Jameelah because he knows I would have told him that was a stupid move. But that must be why he's been so tense."

"Well," Trent said, "We got lucky this time all the way around. So let's take the win. And I think you're right about Ray. He's done at ten. And Clay does have a flair for the dramatic, so it's possible he blew Naima's meltdown out of proportion. It's not like her to lose it like that. Especially with her own kids in the house, and Anderson Cooper parked on her couch."

"Anderson's gonna get it," Jason laughed.

"Okay, boss," Trent said, talking him down. "He totally deserves to get his naughty tail worn out for being a repeated offender. But maybe let this one slide. He doesn't know that I know, or that now you know. He's so pumped up for his first real Christmas. And he's gonna be relieved to hear we're not spinning up. He took the rabies shots and the indignity of being sixteen on the baby ward with limited whining. Maybe we let him think he got away without us knowing this time, let the punishment go, and not upset him on Christmas Eve."

"You're worse than Sonny," Jason said. "But you're right. I'm old and worn out, and not up for any Christmas spanking at the Hayes' house. The brat skates again. I'll pick him up in the morning. Thanks for taking him tonight. Try to get some sleep. We all have our places Clay-proofed, so Criss Angel has had his first and last nighttime escape. "

"You get some rest too, brother," Trent laughed. "I'll see you in the morning."

Christmas Eve was busy and filled with family, but Clay spent Christmas Day with Jason, just hanging out at the apartment and enjoying a work-free, stress-free, worry-free day together. Clay opened presents and enjoyed pancakes and bacon alone with his chosen dad and the man he loved more than anything in the world.

"Thanks for making Christmas so great for me, Jase," Clay said looking over at him relaxing in his recliner. Bravo's youngest was curled up on the couch under a blanket Grandma Hayes had sent for him to pack in his bag and take on cold weather spin-ups. "This is something I always wanted so badly, but never thought I would have."

"I'm glad you are happy, Sunshine," Jason smiled at him. "And I know you think that you are the big winner here, but Clay, I am the lucky one. If I didn't have you as my kid, Christmas would be just another day for me to think about the mistakes I've made. Sitting around an empty apartment, worrying about Emma and Mikey and hoping they can forgive me for not being there for them when they were younger."

"Emma and Mikey love you so much," Clay said, sitting up and moving to the other end of the couch closer to the recliner. He leaned over the arm of the couch, reaching out to grab hold of Jason's arm. "I know they do. And I love you, too. Emma says when they get here tomorrow, she's gonna tell us all about the plans she's working on for our family vacation this spring. She says Mikey is onboard, and we are going to have a great time together."

Jason chuckled, reaching out his free hand to rest on his boy's head.

"Well, if Emma is in planning mode," he said, tousling Clay's messy hair, "I have no doubt we will be getting briefed on all the details. And I am confident it will be an adventure to remember."

"I'm going to make hot chocolate," Clay said, still holding tight to his dad's forearm. "Corey's mom taught us how she makes her special Christmas hot chocolate. It's really good. Do you want some?"

"I will definitely have some of Mama Margot's Christmas hot chocolate, Sunshine," Jason said. "How about you and I enjoy our drink with some of those cookies Catherine sent over. If you're up for a second viewing, we can watch 'It's A Wonderful Life'. I've seen parts of it every year at some point. But I have never actually watched the whole movie from beginning to end."

"Okay," Clay said, happily getting up and heading into the kitchen to make the hot chocolate. "It's actually not really even about Christmas until the end. It's more about this guy who spends his whole life doing things for his family and his friends. And I guess he feels like his life isn't worth anything. But this wacky angel comes and helps him see that his life has been important."

"One summer when Emma and Mikey were younger and I was still with Alana, we spent a week in Buffalo with my family. We visited my aunt and uncle who lived in Seneca Falls," Jason said, joining Clay in the kitchen to see how the hot chocolate production was going. "It's a couple hours from Buffalo, and the town was the inspiration for Bedford Falls. They have a little museum and the bridge scene in the movie was filmed there."

"Is the actual bridge still there?" Clay asked, curious as always.

"It is," Jason said. "We walked across the bridge, and the kids bought little bells that you can hang on the bridge with the names of people you love who have died."

"Really?" Clay was interested. "That's kind of a cool thing to do. Like they are getting wings when the bell rings. Maybe sometime if we visit Grandma Hayes in Buffalo, can we go there? It would be fun to go to Buffalo and meet all your family in person."

"We'll do that sometime," Jason promised. "Maybe this summer I can get us some leave time to visit the Hayes clan."

Later that afternoon, Clay was stretched out on the couch with his head resting on Jason's leg, watching the end of the movie.

"Maybe when we go to see your family in Buffalo," Clay said, out of the blue. "If we visit Seneca Falls and go out on the bridge, I can put my mom's name on a bell."

"That would be a really nice thing to do, sweetheart," Jason said, gently rubbing his tired boy's cheek. "You know it's okay to talk about your mom anytime you feel like maybe you are missing her. I will always have time to listen. And so will Trent or any of your uncles who love you so much."

Jason was surprised by Clay mentioning the woman who had overdosed when he was just a baby. He rarely ever talked about her or his grandparents who took care of him for several years in Liberia where they were aid workers with the Peace Corps before they were killed.

"I don't really miss her," Clay said, softly, wrapping his arms around Jason's leg and holding on tight. "I don't remember anything about her or Ash or anything before I was with my grandparents. And they never wanted to talk about her. They hated Ash. I never asked about them because it made my grandma sad and my grandpa angry."

Knowing from experience that if he stayed quiet, letting Clay just talk, his kid would likely let him know what he was thinking, Jason was silent.

"I think about her sometimes," Clay continued. "Her name was Melissa. But that's all I really know. I wonder what she was like. My grandparents had a picture, but it got lost when they were killed."

"I'm sorry, baby," Jason said, sincerely. "Someday, if you want, I can help you find out more about her."

"Maybe someday I will want to do that, Jase," Clay said, still clinging to his best protector. "But now, I'm just happy that I found a family who wants me. I don't know if I want to find out about my mom yet."

"You don't need to do anything you aren't ready for," Jason assured him, recognizing this topic made his kid anxious. "You are absolutely right that you have a family who loves you, wants you, and will never hurt or abandon you. And we are going to enjoy the rest of this week together with Emma and Mikey. And when they head out next week, you have been officially invited to ring in the New Year with Cory and his family who will no doubt be entertaining."

That got a smile from the kid currently in his lap.

"Watching The Colonel dance with Mama Margot and sing New York, New York will most definitely be entertaining," Clay laughed.

"You know I love you, right?" Clay sat up, leaning back against the couch next to his hero and father.

"And you know I love you more, right?" Jason chuckled, wrapping his arm around his sweet kid and kissing his temple.

"Merry Christmas, Jase," Clay said, curling up under his strong, safe arm.

"Merry Christmas, Sunshine," Bravo One whispered, holding his son tight.