By early October, John and Ellie were getting closer than ever. Ellie and Alexandra's relationship was getting stronger, too. It had gotten to the point that John had added increased the names on Alexandra's approved pickup list at school and daycare to three, himself, his mother, and Ellie. This had proven to be a good call when he was called into a last-minute briefing with General Beckman which was sure to go past when his daughter's childcare closed. His mom had flown back to Chicago for a week to visit her daughter as it was Debbie's birthday, but he knew that Ellie was working an early shift at the clinic and was getting off work just as he was notified of the meeting. He'd already submitted Ellie's name to his approved access list for the base, so he was able to bypass calling the access point to get approval, and instead hit the speed dial on his phone to call the Doc.
" Well, hello Marine," Ellie had purred into the phone when she saw his name pop up on her caller ID.
"Hey Doc," John smiled, "How was your day, beautiful?"
" Not too bad," Ellie shrugged, " It's getting to be cold season, which means it's also ear infection season. I've written so many scripts for antibiotics today, my wrist is cramping."
"I can massage it for you, if you do me one small favor," John led.
" Jonathan Michael Casey!" Ellie mock gasped, earning her a chuckle over the line from her boyfriend.
"Not what I meant, but I like the way you're thinking," John smirked, "I was actually hoping you could pick Alex up from daycare. I got called in for a last-minute meeting, and I'm not going to make it by her scheduled pick-up time."
" Hmm," Ellie hummed, " Pick up my favorite little girl in the world, or do one more load of laundry… decisions, decisions."
"Porque no los dos, Doc?" John laughed, "If you really need to get your laundry done, just use the machines at my place. It'll save you on using up your quarter stash on the machines at your complex. Don't know why you're still using those rickety old machines when I have practically new ones at my place."
" Are you sure you don't mind?" Ellie checked.
"I wouldn't have offered if I did," He countered.
" Thanks," Ellie sighed in relief, knowing that she was low on her quarters for the week and probably didn't have enough to properly clean her clothes. " Let me get my things together and shoe on and I'll go get Alex."
"Thanks Doc," John replied sincerely.
" Any time Marine," Ellie smiled, " See you after your meeting."
John grunted his acknowledgement, and they disconnected their call.
Ellie, who had been sorting her laundry prior to John's call, quicky scooped her clothes back into her hamper and pulled on her shoes. After grabbing her jacket and purse, she wrestled her hamper down the stairs to her car and headed off to Camp Pendleton.
"Good afternoon, Doctor Bartowski," The Lance Corporal at the gate greeted her with a kind smile as he checked her I.D.
"Hey, Rick," Ellie responded, "How are the kids?"
"Excited to Halloween," Rick replied, "Already trying to figure out what they want to be. I'm off that night, for once, so I'll be able to take them out and give Jeanine a break this year."
"That should be fun," Ellie replied as she retrieved her license back and thanked Rick as she waited for the gate to be lifted so she could enter the base.
Since her visits to the base were becoming more frequent, Ellie had learned how to navigate the installation pretty well, even found a few short cuts. This meant it didn't take long, once she was on the base, to arrive at the daycare that Alexandra attended. She found a space near the entrance and made her way in.
Alexandra saw one of her favorite people enter the daycare and immediately jumped to her feet and ran to embrace Ellie's legs. "You're here, I missed you!"
"I missed you too, Sweetheart," Ellie smiled down at the girl as she ran her fingers through the girl's hair, "Why don't you go finish cleaning up the toys were playing with while I get you signed out."
"Okay," Alexandra nodded and headed over to where she had been playing to tidy up and put the toy bin she'd been using away. By the time she was finished, Ellie had already retrieved her jacket and backpack. Ellie helped her on with her jacket and they headed out to the car for the short drive home.
"Where's Daddy?" Alexandra asked as they drove toward the neighborhood that she and her father lived in.
"He had a meeting at work, so he asked me to come get you." Ellie explained, earning a nod from her young charge. "I figured we could get you home and make dinner so it's ready by the time he gets home. What do you think about lasagna?"
"Yummy!" The girl crowed.
Soon enough, they pulled into the driveway in front of John's house and Ellie used her spare key to enter the home. She sent Alexandra to put her backpack in her room while she pulled her hamper out of the trunk of her car.
After getting Alexandra seated at the table with a coloring book and some crayons, she got started on the laundry. Since she was already going to be doing hers, she figured she might as well get John's and Alexandra's done at the same time. It didn't take her long to get all the hampers together and sorted out and soon she had a load going in the washer. It was still early yet, so she decided to do what Bartowskis are best at and clean up a bit. By the time she had moved the first load of clothes to the dryer and started a second load, it was time to start making dinner.
She checked the kitchen for the ingredients that she would need and quickly began to make dinner. While she put together the cheese mixture for the dish, she started the noodles boiling. Once the noodles were soft enough, she drained out the water and ran cold water over them until they were cool enough to handle.
"Alex, do you want to help me put in the noodles?" She called over her shoulder to the girl as she turned on the oven to heat up.
"Yeah!" Alexandra began to wiggle to be let down from her seat. Ellie quickly wiped off her hands on a dish towel and went to let the girl down. She'd already set up a footstool for the girl to stand on and had the counter sorted so that Alexandra could reach well enough to do her part. After tying an apron onto the little girl, and donning one herself, they got to work.
Ellie poured out a little sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish and showed Alexandra how to lay the noodle in the pan. Once the noodle were laid out, Alexandra watched Ellie as the older woman spread the cheese mixture, some ground sausage and another layer of sauce over the noodles. When it was Alexandra's turn again, she meticulously laid out the noodles just as Ellie had taught her. This process was repeated a few times before the dish was filled and Ellie poured out the last of the pasta sauce on the top of the lasagna and topped it off with shredded mozzarella cheese.
"That's one good looking lasagna," She smiled at the little girl beside her, "You did such a great job helping me make dinner."
Alexandra beamed under Ellie's compliment. She watched as Ellie pulled out the tin foil and covered the dish before putting it in the oven and setting the timer. Ellie helped her to wash her hands and removed their aprons before sending Alexandra off to play for a bit. After cleaning up the kitchen again, Ellie went to check on the laundry, seeing that the dryer was finished, she pulled out the load and rotated the second load to the dryer and started the third and final load in the washing machine.
Ellie carried the basket of newly cleaned clothes into the living room and began to fold and sort them, as she was finishing up, Alexandra entered the room carrying a book.
"What are you doing?" The girl asked.
"Well, it's laundry day for me," Ellie shrugged, folding another shirt and placing it on the correct pile, "Since I was picking you up from daycare, your dad said I could use your washer and dryer."
"Oh," Alexandra nodded. She watched as Ellie quickly folded and sorted the items in the basket, "Can I help?"
"Sure," Ellie smiled at her, "Once I'm done here, I could really use your help with putting away your and your daddy's clothes. Then we can read that book you brought out."
"Okay," Alexandra nodded and waited for Ellie to fold the last few things from the basket. Ellie handed Alexandra a stack of the girl's clothes and picked up a pile of John's things and led the girl down the hall. They made quick work of putting the clothes away before returning to the living room.
Ellie had Alexandra settle on the couch while she checked on the laundry, the dryer was still mid-cycle, so she returned to the living room and took a seat next to Alexandra to read the book the girl had brought out. As they finished the story, Ellie heard the tell-tale buzz of the dryer and excused herself to retrieve the next load and put her third load in the dryer.
Much as like happened before, she folded the clothes and she and Alexandra put them away together. The timer on the oven went off not too long after and Ellie pulled the dish out to set. She was folding the last load of laundry when she heard the garage door open and the rumble of John's Crown Vic as he pulled into the garage. She was just packing away her clothes in her hamper when John walked in, spotting the piles of his and Alexandra's clothes on the coffee table.
"Hey," He greeted his girlfriend with a gentle kiss.
"Hey yourself," Ellie smiled up at him, "How was your meeting?"
"Usual stuff; might have to have Mom come stay with Alex for a couple days while I travel for work," John shrugged, trying to be nonchalant when it was the first time he was going to be activated since finding out about his daughter. "We can talk about it later if you want, after the kid goes to bed."
"Okay," Ellie nodded, putting the rest of her clothes in the hamper she'd brought.
"You know you didn't have to do my laundry, too," John pointed out.
"I was already doing laundry, and grabbing your stuff and Alex's allowed me to do full loads," Ellie shrugged.
"Daddy!" Alexandra shouted as she bounded out of the hallway and into her father's arms.
"Hey Kid!" John swept her up into a tight hug.
"Ellie let me help make dinner!" The girl announced.
"She did?" John grinned at his daughter, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's eat!"
The trio made their way into the dining room and kitchen. While Ellie, with a little help from Alexandra, set the table, John quickly cut up the lasagna and carried it to the table. As they enjoyed their meal together, Alexandra regaled them with stories from school, including what some of her friends would be doing for Halloween, which was coming up in a couple weeks.
"Do you know what you want to be for Halloween?" Ellie asked the girl.
Alex gave a small shrug, "Mommy and I dressed up together before she went to Heaven."
"Would you like us to dress up together?" John asked hesitantly, not sure if it was the smartest idea.
Alexandra's eyes lit up and she looked between the two adults, "Really?"
"Sure, Kid," John nodded.
"I wanna be Dora!" Alexandra announced, "Daddy can be Swiper, and Miss Ellie can be Boots!"
John sent a concerned look to Ellie who only smiled at him before turning to the little girl, "You want me to dress up with you and your Daddy?"
"Yeah," Alex nodded as if it were the most obvious thing.
"I'm not so sure about this," John said low to Ellie.
"Oh hush, John, its just for one night," Ellie countered, "It won't kill ya to dress up for your daughter for a few hours, one night out of the year."
John grunted his protest, which was ignored by the ladies at the table.
"How about we talk about this later," Ellie suggested, "We need to finish our dinner because it's almost someone's bedtime."
John glanced at the digital read out on the microwave and noticed his girlfriend was right, "She ain't wrong, Kid." He informed his daughter who had been pouting, "You still have school in the morning."
"Okay," Alexandra sighed and turned back to eating her piece of lasagna.
Once dinner was finished, Ellie offered to get Alexandra ready for bed while John packed away the leftovers and cleaned the dishes. He was finished just in time to join Ellie and Alexandra for a story and prayers before the adults tucked the girl in and kissed her good night.
The couple settled on the couch a short while later with glasses of wine. When John sighed, Ellie knew it was time for them to discuss his meeting.
"So, I will have to go out of town next week for a couple days," John stated, earning a nod from his girlfriend, "I can't tell you why, as it's classified, but it is supposed to be low risk."
"John, you're a Marine," Ellie pointed out, "I doubt there is anything you guys do that could be considered 'low risk.'"
John grunted his agreement.
Ellie took a deep breath to settle the nerves that were fluttering in her stomach, "All I ask is that you do your best to come back to Alexandra… and me."
John turned to face her, nudging her face up from its focus on her wine glass to meet his eyes, "Everything I do is to come home to the two of you, you are who I fight to protect above all else."
"What about Debbie and your mom?" Ellie gave him a small smile.
"Eh, sure why not them too?" He chuckled and dipped his head down to claim her lips in a soft kiss. "But in all seriousness, I shouldn't be gone too long, and even if things don't go exactly to plan, should still come back to you relatively unharmed."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, John," Ellie advised.
"Then how about this," John countered, "I'll go do my job and try my best to come back unharmed. However, if I die, you reserve the right to bring me back to life and kill me again."
"That's not funny, John," Ellie pouted.
"I know it's not, but Eleanor, I don't ever know how things are going to go when I'm out on assignment, whether a multiple month deployment or a short mission." John explained, "All I can do is my job, hope my small contribution is keeping those I love, and he country I love safe, and do my best to evade those who want to stop me."
"I had an idea of what I was getting into when we got together," Ellie sighed, "I just didn't expect the nerves to set in so fast."
"If you weren't nervous, there'd be something wrong," John pointed out, "And you aren't alone, my mom has gone through this countless times with me and my pop, and you can also reach out to the General's wife."
"True," Ellie nodded and took a deep breath, "I guess there's nothing I can do but wait and hope for your safe return."
"You can do this, we can get through this," John stated, "I wouldn't be with you if I didn't think you could handle this."
Ellie gave him a small smile and nodded.
John returned the smile and gave her another comforting kiss, "Now, what are we going to do about Alexandra's costume."
Ellie chuckled at the abrupt change of topic, "You know how much she loves Dora, I don't think we can talk her out of it. How about I take her shopping for a costume while you're gone. It'll be a good distraction for both of us."
"Probably a good idea," John nodded, "It'll likely save my sanity. Please try to talk her out of me dressing up as that ridiculous fox."
"I'll do my best," Ellie giggled and settled against John's chest as the cuddled and sipped their wine. Eventually they decided that Ellie would stay the night as it was late and much of her clothes were folded in her hamper at John's house anyhow. In reality her, clothes were a convenient excuse. They both felt like they needed to be with each other that night to comfort one another over John's upcoming mission.
John's mission deployment came faster than any of them wanted to acknowledge. He had to report at o-dark-thirty to catch his transport, so his mom was in the guest room. Ellie had also chosen to stay the night with him the night prior to his deployment. Having her sleeping in his arms comforted him in a way nothing else could, something he would only admit to her. His alarm had woken them early and he quickly showered and dressed in his mission gear, which he'd laid out the night before. If Ellie thought his all black BDUs were out of the ordinary, she didn't say anything. His gear had been locked in the trunk of the Vic, so that he could just pull it out when he got to the AMC Terminal.
By the time he emerged from his room, he could smell the scent of fresh brewed coffee, bitter and strong, as he liked it. His mom was seated at the kitchen island, a cup of coffee steaming in the mug she was slowly drinking out of. He could smell the vanilla creamer that she and Ellie both favored, and he kept in his fridge for the same reason. Ellie had Alexandra propped on her right hip, the little girl's head resting on her shoulder, and was pouring coffee into a travel mug.
"Morning, ladies," John greeted them softly, not wanting to startle his still dozing daughter who had nearly fallen back to sleep in Ellie's arms.
"G'mornin,' John," His mom hummed back, reaching out to squeeze his hand as he passed.
He stopped long enough to press a kiss to his mother's cheek before continuing into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around his other two ladies. He pressed a kiss to the top of his daughter's head; Alex looked up and gave him a sleepy smile before nestling her head back in the crook of Ellie's neck. He waited while Ellie deftly snapped the lid onto the travel mug she'd been filling and turned toward him.
"Morning, Beautiful," He greeted her in a soft growl as he claimed her lips in a soft kiss.
"Hey you," She replied, softly, and handed the travel mug to him.
"Thanks," He grunted and took a sip, pulling Ellie into his side.
"I don't want you to go," Ellie said as she snuggled into him, "But I know you have to, it's just hard."
"I know," John nodded, kissing her head, "I don't want to go either. If there was any other way to accomplish our goals, we'd be doing that. Unfortunately, this time the solution requires boots on the ground."
"Don't go, Daddy," Alex whined, looking up at her daddy.
"I wish I could stay here with you, kid," John sighed. He'd been warned by other service members, and his own mother, that no matter how much he prepared his daughter for his shipping out, it would still be difficult.
"Hey Bug," Ellie added in, "The sooner he goes, the sooner he can come home to us. You and I have fun plans for while he's gone. The two of us are going to go shopping, which is going to be so much more fun without your grumpy daddy going with us. We'll hang out with Nanna, you've got swim lessons, too."
"'Kay," The girl sighed.
John checked his watch and saw that it was time for him to leave. He shared a look with Ellie, who gave him a sad smile. She slowly stepped out of his embrace so he could say goodbye to his mother. He accepted the tight hug from his mom, who was clearly on the verge of tears before taking his little girl in his arms. He spent a few minutes assuring his daughter that he would come back to her and wiping her tears until her Nanna came to take her so that he could be on his way.
"Walk me to my car?" He requested, holding his hand out to Ellie, who quietly nodded and took his hand. They entered the garage and stood by the driver's side door as they said their goodbyes. "I'll see you soon, Doc."
Ellie looked up at him with misty eyes, "Take care of yourself, Marine," She replied.
John gently swept the tears from her cheeks and gave her a tender and passionate kiss that neither of them wanted to end. They slowly retreated and John rested his forehead against Ellie's, "I love you, Ellie Faye." He murmured low in his throat, "Come Hell or high water, I will do my damnedest to come back to you, to all of you."
"I love you too, John," Ellie sniffed, beginning to regain her composure, "So much."
They shared one last kiss before John climbed into his Crown Vic and hit the button to open the garage door. He slowly pulled out of the driveway, his eyes rarely parting from the vibrant green eyes of his girlfriend. He saw her blow him a kiss and smiled at her as he put the car in drive and drove away, allowing himself one last glance in the rear-view mirror and seeing the garage door slowly closing.