Sonny stared intently at Lisa as the team said their congratulations and goodbyes. He felt his heartbeat quickened and he had to consciously tell himself to breathe. These last two weeks had been an emotional whirlwind. Saying goodbye to Stella and Brian. Appearing before the investigating committee. Telling Bravo that he was retiring, effective immediately. All of it led up to this moment with Lisa. In a matter of seconds, everything was going to change.

Ray was the last of Brave to say goodbye. He brought Lisa in for a hug and told her he was proud of her. As Lisa watched Ray and the team walk out the door, it dawned on her; all of Bravo hadn't joined them. She turned around to see Sonny standing in front of her.

"The way I see it we've got six feet of beer and nowhere to be, and I say we make some bad decisions." When Sonny finished speaking he smiled at Lisa.

"What the hell did you do?" Lisa smiled back, rolled her eyes at Sonny and shook her head. What kind of mess had he gotten himself into this time, she thought. But Sonny didn't answer, he just stood there and waited. His expression said what words didn't. Suddenly, everything clicked for Lisa and regret washed over her. "Sonny," Lisa took a step toward him. "I would never ask you to give up your trident for me. Bravo's all you ever wanted."

"It was." Sonny said as he closed the distance between them. "Davis, I have a daughter who needs reminding who her daddy is and besides," Sonny paused and smiled, "I've lived my dream, now go live yours." There it was. He laid it all on the line. Sonny had gone all in for Lisa. He didn't expect anything from her, but every bit of his being hoped. Hoped she knew that he did it all for her. Hoped she knew he now understood that he had loved her for over a decade. Hoped that he was part of her living her dream.

Lisa smiled and slightly shook her head in disbelief. She never could have imagined this moment. She was at a loss for words. What do you say when the man you love lays down his dreams for yours? The silence was nearly killing him. Lisa looked up and directly into Sonny's eyes. Suddenly she broke eye contact and took a step back. His heart sank. Lisa quietly started speaking, "I didn't think I'd get the job I loved because of the investigation." She looked up and continued. "I didn't think I could be with the man I love because of our jobs. Even Hank Williams couldn't make that sound pretty." Lisa smirked, reached out and grabbed Sonny's free hand. Now she was looking directly at him. "Seems like you have untangled the knot we were in…so" Lisa was playfully tilting her head from side to side, "How's your feelings about DC?"

Without hesitation, Sonny closed the gap between them and encircled her with his arms. Lisa buried her head into Sonny's chest and clung to him. The realization of the depth of sacrifice Sonny had made for them was just beginning to sink in. He loved her as much as he loved being a SEAL. He chose her over His trident. She was the right reason. Not just her, but Leanne too. Being a good father was now a priority. Contrary to how she had teased him in Honduras, he had matured. A flood of emotions: relief, exhilaration, excitement, passion, and expectation filled them both.

"You really don't want to drink this beer do you?" Lisa's voice cracked with emotion.

Sonny chuckled, "You got something better in mind, Lieutenant?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah?" was all Sonny could manage to get out before Lisa grabbed his hand and led him out of the Bulkhead.

"I'll drive," Lisa stated bluntly and pointed him to her car. She unlocked the doors with the remote, Sonny reached around her to open her door. She got in, Sonny closed her door and made his way to the passenger's side. Lisa was shifting the car into drive when Sonny placed his hand over hers. Lisa looked at him questioning and he answered by pulling her to him and kissing her with a tenderness and passion that had been repressed repeatedly for years. In that moment, Lisa didn't care who saw. Noone knew the depths of their love and how, for years, they had sacrificed their personal happiness for and because of their jobs. Things continued to escalate and all Sonny could think was how he wanted her naked body wrapped around his. Breathless, they separated slightly leaving their foreheads touching. Lisa whispered, "I have so many questions."

"I'll answer them all….later. For now, drive."

Sonny sat back in his seat. Lisa nodded and shifted the car into gear. She pulled out of the parking lot and started making her way toward her apartment. Sonny reached for her hand and brought the back of it up to his lips to kiss it. He couldn't stop staring at her. She was stunningly beautiful and she was his best friend. He tenderly pushed the hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek, then shoulder and arm. Lisa was overwhelmed with emotion and as a tear would escape, Sonny would wipe it away. Sonny continued to smile at her, knowing he was just as overwhelmed as she was. Lisa had barely put the car in park when Sonny jumped out and ran over to her side to open her door. He pulled her out, shut her door and pushed her up against the car, leaving no space between them. He kissed her again, hard, she had no objections. At the bottom of the stairs, Sonny picked up Lisa and threw her over his shoulder and carried her up the stairs. Lisa wanted to object but was laughing so hard she couldn't get out the words. At her door, Sonny set her down. It felt like time was going in slow motion and Lisa couldn't get the key in the lock fast enough. Once they got in the door, Sonny spared no time in removing both his and Lisa's clothing. They didn't make it into the bedroom. All the pent up tension from so many times of "we can't do this" spilled out and now being able to shed the confines of the rules, there was nothing to hold them back. Neither of them knew what all of it meant but now they could be together any way they wanted.

Lisa had experienced post deployment sex with Sonny and that was a marathon of pleasure but this was something different. It was all of that and more. Sonny was tenuous yet commanding, primal yet vulnerable. Lisa wasn't sure how to label it but it didn't matter they were together and savoring every second. At one point, Sonny picked Lisa up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. As he moved towards the bedroom, he caught the broken coffee table with the corner of his eye and he gave a little chuckle.

"Some of your furniture didn't hold up!" Sonny made a mental note to either repair or replace it.

Lisa just laughed. The table was the last thing on her mind. "One less thing to move," she teased.

The rest of the evening encompassed reconnecting, physically and emotionally. The only time Sonny was clothed again was when he had to answer the door to grab the pizzas. He would have answered it butt naked, but Lisa protested and he relented. By this time they had finished eating it was late, Lisa was spent and told Sonny she was going to jump in the shower. He told her he would clean up and be right there. The water was warm flowing down Lisa's body, she was peaceful for the first time in a long time. Sonny opened the shower door and stepped in, grabbing the sponge to wash her back. He never understood how she could shower in water the temperature of lava. He stepped out of the flow and turned her to rinse her off. He was looking at her so lovingly that her heart melted. She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him. He held her close and she could hear his heartbeat in his chest. Such a comforting sound. They stayed until the water turned cold and Lisa jumped out. Sonny washed off in the cold water, just like normal. He dried off and walked back into the bedroom to find Lisa already snuggled under the blankets in his T-shirt. He crawled in next to her, pulled her to him. "Hey," Sonny whispered, his voice low and husky. "Welcome to our new normal."

Lisa let out a long sigh before saying, "Together." Moments later they were both peacefully asleep.

An hour had passed when Sonny woke up startled. He slid out of bed as quietly as he could trying not to wake Lisa. He threw on his boxers and left the room. LIsa woke and found him in the kitchen taking shots of the whiskey she kept in the cabinet. She knew what was happening, Sonny was beginning to reel. This was the first time the team was spinning up since Sonny had given up his trident. She knew he would be questioning his decision, not because she thought he was regretting choosing her. She knew he didn't, but she also knew that Sonny loved being a SEAL and more than that he loved his brothers and he wasn't with them. Lisa understood that he would be worried about Bravo and probably feeling guilty about not being there to have their backs. She knew it would be torture for him to not even know where they were or what the mission was.

Lisa quietly slipped her arm around his waist and laid her head against his back. "You're allowed to be sad. Sonny…You're allowed to have emotions about this." Lisa treaded lightly, "I wasn't part of the brotherhood but I was family and it was damn hard for me to leave them when I went to OCS. It must be 100 times harder for you. You've given up one of the things you love most in this world. Bravo has been imprinted on your DNA, your brothers have been your family, your work, your world, your identity. You're probably questioning whether giving it up was worth it." Sonny let out a long sigh and began to quietly shake as emotion moved through him. "You're human," Lisa continued. "Even good…great changes have a cost. I want you to be able to talk to me. I'm sure taking the rap for Decker was one of the most difficult decisions you ever made."

WIth that Sonny turned around and took her face in his hands. "That's where you're wrong. I made the decision to not let you go down for my actions down in Columbia. It just took me a little time to figure out an off ramp. I knew the cost going in. I would have never been able to live with myself if I had let ya take the heat for me."

"But I was willing and prepared to take the hit, Sonny. I told you that."

"I know. But Lisa, what kinda man would I be if I let someone I love hang for my actions? Besides, I've come to a place in my life where there is room for more than Bravo. When we were in Serbia, Clay said to me that it was good to have a life outside of Bravo. That at the end of his career he wanted more than a broken body, a busted head and a wrecked marriage to show for it. Old Blonde Soclaytes, well, his words stuck with me and I've been thinking about it ever since. Letting you take the hit still didn't make a way for us to be together."

Lisa was in disbelief. "Serbia…. was years ago."

Sonny smiled and shook his head up and down several times.

"Clay's still schooling you." Lisa said with a laugh. "Still, I know you're struggling with being away from Bravo."

"I am," Sonny admitted, "but I'm also the happiest I have been in my entire life. Well, maybe tied with the first time I got to hold Leanne. I think it's possible to be both at the same time, don't ya think?"

Lisa really did understand. She gave Sonny a big squeeze and said, "Just promise me that you'll keep talking to me. Even when it gets hard.".

"Darlin' talking is that last thing I want to do when it's hard." Sonny let out a chuckle and winked.

"Promise me!"

Sonny just pursed his lips.

"Sonnnnnnny" Lisa said in exasperated.

"Ok," Sonny mumbled. Lisa almost missed him saying it. She looked at him with a sideways head tilt.

"OK! I will!" Sonny spoke louder, holding up his hands in surrender. "Cross my heart."

Lisa giggled then grabbed the glass pushing it towards Sonny. He poured her a drink, got another glass down out of the cabinet and filled it too. They clinked their glasses, silently toasting their future and their past all at the same time.

Setting down her glass Lisa looked over at Sonny. "Ok, Quinn. Bedtime, it's late and you wore me out."

"Admitting ya can't keep up with me there, Davis?"

"Me keep up with you? You're the only one here that's retired, old man."

"Ha, well this old man's got the energy to outlast you any day.." With that, Sonny turned and headed back to the bedroom.

Lisa followed, "My Old Man, I like it! I think I'm gonna start calling you that."

"Na, na na…"

"What? You don't like it?"

"Not a chance, Davis"

"Ooooo, I got it! Sugar Daddy!"

Sonny let out a belly laugh. "Davis, you can call me whatever the hell you want as long as you get your ass back in this bedroom."